by Viola Grace
“We are taking over a spa down the road for the day. Lunch will occur somewhere there, and then, we will return to the Twilight property to take over the guesthouse and have a rager. That is when I will be Tolly.”
“The day sounds like fun, but I am going to enjoy having my friend with me.”
Orvis nodded. “Tolly will be there. For the water polo if nothing else.”
“Excellent. I look forward to the battle.”
“You are so sure I am not going to be on your team?”
“I have met you. I know you are not.”
There was a distinctly evil chuckle, and Nessa grinned. There was going to be a bit of a ruckus.
The spa had been fun, but ten women in a pool splashing and aggressively passing a ball were hilarious. Mages were fit. They had to be. A weak body didn’t allow magic to flow.
Nessa rose out of the water and slammed the ball into Tolly’s forehead and watched it bounce into her mother’s grip for the game-winning point.
Tolly blinked and pressed her hand to her forehead. “Well, you have gotten more aggressive. That’s good.”
Nessa grinned. “Come on. Let’s get a mocktail.”
Tolly grinned, and they shot out of the pool, landing on the deck and walking calmly to the bar.
Nessa had spent the day fielding questions about her guys that revolved around sex. She answered the one question about her breaking up a solid couple quite squarely. “They aren’t gay; they are omnisexual. They would take any creature into their union if it matched their own souls. They have been together for a while, and I match.”
Her aunt Kiki said, “But it is so sudden. How do you truly know?”
Nessa blinked. “Mom didn’t tell you?’
“Tell me what?”
“I met them ten years ago. One night with them fed me enough to last ten years. They have been looking for me for that entire time and driving poor Stovos batty.”
Kiki wrinkled her nose. “Oh. Faerie stuff.”
“Yes. Faerie stuff. But I have known them for ten years. That is enough time for just about anyone. Right?”
Kiki paused and then shrugged. “It is. Fine. I can’t find fault with that.”
Nessa patted her arm. “I know you were really trying.”
They both burst into laughter.
Tolly handed Nessa a mocktail with pineapple, grenadine, and soda. The tiny umbrella made her smile.
Nessa glanced around the property, and she casually asked Tolly. “Hey, did the guys have a stag night?”
“Yes. That was on the agenda for them. Why?”
“There is a line of fae horses along the treeline, and I think they have started moving.”
Tolly whistled sharply, and the mages stopped their chatting, and aside from a few girly shrieks, they lined up and started to put wards in front of the oncoming horses and riders.
There was something about the way the riders looked, but Nessa added her efforts to the wards, and the horses charged through them. She turned and saw the surge of dark faerie from the shadows. Her father was with them, and he grabbed Kallie, tossing her over his shoulder and disappearing into another portal.
Women were grabbed by spouses or dark elves who were enacting their wedding rituals. Nessa walked to an open area and started to glow. She kept a lookout for her suitors while the last guest at her party disappeared. Whoever caught Stinger was going to get their ass kicked.
There was the thunder of hooves again, and she turned to see Hector and Tynan on dark horses approaching quickly. She made a portal and was about to step through it when Hector’s arm caught her and lifted her to sit across his thighs.
He and Tynan turned their horses and bolted into a shadow portal, exiting near the palace of the dark court.
“Any particular reason for the kidnapping?”
Tynan grinned. “Tradition. I was swept away in the same manner but with more clothing.”
She looked down and blushed. “Damn it.”
Hector grinned. “The elders are going to be suitably impressed.”
“You aren’t doing a presentation.” She couldn’t keep the horror out of her tone.
“Oh, I am. It is the fastest way to get you the protection of the court.”
“Tynan?”
“I was presented the same way. You will be fine. A little bruised from the groping but fine. I promise to kiss any bruises better.”
She groaned and was a little surprised when the horses were walked into the dark and creepy keep. “Why are the horses with us?”
Hector murmured, “If I let go, you are going to portal out of here.”
“Damn straight.”
“In that case, I will keep you in my grip.”
Tynan chuckled. “And I will help.”
“Traitor.”
“I have never said I was on your side. I am on our side, which means getting you formally linked to us as quickly as possible. Especially considering your condition.”
She wrinkled her nose.
The dark fae in all of their iterations surrounded them. The horses walked to a series of five older men and stopped. Tynan dismounted and took her, then Hector took her back as he walked up to the elders. Stovos was wearing his shadows very naturally.
“What do you will?”
“To bind my mate and me to this woman.”
One of the men snorted. “You claimed that the mage was your soulmate.”
“He is, and Nessa is the soulmate to us both. We wish to balance our energies so that none of us need to go hungry.”
The elder, the furthest to the left, came up and grabbed her leg. “Nice muscles. How hard is she to please in bed?”
She kicked as he reached behind her knee and stroked gently.
Hector said, “She matches us precisely.”
She growled at the elder. “If you don’t get your gnarly hand off me, I will burn you until you pull back a stump.”
Stovos chuckled.
Hector held her tighter, and she began to glow. Her skin tingled and got hot. He pulled his hand back with a hiss, and curls of smoke came from his fingertips.
Hector lowered her legs and murmured, “Draw on what you need.”
She glanced back at him. “Are you sure?”
He nodded and stepped back. The three elders who were still judging her circled. She took her natural form and made it bright. Irresistible. When the first dark fae tried to touch, she grabbed his hand and pulled power from him. He dropped to his knees.
She got brighter, and the next hand aimed toward her breast was grabbed, and he was dropped. The fifth one looked at her, licked his lips, and backed away. “You are deemed suitable as a bride for the royal family of the dark court.”
She lifted up her hand and sent the extra power off in a burst, through the roof and into the shadows surrounding the court. Her light touched every part of the shadows and announced her acceptance to the court.
Nessa stood tall in her black bikini and gauzy wrap. She looked at Stovos, “What now?”
He grinned. “You have been accepted by the dark court.” He held out his hand, palm up.
Tynan put his hand on her shoulder, and Hector did the same. She put her hand in Stovos’s and power zipped through the three of them before she closed the loop, and it kept moving.
“Locking a love-talker is difficult, but while you are able to expend your energies now, you will be tied to Hector and Tynan for all of your base needs. You are still able to pull from others as needed for special projects.”
Hector laughed, and Tynan chuckled. “We are up for it.”
One of the elders who had cum in his leather pants got up and poured a goblet of wine.
He stepped forward and held the goblet out. “To aid fertility.”
She snorted, paused, and nodded, pressing her lips to the edge, but she didn’t drink. She handed it to Tynan and then Hector.
The elder frowned. “It was
for you.”
“I am already carrying Hector’s child. Anything more would just be overkill at this point.”
His eyes went wide, and he looked her over. “You can’t be. There is no sign of it.”
“This is my speciality; this is my magic. An hour ago, the tiny seed attached to me and started growing. My magic wrapped around it to keep it in place and strong. That is why you can’t sense it, but if you check again for localized power, you will find it.”
His gaze trailed down her body, and then the ruby red went crimson. “There is... you are... strong.”
Hector chuckled. “Yes, she is.”
She was turned toward Tynan, and she kissed him; the feeling of his energy building as she touched him was intense. She had guessed, but there was only so much assumption that she could make as to what was going through them when she touched them. Now she could feel it for the first time. The blood rushed in her veins, pooled in her crotch, caused her muscles to tense. When she heard her own voice making soft noises while they touched, and she felt powerful.
Hector wrapped around her from the back. She reached back to touch him, and Hector cupped her breasts before sliding his hand down her belly to press against her, just under her navel. She groaned, and shadows wrapped around them. They emerged in the house, and she lost track of where she started and they began.
Clothing was discarded, and they moved together, they felt what she felt, and she felt what they felt. Every twinge, curl of nervousness, throbbing anticipation, and rush of pleasure when they slid into her. Every moment, each touch belonged to all three of them. It would take some getting used to, but she would have fun learning what they did and didn’t like. So far, didn’t like it hadn’t shown up yet.
They joined, cleaned up, and joined again. They were lying together in a realm of soft kisses when there was a flash in the room, and Nessa found herself in her family home.
Kallie chuckled and cleansed her with mage fire. Her mother’s fire was a lot more aggressive than Tynan’s.
“Ow.” She sat up and winced at some of the bite marks on her. Her mother handed her a dressing gown and smiled. “So, that was fun. Your dad is still passed out, but all of the mages that were at your party are gathered here for your final rites before you go to Stovos’s court.”
“Um. I already went to the court. We already bound ourselves.”
“Well, this is going to be rather painful for the guys then. Come on. It is time to walk the path.”
Nessa nodded and slipped on her robe. “Right. I was supposed to be resting up for this.”
“Yeah, but you don’t like taking orders.”
Her mother wore a robe as well, and Nessa asked on the way out, “Where’s Dad?”
Tolly smiled as she waited in the doorway. “Drinking with Stovos. It is best that the guys stay away from this.”
The other women were in a circle in the yard, and they were all wearing robes.
Kallie nodded. “Are you ready?”
“Yeah, we are.”
Kallie blinked. “So you are actually...”
“It started today. It’s protected. I can do this.”
She looked around at the gathered mages and blinked. “Meredith.”
Meredith looked nervous but smiled shyly. “Cousin, I am reporting for duty. I hope you will do the same next week.”
Nessa looked at her. “If that is what you want.”
“I have not stood by you when I should have, but I am here now.”
“You are family. Stay in the circle.”
Nessa kissed her mother and went to stand in the centre.
Tolly got into position with the other mages, but she sprouted her wings. A few of the women blinked, but the other grinned. Stinger stood with her head high and her scorpion marking down her thigh. It was a stylization of the Scorpio constellation, and she had been born with it.
Nessa stood and surrounded herself with a barrier of power, and she lifted her hands and then beckoned for the attack. It wasn’t long in coming.
The tradition of testing a mage bride was to determine if she would be able to train and protect children born with magic or if the children would need a guardian assigned to them when they were born. It was her fitness as a parent that was being tested, her fitness as the guardian of the next generation, and no one would test her like the other women in her family and a few friends who just liked mage fighting.
For thirty minutes, she fought blasts, fire, she and Tolly attacked each other with staves, and Nessa fought for her right to the next generation. Tolly’s sister had failed this test, and by calling Nessa, Tolly had given her sister the children that she wanted with Tolly’s eggs. Her sister had been sterilized when she failed to keep fighting in the mage circle. Tolly had given up what she wanted most, to offer the chance of a strong bloodline to her sister and brother-in-law.
Nessa was exhausted and swaying, but she was still standing when the candle that had been lit to start the fight guttered out.
The women stood up and came in for a hug, giving her their remaining strength and restoring her by healing her bruises and cuts.
By one in the morning, they were ready to head home to get ready for the wedding. Robes were put on, portals were made, and the mages returned to their homes. They needed to rest up. The family had a reputation for dancing until dawn.
This was no time to drop the family honour. Dad’s family’s turn would happen during the ceremony. Hector’s stamina would be up for assessment. She really hoped he was up to it.
Tolly was standing in her silk robe. “Come on. Your mom and you are staying at the Twilight home tonight.”
Nessa slipped on her robe and smiled. “Are we having a sleepover?”
Kallie emerged with a few garment bags. “Yup. The whole family is sleeping over at the mansion. We are on the other side of the house from your boys.”
“Aw, Mom, you have never seen what those boys can do with a shadow.”
“If they try it, they are going to be smouldering at the altar. This is your one wedding, and we are going to do it right.” Kallie grinned. “Whether the guys like it or not.”
Nessa hugged her mother. “And that is why he married you. That and the knife to his throat.”
“And the one in his groin.” Kallie kissed her on the cheek. “Never forget that one. He certainly doesn’t.”
Chapter Sixteen
Yusen greeted them when they stepped out of their portal in the main entryway, and he bowed. “Please, step through the field, and I will take you to the rooms that have been set aside for you this evening.”
Nessa and Kallie stepped through, and Tolly followed, switching from Orvis to Tolly the harpy. Big busted and dark grey wings, her skin a silvery pearl, she smiled as she stepped along with them, and Yusen didn’t even notice the change in someone he saw frequently.
They walked through to a huge glass chamber that had been outfitted with beds, a big-screen TV, couches, and an enormous buffet. Nessa looked to Tolly. “You arranged this?”
Tolly laughed. “Nothing but the best on Stovos’s dime.”
They sat around in the robes, watched movies, and then went to sleep just before dawn.
* * * *
Stovos kept to the shadows and looked at the women who were sheltering under his roof. It was an unnatural state of affairs. Nessa was stronger than anticipated, which was good because the equal union with the mage had not been anticipated as well. He was beginning to expect the unexpected.
Nessa’s mother, Kallie, was a fine figure of an elegant predator, and Cian must have balls of iron to get anywhere near her.
The third woman felt familiar, but he would know if he had seen a harpy in the last thirty years. He crouched next to her and couldn’t help but admire the curves that would be more than enough for his very large hands. He reached out to touch her skin, and a hand snapped up to grab his wrist. The golden-brown eyes were familiar, and once he saw t
hem, he took in the familiar structure of her face. “Orvis?”
“Copping a feel with an unconscious woman is tacky, Boss.” She looked him in the eye.
He reached for her and pulled her against him. He transported her into his private study.
* * * *
Tolly frowned. “What is the problem? You deal with plenty of concealed species.”
She was ready for him to quiz her. She was not ready for the kiss.
She pushed at his shoulders, and then, she slowly gave in to the heat that was running through her. He was wearing a set of black trousers and nothing else. The heavy muscle of his torso was wonderful to lean on.
When he raised his head, she was breathing as hard as he was. “Why didn’t you ever show me what you are? How did you keep the glamour on entering through the field?”
She snorted. “It isn’t a glamour; it is shapeshifting. This is my natural shape. That is your natural shape. We both put on something else for the human world.”
“I would rather that you were taking something off right now.”
Tolly blinked. “What? You can’t have interest in me.”
He sighed. “I can’t? What makes you think that I don’t? I didn’t want to injure Orvis, the delicate human mage without a flicker of power to help her through a sexual partnership, but you are bristling with health and energy.”
He leaned in, and she stopped him with the only thing she could think of. “I can’t have kids. Ever. I gave that up.”
He cocked his head. “Can’t or won’t?”
“Can’t. There was a fertility transfer. I can no longer produce children.”
“Good. I don’t think Hector needs a sibling.” He grinned and leaned in to kiss her again.
She shivered and leaned into the kiss while her brain was screaming, bad idea, bad idea, bad idea.
She wrapped her hands around his neck and pressed against him as his tongue stroked along hers and flicked at the inside of her mouth. He inserted his thigh between hers and stroked her slowly and carefully.
She froze and blinked as she got very hot and very wet as he carefully sought out what made her react. Tolly broke the kiss and moved her head aside to press against his shoulder as her heat built. When the tension broke, she sobbed and hung onto him.