Guardians of Moonlight: A Reverse Harem Fantasy Romance (Guardians of the Fae Book 3)

by Elizabeth Hartwell

  The emperor clears his throat and ignores me. “Last question. In your statement and the testimony we’ve heard, this Dark Rider said that it was your power and birthright to open the Gates, to bring the forces of Hell to our realm. What do you say about that?”

  “If it is, I deny that birthright,” I answer, feeling a seething anger inside me that I know is part of me that I just need to keep control of, to use it instead of letting it burn me. “I’m not gifted of tongue, but someone very smart told me just the other day that the choice lies within me. I can choose to do the good thing, or I can choose to do the evil thing. Before, I was unknowingly his pawn, but with knowledge comes power. So you want to ask me if I’m ever going to open the Gates because it’s my birthright? I tell you I won’t open them because I choose not to and never will. I’m no threat to you.”

  I see something in the emperor’s eyes, and I ignore the others. It is in his spirit I have to plant my words, because I feel like his may be the deciding vote.

  “I know a few other things, though. Good and evil do exist, and while I can’t speak for every entity in Hell, I know that the dark rider is evil. And we must all be on alert, for no matter what I did to that bastard, he still has plans for the Fae and human realms. And they’re not good.”

  “Which is why we need to make sure his most powerful weapons are unavailable to him,” Cassina interrupts. “Before they’re unwittingly used as pawns again and turned against the very beings who are being kind toward her.”

  A few cheers for blood greet Cassina’s comment, and I glare at her. “I would rather be falsely labeled a weapon and unwittingly do evil acts than knowingly inflict harm on those I’ve brainwashed, teased, titillated, and then drained, simply for my own fragile ego.”

  Cassina’s face flushes again. “Perhaps . . . but you have no sway over this. The four men you know of as my Guardians are my subjects. I declare them guilty of treason, and unless they avow all bond with you, they will be put to death.”

  I turn to my Guardians, but before I can say anything, Jacob steps around the podium, looking straight into Cassina’s eyes. “I was born five hundred and twelve years ago. In my time, I’ve been a merchant, a thief, a rogue, a scoundrel, a spy, a warrior . . . and a lover. If you wish to condemn me to death for loving Eve, there is nothing you can do to change my mind.”

  A tear trickles down my cheek as Noah, Cole, and Tyler echo him and clap their hands on his shoulders. “We stand with Jacob, and with Eve,” Cole says quietly, staring into Cassina’s eyes. “We will never, ever bow a knee to you again.”

  “Then I—”

  “A moment, Queen Cassina,” the emperor says, lifting his hand. “While I would not try to tell you what to do with your own Guardsmen, this is my castle . . . and right now, I don’t want the mess of a beheading.”

  A chuckle rings the room, and Cassina turns her angry eyes to the emperor. “Do you have another proposal?”

  “I do. They wish to stand with Eve. Let them do so. Whatever fate this Council decides, they will share with her. Agreed?”

  I can see Cassina’s been deftly backed into a corner. She can’t say no without seeming bitchy, vindictive, and more importantly, unsure of my guilt. She sees it too, and I wonder how smart Lightwing must be to have played a woman twice his age so adeptly.

  “I think that would only be fair.”

  “Good,” Lightwing says, gesturing to my Guardians. “Please, join Eve on the podium.”

  They quickly join me, where I embrace them all. “You’re all stupid beyond measure,” I whisper as they get close. “Especially you, Jacob.”

  “Hey, just be glad I didn’t tell her to shove her scepter up her—”

  Chapter 2

  Eve

  The Council gets up and leaves, and in their exit I find myself unsure of what to do.

  She recognizes my confusion. “We wait,” Lorelai says, turning to face the five of us. “This is a very unique situation. The Council is taking their time, it seems. From what I know, rarely do they deliberate at all.”

  “So this is Fae justice, huh?” I ask, looking around. “It’s not great . . . but I can think of worse. So what do you think, Lorelai?”

  “Cassina can’t vote, but she will still wield influence,” Lorelai says quietly, probably because she’s thinking. “This may become a political decision. Lightwing is still relatively new to the Sun Throne.”

  There’s a commotion, and I see the emperor along with the rest of the Council. In maybe a good sign for me, Cassina isn’t present.

  They all sit down, and the emperor clears his throat and looks at me as I stand. “When I took the Solar Crown, I knew I had very large boots to fill. And I’ve been lucky, I think. Three hundred years is enough time to learn and develop my own abilities but to still have the purity of heart that a young man needs. Because it is situations like this that test and try a monarch’s mind, but more a monarch’s soul.”

  I glance at Noah, who nods and puts a massive hand on my shoulder, reassuring me.

  The emperor continues. “Some of the decisions were simple. Eve Carter, regardless of your knowledge of Fae laws, you obviously were aware that theft of Queen Cassina’s horses and supplies would be illegal. So for that, the Council is unanimous in holding you responsible.”

  “It is in the other crimes that the Council had more to consider. While it would seem impossible to you that we could discuss things so quickly, let me assure you that we gave each charge full weight and consideration.”

  “In the charges of arson, of destruction of magical creatures, and of murder, the Council finds you . . . not responsible.”

  A great weight lifts off my chest, and I have to do my best not to sag in relief. A moment later, I see the emperor’s face and the expression on it, and a fresh wave of worry strikes me. He’s not relieved. He’s not pleased or angry. He looks sad.

  “However, there are two charges that remain, incitement to treason and the use of dark magic for evil purposes. These two charges are very serious, and the Council, after much debate, finds you responsible for both charges.”

  Cole’s face goes white, and I can see him about to burst out when the emperor continues.

  “Normally, the penalty for both charges is death,” the emperor says, and I swear at this moment you could hear a pin drop in the room as everyone sits on the edge of their seat, awaiting his next words. “However, I have reservations about the circumstances of your guilt, and so the penalty will be administered by the Sun Crystal. Guards, take custody of the prisoners.”

  A great wave of conversation greets Lightwing’s declaration, and I look around, confused.

  “What’s going on?”

  Lorelai, who seems to have recovered from things faster than my Guardians, turns. “He’s given you a chance.”

  “What do you mean?” I ask, holding onto the railing as a half-dozen armored guards enter the room. My Guardians look stunned, as if they know what’s coming.

  “The Sun Crystal is one of the most powerful light magic artifacts in the realm,” Lorelai says as the guards approach. “Go with them.”

  I swallow and nod, letting the guards lead me and my men out of the chamber. “So, go on. What is this chance?”

  “The crystal is supposedly a gift to the realm from the Sun God himself,” Lorelai whispers quickly. “And it has the ability to override the Council. It may choose not to punish those who are truly pure of heart.”

  “And how often has that happened?” I ask.

  Lorelai frowns. “Never.”

  “What’s worse is I can’t be in the chamber,” Lorelai whispers sadly. “The Sun Crystal would kill me as soon as I step in the room because of my past. You . . . you may have a chance.”

  I stop and embrace Lorelai before the guards can do anything. “Thank you, Sister.”

  “Remember, Eve. Love is the strongest magic.”

  She turns, and the guards escort me and my Guardians the rest of the way to wherever we’re
going. “Guys?”

  “They can’t speak,” one guard says, his voice respectful. “They have been enchanted. Their mouths are sealed.”

  I clear my throat, nodding. “Then they can still hear me. I love you all, and if I could do anything to not have you punished with me, I would. I wish you would not have shared my fate, but there’s nothing I can do to change that now. I love you.”

  Tyler brings his arms up in a cradling motion, and we have an embrace as we walk toward a white metal door.

  “In here,” one of the guards says.

  They open the door, and I’m escorted into another huge room, like an amphitheater, with a larger crowd gathered around, cheering for blood. At the head of the room is a single throne this time, with a lower box of seats below it. Emperor Lightwing sits on the throne while the rest of the Council, including Cassina, is arrayed in the box, like a night at the opera.

  As we cross the space, I square my shoulders, focusing on what Lorelai said. This Crystal, wherever it is, will not kill the pure of heart. Who cares if it’s never happened before?

  Besides, if these are the last few moments of my life, then I’m going to face them with honor and dignity, with my men beside me. I reach out, taking the first two hands that I find without taking my eyes from Lightwing, who for someone who was interested and involved in the Council chamber looks bored, almost like he’s ready for this to be over with.

  One of the Council, an older-looking man who was one of my harshest critics, stands. “Silence!”

  His voice is magnified to nearly Yankee Stadium levels, by magic, I guess, and a quiet hush falls over the crowd. He looks at us with a sneer. “I can see it in your faces. You are assured that the Sun Crystal will judge you to be pure of heart, that you will be the first to not feel the Sun God’s wrath. But know this. In eight hundred years, none have escaped being turned to pure ash.”

  A roar lifts from the crowd, and he roars again. “Lower the Crystal!”

  A dark patch that I hadn’t noticed before in the nearly white room begins to descend from the ceiling, and I wonder what it is. For long seconds, I can’t make out anything, and then I see a pitch-black box, about two feet tall and maybe a foot wide, come to a stop at my eye level. A panel opens in the box, and I see the Sun Crystal.

  It’s beautiful. I wish I had the words to describe just how, but it’s flawless, naturally luminescent, like it has the heart of a star burning deep within its core.

  Cassina stands up.

  “Last chance. Cole, Tyler, Noah, and Jacob, deny her, swear yourself to me, and you will be pardoned of your crimes,” she says haughtily.

  I don’t expect any of my Guardians to answer. Even I can hear the mocking tone in Cassina’s voice. I wish there were a way I could save them, a way I could protect them from whatever’s going to happen when I can’t resist the urge to touch the Sun Crystal and that burning heat envelops me.

  I wish I could love them strongly enough to be their shield.

  But to everyone’s surprise, Cole turns to me, pulling me close and kissing me deeply. It’s not the hot kiss of passion or the reassuring kiss when I’ve been scared. It’s tender, soft and sure, and I swear I can taste his heart. He releases me, and I turn to Tyler next, then Noah, then Jacob. In each, for a moment, I feel our bonds, so powerful that even the bracers and collar cannot stop me from knowing that somehow, I’ve found the sort of love that they only write about in fairy tales.

  Mumbling moves through the crowd, and Jacob puts his hand over my wrist, all of them covering my forearm with their hands as I lift my hand to the Sun Crystal, reaching for the heart of a star.

  Just before my fingertip touches the surface, a single thought courses through my soul.

  Love.

  My hand touches the crystal . . . and my world is consumed in white fire.

  Chapter 3

  Eve

  The white light envelops us, and for an instant, I think that it’s over. I mean, I’ve read enough books and seen enough movies. And there’s that moment, right when a character’s about to die, that everything stretches out. Where they get to relive all their successes and failures, where they get one last moment in eternity.

  But after a few seconds, I realize this isn’t a movie, and instead, the five of us are in a white sphere of almost solid light.

  “I feel like I’m in a bubble,” Tyler says, looking around.

  “This is strange,” Cole agrees, but before anyone else can say anything, the light disappears like someone threw a switch, and we’re back in the Crystal chamber. In front of me is the Sun Crystal, but the fire inside the core seems slightly dimmer, and as I watch, a black film forms before the whole thing lifts up into the air.

  The whole room is silent, and I wonder if this is a side effect of the Sun Crystal’s fire when a yell echoes through the chamber.

  “No!”

  Our heads jerk to the front of the room, where Cassina is on her feet, staring at us in total shock, fury etched on her face. Her cry seems to trigger the crowd, who breaks into a tumult of yells and screams.

  Emperor Lightwing stands up, raising a hand and silencing the crowd. As quickly as it happens, I’m starting to wonder if it’s a spell he uses, but I suppose it’s just a sign of respect.

  “The Sun God has spoken!” Lightwing declares, his voice echoing around the chamber. “Eve Carter and those with her have been found pure of heart and not liable for their deeds!”

  Cassina turns, her mouth pinching shut, but a single glance from Lightwing stops her, and she sits down, saying nothing as the crowd buzzes.

  “Queen Cassina, you will be reimbursed for the theft and destruction of your personal property by Solaria, and—”

  “This is outrageous!” another member of the Council, the one who’d so gleefully served as the announcer to my apparent execution, fumes. “These five—”

  “Do you wish to declare the judgment of the Sun Crystal invalid?” Lightwing asks. Tense silence reigns, every Fae in the gallery watching the drama unfold in front of them in what I can’t help but think of as the VIP section. I suspect that Lightwing’s challenging the man on a near-religious level. After a moment, the man shakes his head, and Lightwing smirks. “Good.”

  “Still, Eve Carter is dangerous,” the old man says, speaking much more calmly. “Even if she has been judged pure of heart, she has yet to learn control or even the extent of her abilities. As such, she’s a bottle of nitroglycerin.”

  “Well, she is a firecracker,” Jacob mutters, making me laugh softly. Lightwing seems to hear, and his smirk widens.

  “You are correct, of course, King Daenar,” he says. He turns his eyes to the five of us on the floor of the chamber and raises his voice. “Eve Carter, you will be a guest of Solaria. Here, you will be able to learn from the best magic users in the entire realm. However, on penalty of imprisonment, you must wear your bracers and collar whenever you are not learning or training your skills. Is that understood?”

  I look at Cole and Noah, who confer mentally before Cole gives me a nod. “It’s a generous offer, and the Solarian Court does have the best magicians in the realm.”

  I nod, then look up at the emperor and clear my throat. “We will be honored to accept, Emperor.”

  The emperor shakes his head. “I’m sorry, maybe I wasn’t clear. You will be a guest of Solaria, but your . . . what would you call them?”

  “They are my Guardians, and my declared fiancés,” I declare loudly, my voice ringing throughout the chamber. There’s a startled murmur, but it’s my turn to raise my hand, and a surprised silence follows the gesture. “And no offense, Emperor, but we’re a group package. You want to teach me? They stay.”

  There’s a tense moment, and I realize that I’m playing hardball with the emperor of the entire Fae realm, but I don’t care. I went toe to toe with the king of Hell, more or less, and I apparently just survived the wrath of a god. Right now, mortal beings are bush-league for me.

  Finally, the empe
ror nods. “Of course, Eve Carter. However, as part of their guilty verdict for stealing from Queen Cassina, they will be expected to earn their keep while they are here. Guards.”

  Guards re-enter the chamber, and I open my mouth again, but Jacob puts his hand on my shoulder. “Know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em,” he says. “Heard that one on Earth.”

  I understand his meaning and nod. We’re not going to get a better deal right now, and it’s a lot better than being incinerated by the heart of a star or whatever it was that the Crystal beamed at us.

  The emperor, who seems to have World Record ears, gives a small nod and speaks again. “Take them to appropriate quarters . . . and have the four report to my Captain of the Guard for assignment.”

  I want to argue, but like Jacob said, this isn’t the time. We leave the chamber, and at the intersection of the hallway, the guards point in different directions. “Miss Carter, follow me.”

  “A moment,” I reply, and the guard nods. I turn to my Guardians, hugging them. “Are you guys going to be okay?”

  “We’ll be fine,” Tyler reassures me. “But I’ll be counting the minutes until we’re together again. Don’t worry, it won’t be long.”

  “We will be reunited,” Noah assures me. “For Fae, this isn’t a major issue. Remember, we’ll have centuries to be together. What are a few hours or days in all that?”

  Centuries. Noah’s right, and I’m reminded that I’ve spent my whole life thinking in human terms. But I’m not. I’m half-Fae, half-demon, and will most likely have a lifespan like them. I need to readjust my thinking if I’m going to survive and prosper in this new realm.

  “They’ll still feel like centuries,” I reassure them. “Noah, watch out for Jacob so he doesn’t get in trouble, okay?”