by Todd, E. L.
Soul Relenter
This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this novel are fictitious or used fictitiously. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the publisher or author, except in the case of a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review.
Copyright © 2013 by E. L. Todd
All Rights Reserved
ISBN-13: 978-1494238537
ISBN-10: 1494238535
Soul Relenter
Book Three of the Soul Saga
E.L. Todd
To you,
For following the Soul Saga to the very end.
“It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves.”
-William Shakespeare, -Julius Caesar
Canu
1
Accacia was sipping her tea in the study of the Tower, enjoying the feel of the citrus taste of the refreshment. The candles illuminated the room with a dim light, giving the office a relaxed and romantic aura. She looked at her life partner, Zyle, who sat across from her at his desk, pouring over the details of the sailboats of the harbor. The king was assessing the number of ships at his command. He had to be sure there was enough room for everyone to comfortably travel overseas.
Zyle looked up at Accacia and smiled. She returned his look with a grin of her own and he looked away, returning to the task before him. Accacia had made it clear she wanted no association with the responsibilities of the leadership, but she hated being apart from him. So, she sat across from him while he read, refilling his tea and bringing him lunch while he worked throughout the day.
Zyle dropped the parchment he was examining and leaned back in his chair. “We will need to leave some members behind.” He fixed his gaze on her and she recognized the look; he wanted to be at home with her—alone. She smiled at the meaning in his gaze. “We need to ensure the survival of our race if we perish in the attempt. Besides, we don’t have enough room for everyone.” Accacia nodded then took another drink of her tea. Zyle watched her for a moment, pitying her bored look. She sat in front of him every day while he worked, and he felt horrible for not giving her more attention. “Accacia, go enjoy the beautiful day. I’m sure Laura is done training for the afternoon and she always loves your company.” He rose from his seat behind the massive desk and walked over to her. “I’ll see you at dinner.” Zyle kissed her on the head.
Accacia rose to a stand and wrapped her arms around his neck. Zyle smiled and pressed his forehead against hers. She rubbed her nose against his and he groaned at her touch. “I need to discuss something with you, Zyle.” Zyle grabbed the back of her dress and squeezed the material in his palm, pulling it up from her waist. She could feel his hand on her bottom and she knew what he wanted. She grabbed his hand and pulled it away. “Later,” she said. “I thought you were satisfied from this morning.”
“I’m never satisfied.” Zyle dropped his hands and stepped back, adopting his political face, which he always did in serious conversations. “What did you want to discuss?”
“I want to bring Roxian with us.”
Zyle raised an eyebrow. “Why?”
“She has the right to fight for her family just as much as we all do.” Accacia met his gaze with her enchanting green eyes. “She deserves the option. Besides, she would be a vital warrior in battle—we need all the hands we can get.”
Zyle met the look of his queen. This was a touchy subject for him. Roxian could die, lose her immortal soul, and he wouldn’t care whatsoever. “Accacia, you don’t understand how evil that woman is. She desires me the same way I desire you, always has since the day my spouse died. Secondly, she will try to take back the office in whatever way she can, even if that means killing me. And the biggest reason of all. She tried to kill you, Accacia.”
“If I can overcome these reasons, so can you.” She reached her hands up and caressed his shoulders. “I don’t care if she wants you—she’ll never have you.” Zyle smiled at her faith in him. “And she won’t take back the office. She may be insane but she isn’t stupid—she knows she would never succeed in the attempt.” Zyle’s eyes softened at her words, despite his hatred for Roxian. “Yes, she tried to kill me, but she was upset at the time. Let me talk to her first and feel her out. If she is still threatening, then we’ll leave her here. If not, then let’s invite her on the journey. She deserves the option as a member of the Asquithian society.”
Zyle sighed as he met her gaze. Accacia’s ability to forgive anyone despite the heinous acts of their crimes astounded him. Roxian tried to send Accacia to the Soul Binders, and then to the Void, but his life partner treated Roxian as if she just tried to steal her pineapple tart at lunch. Her wisdom baffled him. He still considered her to be the better ruler. “Okay,” he said. “But I’m coming with you to the meeting. I can sense her intents and feelings—she can’t lie to us.”
Accacia pressed her body against his and he immediately felt aroused. Her ability to manipulate his emotions both pleased him and annoyed him. He was wrapped around her finger. She kissed him on the cheek then brought her lips to his ear. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”
Zyle shivered at her words. His body betrayed him and he knew Accacia understood his desire. “You owe me, Accacia. I expect you to reward me for my generosity.” He fixed his gaze on her and she felt her heart flutter.
Accacia placed her hand around the indicator of his feelings. “I will repay my debt handsomely,” she said. Zyle groaned as she touched him. She released her hold. “But it will have to wait until later.”
Zyle hated being teased by his soul mate. He spent the course of the day fantasizing about making love to her, touching her, and making her moan in pleasure at his entrance inside of her. He hated being told he had to wait. It made his work as the ruler that much more difficult to bear. He felt like a child forced inside his eave so he could concentrate on his studies when he knew his friends were outside playing in the sun. “I can’t wait that long.”
Accacia walked away from him and headed to the doors. “Well, you’re going to have to.” She opened the black doors to the study and stepped across the threshold, knowing Zyle would pursue her in a moment. Her life partner had become even more affectionate and absorbed by her since they decided they were leaving these shores, possibly forever, and she enjoyed the game they played. Zyle ran to her and grabbed her by the arm, pulling her back into the study. He shut the heavy doors behind him and bolted the lock.
Zyle fixed his heated stare on her. “No.” He lifted her in his arms and carried her to the desk, laying her across the surface, directly on top of the parchment sheets he had been reading. Zyle didn’t care. He lifted up her green dress and removed her underwear then tore off his own clothes, standing directly before her naked. “I’m your king,” he said as he pulled her hips to him. “No. I don’t have to wait.” Accacia grabbed his hips, digging her nails into his skin, and her green eyes blazed in a fire of longing.
He pulled Accacia to him and inserted himself within her. She immediately cried out his name as he thrust inside her. He pulled her feet against his chest and leaned farther over her, completely dominating her small form with his wide shoulders. He quickened his pace and sweat dripped down his back from the enthusiasm of his lovemaking. Accacia’s loud moans drove him to the brink and he forced himself entirely within her. He stared at the sweat that dripped over her breasts and felt his body lose control.
Accacia brought her lips to his ear. “Please—don’t stop—Zyle.”
Her words almost made him shatter but he tamed his body, forcing back the explosion ready to burst
. He continued to please her until he felt her body climax around him, screaming his name as she found her bliss. He followed immediately afterwards, releasing himself deep into her.
Zyle immediately felt satisfied after his explosion, but also sensed a flood of guilt. It was the first time he had taken her in a lustful way, more carnal than the lovemaking they usually did. He loved Accacia more than anything and he didn’t want her to think that his physical desire made his love for her any less pure. Zyle gathered her in his arms and kissed her everywhere, whispering words of his devoted love for her.
Accacia could feel the shame emitting from her lover. “That felt amazing.” She kissed his lips and trailed her fingers over his body, comforting him in a silent way. “I can’t wait until we do that again.”
Zyle breathed a sigh of relief. He wasn’t sure how she would react. He was glad she returned his feelings of lust and that she enjoyed the sexual experience as much as he had. Zyle was still trying to catch his breath and his words came out weak. “Good.”
She looked up at him. Zyle saw her green eyes dance as she stared at him and he already knew what she was going to say. “I love you.”
Zyle smiled. He still felt guilty for forcing her to promise herself to him, that she wouldn’t leave him for her former lover. He realized how possessive and irrational he had been at the time. She loved him more than she ever loved Aleco; there was no doubt. “I love you, Accacia.”
She smiled at him. “Well, we should get dressed.” Accacia tried to sit up but Zyle kept her body pinned down. “We should go speak to Roxian. She’ll need adequate time to think it over before we leave.”
Zyle pulled himself inside of her and Accacia moaned. “It can wait.”
Canu
2
The warriors escorted the king and queen to Roxian’s confinement holding. Uruith unlocked the wooden door and opened it for the monarch and his life partner, allowing them to enter the room. Uruith turned to Accacia. “Furon and I will be right outside the door if you need us, Your Highness.”
Accacia patted him on the arm. “Thank you, Uruith.” She pointed to the green sword at her hip. “But I’m certain Zyle and I will be fine. Roxian can do nothing to us.”
Uruith nodded.
Accacia took a deep breath before she entered the prisoner’s room. Zyle squeezed her hand, silently assuring her of his protection. She smiled at him before she walked into the confinement center.
Roxian sat beside the large window that faced the city of Canu. She had a cup of tea on the table before her, along with sliced pineapple. She didn’t look up at their entrance, her eyes still glued to the trees outside the window. “What do I owe the pleasure?”
Accacia took the seat across from her. Zyle remained on the other side of the room, watching Roxian closely. He would kill her instantly if she made any move toward his soul mate.
Roxian noticed his protective stare. Without looking at him she said, “You can calm yourself, Zyle. I obviously have no intent of harming your precious soul mate.” Zyle continued to stare at her but said nothing. Accacia flinched at the hostility in her words. This was going to be harder than she thought.
Roxian turned her green eyes on Accacia and they flashed in anger. The flames in her eyes danced with fiery swords. “What do you want?” Roxian stared at Accacia and Accacia met her look. She didn’t look down. “What business do you have speaking to me? I have no desire to converse with you or look at you.” She turned away and stared out the window. “Get away from me.”
Accacia flinched at the venom in her words. She forced herself to be empathetic, understanding that this woman was now a prisoner of the tower she used to rule over. All of her subjects had turned against her, choosing to support a new monarch in her stead. She also lost her life partner to the Soul Binders, and the second mate she chose didn’t return her affections. Now Zyle belonged to Accacia, the woman she hated. “I apologize for bothering you, Roxian, but I wanted to discuss something with you.”
Roxian shook her head. “I have nothing to say to you.”
“It involves your freedom.”
Roxian met her gaze. “You will never release me,” she said. “I am no idiot. There is something you want from me, but I promise I will never give it to you. You can dangle the bait in front of me but I will not bite. Get out of my face, Your Highness.”
Accacia breathed in deeply, controlling her emotions at this unbearable woman. How she came to be the leader of the Asquithian people, an intelligent race, was beyond her. Accacia hoped she used to be a different person at the time. “I don’t understand why you hate me so much, Roxian. I harbor no hostility toward you even though you’re the one who tried to kill me.”
“What a pity I didn’t succeed.”
Accacia heard Zyle withdraw his blade and take a step forward. She held up her hand and forced him back into the corner. Zyle met Accacia’s gaze and she nodded to him, forcing him to let Roxian’s comment go unpunished. Zyle sheathed his blade after a moment of hesitation.
Roxian smiled at Accacia. “You trained him well,” she said. “You had a lot more success with him than I ever did—or Cassandra for that matter.” She turned to Zyle. “You remember her, right?” Zyle stared at her but said nothing, stopping himself from feeding the fire of Roxian’s rage.
“Roxian, I came here with an offering.” Accacia stared at Roxian with a look free of hostility. Her green eyes smoldered in dying embers, but they didn’t reflect the inferno she felt inside her heart. She hated what Roxian had said to Zyle, but she didn’t show it. “Let us move on from the past.”
“Have you moved on from your past, Accacia?” Roxian stared at her with a look of hate. “Or do you still love the man you left behind, picture his face when you make love to your soul mate?” Accacia heard Zyle’s sharp intake of breath. She knew her life partner couldn’t take these insults much longer.
Accacia realized what Roxian was trying to do. Roxian meant every word she said, but she said them for a specific reason; she wanted Accacia to kill her. The realization dawned on the queen. “You can continue to provoke me but I will not kill you, Roxian. You are wasting your time.”
Roxian stared at her but said nothing.
Accacia spoke without preamble. “We are leaving the shores for the Continent to avenge the souls of our perished kin. It has already been decided by an electoral vote and we set sail within the next few days.”
Roxian shook her head. “You are making a grave mistake.”
Accacia ignored her. “We will allow you to travel with us, to fight against the king of the Continent, and to save the dead members of our race—it is up to you, Roxian.”
“And why am I being offered this?”
Accacia met her gaze. “You have the right to avenge the death of your life partner, to ensure his escape from the Soul Binders. Zyle and I would never take that away from you. We will forgive the crimes you have committed and allow you to be free when we return.”
“In exchange for what?” she asked.
“To fight for us,” Accacia said. “We need all the assistance we can find.”
“How do you know I won’t cut that pretty head from your shoulders when I get the chance?” Roxian smiled at Accacia, imagining her head being swiped clean from her body.
Accacia returned her smile. “You won’t get the opportunity, Roxian. I am stronger than you. I will kill you before you can make a move.”
“And if I say no?”
“Then this will be your home until the end of your days.” Accacia rose from her seat. “We will wait for your reply until the day we leave. Take your time.”
Roxian watched the Queen of the Asquithians leave the room. “You must be desperate to ask for my assistance. There is obviously no possibility for success if you would stoop so low to ask for my aid in return for my redemption.” Roxian returned her gaze to the window. “So, no, I have no interest in helping you.”
Accacia turned around and looked at Roxian. “Act
ually, I think you deserve a chance to vindicate yourself from your past crimes, to prove that you are worthy to live among us again. My only intent was to give you another chance of life and spare you from this cage.” Accacia looked around the room. It was the same one she had been confined in. “But this is your choice to make. Decide whatever you wish.”
Roxian shook her head. “You expect me to believe that? After everything I’ve done to you—hiding your identity, trying to steal Zyle, and attempting to kill you—you would give me a second chance?”
Accacia narrowed her eyes at her. Roxian could see the despair from someone who carried the weight of sorrow on her shoulders. “Everyone deserves a second chance,” she said. “Even you.”
Canu
3
“Are you alright?” Zyle cupped her cheek and stared into her eyes. He was worried that Roxian had upset her.
Accacia removed his hand from her face and looked away. “Yes, I am.” She stepped forward and walked further into the study. She sat in the plush chair before his black walnut desk and she became lost in thought, thinking about the conversation with that insufferable woman. Roxian was devilish.
“Don’t let her words bother you, Accacia.” Zyle leaned against his desk and looked down at her. She didn’t meet his gaze. The candles in the room illuminated the corners of the study and gave it an ethereal glow. Zyle could see the light of the wicks reflect in her eyes, making them appear hypnotic and alluring. “They are just words.”
“I can’t believe she hates me so much.” Accacia rubbed her palms together. “I thought she would forget her anger when I offered to spare her—if anything, she hates me even more.”
Zyle sighed. “Don’t think about her, Accacia. She isn’t worth it.”
“I can’t believe you served her for so long.”
