1
MAXIMILLIA, SOLE SURVIVOR OF THE BLUT COVEN, DARK QUEEN OF THE SHADOWLANDS
“We’re moving too slow,” I mutter, teeth clenched. I wrap my fists into Reid’s sides, twisting the fabric. Gently, he pats my white knuckles, grimacing.
“Easy, Dark Queen. I happen to like this tunic.”
“We need tomove.” I glance to our caravan. Filled with Dark Fae soldiers, Woodland Fae guards, horses, and my father, it’s too many people to make this trek.
Too many people. Too long.We’re wasting time.
Turning further in the saddle, I look back to Kaden, who hunkers at the rear, a mass of beast and rage. Covered of dark fur, with grotesque fangs curving over his chin, he’s nothing like the Fae I married. But that’s the point. The curse has taken over and it’s only a matter of time before he is lost forever.
He’s accompanied by the Hadeon, my hellhound given to me bySetidue to my worthiness. Of the three heads, one is trained on my mate as if to make sure he doesn’t run off, while the other two watch me. He’s always been protective, lingering in the shadows, waiting for the right moment to step in. I’ve found comfort in his quiet assistance since he joined us.
Huffing, I search the red sky for patience. It’s been days sinceKaden succumbed to his curse. How much longer can he hold out? I know it’s taxing to fight the beast, difficult to keep pushing against the tide. And his curse is hungry—I feel it in my gut. He wants Kaden to fail so he can reign.
Rubbing my chest, I focus on the feel of his soul tied to mine.Soul-bound.We are married—in love and in lives. His soul is an extension of mine and mine to his. His soothing presence, though waning and tense, calms the rage of my blood magic. In return, my magic infuses his power with speed and potency.
Where one begins, the other ends. I hated that saying weeks ago, but now, I longed to hear it from my husband’s lips.
Unfortunately, the comforting weight of his soul and connection to me, is dimming. He’s there—a curse would not end a claiming such as ours—but him,Kaden, my mate, is fading. If we don’t hurry, he’ll be nothing but a mindless beast like all those before him, forced to hunt and ravage until killed.
My mate will not be killed.Seticannot have him—he will not have him.
“Do we need all these guards?” I ask, looking to Reid, then my father, Baris, as he trots alongside us. A tall male, who was rescued from King Griffin’s dungeon, he was emaciated and sickly when Kaden found him. After weeks out of captivity, he sits proudly, regally on the Coal Stallion. He sustained an injury at the fall of Zelos, Kaden’s tyrannical father, but it seems to have completely healed. A feat given how weak he was when he was found.
“You are a royal,” my father comments, lips twisting as if annoyed. “Guards take their duty to their queen seriously.”
“I’m sure they’ve never had a queen who could stop hearts,” I remark brightly. Reid snorts in front of me. “I don’t need all this extra protection.”
“Get used to it, Dark Queen,” Reid quips again and I roll my eyes. “Without Kaden, you are our only royal. They’ll be stuck to you like a rake to a courtesan.”
Charming.
“And what of you?” I poke his side. “Are you not a royal?”
“Not a royal anyone would trust with a kingdom,” he quips. “I like gambling, women—and men—too much to be given the keys to a castle. The monarchy wouldn’t survive.”
I ignore his joke. “They’re slowing us down,” I hiss. “We could move much quicker, if we did not have this entourage surrounding us, forcing us to wait as they check every single corner for a trap or threat.”
“Would you rather find said trap or threat?” my father asks, eyebrow raised. “You are exhausted, rarely stopping long enough to eat or drink water. You are not at full strength. A single trap could kill you.”
“I’mfine,” I snap. It doesn’t matter that I’ve barely slept, or have eaten since we started this trek. All that matters is getting to the Woodland Kingdom and having their queen help us break this curse. To save Kaden.
The leather-bound book burns in my bag, like a beacon in the night. It doesn’t set this satchel on fire, almost as if it knows, it belongs to me. Only I can touch it—only I can carry it.
But why?Why is this tied to me?
“You are not,” Baris insists. “The soul-bond can help control your magic, but it will not control them if you are incapable of it first.”
Glaring, ire licks at my gut. “And how do you know of soul-bonds?”
Baris looks ahead, gripping the reins tight in his pale fists. We look so similar—lean, thin, long strands, and wide eyes. But whereas his eyes are as dark as night, mine are bright blue like the skies after a thunderstorm.My mother’s eyes.
“I was bound to your mother, Thea,” he mumbles, refusing to acknowledge me. Poor Reid, sits forward and tense, as if he’s not listening to private family matters.
Scoffing, my heart breaks at her name. A name I do not remember. “If you were, you’d be dead.”
