Curse of the Cruel and Lovely : Allied Kingdoms Academy 3

by J. M. Kearl

  Heart thundering, I felt his frustration shift to wanting. His gaze pinned to my lips. I grabbed a handful of his shirt and said, “You are my husband. Don’t you ever say I should have chosen Aric or anyone else again.”

  His hand slid down the side of my face. “Is that a request, Princess?”

  I felt like I could barely breathe when his warm lips pressed to my neck. “It’s a command, Prince.”

  “It’s sexy when you make commands.” The kisses continued. “What else would you command of me?”

  I smiled and shoved him away. His eyebrows pulled down in confusion. After saying I should have married someone else, he was going to have to work for it tonight. “If you want me. Come get me.” Laughing, I picked up the front of my dress and ran down the path along the side of the palace. I peeked back to see where he was. He was gone… I slammed right into him and he didn’t even budge.

  “Got you.”

  I smiled and pulled him down for a kiss. “Cheater. You were supposed to run and catch me.” His deep laugh sent a chill down my back.

  “I caught you.” He pinned me against the wall. “It doesn’t matter how… I shouldn’t have said what I said. I chose you. You chose me. And you will be mine forever. Only mine.”

  I placed my hand against his chest. “That’s more like it.”

  Someone clearing their throat, made us both turn. Taz had appeared and his face was about as red as a tomato. “Uh, sorry to bother you two but Winter has attacked at the border. And I don’t know if it’s really our business but... Aric went somewhere with that woman who wanted him to drink her blood.”

  32

  Zyacus

  Cursing under my breath I pushed off the wall and started inside. “Aric doesn’t have the control he needs. On the battlefield it’s an advantage but here... He might kill her and she thinks it’s all fun and games.”

  “You two go find Aric,” Visteal said, catching up. “I’ll go speak to King Venos and Helios. We should leave tonight and be at the border by morning.”

  Visteal vanished and I marched up the steps beside Taz. “Where did they go?”

  Taz ran his fingers through his hair. “I’m not sure. I saw her pull him out of the ballroom but I don’t know where they went after that.”

  “If he wasn’t a vampire I’d say leave them be but if he kills her we might have a big problem on our hands.” She looked important. They could demand his execution or something and I would never allow that to happen.

  Following Taz through the ballroom, we were stopped several times and I had to keep telling them I needed to find a toilet so they wouldn’t try to hold me up. When we finally made it to the hallway it was lined with doors on both sides. It would take us forever to check them all.

  “They could be in any one of these rooms.”

  “What if they’re, you know,” Taz said with a shrug. “I don’t want to walk in on something.”

  Aric had told me he’d slept with two girls in Collweya after he and Legacy broke up; after the change. He wasn’t the same as when he was human. He had less control of all his appetites. “Aric is like a brother to me. I’d rather risk his embarrassment than the death of that girl. You can stay in the hall but start checking rooms.”

  “If you say so.” Taz opened the first door to the left and I went to the right. I peered inside the dark room but saw nor heard anything. After checking ten rooms and with no luck, I came to a locked door. “I think I found the room.”

  Anxiously, Taz hurried beside me. “It’s locked?”

  I nodded and whispered the spell that should do the trick. When I tested the handle it didn’t budge. “Damn, it must be enchanted.”

  “Maybe we should just knock,” Taz said.

  “Not a bad idea.” I pounded my fist on the door and waited. Maybe it was just locked and no one was inside. I was about to move on when Taz pressed his ear to the door.

  When he pulled back he said, “I heard something crash. Someone is definitely in there.”

  “Aric,” I called. “Are you in there?”

  “Go away, Zyacus!” he shouted. He sounded different than usual. Like he did when he turned savage and uncontrolled.

  Taz and I exchanged a glance. I didn’t want to have to but I would. “Open the door or I’ll open it for you.”

  It flew open and crashed into the wall. Shirtless, but thank the gods not pant-less, Aric stepped into the light from the hall. A single line of blood ran down his chin. “What?” his harsh eyes had turned crimson.

  “Winter has attacked. We’re leaving.”

  The Fae girl came up behind him, wrapped her arms around his waist, and poked her head around his torso. “Ah, looks like your babysitters have ruined our fun.” She stepped around him, adjusting the strap on her dress and winked at Taz as she left.

  He shoved a finger into my chest and said, “You didn’t find me to tell me about Winter. You came because you think I can’t be trusted.” He growled at Taz then shoved him. “And you went and told him didn’t you?”

  “Aric, enough. You’re not yourself.”

  Turning on his heel he stalked inside. “This is who I am,” he snapped.

  I sighed and followed him in. “Look, yes, I was worried you’d kill her but that’s not—”

  “I wasn’t going to.” Taking hold of his shirt he threw it over his head. “And don’t be so high and mighty. You were probably off railing Visteal. Is only one of us good enough to get some action from a wench?”

  Anger ignited like a torch. I threw a hard right hand and smashed him square in the jaw. “Don’t talk about her like that, you disrespectful shithead. She is my wife not some harlot.”

  Aric’s head snapped back. “That’s all you got, wolf boy?”

  I clenched my teeth and threw everything I had into a punch that sent him flipping backward over the desk behind him. A glass vase shattering to the floor. “There’s more where that came from. Get up.”

  “Hey, now,” Taz said, stepping into view with his hands out in front of him. “We can’t fight with each other. We have a real battle we need to fight. Save your anger for that.”

  Aric grabbed a corner of the desk and sent it flying into the wall where it crashed with a bang. “You hit like a wench, too.”

  I ground my teeth but I smiled. “Oh, that must be why you went flying over the desk,” I said, taunting him. I knew I shouldn’t but he started all this and I wasn’t going to let him get away with it. I didn’t know if he had drunk too much wine or if the girl’s Fae blood had sent him into a frenzy but this needed to be settled.

  “Aric, settle down,” Taz said sharply.

  “Shut up,” he barked and charged me. We smashed into a shelf; books slammed into my head as the shelves crumbled. His fist collided with my cheek and pain exploded. Dragon’s fire, he hit hard. I threw my forehead into his nose and punched him in the gut. He stumbled back a couple steps holding his face. My wolf was desperate to come out but I couldn’t allow it. My bite could be fatal to him, and I didn’t trust myself not to lose control.

  Taz slammed the door shut and jumped out of the way when we crashed and rolled on the ground near him. I managed to get out of his hold on me and we faced off again. We tore the room apart. My entire body hurt from the blows. My forehead had split and blood ran into my eye. Breathing heavy, I wiped it, then put my fists up ready to continue.

  Without saying, we both had a mutual understanding that we wouldn’t use magic, and wouldn’t use weapons. Neither of us would ever truly try to hurt the other. This was to settle whatever issue had developed between us.

  Aric had blood on his face but he healed rapidly on his own so I bet he didn’t look as bad as me.

  When the door practically blew off its hinges and Visteal stepped inside, we both stilled. “What the hell is going on in here?” she asked. With a wave of her hand the candle chandelier above lit up the room. We’d been fighting by the moonlight before.

  Taz pointed at us. “It was all them.” />
  Snitch.

  She’d changed into full battle attire and I wasn’t sure if she would knock the magic out of all three of us or not. Looking between all of us she rested her hand on her hip, waiting for an explanation. I wiped my nose. Aric straightened his ripped shirt. Throwing her arms up she groaned. “You know what, I don’t even care. Get yourselves put back together. We have a war meeting to attend.”

  I was on a roll tonight: an argument with Visteal and a brawl with Aric. I’d only take the blame for one. When she was gone, I looked at Aric. “We done?”

  With a smirk he lifted a shoulder. “I think I’ve kicked your ass enough for one night.”

  I pulled magic from my stone to heal my face. I couldn’t show up to a war meeting like this. “I’ll let you think that’s how it went down. You have two black eyes but I’m sure they’ll heal up here soon.”

  He bent down and picked up a cracked mirror. “Shit, I do. You hit harder than you used to. That wolf curse must make you stronger.”

  “Ha,” I tucked my shirt back into my pants, “I’ve always hit that hard. I just took it easy on you before.”

  Lifting and moving his hands around, Taz had the bookshelf repairing itself and the books rising to the proper place. The desk floated back, the broken vase sealed together and anything else we’d destroyed slowly fixed. Aric looked to Taz. “Who won?”

  Taz grimaced. “Not this room, that’s for sure.”

  I laughed and Aric held out his hand. I clasped his wrist and with a squeeze he said, “I apologize for disrespecting Visteal. I didn’t mean it. My head wasn’t right… You know I care about her, and you. I deserved to get punched.”

  “I know you did,” I said with a smirk. “Apology accepted.”

  Taz sat in the cushy chair that had been busted a few moments earlier. “Just don’t ever tell Visteal what you said or there will be a round two and I don’t know if you’ll fare so well, Aric.”

  We all laughed. Aric tilted his head side to side cracking his neck. “Visteal would annihilate me.”

  Folding his hands on his lap, Taz nodded vigorously. “Seriously, she would. There would be none of this magicless brawling. She’s even more vicious these days.”

  “We’re all more viscous,” I said. We had to be to survive.

  He stared off at nothing in particular, “It’s kind of frightening what we’ve all become. I mean I lost count of how many of those soldiers I killed.”

  I knew exactly what he meant but this wasn’t the time to stand around talking about our feelings. I headed for the door and they followed close behind.

  “I think I need a new shirt,” Aric said, pulling at a string that hung from a huge tear.

  With a proud smile, Taz said, “You can stitch it up with the spell, integro.”

  It wasn’t long before Aric’s shirt had been fixed and we caught up to Visteal at the end of the hall. She leaned her back against the wall picking at her nails. When we approached she looked up. “Is the issue settled?”

  “We’re good, my love.”

  “Come on then.”

  33

  Visteal

  We entered a room with a map displayed on a table. Figures representing all courts were placed in various places. King Venos, Helios, Firo, another man I didn’t know, and Gwindola stood around it. I wasn’t sure exactly how they ran Summer Court but women weren’t warriors here. I think Gwindola was only allowed because she was sleeping with either the King or Helios. I hadn’t figured out which one yet.

  “Their forces have moved—” The one I hadn’t met looked up, “Ah, we have guests.”

  Helios waved us over. We approached the table and I surveyed the map. I’d been through war strategy classes at the academy. These figures appeared to be spelled to move with the actual movements of the battalions. The Night Court approached Winter from the right. One group of Summer and Winter already collided. Both had other soldiers waiting to move. Spring was on their way but still a day out if I had to guess. Autumn didn’t appear to be on the map.

  “It looks like we outnumber them by quite a lot. This should be a fast victory,” I said. With the information here, I didn’t know what else they could conclude.

  “It’s not so simple.” He gave me a grim look. “I am General Dramus. Winter has other forces on the move but we haven’t been able to track them other than a spy… we haven’t heard from him since. We think they are somehow cloaking their movements.”

  “How many other forces?” Zyacus asked.

  “We can’t be sure but our spy said it had to be a few thousand. We have five thousand fighting on the front line against Winter’s six. We have another four on the way. We also have reports of many faeries not enlisted in our army who have taken up weapons and march toward the border as we speak.”

  “In the end it won’t matter,” I said, tapping a finger against my sword. “Once I kill King Valefrost it should end the battles.”

  General Dramus pursed his lips. “We can hope.”

  I turned my attention to Helios. “And when he is dead you will open the portal and send us home. That was our deal.”

  “I will, Princess.”

  With my stomach in knots I said, “We’re leaving tonight. See you on the battlefield.” I gave King Venos one last look and turned. I left the room with the boys beside me before any other words could be spoken. Part of me wanted to tell Venos tonight would be his last night but I knew I couldn’t. It could affect the outcome tomorrow. I could affect the balance in Faerie and my way home.

  When we entered the hall it was deserted. “Froststorm waits for us. Gather your things. Leave nothing here. I hope we never have to come back.”

  Aric and Taz both disappeared. Zyacus took hold of my hand and we vanished, appearing in our room. My trunk of belongings was still at the Winter castle. I’d accepted I’d never see those things again. I had my weapons and newly fitted ebony armor gifted to me by the Summer Fae and that’s what I needed most. They even had the courtesy to etch in a small crimson phoenix on the chest. I bet it was Firo’s doing.

  Zyacus changed into his armor and I burst into laughter when I saw the phoenix on the black chest plate. Glaring, he lifted his arm. “Will you buckle the clasps for me?”

  I pulled and pushed the straps into place. “You know Firo had to have given you Delhoon armor on purpose right?”

  “He probably laughed when he brought it just like you.”

  “No doubt. It looks good on you.” I stood back and put my hands on my hips. “Don’t hate me but black and red suits you better than blue and white.”

  “Indeed,” Gideon said, strolling out from the closet. “Almost like it was meant to be.”

  Grinning, he strapped his sword on and then slid daggers into both boots. “I suppose I am partially Delhoon now through you.”

  To fully prepare myself for the battle I stood in front of the mirror, and with black paint, drew the traditional warrior mask the women wore in my kingdom. It started with warlord Athena Asger’s women fighters and had been carried on. I lined from the top of my eyebrows across the bridge of my nose to the top of my cheekbones with ebony.

  Gideon watched me momentarily. “You look just like her.”

  “My mother?” I asked.

  “Yes. She too looked fiercely beautiful before battle.”

  I scratched under Gideon’s chin. “I hope I can fight as good as her as well.”

  “Gideon’s right,” Zyacus said grinning at me. “And this new look is making me—”

  “Do not even say it,” Gideon droned. “We do not have the time for you to indulge your desires.”

  I laughed and waved at them both to follow me out the door. “Let’s go.”

  Zyacus glanced around the room. “Wait, where is Pixie?”

  Sputtering out of a drawer she zipped to his shoulder. “I here. We ride dragon?”

  “We ride dragon,” Zyacus confirmed.

  The warm wind whipped through my hair as we took to the sky.
Froststorm said we should all sleep on the ride but I couldn’t. Not just because I worried I’d fall off in my sleep but I was a basket of nerves. Every scenario I could think of about tomorrow went through my head. How would I find Valefrost to call him out? What if he stayed back and with no one around but his closest men? Would he care if I challenged him? My biggest worry was Zyacus trying to step in. I was almost positive he would survive given I hadn’t seen his death, but there was always a small chance my ability didn’t work on him. I hadn’t foreseen any of the vampires die. Aric could go down tomorrow too. I was less worried for Taz. He was like me, and I knew my gift worked on people like us.

  I hadn’t heard from Astaroth or Bastian or Aenea since I’d left them. I hoped everything was going to plan. I had faith in the Winter Prick keeping his word but what happened to the Snofurys? Why hadn’t they come? Eventually the lull of Froststorm’s wings did lull me to a half sleep. It was when we started on a decent and that rush from dropping ticked my stomach that I snapped alert.

  When we landed it was just outside the Summer camp. Wails of pain and cries drifted toward us. What was happening? Why weren’t these soldiers being healed? “Gideon, you stay in this camp. See if you can help at all. Even if that only means using your ability to comfort those who are dying.”

  “I will do what I can.”

  Appearus. I hit the ground and waited for the others to join me. I felt like I might throw up. This is what I’d trained for my entire life but training was different than the real thing. I already knew what it was to fight in a battle now, to take life, but so much rested on me. Everyone counted on me to succeed. My boys and hundreds of thousands of the faeries. They’d been waiting for me for four hundred years. What if I couldn’t do it?

  “I’ll meet you on the battlefield,” Froststorm said and lifted off the ground.

  Zyacus put a hand on my low back and eased me toward the camp. “Everything will work out. We could go home today. Imagine that.”