Nicki stood out front of Dean's family home, a goddess cloaked in flames and light as she carried her wounded mate on her shoulder. Strands of mahogany and maroon stood out in her chestnut hair, tucked behind human ears.
There was something chillingly beautiful about it, seeing the eruption of flame from the house in the background as Nicki stood impassive and unreadable.
For that brief time, whatever had triggered this power within her, she had become pure heat and flame.
Slowly, the embers faded from her eyes. Coals of angry red simmered down to a pale orange, and then finally back to her usual cool tone. Her clothes were still singed, falling apart in some pieces, but the flames around her feet had finally sputtered out.
All that was left was the fire that raged on in the background, crackling and snarling as it devoured all of the dry fabrics, woods, and furniture in the house.
The fire wasn't spreading, that much was evident. Whether it was lu
As I woke up just a few short hours later, I wondered how on earth everyone here had managed surviving three months on this little sleep. I had my answer nearly an hour later, when I piled into the already crowded kitchen in Atlas's family home. The mouthwatering scent of coffee filled the air, sweetened by the protein shake both Nicki and Dustin were drinking. When everyone had chosen to meet here was beyond me, but it did make things easier. There was no exhaustion in any of our eyes, even Atlas's, who had stayed up all night as he scoured the territory lines with Duke, Dustin, Liam, and a group of warriors. We were all too on edge, to focused now that the Fae were here. Nicki looked better than she had last night, already geared up and focused on training. Once Finn arrived just ten minutes later, we all left for town. The part of town we were training in had already been evacuated, thankfully. We would have no witnesses, and should any rogues or F
It was chaos when the first thread of cobalt water magic twisted and writhed in the air, invisible to all but myself.The Fae never truly explained now natural it felt using magic, how it was like unlocking a piece of yourself that you hadn’t known was missing. Like an arm or leg, it did as it was told and had limits—only magic offered a bit of spice with its unpredictability.If you had the strength and creativity, there wasn’t much you couldn’t do.I pondered that thought as I darted to the side, all but diving head first into the water. I felt Duke’s rather forceful blast mist against the side of my face.Adelina’s giggling sounded in the background, and even Alette gave a small chuckle. From the corner of my eye, I could see Nicki and Liam halt their training, grinning as they watched the three of us.“Let's get creative?” My wolf suggested, feeling a tad vain at the moment.I obliged, snic
We were thrown back nearly ten feet, skidding against the earth like human-sized stones. The scrapes along our knees and forearms were nothing compared to what was to come. The sound of crumbling earth filled our ears, trickling down as dirt and stone finally began to settle. Three rogues snarled at us, but there was no thick and musty odor—in fact, there wasn't any smell at all. The fully grown wolves frothed at the mouths, dark eyes narrowed and hackles raised as they caught sight of three snooping prey. "I can't smell them." Nicki whispered sharply, her eyes darting to where I sat, between her and Tyra. A jolt of realization hit me when I noticed something shimmering in between the rogues, a thin film that caught the light at a certain angle. It blanketed the rogues, and was almost lavender in color. "Someone is using spirit to block their scents." I replied just as the lead rogue took a step towards me. I was sure of it
We followed behind the warriors, entering a castle of black and white stone, built atop the mountain we were currently on. With the endless darkness stretched out before us, it was near impossible to see anything other than castle and starry sky. The treetops below were all but invisible, the sprawling city a million flecks of light in the distance.“What does your High Lord want with us?” I asked the warrior who had handed me the cape.Clearly the man was of some ranking, as he was the only one to speak and approach us. The rest shuffled beside and behind us, their armor swishing on their bulky forms.Nicki and Tyra sauntered down the hallway, each one on either side of me. Their large wolf forms looked like puppies in the great corridor we walked down."With your companions? Nothing. They are free to leave, if they so choose." He replied flatly, eyes drenched in suspicion. "As for what he wants with you, I cannot say."We continued in
My first attempt at leaping through one of the many portals failed miserably. A tall, dark, and sneering Fae warrior cut across my path, a thick sword made from dark metal in his hands.The dark armor coating his chest and back was from the Night Court, but entirely different to what Ambrose's trusted men wore.There was no hesitation when he swung the sword, aiming for my neck. If I hadn't trained so hard, wearing myself ragged on those nights I couldn't sleep, my head would currently be rolling across the grass.It felt like there was something in my gut, weighing me down and sapping my speed. I couldn't place my finger on the feeling, but it tugged at the back of my mind, as though I should already know the answer.I had just barely moved out of the way, stumbling backwards in a hasty effort to regain my footing. The Fae warrior didn't get the chance to raise his sword again. The moment he tried, a thick shard of ice erupted from his chest, peeling bac
I could feel Atlas’s power wash against my back just as we slipped through the portal. I was jolted both by the cold, and the raw, wild power he had unleashed. It was gone within half a second, replaced by the feel of the realm’s fabric grazing against our skin.I knew something had gone wrong when we emerged, the sun peering through the treetops that hung hundreds and hundreds of feet above our heads. The sharpened colors of moss and emerald, pale skies that seemed saturated and bright. Liam looked around, his eyes wide as he took in the Fae realm and the war camp, we currently stood in.Soldiers sharpening swords, and polishing armor halted, hands tightening on pummels and reaching for blades. Large tents were erected around the forest. Some held upright from spikes driven into the nearby trees. There were two different fires cracking, cooking charred meat skewered on a stick. Those eating sat down their bowls of stew, still spewing steam into what smelle
“Right now, my only plan includes stopping Tamara. She’s High Lord Ambrose’s sister, but she’s more monster than fae now thanks to some ancient artifact.” I explained as best I could without giving him a complete rundown of when I was kidnapped from his Court. “She’s trying to bring the source into the human realm, and she’s killing a lot of werewolves in the process.”“Her plan, it might just make things worse.” Micah murmured; earthen eyes wide. He seemed genuinely shocked that she would have considered the plan, let alone followed through with it. When he noticed the look of confusion on my face, he elaborated. “Earth is the element of balance. My court was the first to detect the failing of this realm, though no one listened to my concerns until it was too late. Thrusting all that magic into a realm where virtually no magic exists, could very well destroy it.”Even with the rush of fear a
I never thought I would feel so elated to hear the distant sound of snarling wolves and the tearing of thick flesh as the battle continued surging nearby. My bare feet sunk into the soft soil, and the volatile energy inside of me hummed hard enough to make my teeth rattle. This kind of power wasn’t meant to be contained within a living form; it would surely tear it apart. ‘Atlas?’ I felt his awareness seep into my own instantly, relief mixed with the churning hunger that came with battle. His exhaustion, which was seeping into his bones and turning them to lead, had me heading towards the edge of the forest, where the sounds of battle grew louder. ‘Fuck, Raelynn.’ He sounded calm, but I could feel the underlying terror in his words and thoughts. ‘When Aralia came through the portal saying she killed you, I wasn’t sure—I couldn’t feel you.’ ‘Even in another realm, we would know if something happened to the other.’ I was sure of it. The loss of