Page 45 of A Story of Sinners

First, I would discover why Ryken felt the need to break the bond, and then, I would make him pay.

Chapter19

Malachi

My little light’s mate was not who he claimed to be.

One of my many gifts had always been the ability to glimpse into the past, the present, and the future, an ability that Duana was unaware of. She had always marveled over how I seemed to know everything, how I had always been able to track her down, figure out what she was up to, remain one step ahead.

It was how I always knew where to find her, even now. But as I sat in my darkened room with my eyes closed, burrowing through distant pasts, present moments and future possibilities, there was still one individual who managed to elude my grasp.

The High King of Faerie. There was something off with him, something he was hiding. He wasn’t fae, at least not completely, because if he were, his powers would have never been able to touch me, let alone leave a mark.

I opened my eyes, reaching down to run my fingers along the mark he’d left and shook my head. He was something more than what he appeared to be. I would find out what he was, and then destroy him. The male wouldn’t take what was mine, what was made for me, promised to me when I was young.

In the Otherworld, I’d kept tabs on Duana by using the sight. It’s how I’d known she’d changed her name and been adopted by that man, Redmond. It’s how I had known who she was close to, those she referred to as family and friends.

Glimpsing into her life through the gift of sight had been the only thing to get me through thousands of years of torture and pain. I’d replayed images of her writhing beneath males, images of her stripped down and bare. I’d even seen the cute little moment between her and the virgin boy who called himself king. Though the images sometimes made my blood boil, it was all right, because after everything was said and done, it would be me replacing the faceless males. Me rutting into her. Me taming her heat.

I’d watched every moment of her life, but the so called fae Ryken had never occupied a single glimpse. He was an anomaly, a puzzle piece that didn’t quite fit, and I would find a way to ensure he was removed. Somehow, the male was able to escape the sight,my sight. I needed to know why.

The surprise I’d felt at seeing that bite mark on her neck, of hearing her say she had a mate, nearly made my heart stop. I’d never been surprised before. Never, not once in my life.

I didn’t like it.

I shut my eyes once more and sank down into that pit inside myself, allowing moments to pass through the darkness, revealing the timeline of her life. I slammed against a wall as I tried to peer into whatever night he’d marked her, whatever night he’d originally claimed her, but those nights weren’t there. It was as if certain spots had been swallowed whole, leaving large gaps of darkness where he entered her life. I could see the empty spaces of where he’d been present, but it was as if the moments had been extinguished from reality.

The timeline moved forward at a relentless pace, and I moved to a particular area that Ishouldbe able to glimpse. I’d been a part of it, after all.

Right there—last night—a past moment that should have had a completely different outcome, now a distorted image. Even after the act of him showing up had been solidified, he still wasn’t in the sight. It was a blurry script in my mind, though I’d borne witness myself.

In my glimpses of the future, it had been me and only me. She had given in, and he hadn’t existed.

I clucked my tongue and opened my eyes. No, he was not what he claimed to be at all. His presence, or lack of it, complicated things. My plan would not go how I’d thought it would, not as long as he remained involved, as long as she continued to be mated to him. A new approach would be necessary, one that called for delving into the truth of his origins while I devised a new strategy.

Duana was mine—she was always meant to be mine. We’d been made for each other, after all, just as light and dark had been made to complement one another.

I rose from the bed, dressing myself in dark leather armor.

Tonight, I would be going to war.

* * *

The dining room fell quiet as I entered, and a smirk stretched across my face. After yesterday’s events at the summit, the occupants were terrified of my capabilities, but not nearly enough. My wings stretched out as I entered, their bones cracking. I allowed the smallest slip of shadow to slither around me, sending tendrils in the direction of those who came too close. With a deep breath, I released the noise from my chest—the silent one—the one that made the humans feel terrified and confused, that made them urinate and freeze in their tracks.

The scent of urine hit my nostrils, and I chuckled beneath my breath. It was almost too easy. I would never figure out why Duana found this place so appealing—though it was possible she loved this world because I wasn’t in it.

The thought was a sobering one.

My eyes scanned the crowd as my creatures took their seats at the circular table reserved for my world, but there was no Duana, nor the bastard who mated her.

That little slimy king was here, though, the one who claimed Duana as a mistress. Thankfully, my light had never truly agreed to the role.

He held his head high as he took a seat at the table along the dais, his friend seated beside him. The king was terrified of what I might do, but frustration was winning against the fear.

He’d tried to negotiate today, tried to see what it was that I was truly after, but I refused to acknowledge him until my light returned to the summit. The mortal male had turned blood red in response, a shade nearly as deep as Duana’s hair.

I wouldn’t trade nor barter, make peace or war, unless she was present. It was my only condition, and since I’d refused to negotiate, the summit had ended early for the day.

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