Tainted Crown

by Jenn Vakey

  They also hadn’t been told anything about what had happened in Eden.

  “Call a meeting,” I told him. “There’s a lot to tell everyone.”

  He looked like he wanted to question me about it, but after a moment, he nodded and yelled out for everyone to get to the dining hall for a meeting.

  I didn’t wait for the others to spread the word and start making their way there. I knew if I did, there was a good chance people would start to ask me questions. As it was, I wasn’t even sure I would be able to get through this once without breaking down. That wasn’t something I was willing to do in front of all of these people.

  With most people unaware that we had even gone into Eden at all, I was certain there would be a lot of questions.

  It was strange walking to the front of the dining hall instead of taking a seat with the others. While I had spoken at several meetings, I had never actually addressed everyone like this before. And now I was about to turn each and every one of their lives upside down.

  When the last of the people were in and seated, Orson walked up beside me and nodded for me to begin.

  “We took a team into Eden yesterday,” I started, watching the surprise move through the crowd listening to me. “Our reports from the city said that Dex and the council had arrested anyone who stood against them. We took in a stock of a new serum that was created that activates the dormant Tainted genes in people.”

  I paused as gasps filled the room, letting the information settle in. When the reactions started to die down, I went on with my story.

  “We offered the serum to the people who wanted it, and worked with some of our allies in the city to free those who had been arrested. Then we attacked the Eden government.”

  My melancholy must have hinted that it hadn’t gone well, because several people started to cling to their loved ones. Others sat there with their hands over their mouths, watching me. Waiting for me to give them bad news. I felt bad for misleading them, but I couldn’t force excitement. Not with the other end of this story.

  “With the help of the sympathizers and close to four hundred new Tainted in Eden, we were able to arrest Dex and the council, as well as the Sentry working with him. King Gryffin has taken the throne, and Eden is now a safe place for Tainted. The minority who don’t want to live with Tainted have been given permission to leave the city, and the king has agreed to help them establish a new city where they will live. The war is over.”

  It took a moment for what I was saying to sink in before cheers erupted through the hall. People were on their feet, hugging each other. Celebrating the end of fear. Celebrating hope.

  I watched, trying to feel it myself. I wanted to. This was monumental. Nothing would ever be the same now.

  But I couldn’t help but to remember what I had lost to make that happen. What I might not ever get back.

  When I looked out and met my sister’s eye, I knew I hadn’t hid my feelings well. She wasn’t celebrating with the others. Nor was Dallin. They were both watching me, searching for an explanation. She said something to Paxton, who was sitting at her other side, but he just shook his head, his eyes on me. Letting me be the one to tell them.

  They apparently weren’t the only ones to realize that I was holding something back.

  “What aren’t you telling us?” Orson asked.

  It wasn’t loud, but the people in the first few rows had been able to hear him. It was like a cascade after that. The excitement fell away and people returned to their seats, wariness settling in again.

  I didn’t want to share the rest of it. Gryffin had made it clear that I couldn’t go alone, though, so I would need a team. Just putting it all out there now would keep me from having to track people down to hand pick them. It meant not having to tell the horrible story over and over again.

  Rhydian was also one of the leaders here. They deserved to know what had happened.

  “When we cornered Dex and the majority of the council in the palace, they used some of the weapons that mimicked Tainted abilities against us,” I said, feeling numb all over again. I could feel myself starting to shake, despite my efforts to stop it. “One of them had a glove that replicated a succubus drain.”

  I paused as the words trailed off, questioning how much to actually share. My guilt was too strong to keep the details to myself, though. All I had been told was that it wasn’t my fault. I wanted someone else to blame me the way I did. I almost needed it.

  “I was drained nearly completely,” I admitted. “Rhydian…” My voice cracked, tears threatening to escape. I blinked them away and cleared my throat. I looked down at the ground in front of me. “I was unconscious, and Rhydian triggered my ability and made me take energy from him.”

  Gasps of horror filled the room. I couldn’t look at where they were coming from.

  “Is he…?” Orson asked.

  I quickly shook my head. “He’s alive, but he’s in a state that no one has ever seen before. They don’t know how to fix it. Gryffin found something that might help. There are reports of a city out there somewhere. A city of the original Tainted. From what I’ve read, they know far more about the abilities than we do. I’ll be leading a trip out to find them. Lamont has already volunteered to join me, but I’ll need a team.”

  People were shifting around, but I still couldn’t look up to see them. I wouldn’t be able to take it if no one agreed with my idea. If no one was willing to come with me. I just stared at a spot on the floor ahead of me. Waiting.

  “I know you feel guilty, but…” Orson started.

  I didn’t let him finish. I whipped my head toward him, the anger I had been trying to keep buried bubbling to the surface and making me talk before I realized what I was saying. “Guilty?” I snapped, louder than I should have. “Damn right I feel guilty. My fiancé is lying in a bed barely holding on, and I’m the one who put him there. I’ve already been given permission from the king to go on this trip. I’m going. And there isn’t a damn thing you can do to stop me.”

  Orson’s eyes widened before shifting out toward the crowd. It was then that I realized what I had done. My face paled, wishing I could take it back. But it was out there now. They all knew.

  I couldn’t stop myself from looking out to the group now, taking in the surprised look that most of them had. I wasn’t, however, able to look at Joury. She was the main reason we hadn’t told anyone yet. We had wanted to spare her feelings as best we could, and I just threw it out there for all to hear.

  It made me feel guilty for a whole other reason now.

  “Well, I’m going,” Lillith announced, standing up.

  Paxton followed only a second behind. “I guess that means I’m going too.”

  Dallin didn’t even hesitate before standing at her other side.

  Then others started to join them. Lamont stood, Stazie by his side. I was sure the look he was giving her was an attempt to make her stay behind, but she met him with a stubborn look of her own and took his hand.

  Aarys bounced up almost excitedly. Treyson, who had been sitting with her, only hesitated for a moment before rising himself.

  So did Joury.

  “We can’t take anyone who isn’t Tainted,” I said, looking to Dallin.

  Paxton didn’t hesitate. He reached into his bag that was on the table in front of him and pulled out a vial, then tossed it to Dallin. As I watched, the man who raised me held it up toward me like a toast and swallowed it without question.

  And I had my team.

  “We leave tomorrow.”

  ✽✽✽

  Dear Reader,

  First of all, I’d like to thank you for taking a chance on Tainted Crown. The Tainted World Series holds a very large piece of my heart, and I truly appreciate you joining me in their world.

  If you enjoyed the book, I would be very grateful if you could write a review on Amazon. Every review makes a difference and helps other readers discover the book.

  As for the Leeya and Rhydian, I am proud to say th
at their adventures aren’t complete yet. Book four in the six book series, Tainted Allies, is currently available for pre-order. If you would like updates on when the following books in the series will be available, check me out on Facebook here.

  Pre-order your copy of Tainted Allies today!

  If you’re in the US, click here.

  If you’re in the UK, click here.

  For any other country, click here.

  Love,

  Jenn

  P.S. I’d love to hear from you! Come say hi on Facebook. I do my best to respond to everyone :)

  P.P.S. Need something to read in the meantime? Check out the first chapters of Loving Danger with the added bonus chapters. Just keep turning…

  Other Books by Jenn Vakey

  Rilynne Evans Mysteries

  Delusions with Murder

  Deception with Murder

  Betrayal with Murder

  Suspicions with Murder

  Wanted with Murder

  Found with Murder

  Revenge with Murder

  Obsession with Murder

  Addicted with Murder

  Greed with Murder

  Diary of the Pirate Killer

  Hidden Adventures: Rilynne Evans Short Stories

  Mistaken Reality Series

  Mistaken Reality

  Desperation

  Infiltration

  Creatures of the Underworld Series

  Forbidden Nights

  Loving Danger Series

  Loving Danger

  When Everything Changed: Loving Danger Short Stories

  Secrets Revealed (Coming Soon)

  Tainted World Series

  Tainted Plans

  Tainted Rescue

  Tainted Crown

  Tainted Allies (Coming August 2019)

  Bonus Chapters

  Loving Danger

  Chapter One

  There are times, moments that can be looked back upon, that change the entire course of your life. Whether it be a decision you make or a situation you find yourself in, nothing’s ever the same again. As Bailey Mills walked home from the diner she worked at, she never imagined this would be one of those times.

  The chill in the October air left her holding her charcoal grey coat tightly around herself as she passed through the entryway of the park. It was a quiet night, with almost no one crossing her path. She didn’t mind. In fact, there was something almost comforting in being surrounded with only the sounds of nature. It reminded her of home. It wouldn’t last.

  Men were talking ahead, but she paid no attention to them. The park was heavily frequented, so it wasn’t uncommon for her to see people as she passed through. It wasn’t until one raised his voice that she thought anything of it. A grip of panic held onto her, but she pushed through and continued further. She was only ten minutes from home. Blocking the sounds of the men from her mind, she started moving faster down the path.

  Bailey only made it a few yards before she was stopped in her tracks. The sound of the gunshot ringing through the air took her breath away. As if on reflex, she turned and looked for the source. She wanted to run, but her body stood on the path as if it were a statue. All she could do was stare down at the two men dressed entirely in black on the path twenty feet below. At their feet was a motionless mound. She was confused for the briefest of moments until she saw the shine of the pistol in the hand of one of the men. An involuntary gasp escaped her lips. She regretted the act even before the men looked up at her. From there, everything happened so fast.

  “Grab her!” yelled the man with the gun.

  A switch flipped freeing her legs, and Bailey turned to run. The cool night air burning at her lungs when she pulled it in. She just needed to get home. Her only hope was that it would take the men too long to get up to her level. She needed to be out of sight before they did.

  The sound of her heart drummed in her ears as she reached the entrance to the park and ran out into the street. Car tires screamed trying to avoid her, but she didn’t slow. Her apartment was only a block away now.

  Bailey looked quickly over her shoulder. No one was following her. She still wasn’t going to slow. Two buildings to go. She reached her trembling hand into the purse that she was clutching to her side.

  “Keys,” she mumbled. “Where are the damn keys?”

  She was fishing her hand frantically around when something heavy slammed into her from the side. The wind was knocked out of her, world spinning around her as her body twisted. She was falling; there was no way to stop it.

  Bailey hit the cold, hard ground with a thud. She gasped to get air, unsure about what had just happened. It felt like she had been hit by a car. Body screaming from the blow. Before she could make an effort to stand, a pair of large arms wrapped around her and pulled her up.

  The panic gripped at her chest. She tried to scream for help, but a gloved hand pressed down tightly over her mouth. The man, who was holding her from behind, pushed her body effortlessly into the alley wall. She squirmed to try to free herself, but it was no use.

  “Aren’t you a feisty one?” he said just behind her ear.

  Just make it quick, she thought to herself. They had her; she knew she wasn’t getting out of this unharmed. Not after what she had seen. All she could hope for was a swift, painless death. With his body pressed closely against hers, though, she feared that wasn’t what she was in for.

  “Alley, Daly and East 181st,” he said, not loosening his hold on her. Moments later, a black SUV pulled in and stopped just behind them.

  “Boss wants us to bring her in,” a second man said when he jumped out. Then she heard the door open behind her.

  She closed her eyes as the arm around her waist lifted her and moved her toward the car. She threw her legs around as they pushed her in, but it didn’t slow her captors. He shoved her in like she was nothing more than a ragdoll, while the other man walked back around. Bailey moved across the backseat and tried frantically to open the other door before he could make it to that side. It wouldn’t budge. She was trapped.

  The man who had been holding her climbed into the seat next to her and slammed the door as the SUV lunged forward. She couldn’t stop herself from looking up at him. His skin had a slight tan to it, his dark brown hair messy when he pulled his black beanie off. Athletic build. She definitely wouldn’t be able to fight her way out of this. He reached out and grabbed her long ponytail, wrapping it around his hand as he pushed her head down between her knees. Panic flooded through her as her body shook violently. Her breathing was growing more difficult and her stomach was twisting with knots.

  “I’m going to be sick,” she gasped before they had even emerged from the other end of the alley. To her surprise, the car came to a quick stop. The driver got out and opened the door next to her. He grabbed her and pulled her out, leaning her against the wall just as her body turned against her. She emptied her stomach behind a beaten up trash can, the man’s hold not loosening from where his hand grasped the back of her neck. Tears fell from her eyes. She was so afraid.

  “Are you done?” he asked. “I don’t want to be driving around with the smell of your sick.”

  Bailey took in a deep breath, holding it as long as she could as she gathered herself. She nodded. He turned her and pushed her back into the car. The first man reached back out, but she didn’t wait before dropping her head down. The act saved her some pain, because he pulled his hand back without touching her again.

  They started moving again, and Bailey squeezed her eyes shut. She slowed her breathing, trying with all of her might to calm herself. She was hit with a set back after only a few brief seconds, though, as her mind started to drift to what was waiting for her. The fear wasn’t going to consume her; she wouldn’t allow it. This boss, whoever they were taking her to see, wasn’t going to see her break. She was going to die, to that there was no doubt. She was going to go out strong, though. Just like her mother had.

  Her mother’s smiling face filled her thou
ghts, which helped to calm her down. I’ll see you soon, she thought.

  With her head down, Bailey couldn’t see where the men were taking her. She could only guess based on the movements of the car around her. When they turned and started moving down into the darkness, she knew they must have entered a building’s parking structure. It wouldn’t be long now.

  Bailey fought back the tears as the SUV stopped and the driver got out. He pulled the door open and grabbed her again. She looked around when her feet touched the ground, hoping for anywhere she could run toward. What surrounded her hit her like a punch to the chest. There were only a few cars in the small parking garage and no way out.