Captive Queen (Crown of Ellova Duology #2)

Chapter 1

The ancient fae garden of Ellova burns.

The firefae who attacked Leon and me, seek the crown, willing to kill for it, die for it.

I choke on the clouds of ash and smoke swirling upward, pulling on the iron net I am trapped in. My jewelsmith blood leaves me untouched by the crimson flames that lap at my arms and legs, but the heat from the blaze strangles me, the fire searing the fabric of my dress.

My burning throat is raw from screaming for Leon through the embers of all the work we have done to create the elixir.

Alarm bells alert everyone of danger, drowning out my agony, but it's going to be too late.

Every precious petal of the lifesaving anafaea flower has been reduced to nothing, and with it, our quest to save the mortals. How many of them will die because of these firefae?

The children of Beggars’ Row will be orphaned after the illness takes their parents and Cyanna will not be there to protect them.

This is all my fault.

Ellova was supposed to be safe, as it always has been. How could we have a traitor in our midst willing to help Grayden? What could that terrible king offer an Ellovian to betray us like this?

Leon, bloody and bruised, lies unmoving near the male he killed, flames reflecting off the pools of blood that surround them.

Is he even breathing?

Hot tears stream down my face while I yell his name over and over again.

It cannot end like this. We haven’t had enough time together, even for what little this life offered to us.

My soul shatters as one of the firefae drags me through the flames away from the only man I’ve ever loved.

The remaining firefae’s fists burn brightly.

He laughs, raising his sword, lighting it on fire with his fingers as he walks towards Leon, who is nearly lifeless between us.

Dirt flies at my feet, kicked up as I thrash.

I beg my powers to rise so I can protect Leon, but the iron net imprisoning me blocks even the crown’s magic.

The fire wielder stands above Leon, flaming blade raised. I cannot tear my eyes away, even knowing whatever is about to happen will haunt me forever. I never should have allowed Leon to come to Ellova.

Pure agony erupts in me as the flaming sword swings down.

Leon’s eyes open and he rolls sharply towards his attacker, the sword piercing the ground Leon had just been lying on.

Relief knocks the breath out of me. Please, let us survive this. He needs to know I love him. I will spend any amount of time we have left with him. If death is to take me, it cannot be here, not like this.

The attacker strikes again but this time he does not miss. He stabs Leon in the abdomen with the burning blade, my wails echoing off the burned garden walls.

Leon stands, clutches his middle for only a moment before he lunges forward and slices his dagger deep across the fire wielder’s thighs, blood spraying and drenching the attacker's knees and boots.

He curses Leon and falls to the ground, trying to stop the outpour.

Before he can cauterize the wound, Leon lands three brutal punches.

He grabs the terrified fae by the hair to expose his bobbing throat.

Leon slices it open with my golden dagger.

Light leaves the attacker’s eyes as a river of crimson pours over his collar, and Leon shoves the body to the burning floor.

For the first time since the three firefae arrived, hope swirls up within me, but I need to get Leon to a healer.

There is only one attacker left! I try to claw at him through the net, scratching and kicking.

I imagine vines springing up to strangle him, but the crown’s magic is as bound by the iron as my magic is by the crown.

The one dragging me away from my love curses loudly, dropping the locked net I’m ensnared in. My attacker rips off the leather gloves he needed to touch the iron net and stalks away from me, pulling his bow and arrow off his back.

The male’s fists burst with flames, and he aims the burning arrow at Leon.

I dig my fingers into the soil, screaming, begging the crown to help, to fight for me, to stop the attack.

The world is spinning, but I refuse to faint, painful pressure is building.

The flames have spread, and the garden disappears into ash, leaving me choking on the smoke. My eyes sting as if they are on fire.

I will not leave Leon alone to fight. We protect each other. ’Til the end. He may be able to dodge a sword but with his wounded mortal form, he cannot escape a speeding arrow.

Still tangled with the net in the burning soil, and with no magic to answer my call, I launch myself at the back of our attacker’s knees with all the force I have in me. The slam knocks him off balance.

The arrow sails beyond Leon, just missing his throat.

Staggering, the male frantically tries to light another arrow, but Leon flies at him, taking him down to the ground with a quickness I’ve never known my kind mortal to possess.

My love wraps his bloodied hands around the fae’s neck.

The attacker claws at Leon’s wounded arm, gasping for air.

Leon’s beautifully enraged face will be the last thing he sees.

Good.

Leon and I have so few precious moments left, and they tried to take them from us. I turn my head, not needing to witness Leon’s revenge.

How did these bastards get in?

Shouts reverberate around the garden’s archway before Lillian and Everett burst through. A wave of the High Court protectors, honeyguards, follow them, weapons ready. Lillian runs straight towards Leon, her sword ready. “STOP! WE NEED HIM ALIVE!”

Leon hesitates, getting in one last squeeze, the male’s eyes bulging, but he lets go. The firefae coughs, sputtering for breath. Leon pushes off his chest, barely able to stand, holding his bloody and burned arm to his stomach. Archers surround us.

The attacker closes his eyes.

I grapple with the iron net, desperate to reach Leon. Touch him, hold him. Just one touch to prove to my racing heart he is truly all right.

Everett waves his hands in the air and water appears, swirling before him.

He moves his arms around in a circle over the garden, releasing it.

The water flows like a twisted river, extinguishing the flames as its snakes around the garden, flooding it.

Honeyguards search for any other traitors, and the ones who can wield water help to put out the flames all around us.

Tendrils of smoke rise towards the starry night sky that seemed so beautiful minutes ago.

One of the honeyguards pulls at the chainmail net’s locked clasp to attempt to release me before I can warn her of what type of metal it is made of, and she yelps in pain when the iron burns her.

Leon is covered in gore but hobbles to me. With his wounded hands, Leon undoes the lock’s release, and I am finally free. The crown’s magic returns, starting to crush me with its rising wave of unending pressure. Darkness clouds my vision, and I sway. Leon hauls me up, slamming me to his chest.

“You’re alive!” I sob all over again, clinging to him with my ear pressed against his rapid heartbeat. His soft lips graze the top of my head, just above the crown. My scalp throbs from when my attacker dragged me down by my hair. The icy fear in my chest melts in his strong, warm arms.

Alive. Alive. Alive.

The sweet relief is overwhelming. If he hadn’t been here, they would have taken me.

We stare at each other, twin expressions of horror and surprise that we survived.

He brushes a thumb across my cheek, smearing the spattered blood there, but I cannot bring myself to care.

My vision clears from the tears, and I take in his handsome face, wounded as it is. He’s alive.

He’s alive and I love him.

“Leon, I—”

“Please tell me you’re all right.” he says, his breathing labored, before his guttural gasp cuts off my confession. Honeyguards shout behind us. Leon spins us and shoves me to the ground as a fireball slams into his side.

I frantically pull away from him only to be met with a new horror as he lies next me, bleeding everywhere. Part of his shirt has been burned away, revealing a new blistering wound on most of his torso. No!

I press my hands into the arm the sword sliced open to try to stop the rush of blood, wishing to scream and never stop. “Leon, it’s gonna be okay. We have healers!” It can’t possibly be comforting to him, as it comes out in a broken sob.

His eyes flutter shut. No, no, no!

“LILLIAN, I NEED A HEALER!” I wail, but she cannot help me.

The firefae has escaped the honeyguards.

Engulfed in his flames, he lifts his arm to send another fireball at me, but a wave of water from Everett extinguishes the attacker.

Lillian blasts her magic at him and tackles him, shoving him into the wet soil.

Another honeyguard rips off our attacker’s mask and grabs his collar, pulling him towards her. “Who are you?”

He opens his mouth to speak, but blood spills from it in dark rivulets, his head falling backward. She screams in frustration as his body goes limp, the last male who attacked us silenced forever.

Now we will never know who sent them.

She turns to Everett. “Get her out of here! There could be more of them!”

No!

Everett lunges towards me, grabs me around the waist, and tears me away from Leon. The crown’s magic is weakened from the iron collar but still reacts to my fear, sending a blast of magic into Everett, who grunts in pain. He stumbles but maintains his footing.

I do not wish to harm my friend. It's clear that he is trying to help me, that I need to be removed for my own safety, but if Leon dies, I need to be there with him! He cannot die alone like this.

My bitter screams of agony turn to rage. “Put me down! Leon! LEON!”

The crushing pain in my chest makes it hard to breathe but still I scream for him. Over and over again.

The archers surrounding us part to let Everett through.

When we pass, they close the circle again, blocking Leon and Lillian from my view.

He half carries, half drags me away from Leon, who lies unresponsive on the burned soil.

I thrash in his arms, my nails dig into his forearms, but it’s no use.

He is so much stronger and taller than I am.

“There could be more attackers. I have to get you to safety!” Everett says through clenched teeth. “Lillian gave me an order!”

My heel collides with his shin. “Please, please, put me down! Please, Everett.”

“I’m sorry, Della!” His voice sounds just as broken as mine. “I’m sorry.”

He races past the scorched statues of Inara, Zarella, and Alvina, continuing past the stone entryway towards the palace. I refuse to stop fighting him. I don’t care that he’s trying to protect me. I don’t care if there are more firefae about to descend on the garden. I need to get back to Leon.

My elbow connects with Everett’s nose, and he yelps in pain. Guilt can wait for tomorrow. Right now, he is the only thing keeping me from Leon. I attempt to knock my head back into his nose, but he manages to avoid me.

We collide with something solid and warm, but I don’t stop fighting Everett.

“What the fuck is going on!” Tavien towers over us, taking in the sight of my nails marking up Everett’s arms around my waist, my torn gown smeared with red. “Is that your blood?”

I shake my head, still struggling to break free. “Leon and I were ambushed in the garden. He's still there! I have to get back to him.”

Everett is quick to follow my words and tries to move past Tavien. “Lillian gave me an order to get her to safety! Their attackers are dead but there may be more.”

Fast as lightning, Tavien waves his arm, magic bursting from him. A glowing sphere of cobalt flames swirl around us like shadows. “Put. Her. Down!” Venom drips from his voice.

Everett growls, “Damn it, Tavien! There could be more attackers! Let me do my job!”

Tavien does not repeat himself, only glaring at Everett ’til he lets out a frustrated breath but slowly releases me. When I touch the ground, my legs give out and I stumble forward, Tavien catching me.

I attempt to flee again but he stops me with an arm around my shoulders, pulling me back against him, holding me up. “Lillian knows what is best. We need to wait for her. She knows how important Leon is to you. She’s going to do everything she can for him.”

I gasp at the air, but my lungs refuse to cooperate, the anguish of the evening stealing breaths.

Lillian’s voice rings out in this distance. “LET’S GO! Healer’s Hall, now!”

I sag with relief against Tavien.

Leon is alive. For now.

“The garden.” My voice breaks. “It’s all destroyed. I’m so sorry.” I turn to look up at him.

His gaze softens. “As long as you are all right, that’s what matters.”

A commotion turns my head towards the small path leading away from the palace, and heels reverberate off the stone.

Nueena rushes out, bounding towards us, her eyes never leaving mine.

Tavien releases me and my vision goes black for a moment.

The shield opens, allowing her to enter, and I nearly collapse into her.

Nueena takes in my blood-covered gown, searching for nonexistent wounds. Her eyes shine furiously. “Who did this to you?”