A Kingdom of Flame and Fury (The Four Kingdoms, #1)

by Whitney Dean

Seolia was so secluded from the other three kingdoms in our so-called Circle of Peace that no one had heard that dark magic was making its way back, slowly trickling into every land.

I didn’t say anything else as he turned to walk back into the forest. If Jeanine wasn’t part of the plan, why was she here? Why was I actually here? And why did Mira want Raven so bad?

A spring made of what looked like black water was surrounded by tall rocks. I untucked my hands and crouched, holding them over the steaming water.

An hour in, I heard gurgled screams of what sounded like men ahead. I jogged toward the noise and froze, nearly stumbling backward, when I noticed a fiery little redhead with her hands around the throats of two men.

This fragile, petite little… demon just took down two grown men on her own with what could only be dark magic. Dark magic dwelled in this small, bleak kingdom.

Maybe this trip didn’t have to be wasted on only the queen. Perhaps I could squeeze in a fiery fuck with that little demon.

I wanted to follow her. I wanted to chase her and make her scream. I wanted her to be as fearful of me as I was of her.

My eyes were on something new — a tasty little treat that would hopefully burn my tongue with anger as she fucked it.

It wasn’t holding up well. It was a hellhole. Rapists and murderers ran amuck. I killed at least five people a day. Our queen was the devil’s sister, but I didn’t say any of that.

And then, her eyes met mine. Flashes flit through my eyes, skating into the depths of my mind. I could see them like they were right in front of me. Me, in lives I’d never lived, with her — laughing, crying, kissing. Together. I knew her.

It echoed through the blurred memories, her laugh, her voice, her name. Raven. The redhead. This one. This was Raven. You, I knew you before.

My heart hammered as I stared at this exquisite beauty before me. Small, delicate. Fragile. But deep down, I somehow knew the world had hurt her. There was a darkness to her. I felt a sudden need to protect her and keep her safe. Fuck, was this what love felt like?

“I’ve been looking for you all night,” she said.

Until this moment, this second, I hadn’t realized that I had been looking for her my entire life.

The familiarity of her tongue dancing with mine nearly took me down. I had loved this woman before.

I briefly considered lying to her. My reason for being here was to trick her but I didn’t want to — with her, I could be someone else. Maybe I could abduct her.

And when she was gone, I craved her warmth again. Her hips swayed as she walked away, and it took every ounce of self-control not to chase her, lock her away so no one could ever lay eyes on her again.

You would be mine again, Raven.

I had no context to them, but I knew my sole purpose in every life was to love her.

As much as I may want to, I couldn’t tell her who I was — what we were to one another. I definitely couldn’t tell her why I was truly here. She would have to fall in love with me naturally. I wasn’t going to try and force it. I would get her to Reales, but it must be on her terms. She would have to want it.

“It is still something that people around every kingdom have long feared. The return of witches. And if the word starts to spread that one may be the very leader of this kingdom….” John trailed off,

“I do possess dark magic. I had a feeling it was something King Leonidas knew about because I’ve never been able to figure out why he gave me his throne and kingdom.” I addressed all three, my gaze never staying on one face long. “And while I do apologize for not being forthcoming about this, it’s never been something I’ve wanted to advertise about myself. I’ve read the texts in our libraries. I’ve heard the rumors about the Black Forest. I, too, understand that dark magic may have lived there once upon a time.”

“I will always protect my queen,” John muttered,

“I guess… you should all know what I can do. What I’m about to show you cannot leave this room. Now, more than ever, we must protect this secret. If John is correct and we could face a war, what I possess could be our greatest weapon.”

“Frost,” I whispered, closing my eyes. First, the change on my skull happened, my shoulders tingling as the tips of my shortened white hair skimmed across them. My eyes opened, changing from dark green to a light blue that sparkled with snowflakes that fell down my irises.

“Blaze.” The feeling washed over me like coming home as my entire body lit up at the command. My white hair turned fiery red and shortened to my chin, cutting right at my jawline. I rolled my head back as the feeling of fury overtook me. It was like awakening a dormant beast after years of being locked up. My eyes revealed red flames behind my irises, burning, flickering.

“Terra,” I growled through gritted teeth, my fire hesitating and screaming inside me as the force of earth overtook it. I transformed into Terra, my violet hair copying the style from the festival in a braided bun at the top of my head. My eyes changed from red to gold, giving me a goddess-like glow.

“I possess earth, fire, and ice. The very wind that gives you chills on a blustery day is the same one that runs through my veins. I am the elements.”

It was him — the stranger from the festival. Zeke. And he stared at my exposed skin, his jaw set, his eyes dark, like he wanted to devour me where I sat.

Never in my life had I been jealous of a hand, but I wanted to be the one doing that.

He bowed, and my entire body warmed at his lowering to me. I bet he looked delicious on his knees.

At my question, his quick smile returned before it was gone. His eyes burned into mine like we shared a secret, but he couldn’t possibly know who I was. “Ezekiel, but I answer to Zeke.”

I licked my lips at the feeling of his mouth on my wrist, and he tracked the movement of my tongue. Dropping my eyes from his piercing gaze, I watched him walk away in awe. “You’re drooling.”

Sometimes I wondered if I was bred from demons. I snorted at the thought, knowing Cade would agree, especially after how I acted today.

“You could be the very thing to save them if John is correct and war is possible. I may have done a disservice, asking you to hide this part of yourself.”

“Straighten your crown, dear girl. Face those who don’t believe in you with pride in who you are.”

“Why does Mira want me to marry her? Why does she want her in Reales?” John didn’t look at me and stood as if contemplating something. “Make sure she doesn’t get suspicious about anything.”

“Twin flames are two halves of one soul. There’s an intense connection that can’t be replicated. There’s pain associated with flames, both people mirroring one another. When you find your twin, you can’t be apart from them without going a little mad.”

“My wife did,” he answered. “She read often. A lot about how magic used to live in our realm: mates and flames are a rarity, and they used to be treasured. When they existed, there would be celebrations for days. At least, that’s what her books used to tell her. I haven’t met any, nor have there been any pairings in a very long time. It always intrigued her, so she’d sit on one of these stools every night and tell me about them or anything else she read.”

“Twin flame,” I said. “I think she’s my twin flame.” And if they were such a rarity, I was determined to do nothing but treasure her.

Her green eyes alone could bring a man to his knees, and I would readily fall to mine for her.

“It’s a little too soon for you to start telling people about me.” She laughed as I hung my head between my hands, my cheeks reddening again. “This is why I don’t talk to people.”

wanted everything to be her choice.

Tears filled my eyes, knowing that this moment changed something in our friendship we had spent so many years protecting. He was jealous, and it wasn’t something he had ever shown before. I had felt it for a while, slowly, but the changes were becoming more prominent daily.

“I worry about John’s allegiance,” she said.

“If he stays or goes, we risk him exposing you either way. I’ll stay close to him tonight and see who he converses with. I’ll tell you if I notice anything suspicious, and we’ll go from there. We can talk about it again tomorrow.”

“I want to have you now.” This man oozed brassy confidence. His mischievous grin returned at the blush on my cheeks.

Suddenly, I heard a ghost of a whisper from the recesses of my mind. It sounded like his voice. Breathe.

“Your secret is safe with me,” Theodore assured me. “I won’t say anything, but someone is telling everyone about it. I don’t know their reason, m’lady, but you would be surprised how many folks are on your side, even with the rumors. I’ve been here my entire life and have never seen so many happy with being here. So many are moving here so quickly that we’ve had to take on more workers at the dock. That’s a testament to you, Queen Raven.”

He awakened something so profound inside me that trying to control it was like holding my breath underwater.