by Bailey Dark
Forever with The Fae King
Bailey Dark
Copyright © 2019 by Bailey Dark
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.
BLURB
“I will always love you. Truly. You will always have my heart. You set my soul on fire, Verity.”
In the culmination of this epic series, Verity and Altair must travel with allies and enemies into the Ether to confront their greatest adversary yet.
Verity is uncertain her skills will be enough to defeat the evil that awaits them. She’s lost everyone important to her already, and now she risks losing Altair, the only love she’s ever known.
The only thing on Altair’s mind is Verity’s safety, but he knows she’ll risk her life to make sure they defeat the Shades. Plagued on all fronts by enemies and scheming, survival isn’t certain, and neither is victory.
But even if they make it out alive—fate may never let them be together.
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Epilogue
New Series from Bailey Dark
About the Author
Also by Bailey Dark
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Chapter 1
Verity
The dagger in my arm is decorated with an ornate handle, covered in small jewels and precious stones. For all the blood smeared on the hilt and blade, its beauty can't be diminished. I stare intently at one of the jewels on the grip, green like a serpent's eye, and hold my breath. Pain flashes through my arm, tickling the nerve as it hovers beside the dagger. Blood drips thickly from my arm, down the tip of the blade protruding from the other side of my arm.
Around me, Moritz and Erzur argue as she snaps about my stupidity. The witches watch in silence, eyes glittering. I hear Altair speaking to me, but it's fuzzy and distorted, so I just nod my head in response. Thal doesn't talk as he lifts my arm gently. I hiss as pain flares up my arm and to the tips of my fingers. His brows furrow together apologetically, but he moves my arm to eye level and lets my blood slip down his fingers.
“I have to remove it,” Thal murmurs gently. His voice is the only one that penetrates the haze around my mind.
Serus curls in my lap, hissing at everyone and everything. He lashes out at Thal as he reaches for the hilt. His claws rake over Thal’s hand, drawing blood. “Don’t touch her,” he hisses, eyes wide and ears back.
I reach for my familiar, trying to soothe him. “Serus,” I pant. “Let him pull it out.”
“We’ll heal her as well as we can,” Altair says. His voice is low, filled with barely hidden fear. I hold his voice close to me, repeating the short, simple phrase over and over in my mind to bring myself peace.
“Scratch me again, cat, and I’ll flay you,” Thal threatens, wiping the blood on his palm away.
“Thal,” I say, voice breaking as I struggle to remain sitting up.
Wordlessly, his hand wraps around the hilt. I whimper as that simple move shifts the blade in my flesh. Serus’s hackles raise, and he hisses furiously. Grimacing, Thal rips that dagger out of my arm without warning. I scream shrilly and blood arcs through the air, it's almost pretty. I let my body collapse in on itself then, and my vision blurs as pain rides me.
“Verity,” Thal says. “Verity?”
I hear a soft scuffling and then familiar knees in my vision. Altair bends low, dipping his face to mine. His hazel eyes are filled with concern and I wish I could lose myself in them, even as blood pumps out of me. He gently shifts me until my injured arm comes into view. The witches surround me and I feel the air tremble with their magic. Cleo draws her own blade over her palm, bolstering her magic with blood the way all Bloodbane do.
Together, the Bloodbanes knit my skin, using my Fae heritage and their magic to speed up the healing process. Altair crouches close by, and I feel his fingers play over mine as if he would take hold of them. But in such close sight of Erzur, and after what happened last night, I know he won’t. I breathe deeply, letting the magic lull the pain away from me.
After what feels like hours, the witches are finished, and they step away. I catch sight of Cleo and imagine I see her cold eyes filled with something like worry. But then I blink and the emotion is gone. Altair’s arms support me, lifting me from the sandy floor to prop me against a pillar. I see Sadal watching me stonily, but his shoulders are stiff with fear and I know he knows what I saw. He knows just how terrifying the Shades are more than anyone else.
“What happened?” Altair asks gently.
I study his face, his sharp jaw, full lips, and the lights in his eyes. “The Shades, they laid a trap for me in the second level of the Ether,” I say breathlessly.
“It is called the Second Stratum,” the old witch says.
“They were there, and I think they knew I was coming,” I continue. “One of them attacked me. I got flustered, and the dagger went deeper than I meant it to.”
“You said you found a way to trap them,” Erzur says impatiently. “Tell us more about that.”
“Give her a moment,” Altair snarls, his eyed locked on the thin scar on my forearm.
I stretch out a hand to brush over his hand but stop mid-air. Inhaling sharply, I pull my hand back. “I’m alright now.” I turn to Erzur, hiding a scowl. “A creature told us of a being in the Third Stratum. This being is powerful, more than the Shades, and has been trapped there for thousands of years in something called a cobweb cage.”
“Ah,” the old witch muses. “I have heard of such a thing, but it is ancient magic.”
“How do I make one?” I ask the wizened witch.
She shakes her head. “I don’t know. You must see this cobweb cage yourself and attempt it,” she says. Her eyes are filled with regret and sympathy.
I bite my lip, fear making my heart thrum. I don’t want to go back to the Ether, least of all through the Second Stratum. “Is that the only way?”
“I’m afraid it is,” she murmurs.
I close my eyes and breathe out slowly through my nose. “Is the only way to the Third Stratum through the Second?”
“That would be a question for Sadal,” the old Bloodbane says, her robes rustling as she turns to the former Dark God.
Sadal curls his lips as he becomes the center of attention. “And why should I help you?” He asks.
Altair is across the room in the blink of an eye, just a blur of motion. He slams into Sadal, pinning him against another column. He holds a dagger against Sadal’s throat and growls low and dangerous. “You help us, or I end your pathetic life sooner rather than later.”
“Well that would be a mercy, wouldn’t it? Since I’m going mad,” Sadal chuckles. His eyes go sharp. “I want my power back.”
“Over my dead body,” Altair snarls. “We aren’t negotiating. This is an I ask, you tell relationship—understand?”
“Nothing you can do to me will compe
l me to help you further.” Sadal grins.
“Perhaps I can be of use,” Serus murmurs, rising from his position in my lap.
“How?” Thal asks, his brows furrowed with confusion.
Serus ignores Thal’s question. I watch as Serus approaches Sadal and sits casually in front of him. Sadal’s eyes widen and I feel a pulse of electricity from Serus. “Serus has an affinity for the mind,” I say softly, apprehension coiling in my gut. I wouldn’t want to be in Sadal’s place. I remember all too well the moment I first met Serus, how he played with my mind and memories.
The tension breaks when Serus flicks his tail. Sadal’s body writhes in Altair’s grip and tears pool in his eyes. I almost feel sorry for him, wondering what darkness Serus could be poking at in Sadal’s mind to make him look so pitiful. When Sadal is gasping for air, choking back sobs, Serus breaks his grip on Sadal’s mind. I feel a wave of relief as Serus slinks away, chewing on whatever he stole from Sadal’s dark thoughts.
“Serus?” I ask.
His eyes cut at me, and he disappears into the shadows. Sadal shakes, sweat glistening on his forehead and he takes a deep breath. "I know a way to the Third Stratum. It will take us through the Second but only for a short time," he pants.
“Why are we even bothering with this?” Erzur snaps. “Going into the Ether is foolish. Didn’t this girl just prove that?”
“Hey,” I snap. “I found out more in there than we did during this entire journey.”
“And you almost got yourself killed.” Erzur narrows her eyes at me. “If you had, you would have doomed us all while you laid yourself to rest. If what the witch says is true, then we need you—as much as it pains me to admit.”
Her words strike true and I feel a wave of guilt. I dip my chin, hating that Erzur of all people is right. “I won’t do something like that again,” I say stiffly.
She purses her lips. “You certainly proved your use though.”
I narrow my eyes with surprise, trying to discern a mocking tone in her voice. But she seems sincere. At my side, Thal snorts. “Did that hurt, Erzur?”
“Ha.” She rolls her eyes.
“Can we focus, please?” Moritz snaps. His usually stony face is twisted with anger. “We have a horde of evil, demonic creatures pressing against the veil that separates our worlds.”
Erzur curls her lip. “Only you would be frightened hundreds of years before there’s cause for concern.”
“The time to plan is now,” Moritz says coldly. “Anyone who says differently is a fool.”
“You –—” Erzur hisses, leaning towards him and reaching for her curved blade.
“That’s enough,” Altair roars, his booming voice echoing off the walls inside the pyramid.
I inhale sharply at his tone, fear lancing through me. His eyes settle on me and he dips his chin. “It seems to me that we have little choice,” he says, voice lowering to normal volumes. “We must go into the Ether.”
Chapter 2
Altair
“You are such a blind fool,” Erzur snaps. “Always rushing to the aid of your Bloodbane lover. She has you twisted around her little finger.”
I bristle, cold anger flowing through my veins like power. I narrow my eyes at her and close the distance between us. “What is your point, Erzur? And tread carefully.”
She lifts her chin stubbornly but doesn’t shy away from my black gaze. “All those months while she was in Sadal’s grip and you don’t think she considered betraying you? What if this is all part of a plot to release the Shades? After all, we seem to be relying on past enemies lately.”
“I would never betray Altair,” Verity says fiercely, rising from the ground to confront Erzur. “Never again.”
Erzur curls her lip and my temper flares. I cross the short distance to stand at Verity’s side. She straightens, radiating authority. “We’re going into the Ether to stop the Shades. You can come if you like, Erzur, but you’re more than welcome to stay behind,” I say coldly. “Don’t call her a traitor. We’ve already discussed how much her sacrifices mean to me.”
“Yes, yes, we have,” Erzur mutters, glowering at Verity.
"I think," Moritz says, his calm voice cutting through the tension, "It would be wise to search for alternate solutions. There must be a way to bolster the veil, to buy us more time for something more permanent."
“I agree.” Erzur looks as if the words put a sour taste in her mouth.
I glance at Thal and he shrugs. His gaze is cold, and I know he hasn’t forgiven me for what I’ve put Verity through. But his voice isn’t malicious when he says, “I’ll follow you, cousin.”
The old Bloodbane steps into the circle, her eyes clear and sharp. “There is no other way. They must be contained before they escape the Ether.”
“Very few have gone to the Ether and survived,” Moritz says.
“Yet you must take the risk.” The old witch’s eyes are steely, and I know that on this she won’t budge. There is no other way.
My gaze turns to Verity, and she chews her lip when all of our eyes are on her. Out of all of us, she’s the only one to navigate it on her own, without the aid of Sadal. Her pale blue eyes flash with fear before she furrows her brow stubbornly. “It will be dangerous. I don’t know how to describe the Ether, except that it’s either so dark you can hardly see or filled with nightmares made real.”
“The darkness is a fog, it feeds off of fear,” Sadal says. He steps closer, eyes lit with malice. “It doesn’t need to show you your nightmares to do it either. You’ll meet creatures like Serus in the Ether—though most aren’t as domestic.”
Serus’s hackles rise at Sadal’s tone. “Domestic or strategic?” His amber eyes flash. “But the Dark God is correct. The Glutton was only one of the many creatures in the First Stratum. The demons reside there, the ones that failed to answer Sadal’s call anyway. And there are others.”
“Others?” Erzur quirks a brow but I see the apprehension in her eyes.
“Wraiths, gargoyles, and more like me and the Glutton—with affinities for aspects of mortality like knowledge or the mind.” Serus glances towards Sadal. “Anything dark Sadal could have imagined, he could have shaped.”
Sadal grins. “And shape I did.”
Silence falls, and I let their words sink in. My gaze drifts toward Verity. Of all of us, she seems the most frightened. That tells me the Ether is nothing to be trifled with. I feel the urge to pull her into my chest, to comfort her, and assure her that I can protect her. But it's not my place anymore, I tell myself over and over again. I look at the ring on her finger, sparkling in the torchlight. Gods, I wish I could call her mine again.
I take her gently by the elbow, nothing more intimate than a guiding hand. Out of earshot of the group, I drop my voice to a whisper. "Are you alright?" It's a pointless question—none of us are truly alright.
“You don’t know what it’s like down there.” She shivers.
"I know," I murmur. She looks small, curled in on herself as if that will protect her from memories of the Ether. I have to stuff my hands into my pockets to stop myself from reaching for her. From offering her a comforting touch. "Are you certain of what you learned there?"
Her eyes flash, a spark of fire and anger. “I’m sure. I trust the Glutton to be a man of his word—a businessman, almost. I gave him my knowledge in return for his.”
My brows raise questioningly. “What did you give him?”
She presses her index finger to my chest, to the scabs forming over the rune she carved into my flesh. “I gave him this.”
“Sharing such knowledge,” I pause, mulling over her words. “Do you think that was wise?”
“I didn’t share it.” She drops her hand. “He took it. I gave it all to him. That’s what the creatures do down there, Altair. They take. We have to be hard and cruel or we won’t survive down there.”
“I know what you had to do to escape,” I say, my eyes hardening. She speaks as if I won’t be prepared to sacrifice. Bu
t I would give anything for her. “How often do I have to remind you that you are my everything?”
“Never again. Because I can’t be any longer.” Her voice is soft, broken, but stubborn.
Her words are like ice in my veins and I can hardly react after she speaks. She steps around me and heads back to the group, still discussing the coming journey. I turn, already knowing I’ll find her beside Thal. I can’t help the way my eyes narrow at the sight of him beside her. My nostrils flare and I know the other Fae can feel the lightning crackling between us. I expect my beastly, cursed form to make an appearance before I remember that Verity broke the curse last night. I couldn’t even feel a stirring of it within me, no longer heralded by my anger or the light of day.
“Who will go?” Moritz asks, breaking the silence.
“I will.” Verity is the first to speak. Our eyes meet for an instant and I feel my heart clench. “I have to.”
“Me,” I say, moving to her side. My fingers brush over her lower back and I feel her muscles relax at the soft touch.
Thal sighs, shaking his head. He eyes Verity playfully. "I guess I can add the Ether to my list of places I've traveled. I wonder how many women will be impressed by that."
“If they believe you,” Erzur says coldly, but I see a hint of a smile on her lips. “You could use another warrior, since Verity is practically useless in a battle.”
“I’m working on it,” Verity huffs, pursing her lips.
“And you?” I ask, looking at Moritz.
He shakes his head. “I don’t think it wise that three rulers leave our countries and people weak to our Fae enemies. I’ll stay and do what I can so no one will think anything is amiss. We don’t want word of this spreading.”