Roar of the Storm King: A Fated Mates Fantasy Romance (The Lost Fae Kings Book 3)

ROAR OF THE STORM KING THE LOST FAE KINGS (BOOK 3) THE FAE UNIVERSE ALESSA THORN Copyright © 2023 by Alessa Thorn 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. Editing and Covers by Damoro Design PROLOGUE Long ago, dragons lived wild and free in the lands of Albion. When they began to be hunted for their magic and to be tamed to become beasts of battle, most fled into Faerie to the silver cloud plains of Mag Argatnél. The Storm King not only welcomed them; he protected them from all who would try to abuse them. Taranis was not just a dragon shifter like some of them were. He was a caretaker of magic, and he made sure that it wasn't used to hurt or harm. When the fae fought the Fomorians, it was Taranis's fire and lightning that drove them out of their lands. He lost many on that day, and some whispered that the king was never the same after that. They never dared say it above a whisper because Taranis's temper was slow to build, but once it was burning, nothing could quench it. It was his temper that Taranis was currently finding the hardest to control. Twice now the Fomorian mage had slipped through his fingers—an unfathomable feat—and he was baying for blood. It didn't matter that he needed to fulfil his part of the prophecy by destroying the three Fomorian altars remaining and restore the sky portals into Faerie. Taranis believed in working smart, not hard. He wasn't searching for any altars; he was searching for the mage. As soon as the mage was dead, all of his magic would die with him. Despite summoning his knights to help him, Taranis could find no sign of his enemy and was starting to think he never would. He had taught him well after all. 1 The music at Ritual was pumping loud enough to drown out the critical voices in Taranis's head. He had brought Vidar, Emyr, and Avallach with him because they all needed to blow off some steam. It had been three weeks since they had arrived back into the human world, and they still hadn't found any sign of the Fomorian mage. Taranis had forgotten how overprotective his knights could be, and when he declared he was going to spend a few days in Oslo, they had assigned three guards to go with him. Owain would stay with Lena in case she needed an escort to check any sightings of the Fomorian or its creatures. Von, the club owner and honorary member of their clan, was delighted when Taranis had arrived. He'd been even more delighted with the three dragons he'd brought with him. "Are you comfortable? This is the area I usually reserve for Bayn and the others when they decide to come for a visit," Von said, coming to see them in their private sitting area that overlooked the club’s dance floor and had a great view of the stage. "This is great. It is good to see you again, Von. We needed the night off." Taranis smiled at the lanky Viking, who was dressed in leather pants with a waistcoat and no shirt. His long golden hair was out and shining all the way to his ass. An ass that all his knights checked out. Von checked them all back. "Wow, they really make you all big and strong in Faerie, don't they?" he said appreciatively. He wasn't a small human, but the knights made him look almost delicate. He flashed Emyr a grin. "My dear, you are like Freja, the goddess of war made flesh and just as beautiful." Emyr had strong arms and shoulders from wielding a sword, and even with her dark blonde hair out and dressed in human clothes, there was no hiding that she was a warrior. "Sweet man, my thighs would crush your head with one squeeze," she purred back, flashing her slightly elongated canines. Most males didn't know how to take Emyr's threatening way of flirting, but Von only laughed. "And I would thank you for the honor, my lady. I only ask that you throw me over your shoulder when you decide to carry me off to have your wicked way with me." "Deal," she replied and clinked her glass of vodka against his. Taranis shook his head at their nonsense, but he enjoyed it all the same. They had come out to have fun after all, and if Von wanted Emyr to make a man out of him, who was he to argue? Taranis watched the crowd dancing and drinking beneath him, and his mind turned back to the problem of magic and the worlds. Mananan and Oberon had restored the sea and the land and were carefully tending to the new creatures they had revived. It was working well, proving that Chrissy's prophecy was right. Not that Taranis had any doubts about that. Both of his brothers’ new mates were powerful in their seer magics, and he hoped with a little training, they would be more so. It was so strange to see both of his brothers being led about by their delightful human women. Taranis was happy for them, but he wondered how pretty the purses were that their balls were now kept in. Neither one seemed to care that they had turned into utter mooncalves. "You've visited on a good night, Taran. I have a new singer debuting for me. I know how you fae love music. She's got something otherworldly about her. Voice like a fallen angel and a delightfully filthy sense of humor to match," Von said, staring down at the stage, his drink dangling from one hand. Somehow, he was already sitting comfortably on Emyr's lap. "You have