The Heir of Winter

Chapter One-2

“FORGIVE ME,” STAVROK said as he jammed the gearstick into position with a crunch. “It’s been many years since I’ve driven a car.”

“Don’t worry about it,” I said between clenched teeth as we rumbled over a pothole. The bump lurched the car down and sideways. My fingers tightened around the edges of the seat. In the rear-view mirror, Lucian was looking distinctly green. “My brother and I aren’t used to them either.”

That was an understatement. We’d lived our whole lives in the wilds of the north; for the most part, such modes of transport were totally foreign. We were aware that vehicles like existed, but this was the first time I had actually seen one, let alone dared to ride inside one.

My heart hammered in my chest like I was being chased by a wolf.

Thankfully, the ride became smoother once we reached a main road that widened out into two carriageways. Stavrok’s driving became less frantic, which gave me the chance to absorb our surroundings, rather than fearing for my life.

I stared in fascination at the strange markings on the surface of the road, and the giant metal signs that hung overhead.

“Which way?” Stavrok looked in the rear-vision mirror at Lucian when we reached the first intersection.

Marienne the sorceress had put the directions inside Lucian’s mind back at the castle. Wordlessly, my brother pointed to the right.

This happened a few more times, and soon enough we were on the outskirts of a city. It was like nothing I’d ever seen before. There were bright, multicolored lights everywhere and pavements full of bustling people and glittering storefronts. As the lights faded outside the car, I didn’t know which way to look.

Stavrok tapping his fingers impatiently against the steering wheel was a constant reminder of our mission. The traffic around us was thick, but we snaked through the crowded streets.

I’d never given much thought to who my mate could be. My life up until very recently had been one of survival. Harsh winters and brutal raids had left little time for pleasure, and women had been few and far between.

Some had come and gone over the years. People drifted through our small clan of outlaws, tagging along for a season before disappearing again. They’d warmed my bed, that was all. No woman had left her mark on my heart, and as far as I knew, I hadn’t left mine on any, either.

I stared grimly out the window at the blur of lights. Night was falling, and fast.

I glanced at Lucian out of the corner of my eye. I was accustomed to reading his stoic expression, but right now I had no idea what he was thinking.

From what the sorceress Marienne had told us, there would be trouble when we reached our destination. We could hold our own in any battle when we knew the terrain, but this was unfamiliar territory on every level. I’d never fought against humans before.

But I knew in my bones, even though the shock of the revelation had yet to wear off, that I would do anything to protect my mate. Even though I hadn’t met her yet.

My mate... I shook my head. As the bastard son of the northern king, thrown out of the kingdom a long time ago, the last thing I ever expected to find, was a human fated mate. I didn’t feel worthy, or deserving of such a gift.

It was late evening by the time we left the city behind.

At Lucian’s instructions, Stavrok turned down a dark, winding country lane. Then we were once again bumping over potholes and loose stones, the car rumbling as it crept forward.

Stavrok dipped the headlights as we approached so hopefully they wouldn’t see us coming.

I couldn’t see much outside thanks to the darkness of night. The vague shapes of trees loomed ahead.

I stared hard and through the gaps in the undergrowth, I made out a handful of small outbuildings. Once we cleared the trees, a small yard lay in front of a seemingly empty farmhouse.

“Are you sure this is the right place?” I muttered to Lucian. It looked like no-one had lived here in a long time.

Lucian nodded, his expression grim.

Stavrok shut off the engine and we climbed out of the vehicle.

The wind whistled around the seemingly abandoned dwelling as we approached. Our footsteps echoed loudly in the silence. As we grew closer, the sense of foreboding increased. Something didn’t feel right about this place. It was so still and quiet, and yet...

All the windows were boarded up with planks of wood. Why would they need to do that if it was abandoned?

Then I saw it. A thin strip of light beneath the doorway. Stavrok caught the direction of my gaze and nodded before pressing a finger to his lips. I took my place on the other side of the doorway to Lucian.

In one blow, Stavrok shouldered open the door. Light spilled out, along with a gust of warmth and a clatter of surprise from the inhabitants inside.

Crates bound in packing tape were piled around the edges of the room. In the center lay a long table under a single, bare lightbulb, around which a small group of women sat, huddled together. Their eyes were wide with fear. They were all thin, and their hollowed cheeks spoke of weeks of untold suffering.

Clear plastic bags littered the table, along with powder and cutting tools.

Human drugs, then.

I couldn’t focus on any of it. Like a fishhook in my gut, my attention was yanked elsewhere.

I almost fell to my knees with the force of the call coming from somewhere inside the house. My hand clamped around Stavrok’s shoulder. In normal circumstances, I would never dare touch a king in such a way.

But these weren’t normal circumstances.

“She’s here,” I said with a pained breath. “Somewhere else. Not in this room.”

“Are you sure?” Stavrok asked.

I closed my eyes briefly, trying to block out the overwhelming force of the siren song that had led us here. It still threatened to bring me to my knees.

I forced myself to nod. “Yes.”

My gaze roved the frightened faces. But there was no flicker of recognition among them. There was only terror staring back.

“She’s not in here.” I fought to keep the rising panic out of my voice. “But she’s close. I can feel it.”

I caught Lucian’s eye. I don’t know what I expected to find. A reflection of my own feelings, perhaps? If my mate was somewhere close by, then my brother’s mate was likely with her. But there was no trace of a reaction on his face—only concern.

I dragged my gaze back to the room at large.

“Who’s in charge here?” I called, addressing the women.

Silence greeted my words.

Beside me, Stavrok stepped forward. “We do not seek to harm you. We are here to help. Tell us—are there more of you? Are there others being held captive in this place?”

Slowly, one of the women looked up. Her pale face was fraught with anxiety, but she didn’t look as spaced out as the others.

She met Stavrok’s eye bravely. “There’s a basement beneath the house.”

She pointed to the corner of the room. My eyes followed her gesture, and a heated pulse shot through me as my eyes landed on a door.

By now, I could hear faint voices coming from another part of the building. They were low and rough—it sounded like a group of men.

A door slammed and the woman who had spoken jerked upright. “They’re coming. You have to hurry!”

Stavrok strode toward the source of the male voices. I remained in the center of the room, paralyzed by the flow of hormones that raced through my body. Lucian seemed to sense my altered state, because he took charge, rushing to the front door and beckoning the women forward. They drifted uncertainly toward him, heading out into the darkness.

“There’s a car parked in the yard out front. Keys are in the ignition,” Lucian told the leader of the women.

I eyed her threadbare clothes and frail physique with worry, but she nodded fiercely at his words.

“Head for the main road.”

With whispered thanks, the women slipped off into the night. The car’s engine started up just as the door on the other side of the room slammed open.

Stavrok let out an almighty, inhuman roar, and immediately shifted into his dragon form.

A pulse of fury sparked through my chest when I laid eyes on the monsters who’d held these women prisoner. The rage on their faces lasted for only a second before terror replaced it. Bright, hot flames reflected in their eyes as Stavrok released a jet of fire that annihilated the nearest packing crate, reducing it to ashes.

The men turned tail and fled the scene, leaving Stavrok to obliterate the entire room.

“I’ll check for stragglers,” Lucian yelled over the roar of the flames. “You get to the basement.”

As shifters, my brother and I were impervious to the fire that raged around us, but that wouldn’t be the case for any humans left behind.

Stavrok came to a halt beside me and shifted back into his human form. His chest heaved with anger.

“Let us finish this.” He growled, nodding with narrowed eyes at the door in the corner of the room.

Lucian appeared in the empty doorway, the back rooms still smoldering away behind him. “All clear.”

Before any of us could do anything, a dirty, ragged arm appeared through another doorway, followed by the hulking form of a man. His face was twisted with fury as he pointed a g*n at Stavrok.

The shot rang out. Stavrok recoiled from the impact. My blood ran cold as I started towards him. I braced the king against my side before he could sink to the floor.

No, no...

With a swift, merciless movement, Lucian raced forward and snapped the human’s neck. He fell to the floor, lifeless, and Lucian turned to us with the same blank, calm expression I’d seen hundreds of times before.

“It’s a mere flesh wound.” Stavrok shrugged me off, staggering backwards. Sure enough, the bullet had pierced through his shoulder; dark blood ran from the hole in his bare skin. He didn’t seem bothered, though, merely shocked that such a thing could happen. “I’ll be fine. We must get to the basement.”

I didn’t need telling twice. Leaving Lucian and Stavrok behind, I hurried to the door in the corner of the room.

My mate was on the other side.