Dark Soul: A Fae Shifter Romance (Guardians of the Fae Realms Book 7)

by JL Madore

  I feel so disloyal... to Bloom for moving on and to Keyla for not moving on. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have this here. Not now. It’s wrong.

  Keyla turns me by the hips and smiles up at me. You loved her and she loved you. It would be wrong not to cherish your memories. Now, what is it you want to bring with you? All of it?

  I swipe my fingers under my eyes and pull out the pendant she always wore. Just this.

  That’s beautiful. Keyla leans in and brushes a gentle fingertip over the glossy gold and black surface.

  It’s the insignia of the earth guardians. Bloom never took it off, but I couldn’t let Laryssa’s men take it when they took her body away.

  I’m sure she’s thankful you kept it safe. Do you want me to help you put it on?

  You really don’t mind?

  Her smile makes my eyes sting. She takes it from my palm and reaches up to kiss my cheek. I really don’t. In fact, I think it’s only right that you wear it. She was with you when this all began. She should be with you when we end Laryssa’s hold on you and your quadrant. We’re going to avenge her death, your parents’, and everyone else who was lost.

  Keyla finishes with the clasp at the back of my neck, and I turn to hug her. Wrapping her in my arms, I tilt my head and press my face against the silk of her hair. You never fail to surprise me. The universe gave me what I need. I hope you can say the same about me someday.

  Her hands against my back pull me tight, crushing the pliable mounds of her breasts against my chest. Why wait for someday? We’re building something amazing. I believe that to the depths of my soul.

  A loud crash in the living room has us jogging out to see what the hell is going on. Vikarus and six guards have forced their way into my suite.

  “What the hell, Vik? What’s this about?”

  Vik points to Brant, Kotah, Jaxx, and Calli who are coiled to spring. “Take them into custody.”

  “What? Why?”

  “We don’t need to explain ourselves to you,” Vik says, nodding toward my guests.

  “No,” I snap, raising my hands and dropping the soldiers to the ground with a thought.

  “Holy fuck,” Brant says, glancing around, wide-eyed. “Did you do that? Did we know he can do that?”

  Vik turns to glare. “How long have you had your powers back? Does my brother know? Is that why Laryssa’s mad at him?”

  “You knew she was mad at him and you let her take him away without warning him?”

  He raises his weapon and points it at me. “Rhy’s a big boy. He’s been acting weird lately and asking about things he shouldn’t be asking about. Is that you? Have you been manipulating him?”

  I pull Vik’s cognitive plug and he drops to the carpet with the others.

  Hawk steps out of the bedroom and looks at the downed guards. “All right then. Tie them up. Lock the door so no one else comes in. And let’s make tracks. Lukas opened our exit.”

  Keyla runs and pulls on her shoes. “Destiny awaits.”

  I draw a deep breath. There’s no turning back now.

  Tucking Bloom’s pendant under my shirt for safekeeping, I send the universe my thanks. I may have lost one love to Laryssa’s violence, but I won’t lose another. With Keyla, Doc, and my newfound family at my side, I finally have what I need to reclaim my life.

  We’re coming Rhy. Hang on.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Rhylan

  Laryssa is a lot of things: a manipulator of good people, a weak coward who hides behind the strength and threat of others, a cunning opportunist, and a heartlessly driven, single-minded bitch. What she is not, and never has been, is a keen observer of the strengths of the people she opposes.

  She sees herself as the biggest and baddest and with her witch and her army and her dragon enforcers at her side, everyone else is deemed irrelevant—insignificant bugs to be flicked away and squashed.

  And while it’s been effective in securing her crown, it won’t be enough for her to keep it.

  The people around her aren’t loyal, they’re simply watching their backs.

  I’m no different.

  She wanted lethal thugs behind her and bought our service from Shadowcaster. In her mind, she owns us. In my mind, she overestimates her hold on our loyalty.

  “You are quiet this morning, Rhylan.” Laryssa exits the StoneHaven Citadel, her briefcase latched to her wrist. After almost two hours of standing around outside the door to the Journey Chamber, she’s emerged with a wicked smile on her face. I have no idea what’s in that case, but I would bet it’s nothing good. “Have a lot on your mind, do you?”

  “As always, Majesty,” I hold my hand out to a small group of people to keep them at a distance while we make our way back to the three-car conveyance. The pedestrians stop, allowing us to pass, and we continue on our way unhindered.

  “Your twin doesn’t seem to suffer from the same mental toiling.”

  I chuckle and open the rear door to the oversized truck. “No, Majesty. Vikarus doesn’t feel the need to think beyond the moment he’s in.”

  “But you do?”

  I hold her fingers and help her slide in. When she’s settled with her briefcase on her lap, I close her door, check the sightlines for any cause for concern and then round the truck. The other two guards take the front seats and I climb in the back with the queen.

  “Quadrant security and the security of the prince involve many shifting factors. Since the rift was opened and Prince Creed was soul-seared and invited the Wolf King into the castle, there have been many new considerations to juggle.”

  She nods. “Yes, many new considerations. You’ve failed to assert yourself as the man of power in more than one instance this week.”

  The truck pulls away from the entrance of the historic center and I watch the old, ivy-covered buildings pass by. “I won’t deny that. Nakotah is an intelligent man driven to unite the realms and safeguard his sister. There have been instances where if I stopped him or Creed from saying or doing things it would’ve become combative.”

  “And what’s wrong with combative?”

  Her tone warns me to choose my words wisely. “Nothing, if the people on the receiving end are standing in direct opposition but the Wolf King and his mates aren’t your enemies.”

  “Aren’t they?”

  Well, they are, but I’m not about to throw that in her face. “They’ve never made any overt move to oppose your authority.”

  “And if they did, what would you do about it?”

  “I’d bring it to you. Until something like that happens, you made it clear to keep things friendly while you assess their usefulness in furthering your cause.”

  “Did I?”

  “Yes.”

  “So, you’re saying it’s because of me and my desires that they have been given a key to the city.”

  I shrug. “If you’re unhappy with their presence and their access to the city, put a stop to it, Majesty. You are the queen.”

  She offers me a cold smile. “Exactly, right, Dragon. I am. Would you mind handing me your weapon?”

  My mind balks at that. “I’m sorry, what?”

  “Your sidearm. I’d like to examine it.”

  My dragon rears its head and an eerie calm settles over me. I breathe deeply, searching the air for the smell of deceit or anxiety from the guards up front.

  “Rhylan? Don’t make me ask you again.”

  Knowing this will bite me in the balls but unable to see a way out of it other than to obey, I unholster my weapon and hand it to the queen.

  After setting it on top of her briefcase, she looks me over and frowns. “The way you hesitated makes me feel as though you don’t trust me, Dragon… or perhaps you are afraid of me.”

  I answer as honestly as I can. “I know you’re displeased with me and you are lethal to those who fail you. I would be a fool not to recognize your power over me and the position it puts me in to surrender my weapon.”

  “You always were the smart one. Yesterday,
I asked the same thing of your twin and Vikarus handed me his sidearm without blinking an eye.”

  I swallow. “As we discussed. He’s not one to assess a situation. He’s reactive, not proactive.”

  “You’re right. Vikarus is a soldier dedicated to doing his duty and not much more beyond that.” Laryssa runs a pointed fingernail along the silver sheen of my weapon and smiles. “I admit, I prefer blind obedience.”

  Slecking hell. My dragon is ascending fast and I fight to hold him back. Shifting in the truck next to the queen would be a bad idea… unless it wouldn’t.

  I turn my gaze on the queen and she sees her demise on the horizon. The stench of panic and fury hit the moment before I’m blasted twice at close range.

  My murderous gaze spins toward the guard in the passenger’s seat up front and I reach forward. I backhand his weapon through the front windshield as my dragon claws pierce the flesh and bone of my human hand. Gripping the column of his throat, I squeeze with crushing force. The snap of bone is incredibly satisfying.

  In a move driven by adrenaline more than thought, I kick the truck door out, grab the queen, and drag her from the car. “You shouldn’t have done that, Laryssa,” I say, my voice vibrating with the instability of needing to shift.

  Two shots catch me in the back and I spin.

  Damn it. The driver shot me with electrical pulses to negate my shift. The other guard had his weapon set to kill. Except, kill a human or fae is different than kill a dragon.

  Still, it slecking hurt, and I’m seriously injured.

  “Let go of me, Rhylan,” the queen sputters. “How dare you betray me.”

  I grunt, hiking her up to grab her around the waist to use as a shield. Gripping the briefcase attached to her wrist, she swings wildly, pelting me with it.

  “You’ve got that backward, bitch. I was loyal. You tried to have me killed. The betrayal is yours.”

  We’re still on the Citidel grounds, the paved roadway lined by manicured greenspaces and walkways leading to other buildings.

  All three trucks have stopped and guards are oozing out of trucks looking baffled.

  “Sorry boys,” I say, meeting the gaze of nine guys I’ve worked with for the past two years. “Laryssa decided to end my employment and thought ambushing me in transit was the best way to do it.”

  Laryssa gives up on beating me with her leather case and takes to flailing like an insane cat. Her claws and teeth slice at my skin as she loses her mind. “How dare you,” she screeches. “I own you.”

  I chuff. “If that’s what you thought, it’s your mistake. Too bad for you.”

  Her men are fanning out and I shake my head. “Don’t bother, guys. Make one move on me, and I snap her neck and we all go back to the castle to tell Creed he can have his life back.”

  “You’d like that,” she hisses. “This wouldn’t have happened if you weren’t sleeping with Creed.”

  I register the shock and revulsion on the faces of men I respect, and I stand taller. “I won’t deny it. Creed and I are together. I’ve always thought he was the rightful ruler of Dornte, but I never would’ve broken my vow to Laryssa or ignored my duty. Betrayal isn’t my thing.”

  Stepping back, I assess my chances of escape. Between the electrical pulses and the damage taken in the car, I won’t be shifting and flying out of here.

  I don’t need to look at my side to realize there’s a hole in me somewhere. The sticky warmth pissing down my hip and thigh tells me it’s bad.

  The odds of me against ten decently trained men aren’t good. The only thing keeping them from coming at me is the purple-skinned bitch going apeshit in my arms. With nowhere to go, I might as well go all in and end the bitch.

  If I’m to die here, at least I’ll know I did my part.

  Reaching around her shoulder, I grip her throat and start to squeeze.

  In the truck, when I crushed the guard’s windpipe, it was the work of a moment. Even in this form, I have the strength of my wild side. No matter how hard I try, I can’t seem to snap Laryssa’s neck.

  “You’d kill me after everything I’ve done for you?”

  “In a heartbeat, bitch. So, why aren’t you dead?”

  Laryssa lets off a long, twisted cackle. “Because I don’t underestimate people nearly as much as you think I do. Everyone in my service has been conditioned by my witch’s magic. You can’t kill me. I’m untouchable.”

  Slecking hell. I hate the sound of that.

  “Move in boys. There’s nothing he can do to me. Rush him and kill him.”

  Her guards look cautious at first.

  Then they aggress.

  Shit. Shit. Shit. There’s only one move. If I stay, I die. I’ve got to go. Backing up, I scan the grounds behind me.

  I’ve got thirty feet of open space before the first bit of cover. And when I say cover, that’s overstating things. There are two, spindly white birch trees with a bench. It’s not even a cement bench. It’s slatted wood which won’t do me much good.

  Beyond that. I’ve got another fifty feet before I get to a building.

  Still, there are no options.

  Only the possibility of distraction.

  Gripping her arm with one hand and the chain of her briefcase with the other, I yank with all my strength. the metal ring slices through her wrist like a knife through butter and the queen lets off an ear-piercing scream.

  Turning, I race for those two twigs growing behind the bench. Arms pumping, legs propelling me forward, I focus on the only chance I’ve got.

  Laser bolts zing past my head as I run.

  I duck, cursing as I close the distance to the pathetic excuse for cover. The fiery sizzle of one shot catches me in the ass.

  I hiss, my footing faltering, but I ignore the pain. All those years of being the favored punching bag of our brood have left me rather unaffected by pain.

  I reach the two little trees and slide in behind them, panting for breath. Normally, I wouldn’t be winded, but I’ve lost a lot of blood and the world is a little spinny.

  Casting a quick glance back, I’m happy to see half the guards tending to the queen. She’s doubled over screaming and shit… there’s a lot of blood.

  I hold up the briefcase and chuckle at the mauve hand dangling from the end of the chain. I may not be able to kill her, but that is almost as good.

  The guards who opted to come after me instead of securing the queen are approaching fast.

  I curse, pushing off the trees, and set my sights on the building.

  I haven’t made it twenty feet when someone hits my back and I’m knocked to the grass.

  “Stay down,” a man shouts, rolling on top of me as the world bursts into a fiery inferno.

  I close my eyes and wince. The heat is excruciating. The guy on top of me must be getting fried alive.

  After a moment, the heat is gone and I shiver at the plummet in temperature. The weight on my back is released and many hands are gripping me and scooping me off the ground.

  “I’ve got you, Rhy,” Creed says, stuffing me into the back of a van. “Where are you hurt?”

  Flopping against the metal floor, I try to catch my breath. “Side, ass, shoulder.”

  “Let me see him,” another voice says.

  Creed backs away and I’m about to protest when he shifts to kneel by my head. His bear, Dillan, takes his place at my side. My shirt is no match for the bear’s strength and a second later, he’s probing the damage to my hip.

  “How is he, Doc?” Creed asks.

  “He’s lost a lot of blood, but Calli’s tears will save his life. Pass me that medical bag.”

  Creed shifts to do as he’s asked and then a glorious white wolf jumps in the back of the van followed by a dark brown and silver one.

  A moment later the front doors open, and slam shut. “Are we good to skedaddle?” the southern jaguar says.

  “Yeah,” Doc says. “Get us out of here, Jaxx.”

  The engine revs and the world rocks. There’s
too much happening and I can’t focus.

  The gentle touch of a female’s hand cups my cheek and then Creed’s wolf is looking down over me. “It’s okay now, Dragon. Close your eyes. We’ve got you. You’re safe.”

  The last thing I remember is shaking my head. “Open the briefcase.”

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Creed

  As Rhy falls slack against the floor of the van, I check with Doc and he shakes his head. “He’s simply passed out. Don’t panic. Grab the vial in the side pocket of our duffle and we’ll get him fixed up.”

  I do the honors and unzip the glass vial of Calli’s phoenix tears from where I saw him stash them a few hours ago.

  Has it only been that long since Rhy punched me in the face?

  I unscrew the top and shift my position to get a better look at the damage he sustained.

  “By the scent of things, the worst is this one here on his side. Cover the wound and let the liquid soak in, then we’ll roll him and do his ass and shoulder.”

  “Hey, look, a souvenir!” Brant chuckles as he holds up a leather briefcase. I blink at the hand still attached to the security cuff. “Do you guys need a hand back there? I could lend you a hand. Many hands make light work.”

  Doc rolls his eyes and points to Rhylan’s pants. “Ignore my brother and undo the dragon’s pants. I need to see the damage done.”

  Brant snorts. “Nah, you don’t fool us, Doc. You just want to see your new mate’s ass.”

  “Here’s an idea,” Doc says, scowling. “Open the fucking briefcase and stop being such a comedian. Our mate was moments away from being killed and still he wanted to ensure we ended up with that case. It might be important.”

  I hadn’t thought about it like that, but yeah. “That’s Laryssa’s briefcase. She takes it with her whenever she’s on one of her fact-finding missions.”

  “Okay,” Jaxx says, pulling into a parking lot and shifting the truck into park. “We’ll pause here and see what we’ve got. Kotah, you run back and check on Calli, Hawk, and Lukas. Bring them back here and maybe we’ll know our next step by the time you return.”

  Keyla opens the two folding back doors of the van and lets her brother out. “Be safe, Wolf King. Bite some ass.” Instead of hopping back inside and closing the door, she checks out the surroundings and smiles. “Oh, StoneHaven is wonderful. Look at these buildings.”