They called him evil, ruthless, cruel, incapable of mercy. Colder than anything in the realm of winter. Dark as the night sky in the realm of eternal darkness. He was unforgiving, forsaken and long past the point of redemption. He was real and he was here. Iyra couldn't believe the tales were true even after accounts of so many saying he was the one attacking cities and killing so many fae. She couldn't believe, didn't believe it. Sticking to the idea it was rebels disguising themselves and spreading rumors. She was forced to believe it when he attacked her home. The heart of the winter realm. Doing away with the King and most of the court and royal fold. Forced to believe and live with the bond that exists between them. Since his takeover, things have somewhat returned to a sense of normalcy within the realm after a long period of chaos. He knows beneath it is another rebellion, one fueling fire to topple him and tensions are rising. The last thing he needs is a stubborn weakness. Iyra holds many secrets, some she wishes she never knew, never had to keep. Some that keep her awake all night, crying and feeling sorry for herself. But emotional turmoil is not all she has to deal with. More secrets and puzzles are coming her way, each one with higher stakes than the last. She not only has to carry secrets but lives, bonds and a crown. Can she do it?
Copyright © 2018 by Uzomah Chelsea. N.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author and publisher.
The moral rights of the author have been asserted.
All names, characters and events are fictional and have no relation with persons living or Dead, any resemblance is purely coincidental.
All offenders are liable by law.
CHAPTER ONE
Today was the day. The day she had once looked forward to for so long. A day that she had looked forward to with hope and promise every year since she had come of age.
A day she wished would completely disappear from history. A day she wished she could forget. Today was Páliükez, a special day when each fae who was of age could find their chosen. There would be a three day celebration afterwards to celebrate the newly found soulmates and their bond.
The excitement of the day began two days before. The happiness, the cheer, the preparation, the hope, laughter and joy. She hated it. Hated it with everything inside her. Hated how some who had not found their chosen were twittering on about it and could not seem to stop. Hated seeing the hope in their eyes, sensing their expectation.
She hated most of all how those who had already found their chosen were more lovey dovey and cozy during this time, more than usual. Holding hands and looking at each other with so much love and complete adoration.
Today, vows would be made and renewed. Promises to care for each other, protect them with everything including their lives, love them for the rest of their lives, cherish them and to do say again in paradise and in their next lives. It was all disgusting.
She would never tell anyone else but herself. She was bitter. Badly so, because she wanted for herself what she saw today and had wanted it for such a long time. Because she couldn't have it because she wouldn't allow herself to. Because who ever was in charge of her fate played a cruel prank on her and decided to keep it that way. Because she refused to get her heart broken like before.
It was nearly midday and fae were already gathering. Elves, fairies, sprites, nymphs, , goblins, gnomes, pixies, dwarves, even weres. Some would've already found their chosen by now. She walked past them, away from the city, the town and into the forest.
Everything, as usual in the winter realm, was covered in white. In snow, ice and frost. The only natural colours in the forest were white, the brown and black of bark, stone and fur, green of the trees and plants covered in frost and the blue of ice.
She preferred to be away from everyfae right now. In a place where it was just her and her thoughts alone. In a place where she could cry, scream and stew in peace before she went back to face more disgusting torture. She was already going through enough.
There were still fae around but scarcely. She could deal with that. She just needed to go deeper. Along the way, she saw a pixie girl, she had short black hair that met her neck in an inward curl.
She was wearing a cool blue sleeveless dress that complimented her skin. She was just standing there, her eyes seemed to be somewhere else. Her wings alight. She knew what that meant. The girl had just felt the connection between herself and her chosen for the first time.
No sooner than the thought crossed her mind did her chosen appear. He was a fairy. The pixie girl turned, her eyes meeting his. He had blond hair that met his shoulders and he was lanky even in his dark green shirt and pants, his own wings alight.
From her vantage point she couldn't tell the colour of their eyes. But she could sense the emotions coming off of them, knew them too. She walked on. She hated it.
A part of her heart was happy for them, they would be happy together and a part of her heart despised it, because they clearly had what she wished to have.
She hadn't gone much deeper when another scene met her eyes. She felt angry, hurt, she felt like crying.
There was a couple in front of her. The one couple that she had been avoiding all week. The one couple she didn't want to see today. She felt the tears well up in her eyes. Shanire and Reyim.
Shanire was in Reyim's lap. They were sharing a kiss. She left. It didn't look like they would be out of it anytime soon.
It was exactly five years today that they found each other. She could remember it clearly.
It was Páliükez again. She had come of age two years ago and she still had not found her chosen. She had dreams about him, never seeing him clearly. Maybe he would come or maybe that was just her.
She liked a particular fairy for as long as she could remember. He had returned from his four year training and she had her hopes high that it would be him. Reyim. They had been good friends, that night she hoped they would be more.
She had dressed up in her best favorite. A pale purple long sleeved dress and left for the ceremony. She went with her parents. They would renew their vows for the two hundreth time.
The ceremony went wonderfully, there was music, dance and food. Even when the ceremony was over she still had hope. Many found their chosen at night, long after the ceremony was over.
She hadn't seen Reyim at all, even asked around. No one knew where he was, so she went to look for him. He never liked such large gatherings, he preferred smaller ones and there were a few places she knew he would go. She had already gone to three of them. 'Oh well' she thought. 'Three more to go.'
She went into the woods, not calling out since there was only one place he would go. She headed there. Ready to give him a lecture about leaving without telling anyone, only to find him with Shanire, a fairy girl who never liked her for some reason and a few years ago she decided the feeling was mutual, both their wings alight. Her hands in his black hair, his hands cupping her face, her dark hair in a mess as they shared their vows and a kiss.
Her heart broke into a million tiny fragments that day and broke a bit more as she remembered. The tears welling up in her eyes finally started falling. She started running. Screaming in her head how it wasn't fair.
It would be another year before she would meet her chosen and he didn't even acknowledge her, even when she was dreaming. Constantly rejecting her. Shattering what was left of her already broken heart, making it bleed more than it ever had. It wasn't fair.
She ran and kept running till she ended up on the other side of the forest. Even at that she kept running. Her white hair billowing behind her, as white as the fast spreading frost she left behind. She wished she could fly, fly till she couldn't breathe and fall to the ground and end it all. Maybe that pain would distract her from this pain.
Her father was a fairy but her mother was an elf. She looked alot like her father, a fairy, but without the wings that graced his or any other fairy's back. She inherited her mother's stature. Her long legs and wide hips. She got the speed and reflexes of an elf and the magick that came with both.
She wished she could keep running, stay away till this damn day and the days after would be over but she couldn't. She only had two hours to herself and then she had to go back. She had work to do. She sighed. Even that like everyday was torture and even more so today.
It had been more than three years since she laid eyes on him, after that she resolved never to fall in love again. She would work her way up and build up her way up to show she needed no man. In family or in buisness. That was the plan until some goddamned unknown forces in the universe decided to bring him back into her life. Rita was a young woman with a good sense of who she was and prided herself on her decision making skills but here's the thing, to make good decisions you have got to have made bad ones sometime in the past. Well he was hers. Samuel was not the type of man to leave his plans high and dry. When he sets his mind on something he gets it done no matter the cost. Turns out that also applies to humans that intrigue him and none moreso than Rita. Rita wants nothing to do with werewolves of his caliber, once will always be enough. If she could wash her hands clean of the supernatural world she would. That's kinda hard to do when they are just as out and about as the rest of the not so super natural world. She just wants to get over the last hurdle in to achieve her goal. He isn't letting that happen until he achieves his goal. Put in a great helping of will to succeed, a dash of rivalry and paranorma normal, a pound of unresolved issues, a healthy sprinkling of revenge and hatred, a spoon of animal attraction and just a tiny–who am I kidding?– a really generous helping of scandalous advances. All in a bowl of strength of resolve. Mix well and put in a luxuriously lavish office. We will see what happens in a year or so. *Wink*
Joelle thought she could change Adrian's heart after three years of marriage, but she realized too late that it already belonged to another woman. "Give me a baby, and I'll set you free." The day Joelle went into labor, Adrian was traveling with his mistress on his private jet. "I don't care whom you love. My debt is paid. From now on, we have nothing to do with each other." Not long after Joelle left, Adrian found himself begging on his knees. "Please come back to me."
Corinne devoted three years of her life to her boyfriend, only for it to all go to waste. He saw her as nothing more than a country bumpkin and left her at the altar to be with his true love. After getting jilted, Corinne reclaimed her identity as the granddaughter of the town’s richest man, inherited a billion-dollar fortune, and ultimately rose to the top. But her success attracted the envy of others, and people constantly tried to bring her down. As she dealt with these troublemakers one by one, Mr. Hopkins, notorious for his ruthlessness, stood by and cheered her on. “Way to go, honey!”
In her previous life, Kimberly endured the betrayal of her husband, the cruel machinations of an evil woman, and the endless tyranny of her in-laws. It culminated in the bankruptcy of her family, and ultimately, her death. After being reborn, she resolved to seek retribution against those who had wronged her, and ensure her family's prosperity. To her shock, the most unattainable man from her past suddenly set his sights on her. "You may have overlooked me before, but I shall capture your heart this time around."
"Is it considered betrayal to develop feelings for your best friend's boyfriend? What about when fate intervenes, and he turns out to be your destined mate? You might think it's luck and thank the moon goddess for such a twist of fate. That's what I believed until the love of my life uttered those dreaded words: 'I want a divorce!' As I stared at the pregnancy test in my hands, I realized it was better to keep my secret to myself. My name is Violet, and this is my story."
Madisyn was stunned to discover that she was not her parents' biological child. Due to the real daughter's scheming, she was kicked out and became a laughingstock. Thought to be born to peasants, Madisyn was shocked to find that her real father was the richest man in the city, and her brothers were renowned figures in their respective fields. They showered her with love, only to learn that Madisyn had a thriving business of her own. "Stop pestering me!" said her ex-boyfriend. "My heart only belongs to Jenna." "How dare you think that my woman has feelings for you?" claimed a mysterious bigwig.
The whispers said that out of bitter jealousy, Hadley shoved Eric's beloved down the stairs, robbing the unborn child of life. To avenge, Eric forced Hadley abroad and completely cut her off. Years later, she reemerged, and they felt like strangers. When they met again, she was the nightclub's star, with men ready to pay fortunes just to glimpse her elusive performance. Unable to contain himself, Eric blocked her path, asking, "Is this truly how you earn a living now? Why not come back to me?" Hadley's lips curved faintly. "If you’re eager to see me, you’d better join the queue, darling."