Romance: Angel-The Fire Princess: Vampire Werewolf Shifter Fantasy Romance
Page 5
“Your father did this to me, you know. He was the most powerful of the fire-wielders, and he was the Queen’s husband, so I decided to take him down myself rather than send any of my assassins. That was regrettable, to say the least.”
“But you still killed him?” Angel questioned, her voice rising. Akabar shrugged.
“Sure, but at what cost? I was there to kill not only him, but his wife and his unborn child, and he would stop at nothing to protect them. I took him down, but not before he doused me in flames. I was able to flee, but I wasn’t able to get to my healers in time to prevent any scarring. So I’ve
been reminded of my mistake every day for the last 18 years.”
Akabar then fixed Angel with a piercing stare, his black eyes shining with hatred.
“I finally get to fix the mistake I made all those years ago.” His arms spread out before him, and ice slowly made it’s way across the dirt floor, covering the bars, toward Angel. “Today, we finally end this.” But then, his eyes blazed, a smile crossing his miss-shaped face. “But first, I want you
to meet someone.”
This ice came to Angel’s feet now, freezing her in place. She looked up to see a figure walking from out of the shadows, and she gasped when the stranger showed his face.
“This is my son,” Akabar smiled. “Nolan.” He looked utterly breathtaking, and he looked absolutely vicious. Angel gaped at him.
“You?!” Nolan smiled.
“I’ve been leaking my father information for years. I’ve trained under the queen’s fellow Hunters, and I’ve done everything to gain her faith and trust. My main goal was always to identify the lost Princess, and you revealed yourself today at your parent’s house. Sorry, Angel, it wasn’t personal.” He shrugged at this and pursed his lips in faux sorrow. Angel snorted.
“You’ve always been full of it, huh? And all this time, I thought you were my friend.” Nolan laughed outright at this.
“You thought wrong, Princess.” Akabar looked absolutely gleeful at the exchange between the two.
“Marvelous! Now that we’re through with the introductions, let’s proceed.” Akabar’s ice continued slowly up Angel’s legs. “Once the ice reaches your torso and freezes your heart, you’ll be dead, dear Angel.” His mouth lifted into an evil smile.
“Why are you doing this?” Angel asked, trembling, partly from cold and partly from fear.
“Because you are the only thing standing in the way of all-powerfulness, Princess.” Ice seared through her hips, and then-
Angel heard a crash from a floor above, and the screams of soldiers.
“They’re here,” Nolan muttered, and Akabar cursed.
“Of course they are.” Angel didn’t say anything, but since Akabar had been distracted, she could feel the ice melting back down to her shoes.
“Akabar!” came a booming, female voice, ringing throughout the dungeon, and then another crash. “Let her go!” Akabar chuckled at this.
“My queen, it isn’t so simple,” he argued, bringing his hands up in defense.
“This was always destined to happen. Just sit back and let it.”
“Never!” Kelandra screamed, and then she bounded toward him from out of the darkness in her wolf form. She attacked Akabar, teeth bore, but ice sprung from his hands at just the same moment, and the queen was only barely able to avoid it.
Meanwhile, Angel was struggling against her own icy bonds, trying to shift her weight to melt the ice faster so she could move. When finally her feet were no longer planted, she tried the metal doors again, and tried to open them as quietly as she could. Still they did not budge.
Angel startled when a figure suddenly appeared before her, but she scowled when she saw who it was.
“Nolan,” she sputtered, crossing her arms. “You going to ice me, too?” Nolan’s face, however, looked almost pained.
“Look, Angel, what I said early. About being friends. We are friends.” He tried to take her hand through the bars, but Angel snatched it away, snorting.
“You think I’m so stupid? That I’ll trust you now after you betrayed me?” The battle between Kelandra and her wolves and Akabar raged behind Nolan, and Angel tried to ignore it. Nolan shook his head.
“No, you’re not that stupid. I understand. But Angel, you need to understand this: no matter my feelings toward you, I’m still tied to my father. I’m not allowed to be your friend.” He took a key from his pocket at that moment. “I can do this, though.” Quickly, Nolan unlocked Angel’s cell, but when the door fell open, she simply stared at him, mouth gaping.
“You’re a strange one, Nolan,” she decided, shaking her head in awe. Nolan almost smiled at that.
“Things are going to be complicated from here on out, Angel. Just always know that no matter what I do by my father’s command, I’m still loyal to you.” Angel rolled her eyes at this.
“Secretly, though,” she amended, and he nodded.
“For now.” He took Angel’s hand for a moment, squeezed it, and then looked her in the eyes. “Now run. Get out of here.”
Angel bypassed the fight occurring between the wolves and the lone vampire, ascended the stone steps leading up to the rest of the palace, and she ran as fast as she could through the dark, empty halls of Akabar’s castle.
And when she made it outside, she continued to run, just as Nolan had instructed her.
Chapter Eight
“I definitely never knew he was a double agent,” Ryker insisted, his palms up in surrender. “So, yeah. Anything I did for him when he was on mission for Akabar, I was definitely unknowledgeable.” The owner of the Golden Airways stood before Queen Kelandra and pled his case. It was obvious that he truly was clueless, so any cargo he transported or any assistance he offered to Nolan was out of ignorance.
“You’re free to go, Ryker,” Kelandra chuckled, waving him away. Ryker was beyond thrilled.
“Oh thank you, Queen, I truly appreciate you. Also, that orange is a fabulous color on you-“
“Good day, Ryker,” she interrupted, but her smile deceived her. Ryker tipped his hat to her and was on his way. “What a charming young man,” she then said, directed toward Angel, who sat at her right hand.
After the Kelandra and her wolves realized that Angel had escaped, they retreated swiftly, leaving Akabar to drown in his defeat.
“Yeah, he’s alright,” Angel smiled, and they both laughed. However, the usual gloom that had followed Angel for the last several days hung over, and caused her face to fall. The queen noticed and gently placed a hand on hers.
“I understand if you need to take some time for yourself. You’ve lost your parents, practically your entire life. Grieve, rest, do whatever you need. I’m here for you.” Angel simply nodded in reply.
When she returned to her room, she sat on the edge of her bed and stared at nothing, her mind whirring. Angel didn’t want to grieve or rest or mope. Angel wanted to take action.
Her heart had hardened over the past several days toward everything and everyone in her life. Toward Kelandra for forcing her entire first 18 years to be a lie. Toward her parents for continuing her lifelong lie. Toward Ryker for being so clueless and carefree. For some odd reason, the only person she had not yet hardened her heart toward was Nolan, the one who had outright betrayed her. And yet…
He had saved her. And he hadn’t tried to make her into someone she wasn’t. Nolan had been just as interested in her own story as she was, given it was for the purpose of selling her to his father. Somehow, she couldn’t remain objective about Nolan while everyone else hated him for what he did.
Nolan had seen Angel and had seemed to actually care. And maybe Angel was wrong, but that had to mean something.
No, she would not sit idly by while the man who murdered her parents and her biological father lived free of punishment. She would train and she would grow, and she would hone her abilities until she was strong enough to defeat Akabar.
She would become powerful.
Than
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