Twisted Ever After
Page 31
Ari held the sword out to the side and stood as still as a tree, awaiting his move. The giant removed his helmet and tossed it aside.
“I’m going to taste your blood,” he promised as he strode toward her, raising his two-handed sword overhead.
Ari raced forward, staying low, then lunged upward as she reached him. She plunged her sword through his jaw and up into his skull. As he grasped at her lithe body, she pressed her feet against his chest and pushed off, twisting the sword inside his head.
She landed a few feet away as the body twitched and toppled to the ground. One of the goddess’s long tentacles reached out and wrapped around the giant’s body to pull him toward her. Ari looked up and watched as the goddess opened her maw to reveal several rows of razor-sharp teeth before plunging them into the remains of the giant’s neck.
Blood spurted out of his body, tainting the blue waters and splattering against the Cea’tae’s perfect skin.
Before Ari could stand, another man strode forward. He did not speak but neither did he hesitate. He used his mace to swing at her head and she rolled sideways to avoid the strike. She bounded to her feet and circled, her every nerve throbbing with the urge to spill his blood.
He’s better than the last, a male voice whispered to her mind. Startled, Ari flinched and it was the opening the new challenger needed. He sprinted forward and swung the mace at her head but she danced away just in time to keep her skull intact. Instead, the blow struck her in the shoulder of her non-dominant arm. She cried out as the blow followed through but rolled forward out of his reach and spun to face him again.
His armor is weakest under his arms. The voice spoke again but this time Ari was expecting it and she listened. She let the man get close enough to swing before dodging to the right and thrusting forward beneath his swinging arm. The sword plunged into his chest and the man went limp, like a puppet with his strings cut.
Ari withdrew the sword and stepped back, kneeling as she watched the goddess drop the first man into the water and pick up the new one. He was still coughing up blood when she pierced her teeth into the flesh of his neck.
Looking around, Ari waited for her next challenger. I am Sunniveh, the voice said again.
“The… the sword?”
He’s coming for your blood, Sunniveh warned. Your father’s spirit is in you. Your father was my favorite.
A man rose from the crowd and Ari recognized him instantly.
Grindan.
He marched toward her with a spear in his hand.
“I’ll finally have your blood,” he growled. “And there’s nothing your bitch mother can do about it this time.”
Ari looked to Halldora.
“That’s right,” Grindan laughed as he approached. “I told her if she kept you in my sight I’d drown you in the lake. So she let the others raise you. What a wonderful bitch mother you have, yes?”
Tears streamed down Halldora’s face as she looked to Ari and nodded softly.
Grindan raised the spear and pulled his arm back. Sunniveh vibrated in Ari’s hand, leading her toward the enemy.
Grindan launched the spear with a ferocity that stunned those who watched and Ari heard the goddess hiss as she dove. She felt the spear pass just above her spine just as she rolled. As she stood, she rose before Grindan and spun as he ran at her, dagger in hand. He was moving too fast to stop and ran into the path of Sunniveh slicing through the air.
Grindan’s head flew from his body, splattering blood and tumbling until it landed near the altar. Cea’tae laughed again.
“You are my King,” she proclaimed as she scooped the head up in one of her tentacles.
You are King, Sunniveh repeated in her mind.
Ari trembled, still stunned by the turn of events. Although her head was buzzing, her heart was finally at peace. Grindan was dead, and Halldora was her mother. That meant the last true king was her father and she carried part of him within her.
A lone figure rose and approached. Ari pulled her helmet off, her black hair tumbling down, and wiped Grindan’s blood from her eyes. She hesitated when she saw Lucan walking toward her, his sword drawn. In a secret place in her mind, she knew she loved him. Sunniveh, though, thirsted for blood and would have Lucan’s if he challenged her.
Lucan stopped just short of striking distance and stared at her. “Aaricia,” he whispered.
She opened her mouth to speak but didn’t know what to say.
Then he kneeled before her and held his sword aloft. “My King, I offer you my allegiance. Please accept me as one of your trusted agents. Hail King Aaricia!”
“Hail King Aaricia,” the crowd chanted. “Hail King Aaricia!”
The goddess collected the body of Grindan and disappeared back into the depths of the lake.
ALSO BY AUDREY HUGHEY
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The Otherworld Publishing would like to thank Lecia McDermott for her contribution of her photography for many of the stories included in this collection. Please follow Lecia to learn about her Brave Babe Movement and how she’s enriching women’s lives with her creativity and light.
A huge shoutout goes to the models photographed by Lecia McDermott and Tamara Rokicki for bringing their creative light into these stories.
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Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Contents
SNOW AND FEATHER
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Chapter 1
ALSO BY TAMARA ROKICKI
BLUEBEARD’S WIFE
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Chapter 1
ALSO BY CELESTE THROWER
A THOUSAND DIAMONDS
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Chapter 1
ALSO BY A.M. WHITE
THE WITCH AND THE WOLF
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Chapter 1
ALSO BY ASHLEY MCLEO
THE SCORNED FAIRY
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Chapter 1
ALSO BY CARLA REIGHARD
RED MOON
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1. RED MOON
ALSO BY ERIN CASEY
UNDER THE SEA
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Chapter 1
ALSO BY KELLY N JANE
MEGARA’S DISCORD
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Chapter 1
ALSO BY J. MCCARTHY
RIDE THE STORM
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Chapter 1
ALSO BY TARYN NOELLE KLOEDEN
NEVERLAND: THE IRON FORTRESS
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Chapter 1
ALSO BY JACI MILLER
A TALE OF SOULS AND GOLD
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Chapter 1
ALSO BY MARCIA SOLIGO
ENGRAVED ISOLATION
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Chapter 1
ALSO BY N. TERRY
RETURN TO WONDERLAND
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Chapter 1
ALSO BY ROSS TUOHY
BLOOD IN THE WATER
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Chapter 1
ALSO BY AUDREY HUGHEY
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS