Riordan shook his head to clear his muddied mind but when he looked at her again, he saw Freya. He took a step forward, his hand extended towards her tremulously. The potion Melanie mixed with the ale was Lovers’ bait, a potent poison that changed one’s reality when drank. History had it that it was once used to fell great kingdoms, to destroy powerful wolves before it was completely outlawed by some spineless monarch. This potion showed the drinker a different reality where the person they longed for the most was in front of them. He crossed the room to her and curled his hand over her nape, searching her face frantically. He staggered a little, the potion not only showing him his greatest desires but also breaking down all of his inhibitions. Melanie’s lips parted with burning desire as he stroked her face to her lips. Her breasts ached and she wanted him so badly she thought she would melt to the floor. Gripping his hand, she slowly pushed it down, a smile breaking out on her
Freya kept the act, noticing that more than half of the audience had collars on their necks. She didn't dare give it away that she had taken her body back and she came to a stop in front of the king, staring at his shirt to avoid meeting his eyes. Her mind whirred. So this was his plan, to trap her with marriage and mark her so they were bound for life. What had he done to the current queen to feel free enough to take another? "Do you, Your Majesty, take Lady Reynette to be your queen, to love and to cherish for all time?" The minister asked. "I do." Said King Ardelan. Of course, he didn't even know her name. How many people knew that Freya was Shadow?"And do you, Lady Reynette take Your Majesty King Ardelan, first of his name to be your husband? To serve and to obey him for all time?" The minster asked her. The silence that stretched out to fill the room was deafening. The minister cleared his throat and repeated the question and Freya knew the pretence was over. She dove into
One second Freya was in that warehouse being saved not for the first time by the male that promised to kill her. She blinked and she was now in an eerily familiar room. “Vinaud.” She growled and the door opened to admit him. “It didn’t take you long at all.” He said with a dirty smirk that she itched to slap off his face. “I see you didn’t forget everything about me.”The goddamn ring! She couldn’t believe she had been so stupid not to see it before. Freya felt weak and when she tried to reach for her magic, she hit a wall hard but she displayed none of the weakness as she started to pace slowly. “Do you wish to meet an early death?” She asked him but he only smiled like a contented cat. “No doubt I’ll meet such a death eventually but it’s not by your hand, sweetheart. Did you think I wouldn’t know it was you a week ago?” He asked. “So that’s what made you angry? That you were deceived?” She asked and his jaw hardened. “Just that?” He asked incredulously. “You don’t think I h
Alone and exhausted, Freya slid to the floor. Instinctively, she reached for her magic again, and again she met a wall. She had no idea how much she’d began relying on her magic because not having it felt like having crutches snatched out from under her leg. She dropped her forehead to her knees and closed her eyes. The darkness lunged up to claim her and she happily embraced it. Vaguely, she was aware of movement in the room, food being brought in and out of the room but she made no move to touch them. It was not until the third meal was taken back out untouched that Vinaud barged back in. “Is your genius plan to starve yourself to death?” He growled as he came in but his steps froze when he saw her on the floor. She raised her face and she must look as terrible as she felt because he crossed the room to her and grabbed her shoulder. “What is the matter with you?” He asked. “You’re burning up.”She smirked. “It’s worth seeing that look on your face when I ruin all your plans by
Freya could still hear the men’s ruckus from below stairs as she snuck into Vinaud’s private chambers, landing light as a cat and dusting her hands with a smirk. Vinaud might look like a brute but how many people knew that he was actually a collector of rare books? Striding briskly into the room she broke into his safe; a cakewalk really and she worked speedily, flipping through each book until she came upon the lost sorceries. For a lost culture, she sure was seeing a lot of sorcery around her these days. A coincidence? She didn’t believe in such. The book had shockingly detailed illustrations of magical artefacts and she flipped through several until she came upon the two rings, looped into each other. The illustration matched the ring on her finger perfectly and she dropped onto her ass as she devoured each page of information. “The slaver.” She whispered, that was the name of the twin rings. Everything she’d found out about it was written here. As long as she wore this ring an
Freya soon found herself in The Pit, the forbidden place was where Vinaud sent whoever was slated for execution. “You once asked me what was in there.” Vinaud sneered in her ear before she shoved her inside. “Why don’t you find out firsthand? Survive the next hour if you can, that’s your first test.”Fuck him and fuck his test. That was what she wanted to say but the door shut in her face before she had the chance. “Bastard.” She growled and tried the door to find it locked and reinforced. She kicked it in anger before she stood still, letting her eyes adjust. The place was just as it was called, a large pit. There was no other way out but the one she just came through. She heard some ominous rattling and she leaped to the ground just in time to avoid a stinger plunging into her neck. The stinger hit the ground instead and then she rolled away as it punched into the spot where she’d fallen to. She scrambled away and her back hit something. The acrid breath was her only warning and
“That ring is mine.” Vinaud growled, facing Riordan fully. “Old friend, you don’t want to make an enemy of me do you?”All Freya could see was that the ring was off his finger which meant... he was vulnerable to her attack. A hard wall of her shadows erupted from her breast and slammed into his back, throwing him into a pillar hard. Freya got off her knees and raised her fingers, calling her shadows to her. They streamed around her wrists, between her fingers, becoming thicker and fuller and she screamed as she sent her magic hurtling into his face. He flinched and the next second, her shadows had formed a hundred daggers hovering in the air a dangerous inch to his skin. He stared her in the eyes and she breathed hard as she remembered the terrible feeling of having her will stolen away.“Give me one reason why I shouldn’t kill you.” She gritted out. “Immediately I saw your power in the Pit, I sent a letter.” He said and she stiffened. “What are you talking about?” She growled. “M
“Food delivery-“ She heard the female voices outside. “Thank you.” He said extended his hand for the tray but the ladies outside were swooning, forgetting themselves are they drooled over his bare chest. Irrationally, Freya felt a flare of annoyance and she scoffed. As if, he could sell his chest to the highest bidder for all she cared. “Shall I starve to death ?” She called and he finally brought it in. Her eyes met the ladies’ before the door closed and she smiled. They could drool, but he was hers. He set the tray down on the bed and his weight dipped the bed as he sat opposite her. She swallowed hard, trying to ignore the little detail that they were on the same bed and buttered the bread. She broke it in two and offered him one before biting into her half and nearly moaning. She’d neglected her stomach recently, nibbling on the bits and ends here and there while trying to survive. She bit into the chicken pie and groaned. “This is good.” She said around her mouthful and she lo
“Shinay, what have they done to you?” Geoffriane asked when she stopped in front of him. “You are not yourself.”“No.” She replied. “I wasn’t myself for the longest time. I just found myself again.”The rest of the Wild Hunt rode to stand behind him and he shook his head. “No, we had a vision. It was meant to be.” Said Geoffriane. “We waited for you for a hundred thousand years. You are the only one that can save us.”“I still believe in the vision.” She said as she stepped forward and tentatively touched the Ghost Rider’s cold face. “You have suffered for too long, thanks to merciless gods that use us only for their amusement.”“So let’s kill everybody. It’s the only way we can get eternal rest.” Geoffriane pleaded. “There’s another way.” She pointed out. “I would never leave you to continue suffering eternally. If the world won’t die for you, then you die for the world. It is time for the Wild Hunt to end.”He reared back and away from her, drawing in a shocked breath. “What you
The force of Shinay’s dark magic shoved all three of them back, but she tensed, unable to finish the last step of ending their lives completely. “Freya, remember yourself.” Adrian said, stepping forward despite the heatwaves of Shadow magic that she was exuding. She shook her head and pushed him back harder and he groaned with pain as her magic started to sear his skin right off his bones.“I’m not Freya!” She snarled. “Yes you are.” Zeldaurus replied, pushing forward. He also tried to step forward but he couldn’t take up to two steps before her magic forced him to a stop.“We are not your enemies.” Zeldaurus said. “”We are here to help you.”Tears streamed down her eyes and she kept her hands up, her magic up. “No, you are my enemies.”She had no idea what they had done to her brain, why it felt like someone had broken her head open and was scooping out the contents with a scalding hot spoon. Only her enemies would curse her to feel this pain, to see the painful memories that u
The Wild Hunt opened the door to the next realm and Shinay lead them into it. Everywhere they went, screams started then blood started to flow. Death was no longer inevitable, it was here. She was drunk on the dense trail of Death they carved. Death was the beginning of the world and it was the end. She didn’t remember who she was before, what she was before, and she didn’t want to. Whoever she was before was weak, now she was exactly as she was meant to be. The screams had started afresh and she smiled coldly as she raised her face to the sky and sent thunderbolts down into the realm. The realm inhabitants were magic wielders and they tried to defend themselves with it. But how could you kill what was already dead? Behind her, the army of the Dead rode, screaming their rage as they rode to avenge their misfortune. Her eyes turned a solid black as she prepared the dark storm that would destroy every living entity in the realm. Her eyes caught a sudden shimmering in the air, a por
The She-wolf glanced up when Riordan shattered the door and she paled quickly. "Who the fuck are you?" The male that was inside her snarled and she hissed. "Shut up."'She said and climbed down from him. Riordan folded his arms and watched as she took her time covering herself with a robe, before grabbing a glass of wine and pressing it to her lips."Leave us." She told the man. "Leave the building." He advised him and the man sent him a dark look before shutting the door behind him. "I wasn't informed you were in town." Said Aria. "If I were, I wound have made some preparations in advance.""I like to be discreet." Riordan replied, watching as she sashayed to her bedside and perched on her bed, crossing her leg. "I appreciate a discreet man, especially when they are so caring as to check up on a lonely She-wolf.""You sent the Council dogs after her." He growled and she forced a smile to her lips. "You should really engage in the act of small talk, it can be quite engaging and
For the umpteenth time, Adrian found himself pacing.“You’re going to wear a path in my rugs.” Rooke growled. “One more word and I’ll torch the damn rug.” He growled in reply but he did sit his ass down. M“I’m not good at this, sitting on my hands.”“There’s nothing more you can do.” Rooke said patiently. “You already tried going after her but you cannot penetrate Faerie’s security.”“But how was it possible that she made it in and I didn’t?” He pondered aloud and Rooke shrugged. “Perhaps she has Fae blood in her ancestry. Regardless, there’s nothing more you can do but wait now.” Rooke said calmly, trying to appeal to his rational mind but Adrian’s mind was spinning a thousand terrible scenarios, all preventing him from relaxing even a little. “What if my portal went rogue and threw her into another realm?” “Adrian!” Rooke snarled, standing. His childhood friend looked like he was on the verge of strangling him. “You said yourself that you felt your portal open into Faerie. Yo
Faerie was first. The sky darkened suddenly, and all of the Fae glanced up at the ominous sign. Fariee weather never changed, and never before had they seen the sky darken with heavy clouds and the clouds roil with lightning and thunder. They all looked to the sky as the Wild Hunt emerged."Take back your power." Geoffraine urged and Shinay cast a perusing glance at the realm spread out before her. There, something called to her from deep inside the Winter court. She rode her horse for the piece of her that called to her."Ah. There she is." The female remained unconscious and inside her was the source of her ailment. Shinay thought she looked familiar but she didn't care to know why. Her power was a roiling ball of darkness in the female's chest, sucking up all of the female's energy and leaving her comatose. That was what Shinay wanted. "Come." Shinay crooked a finger and that ball eagerly lifted. It was never meant to be inside the female, there was no one alive that could cont
“What are you doing?” She growled. “Release me now or I will make sure I kill every one of you!”The Ghost Rider paused. “But you gave all of your powers away.” He replied and then the others streamed forward, circling around her and taking off their hats. Rather than looking as dead and skeletal as their horses, they were all flesh and bones, all with straight black hair that fell into their eyes and a rigid severe look about their face. She was surrounded. “Why have you brought me here?” She asked, unease raving down her spine as she eyed the single large bed in the room. The others spoke, but their words sounded like thunderbolts, she didn’t understand a single thing they were saying. “You will be ours, as soon as we break you in.” Said their conmander. Break her in? Like how humans broke a horse in? She didn’t wait to hear more. She lunged up and crashed her way through two of the otherworldly creatures, racing for the door and yanking it open- but it was firmly locked. A cry
At first, nothing happened. It was one last moment of silence right before the magic of the blood oath hit her like a ram. She sucked in a breath as the magic sunk into her blood, into her bones and when it pulled back out, it took everything from her. It felt like she died, she was almost sure it took her life away, her soul migrated out of her body, her very essence flowing out through her bloody hand and into the queen. The Queen gasped, staggering back but she kept the contact on her hand. Her magic migrated out of her body, through her hand and into the queen. It streamed out in dark waves, and she could hear Zeldaurus's silent yells but not really. Her world narrowed down into those waves, streaming out faster now. It hurt. She gritted her teeth against the pain, worse than anything she ever felt “; it was in her blood, in her bones. Somebody was screaming, it might have been her, or it might have been the queen, or maybe it was both of them. Her vision jumped as her magic
Immediately she stepped out of the portal, she knew there was trouble. Her hand shot up and and magic fizzled at her fingertips but it sputtered out as some foreign magic settled on her skin, snuffing out her power. She gasped with shock as the invisible net tightened and forced her to her knees. She glared at the slender figure that glided forward in a pearly white gown, the face of the queen which was fast becoming the most irritating face she ever saw. Beside her, Zeldaurus was frozen on his feet as he glared at the Queen, as if he had been immobilised on the spot. The four other warriors fanned out beside the queen, their shrewd gases monitoring every little breath she took. “What is the meaning of this?” Freya hissed, trying to get on her feet but the queen clamped her fist and the invisible net forced her back to her knees.“You can quit your struggling, there is no getting out of that unless I will it.” Said The Queen.Freya’s eyes practically spit fire as she glared at the