Kaylan gasped before pulling a glamour tight around herself and taking to the air. She used the currents to propel herself to the High Lord’s house and landed by the open back door.
Sierra and Geth stood inside waiting for her. They had already stunned the guards and bypassed the wards with a new invention: the distorter. Or as Kaylan like to think of it, the “Ward Off Button”.
“I can’t believe she just did that,” Geth murmured, watching everything play out on his porta-crystal which steamed broadcasts. “Why would she do that?”
“Because she’s lost it. Ena needs to know we won’t take this lying down.” Kaylan drew a knife. “Let’s go.”
A scream echoed around them.
“Right, that doesn’t sound like a trap,” remarked Sierra.
Kaylan’s feet pounded on the stairs as she hurried up to the great hall. She had to get to Elijah. Heart pounding, she pushed open the doors.
The hall stood empty, no sign of Ena or Elijah.
“Kay, are you sure Freya was here?” asked Sierra.
“Yes, I sensed her. She has to be here.” Kaylan glanced around the room.
“Or maybe it’s a trap,” said another voice.
Several figures with bright glowing golden eyes advanced towards them. Fangs and claws bared.
Shifters, Kaylan thought as she grabbed her knife and drew magic. So this was the army Ena had spent the last year creating.
“Wonderful, aren’t they?” Ena appeared on the balcony above them with Freya beside.
“Why are you doing this?” Kaylan asked. “You already helped Thedric gain power by murdering my family. What good does it do killing him now?”
“Thedric hired me to do it but I didn’t do it for profit. Then the bastard had me locked away in an asylum. I thought I’d be his prisoner forever until I found this.” Ena held up a piece of yellowed parchment. “At first the magics were useless to me but now I have someone who can help me. Thanks to your sister I’ll finally have my revenge on everyone who ever wronged me.”
Kaylan knew it must be a page from the Amaranthine Chronicles. Freya had helped their parents’ murderer to use forbidden magic. She was responsible for taking Elijah away from her and destroying so many innocent lives.
“Why would you do this?” she demanded, staring up at her sister.
“Because I’m tired of being overshadowed my you all the time. You’re second in line to become the Amaranthine leader and I had nothing.” Freya gripped the railing. “You stood idly by while that bastard Thedric ruled our city and did nothing to avenge our parents’ deaths.”
“That’s not true!” she protested.
“Kaylan!” Sierra muttered as the shifters moved closer.
She’d almost forgotten they were there. Her sister’s betrayal stung, but there was no time to think about that.
“Why did you turn Elijah?” She knew it was pointless to ask, but she still needed to know why.
“With Freya’s help, I discovered something fascinating in his DNA. Elijah is a true shifter. He had to die to make the transformation complete.” Ena grinned. “My new creations don’t last long, but they will last long enough to kill you both.”
“Freya, don’t do this. We’re family.” Kaylan gave her sister a pleading look.
“No, we’re not.” Freya folded her arms. “Goodbye, Kaylan.”
The last thing she saw was the gleam of gold eyes as the shifters surrounded them.
Continues in Dark Revenge
DARK REVENGE
THE AMARANTHINE CHRONICLES BOOK 2
BY TIFFANY SHAND
Copyright © 2017 Tiffany Shand
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without prior written consent of the author, except for brief quotes in reviews.
This book is a work of fiction. People, places, events and situations are the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or historical events, is purely coincidental.
Cover Design by Melody Simmons ebookindiecovers.com
Chapter 1
Kaylan Avilion watched the golden glow as seven shifters surrounded her and her friend, Sierra. She watched her sister, Freya, turn away from her and knew there was no reasoning with her, while her former sister-in-law, Ena, only smiled.
Her breath caught in her throat as the beasts snarled, fangs and talons bared as they advanced towards them. Killing one shifter was hard enough, she’d never had to fight off so many before and she had no idea where her ex-fiancé, Elijah, was. As a shifter himself, he might have been able to help, but she’d lost contact with him after their last encounter.
Her mind automatically reached for out for Elijah. She’d lost track of him after her last attempt to save her sister.
Kaylan and Sierra backed away. Kaylan pulled out one of her knives with one hand and drew magic with the other. What chance did they have? If they were anything like Elijah, they were immensely strong and fast with claws and talons. Magic would only get them so far.
“Freya, don’t do this!” Kaylan said, giving her sister one last pleading look, but knew the plea was futile.
“Goodbye, Kaylan.”
Elijah! The inner cry came out of nowhere as panic made her heart pounded like a drum. She didn’t want to die. Not here. Not now. Not without seeing him again.
Kaylan threw a fireball at the first shifter as he came at her. He winced as it hit him in the chest, but it didn’t slow him down.
Sierra raised her hand. A burst of static shot out from a crystal. Another shifter yelped as he staggered backwards, shaking his head to fight off the effects.
Kaylan would’ve been impressed if she hadn’t been so afraid.
The doors to the hall banged open as a blur of darkness shot into the room. It lunged at the nearest shifter, followed by a loud growl as the shifter slumped to the floor in a pool of blood. It took a moment for her to realise the blur was Elijah.
Her heart leapt and some of the fear melted away. At least now they might have a fighting chance.
Sierra continued stunning their attackers, barely keeping them at arm’s length.
Kaylan, using her flying ability, leapt into the air as another two came at her. Using the height advantage to the fullest, she kicked them both in the head and knifed another one in the back.
Elijah moved as a blur of claws and a flash of golden eyes. His mop of brown curls looked an unruly mess when he stopped to strike one of their assailants.
Ena and Freya were making their escape from the hall. Kaylan flew at them. She wouldn’t let Ena escape so easily. This woman had murdered her family. She knocked the other sorceress to the floor in one swift move, using her power to keep her airborne.
Ena yelped and Freya threw a strike at Kaylan.
She dodged it, throwing the knife at Ena. Ena raised her hand, palm flashing with light as the blade bounced off and she smiled back.
Anger burned through her blood like never before. Anger at her parents’ and brother’s deaths, fury at Elijah being taken away from her by turning him into beast. Kaylan landed, hurling a fireball at Ena.
Freya grabbed hold of Kaylan’s arm, yanking it back. Kaylan yelped as she heard the snap of bone. It fell uselessly to her side at an odd angle, but the pain didn’t register. She called on the currents of air, knocking Freya aside as Ena tried to blast her with a strike.
Around her howls and screams came from the shifters as Elijah tore into them. But Kaylan’s only focus was Ena. She didn’t want to use magic. She wanted to wrap her hands around the other sorceress’s throat and squeeze the life out of her.
Strike, blast, strike, blast. Kaylan and Ena hurled blows each other. Every time Kaylan got within reach, Ena would knock her away.
Ena laughed, enjoying the fight. “Come on, Kaylan. Even your mother put up more of a fight!”
Kaylan staggered back, the force of the last strike reverberating through her body. “Why?” she demand
ed. “Why would you kill them? My parents weren’t happy about you and Alex getting married, but they welcomed you into our family. And what about Alex? He was your husband.”
Ena snorted. “You’d never understand, and Alex was just a way of getting what I wanted.”
“Try me.”
Before she could say another word, Elijah flew at Ena. Ena raised a hand, sending him staggering backwards. Elijah thrashed as an invisible web held him in place. Silver flashed as Freya went for him with a knife.
“No!” Kaylan cried, lunging at her sister. She gasped, feeling a punch to the stomach. She looked down as a dark patch formed and blood seeped through her T-shirt. Freya had stabbed her; she hadn’t imagined such a thing was possible. But now she knew the sister she’d thought she’d known wasn’t there anymore. Perhaps it had all been a lie.
Kaylan backhanded Freya as a burst of static hit Ena, making her stumble backwards.
“Get out!” Sierra snarled, pulling a stunner from one of the fallen guards, as another guard appeared in the door way and quickly fled.
All the shifters lay dead and bloody on the floor.
To Kaylan’s amazement, Freya and Ena backed off, then vanished.
“Kaylan?” Sierra rushed over and put an arm around her. “Oh, crap! We need to get you to a healer.”
She could feel blackness threatening to close in as she swayed and took a step away from her friend. But Kaylan paid little attention to Sierra or her wound as she watched Elijah tear into the last shifter. She needed to make sure he was okay. “Elijah,” she murmured his name, as everything went black.
***
Elijah tasted the coppery tang of blood in his mouth. The scent filled his lungs. His beast felt satisfied. Those who had threatened his mate were dead. All but one. Ena, the one who had tortured and irreversibly changed him into what he now was, had vanished. The beast wanted to chase after her, but the shock of seeing Kaylan get stabbed snapped him out of it. He winced, feeling the beast retreat back to the edge of his mind as she slumped onto the floor.
“Kaylan?” He hurried over, gathering her up in his arms.
Sierra knelt beside them. “Come on, we need to get her out here. She’s losing a lot of blood.” She pulled a first aid kit out her backpack and got to work, trying to stem the bleeding cuts, but more blood seeped through the padding.
“Guys?” Geth appeared in the doorway. He had a large gash over his left eye and blood dripped down his dark skin as he stumbled into the hall. He wiped the blood away with the back of his hand and hurried over to them.
“Are you alright?” Sierra said him. “Where were you?”
“I’ll be okay. A shifter cornered me outside,” he replied. “What happened?”
“Never mind that. Let’s get out of here,” Elijah told them.
Geth threw some of his travel dust on the floor and transported them back to Kaylan’s house. Elijah carried her up to her room and laid her gently down on the bed, whilst Geth quickly got to work, examining Kaylan’s wound.
Geth pulled the dressing aside and cut through Kaylan’s t-shirt to reveal a large gaping hole in her lower abdomen. Elijah saw his friend flinch when he saw the wound.
“Hurry up,” Elijah snapped, as more blood seeped from Kaylan’s chest and down onto the bed cover.
Geth straightened. “I’m not a healer. I’m sorry, mate, but there’s nothing I can do.”
Elijah’s hands balled into fists. “Don’t say that. You must be able to do something. If not, find a healer. Hell, I’ll go and get one myself.”
“You can’t go out in public, especially not after everything that’s happened. The Glistans will kill you as soon as they see you.”
He didn’t care about the City Guard, also known as the Glistans; he would not just stand back and let the love of his life die right in front of him.
“It’s too late.” Kaylan stared at them with wide eyes. “There’s nothing anyone can do.”
Elijah saw the tears streaming down Sierra’s face. “Why are you all just standing here?” he demanded. “Why don’t one of you do something?”
“Elijah, don’t,” Kaylan breathed and looked up at the others. “Can you all leave us alone for a moment?”
Sierra gave her a brief hug and Geth squeezed her hand before they both left the room, closing the door behind them.
Elijah clutched her hand. “I can’t lose you. Not again.”
She reached up and touched his cheek.
“Why did you do it?” he asked. “If she’d stabbed me, I could’ve healed myself.”
“Maybe or maybe not.” She coughed. “Listen, you have to promise me you’ll stop Ena and try to save Freya.”
He honestly didn’t give a damn about Freya anymore and Ena was as good as dead anyway. Yet vengeance seemed pointless now. The light slowly began disappearing from his world. Without her, nothing else would matter.
Elijah smiled sadly. Just like her to think of others even as she lay dying. “I promise.” He kissed her forehead “I love you. Always will.”
Her lips curved. “I know and I love you too.” Her eyes fluttered closed as she let out one last ragged breath.
Elijah felt something inside him tearing in two. This couldn’t be happening, not now. Not after everything they had been through. He’d wasted an entire year trying to stay away from her in an effort to keep her safe when he knew he should have come back to her and they could’ve gone through everything together.
Mine, the beast whispered. Save her.
If he was so powerful now, why couldn’t he save the woman he loved? What good was being a shifter or even a sorcerer if he couldn’t use this power?
He ignored it, feeling the agony of grief threatening to overwhelm him. Tears dripped down his cheeks as he gathered Kaylan up in his arms and held her close, rocking back and forth.
Mine.
Shut the hell up! Elijah fumed. Why would the creature inside him choose to torment him now, as the love of his life lay breathing her last breath? Elijah closed his eyes, too numb for tears, as he felt Kaylan slipping away. After everything that had happened, he thought he’d kept her safe after leaving her a year ago, but now…
Save. Heal, the voice at the edge of his mind whispered.
Go away, he thought. Just go away. Revenge on Ena didn’t matter anymore. Nothing mattered without Kaylan.
Save. Heal, the voice came louder.
Wiping away his tears with back of his hand, he let go of Kaylan, glanced down at her. Was the creature inside him somehow trying to help? If so, how? The beast only granted him strength, speed and rapid healing, and those abilities only extended to his own body, not to anyone else.
How? he thought bitterly.
Bond.
Bond? What bond? He didn’t know much about what being in shape shifter entailed. It was still new to him and he’d only just begun to learn more about his true nature. Instead he closed his eyes, and let the beast takeover. He only hoped it would know how to save her.
Elijah blinked, looked down at Kaylan and knew what he had to do. His fangs protruded from his mouth as he bit his wrist and blood seeped out. This would bind them together forever, that much he could sense. This was how shifters mated with each other. Opening Kaylan’s mouth, he let it drip into her. “I’m sorry, Kaylan. I hope you understand why I had to do this, but I can’t just let you die.”
Elijah took a deep breath and recited the words that would make Kaylan his forever.
She gasped as he finished saying the words and her eyes flew open. He looked down and saw the wound on her chest close over, leaving new fresh skin.
Elijah immediately felt the tether that now bound them together as something formed around his heart and realisation dawned on him what he had just done.
He’d never wanted this. Not to make her his without taking away her choice. Feeling a rush of panic, he turned and fled. He only hoped Kaylan could forgive him for what he had just done.
“Elijah?” Kaylan murmu
red, but he’d already vanished.
Chapter 2
Kaylan examined her stomach, shocked to find that all traces of the wound had gone. Strange. She’d felt the icy cold feel of death at the edge of her mind. Had been certain her time had been up when a bright ray of light had appeared and something had dragged her back. She knew she should be dead now. No magic would have been strong enough to repair the extent of the damage inside her body. Even she wouldn’t have been able to cure such a fatal wound. Even her broken arm now lay in its normal position, and all pain had faded.
Elijah. She didn’t know what he’d done exactly, but he’d saved her. Why had he vanished? It didn’t make any sense. One moment he’d been declaring his love for her and begging her not to die, then he’d simply disappeared as if ashamed.
“Kaylan?” Sierra came in, eyes wide. “What–”
“I don’t know. Where did Elijah go?” She scrambled up, amazed at her renewed sense of energy.
“He shifted and went out the back door. We thought…” Sierra shook her head. “Are you alright?”
Kaylan nodded, pulled off the remains of her ruined T-shirt and grabbed another top before bounding downstairs. The back door had already swung shut and Elijah had disappeared from sight when she walked out into the empty courtyard.
Geth and Sierra came into the kitchen and stared at her in shock.
“Geth, take me to Elijah’s underground – home.” She didn’t know what to call the place. She just needed to talk to him. “I’m healed.” She raised a hand when he and Sierra opened their mouths to speak.
“But first there is something you should see.” Geth held up his porta-crystal.
An image appeared on the small rectangular screen as the live stream flashed by. It showed the stadium where they beamed their broadcast to try and expose Ena’s crimes. Six shifters, four males and two females stalked into the stadium with the distinctive golden glow in their eyes.
One flew at High Lord Thedric whilst his companions launched themselves into the terrified crowd. Screams rang out, and they watched as the High Lord’s body slumped in his seat, a battered and bloody mess.
The Amaranthine Chronicles Complete Series: Betrayed By Blood, Dark Revenge, The Final Battle Page 7