Page 14 of Buzz Kill (Smoke & Mirrors Tavern #7)

Chapter fourteen

DECLAN

The attack on the village ultimately failed but not without a few losses. The village and the mansion were a mess and while Alwin’s training with the servants paid off, it had still only been a few weeks and there were many injuries. The one that seemed to be pissing Al off the most, though, was mine.

The elf’s expression hadn’t changed exactly but he was radiating some extremely ragey vibes. The look on his face was cold as frost, but I’d bet anything his blood was boiling. Now that the enemy was defeated, all that anger was directed right at me, and I couldn’t even defend myself.

A wet, gurgling cough broke through my lips and the coppery taste of blood filled my mouth. It didn’t matter how many times I died, that taste always made me cringe. Good thing I hadn’t tried to defy my family by becoming a vampire. The menu was gross.

“Why did you do that?” Alwin finally demanded.

I couldn’t answer him and he had to know that. My chest was a mess. I didn’t dare look down, but based on the way it felt, there was nothing there but crushed bones and mangled flesh. The only reason I was still clinging to consciousness was because the curse didn’t allow me to escape. There wouldn’t be much point if I wasn’t awake to feel the pain overwhelming me or the panic that always hit when I felt my life slipping away. Even if I knew the curse would bring me back, the panic still hit every time. Kind of like Al seemed to be seconds from flipping out even though he knew I wouldn’t stay dead.

But Alwin had put himself in the line of fire to protect me once again and I couldn’t let him be the one who took the hit from that club. Even if I could fight, there was no deflecting that giant’s swing. And if Alwin had sustained this kind of damage a healing charm probably wouldn’t be enough to save him. He was mad again, but it wasn’t like I had a choice. Was there a chance he could have avoided the hit? Maybe. But what if he hadn’t? It wasn’t the kind of thing you could just wait and see on.

Rith rushed into the room with the artifact I’d asked him to retrieve in his hand. He was covered in blood, but it seemed most of it wasn’t his and when he saw my condition his face paled. He still defaulted to his own language when he was worked up, so I didn’t catch most of what he said, but I definitely caught the “stupid” at the end. He dropped to his knees on my other side and I let my eyes fall closed to avoid their twin glares. Talk about kicking a guy when he’s down.

My jaw opened reflexively in an attempt to gasp in air, but my lungs were crushed and filling with blood. I didn’t have long. Fuck , I hated suffocating. The curse made the feeling drag out forever before darkness finally colored my vision. Alwin’s voice sounded strange to my ears. My name was whispered brokenly in his beautiful voice, but that couldn’t be right. Alwin was much too sensible to be that upset over something temporary. Probably just my dying brain playing tricks on me. It was kinda nice, though. If I could pretend it was real, it almost made me feel like there was someone who actually cared.

Waking up always hurt. The life-threatening injuries might be gone, but the curse didn’t just heal me and let me off the hook, it made sure I suffered through everything else. I instinctively braced for pain even before my brain was fully back online and when my eyes opened and I sucked in a breath, I expected to be hit with the agony of several broken ribs. But my lungs expanded, and only bruising and weakness remained. I touched my chest, and sure enough, Al had already used a healing charm on me before I even woke up.

The time between when I revived and opened my eyes wasn’t long. Sometimes seconds, but usually no more than fifteen minutes. And yet, Al’s head was lying on the bed next to me, both of our glamours sat on the table next to the bed, replaced by the healing charms. He must have used the charm and promptly passed out. Not that I could blame him. He’d fought a battle, commanded his troops all night, and healed both of our injuries. He had to be exhausted. But he would also need to eat.

I dragged myself out of the bed intending to head to the kitchen, but Alwin roused and grabbed for me immediately.

“What are you doing?”

“Go back to sleep, I’ll wake you when I bring back food.”

Alwin stood and cornered me against the bed. “Never do anything like that again. Do not jump into fights you are incapable of winning.”

His tone was deadly, low and serious, but clinging to that elfish calm. I didn’t dare argue, even if I would have done it again given the chance.

“Don’t jump in the path of giant spiked clubs and I promise I’ll stay out of the way, deal?”

“I can handle myself in a fight. You end up dying every time you step in. Those two things are not the same.”

There was a frostiness to his tone that he usually only used on enemies. I never heard it directed at me anymore and I felt my heart drop. He must really be sick of dealing with me. Who wouldn’t be? I was useless. I couldn’t use magic in a fight, couldn’t help, couldn’t defend myself. Couldn’t even get us home.

My eyes fell to my hands as I fiddled with the sleeves of the robe I’d been dressed in. My clothes were no doubt ruined again.

“Yeah, ok,” I conceded. “I’ll be right back.”

I rushed out of the room and headed swiftly for the kitchen, rubbing at the pain in my chest. Strange that my injuries should be mostly healed but that deep ache had showed up suddenly and now it wouldn’t go away.

Rith was in the kitchen with two other demons, putting together a tray of food. He’d changed clothes, but there was still a gash running down one arm. The other two seemed uninjured but the kitchen was unusually quiet.

“What are you guys doing?” I asked. “Go tend to the injured. Why isn’t your arm bandaged?”

Rith’s eyes snapped my way. “Sit,” he ordered.

I waved him off. “I’m fine, just a little dizzy. Al healed me. Where are the bandages? I’ll wrap your arm.”

Rith gestured to the tray of food. “Eat.”

“Take care of yourselves first, I could’ve found us something to eat. Where is everyone?”

The demons finally led me to another room where they were treating the injured and while it could have been a lot worse, it was hard to see these little servants bruised and bloody. But they’d successfully thwarted an attack without the help of the oppressive guards that used to bully them. While they were not in great shape, they were certainly in good spirits.

I pushed Rith down into one of the free seats and accepted the balm and bandages that were offered. Rith frowned at me as I worked on him.

“Al was mad,” he informed me.

My chest squeezed. “Yeah, I know. But he’s alive, so I can live with that.”

Once his arm was wrapped, he pulled out the artifact and set it on the table in front of me. “One of them tried to take it, but I fought him.”

Rith was only a kid. Maybe twelve or thirteen if I had to compare him to human years. I’d thought sending him away to protect the artifact would keep him out of danger, but instead I’d just sent him off to fight alone.

“I’m sorry.”

He tilted his head in confusion. “I won.”

My lips twitched. He didn’t understand what I was apologizing for. He was simply proud that he’d learned to fight the demons that caused him so much trouble in the past.

I ruffled his messy hair. “You did good. Thank you.”

The little demon shot me an annoyed look as he straightened his hair, but he couldn’t quite smother his smile. I picked up the artifact and headed for the kitchen, but I didn’t make it two steps before I came to an abrupt halt and looked down at the stone in my hand.

It was still depleted, but something was different. If I hadn’t been touching the thing every waking moment for the last few weeks I might not have noticed, but my sole focus was on fixing the mess I’d made and getting Alwin home. I’d examined every inch of the spell and I knew its weight and feel like it was a part of my body by this point. The stone itself wasn’t actually heavier, but it felt like it was more somehow. It wasn’t something I could easily explain to someone who couldn’t use magic, but it was kind of like how small you feel when you stand before a powerful ocean with its crashing waves, or beneath the vast sky when it’s filled with stars as far as you can see. The stone was no bigger than my fist, and yet, I suddenly felt like it held immense power, even if it couldn’t be reached right now. It was like it had been touched by the tiniest hint of a spark before it died out again and only an echo remained.

“Rith, what exactly happened with the artifact? Tell me everything from the moment I sent you away.”

The little demon talked as I carried the food tray back to Alwin and the most notable thing that happened was the demon he fought actually did get the stone away from him, but Rith immediately cut off his hand. It was a while longer before he was able to defeat his enemy, retrieve the stone from the ground and return to find me dying again.

Most notably, the stone had been left sitting in a puddle of blood while Rith finished his fight. I’d already tried to activate the stone with blood, of course. It was more commonly a witch thing, but plenty of spells used blood as the trigger, and while I didn’t know how to cast magic, I was still a sorcerer and my blood held power. But the damn thing hadn’t reacted at all. Maybe the key was to leave it steeping in blood? Maybe I hadn’t used enough.

When we returned to the room, I woke Alwin and dragged him to the table before swiping a small dish and a knife. He didn’t even have time to question me before I’d set the stone in the dish, sliced open my arm and added my blood to the mix.

Alwin jumped to his feet. “That cut is too deep.”

“It’s fine. I need a good amount of blood for this, so it has to be a deep cut.”

“You said you already tried blood and it didn’t work.

“That was before Rith got it to react, so I’m trying again.”

Blood was only one of the possibilities, but it was the easiest to replicate. However after several minutes of bleeding all over the stone until the dish was overflowing, it didn’t react at all.

“Fuck,” I grumbled.

Alwin pulled my arm away and pressed some weird mossy herb to the wound to stop the bleeding before wrapping it tightly in bandages.

“I’m fine, just eat.”

The elf dragged me to the table and pushed me into a chair.

“Leave it. Once you start working on the stone you’ll forget about everything else until you pass out. Eat first.”

It wasn’t until I’d worked my way through half a plate that he asked what happened. Rith told him the story again and I explained the difference in the feel of the stone once he’d returned it.

“I’ll keep working on it. At least I have a few ideas now but testing them out might take some time.”

Alwin nodded and turned his attention to Rith. “We will work on defensive techniques once you’ve healed.” When it became clear Rith didn’t fully understand his statement, Alwin clarified. “More training.”

That Rith understood and he eagerly nodded before leaving to check on the others. Once he was gone it took a long moment before I noticed Al was staring.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

The elf pulled his chair closer and turned, making it far harder to avoid that penetrating gaze. “Did you even consider Acacia’s offer at Prescott Manor? Why didn’t you push me and allow her to protect you?”

This again? I huffed a laugh. “Can you imagine being married to that bitch? No, thank you.”

“Declan.” There was a touch of warning in his tone that told me he was demanding a serious answer for once. “Why did you jump in here with me?”

I focused on the weird, spiny little fruits on my plate like they were the most interesting thing ever. “Does it matter?”

Al didn’t answer, he just waited me out in that way that told me he’d sit there all night just to pry answers out of me.

I sighed. “Look, I realize I’ve been more of a burden than a help here and I’ve made you protect me over and over. I’ve caused you nothing but trouble, I admit that. If you want the truth, in that moment when it was a choice between walking through hell with you or living in the lap of luxury with my family, there was no choice at all. I didn’t consider it for even a second. The only thing I thought about at all was how to get us out of that room alive. And maybe I made the wrong choice, but in that moment, I didn’t know what else to do. They wouldn’t have killed me, but I don’t know what they would have done to you. Those people taught me over and over that there are so many things worse than death and I couldn’t let you end up in their hands. I couldn’t let them—“

I sucked in a breath when Al stepped between my legs. He pulled me to my feet and when I looked up at him, our faces were so close they were nearly touching. Since our first day here Al had been training the demons while I worked on the artifact nonstop, falling asleep at the desk more often than not. While I always woke in the same bed as Alwin, I’d assumed what happened in the bathing pool was a one-time deal. But now he was so close. Staring at me so intently. I couldn’t be misinterpreting his intentions, could I?

I arched an eyebrow teasingly. “Does this mean I’m forgiven, or am I being punished? Don’t get me wrong, I’m up for either, just wanted to clarify.”

He sealed my mouth with a kiss that took possession of my whole being, though I still wasn’t sure what the answer to my question was. Maybe a bit of both. My hands immediately went to work on the many buckles on his leather armor while a simple tug at my robe had me nearly naked in a second. The fabric fell off my shoulders and settled in the crook of my elbows while I was still struggling to peel off his armor.

Piece by piece his clothing fell to the ground until he stood gloriously before me in nothing but simple leather pants. My fingers traced his abs, worshipping the lines of every muscle. I panted as his hands roamed my body, sliding up my thighs, tracing my hips. I shivered under his masterful touch.

“Al, please.” The words sounded desperate even to my ears.

The elf dropped to his knees and took me into my mouth. My hands tangled in his long, blond hair and the sounds that spilled from my own lips almost made me blush, but just like last time my mouth started running without my permission and breathy little whimpered words that didn’t sound like me at all made Al look up at me with blue fire in his eyes.

“Fuck, you’re so beautiful,” I blurted.

His expression changed in an instant and I knew I was in trouble.

ALWIN

For most of my life I avoided people like Declan, the ones that unsettled my inner calm. I considered them a nuisance best ignored. But though Declan shook my composure and tested my control unlike anyone else, I found it strangely addictive.

Unable to take another second of his mouth, I turned him and bent him over his worktable as I stretched him open. One of the demons had provided me with a small jar of oil when we woke from our healing sleep, and it had taken me until now to realize what it was for. I pulled the jar from my pouch and poured some on my fingers before stretching Declan further. He made a surprised sound that turned into a loud moan as I pressed against his prostate. At least for the moment, words escaped him.

It wasn’t that no one had ever called me beautiful before. On the contrary I received comments on my appearance even in Faerie where my features didn’t stand out. And in the human world I’d quickly learned that merely glamouring my ears wasn’t enough. My human visage muted my skin and hair as well, dulling them to blend in, and even so I was approached by interested humans regularly.

Fortunately my personality seemed to drive off any interested suitors rather quickly. All of them, except Declan. Even Aiden had his issues with the way I am, but Declan hadn’t been fazed by my cold demeanor or my looks for a moment. When he called me beautiful, it felt like it meant something different than when anyone else said those words to me.

Declan was frustrating and reckless. He had no regard for his own safety, and I wasn’t sure that he even registered threats properly anymore. But he was also extremely intelligent, and steadfast in his adherence to his ideals, even in the face of danger. Despite my earliest assumptions, I found myself with a deep respect for him, even if I didn’t necessarily agree with the way he went about things.

How that respect had translated to me bending him over the desk and taking control of his body, I wasn’t sure. That was the worst part. I found myself doing things around him I would never normally do. He made me question myself, but not enough to stop when I was so close to claiming what I wanted.

Declan pushed his hips back, searching for more and I finally slicked myself up and pressed inside. He sucked in a breath, fingers tightening where they were wrapped around the end of the desk. The urge to shove myself inside him and leave my mark was there, but I refused to be another person that hurt him. I moved slowly, allowing him to adjust as I inched forward until my hips pressed against him.

He moaned deeply and I buried my face in the back of his neck as the sound threatened my control. I wanted nothing more than to drive inside him hard and fast until it was the only sound he could make. But I couldn’t. Not yet. He was too human for me to behave so recklessly.

After a moment, Declan pushed to his elbows to shove back against me. I wrapped one arm around his chest and hooked my hand over his shoulder, driving myself as deep as I could over and over until his legs were shaking. Seeing that he could barely stand, I turned him around and carried him to the bed. His lips traced kisses up and down my neck until I set him down and he sprawled out before me, his eyes glassy, his lips swollen from his teeth. Fuck, you’re so beautiful. The echoed thought didn’t leave my mouth but never had anything rang so true as those words in that moment.

Unable to wait another second, I slid back inside him, pushing one leg back against his chest as I leaned over to seal his lips with mine. Declan’s eager tongue tangled with mine, muffling his whimpering moans.

He reached for his cock and a strange urge came over me. I took his hand and pinned it to the bed, unwilling to share what was mine. Even if it was just for the moment, I couldn’t ignore the possessiveness that told me his body belonged to me, those reactions were mine alone, his pleasure was for only me to provoke.

Declan’s whine turned into a groan as I took him in my hand and stroked in time with my thrusts. His legs wrapped around my waist and he tore his mouth away to let out a series of curses.

His reaction sent shivers up my spine and when his body tensed as he pulsed in my hand, I was pulled over the edge as well. I pressed inside as deep as I could go as my orgasm rushed through me and a deep groan escaped my lips before I collapsed on top of him.

Declan’s limbs went limp and fell to the bed. Even as I crushed him beneath me, unable to find the will to move, he didn’t complain. Instead, one lazy hand came up and his fingers traced patterns on the bare skin of my shoulder. Tingles rushed over my skin under his touch and I shivered again, my breath rushing out of me as tension released from my shoulders.

My eyes grew too heavy to keep open and while I knew I should get off of him, I didn’t manage it before sleep took me.