Possession of Monsters (The Wyern Clan Series Book 2) Read online

  Possession of Monsters

  THE WYERN CLAN SERIES BOOK TWO

  G. BAILEY

  Map

  Possession of Monsters.

  All Rights Reserved. 2022.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental and formed by this author’s imagination. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Edited by Polished Perfection

  Cover by by MiblArt

  Artwork/chapter heading/background images by Samaiya Art.

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  Description

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  About the Author

  Other Books by G. Bailey

  Bonus Read of The Broken and Sinned.

  Bonus Chapters of The Broken and Sinned.

  Description

  A cursed, beautiful monster saved my life.

  But no one can save me from myself… from being fae.

  After the Fae Prince stole my mortal life, I end up trapped in the fae court alongside him. The fae court is full of immortal, secretive and deceptive fae, but I’m not alone.

  I have my own court in the shadows, and they have wings.

  The Fae Prince has taken my ward and demands my help to find missing fae children in exchange for keeping him safe.

  King Emerson comes to court for me.

  The first time in centuries he has entered the world of fae publicly. He was once my enemy, then almost a lover, and now it turns out that we have known each other over many lifetimes.

  But it doesn’t mean I can trust him or love him. Even if loving him seems impossible to avoid.

  The curse is broken, the Wyerns are free, but at what cost?

  In the shadows and darkness lies more than just the Wyern monsters.

  The Rift is open.

  Heir of Monsters is a full-length paranormal Monster Romance with mature themes. This is a spicy enemies-to-lovers romance and is recommended for 17+. Book Two of Five.

  Chapter

  One

  There was a choice.

  In this place between life and death, between mortal and fae, there was a clear choice to be made. As I float in what looks like an endless sea, more beautiful than the glittering seas themselves, the choice echoes around me.

  Fae.

  Mortal.

  Life.

  Death.

  By awakening, I would be forced to choose fae and life. A never-ending life with magic and love, war and pain. But death hovers so near, swimming just under the surface, holding out a bony hand.

  To survive, I need to fly to the light above, where the sun should be, but I see a bright waterfall cascading out of a female’s hand. I could swim, float, or fly up to there, or I can sink and be at peace forever with death itself.

  My body feels like it’s already lost, disappearing into the water, but my soul is another matter. It wants to live. I want to live. Even as fae, even as my mortal body is forcibly taken from me.

  I still want to live… to see what comes next.

  I wake up with a sharp gasp of air. Brittle. Freezing. Almost like the world itself is waking me up, pulling me from whatever was in that dream with a sharp blast of ice. I know there’ll be no more peace for me now, no more tranquility. Now I’ve made this choice. A single tear slips down my cheek as I stare up at the smooth white ceiling, watching warm fae lights hover around slowly.

  Slowly, I realize it isn’t cold in the room at all, and soon it feels warm, hot even, as I stretch out my new body that feels so foreign to me, so different from the one I have been used to for so long. I still shiver as I sit up, a thick silver sheet falling to my waist as I glance around the small bedroom I’m in. The bed itself is made of solid, shaped gold with four tall columns covered in gold flowers, the stems thornless. This isn’t my home, not the small apartment I had grown to love because it was mine. No, this is clearly part of the fae world… it’s too expensive to be anything else. It’s too warm and bright to be the Wyern castle.

  I gulp as the fear crawls up my throat when I catch a reflection of myself across the room where there’s a line of mirrored doors. I’m in a flowy, white, shimmery gown that doesn’t hide much of my now golden skin, and any sign of malnourishment is now gone, replaced by full cheeks and a brightness I’ve never had. I lift a shaky hand up and touch my left ear, wincing at the sharp point I find there, not the curved edge I’m used to. My hand falls down through my hair, which feels silkier or softer than ever, and the mirror clearly shows me that the pink has gone, replaced by silvery white hair reminding me of Zurine and the fact she isn’t here.

  Neither is he.

  Emerson. My heart seems to stop at just his name, and I curse myself for it. Whatever we had… it was a lie. He is a fae prince, not just a Wyern king, and he thinks I’m some reborn mortal girl he loved once. A long time ago. I know the facts add up, that I should believe I’m this girl, but I don’t remember her, and I have too much happening in the present to worry about focusing on who I used to be. And how loving Emerson cursed his entire race, destroyed the Fae Queen’s mind, and caused all of this to happen.

  Loving him means death.

  That is a lesson I need to remember, because I wouldn’t be here, a fucking fae, if it weren’t for him.

  I wince as I recall his roar when the prince stuck that needle into my neck and then the feeling like I had died. Or at least the mortal side of me did. I should thank the goddess herself for letting me live when there was such a large chance I would just die. But I can’t find it in me to thank her for this yet. I look at myself in the mirror and resist the urge to cry… I barely recognize myself anymore. Every inch of me is more toned, beautiful and glowing, and it isn’t me. I am not me.

  I can’t give up now. I have to get out of this bed and face this life. My fae life. I push the sheets off my long legs, which look about the same height as before at least, and stand on the cold tiled floor, only to stumble and smack into a chair, smashing it into pieces under me. I climb away from it and take a deep breath in shock, shaking my head a few times. I’m stronger now and that shouldn’t be a complete shock, but it is. Using the wall, I stand up again and focus on the room, the door at the other side and the glass-paneled door to the balcony. The door is likely guarded, if not by magic, by fae guards, but the balcony is a chance for me to escape.

  My hand runs over the gold felt butterflies fluttering around a silver tree on the wall before I let go and manage to walk over to the door, grabbing the metal handle and sharply yanking it open. The glass in the frame smashes instantly, shards cutting my hands and feet as it falls around. I watch the red blood on my hand bubble from the cuts for only a second before the cut heals itself remarkably fast. Fae healing. Fae strength. Fae senses. The brittle air blows into me a second later, and I suck in a deep breath to calm myself, but it doesn’t work. I don’t think anything or anyone could.

  I step out onto the balcony, barely feeling the air anymore or the tiles that cut like ice into my feet as I take in the city belo
w, sparkling like gemstones floating through a night sky. Ethereal City has always been a beauty, but from this angle, looking down on it like the goddess herself looks down on us all, I can’t help but admire it even more… until the cold reality of where I am settles into my mind. Fear weaves itself around my bones like a vise. I’m in the fae castle, the highest point of the city, and that can only mean I’m a prisoner of the prince. The betraying bastard.

  I need to make a plan. I can’t be his prisoner. But even as I think of escaping, betraying him, something cuts deep into my chest at the thought. My blood burns, like it’s trying to claw my own heart from my chest.

  “If you survive, then you’ll be bound to me, my first fae, and you’ll never be able to resist my command. You’ll be mine.”

  His last words echo to me. His first fae, bound to him by blood. I know the rules of joining the fae army, those who willingly take the fae serum, and how they are bound to protect the queen, follow her command and die for her. Now, I’m bound to him. Fuck.

  I hear double heartbeats and smell the fae scent, soft and feminine, of the people that open my door before they even come in. I walk over the broken glass, feeling it cut my feet but not caring anymore. I know I’ll heal fast.

  I won’t hide from whoever this is.

  Two fae females flutter into the room, their soft purple dresses brushing across the white tiles as they walk to me.

  “You’re hurt,” the one on the left claims in a soft voice, coming to a stop far too close by. “You should not be outside. It’s far too cold for a newly turned fae. Your body will take a few more hours to adjust, and you might still get sick.”

  When I don’t say anything, they look at each other. They are clearly spies sent by the prince, and I can’t trust them. They’re both classically, otherworldly beautiful in the way fae are, and even standing still, there is something about them that screams unearthly tones. The elegant purple gowns they wear fall to the floor, with tight bodices at the top, made for easy movement and made of a material that must have cost a fortune, more than I’ve ever had in my life.

  The flowers all over the bodices, which curl around their upper arms, look like real gold and shimmer like it too.

  The fae with long black hair that is braided behind her sighs. “We aren’t here to hurt you, but to make sure you are well and don’t hurt yourself. Changing is a confusing time.”

  “You work for the prince, I’m guessing?” I counter, watching the tiny gold flowers woven into her hair glittering under the fae light.

  The other fae female, with dark brown hair stylishly cut short, takes a step closer and stands with her arm pressed against the other.

  Both of them have similar features along with their blue eyes, and I’d wager a bet they are sisters of some kind. “What do you want?” I ask sharply.

  The black-haired fae clears her throat. “Why don’t we start with introductions? It’s unfair that we know you, but you do not know us. My name is Lady Sahana Trixnoble, and this is my sister, Lady Damita Trixnoble. We are part of the inner court of the fae, and due to our family name, we were offered to welcome you into the fae world. The prince has told us how you wished to become a fae, begged even, as payment for finding his kidnapper and saving his life.”

  What the fuck?

  Damita nods, her eyes wide. “It’s truly terrible that the Wyern Princess, that monster, kidnapped our treasured Fae Prince! The shock has still not settled into my mind. We have much to thank you for.”

  Sahana comes closer, and I let her, still reeling from the lies the prince has fed the world. I’m not surprised he made up this lie, because the truth would make him look bad and he can’t have that now that he is going to make himself king soon. I flinch as Sahana’s warm hand rests on my shoulder. “So please allow us to help you, Calliophe Sprite. Your new place in the court, an honored place given by the prince himself, means you can set up a new house in your family name. House Sprite. We are the last of house Trixnoble and understand the complicated ways of the fae houses well. That’s why the prince allowed us to tend to you permanently.”

  Damita smiles at me, and it’s the kind of smile a viper might give you before it bites. “Sadly, we do not have much time, and now that you’re awake, we must get you dressed and ready for the elemental ceremony.”

  As my eyes flicker to the door and Sahana follows my gaze, she says nothing when she looks right at me, but her eyes seem to want to say something. “Do you wish to know what the elemental ceremony consists of?”

  I pull my eyes from her and take a step away, needing distance. “Sure, why not?”

  Sahana folds her arms across her chest. “Every fae is gifted with one of the seven elemental powers. Turned or born, it matters not, and your power will become apparent at the ceremony. Our priestesses will give you the seven options, and you simply must open yourself up to your magic. Do not worry, it’s easier than it sounds, and it will be over fairly quickly. Born fae take the ceremony at age five, and turned have to take it soon after they wake up.”

  I have powers? I should have figured out that on my own, but I know I’m still in shock, and I don’t know how to process any of this. One thing is certain: I’m not interested in playing the prince’s game and diving into the world of the fae. I wasn’t brought up here, and I am not one of them, despite what my blood claims.

  Sahana watches me and turns to her sister a second later. “Sister, why don’t you go and get the ceremony robes and start a bath? Time is running out before the sun rises and marks the beginning of the ceremony.”

  “Of course,” she carefully replies, walking to the mirrored wall and pushing the door aside and heading into what seems like a bathroom and closet on the other side.

  “I want to go back to my old life, not play fae,” I snap, stepping away from Sahana. She moves quickly to my side, grabbing my upper arm and lowering her mouth to my ear. Her grip is strong, but she doesn’t hurt me. Her voice is softer than a whisper, meant only for us. “Air fae can pick up conversations with the wind, and they will tell the prince everything. Earth fae, like my sister and me, can talk to the plants and hear their overheard stories. Nowhere is safe, remember that. Lady Zurine asked me to help you, so let me. There’s no going back to your old life, and you aren’t playing fae, you are fae. The mortal world, your life in it is gone, but parts of it I assume you want to keep safe. The prince had a mortal boy and his mother in a magical medical hold brought into the castle while you slept. For them, be a fae and be damn smarter than this.”

  She lets me go and steps aside quickly as her sister comes back in, placing a light green dress on the bed before going back into the room.

  My heart pounds fast. “Louie?”

  “I assume so,” she quietly says. “If that is the mortal boy’s name you had as a ward.”

  “Goddess,” I gasp, my legs feeling weak.

  Sahana places her hand on my back. “One day at a time. He hasn’t hurt the boy or the mom, as far as I know. Now we have to dress you and tell you that your days will be spent training with the fae army in the day, and in the afternoon you will be in court with us. The prince doesn’t always attend court, so you might be lucky tomorrow. Today, you will spend in the ceremony.”

  “I’m gathering that there isn’t a choice here,” I mutter.

  “If it’s not us preparing you, then the royal guards will drag you there, dressed as you are, in front of an army of fae soldiers and commanders waiting to see your gift, along with whatever fae come to watch you, as you are quite the gossip of this century.”

  “Zurine?” I whisper next.

  Sahana smiles, her voice like a ghost. “We are old friends. Don’t worry, the Wyerns have not forgotten you.”

  I’m not sure if I believe her, but learning these powers is going to be my best bet on getting Louie and his mom out of here, and learning to fight as a fae could help. Sahana goes to say something, but her mouth shuts and she lowers her head.

  “The bath is ready,”
Damita says, and the fact Sahana won’t speak when she is in the room says a lot about how much she trusts her sister. Fae play games, fight dirty, and use words like weapons. I know this and I have to use everything I’ve ever learnt about fae to make sure I survive this damned world.

  “We were just wondering what gift Calliophe will be blessed with. I don’t think she is earth, like us,” Sahana says with a light, fake giggle.

  Her eyes, filled with humor, meet mine, but it’s Damita who says, “No, she won’t be a calm element. I can already tell she will be explosive, whichever it is.”

  I watch Damita as she waves at the door, and I smile tightly at her. “You’re a fast learner, Damita. I’ll remember that.”

  “You’re learning,” Sahana whispers as she walks with me, and I can’t help but lightly smile.

  Yes, I’m learning that the fae can’t be trusted, and the faster I escape, the better.

  Chapter

  Two

  The fae royal guards stay at my side from the second I step out of my room, close enough to make sure I know they are there, but not close enough to ever accidentally touch me. I wonder what they were like when they were mortal. What made them desperate enough to choose this life? I can’t see their faces under the black armor and helmets, but I see their eyes. Eyes that don’t cry out for help or regret. They are content like this.

  They chose this.

  They move silently. Even their footsteps are so light I can barely pick up any noise, and I find myself watching them closely for anything. Any sign of mortality left in them. Is there any mortality left in me? One guard is walking ahead of me, leading the way through the many passageways and past countless doors in this maze of a castle. This place must be larger than the Wyern castle, judging by the small part of it I’ve seen so far, and they are far, far richer. Every inch of this place is dipped in silver, gold, expensive paintings and antiques, and that’s just what they have out on display. Not that anyone would be brave enough to steal from the royal family. The guards don’t need swords or weapons, and yet they’re littered with them, the blades glinting from the light of the rising sun outside and the fae lights hovering around, making sure there are no shadows in any part of the passageways I’m led down. Even in the brightest of places, it can still be so tainted with darkness that no amount of light could ever hide it.