Curse of the fae, p.1
Curse of the Fae, page 1
Curse of the Fae
Fae Wilds Series, Volume 2
W.J. May
Published by Dark Shadow Publishing, 2022.
This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.
CURSE OF THE FAE
First edition. August 26, 2022.
Copyright © 2022 W.J. May.
ISBN: 979-8201194468
Written by W.J. May.
By W. J. May
Copyright @ 2022 by W .J. May
This e-book or print is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book/paperback may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of the author.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual person, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.
All rights reserved.
Copyright 2022 by W.J. May
Curse of the Fae, Book 2 of the Fae Wilds Series
Cover design by: Book Cover by Design
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in articles and reviews.
Have You Read the C.o.K Series?
The Chronicles of Kerrigan
Book I - Rae of Hope is FREE!
Book Trailer:
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How hard do you have to shake the family tree to find the truth about the past?
Fifteen year-old Rae Kerrigan never really knew her family's history. Her mother and father died when she was young and it is only when she accepts a scholarship to the prestigious Guilder Boarding School in England that a mysterious family secret is revealed.
Will the sins of the father be the sins of the daughter?
As Rae struggles with new friends, a new school and a star-struck forbidden love, she must also face the ultimate challenge: receive a tattoo on her sixteenth birthday with specific powers that may bind her to an unspeakable darkness. It's up to Rae to undo the dark evil in her family's past and have a ray of hope for her future.
Beginning’s End Series
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Curiosity
Scrutiny
Foresight
Disavow
Trickery
Wisdom
Decree
Influence
Prevail
Dignified
Honored
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Everlasting
Unceasing
Evermore
Forever
Boundless
Prophecy
Protected
Foretelling
Revelation
Betrayal
Resolved
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Fae Wilds Series
Twist & Turns
Curse of the Fae
Force the Truth
Crown & Glory
Enemy & Rivals
Light in the Dark
Curse of the Fae
Who do you trust when you can’t trust yourself?
Adelina knows nothing about herself, save for her name and the fact that untold power dwells inside her.
Being pursued by a shadowy figure revealed Fae magic she didn’t know she had. Magic that makes her a member of the prestigious and notorious Kingsblade—an elite force set on protecting the Fae King and his kingdom.
Her new training comes at the expense of her only friendship with the striking Braken, a friendship she hoped would become more. Except Kingsblade are forbidden to marry, their entire lives given over to their devotion to King and Realm.
With her magic inaccessible, it seems less like a blessing and more like a curse. But when a mysterious stranger shows up with a hunger that might destroy the entire Fae Realm, she knows they’re somehow connected.
Will she uncover the answers needed to solve the mystery of herself and her enemy, or will the Fae Realm fall, bite by bite?
Contents
Have You Read the C.o.K Series?
Beginning’s End Series
The Queen’s Alpha Series
Find W.J. May
Fae Wilds Series
Curse of the Fae
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Epilogue
Fae Wilds Series
Find W.J. May
More books by W.J. May
Prologue
A screech rent the night, pain buffeting Lyr’s sensitive ears. The sound rose from a black maw, highlighted by shining white teeth surrounded by glossy drool. The creature was like nothing the Fae King had ever encountered, its skin a shiny midnight black, its body truncated, like a drop of ink that had grown a set of four slender limbs to drag itself across the landscape.
The thing was all mouth, no other features discernable in its blackness. It lunged for him, teeth clacking together as its jaw closed over and over, hoping to take a bite out of him. Lyr spun backwards, his diamond blade flashing in his hand as he swung and connected, slicing through tendons to sever one of the creature’s limbs.
The leg twitched before it dissolved into a black pool, the liquid sliding across the ground. Lyr watched in horror as it was absorbed back into the creature. Its severed leg regrew in a matter of seconds, and the beast leapt at him again, intact once more.
Another screech echoed from behind him, and he looked over his shoulder to see an identical creature advancing. Lyr dodged through the trees, attempting to put some distance between himself and his pursuers. The forest around him was dense, and a quick leap had him pulling himself onto a branch. He ran forward on nimble feet, jumping from one branch to another on a neighboring tree.
He froze, taking a moment to look down at where he thought he’d find his attackers, disappointed by his flight. But the ground below him was bare, and it wasn’t until he heard the scratch of fingers on bark that he realized the blasted beasts were climbing the tree below him. They scurried up the wide trunk, teeth gnashing, drool overflowing from their evil-looking mouths.
They scrambled onto the branch where he stood, moving determinedly in his direction. The forest rustled around him, and he heard a shout from the distance, a familiar feminine scream of fury.
Taking a deep breath, he dropped suddenly, hurtling toward the ground. Only his strength and almost unnatural balance saved him from breaking a bone on his descent. Lyr hit the ground hard but landed on his feet. He set off in the direction of the shout, his diamond blade winking in the sunlight as he ran.
The forest rustled around him, the ground shifting as her magic flowed through it, twisting and transforming the woods on all sides. Lyr did not stumble, his movements as sure as ever, until two gnashing maws burst from the brush ahead of him. They snarled in tandem, their black bodies slick voids, their teeth sharp as his own blade.
Twin screeches from behind told Lyr his enemies from earlier had caught up with him. Surrounded by four of the nasty creatures, he knew escape was unlikely. Maybe if I cut them to ribbons, they won’t be able to regenerate so easily.
Lyr moved like a whirlwind, his blade held before him as he slashed furiously at his foes. He flowed through his forms, the sword an extension of his will. But the beasts weren’t content to let him destroy them. They fought back, lunging forward, leaping at him, their jaws snapping. One caught his legs, shredding his britches and rending the skin with teeth like razors.
Tension filled him, battering the calm
How did these creatures reach the Realm? And who do they belong to?
Those weren’t his only questions, but they were at the forefront of his mind. Another jaw snapped around his arm, nearly biting through bone, and Lyr let out a scream of agony before bashing the creature against the nearest tree to knock it loose. He slashed furiously, cutting one of the beasts in half completely, but before the halves were even a foot apart, they liquified enough to reach toward each other, pulling themselves back together and knitting up the seam so well it was invisible in seconds.
It was becoming evident that he would not be able to slash his way out of the situation. One of the creatures leapt for him, and he held up his hand, magic flowing through him. He propelled a blast of air at the creature, deflecting it, then flicked his wrist, attempting to set the beast aflame. Its skin sputtered and ran as it let out a cry of pain. Lyr watched it melt into a puddle, then aimed his fire magic at the others, smiling as each of them melted into an ink-black puddle.
His breath was ragged, his muscles fatigued, but before he could sheathe his blade, he heard the nearest puddle begin to bubble and pop. As he watched, aghast, the creatures reformed themselves until the balls of skinny limbs and teeth were once again biting and snapping at his hide.
Lyr let out a curse, then took off at a run, realizing they’d underestimated their foe. These creatures are a product of magic, a powerful magic like I’ve never seen. His powers alone wouldn’t defeat them, so he ran for her, the one he knew would never stop fighting.
He cleared the trees and stumbled into the meadow where she stood, her hair flying around her head, seeming to crackle like fire as her power ran through every part of her. Lyr was hit by a pride so fierce it humbled him. His mate was the most magnificent creature to have ever graced the Web, and his love for her was the bedrock of his existence.
Elsbeth curled her arm, and mimicking her motion, a root burst through the ground, tangling itself around the snarling creature lunging in her direction. With her other hand, she pushed out in front of her, and from her feet sprang a brush of thorns that twisted rapidly away from her, hitting another of the beasts head-on and knocking it off course. She swung around, her motions fast and sure, using her powers over the land to mold and manipulate it to defend herself.
The wild landscape around them was teeming with vibration from her formidable magic. All around him, the world was erupting with greenery, battling with the gnarling black creatures. Lyr got as close as he could, hacking and slicing through wet skin, his speed making him a blur, but no matter how fast he was, how hard he fought, the fiends were relentless.
Seeing an opening in the whirlwind of green, Lyr leapt to the gap to land at her side. Elsbeth greeted him with a grin, fire in her eyes, and the knowledge that he was made for this woman flooded him. Then all his attention returned to the swarm of dark creatures that were ripping their way through the brambles and roots around them, their needle-like teeth snapping in strong jaws. As awe-inspiring as his mate was, Lyr feared that she’d finally met her match.
He grabbed her hand, squeezing it. They were more powerful together, and it would take every ounce of their combined strength to drive back their foe. Sudden darkness fell, blacking out everything but the glowing white teeth of the beasts. They reformed themselves from many frenzied, snapping maws to one. One wide smile full of sharp, blood-caked teeth. Thick strands of glistening drool dripped between them as the mouth began to laugh.
Lyr sat up suddenly, eyes wide, as the dream shattered around him. His skin was slick with sweat, his chest heaving.
He fell back against his mattress, his fingers opening and closing reflexively as he got his bearings. It was a dream, he realized, swinging his legs over the side of the bed and standing up, needing to feel something solid beneath his feet.
Lyr closed the distance between himself and the doors that opened onto the balcony. It was still dark outside, and as he stepped out into the dimness, he felt a chill go through him. The King of the Fae Realm was unaccustomed to the fear that was riding in his belly. The dream had unsettled him, and he longed for the dawn. Her rosy fingers had yet to peek from behind the horizon, so the unsettled feeling remained.
From Exeria’s highest tower, he could see over the capital city and its walls and on to the forest beyond. It was too dark to see it now, but he knew it lurked in the distance, its menace still palpable. The Fae Wilds were to be avoided, an area where his magic could fail to penetrate. He could remember feeling only disquiet when looking upon the wilderness, as if he could sense its contempt for him and his kind. Lyr had managed to carve his kingdom from the Wilds, but it had not been a willing thing, and he’d always believed the Wilds watched and waited, looking for any opportunity to reclaim the land for its own.
His fingers curled around the stone banister, gripping it tightly. Blackness turned to gray, then began to fade to the deep purple of a bruise as the hours passed. He could feel something calling to him from the Wilds, something warm and seductive, something he’d never felt before. Or have I?
Lyr clutched his head, wondering suddenly if he were under some spell. He knew he couldn’t trust anything having to do with the Wilds and the secrets they held, but the dreams had become near-constant now, tugging on things inside him that felt half-remembered. Like the one he’d wakened from this night, the others had featured the same overgrown landscape. The same beautiful woman, with hair of fire and eyes so light a brown they were almost golden. But he didn’t know the woman, or the place, and everything was tinged with a sinister edge that made the dreams feel almost foreign.
The covenant is broken, a voice whispered in his head, causing him to drop his arms and stiffen. The memory of the smiling mouth waiting to engulf them filled his mind.
Lyr turned away and left the balcony, closing the doors behind him and wishing he could as easily shut away the Wilds and the uneasy thoughts they engendered. It was morning now. Time to behave like a king.
There was a threat facing his kingdom, and this time, it was not the Wilds but something that had taken place in his own capital city. An explosion of light bright enough to be seen through Exeria had not gone unnoticed. He’d felt it the second it had detonated, felt it in his body, his heart contracting in his chest, his muscles spasming as if activated on reflex.
Could the dreams he’d been experiencing be related to the magic? Lyr wasn’t a man who put much store in coincidence. It was difficult to do so when magic crawled the Web in such abundance. The King of the Fae Realm also possessed the most powerful magic by multiple orders of magnitude, but the blast had been a result of almost unimaginable power.
If it was true, and the magic was a result of one young woman, then he had plenty of reasons to be wary of her. It could be a trap, putting himself in the same space as magic that potent. Lyr knew he should talk to the female himself, but something told him to hold back.
He’d been struggling lately, feeling like there was something he’d forgotten. The feeling stalked his heels, keeping him distracted, preventing him from his usual decisive decision-making. But the remnants of the dream haunted him, galvanizing him to act lest he lose all momentum. Lyr sat himself at his desk and reached for a scrap of parchment, then his ink. He scrawled a message to one of his most faithful, closing the missive and pressing his ring into a circle of wax to seal it.
His course of action decided, Lyr reached into the bowl of fruit on his desk to pluck out a ripe berry. The moment his fingers touched the fruit, the memory of the evil grin full of teeth rose inside him and he dropped it, his appetite gone.
