Page 43 of A Blade of Blood and Shadow (The Ravaged Kingdom #1)

I hated that Kaden had played me. Even worse, I’d fallen for his games.

“Why bother?” I grumbled. “Why not just snatch me outside of Julian’s shop?”

Why had Kaden spent all this time toying with me if all he intended was to turn me over to his father?

“Because,” he said quietly. “You were exactly what I was looking for.”

“And what is that?” I snarled, my voice breaking on the last word. “Another witch for your father to murder ?”

Kaden looked as though I’d slapped him, and I didn’t care.

I was tired of being used, but more than that, I was hurt. I’d let myself trust Kaden, and he’d been lying to me all along.

“No.” He sighed. And he looked suddenly ancient. “I think you’re the one who could save us.”

His words fell heavily between us, and I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry or push him through the window.

“You have to know things weren’t always like this,” Kaden said quietly.

“Demons are not inherently evil. My people descended from the race of spirits who emerged from beneath the seas when the gods were first made. Then the gods created humans and faeries, and they gifted the fae the kingdom of Anvalyn. The humans were given the mortal realm so that they might live freely, rather than become slaves to the fair folk. The gods granted my father Dorthus, the Dark Kingdom, which was intended as a land of repose. In exchange, he was charged with ferrying souls to the Otherworld.”

I frowned, noticing that Kaden’s creation myth included no mention of hunters or witches.

“Since the beginning, the realms have existed in a state of balance,” he explained. “Anvalyn has always been a land of light and beauty, but only because of the magic that sustains it. When souls make the journey to the Otherworld, they feed that magic. But they must pass through Dorthus first.”

Kaden’s expression turned dark. “For millennia, my father was content to fulfill his bargain with the gods. He guided souls along the Adraeis River, where they found rest in the Dark Kingdom before continuing on to Anvalyn and eventually being reborn. But, over time, he grew jealous of the fae. Resentful of his life in exile. So he began taking souls for his own selfish gain. My father wanted to amass enough power to become the one true king of the Otherworld, ruling over both the kingdoms of light and dark. That power began to warp him in ways you cannot imagine.”

Kaden loosed a ragged breath. “To rule demon and faeriekind, he would need an heir. But for all my father’s power, he could not sire a son with another demon.

So, he sent his most ruthless lieutenants to Anvalyn and kidnapped the faerie queen.

His demons dragged her back to Dorthus, where my father . . . ”

Kaden trailed off, and revulsion unfurled in my gut.

“When my mother fell pregnant, she tried to end her own life — hopeless as she was. The Dark King realized he could not force her to bear a child she did not want, and he feared losing the heir he had gone to such lengths to sire.” Kaden sucked in a breath.

“Eventually, he made a bargain with her. He allowed her to return to her kingdom to carry out the pregnancy, with the agreement that she would turn over his heir once he reached the age of majority.”

Despite myself, I felt a shudder go through me. I could not imagine what it must have been like for Kaden’s mother to raise her son, knowing he’d one day be forced to return to Dorthus and be made to do the Demon King’s bidding.

“Of course, a half-demon bastard was not exactly welcome in Anvalyn,” said Kaden dryly. “On the eve of my twentieth turn, I returned to Dorthus and became the Taker of Souls.”

“You could have refused.”

He shook his head. “You know the sort of magic that binds a bargain like that. If I hadn’t gone back, I would have cost my mother her life.

I could not have known that she would be killed at the hands of her own people.

My uncle led a coup to secure the throne for himself — one that resulted in her death. ”

The unguarded pain in Kaden’s eyes was enough to steal my breath away.

It was there for only the briefest moment before he turned to the open window.

“When you anger the gods and disrupt the natural balance of things, there is a price to pay.

Over the centuries, my father has become insatiable, needing more souls every decade to sustain the very existence of his kingdom.

“Two hundred years ago, he hatched a plan to destroy the veil — to throw open the gates to the mortal world so that he could consume enough souls to expand his kingdom. I believe he plans to install me as the ruler of Anvalyn — his half-breed prince and puppet. But to tear down the veil, he needs a witch from the line who wove the magic.” His eyes were dark as he turned to face me.

“You cannot imagine his delight when he found you.”

Terror burned my insides like acid, though it was somewhat tempered by the cold hatred I felt for Kaden — the handsome demon prince who’d tricked me into falling for him.

“And your father sent you to hunt for me.”

“Yes.”

I glared at him.

“The more I got to know you, the more I thought — the more I hoped — that I might be able to persuade you to go along with my plan. But after you found the stone . . .” He broke off, dragging a hand through his hair in frustration. “I knew you’d never trust me again.”

“Why are you telling me all of this?” I asked finally. None of it made any sense. Why hadn’t Kaden just dragged me here in the first place?

Kaden had said the river flowed in both directions — back toward the mortal world. But after hearing his story, it didn’t sound as though he planned on letting me go.

“You said you’d take me back,” I accused, my voice shaking despite my best efforts.

“I know. And I will.” His eyes were pleading as he met my gaze. “But not just yet.”

“Oh, right,” I snarled. “Because your father has use for me — just like everyone else.”

“ No . ”

“Stop lying,” I snapped. “At least own the fact that you got close to me because of my lineage — that you’ve been using me all this time. Even Silas managed that.”

“That piece of shit who made you his slave and cut up your back for years ?”

Kaden’s voice was angrier than I’d ever heard it — even angrier than when I’d told him about my bargain with Caladwyn. It had been a low blow, comparing him to Silas, but I was unprepared for the cold wrath that swept across his features.

He closed the distance between us in two swift strides, backing me against the wall. I recoiled as his familiar burnt cedar and leather scent engulfed me, though my traitorous body heated at his sudden proximity.

“I know what it takes to leave a mark on a huntress,” he growled. “Let alone scars that deep.”

I shivered.

“I never lied to you, Lyra. Never . Not once. Not with my words, and not with my actions. And I would certainly never hurt you.”

I shuddered as he planted a hand on the wall behind me, effectively caging me in. The other reached for me, his thumb outstretched as though he meant to brush my lip, but he froze when I flinched away.

Kaden’s free hand curled into a fist, which he rested on the wall.

“Everything you felt for me, I feel tenfold,” he rumbled. “If you believe nothing else I’ve told you, please believe that.”

My stupid heart squeezed at his words, but I merely scoffed in disgust. “If that’s true, then take — me — back .”

There was a long pause as those stormy eyes met mine, and his mask of devastation was so convincing that I almost believed it. “I can’t.”

“ Why not ?”

Did he really think I was na?ve enough to believe that he cared? If he felt anything for me, he would take me back to my realm — consequences be damned.

Kaden swallowed, and his shoulders sagged as his gaze dropped to the floor. “Because I need your help.”

You’ve reached the end of A Blade of Blood and Shadow , but book two, A Prince of Death and Night , releases October 1, 2025.