by Mae Doyle
“Will he be okay?” I asked, even though I knew that none of the centaurs would be able to promise me that. They weren’t there to help, and there wasn’t any way that they could tell how Aruer would fare.
“He’ll be fine. Look.” One centaur pointed and I stared at the bright sky, trying to see what he was looking at. It took a moment, but I saw snow.
“Snow? Why in the world would it be snowing?” I asked, but they didn’t answer me. I’d heard that centaurs tended to be a bit quiet and reluctant to share their thoughts, but it was getting ridiculous.
“Because we have a visitor. Another unannounced visitor.” I recognized Goreon’s voice and turned to him. He was staring at the spot in the sky where it was snowing with a frown. “Aruer hates it when they do this.”
“When who does what?” I looked again, and this time I saw what they were looking at. It was Wydar, riding in on a blast of frozen winter air. Snow swirled around him as he flew across the sky towards the melee. A blast of cold air from him slammed into us and I shivered in my dress.
“Will Suros come?” One of the centaurs asked, but I already knew in my heart that he was on his way. The cold air that had swept over us was immediately replaced by a hot blast of air and I had to shield my eyes from the sun as it grew in intensity.
Suros was right behind Wydar. The two of them were going to help Aruer to make sure that he could easily defeat Etris. For me.
The thought gave me chills. I didn’t quite understand why they would want to fight for me or why they’d be willing to put their lives or the lives of their creatures on the line. Aruer claimed that I was his fated mate and said that Wydar thought something stupid about me.
I froze. I certainly didn’t believe in the idea of fated mates, but I couldn’t help but wonder whey all three of the gods were so willing to fight for me.
Goreon and the other centaurs didn’t give me much time to think about it. “We need to go, Emily. The gods have this under control, but that doesn’t mean that we need to stand around and watch, just in case Etris sends fairies out looking for you.”
“You’re afraid of fairies?” I raised an eyebrow at him.
He scoffed and pawed the ground. “Everyone is afraid of fairies, my dear. They’re more persistent than your little mosquitos, and they carry daggers. Now, let’s get you in the castle and under the protection of some enchantments, what do you say?”
“I’d rather watch.”
Goreon rolled his eyes. “Sure, we all would, but I don’t want to be around when Aruer finds out that we let his fated mate stand around at the battle when she was just a wee baby witch.”
“Fated mate?” Now I really wasn’t going anywhere. “What do you know about that? Why would you say that?”
The other centaurs wouldn’t look at me, but Goreon threw his arm around my shoulders and started guiding me to the castle. “Tell you what, Emily. You come with me and I’ll tell you everything that I know. What do you say?”
I glanced back over my shoulder one more time. The fighting had gotten even more intense, and every once in a while we heard someone scream. Maybe Goreon was right. I hated that he called me a wee baby witch, but my powers were obviously no match against Etris’.
But if he thought that this meant that I wasn’t going to kill her in the future, then he was wrong.
Chapter 11
“Talk to me. I want to know everything that you do.” I was being rude, and I knew it, but I didn’t really care. Goreon was taking his time pouring us some chai, and while I should have been enjoying the view of the room we were in, I couldn’t wait.
I needed to know what he did about me being a fated mate with Aruer.
Goreon sighed at me. “Good chai takes time. You need to learn patience.”
“What are you, Yoda?” I snapped back, before feeling bad that there was absolutely no way that he knew who that was. My thought was confirmed when he frowned at me in confusion and then kept working.
Okay. I blew out a breath and sat back in my chair, trying to relax. It was damn comfortable, and I should have been able to curl up and feel right at home if it weren’t for the circumstances. The chair had an ornate craved back and arms but the cushions were plump and molded to my body when I moved. Like the room where I’d woken up in the tower, there were huge exposed beams on the ceiling.
Giant chandeliers hung from them with flickering flames dancing and lighting up the room. A fire roared in a fireplace that was taller than I was across the room, but even though it should have been making the room wait too hot to be comfortable, it didn’t seem to be putting out much or any heat.
Goreon caught me looking at it and explained. “Think of it as artwork, Emily. God Aruer loves his fireplaces, and you’ll see that there’s at least one in every room of the castle.”
“There wasn’t one in my room in the tower.”
He grinned. “There sure is, but it was behind a tapestry. We covered up a lot of things on the walls so that you wouldn’t get overwhelmed up there, but I see that it didn’t really work, did it?”
He must have known that I slipped down the staircase that was tucked behind a tapestry, and I knew that I should feel a little embarrassed, but I didn’t. Aruer shouldn’t have thought that he could just bring me here and not expect me to go poking around.
“Every room? Even the bathrooms?”
Goreon grinned. “But of course. I imagine, after the battle is over outside, that God Aruer will be happy to give you a tour of his castle, if you’d like. But first, tea.” He finally took a cup into his large hands and sniffed it, sighing with pleasure. “Centaurs make the best chai, Emily. Don’t you forget that. If you ever want something delicious to drink, you only need to ask one of us for help.”
“Thanks, but I don’t plan on staying.” The chai danced across my tongue and I had to hold back a sigh. Goreon already knew how amazing his chai was, and there wasn’t any reason to make him even more cocky.
“You don’t think so?” Goreon pinned me in place with his dark eyes. Unlike the gods’, or witches’ eyes, they didn’t sparkle or flow, but were dark steely points, like obsidian. Flames from across the room flickered in them, but when he turned his head, they disappeared.
I let out a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding.
Of course, he didn’t have real flames in his eyes. That was ridiculous to even think.
“I think that I need to get back home as quickly as possible. My parents are going to be distraught after what happened to my sister and the fact that I was taken from them without any warning.” I had a feeling that I needed to choose my words carefully, even though I really wanted to snap at him.
Goreon hadn’t done anything wrong, but it seemed like Aruer trusted him and valued his input. I didn’t want to piss him off on accident.
He nodded and took another sip before speaking. “That’s something that you’re going to have to discuss with your fated mate, Emily. Aren’t you the least bit interested in knowing why you belong with him?”
“I don’t belong with anyone!” Anger flared in me and I stood up, putting the teacup back down on the table. Then I thought better of it and picked it back up. I was pissed, sure, but it was delicious.
“Okay.” Goreon continued to drink his chai without saying another word. I stood for a moment, feeling uncomfortable, but then sat back down.
“I’m sorry,” I said, trying to sound like I really meant it. “I just don’t know what’s going on and all of this crap about fated mates seems like that. Crap.”
He nodded. “It’s overwhelming at first, sure, but you need to understand that what’s going on here is bigger than you, Emily. It’s bigger than your sister and bigger than the fact that the gods are teamed up against the goddess outside for you. I know that you want to go home, but Aruer, Suros, and Wydar are the only things keeping you alive right now.”
That made a chill run through me and I wished that the fireplace wasn’t just for show. I could use some of
its crackling heat right now to make me feel better.
“What’s my role in all of this?” I asked, but before Goreon could answer, there were loud footsteps behind me. Three sets of them.
I whipped around in my chair and gasped when I saw the three gods walking towards me. Aruer led the other two and had a streak of blood across his cheek. Wydar and Suros didn’t have any visible damage, but they were all breathing heavily.
“Aruer!” Without thinking about what I was doing, I put down my cup and leapt from my chair, running around it to get to him. My body felt like it was being pulled along on an invisible string and I had to get to him, no matter what.
No, that wasn’t it. My body felt like it was on fire and that being near him was the only way for me to get relief. I felt the same flicking of heat inside my thighs as I always did when I was near any of the gods, and I felt my nipples harden under the cool breeze that swept in front of Wydar.
“Are you hurt?” Somehow, I forced myself to stop in front of him, but I couldn’t keep from reaching up and lightly touching his face. The cut wasn’t bad, but everyone knew that head wounds bled more than normal, so I wasn’t surprised that it was oozing even now.
“Etris managed to hit me with a spell when I was distracted,” he said darkly, his molten eyes locking onto mine. “I’d turned to make sure that you had gotten safely away, and she took her chance. Luckily, Wydar and Sorus were here or I’m sure that I would be even worse for the wear.”
I cupped his cheek in my hand and felt the familiar throb that passed between the two of us when we touched. “I’ll get a washcloth and clean it for you. Wait here.”
I’d turned around, looking for the kitchen, when Wydar stopped me. “It’s a wound caused by magic, Emily. A washcloth won’t do anything to help it.”
Goreon cleared his throat. “I’ll make a poultice, God Aruer.”
Aruer nodded at him and then brushed past me to sit. My heart pounded in my chest as I watched him. I’d only known him for hours, but I’d never seen him look weak like this before. It was scary to think that the gods themselves weren’t as immortal and powerful as we’d been led to believe.
“And Etris? Where did she go? Is she still here or did you kill her?” I had to know where the goddess was, especially since she wanted to spill my blood.
“She’s gone for now,” Suros explained. “But I’m sure that she’ll be back for you, Emily. We may have driven her off today, but her pride isn’t going to allow her to accept any defeat when it comes to her being able to kill you. But you don’t need to worry. We won’t let that happen.”
Before I realized what he was doing, he crossed over to me and grabbed my hand, lacing his fingers through mine. There was a warm flow of energy from him. He was the god of summer, after all, and I suddenly felt the joy and excitement of a long summer day stretching out in front of me. It was like when I was a kid and I knew that everything was going to be okay, that I was going to enjoy the heat of the day and cool off in the pool, and that I’d be perfectly safe while doing it.
But that wasn’t all that there was when he touched me. There was also a pooling ache that started low in my stomach and started to spiral up through my body. Unlike the hot flames of desire that I felt around Aruer, this ache got into my bones, causing me to lean towards him.
All of the gods had some way to affect me, and Suros was no different. The longing I felt was almost overwhelming, and when I looked up into his strong face, I wasn’t surprised to see it mirrored there.
He wanted me.
“Emily, I need you to know why I would risk everything for you. You are my fated mate, and I’m willing to do whatever it takes to rescue you and keep you safe. All you have to do is name what you want from me and I’m wiling to make it happen. No matter what it is.”
I swore and my jaw dropped open.
I could handle one god claiming to be my fated mate, but two? Well, hell, I couldn’t really handle one of them pulling that shit, but it was a hell of a lot better than dealing with two starry-eyed gods.
They had the literal power to kill me or destroy the world from their realm on high and had no reason not to do it.
“I…,” I began, but a sharp bark of a laugh cut me off.
“You’re her fated mate?” It was Wydar, and he sounded cynical, like he really couldn’t believe what was happening. “The god of summer claims a human witch as his fated mate? You’ve got to be kidding me.”
I glanced over at Aruer, who had sat down to wait for Goreon, but had just stood back up to walk over to us.
“I am her fated mate,” Sorus assured Wydar, squeezing my hand even tighter. A wave of heat and pleasure washed over me, settling between my legs. I’d never felt like this before, never had a guy want to make me feel like this, and now there were three ridiculous hot gods competing for my attention?
It made no sense.
“And to prove it, Sorus continued, “I’m willing to do whatever it is that Emily wants. All she has to do is ask and I’m willing to do it. Call it a labor of love, if you will, I think that’s the term that humans use.”
Before I could answer, Aruer spoke up. He looked pale and his blood stood out on his cheek, but he was frowning and looked more terrifying than hurt.
My heart beat faster just seeing his face.
“Both of you,” he growled at Suros and Wydar, “need to leave my fated mate alone. You are both guests in my realm, and do not think for an instant that I will not have you both forcibly removed. You can’t stay unless I want you to.”
Wydar chuckled. “I don’t know about him,” he said, shooting a look at Suros, “but I brought backup. Do you want to play the game of who has the bigger dick, Aruer? You want to do that right here on your realm and in your castle? Because I guarantee you that my cock is larger and that I know what to do with it.”
This last sentence was meant for both Aruer and me and he winked at me.
Fuck. My face flamed bright and I was almost grateful when I felt his cooling aura reach out and wash over me.
Almost.
Chapter 12
I was in the middle of a stand-off with three gods who all seemed convinced that I was to be their fated mate, and I wasn’t sure what the hell I was supposed to do about it.
First things first, probably get a clearer head, and that meant that I had to drop Suros’ hand, even though I liked the warmth that he was pumping through me. It made me feel relaxed, though, and I couldn’t be complacent. Not right then. Not when three gods were threatening to rip each other apart over me.
“Okay,” I said, finally managing to get my fingers pulled out of Suros’ grip, “we all need to talk, I think.” He let me go, but his aura immediately reached out and wrapped around me. It felt like a warm cocoon and I paused for a moment, enjoying the way it made my molten core burn even hotter.
“We do,” Aruer agreed. “Because I claimed you as my fated mate. I knew it from the moment I saw you and smelled you, Emily. You have been meant to be mine from the beginning of time, but I had to wait centuries for you. You can’t expect me to wait any longer, can you?”
Uh, centuries of waiting for me? I wasn’t quite sure what to say to that, so I decided to ignore it.
“I obviously can’t be anyone’s fated mate,” I told them. “I’m a witch, and I don’t belong here.”
They all looked at me blankly, like they heard what I was saying but it didn’t make any sense.
“Here.” Wydar pulled something from his pocket and held it out for me. “I brought you this as a sign of my affection. It’s to show you what you can look forward to when you join me in our realm.”
Our realm?
When the hell did that happen? I didn’t even have a car or a summer job, so there was no way in hell that I could have a realm.
Without thinking about it, I reached out to take what he had to give me. He dropped a snow globe into my hand, or at least, I thought that it was a snow globe.
It looked like the one
s that we had on earth, but it was heavier than ones I’d held before. There was a gold bottom to it and the glass was cold to my touch. Inside the globe was a castle in minute detail. Small creatures walked around outside it, some of them making and throwing snowballs. The sky was dark and moody like it would be before a blizzard, and the snow fell constantly from the top.
I didn’t have to shake it or flip it to make it snow, which surprised me. All of the snow globes that I’d had in the past required you to flip and shake them to make it snow, and they didn’t last very long before they started to leak.
This wasn’t an ordinary snow globe, if that’s what it even was. It looked like I was watching a movie, or – better yet – like I was looking in on a tiny town.
“Is this your realm?” When I finally realized what it probably was, I looked up into Wydar’s grinning face. He looked thrilled that I had figured it out and he nodded.
“That’s our castle.” He leaned over me and pointed to it, making me catch my breath. I’d thought for sure that I might be immune to how he made me feel, but it must have just been because he and I hadn’t been close enough yet for me to feel something for him.
The draw was instant and powerful. A heat inside of Wydar felt like a hot fire on a freezing night and I leaned into him as he pointed down at the snow globe.
“You will rule over the realm from here,” he said. “And these show your subjects. Look how some of them play, and some of them are working. It’s showing in real-time what’s happening back in our realm. All of them will love you, Emily, I can feel it.”
Woah. All of this was moving too quickly. Sara always talked about how Travis made her feel and how they dreamed of a future together even though she knew that she couldn’t ever have one, but I didn’t think that I’d ever find a guy like that.
