Chapter Three
Nuriela
We were finally breaking free of our chains.
Lailah and I weren’t meant for this life of royal rules and arranged marriages.
From the moment we met, a piece of my heart became hers.
And little pieces continued to break away until my entire soul belonged to Lailah Valdis.
She was so incredibly strong, so talented, and made for more than the life of a princess.
The news of her mother’s plans to leave nearly crushed me. But hope renewed when Lailah suggested we run away together. And of course I agreed, because I would do anything for her. Even so, a tiny voice in the back of my head lagged, like a warning that the path I was on wasn’t quite right.
The voice was my grandmother’s. Not literally, but it was my grandmother who had this talent.
For me, it presented as more of a sixth sense warning of danger.
I wasn’t nearly as powerful as her, but she always said I had a bit of witch magic in me, and at the right moment, it would emerge.
My family came from a long line of lumens, until my grandfather fell in love with a witch.
He broke generations of traditions. And while it wasn’t outlawed then, it was still rare for creatures to mix.
She was the one and only witch in our family.
I never got to meet her family, the other witches.
Perhaps now it was time. Lailah and I could travel to Calesia, the hidden city of the Mal-Regia.
My grandmother was a member of their royal family.
Maybe if I used my connection, they would help us.
It was worth a shot. Being left behind while Lailah and her family fled to Earth was not an option.
Lailah and I spent the afternoon sunning on the beach, enjoying the quiet afternoon and reveling in our last day in Caelum. I would miss this city, but a life without my mate wasn’t a life at all.
I knew Lailah was meant to be mine from the moment I met her.
And when my power awakened, a thread of brightest silver unfurled within me, leading directly to my mate.
Of course, we weren’t truly mated yet. Daemons and lumens could often find their mates in youth, but the connection didn’t fully take root until we turned nineteen.
While our power awakened at sixteen, it needed time to evolve.
When that happened, I knew with every fiber of my being that we would be mated.
When the sun began to set, Lailah and I walked back to the palace. Aurora was taking Seraphina and Michaela away, and it would be our best chance to escape without her Seer powers catching us.
While I wasn’t as confident we could outwit the greatest Seer of all time, Lailah was certain this plan would work.
Aurora would be focused on Joseph and Lailah’s sisters.
One of the many mysteries of Lailah’s mother was her connection to a human male, and then a halfling daughter.
It made sense for Michaela to be in the human world.
With so little power, she’d be snuffed out in an instant in Caelum, and especially in Caligo.
I didn’t see how taking Seraphina and Lailah away from their home was the right decision, though.
Yes, there was growing unrest among the lumens, and probably more drama than the adults shared with us, but we were strong.
Aurora had allies, she just needed to use them.
My thoughts were growing too dark, and the woods were suddenly eerily quiet. Tension rolled off Lailah in waves moments before she cried out.
Lailah doubled over and held her head, her face scrunched in agony. “Nuri. Something is wrong.”
I dropped to the forest floor and caressed her cheek, hating the pain written in her features. “What is it?”
Lailah shook her head. “I don’t know. I think someone is coming and—”
“Hello, princess,” a voice whispered from the shadows of the trees.
I whipped around, ready to defend. “Who’s there? Show yourself.” I snarled, trying to sound brave even as my heart pounded erratically.
The deep voice growled. “You do not command me, sordida. I’ve come to claim what is mine.”
The use of that word was a slap in the face. Dirty. Unclean. It was used for creatures like me, with impure family lineage. And only the biggest assholes uttered it.
“Belial,” I spat the word. The wind picked up, and I felt Lailah’s panic from her position crouched behind me. “You can’t have her.”
The monster stepped out from the trees, along with a dozen more daemons.
We were severely outnumbered. He was massive.
His tanned skin glowed with a ghostly light, and his eyes shined crimson red.
His dark horns and midnight-black wings matched his black heart.
There was no love in his eyes. Not even lust. All I could see was greed.
He would take Lailah from me and use her up until my mate withered and died.
It was written plainly on his face, and he didn’t even try to hide it.
“Nuri,” Lailah whispered, her voice hoarse. “Run. Please, go.”
Absolutely not. I snarled at her, gripping her chin and forcing her to look at me. “Never. Be free, Lailah. I love you.”
Her eyes widened, but there was no time for Lailah to stop me.
In the next second, I whipped around and sent a tidal wave toward the daemons.
While Belial spoke, I was calling to the sea, gathering the ocean and bringing it here.
The waves crashed into the daemons, and several of them cried out as they were swept away.
Belial turned to shield himself, and it was the window I needed to save her.
Turning back to my mate, I used every ounce of air magic I could muster and lifted her above the trees. I begged the wind to carry her back to the palace. Lailah screamed at me, the sound of her voice fading as she was carried into the clouds.
My lungs burned with the need for oxygen, and my limbs grew heavy.
The amount of power I used in those two actions drained me completely.
But my grandmother raised a warrior, and my mate was safe.
I squared my shoulders and faced the snarling daemons rushing toward me.
If my death bought Lailah’s life, I’d welcome the darkness with open arms.