All Chapters of A Queen Among Tempests: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Not a moment later, I feel my entire body become rigid. An intense, overwhelming wave of energy comes over me almost knocking me off my feet, and it takes all of me to remain standing. I can feel it approaching like a cold, dense fog skimming across the water and cloaking the land with a cloud of unease. I’d know that feeling anywhere. A feeling I should loathe and shiver at, but I don’t. It makes my body feel alive and my essram rejoice in ways I can’t begin to explain. It feels like a black hole sucking me into its depths, and never have I wanted something so much in my whole life. As disturbing as that thought should be, it brings me nothing but comfort.I look to the end of the ballroom, my heart skipping several beats as that energy intensifies. A moment later, the grand double doors are pushed open, and stepping over the threshold without a single care is none other than Azadou himself.The God of Malice.The Demon God.My animai.His bright purple eyes glance around the room wit

Ever since the Autumnal Ball I find myself flying on frequent patrols just to distract myself from reliving the events of that evening over and over again in my mind. I feel like I’m experiencing Groundhog Day. I wake up and set off on patrol only to come home and find my mind plagued by the memory of what it felt like to be in the presence of my animai. To be close enough to touch him and yet still unable to feel that touch. To experience the penetrating stare of his piercing, purple eyes and breathe in his intoxicating scent only for him to just disappear from my life without a word once again. He has neither rejected me nor left me with any inkling that I will ever see him again. This is my hell. Condemned there by my own soulmate.Ayawamat does his best to lift my spirits, but what can he do? How do you mend a broken heart that was broken by being denied true love? Even to me, it sounds unhinged. Every day I try over and over to call upon Merlos for answers, yet day after day she

Without warning, Azadou takes a menacing step towards me, forcing me to back up in retreat but he doesn’t stop. He keeps pressing forward, forcing me to step back until my back hits the edge of the banister, making me wince in pain.“How the fuck did you get in here?” he snarls.I gulp. Again, not from fear. No. I gulp from what the sound of his voice does to me! That deep, base tone of his voice has replayed itself over and over in my mind since the first time I heard it, but my memories haven’t done it justice. It sounds so much better in person.“I was sent here,” I answer him, taking in a deep breath and basking in his scent as my mouth begins to salivate. He smells like the remnants of ash left as a fire burns down. There’s a coldness to that scent and yet it smells calming and alluring, like it’s where I’m meant to be.“Why?” he presses coldly, refusing to allow me the peace of my thoughts or this moment of closeness with him.“Because I want to know what you did to the eyti,” I

As the intoxicating effects of being in close proximity to my animai begin to leave my system like someone detoxing a drug from their bloodstream, clarity finally breaks through the fog of desire and I feel a sense of shame and disgust come over me…yet at the same time, my body is still electrified by the pleasure he brought me.This isn’t fair or right! How can he go from ignoring my very existence and acting so dismissive of me to touching me so intimately like that? I’m sure many women have used the term ‘explore’ to describe the way someone touched them, but I doubt any of them meant it as literally as I do. It truly felt like he was exploring and testing out my responses, but to what end? He never spoke a word; he didn’t seem to show any desire to be with me and yet he touched me like that.I run my fingers through my hair as I let out a scream of frustration, clutching at the roots of my hair and fisting them in aggravation. I’m so angry, confused and spent I can’t even fucking

One moment I’m basking in the warmth of the afternoon sun, the next I see nothing but darkness through my eyelids, as if the day were interrupted by a solar eclipse. I open my eyes to find out what blocked out my sun, only to see the grand bird form of my brother. He gracefully lands a few yards away from me with his wings outstretched, the rays of the sun glinting off his wings making the gold and blue of his feathers shine majestically. He flaps his wings as he quickly takes his human form, then picks a few objects up from the ground and walks over to me.“There are over a million mountains in the world, Aya. You landing on mine is no coincidence,” I tease.“Yours? Did you go and purchase Helvellyn and not tell me?” he mocks, throwing a small object my way, which I instinctively catch and realise is a ripe, juicy-looking apple.“An apple?” I utter curiously, cocking my head to the side.“Knowing you, I’m sure you haven’t eaten yet. So, being the doting brother that I am, I grabbed u