by Bea Paige
“Cia, Cia,” he says into my parted lips. He reaches up, cupping my face in his hands, and kisses me deeply. I pull away, breathless.
“There’s no time. We must leave,” I say quickly. The rose tattoo on my arm is burning. I pull off my robe, not caring anymore about being in disguise. By now, it is pretty obvious we are not fae. Rhain’s eyes linger on the outline of a rose in full bloom that is wrapped around my upper arm. His eyes follow the thorny stem that curls down past my elbow, wraps around my wrist and finishes at my fingertip. He glances up, then raises an eyebrow.
“I’ll explain later,” I say.
Over my shoulder, Ezra and Devin are still fighting, but I have no time to think about it as I run the tip of the blade through one of the petals on my arm, just as Solomon instructed. I wince as my blood slides out of the cut, colouring in the tattoo, filling up every petal so that it’s no longer an outline but bright red, just like the rose I saw earlier today. Once my blood has reached the outline of the rose, it moves with purpose along the stem of the flower, following the same path all the way to the tip of my middle finger. I watch as just one drop of my blood hits the ground beneath our feet.
The ground shifts again, perhaps not as powerfully as it had earlier, but with purpose nonetheless. Out of the ground a green shoot rapidly appears, growing skyward. Rhain steps back, his eyes wide.
“What in Lights name?” he starts before twisting on his feet and punching a fae man squarely in the jaw. I hadn’t even heard him approaching. Before me the shoot grows into a twisting, tumbling plant that forms into an archway until a wooden door appears. On the centre of the door is the same rose that adorns my arm. Around the doorway, tiny red rosebuds burst into flowers.
It’s time to leave, I say silently to Devin, knowing he will be able to draw Ezra’s attention better than I can.
“Rhain, it’s time to go,” I shout, pushing open the door. Beyond the door is a darkened staircase that curls upwards and out of sight.
Rhain backhands another fae, just as Ezra and Devin come rushing towards me. I step through the door, Rhain, Ezra and Devin close behind. Over their shoulders I can see Solomon lift his hand at us, a triumphant smile on his lips. He flicks his wrist and in an instant the swarm of bees surround him. A moment later he is gone. As the door closes on the city, I catch sight of the fae king. He is screaming.
Chapter Fifteen
It isn’t long before the four of us reach the top of the stairs and step out into the Forbidden forest.
“Lights be damned, that was fun!” Devin says. He looks at me, a wicked smile spreading across his face.
“Trust you to enjoy that, Devin, but we’re not out of the woods just yet,” Rhain says with a wry grin. His eyes meet mine. “You are quite the surprise. Do you know that?” He pulls me into his arms and kisses me thoroughly. I can’t help but melt into the kiss, my body responding even though we are still in danger. God, I’ve missed him.
“There’s no time for jokes, or that,” Ezra snarls, pulling me out of Rhain’s embrace. “Let’s move. I want Accacia out of this wood now.” He takes my hand and starts to run. I have no choice but to go with him. Devin and Rhain catch up quickly, running alongside us both.
He’s looking better. How did you manage it, Red?
Red?
Red rose, he says, his eyes flicking to my tattoo. It’s my new nickname for you, don’t you like it?
I don’t need to look at Devin to know he is smiling. I’m guessing that I have no choice in the matter?
None whatsoever. He chuckles. So, how did you manage to persuade him?
I’m about to respond when I am tackled to the ground by Rhain, the force of his weight pulling me out of Ezra’s arms. The air leaves my chest in a rush.
“GET DOWN!” I hear Ezra shout to Devin. I am covered by Rhain, Ezra next to me. We lie side by side upon the forest floor behind a fallen tree. Above us fae magic crashes into the trunks of the surrounding trees, bits of wood splintering overhead. A few bury themselves into my skin. Devin crawls towards us, his arm bleeding.
Are you hurt? I ask, reaching towards him. He glances at his arm.
Just a scratch, Red. I’ll be fine.
“How in Lights name are we to get out of this mess? The fae magic is strong. We can’t fight them from this distance without being cut down,” Rhain growls. He is heavy on top of me, the weight of him making it difficult for me to breathe, and not in a good way.
Devin pushes at him slightly. “Give Accacia some room, Rhain. She can’t breathe.”
“Shit, sorry,” Rhain says, moving off me slightly.
“Our only choice is to outrun them. I will create a distraction. You get Accacia out, you hear me,” Ezra says fiercely.
Rhain and Devin nod their heads. “Yes, brother,” they say in unison.
“Wait!” I say, grabbing hold of Ezra’s arm. “I did not save your damn life for you to be taken back to the city and sacrificed by that mad fae king. You get out, do you hear me?” Our eyes lock and without thinking a second more, I pull his head towards me and kiss him passionately. I hear Rhain’s low whistle and Devin’s chuckle at the shock on Ezra’s face when I let him go.
“I hear you.” A small smile lifts the corner of his lips, before his face deadpans once again. “Get her out. NOW!” Ezra roars, then jumps up, heading in the opposite direction to us.
A moment later, I am pulled to my feet and we are running through the forest, Rhain holding onto my hand, Devin flanking us. I feel as though I am flying and I’m pretty sure it has to do with the fact that between them, Rhain and Devin are practically carrying me. Behind us the sound of fae magic lessens as we head towards the forest’s perimeter. Fortunately for us, night has fallen as we exit the Forbidden forest.
“It has been too long,” I say, wearing the rug thin in Nostra’s cottage with my pacing. After his initial happiness at seeing me, Mr Tickle has moved to the armchair in the corner of the room, disturbed now by my growing anxiety.
Rhain is chewing on his nail, staring out of the window. Devin is in the opposite corner of the room, staring at me.
He will be back, Red.
An hour has passed. Where is he? I can’t help the fear I feel. After all that we’ve been through together these past couple of days, it seems so cruel that he might be taken from me now.
“Nostra has sent his magic into the wood. He is doing everything he can to help. Ezra will return,” Rhain says. Nostra left as soon as we arrived back at the cottage. He’d insisted that his magic would work better if he were nearer the edge of the forest and had rushed off, leaving us waiting behind.
Noticing my concern, Rhain reiterates his belief that Ezra will be okay. “He will return.”
He is trying to be optimistic, but he can’t fool me. I know he is as worried as I am.
“This is my fault…” I say, my voice wobbling.
No, Red, it is not. Devin gets up, strides over and pulls me into his arms. You are not to blame for anything, just like Ezra was not to blame for Thalia and Roseanna’s death. Guilt is ugly, and it can tear you apart. You saw first-hand what it did to Ezra. Do not let it do that to you too. Queen Adrielle is the only person to blame.
I nod my head, curling my hands around Devin’s top, breathing him in. I’ve missed him being inside my head. It is comforting to have his arms wrapped around me and a part of his soul floating within my consciousness. It makes me feel as though I belong, and that is something I haven’t felt for a very long time.
Behind me Rhain approaches and Devin releases me a little from his hold so I am caught between the two of them.
“You’ve given him a reason to return, Cia. He will be back.” Rhain pulls my back against his chest and presses a kiss against my neck. His hands splay against my stomach. Devin’s hands drop away, but he remains staring at me. Our eyes lock as Rhain’s kisses stray along my bare skin. A low groan erupts from Devin’s throat, but still he remains where he is.
“What are you doing, R
hain?” I ask, my voice low, full of the growing desire I feel.
“Distracting you,” he murmurs into my hair.
I laugh softly, it is certainly doing that. Devin starts to back away. “Where are you going?” I whisper. He stops, his eyes flicking from my mouth to my heavy-lidded eyes.
You and Rhain need a moment alone. I will go and see how Nostra is doing. Maybe there is something I can do to help.
“Don’t go. I need you here too.” I am shocked by my own words. Was it wrong that I wanted them both? Being with them all has ignited a desire within me that has nothing to do with the Claiming or the Binding or even the Joining. I almost lost them both to the depths of the Forbidden forest. Ezra may well be lost for good. Rhain is right, I need their comfort, the distraction.
I am a distraction now? Devin asks, tipping his head to the side. He isn’t joking, there is none of the usual mirth that comes with most things he says.
You know it’s more than that.
Do I?
I hold my hands out to Devin. I want to show them both how much they mean to me. I want them to understand just how much I care about them.
“Lights damn it, Devin. Stop staring at Cia and get over here,” Rhain snaps.
Devin’s mouth lifts at the corner. “Brother, I am a patient man. The time isn’t right,” he says.
My heart sinks a little. Despite his words that seem to promise more, I can’t help but feel disappointed, rejected. Devin’s eyes rest on mine. He steps forward and pulls me back into his arms. Rhain’s hands drop away as Devin looks down at me. His words filter into my consciousness.
Do not for one minute think I don’t want you, long for you, Red. I could make love to you now with Rhain here, and it would be beautiful, but it isn’t what I want for us. Not the first time, at least.
I cock my eyebrow. Not the first time, eh?
The tips of Devin’s teeth lower and I can’t help but smile. This teeth baring seems to be a real sign of the vampires’ desire, or at least the three vampires I have come to know so well. He smiles back at me, a laugh escaping.
Yes. I swear to you, Red, the first time we come together it will be just me and you. My brothers will have to damn well stay away.
Brothers?
Rhain and Ezra, of course.
Ezra? I laugh.
He can tell himself all he wants that there is nothing he feels for you, but I’ve known that man for more than a thousand years. He might be able to lie to himself, but he is easier to read than he thinks.
“Do you know how strange it is to stand here watching you two conversing, having no idea what you’re saying?”
Devin presses a sweet kiss against my mouth, then releases me from his hold. “I am going to wait with Nostra. I trust you to take care of Red for me,” he says to Rhain with a wink.
“Red?” Rhain frowns.
“That’s right. Cia, to you, Red to me.” With that Devin opens the front door and leaves me wondering whether what he said about Ezra could be true, and hoping that Devin will keep his promise to me. I don’t get much time to think about it as Rhain lifts me up under my arms and lays me on Nostra’s kitchen table.
“Now, where were we?” he asks, a sexy smile curling his lips.
Chapter Sixteen
“Sweet Goddess Solaria, I could do this every minute of every damn day,” Rhain growls into my hair. I am lying on the kitchen table, my legs wrapped around his back as he moves within me. In our urgency for one another, in our need to block out the possibility that Ezra may never return, we only managed to remove the bottom half of our clothing. Our lovemaking is urgent, filled with want, need. Rhain pushes into me steadily, sending items on the table crashing to the ground, smashing against the stone floor. My hands are pinned above my head with one of his own. His free hand is stroking my breast as the table rocks beneath us.
“Let me touch you,” I groan out, pushing against his hand that is holding me down. He doesn’t relax his hold.
“Not just yet, Cia,” he teases.
Before when we made love, we were both under the influence of the Claiming and even though I had wanted to be with Rhain, had made the choice to save him from a painful death, it was a moment that was overshadowed by something I didn’t truly understand, no matter how incredible it had been. This, now, this is my choice. I’m not doing it to save Rhain, I’m not doing it because of an unbearable desire that needs to be satiated. I’m making love to this man because I want to. Need to.
“Let me touch you,” I say again. Something catches in my voice. Rhain lets go of my hands immediately. He stops moving within me, stilling whilst I gather myself. We look at each other like that for a long moment. My heart expands in my chest at the look he’s giving me. It is haunted.
“Cia, the thought of almost losing…”
“Shh, don’t think about that. You’re here now,” I say, pulling his head towards mine. “Distracting me,” I mumble.
His lips part on a laugh as I slip my tongue into his mouth. We remain holding onto one another, kissing, teasing each other with our lips until I am so wound up by the fact he has stopped moving within me that I grab his arse and squeeze hard.
Growling, Rhain reaches behind my back and flips me around so that he is lying on the table and I am straddling his hips. He seems to know exactly what I want, just at the moment I want it. Our connection is physical, very much so, but it is becoming more than that, much more. He is so in tune with my body, with what I need, and he makes sure that those needs are fulfilled. It’s as though he understands the helplessness I felt over the last few days and my need, now, to take control.
So, I listen to my body and I take control.
Letting go of my worries for Ezra, I concentrate on this moment, now, between us. Rhain’s chest heaves as I lean forward over him, placing my hands either side of his head, so that the sweet spot of my arousal is pressed firmly against his pubic bone. I move against him, gyrating my hips. It isn’t long before I feel my internal muscles clench tightly around him.
“That’s it, Cia,” he says, resting his hands gently on my hips. “Take control, my love.”
My love? Love? As the implications of those words wash over me, so too does the most intense orgasm. An orgasm that leaves me breathless, weak and wanting more. So much more.
He’s back. We need your assistance, come now. Devin says, his words rushing into my consciousness. I sit up quickly, untangling myself from Rhain’s arms.
“Ezra,” I say, jumping off the table and pulling on my scattered knickers and jeans. Rhain follows suit, pulling on his own clothes quickly. We rush out of the cottage towards the edge of the forest.
How is he?
He’s taken a few hits. The fae magic has weakened him, but he will live as soon as he gets some blood.
We turn the corner of one of the stone cottages located towards the back of the hidden hamlet to find Ezra lying on the ground. Nostra and Devin are bent over him. Nostra looks up, beckoning me over.
“We have no time to send for anyone else. Your blood now, Accacia,” he demands.
I don’t think twice about it. He has already taken my blood, accepted it. I will give it to him once again. Devin moves out of my way as I kneel beside his head. “Why isn’t he healing?”
“Fae magic is powerful, it has the ability to infest the host. Clan Lux members have the ability to self-heal, yes, but there is a limit to those healing abilities, especially when it comes to the fae,” Nostra explains.
My head snaps up as I look between the men. “Why did none of you mention this before? If I had known I wouldn’t have…”
Rhain holds his hand up, cutting me off. “We knew the dangers. There was no point in worrying you with them.”
I shake my head in frustration. “You should have told me.”
“Would it have prevented you from trying to find your friend?” Nostra asks.
I don’t answer.
“Precisely,” Rhain says.
Devin ca
tches my eye. It was better you didn’t know. You and I both know you would have snuck into the forest regardless.
He’s right, I would have. Ezra groans, coughing up a mouthful of blood. This is bad. “I have nothing to cut myself with,” I say, looking between the three men. Ezra is barely conscious; a nasty wound is haemorrhaging blood from his chest.
“He has his teeth,” Nostra points out.
Right, teeth.
“Just raise your wrist to his mouth, Cia. He is so out of his mind with pain that he will instinctively bite you,” Devin says.
I laugh. This is not the first time Ezra and I have been in this position. He refused my blood before. What makes you think he’ll take it now?
He may be a stubborn fool, but he has tasted you now. He won’t be able to resist. The Joining has occurred whether he likes it or not. Personally, I think he likes it, though he won’t admit that anytime soon, Devin responds, giving me a look.
Rhain kneels beside me. “Put your wrist over his mouth, Cia,” he says, holding my arm gently and bringing my wrist to Ezra’s mouth. He reacts immediately, just like Devin said he would, his teeth puncturing the delicate flesh. I let out a hissing noise at the sharp pain I feel, and a moment later he is sucking greedily at the blood pouring from the wound. Then, like before, the pain is replaced with a feeling that distracts me entirely. After a few deep swallows, his eyes snap open. He looks up at me leaning over him, my long hair falling in a curtain around us both. His grey eyes flicker with recognition, with fleeting happiness and then, finally, anger. Pulling his teeth free from my wrist, he sits up abruptly, forcing me to move back quickly. I can already see the wound on his chest closing.
“No, not Accacia,” he growls.
I sit back on my haunches, trying to stem the flow of blood from my wrist with my other hand. “There was no time to get anyone else…” I falter, holding my wrist back to him. He gently takes hold of my arm, lowering it away from his face.