by Mae Doyle
There was an explosion of light that filled the corridor. It was accompanied by a blast of heat that was so warm I threw myself to the stone floor for some relief. Heat waves flowed through the corridor, each one hotter than the last. Sweat broke out all over my body and I felt like my skin was going to burn up.
“Leave her.” A booming voice cut through the heat, but it was so distorted by the heat waves that, at first, I couldn’t tell who it was.
“Back to your realm with you,” another voice said. Again, it was twisted and distorted, but then I had a pretty good idea of who was coming up behind me. It had to be the gods. If there was a third voice, then I would know for sure that it was them.
“You don’t belong here, Etris. You’re not welcome here. Take your druids and other creatures and go.” That was definitely Aruer. He was the only one who had dominion in the Autumn realm and would be able to banish someone from it.
But could he really banish a goddess?
“You can’t make me leave!” Etris shrieked. “You have no power over me!” I forced my eyes open and was surprised to see that she’d fallen to the ground. She was crawling towards me, her muscles straining with the effort. Her eyes were no longer black, but she still had the dagger clutched in her hand, so I knew that I wasn’t in the clear.
I knew that I’d better go, so I turned and tried to start crawling towards the gods. It was hard moving against the power of the heat wave, and I quickly saw why Etris seemed to be having so much difficulty getting to me.
Each time I pulled myself forward, energy threatened to push me back. I gasped against it, throwing myself forward along the stones.
Suddenly, a hand on my arm made me look up. I hadn’t heard Suros come to me, but he pulled me to my feet, still radiating heat. The heat enveloped Etris, but this close to him, I felt like I could stand.
I could breathe. Leaning against him, I pulled energy from him, trying to draw some strength. He let me, allowing his energy to flow into me so that I got the support that I needed.
“You’re okay now, Emily,” he murmured in my ear. “You just need to let us take care of the rest of this, okay?”
I nodded, my face buried in his shoulder. Even though I wasn’t sure what they were going to do to Etris, I wasn’t sure that I wanted to know. She was horrible, and she needed to die, but I wasn’t strong enough to do it just then.
They had to send her back to her realm, but that would only allow her to have more time to build up more power and to plan what to do to me. I knew that I should stop them from simply sending her back, but I couldn’t muster the energy.
Even as I leaned against Suros, I tried to conjure more energy. I wanted to see the runes that I’d managed to create before, because I honestly thought that they may be my best bet for defeating her.
Aruer was shouting as he walked past us. He had a staff in his hand and slammed it rhythmically into the ground, each time sending out sparks of light. Wydar was at his side, holding a ball of energy in his hands. The energy glowed cold and blue, but I was still protected by Suros, and so I was still warm.
I couldn’t feel any of the magic that they were using, and I was glad for that.
The last time they’d fought Etris, they’d sent me away, but now I turned to watch. I didn’t know how to conjure runes, so I couldn’t kill her. Not now.
But she wanted to kill me, and had tried multiple times. I needed to know what was going to happen to her. For my own sanity, if nothing else, I needed to see her be sent away and know that she was gone, at least for a little while.
Aruer’s chanting grew louder. It was in a language that I didn’t know and I wasn’t sure that I could ever copy or mimic. He rolled his tongue and spat words at her like weapons. She seemed frozen in place and unable to move away from him, and that’s when I realized that Wydar had frozen her where she stood.
She couldn’t move away even if she tried. No matter how powerful she was, she wasn’t nearly as powerful as my three gods when they all decided to work together.
The thought gave me peace and I relaxed even more. Suros slipped his arm around my waist, pulling me in closer to him.
“You’re okay now, Emily. I have you. Aruer and Wydar will send her back to her realm and then she won’t be able to get back so easily to hurt you, okay?” Suros’ voice was smooth, like melted honey, and I leaned even harder into him. Having his arm around me gave me the support that I needed to feel like I could actually make it through all of this.
I needed it from him.
Hell, I needed him, and I was pretty sure that he knew it. He had to know that he was the one who was supporting me and making sure that I didn’t fall over right then, and I loved him for it.
I didn’t answer him. I couldn’t find a way to tell him all of the things that I was feeling, but I did keep my eyes locked on Etris. She was obviously bound by magic, and from the look on her face, whatever spell that Aruer was using to send her back to the Spring realm was working.
Aruer, for his part, looked exhausted. I knew from my parents that major spells could easily take a lot out of you, and he looked like he needed to lay down and rest, but he pushed through it. He kept chanting, his staff beating out a rhythm on the stones, until a bright light filled the corridor once more.
This time, it was accompanied by a ripping sound. I forced my eyes open, even though they burned with the light, and the ripping sound continued. A huge tear in the very fabric of the realm ripped open, and I could clearly see through it to the other side.
It had to be the Spring realm. There was a dizzying amount of flowers of all colors, all of them packed together in a garden. From the tear I could hear a tinkling stream or fountain, but I couldn’t see it. A deer walked past, and then obviously got spooked before running away, its white tail a warning to all who saw it.
And then there were fairies and elves looking through the hole. Etris screamed at them and they jerked their heads back. A druid appeared, and with it, long vines that snaked through the tear into the Autumn realm.
I couldn’t tear my eyes away as the vines reached out and wrapped around Etris. Aruer was still chanting as the vines slowly pulled her through the tear into the other realm. The druid that had been here to help her jumped through the tear and landed with a soft thud on the grass beyond before getting up and running off.
As soon as they were through, Aruer stopped chanting. He slammed his staff once more into the ground, hard enough for it to shatter, and the fabric of the realm knit itself back up.
It was like there hadn’t ever been a hole there. I pulled away from Suros, but he kept his arm around my waist to give me support. My jaw was hanging open as I stared at the spot where Etris had just been.
“Is she gone for good?” I swallowed hard and turned to Aruer. It was his realm, after all, and so I was sure that he would be the one to know whether or not we’d ever see her again. “Is she really gone or will she be back?”
His shoulders were slightly slumped, but he pushed them back and stood up when he spoke to me. “She’s gone for now, Emily. I did everything that I could to save you.”
Without thinking about it, I pushed away from Suros and ran to him, throwing my arms around him. He immediately wrapped his arms around me, pulling me close. I could feel the residual energy pouring off of his body, and I breathed it in. He protected me – they all did. When I needed them the most they somehow knew it and came to save me.
“You saved me,” I told him, tilting my head up and kissing him. My body responded immediately to the feeling of his lips on mine. I felt a hot surge tear through me and settle right below my navel. All of my muscles felt bunched and tight as he kissed me back.
He finally pulled away, a smile on his face, but I wanted more. I could tell that he did, too, by the way his hard cock pushed into me, but he managed to control himself. “We all came as soon as we could, Emily. But as you probably know, Etris put a spell on us to make sure that we wouldn’t be able to feel you reaching ou
t for us.”
“Then how did you know?” It hadn’t occurred to me until that moment that I should wonder about how they found out that I needed their help. I was just grateful that they had come when they did and saved me.
“Goreon let us know what you needed our help,” Wydar said, walking over to kiss me on the cheek. His touch immediately helped to cool my hot skin, but it didn’t do anything for the fire burning inside of me. If anything, having him touch me like that made it even worse, and I had to stifle a moan.
I knew what it was like to be with him, and gods help me, I wanted it again, but right then I had to focus. “How did Goreon know?” I frowned a little, trying to think it through. He’d proven himself to be loyal to Aruer and to me from the moment I met him, but that didn’t explain how he would have been able to see through Etris’ plan.
“She didn’t enchant him,” Suros said, gesturing down the corridor.
I stiffened a moment, trying to imagine what he could be pointing at, but then I heard hooves and I relaxed. Goreon appeared out of the darkness, walking slowly, like he was embarrassed.
“Goreon!” I let go of Aruer and ran over to him, throwing my arms around him for a hug. “You saved me! How in the world did you know that I needed your help?”
He blushed hard when I stepped back and glanced at Aruer before answering. “I was asked to keep an eye on you, Emily. When you left your tower, I had a pretty good idea of what you were going to go to, but I couldn’t rouse the gods right away. It took longer than I thought to be able to get to you, and honestly, I’m just glad that you’re okay.”
I turned to Aruer. “You three had me followed?”
Suros laughed and came to me, planting a hot kiss on my forehead. “Did you really think that we were going to let you out of our sight, Emily? You are our fated mate. You are everything to us.”
Wait, what?
How did we go from them fighting over me to Suros claiming that I was their fated mate?
Chapter 23
I didn’t get the chance to talk to them about it for a few days. After Aruer sent Etris back to her realm, he and the other two gods immediately started working hard to improve the safety of the Autumn realm, which meant that I had a lot of time to myself.
It also meant that I had plenty of time to worry about my family. That was what was on my mind when I finally cornered Aruer after dinner. The four of us had been eating together, but most of the conversation had been dominated about what to do about Etris and how to keep the other three realms safe.
Suros and Wydar were going to return to their home realms for a bit to make sure that everything was okay there, and Aruer wanted to go with them.
He and I were walking along a path in his garden when I finally got the nerve to ask him what was on my mind. It wasn’t that Aruer was scary, but he was tall and handsome, his strong features always giving me pause when I knew that I wanted to talk to him about something, and this was no different.
“Aruer,” I finally said, stopping to face him. We were holding hands, our energy flowing back and forth between us. I’d been practicing controlling my energy and using my magic, but I still found that it was hard for me when I was around them. It was like I just wanted to let everything go and be completely consumed by the power they gave me.
He read the look on my face instantly. “What’s wrong, Emily? You look worried.”
“I am,” I told him, nodding a little. “I’m worried that the three of you are going to leave me and I’m going to just be worried about you. I’m afraid that if you go that you may not come back. And I’m scared for my parents. I don’t know what they must be going through right now, and I’m sure that they’re worried about me.”
The look on his face told me that he’d been worried about that, too, and he pulled my hand to turn me and start walking again. I noticed that we weren’t heading for the garden any longer, but were cutting back to the castle, but I didn’t say anything.
“I’m worried about all of those things, too, Emily,” he said finally. “But the other gods and I have to make sure that you’re safe. We also have to protect our realms.”
“And my parents,” I added. I had to make sure that they were okay. As happy as I was here, surrounded by my gods, getting kisses every time I turned around, I couldn’t fully relax until I knew that they were safe. I didn’t put it past Etris to hurt my family.
“And your parents,” he echoed. “We have a plan to protect them, but first we have to protect our realms. Our people rely on us, Emily. Do you understand that?”
I did, but it also solidified in my mind what I thought that I needed to do. “You can protect your realms, but I can’t stay here while you do,” I told him. His face fell, just like I knew that it would. “You three go to save the realms and let me go save my parents.”
He paused, and I could see that he was really thinking about what I had just said. I wasn’t sure that he would agree to it. After all, what match was I against Etris and all of her creatures if she decided to attack? Then again, I was the only one who could kill her, or so they all had told me.
I just hoped that they were right. Or that I wouldn’t run into her.
Either of those would be fine.
“You can’t stop me,” I told him, even though I was pretty sure that he totally could, if he wanted to. They were gods, after all, and I was nothing but a witch.
“I wouldn’t dream of it. But you won’t be there long, Emily. I don’t see that it will take the three of us long to protect our realms, and as soon as that is done, we are all coming for you. Do you understand? This isn’t goodbye.”
I had to choke back the tears that I felt threatening to well up in my eyes. “I don’t want it to be,” I told him. We were close to his castle now, the open doors to his quarters just a few yards away. “I want to be with you. Now and later.”
His eyes darkened and his breathing deepened to match mine. I felt excitement well up in me as his eyes swirled, dark fall colors and gold moving and mixing together as he looked at me. It was exactly how I felt when I looked at him.
When I looked at any of my gods.
Like I would do anything for them. I wanted them all, wanted them to all love me and need me, and they did. That meant that I was free to need them, and I wasn’t sure that I was going to be able to stop. Before I could think any longer about the fact that I was leaving for a while, I reached up, looping my arms around his neck so that I could run my fingers through his hair.
It was thick, and I forked my fingers through it, forcing him to tilt his head down to me. His lips found mine, crushing them under his, and I moaned into his mouth as he kissed me. He was all fire and heat, a cool breeze sweeping through my core as he we kissed, but it did nothing to calm the fire burning in me.
I had to have him.
I’d known since I saw him that I had to have him, and now that I was leaving for a bit, I needed to feel him. I needed him to fill me, claim me, and love me like he said that he did.
We pulled back, but just long enough for him to scoop me up and carry me to his room. A stiff wind blew through the doors, and he nodded at them, slamming them shut behind us. I wanted privacy, and he could tell. I wanted to be alone with him as he felt my curves, tasted me, and took me to his own heaven.
His lips fell on mine and he reached up, slipping my jacket off of my arms. I shrugged out of it and pulled on his clothes, needing to get them off of him as quickly as possible. He stepped back, his molten eyes locked on mine, and stripped.
Holy. Fuck.
Aruer was all muscle. He was tanned and strong, each muscle twisting in the light of his room as he turned in front of me. My jaw dropped open as I followed the V down his front, heat and wet pooling between my legs.
He was gorgeous, and he deserved to be worshipped like the god that he was.
Without knowing what I was doing, I fell to my knees in front of him. His huge cock bobbed in front of my face and I took it into my hands, carefully li
cking along its length before taking him into my mouth. Immediately, he moaned, grabbed the back of my head, and helped to guide me along his shaft.
I groaned, my eyes closed with the pleasure of him in me. He was thick and hot, his whole body hard and tight under my hand when I reached up to stroke his muscles. I could feel him tremble as he held back, and I realized that I didn’t want him to.
I didn’t want him to hold back. I wanted him to need me and to take whatever it was from me, so I stood up, still stroking his throbbing cock with one hand.
“Take me,” I told him. He sucked in a breath, and I lifted my chin. “I’m yours, Aruer. You said that I’m your fated mate, and I want you to take me like it. I want you to show me how much you want me. Do whatever you will with me.”
He growled, a guttural sound that made all of the hair on my body stand straight up, and then he stripped me, his mouth hot as he landed kisses on my exposed skin. My nipples hardened immediately under his touch, and I felt the throbbing between my legs grow more insistent.
“I love you, Emily,” he whispered, pushing some of my hair back from my neck so that he could nip lightly along it. Flames licked my inner thighs and I thrust forward for him, moaning when he reached down between my legs to stroke me.
His touch did not put out the flames that I felt for him. They leapt higher as he slowly rubbed my clit, his fingers working smoothly and slowly as they slipped around and into me. I was soaking wet and he plunged two fingers into me, causing me to arch my back and cry out.
I needed more of him, and I reached for him, hungry for his mouth on me. He kissed me, bringing heat into every cell of my being, and I moaned, rocking against him, trying to force more of his fingers into me.
Aruer pulled back then picked me up, swinging my legs around his strong waist so that he could carry me to his bed. I kissed him, frantically, my teeth nipping up his neck to his ear as he walked me to the bed. When he tossed me onto it, I barely had enough time to push myself back from the edge before he fell on me, squeezing one nipple in between his fingers, the other in his hot mouth.
