Page 1 of The Call of Crimson
PROLOGUE
Flames lick at my skin, their heat singeing my fingers as I stare at Rimor burning to the ground. Though it’s midday, the smoke has eclipsed the sun entirely, casting darkness over the land. Fighting a scream, I clench my fist and cast my eyes down. The castle crumbles before me, and there’s nothing I can do to stop it. My Gifts can’t save them. All I can do is watch.
Blood streams through the cobblestones of the street below, staining them with the life force of the innocents slaughtered today. If there was anything left in my stomach, I’m sure it would have come up by now. The screams of those who escaped the massacre echo in the distance as they flee the flames. I sob, knowing their fate will be no different than those already dead. The fire was meant to drive them from the castle walls to the waiting soldiers outside of Ciyoria—and it has done just that.
My sword clatters against the cobblestone as it slips from my hand. I was never the target. This was all a punishment for failing to heed their warnings.
All for love.
I did this for love, and the price was my soul.
My vision blurs, and suddenly I’m somewhere different. I’m naked, lying in a bed, staring into hazel eyes. Never had I expected to care for him, but I do. With my entire being, I love this male. He’s holding me close, a hand trailing down my side as he stares into my eyes. Silk sheets cling to our damp, exhausted bodies, and he presses a tender kiss to my lips.
“We need to get out of bed, my love. There are people waiting to speak with us.”
“Fuck them. I’m staying right where I belong—buried between My Queen’s thighs. They don’t need us, anyway.”
His normally warm, deep voice is glacial and foreign. It’s everything he isn’t.
My brow furrows. “You don’t mean that. Our people rely on us.”
He trails kisses down my throat, mumbling, “I do mean it. Enough talking, wife. The next sound out of your lips will be my name as I eat my breakfast.”
My lips part to protest, but true to his word, the next thing out of my mouth is his name as he does exactly what he promised.
The scene changes again.
I’m staring at raven hair and grey eyes. An inexplicable knowing washes over me, something whispering that this female walks the line between life and death. She gazes into the dark eyes of the male embracing her, smiles lighting both of their faces. A crown of gold studded with black jewels adorns his head; a matching, more petite version sits on hers. He leans in and kisses her, and the scene fades.
Hazel eyes stare up at me, the green in them glowing brighter from the sheer disbelief and betrayal carving across his features. Tears stream down my cheeks as I stare at the male I swore to love forever. He’s held immobile by the vines wrapped around his wrists. His eyes fix on me, begging for anexplanation for the blade of ice that hovers against his throat. I owe him this.
“I’ve been keeping secrets, my love,” I whisper.
“Whatever it is, we can work through it together,” he says softly. His eyes are clear for the first time in weeks. Whatever darkness was tainting his mind has no hold on him for now.
“No, we can’t. Not this time.” I choke on a sob. “Something has infected your mind, and there is no cure.”
My husband’s soul is pure and noble. The most honorable male I have ever known.
“I know, darling. I can feel it too. But I don’t know what it is.”
“I can’t name it, but the visions are clear on where this ends.”
He looks at me in confusion. “Visions?”
“They started last year,” I admit. I had told no one. It’s unheard of for someone to develop a new Gift this far into life. I’m unsure what it means, but I believe it to be both a blessing and a curse from the gods.
“And what do they say?” he asks, face falling.
“I have a choice. I can allow the madness to continue, and Rimor will fall—you will be the death of our kingdom and people. Or I can end it now and save them,” I whisper through the tears that pour freely now. “All it will cost is my heart and soul.” My chest heaves as I stare into the eyes of my best friend, my soul mate, my lover, and my king.
“You swore an oath to this kingdom and our people before you ever swore yourself to me. I expect you to uphold that oath, no matter the cost.”
His words shouldn’t surprise me, but they do.
“My love?” I question, unsure how he expects that of me.
“I have one request.”
