Isa turned to Toryn, and he lifted a shoulder. They could figure out what that was about later.
Once the final touches were in place, Toryn took Isa’s hand. “You’ve earned rest. And I’ll take great pleasure in pampering you.”
“This needed to be done. I don’t need anything special.”
“Need, maybe not, but you certainly deserve it.”
“Don’t argue with the man. For once, he knows what he’s talking about,” Xander stated.
Isa leaned up to whisper in Toryn’s ear. “At some point, I want to know the story between you and Xander.”
He took her hand, guiding her fingertips to his temple. “Take us here, Princess.”
A smile lit her face as she opened the portal.
He swept her off her feet and carried her through. Isa waved over his shoulder then closed the portal.
Chapter 33
Toryn set Isa down in a small hut in the middle of the oasis, not far from the Water Realm. It was one of the few places with life left in the Fire Realm because Reance had protected it when he brought Aeryana there back when the deal was made for her to marry Henroyld in order to prevent more wars.
Jayde and Scotty had spent several days there.
The cabin represented love and sacrifice, but he hoped like hell he wasn’t sacrificing anything by bringing her here. No one was standing in line to steal Isa away from him, especially after Reance went to the Elder Guardians and pleaded the case to dismantle every arranged marriage and let those still in one leave without consequence.
“What are you planning, Toryn?” Isa murmured.
“Going to make love to you until you can’t move, then I’ll make you a proper Fae meal.”
“Haven’t we had traditional Fae meals here?”
“You had a royal feast, not a proper meal. You aren’t interested in the royal stuff, so let me show you how the rest of us live.”
Isa pulled her jacket off and his hands went to her pants. “This isn’t to make you want to stay, just to show you what’s here.”
“I get it. And I appreciate it.”
She took his shirt as he knelt and pulled it over his head.
His hands locked around her hips and he kissed her flat belly. He couldn’t wait for her to be round with his child. “I’m going to love every inch of you, even when you’re ready to pop.”
Isa giggled. “You’re ridiculous.”
He licked her navel as he pulled her pants down her hips. “No, but I need your taste on my tongue.”
She dropped onto the bed before him, and he pulled her pants off with her boots. “I need you so damned bad, Toryn.”
He nuzzled her thigh, and she let out a soft sigh. Leaning forward, he tasted the nectar glistening at her core. Sweet, savory, and better than anything he’d ever tasted. He loved to feast on Isa, then show her how much more there was to explore.
Centuries of experience gave him endless possibilities. And Isa was always willing to try anything once. He licked at her opening, teasing her pearl as flames danced in his palms. He reached under the bed for the fragrant oils made from the flowers that grew in the oasis.
“Mmm, what’s that?” she purred, writhing under his tongue.
He flicked his tongue over her. “Healing oil, but that’s not what I’m going to use it for.”
She propped herself up on her elbows, watching his every move with a sexy grin. “Oh? What are you going to use it for?”
“I’m getting there, but you will enjoy it.”
“I’m yours, however you want me.”
He slicked his hands with the oil, then bent to tease her clit. Her hands fisted in the sheets.
He slid his hands up her thighs, over her hips, along her abs and over her breasts. She hummed in delight when he stopped to pay homage to her nipples while sucking that bead of nerves.
His name left her lips on a cry of ecstasy. Her essence coated his tongue and he lapped at her until she calmed.
Then he let fire play in his palms as he quickly caressed down her body.
* * * *
Coming down from the climax, Isa got her eyes open and watched Toryn caress down her body. Flames trailed over her skin, following the path of oil as he moved beside her. After extinguishing one palm, he dipped his hand again.
Slick and shiny fingers painted a trail around one areola, down her belly in a swirling pattern, and back up to the other nipple. He followed that with the flame.
Sensation danced through her. Heat sparked pleasure along her nerves, following the path he created. Magic flowed through every sensual caress. He coated his free hand again and pooled oil in her belly button before guiding a path over her mound.
“Toryn?” she gasped, a question, not of distrust, but curiosity and excitement.
He licked his lips, one corner of his mouth lifting. He spread his fingers, dragging them down her belly before cupping her sex. His fingers were so damned warm as he slid them into her, his magic dancing over her skin, into her body.
He spread more oil over her belly and breasts, then set it aflame with his quick caress as he pumped his fingers into her.
“Oh, fuck, Toryn!” Her back arched and flames rolled through her vision.
He drew more patterns on her skin with the oil. She looked up as he sent the flame flowing up, a rose appearing before fading.
She grabbed his hair, dragging him down on top of her. “Make love to me, Toryn,” Isa panted.
Laughing, he climbed over her, letting the flames die out. “Impatient, Princess?” He captured her wrists, pulling them above her head as he stared down at her with his sexiest smirk.
“For you? Always.” She wrapped her legs around his hips, drawing him closer. “Need you, Toryn. That was hot, but I need more.”
He dropped his mouth to hers as he rolled his hips, sinking deep. Their magic erupted, flashing out like a shockwave. Sparks danced on the breeze that blew through the open windows.
Rain pattered down on the roof. A rumble traveled through the earth. Toryn kissed her neck, pumping into her in powerful strokes that washed all thought out in waves of pleasure.
* * * *
Isa clung to him, her magic twisting along his, becoming more. Every ounce of power built the spell he couldn’t control, but he was climbing to release so damned fast, he didn’t give a damn.
Isa cried out, nipping at his lip, then sucking the sting away. Her body undulated, seeking more, and he aimed to give her everything he had and more.
Toryn kissed down her neck, sucking, licking. He couldn’t get enough as her power soaked through him, igniting something deep within.
She screamed out his name, and he followed her into release, pinning her down as he buried his face against her neck, breathing in her essence.
“Never felt so whole.”
“Hmm, neither have I.” A yawn escaped her lips.
Rolling to his side, he pulled her with him, holding her tight. “Sleep, Isa. I promised you a real Fae meal.”
She nuzzled closer, wrapping her arm around his waist.
* * * *
Aeryana gasped, leaning against the rail. “They did it!”
Reance stood beside her on the balcony outside his room in his castle’s tower. It had been a long time since he last stood there, but Isa put the whole building back together and infused magic through it, like she did the other castles.
He chuckled. “Toryn did heal the scars his mother created when he was lost to her.”
“Toryn did it?”
He smiled. “Hmm, he did. He tapped into a place that had been blocked. Not by him, not by his mother, but I suspect his father. Fleming was jealous Morrigan could care for someone more than him, only she had never cared for the bastard. She was using him as much as he used her.”
Aeryana smiled, leaning closer. “I’m glad you had the courage to stand up to the Council and abolish arranged marriages.”
“It’s
not the first time I tried, Aeryana.” He sighed. “Back then, before they saw how badly things would fall apart, they refused to listen.”
“I’m quite happy with where we are now. Our daughter finally knows us, and our relationship with her is growing. She’s come into her own, and I’m proud of all she’s done.” She turned to Reance. “Did you give her the idea for the castles?”
“No, that was all her, and I think it proved that Xander can trust her.”
Aeryana turned his face to the desert below. Plants sprouted and grew in seconds, in a ripple effect that started at the oasis and spread.
“I’ll admit, I knew what would happen with Toryn’s magic. I suggested the hut where we first made love. From the moment he laid eyes on Isa, something started to grow inside of him, and it finally broke the shell his father placed on his true power.”
“Does he have the same kind of magic as Isa?”
“No, but he has more than fire in him. He has the power to create. I believe their role in Faery will be far greater than anyone suspects. Today, she proved she has far greater capacity to do good in our world than I thought.”
“Perhaps it’s time to let her make her own path without all the guiding.”
“Wish it were that easy. I’m trying, love.”
Aeryana smiled. “You’ve spent so long searching for paths, it’s hard to stop looking. Don’t stop, but don’t push so hard.” She pointed into the valley that now thrived with life. “Are those birds?”
Reance chuckled. “They are. Never imagined their magic would restore the whole realm. Seems they have. Later, we should explore, if we can walk by the time I’m done with you.”
Aeryana grabbed his waistband and pulled him toward the bed. “There will be other days if not today.”
Chapter 34
The land pulsed with new energy. Toryn placed a kiss on Isa’s eyelids, then climbed from the bed and dressed for hunting. He grabbed a bow and a quiver of arrows before slipping from the hut.
Something had changed while they made love. Not with them, well, maybe them. If possible they grew more tightly bound. Felt like that every time they made love, but this—this was something more.
Toryn made his way down the path. He heard a familiar sound, something he’d only ever heard near the lava streams at the base of the volcano that rose over the Castle of Flame.
He followed the sound, moving silently. At the long dried up stream, a basilisk lapped at the flowing water—flowing fucking water.
Tearing his eyes away, he looked beyond the stream and saw the forest stretching out before him. The flickering oaks and flameshock flowers grew far beyond.
Shaking off the shock, he took aim and shot the basilisk between the eyes, instantly killing the creature. Creeping closer, he kept his ears peeled.
The forest was alive with creatures. Pushing himself into motion, he checked the beast to make sure it’s last breath had already been expelled, then hauled the lizard over his shoulder, carrying it back to the hut.
He figured he’d find small game, not an exotic creature who had once inhabited the land before the desert rolled in. He remembered Reance saying something soon after he’d first found him. Something about being important to all of Faery, but especially to the Fire Realm.
What in the abyss did Isa do? She was pulling out all the stops to help the realms, and now this? And if anyone realized what had happened she could be in more danger than just a psychotic aunt bent on revenge.
Toryn hurried back and into the shed next to the cabin to butcher the meat. He figured he could deliver the rest to the nearby village.
Shit…that village had been in the desert for centuries. The realm had been desert since before he’d set foot there. Then again, from what he understood, the change to desert had happened just as quickly.
Shaking his head, he focused on food. He gathered some of the plants growing nearby. Reance had cultivated the small clearing behind the cabin to be a garden that took care of itself. He gathered what he needed before heading inside.
* * * *
From the moment Saressa went through the portal, she couldn’t see a damn thing in the Fire Realm.
The Water Castle had crumbled to dust, and the swamp had become chaotic, starting to change back to the rain forest she remembered when she was a child. There was another castle in the Water Realm she hadn’t been to since her father had taken her when she was just a girl. However, she didn’t know how to get there, so she couldn’t find it again.
She could see the Castle of stone and Castle of the Sky at first. Then the Castle of Stone disappeared from her view. She could cast the scrying spells all she wanted, but it brought up nothing.
Then the Castle of the Sky went out like a light. She couldn’t see anything in Faery at all.
“What is it, Saressa?” Gebiet asked.
A hiss left her lips. “All of Faery has been cut off from me. I can’t see anything. Nothing at all.”
“I would think after so long locked in the Water Realm, you would welcome a change of scenery. Why is it that Faery is so important to you?”
“It’s my home. My castle held all my best memories. They’re all gone.”
“Of what?”
“Endiscott and Ankou. I lost both thanks to Reance.”
“Any clue where Isadora is?”
She sighed. “No. Not yet. I can’t track her. I felt her here when we were here before. I don’t think she’s come back yet. I know she’s supposed to be on her honeymoon and that was in Paris.”
“Then she’ll likely be back. Though, if she made it so you can’t go back to Faery, are you sure it’s wise for you to attack her? Perhaps in this instance, it would be wise to let her go.”
“No. Her father must pay, and ripping away his protégé and his daughter will tear him down. He ensured I cannot touch Aeryana. This is the best path to my revenge. And yours, might I remind you.”
“Very well.” He stood and followed Kasai outside.
Saressa curled up on the couch, rubbing her aching belly. The spiderlings were still for the moment. With any luck, they were dying.
She closed her eyes, reaching for memories of happier times.
* * * *
Toryn’s song pulled Isa from sleep. The one he wrote for her. The words rolled over her. His love, stronger than anything she’d ever imagined.
Stretching, she picked up her jacket and morphed it into a slip-dress she pulled over her head before joining him in the small kitchen.
The hut, as he called it, had the essentials, but it was peaceful, beautiful, and a place infused with emotion. She leaned against the counter and ran her hand over his back in big circles.
“Smells wonderful,” she murmured.
“Would it bother you to know I killed it just an hour ago?”
Shaking her head, she asked, “What is it?”
“Basilisk.” A small laugh escaped. “Funny thing about that. We seem to have awakened the entire Fire Realm. The Burning Desert is gone, replaced with forest for as far as I can see.”
“Forest? What kind of forest grows in my father’s lands?”
“Much like the oasis. Later, we can explore. First, we’ll eat.”
She turned and hopped up on the counter. “You let me nap while you went out hunting? You know…you should teach me to hunt.”
“With a bow and arrow?” he asked with a raised brow.
“Sure. I’ve learned to use how many other weapons?”
“You want to stay in Faery that much longer?”
She sighed. “Maybe for the night. I do have a few more things I want to explore in France. And I always wanted to go to Ireland.”
“Beautiful country.”
“I think I’ve earned a couple days of exploring—without training.”
“Oh, you have, Princess. Though I would like a quick trip into the realm. Just to see what’s changed.”
“That’s exploring
, and something I’d like to see. Is it something we did when we fixed the castle?”
He shook his head. “No. Definitely not. I think when we made love your magic washed over everything.”
She giggled. “That was all you with your magic-fire hands. Which, by the way, we have to do again.”
“My pleasure. Now, we eat, and I make love to you all over again.”
Chapter 35
“Talk to him,” Reance urged Fuerah.
The dragon paced the throne room in the newly restored Castle of Flames. She threw her fiery mane over her shoulder and pinned him with her scarlet glare. “You and Aeryana chose your path after discussing it. He chose our path, without even warning me. There is a huge difference there.”
“Aye, but Alenathos believed he was doing the right thing, at my suggestion. Regardless, he wants to make it right.”
“He can’t. He took away the one thing that might make it all worthwhile and hid it from me forever.” She let out a cry of frustration.
Alenathos appeared behind her and placed his hand on her shoulder. “I did it to protect all of us. And if Reance will permit, I will show you what I’ve done and why.”
“Whenever you want,” Reance stated and left the throne room, hoping that Alenathos made good on his promise to fix what was between them. He found Xander in the great hall.
Xander chuckled. “And I thought the changes in my realm were drastic, but after flying over the Dark Forest and the Burning Desert, I’m convinced your daughter has restored the magic in the land. Any idea how that might affect the abyss?”
“Doubt much, if at all. Thing with the abyss is that it’s another dimension entirely. The barriers in place make it nearly impossible to walk through. The changes in our land can’t leak through the veil.”
“And what if that barrier collapses?”
Reance shrugged. “Then I believe the abyss goes back to the realm it belongs in. I have never seen anything to lead me to believe the barrier will crumble, though.”
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