Bright Wicked 2: Radiant Fierce (A Twilight Fae Fantasy Romance)

by Everly Frost

  He exhales slowly. “You’ll help us?”

  “Of course.”

  He pushes me back, looming over me, his voice fierce. “You understand that my people will kill you if they find out who you really are?”

  “I understand.”

  “And you’re still willing to fight for them?”

  I frown up at him. “Why are you so surprised? I’m your wife. Not to mention, I go where you go. Tell me what I need to know—what I need to do—and I’ll do it.”

  He suddenly crushes his lips to mine but pulls back before the distraction becomes too much. He has already showed me that he’s determined to learn every nuance of my body and my responses. “We need my sister. She’s an essential part of the plan.”

  He hasn’t told me the details of the plan yet, but I trust that he will. I haven’t met his sister and I’m filled with an unfamiliar flood of nerves. Until now, I haven’t cared what anyone thought about me and it scares me that I suddenly do.

  “Esther said your scouts were due back a while ago. They should have reported to you already, but nobody’s come knocking on your door.”

  “They probably don’t want to interrupt me,” he says, but he doesn’t sound convinced.

  I reach up to place both of my hands against his cheeks. “You’ve been hiding your worry, but it’s time to let me help you. Unless your sister and your scouts are eating lunch in the food hall right now, then we need to go out and find them.”

  He takes another look at me, a hint of admiration entering his eyes. “You’re already thinking like a human commander.”

  “In Bright, I commanded three sets of guards—Day, Night, and Border. I knew everything about their movements and their whereabouts at all times. Scouts have designated reporting times for a reason—if they don’t report in, then something’s wrong.” Again, I press my hands to his face. “Nathaniel, let me be an asset to you. You can use my skills.”

  His expression grows fierce and unforgiving. “You’re already a gift to me, Aura.”

  My chest floods with warmth. The stroke of his hand down my side to my thigh fills me with another kind of heat.

  Too soon, he says, “We need to get moving.”

  He pulls me with him off the bed, tugging me close. Despite his efficient movements, he drops kisses on my shoulders and neck as he throws open his closet and grabs some fresh clothing. I catch sight of a multitude of weapons—more weapons than clothes, in fact—before he whisks me into the living area to scoop up the extra clothing Esther brought for me.

  He passes me the water flask at the same time. “Hydration, bathroom, clothing, food. Then we check if the scouts are back,” he says. “In that order.”

  I arch an eyebrow at him, prepared to let him boss me around, especially when he follows up his order with another disarming kiss on the corner of my lips.

  Taking my hand, he seems perfectly comfortable prowling around butt naked in all his chiseled glory. Damn human is perfect from the top of his head to his toes.

  Once we’re back in the bathroom, we use the facilities without embarrassing each other—a skill we’ve had to acquire quickly.

  Nathaniel casts a regretful glance at the bath as I pull on my new underwear. I’ve only got the bra half-clipped when he pulls me to his chest and places a lingering kiss on my lips. “If we had time, I would fill the bath again and this time, we’d both enjoy it.”

  I step back before I decide it’s worth the delay, securing the bra in place and pulling on the underpants before my need for his body overcomes my common sense. I’m already glowing all over the place, spilling starlight across the bathroom in languid swirls.

  “The marks won’t wash off?” I ask, focusing on my question to push aside the heat building inside my body.

  “The wedding ink is a kind of lacquer, water resistant,” he says, pulling on the long, black pants and black shirt he chose. “My mother gave it to me before she died. It will wash off in time. But not too soon.”

  The clothing that Esther brought for me consists of the same fitted beige training gear they were all wearing. It’s soft and supple, but I hesitate to pull it on. “If there’s a chance we’ll need to leave Null to search for your sister, I should wear my armor instead of this.”

  Nathaniel reaches for my black armor, which is slung over the chair in the corner. “Does your armor contain any active magic?”

  I consider his question. “You’re trying to decide if Cyrian will be able to sense it?”

  He nods. “You would need to be close by, but your power will be like a beacon to him. We’ll have to be very careful tonight.”

  “How close do I need to be to him before he’ll sense me?”

  Nathaniel shakes his head. “I’m not sure. Mathilda sensed you from a quarter mile away, but that was because of her acute sensitivity to pain. Cyrian doesn’t have that ability. In fact… pain has no effect on him. I think you’ll have to be in the same room as him.” He runs his hand over the shoulder of the armor. “But if your armor is magical, then he’s more likely to detect you.”

  I reach for the suit. “Magic was used to harden the outer coating and make the surface blade resistant. But it isn’t magical in the sense that it will activate to protect me. It doesn’t store magic or anything like that. I think I’m safer in this than in human clothing.”

  Nathaniel nods. “I want you to be as safe as you can be.”

  I tilt back my head to meet his fierce eyes. “What if Cyrian finds out about the Law of Champions?”

  Nathaniel’s expression hardens. “He will torture you in every way possible without spilling a drop of your blood.”

  I reach up to Nathaniel’s face, to the crease across his forehead and suddenly severe line of his lips. “I’m more powerful than he is—”

  “He’s human, Aura. Mathilda is a witch, so you could defend yourself against her. But you can’t touch Cyrian. He’s a human who has learned how to make dark magic a part of his soul. He’s not a magical being.”

  Until the final fight between Nathaniel and me, I’m not allowed to hurt a human in any way. The consequence is my death. Humans, on the other hand, can hurt me as much as they like as long as they don’t spill a drop of my blood. It’s a cruel and lopsided aspect of the Law. It’s designed to make my path as hard as it can be. Nathaniel spent the last day under the threat of death if he hurt a fae. Now it’s my turn to fear death while I’m surrounded by humans.

  Surviving until the final fight is half the battle.

  None of this was part of Nathaniel’s plan. I was the one who invoked the Law and bound us to these rules. If it weren’t for the Law, I would be able to fight Cyrian with all of my power—assuming the humans don’t tear me apart first.

  No matter how much regret I feel, Nathaniel’s frustration must be a thousand times worse than mine right now.

  My voice is bleak. “Then… how can I possibly help you tonight? He’ll sense me when I’m nearby, which makes me a liability, and I can’t use my power to kill him, which makes me useless.”

  “The same way you protected me from the wolves,” Nathaniel says, his certainty grounding me and giving me purpose. “Your power is a shield. If you shield me from Cyrian’s dark magic, I can kill him. But you must not use your power until I have a real chance. If we fail to kill him and he knows who you are, he won’t stop until he’s destroyed you.”

  I’ve felt more fear in the last day than I’ve ever felt in my life, but my fear has been for Nathaniel. Now, dread builds inside my stomach again. Mathilda predicted that both Nathaniel and I would experience pain in the coming hours.

  I try to shake off my fears as Nathaniel’s arms encircle me.

  “I need to know one thing.” I turn my eyes up to his. “If you overthrow Cyrian, who rules Fell country? For whom will you be fighting on the third day?”

  His arms ease around me, the slightest hesitation. “That’s up to my people. All I want is for them to have the freedom to choose.” His grip tighten
s and shadows cast across his face again. “Even if their freedom only lasts a day.”

  “I understand,” I whisper.

  Yesterday, on the first day we met, we were Champions belonging to our monarchs, but today we will be shields for each other.

  Chapter 13

  We finish the remaining food quickly and exit the hut. I’m dressed in my armor again but leave the pelt behind this time. Our first goal is to find out whether Christiana and the scouts are back. If not, we’ll return to Nathaniel’s hut for weapons before we head out into Fell country to find her.

  Outside, the distant sounds of training have died down completely. We pass the stables on our way to the food hall. As we approach, a hubbub of noise spills through the wide doors of the hall along with the scent of the same vegetable stew that we ate earlier.

  The hall is packed, the humans bumping elbows as they eat, their boisterous conversation washing across me.

  As soon as we enter, Emily jumps up from her seat, disrupting the tall young man with light brown hair sitting next to her, who rushes to grab his bowl and save it from flying catastrophically across the table.

  “Luciana Elect!” she shouts, oblivious to the chaos she nearly caused.

  “Hey,” the man exclaims, scooping a spoonful of food and flicking it at her when she ignores him.

  “Keep your annoyance, Tom.” She laughs and waves him away with her hand. “Luciana Elect. Over here!”

  “I really need a shorter name,” I murmur to Nathaniel, a smile growing on my face. “Do you see your sister?”

  Despite shaking his head, Nathaniel wears a relaxed smile. “Go sit down. I’ll find Esther. She’ll know if Christiana’s eating in her hut. My sister does that sometimes.”

  “Okay, but… stay within my line of sight,” I say.

  His chest rumbles with laughter. “If an invisible force knocks me onto my backside, you’ll know why.”

  The Law of Champions binds us together so that we have to remain in each other’s presence until the final fight. We have to eat, sleep, and breathe in the same space. The magic of the Law won’t allow us to move into a position where there’s an immovable object like a wall between us. The first time I tried to leave Nathaniel’s sight, I bruised my nose on the solid force that stopped me from taking another step away from him.

  Keeping Nathaniel firmly in my sights as he strolls around the perimeter, I venture over to Emily. It’s the farthest I’ve been away from Nathaniel since the Vanem Dragon bound us together.

  She scoots along the bench seat, pressing up against Tom, who doesn’t appear nearly as disgruntled about her proximity as he could be. She creates the barest space for me to perch on the end of the seat.

  “Here,” she says, reaching across the table to grab an empty bowl and start shoveling food from her own plate onto it. “You need food.”

  “Oh, no, please. I already ate.”

  “You sure? You should eat while you can,” she says. “Esther will yell at us to do chores next.”

  I laugh. “Really. I’m fine.”

  Directly opposite me, another girl and boy sit. They appear a little older than Emily. The girl has wild, red curls that fall past her shoulders and the boy has identical hair and bright green eyes that tell me they must be siblings—possibly twins.

  “Don’t be an idiot, Emily.” The girl snorts. “Esther won’t tell Luciana Elect what to do.”

  While she speaks, her brother’s hand darts across to her food, stealing the slice of bread right off of her plate.

  “Anyone who has the ability to knock Nathaniel on his ass is not going to answer to Esther,” he says, giving me a grin.

  He doesn’t seem to notice his sister steal his spoon.

  She throws her head back. “Highlight of my day. I love Nathaniel, but damn, it’s about time he met someone who can challenge him.”

  Her brother snatches her fork, but this time, her hand darts out, catching him in the act. The fork flips upward. Her brother catches it midair, only to have his sister boop his nose with his own spoon. He snatches the spoon out of her hand while she makes a grab for the fork.

  My eyes widen as I watch their quick movements, their reflexes matching the fastest fae I’ve ever seen. They knock and snatch the flying utensils back and forth, even bouncing them off the table so fast that I can hardly follow their movements.

  Emily’s smile grows and she leans forward in anticipation.

  “Hah!” The girl shouts in triumph as she plucks both the spoon and fork from the air and hugs them close to her chest. “Victory!”

  Her smile fades as her brother scrunches the entire piece of stolen bread into his mouth, grinning as he chews. “If you say so.”

  I can’t help the laughter working its way into my throat. All around me, the humans are so relaxed, unafraid to show their feelings and be themselves. They’ve also shown me that they’re skilled fighters.

  My smile fades as I remember why I’m here. If Cyrian and his hunters are as violent and dangerous as Nathaniel said, then they’ll need everything they’ve got to win a fight against him. Once Nathaniel finds his sister, he will need to prepare his people for the fight ahead.

  I sense his presence beside me a moment before the teenagers fall silent. His big hand brushes my shoulder and he inclines his head toward the door. “I need you,” he murmurs.

  In the distance, I spy Esther hovering in the doorway, her anxiety visible all the way across the room. That can’t be a good sign.

  Emily wears a sweet smile as I rise to my feet. “See. He needs her.” She sighs into her bowl, mumbling, “When will someone need me?”

  Beside her, Tom nudges her shoulder, passing her his last piece of bread.

  I stride with Nathaniel to the door, where Esther immediately ushers us outside.

  Her voice is hushed and urgent, her posture tense as she hurries us along the path. “You were right, Nathaniel. I should have stopped Christiana leaving this morning.”

  Nathaniel responds with impossible calm. “Tell me what happened.”

  “When the scouts didn’t come back I sent Geordie out with strict instructions to stay within the boundary of the Bitter Patch and use the spyglass to scan the fields. He just returned. He said he saw hunters only a quarter of a mile away.”

  Nathaniel tenses, but he keeps his voice moderated. “How many?”

  “Three.” Esther stalks the grass at the side of the path. “They’ve never come this far west before. I’d be less worried if Christiana weren’t out there, but we haven’t heard from her, either…” She stops Nathaniel and her shoulders slump. “Forgive me, Nathaniel. I should have kept her here.”

  Nathaniel places a hand on her shoulder, but it only seems to make her crumble more. She bites her lip hard and I sense how much emotion she’s controlling. “I let you down.”

  “No, Esther. Nobody tells my sister what to do.” His lips set into a regretful grimace. “Which exit did she use? East or west?”

  “I’m afraid it was the east. She went out with the scouts, but I heard her tell them not to follow her.”

  “She probably thought Cyrian had something to do with my extended absence.” Nathaniel studies the ground for a moment, but I can see his thoughts churning.

  He raises his eyes and his expression is full of purpose. “This is what we’re going to do. Luciana Elect and I will go out and find Christiana and the scouts and bring them back. Nobody leaves Null until we return. Remember that you’re all safe here. It doesn’t matter how close the hunters come. They won’t see past the protective shields. They won’t find you.”

  Esther rubs her forehead with the back of her hand. “I should come with you.”

  Nathaniel shakes his head. “You’re needed here.” He takes her other shoulder in a firm grip, forcing her to meet his eyes. “I need your help getting everyone ready. Our timeline has moved up. Luciana Elect and I will be back before sunset. I need you to get everyone ready to fight.”

  Her lips part i
n surprise, but she suddenly draws a breath and stands straighter. “We’re going to fight?”

  Nathaniel gives her a determined nod. “Tonight.”

  The fear in her eyes disappears, replaced by the light of certainty. “We’ve been training for this for years. We won’t let you down.”

  “I know you won’t. Be ready to move at sunset.” He grips her tighter. “But not if we aren’t back by then. Do not come after us. Wait for us, do you understand? Don’t leave Null without me.”

  She nods. “I’ll make sure everyone understands.”

  “Good. We’ll be back as soon as we can.”

  He catches my eye as he spins. I’m ready to match his stride, but I stop short when a woman I haven’t met before appears around the side of the kitchen carrying two large baskets piled high with bread rolls.

  She’s older than Nathaniel but still youthful, her light brown hair pinned back at the sides but otherwise left to flow freely down her back. A boy of about five years old follows behind her, carrying a smaller basket of food. He has the same light brown hair and bright, curious eyes.

  The boy shouts and drops his basket as soon as he sees us. “Nathaniel!”

  Bread rolls topple but luckily don’t fall out onto the path as the boy runs up to Nathaniel, who scoops him up with an “Oomph! You’re nearly too big for me to pick you up, Jacob.”

  I sense the urgency thrumming through Nathaniel now—the need to keep moving—but he can’t dismiss or ignore his people or they will sense his fears. I know only too well that the first job of a commander is to keep my people calm. They need to know that everything is under control.

  “That’s what Mom says.” The boy hugs Nathaniel before he slides back to the ground so the woman can embrace Nathaniel and kiss his cheek.

  “I’m glad you’re back, Nathaniel,” she says.

  “Maggie.” Nathaniel turns to me while I wait calmly beside him. Esther has also become a picture of serenity beside me, showing none of her former worry. “This is—”

  “Luciana Elect.” Maggie gives me a warm smile. “I’m Maggie, dear. Welcome to Null, where the food is simple and the company is… well… boisterous might be the best description.” She inclines her head in the direction of the food hall, from which the sounds of revelry grow louder with every passing second.