by Joshua King
"Aurora said it felt like she was being led for the three of you to split up and go through the fortress by yourselves."
Stephana nodded.
"That's exactly how it felt. Like we were being pulled apart."
"Next time you feel like you're being pulled apart by a creepy-ass place like this – don't go along with it."
"Words to live by."
I made my way over to the nearest wall and ran my hands over it, trying to find a door or opening where she might have entered.
"When you got into the fortress, how did you end up in here? What is this place?"
"I have no idea. It's some sort of pit. I ran into the building and immediately had to fight some of the guards. I thought I got through them, but everything went black and I woke up here. I wanted to keep the light on, but didn't want to get anyone's attention."
"You didn't fall through the ceiling?"
"Not that I know of."
I looked up and looked at the jagged edges of the hole where I'd fallen through.
"This place is a bit of a fixer-upper. I sure hope the Dark Fae King got a good discount on it."
"Where are the others?"
"We still haven't found Ashe. The King knows we're here and sent his guards."
I gave her a fast version of what happened since I had gotten into the fortress while continuing to make my way around the pit's walls.
"How do we get out of here? We have to get back to them."
"There are no doors or other tunnels. I don't even know how you got in here much less how we're going to get out."
I tried to find a grip on the wall, but my foot slipped.
"The only way we're going to get out of here is where you came through, but it doesn't look like we're going to be able to scramble up the walls."
"I think there's only one option."
My eyes slid over to her.
"What do you mean?"
"We have to go up. That's the only option we have right now unless you happen to have also stolen a spoon and you want to dig our way out. There's only one way, but I'm going to need your help."
Stephana's eyes met mine. She knew exactly what I was talking about.
"Here?"
I stepped up closer to her.
"Do you have a better plan?"
She grinned.
"Even if I did, do you think I would argue with this one?"
Our mouths met and immediately my desire for the woman grew. I'd been getting accustomed to the constant level of lust and arousal around my women, but the speed and intensity with which it grew was still surprising to me. Just a simple touch was enough to make nothing else in the world exist beyond the woman in my arms and my need for her. The situation was a touch awkward considering we were down in a pit and part of me was just waiting for a stream of guards to figure it out and start dropping down on us. The more of Stephana I tasted, however, the less I cared. In fact, as her tongue tangled with mine and her hands worked the button and zipper on the front of her pants, the adrenaline of what was happening spiked through me. Danger crushed in around us, but I wanted that next touch, that next heightening of sensation between our bodies. It made every second of contact more intense and increased my craving for her even more.
Stephana's pants opened and I eased them down her hips so they dropped down and pooled at her ankles. My fingers slipped between her thighs and found the delicious heat of her opening. She wasn't quite ready for me yet, but I knew that was easy to change. Turning my hand, I pressed the pads of my fingers over her entrance and used my thumb to brush over her clit. There was a hint of resistance and I took my hand away to lick my thumb before tucking it back into place. The moisture helped my thumb glide across her delicate tissues as I guided Stephana back against the wall. Her hand was still out to her side, the blue flame cupped in her palm.
"Put the flame out," I murmured in her ear before nipping her earlobe and sucking it into my mouth. "I don't want you burning yourself. Or me."
I paused my hand where it was long enough for her to reach over and extinguish the flame. She tucked the object away in her pocket and leaned back against the wall, her mouth opening as it searched for mine. Catching her lips again, I kissed her deeply for several seconds, building the heat between us with the exploration of my tongue. Her body heated beneath my touch and soon her silky fluids washed across my palm. I gathered them with my fingertips and used them to explore her delicate folds and petals. Her eyes closed and she whimpered, her hands searching for my pants. As soon as she released the button and zipper of my pants, I took her by her hips and turned her around so she leaned with both hands on the wall in front of her. Guiding her hips back toward me, I used my foot to ease Stephana's apart to open her up more to me. Pushing my pants down away from my hips, I wrapped my hand around my engorged staff and stroked it several times to make it even harder.
Stephana rocked her hips in invitation and I touched the head of my cock to her wet heat. Grabbing her shoulder with one hand to hold her steady, I slammed into her, sinking deep and holding in that position to savor the feeling of her body surrounding mine. She arched her back, groaning loudly as I filled her. I wanted to slam into her as fast as my body was able, but I reminded myself the entire purpose of this was to give me the calm and control needed to bring my magic forward. The only time I'd been able to use the magic to cause us to float once before, and when I achieved it, I was calm and controlled, fully relaxed and connected with myself and Stephana. I had to get to that point again.
Closing my eyes to focus completely on what I was feeling, I found a steady, even rhythm. Stephana gave her body over to me, letting me regulate our movements and speed without trying to gain any control. The calm started to take over, relaxing my body and taking away the edge of the adrenaline and anger that coursed through me as I faced the Fae guards. Just as my body was starting to tense, the rush of my impending orgasm contracting my muscles, the ground beneath us felt less solid. I tried not to think about it too much, concentrating instead on the pleasure building through me. As Stephana moaned and whimpered, I wrapped my arm around her waist, kissing along her back as I held her tight to me. Just as we rose up into the sky, she cried out and the tightening of her walls around me pushed me over the edge. My head fell back, and I let out a groan as I poured into her. The waves of intense pleasure lifted us into the air, and I felt the last of my climax shudder through me at the same moment my head rose up through the break in the floor and I felt a hand grab the back of my shirt.
4
Knowing I was the only thing between Stephana staying up in the air and crashing back down into the pit, I held onto her as tightly as I could, resisting the urge to turn and thrash against the hand holding me. Being grabbed startled me, shaking me out of the calm concentration, and Stephana and I started sinking. The grip tightened and a hard yank stopped me.
"No, Hayden. We're not doing that again. Get up here."
It was Bex's voice. Reaching up, I grabbed onto his arm and let him help me up over the edge of the hole so I could pull Stephana up after me. We quickly straightened our clothes and I turned to Bex.
"Thanks," I said.
"Glad to return the favor. But that's it. We're not doing another reversal. I'm done with the whole dangling precariously shit."
"Agreed."
Stephana leapt forward into my arms and I gathered her close, finally allowing myself to feel relief at finding her now that I knew she was safe. When we parted, Aurora crouched down and kissed me.
"No fair letting her go for a second round. I want my turn on the new fun ride."
I laughed and ran my fingers through her hair, pulling her in for another kiss.
"I promise you will get one when it's not a life or death situation."
"I'm going to hold you to that."
"What's going on with the guards? What happened while we were down there?"
"Most of the guards who came after us have been destroyed. There are still some left,
but we managed to get away from them."
"Have you figured out how to get to the king's collection?"
"We have to go back the way we came," Bex told me. "It's the only way that makes sense. They were trying to keep us from getting out, so we need to just keep pushing in that direction and eventually we'll find our way through."
"The room we were in when the king spoke to us. We need to go back there."
"Why?"
"We didn't hear his voice at all the entire time we were here fighting the guards, but then we got into that room and suddenly he was talking to us. That has to mean something. He didn't like that we found that room. That tells me we were getting too close for his comfort. We need to get through that room. That's how we'll find the center of the fortress."
The sound of the guards' footsteps in the distance guided us back through the halls and soon we were back in the large room, facing off against the small cluster of survivors.
A startled yell from one of them alerted the larger group and I rushed at him before he could move. Allowing the rage to burst through me, my fist crunched into his jaw and sent him flying backward several yards. I spun to face the next guard and blasted him with a magical thrust in the chest that sent him into two guards behind him. All three hit the ground hard and Bex dove after them, incapacitating them before they could stand.
Aurora sidled up to my shoulder and together we made a wall that pushed into the oncoming group. Briefly Aurora was knocked back and the rage built in me so quickly I barely recognized my own movements as they happened. A guard had kicked her hard in the chest and I zeroed in on his leg, kicking the kneecap directly. I felt it crack under my foot and there was a cry of surprise and intense pain as he clutched his leg and dropped to the ground. I lifted my foot above his head and came crashing down on the back of his neck, using my vampire strength to send him diving into the floor. Bones crunched underneath my foot as his skull cracked on the concrete.
Spinning around I saw Aurora and Stephana now back to back, fighting off attackers, and Bex darting around the room, flying under fists and spears and making guards run into each other. I joined him and he began funneling confused spearmen toward me. One caught my arm with his weapon, and it tore into my flesh, sending a white-hot line of pain through my vision. I looked down and saw it was stuck all the way through my arm. Thinking quickly, I grabbed the wooden handle and snapped it in two, tossing away the long wooden piece. Grabbing the pointed end of the spear, I held onto the wall for balance and yanked it the rest of the way through my arm. The pain was so intense I thought I might lose consciousness, but as soon as it was out, I felt my body repairing itself.
A guard came barreling my way and I casually raised a hand to send a magical blast that nearly removed his head. His body skidded to a halt by my feet as I centered myself and looked down at my arm. The blood had stained my clothes and there was a visible mark where the spear had entered and exited, but otherwise it was fine. I moved it around a few times experimentally. It hurt, but it would do.
I spun around just in time to see one of the last remaining guards, charging me, his hands reaching for my throat. I caught him and sent him crashing into the wall behind me. The rage, which had ebbed and flowed as I needed it, suddenly surged and I could think of nothing but inflicting damage. I bent my head forward and bit into his throat, tearing away flesh and spitting it on the ground. Blood rained down on me as it spurted from his veins and he crumpled to his feet, his dying breaths spent trying to hold his body together. I looked around me to see my group staring at me, the ground littered with unmoving or barely moving bodies.
I'd barely gotten a chance to let out the breath I'd been holding as the last guard fell when the king's voice boomed around us again.
"You are proving to be much more difficult to get rid of than I expected. You must be worthier warriors than I thought. Those were some of my best guards. But, no bother. There are plenty more where they came from. There will always be plenty more."
The sentiment didn't sit well with me.
"What do you mean there will always be plenty more?" I shouted.
I didn't actually know if there was any reason to shout. He could have been only a few feet away and just hiding to be dramatic, or it could be a video chat situation where even if I spoke completely normally he would be able to hear me. The deep rumble of his voice and the way it seemed to surround us, though, compelled me to blast my words at him.
"I hate to admit it, but I'm impressed by your determination. Others who have come this way didn't make it past the courtyard. If they were given the option to leave, they would have. But not you."
"No."
"Then I suppose I can grant you an audience. Come this way."
The wall at the far end of the room shifted out of place and moved to the side, creating a large doorway filled with vibrant purple light. My group exchanged glances, each of us gauging the reactions of the others but not saying anything. They didn't hesitate to fall into step behind me as I crossed the rest of the room toward the doorway. It could have been another trap. Like the king said, there were more guards, and I was sure they were at the ready. There could be another army tucked away in that purple light, just waiting to pounce on us the second we walked through the door. It was a risk we had to take.
My body tightened, bracing itself as I stepped over the threshold of the next room. Rather than being swarmed with a fresh set of guards, however, we were greeted by soft fresh air and an almost intoxicating scent. A mix of deep sweetness and vibrant spice, it was not the type of scent I would have expected to encounter in the personal chambers of the Dark Fae King. Somehow, though, that made sense. Every step of this journey had thrown us off balance a little more, keeping us unsteady and unsure so we were never quite prepared for what was next.
The purple light filled a small entryway and dissipated as another door opened and we stepped through into a larger square room. A towering ceiling and smooth floor reverberated the sound of each footstep as we approached the massive throne at the center of the room. Sitting on it was a tall, thick man with rust-colored hair that hung to his shoulders. His shirtless chest bore scars that glittered faint silver as though purposely highlighted against his skin. The tips of wings were visible above his shoulders and on either side of his waist, but no leather straps contained them. What looked like a vine twisted into a five-strand braid and dipped in gold sat on his head, marking him as the royalty we sought. Despite the pomp and circumstance of getting into the room, the king's posture was casual, almost dismissive. He leaned to one side, his elbow propped on the arm of the throne as his fingers ran through his thick beard. He looked young and yet timelessly ancient.
"So, you made it into my throne room," he said.
I suddenly felt like the wayward contestant on some children's game show from my middle school days. Pretty soon he was going to strap us into a harness, and we were going to have to sling ourselves at a Velcro wall.
"Yes."
The silence felt like it necessitated an answer, but that was all that fit the space.
"I don't usually like to admit I'm impressed by those other than my own, but you fought hard. For that, I think you deserve a reward."
Without looking, the king reached one hand to the side and gestured. A guard stepped through an unseen door, dragging something behind him. It took a few seconds for me to realize it was Ashe. Chains coiled around her arms and legs, binding her wrists and her ankles, and a gag kept her shouted protests muffled. The guard unceremoniously tossed her to the floor at our feet, gave the king a slight bow, and disappeared back through the door. We immediately ran to Ashe and I pulled the gag from her mouth.
"Hayden," she gasped.
"Are you okay? Did they hurt you?"
"I'm fine now."
It didn't exactly answer my question but the deft avoidance of what I'd actually asked gave me answer enough. The chains were securely locked and wrapped too tightly around her body for us to pull them
away. Telling the group to step back, I focused the same intense magic on the links that I had to release Stephana when she was chained in the bar. Ashe hissed at the heat of the metal against her skin, and I did my best to shield her as the metal dissolved away. Finally, there was enough space to take the chains away and I helped Ashe to her feet, gathering her against me and pulling her back away from the king.
"You know, I'm really tired of you having to rescue me," she muttered. "I think I've reached my quota for at least the next few centuries."
I glanced down at her and was relieved to see the smile on her face.
"If that's the case, then you need to stop doing things that will make you need to be rescued."
"Are you satisfied?"
The king's voice brought my attention back to him.
"What?"
"Are you satisfied with having her back? Is that enough for you? If it is, you can take her and leave the fortress now."
My hand tightened around Ashe's.
"I'm sorry," I murmured to her. "You were enough when Malakan gave me the option to save you or to find out what Aurora needed to know. When I had that choice, saving you was enough for me. It can't be this time."
"I understand. Do what you need to do."
Turning back to the king, I shook my head.
"No. It's not enough. We are here for a reason and won't back down until we've done what we came here to do."
We all expected the king to resist, but instead, he nodded.
"Very well. If that's your decision, I can't change it."
"What did you take from the Fae?"
"I'm not going to tell you that. But if you are truly as valiant and courageous as you've shown yourselves to be, then you must also be strong and resourceful. You can figure it out for yourselves."
"What do you mean? We have no idea what we're looking for. How can we possibly figure it out?"
"I will allow each of you to go into my collections and explore on your own. One at a time you can go through everything I've collected and see if you can figure out what you think I took from the Fae. If you can choose the right object, you are welcome to take it with you without resistance. But you only have a limited time."