Shameless: A Reverse Harem Fantasy Romance (The Carnal Court Book 3) Read online

  I put on the clothes that we’ve selected. This is the first time we’re meeting Ariana on our terms, and our one chance to make an impression. The truth of the matter is that impressions matter, and a show of force and will is one of our best defenses. Along with one other thing.

  Something I’m not going to show Kari.

  I finish lacing up the corseted vest that many fae seem to prefer for formalwear. I imagine I’ll have to get used to wearing this, even if I can’t breathe. And then I grab the gun that I’ve had stashed here since we first arrived. I’ve never had reason to fire it and the ash bullets that it contains, which as specifically designed to harm the fae. Honestly, I hoped I would never have reason to touch it again.

  I think that this is a pretty good fucking reason.

  No one knows what makes ash painful to the fae, and until now I’ve never thought to ask. The only thing that ever mattered to me when I had the gun was that it gave me an advantage, and with the creatures I was hunting I needed every advantage that I could get.

  Knocking on Aeric’s door, I wait. If anyone agrees with me about this, it’s going to be him. He’s dressed too, clothes dark and emphasizing the green tones of his skin while showing his strength. It’s a good image for the impression we’re trying to send. “I need to talk to you for a moment.”

  I register his surprise before he steps aside and lets me in. We’ve become more friendly in these past weeks, but seeking him out isn’t exactly a habit. “If things go south, do we have a plan?”

  “Get Kari to safety at all costs.”

  I take a breath, to make sure that I say this in a way that’s not going to make him punch me in the face. “You remember how we met?”

  He rolls his eyes. “Kind of hard to forget that introduction, Kent.”

  Actions are better than words in this case. I pull the gun out of the back of my waistband and hold it out on my palm, making sure it doesn’t look like I’m brandishing it.

  Aeric stares at it for a moment, and shakes his head. “If anyone in Allwyn knew you had that, the absolute mountain of shit—”

  “I know,” I say. “There’s a reason I haven’t told anyone. Frankly I wish that it would have gathered dust for the rest of my existence.”

  “There aren’t exactly a lot of laws here. But I think the ones against ash weapons are the only laws that are acknowledged in every Kingdom.”

  “Why ash?”

  He shrugs. “Cerys. The Goddess. It could have been anything, but she didn’t want to create a power imbalance the way there was before. So she gave us that weakness. Ash trees are not native to Allwyn. Just a way for humans to more effectively defend themselves, if it comes to that. So she made it poisonous to fae and the Gods alike.” He’s still staring at the weapon. “You said that you’ve killed fae before.”

  I keep my face even. “I have.” It was not an easy or a pleasant experience. “In the course of doing my job, sometimes I didn’t have a choice.”

  “And that’s the only time you’ve killed?”

  He’s not looking at the gun anymore. He’s looking at me, and I meet his gaze. But I don’t say anything. There’s nothing to say, because it’s none of his business. That’s not a part of my life I’ll share with the other fae in this house unless I have no other choice. “I came to ask if you think it’s a good idea. To have it for this meeting.”

  Crossing to the chair in front of his tool bench, Aeric sits. “We’ve never talked about the possibility of harming fae offensively. That’s a discussion we need to have. Particularly since Ariana is controlling fae.”

  I tuck the gun back into my pants. “It’s not ideal.”

  “No fucking kidding,” he says, pulling out one of his knives and spinning it. It’s an instinctual movement. “But you’re right.”

  “I can’t stop thinking about what we don’t know.”

  He’s silent for long minutes, absently throwing the knife. I lean against one of the bed posts and wait. I’m on unfamiliar territory here, and I trust his judgement.

  Finally, Aeric sighs. “Take it. But only use it if absolutely necessary.”

  “That’s the plan. If I have to,” I say, “I know where I’m aiming.”

  His face is grim. “Me too.”

  “Even armed, I don’t like this.”

  Standing, he leads me out of the door. He doesn’t have to speak his agreement, I already know that he feels the same. I just want this to be over.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  ________

  KARI

  My stomach is still bubbling with nerves and nausea as I dress. I’m clinging to Brae’s confidence, and Aeric’s steadiness. Thank the Goddess.

  Brae volunteered to relay the information from last night, and the plan. Fine with me. I don’t want to relive that. The primal power coming from beneath that stone, and the simple callous nature of Ariana’s mission. There’s no way I’m going to be able to eat anything this morning, even though the house is filled with the smell of baking pancakes and sugar.

  It’s unfair that my mouth is watering and I know that I’m not going to be able to eat. But in a way it’s sweet, like the magic of the house is apologizing for what I’m feeling and trying to ply me with sugar. Which I appreciate, and will hopefully be stuffing my face with later.

  Because I’m going to have to do all the talking. Otherwise the show of power and strength that we’re projecting will mean nothing. Me and my five silent guards, willing to do anything in order to protect me.

  Yeah, food is off the table.

  The dress I’m wearing for this is one of the batch that Kaya sent. It’s laced with wards and protection charms. I’m confident in my ability to shield myself, but when it comes to Ariana I’m not going to take any chances. It also helps that I really love this dress. Deep blue with a plunging neckline and a sharp enough cut that I feel badass. But also soft enough to make me feel pretty. Either way I’m standing tall in it, and I’ll take what I can get right now.

  I stand in front of the mirror, looking at myself, and I try to see what they see. The men in this house, and the Goddess that chose me. But I’m just…me. Who I’ve always been.

  The idea that I was always chosen is both comforting and terrifying at once. On the one hand, I would know without a doubt that I’m on the right course. But on the other hand the idea of a fate this vast makes me wonder if I’ll measure up to it.

  For a moment I close my eyes, reaching deep and lifting magic into my fingertips. I make it visible. Combined gold and violet, shimmering and shifting in my hand like a little swirling cloud. I need to trust this, and trust my mates.

  It’s time.

  Brae is on his way up the stairs when I step out of my room. The shock that rolls through him followed by his distinctly male appreciation and desire make me grin at him. I’m already used to the external sensing of their feelings, and it’s not nearly as intrusive as I feared it might be. They seem to distance themselves when not needed, and intensify when I reach for them. I wonder if that’s part of the magic?

  “If you can sense my feelings, does it bother you if I tell you how beautiful you are?” he asks, stopping in front of me and bowing.

  “You’re not too bad yourself.” The fitted clothes show off every inch of him, and the purple highlights his golden complexion. I find myself torn at moments like these. Wanting to drag one of them away to a quiet corner and barricade myself with them for nothing but hours of lazy and indulgent pleasure. But there are bigger things than sex, even if Brae’s pants make it clear I’m not the only one with the thought.

  The rest of them are gathered in the entryway, arrayed in powerful clothing. Similar enough that it almost looks like a uniform, with touches that reflect each of them. If they knew how they looked to me right now—practically lickable—maybe they’d wear this more often.

  I suppress my smile when Brae and Aeric look at me, both of them catching the thought. But I don’t comment. The mood in the air is heavy, and we’re all e
ager to get on with it.

  “Kari does the talking,” Brae says, looking at me. “Unless she tells us otherwise. Right?”

  “Right.”

  Urien is the one to draw the portal in front of us, laced in azure light that shatters into facets. In the air. Thankfully for my swimming stomach, we step directly through the portal where we need to go, and not through twenty. Ariana already knows that we’re coming. Why bother to hide?

  I was unconscious when I left this place, and it’s the first time I’ve seen the true aftermath of the explosion. An entirely flat circle of ash and dust a hundred feet across. Jagged stones scattered beyond that, the equivalent of fallen trees here. Pure destruction.

  Little curls of dust reach up from under our feet when we step onto the surface. Looking at this—if I didn’t know what happened—I would be shocked that anyone survived.

  Brae and Aeric place themselves close at my shoulders. In spite of the seriousness I fight a smile and Kent winks at me. Their protective mate instincts are in full force. It’s sweet, and it might just keep me alive.

  A flash of light blinds me for a moment, and Ariana is there, along with Kiaran. Four other fae as well, though the dead looks on their faces tell me they’re under her control. They are here to mirror my entourage.

  I try not to look at Kiaran. As far as I know, Ariana does not know who he is to me—every one of our encounters is so brief that I haven’t asked. But I see enough. He’s taken, eyes shining with malevolent light stronger than I’ve ever seen it. A tinge of orangey red glows there. She’s taking no chances with him.

  I don’t see the rush of illness coming. This isn’t a curse or an attack, it’s me. Ariana is wearing that same black dress that I can’t shake from my memory. That same red lipstick and smile. She’s a ghost that stepped straight out of my worst nightmare, and she knows it. She did it on purpose. It takes everything in me not to double over.

  A tiny trace of power caresses down my spine. Urien’s power, cool and refreshing like the night. They’re standing with me. I am not alone. The coolness of that touch snaps my mind back to the present, and I’m able to look at her. She smiles slowly, like a predator cornering prey that has nowhere to go.

  “You look better than the last time I saw you, Kari.”

  Breathe in. Out. Don’t let her see the fear. The power inside me pulses in response, a subtle reminder of why she wants me in the first place. “No thanks to you.”

  She laughs, bright and fake and easy. “Still angry about that? You survived. And it seems did very well for yourself.” Her eyes flit between the men arrayed around me. “Though I wonder why you needed to bring them all with you? You’re the only one with an invitation.”

  Beside me, I can sense everyone go on high alert. They may have agreed to stay silent, but they’ll act the second anything goes wrong.

  “I know what you’re planning to do,” I say. “And I can’t let you do it.”

  Ariana tilts her head. She’s studying me, smile gone. “Oh? How are you going to stop me?”

  “Did you think it would be that simple? I’d just show up and volunteer to let you take me? Kill me or worse?”

  She looks at our surroundings and shrugs. “After what happened here, I thought you might see that it’s the easier option.”

  I stay silent, fighting the urge to move. Instead I let myself become stone. Impervious to her and her manipulation.

  She’s the one who moves, slowly walking through the fine debris leaving a trail of footsteps behind her. “No matter what you think of me, this must be done. Even after all the trouble you’ve caused me, I’m willing to look the other way. If you surrender your power, that is.”

  I don’t rise to the bait. Don’t show hope. We both know that there’s not a chance that she’ll let me get out of this alive if she has any say in the matter. Ariana is not one to leave witnesses. The trail of human women she left behind before me is proof enough of that.

  When she finally focuses on me, the blow she aims at makes me gasp. It bounces harmlessly off my barrier woven of gold, but the amount of power she already has is staggering. Far more than I remember feeling from her. Not even Kiaran has that kind of power, and she was only testing me. No matter if the magic is stolen or not, if she gathered everything she had and pointed it straight at me, I’m no longer sure that I would walk away.

  A ghost of a smile crosses her lips. “You are fascinating.”

  “Given what you do to things that fascinate you, that’s not a compliment.”

  Her smile now is the most genuine one I’ve ever seen, and it’s terrifying. Ariana is stunningly beautiful, and in another life I could see her in the Carnal Court, finding love and happiness. How did she end up here? Was that fate too?

  In spite of myself, I glance at Kiaran. How much of this is he aware of through her control?

  “We can stand here forever and banter,” she says, stopping directly across from me in her wandering. “Or we can get to the point. Do you accept my invitation to surrender?”

  “No.”

  Ariana faces me square on, hands folded delicately behind her back. Her face is peaceful. “I expected as much. And I came prepared with a counter-offer.”

  All it takes is a flick of her wrist to make my world fall apart. A portal swirls open beside her, the brutal lines of magic cutting through the air like wounds. Bright red light pulling back to reveal Emma.

  She’s unconscious, suspended in the air. Spirals of ruby energy coil around her like a snake. It roams over her skin, possessive and poisonous. The sight is eerily familiar.

  I’m nothing but deja vu and rage. I know what happens when you’re like that. When she has you. I lunge for the portal without thinking, and Aeric is the one that holds me back from diving through.

  Everything looks red to me—the same color as that portal and the magic touching my friend and Ariana’s blood that I’m going to scatter on this pile of ash we’re standing on. “Let her go.” I don’t recognize the feral sound that is my own voice.

  All pretense and friendliness is gone from Ariana’s manner. “See, Kari? You could have made this simple. It could have just been you. No one else had to get hurt. But you’re predictable. All you humans. So loyal.”

  I fight against Aeric’s hold. I’m going to kill her now. I can. Magic boils under my skin, burning with the need to hunt and harm and kill. Let this be over. “It’s me you want.”

  “It is,” Ariana admits, calmly snapping her fingers. The portal to Emma collapses into thin air. Terror wraps my heart in a fist, squeezing until I can barely breathe. No.

  She opens her hands in an apologetic gesture. “But you said no. I guess we’ll see what matters the most to you.”

  “Kari,” the voice is Brae’s, soft enough that only I can hear. I brush it aside. I don’t want to be in check right now, I want to burn, and I know that I can. Maybe it would be worth it to take her with me.

  “You have three days,” Ariana says. “Before she dies.”

  “If you kill her—”

  “I’m not going to kill her,” she says, cutting me off. “You are. If you refuse me again.” A tiny smile. “I never took you for a murderer, Kari.”

  I am a creature born of fury and pain. Nothing more. Power spirals from my fingertips almost before the thought enters my head. A burst meant to incinerate and end.

  The sound of it is sharp, echoing in my ears, and then the power bounces into nothing off a wall of blue flame. Kiaran stumbles backwards, shoulder bloody. It’s only a second later that I see the gun in Kent’s hand. An ash gun. The weapon he used to carry as a police officer. Deadly to fae.

  And Kent is a perfect shot.

  Horror and dread crack through me like a bomb. That bullet would have gone straight into her heart if Kiaran hadn’t jumped in front of her, completely willing to sacrifice himself for her. And we would have lost Emma completely.

  Blood pours from Kiaran’s wound, soaking through the clothes, but he looks unfazed
. Like he didn’t even feel it. The other fae with them haven’t even moved. Please, Goddess, let him be all right.

  For the first time, I see Ariana look shaken.

  Her portal whips open behind her, a gaping hole into darkness. Her dark eyes seek out mine. There is death in that gaze, and absolutely no mercy. “Now you have two days.”

  She disappears into mist, Kiaran and the rest of the fae filing behind her. They’re gone in seconds, leaving behind nothing but echoes and my own madness.

  “No.” The word falls from me like a stone. No no no. All I can hear are those echoes of that. Aeric releases me, and my legs don’t hold my weight. I sink into the silt, the feeling of it between my fingers keeping me grounded.

  Brae is at their portal within seconds, fingertips tracing the air and searching for the remnants of the path.

  Fingers brush my back and I recoil. “Don’t touch me,” I breathe into the dirt. “Don’t touch me.”

  “Kari.” Feet appear directly in front of my eyes. It’s Verys crouching down. “We’ll find her.”

  “I could have found her now. I could have made it through.” I glare at Aeric. “Why did you stop me?”

  “We don’t know that she has Emma. It could be a trap or an illusion. The instant you went through that portal, there was no guarantee that you were coming back.”

  I turn to Kent, still seething and too angry to listen to reason. “You could have killed him. And if you had killed her Emma would be gone forever.”

  “I won’t apologize for trying to protect you and end this fast.”

  Brae steps away from the place they disappear with a hiss. “She was careful. We can’t follow them from here.”

  “We need to find her. Now.” Panic bordering on hysteria sticks to my insides like glue. I can’t take a full breath. All I can see is Emma bent and suspended in the air, dying. That magic is slowly draining the life from her, and I know exactly how that feels.

  The portal that Urien slices through the air is more sharp than the others I’ve seen. “Quickly,” he says. “We need to move quickly and carefully. First make sure she’s really gone.”