Winter Princess: A reverse harem novel (Daughter of Winter Book 1)

by Skye MacKinnon

  A demon runs at me from behind, but I know he’s coming and send a fiery lance towards him. It rips a hole into his abdomen, and for a moment, I can look through him, until he collapses to the ground.

  A few more demons are running towards me. I smile and form a few fire whips and wrap them around their necks, cleanly slicing through them. Four demons less.

  Maybe I should see if Arc needs help. He doesn’t have destructive powers like me and the other Guardians.

  I skip across the battlefield like a child, ignoring the dead demons all around me. I haven’t had this fun in a long time.

  I feel for my bond to Arc, and turn into his direction. He’s not far. A few more demons get in my way, but I kill them with more fire lances. This is so easy. At least Brenda was a challenge, but these demons are nothing but critters that I can crush with a single thought.

  I wave when I see Arc, shooting fire into the air. Oops, that wasn’t the plan. He looks at me strangely, and I turn to see if there are demons behind me, but I’ve burnt them all.

  There’s a demon next to Arc, though. She’s not going to hurt my Arc.

  I ready a fire ball.

  “Arc, get out of the way!” I shout, but strangely enough, he shifts until he’s standing in front of the demon.

  As if he’s protecting her.

  What the fuck?

  She’s a demon, she needs to die. All demons need to die. That’s the way it is.

  “She’s going to kill you, get away from her!” I warn him, but he’s just shaking his head.

  “Snap out of it, lass! It’s Chesca! Ye ken Chesca, she’s not like the others!”

  Somehow that rings a bell, but the fire in me extinguishes that thought.

  “One last time, get away from her!” I shout.

  “Or what? You’re going to burn me?”

  No, I’m not. Right? But there’s a demon, and she needs to be killed. My magic is growling. She wants blood. Demon blood.

  Not letting go of my fire ball, I conjure a wind lasso with my other hand, just like the ones I used this morning to get Storm off me. I wrap it around Arc’s waist and pull, ripping him away from the demon. He flies through the air and I’m sure the landing isn’t too comfortable for him, but he’s safe now.

  Finally, I can throw that fire ball at the demon. I grin and send it towards her, but – she’s no longer there. She’s extended her wings and is flying a few metres above the battlefield.

  We can’t have that. I shoot some more fire at her, but she’s too quick and easily evades them. Time to change tactics. I form a wind lasso and swing it around her, aiming to pull her down to the ground so I can burn her and –

  I’m wrestled to the ground. I prepare to shoot fire at them, but then I see Arc’s green eyes and retract my magic. My Guardian. Why is he looking at me so strangely? Isn’t he proud of me?

  “Wyn, ye need ta stop,” he whispers.

  “But they need to die,” I protest, but he shushes me.

  “This isn’t you. The magic is controlling ya. I can help ya, but ye need ta lower yer barriers for a moment, lass.”

  His voice is calm and soothing, and I want to do what he tells me to. But the magic isn’t letting me. She’s clawing at me, urging me to get rid of him so she can kill more demons.

  I take a deep breath. He’s asked for it. This isn’t on me.

  I reach for my magic – and stop as I feel something strange happening. It takes me a moment to realise that it’s a weird kind of scratching at the shield around my mind. I take a look at my island. It’s still surrounded by my glass sphere, just as I left it. But something is knocking against it from the outside. Someone.

  My ginger Guardian.

  I run to him, everything else forgotten. He puts his hands against the glass, and I do the same on my side of the barrier. Suddenly, the glass disappears and his hands grasp mine. A second later, he stands next to me.

  “Quickly, mend the shield.”

  Confused, I do as he says and fix the hole.

  “How did you do that?” I ask him once the sphere is whole again.

  He smirks. “Trade secret. Now, what do ye think ye were doing out there? Are ye mad?”

  “I was killing dem—” I gasp.

  What did I do?

  What the hell happened?

  What the fuck is wrong with me?

  I press my hands against my mouth, suddenly feeling queasy. All that blood I spilled. All those demons I killed. The wounds I inflicted. The joy I felt while doing it.

  I retch, bending over. But nothing comes out. Guess puking doesn’t work in the mind.

  “It’s okay, lass,” Arc says soothingly, rubbing my back. I stand up and lean into his hug. His strong arms press me against his body and I feel guilty for enjoying it.

  I should be punished. I shouldn’t be comforted. I don’t deserve it.

  We stand on the beach, joined in our hug, for a long time.

  Finally, I ask the question that has been drumming in my mind the whole time. “Why did I do this? How could I?”

  “Yer magic took control of ya. Yer not experienced enough to use so much magic at once. Remember the earthquake?”

  I nod. How could I not? I levelled a street.

  “Some elements have a stronger effect on ya. Looks like fire and earth are yer strongest elements, but they’re also harder ta control. Have ye felt the same with any others?”

  I think back to the start of the battle.

  I used wind to capture Brenda, but it didn’t affect me in the way fire had done. I hadn’t used water, so no idea about that one. And when I stopped the demon’s heart, it had been quick and I didn’t feel happy about it. Not like with fire. I had revelled in the flames devouring demon flesh.

  I shudder. “No, but I haven’t used water yet. Wind seems to be safe.”

  “Then stick to wind as much as ye can. But first, we need ta get ye back ta Crispin.” He looks down at me, his eyes softening. “Do ye need more time, wee one? This is all in yer mind, there’s almost nae time passing in the real world.”

  “Yes. I’d rather not face Chesca just now.”

  He chuckles. “She’ll be mad, no doubt aboot that. But it was a nice move, the way ye pulled me away from her. Yer skills are improving.”

  “Let’s not talk about the battle, please,” I whisper. “I don’t want to think about it just yet. For now, I just want to enjoy how you –“ I better shut up now.

  “How I what, lass?”

  In response, I rub my cheek against his chest. He’s not wearing armour here, just a tight t-shirt that is highlighting his muscles. He runs a hand through my hair. He gently moves my neck until I’m looking up at him and his beautiful green eyes.

  “How I what?” he repeats.

  I blush. “Feel. You feel good. Okay? You feel amazing, smell amazing, look amazing. And I really shouldn’t be saying all this, but apparently, I don’t have much of a filter in here.”

  He laughs, his chest vibrating against my cheek. I love it when he does that. “I’ll show ye how amazing I feel.” And presses his lips against mine. I hungrily open my mouth, inviting him in. He kisses me with a passion that surpasses any other kiss. Ever.

  He runs his hands over my back, drawing circles on my skin. I can feel my tense muscles relax. I moan as he leaves my lips to take a breath.

  “So impatient,” he chuckles. “We shouldnae do this, Princess. But I cannae stop.” With that, he plunges his tongue back into my mouth, and I meet him with my own. I slide my hands under his shirt and explore his soft skin. It’s amazing how silky it feels, even though the muscles underneath are rock hard. Just like another part of him that is pressing against my stomach.

  He said that time wouldn’t pass in the real world while we’re in here, right? So there’s no reason not to move my hands down towards his tight arse and squeeze a little, causing him to gasp while still having his lips pressed against mine. I smile and nibble on his bottom lip. In response, he squeezes my bum, pr
essing me even closer against his body.

  I’m so aroused; I need more. Without warning, I step back and pull my shirt over my head. He chortles. “Keen, are ye?”

  “I need to feel more of you,” I say simply, and look into his eyes. They’re like molten emeralds, full of emotion and softness. He smiles and takes off his own shirt, exposing his sculptured body. Seriously, are Guardians made this way or do they have to go to a gym? If I was a Goddess, I guess I’d create them hot like this – I mean, having some eye candy walking around your palace can’t hurt.

  “Take off the rest,” Arc growls as he steps out of his own jeans. Suddenly I’m a little shy. And worried that this is totally inappropriate. Who ever thought of having sex during a battle? Even if it’s only in my mind. Especially…

  “Arc, I really want you. I really, really do. But shouldn’t our first time be in the real world?”

  He stares at me for a moment. Me, in my bra, my nipples poking through the lacy fabric. My flushed cheeks. My hair, probably standing in all directions from when his hands ran through it. Basically, I must look like a girl ready for a Guardian to take her here and now.

  “Aye, ye’re right,” he finally says. He pulls me closer again until skin touches skin. “But that doesn’t mean we have ta stop completely.”

  He kisses me again, softer this time, like he’s saying goodbye. I’m shouting at myself. Why did I have to be so… sensible? Couldn’t I just have gone with the flow? Damn it, Wyn. You just missed out on sleeping with a yummy Guardian. Bet no other girl would ever voluntarily miss out on that.

  I slowly draw my fingers over his back, my nails leaving gentle scratches. With one hand on the back of my hand, he pulls me closer into our kiss. With the other, he presses my belly against his pelvis, where something hard will end up disappointed today.

  Maybe later. After the battle.

  With a final flick of his tongue against my lips, he ends the kiss.

  Chapter Sixteen

  “You’re late to the party,” Chesca says, sitting on the body of the fiend I saw earlier. His wings have been torn off and his face is… well, not very face-like anymore.

  Remind me not to cross Chesca. And please make her forget that I attacked her earlier. That wasn’t me. That was my magic.

  Only now do I take in my surroundings. The ground is littered with dead demons. Burnt demons, mostly. Further away, demons are still fighting, but we are standing in a bloody clearing. An acrid smell hangs in the air. Something like the smell of burned hair mixed with that of steak and dog poo. I try to breathe through my mouth, but the smell still reaches my nose.

  “Did I do all that?” I ask quietly, shocked by the sheer devastation.

  “Yeah, sure you did,” Chesca said cheerily, still sitting on the fiend corpse. “It was so magnificent that I’d almost forgive you for attacking me.” She stands up in a flash and pokes me in the chest with a clawed finger. “But only almost. I’m going to come up with a nice punishment for you, little princess. Maybe I’ll steal one of your Guardians.”

  Maybe I deserve that. But then my magic rears up in me. Mine.

  I snarl. “If you want my Guardians, you’ll have to go over my dead body.” So cliché, but it’s true. I won’t let anyone else have them.

  And I’m beginning to think that it’s not just because of the bond and the ritual. No, it’s something much deeper than that. They are special. And mine. End of. If they want it or not.

  Suddenly, Chesca shrieks and points to something behind us, I turn and - a small fireball is exploding in the sky. Aodh is in trouble.

  We run over the battlefield to where the flare came from. Each of us has a signal for when we need help. A fiery ball in the sky is Aodh’s. Chesca extends her wings and jumps into the air, quickly leaving us behind as we try to run without stumbling over corpses. A large group of demons is fighting not far from the visitor centre. That means Aodh hasn’t moved far since the battle started. He’s strong, but there are a lot of demons there - at least twenty, in all shapes and sizes. At least I can’t see one of the higher demons we identified earlier. Three of them are dead, but I don’t know if the others have been killed yet. Let’s hope so.

  When we reach the first demon, I throw him to the ground with a sharp burst of air, ready for Arc to stab him in the chest. We dispatch three more in that way. Quite the team, I think morbidly.

  Chesca’s wail breaks through the sound of fighting. A moment later, a gap opens in the demon ranks and I can finally see - and regret it immediately. Aodh is lying on the ground, surrounded by dead demons. I can’t see his face, and he’s too far away to tell whether he’s still breathing. Chesca and Storm are standing above him, fighting the demon onslaught. Chesca is using her wings to slash through the demons in front of her; apparently, those wings are a lot sturdier (and deadlier) than they look. Storm is fighting with his sword, not his magic, hacking at demons, crippling or killing them with each stroke. He’s looking magnificent. Every move is practiced. It’s a beautiful slaughter.

  “Watch out!” Arc yells next to me and I turn around to see a group of demons running towards us. Great. Just what we needed.

  I decide not to use my fire magic again. Yes, it’s effective, but I don’t want to risk losing control again. Instead, I reach into the earth, gripping it tightly, then throw it against the oncoming demons. A wall of mud rises from the ground and slams into them, burying them. I immediately let go of my connection to the earth. Not planning to cause another earthquake.

  “Well done!” Arc shouts while freezing three demons with his mind, only to stab them one after the other. “That was good control.”

  Is he really telling me that I’m getting better at killing demons? No thanks, not a skill I want to excel at.

  “We could use some help here!” Storm yells and I turn, looking for the best way to kill the demons beleaguering him and the others. More have joined the fray. There seems to be no end to the demons ready to kill us all.

  This needs to be precise; the demons are too close to my friends for large scale attacks. There is a way, but do I dare to do it? Chesca shrieks in fury as a sword cuts into her wing. Black blood drips on the ground. I need to act now.

  “Arc, keep them away from me for a moment,” I order, and close my eyes, trusting in my Guardian’s ability to keep me safe.

  I feel for their hearts - it’s like I’ve always done this. It’s too easy. I can snuff them all out in a second. Why have I wasted to much energy on fighting with the elements? I could have just killed all the demons in one go.

  I can hear shouts from far away. No time to waste. I focus and with a single thought, I extinguish thirty demon hearts at once.

  And then I know why nobody does this.

  Black energy rams into me from thirty demon hearts.

  My magic screams, and I scream, and then everything goes as black as the foreign power raging within me.

  I wake to the sound of sobs. Which makes me want to fall unconscious again immediately. They are heart-wrenching, terrifying sobs. And even though my head is pounding and my body feels like it’s been run over by a half-ton demon, I know that it’s Chesca who’s crying.

  And I can guess why.

  Aodh.

  I remember the fire Guardian, lying on the ground, his face turned away from me, surrounded by battling demons and their fallen brothers.

  Aodh, laughing at the cottage when I tried not to cringe after tasting Chesca’s scones.

  Aodh, looking concerned when I arrived with a badly burnt Frost.

  Aodh, a Guardian who actually managed to tame a demon.

  I can feel a tear running down my face.

  “Wyn, are you awake?” Crispin asks.

  I want to open my mouth to reply - but I can’t move my lips. In panic, I try to wiggle my toes, lift my arms, but nothing is happening. I groan, but no sound escapes my throat.

  I am locked in.

  “Princess, squeeze my hand,” my healer Guardian asks, his voice
filled with concern.

  I try as hard as I can, but my fingers don’t even twitch.

  By now, I’m fully awake. My mind, that is. I reach into myself to look for my magic. Maybe I can use it to send them a message.

  I reach my heart cave, and stare at it in shock. The entrance has collapsed; large boulders stop me from entering. My magic, where is she? Trapped inside, like I am trapped within my body? I try to shift one of the smaller boulders, but it’s too heavy. Magic would come in handy just now.

  I kick the stone in front of me, yelling at the pain in my toes. I know this isn’t real, but it certainly feels like it is. It’s more real than the world outside my body, the world I can’t interact with.

  What the hell did I do to end up in this situation?

  Why did I have to try and kill so many demons at once?

  Why didn’t anyone warn me?

  I kick the stone again, and this time I’m revelling in the pain.

  It’s my penance for the Guardian I killed and the demons I destroyed. My rightful punishment. Me, locked in my body, having to deal with it all instead of laughing it off like I usually do.

  I want to cry, but instead, I scream. All I get back in return is my echo.

  I curl up at the cave’s entrance, hugging my knees to my chest. Aodh’s face is flashing in front of my eyes. I only knew him for a day, but I grieve for him nonetheless.

  He died for me.

  I didn’t protest when he offered to fight.

  I never even thought about it.

  No, I was so obsessed with my own fears and worries that I never considered that it might be wrong to ask so much of him and Chesca.

  Now he’s dead.

  Light blinds me. Someone is opening my eyes. I’m looking into blue sky. I try to look to the side, but nothing happens. Great, I can’t even move my eyes. A blurry face appears, hiding the sky. Crispin.

  He’s looking straight into my eyes. I try to blink, move, do something to show him that I’m alive in here. But after a moment, he lets my eyelid fall shut and darkness surrounds me once more.

  Actually, that’s not quite true. I see orange, lots of reddish orange. My eyes are seeing, even though they’re not open.