The Quartz Tower (Kingdoms of Oz Book 2)

by Carrie Whitethorne

  I turned, taking a step away from Nox. “But he’s okay?”

  She smiled and nodded, then gestured to a long sideboard. “He’s fine. Uncomfortable, but there isn’t much damage, and he should be fully healed within the week, provided he looks after his skin. Bree will make sure of it. Please, you must be hungry. Help yourselves and get warm by the fire.”

  Nox moved immediately, crossing the room in just a few long strides and grabbing a plate.

  I followed and did the same, taking a few sandwiches with odd colored fillings and a couple of cakes.

  “Please, sit down. Make yourself comfortable,” Tatiana offered, gesturing toward one of the large leather sofas by the fire.

  She sounded anxious, as though her lateness was somehow rude. No forced niceties, like I’d come to expect from Glinda. No sweetness or well practiced speeches. She was at home, worried about a friend, and trying to accommodate house guests she felt she’d slighted. Seeing her like that assured me she was genuine. It couldn’t have been an act.

  Nox wasted no time, sitting sideways with his feet up.

  “Nox!” I hissed, taking the sofa at a right angle to his, sitting beside the fire.

  “Honestly, it’s fine,” Tatiana assured me, filling three goblets from a jug beside the food and handing us one each. “It’s Wyrm skin, so it just wipes off. I think I have some boots that should fit you, Nox. I’ll go and look later.”

  Unable to thank her due to his mouth being full, he inclined his head and carried on eating while she sat at the opposite end of my sofa.

  “What happened?” she questioned, with concern etched on her brow.

  I glanced to Nox and responded, “Do you want the short version?”

  “Whichever is easiest,” she said, taking a sip of her drink. “The wine will help you relax, so if you’d rather wait until after a couple of goblets, I understand.”

  I was grateful for her compassion. And her friendship. She really had come through for us, Fallon especially, which was a pleasant surprise.

  Learning it was wine spurred me to drink, and I drained the cup. “I took the tower and she had Sayer plant a dragon to attack as soon as I did. Stupid shiny disk triggered it,” I explained, setting my plate down and going back to the sideboard for more wine. “I...” I didn’t want to say it, but I forced myself. “I’m pretty sure the dragon died. I faced Glinda and tried to lie about having the tower, but the damn shoes gave me away.” I looked down at my feet and frowned. The shoes remained the orange-yellow color they’d turned at the Tower. “Sayer revealed his second dragon, but he had a backup—he brought Kali along. Kali defended me, and we ran, the rest you saw.”

  I returned to the sofa with the jug of wine and my goblet, and huddled into the corner.

  Nox carried on eating without saying a word.

  Tatiana crossed one leg over the other and inquired, “How did you escape her?”

  “Sayer was in the process of threatening to kill me. He rattled off a speech about how he would happily destroy me, take my power, and deliver his own head on a plate to Glinda. Then he backed me into her bubble. It rose, and she was going to cut my throat, but she didn’t notice me start a tiny fire at my feet. I didn’t know it would work, but I panicked. I thought that was it…” I trailed off, refilling my goblet, and looked into the fire.

  “And what happened to you while this was going on?” Tatiana addressed Nox, shifting her attention to give me a moment to collect myself.

  He cleared his throat. “I skirted around, hoping to head Sayer off. I didn’t trust him, regardless of what Ella believed he’d done back on the top of the mountain. Delivering the Lioneag wasn’t enough. Not after an ambush. He professes to love her, yet he declared his love for his queen, also. But there was something…”

  I closed my eyes. I didn’t want to hear it. I wanted to believe he was on my side, but his intentions were never clear. They couldn’t be.

  Another thing was Nox’s tone. For the first time since I’d met him, he sounded uncertain. As though he was suddenly questioning his own beliefs in what Sayer was and was not.

  “What happened?” Tatiana pressed.

  “I shifted. He had no idea I was behind him. He was watching Glinda closely, so he was easily overpowered. I was going to kill him. I had every intention of killing him, but there was something he said that stayed my paw.”

  I turned in my seat. “And that was?”

  Nox locked eyes with me. “I don’t want to say until I’ve substantiated his claim. But if he is telling me the truth, his allegiance to Ellana, to Oz, will be proven beyond doubt.”

  “What do you mean you don’t want to say?” I spat. “You said—”

  “I’m trying to protect you, Ella. I won’t trust him without proof and I won’t risk you to find out either way.”

  “Why?”

  He squared his jaw and rose to his feet.

  “Why?” I repeated, becoming irritated.

  Tatiana looked at me and shook her head.

  Nox turned and walked out.

  I poured more wine and watched him go.

  “Do you really need to ask?” Tatiana questioned when he was gone.

  I looked back to the fire and didn’t answer.

  “You’re unlike anyone they’ve met before,” she mused. “You’re sharp as a blade, yet pretty as a flower. You’re selfless. Honest. Just. And now you have unrivaled power. They each came from families of note, and each lost everything at the hands of women who share some of your qualities, but not all. I, for one, wouldn’t dream of claiming to be sharp, or just, or even selfless.”

  I looked at her and she drained her glass. “I’ll have more wine brought. When you’re tired, take the left door then turn right, your room is the first, Nox the second, Fallon the third. When you’re ready, we’ll talk some more.”

  “Thank you,” I replied, without looking away from the fire, and she didn’t say anything more.

  Remi brought me wine. I said goodnight and took the wine to my assigned room. There, I found no windows, but every luxury. A large, feather bed was layered with heavy furs and thick pillows, as a fire burned in a marble fireplace with tapestries hanging on the walls.

  I put down the jug and my goblet on a table by the bed and turned back to the door.

  Fallon was only two doors away. Nox one. Who knew where Tatiana and Bree were? Or even Remi.

  I considered checking on Fallon. I desperately wanted to see him, but I expected him to be out cold until morning.

  I couldn’t face Nox.

  So, I climbed into bed, poured more wine, and tried to put my jumbled thoughts and feelings into some kind of order.

  Top of the list was Nox. Yeah, he was hot, but that counted for jack shit. It wasn’t until he’d started really showing his colors when I felt attracted to him. He was just. He was kind. I didn’t know the full extent of what he’d suffered because of Glinda, but if it was anything like what Fallon had experienced, then the fact that he managed to trust me at all was a miracle.

  I tried not to act on it, because Sayer and Fallon were enough, but I had to admit that I wanted him. At least, I’d admit it to myself.

  And what was going on with him and Sayer? Whatever it was, I hoped it was going to help us deal with Glinda. I wasn’t close enough to Nox to ask out right, but I wanted to know what it was, and sooner rather than later. If he was staying, which he’d been certain of before, I needed to know he was fully on my side. With Fallon injured, I’d lost the advantage of having him close, for the time being at least.

  Fallon. Remembering him taking the force of Sayer’s fire blast brought a lump to my throat. I tried to wash it away with wine but it didn’t help. With the goblet empty, I shuffled down the bed and tugged the comforter over my shoulder.

  Had Sayer meant to hurt him, or was it an unfortunate accident? I doubted I’d ever know.

  Exhausted, I closed my eyes and willed sleep to claim me. Tomorrow was another busy day, I had no doubt.


  Chapter 15

  Fires burned in every room in the castle, but still I felt cold.

  For the first time in my life I dressed in fleece lined pants, a tank top, and a thick sweater. My boots were the sturdy Martens, but now they were lined with soft fur. Winters could be cold in Kansas, but the wind here in the North of Oz chilled me to the bone, and I couldn’t seem to get warm.

  I was huddled by the fire in the room assigned to Fallon when Bree came in.

  “Good morning. Did you sleep well?”

  I gave her a weak smile and looked over at the bed.

  “He’s all right,” she promised, patting me on the shoulder and heading over to the bed. “To be perfectly honest, I think he’s milking it.”

  I laughed. “You’re Sayer’s sister.” There was no need to make it a question, the resemblance was uncanny.

  She smiled sadly. “Yes, I was supposed to go with Glinda but he took my place, acting as a double agent for her.”

  “While you were looking after Fallon,” I added, confirming the information I had gathered.

  “Hmm. I hoped not to have to again, but here we are.”

  I could have sworn I saw Fallon’s brow pull in.

  “Is he really going to be okay?” I asked, moving around the bed for a better look at him. He was missing a lot of hair, and his skin was very red on the right side of his face, but there didn’t seem to be any blistering.

  Bree nodded. “Oh yes. Once I had cleaned it up and applied a salve, it was a simple case of him allowing his body to do what it does best. All we have now is Fallon buying himself tea and sympathy.”

  She poked him painfully in the side and laughed as Fallon rolled over, pushing her hand away.

  She turned and began arranging several pots on the nightstand, while I sat on the edge of the bed and reached for his hand.

  “How are you, really?” I inquired.

  “Ah! You know the rules, Fallon,” Bree snapped, dropping a piece of paper and what appeared to be a lump of charcoal on the bed beside him. “If you want people to speak to you, you must give a reply.”

  He ground his teeth, took the paper, and scribbled a response.

  She picked it up and smirked. “Yes, I had noticed.”

  I frowned and peered at the paper.

  He winked at me then wrote something else, handing the paper to Bree.

  “You’re welcome. Breakfast will be ready in an hour. Wash, dress, and be on time. The salve should be applied sparingly and only to the affected area.”

  Glancing at me and smiling, she turned and made for the door.

  She’d barely stepped through it when Fallon pulled me down on the bed and pinned me beneath him.

  “Is it very painful?” I asked, looking up at his face.

  His response was to kiss me.

  There was so much said in his kiss. I felt it all. In the featherlight touch of his fingers as he brushed them down my neck.

  His kiss grew more urgent, and he moved his body over mine, sliding his hands beneath my sweater.

  All he was wearing was pair of undershorts, and I could feel everything through them. He was hard. The problem was I was incredibly overdressed.

  His hands slid up my body as he kissed down the column of my throat. His beard was soft against my skin, the soothing scent of lavender enveloping me as my body responded to his touch. My sweater inched up my stomach as his kisses returned to my lips.

  “What if someone walks in?” I murmured, conscious of Bree wandering around the place.

  His response was to run a finger along the waistband of my leggings.

  I sucked in a breath, flattening my stomach and he splayed his hand, sliding it under the thick fabric and down over my hips. The leggings were tight, but he was determined, and his fingers soon reached my pussy.

  I shifted my hips as he rubbed my clit, his tongue tickling my bottom lip as he continued to kiss me. And I was undone. I stroked his back, running my hands up to his shoulders and into his hair. Withdrawing his hand from my pants, he pushed up from the bed and my hands fell on either side of my head. He looked down at me and I looked right back, the blazing expression in his eyes igniting a fire in my veins. He moved quickly then, tugging at my pants, and pulling them down to my ankles.

  I kicked off my shoes, wriggling and kicking out of them as he reached for my sweater. He didn’t remove it, only pushed it as far as he could, forcing my bra up with it. When both my breasts were free, he lowered himself, sucking and licking at my nipple until it hardened. His erection was firm against my thigh, and I reached for him, sliding my hand into his underpants. I needed to touch him. To reciprocate.

  I stroked his shaft and he found my pussy, sliding a finger inside. I groaned when he added another, hooked them, and began to massage the sensitive spot inside.

  Turning my face away, I buried it into his shoulder, gasping as his thumb flicked over my clit, tugging me toward an orgasm.

  I tightened my hand around his cock, not breaking my rhythm despite what he was doing to me and sucked in a breath as I came.

  “Shhhh… Oh god…”

  His mouth was on mine, and he withdrew his fingers, kissing me hard as he shifted positions. I parted my legs farther to accommodate him. With one hand in my hair, he tilted my head back and kissed the hollow of my throat before his cock brushed against me.

  My breathing hitched, and whatever control he hoped to maintain snapped.

  Fingers tightening, he tugged at my hair as he thrust deep and my blood sang in my veins.

  He was here. He was safe. He was mine and I was his.

  I had my hands on his chest and I could feel his beating heart, his skin soft and warm, as the mat of hair tickled the pads of my fingers.

  And still, he kissed me—my neck, my mouth, he was everywhere—claiming me, owning every inch of me like he would have died if he’d been forced to wait any longer.

  I could feel him growing more tense and reached for his face as he reached his climax, forcing him to look at me. Making him meet my gaze as he clenched his jaw and his orgasm burst from him in a series of hard thrusts.

  His movements slowed. His eyes softened, his lips moved, and while he didn’t make a sound, I saw clearly what he said.

  Then he collapsed on my chest with his head over my thundering heart, his breathing ragged, and I stroked the side of his face. “I love you too.”

  After a minute he moved to lay at my side and wrapped his arm around my waist. We rested in languid comfort for a while, prolonging the closeness.

  I wanted to stay here, to not move, but I had to use the bathroom. He watched me, propping his head on one hand as I gathered my pants and shoes, with a small smile playing at the corner of his mouth.

  “Don’t move,” I stated, ducking into the small room off the left side of the bed.

  With the door closed behind me, I dropped my things on the floor and quickly dealt with my needs. When I was done, I washed, dressed, and looked at myself in the mirror.

  I looked like hell. Hell, with a faint blush to my cheeks.

  I smirked. Had that just happened?

  Had we really made that declaration to one another?

  A small thrill tugged deep in my gut. Yes, we’d said it. It was official.

  It was a damn mess considering Sayer, but I knew we could work it out.

  Fallon was waiting for me, and he pulled back the sheets as I approached his bed. I sank into the mattress at his side gladly, grinning when he pulled me into his arms and kissed the end of my nose.

  I watched him grow sleepy and eventually, I watched him sleep. I studied every tiny detail of his face and wondered how in the world, against all the odds we faced, we’d found each other. I’d win this stupid war just to spend my life with him.

  And Sayer.

  Did Fallon feel the same? Was loving him the end of whatever I’d had with Sayer?

  And what about Nox?

  Running my fingers up and down Fallon’s arm, I thought of our new al
ly. How he’d come to our aid. How he’d helped me for no other reason than he wanted to.

  He saw something in me that was enough for him to risk everything, and I wondered why that was. Why he smiled at me the way he did. How he laughed. The way his lips twitched with amusement at the little things I said.

  He was staying. Those were his own words, and his actions spoke much louder. If Tatiana hadn’t stormed into he room like she had, I knew he would have kissed me. I knew that I’d have let him. That I’d have kissed him back.

  I pondered how his braids would feel beneath my hands and how his full lips would feel against my own.

  I caught myself as my mind trailed over the rest of him and quickly pushed him from my mind. It was the wrong time.

  I was there to help people, not to claim half the male population for myself. What the hell was wrong with me?

  Chapter 16

  Fallon was still asleep. I had so many things to do and I knew I should go find Tatiana, but I was finally warm. I was relaxed. I was content to just be here with Fallon, with his arm circling my waist, listening to his breathing.

  I carefully slid from beneath the sheets, hoping not to wake him. Once my shoes were on my feet I moved over to the fire, dropping a fresh log in the grate. I didn’t want his room to cool down and wake him. He needed the rest. I needed him to recover. I needed him with me through what was to come, I couldn’t do it alone.

  Bree was in the sitting room with a pot of tea and plate of cookies. There was no sign of Nox.

  “Please, join me,” she offered, pouring me a cup. “Do you like it sweet?”

  I nodded and sat beside her as she stirred what appeared to be a spoonful of honey into the hot liquid.

  “Just you?” I asked, accepting the cup and saucer she offered.

  She smiled and took her own cup before sitting back. “Tati is at the border. The Wyrms are attacking the breeding colonies of Lioneag. She is trying to help.”