by Amy Sumida
“Yeah.” I sat back on my heels and took a deep breath. “Maybe I'm fooling myself, Rath. Maybe I'm not ready for a battle.”
Rathlin considered me for a few minutes and then shook his head. “You're still not you.”
“No,” I whispered. “I've lost myself in the arms of a man I don't love.”
“So, take yourself back, Spellsinger,” he said firmly. “Find yourself.”
“What?”
“Sing it out. Lay your pain bare and let your magic take the burden from you. You have the power to heal yourself. You didn't need fruit from the Garden of Eden, you just needed to sing. You have always held your own salvation inside you. Remember your origins, Goddess of Light and Fire.”
“Rathlin Aryana, you are a very wise phoenix,” I whispered with gratitude and admiration.
“I know.” He preened. “Now, what song says it all? Which lyrics will absorb the broken pieces inside you and take them away?”
It's perfect, my love, Kyanite said gently as a title rose in my mind.
“Lost It All” by Jill Andrews was indeed perfect. So very perfect for me at that moment.
A gentle piano began to play with a slow clapping and a timid drumbeat. The words crept out of my throat pitifully. Warily. I gasped through the burn of confession; the pain of admitting that no one could put me back together again but myself. All the King's horses and all the King's men were useless here. This was a queen's job. My men could only get me so far. They could call to me from the shore of my river of tears, but only I could stop treading water and start to swim. Only I could choose to head toward their bank instead of the opposite one where the wolves howled and waited for me to give up.
Rathlin nodded supportively as I sighed into the song, as I let my magic lift the pain inside me and tear it out by its roots. Pull it forth past my lips. I trembled as I sang about the Garden of Eden; the paradise I'd held and crushed. The sacred space that I'd defiled with Lucifer. I lamented the loss of myself. The loss of everything.
Tears poured down my cheeks as the pain lifted. I could feel it like shivering heat in my veins; yanked up, through my heart, and out of my mouth. It felt as if I were vomiting evil. Purging myself of the weakness I'd allowed in. As it left, I saw it for what it was. The clarity I thought I'd received from the fruit was false. It was merely a way for my brain to make sense of the memories. The truth was that Helene had chosen an effective weapon to use against me. She'd gotten her revenge, and I was letting her win. Allowing her to reach beyond her grave to infect my life.
No more.
I sang the lines that summed it up for me. The words flew hauntingly around the courtyard, echoing out as the music strengthened into orchestral glory. I closed my eyes and stood slowly, lifted by lyrics and magic and will. I held out my hands as my heart finally healed and my mind fused the cracks in itself until I felt as if I shone with strength. As the song faded, I opened my eyes and saw a glowing light beneath my skin and fire dancing along my fingertips. My magic working in perfect harmony; come together to make me whole.
I looked over at Rathlin and smiled.
“There you are,” Rath proclaimed as he stood. “It's good to have you back, Elaria.”
I laughed and pulled him into a hug. I should have known to do this. My men should have known. But sometimes a tragedy blinds you to the obvious and it takes another perspective to see what needs to be done.
“Thank you for seeing what I couldn't, Rath.”
“Anytime, Spellsinger.”
Chapter Forty-Two
I rode the elevator up to my tower suite with tapping toes and an anxious grin. As soon as the doors opened, I shot through them and searched the room. My men were in the living room, speaking in low, grim tones about the funeral. I smiled as I noted that only my lovers were present. Perfect.
It had been nearly two weeks since I'd made love to them. They never pushed me about it, but I knew they were worried. To say that we had a healthy sex life would be putting it mildly and for us to go without sex would be like a teenager suddenly dropping social media.
I pulled my tunic over my head as I strode over to them. I train in a tunic and breeches, it's just easier than a dress. I cast the shirt aside and slipped out of my trousers before I moved to stand in the middle of my men. Gage had seen me coming and had gone silent, staring at me with his jaw slowly falling, but the others hadn't noticed my arrival until I stood between them in my underwear.
“Little bird?” Torin whispered.
Everyone froze; wolves watching a doe who had just wandered into their midst. I undid my bra and tossed it away. They swallowed visibly and leaned forward, ready to pounce. Practically salivating.
“I sang myself better.” I grinned at them. “And now, I need you, all of you, to make me feel alive again.”
They shot to their feet as one, circling me in seconds. I laughed in delight just before Declan's mouth covered mine. I closed my eyes and moaned into his kiss as hands swept over my body. Arching into their touches, I reached for them, feeling my way over smooth skin and taut muscles. They took turns touching me and removing their clothes until we were all naked together. So much beautiful flesh revealed and it was all for me. It made my head spin in the best way possible.
Torin lifted me and laid me down on the long, marble coffee table. Cool stone against my hot skin. I inhaled sharply and slid my hands invitingly over my body. Couches were shoved back with screeching sounds and then the rest of my lovers dropped to their knees around me. I opened my legs and arms and pulled them to me.
Gage dove for my sex, warrior hands pushing my thighs apart as his tongue split me. I cried out but was abruptly silenced by Slate's lips. Torin's hands stroked the sensitive skin of my belly as he sucked my nipple into his mouth. Darc took the other breast with a groan, and Banning kissed his way down my leg until he reached my knee. He bit, a light sting followed by sensuous sucking, and my whole body trembled in relief. An addict getting her fix, I let the only drug I truly needed rush through me and wash away all of my concerns.
My hands filled with hard, velveteen shafts as my hips writhed up toward Gage's kiss. The pleasure wasn't as piercing as what I'd felt under Bliss. It was a softer, steadier climb, spreading through both mind and body, and was a hundred times more meaningful. This was love. This was commitment and truth. Physical honesty. These men; their strong hands on my skin, their adoring stares meeting mine, and their tender words of love. This was real.
I jerked away from Slate's kiss as I screamed through an orgasm that started in my mind and worked down to my sex. My men held me as I shuddered, mouths still working mercilessly, and then, as I panted through the aftershocks, I saw Slate rise up beside me, his shaft weeping with anticipation.
I licked my lips and leaned toward Slate. The scent of gargoyle and man—clean and mineral with a hint of musk—hit me. It was so much stronger there, around his sex. Condensed into an intoxicating aroma. I moaned over the rich taste and the erotic feel of him moving inside my mouth. Slate's powerful hands slid over my hair and beneath my head, cradling me, holding my weight while I pleasured him. I moved forward until my face was pressed against his belly, and Slate made a groaning growl of masculine delight.
Between my legs, Gage gave me one last lick before rising and sliding into me. He started a steady pace, hands firmly around my hips, while Banning reached beneath me and spread some of my arousal over that other opening. Gage raised my lower half higher while Torin and Darc lifted my torso, and Slate continued to support my head. Banning slid into the space beneath me, and then the men settled me onto his muscular body.
With every thrust from Gage, I moved back and forth over Banning's shaft until I felt the tip of him enter me. I cried out around Slate, pleasure closing my eyes. The sensations grew stronger then; Slate stretching my lips and running across my tongue, Gage grinding deep in my sex, and Banning sliding slickly in my ass while Torin and Darc continued to lavish attention on my breasts. My hands fell to my side
s, dropping into Torin and Darc's laps. They wrapped my fingers around their pulsing shafts and started thrusting into my grip. So many sensations. So much amazing pleasure. It was too much to focus on, all I could do was feel.
Rapture took hold and drove us forward together, the slapping sound of flesh and male moaning making it even sweeter. My thighs clenched as my climax approached but I held back, waiting for my lovers. I wanted them to come with me; all of them at once. I knew it was a near impossibility, but I still craved it. What a perfect ending it would be for our reunion. For this celebration of our love.
Something shimmered inside my chest and then made its way through my body, out into my lovers.
Don't say that I never give you anything, RS drawled in a sassy version of my voice.
Slate's fingers clenched around my head as he growled deeply. Torin and Darc arched into my hands and lifted their heads from my breasts with triumphant shouts. Banning slipped out of me with a deep moan, and Gage gave one last shove before he roared. As one, they came inside and over me; hot ribbons of desire filling me and coating my skin. And I came with them, my body going into spasms as ecstasy released us while it simultaneously bound us together. Our voices blended into an erotic harmony and then we collapsed in a panting pile.
“Ready for round two?” Slate whispered in my ear before he scooped me up, slid me away from the other men, and ran for the stairs with me in his arms.
The others shouted in shocked irritation and chased after us while I laughed with the carefree abandon of a woman brought back to life.
Chapter Forty-Three
The day before the funeral, Cerberus came storming into Kyanite Castle. We had started using one of the sitting rooms on the first floor of the keep as our war room. There were too many people involved now to keep meeting upstairs in my tower. We had knights training in the courtyard and coming in repeatedly for updates, then there were the Cat-Shifters who had their own way of training—lounging on every available piece of furniture as they listlessly listened to the rest of us argue over tactics, the Blooders who had each received a drink from a shining one volunteer to bolster their power for the fight, and Slate had brought in some of his gargoyles as well.
“We can't wait until tomorrow,” Cerberus snarled as he stepped up to the table in the center of the room and slammed his meaty fist on it.
“Easy with that thing,” Gage held out a hand. “Big guys like us need to know our strength, and yours nearly broke Elaria's table.”
“You do have a tendency to table-pound,” Banning said dryly. “What's with that?”
“Sorry,” Cer said absently, “but we need to get to the Grand Bazaar right now.”
“What's going on, Cerberus?” I asked warily.
“Those fucking satyrs are running wild all over the Bazaar,” Cerberus nearly shouted. “They've lost their damn minds. They're smashing up beneathers' businesses, beating people up, and generally making a fucking mess of things.”
“It's because the funeral is tomorrow.” I slashed a grim look around the table. “They're nervous. They have three missing leaders, presumed dead, and their suspects are beyond their reach.”
“So, they're taking it out on the Bazaar residents,” Torin sneered. “Bastards.”
“They think we'll show up to help,” Gage said. “They're flushing us out.”
“If they want us that badly, they're going to get us,” Cerberus snarled. He glared around the room. “Right?”
“Right,” I agreed. “They already know it's us who have been attacking them, there's no reason to skulk about anymore and, frankly, we're strong enough to destroy them. If I hadn't been worried about people getting caught in the crossfire, I would have suggested we take them on like this from the start.”
“But now, the Bazaar residents are getting hurt and it's our fault,” Darc added. “We need to help them.”
Everyone agreed, even the Cats perked up and shook off sleep.
“It'll be a trial run for tomorrow,” Slate suggested. “Jago, grab the guys and meet us in Istanbul.”
Jago ran out to the courtyard along with Banning, Torin, Darc, and Declan.
“We'll see you there,” Darc called over his shoulder as he left.
We'd need all of our people if we were going to cover the entire Bazaar so I didn't argue over bringing such a large force. I just verified that everyone knew where to go and then used my stone to travel to the Grand Bazaar.
Cerberus, Slate, Gage, the Cats, and I were the first to arrive. We hurried through the human Grand Bazaar, Cerberus in the lead. People jerked out of the way as soon as they took one look at Cer. With his hellhound bulk and furious expression, my bestie made the perfect bulldozer, clearing our path to Beneath Your Feet. Baris' eyes went wide as our parade strode through his shop.
I waved everyone ahead of me and then stopped to warn Baris. “There's going to be a lot more of us coming through then I suggest you bar this door for the day. There's about to be a battle in the Bazaar.”
“There already is one.” Baris clutched at my hands. “They're looking for you and Cerberus. Be careful.”
“I know. Don't worry about me, Baris.” I winked at him. “Worry about the Demos Family.”
Baris grinned and let me go. “Sing them straight to Hades, El!”
“You got it.”
I ran through the Bazaar entrance and found my men and friends already in the middle of a fight. The street around them was in a shambles; food carts overturned, glass and shards of pottery strewn everywhere, and shredded fabric fluttering in a blood-scented breeze. Beaten people crawled through the debris, trying to reach the relative safety of demolished shops as others just lay unconscious or dead.
“Persephone's pink panties!” I hissed as I launched a fireball at a satyr sneaking up on Slate.
Slate sent his opponent flying with a fist to the jaw and then turned to see what I'd done. He gave me a crisp, grateful nod before he moved on to the next satyr. They seemed to be everywhere; hooves sparking on stone, horns angled down, and guns firing sporadically.
Guns are frowned upon in the Bazaar. Most beneathers have magic far more powerful than a projectile weapon and either have healing abilities or have access to a healer who could make short work of a gunshot wound. Guns mainly serve as a temporary stopping measure or a way to make your point painfully. Unless you managed a direct shot to the head or completely took out their heart, you likely wouldn't kill your opponent. So, using a gun not only showed that you didn't have great magic, but also that you enjoyed causing pain and didn't give a damn about innocent bystanders.
Well, all of that wasn't exactly a revelation where the Demos satyrs were concerned. However, the Demos Family had, up to this point, been relatively responsible thugs. They carried guns but didn't use them unless they deemed it necessary, and they never went after anyone without provocation. Now, they weren't just going after innocent people and their livelihoods, but they were also having a gunfight in the middle of the Bazaar. The Bazaar residents were not pleased.
We finished off the group of satyrs relatively quickly but I had no doubt there would be another pack of them strolling by soon. We waited a moment, listening for the sound of pounding hooves, while beneathers started to peep out of broken windows and open doorways. Into the stillness came the rest of our people; Shining Ones, Blooders, and Gargoyles. They streamed into the street and formed ranks to either side of us. I heard Baris slam the door behind them and slide a bar into place. He'd likely shut down his shop entirely. Which meant that we wouldn't have anyone sneaking in to refill the Demos ranks.
“One bunch down,” Cerberus growled. “Let's spread out and hunt down the rest.”
“Hold on,” I grabbed Cer's arm before he bounded off. “We need to be smart about this. The Bazaar is a rabbit warren of hiding places and dead ends and not all of us know our way around.”
“You got us,” Kasteo reminded me. “Some of us will go with every team.”
“Let's s
plit into four groups to cover the quadrants,” Cerberus suggested. “We can meet in the middle when we're done.”
“At the Public Portals,” I agreed.
We formed our teams and started to move out.
“One second, cherie,” a deep voice stopped us.
“Baron?” I turned around in surprise.
Baron Samedi had a host of Lwa with him, all armed with vicious blades and even deadlier magic. I recognized most of them. Masaka was there, his white headscarf a startling splash amid a sea of dark hair. Yemanja stood beside him, her eyes glowing blue with ocean magic. Kriminel, a buddy of Baron's, cracked his knuckles with anticipation before setting one hand on the pommel of a machete that hung from his belt. And Legba had his face painted white to resemble a skull... war paint. They were all dressed for battle.
Seeing the Lwa gathered for battle was chilling. This was a race of sorcerers and witches; people born of magic who also knew how to craft more of the stuff whenever they felt like it. They were cunning, powerful, and a touch wicked. And there wasn't a single one of them who would back down once they got going. If the Lwas entered a battle, they didn't stop fighting until they won or were dead. No retreat, no surrender, and no mercy for their enemies.