Total pages in book: 40
Estimated words: 37864 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 189(@200wpm)___ 151(@250wpm)___ 126(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 37864 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 189(@200wpm)___ 151(@250wpm)___ 126(@300wpm)
Damrion
For millennia, I’ve lived with the shame of regret and the guilt of loss. The last Fae prince, haunted by decisions I can’t take back. I never imagined I’d be given a second chance. I know I don’t deserve it. I’ll never be worthy. But my heart beats for the broken warrior who believes I left him to die and the young Valkyrie whose soul we were sent to guard.
To protect her and earn his forgiveness, I’ll face what I’ve done. I’ll face anything.
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
Glossary of Common Terms
This book includes some words in Old Norse, Swedish, Norwegian, and Icelandic, the languages of the Nothern people whose beliefs, myths, and stories are woven throughout this series. Some of the those commonly used throughout the series can be found below.
ja - Yes/Yeah
nei – no
lyststål – lightsword
Magn – Source of Fae power. Literally, power or force.
ímun-laukr – sword
seiðr - visionary magic
Álfheimr – home of the Fae
helvete - hell
skíta - shit
faen - fuck
níðingr – insult meaning cowardly, dishonorable person
eselballer – donkey balls
saurigr skítkarl – dirty bastard
ást-meer - sweetheart
hjartað mitt - my heart
solsken - sunshine
ljós – light
elskan-ljós - Beloved light
bittesmå ljós - tiny light
lyseste ljós – brightest
ljúfr - beloved
hermaðr - warrior
formaðr - king/leader
konung-ligr - royal
konunga-kyn - royal kin
helveteshundar- hellhounds
varulv – werewolf/wolf
Alt du gjør er gjort i kjærlighet – Everything you do, you do in love.
Du er i min verden – You are my world.
Hundre riker ville være for få til å inneholde min kjærlighet til deg – A hundred kingdoms aren't enough to contain my love for you.
Prologue
Damrion
Álfheimr, 2500 Years Ago
A thick haze of acrid smoke and gray ash hangs over Álfheimr, choking the life out of our world. I cough as it billows in black clouds from fires raging all over the realm that birthed the Fae. From my vantage point on the battlements of the castle, I see the red glow far below. It’s as if the Jötunn set the entire world on fire.
I pace back and forth, my footsteps echoing against the crumbling remains of our once-legendary castle. The screams of the dead and the dying float up from the haze below, threatening to break me in a way nothing ever has.
My world is dying.
Surt and his Giants have laid waste to it, their fury merciless. We’re on the verge of losing everything, but I refuse to let it fall without a fight.
I owe our people this much. It shouldn’t be my choice. I wasn’t meant to lead. My duty is to Valhalla and the oaths I swore to protect her borders. But word arrived days ago that I’m the last remaining royal.
Álfheimr has no one else.
My heart aches with the weight of loss. The conflict has claimed everyone I love.
Nei, not everyone.
I clench my fists, my nails biting into my palms as Adriel’s face floats to the surface of my mind. He’s still out there. He’s still fighting.
Gods, Adriel.
His lips are on mine, his hands tangled in my hair. His kiss is urgent, desperate, as though he's trying to convey a thousand unspoken words.
I respond with the same urgency, clutching him to me. His taste is intoxicating, his scent overwhelmingly familiar. It’s the only comfort left these days.
He’s my only peace. I just wish I would have been strong enough to reach for him long before this fucking war started.
All that time wasted...
“Damrion,” he groans, writhing against me as I wrap my hand around his erection. “Fuck.”
A powerful knock on the door shatters the moment like glass hitting stone.
I wrench myself from his arms, my heart hammering against my ribcage. In two steps, I’m on the opposite side of the chamber, my back to him.
“Enter!” I shout.
Burion hurries into the room, rivulets of blood running down his face. They stain his hands. His eyes are wild as they meet mine.
"The Eastern Regiment..." he gasps, panting as if he ran the entire way here. "Under attack. Outnumbered by thousands."
Faen.
If the Eastern Regiment falls, Álfheimr falls. They’re our last line of defense.
“Thank you. Get yourself to the Valkyrie and rest. I’ll send word to the generals.”
How many of our generals even still live?
Burion nods and stumbles out, leaving behind an oppressive silence.
I turn back to Adriel, a weight on my heart. It only grows when I see his face. The fire in his eyes has winked out, replaced by a chilling emptiness. And I know it has nothing to do with the news Burion brought.
This is my doing.
“Adriel, I—”
"I'm going," he says suddenly, his voice devoid of emotion.
My heart clenches.
"Adriel, wait." I reach for him but he steps back, his face set in an icy glare. “You don't owe us anything else. You’ve done enough."
He’s been unstoppable since the war began, one of our most deadly warriors. If history remembers us at all, it’ll be this Fae and his Light they immortalize.
"This isn't about owing, Damrion." A bitter smile twists his lips as he shakes his head at me. "It's about fighting for our world. For our people. So long as there’s a need, I’ll fight.” Disappointment flows through his black eyes before his expression goes blank. “Until just now, I thought perhaps I was fighting for us, too.”
“Adriel.”
He strides toward the door, not looking at me.
Faen.
“Adriel, please. Let’s talk about this.”
"Nei, Damrion. I won’t be your hidden shame or your dirty fucking secret. If that’s all you want from me, there’s nothing to talk about.”