Savagery & Skills: Books 1-4

by Ciara Graves

  “That’s impossible,” Marlie said louder. “That kingdom no longer exists.”

  “Hence the term lost,” Minnie supplied happily. “But in truth, it was never truly lost.”

  “Someone mind explaining to me what you’re talking about? Marlie? What is Sa’ren?”

  “A kingdom that was banished from the rest of the fae,” Helena replied for my brother. “I grew up under the impression that it was nothing more than a myth. There were only ever four forges, but stories told of a fifth that resided in Sa’ren. Macron, are you certain?”

  “It’s the reason we’ve been gone so much these last five days,” he said, directing the words at me. “We had to be certain our journey would not be in vain.”

  “But you said not all the rings could be remade,” I said slowly. “Why?”

  “You need rings that will channel your dark power. As for the others, I’m afraid, there’s no way to remake them. Those forges no longer exist.”

  I licked my lips, mind racing confused. “What makes this one different?”

  “Sa’ren was a dark fae kingdom,” he confessed.

  “Dark,” I said.

  He nodded at me.

  I wanted to grimace, but held it back. “Dark as in evil?”

  “Dark, as in their magic was like yours. There was a time when fae were not always of the sunlight. Many were of the moonlight and back then, such power was not seen as dangerous or evil. Something your parents did not seem to remember.”

  “Wait, you’re saying there used to be more fae like me?”

  Macron nodded again.

  I cocked my head, studying him. “What the hell? Why aren’t they part of Otherworld anymore? Are they even in Otherworld?”

  “No, they were banished by the So’run fae kingdom.”

  I rubbed my face, a headache hitting me. “The what?”

  “Long ago there were only two kingdoms,” Macron explained in a hurry. “When the So’run became too strong, they decided they no longer enjoyed sharing Otherworld with those of the night and banded together to banish Sa’ren, claiming their magic was actually evil. The entire kingdom disappeared overnight as if it never existed. The leaders of the So’run kingdom split into three. That is the deep dark secret the fae have hidden away for centuries. The mages are one of the few races who remember.”

  “You’re saying that all this time, you knew there’d been a kingdom filled with fae like me. And you just what? Thought I didn’t need to know?”

  “What good would it have done?” Macron moved as if to take my hand

  I backed away.

  “Seneca, I never imagined your power would be this strong, or that you would need rings such as they had to survive. I never imagined Rudarius would… that he would…” He choked on the words.

  I reached up to feel my neck.

  Macron’s eyes followed the movement and the man I always believed to be so strong paled.

  “That he would turn me and taint me with evil. Yeah, neither did I.”

  “The ruling family though, the lineage,” Draven asked quietly, “who does it lie with?”

  “No one. The Sa’ren kingdom was made of those born as Seneca was, or those who were drawn to the moonlight instead of the sunlight.”

  “Then that makes Seneca what, the only surviving heir to a lost kingdom?”

  “If you want to get technical, yes,” Macron answered Draven’s question. “She’s not just a fae princess anymore.”

  “No.” I hissed as I glared at them all like they’d lost their minds. Or maybe I had. I wasn’t sure anymore. “No, I’m not some lost heir to some lost kingdom that may or may not have a damned forge to make me rings. Plus, I’m assuming if this kingdom was banished, that means we have to go and find it, right?”

  Macron pinched the bridge of his nose. “Seneca, please, we don’t have any other options if you are to use your power safely to the fullest extent. To ensure you do not turn.”

  I doubted rings would silence the evil inside me but didn’t say so. “Great, of course not. Why would we? So then, where is it?”

  “If it’s where we think, the kingdom was sent to a realm that should not be entered lightly. A grey world of death and monsters,” he was saying.

  I started laughing like an insane person.

  He shook his head. “I find nothing amusing about this.”

  “Oh no? Just me then, great. That’s great.”

  “If we find the forge, we can make rings that will work with your power,” Macron insisted. “You’ll have a fighting chance. You’ll be able to fight Rudarius.”

  “And what, maybe win? Who’s to say these rings will work, Macron? I’m tainted, remember?” And there it was, the harsh truth no one except me had the nerve to admit.

  “Seneca,” Macron called out, but I stormed through the kitchen and out into the garden.

  But that wasn’t far enough away, so I walked away from the fence. Then even further.

  Draven yelled for me, but I had to get away from them all.

  Get away from everything. It was too damned much, always too much. Another mess we had to face. Another problem we had to solve. Rudarius was never going to let me be. There was no guarantee of victory, no full proof way to know if these rings would save me from a terrible fate or not.

  I ran and ran, tearing through the tall grass of the fields that stretched out from Madwich. I ran until I slid on gravel and I glanced down a long stretch of driveway. The farmhouse. I’d bolted toward it, not even sure what drew me to it. The house was dark when I walked up the front porch and pushed the door in. Empty and cold, a shell of what it used to be.

  This is how I was going to end up if I wasn’t careful. If I didn’t stay in control.

  This house was the first time my life was turned upside-down. At least, turned upside-down after my time with Rudarius. The first time I started to realize how much had been kept from me.

  The first place I sensed a connection to Draven.

  If I’d known then the path we were going down, I would’ve stopped us both. I would’ve let him kill me and be done with it. Now, he was going to be dragged down with me, no matter what the outcome, because we weren’t going to come out of this war unscathed. How could we? Warmth brushed across my back, and I turned to find the full moon shining down on me, bright and brilliant in the sky. My hands stretched out at my sides, and I found myself pulling on the dark power burning inside me. I always assumed I could never reach my power without rings, but that was turning out to be wrong. The power within me could’ve been great until I was turned into a monster. I had to let it go, or it’d tear me apart.

  “Seneca.”

  My hands closed into fists, and I hunched my shoulders, fighting against the overflow of power wanting to explode outward and destroy everything in its path. “You shouldn’t be here.” The words came out harsh.

  Draven’s steps moved closer. His fingers brushed my shoulder.

  I flinched away. “Don’t.”

  “It’s not safe for you to be out here alone.”

  “You’ve got that all wrong. Just go away, please.”

  He grabbed hold of my shoulder and spun me around. The clench of his jaw told me exactly what he saw.

  “I don’t know if I can keep it under control. I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “Your power?”

  “Since we’ve been back, I keep burying it deeper and deeper.” I gasped as the darkness pushed to be set free, setting my teeth on edge as it clawed its way through me. No, not just the darkness. There was an evil side to the power flowing through me, making it unpredictable. “Every time I hear Rudarius’s voice or see him.” I shook my head hard and tore myself away from him. “Get out of here before I hurt you,” I begged.

  But he didn’t run away. The damned idiot planted his feet. “I told you we’re in this together. I’m not going anywhere.”

  The power screamed inside me, wanting to lash out and attack in any way it could. With or without ring
s no longer seemed to matter.

  “I can take it,” Draven said.

  Was he insane? I could kill him. I winced when my hands cramped from being clenched so tightly. He took a step toward me, and I hissed in warning, but he ignored me. He took another and another.

  My fist flew without my having a chance to realize what I was doing. It connected with his face. Shadows seeping from my skin added to the hit.

  Draven staggered backward, blood on his lip. He wiped it away with his thumb, and I waited for him to leave, to take off. For him to get angry.

  He raised his hand and motioned for me to come at him again.

  “We’re not doing this.” I backed up.

  He followed, mirroring every step I tried to take to get away.

  “Then you’re going to have fun explaining the shiner you’re about to get.” He blurred to my right.

  I reacted on instinct, blocking the hit aimed at my face. He came at me again.

  I snarled, swiping my leg out for his feet.

  He dodged back in time to miss the attack and spun around me, coming in on my weak side. “That’s not all you’ve got. Come on, Seneca, show me who you are.”

  I was about to tell him this wasn’t going to do anything but get him hurt, except I mistimed a block, and his fist collided with my nose. His kick hit me solidly in the chest. I flew backward, into the wall, cracking the sheetrock.

  The monster inside me lunged forward as I snarled, and fell into the offensive. The bit of rational thought I clung to disappeared. All that was left was the darkness that swirled with the evil Rudarius had planted inside me, the whispers inside my head.

  Draven’s eyes glimmered as shadows surrounded me like a cloak, waiting for the right moment to attack.

  I saw him, saw the vampire who held my heart, but there was no pulling the power back. With a sound like a wild animal, I threw myself at him, clawing and punching at his face. He blocked most of the hits but grunted in pain when I connected with his jaw then spun around and kicked him in the back.

  He hissed viciously as I came at him again and again, the shadows breaking away from me and adding to the chaos.

  It was like it was when I drained that shifter all over again. I saw nothing but a target to be eliminated. We tore through the house, crashing through walls and doorframes as if they were tissue paper.

  The walls buckled. Ceilings and floors gave way, but the fight went on. Draven held his own against my wrath. He caught my wrist and twisted my arm back as I spewed curses.

  “Control it,” he instructed sternly. “Don’t let it consume you.”

  I threw my head back into his.

  He released me.

  My fist found his stomach, and I slammed into him three times until he managed to block my attack and kicked my leg out from under me. I rolled back to my feet and jumped high into the air, my fist crashing into his shoulder.

  He sank to the floor then dove to the side as the shadows followed.

  There was no beginning or end to the power inside me. My anger drove it, my hatred of Rudarius, my fears, and uncertainties. I sensed myself slipping further away, even though Draven’s blue eyes never showed a single hint of fear at what I was. If I’d had rings, I might’ve already hurt him worse than I already had, but there was no sign he cared what happened to him. The power surged through my mind and said I shouldn’t care either. He was nothing but another vampire. Just someone else who would betray me in the end. My musings distracted me, and he wrapped me up in his arms from behind, holding me to his chest.

  “You’re not controlling it. This power is yours, Seneca, tainted or not, it’s yours.”

  I screamed as the power exploded outward, clearly disagreeing with is words. The force of the blast sent him through a wall. He rolled head over heels onto the gravel drive. I sprinted outside and stood over him. My breaths came quick, and the shadows swiftly shifted and reformed themselves into a stake in my hand.

  Draven made no move to save himself. He stayed there, on his back, looking up at me, arms spread out by his sides.

  “If you can’t control your power now, there’s no point,” he whispered. “Choice is yours, Seneca. Who are you going to choose to be? The monster Rudarius claims you to be? Or something so much greater. Choose.”

  My hand shook as I held the stake over his chest. Whispers inside my head told me to kill him. The stake inched closer to his chest. His eyes never wavered from mine. The whispers turned deafening, but through the din, I heard another sound. Laughter. Mine and Draven’s. I shut my eyes, and I saw us together, laughing and kissing. I saw us fighting side by side against vampires. Saw him risk his life to get me out of Otherworld when Rudarius attacked and nearly succeeded in getting to me.

  No, Rudarius had succeeded. The whispers inside my head changed instantly, and it was only Rudarius in my thoughts, pushing me to kill Draven. Buried deep was another voice, screaming to be heard through the din. My voice, my true power desperate to reach me. I focused on it, and one by one, the others fell away until they were nothing.

  I opened my eyes, flinching in horror to find myself holding a stake to Draven’s chest. The shadows shattered, and I fell back to the ground, gasping for air like I was drowning. He sighed in relief and then he was there, wrapping his arms around me, thanking the gods.

  I shoved at his chest hard and was ready to smack him. “What the hell were you thinking? I could’ve killed you.”

  “Had to prove a point.”

  “What point? That I’m officially psychotic? That I’m dangerous?”

  He had the nerve to grin as he shoved my hair from my face then kissed me. “That you’re stronger than Rudarius and what he did to you. That you can control what’s inside you.”

  I shoved him again, and he laughed. Then I grabbed his shirt and tugged him closer. I didn’t stop kissing him until the house behind us collapsed in on itself with a loud crash.

  I cringed.

  Draven smiled at the sight. “Feel better at least?”

  “Yeah, actually. Aside from the fact I nearly staked you.”

  “But you didn’t.” He took my hand and wove his fingers through mine. “If there is a forge that can make the rings. That power will be formidable against Rudarius. Maybe it can help silence his influence for good. We have to find it, and you need to start believing in yourself. If you could stop yourself from killing me now, you won’t turn later.”

  “How can you sound so certain?”

  “I’m not giving myself any other option.”

  I looked at him blankly. “That’s the big secret?”

  “Yeah, and it’s going to work.” He groaned. “Damn, woman, I’m going to be feeling those hits for a week.”

  “That’s what you get for being old,” I teased.

  He leaned into my side as we limped away from the farmhouse and toward the field. The fight did let me release some pent-up anger. The heavy presence that had weighed on me dissipated and it was only me inside my head.

  When we reached the cottage, we were laughing and talking about the fight.

  Macron and the others waited for us in the garden.

  “What the hell happened to you two?” Shane blurted out. “Did you go beat the shit out of each other?”

  “Essentially,” I admitted.

  Draven kissed the top of my head. “We’re both fine.”

  I pulled away from him and stood in front of Macron. “I owe you an apology.”

  “No, you don’t,” he said sternly. “I should have told you the truth. You deserved as much. I thought to protect you. I’m sorry, Seneca.”

  I hugged him. There was no point in holding onto grudges. I wished he’d told me years ago there were more fae like me, or mostly like me. Told me the truth about my parents and everything else, but I knew now. That’s what mattered because now was the time to fight.

  “We’re going with you to find the forge,” I told him as I let him go.

  “I’m afraid you can’t. Or at least
not the two of you together.” Macron gave Draven a reluctant frown. “This is Seneca’s quest. She and I must take it alone.”

  “No, I’m not letting her go to some realm filled with monsters,” he argued.

  “And what happens if we end up trapped? Or worse?” Macron challenged. “Draven, you need to stay here and continue finding your coven. You need to unite the vampires. Rudarius is going to come, whether Seneca has the rings or not. You have to be ready for him.”

  I grabbed Draven’s hand and squeezed. “He’s right.”

  “I don’t like the idea of you going alone.”

  “I don’t either, but we don’t have a choice. Stay positive, remember? I’ll come back with the rings, and you’ll have an army ready and waiting. Right?”

  His lips thinned until I kissed them. He winced.

  I grimaced. “Sorry. Guess we should get cleaned up, uh?”

  “Sun will be up soon anyway. Time to turn in for the night.”

  “Macron? Do you need anything else from me?”

  “No, you two should get some rest. We’ll prepare and leave in two days.”

  Draven and I were covered in scrapes and bruises, blood, dirt, and dust.

  He scooted me into the bathroom first, and after one more lingering kiss, he pulled the door shut to give me some privacy.

  I studied my reflection carefully as the water in the shower heated.

  The shadows were there, intermixed with the green, but this time there were no whispers in my head. Nothing from Rudarius. I wasn’t sure how long this clarity would last. Just hoped it would be long enough for me to find this forge and make the rings that were starting to sound like my only saving grace.

  Chapter 4

  Draven

  As soon as the water turned on in the shower, I exited the bedroom, only to come face-to-face with Macron. He didn’t look very happy about how Seneca and I had returned to the house, or the condition we returned in, I fathomed. He opened his mouth, probably to lecture me.

  I beat him to the punch. “She used her power without rings. Twice now, actually.”

  Macron’s frown deepened. “How do you mean?”