Page 26 of A Book of Royals and Deities

King Ziven looks at Story, and something crosses between them. He finally looks at me with a coldness that outright scares me. “Where’s the princess now?”

Story nods, gently encouraging me to go on. “I don’t know what the rest of her plan was, but she left me a while ago. She didn’t come in through the border.”

“How did you get through the border?” Calix asks, his thick arms crossed.

“The queen claimed that anyone from the Twilight Dynasty bloodline could easily walk between the borders of magic, that the books don’t have control over children of the Twilight Dynasty. She said I was clearly from there. So I just came in. She told her daughter all of this to repeat to me on the journey.” I rub my arm. “But I have to tell you something. The king’s been breeding creatures for years. They’re…they’re monsters. Skeleton monsters with wings that he flies on, with teeth and claws.” I go back to my horse and pull out a drawing I did of them. I hand it to Story, and they all look at it.

Story’s mouth parts. “These are real? How many does he have?”

“Thousands,” I breathe out. “And vampyre riders too. He’s bringing the army of them here. Maybe the barrier will stop him, but I’m not sure. I’m here to warn you that an army is coming, and dragons will not be enough to stop them. Maybe they will, I don’t know, but I’ve seen these creatures, and they are horrid, powerful beasts with riders who will kill any fae in their way. Any dragon too. The king and crown prince have the biggest Silkvir.”

Story goes pale at the reminder of her former owner. The one who is still obsessed with her. I go back to the horse to give her a second, and tug the box out. I hate holding it, the awful feelingit gives me. “The queen stole this,” I explain and walk back over. They all stare at the box, like they can sense what’s in there. “I’m not going to open it, but there’s a magical book in it. It’s how the king made those beasts. How he made vampyres, I think. It talks to you, and it is yours to do with as you want. Please, just take it away.”

King Ziven walks up and takes the box from me. Story’s mouth parts before she looks at King Ziven. “We can bring the barrier down now.”

“With those things flying here, we can’t. We need to plan an evacuation of all the fae and ready the dragons,” King Ziven replies. A king, sharing his plans with a woman? I’m not sure what to make of it. He turns to me after placing the box into Story’s hands. She stares at it like I do, like she can feel it. “What do you suggest we do with her? Can she be trusted, Story?”

Story looks right into my eyes. “She knew about my mother and never told a soul. She can.”

My heart leaps with her trust. I would never have told anyone her secrets, even if she was a stranger to me. We blood slaves have a shared understanding that no one else could understand. I turn to King Ziven. “You’re a king, a fae king, and I didn’t know those even existed. If Story Dehana is standing there at your side, then I believe in my soul, that you must be a good person. Because she’s been through what I’ve been through for years. What so many blood slaves have survived, but the royals are a particular brand of cruelty. I don’t know if there’s a way to pledge myself to you, to follow your lead, to fight for you in any way that I can, but I want to.” I wince. “I’m not a great fighter, as I’ve never been allowed to fight, but I’ll try. Either way, I offer my service to you, whatever is left of me, and hope that I can stay here. If I go out there, he’s definitely going to kill me.”

King Ziven looks at Story and she nods once. He lets her go to walk in front of me, and he is even more intimidating up close. “Avaluna, I offer you my thanks for the information you have brought to us.” I nearly shake from head to toe from the full force of this fae man being anywhere near me at all. He is definitely a king. There is something old and yet terrifying about him, even when he is beautiful to look at too. He reaches out, his hand glowing silver like the actual moon. I take his hand. The silver light seems to spread straight into my arm, into my veins, and something burns on my neck. When I touch my neck with my other hand, I feel nothing though. “Welcome to the Moon Dynasty, Avaluna. There is a mark on your neck of the moon. It marks you as one of my people, and you have my protection. I will train you to fight, and I expect you to use the skills we teach you to defend my queen.”

Story sighs. “You really have to stop calling me that when I’m not?—”

“Yet,” King Ziven smoothly cuts her off. She glares at his back, and my lips twitch at them.

“I will protect her with my life.” King Ziven sees the determination in my face and nods once. He drops my hand and returns to Story, who immediately begins arguing with him as he tugs her into his arms. He kisses her instead, and I blush as I turn away.

Calix laughs. “If you just signed up to protect Story, get used to seeing that all day and night. If they’re not arguing, they’re fucking or kissing like teenagers.” I look up at him and blush. “Welcome to the Moon Dynasty, Luna. I’m the second-in-command to the Moon Dynasty and his best friend.” He points his thumb over his shoulder at King Ziven. “You’re one of our people now, and we look after our own. I’d love to train you.”

“Thank you,” I respond, looking into his brown eyes.

We stare at each other for a few seconds too long. He tugs his gaze away first, and for some reason, my stomach drops. “You look like you could do with some rest and food. We don’t have much food because there are shortages with the amount of fae here, but I’ll find you something.”

“Oh, I can live without eating today. I ate last night,” I offer. “I wouldn’t want to take from someone else.”

He frowns at me. “You’re not. But I demand you eat more than once a day, Luna.” He almost sounds like he cares. “I mean, training will tire you, so I want you to have strength.”

Of course, he doesn’t want me passing out. He waves to the open front door to the huge mansion, and we walk together towards it, another fae coming to take my horse. I glance at it and remember. I rush away from Calix to the horse and pull out the book my nephew gave me about the Twilight Dynasty. Story and King Ziven stop as I go to them. “This was given to me by my family. There is a rebellion growing, and they wanted me to get this book out. I can’t read, so I don’t know what it says, but the title I worked out.The Twilight Dynasty.”

I hand it to Story, and she runs her palm over the cover. I smile at her and go back to Calix, who waits for me a few feet away. “You can’t read?”

My cheeks go red. “It’s not because I’m stupid before you suggest it. I was not given the chance to learn. I was the king’s blood slave, and reading was not something he taught me.”

He opens and closes his mouth. “I’m sorry. For the record, I never thought you were stupid. You’re standing here and not dead. A stupid person would be dead.”

We walk in, and there’s a slender woman watching by the door in tight brown clothes that show off her slim body, the opposite to the curvy one I have. She has long bright blonde hair, and she is exquisite in a way I could never be. She looks between Calix and me, but mostly him. I wonder if it’s his girlfriend, and I wonder more why that fact seems to bother me. King Ziven calls. “Calix.”

Story replaces Calix as we wait in the entrance hall with a small dragon stone statue by two doors. Story sighs. “He is sending Calix with the box to the library, and a friend there can keep it safe for now. Until we decide what to do. The other book is with the Sun king and…it’s complicated.” She touches my arm. “Are you okay? This must be overwhelming. I’ll explain everything to you and tell you everything over food.”

“I honestly thought I’d never see you again.” I can’t find the words to explain that I am okay. Yes, I’m extremely overwhelmed, but I’m safe. That feeling of safety overwhelms me more than anything else does.

“Is your sister safe?”

I nod. “Yes, and her husband and her son, too. I wanted to tell you about all of them, but I couldn’t. I hope your mother is safe too…” I have to correct something. “When I told you I loved the king, that was a lie. I need to tell you that.”

She takes my hand. “I know. I knew back then, too. I told myself a hundred lies to survive too. I told myself them so much that I thought they were real. But I know it wasn’t.”

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