Fire & Ice

by Aurelia Skye

  North shrugged a shoulder. “I’m not exactly sure.”

  The other woman frowned, looking concerned. “I kind of thought you and Kriss…”

  North shrugged again as she got to her feet. “Me too. The problem is, I feel something with all of them, but I’m supposed to pick just one. And how to do that?” Maybe her choice of confidant wasn’t the best, being one of her possible lover’s sister, but she literally had no one else to talk to, and she was certain Lyssa would empathize even if she couldn’t understand.

  Lyssa wove an arm through hers and pulled her to the exit of the sitting room, taking her the opposite direction of the Torture Room. They climbed two more sets of stairs before entering a suite that made the Torture Room look even more like a dungeon, and even surpassed the luxurious suite she’d used at the Bolos’ palace. She had just enough time to admire a fountain fashioned from black stone featuring cavorting demons before Lyssa tugged her into another room.

  She paused and stood speechless for a moment, marveling at the princess’s closet. It was three times as large as the one in the Torture Room, and while organized, was clearly overburdened. The other woman certainly took her interest in fashion to a new level.

  “Come over here.” Lyssa patted a stool set up in front of a large table featuring rows of makeup. “I’ll teach you what I know.”

  “Okay.” Feeling unaccountably nervous, she sat down where Lyssa indicated and prepared herself for a cosmetics lesson.

  Lyssa muttered to herself as she sorted through several bottles in a drawer before pulling them out. She held them up against her face and made another sound that was ambiguous before taking two of them, pouring them into a pallet cup similar to the ones North remembered using to paint as a child, and blending them carefully.

  She did it all quickly and brought her fingertips up to North’s face for a moment before nodding. “Perfect. This is foundation.” She started stroking on the foundation with a soft puff, and she seemed engrossed in her task, which was why it was so startling when she asked, “Do you want to pick just one?”

  North blinked for a moment, allowing her thoughts to crystallize. “I don’t know.” She hesitated before admitting, “No, I don’t. I’d like to keep them all.” She said it shyly, confessing what was in her heart for the first time to anyone.

  Lyssa paused for a moment, looking thoughtful, before reaching for some kind of powder brush. “I don’t think it’s ever been done, but it’s not like they can tell you no.”

  “The guys?” The idea of them being unable to refuse her was unsettling, so Lyssa’s next words sent a surge of relief rushing through her.

  She dusted powder on North’s face as she said, “I meant the High Council. You’re a Trueblood, so you could probably demand sixty husbands, and no one would blink an eye.”

  North choked at the idea. “I don’t think I could handle that.”

  Lyssa grinned. “Of course not. You wouldn’t walk right for weeks.”

  North frowned, finally understanding it was a ribald reference when Lyssa winked at her before giggling. “Oh. Ouch.”

  Her expression grew more serious. “So, you like my brother?” She set aside the brush and powder to reach for something else.

  North nodded, making herself hold still when Lyssa shot a disapproving look at the motion of her head. “Yes.”

  “And you like the others as much?”

  She hesitated before licking her lips as she searched for the right response. In the end, she could only answer from her heart. “Yes. They’re all different, and they make me feel different things in different ways, but I couldn’t say I have a stronger connection with any of them over the others.”

  “You think stronger individual connections will come in time? Close your eyes.” She gave the last instruction a second before something soft brushed across North’s lid.

  “I don’t know. I need to spend more time with all of them to be sure, but I can only envision my connection growing stronger with them, and I mean all of them. Will it disappoint you if I don’t choose Kriss, or just Kriss?”

  “Very much. You’re the most fun this place has been in ages.” Lyssa giggled again before reaching for more cosmetics. “Now, let me show you how to use all this.”

  North spent the next thirty minutes getting a makeup tutorial and feeling kind of overwhelmed by all the information. There were so many choices, and she was convinced by the time Lyssa had transformed her, she would still be using cosmetics simply and sparingly.

  She couldn’t deny the princess had an artful touch, almost completely changing her face in some ways, but North wasn’t sure she actually liked all the changes. She looked dramatic and beautiful, but not much like the North she really was on the inside—sometimes scared, confused, and insecure with all the changes.

  “You look amazing.”

  “I do, thanks to you.”

  “Do you mind doing me a favor in return?” Lyssa looked nervous suddenly as she started plucking at her gown.

  “Of course. I’d be happy to help, if I can.”

  Lyssa smiled, but still looked nervous. “I shouldn’t be doing this. I should not be doing this.” She drew the words out with a pause between each one as she reached into her pocket and pulled out a slip of pink paper. Scents of magnolia and honey wafted from it when she passed it over. “Can you give that to him?”

  North nodded and quickly slipped it into the pocket the fae fabric formed on the sundress just for the purpose. She didn’t have to ask who he was, already knowing. “I believe we’re returning tomorrow, so I’ll pass it at the first chance.”

  Lyssa looked equal parts relieved and apprehensive when she nodded. “Thank you. And I hear you’ll be back for at least one more visit in a few days?”

  North shrugged. “From what little I’ve heard, we’ll be spending a few days back and forth with each family until… I don’t know when. Maybe when Marek and Kriss decide I’ve learned all that I can?” It was all rather up in the air, and no one had bothered to really tell her what was happening. Why would they consult her about her life? It was a bitter thought, and she tried not to embrace the feeling.

  It wouldn’t do any good to be resentful of the situation. Despite sometimes feeling a complete lack of control, she couldn’t deny there were good things that seemed to manifest themselves with the new direction her life had taken. Chief among them were the six men who were almost always nearby, with the exception of this palace. They seemed to be giving her more space, but she wasn’t certain if she was grateful or upset by their thoughtfulness.

  “I hope you don’t mind, but I have a dress for you to wear tonight.” She seemed nervous as she reached behind her to pull a bag from the closet rod. She unzipped it slowly to reveal a silver and black evening gown that was as equally flattering as the flame dress had been yesterday. “Is it okay? Do you like it?”

  North took it, clinching her fingers around the hanger. “I more than like it. Thank you for being so generous with me, Lyssa.”

  “Like I said, I think we’ll be friends.” The girl swooped in and hugged her.

  North stiffened for just a moment, but then relaxed into the embrace. It was comforting and sweet, underscoring the interaction she’d missed by not having a female friend in her life, or any sort of mother influence. It was nice to have that connection and be reminded of how it felt to be included.

  There was another unexpected side effect of the hug too. The deeper her emotions grew, the more she could feel the power thrumming from Lyssa. She was staring at her friend’s hair, where tiny rosebuds were arranged among a scattering of baby’s breath. She focused on a bud that bloomed into life, and a sweet burst of rose filled the space.

  Lyssa gasped as it started, able to see it herself in the mirror. She put up a hand to touch the freshly bloomed flower, and more sprouted from her head as she did so. Her gaze suddenly crackled with flames, and visible waves of heat rose from the hand she held out to North. She seemed confused, but l
ooked familiar. It was how Kriss had looked after their kiss, though he’d been far more intense.

  “I can feel more power than I ever have.” She sounded odd, and then spent a moment clearly regaining control. It was somewhat reassuring when her gaze returned to its normal brown after another minute. “That’s amazing. How did you do that?”

  North shrugged. “I seem to have the ability to enhance the power of anyone with whom I have a connection.” She could definitely feel the difference between the intensity of her connections, and the boost in their shared power, when it was a platonic link like she had with Lyssa versus the far more heated and intense connection she had with the six men she desired.

  “That’s heady stuff.” Lyssa looked concerned, and then she frowned fiercely. “Don’t tell anyone.”

  North frowned. “Why not?”

  Lyssa looked around, as though she was afraid they were being watched, though surely there was no one in any of the rooms comprising the suite. “There are a lot of unscrupulous people on all sides, North.” Her voice dropped lower as she took a step closer, turning it into a whisper. “If they find out they can cultivate a boost in power from you, they won’t hesitate to use you.”

  Her frown deepened. “But I have to have a connection with them for it to work.”

  “Maybe, or maybe they’ll be resourceful and find a way to draw it from you. Either way, I would hide it if it were me. Do you feel this with my brother…and the others?” At North’s nod, she sighed. “Try not to tell anyone that either. When I said that was addictive, I meant it. There’s a whole euphoria that goes with feeling your power boosted, and there was a moment when I felt absolutely invincible as it flowed through me. I’m imploring you to keep quiet about this ability. I just don’t trust anyone.”

  “So we shouldn’t say anything?” North wasn’t entirely convinced by Lyssa’s argument, but she certainly wasn’t going to decide against it without a discussion with her guards.

  Lyssa nodded, her expression still full of worry. “Some people would do anything for power. I hate to admit it, but for a second while we were just hugging, and I realized what was happening, I wanted to keep holding onto you and drain you dry. I don’t know if I could do that, or if your power is infinite, but I felt it. And I hated every second of it once I comprehended the thoughts creeping through my mind. Unfortunately, there are many who won’t have a voice of conscience. You have to watch out for yourself besides just relying on the men protecting you. It’s wiser to stay quiet about this.”

  Lyssa was quite convincing, and North was almost persuaded. She still needed to talk with the others, but couldn’t see a good reason to reveal a side effect that occurred when she formed connections with someone who had magic flowing through them. “Thank you.” Hesitantly, she started to hug Lyssa again and tried not to feel hurt when the other woman took a step back instead. “Sorry,” she said with a hint of misery.

  Lyssa touched her shoulder, almost experimentally, before her palm relaxed, and she sighed with obvious relief. “It’s not you. I just had to make sure I was girded against that reaction. The good news is, I can touch you just like this and not have any detectable surge in power. You should be able to hide it from most people you have to touch in a casual way.”

  “I probably won’t have a connection with them.”

  Lyssa shrugged. “Maybe not, but it’s good to know that it takes more than a brief touch to ignite the boost in power.”

  Carrying the dress back to her room almost an hour later, North contemplated what her friend had said, going over the events in her mind. She was so engrossed in what she was doing that she didn’t realize Eli was standing behind her as she opened the door to her room until a hand fell in her shoulder. With a cry, she twisted and turned to face him, catching his face with the padded hanger. She held up the dress like it was a weapon. After a moment, she realized how ridiculous she must look and started giggling. “I’m sorry. You startled me.”

  He rubbed his cheek, which had a faint red mark. “I’ll say. Maybe you don’t need us after all. You just need a coat hanger.”

  Feeling remorse, she reached up to touch his cheek, stroking softly. “I really am sorry.” As she watched, the red faded, and her fingers tingled with power. She wasn’t a hundred percent certain she had anything to do with the mark disappearing so quickly, but it felt like she had.

  Unsettled, she pushed her door open the rest of the way to step inside, holding it for Eli to slip through. A moment later, he closed it behind himself with a quiet click that paradoxically sounded like a gunshot in the silence with her nerves strained from tension.

  She swallowed the lump that formed in her throat, certain she knew why Eli was there. It was time to make a decision, and she chose inaction. She let him take her into his arms and carry her to the bed, where he laid her down across the velvet coverlet and leaned over her to kiss her deeply.

  North responded to his touch, deciding she would just let whatever happened happen. She had no doubts Eli would stop when she asked him to, but she hadn’t yet determined at what point that would be. The fae fabric, as intuitive as ever, switched into a tiny black négligée that was the sexiest thing she’d ever seen or worn.

  Eli must’ve thought so too, because he growled low in his throat, and it sounded like approval, as he buried his face between her breasts. Cupping them in his hands, he pushed them snug against his cheeks and licked her sensitive skin for a moment before gradually pulling back and pushing her breasts together the rest of the way. He flicked his tongue across her nipples in a continuous swipe as he moved his head left and right in a consistent pattern that had her arching her back and moaning aloud.

  The power was surging in her, but she was more focused on him and his lips moving farther down her body than the power flowing through her.

  When he lifted his head, his eyes were fully gold, but the rest of him remained completely human. “Can you feel the power?” He sounded almost like he was in pain.

  She nodded, worried at the thought that he might become addicted. That it might become the only reason he wanted her. She was annoyed with Lyssa for planting the thought in her brain, even as she realized it was something of which she had to be aware.

  He seemed to lose interest in the surge of power a second later, dropping his head to his intended destination. She squirmed as he pushed aside the lace panel shielding her slick heat, so his tongue could trace down her slit. She shuddered at the sensation, overwhelmed by how intense it was. He made the power of magic surging through her seem inconsequential in comparison to the passion. If he felt anything like this, there would be more than just the subsequent boost of power he got from touching her bringing him back.

  Two of his fingers moved between her thighs, parting her folds to open her fully to him. She lifted her hips, biting hard on her tongue to keep from screaming with impatience as he slowly explored the depths of her while avoiding her clit.

  With a growling laugh, he finally focused on that neglected bud, sucking almost playfully for a moment before he started applying real pressure. One of his fingers slipped into her opening, probing as deeply as he could go before encountering the barrier of her innocence, and she was lost by the sensations coursing through her.

  She’d never felt anything like it before, and when the orgasm broke over her a moment later, everything was suddenly far brighter before it went gray for a minute. She shook under the intensity and could no longer hold back the cries of pleasure expelled from her lips. In that millisecond, her world blew apart and came back together again, but not quite the same. Some of the shards were out of place, but they fit into a new configuration that re-created her just differently enough to be aware of the change.

  She lay there panting in an exhausted heap for a moment, still feeling an insane amount of power coursing through her. “Oh.”

  He discreetly wiped his face as he stood up and sat on the bed beside her. Eli put his hand on her stomach, seemingly in a tender gesture
rather than one designed to provoke an increase of her pleasure. “I was hoping for a little more of a reaction.”

  “Oh, my.” It was all she could muster. She closed her eyes for a moment as pleasure and power suffused her. “I’ve never felt anything like this before.”

  “Me neither, and I haven’t even been inside you yet.” The words were a rough growl, and there was an urgent note of need to them that made her eyes open. He seemed to be battling with himself for a moment, and then he withdrew his hand and stood up.

  Feeling bereft, she reached out for him, but he took another step back.

  “I need to regain some control here. In the meantime, do you want to try shifting?”

  “Sure, I guess.” She wasn’t absolutely terrified by the idea of shifting into something and not being able to shift out again, but that was mainly due to the aftermath of her release. The pleasure didn’t allow her to build up as much tension and anxiety, and she could definitely feel a stronger connection to his magic that boosted her own. She remembered what he had told her last time he tried to get her to shift, and she practiced it again.

  He let out a small sound of satisfaction, and her eyes popped open.

  “You have a little bit of fur on your toes.”

  She looked down at them, finding what looked like soft white fur with black tips sprouting from her toes. They also seemed to change shape little. “What is it?”

  He reached out and touched the fur before shrugging. “Rabbit, maybe?”

  She sat up, and as soon as she stopped focusing on maintaining the transition, her feet returned to normal. “So, maybe I could transform into a rabbit? What use is that?”

  He hesitated, obviously looking for an answer. “I’m not sure. You can run really fast and hide in small places?”

  She snorted. “If that’s what I get as a shifter, I can’t really see it being very useful for me.” That was a relief in itself, because she really didn’t like the idea of changing into a form that wasn’t hers.

  He went and dashed all reprieve with his next words. “Since you’re a Trueblood, and you can tap into different kinds of power, it might be that you can choose whatever you want for your transformation once you’ve mastered the skill and can control your power better.”