Withering Rose (Once Upon A Curse Book 2)
Read Withering Rose (Once Upon A Curse Book 2) Online
Authors: Kaitlyn Davis
Tags: #romance, #fantasy, #magic, #fairy tales, #werewolves, #shapeshifters, #dystopian, #beauty and the beast, #adaptation, #once upon a time
Smashwords Edition
Copyright 2016 Kaitlyn Davis
Cover Art: Manipulated by Kaitlyn Davis from from an
attribution licensed DeviantArt brush by
kavaeka
,
an attribution licensed DeviantArt brush by
Inadesign-Stock
, an attribution licensed creative
commons photo by
vectorartbox.com
, a Fantasy Background Store image
called
Night Garden
, and a DepositPhotos.com image copyright
OlenaKucher called
Beautiful Girl in the Purple Dress
.
Title and Chapter Heading Font: Public Domain Font
(Newborough) by
Roger
White
The right of Kaitlyn Davis to be identified as the
author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988
This eBook is copyright material and must not be
copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or
publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically
permitted in writing by the author, as allowed under the terms and
conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by
applicable copyright law. Any unauthorized distribution or use of
this text may be direct infringement of the author's rights and
those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.
This is a work of fiction and any resemblances
between the characters and persons living or dead is purely
coincidental.
All Works By Kaitlyn
Davis
Once Upon A Curse
Gathering Frost
Withering Rose
Chasing Midnight – Coming in 2017!
Midnight Fire
Ignite
Simmer
Blaze
Scorch
A Dance of Dragons
The Shadow Soul
The Spirit Heir
The Phoenix Born
A Dance of Dragons – The Novellas
The Golden Cage
The Silver Key
The Bronze Knight
The Iron Rider
To my
family for their unconditional love,
my friends for their overwhelming support,
and my fans for their incredible enthusiasm.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Table of Contents
I'll never forget the exact moment I started to
die.
The day the world fell apart.
The day my world fell apart.
The morning of the earthquake began as a
morning like any other. The air was cool and crisp, blowing through
the slightly ajar carriage window and stinging my nose. I sat
beside my father, hands encased in delicate lace gloves and folded
perfectly on my lap. The dainty gold crown marking my station was
pinned neatly into my hair, nothing compared to the brilliant,
jewel-adorned one atop my father's tanned brow. I sat with my
ankles crossed, trying my best not to kick my feet, though they
dangled a foot above the carriage floor. And my eyes were glued out
the window, transfixed by the snow-capped mountains cutting through
the horizon like a sharp blade.
The mountains of the beasts.
A place of legend and myth.
The night before, I had overheard my
father's guards telling stories about the bear king and wolf queen
who roamed those jagged peaks, rulers made of flesh and fur. They
thought I had been sleeping, as a proper princess would have been.
But though I was a princess, I loathed being proper.
"Omorose?" my father asked, pulling me from
the view that was beginning to make my heart thud in my chest.
"Yes, Papa?" I murmured.
"I'm not used to such silence from you. Are
you nervous?"
I bit my seven-year-old lip, trying to
ignore the flurry of butterflies that suddenly zipped across my
chest. Was I nervous? Yes. Would I admit it? No.
I shook my head demurely. "No, Papa."
"The prince will still be the same boy you
met before."
I nodded, swallowing. The prince was Prince
Asher. My friend. A boy I had met a handful of times. But now I
would be meeting him in a new light—as my betrothed. The contract
was signed. And even as a young girl, I knew the gravity of that
decision.
Prince Asher, son of the Ice Queen, the
woman without feeling, the woman whose magic was to steal the
emotions of everyone around her, the woman who ruled a desolate,
heartless kingdom. My mother's magic was beautiful, filled with
light and life. The magic I would inherit was beautiful. But the
magic Asher would inherit was cold and scary and unfeeling, and it
made me shiver just thinking about being married to a man with such
power. I remembered him in my thoughts as a kind, lonely boy, who
liked to dream and play as much as I did. But would he always be
like that?
"Omorose?" my father prodded, reading my
heavy thoughts—far heavier than a girl's of my age should have
been. But being royal left little room for a normal childhood.
"I just miss Mama and sissy," I mumbled,
lips wobbling, not needing to use too much energy to convince him
of the truth of my words.
"Your baby sister is still too young to
travel, but you'll see them both soon."
He patted my hands gently, a loving, worried
touch.
And then our world shattered.
The ground shook, and we toppled, flipping
end over end as the carriage rolled from the dirt road, smashing
against the ground. I screamed as my body floated in air for an
instant before slamming against the hood of the carriage, which was
somehow now the floor. My vision went black as my head hit the
heavy, gilded wood.
Everything faded.
"Omorose," my father was pleading.
"Omorose!"
His hands caressed my cheeks, a light kiss
pressed against my temple, and then my eyes flickered open. The
dull ache in my head grew as soon as the light hit my pupils,
blinding me.
"Omorose," my father cried, clutching me to
his chest.
I glanced over his shoulder, trying to
understand what had happened. The snow-covered fields were a mess
of dirt and ice, shaken apart by godly hands. The mountains in the
distance were haloed in rings of flurries and dust. The carriage
was by our side, broken into pieces. One of the guards was covered
in blood, lying still against the ground. Two more were looking
beyond me, behind me, with an expression quivering between awe and
alarm.
"Pa…"
I trailed off as I spun, my father still
holding me tight.
I gasped, unable to breathe as a fear I had
never known washed over me.
Gone was the dirt road.
Gone was the snow-kissed field.
Gone was everything I had ever known.
A city in chaos rested a few feet away from
my frozen body. I didn't know what anything was at the time,
everything was foreign and loud and unfamiliar. The only thing I
recognized were the sounds of human screams and the sight of human
tears. But everything else—impossible. I know now that what I saw
were cars and cell phones and office buildings. I know now that the
clothing I was startled by were jeans and sweatshirts and down
jackets. I know now that the sounds blaring in my ears were car
alarms and fire trucks. But at the time, I was overcome by panic
and confusion, overcome by the otherworldliness of it all.
And then the very thing I feared most in my
life happened.
I felt a tingle in my heart.
A warm, powerful tingle.
And it moved across my chest, down my arms,
over my stomach, around my legs, spreading heat and strength across
my entire body.
"Papa!" I cried.
No.
I didn't want it.
Not yet.
He met my eyes and instantly he knew that
the shriek in my voice wasn't because of the unknown scene before
us. It was the panic of my inheritance coming all too soon.
Pain flashed over his umber eyes.
Pain and hurt and a longing I will never
forget.