Bile hit the back of my throat, and I walked to the window. Outside, half a dozen figures roamed my front yard. “Oh, shit!”
The energy bubbling on the air died as quick as it had started, and Brey stumbled backward.
“Are you all right?” I hurried toward him, studying the way his cheeks had paled, shadows dancing under his eyes.
“Magic takes a toll on me… on all of us,” he said.
These three men, each bloody, sported cuts and lesions. They’d risked their lives. “You all fought for me and I still can’t believe you would,” I said. “You don’t even know me.”
Truid wiped the blood dripping from the cut under his left eye with a thumb. “We pledged our allegiance. We have sworn to protect you forever. Whether or not you chose to be with us, we will always be by your side. But without the connection, I fear we won’t make it through the night.”
A great cacophony of snarls and shuffling sounded from outside, coupled with the loud thundering of someone crashing into the front door over and over. The blast reverberated through my home. I barely caught my breath and retreated when Truid collected me into his arms from behind. “I will keep you safe to my last dying breath.”
“No.” I pulled away from him and Luca. “Don’t you get it? I don’t want any of you to throw yourselves at danger for me. I’m a nobody.” I couldn’t help but remember Dad’s funeral and how I’d thought my heart had splintered. How I’d wanted to throw myself into the grave and leave this world. It had hurt so much to lose him. Death was final. And life shouldn’t be handled recklessly.
Truid’s breath danced across my ear as he leaned closer and whispered, “Without females, how are we meant to repopulate our dying race?”
“So is that all I am?” My voice climbed.
“You are many beautiful things, but also a woman who has been living in the dark about your past and who you really are. You don’t understand the power that lives inside you.” Truid seized my wrist and placed my flat palm over his heart. His chest was rock hard, and I gnawed on my lower lip. “I once watched my mother lay a palm on my father’s chest after he had been stabbed in the heart by an orc and used her energy to heal him—and he still lives today. You have so much untapped potential, but first you must undergo your Divinity. This isn’t about you just helping with our lineage, but have you never wanted to know who your mother was? Why your father never told you about elves?”
I swallowed past the boulder in my throat. “Of course I do.”
Luca closed in, as did the others, and I found their presence comforting. “We have been at war with the orcs for as long as I can remember. We fight for survival every week, and while we males fight with sheer strength, our magic can’t stop them. But yours will once you bond with your mate.”
My mind swirled in every direction. “So how long are we safe from the orcs outside?”
Luca shrugged. “That depends on how many turn up and how quickly.”
“Come,” Brey said. “Do you have peppermint tea leaves? They can aid with concentration in times of high stress.”
“Yes.” I hurried into the kitchen to give my head space to process everything. I lit a candle on the table before lighting my stove and showing Brey where my tea leaves were.
Luca took me by the hand and led me to the table to sit down, but in that moment, an excruciating sharpness sliced my shoulder blade and I cried out in pain, gripping Luca’s hand for support. He wrapped an arm around my waist and held me tight.
“I’ve got you. It’s just the Divinity trying to come out.”
“Why doesn’t it do it already?” I growled as the pain sliced open my back. And the familiar sensation of my dress constricting me came fast. No waiting, I broke away from Luca and tugged on my dress, but he was there, helping me, well aware of what was happening.
He pulled the dress up and over my head, and once again I stood in my underwear and a sleeveless camisole in front of three gorgeous strangers. But when my one wing jolted outward, glistening, their eyes widened with delight. They circled me.
“Even more beautiful up close,” Brey said.
“Can I touch?” Luca asked.
“Yes,” I said. “Haven’t you touched one before?”
“Never,” added Truid. “An elf’s wings are sacred and only her mates are permitted to do so.”
And yet all three of them reached out to stroke the white silky web-like gossamer, their attention completely absorbed, much as mine had been at first seeing my new appendage.
Their touches sent a light tremble through my body, as if every inch of me was connected to the wing. So what would it feel like if someone ripped it out of me? Was that why they’d said earlier that when an elf lost her wings, she died? With their caresses, I could have sworn they stroked my body all over, tickling and fondling me. Before I could stop myself, I moaned under my breath, squeezing my thighs together as a fire burned alight.
Luca laughed out loud. “This turns you on, doesn’t it?”
I snapped open my eyes. “What? No!” I pulled away. “It just felt… relaxing.”
Brey cocked an eyebrow while Truid approached me once more. “We already know that touching a wing is as intimate as a lover’s caress.”
“And you all asked to feel me anyway?”
“Of course. I wanted to test the theory and see your reaction,” Truid added, the other two smirking in agreement.
“So why do I only have one wing?” I asked.
Luca inhaled deeply. “Because you haven’t undergone the Divinity yet. Only then will your wings fully emerge.”
I nodded. That seemed like it kind of made sense. “So after we connect, the orcs will leave and I’ll have two wings?”
Luca’s nose scrunched. “Sort of.”
“No sort of,” I said. “If more are orcs coming, we need to make this work.”
“It’s complicated,” Brey added. “We didn’t realize it was your eighteenth birthday today. We assumed we had plenty of time, but you have accepted none of our gifts, and without them, we can’t begin.”
I scratched my head. “All right, just give them to me again.” I wanted to rid myself of the fear clinging to my ribs and get this done. “I don’t understand why I need to do the whole present thing anyway. Can’t I pick one of you now?”
They each looked at the other in turn and chuckled as they took a seat at the table. The fire on the stove crackled and the pot of water simmered as if it were any other ordinary night. But it was anything but normal.
“What’s so funny?” I asked.
“If it were that simple,” Truid said, “we would have asked you to do so already.”
Brey cleared his throat. “It is customary for males to give females an offering, but the male is to never show himself until she chooses the gift. Then he knows the connection is of a true heart, not just physical. Each gift is distinct and when we create them for you, we infuse a piece of our energy into them. So the bond occurs between our souls. But things haven’t quite gone to plan here because for months you’ve given away our precious gifts.”
His words tumbled over and over in my mind until the realization struck a chord. “The shoes on the windowsill were from each of you?”
They nodded, and I lost my breath. “But I sold them to other customers. I assumed they were from my father magically because he wanted to look after me. I didn’t want to question where they came from because nothing else made sense. I’m so stupid.” I paused, shaking my head. “Does this mean those women who are wearing your shoes could accept your bonding?” Who knew how Linet’s husband would react if she found herself connected with a super sexy young elf insisting he was her mate? She’d probably jump at the chance.
“It only works between elves,” Lucan said. “We worked most nights in your father’s workshop while you slept, trying to improve our shoes to capture your attention. “We figured with you running a shoe store, you would love our creations, but each week, you offered them to someone else.”
I shifted in my seat uncomfortably, imagining how it must have felt for them to watch me sell gifts they’d worked on. “I’m so sorry. If I knew, I would never have sold a single pair.”
We sat in silence as Brey finished brewing the tea and served us each a steaming mug.
But as I inhaled the peppermint fragrance, a memory swept through my thoughts. The time I’d received the first pair of three shoes, the waft of peppermint had filled the room. I kept having people coming over to pay their respects after Dad’s passing, so I often had a pot of tea brewing. The house took on the minty smell for days afterward. But maybe all wasn’t lost. I jumped to my feet with excitement drumming in my chest. “I have a solution.”
I didn’t wait for their responses but jolted out of the kitchen and darted back into the store. Behind the counter were stacked boxes filled with raw materials and other items I wasn’t ready to part with. Mostly Dad’s belongings. But I had put some other things in there and I’d forgotten all about them.
“What are you searching for?” Truid stood in the doorway between the storefront and hallway.
I kept flipping over the boxes.
Truid joined me. “This would be easier if you told me what I’m looking for.”
But the next box had me gasping with glee. “I’ve got them.” I leaped into Truid’s arms, and he caught me with such ease, our bodies perfectly molded together. His muscular arms looped around my back, holding me, my wing swaying back and forth.
“If this kind of happiness makes you jump into my arms, I’ll make it my mission to make you smile every day if we get out of this alive.”
I blushed, the scorching flames heating up my neck. “How can you say that when you don’t know me?”
“That’s where you’re wrong. I feel as if I know you better than most people. I may have stayed at a distance, but I’ve seen the kind of person you are. Kind. Caring. Loving. And extremely sexy.” Truid grinned so devilishly, I wasn’t sure how to respond without saying something ridiculous and making a fool of myself.
Staring into his deep green eyes, I pretended that my life wasn’t a mess and that maybe having such a man in my life was a possibility.
I clasped the sides of his face and kissed him. He responded with such ferocity, it had me losing my breath. He walked me to the counter, setting my ass on the edge, nudging himself between my thighs while he kissed me back with an explosive passion. Our tongues tangled, and his hand curled over my stomach and up to my breast, squeezing me. I groaned in my mouth as he pressed his hardness against me. So hard and large.
Something about these men had me losing control, had me thinking the dirtiest thoughts, had me desiring them. But when a loud bang sounded from outside, I flinched and we broke apart. He panted. His eyes were like the wind, shifting from dark to light hues of green. I stared at the rune inked on his temple, and curiosity burrowed through me, as I hadn’t seen many people with such skin markings.
“What does the tattoo mean?” I asked, studying the circular rune with three wavy lines across the center.
“It’s my affinity with air. Each elf is born with a connection to an element, but males’ links aren’t nearly as powerful as those held by female elves. After your Divinity, you will find our yours. But you should hurry up,” he said, and he grasped my waist, lifting me up and setting me onto my feet. “Now, show me what you found?”
I returned to the box and pulled out a pair of ankle boots, black with silver threads through the leather unlike anything I’d ever seen. Next I retrieved golden sandals with a silk ribbon to wrap around my ankles while the third was a heeled fancy shoe made to match the color of the sun.
“You have our original gifts?” Truid’s voice climbed with excitement. “On that first day we left you the gifts, we had waited for your decision in the woods near your house, eager to sense which shoe you’d select. But the sensation never came. So we assumed you rejected them, which was why we made more. Then we saw you selling them and assumed you got rid of the first three as well.”
“I forgot I had them, but I remembered putting them aside because I wasn’t sure where they’d come from. Can you believe I’ve never tried on any of your presents?”
He huffed a laugh. “Oh, we know or we would have felt the connection with you.”
“True, I guess. So what happens next? I pick one and try it on?”
He ran a hand through his short, dark hair. “I can’t tell you this part. You must do this alone.” Truid kissed my nose and retreated into the hallway.
I stared down at the three pairs on the counter and gripped my hips. “All right. Which one of you is the right pick?”
Five
A sudden thundering bang resonated from outside, the house rattling, as if all the orcs had thrown themselves against the walls at the same time. I flinched and shot a glance out the window as several figures darted in every direction. My stomach tightened at knowing the creatures out there wanted to rip my wing out, not caring if it caused my death. And for the first time tonight, rage pumped through my veins instead of fear. I had three men who risked their lives to protect me, and I couldn’t sit back and hide any longer. Tonight I fought for my life or lost everything.
I glanced down at the three pairs of shoes on the counter. They glinted in the moonlight streaming in from the windows. Part of me wondered which shoe came from which elf. Not that it mattered because I wasn’t sure I could pick one of them, anyway. I hardly knew them, yet each had shown me kindness and loyalty, not to mention their own version of how incredibly sexy they were. I still tasted Truid on my lips, trembling at the memory of his fingers pressed into my flesh at his desire to claim me. Then there was Luca’s kiss up in the bedroom. And there was something about the way Brey had carried me out of harm’s way with such swiftness, as if he put my safety above all else. These memories left me needing more of them. Any other time, I would have loved to spend months getting to know the three elves before I contemplated jumping into bed with any of them. But that liberty was lost tonight if I had any intention of continuing to breathe tomorrow. So I’d swallow my pride and do what was needed. I mean, they weren’t going anywhere apparently, so I had time to get to know them. That was if we lived to see another day.
With a deep inhale, I ran my hands across the tops of the shoes. With no way to choose, I dragged the boots onto my feet first, figuring I’d try them on and see which ones fit best. The leather shifted around my feet, fitting perfectly, not too tight or loose. Just right. Pacing back and forth, I bounced on the cushiony shoes, which were like fingers massaging my soles. I smiled, adoring them so much that I couldn’t bring myself to take them off. I closed my eyes and felt I could be floating on air. When I opened my eyes to find myself actually floating a foot off the ground, then I fell to my feet. An exhilarating joy swept within my chest, and I smiled, unable to remember the last time I had felt such excitement. These boots were magical.
Wow! Okay, I had a favorite already, except I had to try the others, as it wouldn’t be fair. I pulled the boots off and set them on the counter before picking up the golden sandals.
The drumming against the walls continued, so I hurried, sliding into the sandals and wrapping the ribbon around my legs all the way to my knees. Their silkiness against my skin was almost immediate, as were the tiny pinpricks racing up my body. A scent of fallen rain wafted past, and the tips of my fingers tingled. I raised my hands to find tiny jolts of lightning jumping from one digit to the next as if I somehow controlled such energy. It buzzed within me, intoxicating and powerful. I giggled as a line of white light jumped from one hand to the next. Out of curiosity, I flung a finger toward a small box at my feet.
At once, the container burst into flames.
I gasped, panic gripping me. I stomped on it with the sandals, not thinking, but the fire sizzled at once, and not a single flame singed my flesh. Inhaling sharply, I knew at once who these shoes belonged to. Brey. And I wanted to keep them on just as much as I had the b
oots. But when the front door trembled on its hinges, I flinched and removed them quick and slipped into the golden heels. Time was running out. Like the others, the material shifted to fit around my feet perfectly. A strange sensation snaked up my legs, and I couldn’t wait to discover what power it promised.
The higher the sensation climbed, the more I tickled, and I held back the urge to burst out laughing. Under my skirt, the energy moved like fingers stroking my thighs, gliding under the edge of my underwear.
“Oh!” My heart leaped.
The touch glided lower between my legs without pause, the invisible touch reaching deeper within me.
I moaned and stumbled backward involuntarily, the counter catching me. The arousal worked so fast, gliding across my growing wetness, and I gasped for air. My nipples tightened, and I burned up with each delicate stroke across my most sensitive lips. The pace intensified, moving so fast, my knees buckled beneath me, and I fell to a crouching position, convinced I would explode any second now. My underwear was so wet, and all I wanted was to run into my room and finish this alone.
But the snarls outside brought me back to reality. I hurried and toed the heels off. At once, the pleasure faded, leaving me buzzing. I stood there at first, my body humming, my cheeks on fire. What the hell were those last shoes? Because I had to keep them forever. Maybe hidden under my bed to wear when I was alone.
I knew what I had to do now, so I swooped them all into my arms and rushed into the kitchen, the apex between my legs a scorching lava. Why would one of them send me the power of arousal? Not that I was complaining, but it had been so unexpected. And amazing!
All three men stood in the kitchen, facing me, wearing the biggest grins.
Before I could say anything, Brey said, “You’ve chosen all of us!”
I halted. “How do you know?”
“We felt everything you did, little one,” Luca said, smiling, and I couldn’t help but lower my gaze to notice the huge bulge in his pants. I smiled and shook my head. “The heels were yours, weren’t they?”
Wicked Souls: A Limited Edition Reverse Harem Romance Collection Page 13