Page 1 of Taken By Fury
PROLOGUE
Zander watched the festivities from the corner of the room while he sipped his wine. It was his celebration. His birth date, but he wasn’t in much of a party mood. The Oracles had recently announced that his eldest brother, Greydon, was destined to fulfill a prophecy by killing the god Zolar and raising their lost home of Oshivana. While the news was nothing new to the boys or their parents, the king and queen, it was a big deal to their people. Everyone was whispering about it and excitement filled the air. Greydon, on the other hand, was in no rush to fulfill his role.
One Oracle had approached the boys several years back while they were at their studies and broke the news to Greydon. However, they kept it secret until only a few weeks ago because of their age. The Oracles had stated that sharing the news at the time they learned it would only have disrupted the balance of energy in the universe. They would wait until the right moment. Even though many wanted to learn more about the raising of their ancestral home, today was about Zander and his celebration.
He moved his gaze to where she stood. Lomara. The most alluring creature among them. A beauty with golden hair and eyes as blue as the sea. She was the daughter of his father’s closest friend, Count Galter, and they had promised her to his brother, Orien.
Her laughter at what his brother must have whispered in her ear made his heart beat with anger. For a moment, her gaze moved to meet his and the pain in her eyes shattered his already broken heart. They had not meant to fall in love, but it had happened despite the fact she had been betrothed to the middle prince since they were children. Why they still held these barbaric rituals was beyond him. Greydon had no betrothed, and he was to be king. His mother had said it was because the Oracles foresaw Greydon’s future mate, who would also play an important role in finding their lost home. Also, Count Galter had asked Zander’s father to grant the favor, and it had been done. Come the next spring, Orien would wed the female Zander knew really belonged to him.
A female’s scream sliced through the air and shattered his thoughts. Shots rang out and before Zander understood what was happening, blood splattered his crisp new tunic. He searched the crowd, met Orien’s gaze, and they both pulled their daggers. It was then Zander spotted Threydor with a pistol in his hand and his parents’ bodies slumped in their seats.
Pandemonium broke out as women were shoved out of harm’s way, and men took up arms against a storming army of Concosa demons. Two of the Concosa descended on him, but as luck would have it, they didn’t carry the pistols with their deadly bullets. Instead, they brandished sharp blades.
“Look, we have ourselves a prince. Hope you’re ready to die today,” one of them snarled.
“Unlucky for you, I am not.” He exchanged his dagger for something more appropriate to this fight and summoned a pair of crescent fighting knives. With one in each hand, he leaped into action. Concosa were excellent fighters as one would expect since they were once Valarians now turned to Zolar’s side in a war between god and goddess.
Throwing himself into a spin, he summoned his magic and placed a protection barrier over himself as he took the head off one demon and then the second. These demons might be good at fighting, but their powers were diminished when they became Concosa.
Their dying bodies turning to ash, Zander scanned the room for those he loved. Orien was fighting off his own demons, leaving Lomara unattended. He started for her to escort her to safety when a bullet struck her dead center in the chest. They were immortals and could survive almost anything, but these bullets were special. Once they broke through the skin, they burst open and sent poison into the bloodstream. He watched in horror as Lomara crumpled to the floor, blood soaked her pale-yellow gown. Even though his heart knew, he ran to her anyway and confirmed she was already gone. The bullet had struck the heart, causing instant death. While he was thankful she had not suffered, he swore his revenge as he reached out and closed her eyes.
“I will always love you,” he whispered before jumping back to his feet. There was no time to mourn. Death surrounded him and his priority was now the king and queen, but when he spun to face their thrones, they were already slumped forward, blood pooled at their feet, and he didn’t need to be told his parents were dead. A sob caught in his throat. But he was a warrior before he was a prince and now, he had to shift his focus, make certain Greydon was alive and stayed that way. They all depended on it. He whipped around to search for the prince and saw him with a dagger in hand and heading for Threydor. Vengeance was thick in the air, but he could not allow his eldest brother to fight the Concosa leader.
Taking off on a run, he headed to stop Greydon, but thankfully, Fang, the king’s protector, got to Greydon first.
“My prince, I am so sorry, but you must flee,” Fang yelled.
“I am not leaving!”
“But you must. You are our only hope.” Fang gripped Greydon by the arms and spun him around to face him. “Grab what you need and run, my prince. I swear I will avenge your family.”
“What you ask me to do is cowardly.”
Fang shook his head. “No. What I beg you to do is save your life. You are prophesied to end this.”
Thankfully, Orien appeared next to Greydon and Zander knew he didn’t need to worry further as he watched their now king vanish from the room. Zander understood his eldest brother had just done the most difficult task of his life. He had fled a massacre of his family and people, and Zander knew this would weigh on his brother’s heart for the rest of his life. Zander had no time to contemplate further as some kind of magical netting surrounded him. Pain filled his body down to his bones. He fought to free himself, but he was as weak as a baby and when he looked around him, he discovered he was not alone. Orien and Fang were also ensnared and being pulled away.
“May the goddess Uuna save us all and I pray the Oracles are correct in their prophecy. Greydon, you are now our only hope,” he whispered in the wind before he passed out.
CHAPTER1
Current Time:
Zander pressedhis back against the wall and slid down the corridor. As long as he had something solid behind him, he could remain unseen. No one passing him would take notice unless they stopped for a closer inspection. He was on the trail of the female and was determined to locate her. His gut screamed she was behind Zolar’s baby demon program, and she had the information he wanted. Pity because she was kinda hot.
He came across a door that carried her vanilla scent and showed she’d been in the room behind it recently. He tested the handle.
Unlocked.
Pushing it open, he slipped inside. The lights flickered on the moment he entered, and he quietly closed the door behind him. As he cased the small room, he noted a counter, sink, and two cabinets above and below. One chair sat in the corner, but the dead giveaway was the short rolling stool and the exam table. This was definitely a room used to examine females.
His superior hearing detected someone coming, so he slipped behind the door. As luck would have it, it opened, and vanilla filled the room as she entered. Before she could move, he grabbed her by the throat and pinned her against the now closed door.
Icy blue eyes widened and focused on him. Her hair was pulled into an unattractive ponytail that made her cheekbones too prominent for his taste. Her lips, however, were plump and pink. He rather liked them, especially when her tongue darted out and moistened them.
“Who the fuck are you?” Might as well get the introductions out of the way.
“I might ask you the same question,” she snarled.
