by Bea Paige
“Have you forgotten what has happened these last few days?” Ezra reminds me.
“Of course I haven’t forgotten. May I remind you that I was perfectly fine before you three brought trouble to my doorstep.”
“You were never fine, Accacia,” Nostra interjects. “Your fate was always sealed.”
“The prophecy?”
“Indeed.”
“I still don’t understand how I am supposed to break this curse.”
“Not just you.” Nostra glances between Rhain and Ezra. The look he gives them has me wondering again about the prophecy and whether they are refraining from telling me all of it. “There are four other missing daughters. Each of them must be located and brought back to Ever Vale. Blake returned a few weeks ago. I told him of the prophecy and sent him on his way with the locator stone. I am hopeful he will return shortly with the missing daughter of Clan Spiritus.”
“A few weeks ago? How could he have come to you a few weeks ago? We only saw him the day before yesterday. And how in Light’s name did he find the portal? We didn’t tell him the location,” Rhain says, concern creasing his brow.
“Firstly, he is a wolf. They are gifted trackers, it wouldn’t have taken him much to find your trail. Secondly, as you are probably aware by now, time runs differently here. You may have only seen him yesterday but just over a moon cycle has passed since he came through the portal. It has been almost nine moon cycles since I saw you three last.”
“Nine moon cycles?” Rhain says aghast. “Queen Adrielle will surely have noticed our absence?”
“Relax, brother. On my request, Lissa has told the Queen that you three are hunting a pack of rogue wolf-shifters. It is not unusual for you to be gone for this long. She suspects nothing.”
“Lissa, eh? She has spirit. I liked her when we met.”
A smile flitters across Devin’s face. “Yes, she is indeed very likeable.”
“Who is Lissa?” I ask.
“Lissa works as chamber maid for Adrielle and has access to the Queen’s most inner sanctum. She helped us open the portal into Earth. Lissa is one of us, though she was born to the curse. You see, Queen Adrielle murdered her parents, so she has every reason to want the witch dead. No offence, Nostra,” Rhain says.
“None taken,” he replies.
I raise my eyebrows. “Born to the curse? You mean you can have children?”
“Yes. A female clan member can bear one child. It is cruel, no, to be born into a world of darkness, forced to drink blood to survive, to become the Queen’s property from the moment you are born? It is as Queen Adrielle wished. Lissa is unluckier than most because she must suffer the Queen’s demands daily.”
“But isn’t she afraid of getting caught?”
Nostra looks at me and frowns, tapping the table with his fingers. “She is clever, she will survive.”
“You say nine moon cycles have passed since Rhain, Ezra and Devin left. How long is a moon cycle exactly?” I ask, a thread of worry circling through my thoughts.
“One moon cycle is the time it takes for the full moon to go through its different faces and become full once again,” Nostra explains.
“On Earth we refer to that amount of time as a month, or thereabouts… So, that would mean one day on Earth is approximately a month here in Ever Vale.” My hand flies to my mouth, covering my shock when I realise what that means for Clover.
“Oh my god. The last time I spoke to Clover was almost two Earth weeks ago. Which means she has been here in Ever Vale for months. She’s probably dead already,” I say, tears instantly pricking my eyes. The guilt I feel is immense. I should have gone to find her the moment I arrived in Ever Vale, but that would have meant Rhain’s death and even considering that makes me feel sick.
Nostra places his hand over mine. “Erza told me of the pods you found. He explained that your friend Clover is an arborist and what that means. I do not believe your friend is dead. I believe she has been taken by the fae. Clan Terra were a people who cultivated the land, and for half a century now the forest has been sick. They may have taken her to ensure their survival. There is also something else I must explain…”
“Go on,” I say, relief that she could still be alive calming the rising sickness I feel.
“I visited the Forbidden forest some years ago to tell the fae of the prophecy. I took them the stone which I spelled to find their missing clan daughter.” Nostra turns to Ezra and holds his hand out.
I watch as Ezra drops a huge emerald into Nostra’s palm. “Ezra found this stone amongst the foliage of the pods back at your friend’s place.”
“You mean...?” I start.
“Yes. I believe Clover is none other than the missing daughter of Clan Terra.”
I sit back in my chair, shaking my head. “I don’t believe it. All this time we’ve been friends, and we had no idea about our past or where we came from. What are the chances?”
“I do not believe in coincidence, but I do believe in fate. You were destined to be friends. Before the curse, the people of Clan Lux and the people of Clan Terra were close. Their crops grew abundantly next to the Light fields, that is why the Forbidden forest grows next to it now.” Nostra hands me the emerald. “If you wish to find your friend, you will need to use this to locate her.”
“Will it work? Rhain said the stones were spelled in such a way that only the clan’s men chosen to find the missing daughter could use them.”
“That is quite correct, but you are forgetting one thing. I am a witch and that was my spell. I have updated it for you.”
“Hold on a moment, Nostra. Accacia is not going into the Forbidden forest,” Rhain says adamantly. “You are the only person who has ever returned from that place. It is not safe. Why don’t you go back? It should not be Accacia.”
“That would be unwise. The fae did not take kindly to my intrusion the last time. Besides, I cannot leave here. I am hopeful Blake will return soon. Then there are the angels…”
“You mean to say that you have already persuaded Clan Vitae to find their missing clan’s daughter?” Rhain says.
“Actually, that was Lissa. She was the one who persuaded the angels, not me. As I said, she is quite gifted. Queen Adrielle has quite the foe in young Lissandra.”
“I hope to meet her one day,” I say.
“You will. But first we must discuss your journey ahead. You are determined to find her, yes?” Nostra says, stating the obvious.
“Yes.”
“I will take Accacia,” Ezra interrupts. “We had a bargain, Accacia and I. She promised to undergo the Claiming and in return I agreed to take her into the Forbidden forest. Once that promise is fulfilled I am indebted no longer and will be free to return to the Light as I choose.”
“You made this bargain with Ezra… you didn’t want to undergo the Claiming?” Rhain appears hurt, which surprises me a little.
I take hold of his hand. “Yes, it’s true. I was so worried for Clover, it was all I had to bargain with. Then, once I found out that you had returned here to sacrifice yourself, I realised I didn’t want you to die…”
“You didn’t want the guilt, you mean.”
“No, that is not what I mean. I didn’t want you to die because I care for you, because I wanted you in return,” I say quietly.
“I am glad of that, Cia,” Rhain says, brushing a tender kiss across my lips.
Nostra turns from watching our exchange to address Ezra, his strange purple eyes glowing. I’m certain that if I look close enough, I’ll see flames alight in them.
“So, you are still intent on killing yourself?”
“We have discussed this, Nostra. I cannot betray Thalia’s memory. The Joining was sacred, and I have no desire to partake in that ceremony with anyone else again.”
“But Thalia is dead, brother. It has been a thousand years, you are joined to her no more,” Rhain says.
Ezra stands and yanks Rhain’s collar, bringing his face close to his own. His eyes are full o
f rage, of hurt and pain. “Don’t you think I know that? I have missed her every damn day of my Light’s forsaken life. I loved her, I loved our daughter. No one can replace them. Now, or ever.” He lets go of Rhain, who sinks back in his chair, silent.
Ezra is breathing heavily and I feel for him, I do. Yet I cannot help but feel hurt by his words. “Ezra, I am sorry for your loss, truly. I would never wish to replace your wife. I just want…” I sigh. What do I want? I’m honestly not sure. Part of me wants to not feel responsible for his decision. After all, if I hadn’t run from them and burnt so severely, Ezra wouldn’t have felt obliged to give me his blood. Another part of me, the part that is confused by these strange new feelings, wants Ezra to want me. Who is this person I have become? First Rhain, then Devin and now Ezra. This isn’t me, or at least not the me I knew before these men, vampires, came into my life.
“I will help you find your friend and then I will take my life. That is my decision,” Ezra says softly. He looks at me, but his eyes do not meet mine.
“And what of the prophecy? What of the fate of your clan, your brothers, Accacia? Have you not considered what your actions would mean for them?” Nostra says in frustration.
“Once I have helped Accacia, you must choose someone else to be the third. It does not have to be me,” Ezra says, avoiding my gaze.
“Are you certain of that?” Rhain asks.
“I am.”
Nostra catches me looking at Ezra and our eyes meet. “Then so be it,” he says.
“This is stupid, dangerous. We’ve only just got Accacia back and both of you are willing to risk her life? I do not agree. I forbid you to go,” Rhain says.
“Forbid me?” I laugh. “You may have claimed my body, Rhain, but you haven’t claimed my own free will. I need to know Clover is okay. Nothing will stop me from finding her, not even you. This is non-negotiable.”
Behind us the door opens and Devin walks in, breaking the sudden tension that has filled the room. “Well then, it looks like we are all taking a trip into the Forbidden forest. When do we leave?”
Epilogue
Ezra
The pain I feel is unbearable, as though my lifeblood is leaking free from my chest with every cursed beat of my heart. I deserve every second of the pain. This is my punishment for not saving my beloved Thalia and Roseanna. This is what I deserve. In that moment, when I gave Accacia my blood, I only had thoughts of healing her. To see her suffer so has brought back too many painful memories. Memories I have tried to forget. But I cannot forget. Their screams haunt me still. I should have run into the Light fields and died alongside them. Instead, I hid inside our home, too afraid of the sun that I had once worshipped and revered.
I have lived too long with the memories and the guilt of what I failed to do that day. I saved Accacia from the pain because I couldn’t save the ones I loved. I could have relinquished my promise. I could have walked away from Accacia, from my brothers, and returned to the Light, but I did not.
I am a man of my word.
Now, as we step into the Forbidden forest, I pray to the Goddess Solaria to keep those I care for safe and hope that this time she listens.
The End
Sisters of Hex Series
#1 Accacia’s Curse
#2 Accacia’s Blood
#3 Accacia’s Bite
Accacia’s Curse is the first book of the Sisters of Hex paranormal romance/reverse harem series. There will be fifteen books in the series revolving around the five sisters mentioned in the prophecy. Each sister will have a three-book mini-series dedicated to them and their paranormal suitors. The first three books are about Accacia and her vampire lovers. Then there will be Fern and her angels, Clover and her Fae, Dannika and her wolf-shifters and lastly, Zinnia and her demi-gods.
Please note each book is a full-length novel of approximately 40-45k words.
Coming up next is Accacia’s Blood, releasing December 2017.
Order link: https://books2read.com/AccaciasBlood
Accacia’s Blood
After saving Rhain from an agonising death, Accacia is determined to find her missing friend Clover and rescue her from the mysterious Fae. With the assistance of her vampire knights, the group head into the Forbidden forest of Ever Vale and into a world of mystery and magic.
Drawn deeper into the depths of the wood, Accacia learns what it is to have courage, to fight for the ones you love and to know when to let them go.
For an up to date list of books by Kelly Stock / Bea Paige please visit: https://kellystockauthor.wordpress.com/books-galore/
Books by Kelly Stock
Who is Kelly Stock, I hear you ask? Well she is me! Bea Paige is in fact my not so secret pen name. If you like Accacia’s Curse and want to give my urban fantasy series a read, then why not check them out?
Secrets & Souls – prequel to The Soul Guide
The Soul Guide – book one of The Soul Guide series
Tortured Souls – book two of The Soul Guide series
For an up to date list of books by Kelly Stock / Bea Paige please visit: https://kellystockauthor.wordpress.com/books-galore/
Author’s Note
This book is dedicated to Laura Greenwood, Skye MacKinnon, Arizona Tape, Cece Rose and G.Bailey. Without you guys, I wouldn’t have had the courage to write this book. Thank you all for your support, giggles, late night and early morning chats, kidnap plans and for everything circular and aubergine shaped! Here’s to many more future successes and, of course, world domination! If you want to check out what Laura, Skye, Ari and I are getting up to in The Flock, please come chat with us all here:
https://www.facebook.com/theAuthorFlock/
Huge thanks must go to my newly found readers! I truly hope you enjoyed Accacia’s Curse and will continue the Sisters of Hex journey with me! I’m looking forward to hearing what you all think. Please do consider leaving a review, they truly are like gold to authors, or wine, or possibly Haribo sweets, depending on what tickles our fancy.
Lastly, as always, to my family who put up with my mildly crazy ramblings about paranormal creatures and forbidden forests. Without your constant understanding and support these words would never be written. Love you above all else.
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