Page 1 of Tortured Royals

Chapter

One

~ Princess Blake ~

Acircle of red fire burns in the distance, the crimson flames barely visible amidst the plumes of smoke curling up from the piles of rubble. The portal is exactly where the demon soldier, Sebastian, instructed, the gateway nestled between the remnants of two Perstalian buildings that are still smouldering. Or at least, they used to be buildings. Now, they’re nothing more than large piles of blackened stone. Flakes of ash rain down around us, collecting on my eyelashes, and I swipe my hand across my eyes.

“Collect the other soldiers,” I order Sebastian. “And follow us to Toralyn.” I figure Dad left the demon guards here for me, so I may as well make use of them.

The demon soldier slams his fist to his chest and rigidly bows before hurrying off. I don’t pause to see where he’s headed. I simply stride straight for the gateway, not waiting for my mates.

“You sure this is a good idea, gorgeous?” Nate, my shifter mate, asks from close behind me.

I ignore him, not missing a step.

“Blake,”Shade says, and my crow friend’s voice is uncertain as she shifts uncomfortably on my shoulder, hopping from one foot to the other.“Let’s hold on a sec. We don’t know what’s waiting for us in the angel realm.”

I still don’t stop.“Dad left the portal open for me. He’s expecting me to join him.”I’m sure Shade realizes the demon king isn’t the only reason I’m going. When Sebastian told us the witches were attacking Toralyn, the look of panic and fury on Prince Callan’s face was enough to spur me into action, desperate to grab my blades and get to work.

The archangel catches up to me in a few strides, and he walks directly beside me, his expression hard. If I hesitate, I know he’ll go without me. If I hesitate, I could lose my mate. If I hesitate, the witches might conquer the angels and take the demon king down. And the demon realm could be next.

It’s not until I’m close to the gateway that there’s a split second when I doubt my decision. I’ve never been to Toralyn. My angel mother abandoned me soon after birth, and I hadn’t wanted anything to do with her kind. I’d purposely let myself ignore everything about the realm of the angels aside from the basics I was forced to learn during my schooling. A foolish mistake that won’t serve me well now. Not that the angels ever reached out to connect with me.

Forcing myself to ignore the twisting, churning sensation in my stomach, I draw my daggers and step into the portal.

Magic sizzles against my skin, the colors around me a blur of black and red, and then Shade and I are through. I lift my blades, preparing for an attack, but I’m surprised to find there’s no one on the other side. Blackened trees surround me in all directions, their scorched branches, thin and shriveled, and an unsettling silence hangs heavy around us. I suck in a sharp breath as abreeze whistles through the forest, and a chill crawls down my spine.

“Uh, Blake, this isn’t exactly how I imagined the realm of the angels,”Blake says in my head.“I thought everything would be gold and shiny, and not…”

“Dead?”I finish for her.

“Exactly.”

My brows knit together as I peer at the delicate blades of grass which are the color of ash beneath my boots. They crumble to dust as I walk forward, moving between the thin, blackened trees.

Prince Callan emerges from the portal behind me, and he lets out a harsh breath as he takes in the scene around us. “No.” The word is a cracked whisper as it leaves his lips, and my heart aches for my mate.

Walking over, he stops before a tree branch and reaches up. As his fingers brush against a blackened leaf, the leaf turns to ash and the fine grains are blown away by the wind.

“This is Eresten, the golden forest,” he mutters, his expression stone-cold as his gaze sweeps the desolate landscape.

The rest of my mates emerge from the portal, and Nate curses as they step away from the gateway. They all have their weapons out in an instant, and their sharp gazes assess the area.

When it’s clear there’s no immediate danger, Dante sheaths his sword. My demon mate walks over, and he runs his hand along a tree trunk. Pulling his hand back, he stares at the black dust on his palm. “What happened here?”

Mason clenches his jaw as his expression darkens. “This looks like the work of witches. It seems Perstalia isn’t the only place to suffer.”

Nate curses again. “So, we’re too late?”

Mason moves to my side, and I can tell my winged centaur mate wants to grab me and pull me closer, but he doesn’t.Everything feels wrong as we stand there in that section of dead wood.

Prince Callan stalks ahead, weaving through the trees to the edge of a nearby cliff. Rays of sunlight make his golden wings glitter as he stands there overlooking the land below, his body rigid.

“We saw what the witches did in Perstalia,” Alaric growls, and my attention goes to my assassin mate. “If this continues, soon all the realms will be suffering.”

This time, Mason sheathes his blade and reaches for me, his hand winding around my waist. His fingers send warmth into me, but I can’t relax, no matter how good his touch feels.

Sorry,” I say to my centaur, a twinge of guilt going through me when I think of all he’s been through. “It looks like I’ve dragged you into another war.”

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