Stolen Princess: A Kilenya Chronicles Story Read online

  “It’s the best we can do,” Kenji said. “We don’t know enough about the Lorkon to be effective.”

  Dmitri nodded and pulled Arien closer. He didn’t ever want to have her outside of arm’s reach again.

  “Arien, my love, your parents . . .” His voice cracked, and he had to pause to take a breath.

  “Are dead?” Arien’s big blue eyes looked at him, worry and pain written there.

  He nodded. “Your father, at least, and we haven’t heard from the queen in a long time.” He paused, watching her reactions. “I think she’s gone as well. The Lorkon attacked the castle again after you’d been taken away.”

  Her eyes filled with tears, but surprisingly, they didn’t spill over. She nodded. “I feared the worst when I realized what was going on. I thought my parents had been killed during the kidnapping.” She dropped her voice to a whisper. “I thought all of you were dead.”

  Dmitri could see the pain in her eyes—she’d suffered a great deal already. He kissed her, wanting to take that pain away. “I will never leave your side again.”

  “Nor I yours,” she said.

  Dmitri held her tightly, finding respite in their promise.

  ***

  Dmitri kissed his sleeping baby’s hand, tucking it back where it had laid against Arien’s side. They both were resting now. Dmitri knew he should be also, but his heart wouldn’t stop recalling the events of the past few days.

  He knew he’d never forget what his best friend had done for them. If he could find a way to repay, to thank Kelson, he would, because nothing could remove the joy he felt as he snuggled his wife and little baby, safely returned to him. All the heartache of the past few days would eventually subside, but the peace and happiness were there to remain, rising in his chest each time he looked on them.

  Arien stirred, glancing up at Dmitri, worry on her face. “You can’t sleep?”

  Dmitri shook his head. “Too much on my mind.”

  Arien nodded, her eyes straying to their baby. She spoke in a whisper. “I’ve never felt such love for a living being before.”

  Dmitri’s gaze didn’t leave his wife’s face. “Nor I,” he said. He trailed a finger down her cheek, kissing her there, then on the shoulder. “We’ll find a safe place to live. I’ll protect you, never let you come in harm’s way again. Not from these Lorkon or any other beast or villain. I promise.”

  Arien grasped his hand, looking into his eyes. She didn’t respond, but Dmitri didn’t need her to—the answer and the love she felt were there, written on her face.

  The End

  http://andreapearsonbooks.com/

  Note from the author:

  Hello, all y’alls. :-) Thank you for reading Stolen Princess! It’s a sad story, but one I felt needed to be told. My ideas for this series actually started with the first few scenes of this book, back when I was a preteen. I found an old skeleton key in our backyard and pretended it was magical. Naturally, a handsome prince was involved, along with danger, intrigue, and harrowing fights with evil. Jacob entered the mix much later on—his story started out with him being magical and me not knowing how or why, then finally deciding to combine him with Dmitri’s story. If you’ve read the Kilenya Chronicles, you’ll know where his powers came from. You learned it much faster than I invented it. :-)

  I modeled Kelson after Paul Bettany and Dmitri after Prince Caspian (Ben Barnes) from Chronicles of Narnia. Here, in case you don’t know who these people are, I give you Paul Bettany:

  (Credit: Armando Gallo/Retna Ltd. Found on this website: http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/paul-bettany/images/22059368/title/paul-bettany-photo

  And here’s Prince Caspian (AKA Ben Barnes):

  (Credit: uk.castingcallpro.com. Found on this website: http://www.narniaweb.com/2007/02/introducing-prince-caspian/)

  And if you really want the look of Prince Dmitri, check this one of Ben Barnes out:

  (Credit: http://michaelcawood.com/portfolio/narnia-prince-caspian/ (found on that website)

  Not bad, eh? :-) He’s a bit younger than Dmitri, and Paul Bettany is a bit older than Kelson, but I’m not going to be picky. :-) Anyway, I digress. :-) (Don’t tell my husband I’ve been showing y’all pictures of cute men, okay? :-)) (Totally joking—he doesn’t care. He knows there isn’t anyone in the world who can compete with him. :-))

  If you haven’t already, join my readers group. And scroll down for a sneak peek at Forsake, a Mosaic Chronicles novel. :-) It’s also available in Kindle Unlimited and will get you started on that series. Dmitri, Arien, Jacob—many of the characters we’ve grown to love from the Kilenya world—are in the Mosaic Chronicles.

  I hope you have a great day!

  Much love,

  Andrea

  P.S. Every time a reader leaves a review, Dmitri rescues his wife and baby all over again and his memories of Kelson are preserved. Would you please post one on Stolen Princess? I’d really appreciate it. Thank you.

  Teaser from Forsake

  Nicole had only been sitting for maybe five seconds when a woman she’d never seen before approached her.

  “Are you Nicole Williams?” the woman asked, her gaze darting around the room.

  “Yes.”

  The woman sat next to her and leaned forward. “I don’t have much time—they know I’m here. I have information about Lizzie.” She hesitated a moment before saying, “She’s in danger. And you must protect her before they realize she’s who they’re looking for.”

  The woman stood, knocking her chair over as she glanced across the room, then back at Nicole. “I have to go now.”

  “Wait!” Nicole started, but the woman rushed away. What was that all about? Lizzie was in danger? How?

  A commotion started up near the front door, and Nicole watched as the woman got detained by one of the big security guards Dad had hired. Tiffany approached and began questioning the lady.

  Nicole sighed, knowing what was about to happen. Tiffany did not like people attending her parties who weren’t invited.

  Sure enough, voices raised, tempers flared, and several people crowded near the front door to watch the woman get kicked out.

  Just then, something—a sort of pressure—pushed against Nicole’s chest. She looked down, but nothing was there. Another wave of pressure rippled through the entire room, making her nose tingle. Was that magic? Had she just sensed someone’s powers?

  The floor quaked, knocking everyone down. The walls and ceiling vibrated, and the windows that covered one wall rumbled, then shattered. Glass exploded into the room. It swirled into a massive vortex, spinning faster and faster.

  Then the lights went out, bathing the room in semi-darkness. Several people screamed. The main doors to the ballroom were flung open, and the backup generators kicked on.

  Nicole gasped, her hands fluttering to her mouth. The woman lay on the interior steps that led up to the front door, one leg awkwardly pinned beneath her.

  Hands still at her mouth, Nicole stepped across the ballroom floor, needing to see if the woman was okay. The closer she got, though, the more she realized that something was horribly wrong.

  The woman’s entire body had been stabbed with tiny glass shards. They pierced through her dress into her legs, chest, and stomach. Her throat, arms, and face were coated in them. Her mouth was wide open, so full of shards that it made Nicole choke. Even her eyes were covered with the sharp little things. Blood pooled around the lifeless woman, dripping down the marble steps.

  Nicole screamed, barely noticing as several others did too.

  “Someone call the cops!” a man yelled.

  That wasn’t necessary—one of Dad’s best friends was a detective. He pulled out his badge and ordered everyone to sit at their tables. No one was happy to be told to what to do, but fairly quickly, Detective Brooks had things under control.

  “Why are you holding everyone here?” a woman called out. “It’s obvious that whoever killed her is an Arete.”

  Nicole felt her ears turn red.
She was the only Arete present—Tiffany would never invite one to a party.

  And everyone else knew that too.

  As one, a hundred pairs of eyes turned and stared at her.

  Go grab a copy of Forsake to find out what happens!

  About the Author

  Andrea Pearson, author of several series including the Kilenya Chronicles and Mosaic Chronicles, lives with her husband and children in a small valley framed with hills. She graduated from Brigham Young University with a bachelor of science degree in Communications Disorders.

  Andrea spends as much time with her husband and daughter as possible. Favorite activities include painting, watching movies, collecting and listening to music, and discussing books and authors. She and her husband are expecting their second child in the fall of 2015.

  Connect with her Online:

  Facebook

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  Join her readers group for news on upcoming releases

  (She values your privacy and doesn’t sell or misuse email addresses)

  Table of Contents

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Stolen Princess

  About the Author