by L. P. Dover
The wolves join us outside as we make our way to the fallen wolf. Kalen walks close to me and keeps his hand hovering over his sword. Tears burn my eyes because I know it’s too late to save the wolf with my healing magic. There was no way I could have gotten there in time. My heart aches for his mate as I watch her by his side nuzzling him with her nose. Fire burns in my chest and my vision becomes clouded over with all shades of red. The longer the dark sorcerer toys with me, the more hate fills my body. It is consuming me to the core and all I want is for him to pay for everything he has taken from me. Some way or another, whether it be now or ten years from now, I will be a part of his demise. I will be there the day he is destroyed.
“Meliantha, are you OK? I can feel your distress,” Ashur demands. It’s amazing how he can feel my emotions even though we are miles apart.
“I’ll be fine, Ashur. We’re headed back to the palace, and as soon as I get there, I will tell you everything. Don’t worry about me, I’ll be OK.” I assure him.
“Please don’t shut me out. I need to make sure you are safe at all times. Oh, and by the way, there’s a surprise for you here when you get back. Be safe, Mel, and I will see you when you get back.”
“Thank you, my Guardian.”
I can’t sense any black magic around, but I’m starting to believe the dark sorcerer is keeping his eyes everywhere on us. He must have known what Kalen and I were about to do and decided to cause a distraction. All I know is that he’s going to pay for it. I can feel the heat of Kalen’s anger as he looks down at the fallen wolf. His hands are shaking when he sinks to the ground beside him, and I can hear his whispered words of love and passing to the wolf in the Old Fae language, bidding him a safe journey to the Hereafter.
He is silent for a few minutes before his gravelly voice takes on a menacing edge.
“I’m going to fucking kill him!” he roars. Kalen stands and clenches his hands into fists. The air around him is intense with rage, and the scream that explodes from his body is filled with both fury and heartbreak. He collapses to his knees on the ground and puts his head in his hands. I walk over slowly and sink to my knees before him. I wrap my arms around his neck and I pull him closer and gently guide his head to my shoulder. He instantly folds his arms around my waist and pulls me in tighter.
“I am so sorry, Kalen,” I whisper in his ear. I know I can help him with his pain, and I almost use my magic on him unintentionally, but I don’t want to do it against his will. “Do you want me to take the pain away?” I ask softly.
He shakes his head strongly and keeps his head down when he replies, “No, I have to remember the way I feel.” He then looks up at me with watery eyes and a determination that sends chills down my spine. “I need to remember the way I feel because if you take that anger and rage away,” he pauses to take a deep breath and starts over. “I need to have that rage so I can rip his fucking head off when I see him.” I nod my head, and I wait there silently while he gets his anger under control.
We make our way back to the palace quickly. Now that the dark sorcerer knows how close Kalen and I are I have a feeling he’s going to become desperate to make his move as soon as possible. Kalen is going to inform his parents of the recent attack and of the urgency of our bonding. I plan to tell my parents as soon as we get back as well. Having a big ceremony means nothing to me, so I wonder if Kalen would object to completing the bond alone and not having a ceremony. The ceremony itself isn’t the important part, but the words that are spoken are. I think I’ll wait until we get back to the palace to voice my idea. The anger is still pouring off of him in waves, and I can tell he is in no mood to talk.
We pick up our pace and my feet are pounding against the snow as we run the last mile to the palace. Deep down I can’t seem to shake the dreaded feeling in my stomach telling me we have already run out of time.
- Dark Sorcerer -
I followed Meliantha and the prince to the wolf pack’s den. I expected them to be out in a few short minutes, but what I didn’t expect was for them to try and complete their bond so soon. I could smell the scents of lust and sex wafting out from the cavern and I almost charged in there myself to put a stop to it, but if I did, it would ruin all chances of my master plan. I see one of the wolves race out of the cavern and into the woods. It only takes me a second to decide what my next move is. My smile is chilling as I stare at my reflection in the dagger.
“This is for you, Prince Kalen.”
The wolf is on the hunt for prey not knowing that he’ll become the prey himself. I sweep low and gut the wolf from end to end. He only had time to give a small yelp before death took him. The yelp was not loud at all, but I could hear the slight echo reaching the cavern. The pack’s hearing will no doubt hear the last call of their fellow pack member, and then they will alert Meliantha and their precious alpha. Unfortunately, after this ordeal they will push harder to get bonded. I’ll just have to work quickly after this.
I wait for a few minutes longer to see if the word has spread yet, and I believe it has when I see Meliantha and Kalen running out of the cave followed by the rest of the wolves. My distraction has worked, and in return, I bask in the glorious taste of anger and rage floating in the wind. The sound of Kalen’s roar fuels my enjoyment, and I revel in the sounds of his torment as I glide across the wind and back to the palace.
Breena is packing her clothes and throwing things across the room when I enter. I could hear her ranting from across the palace grounds. The more attention she draws the less my plan will work from her idiocy. Other than fucking her, she has been nothing more than a pain in my ass.
“What the hell are you doing?”
She looks up at me and I hiss at the sight of her face. Meliantha really damaged it when she hit her. Her nose is swollen and her eyes are black and blue underneath. I’m surprised she hasn’t healed yet. The princess must have used some powerful magic and force behind that blow.
Breena scowls at me and hisses, “I’m packing if you must know. I’ve been kicked out of the palace and I’m supposed to be gone this morning.”
No, she will not, I think to myself. My game is about to reach its finale and I need her help. I look at her and smile, “You are not going anywhere. We’re going to make them think you have left, but you’re actually going to still be here.”
She looks at me confused, “I don’t understand. How can we do that?”
“I will tell you in a minute, but first, where is the box with Kalen’s gift?” I ask. She bends down to reach under the bed and pulls out the box.
“Excellent,” I say as I reach out to take the box. “We have to move fast tonight. Your precious prince and Meliantha almost bonded today, but I intervened by killing one of his wolves.”
She gasps and puts her hand over her mouth in shock.
“You killed one of his wolves?” she asks in a shaky voice.
“I needed a distraction and the wolf presented itself to me, so I took the opportunity. I gutted it for all of them to see. It was actually a glorious sight,” I boast.
Her mouth is still hanging open in shock, but she shakes out of it. “He’s going to have your head for that. One way or another, he is going to come after you. His wolves are dear to him.”
I just shrug and smile.
“He can try, but no magic or weapon has been discovered that can kill me. I’m invincible.” Unfortun-ately, I know I’m not fully invincible, but no one knows of the magic that can kill me and I plan to keep it that way. Calista’s dagger wounded me when she stabbed me with it or actually when she stabbed Avery with it with me in his body. It took a lot out of me, but I soon recovered. There’s something about the mixture of magic and fae blood in the daggers that can hurt me.
No one knows I have the scrolls with the ancient text transcribed on them that states how to destroy my people. My family had secured them before the legendary battle took place that killed them all. We tried to destroy them, but we were unsuccessful. Apparently, the scrolls can’t
be destroyed. Only a few of the fae knew about the magical scrolls, and of course they were the ones who wrote them. No one knows how they received the knowledge of how to defeat us. Before they were able to share them with the courts, my people had them hunted down and slaughtered. As far as I know, there has never been a mention of them since then. I have them hidden away in a safe location. As long as I have them secured, there’s no way they can figure out how to defeat me. It’s best they think I cannot be killed.
Breena is done with her packing and I should have told her it was a waste of time because she’s not going to be taking any of that with her where we’re going.
“Are you ready to see how you’re going to disappear? The next step of our game happens now,” I prompt.
I hold out my hand and she takes it enthusiastically. The gleam in her eyes lets me know she is ready.
“Of course I’m ready. I am ready to pay that bitch back for fucking up my face,” she snaps. I laugh at her words because there is no way she could ever get Meliantha back for screwing up her face. I’m surprised the princess didn’t kill her last night. I would have. I pull Breena to me and I spread the darkness around my body to expand over hers. We are now one with the shadows, so I float us through the palace and out into the night beyond. I take us to the place where we will begin the next stage in the game.
Seeing my wolf butchered on the ground was the most agonizing thing I have ever seen. His name was Malachi and he was one of the best hunters in the pack. He and Aki always accompanied me when I took my adven-tures in the forest as a child. The loss of him has left a permanent scar on my heart and it is not something I will ever forget. Meliantha offered to help me heal, but I refused. I love her for offering to help, but I need to remember the pain I felt in the moment.
Meliantha and I are in the throne room with my parents, King Madoc and Queen Mab, and also her parents, King Oberon and Queen Tatiana. We have explained the events of the afternoon and what we propose as a solution. They all glance from Meliantha to me and then at each other.
My father speaks first.
“If you want to complete the bond on your terms, your mother and I fully support your decision, son.”
I bow my head and reply, “Thank you, Father.” I knew my parents would be supportive and honor my proposal.
We have one family down and one to go. I smile at Meliantha and she smiles back. I love to see her smile. It’s one of the loveliest things about her face, other than her magnificent amethyst eyes. Her strength will help me get through my loss.
We are sitting at the council table side by side while both sets of our parents are seated opposite us. King Oberon looks over at Meliantha and raises his eyebrows in question. Meliantha smiles and nods her head in a silent agreement of sorts. I guess she can understand what’s going on in her parent’s mind. The King smiles lovingly back at her and turns to me in all seriousness.
“Queen Tatiana and I will support your decision as well,” King Oberon states. He tells Meliantha, “We know this is your path and we want you to embrace it. If bonding tonight keeps you safe, then that is all that matters.”
“Thank you,” Meliantha cries.
We all stand up to say our goodbyes and I lead Meliantha out of the throne room and out of the palace. I loop her arm through mine while we make our way down to the cottage. Her long, red hair is beautiful blowing in the wind and her eyes sparkle with a magnificent intensity when she stares into mine. My groin instantly hardens at remembering the sight of her naked body on my bed ready for the taking. I sigh to myself. I just have to wait a little longer. I wish I could scoop her up in my arms and demand she come with me right this minute to finish what we started earlier. Unfortunately, I’m not going to do that because our first time together deserves to be special.
“Listen, I am going to take you to the cottage to retrieve some of your things so you can bring them over to my cabin tonight. I’m going to get things ready for you while you get your things together. I want Ashur to escort you to my cabin in an hour.”
She raises her eyebrows at me and asks, “What are you going to be doing during this hour?”
“I can’t tell you, my love.” I place my hand on the back of her neck and I bring her forward to press my lips against hers in a deep embrace. I caress her tongue with mine and the taste of honey envelopes my senses. I groan into her mouth and she groans back. I bet every part of her body tastes this good. I press my hardening groin up against her stomach and she reluctantly pulls apart from me, breathless.
“We better stop or we will be making love out here on the ground,” she jokes.
I look at the ground and I wiggle my eyebrows. I would gladly comply with that request if she asked. She playfully hits my arm and laughs.
“That is not going to happen. I’ll end up with frostbite on my ass.” We are both laughing now, and it feels good to be able to laugh after the kind of day we’ve had.
I look down at the cottage and Aki is waiting for us on the porch along with Ashur who happens to be pacing. When he sees Meliantha he bursts forward. “Are you okay?” he asks her.
“Yes, I’m fine. I told you I would be,” she says.
She must have talked to him silently during my breakdown. He could probably feel her distress and wanted to make sure she was alright and out of danger. I don’t think she will ever be out of danger until we bond ourselves together. He narrows his eyes at her and nods his head.
“I told you there would be a surprise for you inside when you got back. I think you need to come see it,” he says with a grin. I bet I know what he’s talking about and I’m sure Meliantha will be pleased.
She looks up at me and I nod my head.
“Have fun and I will see you in an hour.” I kiss her gently across the lips and I look at Ashur and say, “I would like for you to escort her to my cabin when the hour is up. She doesn’t need to be alone, and I want Aki with you as well.”
“I will, Your Highness,” Ashur responds firmly.
“Thank you.”
I leave Meliantha to walk to my cabin. The water has frozen in the fountain, so I send my magic to make it flow again. I look down at the ground and Meliantha’s flowers have all withered away during the night from the cold. Her flowers have always been so beautiful, and I look forward to seeing what our land is going to look like after she gets through with it. There’s going to be flowers everywhere, all full of vibrant colors and perfumes. I can only imagine what it would be like to take her body amidst them.
I open the door to my cabin and my instincts quickly become alert, warning me of danger. The evil is so potent in the air that I can taste the bitterness of it going down the back of my throat. I grasp my sword and I draw it out of the holster on my waist. I glance around the room, searching the lower level of my cabin thoroughly, but find nothing. I make my way to the stairs and climb each one of them as quietly as I can. The hairs on the back of my neck stand straight up and my heart begins to race. The stench of black magic is coming from my bedroom. I hastily make my way to the door. I’m sick of being played for a fool by the dark sorcerer, and one way or another, these games are going to end tonight.
I open the door slowly, sword in hand, and charge into the room. What I find is not what I was expecting. I have to blink my eyes twice to clear my vision because I can’t be seeing what I think I am seeing. Anger boils in my gut at the sight of Breena lying naked and lounging on my bed like she belongs there. Her face looks like shit from where Meliantha hit her.
“What the hell are you doing here?” I ask furiously.
Her mouth folds down into a pout and she lifts up on her knees.
“Well, good evening to you too, lover,” she croons.
Not only is she supposed to be off the palace grounds, but I am afraid I’m also going to have to banish her from the Winter Court altogether. Why would she do this to me? If Meliantha shows up, this situation is going to turn ugly real fast.
“I’m not your lover, not anymore. I�
�m going to give you ten seconds to get dressed and get the hell out of here before I throw your ass out myself. Believe me, that’s the last thing you want!” I yell venomously.
I am caught off guard as I hear a voice speak out behind me, “Oh, I think she will be staying, and for that matter, I think I will, too.”
I am frozen in place because the voice isn’t from someone I know, and by the way the magic feels in the room, there is only one person it could be. The anger and rage from before intensifies and the sword in my hand shakes along with the rest of my body. This bastard is going to pay for what he has taken from me.
I turn around slowly, vision turning red with rage, and stare disdainfully at the one creature that has tormented and destroyed the lives of those I hold dear, including my own. The dark sorcerer appears as nothing but a shadow until his form starts to ripple and he takes on the shape of a man before me.
I stand bewildered as I look upon my own reflection before me. So this is what he looked like when Meliantha thought it was me five years ago. With my sword held tightly in my hands, and with the speed of lightning, I slice my sword down into an arc across his body. It sinks right through him as if he was air, not damaging him at all.
The dark sorcerer laughs and shakes his head.
“Now, now, Prince Kalen. I don’t think that was a proper greeting.”
“Fuck you,” I snap. I scan the room to find something, anything, I can use to distract him, but what can be used to distract a being that can’t be killed?
“I wouldn’t bother if I were you. There’s nothing in here that will protect you from me,” he smirks.
“What do you want?” I ask, even though I already know the answer. I have to find a way to warn Meliantha, but how? The dreaded feeling in my stomach warns me that I’m too late and there’s nothing I can do. We should have just completed the bond instead of wasting our time in the palace. I wish I could kick myself in the ass for being so stupid. The dark sorcerer approaches me and I stand my ground firmly. I refuse to cower and bow down to this man. I match his sadistic glare with one of my own, and it seems to amuse him which infuriates me more.
