The Kingdom Journals Complete Series Box Set

by Tricia Copeland

  “I’m not taking your blood right now. You need all the healing power you can get.”

  I held my palms out, and Alena and Camille each took a hand. We jumped into the air and soared up. As we ascended, the air warmed. I counted as before, sixty, one-twenty, one-eighty, two-forty. My head swam with the force on my body. Seeing the ledge, I shot over it and then released my power. We fell to the ground.

  “Hunter, are you okay?” Alena crept to me.

  “Yeah, I will be.” I pushed up on my knees.

  “That took you long enough. Where is Sonia?” Theron loomed over me.

  Anger fueled my rage, and I shot up. My brain pinged before I drew back my fist. He just lost his father and grandmother. You did too.

  “She’s gone.” I wished I could say I was sorry, but I wasn’t really.

  Theron charged Alena. “You did this.”

  Alena flung up a wall, deflecting his attack. “She was going to kill us.”

  At least I knew I didn’t need to worry about Alena’s powers. But mine seemed to be dwindling. “We need to go home.”

  “What about me?” Theron’s gaze cut to me and then Alena and Camille.

  We should take him back, Alena’s voice sounded in my head.

  She’s right, Camille added.

  A gust of cold wind washed over me, and Lucifer appeared beside Theron. “I’ve claimed him for my realm. He shall not pass back.”

  Alena stepped up to Lucifer. “Maybe we have enough power to override you.”

  He spread his dark wings. “Perhaps I’ll claim all of you as mine. Your powers are waning. You may not have enough strength to get yourselves out of here.”

  I grabbed Alena’s hand and pulled her away from Lucifer. I held my other hand out to Camille, and she slid hers into it. Lucifer stepped in front of Theron. I peered around the dark angel at my brother. His eyes pleaded with me. For as much as I hated him, he was still my brother.

  “I’m sorry.”

  Stepping back, I spied a pinhole of light in the distance. All we had to do was get to that portal. With all my energy, I pushed off with my leg muscles. A force tugged at my feet, and I found myself stuck to the rock.

  Lucifer sauntered to me. “See, you don’t have enough power.”

  I felt a hand on my shoulder and rotated my head to find DJ behind me. Jude appeared beside Camille and Tyler at Alena’s side.

  Straightening my spine, I stepped to within a foot of Lucifer. “Together we do.”

  With a flap of his wings, Lucifer scooped up Theron and dove into the fissure. Releasing Alena’s and Camille’s hand, I dashed to the edge. “Theron.”

  My body shook with all the emotions swirling through my head. Was Theron really doomed to an eternity in Hell? Did he deserve that?

  Alena ran her hand across my back. “We have to let him go for now.”

  I raised my chin to look at Alena and then Camille. “Let’s go home.”

  Holding out my palm, I locked hands with Alena and DJ, Camille, Jude, and Tyler joined us forming a circle. I closed my eyes and pushed off the ground. As we ascended my strength waned. The force of the wind pressed on my chest. Focusing on the target I concentrated every bit of my energy on our forward motion. A white light flashed before my eyes and then nothing.

  Darkness surrounded me. My body hung in the space as if weightless. I lifted one hand and then the other to find them empty. Where was DJ? Alena? Camille? Had I guessed wrong? Were we not strong enough to return home?

  It couldn’t be possible, not with all of us bonded as one. I spun in a circle, flipped over and looked down, but there was nothing to see. Perhaps the transition overwhelmed me and I was dead. I pictured Alena’s face, DJ’s, my mother’s, and grandparents’. Raising my arm, I tried to make my mark glow as it had in the fissure. A small burst of warmth spread from my wrist, but then it fizzled. I tried to call Alena’s name into the darkness, but no sound emitted from my mouth.

  “DJ, Camille,” I tried to yell. Nothing.

  I flailed my arms and legs about, kicking into the nothingness, propelling my body up, down, and around. Think Hunter. Don’t waste your energy. I rested my head back on the invisible nothingness, stretched out my arms, and straightened my legs as if floating atop the sea. Closing my eyes, I lay motionless. If I were alone, that meant Alena, Camille, DJ, and the rest of them made it, right? But how could I be sure? What if we were all in our own private limbo hell. I pictured Alena alone in a void like mine. I thought of never seeing her face, never feeling the warmth of her skin, the zing of her magic when she kissed me.

  No, I wouldn’t accept this. Shutting my eyes, I called on my magic, the power of my ancestors, Michael’s line.

  Michael, this isn’t fair. I broke your curse. I freed your coven from Theron’s rule. Help me.

  I peered into the darkness, but no one came. Nothing happened. I watched a long time. How long I couldn’t guess. Counting gave me no relief. Would it ever end? Was I in Hell? Sure, I wasn’t perfect, but who was?

  No. No sensation touched my skin, not cold, not warm. No breeze grazed my skin, even when I kicked about. I’d felt Hell, the bitter biting frozen air, the darkness that threatened to consume just beyond the realm of sight. This wasn’t that. Void. The only other word to describe the state entered my brain. I squeezed my eyelids together. Sheol?

  Staring into the black, I prayed for it to end. Weight pressed on my chest, not from the void, but from the mountain of emotion that lurked behind every breath. I closed my eyes and let it in. I imagined them waking, alive, hugging each other, Alena, Camille, DJ, Jude, even Tyler, celebrating our victory. But what would they think, feel, when I didn’t make it back?

  My thoughts turned. Sadness, guilt, grief. I pictured my mother’s face. My friends mourning my loss.

  “It wasn’t your fault.” I yelled again into the darkness, but no sound passed my lips.

  After minutes, seconds, hours, I had no clue, my feelings transformed. I screamed into the void. “This isn’t okay.”

  I punched the air, kicked with my legs, and my body flipped and spun through the abyss. Still, nothing changed. Aiming my hands to my feet, I dove into the darkness. Even with my motion, the air hung around me as if I hadn’t moved at all. Perhaps I was alive, just hurt—a concussion, contusion. Were those the same? A brain hemorrhage, aneurism, stroke, heart attack. My emotions leapt. They could fix those and bring me back. Right?

  Time slipped by like water through a sieve. It stretched out and then flowing as my emotions switched between despair and acceptance. Sheol. This had to be Sheol or Hell. Did it really matter? I could be at peace. I would be at peace. No! Camille said it was cold and dark where she had been. It wasn’t important. If I could know for sure that Alena, DJ, and Camille made it back, I’d be okay.

  But would they be okay without me there? I’d rather experience years of torture than know one of them couldn’t move past my death. A ripping—like something clawing my skin—progressed from my throat to my abdomen. That was it. One of them wasn’t safe. I needed to help. I had to get back, make sure they were okay.

  “Michael. Michael.”

  I started paddling my arms, kicking my legs, propelling myself through the nothingness. After what must have been hours, I sensed no difference in my state or in the surroundings. My muscles didn’t sear with exertion, didn’t tire. I could swim forever. I had to accept it.

  With one final look into the nothingness, I closed my eyes. I thought of DJ, Alena, Camille, and my mother. I imagined them happy. Perhaps years had gone by. Mom would find a nice man, maybe an engineer, someone smart, conservative. Orm trained DJ, and he assumed leadership of the cove. Alena became her mother’s second in command, and together with her father would make peace between the species. Camille enrolled in medical school. They would think of me every once in a while, but they would be happy. It was all I needed to believe. We were together in spirit, always. I had my memories, enough for all of them, and I would relive them forever an
d send peaceful, warm, strengthening thoughts into the universe. And their images would give me peace. One for all, and all for one.

  The All, they would be better, happier, content with their lives, and the witches, the vampires, could be at peace. It had been worth it. Our bond, the destiny of our fates, brought us together and we served our purpose.

  Me, the One, rested in that knowledge. Silence. No magic pinged in my brain, no heartbeat echoed through my body, no breath escaped my lips. I pushed the fear away, fighting against the grief of my loss. I would let it in bit by bit.

  Smack. Something hit my chest. Bam. Another blow. Soft skin grazed my lips, and warm air filled my lungs. Then, I felt pressure on my sternum, repeated depressions. Ba-bump, my heart issued a thump. I drew in a huge breath and opened my eyes.

  The darkness gave way to light—fuzziness to Alena’s perfect face. She gripped my shoulders and hugged me to her.

  “Oh, thank God! You’re okay.”

  “I’m okay?”

  “You’re okay, right?” She held me at arm’s length.

  “His color is better, but he still feels cold?” Camille ran her hand across my forearm.

  “Here.” DJ wrapped a blanket around my shoulders.

  Confused, I focused on Alena. “You weren’t there were you? You didn’t go to the nothing, did you?”

  “Where, Hunter? The nothing?” Alena gripped my hand. “What are you talking about?”

  I scanned the room. Anastasia, Chalondra, Guinevere, Grady, Tyler, and Orm stood behind Alena, Camille, and DJ. The candles we’d lit before I left to find Theron shone bright. Running a finger on the floor beside me, I found the salt line of the star we formed.

  “How long have I been gone?”

  “What do you mean? You were—” Bloody tears sprang to Alena’s eyes.

  Camille wrapped her arm around Alena’s shoulders. “He’s okay.” Camille released Alena and turned to face me. “You were just out for a couple of seconds.”

  Swiveling my head, I studied the others. “Out? Seconds? But everyone else is okay?”

  “Yes, we’re fine. Your heart stopped, but I did CPR and brought you back.” Alena squeezed my hand.

  “Okay.” Feeling like the center show at a circus, I released Alena’s hand and pushed up to my knees and then feet.

  The door flew open and Anne, Lucas, my mother, and grandparents rushed in.

  Anne studied us. “Lucas said something felt wrong. Is everyone okay?”

  Alena flung her arms around her mother. “Yes, we’re all okay. We did it. Sonia and Thanatos are dead, and Hunter took control of Michael’s coven.”

  My mom ran her hand placed her palm on my forehead. “You’re pale as a ghost. Your skin is ice cold.”

  “I’ll be okay.” Shuffling to the sofa, I sank into the seat.

  Four vampire guards entered. The one I recognized as head of their security approached Anne. “Miss Scott. There are over two hundred witches downstairs. We”—he transferred his weight between his legs—“we’re not sure what to do with them.”

  Anne’s lips turned up into a smile. “Your forces can’t be around the witches without wanting to drain each one of them, can they?”

  “No.” His eyes cut to the floor.

  “It took me years to train my forces to be in the presence of witches.”

  “Yes, I understand that now.”

  I gripped the armrest and pulled myself up. “I should go to them. They’re my coven. We’ll have to find transportation to get them home.”

  Alena slipped her arm around my middle and supported me as I made my way to the door. As we passed Lucas, he stiffened.

  Catching his eye, I stopped. “What is it?”

  He held out his arm, and I locked my hand around it in the traditional greeting. “You have been to . . .” he started.

  “I have my coven to attend to.” I released his arm.

  “Your brother Theron lives.”

  “He does.”

  Alena straightened her back and linked her fingers in mine. “Lucifer took him. We have to figure out how to find him, bring him back.”

  Lucas looked to Anne and then back to us. “You will have each other while I am away.”

  “What? No! You just got here.” Alena grabbed her father’s arm.

  “I won’t be long.” Lucas kissed Alena’s cheek. “Anne, come see me off.”

  “Of course.” Anne took Lucas’s hand.

  Following Anne and Lucas out, we made our way down to the parking garage. The others helped make travel arrangements for those of Michael’s coven with homes on Sardinia, and we assigned the others spaces in Anne’s building.

  After learning that my heart stopped, Mother restricted me to our condo in Anne’s high rise for the next week. With little energy, I felt content to sit in front of my computer and finish the last requirements for graduation with Alena, Camille, DJ, and Jude.

  Mother and my grandparents returned to our apartment, and we were given the freedom to attend all the end-of-school rituals with our friends. I moved from event to event in a haze of wonder and bewilderment. How had those seconds when I died felt like an eternity? Why had I been given a second chance? Did I still have some destiny left to fulfill, or had someone decided I deserved to come back to those I loved?

  Looking at Alena, I berated myself. Just accept it and be grateful, dude. She smiled and laced her fingers in mine, and my heart skipped a beat.

  “What are you thinking?”

  I wrapped my arms around her waist. “That I love you.”

  “You’re going to tell me you love me right here at your friend’s graduation party?”

  “We’ve said I love you before. Anyway, there’s no time like the present. I’m never going to take a second of my life for granted.”

  “That’s the first time you said it in the human world.” She pushed up on her toes and kissed me. “I love you, too. Even if you do sound like a hundred-year-old philosopher.”

  “My mom’s expecting us for dinner, so we should go.”

  We snaked through the guests to say our goodbyes to Layla. At my building, we climbed the steps to our floor. The green wood door looked the same as it had ten months before. I turned the knob and entered the apartment to the smell of home.

  “Hi, kids.” Mom set plates on the table. “I made sushi. Sorry, I know it’s the same thing we made the last time Alena came to dinner. I’m not very creative when it comes to vampire recipes.”

  “That’s okay. You know I love sushi.” Alena kissed Mom’s cheek.

  “Your grandparents went to get wine. You can unpack while we’re waiting. I washed your comforter, sheets, and drapes. Everything’s just like it was before you left.” Mom crossed the apartment and opened the door to my room.

  The space felt small compared to our living quarters at Anne’s high rise. Still, it offered a sense of stability. I dropped my duffel on the floor beside the bed.

  “I hung your graduation gown in the closet to let the wrinkles fall out,” Mom called as she made her way to the kitchen.

  Opening the closet, I pulled the string for the light. I stared into the space, and the previous nine months flashed before my eyes: Theron slitting my throat, searching for Camille, and our time in Mexico, Greece, Italy, Madagascar, Australia, Turkey, and Paris. I felt my side, remembering the lance, how I almost lost DJ and Alena, Theron’s scowl, the look of disgust on Father’s face, Sonia’s morphosis to a dragon, Alena’s lifeless body.

  “What are you looking at?” Alena wrapped her arms around my middle.

  “You showed me who you were in this closet. I used magic for the first time here.”

  “And you kissed me for the first time right over there.” She pointed to the window.

  “What if I hadn’t gone back to the library that day? Maybe we never would have found each other. I wouldn’t know you, DJ, or Camille.”

  “Maybe you wouldn’t have lost your father, and Theron wouldn’t be stuck in Hell. But I
believe we’d have found each other, met at a restaurant or basketball game. We were destined to come together.”

  “I hope that’s not why you’re still hanging out with me.” I tugged on her belt loops.

  “No.” She swished her hair from side to side, and the scent of flowers filled the space. “It’s the whole all-powerful leader-of-the-witches thing.”

  Kissing her, I smiled. “We freed your father, our people can finally have permanent homes and live at peace knowing their souls will find eternal rest, and witches and vampires are finding common ground.”

  “It helps to have my boyfriend and mom on either side of the table.”

  I hugged Alena to me and kissed the top of her head. “I’ll always protect you. We’ll be together forever.”

  THE END

  AMEN

  UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN

  The Complete Kingdom Journals Series

  Kingdom of the Damned (Kingdom Journals Prequel) – Anne’s Story

  Kingdom of Embers (Kingdom Journals #1) – Alena’s story -$0.99 in ebook (all platforms)

  Kingdom of Darkness (Kingdom Journals #2) – Camille’s story

  Kingdom of Honor (Kingdom Journals #3) – Jude’s story

  Kingdom of War (Kingdom Journals #4) – Hunter’s story

  Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2fe2Jrw

  Amazon CA: http://amzn.to/2y9i7t1

  Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2woT2h2

  Amazon AU: http://amzn.to/2xbRdRK

  Other young adult books by Tricia

  LOVELOCK ONES – a dystopian sci-fi adventure

  FREE in Kindle Unlimited!

  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079541KWF

  https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B079541KWF

  https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B079541KWF

  https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B079541KWF

  DROPS OF SUNSHINE – a paranormal novella

  Free in ebook format! http://a-fwd.com/asin-com=0692693181

  About the Author

  Tricia Copeland grew up in a hot, sticky, rural south Georgia town where pine trees and alligators ruled the landscape. Since then she’s moved west to the purple mountain majesties of Colorado. Her books span from the dystopian, paranormal, and fantasy, to coming-of-age and new adult romance genres. Sign up for her newsletter to get two free short stories delivered to your inbox!