Storm Mistress

by Rivers, Brandy L

  Scanning the room for Toryn, she inquisitively tipped her head at the woman, then Mike.

  Toryn nodded.

  Another man came through the door with a woman on his arm. Isa knew the woman was Dacia. She looked a lot like Aeryana, minus the eyes. However, the man looked like Toryn with tattoos, shorter hair, and paler blue eyes. Frozen, she stared, realizing she felt a connection slide into place fifteen minutes or so before.

  Who is he?

  Lana practically purred, “Ooh, that’s Preston Emrys. The mage working the case.”

  “He looks like Toryn.”

  Lana’s brow arched, her gaze shifting from one man, to the other, and back again. “Holy shit, you’re right.”

  Toryn didn’t seem to notice as they shook hands. He even greeted Dacia pleasantly before bringing them both over to Isa. It seemed he was completely oblivious to the fact the guy could be his doppelganger.

  “Mages and fae don’t generally get involved, right?” Isa asked.

  “He wouldn’t be part of the Silver Council if he were part fae, Isa. I wouldn’t worry about it. It’s just some freaky coincidence.”

  “Right.”

  Toryn grinned at her. “Isa, this is Preston and Dacia.”

  Dacia gave her a nervous smile. “Hello, Isa, I don’t know if I should apologize for what my father did or pretend I don’t know him.”

  Isa took her hand. “It’s not your fault. So let’s pretend like we don’t know him.”

  Preston seemed to relax, giving Dacia a warm look. Yup, the mage had it bad for Dacia.

  “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Isadora. Toryn speaks very highly of you.”

  “I’ve heard good things about you too. Welcome to our home.”

  * * * *

  Once the party finally ended, and Toryn had Isa all to himself, he took her hands as he closed the distance, staring into her emerald eyes. “I’ve been waiting to get you alone all night.”

  “You could have skipped the party,” she offered.

  He shook his head. “It was Scotty’s idea. He wanted to see if Dacia knew anything about her father. Lonny’s confident she’s not helping him.”

  “That’s why he was so late?” Isa asked with a sigh.

  “We have to find him. You’ll be safe regardless, but we need to take him down.”

  “Oh, trust me, Toryn, I agree with that. Please, don’t use Dacia though. She’s family and I saw the fear in her eyes. She wants nothing to do with him.”

  He nodded. “I won’t. The mage won’t either.”

  A question was on the tip of her tongue, but she remembered what Lana said. If he were part fae, he wouldn’t be a Silver Council Enforcer.

  “My knight.” She placed a quick kiss on his lips. “Come on, I think you should practice jousting.” Turning, she ran back to their room, stripping the dress off as she went.

  Toryn was right behind her with a laugh. “Oh, I aim to perfect my sport.”

  About Brandy L Rivers

  Brandy L Rivers is the author of the Others of Edenton Series. There are more Others of Edenton in the works. She is also working on the Others of Seattle series.

  As an avid reader, Brandy has always loved writing. She became serious about it as a stay-at-home-mother. She has a file full of manuscripts she plans to edit and put out there eventually.

  She lives in Western Washington with her husband and three kids, where she is already working on future stories in the series.

  If you are interested in receiving emails about future book releases, please sign up for her email distribution list by visiting her site at:

  http://www.brandylrivers.com

  You can also find her on Facebook at:

  https://www.facebook.com/brandylrivers

  And at Twitter: https://twitter.com/brandylrivers

  Reference Guide

  Abyss – Faerie version of hell. It is a dark, desolate wasteland.

  Air Faerie – A fae descended from the Air Kingdom in Faerie. They mainly cast air or electricity based spells. Some can dematerialize, scattering their cells. They can watch without being detected in this form, and travel great distances rapidly.

  Awakening – Faeries come to age after their first sexual release with another faerie. This process brings their power to the surface. It will strengthen what might have previously shown as a weak power, or produce new ones to the individual fae.

  Bond – Faerie’s can form a bond with another. It is similar to werewolves mating. The two faes’ magic mingles, strengthening each other. It is a slower process but once it forms it can’t be broken.

  Brownie – Fae that takes care of a family or house. They tend to have brown hair, skin, and eyes. They are typically very secretive.

  Compulsion - Sirens and nymphs can force a suggestion on someone during sexual release. Spells can be cast to have the same effect without sex.

  Dragon – Ancient creature of the elements. Most can shift forms from lizard-like beast to human at will. They possess elemental types of magic.

  Earth Faerie – A fae descended from the Earth Kingdom of Faerie. Their powers include superhuman strength and super-sensitive hearing, smell, and sight. Most can manipulate the earth itself, or create compounds of rock from dust or dirt. Some are able to communicate with animals.

  Elder Guard – Fae chosen by the Elder Guardians to serve as their guard and be their eyes and ears outside their secluded fortress. These fae can be controlled by the guardians, but are generally left to their own devices.

  Elder Guardian(s) – The fae who oversee fae royalty. They only intervene in the event one royal raises a complaint against another.

  Faerie – Both the physical realm on the other side of the veil, and the people who come from there. There are many different forms of fae.

  Fire Fae – A fae descended from the Fire Kingdom of Faerie. Many have visions. Their magic is generally heat and fire based.

  Ghoul – Type of undead. Walking corpse, generally coherent, yet dangerous.

  Iron – Certain types of faerie have an aversion to iron and other metals with iron content.

  Mages – Humans who possess elemental magic. They can either sling spells like weapons or heal, though it is rare for a mage to be a healer.

  Mate – Fae, and some other creatures, sometimes create a supernatural bond with their soul mate. The bond is nearly impossible to break unless one party dies. The bound couple will sometimes feel what the other is feeling, or sense the danger the other is in.

  Nymph – There are water nymphs and wood nymphs. The water nymphs originated in Faerie near lakes, oceans, and rivers. Wood nymphs originated in the oldest forests. Most of their magic is powered by love, lust, and similar emotions, and enhanced through orgasm. Some nymphs have other forms of magic as well. Unlike most faerie, they have no glamour and are stuck with their unusual coloring.

  Others – Any being that isn’t quite human. Werewolves, vampires, shaman, druid, mages, witches, warlocks, fae are some examples.

  Satyr – Fae creature with a goat’s legs and hooves. Fur covers their bodies from the hips down. They have horns upon their heads. They are known for their insatiable sexual behavior and to be well-endowed.

  Shield – A protection spell. Forms a wall usually of one or two elements.

  Silver Council – Organization of mages. They are the governing force of most Others. Not everyone recognizes them, but they try to police all Others. The Silver Council is mostly made up of formally trained mages. They occasionally will employ other casters.

  Silver Council Enforcer – The mages who police Others.

  Siren – Sometimes called mermaids. They change forms in water. Fine scales cover their skin, and they develop gills behind their ears. Their coloring often changes with this form. They have similar forms of magic to nymphs.

  Ward - A spell that protects, sometimes keeps people from entering.

  Werewolves – Specific type of wereanimal. A werewolf is created when a werewolf in
either its beast form, or half-man form, bites and in rare cases scratches a human. They are incredibly strong, and faster than a normal human. Powerful werewolves can not only shift into their wolf form but also a physical presence larger than human, covered in fur with enormous claws and bestial head. Their sense of smell and sight are very strong, especially in their beast forms.

  Witch – A human who is highly sensitive to magic, and can cast a limited amount of magic. Abilities vary from clairvoyance, empath, telekinesis, or various other psychic abilities. Most are adept at potions which combine natural ingredients with magic.

  Acknowledgments

  Mom, you’re the best, always will be.

  I love my husband for putting up with me during crunch time, I truly appreciate it.

  And to my monkeys, I’ll never stop loving you.

  Rivers Others, you all got the dedication, but you know I love you.

  To Kristin Mayer, for always being a rocking beta reader. I love your non-paranormal take.

  Rebecca Brooke, you’re a rock star, thank you for beta reading and helping catch some of my mistakes.

  Kym Grosso, Vegas was a blast, and thank you for beta reading.

  Joyce, you were a great help as well, thank you.

  To Dauntless Indies, you always make me smile, you ladies rock.

  Tara Shaner, thank you for helping to tighten up my stories.

  And thank you Danielle-Claude Ngontang Mba for help with the French translation.

  Preview Mending Scars

  Others of Edenton Book 5

  Chapter 1

  His head throbbed in synch with the sound of his phone buzzing out of reach. Preston cracked one eye open to find her elegant face relaxed in peaceful slumber.

  Slivers of memory floated through his mind. Toryn’s party. Dacia throwing herself at him. Then it went fuzzy, other than flashes of explosive sex.

  He regretted his temporary lack of memory, which he hoped would be restored once the hangover abated. The unrelenting metallic vibration started again, and he sat up to take a look at his surroundings.

  Dacia’s house.

  Shit.

  Last time he was here everything had ended horribly. He nearly died at her hands, though she wasn't in charge of them, thanks to a shadow fae taking possession of her body. Then the woman he'd been trying not to love healed him, breaking the dam of pent-up emotion he had walled off so long he nearly drowned in the ensuing rush. Jamie, who knew their relationship was over before he did, ended things that night. At least Amethyst and Jamie had found their soulmates, even if he was left behind.

  He wasn’t sure Dacia was his forever, but he wanted to find out. If she’d let him. There was definitely a spark between them.

  Insistent buzzing from his phone jerked Preston back to the here and now. He sat up and spotted his pants hanging from a chair. His shirt was on a bed post. Dacia's dress lay on the floor in at least two separate pieces.

  Must have been in a hurry. A stupid grin spread on his face as he remembered Dacia screaming out his name.

  Shaking off a wave of desire, he got up to grab his phone and found a list of texts and missed calls from Robert.

  The texts were nagging him about what he’d learned, and trouble with the fae. He scrubbed a hand over his face and tried to remember what the hell Robert was referring to.

  What the fuck? I never forget shit, not even when I want to.

  He sat on the bed and Dacia curled around him in her sleep. A slow smile spread on his lips as her satin skin caressed his.

  Looking down he saw her, the real her, without make-up or glamour. She didn't need any artificial shit. Dacia looked a lot like her aunt, the queen of the Air Kingdom in Faerie. Unfortunately, her piece of shit, twisted-as-a-Twizzler-stick, father was still at large after being caught conspiring against the queen, plotting unthinkable acts against his niece, and torturing women. Yup, inter-dimensional scumbag.

  Dacia had a few issues, but deep down she was a good woman dealing with a fucked-up family, much like him. She was so used to disappointment she built a fortress around herself, and had an annoying habit of bolting rather than risk being disappointed. Sooner or later he would scale the walls and sneak inside.

  Maybe last night he had. Maybe. But he still couldn't remember much.

  "You're still here," she murmured sleepily, hope shining in her eyes.

  "I told you, and I'll keep telling you, it's you I want to get to know, you I want to please, only you." He brushed his knuckle down the scar on her cheek.

  She flinched away, covering that side of her face. The hope died as her gaze went stony. "Because you feel sorry for me. I don’t need your pity."

  "No, fuck, not because of that. Yes, I'm sorry I put the mark there. But listen closely, that scar isn't what I see when I close my eyes. What I see is a feisty woman who holds my interest for a laundry list of reasons. I want to know everything about you."

  "You keep touching it, kissing it. You pay too much attention to it. Even when I have my glamour in place."

  Well, shit.

  He did, but only because it was seriously hot. That might make him a freak but he was good with that. He gave a sheepish shrug, and tried for an innocent tone. "You don't want to hear my excuse." She was too vain to appreciate his point of view.

  Her eyes flashed with anger as she ghosted out of bed. She materialized a few feet in front of him with her hands on her narrow hips. "Because you feel guilty for making me ugly!"

  And damn him, but Dacia pissed off made him hard as adamantium. He rose to his feet, pointing to his cock that stood at attention, wanting nothing more than to be buried to the hilt in her heat. "Does it look like I feel sorry for you? Or maybe that I don't like what I see? Trust me, babe, I want you any way I can get you. This," he gripped his length and she licked her lips as she stared, "should be a good indicator that you—scar included—are more than sexy. I can't stop imagining your taste, the feel of your nails in my skin, the way you wrap around me. This is what you do to me."

  He blinked and she was gone. Then he was shoved onto the mattress and she was over him, sliding onto his thick length as her mouth closed over his, taking what she wanted. Borderline punishing, her nails cut past skin as she rode him hard. Her tears fell on his chest.

  Grabbing her face, he rolled them over, gentling the pace. “Don’t cry, Dacia. I’m not giving you a reason to cry. I want your pleasure, your desire, I want us, but I don’t want to be the reason you cry,” he promised as he thrust into her slowly.

  "Why?" she whispered. "No, don't answer." She flipped them over, pushing her pace harder, faster. Her mouth meshed with his, their tongues dancing.

  He was right there on the edge, trying to hold back, when her core started to ripple around him. They both cried out as flames danced over them and everything in the room was picked up in the whirlwind that surrounded her bed.

  A rush of excitement, desire, and panic shot through them as he tried to pull her closer but she phased out as the fires faded and her belongings fell around him.

  Stunned, Preston lay there, wracking his brain for an explanation, but his head renewed its pounding.

  He felt her, floating in the room. Her eyes burned a brand into him. "Dacia, please talk to me."

  * * * *

  Dacia couldn't catch her breath. Without form she shouldn't need air. Yet, she felt dizzy and was burning up.

  She still felt his fire smoldering through her, as if she were solid. He wasn't fae, which made the mate bond thrumming through her even more inconceivable. Mages and half-fae didn't bond. Unless... no...

  She would have known. Wouldn't she? What did she really know about the mage? Well, besides his delicious body and the way she wanted to believe him.

  "Dacia, please talk to me." It was a tender plea, filled with as much confusion as she felt.

  Preston sat up, scooting to the edge of the bed. "I get it. I'm not who you would choose." He sighed and pushed his fingers through his hair. One corne
r of his mouth tipped up. "Though, I think you ought to give me a chance. The cosmos seems to think we'd be good together. Does it hurt to try?"

  A good point. Unless he knew a way to fake a bond. He was a mage, after all.

  Preston groaned, scrubbing both hands over his face. "What do I have to do to prove I'm sincere? Give me that much at least. I'm not claiming undying love. I'm claiming genuine interest in an infuriating woman. A woman I can't stop thinking about. I want to know you, Dacia."

  No tears he’d requested, but more wanted to fall. She held them back and materialized before him.

  Preston captured her hands, drawing her closer, then settled his hands on her waist.

  Unable to accept his sincerity, she demanded, "First, how?"

  "How what?"

  "How the fuck did you fake the bond?"

  One corner of his mouth lifted. "Want to know a secret?"

  "What the f—" she started at the top of her lungs.

  He stood, covering her mouth. "I'm half-fae. Only daddy doesn't know about me."

  "If you say my father—"

  "If he were I wouldn’t be here. My father’s a fire fae, not Air. So chill. Where do you think the flames came from?"

  "Good question. You're a mage, that's your element."

  "I'm fae. Whether you want to believe it, or not, I'm fae. Well, half. Like you."

  "You’re full of shit. The Silver Council would never accept you if they knew."

  "They don't. Not even my oldest friend. So, please, don't tell anyone."

  "Why are you trusting me?" she balked.

  "When the shock wears off, it’s the only answer. I'm hoping my honesty will gain your trust."

  "Why?" she demanded.

  "Damn, you're infuriating, woman. I've already proved I got it bad for you. What do I have to do to convince you I want more than sex?"