She crushed her lips to his as he walked forward and pressed her against the wall. His tongue delved into her mouth, the kiss stealing her breath.
He lowered her, staring into her eyes as her feet found the floor. “Ready for breakfast?” he breathed.
Nodding, she smiled. “Very. You worked up my appetite, though I imagine you’re famished by now too.”
“For you, indeed.”
A laugh escaped. “Is this how it will always be?”
He nodded. “Would that be horrible?”
“Mmm, no. Might be paradise.”
Taking her hand, he led her back to the kitchen where everything was out. She laughed. “I’m never eating all this. Ever.”
He shrugged sheepishly. “Needed to keep busy and wanted to make sure you had something you like.”
“You got that covered.” She filled a plate and took a cup of tea to the table. “But honestly, I’m not picky. You can fix whatever, or let me in the kitchen.”
“I will. But only if you enjoy cooking.”
“Sometimes. Though with help I bet it’s more entertaining.”
“Eat, before you tempt me into forgetting our meal. Later…” He sighed, looking down at his plate with a frown before meeting her gaze again. “Later, would you help me harness the magic I possess? I’ve never really tried, and now, I feel like I should.”
“Why not earlier?”
He drew a breath and shrugged. “I had no need, and it’s not like what I could do before my bond to Saressa had any real offensive or defensive use. Once bound, after watching how she used those with ability, I chose to hide the magic trickling through my system.”
“Scotty,” she whispered, her eyes round with sadness.
Shrugging, he looked away. “Alone, I never stood a chance against Saressa’s power. With all of us together, I don’t want to be in the way. I may not have your magic, or anyone else’s, but I have some capability. It’s better than nothing—as long as I can learn to harness the power.”
“Of course I’ll help. Sometimes though, the ones who appear the weakest have the most strength against specific people. You, Scotty, can hurt her worse than any of us. I’m not sure that’s the best tactic, but realistically, you are the one person I believe she has ever cared about, even if her way of showing it was completely wrong.”
“Either way, after being bound to Saressa, I’ve noticed a pull of fire and water but was too afraid to try anything with them. Now, with you, there’s more. I can sense the power there, waiting to unfurl. However weak it is, you can guide me, help me explore it.”
“My pleasure.”
“Isa and Toryn will help too. Is that going to be a problem?”
“Why would it?”
He sucked in a breath. “I spent one night with them to break my bond to Saressa. It involved sex. I can’t claim it meant nothing. They are both dear friends, but it’s not something that will ever happen again.”
She laughed. “Scotty, you’re a nymph, I understand. Besides, they fixed what kept us apart for over two centuries. I can’t fault anyone for that. I may even thank her once I get to know her better. She doesn’t trust me.”
He gently caught her face. “Isa’s protective of her friends. She doesn’t know you yet. I believe she suspects we had a strained past, and she’s worried you’ll hurt me.”
“Are you worried?”
He shook his head. “No. Our bond is strong. Perfect and natural. Like it was always meant to be.”
Chapter 29
Kellan perched in the trees, hiding in shadow as he watched Isadora, Toryn, and Jayde attempt to teach Endiscott how to cast spells nymphs generally don’t have access to. Wrong or not, he chose to follow Jayde, and watch from a distance. After they made it to Endiscott’s property the night before, he stayed beyond the wards to avoid being detected or witnessing their inevitable union.
Today, with them meeting Isadora and Toryn, he needed to understand what was going on. He was able to slip through wards thanks to skills he inherited from his father.
Endiscott managed to cast small offensive magic, as well as some shields. Bonds sometimes introduced new powers to the other, and he’d had one false bond as well as a true one.
The connection between Jayde and Endiscott was strong. The proof Jayde truly belonged with another man put a crack in his heart. He would always put her happiness first, and clearly he wasn’t the man she loved.
His mother would kill Jayde now. That knowledge gave him a reason to let Jayde go. Not that he could ever abandon her to his mother’s grasp. He couldn’t, even knowing Jayde would never return his love.
While Endiscott worked with Isadora on lightning, Jayde leaned against the tree he hid in. “You can come down. No one will mind if you join in the fun.”
“How long have you known I was here?”
“From the beginning. Didn’t want to make anything awkward though. Look, I know this outcome wasn’t what you were hoping for, but I can’t change what is.”
“Stop, Jayde. I was an ass yesterday.” He hopped down beside her. “I’m done fighting reality. Hopefully the rest of them can forgive me. Especially Isadora. I don’t want to alienate someone I’m related to.”
She smiled over at him. “If your attitude has improved since yesterday, you’ll be fine. Come on.” She pushed off the tree and walked to the group.
Endiscott raised a hand in a wave. “Hi, Kellan.” The greeting was surprisingly warm considering yesterday’s behavior. Then again, even yesterday, Endiscott didn’t react as Kellan had expected.
“Good afternoon. Perhaps I can be of assistance. You’re learning new skills, but wouldn’t it help if everyone knew more of what my mother is really capable of?”
“You know all of her abilities?” Toryn asked.
“No, but she trained me herself, and I believe I’ve seen more of her tricks than anyone here.”
“She seemed to avoid doing any magic around me,” Endiscott offered.
“Because she worried you would eventually find a way to turn against her. She wanted her skills hidden. In fact, she trusted nearly no one. I was an exception because she raised me. And honestly, had I not felt something for Jayde, I would have continued to serve faithfully.”
Toryn nodded. “Welcome to the club. Unfortunately, if your mother does show Thursday, we can’t allow her to live. We’ve seen the damage she can cause.”
“She does thrive on chaos. I’ve already proved my alliance to her is broken when she attempted to suck me back into her web.”
Isa walked over to squeeze Kellan’s shoulder. “You’re family. As long as you’re on our side, you’re forgiven for the shit you said yesterday.”
He placed a hand over his heart. “I am truly sorry for that. I hope to not repeat my mistake.”
Jayde grinned. “Tell us what you know, and we can better prepare.”
Warmth infused his soul. He may actually belong to something worthwhile. Even Endiscott welcomed him. A surge of guilt and jealousy washed through Kellan’s soul. He hoped time would ease the disappointment, but it was obvious Jayde was happier than he could make her.
* * * *
Scotty watched as flames flickered to life in his palms. He couldn’t form fireballs, or anything too disastrous, but he could call on the elements for added protection, or to aid his considerable strength. He wasn’t as helpless as he’d always believed.
“Tell me something,” Isa said. “If you had all this power lurking inside, why not tap into it?”
He drew a slow breath and shrugged. “You don’t know what Saressa is like. She would have wanted to use it to her advantage. Her goal was to make me more like her. To crave other’s pain, to tear them down. I never could. So she kept me more as a… toy, than anything else. She didn’t share her plans. Seemed to believe I was stupid. Honestly though, I wanted to remain ignorant. It made life more tolerable, the less I knew what was going on in the world.”
Toryn laughed bitterly. “For the b
est, my friend. Her tactics are cruel and devastating. If she couldn’t rule a person, she destroyed them. She never inspired loyalty, only fear.”
He nodded. “I saw enough to know that. Why I did my best to avoid anything outside the castle.” He looked to Jayde and away.
“My mother is a twisted bitch,” Kellan offered. “She would have used you if she thought you were more than a fuck toy who stole her heart.”
“Exactly.”
“How did you cope?” Isa asked.
“I played my role well. That’s all I was to her. If I was fucking her, I wasn’t thinking about everything I hated about my situation.”
Jayde winced.
Endiscott turned toward her, wishing she could understand. “I’m sorry. It’s the truth.”
Nodding, she slowly met his gaze. “I’m sorry too. Never wanted to consider what you were going through and refused to think about your time with her.”
“I’d rather not think about it. We’re here to show me what to do with this power.” He laughed sadly. “Though now I’m wondering why I thought this exercise would be worthwhile. I can’t do much.” He sighed, looking at his hand where flames danced. His resistance was higher while tapping into the elements, but he could be burned.
“Got to start somewhere. Since my powers came to me from other people, most of them took time to learn. The more you practice, the easier it becomes, and the stronger the power grows.”
Kellan looked puzzled. “How is it you gained power from Saressa, when she doesn’t seem to have gained anything from you?”
Scotty cringed. “She did. The ability to better control people through sex. Probably why she fucked as many men as she could find.”
“She had you and wasn’t satisfied?” Jayde snapped. “What the ever-loving-fuck is wrong with her?”
“Doesn’t matter. Bitch is gonna die,” Isa pointed out. “She’s wronged all parties here.” She looked to Kellan. “Including you.”
He nodded. Scotty almost asked what Saressa did to him, but was afraid of the answer.
Kellan cleared his throat and redirected. “So, fire and ice from my mother. You were playing with sparks a while ago, I’m assuming from Jayde somehow. But if you’re a wood nymph, you must have some control over nature.”
“He does.” Toryn looked around the clearing with a grin. “Most of this was his doing.”
“Lana helped,” Scotty pointed out.
“Ah, but most of it was you. While I was here, attempting to help, I noticed you did the majority of the spell work, while she mostly placed things.”
Jayde picked a rose and brought it to Scotty with a smile. “Show me what you got.”
Grinning he touched the petals and watched her surprise as the stem stretched to the ground before sprouting roots that delved into the grass. The stem thickened and branches developed, new flower buds formed. Jayde stepped back with a look of awe on her face.
“Holy shit,” Toryn gasped. “That is more than a little ability, Scotty. How did I never know?”
He shrugged. “Why did you think the glen was more vibrant than anything else in the swampy lands of the Water Realm?”
“I thought you chose it because it most closely resembled your homeland.”
“No. It was as swampy as the rest. I changed it. Took time.”
“I remember now. It did change in the span of a few weeks.”
Yeah, because he had two options. Fuck Saressa stupid so she wouldn’t punish him, or hide in his glen to get a break from her. Not that he planned on opening his mouth to admit it at present. Jayde flinched each time he mentioned Saressa. He couldn’t change the fact he’d spent more than a century with her.
“Maybe we should decorate the bar. Bring the outdoors inside. She can’t do anything with plants can she?”
“Freeze or burn them,” Kellan said. “Though if you gained this much power from her, it stands to reason she may have access to some of your other abilities.”
“Not on the same scale as Scotty,” Toryn added. “She might be able to do some minor manipulation, but she won’t be able to fully wield them. She may not even realize it’s an option. And if she never saw him use this, she may not know he had more to draw from.”
Isa tapped her chin and looked to Toryn. “So you may gain power from me?”
He shrugged. “Nothing I’ve noticed yet. Sometimes it happens rapidly, sometimes it takes years.”
“You could try something different.”
Scotty nodded, a smirk playing on his lips. “If I can learn new tricks, why not you?”
“I’m game. Though don’t be surprised if I don’t have any new talents.”
Scotty flicked his fingers at Toryn and sparks flew at him. “First thing Isa was able to do was sparks. Maybe that will be the first thing you will gain. Give it a try.”
Toryn gave him a dubious look. “Fuck, all right. Let’s give this a go.”
Chapter 30
Under a starry sky, Jayde lay beside Scotty on a blanket. “Have you ever noticed the stars?” he asked softly, turning to his side to trail fingers around her belly button.
Her eyes sparkled. “Not really. Other than to notice the stars are different here than in Faerie. Don’t you find that strangely eerie?”
He shrugged. “It’s not the same place. Why would the stars be the same?”
“You think it’s a planet astronauts could one day fly to?”
He frowned and glanced back at the sky. “Perhaps. Though if Faerie is a whole other dimension, maybe not until they figure out interdimensional travel.”
“Would you ever go back?” Jayde asked.
“To Faerie?” He sighed and rolled onto his back. “I don’t know. There’s nothing left of my home. Saressa made sure of that. I wouldn’t want to set foot near the water castle. There are too many horrible memories. But if you went, well, I’d follow.”
“There’s nothing for me there. Not without you. And I don’t relish the thought of going back. Besides, I like it here.”
“I like anywhere you happen to be.”
“Especially if there is some wilderness to get lost in.”
He shrugged. “Wilderness helps. You help more. Doesn’t matter where we are.”
She giggled, sitting up and throwing a leg over his hips. “I like the wilderness. Getting lost in forests, and jungles. I’ve explored it all. We could tour all the most rural areas together.”
“I’d like that.”
“We’ll have many vacations.” She traced the ridges of his muscles as she looked into his eyes. “I don’t want to walk away from your friends forever.”
“Our friends.”
“Yours,” she said with a shrug.
“Ours. Kellan is definitely yours, not mine. Toryn is ours. Isa, is ours. If she had any doubts they’re wiped away.”
Her body stiffened. “Kellan will get over me. There’s someone out there for him. I hope he doesn’t have to wait as long as we did.”
“Aye. I don’t like the way he looks at you.”
She slapped at his chest and he caught her hands.
He gave her a sheepish shrug. “Hey, look at it from my perspective. He wants me to fuck up so he has a chance with you. I don’t blame him, but you can’t expect me to like it.”
“Good point. He’s even said as much.”
He looked up at her through his lashes. “Question is, do you want me to fuck up?”
“No. And I don’t believe you will.”
“That’s a relief.” He searched her face, but didn’t find the answers. He had to ask. “Did you ever want things to work with Kellan?”
She lowered herself beside him and shook her head. “Honestly, no. He’s a good guy, or at least he’s always been to me. But he never made my heart race with a glance, never gave me goosebumps with a smile, never made me ache with desire. You’re the only man to do all those things.”
“Then why did you climb off me?” he asked with a smirk.
“We got se
rious and I thought maybe I should explain.”
He rolled to her. “Oh, Jayde, we can make love while talking. I’ll never mind.”
She reached down, wrapping her hand around his cock. A shrug lifted one shoulder. “Thinking about Kellan while with you is a turn off. For me at least.”
Scotty laughed. “You just got done telling me I’m the only one you crave. That’s a turn on.”
She giggled, shifting back over him as she pushed him to his back. Her mouth closed over his as she rocked over his length.
“Wish it could always be like this.”
“Soon it will be,” Jayde murmured. “Once Saressa is dead and gone, there will be nothing to tear us apart.”
“She can’t tear us apart. Not anymore.”
* * * *
Saressa paced her chambers after her latest vision. You really think I can’t tear you apart? Ice crystals froze in the mist of her breath. She didn’t have to be there to rip their happy reunion to shreds. A fact she couldn’t believe she’d missed.
Toying with Endiscott had brought great joy until her borders were pushed. With Reance’s return to Faerie, the Fire Realm had started to reclaim territory, and the Earth Realm had begun their own skirmishes.
Lying on top of her bed, she closed her eyes and let all her planning slide away. Relaxed, she reached for Endiscott and found him in peaceful slumber, making love to Jayde.
A thousand barbs pierced her heart. Love shone in their eyes. Radiance danced through them.
Saressa nearly lost the connection to Endiscott. She had to walk away and blot out the carnal sounds until she could conjure a nightmare.
Spider webs trailed through the bedroom like smoke wafting in. Through the window, a dream visage of Damha entered and rose up over Endiscott.
He made a gruesome sight at over seven feet tall, his legs caged around him as his muscular body stood menacingly over Endiscott.
Grotesque compound eyes looked over at Saressa, his lips twisted cruelly around fangs, awaiting her command. At least in dreams he obeyed. In reality, the man fought any suggestion his queen made. He was one of the few she’d never been able to weave a bond with. And now—now she would actually form a true bond if she ever let him back in her bed. Something she couldn’t trust him with.
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