The Valkyrie's Princes

by Quinn Arthurs

  Jett stepped forward, trying to smooth his expression out but not succeeding very well. “Emberly, you need to calm down. Just breath for a minute here with me.”

  “Calm down?” The words came out in a shriek as I stared at him. “You think I don’t want you! You want to live as slaves, without being whole! You want me to calm down!” My voice was a growl as I glared hard at him, and, without conscious thought, reached out and shoved him back a step.

  Jett slowly raised one eyebrow as he stared hard at me. “Did you –“ he said, slowly and quietly, “- really just push me?” His voice was deep and husky, pulling at me where I stood.

  I rolled my eyes and stamped my foot. “No, of course, I didn’t push you. The magic did, what-“

  With a growl he lunged, pulling me hard against his body as his mouth closed hot and hungry on mine.

  Chapter Thirteen

  I gasped in shock as Jett pulled me tightly against him, weaving his hand tightly into my hair as lips slanted over mine. Jett wasted no time taking advantage of my surprise as he slid his tongue into my mouth, thrusting over and over. I moaned as his taste burst over my tongue. An answering growl rattled up from his chest as he angled my head, allowing him to kiss me harder and deeper. Frantic now, I pressed my mouth to his, striving to get more, feel more. As his tongue left my mouth, I chased it with my own. I was rewarded by his deep groan as I played my tongue lightly over his, slowly sweeping it across his mouth. I could feel every inch of my body as I pressed against him, every soft part of me pressed to his rock-solid heat.

  Suddenly, Jett pulled his mouth from mine, though he didn’t remove his grip from my hair. I let out a frustrated moan, trying to pull my lips back to his. He smirked, his lips wet and swollen from my own. “Are you ready to listen now?” He asked gently, his voice husky and thick.

  How was I supposed to listen when I couldn’t even think? Well, I could think, but only about getting his mouth back on mine. Gods, he had tasted so good….

  Flynn snickered behind me. “I think you may have scrambled her brain a little, Jett.” I felt my anger begin to flare again as I tried to turn and growl at him.

  “Shhh…” Jett murmured. He gently stroked his fingers through my hair, stroking and petting now instead of gripping me. “I usually wouldn’t kiss you when you’re angry with me, Starshine, but I wanted to try and get through to you.” His dark eyes were gentle and sweet, though a layer of heat remained. “You’re such a sweet, smart female, Emberly. You kept contradicting yourself and not thinking while you were talking, you were only ranting at us. Do you think you can be calm enough now that we can actually discuss this?” His fingers rubbed the tender skin behind my ear, and I tilted my head into his palm. Honestly, I wasn’t sure. I was still angry, scared, frustrated, confused… None of that made me a good candidate for a logical conversation.

  Neel stepped forward so that he could look me in the eyes while he spoke, his eyes deep and serious. “Emberly, the things you were saying, about how you cared for us despite us being princes, that you cared for us from the beginning for who we are; we feel the same way. It didn’t matter to us that you were a Guardian. We had already planned to ask you to stay on, hopefully train as one of our guards, before we were aware of any of that. That’s the plan we were discussing with the king when we found out you had been taken.” His voice was sweet and soft, earnest as he tried to convince me that what he was saying was true. He swept his hand out, wrapping it around the back of my neck and massaging my nape.

  Hunter stepped forward now, stroking light fingertips down my wings. “Before these showed up, before we knew you would heal, we spent each day begging you to fight, to stay with us. We wanted you. We didn’t want a Guardian. We weren’t concerned with continuing our line. We wanted you, Emberly.”

  Blaine reached a hand forward to run softly down my check, following every dip and curve. “You love books as much as I do. You’re smart, witty, sweet. You have no idea of your own strength. We’ve been enthralled with you from the moment you tried to so prettily speak to us while nearly bleeding to death.”

  Flynn reached out now, his fingers joining Jett’s in my hair. With all five of them touching me at the same time, it was as if I was suddenly centered. I could think clearly, smoothly. I felt like I could breathe easier. I sighed deeply, soaking in the feeling, trying to memorize it so that I could find this kind of calm when I needed it later.

  Startled gasps dragged me from the contented haze I had let wash over me. The guys’ faces reflected different levels of shock and awe as they stared, fascinated, over my shoulders to my wings. I tried to curve them around me so that I could see them and growled in frustration when all I managed to do was flap them. This was going to take some work. I had never thought about how difficult it must be to learn to actually use their wings, though, I did vaguely remember seeing the younglings struggle for a time after first gaining theirs. Giving up, I twisted my head around, and my own gasp ripped from my throat. The colored edges of each wing were glowing, each tip was an iridescent light of color matching my princes’ wings.

  Blaine recovered first as he cocked his head, considering my wings. “Hmmm…” The contemplated sound was hardly more than a whisper. As he gently pulled his hands from my body, I had to stop myself from calling out. I liked when they were all touching me. It felt right. “Well, removing my hands didn’t seem to stop the little show you have going. So it must be internal to you, not tied to us externally touching you.” His voice was serious as he continued to consider my wings. I was thankful when he placed his hand back on my cheek, completing the circuit again.

  As I began to focus on the feeling of their fingers against me, Flynn let out a murmur. “Oh, but they were so pretty!” Apparently, the light show I had been putting on for them had dimmed.

  Jett pulled my attention back to him as he said, “Starshine, do you believe us? It’s you we want. That we have a bond, it’s just an extra. Something that makes what we have all the more special. I know there’s still so much for us to learn about you, and for you to learn about us. I want to try though. Not because of the bond, but because you’re my Starshine.” His eyes were serious and calm as they held steady on mine.

  I let out a small huff of breath as I tried to get my words to come out the way I meant them. I hadn’t been lying when I told Blaine I struggled with speaking. My brain usually ran far ahead of my mouth, and with going so many years with barely speaking, it definitely was not one of my better skills. “I adore all of you. I want to believe you, I do. But I know, to an extent none of you ever can, how it feels to have everything taken from you; to feel a part of yourself die. I would do anything it took to make sure you would never have to experience that for yourselves.” I managed to hold back my tears as I spoke. I was seriously sick of crying. I had cried more since meeting my princes than I had in years, and it frustrated me. Why couldn’t I keep my walls up with them?

  Hunter’s voice was sweet and low as he leaned into me, nuzzling against me softly. “Flower, you really are the sweetest thing. You can think like that, and wonder why or how we adore you?” He continued to nuzzle at me, nearly making me purr in contentment at his touch.

  Neel tugged gently at my hands, pulling me away from the others embraces. “You need to rest, Emberly. I’m sure your body is still healing, and you’ve had nothing but one shock after another. Please, Sweet Pea. Let us take care of you.” His tone was gentle and cajoling as he pulled at my hands.

  Hunter stepped forward, trying to continue the cuddling he had been initiating. “You can sleep in here, if the mess doesn’t bother you. My bed’s comfortable, and you’re absolutely welcome to it.”

  I considered what he asked. A part of me was completely exhausted, but it felt like my mind was running faster and faster with every breath I took. “I’ll lay down, but I doubt I’ll sleep. My mind is buzzing with everything that’s been happening.”

  Jett’s smile was sweet, and he bent to brush his lips across my
cheek. “Good girl. Even if you only rest, that will be fine.”

  My voice held a wheedling tone that I couldn’t quite control as I asked, “Will you stay with me?”

  Chuckles filled the room, and the sounds of their feathers rustling as they folded their wings across their backs was a gentle whisper of sound.

  With Neel’s tugging hands, I stepped forward and sprawled out on the huge, round bed. I knew that not all of us would be able to fit if were laying down, but I was content when I felt them begin to settle around me. Hunter’s pine scent was strong from where I buried my head in his sheets. Flynn slid his warm hand under my cheek, lifting me to place me on his lap. Jett was curled near my side, stroking my arm softly. Blaine sat on the floor, his head leaning back to rest against my leg and I could feel Neel mimic the move on his other side. Hunter knelt at my feet, his voice husky and low, “I like seeing you on my bed, Flower.” A tingle rolled up my spine, but I heard Hunter grunt. It sounded like someone had kicked him.

  “Hush.” Blaine’s voice was firm, as he addressed his brother. “She needs to sleep, she doesn’t need you flirting with her. There’s plenty of time for that later.”

  I huffed, enjoying their warmth and stroking hands. It was relaxing, but I still couldn’t calm my mind down. “Seriously, guys, I don’t think I can sleep. My mind is just too busy. I’d rather start some of the research I need to do!”

  They all simply ignored me and continued to stroke and soothe me where I lay curled on the soft, warm mattress. Fighting the urge to toss – it was definitely not recommended with wings – I tried to soothe my roaring thoughts with the knowledge that I’d be able to start studying soon. Flynn’s fingers shifted gently into my hair, rubbing and stroking through the strands.

  All of a sudden, I was wrapped in a pure, sweet sound. Flynn was singing? Gods, his voice was gorgeous, a husky purr in my ear as he crooned what I came to realize was a lullaby. Slowly, his brothers began to join him in his song. Their voices merged in a soaring, tender harmony around me.

  “Good night, little one. The daylight is done. Sleep tight, little one. The night has begun. Sleep well, my child, and dream of tomorrow. Hold tight, my child, and forget your sorrows. Goodnight. Sleep tight, my little one, sleep tight.”

  I felt like I was floating as their voices wrapped around me, soothing a part of me I hadn’t even know was aching. As I drifted into a deep, heavy sleep, I realized that was probably something their own mothers had sung to them and they would eventually pass on to their own children – our children. Allowing myself to sink into that happy thought, I let them soothe me to sleep.

  I awoke to the intoxicating sensation of sunlight dappling against my wings. It felt almost silky against my feathers, more of a caress than the sensation against my skin. I arched my back, lifting my wings closer to the warm glow of morning. My head was still buried in Flynn’s lap, and when I tried to sit up I noticed he had fallen asleep leaning back against the wall behind him. His hair had fallen out of its long braid, glowing like a ruby brand against his skin as it fell across him. A quick glance around showed me that while Flynn still rested on the bed, the only other person remaining in the room was Hunter.

  He was sitting by the window, his face intense as he concentrated on the wood under his fingers. He stroked it gently as he rotated it firmly between his hand and the wicked looking knife he held. His strokes were measured and sure, a kind of contented ease allowing the curls of wood to fall quietly to the floor as he worked. I kept still, afraid that my movement would distract him and he would injure himself on that wicked looking blade. He didn’t bother to look up from his work as he quietly stated, “You can come closer if you’d like. I know what I’m doing, I won’t hurt myself or you. Flynn sleeps like he’s dead, so you won’t wake him.” His voice remained quiet as he continued to curl the wood in his hands around and around.

  I slid slowly from the bed, being careful of Flynn. Despite Hunter’s assurance that I wouldn’t wake him, I knew he needed sleep as much as I did. I didn’t approve of the position he was sleeping in, but I wasn’t sure I was strong enough to pull him flat onto the mattress by myself. I tried to fold my wings back correctly as I tried to glide softly across the floor. I really needed to make it a priority to have one of the guys help me with figuring out my wings. I didn’t like fumbling around.

  As I got closer, I tried to see what Hunter was carving. His knife was slicing quickly – a little too quickly in my opinion, did he want to lose a finger? I concentrated on the sunlight against me as I breathed deeply. I knew that he was sure in his movements, he didn’t need me correcting him. His chuckle rose from where his head remained bowed, his hair shining as brightly as the wood in his hand in the sunlight.

  “It makes my mother nervous when I do this as well. She thinks I’m going to lose a finger. You’d think with all of the weapons we train with that people would have confidence in us, yet they still see us as fumbling younglings sometimes.” Hunter’s voice was as warm and soothing against me as the sunlight was. Now that I was near him, I could see he was working to finish the rose that had been sitting on his desk yesterday.

  “It’s so pretty.” I was fascinated by his rapid movements and the beauty that he was able to unearth from what, to me, was a plain chunk of wood. With a last flick of his knife, he placed it carefully on the table beside him and turned to face me. His smile was sweet, and just a little bashful, as his eyes met mine.

  “A flower for you, Flower.” Hunter’s lips quirked and his eyes twinkled as he handed the rose to me. I took it gently from his fingers, afraid to damage it. The carving was intricate, as if he had managed to dip a fully bloomed rose in wood paint. If I hadn’t seen him create it right before my eyes, I doubt I would have believed it wasn’t real. I had never owned anything as beautiful as this.

  I couldn’t help but stroke the smooth, warm wood against the side of my cheek as if the scent would reach my nose. “It’s really for me?” The words were quiet, hesitant. I didn’t want him to laugh at me, but I doubted he knew how much this meant to me.

  His eyes softened, the impish look fading to warmth as he watched me. “Yes, Flower. It’s all for you,” Hunter assured me, his fingers twitching as he watched me twirl the rose over and over in my fingers.

  I could practically feel myself glow as I smiled brightly at him. His moss-colored eyes widened, and he blinked rapidly as he watched me. “It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever owned. I’ll treasure it, Hunter. I promise.” I couldn’t believe that Hunter had made it for me.

  He cleared his throat, looking as if he was trying to swallow a laugh. “I can make you more, Emberly. If you like it.” His voice held that little note of uncertainty still as he watched me. I nearly flung myself onto his lap as I wrapped my arms around his neck, my rose still tight in my grip.

  “I’m happy with one, Hunter. You should make whatever you like. You’re so talented. It’s like you breathe life into the wood again. It’s an amazing gift.” The words tumbled out of me as I rubbed my cheek against the curve of his neck.

  His chuckle rumbled through me as his hands gripped my waist. “I did make what I like. From the first moment I walked into Flynn’s room and saw you guarding him I had the image of that rose in my mind. That’s how I see you, Flower. Sweet and fragile but with a bite for those who touch you unaware.” His voice was a croon in my ear as he let me continue to nuzzle into his warm skin. I held my breath, breathing deeply of his pine scent. Hunter was a prankster, fond of jokes and teasing, but it didn’t hide his sweet, artist’s soul. He was so gentle underneath the impish behaviors.

  A rough, scratchy voice broke through our moment, and I turned to face Neel where he leaned against the door frame as he said, “Spoiling her already, are you?” I could hear the laughter in his tone though he tried to keep his face serious.

  “Oh, absolutely.” Hunter grinned back at his brother, still not relinquishing my waist. “When did you get here?” His fingers stroked and rubbed al
ong my waist, tracing my hip bones as he spoke to his brother, apparently content just to hold me.

  “Long enough ago to see the show,” was Neel’s cryptic response.

  I raised an eyebrow at him, not really struggling against Hunter’s hold on me. It was comforting to be held so tightly as if I was cherished. When Neel made no move to complete his thought, I pushed at him, my tone wry. “What show, exactly?” My dry tone seemed to amuse him as he watched me with his lips slightly twisted.

  “Well, we seem to have one answer as to what causes your wings to glow.” He stated, continuing to use cryptic comments. I was sure he was doing it just to irritate me.

  “The sunlight?” I asked, confused. Of course, that would make my wings glow, it was only logical. I’m not sure why he seemed to think it was some kind of big revelation.

  Hunter snickered, leaning forward to brush his head back and forth across my stomach. I giggled at the tickling sensation of my tunic moving back and forth against me. “No, Flower. It appears that when you’re extremely happy your wings begin to glow. I can’t guarantee that’s why they glowed last night, but I’m pretty sure it’s what caused them to glow when I told you the rose was yours to keep.”

  “Huh,” I murmured, continuing to cuddle with Hunter. Not the most intelligent comment of my life, that was for sure. I really didn’t want to have set ideas in mind before doing research, however. It could just be coincidence. Well, since both Hunter and Neel were awake, maybe they’d be willing to take me to the library today. After they helped me with my wings, ideally. I cocked my head to the side, considering them both. I knew it would make Hunter laugh, but I did trust the both of them and I would rather do this with as little of an audience as possible. I took a deep breath, bracing myself for their ribbing as I managed to push out, “It’s a possibility, but I have a slightly more pressing concern. Would one of you show me how to use these wings? They’re not as easy to manage as I thought they would be.”