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  He stood panting, his weapons dripping with blood. The need to find Kyndra, to make sure she was unharmed, was strong. Yet, he knew it was a trap. But a trap he had to walk into if he was going to save her.

  After a deep breath, he started up the next flight of stairs.

  Chapter Twenty‐One

  Isran could hardly contain his glee. Everything he had worked for, everything he had wanted was about to be his. He had known killing the dragon would propel Aimery to come after him, but he hadn’t expected the priestess. She was a nice boon.

  Not to mention she made controlling Aimery that much easier. If not for her, it would have been much more difficult to have everything come together. As it was, he had nearly lost Aimery to the madness. And he needed Aimery as sane as possible. At least for the time being.

  Isran bit back a laugh and rubbed his hands together. He wanted to hurry the sun along its course, but he made himself be patient. If he couldn’t stay in control now, everything would be lost. Forever.

  There was no way he would return to the Realm of the Fae to face charges and punishment. He would end up in the Realm of Shadows and, though he liked to think he was stronger than Lugus, he wasn’t so sure he could withstand the realm for even a day.

  I won’t have to. I’ve got the egg and the priestess. And I’m about to have the greatest warrior the Fae has ever known on my side.

  “I wouldn’t gloat too soon.”

  He turned his head to find Kyndra walking toward him. She was a vision with her dark locks curled around her and the crimson gown hugging her voluptuous frame. By the time this night was over, she would be in his bed. Every thought of Aimery would be banished from her mind.

  “Do you know how long I’ve planned this?”

  She shrugged. “Do you think I care?”

  The way she lifted her brows in defiance, as if she dared him to challenge her, told him that she had submersed herself in the black magic. He reached out with his mind and tested her.

  “Ah, your magic has grown.”

  “As you said, it’s easy to give into the seduction of the dark side.”

  “So I did.” He smiled and ran his fingers down her face. “Do you know what you need to do for the ceremony?”

  “Of course.”

  He studied her, wondering if she had the nerve to try and deceive him. He could feel the black magic within her, hungering for more, but a part of him cautioned him against her. As beautiful as she was, she had been Aimery’s and a priestess. It took more than a day to erase all of that.

  But a day had been all he had. Even then, it had taken everything he had to give her that day. Had he pushed her, she would have broken, leaving him with no priestess and nothing with which to leverage against Aimery. So he had wasted a day, a day when he could have been conquering other realms.

  It was only a day. Just one day when a forever stretched before him.

  Isran took in a deep breath and grinned. “Aye, you know the ceremony. Will your magic be strong enough though?”

  “What do you think I’ve been doing for the past several hours but strengthening my magic?”

  He bent his head toward her neck. Instead of turning away as she had before, she tilted her head to the side. Desire flared through him. “Eternity is before us, Kyndra. Will you stand by my side?” he asked before he nuzzled her neck.

  “For a price.”

  He straightened. “Name it.”

  “Oh, I will when the time comes.”

  “It wouldn’t have anything to do with Aimery, now would it?” He would give her anything but him.

  She shook her head. “You want Aimery for yourself.”

  “I do. I have plans for me.”

  “Will he join us?”

  Isran smiled and tapped her lips with his fingers. “That, my sweet, is a secret. Tell me what you want?”

  “In time, my lord. In time.”

  “I don’t like surprises.” In fact, he hated them.

  “You’ll like this one. I promise,” she whispered seductively.

  Isran wanted to pull her into his arms, to cover her mouth with his, but he held himself still. It wasn’t time for him to claim her. The sun still shown in the sky. But once darkness fell, once she had broken the egg and begun the ceremony, once he had his power, then he would claim her, pounding into her delectable body until she was too sore to move.

  Just thinking of taking her made his cock swell and his balls tighten. He wanted to cover her dark nipples with his mouth and savor the little buds as they hardened. He wanted to lick her sex, to taste her as she peaked.

  It had been hell watching her and Aimery make love. For so long Aimery had been everything he wanted to be. Now he would have something that Aimery had. He would take it away from Aimery and make it his. Already he had turned Kyndra, but he had to be careful to keep her with him.

  “I’d prefer if you told me what you wanted now.”

  Kyndra shrugged a slender shoulder. “That’s too bad.”

  It was then he realized she wasn’t wearing the rubies. He had enchanted them, making them so alluring that she would never want to take them off and thereby binding her to him always so there could never be a chance of Aimery coming between them.

  “Why aren’t you wearing the necklace I left for you?”

  “The rubies?” she asked. “I didn’t want to.”

  “But I would prefer that you did.”

  Her lips turned up into a smile. “Then I’m going to have to disappoint you, Isran, because I’m not wearing them.”

  “Why?”

  “I just don’t want to.”

  Could she be powerful enough already to withstand his enchantment on the necklace? A thrill of excitement rushed through him at the prospect. “Then don’t. It matters not.” She narrowed her gaze at him. “What did you want me for? I was having fun delving deeper into the black magic.”

  “The sun is sinking rapidly. I want to make sure all is as it should be.”

  “Then let us prepare. Where is the egg?”

  He lifted a brow. “Hidden.”

  “I thought you wanted to prepare.”

  “There’s no need to bring out the egg before it’s time. I don’t want it to be…damaged…

  in any way.”

  “You don’t trust me.”

  It wasn’t a question. He glanced at her lips that had formed into a tantalizing pout. “You must earn my trust, my sweet.”

  “When I crack open that egg and perform the ceremony, I suppose.”

  “Quite right.”

  She flung her hair over her shoulder and turned away from him. “You have no need for me as of yet, then. I’m going to continue my…practice.” Isran watched the gentle sway of her hips as she left. There was nothing to prepare, he had just wanted to see her. He would bring the egg only when it was time. The dagger Kyndra would use was already on the altar.

  Other than Aimery, Kyndra and himself, all was set.

  He leisurely walked around the top of the tower. The center of the coned roof had been left open, which made it a perfect place for his ritual. The tower wasn’t the largest in the castle, but it was the tallest. He wanted Aimery close, but not too close. Not yet, anyway.

  Isran paused beside the door Kyndra had exited and wondered how soon Aimery would make it to the top. The guards he had placed throughout the castle had merely been done to tire Aimery. He was too fine a fighter, even without his powers, to be bested by any of Isran’s guards.

  But a powerless Aimery, exhausted from numerous battles, just what Isran wanted. Only then would all his plans come to fruition.

  * * * * *

  Aimery knelt and retrieved his dagger from the dead guard. He had lost count of the number he had killed, but all had refused to drop their weapons. Again and again they had attacked him. He could feel himself weakening, and he hated it. He pushed onward, because he had no other choice. Aimery stood and rested his hands on his knees as he fought to calm his racing breath.
r />   This must be how humans feel.

  He chuckled as he thought of the humans he called friends. Many battles they had fought, and each time they had kept up with him, never complaining when their limbs tired or their breath burned their lungs.

  Aimery had taken his magic for granted, but never again. Once he got them back—and he would get them back—he was going to appreciate every day he woke to feel the magic thrumming through him.

  He straightened and glanced upward. There was one, maybe two, more flights of stairs as far as he could tell. Once at the top, he had no doubt he would find Isran soon enough.

  Aimery climbed the stairs and cast a glance out of the narrow slit in the stones to find the sun nearly buried in the horizon. He had been fighting most of the day with no nourishment. His stomach growled, but more than anything he longed for a cool drink of water.

  Instead, he found more guards. The two who blocked his path were large, brawny men.

  By the size of their hands they could crush a man’s skull.

  “You know,” Aimery said as he stopped at the landing. “I’ve never liked the silly red turbans that you wear. Is your hair so awful that all of you must hide it?” One of the guards, he couldn’t tell which, growled in response. Not that he had expected an answer. The men had more muscles than brains, and these two would tire him out much more than all the others combined.

  He thought of Kyndra, of her sweet smile and her smell of jasmine and sunshine. It renewed him, giving him the vigor he needed to duck as the two came at him. He passed beneath the two meaty fists they had aimed at his face. They used no other weapons than their hands, but it was enough that Aimery knew he had to stay out of their reach.

  But that proved more difficult than he had imagined.

  He staggered back against the wall as one of the guards slammed a fist into his jaw.

  Aimery wasn’t sure if it was broken or not, and there wasn’t time to test it as the second fist swung at him.

  Aimery ducked and rolled. He came up in time to see the guard’s fist land in the stones.

  Aimery grimaced at hearing the crunch of bone, but the guard didn’t make a sound.

  “Shite,” Aimery murmured as he climbed to his feet.

  He reached for his sword when the second guard’s arms wrapped around him, trapping his arms against him. Aimery kicked and struggled to get free, but the guard’s hold didn’t budge.

  The first chuckled as he slammed a fist into Aimery’s stomach. All the air left Aimery’s lungs as he blinked and struggled to stay conscious. He jerked back and planted his feet in the chest of the first guard which sent him stumbling backwards. It gave Aimery the time he needed to throw back his head into the guard that held him.

  There was a muffled curse before the guard’s hold loosened and Aimery dropped to his feet. He twisted on one knee and shoved his sword into the guard. As the second came at him again, Aimery pulled his weapon free and ducked under the guard’s fist. When he stood up, he stepped back and thrust his blade into the man’s back.

  He knew he needed to continue moving on, but he had to rest. A stitch had begun in his side, and he tried to swallow, but all his spit was gone. He turned his back to the wall and rested against it. There were no more stairs to climb, only a long, dark corridor ahead of him.

  His arms felt as though they were chained to the stones. It took all his effort just to lift his hand and wipe away the sweat from his brow. He was in no condition to fight Isran, and Isran knew it.

  Anger infused him. He had lived through thousands of millennia to die because he had no magic and he was tired. The irony was laughable, if he could find the energy to smile. As it was, the only thing keeping Aimery going was Kyndra.

  He pushed off the wall and started down the hallway. Each step became harder and harder until Aimery had to use the wall to keep upright. He hated the weakness that had taken over his body, the bruises and aches that he had never felt for more than a heartbeat while he had his magic.

  He paused and leaned his cheek against the cool stones. Blood coated his weapons and him, but he paid it no heed. It was a part of battle. Remembering the dragon cuff that had wound itself around his queue, he sheathed his dagger and reached back to touch it.

  A shock, like lightning, pierced his finger and raced through him. He sucked in a breath as renewed strength and energy consumed him. Aimery stood still as stone for a moment as he tried to take in what had just happened.

  Kyndra had never spoken of the cuff as magic, but he hadn’t imagined what had just occurred. He knew it had been magic that flowed through him and, though he didn’t know how, he welcomed it.

  Aimery took a deep breath and continued down the corridor until it ended at the base of a staircase that wound upward to a tower. Somehow, he wasn’t surprised. Isran always liked to make a grand entrance. What better way to show all of Thav that they had a new king than at the top of a tower.

  “By all that’s magical, give me strength,” Aimery murmured as he started up the stairs.

  Chapter Twenty‐Two

  Kyndra watched the sun sink below the horizon casting the land in a somber gray. She had held out hope that Aimery would come for her, that he would somehow manage to get to her before dusk. But he hadn’t.

  She didn’t blame him though. Isran had hinted that he had something special planned for Aimery, and she doubted that meant a special meal. Isran might admire Aimery, but she had never seen someone so jealous of another before. Isran wanted to be Aimery and, when he couldn’t, he decided to be better. No matter the price.

  One of the giant birds that had chased her and Aimery that first night flew by the window. It called loudly, the sound forlorn and almost…lost. A lot like the way she was, Kyndra mused inwardly.

  She was lost. She had not only forsaken the Order for her love for Aimery, but she had betrayed every Fae by turning to the black magic. There was no doubt the magic running through her now was powerful indeed. It was heady to feel the magic infuse her, pump through her very veins. She could do things that she had never been able to before. The knowledge that came with the power was disturbing and exhilarating.

  With every breath she took she delved deeper into the dark side, learning the magic, controlling it. She could feel herself growing more powerful. Once she accepted what she had done, knowing it could save Aimery, she had given herself up to it wholly.

  Kyndra walked around the spacious tower. It was the tallest of the castle and, once the ceremony was completed, the light that would shine from Isran would light the realm. Her new realm.

  Isran had made it clear he wanted her, and she would let him think he could have her. She would even give him her body if it meant she could earn his trust. But one day, when he trusted her fully, she would kill him.

  She stopped near the stone slab where a single dagger was placed. It was the weapon she would use to crack open the egg. It tore at her heart to kill a being she had spent her life helping and loving, but there was no way around it.

  Kyndra lifted the dagger and inspected the blade. Near the hilt it was as wide as her palm and narrowed down to a point. It glistened in the candlelight. She lifted a hand and touched the pad of her finger on the blade. Blood welled from the spot and ran down her palm. There was no pain, and the wound healed almost immediately.

  “It’s time.”

  She looked up to find Isran standing on the other side of the altar. He had removed his tunic and boots and stood only in his black breeches. His flaxen hair hung loose about his bare shoulders, lifting in the soft wind.

  “Where is the egg?”

  Isran grinned. “In just a moment, my sweet. We have one more that we’re waiting for.” Kyndra’s heart accelerated. Surely he wasn’t talking about Aimery. She had taken steps to make sure Aimery would never see her overtaken by the dark side.

  There was a sound at the door and, when she turned, her gaze locked with Aimery.

  Nay!

  * * * * *

  Aimery ke
pt his expression blank. He had known Kyndra would be with Isran. He just hadn’t expected to find that the woman he loved had sided with such a bastard. He hadn’t just failed the dragons and his realm, he had failed Kyndra and his vow to her. He struggled to breathe as he gazed upon her beauty. The crimson gown was striking on her. He wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms and kiss her until they were both breathless.

  But he would never have her again.

  Isran stepped into his line of vision. Aimery raised a brow at him.

  “You’re much haler than I expected you to be,” Isran said with a smirk. “Did you choose to run away instead of fighting my men?”

  “Go have a look yourself.”

  Isran’s swirling gaze narrowed. “You’ve had no sustenance, Aimery, and you’ve been battling for more than half the day. You should be crawling up those steps, not standing here arguing with me.”

  Aimery couldn’t stop the smile that pulled at his lips. “I would apologize for disappointing you, Isran, but I really could give a shite. I’m stronger than you realized.”

  “And your madness?”

  “It’s amazing what a battle can do to clear your head.” Isran didn’t need to know that he had nearly fallen into his insanity several times when his body had begun to tire.

  “For all your words, you are exhausted. I can see the light fading from your eyes, the way your fingers are barely holding onto your weapon, and how you need to lean against the door to keep your footing.”

  Aimery shrugged. “I’m sick of hearing you talk. Get on with whatever you wanted me for.”

  “Oh, you know why you’re here. It’s time to crack the egg.”

  “What do you need me for? It looks as though you already have an assistant.” Isran put his hands behind his back and smiled. “She’s lovely, isn’t she? I knew the moment I saw her she was your weakness.”