by Jaymin Eve
Jessa was a dozen or so feet away when she began berating her pack mate. “Tyson Compass, you better have a good fucking explanation for why you disappeared without a word! I’m half tempted to cut your balls off and put them in a jar on my shelf.”
Oh hells no, she would have to go through me first. Tyson’s balls were mine.
His amused glance met mine, and I remembered that he could hear my thoughts now. You can handle my ba—
I slapped his arm, cutting his smartass reply off. Josephina moved past us, a humming pleasure resonating in her chest. Jessa had eyes for Tyson alone though. She looked furious as she stomped along, a wrap of white muslin across her chest – she wore a baby.
I found my gaze lingering on that tiny bump longer than I should. I had always loved children, their innocence and unconditional love, but I wasn’t sure I wanted any of my own. Which had been even further cemented after my days with Trevor and my gran. The world was a dark place and I wasn’t sure it was one I wanted to bring more innocents into.
Tyson continued to look amused. His eyes sparkled as they remained on his pack mate, who was stomping up to us. “I hate you, Ty! Jacob too,” she growled. “I have been beside myself with worry. I thought you were both dead. I picked out the food for your funeral.”
Jessa’s love of food was legendary. No doubt she chose their funeral food with great thought and care. Tyson was shaking with silent laughter as he gently wrapped her up in his arms, careful not to jolt the baby. “Surely one of my other idiot brothers knew we weren’t dead.”
“She didn’t believe us,” Maximus shouted from a few yards away. Mischa was in his arms; she too wore a wrapped baby across her chest.
So many new babies in their pack. More conflicting emotions rocked through me, and again I refused to give them too much thought. Another male appeared in the distance, a giant, intimidating, stunningly-beautiful dragon shifter. He walked without urgency, strolling along with a casual ease. Against his chest was a wrapped bundle – Braxton carrying the other of their twins.
When Braxton was close, Maximus fell into step with him. Mischa darted in front of them, throwing herself at Tyson. He adjusted his stance, freeing one arm from Jessa so he could wrap her twin up.
“I’m so glad you’re okay.” Mischa’s voice shook, and there were tears in her eyes. Maximus let out a little growl, his hand wrapping around his mate’s shoulder as he tugged her back toward him.
“I’m also glad, even though I want to kick your ass for worrying the girls,” the vampire said, his voice grumbly.
Mischa shook her head at him. “You were just as worried as me, you big liar.”
I threw a glare at Tyson. I knew he and Jacob had been lying to me earlier when they said no one would be worried about them. I turned back to his family. “I’m so sorry. All of this is my fault. There was a portal, my mom was missing, and … we didn’t realize we would end up in Faerie. Then we were stuck.”
I trailed off as a range of eyes locked on to me. Some of the most powerful and influential supernaturals in my world surrounded me, but unlike the last few times, I felt no unease. I was past worrying if I was good enough. It wasn’t that I didn’t care about them. I did. It was more that if they didn’t want me in their pack the way that I was, I wasn’t going to change.
“Grace?” Jessa’s voice held an iota of disbelief as she untangled herself from Tyson and took a step to the side to stand before me. “What happened to you? You look…”
“Like shit,” I filled in her blank, knowing I had barely given a thought to my appearance since being held captive. I had fixed a few of the holes in my clothes, but otherwise I’d done nothing.
Jessa shook her head, her gorgeous hair floating around in the light breeze. “No, I was going to say that you look … different. Different amazing. Strong and confident. I’ve never seen you with so much wild abandon.” Her grin lit up her face, and she went from regular supe beautiful to absolutely breathtaking. Jessa and Mischa were gorgeous, there was no denying it; they had heart-shaped, high-cheek-boned, full-lipped faces, the sort women around the world paid big bucks for. But, while I had always envied Jessa, it wasn’t her face I cared about. It was her place in their pack – the love, strength, and protection she was surrounded with at all times.
“You have that now,” Tyson said, locked on to my thoughts. He then turned to his family. “Grace was being held prisoner, tortured by her family. I had to ascend to sorcery to save her, and when I did, our true mate bond kicked in.”
Maximus and Braxton slapped their brother on the shoulder, rocking him to the side. Jessa and Mischa hugged him again, and then all four of them hugged me.
Braxton included, which was the most shocking of all. “Welcome to our family,” he said as he pulled back. In that moment my heart could have burst it was so full. A tiny little squeal broke the moment, and Braxton went into protective daddy mode.
While he unwrapped his daughter, Jessa crossed to Josephina and the pair hugged for a very long time. She had her arms wrapped around her scaled head and neck, and I thought the dragon’s golden eyes were shiny. When they finally pulled apart, Jessa’s son was removed from his wrap as well; he had a full head of white-blond hair. Which was … unexpected. Both of the twins were shockingly blond compared to their very dark-haired parents.
Mischa and Maximus’ daughter had dark curls.
“You guys made some gorgeous babies,” I said, my chest clenching as Tyson scooped up Lily from Mischa.
“Hello, beautiful, you’ve gotten all grown up since I saw you last,” he cooed to the baby, before turning to face me. “This is Lily.” He held her out and large blue-green eyes blinked at me.
I found myself reaching out to take the tiny child from him. “How old is she?” I asked, my eyes locked on her face.
I wasn’t sure I’d ever seen a child so perfect. Well, except for her twin cousins. The three of these babies would be breaking hearts one day, and then their scary-ass daddies would be breaking faces. And I would get to see it all. I would be their family.
“She’s … I guess almost two months now.” He turned to Mischa, who nodded in confirmation.
I swallowed hard, and just when I was about to hand Lily back, her small hand came up and rested against my cheek. At the soft contact, a sob escaped from me, and I fought against the burning in my throat and eyes. I had already shed too many tears today; it was time to lock it down again. We had a lot to do.
Tyson was watching me closely, his eyes dark, slivers of gold threading them. I couldn’t get a sense of his exact emotions, but whatever they were, he was affected strongly. I was thankful as the sound of flapping wings distracted everyone. A green dragon came into view, gliding along air currents, eventually trailing down to land heavily nearby.
Braxton handed his daughter to Maximus, stepping in front of us. I could feel the rumbling of his chest even from five feet away. He was preparing to shift and protect us, if needed. Tyson reached out and dropped a hand on his brother’s shoulder. Brave man. I would not have touched a dragon shifter who was half morphed.
“It’s all good, Brax. He won’t hurt us.”
Braxton swiveled his head to regard his brother, and at the same time there was a flash of energy, some golden light, and a naked Jacob stood before us. Not a sound could be heard as half of the people in the clearing stared wide-eyed and slack-jawed. Finally Jessa turned huge eyes on Josephina, her bonded dragon. “You all have some explaining to do. Leave nothing out.”
It took a long time, over an hour, for the entire story to come out. I was thankful that Josephina manifested food and drinks for everyone, allowing me to replenish some of my strength. Food in Faerie was beyond all expectations. I could grow addicted to the burst of flavor from each bite.
Tyson was telling our story, about the jeweled world, our journey here, how the boys were now dragon mated … how the shadows and demons were an issue, and that we needed to deal with them.
Everyone took a long
look at me when Josephina said I was the diamond princess, but no one scoffed or acted surprised. It felt like I was the only one who couldn’t quite wrap my head around it. Jessa simply said, “You’re in the Compass pack now, a true mate. It makes sense.”
I didn’t know what to say to that, so I just focused on the three babies on their tummies, wiggling across a soft sheet Josephina had also conjured up. Dragon magic was turning out to be the best kind of magic.
Jessa turned to her dragon then to ask, “If Grace is a hidden fey princess, then … there must have been a reason for that. Her being unhidden now feels … wrong. What does it mean for her being back here? What’s going to happen?”
Nothing will happen until all four princesses are united. You are right about one thing, the spell which kept them hidden and protected has now started to unravel. It started when Grace reached the age of maturity, continuing after she opened the portal. As more of their energy reveals itself, those who have been searching will find them. This can’t happen. If they have the blood of the four lands, they can open the prison. You must free the jeweled meadows before that prison weakens further.
And it would take these four princesses to do that, if her words from before could be believed. Everyone wore a range of worried and hard expressions. Braxton was doing his silent, scary thing. Maximus slung his arm around Mischa, pulling her close. Tyson’s eyes were blazing gold, his hands clenched at his side as he silently watched me. We were sitting a few feet apart, but it was clear I was his sole focus.
“If we work on the theory that I’m a … princess.” Definite theory. “Then we need to find the other three before whomever is hunting them does. So, how do we do that?”
You’ll need a powerful spell. I would suggest using Grace’s blood to make it more accurate. This will give you a slight advantage over the trackers who hunt you all.
“Which spell?”
I knew some basic tracking spells, but nothing like what Josephina was describing. Finding three beings who were magically cloaked was not going to be easy.
You’ll need to find Le Tatana, the original book of magic, Josephina said, and I heard multiple murmurs from the supes around me. It lies in a prison. One in the middle of Antarctica.
Of course it did. The Antarctic prison was the most dangerous in the world, not just because of the criminals there, but also because of the magical artifacts buried deep beneath the snow and ice. The cold helped to mute some of the energy, and with no humans or supes living close by, there was less damage if any magical resonance did escape.
Jessa turned to Braxton. “How hard will it be for you to organize entry into that prison? Please don’t tell me we have to break in again.”
Mischa let out a harsh breath. “Would be really nice not to have to sneak in and out this time.”
“We didn’t sneak into the last one,” Maximus reminded her.
“Which was a nice and relaxing experience,” she shot back at him. “I vote for relaxing again.”
Braxton made a dragon grumbling sound and everyone shut up. “The council for the Antarctic prison are not exactly fans of ours. They think we’re too young to rule the American branch. They’re some of the strongest elders and chiefs, those who were council members in other countries, eventually gaining enough power and wisdom to handle that particular prison.”
Maximus interjected: “So it’s going to be a tough sell, but we’ll do our best to gain legal entry. If we explain what we’re up against, hopefully they’ll allow us to search for this spell.”
Stick together. Josephina’s voice echoed through our heads again. Your pack cannot be divided. Divided will fall. Together will soar.
Mischa made a slightly distressed sound. “We can’t take the babies into a world so dangerous. Some of us have to stay behind.”
All of our eyes strayed across to where the three little ones continued to gurgle and play. They were amazingly content, and I wondered if the dragon queen had anything to do with that.
If you leave them here with me, I will protect them until you return.
I felt the distress of the four parents. They were not cool with that idea, and I didn’t blame them.
“They need to be fed,” Mischa choked out, her voice wavering. “I don’t have any milk for Lily on me.”
Jessa nodded. “I don’t have any either. And even if we found the spell immediately, time moves weirdly between the two lands. There’s no way to know how long we’d be gone.”
Josephina stretched up to her full height, towering far above all of us. There is a stasis magic I can use. It will create a bubble around them and pause time. It’s an old and difficult magic, but you’re in the land of the Gold here. Original magic. I can make it work, match Earth time in their bubble.
We all moved closer together, and for the first time ever I felt the pack bonds between these supes. I felt them and was part of them.
“I don’t want to leave them,” Jessa said with force, her gaze turning to her children. “Even though I trust Josephina with my life, I still think we should keep them with us. We’re the best ones to protect them.”
Braxton, Maximus, and Mischa all visibly relaxed. I felt better about the decision also. Jessa had always been the leader, in their pack a least. Braxton had the most power, but Jessa had all the power over him, so she was top dog.
Braxton backed his mate. “I agree. All of us will be distracted without them. And I agree with Josephina, we’re stronger together, and our babies are pack, so … we stick together.”
I heard a happy rumbling from the golden dragon. She gave a regal head nod that felt like agreement.
You should hurry. Time is running out. You need the spell. You need to find the princesses. You need to free the lands.
Jessa straightened. “Louis, you didn’t tell me how to save him.” She faced her dragon fully. “We have a sorceress working in Stratford right now, but she’s running out of options. Please tell me you found something?”
Louis is trapped between worlds, but he has not left you. He fights. If you stop the shadows, prevent the demons from opening their portal, you will find the answers to many questions you seek. You will find him.
It was a stunned and heavy silence then, as all of us reflected on those serious words. Some of the heavy lifted as a golden portal appeared just off to our right, then we were focused on what we had to do. Babies were strapped onto parents, and all of us walked into the portal. I gave Josephina one last look as I was stepping through.
Beware of the shadows, her voice chimed in my head. Use them. Don’t let them use you.
My confusion was strong as I pushed past the cloying magic, emerging in a familiar forest. Tyson didn’t say anything as we exited in Stratford, right outside of the quads’ house. That last message must have been for me alone. I wished I knew what it meant. The dark presence in my center? Or something more?
Braxton distracted me when he spoke: “We’re going to head to the town hall. We need to speak to the Antarctic council.” He unwrapped Evie, and before I could protest or say anything, he placed her into my hands.
“Strap her on, you’ll have to carry her when we go. That way I can fight and protect our pack.”
I swallowed roughly but didn’t protest. He was right. I knew how to fight, of course, all supes did, but he was far above me in strength and abilities. He could turn into a freaking dragon. It would be stupid to hinder our greatest defense because he had to carry his daughter.
Tyson’s expression was unreadable as he watched me cradle the tiny child to my shoulder. I felt slightly uncomfortable; emotions I didn’t want were pressing in on me, but before it got too bad he placed a gentle kiss on my forehead. “Stay safe, mate. I will see you soon.”
He turned and joined his brothers.
“Wait for us in the house, grab weapons and warm clothes,” ordered Jacob. “We’ll be back shortly.” No one questioned him.
The quads took off then, moving with speed through the town; they wer
e out of sight in seconds. I followed Mischa and Jessa up onto the porch and into their home. The moment we were inside, both girls started unwrapping the babies. “We need to feed them and change their diapers,” Mischa explained, while I stood there awkwardly holding on to Evie. “That way they should be content during our trip.”
I had zero idea how to keep a kid alive, so I trusted their word on it. Jessa dropped to the couch, Jack held close to her chest. He started fussing at her breast and she gave me a rueful look. “This kid is as addicted to food as me, and as addicted to boobs as Braxton. No one told me how much freaking time I would spend with my nipples out.”
I didn’t even try to hide my grin; it spread across my face, feeling foreign and … kind of nice. Darkness lived within me, but there was light as well. And if I knew anything, the best way to combat darkness was to shine a light so bright it obliterated everything else. Josephina’s warning stayed with me, but I felt better. Being part of this pack felt like a step in the right direction.
Tyson Compass
“At what point are we going to discuss the fact that three of us are now dragon shifters?” Jacob’s question didn’t take me by surprise. That I was a dragon shifter was occupying every one of my thoughts that weren’t about Grace.
“It’s incredible and addictive.” Awe crept into my tone. “The power and silence, soaring up with the clouds…”
“I’m pretty pissed that I’m the only one without a dragon now,” Maximus said.
“Don’t worry, Josephina told me we would all shift when the time was right.”
He seemed slightly mollified, and gave me a nod.
Braxton had been surprisingly quiet about this new development. Not that any of us had had much time to deal with it, having been hit with one revelation after another. But I had expected he would have something to say. No doubt he was focused on our current task: get invited to Jeste, the Antarctic prison. We needed to gain entrance, and quickly; it sounded like these jeweled princesses were running out of time.