King of Storms and Feathers - Book 1 (Paperback Fae King Edition)

I wake in a cage at the gilt market with no memory of my name.

When the fae King of Storms and Feathers purchases me, I vow to escape his palace of dust and gold, reclaim my memories, and return to the home that haunts my visions—a city of ruins in the decaying forests of the human realm...

In the meantime, I’ll pretend to be what King Arrowyn wants—an obedient green-eyed bird, chained and powerless, his for the taunting and taking.

But when I escape and fall into viler clutches, Arrow hunts me down, determined to retrieve his disobedient, most valued possession.

King of Storms and Feathers is the first book in the steamy adult fantasy romance series, Courts of the Star Fae Realms. For readers who fall for villains, enjoy angsty enemies-to-lovers tension, a strong human heroine, and a true morally gray fae king hero.

Dark themes and spicy scenes, including dub-con (power imbalance & manipulation)
* attempted (g)rape (not by MC)
* discussion of death of MC’s family
* amnesia trope
* captive/owner romance dynamic
* a fantasy realm with slavery, addiction to gold serum, strong language, and violence

BOOK 1 - KING OF STORMS AND FEATHERS

CHAPTER 1

The Girl

Rough voices woke me. I wrapped my fingers around rusty bars, blinking and focusing my gaze through swollen eyelids.

An awful taste soured my mouth, and my head pounded as if I’d been unconscious for a week.

Where the hell was I?

The sun burned my skin as I stared down at three hooded figures who stood in a cloud of red dust below me, their boots planted wide and arms folded across their chests.

I moaned, dropping my forehead against the bars and rearranging my sweaty limbs. The space was tiny, sticky with blood, and I hated to think what else. Nausea swept over me as cold horror dawned—I was trapped inside a cage.

“Get her out,” said the tall, hooded male in the middle of the group, his deep voice sounding rough with disuse.

A shock of dark gold hair trailed down the front of his shoulder, and his partly opened cloak revealed a black shirt and muddy leathers. When my gaze landed on the water pouch hanging from his lean hips, a shudder of longing rolled over me.

If I could, I’d stab my own eye out in exchange for a drink.

“Her?” asked the slavemaster, reaching into the cage and tugging on the chain that linked my wrists together. “She’s too scrawny for hard labor.”

Anger boiled my blood. I wished I had the energy to spit on him.

Gold-hair lifted his chin. “If that’s the case, your price must reflect her condition. Do you wish to lecture me or make a sale?”

The man was fae, I was sure of it. No other species spoke with such casual arrogance.

Where was this place? The light was too bright, too harsh to be the Earth Realm, which meant I was far from home and probably fucked. I swallowed bile and took deep breaths, trying to slow my hammering heart.

Steel shuddered, locks clicked, then the slaver’s calloused fingers dragged me from the cage.

The movement amplified the hunger gnawing at my innards, and the filthy shift I wore fell farther down my shoulders. It gave no protection from the bite of the midday sun or the harsh glares of the fae.

I blinked at my bare feet—a mess of bruised flesh and badly healing sores—and rolled my wrists. Rubbing my head, my fingers ran over a painful bump, and I hissed out a curse.

The ground tilted, and I listed sideways. The bearded slavemaster shook me, a warning not to ruin his sale. As the three fae stepped closer to inspect me, I reeled away from the glow of their supernatural eyes.

Gold-hair’s silver gaze burned bright, more merciless than the desert sun. The fae on his right, a female with blue hair and eyes to match, glared at me as if she’d never seen anything so repulsive.

Long dark hair fell into the other male’s syrup-brown eyes, tiny lines crinkling around them. The laugh lines suggested that he was the kindest of the three. But more likely his laughter came at the price of another’s pain.

I had no idea where or even who I was, but I remembered something important about the fae as a species. They were bastards. Every damn one of them.

With a greasy thumb, the slavemaster peeled apart my cracked lips, displaying my teeth for their inspection. I raised my head and glared at the tall golden-haired fae—the one who appeared to be in charge. He stared back with an unflinching silver gaze.

“How much?” he asked.

“Twelve feathers,” the slaver replied.

Dark-hair snorted. “Twelve! Arrow, that’s high robbery. We should slit his throat for the offense.”

“He’s new. Doesn’t know who we are,” the gruff Arrow replied. “What’s her name?”

“None listed,” said the slaver. “You can call her whatever you want.”

“A gold eater?” the fae asked.

The slaver shrugged. “Who knows. But since she’s human, more than likely.”

A golden brow rose. “Here’s what I’m willing to pay. Take it or leave it.” He gave the master three gold filigree feathers the length of my palm. “Hand her over. I’m in a hurry.”

A tiny wound festering in the crease of my elbow itched. I scratched it, and the slaver slapped my hand away. “Do you want to take the clothes she was wearing when I got her?”

“No. Just show them to me,” said Arrow.

The slaver disappeared, then returned carrying a small bundle. He held up a ripped tunic of woven wool and linen pants. If they were mine, I didn’t recognize them.

Arrow stared at the tattered items, his lips compressing in a look of distaste. “These clothes aren’t from the Light Realm. Where did you find her?”

“Port of Tears docks when I passed through a week ago. A merchant found her unconscious in a gutter, then a tavern owner sent him my way.”

“It was your lucky day, then. Did you shave one side of her hair?”

“No. It was like that. Strangest thing I’ve ever seen.”

“I doubt that,” my new owner muttered.

The slaver gave the blue-haired fae the keys to my wrist shackles, and Arrow stepped onto the platform, crowding me with his large body. An act of intimidation. “Give me your name.”

My name… I shook my pounding head.

What in the realms was my name?

I didn’t know.

A wave of nausea crashed over me, and I swallowed to avoid splattering his boots with bile.

“I don’t know it.” Clearing my throat, I straightened my spine. “And even if I did, I wouldn’t tell you.”

One side of his mouth twitched. “Very well. You’ll change your mind. I guarantee it.”

He was wrong, but I admired his confidence.

“Esen, give her water,” he told the female as he stepped off the platform onto the dusty ground and scanned the crowded outdoor market.

Scowling, the blue girl unhitched a water skin from her belt and lifted it to my lips. I drank greedily, then vomited it back up on the ground between us. She snarled as she led me down the steps.

“Where are we?” I croaked, stumbling.

“Be quiet.” Esen shoved me into motion. “Get a move on.”

The haughty Arrow swept his eyes over me, then strode ahead. Dark-hair ran to catch up with him, leaving Esen to tug me along behind them, the stink of resentment seeping from her pores.

Breathing slowly through my nose, conserving energy, I inspected their clothes. Tight leathers beneath black cloaks, Arrow’s embroidered with gold feathers. Then I checked the positions of their weapons; knives and swords everywhere, many of them easily accessible.

I didn’t know who I was, but I was certain I knew how to handle a blade.

As I stumbled on a stone, memories rushed through my mind—an overgrown forest, a sword flashing in front of me as I gripped the hilt in my fist, and a green-eyed opponent smiling back at me. Warmth, instead of fear, flooded my chest.

Home. It had to be.

We neared the Farron Gilt Market sign that hung over copper-colored gates, and a fight broke out between a gold vendor and a customer at a stall to the left. A crowd gathered to watch, creating a perfect distraction.

I pretended to trip and fall, snatched a knife from Esen’s boot, stabbed her outer thigh, then ran as fast as I could, ducking and weaving through sweat-scented bodies. I passed slave cages and tables packed with scales, vials, fabric, and mouth-watering food piled high on golden trays.
Behind me, the shouts of my new owners echoed, the girl’s sounding vicious and brown-eyes’ voice frantic. I heard no sound from Arrow, but I felt him gaining on me like a wall of wildfire, relentless, I knew he’d never stop.

As I dodged and ran, I felt no pain. Dust flicked up, coating my throat. I slid under a table, my palms burning as they scraped the ground. Then I crawled between stacked barrels, my sights fixed on a sandstone building that looked like a tavern.

If I could make it through the low wooden door on the building’s side that I hoped led to a cellar, I could take refuge with the roaches and rats. I’d bide my time, then make my escape under the cover of night.

Where I would go after that, I had no idea, but running was better than being trapped.

Panting hard, I waited until the foot traffic worked to my advantage—not too heavy, not too light, perfect for weaving about twenty paces through to get to the cellar door. I found my opening and bolted from between the barrels, my teeth clenched and fists pumping as hard as they could with the chain rattling between them as I ran.

Nearly there… The corner of the building was a mere arm’s length away. I would make it, even if it killed me. Then bang, I slammed into a wall of leather-wrapped muscle. Cruel fingers gripped my shoulders. I looked up.

Fucking Arrow.

“Where do you think you’re going, gold eater?”

Shaking with rage, I took ragged breaths through my nose. “I’m not a gold eater.”

“How do you know? I thought you had no memories. Amnesia, the slaver said.”

“Do you usually believe what every idiot you meet tells you?” I asked.

“Not as a habit, but I’m inclined to believe a slaver over a serum-sucking human.” He slung a heavy arm across my shoulders, pressed a knife into my side, and walked us back toward the market sign.

“To be honest, I’m surprised I’m not dead already,” I said, baffled why he hadn’t killed me yet.

“There are plenty of hours left in the day to deal with the likes of you.”

I shot him a surprised look, my gaze slipping along his square jaw and strong chin.

“Don’t look so shocked, gold eater,” he said. “If I were you, I would have run, too. But I’ll warn you; if you do it again, I won’t hesitate to slit your grimy throat.”

I longed to ask what use he had for a half-dead slave but decided for morale’s sake, it would be best for now not to know the answer.

“What place do you come from?” he asked, his deep voice vibrating low in my stomach.

Too tired to speak, I shrugged a shoulder. I wished I knew. It was one of the many questions currently wracking my brain.

Who was I? How did I end up in that shit-stained cage? And why the hell couldn’t I remember?

We exited the market and strode through a yard toward dirt-flecked horses and a large, covered carriage, a red mountain range visible in the distance and gold dust swirling through the foreground.

Pitiless silver eyes bored into me. “Farron is a desert market town on the border of the Light Realm and the Sun Realm, if that helps to loosen any memories.”

“I don’t recall hearing the name of the market before,” I said. “Tell me where you’re taking me. Perhaps I’ll know of the place.”

“A little bossy for a captive, aren’t you? It’s in that direction.” Halting, he pointed at the mountains and the storm clouds broiling above them. “The City of Coridon in the Light Realm of Storms and Feathers.”

“Never heard of it,” I lied. Of course I knew of the desert city of gold and the fae who lived there and maintained ruthless control of the most valuable commodity in the five realms.

They were cruel savages and rich enough to indulge in every disgusting whim and desire imaginable.

We approached Esen and the dark-haired fae. With their arms crossed, they stood frowning in front of a black, grime-covered carriage. By its size and severe boxy lines, it appeared designed for swift travel and defense. Four muscular horses stamped the surrounding ground, raising more of the throat-clogging, red-tinged dust.

Over her dark leathers, a cloth bandage wrapped Esen’s thigh, but her weight seemed equally spread between each booted foot. Other than her bruised pride, she didn’t appear to be suffering much from the knife wound I’d inflicted, which was a shame.

“What took you so long?” asked the male, his eyes crinkling with a grin.

Arrow pushed me toward the scowling girl, then sheathed his knife. “Given her shocking physical state, this one had a surprising amount of life left in her. Make sure you feed her something when she wakes, Esen.”

“Wakes? What do you mean?” Esen asked.

Arrow grimaced at me. “She’s about to pass out.”

The hood slipped to his shoulders, revealing more of his strong, handsome features and ears like blades parting his tousled hair. He was too beautiful to ever be mistaken for a human.

I wanted to stare, to commit to memory the brutal face of my enemy, but my vision blurred, and I canted sideways, darkness engulfing me.

When I came to, I was on a padded bench seat inside the carriage, and Esen sat across from me, glaring out of the window as she fiddled with the bandage wrapped tightly around her leg.

She glanced at me, then down at her thigh. “Don’t worry, human, fae heal fast.”

“If it’s any consolation,” I turned my badly grazed palms up, the chain clinking between them, “my hands are absolutely killing me.”

Esen snorted. “Good.”

The sound of jingling tack and murmured voices outside told me that Arrow and the other fae were mounting their horses. I kept my eyes closed, pretending to sleep again, and my ears pricked for useful information.

In a gruff voice, too low to decipher, Arrow gave the driver instructions. Then the dark-haired one asked, “Where do you think she’s from?”

“I’m not certain, Raiden. Most likely she’s a gold chaser who’s made her way from the Earth Realm. Probably a forest dweller from the ruins of the human cities.”

The forest…

Images assaulted me—the ruins of a stone building covered in vines and fallen leaves. Trees towered around me, the dark, delicious scent of damp earth and decay teasing my senses.

In a lucid dream, I walked through the verdant landscape, the sound of insects drowning out the words of the boy I followed. Dark, wavy hair tumbled around his head. He turned and smiled over his shoulder, bright green eyes flashing back at me, filled with humor.

Outside the carriage, the fae called Raiden laughed at something his arrogant boss muttered.

“The slaver had no idea who we were,” Raiden said.

“More fool him,” Arrow rasped. “When we return, check the gilt market’s trade agreements. If you find any lapsed licenses, shut the vendors down immediately.”

A thump sounded on Esen’s side of the carriage. Arrow stuck his golden head through the window as she opened it. “We’re taking the low pass through the mountains,” he said. “I want to be back before dark.”

Esen groaned. “Must we? The storms are so disruptive. Fucks with my magic.”

“It’s faster,” Arrow said. “I’ll do my best to control them without depleting too much of my energy.”

Esen’s sneer flicked over me. “Storms knows why you wanted this one. What were you thinking buying such a weakling?”

A beat of silence passed, then he said, “Feed her. She’s awake.”

My eyes were closed, my muscles held loose and soft, my breathing slow and languid. How could he tell I wasn’t asleep?

“Fine,” she said. “How would you feel if Raiden swapped places with me? This girl stinks, and his stomach is a lot stronger than mine.”

“We’ll throw her in the river soon enough.” Arrow reined his stamping horse in. “Are you a soldier or a delicate high lady?”

Esen sighed and flopped backward, thumping the back of her head against the leather bench seat.

As the carriage jolted into motion, Arrow shot me a parting glare, a cloud of dust swallowing his silver horse.

Smoothing my dirty shift over my thighs, I watched Esen rifle through a satchel on the floor from which she produced flat bread, hard cheese, and a yellow apple. She sliced the cheese and fruit and passed me a serving on a waxed cloth.

Without a word of thanks, I gobbled the food like a half-starved wolf, then licked crumbs from my fingers. “Got any more?” I asked, my stomach growling.

“Later. You’ll be sick again if you eat too much at once.”

I grunted in reply. “When we arrive at this Coridon place, what will you do with me?” I dragged my dirty hair over my shoulder, finger combing it, then braiding it into a single rope.

“What makes you think we’re going to Coridon?”

“Arrow said so.”

She glared at me. “Arrow?”

“That’s his name, isn’t it?” I rubbed the clipped right side of my head, the short hair growing in soft and fluffy. “What do the fae of Coridon do with their slaves?”

Lips set in a grim shape, she looked out the window at the undulating landscape haloed in red and gold dirt. “Birds who chirp too much have their throats slit. That’s one possible fate you might suffer.”

“Not a desirable one,” I replied.

Then I shut my mouth and waited for her to doze off, planning to inspect the weapons she wore and decide which one I could steal without waking her.

But instead of resting, Esen stared back, her blue eyes glowing as she drew on magic and juggled tiny bolts of lightning between her palms, her lips pursed in a smug line.

Like all female fae, she had the body and face of a queen, but her sour nature sullied her beauty, turning it into an over-ripe, disturbing thing.

After a while, I gave up waiting, shut my eyes, and let my aching muscles relax. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had a comfortable sleep—nor if I’d ever had one.

Then again, I barely remembered anything other than two undeniable things: I was human, and I hated the fae. Especially the self-satisfied Arrow, who had not only bought me, but caught me after I’d managed to flee.

Out of the three of them, he was the one I would target.