by Alex Lidell
The corners of my mouth twitch in spite of myself. “I wouldn’t dare risk Autumn’s chocolate cake,” I say, smoothing my hands over the dress. I am not going to wear River’s jewels, but this dinner is about all of us.
He exhales. “No hayloft, then?”
“The dining room will be fine,” I say, biting my lip. “I don’t think this dress fits the stable’s atmosphere.”
“It doesn’t.” River’s voice is slightly raspy, the air between us suddenly too hot. His eyes simmer with unspent tension, making me wonder what it would be like if he ever let it spill over. “The dress fits you. And you fit any room you are in.”
A heartbeat of silence stretches between us before River swallows and steps away, offering me his arm. I take it this time, following him out of the room.
“So this is where you grew up?” I say as we step into the carpeted corridor.
River slows his stride, accepting my unspoken proposal. I talk to him again . . . if he serves up information. “Yes.” He looks around at the frescoes. “It was a happy place once, when my mother was alive. My father has always found the notion of offspring unappealing, so with her gone, it did not go well. When the magic chose me to lead the quint, Autumn went to the Citadel with us. Helped the five of us through the training. Don’t let her smiles fool you—Autumn is the smartest being in Slait. Once we passed the trials, she returned here and took charge of protecting Slait Court from Mors attack. All the patrols in Slait’s Gloom answer to her.”
“Not to your father?” I ask.
River’s voice is distant. “The king of Slait is of the opinion that Mors attacks are rare enough that the losses are acceptable.”
My breath catches. “Your mother—”
“Yes.” The answer is so clipped with pain that I can’t bear to push him more, and we make the rest of the walk in thoughtful silence. Coal. River. Shade. I wonder if there is a darkness in Tye’s past as well. If perhaps more than magic connects us all.
The other three males stand as we enter the dining hall, which has dizzyingly vaulted ceilings lined with what looks like a hundred crystal chandeliers. I think the gesture is a salute to Prince River—until I realize their gazes are locked not on the male, but on me. My skin tingles.
“Stars,” Tye says, adding a whistle for emphasis, “how have you managed to hide that from us for days?”
Coal elbows Tye in the ribs, hard enough to make the male grunt in pain. River was right about Coal, I note—the male is wearing black leather pants and the same black shirt he wore during our training. His callused hands look washed and his blond hair looks clean, but it’s still tied back tightly.
Shade, in his fae form, walks toward me. He is wearing real clothes for once, a soft cashmere sweater, the same dark gray as his wolf’s fur, thin suede pants in a light gray, and supple ankle-high boots. River slides behind me with his palms on the crest of my hips to make room for his quint brother. Shade’s large hands brush over my skinned knuckles. “Let’s fix that,” he says, his yellow eyes brushing mine with a gentleness to match his fingers, and my torn knuckles prickle with heat.
I gasp as the heat peaks and settles like thick wax, leaving fresh pink skin in its wake. “What was that?”
“Healing magic,” says Autumn, shifting over on the long bench to make room for me beside her. Like me, Autumn wears a flowing silk gown, though hers is in silvery blue tones. Like me, she also wears a complementary sash of silk to match her dress, but hers is tied around her neck and flowing down her back, mingling with her silver-blond braids. “Would you all let Lera sit down and eat? Maybe ogle her discreetly from across the table?” The males disperse quickly and Autumn grins at me, laying a thick smoky steak on my plate while River adds a salad of ripe tomatoes and crispy lettuce to keep the meat company.
I run my fingers over my freshly healed knuckles.
“I couldn’t reach my healing gift in the mortal lands or Mystwood,” Shade says softly. “I did try, cub. In both my forms.”
Autumn sets down her fork. “Shade shifted form in the mortal lands? That shouldn’t be possible. Then again, with the magic choosing Lera, the definition of possible has gained some flexibility.”
“Speaking of healing,” I say carefully, “if anyone else has special powers, it would be nice to know.” I think about the earth shaking when the males rode in to fight off the sclices, knowing that River caused it but not exactly how. I wait patiently for someone to tell me the truth.
“Besides the power that comes when a quint physically connects,” says Autumn, using her fork to point at the males, “River’s magic has a natural earth affinity, which means he can manipulate earth and rock most easily. Shade shifts, with a side of healing. Coal kills things very efficiently, and Tye is just a pain in the ass.”
“Anytime you want to go fire to fire, I’m ready, Sparkle,” Tye tells the female before turning his head sharply toward me. “Both of us have a magical flame affinity, but my superiority makes River’s little sister feel inadequate.”
Autumn rolls her eyes. “Magic is a bit like muscle,” she tells me. “We all have it, but some of us can only use it to smash things and others of us can use it to write. You can work out for yourself who’s who. Oh, and that bastard also shifts. The shift does shut him up nicely, but unfortunately it is better for all of us if he stays fae.”
Tye wiggles his brows. “Is that a challenge?”
“What do you shift into?” I ask.
“Don’t get him started,” River says.
Shade growls. “If you are so determined to show your true colors, Tye, why don’t you tell our cub what you were doing when the quint call came.”
For the first time since I met the male, I see Tye blush. “I was . . . occupied.”
“He was in prison,” Shade supplies helpfully.
“Like I said.” Tye crosses his arms. “Occupied.”
Shade snorts. “The Citadel had to interfere to get that bastard out. And then all five of us went through extra hell just to—”
“I’m hungry,” Tye says, breaking off a piece of crusty bread that fills the air with its yeasty aroma. “The overgrown rug over there is altogether too chatty after a decade in wolf form, and I do not see that as a good reason to let dinner go cold.”
I lean toward Shade. Information is flowing like wine this evening, and I’m determined to milk it for every last drop. “So what did you mean about going through extra misery on Tye’s account?”
“Really, lass?” Tye says between mouthfuls. “Of all the exciting things you could ask about me, that’s what you want to know?”
Autumn snorts. “Don’t bother asking this lot for a straight story,” the princess tells me. “It varies with each bout of masculinity poisoning that these roosters suffer from. Here is the basic—”
“You do remember that I’m your future lord, don’t you?” River says sharply.
“Not if being an ass kills you first,” Autumn answers sweetly. Not a rejection of River’s status, but not subservience either. Just . . . love. Family. Friendship. And it isn’t just Autumn and River, but all of them. I’m just swallowing my envy when Autumn turns back to me, a self-satisfied grin on her face. “All right, then. So the problem with quints is that they are bloody powerful things, and the sudden influx of magic unfortunately doesn’t come with a sudden influx of brains.”
River glares at her, but the other three chuckle into their cups. Even Coal turns away with a sudden cough.
“The Citadel, which has a realm to protect, needs to somehow rein in these monsters before they piss on the good rug,” Autumn continues, undeterred. “Teach them how to work together, test their skills—”
“Instill fear of the Citadel into the quint’s souls,” River adds darkly, piling more meat and salad onto my quickly emptying plate. “New quints must pass a series of three Citadel trials to be recognized. When a new quint enters the Citadel training grounds, the Elders Council tattoos three runes on each warrior’s skin—on
e for each trial to be passed. The runes keep the initiates confined to the training grounds until the trials are completed. Well, thanks to that red-haired idiot, we had five.”
Tye stretches like a cat, spreading his arms wide. “It built character.”
Getting the dynamic of this little gathering, I’m smart enough to turn to Autumn for information. “What did Tye do?” I ask.
“Stole priceless gems from the Blaze palace and attempted to sell them to Flurry.”
“They were Flurry’s to begin with,” Tye protests. “I was just returning them to their rightful owner.”
Autumn somehow manages to look down her nose at the male. “For a price.”
“You want me to work for free?” Tye adjusts his collar primly. “Lilac Girl, wouldn’t you rather know what I can turn into?”
“Of course I would,” I say, catching everyone’s furious headshaking a moment too late.
Tye’s grin widens, and in a flash of light there is an orange tiger swishing its tail at the table. Another flash and Shade’s wolf pounces on the smug feline, the table overturning in the pair’s wake.
21
Leralynn
“Cats and dogs?” I say, bending down to rescue the dishes while Autumn shoos the animals from the room and the remaining males right the fallen table. “Shouldn’t they be above such things?”
“They are males,” says Autumn. “There is nothing they are above.”
“When fae change to animal form, the transformation isn’t superficial,” River explains. “How much of the fae remains varies with each being. Tye’s tiger has almost no fae awareness; that is why he doesn’t normally shift.”
“Is that why Shade stayed a wolf for so long after Kai’s death?” I ask.
“The wolf lives in the now,” says Coal quietly. “It was easier to bear the loss.”
We refill our plates in silence, the platter of meat having miraculously survived the fall. “So what happens now?” I ask finally, somehow certain that the others know I’m not talking about food. My breath stills, a stupid part of me wondering if perhaps River isn’t as eager to cut me out of the quint now. A stupid, vanity-filled wish. As nice as the dinner has been, as warm as it feels, we are still bound for the Citadel. And no matter what else, there is one opinion River has never expressed any ambiguity about: Our bond is temporary and will be severed shortly and permanently.
“Now we wait for that elder that Autumn’s patrol spotted riding this way,” says River, shooting Autumn a glance for confirmation. “I imagine we have at least until morning.”
I’m pleasantly full when I return to my room after dinner—proud of myself for having found the way back on my own—and not the least bit surprised to find Shade already curled up in the middle of my bed. Apparently, the cat and dog have either sorted out their differences or chased each other into opposite corners of the palace.
Dropping myself onto the bed, I start pulling off my shoes, the storm of information still raging through my thoughts. Just days ago, my greatest worries were whether Mimi would snatch me a roll from the kitchen and whether I could stay free of Zake’s lust and rancor. Now there are immortals and the Gloom, magic and Mors, the bond I can no longer imagine living without and yet am destined to have broken. I’ve just finished removing my second slipper and am contemplating whether trying to shove Shade over is worth the effort when a knock at the door precedes Tye swaggering into the room.
“He gets to sleep here?” Tye asks, his green eyes filled with immortal indignation. “How is that fair?”
“It isn’t about fair, kitten,” I say. “It’s about me not being able to move two hundred pounds of wolf.”
“Watch and learn,” Tye instructs primly, grabbing a pitcher of water from beside the washbasin and, before I can stop him, dousing Shade with it.
Shade is off the bed in the blink of an eye, growling and shaking himself as the hackles rise on the back of his neck. Unperturbed, Tye stretches himself along my bed in the spot Shade occupied and grins lazily. “Problem one solved, bonny lass,” he says with a self-satisfied yawn. “Now, tell us whether River is back in your good graces. He’s a miserable prick when he’s brooding.”
River’s brooding? I frown, backing away from Shade, who is still shaking water from his fur. The motion apparently brings me too close to my bed, because suddenly I feel Tye’s arms snatch me up from the floor.
Leaning his back against the headboard, Tye pulls me onto his lap and sighs with contentment. “Well, Lilac Girl?” he prods.
“Let me go.” I try and fail to wriggle free. “I’m sweaty. I need to bathe.”
Tye’s nose tickles a spot behind my ear, making my breath grow shallow. “I know,” he murmurs. “I like it.”
A flash of light has Shade changing back into his fae form, his large yellow eyes still shining with indignation as he pulls off his wet sweater and reclaims a space on my bed. Pressing his wide back against the headboard a few inches from Tye, Shade draws my feet onto his lap. I open my mouth to protest the manhandling, but Shade’s thumb presses into the arch of my foot, sending a wave of aching pleasure rippling over my skin.
My eyes widen and the small cocky smile touching the corners of Shade’s mouth says he knows exactly what he’s doing.
A trap, that’s what this is. With the first wave of pleasure calming, I’m ready to plead for more. I wiggle my toes hopefully, my whole foot the size of Shade’s wide hand. Stars, is being enormous a requirement for this quint’s males?
“River,” Tye cues, and Shade halts his touch, holding the next stroke of his fingers hostage pending my answer. “What did that wee bastard do, and would you like us to pommel him for it?”
I wrap my arms around myself. “River didn’t do anything,” I say honestly. “He is what he is. The immortal crown prince of Slait Court. And I am . . . what I am.”
“What you are, cub, is the beating heart of the second most powerful quint in Lunos,” Shade says quietly. He speaks less than Tye does, but his voice is rich enough to be its own caress. Shade’s fingers move again, somehow digging into the muscle fibers at just the right point to send a second pulse of bliss racing through my body.
My mind empties in spite of itself, a soft moan escaping my lips as I ache from yet another skillful stroke. Stars—and Shade is only rubbing my feet. As if having heard my thoughts, Shade slides his hands up my shins, my knees, my thighs—
A soft, rumbling growl vibrates along my back, and Tye’s lips brush the sensitive inside of my ear. “Careful with those noises, Lilac Girl,” he purrs, the warm air caressing my skin. “The ideas they give me are getting more detailed by the heartbeat.”
“His. Fault,” I manage to say, pointing an accusing hand at Shade. I’ve seen attractive men before, but the honed bodies of these males are from another world, all sun-kissed skin and shifting muscle.
Shade chuckles softly, back at my feet now. His fingertips ride the length of my arches from toe to heel and back until I can’t help it and release a throaty moan.
Tye’s green eyes darken. “I warned you,” he says, his mouth shifting to cover mine and swallow the sound. His arms, gentle despite their corded muscle, envelop me, brushing along my bare shoulders before sliding across my dress-hugged abdomen.
I shift, inhaling a lungful of pine and citrus as the pleasure of Tye’s lips and Shade’s hands slowly overwhelms my body. The fingers brushing my skin send sparks flying through me, kindling a need I’ve never felt before. Never knew I wanted.
Tye’s kiss deepens, his tongue claiming my mouth with powerful, luxurious strokes—but instead of satiating my desire, it feeds the flames.
The need grips me low, tingling and pulsing and calling for attention. My flesh craving something so primal, it refuses my mind’s reason entirely.
Shade’s hand brushes the inside of my thigh, and my heart speeds with equal parts desire and fear. The flesh beneath Shade’s fingers quivers, a gently throbbing heat running up my skin.
Up. And up. And . . . I squirm, my backside tightening for a moment before pressing deeper into Tye’s lap.
Tye groans and pulls his mouth back, his sharp teeth catching my bottom lip, the canines trailing dangerously across the tender membrane until I whimper.
Tye shuts his eyes, his body tensing as he draws one deep breath, then another. “Those delicious noises are going to be the end of me, Lilac Girl,” he says finally, a shudder running through his body.
“Not. Just. You.” There is a strain in Shade’s deep voice. He moves suddenly, large hands cupping the crests of my hips and pulling me off Tye’s lap until my back is flat on the bed. Shade’s arms frame my thighs, his golden gaze searching my face desperately. “I want to taste you,” he whispers. Begs.
Taste me? My eyes cut to Tye.
The redhead swallows, his neck bobbing. “He isn’t talking about your blood, lass.”
“What is he talking about?” I whisper.
Shade slowly pulls me toward the edge of the bed until only my back remains on the mattress. Shifting away my flurry of silk skirts, Shade’s fingers grip the thin lace of my underwear, his eyes finding mine as his hands still. Tense and poised.
A wave of heat rolls over my skin, my body arching in answer to Shade’s silent request.
The fingers flick, ripping the cloth, baring me to Shade as he lowers to his knees. A soft growl vibrates from his chest, sharp teeth gently caressing the insides of my thighs.
I whimper, my need throbbing, the moisture between my legs growing thick and warm. Dripping.
Shade’s arms hold my legs firmly, his tongue now lapping the spot his teeth just explored. Tiny little flicks that move closer, closer to where a furnace inside me is building to a blaze. A sudden nip of tender flesh has me gasping for breath.
My hips undulate. My need screams.
Tye’s mouth plunges over mine, his hand caressing my shoulders. Tracing my collarbone to the top of that beautiful red dress and jerking the bodice down to liberate my aching breasts. My nipples, suddenly exposed to the air, harden.