by Brenda Trim
I arched my back, shoving more of my breast into his mouth while moaning loudly. I should worry Grams would hear and come to see what was up, but I was too lost in the moment.
My muscles clamped down on him when I felt one of his fingers reach between our bodies and press over my clit while he shifted his mouth to my other breast. It was enough to send me careening over the edge.
My orgasm exploded out of me, His mouth crashed down on mine, and he swallowed the way I screamed his name. He grunted and jerked above me seconds before I felt his seed shoot from him and into me.
I collapsed against the mattress and tried to catch my breath. “As much as I don’t want to stop what we are doing, we should get cleaned up. The others will be here soon.”
Bas withdrew, picked me up, and then carried me into my bathroom, where he flipped on the water. He finally removed my bra and took several steps away from me. “I’d better keep my distance, or we won’t get through this shower.”
I laughed and stepped beneath the spray. My body was languid despite the aches and pains. Now that the sex was done, my mind returned to what was ahead of us. The post-coital bliss evaporated and left me shivering as my heart started beating faster. We were walking into a war, and we might not all make it back.
Chapter 8
I grabbed hold of my grandmother and held her tight. She patted my back and returned the embrace. She smelled like always, and her hug was close to the same. She was smaller, but I felt the love she had for me through our connection. It was enough to remind me I wasn’t alone in the world, and no matter what, I still had her.
It would suck if I came back and she was back to being a ghost again, but I would rather have that than lose her forever.
“Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine. And you will, too. You’re a Shakleton, don’t forget it. And don’t let his pathetic illusions fool you. You can see through them.”
I released her and brushed a tear away from my cheek. “He’s nothing more than a power-hungry asshole. And there’s a reason he has to steal magic and strength from others.”
“Yeah, because he has none of his own,” Aislinn added with a snort.
Violet adjusted the straps on her backpack and tugged on the straps over her shoulders. “He probably has a small dick, too. He has to be compensating for more than being weak.”
“He’s small in every sense of the word.”
“Grams!” I couldn’t believe she was joining in the ribbing. She’d always told Violet and me it was crass to talk about sex and sexual organs like we did. “How would you know he’s small?” I couldn’t help but wonder at the certainty in her tone.
“I wasn’t always married to your grandfather. And I was gorgeous in my youth.” Grams crossed her arms over her chest and cocked one hip to the side as she struck an indignant pose.
“You still are. Please tell me you didn’t sleep with him.” My stomach rebelled at the thought.
Grams’ expression screwed up into a grimace as she shuddered. “Hell no. I wouldn’t touch him with Camille’s hands. Vodor tried to seduce me and was brazen in his attempts to get me into his bed. I have never been stupid or naïve. Now, remember your offensive spells and attack before your enemy has a chance to hit you with a stun spell.”
Emotion clogged my throat, making it impossible to respond right away. I loved her so much, and there was a good chance she would die before we returned. This might be the last time I was able to hug her. It was surprising how difficult it was to walk away when you were looking at the end.
I’d wasted so much time before she passed away. I should have visited more often. Hindsight is always 20-20. There is no changing the past, only taking what you learn and making different choices in the future.
“I won’t forget. Are you guys ready?” Each of my friends nodded, and I centered my mind, pushing aside the need to hold onto Grams and never let go.
I climbed the two steps and glanced up as I passed beneath the archway of skulls. There was no door to open and no walls hiding what I was doing. It felt weird to be out in the open while dealing with the portal. It had been protected from view for centuries before Vodor destroyed the building around it like a two-year-old throwing a tantrum. Thankfully, even if anyone was watching from the shadows, they wouldn’t be able to make it work. No one outside the family would be able to open the passage.
I walked into the open space and noticed the stone sarcophagus was still there. We’d have to recreate the stained-glass window that decorated the upper section of the far wall.
Lifting my hands, I chanted the spell to open the portal. Faster than ever before, an oval appeared and hovered in the middle of the room with light surrounding it. When I looked at the image, it was disorienting to see the woods around Pymm’s Pondside with the Fae world overlapping it.
It made my eyes cross and reminded me of those images made up almost entirely of one number or letter. You had to pick out the different one. I turned when I heard footsteps. The others joined me in the open structure, and together, we scanned the view on the other side.
The bright green, almost neon grass was serene, and the trees were placid. I didn’t even see a brownie. Like usual, the sweet scent of flowers carried on the breeze through the opening.
“Do you think there is an army waiting to ambush us?” My hand tightened around one of the knives Bas had made me. It reminded me of an Ogun blade. It looked like an elongated arrowhead with a handle that had intricate braiding on it. My son collected different knives, and this style was one of his favorites.
Finarr rolled his head, cracking his neck. “I think we have to assume they’re there and hidden behind a glamour.”
Aislinn held her dagger with both hands and shuffled her feet. Violet held her blade loosely at her side while staring at the Fae realm with steely eyes. “We’re ready.” I’d known Violet my entire life.
“As much as I want you guys to stay here and stay safe, I’m glad you’re here with me,” I admitted.
Violet smiled then. “Womb to tomb, baby. The Backside of Forty will always have your back.” I laughed at our motto, ‘womb to tomb.’ When my parents moved me away, Violet and I swore a pact with each other that we’d always be friends, no matter what. And we had. For many years it meant expensive long-distance phone bills and summers spent with Grams. Social media made staying in touch simple.
“Agreed. Although, I hope things get a lot less dangerous soon.” Aislinn’s words were clipped, and her chest was rising and falling rapidly. I hoped she didn’t hyperventilate.
“See you on the flip side,” Argies called out before he and Finarr stepped up to the passage then walked through. I didn’t see them in Eidothea, and it made me wonder how long it would take for them to travel there. Given the way Kairi and Finarr had stepped right through when they came to Earth, I expected it to be instantaneous.
The seconds passed incredibly slowly, making me grind my teeth. When they appeared with their weapons raised, I breathed a sigh of relief. It was clear they were trained for battle as they immediately scanned the area, then turned to face us and nodded.
“You two go next. Fiona and I will be right behind you.”
“Put your weapons away. The first time I went through, I fell. The last thing we need is for you guys to stab yourselves by accident.”
Violet gave me a ‘duh’ look. “You were pulled through by one of the King’s soldiers, but I’d rather not take the chance.”
Both of them tucked their weapons in the big pocket of their packs, then clasped hands and walked through the passage.
I turned to Grams and pulled her into another hug. “I love you so much, Grams. I can’t wait to get back and learn potions and spells from you.”
“Love you to the moon and back. I’ll be waiting for you to return…” Shouting cut Grams off.
“Time to go, Butterfly.” Sebastian’s voice was deep with a growl to it. I gasped when I saw the soldiers fighting my friends.
“Be carefu
l, Fiona.” Grams’ voice was cut off when I sucked in a breath, and we entered the portal.
Between steps, darkness encompassed me, and my hair whipping around my head in the wind created in the portal. I was surprised to find it easier to breathe this time. It had to be the opposing forces that cut off my ability to get oxygen to my brain and body the first time I went through the thing.
Adrenalin dumped into my system as I went through the dark tunnel. My mind conjured a million horrible sights I would see when we landed in Eidothea. My friends were fighting Vodor’s soldiers, and I couldn’t stop thinking they would be killed.
Before I got so carried away that I was hyperventilating, lights flashed around me, making black spots dance in my vision. The next thing I knew, I was being squeezed through a tight space. The compression around me disappeared, and I braced myself for what came next.
The sound of fighting and shouting reached my ears at the same time I was unceremoniously dropped onto a sunny, grassy field—nothing like failing on your bad knee when your friends were literally fighting for their lives. Thank God I hadn’t fallen on the knife I still clutched in my hand.
Sebastian sprung to his feet immediately, pulling me with him. I tightened my grip on my weapon and followed behind him as he rushed to help our friends. There were at least a dozen soldiers.
One of them stepped away from the group, drawing my attention. I diverted to tackle him. Either he was chickening out and trying to get away with his life, or he was up to something. A fist came flying toward me, and I had to dive forward. I’d seen actors lunging into smooth summersaults on movies and tried to execute the same move.
“Gah!” I screeched when my head hit hard and was forced to the side. I tumbled more than rolled and swung my knife as I cleared the ground. I managed to nick the Fae chasing me and avoided getting hit in the face. Unfortunately, he managed to stomp on my thigh. A loud crack echoed right before pain stole my breath.
“Ah, it’s the half-breed Mundie,” the Fae that had stepped away observed.
I pushed to my feet with great effort and tossed a fireball at him while I was standing up. It hit him on the side of his left leg. Payback’s a bitch. It gave me time to punch the soldier coming after me. I braced myself and cast a shield around my body. I wasn’t expecting it when his fist flew into my face. Forking hell, that hurt.
Pain exploded, and my vision was cut off in my right eye. I dropped my weapon as I fell to the ground and waited for blood to pour from the injury. Nothing happened, and I tried to crawl toward my friends. I didn’t make it far when the first soldier limped toward me and grabbed a fistful of my hair.
I bite back the scream that wanted to escape. I had no desire to distract Sebastian when he was in the middle of three guards. I needed to develop a plan about striking out at more than one of them while healing my leg and eye. The heaviness and pain in the right side of my face told me I likely had a hyphema. If I didn’t lower the pressure, I could lose my vision.
Grams’ advice popped into my head, and I tossed out a stun spell. It was the first thing that came to mind. My jaw dropped when the soldier in front of me laughed and lifted an amulet. My chant was sucked inside and didn’t do a thing to the guy.
My heart kicked into overdrive. I cast a healing spell and felt it tingle through my face and leg. These bastards were relentless, and my progress was cut short when one of them grabbed a fistful of my hair. Instinctually my hand flew to the top of my head. Needing to get free before I was killed, I clawed at his hands and fought to get free. That didn’t bode well for us. He yanked hard, and I swear he tore out a chunk of my hair. Asshole! My thick locks had thinned out quite a bit with age. The last thing I needed was to lose anymore.
I needed to catch them off guard. My fire burned the first guy leaving behind the smell of his singed flesh. Scrabbling with one hand and trying to keep them from pulling me away from my friends, I lowered the other and touched his leg while releasing my fire. I was immune to my flames and didn’t need to worry I would catch fire when I lit the asshole holding me on fire.
He shouted and let me go while bating at his hand and leg. The other soldier jumped in and wrapped beefy arms around me. I twisted and turned and tried to reach the second blade in my backpack but didn’t get very far.
Violet’s scream pierced the afternoon and froze my blood. It was a blood-curdling sound filled with pain. Looking over, I saw her holding one shoulder while blood poured from a large gash over the top. I saw white poke out from the middle of the gore.
Rage filled me. I refused to let these jerks take my best friend from me. I inhaled and held my breath along with the energy building in my chest. I released it in a loud scream and grimaced when the soldier holding me exploded in a shower of blood, bones, and guts.
Rather than waste any time, I raced for my friend and snatched my knife from the grass as I went. My arm was in motion when I reached Violet’s side. The blade sliced through a guard’s neck, making him release Violet to grab his wound.
I kicked him in the chest and sent him into another soldier while closing the distance to Violet at the same time. From the corner of my eye, the guard I burned was running for us, and two others had diverted from attacking Finarr and Argies. It was then that I saw Aislinn was sandwiched between the two Fae.
That eased the knot in my gut. I was building up to an explosion if I didn’t find her soon. “Are you okay?” I assessed the injury and made note the white was bone. It was deep and made me wonder if she would be able to keep the limb. I couldn’t treat her here, and I didn’t think there were any hospitals.
Violet was a concerning shade of grey, which told me more than her words. “I’ll be alri…watch out!”
My hand shot out to my side automatically, and the bomb left my hand before I had fully formed the thought. When there wasn’t an explosion, I realized the soldier must have used an amulet.
It had distracted him enough that I was able to plunge the knife into his chest then yank it out. Violet no longer held a weapon. I didn’t recall her having one in her hand, so maybe she hadn’t been able to retrieve it from her bag. She’d been vulnerable because I didn’t want them crossing with knives in their hands.
I stabbed out at the soldier, darting forward but never really making a move. “They can get through my shields, and they aren’t using many spells. Can you access your magic? I don’t think they will be able to absorb your power.”
“I can’t feel anything but the pain.”
Keeping my knife in motion, I directed my thoughts toward Violet and her arm, knitting back together. “Sana.” I shoved the spell toward Violet as I cast it.
“Shift into your dragon and fry these fuckers,” Aislinn called out.
That got everyone’s attention, and I could cast a bomb between the two facing Violet and me. I turned and covered her with my body a split second before they burst into a shower of Fae goo.
“Holy crap, that was awesome.”
I lifted off of my bestie, happy the strain was eased from her voice. “How’s your arm?” I watched as Sebastian, Finarr, and Argies were able to corral the remaining four soldiers and take care of them.
“It’s not completely healed, but now I’ll be able to keep it. It was hanging by a thread before.”
Aislinn ran to us and lifted her arms to hug Violet, then let them drop. Approaching her side, I decided to focus on helping her rather than the screams and squelching sounds of blades cutting through flesh.
The wound was still dangerously deep, so I took out one of the t-shirts I’d packed and used my knife to cut it into strips. “This is going to hurt, but I need to bind it together and cover it so it protects against bacteria.” After tying them together, I wound the fabric under her arm, over the wound, and around the opposite shoulder.
“Did you see them absorb the spells?” Aislinn asked a second before the guys joined us. “Was that why they weren’t casting magic of their own?”
Sebastian brushed the hair
that had fallen from my ponytail out of my face. “They actually were using enchantments, just not as often as they were their weapons. I’d bet Vodor sucked their energy when he crossed the portal and left them depleted.”
“I really hate that guy. He’s such an asshole,” Aislinn muttered.
I bobbed my head in agreement. “Me too. Let’s get out of here before anyone else shows up. I think one of them tried to send a message asking for reinforcements.”
My body hurt, but this time I managed to escape with minimal injuries while my best friend had nearly lost her arm. I wanted to send her back home while we were close to the portal but knew better. She wouldn’t want to leave Aislinn and me. I needed to do a better damn job of protecting them both.
Chapter 9
“I’m not leaving the portal here.” Vodor and his soldiers knew where it was located, and if I could manage to move it, I would eliminate the king's threat of using it against me. The last thing we needed was for him to sap my energy in the middle of a fight.
Sebastian shook his head as we stood at the edge of the tree line. “You’re injured and need to focus your energy on healing yourself. Once Vodor is off the throne, there will be no reason to worry anyway.”
I thrust my hands on my hips and glared at his too handsome face. “You’re not as smart as I thought if you believe that will be the end of all the strife. Those who believe in him and are true followers will retaliate and plan another coup after we succeed. Besides, if I move it, I remove Vodor’s ability to hurt me through it.”
Bas sighed, and his expression softened. “You have a point there. What can I do to help?”
“Keep watch while I find the object that anchors the portal in this location and tether it to me.”
Aislinn pointed to a spot beneath a cluster of dead Fae in the clearing. “I noticed the top of a curved stone while we were fighting for our lives and wondered what it was and why it was buried where we crossed. Could that be it?”
