by Kim Loraine
Their Shadow Queen
The Shadow Court Harem Book 1
Kim Loraine
Copyright © 2018 by Kim Loraine
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Cover design: Olivia Pro Designs
Contents
I. Queen of the Shadow Court
Author’s Note
Prologue
1. Maeve
2. Jensen
3. Finn
4. Maeve
5. Maeve
6. Finn
7. Maeve
8. Maeve
9. Maeve
10. Finn
11. Maeve
12. Jensen
II. Dark Ember
13. Maeve
14. Finn
15. Maeve
16. Christian
17. Jensen
18. Maeve
19. Maeve
20. Christian
21. Maeve
22. Maeve
23. Finn
24. Maeve
25. Maeve
26. Jensen
27. Maeve
28
Their Vampire Princess
1
Also by Kim Loraine
About the Author
Part I
Queen of the Shadow Court
Author’s Note
Dear reader,
Once upon a time I wrote a couple of serials under a pseudonym. It was fun, and the pen name was something I thought necessary due to the reverse harem genre. Then my fantastic readers embraced them and I decided it was time to republish under my name.
For those of you who’ve already read my Harlow Thomas books, this is the first two books in the Shadow Court Harem. No changes, just a pretty new cover and me claiming my work. The second part will be released in early 2019.
For those who are new to me, thanks for taking a chance on a steamy reverse harem story. Enjoy Maeve and her men.
xoxo,
Kim
Prologue
The Lost Princess
Jensen
My stomach churns with nerves as I lead my army back to the circle of stones that will return us to the fae world. I’m thankful we will soon be back at the Shadow Court, there is too much at risk with the majority of our warriors being here, ready to fight for the Night Court’s vampire queen.
“We shouldn’t have come. Something is wrong, I can feel it in the stones.” Finn, my second in command, my best friend, mutters his displeasure by my side.
Shaking my head, I turn my gaze to his. “King Soren did what he thought was right and sent us to aid Felicity and her consorts. This is what he does. He collects debts from other kingdoms so when he calls, they come. Because one day, they will need to come.”
Finn’s not happy. His lips press into a thin line, but he doesn’t push the issue. This is a big part of why he’s invaluable to me. He knows when it’s worthwhile to argue. Now is not the time.
As soon as we’re through the portal and back in our own land, I know he was right. Something is wrong. My gut curls and a cold sweat breaks out across my skin at the acrid scent in the air. Smoke billows from the palace and the world around us is filled with the taste of dark magic. “Ready your arrows!” I call back. “The castle is under attack.”
The slide of wood against their bows lets me know the warriors are ready to defend our kingdom to the death.
Calling my own magic to my hands, I pull as much strength from the air around me as possible. It burns through my veins and sends the scent of lightning curling in my nose. That’s not supposed to happen. My magic never causes me pain. Crouching, I creep through the brush, trying to maintain quiet and cover. The screams of wounded fae stab through my heart. I wasn’t here. I left to protect a different kingdom and now my people are dying. Finn was right. We shouldn’t have gone to aid the vampire queen.
“What is this?” Finn asks, tension thick in his voice.
“Rebellion.”
His hand goes to the blade he has at his hip. “The queen. We have to get to her.”
Nodding, I stare at him, hoping he’ll understand the urgency of my request. “Keep the soldiers back. Surround the entry points, prepare to fight.”
He gives a curt jut of his chin toward the castle. “And when do we file in? Do you plan to just take down any adversary on your own?”
He’s right. Again. “Bring them after I pass the gates.”
I stand, holding my magic at the ready. It’s not far to the palace walls, and in a few short minutes, I’m there. My stomach turns to stone at the sight of the once majestic gates. Now their magic is broken, the protective barrier wide open, and mangled. What could have done this? Blood runs between cobblestones mixing with the earth under my feet.
With everything I have, I rush inside and all I see is carnage. Dead members of court litter the ground, people I’ve known my whole life. Their wounds are tinged with black poison which can only be caused by iron. I glance around, trying to find some evidence of the rebels, or possibly survivors. But the screams I heard earlier are silent now. Everything is still and quiet.
Why would the rebels leave? It makes no sense for them to take the castle only to leave it undefended.
“Oh, God! Someone help!” The words echo off the walls around me, and I know that voice. Queen Astrid calls to me.
My army files in, looks of pure horror on their faces as they see the demise of everything we’ve known, but I run. I run faster than I thought possible to get to my Queen. She screams in agony, a piercing, guttural sound.
As I dash up the stairs, past more bodies of the fallen, a blinding pain slices across my thigh, cutting me down. A courtier stands with his hand pressed against the hallway wall, his other holding an iron blade.
“You were supposed to die at the hands of the vampires.” His voice is roughened by pain and when he lunges for me, I see blood coating his shirt. The wound in his belly is mortal, but he’s already gotten a strike in on me. I can’t let him get another if I want to survive and save my queen.
“Victor, you traitor. Fight me like a man.” I push my magic at him, the force of the energy sending him to the floor. Then, without ceremony, I pull an iron tipped arrow from my quiver and take aim.
“You’re too late, warrior. They’ve won, we’ve taken the throne.”
Letting loose the arrow, I watch him jerk as it sinks deep into his chest. In mere moments his eyes go glassy and he breathes his last.
My leg throbs and gives out as the pain overtakes me. A bloodcurdling scream careens down the hall from the door to the queen’s chambers. Groaning, I force myself to my feet at the sound of the queen’s pain. I fight through the burn in my blood as I limp down the hall, my heart in my throat at the sight of the queen’s two sisters laying in front of the door to her chambers. They’re covered in blood, their eyes closed as though in sleep. Relief courses through me when I see them both breathing in shallow pants. They’re alive. For now.
After carefully moving them, I shove the door hard with my shoulder, but something is blocking my way. My thigh throbs and I feel ill from the effects of the poison in my blood. But Queen Astrid needs me. I push harder, until the door gives way and I stumble into the room. Looking down at my feet, my heart breaks at the sight of my king, his eyes staring vacantly and his throat cut.
The queen screams from her place on the bed, blood covering the sheets. “Help me, Jensen.”
She gasps for breath, tears streaming down her cheeks and I see the wound in her side. Despai
r grips me. She’s barely holding on.
A high, reedy cry pierces the air and Queen Astrid pulls her newborn babe to her chest.
“A girl. I have a daughter. She will be our next queen.”
Glancing around at the scene before us, I hesitate to tell her that the kingdom is lost. “Your majesty—“
“Jensen, you must take her. She can’t be here when they come for her. They will kill her, just like they’ve done to all of us. Take her to the white lady. Tell her to save her.” The queen’s voice is soft and weak, but I can’t see a wound that would lead to her deterioration.
“My lady, you will care for her.”
She hands me the babe before gripping a blanket and thrusting it at me. “She must not return until it is safe…”
Wrapping the child in the blanket, I stare down at the woman I’ve sworn fealty to as she fades away and dies while I am powerless to help.
Finn
When Jensen emerges from the castle, I know all is lost. My heart hurts with the gravity of our situation. Rebellion isn’t a word any soldier wants to hear.
“Jensen, where is the king?” I ask.
All he does is shake his head. “Hold the castle!” he cries, tucking a blanket under his arm. Is he wounded? Blood soaks his thigh and I quickly realize that our leader is gravely injured. If he doesn’t get help soon he’ll succumb to his poisoning.
Half of the warriors abandoned us after finding their families slaughtered. Cowards. But the rebels are no where to be found and I can’t fathom why.
“I need to get to the white lady, but I’m wounded. Can you help me?” Jensen’s face is lined with pain.
“Of course. Where are you hurt?”
“My leg. It’s deep. I’ll need a horse, and…” he sways on his feet. “Fuck, I need you to carry her.”
Her? Who? “What are you talking about?”
He shoves the blanket into my hands and a soft cry comes from the bundle. “Our queen.”
My chest tightens when I look down at the face of the newborn. She is our future. “What can the white lady do?”
He shakes his head. “I don’t know, but this is what Queen Astrid has asked of me and I’ll give my last breath to see this child safe.”
Nodding, I cradle the baby to my chest and let Jensen sling his arm around my shoulders. He leans against me as we make our way to the stables, only stopping when we see a group of archers manning the gate.
“Send Torren to lead the troops. The rebels may return to take the throne. But Saskia and Imogen still live. They need tending, but from what I saw, they weren’t mortally wounded. The king and queen may be dead, but their line is not. Protect the queen’s sisters at all cost and don’t let the rebels take the castle. There’s still a chance they can hold them off,” Jensen orders, his words laced with tension.
The archers nod simultaneously and head for Torren, who has already rallied the remaining army. “We’ll hold them,” Torren says. “We have to. The Shadow Court will not fall.”
I help Jensen get astride his horse and manage my own mount with the little queen sleeping soundly cradled in my arm. It’s half a day’s ride to the white lady’s temple, and honestly, I don’t know if we will make it that long. The baby will need to eat, Jensen needs to be seen by a healer, and the rebels are out here somewhere. Surely they’ll be on the look out for us.
“Jensen, are you sure this is what we should do? Shouldn’t the queen’s sisters be the ones to care for the baby?”
He grunts and shakes his head. “I serve Queen Astrid and she said to take the baby to the white lady for a reason.”
I don’t argue. The queen was not a woman known for mincing words. She was always honest and thoughtful. Jensen is right. If the queen bade him to do this, it was with purpose.
Hours later we come to a stop outside a winding path blocked by vines. The white lady’s temple is sacred. No one who wishes to do her harm may enter, and the living vines see to that. One ill thought about the blessed faerie woman and the winding things claim their next meal in the form of the creature who threatens their mistress.
“Why do you come to me?” a disembodied voice whispers on the wind, making me fight a shiver.
“The king and queen of the Shadow Court are dead. Murdered in cold blood.”
“But you hold the royal bloodline in your hands,” the voice says.
I suppress a protective growl. “Their daughter. Born only hours earlier.”
“And you come to me for help?”
Dismounting, we both stand before her temple. Jensen’s brow is beaded with sweat, his face etched with pain. He sighs before sitting heavily on a large stone. “Queen Astrid gave instructions that we take her to you. She said to tell you to save her.”
The vines part, rustling and moving like snakes slithering away from us. My breath catches as the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen walks toward us. Her hair is snow white but her skin is dark as ink.
“Hand me the babe,” she says.
I don’t want to give the child up. I have to keep her safe. This witch is a deadly and dangerous savior.
“Finn, give her the baby,” Jensen says.
Reluctantly, I hand over the little queen and when the white lady gazes down at her, she offers a smile. “Hello little lamb. I’ve spoken many times to your mother.”
My brows furrow at her words. “The Queen kept your acquaintance?”
Blazing irises lock onto mine and make my skin crawl. “Do you think she was so above one such as me? The Queen feared for her daughter’s safety. We’ve planned for this since before she was conceived. Maeve will be protected. She will be sent somewhere and kept safe until her time to rule arrives.”
Maeve. The name hits me in the chest. As though giving the baby a moniker makes her more real. “When will that be?” I ask.
“In twenty-one years, when she comes of age. Until then, you will help protect the realm, but when she returns, it is you who will be hers.” Her eyes turn an opaque white, lids fluttering. “You two and one other who is not yet in our realm.” She closes her eyes and warmth spreads through me, a slight burning taking hold over my skin. Jensen must feel it as well because he sucks in a sharp breath.
“What did you just do to us?” My voice is filled with trepidation. I’ve heard of the white lady’s magic being strong and sometimes terrible.
“If you’re to be hers, you must be healthy and strong. I’ve healed your wound, Jensen. From now until she takes her place you will not age, but take care not to risk yourselves. You are still vulnerable to mortal wounds.”
“So, we’re going to be her guardians?” Jensen asks.
“No. She will be a changeling, living as a human. But when she returns, be ready to serve her. She is your queen and you are hers.”
“Hers?” I ask.
The white lady nods. “It is fated.” Then, she is covered in a fine mist and the vines begin to return to their place. We couldn’t get to her now if we wanted to. And a big part of me wants to. If the little queen is mine and I am hers, there should be nothing stopping me from protecting her.
“Wait! My lady!” I call after her.
The vines stop closing in and the lady steps forward. “Yes?”
“If she’s in the human world, shouldn’t one of us go with her? How can we keep her safe if we’re not there?”
She frowns. “I will watch over her from afar.”
“No. I can’t guarantee she’ll be safe if you’re only watching. Send me with her.”
Cocking an eyebrow, she smiles. “Already so willing to sacrifice for her. I won’t send you now, but when the time comes, I will call upon you. But, brave warrior, when you’re sent to the human world you will have little of your fae abilities.”
I nod my understanding.
“Then it is settled. I will send you when the time is right and you will aid in bringing the queen of the Shadow Court back to her rightful throne.”
“If he goes, I go,” Jensen says, cutt
ing me a look of concern.
She sighs. “As you wish. But I must warn you, do not give in to your desires while you are in the human world. You must not act on your feelings for the queen or risk breaking the spell and showing yourself for what you truly are and putting her at risk. There will be many who wish to find and destroy her before she can make her return to the Shadow Court.”
“She is just a child. I only have feelings of loyalty.”
My sentiments echo his but before I can add my thoughts, the lady speaks.
“For now.”
Before I can say another word, she closes the vines and she and the infant queen are gone. Leaving us in silence.
“What did she mean by that?” I ask.
“I don’t know, but I fear if we don’t return to the castle soon, there won’t be a Shadow Court for our queen to rule.”
With one glance back at the wall of vines, I walk away from the temple of the white lady with nothing but a glimmer of hope that we did the right thing by sending the child away.
Jensen
Twenty years later
I wake in the middle of the night, my body covered in a cold sweat and the scar on my thigh burning. Rubbing at the raised line across my skin, I frown and wince when the burn intensifies. What is happening to me? This hasn’t hurt since the white lady healed me twenty years ago.
My gut churns and a strange tug in my chest has me out of bed and pulling on clothes before I can stop myself. The air smells of lightning and magic. It’s then I realize what I need to do. The white lady calls to me. I am needed. My queen needs me. Stumbling out into the night air, I look around at the quiet village, falling into ruin without a proper queen to rule and provide. It’s almost time for her to return.