Kindle

In the castle walls of house Caldore, Nolan sat behind his table, looking at the list. A blinding headache was hindering him from fulfilling the list of duties he held in his hand. If the pain persisted, he would have to see a healer and postpone everything he planned to finish before morning.It was the day of his parents' death anniversary. He had made sure no one was at the river. The night guards included. He didn't want to think of the number of lives the river claimed every year on the day of his parents' death anniversary. If he figured it out sooner, a lot of people would have been saved.At least, the past six years had gone by without a single person drowning in the river. He wondered if the witch's curse had continued even after his parents were dead.A million lives for one. A million by the river.Nolan sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. All those people had died for the sake of one girl. Witches were vindictive. He knew that now but he wished his parents had known

Nolan had backed away from Baila and chosen to stand in a corner far away from her. His heart thudded dangerously fast whenever he was near her. Twelve blasted hells! He had hoped with all his heart that he was wrong and yet when he kissed her, every sleeping part of him had awoken. She was the one. She was his to protect. Nolan watched her brown eyes gaze outside the window. He was certain that she wanted to be free, to leave but for some reason, she stood still with a lost look on her face. He could not let anyone know about her. Not yet. Goddess! The council. What would they say if he told them that his mate was a witch? Nolan squeezed his eyes shut, wondering if he should let her know or watch her walk away forever. The latter was a better option but somehow, Nolan knew it would be impossible to let her go. "Can I stay for a few nights?" she asked. Nolan looked at her. There were a lot of questions he should have asked her. Questions that were very important and necessary

"The queen was a fireball," Sara started. "She was so fierce but kind and warm at the same time. She treated me like I was her daughter. When she died, I felt like I lost my mother. Anyways, she and the king had an arranged marriage. She wasn't too happy about it initially but in time, they fell in love. King Arlen was a kind man and Queen Ariadne was his world even after they had Nolan, he doted on her like she was everything. Ariadne used to scold him all the time. It was fun to watch them be together. I miss them but Nolan must miss them more especially since he was crowned king three days after their deaths. He was only ten." Baila found Sara's hand in the dark and held unto it, squeezing it comfortingly. Unlike Nolan, Sara still had family but it did not mean that she was less affected by the deaths of the king and queen. "Does Nolan have a mate?" Baila asked. She was scared Sara would snap at her as Aaron did but so far, the royal physician had been nothing but nice to her. "N

Baila stumbled back, struggling to breathe as her breath escaped her mouth in strangled hiccups. The creature before her was once human, she was sure of it. It was a woman with hair badly ripped out that Baila could see the soft pink flesh of her scalp. Her teeth were a long line of small sharp triangles like a fish's teeth. The woman wore a tattered black dress and black veins littered her pale sickly skin which had a sticky transparent liquid on it. But what scared Baila the most was her eyes. They were endless pools of darkness like a bear's. Footsteps drew closer and Baila glanced backwards to see Sara approaching with a sword. The creature looked highly amused with what was going on. Baila made a decision. She wasn't sure Sara's sword could even nick the creature. With a trembling hand, she reached for her necklace. "Baila. Don't!" Sara snapped but Baila wasn't listening. She ripped the necklace off with all the strength she could muster and it fell to the ground with a clink.