Abandonment.
Grief.
Sorrow.
Most importantly, never feeling like I was good enough.
The king and my parents had all abandoned me for essentially the same reasons. The irony was not lost on me, even though I did my best to never relive those moments of my life.
My hands were splayed out at my sides, sparks shooting off them as I made the choice to unleash the hold on everything that I was. All it took was seeing King Zephyr’s all-knowing smirk to break the last of my control.
The moment I began to slowly let go of my hold, so did Finn. He was headed toward Dain with a dagger in each hand, but I paid him no more attention. We each had our own battles to fight at the moment, and for me to win mine, I had to push all cares out of mind. Even for Finn.
“What do you think you’re going to do, Lucinda? You can’t beat me. All you’ve done is help relieve one of my headaches with the Renegades,” the king said without a worry in his deep voice.
“I’m going to kill you,” I said calmer than even I thought was possible.
The wave of power I’d been releasing was ready for full impact, and I didn’t hesitate to unleash everything I had in me. Every fear, hurt, care. All of it went with my magic until I could no longer feel any of it.
Finn had already advanced on Dain who had zero fighting skills. I wasn’t even sure why the king had bothered to recruit him in the first place, but he’d gotten lucky that Dain ended up with Ivy. Now, King Zephyr had something to hold over us.
Finn and Dain weren’t far enough away to avoid the radius of the magical blast I’d unleashed toward the king. Finn stumbled forward, and it appeared as if the knife he was holding went straight into Dain as they crashed into the ground together.
Neither of them was moving, and I wanted to care whether or not Finn might have been seriously hurt, but King Zephyr was already retaliating, and I had to switch my focus back to him.
My suit absorbed most of the impact from the king’s return blast, but still, my chest burned with the amount of dark magic he was yielding. Ivy might have saved his life, but she hadn’t taken away the power the Renegades tried to kill him with.
“You turned out to be such a disappointment, Lucinda. When your parents begged me to kill you, I thought they were so foolish. Your wings held so much power, it would have been a waste to take you out with the trash. Or, so I had assumed. Now, I see they had been right all along.”
I couldn’t ignore his words. His mental hold over me was coming back, as if I was a child again and no time at all had passed. All of the years I’d spent telling myself I wasn’t weak didn’t matter. No matter my accomplishments, I was back to believing I was nothing.
No, we are not worthless. Get up and fight him. Show him what he created, the voice inside me demanded, allowing a renewed sense of purpose to fill me instead of the fear of that little girl I’d once been who only wanted the king’s approval.
Slowly, my dark magic began stripping away everything I had been. Feelings disappeared, one by one, and not just the weak ones. Even my fury was gone by the time the power within was done shaping me into the fae I needed to be in that moment. A fae without humanity. A fae who only cared about one thing.
Killing the king.
“You’re going to die,” I said matter-of-factly.
King Zephyr cocked his head to the side. “I tried to do that to you for years. I have to say I’m impressed you finally figured out how to turn it all off. You always did care too much about the little guy. Too bad you’re too late. I have no use for you now.”
He snapped his fingers, and pinpricks of agony settled into my skin and along my wings, but I didn’t stop my forward motion. While I mentally acknowledged there should be pain slowing me down, I felt nothing physically. I wouldn’t let anything stop me from the goal I’d committed to.
The king’s jaw tensed, the only sign he might be afraid of me, even in the slightest.
“You can’t kill me,” he said before releasing another wave of power, this one snapping a few bones in my wings.
Still, I didn’t stop.
Instead, I lunged for him, my hands reaching out and wrapping around his neck as shock traveled through my body. He wasn’t giving up, and even though he was the closest to an immortal any fae could get, I refused to give up as well.
There was no fear of death inside me. I only had one purpose in that moment, and if I couldn’t fulfill it, then I didn’t deserve to live anyway.
Our dark magic connected, and I got another taste of what had nearly killed King Zephyr. The power inside me danced around his, calling it forward, begging it to come closer.
We will take what is ours, the voice in my head cooed.
A small part of me knew that wasn’t right. We didn’t need anything from the king. We just needed him dead, but the dark magic quickly snuffed out any doubts.
“What are you doing to me?” the king screeched as his navy magic began to join with mine, and wrinkles formed around his face.
“Taking what is mine,” I hissed, even though I had no idea what that was.
His arms surged forward, slamming into my chest, power rattling my bones and causing me to release him. “We’re done here,” he roared.
“We’re done when I say so,” I snarled in return, except he was too quick. He’d come alone and already had an exit plan. I should have known better when he appeared with only Dain by his side.
Finn yelled something unintelligible, grabbing King Zephyr’s attention. I moved back in to attack while the king was distracted, but the stricken look on his face made me look at what had caused it.
Dain’s head was removed from his body and Finn was covered in blood. I tried to be proud of him, and the emotions began swirling within me, but my inner darkness snuffed the thoughts out.
We don’t need him. Focus on the king.
Before I could do just that, power blasted off King Zephyr, pushing me further back. “You killed my son!”
What in the actual hell? That information even gave the inner me pause right before glee took over at the anguish King Zephyr was feeling.
“This isn’t over,” he muttered before disappearing in a cloud of swirling magic.
The king was right. I was nowhere near done with him. Not as long as he was still breathing.
We must hunt him while he’s weak, my inner voice demanded.
Finn stalked toward me, his hands wrapping around my shoulders, and then hissed when my skin burned him. “What happened to you?”
“Exactly what I needed.” I turned, but he reached for me again and forced me to face him, this time using magic to protect his hands.
“Where are you going? What about my sister? We need to find where Dain took her.” Finn was expecting something more from me, but he was going to be disappointed.
I couldn’t help him or Ivy any longer.
My wings spread, effectively pushing Finn away. Then, with one snap, an unexpected gust of wind sent him tumbling to the ground. My left wing hung lower than the right, but I ignored the injuries and focused on what was to come next as I soared into the sky.
I had only one task left, and whether it ended in my death or the king’s, I wouldn’t stop until it was done.
I had to destroy the last of my demons before they could do the same to me.
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Also by Heather Renee
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Shadow Veil Academy
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Blood of the Sea Series
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Standalone
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Acknowledgments
After so many books, I almost feel like this section gets repetitive… LOL But it doesn’t make the rockstars in my life any less important!
For my husband and daughter. Without your support and encouragement, I would have never been brave enough to create all these books!
For Jamie Holmes, my bestie and editor. I dream of our next getaway!
My assistant Michelle Fritz, your kindness is something I will always cherish. Keep being you!
Ms. Jane Catherine. You are a gift and I adore everything that you are!
My cover designer Jay. You make my life so much easier with your talent. Please don’t ever leave me!
To the new friends I’ve made this year and the readers I’ve been blessed to get to know. I couldn’t continue without all of your support.
Lots of love and hugs to you all!
About the Author
Heather Renee is a USA Today bestselling author who lives in Oregon. She writes urban fantasy and paranormal romance novels with a mixture of adventure, humor, and sass. Her love of reading eventually led to her passion for writing and giving the gift of escapism.
When Heather’s not writing, she is spending time with her loving husband and beautiful daughter, going on their own adventures. For more ways to connect with her, visit www.HeatherReneeAuthor.com.
Dark Fae Cursed (Broken Court Book 1) Page 19