Forsaken Prince (Kilenya Chronicles Book 1) Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Chapter Forty

  Chapter Forty-One

  Chapter Forty-Two

  Chapter Forty-Three

  Chapter Forty-Four

  Chapter Forty-Five

  About the Author

  Forsaken Prince

  Kilenya Chronicles Book Two

  Andrea Pearson

  Copyright © 2017 Andrea Pearson

  Book design and layout copyright © 2017 Andrea Pearson

  Cover copyright © 2017 Andrea Pearson

  Series by Andrea Pearson:

  Kilenya Chronicles

  Kilenya Romances

  Kilenya Adventures

  Mosaic Chronicles

  Koven Chronicles

  Ranch City Academy Series

  License Notes

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This is a work of fiction, and the views expressed herein are the sole responsibility of the author. Likewise, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are represented fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events or locales, is entirely coincidental.

  Dedication

  To Josh.

  This story was, is,

  and always will be

  for you

  http://andreapearsonbooks.com/

  Chapter One

  The bell on the store’s front door rang just as Jacob Clark finished stacking bags of mulch in the corner of the greenhouse. He stepped back, wiping sweat off his forehead, before surveying his work and giving a nod. Even Mr. Fulcher wouldn’t disapprove. Jacob removed his work gloves, shoving them in the pocket of his Fulcher Mulches and Plants apron, then turned to help up front.

  Most days during the summer were pretty frantic, but they were finally coming out of the busy season, and the customer who’d just made the bell ring was their first of the afternoon. Jacob relished the hard labor without interruption, but today, he was in the mood to help someone. He hoped this one would have a lot for him to do.

  He rounded a corner of pillars and hanging vines, and his eyes landed on the teenage girl who’d entered the store. He hesitated. Most of their shoppers were older people, and only occasionally did someone around his age shop there. This girl had long dark hair, slightly tanned skin, and sparkly brown eyes. She smiled, and a dimple appeared in her cheek.

  Jacob wiped his hands on his apron before coming to a stop near her. “Can I help you?”

  The girl motioned to the counter, where she had placed a small potted plant. “Yes. I’d like to buy this.”

  Jacob stepped behind the counter and woke up the register, then scanned the plant’s barcode and accepted her cash.

  “Are you new here?” he asked. Mendon was small and well off the beaten path. Unfamiliar faces were even more rare than teenage customers.

  She nodded. “Yes. Well, sort of—I’m just passing through. I’m actually looking for someone. Maybe you can help me find him.”

  Jacob handed her the receipt. “I’ll do my best. What’s the name?”

  “I’m Aloren.”

  He held back a smile. “I meant the name of the person you’re looking for.”

  Aloren flushed slightly. “Jacob. He’s about your age and works at a greenhouse in Mendon.”

  “I’m Jacob. What can I do for you?”

  “I was hired to bring you to the Makalos so you could help them get back the Key of Kilenya.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me?” Was that even English? “Key of . . . colon? Uh . . . Who hired you?”

  “The Makalos. Kenji, Ebony, Patriarch Brojan.” She hesitated. “They said you’d be familiar with them . . . You’re not, though, are you.” It was more of a statement than a question.

  He shook his head. “You’ve got the wrong guy—there aren’t many Jacobs in town, but I can help you find the one you need.” A Jacob who worked in a greenhouse?

  Aloren folded her arms. “No, it’s you. Dark hair, light blue eyes, works here.” She jabbed the countertop.

  Jacob nodded, wondering where Mr. Fulcher had gone. The man usually kept on the move, wandering the establishment, doing odd jobs. It would be nice to have some backup here. “Yes, but I have no idea what you’re talking about. Makos—I don’t even know the word you said.”

  “Your parents are Dmitri and Arien, right?”

  Relief flowed over him. “No. They’re not.” Thank goodness. She did have the wrong guy.

  Aloren flushed. “Sorry, I forgot they go by other names here. Lee and Janna?”

  Jacob blinked. Where was she getting her information?

  Mr. Fulcher came to the front of the store just then. He looked at Aloren before sending a questioning glance to Jacob.

  Jacob just shrugged. “Yes, that’s them.”

  Aloren ignored Jacob’s boss. “And you’ve got an older brother and a little sister, right?”

  Jacob didn’t respond, but she folded her arms in satisfaction when she evidently saw the answer on his face. How did this girl know so much about some things and be completely off on others? Was someone really looking for him?

  “Jacob, they’re in danger—you’re all in danger. The Lorkon have been trying to find you for years. The Makalos were hoping they’d reach you first, but your parents wanted to keep you in the dark as long as possible so you could have a normal childhood. Well, the Makalos got attacked by the Lorkon, and they’re desperate. They hired me to make contact with you, but I think it might be too late—the Lorkon are powerful and intelligent. They know what we’re doing. I saw little signs on the way here that they’ve been watching you as well.”

  Seriously? She had to be joking. Jacob opened his mouth, about to ask what signs she’d seen, then realized he shouldn’t encourage her. Insanity wasn’t something to laugh about, and he didn’t want to upset her. Instead, he walked to the door and opened it for her, making sure she had her potted plant. “I’ll think it over. Thanks for the warning—I n
eed to get back to work now.”

  Aloren followed reluctantly, a frown on her face. “They told me you would be easy to convince. That you should know everything by now. Your parents—”

  “Are very busy people. Thank you again for the warning. I hope you have an excellent day. Good luck with those Lykons.”

  Aloren’s mouth opened and closed several times before a frustrated expression crossed her face. “Fine,” she spat. She turned, and with a huff, she stormed off down the street.

  Jacob shut the door, then leaned against it. “Whoa. She’s crazy.”

  Mr. Fulcher chuckled. “I was going to ask.” He bent over the register, checking the tape. “I saw that you finished the mulch. Would you help me move the ceramic pots inside? It looks like it’s going to rain, and I don’t want them getting stained.”

  Jacob agreed, and the two of them got busy. He’d been working for Mr. Fulcher for over a year now. It was a great job—good hours, decent pay—and gave him something to do during the summer. His junior year of high school would be starting in a few days, and he’d saved up plenty for homecoming, prom, and all the clothes he’d need for the year.

  Regardless how much he told himself that Aloren was crazy, he couldn’t help but feel nervous the rest of his shift. A sense of foreboding wouldn’t leave. That stupid girl, getting him on edge.

  At the end of his shift at seven, he grabbed his phone from underneath the office table, surprised to see he had several missed calls. One from Dad and at least fifteen from Mom. Why hadn’t they called his work phone directly?

  On the way to his car, he dialed his mom’s number. She didn’t pick up. He called his dad. No answer there either, so he tried Matt, his older brother.

  Matt answered, thank goodness.

  “Hey, have Mom or Dad called?” Jacob asked.

  “No. What’s up?”

  “Nothing . . . I don’t know. Some crazy chick came in today, saying we were all in danger and a whole bunch of gibberish about all sorts of seriously insane stuff. I told her to go away, but . . . well . . . Mom called me fifteen times and Dad once while I’ve been at work. They didn’t leave messages, and neither of them are answering their phones now.”

  “Wow. I get off in half an hour. I’ll meet you at home as soon as I can.”

  Jacob ended the call, knowing it would be at least forty-five minutes before Matt got home, unless he left early. He worked for a grocery store in Logan, the nearest big city, and it was a fifteen-minute drive. Good commute under normal circumstances, but it seemed like forever today.

  Jacob pulled up in front of his house, and his palms started sweating. Something felt off. Dad’s car was there, and so was Mom’s. Why hadn’t they answered their phones? He parked and jumped out, jogging to the front door. It was cracked open, and he pushed it the rest of the way, his heart pounding.

  The lights inside were off. That wasn’t normal. The Clark residence was an old country home, built back when indoor heating and air conditioning hadn’t been invented yet. As a result, the windows were small to help keep the house warm during the winter and cold during the summer. Mom always kept lights on. She would rather pay an elevated electric bill than live in a dark house.

  Jacob flipped the switch. Nothing happened. He stepped inside, and something crunched under foot. He looked down. He’d stepped on broken glass. Jacob glanced around the room. All the bulbs had been shattered—the lamp near the front door, the overhead light, and the lamps on the shelves near the piano. Nothing else was broken.

  His heart did a little flip, and foreboding settled over him again. What had happened?

  “Mom? Dad?”

  No answer.

  He stepped into the kitchen. Everything there was broken—not even the battery-operated clock on the wall was still ticking.

  Jacob’s breath caught when he spotted blood all along the edge of the counter.

  “Dad! Mom! Amberly!”

  In a rush, he searched the rest of the first floor, then bounded up the stairs. He didn’t get far before stumbling to a halt. A huge body was sprawled across the top of the staircase. Jacob gasped, stepping back involuntarily, and nearly fell down the stairs before catching himself. It wasn’t human. It couldn’t be. No human looked like that.

  Jacob clung to the railing, staring at the dead beast. What the crap was it? The thing was huge. Humanoid, with stubby, muscular legs, massive arms, and four fingers on each hand. The wall all around it was splattered with blood and marred with spray from a shotgun.

  The creature’s legs were clad in dark leather. It wasn’t wearing a shirt, and Jacob nearly wretched as he stepped up the stairs and saw a huge gaping hole in the thing’s chest. More blood slicked down the stairs and pooled beneath the beast.

  The entire creature was covered everywhere with very short hair. Spikes jutted out from the lower jaw, coming to sharp points about two inches from the chin. The eyes had rolled back in the head, the lids open.

  Jacob stumbled up the stairs, trying not to touch the creature or its blood. Were there more of those things in the house? Was he in danger? And where were his parents?

  Chapter Two

  Jacob’s breathing came in pants and gasps. His dad’s shotgun lay in the hall near the top of the stairs. Shells—some empty—were scattered across the floor. Jacob grabbed the gun and several of the shells, fumbling to load the weapon in case he needed to defend himself.

  Someone whimpered, and Jacob rushed down the hallway. He passed another one of those beasts, this one missing a head. His stomach flipped. He refused to look at the gaping neck.

  “Hello?” he called out, clenching the rifle. “Mom?”

  His parents’ room was empty. He barely glanced into his and Matt’s separate rooms before pausing in the doorway to Amberly’s. A familiar figure huddled on the other side of her princess bed, and he gasped.

  “Mom!” Jacob rushed to her side, dropping to his knees. He set down the gun and placed a hand on her shoulder.

  She jumped, shrinking against the wall, her hair falling over her face.

  “It’s me! It’s Jacob. Are you okay? What happened? What’s going on?”

  Mom slumped in relief and sobbed. “I’m so sorry.”

  He gently pushed her hair away from her face, then startled. She was covered in blood. Bruises were blossoming across her cheeks and neck.

  “What’s going on?” he repeated.

  “We tried . . . to protect you . . .”

  “Where are Amberly and Dad?”

  “They . . . took them.”

  “They who?” Jacob asked. He pulled out his phone to call 911.

  “The Lorkon.” Her eyes cleared as she concentrated on her son’s face. “They sent their servants. Your father and sister have been taken. You have to get them!”

  Jacob couldn’t move. Lorkon. He knew that word. Had Aloren been right about everything? “Who are the Lorkon? Is that what’s in the hall?”

  “No—Molg. In hall. I need Kaede sap.”

  Jacob blinked. Ka—what? “No, you need the ER.”

  She only protested a little as he helped get her better situated, propping her up with pillows and wrapping a blanket around her. He dialed 911 after making sure that the upstairs really was empty. How was he going to explain those bodies to the paramedics?

  Jacob quickly told the dispatcher there was blood all over the place and he’d come home to find that his mom had been attacked and needed an ambulance. He didn’t mention the bodies.

  The dispatcher wanted him to stay on the line, but he told her he needed to call his brother. After making sure help was on the way, he hung up and called Matt.

  His sentences came out in quick bursts. “Get home now. Dad and Amberly are gone—Mom says kidnapped. She’s hurt really badly. An ambulance is on the way.” Please be okay, Dad and Amberly.

  “Holy cow. Okay, I’m coming.”

  Jacob hung up and knelt on the floor next to his mom again. “Help is coming. What do I do about the bodie
s?”

  She took a breath, obviously struggling to maintain focus. “Your brother will take care of them.” She gripped his shirt, her expression very intense. “Jacob, you have to understand first. We should have told you years ago. Your dad was in line to become king of Gevkan when the Lorkon attacked. There were only three of them. We still don’t know how it happened, but they killed millions. They were slaughtering our people, searching for us. With help from the Makalos, your father and I went into hiding here on earth when you were a baby.”

  Jacob froze, staring at her. “You know the Makalos?”

  Mom nodded. “Yes. Many of them are our friends.” Her grip tightened. “You have to go to them. You have to find your dad and sister. The Makalos will help. Don’t worry about school or work—I’ll tell Mr. Fulcher.”

  Jacob took a breath. He’d forgot about both.

  Just then, a loud pop sounded through the air, and Jacob jumped to his feet, staring at a huge black beetle that was floating in the middle of the room.

  “Jacob Clark?” The voice was deep, grating.

  He stared at the thing. How was it not falling? “Yes?”

  “Your sister is a poor substitute.”

  Jacob circled the beetle. Where was the voice coming from? The mouth wasn’t moving. And what was he saying, his sister was a poor substitute?

  “Come to the Maivoryl castle in Gevkan and she’ll live. Your life for hers—a simple exchange. If you get here fast enough, we won’t torture King Dmitri before we kill him.”

  “Maivoryl castle? Gevkan?”

  “You have two days . . .”

  The beetle burst into flames and burned up, ashes falling to the floor.

  Mom started to sob, her shoulders shaking, putting her face in her hands. She wailed, her voice almost too weak to hear.

  “What am I going to do?” Jacob asked. He wanted to comfort her but wasn’t sure how. She was so broken. His heart clenched, thinking of the pain she was in—emotionally and physically.

  Steps fell in the hall behind him. There was no way Matt had gotten there yet, and that couldn’t be the paramedics—they’d announce their arrival with sirens and shouts.