Fifth Essence: A Reverse Harem Tale (Lovin' the Coven Book 5)

by Jacquelyn Faye

  "The Church of Night…is a mystery. To put it mildly."

  "He was covered in rift wight poison when he came to us. Saying your mother and archers had covered him in it as a punishment."

  "Waste water?"

  Snicker. "Yes."

  "How did he survive?"

  "I healed him."

  "Maybe he did it to test you. Truly, you are a daughter of Night."

  "So, it seems."

  "What will you do?"

  "Find Jaeren. He's been gone for almost a week. Who knows how much time he has left. After that? Learn as much as I can and rescue my father."

  "You would risk the pits of Tartarus for him?"

  "Never met him. But, I'm not angry with him or anything. Little pissed about the powers he gave to me in an indirect manner, but I'm probably going to need them to save him."

  "So brave."

  "Or foolish."

  He got down on one knee. "I would ask you to consider the matrimonial discussion. Truly, you are amazing, and I would be honored to call you my wife."

  "Yeah. That's so not going to happen. But thanks."

  "You do not wish to marry me," he answered sadly.

  "I don't want to get married, period. I have too many people in my life that I love beyond measure. To commit myself to one that is not one of them… It's not written in the stars for me. I'm sorry." I hoped I let him down easy.

  He tilted his head. "You have multiple lovers?"

  I nodded.

  "I understand. Should you find room in your heart to explore a relationship with me, you know where to find me," he said with a soft chuckle and got up off his knee. "Fare thee well, Witch of the Human Realm, Daughter of Night."

  "Take care of yourself, Prince Elleslyn."

  He strode out the door, giving me one more smile before he made it out the door. My loins were urging me to chase after him. I'd have to punish them later. With my fingers, in a bathtub, with images of an elf god running through my brain.

  "I can smell your desire from here."

  "Oh, please. That was one slab of Kobe beef right there, and you know it."

  "I do not think so. There was not an ounce of fat on him and Kobe is prized for its fat content."

  "When did you become an expert on steak? You were asking the differences between cuts just a day ago."

  "I studied when we returned home."

  "Ah. Come on. Let's go see if Shea is awake yet. I really just want to go home."

  "I concur."

  I knocked softly on the door to the room next to ours. Yuki had taken him to his room while Dar and I finished our dinner conversation. With the amount of energy he had expended on summoning the shadows for the Lord and Lady, it was no wonder.

  Yuki answered the door and let us in. "He's still asleep," she whispered softly.

  "Damn. I was hoping he'd rested enough to walk us to the gate," I answered silently.

  "I am drained," Shea said softly from the bed, apparently awake.

  "I understand. Do you want to wait until morning to leave? We can walk back to the gate, the old-fashioned way."

  "I can get us there now, if you could provide me the power."

  "Are you sure? It is no rush."

  "I can do it. I wish to go home."

  I leaned over him and gave him a gentle kiss as my hands found their way to his chest, settling on him and letting the power flow freely into him. Immediately, his tattoos began to glow under his fine linen tunic. "I love that," I whispered after I pulled from his kiss.

  "I do as well."

  "I meant your tattoos glowing. Kissing you is even better than that."

  He smiled as I recharged his little elven batteries. "Can you not pull the energy from the realm? You're half dark elf."

  "If I were a mage, yes. But I am a shadow walker. I would have to go there to seek power."

  "Then how am I giving you power?"

  "As I told you before. You stepped into the shadows. You pull power from there just as I do."

  "But I'm not a shadow walker."

  "Have you tried?"

  "No. I've been there. That is not something I would want to do on a regular basis. I'd be too afraid of getting lost."

  "If you belong there, the shadows would never let you lose your way."

  "I'm good. I have you."

  "Yes, you do." He gave me a smile that warmed me in all the right places. "Are you able to call a shadow to your hand?"

  "I don't know. Not right now. I'm having too much fun giving you a jumpstart and touching your chest."

  "You have given me enough to shadow walk to the moon. Try. Please? I am curious."

  I sighed. "Fine. What do I do?"

  "Hold out your hand."

  I did. Knuckles up. He sighed and reached up, turning my hand over, palm facing the ceiling.

  "Now, look at your hand. See the light on your palm? Picture something blocking that light with your mind. Imagine a shadow in your grasp."

  I did as he said, focusing on my hand until the swirls in my palm became blurred and the color of my skin darkened. There it was, a tiny shadow looking up at me with glowing red eyes. "Now what?"

  "Give it a purpose. Tell it what to do with your mind."

  Find Jaeren, Prince of Elfhame Autumn Glade for me. I pictured the damn elf in my mind as hard as I could. I really didn't think it would work, but it was all I could think of. With a feeling of acceptance fluttering to me, it disappeared.

  "Where did you send it?"

  "To look for Jaeren."

  "Lady, I don't think–"

  I held up my hand. "I know, but it was all I could think of."

  "Be sure to release it, or it will continue to search for the elf for all eternity."

  "Aww. I'll do it now. Poor little guy."

  "Do not," Dar said curiously.

  "Why?"

  He looked out in the hall and closed the door. "Just in case the dark ones were not being truthful, and he is, in fact, in this realm. It is better to be safe than sorry."

  "Okay. Then remind me when we get back home to let him go."

  "I shall," Dar answered.

  "Good. Everybody ready?"

  They all nodded, and Shea held out his hands. I grabbed one and Dar grabbed the other, Yuki gripping onto Dar's arm, tightly. Shea stepped into the shadows, pulling us along with him. There was a small tug at my arm, and I looked down, seeing the tiny shadow I had sent off to find Jaeren.

  "You're kidding me," I whispered and stepped back, letting go of Shea's hand, purely out of instinct. By the time I looked up, they were gone, and the shadows faded around me. I was alone in the room of the unseleighe castle. I breathed a sigh of relief. Things could have gone much differently. Lost in the shadows was not something I ever wanted to be, and while Shea might trust in my power, I didn't. Not even a little bit.

  The shadow caressed my finger.

  "Guess it's just you and me now, Fidget." I gave a little giggle at the name I had given it. Fitting. The thing couldn't sit still for a nanosecond.

  I felt it tug against my finger, urging me to follow it. Him. I don't know how I knew, but it was definitely male. Shea just lost his position as littlest shadow boy.

  Fidget let go of my finger and slid under the door, leaving me no choice but to open it and exit the room the old-fashioned way. He was hovering on the other side, waiting impatiently for me to follow him. I couldn't hear his thoughts, if he had any, but I could feel his emotions.

  Master?

  Dar's panicked voice literally flooded my brain with worry. I'm okay. Just got a little sidetracked.

  Sidetracked? You scared us all shitless when you did not come out the other side. Shea is screaming.

  Tell him, I'm fine. That little shadow was frantic. Jaeren is here or close.

  Do you wish us to return?

  No. Stay there until I call.

  Very well. Be safe. Do not blow yourself up.

  I'll try. Keep the hearth fires warm.

  A
lways.

  He fluttered down the hallway to our left, a corridor I hadn't been down yet. No surprise there. If I had gotten close enough to Jaeren, I might have felt his presence. He might not be a familiar, but he was my appointed guardian. That bond was enough to let me know when he was near.

  At the end of the hall was a spiral stairway, made entirely of stone and leading up and down. Half-expecting Fidget to go down, I stopped at the landing and peered up to the floor above, ignoring his emotional plea to hurry. In my experience, royals were like elevators. The higher the floor, the farther you could look down on people. No king, queen, prince, or princess would ever have their personal rooms on the lower floors of the castle. But, for the life of me, I couldn't fathom why they would be holding Jaeren in one of their rooms.

  Elleslyn's face, story, and sweetness flittered across my brain, sending icy chills through my veins. Sure, I was a trusting person, but he had me totally fooled. His mother, not so much, but him… I wanted to trust him. Probably because he was so damn hot. Hot guys who were assholes really twerked my nerps. You're already hot, there's no damn reason to be an asshole. Unfortunately, that was often the case. I was lucky enough to have found five guys who were hot and sweet. Jaeren was hot, but he was a dick. He didn't mean to be, but he was.

  "Okay then, Fidget Monster, I hope you're right. Or this is going to be awfully embarrassing…"

  He zipped back and forth in front of my face, leaving the impression of a stern talking-to in his wake.

  "Yeah, yeah. You better be right. That's all I'm sayin."

  I followed him slowly up the stairs, trying to make as little noise as possible. Thankfully I had worn sensible shoes. When we got to the top of the landing, Fidget plastered himself against the wall and thinned out, turning himself into a normal looking shadow. I assumed there was someone close by and that was his most effective means of camouflage. Effective, but unfortunately left my cheese hanging in the wind. I ducked down and listened.

  Footsteps softly sounded on the other side of the stone balustrade and then stopped at the top of the landing. I was stuck until whoever it was moved. After five minutes, I realized it had to be a guard of some sort. I should have known there would be sentries on the royals' floor. Nobody let people into the penthouse without a key for the elevator.

  Shit.

  The sound of footfalls at the bottom of the stairs threatened to send me into full panic. Until Fidget wrapped himself around me and pulled me into the wall. Then the panic really set in. I was back in the shadow realm, in a shadowy wall, looking into the castle. A scullery goblin, much larger than the others I'd seen, came up the stairwell carrying a mop and bucket. The guard, who had been facing the large private dining hall, turned as she reached the top. A disgusted look later, he was back to his sentry duties.

  Feeling a tug on my arm, I looked down. Fidget was back in his shadowball with red eyes form, tugging on me with a tendril that almost looked like an arm. Reaching down, I ran my finger over his head to say thanks, expecting it to go through. It didn't. In the shadow realm, he had mass. "Woah. Thanks for saving me, little guy."

  His eyes squinted back at me in pleasure.

  "Now you have to show me how to get out of here."

  He just pulled on my arm some more, so I let him take the lead. I took one step and we were by the next grouping of shadows, across from a large window in the middle of the dining area. Movement in the realm still unnerved me more than anything I had ever experienced, but not having to deal with being seen or spotted by guards made it worth it.

  The next step took us to the Queen's private chambers.

  Please don't be naked. Please don't be naked.

  She wasn't. And she wasn't alone. She sat upon what looked like a miniature throne. Ebony wood had been carved into a semblance of a giant spider, the one that could have possibly shot the front gate out of its ass. It took up the entirety of the back wall of her suite. Elleslyn and Delron stood before her. Their voices were muffled, but audible.

  "You lied to her?" Elleslyn was practically shaking with rage.

  "Do not forget your place, Son. I am still queen of this realm."

  "Mother, she will destroy this realm if she finds out!"

  "You will not raise your voice to me. She will not find out until after you are married. I can finally rest in peace."

  He turned and looked at Delron for help.

  He just sadly shook his head. "I have done all I can. My only concern was getting our Lord's power to his heir. That is all he wanted, his two daughters happy and the eldest as his heir. Thankfully, it was Dorothea that was born first. The other is…unsuitable to be a god."

  Two? Sisters? I have a sister?

  "It was you," Delron continued, pausing to stare at the queen, "who wished the heir of Night to be your heir as well."

  "It was the only way to ensure the survival of our realm. Even the capitol is suffering since the Night's imprisonment."

  "Aye. And that is the only reason I agreed to help you. I have done everything you have asked, and planted all the clues for the witch to find. Now, I will take my leave."

  "Take the elf with you. If she should find him here…" The queen held up her hands.

  "No. I am done here."

  "Lord Delron? The elf is here? Mother?" Elleslyn was practically hyperventilating. I didn't blame him. If I were him, I'd be afraid of me, too. Even I had no clue what I was capable of at the moment. The strange thing was, I wasn't as pissed off as I should be. Elleslyn was innocent. That made me happy. Delron was acting on behalf of my father, but he still needed an ass whipping for all his lies. The queen… She was toaster strudel. I was going to fry her ass and drizzle icing on it when I was done.

  Ignoring Fidget, I took another step, popping into the shadows beside the throne. I was ten feet away from the trio and staring at them, trying to let the anger loose, but it just wouldn't come. With a resigned sigh, I stepped from the shadows.

  Exiting the shadow realm had been easier than I thought. One minute I was there, the next standing by the throne, trying not to laugh at the expression on their faces when I came into view.

  Delron was the first to react. He let out a resigned sigh. Elleslyn dropped to the ground, kowtowing in my direction. The queen didn't react at all until she spoke. "It is impolite to drop eaves, child."

  "Almost as impolite as lying, kidnapping, and scheming."

  She nodded her head in acquiescence.

  "Where is he?"

  "Of whom do you speak?"

  "Jaeren, obviously."

  "Safe."

  "You will return him to me." I didn't ask, I told.

  "Gladly. Once you have married my only child."

  "When Tartarus freezes over."

  "You do not understand. A single command is all it will take to incinerate him. His life depends on you."

  "As does yours. And his. And his." I pointed around the room at the others around her. "So does your entire realm. Make no mistake, Your Highness, if anything happens to him, I end you. I end it all. You can forget progeny, I will not marry a corpse. Do you understand me."

  "You are bluffing. You would not hurt anyone who was not directly responsible. And my life is a sacrifice I am willing to make."

  "Not much of a sacrifice."

  She snarled in rage. "Give me your answer."

  "I have given you my answer. Give me my elf or I destroy it all." To further my threat, I held out my hands, blue flame encircling both of them.

  "Dorothea, please do not make the people suffer for my mother's indiscretions." Elleslyn looked up from the floor, imploringly. He truly was a prince.

  "I won't. Just the people in this room."

  "That I can live with."

  I couldn't. "Changed my mind. Just Delron and your mother. I kind of like you."

  His smile distracted me. And that was all the time the queen needed. One moment she was sitting upon her throne, the next she had half melted into it, sinking up to her waist in the
seat. She gave me an evil glare and the throne began to move.

  She looked like a freaking spider centaur. A spidertaur. Whatever she was, it was fucking ugly and scary. My mother wasn't the only one afraid of spiders, maybe that was why.

  "Run!" Elleslyn's voice shocked me out of my spider-induced coma.

  "Fuck that. Kill it with fire!" I let the flames on my hands loose, striking the queen in the chest and watching as they harmlessly spilled over her. Spiders didn't like fire. Spidertaurs on the other hand, didn't seem to be bothered by it in the least…

  The queen cackled and closed the distance between us with quick movements of her hairy-assed spider legs. I shuddered and stepped back, resisting the urge to rub my arms and run in little circles, screaming.

  "Magic cannot hurt her! Run!"

  Oh. That explains that. Now I just need to find a really big fucking shoe.

  One of her legs rose above me, striking down too fast to see. Jumping back out of pure instinct, I blinked in surprise when the tip of the leg embedded itself a half-a-foot into the stone floor in front of me.

  "Will you marry my son?"

  "Even though you're asking so nicely? No." I sounded brave but I was three-seconds away from shitting my jeans. Other than magic, I had no weapons, no way to fight the spider-beast trying to skewer me or agreeing to the shotgun wedding. Personally, skewering sounded like the better option of the two.

  You command the shadows, you have the blood of demons running through you, you are the mother of the undead. Magic is only one of your many gifts, Daughter.

  Silently thanking my celestial coach, I realized I wasn't as helpless as I thought I was. That was the problem with fighting. You fall into a habit, a routine, and if anything screws with that, you're screwed. As soon as I realized my magic wasn't going to save me, I froze.

  But the goddess was right, I was far from helpless. I trusted my familiars and the ones around me. Shea had told me I had dominion over the shadows, but no matter how many times he told me, I still had trouble believing it. I was just Dot. Underachiever of the century, according to my mother. It took a simple act of patiently showing me how to do it, to get me to take that first step. Granted, Fidget wasn't going to be taking on any bad guys until he put a little meat on his shadow-bones, but the world was literally full of shadows.