It’s almost time to fly home. We’ve been stuck in this fucking camper for over a month now, the last two weeks with the Princess at our side. I’m starting to get agitated at everyone and everything, particularly Orian’s constant babying of the Princess, and Keegan's overprotectiveness the second she walks outside. It’s all just shitting on my mood. She’s not a fucking piece of glass. If she can survive a fucking dissection, I don’t think a walk in the forest will kill her. Grumbling to myself, I flap my wings and glide over the forest. It’s my turn to keep watch, something I volunteer for often just to burn off all this pent up energy.
A great deal of my frustration comes from the Princess herself. I want her so fucking badly, but ever since our shower together, she has acted more shy around me. My phoenix preens for her, and to be honest, so does my cock. Over and over I replay the image of her wet body splayed on top of mine, watching the tiny beads of water roll down her perfect skin. I remember the way her nipples hardened between my fingers, how her plump lower lips swelled when I played with her. And let’s not forget the sweet smell of her arousal when she came on my fingers.
Fuck!
My musings are interrupted when I spot something that makes my blood run cold. In the distance, a swarm of massive, winged creatures circle the forest. The trajectory of their flight pattern will take them right over our camper. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what they’re searching for.
Shit!
This can’t be fucking good. I tuck my wings against my sides and dive towards the forest floor, my blood pumping quickly as a rush of adrenaline floods my body. Mentally, I’m already preparing for battle.
Someone found us.
We need to leave, and we need to do it now.
I’m inside having lunch with Trinity, who is wearing a black halter top that we made out of one of our tanks and a pair of Ri’s boxer briefs. Dressed as she is, she looks fucking gorgeous. In comparison, my team and I don our usual gear—cargo pants and tank tops that allow our wings to sprout from our backs. I’ve just taken a bite of my sandwich when Lachlan bursts through the door.
“They’re coming,” he rasps out, his chest heaving and eyes wide. “An army of giant, flying creatures are headed this way. We need to leave. Now!”
I freeze and look at the Princess; her eyes are wide with fright. Sheer terror cuts through our bond like a freshly sharpened blade. I can hear her heart rate quicken as all the blood drains from her face.
We anticipated such an event and made sure we had provisions at the ready should we need to leave in a hurry. With those creatures descending upon us, it’s time to flee this forest or else we’ll have a battle on our hands. Ri grabs a ready made pack filled with supplies and straps it onto his back.
I grab Trinity’s shaking hand. The tiny tremors make their way up my arm, raising the hairs on my skin.
“It’s going to be okay.” I look her in the eye and rub the back of her hand with my thumb. “We are strong, and we are ready. You can do this, okay? We won’t let anything hurt you. You are safe.” I try to project confidence into our bond, to show her that I believe in us, despite the turmoil churning in my stomach.
She offers me a timid nod, but the fear present in her eyes says she doesn’t believe me. She gulps and wets her lips. Her eyes dart back and forth around the camper while Ri and Lach gather the rest of our provisions and strap silver daggers to their bodies. Her anxiety pours through our bond, suffocating both our senses.
My heart breaks for her right now. I struggle to keep myself composed while her panic threatens to overwhelm me. I just want to wrap my arms around her and tell her everything’s going to be okay. I take a deep, calming breath. If I am to lead us out of here alive, then I need to be in the right frame of mind.
I summon a barrier inside my mind to mentally block the Princess’ emotions from overtaking my own thoughts. I focus on what I trained for—to fight, to persevere, to give my life in order to keep her safe.
I will be damned if anything gets in my way.
Something crashes into the camper, the sudden impact rocking the structure from side to side. The ground gives way underneath me as I’m knocked to the floor, unable to keep my balance or catch my breath. Trinity, still sitting in the booth, grips the table so hard her knuckles have turned white. Tears well in her eyes as she glances around the camper, her breathing rapid. Another hit connects with the other side of the camper, denting the flimsy metal wall, and Trinity lets out a shrill, panicked scream.
Rolling onto my side, I catch her gaze. “Trinity! You have to shift!”
“I — I can’t!”
“You can!” I attempt to stand when another crash jostles the camper. “Now. We’re out of time!”
She squishes her face in concentration. The camper receives more blows, this time to the rooftop and rear. I watch Trinity struggling to find her animal who was kept locked away her entire life. We have tried to summon her, to bring on her shift, but after years of forced shifts, her animal shies away and nothing we have done has called her to the surface.
“Fuck!” I growl when we’re struck again, and Trinity still remains in her weaker human form, unable to fly.
“There’s no more time, Keegan,” Lachlan yells as the camper gets hit with several rounds of blasts, causing everything from our cupboards to fall, shattering on the floor. “We have to risk it and leave now or this camper will become our tomb.”
Lachlan rushes to the door and flings it open, the rest of us following close behind him. His white hair flies back and forth as he whips his head around, trying to locate our attackers.
Boom.
A blast hits from behind us, jerking the camper and causing us to spill out of the door and onto the grass. I pull Trinity to my front as we crash onto the ground, bracing an arm out in front of us so I don’t land on her.
My breath hitches when I look up and take in the view above us. Around twenty enormous creatures circle over our decimated camper like a flock of hungry vultures. Elongated, leathery wings sprout from their dark gray backs, and huge horns adorn their skulls. With hooved feet and long, claw-tipped fingers, I recognize them as Incubi.
Frantic, I squeeze Trinity to my chest and stand, before I bolt into the woods. Running as fast as I can, I weave in and out of the thick trees on the path we previously mapped out that leads into the heart of the forest. My blood pumps rapidly in my veins, and my feet pound against the ground while I carry Trinity away from them.
I can’t let them get her. Not after all that has happened. I will give my life to protect her.
Holding her tight to my chest, I call on my phoenix and shift while I run. I risk a glance behind me and see Lach and Ri shifting as well. They aren’t far behind, but beyond them is a sight to be feared. The mass of Incubi are quickly closing the distance between us, the thudding of their hooves against the ground reverberates around us, mimicking the pounding of my heart. Turning forward again, my heart freezes in my chest. There’s a wall of Incubi standing shoulder to shoulder about twenty yards ahead of us.
We’re completely surrounded.
My muscles tighten, and I squeeze Trinity while skidding to a stop, my brothers right beside me.
“Over there!” Lach shouts, pointing to our left.
We bolt towards an area where the trees grow thicker. Lach leads the way as we run into the thicket. Blasts of energy wizz by us. Ri shouts out when he gets hit in the leg, others narrowly missing us by a hair.
When we reach the dense trees, I set the Princess down and start to form a plan.
“Lach, you’re — you’re the fastest flyer,” I say between pants. “Take Trinity and get the hell out of here while you can. Ri and I will distract the Incubi.”
“Like hell I am!” Lach looks at me in exasperation. “You need me to stay and fight these leather fucks. Ri, your leg is already injured. You take the Princess.”
We still as a powerful voice floats down upon us from the air. “No one will be ta
king the Princess anywhere! She is mine.”
I feel Trinity’s fear spike in our bond, breaking through the barriers I put in place to dampen her emotions when she hears the voice. Her eyes widen into saucers as she looks at me and gulps, her body visibly shaking.
I swallow hard. “Do you know who that is, Princess?”
She nods and wets her lips. “Romero. I would recognize that voice anywhere.”
“It’s King Romero, poppet. Time to come home with your true master.”
Romero’s drawl sounds much closer this time. Tears drip down my face and tremors of fear rage through my body.
Oh God, oh God! Not Romero!
Lach and Ri keep watch from in between the trees and discuss plans of action. I can sense Keegan’s angst when he pulls me against his body, his large arms wrapping themselves around me.
“Come out, come out wherever you are.” Romero’s sing-song voice nauseates me. I close my eyes in an attempt to drown him out.
“Come to your master,” he demands calmly, though I sense the malice lacing his words. “You haven't forgotten what I told you, have you? I promised that I would make you mine someday.” His voice drips with dark desire. “I keep my promises, poppet.”
I look up at Keegan, and our eyes connect. My stomach twists in a mixture of anxiety and terror. My future and happiness feel like they’re being ripped from my fingers as I come to grips with the fact that Romero has found me.
An overwhelming need to connect with Keegan hits me. Grabbing the back of his head, I pull him down and crash my lips against his. I pour everything I possess into our kiss, my heart, my soul, my adoration for him while our tongues intertwine in a lust-filled ballet. Love and fear, anger and happiness all intermingle as his mouth takes mine, passionate, hungry, and desperate. My heart thrashes against my ribs, and my phoenix connects with his, trying to grasp onto each other in a burst of frantic desire.
I pull away, breathless from our kiss and the cascade of emotion I can sense through our bond. A fierce need to protect him, to protect them all suddenly overpowers any fear of Romero.
I know my fate now, and it’s not with them.
In the past two weeks, this trio of warriors have shown me more love and compassion than I’ve known during my entire life. Deep in my soul I know that I would do anything to save them.
I grab Keegan’s face between my hands, my eyes darting back and forth between his golden ones. “Thank you, Keegan, for everything.”
“Trinity?” He looks confused when I drop my arms and reach for Lach and Ri, grabbing each of their hands.
“You too, Lach. Ri.” I give their hands a tight squeeze. Tears drip from my eyes and roll down my cheeks. “Thank you for saving me. I’ll never forget what you sacrificed for me.”
“Don’t you give up now, Trinity!” Ri shouts at me as though he senses my need to protect them. He grips the sides of my face. “We can still get out of this! This is not the end. You can’t really believe that after years of searching for you, that we’d be willing to give you up without a fight.”
“Ri’s right, baby girl. We can still fight them,” Lach says with resolve, his fists clenched while his arctic eyes bore into mine. “You need to drown out all those sacrificial thoughts that are burning through that pretty head of yours. Because I’m not willing to let you go.”
We duck when more blasts of magic rip through our hiding spot. “Poppet, where are you? Come home with your master.”
Home? With Romero’s voice getting closer, realization quickly hits me in the gut.
I will never meet my family.
I will never have my mates.
I hang my head in defeat, my shoulders shaking in my desperate sorrow. “Please tell my dad that—” My voice cracks, and I blink back tears that threaten to fall. I swallow down the lump in the back of my throat and try again. “Please tell my dad that even though I didn’t make it back, even though I don’t know him, tell him that I love him. Will you do that for me?”
Before they can respond, Romero’s voice booms from the sky. I instinctively shriek and cover my ears reflexively.
“I’m not going to ask you again! Come out! Now! Or your feathered friends will die.”
“Trinity,” Keegan starts, but the snapping of breaking branches sound from behind us.
My terror amplifies when I see the line of Incubi closing in on us. We have no choice but to abandon the thick trees. Keegan grabs my hand, and we make another run for it. Rocks and sticks dig into my bare feet causing me to stumble behind Lach as he leads the way. Branches whip our faces and snag our clothes as we speed through the forest. He stops abruptly in front of us. Keegan and I crash into his back, while Ri brings up the rear, limping and favoring his wounded leg. That’s when I peer around Lach, the sight that greets me causes my blood to freeze in my veins.
“No, no, no. Please! Oh God, no...” I can’t restrain my useless pleading. But as disbelief settles within me, begging is all I can do..
We’re on the edge of a clearing of sorts. In place of grass and trees are mounds of dirt. The forest floor is rough and littered with leaves and branches, like something ripped the trees right out of the ground.
Beyond the long patch of dirt stand more Incubi. Rows and rows of them line the edge of the open space, growling at us, flapping their wings, and stomping their hooved feet.
I turn around, preparing to run back into the woods, but my efforts are thwarted by an advancing line of more Incubi, each snarling face more menacing than the last.
“They’re herding us,” Lachlan says. “Right into the clearing. Like a goddamned flock of lost sheep.”
My heart sinks at his words. It’s true.
This is it.
There’s no way out of this. It seems our only options are to surrender or die. But I won’t give up. Not yet. I’m determined to save them even if that cost is my life.
Keegan, Lachlan, and Orian form a triangle around me as our assailants force us deeper into the clearing.
“Ahh. There you are, poppet,” Romero’s voice pervades upon us from the heavens like a downpour of acidic rain, each drop burning me where they land on my skin. I force myself to look up. My breath catches in my throat, and I widen my eyes, my mind trying to make sense of the frightening sight.
An enormous Incubus floats down towards us in a form unlike the others. He’s at least nine feet tall, with huge, swirling black horns that curl around the sides of his head twice before they end, their sharp tips pointing towards the sky. His wings are double the length of his body. Four, double jointed bones spread out from his back like the legs of a spider, weaving through his leathery wings to control their movements, each one ending in a long black claw.
His long black hair blows in the wind, revealing pointed ears and dark, pupilless eyes that seem to stare at nothing and everything at the same time. They rip right through me, leaving my body ravaged by dread. His torso is chiseled, muscle upon muscle ripples as he moves, and a long rat-like tail snakes out from behind him. Lazily, he flicks his tail around him as he walks, his wide, black hooves shaking the ground. He’s the epitome of the monsters that live in our darkest nightmares.
As the wind picks up and his scent, dripping of lust and sex, blows towards me, I’m certain of one thing.
The nightmare before me is undoubtedly King Romero.
He’s come to claim me and take me for his own.
The ground sways underneath me as an onslaught of varying emotions from the guys explode through my body. Fear, defeat, sadness, anger, trepidation, anxiety. The rush of their feelings allows me to forget my own fears. I close my eyes and focus on our links. I force happiness, love, and joy through our bond. I drown them in positivity and gratefulness. I don’t want them to think this was their fault. No. This was always my fate, and I think deep down, I always knew that.
“Come here, poppet, and I’ll let your friends live. Surrender and I will let them go.”
“Fuck you, Romero!” Lachlan shouts.
“You’ll have to get through us first.”
“Suit yourself,” Romero says, shrugging his shoulders before a menacing sneer crosses his face. He lifts a hand, and a swirling ball of black magic forms on his palm. “Eenie, meanie, minie… mo!”
With a terrifying look that could wilt a flower, he sets his sights on Ri and hurls his magic at him.
“No!” I scream as the blast connects with his chest. Mortified, I watch as Ri goes flying through the air, landing in front of the Incubi. Our tenuous bond weakens as he loses consciousness. The Incubi are dirty fighters and kick him while he lays prone on the ground.
My terror quickly turns into rage.
Fuck Romero. I won’t let him hurt them again, not today, not ever.
My vision sharpens, and I feel my animal stir within me. Taking a deep breath, I turn to face Romero and muster my resolve, intent on giving myself over to him in exchange for their lives. He said he’d let them go if I came to him. It’s the least I can do after everything my guys have done for me.
My guys?
I guess they are mine, aren’t they?
Lach with his hard facade, who, deep inside, is warm and squishy. Ri, who’s always so sweet and patient, taking care of my every need. And Keegan? My chest tightens when I think about him. My mate. Love is a new emotion for me, but the word swirls around my head every time I think of him.
A roar sounds from beside me. I turn my head to see Keegan with his hands raised, preparing to face Romero himself, ready to launch his fire from his outstretched hands. Only nothing happens. Startled, he tries again to summon his powers and meets with the same result. “Fuck.”
They’re gone.
How the hell did they just disappear?
Bound For Blood (Feathers & Fire Book 1) Page 21
