The skin of the Eristani people appeared at least three shades darker than mine, which, given my all-too-recent status as an ex-miner, I supposed it wasn't all that difficult to achieve. Still, these people were a similar shade to Ben, all tanned and beautiful with perfect complexions. Some of them even had wings protruding from their backs, dark like charcoal, with orange silhouettes due to the fire.
Ben waved us ahead, weaving through the streets of endless people. It was late, the swollen yellow moon hung heavy in the star-speckled sky, but there were just as many people out as I would expect to see in the day. Were they nocturnal? I had no idea. It might make sense because of the extreme heat, but I knew so little about the world we lived in that it was impossible to really guess.
Crammed between Dan and Ben, with Speedy on my shoulder, I shuffled along until we came across a building with a sign that read "Inn." The establishment looked nothing like any inn I’d ever seen. Blackwood inns were sturdy and cozy, while this was a shitty, green, two-story structure that looked like it’d seen better days decades ago.
Ben turned around and smiled sympathetically. "We can rent a room for tonight, and then tomorrow morning we'll finish the journey to the capital of Eristan—Erishwar."
Inside the inn, a woman with a floral turban sat with her bare feet propped up on a desk. She had a cigarette of some sort loosely grasped between her thumb and index finger, except it was greenish and sweet smelling rather than harsh. I didn’t see any wings on her.
"What coin you got?" she asked us in a bored tone that suggested she asked that exact same question a lot.
Ben dropped a bag of jewels on the counter. "Blackwood jewels."
The woman pursed her lips. "Blackwood currency is worth almost nothing here. You better have at least another bag if you're hoping to accommodate all five of you."
"Oh, and the bird," I added, pointing to my shoulder.
What a stupid fucking thing to say. I mean, it was the truth, but it was probably going to cost us three bags of jewels now.
To my surprise, the woman smiled and shook her head. "Animals always stay free in Eristan."
Interesting... Animal lovers? Who would have guessed? Although, as a nation of part animals, I suppose it made sense.
Ben plopped a second bag of jewels on the counter, and the woman at the desk scooped them up and handed us a key. "Second floor. Third room on the left. Be out by dawn."
Ben nodded and took the key, leading us up a wide set of sandstone stairs.
"Well, she seemed... pleasant," Dan muttered, glancing over his shoulder.
Ben chuckled. "Eristani people aren’t really well known for their hospitality. More like their hostility. It’s a good thing it’s after dusk or we probably would have been in a fight by now."
"Wait a second." I shook my head. "I thought you just said they were chill?"
"I also said they were violent and lawless... during the day. After dusk, though, everyone drinks and smokes and puts their differences behind them to have a nice, relaxing evening."
That was... so weird. I couldn’t imagine drinking with someone I’d just been fighting with earlier in the day.
Ben grinned. "Obviously the smoke and drink help to keep things peaceful."
When we reached the top of the stairs and found our room, I groaned. It might’ve been the third on the left, but it was still an even number—fourteen. Yuck. I hated even numbers. There was something so disgustingly perfect about them, it made my skin crawl. Ben once said I had some impossible-to-pronounce phobia, and I was pretty sure he was right.
The Sand Prince sighed amusedly and tossed the key into the air, catching it quickly before turning around and heading back downstairs. "I’ll go request a different room."
Gods, he was so freaking sweet. I didn’t even have to say a word. He just knew.
Cal raised a brow. "What the hell was that about? We didn’t even open the door. How could he possibly know that this room isn’t in acceptable condition?"
I grinned. "He’s Benson Storm. He pretty much knows everything."
Cal tipped his head in my direction, conceding that I was right. There was no denying it; Ben really was incredibly knowledgeable.
"Plus, I kind of hate even numbers."
"Oh, Jewels," Rob said, shaking his head. "How quickly you’ve gone from deprived peasant to spoiled princess."
I stuck my tongue out at him. "I’ll have you know, I hated even numbers long before I ever became a princess. I could barely stand to work in the even-numbered mine shafts."
As they chuckled at my ridiculousness, Ben jaunted back up the stairs, wiggling a new key out in front of him. "How does room fifteen sound, Sailor?"
I sighed, and the resonance seemed to come straight from my heart. "It sounds wonderful. Thank you."
Ben opened the door and ushered us inside, locking the rattly knob behind us. There were no beds, no furniture, no lanterns, just a pile of silken pillows of various shapes, sizes, and colors scattered about the floor. It reminded me of the massage parlor Dan had taken me to, only a hundred times dirtier.
Rob flopped down and put his hands behind his head, getting comfortable as if the filth didn’t bother him at all.
Speedy started whistling an old mining tune I used to know, so Cal grabbed him—his body in one hand, his head in the other—and twisted. A sickening crack filled the air, instantly turning my stomach, and soon the golden dust appeared, transforming the little bird into my precious Adam. Asher. Fuck.
"So, what’s the plan?" Ash asked, grabbing a pair of boxers from a rucksack and slipping them on. "Tomorrow we just waltz up and request an audience with the king?"
Ben sighed. "Sort of. I mean, we’re going about this visit all sorts of wrong. Usually when a royal comes to visit, there’s pomp and circumstance, weeks’ worth of planning, an official entourage, and so on."
"Right," Ash said, as if urging his brother to continue faster. He lifted a shirt and a pair of pants from his bag and continued dressing.
I didn’t know why his magic made his clothes disappear every time he used it, but I was secretly thanking the gods for their little quirks. A naked Storm Prince was a delicious sight any time of day.
Ben took a deep breath. "They might be a little offended that we didn’t formally announce our presence prior to our arrival, but we just didn’t have time. We have less than a month to solve the harpy problem and return with a chimera egg, and I have no idea how to go about doing any of that."
"What are we hoping the king will even say?" I asked, lying down beside Rob and resting my head on his chest. He shot a decidedly smug grin at Asher before putting his arm around my shoulder.
Cal moved to stand between them, breaking up the stare down they had going on. "We’re ultimately hoping he’ll reinstate the old treaty they once had with Essund—Ben’s family’s kingdom before the Storm King took over. But I’m not necessarily expecting cooperation."
Ben shook his head. "No. Not without something in return."
I sighed. "So, we have to do a favor for Timberlune by doing a favor for Eristan. Probably that favor will involve doing something for Hydratica..."
It all seemed like a hopeless, tangled mess of dead ends.
Dan lay down on the other side of me and curled into my back, cocooning me in heat and safety. I loved being close to my guys. It had been so long since we’d had a moment just for us... and now we were on this hairbrained mission to save Timberlune from extinction and to find some elusive chimera egg, which, what the fuck even was a chimera? The guys didn’t seem to know either. Maybe that was something else we’d learn from the king.
"We’ll figure it out," Dan promised me. "And we’ll get it done, even if it is another wild goose chase on behalf of another kingdom."
I shook my head and sighed once more. This whole thing was a shitshow, an epic disaster just waiting to happen, and we had no choice but to follow through with it.
"Rest up, guys," Ben suggested. "Tomorrow’s going
to be a long and interesting day."
The next morning, I awoke before anyone else and immediately grabbed some ink and a parchment from my sack. There was a sadness clinging to my gut, residue from a terrible dream I couldn’t quite remember. All I knew for sure was that Mom and Gemma were in it and that now I missed them terribly.
I wished more than anything that I hadn’t unknowingly dragged them into this fucked-up world. That I hadn’t written that letter to Gem. But none of that mattered now. I couldn’t change it, so I may as well embrace it.
I decided to write them each a letter. It wasn’t like things could feasibly get any worse. But just in case, I vowed to keep them short.
Dear Gemma,
How are you doing? I don’t know if I even want to know the answer to that question...
I miss you so much. I think about you often, hoping and praying that you’re happy and well—but I don’t even know who I’m praying to anymore. The gods are clearly not listening.
Stay strong. Please. I love you.
—Alexis
Since I was the only one awake, I allowed a hot tear to burn down my cheek, succumbing silently to my sorrow. I took a shaky breath and put her letter off to the side, immediately beginning on Mom’s.
Dear Mom,
I love you.
I feel like it’s been forever since we last spoke...
I hope you’re not worrying about me. I’m fine. The princes are amazing, and they treat me like... well, a princess. I’m doing my best to serve the king while still honoring and protecting you, but I’m terrified it won’t be enough. Please know that whatever happens, I gave it my all. And I will continue to give my all until the day I die... if that ever happens.
Stay strong, Mom. For me.
Love,
Alexis
I no more than wiped my tears and tucked my letters into my pack when I startled at the sound of our freaking door breaking down.
Five or six people rushed into the room brandishing curved weapons and shouting at us in another language. They wore torn clothing with red kerchiefs tied to their arms and sported badass expressions that had my blood running cold. They didn’t look like royal guards, so it was a pretty fair guess to assume they were gang members looking for some easy coin.
I couldn’t help it, my magic flared up on instinct to save my life, coating me in a layer of curly peach flames that seemed to be dancing rather than raging.
That was how it worked. If I was in danger, it came to my aid no matter what; but if I wanted to control it any other time, I had to actually speak the word "fire" in order for it to comply. Fickle fire, anyway.
Suddenly, the guys were up, charging the air with an energy and power I couldn’t yet see. It must’ve been simmering underneath their skin, just waiting to come out, unlike mine, which was on display for the world to witness.
There was no water nearby, so Dan couldn’t do much. And unless the intruders jumped into the air, Cal couldn’t do much either. Ben had no plants to manipulate. But Rob could be brave, which he was already doing, muscling his way to the front of the line; and Asher could shift, which he did, into the shape of a fearsome jaguar.
At the sight of a girl who was on fire but unburnt by the flames, a man who was now a ferocious animal, and another man covered in tattoos with his teeth bared and a look of death in his eye, the thugs backed away in terror. Ash snarled, pushing them closer and closer to the door until they finally ran, leaving us and our jewels far behind.
Next thing I knew, Rob had a blade sunk deep into the jaguar’s chest.
The poor thing howled and whimpered as it bled out on the pillows, and before I knew it, Ash was back.
"Fucking hades, Rob. Next time at least make it a clean kill."
He chuckled darkly. "Sorry, I didn’t realize I had to cater to your delicate shifter sensibilities."
Ash didn’t say a single word, just hauled off and punched his brother square in the face. Rob, of course, retaliated, and soon they were an angry mess of limbs on the floor.
I was in shock, standing there with my mouth gaping wide, arms hanging dead at my sides, mind absolutely numb aside from a few incoherent thoughts. Like: gods, they're hot when they were fighting. Especially since Ash was totally freaking naked thanks to the shift.
What? I shook my head. They were brothers; they weren’t supposed to get into fist fights, and I certainly wasn’t supposed to enjoy watching it.
I glanced down, realizing I was still covered in dancing, curly flames, and I cursed under my breath. I quickly extinguished my magic to help slow the burn, but it was already too late to stop the effects. Because... all magic had a price, and the price of using my fire was uncontrollable lust.
It usually affected at least one other person too, so that we could have sex, effectively cooling the desire raging inside of us. But then, the other part of my magic involved marriage proposals, which tended to make the whole thing just a teeny bit awkward. Aside from having sex, my only other options were being exposed to the freezing cold or waiting the torturous desire out until it faded on its own... and who knew how long that might take or if it was even truly possible?
I took a step toward them as they fought, drawn to the wildness in their eyes, the tension in their muscles, the testosterone they were emitting in violent waves. I could practically feel my pupils dilating.
But Ben held out an arm and stopped me. "I think we better let them get this out of their system. I don’t know exactly what’s going on here, but they clearly need to let out a little aggression."
I pursed my lips, trying to ignore the lust tugging me in the direction of the fight.
"Is this some sort of ‘boys will be boys’ bullshit?" I asked sternly. "Because I don’t believe in that kind of mentality. Boys should be responsible for their actions too."
Even if they were two incredibly sexy boys who were absolutely wrecking each other and turning me on more by the second.
Ben shook his head. "Nope. If you wanted to blow off a little steam and fight with one of us... okay, fine, yeah. That wouldn’t happen. You’re our lover; fist fighting with you isn’t even remotely an option. But the five of us... we’re brothers. Sometimes shit just builds up. If there was another girl or guy—outside of our group—who you wanted to fight, no way in hades would we interfere."
Dan leaned forward and grinned at me. "For the record, I think it’d be hot as hell to watch you kick someone’s ass."
I huffed out a breathy laugh, watching in heated torment as the guys landed blow after blow, tumbling to the floor and then launching back into one another. Gods, I wanted to be the meat in the middle of that violent sandwich.
I forced my gaze onto Dan. "If only I knew how to fight."
Cal pursed his lips from where he stood at Dan’s other side. "We really do need to get you back in with Taron and Tamara."
They were the twin vampires who’d been training me thus far. I would have preferred them to tag along with us on this journey so that I could continue running drills and shit, but they were vampires and therefore restricted by the sun. We didn’t have enough time to only travel at night, and so, we’d ultimately decided to continue my training once we returned—assuming we did return.
The guys might not have known it yet, but I had every intention of learning how to kick ass and take names so that one day I could complete Rory’s quest—the magical guy who’d given me his powers upon death—and kill the fucking Storm King once and for all.
I kept that shit to myself, of course. No need to worry them unnecessarily.
Eventually, one last punch was thrown—Rob’s fist splitting the skin of Ash’s cheek. But instead of retaliating, Ash just stood there taking deep breaths and stretching out his neck with a glare—a sexy as fucking sin glare.
My desire was soaring to unimaginable heights now, making it hard for me to even breathe. The scorching ache in the pit of my core had quickly turned maddening, clawing at me as it demanded release. I couldn’t put it o
ff any longer.
"Are you two done yet?" I asked, a little too breathlessly, but they didn’t seem to notice.
They each nodded.
"Good. Because now it’s my turn to wreck your world."
I grabbed both of their necks, pulling them in and alternating deep, passionate kisses between them. They didn’t even resist; I don’t know if it was because they were too tired from fighting or if my magic was simply too strong, but I was thrilled nonetheless. Each of their hands found one of my breasts and squeezed, while Rob’s other hand roamed across my ass, and Ash’s other hand knotted in my hair.
"Gods, Sweets," Asher groaned against my mouth, "you’re so fucking perfect. Tell me you’ll marry me?"
Rob pulled my lips over to his, consuming me from the inside out. "No, Jewels, marry me."
This was all very ironic, considering I was already technically married to Cal.
"How about we skip the proposals and head straight to the honeymoons?" I suggested, unbuttoning Rob’s pants and sliding them down his legs to make him as naked as Asher already was. As his cock sprang free, I noticed Rob’s tattoo hiding between his hip bone and his groin. It was a jewel. I’d picked it out—a representation of me forever marked on his body. I didn’t realize how aroused it’d make me to see it.
Our eyes met as Rob stepped the rest of the way out, kicking his clothing off to the side. The two Storms approached me then, so in sync it was hard to believe they’d just been beating the shit out of each other.
Lust flared hotter within me, stoking my need for sex like a bonfire.
Dropping to my knees, I grabbed both of their dicks, pumping them slowly as I took Rob’s head into my mouth. He groaned instantly, imbuing me with confidence and carnality. A moment later, I switched over to Ash, sucking him like I always wanted to back in Blackleaf. He gasped, and his fist clamped down harder in my hair, pulling the roots tightly.
Fucking gods, I loved this. Knowing it was me who did this to them; me who had absolutely control over their pleasure and their bodies. Me who would give them everything they craved.
Stormy Nights (Storms of Blackwood Book 2) Page 5
