Ultraviolet is shaking now, swirling with dark smoke as he fights against Dallin’s command.
“Curse you! I’ll punish you, dragon!” he shrieks as his entire body disappears in a tunnel of purple smoke surrounded by a translucent layer of black smog. Something’s happening inside, but Dallin takes another step forward.
“Don’t leave,” Dallin says in that commanding tone. “Stay here and show them who you are.”
Ultraviolet lets out a shriek that strikes straight to my bones, and the smoke blasts outward in a flash of violet light that blinds us all for a moment.
Then leaves us in the dark.
Ian snaps a finger and the room is light again, and I have to look around for Ultraviolet.
All I see is a small woman cringing and shaking against the bars a short distance from where Ultraviolet stood.
Her hair is shorn short, making her eyes look even bigger. Her features are delicate, but a long scar runs from above one eye down to her jaw.
Her wrists are covered to the forearms with tightly wound bandages, and beneath too-loose robes, I see legs that are covered with scars.
Her purple eyes meet mine, swirling with black, and recognition hits me immediately.
Vexxus.
She looks over at Dallin, still clinging to the bars as if she’s too weak to stand. “Curse you, Dallin!” she yells in a voice that’s slightly higher than Ultraviolet’s. “I’ll never forgive you for this.” She lets go of the bars and stands, shaking as she pushes herself unsteadily onto her feet. “Revoke your command.” Her voice lowers, and she sways slightly, looking utterly broken. “It’s over now anyway. Let me leave. Let me die.”
Dallin shakes his head. “You can’t die, do you hear me? You have to live, Vexxus.”
Vexxus stares at him with eyes that have seen too much pain and shakes her head slowly. “Then you will die someday.” She glares at the rest of us. “All of you.” She turns back to Dallin. “For pity’s sake, release me now. I can’t stand to be like this.” Her fists at her sides are shaking.
Dallin’s eyes are full of pity, and he nods. “You can go… for now.”
With a hiss and a flash, she disappears, leaving us all staring in shock at the burnt spot where she last was.
“Ultraviolet… Ultraviolet is a girl?” Ian asks, putting his wand back in shock and turning to hug me. “Did I see that right?”
I hold him tight, just glad he came for me.
That we came for each other.
“I think so,” I say.
“She used glamour to keep anyone from seeing what had happened to her. Or even who she was,” Dallin says. “To take a form she felt couldn’t be hurt.”
“I don’t blame her,” I say, looking at the bed.
“She’s going to try to kill us,” Tanner says.
“Mostly me,” Dallin says.
Ian lets out a sigh. “We’ll be here to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
A whirring sound distracts us all, and I let out a gasp as a purple portal appears in the room, growing wider and brighter until a small, curvy woman steps out.
She has purple hair, kind, wise eyes, and a wrinkled face with laugh lines and pain lines throughout.
She steps forward, looking at Dallin. “So this is why I felt the presence of dragons.”
Dallin glares at her. “Who are you?”
“That’s the oracle,” Brett says, stepping forward. “You will show respect.”
“I respect no authority until it proves worthy of respect,” Dallin says.
The oracle walks slowly over to him, gliding easily for her age. She looks up at Dallin, then waves a hand over his wrist.
He gasps and looks down at a small metal bracelet. He tries to lunge at her, but something crackles and he falls to his knees.
“He needs training, but he shows promise,” the oracle says, looking down at him as he tries to turn over with a groan. “You have been hurt, so I will make allowances. But you almost hurt one of my dear princes, and many others, so you’ll have to be kept close.” She looks at the other dragon held by Brett and Tanner. “Are you with him?”
The dragon lets out a groan. His features are handsome, softer than Dallin’s or the others, and he just nods. “I’ll go with anyone if it means getting out of this dungeon.”
“There are others,” Dallin says.
“We will find them,” the oracle says. “Now, who should take over the fae kingdom while I go back and deal with this in the human world?” She looks from Ian to Brett to Tanner. “Never mind. You decide amongst yourselves. I’m needed on Earth. I have some dragons to train.”
And then she disappears, along with Dallin and the other dragon.
It’s quiet for a moment as we all look at each other.
“Where’s Flynn?” Ian asks, still holding me close to his side. “Is he okay? And Callie?”
“They’re with the light fae,” Brett says. “Helping them recover. Explaining.”
Ian hangs his head. “It’s all a mess.” He looks over at me. “Thank you for saving me before more could happen.” He shakes his head. “I hate to say it, but the ones Ultraviolet killed so far did deserve to die. But there will still be a mess to clean up.”
“Flynn can help with that,” Brett says. “He knows how to recover after even the worst tragedies. He’s strong and a fire fae, after all.”
Tanner, Brett, and Ian all look at one another, then nod, smiles breaking out on their faces.
“Should we go tell him now or later?” Tanner asks.
“That he’s going to be honorary king of the fae world? I don’t know. How about we wait and surprise him,” Brett says.
Ian just sighs. “I don’t care when as long as I get to take my soul bond home soon.” He holds me tightly. “We need to recover.”
Tanner nods. “Of course. Let’s go.”
They lead the way out of the basement, and everything is a blur as we head upstairs and out into the sparkling light kingdom.
The fae are gathering in groups, and in the center of the courtyard, at the top of a large set of stairs, many fae children are congregated around someone.
I look closer and see that it’s Flynn holding a child with pale hair on his knee and another against his chest.
Callie is beside him, talking to the kids that are near.
The parents have gathered around, and as we pass them, still a good distance away, Flynn looks up and gives us a wave.
Looks like we’ll be coming back for visits once Ian and I are bonded.
I give him a grin and a wave, and Ian raises his hand, then drops it, turning to look at me.
“I need to be home with you, soul bond,” he says, taking both of my hands. “I need to feel that you’re safe and just—”
“Yeah, me too,” I say softly as Tanner holds out a ring and a portal forms in front of us. “Take me home.”
We step into the portal together, and for the first time in a long time, I know everything is going to be all right.
25
Ian
In a flash of light, Liz and I are in front of my apartment back on Earth, and a wave of peace flows through me as I open the door, pick her up, and take us home.
Nothing could feel better.
“Whoa,” Liz says with a grin as I take her in my arms, heading for the bedroom. After everything that’s happened, I just want to have every moment alone with my soul bond.
“Sorry,” I reply, enjoying the way her body cuddles up against mine. “Just a little possessive after nearly losing you—twice.”
Anger surges in me at what Vexxus did, how he—how she—threatened my soul bond. But seeing her like that, seeing the pain of her reality hidden all along behind smoke and mirrors, it leaves me conflicted.
Without Liz, I don’t think I could have held back.
And now that we’re together, I’m never letting anything come between us again. Ever.
“How does a bath sound?” I ask Liz, carrying her to the room
and moving toward the door at the back.
“That sounds great. I feel like the smell of that dungeon is following me around.”
I let her down and start the water. And as I add some bubbles, which begin to froth and churn, Liz begins to undress, pulling off her shirt, then her pants.
“What do you think is going to happen with Vexxus. Or Dallin and the others, for that matter?” she says thoughtfully, reaching behind her for her bra strap.
I stand and undo it for her, unable to help taking in the sight of her beautiful, glowing skin as it falls away.
“Thanks… Still a little shaky after everything,” she says.
I help her step into the tub, then toss aside my clothes as I join her. And even though the tub is only modestly sized, I sit up, moving my legs out of the way so she can relax against the backrest.
“To answer your question, I’m not sure. It sounds as if the dragons are coming back to the human world, though I doubt Dallin will be allowed to keep his powers until he’s proven he won’t be a danger to anyone.”
“Probably a good thing,” Liz replies, humming in relaxation as the hot, bubbly water surrounds us. “It was strange to see him use his powers like that. That he could force someone against their own will.”
My chest tightens, thinking of the horrible things I had to say this morning.
“Liz, I’m sorry. About everything. I didn’t mean to—”
Liz opens one eye, and she sits up, sloshing the water when she moves to lie against my chest and place a finger on my mouth, silencing me for a moment.
“No need to apologize. The other fae explained everything. And as for why you were working with Dallin and Ultraviolet in the first place, well, I understood why the day you had to fight that dragon. It’s not your fault things went as far as they did.”
I wrap my arms around her, holding her tight against me as we sit together in the warmth and steam and peace.
“Everything I said last night. I meant every word. I love you, Liz. I want to be your soul bond, and I want you to be mine. And no matter what happens from here on out, I’ll always be by your side.”
“And I’ll always be by yours so you don’t get manipulated by any rogue dragons. Or fae.”
I smile, unsure if I deserve her being so good to me.
She turns around in my lap so we’re chest to chest, my back to the corner of the tub. The sparkle in her eyes reaches the furthest depths of my soul as I tilt up her head slightly to claim her mouth with mine.
Love and heat swirl inside me, hotter than burning sunlight, as our mouths press deeper. And when Liz’s lips part, my tongue is there to meet hers in a slow, sensual kiss that nonetheless makes me more desperate for her than I ever have been before.
When we part, her gaze is heated as her hand runs down my chest.
“Hopefully, that lets you know exactly how I feel, sexy guy,” Liz says.
“How did I get so lucky?” I ask as she rests against my chest, so small next to me. Around us, our bond is getting brighter and stronger by the minute, and it makes my heart thud in my chest with wonder and excitement.
“Given where this all started, I’d say I was the fortunate one. Though, honestly, I just feel lucky I was able to get to you in time and that my powers awakened right when I needed them,” she says, a finger making lazy circles on the center of my chest as we hold each other.
“That was amazing, by the way. I didn’t have time to properly thank you. I resisted as long as I could, but without you, I can’t imagine…” I trail off.
“It all worked out. Everything from me being thrown out of my apartment to where we are here and now. I like to believe destiny had a part in all of it,” Liz says resolutely.
“Yes, it did. And now I get to do the only thing I’ve really wanted to do from the first moment we met.”
“What’s that?”
I lean down and place a kiss on Liz’s forehead, and she smiles up at me with curiosity in her eyes.
From here on out, I only want to use my power to help people. To do good by working to build a better world. I’ll leave the big decisions to Flynn and the others.
Liz is all I could ever want and more.
“Love you forever,” I say.
Liz giggles and splashes a handful of water on me. “That’s even more romantic than I expected, you big… light fae.”
I can tell she’s blushing, and I sit up as she straddles my legs, arms wrapped around me as I hold her hips.
“And I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
We kiss again, more fervent this time, and when I move to her neck, she sighs lightly as the air seems to get hotter around us for a moment.
“Here, let’s get cleaned up so we can get you something to eat,” I reply, wanting to just take her right here and now but knowing she’s probably exhausted after awakening and using all her energy to save me.
“Good plan,” Liz says as I grab a bottle of body wash and lather it in my hands. “Oh, and there’s something I want to show you as well.”
“I can’t wait to see it,” I reply, running my hands down her body.
For several minutes, we clean away the stress and worry of our troubles. But by the end, we’re both more than a little turned on, and I can sense her eagerness to complete our bond just as deeply as I can feel mine.
When we’re done, I help Liz out and wrap her in a bathrobe, then get out and do the same. Then, as we make our way to the kitchen, Liz goes to the corner of the living room where her art supplies are stored and pulls a cover off of the easel where she works.
The sight of the painting makes my breath catch in my throat.
“What do you think?” Liz asks, standing next to her painting, cute as a button in her bathrobe, her hair still damp.
“It’s… amazing,” I reply.
The painting is bold and beautiful, made with confident brush strokes. On one side, there are light colors, bright and stark as they clash in the center of the canvas with deep purples and blues and black from the other side. Everything looks as though it’s in motion, swirling around each other as they clash together.
Not clash… entwine. Collide. Join together. No one side is dominant. Both meld into each other, so it’s hard to say where one starts and the other ends in the places they meet all up and down the canvas.
It reminds me of us in the sky when she saved me, just by being who she is.
“So you like it?” she asks, coming beside me as I just stare in awe. “I had a funny feeling about it right before we left to go after you in the light kingdom. Maybe something inside me knew about this—about us—before I even awakened.”
I wrap my arm around her, kissing her cheek and getting another long look. “I absolutely think you’re right. Just further proof that you’re the most awesome person that ever existed.” I kiss her cheek again. “My soul bond.” Again. “My princess.”
She giggles and squirms a bit, fingers tightening around the collar of my robe as I shower her with love and affection. “Okay, okay. Go get me a sandwich like you said so we can finish what you started.”
“Anything for my princess,” I reply, going into the kitchen and whipping up something quickly.
We eat rapidly as we watch each other, hungrier for much more than food now. I continue to tell her how awesome her painting is. And by the time we’ve both had our fill, I pick Liz up in my arms, getting one last look at the art sitting on the easel before carrying her to the bedroom so I can show her exactly how much I really do love this woman that is the center of my universe.
I set her on the bed, untying the belt of her robe and pulling it open so I can admire her beautiful naked body beneath me. I’m so turned on, so aroused by the sight of her, the scent, the feel of her skin on my hands as I caress up her hips and sides to tease her nipples with my thumbs.
“So sensitive,” Liz exclaims, raising a fist to her mouth and biting down on her knuckle as she closes her eyes in ecstasy.
“So perfect,�
�� I say, my thoughts spoken out loud as I lean down to kiss her ear, then her neck. And when I slide a hand to her cleft, she’s already wet, soaked for me, making my finger glide effortlessly over her clit with slow, languorous motions.
For delicious minutes, I tease her nub, stroking and pleasuring Liz as the bond between us grows stronger and stronger. And as I do, I continue to use my hands and mouth to kiss her, love her, feel her in every way possible.
I already died once. And I came dangerously close to losing everything with Liz.
I’m going to make the most of every second I have with her.
I can tell she’s close, bucking her hips slightly to meet my hand as I see desperation for release in her glossy gaze. So with several small flicks, I push her over the edge, watching as Liz comes, her eyes rolling back, hands gripping my sides.
“Ian, Ian, Ian…” She cries my name over and over, the sound of her while she orgasms erotic to my ears. And as her hands hold on to me, I hold her too, clutching her with my long body against hers.
By the time she’s finished, I can feel long, dark flames rising around me, making the room almost pitch black in their enormity. And when I look down, Liz’s ears are long again, her true form revealed for me on the bed.
The sight makes me unbearably happy.
“I… That was unexpected,” Liz says, looking around her as her wings float ethereally about us. Thankfully, the other fae are all back in my world, so I’m not worried her wings will bother them.
“It’s amazing,” I reply. I didn’t get the chance to really see Liz when she came to save me. I was so certain everything was about to end.
Without thinking, my true form comes out again, wings of light bursting from my back, entwining with hers around us. But instead of the dark canceling out the light, they mix into something glowing and beautiful, more complex and wonderful than either could be alone.
“It makes sense now that you’ve manifested. Our true forms are closest to the surface in the presence of our soul bond,” I reply, eyes fixed to Liz even as her gaze darts around the room.
She reaches up to touch part of my wing, and her hand glides through it.
Loved by Light (Wings, Wands and Soul Bonds Book 4) Page 17
