Page 3

Ash

D rae and Blaze startled me when they landed on the balcony and strolled in as if Malvolia’s castle was their second home. They didn’t look upset after their visit with the spymaster, which was a good thing. Taking the girls, they flew off with them before I could introduce the children to my anxiously awaiting mother. They were only gone a few minutes, searching for a good landing spot for the dragons. When they returned, Ember clutched a doll to her chest and Aurora held a bag of winged toy mages they had retrieved from their nursery.

I sat on the floor with Ember and Aurora while they played, though it didn’t take long for them to tire of their toys. Aurora looked positively bored, and Ember complained the doll wasn’t as pretty as her last doll. Though the children had begged to retrieve the dragons now, I wanted them to wait for Tari to wake. I wondered how long my mate would sleep. She needed rest, but I didn’t feel comfortable waiting in this bedchamber while Flora scowled at us.

Drae and Blaze helped themselves to a buffet that the servants had brought inside, a feast of meats, cheeses, breads, and fruits that could have easily fed the town of Lupine. Helian paced the floor, his brows drawn in consternation. No doubt he was uncomfortable staying in Malvolia’s castle, especially because the bitch wanted to sink her claws into him. Malvolia had no boundaries, and I feared Tari’s reaction when she discovered her aunt was trying to seduce her mate. Though Tari’s magic was powerful, I worried about her surviving a confrontation with the bitch queen.

“Ash.” My mother knelt beside us, tucking her long, lavender robe beneath her knees. She motioned toward the girls. “Aren’t you going to introduce me?”

“Sorry, Mother.” I nudged the girls. “Meet Ember and Aurora.”

Aurora threw her toy mage on the floor, smiling at her grandmother. “Hello.” Her blue and silver eyes, framed by dark lashes, matched her grandmother’s, and their wide smiles were nearly identical, except for Aurora’s sharp canines that revealed our wolf-shifter lineage. Her wolf had a while to materialize, though. Since she was only four, she had about another eight to ten years before her body would be able to make the change.

Ember pressed against my leg, shyly batting her lashes. “Hi,” she whispered before sticking her thumb into her mouth.

My mother sat across from us, dragging her satchel beside her. “Do you know who I am?”

Aurora nodded. “Our other yaya.”

When my mother gave me a curious look, I answered. “She means ‘grandmother.’”

My mother pulled the satchel into her lap. “That’s right, your grandmother.”

Aurora sat up on her knees, peering curiously at the satchel. “What do you have, Grandmother?”

Her eyes lit with mirth. “I’ve brought you presents.”

Ember gasped, crawling into my lap.

Aurora scooted toward her grandmother, pressing against her skirts. “May we see?”

“Of course.”

My mother’s smile warmed my heart. She’d always been a kind and caring mother, even if Helian had been too hardheaded to appreciate her. I had a feeling she’d be an even better grandmother.

I didn’t miss Aurora’s look of disappointment when Mother pulled two dolls out of the satchel. Aurora preferred slingshots and toy mages, while Ember loved dolls with frilly dresses. At least she’d made one child happy.

Ember squealed, holding out her hands, her eyes widening when Mother gave her both dolls. “Oh, Grandmother. These are the most beautiful dolls I’ve ever seen!”

Both dolls had blue eyes rimmed with silver, warm complexions, and dark hair, just like Ember and Aurora.

My mother dug into her satchel again. “I thought you’d like them.”

Ember held the dolls up to her sister. “They look like us.”

Aurora frowned at the dolls, clearly not impressed.

“They do,” my mother said, “which is what makes them so beautiful.”

“I love them!” Ember squeezed the dolls to her chest. “They’re my most favorite Bethamys ever!”

My mother’s smile could’ve lit up a dreary winter. “I’m glad.” Then she pulled three toy dragons with shimmery scales out of her bag, handing them to Aurora.

Aurora’s jaw dropped. “Dragons!”

“Carved from Sirenium wood,” Mother said. “Very hard to break.”

I recognized the dragons. The largest had crimson scales. Another had golden scales and a horn on her snout. The smallest had bright orange scales and a horn, too.

Aurora lined them up in front of her from largest to smallest. “They look like Radnor, Isa, and Triss.”

My mother nodded. “They do.”

Aurora cocked her head, reminding me of a hound listening for the origin of a sound. “How’d you know what they look like?”

My mother’s cheeks flushed. “My good friend showed me them in her mists while we were still in Ventus, and then I commissioned the best cobbler to make them.”

By good friend , Mother meant her lover, Gadea, the high priestess of their temple in Ventus. Her lover had the power to scry Mother’s loved ones in her mists, though the magic wasn’t always reliable.

“What do you say, girls?” I said to them.

“Thank you, Grandmother,” they replied in unison before jumping up and throwing themselves into my mother’s arms.

Closing her eyes, Mother held them tight as tears streamed down her cheeks. “Oh, my darlings. I’ve waited so long to hold you.”

Ember kissed her grandmother’s cheek. “You’re a sweet grandmother. I love you already.”

Aurora kissed her other cheek. “You’re my favorite grandmother.”

I bit my lip, wondering if Flora was listening. Not that I cared about her feelings. From what I’d gathered, Flora wasn’t very nurturing with Aurora or her aunt Shiri, believing they would both turn evil like their Aunt Malvolia. Of course, it was a lie spun by the mindspinner, Thorin. If we ever crossed paths, I would send the bastard to hell.

The children quickly released their “favorite” grandmother to return to their new toys. I jumped to my feet and snatched an embroidered napkin off the table, handing it to my mother. She smiled her thanks while dabbing her eyes. It was then I noticed Flora scowling at us from her chair beside Derrick’s bed.

I returned her scowl with a wolf’s snarl, pleased when she looked away. I still hadn’t forgotten that she’d tried to get Thorin to take the children’s memories. That woman would have to contend with one pissed-off wolf if she dared to harm my children again.

* * *

Shiri

W HILE THE OTHERS WERE preoccupied with the children, Drae, Blaze, and I seized the opportunity to slip away. Blaze swept me into his arms, keeping stride with his brother while we flew to the seawall that protected the Fae realm from the massive waves that battered the shore. I relished the feel of the salty spray as we flew over the wall and above the violent northern waves. Though the frigid wind was biting, my bare-chested mage was always warm, thanks to the fire that heated his veins.

Several firemages swarmed the skies, searching the seas, as if they were looking for treasure. Another group dredged the waves with nets, their faces contorted as they dragged the heavy ropes.

I nudged Blaze’s side. “Are they fishing?”

He frowned. “Firemages usually don’t fish these shores. Our ships go to deeper waters.”

Drae broke away, flying toward the nearest group of mages who circled the skies above the nets. They spoke for only a few moments before Drae flew back to us. I clung to Blaze, my heart sinking at the haunted look in Drae’s eyes.

“Let’s go!” he gruffly called to us.

After we landed on the wall dividing Delfi from Windhaven, Blaze set me on my feet, latching on to my arm and shielding me from the frigid wind with his wings. This area of the Northern Fae lands was called the Tribus Point, where the three Fae countries converged, their capital cities each a stone’s throw away from one another. We were in Delfi’s capital city, Thebes, looking out at Windhaven’s capital, Ventus. We wouldn’t risk flying to the other side of Ventus to see Caldaria’s capital, Peloponese, for the Caldarian king was now a walking corpse who had turned one of Tari’s favorite wyverns into the demon menace that had attacked my father.

Drae steered us toward a secluded part of the wall with a clear view of the activity below. Workers were repairing the crack I’d made down the middle of the wall dividing Thebes and Ventus by pouring concrete into a mold that held the split together.

My breath caught when I peered beyond the wall and saw the devastation in Ventus. The lush gardens of the once beautiful capital city of Windhaven had been stripped bare of any color, and the roads were littered with bones. Not a creature stirred. The city was nothing but ghosts.

An involuntary shudder coursed through me. “What did that?”

Drae’s hard glare swept over the devastation. “The army of demonlings did the damage before Malvolia smoked them.”

I shuddered again when remembering the thousands of spiders that had chased us yesterday. If Tari hadn’t blasted them, we would’ve all been reduced to bones too. I wondered if Tari and Malvolia had killed them all or if there were more spiders left.

Blaze gave his brother a sharp look while nodding toward the firemages scanning the skies. “What are they doing?”

Drae grimaced. “Dredging the waters for Mortimus’s head.”

I swayed against Blaze, grateful when he wrapped a wing around me for support. “M-Mortimus?” Malvolia’s monster, winged horse and familiar. Goddess, no wonder my aunt was so depressed.

Drae dragged his hands through his long, dark hair. “The wyvern got him.”

Blaze swore, and I couldn’t find my words, my throat tightening with emotion.

Pacing the battlements, Drae tucked his wings behind him. Do you know when the Crimson Tide ended? He projected the question through thought, his voice echoing so that I knew Blaze could hear our telepathic conversation too.

No, I answered while staring out at the devastation. Not even the Windhaven purple flags were flapping in the wind. It was as if an entire nation had been erased.

Drae stopped pacing, pinning us each with a hard stare. The Crimson Tide ended about the time Malvolia found Mortimus. His voice echoed like a warning siren in my ears.

Bile burned the back of my throat. This wasn’t good. I looked to each of my mates, keeping our conversation telepathic, in case one of Malvolia’s spies was listening. She stopped killing because of him?

Drae nodded, then bit his lip as two mages flew past us. He waited until they were out of earshot to speak again. Even though we were speaking through thought, I realized one of the mages could have my magical ability to listen in on telepathic conversations. Some say her familiar calmed her and convinced her to stop the bloodshed, he finally answered.

The irony wasn’t lost on me, considering Mortimus was a flesh-eating monster horse. What will she do now that he’s dead?

Drae took my hands in his, his eyes beseeching. I’m afraid she won’t be stable. I know you’re not afraid to challenge your aunt, but I’m begging you, Shiri, don’t cross her.

Mortimus kept her sane . Blaze protectively wrapped a wing around my shoulder, his voice echoing in my skull. She has nothing to lose now.

Dear goddess. I thought about her behavior today. She wasn’t trying to be discreet while attempting to seduce my sister’s mate. Do you think that’s why she’s after Helian?

Drae shrugged before scanning the skies. Maybe she’s hoping Tari will kill her.

I laughed. Or maybe she’s just a horny old bitch.

Drae gave me a look that would’ve made a lesser witch cower. Her magic might not be as strong as yours or your sister’s, but she’s cunning and vindictive. She won’t hesitate to turn either of you to ash.

I chewed my lip, humbled and unnerved by his warning. I’ll caution my sister. Not that it would do much good. Tari wouldn’t put up with Malvolia’s behavior. I wouldn’t, either, if Malvolia tried to seduce one of my mates. How were we expected to battle our enemies while we were watching our backs for our allies’ blades?

* * *

Shiri

K NOWING THAT BLAZE was about to leave us, Drae returned to my family, giving Blaze and me some time alone. Blaze flew me to our old bedchamber on the other side of the castle. The sitting room and adjoining bedroom remained untouched, as if Malvolia had expected us to return, though the hearth fire wasn’t lit, leaving the room slightly chilled. I didn’t know if I should’ve been relieved or worried that my aunt welcomed us back so easily, and I wondered if she still held a grudge against me for defying her orders to kill Tari.

We landed in the sitting room, where Blaze poured us each a goblet of spiced wine. The doors were propped open, the cool northern air blowing into the room and causing gooseflesh to rise along my arms.

I looked at Blaze over the rim of my cup. “Wine so early in the day?”

“Just one cup.” He flashed slightly sharp incisors, remnants of our more feral, ancestral Fae. “I’d say we’ve earned it after what we’ve been through.”

He pulled me onto the sofa, and I relished the warmth radiating from his broad, bare chest. I wriggled in his lap, rewarded with a poke in my bottom while we both downed our wine.

Blaze took my cup from me, setting it on a nearby table, and wasted no time flying me to the bed that hung suspended from the high ceiling, a lover’s nest that was perfect for winged Ravini males. Not so convenient for us wingless Ravini females, especially when we had to use the chamber pot in the middle of the night. My mates had never minded me waking them up before, but with Nikkos gone and Blaze about to leave, the responsibility would always fall on Drae. A trivial thing to worry about, but it was just one more reason I longed for my mates’ ancestral home, Abyssus. The castle was smaller, and it bordered the dangerous wilds of the Periculian Forest, but I’d never felt so at ease anywhere else. If we survived this war, my only wish was for us to live out our lives in peaceful solitude at Abyssus.

Darling, where are you? Blaze leaned over me, stroking my face with calloused knuckles, his deep voice projecting into my head.

His beautiful, tanned, nude body looked to have been sculpted from granite, from his hard, broad chest and muscular arms with swirling fire tattoos, to his stomach corded with muscle and his tapered hips that housed his rather hard, impressive appendage, its one eye looking at me expectantly. I hadn’t realized he’d undressed. I licked my lips, wanting so badly to take him in my mouth.

“I’m sorry.” A moan escaped me, my eyelids fluttering when he traced my jawline with a feather-soft touch. “I was thinking about how much I miss Abyssus.”

His eyes lit up like starbursts. “I do too.” There was a pride in his voice that warmed my heart.

I sighed while sinking into the bed that cradled us like a cocoon. “I miss the beds there.” Drae, Blaze, and Nikkos each had big beds in private staterooms, which were also conveniently on the floor, so I could use the chamber pot without waking one of my mates to fly me down.

Blaze casually untied my stays. “I miss Cook’s tarts and spiced wine.”

“Watching the girls play in the pretty garden,” I said as he slipped my gown over my shoulders.

He tossed my gown to the side, desire flashing in his eyes as his gaze raked over my body. “Making love to you in Nikkos’s bed.”

How could I forget him and Nikkos passionately taking me after Nikkos had survived being attacked by a giant? Though it had only been about a month ago, it felt like years since my mates had first welcomed me to Abyssus.

I playfully bit my lip. “You will have to settle for making love to me in this bed.”

Waggling his brows, he removed the rest of my undergarments, and I gasped as my nipples pebbled in the cool air.

He slipped a hand behind my back, lowering me back onto the bed as warmth flowed from his fingers into my skin. “I do like the way it sways when we’re making love.”

Heat raced through my veins like wildfire . Show me, I projected to him through thought.

He wasted no time climbing between my legs and wrapping me up in his wings, his feathers tickling my back. Despite Blaze’s magical ability to fly faster than any other Ravini mage, he knew how to take his time savoring our lovemaking.

His lips found mine in an explosive kiss. He tasted like an intoxicating blend of heat and spiced wine. I wanted to surrender completely to him and shut out the rest of the world, but after our scary encounter with the demons, I couldn’t stop worrying. It didn’t help that Blaze was leaving me.

I combed my fingers through his mop of hair that always looked wild and windblown. I don’t like the idea of you traveling alone.

He broke the kiss, hovering over me, his lips seductively brushing against mine. I’ve done it before.

Yes, before we knew about the demon spiders or the zombie wyverns. I raked my fingers down his taut back, loving his groan of pleasure when I gently traced the ridges of his wings. I’d feel better if you had more firemages with you.

So they can call attention to us and slow me down? He cupped my cheek, giving me a pitying look that made me want to scream. Shiri, nobody is as fast as me. It has to be me, and I have to go alone.

Damn. Damn. Damn.

Loath as I was to admit it, he was right.

And I will have to leave soon. He stroked my bottom lip with the pad of his thumb, his voice a tender caress in my mind. This is our last chance alone together.

I swallowed at that, doing my best to force all negative thoughts out of my mind. Then, let’s make the most of it.

His eyes lit up like twin sunbursts as his hips ground against mine, his thick length sliding across my slippery sex. I thought you’d never ask. He bent over me, taking one nipple into his warm mouth, savoring my peaked flesh as if it was heavenly nectar.

A groan escaped me as I writhed beneath him, wishing he’d slip inside me instead of torturing my clit with his silky shaft. His fangs gently scraped the flesh of my tender breast as he released one nipple and kissed his way to the other, his tongue like liquid fire as it swirled around my sensitive peak. I wrapped my ankles around his buttocks, groaning aloud when his cockhead probed my entrance while coaxing more moisture out of me. I was going to explode before he even entered me.

My love. Thrusting my hips against his, I cried out in his mind. Please.

His teasing chuckle echoed in my skull. Please what?

I panted while writhing beneath him, his teasing cockhead making me swell to the point of bursting. Make love to me.

His lips found mine, capturing my mouth in a bruising kiss. You feel too heavenly, my darling. I won’t last long.

Digging my fingers into his tight buttocks, I tried to drive him into me. Then make love to me again, I begged, unaware that I had infused siren into my voice until I felt the call reverberate through my bones.

He slid into me in one fluid thrust. I cried out, squeezing his buttocks, his feathers tickling my arms when he drove deep inside me again and again. His hips rolled into mine like a wave of thunder, each thrust like lightning spearing through me and setting every nerve ending in my body on edge. I cried into his mouth when his lips came crashing down onto mine, our tongues sparring in a delicious dance while he thrust and thrust and thrust.

Elements, my flesh and bones liquified beneath him as his warm hands roved over my body, searing everywhere he touched. With each glorious thrust, he took me higher toward that pinnacle until I was in danger of losing myself to the maddening pleasure.

Blaze, I cried out in his mind. I’m going to come!

He answered with a growl. Come with me, my love.

Rolling harder and faster into me, he robbed my lungs of breath and my mind of reason.

The climax that gripped me was like hot magic capturing me in its claws before releasing with a thunderous blast, my sex throbbing like an erratic heartbeat. A sob tore through me while I clung to him. A ripple cascaded down his back and wings when he shuddered, pouring his seed into me.

Not until he brushed wet hair from my eyes did I realize we were covered in sweat, both drenched from our fiery lovemaking. He kissed my brow before rolling onto his side, taking me in his warm, feathery embrace, his thick cock still buried in my swollen sex.

We tenderly kissed and toyed with one another, his cock twitching inside me while I swelled with need once more. I rolled him onto his back, his wings pinned beneath him and rode him while the bed swayed and creaked beneath us. He anchored me to him by grabbing my bouncing breasts, flicking my nipples between his fingers, pinching and stretching until I thought I’d die from the euphoric mixture of pain and pleasure.

He thrust his hips upward, slamming into me while I rode him with wild abandon. It didn’t take long for us to find euphoria again and then for a third time, where we petted and kissed each other, savoring every touch and thrust while declaring our love.

Elements, I was going to miss him.