Their saving grace, p.1
Their Saving Grace, page 1
Their Saving Grace
LEADVILLE SERIES
BOOK FOUR
K. J. LAVALLEE
Edited by PAIGE KRAFT
Illustrated by GRAPEFRUIT DESIGNS
Formatting by LAVALLEE FORMATTING
Copyright © 2022 by K. J. Lavallee
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Created with Vellum
Dedication
Thank you to Elisa, for pushing me for the next book constantly. If I didn’t have you hounding me I may not have had it ready this soon. I love you, Mama Furnari, and I’m so happy you enjoyed this series.
To Stephanie and Tammy, you two are amazing and I’m beyond words to describe how much your friendships mean to me. You are always there when I need you to raise me up and for that I will be forever grateful. I love you both and I will always call you my sister. My wife. My sieva.
For all of my Beta and ARC readers, thank you for taking the time to read this before it’s ready so I can fix the things that were missed. Your input helps and is very appreciated.
Contents
Blurb
1. Kallan
2. Ryujin
3. Alexander
4. Stella
5. Kallan
6. Vivian
7. Stella
8. Imeria
9. Vivian
10. Marcel
11. Jessica
12. Vivian
13. Ivy
14. Stella
15. Vivian
16. Stella
17. Vivian
18. Deseres
19. Kallan
20. Vivian
21. Imeria
22. Alex
23. Stella
24. Deseres
25. Ivy
26. Vivian
27. Vivian
28. Stella
29. Kallan
30. Imeria
31. Kallan
32. Kallan
33. Vivian
34. Imeria
35. Vivian
36. Vivian
37. Imeria
38. Vivian
39. Vivian
40. Stella
41. Vivian
42. Joseph
43. Imeria
44. Vivian
45. Vivian
Epilogue
Imeria
Vivian
Deseres
Note from the author
About the Author
Also by K. J. Lavallee
Blurb
Can three sisters and their fated mates survive the war?
The fate of the world rests on the McKenzie sisters’ shoulders. Being thrust into a supernatural life they knew nothing of and being told they’re the key to saving the world is a little jarring. But they’re all up for the task, knowing if they fail the Demons will consume everything they come across.
Stella has a son, and her son is about to go through a change no one expected. After that change happens, Byron’s father shows up. The magic that links him to his son called to him. But can he be trusted not to take Byron away from all he knows and loves?
Can the brilliant minds of Vivian and Marcel uncover where Deseres is being kept and rescue her before it's too late?
When this war is done, who will be left standing? Who will die and who will lead the Clans into the future?
Chapter 1
Kallan
DECEMBER 31ST.
Today is the day that my mating with Breena will be official. We have known one another for three years. Even though all of the mating signs were there, my mother—Aine, queen of the Fae—demanded that I give my mate time to get to know me and what the duties would entail if she were to become my mate, the future queen of the Fae.
I’ve told my mother repeatedly that the Gods would never have given me a weak mate. I knew from the moment I saw her kicking the asses of the two Fae males, who were trying to steal from her and possibly do much worse, that she would make a great queen. She held her own and had them eating dirt before I had the chance to yell halt. I went to her to give her aid, and that is when the bond solidified. I knew instantly that she was mine. Once we shook hands, the electricity that shot through my entire body told me I was not mistaken.
Something—the Gods themselves, probably—sent me into town that day. I don’t know what compelled me to visit her town, since we weren’t due to make rounds for another month, but this growing urgency that wouldn’t be abated led me there. Led me to her.
There was another instance when I had that same sense of urgency. It was eight, maybe nine years ago. I was compelled to go to a party with some of my human friends. I brought Fae drinks. I woke up with a naked human woman in bed, and another naked couple was on the couch.
I didn’t know the female that was in my bed. She intrigued me all night. She barely said two words to me until she started drinking the alcohol that makes even Fae black out. Our concoctions have magic tied into them, giving you what you want: a night of bliss.
There was something different about her, though. Like she wasn’t entirely human, maybe it was some gene that has been watered down by the generations of mating with humans. Some supernaturals do tend to find human companions and spend a few years with them. Until they don’t age, and their human does. It is hard to hide longevity. I have regretted that night with the intriguing woman since it happened. But something tells me it was destined to happen. Like the Gods have played a game, made their moves, and let the dice roll. Where they end is what worries me, even now.
In the Fae society, we are run by a king and queen. Their children are always next in line to rule, but not always the oldest. I’m the middle child, and I’m next in line because my power surpasses that of even my father, King Jareth, himself. He was the most powerful Fae alive. Until I came into my powers at the age of eight. That’s when we start getting our magic. It sends a shockwave through the tether that ties you to your kin. That lets them know their heir—or offspring, if they have multiple children—has finally been awoken. That is the term we use when you have come into your powers.
Usually, lower Fae have weaker power. Breena is what you call a lower Fae. Lower Fae are poor, and their magic is not as strong or powerful as the higher Fae. The lower Fae work for a living, and work rather hard for it. I have tried to change the way my parents view the lower Fae, but they say it’s how it’s supposed to be.
Breena has powerful magic. Far more powerful than a Fae of her ranks should have. That’s part of the reason she was able to disarm and take down the two Fae males attacking her. Her magic doesn’t match my own, but it is as powerful as regular higher Fae. Marrying her—and making it official that she’s my mate and my equal— will bring a lower Fae to the ranks of higher Fae. It never happens. But my parents, although not the nicest rulers, are not evil. They will not keep their son from his true mate. Even if she is from the streets.
Breena just turned two hundred and sixty-seven, something that surprised me. I am four hundred and had not had the chance to meet her until three years ago. Every time I went to her village, she was never there. Or never outside. Her being there when I was out walking that night is absolutely the Gods’ work.
Breena is my savior and a saint. She has brought the light back to my dull life. She sees things that I forgot to notice after years of my parents telling me it isn’t important. We are going to make our kingdom great, because of her. Because of where she grew up and how she lived. She wants to help her people, and I want to help them too. I want to be the King I envisioned myself becoming as a child. She will make me become him.
She also took everything that was thrown at her from my mother and father, as well as my siblings, and completed every task without complaint. My oldest sibling is Sereia. She was relieved when my power started to grow above hers. We have known since I was twelve that I would become the next ruler. Unless my younger brother’s power rivaled my own, which it didn’t. Duren has always been the child you see carrying books with him everywhere he goes. He’s the smartest man I know. Being around for three hundred and fifty-two years has given him plenty to learn about. Sereia and Duren were and are glad to be rid of the responsibility of being the next ruler. They know I will rule as I see fit, and they know I’m a decent person, even if I have to fake being anything but nice in front of our parents.
I finish putting on my suit jacket, making sure the sleeves fit correctly and are buttoned to perfection. I stand before the floor-length mirror and see a man I hope my mate will be happy and proud to marry. I have on a lilac-colored tie, which matches my mate’s dress perfectly. My black hair is short for my kind, stopping at my shoulders. I have the top tied back, leaving the bottom loose and adorned with jewels that make me feel like I’m being dressed to be displayed. Perhaps I am being displayed. The world needs to know their future king is marrying, and by the gods, I have to look my part for them too. My golden eyes sparkle in the light coming from the window. This is the best I’m going to get.
A knock sounds on the door. “Enter,” I say, as I use magic to ensure my suit stays looking pristine the entire night. I also use it to fix my hair, keeping the long strands away from my delicately pointed ears. It is custom in our world to decorate them for your mating or wedding. We don’t all find true mates, so a regul ar wedding is something that happens often. My ears are painted; I don’t use earrings, to my parents’ chagrin. I don’t like them. They hurt and tug on my sensitive skin.
“Ah, you’re done. Good. Listen, you’re late, and we have to go. Now.”
I glance down at the clock on the table beside my bed. I’m not late. “Duren, have you lost your mind? I have twenty minutes left.” I point to the clock.
Duren lets out a strangled laugh; it sounds more like a puppy being stepped on than a real laugh. “Sorry.” He snaps his fingers, and the clock changes to the correct time. Which, in fact, shows that I’m five minutes late. I curse at him. He cringes. I feel my magic trying to get out. I push it down. He’s not the enemy. He just pulled another stupid prank on me. When will he grow up and stop acting like a child? I muse.
“Why, Duren?” I demand when I finally have my magic under control.
“I thought you would have a watch on and see the real time. You know, and think this was funny.” He pauses at my angry expression. “I had no idea you only use one clock!” He throws his hands in the air as if it’s the stupidest thing he has ever heard.
“Give me your hand,” I demand.
He does. In a flash, I’m before the altar with a very angry mate, who throws her glare at my brother rather than me. Thank the Gods. I’m one of a handful who can actually teleport myself from one place to another in seconds. We call that flashing. Thankfully, my mate has the power, too.
“Sorry. My fault,” I lie. She knows it. But the others don’t. I’m constantly covering up for my brother’s pranks. She’s told me time and time again to stop taking the blame when he does something that negatively affects me. I’m still doing it. Guess her talks really help me see reason. I tell myself sarcastically.
I shake my head before we turn to the King, who, by tradition, is the one to marry off or complete the mating ceremony to the future heir of the throne. We will be doing both. Getting married and completing the mating bond. We have held off this long to do it before everyone, so the entire court knows she is my mate and not just a lesser Fae becoming queen. She is everything but that. She is the best of the best. Better than half of the higher Fae in our court; those stuck-up bastards only see the rest of our people as a means to an end. They do everything for us. Except for me. I have not had a servant since finding Breena. We take care of everything ourselves.
He starts speaking in our ancient tongue, and I tune him out, giving my attention to my mate. She is mesmerizing. Her long brown hair is braided up into a crown around her head, with a real tiara set atop it. Her teal eyes are shining brightly. She looks stunning in her floor-length silk dress. The lilac color suits her perfectly.
My father holds the rope that will entwine our fates together up so the crowd can see. I grasp Breena’s left hand with my own. The rope is cool on our skin, the magic within it pulsing against our entwined hands. The rope wraps around us, going from my elbow to hers. He speaks a few more words, prompting us to respond with “I will” and “I do” in the ancient language.
White-hot light scorches a trail from my hand into my heart, where I finally feel the emotions of my mate within. The sensation is enough to bring me to my knees in relief, but I force myself to stay standing. I send my mate the feelings I have tried to convey to her for the last three years. She smiles sweetly up at me, and her returning love fills my soul. My father finishes the ceremony, ending with us now being mated and husband and wife. I kiss her because I need to kiss her. To let the entire world see my love for her.
We leave the altar and head to the party that will last long into the next morning. Wedding and mating ceremonies usually don’t end until breakfast the next day.
I share dances with several members of the court, my sister and mother among them. Then, I spend the rest of the night dancing with my beautiful mate.
When we are both in need of a break, I leave her with my sister and head toward the table to get us some drinks. It's three in the morning, and the dancing and partying is still going full force.
I’m walking back to my mate, drinks in hand, when an echo of power thrums through me. I fall to my knees, spilling the blue drinks all over the floor and my clothes. I clutch at my chest. Oh, my Gods. Oh, my Gods. This can’t be. There is only one thing to cause this in me.
Breena is there in a instant. “What is it?”
“I—” I look at her. My mate. The woman I love. “I think I have a child, one who has just awoken.”
She opens her mouth to speak but gasps instead, clutching at her chest. “I feel it, too.”
Chapter 2
Ryujin
DECEMBER 27TH.
My mate. She’s back. When her voice echoed through my mind, relief like nothing I have ever felt rushed through me. I fell to my knees and wept. I have missed her. This is the longest we have ever gone without seeing or speaking. I know we kept our mating hidden for the safety of our daughter because the boys died when they found out who they were, but we always kept that bond open. We always spoke daily and would meet up with each other at least once a week. Going twenty-seven years without hearing her sweet voice in my head was torture like I have never experienced. Never again. I will never be parted from her ever again.
Leadville, Colorado. I should have known. Which one of my granddaughters is mated to the Chieftain? That is the only reason they would all end up there. The Chieftain. From what I remember of his grandparents, they were good people. I know they raised him to be a good man, too. I pray my kin wouldn’t take shit from anyone, especially the men destined to be their mates.
“Silas, get Edgar and Calvin on the phone. The three of you need to report to me, now,” I say into the receiver.
“As you wish, Chieftain.” Silas hangs up, and I pace the space before my desk waiting for them to come to me.
Five minutes later, I hear a knock on my office door. “Enter.” I stop pacing and lean on my desk facing them as they enter the large office. To the right, behind a wall of all glass with a door that you can only access through my office, I have a large conference table. It is big enough to seat my top four, plus me, and has space for our mates as well, if needed. It can also be used when another Chieftain and his top four meet with us. I can make it larger to accommodate mates, if they all have them, but it is rare to have a Clan that has many mated pairs.
My desk is directly across from the door, with no windows in here at all. Not even in the meeting room. I don’t trust people, and I have been hunted for far too long to make a mistake as simple as having my office open for an attack.
They come and stand before me, arms clasped behind their backs, waiting for my orders. “You three are the only ones who know of Ivy.” I refrain from referring to her as my mate. I don’t want it out there until I am there with her and my kin to help protect them. They nod their heads, understanding. “She has finally contacted me.” Silas’s eyes widen. He knows what this means. He is the only one who knows what she has sacrificed in order to keep our family safe. He knows she has given me up and our bond to protect our granddaughter. He has been with me since before I concealed myself as the most powerful Dragon in history. We have been through thousands of years together. He is the only Dragon as long-lived as me. He is over two kiloyears of age, whereas I am just at three thousand. We fought with my father’s clan, tooth and nail, to win every battle. When I started showing signs of being stronger than my father, the tyrant who used us to gain all that we had, I hid it. Only Silas, my best friend, knew. We waited until my power could no longer be hidden from my father, then we attacked him. My men now follow me because I freed them of the man who cared only of himself. Their posture and response stems from training my father instilled in them. I don’t mind it too much. They know I’m not him. I’m strict, but I’m not vile like the man who didn’t deserve to be called Chieftain.
