Immortal Kingdom: Book 3 of The Immortal Descendants, page 1
IMMORTAL KINGDOM
THE IMMORTAL DESCENDANTS BOOK 3
TONI COX
CONTENTS
Acknowledgments
Glossary
1. Taken
2. Traitor
3. Whose Kingdom Is It Anyway?
4. We Come In Peace
5. Travel Plans
6. Jet Setting
7. It’s A Witch
8. Dracula’s Castle
9. Crashed Hopes
10. A Dark Past
11. Memories of My Own
12. Damsel In Distress
13. Werewolf Camp
14. Shackled
15. Into The Darkness
16. Hunted
17. To Trust a Stranger
18. The Old Faith
19. Light-show in The Garden
20. Into The Snow
21. Bite Me
22. Occult Shit
23. All Our Hearts Ache
24. Out of The Darkness
25. A Circle of Witches
26. Sinking Into Memories
27. We Rule Together
28. My Magic Blade
29. We’re The Bad Guys
30. A Fairytale
Also by Toni Cox
About the Author
Copyright © 2021 Toni Cox
Cover design by Bewitching Book Covers, LLC
Editing by Sam Talarico
All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the written permission of the author constitutes unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are products of the author’s imagination and are all used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual events, locales or persons living or dead, are coincidental.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I learned a lot of new things writing this series, and most of that was due to the help of others.
My cover designer, Rebecca Frank from Bewitching Book Covers, taught me how important it is to know what you want, and then let the professionals do their job. And boy, are those covers gorgeous!
My mentor, Rebecca Hamilton, drove me tirelessly for a year to make sure I got this right, and to bring you a series that keeps you hooked from beginning to end.
My editor, Sam Talarico, did an amazing job making sure each chapter is just perfect, even if she had to put in some extra hours for it.
My PA, Sian Claven, helped me whenever I got stuck, and we’d sit and talk it out until I had a breakthrough, and I could carry on writing. Couldn’t have done it without you.
My husband, Darren Cox, who is ever encouraging, even on those days when I’m not really feeling it. He’s my biggest fan, my cheerleader, my hero.
Feel free to subscribe to my newsletter:
https://www.tonicoxauthor.com/subscribe
This series is dedicated to
Darren Cox
who is my rock
GLOSSARY
The ancient races: The races that have endured on Earth since the dawn of time—humans, vampires, fae, werewolves, and witches. Humans, werewolves, and witches are mortal, whereas fae and vampires are immortal. All races are able to bear children.
Vampires: An ancient race of immortals who feed almost exclusively on blood. Although they prefer human blood, any blood will suffice to keep them alive. They can also consume meat, and the very ancient a selection of human foods. Vampires are powerful and fast, with enhanced hearing and eyesight. They possess a magic called compulsion.
Fae Folk: An ancient race of immortals that became extinct nearly a thousand years ago—slaughtered by the vampires during the Spring War. Fae possessed elemental magic, were stronger and faster than humans, and their skin held a faint sheen visible only to other immortals.
Witches: An ancient race of mortals that still lives quietly among humans, although their numbers have dwindled over the years. Only immortals or familiars are able to tell the difference between humans and witches—and, of course, witches themselves. Witches possess earth magic, or otherwise known as Wiccan magic.
Humans: The most prolific of the ancient races, these mortals reproduced so much in the last millennium that they now outnumber the other ancient races by two hundred and fifty thousand to one. Humans have neither extraordinary abilities nor magic.
Lycanthropes: These were shape-shifting humans, also called werewolves. They had an extended lifespan of between two-and-three hundred years. They could turn into their wolf shape at will, and not just at the full moon as became legend. No one knows for sure what happened to the lycanthropes, but they started disappearing as far back as a thousand years ago. Over time, only lycans remained, which are hunted to this day.
Lycans: Lycans evolved from lycanthropes when those died out many hundreds of years ago. Bigger, stronger, and hideous, they look nothing like their ancestors did. They are vicious and aggressive, and will hunt whenever they feel like it. They eat whatever they come across—from deer to humans. Although they are not immortal, they have an extended lifespan of up to two hundred years, and can bear up to 4-5 pups at a time.
Luceats: Luceats were created by the vampires a thousand years ago when the fae died out. During the last stages of the Spring War, the vampires saved the last few fae warriors as they lay dying on the battlefield. They infected them all with a vampire bite, robbing them of their fae magic, but giving them some vampire strength in return, thus saving their lives. They are now called ‘the shining ones’ as their skin retained the sheen of the fae. Luceats do not drink blood as the vampires do. They serve as bodyguards to their vampire lords, serve to erase paranormal activity, and entire teams of them hunt lycans. Luceats, given their heritage, are immortal.
Bellators: Bellators are humans bitten by vampires. They are also called familiars. The bite gives them an extended lifespan of up to three hundred years, supernatural strength and speed, and enhanced hearing and vision. Bellators can eat normal food, or drink blood if they wish to do so. Vampires can feed off them. Bellators serve two purposes: 1) erase all paranormal activity before humans discover it. 2) interact with the human world on behalf of the vampires, i.e. run their businesses.
Marathana: The Marathana family are the ruling royals of the vampires, and their empire is feared and revered throughout the world. They make the laws, they enact them, and they expect them to be followed. They are ruthless with those that do not obey.
Lierre: The House of Lierre used to be the royal family of the fae, which died out a thousand years ago during the Spring War. Queen Tanelia Lierre bore one child, Princess Aurora Lierre.
Sal’Ita: An ancient and secret form of martial arts practiced by the fae. It can be compared to the fighting style of Krav Maga, but as graceful as Aikido. Only warriors of the highest order were taught in Sal’Ita.
1
TAKEN
My stomach swoops as the night air whips at the hem of my dress, and we plummet several feet before the vampire grips onto a ledge and swings us forward to another handhold.
It’s so fast, it rips the air from my lips as I yell, “Drystan, stop,” but he ignores me.
He hurries with me up the facade of the complex, then sprints across the roof. In the blink of an eye, we’re on the other side.
“Let me go,” I scream into the vampire’s ear.
He only grips me tighter and leaps to the roof across the street as if it were a foot away. I hammer my fists on his shoulders—without effect.
His arms now circle me around my waist and my chest as Drystan takes on ever more elaborate maneuvers to scale and cross buildings. I get jostled and thrown about, and I don’t have a choice but to throw my arms around his neck to hold on tight.
“Where…are…you…taking…me?”
With his shoulder slamming into my chest as often as it does, I’m not sure he even understood my question. He just carries on running.
The city lights flash by so fast they’re nothing but red, green, and white blurs. Sounds are but a background hum I can’t identify. Although I know it’s been mere seconds since Drystan jumped out of my window with me, my battered body makes it feel like several dragging minutes.
“Drystan,” I yell again, and when he turns his head my way, his teeth are fully extended.
I gasp.
He hisses and spins, then presses his back to a wall before standing still with me pressed to his chest. He holds me so tight, it’s difficult to breathe.
After a moment, his grip eases, and he takes a few steps forward to look around a corner. He sighs, then moves with me toward a car—his car, the Audi Q8.
“Get in,” he orders, his voice rough.
“Drystan,” I protest, “why are you doing this?”
His head moves up and down the street as if he’s searching for something, but he doesn’t answer me. Instead, he shoves me into the car and closes the door.
Drystan is in the driver’s seat before I’m even upright in mine, and he locks the doors as he speeds off with screeching tires.
“Drystan, talk to me.”
His head spins around to look out of the back window, then he looks into the rearview mirror before focusing on the road ahead. It’s the middle of the night, and the streets of Queenston are quiet.
I look behind us, but I don’t see any cars. Is Drystan worried we’re being followed? Is that drone that watched us through the window still with us?
Is that why he’s in such a hurry and won’t talk to me?
A shiver runs along my skin. What is he doing?
I shrink into the passenger seat and look across at Drystan’s stony face. The skin around his eyes has gone dark. His teeth are still out. His hands hold the steering wheel in a white-knuckle grip.
Is it Drystan who took me or the Grim Reaper?
I try to calm my breathing as we hit the interstate out of Queenston. We drive for about ten minutes before Drystan pulls into a gas station and parks under a lean-to attached to the back of the store.
“Get out.” Drystan’s voice is still all rough, and I dare not argue.
I shiver a little in my dress—it’s a beautiful, green evening gown, but not the most practical garment to get kidnapped in.
Drystan narrows his eyes when he sees me rub my arms, and he huffs but then grabs my hand and pulls me along. We leave the lean-to and the Audi and go to a shack hidden between an old trailer and some scrap metal.
The wooden door creaks as Drystan opens it and then steps inside. He leaves me at the entrance, and I consider running.
It’s stupid. I wouldn’t make it ten steps before he catches me. I sigh and wait for him to lug the big, black motorbike out of the shed.
It’s a beast of a bike. Without a word, Drystan lifts me off my feet and deposits me on the rear seat.
“Hold your dress. Don’t let it get in the spokes.”
I gather the fabric around me and bundle it into a bunch by my stomach, so I can squash it between us and still hold on to Drystan.
It leaves my legs bare, though, and as Drystan drives off, I’m chilled within the first minute.
He doesn’t go back on the road. Drystan winds his way around the scrap metal lot and then enters the forest behind it. It’s not much of a forest here, but as we drive, the vegetation becomes denser and the terrain higher.
I cling to Drystan for dear life as he hurtles through the trees. It’s dark, and I have to trust his vampire senses to know where he’s going. Not even the quarter moon penetrates much of the forest here.
When Drystan finally slows and then stops, my body vibrates from the growl of the engine. He lifts me off the bike and puts me on my feet. I wobble.
“Here,” his voice is softer, “let me help you.”
Drystan leans the motorbike against a tree, then wraps his arm around me to guide me toward a darker shape ahead of us.
It turns into a small cabin, and Drystan unlocks the door with a key from his pocket. He flicks a switch on the left, and soft lighting illuminates the interior to reveal a room with a fireplace and lounge suite.
“Sit.”
I do as I’m told as he goes through the only other door. He’s back a minute later, holding some clothes.
“They may not fit well, but it’s all I have. Put it on. I’m going to put the bike away. I’ll be back shortly.”
With that, he turns and leaves through the front door.
I stare at the items he gave me—sweat pants and top, gray.
Wooden knocking sounds come from below the cabin. I guess that’s where Drystan is parking the bike. If I don’t want him to watch me change, I better hurry.
I strip out of my dress and let it fall to the floor, then slip the top over my head. It’s large but comfortable. The pants are too big, but they have a string I can pull tight, so they don’t fall off.
It’s a good thing I didn’t wear high heels. At least I can keep my flat pumps on with this.
A knock on the door makes me look up. My heart hammers against my chest as I freeze.
“Aurora, are you done?”
I let out my breath. “Yes.”
Drystan comes back inside. “We need to go.”
He comes over and picks up my dress, then folds it and takes it through the other door.
“I’ll come back for it some other time,” he says over his shoulder.
He’s back before I can answer him, and with his left hand in the small of my back, he guides me back out of the cabin and into the dark of the forest.
Even for a fae—and we have excellent eyesight—it’s dark tonight. I have no choice but to trust Drystan as he guides me without any light through the trees.
We walk for what feels about a quarter mile but could be less until he stops and reaches for something on the ground. It turns into a circular opening hidden by foliage, and a metal ladder descends into an earthen hole.
“After you,” Drystan says to me.
It’s even darker down there than in the forest, and the black nothingness stares back at me. The smell of damp soil and stale air wafts up at me, and I shudder as a memory of my time in the cave with the lycans crosses my mind.
“Uhm…”
Drystan stares at me for a moment, then walks around me and climbs down the ladder. I lean over the hole to watch him descend but soon lose sight of him.
“Drystan?” I whisper.
Then yellow light snaps him into focus at the bottom of the rungs, and he beckons me.
“Pull the lid closed behind you. There’s a lever. Turn it left to lock.”
My insides squirm. I feel like such a fool. Drystan knows I’d run headlong into a fight with a lycan, but here I am, scared of the dark, even with him by my side.
What must he think of me?
“Okay,” I call back to him.
After locking the lid, I climb down and join him at the bottom of the tunnel. It’s big enough to stand and wide enough for two people. A thin wire runs along the top of the left side, feeding into a small lamp every hundred yards or so.
“Hey.”
Drystan’s gentle voice—so different from his earlier gruffness—makes me turn to him.
“Come here.” He folds me into a gentle hug. “I’m sorry I ripped you away like that. We’re almost home. It’s just a little further. Can you go on?”
My heart thuds against my chest. I want to protest, yell at him, scream, yet at the same time, I just want to rest my face against him and breathe in his scent for a moment.
We’re in the middle of a forest, underground in a tunnel, and I’m not getting back to my room in a hurry, so I may as well accept my situation until we have a proper opportunity to talk. Arguing with him here is not going to achieve anything.
“Yes, I can go on.”
He kisses me on the top of my head. “It’s a little bit of a walk. Come.”
Drystan takes my hand, then leads the way.
“I’m sorry it was all so rushed, but I had to lose the tails.”
I look up at him. “Tails?”
“First that drone, and then the car that followed us.”
“Where are we going?”
He smiles. “I’m taking you home. To my home.”
Butterflies come alive in my stomach, and my heart races in my chest. Alone with Drystan. At his house. I swallow hard.
To my surprise, the tunnel becomes rockier and climbs uphill, and I forget all about my nerves as our walking turns into a half-hour hike.
We finally reach a gray metal door, and Drystan fishes a set of keys out of his pocket.
“Welcome to my home,” he says as he pushes the door open.
He steps into the dark and reaches around a corner, then flicks a switch to reveal a wine cellar built into the bedrock. He locks the door to the tunnel behind us and then gestures to a set of stone steps that lead to another door.
It leads to a medium-sized hall, which opens to a large space that divides into an open-plan living area—lounge, dining room, kitchen.
