Heir of Broken Kingdom (HOBF Book 2)

by Mads Rafferty

“Where you go, I go.”

Knox leans forward, brushing his soft lips against my forehead. The tenderness and care in that one kiss is enough to break through the fear holding my heart prisoner.

“Bond or not, Delilah, I would choose to go anywhere with you. I couldn’t imagine a day that goes by where I don’t see your eyes.” Knox rests his forehand against mine, his warm breath brushing across my lips. “Wherever you go, whatever you must face, know that I’ll be right beside you. You don’t have to tackle life alone anymore, Delilah. I will

always be there for you, and we will face whatever life decides to throw a...

“As one?” “As one,” he vows.

His palms travel up my body until he cups my face, cradling me ever so softly as if I’m the most prized joy in his life. He kisses me as if I’m something worth savoring.

“We’re going to overthrow the king and make him live out his days in misery.”

“You’d have to be a fool to watch that premonition and not be. But I’ll find a way to come back to you. I always will.”

“I’ll make a deal with you,” he says softly. “If we’re unable to stop it, stop them, I’ll come with you. I’ll float with you through the depthless pit of the universe. For eternity, for however long it consumes us. We’ll go together, as one.”

“I will go to the end of the world for you, Angel. Don’t rob me of what I want. I’m not requesting, I’m vowing to follow you to the end of the universe.”

I find comfort and safety in books, the way in which my mind can escape reality and enter a world of my choosing.

“You must be strong as you face this, but on the days where you cannot find the courage, I’ll be strong for the both of us.”

“Make a move against the princess and I will personally gut every single one of you,” Knox says coolly.

Vicious growls rumble behind me, the sounds of grown men screaming as Aurora rips into the small group of soldiers that attempted to sneak behind Knox and me.

Anger flies through my body as if soaring through the air until it reaches its peak, and I realize it isn’t anger at all. I explode with power. Unending, world shattering power.

Diving within myself, I come face-to-face with my magic smiling back at me, ready to play.

My smirk turns feline. “Tell the king that his dearest daughter is back and ready to claim her payment… Retribution.”

His arms are slow to move around me at first but then his hold tightens, as if I’m a raft he found in the endless ocean.

Knox and Aurora never leave my side as Annie beckons me to follow her. My two protectors, willing to fight any battle that threatens my heart.

if there is anything I have learned over the past few months it is that grief is a battle meant to be climbed by the one carrying it.

magic spreads for me, covering everyone in the vicinity.

“You are not ugly. Your scars are not ugly.” He takes my hand in his and squeezes. “You are strong. Let your scars be a reminder of that, of all you have overcome. Let them remind you in your darkest of days that this is not the

“Your imperfections are beautiful, Delilah. They show not only me, but all those who cross your path, that scars are powerful.”

I’ve come to learn that my sounds are his weakness—the thing that can bring him to his knees.

“Are you mine?” I dare to ask. “I will be yours for as long as our souls exist,” he whispers.

Open your eyes, Angel, and so help me gods if you ever surrender again, I will chain you to Aurora for eternity.

“Not only will you apologize to Delilah, but you will get your humans under control.” Knox spits the word human as if it’s a disease. His lips pull back on a feral growl as his voice grows into nothing but a rumbling promise of destruction. “Or I will.”

I vow to be beside you, not just on the days when the voice is loud, but for every day it wishes to sing.

That is what Knox and Aurora are to me—home.

He walks toward me, his hand lifting to stroke my cheek. My head turns into his warmth, his touch. His beautiful soul. You are just as bright, my golden light. I blink. I shine too? As if my very own angel.

“But one tragedy doesn’t take away from another.”

Birds soar past, chirping as they soak up their freedom. “How can something so beautiful hold such a great deal of ugliness?” I ask. “One cannot exist without the other.”

A deep belly laugh escapes me. Knox stops and stares at me, as if greedily soaking up the sound, and then steals my breath when he flashes me a devious grin.

“Soak up the view while you can. We don’t know when we’ll be able to sneak away again.” “As long as you're by my side, I don’t care what the view is.”

“I cannot lose you again, Angel.” His voice cracks, forcing him to clear his throat. “I don’t ever want to go through that pain again. It was excruciating. And I only experienced it for a few seconds. I couldn’t imagine living like that, without you, for thousands of years.”

“I care for you more than you could ever imagine, Angel,” he says on a whisper, the vulnerability shining in his eyes enough to make my heart trip over itself.

“You taste like fucking perfection.”

You are my reason for breathing. Don’t let them take you from me.

💓

A home is a place, a person, a creature or a book, that makes you feel safe. Cared for and comfortable in your own skin. A home is something that simply makes your soul feel alive. A home is what your heart sings for.

My life was never mine—not truly. It was crafted and molded by the hands of others who never had the intention of filling my world with love.

I do not care if I get hurt to protect you. I will bleed for you, die for you if it means your safety. There is not a thing in this universe I would not endure to keep a smile on your face, Delilah.

“My angel,” Knox croaks, his voice strained from screaming. “You’re all right, Angel, I’ve got you now.”

and I am unleashing hell on this world.

The shock waves will be felt not only across all of Aloriah but across the world. The universe.

Everyone will feel my agony, my rage, my hatred for the king. Everyone will know...

“He took them from me.” My hand grips his leather vest. “He keeps taking away the people I love.” A sob flies from

my mouth. “He broke me every day. Was that not enough?”

I heard the damage my magic caused, what it did when it erupted. The stories they’ve collected as they traveled through the Fae courts and Aloriah. Whispers of the animals that paused and bowed their heads, whispers of the currents that stopped to listen to my agony, whispers of the trees that shed their leaves in sympathy.

The people of Aloriah didn’t just hear me—the planet did, and she paid her condolences.

I suppose I truly do fail everyone.