A Kingdom of Flame and Fury (The Four Kingdoms Book 1) Read online

  Of course I wanted to see her again, but I also wanted to murder her boyfriend and I had to decide which one was more important. She was giving me a pleading look and I sighed softly. “I’ll find you this afternoon.” I didn’t want to disappoint her. I held out my hand and she grabbed it, threading our fingers together as we began our walk back to the castle. Why did I have to share her? She fit perfectly every time we touched.

  ☽༓☾

  We were quiet for a long time, my envy refusing to settle. She looked nervous, probably doubting that I had forgiven her. I wasn’t upset with her. I was extremely jealous. I didn’t understand the situation between her and Cade. He wanted her, and she was desperate to get back to him. Did she want him, too? The thought made me sick. If Mira knew they were close, what would sending me here accomplish? Unless she was confident I could steal her away.

  I needed to figure out why Mira so desperately wanted her in Reales, but John refused to tell me anything. I needed to find a time to search her memories, see if there was anything there that could indicate what their connection was.

  I cleared my throat. “The Black Forest really does seem to have a certain air around it.”

  She perked up at my remark and looked around while nodding in agreement. “It’s my favorite at night, but it’s beautiful during the day, too.”

  I turned my head to look over my shoulder at her with a wicked grin. “It’s my favorite at night, too.” I was satisfied by the blush that reddened her cheeks.

  She squeezed my hand in response.

  ☽༓☾

  “He looks unhappy,” I grumbled, jerking my chin toward Cade, who was pacing outside of the gate. And here we were, performing the walk of shame from the depths of the forest. I sensed nothing but anger coming from him, and then jealousy as he looked at us, his eyes narrowed on me. She tried to pull her hand from mine, but I didn’t let her, tightening my grip.

  “Ah,” I heard him say as his eyes rolled. What a prick.

  “Cade…” she began to say as we stopped in front of him.

  “She was safe,” I spoke up.

  They both stared at me in surprise.

  “I don’t fucking know you man,” Cade snapped.

  He would get to know me real fucking quick.

  She finally pulled her hand from mine and took a step to Cade. My body went rigid.

  “Can we talk about this inside? There’s… people.” She nodded toward the guards at the gate and villagers walking past.

  He didn’t respond and turned, stalking back off into the castle. She took a half-step to follow him, but stopped and turned to me. She gave me an apologetic grin.

  Don’t do it, Raven. Don't apologize for him.

  “I'm sorry about him. He’s really protective and we have some things going on that’s making him more tense than usual.”

  That wasn’t protectiveness. That was insecurity.

  I didn’t say anything and instead wrapped my arms around her waist, bending to softly press my lips to hers. Her body stiffened and I sensed her fear. Fear of what? Being seen with me? I pulled back just enough to lock eyes with her and ignored her tension, leaning in again. I pushed my tongue through her lips until it collided with hers.

  She sighed softly, her body relaxing into mine as she opened her mouth farther for me to take her, which I did. The world around us quieted again, like everything moved in slow motion. Matching heartbeats again pounded in our connected chests.

  So right. It was all so right.

  She pulled back suddenly, our embrace making her chest rise and fall quickly. I understood her confusion and nodded as if we shared a secret. I pressed my lips to her forehead and straightened, towering over her again.

  “I’ll see you this afternoon,” I promised her, releasing her from my grasp and walking away. I felt her eyes on my back and grinned.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Raven

  ☽✧

  I watched him walk away, my fogged mind clearing, but my body remained warm from the heat of him pressed against me. I missed him, and I just had him. I didn’t even know him. We were supposed to be just friends, but seeing him last night made me break my own resolution. “The fuck is happening to me,” I groaned aloud before turning on my heel to walk into the castle.

  The long walk to Cade’s chambers was performed in hesitancy, even more so as I knocked on his door. I was exhausted. I hadn’t slept in over a day. My energy was drained, and I absolutely did not want to face him yet. I leaned my forehead against the door as my knocking ceased.

  When he finally opened, I stumbled, falling into him. He caught me by the elbow, narrowing his eyes as I met his gaze.

  “Cade,” I tried to begin, but he released me and walked away. I followed, my irritation at him already rebuilding. “You can’t keep walking away from me. I am still your queen, you ass.”

  He scoffed and laughed condescendingly. “You are not acting like my queen.”

  I was taken aback by his remark and crossed my arms over my chest. “Excuse me?”

  “Disappearing into the night was fine when we knew you were safe, Raven, but you don’t have that luxury anymore.”

  “I can do as I damn well please, Cade. It’s my goddamn kingdom.” And I was safe. Zeke kept me safe.

  “For now,” he retorted.

  I glared. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

  “It means that if you don’t stop letting your guard down around strangers, you are going to regret it.”

  “If this is about Zeke…” I held up my hand to stop him from continuing.

  He did anyway. “We know nothing about him. He just shows up from Reales with no fucking warning, no letter from their queen to say he’s coming. There’s not even a record of him having a ship here.”

  I threw my arms up. “He showed me his ship. It’s off a dock in the Black Forest.”

  He remained quiet, waiting for me to continue.

  “I didn't know about it, either, but it’s there next to a spring. He said he took a different route to get here and that’s how he found it.”

  Still nothing.

  “I can take you there if you don’t believe me.” Though I didn’t want to. I didn’t want to take him somewhere I had just fucked someone else. My handprints were probably still embedded in steam on the rocks. I waited for a response, feeling as if I were standing in a room with a stranger. “Cade, please.”

  He looked at me then, desperation clouding his eyes. I swallowed at the look he was giving me. “I still don’t think you should get close to him.”

  “You sound jealous,” I replied quietly.

  He turned his back to me and walked to the window, staring down at our village below. Tears filled my eyes, knowing that this moment was changing something in our friendship that we had spent so many years protecting. He was jealous, and it wasn’t something he had ever shown before. I had felt it for a while, slowly, but the changes were becoming more obvious day by day.

  The older we became, the more the lines seemed to be blurring around our friendship. Our touches were more flirty. We were noticing one another’s bodies. He was staring at me more often. I knew that with him turning thirty-three soon, he was outgrowing the phase of his life where he could just fuck around. It seemed like there was a part of him that needed more from someone. Sometimes I wondered if he wanted that someone to be me with how he looked at me.

  But that couldn’t be true. He had known me since I was a girl. If he wanted something more, he'd had seven years to say something.

  I couldn’t stay here and he didn’t chase me when I walked out without another word. I wasn’t sure if I wanted him to.

  I waited until I was in my bedroom with the door closed, waited until I felt completely alone, and then I screamed.

  Out of frustration, confusion.

  I pulled my dress off and climbed into my sheets, covering my body with the quilt until even my head was covered - until I felt nothing but hot air surrounding me. I would fe
el better after I slept, even if it was just for a little bit.

  Rolling to my side, I reached above my head and grabbed a pillow, bringing it down to cradle between my legs.

  I suddenly craved Zeke.

  He was my last thought before my eyes fluttered shut.

  ☽༓☾

  I dreamed of being in a forest, but it wasn’t my own. This one seemed to have fewer trees, allowing me to clearly see the water on the outskirts of whatever land I was on. This wasn’t my island. I smelled metal, heavy air sticking to my body.

  Crunchy leaves sounded behind me and I whirled, face to face with a beautiful black horse. The brown of his eyes appeared golden and his mane was long, silky.

  It took a step toward me and I stepped back. But then, it kneeled to me. I reached out and brushed my hand over its forehead. It neighed softly in response. “I know you,” I whispered. When my gaze slowly rose to the tree line, I saw him standing there. Watching me.

  Zeke.

  ☽༓☾

  My eyes snapped open and I felt around, scrunching the sheets between my fingers. Whatever I just experienced felt so real. But as I tried to recall it, images broke and scattered.

  Grumbling, I buried my face into the pillow next to me. My lack of sleep over the last two days was giving me a constant headache. I was about to try again when I heard a knock on the door. I threw my blankets off quickly, telling whomever was out there to give me a moment while I grabbed my dress and pulled it on, smoothing it over my body as I walked to the door.

  Pulling it open, I was surprised to see Luisa standing on the other side. It wasn’t often that anyone from my court, besides Cade, visited me directly. “Luisa, come in.”

  I pulled the door open wider and stepped to the side so Luisa could walk through. She gave me a small curtsy and grabbed the door from my grasp, shutting it. “I have news,” she muttered and nodded toward my office.

  My eyes widened at the urgency in her voice and I led her into the office that I never used. Most of my business meetings took place in the dining room over breakfast or in Cade’s office. It was only a little embarrassing that dust was piled on top of my desk. I quickly moved to it and wiped it off with my sleeve.

  “I worry about John’s allegiance,” she said.

  I wiped my dusty sleeve off with my hand. “What have you heard?”

  “Not what I’ve heard, my queen. What I saw.”

  I blew out a breath. “And what did you see?”

  “I left the palace to go into the village this morning to see a friend of mine and pick up some fabrics that she had brought in from Perosan. I saw John standing behind a row of shops and he was talking quietly with someone wearing a hood. I couldn’t tell who it was and they weren’t speaking loudly enough to pick up on anything, but he saw me watching him and they split apart. I didn’t want to follow either one of them alone.”

  “No, of course. I wouldn’t have wanted you to. I appreciate you coming to me with this. Have you told anyone else?”

  “No, m’lady. I came directly to you.”

  I nodded. I would need to tell Cade, decide together what to do about John. I had the sinking suspicion at our meeting yesterday that something was off with him, but I did not want to be right.

  “I’ll leave you alone to prepare for the banquet this evening.”

  “Banquet?” Confusion clouded my face. “What banquet?”

  “The annual Feast Day banquet; the one we host every year for the village after the Festival of Dreams.”

  Right. I felt sheepish for forgetting. The festival had only been three days ago and I had been a bit busy since then. My cheeks burned from embarrassment. “Of course. Excuse my forgetful mind.”

  Luisa extended her hand, wiggling her fingers. I gave her a small smile and placed my own in hers. “I’ve served a king and I’ve served you. I’ve been honored to be part of both.”

  I squeezed her hand in gratitude and told her goodbye, watching her depart as I sunk onto my desk. The tour of my palace with Zeke would have to be delayed another day. I needed to find him and apologize and then rush back to get dressed for the feast. But first, informing Cade about what Luisa shared with me seemed more pressing.

  I drew in a deep breath and braced myself to face Cade again after our awkward conversation hours prior. I didn’t have long to prepare, because as I opened my door to leave, he was standing there. The silence drew out between us for a moment as we stared at each other, neither one of us wanting to say the first word.

  I gave in. “Luisa was just here.” I took a step back and waved him inside, letting the door fall shut behind him.

  He followed me into my sitting room and took a seat in one of my chairs, looking uncomfortable. I felt the same.

  “She had a strange encounter with John today in the village. He was speaking to some hooded figure. Luisa didn’t know who it could be and never saw their face. They saw her and parted. She didn’t want to follow them alone.”

  His forehead creased as he took in the information, his body remaining tense. He stayed silent.

  “Could he be a part of all of this? If he knows of my magic, he could be the one telling people. Our traitor could be right here, under our roof.”

  He exhaled a sigh and raised his hand to rub the crease that formed on his forehead. "We have two choices: we watch him and where he goes, or we release him from his position on the court and run the risk of him sharing our — I mean your — secret.”

  The change of phrase wasn’t lost on me, but I ignored it. “Risk versus reward. Though I don’t see a reward either way.”

  “If he stays or goes, either way we risk him exposing you. I’ll stay close to him tonight, see who he converses with. If I notice anything suspicious, I’ll tell you and we’ll go from there. We can talk about it again tomorrow.”

  I nodded and opened my mouth to say more, but he stood abruptly and bowed his head toward me, going to the door. All I did was watch him go, but before he shut the door, I remembered that he had come to see me. “Cade, wait.”

  He held his hand on the door before it closed, but didn’t reopen it to look at me.

  “Why did you come here?”

  A beat of silence. “It doesn’t matter,” he replied, closing the door.

  I groaned at his response, at our tension. Of course it mattered. I needed to follow him and try to work this out between the two of us, demanding that some normalcy remain. Living day by day like this, never resolving anything, would be hell.

  ☽༓☾

  I left my room, resolving to find him again and wandered out into the courtyard, looking around to see if he was here. I had already checked his room, and he wasn’t there. I was about to go back inside when I felt a different presence approach from behind me.

  Without looking, I knew who it was. Goose bumps pimpled up on my arms, despite the heat flowing through my veins.

  “There you are.”

  Zeke’s voice was like honey in my ears. My head rolled to the side as his arms encased me from behind, pulling me back flush against his chest. I tried to turn my head to look at him, but couldn’t fully turn while pressed to him, so I leaned my cheek against his chest. I lifted my chin up and smiled at him, my hands lifting to rub against his arms around me.

  “Here I am,” I uttered back. I hated how breathy I sounded. Something about him threw me off-guard and I never had time to fully form a thought before he was putting me in another daze.

  “I dreamed of you,” I whispered and immediately regretted it, my cheeks flushing. Fuck, I was going to scare him off.

  His eyebrow cocked, a small grin tugging up on the corner of his mouth. “I want to take you somewhere.” His lips brushed against my ear.

  My heart fluttered at his breath against my skin. “Somewhere where?”

  “Somewhere else I found.”

  “You’re quite the huntsman.”

  A dark laugh. “I’ve already hunted for what I want. And devoured it.”

  My
entire body heated at his words, the memory of his tongue lapping me up springing to the forefront of my mind.

  “Come with me.” The way he phrased it sounded like a question, but it was a demand.

  And I wanted to, so much so that it made me bonkers. I turned in his arms, still tightly within his grasp, and gazed up at him. “I actually came to deliver bad news. I have to delay our tour until tomorrow. I was reminded that we have a banquet tonight for the village.”

  Instead of answering, he leaned down to me again and nipped at my earlobe. “Come with me,” he demanded again, his voice a low growl.

  My body responded to his attention, my nipples hardening against my dress. The same dress I was in when we departed from one another earlier.

  “I still smell me on you.” He tightened his hold on me, my breasts pushing into his chest. He nipped at my earlobe again, taking it in his mouth and sucking.

  “I’ve been busy.” I giggled at his nibble and felt his smile against my skin. “I have to get ready for the banquet. And I need to find Cade.”

  His body stiffened against mine.

  Fuck, I did it again. Tried to leave him for Cade. My next words fell out of my mouth in a rush. “I want you to come to the banquet tonight, though. You can have me after.”

  He pulled back from my ear to look into my eyes. I itched for him. I felt his heartbeat against my chest, slow and steady.

  “I want to have you now.” This man oozed brassy confidence. His mischievous grin returned at the blush of my cheeks. “But, I understand. You have an entire kingdom waiting to see you. I’m envious of all the eyes that will be on you.”

  I was learning that he was quite possessive, and we had only just met. “Then I will make sure to wear something incredibly devastating.” I lifted on the tips of my toes to kiss the corner of his mouth, the tension in his body releasing at my touch. He wanted me as much as I wanted him. “I still smell me on you, too.” My tongue ran over his bottom lip and I felt him harden against my stomach.