Of Dreams and Sorcery (Royal Fae Guardians Book 1)

by Heather Renee

  “I’m not sure. Something doesn’t feel right now that we’re here,” I said, glancing around for any signs that something was amiss.

  Dad wrapped an arm tighter around me. “You have full say in what happens today, sweet girl. If you’d rather wait, then that’s what we’ll do. None of us are going anywhere.”

  “Let’s just get to the council room, and I’ll see if anyone has heard from Stryx. Maybe he’ll be here soon. He did say he’d be back today.” I really hoped that was the case, because all of a sudden, there was a heaviness pressing down on me. Any positive thoughts I’d had back at the house were long gone. Something on an instinctual level was telling me nothing was okay anymore, and I was afraid to find out I was right.

  My pace picked up as we moved through the town hall, eager to figure out what had me so on edge. Except, when we rounded the corner to the meeting room, my steps faltered, and we stopped. “There’s something dark in that room. It’s pulling me forward, yet everything within me says to run the other way. Who is in there?”

  Concern was etched deeply into both of their faces. “It should just be the council, Jordan, and Ryland. I don’t sense anyone else,” Mom said warily.

  Before we could decide what to do, there was a scream muffled by the walls, though there was no mistaking the terror that induced it. With trembling hands, all three of us ran for the door, and I wondered just where Jordan and Ryland were. If they weren’t okay, I wasn’t sure how I was going to get through anything else.

  When we arrived, my dad flung open the door to a setting that would forever be engraved into my darkest memories.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  One of the council members was lying stomach-down on the table, eyes open, yet lifeless. There was blood splattered everywhere, but I couldn’t see her wounds, making me assume they were all in the front pressed against the table that was also covered in crimson liquid.

  My eyes found Ryland, who was standing next to a furious Jordan and staring at the back of the room. I followed their gazes and met the smirking face of a stranger who didn’t belong in Arvayta. With stark-white hair that was shaved short at the sides and a few inches long at the top, his pointed ears and sharply angled cheekbones stood out, along with the nearly black eyes staring at me.

  “My love, I’m so glad you finally arrived. And look at you! Positively exquisite,” the man who I then assumed to be Alaryk purred.

  Everything about him was light except for his eyes, and it was hard to believe he was supposed to be a dark fae, but when he smiled at me, my skin crawled and I didn’t question the evil I knew he was capable of. It radiated off of him in rapid pulses.

  “What are you doing here, Alaryk?” Dad roared.

  Taking a moment, I glanced around the room, trying to see if anyone else was hurt besides Rosella, whose name I finally remembered when I had a moment to breathe. While the rest of the council wasn’t hurt, they were pinned to the wall by an invisible force.

  Mathias, the head of the council, was red in the face as he fought against whatever magic was being used against them, but it seemed pointless.

  “I’m here to claim my mate. I heard there would be a bonding ceremony today and assumed I should be present. She is destined to be mine after all.” Alaryk spoke with such confidence, he had me worried.

  But what I was most concerned with was how in the hell he knew I was supposed to be bonded to Ryland when we’d only decided the night before. Who had betrayed us and why?

  “I’m not yours. I don’t care what some prophecy said decades ago. I’m my own person and make my own decisions,” I said, taking a step forward.

  If Alaryk wanted me for himself, I wasn’t worried he would hurt me, so I wanted to keep the attention on myself.

  “Tsk, tsk, my darling. You’ve been poisoned to think the worst of me, but I promise you a lifetime of happiness with the world at your fingertips. All you have to do is take my hand and you can have all you ever dreamed of.” His voice was smooth and words hypnotic, but I fought against their power.

  “You came here uninvited and killed one of my people. Why should I trust you?” I asked, while moving closer to Ryland and Jordan with my parents at my back. If anything happened to any of them, I wasn’t sure what I would do.

  He raised a hand toward me. “Let me show you what I’m capable of, and then you’ll understand I’m not here to hurt anyone so long as I get what I want.” His fingers snapped, and a white light flashed around the room.

  When my eyes adjusted from the glow, we were no longer in the council chambers. We were outside, near the fountain I so often admired, but only Alaryk and I had been transported from the room.

  “Where is everyone?” I snapped, moving a few paces back from him. The road was empty, I couldn’t see a single Arvaytan, and considering it was late afternoon, something was really wrong.

  “Your people are with mine. You didn’t think I came to collect my bride without a backup plan in case you refused, did you?” His lips lifted into what I assumed was supposed to be a grin but came out as more of a sneer.

  “Wishful thinking, I guess.” With every step I took away from him, he took two more closer to me.

  Stryx, where are you? We could really use some help here before this psycho kidnaps me, I pleaded through our bond, hoping like hell he could hear me in Dásos.

  Just stay calm and indulge him. I’ll be there as soon as I can, Stryx responded, sounding fearful for the first time ever.

  “So, what will it be, my love? Will you come with me willingly, or will you have your people slaughtered all because of your stubborn pride?” Alaryk asked when he was only an arm’s length away from me.

  “Well, can I ask some questions before I decide? Ever since I arrived here, things have been decided for me, and while I appreciate that you’re giving me an option here, I’d like to be well-informed before I choose. You say I’ve only been told lies about you, so tell me why I should trust you?”

  My hope was that I could convince him I wasn’t exactly happy in Arvayta, give him a little faith that I’d be easily swayed to his side. If the prophecy said I would be, he should hopefully buy my lies the first time around.

  “Because you’re destined to be mine. Isn’t that enough?” he snarled, clearly angry I wasn’t showing fear and caving to his threats.

  “You’d think so, but you see, I’ve also been told I was destined to be with another. How am I supposed to know who’s right? The only family I’ve ever known, or you? A complete stranger I’m inclined to get to know, but I need a reason. While I’m not happy here, I know I’m safe. Would I be safe with you?”

  His hand reached for me, and it took every ounce of strength within me not to flinch at the cold touch of his fingers on my cheek. “I’d never harm you, Kaliah. I’d worship every inch of your body and give you all your greatest desires. There is nothing in all the worlds you’d ever want for with me.”

  I forced myself to lean into his touch. “What would you expect of me in return for your graciousness?”

  His head moved closer until his lips were nearly touching my ear as he whispered, “Everything that you are would be mine, and everything that I am would be yours.”

  Cheese and rice. If I wasn’t a million percent certain he wanted to destroy the worlds with our combined powers, then I’d have a hard time resisting him. The pull he had on me was real and powerful. Whatever magic he was using wasn’t child’s play.

  My eyes met his as he licked his lips before grasping my face. “What do you say, my love? Will you leave this world behind and be mine forever?”

  Just as I was about to answer him, a flash of light distracted us both as a portal opened. On the other side was a thick forest and a horde of fierce animals waiting to come through. Stryx led the way, and as they poured into the center of town, the portal kept growing. More creatures than I ever imagined waltzed through the opening, and I began to let hope sink in that we could beat the dark fae.

  Alaryk grabbed
my arm and jerked me into his chest, forcing my head up with his other hand. “Were you playing me, darling?”

  “Did you honestly believe I could love someone who would kill innocent people in an attempt to hold power over others? Everything about you repulses me. Now let me go!” I pressed both hands to his chest and shocked him hard enough to force him several paces back.

  Wasting no time, I ported to the portal that was about fifty feet from us and surrounded by animals I hoped would keep me out of sight. “Stryx, what do we do? He has others here, and he’s keeping our people locked inside. Probably tortured.” My whole body shook at the thought of what the others were going through while we waited for help to arrive.

  “The animals will go search for their other halves and help. Just keep an eye on Alaryk and don’t let him get his hands on you. If he takes you…” Stryx didn’t finish the sentence and he didn’t have to.

  Speaking of other halves, I would have thought my parents, Jordan, and Ryland would have followed us out of the council room, but I’d yet to see them.

  “I have to go find them,” I yelled to Stryx, assuming he heard my thoughts.

  He swiveled his head around in the creepy and nearly three-hundred-sixty-degree way I found impossible. “They’re on the steps of the town hall, and Oliver is with them, too. They’ll be here soon. Just stay by my side. The portal magic will help to mask yours from being found by Alaryk.”

  Speaking of the devil.

  “Kaliah, my love. Where did you run off to? It’s time to go home,” Alaryk yelled over the stampeding animals racing by him to help my people.

  Stryx finally came down from the sky and landed roughly on my shoulder. Thankfully, even though they weren’t covered, his claws were magically enhanced not to tear my skin up. Perks of the bond.

  “We need to get to the others. We can’t wait for them to come to us,” Stryx said, and then did something he’d never done before.

  Suddenly, my mind went blank, and when my vision returned just a couple of seconds later, my eyesight was doubled as my brain was somehow processing what Stryx was seeing and what I was at the same time. Together, we could see from every angle around us.

  Then, Stryx’s thoughts began mixing with my own, and I grabbed the sides of my head as I adjusted to the changes. How is this happening? I asked without speaking.

  I’m allowing you access to everything I am. Preferably, we would have practiced this, but we don’t have time for that. You have to get to the others, and they’re being targeted. So, let’s move before Alaryk finds you. I can only mask you for so long.

  A dizziness rolled through me as I fought to focus on the double vision, and within a minute, I had a decent grasp on it. By then, the animals had stopped coming through the portal and we were no longer hidden by the seemingly endless stream of them.

  Once Stryx closed the portal, he urged me to move toward the town hall. Screams and roars from the animals sounded from all around us while plumes of smoke rose into the air, and my heart was slowly breaking. This place wasn’t ready for a war, but it had been forced on them, nonetheless.

  On your left, Stryx said. My hand shot out instinctively, grabbing the throat of my attacker.

  He was about six inches taller than me, and carried about twice the weight, but I didn’t let it frighten me. “Leave before you get yourself killed,” I said with a sneer.

  “We’re not leaving until our king gets his queen,” he replied with a strangled voice.

  I really couldn’t fathom killing someone yet, but I couldn’t just let him go and didn’t have time for hand-to-hand combat, so I did the next best thing.

  Calling on my power, I let it build higher than ever before on my own and sent a blast straight into the man’s chest. I didn’t even know if he was part fae or something else entirely; all that mattered was he was unconscious on the dirt within the blink of an eye.

  “Keep moving, Kaliah, and remember they won’t all be that easy to take down. That shifter perceived you as an easy target, most others will not.” Stryx’s words sank in, and I kept my power at my fingertips.

  I’d be ready for whatever came at us next, because there was no way in hell that I’d let Alaryk get his hands on me. The more I tried to imagine what he wanted from me, the angrier I became. As I let my emotions build, I became a bubble of energy.

  Magic radiated from every point of my body and there was a slight purple glow coming from skin everywhere I could see. Did you lift the blocks on my abilities? I asked.

  No, you’re breaking through them, just how I wanted. This is how I hoped you’d do it, though not under these circumstances. On your backside, turn now!

  Without missing a beat, I ducked and slammed my fist full of magic into the stomach of the beast before me, but he wasn’t the least bit fazed by my powers. Standing back up, I took in his nearly seven-foot frame before noticing the scales that lined his skin and the measly cloth shorts that he was wearing, nothing else.

  “Hello, Princess.” The man-beast grinned, showcasing a mouth full of teeth that reminded me of Yelah.

  Uh, Stryx, what am I supposed to do against this thing? I asked mentally.

  You fight him until help arrives. The others can see us now, and they’ll be here soon. Do whatever you have to in order to keep him from getting a hold on you.

  My jaw clenched as I realized that meant if I was able to, then I needed to kill the creature before he could do the same to me. If it was my life or his, I didn’t really have a choice, but I didn’t like it.

  Crouching down to make myself a smaller target, I felt my dress begin to rip, so I gave it a little help and myself more room to move by making two slits midway up my thighs.

  The beast swiped his hand out for me, and Stryx flew into the sky while I rolled out of the way on the dirt, losing my shoes in the process. Thankfully, my crown was practically plastered to my head and stayed in place.

  “Oh, come on, Princess. I mean you no harm. Just come with me and everything will be fine,” the beast jeered as we faced each other once more.

  “That’s never going to happen,” I snapped back.

  He grinned once again, making my insides turn with fear. “That’s what I was hoping for.”

  He’s a dragon hybrid. There are only two ways to kill him: free him of his head or remove his heart from his scaled chest, Stryx said as I practically did the two-step with the dragon-man, evading his attempts to grab me.

  So, considering I have no weapons, what the hell do you want me to do? My voice was full of rage as the shouts from others could still be heard around us.

  Just keep fighting, and I’ll be back.

  You’re leaving me? I yelled in my head as I once again found myself on the ground, but Stryx never responded and I wanted to kill him.

  Using all of my frustrations, I charged at the dragon-man, hands out and full of as much harmful magic as I could muster. When we connected, I grabbed onto his scales and began pulling, hoping I could find skin and cause more damage, but I’d stayed too close for too long, and his clawed hands took hold of my arms

  Lifting me off the ground, the beast brought me even with his face while blood trickled from where he grabbed me. “Enough, Princess. I’m not supposed to hurt you, but I will if you continue to refuse me.”

  “I will fight until my last breath,” I sneered, then called on everything I had, remembering that magic wasn’t just what I had within me. It was also in everything around me.

  Water was another part of me, just like magic, so I reached far and called it to me, asking for its help. Within mere moments, an overwhelming amount of power slammed into me, and I did the only thing I could think of.

  I released it and froze the dragon-man in place before wiggling free of his grasp and dropping a couple feet to the ground.

  Just as I landed, Jordan came leaping out of nowhere and chopped the frozen head clean off, then proceeded to stab it for good measure.

  “A little late, but thanks for the assis
t,” I said, looking around for the others. Ryland was still fighting near the town hall against an opponent who kept disappearing and reappearing every time Ryland came too close.

  “Come on, we have to help them,” Jordan said, grabbing my hand, then immediately dropping it. “Care to turn the cold off, Chuck?”

  “Actually, no, I don’t. Let’s go.”

  She grinned and nodded, then proceeded to plow through the crowd of fighting animals and creatures.

  Heat slammed into my back, but I ignored it because it didn’t hurt. Though, when the voice that followed spoke softly in my ear, I froze on the spot. “You were made for me. What you did to that dragon was the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen in my existence.”

  Alaryk’s voice was alluring, but I fought the pull with everything I had. His hand trailed down my bloodied arm. “I won’t let anyone else hurt you. Just come with me.”

  Then it hit me. He kept asking me to come with him when he could have easily just grabbed me and disappeared. “You can’t take me.” I turned around and faced him, no longer afraid. “You need me to come with you willingly, don’t you?”

  His face went from caring lover to murderous in a split second. “I don’t need for you to do anything. I’m offering you a life of luxury, but if you continuously refuse, then I will show you the consequences of that decision.”

  There must have been something in the prophecy he believed in so much that stated I had to become his on my own terms, a loophole I so badly needed. It told me I wasn’t doomed, and we had a real chance at stopping this psycho.

  “You don’t scare me,” I snarled before thrusting my arms at him, trying to freeze him like I did the dragon.

  He shook his finger at me, completely unaffected. “You’re going to regret that.” His dark eyes stared above my head and nodded.

  Taking the chance, I followed his gaze and found my parents being held by two of his men at the top of the stairs to the town hall.

  “No!” I shouted and began to run for them, but I was too late. The two monsters holding them paralyzed plunged blades into their chests at the same time before disappearing, but I’d remember their faces and they would face my wrath one day.