by Mae Doyle
She quickly undid the bandages that were wrapped around my chest, her fingers light and deft as she untied them. Each time her skin brushed mine, I was overcome with a feeling of comfort and safety, and I quickly realized that I craved her touch.
“Why do you feel so good?” I blurted out as she examined the place where Etris’ dagger cut through my skin. “Why do you make me feel like this?”
She laughed, and I found myself smiling without knowing why. “Like I said, I’m a healer. You’re a witch. We all have our different talents.” She frowned and pressed on the wound, but it didn’t hurt. “How does it feel? I had to do a lot of work to keep you from getting infected. The runes that she had on her dagger…” Tatum shook her head.
“I think that I’m okay.” I had to crane my head to the side to be able to see what she was doing to me, but it never hurt. “I think that I’m going to be fine, don’t you?”
Tatum paused, her fingers still pressing my skin. The silence between us grew until I asked the question again, which seemed to pull her from her thoughts.
“I think that you will,” she said slowly, like she wasn’t entirely sure of herself or didn’t want to tell me the truth. “But I think that she did a lot of damage to your body, and you weren’t strong enough to fight it off on your own.”
I frowned. “Because I was just a new witch?”
She shook her head. “Because she’s a goddess. You being a new witch may have had something to do with it, Emily, but Etris is a goddess. She’s here to make things and bring creation to the realms, but there is one thing that is hers to destroy.”
“The sacrifice.” I knew immediately what Tatum meant, and I remained silent as she wrapped me back up. It wasn’t until she turned away to wash her hands that I spoke again. “How long do I have to stay here?”
“Here?” She raised her eyebrows. “Like…here in my care or here in the realm? Because I have a feeling that those are two totally different answers, and I can only give you one of them.”
“Here in your care.” I already knew that I’d be talking to Aruer about getting to go home. As powerful a healer as Tatum was, she didn’t have anything to do with whether or not I was allowed to leave his Autumn realm, and we both knew it.
“You’re free to go, but I will be checking on you regularly. Her dagger was infused with some sort of dark magic, and some of it got into you. I’m not sure what kind of long-term effect that it’s going to have on you, but it’s something that I want to keep an eye on.”
“How do you know there was dark magic?”
She tilted her head at me. “You saw the runes, right? The way they glowed? They were etched into the blade to give it more power. It’s dark magic though, not something that Aruer or the other gods approve of.”
The runes were dark magic? I’d managed to conjure them somehow, and they’d given me some protection against Etris and her dagger, at least for a bit. As much as I wanted to ask Tatum more, I bit my tongue.
There were only three men who could answer the questions that I had. “Where are the gods now?” I asked, trying to sound like I wasn’t concerned about what she had just said.
That made her chuckle. “They’re right outside, where they’ve been since you were brought here. Don’t think for one second that any of them left, Emily. I’ve been a healer for decades and never seen a more devoted group of men.”
“Decades?” I couldn’t help myself. Tatum looked like she was about twenty. Maybe.
She laughed, and the sound made me smile. “Decades,” she confirmed with a nod of her head. “Now, do you want me to let them in here or do you want to go see them? I think that if I make them wait much longer then they’re all going to explode.”
Chapter 17
I was a little wobbly on my feet, but it felt good to be up and moving. The three gods were all waiting for me outside, and I wanted to go to them. I didn’t want them to see me in the bed like an invalid. I may not be as strong as I was when we all first met, but I was still me.
I knew how seeing someone in a hospital bed or looking sick could change your impression of them, and I didn’t want that to happen. Not with them.
Not when I was so confused about what was going to happen in the future. They all claimed me for their fated mate, and I couldn’t get that thought out of my head as I made my way out the door.
Suros saw me first. He was sitting the closest to the door and had his head propped on one hand while he waited on me. Aruer and Wydar were next to him, but they were engaged in a discussion, or arguing, or something, and they didn’t see me at first.
But Suros did. His eyes lit up and he was on his feet before I’d even had the chance to take one step out of the bedroom.
“Emily, you’re okay! You look better, but tired. Here.” He crossed the room to me and took my hands in his, warming them. I instantly felt my core warm and melt and I leaned into him to get more of his head. I hadn’t realized how cold I’d been in the bed, but being near his summer’s heat was everything that I wanted just then.
“How do you feel?” Aruer appeared at his side, worry creasing his gorgeous brow. I wanted to hug all of the gods, all at once, but I didn’t feel like I had enough energy.
“I feel,” I said slowly, thinking it out, “like if I don’t eat something, I may explode.”
That wasn’t the entire truth. I thought that I was going to explode, yes, but it wasn’t because I was hungry. It was because being that close to the three gods and not having their hands or lips on my body was damn near killing me.
I already knew that kissing Aruer was almost heaven, but I had to push that thought aside. Every muscle below my navel was clenched tight just being this close to the three of them, but I had to focus.
How else was I going to make it through spending time with them if I couldn’t handle the three of them being so near to me?
“Something to eat then,” Aruer said, his deep voice making heat curl between my thighs. “I’ll make sure that you have everything you could possibly want, Emily. Remember, as long as you’re in my realm, you’ll never have to want for anything.”
Wydar was to my left and scoffed. “You think that she would want for things in our realms, Aruer? We all know that you think that you have a claim to Emily just because you were able to bring her to Autumn.”
“Because I saved her from Etris,” Aruer snapped back.
“We fought her off,” Suros reminded Aruer. There was a bit of a bite in his voice and I turned in surprise to look at him. He was the god I knew the least of, but there was something kind and calm in him. To hear him speak like that to Aruer surprised me.
“And you were the one who didn’t vanquish her from your realm correctly,” Wydar said. “That’s why Emily was attacked. Let us not forget that she’s the one we all need to be worried about.”
“I’m okay,” I said, piping up to stop their fighting. My sister had always loved it when boys fought over her in school before she started dating Travis, but I’d always found it exhausting. To have three men, no – gods – fighting over me was so tiring that I just wanted to take a nap.
But then my stomach growled and Aruer chuckled. “You will be soon, my dear. Just a little farther and we’ll be in the great dining hall.”
“The great dining hall?” Wydar sounded amused. “As opposed to the shitty dining hall? Do you have one of those stashed away somewhere, I wonder?”
Aruer frowned at him. “If Emily prefers, she and I can enjoy a quiet meal alone without the two of you harassing us.” He turned to me and caught me chuckling.
“Sorry,” I told him, trying to look embarrassed. “You three are just acting like little kids fighting over an ice cream or something.”
Sorus turned and looked at me, his eyes boring into me. I could practically feel his desire coming off of him in waves. Maybe comparing myself to an ice cream wasn’t the best idea that I’d ever had, because he definitely looked like he wanted to lick me from head to toe.
I blushed hard enough that I could feel the heat radiating from my cheeks. Being licked like an ice cream cone didn’t sound so bad. It was risky, but I glanced over at Aruer and Wydar, too.
They both had the same look on their faces.
I cleared my throat. “Um, so, the great dining hall. Care to tell me what’s so great about it?”
Before Aruer could answer, we pushed through the huge double doors and my jaw dropped open. Okay, he didn’t need to tell me what was so great about it because it was obvious.
The room was huge, to begin with. It was easily the size of a football field and had a high ceiling that was enchanted to look like the night sky. Aurora Borealis swirled across it, painting the ceiling with swirls of bright color and movement.
Multiple fireplaces were set into the walls of the room around the outside, and they all had huge roaring fires going. Giant chandeliers huge from the ceiling, all of the light coming from oversized candles with huge flames.
Directly ahead of us was a large table set for four. It was completely outsized by the rest of the room and I shot Aruer a curious glance.
“We can seat hundreds,” he explained, gesturing around the room with an obvious expression of pride on his face. “But when it’s a more intimate meal then I don’t see a reason to have all of the tables and chairs. I like to keep things simple from time to time.”
“It’s amazing,” I told him, and he grinned at me.
“Just wait until you try the food,” he replied, reaching out to take my hand. Suros resisted at first, then planted a burning kiss on my cheek and let me go.
Every single time I touched Suros I felt like I’d been resting in the sun for hours. He heated me up from the inside, making every molecule of my body vibrate harder and faster than before. Just letting go of him made my body feel cooler than before, and I missed him.
But Aruer didn’t give me much time to miss his heat. He led me slowly to the table, his fingers laced with mine. “I thought that you might like some things you’re familiar with as well as some foods that will be a little new to you,” he told me, leaning down to whisper in my ear.
I felt a shiver run through me. “That’s thoughtful,” I told him. “But I want to try your favorite food.”
His eyes lit up and he grinned. I couldn’t help but smile back. These three gods made me feel more alive than I’d ever felt before, and I still wasn’t sure what that meant for me.
We were all seated and centaurs brought out huge platters, placing them on stands around the table. There was salmon en croute, which Aruer served me with a smile.
“This is my favorite,” he told me. The other gods helped themselves, and by the time they were done giving me food to eat, my plate was almost overflowing with salmon, roasted and fresh vegetables, and incredible fruits.
I picked one up and took a bite, unsure of what it was. Cool juice immediately flowed into my mouth and I moaned, wiping at my chin to keep from making a mess. Immediately, Wydar reached over and caught a drip that I’d missed, making eye contact with me as he sucked it from the tip of his finger.
Holy fuck. That was hot.
I started at him for a moment, completely frozen and feeling unable to take another bite until Aruer cleared his throat.
“Please, Emily, eat up. You need to make sure that you get your energy back after your attack.” He lifted his cup in cheers, and the four of us clinked glasses before eating.
The food was amazing. I’d never tasted such fresh spices, perfectly flaky salmon, or delicious vegetables before. My mom was a great cook, but she had nothing on whoever was running the kitchen.
“This,” I said, motioning with my fork to encompass my whole plate, “is some of the best food I’ve ever had.” I’d heard of ambrosia in heaven, and if that’s what this was, then I could totally see why so many people went on and on in epic poems about how incredible the food was.
Aruer grinned. “Glad you like it, Emily. There’s plenty more of it where that came from, and you never have to worry about not being able to get your favorite meals here.”
The four of us kept eating in silence, which was nice, because it was pretty much the first time that we had all been together without the three of them claiming to be my fated mates or mocking each other to look good in front of me.
A thought occurred to me. “So, where’s Etris? Did you guys kill her?”
Suros swallowed hard. “No, Emily. That’s not something that we can do.” He sounded like he was choosing his words carefully, and I wondered what was going on that would make him talk like that. “Gods can’t kill each other, unfortunately.”
“But she’s a goddess,” I pointed out, stabbing the air with my fork for emphasis. “Doesn’t that have anything to do with it?”
Wydar shook his head. “Same thing, Emily. We can’t kill each other. We can battle and fight and bring each other close to death, but that’s it.” I suddenly remembered I thought that Etris had been going to kill Wydar. He looked fine now, although tired.
I felt cold, and not just because the Winter God was looking at me and talking to me. “So, what? She’s bleeding somewhere and is just going to keep coming back? How the hell is that going to help anything? How is that going to keep me or my family safe? I thought that you were going to kill her.”
My hand was shaking, and I dropped my fork. It fell to my plate with a loud clatter, but none of the gods flinched.
“She’s locked up,” Aruer said, with a sigh. “We can hold her for a while, but I don’t know how long we’ll be able to keep her. She’s going to call for reinforcements, and we have to decide how much of a battle we want to have.”
“A big one. We want to have a big fucking battle and kill the bitch.” I stared at my three gods, shocked that they would even act like it was an option to not kill Etris. “We have her locked up, right? Isn’t there a way to…to drain her power or something? Can’t we do anything to keep her from being powerful again and coming back over and over?”
I suddenly felt exhausted. The very idea of not being able to live a life with Etris, of having to always look over my shoulder in case she was behind me, of knowing that she would come for my family…it was exhausting.
“Emily.” Wydar reached out and rested his hand on my shoulder. “We are going to do everything that we can to protect you. You are everything, and because of that, we’ll do whatever it takes to keep you safe, you just have to trust us.”
“I do, but…” I began, but fell quiet, shaking my head. How was I to explain to these three gods that I needed someone to make sure that my family would be safe? That I needed to feel revenge for Etris killing my sister? That somehow I had to make sure that I would be able to sleep at night, and I sure as hell wasn’t going to be able to do what with her walking around alive?”
“There is one way.” Suros cleared his throat and my head jerked up to look at him. Both Aruer and Wydar shot him a look, but he ignored them, his eyes locked on me. “It’s not the best way, Emily, and it’s dangerous, but there is a way that you can make sure that you and your family are protected.”
“What is it?” Hope swelled in me and I turned to him, reaching for his hand. Instantly, heat flowed into my body, making my whole being feel like it was molten. Suros kept his eyes locked on mine for a moment before answering me.
“Suors,” Aruer warned, but he didn’t continue, and Suros ignored him.
“You could kill her.” Suros sounded sure of himself, but as soon as the words were out of his mouth, I dropped his hand and leaned away from him. Wydar’s hand fell from my shoulder, but I didn’t pay attention. I couldn’t believe what I had just heard.
“I’m sorry? What do you mean, I can kill her? You just sat here and told me that three gods can’t kill her, or did you forget?” It was a good thing that I’d already finished most of my plate, because my stomach twisted up in knots as I spoke. I pushed it away from me and took a long sip of the bubbling drink in my chalice.
It was smooth
and tasted like honey, and I gulped the whole thing down before setting it back on the table with a loud thunk.
Before any of them could speak, I remembered the runes. I wanted to ask the three of them about how I was able to conjure runes that matched the markings on her dagger, but I was beginning to get an idea. If I was the only one who could kill her then it made sense that I would be able to match her magic.
Aruer answered. “It’s not as easy as it sounds, Emily. There are more risks than you can imagine, and she’s not going to go easily for you. I know that it sounds great, but – ”
I stood up, pushing my chair away from the table with a loud screech. “Take me to her. I’ll do it now.” My heart pounded wildly in my chest and it was difficult for me to suck in enough air to get a full breath, but I wasn’t going to back down now.
They’d just told me that I could kill the bitch who murdered my sister and threatened me and my family, and even though it made me queasy, there wasn’t any way that I was going to turn down that opportunity.
“It’s not that easy. You can’t just stroll down to the cells and kill her, Emily. She may be locked up and enchanted, but she’s sill more powerful than you are.” Wydar stood as well and grabbed my hand, forcing me to look at him. Cold ran through my body, cooling my blood, but I wasn’t chilled. I felt totally in control of the situation and my blood was still hotter than normal.
“That’s exactly what I’m going to do,” I told him, but I didn’t pull my hand away from him. Even though I wanted to go kill Etris, I still liked how it felt to be near the gods.
My gods.
Whatever.
I wasn’t sure what to think about them or what I was going to do about this fated mates crap, but I couldn’t deny what they did to me. I couldn’t deny that when I was with them, every cell in my body screamed out for them to touch me. I couldn’t deny that after kissing Aruer I wasn’t able to stop imagining what it would be like to kiss Wydar.
And Suros.
