Midnight Kingdom (Shadow Guardians #5)

CHAPTER ONE

DRAGAN

The Castle in the Sky

Instantly the smell of old books hits me in the face when I step inside the old and forgotten library.

Cambion slips through the door to the dilapidated hovel which was once a three-story, beautiful library. I remember this library—it was the location of the most important books—those that categorized the history of all things. Once upon a time, to enter this library was a privilege and there were those who would have put their lives on the line to protect the tomes herein.

Actually, they did put their lives on the line and in turn, they lost them…

Over time and due to neglect, the walls have eroded and the shelves are all busted or missing. Books litter the floor and piles of them take up the corners—all left here to rot. The second floor above our heads is intact in two places, and the stained glass panels high above us are broken and jagged.

Cambion scouts ahead, searching for any possible threats. He emerges from behind a broken wall a moment later, giving his nod of approval. “So long as we stay away from the parts of the floor where time has rotted the wood, it looks safe.”

“I wonder what Pyre wants us to find?” Eilish asks as she trails a slender finger along the spines of five books that still hold their place on the shelf before her. She moves on from them, being careful where she steps. Flumph plucks a large tome about Fae creatures from a pile and sits down beside me uninvited. His legs swing as he flips through the pages.

“Why ain’t you in here?” Flumph asks.

“In where?”

“In my butt,” he responds and then rolls his eyes. “In this fuckin’ book!”

I shrug. “Gargoyles aren’t Fae.”

“What is they, then? Butt ugly, pig-faced flyin’ monkeys?” the little reptile asks. “‘Cause that how they looks to me. All grumpy-like with they little black eyes and snarly lips.”

“If you know what’s good for you, you’ll vacate your spot,” I growl at the annoying thing. It flits away, joining Cambion in the back room.

It hits me then that not much is known about my kind. We exist like all the rest, but most of our lore was lost or distorted through the ages. Some thought of us as guardian angels while others believed we were made to serve the Fae kings. No one knows for certain how or where the gargoyle originated.

In some ways, I’m as much an enigma as Eilish and Revenant. The only one of our ragtag group of misfits that actually belongs anywhere is Cambion. He retains his name, his royal crest, his lineage, his home, his owl, and his faeries to look after, and a place in the Fae realm once all of this is over. If we stand victorious against Variant, I don’t know where I will come home to. The Shadow Realm, of course, but not the Gorge. The Gorge only represents a prison to me and one I have no interest to return to.

And where would Eilish return? I think to myself. At least I have the Gorge. She has nothing.

“Hey, Stone King,” the sprite continues as it appears from behind a somewhat intact bookshelf. “Fairy-boy want to show you somethin’,” he says and then motions me into the back room.

“Shut up, pest.” I turn and try to tune out the nagging little voice.

“Dragan!” Cambion calls, further shattering my mood.

“Son of a,” I start as I run my hand through my hair and try not to trip over the books on my way to the back room. “What?” I thunder at him.

“Come take a look at this,” he says as he holds up a leather bound edition and I lean forward to read the title.

“ The Conquests of King Variant ?” I repeat.

“It’s a historical account, if that’s what you want to call it,” Cambion begins as he flips through the pages with a mixture of angry hostility and curiosity. “About the Great War and written by someone with inside knowledge of what happened. Inside as in… the author was clearly hired by Variant to write a historical account according to Variant’s perspective.”

“Not according to the truth,” I continue.

I notice Eilish as she comes up behind me, intently listening. I can still smell her need on the air and it’s becoming more and more difficult to ignore. But, ignore it I must. I don’t know how Cambion does it—but somehow he seems to have built up a resistance to her. It’s as though he can’t even smell the scent of her desire in the air. I’ll say one thing for him—he’s fucking lucky. I haven’t enjoyed walking around with a fucking hard cock for the last few days.

Cambion nods. “Apparently, Variant has been trying to convince people that he killed Baron in self-defense and that you,” he stops to look at me, “And I, walked away from our oaths and that’s what hurled the realms into chaos.” He shakes his head against the injustice of the whole thing. “The book says that we lead a revolt and attempted to slander Variant’s name.” He looks down at the bound lies and continues shaking his head as he leafs through the pages. “Everything I’ve read in this piece of shit tries to justify Variant’s tyranny.”

“There will be those who know better,” I argue. “Those who remember what really happened.”

“Yes, but what voice do they have, if they’re even still alive?” Cambion asks as he looks up from the book and frowns. “Of course there are people who have seen Variant’s wrath and maliciousness for themselves, but…”

“A lot of people could have read this book,” I finish for him. “Could have been forced to read this book,” I correct myself. Cambion nods as I continue. “There will always be those who believe Variant’s lies and support him.”

“He’s completely rewritten history, Dragan,” Cambion says in awe. “Not even I would have imagined he’d do that.”

“I’m not that surprised,” I respond with a shrug.

“It’s no surprise that Raflamir told the soldiers where to find us,” Cambion continues, mostly to himself at this point. “If they’ve all been fed this bullshit and they believe it…” He looks up at me and shakes his head. “He’s completely turned the tables on us, Dragan. He painted us to be the criminals here, not him.”

“The only option we have is finishing this quest and trying to repair the damage Variant has done,” I offer.

Eilish nods. “Even if this book didn’t exist, there would still be people who prefer the realms the way they are now. Anona and her ilk aren’t the only ones who profited from the collapse.”

“At least she’s dead,” Cambion says.

I glance up at him, surprised. “Anona’s dead?”

Cambion looks up from the book at me and then immediately at Eilish, as though he’s said something he shouldn’t have. He clears his throat as he looks at me again. “Yes, Anona’s dead.”

“And how do you know that?” I demand.

Eilish answers for him. “I told him.”

I face her. “And how did you know that Anona was dead?”

She refuses to look at me and I can see the rise and fall of her chest increasing. She’s nervous but I’m not sure why. “I saw a vision of it,” she answers.

There’s something about the way she answers or maybe it’s the interaction between the two of them, but I’m left doubting what she tells me. Of course, I wonder why either one of them would lie about Anona’s death. “Well, this is a very good thing then,” I say.

Cambion nods. “Yes, very good.”

Flumph floats over our heads, having a hell of a time remaining airborne when the book he carries appears larger than he is. “The lexicon say that humans were extinct durin’ the Singularity. Maybe that Singularity be happenin’ all overs again? With the way Variant be rulin’, who’s to say elves ain’t next on the choppin’ block or gargoyles?” Then he looks at Eilish. “He already got all the angels.” Then he pauses for a moment before correcting himself. “Almost alls the angels.”

“You are the last winged angel and the last of the Succubae,” Revenant says to Eilish as he appears directly behind her. I feel my hands begin to fist at my sides, though I can’t say why. “That alone means two species will fade from the realms if anything happens to you,” he continues.

“Nothing’s going to happen to her,” I grind out.

Revenant looks at me and I return his stare. The two of us are going to have it out. I don’t know when or where but it’s going to happen. And I can’t wait for that moment.

“Nothing’s going to happen to her,” he repeats.

Cambion begins ripping the pages out of Variant’s history book one at a time with a taunting smile on his face. “There have been kings like Variant in the past. And they all fell to their knees eventually.”

“And when he’s down, I’ll take his head,” Revenant adds.

“Variant will get what’s coming to him one way or another,” I start. “But the only way that’s going to happen is if we build our own army. That needs to be our first goal, our first focus.”

“Is I the only one worryin’ ‘bout the fuckin’ Unseelie King?!” Flumph announces, throwing his hands on his hips. “We gotta big problem with him too, in case you fergots! Aima an’ Kolvar still be prisoners in the Unseelie Kingdom!”

“Trust me,” Cambion says as he glances up from destroying the book. “I haven’t forgotten about my brother. But one step at a time.”

“Do you think that’s the tome Pyre wanted us to find?” Eilish asks as she motions to the history book in Cambion’s hands.

I nod. “Most probably.”

“I would agree,” Cambion adds. “Pyre wanted us to see what we’re up against—how far and wide Variant’s lies have spread and to what length he’ll go to see that they do.”

“And it was a good lesson,” I finish.

***

CAMBION

The Castle in the Sky

I don’t move from the dark room at the back of the library. Instead, I find a rickety old chair and I make it my own. The wood creaks beneath my weight as I rest my weary bones. My eyes close of their own accord, meditation taking me instantly. I haven’t had the luxury of resting while the others slept in their beds while we were safely in the Veil.

Whether owing to the guilt or paranoia, I have yet to truly relax since Raflamir’s betrayal. I wince, the memory still fresh in my mind as I drift off into the place where I am free.

At first there’s nothing but darkness, but then a faint light begins to flicker in the distance. I walk toward that light until it brightens, engulfing me in its radiance. When the light dims, I stand in the center of a beautiful, flourishing garden with the scent of sweet flora hovering in the air.

Here, in the trenches of my mind, I find Eilish. Not a lecherous she-demon, but a brilliant angel with her wings spread wide and her pale hair blowing in the wind. She is nude and her nudity entrances me. I want her.

She smiles my way and I find myself helpless, falling to my knees.

“Do not kneel before me,” she whispers.

My forehead rests on the flat planes of her abdomen, and I soak up her warmth. I press soft kisses on her skin and bask in the whimpers that escape her. Elegant fingers trail through my hair, curling in the silken strands as I worship at the altar of her body. I stand then to tower over her as I stare into endless depths of her blue eyes. She lifts her hands and grips my shoulders. My hands drift down to her lush rear. I lift her up, eliciting a tantalizing moan from her as she wraps her legs around my waist.

Only here can I allow myself to feel our bond. Only here can I lose myself in the desire I have for her. Only here is it safe to do so.

“What do you want?” I ask. “Request anything of me and it’s yours.”

“You... I want you, Cambion.”

I almost believe her. She licks her lips and writhes in my hold, grinding against me until I feel the wetness of her arousal against the muscle of my bronzed stomach. I feast upon her with my eyes. Eilish moans unabashedly.

“Yes,” she whispers and then shivers. I feel an electric shock echo through me.

I press Eilish’s back against a tree, and the more I study the tree, the more I realize it’s an apple tree. And I suddenly understand the metaphor—Eilish is my forbidden fruit, a symbol of the destruction that will fall on me, should I give in to her witchery.

But, I know I will give in. There’s only so long I can go denying this need, this hunger.

My mouth latches onto the pink bud of her nipple, causing her to arch back with abandon. Her hand slips between us, wrapping around my length. I groan deeply and thrust into her grip. She positions the crown of my erection at her opening and pushes her hips down, sinking onto the velvet steel of my masculinity.

The sharp pleasure of penetrating her heat rolls through me and I wonder... is this what Dragan and Baron feel when they take her? Or is this intensity of feeling something that only she and I together know? Regardless, this sweet, torturous agony is something I wish to never escape.

And yet I know our time in the garden is fleeting.

Eilish rolls her hips as I match her rhythm, pulling the climax from her body, forcing her to submit to the pleasure that only I can give her. Her channel quivers as though it thanks me. I don’t stop when her muscles go slack from exertion. No, I lower her to the plush grass and drive my hips with so much force, that her teeth click with each thrust. Nails scrape down my back, causing heat to flare in the most exquisite way. I lick my hand and slide it along her folds, pressing against her clit as I push deeper and deeper into her body. Tears bead at the corners of her eyes, but still I don’t stop.

***

EILISH

I stare through the cracks in the floorboards, wondering if it’s simply dirt that exists beneath them? My mind returns to thoughts of the Midnight Queen and I can’t help the excitement that travels through me. I have a feeling that once we emancipate Morrigan, she’ll be able to give me all the answers I’ve been searching for. Answers to topics like my missing memories—where I came from, what my purpose is, how I still have my wings even though I also bear the marks of their removal?

Dragan walks over to me and leans against the wall, watching me. “I want to know what happened with Variant when we were prisoners in his castle.”

I immediately feel my stomach drop. “What happened isn’t your concern,” I say much harsher than I intend, but this isn’t a subject I want to revisit. I have a feeling if Dragan knew the specifics regarding exactly what I’d been doing (forced or not) while Variant fucked and then killed Anona, he’d be less understanding than Cambion was.

“But it’s Cambion’s concern?”

Damn Cambion! He must have told Dragan! Even though he swore up and down that it wasn’t his secret to tell!

“Cambion told you what I told him…”

“Cambion didn’t tell me anything,” he nearly interrupts.

“Then why did you mention his name?”

He shrugs. “Because it was clear you both were talking about something on our trek through the forest and the snippets I did pick up included Variant’s name.” He clears his throat. “That, and you told him Anona was dead. I suppose you told Revenant too?”

“No,” I say, shaking my head.

“What happened, Eilish?”

“Nothing that I want to discuss with you.”

“Yet, you chose to discuss it with Cambion—someone who, of the three of us, is the least friendly to you?”

“He forced the issue.”

“Then should I force the issue?” he asks and glares at me as he takes a step forward but I stay him with my outstretched hand.

“No.”

Dragan doesn’t say anything right away but just stands there, his breathing heavy and his glare even heavier. “Eilish, did Variant hurt you? Did he… force himself inside you?”

His soft tone surprises me and when I answer, there’s no anger in mine. “No.”

“Are you lying to me?”

“No.”

“But there is something,” he says as he studies me.

“I don’t know what you mean.”

He takes another step closer to me and reaches out, taking my hand and then pushes my arm down. He doesn’t drop my hand. “You and Cambion were involved in a long conversation. In it, you admitted something to him.”

“Whatever it was, it was between Cambion and me and you need to respect that.”

He nods but then takes a deep breath and holds it inside for a few seconds before releasing it again. He looks down at my hand which he still holds in his own. His skin is warm and I love the feel of him. “Look, I know I haven’t been fair to you. I know I’ve been hot and cold and I know I haven’t explained myself. I’m… I don’t… I know…”

“You don’t owe me an explanation,” I start.

“Just listen, will you?” he barks and then shakes his head as he glances down at the ground. “I don’t know what’s about to happen. When we get into that castle, who knows if we’ll be successful in finding Morrigan and freeing her. Who knows if we’ll get killed…”

“Weren’t you trying to make me focus on the positive a few days ago?” I ask with a small smile that’s meant to be encouraging.

“The point is,” he starts as he lifts his gaze and spears me with it. “Eilish, I’m sorry.”

I can’t help my surprise. “You’re sorry for what?”

“I’m sorry for everything,” he answers quickly and then grows quiet as he apparently searches for something more to say. He drops his eyes to the ground before facing me again. “I’m sorry for the way I’ve treated you, I’m sorry for pushing you to Revenant, I’m sorry for failing to protect you and I’m sorry for whatever the fuck happened when you were with Variant.”

I breathe in deeply as I listen to him and then I nod. “I accept your apology.” Then I clear my throat. “But, I’m not sure where it leaves us.”

“Where it leaves us?”

I shrug as I look at our entwined hands. “It’s not like you magically trust me now, is it? And it’s not like you can ignore the Succubus side of me and it’s not like you believe I’m not going to drain you of your life force every time you get near me, right?”

“I… I don’t know,” he answers.

I exhale very slowly to ease the tension building in my body. “Variant used a compulsion spell on me when I went to his chamber. He forced me to touch myself while he… while he… fucked Anona,” I admit and watch as Dragan’s eyes go wide. “It was disgusting and repulsive,” I continue.

“I’m sorry,” he begins but I shake my head to silence him.

“There’s more.”

“Go on.”

“While Variant was fucking Anona, he reached underneath a pillow and pulled out a knife which he used to slit her throat.”

Dragan’s eyes go wide and he reaches out with his other hand, wrapping it around my upper arm. “And you watched the whole thing?”

“Yes,” I answer with a brief nod. “I was forced to watch the whole thing.” I take a deep breath and look at him again. “There’s more.”

“Okay,” he starts and begins rubbing my arm up and down. “Tell me when you’re ready.”

“I was forced to watch him kill her and I was helpless to do anything about it,” I start as my courage falters and I wonder if I can tell him the rest of what happened. “And, all the while, I was forced to… pleasure myself.”

“Pleasure yourself?” he repeats, shaking his head to show me he isn’t following.

“I had to sit there and watch him fuck her and kill her and he forced me to finger… myself.”

He nods as understanding dawns on him and I can see the anger in his eyes. He drops his hands and as I glance down at them, they turn into fists. “I’m sorry, Eilish. I’m sorry Variant subjected you to… that.”

“I am too,” I answer and then breathe out my discomfort. “Anyway, that’s what I told Cambion during the conversation we both shared.” I clear my throat. “It’s how he knew Anona was dead.”

“I’m surprised you told him,” he responds and appears confused by the fact.

“It wasn’t as though I just volunteered it,” I explain. “Cambion witnessed a vision of what happened and he demanded to know the truth, and you know how insistent Cambion can be.”

“Yes.”

I nod. “Evenutally, I told him.”

“Does Revenant know?”

“No,” I say and shake my head.

“Are you going to tell him?”

“Maybe eventually,” I answer as I take another deep breath because there’s something more on my chest. “And there’s something else.”

“What?”

“When I was with Variant,” I start as I breathe in deeply. “It was that same evening,” I continue and find my attention shifting to the floor. I can’t look Dragan in the eyes as I remember the specifics. “After he killed Anona, he walked over to me and I thought… I thought he was going to rape me.”

“Did he?”

“No,” I say and shake my head as I look up and into Dragan’s concerned gray eyes. “But, I thought he was going to and something happened when he touched me. It was like this huge blast of light and energy exploded out of me and it burst into him, sending him across the room.”

“Jesus,” Dragan says.

I nod. “And maybe it was due to that light burst or maybe he already knew,” I start as I exhale and then look up into his eyes. “But Variant knows I’m an intact angel. He knows I have my wings.”

“He told you he knew?” Dragan asks.

I nod. “He told me he knew.”

“Fuck,” Dragan says as he runs his hands through his hair and appears distressed. “Does Cambion know?”

“No.”

“Revenant?”

“No.”

“Pyre?”

“Doesn’t Pyre naturally know everything?” I ask with feigned humor.

“I don’t know.”

“I didn’t tell Pyre if that’s what you’re asking me.”

“Then I’m the only one you’ve told?”

“Yes.”

He faces me and his eyebrows crease in frustration. “Why did you wait so long to tell me?”

“I didn’t feel the time was right.”

“And why am I the only one you’ve told?”

I shake my head. “It just felt right to tell you… now. I didn’t want to tell the others because I didn’t want to bring them down. It’s so important to free the Midnight Queen that I didn’t want anything to get in the way of that. And I thought maybe this news was big enough that it might bring everyone down and we can’t afford to be down. We have to focus on the positive.”

Dragan reaches out and wraps his arms around me, in a move that surprises me. When he pulls me against his chest, I lean into his touch instinctively, grateful he gives me this moment of peace in his arms while the others are out of sight.

“I hate it that you’re going back to the castle with us,” he whispers into my ear. “After what Variant forced you to watch and this obvious… interest he’s developed in you. And now he knows you’re an intact angel…” He pulls me away from him and glances down at me. “Does he also know you’re Succubus?”

“No, I don’t think so.”

He nods and takes a deep breath. “You should have stayed with Pyre.”

“No,” I say, shaking my head staunchly. “This is as much my fight as it is yours now. It belongs to all of us.”

He exhales in such a way that I’m fairly sure I haven’t changed his mind.

I bury my face in his chest and breathe him in. “Now you know,” I say.

“Now I know,” he answers as he runs his hands through my hair and the two of us grow quiet. The smell of old books and rotted wood fills my nose and it’s a smell that seems strangely comforting though the feeling makes little sense. Or maybe it’s just the fact that Dragan and I have been allowed this moment together—a moment between the two of us and one where it seems as though we’ve repaired whatever tension existed between us. Maybe that’s naive to think but somehow I feel as though things are different between us now. It’s like we have a common understanding that we were lacking before.

“Were you and the others friends before all of this happened? When you were kings?” I feel Dragan shake his head and feel slightly disappointed. “What were you then?”

“We were allies, Eilish, and we became as close as brothers but the three of us never would have known each other if not for the Midnight Queen’s oath. Restoring the balance brought us together and ultimately pushed us apart. In some ways, nothing has really changed.”

“Are the three of you incapable of patching your differences then?”

“That remains to be seen,” he replies impassively.

“And are we incapable of patching our differences?” I ask as I look up at him.

“I hope not.”

“But you don’t know?”

“I don’t know,” he answers. I nod as I drop my attention to the rotted wooden floor beneath me.

“I’m trying, Eilish,” he admits.

“I know,” I say with a small smile as I suddenly feel the need to get away from him, just so I can breathe, so I can think. Dragan has a way of stealing my focus, my thoughts.

“Eilish,” he starts.

“It’s okay,” I interrupt and turn around to offer him a smile before I decide to return to the group in the other room. Immediately, I notice Flumph where he sits on the floor. The sprite still reads from a book about faeries and other creatures. I sit beside him and reach for the book nearest me, which happens to be an old tome about the humans. There are pictures of them, revealing them to come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. I find their fragility beautiful and tragic, all the same.

As the fading daylight filters through the cracks in the walls and the missing windows, I find a picture that causes my heart to race. I nudge Flumph and he climbs onto my lap.

“Does Pyre have pointed ears?” I ask, not able to remember the answer to my question.

“Not that I remember.”

I look around and tap my finger on the picture. “I don’t remember seeing pointed ears on him either. Most Fae and creatures of the realms have pointed ears, but not Pyre. And neither did the humans.”

Flumph hums a little and scratches the top of his head. “Well if he were one o’ them humans, he ain’t no more. They long dead an’ them spirits changed him a lot. He say he gave up his soul anyways, right? That means he ain’t alive soze he ain’t no human, right?”

“If Pyre was a human before the Singularity, did he draw on the shift in power to become a necromancer?” I ask, more to myself. Flumph just shrugs his little shoulders. He doesn’t have the answers I need. Only Pyre can give them, but I have no right to ask.

Maybe the Midnight Queen knows what and who Pyre was before the Veil changed him. I know he made a sacrifice to save the woman he loved… Maybe he made that sacrifice to save that same woman from the Singularity?