Fate Calls the Elf Queen (The Elf Queen, #3)

by J.M. Kearl

He wants revenge and his wife back.

Many millennia ago, the gods split into two, the Drivaar who praise the All Mother as the highest deity and Primevar, who worship the Maker.

“And you’re still mine.” “Don’t pull the possessive male horseshit if you’re not going to step up and do something about it.”

It was like the air was pulled from the room, making it hard to breathe, to think until the Black Mage set his garnet eyes on her, inspecting every inch, from her loose ebony curls to the glittering slippers on her feet, and then their stares met and it felt like her heart stopped and started all over again. For a moment she wasn’t afraid. It was like seeing the sunrise after only witnessing the dark, or the nostalgia of coming home after years of being away. He smiled at her as if he too might be feeling the same thing.

The Black Mage looked at Layala and said, “You’re awfully quiet today Miss Lightbringer. Are you going to tell him why you were looking for me or should I? Although I think he already figured it out.” His voice whispered in her mind, Because you missed me. You’re drawn to me even if everything in you wants to fight it. You can’t help it. So don’t fret, love, I’m here now.

“The feeling is mutual. Nevertheless, I think I’ll stay for a while. It will be like old times with the three of us together again. Don’t worry, I can find a room on my own.” He winked and vanished in a puff of gray smoke.

“Thane does not want me anymore. I never fit in anywhere I go. Everyone hates me because I woke the Black Mage.” She swiped the angry tears spilling down her cheeks. “I was supposed to be their savior.” She lifted her chin and blinked the last of her tears away. “But I am no savior at all.” She was the elf who could stop dragons and bring them to their knees, but she was also the elf who shattered the day she failed all of Adalon.

“Who better than the god of magic to teach you about magic? And start calling me Hel. If you call me the Black Mage one more time, I might seal both of your mouths shut.” He gave Piper a once over. “The dragon prince is the obvious choice.”

He stopped before her, reached up to touch her face and she noticed his hand trembling. And if she wasn’t mistaken his skin was paler too. Although those weren’t symptoms of katagas. Something was off. Hel’s eyes flicked to his shaky hand and quickly tucked his hands behind his back.

“I could explain in great detail some of the things we’ve done that involved her repeating my name, but I wouldn’t want to hurt your precious feelings.” “That might sting more if you were still doing those things with her.”

You were the most beautiful being I’d ever seen. You still are, he said in her mind.

The frustration fell from her face to one of confusion and she backed off, letting the dagger hang at her side. After a moment she brought it back up to eye level to inspect it, and Hel tugged his shirt down. A tiny bead of blood welled up from where the blade struck, and from there a new mark slowly appeared, the outline of a lily on a vine. “Well, that’s interesting.”

It wasn’t until he was on his ass outside the barrier to the night territory that he realized Valeen said she feared nothing, but that lily mark terrified her.

His warm hands gripped her face and he said with a shaky voice, “Don’t you ever do that again. Not ever. Gods, you drive me insane.”

Some familiarity other than his resemblance to Thane? The red color of his eyes seemed wrong. Shouldn’t they be turquoise, like a warm ocean?

“Ass,” Layala murmured. “She could have killed me, you know.” “Looks like I’ll be keeping a closer eye on you then. Real close. I may even sleep in here and warm your bed since he doesn’t. Nights must get lonely, love.”

“Listen to this,” Thane said. “Remember I told you he wants to go back home and that he was being punished. This says it right here, “and Valeen, Hel, and War had their immortality bound up and were slaughtered for their mutiny, murder, and crimes against the council, forever punished to live and die as mortals but never go to Serenity, the realm of everlasting peace where souls go to rest. Never privileged to be gods again,” he held up his finger, “Unless they prove themselves worthy.”

“No,” War said, rising to his feet. “Punish me. I am at fault. I’m the one who fell in love with Valeen and turned her against Hel and convinced her to come with me. I’m the one who started the wars. I took Soulender from the vault and killed Synick alone. These crimes are all mine. Let them go.”

“I’m scared,” she whispered. And he wished he could take her into his arms and carry her away from all this. “What if we never find each other?” “I promise I will find you. I’ll always find you.” He turned to Hel. He pretended not to watch them, but he would be able to hear every word they said. His chin was held high and jaw tight. “Hel, will you forgive me?” “Forgive you?” Hel set cold, unfeeling, unflinching eyes on him. “No, but I too will promise to always find you, War, to torment you for the rest of time. You are no longer my brother.”

It wasn’t that Thane wouldn’t, but being High King came with responsibilities and consequences Hel didn’t have to think about. For Thane, people had to cross a line before he’d take life. Hel wasn’t burdened with such misgivings.

Staring down at her with agony he said, “That is the dress you wore the day you married Hel. You know what this is? Him reminding me yet again, you loved him first, you married him first. So, wear something else, anything else.”

“Everything that is mine is now yours, love—my territory, my power, my heart, my body, my soul, yours forever,” and that deep, soothing, honey-rich voice wasn’t Thane’s. It was Hel’s.

“See me, Val. Not the Black Mage, not a stranger. I want you to remember the last time we danced together, and you wore that dress. I want you to know why when I look at you, I die a little inside, and...” “...And?” Layala sounded breathless. “And why sometimes I wish the council would have had a weapon to kill me for good and put me out of my fucking misery.”

That’s how we found out we were mates, wasn’t it? She thought. He smirked. Yes. But neither of us knew it at the time.

His soft voice entered her mind, Ah there’s that lovely blush again. It makes me notice things I shouldn’t, like the curve of your collarbone, and what the low neckline of that gown would do to me if I was still in love with you.

“Stay away from me. I can find my memories on my own.” His hand brushed hers and she jerked away. “I’m going to Thane because I love him. I’ve always loved him. And I will always choose him.” Hel grabbed a passing maiden and snapped her neck so fast Layala barely heard the pop before he shoved her limp body into Layala’s arms. Layala gasped and gripped her under her arms and around the middle like they were hugging. “What is wrong with you?” “Better get the body out of here before someone thinks you killed her. Right now, she simply looks a little drunk. The Palenor Scroll would love that story,” he said and stuffed his hands into his pockets then left her standing there with a dead girl in her arms.

“When I heard the terror in your voice… Gods, I haven’t been that scared in a long time. I forgot what fear felt like.” The pessimist in her wanted to say it was because she was his life source, but it was more than that. Even she couldn’t deny it. “How did you know where I was? At that moment I forgot to say.” “I didn’t. I just followed my… instincts.”

Valeen is one of the Drivaar, who worship the All Mother. She ruled the solitary night territory also known as House of Night alone until she met her mate Zaurahel or Hel, a Primevar, the group believes in the superiority of the Maker, he is the god of magic and mischief. When they combined their territories, it became known as Villhara, where she became queen and he king over both. No known children. It is said she left her own night territory and her mate for his cousin, the god of war, to rule over Ryvengaard with him, causing the great war amongst the realms. Later she was punished by the Runevale council, and her immortality bound, to die and be reborn again and again.

“Notice how there hasn’t been any pale one attacks lately? Perhaps I do have a heart after all.”

“Telvian Botsberry found half-dead, unable to speak because his tongue was cut out, unable to write because his hands were cut off. I suppose he shouldn’t have been telling and writing lies about a certain someone. He won’t anymore.” Her eyes widened. “You did that?” “You’re still my wife, and I won’t allow it any longer.”

“This is your love line; it’s long and straight, then it splits.” She smiled but had no clue what that meant. “Alright, what does that mean?” “You will have two loves, but I think at different times.”

“I saw the safety net you created for me, and heard you scream my name. It did make me sort of miss you screaming my name in other ways.” “I thought I didn’t do it for you anymore?” she countered. “I think we both know that was a lie. I’m ready to take a roll in the sack if you are.”

“You don’t see what I do.” He lifted her hand and brought her fingers to his lips. A droplet of blood ran down her finger. “You don’t understand how I can hate you and want you more than anything at the same time.”

Hel’s eyes burned and he stood tall, legs unsteady. It must work. A minute passed. Two. His heart might stop. “I swear to the Maker if she turns, I’m killing you right here and now,” War snarled. Hel swallowed hard, watching her for any signs of awareness. “I will let you.”

Hel started walking alongside the moving chariot. “Leave a way for me to get in.” She smiled and tapped the reins against the horses’ backs, and they spread their wings. “A way through the wall has been open for you since the first time you came.”

Hel grinned at her. “I think I’m in love with you.”

He smiled back. “My little rabbit has outgrown her nickname. Whatever shall I call you now?” “How about my name?” she said flatly. “Which one?” She hesitated but said, “Val. I like Val.” “So do I.” He went around her, his shoulder brushing hers as he passed. “It would be rude of us to leave all the cleaning and repairs to Presco. We’ll be here a while so we might as well make it to our liking.” “I thought we were training?” “We did. You passed.”

He was the Black Mage, the god of mischief, a killer, and a novice baker.

“You know what I hate? I crave you in every conceivable way and I hate it. I hate the way you poison my thoughts, the way you infect every part of my being. I hate the way you laugh at things that aren’t even funny, even more that you’ve become so vulnerable. It makes me want to protect you, to worry over you and to never stop thinking about you. I can’t stop thinking about you, morning sun or darkest night you’re there. I hate when you nibble your lip when you’re thinking. I despise every dangerous curve along your body, but most especially this curve,” his thumb dragged along her lips. “I wish you would hate me more than you do. I wish you loathed me as much as the day I came into the castle throne room because… I don’t want to want you. I don’t want to trust you again or have anything to do with you. When this is over, and the council is no more, I know you’ll leave me and go back to War, either here or in Palenor, and I’ll never want to see either of you again because it hurts.”

It wouldn’t stop with one kiss, love. She faced forward, unable to look at him. I know. I would want more. I know. Her throat thickened and tears came unbidden. All those things you said you hate about me… A long pause. Are what I love about you. And I can’t have you. That’s why I hate them.

“Do you still love Valeen?” He shifted a little, gripping her hips tighter. “You’re entering dangerous territory now.” “It must be hard to look at me and not find her. To search for recognition and find confusion.” “Yes, but what is more difficult is knowing you still care about him but look at me like that.”

“You’ve forgotten that I was born of the dark. Your serpent’s bite doesn’t scare me.” “What do you want from me, Val? Because when you touch me like that, and say things…”

Don’t look at me like that. Like I’d die for you a thousand more times? Because I would.

“Don’t tempt me with that unless you mean it. If you think I’ll let you go back to him after I’ve been inside you, you’re fucking wrong.” One hand slid to her throat and his gentle touch was almost enough to make her lose it. “Once you give yourself to me, you’re fucking mine. There won’t be a choice.”

She and Hel locked eyes, Only if you want to, he said in her mind. But kissing on the mouth is special to you… You’re special to me, love. You’ll want more. I will always want more.

“I don’t care about anything that happened anymore. If this life has shown me anything at all, it’s that you are the reason I breathe. I live in an eternal midnight, and you are my moon giving me light in darkness. I have no heart unless it’s in your hands, Valeen.”

“You’re right. I wouldn’t have. Not in a million fucking years would I have sent you away with him if the situation was reversed. I would have found a way to protect you myself, not give you up and risk losing you forever. I would have never stopped touching you and loving you or pushed you away while waiting to see if you still wanted me once you remembered. I would have fought for you. I may not be selfless or noble, but I do love you and I’d do anything for you but give you up.”

“I don’t blame you for falling for him. He’s easy to love. So, I will wait for you to find that he was best for Layala Lightbringer, but I am the only one for you, Valeen, goddess of night.”

Until she said, “My home is in Villhara.”

Say you’re my wife again. She smiled, wrapping her arms around the back of his neck and kissed his lips softly. “I’m your wife, Hel.” You’re my husband.