The Legends of Regia Box Set: The Complete Series. Books 1-7

by Tenaya Jayne

  “We’re almost there,” she said. “Maybe you should kiss me goodnight right now. Once we get home, it’s back to holding hands and nothing more.”

  “I’m content holding your hand.”

  “Is that a rejection?”

  “No.”

  “You don’t really like kissing me?”

  “Are you insecure again?” he asked.

  “Always.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Are you going to make me beg?”

  He tried to read her eyes. She looked earnest. “That’s an interesting idea.”

  “Please?” she whispered.

  The look on her face and the sound of her request slew him. He pulled her closer and crushed her mouth with his. “Okay, don’t do that again,” he said.

  “Do what? Say please?”

  “Yes! Don’t do that. Murderess.”

  “Well, then, don’t make me.”

  He kissed her again, slower, softer.

  “That’s better,” she murmured. “Like that.”

  I love you.

  It went through his head again. Damnit. He had to figure out a way to make her his. He had to make her love him, and not just any kind of love. A love so strong she’d reject her destined life mate when she met him. She was his. Now she just needed to learn it. If only he could tell if she was honest or not. What if she wasn’t? Isolde had broken his heart. Tesla had the power to crush his soul.

  Chapter Thirteen

  It had been a long day, but Tesla was happy. Happier than she could remember ever being in her life. X was falling in love with her. She knew it. She could see it in his eyes. She opened the door to the Everpath and took his hand so she could lead him back to Regia.

  A gust of wind stopped her in her tracks. The dark thing slithered up in front of them. It panted obscenely and flicked its forked tongue at her. X couldn’t see. She’d have to protect him.

  “I have you, wall builder…come with me,” it hissed.

  It was her turn to pull him protectively behind her. He was tense and squinting his eyes, trying to see the thing in front of them. She lifted her hands, ball lightning engulfing her palms.

  “Get back!” she ordered.

  It laughed. “You can’t kill me. You’ve tried before. Leave him…come with me…I’ll give you your dreams.”

  “What do you want? Who do you serve?”

  “I want to love you. I serve you, my lady.”

  “If you serve me, then obey me. Go away.”

  X moved forward, pressing against her back, and grabbed her hand. He lifted their hands straight out at the dark thing. The marks on their hands burned as one.

  “You’re a stain, and I will cage you,” X said.

  It slunk to the side, ducked down, and jumped at them. Tesla and X were knocked backward. It flew over them, scratching her on the chest with its claws, then it vanished.

  A sting like acid eating her skin burned on the gashes it gave her. She cried out in pain, never having felt anything like it. X picked her up and began rushing down the hall.

  “Where, Tesla? Tell me where.”

  “Keep going,” she gasped. “Three more… Stop.”

  She reached out and grasped the door to Regia. She was jostled in his arms as his feet landed on the ground. His vision cleared, and he looked at her, terror in his eyes. Blood was spreading over her torn blouse.

  “What do I do?”

  “Set me down,” she wheezed.

  He knelt and laid her on the ground.

  “Let me bite you.”

  He didn’t hesitate. He lifted her head up to his neck. She took one drink and sank back down, smoke hissing on the gashes. She panted for a moment, then her breathing began to ease, and she touched her chest gingerly.

  “I need to get home. My dad can fix this all the way. Help me up.”

  He lifted her to her feet and supported her as she slumped against him. Weakly, she opened a portal for them. They landed in her bedroom. He laid her down on the bed and rushed out into the living room.

  “Syrus!” he shouted.

  Forest and Syrus both jumped when X burst into the living room.

  “Tesla’s hurt.”

  Syrus was beside Tesla the next second. He tore her shirt open, looking at her wounds. He sucked in a breath. “What did this?”

  “Shadow thing,” she said feebly.

  Syrus’ hand hovered over the gashes, small strikes of lightning hitting her flesh. The wounds sealed up, leaving long red stripes on her skin instead. Forest pulled on X. He turned and looked at her.

  “Come on. She’ll be all right. Come.”

  It killed him to leave her side, but he went with Forest. She shut the door behind them.

  “Sit down, you look really shaken. I’ll get you some water.”

  “Do you have something stronger?”

  She nodded. “Wine?”

  “Whiskey?”

  She gave a little snort and then shrugged. “All right.”

  Forest poured two fingers of whiskey in a snifter and brought it to him. He knocked it back in one shot.

  “Thanks. I understand I shouldn’t see her undressed like that. Please, go back in there and check on her so you can tell me how she is. Please.”

  Forest turned and went back to Tesla’s room. He grimaced when she opened the door. Tesla was crying in pain.

  “I need him!” she cried. “I need X!”

  “Tesla, calm down,” Syrus said.

  X was on his feet without realizing he’d stood up. She screamed in agony. He was almost to her door when Forest blocked him.

  “No. It’s all right,” Forest said. “Just relax.”

  She continued to cry.

  “Okay, Tesla. Let me help you get a new shirt on. Then you can see him,” Syrus said. “Here. Sit up a bit. This shirt is soft. Just lay back, sweetheart. I’ll get him.”

  Syrus came to the door behind Forest. She moved to unblock his way, when Tesla screamed. The whole house shook. The floor jumped under their feet, the windows rattled in their frames, and the lights flickered on and off. Huge lightning bolts came snaking out of Tesla’s room.

  “Shit,” Forest said to Syrus. “She’s losing it.”

  Syrus reached into the tangle of electricity and began to tear at it, but then he retracted his hands, smoke rising off his skin.

  “I can’t get through it!”

  “Syrus!” Forest cried. “We have to do something! She’ll die!”

  “X!” Tesla screamed.

  He shoved past them, remembering what she’d told him about her heart. He slid right through the lightning as though it was nothing. The room was filled with a storm, and her whole body was covered with electricity. He pulled his gloves and stones off as fast as he could. Her limbs jerked with tremors. Taking a deep breath, he shoved both of his hands up her shirt and covered her heart.

  She inhaled on a gasp. The power in her heart grabbed onto his hands and held them there. Her heart trip hammered against his palms. The whole storm fizzled into nothing, and her body went limp. X was vaguely aware of Forest and Syrus behind him, but he paid them no mind.

  Her breathing began to ease, and her eyelids fluttered open. Her eyes were glassy as she looked up at him. Then she looked at her parents.

  “It’s okay now,” she whispered, then her eyes rolled back, and she fell unconscious.

  Her heart let go of his hands. He slid them back and stood up, facing Forest and Syrus.

  “She told me what to do, if that ever happened,” he explained. “And Maggie, the witch who cursed me, saw the future. She told me I was the only one who could calm the storm. She was talking about Tesla before I ever met her.”

  Syrus looked severely at him and then down at Tesla. He sat on the edge of her bed and put his hand on her forehead. “She’s very sick. Whatever attacked her infected her with something. I don’t know what this is. I’ve never seen these kinds of wounds before. I…I don’t know what to do. I’m afraid to try and
her magic responds badly again.” He stood up, left the room, and then came back with X’s knapsack in his hand. He dropped it on the floor. “You’ll sleep in here tonight,” he ordered X. “You will stay by her side all night and make her better.”

  Surprised, X nodded. “Yes, sir.”

  “You’ll inform us during the night if something changes with her, or if she gets worse.”

  “Of course.”

  “Good. She needs to rest.” He looked back down at Tesla, still unconscious. “Keep her comfortable and her magic steady. Hold it back if another wave comes.”

  “I’ll do my best. I promise.”

  Syrus nodded curtly, took Forest by the arm, and left the room, closing the door behind them. X blinked at the closed door a few times, amazed.

  Forest pulled her arm free from Syrus’ grasp. “I can’t believe you just did that. You trust him that much?”

  Syrus sank onto the couch, his head in his hands. “I was powerless against it, Forest.” Emotion choked him. “I couldn’t get through. I’m the most powerful mage in Regia, and she blocked me. If he wasn’t here…” His shoulders trembled. “I accept there is something between them that is…I don’t know. You saw what I saw. I understand that I don’t understand what’s between them. And I…I’m so grateful for him…I see he cares for her. She’s not just a notch for him. He won’t use her and move on. Even if he did, at this moment I could hardly care, so long as he saves her life.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  For three hours, X sat on the floor next to Tesla’s bed and held her hand. She tossed in her sleep, her temperature going up and down in swift spikes and drops. He held himself still inside. The sensation there was too great for him to really feel it. He could barely comprehend the periphery of his emotions, so his subconscious locked his heart down tight in self-preservation. What was wrong with her? What more could he do? The fact that her father had ordered him to stay the night in her room, alone with her, let him know Syrus must believe she was in danger.

  X yawned and got up, his back hurting from the position he’d been sitting in. He stretched and decided to get more comfortable. He glanced down at her. She was asleep, but he thought it best to turn off the lights before he changed his clothes. Once he was dressed for sleeping, he sat back down on the floor and took her hand again.

  She moaned and gave his hand a little squeeze. “X?” she whispered.

  “I’m here.”

  She opened her eyes. His ability to see perfectly in the dark kicked in.

  “What’s going on?” she asked quietly. “Did you sneak into my room?”

  “No. I was given permission. Ordered, actually, to stay in here with you tonight. Don’t you remember what happened?”

  “I remember coming home, my dad tried to heal me. It was terrible, it felt like he actually made it worse. I…that’s all. I don’t remember anything else.”

  “You made a storm inside the house.”

  Even in the dark, he could see her cheeks blush. “Oh, great. That’s embarrassing. Sorry you had to see that… Wait, did you touch my heart?”

  “Yes.”

  She let go of his hand and set it on her chest, frowning. “Hmm… So that worked?”

  “Yes. As soon as I touched you, your heart grabbed my hands and held them fast. The storm stopped, and you fell unconscious. How are you feeling now?”

  She groaned and shifted. “Cold.”

  “You’ve been feverish for the last few hours.”

  She shivered and rubbed her arms. “Will you hold me?”

  He moved to a kneeling position and reached for her somewhat awkwardly. She put her hands on his shoulders and pulled on him. “Come here. Lay down with me.”

  “Are you sure?”

  She moved over to make room for him. “Yes.”

  He climbed under the blanket beside her. She turned her face to the wall, moaning again lightly. She pressed her back against his chest. He didn’t move much. He waited to see what would make her comfortable. She grabbed his hand and pulled his arm across her body.

  “I’m so sorry,” she whispered.

  “Why?”

  “I’m a lot of trouble for you.”

  “You’re worth it. Are you getting warmer?”

  She sighed and nestled down closer to him. “Yes. I still feel so…off.”

  “Is it more than just that thing that attacked you? Is the witch stuff causing you a problem, too?”

  “Maybe a little.”

  “Your dad says you need to rest. Try to sleep.”

  She laced her fingers through his and brought his hand under her shirt and back to her heart. He held totally still. The power in her heart reached up and caressed his hand. He pressed his palm flat against her skin. It was like when they held hands, only stronger. His power mixed with hers in a dance of sensation. Her whole body tensed for a second and then relaxed. He exhaled and tried to focus just on the feeling of their power connected, and not the fact that half of her breast was in his hand. She needed this connection because she was sick. It was nothing more than that. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Don’t move. He told himself firmly. His fingers began to ache with the desire to roam over her skin.

  “Did my parents see you put your hands on my heart?” she asked.

  “Yes.”

  “I bet that was awkward.”

  “No. I was doing the only thing I knew to do to save you. I was terrified.”

  “Did you see my boobs?”

  “I wasn’t looking.”

  Her back shook lightly with a quiet chuckle. “Are you regretting you missed that opportunity now?”

  “If you weren’t facing away from me, I’d kiss you, just to shut you up. Go to sleep, Tesla.”

  He tried to pull his hand away from her heart. She whimpered. “No. Stay here. I’ll be quiet. Keep touching me. It’s making me feel better.”

  He was exhausted, and holding her felt like bliss, but he couldn’t sleep. He laid there, his heart in a tangle, imagining there was nothing wrong with her and they were in bed together just because they wanted to be. He felt her relax deeper until he was sure she had fallen back asleep. He began to doze when he heard his name. He opened his eyes and lifted his head up an inch.

  X… it was Tesla. She was asleep, but she was talking to him in his mind. She hadn’t really been doing that since she brought him to Regia. He laid his head back down. He wished he could answer her. Her breathing changed. She was partially awake.

  X…she said again in his head. I love you.

  His heart stalled. He swallowed hard. She wasn’t really awake. You’re mine, he thought. I will have you. One day… I love you, too, Tesla. One day, you’ll be my wife.

  Her breathing slowed as she slipped into a deep sleep. He leaned closer to her and pressed his lips against the side of her neck. His heart raced to the edge of the cliff and dove off. But the fall wasn’t glorious, it was terrifying. He would crash at the bottom, irrevocably broken.

  I’m holding everything I’ll ever want in my arms right now. What if I lose my grip on her? One day, she’ll met the man destiny has chosen for her, and she’ll leave me. Losing her is inevitable. It could be tomorrow or a hundred years from now. The pain will be the same. No. The pain will be worse the longer I have her…it’s not real. She doesn’t love me. She loves what I do for her. I’m her doctor.

  All that should have been beautiful, knowing he felt love, swirled with anger. He wouldn’t be deceived again. He was finished with flirtation. A line must be drawn. A hard, precise line. Confusion brought agony to his heart. He couldn’t get his head clear.

  Falling asleep in X’s arms felt perfect to Tesla. She became well under his touch. Her whole life, her body hurt. But now, she slept as she never had before, wrapped in warmth and comfort. She woke when it began to leave her. She woke up alone in bed. Tesla blinked in the darkness. The dawn was an hour away, the edge of the sky turning from black to a midnight blue.

  She sat up, coming fully awake. She
felt good, physically and magically. Tesla looked for X. He was sitting in her desk chair, looking at her. She frowned. Something was wrong behind his eyes. He was fully dressed like he was about to step out the door. He even had his gloves on.

  “Hey,” she said quietly. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing.” His voice was flat.

  She got out of bed and came toward him. The way he looked at her made her heart flinch. He was hurting and trying to cover it. She hesitated for a second, and then climbed onto his lap. He inhaled sharply, his muscles tensing. She placed her hands on his cheeks.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked again.

  He frowned, different emotions interweaving through his eyes. He opened his mouth, then shut it, shaking his head.

  “Let me in,” she pleaded.

  “That’s the problem. I already have.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “You talked in your sleep. You said you loved me.”

  She leaned a little closer, her eyes tunneling into his. “I wasn’t asleep. I know what I said.”

  He shook his head and stood up, forcing her to stand as well.

  She looked at him desperately. “I love you, X.”

  He sighed. “This is unnecessary, Tesla. You don’t have to do this. I said I would help you. I will. You don’t have to say things you don’t mean to try and make me feel more invested.”

  She choked on her breath. His words shot an arrow straight through her heart. “I love you,” she repeated.

  “No, you don’t.” His voice was firm. “You love the way I make you feel. You love being able to talk. You love you’ve found an answer to your equation. You don’t love me.”

  Tears welled in her eyes, and she shook her head. “Are you sure of that?”

  “Think about it, please. Really think about it. You know I’m right. You’re manipulating me, consciously or not.”

  She looked down, thinking. Was he right? Was it just the relief of her pain she was in love with? Was it the sound of her own voice? Everything inside her pulled against the very idea. Her eyes sought his again, and she shook her head.

  “I could cut off my hands and tear out my tongue. I could pull my heart out so I could never feel you touch me there again. And I’d still love you…I see what you’re afraid of. Let it go. Trust me. It’s not a lie…I want you. I want us.”