by Tricia Barr
“The difference is that I don’t give in to them,” Phoenyx said with a foolish bravery that came out of nowhere. “I resist my darkness. You’ve embraced yours.”
“Perhaps,” he said with a shrug, “but for the greater good. At least I don’t lie to myself about my intentions. I think you give in to your darkness a little more than you’d like to admit, my fiery one.”
“What are you talking about?” she said, pushing the conversation forward as a stall tactic while she considered her next move.
“I know about what you did to Old Man Mallick,” Joran said, narrowing his eyes in a wicked knowing smile.
The Four Corners leader? How could he know about that?
“You used your compulsion to send poor Vincent to his death,” Joran continued. “But a car accident stopped him from completing the suicidal cliff dive, and he lived to tell the tale. You’ve been a very naughty girl, Fire.”
Phoenyx hated that Joran, of all people, was judging her for her less than virtuous decision. She refused to let him make her feel guilty.
“I will not apologize for anything bad that happens to that man,” Phoenyx declared. “His moral fiber is only slightly less transparent than yours. He almost caused our deaths twice. He deserves whatever he gets.”
“Really? How interesting. No one in the order seems to remember a single thing about the Bound Ones, let alone nearly killing them in the recent past. Some time, you must tell me about the little encounter you must have had. I’m sure it’s a very intriguing story.”
Unable to tolerate his intrusion on her personal space any longer, she grabbed his wrist and pushed her will into him.
“Where is Ayanna?” she demanded with all the authority she could instill.
Joran closed his eyes and moaned. “Oh, now doesn’t that feel amazing! I am going to have so much fun with you.”
In one swift motion, he twisted his arm out of her grasp and grabbed both her wrists, holding them against the wall on either side of her head. And then something happened. Lust unlike anything she’d ever experienced seeped into her forearms and spread like venom through her veins, burning her to her core with desire.
“Kiss me,” Joran whispered.
A small voice in the back of her mind was screaming at her to fight, but every other part of her, body and mind, wanted nothing more than to obey him. She did as he asked, pressing her lips against his. When he pushed his hot tongue into her mouth, she opened it to welcome him, allowing him full access to whatever he wanted. Joran, she swooned inwardly.
His hands roamed across her body, pressing and grabbing. Her body responded heatedly to his touch, but something in her mind told her this was so very wrong. Shut up, voice, she said internally, swatting away those pesky thoughts that tried to keep her from enjoying this.
Joran broke the kiss and smiled down at her triumphantly. “Oh yes, we will have so much fun. I love having access to your powers. Ayanna might be my queen, but you will be a delightful toy.”
“Yes, I’m your toy,” she said mindlessly, desperate to please him.
“What the hell!” another familiar voice shouted from the doorway.
Irritated at the interruption, Phoenyx rolled her lusty eyes in that direction. When she saw Sebastian standing there, fuming with territorial rage, the spell she’d been under lifted. The pleasure she had taken in Joran’s large body pressed against hers now turned into disgust and violation, and she used all the physical strength she could muster to shove him away from her.
Joran seemed unphased by her rejection, smiling smugly at Sebastian.
“Ah, Water, welcome to the party,” Joran said. “I was just about to enjoy your mate. Would you like to join us?”
“Don’t you dare touch her,” Sebastian threatened in a dangerously low voice.
“Or what? You’ll splash some water at me?” Joran taunted.
Scared for Sebastian’s safety, Phoenyx pushed off from the wall and darted for him. When she reached him, the two of them fought to put themselves protectively in front of the other as they stared at Joran.
“Aww, isn’t that sweet,” Joran said. “But pointless. I have not come here to hurt you, my Bound Ones. I have merely come to extend an invitation. I am hosting a coronation ball tonight at Bodiam Castle to celebrate my return to the world, and I would like the four of you to attend. I know you are not yet ready to swear fealty to me, but I trust that in time, you will come to your senses. Consider this ball a temporary cease-fire.”
“Why should we come?” Sebastian snarled, wrapping Pheonyx in a possessive embrace.
“Because you want to see Ayanna,” Joran replied.
“What have you done with her?” Phoenyx barked, hating the taste of him that filled her mouth.
“If you want to know what has become of your friend, you will just have to come and see for yourselves,” Joran shrugged. “I don’t think you’ll recognize her, or is it that she won’t recognize you?”
He laughed sadistically and walked toward the door.
“I’ll see you tonight,” he said, slapping a hand on Sebastian’s shoulder fraternally as he passed and went out the door.
The two of them watched him as he went around the corner and the sound of his footsteps disappeared from earshot down the stairs. Now they were alone, and they were still hugging each other for dear life.
Phoenyx met Sebastian’s gaze, his blue eyes a storm of turmoil and conflict.
“I’m so sorry, Sebastian,” she pleaded, all the strength she had seconds again melting under Sebastian’s eyes. “He used my own compulsion against me. I had no choice—”
“I know,” he said, his expression stony, his jaw clenched. “I know.” He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her in a way that attempted to mark her as his. Then he rested his forehead on hers. “I hate him. He can take you away from me any time he wants.”
“No, he can’t,” she said, shaking her head fervently. “He can take my soul, and he can control my mind and body, but he can never take my heart, because you already have it. I will always be yours.”
“I love you,” he said.
Now it was her turn to mark him as hers. She kissed him just as hard, no tongue, no passion, just pure possession.
When they finally broke their kiss, Sebastian asked, “What are we going to do?”
“We’re going to wait until Skylar and Lily get back,” Phoenyx said, “and then we’re going to go to this stupid ball. We have to see what’s become of Ayanna.”
“What if he uses your power on you and makes you stay?” Sebastian asked, brow creasing with worry. “He could make us all stay.”
“He won’t do that,” Phoenyx said. “He wants us to stay with him of our own free will. He wants us to choose him.”
“How can you be so sure? I don’t think I wanna risk losing you on that assumption.”
“We have to,” she said. Ayanna’s very existence depends on it.
“Woah, this is some castle!” Sebastian said, staring wide-eyed up at the beautiful old piece of Medieval architecture.
Phoenyx, Skylar, Lily and Sam nodded.
“It’s beautiful,” Lily said.
Phoenyx couldn’t help but notice that Lily’s and Sam’s hands at their sides were inching toward each other but not daring to touch, like magnets that wanted to connect but pushed each other away. She turned away from their overwhelming cuteness to gawk at the stronghold before them.
Bodiam Castle was an hour south-east of London and sat in the center of a lush green field surrounded by a man-made moat so large that the castle appeared to be floating on a lake. The castle was a large square stone structure with a grand entrance and tall turrets at all four corners. At the top of each turret stood a flag—one red, one blue, one yellow and one green—and Phoenyx imagined that the view from overhead would look exactly like the symbol for the Four Corners.
“How did you say they acquired this place again?” Phoenyx asked Sam.
“It’s actually al
ways been in their possession,” he said. “They built it hundreds of years ago as one of the first lodges. It was funded by the crown to defend the area against the French, but its true purpose was always to defend the members of the Four Corners, and to one day be the home of the Shade King.”
Sam had learned much from his few days delving into the Four Corners archives. Like Lily, he was a sponge for knowledge. Perhaps that was one thing that attracted her to him. He was also a little broken, and Lily was a sucker for wounded things, eternally needing an outlet for her healing powers.
“Well, if shit hits the fan, you can always drown everyone, Sebastian,” Skylar joked, lifting his hand out toward the moat.
Phoenyx grimaced. “Please don’t.”
She still hadn’t fully recovered from her near-death escape from the mermaid cave, and having a moat full of algae-infested water crashing overhead sounded like a complete nightmare. The fact that she was now immortal didn’t change the fact that she despised water—and, no, the irony that she was fatefully pair-bonded to the living embodiment of Water was not lost on her.
Sam looked at his phone. “The festivities will be starting soon. I’d better get in there before I’m missed.”
The others nodded.
Sam gave Lily a brief eternal look before running over the grass toward the bridge that crossed the moat. Lily’s eyes followed him until he was out of sight. When her eyes were free to look around, she noticed that the other three were staring at her.
“What?” she asked, blushing with embarrassment.
Sebastian smiled and shrugged knowingly. “Nothing.”
His response only made her blush more fiercely, a stark contrast to the moss green evening gown she was wearing.
“Lily, it’s great that you like him,” Skylar said, “but you can’t let any of that show in there.” He nodded his chin toward the castle. “Joran can’t know about our connection with Sam. It would put his life in danger. Can you keep your feelings to yourself?”
Ever the perfect student, Lily had proved the best at blocking out Skylar’s telepathic advances so far. If any of them stood a chance at hiding anything, it would be Lily.
Lily frowned and the blush vanished, making her skin appear shockingly pale in its wake. “Yes, I won’t let Sam get hurt.”
“It’s only temporary, Lil,” Sebastian said. “When we get back to the hotel room, you can go nuts. Hell, we’ll even let the two of you have the room for a few hours.”
“Sebastian,” Lily chided, her blush back in full blazing color.
Sebastian laughed, and Skylar rolled his eyes.
“You’re not helping,” Skylar scolded him.
Sebastian gave a defensive shrug and said, “I’m sorry. I just know things are about to get serious, and I needed to lighten things up before we go in there.” His expression sobered. “Before we see Ayanna.”
That dropped everyone’s mood, reminding them all why they were here. They had to know what Joran was doing to their best friend, and, if at all possible, rescue her.
“We don’t know just how far Joran’s soul-tapping reach is,” Skylar said, changing the subject to a more practical topic. “But I am scanning his mind and he’s not aware of us yet. This will be a good test to see at what distance he senses us, and at what distance he can use our souls as conduits.”
“But, just as a precaution, I think that you should stay a few steps behind us,” Phoenyx said. “Joran’s soul-tapping reach may not go very far, but your telepathy has a very wide range. So as soon as you’re within his radius, he will be able to read any of our minds no matter where the rest of us are.”
“I understand,” Skylar agreed.
“What a weird situation,” Sebastian said, thinking out loud. “Skylar is usually our best asset, but this time, his presence can hurt us just as much as it can help us.”
“Which is why you all need to be on your guard,” Skylar said. “You need to be prepared for anything. I will try to alert you when we enter his radius, but it may happen very suddenly, so don’t depend on my signal to start protecting your secrets.”
Everyone nodded.
“Alright, let’s all just take a few moments to clear our heads,” Skylar instructed. “Meditate. Make your minds a complete blank, just like we practiced. And if you feel him trying to get in, put up your mental wall. He doesn’t have the experience I have using my powers, so hopefully he won’t know all of my tricks.”
“Let’s hope so,” Sebastian said.
They joined hands and stood in a circle. Phoenyx closed her eyes and pushed everything out with each exhale. Disturbing images of what could be happening to Ayanna scratched at her mental projector, demanding placement on the big screen of her mind, but she shook them away.
She couldn’t let her fear distract her. Fear had always been her downfall. Fear was the only thing that weakened her fire power. She needed to be strong now, strong for Ayanna. Joran could tap into her fire power. If he was going to bring on the heat, she needed to be hotter. And in this dress, damn, nothing was hotter, and she knew it.
Phoenyx opened her eyes, her mind focused with crystalline determination.
I’m coming for you, Ayanna. Hold on.
Ayanna
“Ayanna, you look beautiful,” Joran fawned upon entering the room.
Ingrid and Jessa had made her look amazing. Black liner and shadowy glitter made her emerald eyes pop. Face powder easily concealed the bruise on her face and brought out the natural blush in her cheeks. And dozens of little gold flower hairpins winked among her sun-kissed ringlets. She didn’t look like a queen, she looked like a dark Celtic goddess.
“Our guests await,” Joran said. “Shall we go down and greet them?”
He bent his arm in her direction, offering for her to take it. Looking at him now, handsome and smiling at her, all the paranoia she had developed in his absence dissipated. He clearly had her heart on a level that went beyond rational thought. The love she felt for him went all the way down to her core.
Ayanna nodded and slipped her arm through his, and the stage-fright hit her full force in the wake of her dissolving distrust. There were going to be hundreds of people downstairs, expecting regality and authority from her. She was practically a new-born, knowing little more of the world than the inside of this castle, and she barely knew anything about this castle either. How was she supposed to play the role of a queen?
It had been made abundantly clear that everyone knew of her mental state. So perhaps her subjects would not expect her to be at the top of her game. But she would just die if she embarrassed herself in some way, or if she embarrassed Joran.
She inhaled deeply through her nose, hoping that Joran wouldn’t see this sign of insecurity, and the two of them headed out toward the ballroom.
They emerged from the last hallway onto the landing above the staircase, which was now adorned with beautiful flower garlands twisting all the way up the railing. Down below stood hundreds of well-dressed men and ladies, people who knew her as their regent.
How am I going to pull this off?
“Ladies and gentlemen,” a man at the top of the stairs called out to the crowd. “May I present your Shade King, and his queen.”
The crowd fell silent and turned to look up at the couple, and then, all at once, they reverentially bowed their heads.
The anxiety and self-doubt Ayanna felt at the turned-down heads of her people made her want to run, but Joran’s strong arm was like an anchor, grounding her.
“My loyal subjects,” Joran orated, and the people below lifted their heads to give him their full attention. “I want to thank you all for your unwavering service. For thousands of years, you stayed faithful to me, never faltering in your hunt of those that buried me. And thanks to our talented young witch, you were able to finally set me free. Sam, where are you, my boy?”
The crowd opened up in a small circle around an attractive adolescent who looked very awkward and uncomfortable with the amount of ey
es on him.
“Ah, there you are,” Joran said, holding his hand out in the direction of the young man who must be Sam. “Let’s all give a round of applause to the man who resurrected the Shade King.”
The crowd robotically applauded, and Sam looked down and sheepishly half-smiled at those around him while he shuffled his feet, his desperation to be out of the lime light clear on his face.
“I want you all to know that brighter days are ahead,” Joran continued with his speech. “The reign of the wicked upon this earth will come to an end. The days of theft and rape, of violence and injustice, are numbered. Soon, war will be a thing of the past. I will see to it that only those that truly deserve life will be allowed to enjoy it. For your unbreakable loyalty, you will all hold high places in our new world order.”
“To King Joran!” the man she recognized as Vincent said at the base of the stairs as he raised a dainty glass full of red liquid.
“To King Joran,” the crowd chorused, raising their glances as well.
Looking quite pleased with himself, Joran led Ayanna down the stairs, and the crowd backed up, giving them space to land on the ballroom floor.
What she recognized as waltzing music began to play.
“Dance with me,” Joran said, pulling around to face him and positioning their hands in the proper positions.
Before she could nod in acceptance, he twirled her around. To her amazement, her feet knew what to do. They stepped backward and sideways and pivoted in time with the music, and she grew more confident with each movement. It wasn’t long before the crowd around them paired off and began to dance as well.
As the two of them promenaded around the room, Ayanna noticed that there were no musicians in sight. Where is the music coming from?
“I must say, I am quite in love with the technology of this age,” Joran said, as if reading her mind. “Music can now be recorded and played over and over again, broadcasted to amplifying boxes for our enjoyment, and all from a tiny square device no larger than the palm of my hand.”
