by Elle Boon
She took a fortifying breath and made her way back up, passing one of the other girls who served alcohol to Mac and his buddies. How nobody had caught on to them being out in the middle of the area, their little city outside of the city, still flabbergasted her. “None of your business, Nene. You’re out in one week.”
Coti heard her whispered words and fought the urge to make her tell him what her plans were. The closer he got to where she was, he smelled them. His wolf snarled. The men at the gate had been human, but these men, they were not. He’d walked right into pack territory that wasn’t his and was about to find out just who he was fighting that night. Coti had a feeling it wasn’t going to be nearly as easy as he’d thought.
Dark Embrace
Jenna’s Story
Chapter One
Jenna rolled to the side, the taste of copper filling her mouth making it hard to swallow. She squinted, trying to figure out where she was without making too much noise. The room was huge. Like something out of a fairytale. The thought had the breath freezing in her throat. Her hand went to her cheek, feeling for the cut that had burned like acid soaking straight to her bones. When her fingers felt nothing other than smooth skin, she exhaled, hoping it had only been a nightmare. “Then where the fuckity fuck am I?” she whispered into the quiet of the room.
Shoving the blanket off her legs, Jenna scooted to the edge, her first thought was to blink her way back to her realm now that her mind was clearing. With every inhale of breath, she knew her guys were near, but she couldn’t get a clear read on where exactly. Damien and Lucas Cordell, the princes of, well, she wasn’t exactly sure what as their father was the Vampire King who was mated to a wolf shifter. Being the eldest of their children, and twins, she guessed they were next in line to take over if he should ever step down. The last time she’d seen the powerful king, he was no closer to releasing his title than she was. Being the Fey Queen for thousands of years was something she was proud of, yet it was also a burden. The memory of the time when the Goddess had revealed herself to Jenna came flooding back to her in a rush, making her feel lightheaded.
The garden of the Goddess was always a place Jennaveve felt she could go to when life, or more aptly, the fighting, became too much. Today, she was bone weary of all the warring between her kind and the others in the Fey Realm. Watching friends become enemies. Lovers become the complete opposite as they, along with families, destroyed each other, all over their thirst for power. The need for more. Always more, whether it was magic or land, it was always bloody and filled with the stench of death, and she was tired of watching, waiting for it to come to her door. “Dear Goddess, I’m ever so tired,” she sighed.
“Ah, my sweet Jennaveve, you are far stronger than you give yourself credit for,” a lilting voice whispered over the lilac fields.
Jenna jerked into an upright position, searching around her for the source of the voice. Oh, she knew who the speaker was, had heard the Goddess in her head hundreds of times in the three centuries she’d been alive, but not once had she actually thought to hear it out loud. Maybe she was hallucinating?
“You are quite lucid, child,” the Goddess laughed. The sound like silver bells, only much more—magical.
She wasn’t sure if she should stand, or kneel, or bow. Heck, she wasn’t sure which direction to face or if she should face the ground and beg for forgiveness. Her entire body quivered out of fear. What had she done to bring notice from the Goddess?
“You should do none of the above, my sweet. Sit, let’s take a moment and enjoy the quiet before the storm.” The Goddess’s soothing voice was like a caress.
Her mouth went dry as she stood. “I’m sorry for...interrupting your space,” Jenna sputtered. Dear Goddess, she was speaking to the Goddess. Holy crap! A golden glow became almost solid, projecting the most beautiful form Jenna had ever seen, eclipsing everything else and stealing her breath as she stared.
The Goddess waved her hand. “No apologies. Sit with me.”
Fear had her doing as she was told without question. The ethereal woman sat next to her, their legs almost touching as she took a blade of grass between her fingers. “What would you wish for if you had just one wish, Jennaveve?”
A lump formed in her throat as she thought of what to say.
“There is no right or wrong answer, only the truth,” the Goddess instructed.
Knowing the being next to her would know if she didn’t speak from the heart, Jenna licked her lips. Her mind spun. The first thing most would ask for would probably be power, but Jenna didn’t crave the same as the rest of her kind. She’d always been different, which made her more of an outsider in many, if not most, circles, even in her home with her family. What she truly wanted, if she could have one wish, was something her Fey family would scoff at, but in her soul, was what she yearned for. Without hesitating, she took a deep breath, taking in the sweet scent of lilacs, and released it. “I want to be able to rest without fear and have my people do the same each night.”
A golden hand brushed lightly over the top of her head, making the tension that had invaded her as she’d spoken ease. Instant lightness flowed through Jenna. “All my children should feel this way,” the Goddess agreed. “This is why you were born to be queen. You, my sweet Jennaveve, are my greatest creation. You are destined to be the Queen of the Fey Realm. From this moment on, you will be the one to bring peace to all of Fey, and with my powers inside you, you’ll be the strongest, most powerful being in all the realms.”
“I don’t...what do you mean?” Jenna whispered, her throat barely allowed the words to come out as knowledge began to flood her. A strange power pulsed within her veins.
“All of the beings here in Fey are my children, but you my child, you were created with more. You are a part of me, created by me, from me, for this purpose.” Her lilting words were filled with power. The Goddess ran her palms around Jenna, speaking words that Jenna couldn’t interpret, but as the last words rang out, a surge had Jenna crying out, forks of white hot power sent her falling onto her back.
“What’s happening to me? We are all your children,” she gasped out. More knowledge and power filled every fiber of her being, shredding her from the inside out. Jenna feared she was going to explode as the pain increased.
“It’s okay, Jennaveve. I’m sorry for the suffering you are feeling, but it’s almost done. The power has always been inside you. I just needed to unlock it.” The Goddess shook her head; a tear rolled down her cheek completely unnoticed by her.
The urge to reach up and wipe the moisture away had Jenna trying to lift her arm, but the movement was too much effort.
“See, that is why you are the Queen. Yes, all here are my children. However, many years ago, too many for me to recall, I had a vision. In it, I saw the need for one such as you. In the way of my kind, I created what I knew would be the savior of this realm and beyond, then waited for the right time. You needed time to...well, for lack of better terms, experience enough of life to mold you into what you needed to become, before bestowing the mantel of what you were destined to be. That time is now, Jennaveve,” the Goddess said, her words echoed around them with authority.
Finally, as the pain was subsiding, and she no longer felt as if her body was being shredded, she was able to take a deep breath without feeling like thousands of knives were digging into her. Moving her head didn’t take as much effort, so she rolled her neck to the left and looked at the Goddess who was sitting calmly staring off into the distance. “What do you want me to do?” As the last word left her mouth, the Goddess touched her forehead, more knowledge filled her head like a tsunami. Then, just when she was sure her brain was going to explode, the pressure was gone. The bright rays of the dual suns were replaced by the two moons.
“It is time for you to rest now, for tomorrow you will show all what it means to have you as their queen.”
Jenna could only blink, or at least she thought she did. However, the last thing she remembered was loving arms lift
ing her from the ground, wrapping around her and rocking her back and forth, gently, like a mother would a child. Words that sounded like a song floated through the air singing her to sleep. For the first time in hundreds of years, Jenna rested without fear.
~Present Day~
As her feet touched the ground, her legs wobbled then gave out. The feel of the cold tile slapping against her palms had her crying out even as her knees slammed into the unforgiving surface. “Shit,” she moaned.
Why nobody had come at her cry was a little alarming, but it gave her a moment to get her bearings and stand up or attempt to stand. Hell, she’d take leaning on the bed while standing on her two feet at the moment as a step in the right direction. “You can do this, Jennaveve,” she cheered herself on, but in all reality, it took more effort than she’d thought. “What the hell happened to me?” A fine sheen of sweat covered every inch of her body like she’d been working out for hours.
She remembered allowing herself to be kidnapped by a scumsucking vampire freak who’d mated with a panther shifter. The jackhole had wanted to kill his wife while his daughter watched. In his mind, which she still wanted to gag when she thought about the things she’d seen in his memories, the bastard wanted to teach his daughter a lesson or something. She rubbed at her temples as she thought back to the night in question.
Yes, she’d only been in his clutches for a couple hours. Her Iron Wolves were coming. She remembered sensing them, along with Damien and Lucas. Everything was going according to plan, until a stranger came out of the darkness.
Fear had her looking around the quiet room, opening her senses in search of the being who’d come out of nowhere that night. His essence reminded her of the Cordell’s only darker. Sinister. Goddess, she’d never felt such a being before and didn’t want to ever again. A shiver stole up her spine. “Please tell me I’m not his prisoner?”
No, she couldn’t allow herself to think that way, or she’d lose whatever sanity she had left. She needed to get to the Fey Realm and recharge. Once she was back to herself, she’d return and speak, or mate, whatever the wolpires did. Jenna nodded, then opened her heart reaching for her home. When nothing happened, and she was still leaning against the large four-poster bed, real anxiety nearly felled her. “I’m just overly tired. Can someone come and help a girl out.” Like before, she reached out for one of her friends, only a vast emptiness met her quest.
Never in all her years had she not been able to communicate with whom she wanted, when she wanted. Never had she been unable to move between realms. Until now.
The door opened to the right, it’s slight creak like a shotgun in the quiet room. Jenna raised her right hand, preparing to defend herself. With what, she had no clue as she could barely stand on her own two feet, but she’d be damned if she’d go down without a fight. Of course, she’d probably go down in a stiff wind, but the young female who entered paused, her startled gaze appeared friendly.
“Good afternoon, miss. I came to check on you. We weren’t sure you’d be awake just yet. Let me go get...”
“Who are you, and where am I?” Jenna demanded hiding the tremble that shook her by forcing rigidity into her body.
Eyes as wide as a baby doe, the girl kept one hand on the door. “I’ll just go let the others know you’re awake. Is there anything I can bring for you?”
Jenna wanted to run across the room and make the girl stay, but her body was shaking from standing already. “Please, tell me where I am.”
“You’re in the guest wing, of course. I’ll just go tell them you’re awake.” The maid began walking out the door.
“Wait. Who are you going to tell?”
“Damien and Lucas of course.” The girl bowed and backed out as if she thought Jenna was a crazy person.
Hearing the names of those who were destined to be her mates, had her relaxing. If she was in their home, then she was safe. They’d help her figure out why she couldn’t access the Fey Realm or reach out to anyone. The way she was feeling, it was as if she was—human.
The air stirred near the large fireplace. What made her look she wasn’t sure, only that she knew something seemed familiar. She expected to see Damien or Lucas, heck her heart actually sped up at the thought of seeing them. However, her body froze as the man from the darkness appeared. “What are you doing here?”
She whipped her head toward the door the young girl had gone out. Although Jenna’s senses weren’t on track, she was sure she’d been a human, especially since it was daylight. The being in front of her came out of the shadows, allowing her to get her first real glimpse of him without the cover of night or a trick of him keeping his identity hidden. Oh, he was gorgeous, there was no doubt of that. But what was most startling was his resemblance to Damien and Lucas.
“Hello again, Fey. You’re looking slightly ill. Are my...family not treating you well?” His eyes flashed from obsidian to red. Where her men had gorgeous eyes that she wanted to get lost in, this mans were cold and lifeless.
His words finally registered. “Your family?”
He raked his claws together, making them clack in a way Jenna was sure he did to scare his victims. Newsflash asshole, I’ve faced bigger, badder, uglier, and hopefully deadlier foes, she thought.
“I’d love for us to stay here and chat, but I fear the big guy is waking, and well, I’m not in the mood for a reunion just yet. By the way.” He looked toward the doorway. “Sorry, my pet. I don’t usually use females as pawns, but in this instance, it’s a must.” He flew across the room, eliminating the space separating them.
Jenna fell back against the bed, nearly falling to the floor on her ass. His quick reflexes kept her upright. “What the hell are you talking about?” She pressed her hand to his chest, trying to put space between them.
He shook his head. “You’ll find out in due time, my pet. Now, we must go before father-what-a-waste awakens.”
She knew the telltale signs of magic and could feel it as the man in front of her began to manipulate the fabrics of time and space. “Who are you?”
He flashed her a smile, white teeth with two canines much longer than the others prevalent. “My name is Khan, son of Zahidda. Bastard son of Damikan at your service.”
The door flew open, giving her hope she’d be saved. The sight of Damien and Lucas had her shoving harder against the rock hard chest. “Let me go, asshole. I’m not your pawn.” It was like trying to move a mountain if you were a mere human. Goddess, she hated being so weak.
“Jenna, flash away,” Damien growled.
“Ah, but your female can’t. It seems I’m her cure, little brothers,” Khan taunted.
Lucas stepped forward. “Who are you, and what do you want?”
Khan tilted his head to the side. “You have nothing I want. Tell your father I’ll be in touch. Oh, here,” he tossed a necklace onto the bed. “He’ll know who I am with that. If not, then you’re little plaything will become mine, until I tire of her.”
Blackness swirled around Jenna as she heard both Lucas and Damien roar her name. A sick feeling hit her square in the gut, one she knew all too well. Goddess, the memory of the first time she’d come into contact with Damien and Lucas brought a shiver to her. Lucas had been injured and she’d been called to heal him. As soon as she touched him an electric shock had gone through the two of them until it had found Damien, connecting them for all time. The knowledge that they were hers, and she theirs was as clear as glass, but she’d held them off thinking she needed to fix what she’d deemed broken. Now, faced with the possibility of never seeing them again, Jenna cursed herself for being foolish.
Khan was playing a game with the Cordells. One only he knew the rules to, and he had zero compassion for anyone getting in his way unless he could use them for his own gain. Jenna just happened to be exactly what he needed in order to hit back at the man he felt deserved it. Shit, she so could use her Fey powers, or even her bestie Kellen right about now. Or even better, if she’d not been so stubborn and mated wi
th Lucas and Damien, instead of waiting, then none of this would have happened. “Well, what ifs do nothing but make big girls cry over spilled milk,” she muttered to herself.
“What?” Khan asked as he opened the portal allowing light to filter in.
She blinked a few times. “Huh?”
“You mumbled something about girls crying and spilled milk.” He carried her over to a couch and set her down. His gentle touch and actions at war with his words to Damien and Lucas.
The light airy room reminded Jenna of a lake cabin, one that families would go to on vacation. “Oh, um, nothing. I talk to myself sometimes.”
Khan shrugged his shoulders. “Make yourself comfy, you’ll be here for a spell or two.” He winked.
A growl rumbled in her throat. “Hahaha, very funny.”
He was next to her in a blink. “No, I’m not funny at all. What I am is deadly. You’ll do best to remember that.” He raised his nails, the longer lengths looking ominous now, reminding her of the night he’d cut her cheek.
“You did something to me when you sliced my cheek open.” If he was going to kill her, she’d at least know the hows and whys.
“I didn’t realize I’d poison you the same as those ghouls. I spelled these.” He clacked his nails together before continuing, “to kill with maximum efficiency. I thought I’d scented something different on you and was just going to take a taste. When I smelled my...the Cordell’s blood in you, I realized the chance to finally exact justice on their father was now.”
Her world righted itself as she realized why he looked and smelled like her men. “You’re their brother?”
“Ding ding ding. Give the girl a prize.” Khan walked away, his stride not quite as smooth.
“But, how? I mean, are you?” She was at a loss for words. She’d met Damien and Lucas’s parents, Damikan and Luna, and couldn’t imagine either of them giving up one of their beloved children. He’d called himself the bastard son, yet it didn’t equate with the man who was known as the Vampire King, the one she’d met.