Prince of Secrets and Shadows

  Cursed Fae Courts

  Book Two

  Heather Hildenbrand

  Prince of Secrets & Shadows

  Cursed Fae Courts #2

  © 2025 Heather Hildenbrand

  All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the publisher’s prior written consent.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either a product of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, either living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment. This eBook may not be resold 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 the authors.

  Cover Design by Fay Lane

  Edited by Dawn Y.

  www.heatherhildenbrand.com

  Contents

  Pronunciation Guide

  A Quick Recap

  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

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Chapter 47

  Chapter 48

  Chapter 49

  Chapter 50

  About the Author

  Also by Heather Hildenbrand

  Pronunciation Guide

  Characters

  Aurelia Valeen – Aur-el-ee-ya Vuh-leen (Princess of Summer)

  Sonoma Eko – Suh-no-muh Ek-oh (Aine warrior)

  Tyrion Valeen – Teer-ee-on Vuh-leen (King of Summer)

  Celeste Valeen – Suh-lest Vuh-leen (Queen of Summer)

  Heliconia Kucera – Hel-ihh-cone-ya Cue-seer-uh (Conqueror of the north, self-declared Queen of Winter

  Rydian Nytherra – Rid-ee-in Nigh-terra (Second son of Duron)

  Callan Ashfall – Call-en Ash-fall (Autumn prince)

  Duron Ashfall – Der-on Ash-fall (Autumn King)

  Lesha – Lee-sha (Aine warrior)

  Amanti – Uh-man-tee (Aine warrior)

  Daegel – Day-gull (Rydian’s friend & confidante)

  Meerdra – Meer-druh (Oracle in Grey Oak)

  Koraz – Core-azz (Duron’s top advisor)

  Lemuel – Lem-yule (Duron’s advisor)

  Vanya – Vah-n-yuh (Aurelia’s first maid at Grey Oak)

  Beryl – Bear-uhl (Aurelia’s second maid at Grey Oak)

  Talthis – Tal-thiss (Lightshore emissary)

  Naliadne/Nali – Nal-ee-ad-nee (Princess of the Osphanis/River People)

  Patamoi – Pa-tuh-moy (King of the Osphanis/River People)

  Winyra – Win – eye-ruh (Former Queen of the Midnight Court)

  Cadira – Kuh-deer-uh (Queen of the Midnight Court)

  People Groups

  Verdant – Verd-ant (Healer tribe with powerful magic that lived a thousand years ago

  Moriori – Mor-ee-or-ee (Pacifist people from an island in the northwest sea)

  Rada – Rah-duh (Sea fae)

  Naiad – Nigh-add (Mermaid fae)

  Places

  Menryth – Men-rith (Name of the realm)

  Concordia – Con-cor-dee-uh (Winter court kingdom)

  Ravenna – Ruh-ven-nuh (capital city of the Midnight Court)

  Calidium Empire – Cuh-lid-ee-um (Once a great southern empire before it fell during the Great War)

  Alorica – Al-or-ee-kuh (Western continent across the sea)

  Vorinthia – Vor-in-thee-uh (The last kingdom to wield strong magic before it fell in the Great War)

  A Quick Recap

  In Kingdom of Briars & Roses…

  Princess Aurelia Valeen of the Summer Court has spent seven years trapped behind enchanted walls, her kingdom cursed into an endless sleep. The curse—set in motion by the dark conqueror Heliconia, self-proclaimed Queen of Winter—has stripped Summer of its magic and left Aurelia with only one option: Fulfill a long-standing political alliance with the Autumn Court in hopes of saving her people.

  She promises herself to Prince Callan Ashfall, her charming ex-fiancé and the heir of the Autumn Court. On the journey to Autumn, Aurelia survives attacks by enhanced Obsidians (Heliconia’s soldiers) and begins to realize that her own magic isn’t as dormant as she’s been led to believe—especially when she kills one of the creatures and absorbs its life force.

  Enter Rydian Nytherra, Callan’s illegitimate half-brother and a stranger from her past. Cold, lethal, and openly hostile toward Aurelia, Rydian clearly knows more about her magic—and about Autumn’s secrets—than he lets on. Despite his warnings that Callan and King Duron Ashfall will try to use her, Aurelia is forced into Grey Oak as a political prisoner disguised as a fiancée.

  In Callan’s court, Aurelia uncovers unrest among Autumn’s people, fueled by Duron’s brutal taxation and exploitation. Rebels attempt to assassinate her, believing she is complicit in Autumn’s oppression. Meanwhile, Duron pressures Aurelia to hand over her magic as the “offering” required to finalize the alliance—confirming Rydian’s fears.

  As Aurelia searches for answers about her true power, she learns a devastating truth: her magic isn’t merely fae. She is the daughter of Ire, a god they call a Furiosity and ruler of Hel. Not only that, her death-fueled power is tied to an ancient bargain involving the Fates (female gods of the light), Furiosities (the gods of Hel), and Heliconia herself. Aurelia is the Chosen One, destined to one day confront Heliconia and save the realm.

  Caught between political manipulation, rebellion, and forbidden desire, Aurelia shares a single night with Rydian—knowing it can never last. But when it comes time to wed Callan, she chooses independence over submission, attempting to flee Grey Oak and fight Heliconia on her own terms.

  As Autumn collapses into chaos, Rydian makes a devastating choice: To “save” Aurelia, he forcibly delivers her into the hands of the infamous Midnight Court, a kingdom full of deadly monsters that will likely torture and kill her before saving her from anything.

  Book one ends with Aurelia vowing vengeance—not just against Heliconia but against Rydian for his betrayal—as she embraces her heritage, her fury, and the fire of Hel burning in her veins.

  Chapter One

  Callan

  The Autumn Court burned beautifully around me. Ashen leaves fell from the sky like embers, then curled at my feet, leaving a cloud of smoke thick enough to make my eyes water. I hadn’t witnessed who’d started the fire, but somewhere amid the chaos of clashing swords and fleeing guests, a spark had caught.

  The trees beyond the gardens glowed against the night sky—gold and rust and scarlet. More smoke curled above the keep’s towers, carrying the scent of oak and ash. The blackened vines along the outer walls dripped with water, thanks to some guard’s quick thinking and the buckets they’d hauled from the stables. But damage had been done in more ways than one tonight. My father’s kingdom—bleeding from every edge.

  And somewhere beyond the gates, a black carriage rolled into the dark, carrying precious cargo.

  The Summer princess who should’ve been my queen.

  The woman who’d refused me before the entire realm earlier tonight.

  I cut down another Withered rebel before thought could root too deeply about what I’d done. The creature I’d slain—once fae, once loyal—collapsed in a hiss of blackened breath, his veins hollow from where my father had drained him dry at one of the magic donation centers.

  The rebels had chosen tonight to strike. Of course they had. It was all a distraction, a perfectly timed assault to give Aurelia room to run.

  Her rebellion had begun with a single word at the altar aimed at me: no.

  And now, here I was, fighting the ghosts of my father’s cruelty while the only person who ever saw the boy beneath my crown disappeared into the night.

  “Your Highness!” Holt’s voice cracked across the courtyard. “We’ve secured the gate and the section of wall they breached for entry.”

  “Take any prisoners you can. K
ill the ones who fight back,” I snapped, turning away from the drained fae I’d killed. The Autumn fae. Withered or not, they were my people. Bile rose in my throat, but I shoved it down and looked to my brother.

  Half-brother by blood, we shared a father. And a common experience of that man’s abuse in both of our childhoods. Though, I was the one my father was cruelest with. Maybe because I was his heir. Either way, Rydian and I had never been best friends, but we’d been united against a common enemy long enough to forge a tenuous bond.

  Tonight, that bond had broken forever.

  I glared as he stepped from the smoke, blades drawn, eyes bright with cold fury.

  “Still alive?” he asked.

  “Disappointed?” I parried a strike from another Withered, the clash of metal ringing between us before I flung the gaunt fae to the ground where the guards set upon him. “You could have warned me half our people were turning on us tonight.”

  “I thought you’d notice when they started trying to kill you,” he said evenly.

  Bastard.

  “You knew about this.”

  “I knew Aurelia wouldn’t stay.”

  I froze, my skin as cold as if winter had come to the court. “You helped her.”

  He didn’t answer. Didn’t have to. His eyes flicked toward the gate—the one just now beginning to swing shut, the road beyond it swallowed in fog and darkness.

  “You were supposed to keep her safe,” I roared.

  “I did,” he said simply. “She wanted to be free.”

  “She humiliated me tonight.” I stalked toward him, my blade still slick with blood. “She could’ve left quietly. But no—she had to turn it into a show. In front of every noble, every emissary⁠—”

  “Maybe she wanted them to see she wasn’t afraid of you despite your attempts to control her.”

  I laughed—harsh, broken. “Afraid of me? I would’ve given her everything.”

  He tilted his head. “Except a choice.”

  Rage burst through me, and I lifted my bloodied sword, unthinking about what I’d do next—and what the consequences might be.

  Fletcher came running, breathless, armor stained with ash and gore.

  “Your Highness!” he panted. “The king— He’s dead!”

  The world tilted. My sword hand fell limp.

  “What?” I uttered.

  “Your father,” Fletcher said between breaths. “Burned to ash. They say it was… furyfire.”

  He glanced between us uncertainly. But I barely noticed. The word itself froze me. Furyfire. Aurelia’s magic.

  “She wouldn’t—” I started, but the truth turned the words bitter in my mouth.

  She would.

  She’d already burned me. The other night in the library. Her control had slipped past her temper.

  “She killed him,” I whispered in disbelief.

  Rydian’s voice came low. “You don’t know that.”

  My gaze snapped to his as my blood began to heat. “I know she had motive. And I know you didn’t stop her.”

  “She wanted to survive,” he said quietly. “Duron made that impossible.”

  “Your Highness,” Fletcher said again.

  “What is it?” I snapped.

  “Advisor Koraz was also found dead. Run through the heart with a blade.”

  Again, a darting glance toward Rydian.

  My half-brother’s expression never flickered away from the calm stoicism of relief. And I knew then he’d been the one to do it. Not just because they’d hated one another but because it was Rydian’s kill to make.

  Still, after everything else he’d done tonight, I couldn’t allow it.

  “You don’t deny it,” I said.

  “I don’t.”

  Something inside me snapped. “Guards,” I said, my voice gone sharp and cold. “Take him away.”

  Rydian didn’t even flinch as they circled him. “You’ll regret this, Callan.”

  “There are many things I may live to regret. Locking you up is not one of them.”

  “Your guards and chains won’t hold me if I decide to go.”

  “You’re right. Although, I could persuade you to stay without any of this.”

  His gaze flicked to my hand. He knew what I meant even if the rest of the court didn’t. His frown told me he would keep my secret a little longer, though I dared him to try to use it against me now. His crimes were far worse than my own.

  “Take him to the dungeon. I have a crown to claim and dead to bury.”

  When they were gone, I walked to the garden where my father’s remains lay strewn about from the breeze. Ashes and bone, that was all that remained of the former Autumn king.

  Above, the moon hung low, pale as bone, watching me struggle not to fall apart. I sheathed my sword, hands shaking. The blood on my knuckles gleamed in the moonlight.

  The monster I’d feared all my life was gone. And still, I felt like nothing more than an echo of what he wanted from me—small, angry, hollow.

  “Majesty?” Holt asked softly. “What are your orders?”

  Orders. Because that’s what kings gave.

  “Find her,” I said. “Bring her back to me.”

  He hesitated. “Alive?”

  I didn’t answer.

  He bowed low and disappeared into the smoke.

  The night wind swept through the courtyard, scattering burnt leaves and ash. Scattering him. Underneath the scent of it, I caught the faintest trace of blue vervain smoke from the herb I burned to silence my power.

  I breathed it in for the last time and whispered to the dark, “Long live the king.”

  Chapter Two

  Aurelia

  Every flutter of my eyelids dragged like cotton soaked in water. I stopped trying to pry them open and inhaled slowly, taking stock. The first thing I noticed was the smell—woodsmoke and damp stone, threaded with something sharp and herbal that clung to the back of my throat.

  The second thing was sound. A hush, broken only by the faint crackle of a fire somewhere nearby. No voices. No footsteps. Just silence, the kind that reminded me of all those years spent among my sleeping kingdom. The kind of silence that pressed like a weight on my ribs and brought a twinge of panic that I’d been transported right back to the nightmare of the past seven years spent inside my sleeping kingdom.

  Maybe the last few weeks were nothing more than a strange dream. Sonoma’s death, the secret she’d kept from me until the end—that she was my mother and a god of Hel was my father, Callan’s marriage proposal. His father’s plan to drain my magic for the sake of a pretty lawn. Rydian. Thinking of all that had happened, I wasn’t sure whether I wanted it to be real or not.

  Either way, I was awake now. And reality could not be ignored much longer, especially not my bladder.

  My limbs were heavy, sluggish, every movement tinged with the wrongness of muscles that shouldn’t ache this badly, considering the softness of the mattress I found myself on. My mouth was dry, and when I swallowed, nausea climbed my throat.

  Drugged.

  The realization crawled over my skin like cold sweat. Followed quickly by the memory of how it had happened in the first place.

  My furyfire burning King Duron to ash. His advisor, Koraz, with a blade through his chest. Rydian pushing me into a black carriage. The driver’s armor emblazoned with the silver sigil of the Midnight Court.

  My eyes flew open, my heart racing as I tried to breathe through the panic. I blinked at the sight of the smooth ceiling, slanted and high, exposed rafters gleaming in the soft, orange light. Beneath that, the walls were stone, uneven and old, and a faint draft whispered through cracks.

  I was lying on a large bed layered in thick blankets. A single window was shuttered tight. Two doors stood across from me. One hung open, revealing a glimpse of a massive bathing chamber. The other was closed, the faint glint of iron along its latched edge telling me what I didn’t want to know.

  Locked.

  I hadn’t dreamt it after all; I was a prisoner.

  Another quick glance around the space revealed no sign of my personal belongings, including my beloved swords: Dorcha and Latha.

  Panic flared in my chest, sharp enough to shove me upright. My pulse hammered in my temples. But the ache in my head was nothing compared to the fresh pain splitting through my chest. My heart broke all over again as the truth settled like stone in my lungs.