Violet Flames: Primordial Gods Book 1 Read online

  “Those cute men kill for a living, Cinder.” Her face paled.

  “Only enemies.” She shrugged and grinned, recovering quickly.

  A hard breath of exasperation escaped my lungs. I was not ready for my sister to have a love life, especially with someone in the King’s Guard.

  “Help me with these bags, please.”

  I set my bow and quiver down and said goodbye. We grabbed the bags and dragged them outside to where the males stood waiting for us. About twenty feet behind them, I noticed a crowd gathering.

  Great, I now have an audience watching my departure. I sighed.

  “Are you ready to go?” Zaynith asked with a big smile on his face.

  Does he ever stop smiling? Do either of them?

  “I’m ready when you are. Is it okay if I bring my dagger?” My father had gifted it to me, and I did not want to leave it behind. It was what motivated me…what kept me strong.

  I pointed to the dagger strapped to my right thigh. Zaynith looked down.

  “Of course,” he said.

  As I said my goodbyes to my father, I could not help but notice that he looked content. He did not seem to have cared if I left or not. It was normal for him to be heartless.

  My sister was teary-eyed, but she did not cry. I knew it was only because the Angels were watching and how resilient my father was about us being strong. Cinder had been a blubbering mess last night, and her eyes were still puffy from crying.

  “Em, you must send me a messenger Imp tomorrow to let me know how your first day went.” Cinder pulled me into a hug.

  “I will, Cin.”

  “I’m going to miss you,” she said.

  “I know.” I let the hug go before I cried.

  The Angels said their goodbyes to my family, and each grabbed a bag as we turned away.

  We could not gale across any open waters…we could only gale across whichever landmass we were currently on. There were ten different countries in our realm, all on ten separate continents, surrounded by the seas. Since we could not gale across the waters, we would have to take a land portal over to the country of Ashbern.

  The ten different countries housed nine distinct species—one species per country. Nine Primordial Gods made one of those specific species from their blood. The tenth Primordial God, Apothee, The God of Earthen, made all plants and animals. Since his creatures were everywhere, the tenth country was where the current reigning king of our world resided. Ashbern South was where the king lived with his personal guard. The north was where the King’s Guard trained and lived. That was where I was going…to a place called Castleva.

  The town folks started cheering as the Angels and I walked toward the portals. I had never taken one before and I was uneasy just thinking about it.

  As we walked quietly, I got curious and decided to ask something I probably shouldn’t ask.

  “Can I see your tattoo? I have never seen another species’ tattoo in person before.”

  “Absolutely.” Cashmere grinned as he pulled his shirt completely up, showing me his stomach, chest, and tattoo. His mark of a guardian tattoo was gold. It was a sword with a pair of Angel wings. Staring at his chiseled chest, I quickly looked at the tattoo and then averted my eyes.

  “Wow, very nice.”

  “Zayn has the same one. It is Strength in Emotions and Healing.” I looked at Zayn and he smiled.

  “Here we are,” Zayn said as we walked up to the portal.

  Two King’s Guard members guarded the portal. They were dressed in fighting leathers. The portal could only be accessed with a day pass signed by the king or if you had the tattoo of a King’s Guard.

  We walked up to the portal, and I took a deep breath. The guard immediately knew that Zaynith and Cashmere were King’s Guards, so he stepped aside for us to enter the portal.

  “Are you ready for this, Ember?” Zaynith asked.

  “It’s not much different than galing, just a little weirder. It may spin your head at first, but you will get used to it eventually,” Cashmere said with an empathetic face. I just nodded.

  My heart sped up as I stepped onto the outside ring of the portal. I took a deep breath and walked onto it.

  Nothing happened.

  I looked up at the dark-haired one.

  “It won’t go until one of us King’s Guards wills it to,” Zaynith said, meeting my eyes. “As soon as you are knighted in today, you will have full access to the portals and will then be able to wield them to go. It’s old magic.”

  I glanced nervously at Cashmere, who smiled at me.

  “Ready?” he asked. I nodded in response, even though I was not ready.

  It was like a thousand molecules busted into my body. Warmth combined with a gust of cool air all hit my body at once. Goosebumps stood up on my skin. I closed my eyes and saw hundreds of stars. I felt pleasure. I felt excited. I felt happy. Then it changed.

  It felt like waves were beating against the front of my body while I was swimming against the current. Nausea rose fast, and I felt dizzy. A hand grabbed my arm to steady me, and before I could even recognize which Angel it was, we landed in the north of the country of Ashbern, at the edge of Castleva grounds.

  Nighttime came when we landed, and I was confused because it was early morning when we left Mazuria.

  “Are you okay?” a male asked.

  “Open your eyes,” another male’s voice. “Look at me, Ember.”

  As I opened my eyes, I saw a blonde man, an Angel, in my face and he had his hands on my cheeks. It was, indeed, not dark. I realized that I was holding the shirt of the other Angel, who was still holding me steady. I could not catch my breath. I was panicking and nauseous.

  I am going to be sick. My knees felt like they were going to disappear, and I was swaying.

  “Look at me.” I glanced into a pair of bright blue eyes—Cashmere’s eyes.

  My symptoms started to lighten, and my body started to relax. My knees were holding me up again as the nausea faded. He had used his magic to soothe me. He was not just an Angel. He was an Ornamental Angel, one who could control the emotions of others. I felt at ease instantly. He let go of my cheeks, and then I got angry.

  “How dare you use your emotional magic on me without my permission!” Cashmere took a couple of steps away from me. His face was empathetic.

  “You held your breath in the portal, you panicked. If he hadn't used his powers, you would have thrown up or passed out. Cash did you a favor. You should be thanking him.” Zaynith shook his head.

  “I do not need any Angel in shining armor to save this pathetic girl from vomiting.”

  “I’m sorry, I was trying to help.” Cashmere’s face looked utterly hurt.

  “Do not apologize to her. You did nothing wrong, buddy.” Zaynith let go of my arm and patted blondie on the shoulder.

  “I can manage by myself,” I said to the Angel.

  “Yeah, it didn’t look like it to me,” Zaynith snapped back.

  “It is rough the first few times, and after that, it gets easier. I was making sure you were okay, Ember.” Cashmere’s voice was calmer than Zaynith’s. “I am sorry if you are to believe that my intentions were ill. They were not. I just left my family two years ago, so I know how hard it can be,” the Angel spoke with a slight sadness in his voice.

  Realizing how ridiculous I was being, I eased up a bit and relaxed my shoulders. It was hard for me to let my guard down and trust people. I was also still letting my nervousness get to me.

  “The King’s Guard is honorable. Sometimes we must do things when certain situations arise, even if that means using our powers without permission. I’m sorry if that offends you, but that is what we do,” Zaynith said. He had a proud look radiating across his face.

  “Don’t be sorry, I am sorry. I did not mean to yell. This is just so much to take in. Thank you, Cashmere, for helping me.”

  “Call me Cash, and you’re welcome.” He politely smiled and patted my arm.

  “We understand how you
feel. We have all been there. Since you will be living with us and are a part of the King’s Guard now, we are your friends. We would never hurt you,” Zaynith said, putting his hand on my other shoulder.

  I nodded in agreement to his statement and gave him a slight grin.

  As I stood there staring at the two Angels, I realized they were just as caring as they were beautiful, and I was kind of an asshole.

  Chapter Two

  We walked up to the large manor in Castleva, and it was breathtaking. It looked more like a small castle to me. The manor was built with gray brick and had pointy steeps at the top that were dark gray. The windows were massive, with arches above each one.

  Two guards stood on either side of a large iron door that was the entrance to the manor. We stopped for introductions. One was a female—an Angel judging by her eye color. The other guard was a male. His eyes were…

  No!

  “Hey, guys, this is Ember. Ember, this is my sister, Calista Storm,” Zayn gestured to the brown-haired beauty. She grabbed me in a full hug.

  She was a couple of inches taller and had a thinner build than I did. Her brown hair was shoulder length and straight. She had a blue, long-sleeved shirt with a black leather corset over it. She paired it with black trousers and boots. She looked girly and adorable.

  “It’s so nice to meet you! Your red hair is gorgeous. It's so bright. I love it!” she said as she released me from the hug.

  “Thank you. It is nice to meet you too.” I gave her a kind smile and then looked in the direction of the male guard.

  He has beautiful, deadly violet eyes, I thought to myself.

  Those eyes were a dead giveaway. I just stood there and could not speak.

  He was a Vampire. Born from the bloodline of Voltarean, the God of Night.

  We do not associate with Vampires. I relived the words my father always said. He was the exact opposite of the Angels. He stared me down, no smile on his face.

  “And this here is Valarian.” Zayn squeezed the Vampire’s shoulder.

  “Hi,” was all the stone-faced Vampire said, and I was okay with it. Thank the Gods he did not hug me like Calista.

  Just breathe, I told myself.

  Valarian shifted his stance, looking uneasy. He looked away from me and locked eyes with the Angels.

  “Ember…ahem,” Cash cleared his throat.

  “Hi,” I managed to muster back.

  As if the Angels knew I was uncomfortable, Cash spoke, “Let’s get going.”

  I am perfectly content not getting to know the Vampire, I thought, as we walked away.

  A small part of me told myself not to dare look back at the Vampire behind me, but I could not help myself. I glanced over my left shoulder at him. He had his arms crossed and was watching me walk away. He locked eyes with me and curled his lips up. I quickly looked away and followed the Angels.

  We walked into the manor, which was huge. Servants were running around preparing everything for lunch. We had barely gotten into the foyer when Cash stopped.

  “I’m going to send a messenger to let the king know we have arrived. Zayn will show you to your room upstairs.” Cashmere headed down a hall to the right.

  “It’s this way, Red,” Zayn said to me.

  Zayn ascended the stairway, and I followed behind him. The wrought iron railing going up both sides of the large, dark wood staircase was beautiful. I could not help but tense up knowing that Castleva Manor was far more elegant than any home I had ever been in. There was marble everywhere. I was too nervous to take in all the beauty as we walked.

  We got to the top of the stairs and turned right. The manor was impressive, to say the least. It was like a castle inside, too. There were corridors throughout the inside. The hallway to my room was lined with hanging oil lamps, marble statues, and a couple of fancy paintings.

  “You’ll be staying in the east wing,” Zayn said as we walked.

  I wonder if everyone is grouped by age, sex, or species?

  We stopped in front of a door.

  “This is your new room,” Zayn said while dragging in one of my bags. “The bathroom is fully stocked with toiletries and anything else you need.”

  “Each wing is separated into two sections. The west wing is for the servants, while the east is for guards and guards in training. There is a private bath in every room as well as a fireplace. Val and Cash chop the wood, and the servants keep the wood inside well-stocked. There is a large kitchen downstairs where the servants cook and a dining hall where we usually have meals together. Weapons storage is in the basement.”

  So, Cash was a lumberjack. I almost laughed aloud.

  Zayn continued talking.

  “There is a training facility in the building behind here, that is where you will spend a lot of time. There is also a huge outside training area past the gardens. I can show you those when you are ready. Oh, we have a library too.” He smiled while trying to catch his breath.

  Yes, a library. That was exciting.

  “Thank you, Zayn.”

  “Since there are around-the-clock servants, you can get whatever you need, whenever you need it. You can call upon them any time for food, or you can go down and help yourself. Just take an oil lamp with you, the ones down the hall stay lit at night, but the stairs are dark. The only lamp you will have to worry about keeping lit are the ones in your room. I’ll be right back.”

  He walked down the hall while I examined the room. It was big and gorgeous and way more elegant than I was used to. There was a lit fireplace along the outer wall and a huge bed that I was afraid to sit on because I did not want to get it dirty. It had the most beautiful blanket on it—creamy white with gray flowers that matched the gray curtains on the wall.

  A thud brought back my attention as Zayn returned with the rest of my bags.

  “You have at least an hour to clean up. Once the king sends a messenger, I will find you. I will give you some privacy until then.”

  “Wait,” I said to him. Zayn turned and met my eyes. I was ashamed of what I was about to say, but I had no other choice.

  “I don’t know what to wear. I don’t own anything regal, and I don’t have fighting leathers.” That was a subtle way of saying that my father never bought us anything once we got older. I worked to pay for my bow and quiver.

  “Ah, I see. Let me take guard for my sister; she is on duty until lunch because the king is expecting other guests. I will send her up if that’s okay with you, Red?” I smiled at the nickname he kept using for me. I nodded my head and he left the room.

  Plopping down on the way-too-fancy gray chair, I placed my face in my hands.

  Do not cry. We were not born to be weak. My sister will be safe. She can protect herself. I tried hard to calm myself. I knew Cinder was trained in fighting just like I was, but I had been protecting her since she was born. I knew all of this, yet I was still worried.

  Hearing the wood of the floor creak, I looked up just as the door shut. My heart instantly sped up.

  Oh no…I don’t have the strength in me to deal with this today.

  I just stared into the Vampire’s violet eyes.

  His eyes are so beautiful.

  “Yes?” I managed to squeak out.

  Silence was all I got. He just stood there with his arms crossed in a sexy, lazy stance. I finally noticed how fit and tall he was.

  He is at least six and a half feet of pure muscle.

  He had a perfect manly face with a hard chin line. He had black hair that barely brushed his shoulders, and his face looked like he had not shaved in two or three days. His skin had a golden tan. He was absolutely gorgeous.

  If he were not so scary, he would be the most stunning male I have ever laid my eyes upon.

  He was wearing a black shirt that buttoned up the front, and the top was unbuttoned just enough that I could see his tattoo perfectly in the center of his chest.

  His tattoo was gold with one single battle-ax. There was a shield behind the axe that was shaped like
a kite and a single drop of blood in the center. It was the symbol for a Vampire.

  Man, I got screwed when I was born. His tattoo is better than mine.

  “It is the symbol for Strength in Blood.”

  My eyes quickly met his when I heard him speak. My heart felt like it was trying to escape from my chest at the sound of his deep, sensual voice.

  He shifted his stance, and I glanced down and noticed his weapon. He had a short sword sheathed in a holster.

  My eyes slowly followed down his body and stopped at his trousers; they were black and snug. I had a perfect view from where I was sitting.

  His pants are tight-fitting. I can see the outline of his…oh my!

  Averting my eyes quickly, they landed on his face. As I stared at him, his lips curled up ever so slightly with a sly grin. I swallowed and quickly stood up from the chair as fear and embarrassment filled my body.

  Oh, Gods, he saw me staring at his chest, and his…I stopped my horrible thoughts immediately. I was so uncomfortable and embarrassed.

  “What can I help you with?” I asked.

  “Nothing,” he said. His voice sent shivers through me.

  He took two steps forward and was now looking me up and down. He started at my thighs, checking out my dagger. His head tilted more while he looked at it, and he smiled. His eyes slowly moved up to my hips, to my narrow waist, and then to my breasts. My breath caught as he continued looking at me.

  I wonder what his hands would feel like on me. I did not know if it was the fear or the fact that I was severely attracted to him, but I had never had a man make me react like this. I could barely move as my heart thundered in my chest.

  His eyes stopped at my neck, and they stayed there much longer than I was comfortable with. Then he locked eyes with me and gave me a dominating grin.

  Is this a challenge? I kept eye contact. I’m not backing down. I narrowed my eyes at him.

  “I think you should leave,” I said. My breathing was heavy, and goosebumps crawled across my arms.

  He didn’t say anything. He just stared at me like I was dinner.

  I hope he doesn’t want to eat me. I would stab him if he tried. I shivered at the thought as his eyes shot back to my dagger.