Page 11 of White Little Lies (Four Ways to Fate #3)

11

Crispin took us in, his blue eyes seeming to dance as they flitted between us. “An intriguing assortment of test subjects, that’s to be sure.”

He wore houndstooth pants and a saturated cornflower blue shirt that matched his eyes. He had made an effort to comb his tousled blond hair, but he had already run his fingers through it so many times that it was in complete disarray.

He probably had never expected to see a goblin in his tower, and according to Sebastian, it almost didn’t happen. King Francis had been resistant to the idea of a goblin coming in, but when the contract was brought up, he couldn’t exactly argue. I had personally made sure the goblins were included.

Only now, I found myself wishing I hadn’t pushed for the situation. Now there was one more person to see me fail .

“I’m interested in these magical reactions.” Crispin started pacing, still observing us.

I glared at Sebastian, receiving only a shrug in reply. He must have discussed it with Crispin when he came to speak with the king.

The door flew open, and Elena stumbled in. Her bare arms shone with sweat, though her white tank top and tight black jeans appeared pristine. “Sorry I’m late!” She tried to push some loose strands of red hair back into her braid, leaving her pointed ears on full display. “My father had me running all sorts of errands. No doubt trying to keep me away from today’s lesson.” She grinned at me.

I felt for King Francis. After his daughter had gotten drunk with werewolves and was nearly killed by fae, he had the parental right to worry. Never mind that Elena did exactly as she pleased regardless.

“Actually, I need to talk to you.” I stepped away from the guys, grabbing her arm to drag her back out into the hall.

As soon as the door was shut, Elena gave me a mischievous smile. “Is this about the big hunky goblin glaring at everyone? You never told me exactly what happened after you disappeared with him that night.”

“Well no—”

“Glaring at everyone except for you , of course,” she continued as if I hadn’t spoken. “Which I don’t know why. We fought side by side. Comrades in arms— ”

“Elena,” I hissed. “We are not here to talk about my sex life.”

“Oooh so the sex life exists?”

I pinched my brow and shook my head. “I need a favor. Do you know an elf named Rian?”

Her face screwed up in confusion. “I’m going to need a little bit more to go on than that. There are a lot of elves.”

“This one is haughty nobility.”

“I spend as little time talking with that lot as possible. Why?”

“I have a lead on my mom,” I explained, glancing at the closed door, wondering when one of the guys was going to interrupt us. “But I promised I’d get some information on an elf named Rian in return.”

Her brows lowered. “You’re not planning on killing him, are you?”

I rolled my eyes. “I just need to know if he’s seeing anyone, and if not, if he’s interested in the female gender. Particularly very tall, powerful females.”

Her brows shot up in the other direction.

“Someone has a crush on him,” I sighed. “And that someone is trying to find information for me. I was hoping you could take Gabriel and ask around.”

One corner of her mouth curled. “I’ll gladly ask around, but if you think Crispin will be letting me take Gabriel out of here—” She shook her head. “I was here earlier when Sebastian came with his plan. Now Crispin is very excited about these magical reactions. And wasn’t the whole point of bringing him to explore things further?”

My cheeks flared with heat. Served me right for telling Sebastian anything, but I couldn’t exactly be upset. I was the one who had brought up exploring the magical reactions further. The farthest jump I had managed had been in connection to Gabriel, and we had gone all the way across a boundary. I needed that same magic to jump to a near realm. I lowered my eyes, not having any good answer for her, but she figured it out anyways.

“Oh, you’re terrified,” she laughed.

“Wouldn’t you be?”

“Absolutely, but as a simple spectator, I can’t wait.”

“And this is why I won’t talk to you about my sex life,” I huffed.

“Eva,” she tsked. “I know you were raised around humans and these sort of things are more difficult for you, but you need to remember, it’s all just energy. As long as the energy is positive for all involved, there’s nothing to be embarrassed about.”

I crossed my arms. “I don’t see you dating anyone.”

She wrinkled her nose. “I’m a princess. Dating for me means finding my lifelong mate and consort. You should count yourself lucky to have more than one guy drooling after you.”

Her words melted my irritation. “So you’ve never dated?”

She crossed her arms, mirroring me, her gaze darting away. “I’ve had a few kisses, unbeknownst to my father, but it can be nothing more.”

“Warrick will be so disappointed.”

Her eyes drifted back to me.

I shook my head. “Never mind. So can you help me find information on Rian?”

“Only if you promise to not send your goblin along with me. Just at least listen to what Crispin has planned.”

The fact that I wanted to argue even though it had been my idea to begin with was absolutely ridiculous, but still, I wanted to argue. I knew if I was to discover the secrets to realm jumping, I had to embrace every aspect of my magic, but faced with the guys waiting for me on the other side of the door, I just couldn’t quite move my feet.

Grinning mischievously, Elena helped me out by opening the door and shoving me back inside. “It will take me time to find the information you want. So don’t rush on my account.” She shut the door before I could go after her.

I turned to face the boys, realizing they had been busy. Crispin now had Gabriel and Sebastian both standing near his work table with little medical monitors stuck all over them. Sebastian had removed his jacket and unbuttoned his crisp white shirt, and Gabriel had removed his shirt entirely. They looked like something out of an erotic sci-fi romance.

Gods save us all.

Crispin steepled his fingers like an evil genius, turning toward me. “I have come up with an experiment, dear Eva. And you’re probably not going to like it.”

I stood in front of the guys, one hand on Gabriel’s chest, and one hand on Sebastian’s. Crispin checked his little monitor for any signs of life, then scribbled something in his leather bound journal. He had been monitoring things for a while, and I wasn’t sure what he was getting out of all of this.

Even though nothing was happening, Gabriel’s steady gaze made me blush. And Sebastian… There was something different in his expression. No teasing. No trying to make me angry for a reaction. He was just waiting , his dark eyes hiding far too many secrets.

“Alright,” Crispin said, paying more attention to his journal and monitor than any of us. “Try summoning your magic.”

I closed my eyes. I was the one who wanted to explore this. I knew my magic wasn’t progressing fast enough. I had no desire for power—I had already seen the trouble it could cause—but I needed to find my mother.

I noticed that Gabriel felt a few degrees warmer than Sebastian, which I would have assumed would have been the other way around, considering where Sebastian was from. And Sebastian’s chest was smooth, where Gabriel had a smattering of course hair. “Nothing is happening.”

“You’re not even trying,” Sebastian’s voice hummed against my palm. “Everyone came here for you , Eva. Do not waste our time.”

I would have glared if my eyes were open. “Fine,” I huffed.

Not knowing what else to do, I thought of the previous night in Isadora’s shop. Of Sebastian’s hands gripping me. His tongue expertly stroking mine…

Magic tickled down my arms and into my core, my body suddenly tight with need. My palms warmed, and I felt an invisible tug toward each of the men before me, like there was a thread binding us together. But where had it come from? When had our fates become so intertwined?

I opened my eyes, trying to pull my hands away, but Sebastian gripped my palm against his chest. “You have to stop fighting it, Eva.”

My other hand froze inches away from Gabriel’s chest. “I’m not fighting anything.”

Gabriel gently took my hand and placed it back against his skin. “Yes, you are.”

I glared at both of them, not sure what to say.

“Fascinating.” Crispin watched his monitor, seemingly oblivious to the tension in the room.

“Keep going,” Sebastian urged, still holding my hand .

I searched his face for the usual irritation, but it wasn’t there. He was guarded—he was always guarded— but the way he held my hand to his chest… For the first time I could almost see how much this all meant to him.

I closed my eyes again, relaxing my hands, letting the magic flow. I thought of Gabriel with me in my bedroom, his hard body pressed against mine, dwarfing me beneath him. His mouth on my skin…his large hands on my breasts…

Pressure built in my chest. I breathed shallowly, daring to open my eyes.

Gabriel watched me with open hunger, almost as if he could tell exactly what I had been thinking about. I lowered my gaze, and my hand was glowing against his chest with soft light. My other hand against Sebastian radiated with a deep reddish purple aurora.

Crispin been moved close to my hand against Gabriel, studying it. “The readings aren’t giving me much to go on.” His gaze moved from my hand to my face. “May I touch you?” There was nothing suggestive in his tone, just pure curiosity.

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I nodded.

With both my hands occupied, Crispin gently laid his long fingers across my upper chest, just below my collarbone. A cool, white glow emanated. If Gabriel’s glow was sunlight, then Crispin’s was the moon.

Panicked, I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out .

Sebastian observed Crispin’s hand, not appearing entirely pleased. “When you saved him from the near realm. He connected with you too.”

“Connected?” I choked out.

Crispin and Sebastian looked at each other. “She’s a conduit,” Crispin said.

Sebastian nodded.

Magic and arousal made my thoughts swim. I could barely think enough to form words. I shook my head, trying to clear my mind. “What does that mean?”

Crispin’s fingers stroked my skin and my body reacted. We had never slept together, but it was like my body remembered him. Like he had always been mine.

He studied the glow between us, then lifted his bright blue eyes to mine. “As a night runner, half human, you don’t have enough power to fully jump realms. So instead you found yourself four batteries.”

I gasped. “Not on purpose!”

The magic was still growing between us. I knew rationally I could just drop my hands, but I couldn’t seem to make myself do it. Instead, I wanted more. I wanted to move my hands across their flesh. I wanted to move lower .

“Your first true shift,” Sebastian’s voice was tight, hinting that he was feeling the same mixture of magic and arousal as the rest of us. “The night you saved Braxton. It was after—”

Neither of us had to say it out loud. Sebastian knew what had happened. He had picked me up from the Bogs the next morning. But he was implying—

“Mistral’s magic is the reason I was able to jump to save Braxton.” I looked at Gabriel. “And yours the night I brought you to the Bogs.”

Sebastian gripped my hand again as I finally managed to make myself lower it. “Crispin and I have been with you every time you’ve jumped here. I suspected you might be taking from us, and last night confirmed it.”

My jaw fell open. “That’s why you kissed me at Isadora’s shop?”

“I kissed you because that seems to be the key to summoning your magic. But it did also add to my suspicions.”

Crispin nodded along with his words. “We thought you needed to practice your skills, but really we were looking at the wrong thing. We just needed to give you more power.” He moved his hand along my upper chest, increasing the glow while at the same time making me weak in the knees. If we didn’t break contact soon I was going to end up pouncing one of them, consequences be damned.

“So what do we do now?” I rasped.

Crispin observed the glow of his hand against my skin. “We explore things further. You must try using our magic to bring us somewhere else.”

Fear lanced through me, dampening my arousal. “But what if I get us stuck somewhere? ”

Crispin smiled softly, that damned charming smile. I had come to care for him in the short time we’d known each other, and I really didn’t want him to get stuck in some dark in between place. “We’ll all be together,” he soothed. “You’ll be able to get us back out.”

I looked at Sebastian, who smiled wickedly, then at Gabriel, who simply nodded. They were all willing to try this. Hells, it was the sole reason we were here.

But I was afraid. This magic was so new to me, and I didn’t fully trust it.

Gabriel gripped my hand against his chest again, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

Meeting his baleful gaze one last time, I closed my eyes. I let the magic flow through us, and I pictured a copse of trees I had seen through one of the palace windows. Somewhere not too far, not too dangerous, and mostly safe from prying eyes. The magic built as soon as I released control. I could feel it flowing between me and the guys. The shift was coming, making me feel lightheaded—

A loud banging behind me made me jump. I looked back at Elena as she came into the room ranting about nobles, my hands lowering from Gabriel and Sebastian in surprise. But it was too late, the shift had already begun.

The next thing I knew, I was falling. Then my body hit hard against damp soil and green grass. I tried to exhale but it came out as a stifled groan instead. Sunlight warmed my cheeks and made me squint my eyes as I sat up with another groan, looking around.

Crispin was sprawled in the grass beside me, but just him. Gabriel and Sebastian were nowhere to be seen.

“Shit,” I panted. “Where are we?”

Crispin sat up with a pained expression, rubbing his head. He looked around. “Well the good news is, we are still in Emerald Heights.”

I furrowed my brow. “And the bad news?”

“I have no idea where in Emerald Heights we are.”