A Charge of Allies

  His shoulders dropped, and I heard him sigh. I was instantly deflated when he snatched a fresh towel from a nearby chair and disappeared back down the hallway, into the bathroom. I cursed under my breath and leaned back into the chair, cradling my knees against my chest.

  “He’s not going to make this any easier, obviously,” I muttered to myself.

  Well, I wasn’t going to let go, either.

  Avril

  I listened to the sound of running water in the bathroom at the end of the hallway, the door to my room still open. The northern wind howled outside, drowning out the murmurs of Imen standing guard around the cabin. Footsteps downstairs and the creaking of ground floor bedroom doors indicated that a first shift had just ended, with five Imen going to bed for the next couple of hours until it was their turn again to stand guard.

  When the water stopped flowing in the bathroom, I held my breath. The pessimist in me expected to hear Heron’s footsteps down the stairs. I was already working up the courage to go after him, in case that happened. The saucy side of me insisted that I stand my ground and not leave my room. If Heron really wanted to be with me, I wouldn’t have to chase after him whenever some guy got between us.

  But then Heron came in and closed the door behind him, and I forgot to breathe altogether. There was only a towel wrapped around his narrow waist, water still dripping down his perfectly sculpted chest and abs as he tossed his clothes on a chair. He still wore that sulk on his face, further confusing me. Was he still pouting over Nevis, or was he just trying (and dramatically failing) to play it cool?

  He didn’t say a word as he walked into the middle of the room, but he didn’t take his jade eyes off me, either. I suddenly felt tiny and worryingly vulnerable, curled up in my chair and wrapped in a blanket. A minute passed as we stared at each other, neither of us seeming to find the courage to speak.

  “Listen, I—”

  “Heron, I—” We spoke and stopped ourselves at the same time.

  He sighed. “Sorry, you first.”

  “No, please,” I replied, motioning for him to speak first. All of a sudden, I saw the real him. He was nervous. There was an underlayer of pain glimmering in his eyes, something I hadn’t seen before. It hit me then that I’d been right about this being a manifestation of his own insecurities.

  “Avril, I… I just want you to know that I’m not jealous of you and Nevis,” he muttered. He didn’t sound like he believed himself, so I couldn’t help but wonder if he expected me to believe him for the both of us. “It’s not my place to tell you who to be with, or who to like. You’re free to do whatever you want, and it would be foolish of me to claim otherwise.”

  “What in the blazes are you talking about?” I breathed, utterly flabbergasted.

  He stilled, then blinked several times, visibly confused. “I thought you’d be pleased to hear that,” he said, his voice barely audible.

  “Why, Heron? Seriously, why?”

  “I… I don’t know. You’re an independent creature. I didn’t want you to think I would ever want you to change that.”

  I chuckled softly, trying to balance my emotional state between angry and amused. Heron meant well, but good grief, he was awfully bad at getting that across.

  “This is still about Nevis?” I asked, trying to retrace our steps to the original problem, and hoping I’d remember something—anything, in fact, that I might have missed in everything we’d said to each other since Nevis had first laid eyes on us. On me.

  “I guess. Yeah,” he replied with a shrug.

  A muscle twitched in his sharp jaw, but my gaze kept wandering up and down his naked torso. The flames in the fireplace cast him in an almost surreal amber glow. I exhaled deeply, shaking my head slowly.

  “Heron, for the umpteenth time, I’m not interested in him. Why won’t you just accept that?”

  “I do. I do, I just… I just don’t want you to… Screw it, I don’t know what I want right now, Avril.” He finally caved in, running a hand through his short black hair. “I’m always so stupidly insecure when I’m around you, and I have no idea how to fix it.”

  A couple of seconds passed, enough time for me to take a deep breath and choose my words carefully. I refused to go through this more than once. “There’s nothing to fix, because there’s nothing to worry about, as far as I’m concerned. I thought I was pretty clear about my feelings for you. A Dhaxanian prince won’t change them. That ship has already sailed.”

  “You’re just so damn incredible, Avril,” Heron went on, and I wasn’t sure he’d heard what I’d just said. “You’re beautiful, wicked smart, and educated. You’re strong and determined. I mean, sure, you’ve got a mouth on you, but hey, kettle meets pot, right?” He chuckled nervously. “And I love that about you. I love everything about you, and it scares the crap out of me because it feels too good. I’m terrified that I’ll wake up one day and find myself still locked in Azazel’s dungeon, still rotting away, and… and you’ll be nothing but a beautiful dream. I’m terrified of losing you, Avril, and anyone who tries to take you away from me makes me feel like I’m just so… inadequate. Like I don’t deserve you. Like you could do so much better.”

  “You mean better than a Dhaxanian prince?” I replied, stifling a laugh while my heart grew five times in my chest. How could I not love this devastatingly gorgeous and yet hilariously insecure and emotionally clumsy creature? Heron didn’t understand his own effect on women, it seemed.

  He froze, not sure whether he should be annoyed by my reply or not.

  “I’m kidding,” I chuckled softly. “Heron, we really need to work on your self-confidence,” I added, then stood up from my chair, leaving the blanket behind.

  His heartbeat went missing, and it was probably for a good reason, since I’d taken the linen shirt off before settling into that chair in the first place. I walked over to him, naked and glowing with love for him, and smiled. He swallowed hard, his gaze darkening almost to black as it wandered up and down my body, before it found my face.

  My pulse raced, blood rushing to my head and making my cheeks burn.

  “Heron, a thousand Dhaxanian princes can’t change the fact that I’m in love with you,” I said, my voice trembling. “While I find your jealousy adorable, it’s really unnecessary, because you need to give yourself more credit. I can only imagine what it must’ve been like for you during your time in captivity, but that’s all gone and far behind you now. When you wake up tomorrow, I’ll still be here. Still loving you—though sometimes, I’m more inclined to punch you, rather than kiss you.”

  As if the weight of a mountain was suddenly removed from his shoulders, he took a deep breath, his chest swelling with pride. My heart skipped a beat and my spine tingled as his gaze softened and lit a fire in my heart that I knew I would never be able to put out.

  “I’m constantly in awe of you, Avril. Forgive me if I find it hard to believe you would actually fall for me,” he whispered, taking a step closer and closing the distance between us.

  I felt lightheaded, though there was still an inch of space between our bodies. I could, however, feel the heat radiating from his body and slipping into mine, turning my knees to jelly.

  “Too late, Heron,” I replied, slowly biting my lower lip. “I’m already in too deep, and I don’t think there is a cure. Nor do I want one. You’re stuck with me, buddy.”

  Heron was positively stunned. The look on his face told me what I’d been yearning to know. He felt the same, and more. He gasped softly when I wrapped my arms around him. His skin was hot against mine, my flesh soft on his hard, toned muscles. I felt his hands settle on my hips and smiled.

  “I mean sure, Nevis is cool and all, but I’m head over heels with this loudmouth Mara I’ve been telling you about,” I added playfully. Heron gave me his signature grin, and I was done for.

  “Oh, yeah, I heard about him. Pretends to be a serial philanderer when, in fact, he’s hopelessly in love with you and has been since he first laid eyes on you
,” he said.

  “Wait, was that before or after I kicked his ass in training?” I narrowed my eyes and pursed my lips at him, while he pulled me closer to him, enough for me to feel every line of his body, every ridge and every muscle. I was and would forever be putty in his capable hands.

  “I never told you, did I?” he replied, the shadow of a smile fluttering across his face. I shook my head slowly, feeling myself soften against him. “I’d just passed my GASP training. Jax was giving me the tour of the base on Mount Zur. You’d stopped by to catch up with Serena and Vita. You were helping them track some rebel incubi on Persea, I think. You didn’t even see me, then, but I knew, deep down. I only stole a glance at you and I knew, Avril, I knew you were trouble. Little did I know, huh?”

  It was my turn to be stunned and speechless, as I replayed that scene in my mind. I did remember that day on Mount Zur, and the couple of hours I’d dedicated to helping Serena and Vita track down the rebels Heron mentioned. But I didn’t see him that day. I met him about a week or two after that, during Anjani and Jovi’s engagement party. Officially, anyway. We’d barely exchanged words before I saw him dazzle some of the Red Tribe succubi. I’d instantly dismissed the idea of him. I’d figured he was an expert womanizer, and I had no intention of getting my heart broken by someone like him.

  Little did I know, huh?

  “Heron?”

  “Hm?” he replied, his gaze searing into my very soul.

  “I don’t know what tomorrow holds for us, but tonight, I’m yours and you’re mine.”

  His chest moved rapidly, his breath out of control as his mouth finally crashed into mine, and we consumed each other in a deeply mind-blowing kiss. Everything seemed to disintegrate into a gazillion particles, flickering across time and space and farther away from us.

  His arms snaked around my waist and held me tight, his tongue working mine in hungry yet playful twists. He tasted like heaven, like liquid happiness drizzling over every particle of me. My heart burst, struggling against my ribcage, as he deepened the kiss and slowly moved us closer to the bed.

  He stilled, then brought his wrist up and pierced it with his fang, drawing blood.

  “Pyrope…” I breathed, and he replied with a nod, his jade eyes burning.

  He pressed his wrist against my lips, as I drank a bit of his blood, welcoming the taste on my tongue. This was as intimate as we could possibly get, and the thought alone made my heart soar. Without hesitation, I cut a small incision below my jawline, enough for me to feel the warm liquid make its way out and trickle down my skin.

  He groaned, then lowered his head and rushed to capture every drop of blood that I had to give him in return in our Pyrope.

  I felt my knees give out when his mouth found the side of my neck, suckling gently, then trailing hot, wet kisses all the way down to my shoulder. I moaned softly, abandoning myself to the myriad of feelings flowing through us both.

  He gently lay me on the bed, then captured my mouth in another dazzling kiss. A groan escaped his throat as his hands explored my body, getting acquainted to every line and every curve. My breath hitched when his fingers dug into my flesh, firmly gripping my hips. He scattered a swarm of spine-tingling kisses all over my neck, then moved farther down.

  My soul ignited as Heron lovingly worshipped every inch of me. My breathing faltered when he came back and covered my body with his. We sank deeper into the furs, rolling around and spoiling each other with tender words between ravenous kisses.

  “You’re mine, Avril,” he whispered, his lips gently brushing against mine, while I cupped his face and relished the way in which my fingertips tingled whenever I touched his skin. “And I’m yours, my love.”

  We abandoned the physical world and lost ourselves in each other. I ascended to the stars above as Heron took me and claimed my heart. I took hold of his and refused to let go. Our bodies fused, our souls joined, moving in perfect unison.

  He held me tight, moving to the rhythm of my thundering heart, as I welcomed him and locked my arms around his neck. I breathed him in, whispering “I love you” in his ear. The intensity was almost unbearable, and yet we couldn’t get enough of it, of each other.

  As the snowstorm grew stronger and louder outside, and as the fire crackled in our bedroom, Heron and I made love, over and over, turning seconds into minutes, minutes into hours, and hours into the sweetest of eternities. He was perfect. We were perfect together.

  Two pieces of the same puzzle, drawn and cut out in different worlds, yet skillfully crafted to complete each other on every single level. Where he was hard, I was soft. Where I was cold, he burned hot. Where I breathed in, he breathed out. Every movement, every glance, and every word between us served to reinforce this indisputable perfection, this solitary moment where the universe aligned so we could be together.

  We fell asleep in each other’s arms, hidden beneath the fur covers, glowing and even more deeply in love. I had a feeling that we were only going to fall even harder for each other as time went by. Heron wasn’t the kind of guy I saw myself ever getting bored with. The look in his eyes alone was enough to send me over the edge.

  “I love you, Avril. And I will get us out of here, I promise,” I heard him whisper, while drifting from consciousness into a most blissful dream, where he was already waiting for me.

  For that one night, in the middle of our Nerakian mess, Heron and I were together, one soul in two bodies, unapologetically ourselves and irreversibly bound to one another. That was perfection. Heron was… perfection.

  Harper

  The marshes surrounding the farmhouse were, indeed, treacherous. Twice we had to stop for Laughlan to cast one of his Druid spells and dry the liquid mud ahead, before our horses got stuck. Two of Neraka’s moons glowed overhead, surrounded by myriads of twinkling stars against the night’s indigo backdrop.

  “I know where we are!” Idris said. Rayna gasped behind him, her arms tightly wrapped around his waist on horseback. “I know this place.”

  “You’ve been here before?” Vesta asked, then clicked her teeth to get her indigo horse to go faster.

  “It’s where you were born, sweetheart,” Rayna murmured, tearing up.

  Blaze was the first to reach the farmhouse, which was smack in the middle of a disk-shaped patch of dry land. It was fenced in with tall wood planks, the marshes deep and dark around it. Barren and gnarly trees poked out here and there, clawing at the sky. Insects chirped beneath layers of moss and swamp weeds.

  We passed through the wooden gates just in time to see Blaze shifting back to normal, and Velnias and Zane trying to stand up straight, still dazed and queasy from their flight. Daemons were definitely not cut out to fly, on any creature, from what I could tell.

  The farmhouse was built on one level, but was large enough to hold all of us comfortably. There were stables at the back, which made this a perfect resting place for the night, not just for ourselves, but also for our indigo horses.

  One by one, we got off and took our time to look around and analyze our surroundings properly. I used my True Sight to see if any of Draconis’s daemons had followed us. We were clear on a radius of about ten miles, which was as far as I could see, but it was enough to not worry about spending the night at the farm. The marshes alone were a natural deterrent for daemons. Had we not had a Druid with us, we would’ve had serious trouble reaching the farm, too.

  “Don’t worry,” Velnias said, coming to stand by my side as I looked out to the north. “Daemons don’t come here. It’s not just the marshes they’re wary of.”

  “What else are they wary of, then?” I asked, suddenly alarmed. What wasn’t he telling us?

  He chuckled lightly, crossing his arms. “Oh, just some local legends of deadly creatures roaming these parts. Many daemons ventured through these marshes and never made it back. Word spreads fast in our cities.”

  “That’s odd,” Idris replied. “We lived here for a while before we headed for the ocean. We never had any issues. Su
re, there are some weird and dangerous animals in these parts, but nothing a daemon or even a fae couldn’t handle.”

  “Define ‘weird and dangerous’,” I muttered, still not satisfied with what I was hearing about this place. “I’m in no mood to spend the night nervously looking over my shoulder, on the off chance some creature might sneak up on me and bite my head off.”

  “Really nothing to worry about.” Velnias giggled like the oversized devil that he was. “Daemons are very gullible by nature. All it takes is one strategically placed rumor, and they gobble it up like crazy. The marshes are fine. Relax.”

  “Something tells me you had something to do with those ‘strategically placed rumors’,” Caspian interjected, somewhat amused.

  Velnias pressed his lips tightly together to avoid another outburst of laughter. “I most certainly did. Like I said, gullible people…”

  Vesta, however, was in awe of the place. She couldn’t take her eyes off the farmhouse, taking in every detail—every log used to erect its walls, every copper shingle on the roof, and every creaky floorboard on the porch.

  “Are you okay?” I asked her, moving closer.

  She nodded slowly, staring at the small, square windows, their frames sloppily painted black, like the door. “Yeah, just… I can’t believe I was born here.”

  “In all fairness, you didn’t know who you really were for the last fifteen years until you saw your parents again,” I replied, gently squeezing her shoulder in an effort to comfort her. I could only imagine how confusing everything must be for her.

  Rayna and Idris walked over to the black door, then motioned for Vesta to join them.

  I left Hansa, Jax, and the others behind to survey the area and see what we could use during our overnight stay, then Caspian and I joined Vesta and her parents inside. I was curious to see if anything in the farmhouse would ring a bell and help Vesta remember anything from her childhood.

  Rush and Amina guided the horses to the stable, then pumped some water into a large copper trough. To their surprise and ours, it worked perfectly, and fresh water burst out and filled the basin. The indigo horses neighed with delight as they gathered around to drink, while Rush pulled a couple of hay stacks out of the stables. He tore the strings off and scattered the hay around for the animals to feed. He even spilled a handful of seeds from a small burlap sack next to the trough. The Ekar didn’t hesitate to help himself to some water and seeds, ruffling his feathers at the horses whenever they got too close. As quiet and obedient as that bird was, he was also quite aggressive when it came to food and water, it seemed.