by Lexi Ostrow
“Of course. I already told you, there’s no running from what you were meant to be. Any book you choose, well any book you choose from the ones I choose for you. But, as you know, every book has a hero and a villain. Who you choose to release, both before and after your birthday, is up to you, up to which side you choose.”
The man was gone then. Just poofed out as usual, and where he had been standing, three books sat piled on the floor.
Everything in him was shouting for him to walk the other way, go visit Ciara and test that what the man had said was true. Yet, his feet were already pushing him off the couch and moving toward the books. He stopped and stared down just as his toes touched the stack. His vision wasn’t perfect, even with his glasses, and he bent down to pick up the stack.
“Visions in Summer,” he tossed it onto the kitchen counter. “Miracle in the Moon,” his hand twitched to drop it, but something about the serene blue cover with a mermaid on the front stopped him.
He was thinking about Nessa. The realization slammed into him, and he all but threw it into the kitchen, so hard it skipped over the counter entirely and crashed into the fridge before hitting the floor.
He had one book left in his hand. “In Your Dreams.” His eyes skimmed over it, and he had to admit, the two females on the cover were hot as hell, and their gossamer wings sent a bolt of lust through him.
He’d always believed in magic and fairies, even before he got his powers. He turned the book over and read the back aloud, as if it could start the process before he’d officially even decided he wanted to take the risk with one of the books.
“Megara and Breena are sisters in the Unseelie Court, stuck in a war that neither wants to be a pawn in, and only one will survive.”
A smile curved on his lips before he had any control over it. A shiver broke out on his arms, and with the hand not holding the book, he scrubbed over his arm, trying to remove the tingling sensation.
He hated the romances and the darkness in the book, the outright admittance of a life lost was more his style. “It’s also more Leather Jacket’s style. Which is why he picked it, of course.”
He scrunched his face and stared at the book’s back cover. Dale knew the right action was to put the book down and to go to Ciara, or even try calling out to the man in the trench coat for the millionth time. Finding a Guardian was about finding a character with enough power to protect him, and a personality that melded with his enough that something in him, the part of him that was a Word Speaker, worked its mojo and pulled a character out of the fictional world they came from. That meant he needed to find a character with magic that would be a compliment to all that was rushing through him from Nessa’s water and healing magic, to Alcott’s elemental powers, and even the ‘roid rage strength and speed that Stryder had contributed to the mix.
His hands gripped the book harder, and he turned to walk into his bedroom. He needed to get to work, but not until he saw what Megara and Breena had to offer.
Chapter Three
Dale’s eyes watered, and he swiped at them with his fingers. “This is why it doesn’t make any sense that you’re a Word Speaker,” he muttered to himself as he put the book down on his bed.
He had never been a fast reader, or one to sit and read for long periods, but there was something about the book was sucking him in. It was well past four in the afternoon, and he hadn’t logged onto his programming job since the day before. “And you haven’t mysteriously had a Guardian pop up in front of you.”
Sighing, he got up off the bed, walked the small space to his work chair and turned on the computer. He was honestly shocked that nothing had happened yet. Megara had seemed interesting and sensual, based on the scene he’d read of her with her own soon-to-be-prince. She was everything that Nessa was, wrapped up in a package that had a little more attitude and a little less beauty. She commanded time to a small degree and was able to slow down or speed up moments. Something Dale personally thought would be pretty damn useful to add to his arsenal.
His work program booted up, and he turned to look at the book on the bed one more time. He’d left it with Megara stopping time to allow Breena to trap the power that the Seelie queen’s dream was giving off. “You have to work. It’s not like it’s working anyway.”
For almost an hour, he sat and typed uselessly on the keyboard before pushing back in the chair and frowning at the screen.
“This would be a fantastic time to step in and show yourself. I know you’re real, you gave me powers. Sure you didn’t start my journey, but I know you exist, and you seemed to have a great lot riding on me. But, now you’re letting your brother steal your thunder.”
He was talking to the man in the trench coat of course. If he could just get the man to show himself, then Dale could have faith that Leather Jacket was lying. It didn’t matter that most of his time as a Word Speaker had been spent running with characters that were bent on revenge or drugs and sex. He had to believe it could all be turned around and that he wasn’t about to die.
“Maybe he’s already turned his back on you. Maybe you’re already lost to him.” The thought was not only unpleasant, but unwanted. “Just one little visit. I have to know what I’m supposed to do.”
He watched the clock on his desktop change from five fifteen to five sixteen, all the way until five twenty before growling at the screen. “This is fucking ridiculous. How am I supposed to work when there are more important things to take care of?”
He stalked back over to the bed without even bothering to turn his current programming project off and grabbed the book. Still standing, he opened to the dog-eared page and began to read more. Without warning, his dick hardened as he read over the description of Breena seducing a guard to break into the queen’s bedroom.
Dale let out a low groan and shifted his weight on the bed, ignoring the slight squeal of bedsprings. He had more money than he ought to, and he’d never replaced his crappy college mattress.
His hand let go of one side of the book, and he readjusted, trying to ignore how good it felt to touch himself. He’d been insatiable with Nessa, and with her gone for the past three days, he’d been an utter mess. Dale ground his teeth together and forced himself to keep reading to try to catch a Guardian, and because he actually was enjoying the sensual Dark Fantasy.
Breena’s actions were going to drive him over the edge, and quickly, for more reasons than one. He knew that she was a darker character—she was reckless, out for herself and had a foot into the darkness her sister did not have. She tortured and killed for her father and never seemed to give a damn. Yet, he couldn’t stop thinking about being the guard she was slowly fucking against the wall. Couldn’t stop wanting it.
He needed to shake it off, he knew that. But the more he read as Breena slipped into the queen’s room, the more he feared he wanted her in a way that would supersede any good intentions he had toward her sister. He could hear himself screaming in the back of his mind as he read on, telling himself to put the book down, that he was going to wind up walking on the wrong side of the darkness. He couldn’t stop himself, couldn’t help the longing he felt for Breena with each page turn.
Breena felt more than a little woozy, but it didn’t stop her from taking another sip of the Seelie queen’s stolen Elixir. “This stuff, this stuff is potent.” She giggled at her own repetition and passed the bottle back to Megara and Sontan.
“That is why you drink in moderation, Sister.” Megara’s voice seemed to drip with disdain.
Breena didn’t care. “We just stole a little dream magic and a little drink from the bitch that’s been making our entire clan’s lives hell. Can’t you loosen up just once?”
An annoying sound filled Breena’s ears, something that sounded a good deal like someone narrating her actions as she dropped onto the rock and giggled again. The sound grew on her nerves the more it happened, and she couldn’t fight it off. Every step she took, every word she said, it sounded as if someone was speaking them.
&
nbsp; Or controlling her.
Her eyes shot over to Megara and Sontan. The loving pair were disgusting to look at and made her grateful that the strongest connection she had was to the bed of whatever sprite she was fucking that night. Relationships were good for nothing. They tied two people together and made them care about each other. She had enough on her plate with caring for her twin sister and doing her father’s bidding. If Megara ever found out that her father meant to kill and take over the Seelie court instead of simply talking for peace, well, her sister would likely wind up dead trying to stop them.
The voice was driving her batty, and as she hit her limit, it just stopped. “Thank the forest spirits for small miracles.” Some of the Elixir was wearing off from her agitation.
“Oh, I don’t think spirits had anything to do with this little adventure.”
The voice that spoke wasn’t Sontan’s, and there were no other males with them. Her hand dropped to the small dagger in her belt, and she spun with it above her head, ready to drive it into whoever had followed them to their little celebration.
“I would just put that down if I were you.” As the man spoke, the dagger tore backward, flying from her hand and lodging in the tree behind her. “I must say, I’m shocked sprites are human-sized.”
He walked up to her and moved around her in a circle, his eyes looking over every section of her body and making her a little uncomfortable. She could feel evil dripping off him like a rainstorm, and even with her darker appetites, she didn’t like what he was. Even if she had no idea what that might be.
“Yes, well, we’re not fairies. They’re small,” she said the words with as much venom as she could muster, but the man had her on edge.
She would be lying if she didn’t admit that whoever the newcomer was, he was handsome. He had slightly longer black hair and shining silver eyes that seemed to be filled with the same sparkle dust fairies used to compel humans. He had deep cheekbones and a muscular build that was perfectly filling out his jeans, black shirt and unzipped leather jacket.
“Yes, well, that really is of no concern to me, but I suppose you being normal-sized will be a considerable plus to Dale.”
Her blood felt as if it stopped pumping at his words. He must work for the queen and be capturing her to be a sex slave to her guards. Their older sister, Tresta, had been murdered after they stole her away for the same purpose. The remains of the Elixir’s high drained out of her body, and she turned to try to take the dagger from the tree, only to find herself slammed face first against it.
“Don’t bother trying to escape or call to the other two. They’re frozen. I’d let you take a look, but that would mean allowing you to move, and I just can’t have that if you’re so determined to kill me. I must say, this is the first time I’ve been attacked without even explaining myself before.”
She didn’t understand what the fuck he was talking about, and she tried to pry her arm off the tree, but something held her down. He had to be Seelie or Unseelie with that kind of magic because she could see him standing off to the side, arms crossed.
“I will not go with you, and if you abduct me, I’ll kill you while you sleep.” She hadn’t meant the words literally, but if she drained enough life force while someone slept, they died. That was how she killed her clan’s enemies for her father—discretely, with little blood and no fingers to point.
She heard a growl and felt his hand on the back of her neck. His fingers bit into her skin, and she struggled, succeeding in only bashing the back of her head into his forehead.
“That is enough!”
His voice was so loud to her eardrums, she cringed, and her body continued to shake as she tried to throw him off. Then she couldn’t move at all. Not one iota of her body was hers to control and fear became so tangible she could taste it. Her eyes darted back and forth, but she couldn’t see the man until he used his power to turn her around and slam her back into the tree.
He walked in front of her and stopped less than an inch away. Her body warred with her brain as a part of her wanted to reach out and touch him, see if he was as impressively built as he looked. Panic traced a quick path through her, after a moment of staring at him.
He moved a hand in front of her face, and she became eerily calm. “I do so hate doing things this way, but it’s against my better judgment to kill a potential Guardian before they even hear the rules of the game. I can’t promise that calming effect will last long. I’m not known for white magic or even using my powers for good, but I need you, so I’m willing to make an exception.”
Her eyes bore into his silver ones, and he smiled a grin so wide and filled with evil energy, it felt as if it would choke her if he came any closer. If he was going to kill her, he had better do it soon, or she would find a way to break the hold over her body and kill him.
“Well then, I like what I see. It was precisely what I thought was going to happen. You’re going to be just the thing to push Dale over the edge. You’re darkness in a sunny wrapper. You’re not who you pretend to be, and neither is he.”
Anger rolled over her as the man did nothing but appraise who she was. She wasn’t a piece of meat, no matter how many times she’d whored herself out to have fun for the night or slept with the enemy on her father’s orders. She went to open her mouth and realized it didn’t open. Rage rolled through her, but there was nothing she could do.
“What would you do if I told you that you were quite literally made up? Would it anger you, would it send your fists flying at my face? Or would you sit and listen to what I have to say? What I have to offer you, I promise will be the offer of a lifetime. A chance to break free of this book you call a world and really live.”
Her eyes would have widened if they could, but they couldn’t. He’d just insulted her twice in a matter of seconds and then compared her world to a book.
“I can see everything flashing behind those eyes. You’re fast. I’ll give you that. Now if only we could make you compliant so that I might steal this Word Speaker back for myself before his birthday.”
He waved his hand, and she dropped down from being pressed against the tree and her knees slammed into the ground. Pain shot through her, and when she went to curse, she was able to.
“You sick son of a bitch. I have no idea how you’re controlling me or what you’re talking about, but I work for no one, and I don’t have time to play games with whoever Dale is. So unfreeze my sister and her lover, and get the fuck out of my forest.” She tried to lunge at him with her final words, but she crashed through the air and landed on the ground again, only to see him flash back in front of her. The man was something dangerous, and she had a feeling she didn’t have what it would take to play with him.
“Oh, it’s quite simple. There is something I want, the most powerful Word Speaker in centuries. Then there is a way to get him, you.” The man had walked back over to her and gently traced his hand over her cheek.
Bile rose in her stomach, and she wanted to blame the Elixir, but she knew it was his touch.
“You’re splendid, really. All darkness hidden away in a little ball of goodness. He won’t be able to resist you. In fact, he’s already secretly desiring you, or I never would have found you.”
“Fantastic. Human men desire sprites all the time. He’s no different. And I don’t believe a word of what you’re saying anyway.” She had the urge to spit on him, but she held back.
“Interesting, a magical creature not supposed to exist not believing that she quite literally, doesn’t. Very well, we shall change all of that, and then you’ll be begging me to send you to him.”
He waved his hand, and suddenly, the air in front of her distorted. It shimmered in a way, colors swirled, and, suddenly, the space right before her seemed to peel backward. The forest trees vanished; boring beige walls came into a view. A strange gray box sat on a small glass desk, and a man sat hunched over a set of letters arranged in a strange way. He was smaller, not nearly as tall or broad as the men of the Fae, b
ut, decidedly, just as handsome. She could see by the tension in his shoulders as his hands flew over the letters. He was built and strong, despite his small frame. His hair barely touched the back of his neck, and it was an almost coppery shade of red, like a fire running low on oxygen.
He turned around, almost as if he knew someone was watching him, and her breath caught in her throat. Something about him made her mouth slightly part open, and a small sigh to escape. He wasn’t traditionally handsome in the way the Fae were, but he was beautiful. Small black-rimmed glasses sat on his angular face, and his jaw line was strong, something Breena always found attractive. However, it was the intensity about his face that had her body on fire with a need she didn’t understand. The tension showed in his lips as he scowled directly at her, but made no indication he could truly see her.
His lips moved. She couldn’t hear what he said, but she found herself wanting to. He stood from his chair and stalked backward to a bed that seemed far too large for one person to sleep in alone. His hand grabbed at something just next to his purple encased pillow, and he dropped into a lounging position.
Her eyes traveled up the length of him, now able to see how truly tall he was, and she gasped as her gaze landed on his crotch. He was impressively tented in his denim pants, and she found herself desiring to know just how impressive he was, and not even caring why he was aroused for seemingly no reason.
She wished she could shake herself, force her eyes to keep moving, but she was still utterly encased in the magic that was controlling her again. Slowly, she pulled her gaze off his lap and continued her appraisal of his body until she saw the cover of the book in his hands.
She jerked her head back so violently that she was shocked when it slammed into the tree. Her body dropped to the ground, and she heard the man in leather chuckle.
