Everlasting Kingdom (The Winter Court Chronicles Book 3)

by Stephany Wallace

  My chest tightened. If Kah only knew it was precisely for her that I was refraining from being near the princess. She pouted, and I was forced to chuckle. Kah was noble and caring. A warrior, yes, yet her instinct was to always see the best in others, which would make her a great queen one day, and it confirmed her Pixie nature. Her people didn’t have enemies, although they stood for what they believed in, and fought to defend their kingdom when needed. Pixies were peaceful, and considered everyone their equals. They were sneaky tricksters, but there was no malice in their bones.

  “I’ll go, but tonight I want us to be together. I need you to open up for me, Kah. I chose you to be mine.” I leaned in and kissed her, her scent filtering through me. Tilting my head, I deepened the kiss as the need for her stirred. Once she finally opened up to me, I would have claimed her, and I would never have to worry about anything else but being hers.

  *

  “Kah said you wanted to see me.” I greeted, entering the study my brother, Kyr, had taken over within the temple. Avrielle sat beside him and his hand moved along a large parchment of paper that rested over the vast desk.

  Kyr lifted his hand and I noticed the traces of graphite staining his fingers. He was drawing. His lips stretched into a smile as he waved me forwards, but my feet were already taking me to him as my interest peaked. The partial sketch of a castle stared back at me from the page.

  “The Everlasting Kingdom,” Kyr announced, looking into my eyes. “There is no better motivation for war than knowing what you will achieve at the end of it… what we are fighting for, Brother.”

  Although I admired his sentiment, the word “war” made it all the more real to me. What our destinies were, and what was expected of us. My eyes fell over the incomplete drawing. A massive structure with long towers with intricate spears at the top, and large windows—resembling those in this temple—grazed the paper.

  I smiled. “It looks like it will be a beautiful palace.”

  Kyr’s eyes connected with Avrielle’s as he reached for her hand. “It will be.”

  A different light illuminated his eyes as hope for the future filled him. I wish I could feel what he felt at that moment. He placed a gentle kiss on Avrielle’s lips and focused on me once again. I internally frowned as a blue haze called my attention and my gaze shifted to her. She leaned forwards over the desk and as the light of the chandelier hit her, my confusion spread. There was a slight blue shimmer over her otherwise violet hair.

  “Yes, I asked Kah to relay the message because I need to talk to you.” Kyr said, standing from the desk and bringing my attention back to him. “I must take over the planning of what our move will be. The Dark King is employing all of his forces to finding Mother and us, which means he still doesn’t know we are not his sons. The element of surprise will be our advantage here. We must do anything we can to maintain that, so we can attack. I’m unsure of whether or not the Dark Army will support him now that I’m not there, and we need to be prepared in case they do.”

  I shook my head. “The Dark Army would never fight against you, Brother.”

  A strained breath left Kyr’s lips as he placed his hand on my shoulder. “That may be so, but we can’t forget that they took an oath to protect the kingdom from any threats, and when we attack the Winter Court, that might very well be us.”

  “Will we attack as Drayvok, or as warriors?” I questioned, my gaze briefly drifting to Avrielle. The blue shimmer was still there.

  “I’m not sure. I don’t wish to harm anyone else, just take the throne from the Dark King and kill him. I must end his reign of terror, once and for all. I’m confident we can end this as warriors, as brothers, without needing to take any other lives or use the abilities we’ve been given as Drayvok.”

  His gaze became stern as it bore into my eyes.

  “The breath powers we hold must not be used lightly. We could destroy everything we are trying to protect… I could destroy everything. Blue fire makes me more powerful, but it must also make me wiser. It’s too much power to hold, I shouldn’t use it unless absolutely necessary. If we are lucky, I won’t be forced to use it at all.”

  “I agree, Brother.” I confirmed with a nod. “We can win this as warriors, and brothers.”

  Kyr’s lips stretched into a smile. “Thank you.” He sighed. “Which is why I need you and Kah to talk to Theo. See if he is willing to join our fight. Perhaps, he can lend us a few hundred of his warriors to support us.”

  “That makes perfect sense. I shall do so gladly.” I grasped my hands behind me, smiling at Avrielle, and turned on my heel to leave the study.

  “I also need you to look over the princess from now on.”

  I froze midstride. “Excuse me?” I turned to face him as he stepped closer.

  “I haven’t checked on her in over three weeks, and now more than ever, I need to be here, strategizing for this war that we must win, and planning for our future. You also heard our father, I need to hone my abilities as much as possible, and I need you and Ash to take care of everything else, which means you need to oversee the Summer Princess’ stay in Theo’s castle. Find out if she needs something, and let me know.”

  “Why can’t we just allow her to return to the Summer Court, and save ourselves the trouble? The last thing we need now, is to have to worry about her. The farthest she is from us, the better.”

  Kyr’s brows gathered at my words and he stepped closer, searching my eyes. He knew me well, and as my muscles constricted at the thought of seeing Aura everyday until the war, his suspicion grew. “Did something happen with the Summer Princess while you stayed at Theo’s without Ash?”

  “Not particularly, no.” I lied.

  “Hhmm. I see.” He took a deep breath, rubbing the black stains from his fingers while he assessed me. “Unfortunately, the Summer Court isn’t safe for her right now. The Dark King attacked the castle earlier this week, and killed half the guard.”

  “What?!” I whisper-screamed as my thoughts went to Aura. “Is the Summer Queen alive?”

  “She is, for now. Queen Abella wasn’t expecting the attack and Laeroth was able to get to her doorstep. When she and her king realized it, it was too late. They tried to defend their people, but you know how it is when the Dark King lashes out, and her army isn’t as apt to protect them as it should be.”

  “For now?” I probed, as my pulse raced. I wondered why Kah hadn’t mentioned it to me before.

  “I asked her not to tell you. I wanted to do it myself,” Kyr answered my thoughts, reminding me of his abilities.

  I tensed, yet again. What else had he “heard” inside my mind? He raised an eyebrow, giving me a knowing look, yet as the intention changed in his eyes, I knew he wouldn’t bring it up… for now.

  Kyr let out a heavy breath. “From what Kah’s parents were able to tell us, Queen Abella was hurt in the battle. Although she doesn’t possess any abilities, she still armed herself and fought for her kingdom.”

  “Admirable.”

  “But foolish. She isn’t that good of a fighter and was badly hurt by one of my Dark War—the Dark Warriors.” He corrected, with a sigh. “Her healers are taking care of her, though. She is expected to make a full recovery.”

  “Where was her king?”

  “He fought them too, trying to protect her, but the Dark Warriors separated them during the battle.” Kyr’s voice held guilt; that was clearly one of his strategies. “He wasn’t as badly hurt, though. Still, it seems strange to me that the Dark Army left them alive. That must not have pleased Laeroth.”

  “Aura deserves to know,” I anxiously expressed before I could stop myself.

  Avrielle looked curiously at me. “Yes, she does. You should tell her.”

  I groaned and spun around.

  “Does that mean you’ll do this for me?”

  My brother’s words stopped me once more, as I grasped the door. I turned to face him, reaching for my nonexistent glasses and silently cursed. “How many times have I said no to
you?”

  Kyr grinned.

  *

  As I began to make my way down the corridor, another memory blindsided me. My feet stopped their advance while my surroundings disappeared and I was no longer between walls of ice and stone.

  *

  “Can’t sleep?”

  Aura’s musical voice was a nervous whisper as it reached me, her scent slammed into me. A shiver instantly ran the length of my spine, making me straighten in response. Reluctantly, I ripped my gaze from the stunning midnight bathed mountains on the horizon, and looked at her. She stood just under the entrance of the terrace where I sat, the golden arch that surrounded her providing an enchanting frame to her graceful beauty. A long sleeping gown fell over her figure, the white silk robe providing her cover from my gaze. Her hands were clasped in front of her waist, as she anxiously rubbed her fingers.

  I didn’t answer. I wasn’t sure I could as the anxiety awoke inside me, and turned back towards the breathtaking scenery. Instead, I slid to the edge of the bench where I sat, leaving space for her to sit. I was still a gentleman, after all. Her sigh of relief reached me then, and somehow, I felt her move towards me. A strange energy tension began to charge the air when she sat beside me, and every cell in my body tensed.

  “I can’t sleep either,” she confessed in a small voice, and looked out into the night.

  I knew I should take a settling breath to ease my nerves, but I was dreading the effect it would have on me if I did. For some mind numbing reason, her scent became stronger to my senses every time our paths crossed.

  “It’s truly beautiful here,” I stated instead, holding my breath—like a child—and pushing my glasses back over the bridge of my nose. My gaze involuntarily went to her, and I noticed her full lips curve into an appreciative smile. My pulse picked up speed at the sight.

  “Yes, it is. I had never seen these lands before. I have never really seen anything, except my kingdom.”

  “Me either. We only ever favored our lands, our people. There was an entire mystical world to explore just within our reach, yet I never dared to. I was taught to care about our kingdom… nothing else.” I shared honestly, although there was disappointment in my words, for the selfishness that had ruled our lives before. Yet, when Aura’s eyes met mine, I knew somehow she understood.

  The light in her gaze suddenly transformed and my head spun towards the mountains. My heart faltered. The sparkle I caught in her eyes had done something to me, even if it had only been a second.

  “I’m sorry.” Her quivering words tore through me, and I gripped the edge of the stone bench beneath us. “What I said earlier, in the library… I didn’t mean it.”

  My eyes returned to hers and I found myself struggling in more ways than one, feeling as though my lungs would explode at any moment from lack of oxygen. When my gaze connected with hers, the air rushed into my body and with it, the sweet glory of her scent. It traveled through me, doing things I wasn’t prepared to handle. Her ocean blue eyes twinkled in the night, the green specks within them seeming to glow.

  “I’m scared,” Aura confessed, while her hands nervously gripped the edge of her robe. Her gaze left me, and I almost reached for her chin, tilting it back towards me. My muscles clenched while I forced myself to not move. “For the longest time, I thought the Princes of the Winter Court to be just like their king. Evil. Cold hearted, and irrational men, who killed without any regard to whom they were hurting in the process. Who destroyed families and kingdoms without a second thought… hungry for power.”

  Her eyes returned to mine, and a wave of relief flooded me.

  “But you are not.” She seemed baffled by her own statement. “When Kyr abducted me, I thought I was as good as dead. When he didn’t kill me, I still wanted to die, because the last thing I would allow myself to be, was a prisoner of the Dark King.”

  Her words caused an inexplicable wave of anxiety to roll through me. I wasn’t sure why, all I knew was that nothing could ever happen to her. I would never allow it. I couldn’t.

  “But the only thing you and your brothers have done since then, is protect us.” Her hazelnut brown waves slightly bounced as she shook her head. “Kyr kept Marigold and I in the castle, he assigned ladies to look after us, dressed us, fed us and even now, you and Ash are still treating us with… decency… with respect. Well, except for that one incident…”

  “What?” I asked, sliding closer to her.

  She swallowed and shame tinged her gaze. “Kyr sort of attacked us once.”

  My heart stopped. “He did what?!” I whisper-hissed, standing.

  She stood after me. “I… um, I can’t really blame him for it. I might have provoked him.” My brows gathered in confusion and she lowered her gaze from mine. “I said I was glad that our sorcerer put that curse on your mother, that she deserved it.”

  I stepped back from her, hurt by her admission. When her eyes returned to mine, they had welled with tears.

  “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean it… I didn’t know the pain it caused her. The pain it had caused you and your brothers to go through that—to essentially lose your mother. Kyr showed us through an illusion, and I realized there was no excuse for doing that to any being. It made us as vile as the Dark King.”

  The tears spilled from her lashes as the two moons of winter shone in the distance, reflecting on her teardrops, and it was the most heartbreakingly beautiful sight I had ever seen. “Please, don’t cry…” My hand instinctively reached for her cheek, wishing to wipe away her tears, hold her in my arms, but I pulled back before I could feel her skin.

  Her gaze followed my hand while it returned to my side, and it was suddenly filled with disappointment—as though she had hoped to feel my touch. Wiping her cheeks, she looked to the horizon once more, crossing her arms so her hands were hidden from me. “How did it happen, Nyx? How did we get so caught up in our parents’ war, that we became them?”

  I shook my head, not knowing the answer. I hated the feeling. “Laeroth is not my father.” I confessed.

  The sound of Aura’s gasp reverberated through the night, and her head whipped towards me. “What?”

  I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck, only to keep my hand from reaching for hers. “That is the reason we left the Winter Court. We discovered he was not our father.”

  “Oh, I’m so sorry, Nyx. I mean, thank the Goddess that Laeroth is not your father, but I can’t imagine how difficult and heartbreaking that must be for you. I am sorry you are going through that.”

  Her hand softly rested on my chest and my heart nearly burst through it. Our gasps mixed in the wind as pink tendrils of electricity ignited on her skin, transferring to mine. The shock went through me and I gripped her wrist, pulling her close. Her body pressed to mine, my forehead to hers, while the energy rushed through both of us at once. Our forms slightly shook while our hurried breaths mixed just an inch from the other.

  A yellow spark suddenly appeared between us, dashing over her skin and clashing with her pink one. They didn’t mix or fizzle, somehow they danced along our skins together, as though they were the same kind of energy, thriving at the same frequency. The mini lightning bolts finally disappeared while I stared intently into Aura’s eyes, convincing myself that I was in control, and I could somehow let her go. When her lids closed and her chin slightly tilted towards me, I panicked.

  I stepped away from her, releasing her so abruptly that she stumbled forwards at the absence of my body against hers. She blinked, trying to regain her bearings, and eyes filled with hurt settled on mine. I swallowed and whirled around, hurrying towards the glass door.

  “I can feel you, Nyx.” Her words halted me where I stood, my hand grasping the golden handle. “I don’t know what to make of it, and I have no idea how to explain it, but I can feel you.”

  I slowly turned towards her at the need and pain in her voice. She moved closer, stopping only a foot away from me. Her hands trembled as she held them before her.

  “Your e
nergy hums in a way, that I can feel it over my skin. I can recognize it, and it makes me crave to be near you… It’s as though something calls me to you. Do you feel the same?” I remained frozen, utterly shocked as my lungs burned inside me. “I can still smell my fated,” she continued, when I didn’t speak. “Yet, his scent has become dull. I can feel you much more strongly.”

  “I am fated to another, Aura. I can’t do this.”

  Surprise entered her eyes, quickly replaced by pain. “But I thought you could smell me?”

  Every muscle in my body constricted, my mind begged me to walk away, reminded me that I had felt Kah’s scent first, that I could never be with the Summer Princess, even if I wanted to. Instead of moving away, I stepped closer, pressing our bodies together once again. It was as though I had no control over my actions when I was close to Aura, and I did not like that at all. My consciousness rebelled at the idea, but the moment her hands landed on my chest and she looked up into my eyes, something happened. I released the breath I wasn’t aware I’d been holding, and the next second, her scent slammed into me even more strongly than before.

  My mouth became dry, palpitations unsettled my heart, and a cold sweat clung against my skin. When the tingling spread over my body, I was certain I was in the brink of a panic attack, yet I couldn’t look away from her dazzling ocean blue eyes. I wasn’t aware that I had moved, but my chest pressed against hers while my hands gripped her waist, and tightness pushed against every inch of my skin. Aura’s hands clung to my arms, holding on as best she could. Her lids fell closed when the electric humming between us began and she arched her neck, inviting me in.

  The tip of my nose caressed the length of her tender skin, while I inhaled her scent deeply—taking her all in. My eyes closed, the smell of her was almost addicting. Small gasps left her mouth as my lips reached her neck, the second they brushed against her, yellow sparks appeared. My skin tightened even more over my bones. I wanted her.

  Think, Nyx, think!!

  My mind suddenly yelled and I pulled away from her, gasping for air. The image of Kah inundated my mind. I had smelled her right after the Blooming Ceremony. She was my fated, not Aura. What the hell was I doing?! Kah was my fated… she was my friend. I needed to get out of here.