I step into my office after another grueling day in court. Those old hags seem to have a knack for making my life more stressful than it needs to be. My gaze falls upon Amelia, curled up in the brown armchair by the window, utterly engrossed in a book resting on her lap. The soft golden rays of the setting sun filter through the glass, bathing her in a warm glow that accentuates the gentle curves of her face. She hasn’t even noticed my arrival, so lost is she in the words before her.
Curiosity piqued, I quietly pad over and peer over her shoulder to glimpse what has her so enraptured. My eyes widen as I read the first few lines. I didn’t know she read such books. So much hard sex, and I can’t believe she’s reading it with a straight face.
“Amelia!” I call out. She startles, the book tumbling from her hands as she whips around, eyes wide like a deer caught in the lamplight. How endearing she looks, flustered and embarrassed, desperately trying to hide the novel behind her back. Too late, because I’d already seen what she was reading. The corner of my lips curved up into a smirk.
“Nickolas,” she swallowed hard, pulling her hair behind her ear. “I didn’t hear you come in.”
“Clearly,” I chuckle, taking a step closer and reveling in her deepening blush. “Who would while reading that much porn?”
“I wasn’t reading porn,” she defends, clutching the book tighter, looking cute. “It’s a love story. They just happen to be… intimate in that scene.”
“Right. Intimate.” I roll my eyes, moving toward my desk. “Call it whatever you want, little one. Doesn’t change the fact that it’s porn.”
“It’s not!” Her pout only makes her look more adorable. I stare at her, drinking in the indignant flush of her skin, the fire in her eyes. In moments like these, I can hardly believe how far we’ve come. Months ago, I wouldn’t have known she was into dark romance, and now I’m teasing her about the BDSM scene she’s reading.
“Amelia.” Her name escapes me on a sigh. “Come here.”
I extend my hand, and she takes it, allowing me to tug her onto my lap. Cupping her face, I lose myself in the endless blue of her eyes.
“Have I ever told you that you are, without a doubt, the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on?” I brush my thumb over the silken skin of her cheek.
“No,” she whispers, color rising under my touch. “You haven’t.”
“Then let me repeat myself.” I tilt her chin up, holding her gaze. “You, Amelia, are the most breathtakingly beautiful woman in existence. And I sure as hell don’t deserve you.”
“Nickolas…” Tears swim in her eyes and spill over, tracing shimmering paths down her cheeks.
Alarmed, I swipe at them with my thumbs. “Why are you crying, little one?”
“No reason.” She sniffles and buries her face against my neck. I wrap my arms around her, savoring her warmth, her scent. My heart swells with a contentment I never dreamed I’d feel.
“I have something to show you,” I murmur, kissing her hair before gently setting her on her feet. Hand in hand, we meander through the gardens toward the stables. Amelia tips her face to the sky, basking in the golden late afternoon light. She’s radiant, glowing with a joy so pure it steals my breath. I stop walking just to drink her in.
As if sensing my stillness, she turns to me with a smile that outshines the sun. “Isn’t it a beautiful day?”
“I suppose.” I barely spare the weather a glance, too captivated by the woman before me. She reaches for my hand again, and I gladly lace my fingers with hers. But something’s wrong – I can’t feel her skin against mine. Frowning, I glance down to see her hand turning transparent in my grasp.
“Amelia?” I blink hard, and in that fraction of a second, she vanishes. “Amelia!”
Panic rising in my throat, I spin in a circle, scanning the gardens. But she’s nowhere to be seen. I tear through the castle, shouting her name, my heart threatening to beat out of my chest. At last, I burst into our room- and there she is, facing away from me.
“There you are!” I reach out to grab her shoulder. “How did you get up here so -”
The words die on my tongue as she turns to face me. Blood. It’s everywhere, soaking her gown, dripping from the vicious slash across her throat. Her once vibrant blue eyes are dull, accusing, as tears of crimson streak down her ashen face.
“I trusted you, Nickolas.” Her voice is a ragged whisper. “And you betrayed me.”
“No!” I stumble back, hands raised. “Amelia, I swear, I didn’t – “I tell her, wishing she would believe me.
“Betrayed me!” she shrieks, lurching toward me, bloodstained fingers curled into claws. The word echoes off the stone walls, reverberating inside my skull. I squeeze my eyes shut, bracing for her vengeance. I deserve it. I deserve so much worse.
But the blow never comes. Instead, another voice intrudes. Distant, muffled, but familiar. “Nickolas! Wake up, boy!”
Uncle Leo. Why does he sound so far away? And what does he mean, wake up? I am awake. I –
“Nickolas!”
With a strangled gasp, I bolt upright.
” Uncle Leo,” I say in disbelief as his face swims into focus inside my cell, the heavy iron door swinging open behind him. He must have broken it open while I slept.
“Come, we must hurry,” he urges, his calloused hand gripping mine like a vice as he pulls me out into the dank, oppressive hallway.
We race down the corridor until he skids to a halt before another cell. “Lord Easterlin,” I growl, my heart pounding with hatred for the man who took Amelia from me. But Leo shakes his head grimly.
“Unfortunately, still alive. Now isn’t the time to kill him,” Uncle Leo grunts, glancing at the angry red needle mark on my arm as he fumbles with a key.
I open my mouth to argue when the coppery stench of blood mixed with a hauntingly familiar scent assaults my senses. Even weakened by oak tree venom, I’d know that scent anywhere. “Aunt Ava!” I cry, pressing against the bars, straining to see into the inky darkness.
“Nick…” Her normally vibrant voice is little more than a thready whisper. Uncle Leo wrenches the door open and rushes inside, me on his heels. I freeze, my heart seizing at the sight of Aunt Ava – the fiercest witch I know – broken and bloody, clinging to her mate with rapidly waning strength.
“I’m here, my love. Everything will be alright,” Uncle Leo soothes, gathering her into his arms and pressing a tender kiss to her ashen brow. Searing pain lances through my chest as I’m hit with the brutal realization that I’ll never hold Amelia like that again. Never shower her with the love she deserved. I stare at my trembling hands, anguish and rage warring inside me as I picture the monster responsible for stealing my heart. I need to find that asshole and tear him apart with my bare hands.
“Nickolas!” Uncle Leo’s sharp voice yanks me back to the present. “Now isn’t the time. I promise he will pay.”
I want to object, to demand we hunt Easterlin down immediately. But one look at Ava’s limp form cradled against his chest, and the objection dies on my tongue. I have already lost my heart’s treasure. I cannot delay getting my aunt to a healer out of blind vengeance, no matter how much it burns in my veins.
“Let’s go,” I mutter, following Uncle Leo out of the cell.
“To Eric now.” Uncle Leo’s words stop me cold.
“What the fuck happened while I was out?” I demand, brow furrowed in confusion.
“I’d love to explain, but now isn’t the time.” He forges ahead, stopping five cells down and fitting a key into the lock with shaking hands. Inside, Eric is huddled against the wall, broken and bloodied like Ava.
“My king,” he croaks, a ghost of a smile on his split lips as I haul him upright, draping his arm across my shoulders.
“I’ll make them pay for this, my friend,” I vow, my voice cracking under the weight of my fury and sorrow.
“I know you will.” His hand flutters weakly against my chest. I swallow hard against the lump in my throat. I hate seeing him reduced to this, but revenge will have to wait.
“Hurry, Nickolas! They’re coming!” Uncle Leo shouts. The thunder of approaching footsteps fills the hall. I hoist Eric onto my back and bolt for the exit.
“Which way?” I pant as we burst out of the cell block.
“Follow me.” Uncle Leo takes off down the opposite corridor; Ava clutched tightly to his chest. “Get down!” he bellows. I drop to a crouch just as an arrow hisses past, oak tree venom glistening on its wicked tip. He must have heard the twang of the bowstring as the arrow was released.
We race through the twisting labyrinth of tunnels until we finally break free, emerging into a dense forest bathed in cold moonlight. That’s not good. It’s just going to make it easier for them to catch us. I lower Eric to the ground, gulping lungful of crisp night air. Fuck, is this what it’s like to be human? So fragile, so weak?
“We need to keep moving, Nick,” Uncle Leo pants, shifting Ava in his arms.
I nod, hoisting Eric onto my back once more, ignoring the scream of my muscles. We plunge into the trees, brambles tearing at our skin as we flee our pursuers. The damp earth muffles our pounding footsteps, but I can feel the vibrations of our enemies drawing ever closer.
My body is on fire, every nerve shrieking as the oak venom sears through my veins. But I don’t dare slow down. I can’t lose Eric, too. Not like I lost her…
“Duck!” Uncle Leo roars. I drop into a crouch just as an arrow hisses past my ear, close enough to ruffle my hair. I don’t look back; I can’t. I just run.