Shattered Souls (Guardians of the Maiden Book 3)

Dyna’s bedroom was dreadfully quiet compared to the rush in her head. She sat on the end of the bed, restlessly picking at the hole torn in the hem of her dress. Cassiel ranked a hand through his hair again where he sat in a chair across from her. He leaned forward and dropped his head against his linked hands as his anxiety and anger slammed into her in droves. To the point she had to raise her shield to make sense of her own convoluted emotions.

Someone had tried to kill her tonight.

“This is unacceptable,” her mate snarled. “I want them gone.”

Lord Jophiel sighed, and rubbed his face. “Cassiel, this is an occasion of union for the Realms. You cannot cast out the Lords, especially when you are transitioning to power. It will reflect unfavorably upon you. There is unrest and we must not make it worse.”

“One of them, if not all, is conspiring against us, yet were expected to continue with our rites as if nothing is happening? As if she is not in danger? Whoever they are, they don’t care about the festival. They tried to assassinate her during tonight’s blessing. They might have reached her if not for Zev’s warning and the crowd causing a panic. Who is to say they will not attempt it again at our wedding, or the next opportunity that arises?”

Lord Jophiel looked at her worriedly, then at her friends standing quietly by the bed. None had left her side since Sowmya yanked her off the stage and flew her to safety. Now several Valkyrie were posted outside of her door and balcony.

“Tell me again what you heard,” Lord Jophiel said.

Zev softly repeated the awful words and Dyna’s vision blurred. Lucenna stopped her trembling hand from unraveling the tulle any further. They truly hated her. No one wanted her with Cassiel. So much so they would rather see her dead. His dejection flooded the bond and she sensed he wanted to come to her, but she already felt crowded and overwhelmed.

I’m so sorry, lev sheli.

Dyna shook her head, not wanting to meet his gaze yet. She knew he wanted to keep her from being afraid, but it still made her angry that he hid the first sign of a threat from her. She didn’t want to be coddled.

You cannot keep these things from me. We already spoke of this.

His regret filtered through the bond. I wished for tonight to be perfect. I didn’t want you to be troubled by their prejudice. I…

He didn’t want her to live the life his mother did.

Of course, that was his worry. She could feel it coiling in her chest. It convulsed so wildly, and she saw his fists spark.

She shouldn’t have been up on that stage.

You had every right to be there, Cassiel said tightly through the bond. How quickly our people have forgotten that we did not win the war against demons alone. The humans joined our ranks and they fought with us side by side.

But that was before humans had turned on them.

“Only one person was speaking?” Lord Jophiel asked, looking pensive.

Rawn nodded. “A male.”

“But clearly they were speaking to someone,” Cassiel said. “We don’t know how many are involved.”

“Or if it even is a real plot to assassinate you both.” His uncle frowned. “They sound like an extremist spouting drivel.”

“From my experience, extremists can be very dangerous,” Rawn said. “They truly believe their radical views are correct, and they will work to bring such fundamental changes to fruition in their society, through whatever revolution they deem necessary.”

“What did they mean by ‘if he awakens, his power will destroy us all’?” Lucenna asked.

Dyna had caught that, too.

Lord Jophiel gave Cassiel a sidelong look. “They were referring to your Seraph fire. The only Celestial to have the power to wield freely it was King Kāhssiel. He was a Seraph when he fell to earth, and one of the original warriors of Elyōn. Through him, we established Hilos and had an age of peace. But centuries later, he turned that same fire on his own people.”

Cassiel exhaled heavily and pinched the bridge of his nose. “And I did the same…in the war room.”

The image of his bright cerulean flames spiraling around him surfaced in Dyna’s memories. He must have looked so menacing to his people with his eyes like torch fires, expression stone cold—and murderous.

“No wonder some of them are convinced he’s returned.” Zev groaned and leaned his head back, rubbing his neck. “Gods, Cassiel.”

Now Dyna understood why Noemi had avoided speaking about the first king. They feared him King Kāhssiel had been reborn. Which was ridiculous, but such a rumor had now grown grave. Perhaps they weren’t simply targeting her because she was human, but because she was also his weakness.

“They threatened Dyna.” His silver eyes met hers across the room. At that moment, all I could think about was extinguishing them all…

“You could not help but want to protect your mate, Cassiel. It’s natural, especially with a True Bond,” Lord Jophiel said. “Seraph fire is meant to destroy any danger, and that purpose will have some effect on your instincts and emotions. But you must have discipline. I will assign someone to help you train your fire.”

He nodded grimly. “Yes, Uncle. Thank you.”

“It’s the least I could do. I wish we knew more. Nothing about the voice was recognizable? Nazar and Skath have a slight inflection.”

Zev and Rawn shook their heads.

Lord Jophiel sighed. “Then we don’t know for certain if it was the Lords, so we cannot make any unfounded accusations. There were hundreds of people present. It could have been anyone.”

Unless…the assailant suspected they were listening and purposely changed their voice to mask it.

Dyna thought of Asiel and his sly smile that seemed to scheme. Could it be his voice they heard? Some part of the prince must feel slighted to lose his place as heir of Hermon Ridge. Sarrai lost her place to her. Either of them could be involved. But it seemed too obvious.

Cassiel scowled. “Then what are we to do?”

“Nothing,” Dyna said. Her voice came out faint but everyone seemed to hear when they turned to stare at her. “We will do nothing,” she repeated firmly and stood. “Whether the threat was real or not, they will tread carefully now. Perhaps it was purely a test of our defenses, and we revealed ourselves. They know my Guardians are listening and watching. If there is another attempt, it will be better crafted.” Magic crackled around her hands, surging with her intent. “And I will be waiting.”

No one would be allowed to intimidate her. She had already decided to fight for her future, and she’d learned that sometimes you needed to get your hands bloody to survive. So if anyone came after her or her mate, she would not hesitate to take them down.

Cassiel came to her side. His warm hand cupped her cheek, and her skin tingled with the energy of his touch. Valiant little warrior. His rich voice curled through her mind, his silver eyes gleaming like sharp blades. I care not who it is. Whoever comes after you will burn, even if it means I turn on them all.

With Cassiel’s words circling her mind, Dyna didn’t get much sleep. He wanted to protect her, but she had to protect him, too, and his soul counted in that. She couldn’t stand by while he only grew more paranoid for her safety and ended up doing something that he would regret. It didn’t serve her to wait around for her assailant, not when there were too many suspects on the table.

She had to clear them out.

When morning came, Dyna set out to find Lady Sarrai before she had to meet Cassiel to pass their Rite of the Mind.

She followed the sound of quiet footsteps and paws clicking against the stone ground as Zev and Lucenna guided her through the winding corridors of the castle. They were under an invisibility spell to make her appear less protected, if that could be possible with the two warrior females on her heels.

Cassiel insisted Sowmya and Janel keep her guarded since the Valkyrie were the only ones he trusted to abide by Rael’s Laws. Rawn left to accompany him through his rites in case he heard anything else, but each of them was instructed to stay out of sight until the assailant made their move.

Eventually, Zev brought her through an archway that led outside to an open common full of trees and shrubs. She caught the sounds of voices next and followed a gravel path to find Sarrai…and prince Asiel.

Sarrai had her back to him, back straight and body poised as she fixed her eyes on a tree in the distance. “Why did you do that?”

His blue eyes were vulnerable and open in a way Dyna had never seen before. “You know why,” he said. “I will always come to you when you need me.”

Her mouth trembled, and tears gathered on her lashes, but her voice remained steady. “Please go, Asiel.”

Many raw emotions crossed his face before a smirk fell back in place, and he took a step away from her. “We both wear masks in this place, Sarrai. But I see right through yours as you do mine. If being Lady of the Realm is what you desire, then I will see that you have it, if only to be worthy of your gaze.” Asiel’s wings spread wide, bathed in the pink of dawn, and he leaped into the sky.

As soon as he was gone, Sarrai’s face crumbled. She dropped onto a stone bench and shook with quiet sobs.

“Stay back,” Dyna whispered to Zev and Lucenna. “Both of you. Whatever happens, don’t reveal yourselves.”

The air stirred and dents formed in the gravel with their silent retreat. She glanced at the Valkyrie, and they moved to guard the entrance of the archway.

Only then did Dyna approach. “Sarrai?”

Gasping, Sarrai’s head snapped up, and anger sparked in her wet eyes. “You ruined everything.”

The weight of that accusation hit her in the chest. It was a reflection of the one she held all of her life since the night the Shadow came.

“Why did you have to come here?” Sarrai asked through her tears. “It’s not right. You are not worthy of the position you hold! No one wants you here. You are not needed. You are not welcome,” she sobbed. “You don’t belong!”

But there was no hatred behind those words. No disgust. Only misery.

“It’s true,” Dyna replied softly. “You’re right. I don’t belong here.”

It was the last thing Sarrai must have expected her to say because she stopped yelling.

“But I don’t think you’re speaking to me, were you?” Dyna sat beside her and looked out at the garden. Last night, Zev told her what Lord Gadriel had said to her during the banquet. “Sometimes our hate stems from things we hate about ourselves. You call me unworthy because that is how purebloods make you feel. Unwanted. Unwelcomed. Unneeded.”

Sarrai looked away.

“Does Lord Gadriel make you feel less than because your wings are a different color than his?” Dyna let out an airy chuckle. “It’s so absurd, really. When I first saw you, I felt so terribly inferior. I envied your beauty and elegance, how you drew every eye in the room you entered. The Celestials in this Realm call you the jewel of the north. If your uncle refuses to see that, all it means is that he’s blind.”

Sarrai stared up at her.

Cassiel wasn’t the only one cast out for his differences. How many more of his kind had been censured by those with narrowed views?

She sighed up at the warm sunlight falling over them. “Your value doesn’t decrease because others refuse to see it. Don’t confuse someone’s inability to love you as a measure of your worthiness. That is their failing, not yours.”

The tears delicately balancing on Sarrai’s lashes spilled. She closed her eyes, and exhaled a long shaky breath, as if releasing a weight. “I decided I don’t care if he accepts me anymore. But my whole life, I prepared for the position you now have. I was meant to be Lady of Hermon Ridge. It needed to be me so I could see my mother. So I…”

“So you could be with Asiel?” Dyna guessed. “Your hand was promised to the next Lord and he was the one you awaited to marry. You love him.”

Sarrai flushed, ducking under her hair. And Dyna realized then, the one who she wanted had never been Cassiel. Sarrai was in love with Asiel, and the look on his face was clear he held affections for her, too.

“If I may be honest, I wouldn’t have foreseen this,” Dyna said. “I was told he was a…rake.”

“Many believe it.” Sarrai laughed wetly and wiped her cheek. “When I arrived to live here I was seven summers old, and so very aware I had been abandoned for being different. Asiel never judged me for it. He accepted me for me and I had never had that, not even with my mother. Then Cassiel arrived, and we got along well, being two Nephilims casted out for what we were.”

“But they didn’t get along,” Dyna said.

“Asiel wasn’t cruel like his brothers, but he liked to bait Cassiel. I think he couldn’t help it. His father’s love and attention went to his cousin, and he didn’t want to share mine. I didn’t understand that at the time, so Asiel distanced himself. When we became older, he pretended to entertain human girls to provoke me. The more he did it, the more attention I gave to Cassiel. A stupid game of jealousy we played with one another. But his dalliances and disrespect to the court created a persona Asiel didn’t care to correct.”

Dyna supposed that explained why the prince pretended to have interest in her. It was to irritate Cassiel out of spite, but stopped when he found out they were bonded.

“Does he care?” she asked. “About Hermon Ridge?”

“He would gladly have you think otherwise. But if you look close enough, you will find he’s always there tucked away in the crowd.”

As he had been during the summons.

“When Cassiel returned to Hilos, I think Asiel could finally breathe,” Sarrai said. “And so could I. It was as though whatever had taken up so much air between us was gone and we could rekindle our friendship…which turned into more than either of us imagined.” Her lip trembled.

“And when he returned, inadvertently taking away Asiel’s position, it broke you two apart.” Dyna sighed, now seeing the truth. Cassiel had no idea about any of this. “You need titles to be together?”

Sarrai shook her head with a hopeless shrug. “He is a pureblooded prince. I am a Nephilim. The bastard daughter that resulted from a dalliance. Such a union would never be accepted without a political alliance.”

“Well, the same was said about Cassiel and I.”

She gave her a look. “Was there not an attempt on your life last night?”

“And yet here I am,” Dyna said. “I don’t care if they don’t accept me either, Sarrai. The only thing I care about is being with him. Everything else we will face together. Life is never going to be easy, but don’t let that stop you from what you want. Even if it seems impossible to reach. For what good are wings without the courage to fly?”

Sarrai gazed at her a moment, a kindling of hope entering her eyes, but it faded as quickly as it appeared when a gray feather slipped from her wing and fluttered through the air before the wind carried it away. “Sometimes, no matter how much we want something, the right thing is to let go. I know my place as I know our union cannot be possible. Asiel refuses to accept that, the way Cassiel cannot.” Her hazel eyes met hers. “Having no love makes one so fiercely defensive once love is finally given. And the need to protect that is soul consuming. Both of you are from different worlds. Can you keep your life a secret and abandon your family for him? Can you withstand everything that will come for being his wife?”

The question made Dyna’s heart pitch. She couldn’t pretend it wouldn’t be hard. It already was. But she wouldn’t change a thing. But weathering hardships wasn’t what worried her.

She rose. “Being with Cassiel, that is worth anything, no matter what may come. For the only thing I cannot withstand is losing him. The rest I will gladly bear.”

Sarrai looked down at her lap.

Excusing herself, Dyna took the path for the castle, feeling lighter that she crossed at least one name off their list of suspects. That left the Lords, and Prince Malakel. Asiel was a possibility, but she had her doubts now.

Footsteps crunched over the gravel beside her, and then the clank of armor of Valkyrie followed once she crossed the archway. Zev affectionately nuzzled her shoulder, and Dyna felt warmed by his approval. Perhaps being Lady wouldn’t be so awful.

Tugging on the bond, Dyna followed it to the south end of the castle for the grand hall. She rounded the corner and collided with someone, immediately getting shoved off. Zev’s body caught her fall before she went sprawling.

Prince Malakel scowled down at her. His cold eyes bore into her face, and for once, she recognized the look of hatred. Dyna immediately lifted her shield on the bond, so Cassiel wouldn’t be alerted. They didn’t need another reason to cause more strife when his position in court was so delicate.

She straightened and folded her hands together as she awaited his derision.

He took in the shimmery streams of her sky-blue dress with a disgusted scoff. “Look at you. The sight of you trudging through these halls as if you mean something is sickening. If it had been up to me, you would have been buried beneath the trees.”

Her pulse was pounding from the venom in his words. She gave a very subtle motion of her fingers, warning her Guardians not to react. This was good. Let him speak his hate, all the better to rule him out.

Dyna gave him a tight smile. “How fortunate that it wasn’t up to you.” She paused deliberately before adding, “Your Highness.”

His nostrils flared, mouth curling. “When you stand in my presence, I expect you to bow.”

Gods, he certainly had some nerve. She regretted not throwing that fig at him in Hilos. Her hands itched to throw something else at him.

She lifted her chin. “Bowing condones respect, which I have none for you.” Gathering her skirts, Dyna tried to step around him but he moved in her way.

“You will go when I allow you to go, witch,” he snarled, and she felt her hackles rise at the slight. “I know you bewitched him. It was not with your countenance, for you lack beauty there. It was your curses and enchantments that twisted his sanity. You must weave them so deftly that they are beautiful to the ear, infinitely profound. Poison laced in sugar for a prince with a black heart made of stone, so starved of affection. It would take such spells to become enamored with a common thing like you.”

Static crackled in the air. Dyna wanted to remind him what she could truly do with her enchantments. But it was the tension she felt from Lucenna and Zev fighting to restrain themselves that made her rein it back. Stay calm.

“That Nephilim has always been a blight to the Soaraway House,” Malakel continued. “Mixing his blood with yours was a great disgrace, as was his birth. But I rejoice in the fact that his line will end with him. Think nothing of a future. Dare not dream of bearing children. If you defy this, I will make sure your life is a short one.”

Air trapped between her lips at his sheer audacity, and her magic roiled again with the urge to strike him. Clenching her jaw, she willed it to settle. After spending weeks with a man who instilled true fear, Malakel’s attempt at intimidation was a joke.

“And you think threatening me makes you better than him, does it?” Dyna said flatly. “Being a pureblood isn’t interesting or special. That belief is as pointless as the air of bigotry you breathe. The only reason you step on Cassiel is to feed your idea of superiority. But it’s a lie. Because the truth is, he has always been your better.”

Astonishment flashed across Malakel’s face, and his mouth opened and closed repeatedly with a response he struggled to form.

“No.” She lifted a hand. “I’m speaking, and you will listen. While I respect your ability to talk on and on, my patience does have a limit. You have insulted me in every possible way, and I won’t hear it. You are the one mistaken if you think you will have any influence over the kind of marriage I have with my husband.”

His face flooded red. “I beg your pardon.”

“You’re more than welcome to beg for it.”

He thrust her backward into the wall, pinning her there by her shoulder. A growl burst through the corridor and instantly the Valkyrie withdrew their weapons.

“It would be wise of you to stand down,” Dyna said. She was looking at Malakel, but she was speaking to her Guardians.

She gripped Zev by the scruff of his neck tightly. His powerful form was vibrating and if Malakel didn’t release her, he would lunge at any second. Lucenna’s magic was static against her cheek by how close the sorceress was. Both were ready to kill him.

Not that Malakel knew the danger he was truly in.

“You dare draw your weapon against me?” he thundered at Sowmya. “I am your prince!”

“This is Hermon Ridge,” Dyna said. “Where I outrank you. Right now, you’re in violation of Rael’s Law in harming the True Bonded of a prince of Hilos, the mate of their Lord. They’re bound to defend me, regardless of the threat. Now remove your hand from me, sir.”

His chest heaved with loud breaths, eyes burning with fury. He dug his fingers into her so tight, her collarbone felt as if it would snap.

“Malakel.”

The prince stiffened and they glanced at the pureblooded Celestial standing a few feet away. The wind tugged at his long hair, rippling across his deep red robes. Behind him stood two male guards. His dark blue eyes flecked with a lighter blue were stoic, calculating, and intelligent in the way they took in the scene before him.

“Do not diminish the prestige House Welkin holds,” he said, his voice as elegant as it was cold.

Dyna’s gaze shot to the gold pin at his neck shaped into opened wings with two crossed swords on top. Lord Raziel of Edym, she guessed. Welkin must be his family name. The resemblance between him and Malakel was obvious.

The prince immediately stepped back with a bow of his head. “Pardon me, Grandfather.”

The Valkyrie eased out of their positions. Dyna adjusted her dress in place to hide the welt she knew would form. Hot pain throbbed over her collarbone.

“See that it does not happen again.” Lord Raziel didn’t spare her a glance as he passed with his guards. A faint citrus scent trailed after him.

Malakel kept his expression neutral, even after he was gone. “It’s beneath me to waste time on your inane existence. I will find it in my mercy to allow Cassiel to live his short pitiful life with you.” At her confusion, a faint smirk rose to his mouth. “Did you not know? A union between a human and Celestial hardly lasts. The bond is too fragile when one of you is mortal. I may not even need to lift a finger. In fifty years or so, you will pass through the Gates, and Cassiel will simply perish on his own, as do all those with a broken True Bond.”

Dyna’s chest heaved with a shallow breath. Somehow, she hadn’t stopped to think about how much time she would have with Cassiel. Her lifespan was hardly anything compared to his.

“So, in the face of things, you are nothing.” Malakel chuckled as he walked backwards in the direction his grandfather had gone. “In time, you will be little more than an afterthought. If you even survive that long. The Nephilim desecrates everything he touches. You fool yourself if you think he will not ruin you, too.”

He could spout whatever nonsense he wanted, her trust in Cassiel could no longer be shaken. It didn’t mean she had to let him have the last word.

“I wouldn’t be so sure about the future, Prince Malakel.” Dyna strode away, letting her voice carry in the corridor. “Life tends to hold surprises.”