by Eve A Hunt
“I am one of your distant descendants.” I’d told him as much already.
His gaze narrowed, and he looked like he was going to shout or rush me, but no magic sparked to life in his hands. “You saw Lucilla.”
“I did. And she forgave Lucus for what he did. He didn’t intend to hurt her. He was young.”
The Duke held up a hand to stop me from speaking and looked toward the flowers. Tears fell from his face and dropped all the way to the rainbow of petals on the ground. “You do resemble my sister.”
“I’m telling the truth.”
He looked at the sky, and his tears ran down his wide cheeks and into his collar. “I loved her so much.”
Lucus stepped closer, his arm brushing mine. “As did I.” Lucus knelt. “I am sorry. I never intended to injure her.”
The Mage Duke let out a noise like a gasp of pain or a sob, then fell to his knees. He grabbed his shirt. “My heart. I’m dying. You’ve slain the demon, and all my power rested in that curse, and its gone. Fled along with my…” He leaned on the wall and worked his way to standing as he stared down at Lucus’s bent head. “My life is at its end. If Lucilla could forgive you, and this descendant of my own blood, this Yew Queen…” A cough tore at him, shook him hard. “If you believe him, maybe…” He coughed again and peered down at the blooms. “To honor my daughter. They brought her flowers. How did they know?”
Lucus’s emerald eyes shone as he looked up at his enemy. “I told Coren, and she asked it of her people.”
The Duke’s glazed eyes turned to see Lucus. “You. You both did this?” He sobbed, fingers at his mouth as he shook his head in disbelief. Then he raised his head and stared over the place where the flowers rested. “Lucilla?”
A chill ran down my back. Was he seeing her ghost?
“Forgive,” the Duke murmured. “Forgive. I forgive you, Lord Lucus. Farewell.”
He clutched his chest, his face gone red, then tipped over the wall and fell down, down, down, landing in the colorful blooms that had once given his beloved daughter such joy.
31 Coren
The crunch and groan of construction equipment faded as I walked into the castle. We’d all taken turns working together—with all our varying strengths and powers—to see every person involved in the melee either sent off to be buried with respect, to the hospital for further recovery, or to their homes to begin the long process of rebuilding.
Lucus had healed the trees that were scorched in the courtyard during the battle and was currently shifting their upper branches to create a bower of sorts. He flicked a hand, and sapphire flowers bloomed along slender vines that wrapped the trees’ trunks and lower branches.
“It’s a beautiful display for them,” I said quietly as the birds chirped around us.
The names of the ones we’d lost shifted through my mind. Sebastian the Binder. Corliss the fae. Baccio and Aurelio.
I kissed Lucus’s hand, and he curled his fingers around mine before giving me a smile.
“It’s time we leave this place for the earth to reclaim.”
“You don’t want to continue living here?”
“No. I will encourage the earth to take this castle, my brothers, and those we lost into itself, to be born again as the earth does with all living things eventually.” Lucus lifted me and set me on an oak’s low, large limb. Below me, he looked up, his eyes sparkling like gems. “Would you be willing to wed me, Yew Queen?”
My heart did a little dance. “Hell yeah.” I kind of surprised myself agreeing so quickly. But Lucus was mine and I was his, and if he wanted a ceremony, by all the scones in Franklin, he was going to get one.
Smiling wide, he swept me from the branch and held me tight. “I love you, Coren Connelly. Every magic I have is at your beck and call.”
I ran a hand down his hard stomach, then rubbed lower. “I’m in the mood for the oldest kind of magic, love.”
Lucus’s chest rumbled with a quiet laugh. “I can probably be persuaded into bedding you.”
“Too bad I don’t have a lure to get things moving.”
His mouth dragged along the edge of my jaw, giving me goosebumps and melting me. “Your aura is a lure. Did you not know that? You could have controlled me from day one, my sweet.”
“Damn,” I said, panting a bit as he nipped his way across my collarbone and his fingers drifted under my skirt. “Wish I would’ve known that. I’d have talked you into bullying the parking lot fiends in this town from charging for every space that used to be free for us locals.”
“That can still be arranged.”
“Free parking gets me so hot.”
Lucus laughed, his head falling back to show the apple in his throat bobbing. “I won’t judge you, since I consider your baked goods to be a powerful aphrodisiac.”
He scooped me into his arms, and then we were flying down the castle corridors, heading for his chamber.
32 Hekla
Hekla handed Oliver to Titus, her hands sticking to his dinosaur tee. “He spent the last fifteen minutes pretending a lollipop was hand lotion.”
Titus snorted. “Good thing he’s not getting into your car.”
“It’s not just a car.”
“It’s a Volvo,” Titus said. “Yes, yes. Now, hurry up or Coren will have to get ready all on her own.”
“God forbid. She’d wear a mini skirt and her motorcycle boots.”
Titus laughed as Hekla left. She and Coren had laid out plans for the reconstruction early that morning. Most of the town had already started on repairs, people from all over the Nashville area pitching in to help. Of course, a load of them really just wanted the details about this new world Coren had opened up. Rumors were flying about unicorns, magic, and vampires, but not many folks had the real facts, and the people of Franklin were more than happy to fill in the blanks and clarify what was and wasn’t true.
With Main Street still pretty churned up, Hekla had parked behind the Methodist church, and when she rounded the corner, she saw a certain vampire leaned against her hood. The Volvo wasn’t fully repaired, but she’d had the local shop work on it, and the hood was the one place that remained smooth.
“If you put a dent in that, your ass is grass.”
Kaippa’s mouth twitched up at one side, but he moved away from the hood. “I don’t think you’d like that, as it would make my ass more difficult to grab, foxy.”
Hekla jabbed her Frankenfinger into his chest. Why did he have to smell so good, like a cologne made of patchouli, sandalwood, and sex? “You had better keep that smart mouth shut during the wedding.”
Kaippa leaned forward and pressed his body against her. She had to look up to see his face, and it wasn’t easy to ignore the feel of his thighs. “I’m the best man. I get to make a toast.”
That would be a real doozy, for sure. “That’s not until the reception. Until then, your only job is to stand there and look pretty, rings ready to go.” She dug said rings from her purse, then released them into his waiting palm. The jeweler’s place off Columbia had been spared any dragon damage, thankfully.
“You think I’m pretty,” he whispered, a purr rattling in his throat.
Hekla’s body heated, and she realized she was panting. “Stop the vampire thing.”
“Which vampire thing?” He leaned in and dragged his fangs across her neck. “This one?” Desire spread like spilled honey across her skin. “Or maybe you mean this.” Taking a deep breath, he let his chest rub her peaked nipples before he smoothed his hands down her back. He pressed her hips against his.
An ache pulsed through the core of her body. “Kaippa.” The word was hardly more than a murmur, but it was packed with the question she hadn’t yet been able to ask and desperately wanted answered.
Kaippa’s soft lips were on her ear. “You want to fuck. I want to fuck. Tell me what you need.”
If he kept talking like that and pressing against her, she was going to jump him right here in the street. And if she gave in… “If I do thi
s—”
He nipped her jawline, dug his fingers into her hips, and thrust his body against her. She sucked a breath, her body hot and demanding that she shut up and get down to it. “If I do this, I have to know you won’t kill anyone else. And that you will at least be honest with me. About everything.”
Pulling away, he stared at her with those hot, dark eyes of his. “I can’t promise I’ll never kill. What if the life in question threatens yours or mine?”
“Self-defense is one thing. Eating people is another.”
Kaippa’s mouth touched her forehead. “I am a vampire, Hekla. I can promise until my balls are blue, but it will still be dangerous.” He looked at her. “I will always be dangerous.”
“But you’ll try.”
“I am already proving that, aren’t I? I chose a deer for breakfast rather than the fine policewoman patrolling the park. Besides, you forgave Lucus for being a monster. Why don’t I get the same treatment, wheat girl? I’m far hotter.”
He stepped back, breaking their physical contact, then crossed his arms and grinned. The morning sun touched his fantastic forearms and wickedly sharp jawline and turned his black hair into gold-flecked silk that her fingers ached to tangle.
“I’ll think about it.” Demanding her body chill out, she marched to the driver’s side. Driving would clear her head, and besides, she was late to meet Coren, who was getting ready for the ten o’clock wedding at the castle.
Kaippa was utterly silent as they drove, but his gaze never left her face, and every time she glanced his way, he grinned and his fingers moved over his knees like he was imagining caressing her. It was more than a gal could handle.
At the castle, Lucus greeted them, a large box in his hands. “Will you give this to Coren? She’s in my chamber.”
Hekla took the box. “You ready for this?”
Lucus’s emerald and obsidian hair slid across his face as he turned to look at the bower he’d made. “She is my family, and I am hers.”
A smile stretched Hekla’s mouth, then, on tiptoe, she kissed Lucus’s cheek. “Thank you for making her happy.”
“Now you’re just torturing me, foxy,” Kaippa said, “laying a kiss on him before me.”
Hekla smacked him in the rock-hard stomach, trying her damndest to keep visions of Kaippa tied to a bed out of her imagination. “Quiet, vampire.”
Lucus’s gaze flitted from her to Kaippa, and it was obvious the fae lord was dying to warn her for the millionth time about how Kaippa was not to be trusted. Thankfully, he kept his advice to himself and instead kissed her wrist softly, drawing a sigh out of Hekla. “My bride waits. Thank you for agreeing to attend to her on this important day.”
“No problem.”
Hekla held the box carefully, then started toward the inner workings of the castle, Kaippa silently trailing her every step. In the dark of the corridor, the undeniable urge to tease and frustrate him overpowered her good manners.
She spun and handed the box to him. “It’s warm today considering it’s November.” With quick fingers, she took the ends of her loose tunic shirt and tied them high under her breasts. Kaippa’s gaze snapped to her bare stomach. His tongue slid over his red lips. Hekla fought a grin and pulled her hair into a knot on her head to show off her neck. “I’m going to change before I meet Coren. I have some things in my room.”
“Foxy. You are behaving badly.” A quiet growl came from Kaippa as they rounded the corner and came to the chamber where she’d slept while he’d kept guard outside the door.
Heart beating a chaotic rhythm, Hekla crossed the room and pointed to the dresser. “Can you put the box there? Thanks. That’ll be all.”
Kaippa lifted the box high, then dropped it to the floor, his eyes glittering dangerously. He stalked toward her, and she fought the urge to step back in alarm. “I am not your servant, foxy. Don’t toy with me. It’s bad for your health.”
Desire simmered inside her, the animal that was a part of her blood wanting to go wild. “Since day one, you’ve done nothing but toy with me. Perhaps it’s your turn to be played.”
And then he was standing beside her, one hand on her neck and the other brushing its way down her side and turning her flesh to fire. “Are you prepared for this game, little fox? Because I will have your blood rising to flush your skin and ringing in your ears. You’ll beg by the time I’m through.”
A hot pulse of want shot through her. “Enough swagger, vampire. Let’s see what you can do.” She pushed him onto the bed.
He laughed loud and suddenly she was under him, flipped to her stomach. His long fingers slid over her hip and dipped below the waistline of her jeans. She moaned as he breathed along the back of her exposed neck. His hand moved lower, and she pushed against him, her body raging with heat. Purring behind her, he tugged down her jeans. She started to sit up, but his hand gently urged her to stay where she was. And then he was on top of her, his skin hot under his clothes.
“What do you consider my greatest attribute to the fairer sex?” He nipped at her side and pressed against her.
She could hardly breathe, let alone answer.
He set his teeth on her neck, then whispered, “Answer me or I will stay here, so close, but not close enough. I can hold out for years, foxy. Years.”
Her body trembled with need as she swallowed. “Your lower back. The curve. Your ass.”
Kaippa snickered with self-satisfaction, then a cool breeze told her he had moved away. She spun and sat up to see him pulling his shirt off, his abs like a damn romance novel cover. He glared at her as he removed his trousers, then turned to walk to the other side of the bed, giving her a long look at that back of his.
“Satisfied?” he asked, standing there in all his glory.
“Not nearly.” She lay back on her elbows.
Roughly shoving her knees apart, he climbed over her. He brushed a lock of hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear, the movement at odds with the rest of his behavior. The tip of his tongue slid down her neck as he rubbed his body against her.
“Could you wait years, foxy?” He stopped moving, the glint of pure evil in his eyes. “I bet I could make you wait.”
Delicious chills broke over her thighs. “Kaippa, please. I hate waiting. I’ve never had the patience for it.”
Grinning viciously, he drove into her and pulled a scream of pleasure from her throat. She grabbed his perfect, curved lower back and urged him to go faster, desire an ocean that drowned her. She had wanted this for far longer than she cared to admit, even to herself. And here he was, this delicious demon of a man with his broad shoulders brushing her cheek, his body filling her up, his thighs hot and slick against hers. The scent of him, exotic and dangerous, drove her to ecstasy, his body thrusting without an ounce of hesitation. She shrieked as bliss took her under and over and around that ocean of desire again. Kaippa gasped with his own pleasure and called her name, and Hekla knew her life would never ever be the same.
33 Coren
With shaking hands, I set the letter I’d written to Aunt Viv on Lucus’s bed. It was a simple thank you and I’ll visit you soon because I didn’t want to upset the old gal with tales of how horrifyingly real her stories had become for me.
There was a knock, so I opened the door, only to see a very flushed Hekla. Grabbing an arm, I pulled her inside Lucus’s bedroom. “Where have you been? I’m freaking out.”
Hekla handed me a box. “Sorry. I had to talk to Kaippa.”
Oh, no. “You didn’t.”
Hekla’s throat moved in a guilty swallow. “I did.”
“Holy shit.”
“Yep.”
“You know he’s bad news, right? Even though he saved some lives.”
Collapsing on the bed, Hekla covered her face with an arm. “I know.”
“But you couldn’t fight your issue with his lower back.”
“Correct,” she mumbled under her elbow. “Open the box and change the subject. Please, bride lady.”
I
shook my head but couldn’t help smiling. The box lid came off and released the scent of summer leaves. “It’s a dress.”
Hekla sat up and peered inside, her fingers drifting toward a corset top made entirely of leaves. “Oh, snap. He made you a fae wedding gown. This is so legit.”
My smile grew as I carefully lifted the dress from the box. Deep green oak leaves made up the bodice and the skirt. Sapphire flowers had been sewn in a diagonal line across the chest and in a curved pattern at the hem. The whole thing shimmered like the plants had been infused with a dash of sunlight. “Who knew he could sew?”
Hekla fluffed the back of the skirt. “It’s long in the back and short in the front. I love it!”
I pulled the fae garment all the way out, held it to my chest, and walked around the room.
“Please don’t say fae clothing isn’t for you, because you are going to look incredible in that thing. Wear it for me. Wear it for Lucus,” Hekla said.
“It’s going to come apart so easily.”
Hekla lifted an eyebrow. “All the better for your wedding night.” She looked back in the box. “Hey, there’s something wrapped up in here.”
I removed the package made of thick, woven grass, then tore the end open. The package contained a circlet of delicate pine shoots and tiny oak branches complete with acorns.
“Oh my God,” Hekla said. “It’s a crown. You have a crown made by a fae lord.” She burst into laughter and fell back on the bed. “This is the best.”
I held the crown, studying the way Lucus had braided the shoot and twigs. It was strong and had a hum to it. “It’s enchanted.”
“Wonder what’ll happen when you put it on?”
“I guess we’ll find out.”
Wearing my fae wedding gown, with Hekla at my side and my crown in my hand, I walked into the courtyard to see Lucus and Kaippa standing there beneath the floral bower. A light rain had just fallen, and drops sparkled like diamonds from everything. The castle walls gave the place the feel of an old cathedral, and the gentle breeze stirred the scent of pines and rain into the air.