Page 16 of Fractured Souls
“Whoa.”
We turned a corner, and I came to a complete halt because in front of me was one of the most beautiful structures I had ever seen. I didn’t say that lightly, either. It was stunning, so much so that it was hard to describe it.
The ceiling of the cave was over fifteen feet tall, and the archway of the portal, made of crystals or maybe ice, filled the entire back of the corridor we had turned down. The center of the portal was a mirror-like surface that glinted in a rainbow of colors. Starry orbs of magic pulsated around it, almost calling you forth. It was gorgeous.
“Everything in the Elven realm is beautiful,” Adriel said, his body tense. “That’s the problem—it’s beautiful but lethal. We need to be careful—all of us.”
“Have you called your forces?” Draven asked.
“They’ll be meeting us on the other side of the portal,” Adriel answered before flashing me a smirk. “You ready, princess?”
Tapping my chin and trying to hide my smile, I walked forward to meet him. “Princess? I thought I was going to be queen.”
Rhett chuckled softly as I shot him a wink. Despite the situation we were in, I wanted to hear my men laugh. I needed to know that things weren’t horribly dire at all times. I mean they were, but I didn’t want tothinkthey were.
Delusion was the name of the game, folks.
Zander said something to the others as Adriel caught me against him, brushing my nose. “No, Lorcan. You’remyprincess, but you will betheirqueen.”
The Kingdom of Night. I would be the Kingdom of Night’s queen…
Before I could respond, Adriel kissed me hard, pulling me flush against him and tugging me right through the portal.
Unlike other portals, I was immediately submerged in a warm kiss of sunlight that seemed to come from all directions. I couldn’t hear or see anything except for the softest melody that faded in and out…
But I could feel Adriel. I could feel his hands wrapped around me and his lips against mine. He was grounding me, and for the first time, I found myself enjoying the experience of portalling. Enough so that I didn’t want it to end.
All too soon, though, my ears popped and cold air rushed to greet us. I sucked in a breath as I pulled away from his kiss, but Adriel kept me against him, whispering for me to breathe. I nuzzled his chest, letting out a small sound of frustration at how damn bright it was here. Seriously, I couldn’t even open my eyes…
“King Adriel.”
Those words snapped everything into focus, and when I looked up from Adriel’s chest, I felt my eyes widen.
Holy shit.
I didn’t know what I’d expected from the Elven realm, but it wasn’t this.
CHAPTER6
Lorcan
Well,it was no wonder that Adriel looked like he was born from the pages of a fantasy novel…the place he was from was literally the inspiration for every single fantasy book I’d read. I mean, clearly it wasn’t actually, but I couldn’t deny that it was giving off the exact same vibes.
Then again, I also didn’t read much, so what did I know? ‘Every single fantasy book I’d read’ consisted of like…two books.
But I knew that this place was gorgeous and otherworldly.Thatwas what I knew.
I couldn’t even be bothered with the unknown men standing in front of us; my eyes were instantly drawn to the landscape around us. The portal had spat us out onto a plateau overlooking the realm, and it was a view to say the least. I had no idea how many miles were between us and the line of mountains across the way, but the valley appeared to stretch for hundreds of miles. To my right, the sun shone bright on an idyllic kingdom , all white marble and brightly colored flags. I couldn’t see more detail than that since the city was so far in the distance, but I could see it expanded fairly far out in all directions.
It was beautiful, and it was like the realm was gracing it with every ounce of sunshine and warm weather it possessed…unlike the region to my left, which was surrounded by a massive wall that cut across the landscape. The land there was bathed in darkness, and a large moon hung in the sky surrounded by heavy clouds that dropped fat white flakes and rumbled with thunder. Every tree, every road, every surface was blanketed in ice and snow, and a black stone castle stood proudly in the distance. I’d never been here before, but I knew without a doubt that I was looking at the Kingdom of Night.
I didn’t know what to make of this realm, but I’d already decided which kingdom I preferred. Despite the objective beauty of the Kingdom of Day, I could feel the darkness radiating off the land, the twisted desires of its occupants reaching out to me. And while the Kingdom of Night looked cold and unwelcoming, there was a quiet strength to it. Just like the strength that existed in Adriel—even when he was a broody bastard.
A broody bastard who was indisputably a king.
Not only because of the impressive unit of soldiers that were here to greet us but also because…well, he had a crown on his head.
“Wow.” I examined the black crown made of rough wood that somehow looked far stronger and more intense than anything made out of shiny gold or silver. In fact, all three of the crowns my men had worn had been understated but representative of their strength.
