“Everything is ready for the coronation,” Draq advised me as he and Dru entered into my office. I was relieved when the nurses told me that the twins would make a full recovery. We had been in each others’ lives for so long that I couldn’t imagine not having them by my side. Even though their wounds were deep and their powers almost non existent they recovered quickly, showing the true power of a dragon. The nurses watched in awe as they began to shed their damaged skin, and new skin emerged, this skin appearing slightly scaled, a clear indicator that their life force had merged with that of their dragon. “Before the coronation there is something we must tell you. Something about your mate.” Dru expression solemn.“About my mate?” I asked in confusion, I wasn’t aware that my mate had such a strong relationship with the twins. “We met her once.” Draq speaks up seeing my look of confusion, “A very long time ago.” “Before we knew you.” Dru replies before he begins to tell me the tale
“And when will you tell the kingdom that their new Queen is a human?” Ash stated loudly a large sinister smile on his face.My heart pounded in my chest. This is it. This is the moment the kingdom revolts against Nikolai. This is the moment that everyone I love dies. This love I found with Nikolai, it’s too good to be true. Everything and anything I care about eventually dies. My parents, my baby sister, my best friend Karina from the village. And now Nikolai, Nevaeh, Draq, Dru, and Kade where all going to die. And there would be nothing I could do to save them. “And why should the kingdom care that Mary is human?” Prince Ambrose asks, standing up for his seat up front and staring out at the crowd, “We should all be living in harmony together.” Loud cheers of agreement erupt throughout the first and second rows, even some of the smaller supernaturals in the middle row are cheering in agreement. Looking further back I notice the wolves and the witches are glaring daggers at the faeri
“And what will the council say when they hear the King has been hiding a phoenix underneath their very eyes?” Alpha Ash asked me giving me a look of glee, thinking he had backed me into a corner. I wanted nothing more than to plunge my hands into the werewolf’s chest and crush his heart, but right now in front of witness all I could do was grit my teeth. One day, very soon I would kill Alpha Ash. Not only for his act of treason towards the crown, but also because of all the pain and sorrow he had caused Mary up until now. I would make sure to prolong his death and make him feel every agonizing moment he had made Mary endure. I felt Mary’s body tense in my hold, I wasn’t sure if it was because Alpha Ash was threatening me or because she wanted to know what a phoenix was. I cringed inwardly, I wanted to celebrate her becoming Queen today. I wanted to lavish every part of her body, I wanted to bring her to new heights and have her cry my name in the throes of passion. But there was so
Nikolai and Kade had been extremely busy since the day of my coronation. The only time I saw Nikolai was at bedtime but when I awoke he was always gone. Nikolai had told me they were preparing for the Alphas’ Summit. Nikolai had sent a letter to every Alpha advising them that the location for the Alpha Summit was changing, now everyone would be meeting at the palace. Nikolai stated that he wanted all the leaders of the different supernatural races to meet his new Queen, and that he couldn’t afford to leave the castle, not so soon after the rouge attacks. Yeah, that’s what the coup that the werewolves had started was now being called, a rouge attack. Alpha Ash claimed that not a single wolf from his pack would’ve attacked the King’s castle, and since there wasn’t concrete evidence to prove that it was a direct attack from Ash, Nikolai had labeled it a Rouge attack. As King, Nikolai could have condemned Alpha Ash to death the night the wolves had attacked, but Nikolai wanted to be a fa
This time when the world stopped swirling, we were at the palace in the kitchen but the atmosphere was completely different. There was no liveliness to it. The happy carefree feel there once was had diminished and now was replaced with sullen looks and black clothing. “I can’t believe she’s gone!” One of the girls cried, tears falling down her face. “Gracie!” Hissed Harriet, “You must stop this nonsense. The Queen has commanded that we don’t speak of Greta anymore as it upsets the young master.” At that moment Nikolai walked into the room, his facial expressions were now similar to the face that I’d grown to love.“Because I slaughtered her.” Nikolai replied a pained look in his eyes, “My poor Greta was only trying to comfort me at the loss of my father and I killed her.” “Nikolai,” Harriet started, “It wasn’t…” “SILENCE!” Nikolai roared, if one other person tells me that this wasn’t my fault, I’ll have them banished from the castle.” Harriet’s face was pained, but she made no a
***ALPHA ASH***“Perfect, I’ll meet you there.” I reply back smiling down at my phone. Today is the day that I have been waiting for for the last decade. King Nikolai is hosting the Alpha Summit at his castle. It gives me the perfect opportunity to lay siege while the castle is at it’s weakest. Nikolai thinks he only has to worry about the witches and the wolves, but he’s wrong in that aspect. When the Dragon King Luscious, found out that Nikolai was harboring his twin sons, he was more than happy to lend a helping hand in defeating the Vampire King. My plan isn’t just to kill Nikolai. No, that would be to simple, he would get off way to easy if I were to kill him. I plan on making him suffer. First I’ll deprive him of blood, then I’ll let him watch while he’s too week and frail as we kill everyone near and dear to him. I’ll save his luscious mate for the end. I will make her mine first, promising her if she submits to me, I’ll let Nikolai live. And then when I’m finished, I slit h
“Tell us how you live King Nikolai.” Ash states, a glean of wickedness showing once again in his eyes, “Please share with the group about how the Vampire King ,the King of the Kingdoms, mated to a woman who is somehow related to the phoenix.” The entire summit gasps, except for Ambrose who has already found out Mary’’s secret on his own. I suspect he knew long before I did, when he was first examine our bond. “There is no proof that my mate is related to the phoenix. The last phoenix was seen centuries ago. My mate is a human.” I reply, staring daggers at Alpha Ash. “Myself and multiple witnesses saw how the blood bound formed at her coronation ceremony. Her blood, glistened with that of a phoenixes.” Ash responds as he looks each representative in the eye. “Mary has never shown an ounce of power. She has had many chances to bring forth the power of the phoenix. If she was a phoenix she would have been able to stop your hunters from slaughtering her sister. She would have been abl
“What time is the summit again?” I ask Draq for what feels like the millionth time today. “I’ve told you multiple times Mary it is at nightfall.” Draq replies, his tone showing just how exasperated he was with me. “It’s essential for you to visit the market today, Mary.” Dru states, “On the day of the summit it’s important for the Village to know that their Queen has their back. Nikolai will be introducing a new law today, and its one the village folks will support.”“Do I finally get to know this secretly law?” I ask raising my eyebrow at the both of them.“I guess it’s safe enough for us to spill the beans now.” Kade replies making me jump. I had forgotten the he and Nevaeh were accompanying us to the village today. I turn my full attention to Kade, intrigued on what the new law was. “Nikolai, since meeting you, has discovered a flaw in the system, one that should have been apparent as soon as he became king, but he didn’t notice it until he realized how poorly you and your fami
As I sit in my chair looking outside, I recall the past. It's been over a year since my Phoenix cleansed the Earth, and to hear the way others told it, it had been quite a spectacle. Nevaeh told me she'd felt herself dying and then saw a bright light so pure that she couldn't help but walk to it. She thought it was the entrance to the Heavens, but when she reached for the light, she felt herself being pulled through a fiery inferno, and when she came to, Kade was cradling her head, murmuring to her softly over and over again how much he loved her. Kade had told me he was mourning the loss of Nevaeh when he felt a darkness sweep over the Earth. The darkness that surrounded him was ice-cold, and its touches felt like the grim reaper had come to collect the souls promised to him. Kade said he felt the darkness engulfing him, but then a pure voice called to him, beckoning him to jump off a ledge away from the darkness. Kade told me he almost didn't listen to the voice; having lost Neva
When Ash tossed me aside, I expected to feel something, anything but the emptiness I was feeling inside of me. How could I feel the intensity of Mary's throat being slashed and then feel nothing but sorrow? How could a mate survive their other half's tragic death? I'd watch my mom destroy herself from the inside out over my father's death, but looking at her physically, no one could tell that she had died on the inside. That's exactly how I felt; I felt dead inside. I could hear people screaming, swords clashing, and the smell of fresh blood spilling onto the ground, but I couldn't do anything to stop it. I couldn't move from the spot where I had landed. I could hear the Alpha laughing and taunting me, jesting over Mary's unnecessary death, but I was too weak to stop him. I was too weak to put my sword through his back and silence him. I had failed my friends and my country, but more important than both of those combined, I had failed her. Mary trusted me to keep her safe, she truste
Ambrose's magic exploded, throwing Nevaeh and I in the opposite direction of Nikolai; while I was still pissed that Nevaeh hadn't listened to me and sought safety, I couldn't focus on that right now. I needed to focus on the tasks at hand, keeping Nevaeh and myself safe while cutting through our enemies and helping Nikolai rescue Mary. I glanced around, taking note of the mayhem surrounding me; there wasn't an easy path to take getting to Ash's home; we would have to head directly into the center of the war. I looked from where Ambrose's magic had tossed us, ensuring he was okay. He was battling head-on with the witch Befana. He seemed evenly matched with the high witch, battling her spell for spell, but I wondered how long he would be able to keep up with this; Nikolai had fed from him earlier, and he'd held the protective shield over us for nearly half the battle. Looking quickly over Ambrose's features, it didn't seem like the fae was weakening in the slightest bit. The longer he
Lucious is flying above us, burning everything his fire can touch; he doesn't care if the people he harms are on his side or ours. "Draq, Dru," I yell out to the twins, hoping to be heard over the screams of those being burned alive. "Lucious must be stopped. If he continues on this way, nothing will be left." The twins both give each other a knowing look, communicating in a way that only twins can before they acknowledge me. "We will do our best to make you proud, your highness," Draq replies, bowing his head before shifting into his massive beast. "If anything happens to us, just know that we fell with honor," Dru states, bowing his head as a sign of respect before shifting into his great beast. Anya gasps in astonishment, this more than likely was her first time seeing a dragon up close, reminding me that she'd come along with us. "Marques," I commanded the merman, "I need you to take Anya somewhere safe." "You need me in this battle," Marques states urgently, glancing over
"Alpha!" My scout calls to me, rushing through the doors of my home, "The King's army has been spotted; what would you like us to do." "Prepare the troops," I growl out before storming into the room and heading toward spWhen I discovered her in her room this morning, I immediately sent for the three witches; Befana, Baba Yaba, and Circe. "Are there any changes?" I asked when I stormed through the room, looking at Mary's seemingly dead body."None that we've noticed yet," Circe responded, her hands "waving over Mary's body. "THIS ISN'T SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN!" I yell, my arms sprouting fur, my wolf trying to escape having felt anger. "HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO BEAT THE ROYAL ARMY WITHOUT A PHOENIX ON MY SIDE!" "You still have the magic of all but the Sprites and the merpeople inside you. You're still as powerful as his highness." Befana spoke, trying to soothe my anger. "And if his mate is this bad, Nikolai won't stand a chance against you." Crooned Baba Yaga. Yes, but if the mate bond a
To my surprise, all four of the princes are at the door when they open it to greet Delphine. "We've been expecting you." The blond hair prince, who appears to be the oldest, states, welcoming Delphine and me into their home. There are already six cups of steaming tea waiting for us on the coffee table. "I wouldn't expect any less from Tobias," Delphine states nodding her head toward the brown-haired brother as she sits on one of the six pillows sitting around the coffee table. "Please sit." The black-haired brother indicates to me, "It isn't every day we have visiting royals here in the Sprite kingdom, King Nikolai." He smiles, although it doesn't quite reach his eye. "Enough pleasantries," Spits the red-headed brother, his fire showing in his eyes, "Anya isn't going with you." "Jed," Delphine chides, "Please hear Nikolai out. Also, Tobias, I hadn't realized your ability to see the future had grown so strong. Your mother would be proud of you." Delphine states, praising the brown
You're wondering why Stetson is the way he is," Delphine hums, her voice vibrating through me, "He was cursed as a child by the witch Belinda. He was cursed before the Princes closed the doors to the Sprite kingdom, but that is a story for another time. Right now, we should initiate the blood vow before your time has run out." She replies, her knowledge about my situation indicating she knows more than she's letting on.I go to ask another question, but she holds her hand up to silence me, "I can only see a brief glimpse of your future. You've chosen the correct path, Nikolai, but your fate will change if you come home empty-handed." She states cryptically, "Now take my hand and repeat after me." No longer hesitant about making a blood vow, I place my hand in hers, her magical energy rushing into my body as our hands become one. "A gift for later. You'll know when to use it." She whispers before raising the dagger and stabbing deeply into our joined hands, stabbing a hole directly t
It's been four days since Kade and I left the castle and were transported to the woods beside the sprite land. Kade's inside man still hasn't made contact with us, and I've grown irritated sitting around here waiting. I could be doing other things with my time, like plotting out how to kill Ash, but instead, I've been pacing a river bed. I've managed to locate the end of the bed and the pond it feeds into, but I am met with resistance when I try to find where the river begins. The river leads to Sprite lands. The river is deep enough to swim in, and last night when I suggested to Kade that we could try to swim the river into spite lands, he agreed to it on one condition. We would give whoever this S person is until tomorrow night to show up and lead us inside; if he isn't here by then, we'll act out my plan. Kade doesn't know it yet, but I plan to kill everyone and anyone who gets in my way. I'm ravenous with hunger. I haven't fed on anyone or drank a blood bag since Mary was taken.
I etch out another notch into the side of the bedpost. According to the notches, it's been five days since Ash marked me as his and four days since I felt my bond with Nikolai slip away. In my heart, I knew that Nikolai was okay, but I could wash away the sense of dread I was feeling.During the day, Ash lets me wander the halls of the mansion. The house is always empty; the only residents here are Ash, myself, and a couple of servants. I've tried to win the servants over to my side, but they ignore me; they continue with their chores and act like nothing is amiss. But perhaps to them, nothing has changed. When I first came here, there was another younger female who'd been taken. She was long gone now, but what if Ash made a habit of kidnapping women, and the servants were desensitized from the matter. On the first day, Ash let me wander the halls; I tried to make a break for it. The moment my foot crossed the front door threshold, I was met with unbearable pain as an electrical curr