A Flash In The Densest Shadow: From Forest To Flames #2 Read online

  A Flash In the Densest Shadow

  (From Forest To Flames #2)

  K. Lyn Hill

  Copyright © 2020 K. Lyn Hill

  All rights reserved

  The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.

  ISBN-13: 9781234567890

  ISBN-10: 1477123456

  Cover design by: K. Lyn Hill

  Model: Lilly Jones

  Library of Congress Control Number: 2018675309

  Printed in the United States of America

  Dedicated to everyone who dares to dream of so much more.

  Let your imagination carry you on the wings of fairies.

  Let your scales shimmer as you swim with mermaids.

  NEVER...Let anyone dull your sparkle.

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  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

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Chapter Forty

  Chapter Forty-Two

  Chapter Forty-Three

  Chapter Forty-Four

  Chapter Forty-Five

  Chapter Forty-Six

  Chapter Forty-Seven

  Chapter Forty-Eight

  Chapter Forty-Nine

  Chapter Fifty

  Chapter Fifty-One

  Chapter Fifty-Two

  Chapter Fifty-Three

  Chapter Fifty-Four

  Chapter Fifty-Five

  Chapter Fifty-Six

  Chapter Fifty-Seven

  Chapter Fifty-Eight

  Chapter Fifty-Nine

  Prologue

  Ceranthium, 23 years ago

  Gwendolyn

  It wasn’t hard getting rid of the queen and gaining access to the castle. But it was hard pretending to be her.

  All around the kingdom people praised the grace of their precious queen. It made Gwendolyn want to vomit. But then that wouldn’t be very queen like, now would it?

  She had wondered how hard it would be to seduce the king. Questioned if he would see through her disguise. Seemed like that wasn’t much of an issue though. Running a hand down his chest, her eyes promised future promiscuity and he drank her in like a well-aged bottle of wine.

  Good thing men were so easy to manipulate. Even without her beasts she could rule their world.

  The king grabbed her waist yanking her towards him. “My dear, as much as I want to take you right now, we must wait until after the king leaves.”

  Her eyebrows furrowed before she caught herself and straightened them out. “King?”

  “You don’t remember? The father of Damien’s future bride is set to arrive today for the signing of the papers to make it official.”

  He stared at her with a curious look, but she distracted him with a kiss to his neck. “Of course, I remember.”

  The king sighed heavily and ate it up without a second thought. Idiot. “You need to stop that darling before I insult the king by ignoring his presence because I’m too busy with my wife in our room.”

  She let loose a fake giggle. God, this acting was exasperating. The sooner she could have him killed, the better. Only issue was the bloody crown prince that would take the throne after the king was gone. She couldn’t kill them both off in the same weekend. Unfortunately, that might look a bit suspicious. No, she needed to be patient and come up with another plan to overtake the throne.

  The door to the room opened and the king’s advisor stepped inside shooting her what would seem quite the offensive look if she truly were the queen. She ignored it and him. As much as she desired to snarl and snap at him, unleashing her beasts like she did on her lab partner, that would give her impersonation away. Not to mention, she still lacked a way for her beasts to join her.

  Despite the anger swelling inside at the thought, she smiled anyway just as the original queen would do and greeted him. “Benjamin, to what do we owe the pleasure?”

  “King Williams of Aritrithria has arrived, Your Majesties.”

  “Good. Send him in.” The king said, releasing her.

  A red and white cloak was the first thing she saw as a strong figure entered the room.

  Then her mouth ran dry while her heart fluttered in a mixture of excitement and fury.

  The father of Damien’s future wife stared at her through hooded eyes as she tried to fathom her luck at this sick twist of fate. For the face that stared back at her was not a stranger.

  No, the person looking back at her, looked identical to the man who helped lock her away. The very man she vowed to seek revenge on. And when the king’s daughter-the future queen of Ceranthium-was born, would look identical to her enemy’s daughter.

  While a vicious grin spread on her face, she couldn’t help but reflect on her fortune, for this just got so much more interesting.

  Chapter One

  Damien

  Damien sat in misery watching her from a darkened corner across the room. Her breathing still followed the same steady rhythm as it had a few hours ago. Her chest gently rose and then fell.

  Rise.

  Fall.

  Rise.

  Fall.

  It was such a simple movement that entranced him. As hard as he tried, he couldn’t look away. Not even through Eli’s attempt at coercing her awake with familiar humor. “Aer, if you stay unconscious for much longer, I’ll have no choice but to draw a sharpie mustache on your face.” Or, “Geez, if you don’t wake up now, we are going to have to change out your bed pan.”

  His intentions were well motivated, but it did nothing to ease Damien’s wicked temperament. Then there was Siel, who kneeled on the ground beside her, holding her hand, whispering into her ear. Actions only a lover would do. Behavior that Damien should be emanating and yet all he could do was stare at her chest.

  Rise.

  Fall.

  Rise.

  Fall.

  Without those two functions, Aerity wouldn’t be alive right

  now.

  Rise.

  Fall.

  Rise.

  Fall.

  If it weren’t for her jumping in front of him,
she would be her naturally playful and healthy self. And yet she was in bed with a stab wound that was intended for him.

  Rise.

  Fall.

  Rise.

  Fall.

  She risked her life to save his. Why?

  He cringed at the thought of how badly he had treated her. He had been monstrous. Accused her, ignored her, treated her with contempt and yet she still didn’t hesitate to lay her life on the line for his. He had no words to describe the emotions bombarding him. Emotions that filled in empty cracks that had gone far too long without repair. His guards would sacrifice for him because that was their job but Aerity...she would only benefit if he were gone. With him out of the way, she could have married his brother. That was what she wanted, wasn’t it? She wouldn’t have to deal with all the mess he had put her through.

  Shaking his head, Damien continued to stare at her. This woman was constantly infuriating him, challenging him and yet this whole time he had refused to see her for who she was. The loving, kind, sacrificing woman that his brother saw since the beginning.

  This was the woman he had pushed away.

  He didn’t even need to see her right shoulder to confirm what he knew deep down in his soul, this wasn’t the princess and she wouldn’t bare the royal birth mark, just as Siel had said.

  Before their wedding, she had told him that he crossed the point of no return. He destroyed anything good that they could have had...and then she saved his life...Gods, he was such a mess.

  Not being able to stand his own thoughts, he abruptly rose from his corner and stalked over to the others. The tension in the room leaked and spread like a deadly poison. Eli, now silent, cradled his head in his hands as he stared down at his best friend-who was still unconscious-while healers rushed around trying to preserve Aerity’s life. Siel’s shoulders tightened as he felt his brother approached, wound like a bow string ready to snap.

  “Are there any updates?” Damien bellowed to his general who had just stepped into the fray like someone walking onto a mine field. “No, My Prince. They are still interrogating the prisoner but aren’t getting anything out of him.” Damien was torn between going to torture the one who dared to attack and the desire to stay at Aerity’s bed side in case she woke.

  “What do you say brother?” Siel’s voice dripped with venom. “Do you feel like hitting someone? Because I certainly do.” His voice sounded foreign to his brother’s normal joyful lilt because it was entirely wrapped in malice. It had been three days so far and Aerity had yet to wake up.

  Shifting his head to Eli with a sharp nod was all that was needed. Eli would stay with her while they took care of the scum who hurt her.

  Eli’s eyes narrowed in understanding as his voice came out clear and lethal. “Kill the bastard or I will.”

  That was all the response Damien needed.

  Chapter Two

  Aerity

  “Mom?” Light danced across Aerity’s vision as her eyes tried to adjust to the bright light surrounding her. A graceful figure glided over to her clothed in beauty and strength. The contrast between now and when she saw her mom last was striking but the stride was so familiar it made her throat tighten.

  “Hi baby. Did you come to visit me?” Her mother’s cold hands grasped hers. “I missed you, love.”

  A slow tear escaped and rolled down Aerity’s cheek. “I missed you too mom. So much. How are you here? Where am I?”

  A soft expression filled her mother’s face, as she brought her gentle hands to cup her cheeks. “You’re just dreaming, baby. You will need to go back soon.”

  The pain Aerity remembered affecting her side was currently numb. She felt no suffering. Only joy at being in the presence of her real mom. “But what if I want to stay here with you?”

  A slight smile appeared on her mom’s face. “You have people who are worried about you darling. Your father, Elias, Damien.”

  A snort escaped her lips. “I think you mean Siel. Damien couldn’t give a flying crap about me.”

  A reprimanding look crossed her mom’s beautiful face and then it smoothed out, wrinkle lines and all. “You would be surprised just how much he cares. I thought you better than that Aerity. People put on many masks. You need to learn to see through his. Deep down he’s scared to death of you and he lashes out for fear of getting hurt. Get to know him and you’ll understand. Give him a chance, love.”

  Skepticism overcame her but she let it go for now. “What about Siel? You didn’t mention him. Doesn’t he worry about me?”

  Shadows clouded her mother’s face. “Siel does care, but Aerity you must be careful. Siel has many secrets and he will hurt you beyond compare.”

  Aerity furrowed her brows. “I don’t understand.”

  Her mom’s knowing look softened. “I don’t have time to explain it to you now baby. It’s time for you to wake up.” Her voice become harsher and morphed into something else entirely. “Wake up!”

  Chapter Three

  Damien

  The smell of decay and urine permeated the air, drawing understanding when he looked at the dark stain lining the guilty man’s pants. They had left him alone with their general who had interesting tactics for making men talk and was also known for his tendency to make grown men cry. Silence grew into a steady growing toxin as the man’s face darkened upon seeing Damien’s dank look. If this man thought Damien’s general was bad, he was in for a rude awakening. If Damien’s burning eyes were as deadly as they appeared, the man would have been incinerated in mere seconds.

  Crouching down to make eye contact with the culprit, he swiftly reached through the bars, yanking his shirt to thoroughly slam his face into the rusted hinges. A pathetic whimper escaped the man although his face remained terse. He was no trained killer, that much Damien could gather. “Do you have any idea what you have done?” His voice was a calm viper waiting for his prey to get into striking distance. Lethal calm. The man’s breath stuttered. “Whatever my general has done so far, let me make it clear that it was nothing compared to the pain I will make you feel.” Looking thoughtful he added. “Although I asked him to save most of the fun for me.”

  The man looked like he might wet himself again but then he seemed to gain some courage, spitting at the ground by Damien’s feet.

  He ignored the criminal’s insubordinate behavior, for now. He had more important things that he was concerned about. “You see, I’m quite livid as you can imagine. I’ve been long awaiting my life with my bride and now to my chagrin, it will be yet again postponed. I know you have seen my wife. I’m sure you can understand why this vexes me greatly.” The man’s eyes shifted back and forth between Damien and any possible escape but there was none. “Not only did you interrupt my wedding, I would have killed you for regardless, you attempted to take the life of a royal. Do you understand what that means?” His patronizing tone made the guy’s eyes widen marginally. Damien continued, unphased. “It means that either way you are going to die. But it can be excruciatingly slow.... or in my good graces, your information could speed it up.”

  Siel stood in the background as a silent pillar, most likely willing himself still so he didn’t reach for his swords and slice this man open before they could get the information they needed. He was practically vibrating with rage, although Damien was sure he was only attuned to it because it matched his own temperament. That knife wound was meant for him. If Aerity hadn’t pushed him out of the way...he slammed the guilt down because nothing good would come from letting it overtake him.

  Gambling a glance at Siel, he tried to regain his composure, but his brother wasn’t fairing much better than he was. As much as Damien loathed to admit it, his brother was just as emotionally invested in Aerity as he was, if not more so. “What do you say Siel?” His eyes trailed back to their captive. “Want to have some fun?” Steps so silent one would think they imagined them abruptly ended as he felt his brother’s presence beside him.

  Menacingly, Siel leaned over like he was about to tell
the man his deepest darkest secret. “I think I’m going to skin him first.” Letting his voice ring out dark and unpredictable. The accused man began to shake at the threat lingering in the air but Siel wasn’t finished. “Or perhaps we can pull out some of those tools the general uses for special occasions.”

  The man’s eyes began to glisten and then he bumbled, leading to a down right sob. “Is the princess ok?” He was concerned for the person he stabbed? Damien didn’t dignify him with a response. “I didn’t want to hurt her, but she jumped in the way. I’d never hurt her!”

  Damien knew that he was the intended target, which weighed heavily on his heart. “Why were you targeting me?” Damien asked him in the same cool voice.

  “We know how you treat her. You’re a beast!”

  Damien schooled the surprise from showing on his face. “What are you talking about?” He replied slowly.

  “She is kind! You don’t deserve her!” Now the anger set in, chilling him to his bones. A slight shake of Siel’s head leveled his aggression.

  “Explain!” He roared, ignoring Siel’s look.

  “The people have heard everything! They will fight for her freedom.”

  “At the risk of everyone starving?!” This fool didn’t realize what he was doing. Without their political marriage they would have all suffered.

  “There can still be an alliance if she marries Siel.”

  It took everything in him not to flinch at the criminal’s words. Was this really what was going on around the village? How had he not heard about these rumblings before? They had planned on murdering him so that Aerity could be happy? He clenched his hands into a fist to keep them from shaking.

  Damien was about to reply when heavy footsteps sounded hastily through the damp corridors of the dungeon. “My Prince.” The stewards spewed in a rushed breath.

  “What is it?!” Impatience blasted through the air.

  “It’s the princess, Sir.” Shifting his eyes from the prisoner back to Damien, it was clear he was deciding how much to say out loud. “Come quick.” Was all he managed to choke out but Damien and Siel were already up half the flight of stairs.