The Veiled Kingdom (The Veiled Kingdom, #1)

by Holly Renee

“I don’t have time for this.” I pulled her to my side, causing her hood to fall back, and when my gaze met hers, it was like looking into the depths of the ocean. The same color as the sky when the sun disappeared behind the clouds and a storm brewed on the horizon.

His inky black hair was messy, curling into his face, and matched his eyes that were still bearing down on me. They were so dark that they reminded me of a stormy night when the sky was so black that it swallowed the light of the stars. He was tall, the line of his jaw was strong and clean-shaven, and his full lips pursed as he searched over my face. He was beautiful, although harsh, and I hated the way he was looking at me.

As we rounded a sharp corner made of jagged rock, I stopped in my tracks. Before me lay an ethereal city from another world, an immense expanse of ancient architecture half submerged in the eerie water and veiled by the lack of sunlight. The rough silhouettes of broken stained-glass windows caught the flickering firelight of the hundreds of lanterns that seemed to hang from the sky like stars and crumbling stones laid at the base of the snaking river. The buildings and small patches of land were connected by hundreds of small hanging bridges and pathways. Up above, thick moss and vines clung to the roofs of the buildings and coiled down the sides until they kissed the edge of the water as if they were thirsting for a drink.

My father’s words of hatred and contempt for this unseen world echoed in my mind, but as I peered out at the sprawling network of bridges and tunnels that seemed to be carved from the earth, I couldn’t find the same disdain. The glimmering torches glowed like stars scattered across an infinite sky, and I couldn’t imagine anyone destroying it.

People made errors when they were angry. They made mistakes that would reveal whatever the hell it was they were trying to hide.

I clenched my fists and gritted my teeth as Eiran’s arrogant voice filled the room. My chest tightened, and I felt a burning need to show them all that nothing Eiran could give her would ever be better than me.

He reached forward and ran his fingers over the edge of my shirt. He played with the material mindlessly, but it was a stark contrast to the fire he was stoking inside me with each assured touch. “Did you wear this tonight to punish me?” “How in the world would this be punishing you?” “Because you’re not mine.”

“We should get back.” I reached down and grabbed one of the arrows from the sand. “It isn’t safe for us traitors to be traveling the bridge after dark.” “Traitors?” She questioned the word. “I’m a traitor of the crown.” I pointed to my chest before grabbing my cloak. “I have no idea who it is you’re betraying.”

“I want you to watch me as I taste what’s mine for the first time.”