All Chapters of One True Love: A Love Mark Fantasy Romance: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

48 Chapters

Chapter 30

I woke to an angry baby and pounding headache.“Sorry, my lady,” a maid was telling me, her voice high and distressed as she jiggled a wailing Anniston in her arms. “I tried to keep her happy and quiet to let you sleep off all the festivities from last night, but I fear she won’t be calmed until she has her mother.”Nodding, I sat up and held out my arms so the girl could hand me my child. But, wow, I must’ve slept hard. I hadn’t heard Anniston wake or the maid enter my room to help with her.When she instantly calmed at the sound of my crooning voice, it warmed something inside me that made me forget all about how much I’d drunk the night before.Anniston had a way of making everything better. I smiled at her as she fed, tracing her cheek with a single finger and sighing. “You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me, you know that, little girl? The very best.”She opened her eyes when I spoke, meeting my affectionate gaze with her own content expression. And though being wit
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Chapter 31

The next day was another lovely day in the kingdom. Though it never grew as hot around the castle or down in the village as it did in the rest of the Vast Desert, this morning was crisper and cooler than usual, enough so to require a shawl and an extra blanket for Anniston when we left my room.Feeling restless and in need of a walk, I bundled her close and started down toward the garden, only to come across Brentley and Allera out and about among the flowers, laughing and talking by a row of bushes where Brentley was slipping a daffodil behind Allera’s ear.I turned to leave them in peace, but Allera caught my eye and smiled. “Morning, Vienne. Lovely day, isn’t it?”Pausing, I nodded and sent her a return grin, even though a nip of jealousy tugged at my heart. If only my own arranged marriage had worked out as successfully as hers seemed to be.Although, actually, no, that wasn’t what I wished at all. If I wanted to be perfectly honest with myself, my thoughts veered more cruelly
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Chapter 32

The blast was so profound it knocked me back until I nearly stumbled to my knees. My ears rang, and the heat from the fireball that had once been the carriage nearly singed my eyebrows.The shockwave left me momentarily dazed, causing me to waver like a blade of grass in a windstorm as my equilibrium sputtered. Then I blinked, trying to orient myself.The first thing I was able to hear past the shrill ringing in my own ears was Anniston’s cry as she thrashed against my chest, her fear making her frantic. Then I heard Yasmin’s earsplitting screams next to me, followed by Allera yelling Urban’s name as she raced up the hill toward the fire.I blinked and shook my head before lifting my hand against the heat to block it from my face, only to see Urban’s unmoving form lying sprawled on the ground next to the flames, covered in black soot, torn clothing, and fallen debris, his arms and legs splayed at odd angles, and more blood gushing from him than I’d ever seen gush from any human.My
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Chapter 33

With the threat from dark magic turned real, I temporarily put field training on hold in order to send out all the soldiers to Mandalay and around the castle so they could keep their ears to the ground for any news they could discover.Not twenty-four hours later, we caught a lead, and I requested an immediate audience with the king.“You asked to see me?” Caulder said as soon as I was admitted into the Throne Room. “How’re you doing, by the way? Any permanent injuries from the explosion?”“I’m well, Your Majesty.” I lifted my arms and rotated in a circle to show myself off. “All wounds have healed completely and without consequence.” I glanced Soren’s way since it was his wife’s fault I was doing so well.The dick narrowed his eyes but refrained from speaking.“That’s good to hear.” Caulder nodded. “What would you like to discuss then? I hope it’s an update on the search for dark magic.”I glanced around before answering. The king had beefed up on security substantially. Soren,
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Chapter 34

Once we returned to the Throne Room to report the events of the morning, I didn’t have to say a word; Soren detailed it all to the king with emphasis on everything he was sure I’d fucked up.“I don’t trust him,” he accused, pointing at me. “I’ve never trusted him. He needs to be punished for this.”I snorted, folding my arms over my chest. “For not catching the dark magic on the first try? Are you fucking kidding me? I got us closer to him than we’d ever been before.”“What’s all the commotion about in here?” Yasmin asked, sailing into the room. “Don’t leave us girls out of all the good stuff.” A winded Vienne hurried in after her.I stared openly at Vienne until she discreetly glanced my way. Once we made eye contact, however, her eyes flared open wide before she quickly and guiltily glanced away again. I narrowed my stare, wishing I could drag her from the room in that very moment and get my answers right then, but I had to go through this hoopla of a circus first.As Caulder ex
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Chapter 35

She took me out of the castle through the secret tunnel.First, we went along a narrow corridor that passed behind the kitchens and down a dark stairwell, where she had to grab a torch resting in a wall sconce at the top before descending. At the bottom, I found myself in a dank, cool wine cellar.“Hold this, will you?” She handed the torch to me so she could turn to a stone wall and dig the fingers of both her hands into a crack I wouldn’t have noticed otherwise. Then she gritted her teeth until the tendons in her neck strained and she began to pull open a concealed doorway.Feeling the fool for standing there, holding the light while she did all the muscle work, I dryly said, “I could’ve done that for you, you know.”Once the door was opened enough for us to pass through, she straightened, blew out a breath and moved some hair out of her eyes with her fingers. “I didn’t mind,” she told me brightly, reaching back to retrieve the torch.I handed it over, asking, “Who usually holds
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Chapter 36

Urban’s blue eyes were wide with equal parts excitement and apprehension. I took his hand, and his fingers latched immediately around mine.“He’s really quite tame,” I assured. “But it’s best to stay behind the wall Grandfather built just to be safe. Elliott’s been having accidents lately. We never know where he’ll spray his fire. We think it’s because he’s getting old.”Urban nodded mutely, his eyes still huge with shock.We started to step through the doorway, only for a group of the same four men from before to meet us in the entrance, carrying another sheet of glass.“Watch out,” they called cheerfully.Urban and I ducked out of the way, and he twisted at the waist to watch the men gently lay the sheet down on top of the pile.“So, that’s how they get fire hot enough to melt the sand in order to make clear rock,” he murmured to himself. “From fucking dragon’s breath.”“Yes,” I said. “It’s also possible to make glass from normal fire heated hot enough, but the glass never com
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Chapter 37

I left a numb, shell-shocked Vienne with the king, queen, and princess, and I stormed from the castle, more determined than ever to find Anniston.Whoever had taken that precious little child wasn’t going to live to see another day. That was my promise.As soon as I exited the keep, a party of people were hurrying toward me, Brentley, Allera, and Soren among them.“Did you find anything?” I demanded.“We captured these two,” Brentley answered, out of breath as he motioned to two men with their hands tied with ropes around their wrists as the soldiers containing them pushed them forward for me to deal with. “They were just outside Mandalay near one of the sand mountains between the castle and the village. We think they may be Far Shore scouts.”I strode to the two men and looked them both in the eye.“We asked about Anniston, but they’re not talking.”With a nod, I eyed one, then the other. “Did you help kidnap that baby?” I asked.When the bolder one spit at my feet, I took tha
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Chapter 38

Within the hour, I had every soldier decked out in armor, chain mail, and weapons. Their steel helmets gleamed in the fading sunlight as they stood in perfectly formed lines just inside the main castle bailey.Vienne had been furious when I’d reported everything the Far Shore soldier had told me about the reason for Anniston’s kidnapping.“Clear rock?” she had shrieked, tucking her newly returned daughter protectively close to her. “My child was stolen because they were upset over the fucking price of clear rock? Those bastards.”She rarely ever cursed. It was kind of hot when she did. Made me want to snatch her against my chest and kiss the fuck out of her.But, yeah. A neighboring kingdom was about to invade, so… Maybe later. In only my dreams, of course.Vienne and her baby were now inside the keep, safe and sound from all the activities that were about to take place out here. And I had an army to lead into fucking battle.“Archers to the towers,” I shouted. “Swordsmen on the
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Chapter 39

“Well, while the boys are outside having all the fun and we’re trapped in here during the battle, is there at least some safe room we can go to?” Allera asked, pacing the Blue Chambers impatiently.“Whatever for?” Yasmin asked with a laugh. “Don’t you have any faith in your darling brother to keep us safe?”“He’s not the one I’m worried about,” Allera muttered under her breath. Then she spun to me, revealing all her vexation as she begged, “Vienne?”I sighed, readjusted the sleeping Anniston in my arms—whom I couldn’t seem to part with after she’d been returned to me—and said, “We could always go down to the wine—”But Yasmin sharply bit out, “No! We have no reason to hide. The men have everything well in hand, I’m sure. Besides, I hate the wine cellar. It’s so dank and cold down there. I wish to stay up here where I can see what’s happening.”“If you want to actually see the battle,” Allera bit out irritably, “then why aren’t we up in the East Salon, watching through all that nif
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