Shadowborn Queen Read online

  Shadowborn Queen

  Dark Fae Paranormal Prison Series

  G. Bailey

  Scarlett Snow

  Contents

  Prologue

  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

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Epilogue

  21. Excerpt from Shadowborn Academy (Dark Fae Academy Series: Book One)

  22. Bonus Read

  23. Bonus Read

  24. Appendix i - LOCATIONS

  Shadowborn Prison © 2020 G. Bailey & Scarlett Snow

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the products of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  All Rights Reserved.

  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.

  Cover Design by Covers By Juan

  Created with Vellum

  Prologue

  Meira

  Eighteen Years Ago

  It has been nine months since I celebrated the Night of Light and danced with my king in Vasili. I knew this moment would come and I would have to let him go, but as I hold our newborn daughter in my exhausted arms, I'm filled with a sense of loss I never expected to feel. From this moment on, I will never see my king again.

  I will never feel his arms wrapped around me as I listen to his heartbeat in the near darkness of his chamber. We will never share those beautiful moments stolen in his kingdom.

  No longer will I have him, nor will he have me, for that is the path the Zorya Sisters have woven for us. Tears sting my eyes as I look down at my daughter and gently rock her back to sleep. At least I have something to remember my Ulric by—something no one will ever take from me. With Selena as my witness, I will protect our daughter. There is nothing I won't do to ensure she lives the best, fullest life in the Enchanted Forest.

  The dawn sunlight filtering through the balcony doors shines upon Izora's small face. As if the gods timed it themselves, a light breeze drifts through my chamber as my love steps through a portal.

  "Meira..."

  My name whispered from his lips is deep and pained, causing my heart to stutter in my chest. I try not to think about how badly I will mourn his voice when he leaves. Instead, I look back at our daughter as a solitary tear slips from my lashes onto her cheek.

  Wordlessly, the king moves to my side and gazes upon our daughter bundled in her woolen blanket. He slides his eyes over her tiny hands and face, her little button nose and dimpled cheeks, her small tufts of silver hair.

  "She was born at first light," I say, my cheeks hurting from smiling at her so much. "She's only been in this world for an hour and already I will do anything for her. This is our daughter."

  I hold her out to him, and he takes her into his arms gently. For a long while, he cradles and looks at her, no doubt committing her to his memory since he'll never see her again. My heart sinks to the pit of my stomach and it takes everything not to cry. In some regards, the gods are never fair to those who live within the Enchanted Forest.

  "I wish not to release her," the king whispers, a crease etching between his brows. "But I know that I must if we're to protect her life. Our babe will not be safe in the kingdoms of fae. I want to spare her of our ways and for her to live freely and happily." He looks at me, his eyes glazed with unshed tears. "I shall always protect you, my love, as I have vowed to you in the name of Danica. You will want for nothing. Our daughter, above all, will remain safe so long as you keep her birthright hidden."

  I puncture my teeth into my quivering lips, afraid if I speak I'll beg him to stay again.

  Don't do this. We can hide and raise her together. Please don’t leave me.

  It's so foolish to think this. I know that. And yet I pleaded and begged the gods to make it so. Over the past several months, they have continuously made me aware that it will never happen.

  "Thank you for everything, Ulric, I’m so forever…" I trail off, my voice breaking.

  He looks at me, his expression kind and warm. "It is I who thanks you, my love. You’ve given me the greatest gift life has to offer. A daughter born on dawn’s first light!" Smiling down at our babe now wriggling in his arms, he says, "Izora is and always be from the House of Dawn."

  "Always," I echo, tears sliding down my cheeks. "Our Izora Dawn."

  Chapter 1

  Izora

  My thrashing heart is echoed by the heavy footfalls of my captor as he drags me to my doom. Well, I suppose doom wouldn't be quite the right word. Eva has made it quite clear that I'm still of use to her, so wherever I'm going, I'm not going to die. Which is good because I need to save my guys and then protect my kingdom. Seeing the Light Fae King, my father, die in my arms like that has shocked me to my core.

  I’m not just Izora Dawn, a shadowborn who got locked up for something she didn’t do. I’m a princess and a descendant of a goddess who is no doubt watching over me. In the name of Selena, my mother, and father, I’m going to save this kingdom.

  My life has never once made sense to me, nor did I understand why bad things kept happening to me until now. I’m of royal blood, I was born at Dawn and I’m here to save the Enchanted Forest.I’m certain Corvina is working on a way to save everyone, I know her; she is my good friend and a good person. She will save whoever she can, and I’m going to help her. I swallow my nerves to keep them from showing on my face, remembering that Ronan and Eva haven’t broken me yet and they won’t. Ronan digs his nails into my arm and turns the corner into an even darker hallway. The wolves disappear in the opposite direction and my pulse spikes when the sconces dim, no longer casting shadows on the crystal floor.

  "Have you always been a spineless snake, Ronan?" I hiss, glaring over my shoulder at him. "Did you even feel anything when you betrayed your friend. Corvina? When you betrayed Shadowborns? You know—your people?"

  He keeps his eyes pinned forward. "Eva needs me to help cleanse the Forest of its sickness and I love her. She is our saviour."

  I scoff at the utter insanity. "Yeah. Keep telling yourself that, buddy. You’re in love with the bad guy in the story. Haven’t you realised that yet? You can’t save her!"

  "Your mum believed it, too," he hisses in my ear, forcing my heart to lurch at the memory. Why mum?

  No... I can't think about her right now. I need to stay focused and figure out how to get out of here.

  "Where are you taking me?" I ask instead, refusing to think about my mother’s death. She wouldn’t want me to cry over her sacrifice. She wants me to survive.

  Ronan’s scathing laugh grates my ears. "Are you scared, Izzy?"

  "Don't fucking call me that," I snarl. "Only my friends call me that and you'll never be my friend. You're nothing but a traitor."

  He shoves me farther down the hallway. "Like I give a shit. Anyway, where you're going, let's just say you'll be feeling a lot of pain. So you better shut up or I'll let them keep you indefinitely and not just for one night."

  I don't have time to ask who he's referring to because someone else replies first.

  “Asshole," I jump as Gold appears behi
nd us and whacks a candle on the side of Ronan's head. "Get the fuck away from my girl."

  Ronan sinks to the ground and I smile at the sight of his unconscious body.

  Gold lifts the candle and goes to hit him again, probably to kill him this time.

  "You're better than that scumbag," I say, grabbing Gold's hand.

  His eyes burn like molten gold in the near darkness. Slowly, he pulls his arm back and then my back hits the wall as he pushes me further into the shadows. His lips claim my mouth and for a moment, I forget everything as I melt in his strong arms.

  "I'm getting you out of here, Izora," he whispers against my lips. "But you need to do exactly as I say."

  I nod, my heart soaring at the protective edge in his voice. "Just tell me what to do, Gov'nor." My light-hearted joke doesn't match the fear I know is palpable on my face, but right now, it's the one thing keeping me from falling apart.

  "You need to act as my prisoner," he says, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. "I will escort you through the palace to my quarters. Once we're there, we'll be safe for a while. Let's go."

  He stands back, and once again, his features change from the Gold I know, to the cold governor of Shadowborn Prison. Gently, he takes my arm and nods. I return it with a courage I didn't expect to feel and follow him down the dimly lit hallway. With each step, the sconces brighten and bleed over the light fae that litter the floor.

  Tears spring to my eyes at the sight of them. These were my people, innocent guards and noble men and women who had nothing to do with this mess, and yet they were slaughtered like animals. Why? Why all this unnecessary blood?

  I'll never understand the cruelty of fae.

  And now I'm one of them.

  Gold tilts my head, forcing my gaze away from their dead, mangled bodies. He then leads me through a glass door at the end of the hallway where a dark fae guard, clad in black armor, flanks another entrance.

  "No entry beyond this point."

  Gold ignores the guard and pulls me forward. "I need to interrogate this one privately. Eva's orders."

  The guard doesn't budge. "Well, I've been ordered not to let anyone past this point."

  "Uh-huh." Gold steps forward, bringing his face so close to the guard that their noses nearly touch. "And I've been ordered to find information about Corvina Charles. I suggest you stand the fuck down, soldier, and let me do my job."

  Now the guard looks at me, sliding his narrowed eyes over the length of my body. "Privately, you say?" A leering smile upturns the edges of his lips. "I hope you let me continue the interrogation after you."

  My stomach churns as a tendril of fear snakes through my body at the same time a part of me memorises his face so I can kill him later. Thank the gods Gold is here with me, otherwise who knows what Narah's minions would do.

  Gold tightens his grip on my arm protectively. He says nothing and waits until the guard opens the door. Once we're over the threshold and enter the guest quarters, Gold steers me to the door at the end and then relaxes his hold on me.

  "We're safe," he says, once we're locked in his private room. "Are you okay?"

  I shake my head, trying to find the right words. "I'm scared, Gold. I'm scared about what's to come. I'm scared about what's happening to the forest and my guys. We have to save them both."

  He steps forward and runs his knuckles comfortingly down my cheek. "I'm here. You're not alone anymore. We just need to think of an escape before Eva realises I have gone."

  "Is she keeping you prisoner here, too?"

  His gaze hardens in the candlelight. "Since day one. The only reason she kept me alive is to exploit my ties to the dragon royals. If not for that, I would've been killed a long time ago."

  I wipe my eyes with the back of my hand and nod. "Then we need to hurry and get out of here. Do you know where my guys are? I can't leave without them."

  Gold paces beside the four-poster bed, his eyebrows pulling together. "They are being held in the cells where Narah’s guards are interrogating them for information."

  My heart sinks at the thought of the guards hurting my guys. How in the name of Selena do I help them get out?

  "Getting in won't be an issue," Gold says, stopping to look at me as if he heard my thoughts. "It's getting out that will be. We need a distraction. A big one."

  I tap my lip in thought, wondering what we could possibly use. And then it hits me."How do you feel about shifting into your dragon?" I ask, grinning up at him. "That's a pretty damn big distraction if you ask me."

  He smirks and leans forward, pressing a kiss to my temple. "Fuck, I love your mind, Izora."

  Chapter 2

  Izora

  I stand still as Gold walks to the edge of the empty balcony that overlooks the Light Fae Kingdom, pulling his shirt off. The view of the kingdom from up here is stunning, even as houses burn and screams fill the night. The sweet air tastes like blood now, thick with suffering, but at this moment, the world seems to pause for Gold.

  He climbs onto the bannister and stands up tall. Stretching his arms out, the magic almost becomes something I can taste as gold smoke smothers him and he jumps. The smoke holds in the middle of the air, shimmering into something that almost looks like glitter before it takes shape. A tremendous dragon bursts out of the smoke, covered in gold scales with giant wings that push the air around him.

  I nearly stumble back in fear. I've never seen a dragon this big before.Thank Selena, this is my Gold.

  Gold's dragon lands on the balcony, crushing the banister into rubble under his enormous claws and staring right down at me. I take a deep breath for courage and meet his eyes, and nothing but love fills my chest. This is my Gold. He would never hurt me.

  "I know Gold has missed his dragon. Do you want to cause a little chaos?" I say, lifting my hand and stroking the scales on his neck as I walk around him. "I think the Light Fae Kingdom needs to see what happens when they lock up a dragon."

  Gold's dragon roars loud, and I grin. I jump in the air, hoping my wings will work this once and hold on to Gold's scales to climb up his neck. My wings help me and soon I'm on his back, nestled between two large scales. Gold turns around, his large tail smashing the glass doors just as four guards come running towards us.

  The dragon jumps off the balcony and I hold in a scream as he falls down the side of the castle. The harsh wind makes it impossible for me to lift my head or even breathe until he suddenly stretches his wings out, catching the wind and bringing us higher. Gold swings around the castle, breathing fire as he goes at any guards or light fae in the way.

  Everyone here supports Eva or Narah. They are not on our side or welcome in what will be my kingdom.

  I'm going to defend the Light Fae Kingdom because it deserves to live.

  To be ruled by light and not darkness.

  I may be born from the dark and light, but I am choosing the light. I am choosing to accept who I am.

  For my family, the ones I have left, and those who are gone, I will fight.

  Gold swerves quickly to the left and then lands on the ground outside the castle.

  Right in front of us is a wall of glass, and on the other side are rows of Light Fae and guards.

  "Burn them," I instruct Gold. My mates are near and I will not let anyone get in our way.

  I hold back a scream and duck my head as Gold's dragon lets out a wave of fire like a throng of flamethrowers, burning away the glass. The screams of the others mix with the sound of the guttural sounds of the flames. The heat warms my body as I climb off Gold and use my wings to land on the ground.

  Gold stops his fire and I nod at him, hoping he understands to wait here. I run through the burnt bodies and melted glass, stopping when I see a sword on the floor that somehow survived. I grab it, flinching when it burns my hand a little and rush to the back of the room.

  "Izora!" Luke shouts from my right. I run to the end of the room where Luke and Scott are banging against the bars. Axel is out cold on the floor and I eye the lock on the
gate.

  "Stand back!" I warn them. I close my eyes, tapping into my magic and pushing it through the sword. When I open my eyes, my body glitters with Light magic, the sword glowing white in my hand. I lift it high and bring it down on the lock, causing a blast that sends me flying backwards. I catch myself with my wings in the air and drop the sword. Lowering myself to the ground, I run back to the cage they are in.

  Gold roars in the distance as Luke and Scott pick themselves up off the dusty floor.

  "What's wrong with Axel?" I question, picking bits of rock off him.

  Scott pushes the rest off and grabs Axel, picking him over his shoulder. "He was tortured by the Light Fae guards. He killed at least five before they got to him. I can heal him when we are away from here," Scott tells me.

  "Okay," I whisper, my heart hurting at the thought of Axel fighting on his own and being hurt bad enough that he passed out. Luke grabs my hand and we rush through the bodies when I sense something. I look behind me to see dozens of guards running through the broken doors with large wolves at their sides.

  "Everyone get on Gold's back. Now!" I scream, running faster towards our escape.

  Gold turns around, flapping his wings harshly and taking off. The second we get outside, he grabs Scott and Axel with his claws.

  "We have to fly!" Luke shouts at me. I beg my wings to work as Luke effortlessly takes off, and to my surprise, my wings work. It's hard to get to Gold, but eventually, we land on his back and he takes off fast into the forest.