Taron shook his head. "We don't think so, no. We're fairly certain Rory's powers changed entirely when they were transmitted to you."
"So, I'm nothing like the guy before me? We can't just take what worked for him and apply it to me?"
"Afraid not," Taron said with a sympathetic smile.
"Speaking of which..." I peeked under the bandage to ensure I wasn't actually bleeding. "Are you two just going to kick my ass all evening? Or are you going to teach me some shit?"
Tamara sighed, and her red eyes sparkled. "Can't we do a little of both?"
"Both?" I was flabbergasted. "All you've done so far is try to kill me. Is there seriously no other way for me to learn to use my powers?"
Taron shrugged. "Call fire to your palm."
I held out my hand, focused on it, and absolutely nothing happened.
He smiled knowingly. "Until you can use your magic at will, we have to coax it out by whatever means necessary."
"Right." I rolled my eyes. "And we have to do this because...?"
Tamara sighed and clicked her sharp, white teeth together. "Because the more your body experiences magical episodes, the more familiar it is with it. The more familiar it is with magic, the easier it is to use it on command."
I put a hand on my hip. "Okay, I get that, but is there no other way to coax it out besides attempted murder? I mean, that shit's fucking painful."
Tamara rolled her eyes. "Only for a few minutes."
"Minutes!" I repeated for emphasis. "Not moments, not seconds. Minutes!"
She shrugged. "And then it's all over. So, what are you bitching about?"
I narrowed my eyes. "You're a little sassier when Prince Rob isn't around, aren't you?"
She grinned. "You're already on a nickname basis with him, huh? Good job."
I turned to Taron. "Is she always like this?"
"She's insufferable."
"Hey!" Tamara shouted, throwing a stake at Taron's chest.
Luckily, he'd been trained a hell of a lot more than I'd been, and he was able to catch the damn thing with his bare hand before it ever punctured his skin.
He threw it to the ground and grinned. "I was only joking."
"Me too," she replied, grinning back.
I liked their dynamic. It was kind of fucked up, but I liked it.
"Oh!" Tamara smiled delightedly—or at least as delighted as razor-sharp fangs could look. "Have you heard the news? Princess Bria and her parents accepted Prince Calvin's invitation. They'll be arriving in less than a week's time."
The blood fled from my face, leaving me with nothing but ice in my veins. "What did you say?"
"Bria accepted?" she asked, some of her excitement slipping. "You know, the whole reason we're here? The plan worked. Why do you look so upset right now? You're going to choose Prince Robert... right?"
She turned a confused face to her brother just as tears began welling in my eyes. Taron opened his mouth to speak, but he clearly had no idea what to make of the situation.
I didn't even excuse myself; I just ran. Ran from the room, the castle, the grounds, and into the Blackwood forest.
A strong wind was blowing, rattling the leaves on the trees, and the temperature was dropping drastically. A storm was brewing. Calvin Storm.
My chin quivered, and a burning lump formed in my throat as I fought the urge to cry. "Congratulations, Cal!" I shouted at the sky. "You got your way. You're getting the girl. I hope you're happy now!"
No more had the words left my lips, then I broke down sobbing. Was it irrational? Probably. Could I change the way I felt despite that fact? Absolutely not. I might've had Ben, Rob, and Dan on my side, but I was falling for all of them. It fucking shattered my heart to think Cal would no longer be in the mix. That he'd be laughing with someone else, kissing someone else, making love to someone else. He didn't belong to someone else. He belonged to us. His brothers and me.
But he was right. We couldn't risk war with Timberlune. We couldn't sentence our people to death over our own petty desires.
I would have to let him go. I would have to let him tear me apart and leave me a mess for his brothers to clean up and nurture back to health. Or a mess for me to clean up on my own, if they decided they no longer wanted me, or if they couldn't agree to share.
It was like he'd yanked out my heart with his bare hands and crushed it right in front of my face.
"Why didn't you tell me?" I shouted at the sky. "Why did you leave me to hear it from someone else? How fucking cowardly are you?"
Thunder grumbled across the horizon, and the wind whipped at my face. I knew he couldn’t hear me—I was literally talking to the sky, not him—but still. I had a feeling he knew how I felt. It was probably why he avoided telling me in the first place.
I needed to get away, just long enough to clear my head, to stop feeling for just a few fucking minutes. All I was supposed to do was choose a prince and save my mom. That's it. But it had gotten too complicated. I couldn’t think straight anymore.
I released my hair from the ponytail I’d sported during training and gathered my skirts. I was still in my gown because I hadn’t had time to change into my training suit earlier. Then I started to run. All I had to do was push, to force my muscles to fire, to go as far and as hard as I could manage until there was nothing left but the pain in my lungs and limbs.
Unfortunately, that didn't take very long. I might've been physically fit and strong from years of jewel mining, but I was not a practiced runner. The wind scorched my lungs with each desperate inhale, and my muscles turned to mush long before I'd gained any satisfying distance from the castle.
I paused, bending at the waist to catch my breath, when out of the corner of my eye I saw a statue. Crumbling and moss-covered, it reminded me of the ones back home—long forgotten, unkempt, but still beautiful and awe-inspiring. Hiking up my skirts once more, I made my way over to it for a better look. It was a woman, or so I thought based on the noncrumbling half of her face, with her hands cupped in front of her. I peeked down but found nothing inside. I wondered what used to be in there.
Then I saw another statue a little further up a hill. Scrambling through the undergrowth, I made my way over to it. A man, kneeling, with his hands stretched up above him. Or at least, one hand; the other had gotten knocked off and was half buried in the dirt at his feet.
I turned around, scanning the trees, and yet another statue came into view, and another and finally... a temple? I squinted, trying to make it out properly. Made of stone, it was a cube-shaped building supported by tall columns on each side.
I rushed over, examining the structure with a little more awe and reverence than it probably deserved. The gods had never smiled down upon me, so why should I care about them? In fact, the gods had all left a long time ago. They’d abandoned us for newer and shinier worlds, or so the legend went. I had a notion to believe it. It seemed like exactly the sort of thing a god or demigod would do.
I gritted my teeth as my thoughts circled back to Cal. Bria was not a shiny new thing that he left me for. If anything, I was the shiny new thing. I had to remind myself of that, or the bitterness swirling in my gut was only going to get worse.
I glanced over my shoulder, a little pissed to find the castle ramparts still within view in the hazy distance between the trees. Sighing, I sat down on the dirty temple floor, dragging my fingers through the sandy dirt and random plant bits that had fallen there or blown in over the years.
I was exhausted. Mentally, physically, and especially emotionally. I dusted off a patch of stone and lay down, staring into the vast expanse of never-ending trees. I listened to the birds chirp and sing, the squirrels and chipmunks titter as they collected nuts, and eventually my eyes grew heavy.
Before I knew it, I was asleep.
When I awoke, the forest was silent and darkness had settled in. Fireflies danced in the light of the moon, making the scene look absolutely magical, and I rubbed my eyes to make sure I wasn't still dreaming.
/> "Sleep well?" a man asked from the darkness. Not just any man. Cal. There was a touch of anger in his tone that immediately put me on the defensive.
"Quite," I snapped back, scanning my surroundings in search of him. I eventually found him leaning against one of the temple pillars, watching me with calm but intense eyes, like a predator about to strike. His arms were crossed, and even through the murky darkness, I could tell his muscles were strung tight.
He looked pissed.
I glowered. "What the fuck is your problem?"
He pushed away from the pillar and took a couple tense steps toward me. "My problem? My problem is that I just spent the last six hours desperately searching for you, fearing the worst had happened, only to find you sleeping peacefully in the temple of Zeus."
I rose to my feet and squared my shoulders. "You wish you'd found me some other way? Dead? Wounded?”
"Of course not!" he shouted. "I'd rather die than see you hurt."
"Well, it's too late for that!" I shouted back, tears forming from out of nowhere and spilling down my cheeks. I shook my head, disgusted with both of us. "I can't believe you weren't even brave enough to tell me yourself."
He ran his hands through his golden hair and pulled. "You knew I was betrothed to Bria! You knew we were here to patch things up with her and Timberlune! Why are you acting so surprised?"
Every muscle in my body shook as fury built within me. "I don't know, Cal, I guess because I thought you cared, at least a little!"
"I do care!" he growled, stalking closer to me. "Way more than I should."
"I don't believe you!" I cried as sobs wracked my body. "If you cared you wouldn't..."
"What?" He got right up in my shit. "I wouldn't what? Marry her? Keep our kingdom out of a senseless war?"
I pushed his chest, but he didn't budge. "Get away from me."
"Why? Because you know I'm right and it pisses you off?"
I pushed again, even harder. "I said get away!"
But still, he didn't move.
"What do you want me to do, Peach? Slay the world just to be with you?"
Another sob overcame me as I felt my defenses breaking. "No."
"You want me to call off the engagement?"
"No."
He shook his head, and his voice came out as a whisper. "That's a lie."
Then his mouth was on mine, hot and demanding, claiming me in a way I'd only dreamed of up until now. Greedily, I kissed him back, reckless with lust, until my brain finally caught up with my body.
I pulled away and shook my head. "Not until we all agree."
"Agree on what?" he demanded, biting my bottom lip hard enough to sting.
I gasped, and his tongue found mine once more.
"Tell me you don't want this," he practically begged as he tasted me.
"I don't want it," I said against his mouth, but he knew damn well that was a lie.
He picked me up and slammed me into a nearby pillar, using the stone to keep me right where he wanted as he ripped open the front of my dress.
"What's this?" he asked, carefully peeling back the bandage at my chest. When he realized it was a tattoo, he glanced up at me, all sorts of thoughts and emotions flitting behind his stunning blue eyes. I had no idea what he would say, and honestly, I was scared he was going to pull away again. But he didn't.
"It's beautiful," he whispered, kissing my leaf and crown with gentle lips.
His unexpected tenderness sent me into another fever of desire.
I wrapped my legs around his waist, fisted his golden hair, and dragged his mouth back up to mine.
Everything was a blur of passion, our movements harsh and frantic—my nails digging into his shoulders, his left hand bruising my hip, my teeth nipping and grazing his neck, his right hand finger fucking the hell out of me.
My body was spiraling out of control. I moaned, panting faster and faster as the pressure built quickly.
"You gonna come, Peach?"
My eyes flitted shut as I savored the sensual build.
"No."
He growled and removed his hand, jarring me into frustration. "Liar."
Next thing I knew, his pants were down, my skirts were up, and his thick-ass cock was positioned at my opening.
"Is this your first time?"
I shook my head. I'd made love to Adam before, but it was slow and seductive, not wet and wild like this.
"Good."
He pushed into me a little faster than he would've if I'd been a virgin but a little slower than I would have liked. He stroked in and out, tantalizingly slow, driving me mad with need. I'd been so close a moment ago; I needed to get back to that point, to hit that high and come crashing down.
"Faster," I begged him, sucking on his ear as I whispered the word.
His movements ratcheted up, and he pumped into me harder. With one arm, he held me under my ass; with the other, he pushed me back into the pillar.
His eyes darkened as he watched my breasts bounce in rhythm with his thrusting. Hell, my eyes darkened as I watched them bounce, full and round, nipples hard and begging to be touched.
He leaned down and took the left one in his mouth, sucking hard, swirling his tongue across the tip. My pussy clenched, gearing up for the final fall. Then he slid his fingers around my right nipple, working them both at the same time, and I fucking lost it. I came like shattering glass, moaning as the orgasm absolutely ripped through my body.
"Yes," Cal groaned as he felt me tighten around him. He pumped faster, railing me harder, dragging my orgasm on and on until he let out a string of curse words and rooted himself deep inside of me. "Fuck, I'm coming."
I kissed up and down his neck until he slowly pulled out of me, lowered me to my feet, and dropped his forehead down to mine.
"I don't want to marry Bria," he whispered, filling my heart with fragile hope once more.
"I don't want you to either."
He curled a strand of sweat-dampened hair behind my ear. "Will you choose me if I don't?"
I bit my lip and shook my head. "I don't know."
"You don't know."
His tone was flat, and I could tell he was only milliseconds away from being pissed off again. I couldn't even blame him. We'd just had some of the best sex of my life, and there I was denying him.
"I want all four of you," I insisted, trying to better express myself. "I don't want to choose just one."
He backed away and yanked up his pants. "Do you have any idea how fucking selfish you sound? First, you want me to risk international war just to be with you, and now I'm not even good enough? You need all four Storm boys to satisfy your sexual appetite?"
"No, it’s not like that," I argued, fixing my skirts and undies. "I don't have some raging itch for sex that you alone can't scratch. It's more like... we're a team, the five us. I like you, and you like me. We belong together."
He shook his head, and his jaw clenched. "You're unbelievable."
"Please, Cal," I rushed over to him and grabbed the material of his shirt at his chest. "Whatever you’re feeling, imagine Ben feeling it and Rob and Dan. And me. All at the same time. Who's to say that only two of us deserve to keep these feelings? Shouldn't we all get a little piece of happiness to cling to? Especially in the fucked-up world we live in?"
He pursed his lips, but the tick in his jaw relaxed. I had a feeling I was finally starting to make him understand.
"You don't have to make any decisions this very moment, but I can tell you right now that Rob and Ben are already on board with the idea, and Dan probably will be as soon as I ask him."
Cal cocked his head and anger flared behind his eyes. "I told you to leave Dan alone. He isn't ready for a relationship."
"This relationship isn't normal! I'm not going to break his heart and run away! I'm not going to be tortured or murdered or whatever else might've happened to her. I'm stuck here, just like he is. I don't want to hurt anyone or make anyone jealous or resentful. I want to share myself with all of you, m
y whole self, and I want you to share yourselves back."
He glanced at me with softer eyes, but he still didn't seem ready to speak. So, I pressed on, delicately tracing his jaw with my thumb.
"You four were a solid-ass team before I showed up, but I don't want to break that bond apart. I want to strengthen it. Let me be the sticky, sappy goo that holds us all together."
He smiled at my ridiculous word choice and once again shook his head. "I'll have to think about it."
I exhaled a breath I didn't even know I'd been holding. "Thank you."
"Don't thank me yet. There's still a good chance I won't be able to commit to this."
I nodded, conceding that his need to prevent war was certainly a legitimate excuse.
"How many days until she gets here?"
He glanced over at me. "Four."
Four days to make the biggest decision of our lives.
Plenty of time.
“Come on, Peach,” he said with a sigh, leading me through the shadowy woods. “Let’s get back to the castle. The others are probably still looking for you.”
Chapter 21
“We need to have another group chat.”
It was the first thing I heard in the morning, before I’d even rolled out of bed: a knock at the door, followed by those ominous words out of Cal’s mouth. If the dread flooding my stomach was anything to go by, I should probably just stay in bed. I didn’t want to admit to the guys what had happened last night with Cal. I didn’t want to push them away, especially not when we were so close to finally getting together.
After worrying myself to near death, I crawled from bed and started pacing. I glanced at Speedy, who’d arrived yesterday along with my tutors and the rest of my luggage. He was lounging in my covers, gnawing on a stick with the leaves half missing.
“You know how fucking hard this whole situation is?” I asked him, contemplating all the shit that needed to happen. “One. I need to continue my dates with the guys.”
I'd just sent out the letter about my date with Rob late last night, but the king was not known for his patience. I needed to have another letter ready by tomorrow at least.
Taken by Storm (Storms of Blackwood Book 1) Page 20