by Eve A Hunt
Then, as Lucus explained the details of the curse to Nora and the Binder, I walked down the hill slowly, step by step, until we realized no one even needed my aura anymore.
I jogged back up. “Do you think the curse is broken now?”
“I wish I knew of a way to break it, but my experience has shown that curses are permanent. One can alter, stretch, or twist them, but they remain,” the Binder said.
He looked different now with his hand on Oliver’s head and his gaze distant. The energy around him felt settled, and his eyes had lost that gleam of madness. Nora too appeared like an entirely new individual. Though circles ringed her tired eyes, her shoulders were straight, and her fingers no longer twitched with the need to do something.
Like we’d summoned a dark spell, the castle trembled, throwing down several stones from the top of the curtain wall. We dodged the debris as the clock chimed, jarringly announcing midnight.
“Ugh. I think it’s still in effect. Different, but still there.” I tromped back inside to look around since it seemed like the quaking was done for the moment.
Hekla trailed me, Lucus on her heels. “I thought the sacrifice was made when you put someone outside the castle? If they can all leave without turning to ash, how will the sacrifice work?”
“There is no way to know,” Lucus said, glancing at his brothers.
Baccio glared. “Lucus, I don’t want to be your enemy, but…”
“But you sided against me.” Lucus glanced at Aurelio, who had the decency to look ashamed.
Baccio sighed, his jaw working. “But after all we’ve suffered, I can’t believe you dragged me back here. I can’t live like this. Not anymore.” He spun, leapt, then took off into the sky.
Lucus inhaled sharply and watched his brother disappear into the night.
“How far will Kaippa and Baccio be able to travel from here?” Nora asked.
“I suppose we’ll find out,” I said.
The Binder lifted Oliver into his arms and pushed the boy’s thick hair away from his eyes. Oliver buried his head in his father’s chest. “Coren, you do realize who you are, don’t you? That you might possibly have the ability to do what has been impossible until now?”
“What am I? Oh, you mean the Yew Bow? I’m not that prophecy lady though. I’m clueless, and I don’t feel any more powerful.”
Lucus lifted an eyebrow. “Don’t you? I know you have my magic flowing through yours.”
“How?” Nora asked.
“It was the unicorn blood,” I explained. “The unicorn of scary darkness was on Team Us and spoke to my brain and told me to put my hands in his pal’s blood.”
Hekla whistled. “I forgot about that. He really was a dark one.”
“Yep. And when I let Lucus feed from my aura…” I glared, daring anyone to judge me. “When I chose to allow Lucus to take from my energy, the blood that had sunk into my palms somehow made it so I could absorb fae magic. That’s how I broke the Yew Bow barrier. Lucus poured his power into me, and I combined it with my own and the ley lines’ strength, too.”
Nora crossed her arms, a grin tugging at her lips. “You are the Yew Queen.”
“No way, dude. Just a baker. Oh, and a mage, I guess. But that’s it.”
Hekla reached across Lucus to sock me in the arm. “You have to be the queen thing because the Yew Bow is still here. The story said only the mage meant to have the Bow would be drawn to it. Did you feel anything when you first saw it?”
I swallowed, feeling like the castle might be shaking again, because the world seemed to have tilted on its axis. I wasn’t a queen of anything. “I did. I heard it humming. And I couldn’t stop staring at it.”
“I wonder…” Lucus scratched his chin. “Did you hear a song in the Bow like you do in your own magic?”
“Yes! When I claimed it, I heard one heavenly note. It was wild. You all heard it too, right?”
They shook their heads.
“It’s you,” Nora whispered, her eyes wide and her grin becoming a smile. “You are fated to wake the world.”
I wiped my sweating hands on my trousers. “What does that even mean?”
Nora shrugged and looked to the Binder, who didn’t seem to have an answer.
Lucus studied me, his gaze slipping over my body like hands before he met my eyes. “You will introduce the modern world to magic they can’t ignore, Coren. You will wake them up. Shifters. Mages. Fae. Humans. You will change them for the good as you have changed me.”
Hekla sighed. “Get a room. But really, if you’re super powerful, let’s see if you can break the curse?”
“You up for it?” I asked Lucus.
“Since the curse protects no one from Baccio or Kaippa and will most likely demand one of our lives at the end of the moon’s cycle, yes. I am indeed up for it, as you say.”
Chapter 31
I grabbed the Yew Bow and held it above my head. I wasn’t sure why, but it felt right. Kind of like those old He-Man episodes or Highlander or whatever. Lucus held my free hand as I envisioned my golden aura, my energy, and pushed it to expand, to increase. The energy from the ley lines surged through me, unexpectedly strong, and my eyes shot open. I hadn’t even realized I’d closed them.
Everyone watched me, faces full of awe. Lightning snapped in the air around my head, and amethyst clouds billowed through the courtyard.
“Show us the curse,” I demanded, willing the Mage Duke’s magic to show itself to my own. “Show me the curse cast by my ancestor.”
The Binder and Nora sucked a breath. They hadn’t known I was related to the Mage Duke. But there was no reason for the secret. No reason for any secrets anymore.
But the curse wouldn’t budge. Its dark tentacles wrapped around my combined mage and fae power, and the tingling and electricity began to fade. I needed more from myself and more from Lucus. More from our bond.
“Lucus, our bond must be stronger. I don’t know how. I don’t know why. I feel…” How could I explain the need I felt, the lack? I had to have Lucus fully bound to me, but I had no clue how to make that happen.
“It’s my name,” he whispered. “To complete our bond, you must learn my real name.”
There it was. My magic crackled with the truth of it.
Fear flickered through Lucus’s eyes, and I held his hand more tightly.
“I won’t tell a soul,” I whispered, my power zipping through my veins like I’d downed a keg of espresso. “I’ve been told its important, but how exactly?” My teeth began to chatter. I held the Yew Bow tighter, and strength flowed into me from its ancient castings.
“The one who knows my name may command me. At any time, any place. I must do their bidding.”
“I won’t misuse it. You know that, right?”
He nodded, his eyes half-lidded. He seemed to be waffling though.
“How about I agree to let you lure the hell out of me tomorrow. I will swear on it, and so you’ll have the upper hand tomorrow.”
“You can break my lure.”
“I won’t.”
A naughty grin swept over his fine, fine mouth. For a good guy, he sure looked devilish. “Agreed, Coren Connelly. My true name,” he said, his lips brushing my ear, “is Marattin Raja, King of the Wood.”
I began to make a dirty joke, but his fae power thrust through me, filling me with strength and incredibly clear vision and magic for days. My hands called thunder, and my palms held spheres of amethyst electricity. Lucus’s heart beat three times, and I felt as though it were tucked inside my own. His scent covered all others, pines and night and jasmine drawing me into a sensation of wholeness. I knew not everyone needed a fated mate or even wanted one. But I knew then, I was meant for this fae lord and he for me.
“Show yourself, curse!”
The ground shifted. Everyone but Lucus and me stumbled to their knees. Stones fell from the walls, and one of the courtyard pillars cracked down the middle before tumbling away from the archway. The trees in the center of the space shook their leaves
and lost branches as the castle itself swayed and moaned.
Sparkling lines of black and silver appeared on the castle walls, along the cobblestones, and over the archways, pillars, and doors. They slithered one after the other, tangling and slinking like snakes along the cracks and the mortar between the stones. The sight of it reminded me of the night the Mage Duke had cast the curse, the night I’d seen when Lucus had shared his memory.
I raised the Yew Bow high again and focused all my magic at one spot of black and silver lines that covered the entrance, attempting to mimic how focused the Binder had been when he’d broken the unseelie’s barrier. I imagined blasting my golden aura, my lightning, my thunder, and Lucus’s fae power into the shimmering curse.
“Break!”
The power left in a rush that had me gasping and gripping Lucus to stay upright.
The curse’s sparkling lines burst into amethyst flames. The snake-like strands of magic raced into the sky, then blew apart like a firework. I stepped back, the sight nearly blinding me. There was a sound like all the air in the night was being sucked away. The black and silver lines that had exploded appeared again. They morphed into one twitching length of dark power before shooting through the cobblestones and into the earth with a bang.
The ground moaned and lurched, then settled. I wanted to feel like that had worked, but the serpent shape the curse had taken before it had disappeared into the ground pinched at some forgotten detail in the back of my mind.
I took some deep breaths, feeling hollowed out. “Everyone alive? Did I do it?”
Lucus shrugged. “Until the end of the moon’s cycle, we won’t know for certain, but I do think you threw the Mage Duke’s curse away from here.”
“She succeeded,” the Binder said. “That was the most impressive magic I’ve seen.”
Nora clasped her hands, grinning. “Incredible.”
Hekla hugged me, and I was so, so glad this whole damn thing was over.
“Let’s get everyone cleaned up and fed at the bakery, okay?” I said. “I’m going to say we won the day. And I think this win calls for chocolate croissants.”
Hekla laughed. “One hundred percent it does.”
Lucus held up a hand, his lips pulling into a hopeful smile that made his eyes shine. “And pancakes.”
I chuckled and poked his flat stomach. “Better watch that obsession. You might lose those fabulous abs.”
I followed the group away from the castle, down the hill toward downtown where the bakery hopefully still stood with its hidden key under the compressor out back. It was the middle of the night, so no one would notice our motley crew of strangely dressed folks. Lucus, Aurelio, and Corliss had glamoured themselves up, so at least we had no wings or horns in view.
I’d have to use the bakery phone to call Ami and Titus and make sure they hadn’t freaked out when Hekla and I had taken off. With both of us gone, I was fairly certain Ami would think we’d gone climbing and she’d simply forgotten we’d asked her to cover for us. It had happened at least three times in the past.
Lucus took my hand as we walked, and I wondered how many magical queens ended their days with handsome fae lords at their sides and baked goods as dinner. Despite what might be headed our way, I had it pretty damn good.
Epilogue
“So about this whole under my command thing.” I stretched out on my couch while Lucus set a brown paper bag of pumpkin muffins on the kitchen counter. We’d left the strange crew at Sweet Touch. Hekla had said she’d lock up and take the rest to her place to wash up and order some less freaky clothing online.
Lucus leaned around the kitchen doorway and raised an eyebrow. “Just remember. You promised it will be my turn to control you tomorrow.”
I turned onto my side, hiding my grin. Warmth rose between my thighs as I imagined what I could do with this newfound power. “Marattin Raja, massage my feet.”
His footsteps were quiet on the carpet, but I heard him breathe in suddenly. He rounded the end of the couch and knelt beside me. “Of course, Yew Queen.”
His fingers rolled under the arch of my foot, and his palm pushed into my heel, making me groan with pleasure.
“You’re good at this.”
“I’m good at quite a few activities.” He stood and removed his belt, blade, and tunic. His body was breathtaking. I would never get sick of enjoying the view. His shoulders were so broad and roped with muscle. His arms and stomach… That devilish grin…
Desire drummed through me, making my skin sensitive and my nipples peak. “Marattin Raja, kiss me here.” I pointed at the bare skin below the t-shirt I’d changed into.
Lucus dipped his head and went to work. He unbuttoned my jeans and brushed his lips along my hipbone. Goosebumps sprang up along the back of my legs, and heat pooled inside me. His nimble fingers edged my clothes out of the way. He looked at me through his leaf-tipped lashes. “What do you wish?”
A fierce longing pulsed between my legs, and I wanted him to touch me, to fill me, to end the aching need. “I want it all, and I want it now.”
One of his pointed ears poked through his hair as he licked my skin, slow and delicate, and my back rose from the couch as I exhaled in a rush.
“Command me,” he said, his voice a growl.
Hmm. He liked this, did he? I wanted to boss him about properly, but my mind was spinning. His lips parted over my thigh, his breath hot, then his teeth nipped me lightly as he worked his way up around my other hip.
I grabbed him by the hair, the jade streaks dark and beautiful around my fingers. His horns shimmered into view as he moved his head, still licking and biting my skin.
“Take me, Marattin Raja.”
He made a sound something like a snarl and climbed on top of me. Kissing my neck, he inhaled as he undressed me piece by piece. He was taking from my aura, but I was good with it. It felt amazing, and with the power I possessed now, I knew it wouldn’t weaken me. He could only make me stronger. He shuddered as he entered me, and pleasure rode through me like wild horses as he rocked his hips, moving faster and faster. I ran my hands down his back, feeling the essence of his hidden wings.
“Coren, my queen,” he said huskily as he moved over me. “Command me.”
Sparks of intense pleasure fired across my body, and I wasn’t sure I could talk. Lucus’s wings burst into view, and I cried out as desire swallowed me whole.
“Slower, Marattin Raja. Slower.” I could hardly believe I had the nerve. We were so close.
But the torture of him thrusting slowly was worth it.
He whispered something fae in my ear. It sounded a lot like please.
“To your back, Marattin Raja.” I cracked a wicked smile and set a lightning tipped hand on his chest.
He gasped, then, groaning at the interruption, rolled over. He eyed me warily, the strain clear in his features. His hair had grown longer—something to do with our bond and his feeding—and it lay tangled on the couch pillow and twisted around his horns. His flat stomach drew in as he pushed into me, sure and full. A moan slipped from my mouth at the sheer delight of the feeling.
Raising himself to his elbows, he glared. “Torturing me with slow love-making was not part of the Yew Queen prophecy.” He gasped as I undulated my hips. “My love,” he said, finishing his sentence.
I leaned close, pressing my breasts to his chest and inhaling the spicy scent of him. “It’s sad when stories leave out all the good parts,” I said, then I gripped his shoulders and moved against him until the world blurred and I had the King of the Woods shouting for his queen.
Lucus slung one arm over my stomach as we watched TV. The morning sun blessed his seelie fingers and made his skin look almost as gold as my aura.
“I’m surprised humans don’t believe in magic, considering how much power they possess. Look at that.” He sat up a bit more and pointed at the close-up of the Great British Baking Show’s final round of cakes. “It doesn’t seem like a painting, I mean, an image at all.”
&
nbsp; “It isn’t. It’s real life projected by…uh…okay, I have no idea how TV works.”
Rumbling shook the couch and knocked my water glass off the table. Lucus was standing in less than a second.
My stomach dropping, I went to the window. A flock of birds swirled in the sky like bonfire smoke, doing that weird morphic resonance thing. Aunt Viv would’ve deemed it an omen.
The ground trembled again. My painted wooden spoon collection and all the framed photographs on my walls fell to the floor, glass shattering on impact.
A voice echoed through my mind. “The Mage Duke has slain my foe. He comes for you and your mate.”
My limbs went numb with fear.
“Coren?” Lucus studied my face, gripping my arms.
“Remember the unicorn of darkness? Yeah. He’s talking to me. From freaking England. That’s happening.”
“What does he say?”
I tried to swallow, but my mouth was too dry. “Arleigh is dead. And the Mage Duke is on his way here.”
The unicorn spoke again. “I have stalled the Mage Duke with my own dark magic, but he will come at the new moon, when his curse calls for a sacrifice. I cannot stop him. He will harvest a soul in payment for the daughter of his heart.”
I met Lucus’s eyes. “My new friend says the Mage Duke will return when the new moon rises.” A shudder ran through me. “He wants to harvest a soul.”
The unicorn’s presence faded from my mind.
“Hey, listen. At least we proved we can fight someone on his level. Right? Let’s enjoy the next few days as best we can. Maybe my unicorn pal will do more than stall him. Maybe everything will be okay.”
“Maybe,” Lucus said. “Should we find the others?”
Picturing Hekla, the Binder, Aurelio, and Nora, I was reminded of gladiators and how they did the whole Eat, Drink, and Be Merry thing before they fought lions. Maybe I wouldn’t mind battling for glory with my fellow warriors.
“One thing is for sure—we won’t go down easy.” I took up the Yew Bow from where I’d stashed it near the couch. “I didn’t snag this baby for nothing.”