LOGINShare
THE REVENGE
Last Updated:
2024-12-20 12:28:47Related chapters
Bloodbound Destiny UNIMAGINABLE AGONY
“Easy, Andronika .” His voice was low and gentle. “The poultice will take away the pain.” I pulled in a strained breath. “Tristan,” someone whispered, “this is—” “I know,” he interrupted. “We need to hurry.” The haste intensified my terror, but I needed to see. Needed to know how horrible it was. “Let me see” His jaw stiffened. “Andronika” I lifted my chin from his grip and looked down. The flesh of my wrist and hand was coated with a thick crimson paste, but not my palm. Because my palm… The skin was gone. I stared at the blackened pile of ash, gagged, then twisted and vomited, the world swimming. “I warned you.” Tristan put a cloth across my burns, then stooped down, his arms going behind my knees and shoulders. “I can walk,” I protested, though it might have been a lie. “I’m sure you can.” He raised me as though I weighed no more than a kid, placing me against his chest. “But this will give you a better story for Philomela to sing about. You always want a good story
Last Updated : 2024-12-26Bloodbound Destiny SERAPHINA'S TOUCH
Nausea rolled up inside me, and I wrenched from Tristan’s embrace to vomit, though all that came up was bile. The force of it forced me to my knees and would’ve seen my hand planted into the dirt if Tristan hadn’t caught my elbow, holding it aloft. “Lovely.” Luna Lyra heaved out a breath. “Bring her inside. Assuming she lives, this will be her home now.” Home. As Tristan hoisted me, careful not to touch my hand, my gaze flew to the skyscraper we stood before. A huge hall. Though structured the same as any other home, this structure was twice the height of any I’d ever seen, the planks forming the walls carved with runes and knotwork, and the double entrances huge enough to allow five men to enter at once. Tristan directed me toward one of the numerous cots in the room. I lay down, the furs under me thick and plush, as were those Tristan put over me, though they did nothing to drive away the frost. I shuddered and shook, most of the water from the cup he held to my mout
Last Updated : 2024-12-26Bloodbound Destiny EIR'S FAVOUR
Better? Seraphina questioned. I could still feel the burns, but they no longer made me want to scream. “Yes,” I whispered, melting into a peculiar sense of bliss. As though I was in a trance. Is it your magic that I am feeling? I knew little about the magic of the offspring of Eir for they were rare and usually served Alphas.“No.” Seraphina smiled. “Just a flower with many uses.” “Don’t get used to it, Andronika. That flower has been the downfall of many,” Tristan said, and my gaze drifted to his face, uncaring that I was unabashedly staring at him.“It’s unnatural for someone to have such a beautiful face.” One of his eyebrows rose. “I cannot tell if that was meant as a compliment or an insult.” “I’m not sure,” I murmured, having an unexplainable need to touch him to test if he was real or if I was imagining him. “When I saw you coming out of the water, I thought for a moment that Baldur had escaped Helheim, for you couldn’t possibly be human.” I think your bit of smo
Last Updated : 2024-12-26Bloodbound Destiny THE REBIRTH
I sat up, the furs enveloping me sliding away. My clothing was marred with blood and bits of ash, smelt of sweat and fish, but that was the least of my concerns as I glanced down at my hand. It was still coated with moss, but the plant was now dry and lifeless. I gently touched the moss with my left palm, equal parts desperate and scared to see what lay beneath. “I told you the gods favored you,” a voice remarked, and I straightened to see Alpha Orion standing close to the hangings separating the space from the rest of the hall. “They wished for you to be revealed by fire, not to be consumed by it.” I wasn’t persuaded it was true, considering my circumstances, but I kept my lips quiet as he crossed over to the bed. Without asking, he ripped the moss free, bits of dead plant and ash dropping over the dark furs. My breath seized as I saw what lay beneath. “Make a fist,” he urged. I dutifully did so, muscles and tendons complying with minimal complaint. “U
Last Updated : 2024-12-26Bloodbound Destiny DOWN THE MEMORY LANE
You are the greatest blessing the gods have bestowed upon me, Lyra, Alpha Orion muttered, and my cheeks heated as they embraced, their roving hands hinting that if not for my presence, they’d be ridding themselves of their garments. That they might anyway, my presence be damned. So I dropped the shield. The second it left my grip, the enchantment faded, and it crashed with a loud clatter onto the floor, the pair pulling apart. “Apologies,” I mumbled. “I seem not to have fully recovered my strength.” Alpha Orion snorted, not convinced by the falsehood. Yet he stepped back from Luna Lyra even as he spoke to her, “Prepare for the feast, my love. And prepare Andronika to be my mate. The servants descended like a band of raiders, stripping me of my clothing and shoving me into a bath so hot, it nearly scalded my flesh. Though I was hardly used to being bathed by strangers, that wasn’t what filled my thoughts as I was scrubbed with soap and polished with sand until
Last Updated : 2024-12-27Bloodbound Destiny THE WEDDING PROCESSION
It was snowing.That was the first thing that struck me when I stepped out of the huge hall. Snow in springtime was rare. The members of Mystic Rune pack came out of their homes to watch me pass, the emotions of those who met my eyes frigid despite the knowledge all would be feasted in the evening by their Alpha. “Your pack does not seem to favor this union,” I remarked softly to Luna Lyra, who strolled to my left, her mouth drawn in an unsmiling line. “Because they do not know the power you bring,” she continued. They see only an insult to their beloved luna. I’d have rolled my eyes at her vanity except that while the pack members scowled at me, they smiled at Lyra, touching her as she went and offered her praise for her strength. “Andronika !” A familiar voice reached me, and I turned my head to see Eleanor standing between two buildings, a blade clasped in her hands. Her brown hair was sodden, and her freckled cheeks flushed from the cold as she stepped toward
Last Updated : 2024-12-27Bloodbound Destiny INKED IN BLOOD
Tristan’s eyes were on Eleanor, who was splashing away in the mud. “I'll take it back,” he said. “She does not deserve better than your brother.” “What do you know?” I mumbled, without trying to lift my skirts again, for the hems were already stained gray and pouring. “Very little,” he said. “But I’m neither deaf nor blind, so I saw how she spun your sacrifice into a gift from the gods so that she need not feel guilt over it. You are fully rid of her.” He wasn’t entirely wrong, but Tristan’s remarks simply made the hollowness in my core increase. Alone, it was how I felt. As though I confronted a giant army, and all those I’d been so convinced would be at my back had fled. My eyes burned and I blinked rapidly to keep tears from forming, but a few still escaped, mixing with the melting snow sliding down my face as I moved toward the beach. I’d barely gone more than a handful of steps when Tristan’s palm closed on my arm. Eleanor’s cowardice does not diminish
Last Updated : 2024-12-27Bloodbound Destiny THE FEAST
“Andronika!Hands seized my arms. I stared up into Tristan’s scared eyes even as I heard Lyra's cry, “You cursed fool! Do you have any notion of what you might have unleashed?”Tristan ignored her, gaze roaming over my body. “Are you all right?” How could he ask whether I was all right after my chest had been ripped open? The thought evaporated when I stared down at my naked body, my chest whole but for a thin white scar, without a drop of crimson marring my white flesh. Not possible. “I…” Is she marked? Alpha Orion was abruptly by my side, lifting my braids and pawing at me, searching. “Did Freyja claim her?” He grew silent when Tristan held up my left hand. On the rear of it, painted in crimson, was a shield. The detail was unlike anything a mortal artist could have produced, and with each thud of my heart, the blood-forming it pumped. “She has been marked!” Alpha Orion roared. Catching hold of my wrist, he hauled me out of Tristan’s embrace and to my feet, holding my tatto
Last Updated : 2024-12-27
Latest chapter
Bloodbound Destiny THE ARMED BUSH
The women doled out bowls to everyone, and I sat apart while I ate my food and stewed over my circumstances. When I finished, I laid my bowl down and opened the ointment Lyra had given me.The contents were waxy and smelly, but though the smell was not terrible, I sealed it.“You need to use it because it will help.” I twitched at Tristan ’s voice, having not heard him approach out of the shadowed trees.He sat across the fire from me, picking up a stick and poking pensively at the embers before adding more wood. Then he looked up. “Well? Aren’t you going to put it on?”My fingers were stiff and would be worse come the morning, but for reasons I couldn’t explain, I set aside the jar.And was rewarded with a cry of exasperation from Tristan , who rose and circled the fire. “Give me the poultice.” Deeply aware that all eyes were on us, I handed over the tiny pot, cringing as he removed a large glob, the frugalness in me rejecting the excess.“You aren’t aware of the chests of silver
Bloodbound Destiny FAMILY MATTER
“Careful!” I tensed, frightened that the power might fracture his hand. But with absolute courage, he pushed his palm against the magic. Instead of resisting his touch, my magic allowed Tristan ’s palm to sink into it like water. I felt the moment he touched the pot itself, a soft pressure, whereas, with the blow of his axe, I’d felt nothing. The sensation traveled up my arm and down into my core, as though he touched not magic and metal, but my bare skin, and I shivered.“You get what you give,” he mumbled, then lifted his eyes from the magic to face mine. “Or perhaps more accurately, you give what you get.” The rest of the world slipped away as I considered his remarks, it felt for all the world like he was the first person to ever understand me. Except…that wasn’t quite it.My family understood me. My friends understood me. But there were things about me that they wanted to change, but Tristan appeared to accept the way I was. Seemed to foster the parts of my character that ev
Bloodbound Destiny PERILOUS JOURNEY
The mountain top is a sacred ground.” Tristan’s palm pressed into my ribs to hold me stable. “No weapons are allowed, as all deaths must be in sacrifice to the gods, which means some level of safety within Vanda’s borders.” I didn’t take much comfort in that. “How long will it take us to reach the mountain?” “Tomorrow we’ll reach the village at the base of the mountain, where we’ll leave the horses,” he continued. Then another half day’s climb.” A night out in the open. I swallowed hard.“I think we should ride faster.” By the time dusk arrived, the horses were laboring hard and my body hurt from bouncing up and down for hours on Tristan’s lap. Judging from his groans as he gently dismounted his horse, collapsing on his back in the dirt and shouting at the heavens that he’d lost the ability to sire offspring, he’d not fared much better. Yet it was the first time since we’d left Mystic Rune pack that anyone laughed, so I appreciated the release of tension even i
Bloodbound Destiny THE WARNING
Vanda was the sacred temple on the very summit of the mountain known as Hammar. Every nine years there was a gathering that attracted people from near and far to pay tribute to the gods and offer their sacrifices. I’d never been before, my parents had always declared that it was not a place for children, and this would be the first time it took place since I’d come of age.The great hall was in a bustle of activity, two dozen horses and several pack animals were mounted and loaded when I emerged in dry clothes and a heavy cloak. Lyra was guiding the procedure, the Luna of Mystic Rune pack no longer attired in a costly dress, but in warrior’s gear, including a mail shirt, and a long axe hanging from her belt. I had no question that she knew how to utilize it. Particularly when her opponent’s back was turned.“You will remain with the warriors I’m leaving behind to protect Mystic Rune pack,” Orion remarked to Owen. “You will be alpha in my absence. Send word across my domains call
Bloodbound Destiny BEATEN THE ENEMY
My interest rose with each passing second as we traveled, soaking, back to the vast hall. ?” Tristan shook his head. “I merely provided the flame. Was Andronika who set them ablaze.” At my name, Owen turned from his brother, gazing at me up and down. I gave him the same courtesy. He was only slightly taller than I was and fairly thin, his hair golden blond where his brother’s was dark, and his eyes blue rather than green. “You are the warrior princess, then?” he asked, and without waiting for a response added, “I suppose I must congratulate you on your marriage to my father.” Nothing in his tone suggested congratulations, which was perhaps reasonable, considering that Lyra was his mother, but I gave him a little nod. “Thank you.” He glared, then turned his back on me in favor of his brother. “We captured a spy.” Tristan moved on his feet, gaze narrowing. “Whose spy?” An elder warrior, a man with brown skin and silver-streaked dark hair coiled
Bloodbound Destiny TAKING CONTROL
Tristan rushed at me again, and as I braced, I said, “Freyja, give me strength.”Power poured through me, magic encompassing my shield. I watchedTristan’s eyes widen, but it was too late for him to stop his blow.His barrier impacted my magic, and the contact catapulted him backward with such power that he sailed through the air, landing in the sea with a splash.Vanquishing my magic, I moved to the edge of the pier and saw him come spluttering to the surface, his shield floating nearby. “It seems you are the one who is wet, Tristan.” He stared at me and then swam toward the dock with forceful strokes, shield abandoned in the water. “Magic will only take you so far,” he growled. Alpha Orion wants you to become a warrior, not a glowing beacon in the shield wall that everyone will try to kill.”“You think I want to be a figurehead?” I demanded. “You think I asked to be named in a seer’s prophecy? I was going about my life when you galloped into it and tore it to shreds.”“Because life
Bloodbound Destiny THE GRIEVANCE
My feet created echoing thumps as I stomped to the far end, the sea a shimmering steel blue. Though the spring air was cold and the tops of the neighboring mountains were still covered with snow, the overhead sun was warm enough that I didn’t regret leaving my cloak at the great hall. I turned back in time to witness Tristan dumping his shirt into the dock, muscular muscles and tattooed flesh all in obvious view. Setting the shields at my feet, I crossed my arms. “Worried about falling in?” I refused to say the term wet.“No.” He hooked his thumbs over his belt. His trousers fell low enough to display the sharp V of muscle that disappeared inside them.The wound he’d sustained last night was gone, likely healed with Seraphina’s power. Realizing I was staring at the delicious length of naked skin, I dragged my eyes to his face while waving at his discarded shirt. He only shrugged. “I rarely wear a shirt when I fight.”This time my eye roll was unfeigned. “Is that part of your strat
Bloodbound Destiny GETTING FIT
My morning had been wasted sitting around waiting for Tristan since the sun was high in the sky and I was pissed off. “Tristan isn’t much for mornings,” Seraphina murmured, stepping up from behind me.“The only reason one typically sees him at dawn is because he’s yet to go to bed.” That didn’t surprise me at all.Seraphina, however, had been at the great hall at dawn, checking on the progress of the injured. “You know him well?” I posed Ivy the question, The healer shrugged. “As well as anyone, I suppose. I was raised on a farm north of Mystic Rune pack, but I didn’t come to serve Alpha Orion until after my gift emerged, which was after Tristan was taken to the Northern region.” I blinked. “Northern region?”One of Seraphina’s eyebrows raised, then she shook her head. “I forget how things are in a small pack, not knowing any of the events going on more than an hour’s ride in any direction.” She sighed. “There are days I’d give anything to go back to a life of blissful ignorance.”
Bloodbound Destiny AFTERMATH
Alpha Orion was thrilled that it had been me who’d set fire to the ships, considering it as proof of the accuracy of the seer’s foretelling. I was half tempted to tell him that I’d become floating on the sea if not for his son.Victorious or not, buildings in Mystic Rune pack still burned, scores of corpses cooled on the ground, and many more moaned and cried from injuries. Logically, I understood the death toll would’ve been far worse if I hadn’t given the early warning, yet it still felt like a failure.Standing close to Lyra and Orion , we witnessed an ancient woman conduct the rituals for the burial of the dead.I looked away and my attention latched on a hooded person going slowly down the waterline, veiled by haze. At first, I assumed it was merely the smoke from the pyres. But as I observed, I saw the smoke was coming from the individual. Not just smoke, but particles of ember and ash, as though the individual were aflame.“Lyra.” I got hold of her arm. “Look at that person
