A Kingdom of Venom and Vows (Stars and Shadows #3)(8)

The fae soldiers had dared to come to my kingdom, and they would all pay dearly for that decision.

I came across the first soldier as he held one of my people in his grasp with a sword in his other hand. His eyes flashed with fear as he saw me, and it didn’t matter that he was one of the men who had been a part of my guard when I was still in my father’s kingdom.

His loyalty to me then meant nothing now.

I shot my power out toward him, the black smoke moving so quickly that it was barely visible, and the soldier’s arms fell away from the woman as he clawed at his neck. But it was no use.

My magic wrapped around him and cut off his airway without effort. There was nothing he could do to stop me. Nothing he could do to save himself.

His body fell to the ground with a loud thud, and I moved to the next.

“Head to the castle,” I heard Thalia call from behind me, and the woman took off quickly with tears streaking down her cheeks.

I continued to push forward, my power fueled by the life of the soldier I had just taken, and I searched for the rest of the men who had invaded my kingdom.

I could hear the deep clanging of metal as I moved through the streets, and as I turned the corner toward The Olde Vine, I took in a sharp breath.

There were at least a hundred fae soldiers infiltrating the streets, and I spotted Sorin as he lifted his sword and tore through one of them before moving to the next.

Blood splattered against his chest, but it didn’t slow him down. These men were his enemies as much as they were mine. They had made enemies out of all of us the moment they stepped into my kingdom and took Adara from me.

I pulled one of the daggers from my left side and let it fly from my hand. I barely watched as it lodged into the fae soldier’s chest before I let more of our magic slip through my fingers and take out the soldier at his side.

Jorah called my name, and I looked up just in time to see one of the soldiers powering toward me with his sword in the air. There was so much anger on his face, so much betrayal.

They had all once seen me as their leader, their captain, who they followed blindly into any situation, and all they knew now was that I had turned on them.

I didn’t have any room for guilt, even if a trace of it did sit heavy in my gut. I lifted my hand in time to allow my power to escape, but Thalia was already on the man, her own power knocking him to the side before her dagger slammed into him.

She had a vicious look on her face, every bit of fear I had seen when Gavril had arrived had completely disappeared as she protected this kingdom that she loved from the kingdom that she hated.

She looked every bit the warrior, but I knew the truth. She was first and foremost a friend, and that venom in her eyes was for Adara, who was also taken from her.

And Thalia knew better than anyone how bad the fae kingdom could be.

Even when I had gone back, when I had left Adara behind in my home, the things they did to me would never compare to what they did to Thalia.

I could still taste copper in my mouth as I thought about how my father and brother had both stood there while they watched Queen Kaida unleash her pain on me.

She had wanted answers, she wanted my mate, and I had refused to give her anything. Queen Kaida hated to be refused.

She hated it almost as much as she hated me. The bastard son of her king who was born to do nothing but ruin her plans. That was how she had always seen me, and I had spotted the poison in her eyes the moment I was first brought to the fae kingdom by my father.

She only wanted me there because she thought she could train me, to turn me into whatever she wanted, but I refused to allow her to break me.

Regardless of how much I allowed her to believe otherwise.

She had thought that she had molded me into the weapon she needed, the weapon to surge her son into power, and for many years, she had.

I had been the sword she drove between the kingdoms until I truly saw the evil that lay beneath her veil.

Because Queen Kaida was pure evil, regardless of the excuses she used to justify her actions.

It was her face I pictured as I let my power flow through my fingers with a growl and took out the next ten soldiers who moved toward us.

I heard the gasp that left Thalia’s mouth, but I didn’t let it stop me. I typically tried to rein in my anger, the power that coursed through me and craved taking the life from any of these fucking men who had stepped into my kingdom, but I lacked that control today.

They had taken my mate, and I wanted nothing more than to destroy them all.

The sound of their bodies hitting the ground echoed around me, but I didn’t stop. I kept pushing forward, toward my second in command, and I could hear the sounds of Thalia and Jorah fighting with those around me.

I would stop at nothing until I got her back.

And these men would pay for what side of this war they chose to be on. They were my enemy. They had always been my enemy, and I refused to forget that fact as I stared into their familiar faces.

My power shot out from me, killing more men without thought, and I could feel my power strengthen inside me as it ripped the life from their bodies.

I had almost made it to Sorin’s side. He was tearing down as many soldiers as I was, and I could see the hate that filled his eyes. These men were responsible for taking Adara, and Sorin took that as seriously as I did.

He was a loyal second in command, but more than anything, he was a loyal brother to me. Much more of a brother than Gavril could ever be.