“So this Simon that you have been speaking to, is there any way you can contact him?” I went to feel my back pocket for the card he had given me and remembered I wasn’t wearing my clothes anymore.
“Where are my clothes?”
“We can get you some clothes soon, but answer my question, Ryan!” Alex snapped.
“I need my fucking clothes, Alex—it’s the only way to contact him.” With a nod of his head he turned and left the room, coming back a moment later holding my sweats and top, both of which were spattered with blood. I grabbed them off him and retrieved the card from my back pocket.
“He said that if I ever need his assistance or help that I should say the words on the card.” I told the four men in the room, and they all nodded and told me to go ahead.
“I think it’s in Latin or something. I’ll try my best. Azarah metronia openinga portass!” As I finished saying the strange words, a strong wind picked up in the room. Chase grabbed my arm and pulled me across the room to stand by Melakai and Jackson, and Alex followed us.
The wind started swirling into a circle, and it grew larger, almost to the width of a car, and it was growing taller than Kai. The wind was so strong it pushed all five of us into the corner of the room. Then as abruptly as it started, the wind died down. On the other side of the portal I could see a beautiful castle and a large expanse of open land so bright and vibrant that it took my breath away. Before I could get too lost in my thoughts, Melakai spoke.
“It’s a portal to Farrarie. If we wish to speak to this friend of yours, I think we must enter his realm.”
“Are you crazy? We have no idea if they know about what our kind is trying to do to them. They may want our heads on a spike,” Chase retorted.
“If we don’t go, they could all die! This may be our only chance,” Jackson snapped.
“The portal is shrinking. We don’t have much time. We must go,” Kai said, taking a step toward the portal.
“I’m with you; I just need to let Tyler know he is in charge and that I will be away.”
I huffed. “We don’t have time for you to do an errand, Jackson, and we won’t be gone long.”
“I can speak into the minds of my pack, love.”
“Come on, it’s closing” Kai said, grabbing my hand and leading me toward the portal. The others followed close behind us.
As we passed through the portal and made it safely to the other side, we all looked back to see the portal closing and the room we just came from disappear before our eyes.
“I don’t suppose he gave you a get-home-safely card, did he?” Chase asked, and we all chuckled at his attempt at a joke.
“I think we need to make our way to the castle,” I told the guys.
“We cannot go there; that is where the king is.” State the obvious much, Jax?
I had felt pulled toward the castle the moment I stepped through the portal. I just knew we had to go there.
“I can’t explain it, but we have to go,” I said, not waiting for them to start walking.
“Fine, but the first sign of danger, we high-tail it out of there and try find a way home,” Jax retorted. He and Kai both seemed more agitated than the rest of us, but I didn’t have the energy to figure out what their problems were.
“Agreed, and do not touch anything. Everything can pretty much kill you here, according to the books I have read,” Alex said.
“Nerd alert, nerd alert!” Chase whisper-shouted, and we shared our first genuine laugh in a long time. And as a group, we began our trek.
∞∞∞
After walking for an hour, we came to a small moat. We were trying to work out how to cross it in order to get into the castle when a drawbridge came down. Two guards came out from behind the bridge with swords drawn. I couldn’t fucking believe it. I thought we had gone back in time; these guys were in armor, like in the medieval days.
Melakai put his arm in front of me and started taking slow steps back the way we came. Just as we all turned to run back the way we came, a whole fucking army emerged from the trees we just walked through. We were trapped.
“We can’t fight them all,” Jackson snapped.
“Chase and I don’t have enough magic to even wipe a quarter of them out, and Ryan doesn’t even know how to use hers to help us,” Alex snarled in reply.
“We protect Ryan or die trying,” Melakai commanded. I was going to respond when someone cleared their throat behind us. I spun around and the boys turned to the side, not wanting to turn their backs on the army behind us. I could tell they were all pissed that none of them sensed the army hiding in the woods. The throat-clearer was a beautiful young woman. She must be my age or slightly younger. She had pale blue eyes and beautiful white-blonde hair that was so long it was past her ass. She had curves in all the right places, and her skin was a pristine white, but it didn’t look sickly.
“The king wishes to speak to you all, if you would please follow me?” she said and turned to walk back in the castle. We exchanged a look between ourselves, trying to figure out what to do. “You could always stay out here and take your chances with the king’s army, I suppose. No harm will come to you, I swear it. The king just wishes to speak to you, and then you may leave.” With a nod of my head, I started to walk toward the drawbridge. The others followed behind. I could feel the tension in the air—they were pissed that they had zero options other than to follow this girl.
Jackson and Alex shot in front of me, while Chase and Melakai fell in step behind me. They were boxing me in to protect me, and my heart swelled at the gesture. No one had ever wanted to protect me in my whole life, and now these four men were going to fight or die trying to get me out of here.
We followed the girl down long, winding corridors that were lined with big wooden doors on either side, none of which were open. The walls were made of stone, and no paintings hung on the walls. The only light we had were the fire sconces on the wall. Clearly they were not set up for electricity.
As we rounded the fifth corner we came to a stop at the end of the hall, where there were two huge wooden doors that were guarded by two hulking men. They wore the same armor as the two men from the drawbridge. I swallowed loudly and felt a hand squeeze my shoulder—it was Chase. I gave him a small smile; he knew I was scared, and he was trying to assure me that we were going to be okay. If a fight broke out, I would not stand on the side and watch them fight for me. I would fight for all of them.
“Open the doors. The king wishes to speak with the trespassers,” the girl said to the guards.
The two men opened the doors, and we followed the girl into what appeared to be a throne room. It was huge, with a long black carpet that ran down the center of the room right up to the foot of the throne. The benches flanking the runner were filled with people. It was like the whole town had come by to see the circus. I looked up to see a huge chandelier suspended from the ceiling, lit with hundreds of candles. There were six guards on both sides of the room positioned against the walls. The girl led us up to the end of the aisle and told us to wait.
We all stood stock-still, looking around the room. The people who had gathered were gawking at us right back. I saw a small girl with brownish hair and green eyes watching me curiously. When we made eye contact, she smiled, and I gave her a small wave.
“Rise for the king!” cried a voice from the room.
I leaned forward a bit so I could take a peek between Alex and Jackson’s shoulders. When I saw him, I couldn’t fucking believe it. The lying bastard played me like a violin, and I fell for it, because of his good looks and the way his voice made my body burn with need. I am such a fucking idiot. I watched as he stood before his throne and commanded his people to sit. Once they were all seated, he turned his attention to our group. He had a sly smirk on his face that made me want to punch him square in the jaw.
“I scent witches, a vampire, a werewolf, and something else I can’t quite place,” he said, amusement thick in his tone. I snorted, knowing my cousins
would hate that he referred to them as witches and not warlocks. “Ahhhhh, the halfling does not agree. Why don’t you both step aside so I can see her?” he said.
“Over my dead body!” Alex snapped.
“You either move, witch, or I will move you, the choice is yours.”
“You can try, king, and its warlock!” Alex said with disdain in his voice.
“Have it your way, boy. Guards, remove them, and if they resist, kill them,” he bellowed.
We all looked side to side to see the guards coming our way, Melakai drew his sword that I hadn’t even noticed was strapped to his hip. Alex and Chase’s hands started to glow, and Jackson started growling and snapping his teeth at the approaching guards, and his hands turned into claws. I could feel my magic well up inside me and my hands were glowing. I spoke for the first time.
“You touch any of them, and I will kill you all, mark my words. Your king will not save you from my wrath. We did not come here to fight; we came here to help you.” I just hoped that they believed me. I don’t think I could even kill a fly intentionally.
“Stand down!” the king shouted, but I could hear undercurrent of amusement in his voice and it pissed me off. It felt like he was laughing at me. “Come forward, little one.” I put my hand on Alex’s shoulder to tell him to step aside, and he looked at me, his eyes communicating the fear he felt on my behalf. I gave him a small smile and nudged him to the side.
“Hello again, love,” the king said once I had stepped out from the cover of the others. I looked up to see those to beautiful violet eyes staring at me with amusement and desire, just like the last time I saw him.
“Hello, your majesty—or should I say Nico?” I asked the king. I could hear a collective sharp intake of breath at my words echoing through the room.
Chapter 20
The people in the room must think I have a death wish for addressing their king so informally. I turned to look over my shoulder at the others, whose expressions ranged from angry to confused. I guess both my dream boys are real—just fucking great.
“Hello, my love. I was wondering when I would see you again. I never thought you would have to use the card I gave you, but I would be lying if I said I wasn’t glad you did. I just wish you had come alone,” he said with a wide smile. Wait—what did he mean give me the card?
“Well I wish I could say that I was glad to be here, but then I would hate to lie to the king himself, even if he thinks he can lie to others.” I heard more gasps, but I ignored them. “If I came alone then they would have hunted me to the end of the earth until they found me, so I thought it better to bring them along. Saves us all the hassle, you know. And what card are you talking about?” I said.
“Oh, my love, there is so much for you to learn. We fae can glamour ourselves.” I must have had a look of confusion on my face, because he explained further. “It means we can change our appearance.” With that said he changed right before my eyes and became the man I knew as Simon, the fae that visited me in the cabin back in Alaska.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake, you lied to me yet again? What a fucking champ,” I snapped.
“You will address the king in a respectable manner or lose your tongue, mutt,” one of the guards boomed, stepping forward. A wall of four men closed rank in front of me, tense looks on their faces.
“You come anywhere near her or lay a finger on her head, I will end your life slowly” Jackson growled.
“Is that a threat, dog?” the guard snapped. Jackson moved to toward the guard but stopped dead in his tracks when the king spoke.
“You will close your mouth and not speak unless asked to, Cyrus. How dare you insult my guest,” he snapped.
“Forgive me, sire,” Cyrus said stiffly before resuming his position against the wall. The king stepped down off his podium and walked toward me, and Jackson growled. Melakai came to stand beside me.
“If I wished to harm her, Kai, I could have done so many times. I am of no danger to her,” Nico murmured. They stood staring at each for a minute before Melakai finally stepped aside and let Nico near me. He stopped directly in front of me, and his scent was so overwhelming that I had to take a step back. I looked up to see him smirking; he knew what he was doing to me and he loved it. Judging from the growl Kai let out, he knew what Nico was doing to me as well.
“All of you will leave us now,” the king shouted, never breaking eye contact with me.
“But sire…” said Cyrus, who clearly couldn’t keep his trap shut.
“I SAID NOW!” Nico roared.
Everyone got up and quickly scurried out of the room. Nico never took his eyes off mine, even after we heard the big wooden doors close. Chase interrupted our staring match by clearing his throat.
“Do you mind telling us why the fuck you gave Ryan that card if when she uses it you intend to kill us?” Chase asked. Nico finally looked away from me to stare at my cousin.
“Because the card was only meant for her, not for all of you,” he said without an ounce of remorse. I cut Chase off before he could even reply.
“Why did you lie to me, Nico?”
“I never lied to you, love. You just never asked me what my full name was. Also, the glamour was for my protection, as well as that of my people, in case you chose to side with your coven or tell your sister I had visited you,” he said with a shrug.
“What a dick,” I muttered under my breath. I heard Melakai cough to try to hide his laughter. Alex, Chase, and Jackson did nothing to try to hide their amusement. I was angry and embarrassed at the same time. I couldn’t believe that both the men I have had sexual encounters with in my dreams had deceived me. I thought I had made them up in my own head, but they were both real and willingly entered my mind without me knowing the truth. Nico just scowled at me and let out a huff of air before he spoke.
“My name is Nicholas Stone, but I go by Nico. Simon is just a persona I created,” he said, shaking his head, like he didn’t like having to explain himself. I’m sure he wasn’t used to it either. He was a king—royalty never had to explain themselves, I suppose. I gave him a stiff nod in response. I was still pissed at him.
“Why the grand display of power when we arrived, your majesty?” I asked. He rolled his eyes at me for calling him “your majesty” but he couldn’t very well say anything about it, because he was. Suck it up, buttercup. I have a lot more sarcastic remarks coming your way.
“When my scouts tell me that there is an unauthorized portal opened in my land, and that two warlocks, an alpha, and vampire walk through, with a being that scents as a witch but also scents as a fae, I go on high alert. What can I say?” Nico says while smiling from ear to ear, fucking arrogant prick.
“So you did all of that for show? Gather your people here just to show them how powerful you are?” I sarcastically ask.
“Well, no, they were already here, as I was briefing them on the coming war. You just happened to arrive at the wrong time, my dear” he drawled.
“We have important matters to discuss with you,” Melakai said to the king.
“Well, well, look who finally got off the leash from his daddy,” Nico replied. Kai stepped toward the king until they were nose to nose.
“Watch yourself, Stone. You may be the king, but you are not invincible,” Kai snapped. Jackson caught Kai’s arm and reeled him back to our group.
“You two need to grow the fuck up and put your past shit behind you,” Jackson said to them both. Alex, Chase, and I all exchanged a look of confusion. They were acting like they knew each other—what the fuck is up with that? But before the other two could reply to Jackson’s statement, they were cut off.
“Are we missing something here?” Chase asked the three men, who seemed to have some very big secrets.
I moved to the side were Alex and Chase where standing, making my allegiance clear.
“I guess I’ll tell them then, but first, let’s go to my study. It’s a long story, and I’m going to need a drink to tell it,” he said, heading tow
ard the back of the room behind the throne. Jackson and Melakai followed him, while Chase, Alex, and I walked slowly behind them. Once we reached the back of the room, Nico opened a door and ushered us in.
The room was huge—it had stone walls with lit sconces, a large lit fireplace on the side of the room, and four couches set up at the back with a plush red rug in the middle. A huge oak desk was positioned on the other side of the room, but it was clear of papers.
Nico made his way over to a small table near the couches and motioned for us to sit. He poured himself a drink and offered one to the rest of us. I declined, but the four other men accepted a drink. I sat in the middle of one couch with Alex and Chase on either side of me. Jackson sat on the couch to our left, Kai sat to the right of us, and the king sat directly in front of me on the remaining couch.
“This is a long story, and no one else knows this story besides the four of us,” Nico started.
“Wait—four? What four?” I asked.
“Yes, there is someone else, but we will get to him soon. Let me tell you how we all came to know each other first. Many years ago, there were two young boys who loved to run away from their duties and escape to the Earth realm for some fun and to watch the other supernatural kinds. They wanted to get a look at what the others could do—how they could wield magic and how they could fight. Also so they could go to a pub and get drunk.” Nico and Kai both laughed at that. “One night the two boys snuck out of the castle and went to the pub. The two boys were drinking beer when they heard a fight just outside of the pub. When they got outside, they saw two young teenage boys being attacked by at least twelve humans. The boys could tell by their scent that the two getting beaten were supes, so they helped the two boys and ran off the attackers. Once all that was done they all stood staring at each other, not sure what to say or do, until one of the boys that was getting beaten said—” Nico was cut off before he could finish.
A Beautiful Dream: The Dream Trilogy Page 11
