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I was a girl who had grown up in the foster system in the mortal world. Fighting tyrants and riding Dragons had been the kinds of dreams I never would have even dared to try and wish into reality. Yet here we were. Caught in the thick of a world we’d been born to rule among all forms of magical creatures and cruel twists of fate, and I couldn’t help but feel like we’d truly found where we belonged.
“He took a lot from me in return,” she replied darkly, a flicker of some untold horror in her eyes which she blinked away hard as she glanced at the others who still surrounded us.
“I can’t feel anything of him anymore,” Orion said in fear and Tory looked at him over my shoulder. “I’d feel it if he was dead,” she said firmly and Orion’s grip on me relaxed slightly,
“Are you sure?” he rasped, and she nodded, her eyes blazing with the fire of her Order and I believed her. She was his mate, Star Crossed or otherwise. If anyone knew the truth of Darius’s fate, it was her.
She suddenly stood up on Dante’s back, yanking her silver breast plate off and hurling it in Max’s direction, forcing him to catch it, followed by the chainmail, the rest of her armour and her flail until she was butt naked and he was cursing her, demanding she cover herself up again.
Tory moved forward to hug her too and they exchanged some words quietly as Catalina took in the lack of rings in her eyes, surprise and hope crossing her features. For a moment, I envied the way Catalina looked at my sister, caressing her cheek and checking she was alright. It was almost motherly, something I had never experienced in all my life.
“You’re a gift sent from the stars,” she whispered, and a blush filled my cheeks as I shook my head in denial of those words. When they released us, I tucked a lock of blue hair behind my ear, heat burning up the back of my neck. Max tugged on my arm, and I turned to him. “Come on little Vegas, they’re not gonna let us in unless you two lead the way.” I realised the crowd were watching Tory and I closely, and wondered if Max was right about that.
“Are we seriously going to join the C.O.C.Ks?” Tory hissed to me, and a laugh erupted from my throat.
“This’ll make him look at me,” Orion muttered then split his thumb open on his fang, turning his arm over and smearing blood across the inside of his forearm. The mark of the Zodiac Guild appeared like it was a living tattoo beneath his flesh, the silver sword etched with constellations and looking so ethereal it almost glowed. Hamish let out a noise that sounded like the honk of a strangled goose then fell to his knees, his eyes rolling back into his head as he fainted and hit the floor in an awkward pile.
“Well that backfired,” Orion deadpanned as I hurried forward with Tory and Geraldine to help him to his feet. “By the stars’ nipples,” he murmured as he regained consciousness. “Pantaloons on the moon – oh gracious, forgive my language, my ladies. I have not seen the mark of the Zodiac Guild in many a year, and to see it worn by none other than a Power Shamed F-” He reared over and retched at those words. “Forgive me, a Power Shamed F-” He retched loudly again, and Orion cursed under his breath while the Heirs all laughed.
“I guess that proves it once and for all then,” Caleb said with a lopsided grin, breaking the tension. “That we’re best friends?” Seth asked, bobbing on his toes as he looked between us excitedly. “I never thought this would happen,” Max said, scoring a hand over his short hair and smirking at us. “Well, that’s because you were a dastardly dogfish when you met the Vegas,” Geraldine pointed out. “And I am not entirely convinced your dogfish ways are behind you yet, Maxy boy.”
“Waiting for me, Blue?” Orion asked with a hint of amusement in his voice. “You look a little lonely over there in the shadows,” I pointed out. “I’ve always enjoyed the company of the shadows,” he countered. “Besides, I’m a Vampire. I don’t get lonely. Alone is what I do best.” “Well, I guess I’ll just walk by myself then,” I said lightly, and he shot to my side so fast it made my head spin, a smirk twisting up the corners of his mouth as he took hold of my arm.
“Turns out, I enjoy the company of your shadow more than any other,” he said in a low voice that set my pulse racing. “So go ahead and walk away from me, Blue, but I’ll be right behind you.”
“Honestly, Blue, I thought I would shatter from losing her again. But I…feel relieved.”
“I understand.” “That’s because you are far too forgiving of my sins,” he murmured and his fingers travelled up my arm, spreading goosebumps tumbling out along my skin as he pushed my sleeve aside to unveil the black handprint mark left there by Lavinia’s curse.
But I’d get him alone as soon as we had the chance. I had a lot I wanted to say to him, but I had a hell of a lot I wanted to do to him first.
I looked to my sister up ahead, then glanced at Orion. After everything that had happened at the battle, I knew I couldn’t hold a grudge against him any longer. He still loved me and I loved him so fiercely it hurt.
“I need to be with you.” “You need to be with him,” she insisted, squeezing my arm. “You’ve been apart too long, and you could have lost each other tonight. You love him, don’t you?”
“What the hell are you talking about? I want him close to me here.” “Oh, erm, well, I…” Hamish looked at Orion then started to retch violently. “Oh, for the love of the stars, forget it, Hamish. Can you just tell us which room is for Darius?” Tory asked and Geraldine swung around with her eyes popping. “Why of course, my lady Tory, you only need ask for anything in this place and it shall be yours.”
“Hang on,” Orion said, moving forward and taking something from his pocket. He held out the beautiful ruby necklace Darius had gifted to my sister and her eyes widened in surprise. “I reclaimed it for you during the battle,” he said, and Tory took it from him possessively, squeezing it tight between her fingers. “Thank you,” she whispered, the fact that he’d saved it clearly meaning a lot to her.
“Wait, if the bond was gone because my Ward had died, I’d still be marked,” Orion said in realisation, pulling his sleeve up to reveal the bare patch of skin on his arm which had once held the Leo symbol for Darius. “Even in death, the bond doesn’t die.” “Then I guess we just have to wait until he shows up with an explanation,” she said,
I wanted this man with every fibre of my being, and I was done wasting time apart. We’d proved how far we’d go for one another in battle, he’d bowed to me, he’d sworn his allegiance in every way a Fae could. But I wanted to show him that we were equals. That when we stood before each other and he saw a queen, I saw a king staring back at me.
“Woah, sorry. Didn’t realise things were getting Fifty Shades of Blue in here,” Seth laughed obnoxiously.
“Goodnight, Lance,” I said breathlessly, and he pressed his lips to the soft place behind my ear as his fingers ran over the bite to heal it. “Goodnight, Blue.” “Goodnight, roomies,” Seth whispered.
I’d been a prisoner for too damn long. My mind hadn’t been fully my own, clear of shadows and bonds and the will of the fucking stars for so long that I’d almost forgotten what true silence sounded like.
I closed my eyes as I wondered for the millionth time how the hell it was possible that the Guardian bond had been broken. And that wasn’t the only bond that had been broken today either…
I was Roxanya Vega, daughter of the Savage King, sister of the most powerful and beautiful woman I’d ever known, child of the greatest Seer of all time. I wasn’t born to bow to him. I was born to rise.
“Is it totally conceited of me to hope you might be waiting for me?” Darius’s voice called out from the dark and my eyes fluttered open. “Yeah,” I agreed on a breath as I drank in the sight of him standing before me in the half unbuttoned black shirt and smart trousers he’d worn to marry Mildred, my heart racing with the speed of a stallion and my throat thickening as I took in the very real man who was somehow standing a little way down the hill before me. “But I think I’ve always been waiting for you, so maybe you’re right.”
“Gabriel took me to an ancient palace that has long since been forgotten by our kind. There was old magic there and I convinced the stars to change their mind about the bonds,” he said in a rough voice. “It looks like they agreed.” “Agreed to what?” I murmured,
“Fire makes me think of you,” I said. “And that’s…bad?” His voice was rough, and his dark eyes seemed to look right into my soul as he demanded that answer from me and I was unable to deny him it. “Only because I know I can’t have you. Or couldn’t have you, I guess…”
“I’m yours, Roxy,” he growled against my lips. “For every single second I have in this world, I’m all yours. And after that I’ll still be yours, wherever I end up after I’m gone, I’ll belong right here with you.”
“Holy shit, Roxy,” Darius growled against my lips. “How-” “I’m done letting Lionel or his shadow bitch or anyone else control us. They can keep their fucking shadows – we won’t be tied to them by their damn power anymore.”
“Oh. And just in case it wasn’t clear, baby, I’m not going to be anyone’s but yours. So maybe you and me should get hitched and I can show you what a real wedding night looks like?”
don’t wanna look at you wearing some outfit you were destined to marry another woman in.”
“Mine,” I said roughly, possessively, meaning it with every ounce of my being.
But as his hand slid lower and the rough skin of the burn scar Lionel had left me with grazed against his thumb, he pulled back suddenly, his fingertips moving over the damaged flesh as a deep growl escaped him. “I’m going to rip him apart piece by piece,” he snarled ferociously,
I watched him as smoke poured from his lips and his eyes shifted to Dragon slits while his muscles trembled with rage. He was a dangerous creature, violent, strong, ferocious. His father’s son. A monster just like I’d always known he was from the very first moment I’d laid eyes on him.
“You are better than him, Darius. And you might be a monster, but you’re my monster now and I want you just the way you are.”
“This is the only place I ever want to be,” he said as he reached out to brush a lock of dark hair from my eyes. “Right here with you.” I smiled up at him, hardly able to believe that this was real. That I could feel so fucking happy so soon after feeling so damn helpless.
stuck in my Order form like some newly Emerged whelp unable to control his fucking emotions.
That girl. That fucking offspring of the Savage King had done this to me through luck and timing alone. I couldn’t fathom how she’d dared to betray me like this after all I’d done to bind her to me.
Lool what???
This loss was more grievous to me than the betrayal of my sons. My hand. My fucking hand. How was I supposed to cast my magic with the speed and power I was used to now?
Unlucky
Everything I’d worked so hard to claim could be lost because of the return of two princesses who the world had been more than ready to forget.
Any source of power could not be restored. Head, heart, or hands. None could be returned if they were destroyed.
“I need a full report on the fight and who was involved. I want names of every Fae who turned on their king and I will see heads roll for it.
Kind of dramatic...
For some reason, the girl who had been Guardian bonded to me was absent now and I got the feeling I was going to have to work hard to tighten my control on the shadow wielder that remained in her place.
No matter how hard I pushed for it, I couldn’t feel any kind of bond with her now and my mind was spinning with what that could possibly mean. How had the Guardian bonds been thwarted? And now that she was no longer under my thrall, how difficult would it be to maintain control of her?
Octavius Acrux promised me his hand in marriage. I am Lavinia Umbra, and we made a deal which I expect his descendent to stick to. You owe me that, Daddy.” “That doesn’t answer my question,” I snarled,
“And you need a new Heir.” “What kind of Heir could a creature such as you birth me?” I scoffed,
“I can guarantee you a child more powerful than any born before him. He will be a Dragon with Elemental and shadow magic and he will rule in your stead the way you always dreamed your true Heir would. But only once you make me your queen.”
Ew
