by A. K. Koonce
“How do you know it’s going to snow soon?”
His spine stiffens even more, and he slowly turns to me with an insulted look in his handsome features.
“I’m an ice dragon from the great Northern Kingdom of Attika.”
A beat of silence follows that very obvious explanation.
My lips part, but I only nod my head.
“Of course.” My fingers trail down the length of his forearm, softening his features the moment I touch him. “I’ll be in soon.”
I make it one single step away before he speaks again.
“Shoes, Arlow. You need shoes also.”
I look toward the shadowed corner where the pretty shoes that Helen got me lay. I kicked them off the moment she was out of sight. But, it seems I have to be a responsible adult and wear the foot prisons when the temperatures drop outside.
Another sigh pushes from my lips.
Adult life is very overrated.
I shove my feet inside the soft cushioned shoes, pull Chaos’ winter coat from off the hook on the wall, and then slip out before Rime can lecture me any further.
The house is quiet. Not a sliver of light is seen down the long, dark hallway. Kain told me Chaos’ father, Marlen, built Helen this big beautiful house when she was pregnant and he promised her as many kids as she would ever want. I wonder if he realized she’d want enough to fill every single room.
Chaos’ father built Myla’s house as well when she was pregnant with Kain. Her husband died before she even found out she was carrying his child. When Marlen asked how many extra rooms she’d want aside from her own, she told him just one.
My heart sinks just thinking about how different the two women’s lives are. And yet, how completely alike they both are.
Despite everything life has done to them.
The wooden banister leads me downstairs and the lower level is just as quiet. Lines of moonlight fall across the floor where the curtains let in small amounts of light within the darkness. Quiet breaths sound through the room and Sinister is fast asleep on the big cushioned couch. He sleeps where I sleep. Myla offered him her couch, but he’s always slept over here near me.
I love him for that. I love him for watching over me for so long. He’s wasted years of his life watching over me. And I selfishly can’t let him go.
With my eyes held on him I quietly open the big front door, and the moment the frosty air burns my lungs I almost consider thanking Rime’s overbearing demands of me to wear shoes.
Directly across the dusty street is the white picket fence of Myla’s house. The bedroom, the one on the right-hand side with the small window that I know is Kain’s, is completely dark. I hope he sleeps well. I hope he doesn’t overthink every terrible detail of the day like I do.
My attention drifts toward the weeping willow that’s been Agatha’s sitting spot for days. The long vine like branches sweep back and forth but beneath the spindly branches, the tree is empty. Movement catches my eye just as laughter hums through the night air. At the house just next door, only a few yards away, the house of the man who I know now is Lord Carlin’s second in charge, is Agatha. The older man takes her hand, helping her up the few steps with ease. His silver hair is long and tied back from the gray beard that lines his jaw. A smile is there. Her long fingers wrap around his big biceps for … support.
I arch a brow at her as he leads her inside. It’s well past midnight and my nearest and dearest friend is apparently going to test out her bad hip.
He closes the door softly behind her, his other palm pressing low against her back.
I look away but when the door cracks open again I look at my friend. Her head is peeking out, her body barely seen, and I can hardly see her from here, but I swear the teasing old mage just winked at me. And then the door closes once again.
Lucky bitch.
I shake my head, my arms folding tightly over my chest as a chill of cold wind bites against my hands. Slowly I sink down until I’m seated on the top step, the cold wood making it hard to find warmth in the big coat that’s wrapped around me.
That sensation of guilt and remorse and regret tumbles into me hard. It’s such an abrupt shift of emotions that I gasp against the unwanted feel of it. It doesn’t even feel like it belongs to me. It’s the strangest sensation.
“A snow’s coming.” A melodious voice sways out from the shadows.
A pretty elderly woman stops in front of me. Long silver hair gets picked up in the wind, twirling around her serene face and piercing eyes.
“That’s what I hear.” My eyes narrow on her. I’ve seen her before, but I can’t decide where. There are so many people here it’s hard to say really.
“I’m Ellise.” Her slender hand reaches out to me from beneath her long blue cloak.
“Arlow.” I nod, a small smile meeting my lips. My hand slips into her cold palm, and the moment we touch I know.
“You’re a mage.”
The sweet smile against her lips makes her look younger despite the lines that crease her cheeks and around her eyes.
“I heard I’m not the only one. It seems there’s an abundance of goddess blessed women in Valencia Village nowadays.” Her gaze shifts to the house just next door, and I suddenly wish Aggie was here with my new friend instead of getting railed by the muscular older gentleman.
I doubt she’d feel the same way.
“How long have you been here?”
I wish I would have known. Other than Agatha and my mother, I’ve never met another mage in my entire life. No one says it—my mother never did and Agatha ignores the fact very well—but we’re becoming extinct.
King Barren did that. He successfully maimed and scarred my race of people. Only a jagged line of us are left on this earth.
“I like my privacy. I’m just passing through actually. I felt your power. You’re a powerful woman, Arlow Winters. You’ll do great things one day.”
The chill in the air seems colder now, harder to clench my jaw against the chattering of my teeth.
“Thank you. I think I needed to hear that.” It’s odd how much I needed to hear that from a stranger. I don’t know why. Why is it so important to hear that I’m going to turn out all right in life?
I guess because there was a time when I knew that I wouldn’t. That all the running and all the lies would crush me someday.
That was the past, though. And that’s not my life any more.
“Validation is a monster of a beast. Do not let it devour you. For it can consume you, control you, and ruin you. Don’t seek it out. It isn’t necessary. Not for women like us. I made that mistake more than once in my past. No one will ever see you as you are. And therefore, they’ll never be able to weigh your worth. Only you can do that, Arlow.”
My brows raise high, my arms tightening around myself as my breath fans in a puff of white air in front of my face. It surprises me how much her essence reminds me of my mother.
And yet, not at all.
My mother’s words were always … passive. Quiet. Unencouraging, really.
There’s an awestruck moment where I’m just staring up at the alluring mage.
“Will you be here long?” I suddenly want to cling on to her. She’s everything I pretend to be: confident, assured, strong.
A fucking badass.
Her shining eyes look to me, searching my face intently. “Only for a little while. Just long enough to regain my strength.”
My heart sinks at that. She’s inspiring. I’d love to learn anything she’d be willing to teach me.
“You should go in before you catch your death out here.” The fine robe sways around her legs as she pulls it tighter around herself.
She’s right. I should go in.
And yet, I can’t bring myself to leave just yet.
A curious smile pulls at her lips, and she leans closer as if she might tell me a vital secret that I’ll just absolutely die if I don’t hear.
The door pulls open behind me with a startling cry of
the hinges. My eyes meet a fiery crimson gaze.
“Who are you talking to, Arrie?”
My lips part to reply but when I look up, she’s gone. She vanished. Just as I always did.
Only the dark night and cold winds surround me.
She really does like her privacy it seems.
And so, I’ll respect that for my new friend.
“No one,” I whisper.
Nine
Practice Makes … Uncomfortable Sexual Situations
“You’re a reptile. You’re basically nothing more than an overgrown, flying serpent.” Sinister sits on the couch, side by side arguing first thing in the morning with Rime.
Some people drink coffee, some people enjoy a nice run. Sinister, Sinister likes to engage Rime to the point of arguing. Every. Single. Day.
“I’m a forty-foot, ice spewing, telepathic serpent, really?”
“Not all dragons have those abilities. Just like not all snakes can spew venom. Isn’t that right, Chaos.”
Chaos: his acidic venom spewing friend. Nice rebuttal, Sin.
“Throw the dog a bone, let it go,” Chaos calls out to Rime from his spot at my side in the kitchen.
Rime looks back at his friend with a small knowing smirk tilting his lips. I think he only shuts up because of the dog comment, but it does shut them up.
“Will you practice with me today?” I look to Chaos sitting next to me at the kitchen table.
“Mmm that sounds fun, but I’m going into the village today with my mom.”
I bite my lip as I think. I could practice my magic alone, but it’s easier when someone provokes it. After talking with Ellise last night I want to practice. I want to grow stronger. I won’t ever be a victim again, and the best thing to do to ensure that is to cultivate my powers.
“I’ll help you.” Kain leans his shoulder against the wall as he keeps his gaze focused on me. I shift in my chair just from his heavy attention.
I don’t know why he does that to me, makes my body react without lifting a finger. The thought of his hands on my body is all I can think about, and it takes me a moment too long to finally nod to him.
“You guys want to join us?” Kain looks to Rime and Sinister and they both nod a careless nod.
And I sit blinking at the thought of all three of them helping me. The casualness of their features tells me I’m the only one with the filthy thoughts flying through my mind. I try to push the sexy images from my mind, but the four-person orgy is really adamant at staying in place within my thoughts.
As if they’re not thinking about your pussy too.
Chaos’ words slip into my mind, ripping right through the imaginary but interesting way the men were stretching me and folding me into positions.
My attention shifts to him, but he only stares blankly out the window.
How do you always know what I’m thinking?
The tiniest of smiles tips the corner of his full lips, but he continues to appear aloof.
Your body language mostly. The way your breasts press harder against your thin shirt with every inhale and exhale. The constant shifting in your seat that only makes you wetter despite your best efforts. And that causes pheromones to just fucking drill straight down into my cock. I’m instantly hard every time you’re uncomfortable, in case you were wondering.
And there I am, shifting once again from the rasping sound of Chaos’ words. He’s so quietly watchful. He understands women without even trying. He understands me.
Too much apparently.
“Okay.” I shove the chair out with a harsh scraping sound. I’m already opening the door as all four men stare at me in bewilderment. Well, except for Chaos. That asshole is displaying every perfect tooth in his head with how wide he’s smiling. “I’ll meet you outside.” The door is almost closed when someone yells after me.
“Coat, My Tamer.”
I fling the door open just far enough to steal Rime’s coat off the hook near the door and pull it right back closed behind me.
“And shoes.”
Mother fucker.
My stare is hard glaring on the mother hen who’s watching me with frost kissed eyes when I reopen the door for the third time. I shove my feet into the shoes and then I pull the door shut for a final time once again.
Safely separating me from the gorgeous men on the other side of it.
To my … luck? Disappointment? My feelings are still up in the air, but to my slight let down, the men haven’t touched me one time in an hour. At this point Rime has gotten more attention than I have.
Sinister wraps his arm around Rime’s chest, his eyes burning a playful glare into mine. He jerks the taller man backward in a threatening way, and Kain nods his approval to them.
“You could be a little gentler,” Rime says on an even tone as Sinister jolts him back once more, making both of them stumble.
“Sorry.” Sinister pats the shifters chest. “Didn’t mean to hurt your fragile feelings.” His accent is a serene sound that touches over his words in an alluring way.
The relationship Sinister and Rime have is interesting. They’re assholes to one another, but they’re friendly assholes. Maybe this is a normal friendship for Rime. I’m not sure. It’s odd but nice, I guess.
“Okay, again.” Kain nods to me, and the moment I’m instructed I release the building energy within my fingertips. My attention zeros in on the demon just as I release. If I screw up, I’ll scathe Rime’s sexy face. And no one wants that.
Striking white light lashes from my palm with intent. Like an arrow it drives forward toward my target.
At the very last second, Sinister’s body flashes with a shielding layer of crimson magic. The white hits the red with splashing impact. The colors ripple together across his face, changing his features into a warped image.
My magic dissipates slowly and when the film of protective barrier leaves Sinister, he’s smiling a wickedly alluring smile.
“My turn?”
My brows raise and before I can even react, a bolt of red leaves his palm. The wide span of blood red light slices through the air. I lunge just in time. My palms hit the ground, small rocks slicing into my skin.
Before I even stand he shoves Rime aside and rushes me. Another flash of color snaps from his fingertips. My power bursts out in a curving wall of defense. Crimson color rains across it with a clashing sound threatening to tear it right down.
My heart drills through me, uneven breaths catching in my lungs. And still Sinister advances on me. He drives out blow after blow, barely pausing for the magic to disperse before firing off another attack. I block and defend against them all. Fury claws through me and as he raises his hand again, I snap completely.
My feet shove off the ground and I tackle him hard, putting all of my weight into taking the bastard down.
Except we don’t go down. His balance wavers, his feet stumbling back, but he rights himself.
And then he’s holding me against him. His fingers dig into the undersides of my thighs, securing me in place against his hips.
A strangled sound clears his throat as a hesitant smile pulls at his lips.
“This is a strange attack method you have, love. It’s sure to distract your opponent though.”
My eyes narrow on him, my fingers shoving at his chest just lightly. A weird sensation of annoyance and lust twirls through me as I realize how nice his hips feel between my thighs. My skirt’s pushed so far up, his thumbs brush back and forth against my bare skin. Before I can react, I shove against him one more time, reminding myself that this is a serious mock fight and I can’t be distracted.
He doesn’t budge. He doesn’t release me. He only walks around with me squirming in his arms, showing me off to the villagers who pass us by.
“What do you think we should do with my prisoner?” He turns us, facing Kain and Rime.
I shove harder at his strong shoulders, but his fingers only dig in even more into my skin. A huff skims over my lips, my hair hanging messily in m
y face as I glare down on his ridiculous smirk.
“Teach her a lesson,” Rime says in a low, sensual voice.
My thighs clench around Sinister’s lean hips just from the sound of that statement alone.
“Definitely.” Kain’s voice is close against my ear, but he doesn’t touch me.
“Put me down.” Before Sinister can reject my plea my white-hot magic stings against the flesh of Sinister’s neck. He winces. His pained expression lasts all of half of a second before he seals that transparent, fiery protective barrier around his body.
And then the real torture begins.
Big hands slip beneath my coat, skimming up my sides as a strong chest pushes against my back, pushing me harder into Sinister. I feel Kain’s touch all over, low and deep within my core. And then he tickles me, digging his fingers into my ribs and along my sides until I’m squirming and laughing and shoving.
And grinding.
The protective layer of crimson magic and the amused expression slips away from Sinister the moment my hips thrust into his. His long fingers move slowly until he’s palming the curve of my ass, holding me firming in place. The inky pools within his fiery gaze dilate and his teeth sink into his lower lip as he watches me as closely as I’m watching him.
“Kain, stop,” I bark the words out, halting his teasing torture in an instant.
“Kain,” Rime’s warning tone is a dark sound.
Kain’s fingers tense without movement against me. No one moves. No one makes a sound. There’s only the sound of heavy breaths that mingle between my lips and Sinister’s.
And all I feel is the hardness of his cock against my core.
“Put me down, Sin.” It’s a whispered and rasping request.
His Adam’s apple bobs as he slowly swallows. His hold on me releases, his fingers skimming up my body until his palms are against my ribs. He looks down on me. My feet feel unsteady against the ground and I have to physically think about the process of stepping back from him.
Everything I ever felt for him all those years ago slams through my body. And how terrible things turned out for us rams through my memories.