by Serena Nova
“Good, you both are here.” I waved them towards the sofa. They sat next to each other, keeping space between them.
“First.” I looked at DeeDee and Lena, they both looked at me, questions in their eyes at my grin on my face. “Banu and Astra are dating, this will be something between us,” I started. I heard Astra gasp, and Banu growled. “Ah, hush, ladies. It is a good thing, and if we want to keep this a secret they should know.”
“You can’t keep this a secret from the Kings,” Banu started.
“No not them, those other Witches out here. The Kings know,” I explained.
“Wait, they know? Did you tell them?” Astra asked, she leaned towards me, her eyes narrowed.
“Yes and no. They’d already figured it out. And they promised me that you could stay here, in the Selection.” I told her, and she relaxed, Astra looked at Banu and then the others before she moved closer to Banu, leaning against her. I saw Banu freeze for a second before she relaxed and pulled Astra more against her. It made me smile, seeing them so comfortable.
“The reason why I asked you girls here is this.” I looked at them all, made eye contact before I started speaking. They needed to know that it was serious. “There are some things that I need to tell you. You know who I am and what I am. What you didn’t know, and me neither, until recently; I can talk to dead people.” I tried to smile at that. It didn’t reach my eyes. Nobody said anything, so I kept on talking. “When I rescued Astra, I talked to this little girl, Mara. She is the little sister of Flynn. Only, she died when she was twelve. She stayed here, in this world. She saw everything that Icas Nox did in that house.” I looked at Astra, who sat up straight, her hand now in Banu’s holding it. “I asked her to keep looking around, and she found out that he was draining Magical creatures, not only Witches and Elementals. Everything that holds some magic.” I held up my hand towards Lena, who had opened her mouth to speak, telling her I wasn’t done. “She doesn’t know for what, or what his plan is. There was something hunting her, something that knew she was there. I told her to hide.”
“Okay, what do you need from us?” DeeDee asked. I loved those girls, they never backed down from anything, and without much question, they did everything for each other.
“I think he is planning something at the ball. I don’t know what, and I want you girls to keep an eye on Astra.” I looked at my sister. “He wanted her before, and I’m afraid he wants her again.” I could see her blue eyes go cold with the idea.
“We will keep you safe.” Banu whispered to her, and I was even more grateful that they had found each other then.
“What about you?” Lena asked, and I looked at her.
“What about me?” I didn’t know what she meant. I could keep myself safe.
“Why doesn’t he want you? No offence, As,” Astra shrugged with that, and Lena continued, “but you are more powerful than Astra is. If he is draining magical things, If I was him, I would want you.” She looked at me, an eyebrow arched. It was the same thing I had thought.
“I don’t know. Then there is something else.”
“What happened?” Astra asked, she was now leaning towards me, her eyes focused on my face. She knew me too well.
“I was on this date, with Rayan. On the roof, and I was attacked,” I started.
“Yeah?” she asked.
“The servant who helped us with the food, came in after Rayan had left. I offered to help the girl, I moved to pick up things and walked behind her towards the door. Before we reached the door, something hit me. And the servant changed after that, she became this walking dead person.” I pulled my eyebrows together at the memory. “The person who attacked me sat on the railing of the roof. He had a chain in his hands that led towards me and a blade between my shoulder blades. When I made the servant immobile, he got angry and told me how he needed to find someone else. He used magic to kill her.” I shuddered at that. “It was weird. Except it wasn’t the strangest thing. I started attacking him, and he just laughed when I hit his face. Told me it tickled. I needed to find another way to hurt him.” I looked at Astra, her blue eyes now filled with anger. “I moved closer and kissed him.” The girls gasped. “It meant that I could grab the knife on the table behind him, and I stabbed him.”
“You go, girl,” DeeDee said, while she gave me two thumbs up and a crazy smile. I chuckled a little. “I could pull the knife out of my back while he was distracted. However, the weird part was. I liked the kiss. Oh, and I slept with Averey.”
I kept still, my face had turned red a little as they all looked at me. I could see a smile starting on Astra’s face, and Banu pressed her lips together to stop smiling, too. Lena’s mouth hung open, and DeeDee gave me another thumbs up, which made me roll my eyes.
“So, you kissed this guy who wanted to kill you, and then you slept with Averey?” Astra asked, chuckling.
I shook my head. “No, the sleeping with Averey was last night, the guy trying to hurt me was two nights ago.” And this had them squealing like little girls. They totally forgot the attack, I did, too.
“How was it?” Lena asked.
I shrugged. “Amazing,” I said and blushed.
“Did it hurt?” was the next question.
“A little. Only, wow. He was so amazingly soft, sweet, and powerful.” I felt my cheeks heat up at the memory, it made me heat up in other places, too. I kept myself from rubbing my legs against each other.
“Why didn’t you start with this?” Astra asked.
“I didn’t really want to tell you girls at first. And we need to find something against Nox, and we still need to plan on how to keep you safe.” I pulled up my feet and hugged my knees.
“Only, after I saw you two sitting there, I really wanted to share it. I needed to share it. It was amazing, and I need my girls to talk about it.”
“Okay, but what are we going to do about that man who attacked you?” Banu asked, she was and would always be the level-headed one.
“Not sure. I thought I saw him today again, when I was looking for you. But I don’t know for sure. I walked into someone. That man was carrying a vase with flowers, and when he walked further, I saw this short black hair. It was the same as the man who attacked me. I’m not even sure it was him.” I got up from the sofa and started pacing the room. “It was only a glimpse, and I walked after him, but couldn’t find him again.” I looked at the girls.
“Maybe it was just a servant who looked like him, or his hair. You just got attacked by him, you’re just jumpy,” DeeDee said. I nodded at her, that must be it.
“Okay, still. Tomorrow is the ball. I want you girls on high alert. And I want all three of you close to Astra. If Nox wants her, he will try to take her. We aren’t letting that happen.”
“I can fight, too,” Astra said. I moved towards her and lowered to my knees in front of her.
“I know, As, you are strong and can handle whatever comes at you. I just need to know you are protected and safe. It sounded like he was planning something big, and I can’t worry about you and look out for myself. And I have the Kings,” I told her and squeezed her hands. She nodded at me, understanding dawning on her face.
“What are you going to do now?” DeeDee asked.
“Not sure. Cian gave me my Great-Grandmother’s journal, I think I will be reading that some more, and trying to find out how the Gate was opened. And then sleep. There isn’t much I can do. Icas should be at his own house, and I can’t go there again. And I don’t want to tell the Kings anything yet, we don’t have solid proof.”
“Okay, we will protect Astra, keep an eye out for trouble, and go searching for more information tonight,” Banu said while she got up, her hand wrapped around Astra’s.
“DeeDee, Lena,” she said to them, her voice strong. “I want you both to go and search the ballroom, I want to know what hiding places there are, if there are spots where you have a full view of the room, and spots that could lead to blind spots. I need to know where the food comes from, the musi
cians, and how many servants there will be. A full report in two hours, please.” I looked at her, impressed.
“Yes, sir,” Lena and DeeDee said together and moved out of the room. I looked at Banu again, that amazing woman who had made sure I would feel at ease at that ball the next day. Her short black hair reached her ears, and her grey eyes shone with so much brightness it made me wonder what she saw when she looked at me.
“Give me an update in two hours, too. And if there are changes, let me know.” She nodded and moved with Astra towards the door.
“Banu,” I called after her. “Thank you, and stay with Astra no matter what,” I told her. She nodded and looked over at Astra, as love filled her eyes. It made me breathe a little better, knowing that she would be safe. They left together, leaving me alone in my room.
It wasn’t late yet, so I moved towards the bedroom and grabbed the journal. I sat back on the sofa and started reading.
“We had this amazing ball. Everyone was invited, and my men were there. I got to introduce them to the world; the men who would help me rule this world. It was the happiest day of my life.”
Seraphina had kept on talking about the ball for a few more pages, nothing really came up. Until I read the word bonded.
“They are my Natural Bonded, and these four men will be mine tonight. It will be amazing, the first time we will share each other. The first time they will share me. Everyone thinks that the Bonding ceremony is about the words you speak. It is so much more; the real bonding begins when you choose to be with each other. And the night, staying together it isn’t all about the sex, it is about the love we feel for each other. The love that makes us one, that makes us stronger.”
I closed the journal for a moment, looked up and stared at the ceiling. Not really seeing anything, just letting my mind wander. If the bonding wasn’t all about the ceremonies, why did they hold them? A thought popped into my mind, making me sit up straight. Seraphina said it wasn’t about the sex, it just sounded like it was a part of the whole bonding thing. Does this mean I’m bonded with Averey?
I shook my head at the thought, no I can’t be. I liked him, I had feelings for him. For all of them. Only, to say I love them? No, that was something that wasn't there. It could have been, but for now, it was like, not love.
I opened the journal again and read more. She had mostly talked about being Queen, her males, and how amazing they were. It had given me a good idea of what kind of person my Great-Grandmother had been. Kind, harsh, and forgiving. She had wanted to do her best for the people around her even, if it meant sacrificing her own life and that of the men she had loved deeply. That was for sure, she would have gone through fire to save them. Would I? I didn’t want to answer my own question, because I knew I would have. Before my thoughts could go further towards that, somebody knocked at the door.
“Yes?” I asked, looking towards the door. Banu walked in. She had a tray with food with her. She placed it in front of me on the coffee table. “Oh, girl, thank you,” I said and got up.
“I thought you could use some food,” she said and stepped back. She then took the standard Protector position in front of me, legs a spread a little and her hands behind her back.
“Isa, we couldn’t find anything strange with the ballroom, and we checked all the servants. I sent DeeDee to keep an eye on the servants more closely, see if she would find something wrong with them.”
“Mmh, okay. And any strategic points in the ballroom that we need to cover?” I asked her.
“Yes, there are two blind spots, one is the corner behind the musicians, there is a door. But it is half covered by a curtain. And second are the doors that lead to the garden. There are too many blind spots in the garden.”
I nodded at that. “Go tell the chief that we need more Protectors overlooking the garden, and that we want that door covered as well.” Banu nodded at that.
“What do I tell them?” she asked me. I understood what she meant. She was a nobody here, and nobody would really listen to her.
“Tell them I said so. Use my name if need be, and if nobody listens, send them here. Or ask Liv to help you. She knows who I am,” I told her and picked up the journal.
“Isa?” Banu asked softly. I looked up at her.
“Yes.”
“Are you truly okay, with me and Astra?” She had moved to a more relaxed posture, her hands now in front of her, and her fingers were fidgeting.
“Banu, I will always be okay with what makes you and Astra happy. If that’s each other, then it is that. If it is with someone else, also, fine, as long as you both are happy.” I smiled at her.
“Thanks, I always liked her, a lot,” Banu said, a smile on her face. It took one second before my smile widened, I had never seen her smile like that. In that moment, she had looked younger than she ever looked.
“Be good to her,” I said before Banu walked out of the door.
I heard her answer me. “I will protect her with my life, Isa, don’t worry.” And with that, she closed the door, leaving me alone again.
I sighed and looked outside, the sun was already down, and the night would consume the world in seconds. That next day would be long, I picked up the plate with food and ate some. After I had finished my plate, I moved to the bedroom, changed, jumped into bed, and fell asleep right away, only to dream about black hair, tattoos, and lips that softly caressed my body.
29
My eyes flew open when I felt something heavy move next to me. I kept still, pushing out my magic, I just didn’t expect to feel Averey next to me. I breathed out and let myself relax.
“What in the purple kitten’s name are you doing here?” I asked him when I turned around to look at the male that was lying next to me, his bare chest right in my face. I needed to keep myself in check, so I didn’t start licking it. Oh, his chest, every man should have one like his.
I looked up at his face, a smirk on his lips. “I couldn’t sleep,” he said casually.
“And that gave you the right to move into my bed?” I asked him while I narrowed my eyes at him, trying to be angry at him and failing miserably.
“Yes.” His face turned even more smug. “You didn’t complain last night.” That had me sitting upright, and I looked at him.
“Last night?” I asked. He laughed aloud. If he was more in tune with the earth, the castle would have shook with his laughter.
“Yes. I came in and got in the bed, you turned towards me, mumbled something, and carried on sleeping.”
My eyebrows must have flown off my face by then. “I did not!” I threw my hands up, trying to cover the fact that I maybe had. Only, I thought I had dreamt it. He chuckled.
“Sweetheart, you totally did. You even said. What was it?” He tapped his chin, his eyes twinkling. “Oh yeah, that you already missed something long and hard.” He winked at me, and my face flushed.
“I never said that, I said I missed you, not your dick. Don’t get them confused!” I squealed at him. He laughed at that again, and I crossed my arms, fuming that he had gotten me to repeat what I had said the night before, acknowledging that I knew he had been there. I eyed the pillow in front of me, grabbed it, and smashed him hard.
He oomphed, and I hit him again, the next moment I was hit back by a pillow, too. I hadn’t seen him grabbing his. We started fighting with the pillows. When he knocked me over with a hard smash against my head, I laughed. He jumped on top of me and started kissing my face.
“Stop, Averey. Stop.” I laughed even harder. He stopped and looked at me, his grey eyes soft, and I needed to swallow the lump that existed in my throat. He lowered towards me, his eyes focused on my mouth, and I licked my lips. His eyes heated up, and I could feel something grow harder against my stomach.
His lips touched mine, softly. And I moaned a little at the feel of his lips against mine. He pushed his cock against my core, and I groaned. He moved his hands towards mine, holding them above my head, he kissed me deeper, his tongue moving around. I moved my legs aro
und his hips, pulling him closer towards me, pressing him against my center. I moved against him, which made him groan into my mouth. I could feel the rumble of it in his chest pressed against mine.
“Are you two done playing?” I heard someone ask. I knew it was Rayan, I could feel his magic. I didn’t react at all towards him. I slowly kept moving against Averey. It made his breathing come faster. I could hear Rayan move towards us. I broke away from Averey to look at him. His eyes were filled with lust, making my own body react to him. My magic reached out to him, wrapping around him. He moved towards us, his eyes lowered to my mouth and stayed there. I watched him as he bent down and kissed me softly. A sweet kiss from my sweet King. He pulled back and smiled at me.
“Come on, you have to get ready for the ball tonight. And Averey needs to rule a world.” Rayan gave me another quick kiss, before he moved towards the door. I growled at him, for reminding me of the ball that night. Rayan moved out of the bedroom, but before he left the room, he yelled back, “Your dress was finished, it is in the living room!” And then the door closed.
I turned my head back, towards Averey who was still on top of me. I searched his eyes for a second before I said, “You aren’t going to introduce me as a Protector, right?” He softly shook his head.
“Purple balls,” I swore at him, and he cracked a grin.
“You really love swearing with purple,” he said.
I rolled my eyes and answered. “Yeah, love the colour, and if you don’t move it will be the colour of your balls,” I growled out.
Hurt flickered through his silver-grey eyes, they dimmed. And it made me freeze.
“I didn’t mean it like that. Sorry,” I started. “I like you, the ball not so much, and being Queen, it isn’t for me. You guys need to know that. I’m not Queen material.” I gave him a quick kiss on the lips, his smile returning to his face.
He nuzzled closer, kissing up my neck before he whispered into it, “It’s okay, sweetheart. We will be there for you.” He kissed my earlobe and moved away. I wanted to hold on to him and stay there for the rest of my life. Averey walked over towards his pants. He hadn't slept naked next to me, which I found kind of disappointing.