I licked my lips and slid my hand between my legs once more. “Okay, just a minute.”
Fuck, my voice was still panting and desperate.
“Sexy Lexi,” Dan said curiously. I imagined him putting his hands and face right up to my door. “You sound a little... breathless. Are you doing something naughty in there?”
Okay, so maybe not totally oblivious.
“No, I’m just...”—I rubbed my clit even faster—“cleaning up.”
“You know I can help you with that,” he purred. His voice was lower, quieter, and yet somehow clearer than ever.
My fantasy changed. Suddenly, Dan yanked me away from Cal and pulled me onto him, pressing his dick so far into me it bordered on uncomfortable.
Come for me.
I gasped, splashing water yet again as I came apart in the tub. The orgasm absolutely consumed me, pulsing through my body in battering waves of pleasure. The best one I’d ever had in my life, it just kept going and going.
By the time I finally went still in real life, Dan’s voice filtered in from the other side of the door again. “That was so fucking hot.”
Gods, his words made me want to do it again.
“Today, Jewels!” Rob shouted, banging on the door. He must’ve shoved Dan out of the way. “If you’re not out here in one minute, we’re leaving your dumb ass behind.”
“Get out of the way, you brute,” Gem said, and I imagined her weaseling back into the front. “I haven’t even chosen her outfit yet.”
I stepped out of the tub and hurriedly wrapped a towel around my naked body. “If you’d get the hell out of my room, I might be able to get dressed and get going.”
The sound of retreating footsteps faded, followed by the click of a door shutting.
“All right, they’re gone,” Gem informed me.
Rushing into my room, I flipped through dress after dress until eventually settling on the simplest one I could find. It was a little difficult to drag it on, considering I was still sopping wet, but as soon as I shimmied into the little black number, I was headed toward the door.
Gem smirked and raised a brow. “How about some shoes, Aphrodite?”
My cheeks heated at her reference to the goddess of love and sexuality, and I quickly grabbed a pair of black sandals, hopping into them as I made my way back over to her.
“There.”
Gem rolled her eyes but opened the door and ushered us out into the hallway. “I’ll meet you back here before dinner. We’re gonna have to do something about that hair.”
I grabbed a handful of the dripping strands, unsurprised to find them curling into gentle brown waves.
Ben smiled. “I think it looks kind of nice.”
“Thank you,” I said, as if his words had defended my honor somehow.
Gem sighed. “Whatever. Just don’t be late. This dinner with the ambassador is a pretty big deal. All the servants are talking about it.”
“We’ll make sure she’s back in time,” Cal said. He bowed his head, and a few locks of blond hair fell across his brow.
“You better,” Gem threatened, jabbing a finger at him. “Or else.”
Then she spun back around to me.
“The party from last night is continuing into tonight if you want to come down after dinner. I can bring you something less ostentatious. Also, I grabbed Speedy this morning and brought him down to the servants’ quarters, so he wouldn’t be alone all day.”
I pulled her into a great big hug. “Thank you so much, Gem! I’m afraid he’s going to think I abandoned him or that I don’t love him anymore.”
“I’m sure he thinks no such thing,” she said reassuringly.
“Considering he’s a sloth,” Ben added, getting all technical, “he doesn’t really understand human emotion at all. He’s probably incapable of feeling neglected.”
I glared at him. “My Speedy is smarter than you think.”
“Sloths are smart,” he agreed. “Just not on an anthropological level. They’re not even indigenous to Blackwood. How’d you get him?”
Rob cut our conversation off by literally slicing the air between us with his hand. “Are we just going to ignore the fact that there’s a party going on tonight and Jewels didn’t even invite us?”
I stared at him in mock-horror. “First of all, you hate me, Robert Storm. So why would I invite you? Second of all, why in the world would you want to attend a servants’ party? That’s like, super far below you, isn’t it?”
He shrugged. “A party is a party.”
“You boys can’t come,” Gem protested, stomping her foot and crossing her arms. “The minute you show up, the party will be over. Servants can’t relax around royals.”
“What if we wore a disguise?” Rob suggested.
My mouth dropped open, but words refused to come. I could hardly believe he was campaigning so vigilantly just to attend a peasant party. Unless...
“Is there a particular servant girl you have your eye on?” I asked, suspicion mixing unattractively with a hint of jealousy in my tone. “Perhaps the one who brought me my dinner last night?”
That girl had certainly seemed to know enough about Dan. Why not Rob too? I had the sudden urge to whack her upside the head with a pickax. Not hard enough to kill her or even to draw blood, I mean fuck, I wasn’t a murderer. Just hard enough to knock her dumbass out and deter her from getting any closer to the princes than she already was.
I shook my head, coming back to my senses. Why the hell would I want to do that? The princes were not mine to be possessive of. I didn’t even really like them, you know, beyond the physical. Sure, they were nicer than I’d expected and a little less bratty, but still. They weren’t my cup of tea. Hard bodies, beautiful faces, kind interiors, and intriguing personalities? Who wanted that in a man... or four?
“I don’t fuck the servants, Jewels,” Rob said darkly, as if daring me to test him. “I just happen to have a very stressful day job, and sometimes I need a little release, generally in the form of drinking myself into oblivion. Is that okay with you?”
I didn’t know what to say. He was all up in my shit with an oppressive attitude that had me physically shrinking back. All I could do was swallow hard and nod.
Rob scoffed and shook his head. “You know what? Forget I even mentioned it. Let’s just get to the training room before we’re late.”
With that, I heeded his words and spun on my heel, scurrying toward the stairs.
A loud sigh echoed off the walls, followed by Rob’s irritated voice. “Magic class is this way, Jewels.”
Pursing my lips, I spun back around and marched the other way, intentionally avoiding every single one of their gazes. Gem parted ways with us to return to the servants’ quarters, and the boys took the lead, steering me down a different hallway and into a wing of the palace I’d never before seen.
The décor was darker here, with deep purples and shadowy silvers making up most of the color scheme. Long banners hung from the stone walls, and suits of armor lined the hallway on each side, bearing armaments ranging from modern to archaic. At the end of the hall was a pair of thick double doors propped open to reveal a wide-open room within.
The space was bland, bare, and rough, more like a dungeon than anything, but without the cells. There were a few painted targets situated about the place, along with a trough of water, a cage of birds, and a bale of hay. Various weapons rested on heavy wooden tables, and there appeared to be some sort of obstacle course near the back.
As I studied our surroundings, two hooded figures emerged from the shadows, stalking toward us. I instantly recoiled, trying to take a step back, but Ben grabbed my arm and steadied me.
“It’s okay,” he whispered. “It’s just the twins. They’re our teachers.”
“Our teachers?” I hissed in surprise.
Dan leaned in and grabbed my arm from the other side. “They taught us when we were kids still living at the palace.”
Oh. Well, if they taught children, th
ey couldn’t be all that bad. Right?
They lowered their hoods, revealing two pale-skinned, blond-haired siblings. One was male, one was female, but both had eyes red as sin and fangs sharp as steel.
Instinct took over, and I tried to run away. Unfortunately, I was held firm by two Storm brothers. My sandaled feet scraped across the floor, but I got absolutely nowhere.
Rob shot me an incredulous look. “Chill the fuck out. You’re embarrassing yourself.”
He strolled forward and met the twins head-on. They did a sort of fist bump, handshake, half hug, back pat thing, then started making small talk.
I gnashed my teeth together and fought the urge to run; it was clearly pointless. I’d never seen anything like them. I had no idea what the hell they even were, but I was pretty much horrified. Even Ben and Dan seemed tense now that the creatures’ hoods were down.
Rob turned around and gestured to me. “So, this is her. Alexis Ravenel. Please feel free to call her Jewels; she loves it.”
They eyed me with way too much interest in those evil eyes. It made me shiver.
“Jewels,” Rob said sternly, “this is Taron and Tamara Krimsokova. They’re vampires from Southern Blackwood. In other words, they’re from my territory, so be on your best behavior with them.”
His territory had creatures like that roaming the streets? No wonder his day job was stressful.
“What the hell even is a vampire?” I asked, sounding braver than I felt.
Dan tensed at my side, squeezing my bicep a bit tighter.
Cal saved Rob the embarrassment of having to explain it to me in front of his subjects. “They’re the undead, Alexis. They survive by drinking blood, they’re extremely strong and swift, and their lifetimes are endless.”
My throat bobbed nervously. “What sort of blood?”
Cal offered me a sympathetic smile. “Any blood really, though they prefer human.”
Human blood. Right. Nothing to worry about then.
The girl, Tamara, moved forward and extended her hand toward me.
“Nice to meet you, Alexis. I’ve heard a bit about you from King Zacharias, but I look forward to getting to know you personally.”
Well, fuck. She sounded so... normal.
I straightened my shoulders and placed my hand in hers, trying to ignore the fact that her skin was dead cold. “Nice to meet you, Tamara.”
Taron stepped up next to her, and we shook hands too. “Wonderful to meet you, Alexis. Are you ready to find out what sort of power you have?”
I frowned. “Wonderful to meet you too, Taron. But I’m pretty sure my power is fire, right? I mean, I totally lit one of the king’s guards on fire the other day.”
He smiled appreciatively. “I heard. Have you been able to use your power outside of any near-death experiences?”
I shook my head. “No, but to be honest, I haven’t really tried very hard.”
He nodded. “Well, I’ll tell you this: Rory—the man who possessed these powers before you—was a descendant of Hephaestus. He had the ability to control fire and manipulate metal. He was a skilled craftsman and blacksmith, and he could wield weapons as skillfully as he made them. That’s why King Zacharias kept him as a slave. I don’t expect your powers to manifest in exactly the same way, but we’re going to have to test them out regardless and see what happens.”
“Hephaestus was the son of Zeus and Hera,” Tamara said to her brother. “It’s possible she might’ve even inherited a gene from them.”
Taron nodded. “Very possible. Or perhaps when the energy transferred, it manifested in a different form altogether?”
“Perhaps.” Tamara pursed her lips, as if contemplating all the possibilities.
Me? I was internally freaking out. Who knew what I had become? What outlandish powers did I now possess? I’d never even seen magic until it accidentally burst out of me. I couldn’t begin to imagine seeing it again, or strangest of all, being able to summon it at will.
It was like Taron had read my mind.
He nodded to Rob, then addressed Cal. “Your Highness, would the princes mind giving Miss Ravenel a small demonstration? I think it might help... broaden her horizons on the topic at hand.”
Cal bowed his head slightly in return. “Of course.”
Then he strolled over to the cage of birds.
Dan leaned in and whispered in my ear. “Cal’s powers come from Zeus, god of the sky. He can manipulate anything in the air, even carry things on the wind.”
Well, that wasn’t awesome or anything.
Cal unlatched the cage’s lock and let the birds out. There were only about ten of them, and they were tiny, sparrows maybe. They chirped and flitted around the massive space, pleased to be flying free once more.
Cal widened his stance and spread out his arms. Soon, the birds came flying back, one after another, swirling into a vortex of beaks, claws, and feathers. It was like a tornado of sparrows. Then he broke the spiral and began spinning them into circles in the air. Cal adjusted his hands and led them in a line around the room, weaving in and out between us, before lifting them into the air once more. He cupped his palms and pushed them together, forcing the birds to form a flying ball, then he pulled his palms apart, and the birds burst from the ball like shooting stars.
It was absolutely amazing.
After a few minutes, Cal dropped to one knee, and once my attention was off the birds, I finally realized he was shaking and sweating like crazy.
“Oh, my gods, what’s wrong with him?”
“Every second he uses his power,” Dan explained, “it’s like a pound of weight landing on his shoulders. He can only hold it for so long.”
Ben leaned in and added, “All magic has a limit and a price. Cal’s is strength.”
I turned to Ben. “So, the stronger he is, the longer he can control the sky?”
He nodded in response.
This was amazing! No wonder he was built like a mountain. I immediately wondered what powers the other princes possessed and what their crazy rules were.
As Cal’s hold on the birds broke, they scattered to various corners of the room, and he dropped onto his ass, panting. He pulled out a velvet bag from his pants pocket and reached inside, withdrawing something brown and chunky, which he promptly popped into his mouth.
One of my nostrils crinkled. “What the hell is he eating?”
“A special protein-enhanced treat,” Ben explained. “It’s a chocolate ball full of nuts, seeds, and oats. It helps him recover a little faster.”
“Ooo. Chocolate. Is it any good?”
“Delicious,” Dan answered, waggling his brows with a grin. “Looks like I’m up.”
He sauntered over to the water trough and dipped his fingers in, flicking me with a little spray of water. I laughed in surprise and wiped the droplets off my arms and face.
“Show off,” Cal muttered, as he slowly made his way back over to stand with us. He popped another chocolate ball into his mouth, then offered me one.
“Yes, please.” I grabbed it quickly and bit it in half.
Mmm. Dan wasn’t kidding. This shit was phenomenal. The very nectar of the gods.
Cal ate another chocolate as I finished my other half.
“So, Dan’s the Sea Prince?” I asked no one in particular.
Cal responded. “Yes. His powers come from Poseidon, god of the sea, himself.”
Wicked.
“So, what’s his price limit or magical stopping point or whatever?”
Ben grinned and shook his head. “You have a way with words, don’t you, Sailor? Maybe I really should call you Lexicon.”
I stuck my tongue out at him.
“He can control any existing body of water,” Cal said through a mouthful of crunchy chocolate. “And anything in it. But only for as long as he can hold his breath.”
My brows furrowed. “He has to hold his breath? What’s the point in controlling water if you can’t breathe beneath the surface?”
“O
h, he can,” Ben assured me, stealing a chocolate from his brother’s bag. “He’s totally immune to any of the water’s harmful effects. It’s just when he’s controlling the water that he can’t breathe.”
“But why?”
Ben shrugged. “That’s just how the magic works. Trust me, I of all people would like there to be some in-depth scientific explanation for it, but there just isn’t.”
“It is what it is,” Cal agreed with a nod.
“He’s gotten really good at holding it, though,” Ben added as he chewed. “What’s he up to now? Ten, fifteen minutes?”
Cal nodded. “Last I heard, yeah.”
Holy shit. I couldn’t imagine holding my breath longer than one minute, let alone fifteen.
Dan cocked his head and cracked his neck, then twisted his torso and cracked his back. He stretched out his shoulders and chest and took a few deep breaths in preparation for the long hold.
I was nervous for him, somehow. It wasn’t like he’d die once he ran out of air, right? The magic would just stop? I looked around, but no one else seemed overly concerned.
He lifted his arms, and the water rose into the air. Then he spread his arms apart and the water dispersed into tiny particles of mist. He made a rolling motion, and the mist collected into a cloud; then he wiggled his fingers and it started to snow.
When the snow hit the ground, it formed a puddle, which Dan scooped up and turned into a wavering ball of water. He threw the ball at us, then held it back at the last second, and it exploded into a thousand raindrops. He pulled it back into a ball, then threw it at us again, halting it just before it touched our faces, allowing it to freeze into hundreds of glittering icicles. He repeated the process again, and the next time the ball exploded into a haze of steam.
He led the steam around the room, allowing it to settle near the floor as a fog. Just before he ran out of breath, he returned the water to the trough and took a number of deep gasping breaths.
As Dan returned to our line, Ben walked over to the hay bale.
Suddenly, I wondered if he wasn't a horse shifter or something.
Taken by Storm (Storms of Blackwood Book 1) Page 10