by Amy Sumida
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
Chapter Forty-Two
Chapter Forty-Three
Chapter Forty-Four
Chapter Forty-Five
Chapter Forty-Six
Chapter Forty-Seven
Chapter Forty-Eight
Chapter Forty-Nine
Chapter Fifty
Chapter Fifty-One
Chapter One
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter One
Chapter Two
A Harmony of Hearts
Amy Sumida
Copyright © 2017 Amy Sumida
All rights reserved.
ISBN-10:1979022054
ISBN-13: 978-1979022057
Legal Notice
This book is copyright protected. It is only for personal use. You cannot amend, distribute, sell, use, quote, or paraphrase any part of the content within this book without the consent of the author or copyright owner. Legal action will be pursued if this is breached.
More Books by Amy Sumida
The Godhunter Series(in order)
Godhunter
Of Gods and Wolves
Oathbreaker
Marked by Death
Green Tea and Black Death
A Taste for Blood
The Tainted Web
Series Split:
These books can be read together or separately
Harvest of the Gods & A Fey Harvest
Into the Void & Out of the Darkness
Perchance to Die
Tracing Thunder
Light as a Feather
Rain or Monkeyshine
Blood Bound
Eye of Re
My Soul to Take
As the Crow Flies
Cry Werewolf
Pride Before a Fall
Beyond the Godhunter
A Darker Element
Out of the Blue
The Twilight Court Series
Fairy-Struck
Pixie-Led
Raven-Mocking
Here there be Dragons
Witchbane
Elf-Shot
Fairy Rings and Dragon Kings
The Spellsinger Series
The Last Lullaby
A Symphony of Sirens
(A Harmony of Hearts)
Fairy Tales
Happily Harem After
The Four Clever Brothers
Wild Wonderland
Beauty and the Beasts
Pan's Promise
The Little Glass Slipper
Other Books
The Magic of Fabric
Feeding the Lwas: A Vodou Cookbook
There's a Goddess Too
The Vampire-Werewolf Complex
Enchantress
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Chapter One
“Not again,” I groaned as the fire roared inside my chest. “Sometimes I wonder if the ice was better.”
It was the spell inside me; the Rooster Spell that Thomas had cast upon me as he died. It had begun its life as a lusty, frosty, revenge spell, but had shifted into a spell of love and fire within me. Unfortunately, I had made an alliance with it based on some contingencies, and I had yet to fulfill the final one: Torin.
The Rooster Spell—RS for short—needed energy to keep it alive, and it was merciless in acquiring sustenance. If it didn't get what it wanted, it would take out its fury on me; in bouts of fiery temper tantrums inside my body. I had offered RS three men to love and be loved by in return. So far, I had only delivered two: Banning—Gheara of a Kansas Blooder Gura, and King Declan of Alexandrite. It was not pleased.
I had been in a monogamous relationship with King Torin of Onyx when Thomas had first cast his spell on me. I loved Torin, and I had every intention of being faithful to him for as long as we stayed together. The RS had other plans. Having just been transferred from one body to another, the spell needed energy immediately. It took over my mind and body briefly, while I was in a vulnerable state (having just made love to Torin), and sent me running from Torin's bed to Declan's. Torin walked in on Declan and I just as reason was returning to me. It was not pretty.
Torin, despite several attempts made, by myself and others, to explain what had happened—that the spell had compelled me to betray him with Declan—remained distant and refused to hear me out. The Onyx King wasn't speaking to anyone, in fact. He had withdrawn into his private chambers and hadn't emerged in months. I didn't blame him for him for his reactions; I would have been devastated to find him in a similar situation, and probably would have done much worse than storm out. But I was equally devastated to be on my end, and I was beginning to wonder if I had lost Torin forever.
Flames consumed my vision, and I suddenly saw the spell. It took my form when it spoke to me and used my voice. I heard it clearly within my mind.
I want him now!
“I'm trying my best,” I snapped at it.
Two is not enough. It is basic, while three is divine.
“You're full of shit,” I growled. “Two lovers are more than most people have.”
I'm magic, not a person, and I need more energy than two men can provide. If you can't bring me Torin to fuel me, I will take that energy from you.
“You know that if I die, you die.”
Mutually assured destruction. The me-magic smirked at me, throwing the words I'd once spoken to it, back in my face. So be it . . . unless . . .
“Here it is.” I grimaced. “I knew you wouldn't give in so easily. Go on, then. What do you want instead of Torin?”
Who, not what; another man, of course. But you must love this new man, Elaria. I need the emotion now. Without that connection, the energy feels vapid; it satisfies me only momentarily and cannot sustain me.
“You'll have to give me some time,” I said as my stomach clenched. “Falling in love doesn't happen with a snap of the fingers, and my situation is strange. I don't know if another man will agree to take this on, even if they did fall in love with me.”
You have much to offer. She smiled wickedly. Use your . . . talents.
“I need time, not talent!”
I've already given you several months, but you may have two more. She sighed heavily. One for each man you have brought me. They have bought you time. But after that, Elaria, we will start to burn out. She went grim. There is always a price; rules to follow. I do not make these demands flippantly, but because I must. Without this energy, we will die together, Spellsinger.
“I understand,” I whispered.
Good. Then find us a new man to love. Or woman, I don't judge.
I rolled my eyes at myself.
Chapter Two
I stood in the courtyard of Onyx Castle, just below Torin's balcony window, clutching a guitar nervously. Was I really going to do this; serenade Torin like a lovesick fool—Romeo to Juliet? I glanced around at the curious shining ones who were starting to gather and slung the guitar strap over my head resolutely. I didn't play guitar very often, but if I was going to sing some Melissa Etheridge, I needed the instrument; it just wouldn't feel right without it. Or sound right, for that matter. And if I was going to get through to Torin, I had to humble myself a little. A public declaration and demonstration of heartbreak were perfect. Although, “I'm The Only One” wasn't your usual lover's apology.
I started strumming, just picking at the strings really, and then suddenly slammed my hand down across the wires, echoing the chord through the courtyard like thunder. I kept my eyes on Torin's balcony as I began the thumping intro and felt the magic tickling the base of my throat. No, I wasn't going to try to change his will—I'd never do that to a someone I loved—but I was going to use the magic to make sure that Torin heard me this time; that he listened. This was my last shot; if it didn't work, I'd be forced to find another someone else to love. Sweet Goddess; I didn't want anyone else.
The first words were a plea, but they were done with a sexy purr. I growled and groaned my apology up to Torin on a shivering cloud of magic, and I felt the moment it hit. Like a fish caught on a line, the tremor of his resistance thrummed down to me. I knew he was hooked, and now it was time to ease back—give him some slack before I reeled him in. I let the magic simmer down as I moaned my sorrow out through the music. I begged Torin to understand and pleaded for his forgiveness, but then the song shifted dramatically, and my apology turned into a raging challenge.
The snarling lyrics edged up into a shouting curse of compassion. I slipped from begging to bragging in a single chord; baring my heartache while also calling him out on his. He could hide from me, or even try to bury our love in the arms of another woman, but he would never find a love like ours. No one would love him as I do. My fingers ached as I took my frustration out on the strings, the music echoing off the polished onyx walls and magnifying itself. I'd drawn a crowd but I didn't care; I kept my eyes glued to Torin's balcony, waiting for his resistance to break.
My musical challenge escalated, and I could feel it wearing Torin down. I called him a coward and a fool for denying what we have, my whole body going rigid as I roared out the things I would do for him that no one else would. It was the most furious love song I'd ever sung, and the most honest. Every word seemed to have been written for me; a description of the frustration and longing that had filled me every moment since that horrible day that Torin had walked away. By the time the song was thrumming down, I was trembling, and tears were streaming from my glaring eyes.
I could feel Torin, standing just steps away from the balcony, but I wouldn't force him to face me. He had heard me, and that had been the whole point. Torin knew that I was crumbling beneath the weight of my love for him, now that he wouldn't carry it with me; he could feel it in my music. He could hear my desperation and my deepest regret, but he also felt my anger and the strength of my will that would help me move on from him. I was bent, but not broken. Still, there was nothing I wouldn't do, to get him back.
Finally, I strummed the last note, and it hung mournfully in the air. The shining ones around me held their breath, every eye fastened on the balcony above us. Two heartbeats went by... three. I shrugged off the guitar, about to admit defeat, when I felt Torin give in. My eyes shot back to that balcony, and there he was. I couldn't even move—couldn't breathe. It had been months since I'd seen his face, and the last time I had, it had been full of rage and pain.
It was haggard now. Torin's cerulean stare was dulled, and he squinted in the fading sunlight as if he'd been living in darkness. His long, dark hair, normally so lustrous that it shone blue, was greasy and limp, hanging wild about his hunched shoulders. There were hollows in his cheeks and beneath his eyes. Even his body showed signs of neglect. Torin's chest looked sunken, and I wasn't sure if it was from muscle loss or simply the way he was holding himself—like a broken man.
“Torin,” I whispered in horror.
Torin braced his hands on the balcony's thick, stone railing and stared down at me as if I were a blade that could take away his pain by ending his life; something wicked but desperately desired. He closed his eyes slowly and lowered his head until it hung over his chest. The rage was gone, but the pain remained.
The shining ones around me drew back, eyes turning away in respect of their king, but I stepped closer.
“Torin!” I shouted, startling him and the retreating fairies.
“Elaria,” Torin whispered as he lifted his head, “stop this farce. Just leave me be.”
“Hear me out, and then I will leave.”
“There is nothing to be said,” Torin growled and slammed a fist onto the onyx. Okay, so maybe the rage was still there too. “Stop tormenting me!”
“The fuck I will, Torin!” I screeched. “I'm coming up there right now, and if you don't let me in, I'm going to use my traveling stone!”
I stomped into the castle before Torin could say anything else. Fairies jumped out of my way as I tromped through the hallways with intensity. All avoided me except for Sara, my old maid. She stepped into my path and held out her hand for the guitar. I paused to give her a smile and the guitar.
“Don't stop until he listens to you,” she said sternly.
“I won't,” I promised and ran up the stairs.
Torin had the entire top floor of Onyx Castle to himself, but there were usually a few fairies around, doing domestic chores. At the moment, it was deserted. No one tried to stop me from seeing Torin because no one was there. I strode down the corridor, boots echoing like a battle-cry, mentally going through a list of songs that would be perfect for blasting down a door. I know I said I'd use my traveling stone, but that would mean jumping home, then back here again since the stone could only be used to travel through the Veil. But as I reached Torin's bedroom, he opened the door himself. Then stood in the doorway, barring my entry.
“I don't care what your excuse is,” he snarled at me.
“Not even that it was completely out of my control?” I snarled back.
“Fucking another man was out of your control?” His eyes flashed, losing their dullness.
“Yes!” I shrieked, startling him enough to shut up. “I've been trying to tell you that. Why won't you listen for five fucking minutes?”
“Because unless you were enchanted, there's no possible way for your body to have been out of your control,” he snapped.
I lifted my brows and just stared at him.
“You were enchanted?” He whispered.
“I still am!” I nearly stomped my foot, I was so frustrated. “Gods damn you, Torin! I love you! Do you truly believe that
I would ride off in the middle of the night and go fuck Declan if I was in my right mind?”
Torin took a step back and waved me into the room. My heart began to race as I went forward, pausing when I came abreast of him. Torin's jaw clenched, and he looked away, clearly not ready to touch me. But at least he was listening. I hurried past him and took a seat in one of the chairs before the fireplace. There was a stack of wood in the cold hearth, dust coating the bark. I sang a quick line from The Cult's “Fire Woman,” and the logs burst into flames.
“I was enjoying the cold,” Torin said crisply as he took the chair across from mine.
“Yeah, I can see that.” I sighed. “Torin, didn't Quinlan tell you what he discovered in his investigation?”
“I...” Torin frowned. “I remember him saying something to me about a spell, but I wasn't really listening.”
“Evidently not,” I muttered.
“Quinlan has always had an affection for you,” Torin huffed. “Anything he said was biased.”
“He examined me as an unbiased alchemist.” I rolled my eyes. “You know that no matter what he thinks of me, Quinlan wouldn't lie to you; you're his king.”
“Tell me then,” Torin grumbled. “What spell was Quinlan investigating?”
“When I killed Thomas, he threw his magic at me—the spell he was using to bind the sirens to him. It's called the Rooster Spell.”
“Rooster?” Torin whispered.
“Yeah, you remember the crowing,” I huffed. “The magic was nearly as cold then as you are now. It needed lovers, and it compelled me to take more than one. Don't you remember how crazy things were earlier that night? How I practically attacked you, and then freaked out?”
“It was unusual,” he conceded. “You're saying that this spell forced you to leave my bed and go to Declan?”
“I was out of my mind,” I said. “I didn't come back to myself until after the magic was sated. It happened to be right when you walked in.”