by Melody Rose
I let out a soft chuckle. “Thank you for your kindness.” Immediately, I was annoyed at myself for being so informal. “So take me to Port Land.”
A larger smile broke across her face, and she laughed. I got the sense it had something to do with my pronunciation and frowned, but she didn’t say anything else. She grabbed my arm, her small hands fitting only about halfway around my biceps, and we jumped through the darkness to land a street corner. I turned to look at the concrete building that seemed half made of windows behind me and scoffed.
“What?” she questioned.
“The architecture is absurd. It would take nothing more than a few stones to destroy that place in battle.”
“It’s a library,” she grinned. “I don’t think anyone will be battling it anytime soon.”
“If you say so,” I shrugged. “Knowledge is power; don’t humans say that?”
“Yeah,” she laughed. “Sometimes, humans say that. Well, when a new fae becomes King or Queen, you can suggest they wage war on Earth’s libraries. In the meantime, can you sense where the magic is centered?”
I looked around. Fae magic seemed to be coming from everywhere. “If I had to guess, I’d say it’s coming from a few places. It’s everywhere. It’s coming off people in waves.”
She looked around. “So, what do we do to fix it?”
“Well… you may be able to eliminate the magic without being at the source, the same way you can jump somewhere you’ve never actually been. Unless you’re still too afraid to use your hellfire-”
“I’m not,” she glared. “I’ve been using it successfully. I just couldn’t use it there.”
I eyed her back, annoyed with the expression on her face. “Whatever you say. So do it. Start with the people, perhaps. Pick one, eliminate the magic, see if you sense a connection to where it came from, like a spider’s web. If you were to cut a single thread on the outside, it should ripple back to the center.”
I watched her look around at the people. Her eyes rested in the direction of one woman stopped a little way down the street. She had tripped over a shoelace and was trying to undo the knot so she could re-tie it, none of which was going her way. She had magic surrounding her. I felt a bit sorry for the woman. I knew with the strength of the magic she was experiencing, she must have had a horrible past few weeks. I watched Myrcedes stare in her direction, glancing every so often at her scythe, just making sure to keep an eye on the weapon. Soon, I flinched as the woman seemed to be consumed by purple flames. It took me a moment to realize that no one besides the two of us could see it, aside from the other magical creatures hiding in plain sight, of course. I’d only been there for a few minutes, but Port Land seemed to be rife with inhuman creatures.
The woman down the street paused as the fire burned and stopped messing with her shoe. Once the flames died down, she finished tying a new knot and stood. There was no more magic surrounding her.
“That… that’s impressive,” I muttered. Myrcedes turned to me and grinned. I immediately regretted the compliment. “Now, see if you can sense anything else.” She regained focus. I didn’t distract her as she concentrated for a few moments.
“I think I have an idea…” she said, grabbing my arm once again. In a moment, we were in a completely different part of town.
This place was different. The air was cold, and I felt magic so thick Myrcedes could have cut it with her scythe. “Where are we?”
“I’m not sure…”
We were on a sidewalk at the end of a large bridge that had two massive towers toward the center.
“Wherever we are,” I advised, “it’s got a lot of magic here. It’s likely that a few different Unseelie cast spells around here, and they interacted poorly. It’s created a very dangerous miasma.”
Personally, I didn’t quite care that humans didn’t know about magic, but I assumed she didn’t want to perform some massive spell in the middle of a highly populated area. “We need to find somewhere that’s not out in the open…”
“Down there.” She nodded toward the shoreline underneath the bridge. We made our way down there, and my jaw was tense the entire time.
“This is disgusting.”
“What is?”
“Everything,” I huffed. “The water is polluted, there’s trash everywhere.”
She smiled with amusement. “Actually, it’s not that bad. I’ve seen far worse.”
“That should not be the standard!”
“Alright.” She rolled her eyes, and I felt something shift in the pit of my stomach. I wanted to watch her do that again. “We can discuss the ethics of Earth’s water pollution after we fix this miagma or whatever you called it.”
I smiled a bit before composing myself. She was right; as cute as her made-up word was, we had a task. I could admonish myself later for getting distracted.
“Very well. You’ll want to go slow, bit by bit. This might take a while.”
“Kalian.” I was taken aback at hearing her say my name for some reason. She’d said it before, so I had no idea why it shocked my senses this time. “Will you help me?”
“Oh. Of course,” I nodded.
She smiled. “Thank you. I’ll jump to the other side of the river and take the bridge from that side. I’ll come back when I don’t feel anything anymore.”
I nodded and bowed slightly as she disappeared. I could barely see her figure reappear across the large river. I closed my eyes and tried to focus on the reason I was there, removing her from my thoughts.
This magic was easy to sense because it was everywhere. As I began to try to dismantle it, I was curious as to how exactly Myrcedes was able to do so. I figured her hellfire would work, but I hadn’t been completely sure when I suggested it that it would. I began to whisper the incantations softly to remove the magic, and in my mind, I slowly pictured this invisible fog being dismantled like a puzzle, coming apart in pieces, breaking off and disappearing.
It was slow moving, but it was working. I don’t know how long I sat there whispering into the air; it was easy to lose track of time when it came to magic. After a while, though, I felt my incantations fall flat. I opened my eyes, reaching my awareness across the bridge. As far as I could tell, there was no more magic to be dealt with.
Myrcedes reappeared next to me, a tired smile on her face. “I didn’t sense any more magic. Can you?”
“No,” I shook my head. “I believe we got all of it.”
She looked so relieved and had a contented smile on her face. For a moment, I felt the urge to smile back, but I resisted, feeling something steel over. “Do you have any other errands for me, or may I return to the castle now?”
My reply clearly shocked her. I wondered if that had been the incorrect way to phrase it, but I got my answer almost immediately. I watched her face distort from confusion into a full fury, her brows knitting together and her lips pursing.
“If I could have achieved this without your help, I would have. I’m trying to save my world, my home, from the chaos caused by your Queen. I’m so sorry that it was an inconvenience for you!”
So maybe I had been a bit too rude. “Myrcedes-”
“No, you know what? I’m done with this,” she laughed darkly. “I don’t understand what I did wrong. You have treated me like some absolute idiot since the day you walked into the castle to find the Kings. I’ve been nothing but nice, respectful. I forced the gargoyles to listen to you when they would rather have torn you apart, I put up with your rude comments insinuating I was nothing more than some whore of Daath’s, and I saved your life! I haven’t done anything to you, and I’m done with this treatment. Get your ass back to the castle, go back to the freaking fae realm for all I care!”
I watched her tone escalate and clenched both my jaw and my fists, digging my nails into my palms. When she finished, I stayed silent and didn’t say anything, remembering the events she’d mentioned. I remembered the day I marched into the castle, demanding to speak with the Kings, and she was there.
I’d heard of her, of course, she was the crux of Minerva’s entire plan. But when I saw her, I was shocked by how beautiful she really was. There had always been something just a bit otherworldly about her to me. The moment I saw such a gorgeous creature and realized who she was, it felt like my only option was to reduce her in my mind to nothing more than some concubine.
“Myrcedes,” I repeated her name, my voice softer this time. That gave her pause. “I apologize. I have been cold.”
She looked shocked. “Yes… you have. Why?”
“That doesn’t matter-”
“Yes, it does.” I realized as I looked into her eyes that I had been avoiding eye contact with her all day. Her silver eyes caught the light, and I could have sworn they were glowing.
“I…” I didn’t know what to say. I could practically see my reflection in those eyes, and it drained all of my senses. “Myrcedes…”
Before I could give it too much thought, I pulled her close to me and kissed her hard, snaking a hand through her hair. It was just as soft as I’d imagined. Terror flashed through my mind as I wondered if I had crossed a boundary, so I let go of the beautiful woman before me and pulled away.
The expression on her face was one of shock, but I only saw it for a second before she grabbed me and pulled me back in, wrapping an arm around my neck to lock me against her. I held her face in my hands, stroking her cheek with my thumb. I couldn’t remember the last time I had done something like this, but it felt like a brand new experience. I could feel her power emanating from her, and it expanded as she kissed me, surrounding me, pulling me closer to her.
“Myrcedes.” I moaned her name in between kisses and slid my hand down to wrap around her waist. A shudder went down my spine as I circled my fingers along the exposed patch of skin between her top and her pants, suddenly feeling thankful for that leather outfit she loved so much. “You’re the most stunning creature I’ve ever laid eyes on.”
She smiled, and I felt her hand on my waist, sliding up my shirt to rest against my bare chest.
“Myrcedes,” I repeated her name. “I want you. I’ve wanted you since I saw you in that damn palace.”
“You want me?” I felt her energy grow, and the surrounding air heated up slightly.
“Yes.” I leaned my forehead against hers, stroking her hair. “I want you.”
“Good,” she purred. My stomach felt like it was doing acrobatics, and before I knew what was happening, darkness swallowed us and then placed us in a small bedroom that I assumed was in her apartment.
She grabbed the bottom of my sweater and pulled it off and kissed me hard again, her tongue exploring my mouth. Once it was off, I grabbed the zipper on her leather vest and pulled it off, revealing a black lace bra that suited her like it was made for her. I kissed her hard and slid one of my hands up her back, grabbing a handful of her hair, gently so as not to hurt her.
I grabbed one of her breasts with my free hand and shivered as she moaned into my mouth. I felt myself swell within my pants at the feeling of her against me. Everything about her seemed to draw me in.
She reached down to undo her pants and pushed them down. I wrapped both my arms around her, one on her back and one under her ass, lifted her up, and walked over to her bed, laying her down to crawl on top of her. She ran her fingernails down my back, moving down to my waist to undo my pants.
I leaned down to kiss her neck as she pushed down my trousers and my underwear, and I reached behind her back to undo the clasp on her bra. The gorgeous woman beneath me wasted no time in pulling it off completely.
As soon as her skin was exposed, I kissed her left nipple while caressing her right breast with my hand. She moaned as she ran her fingers through my hair. After a moment, I switched sides to give equal attention to both of her tits. They were absolutely magnificent. Everything about her body seemed to call out to me, draw me in. I felt as though something primal was encouraging me, and I could hear a whisper that sounded like her voice screaming my name in my mind.
I felt her hands make their way down to my cock, which was already throbbing wildly, longing to push itself inside her. I shivered at her touch as she caressed my shaft, flexing her fingers and putting pressure in just the right places. I moaned, grabbing both of her hands with my own and pinning them above her head, kissing her hard. I lowered myself and rubbed my tip between her lips, hitting her clit. Each time I did, she seemed to shake. I grinned to myself before finally entering her. Everything about her felt like a dream, her skin, her body, her pussy.
I thrust in and out of her, wrapping my free hand through her hair and pulling her lips to mine, letting my tongue explore her mouth. She returned the gesture. I moaned as I felt the muscles of her walls tense around my cock and release. She repeated the gesture as I moved, feeling the pressure build within me. I let go of her hands and reached down to massage her clit with my fingers, multiplying her pleasure as much as I could. I wanted nothing more than to overwhelm her with absolute ecstasy, this Queen, this Goddess, this Angel sent to drag me from hell and pull me into salvation. When she moaned again, I shivered.
“Kalian,” she breathlessly whispered as I stroked her clit, quickening my pace. She purred in my ear, and our breath aligned in a way that felt otherworldly. For the first time in my life, I thought I was experiencing true magic.
As ready as I was to explode inside of her, I forced myself to hold off, waiting and waiting. But I could be patient, and she was more than worth it. Finally, her moans heightened, and she gripped the sheets beneath us, a shiver running through her body as she climaxed.
I had been waiting patiently for my Queen to finish. Just as I felt her body relax, I lost all self-control and kissed her as I released everything I had within her.
17
Myrcedes
Fuck. That was… satisfying.
What had just happened?
I’d been attracted to Kalian; I was aware of that. But I’d been annoyed at him every time we interacted because of how he treated me. I certainly hadn’t expected to react to his apology like that.
It had been weeks since I’d been with Daath or Syrion because I’d been spending so much time on Earth, and as much as I didn’t want to admit it, I had begun to feel that same hunger they’d told me about, the need for a release that drove them mad when they couldn’t get it. I’d never felt that before, but something about having been with them and being able to acknowledge my power had created a need within me. Since my supernatural abilities had been suppressed like they were on Earth, I’d been building up energy. Here I had to hide so much, and it made me want to release all of that energy. I could feel it the last few days, and it had been driving me crazy, but between shifts at the coffee shop and going on missions like I had today, I felt I had too much going on to find time to go see my Kings.
Then Kalian happened. The way his harsh demeanor gave way to vulnerability and desire drove me absolutely wild.
I sat up in my bed and ran a hand through my hair. “Kalian, I hate to say this, but I have some things I need to take care of.” I smiled. “You should return to the castle.”
He didn’t look surprised, which was a relief. I was worried he’d feel like I was kicking him out. I was, but I didn’t want him to feel that way. He sat up and kissed me, softer than before, with less of a hunger and more of a genuine fondness.
“Of course, Your Highness.” There was a playful tone to his voice that had never been there before, and I couldn’t help but smile at hearing it.
We got dressed, and he bowed before excusing himself and disappearing. I went to the bathroom and put my hair up in a tight ponytail and washed my face, taking a deep breath before sending a message to Daath and Syrion, asking them to meet me right away in the House of Stars. I felt as nervous as I had the first time I slept with Syrion and went to tell Daath… this was not a situation I wanted to keep putting myself in.
I jumped to my room in the House of Stars and sat on the bed. Wow… I hadn’t been here in wee
ks. I loved my home in Seattle, and that bed was comfortable enough, but nothing would ever compare to the mattress I had here. The feather stuffed mattress had dark blue velvet bedding and the softest fur blanket I had ever touched. I slid my shoes off as soon as I got there so I could feel the cool linoleum beneath my feet, shiny enough to see my reflection in. I laid back and closed my eyes, feeling a wave of exhaustion overtake me. The bridge had taken a lot out of me and fucking Kalian hadn’t exactly been a nap.
“Look at our little owl.”
I jumped when I heard Daath’s deep bass ring through my ears and sat up, realizing I’d drifted off to sleep.
“Hello.” I rubbed my eyes. “I’m sorry I fell asleep.”
“Don’t worry, dear one.” Syrion sat next to me, moving my hair behind my ear and kissing the side of my head. He took a deep breath, and I felt him pause. I bit the inside of my lip.
“Listen, I need to tell you both-”
“You fucked Kalian,” Daath said coolly. I felt my stomach drop and looked up at him, prepared to see him sad or angry, as he’d been when they confronted me about Kalian the first time. Instead, he looked… fine? As a matter of fact, he began laughing.
“I don’t understand,” I frowned.
The man pushed his jet black hair back and shook his head. “What? It’s obvious.”
“I just didn’t expect you to laugh…”
“Oh, come now,” he said with a smirk, lifting my chin with his finger. “It’s only funny because you look so serious.”
“So you’re not upset?” I cocked my head.
“You already explained this to us,” Syrion shrugged, “and you were right.” He kissed my head again. “Your bond with us is what matters.”
Daath sat on my other side and leaned against the bedpost. “We figured this would happen eventually, anyway. We haven’t been together in a while. You’ve been getting stronger, more powerful, and with that comes the hunger and the need to release pent up energy. And if we aren’t there to do that for you, it’s best that you get that out however you need.”