by JL Madore
As Samuel waited for my response, he took the elastic and began dividing my hair.
My breath caught. The act of a male aiding me for bed was something Galan had done my whole life. Samuel repeating the same actions was vastly more intimate. “It felt as though your anger was directed at me.”
“Gods, yer hair is like silver silk.” He worked his fingers, twisting, dividing, and weaving. “I used to do this with my little sister. Braiding her hair was the only time she’d sit still long enough for me to do anything with her. She’ll not remember it, for she was a wee lass when I left, but I used to sneak into her room after chores and braid her hair for bed.”
When he reached the ends, he twisted the elastic around to hold the braid together. “I hadn’t thought about that in years, but that’s my point, isn’t it?”
“In truth, I have no idea.”
He rested his hands on my shoulders and smiled. “Ye trigger something inside me, Lia. Something protective. As an older brother, I was never truly angry with my sister, just like I could never truly be angry with you.”
I blinked and forced my gaze to meet his in the mirror.
“What happened this morning caught me off guard, ye see? I was dreaming and when I woke . . . it was a bit of a shock. I got bent outta shape and that was wrong. You dinnae want what happened any more than I, right?”
I did. I shook my head. “It was a mistake. Like you said.”
“So, we’re still friends? I’m yer guardian and you are my charge, aye?”
I nodded, my throat too tight to speak.
“Grand, so we’ll forget all about it and carry on with me staying with ye to keep the nightmares at bay. No fault. No foul.” He stepped back and glanced at my bed. “But to be on the safe side, maybe you could wear a nightie to bed. Just to keep things simple.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
My brother is an idiot, Gemma said, stomping along beside me the following afternoon. It took me fifteen years to tell him where the ring was hidden, the least I deserve is to help him retrieve it.
I stepped around a massive mud puddle and headed for the clearing behind the Haven Marketplace. The neon sign at the Hearthstone flashed closed, Bree’s father and brothers likely taking part in the cleanup. We walked the soggy path between the bakery and Iadon’s tailor shop, the sounds of the clearing now audible.
“Bruin’s objections were reasonable,” I said. “The last time he and Mika were at your family Dens, Abaddon controlled the place. They were almost killed. It is safer for the warriors to handle the retrieval alone.”
Great idea. Let the menfolk handle everything and we, the weaker sex, can stay here and work on our needlepoint. Do you really believe that shit? Gemma turned to Savage, my Talon escort of the day.
The nom de guerre system amused me. Savage, Rue, Terror, Agony. Most warriors picked names violently male and dramatic. Then there was Cowboy, Princess, Blaze . . . and, of course, Merlin.
Gemma curtsied low to the ink-covered Enforcer, waving her hand in a flourishing bow only I could see. When she rose, she huffed and rolled her eyes. Helloooo, I’m dead. What could happen?
I released the top toggles of my spring cloak and widened the opening at my neck to get some air. It was unseasonably warm for an April afternoon. Even more so since the storm two nights ago. “Bruin is protective beyond reason with those he loves. Mika suffers for it and you shall too. There are evils strong enough to harm even those walking the spirit world. He wishes to ensure your safety.”
Nothing happened to me so far.
“How do suppose Abaddon and his Scourge minions never found the ring after all these years?”
Gemma waggled her brow, her ire replaced by a look of sly satisfaction. Because I’m just that good. I hid it in our secret hideout. No adult could fit inside the tunnel opening, in fact, by the time Bruin and I were eleven, he couldn’t fit either, so we gave it up. When Father told me to hide his ring somewhere, it seemed the perfect place. And I guess it was.
“Lexi came from Attalos to go with them.”
Gemma nodded as we neared the clearing. She’s tiny enough to get through the opening and down the tunnel. She’ll have no problem retrieving it. Still, I should be there. Stupid, insufferable, overprotective ass of a . . . brother.
I raised my gaze to Galan working in the open area ahead. “I know exactly how you feel.”
Gemma followed my gaze to where almost twenty males worked on cutting and clearing two massive oaks which had been taken down by a freak wind and lightning storm two evenings prior. It was a tragic beauty. Many of the mountain’s trees had snapped or had their roots unearthed under the pressure of the storm. Samuel and I had walked for an hour yesterday, taking in the magnitude of the damage.
Today began the cleanup, and many of the males from Jade’s home, as well as the Academy and Haven proper, had rallied to join the task.
Gemma smiled. Both our brothers might be idiots, but yours gets points for hotness. All your Highborne men do.
Her words struck a chord. None of the Highborne males, save mayhap Galan, were mine. That would likely never change. What male of worth would choose to mate me when it meant a life of confinement and danger? “Highbornes are born of Castian’s blood. It is simply godly genetics at work.”
Gemma snorted. What does a maiden from the Valley of Exiles know of genetics?
“Bree speaks at evening repast. Her insights on the sciences are enlightening.”
Uh-huh, she nodded, no longer listening to me. And Aust’s got it bad for her, eh?
I smiled, our conversation returning to Highborne males. “He holds an obvious affection for her, yes, but waits to act upon it, as is only fitting.”
Why is waiting fitting?
“He must establish himself. Males of my race must offer a potential mate security and standing in the community. Aust could never achieve that in our village, but here—a new world opened to him. With his determination to win Bree’s heart, he is finding his purpose. He is, after all, on his Ambar Lenn—his journey of self-discovery.”
A spongy bit of ground sucked at my boot and altered my balance. Savage caught my elbow and once my foot was freed, he stepped back to resume his position. I nodded my thanks. Though I resented being suffocated by male guards, at least he cared nothing of me speaking to a ghost.
Yeah, I can tell Bree’s all about the coin in his pouch and his standing in the community.
Gemma pointed to where Bree stood amongst Mika, Jade and a crowd of other females gathered along the iron fence of the Haven Cemetery. The coyote’s short hair flew free in the wind, exposing the sleek, sharp lines of her Were breed.
She was beautiful in her own right, captivated by the sight of Aust, Galan, and Iadon splitting the smaller branches from the fallen tree. With her hand hiding her mouth she leaned to Mika’s ear and the two set off in a round of giggles.
Verily, beyond the magic and modernization of the realm, there was something primal about watching the muscular prowess of males hard at work. I stepped over to join them.
“The magnitude of the job is bigger than I imagined.”
Jade gave me a quick shoulder hug. “Reign said these two trees are close to a thousand years old. Luckily, they fell toward the clearing and not the marketplace. It would have been disastrous if either one hit the Hearthstone.”
Bree nodded. “Da sent Rys and Seamus to the Temple of the Gods with a huge offering yesterday morning. He’s counting his blessings the Fates were kind to him for once.”
Gemma bit her lip, her turquoise eyes dancing. If the Fates were smart, they’d demand her foster brothers for the offering instead of food. Were-lions are seriously tasty.
“Kind for once,” Mika laughed. “They must have been having a good night.”
“Or Zophia was there to rein them in,” Jade said.
I nodded. “Zophia is lovely.”
“Not what I expected from one of the Fates,” Mika said.
“She’s nothing like
her sisters,” Jade said. “Zana, Zora and Zinnea are cut from a different cloth—or tapestry if you will.”
“Fingers crossed they don’t mess with Bruin while he’s retrieving the ring. He took an army with him but when the Fates are involved, you never know.”
Right? Gemma said, shaking her head. Okay, screw it. I’m going. Bruin won’t even know I’m there and I deserve to be there. We women can’t let the men have all the fun. Laters.
Before I could object, Gemma was gone.
A feminine sigh escaped Jade’s lips and I followed her gaze to where Galan raised an axe over his head.
He and Aust worked on a larger section of branches. In a long, graceful arch, his axe fell with a speed and accuracy I was accustomed to. He heaved down and chips of wood splintered off.
Jade sighed again. “I could watch him like this all day.”
The females chuckled in resounding feminine agreement and I understood their admiration. Since my coming of age, my body had grown highly attuned to the males around me. With the days warming, the majority of them wore only the thinnest of shirts. It was difficult not to get distracted by the corded musculature beneath.
I scanned the clearing—there.
As if on cue, a delicious wave of warmth flooded deep into my belly and expanded. I drew breath and smiled across the clearing to where Samuel, Kobi and Julian held large whining machines. As Samuel lowered the long, rotating blade to the tree trunk, his tool ate the meat of the tree like a sharp sword through flesh.
When he stepped back, he straightened and met my gaze. His expression softened as a grin spread across his handsome face. For the briefest moment, I ignored him comparing me to his sister and allowed myself the delusion that he felt something for me beyond friendship and duty.
Jade laughed beside me and another scenario came to mind. Mayhap his smile was for her and not me. Abruptly my warmth washed away and I felt nauseous.
“Lia?” Jade gripped my elbow. “What’s wrong?”
A buzzing invaded my skull. Stumbling backward, I caught a rail of the cemetery fence as my knees buckled. The buzz in my skull rose to a hiss and I shivered as a frigid cold chilled my lungs.
I saw them then. A dozen spirits. Demented and twisted in anguished purpose, they rushed the iron fence from the inside of the burial grounds. I pushed back, but too late. Chaos erupted. Hands grabbed. Females screamed. Men shouted.
Icy hands clamped my arm as others grabbed my hair and yanked me up and over the fence. Iron pickets tore my skirts, and scored my legs.
Across the clearing, a warrior’s cry rose over the din. Kobi hurled himself from the crowd, his body exploding into a tidal wave of black smoke.
Savage wrapped an arm around my shoulders. Sword swinging, he cut the air, the evil specters unaffected.
Blue bolts of magic zinged through the ghosts.
A great winged demon with flaming eyes landed beside me. Wood chips pelted as he hit the ground like a meteor. His mutated howl vibrated in my bones.
Kobi in his true form.
Savage fell and knocked me to the ground.
I struggled to roll out from under him as a sinister weight crushed my lungs. Evil slithered inside me, edging beneath my flesh like a dark serpent tunneling inside.
My throat closed.
Something . . . some invisible thing slid into my body like an icy hand into an empty glove. A dark euphoria filled me.
Kobi threw Savage clear of the battle and crouched above me. His leathery skin exhaled smoke, his lips black as night. Compound eyes flickered orange and scarlet as the fires of hell burned in his skull. Speaking in tongues, he dragged a jagged yellow claw down my bodice.
Galan dropped to my side and grabbed my hand.
Samuel knelt by my head and a blue field surrounded the four of us. The cemetery silenced—all but the evil entity inside me held at bay.
Kobi hissed a stream of guttural sounds. The dark spirits fought to get to us, beating against Samuel’s shield. “Hold still,” he growled, his voice not his own. “This will hurt.”
Jagged yellow claws closed to fists against my chest. He pulled his fist back like he had hold of an invisible rope. My shoulders arched off the ground. The entity within me sent wiry tendrils into my organs, rooting itself.
Laughter rang in my skull, the dark soul amused.
Samuel chanted incantations. Louder. Harsher. Kobi gripped again with his other hand and heaved. My lungs burned. My spine felt like it would rip from my body.
“Stop. Please,” I screamed.
The demon yanked. Veins stood defined on his arms. Time and again, Kobi grasped and pulled and grasped again while Galan held my shoulders to the cold, wet ground. I went numb, beyond the agony. Distant from reality.
Kobi pulled again, his smoking skin glistening with sweat.
“Let me di—”A violent roar erupted inside my skull and a funnel of evil spewed from my belly.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
I came awake to the scent of blood, foul magic and male sweat. A claustrophobic darkness cocooned me. My night vision failed to come. I blinked and opened my eyes wider.
“I cannot see.”
“Give it a minute,” Kobi wheezed, next to my ear. He shifted his body a little to give me space, the two us lying side by side on a small bed. I welcomed the closeness, the warrior’s body heat thawing the chill from my bones. “Probably residual dark magic. It should clear.”
Should? His assurance held more doubt than certainty. What if my sight failed to return? Was this vulnerability how Samuel felt? “Where is Samuel?”
Kobi shifted again and I caught his troubled scent. Our close contact was uncomfortable for him. “Relax. We’re at the clinic. Merlin spelled this room to keep safe while he got someone to heal us. Apparently, even flirting with the Grim Reaper I’m still your best bet against your threat of the day.”
“And what of Savage?”
“Patched up and miserable. Nothing new.”
I exhaled, thankful the warrior had survived. “What was it you pulled out of me, Kobi?”
“A nasty spirit wanting to possess you. I connected with the thing. Powerful.”
“Was it Rheagan?”
“No fucking clue.”
“What about the others? Was anyone else hurt?”
A racking cough took Kobi over and left him gasping for breath. “Sorry . . . too busy coughing up a lung to notice.”
Judging by the liquid rattle in his throat and the fresh wave of blood tainting the air, his quip rang too close to the truth. In the darkness, I followed the contours of his frame snug against mine. He was drenched with sweat and blood, his body trembling with fever or mayhap the aftermath of saving my life.
“Kobi, what can I do? I am no healer, but after working with Jade, I might be of some aid if you tell me what your injuries are.”
He coughed again. “Advil and bandages won’t do it for an incubus, Lia. Samuel’s gone to find what I need.”
I blinked and saw the outline of his pained face coming into focus. Thank the gods. My vision cleared more moment by moment. There was something I could do. I heard the evasion in his voice, smelled it in his protestations. “Tell me. Verily, I wish to aid you.”
Kobi stared at me through half-lidded eyes and cleared his throat. When he spoke, his voice was low and rough. “Incubi heal by leaching sexual energy, Lia. You know, crotch mingling, getting horizontal. You still want to aid me? You saw what I am. You want to snuggle up to that monster?”
“You heal during coitus?” My ears flushed to their tips.
He ground his teeth and closed his eyes. “Just one of the perks of being me. And no, I’m not asking you.”
No. Of course not. Samuel’s rejection echoed in my head, you didn’t want that any more than I did. Had being close with me been so distasteful? And now Kobi refused me?
Kobi? The most indiscriminately promiscuous male of all the warriors, would rather risk death than approach me.
My bloo
d boiled hot. “What about me is so undesirable to males? Am I homely or too inexperienced to consider? Am I that pathetic a female you would refuse to touch me even to save your own life?”
Kobi’s mouth gave a bitter twist. “You’re pissed at me? For trying to do right by you?”
“Yes. I am. Verily, I have what you need . . . all the correct parts and pieces which arouse a male, yes?”
“Of course, . . . I mean, you are . . .”
“And does it have to be coitus? Will not some . . . sexual pleasure ease your injuries?”
“Ahhh, I’m not sure. I never hold back.”
Until now. “So, it is me.”
“I am a demon, Lia. Hellspawn. One of the damned. My Pantheon is different than yours. My gods feed on death, conflict and kill to absorb the rush. You saw me back in the clearing. Do you really want that inside you—”
Stupid male. I stopped his protestations with my lips on his. In this dark cocoon of privacy, I seized his rugged, stubbled jaw in my palms and kissed him. He tasted of blood and sorrow, loneliness and self-loathing. His outlook on life may differ, but a Highborne’s attitude toward sexual pleasure differed from other members of the realm as well.
To save a male’s life . . . where was the question? I would give what I could.
His lips started tentative, but as the surprise of my advance wore off and our connection heated, his body met my offering with greedy abandon and claimed what it needed.
Nervous I would fail him with my inexperience, I let him lead. He kissed with passion, the intensity of it stole my breath and fluttered in my insides. Once I grew certain he would not refuse my help, I ran my hands down the contours of his body and the flavor of his kiss changed. The sorrow replaced by hunger.
Strong hands ran the nape of my neck and across my lower back. It was me who closed the space between our bodies, sending a hand down the curve of his spine and to the round of his backside. He moaned and I felt the magic of his healing tingle through me.
My inexperience proved less of an obstacle than I imagined. Kobi kissed a blazing line down my neck, a decadent purring rumbling in his chest. “Gods you taste good, Lia girl.”
