Page 12 of Emergence of Fire
“You were the queen’s best chance at getting Cordelia to safety. I would have done the same thing,” Adrian says to her in respect. I nod my head in agreement.
“You were the heir to Celestia, and your father knew when you came here that he would never see you again. That you would lose your magic. That’s some serious emotional shit.” Gale says to Twyla, and although it was fleeting, you could see the pain in her face for just a moment.
“Druids live long lives. My father has many years left in his reign. My loss of power and giving up the throne was a decision I made willingly. I can’t risk going home, nor he can ever use a portal to visit for fear that Thaddeus would catch wind of it, leading the Black Barons to Cordelia. Cordelia is the future, and honestly, I have my own suspicions about what’s happening to the Realms.”
“What do you mean?” I ask her. If Cordelia hadn’t been laying peacefully over Adrian and I, we’d be leaning in further. Gale now stands in the middle of the cozy sitting room and begins to pace. He is full of nervous energy, and pacing is how he usually works through it.
“Tell me,” she says, looking at each one of us before continuing, “what is Arcadia like these days? The Fire Dragon, your Queen, is the glue that holds your Realm together. The four elemental Dragons maintain the balance through their bonds. There has to be instability now.” Her eyebrows rise with her question as she looks at all three of us while waiting for a reply.
“Arcadia is dying. The Barons have made a deal with the Fae, and they sustain Arcadia through their magic, but even that’s not really working anymore.” I tell her, and she nods her head as if she expected to hear this news.
“The three of us are Regents of our regions but it’s not enough.” Gale says to her, and again she nods her head as if she already knew this as well.
“The circle is not complete. You need her.” She points to Cordelia who I can feel stirring in my lap but she hasn’t opened her eyes yet. I look down at her again and I can’t resist running my thumb down her cheek. I smile when she sighs softly and turns her head towards my chest.
“I have a theory. I expressed this to my father years ago.” Twyla leans her elbows on her knees, her face serious, yet contemplative as she gathers her thoughts. I bring my attention back to her as she continues. “I have a feeling the Fae want to destabilize the Realms, to even go so far as to destroy them.” She leans back in her chair and waits for us all to catch up to her logic.
“Wait. You think the Fae destroyed Bestia?” Adrian asks in surprise. “I mean, I don’t trust them. They do nothing for free and I’ve always wondered what deal Thaddeus made with them to get them to help Arcadia.” He leans his head back and blows out a breath of frustration, wiping his hand over his shaved head. I have wondered countless times what the Fae were getting for helping us. Just hearing what Twyla is saying sounds plausible.
“They offered their help as a band aid basically. They knew it wouldn’t hold,” I say in disgust.
“Why though?” Gale asks as he takes up his spot against the wall again. “Thaddeus is a fool, and whatever they were promised by the Fae, they won’t receive it.” He shakes his head in disbelief.
“This is about power.” Twyla says to us. We all nod in agreement. I wouldn’t be surprised if they orchestrated it all. Had they been whispering in the ears of the Black Barons all this time? Who else is working for them?
“So, how much did Cordelia see?” Gale asks, bringing the conversation back around again.
“She saw everything. The queen told me to leave when Thaddeus was taking her to hear the council vote but I hid in the shadows to hear the outcome. I watched them kill her and the other council members that stood with her. Thaddeus, the one person who should have protected her, was the first person to strike her. In the back.” We all stare in shock at her words. This didn’t add up, the stories we had been told were completely different. “I watched them all stab her one by one. Cordelia witnessed it all through me.” Twyla wipes away a stray tear. The memories were obviously still fresh in her mind even after all these years.
“Thaddeus has lied to us all,” Adrian practically growls in anger.
“So, he lied and blamed it on one of the council members who just so happened to have died that night as well. How convenient,” I say to the room. Twyla draws a sharp breath in surprise at this news.
“That asshole blamed it on one of her devoted council members who died alongside her? Convenient indeed. I was there. I saw what they did.” Twyla was furious. You could see the hurt on her face at what had transpired. He has to pay for what he’s done. If this mess was somehow created by the Fae, then we need to be absolutely sure. This could mean an inter-Realm war.
“Thaddeus is going to die. I’m going to make sure of it.” We all turn our attention to the one laying in my lap whose eyes are those of her Dragon. She looks fierce like this. Her Dragon is aching to come out. She blinks and her beautiful brown eyes have returned. I have a feeling she has been listening for a while now. The sly beauty.
“You’re damn right he is. And we are going to help you,” Adrian all but spits out.
Yes, we are going to make sure they all die.
CHAPTERTEN
CORDELIA
Idon’t want to open my eyes just yet, so I lay in Torin’s arms listening to Aunt Twyla talk to my mates. They are here. I’m cuddling against Torin’s chest and one of them has my legs in his lap. His fingers are tracing light touches up and down my calf, every so often as he talks adamantly about the state of Arcadia. Every touch is electric, sending shivers down my spine. I don’t even know his name but I don’t want him to stop touching me. I shouldn’t be this comfortable, but I can’t help it.
My Dragon is calm for the first time in days. She’s not trying to claw her way out of me, so that’s a win. It has to mean something. As soon as Torin touched me, she receded, the burning stopped, and I felt like I could breathe again. I decide I am going to stay close to him for a while. Just as an experiment. And he smells fucking divine. Like crisp clean sheets on a summer’s day. I didn’t even know that was a smell. I just got a new soap idea.
With my newfound peace I can finally think about what I am going to do with all the information I’ve received. I don’t want to leave my home, business, or lose my independence. I worked hard to have the life I am living. I am happy with what I have. But I can’t ignore what my aunt showed me the other night, I will never forget those men's faces as they took my mother’s life. Especially Thaddeus. I know nothing about Fae or Druids, and I’m still reeling over the fact Shifters are out there walking around like normal people. I need to learn and learn fast. I don’t know enough about myself and what I am becoming to fight back. But I want to. How can I be someone’s queen? I make soap, damn it. Ugh, I don’t know what I want. I guess I need to open my eyes and find out. I know now that this is the moment that everything changes and there’s no going back. I hear my aunt recall what happened in the council room and the memories play out behind my eyes again. The stabbing and the blood, my mother’s dying eyes as she looked right at my aunt, as if she was in her final moments imploring her to leave.
“Thaddeus has lied to us all.” One of my mates says. He sounds pissed, and is that a growl? He squeezes my leg gently, as if to give me comfort, and I can’t help but open my eyes. Who is this man? My reaction isn’t normal, he’s only squeezing my leg, yet the sensation makes my stomach flutter with anticipation.
“Thaddeus is going to die. I’m going to make sure of it,” I whisper as I open my eyes. The room goes silent. My eyes meet the sparkling bronze-gold of Torin’s gaze as he studies me with a smirk on his luscious, full lips. I look away. I shouldn’t be in his arms like this, even though I know what he did for me. I damn sure shouldn’t be fawning over his lips. I can’t see the other two but I can feel their eyes on me as well as I lift myself up and attempt to move. The strong hands on my legs hold me still, and Torin's grip around my waist tightens just a fraction. I think it but don’t say, believe me boys, I don’t want to break our connection just yet, but I can’t let you have it that easily, it’s not in my nature.
Sitting up I can finally see my leg caresser as he locks eyes with me. Where Torin’s eyes are like polished bronze with gold and red undertones, the gorgeous man sitting next to him has deep brown eyes. His eyes are so dark they are almost black. They both have smooth reddish-brown skin similar to mine. Torin is clean shaven where the man next to him has a well-groomed beard and a shaved head. He smirks even though the crease between his brow is a telltale sign he is a grumpy one. I don’t look away from him as I commit his face to memory. The smile he rewards me with is breathtaking and warm. My stomach flutters as I shift on Torin’s lap, and he groans softly. I realize then that I am unintentionally grinding onto Torin’s dick and I freeze in his lap. Yes, because that is what I want their first impression to be of me. Hi, I’m Cordelia. Yes, go ahead and put your dick in me now. Brown eyes smiles at me knowingly. Yes, that’s his new nickname. Never too early for one of those.
As if he can read my thoughts his mouth parts and the deepest sound travels from his lips and straight to my lady bits. “Adrian.” Is all he says with a wink. Oh yeah, he has a panty melting voice.
