by Elle Cross
“When we feed you power, please believe it doesn’t drain us. Not like that.”
I gulped, feeling a dark prophecy floating in the air ready to be woven into truth. “So, if you feed me… It wouldn’t weaken you?”
“No. In fact, there’s clear evidence that it would strengthen all of us. We may feed you power; but think of what you do to us, the entire Nightmare Court, during those Blessed Moon revels.”
“You share that power with everyone,” West said.
I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, as a Brightling. That’s the lowest title in the Court.”
“In comparison to what though? Think about it, my queen. You brought an entire court—a court not yours to claim—to its knees for three days of every full moon each month. That is not a weakness.”
Blood rushed into my cheeks thinking about those days. Memories from my time at Court were always muted, fuzzy, when I tried to think on them. But I still remembered the revels.
“So my love, can we at least feed you power?”
I swallowed then nodded. “Yes I’d like that.”
He smiled, relieved.
“And I think, I would like to establish the bond.”
Enver
I blinked, not sure I heard her.
The fact that I held her in my arms after all these years was a miracle in and of itself. The fact that she wanted to bond with us?
I ignored West. I had to make sure that my queen wanted to bond with us and get her true court started. There was nothing more painful than needing to break bonds with a queen. Most guards never recovered from that break.
To think that she had tortured herself, suffered all these years practically starving made my blood boil. I wanted to rip apart all of her challengers over and over again, slower this time.
I brushed her hair back. She looked at me with such trust and belief that I would destroy the world for her. “Are you ready, my queen?”
She nodded, licking her lush lips. My dick twitched at that.
I ignored West’s unnecessary advice. “This may be overwhelming at first, but I’ll try to be gentle.”
She smiled at my words, and it was like captured sunlight. “Come on, Prince, pour your sugar on me.”
West snorted over our shared thread. He was a bad influence.
“As you wish.”
I pressed my lips to hers, grasping her throat lightly. She opened to me, completely trusting, and I let the darklight rise within me.
My shields crackled against her, engulfing her, pleasuring her.
Every rise and fall of her breath, every sigh, every shiver was mine to claim, and I drank them down as I poured more of my power into her, bathing her with it.
When she started to moan, I slid my hand over her nipples first. They were already hard and standing at attention for me. Good.
A slow trickle of power passed steadily into her lips now, taking root within her. She drank me down, gasping at first, but soon, she couldn’t get enough.
Gods above and below, she began to throb, aching for release.
I sank my finger between her legs, already hot and wet. She sighed against me, hands clawing at my neck, tufting in my hair.
She was magnificent. I skimmed my finger over her drenched slit, her tight bud blooming under my attention.
The bond between us strengthened. This was more than just the bonds that were tied to us and would fade; this bond anchored in both of us, penetrating every layer of our being.
It would take a while for it to take root and bloom for each of us, but at least the process started.
I tested our connection.
Her response was a bundle of nerves and gasping feelings that made me swell and throb. Well, if that was the case…
“My queen,” I murmured against her lips. “I want you on top of me.”
She looked at me under hooded eyes, but she understood my offer. She scrambled her lithe body on top of mine, and without preamble, she impaled herself on me.
She was clenching around me, gasping in no time.
I wrapped my shields more securely around her, so she could absorb as much of my power that she needed to. She was probably filled to the brim, but she should know that her needs barely tapped on my reserves.
I rubbed her clit with my thumb, hastening her release. After all, West still needed a turn.
Karina
In the aftermath, the events of the dream floated back to me.
I enjoyed the feel of their bodies around me. They tucked in on either side of me like we hadn’t just fucked our brains out.
My men. For real. They chose me as their queen, for better or worse.
We bonded, whatever that meant. I touched the glyphs of power on my shoulder, wondering when I would get the ones for my men on my body.
If I got them.
My mother’s tattoos were beautiful and scrolling, wearing the names of her men with pride. I hadn’t realized until now how much I wanted that, too.
Enver kissed my shoulder. An unspoken question to my maudlin thoughts. I mentioned my dreams since I was reluctant to sleep.
“Your mother traveled through dreamscapes, my love, do not forget that.”
There was an air of unspoken things. “My mother didn’t do this, didn’t reach out to give me nightmares or drive me crazy.” I was adamant.
“We know she would not. But the fact remains that she can travel through it. Perhaps, you can to?”
I had never entertained that as a possibility. There was never a hint to that in the court. The only thing that I was able to do was get out of people’s way and win challenges.
My mother had told me that she made a mistake keeping me in the Fold. That I was from the Shadow Realm and perhaps that was why I hadn't been fully myself at Nightmare Court. Maybe everything I'd been doing up until now was just a kind of sleep.
Maybe now I was finally awake? Or at least waking up?
I felt a shiver in the darkness. What was that now?
Enver held a finger to his lips to keep quiet.
But I felt a tug at my heart. An awareness. I knew what this was. Who this was.
I bounded out of bed.
“My queen,” they both hissed at me before running after me.
I was desperate, the images that came to mind finally hit them, and they too were as eager as I was.
Karina
I HIT THE UPPER landing and saw the two figures getting acclimated to our new house.
“Taran! Havoc!” I flew down the stairs and into their arms. I hugged them each tightly, and they both clung to me.
“What a welcome. A half-naked queen dripping of power and sex.”
“A man could get used to this.”
I was too happy to blush, and kissed them both soundly. “I’m so happy to see you, I don’t even care what you’re saying.”
They laughed as Enver and West joined us to greet them as well.
I wanted them settled and safe. They turned down food and drink, assuring me that they were fine. The house lit up anyway, responding to my need to make sure they were well-tended. I ushered them into the Great Room, and insisted on inspecting their bodies too in case they were downplaying any injuries the way Enver did.
“You can inspect my body any time, my queen.” Havoc waggled his brows at me, the cheeky bastard.
Surprisingly, they were scratch free.
“I heal fast, my queen,” Taran reassured me.
“And I’m a Lord of War, remember? These skirmishes were less than what we experience at training.”
“That’s what I said,” Enver added.
I harrumphed. “So what kept you from me?” I felt the shade of power in my words, but I would not apologize for it.
Havoc, for his part, quirk
ed his eyebrow at me. It was like he enjoyed the fuss and attention. “We were planting false trails and clues around the Crossroads, my queen. It was made easier since we already had safe passage, thanks to the coins you left. Plus, The Powers That Be appreciated you, and gladly extended their favor to us in the hopes that you would know they did it.”
He caressed my cheek, curling a loose tendril of hair behind my ear.
I bit my lip. “Well that was quick thinking. I’m glad you’re okay. Both of you.”
Havoc tapped his head. “Not just a hat rack.”
Taran sighed at that, and then I realized that he hadn’t been wearing his silly hat. “Aw, did you lose your hat, Taran?”
“Unfortunately I did. And it was not lost, it was destroyed in hellfire from one of those hounds.” He shook his head.
I kissed his pouting lower lip, which turned into a smile. He deepened the kiss further. Havoc snorted, and if I were looking at him, I would bet that he had rolled his eyes.
“We’ll get you a new hat tomorrow, okay?”
He caressed the back of my hand. “I’d like that, especially since I promised to wear one for you.” His tantalizing eyes lit up for me, and I wanted to wrap myself around his massive frame.
Enver slapped Taran on the shoulders. “Come on, let’s show you your rooms, so our queen can give you both a proper greeting.”
Karina
They dropped their gear in their rooms to clean up, but promised that they would be staying with me in my room.
I didn’t know where they would sleep.
As if the house had heard my thoughts earlier, the room had gotten bigger. The bed could easily hold ten battle-ready warriors now, and there were other sleeping surfaces than before. Cushioned boxed seats at the windows, which also expanded, and a sitting area that had a bunch of convertible sofa beds.
Talk about taking liberties.
I curled up in the middle of the huge bed. Enver was at my back, and dropped a kiss on my shoulder. "Do you feel better, my queen?" He stroked the lines of power on my shoulder and kissed them.
I couldn’t help but sigh. “Yes, I do.” I realized that as I said it, I meant it.
A blooming warmth seemed to radiate in my chest and travel down my body.
"Even though I don’t really have a crystal clear handle on the dream, I want you to know that talking about it made me feel better. Maybe it was because of the power you fed me or the beginning of the bonds forming. But it feels like I don’t have such a heavy burden to carry."
West caressed my leg. “And when you feel like you do, know that we’re here to help you carry it.”
It felt like my heart grew ten times larger. I kissed him, and he kissed away the tears that leaked out from his words.
“Did you make her cry?” Havoc strolled into the room all fresh and clean. He scooped me up, ousting Enver who gallantly shifted aside. Havoc sat us back down on the bed, this time cradling me on his lap. He kissed my cheek soundly, and nuzzled my neck with his rough chin stubble until I squealed with laughter.
“You didn’t shave?” I laughed.
He kissed my cheek again and spoke low in my ear for everyone else to hear. “Trust me, my queen, you’re gonna want me to keep this for at least a day.” He waggled his brows at me conspiratorially.
Chills erupted all over my body in anticipation.
When Taran arrived, he snuggled up on my other side. “What are we talking about? Catch us up.”
I opened my mouth, about to ask him the same when an eruption of heat scrolled on my right shoulder. West and Enver drew closer, watching what was happening. I wished I could see, too.
Taran trailed his finger over the new glyphs, then looked in awe at West and Enver. “You bonded?”
They nodded solemnly. Taran looked back at me, his eyes large and liquid emerald pools. “My queen…I mean it would be an honor…I want… ” He looked so miserable all of a sudden, like he’d been left out of something.
It brought tears to my eyes just thinking that he felt that way. I cupped his cheek, putting him out of his misery. “Shh, it’s okay. I only just accepted them and claimed them maybe an hour ago. The glyphs just started blooming now, evidently. You missed nothing.”
He seemed to feel better, laying his huge body down in front of me, his head in my lap. I caressed my gentle giant. “I love you, Taran. Of course I accept you and claim you.” I bent down and planted a kiss on his lips like pillows. A trickle of power flowed from him, and I was better able to receive it and draw it inside me.
What I was too dazed to notice with Enver and West was that I could taste Taran’s power. It was cool and soothing like drinking from a pure glacier spring. But I wasn’t done yet. I turned over my shoulder to Havoc. “I claim you too, FYI.”
He grinned, bringing my hand to his mouth so he could kiss my palm. Then he bit into the meaty part of my thumb. The shock of it made me gasp and swoon.
I arched my neck back so he could kiss me on the lips. I drank down a bit of his power, too. His tasted like warm brandy, coiling in my stomach and warming me from the inside out. More glyphs appeared on my shoulder this time, weaving into the symbols created for West and Enver.
I felt so light-headed and dreamy. I closed my eyes, tilted my head back onto Havoc’s shoulder; he clasped my neck lightly, keeping me there. In my mind’s eye, I saw an echo of our forms on the bed. Instead of their bodies, though, I saw their auras in multiple colors. The bonds between us were threads that lit up for me, like a tapestry woven together. I strummed the threads with my fingertips, creating a lightshow that bounced from it.
Taran’s booming chuckle was a lively green.
And of course, West’s was the silvery one with a hint of ice blue.
I loved the pride I felt that surged over our joined threads, and wanted more. I pitched myself forward with my thoughts and then it was like I stepped into a slide. A rush of air zoomed me down a kaleidoscope display of color and sound, and then shot me up like I’d been blasted out of a canon and into the night sky of scrolling stars.
I blinked and realized that I had floated from night time into a sky blue world of rolling clouds, past my waiting men, who looked up at me expectantly as I hovered in the air.
This was fun. Like flying in a dream where there was no up or down.
Enver smiled up at me. “There she is.” He said it like we were playing hide-and-seek.
I tried propelling myself toward them, but once I stopped, I couldn’t move myself at all. I did have fun doing somersaults in the air, though, giggling. “Uhm, guys? Can you help me down?”
Chuckling, he grabbed my ankle then pulled me down as if it was necessary for him to slide his hand over every available bit of skin showing on my leg until he planted me securely against his body. He nuzzled my neck. “Welcome, my love.”
I didn’t quite feel him, but I still automatically stretched my tickle-y neck away from him, giggling. “What is this place?”
“This is the astral plane,” he replied. “Our joined space in your mind.”
West added, “If you look down, my queen, you can see that our threads are weaving together, becoming ever stronger as we speak.”
I looked down, and they were indeed forming a more solid foothold. Blue-black, silver, gold, and green threads wove themselves together with a glow of lilac. It was like seeing the tapestry of the universe with its intricate design
, and most importantly, power thrumming from it.
Enver sensed that I wanted to touch it, so he let me down, only letting go when he knew that I wouldn’t float away again.
Once my foot touched the tapestry, it was like I knew where my center of gravity ought to be, and the world became upright for me. I took a few tentative steps. If I ever had a chance to ride on a magic carpet, I had a feeling it would feel kind of like this.
I bounced a little bit on the threads. It was like a trampoline.
Taran sighed. I glanced up at him wearing a comically besotted expression. “Does that feel good?”
They all nodded.
“How come I don’t feel anything?”
“We are inside your mind. The threads of power come from us.” Enver indicated the vast and endless tapestry now creating a space for me. “All of this separates this plane, our shared space, from your private thoughts. A bit like a layer of protection, as well.”
I tilted my head trying to form a question that I didn’t know how to form. “So does that mean you would…come and go?”
“No my queen,” West answered. “It means a part of us will always be with you. Here. You will never be lonely again.”
“And you will never starve again.”
Enver meant from power. No wonder I couldn’t eat enough. I was always hungry, but not physically.
It was no use hiding emotions in a plane that reflected all that I felt. I looked at the tapestry closer, and how the threads wove together. Around each one was a lilac glow. That represented me, then.
“We are the threads. You bind us all together, making us all stronger.”
Karina
I opened my eyes with a sigh, and I was back in my body, in my room.
Then, something strange happened. Light encircled my body and I was powerless to move. More sigils formed on me, this one gracing my right upper arm.
On instinct, I reached out to Enver who took my hand and kissed my wrist. It was like it had a direct connection to my clit. West did the same with my other wrist. Havoc pressed his lips to my neck, while Taran turned his head to kiss the femoral pulse in the cradle of my hips.
