Glow of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #2)

by Penn Cole

“Just this once, Iléana, I’m going to ignore that you just spoke of treason in front of the Keeper of the Laws.”

“Those were your plans, not mine. Diem is my Queen. I will choose her over everything.”

Then you and I will finally be the King and Queen this realm deserves.”

“Let me make myself extremely clear. If you or anyone in your family makes a move against Diem, it will be the last thing you ever do. I will see to it personally that House Hanoverre is destroyed.”

“It’s a promise.” He paused, his voice turning dark. “And you know I always keep my promises.” Eleanor bit her lip as a smile threatened to break through. “Now we’re done.”

For a young, unknown Queen, marrying a well-connected Corbois Prince would be expected. Welcomed. Unquestioned. I knew Aemonn’s behavior was calculated. I hadn’t considered it might be calculated for me.

Our constant banter reminded me so much of my relationship with Teller. Though no one could ever take my brother’s place, it gave my wounded soul some peace to know that when the terrible day arrived for Teller’s mortal life to end, I might have someone in this world who could ease the void of comradery his loss would leave behind.

“Who is Henri?” I froze. “What?” “I was talking about Aemonn.” Taran’s eyes narrowed. “Who were you talking about?” I staggered back a step. “I—I didn’t—no one.”

“Oh dear, Diem. What will we do with you?” “Kneel.” A broad, masculine hand closed around Jean’s wrist and squeezed, trembling with the force of its angry grip. “Kneel to her, Jean. That’s what you’ll do.”

A brooding shadow slid into my path. “My Queen. A dance?”

His touch was the changing of the seasons, the dead, cold grey of winter thawing and giving way to the colorful hope of spring. The promise of something new, something exquisitely alive.

leaving the Queen and her Prince, forged together as one.

The power of knowing how my touch affected him made me acutely aware of every place our skin connected.

And when did this become a ‘we’? I wondered.

“I seem to remember you claiming me as your High General.” He pulled back to look at me, his features warming. “Fighting all your battles is quite literally my job.”

“Patience, my Queen.” His thumb stroked a slow trail up my spine. “The most precious rewards come from the battles most fiercely fought.”

The feeling of being in his arms—the rightness of it, the overwhelming sense of being safe and protected. Accepted. Loved. I inhaled sharply. My pulse broke into a sprint.

I was drowning in this man.

I started to pull away, but something in his eyes—something bright and tenderly guarded—held me still. “You’ve asked me why I serve you,” he said. “This, my Queen. This is why.”

He took my face in his hands, cradling it in his palms. “Even before you had the Crown, I felt her urging me toward you. The more I see of you, the more I understand why. She wants change, and she believes you can achieve it.” His thumb brushed across my cheek. “And so do I.”

He looked at me like a flower raising its head to the life-giving sun. “You chose the harder path. If we ever wish to see peace in this land, we need a leader like that—a leader like you.”

“You are my Queen, and I am your sword. Point me at your enemies, and watch them fall. Lead this world, Diem, and I will follow you—into war, into death, into the tundra of hell itself.” He took my palm and set it against his chest, just above the patch of unscarred skin that lay beneath his jacket. “You are the fate my heart was spared for. As long as it beats, you will never fight alone.”

“What would happen,” I breathed, “if we gave into this thing between us?” “I don’t know,” he said roughly. “But that question consumes my every thought.” His chin lifted almost indiscernibly.

Waiting for me. Letting me choose.

I never wanted to become just another person who wanted to steal a piece of you for themselves.”

“And I have failed. Completely, irreversibly failed. I don’t just want a piece of you—I want them all.”

“I want every breath, every laugh, every tear. Every taste of your mouth, every inch of your skin. I want to kneel at your feet, soaked in the blood of your enemies, then worship your body until you scream my name.” His hands slid to my hips and tugged ...

“I want to burn alive in that fire in your eyes. I want it to melt me down and forge me into the weapon you need me to be. I want to stand by your side for the rest of my life, and I don’t need you to marry me and make me a fucking king to do it.”

“Luther,” I rasped, begging—for what, I wasn’t sure.

“I pledged you my loyalty, and you have it, no matter your choice. But I cannot keep lying to you or to myself. I want all of you, Diem.” His lips brushed against mine, his words breathing s...

What he’d confessed about how he felt.

She snorted. “Did he finally admit he’s fallen head over heels for you?” I stopped and stared at her, and Eleanor’s jaw dropped nearly to the floor. “Blessed Mother, he did.”

“And... he said he wanted me. All of me.”

It’s a reminder that no challenge can destroy the parts of us that truly matter. We’re not reborn in the flames. We’re revealed.”

“Nothing can take that away from you, Diem. No Crown, no man. Not even the Kindred themselves.”

“Blessed Kindred, put the magic away,” Eleanor scolded. “No one hurt anyone. We were just talking about our feelings. It’s a thing people do sometimes. You two should give it a try.”

And I hadn’t realized until now just how badly it would hurt that he wasn’t.

The Bellators are the real royal family now, so only you and Teller can unlock it.”

“And that works?” I gasped. “You’re sure of it, Teller? Your blood opens that door?”

Gods, it meant everything to me.

My last hope that my world had not just shifted in a way I could never put back.

“Don’t go in there,” he pleaded with terrible softness. “I’m begging you not to look.”

At first, all I saw was blood. Blood everywhere.

Mortal lover. Half-breed. Rebel scum.

Then I saw him. In the kitchen. The last place I’d stood with him in this home. Where I’d screamed at him, insulted him, broken his heart. Where I’d told him he wasn’t my father, then left and never came back. There he lay, in a lake of red, his body so terribly, impossibly still. Dead. My father was dead.

Andrei Bellator, war hero, legendary Emarion Army Commander, Advisor to the Crown of Lumnos, beloved husband of Auralie, devoted father of Diem and Teller, was dead.

Once I found the person responsible, I would do so much more than simply take their life.

Devourer of Crowns. Ravager of Realms. Herald of Vengeance. Fight. “Yes,” I whispered in response to the voice’s savage cry. “I will.”

A promise to my father—and to the dead man walking who had stolen this precious star from my sky.

“Protect them,” I said. Across the bond, I felt Sorae’s heart, bleeding for me, thump in answer: I will.