Of flame and fury a fae.., p.1
Of Flame and Fury: A Fae Fantasy Romance (Fae of Tíria Book 3), page 1
OF FLAME AND FURY
FAE OF TÍRIA, BOOK 3
K. A. RILEY
This book is a work of fiction. Names and events should not be associated with living people or historical events. Any resemblance is the work of the author and is purely coincidental.
Copyright © 2019 by K. A. Riley
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Cover Design:
https://thebookbrander.com/
For the summer readers who occasionally seek shade and solitude.
CONTENTS
Preface
Summary
Map of Kalemnar
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
52. Epilogue
Also by K. A. Riley
Coming Soon: Thrall
Coming Soon: The Amnesty Games
About the Author
PREFACE
A brief caution for my readers—more particularly, my readers’ parents:
I have written quite a few books by now, most of which are suitable for younger readers. I try to keep my language light, though there are occasional acts of violence on the pages—and occasionally, a beloved character meets their untimely end.
I’ve had messages asking if certain books are “spicy,” and in this case, the answer is yes.
So I leave it to you, the parents, to determine what level of “reader discretion” you wish to exercise when it comes to this book and series.
For those of you delving into this world, thank you for coming on this journey, and I hope you enjoy!
SUMMARY
When Leta’s sister Lyrinn disappeared after the Blood Trials, there was only one thing for Leta to do: seek solace in the arms of Prince Corym, the most powerful mortal in Kalemnar.
For months, she’s been living in the palace and reveling in a life of wealth and luxury. The prince wants to marry Leta. The king approves.
On the surface, life is almost perfect.
So why, all of a sudden, does Leta want more than anything to flee the palace?
Overcome by vivid memories that are not her own—confusing visions of some other woman’s life and love—Leta gets herself as far from Corym and the palace as she can. She may not yet know what the visions mean, but it’s clear that her fate is far more complicated than she’d ever imagined.
As she flees, little does she know she’s being tracked by a Fae—a sell-blade with a past of his own and a wall of ice around his heart.
The force that brought them together will prove powerful, relentless, and devastating. But will their attraction heal them…or shatter them both?
MAP OF KALEMNAR
CHAPTER ONE
Domignon
Two Weeks Earlier
A sea of stars twinkled throughout the sky as evening rose over the palace’s beautifully groomed gardens.
Prince Corym’s features, illuminated by the full moon glowing high above us, were as handsome as ever. The deep scars torn into his cheeks did little to detract from his perfection. If anything, he now appeared more warrior-like than he had before the accursed Blood Trials had fallen upon the realms—and before a certain High Fae had tried to tear him to shreds.
He looked, I told myself as I stared up at his sculpted jawline and elegant cheekbones, like a leader of men.
“How long has it been, Leta?” he asked, seeming to read my mind as he slipped his fingers under my chin, drawing my eyes to his. “How long have I had the privilege of calling you my own?”
My own.
I let out a bashful laugh. “I’m not sure, your Highness. Many days, I think…yet too few. If I had my wish, we would spend a thousand evenings doing just this, then a thousand more.”
“What a sweet sentiment,” he cooed. “You really are perfect, aren’t you?”
My cheeks heated, and I pulled my chin down, my gaze veering to the ground.
Back home in Dúnbar, no one would ever have accused me of shyness or modesty. I had always been confident to a fault—at least, that was what my sister Lyrinn had always said. She had never missed an opportunity to mention how skilled I was in the fine art of manipulation, of using my feminine wiles on every unsuspecting fool who came my way.
And who was I to argue? I had always had a strong instinct for taking advantage of men and boys, for using my looks to turn them into blithering dolts.
Not that I was arrogant enough to think myself the most beautiful girl in Kalemnar, or even in our small hometown of Dúnbar. The truth was, any young woman could seduce a man if she convinced him she had something to offer him.
Men were gluttons for the promise of a touch, a kiss. And if they thought they might receive even more, it was easy to get them to do absolutely anything.
They were not exactly hard to read.
But for some reason, I found myself a self-conscious thing in Corym’s company. Over time, I had devolved into an insecure, blushing version of myself. I had never thought to question why, after all the weeks and months I’d spent with him, I still found myself timid and awe-struck in his presence.
When I’d first met him, I hadn’t been nearly so tongue-tied as I was now. I had seen him as a prince, and a handsome one. But in those days, he hadn’t intimidated me as I might have expected. Then again, I’d been under the impression that he and Lyrinn would live happily ever after.
All of Kalemnar had thought so, for that matter.
The plan had been simple.
Step one: He—and she—would win the Blood Trials together, defeating every Champion in their path and claiming victory for the realm of Domignon.
Step two: They would marry, and they would be granted all the Gifts of those who had fallen—which meant they would both be imbued with extraordinary powers, which they would eventually pass on to their children.
But the plan had crumbled to dust when my sister had fled Kalemnar along with the High Lord Mithraan…
The very Fae who had left the deep slashes that now marred Corym’s cheeks.
I had not witnessed the moment when my sister had vanished along with the Fae—the moment when the Trials had ended abruptly with no winner named.
I had never imagined I would end up in Corym’s arms at the end of it all. Nor had I ever pictured my sister rejecting a prince in favor of a Fae.
“Take a guess,” Corym said, drawing me away from my thoughts and urging me to answer the question still hanging in the air between us. “How long do you think you’ve been living here in the palace?”
“Several moons,” I told him, my brow furrowing with confusion. Why did it matter so much to him how long I’d been here? Was he weary of me already? “Eight or nine moons, maybe. I’ve lost track of time, truth be told.” I offered up a beaming smile when I added, “All I know is I’ve never been so…so…”
Happy.
That was the word I had intended to utter.
Yet now as it came to the tip of my tongue, I froze.
Why, all of a sudden, did I feel as if I was forcing out a lie? After all, I had felt genuinely happy these last weeks, settled in as I was. I’d been accepted by King Caedmon and Queen Malleen as a member of the royal family. Surely it wasn’t a stretch to say I was content, if not downright blissful.
But as I gazed into Corym’s eyes and tried to force the word from my lips, it came again—a hint of some nagging reluctance, a flash of doubt, as though I were slowly coming to some long-brewing realization.
“Oh—I see what this is.” Corym clicked his tongue and moved closer, pressing a gentle kiss to my forehead. “After all this time, you’re still upset about your sister’s betrayal.” He said it lightly, as though he were talking about a little spilled milk. “Leta, Lyrinn never deserved you. She proved as much when she ran off with that bastard Fae. You’re better off without her—as are we all.”
The words were a blade twisting in my s
She had never sent me word of her whereabouts.
It was like she’d forgotten me entirely.
“She abandoned you, my love,” Corym added, as if to plunge the blade in just a little deeper. “You know it as well as I do.”
The prince and his father had told me repeatedly that throughout the Blood Trials, Lyrinn’s behavior had grown more and more erratic. That she had turned unpredictable, violent, hostile. She was, they insisted, no longer the sister I had once known and loved.
Heartbroken, I had simply nodded and accepted King Caedmon’s and Prince Corym’s word as a brutal truth.
In the palace, I wasn’t allowed to watch the Trials. The king had insisted that seeing my sister do battle for her life could prove traumatic. “You’re such a lovely creature,” he’d insisted. “I would hate to see that pretty face marred by tears.”
At the time, I had taken his words as a kindness. The king was only being protective, I’d told myself. And ever since the day the Trials had ended, I had reveled in his son’s protective nature, too.
But now, as I inhaled the night air, some long-dormant part of my mind was waking, pushing back against Corym’s words.
A voice came to me from somewhere far off—yet so close that it seemed to echo inside me.
He’s been lying all along.
Lyrinn would never abandon you willingly.
What in the hell was happening to me? Why was my faith in Corym faltering? This was the prince who had held me so often as I wept into his shoulder, the one who had reassured me with promises that he would look after me and keep me close for the rest of our lives…
Why did his words now ring so false?
I’m just tired, I told myself. Once I’ve had some rest, it will all make sense again.
My lip quivered slightly when I finally replied, “I suppose I’m still stunned that Lyrinn would simply leave without a word. It’s not like her. She and I were so close. We—”
“We all do strange things for love,” Corym interrupted sharply with an arrogance that implied he spoke from a wealth of experience. “You must accept that she is lost to that horrid Fae now. Forget her, Leta. Our future is here, yours and mine—and we will start our own family soon. You’re of age now, after all.”
A shock collided with my mind, like icy water on a hot day. “I’m…what?” I stammered. “What do you mean, of age?”
Corym laughed. “Why do you think I was asking how long you’d been with me? Did you not even notice your eighteenth birth-date passed by some weeks ago?”
My jaw dropped open, and I simply stared at him. “I…”
There had been a time not so long ago when I had thought my birth-date a distant point on the horizon. But as it turned out, our father had lied to Lyrinn and me all our lives about the timeline of our coming into this world. It was his attempt to protect us both from ever having to compete in the Blood Trials. All my life, I had thought myself younger than I was, and so had my sister.
Still, no one had actually told me what my true birth-date was. I had no way of knowing when I’d turn eighteen.
As it turned out, Corym and King Caedmon knew my age better than I did.
“I know, I know,” the prince said. “I should have let you in on the secret. I suppose I wanted to keep it a surprise. I thought perhaps we could celebrate two special dates at once.”
“Two?” I asked, overcome with sudden nervousness.
“Yes. My parents and I have decided it’s time you and I married.” The prince was beaming now, his gleaming teeth impossibly white in the moonlight. “War is coming, love. The Fae are roaming our lands, threatening mortals in every corner of Kalemnar. The people need some good news to allay their fear.”
“I see. Yes…of course.” My head was spinning, though with pleasure or pain, I wasn’t entirely sure.
I would soon become wife to the heir to the throne of Domignon.
I would one day be queen.
It should have been the most wonderful news in the world. I should have been ecstatic.
But as I pulled my eyes up to Corym’s once again, a sudden, horrifying desire to flee overtook me. I wanted nothing more than to be far from him. Far from Domignon.
I need to get myself to a place where I can breathe again.
With that thought, as if some distant god were answering my prayers, a force took hold of my mind, clenching reality tight in its grip. The world around me—the prince, the gardens, everything…vanished.
I found myself standing in a beautiful field of long, swaying grass, the sun shining high in the sky. A swell of pleasure permeated my every inch as I inhaled the air, taking in the distinct, lovely scent of wildflowers.
Instantly, I was filled with nostalgia for the land surrounding me, though it was a place I was certain I had never been.
In the distance, a figure appeared. A man, I thought, though his features were blurred and impossible to make out. He began to walk toward me, picking up his pace as he approached.
I reached for him, desire consuming me as if I knew exactly who he was and why he was important to me.
“Faster,” I commanded aloud, the word strained with need. “Come to me, my love.”
Except the voice that spoke the words—it wasn’t my own. It was smoother, lighter, more carefree than my voice had ever been. It was like music on the wind.
This moment in time—this place, this memory, for I knew by now that it was a memory—none of it was mine.
I looked down at my body—the curve of my waist and breasts. Suntanned hands, one of which had what looked like a ring drawn onto one of its fingers.
This…wasn’t me.
Who was this person—and how in the hell had I found my way inside her body, her mind?
I strained to get a better look at the man, to make out his features. But when he drew closer, just as his face began to clear…
The memory ceased.
Once again, I was standing in the darkness of the palace gardens, my head swimming with disorientation.
I looked down to see that my hand was on Corym’s arm, my fingers digging in tightly.
“Leta?” he said softly. “What is it? Are you all right?”
“Did you…did you see that?” My voice was quiet, frantic. “Did you see him?”
“Him? Who are you talking about?”
My eyes widened. Gods, it must have been a waking dream. “I…I…” I stammered, looking for a way to explain my madness. “I think it was just a bit of dizziness. It’s passed now.”
As much as I wanted to deny it, though, the truth was far more complicated than a mere dizzy spell. More complicated than any dream that had ever unfolded in my mind. Some force had torn me from the time and place where I stood with Corym, and inserted me into someone else’s body, into another realm entirely.
I had seen the world from some stranger’s vantage point. I had experienced her senses, her memories. Her life. For a moment, I had become her. But who she was or where, I couldn’t say.
“Dizziness,” Corym repeated, almost giddy. “Gods be good, it’s happening.”
