Mortal Enchantment Complete Box Set

by Stacey O'Neale

  Then I thought about our last conversation. I had promised Mom I wouldn’t keep secrets from her. Technically it wasn’t a secret if I planned to tell her. Maybe let her get settled here, then fill her in on all the crappy details. “The council meeting was boring. Tell me what happened with Dad.”

  “What do you mean?” she asked, coyly.

  I nudged her playfully with my elbow. “Spill it, Mom. I want to know everything.”

  Mom shook her head, smiling. “Nothing happened, nosy. He gave me a tour of the castle, then showed me where I'd be staying. That’s all.”

  I raised my eyebrows. “Did you make any other plans?”

  “He asked me to join him for breakfast.”

  Things seemed to be going well. With all the drama going on, it was nice to focus on something positive. “This is great. You know, you two getting acquainted again.”

  She tapped me on the tip of my nose. “Don’t get ahead of yourself, Cupid. A lot of time has passed. We’re not the same as we once were. I imagine it’s going to take a while for us to get to know each other again.”

  That was fine with me. All I wanted was for my parents to be happy. And judging by the googly eyes they gave each other, there was still something between them. I pulled my mother into a hug. “I’m just glad you’re here.”

  “There’s no place I’d rather be.”

  Chapter Nine

  Rowan

  “You wish to challenge me?” Darius confirmed, chuckling. “Since when do you have any interest in pack leadership?”

  The hounds laughed, mocking Marcus.

  “Rowan is our true king. Instead of offering your allegiance, you want to fight him.” He stood firm with fierceness in his glare. “You leave me no choice. You are no longer acting in the best interest of our pack.”

  The crowd silenced, waiting for his father to respond. “Very well, Son,” Darius said, smiling with confidence. “I accept your foolish challenge.”

  The horde of hounds screamed with excitement. Prisma had forced Darius to fight other hounds, but none had ever challenged him for pack leader. Marcus took off his shirt, throwing it in a nearby corner. The bruises on his upper body had not completely healed. How could he possibly beat his father? Darius doubled him in size, and Marcus was already injured. I couldn’t let this happen.

  I grabbed his arm, turning him to face me. “This is suicide, bro. You’re not one hundred percent. You can’t win like this.”

  His eyes had changed to red, a sign he had already begun to shift. “You heard my father. We are out of options,” Marcus said, voice almost a growl. “We need the pack to defeat Valac.”

  There had to be another way. Something I could offer instead of this. “I can take him.”

  “No, you can’t. You’re strong, but you’re not one of us.” Marcus squeezed my shoulder. “We need the hounds on our side. My father will never concede.”

  “Marcus—”

  He didn’t respond. Within seconds, he had shape-shifted into hound form. The crowd backed up several feet, making room for their fight. Members of the group laughed as others ripped into Marcus, taunting him. None of them thought he could beat his father. But this fight would not end with a simple beating. Darius would kill his son to show dominance among his pack.

  The loud noise amped-up even higher as the two hounds circled one another. It was easy to tell them apart. Although they both had slick black hair and a menacing exterior, Marcus was considerably smaller than Darius. Each bared their teeth, growling. They appeared to be sizing each other up. Darius lifted a paw as if he were about to pounce. The muscles in Marcus’s back tensed in response. I could have been wrong, but it sounded like Darius was chuckling.

  Anger raged inside me, knowing I was powerless to stop this.

  Even if I attacked Darius, the other hounds would take me out before I could do any real damage. There was nothing I could do but watch. Darius had never lost. The odds were definitely in his favor. But maybe Marcus knew something the other opponents didn’t. He had been fighting with his father since childhood. I was hoping he had a plan. The heat coming off of the hounds caused the temperature to soar.

  Sweat trickled down their spines.

  Darius was the first to attack. He leaped, attempting to land on top of Marcus. Their bodies crashed together in mid-air. The ground rumbled. I had to steady myself to keep from falling. Darius swatted the air with his front paws, each time barely missing Marcus. He blocked the assault, preventing any physical damage. Marcus opened his jaws, reaching outward for his father’s neck. Darius blocked him with a blow to the side of his face. The move left a bloody claw-mark on his cheek. Marcus turned his head, wincing in pain. The crowd cheered in response.

  Droplets of smeared blood coated the sand and dirt mixture they stood on. Snarling, Marcus pounced. The ground roared like an earthquake as they rolled around. Each tried to dominate the other, taking turns on top. It had become a wrestling match. The crowd backed up, giving them more room. Their movements were so fast it was difficult to make out what was happening. At some point, Marcus tore his teeth into his father’s hind leg. Darius never cried out. Even if he was moments from death, I doubted he ever would. The gabriel hounds were trained to tolerate the pain. They never gave up.

  That was why they were incredibly difficult to beat.

  In a surprise move, Darius managed to get him into a headlock. Marcus fought hard as he was pulled onto his back, swatting at him with all four paws. I heard a crunching sound as his father dug his massive jaws into his son’s throat. Blood dripped down the side of his neck while Marcus continued to fight. Terror rushed through me as his movements slowed by the second. A sharp pain rushed into my chest. Marcus wouldn’t want me to interfere. He made that clear, but was I supposed to stand here and watch him die?

  Screw that!

  Reaching behind, I released my sword from its sheath. A few of the closest hounds writhed in pain. I swatted the air a few times, forcing them backward. I was about to go after Darius when something really heavy knocked me off my feet. My vision was blurry. It took me a second to get back to normal. When I could focus again, I saw three growling hounds ready to attack. Anger fueled my power as I shot several fireballs into their faces. It didn’t stop them, but it did stun them.

  I couldn’t beat them with brute force. As a group, they could easily take me out. I also couldn’t use too much of my power. Each burst of fire would weaken me until there was nothing left. Instead, I focused on my sword skills. The hounds weren’t known for their agility. I kept my movements quick, never staying in the same spot too long. I managed to slice my blade across the eyes of one of them, blinding him. That was one down, two to go. Seeing what I had just done, most of the watching hounds cowered away.

  I had proven to be a worthy adversary. High on adrenalin, it took me a moment to realize all of the hounds were silent. I thought of Marcus. Picturing the last image I had of him sent a cold chill down my spine. Was he dead? Fear took over as I pushed through the mob. Two motionless hounds lay in a pool of blood. I forced my way to the front, kneeling to get a closer look. Both hounds shrunk back to their human forms. Each covered in a mixture of dirt, sweat, and blood. Slashes and bruises covered their arms and legs.

  I crawled over to Marcus, flipping him onto his back. He had a pretty severe bite mark on his neck. Relief spilled over my shoulders when I saw that his throat was still intact. I put my ear on his chest, listening for a heartbeat. I couldn’t hear his heart, but I could tell he was breathing. Somehow, he had survived the attack. “Marcus? Stay with me, buddy.”

  Some of the other hounds had circled Darius. One of them turned around, and in disbelief, said, “He’s dead. Darius is dead.”

  Marcus had done the impossible. He was the new leader of the hounds. But would he live to see it? I picked him up, heaving him over my shoulder. Even in his mortal form, his weight was almost too much to bear. I fought through the pain. If it meant saving his life, I would carry him fro
m one end of this planet to the other. He was all the family I had.

  I ran back to the pathway with Marcus over my shoulder. My legs and shoulders burned while I panted heavily. One more step was all I kept thinking. “When I get you out of this, I’m putting your ass on a diet.”

  Overheated, I welcomed the occasional night breeze. The moonlight lit my way as I finally approached the pathway. I pressed forward, entering through the circling ball of fire. With Taron’s healing power out of commission, Marcus’s only hope was the woodland faeries. They were well-known for their restorative potions. I had to find the only faery that I trusted to save my best friend: Orion. Judging by what I saw on the outside, Marcus would need all the help he could get.

  The pathway opened in front of the massive flesh-colored caves resting in the center of the woodland territory. The exterior walls had hundreds of doors and windows. Winged faeries flew all around the outside, guarding the place. No elemental court had ever challenged them. Not only were they known for their potions, but they were also talented metalworkers. Within those walls, the best bladesmiths in Avalon forged my sword—a gift from Orion, meant to congratulate me on my impending ascension.

  I was about to enter the cave's main entrance when two brownies stopped me. They crossed their swords, blocking our way. Their long arms were exposed, with skin as coarse as tree bark. With hair like dangling vines, they looked more like walking trees than faeries. They spoke to each other in a language I didn’t recognize. Beyond their kind, Orion told me, he was the only one who could understand them.

  “Push aside. We’re here to see Orion.”

  They continued to speak to one another in their language, appearing as if they were debating something.

  “I don’t have time for this. My friend is dying. We need Orion’s help.” When they continued their mumbling, I sat Marcus down on the ground, leaning him against the rocky cave wall. A ping of disappointment settled in my chest when I noticed his eyes remained closed. I had hoped he would show some signs of life. My anger raged, burning away any patience I had left. They would take me to Orion. Now.

  And if necessary, I would kill every one of his fae to get to him.

  I unsheathed my sword, pointing the blade at their necks. “I don’t want to hurt anyone else today, but if you don’t get out of my way, I’m going to slice right through you both.”

  They eyed my weapon with curiosity. Perhaps they recognized it? I warned them one last time by swinging my sword once in the air. That must have done the trick because they both moved out of my way. As they scurried away, I sheathed my blade and hoisted Marcus back over my shoulder. “We’re almost there, buddy. Just hold on for me.”

  We entered the main foyer of the caves, racing through the lavish interior. The cathedral ceilings seemed to go on for a mile, reinforced with shiny gold trimming. As we hurried through, we passed massive crystal chandeliers lining both sides of the walkway. The travertine limestone floor had the woodland court symbol engraved into every honeycomb-colored square. Directly in front of us, a mural the size of a baseball diamond had been painted to symbolize the woodland court. In the picture, the king and queen sat in the forest surrounded by dancing faeries. Everyone looked very happy and beautiful, which was a pretty accurate representation of the court.

  Next, we rushed through another grand foyer. This one was hexagon-shaped and had two levels. I circled, scanning each one of the golden doors. I hadn’t been here since I was a child, but I remembered getting lost several times by entering the wrong door. Some went to different locations within the castle. Others went outside, but my favorites were the magical pathways. Woodland portals are very different from the other courts. I didn’t always end up where I wanted to go. Faeries had an unusual sense of humor. Tension built in my chest, knowing Marcus was fading fast. I had to get him to Orion.

  Time was running out.

  Marcus would’ve had no problem finding Orion in this maze. He could figure it out just by sniffing the doors. “I could use your nose right now.”

  I put my hand on the closest door. It was room temperature. I hustled over to the next one. This time, the door was much cooler. I checked the other four remaining doors. Most were tepid except for the second door I checked. Temperatures inside the caves were always cold. It made sense that this one must lead to the rest of the caves. I wasn’t completely confident, but I was in a rush. I turned the doorknob and made my way inside. A sense of relief came over me when I realized I had entered Orion’s throne room.

  As a child, I had received invitations to a few woodland balls. Orion had always been kind to me. He probably sent for me because he knew Prisma never would. Every time I attended a party, hundreds of fae in every size and shape crammed into the throne room, while thousands of flowers in a riot of colors decorated the area. The intoxicating scent of perfectly cut blooms filled my nose. The only thing that smelled better was the food. Gold tables stretched along walls filled with every fruit on the planet, along with the sweetest French pastries I had ever tasted. Marcus always insisted on coming with me on my trips. He said it was to protect me, but I knew better. He came for the food.

  But this wasn’t the throne room I remembered.

  This place, normally bustling with faeries, was nearly empty. Orion was also different. He sat slumped, leaning on the arm of his golden chair. He focused on a window. A few pixies floated around the king, dancing and singing as if they were trying to amuse him. It wasn’t working. He was so deep in thought he never noticed them or our entrance. “King Orion, I need your help.”

  Orion startled at the sound of my voice. The pixies blocked my view of him, flying around like they were protecting him. “Rowan, is that you?” he asked, voice strained.

  I found a chair and sat Marcus in it. Even after I was relieved of his body weight, my shoulders continued to ache. “I am sorry to come unannounced, but as you can see, the situation is dire. Will you help my friend?” I glanced back at Marcus. Swollen bruises and cuts had already surfaced on his face.

  Orion rose from his seat. “Yes, of course.” He said something quietly to the pixies, and they raced down another corridor. “Has he been poisoned?”

  “No.” I grimaced, recalling the leadership challenge. “The damage you see is from two gabriel hounds fighting to the death.”

  Four mortal-sized faeries appeared, rolling a metal gurney. They worked together to lift Marcus without moving him too much. Within minutes, they were wheeling him into their medical facility. The pressure in my shoulders released, knowing he was being cared for by the fae. Their knowledge of plants and herbs was uncanny.

  Orion stepped down from his throne. As he headed my way, he said, “Your friend will be fine in a few hours. Hounds heal faster than any of the other types of elementals.”

  I gazed at the vacant room. “Where are all your fae?”

  He pressed his lips together. This close, I noticed the dark circles under his eyes. “They have left for the mortal world in search of their children. In the past week, many have gone missing.” His eyes lowered to the ground. “I acted foolishly. I should never have gone after Liana without solid proof.”

  “Jarrod tricked us all. No one holds you accountable for what happened.” That wasn’t the total truth. Many within the fire court felt he was responsible, but he didn’t need me to say it. Besides, there was no need to play the blame game. We already had enough problems. I put my hand on his shoulder. “I certainly do not.”

  Orion let out a long breath. “I have heard these attacks are coming from fire elementals.”

  There was only one way to stop all of this and bring the elements back in balance. “My adopted brother, Valac, is to blame. He has been recruiting fire elementals to his cause. He wants the throne for himself.”

  Orion shot me a quizzical look. “He has no blood ties to your royal house.”

  I shrugged. “True, but my house currently consists of only one member. I have an uncle in the mortal world, but he was strippe
d of his ties to my line long ago. That leaves only me. If I die, Valac will be first in line to replace me.”

  Orion’s fists clenched at his sides. “I will not allow it!”

  His anger gave me hope. “I’m glad to hear you say that. If I am going to defeat him, I will need as many allies as I can get.”

  Orion straightened his back. “You have our allegiance.”

  We spent the next several undisturbed hours discussing the attacks in the mortal world. The woodland court had suffered excessive losses, but the woodland fae still had great numbers. Knowing that rogue members of my court were killing his fae made me worry. However, his alliance assured the woodland fae would not counter-attack against the fire elementals.

  The very last thing I wanted was another war.

  A small dwarf-like fae entered the room wearing a white medical coat with blood smeared across the front of it. My chest tightened. “The patient is conscious. He is responding well to our treatments,” she said bowing.

  Knowing Marcus had survived made my stress level drop by a thousand degrees.

  Orion smiled. “Excellent news.”

  She tucked her hands into her coat pockets. “He is requesting to leave, Your Highness. He is quite insistent.”

  Marcus must be out of his mind. After the beating he took, he needed rest. Where did he want to go? What could be so important that he would risk his health? I glanced at Orion. “I need to see how my friend is doing.”

  “Of course.” He glanced at the small fae. “Take Rowan to the patient.”