by Amy Sumida
“Get your bulky ass out of the way, blooder,” Declan huffed as he walked over to me and pushed Banning aside.
Declan got down on one knee and pulled a gold band out of a pouch on his belt. It was as strange as Banning's ring but different in design; looping down in a curve.
“Elaria, you've absolutely enthralled me from the moment we met. I have fallen so completely in love with you that I can't ever be with another woman. Please take pity on me and marry me or I'll never have sex again. And I love sex nearly as much as I love you.”
“All right, my dashing pervert.” I laughed as I held out my hand.
Declan grinned brilliantly as he slid the ring onto my finger and tucked it in against Banning's perfectly. I was starting to see a shape emerge, and I lifted a brow as I looked up at Declan.
“Don't get ahead of yourself,” Declan chided me before he kissed me sweetly. Then he got to his feet and made way for Torin.
Torin gave me a serious look as he knelt. “I promised you forever once, and then I broke my word,” he whispered. “It has haunted me ever since. I know that my mistake lingers between us and maybe it will even prevent you from accepting me, but please believe me when I say that I shall never fail you again. I would walk through fire for you.”
“I believe that you have,” I said gently.
Torin smiled in relief. “Will you give me another chance to bind myself to you forever? Will you marry me, little bird?”
“I will,” I said and leaned forward to kiss him.
Torin slid his ring on my finger as we kissed, and when I drew back, I expected to find a complete shape. But it was still missing a piece; possibly two. I frowned at it.
“Just because I don't need a ceremony, it doesn't mean that I don't want to be represented on your hand,” Gage said as he held up another oddly-shaped ring.
I held out my hand, and Gage pushed his ring into place beside the others. He twisted it until it wove into the previous rings. I could see the image now, but there was an integral part missing. I looked over at Darc.
“Yes; I have it,” Darc held up the last ring. “We planned this together, and it made me realize that I didn't propose properly. A man must declare himself to his bride; offer her reasons why she should accept him. So, I shall try to put it into words.” Darc got down on one knee and looked up at me in adoringly. “This is not what I expected, but it's exactly what I want. We were pulled together across galaxies, bonded through love and magic, torn apart, and then fought our way back to each other only to find that the battle was within ourselves. We've won, and now, here we are; mortal forms holding half of our immortal souls. We are grounded gods, and I couldn't be happier. Will you share this happiness with me as we have shared everything else, Elaria? Will you become my wife... again?”
“Yes,” I whispered.
Darcraxis slid the last piece of the puzzle ring into place. I looked down at the shape of a bird and smiled contentedly at it before I pulled Darc into a kiss.
Chapter Sixty
Accepting a proposal is the beginning of chaos. Accepting four was the beginning of hell. There were a few blissful days that were spent celebrating our new affianced status, and then the arguments began.
At least we seemed to be okay with the other jewel kingdoms. Word had spread about what had happened when King Jarlath and his cronies tried to attack us. The other monarchs sent letters with “small tokens of respect” to us; basically saying that they had no intentions of messing with us. Being defeated in battle was one thing; being forced to your knees before you could land a blow was another entirely. No monarch wanted to be made a fool of; death was preferable.
Speaking of preferring death; I rolled my eyes and sipped my coffee as Torin and Darc went at it again. Dealing with alpha male egos was a pain in the ass. The three Shining One kings were fighting over rank. Again. They each wanted a separate wedding because they needed to be married in their kingdoms and with their courts present. That wasn't the problem; it was whose wedding would come first. Everything was about the visuals in Tír na nÓg and whoever married me first would be seen as the top husband.
“Then I should go first,” Banning finally interrupted the argument. “Since I don't matter to Tír na nÓg.”
“Oh, shit!” Gage exclaimed. “You tell them, Ban!”
“We are not saying that anyone is less or more important than anyone else,” Torin said. “That's the issue; how do we keep this fair?”
“Oh, toss a damn coin or draw straws like normal people,” I huffed. “This is getting ridiculous.”
The men went quiet and stared at each other thoughtfully.
“Random determination,” Declan murmured. “A simple solution.”
“Why didn't we think of it?” Darc asked.
“Because you're all focused on establishing yourselves in our new relationship,” I said with a sigh. “The Rooster Spell is gone; we don't have that tempering your male instinct to act like a bunch of cavemen. So, you'll have to monitor yourselves because I'm not going to be around to play the mediator all the time.”
“We're not savages,” Declan scoffed. “We can behave in a civilized manner.”
Torin grimaced at him.
“Okay fine,” Declan agreed, “we'll be more vigilant.”
“Good,” I said. “Because I don't want to have to visit you separately for the rest of my life.”
“You won't, little bird,” Torin promised and then kissed my cheek. “We actually like each other; this is just...”
“Wedding jitters?” I asked with a smirk.
“I don't believe that's the correct term.” Torin frowned.
“Because there isn't a term for this,” Banning said. “El, we're just going to have to deal with whatever comes. You already said yes, and I'm not letting you back out. I've waited over two hundred years to marry you.”
“I've waited far longer than that,” Darcraxis said.
“But you had her longer, and she was already your wife,” Banning pointed out.
“True,” Darc admitted. “Although, I don't know if that makes things better or worse.”
“Better,” Torin said. “You had her longer; that equals better.”
“Fair enough,” Darc conceded. “I still think I should go first; simply because I share an affinity for the same jewel as Elaria. I think it would be expected that we marry first.”
He makes a good point, Kyanite said.
“Thank you,” Darc said with a 'finally' gesture.
“They can't hear him,” I reminded Darc. “And, Kyanite, you need to stay out of this.”
Why would I? I love you too.
“Because you're in my head, and I can't walk away from you like I'm about to do to the others,” I said as I got up.
“Come on, Ellie,” Declan cajoled. “You need to be here to give us your input.”
“The hell I do,” I huffed. “Let's go to Hawaii, Gage.”
“You're taking Gage with you?” Torin gaped at me.
“He's the only one who isn't driving me nuts about a wedding,” I snapped.
“Call us when you've made a decision,” Gage said gleefully as he pulled out his eggshell.
“Oh, very mature, Miss Goddess-Soul,” Banning huffed at me.
“This is just the start,” I said. “Once you guys decide on an order, you have to decide on dates and then all of the hundreds of other things that go into a wedding. I'm not doing all of that four times. The only decision I want to make is what dress to wear. The rest I expect the four of you to handle. So, as Gage said; call us when you've made your decisions—all of them. Aloha.”
I used my traveling stone to make a hasty retreat, and the whining of four men followed me through the Veil.
Gage and I arrived on my back lawn in Hawaii. We grinned at each other like children who had just escaped a spanking and then clasped hands as we went to admire the ocean view.
“It's good to be home,” Gage murmured.
“I'm glad that
you can think of this as your home,” I said.
“Wherever you are is home.” He cast a sweet look my way. “But this place is special to me; I feel like this is ours. The Kings have their kingdoms, Banning has his club, and I have this.”
“I can see that,” I agreed. “So, what shall we do for our homecoming?”
“Do we have any strawberries?”
“No, but the grocery store is five minutes away.” I started to smile.
“I'll race you to the car!”
Hours later, Gage and I laid in a puddle of strawberry juice, sugar, and whipped cream. We were naked, sticky, and gloriously satisfied.
“Next time, we do this in the bathtub,” I declared as I lifted an arm and glared at the red pulp that fell from it.
“Deal,” Gage said as he rolled over and onto me.
Strawberries went squishing out around us, and I giggled.
“Who would have thought that the big, alpha griffin would like being bossed around?” I mused.
“As long as it's you telling me how to make you feel good, I'm perfectly happy to be ordered about,” Gage said before he started licking his way down my neck.
“You're ready again?” I asked in surprise.
“We've only done it twice,” he whined.
“But I'm getting itchy.” I grimaced at him. “I need a shower.”
“As my mate commands,” Gage declared and got to his feet.
Gage scooped me up and carried me upstairs to the master bathroom. He set me in the tub and turned on the water. I busied myself with flicking strawberry mush off both of us while he tested the temperature. Gage laughed at my grooming as he turned the spray on and then got in with me.
As the hot water rolled over us—massaging away the aches of lovemaking and melting the remnants of sugar and sex—Gage leaned down and kissed me. I sighed with the satisfaction that all of these physical sensations brought, but a memory rose of a more profound pleasure—that of merging souls. I'd never have that again. I'd never know the freedom of becoming pure energy or of creating life with a thought. But as I ran my hands over Gage's wide back and pulled him closer, I knew that it was a fair trade.
To have Gage in my arms and my heart was worth the prison of the flesh. To have Torin, Declan, and Banning as well made the sacrifice seem insignificant. And then there was Darc. He had made the same difficult choice, and all he got was me. I hoped that I'd be enough, but even as I thought it, I knew that I was. It didn't matter that our deadly duet had become a sexy sextet, Darcraxis and Faenestra had found a way to exist in peace with their children, and even though we had to sever our own souls to do it, I knew that it had been the right decision. We would never be complete gods again, but we would be completely happy.
And if anything threatened that happiness, all we had to do was sing.
Keep reading for a sneak peek into the next book in the Spellsinger Series:
Macabre Melody
And be sure to check out the Grammar Giggles and Character list at the back of the book.
Chapter One
“When I said that all I wanted to decide was what dress to wear, I thought I was going to look at a bunch of pictures and pick one out,” I whined.
“Shh,” Darc chided as he shot a look over his shoulder at our team of seamstresses. “They'll hear you, and you know how sensitive they are.”
I grimaced. One of the ladies had burst into tears when I called a piece of embroidery flashy.
“How was I to know that she had spent hours embroidering that piece?” I whispered.
“Obviously someone had to do it,” he pointed out. “Just try and be more sensitive.”
“The whole point of this is for me to decide on a fabric,” I growled. “There will be several pieces I don't like.”
“Focus on the ones you do,” he said gently and kissed my cheek.
“Can't you just pick—”
“No,” Darc said sternly; interrupting my whine. “This is the only thing you have to do, Elaria. Now, pick a fucking fabric.”
I widened my eyes at him before I burst into laughter.
“I'm sorry,” he said and sighed. “I never knew planning a wedding would be so stressful.”
“No; it's fine,” I said. “I'm relieved to see your irritation.”
“You're relieved?” Darc asked with a scowl.
“Your whole kindhearted, sensitive routine was getting on my nerves,” I admitted.
“I'm trying to be kindhearted and sensitive for you.” Darcraxis rolled his eyes.
“This one!” I grabbed a piece of silk and held it up. “This is it.”
“A lovely choice, Your Majesty!” One of the seamstresses declared as she hurried over to take the fabric from me. “And for the trim?”
My eyes widened as I panicked, and Darc chuckled under his breath.
“This is perfect,” I grabbed the nearest length of narrow trim; a lace speckled with kyanite. Then I really looked at it. “Actually, it really is perfect.”
“Wonderful!” The woman exclaimed and snatched the lace away from me before I could change my mind.
The pack of seamstresses ran away with their trophies.
“Well, that was easy,” Darc said with twitching lips.
“I'm not good with decisions,” I muttered.
“She's right; she's never been good at them,” Cerberus declared as he came into the room. “I usually made them for her and then talked her into it.”
“Cer!” I shouted and ran over to give him a hug. “It's good to see you. You wanna grab a drink?” I started to pull him out of the room and away from my fiance.
“Elaria,” Darc huffed. “You still have to pick some shoes and a veil.”
“Later.” I waved a hand at Darc distractedly. “My best friend is here.”
“I'd love a drink,” Cerberus said. “In fact, we should have a few of them.”
“What happened?” I went still and suspicious.
“Drink,” he said firmly.
“Fine,” I huffed and headed down a level to the social rooms in my tower.
I poured a couple of stiff ones, handed one to Cerberus, and then took a seat on a silk-velvet couch. Cerberus took a massive chair across from me. Darc sat beside me and looked questioningly from Cerberus to me and back.
“What am I not getting?” Darc asked.
“Cerberus has something bad to tell me,” I explained. “So, he wants me to have a little liquor in me before he says anything.”
“It's not bad,” Cerberus protested. “Just drink your damn dragon brew or whatever you call this sweet shit that knocks you on your ass.”
“It's called bralm,” I said and took a sip.
The fiery liquor ran down my throat and relaxed me instantly.
“Now, spill,” I said.
“You're not drinking?” Cerberus asked Darc.
“I think someone should keep a level head.” Darc narrowed his eyes at Cerberus.
“Hey; I don't lead my girl wrong,” Cerberus snapped. “If there's one person you don't have to watch out for, it's me.”
“Fair enough,” Darc agreed. “So, why are you stalling?”
“It's a job,” Cerberus said reluctantly.
“I don't do those anymore,” I immediately shot back.
“But I know these beneathers,” Cerberus added. “This is important, El.”
“That's all you had to say, Cer.” I sat forward and set my glass on the low table between us. “Forget the money, what do you need?”
“Thanks, El.” Cerberus huffed a relieved sigh. “You don't know how much that means to me.”
“Cerberus, you know I got your back,” I said in confusion. “Why would you be worried?”
“Things got weird there for awhile, and I know you're busy getting married to five guys.” Cerberus shrugged.
“Four,” I said.
“What?”
“It's four guys,” I corrected him. “Gage doesn't want a ceremony.”
“Oh
.”
“Cerberus, what the hell is wrong?” I asked.
“People are hunting my friends, El,” he said softly. “I've sent crews out to protect them, but they sneak right past my guys. So, I headed a group myself, and...” Cerberus shook his head. “I can't figure this out, El. They don't even leave a scent. They just come, kill, and leave; taking their trophies with them.”
“Trophies?” Darc asked with a frown.
“Pelts,” Cerberus snarled. “Sometimes heads.”
“Who are these friends of yours, Cer?” I asked.
“They're Sasq'ets,” Cerberus said.
“I'm not familiar with that race,” Darc murmured.
“Sasquatch,” I whispered as my eyes went wide. “Someone's hunting the Sasquatch.”
Grammar Giggles
And just for a little giggle, here are a few grammar mistakes found during the editing of this book.
Correct Line: But as I ran my hands over Gage's wide back and pulled him closer, I knew that it was a fair trade.
Giggle: But as I ran my hands over Gage's wind back and pulled him closer, I knew that it was a fair trade. (Oh, what a difference one letter can make)
Correct Line: Our clothes vanished—they were simply gone—and I was suddenly pressed skin to skin with him.
Giggle: Our clothes vanished—they were simply gone—and I was p suddenly ressed skin to skin with him. (That's a random separation)
Correct Line: I groaned inwardly.
Giggle: I growned inwardly. (Sometimes it's like my fingers are just typing out the sounds I hear in my head instead of forming words)
And please feel free to write me at [email protected] if you spot any grammar errors yourself. I'm a poor self-published author who must rely on the kindness of my super-smart friends for help in editing. Please have mercy on my writing.
Pronunciation Guide/ Character List
I'm trying to limit these to characters who appear in more than one book.
Adam MacLaine: Human client
Aoide: E-da, Elaria's aunt and siren