A Kingdom of Venom and Vows

A KINGDOM OF VENOM AND VOWS HOLLY RENEE Copyright © 2023 by Holly Renee All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. Visit my website at www.authorhollyrenee.com. Cover Design: Forensics and Flowers | @forensicsandflowers Editing Team: Brittni Van of Overbooked Author Services, Cynthia Rodriguez of The Beta Bruja, Ellie McLove of My Brother’s Editor, Tori Ellis of Cruel Ink Editing, Lo Morales, and Rumi Khan. AUTHOR’S NOTE A Kingdom of Venom and Vows should only be read by mature readers (18+) and contains scenes that may make some readers uncomfortable. This book contains depiction of sexually explicit scenes, violence, assault, and sexual assault. It contains mature language, themes, and content that may not be suitable for all readers. Reader discretion is advised. For Lauren— Thank you for your love of this series. You will always be Evren’s princess. CONTENTS Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 The End Epilogue What’s next? Thank you Also by Holly Renee About the Author Acknowledgments PROLOGUE GAVRIL My steps echoed against the old, damp space as I made my way into the dungeon. I didn’t want to be here, but my mother insisted that she be kept in the dungeon. I could feel her as soon as I hit the bottom step. The bond between us pulling me forward even when I knew it was something I should have resisted. As soon as I got to her cell, Leda’s blue gaze met mine. She was cowering in the corner of the cell, and I watched as her hands trembled in her lap. “How are you?” I asked gently as I pulled the keys from my pocket. Her pupils dilated and her gaze shifted, rapidly darting around the room as if she were looking for a way out. She pressed her lips together as her body tensed with each of my movements, fear radiating from her wide eyes. It was palpable, and I couldn’t blame her for being so scared. At the same time, I couldn’t help but feel hurt by the way she cowered in suspicion and dread. “Don’t touch her,” a hoarse, tired voice called from the cell next to her, the same one who always tried to stop me when I visited her, but I paid him no attention. Adara’s father would serve his purpose soon enough, but this wasn’t it. He was far too weak from his many years spent in his cell to even attempt to fight me. All of them were too weak to stop me. “Just leave her be, or I’ll—” the man started, but I cut him off. “You’ll what?” I asked as I slid the key into Leda’s cell door. “You’ll get yourself killed before you’re able to lay your eyes on your daughter again.” I stepped into the cell, and even though I could still hear him spouting his threats at me, I blocked him out as I stared at her. I moved across the cell and dropped to my knees before her. She was so beautiful. Her long blonde hair had lost its shine from the few years she had spent in this cell since my mother found her, but it did nothing to dim her beauty. I reached my hand out to her, and she recoiled as if my touch burned her. My anger grew inside me, along with the foreign power that slithered through my veins. My fists quivered as I fought to keep control. “I’ll be going to the Blood kingdom soon.” I spoke softly and reached out my hand for her again. This time I didn’t let her pull away. I clasped her hand in my own and ran my thumb over the dirt that clung to her pale skin. “I must feed from you before I do so.” I didn’t tell her that I was forced to go to that godsforsaken kingdom because my brother, the man I had trusted more than any other, had escaped back there with my future queen. He had betrayed me, and even when he returned home and tried to pretend like Adara had been taken by own enemy, I could see it in his eyes. He had been my enemy all along. I wished that my mother had killed him while we had the chance. The pound of flesh my mother had taken for his betrayal wasn’t enough. It never would be. A cry escaped Leda’s mouth, and she attempted to pull her hand from mine, but I held firm. “Please, don’t.” Her words made my chest ache. If I could have found another way to ensure the future of my kingdom, of my power, without taking from her until she was on the brink of death, I would have done so. But there wasn’t. Adara was the key to the prophecy, and I couldn’t allow the way I wanted to protect Leda from everything, from myself, get in the way of that. “Don’t fight me, love.” I raised my hand and pressed it against her cheek. Her eyes shuddered, and her body trembled beneath my touch. But I couldn’t go long without touching her. “I’ll make it good. Easy,” I whispered the words against her lips before I met them with my own. The kiss was gentle, pleading, but she