by J. L. Madore
Although, at that moment giving up the fight didn't seem like such a bad idea with my shoulder screaming, my head bleeding and my next round of vomit about to make an appearance.
The crash and thud above me brought me back into focus. Someone was battling in the barn above. The growls and deep approving laughter told me Bruin was having some fun. The wafting stench of skunk and rotting death told me he wasn't alone. I imagined Bruin slicing through Scourge bastards with one of those bale hooks in each hand, goring them, staining the barn walls black with their tar ichor. Kick their asses, Bear.
More footsteps above. Bits of straw floated down between the cracks in the floor. I raised a shaky hand and wiped at my face. Shit. It was sticky and warm, the result of my free-fall tango through the trap door with the late Mr. Skull. Get up. Nope. There was something definitely wrong. The good news was the searing pain was holding off my usual trip down panic alley.
"Blaze, Check in. Where are you?" Julian was shouting. It wasn't in my ear.
I fumbled with my good hand, fingering across the dirt floor until I found my comm. I pulled it to my mouth and tried to speak. Nothing. I swallowed. The iron grit of soil and aftertaste of vomit made me gag. "Jules," I croaked. "Cellar . . . trapped . . . hurt."
Bruin was swearing above me now, long runs of colorful obscenity punctuated by the rhythmic pounding of a man getting a beat-down. "I'm coming, Blaze." Bruin let out an ungodly, animal bellow. More footsteps and another crash. "Shit. Jules, somebody phoned a friend. We're getting swarmed here. All call."
Julian sounded an all call in the background and then spoke to me. "Blaze, how bad?"
The fire in my chest expanded, boiling up through my body. "Need out," I whispered.
This was my fault. I couldn't be locked in this stupid cellar while my family fought for their lives—not again. I'd already lost Galan. I wouldn't lose them. The Scourge needed to pay for Lia and Aust's father and my parents. Not my family.
My head swam. The burning in my gut grew. It coated my skin with an incendiary heat and sparked from my fingers. Fucking Scourge. With a whoosh and crackle it was too late to call it back. I wasn't a powerless child anymore. The scent of burning barn-board filled my sinuses. The barn ignited like kindling, as if the old wooden structure had had enough and wanted the battle to end.
Well, all right then. Let it be over.
I woke in a panic, my heart pounding in my ears. Reign's obsidian stare locked on mine. Sitting on the edge of my king-sized bed, he looked tired and his eyes much too glossy.
"Bruin and Lexi—"
"Fine," he said, pushing me back down. "What the hell were you thinking?"
I meant to apologize, but my voice didn't come.
He nodded. His brindle hair flashed copper and gold in the dim light of my candles. "I almost didn't get you out of that cellar in time. That was quite a bonfire you started."
"Couldn't help—"
Reign placed his hand against my cheek. "Tight spaces have never been your best event."
His callused hand against my skin erased the fight we'd had and went a long way to ease the hurt of him keeping things from me. I drew a deep breath. "Did everyone get home safe?"
"It was close, but other than a few singed eyebrows and some smoke inhalation s'all good." He rubbed the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Seems, that barn was a Scourge war base and you four stumbled right into their lap. While Bruin and I got you out, Cowboy, Lexi and the team I brought salvaged what they could from the barn."
"How'd you get there so fast?" Julian's all call wouldn't have reached Reign in time to get to me. He must have been already on the move.
His eyes grew serious as he squeezed my shoulder. "Galan. He demanded a head-set from Julian. He listened in and when the shit hit, he came gunning for me."
I wasn't sure if I was excited or pissed about that. "He needs to mind his own."
"He loves you."
"No. He loves part of me. He rejects the other."
Reign's jaw twitched as he leaned closer. "Love is not an exact science, Jade. People make mistakes, even when it's for the right reasons."
I could tell by the way he squeezed my hand that we weren't only talking about Galan. That was the closest I'd ever gotten to an apology from the mighty Maximus Reign. We sat there in silence, staring at each other. Gods, I wished he'd tell me what was on his mind. Just once.
"Your mother was the closest friend I ever had," Reign said, as if he'd read my mind. His voice trailed off, filled with a dark sadness I'd never heard before. "I loved her."
"You knew her?" I choked. "Why is this the first time I'm hearing this?"
Reign blinked fast and cleared his throat, staring into nothingness. "She had the gift of speaking over the wind, like you. She called to me . . . that afternoon. I Flashed to the farm. When I got there . . . when I rounded the corner and those motherfuckers were bent over her body, I lost my mind. I ripped them to shreds, but it was too late to save her. Before she died she told me where you were. She made me swear I'd take care of you. I tried to be the best father—"
I pressed my fingers over his lips. "You were stellar."
He snorted and scooped me into his arms. Holding me close, his heart pounded against my chest. "Funny thing about forgiveness," he said as he straightened and headed toward the door. "Sometimes it frees you up to see where the other person was coming from."
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
I watched the ball of orange fire sink in the distant sky and sent up yet another prayer of thanks. I was alive, Reign and I were back on track and Julian, Lexi and Bruin were making huge strides in deciphering the intel from the barn. Killing Stuart Skelly and almost dying in the process made me realize Galan wasn't all wrong. He had a point . . . at least about some of it.
A bad past wasn't worth destroying my future.
I ran a hand down the smooth stone column in the ancient Fae ceremonial circle. I hadn't been here for years. Reign used to bring me when I was younger. He said it was my special place, its existence known to only a few of us that grew up on the mountain. Like many other ceremonial sites, it was shaped like a horseshoe with two concentric circles made up of standing stones, lintel stones and monoliths. Our very own Stonehenge.
In the light of day, it was impressive. In the darkness of night, it was different. The power of the Fae gods flowed in currents underneath the site. These Ley-lines were invisible and usually undetectable by anyone who wasn't Fae, but I'd always been able to feel their power. It was even stronger at night. Traditionally, offerings were made under the blanket of darkness. Tonight, would no different, except I was the one up for offering.
My Highborne family had prepared me, in secret over the past week setting the stage for the evening. They draped the offering table in white gossamer, midnight blue silk and orchids. Hundreds of pillar candles sat along the tops of the stones, fifteen feet above the ground. Without my fire affinity, they would have been a pain to light, but as it was, I had the whole place glowing golden in a matter of seconds, hundreds of stars flickering in our own little sky.
Platters of food and bottles of wine were lying in wait on a fur pelt atop one of the fallen stones. For luck, Nyssa had set out the wine glasses she and Iadon had used for their mating ceremony. She had also prepared all of Galan's favorite foods. In hopes of either softening him up or wearing him down, I wasn't sure which.
Iadon took my request for something sultry to wear and created a gown beyond my imagination. It reminded me of the gowns worn by ancient Fae royalty from Reign's books. The flowing, ice blue dress was an inspiration. The sheer chiffon was slit from my ankle up to my hip, showing a lot of skin as the summer breeze caught the fabric. Subtle draping of the neckline wrapped over one shoulder and barely contained me. The fabric gathered in an elegant knot over my heart and was secured by a jeweled, silver arrow brooch.
I laughed at the precariousness of that arrow.
My silver, vine armband and the amethyst choker had been given a
thumbs up by Nyssa. Amethyst had been worn by healers for centuries, recognized for focusing spiritual power. Wearing it always made me strong and I was counting on that again tonight.
The only missing element to the evening was Galan. He should have been there by now. Tham had been tasked to pry him away from Lia's bedside, get him dressed and delivered here. That was ages ago. He hadn't come to visit me after Reign brought me home from the barn and for the first time I wondered if he truly was done with me. Maybe I was already too late.
As if the Fates heard my thoughts. . .
"Merciful gods," Galan breathed, stepping amongst the ruins. Tham blew me a kiss and disappeared back the way he'd come. Galan stood mouth agape, looking anguished. "When I am certain I have seen the pinnacle of beauty, you reach new heights. You are exquisite, Blossom."
"Thank you." I tamped down the butterflies tickling my insides. "You're quite stunning yourself."
Galan's midnight blue jacket was embroidered with silver olive leaves and hung perfectly over a crisp white tunic. "If your aim is to tempt me—"
"Relax, Galan." Did he hear the quiver in my voice? Dammit, I didn't know how to do this. I drew in a deep, unsteady breath. "Don't close doors on me yet, Highborne."
Galan walked slowly around the pillars. He paused when he saw the silk-draped offering table, staring at it in silence. "I should go."
"Galan, stop." He didn't look at me. Fine. "Word on Lia's crystal might come tomorrow or in six years or six decades. You can't live in a vacuum. You love me, no matter what you say."
"Never have I denied it." The ache in his voice broke my heart. "Yet a coupling based solely on love would be a mistake."
"How can you say that?"
He stepped in front of me, his jaw set. "You know how. You are reckless with your life. If the Scourge were to come after me or Lia, where would you be?"
"Standing right by your side."
"Exactly." He brushed my cheek with the back of his fingers. "Do you know what it did to me to hear that Skelly male beat you? You were nearly killed, Jade. Again." His fingers closed around my wrist and brought my knuckles up to his lips. "I have no idea how to reconcile my fear for you. If what your Oracles predict is true, Lia and I may be targeted by every Scourge raider in the realm. You are sure to be hurt, and since you refuse to value your own safety—"
"I'm not helpless, Galan. Danger was in my life long before you."
His brow tightened as he stared passed me to the gossamer canopy. "I am inconsolably aware of that, yet the Scourge will consider you my weakness. What if they come for you?"
"Let them. I am not your weakness. I am your strength. You want me to live a long healthy life . . . well, the two of us being apart isn't living. A few things became clear to me while lying on the dirt floor in that barn." I fisted my hand over my chest. "You brought me to life, Galan. I belong to you and you belong to me."
Galan scrubbed rough fingers through his hair and raised a pained gaze to the heavens. "I cannot—"
"I'll give up being on the front lines." I steadied my hands, swallowed and let the words fall in a rush. "I'll go on raids as back up for the injured and focus on teaching and healing at the clinic. You said that's what you wanted, right?"
Galan's vivid blue eyes locked on me.
"I would do it. For you," I said, through an aching throat. I held out my hand. He made no move to take it. His expression emptied until there was nothing left, his mask firmly in place. My eyes brimmed. "You really don't want this?" I clasped at the pain ripping through my temples. How could I have been so wrong? I couldn't breathe. My vision sparked white as the world spun and my knees buckled.
In the next moment, I was against Galan's chest, his arms strong as steel around me. "Blossom, your life was full before the Fates thrust me in your path. Return to that life again."
I leaned into him, shaking my head. He smelled amazing . . . familiar and warm. It steadied me. It strengthened my resolve. "You told me that a male's mind, body and soul were claimed by his female." I brushed my lips against his throat as my hands flattened on his chest. Grabbing his lapels, I pushed his jacket over his shoulders and I tossed it over a stone. "True?"
"Yes."
"Well, I am your female and unless you can say you don't love me . . . unless you flat out deny me, I am claiming you." My heart thundered as I undid the tie on the side of his tunic and it fell open. He sucked in a breath. My hands weren't steady, but I was determined. My fingers splayed across his exposed chest, down his naval to the waistband of his leather pants. With my eyes locked on him I waited for our electricity to surge. "I'll give up fighting. I'll do what you ask. We'll work it out so you're comfortable with my life. Just tell me you still want me."
"Of course I want you, Jade. You are the blood that keeps my heart beating." He groaned. The sound was deep and hungry and my body ignited. "I have never wanted anything more."
Destiny. I knew that as concretely as I knew my own name. With his gaze locked on mine, I pulled the silver arrow pin holding my dress in place. With one motion the sheer fabric fell to the stony ground and pooled around my feet.
"By the love of all things holy," he gasped, his eyes rolling back. Galan sank to his knees and wrapped his arms around my waist. "Have you any idea how you tempt me?"
I laced my hands into his hair and pulled his head back to look at me. "I hope so."
Strong fingers spanned my hips, my ribs, and my back while he nuzzled his way up my front. When he stood, he hesitated a moment, then cursed more eloquently than I would have believed possible. The passion in the kiss that followed ignited our bodies like dried grass in a wildfire—crackling and burning—consuming everything in its path. His embrace was masculine perfection, hard as steel yet soft as silk. I moved to his cheek and then angled his head to nip the peak of his ear.
He hissed. "How am I to remain of logical mind when you seduce me so? Verily, you steal my strength of will." My hand slid down the front of his leathers, cupping the swell. "Oh Blossom," he growled. His hips rolled forward, pressing into my palm.
"Fight if you must, Highborne, but you said you're mine and I'm taking what's mine."
Galan's eyes grew dark and hooded. Light fingers traced my shoulders, continuing down my arms until he grasped my wrists and wrapped them around his neck. With one elegant motion, he swept under my knees and lifted me against his heaving chest. Carrying me tight against his body, he walked to the offering table and laid me under the billowing canopy. "Be certain, love. If we give in to each other, we are committed."
"I love you, Highborne. Now shut up and get naked. I have things I want to do to you."
In a blur of silver, he shed his boots and pants and stalked up the silk draped, stone slab. He was a panther on the prowl. A predator. "How could a male deny such a heartfelt overture?"
"Hopefully he can't," I breathed.
"Indeed." He crawled up my body, his erection bobbing proudly between us. He licked my navel, nipped up my ribcage, sucked my tight nipple into his mouth with a growl. With slow, lazy pushes he moved his hips in and back, stroking his arousal against my thigh. The friction sent shafts of heat down my spine, through my nerve endings, until every cell of my body inflamed with it. "If you are certain, my succulent Blossom, I am yours evermore."
"I am."
"Then, prepare to be mated most thoroughly."
A cry tore from my throat as his fingers pushed into the hot, moist core of my sex. It was too much and yet it wasn't nearly enough. I arched off the mattress as his lips suckled, his fingers stroked and his hips rocked against me. I tugged him, shifting my legs to get closer, wanting him to push inside me. Husky laughter vibrated against my breast. He let go of my nipple with a pop. "Easy, love. I read about human coitus and it can be quite uncomfortable on the first encounter. Let me service you first and ready your body."
I couldn't help but giggle. "You read up on human coitus? Oh my, you are the sexiest bookworm-geek ever."
"A geek, am I?"
What he did next with his fingers had me hurtling into an orgasm fast and hard. I was still flying outside myself when he shifted over me and pressed between my thighs. With my core still pulsing in heated waves, he rocked his hips, demanding more space. "Amin mela lle, Jade."
I gripped his shoulders and he thrust forward.
The pain was raw and I froze at the invasion. When he made to withdraw, I held him still. "No, just give me . . . one sec." I closed my eyes and focused on my breathing. I could have healed, but I wanted to keep every sensation our mating, even if it was pleasure-pain. After a moment, the sting began to fade and I relaxed. "Okay, I'm good."
Galan arched a brow. "Are you certain? If it is painful—"
"No. I'm sure." As his arms flexed and his hips began to sway, the feeling of invasion transformed into amazement. "You're very big. It feels like you fill every inch of me."
He barked out a laugh, the vibration creating a peculiar tingle inside me. "You say the sweetest things." Galan pressed and retreated, a teasing rhythm at first, but gaining in fervor.
"Amin mela lle, Dwinn."
Something flashed in Galan's eyes as the words left my lips. With no warning, Galan became a maelstrom: his mouth, his hands, his body, his heat. It was good we were on stone because my bed might not have withstood the wildness he released. Muscled shoulders blocked the stars and thrust in abandon. I gripped onto him, digging my nails into his flesh to hold my place as our bodies meshed together.
Galan roared, pressing so far inside me, I felt our souls crush and unite as one. "Mine," he vowed in Elvish, "now and evermore you are my female, my love. My beloved mate."
Hands and legs entwined as our bodies rolled in sexy waves. My breath came hard and fast, my head spun. "Oh gods," I cried, overcome by a sense of transformation. Metamorphosis. Suddenly I felt what Galan was feeling.
It was more than a heightened awareness of two bodies. It was a physical sensation of touch. As I ran my hand down the contours of his side, I felt the caress tingle down my own skin. Our bodies were linked, sharing sensation, doubling our pleasure. I struggled to breathe. It was incredible, but too much. A firestorm shot through me, hurled me careening out of body and mind. I cried out his name with what little breath I had, shaking, shuddering, aching for him.
