Ebony Awakens: The Envy of All

By Nova Blake

I know the truth now. I am the princess of the fae realm - and I have a choice.
Stay here in the human world, hidden and safe. Protected by my men.
Or step through the magical portal that will take me home.
There, I'll find a way to unlock my memories and my magic. There, I'll find the answers I've been searching for.
Only, this game of survival has become far more dangerous than any of us could've imagined, and once the truth is unearthed, it will never be silenced again.
Who was I before?

Who will I be after?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Nova Blake
• Release date: Jun 30, 2019
• ISBN: 9781393798217

Book preview

Chapter 1

S o, what are we going to do? I asked Brax. It must have been the third time I'd asked it, though each time had been to someone new. None of them had the answers I wanted. They were all deferring to Hunter.

The only problem was that I wasn't ready to talk to him yet. It had been almost twenty-four hours since they'd dropped the bombshell of a lifetime on me, and I just couldn't get my head around the fact that somehow, he'd convinced me to go along with this plan, the one that kept me meant in the dark and driven near crazy because of it.

For some reason, he hadn't left, and I wasn't going to ask why, because if it looked like I wanted him gone, he'd just stick around for longer.

Brax, just tell me! Come on. It's time for everything to be in the open and for us to all work together as a team. Right? I looked around the room. It wasn’t like we’d had a lot of stuff to begin with, but it was certainly looking sparse in here now.

Brax sighed. Hunter-

No! I threw my hands in the air. I'm not ready to talk to him, and he's unspelled you all so that you can speak clearly. I know it's a habit to just not tell me, but please, tell me?

We're moving, Brax said, as he shoved more clothes into his bag.

Clearly. Everyone is packing-

Except for you... He turned to me with a pointed glare.

Because I still need answers, and besides, after the last few nights, my wardrobe is significantly smaller than it was. It'll take three minutes. Tops. I crossed my arms over my chest and huffed out a breath. Where are we going?

Brax dropped his bag and cast an eye around the room. Only Sheehan was in here too, gathering his belongings. They'd move on to something else soon. If we couldn't get out of here before it got dark, then we'd have to wait, and no one wanted that. Once the moon was out, she'd find us.

I knew that much now. She used the moon like a looking glass and when my hood fell off, she'd glimpsed me. It really had been my fault we'd been discovered, but no one had passed comment on that. Not even Hunter.

I had a feeling it was too late to play blame games. And I needed to get with the program. But he could wait. Just a little longer.

We have another place, smaller, hidden from regular sight. We'll go there, but I'm not going to tell you more just in case they've found some other way to spy on us. He raised an eyebrow at me. Now, will you go and pack?

Fine. I rolled my eyes, but then flashed him a smile. Three minutes. Tops.

I'll start counting. He laughed as I spun towards the door and ran down the hallway.

I grabbed my bag and shoved in the essentials. It actually only took two minutes because none of these things mattered. I was a fey princess, and these were not essential. They were just things to get me by until... Until I took back my throne.

At least. I thought that was the plan. I was still getting my head around the whole royalty thing, among the rest of it, and despite many questions, I still didn't have as many answers as I'd have liked.

Hopefully, we'd have time for that soon enough.

What I had been able to find out was that the men in this house had always been part of my guard. Hunter was higher up the food chain and he'd stayed on the good side of my step mother, the wicked queen. I was having a hard time thinking of her any other way, because what other kind of queen married a king, murdered him, and then tried to slay his daughter, too.

I wished I could remember more about her, but that would come with time. I assumed, anyway.

Are you just about done? I need a hand?

I spun to find Rafe standing in the doorway. I zipped up my bag without looking at it and slung it over my shoulder. All done. I'll go put this in the trunk.

Just leave it by the back door. I want to show you something.

I raised an eyebrow, but he didn't respond, just turned and headed down the stairs, not waiting for me to catch up. I trailed behind, glancing over my shoulder at the other doors. Brax poked his head out and gave me a thumbs up and I grinned. I'd told him it would only take three minutes.

Rafe waited while I dumped my bag by the door, then gestured for me to follow him into the garage. It was cooler in there because it wasn’t insulated like the house, and I was reminded that the nights were just going to get cooler. Probably not much chance that the new house would have central heating or any of that other good stuff. I'd have to make sure I grabbed a jacket when we left.

What will happen to all this? I asked, trailing my fingers along the wood of the garage door.

Rafe shrugged. It'll get dispersed. We have some people here we can pass it on to, and they'll deal with it.

But we won't come back.

Not ever. Even if we neutralize the threat.

You know, when you talk like that, it's hard to believe you're not actually some kind of law enforcer. Though, I guess... I guess maybe you are, in a way. I could almost see it, him in some kind of uniform. It was blue. Dark blue. With gold trim, I thought.

Yes, I'm yours. He leveled his blue-eyed gaze at me, all seriousness. Your safety has always been my concern, though until your father died, things were never as difficult as this. It was more about keeping your adoring suitors at bay. His eyes twinkled.

I had suitors? My heart tripped over itself a little. Whether it was because I might learn more about my past or because of the mention of men, I wasn’t sure.

You did, but that's not why we came in here. Rafe paused by the bench, then opened the cupboard underneath.

I'm far more interested in these suitors than I am in whatever we're doing in the garage. Come on, Rafe. I just want to know stuff.

And also, it was a much better distraction to hear about suitors than to think about the death of my father. Because I didn't know anything. Not really. There had been snippets of blood and loss in my dreams - nightmares - but I couldn't tell whether that was truth or just a mess created by the magic they'd used to suppress my memories.

None of that changed that I knew he was dead. I couldn't even bring myself to ask how long ago that had happened. Had she killed him herself? Or had one of her lackeys do it, the same way she'd wanted Hunter to kill me. I had a vision of eating a meal across the table from her and my stomach rolled.

What if she'd fed me his heart?

Ebony? Rafe gripped my arm, forcing me to look into his eyes. Are you okay? You're white as snow.

I crossed my arms, trying to stave off the shakes that were coming over me. I am, I just...

He raised an eyebrow. None of the men were that bad, honest. His joke fell a bit flat, but I gave him a weak smile, anyway.

It's just a lot to take in. It's been, what, less than twenty-four hours since I found out everything I thought I knew was a lie-

Not everything. He looked into my eyes, steel and softness there in equal measure. One thing hasn't changed, and it's that we will all do whatever we can to keep you safe. Though that's proving more challenging than any of us suspected.

I guess there are limits to what you can block out with magic? I bit my lip.

So many questions...

Apparently, when it comes to you, at least. He gave a rough laugh. Should have expected as much. Anyway, that's not why we're here. He went back to rummaging in the cupboard and pulled out what looked like a roll of fabric, but it clanged as he placed it on the bench. You need a weapon.

Not the knives again. I groaned, my shoulders slumping. I've got magic. Can't I just learn to use that?

You do. That’s not fully released though, and steel is a sure thing. Ebony. He waited till I was looking at him again before he continued. You were out there taking down the enemy, but you were half asleep. Somehow accessing your magic in the slumber state. There's no reason to think you can do it that easily in daylight with your brain working. So, let's find the right blade.

I sighed, but turned to the task at hand. He rolled out the fabric, revealing knives of every shape and size. Some had wide cross bars and others didn't, some were longer and some shorter. I trailed my fingers over the handles and tried to figure out how to pick. Rafe slid a few out of their sheaths and hefted them one at a time in his hand before passing me one.

It didn't look like much, but I realized as I took it from him that it was light without feeling like a toy, having just enough weight to assure me it could do the job. One I wasn't looking forward to, but hopefully now that everything else was in the open, the guys would be on hand to defend me. They could take shifts to make sure I didn't escape again, though I didn't know how long they could keep that up. It didn't seem like a good long term solution.

Okay, I said. Looks like it'll do the job.

Ebony, you’re going to have to use it at some point. Don't just take the first thing you get. You're allowed to try a few out, see how they feel.

No, I trust you, and this feels good. Honestly. I passed it to my other hand, and then back again, trying out a few different holds on it. How am I meant to, you know, carry it around?

Leave it with me and I'll find a sheath and some straps. It should be on you at all times. Thigh or calf?

What, like one of those chicks from a game? My eyes went wide. I couldn't imagine that, but I guess I wouldn't have to for long.

We'll go for thigh. That way you don't have to bend too much to get it.

I could feel my heart thudding faster in my chest, the thrum of it filling my ears. I didn't want to picture myself having the need to reach for my knife, or being in a position where a couple of second’s difference might mean life or death.

Breathe, Ebony. It's okay. Rafe took the knife from me and put it on the bench, gripping my shoulders with his hands and breathing deeply in front of me. My breaths fell into line with his and soon the spinning had stopped and I could think again.

Things are different now, but you're smart. You can keep up. Just... Talk about it when you need to with anyone. It doesn't have to be me. I know that it might take you some time to forgive me for my part in this situation, but I'm here when you're ready.

I nodded, not trusting myself to talk. I wasn't ready to get deep and meaningful with him. He was right, though my curiosity about the past had got the better of me earlier.

I'll sort this out and bring it to you. Hopefully it won't be long before we're ready to go. Felix and Zephyr have gone to get some more cars, and then we're gone.

I nodded again. He turned back to the cupboard, and I left him to it.

Re-entering the house, I could see that the others were a flurry of activity, and none of them seemed to want to stop and talk. I was a loose end. The reason for all this commotion, and yet not involved enough to know how I could make a difference - other than just staying out of the way.

So I went to the kitchen, opening the fridge up to see what I could snag. It wasn't that I was hungry so much as in need of a distraction.

You alright there, Princess?

I spun to find Arien standing on the other side of the counter. Don't call me that, I said.

But you are. He shrugged and swiped an apple from the fruit bowl.

That doesn't mean you can call me that.

You let Felix. He cocked his head, waiting for a response.

I sighed, not really wanting to explain how uncomfortable it made me feel, but I could see he was going to make me. He always called me that, and I just assumed it was a joke. It's too late to change him now, but I don't need the rest of you starting. I don't... I don't feel very princess-like. I'm still getting used to that and the constant reminders aren't helpful.

Okay. I'll decline from saying 'whatever my lady wants', so you got it. Still, he tipped his head, and I wished I was holding something I