Euphoria: A Reverse Harem Fantasy Romance (The Carnal Court Book 2) Page 14

  Verys found the creature on his way home and brought it with him. And he put every ounce of care and magic he could into caring for the creature until it was well. And though she made sure that he was not near when she told me the next part, he shed a few tears when he had to release the creature. And it did come back to visit from time to time. Though it stopped after it figured out that Verys no longer lived here.

  There are other stories too. Funny ones of mishaps both magical and not. And more harrowing stories of the last fae war—the first and last great conflict in Allwyn since Cerys created it—when Siona was almost sure that Verys was going to die. I hope to meet every one of my mate’s families if I can get to know them like this. Now, when I look at Verys, I see more than I already did.

  When he meets my eyes my heart goes silent in my chest for a moment, and I ache for all the pain he has been dealt in his life, and I hope that I can ease some of that pain.

  In the afternoons we train together, and Verys takes it as an opportunity to show me the Lunar lands. We take portals to some places that are both beautiful and stark. A lake of bright, milky blue that stands out against the pale dust that seems to cover the ground everywhere. And the lake is hot, of all things. The steam rising into the sky, which varies in color from that same beautiful blue to a lavender and back through a pearly grey.

  There are mountains on the outskirts of the court that rise with abrupt magnitude. These are nothing like the mountains on earth that I’ve seen. These would dwarf those in a heartbeat. Snow—or maybe dust—brushes the tops of them that fade into the sky, so far up they’re difficult to see. The landscapes not only provide a gorgeous landscape for the training, they help my focus. I have to keep working with my power in unfamiliar environments, and I’m getting better.

  Not good, but better.

  I can now hold the shield almost without thinking about it, and Verys makes me do it at all times. The only time I can’t consciously do it is when I’m sleeping. But this power inside me works with me the more I practice. And I’m not entirely sure if it’s just the way that this works, or if it’s because this was a gift and not entirely mine. But the shield has been intact the past couple of days when I’ve woken, draped over Verys and I, because inevitably we’re tangled together.

  That’s how the training always ends. Verys has to push me hard. We’ve progressed from shielding to fighting back and more. I can keep him away from me, and his magic. He’s hurled rocks at the shield, starting small, and growing until there was a rock that was as tall as I was. I knew that if the shield had failed, he still had a hold on it—he would never have let it hit me. But the shield cracked it in half.

  Turning the magic around and striking out is much harder, especially when I’m trying to keep the shield in place too. Even shielding while running and dodging is easier than trying to actively attack. Not to mention that I don’t particularly like striking out at Verys. Which he shoved aside with a smirk, saying that he’s been doing it for days and it’s still giving him tiny heart attacks.

  Fair is fair.

  But at the end of the day, after having had to treat each other like enemies, and feeling each other’s power, we barely make it back to the bed. Every encounter gives Verys more confidence, and I was exactly right that he’s learning and growing and I think he might know what makes my body tick more than I do now.

  And tick it does. The minute he touches me in that slow, deliberate way that makes me shiver I’m instantly wet and wanting, and he’s more than happy to oblige. I even managed to get him to let me taste him again, with the promise that we weren’t sealing the bond. It didn’t last long before he hauled me off my knees and back to the bed so he could bury himself to the hilt inside me. I love that I’m his first everything. And it makes me want to give him a first too. I’ve been thinking about it, but I have yet to ask.

  As delicious as every moment has been, after so many days, I miss my other mates too. Even though it still feels strange to want so many people at once. I’ve seen them in tiny doses, dropping in for a few minutes here and there as they make their plans. But those visits have barely been long enough for a kiss. Not long enough for a true conversation or anything further.

  I miss Brae’s steadiness and insight. I miss Aeric’s fierce passion. Kent’s firm sweetness and Urien’s gentle practicality. Siona’s hospitality has been lovely, and this place is beautiful, but I want to go home. This week has cemented that the Carnal Court is my home now. Whenever I think the word home, that’s the place I imagine, along with the warm feeling I’ve always associated with the word.

  I’m looking forward to going back, and I think Verys is too. In the time we’ve been here, I’ve seen Darran maybe twice, and both times he was brusque and unfriendly. I’m not a fan. But he hasn’t said anything yet that’s made me need to punch him in the face, so we’re in a peaceful stalemate. Verys laughed when I told him that I would be willing to punch his stepfather. I don’t think he believed that I was serious.

  I am.

  In the bedroom we’ve been sharing, I pull on one of the things that Kaya sent for me. She’s outdone herself as usual—clothes that fit me perfectly and are beautiful and stylish and warded to the teeth. I don’t have enough experience yet to discern the individual spells, but I can feel the wards buzzing faintly under my fingers when I brush them across the fabric. And because it’s Kaya, she included both a ballgown which I can’t imagine myself wearing when I need armor, and more sets of lingerie and nightgowns that I could ever need.

  I laughed, but I have been wearing them—at least until my clothes come off. There are worse things than having an extra layer of protection while you sleep. And I know all of my mates agree, even if I would much rather sleep skin-on-skin.

  The soft grey pants I pull on have quickly become some of my favorites. I love them so much I’m probably going to ask her to make me more in this style. I never thought I would have a personal stylist, but I can’t say that I’m complaining. These have a high waist with six buttons, vaguely military in style with a little bit of a flare in the leg. They’re perfect. I pair it with a burgundy shirt with sleeves just past the elbow. How she manages to capture my need for comfort but make it look like I stepped out of a store on Fifth Avenue I’ll never understand, but I need to get this woman to New York.

  New York Fashion Week will never be the same.

  “Where are we going today?” I ask Verys.

  He reaches for my hand as he draws a line in the air and crimson light splits it open. “It’s a surprise. Eyes closed.” I raise an eyebrow, but I close my eyes. He guides me through the portal and I feel that familiar sense of dizziness as I’m transported from one place to another. It’s even colder than I was expecting when we step through, and I reach for my magic instinctively now, and it banishes the cold instantly. Amazing how after such a short time it’s become second nature to have this level of magic. I’m not surprised that humans are jealous of fae in the slightest. Having this kind of flexibility at your fingertips is fucking awesome.

  “All right, you may open your eyes.”

  We’re in the mountains, not just seeing them from a distance. From what it looks like, we’ve stepped out into the valley between peaks, on the shores of a tiny lake that’s perfectly smooth despite the wind and shimmers like a moonstone. The peaks on either side of us tower into the invisible distance above, and when we’re this close, I can see the changing colors of the rocks. Huge streaks of rusted orange and vibrant yellow along with the blacks and browns I would expect of stone. It’s the most color in the landscape I’ve seen in this court.

  Some of those pale petrified trees dot the edge of the lake, casting long shadows across the water. The image is entirely alien, and by far the most beautiful place that I’ve seen in the Lunar Court. “Wow.”

  “I thought you might like this place.”

  “What are we working on today? The more beautiful place, the more I think you’re trying to distract me.”


  Verys’s face is grim. “Unfortunately yes. And you’ll have some other distractions as well.”

  “Mind if we join you?”

  I turn to find the rest of my mates stepping out of a portal, and I can’t keep the smile off my face. “We’re going to train together?”

  Aeric reaches me first, dipping me back into a sweeping kiss that melts my knees. “Verys told us that you’re progressing well and need a bit of a challenge. We thought we could help.”

  “I’d like that,” I breathe. Kent takes my hand and stands beside me as I look back at Verys. “What did you have in mind?”

  His demeanor hasn’t lightened. “Ariana seems intent on taking you. Getting you elsewhere. She’s not a fool, so there’s every chance that she’ll send more than one person after you. Or come herself with an accomplice.”

  Oh. He wanted me to practice defending myself against multiple people. I’m not perfect at any of this, and I won’t be for a long time. I don’t have a hundred years of muscle and mental memory. But the idea is that I get good enough that I can hold my own until help arrives. Until this is all over—however it ends—I’m not going to be alone for long. “Okay. What should I do?”

  They five of them arrange themselves in a loose circle around me. “Just magic first,” Verys says. “Make sure we can’t get through.”

  I can do that. Filling the shield with power feels like a reflex now, and I strengthen it just as I feel a stab from Aeric’s spicy green magic. He’s not holding back. Nor should he. I need this to be as real as possible. I force more power into the shield where he presses in, and am nearly distracted enough that when Urien slices across my back that the barrier shakes.

  Brae’s assault is slow and steady pressure that would flatten me if I didn’t keep powering more charging into the barricade. More hits, scattered like stars from Verys. Again, again, and again. Their magic is like a battering ram against the shield. It’s both exhilarating and exhausting but nothing gets through.

  “Kari,” Verys says. “Keep Kent out.”

  Fuck. I’m barely keeping up with the onslaught of magic, I haven’t even been paying attention to what’s actually around me. I have to turn to find Kent, and he’s already closer than I expect him to be. He strides forward with determination. I know that he’d die before he would ever hurt me, but I understand how he was able to be a cop. If he were coming after me like this for real, I’d already be running.

  He slams into the bubble I’m holding, and I feel it waver. The invisible attacks haven’t stopped, but Kent keeps trying. I take a step back, and another, and it feels like so much. Kent presses his shoulder against the glittering wall that’s become visible as I put all of my attention on it, and he shoves his entire weight into it. It’s fine. I’m holding it.

  And then the rest of them strike at once. Magic strikes the shield all together, and the ripples from that one attack are too much. The pressure Kent’s causing cracks it, and I trip backwards. Kent is already moving, catching me before I smack my head on the rocky shore, and breathing heavily. “Are you all right?”

  I nod. “Yeah, I think so.” More faces appear above mine. “I’m sorry,” I say. “I wasn’t expecting that kind of coordination.”

  Urien snorts indelicately, which is so unlike him that it makes me laugh. “Kari, that was incredibly impressive. Even accounting for the amount of power you’ve been given, holding off the magic of four fae warriors while being attacked is no small thing.”

  “Really?”

  Verys makes a face. “She hasn’t believed me once when I’ve told her that she’s doing well.”

  Reaching down and grasping one of my hands, Brae assists Kent in helping me to my feet. “They’re right that was very good.”

  “It was,” Aeric says. “And we should do it again. And you should try to fight back.”

  I wince. “I’m having trouble with that part. I don’t want to hurt any of you.”

  He steps closer to me, just like when he told me to make sure that I was training my ass off. He takes my face in his hands, and his features and green skin and eyes look so vibrant here against the pale backdrop. Full of life and passion. “We can handle what you unleash, Kari. And that’s what you need to do. You need to let go and know what it feels like unleash hell. It’s not something you want to do for the first time in combat. You should do it where you’re safe. This is the place. Fight back.”

  My heart pounds at his words. The way he says them, like he has no doubt that I can do that, just let fury and danger come pouring out of my skin like it’s easy. “It’s not that simple.”

  “Yes it is,” he says, putting his palm gently on my chest. “You’re angry. You’re grieving. You’ve had enough. Let it all go. Here and now. Give in and fight back.” I hesitate, and he keeps going. “You stopped being bound by human ideas of politeness the moment you were attacked. And the fae coming after you will not give you the same consideration. Please, Kari,” he voice is softer now, pressing softly with his palm. “Show me what’s here.”

  I look around at the rest of my men, standing close enough to hear his words, and every one gives a sign of agreement. They believe in me. They think that I can do this. I thought that I had given in—given everything. But it’s not true.

  “Okay.”

  Aeric smiles, just a little. “I love you. Don’t hold back.”

  I nod as they back up, returning to their circle. But this is different. They’re moving. They’re not going to just use magic this time. I have to stop them.

  My shield is barely in place before the first magic drops down on me like a fist. Fuck. Little taps on the barrier behind me to distract me and another slice to the front. Kent is already approaching the shield, so I make it stronger. And stronger still. But he’s backing me up.

  I stagger forward towards him from a sudden physical blow to the back of my shield, and I whirl on instinct, magic following and forcing Urien to back up. Verys lifts a stone, and uses his own power to propel it towards me, and I shove it away before it even has a chance to shatter on the shield.

  Behind me I can feel Brae move with a bar of power in his hand, aiming to pierce the shield. I turn over my shoulder and use extra power to hold him back, not letting him any closer. That’s when I feel Kent running at me again. I can feel him.

  With just Verys, it was easy to focus on him. With so many people I have to rely on the magic to tell me what I can’t see, and it does as if I had consciously asked it to do that. I can trust this. Something settles in my chest, like fitting in that final elusive piece of a jigsaw puzzle. I just have to let it be.

  A hailstorm of power and stones flies at me from the left, and the pieces of jagged rock disintegrate in front of me. That’s what they’ll do, if they find me. If she finds me. They’ll toy with me until I’m so tired that I can’t fight them off again. Wear me down.

  Let it all go.

  Enough. I’ve had enough.

  The anger I’ve been avoiding rises up in my chest like a crimson flood. Every moment of feeling helpless and afraid. Every time I’ve had to run away or lost something precious to me. Aeric shoots a blast of green power that’s so strong I can feel the shield cracking under the pressure. No.

  I fall back into the power. My power. I seal the cracks and send my own blast of fire towards him, not looking to see where it landed because the others are still attacking. Still pressing. But I can feel them now, every move and intention. It’s like a dance, blocking and pushing back and holding them still.

  The fae are not going to give up. I can see it in their eyes. Kent too, is standing outside the shield, breathing hard. He’ll do what he can without magic. Aeric looks at me, and I can almost hear the words he said to me.

  Here and now. Let it all go.

  Verys is the first one to move. There’s a sword in his hand formed of silver magic, shining in the bright. And the other fae follow him. Swords form in their hands of pure power, and as one they approach the shield. I don’t see th
e faces of my mates. Instead I see Ariana’s face as she laughed at me. As she looked down on me while I was dying. I see the hooded figures that stalked us with birds and poison. The fae that bound me so that Ariana could take my life.

  I see my sixth mate, hatred in his eyes as he tries to break through everything to get to me. And pain greater than I’ve ever felt cracks through my chest along with this anger. No. Tears well in my eyes and spill over as I let in the power. I am nothing but a cascade of stars, consumed by fire and fury. The power moves with me or I move with it, but it doesn’t matter. With this much power it’s only the spark that matters, and that’s the end.

  I am a supernova. Nothing will touch me.

  Then I unleash everything.

  Power flows outward, pouring forth from fissures so deep in this world I will never know the bottom. It is so bright that I have to close my eyes and my throat is raw from screaming. One single blast, and I know that I could tear the world apart if I wanted to. That anger is just the kindling for a rage that is not entirely my own, and I let it out into the atmosphere.

  It rings off the mountains and scorches the trees, leaving marks that will never fade.

  And then it’s over.

  Light flickers and fades into nothing and I can see that I’m standing at the center of nothing. Stones and sand and dust have blown outward from me. Trees are broken, boulders cracked, and not one of my mates is upright. They’re scattered around me, and for a moment I feel the shock of horror before Verys is the one who moves. He looks at me in awe, and then the others do to.

  Brae is the closest, and grips my arms and pulls me against him hard. “Yes,” is all he says before he consumes me.

  I barely have a chance to speak before I’m pulled away by Kent. “Did I hurt any of you?”

  “No,” Verys says. “But that was what you needed.”

  “I don’t know how I did it.”

  Aeric’s hand curves around the back of my neck and guides my gaze to his. “Yes, you do.”