by Kiersten Fay
Chapter 36
“When the heir to the throne returns, the Kayadon will quake,
and Evlon will shatter.”
Kyra climbed the short distance to the gilded chair and forced her chin to remain in the air as she sat. The lovingly tailored skirt of her deep green, long, flowing gown pooled at her feet. As soon as news had spread about the return of the heir, couturiers clamored to be the first to dress the queen. Kyra had been presented with dozens of impressive choices, and she’d hated to pick just one for her inauguration, but this one called to her. An intricate weave of small flowers and leaves—kept alive by way of magic—tangled with a blend of rainbow colored jewels, creating an S shape down one side of her bodice, across her torso, and down her hip. The fragrance from the flowers was subtle yet pleasant. Wearing it made her feel as though she’d been blessed by the forest itself.
She drew on that and steeled herself as she said the binding words to honor and protect the land and all its rightful people. The weight of the crown settled on her head, placed there by Fritz, one of the few elders left among her people.
It was strange sitting on her father’s throne…her throne…so soon after his passing. The kingdom had been allowed seven days of mourning for their fallen king before she was to be crowned the new Faieara leader.
Cale sat next to her, adoration and pride in his eyes as he prepared to repeat her words and take his place as her beloved King. He fell into the role with the ease in which he did everything.
The inauguration had been quick, yet every Faieara in the city had attended. Not all could squeeze into the throne room, but that wasn’t for a lack of trying. Most remained in the halls, or just outside the palace, waiting for the king and queen to be announced. In a ceremonial manner, she and Cale made their way to a low terrace for the declaration. The crowd had gone wild with cheers.
Now her subjects celebrated as they never had before. The streets were alive with merriment, and after a full three days, the festivities still went strong. Her people had much to rejoice. A new king and queen, freedom, and a prophecy come true.
The prophecy was indeed accurate. The Kayadon did quake. All those who escaped her magic’s judgment had gone into hiding, outposts just beyond the safety of the Serakians protective wards, abandoned. Of course, there were more yet to be found. Of that, Kyra was sure. But stepping past the boundary, even for the demons, was a risky venture, and ill-advised. Their enemies would be more desperate than ever.
As for the second half of the prophecy, Evlon was now split. Most of her people were still scattered in the many guilds, with no way of informing them of their one safe haven. Moreover, land had been gifted, as promised, to various mercenaries who joined the fray for that prize alone. But only after vowing never to harm or eject any who may already reside on whatever piece of land they received, Kayadon excluded. Trust in these new—and in some cases, strange—inhabitants was precarious, but as long as they upheld the Faieara law, they could do as they pleased, within their borders.
Above all, any Faieara discovered were to be protected and delivered to the palace, if possible. As an added guarantee, rewards for such kindness were promised. The palace treasury was as full as ever—the Kayadon had horded anything that could fetch a price.
The process of divvying up land had been tedious. Giving away bits of her home, just when she’d gotten it back, weighed on her, but Cale had been by her side the entire time, helping with negotiations. He was shrewd and unrelenting, very kingly. She loved him more with each passing second.
He’d held her for two straight nights after her father had passed and taken on duties that would have been hers had she the strength to get out of bed. Eventually she had cried herself out, said goodbye one final time, and prepared to be the queen her father believed her to be.
As of yet, no demons had shown to claim what was now their home, but it hadn’t even been two full weeks. Once word got out, Kyra had no doubt they would arrive in droves.
Ethan’s coma continued to distress everyone, but it was Sonya who displayed the most worry. Nothing would wake him, and Kyra had to wonder just how terrible their circle had been for him. The power had been so great, Kyra still had difficulty fathoming it. Nadua’s gift had given insight into the past. Anya’s had made it clear which souls deserved a second chance. But, primarily, it was Ethan’s magic that was used to heal all within the circle’s influence. Conversely, Kyra’s had been used to destroy. She tried not to dwell on that.
The Alliance of the Blood disbanded. Their previous home was not within the protective wards, and though Kyra was confident they could have stayed hidden till the end of time, they chose to take up residence in the city, even helping to rebuild.
Ru was still missing, but the explanation for his actions came through Ina, who had been discovered hiding just outside of town. When taken into custody, she wisely didn’t put up a fight. She claimed to have had no knowledge of what Ru planned until after it was too late, but admitted to suspecting Ru’s intent, which was equally punishable in Kyra’s mind.
Though deplorable, his reasons were this: the Kayadon had taken his children, born of his first wife, not Ina. Ru had hoped by offering up Kyra, he would be rewarded with the lives of his offspring. It was hard not to understand such a desire, but Kyra could not forgive him. All of Evlon could have been lost to a single act of selfishness.
For the time being, Ina’s new home would be a cell in the dungeon, alongside Ginn and Liyel, until better organization allowed for trials to commence, as well as to keep them safe from the demon’s kill-first-and-ask-questions-later mentality.
No other healed Kayadon came forward, in either gratitude or in repentance. Kyra estimated, based on witness accounts, there had been at least ten within the city alone. Once free of their illness, they’d disappeared, probably in fear of judgment.
When questioned about this, Ginn offered the hypothesis that they had shifted into what was called their Mai’ten form—an animal form unique to each individual. They had lost this ability during stage two of their disease, and Ginn admitted that, just after the healing, the urge to shift had been almost undeniable.
“Why do you not shift now?” Kyra had asked, standing on the opposite side of the force field that held him prisoner—another of the Kayadon’s improvements. “Or back in the forest when no one was looking?”
“I have pledged my life and my loyalty to you, little one.” He paused. “Forgive me, I mean, My Queen. I will shift only with your permission.”
“And if I’m not ready to give it?”
“Then I will wait.”
Liyel didn’t say much—she got the feeling he wasn’t a big talker in general—but he seemed in accordance with Ginn. Kyra left, not knowing what she was going to do with either of them.
Soon after the ward had been mapped, Portia and the other Serakians were called home to report on the happenings. Just before leaving, Portia promised to return, but did not say when. Surprisingly, Kyra already missed the little witch.
Marada had been moved closer to the palace. Zoey now had her own apartment down the hall from Kyra and Cale, but was mostly found in Rex’s room. Kyra worried over her friend’s attachment to Rex. After getting to know him—though he too was a man of few words—she determined he was a nice enough guy. But there was no evidence that a mate bond between the two might be formed. Although Marik and Sebastian explained that it doesn’t always happen so quickly, especially when one’s mate is not of demon origin. All the same, Kyra continued to worry.
On the fourth day of celebration, Kyra held a feast in honor of those who fought as well as those who’d fallen. The following day, Aidan accompanied the dragons back to Legura, where King Mar’s body would be put to rest and their own royal inaugurations would commence. A few of the dragon guard stayed behind to help secure the Faieara’s freedom and make sure the Kayadon did not rise again. She feared it would be a long time before her people felt truly safe.
Kyra closed t
he door to her bedchamber after dismissing her attendants. Cale wrapped his arms around her from behind, placing a kiss in the crook of her neck. They’d hardly had a moment alone.
She leaned against his solid chest. “Things have to settle down at some point, don’t they?”
“I don’t know, love. This is new to me.”
“Yeah, feels new to me too.”
“You’re doing a phenomenal job.” He kissed her shoulder. The action sparked a twinge of heat down her spin, and she turned to kiss his lips. His hands came to her waist and stayed there. She moved closer and deepened the kiss, but something was amiss. For some reason, Cale was being unusually tender, when what she really wanted was his sexy animal madness.
She pulled back to gauge his expression. “What’s the matter?”
He gave her a nervous smile and a bit of fear replaced desire. With her chest still against him, she could feel the racing of his heart. A rampant part of her brain suggested he was about to leave her. Swallowing a rigid lump in her throat, she stepped back. For the last few weeks, they had both been under a lot of pressure. Both their families were a great help, but there was still a lot to deal with. Had he decided it was too much? That being king wasn’t what he wanted?
“What, baby?” she cooed, trying to kill her negative thoughts.
His eyes bore into hers. “I love you, Kyra.”
She let out a breath. “I love you too.”
Fear still tingled.
“I have a gift for you,” he said, crossing the room to a set of drawers.
“Okay.”
When he returned to her, he presented her with a small box. “I was going to give it to you earlier, but I could never find the right time.”
She reached for it, but he pulled it away.
“When I got it, I thought it was adequate, but you weren’t a queen then.”
She reached for it again, but again he pulled it away.
“So, it’s not anything grand—”
“Cale,” she whined, growing excited. “Let me see it.”
Anxiously, he relinquished the box. She opened it and lost her breath, recognizing the necklace she’d admired at Uli Rings. The color changing stones glowed a brilliant combination of purple and green at the moment.
“Oh, my god, Cale. I can’t believe you…have you had this since we left?”
“Aye,” he said, studying her.
“I love it. Nothing could be better.”
He smiled with such exuberance it nearly rendered her to tears. Then slyness changed his expression, and his eyelids dipped to half-mast. “Nothing?”
She raised a brow just as her body sprang to life. Heat settled between her thighs. She longed to hear his ever favorite line: “I’m going to have you now.”
“I have another surprise for you.”
“I just bet you do.” She wiggled her brows.
“Why, your majesty, what a mind you have.”
“All your doing.”
“I’m glad to hear it, because…” He paused, once more taking on that anxious expression. “Because I want to give myself to you every way possible.”
Kyra tilted her head. They’d postponed having a ceremony until after things settled down.
“Your magic healed more than just my wounds that day.”
Her brows furrowed. “What are you saying?”
It hit her then, and she stilled, searching his expression. He exuded the perfect mix of worried and smug. Why the former? He remained watchful, knowing she understood what he was trying to say.
“So you can…” She pressed two fingers to her neck, indicating fangs.
He gave a silent nod. She shivered. Drawing near, he cupped her cheek and gazed into her eyes. “Will you allow me to take you as mine from this point on?”
“I’m already yours.” She turned her head to place a kiss on the heel of his palm. As a smile curled her lips, she growled, “But now your ass is mine.”
With a menacing grin, he advanced, his hand landing hard on her backside. “We’ll see about that.”
He scooped her up and transported her to the bed. She landed on the soft mattress with a giggle, and Cale crawled over her to claim her lips with his. She wrapped herself around him as he thoroughly explored her mouth. He kissed his way down her jaw, and she knew where he was headed. Still, when he got to that spot, she had to concentrate on breathing. He moved back to her neck, licking and sucking as he went while he squeezed her backside in one of his strong hands. Then he gave a light bite, giving her a hint of what he planned. A shudder ran through her body, and she sucked in a gasp.
They stripped of each other’s clothes in a heat of madness. When she got to the taut, rippled muscles of his chest, she luxuriated in the feel, running her hands over every inch of skin.
He dipped his head to take her budded nipple in his mouth. She moaned from the sensation. It wasn’t long before the heat between her legs turned into a urgent need to feel him moving inside her. She undulated her hip, seeking. In a rough tone he said, “Patience, love. There’s so much yet to do.”
He caressed her hips, her thighs, as he slid down her body, licking and nipping as he went. When she felt his tongue right where she needed him most, she whimpered with delight. He was a master at pulling those sounds from her, and she suspected that was exactly what he wanted, so she didn’t hold back. Her pleasure manifested through her lungs as he ravaged her tender folds, driving her need to frightening heights. White-hot sensation assailed her as her orgasm burst through every cell.
“Gods, you are beautified.” He kissed her stomach. “Magnificent.” He kissed between her breasts. “Breathtaking.” He kissed her lips. “Mine.”
Their eyes locked, and he drove into her core. Slowly, he drew out, only to thrust back in with purpose. She immersed herself in the feel on him. His scent, his adoring expression, his shaft, plunging with deliberate slowness. He palmed her breast and caressed with perfect pressure. Everything about him was perfect. Her heart filled with overwhelming love.
Unable to stand another second, she pulled her hair aside, presenting her neck. “Please, Cale,” She begged, though she hardly knew what for. What would happen? How would it feel? “Please,” she begged once more, eyeing he fangs with anticipation.
Increasing his thrusts, he caught her nape in his hand and brought his mouth to her neck. A tiny sting was all she felt before ecstasy drilled a path through her brain, down her spine, through her stomach, and straight to her sex. She cried out from the unending overload of pleasure and clutched Cale to her, vowing never to let him go. Her nails dug in and, in the back of her mind, she knew she gouged his flesh, but she couldn’t loosen her hold. Then he drew greedily and everything fell away. There was nothing. No him, no her, no world, no universe. Jut the rapture that carved a home in every nook and cranny of her essence—delirious, invading, taking over, changing her to the very core. She loved it. She loved him.
When Cale groaned with his release, so did she. And when he finally pulled away, her mouth whispered, “Perfect,” as her head lolled.
Cale let out a string of astonished curses before marking her further with a deep, demanding kiss that only ended when he tucked her against him for the night. All the while, murmuring sweet words to her, till his soft snoring took over.
Kyra nuzzled her head against his chest and felt his arm tighten around her. Contentment eased her lids closed. And with one last thought, before she followed him into peaceful slumber, she declared the daunting tasks ahead nothing to fear at all with Cale by her side.
Note about the author.
Kiersten Fay has been a fan of the paranormal all her life, from watching sci-fi and supernatural television shows with her eccentric mother, to reading almost every type of romance she could get her hands on.
Currently Kiersten is working on her steamy romance series called Shadow Quest, based loosely on mythology and lore, with a little sci-fi thrown in.
To learn more about Kiersten Fay, or to ge
t info about upcoming release dates, go to
www.kierstenfay.com
Or follow her on Twitter @kierstenFay, and on Facebook.
