Warrior Fae Princess

by Breene, K. F.

  “Oh! That’s…” Charity closed her eyes and sighed. “Hmmm, Devon. I feel you. I feel… It’s like you and the good side of my magic pumping through me together. Hmm, God, it feels so good.”

  Steve’s eyes widened and his face turned red. He faced Devon. “I’m good with being a mule for a beautiful woman, but if she’s going to make sounds like that, things might get hairy.”

  “Didn’t need to say it, brother.” Rod’s gaze flicked below Steve’s bared belt line. “You’re showing it.”

  “A few of us are showing it.” Andy covered himself. “This is why I said we needed clothes.”

  Devon emitted a low growl, desperately pushing away his possessive urge to rip into Steve’s jugular. Instead, he passed through the brush while sending his magic back to Charity, feeling his own energy build from the exchange. Good news.

  “Amazing,” Penny said as Devon dodged back out, cataloging the various smells in the area. “Their magic is similar to a dual-mage bond. Emery, that was your addition. How’d you know it would work like that? I was just thinking they’d share energy, not actual magic. You had your finger on the pulse of the situation.”

  “We can talk about my genius later.” Emery strode over, all business. “Penny, you need to get out of here.” He slung a backpack over his shoulders. “That elf is going to follow our group until we can give it the slip, so no one should be guarding the portal from this side. But you have to go now. Do not, under any circumstances, let an elf stop you. It’ll want to question you, and that’ll lead to torture. Do you understand— What are you doing?”

  Penny’s hands were moving, clearly working magic. “I’m putting up a screen to deaden the trail Charity’s magic is making. Right now, I bet that elf is making use of it. Oh, also, I’m not going back.”

  “Yes you are.” Emery grabbed her upper arms and turned her to the left. “You are going back. It’s too dangerous to stay with us.”

  “It is safer to be in danger with you, where you and all these fine shifters will take lead, than in supposed safety with Reagan, who creates trouble and then shoves me in front of her while laughing. Besides, you need me. Without me, you’ll have no idea when Charity’s magic is seeping out of her, calling anyone who can feel it—”

  “My magic is a low hum now,” Charity said, her voice cutting through the dual-mage’s argument. It reeled in Devon’s focus. Her glow, which had been absent moments before, pulsed within her, breathtakingly beautiful. “It feels better.” Her words were almost a whisper, sultry and sensual. So much stronger. “Everything feels better. You feel better.”

  Steve tensed, tightening his lips, and shook his head. His body was still responding to her sensuality and probably her proximity.

  Devon couldn’t take it anymore. He was standing on human legs before he’d thought to change. Breathing heavily, weak from the effort and the energy exchange, he nonetheless stalked over to Charity as the dual-mages finished their argument, and took her from Steve’s arms.

  Her smile was just for him. The love in her eyes increased the speed at which their energy and magic pinged back and forth until it seemed like they were sharing all of it. Like they were one.

  “Am I too heavy?” she asked him, curling up in his arms as Devon followed Emery and Penny through the brush.

  He hugged her close, feeling the reassurance of her magic curling around and within his. He’d almost lost her. She was alive because of the dual-mages, a debt Devon would repay if it was the last thing he did.

  “You’re light as a feather,” he whispered, hiding the strain from his aching and energy-starved arms. The small hairs on the back of his neck rose to attention. Danger was drawing closer. “Faster, Emery. That elf has gained speed.”

  Emery glanced back with a furrowed brow. “Shifters can sense predators on their tail?”

  “It seems that shifters with the help of fae magic can.” He gave Charity a squeeze. “Thanks for arranging that boost in my effectiveness.”

  “Good,” Emery said. “Keep me updated. Powerful elves can run as fast as elder vampires, and they are every bit as vicious and cunning. In fact, aside from what they eat and the fact that one is born, the other created, there isn’t a whole lot of difference between the two.”

  “Can they track?” Charity asked.

  “They bring in other magical species to track for them,” Emery said, emerging from the brush onto a thin dirt path. He took a left, heading toward a thick wood with moss weeping from branches and vines draping between the trees. Light reduced down to murky shadows and pools of black, emanating a forbidding feeling that urged Devon to turn away. “If we see one of those on our trail, we’ll need to kill it. They’re better than any dog. Better even than a hellhound on a blood trail.”

  “A hellhound…on a blood trail?” Penny asked, looking behind them with wide eyes. “That’s a real thing?”

  “You don’t know much about the magical world either?” Charity asked her.

  “Not really. I didn’t know about magic growing up. I’m still learn—” Penny stubbed her toe and fell face-first into Emery’s back. He slowed as she clutched his shoulders to pull herself back to her feet. Once there, they walked on without saying a word. They’d learned to rely on each other, to share their strength.

  Much like Devon and Charity were doing.

  He couldn’t help but squeeze her again, and when she turned his way to see why, he stole a quick kiss. He’d be relieved when this was all over and they could get back to their lives.

  “The time will come when you need to make a choice. A choice that concerns the rest of your life and, more importantly, her life. I cannot see when this choice will come, but you will know when it is before you. The choice you must make will be against your heart. Against everything you’ve always wanted. Against your very being. To save Charity’s life—to give her a life—you must take the hard road, sacrifice your heart, and let her go.”

  Devon’s heart stopped. Had he just committed the error he was supposed to avoid? Had he doomed her?

  But no, that couldn’t be—the Seer had said he’d know when the time came. Besides, if he hadn’t agreed to share his life force and magic with her, she would have died. He’d saved her, not doomed her.

  “Soon I’ll be able to walk,” Charity murmured, cutting into his reverie.

  He gave her a confused look, his mind still swirling.

  “I can feel you shaking,” she explained in a whisper before leaning in and running her lips down the shell of his ear and sucking in his earlobe.

  A delicious shiver ran the length of his body. He leaned into her hot mouth, wanting her with a desperation that was inopportune for entering a spooky magical wood with a powerful elf hot on their trail.

  “By the by,” Penny said, thankfully pulling Charity’s focus away from her ministrations. “What is it with shifters and wandering around for long periods without clothes? That happened after the Guild battle, too. Dicks just swinging everywhere. And don’t get me started on the number of nipples staring at me. Don’t you guys have pull-away sweats for when you need to change?”

  Charity huffed out a laugh.

  “Some of us like to show off the goods,” Steve called up.

  “None of us like to be poked with those goods, though. Keep your distance,” Andy replied.

  “What can I say, when I get hard, I stay hard until the job is done.”

  “That isn’t making me feel any better about this particular situation, bro. Stay back.”

  Penny laughed, her hand on Emery’s shoulder to keep from face-planting into him again.

  “We might need to change at a moment’s notice right now,” Devon explained, wishing he had the strength and energy to hold Charity away from his body so her proximity and pleasing aroma weren’t such a distraction. “In the Brink, there are usually a plethora of clothing options nearby, so if we have to discard a pair of sweats, we can grab another when we need it. But we don’t have those options out here, and I�
�d rather not have my pack meet Charity’s people in the buff.”

  “Huh.” Penny turned back around. “All good points.”

  “Get used to looking at the sky, babe,” Emery said as he reached the tree line. He stopped and turned around, his blue eyes lacking any sparkle from the joke he’d made moments before. Reagan had been right—their guide knew his business. “Listen up. There is a reason most people try to avoid this wood. It’s filled with bogles, doppelgangers, exiled gnomes, ghouls, you name it. The worst of the worst gather in this wood, intending harm. Most have a tendency to confuse their victims before killing them. This is, by far, the most dangerous leg of our journey. I’d intended to get a good night’s sleep before braving this wood, but with that elf on our heels, that’s no longer an option.” He took a breath, his gaze touching on Charity, then Devon, then the others waiting behind them in a single file line. “I know you’re tired. I know you’ve had a long day. But to let down your guard in this place is to suffer a fate worse than death. Penny and I can run interference, but we’ll need to walk in pairs or single file, and we can’t guard all of you. Those at the back are in the most danger. A wendigo can sneak up on you from behind, melt into your body, and take control, using you to attack and eat the person in front of you. That’s you dead. That’s your friend dead or bloody and very grossed out. So watch yourselves. Stay alert.” He paused. “Who’s excited?”

  Chapter Sixteen

  “Who’s excited?” Charity said, pulling her arms from around Devon’s neck. “What kind of stupid question is that?”

  She fought the aches in her joints and the overall exhaustion dragging her down and struggled out of Devon’s grasp. Whatever the dual-mages had done to them had literally brought her back from the dead, but it hadn’t completely repaired her. Only food, time, and sleep could do that. Hopefully.

  Given Devon’s inability to hold her steady, he was just as low on fuel. They were sharing the energy of one person. She’d pulled him down enough—there was no way she would tie up his hands so he couldn’t even defend himself. She was done being a leech. Done crying about her past and worrying about her future. These people were making this trip because of her, putting themselves in danger, and she was damned if she’d send them to their graves.

  Emery didn’t answer her. He didn’t need to. A strange, hollow sort of laugh drifted out of the trees.

  “Welcome,” a disembodied voice said, the tone taunting.

  “I got the back,” Steve said, savageness ringing through his words. “They can try to sneak up behind me.”

  “I’ll take the back,” Cole said. “I am already here.”

  “I got it—”

  “I’m in the back,” Devon said, cutting Dale off. Command and assurance rang in his voice. Dale and Cole both opened their mouths to argue, but a burst of magic thundered out of Devon, thicker and more potent than Charity had ever felt. A wave of it washed through her body, tightening her core and shortening her breath. “Charity will be in the center. Steve, you stick to her back. Cole, you’re in front of her. Protect the fae at all costs.”

  Cole’s mouth clicked shut. Dale glowered, but didn’t comment about being left out. Both men and Barbara crisply responded, “Yes, alpha.”

  Steve said, “I’m your huckleberry,” making Charity grin despite the anxiety rolling through her body.

  Devon’s original pack said nothing at all. They didn’t waste time with formality. Instead, they filed in quickly, nudging and bumping Charity into position before divvying up the duffel bags, making it so everyone had an equal load and a good range of motion.

  “It’s nice working with shifters,” Penny mused, her gaze pointed upward at a diagonal to the right. “No arguing, no pushback, just everyone working together to get the job done. My mother and the Bankses should take a lesson.”

  “Your mother and the Bankses push shifters around, or don’t you remember the battle with the Mages’ Guild?” Emery waited until Cole and Steve filed in before turning.

  “Wishful thinking, then. We’ve got company.” Penny’s fingers were moving as Emery started forward. She didn’t keep pace with him, waiting on the sidelines until Charity reached her. Only then did Penny start walking. “It’s targeting the fae—Charity. It’s targeting Charity.”

  “Can you read minds?” Charity whispered, not wanting to disturb Penny, but not able to keep from asking.

  “No,” Penny said. “I read magic. I can feel magical intent. And that fork-tongued tea toter is whipping up something nasty.”

  “That sure is helpful,” Emery murmured, walking into the brush beside the path. His hands moved in front of him as if they were shaping a ball. He flung out his palms. A moment later, a scream rent the quiet of the wood. A small shape tumbled through the space between trees before low-hanging branches covered its fall. “It would’ve been nice to have you with me the last few times I came through this wood.”

  A dead silence descended as they moved forward. Their shoes didn’t even make scuffing sounds against the dirt.

  Charity caught movement from the corner of her eye. A feeling of danger scratched at her from the same direction.

  “No, don’t worry about that thing, whatever it is,” Penny said. “It’s trying to form a confusion spell of some sort, but its efforts are rudimentary at best. Emery will take care of it.”

  An agonized wail throbbed around them before ending abruptly. This time, Charity didn’t see the creature fall.

  “Incoming! Something like magical acid. Your direction, Devon.” Penny spun, her hands out.

  Without warning, Charity’s magic surged, scraping through her painfully. Almost immediately, a wave of Devon’s magic soothed the angry sting. A euphoric, somewhat erotic feeling flowered in its wake.

  “Got it,” Devon said, his voice strong and sure.

  “Where’s my sword?” Charity asked, flexing her hand, ignoring the ache in her knuckles. She tried to thread her way around Steve, wanting to help Devon, to hold up her position in the pack. But Steve and Cole both pressed in closer, trapping her between them. Penny stopped her from going around them.

  Frustrated with her inability to do her part, she gritted her teeth. She should be fighting, leading the charge. She felt it in her bones. The role of precious cargo didn’t suit her.

  “Do we change, boss?” Steve called.

  A grunt sounded from behind. A tug at her middle urged her to take her place beside Devon. Her magic surged again. Just like before, Devon’s magic blended with it, purified it, and when it washed back through her, it carried the sweet song she kept hearing when her magic was working properly. Maybe it wasn’t her song at all—maybe it was theirs.

  “He needs help,” Charity said, shoving Steve to get him moving.

  “That kid does not need help,” Steve said, respect in his voice. “He can work a blade as good as he can work his wolf.”

  “Yes, Steve, change. You too, Cole and Yasmine,” Devon called. “The rest of you, take the packs. Get moving, Emery.”

  The line started moving again, Emery taking orders without a problem.

  “You are shedding your distress,” Penny said urgently, plucking at Charity’s sleeve. An itch between Charity’s shoulder blades said they were being watched. “It’s calling to the creatures in this wood. You’re basically advertising your vulnerability. That can’t possibly be the way your power’s designed to work—”

  “It’s probably supposed to do the opposite and I’m doing something wrong,” Charity said in frustration.

  “Can you do something about that, Turdswallop?” Emery called back.

  Charity frowned, wondering if he was talking to her, when Penny answered. “Working on it.”

  “Turdswallop?” Charity asked.

  Penny shrugged one shoulder. “He finds strange things funny. Anyway, don’t stress about your magic. I didn’t have a clue at first. Thank pearl-clutching hobos that I met Emery when I did, or I would’ve been lost. You’ll get it, don’t w
orry. As soon as someone gives you direction, you’ll take to it like a duck takes to water. I can tell. Now…” Penny patted her arm, which was nice, then slid her palm into Charity’s personal space—down her elbow to her lower back, over her butt, and down the back of her thigh.

  “That’s… Why—”

  “Sorry. Just pasting a spell to you without asking permission. It’s faster that way.” Penny moved to the other side. “It’ll help us all.”

  A flickering light caught Charity’s eye just beyond the tree to their right. Steve growled, a sound like an earthquake. The light flicked off.

  “We got company,” Emery called.

  Another light flared to life deeper into the wood, flickering happily. It called to Charity, beckoning her closer.

  “Nasty buggers,” Penny murmured, her hands working.

  A silent purple explosion lit up the trees, illuminating the wood in violet light. A crowd of humanlike creatures, no more than two feet tall, screeched within the brush that only partially concealed them. Pointed teeth filled their mouths, and huge, pale blue eyes blinked in their leathery faces. They ran from the light, two clattering into each other and falling down.

  More light explosions flared brightly, making Charity squint. The feeling of danger throbbed from her other side.

  She turned in time to see one of those creatures launch itself at her, its wide mouth full of teeth, its arms out to wrap around her neck.

  She staggered back and thrust out a palm, eyes wide. A spark ignited next to the creature’s chest, and her magic exploded in a violent surge of electricity. The thing was shoved backward before its entrails splattered across the leaves and brush behind it.

  Charity’s head swam and her knees weakened, but she pushed on as another creature jumped toward her. She punched it in the face with her magic. The back of its head blew off. She ran forward on wobbly legs and kicked one of the leathery things like a football. It tried to latch on to her leg, but it couldn’t get purchase. Its little claws ripped her jeans and scraped along her skin before it was airborne.