AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Lifting my hands, with the glass vials gripped tightly, I threw them down at the curse’s kicking feet. Where once they had been the size of my body and wickedly clawed, now they were much smaller, barely more than a lion’s paw.
The glass shattered, smearing the ground and the physical manifestation of my Malignant Shadow with our blood. The moment the liquids made contact it was as if the entire house shook. I was nearly off my feet, but Kai caught me, his grip firm as ever.
For a brief moment, everything was heat, screaming, and light. But then, in a moment I never thought was possible, the curse that’d been tormenting me for my entire life was rapidly compressed smaller and smaller until, finally, it erupted in a wave of sparkling colors.
Then there was silence.
We stood there for a long, long moment, all of us staring at the spot where a monster had stood seconds earlier. It felt like we were all locked in the same moment of disbelief, sure that we had to be wrong, that the curse couldn’t really be gone.
“Is it over?” Darla whispered. “Is it gone?”
I didn’t answer immediately if only because I didn’t think I could. Then all the color began to fade from the circle, and it turned both cold and dead. It had completed its purpose.
“It’s over,” I confirmed, my knees buckling under me. Kai didn’t let me so much as falter, supporting me completely. “It’s finally over.”
Luci let out a loud whoop, which nearly startled me out of my own skin. “Well, I don’t know about you folks, but I think this is worth a celebration!”
Chapter 15
Kai
Part of me was still in disbelief that finally, finally, my mate’s curse was broken. Well…more like sealed away to be slowly devoured by the curse she’d laid upon it, withering bit by bit until there was nothing left but a shadow of its former evil. Ayla had explained that there were bumps and hitches in the road to be expected—little rebellions when the Malignant Shadow tried to give one last Hail Mary against the parasitic force feeding on it—but overall, if everything went right, she was finally free of its influence.
It was mind boggling, that was for sure. A complete change in so many of the circumstances in both of our lives, I was still digesting everything. That was why I was sitting by the hearth, contemplating the fire crackling there rather than dancing around and enjoying the facilities.
I wasn’t quite sure how Luci, Darla, and Aodin managed to whip up a proper shindig within just a few hours, yet it seemed like most of the city of Blath was present either in the tavern, the restaurant across the street, or dancing in the town square. Because the weather was so lovely, doors and windows everywhere were thrown open, making the entire area like one massive party where everyone was invited.
As far as I could tell, everyone was invited. I saw Arbiters, I saw some dressed in counselor robes, some dressed in bathing suits and dripping wet, while others looked like regular citizens who’d stumbled upon the party and decided to stay.
I assumed most thought this was a celebration of subverting the illegal attack that’d happened days earlier at the hands of Camdaria. While I hadn’t had my meeting with the Verdanian council yet, the general sentiment I heard on the street was that many of the fae were not happy with the unprovoked demi-invasion. My father had made a grave misstep, and I wasn’t even sure if he knew how bad it was yet.
Well, he’d find out soon enough. There was already a diplomatic envoy on their way to the palace to deliver terms for the release of our captives. I wasn’t too hopeful about how that would go, but as long as my father hadn’t gone certifiably insane, he wouldn’t harm them in any way, shape, or form. He’d already terribly endangered his tenuous alliance with the Isles. He would do well not to damage it any further.
Because what I was learning, as I spoke to more Arbiters, was that there were many smaller nations that weren’t happy with the current state of Camdaria and the war, but no one stood against my father. We were the last bastion of defense against the forces of Vekas. If the Verdanian Isles decided to end their alliance with my father, it wasn’t completely farfetched to think that other nations would follow suit, and the smaller nations that were willing to follow suit, the stronger my case was for becoming the new ruler of Camdaria.
But as I watched people celebrate all around me, I just didn’t feel like I could join in. I was happy, yes. Actually, happiness wasn’t even enough to describe how I felt about my mate finally being free of the horrible, insidious curse that’d been placed on her since she was just a child. Yet there was something else growing inside of me. A heavier, introspective feeling.
Part of me knew it was because we were one step closer to the throne. With every step I took, the reality of becoming the actual king of Camdaria was that much more tangible.
Which was fine, but the thing was, I wasn’t sure I wanted to be king.
Yes, I wanted to protect my people. Yes, I wanted to lead them into a future not wracked by war. I wanted things to be much more equal between shifters, all other cryptids, and humans, too. There were absolutely tons and tons of things I wanted to do to improve the country—hell even the whole continent—for everyone.
Yet when I thought about sitting on the throne, when I thought about all the meetings, the decreed, the formalities and red tape… well, it just didn’t interest me. When it came down to it, I was no longer the prince I’d been when I’d fled the palace, a young man who knew only of the courts and had a strong sense of justice. I liked to think that in all my years as Captain Kai Reid, I’d become a man of the people. A man of action.
“Your thoughts look heavy.”
I glanced up from the fire I was contemplating to see Luci there. The older woman offered me a cup of something, but I shook my head. I had the feeling that mixing alcohol with my current state wouldn’t exactly provide a pleasant experience. Even if it was particularly difficult for shifters to get drunk, and even harder to remain drunk, I didn’t want to risk it.
“Just anticipating what’s next.”
The woman sat down next to me with a groan, like her bones were creaking as she did. I understood the feeling. Although she had quite a few years on me, I was drained from the spell with Ayla. I’d felt her dip into my energy through our bond, and while I was incredibly proud I’d been able to help her, I was definitely exhausted.
“If I may give you some advice?” the older woman asked, beckoning me back to the party as my mind drifted into introspection.
“Of course.”
“The future can wait until tomorrow. Today, you and your mate have delivered a pretty crushing blow to something that was quite dangerous to the both of you. Why don’t you take a page out of her book and celebrate?”
