They called him evil, ruthless, cruel, incapable of mercy. Colder than anything in the realm of winter. Dark as the night sky in the realm of eternal darkness. He was unforgiving, forsaken and long past the point of redemption. He was real and he was here. Iyra couldn't believe the tales were true even after accounts of so many saying he was the one attacking cities and killing so many fae. She couldn't believe, didn't believe it. Sticking to the idea it was rebels disguising themselves and spreading rumors. She was forced to believe it when he attacked her home. The heart of the winter realm. Doing away with the King and most of the court and royal fold. Forced to believe and live with the bond that exists between them. Since his takeover, things have somewhat returned to a sense of normalcy within the realm after a long period of chaos. He knows beneath it is another rebellion, one fueling fire to topple him and tensions are rising. The last thing he needs is a stubborn weakness. Iyra holds many secrets, some she wishes she never knew, never had to keep. Some that keep her awake all night, crying and feeling sorry for herself. But emotional turmoil is not all she has to deal with. More secrets and puzzles are coming her way, each one with higher stakes than the last. She not only has to carry secrets but lives, bonds and a crown. Can she do it?
Copyright © 2018 by Uzomah Chelsea. N.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author and publisher.
The moral rights of the author have been asserted.
All names, characters and events are fictional and have no relation with persons living or Dead, any resemblance is purely coincidental.
All offenders are liable by law.
CHAPTER ONE
Today was the day. The day she had once looked forward to for so long. A day that she had looked forward to with hope and promise every year since she had come of age.
A day she wished would completely disappear from history. A day she wished she could forget. Today was Páliükez, a special day when each fae who was of age could find their chosen. There would be a three day celebration afterwards to celebrate the newly found soulmates and their bond.
The excitement of the day began two days before. The happiness, the cheer, the preparation, the hope, laughter and joy. She hated it. Hated it with everything inside her. Hated how some who had not found their chosen were twittering on about it and could not seem to stop. Hated seeing the hope in their eyes, sensing their expectation.
She hated most of all how those who had already found their chosen were more lovey dovey and cozy during this time, more than usual. Holding hands and looking at each other with so much love and complete adoration.
Today, vows would be made and renewed. Promises to care for each other, protect them with everything including their lives, love them for the rest of their lives, cherish them and to do say again in paradise and in their next lives. It was all disgusting.
She would never tell anyone else but herself. She was bitter. Badly so, because she wanted for herself what she saw today and had wanted it for such a long time. Because she couldn't have it because she wouldn't allow herself to. Because who ever was in charge of her fate played a cruel prank on her and decided to keep it that way. Because she refused to get her heart broken like before.
It was nearly midday and fae were already gathering. Elves, fairies, sprites, nymphs, , goblins, gnomes, pixies, dwarves, even weres. Some would've already found their chosen by now. She walked past them, away from the city, the town and into the forest.
Everything, as usual in the winter realm, was covered in white. In snow, ice and frost. The only natural colours in the forest were white, the brown and black of bark, stone and fur, green of the trees and plants covered in frost and the blue of ice.
She preferred to be away from everyfae right now. In a place where it was just her and her thoughts alone. In a place where she could cry, scream and stew in peace before she went back to face more disgusting torture. She was already going through enough.
There were still fae around but scarcely. She could deal with that. She just needed to go deeper. Along the way, she saw a pixie girl, she had short black hair that met her neck in an inward curl.
She was wearing a cool blue sleeveless dress that complimented her skin. She was just standing there, her eyes seemed to be somewhere else. Her wings alight. She knew what that meant. The girl had just felt the connection between herself and her chosen for the first time.
No sooner than the thought crossed her mind did her chosen appear. He was a fairy. The pixie girl turned, her eyes meeting his. He had blond hair that met his shoulders and he was lanky even in his dark green shirt and pants, his own wings alight.
From her vantage point she couldn't tell the colour of their eyes. But she could sense the emotions coming off of them, knew them too. She walked on. She hated it.
A part of her heart was happy for them, they would be happy together and a part of her heart despised it, because they clearly had what she wished to have.
She hadn't gone much deeper when another scene met her eyes. She felt angry, hurt, she felt like crying.
There was a couple in front of her. The one couple that she had been avoiding all week. The one couple she didn't want to see today. She felt the tears well up in her eyes. Shanire and Reyim.
Shanire was in Reyim's lap. They were sharing a kiss. She left. It didn't look like they would be out of it anytime soon.
It was exactly five years today that they found each other. She could remember it clearly.
It was Páliükez again. She had come of age two years ago and she still had not found her chosen. She had dreams about him, never seeing him clearly. Maybe he would come or maybe that was just her.
She liked a particular fairy for as long as she could remember. He had returned from his four year training and she had her hopes high that it would be him. Reyim. They had been good friends, that night she hoped they would be more.
She had dressed up in her best favorite. A pale purple long sleeved dress and left for the ceremony. She went with her parents. They would renew their vows for the two hundreth time.
The ceremony went wonderfully, there was music, dance and food. Even when the ceremony was over she still had hope. Many found their chosen at night, long after the ceremony was over.
She hadn't seen Reyim at all, even asked around. No one knew where he was, so she went to look for him. He never liked such large gatherings, he preferred smaller ones and there were a few places she knew he would go. She had already gone to three of them. 'Oh well' she thought. 'Three more to go.'
She went into the woods, not calling out since there was only one place he would go. She headed there. Ready to give him a lecture about leaving without telling anyone, only to find him with Shanire, a fairy girl who never liked her for some reason and a few years ago she decided the feeling was mutual, both their wings alight. Her hands in his black hair, his hands cupping her face, her dark hair in a mess as they shared their vows and a kiss.
Her heart broke into a million tiny fragments that day and broke a bit more as she remembered. The tears welling up in her eyes finally started falling. She started running. Screaming in her head how it wasn't fair.
It would be another year before she would meet her chosen and he didn't even acknowledge her, even when she was dreaming. Constantly rejecting her. Shattering what was left of her already broken heart, making it bleed more than it ever had. It wasn't fair.
She ran and kept running till she ended up on the other side of the forest. Even at that she kept running. Her white hair billowing behind her, as white as the fast spreading frost she left behind. She wished she could fly, fly till she couldn't breathe and fall to the ground and end it all. Maybe that pain would distract her from this pain.
Her father was a fairy but her mother was an elf. She looked alot like her father, a fairy, but without the wings that graced his or any other fairy's back. She inherited her mother's stature. Her long legs and wide hips. She got the speed and reflexes of an elf and the magick that came with both.
She wished she could keep running, stay away till this damn day and the days after would be over but she couldn't. She only had two hours to herself and then she had to go back. She had work to do. She sighed. Even that like everyday was torture and even more so today.
It had been more than three years since she laid eyes on him, after that she resolved never to fall in love again. She would work her way up and build up her way up to show she needed no man. In family or in buisness. That was the plan until some goddamned unknown forces in the universe decided to bring him back into her life. Rita was a young woman with a good sense of who she was and prided herself on her decision making skills but here's the thing, to make good decisions you have got to have made bad ones sometime in the past. Well he was hers. Samuel was not the type of man to leave his plans high and dry. When he sets his mind on something he gets it done no matter the cost. Turns out that also applies to humans that intrigue him and none moreso than Rita. Rita wants nothing to do with werewolves of his caliber, once will always be enough. If she could wash her hands clean of the supernatural world she would. That's kinda hard to do when they are just as out and about as the rest of the not so super natural world. She just wants to get over the last hurdle in to achieve her goal. He isn't letting that happen until he achieves his goal. Put in a great helping of will to succeed, a dash of rivalry and paranorma normal, a pound of unresolved issues, a healthy sprinkling of revenge and hatred, a spoon of animal attraction and just a tiny–who am I kidding?– a really generous helping of scandalous advances. All in a bowl of strength of resolve. Mix well and put in a luxuriously lavish office. We will see what happens in a year or so. *Wink*
They don't know I'm a girl. They all look at me and see a boy. A prince. Their kind purchase humans like me for their lustful desires. And, when they stormed into our kingdom to buy my sister, I intervened to protect her. I made them take me too. The plan was to escape with my sister whenever we found a chance. How was I to know our prison would be the most fortified place in their kingdom? I was supposed to be on the sidelines. The one they had no real use for. The one they never meant to buy. But then, the most important person in their savage land-their ruthless beast king-took an interest in the "pretty little prince." How do we survive in this brutal kingdom, where everyone hates our kind and shows us no mercy? And how does someone, with a secret like mine, become a lust slave? . AUTHOR'S NOTE. This is a dark romance-dark, mature content. Highly rated 18+ Expect triggers, expect hardcore. If you're a seasoned reader of this genre, looking for something different, prepared to go in blindly not knowing what to expect at every turn, but eager to know more anyway, then dive in! . From the author of the international bestselling book: "The Alpha King's Hated Slave."
Elodie took a deep breath and knocked, the sound echoing in the quiet corridor. A moment of silence passed, broken only by the pounding of her heart. Finally, the door snicked open, revealing a surprised Dashiell. 'Can't you see the Do Not Disturb sign? We don't want-' His initial frown quickly morphed into confusion at the sight of his wife. 'What are you doing here?' he demanded. 'Your girlfriend invited me,' Elodie replied, her voice laced with icy calm. She tried to peer past him, but his broad frame blocked the view. A saccharine voice chimed in from within the room. 'Elodie? Oh dear, we didn't mean for you to find out this way. It's just that-' Elodie cut her short. 'Oh please, Selene. Spare me the fake apologies. You wouldn't have sent me all those texts if you didn't want me to know.' Dashiell shifted uncomfortably, his face a mask of annoyance. 'What texts?' Elodie stepped past him, taking in the luxurious suite with a sardonic smile. The king-sized bed, the scattered rose petals, the lingering scent of sex – it all painted a vivid picture of their betrayal. She looked up at Dashiell, her gaze unwavering. 'I want a divorce.' ****** Dashiell lived a life of luxury, surrounded by the best things money could buy. But when a car accident left him vulnerable, he met Elodie, a seemingly ordinary woman who nursed him back to health. Mistaking her for just another employee, Dashiell entered into a loveless marriage with her solely for convenience. However, fate had a different script in store. Elodie, the 'ordinary nurse,' held a secret more precious than any diamond: she was the sole heiress to Northstar, a vast and powerful enterprise. Unaware of her true identity, Dashiell cast her aside when his ex-girlfriend returned, leaving Elodie humiliated. But Elodie was not one to be easily broken. She shed the facade of the meek nurse, reclaiming her rightful inheritance and stepping into the role of Northstar's CEO. Now, the woman Dashiell discarded was the one holding the reins of power. As Elodie thrives in her new role, Dashiell is consumed by regret. He finally sees Elodie for the extraordinary woman she truly is, realising the depth of his mistake. But will his remorse be enough to win back the heart he so carelessly discarded?
Due to the plight of her family, Phoebe had no choice but to embark on the path of selling herself. In an accident, she had a tangled night with Alexander. Everything began to derail, and even if she fled to the ends of the earth, she would still be found by him and entangled... *** Phoebe screamed in frustration, "What do you want from me?" What was this supposed to be? He raised an eyebrow wickedly. "What do I want? You'll find out soon enough." With that, he hoisted her up and carried her back into the office. The door slammed shut with a kick, and he cleared the desk with a sweep of his arm before laying her down on it, his body pinning hers in place, completely trapping her in his grasp. Every cell in his body was telling him he wanted her. He wanted to claim her again. This time, there would be no escape for her-he wouldn't let her slip away. Never again. If he had suffered for five years, then this woman wouldn't get off easily either!
"I've warned you from the beginning. Don't marry him, but you won't listen." Darcy stood close to me and smiled with concern. "You're not a woman worthy of a man as handsome, rich, smart, and virile as Blaze." My whole body trembled at her words. "Have you no shame?" I asked. "Take a good look at yourself, Heather." She stared at me in the mirror. "You can't even glance at your ugly face. Do you think Blaze can endure a lifetime of gazing at that scar?" Heather Bailey got a surprise from her husband: a divorce agreement. After a year of marriage and facing ups and downs, she couldn't believe Blaze intended to divorce her. She was devastated when she saw him gazing lovingly at another woman. After signing the divorce papers, shockwaves caught her up. Her flower shop was burned to the ground. Her father's company collapsed, and her parents blamed her. She struggled to rebuild her life from the ground up and became more successful than ever. Having many customers from influential families, she started her revenge on Blaze. She won the very thing he wanted, but that was just the beginning.
After two years of marriage, Sadie was finally pregnant. Filled with hope and joy, she was blindsided when Noah asked for a divorce. During a failed attempt on her life, Sadie found herself lying in a pool of blood, desperately calling Noah to ask him to save her and the baby. But her calls went unanswered. Shattered by his betrayal, she left the country. Time passed, and Sadie was about to be wed for a second time. Noah appeared in a frenzy and fell to his knees. "How dare you marry someone else after bearing my child?"
After a painful breakup with her boyfriend of two years who coldly told her to her face that he couldn't keep dating her because she was too uptight--In a moment of anger and defiance, Anna decided to throw caution to the wind for one reckless night. She headed to the wildest club in Texas, determined to lose herself in the chaos. But fate had other plans. To her shock, she ran into her ex-boyfriend at the club. Desperate to save face, she made a split-second decision and approached a stranger, pretending he was her new boyfriend. What she never anticipated was the magnetic pull she would feel towards him or the fact that she'd end up going home with this mystery man. Soon enough, the real surprise hit her--this stranger wasn't just anyone; he was her new boss. What begins as a night of rebellion spirals into a whirlwind of forbidden attraction, societal pressure and hidden affairs. And now there are so many things at stake. Find out how this story unfolds.