Chapter Twenty: Kisses For AllNorth ran a hand through her hair nervously before smoothing her hands down her sides. “What do you need?” She wasn’t trying to be unwelcoming, but their gazes were unnerving.“May we come in?” Ryland was the only one who even attempted manners, and he was asking as Orin and Eamon slipped through the other door against which Eli had rested his forehead. He must’ve moved, though she had been distracted by the other four standing in the hallway and hadn’t noticed.“If we’re having some kind of meeting, Marek should be here too.”Kriss frowned at her words. “He’s already had his share and then some.”A ball of nerves tightened her stomach, and she was suddenly convinced they were there about the kiss. “How did you know?”“He told us,” said Orin. “Marek was shaken, and it didn’t take much to get him to tell us what was happening.”She crossed her arms over her chest and started pacing. “The thing is, I’m not sure what’s going on. I had a power surge, and his
Chapter Twenty-One: CelestinaThe entourage took the train back to CenterPoint the next morning, after North parted with the king, queen, and Milo. Now, the Celestina side of the world, and the Drakken Castle, waited before her.It wasn’t as hot as it looked, but it was humid, bordering on sweltering, as they stood on the platform and waited for transportation. It came a few minutes later in the form of three long vehicles similar to an Earth limousine, but higher off the ground. The chrome-looking exterior was also unlike anything she’d seen.They ended up having to split into two cars, with their luggage in the third. North had left behind her lovely gowns, feeling it was inappropriate to take them from Haedra to Celestina. She wore the fae fabric, which was currently configured in short-shorts and a tank top. If she didn’t remember to change it to something more appropriate for greeting the king and queen, she was fairly confident the fabric would do it for her. It was just too hot
Chapter Twenty-Two: Simple ComplicationsThe ball was as dull as she’d expected, and it was spot-on the way Lyssa had described it. All pomp and circumstance, along with pompous people who were busy judging her, monitoring her, and either looking down on her, or chatting her up as though she could do something for them. It was somewhere between boring and horrible.Leaning against a post, she hid in the corner of the room for a moment as Kriss came to stand beside her. He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “It’s almost over.”“Thank goodness. How can you stand this place?” She gasped when she said the words, clamping a hand over her mouth. She really had to work on developing a filter now that she was around other people besides her father.Kriss shrugged. “It’s home, and as simple and as complicated as that.”North could relate, feeling a complex pull of emotions whenever she thought of her home. She’d been genuinely happy there with her father, even though it turned out he wa
Chapter Twenty-Three: Power SurgePerhaps in consideration for how late they were all up due to the ball, no one woke her the next morning, or brought breakfast in bed until she had awakened on her own. It was nearly noon, and she had a pang of guilt for a moment before remembering she wasn’t particularly anxious to engage in palace life anyway. Instead, she took her time with a leisurely breakfast ordered via the intercom system in her room and a long bath before leaving her room. She was surprised to see Eli standing in the hallway, and she approached. “Are you waiting for me?”He didn’t confirm or deny it, but there was definitely a line of red sweeping up his neck. He was adorable, but she struggled not to respond or tease him about it. “Did you need something?” She kept her tone mild as she asked.“I thought we might take a run and see if we can tap into the shifter power in you.”“Just you and me?” At his nod, she asked, “Would it be better to wait until we’re in the shifter rea
Chapter Twenty-Four: Making WavesThey were back at the Bolos’ palace by midafternoon of the next day, where she kept her eyes peeled for an opportunity to catch Milo alone. Marek had requested she join him in the courtyard for training, so she was headed down the stairs to meet him when she saw Milo coming her way. She put out a hand for him to stop, and he paused a couple of steps below her, which brought them both to equal eye-level. “I have something for you.”He looked unaffected and practically uninterested, except for the gleam in his eyes. “Oh, what might that be?”She removed the letter Lyssa had entrusted to her for Milo, and its burst of floral scent filled the air between them.He took it with his eyes shining and snatched it a little too hastily to maintain his front of disaffection. “Was her response favorable?”North shrugged a shoulder. “I don’t know. I didn’t read what she wrote, but she seemed intrigued by the idea.” With a nod in his direction, she bounded down the
Chapter Twenty-Five: MinglingFor the fifth time in the last two weeks, North settled in at the Torture Room in the Drakken palace. She was getting tired of shuffling back and forth between the two kingdoms, trying to split her time and remain diplomatic. It was ridiculous, and she was rapidly losing patience for the apartheid that split the realm.She was also getting tired of returning to this palace, when it was obvious at least the king and queen only hosted her because it was expected, and not because they wanted to have her around. Neither royal had been particularly open and friendly to her, though Queen Risa was slightly less frigid. King Thorne clearly had no use for her, which undermined her confidence.It was no surprise to her that she was doing far worse with fire magic than with water magic. When she was in Haedra, she felt welcome and at peace, as though among friends and family. The only similar feeling she got when she was in Celestina was from Kriss or Lyssa.Thinkin
Chapter Twenty-Six: AurasThere was a new lightness to her step when she followed Lyssa to the stables. Embracing how she felt and making the decision to try to convince all six of them to be with her had freed her, though it certainly complicated her life too.She was still thinking about it and didn’t at first realize someone had fallen into step with her. She was startled when a hand brushed her wrist, half-expecting it to be Lyssa, though the other woman was several yards ahead of her as she practically ran to the stables. Her heart fluttered with fear for a moment, but immediately calmed when she recognized Eamon. She turned her hand so that he was holding her palm instead of her wrist, and their fingers interlocked.“Where’re you off to?” He was looking completely at her now, and there was no shyness in his face or voice. They must have spent enough time together for him to be comfortable at their current level of interaction.“We’re off to see the fire-wings.” She broke off sud
Chapter Twenty-Seven: RevelationsNorth was still in a pleasant state of bliss when she made her way to the dining room to join the Drakkens for dinner. Kriss held out a chair for her, and she sat down between him and Lyssa’s empty seat as she flashed a secret smile at Ryland and then Orin. The others arranged themselves around the table, and the meal was underway.Lyssa was a few minutes late, and her hair was covered by a headscarf. She clearly wasn’t ready to share her secret romance with her parents yet, and North respected that. She focused her attention on Kriss and Eli, who sat across from her. Marek was at his side, while Orin sat beside Lyssa, and Ryland was across from him. The queen and king were directly on Kriss’s side, both seated at the head of the table, but she didn’t try to engage them in conversation. She knew from experience it would be a pointless task.At first, it seemed like it would be another sedate dinner with the Drakkens, but that changed halfway through t
Chapter Fifty-Three: ReunionIt was over, and relief swept through her. Her spine stiffened, and she managed to stand upright again. “We’ll do our best.” Persephone nodded and disappeared into the crowd of people who were triaging survivors or stacking the dead to be jettisoned into Noirvald. North turned away from all the chaos, no longer wanting in part of it. Other people could clean up, but she needed the reassurance of her mates. “I need to be alone with you. All of you.”“Of course.” Eamon took the lead, and they ended up back in the bedroom she first used at her arrival at headquarters. North waited until the door closed before she started undressing.“North, maybe you shouldn’t…” Ryland looked uncertain.She managed a small smile. “I should. I definitely need to. I was denied contact with you for the last two weeks, and I need to renew our bonds. This is what I need right now. Trust me.”At her words, their resistance evaporated, and they started undressing too.Orin was the f
Chapter Fifty-Two: Find Your WayNorth stared around, vaguely aware the place was familiar. When Pytor moved from her side, she felt nothing but a wave of relief. Even that was a dull sense, and emotions barely penetrated her. Her mind was thick and heavy, like it was shrouded in fog.She remembered opening the portal, and how it had drained her for several minutes. She’d had to regain her strength before Pytor could lead her through it. She remembered thinking she should resist, but hadn’t been able to do so.She remembered the moment when the portal had torn open, though it hadn’t been a neat hole. Even now, the edges were ripped, and the energy felt wrong to her. She still had her physical senses intact, even if she couldn’t really access her emotions. Her arm remained hanging, and she willed it to fall at her side, but couldn’t without his permission.Anger stirred in her that she needed his authorization for such a mundane task, and she glared at his back. It was easier to think
Chapter Fifty-One: AttackOrin paced around the cell, sick to death of the confines of the small room. They’d been trapped in there for two weeks, let out only on a one-by-one basis in order to shower and see to hygiene needs three times per day. He was amazed they still let them do that after the last couple of escape attempts, but perhaps Caius had some remaining compassion.Just not enough to risk weakening the Council to a level that made them uncomfortable even if it meant rescuing North from Pytor. He didn’t understand how Caius could justify that decision, even though the Council had little love for North. They should realize that the longer North was with Pytor, the more vulnerable she was to falling under his command. Apparently, that wasn’t worth risking their control.Before he could stop himself, he paused, rammed a fist against the bar, and cursed. The curse was a combination of frustration and pain from colliding with the bar. There were wards placed all around them, plu
Chapter Fifty: FrenemyTwo weeks. Two miserable weeks had passed, and North was no closer to recovering her memory. Each time she had a flash of something important, Pytor seemed to realize it and ordered Kira to adjust her dose of the “solution.” She still had no idea what that was, but each dose made it harder to think and harder to resist his horrible orders.“Do it.” He raged at her, waving at the body crumpled on the floor. “Kill the yaogui.”She closed her eyes, her body trembling from the torture he’d already forced her to inflict on the small creature huddling on the floor before her. “Why?”“Don’t question. Never question me. You do as I say. Now kill it. Show me the range of your power.” His temples throbbed with the force of his anger.North looked down at the pitiful creature, which had been broken for at least an hour. She wished she could say it was the first time he’d made her use her magic to hurt others, but it wasn’t. This was the first time he’d told her to kill for
Chapter Forty-Nine: Memories (Lack Thereof)North woke with a throbbing headache. It hurt so badly that she couldn’t think clearly. The pain centered in a spot on top of her head, so she lifted a hand to touch it and flinched when she encountered something metallic in nature. She whimpered and started to thrash.“Enough, Nara. You must be calm.” The male voice was authoritative, but it didn’t make her want to listen.Instead, she wanted to run away. Panic filled her as she opened her eyes, unable to see anything. “What’s happening? Who are you? Where am I?” Who am I? That question echoed around in her head. He’d called her Nara, but that didn’t feel right. In fact, it felt wrong on so many levels that she rejected the name immediately.If she wasn’t Nara, who was she? She tried to think, but couldn’t remember anything beyond being certain her name was North.“Calm please.” The soothing female voice had a gentle touch to match. “Let me make some adjustments.”North froze as those hands
Chapter Forty-Eight: BetrayedKriss was the one to knock on the Allises’ door, since there was a chance they didn’t know him. He was taking no chances of them recognizing Eli and trying to keep them out. They wouldn’t be denied entry, but he’d like to make things as quick and neat as possible.Carol was the one to open the door, and she left the chain on. “What is it? Do you have any idea what time it is?”“It’s time for you to tell us what you know.” Eli burst past Kriss, ripping the chain from its plate as he collided for the door.So much for subtlety. With a shrug, Kriss entered behind him and closed the door as the sound of bare feet running down the hall reached them. He stood with his arms crossed over his chest as he waited for Jim to join them.Eli held Carol by the back of her shirt, ignoring her ineffectual struggles. When Jim burst into the kitchen, he nodded at Kriss.Kriss moved quickly, intercepting Jim and twisting his arm behind his back before forcing him to stand wi
Chapter Forty-Seven: OpeningThe fighting was brutal, with an overwhelming number of soldiers. If it hadn’t been for Eli’s brethren joining them, they would have been wiped out by the sheer numbers that poured through the portal in the short time it was opened before it closed. Marek fought as hard as the others until all he could see was a pile of fallen and smell the coppery tang of blood in the air.“We have to get back to the Council.” Eli looked wary, but seemed determined to ignore the reality of exhaustion.Marek could relate. It was finally safe, so he returned his fire sword to the scabbard hidden by his wings. “What about all this?” He gestured at the pile of bodies.Eileen approached, looking grim. Blood smeared her face, but it didn’t seem to be her own, since there were no visible injuries. “You go after North. We’ll sort out our dead from theirs for a proper burial and then burn the rest.”“Thanks, Ma.” Eli leaned forward to hug her. “I’m sorry to run.”Eileen nodded. “I
Chapter Forty-Six: ImpossibleThe next night was a full moon, which meant a gathering for the wolf-shifters. She had the fae fabric become a comfortable outfit, in case they ran. She had no idea what to expect as they all followed Eli to the square of the village. Someone had started a huge bonfire, and there were several naked shifters cavorting around it. Others had already shifted.“Try this.” Eli handed her a glass of something pale purple.She sniffed it. “What is it?”“Pink yarrow wine. It’s good for you.”She took a cautious sip and gasped. “I didn’t expect it to be so strong.”Eli laughed as he handed glasses of the wine to the other men. “It has a kick, but it tastes great.”North wasn’t entirely sure she’d use the word great, but it wasn’t bad. She ended up finishing the glass over the next twenty minutes as they all mingled. She interacted more with Eli’s family and saw her other husbands were getting along with the wolves too. It was important to her that they all get alon
Chapter Forty-Five: UntamedThey entered a thickly forested area. This wasn’t the same kind of almost-tamed forest that had been on Bael. It was dark and primeval, with the fecund scent of soil, and everything looked rough around the edges. Even the buildings visible in the distance were on the primitive side.They moved closer to the settlement as they walked carefully through the wild forest. Most huts were clearly fashioned from material provided by the forest, and someone appeared to have carved the bare niche of land forming the space for the buildings from sheer brute force. Everywhere she looked, she could see signs of the forest trying to encroach again and reclaim its territory.The smell of soil gradually faded from her nostrils to be replaced by a less pleasant scent—wet fur and shifter bodies, combined with the unique musk that she had never noticed on Eli, but could only assume emitted from each of the shifters and joined together to create a strange musk.Ryland sneezed