Everlasting Kingdom (The Winter Court Chronicles Book 3)

by Stephany Wallace

  A few of their brothers had unfortunately died during the fight, but I took console in the fact that we had been able to help the rest, and give them a life worth living. They helped us to build the new castle—after the Winter Castle was demolished—and moved in with us once it was ready. Father had them pick their own names as the first step to their free lives and who they would be, and taught them about our race. They were now part of our court, and loved hanging out with Theo and John, often going to Earth with them.

  Axis, Rhu, Safar, Ove, Dew, and Flix walked towards us laughing, as they handed everyone coffees brought from Earth. The rest of the guys went straight to the grill, taking burgers and hot dogs for their meals.

  Avo handed a cup to Kahina, whispering something into her ear. She grinned, mischief seeping into her eyes and kissed his cheek. They adored her, since she had been the first one to open her arms and heart to them.

  “Here you go, baby. Your coffee.” She said, handing it to Theo.

  My lips twitched but I remained quiet as I took the last bite of my third burger. I knew that gleam in Kah’s eyes.

  Theo kissed her lips and took a large sip, only to spit it out again, spraying the ground in the process. “What the hell is this?! Is that ketchup in this coffee?!”

  Laughs erupted all around him. Kah would never change, that was for sure, and now that she had assistants running her tricks for her, all bets were off. The only thing we could do was be alert, and try not to fall into her traps.

  She clapped, laughing at the top of her lungs. Theo carried her and she squealed.

  “You are lucky I love you, woman! I’m going to get you back.”

  I laughed again, truly happy to see them this way. Nyx had explained to Ash and I after the battle, what had transpired between Kah, Theo, Aura and him. And as I watched them together through these past three years, I was certain they had made the right decision. Aura and Nyx were perfect for each other and I feared Theo was the only man in the world who could keep up with Kah. I loved her, but the woman was a handful.

  “Just in time.”

  Gaby’s words brought my eyes to the bright blue sky as Nyx’s golden dragon roared, descending towards us. A special saddle was strapped to the back of his neck, carrying a smiling Aura and a fully dimpled Olie—their one-year-old boy, otherwise known as “Blaze.” He wrapped his clawed hands to the edge of the veranda and extended his wing into the terrace. A moment later, Aura slid down with Blaze between her legs, screaming with their arms raised as though they were rushing down a slide.

  We all chuckled as they jumped off and Aura placed her chubby, blue eyed, blond haired, giggling boy on the floor. Golden scales—like his father’s—pulsed along his arms. Blaze’s laugh mixed with Vivi’s, as she ran to him, and hugged him.

  “A love for the ages,” Avrielle sighed with a smile and I grinned. Those two were inseparable.

  Nyx thrust upwards and fell into the terrace, transforming in the air, and landing in a crouch. The harness fell beside him. He straightened to his full height, his body clad in his golden-scaled armor and reached for the glasses Aura handed him, fixing them on his face—she had gifted him a new pair. His gaze went to Theo and they exchanged a brief nod with a smile, somewhere along everything that had happened between them, they had become brothers, forming a truly powerful bond.

  When Nyx’s eyes connected with Kah’s, a silent exchange occurred between them. I’d never been able to decipher the language only they seemed to speak, but it didn’t take much to understand that look. They had shared it several times since the battle, and it always conveyed the same thing. A feeling that was mutual and only brought them closer, making their friendship unbreakable.

  “I love you.”

  Nyx faced us again and pulled Aura to him, holding her waist, and cupped her neck while his lips brushed against hers, engulfing her in a deep lingering kiss that left her breathless. Aura sighed, after he let her go, intertwining their fingers together.

  “Makes me want to ravage him every time he does that. Lord… have mercy.” Aura confessed, blinking to regain her composure.

  Nyx wiggled his eyebrows at her, and stole a quick kiss. They turned to look at the babies. Blaze did what he did best; spit little balls of fire onto the stone floor, while Vivi spewed a purple mist. Their breaths mixed and little purple and yellow crystals fell to the marble, making them giggle.

  I turned towards Ash and Gaby. “We are waiting.” They chuckled, exchanging a glance, knowing I was indicating it was their turn to have a child.

  “Ugh, can’t they let us have sex in peace??” Ash grumbled and Gaby rolled her eyes. “Ouch!” He complained after her elbow connected with his rib, but then smirked, kissing her cheek.

  “We are officially trying to get pregnant!” Gaby suddenly announced, looking at us again, and shutting him up.

  Cheers and clapping erupted around us. “About time!” Flix, one of the guys, shouted and we all laughed.

  “That’s wonderful, Brother. I hope soon you have even better news for us.” I lifted my wine to them in cheers.

  “Is everyone ready?” Mother asked, walking out with our father. “You are not wearing that, are you?” She asked, appalled, seeing Nyx in his dragon armor.

  “No, of course not!” he huffed. “I’m changing now. We have already eaten, so we just need to get dressed.”

  She moved towards him in a beautiful white gown, that appeared to have shimmering silver feathers at the bottom of the skirt, and kissed his cheek. “Where were you this time?”

  “Fiji,” he answered with a smile. “It was Olie’s turn to see the sea, other than in his mother’s exquisite ocean blue eyes, of course.”

  Aura grinned with a blush and kissed him.

  “Look who turned corny on us. Unbelievable!” Gaby added, in mock outrage.

  I chuckled.

  “Well, let’s go get ready. The temple is already getting full. People are gathering in the gardens and streets to celebrate. We need to start the ceremony.” Avra announced, carrying both Olie and Vivi into his arms. He was dressed in his white suit with a blue cloak.

  Vivi lifted her hands to her grandfather then, they were filled with the little yellow and purple crystals. “For you, Grandpapa!”

  “Oohhh beautiful Dragon Breath Crystals. They’ll be the treasures of my collection.” He kissed the children’s temples, and walked out the door with them.

  “He just stole our children.” Avrielle proclaimed, standing up.

  “Who knew the Dragon Lord was capable of such things.” Aura tsked and they laughed.

  I stood while my heart expanded, as I felt and witnessed the love around us, and everything we had accomplished since the journey with my brothers began. It had been a hard one to overcome, but I wouldn’t change anything. What we had been through made us who we were today. A family.

  “It was all worth it, huh?” Avrielle asked, as though reading my thoughts, and I pulled her into my arms.

  “Every single second.” I kissed her, hearing the whistles and claps around us. We chuckled. “Let’s give them a true show.” I dipped her in my arms and claimed her lips in a deep, life-consuming kiss for the whole kingdom to see.

  NYX

  *

  My brothers and I walked up to the large temple filled with our people. We wore our ceremonial white suits, and blue capes as we moved towards the thrones.

  The happiness and elation around us fueled our energy, making our dragons rustle in excitement over our skins, but still hidden from the others. Father stood behind us, in front of his throne, as the ceremony began. Our gazes roamed the pews, seeing our families in the front row. Abella, the Summer Queen, and her King sat next to my Aura and our son. Olie sat on Abella’s lap, trying to pluck the flowers out of her dress as they moved, avoiding his fingers, not realizing they were enchanted flowers on her skin. She laughed, captivated by him, and kissed his little dimpled hand while my gaze moved to Gabriella and Avrielle. They sat with Vivi next to
our mother and Selenia, a beautiful smile on their faces.

  This was our family, one we finally belong with, and were able to enjoy.

  Joining our hands, my brothers and I closed our eyes and called to the presence of the Goddess within us, we lifted our heads to the sky, and opened our eyes, looking at the now fully visible glass cupola above us. The light from the Goddess seeped through the clouds and into the temple, bathing us all.

  “Step into the light,” my voice thundered through the large cathedral as a couple walked towards us. Gallai stood before us with Avo, one of the twelve midnight dragons.

  They smiled, holding hands. “We have come today to be blessed by you and our Goddess.” Gallai explained with shimmering eyes, filled with hope.

  “We have fallen in love and decided there is no one else in this realm or any others that we want to be with,” Avo added, kissing her hand. “She is mine and I’m hers… Forever.”

  I grinned as my brothers and I exchanged a glance. The light increased over Avo and Gallai, as we sent our plea to the Goddess to accept their union, and clear the bond she might have planned to create for them, with anyone other than the person they chose to love.

  After the Everlasting Kingdom was born, we began a tradition of performing bonding requests before the Blooming Ceremony began, so everyone had their chance at being with the person they loved, before our Goddess created the fated bonds.

  “Our Mother Goddess and the Dragons of the Temple bless this union.” Kyr announced, seeing the tears spill from their eyes. “No one shall ever tear it apart.”

  Celebration erupted around us while Avo and Gallai held and kissed each other, then returned to their place among the pews.

  “Please step into the light,” Ash asked the next couple, and we smiled as we heard their vow of love, asking the Goddess to bless them.

  “Our Mother Goddess and the Dragons of the Temple bless this union.” Kyr informed them, as they smiled with tears in their eyes. “No one shall ever tear it apart.”

  We clapped with the others and I grinned, mesmerized. My true sight allowed me to witness once again, the magic behind the new bond formed before my very eyes. They embraced and kissed, returning to their seats.

  And for the next hour, my brothers, our father and I stood on the altar, as one by one the couples came, to ask us to bless their union and allow them a life of love beside the person they had grown up next to, or been introduced to by their parents, maybe had been friends with for years, or met in the market while looking for a gift. It didn’t matter how they had come to fall in love with each other, which race they were, which court they had once belonged to, or their beliefs.

  What mattered was the love they shared and had vowed to hold for one another, until the end of time.

  Love was a powerful thing, I logically concluded. It made us change our way of thinking. It helped us see things in a completely different way, and allowed people into our lives that perhaps would have never been close to us any other way. We just need it to accept it, and let it take over us.

  I knew that now, and I had utterly surrendered to it. There were things that our minds couldn’t rationalize or decide for us. Love was one of them, and I was witness to it.

  Love is a force to be reckoned with, one we all deserved to experience, and one in which only we should have a say. So fight for what you want, for whom you want to spend the rest of your life with, and let nothing stop you until you make them yours.

  The person for you is somewhere out there, so go find them.

  You are the only one who can decide who your heart belongs to, don’t let anyone else choose for you. Not even the Goddess.

  Trust us. It will be worth it.

  *

  Kyr, Ash, & Nyx.

  Sons of Avra.

  Sons of Drayvok.

  Dragons of the Temple.

  THE END

  A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR

  Thank you so much for reading Everlasting Kingdom, the third book in the Winter Court Chronicles. As always, I left a piece of me in this story, so I truly hope you have loved reading it, as much as I loved writing and creating this new and incredible world. If you have enjoyed it, please show your support by leaving a review. It only takes few moments to show the author you appreciate their hard work. Just visit my Amazon Author page:

  Stephany Wallace

  Kyr, Ash and Nyx’s story has ended, but in order to understand how they got here, we must learn how it all began. So please join me in my next book, Dragons of the Temple, Avra’s story, book 4. And let’s continue this journey together!

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  GLOSSARY

  Arthlae Isa glinhir tay: Alight

  Arthu Xae Astri Kelesta: Please awaken for me

  Belray Orkaresta Nir: Broken Idol

  Bearoth nirda tayon istataesata eldasirev naycirueth, arthunird neleth vaerun palarta raetar: Bond to its essence, and never part.

  Borossa Nayda Tynhur Etha: Bond of Three

  Celrae ossawen nay: Crown

  Dilrunarta Galothnae Kuru: Dragon Wings’ Cloak

  Estadae Evanay: Garden of Eden.

  Estarev Naeathlor Linossa Vaetha: My Eternal love

  Faeosrae Ostar Evaista Galdormay

  Karisagul Dothmor: The Forgotten Kingdom shall be once again

  Glinoht Lordae: Mystic gold

  Hurossamiretha: Home

  Istamae Othren: Eternal Outlands

  Ista Starhimar Bor Daeosnay Etha: It shall be done

  Kalithdor: Fae Realm

  Laethay Une Sata Curayossa Sae: Grant us safe passage.

  Mirya Daeevath: My dear Friend

  Minastra GalIsacura Arthulis: Magic Aura Crystal,

  Narossa Wyn: Now

  Otharta Satsay Staruth: Oasis of the sun

  Pereleva cirith ossa uthsae: Precious

  Sarhurath Daeossa Wyn: The Cursed Mountains of Shadows

  Satwyn Esta Toreth Startar:

  My sweetest love

  Sayosarae: Soar

  Sorhal istaeth LaeDa: Shield

  Starhul Athdae Ossawen: Shadow assassin

  Startae Astriray Daeuthay: Stardust Kingdom

  Tirayan narensata faeossa mir, taros uthaeren taerineth starevlae far: Transform to your true self.

  Yaevastra orfay Bellirosmae: The Year of the Bloom

  TRADEMARKS

  Starbucks coffee