by Bailey Dark
Sadal strides forward, still grinning. “It’s been such a pleasure being hosted by you,” he says smoothly.
I narrow my eyes at him, my gaze darting between him and Verity. “I can assure you the pleasure was all yours,” I say through gritted teeth.
Sadal’s eyes glimmer. “No need to fear. I’ll take excellent care of her.”
I lunge in front of Verity, blocking his view of her. “You will not,” I snarl.
“Won’t I?” He cocks a brow.
Maaz giggles and moves to the balcony, her cloak flapping in the wind. “This was always your problem, Altair – why you could never win against us,” she says lightly, meeting my furious gaze. “You always stood up when you should sit down. You surrendered when you should have fought.”
“Stay away from her,” I growl as Sadal strides towards me.
He shoves me aside, launching me across the room with an icy touch. Pain shoots through my shoulders and ribs as I collide with the wall. Navi stands frozen beside the captured Bloodbane as Sadal slings Verity’s unconscious frame over his shoulders. He grins at me, gloating. Growling, I throw myself at him, arms outstretched, wishing I had a dagger.
Laughing, he lashes out with his foot, kicking me in the chest. I hear a sharp crack and know that my ribs have been broken by the blow. I collapse with a cry as Maaz and Sadal step out onto the balcony. Navi lunges towards me, her watery eyes wide with fear.
“Stop them,” I pant, gripping my ribs. “Stop them.”
She pivots and starts towards them with her sword raised. Her hand is trembling, but she presses forward. Sadal gives me one last dark look before he and Maaz disappear into the shadows of the night. I shout, tears springing to my eyes as Verity disappears with them. Pain tugs at my heart, as if Verity’s absence is physically painful to me – as if our hearts were tied together and that knot was suddenly wrenched apart.
Navi falls to her knees beside me as I struggle to my feet. I tear my arm away from her, hissing. “Don’t touch me.”
She pulls back, gathering herself. We hear a soft whisper and our gazes turn together towards the Bloodbane that was left behind my Maaz and Sadal. The Bloodbane stares disbelievingly towards the balcony, her eyes wide. “They left,” she whispers to herself.
“Take her to the dungeons,” I command as the door flies open and my soldiers pour in.
Navi leaps to her feet and sheaths her sword. She snatches at the Bloodbane, dragging her from her knees. The soldiers part while Navi forces the Bloodbane out of the room. “Lock the castle down, and get your king a healer,” she barks, disappearing down the halls.
The hustling of the castle in chaos falls away as I stare intently at the balcony. The shadows seem alive, coiling chillingly at the edge of the doorway. I wait, hoping that somehow Verity will melt out of the darkness. But she doesn’t appear, and the pain in my heart doesn’t ease. I bite the inside of my cheek until I draw blood, cursing myself for losing her.
The healers are at my side, asking me questions as they poke and prod me. I ignore them, my gaze never wavering from the doorway. Sadal’s arrogant smirk floats through my mind and my hands clench into fists instinctively.
Verity is gone, the curse looming over my head once more. Worse, Sadal’s army is coming. I’ve lost my heart, and now I’ll lose my people. I bite back the urge to howl and rage, instead snarling softly to myself.
I will get her back, I vow. Come hell and blood and fire, I will find her. And come darkness and shadow and death, I will kill the Dark God. I taste copper as I swallow my own blood. I will kill him slowly.
Chapter 20
Verity
Pain throbs in my temples and behind my eyes. I groan, rolling to my side slowly. The floor is cold and damp, like wet stone. I cradle my head as I lift my torso and head off the floor. I open my eyes, anticipating pain from bright lights, but the light is dim and gray. Fear coils in my gut as cold pricks at my flesh.
I glance down, studying myself with blurry vision. I’m wearing a black, satin gown with a deep neckline that exposes curves of soft cleavage. My brows furrow with confusion and I trace a finger over the material. Last I remember, I wore a simpler, more modest gown. I don’t remember putting this on.
Pain lances through my skull and I inhale sharply, clenching my eyes closed. I bite my lip, suppressing the groans that threaten to escape from my lips. I don’t know where I am. If I’m in Altair’s castle, then somehow, I’ve made my way into an unfamiliar wing. But it doesn’t feel like Altair’s castle. Even the stones ooze a sinister feeling.
I open my eyes again, hissing in pain as I take in my surroundings further. The room is small, half the size of my chamber in Altair’s castle. The walls are the same damp stone as the floor, they shimmer as if water trickles down them. There’s a window inlaid in the wall, a thin slip of sky with no protection from the elements. Cold wind leaks through it, a howling wind that sends chills down my spine. The wind sounds like demons, their shrieks echoing in the mountains. I shudder.
My eyes rake over the bare chamber. It’s empty of everything but bits of stray spread in a corner. My heart quivers as I realize that it reminds me of a cell. I struggle to my feet, holding my head to abate the pressure and pain. I look towards the door, a solid hunk of dark wood, warped and stained. There’s a small window with thick bars in the center. Through it, torch light flickers.
I lean against the wall, breathing heavily from the struggle of rising to my feet. The satin gown clings to my legs, wrapped around my ankles. I shiver as another gust of frigid wind breaks through the window and seeps through the stones. I wrap my arms around myself, lips twisted into an anxious frown. I stare around the empty cell, wishing Altair was here.
Where is he? I think, blinking back frightened tears. The last I remember seeing him was when I saw him flying through the sky, before Dain came to my room. Dain. I freeze, eyes widening as I remember. He brought a woman with him, a woman who looked as if she could have been Maaz’s sister. A woman with my eyes. My blood turns to ice in my veins and I swallow thickly as I remember the woman striding towards me with her cold gaze. And that’s the last thing I remember.
I close my eyes, thinking back to that moment and trying to force my mind to think beyond it. But there’s nothing. Just blank, empty space. I was there, and now I’m here. Not remembering is more frightening than this cell or the howling wind. Anything could have happened, and I wouldn’t know it. I bite my lip, hoping Altair will stride through the door and announce that he’s locked me in a cell to teach me a lesson. At least then I would know where I am.
I peek out the window, standing on the tips of my toes. My eyes barely graze over it. Jagged mountains and snowy peaks stretch across my vision for miles in every direction. The sky is dark, clouded with gray clouds as night falls. Below, shadows writhe in the crags and gullies of the mountains, and the howling of the wind is louder.
I stare at the swirling shadows, squinting to see clearer. I lurch back, a scream lodged in my throat as I spot a sea of yellow eyes glance towards me from the darkness. My back slams into the opposite wall, my chest rising high and fast as I struggle to breathe. This is not Altair’s castle. This is the Bloodbane keep – it has to be.
This must have something to do with Dain, I think wildly. He brought the woman with him, a woman that was certainly a Bloodbane witch. But there are no male Bloodbane witches, he must have some other purpose with them. I close my eyes and curse myself for being so stupid these last weeks. I accepted Dain’s advances so naively, read the book because I thought he simply wanted to help me. But he didn’t want to help me. The only one who wanted to help me was Altair, and I tossed him aside.
“Fucking stupid,” I whisper harshly to myself, closing my eyes. “How could I be so fucking stupid?”
Suddenly, I hear a door slam in the hall; the sound echoes down the hall towards me. I lunge for the door, fingers curling around the bars in the small window as I press my face against it. At the end of the hall,
towards the torch, I see a red cloak disappear around the corner. I pull away, suspicions confirmed as I lose sight of the witch.
I sigh, eyes roving over my cell as I consider my options. I’m trapped inside the Bloodbane keep, but I don’t know how I got here. I don’t know if Altair is alive, or if the Bloodbane launched a surprise attack. Fear lances through me as I consider the possibility that Altair might be dead. No, I think fiercely, he can’t be. I refuse to believe it.
I want to cry out for him, but I know it wouldn’t do any good. I can only hope that he’ll come to my rescue now as he did before. I curl in on myself, tears pricking at my eyes as I picture him in my mind; strong, smiling. His hazel eyes flicker through my memories. What I would give to see those eyes once more. What I would give to tell him I’m sorry. Truly sorry.
I think of the Bloodbane book and lash out at the empty room instinctively, imagining that if I could only kick away my memories of it, everything could be fixed. My head snaps towards the door as I hear scraping in the hall, followed by footsteps.
I dart to the corner and press myself into it as the footsteps stop outside the door to my cell. The door creaks open, scraping against the uneven stone floor. I see Maaz first, a cruel smile stretched across her face. She draws her red hood back, exposing her pale blue eyes to the dim light so I can see them gleaming. She saunters into the room, stopping a few feet in front of me.
I open my mouth to speak when someone else follows her, closing the door gently behind them. My eyes widen, lips parting softly as I see Dain move to Maaz’s side. He smiles at me, but the smile doesn’t reach his eyes. It never did, I realize. His black eyes flicker as a hand snakes around Maaz’s waist. She leans into him lovingly, grinning like a cat.
“Dain?” I ask, knowing he isn’t the man I thought he was. My voice quivers, but I try to sound strong. “What have you done?”
He chuckles. “No, Verity, what have you done?”
Shame washes over me and I can feel my cheeks heat. “I trusted you,” I say weakly.
“I gave you no reason to.” He shrugs. He looks amused. “Now, you’ve single-handedly assured the destruction of Alnembra. Destruction a thousand years in the making.”
My heart drops like a stone and my breath catches in my throat. “What?” I choke out.
Dain grins. “My bride and I saw an opportunity and we took it. Alnembra is weak, Altair is weak. And your distance and cruelty has only made it worse. “
Bride? I press myself into the corner even deeper as realization strikes me. Maaz tosses her hair behind her shoulder, eyeing me. “So, you’ve finally realized. I thought you were smarter than this.”
Dain’s shadow stretches taller in the unchanged light, the darkness in his eyes expanding until even the whites of his eyes are pitch black. He leers at me, his teeth unnaturally long. My fingers tremble as fear courses through me. Dain is no Fae man. He’s a god.
“Sadal,” I whisper, eyes wide.
I feel sick to my stomach as I realize that I almost gave myself to the Dark God. I almost chose him over Altair. For one night I did choose him over Altair. I gag, choking back the bile rising in my throat. His bite marks are still on my chest, a terrible reminder of what I’ve done. Maaz’s eyes narrow at my reaction. She lashes out at me, ice cutting across my cheek like needles.
“How dare you?” She hisses, her blue eyes blazing.
Sadal draws her back gently, smiling. He speaks, addressing me, “Someday, Verity, you’ll find out that I prefer reluctance to surrender. I love the challenge.”
His words make my stomach twist, but I try to school my face. His smile broadens, as if he knows that I don’t want to give him the satisfaction of any pleasure – however twisted it may be. Maaz purses her lips, glowering at me. I feel a drop of blood trickle down my cheek from the cut she gave me when she flung her magic at me. I wipe the blood away with the sleeve of my gown.
I eye the pair of them. Where I might have once seen powerful and frightening creatures, I see only my enemies. I feel no fear when I look at them. I only despise myself even more. No matter what, I have to find a way back to Altair. I have to warn him that Sadal is here. How a Fae could fight a god, I don’t know. But I know Altair won’t surrender.
“What are those creatures?” I ask, tilting my chin towards the window.
“The horde.” Maaz bares her teeth at me in a grin.
“We march on Alnembra,” Sadal says, his hand trailing down Maaz’s ribs. She shudders with pleasure as he speaks. “We will drench the land in the blood of its people. I’ll save Altair for last so he can see the consequences of defying me.”
Maaz moans, eyelashes fluttering. “It will be glorious.”
Sadal grins and tosses something at my feet. I drop my gaze to it and then recoil. It’s the book. “You might get bored in here. There’s little to do,” Sadal says cruelly.
I stare down at the text, the bits of paper and leather that began everything. I crouch and wrap my thin fingers over the book’s binding. It vibrates in my hands, as if awakened. As I rise, my eyes slip towards Sadal and Maaz. They’re at the door, leaving. Sadal gives me one last look, winking flirtatiously before the door closes behind them.
The book is warm in my hands as I stare down at it. Anger and fear combine in my chest, flooding through me like a tsunami. I tremble, heat washing over me. I squeeze the book, knuckles turning white as I watch the binding bend to my will. My furious gaze darts up towards the door.
I grin viciously, the book heavy in my hands. If it’s a war they want, it’s a war I’ll give them.
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Seduced by The Fae King
(Mated to The Fae King Book 3)
Preview - Seduced by The Fae King
Chapter One
Verity
I wrap the blanket tighter around myself as the frigid chill of cool, mountain air slips into my room. The shutters closed over the window are warped and wet from the day’s rain and do little to block the wind. I can hear it howling outside, mingled with the shrieks of the demonic creatures. A shiver trails down my spine that has nothing to do with the chill.
The fireplace is filled with ash and charcoal, smoke curling from the burnt-out embers. I stare into it, at the Bloodbane book I tossed onto the flames. It’s unburnt, undamaged from the flames it immediately quenched after I tried to burn it. I tossed it into the fire after reading some of the more gruesome rituals, even worse than the Holy Rite.
My stomach turns as the drawings of the rituals pop into my mind. I’ve tried to forget them, but some pictures just stay with you. I’ve spent days since my capture reading the book, teaching myself spells and enchantments that I can use against the Bloodbane. But there was only so much I could read before I made myself sick.
I curl my hands into fists, glaring at the binding of the book. I want the power, but I’m not willing to face the darkness of that power. I feel weak, useless, and guilty. It’s my fault that Altair will lose this war against Sadal and the Bloodbane. How could he win against such overwhelming forces of darkness? And I’m unable to help because of my own weakness.
The door handle rattles and my head snaps towards it. I lunge for the book and snatch it from the ash as Sadal slips through the door. His black eyes glide over the ashy book in my hands and he smiles at me.
“Don’t like the reading material?” He asks, striding into the room.
I brush the gray embers from the red binding. “You could say that.”
I turn towards the hard cot that I’ve slept on the past few nights and toss the book onto it. For reasons I don’t know, Sadal has left the book with me. I suspect he thinks it will tempt as it did before into joining him.
Sadal leans against the fireplace, smirking. His long fingers tap over the dirty stones. “And how do you find your new quarters? Better than a cell, I presume?”
“Not all cells are the same,” I whisper.
His eyes narrow
. “Ingratitude? From my reluctant bride? What a shock.”
“I’m not your bride,” I say forcefully, thinking of Altair. “I never will be.”
“You think your handsome, Fae prince will save you?” Sadal chuckles. “He’ll be dead by the end of the week.”
I stare down at my finger, where the engagement ring used to sit. It was taken from me the first night of my arrival here. “What do you want, Sadal?” I ask quietly.
“I came to offer you an invitation.” Sadal closes the distance between us. He lifts a finger to my cheek and slowly trails it over my chilled skin. “We move on Alnembra today. Would you like to join me?”
“Do I have a choice?” I stare at him through my eyelashes.
“You do, in fact,” Sadal says with a light tone. “Maaz has suggested feeding you to the demons. They’re getting awfully hungry – hungry enough to hunt inside our walls from time to time.”
I stare at the warped wooden door. That explains the shrill screams of terror that I’ve heard each night. My eyes snap back to Sadal and I stare at his wicked smile. This man doesn’t stop the demons from killing his own people, he might even enjoy it.
“I’ll come,” I say blandly.
If I stay here in the keep, I’ll be useless. The closer I can get to Alnembra, the greater my chances of escape. I might even find a way to sabotage Sadal’s army. I picture Altair facing off against Sadal and my heart clenches painfully. Altair could never win against an old god, not without help.
Sadal grins. “Excellent,” he purrs. “I can’t wait for you to see the glory of my forces.”
I don’t answer, instead gathering my few belongings into my arms. Instead of the silken dress I wore when I woke up in the keep, I’ve been given a scratchy woolen shift that keeps me warm. I leave the black gown in the room, there’s no need for it anymore. Sadal watches from the door as I collect my things and the book.
