Dynamics (Mists of the Fae Book 7)

by Jaime Marks

  John rolled his eyes listening to Steph’s thoughts. They were fools, all of them. How they couldn’t see that she was struggling was beyond him and it only served to piss him off worse. It also proved his point. They would never understand her. She was struggling and he knew she would spiral out after a while if she didn’t get the support she needed. She always took on too much, took too many risks. She needed someone to care for her, to make sure she was working within her limits. He wished that she would let him in, that she would trust him, but he wasn’t a fool. There was no real way to reach her from here.

  He’d been informed that he’d be held here to live out the rest of his days until the awakening took him. It was clear that meant they were gonna let him die, seeing as how none of them would awaken him and there wasn’t anyone else here. He had a feeling they were keeping him isolated to prevent him from building any connections. They didn’t want to risk any of the Shade taking pity on him.

  It didn’t matter. He’d figure something out. Hopefully Alayne had another raid or something planned and they would free him. He just had to hang on until then and hope that they made it in time.

  He wasn’t kidding himself. The slow dull ache he was feeling. The wisps of Darkness that seeped from his skin on occasion. The awakening was setting in. He had some time, but not much. As long as he could keep his emotions in check and take it easy he should be able to slow it.

  They were kidding themselves if they thought he was going to just sit here and die. John had fought too long and too hard to survive the hell he’d grown up in. He’d overcome that and he would find a way to overcome this. If there was one thing he specialized in it was surviving.

  He would get out of here, and once he did? He fully intended to reclaim his sweets.

  She needed him, even if she didn’t want to admit it. They were trying to fit her into a nicely wrapped box but they didn’t understand her. He did and come hell or high water he was going to get through to her.

  Cymeryn looked up sensing Darkness for a moment. Nothing strong but there none the less. Considering who was approaching him it was concerning.

  He sighed and sensed Stephynia more thoroughly. John was still reaching her though their connection had diminished some. There was nothing to be done about it unfortunately. Time would cause their ties to fade and Bonding to Mythos would likely sever their link. Until then, she knew what precautions to take and reminding her of it would only upset her. She would be fine.

  “Good noon, Steph, Astryn. What can I do for you?” He requested rising to accept Stephynia’s hug.

  She had taken to greeting him as such. He knew that he was her closest living connection to her Father. In truth he had weighed the idea of Claiming her because he felt she would be more comfortable with him than Grifyn, but for some reason he had known instinctually that her lines should remain intact. Now that he knew Ceryn was still alive it made sense. Still, he would watch over her as best he could until her Father returned.

  They had not had much luck in locating his old friend. John had refused to give them any information. He was holding it ransom, insisting that he was the only one that could lead them to Ceryn. While that may be true it would not cause them to spare his life. He knew eventually he would locate Stephynia’s Father. It was only a matter of time, but he would not risk her by allowing the greatest threat to her to live in the meantime. The boy would never release her and the hold he had on her was far too strong to chance.

  “Hi, Cymeryn. Do you have a few free minutes?”

  “For you two, always. What do you need?”

  “Byryn’s been busy all day but I really need to get the prototypes for the communication system tested. The cable need to be run so I can start setting up the operating systems here. Otherwise it won’t be ready when we leave.”

  He sighed. Human technologies were not something he wanted to be involved in but he knew how important this project was. “You realize Byryn would be far better to aid you with this.”

  Even Staryana and Kyle would be better but he preferred that neither of them leave the realm at the moment. Kyle was still adjusting and they had yet to really gage his abilities and skill level. Until they had the opportunity to work with him beyond simple training exercises he had to agree with Byryn’s decision that he not leave Palace grounds unaccompanied. His sister was still recovering from her time in the Dark Domain and Byryn would never wish her to leave unaccompanied in the first place. Besides, he was certain Byryn was in fact busy with Staryana. He sighed realizing that he and Marcus were essentially her best options.

  “All I really need you to do is take the prototype through the entryway and turn it on. They work in realm, I just need to see if the technology will work out of realm. We might need help carrying them though. Both of them are down in my lab.”

  He nodded and rose offering each of the girls a hand. “I suppose I could spare sometime to assist.” When they both accepted he misted them to the lab and picked up one of the large devices, handing the other to his brother when he appeared.

  Astryn jumped but only shook her head with a small smile. Marcus squeezed her shoulder with a small chuckle. “I would think you would be used to others misting around you, growing up in the Realm of Light.”

  “I probably should be but no one mists here and you kind of get complacent with every Fae being stationary,” she admitted.

  Cymeryn nodded. “Byryn and Staryana generally mist more frequently but I suspect they are holding to some semblance of normalcy from their youth at the moment. Come Steph, let us see if these contraptions work.”

  He took her hand and misted to the entryway setting the large metal object down beside them. There were a couple small rectangular tablets in her hands and she began connecting one with wires to the conical object. There were antennae and wires protruding at varying angles but he had no idea what exactly all of it was. It sort of resembled a human satellite he supposed, though this appeared to be a stationary object.

  Marcus and Astryn appeared beside them and he set the device down waiting for Steph to instruct him. The one she worked on lit up and she turned, checking a few things before hooking the other up to a similar tablet.

  She pointed to a switch. “All you need to do is take it to through the entryway, set it up somewhere secure where it can hopefully stay and flip this switch. If it works, you should be able to communicate with me through this tablet.”

  He nodded. “Alright, both of you stay here with Cymeryn. I am not entirely thrilled to have either of you out here so close to the portal without more support.”

  Really Cymeryn was not thrilled with it either but this was likely the most efficient way to accomplish this. If this contraption worked it would open up communications between the two realms and make things far easier in the long run. As it were he and Marcus were constantly running back and forth to communicate things that really would only take a moment or two to discuss. They had gotten better about managing their time, seeing to multiple issues at once, but it was still exhausting to have to mist back and forth continually some days.

  He turned his attention to Astryn while Stephynia fiddled with her contraption. “How are you managing, my dear? It has been an eventful couple of days for you.”

  She smiled softly and he could tell she was thinking of Kyle. Seeing the two of them together, the love they shared, was reassuring. They both needed one another and he meant to ensure that nothing came between them.

  “Actually, I think I’m better than I’ve been in a long time. Dealing with my Father isn’t really new for me, but this is the first time I’ve been able to actually make my own choices. It’s…freeing.”

  “We will always support you in whatever way we can. You are an amazing girl and quite the match for my son. I am very pleased to have you as my future Fae in law.”

  She blushed slightly and ducked her head but it was a rare shyness that she exhibited. “Thank you.”

  A static sounded from the tablet in Steph
ynia’s hand a moment before clearing. “Marcus, I can see you. Can you hear me?”

  His brother’s voice was distant but clear. “Yes, Steph. I can both see and hear you. This is phenomenal. Will we be able to move them to the Palaces or must they be accessed from the entry points?”

  “These two and meant to stay in place somewhere near the entries, but there will be cables run and terminals set up in each Palace. I should have the one here up and running before I leave and I’ll have the other in place in the Realm of Light within two days of our arrival,” she explained. “Leave that one turned on but we’re done here for now.”

  “That’s amazing Steph. I can’t believe you can communicate with some Fae across realms,” Astryn murmured in awe. “I’ve read about Earth having such technologies but I never dreamed we would be able to utilize such things.”

  Cymeryn stepped up next to Stephynia and gently squeezed her shoulder. “Congratulations on your achievement. It is quite a feat considering what you had to work with.” He looked at the image of his brother on the device. “I will take the girls back to the Palace and catch up with you later, Marcus.”

  “Alright brother, I may as well check in on things here while I am in realm. I’ll see you in a bit.”

  He misted from sight and Stephynia unhooked her tablet and offered her hand. Cymeryn misted them back to his office.

  “Thanks for sharing that with me,” Astryn offered rubbing her temple.

  A moment later Cymeryn felt a wave of pain and sadness. His chest ached with the weight of its burden. He turned to find Astryn rubbing the center of her chest and he did not need to reach out to know it was his son who suffered.

  “I, I should go see if Kyle’s done meeting with the King.”

  He was tempted to stop her, to warn her in some way that Kyle might need time, but he suspected she knew. If his son was suffering with the weight of his past, really she was the means to soothe his burden. He thought perhaps he should go to him as well, but he knew Byryn would sense the shift in Kyle also and the two of them needed to learn to rely on one another. It was difficult to sit back and wait this out, but he knew it was necessary for the bonds they were forming.

  “Go Astryn, see to him. I suspect you will find him in Byryn’s company. Tell him if he needs me he has only to ask,” he offered.

  She nodded leaving silently and Stephynia turned to him with a questioning eye. “Everything alright?”

  “I believe so. The past is not always easy to endure,” he replied. “Would you like me to take you to your lab or are you due to rejoin the King?”

  “No, as long as everything’s good I want to get started setting up the communications room. I have everything I need there and I have to put in the requisitions to get the cables run in both realms. It wouldn’t be such a big deal but we’ve agreed they would run underground to avoid detection. I might have to run a temporary on this end to get things going.”

  “Do what you feel is necessary. We fully support this. Going forward your communications system will be an important advancement that will ease the strain between the realms.”

  “Alright, I’ll see you later. The engineers’ representative is right down the hall and Meryn is still outside your door so I’ll just walk.”

  Cymeryn stepped forward and hugged her tightly more on instinct. There was something about what he’d felt earlier that was still weighing on him. “Be of care Steph, and if there is anything you need, even if it is only to talk, know that I am always here.”

  She gave him a tentative smile that only made him question if there was more but her Light was strong and there was nothing more he sensed. “I will. Thank you, Cymeryn.”

  He watched her go, letting his sense reach out to check on all the young. It was something he found himself doing more and more. Nearly losing Kyle, Staryana, and Byryn had set him on edge.

  Glancing to his hand he noted the slight tremor and clenched it. It was time to spend some time with his mate and lose himself in her. He would not dwell in the paranoia and pain of failures that had been rectified or a future he could not foresee. The young would be fine because they would protect them and guide them through their recovery and adjustments. Everything would be fine. He did not need that form of release any longer.

  A Dark caress slid over his skin as Lazurys’ chuckled rolled momentarily through his ears. Calling forth his Light caused it to fade but it was enough of a reminder. He may be free, but the bastard would always be waiting and now his son, bonded daughter, and grand progeny would know the temptation and fear of this. It was despicable to him but he had overcome this and so would they.

  Chapter 34

  Star breathed a sigh of relief when the vibrators clicked off. She could feel Byryn working her restraints, releasing them, but he still wasn’t talking to her outside of commands. She had no idea how long he’d left her there but he came back forcing her to drink in his release three times.

  Gently massaging some of the tension from her arms and shoulders he checked her over before gripping her by the hair and guiding her to her feet. He walked her forward until her thighs hit the bed. He shoved her down face first, holding her down but she didn’t fight against him.

  “Arms over your head, Staryana,” he demanded. She complied and he tied them together with what she assumed was rope but she wasn’t sure. “You will keep them there.” He kicked her legs apart. “Wider.”

  He pulled her ankles far apart to the point where she felt an intense strain. It was too much. She wasn’t sure if she should tell him, but he’d promised that if she didn’t use her safe words when she needed them he’d never go here with her again. By now she knew to take him at his word and despite the fact that this punishment hadn’t been fun, she didn’t want this to end between them. She took a deep breath knowing he was already pissed at her.

  “Yellow, sir,” she forced out, her voice hoarse and raspy from not talking. Or maybe it was from the way he’d used her throat so thoroughly.

  He stopped what he was doing immediately laying his hands gently on her back. “What’s wrong, baby?”

  “My legs, sir. The way you have them tied, they really hurt. I…I wasn’t sure…”

  “Shhh.” He kissed her temple. “Good girl, baby. I knew it was too much but I needed to know I could trust you to tell me. You needed to see that you can trust me to hear you.” She felt the resistance slack some as he gently repositioned her legs. “Better? I want there to be a slight strain so you’re uncomfortable but it shouldn’t hurt.”

  “No, it doesn’t hurt, sir, but it’s not exactly comfortable either,” she admitted.

  “Good.” He patted her ass and went back to whatever he’d been doing before she interrupted him. She was still blindfolded and it was disorienting.

  “Count Staryana,” he commanded as a sharp pain sliced into her back accompanied by loud crack.

  She hissed through the sting, barely gritting out the word, “One.”

  Byryn drew a breath but paused. “How do you address me, Staryana?”

  “Sir,” she replied in confusion.

  “When I ask you to count you will included it,” he explained. “Next time you forget I’ll start back at one.”

  “I’m sorry, sir. One, sir.”

  “Good girl,” he replied as a second crack bit into her back.

  “Two Sir.”

  He continued to lash her until her tears wet the blindfold and her lip bled from biting into it. When they got to thirty he stopped. She felt his hand caressing her sending a burn through her tender skin.

  “I like the way my tamer’s whip marks your beautiful skin, Staryana. I know I was a little heavy handed with it today but I think you’ll rather enjoy it when we play. I know how you crave that edge of pain.” She didn’t respond as her breath hitched. The whip had stung like hell but she wasn’t about to tell him that. He chuckled and smacked her ass lightly. “I can hear you, Staryana. You didn’t think the punishment you earned would be fun did you? Yo
ur safety is very important and the trust we share is probably even more serious to me.”

  She felt him undoing the locks and he pulled the vibrator of the chastity belt from her core. Then he removed her anal plug hissing softly. “You seal so fucking nicely.” He fingered her ass and she groaned. “Perfect,” he murmured withdrawing his hand.

  She felt him spread something cold down the crease of her ass and arched into his touch involuntarily. When she felt the blunt tip of his sex press against her puckered hole, however, she tried to pull away. She knew he had said he would take her there but she wasn’t ready. He rested a hand firmly on her back holding her in place.

  “You know your safe word, Staryana. Unless you intend to use it I suggest you relax. Just breathe through it, baby,” he cooed soothingly as he pressed into her causing her muscles to clench and burn as she cried out. He stroked her back lovingly a moment. “Easy baby. You need to relax or this is really going to hurt. I promise it will feel so much better in a few minutes.”

  Byryn pushed into her another inch and she forced a deep breath. He held still as if waiting for her as she focused on relaxing her muscles. “That’s it baby. Now breathe deeply and push back a little bit,” he commanded pressing in deeper as she did what he asked. “Damn you’re so tight here.”

  Slowly rocking into her he groaned going deeper on each thrust. His hands gripped her hips firmly and he pushed in completely on one final thrust that had her crying out. He held still a few moments giving her time to adjust. When he started moving again she couldn’t tell if it drove her insane with pleasure or made her cry in searing pain.

  “Oh yeah, baby. I can feel your pussy spasming.” He slid two fingers inside her core making her moan louder as he hammered into her. “You feel so damned good. You’re clenching me so damned tight. I don’t know if I can last,” he groaned again pulling her up.