Tainted Throne (Crown of Blood and Frost Book 2) Read online

  “Poor Kaiden. What will he do to you once he knows the truth? I wonder if he’ll kill you himself, exile you, or my favorite, torture you?” I mock.

  “He will do neither of those things, because you will not speak a word of this,” she shouts. Her rage only makes me laugh harder.

  Walking towards the door, I stop, and turn my head in her direction. “Enjoy the taste of my cum sliding down your throat. It’ll be the last taste you ever get from me.”

  Opening the door to the Queen’s chamber, I hear a gasp from the maid who clearly heard my parting words before she scurries away down the hall. Smiling to myself, I think about the beautiful angel who keeps me going, and just help set me free.

  Winter

  My days are spent training with Asterial, and my nights in bed with either him or Tristan, or sometimes both. Kaiden, unfortunately has been keeping his distance while he pretends to be busy. I have no clue what his problem is. I thought after he opened up to me, things were going to be fine from now on, now that we’ve gotten closer. I was wrong. Sure the arguing has stopped, only because he barely says two words to me anymore. I thought maybe he was angry about me fucking Aster and Tristan. It’s not like it’s a secret. Anyone with ears knew what we were up to at night, but since Kaiden refuses to speak to me, I don’t know for sure. Lost in thought, I miss shielding an offensive attack from Aster, and I land flat on my ass on the ship’s deck.

  “Winter, love, you’re not even trying,” I hear him yell.

  “Sorry,” I mutter, embarrassed.

  “What’s on your mind?” He asks softly as he grabs my arm, pulling me up on my feet.

  “Nothing,” I lie, looking away.

  “Winter,” he growls, arching his brow.

  “It’s Kaiden, ok?” I relent, throwing my hands up frustrated. “I don’t understand what his problem is. It’s like he hates me again,” I whine.

  “Kaiden doesn’t hate you, he’s just…”

  “Just what?” I ask, not liking his pause.

  “Look, love, I’ll never lie to you, or sugarcoat things. Kaiden has a lot on his plate right now, and you’re another complication he’s trying to figure out”, Aster says slowly. Even though he didn’t mean to, his words still hurt my heart.

  When Aster sees the hurt flash across my eyes, he holds me in a tight embrace.

  “I’m sorry, love. I’m not explaining this well, am I?” Moving closer, he kisses me lightly on the forehead. “Kaiden loves you, as well as Tristan and I. He’s just figuring out how to balance being someone’s mate, a loyal son, and a prince. I have no doubt Kaiden’s feelings for you, but he also cares for his mother. I know he can’t be blind to how power hungry she is, or clueless as to why she wanted you found and brought back so badly, and I’m guessing he’s working out a way to keep you safe and still be a loyal son.”

  “Then why bring me back? What sense does that make?” I ask, suddenly angry. I haven’t even met Kaiden’s mother yet, and I’m already not her biggest fan. I hate what she’s doing to Kaiden, and in my heart I know she killed my mother on purpose.

  “I don’t know, love. Hera loves her games. You’re a new piece on the board she’s trying to figure out. It’s up to you if you’re going to be the pawn she wants you to be, or a far more significant piece.” With that parting thought, he leaves me to my thoughts as I stare out into the sea. I’m still leaning over the rail when I hear Skully approach.

  “You’re not planning on jumping overboard, are you?” He asks.

  “No,” I answer, looking up at him and smiling. “Everything here is more intense than in the human world. More detailed and colorful. It’s like watching something on a regular TV, and then seeing it in HD for the first time,” I tell him.

  “I understand what you’re saying,” he says, nodding his head. “You’re no longer seeing the world through human eyes. All your senses were dulled in the human lands, but once you crossed the veil they’ve awoken.”

  “Even through new eyes, I still have no clue of what my purpose is,” I say, admitting my fears out loud.

  “That, little bit, I can’t help you with, but if you want my advice, I would warn you that not all fairy tales have happy endings.”

  Gazing up at him, I sense something more. I see the intelligence hidden behind the persona of a pretty face, sea captain with bit of a hoarding problem.

  “Do you know something I don’t?” I question.

  Smiling, he avoids my question and instead comments, “if the winds hold, we will reach Elyeria and dock the day after tomorrow.” Then with a small bow, he turns and leaves me with my questions. I go to bed shortly after that, knowing in less than two days time I will face the woman who killed my mother.

  Asterial

  “You can’t keep avoiding her like this,” I say, shoving my way past the crew to the dragon prince sulking over by the rail.

  “Why do you care Asterial? That’s more time you and Tristan get to spend down her pants,” he replies.

  “Jealousy is unbecoming of you, prince,” I sneer.

  “I’m not jealous, Dark King, especially of you,” he adds.

  Stopping myself from gutting the arrogant fool, I try a different tactic. One that I know will work if it were me. “You’re hurting her,” I tell him softly. I see a tiny spark of emotion cloud his face. One of regret before he quickly schools his face to his cold mask, and I push on while I have his attention. “You do not want to lose her. She loves you, but she’s not us. She grew up around humans, surrounded by human emotions. She does not understand you’re hiding your true feelings to protect her. She only knows you’re withdrawing, and she thinks it’s her fault. If you keep pushing her away, you might find yourself too far to get her back,” I tell him before walking away.

  Chapter Nine

  Winter

  I wake wrapped in a warm embrace with my face pressed against a hard, familiar chest. I close my eyes and inhale his scent, not really believing he’s here.

  “Good morning, angel,” his rough voice says while his beautiful emerald eyes dance with amusement.

  “What?” I laugh.

  “Did you just sniff me?” He asks, laughing with me.

  “I thought I was dreaming. I had to sniff you to make sure you were real.” At my answer his eyes flash with sadness before he sits up.

  “I’m sorry I’ve been distant lately. It was never my intention to hurt you.”

  Hugging him tightly, I rest my head against his chest. We stay like this for a while as I think about what he just said. I rather he not distance himself from me, but I understand why he did it.

  “We should get up. After breakfast, you'll be training with me,” he says, breaking the silence.

  I’m shocked at his words. This is a big thing for him, because he will be deliberately disobeying his mother’s orders by training me. I kiss him fiercely on the lips, hoping he can feel how grateful I am, and he kisses me back just as intensely, letting me know he understands.

  After a quick breakfast and two hours of training out in the hot sun, I’m still no better controlling my power than when we first started. Don’t get me wrong, Kaiden is a great teacher, and very patient with me. It’s me who’s causing all the trouble. The way he can easily wield his abilities pisses me off. I literally have no control over mine whatsoever. If anything, they have control over me. I can feel each individual gift separately. I know they are there, it’s just having enough control to release them that I’m having trouble with. At least I’m not totally useless. I found swordplay much easier. Apparently I’m a natural, and to Kaiden’s dismay, I find it all too easy to disarm him, unless he uses his power to keep me at bay.

  Watching him closely now, I catch it when his left arm bulges, a clear indication he’s about to strike. Countering the blow, I lift my sword, spin, and kick out with my left leg sending him flying across the deck. Raising his arm, he sends a ball of fire in my direction that I duck easily as I roll to the other side, and rise nimbly on my feet
. Kaiden also recovers quickly, and he arches his arm creating a lasso of fire which he twirls effortlessly over his head. Flexing his arm, the lasso turns into a whip and hurdles in my direction searing my pants leg. I flip twice to douse the fire, and pull one of the fans from my ponytail, and send it flying in his direction. The fan reaches it’s mark cutting his arm before returning to my outstretched hand.

  I didn’t notice before, but while we’ve been practicing a crowd had come out to watch. Taking advantage of my distraction, Kaiden moves his arm up in the air, and flicks it forward causing a thick stream of fire in my direction. Tail of the dragon. I remember this move from earlier when he tried and failed to teach me. I don’t have enough control to shield in time, and I begin to panic. Closing my eyes, I accept defeat when I hear a faint whisper in my head. It’s one I’ve heard before sent to guide me when I most need it. Following instructions, I hold both arms out, moving one arm towards my back, and the other in a waving motion to my front. Right before Kaiden’s flames reach me, a huge wave of water flows out my palm, and douses the flame, leaving me, and everyone else, in shock.

  Recovering, I mimic what I just seen Kaiden do to create the tail of the dragon, and a stream of water instead of fire hits Kaiden’s chest sending him flying across the deck.

  “How?” He asks getting up on his feet as he walks towards me, dripping water all over the ship’s deck.

  “I don’t know,” I answer lamely, looking down at my hands in shock. The voice is gone, and I feel a bit light headed.

  “Tristan and Asterial don’t have power over the elements. How are you able to manipulate water?”

  “I don’t know,” I snap, finally reaching my breaking point. I’m scared. I have yet another power I have no clue how to control, and Kaiden accusing me isn’t helping any. “I don’t know Kaiden. I don’t know how I do half the shit that happens.”

  “That’s a Spring Court ability, Winter. There's no way you should be able to do that.”

  What the fuck. He acts like I did it on purpose, like I’m keeping things from him. What a fucking hippocratic.

  “How the hell am I supposed to know that’s a Spring Court ability? You and my father have more than made sure that I’ve been left in ignorance. I have no clue what comes from where,” I yell, feeling tears slip from my eyes. Who the hell does he think he is? Taking a deep breath, I count to ten in my head, trying to calm my anger and my racing heart. “Kaiden you must believe me. I don’t know how it happened, it just did.”

  Hearing the emotions in my words he also calms down, and hugs me tight to his chest, kissing me on top of my head.

  “It’s alright, angel. I’m sorry I yelled at you. I know you didn’t do it on purpose. We’ll figure everything out,” he murmurs, rubbing my back. “I think we’re done practicing for the day,” he says, pulling away.

  “No. I need to practice.” I was just getting a handle on my powers, even with the extra surprises. ‘I can’t quit now, I might forget.”

  Nodding, he agrees, and we take our places.

  When I used my new water powers, I noticed how my hands flowed with the moment. Every motion that Kaiden makes is always quick and filled with passion. I’ve realized I’ve been going through this all wrong. I’ve been paying too much attention to feeling my power, and ignoring the release. Being a choreographer, I make up my own moves. Creativity is perfect for dancing, but it’s a flaw that’s hindering me from gaining control over my powers. When Kaiden balls his fists, and springs his hand forward creating a fireball, instead of dodging it, I copy his technique and create a fireball of my own to clash against his. Smiling, he performs a whip of fire, and I do the same, watching his every movement.

  We go on and on like this with Kaiden trading out with Aster and then Aster does the same with Tristan. Just like before, I watch them carefully, and mimic their body movements, enabling me to replicate their powers. I still pay attention to the way my powers feel, but after adding the movements, everything came far too easily. I also learn that all my mates have their own style of fighting. Kaiden is quick, his moves are sharp, filled with a fiery passion. Aster is dark, and more controlled, and he’s detailed to a fault. Too precise to leave anything to chance. Tristan is a mix of both. He likes control, but his moves are filled with just as much passion as Kaiden. It was a nice feeling finally doing something right for once, but even though I’m able to use most of my powers now, I still didn’t have any control over my lightning. There’s no other person besides my father to copy that ability from. Everytime I used it before, it's always been accidental. Moving forward this is going to be a huge problem, especially if I have to prove that I’m the lost heir to House Storm.

  “Why so sad, dove? You're doing great,” Tristan asks when we finally stop for the night.

  “I'm worried about not being able to wield my lightning. You know how important that ability will be for me once we reach Elyeria,” I admit.

  “Let's not think about that now. When you need it, I’m sure it will come. You just need to be patient. Look at all you’ve accomplished. Most people take years to master what you’ve done in a day.”

  His words do cheer me up a little, and I know he’s right. I have accomplished a lot. I need to try to focus on what I can do, and not what I can’t.

  “Tristan, how come I can use your guy’s power, but you can’t use mine?” I question.

  “It’s not from the lack of trying, I can tell you that,” he answers, rubbing his chin.

  “What is that suppose to mean?” I ask curious.

  “It means, princess, that we’ve tried to use them, but couldn’t.”

  "Usually in a bond each person involved can wield each other’s powers, but yours are too complex, and so damn strong. Mixed with our own powers, they’re downright explosive. Frankly, it’s impressive in itself that you can contain them all in such a small body,” he explains.

  “How did I not know that?” I ask, shocked.

  “It’s not something we brag about. It’s a huge shot to our egos, especially Kaiden’s,” he replies, chuckling.

  Laughing, I kiss my viking knight softly on the lips. “Thank you for sharing,” I murmur against their softness.

  “No problem,” he replies, kissing me back.

  I don’t know how long we stay out. Both of us lost in silence, watching the stars above. I barely remember nodding off, and being cradled in his arms while he carries me to my room and tucks me into my bed.

  Since Kaiden came into my life my dreams have stopped. I thought I was free of the memories of the past, and the visions of things to come, but tonight my dreams had a grip on me so tight, I could barely breathe from the intensity. A lullaby hums in my ears as a vision of a past war flashes across my eyes. A war between the Gods. A war that shed so much blood that the God of Creation itself created the veil sealing Zeus and the other Gods within it.

  Two souls enter this world.

  Both born from the blood of Zeus planted in Winter by the phoenix mage

  To undo what was done, and free the Gods from their cage.

  The son grew bitter

  The daughter grew cold

  As a gift she was given six guardians to help her complete her role.

  One from fire, one from death, one from shadows, one from fall, a surprise in the wind, and the last a wish from the Creator’s dying breath.

  One guardian loses his way, and betrays what he loves, leading her to a future paved in blood.

  The evil son is meant to save her, and with The Liberator’s help she is meant to save both worlds.

  Only the fates know the path, or the horrors she will face.

  Truth will force the son’s hand compelling him to change.

  Only love will keep her going a glimmer in a dark place.

  Unite all the species and become an Empress born, thought to be a Queen.

  Long live the Empress, and the traitor son turned King.

  Sadly one cannot live without the other.

 
; The only way to survive is to work together.

  My mind is trapped in visions of carnage, blood, and death, the lullaby repeats itself over and over in my head, taunting me until I scream out in terror. I thrash in bed, fighting to wake myself, but can’t. I can hear my familiars growls faintly in the background, but the lullaby quickly drowns them out, filling my head with the horrible images.

  ”Please help me. Make it stop,” I plead in my head. “Please,” I cry again as a river of tears run down my face. Curling in on myself, the last thing I hear is a growl, and then an explosion of colors ignites in my chest, chasing the images away, and the horrible lullaby stops. A beautiful pair of crystal blue eyes is the last thing I see before darkness takes me.

  Chapter Ten

  Asterial

  “So you think her fourth guardian is from the Spring Court?” I ask Kaiden as he watches the waves gently rock the ship.

  “How else do you explain her ability to control water?” He answers.

  “That’s a reasonable assumption, but there's a great deal more half breeds out there than we know of,” Tristan adds.

  “I don’t think with Winter we should assume anything,” I murmur, thinking about her training today. I was truly impressed by how quickly she’s learning. In one day, she was able to master all their powers, something that took them years to do. I’m proud of her, and relieved at the same time. She needs all they can give to survive Elyeria and Hera.

  I’m about to voice that when an uneasy feeling overtakes me. Looking at the others, I know that they can feel it too. A wave of fear strikes my heart, and I whisper Winter’s name. Turning toward her room, I run at a neck breaking speed to get to her when I almost crash into her in the hall.

  “Winter, love, are you ok?” I ask, grasping her arms, bringing her to a halt. She doesn’t answer. Shaking free of my grip with tremendous strength, she continues to walk down the hall towards the boat deck in a trance. “Winter,” I try again.