Heir of Broken Fate (HOBF Book 1)

I stumble through the abandoned library, my chest heaving as my heart pounds wildly in my ears. Blood trickles down my thigh, leaving a trail behind me. The second I hear the doors slam closed I straighten, striding perfectly fine through the entryway, the old floorboards creaking beneath my boots as I turn. Reaching behind my back I take out my twin blades, flipping them in my hand as I lean against what used to be the sign-in desk.

The front doors blast open, sunlight streaming through the room, highlighting the dust floating in the air. I smirk at the pack of demon hounds. “Hello,” I purr.

Fire arrows fly for them before they can respond. I lunge as they dart to avoid my arrows, right where I want them. Embedding two daggers into its throat and heart, the demon hound crumbles to the floor. A second one rushes for me before I can blink, a sneer on its mouth as its claws sink into my arm. I grab its disgusting leathery skin, locking my hands around its arm, and with a buck of my hips into its stomach, I hurtle it over my shoulder. The wooden floorboards crack beneath its body as it slams to the ground. A knife is poised in my hand before it can move, piercing its heart.

Then something smashes over my head from behind.

Stars explode in my vision as I crumble to the ground. Two boney leather hands tighten around my wrists, dragging me from the room.

“Cocky bitch,” it spits.

My hair hangs over my face, hiding my feline smirk.

“Let me have—”

“She wants her unharmed,” one spits, cutting the other off.

They drag me through the forest, taking me exactly where I plan to go. Unknowingly following the plan that I set in motion the moment my feet landed on the forest floor of the mountain, slicing myself open on a tree branch as Knox scattered my scent in all directions.

Sticks and broken bark scrape against my fighting leathers. I keep my head down as we near the compound. The unnatural energy begins to press into me, slithering against my skin, poking and prodding as it studies who I am. Pulsing with delight as it gets its answer.

I peek through my hair at the guards stationed around the large tree, their eyes unseeing, vacant of life as they step aside, letting us pass through the rotted core of the tree. The moment they drag me across the tree trunk border, my magic evades me, as if it was completely snuffed out.

Knox was right—they have magic wards.

I blink profusely as my eyes adjust to the darkness in the hall. I can’t even see my own body.

The demons dragging me don’t falter as they walk. Perhaps they have night vision. We turn corner after corner through the musty hallways before a yellow light burns around the corner. Fire lanterns are lit along the passageways. The walls are made entirely of rock, as if they were hand-carved into the earth’s core.

The pitter-patter of water dripping down the walls signals we’re near a source of water. How far did we walk underground to reach water?

Boisterous laughter fills the hallways, sniveling and sneers joining in on the grating sounds. The noise increases as we descend further. An open door to my left has me dropping my head once more, but I peek under my shoulder in time to see a room full of every disgusting creature one has nightmares about.

Wendigos, demon hounds, shadowsteers, phookas, and even gremlins.

Every type of creature we studied in those demonic books is sitting in these rooms, walking these halls, waiting for orders from whomever is in charge.

We descend further into the tunnel system, each level mustier than the last, making me dream for the feel of the forest’s fresh air above.

Halfway into the compound, cells and cages appear, metal bars embedded into the rock wall. It’s too dark to see what’s in them, yet as we pass hall after hall containing these, trepidation fills my gut. There’s enough here to house thousands of Fae.

Every single one of them is empty…waiting.

We turn a corner to an empty hall. No cells or cages here, only a single flame ignited at the end, mounted into the wall next to a barred wooden door. My heart stops as the demons unlock the door and drag me inside. Floor-to-ceiling chains hang all along the round room.

They drag me to the back of the room, hauling my arms up as they throw my body against the stone wall with all their strength. My breath gets knocked from my lungs. I begin wheezing for air as they chain both my legs and arms to the side, mounting me to the wall as if in offering.

That’s exactly what I am. The thought sends a cold shiver down my spine.

One of the demon hounds spits at my feet before they both leave the room, locking the door behind them. The only light to penetrate the room is the fire lantern lit beside the door on the other side. Its flames seem to twist toward the door, as if offering me comfort in this darkness, recognizing a kindred flame.

We’re so far below ground no noise trickles into the room. The cheers from the creatures above me are long ago.

I don’t fight. I don’t even try to escape. I simply hang there as offering and wait.

Redemption whispers through my mind, his deep husky voice soothing my soul.

Now, Angel.

I smirk as I feel my magic return to me, breathing life once more as it fills me and surrounds me. Knox successfully destroyed the magic wards placed in the compound with the help of my veiling pendant.

Curling my fingers, flames erupt along my fingertips. With half a thought I have the chains melting off my wrists and ankles, the smell of metallic burning my nostrils as it sizzles, dripping onto the ground.

I rush to the door, melting the lock placed within the wood. I simply push it open, walking through it without uttering a sound. My body tingles as I make myself disappear and begin to hunt for the dark magic book.

My enemies dragged me exactly where I wanted.

I spear my power out, searching every hall and room for the book I know is hidden in these walls. I pause when something slithers along my magic, something wholly dark and not of this world. Crooking its finger at me to follow, to free it from its cage.

I turn, heading back down to where I came from. Descending deeper than before, into the heart of the tunnel system, the dark magic calls to me. No life breathes down here. I don’t think even the demonic creatures dare to come past this point, for I hear nothing. The ice-cold temperature and the dark magic beckoning me are the only things to keep me company.

I pause at the end of a hallway, seeing it’s a dead end. No doors, corners, or hallways appear to be near, yet I feel it, pulsing with life on the other side, calling me to free it. Placing my hands on the wall, I knock on the stone, pushing and prodding. It’s behind the wall, I can feel it deep in my bones. My magic practically begs me to run.

One of my knocks rings hollow. I tap the area next to it, finding several more. With all my strength I push, holding my breath as the wall moves backward. My heart sinks as I peer into a room, and for the first time today, second-guess my plan.

The room is circular, every crevice alight with candles.

Endless worktops fill the room, littered with books, crystals, and vases of blood and potions. My stomach turns queasy as I enter, not daring to close the door behind me, for fear of being trapped in here. The very essence of the room feels corrupt and ancient, as if I’m trespassing on something that’s alive and knows I’m here.

I scan the room for the book, praying I’ll know it when I see it. I pass the leather sofa, disgusted that someone can be in here, sitting comfortably on a couch no less, and withstand the dark magic pulsing throughout the room. Something ancient and wicked crawls up my spine, mocking me as if to say, Come find me. I grit my teeth, blasting my power out, pushing it away.

I search the room top to bottom, knocking on the walls for any secret compartments, yet I find nothing. Absolutely nothing and no dark magic books.

I stop dead in my tracks.

It’s veiled.

Of course it’s veiled, and of course I don’t have my pendant around my neck.

Panic claws its way up my throat, making it difficult to breathe. I close my eyes, fisting my hands at my side as I force myself to calm. If I wanted to hide something, what would I mask it as? I repeat the question in my mind, praying the answer will come to me.

Scanning the room, I look for anything that doesn’t fit, anything out of place. Bottles, jars, potions, books, crystals, candles, cushions…a crown. Everything in this room screams of darkness and corruption, yet they have such a beautiful piece of jewelry displayed in a glass cabinet behind the desk, sitting in the dead center of the room.

Lifting the glass case, I gently pick up the bejeweled crown. The gold ornament sparkles as the candlelight shines on it, the white diamonds twinkling beside the blue gemstones. The diamonds and gems gradually grow in size until meeting in the middle. Peaking at the center sits the largest gem of all, the only one not to sparkle and shine.

I place it gently on the workbench before me. Closing my eyes I picture my pendant, what it feels like in my hands, how it feels when it pulses against my chest, as it glows and reveals those that are hidden.

As it reveals the truth.

I place my palms over the crown, slowing my breathing as gold light pours out of my hands, shining between my fingers. The crown begins to heat, sizzling at my touch, as if it’s trying to squirm away. I grit my teeth, forcing more power out of me, pouring my very essence of pure magic into the crown as it tries to stay hidden.

The truth.

Reveal the truth.

I sing into my mind, repeating the words over and over as the crown pulls away from me. Suddenly my hands touch nothing but air. I open my eyes, and the worktop in front of me no longer houses a crown. Gazing down at my feet, I find a black leather book, the astronomical size of it alarming. It’s almost as large as my torso, the ageing yellow pages overflowing from its binder.

Triumph rushes through me.

I snatch the book off the ground, running out of the room as fast as I can, remaining invisible as I sprint through the halls. I’m about to smile with joy when suddenly a blaring sound surrounds me, so loud it makes me fumble. I don’t dare stop running even as I hear doors on every level open and the unmistakable sound of beasts huffing and stomping along the floors. There’s so many rushing throughout the tunnels at once the roof above me begins to shake, dust falling from the ceiling.

My eyes widen as I skid to a stop in the middle of the hallway as a creature enters, its size so large the tip of its bald head skims the ceiling. It’s completely engulfed in shadows, its boney yellow rib cage poking out of its shadows as it walks.

I slap my hand over my mouth, holding back the bile that threatens to rise. Gratitude fills my heart that I have the power to make myself invisible. A sinking feeling in my stomach tells me the creature would have delighted in torturing me in unfathomable ways.

I don’t dare try to run past the creature; its size alone fills the entire width of the hallway. Instead I follow it around a corner. The entire hallway beyond is full of various creatures, all as horrid as the beast in front of me. But that means Harlow, Lenox and the twins’ diversion to lure the demons out of the compound is working.

Hall after hall, I trail behind demonic creatures until darkness swallows us whole. I use my hearing and senses to follow the stomping of boots and sniveling through the endless darkness. A sigh of relief escapes me when moonlight streams across the floor as I turn the corner, making my heart beat rapidly in my chest.

The moment my shoes connect with the forest floor I bolt, sprinting as fast as I ever have in my life as every type of demonic creature that exists pours out of the tree trunk behind me, taking off in all different directions, hunting the very trap Knox’s court set for them.

I pay them no attention, keeping my gaze locked on the tree line in front of me, on the area Knox and I planned to meet. Pushing my feet to run faster, the landscape around me begins to blur.

I haven’t heard Knox’s voice since he told me he broke the magic wards. What if something happened to him? What if they found him hiding? Anxiety claws at my chest at the thought.

My throat constricts as I run around a tree, my gaze locking on sapphire blue eyes in the distance. I can’t help the sob that escapes me. The full scope of being underground with so many demonic creatures hits me full force as I run into his arms. He holds me to his chest so tight I’m surprised the air doesn’t get knocked from me. My hair flutters as Knox takes off into the sky, not spending a moment longer standing in the demon-infested forest. I cling to him, my arms wrapped around his neck, my legs around his waist, the book sitting between our chests and my head in the crook of his neck as I take him in. Relief flows through my body as his pinewood scent surrounds me.

Knox’s grip tightens. “Did something happen?” he asks, viciously low.

I shake my head. I’m embarrassed to tell him my relief is from finding him alive and unharmed, after my anxiety told me otherwise. I open my eyes, looking over Knox’s shoulder to see Hazel, Ace, Harlow, Lenox, and Axel emerge into the sky, their beautiful wings flapping wildly as they each take off into different directions.

I breathe another sigh of relief that everyone is unharmed.

The dark magic book in my arms seeps hope into my heart once more.

Lenox’s howl of laughter booms throughout the halls the second I enter the house. “You made one of them soil themselves!”

“Harlow, what did you do?” Axel asks in awe.

They’re lounging around in the sitting room, drinking and celebrating. Harlow is sprawled across a single sofa, her smile purely wicked. “I simply showed them a reflection.”

“Whatever you did to make a demon soil itself, teach me,” I say, plopping the dark magic book onto the coffee table. Its energy making everyone recoil.

“Horrid thing,” Harlow spits.

“Indeed.” I grimace. “The number of creatures down in that hell hole…It’s an army of beasts.”

“Did you see any of the missing Fae?” Axel asks, pouring himself a drink.

“No, but the tunnel system was so large it would have taken hours to search each cell.” The sofa shifts as Knox settles in beside me, but his face is completely pale. “What’s the matter?” I whisper. Not quietly enough I suppose around Fae ears. Everyone’s chatter dies, glasses pause midair, all celebrations of stealing the dark magic book stop entirely.

“When Ace and Hazel held the guards down by the vines, I went into their minds. Every single one of them were completely gone, as if whoever controls them has locked them away in their own mind.” Knox drags a hand through his hair. “I saw who’s giving the orders, who controls them.”

“Who?” Lenox barks.

“The queen’s second-in-command.”

My heart stops beating before picking up its pace, turning erratic. Nobody moves or speaks, the revelation making the temperature in the room drop.

“I don’t think the queen knows. I didn’t see her in any of the memories, only Emmalyn.”

Axel’s deadly quiet voice pierces the room. “Why would she do this? What does she have to gain?”

“The queen was meant to die that night. She wasn’t supposed to arrive home later. Perhaps Emmalyn adjusted her plans when the queen escaped her death,” Harlow chimes in.

Knox grimaces. “That doesn’t answer why the queen’s still alive today. She’s had ample opportunity to kill her.”

I furrow my brows. “What if she’s controlling the queen?”

Lenox sets his glass down in front of him. “You’re telling me there’s a possibility that a possessed queen has been running the kingdom for nearly one hundred and fifty years?”

“That’s why she never reinstated the court kings and queens,” Knox breathes.

Axel sits forward in his seat. “We need to adjust our plans. The queen has spies everywhere.”

“Emmalyn has spies everywhere,” Lenox corrects, disgust lining his voice.

My stomach sinks. Every time we take one step forward in destroying this gods-awful spell, another mystery and question arises.

“You need to tell Nolan,” Ace says. “Some of his men could be under Emmalyn’s spell.”

Knox nods as he stands, his body tense as he strides out of the room. My heart pangs. Every step closer to destroying the entrapment spell reminds him of his parents’ death. Each new piece of information chips away at his wound of grief, reopening his heartache.

“So how was it?” Harlow drawls into the silent room.

I slump into the couch. “Terrifying. I was underground with hundreds of demonic creatures.”

Harlow rolls her eyes. “Not that, you fool.”

I cock my head to the side. What on earth is she talking about?

Hazel’s cough draws my attention, her cheeks flushed as she sits next to Ace. “When Fae…uh …when Fae join…”

“Oh for fuck’s sake, we can smell Knox on you,” Harlow cuts in.

My eyes widen. They can what?

Lenox smirks. “When a Fae takes a lover, their scents mingle.”

I grit my teeth. Why didn’t Knox say anything? A warning would have been lovely right about now considering five nosey Fae are staring me down. They all look like a bunch of gossiping teenage girls. At least Ace has the decency to look sheepish.

I lift my chin. “That’s none of your concern.”

“It was about time,” Hazel chirps, taking a sip of her wine.

My cheeks heat. Hazel has been calling it from the beginning. She’ll want all the details.

Knox strolls into the room. “I’ve sent a messenger for him,” he says, plopping down beside me. He looks around the room before slowly turning his head to mine, grinning. “What did I miss?”

“Care to tell me why you didn’t inform me about mingling scents?” I say through gritted teeth. Lenox and Harlow burst out laughing, making my hands clench in my lap.

Knox stretches his arm on the back of the sofa, his fingers playing with my hair. “Slipped my mind.”

Insufferable bastard.

Hazel’s eyes shine with happiness as she changes the topic. “When should we go through the book?”

“Tomorrow. We all deserve some much-needed rest,” Knox says. “I’ll keep it in a safe place for now.”

I stand, saying goodnight to everyone, exhausted after such an eventful day. Walking up the stairs I’m about to enter my room when Knox grabs my hand, dragging me down the hallway, his other hand carrying that god-awful book.

“What are you doing?” I ask.

“Taking you to bed,” he says flippantly.

He leads me through his bedroom door, dropping my hand as he disappears into his closet, the sounds of metal clanging fill the space.

“That’s very presumptuous of you,” I taunt as he enters the room again without that horrid book.

He shrugs. “I sleep better with you.”

His statement snaps my mouth closed. Knox doesn’t shy away from anything, his emotions included.

My mouth begins to water as he peels off his shirt, his pants then dropping to the floor. His powerful body stalks forward, naked save for the boxers, the sight making my skin heat and tingle.

Knox stops so close I have to tilt my head back to look at him. His sapphire eyes droop, filling with heat, as his hands graze my stomach, moving lower until they connect with my pants.

The button of my pants pop, the zipper lowering. My shirt is the next thing to go, then I’m standing stark naked in front of him. His hands slide down my thighs, lifting me as he walks us over to the bed. Sitting on the edge, I straddle him, whimpering when my core connects with his hard steel.

“I thought we were going to sleep,” I whisper huskily.

Knox leans forward, trailing kisses from my neck down to my chest, biting my nipple before soothing the sting with a swirl of his tongue. “Oh we will.” He kisses his way up to my lips. “After I make you come.” His fingers slide inside me in one thrust, his thumb rubbing my clit.

My hips buck, my body singing a sigh of relief that he’s touching me.

“First I want to feel you come on my fingers,” he groans, placing kisses along my jaw. “Then I’ll have you wrap that pussy around my cock.”

He smashes his lips to mine, the intensity in his strokes and touch unending, his tongue thrusting into my mouth at the same speed of his fingers. My hips start grinding on their own accord, the heat and pressure inside me building with each passing second.

I arch my back, thrusting my breasts into Knox’s face as he kisses a path to them. I sink my fingers into his hair as he sucks and nips my breasts, making the wetness between my legs pour.

I’m about to explode and he knows it.

“Oh gods,” I moan as his canines flare, scraping over the sensitive buds.

Knox crooks his fingers inside me, stroking the spot that only he knows how to find. Brushing his lips against my ear, his warm breath sending chills down my spine, he growls, “Come.”

It’s the last thing I hear as my entire body climaxes from his demand.

My ears start ringing, my body shivering and quaking as I cling to him. My hips rock as I drag out my orgasm. I float back down to earth, shivering from the intensity to find I’m on my stomach.

“Lift up, Angel,” Knox orders behind me.

Panting, my arms shaking, I lift myself, kneeling on all fours. I’m spread bare for him. His large hands scrape over my hips, pulling my ass higher in the air. His strong legs line up behind me, the length of his cock gliding between my legs making me whimper. “You’re so fucking beautiful,” he groans, entering me in one deep thrust.

My head falls down on a moan as his entire length is seated inside of me, filling me, stretching me. His hand wraps around my hair, yanking me back, as he ruthlessly fucks me from behind. His strokes are long and hard, his cock rubbing that spot inside of my core that makes my legs shake.

His hand in my hair twists my head to the side while the other cups my breast, pinching and rubbing my nipple. The pressure builds within me again, stronger than the last.

“Good girl, Delilah, squeeze me,” he growls in my ear.

I wrap my arms behind me, burying my hands in his hair, clinging to him as he thrusts inside of me mercilessly. The hand on my breast trails down, disappearing between my legs at the same time the hand in my hair wraps around my throat. When his thumb brushes my clit, I explode.

My mouth opens on a guttural moan. Knox smashes his lips to mine, eating up the sounds as I come around him, fucking my mouth with his tongue as he continues his relentless pace, still stroking my clit.

“That’s a good girl, Angel. Come around my cock.”

My jaw drops on a scream, his words setting off another orgasm, this one shredding my body from the inside out. Wave after wave of unending pleasure slams into me, my body going completely languid in Knox’s arms. I whimper as he pulls out of me, turning me around to straddle him as he kneels on the bed.

“I need to see you when I come,” he whispers in my ear, entering me slowly. All my muscles seize from the intensity, every prickle of my skin feeling alive, on fire.

Knox groans when he’s seated fully inside of me. His hand wraps in my hair, tugging my head back gently until his heat-filled eyes lock with mine, making my breath hitch.

“So beautiful,” he murmurs as his hips thrust. I moan when his head dips, latching onto my nipple as he sucks hard. “I love these so much.” Electricity zips through my body, my core pulsing once more. “Fuck, Angel, I’m so close,” he groans around my breast.

My hips buck, the sensitivity heightening everything as pressure builds in my core. I ride him faster, chasing the high that only he can give me. A shiver racks through Knox’s body as he lifts his head, watching me as I meet him thrust for thrust.

His hips move wildly, his canines lengthening. “Open your wings,” he commands.

As if he has complete control over my body, my wings unfurl behind me. Knox’s thrusts become wild. He rests his forehead against mine, his mouth dropping open, our short pants mingling as he groans. His own wings flare behind him, straining as they spread wide.

I wrap my arms around his neck, holding on for dear life as he pounds me relentlessly, his control completely shattering as we ride each other, searching for the euphoric feeling only we can give one another.

Knox begins to pulse and swell inside me; I drop my hand between his shoulder blade at the same time his arm snakes around to my back.

“Come,” he growls, as a single finger trails down my wings, shattering my world.

Every nerve ending in my entire body explodes by that one touch, shattering my mind and soul with the intensity that overcomes my body.

Knox comes on a feral growl as I do the same, using the tip of my fingers to tease and trail down his own wings. My name falls from his lips like a prayer as I scream, my core pulsing around his cock, milking every drop of his cum as the most intense orgasm crashes through my body.

Pleasure like never before sears into me, taking over my body as I shake uncontrollably on top of him, my body floating through stars as I collapse against him. My face falls into the crook of his neck as we sit in each other’s arms, panting. I graze my fingers through Knox’s soft hair, scraping my nails against his scalp.

His hands stroke my back, his fingers dipping over the ridges of my scars. “You’re so beautiful,” he whispers. My body tenses as I realize what he’s feeling, what part of me he’s calling beautiful. “Don’t.” His voice is guttural as he speaks. “Don’t push me away.”

I take a deep breath, willing my body to relax. I know that all of this is temporary. I know I can’t get attached, yet my heart doesn’t seem to understand that I can’t have this. I vow to myself that no matter what happens, until the day I leave, I will cherish everything in this world.

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