Broken Kingdom (The Winter Court Chronicles Book 2) Read online

  I stepped forwards, intrigued. “What do you mean?”

  His head peaked from the shadows, the flames of the torches casting eerie glows on his frost white skin. His lips tilted as though he was smirking. “You are capable of much more than you can imagine. Holographic Projection, Invisibility, Camouflaging, Telepathy, Empathy, Mind Reading, Mirage Inducement, Sensory Manipulation… I could go on, but I don’t wish to overwhelm you.”

  My heart raced as I processed his words. “It’s not possible… no one can have so many powers.”

  “It is not many, my prince. It is one, and everything that comes with it.” He stepped out of the darkness once again, and sat regally in front of me. “Your ability is in fact Psyche Manipulation. If it involves the mind, then you can influence it.”

  I searched for words but I was still struggling to understand. My eyes connected with his electrifying, cobalt blue ones and I stared at him.

  “I don’t understand… our minds control everything about us, our bodies, even our perception of reality.”

  “Indeed.”

  I shook my head baffled, my heart slammed against my chest at the realization. “Were my grandparents this powerful?”

  The Dragon Lord smirked fully then, and for a split second I saw pride illuminate his eyes. “No man has ever been this powerful.”

  ASH

  *

  “Damn it!” I slammed the door to the empty room and turned around. We had been searching for Avrielle for a week and I still had no idea where the king had her. “How much longer is this going to take?” I asked Gallia who was across the hall checking the rooms there. Nyx was on the east wing with Edaly, a warrior Gallia had trusted with our secret, continuing to check the quarters.

  She sighed, approaching me. “I have no idea, but the longer we take to get to her, the more endangered she becomes. The king has been enraged since he woke up and discovered the dungeons were emptied and everyone was set free. It didn’t help that Avrielle tried to escape. We need to find her before he does something to her.”

  I looked ahead of us, there were only twelve rooms left for us to look through. “I don’t think she’s here.”

  “What? You think he took her from the castle?” Gallia asked shocked.

  “I agree.” Nyx’s voice reached us as he came up the stairs with Edaly. “I don’t think she’s in these rooms, but I don’t think he took her out of the castle either.”

  “Yes, he’s right,” Gallia added. “The king would want her close so he can check on her. I mean he’s spent, what? The last three thousand years with her by his side as his counselor? I doubt he would let her out of his sight. She has to still be here, but somewhere he deems her unreachable to others.”

  “Fuck!” I cursed exasperated as Nyx and I looked at each other, and I knew we where thinking the same thing. “The tower.” We said in unison and turned around, running towards the stairs. The women followed us.

  “How didn’t I think of this before?” Nyx asked no one in particular, chiding himself, and I stopped, holding his arm.

  “Hey, it’s not your fault. No one expects you to know everything.”

  “I expect me to know everything,” he seethed. “I should have realized this immediately. Instead, I left her there, suffering no one knows what, while Kyr isn’t here to protect her.” His eyes shone as he looked at me. “He is her fated, after two thousand years he finally found her and we are letting our fa—the king torture her.”

  “No, Nyx. This is not on you.”

  His jaw strained and he pulled his arm from my grasp. “Kyr has done nothing but protect me his whole life. The least I can do is protect her for him.”

  My chest constricted with his words, but I knew that nothing I said would take away the weight Nyx had placed upon his own shoulders. For whatever reason he felt responsible, but then again, so did I. “Okay, I understand. Let’s go find her and take her away from here.”

  “Wait, you are leaving the kingdom too?” Gallia asked, shocked. “You can’t do that? You can’t leave us.”

  I turned and held her hand. “I’m sorry, but we have to find a safe place for Avrielle, and there is so much more you don’t know about what is happening here. Hell, there are a million things of which we still aren’t sure. I fear our quest was just the beginning. It triggered something that set all these incidences into motion. I have to find answers, and I can’t accomplish that from here.”

  “Then, let us come with you,” she protested. “I’ll protect you both, as it is my duty, and help you find Kyr.”

  I let out a heavy breath. Gallia was determined to help find our brother and I couldn’t blame her. I understood why. “Let’s go get Avrielle and we can figure that out later.” She reluctantly nodded and followed as we continued on our way to the main hall, where we would be able to take the staircase that led to the east side of the castle, where the tower was located.

  “What do we have here?” The Dark King’s deep voice resounded around us, halting our steps when we reached the great hall. His gaze roamed over our forms while he approached. It settled on our wrists as though searching for the blocking cuffs we were—unfortunately—still wearing. “What exactly are you both doing out of your rooms, and accompanied by these warriors?” he demanded.

  I crossed my arms over my chest, allowing the shirt to ride up, so he could see the cuffs. The soft golden glow reflected in his eyes, and the king visibly relaxed. I almost snorted. This had to be a bad joke. “We are talking strategy, in case the queen returns with her army.” I answered coldly, looking straight into his eyes. What I really wanted was to ask him point blank, was if he was our father, but I thought better of it.

  “I see. I was informed that you led the Dark Army, while I was in recovery, and stopped the Summer Queen from getting to our doorstep. I was also told she ran with her tail between her legs, and lost a few hundred warriors. Well done, son. I was remarkably pleased to hear of your brilliant accomplishment.”

  For a moment, the light in his eyes resembled the one I always saw when he looked at Kyr, but no matter how many times I had envisioned this moment, it still left me… empty. I should have been happy, I should have felt complete, but it wasn’t the same anymore. After what he’d done, it meant absolutely nothing to me.

  “I don’t suppose you are so grateful that, you’d be willing to remove these from our wrists?” I asked, showing him the cuffs. His eyes darkened, becoming almost black, while the ire visibly rushed through his body. He tensed once more. “Right. Well, if you’ll excuse us we have a meeting with the army. We are going to implement new security measures for the dungeon. It is embarrassing the way those prisoners escaped under your guard’s watch. That would have never happened if Kyr was in charge.”

  The king’s eyes widened, and flames of pure rage leapt into them at the mention of the lost hostages. I turned around, not waiting for his response, and walked out of the castle. Nyx and the women followed me as I rushed towards the stables.

  “What are you doing?” Nyx whisper-screamed behind me. “We have to go back into the castle to get to the tower.”

  “We can’t reach the east stairwell with the king watching our every move. Besides, that is not the only way to get there.” I said, heading towards the back entrance of the stronghold, where the servant’s quarters were.

  “Ash is right,” Gallia added. “There is access through the back hall, in the servants area. Come on. I know where it is.”

  We sprinted towards the back door and crossed the weapons room, before we knew it we were rushing up the stairs towards the tower. When reached the top, our gazes fell on the guard set outside the door. We ran towards them, not giving them a chance to react, and I jumped, delivering a flying kick to the first guard’s face as Gallia and Edaly took out the other two. The men crashed to the floor unconscious, and stepped over them, opening the door.

  The scene that greeted us filled me with dismay. Nyx ran passed me, towards Avrielle while I stared at her unbeliev
ing. She lay on the bed, her hands and feet tied to the four posts, and there was a weird gag in her mouth. Her body shook as she cried, but I was unsure of whether she was in chocking or sobbing. Nyx carefully removed the magic blocker from her mouth as Edaly and Gallia cut the ropes with their daggers.

  Estharis sat on a chair by the corner, appearing to be restrained to it somehow, although her hand and feet were free. She covered her face when she saw us and desperately wept. I couldn’t imagine how much she was hurting—she loved Avrielle as though it were her own daughter—but the relief in her was almost palpable as she thanked the Dragon Lord for sending us to them—her words were barely audible between her sobs. My heart thundered in my chest while gaze returned to Avrielle, who was now nestled between my brother’s arms. She clung to him, crying uncontrollably.

  The purest pain and anger I had ever felt rushed though me, making me want to scream. I wanted to transform and destroy everything around us. I wanted to kill anyone who had laid a hand on her and brought her here. I wanted to kill the king. I walked towards Estharis, afraid she was too badly hurt, she hadn’t moved from the chair since we arrived. Her hands trembled as I pulled them from her face. Red, swollen eyes looked into mine.

  “I can’t stand. I can’t go to her. The king ordered me not to step away from here. I couldn’t take those things off her. I couldn’t help her,” she explained distraught, more tears fell from her eyes.

  My arms wound around Estharis’ back and legs, she clung to me as I pulled her up. “There is always a loophole,” I told her, taking her out of the chair. When I turned, Nyx was carrying Avrielle in his arms.

  “Let’s go. We need to move,” Gallia insisted, and we hurried towards the door.

  Suddenly, Kah appeared in front of us. “Seriously? We just got to her!” I grunted annoyed.

  She ignored me. “Is she okay? I’m sorry it took me this long to find her.” The words faded in the air as she rushed to Avrielle, and hugged her as Nyx set her on the floor.

  “It’s okay. I’m all right,” Avrielle answered in a weakened voice, she wasn’t fooling anyone.

  “You need to let me take her with me,” Kah insisted, looking at my brother and I. I nodded my approval.

  “You better keep her safe.” Nyx snarled, but he wasn’t angry. I knew it pained him to let her go.

  “I won’t have to,” Kah answered with a smile. “Kyr will.” She placed her arms around Avrielle and disappeared, before I could ask her where he was.

  “Let’s get Estharis to safety, then we can figure out what our next step is.” I said, and turned around, leaving the tower with Nyx by my side.

  Chapter 3. Now What?

  KYR

  *

  Whoosh…

  The cavernous walls trembled as my energy slammed against them over and over again, reaching further each time I pushed it out of me.

  “Do not concern yourself with what your power achieves or fails to achieve once it exudes out of you. That is not important now. What matters is for you to master your connection to it, and its direction. You have kept it dormant inside of you for much too long. It needs to awaken once again and take over your cells, remaining present at all times.”

  I received Avra’s guidance with an open mind, although I was still uncertain what the meaning behind this was. I moved closer to inquire, but the question died on my lips the second Kah materialized in the corner, holding Avrielle to her side. Avrielle gasped, looking all around her at the ice cave, and my heart almost burst out of me. She was here. “My queen…” I whispered, thrust into motion at the sight of her.

  Her eyes flew to my moving form once she heard my voice, and she ran to my arms. Avrielle slammed into me—tears spilling from her eyes—I embraced her tightly, breathing her in, and letting her intoxicating scent blind me to anything other than her. Her body shook with each sob, her tears falling onto my bare chest. I wore only the pants that I had manage to put on once the guards entered my room, pulling Avrielle out of my arms.

  “I thought I’d never see you again.” Her words caught on a sob and I lifted her chin, to look into her eyes. The agony in them made my chest constrict.

  “You are my mate, Avrielle, I would never leave you behind.”

  My lips crashed against hers, and the world around me thrived once again. I kissed her desperately, while every cell inside of me became alive for her. Our connection tingled, travelling through us, as though reaching for each other. It hummed, feeling much stronger than the first time I made her mine, and this was just a kiss. Our lips danced together while her hands roamed the muscles of my back. My hands gripped her waist, bringing her closer to me until I suddenly remembered we weren’t alone.

  I pulled away from her lips, cursing everything that made me do it, and rained kisses along the royal crown that now sat on her forehead. More tears fell from her eyes. “Shh, it’s okay. We are together now, and no one shall come between us again.”

  Her anguished gaze searched mine. “But the king said tha—”

  “You mustn’t worry about that anymore, Avrielle. You are my fated.”

  Her eyes clouded with confusion. “So I’m not his daughter?”

  “Yes, but he’s not my father.” I let out a heavy sigh, as her eyes widened.

  “Oh, Kyr. I’m so sorry.”

  “Don’t be. If it means I get to have you, then I don’t care. I’ll deal with it. You are all I need right now.”

  I kissed her again, and held her hand in mine, bringing it up to my lips. I placed a gentle kiss on her fingers and my eyes widened when I noticed rope burn marks on her wrists. The golden blocking bracelets were on her too.

  “I’m going to kill that bastard!” I sneered, quickly examining her other wrist. I would have to ask Ora to help remove the cuffs with her magic later. When my eyes returned to Avrielle’s face, undiluted rage traveled through me. How hadn’t I noticed these before? Long, reddened marks marred the skin on her cheeks and neck. “What did he do to you?” I asked, fists clenching, trying with everything I had to contain my temper.

  The damn tears welled in her eyes once again as her trembling fingers reached for the burns. “He put a muzzle on me. The sorcerer made it so that it would block my ability directly from my throat. Nyx and Ash saved me. They untied me from the bed and removed it, right before Kah arrived. They saved Estharis too.”

  I hugged her tightly to me as unadulterated pain travelled out of her and into my chest. Although, I was grateful my brothers had found her. I knew they would never forsake her; Ash and Nyx had never let me down. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I will kill the king for this.” I vowed.

  “Take her to your room.” Avra’s voice reached me through our mental bond, sounding tortured. “She needs to be with you to heal. As her mate, you are the only one who can ease her distress, physical and emotional. Hold her, make love to her, be with her… she needs you.”

  I lifted my head to the Dragon Lord, but he wasn’t there anymore. Ora and Kah had disappeared at some point too, leaving us alone.

  I carried Avrielle in my arms while she clung to me, burying her face in the curve of my neck. Each sob tore through me as we walked into the darkened temple, taking her to my new chambers.

  ASH

  *

  I swung the door to Kyr’s room open, and my steps faltered as I saw the scene before me. The bed was a mess, chairs were turned on the floor, the mirror was smashed into a million pieces, and parts of the cracked painted ceiling lay scattered along the wooden floor from when our fat—the king—slammed my brother against the roof. The wooden bedframe was splintered, one of its corner posts tumbled to one side after Kyr fell back down, crashing against it and fractured his legs.

  My jaw tensed as I tried to contain the wave of anger that traveled through me. It made no difference if the king thought we were his sons or not. He had hurt Kyr without a second thought. Nyx cleared his throat behind me, bringing me back to the present and I walked in, turning towards the armoire. The do
or hung slack from it, and as I opened it, it fell to the floor.

  I took out a bag and began putting all of my brother’s clothes inside it, placing his pair of boots and riding gloves into it too.

  “What are you doing?” Nyx asked, standing next to the bed.

  I turned around and handed the bag to him, then walked to the vanity. “I think I know where our brother is, and he needs his things. We have to take them to him.”

  “With the Dragon Lord,” Nyx said knowingly, and I nodded.

  I threw everything I saw inside the bag without even thinking of what I was doing. I wasn’t sure if I was doing this for him or me, I just needed to take him his belongings. I needed to know he was okay.

  “A glass? Does he really need a glass, brother?” I looked at my hands, realizing I had grabbed both the pitcher and water goblet from his night table. “I’m sure the Dragon Lord has something he can drink out of.” He justified.

  “How do you know? He’s a dragon, he doesn’t need goblets to drink.” I replied stubbornly.

  “Ora lives with him, she must have one he can use.”

  “You never know.” I added the glass to the bag, and turned towards the bed, reaching for the pillow. I halted as I saw the leather pouch on top of it. “This wasn’t here before.” I grasped it letting my thumb caress the dragon symbol branded onto the leather.

  “Does it have the scale inside?” I nodded, answering Nyx’s question and opened the bag looking at the scale. “I thought Kyr had taken it with him.”

  “He did.” I faced Nyx, and raised the pouch to him. “What if all that is happening is because of this? What if Kyr didn’t finish the journey, and we need to do it for him?” I shook my head as something else dawned on me. “Not we. I have to do this. I will finish this quest for him.” I announced resolutely, and tied the pouch to my belt.

  “Why you?” Nyx asked, seeming perplexed with my statement.