Silence met his ears first. Then the soft chirp of birds in the distance and the crackle of a fire nearby. Gunther could feel pillows under his body, and he clenched his eyes before opening them. He was on his back under the swaying branches of some tall trees. His red eyes looked around to find the back of Catherine near the fire, Silas reading some parchment in a branch on one of the tall trees, and Zion was stalking the perimeter in the distance, but Gunther could still sense his Lias. As if sensing his movements, Catherine turned to look at him before she looked up into the trees, her purple eyes shimmering.
Gunther watched Silas leave, and she approached the pillows with an apologetic expression on her face. Was she going to abandon him? He failed her, so he could not blame her. But when she sat and lifted his head into her lap, he froze. What was she doing? Gentle fingertips stroked through his hair, making his horns appear. This was something only Intirmates could do.
The pain did not last long, and a few days later, Catherine was up and moving around again. After all the work to make their camp more comfortable for the four of them, she sat down to meditate for the day. Her spine relaxed, and she let her eyes drift closed after crossing her legs under her. Silas’s teachings flooded into her mind, and she found her center, her thoughts easing into her meditative state. Her source. The Lias burning bright within her chest. Since she began practice with it, it was much easier to access the Majyk of Erlias. She inhaled the scent of the surrounding woods, the sound of the birds chirping, and the feel of the breeze on her cheeks. A visage appeared before her, someone familiar yet not.“You have mastered accessing Lias, I see. I was right to choose you to take my place.” Cathy’s voice whispered, and Catherine’s eyes widened. “Your bond with Zion, Silas, and Gunther grows ever stronger. You will sa
‘Catherine, how did you access my powers to shift?’ Zion asked as she settled into his arms for the night. ‘Why did you withhold the information from me?’“I don’t know. All I did was think that I did not know how to fight, and I remembered seeing you fight once before.” She replied into the quiet night air. “So, all I did was channel the Lias into shifting and turned into a wolf, like you.”“It should not be possible.” Gunther replied from her other side, and she looked up into his glowing red eyes. “I’ve never heard of a Queen shifting to her Intirmate’s form before.”Maybe because she did it, she did not think it that strange, but seeing their response to it was unnerving. The way they made it sound like it was dangerous meant she should be careful in the future. The only one who had yet to say anything was Silas. He was standing, something already unusual, but his mutte
Silas still avoided her, but she would occasionally catch him watching her. Catherine hoped her encouraging attitude would break his silence, though nothing changed. The longer he ignored her, the more her hope diminished. As she grew used to being around Zion and Gunther, Silas seemed further away. Did his past with Cathy really bother him that much? Then it occurred to her. Perhaps he was right. He could not love her because she is not Cathy. What did that mean for her other husbands? Did they only love her because she looked like their wife? Catherine walked a few steps away from the camp and looked up at the sunlit sky. They remained in the woods, hiding out while they waited to see if anyone else located their camp, but Zion informed her their next location would be the beach. As exciting as the thought of the beach was, Catherine felt worried. There was an identity crisis right now. A bunch of people want her dead, and she could trust no one. Scared. The more she tried
Erlias came into existence on a God’s whim. This God made it so the human imagination designed the creatures of this world, even the world itself. And the strongest of all creations on this world is the Queen of Queens. The Tatiana. Fairy Queen Catherine. The First Tatiana, the Original’s Spirit, was forcibly separated from her body by her husbands who failed her, and the Queens she ruled over. Her spirit then sought the most suitable heir, the one whose wish she could grant in exchange. This wonderful world of Erlias, where there were many creatures, was also a place that made a difference between the Body, Soul, and Spirit.“Why?” Catherine wondered, her thoughts echoing back to her. “Why me?”Catherine’s soul belonged in this world, but an accident sent her soul to Earth. Though the accident was beneficial to her, this was the God who created this place trying to correct an error. The reason she never found her soulmate on e
“Did you forget I was here?” Their prisoner questioned, snapping Catherine back and she looked apologetically into Silas’s eyes before pulling away with a glare at their interruption. “Circe will not be pleased, Master Silas. You know how she feels about you falling for someone else.”“Circe?” Catherine questioned, glancing at Marius. “Who is that?”“My little sister.” Silas returned with a scoff. “Someone who believes I should marry her instead. But the idea was far too… gross for me.”It sounded like a strange concept to Catherine, but she knew of royalty in ancient times on Earth who practiced similar ideas. If she remembered correctly, there were some who still practiced it when she left, too. Her head tilted before she glanced up at Silas and she could hear him in her head, the soft soothing tones of his voice calming her nerves. Catherine could trust in him to handle his s
Silas explained they were still on the run because Catherine had yet to master her powers. Though she was getting stronger with her Lias manipulation, she still had a lot to learn. Gunther said it could take years to master some spells she already knew, so they did not expect it to take that long. But until then, they had to make sure she stayed safe. Unfortunately, there was not much known about her powers as the Tatiana. No one knew what her powers were, or if she was just like the other Queens. Except the Original Tatiana. She would know what abilities make Catherine different from the others.Catherine meditated daily to talk with the Original Tatiana, but the Original Tatiana was just as secretive as the others. It left the new Queen to figuring things out alone, something she did not like to do. Especially since she had three husbands who were to help her through this. Catherine inhaled through her nose, relaxing herself against Zion’s back. Their target destinati
Catherine felt like she was in a dream. No, a nightmare. Everything hurt, from the tips of her hair to the toes of her feet and everywhere in between. It was physical. Emotional. Mental. Yet she could not move to bend with the pain, to ease the pressure on her chest, or the choking in her throat. But Catherine knew she was alive. Where there was pain, there was life. Regardless of knowing this, it did not change the level of hurt. Catherine opened her eyes to a view of her life back on Earth. Only it was Cathy in control of her body, and her eyes widened.“She has found her Intirmate.” A voice said, making her try to twist her head around. “They are called soulmates in your world. In Erlias, you can have more than one based on your connection to the world. A Fae has the strongest of all. You are Fae.”“Why me?”“Stout of Spirit yet lacking love. Your Earth taught you mistrust. You were to be Cathy from the beginning.&rdq
“You saw the three of us fall?” Gunther asked with wide eyes. “As if. I do not know about these two, but I am the Prince of Dragons. I would not.”“I am sure Catherine knows what she saw, Dragon, otherwise she would not mention it.” Silas replied, reaching out to touch her head. “Did the God you met with say that would be our fate?”“They said it would be if I refused to accept mine.” Catherine crossed her arms, her voice dropping lower. “And they gave me a preview of what it would feel like to lose you three…”The three shared a look before Zion reached out, his arms wrapping snug around her form. His warmth was so familiar now, something she did not want to go without, and she felt even more determined to remain by his side. By all their sides. Gunther’s slightly callused hands wrapped around hers, and Silas kept stroking her head, slowly calming her racing heart. The God said
"Assessment complete. We have located the correct soul. Let us check her response to the Future Tatiana's Chosen Husbands." A voice said, causing my eyes to blink open. "You came to the park to play today with your new friends. Have fun!" The surrounding scenery changed from blank white to a splash of all the colors of the rainbow. I lifted my hand to block out the sun before throwing my head around to look around the park. It was pretty, and I could see three different boys playing by themselves. I skipped to the meanest looking one first, worried I would chicken out if he was actually as mean as he looked. He glanced up at me before jerking his head away, as if he should fear me. "Go away. Girls dislike scary boys." "But you're not that scary. You have honest eyes, which makes you quite handsome." I stated with a giggle, before pointing at the slide. "Would you like to play?" "No. I prefer watching over the people I like." He replied with a gentle smile, though still would not le
"Gunther, you should not be seen with that Fae female!" His father warned with narrowed ruby eyes. "What if she mind controls you and forces you to harm us?" "Catherine would never do that, Father." Gunther sighed, annoyed at the topic coming up again, and glared at the older Dragon. "She is a good female, perfect for raising our whelps. You said you would trust me." "I do, but at least keep your options open. Lady Gisela is very interested in seeing you again." Klaus stated with a mischevious grin. "Perhaps you could see..." "Gisela is a childhood friend and nothing more. She could never produce several heirs. You know Dragon fertility rates are low." The younger returned while clenching his fists, his form growing stiffer. "You wanted me to Intirmate with the Tatiana so the Dragons could have strong whelps. How could you ask me to turn my back on my wife?" It hurt. Gunther loved his family and the Dragons. He wanted a wonderful future for all of the
Gunther remained by her side when they approached the entrance to the Audience Chamber within the Lair. Though she felt out of place and unwanted, she kept her head up and her attention focused on what she wanted to say. Dragons were notorious for growing angry, something she often saw in her third husband, so she wanted to make sure she did not offend the King.As they got closer, the doors opened revealing a large throne with a shifted Dragon lying near it. Powerful Lias filled the room, making the candles flicker off the shiny white walls, and she gripped Gunther's hand, hoping for the courage to make this work. She looked up at her husband with a small nod, wanting to get this over with. They took two steps before the Dragon's eyes opened, a familiar red with slitted black pupils.He was massive, with a curving green and red tail, large dark green wings, and an extremely long snout. This Dragon had to be the strongest of all the Dragons, and the thought made
The Queens were angry with his orders, but could not rise against him. Silas smirked a little before refocusing on the parchment in his hands. People did not like the barriers to Faerie being open. There were hate crimes happening, and DragoShif children being located. And he missed her. Since she entered the Dragon Territory, neither he nor Zion heard anything from Catherine or Gunther.He could still feel her Intirmating link, but she was keeping things silent. Perhaps she was learning more about their culture she could not share, though that made him nervous. What if she was in danger? Silas shook the thoughts from his head, unwilling to savor the idea. Even if she were weakened by something, she would endure. He just needed faith in her. With that determination, he continued working until a heavy knock fell on his door."Come in." He called, unsurprised when several Queens filed into the room, annoyed expressions on their faces. "What is it?""The Barrier to
Fynn looked between Gunther and Catherine with annoyed, yellowish eyes, making her shift nervously. She hated being scrutinized by people who were strangers to her. But Gunther trusted him enough to bring her here, to his friend's unremarkably gray, rocky home, so perhaps she should give him the benefit of doubt. Fynn was a slimmer DragoShif who looked a little older than Gunther, but she did not know how old that was."You never found a den for your Intirmate?" Fynn questioned, drawing the gaze of everyone nearby. "Come inside."When she stepped through the entryway into the mountain, the first thing she noticed was how beautiful the place was. Instead of what she imagined as a cold, unforgiving room, the foyer was actually quite warm in its decor and gentle blues, so she breathed an inward sigh of relief. Fynn turned with a scowl on his face, and Catherine tilted her head at his strange expression. Was there something wrong?"Your father is sick. Rebels are ri
To say it was clothing was a gross understatement. Catherine did not know how the clothes stayed in place to cover all her private parts, but it did. It was still a dress, of sorts. The top was one long scarf-like dark blue fabric that wrapped around her neck in a single loop before covering her breasts. It attached at the hips to a lighter blue fabric skirt with flower prints near the tail. Her entire back and parts of her chest down to her bellybutton felt more exposed than normal, and her cheeks flushed."I look silly..." she stated, covering the slip of skin between the fabric of her top with her arms. "This is embarrassing..."Since she came back from the ensuite, the three had yet to close their mouths, but as soon as she turned to change, she felt a whisper of breath across her bare back, making her toes curl. Her husbands could be so cruel, she thought, turning to find Gunther on his knees next to her. His ruby red eyes were blown up in lust, and his fingers pu
"Cathy, you cannot accommodate him like that. If it is too much, then say so." Silas's familiar voice rang in his head and he blearily opened his eyes. "Oh look. The Lizard is waking up!" "Silas..." Catherine started warningly, but the cool expression on his face had Gunther wincing. "He needs to hear it at some point. You cannot go that far, Lizard. If Catherine spends too much of her Lias on us, the world gets off balance." The Fae ranted, listing things off with efficiency. "And I know your mating season is soon, but try to remember your wife just had pups." One look at her told him all he needed to know. He did not mean to push her that far, but he was so out of it, lost since their last time together, that all he could think about was her pleading expression. All he could see was her acceptance. The same acceptance he knew made her an attractive wife, yet never expected to receive. He loved her, but he hurt her. When her hands reached out to stroke
She knew better, but it was calling to her. Now, here she was, stuck to the side of some young male Fae who only pretended to like her. Elvenia did not want to go to Faerie until a few weeks ago, when some young man, a guard, came to confess to her. He promised her a future together only to lie and hurt her. Why did her mother allow this? Elvenia sighed, but thought about Catherine.Never once had her mother denied her or rejected her. This would hurt her, but Elvenia hoped her parents would give up. Despite his lies to her, she did not want Eitan to face punishment. Especially not from her father. They may have hid the truth from her mother, but she knew Silas wanted Circe to die. She could see it in his eyes anytime Circe was brought up. The Elder Fae likely felt at fault for this latest string of stress."Your mother will not be coming here." Circe whispered with a crazy grin. "But with you here, she cannot do anything when I go there. Only the real Tatiana has cont
She was busy. Gunther understood it and was told not to be selfish, yet here she was, staring expectantly at him. The Council of the Queens agreed to meet with her if she passes through the gate. But Catherine refused, stating the Council would need to come to her. She was headstrong and refused to bow to them, which made her shine brighter in his eyes. Since she came into her Majyk, she seemed like a different woman and it drove him wild. But he did not expect her to notice. He felt distant from her. Sure, he saw her every day, but her focus was on Silas and Zion, something that annoyed him greatly. Though he tried to not complain. Catherine had a lot of responsibilities when she was this close to the border of Faerie. That was what he tried to convince himself of, anyway. The more they laid under the moons of Erlias, her resting on his shifted form, these thoughts plagued him. "Do not let me ignore you, Gunther. If you want attention, let me know." She whispered, h