The Chosen One Universe Volume Three: An MM Paranormal Fantasy Shifters Series

by Macy Blake

  “I’m glad one of us does,” Andvari said.

  Everything changed in the blink of an eye. The earth stopped rumbling, but it didn’t stop power from building. Sawyer’s eyes glowed. “Guardians.”

  His voice had a deep command to it, one that sent a shiver down Andvari’s spine. Their mates surrounded them in a second, even yellow eyes, who Saeward had by the neck. They knelt around him, each touching him in some way. Henry by his head, leaning down to press a gentle kiss to Sawyer’s forehead. Draco hovered by his other side, trying not to stare at the wound in Sawyer’s hand. Loch crouched beside Andvari. He felt the fae’s presence, so familiar to him already. Eduard knelt beside Draco, comforting their dragon who couldn’t stand seeing any of them hurt, but especially Sawyer.

  Sawyer looked at each of them, his eyes so strange in their new form. He stopped when he reached the newcomer. “What is your name?”

  “Dakota,” yellow eyes said.

  “Dakota. I like that. What do I do now, Dakota?”

  “Your strength lies deep in the earth. Replenish your strength.”

  Sawyer closed his eyes. Andvari laid his hand on Sawyer’s chest, feeling his breaths, in, out. Energy crackled around them, through them. Andvari could feel it rising up from the ground. They had it wrong. They’d thought Sawyer and his brother were fighting to be the air god. They’d thought there was only room for one brother at the table.

  They were wrong.

  Andvari heard a thump, then another.

  “What the hell?” Henry gasped.

  Sawyer opened his eyes again and raised his hand. He laid one across Andvari’s where it rested on his chest.

  It was Andvari’s turn to struggle to breathe. The wound wasn’t there. He glanced to the side. Nothing but the hilt of the dagger was left. The blade… somehow the blade was gone.

  “You’re doing great, Sawyer,” Andvari whispered. He couldn’t hide the awe in his voice or the pride he was sure showed on his face.

  “This is wild.”

  The ground continued to rumble. The ravens screeched, performing an acrobatic dance above them.

  “You’re the master of understatement.”

  Sawyer squeezed his hand, moving so their palms pressed together. They joined hands and Sawyer held him so tightly the bones in Andvari’s hand began to protest. He breathed, ignoring the pain and focusing on the sounds of Sawyer’s breath and his heartbeat.

  “Keep going. You’re doing so well.”

  Sawyer nodded. His eyes stayed locked on Andvari’s, their hands in a tight grip. The ground rumbled. Their mates surrounded them. Power built, an expansive, bright hot power that sent tingles down his spine.

  Henry’s hand touched Andvari’s back. He leaned closer and Sawyer’s gaze darted to Henry’s. “Slow it down, love. You’re pulling too hard now. Don’t be rough. Coax it to you.”

  The magic fumbled a little before the pressure eased then began to smooth.

  “Good job. You’ll know when you have enough. Don’t be greedy, okay?” Henry’s hand squeezed Andvari’s shoulder, the only sign that their young mage was anything but calm and in control. Andvari could practically hear Vaughn Jerrick’s doctor tone in his son’s voice, keeping his patients calm and steady, soothing their fear as only a doctor could.

  Sawyer nodded. “I don’t know… I don’t know what’s happening.”

  None of them did.

  Andvari turned to Dakota, who knelt beside them, silent and so very angry.

  “You,” Andvari said.

  Dakota glanced his way.

  “Talk to him. Kindly or I swear to the goddess I will remove your head from your shoulders myself, guardian or not, and my mates will not stop me this time.”

  Henry moved his hand to Andvari’s back, a gentle force reminding him that his mates were there with him, that they supported him. Dakota moved forward as well.

  “Your messengers wait,” Dakota said. His voice was gruff and low, as if he rarely spoke. Then again, he’d been hiding in the woods for weeks. He probably hadn’t spoken in all that time.

  “What?” Sawyer asked.

  Dakota glanced to the sky where the ravens still danced. Hundreds, if not thousands of them, gathered above, flying around, squawking and demanding attention.

  “Your messengers. Give them a message and release the magic.”

  Sawyer still didn’t understand. Hell, Andvari didn’t understand either.

  Dakota growled. “Tell them you’re back.”

  Sawyer sucked in a shaky breath and turned his attention to the sky. “I’m back.”

  “Now release it.”

  Sawyer relaxed, and with a sudden rumble the magic popped and began to settle. The earth stopped rumbling and the ravens released a final screech before flying away. “What… what happened?”

  He looked to Andvari for answers. Andvari wasn’t sure he had any.

  Instead, he leaned forward again with a smile. “You appear to have found your magic. I think we’re going to have to read a lot more books to explain this.”

  Sawyer squeezed his hand again. Andvari fought back a wince of pain. He was pretty sure at least a couple bones were broken. But he’d let Sawyer break them all if that’s what it took, even if it meant he could never hold a sword again.

  “Sawyer,” Draco said. Their dragon wasn’t in great shape. Andvari moved aside and Sawyer released his hand, only for Draco to take his place.

  “Show me,” Henry demanded a second later.

  Andvari glanced at him, even as his young mate held his hand gently.

  “I need ice,” Henry said.

  Cecil ran for the door. Andvari hadn’t even realized he stood there with them. His focus had been so complete on Sawyer.

  “Did you see that?” Andvari said softly.

  “Yes.”

  “The blades.”

  “I saw,” Henry said.

  “He’s not air,” Andvari said.

  “No. No, he’s not.”

  “There aren’t four. There are five.”

  Henry nodded, even as he gently wrapped the ice pack Cecil brought them around Andvari’s hand.

  Andvari’s thoughts continued to swirl.

  Five.

  Fire, Water, Air, Earth…and Metal.

  Henry

  Henry paced in the library, his mind working overtime to process what they’d learned. Sawyer slept, peacefully, for the first time in… Henry honestly didn’t know how long. Their mates surrounded him, including the new guy. Draco had pretty much parked Dakota in a chair on the other side of the room and snarled at him until he sat there, but he’d stayed. Henry had a sneaking suspicion that Dakota could leave any time he wanted.

  He’d seen the new guardian’s animal form as he ran out of the woods, and unlike the others, he knew exactly what it meant. There was a reason Dakota could move freely in and out of the wards. There was a reason he wasn’t affected by magic the same way they were. Honestly, Henry had actually believed that the legends were just that. Legends. Myth. Stories told that really had no basis in the magical world they lived in. Not all of the myths were real. Not all creatures actually existed. Some of them were simply analogies, created by humans to explain some mysterious thing or another that they didn’t understand. Dakota’s existence seemed too fantastic, even in a realm of dragons and hippocamps, in a world where Henry himself could do magic and was mated to the son of a god.

  But no. Dakota existed.

  The door to the library opened.

  “I’m fine,” Henry said without even glancing that way.

  “I never doubted it.”

  He turned to find Loch standing in the entry, watching him. “Go back to Sawyer. He needs you.”

  “Our mate is well-tended.”

  “Well, I’m fine.”

  “I see that you are.”

  Henry returned to his pacing, letting his thoughts consume him once more. If Loch wanted to stand watch over him, so be it.

  “Henry,” Loch s
aid gently, “there is something I wish to speak to you about.”

  Henry sighed. “I haven’t figured it out yet.”

  Loch tilted his head in that curious way he did when he didn’t quite understand. “You haven’t?”

  “Of course not. I need to think everything through. I mean, we clearly had it all wrong. Sawyer’s not what I thought and that means… It doesn’t mean anything good for me, I can promise you that.”

  “Oh. Yes. Sawyer clearly has power over metal. But that isn’t what I wished to speak to you about.”

  “It isn’t?”

  “No.”

  “Oh.” Henry stopped pacing long enough to look. Loch’s blue hair glimmered in the light. His blue eyes sparkled, even when they were as serious as they were in that moment. “What is it?”

  “Draco… Draco says romance is important to mates. He gave me one of your question-answer seekers and I have been attempting to learn how humans prefer to be romanced. I wish to romance my mates, but I am unfamiliar with the ways of humans.”

  It took him a second to process. The whole question-answer seeker had Henry puzzled most. Then it dawned on him. “Draco gave you a tablet?”

  “Yes. To discover more about human romance.”

  “You want to talk about romance. Now? Right now?”

  Loch shrugged. “You can continue to wear a hole in the carpet, worrying about things we cannot know the answers to yet. Or you can assist me by answering some questions that do have answers.”

  “I see what you’re doing.”

  Loch grinned. “Of course you do. But who better than my brother Air to assist me in such a quest.”

  “Ugh,” Henry groaned. “Don’t talk to me about air right now. Because you do realize what this means, don’t you?”

  “Yes, my mage. I do.”

  “Why aren’t you upset? This affects you as much as it does me!”

  “To learn that the god who hunts us is the god of air, the god who controls the very powers we seek to use against him?”

  “Yeah. That. Cause I’m pretty upset about that minor detail.”

  “Why?”

  Henry waved his arm around. “Loch, come on. You aren’t dense. Stop pretending like you are. You survived in the fae court. You know how to see around corners.”

  “I do.”

  “Then…” Henry waited.

  Loch straightened and his eyes took on a predatory gleam. He walked forward, removing the long loose shirt he wore as he went.

  Henry gulped and fought the urge to back up a few steps. His beauty made it easy to forget just how dangerous Loch could be. He hadn’t been the fae prince’s guard because he was a pushover. No, their Loch was a warrior, through and through. Loch stopped mere inches away from Henry and turned, leaving Henry staring at the broad expanse of his back. All those pretty muscles, the lines where his wings were magically hidden away. And his guardian mark, proudly on display where it had once been hidden beneath a mass of scars. It looked like a wing. Most of the guardian marks revealed something about their power. Henry reached out and ran his finger over the design. Loch trembled beneath the touch.

  “You ask why I am not frightened? Because I have been chosen, Henry. As have you. We are part of Sawyer’s plan, whether he remembers it or not. He chose us. How can I be afraid when he has bestowed such an honor upon me?”

  Henry glanced down at his wrist, at the mark which had appeared so many years ago on his arm. It had frightened his uncle and his mentor. His fathers had been afraid, too. They knew it meant a life of danger for him. And they’d been right. It was dangerous. But it was also filled with so much love. Henry sighed and Loch turned to him once more.

  “The question-answer device says dance is important to humans in their mating habits. I have studied this ritual but find I require practice.”

  “Are you asking me to dance?”

  “Yes.”

  Henry chuckled. “Fine. But don’t expect me to stop thinking.”

  “I would not ask the impossible of you, my mage.”

  “I appreciate that.”

  “I forgot the question-answer device. I do not have music.”

  “Tablet, Loch. It’s called a tablet. And I can take care of music.”

  Henry moved to his laptop where it sat on the table and opened a music streaming station. He selected a channel whose icon had lots of red and hearts, and sure enough a classic love song began to croon through the speakers.

  Loch grinned and pulled him close. “I do enjoy human music,” he confessed.

  “I’m glad.”

  “Am I dancing correctly?”

  “Loch?”

  “Yes, Henry?”

  “Shut up.”

  “Yes, Henry.”

  Henry tucked his head beneath Loch’s chin and let the fae distract him as he’d intended. His thoughts still raced, but it was hard to be scared and anxious when your mate held you so tenderly and a pretty song filled the air.

  “You’re very sneaky,” Henry whispered into the skin of Loch’s neck.

  “I try.”

  “Are you really not afraid?”

  “That is a difficult question. I do fear what lies ahead, but I do not fear our mate’s brother. He does not deserve such an emotion from us. For what he did to you, I would make him suffer. That is what I feel for him.”

  “But he’s the god of our element. What if he—”

  “Henry, I gave one of my feathers to the lake, and she gifted me with some of her waters in return.”

  “Yes?” For once, he really couldn’t follow Loch’s logic.

  “Draco’s mother saved his scales along with those of herself and his fathers. She crafted him armor and gifted it to him, expecting nothing in return.”

  “I’m not following.”

  Loch paused and lifted Henry’s hand. He held it close to his chest. “A gift freely given is just that— a gift. The receiver may use that gift as they wish, with no expectations. When a magical gift is used wisely, both benefit. I gifted a feather to the lake. She understood my gift and gave me one of her own. Like for like. Our mate’s brother gifted us with powers. The gift was freely given. And now we must use it wisely, even if it isn’t for his benefit.”

  “This is very philosophical.”

  Loch shrugged. “Perhaps. But did you never wonder why the magic he attempted to steal did nothing for him? He thought the weakest of us, our children, would give up their powers willingly, or by force, and it would enrich him. But it did not. That is not how gifts of magic work.”

  “No, it’s not.”

  “I do not fear such a one as him. Our mate has chosen wisely, and we will prevail.”

  Henry leaned his head back against Loch and stared at their hands where they rested together against Loch’s chest. His mark was clearly visible and he couldn’t help but tremble. “Are you sure?”

  “I am. You do not have to be afraid, my mage. I will keep you safe.”

  Henry heard Loch’s wings unfurl moments before the fae wrapped them around him. Henry raised his head and looked into Loch’s eyes, not surprised to find a mischievous gleam in them.

  “You know your wings are sexy.”

  “I know my mates think they are. That is all that matters.”

  “You know, I used to think your eyes were your secret weapon. But no, it’s your wings.”

  Loch moved and the feathers brushed against the bare skin of Henry’s leg. He trembled again, but this time it wasn’t from fear.

  “Fuck,” Henry gasped.

  “I’d be happy to,” Loch said.

  Henry groaned and leaned his head in again. “I swear, I’m mated to a bunch of horndogs.”

  “I was led to believe that was your favorite part of mating. Was I mistaken?”

  Henry laughed. “Oh, you’re being funny now.”

  Loch moved his wings again, gliding them up Henry’s legs.

  “Perhaps.”

  Henry sighed and tightened his hold around Loch’s w
aist. “I’m really scared, Loch.”

  “I know you are, my mage. But never forget that you have all of us watching over you. Just as your wards protect us, I would protect you with my sword, my wings, my life.”

  Henry raised his head and kissed Loch’s chin. “You’re really sexy when you get all warrior on me.”

  “Yes? Shall I unsheathe my weapon and show you what it can do?”

  Henry groaned. “Who taught you that one? Cause that’s bad, Loch.”

  “What?” Loch said.

  Then Henry realized Loch had actually moved his arm and reached for his sword. He actually meant his sword. The one he carried. Henry snickered. Then began to laugh.

  Loch scowled at him as he did, but Henry couldn’t stop.

  “Everyone says I’m strange,” Loch complained. “I think you are strange. I do not understand what is so amusing. You normally find my sword-play arousing.”

  It didn’t help, and Henry began to laugh harder. When he was finally able to breathe again, he smiled up at Loch. “I thought you were being cheesy and offering to unsheathe your other sword.”

  “My other—”

  Henry glanced down, then back up to Loch’s face.

  “Oh. The sword in my pants. You wish for me to unsheathe my penis.”

  Henry had to fight back another laugh. “Yes, Loch.”

  Loch grinned and pulled him closer, finally catching onto the double meaning in his words. “I am a master at the sword, you know.”

  “Yes, Loch.”

  “I will wield my weapon now and show you why I am a champion.”

  “Please do.”

  “I find this very awkward, my mage. My penis is not actually a weapon.”

  “Understood. However, I have a place where it could be sheathed.”

  Loch frowned at him for a second before he got it. “Oh, yes.”

  Henry grinned and Loch pulled him into a kiss. Their bodies pressed together and Loch once more surrounded Henry with his wings. He fumbled for the fastening of Loch’s trousers, wanting them gone. Loch kicked them away before pulling back and giving Henry a very stern look.

  “Remove your clothing.”

  “Twist my arm.”

  Loch scowled and reached for his arm.

  “No, I mean. Dammit.” Henry pulled his shirt over his head. “It’s an expression. I’ll explain it later.”