Seeds of Sorrow (Immortal Realms Book 1)

Eden’s body still hummed with desire. Between last night in the hallway, enduring Draven’s heated kisses, and wanting nothing more than to experience the delicious taste of pleasure, the lake had been her undoing. She’d seen him without his shirt once, had felt the muscles shift beneath her fingers while they danced, but knowing what his mouth tasted like, knowing and wanting his rough fingers against her trembling form . . .

 She had wanted to explore every inch of Draven’s exposed skin, but he’d taken it upon himself to bring her to the edge of pleasure, let her erupt in his arms, and even Seurat’s abrupt appearance couldn’t quell the thirst growing in her.

As Draven stormed off, preparing to leave for Midniva, Eden watched him retreat. The mood had shifted dramatically. Not that she blamed him, but his relatively lighthearted air crumbled to dust with every stride the kelpies took back to the castle.

Eden sighed, then disappeared into the castle, opting to fetch Alder and play with him in the garden. He enjoyed nibbling on the vegetation and, much to Eden’s surprise, feasting on the small sprites that hid within the flowers.

Still mulling over the news which had upset Draven, and even herself, she rounded the corner in the hall only to discover Mynata strolling toward her. The shorter female wore a smirk that Eden longed to swipe right off her face. Of all the times, now?

“Eden, it’s so good to see you. You ran off from the party far too early. Were you feeling all right?” She tilted her head, clearly baiting Eden.

The ball had been wonderful, and she had left early not because she hadn’t been feeling well but because she had felt too good. The mounting want in her, the need to feel Draven explore every twist and turn of her body, had grown too much.

Eden’s cheeks filled with warmth. “I’m touched by your concern for my wellbeing, Mynata, but I felt fine.” She flexed her fingers by her side, trying to will her flaring temper down. Draven didn’t need another dilemma on his hands, especially something so petty as a dispute between the two of them.

Mynata’s black skirt rustled against the floor as she stepped forward, then tilted her head up to look at Eden. “Are you certain? Draven seemed put out when he came back in to dance with me. Perhaps he was a little upset because your actions were not as pure as he had been expecting.”

Inwardly, Eden hissed. That’s a lie, she told herself. A lie because Loriah had told her that he’d been infuriated enough to order the culprit put to death when he found out who drugged Eden. So why would he take the time to dance with the vampiress? But it was what Mynata had said about her actions that truly struck Eden as odd. Was it her? Had ​​Mynata dared to dose Eden with the blood?

“You speak boldly, Mynata. I would watch your tongue if I were you.” Eden cast a glance to the side. Shadows of an approaching individual played on the wall. She turned back to glare down at Mynata. “I am Andhera’s future queen, which means I belong to Draven as much as he belongs to me. We will be husband and wife, so keep your petty remarks and games to yourself.” Eden shoved past her, and once inside her room, she slammed the door.

Mynata knew how to creep beneath her skin, with her prodding words and knowing glances. Eden shouldn’t have let her rile her so, but she couldn’t help it.

Inside her room, Alder flew from his perch near the window and lighted on her shoulder.

“We can go to the garden in a moment,” she murmured, striding toward her desk, which had a letter on it. Eden’s name was scrawled on it in a familiar hand. She lifted the letter from her mother. They’d sent letters back and forth in the past few weeks. They were always mournful on her mother’s end, but Eden made sure to keep each one she penned light.

My dearest one,

 I haven’t experienced such heartache since your father was taken from us too soon. You share so much of him in you, it’s as if I’ve lost him twice now.

I know you mentioned in your previous letter you’re doing well, but are you truly? Andhera is cruel, and Draven isn’t a kind king. Eden, please don’t trust him. You’re young and don’t know all of what he is capable of, or what he is.

I promised I would make things right, and I will. I will.

Eternally,

Your loving mother

“Does no one know Draven?” Eden murmured out loud as she stared down at the letter.

Or was it she who didn’t know him? She had witnessed the beast who lay beneath the surface, had tasted the fierceness on his tongue, and felt his hands sweep over her in adoration. She had seen several layers to the dark king, and he spoke nothing but the truth to her. A truth so bare that it cut without effort.

It dawned on her how quickly her view of him had changed. Just one month with him and she saw how loyal his subjects were, and how he took time to visit the children in the village. A monster wouldn’t seek out the spirits of children to ensure they were at peace and as happy as they could be.

Draven allowed Eden to see these different sides of him, and there was something to be said about that. So, no matter her mother’s warnings or Mynata’s poking, Eden would judge him for herself, from what she saw and heard.

Plucking a quill from its inkwell, Eden lowered herself into the desk’s cushioned chair. How did she begin to tell her mother the truth? How the beginning of what she feared to be love stirred within her?

With a frustrated sigh, she pulled at a piece of parchment and at least tried.

Mama,

It pains me to know that you worry so, but I am well taken care of in Castle Aasha. Draven has afforded me so many luxuries that I had never dreamed of, and I’ve witnessed such beauty here in Andhera that’s left me breathless. Who would have thought? 

I must disagree that Draven isn’t kind. Coarse, yes, but he is honest and generous. Mama, please don’t prod King Zryan. I have accepted this as my fate, despite the abruptness of my departure, which was upsetting for us all. However, Andhera is a realm of enchantment and mystery, which only feeds my endless curiosity.

Have heart. Perhaps I can convince Draven to allow me into Lucem soon.

With love,

Eden

After penning the letter, Eden scooped Alder up off the desk he was now scurrying across and placed him onto her shoulder so they could escape into a place that made her feel at peace.

Outside in the gardens, Eden knelt in the soil. Her hands coaxed small shoots of new growth into fully formed flowers. Just beyond where she knelt, Alder scooted around the back of the carnivorous plant. It had grown beneath her care, sprouting long vines with snapping mouths. But it was nothing in comparison to the large head of the venandi flower that twisted with every vibration in the garden.

Eden had discovered that it would not snap at her as long as she soothed it with energy first. In a way, the carnivorous flower had grown fond of her, and it always seemed to search for her nourishment. The venandi was a temperamental and sensitive plant; even Alder was enough to send the plant into a frenzy.

Whistling echoed off the pathway, and moments later, Alder darted out from the bushes, then soared through the air down the bend.

“By the moon! Get off!” a familiar voice growled.

Eden stirred from her kneeling position and ran down the path, only to discover Alder lunging for Tulok. Who, much to Eden’s surprise, wasn’t trying to squash the hybrid creature but swatting him away instead. She quickly grabbed Alder from the air and pressed him to her chest.

“I’m sorry, he can be touchy when I’m in the garden.” Eden quickly assessed the were-wolf, wondering if any harm had been done.

Tulok wiped away blood from a scratch on his cheek. He frowned at it, then brushed it off on his chest. “That was my good side.”

“Your good side?” Eden puzzled over what he meant.

Tulok strode forward, his lips twisting into a crooked grin. “Yes, the one that catches the attention of . . .” He caught himself, cleared his throat, and smoothed back his chin-length inky hair. Tulok may have been trying to brush off his almost-slip-up, but she’d seen him in the shadows when he thought no one was looking. Sharing kisses, laughs, and hungry looks with a fellow male wolf in the guard.

“I came to check on you, but considering your little beastie is on guard, I think you’ll do fine without me,” Tulok huffed.

“No.” Eden bit her bottom lip. “I mean, yes, I would be, but I’d like some company while I garden.” She motioned toward the bench close to where they stood. “I don’t like being surrounded by silence. Stay with me.” She turned from him, her fingers coiling around a rose.

Without a word, Tulok handed Eden a small dagger. It was small enough that she could easily maneuver it in her grasp if she knew how to properly wield it. She cut a bouquet of roses, lilies, and sprigs of sweet alyssum.

“To be fair, I’m here because I heard Mynata in the hall with you.” He cast a glance to the side, nose twitching. “I don’t care for her.”

Surprise lifted Eden’s eyebrows. “You heard her?”

Tulok said nothing, but his dark eyes met hers.

“She is mean, and I don’t trust her,” she whispered as she cut several more flowers. It wasn’t just the jealousy Eden had felt take root in her being. It was the way Mynata looked at Draven, as if he were a possession that belonged to her and her alone. Then the way she glanced at Eden as if she were a bug to be squashed.

“She is ruthless and determined.” Tulok waved Eden off as she offered the dagger back to him. “Keep it. I don’t know if His Majesty has given you anything, but keep it on you. Andhera is a harsh land and not one you should be caught unawares in. You’ve had your tutoring with me, and you know Dhriti and I will do what we can, but if . . . if we are not around in your moment of need, I think you should have a blade.”

At first, she nearly brushed off his words, but his earnest expression and the soft tone made her reconsider. Eden took the dagger and placed it down beside the flowers. “I’m realizing that, thank you.” Eden pulled on long, dried blades of grass and used them to secure the bundles of flowers.

If Eden had been foolish enough to run into the woods a few weeks back, she would have died within the hour, she suspected.

“Will you tell me about growing up in Andhera?” Eden bit her bottom lip, thankful her back was to him. Had she only assumed he’d grown up here? She bent to tie another bundle up and hoped she didn’t offend him.

Tulok grunted. “Well, I actually grew up in the orphanage. My parents passed away during a brutal attack on our home in the middle of the night. I was only a pup then, and I’d hidden away when the assailant crashed into the house. By the time our neighbors were alerted, it was too late. They found me crying in my closet and whisked me away.”

Eden turned around halfway through his story, and she watched as he picked away at his sleeves. “I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be. I grew up in the care of a wonderful woman who snagged the ever-so-busy King Draven’s attention so that I could work my way up amongst his ranks.” Tulok smiled. “That was ten years ago. And here I am.”

“Thank you for sharing that with me.” Eden offered him a bouquet and smiled. “It matches the scratch on your cheek,” she teased him, then turned away to continue her work.

By the end of her time in the garden, she knew the wolf and where he came from a little more, and she’d discovered another reason why her mother was so wrong. And why she had been as well.

Andhera was full of far more life than people knew.