REDEMPTION: Queen of Souls (TORMENTED ROYALS Book 1)

by L. N. MALONE

  “Enter” I say and watch Mirella enter full of anger and frustration.

  “Sir, someone has set fire to three of the waterfront locations.

  All locations had shipments of new spells, relics, and various other items are now gone and burned with the building. All three fires were started simultaneously. The fires seemed to be by the same maker, and it smelled of magic.”

  “Do we know if anything was stolen before the fires were set?”

  “Not yet sir. I have scouts looking into it right now, trying to recover any information possible.”

  I nod. “Keep me posted. We will need to make sure we know exactly what is missing especially any magic relics that may be missing. Have an inventory of everything in all locations sent me by tomorrow. Have extra patrols on all other locations. I do not want this happening again.”

  “Yes Sir.” She says with a nod and turns to leave but stops.

  “Sir, what do you intend to do with the girl?” she says almost as a whisper.

  “Sit please Marella, let us discuss.” I wait for her to sit and use this time to gather my thoughts.

  “The human princess has magic.” I say bluntly and I see her eyes widen with a look of confusion.

  “I know, I was just as surprised as you are. Apparently, King Darin and his wife found Akasha when she was just a few days old and have raised her as their own. She is magical but still untrained and unsure what level of magic she has.” I take a breath and calm myself before I speak next. I know what I am about to ask is going to upset her. “I want you to train her.” I say as I brace myself for her reaction.

  “What?!? I am to train the sister of the coward!”

  “She is not her brother and her actions are not his. She is not responsible for what happened to Julianna. We are not in the habit of blaming others because we want vengeance no matter how much we may want to avenge them.”

  She sighs. “I know you are right. I just miss her I suppose. I will train her, and I will try to keep my feelings reigned in.”

  “Thank you, Mirella. You are one of my most trusted and I know you will teach her well. As far as what we will do with her however, I am unsure. Once we figure out what level of magic, she is then I can hopefully decide further.” I speak. Mirella gets up from her chair as she says “Thank you sir. I will test her first thing tomorrow. Have a good evening.”

  “Oh, and Mirella. We will meet tomorrow in the Circle at midnight. Please inform the others.”

  “Understood Sir.” She leaves and as usual she forgets to close the door. I sigh with a slight annoyance. I love her like a sister, and she drives me crazy like one too. I think to myself.

  Just then, Nadia knocks on the door that is still open. “Come in Nadia.”

  “Sire, here is the list you requested from Akasha.” she says as she hands me the list.

  “Have you read it?” I ask her.

  “She asked for assistance, so I helped her write it Sire.”

  “I understand. Thank you for your service to her and this home.” I speak.

  “You’re most welcome Sire. If that will be all, I will leave you to your work sir.”

  I nod showing her she is dismissed. She quickly exits and I wonder how Akasha is treating her. Does Nadia like Akasha? Is she as spoiled as most other princesses are? Again, I realize my mind is on Akasha instead of on work. I sigh and look over what she wrote. The list was simple, everything she had written down revolves around books. I start to think about the library and how Rico has been after me about getting someone in there to organize and help with the archives. I soon know exactly where she should be stationed and call Rico in to discuss.

  Rico arrives fifteen minutes after I call him. “Good Evening Rico. I have some things I need to speak with you about and I think you will be pleased. Please take a seat.” I wait for him to sit before I continue. “I have an answer to your problem with the archives and the library. I am going to station Akasha there as a librarian of sort. She seems to have a passion for books, and I believe it will suite her nicely.” I look at him and see a smile form on his lips. “Your Majesty, that is wonderful news. The archives have needed to be organized for centuries and a good librarian will help with the youngsters. Plus, her beauty will be something people will come in just to see.” He smiles that smile that women seem to fall for, and I cannot help the anger and jealousy that fills me. “She is MINE.” I let out without warning. I watch Rico flinch then his smile turned serious, and I immediately felt bad for snapping. This is ridiculous. Why am I so possessive? I complain inwardly. “Relax Rico, all is well. I am not upset I just seem to have a bit of possessiveness for young Akasha.” I say trying to ease him and apologize for my outburst. Rico looks back up and his smile returns hesitantly. “I understand your majesty. I will make sure no one touches or bothers the human princess.” He says cautiously but with ease. “That is another thing, she is not human. She has magic and it is a long story I do not feel like telling this evening however she will need training. Mirella will be leading her training however I want you to be available to assist her if needed.” Rico nods with a surprise written all over his face. Everyone assumed she was just as human as King Darin. “I will help in any way I can.” Rico says with confidence. “Thank you, Rico. I will have a crew come in and clean the library while we sleep and get it all prepared for her. You will need to set up new access codes etc.” I advise him as I stand letting him know I am done with the conversation and he is dismissed. He stands with me following my movement as he nods in agreement. “Have a good evening your majesty,” he says and then heads to the door. “Rico.” I call out before he can reach the door. “Thank you for not taking offense to my outburst.” I say still feeling a bit guilty over startling him the way I did. He just turns and smiles a large smile and nods and takes his leave. I exhale a long breath and decide I must get some work done, so I try my hardest to focus on the tasks that await me. However, after a few hours my thoughts still keep getting clouded by Akasha. I finally give up and realize it is time for me to rest.

  * * *

  I awake with Akasha’s name on my lips. I dreamed about her again. Her beautiful thick red hair and gorgeous glowing eyes looking at me with love and kindness. I must be losing my mind she is the sister of my enemy. How can I be this obsessed with her already? I think back to the day before and how she is a mixture of different kinds of personalities. She is flirty, witty, snarky, has a bit of an attitude, fierce to say the least. However, in the same instance she is shy, delicate, classy and would be a magnificent Queen at my side. Whoa, where the hell did that come from. I hardly know her, and this strange connection is becoming overwhelming. I shake the thoughts from my head and focus on what will be ahead of me this evening. The shades are still drawn which tells me it is before dusk, so I quickly get showered and changed.

  After my shower I make some calls still concerned about the darkness that is forming over the land. After pressing the alert for Luke to have him come to my office I make my way to meet him. He is already there when I get to the door and we walk in and take our seats quietly. “Do we have any more intel about the darkness that is spreading?” I ask Luke. Shaking his head, he answers, “No sire. We are still unable to ascertain when and how it is spreading. I can tell you that we have found that the same magical fires that hit our warehouses have the same magical signature as the magic used to spread the darkness. However, we are not able to determine if it is intentional or merely a magical response.”

  “I see. Please keep me updated with any new development. Although some humans are despicable not all are and either way, we cannot survive without them. Make sure you touch base with King Darin and set up a food distribution, so the humans have what they need.” I say. Luke nods in agreement. He stands up and is about to leave before turning around and asking, “Brother, something else is on your mind. We have known each other a long time and I can see your inner turmoil in your eyes.” I sigh and then chuckle knowing my good friend knows me way t
o well is a bit of a comfort. Most of the time. “I am at war with myself I suppose. Ever since seeing Akasha at the meeting I have had this strange pull towards her. It is unlike anything I have known in all my centuries of living. I have dreamed of her each night since that day and my thoughts are being over ran with images of her. When we slightly touch my body feels as if I have lightning bolts running through my veins. Also, I swear I felt my heartbeat when we shook hands. I am the Vampire King; my heart no longer beats and has not for many years as you know. I am at a loss for words. She is no doubt beautiful however, I have seen millions of different beauties and never have I felt this kind of pull.” I say with frustration in my voice. I look up and see Luke smiling. “What?” I ask annoyed. “Brother, do you not see who she is to you?” I paused, thinking on it when suddenly it hit me. Surprise is not a strong enough word to describe my initial feeling. My eyes must have been bulging out of my head because Luke starts laughing uncontrollably. I narrow my eyes at him, and his laughter subsides a bit. “This cannot be.” I simply say.

  “Yes brother, it can, and it is. I know how difficult this must be seeing as who she is, however, you know you cannot fight fate and it seems your destiny is finally upon you. You must accept it. Although, if I were you, I would be more concerned how your spit fire is going to accept it.” he says with a chuckle that I can see he tried to hide. Shaking my head, I say “Well this changes things. Keep this between us until I decide what to do and how to proceed.”

  “As you wish brother. You may want to decide your course sooner rather than later. She is certainly also feeling the pull and while we know how fate works, she may not. She was raised in the human kingdom so she may not be aware of all this and what it entails. This may be exceedingly difficult on her, not to mention if it does not come out soon you may have some competition for her heart. She is beautiful and I have it on a good authority that a few of the new bloods have their eye on her. She does not seem to notice anyone or their wandering eyes, however you never know what the future will bring.” he smirks obviously trying to goad me and unfortunately by the tightening of my fists he is succeeding. “She is MINE! Let it be known” I ground out. “Of course, brother. Now I am off to check on the status of the darkness I will see you at the meeting this evening.” Luke says with a smirk knowing he won. He then bows slightly and turn to leave me with my thoughts.

  My thoughts are overwhelming as usual, but I must control my emotions. I need to meet Akasha soon and unfortunately, she can read emotions. I do not want to alert her to my intentions or overwhelm her either. She has had enough of changes these past few weeks. I must be cautious with her and take my time. I walk into the kitchen and I see Iris. “Good Morning Iris. How are you feeling?” I smile at her. “I am good how are you feeling with all these new changes that are coming about.” She asks with a knowing smile. “Changes?” I ask. “Yes, King Armand. Changes. Akasha.” she says with a smile. “Ahh… I should know better than to keep things hidden from a seer.” I smile and could not help a soft chuckle. She returns my smile and chuckle. “All will work out King Armand. You know who she is to you now and that was the first step in your destiny. Remember someone have may have a destiny however it is still up to each individual to accept and follow destiny. Free will and all.” she winks in her funny little way and walks away. With that I grab and finish my morning nourishment in just a few gulps and make my way up to Akasha’s room trying to keep myself calm with each step. Oh, I am going to have to tell her soon or she is going to read it all over me!

  As I walk towards Akasha’s room Jin and Blane coming toward me. Both are part of my circle of guardians, and I trust them both with my life. “Good morning you two, what are you both up too?” I ask wondering what they would be doing down Akasha’s hall. It was Jin who answered with a bit of curiosity in her voice. “Well, we heard your new arrival is here and was given the Rose room. We were both surprised, so we decided to see if it was in fact true or just a rumor.” I smile at her when she finished. Jin has never been one to hold back and I knew when I gave her that room questions would be asked. Unfortunately, I had no idea how to answer them. The room is connected to mine by way of secret entrance, the room was built and carved all by me for my future bride whenever I decided to take one. I was not sure why I had the pull to give Akasha the room when I did, however I suppose now it all makes sense. “I see, well did you two get the clarification you require?” I asked them both with a knowing smirk. “We did your highness. Now the question is why?” Blane asked with a bit of a smirk himself. Every member of my circle was like family and I ruled my kingdom as such. So, Jin and Blane knew they could always speak freely with me. “That will be answered soon enough Blane. I remember once before telling you both that you needed to work on your patience. I see that is going well.” I say with a chuckle knowing the two of them have not patience whatso ever. Their smiles wilted a bit and as Jin rolled her eyes Blane gave a snarky remark before saying goodbye and leading Jin out of the hallway and back to cause whatever mischief they can. I of course resumed my objective and made my way to Akasha’s room.

  Six

  Chapter Six

  Akasha POV:

  I awake just before dusk, still feeling like I could sleep for another six hours. This bed is amazing, I think to myself. It is like sleeping on clouds that elope me and keep me secure. It is the best bed I have ever slept on. I struggle to wake up fully when I suddenly hear a knock on the door. “Come in,” I say, still groggy. “Princess. We need to go over the day.” a familiar male voice says as he walks in. I shoot up out of the not realizing I am only currently wearing panties and a tank top. “Your Majesty! I was not expecting it to be you.” I say louder than I should. My voice cracking a bit making it extremely noticeable how nervous I am. I look up and realize he is looking at me with a dark and strange expression on his face. His eyes look me up and down as if he is memorizing every curve of my body and etching it into his brain. Heat explodes in his eyes and I feel a rush of lust that heats me throughout my insides and straight down to the forbidden area. That is when I realized exactly what I was wearing and blush completely embarrassed. I jump behind the bed and yank a sheet to help cover me up.

  “Clearly.” He says with a bit of amusement in his voice.

  “I am sorry to have startled you. I assumed you would be awake. I will have Nadia come for you when you are dressed.” He says with amusement still in his voice as he continues to glance over me again.

  I narrowed my eyes and nodded. “I won’t be long.” I tell him and wave my hand as if shooing him away. He nods in acknowledgement and then leaves quickly chuckling along the way out. Just a few minutes later Nadia enters to help me dress for the day. Geez, what a way to wake up.

  Less than thirty minutes later I look in the mirror and see that Nadia took my requests to heart. I am wearing a pair of simple, light faded jeans and solid black t-shirt and black and white converse. My long red hair is braided to the side providing softness with a no-nonsense kind of look. I thank her and she quickly leads me out to find King Armand. Before I know it, I am standing just in front of a large door clearly made of pure wood. It has carvings of roses identical to the staircase however this door also has carvings of dragons incorporated into the design. It is absolutely beautiful and a bit intimidating because of the sheer size of the door. I hold my breath as I knock.

  “Enter” is all I hear. Simple and to the point. I step into his office that is truly the most beautiful office I have seen. As soon as you walk in you see a huge fixed curved stained-glass window that takes up the entire wall. The design is an abstract that is unique to say the least with a verity of colors that I imagine dance around the walls when light shines through. Just in front of the window is a desk that matches the mahogany wood that surrounds the room. The walls are lined with wall-to-wall bookcases which is where I find Armand standing looking at a book. He lifts his head and smiles with ease. Oh, that smile is more breathtaking than this whole room. “Good Even
ing or should I say Morning?” I speak.

  “Good Morning Akasha. Thank you for meeting me here, although I think I liked your early morning wardrobe a little better.” He says with a smirk and a slight chuckle. Heat flashed across my face, “Hmm, I bet you did however I am sure you have seen far less on others.” I say trying to sound as snarky as I can. He just slightly shakes his head. “Well, I asked you here to go over a few things. First, I would like to talk to you about your training. After this conversation you will show to the training room. Mirella will be testing your magic first and then she will help you to control it. After you have grasped control then she will work with you on advancing that magic. Do you have any questions so far?” The moment he said Mirella would train me I got nervous. She and I do not seem to get a long that well and I cannot blame her for hating me for what my brother did.

  “Yes. Are you sure Mirella is the best to train me?” I ask and I can hear the worry in my voice that I tried and failed at hiding.

  “Ahh good question my âme sœur, she is my most trusted advisor and the most experience magic wielder here. I have no doubt she will help your magic grow. However, I do understand your hesitation with Mirella. She has been with me for a long time, and she helped raise Julianna. We already spoke about the conflict she may have and we both have agreed that you are not your brother and are not at fault for any of his short comings.” A small bit of relief filled me, and I realized he was calm, and his feelings seemed to calm me as well. How odd, I thought to myself.

  “Thank you” is all I could say. Talking about the horrible crimes Jayson has committed makes me sick to my stomach.