He moaned into me, into my mouth and my body retaliated. I breathed him into me, wrapping my arms firm around his neck. I would never let him go.
His hand slid up my back, and it involuntarily arched, pushing my chest closer to him. He moaned again, deeper, huskier, thicker.
He pulled away, just briefly and started trailing delicate kisses along my jawline, then down to my neck. I shivered. I pulled him closer. He kept kissing me. My neck, just below my ear, my collarbone.
More. I couldn’t even forms the words. But I didn’t need to.
He groaned. Then lifted me up and laid me down on the bed. I welcomed him, still between my knees. He pushed into me. I tingled. My skin was aflame. My heart souring through the clouds, faster than we could fly. I needed. My stomach clenched in hopeful anticipation.
His lips returned to mine, I welcomed them home.
Then he pulled away. He placed his forehead against mine.
“You don’t even know what you do to me.” His voice was ragged. I thrilled at the sound.
It was moments like these that tore away the darkness inside, replacing it with the sun. In these moments I could feel him. And I knew he loved me back.
“I’m pretty sure I do,” I answered, because I could feel him as he lay between my legs. I knew exactly what I did to him. And it amazed me that he wanted me just as much as I wanted him.
His breath was still coming out in gusts, quicker even than mine. The heat emanated down to my bones, down to the depths of my stomach, down to my very soul.
A knock on the door interrupted us.
He sighed.
I sighed harder, annoyed. He kissed my nose, just a breath of a kiss, before standing to answer it.
“Enter.”
Lynn came in, but didn’t bother shutting the door behind her. I didn’t figure she would stay long anyways.
“We have a lead. Meeting starts in ten.”
“We’ll be there,” Alec answered for both of us.
After she left, he turned and looked at me.
“Guess it’s not time to rest yet.” He sighed as he said it. I knew he was even more tired than I was.
“No rest for the wicked.” I winked at him.
“You wanna freshen up before we go?”
I nodded and then went to the bathroom. I rinsed the blood off my arm, avoiding the wound that was already beginning to close. When I pulled the tank off over my head, my shoulder barely even ached at all, hardly registered the move. Alec did more than he should’ve. He really needed to rest.
I splashed water on my face, and threw on fresh clothes, before walking back out into our room.
Together we went to the meeting room, where we often held our Rebel discussions and made plans. Many were already there. Several I knew. Most, though, I was not close to at all. I had adopted Lynn’s reaction to people. Don’t get too close because they could easily die. This lifestyle was not an easy one.
Trying to take down a monarchy was way harder than it sounded.
Killing people is harder than it looks.
Seeing people you care about die around you is hardest of all.
Chapter Three
Kelpie: A creature that dwells within Muircadia. Normally resembles a horse, though without fur or hair. A loyal creature, friend to any Sprite. They have the ability to transform at will into the form of a female Sprite, and have been known to lure unsuspecting Fae to their deaths within the waters of Muircadia. All Kelpie are females and are asexual.
A few stragglers were still coming in when Lynn stood up in front of us. She was really the leader of the band of Rebels here in Muircadia. She maintained order and control. She was their foundation, their rock, their guide.
Though they always pledged to me, and to my reign, it was Lynn that they truly followed. At least here.
“I have a few updates before Jon speaks.” She motioned to the Sprite standing off to the side of her. I’d seen him around for the last week or so, but I didn’t really know anything about him. I hadn’t even known his name until she said it.
“First off, I want to say that every single one of you has been putting forth more than 100 percent, and its showing. We had yet another victory tonight, severely damaging the numbers of the Guard of Muircadia. We also managed to gain eleven new recruits to our cause.” People clapped, I clapped too. A few people cheered. “I just wanted to say how great you all have been doing.”
She looked down, and took a deep breath. “We did lose several Fae, though. I would like to take a moment of silence to honor those fallen.”
She bowed her head. The others did as well. I looked down at my hands, fingers intertwined, tattoo of a broken teardrop, and closed my eyes. I saw their blood, splattered on the ground. I saw their broken bodies. I saw it all. And though it was hard to see, I knew it would be worth it. I knew that this was the only way to stop Mastikh from killing, not only the Sprites in Muircadia, but all Fae and the entire Empyrean.
“I also would like to report that my amicus in Vesuvius has contacted me again, and I’m happy to announce that news of Lily has spread throughout Vesuvius. We now have confirmation that every province in the Empyrean knows that there is an heir, and she is here fighting with us to take down Mastikh!”
This elicited whoops and cheers from all over the room. Many clapped me on the back. Alec reached for my hand and gripped it tight. I managed a smile. This was the awkward part. And the scary part. Now all over the Empyrean everyone knew about me. This was good for us, but super scary, because I knew I would have a bounty on my head bigger than any other.
And really, I so did not want to be Queen.
“Now, Jon will tell us what he knows.” She motioned to the Sprite, as she sat and he stood in her place.
He was tall, towering over Lynn and most of the other Sprites. Probably taller than even the Nymph. His hair was black, as most of theirs was, and braided down the back. Directly over his left eye was a shimmering blue design that twirled down below his ear. And his piercing turquoise eyes were shaded beneath the biggest, furriest eyebrows I’d ever seen.
“So, I’m sure most of you don’t know me very well. It’s been many years since I left Lemuria, and though I already miss it, it’s been nice to venture out and see more of Muircadia again.
“I’ve been an advocate for overthrowing Mastikh for many years, as I was very close to our Honorable King Coenraad.” He bowed his head as he said my father’s name, as many others did. My stomach yelled at me, as did the lump growing in my throat. “I was overjoyed and thrilled to learn of Lily,” and then he motioned to me, and just barely dipped his head in my direction. I offered a smile, even though it was a small one. “Though I must say, and I think I can speak for all of us here, and across the Empyrean, that I am so very sorry for your loss. I offer you my deepest condolences.”
“Thank you,” I managed.
“As I’ve been in Lemuria for so long, my only contacts and information is based mainly in our Central Village. I’ve only been here for two weeks, and already I feel a strong connection to many of you. So, thank you for welcoming here with such openness.
“But I stand before you today, because I have just received word. A kelpie has brought to me a message, one that I felt I needed to share with you all right away.”
I looked at Alec. What the hell is a kelpie?
Later. I want to hear what he has to say.
I sighed, to make sure he knew I was aggravated at his answer. I’d been here for a few months now and there was still so much I didn’t know about the Empyrean. How the hell was I supposed to rule it one day?
“Xan has been seen in Lemuria. And he appears to be staying, as he has been seen several times in the last two days.”
I looked at Alec again. Xan? The Xan?
He didn’t answer…again.
My alerts were flaring. We found him. Could we capture him? Could this insatiable urge to kill them all finally be over for me?
“I know where he is, and
with your permission, I’d like to take a small group with me to find him and detain him.”
“Detain him?” shouted a lady on the other side of the room. “He needs to die. His crimes are certainly punishable by death.”
Several people agreed with her. I found myself nodding and shouting my support as well.
“That should be up to our leaders, not myself.” He looked to Lynn, and to me as well. Lynn were the same mask I did. He had killed too many Fae. He killed my parents. He was the last member of the Mortem left.
“He needs to die.” My voice sounded different. Stronger. Determined.
“Agreed.” Lynn offered.
“Then it is decided. This will be a stealth mission. We need to find him, and kill him. I thought perhaps a public trial and execution might be more fitting…” Jon suggested.
I looked to Lynn. It made sense. A show of strength. But if we only held him, he would surely escape, probably kill more of us, and then we would be back at the beginning.
“We can execute him in the streets. No trial is needed. We all know of his crimes. He should face the same fate as his comrades.” That was a man, a Sprite who I think was called Jessup. But I couldn’t keep all their names straight.
More cheers and shouts of agreement erupted.
“So be it. Lynn and Lily will assemble a small team, and together we will travel to Lemuria,” Jon said, before relinquishing the spotlight back to Lynn.
“If you are chosen to go with us, you will be contacted within the hour. We plan to leave tonight. If you believe you may be chosen, now would be the time to tie up any loose ends and say farewell to your loved ones.” Lynn announced.
Everyone began to leave. Lynn, Alec and I would stay behind to discuss who would go with us. My heart was pounding with excitement at the news. Since my birthday, when I finally got my magic, my main goal has been to find him.
Xan. I still didn’t know much about him. But I knew enough. I knew he was one of the Mortem. And even though he never hurt me when I was being held, he never did anything to stop his companions from torturing me either. He was an enigma. Something I didn’t understand. He never seemed to care much about what they were doing or what was going on. He just went along with it.
“Do you have any specific requests for who should come? I’d like to keep the party down to only ten,” Lynn asked the two of us, once everyone else had cleared out.
“Nope. I trust your judgment,” I told her, then motioned to Alec, because I was sure he would want some say.
“I’d like Daven and Liam, the rest you can choose.”
She nodded. “You two get packed. We’ll meet here before we leave.”
We nodded and then left.
“Did you know?” I demanded, because he always knows everything before me.
“No, but this is good,” he said. His eyes, hopeful and excited, shone bright green. “We can finally finish this.”
Before, I would’ve thought this excitement was only for Lix. I would’ve thought this was him seeking vengeance for them taking his first love away. But now I knew better. I knew this was for me, too. He knew how badly I needed this. He needed it just as bad, after seeing what they had done to me.
I hugged him, wrapping my arms snug around his neck. He kissed my cheek.
“We’ll find him this time.” I knew he couldn’t make that promise. But I was thankful for it. He truly believed we would, and I couldn’t help but get my hopes up.
“So…” I gazed up into his eyes, hoping he could see what I wanted. We have an hour before we have to leave, I told him, waggling my eyebrows, and hoping he could read the insinuation in my mind.
He closed his eyes, and kissed my forehead. “That’s definitely not enough time for me to do anything your thinking, but I can tell you what a kelpie is, if you’d like.”
Distractions. He was a pro at them. I rolled my eyes. Plopping myself down on the bed, I tried to calm my hopeful heart.
“Okay, shoot. What’s a kelpie?”
He smiled, knowing he had won, yet again. For whatever reason, he wasn’t ready for us to do anything more. I was ready. I felt like I was born ready to be with him. But he kept finding excuses.
When we had more time, I was determined to make him explain.
“A kelpie is an animal that dwells here in Muircadia. Normally it looks like a horse, but it can change at will, to take the shape of a Sprite. Though, they can’t hold that form for long.”
“They can change from horse to Fae? Like, for real?” My surprise was evident, both in my voice and my face. I had to force my jaw back up, after it dropped below my stomach.
He chuckled. “Yes. That’s the only way it can communicate with us.”
“Can it change to other shapes too? Or just horse and Sprite?” I mean, I couldn’t help but wonder if it was gonna turn into some crazy ass monster.
“The shape it maintains resembles a horse. I mean, they don’t have fur. Their skin is closer to a seal’s skin than an actual horse, and their mane and tail is more slimy than soft hair. But they swim fast, are fiercely loyal, and very kind. Some are wary of them, because when they’re in their Sprite form, they have the ability to lure Fae to their death, here in Muircadia.”
“To their death? Like a siren?”
“Exactly. All kelpies are female, so when they transform into Sprite form, they are vastly beautiful and easily lure Fae, both male and female, to a painful death in Muircadia. Not other Sprite’s of course, just any other Fae.”
“Shit…” Being wary didn’t quite cover how I felt about them.
He laughed, his dimples showing through once more. “You don’t have to worry about them, unless you somehow lose your bonum and have some mischievous urge to threaten Muircadia.”
I rolled my eyes at him. “I have many mischievous urges…” and then I winked at him.
That earned me a deep, throaty laugh. I treasured it. Locked it up tight in the little box sitting between my lungs, hidden by those steel bars some call ribs. I would never let it go.
Chapter Four
Lemuria: The Central Village in Muircadia. The entire city is beneath the water. Only a Sprite can visit, or one with magics powerful enough to shield himself from the water. Though the city is covered in water, there are some buildings and places that are enveloped and dry within Lemuria.
Leaving the Rebel base this time felt different, as if somehow I knew, deep down inside, that I would never return. Though we had traveled all over Muircadia in the last few weeks as we searched for the last remaining Mortem member, Xan, we still hadn’t gone to Lemuria.
I heard about it. I knew many Sprites, including Lynn, loved it, yearned for it. But up until now, we hadn’t had a reason to go there.
Excitement bubbled in my veins. My heart thundered beneath my chest. I wiped the sweat from my hands. The nauseous feeling wasn’t from the excitement though, it was an effect of the nervousness I couldn’t shake.
There ended up being exactly ten of us, counting Jon as our guide. And though, it wasn’t the smallest group we’ve had go on a raid before, this somehow felt different. I couldn’t shake the creeptastic feelings flooding my system. Maybe it was that we were all in black this time, no blue, no color at all. Black shirts, black pants, black hats. Apparently black would help when we got there.
As we got closer to the permeable wall that held out the dangerous waters of Muircadia, I dug deep inside myself, searching for the lock that I could twist to unleash my magic. It was something I had to master early on, after my awakening, considering where we were. I had to be able to surround myself with my magic and hold the waters back or I never would be able to go anywhere in Muircadia.
I felt the warmth spread out from my heart, surging through my veins, down to my finger tips and all the way down, deeper, lower to my toes. I breathed in through my nose, clearing my mind. Allowing instinct to take over, I directed my magic where I needed it to go.
Seconds, minutes, years. It felt like time slo
wed to a crawl as my magic surrounded me. I knew the process took less than ten minutes, but while I concentrated so hard, my body was flying and crawling, boiling and exploding. I could get lost in the sensations coursing beneath my skin.
To my right I could feel Alec doing the same thing. His warm cloud-and-breeze smelling magic penetrated my nose, but I didn’t-couldn’t let it faze me. I focused. I pushed the magic out, just a little, surrounding myself in my own scent- sun. Heat. Hotter than Alec’s. But still, somewhere inside it, I could feel the air, smell it in me.
When I looked over at Alec, he appeared just as I knew I did, with a film surrounding him. It wasn’t a bubble anymore, like when we first came here and I hadn’t matured yet, since he didn’t have to hold it around two people any longer. It only came off his skin about an inch, from the stray tips of his hair, to his fingernails, to the tips of his black boots.
I wiggled my fingers in front of my face, the thin layer of magic covering them caused my pale skin to shimmer. I smiled.
I loved magic!
We breached the wall, walking through it and into the water surrounding the village. I felt it glide over my magic coating, sizzling just barely as the dividing forces met.
We left quickly, moving through the water faster than I ever could have imagined. The longer I stayed, the more I practiced, and the better I got at diverting the water around me, moving it out of the way. The Sprites were much faster, and had to slow their pace so Alec and I could stay with them. In the water, they were the force to reckon with.
I looked at Lynn, her black hair flowing behind her, as she swam through the water like a water moccasin. Her fingers were webbed again, which still wigged me out. Her skin had changed shades, taking on a blue and green tint, especially around the gills in her neck and wrists.
She looked back at me and smiled, and I could see how much her pupils had changed, looking more snake-like than human. The vertical slit in them wasn’t even the weirdest part, when she winked, her second set of eyelids closed in together, forming a vertical line beneath her normal eyelids. Freaky.
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