Envy

by Katie May

Bash wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "That's not very nice," he muttered, and his petulant attitude only made me laugh harder. He flicked a fireball at me, and I let out a screech as it heated my ass.

  HH handed me my own cup before sitting down beside T on the small bedroll.

  "Anyway," T murmured, getting back on track. I remained standing, my mates surrounding me. If HH was shocked to see the seven princes with me, he didn't show it. I would not be surprised, however, if Diego had found a way to communicate with him ahead of time about my predicament. "We were attacked. About a week ago."

  "Attacked?" I asked, gasping. "What happened?"

  "Nightmares. Dozens of them." T's eyes flickered warily to the men behind me, but he continued talking doggedly. "Slaughtered everyone. Women. Children."

  I could see the anguish in his eyes, the agony, and I knew my own eyes were a mirror image. I could also see the guilt brewing just below the surface. His next words confirmed as much.

  "I was on a mission when I got the message," he said softly. His eyes latched onto something over my shoulder. I could tell he didn't want to meet my eyes, didn't want to see the pity in my gaze. The anger. The pain. "By the time I arrived..."

  HH nodded stoutly. He didn't have to say anything for me to know his story would be somewhat similar. In all actuality, he was probably on his way to the Capital to find Diego. Or, at the very least, his body.

  "The survivors got separated," T said. "With the numerous safe houses throughout the area, I was lucky I was able to come into contact with HH. We've been visiting each house in the hopes of finding more survivors. He hadn’t told me about Mali and..."

  And Diego.

  He gave me a knowing stare, and I nodded. That was how he had found me. The house S and I had lived at, the house we had made our own, was now a safe house for the resistance. An unused one, by the look of it.

  "Are we going to talk about what happened back there?" Devlin cut in crisply. Even after the fight, he was as impeccably dressed as always in an ironed black suit and white collared shirt. His dark curls were brushed away from his face.

  "About this supposed Fae attacking us?" T murmured bitterly.

  "Not attacking us," Dair countered. "Attacking Z."

  At this turn of conversation, HH dropped his teacup, eyes sparking with interest. It was the first genuine emotion I had seen on his face since I arrived.

  "Are you sure that was a Fae?" Bash drawled, and Lupe nodded.

  "I would have to do more research, but yes, I'm sure. Nearly positive."

  I wasn't surprised. Despite looking like a lumbering giant, Lupe was nothing more than a giant teddy bear. Literally. As in, he was a big ass bear when he shifted.

  He also preferred hiding away in his library instead of facing the world head on. It was a shock to see him kill that creature in the first place, to put it mildly. Lupe was a lover, not a fighter.

  I knew that a Shifter's protective instincts went into overdrive when their mate was involved, but to see it in person was overwhelming. I hoped he would grow out of it and fast. I didn't need some man to protect me, someone I barely knew, but who thought they knew what was right for me. I still hadn't decided what I was going to do about these mating bonds, but you could bet your ass I wouldn't put up with being kept locked away like some dainty princess.

  If he wanted a princess, he could have one. That would never be me.

  Realizing my thoughts had drifted from the conversation, I focused on the matter at hand.

  Lupe was arguing with Bash over the logistics of an extinct supernatural creature coming back from the dead. I heard words like "colonies" and "possibilities" as well as curse words from Bash stemming from "anal plug" to "ass wiping vagina".

  And then I heard a soft murmuring, directly behind me.

  "They live in trees. They live in trees. They live in trees."

  "Jax?" I whispered, taking a step closer to the Vampire. His wild eyes rapidly moved around the room in a calculating manner. He continued to mutter nonsense beneath his breath.

  "Not nonsense," Ryland whispered in my ear, and I shivered. The Shadow moved with grace until he was directly beside me, his fingers interlocked with my own. Until that moment, I hadn't even realized I was thinking out loud.

  "Then what the hell is he saying?" I asked him, eyes locked on Jax. He began to pace, running a hand through his short brown hair in agitation. With each word, his voice grew louder and louder until he was almost screaming, garnering the attention of the rest of the men in the room. "Jax," I whispered, taking a step closer. Ryland moved with me until we were face to face with the erratic Vampire. His wide eyes pleaded with me, but for what, I couldn't discern.

  "They live in trees," he said earnestly.

  "The Fae?"

  "That's true," Lupe murmured from behind me. "I remember reading about that in one of my books. I would have to look at it in more detail..." He trailed off, mind already wandering to what new discovery he could make.

  "Not nonsense," Ryland repeated. He gave my fingers a quick squeeze. "Jaxie here knows more than he lets on. We just need to figure out a way to get the information out of him."

  SEVEN

  LUPE

  The library was my favorite room in the entire Capital.

  It was a good combination of old and modern, elegant and simple. Three-tiered chandeliers created an aperture towards the mahogany shelves. Row after row of dusty, centuries old books sat on the distressed wood, their spines creased and faded with age. It carried the pervasive scent of old books - a heady mixture of dust and mold.

  Still, the library was my sanctuary. My escape. In the shelves, with sunlight streaming through the floor to ceiling windows, I felt like I was home.

  I perched myself on the wooden bench of one of the tables, a stack of books piled high. The librarian had been quite helpful when I had inquired about ancient texts and mythological studies. After a moment of careful perusal, she handed me a stack the size of my arm. Throughout the day, she had repeatedly added to the pile.

  My eyelids drooped heavily, fatigue and hunger dominating me. Still, I charged on, my eyes rapidly moving over the faded text.

  "You need a break," a soft, familiar voice said from behind me. Electricity coursed through my veins at her presence. Her distinct scent of pomegranates wafted to my nose, and I inhaled deeply. I would never admit to anyone my obsession with her smell, least of all to her. She would think I was weird - or, at the very least, weirder than she already perceived me as. Still, I couldn't help but inhale deeply as she ventured forward.

  "No break," I muttered gruffly, focusing back on my latest text. It was an old mythological book, written before the Seven Deadly Sins appeared on Earth, that detailed the supposed supernatural creatures on the Earth. Of course, everything was merely a theory. Humans hadn't known about the supernatural world at the time this was written.

  Z was silent, and I was afraid she had left.

  A moment later, a small hand rested on my shoulder followed by a steaming bowl of soup. I glanced at her in surprise...and more than a little bit of disbelief. I couldn't remember the last time someone had taken care of me. My mother had died when I was a child, and my father hadn't been the nurturing type of parent.

  "Eat," she said stiffly, crossing her arms over her chest. I noticed that she was no longer wearing those frilly, silk dresses she had been forced into when posing as Zara. Instead, she wore black pants and a tight, black shirt. Her blond curls were pulled back into a high ponytail.

  Though I loved how she looked in dresses, I preferred her in pants. It was obviously what she was most comfortable wearing, and the pants accentuated the muscles in her legs. Those damn, perfect legs...

  With a murmured thanks, I blew on the soup before swallowing a bite. It was delicious, the creamy broth heightening the flavor of the chicken and vegetables. Who knew Z could cook?

  She must've read something on my face, for she laughed. It wasn't a giggle - I wasn't sure if Z knew
how to do something as dainty as that - but a full on belly laugh. Tears welled in her eyes, but she brushed them away.

  "God, no. I didn't make that. Devlin did. I don't fucking cook."

  Smirking, I took another sip of soup. Now that I was looking for it, I could clearly tell this was a masterpiece created by my Genie brother. He had a certain fascination with cooking. As he said, it was a way to create, not destroy. He also preferred spices over bland favors.

  Z sat beside me, eyes carefully roaming over the various books.

  "What have you found?" she asked, grabbing one. She held the book with reverence, fingers flipping through the pages with a touch as light as a moth's wing. It was a book about underwater creatures. Sirens, Water Fairies, and the most dangerous, Krakens.

  I watched her work, mesmerized, before I cleared my throat.

  "The Fae creatures were descended from one of the lesser known demons. They had an affinity for nature and tended to live in forests and fields." My finger moved over the words I had already memorized. "Jax was right. They do live in trees. Or flowers. Or grass."

  "And they're extinct, correct?" Z asked, head bent over her own book. A strand of blond hair escaped its ponytail, and I had the irresistible urge to brush it behind her ear. I had to physically clench my hand into a fist to keep from touching her.

  "Yes," I agreed. "All of my research is consistent with that fact. They became extinct hundreds of years ago when my ancestors first arrived."

  Z nodded, brow creased. She appeared to be deep in thought.

  Sitting in the library, that adorable crinkle between her brows, and a book in her hands, I had never seen anyone more sexy before.

  "So how is it possible?" she blurted out at last. Finally, she turned to face me, and I was momentarily lost in her eyes. I wanted to reach out and touch her, trace those high cheekbones and those abnormally long lashes. Curve my hand around her neck and pull her towards me.

  "How is what possible?" I asked stupidly. She smirked, no doubt knowing the direction of my thoughts.

  "How can an extinct supernatural creature come back from the dead?" she spelled out to me. “Unless..." Her finger tapped the bottom of her chin. "Unless they were never truly extinct. Maybe they had somehow survived, living in hiding."

  Even before she had finished speaking, I was already shaking my head.

  "That's impossible, my love." The endearment slipped out before I could reel it in, and I watched as she grimaced. I tried to ignore the brief stab of pain spearing my chest at that, but it felt like someone had rammed a burning iron rod straight through my heart. Clearing my throat, I continued before she could notice. "The Seven Sins made sure of it."

  I pointed towards another book, this one detailing the plague.

  The plague that had killed all the other creatures, all the other demons. A plague created by the one of the four Horsemen himself.

  Her lips pursed as she read the words I knew by heart. When the plague had struck, it had killed millions instantly. There was no warning. One second they were alive, and the next, they were dead. Humans, at the time, blamed it on a medical ailment brought about by mosquitos. It would take only a few years until they learned the truth.

  "So this Fae shouldn't have been alive," she deduced, and I nodded in confirmation.

  "It's quite literally impossible," I answered.

  For a moment, we were both silent, the only sound the occasional crinkle of paper or heavy volume landing on the desk. Z worked diligently beside me, scanning the words and making notes on a sheet of paper

  I, too, attempted to work, but I couldn't help but focus on her. In my element, she was glorious.

  "What?" she asked sharply, glancing up. My face burned when I realized I had been staring at her. "Why do you keep looking at me?"

  "Because you're beautiful," I answered immediately. Unashamedly. When I was old enough to understand what mates meant, I made a vow to myself that I would constantly shower my own with love and affection. I saw what happened when there was no love between mates. And, on the opposite spectrum, I saw what happened when there was too much. My father was a prime example of the latter.

  All I had ever wanted was to meet my mate, to fall in love and have her love me back unconditionally. I wanted to treat her like a queen, my queen.

  At my confession, her own head ducked down sheepishly, the tips of her ears burning. She mumbled something unintelligible beneath her breath.

  "You don't like compliments," I noted, somewhat amusedly. At that, her head snapped up, and she glared.

  "I don't mind them," she stressed. "I just...they make me feel uncomfortable."

  "Didn't Devlin or S compliment you when you guys were together?" I asked, quirking a brow. The flush burning her cheeks was answer enough. "They didn't, did they? I'm going to have to talk to Devlin about the proper ways to woo a lady."

  At that, a smile cracked through her icy exterior. It was there and gone, the briefest flash of white teeth, before I could comment on it.

  "As you probably already noticed, Lupe, I am anything but a lady."

  I waved a hand dismissively. "So you like to stab people and kill things. Why does that make you less than a proper lady? You deserve to be lavished with attention and gifts and crowns."

  "Crowns?" One side of her lip curved upwards in a crooked smile. I wanted to see her smile more often. Everyday, if I had my choice. She was stunning normally, but when she smiled, she was positively ethereal.

  I had once tried to draw her, but even my artist's hand failed to recreate everything that was Z.

  "Crowns," I said with a decisive head bob. "Because you're a queen."

  A laugh, unbidden, escaped her, and she brought a hand to her mouth to muffle the sound.

  Well that wouldn't do...

  Taking her small, dainty hand in my own, I marveled at how little she was compared to me. Her pale hand was entirely engulfed by my own darker one. I wondered how she would feel lying in bed, her body against my own and her head in the crook of my neck.

  "You need to do that more often," I murmured, tracing patterns on her palm. She shivered delicately, and I resisted the urge to grin like a fool at the effect I had on her.

  "Do what?" she asked.

  "Laugh."

  I was afraid she would run away, that I had pushed her too hard, but instead, she tilted her head to the side curiously. I could feel her eyes grazing my face, but I focused instead on the veins running through her wrist.

  "And you need to get out of this library more often," she reasoned. I shrugged a broad shoulder. In a flash, she had jumped to her feet, hand still woven with mine. I glanced at her curiously, but allowed her to pull me up.

  "Where are we going?" I asked, my feet moving on their own accord. But damn, if I wouldn't follow her anywhere and everywhere, even off a bridge.

  "You need a break," she insisted. We reached the large double doors of the library, and she shoved them open without preamble. "And I, apparently, need to smile and laugh more. Did I get that right?"

  She didn't sound mad at my assessment of her. Still, my cheeks burned, and I muttered something beneath my breath.

  "HH and T are searching the various safe houses for survivors," she said, still pulling me along. "They should get back to me in about a day. If I'm even still here." Her lip curled. "Heaven only knows when the Mermaid King Asshole Extraordinaire will call me for the next fucking game."

  "I like that nickname," I mused. "It's fitting."

  Again, she gifted me with that laugh/snort mixture I found so attractive.

  "In the meantime..." She trailed off, stopping in front of her desired location. Releasing my hand, she pushed the door open, and I followed after her, gaping at my surroundings. "We're going to have some fun."

  EIGHT

  Z

  Lupe eyed me as if I was a poisonous scorpion preparing to strike. I wanted to laugh at the disbelief in his expression, but I managed to hold it in.

  "This is your idea
of fun?" he asked in disdain.

  I had found this gem when I was exploring the Capital - after The Damning had ended and I couldn't stand to be in the same room with any of my mates. According to one of the servants roaming these halls, the room had once served as a training facility for cadets and other governmental agents. When the training center got relocated, nobody had bothered to clean up the room.

  A large, wooden obstacle course sat in the very center over a collection of blue mats. Chipped white paint added color to the dreary structure and battered wood. To start the course, there was a gray rock climbing wall stopping seven feet above the ground. That led to monkey bars and a simple wooden block the participants had to climb or jump over. From there, you had to army crawl beneath barbed wire to a rope swing. The rope swing led to tires you had to crawl through until finally, you reached the finish line.

  Lupe's wide eyes surveyed the room.

  "Super fun," I quipped, walking to the beginning of the course. Lupe, with great reluctance, followed me.

  He mimicked my stretching, large muscles bulging beneath his shirt. He was not dressed for this type of excursion - wearing a long sleeved thermal sweater and jeans - but he didn't complain.

  I grabbed my elbow over my head and nearly laughed when he did as well.

  "Stop it," he said, eyes glinting with amusement.

  "Stop what?" I asked innocently.

  "I know you want to laugh." He poked a finger into my side, and I swatted his big hand away.

  "Do not," I protested half-heartedly. "That would be horrible. I would never laugh at you."

  When he merely raised a brow, eyes narrowing, I couldn't keep my laughter in check. Clutching my stomach, I keeled over.

  "Okay, okay, but you have to admit that it's funny," I snorted, wiping a stray tear away. "You're like this big ass man with more muscles in your pinkie finger than I have in my body, and you hate exercising. It's funny."

  His lip quirked upwards.

  "I love that sound," he said seriously, and my laughter dissipated.

  "What? Me teasing you?" I asked, though I already knew his answer.