Chronicles of Arcana (The complete collection books 1-4)

by Debbie Cassidy

  His mouth softened a fraction and he nodded. “Lead the way.”

  Quinn was first out of his seat.

  Mack lingered. “Wila, can I have a quick word?”

  “Sure. Noir, can you set the DVD up?”

  “No problem.” Noir headed out, but Seb lingered, his arm brushing mine.

  I focused on Mack. “What’s wrong, babe?”

  “It’s Tay.”

  “Tay’s in Slumber, right?” I’d just assumed he was still dealing with the knell. It had only been three days on this side of the breach, so it hadn’t been a pressing issue to ask, but the look on Mack’s face had my spine tingling with apprehension. “Mack?”

  Mack pressed his lips together and exhaled through his nose. “Okay, you cannot freak out.”

  “Well, that’s just the perfect thing to say if you want someone to freak out.”

  He didn’t crack a smile. “Tay’s gone.”

  My heart plummeted. “What do you mean he’s gone?”

  “I mean he went into Slumber, and when he didn’t come back out, I went in after him and they blocked me.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “The knell has him, Wila. I think they’re stopping him from coming back. I think they’re trying to force him to remain in the knell, and I have a feeling they’ll keep him there until he agrees to do what they want.”

  “I don’t understand. I thought it was okay to leave if you wanted.”

  Seb made a sound of exasperation. “Wila, come on, since when have you been so naive?”

  Mack glanced up at him, his lips turning down. “If she’s naive, then so am I. In fact, so are all the troll bloods. The laws are clear—there is no obligation to remain in the knell.”

  “And has anyone ever left before?” Seb asked coolly.

  Mack looked taken aback for a second. “Um. Actually, none that I know of.”

  “Naive,” Seb said shortly. “Well, we better add retrieving Taylem to our list of things to do. We’re going to need the troll blood in our fight against Elora just as much as we need Azren and Valance.”

  His matter-of-fact, dispassionate tone rankled. “That’s not why I’m going after him. I’m going after him because I fucking love him.”

  Seb flinched as if I’d slapped him, and then his eyes narrowed to lethal slits. “Trust me, Wila. If he wasn’t of use to us, if you didn’t have a deep connection with him, if he wasn’t more than a friend, then there’d be no way I’d be allowing you to expend your energy going after him. You love him, and therefore I have no choice but to love him. End of.”

  My pulse was pounding like crazy in my temples. “Fuck you, Seb. You do not get to tell me who I can and cannot save.”

  “Yes, I do, because it’s not just about you, Wila. It was never just about you. This—” He waved an index finger between us. “This is an us. It always has been. Your flesh and blood suit could get us both killed because there is no fucking me without you.”

  We faced off, chests heaving, and then he turned on his heel and strode out of the kitchen. I sagged against the doorframe.

  “You all right?” Mack asked tentatively.

  “It’s going to take some getting used to.” I blew out a breath and stood up straighter. “I’ll figure out a way to get Tay back, Mack. I promise.”

  Mack gently cupped my shoulders. “It’s not that easy, you can’t just wake him up. You could kill him.”

  My head ached from all the action and the revelation. My body was weary, needing to recharge, needing a moment. “First thing tomorrow, we’ll find a way to kick some knell butt.”

  He released me and looked at his shoes. “Wila, you will claim him, right? As one of your mates? Without the knell ... it won’t be easy for him. He’ll need you. All of you.”

  “I love him, Mack. I won’t let him down.”

  His shoulders relaxed. “In that case, I’ll see you tomorrow.” He dropped a kiss on my forehead and headed out of the kitchen. The front door opened and closed a moment later.

  In the lounge, I took the spot between Noir and Seb. Sebastian tensed as I sat down, and my instinct was to move away, to give him his space, but this was no normal situation, this was an ether-kindred issue, and no matter what, we were connected. There would be no running from this, from us. He was right, we belonged together. I’d take whatever he needed to dole out until he could move forward with me.

  The slayer came out to play onscreen, and I lost myself in the episode. Forty minutes later, as the credits rolled, Sebastian draped an arm around my shoulders and tugged me into his side. The knot in my chest eased as sunlight skipped across my arm and seeped into my skin, warming me, reminding me that even in the darkest hour, there was hope, there was light. I’d found the lost piece of my soul, and with his help, I’d gather the lost pieces of my heart.

  So much had happened in the past few hours. I’d escaped the Everdark, I’d been hurt and been healed and then met my psycho mother. I’d liberated a part of myself I’d forgotten existed, and yeah, it was time for a wind-down. A recess from the madness, because what was to come would be epic, and when the shit hit the fan, God help anyone who wasn’t in top form.

  Tomorrow we’d begin the final stretch of our journey. Tomorrow was the first day of the end of Elora’s rule.

  To be continued ...

  CITY OF WAR

  Chapter 1

  “Azren? Are you there? Can you hear me? What is this? Why the wall? Please don’t shut me out. I can hear your heartbeat. Why’s it beating so fast? Let me in! Just let me in, dammit!”

  My fingers scraped at the brick, talons coming out to claw and dislodge the cement holding it all together. The murmur of a voice drifted through the gap.

  This can’t be happening. I won’t let you. I won’t let you do this.

  An icy wind and an eternal darkness closed on my mind. “Azren?”

  Wila? No!

  The force of a phantom impact hit me in the solar plexus, sending me spiraling into an eternal night.

  I opened my eyes to find myself drowning in a turquoise sea. Seb blinked slowly, keeping his stunning gaze locked with mine. We’d slept together, just slept, curled up like we’d done so long ago before we’d been born. No dreams, no nightmares, just deep, satisfying slumber ... Well, almost.

  “He’s blocked us out,” Seb said softly. “I can’t get through either.”

  I closed my eyes. “Why is he doing this? Why won’t he speak to me?”

  “He’s protecting you from something. Hiding something.”

  A Salvador Dali clock appeared in my mind, the hands melted and dripping. No time. There was no time. But for the first time in my life, it felt like I’d actually slept. My body was energized, fizzing with potential, and my mind was crystal clear with the actions that we needed to take before the Triumph Games in order to bring Azren home and force Elora to her knees, and maybe take off her head, who knew?

  “Your inner monologue is strangely loud,” Sebastian drawled. His cinnamon breath tickled my senses and soothed the flutter of anxiety in my chest.

  “Then stop listening.” Despite the lingering disconcertion from the dream, I couldn’t help the smile that tugged at my lips, because this felt so perfectly right, so absolutely normal.

  He was in bed with me. Right up close, legs entwined with mine, arm slung over my waist possessively, and groin pressed to ... whoa. Yeah, it seemed that even ether-beings got morning glory. My mouth was suddenly arid, and heat blossomed in my lower abdomen.

  Sebastian leaned over me, his silver hair tousled from sleep. His intense gaze dropped to my lips. “You snore, did you know that?”

  “I do not.”

  “Do too.” He brushed his lips across mine. “You breathe.” He licked my bottom lip. “You squirm.” He kissed me lightly, teasingly, but the flex of his fingers against my hip bone spoke of restraint, it told me that the control was an act. “You’re alive, Wila. So alive, and it’s impossible to drift while lying beside you.�
�� He trailed kisses across my cheek and into the hollow of my neck, lingering with a flick of tongue and the scrape of teeth.

  My pulse raced, breath coming shallow and fast. “Seb, we should ... there’s stuff we have to ...” Shit. Where was my train of thought? Oh, yes, being torn to shreds by the press of his body, the heat of his mouth, and the brush of his fingers across the tops of my breasts.

  “Do you want me to stop?” His voice was thick with desire, and his pulse beneath my fingers echoed mine.

  No. No, I didn’t want to stop, but now wasn’t the time for this step, even though it felt inevitable, even though it felt as if we’d been waiting for it forever.

  I shifted beneath him, drawing a shuddering breath. “I really don’t want to stop, but we have to.”

  He pulled back and looked into my eyes, his pupils large and all-encompassing. “Yes, I suppose we do.”

  He rolled away to lie on his back, his gaze fixed on the ceiling. This, being free, must be so weird for him. Was the stimulation too much? Was I expecting too much of him?

  He chuckled low and abrasive and then I was crushed to the mattress by the length of his powerful, lithe frame.

  “Nothing is too much for me, Wila.” His mouth claimed mine in a devouring kiss that sucked the air from my lungs. His hips settled between my thighs, and his arousal ground against me, sliding against the telling wetness in my panties.

  He broke the kiss, his breath ragged, tearing a moan of protest from my lips. Oh, God. I needed more, so much more. But he was pulling away, leaving me cold and bereft as he padded across the room, his body glowing with an inner light.

  “Oh, fuck, that was just mean.”

  Another chuckle. “You have no idea, Wila. No idea.”

  It was the simmering rage speaking again, the broken-glass voice that wanted to tear at something. It was a cold bucket of water washing away the wanton heat.

  It was definitely time to get up and start the day.

  ***

  I was on my second cup of tea and Seb was on his third when Noir and Quinn padded into the kitchen. Quinn was dressed in his usual black on black outfit with his feet bare, and Noir was sporting only his PJ bottoms and totally rocking the bare-chest vibe.

  The testosterone in the room spiked.

  Trevor trotted into the room, paused to take in Noir’s bare torso, and then sniffed. “Do you have an aversion to shirts?”

  Gil snorted and then placed a plate of bacon on the table. The sleepyhead guys were suddenly all animation. Yeah, bacon had that effect on people, and the delicious, crispy bites were gone way too soon.

  Quinn sat back and patted his taut abdomen. “That was delicious, Gil. You truly are a maestro in the kitchen.”

  Gil was more than a maestro in the kitchen, more than my friendly paternal resident ghost, he was also a Draconi, and I needed to find out who he was and how the heck he’d ended up trapped in my house—the house Liana had asked Lex to buy for me. It was time to formulate a plan to get all the answers, to put an end to the mess Elora and Liana were planning to cause once and for all.

  Seb poured himself another cup of tea, and when I shot him a shocked glance, he shrugged.

  “It’s called making up for lost time,” he said lazily.

  Yeah, there was no arguing with the fact that there was no more time to lose. “Noir, can you take me back to Lex’s so we can pick up Valance?”

  “I called up and checked on him,” Noir said. “He’s not ready to be moved yet. Another day should do it, maybe this evening?”

  My skin itched, antsy. I needed my scalemate with me. Lex had helped Liana hide who I was all my life, and there was only so much trust I was willing to give him. “Are you sure he’s all right? Did you speak to him?”

  Noir smiled reassuringly. “Yes, Wila. I spoke to him. Lex won’t do anything to hurt Valance; in fact, from what he said, I got the impression he was severely regretting his part in hiding your identity.”

  “Bit late for that now.”

  “Maybe, but maybe he can be of some help? Liana seems a little ... fanatical.”

  “Pfft, that’s an understatement. I can’t believe he agrees with her, that he thinks all Draconi should be wiped out.”

  “He doesn’t,” a mellow voice piped up from the kitchen doorway.

  Leopold sauntered into the room, his body rippling beneath the skin-tight material of his all-in-one suit. Eyes up, Bastion. Eyes up. “You’re supposed to be watching Valance.”

  “Valance is fine. In fact, he sent me here to watch over you.”

  I rolled my eyes. Typical Valance.

  “What do you know about Lex’s views?” Sebastian asked the Other.

  Leopold tore his gaze from my face and fixed it on my ether-kindred. “It’s good to finally meet you,” he said. “I’m sorry for the way you were treated.”

  Sebastian’s jaw flexed, and his eyes grew dark. His teacup clattered into its saucer. “No, you’re not. If you were sorry, you would have taken some action.”

  Leopold inclined his head. “Action is why I am here. I wish to ally myself with your cause. Liana’s thirst for revenge has warped her mind. I hoped and believed that once she was confronted with her daughter she might see the error of her ways, and that she may mellow and listen, but alas, it isn’t to be.”

  Seb’s jaw was ticking, his eyes dangerous slits of distrust.

  His doubt pierced me, becoming my own. “How do I know you can be trusted?”

  Leopold blinked in surprise at the question. “How can you know?” He shook his head. “Haven’t I proven my loyalty time and time again?”

  Dammit, he was right. Liana had been more than pissed when she’d found out that Leopold, in the form of Hound, had been saving my ass. It was Seb’s suspicion clouding my mind, and I needed to shake it off.

  I locked gazes with my ether-kindred. “We can trust him. He saved my life several times.” I turned to Leopold. “I’m sorry, I’m just on edge. Of course we’d love to have you on board.”

  Seb slid an icy look my way, but I studiously ignored it. He may have been connected to me, but he hadn’t been there when I’d almost died several times. He hadn’t been there when Hound had taken a spear intended for me, or when he’d been probed by the Genesi in my place.

  “Please, grab a seat.” I indicated the chair opposite me.

  Leopold slipped into it. “Thank you.”

  “So, what is Liana doing now? I mean now that I’m whole?” I flicked a glance in Seb’s direction, but his attention was on his teacup, his long, lean fingers circling the rim.

  Leopold followed my gaze. “She believes that you will see the error of your ways and join her in annihilating the Draconi.”

  “Yeah, that isn’t going to happen.”

  “I know.” Leopold’s beautiful mouth lifted in a smile. “I believe there can be peace for all. I believe that we can coexist, under the right queen’s rule.” He arched a brow, his gaze pointed.

  Whoa, hang on a sec. “If you’re implying what I think you’re implying, then you’re way off base. I have no intention of being queen. I just want to get rid of the current queen bitch and liberate the people.”

  “And then what?” Leopold said evenly.

  Noir shifted in his seat. “He does have a point. The people will need a figurehead.”

  “I’m not disputing that. They’ll have a figurehead, they’ll have Valance.”

  Leopold’s mouth quirked. “Who just happens to be your scalemate. Can’t you see this was meant to be?”

  Beside me, Seb was ominously silent, and the thud of my heartbeat was suddenly way too loud, and then Seb’s frosty tone trickled into the room like icy fingers.

  “And your true purpose is revealed.” Seb’s words were biting. “I should tear your heart out where you sit.”

  Leopold’s shoulders tensed but his expression remained relaxed and unthreatened.

  “Seb.” I glared at him until he raised his gaze from the teacup and met mine. “
What the fuck?”

  My ether-kindred’s eyes were a little too dilated, with a manic edge that preceded a dark episode. He dismissed me in favor of his cup and continued to run his finger around the porcelain rim. “You were with Mother,” he addressed Leopold. “You did her bidding, and you knew about me. You knew, and you let me rot.” His tone was pleasantly conversational, belying the danger that hovered on the fringes of his consciousness. It brushed against the back of my mind in warning, forcing me to sit up straighter, to meet Leopold’s gaze and give a tiny shake of my head. Beware, it said. Don’t be fooled by the tone.

  Leopold swallowed hard. “I did what I had to in order to protect Wila.”

  Seb’s lips turned down. “Wila. Yes, it’s always about Wila, isn’t it?”

  He sounded like a jealous sibling, and in that moment, the connection made complete sense—siblings, lovers, family, friends, we were everything to one another and yet not enough. That was where Taylem and Azren and Valance came in, that was why we needed them, to balance us, to stop us losing ourselves in each other. They were the dilution to what could possibly be a toxic relationship. Blood roared in my ears and the revelation sank in, but Sebastian’s words reached me clear as a bell.

  “Seb, just drop it.”

  But I needn’t have bothered with the admonishment, because he was already leaning back in his seat in the perfect imitation of unfazed, but his hooded gaze was a reminder that the dark rage still simmered inside him.

  “You’re here now,” he said to Leopold, “because you know that war is inevitable, and you know that to win you need a figurehead. A rational, powerful figurehead. Wila fits the bill perfectly.” He flashed his teeth in what was probably meant to be a smile but was more of a warning. “Wila may have been taken by your Hound heroics, but I’m not fooled by you. You don’t care about Wila. You care only for what she can do for the Others. That she can finally set them free from the shit they’ve been forced to swim in for the past century.”

  The stunned look on Leopold’s face said it all, but it smoothed out quickly, as if someone had taken an eraser to it. “There’s no denying your perception skills,” he said. “Yes, I admit that was my aim to begin with, but it’s impossible to spend time with Wila and not grow to care for her.”