Chapter Six
Chapter Six
Present Day…
“And that is how Jackie and I officially met.”
Micah’s proud statement was met with rounds of raucous laughter as their friends clapped and cheered. While he grinned and took a playful bow, Jackie just shook her head and chuckled.
He loved to recite the tale of how they had discovered they were mates to anyone who would listen, and she had long since moved past feeling any embarrassment. Well, that might have been a little bit of a stretch. At least she no longer felt the urge to teleport away from the teasing glances sent her way.
For some reason, he loved the fact that she had iced him the first time they’d met. Perhaps it was the dark angel side of him, but he enjoyed how fiercely she had attacked him as much as he cherished the way she had fought to defend him the moment she’d thought he was in trouble.
Apparently, for him that had been the ultimate declaration of love.
Thank the gods he’d left the sex part out of the retelling, or she just might have to turn him into an ice cube again.
Why he was telling that particular story to a bunch of shifters they’d just met, she wasn’t quite sure. Although, most of the people present at the graduation party were members of the Shadow Clan, they could all be considered family at this point.
The party was being held in the Shadow Clan’s home which was located high up on a mountain in the Shifter Realm. And while snow was falling in a ferocious blizzard that was battering the region, the magical shield around the mountain stronghold was protecting them from the weather. It was like being in a reverse snow globe, which was a strange yet exhilarating experience.
The mountain stronghold might have sounded like it was a cold, foreboding place, but that was far from the reality of it. The stronghold was actually a small, flourishing city that was completely isolated and protected from the rest of the realm. It was hidden so well that anyone who wanted to visit needed to know exactly where it was located to be able to find it or risk running into one of many deadly traps that had been set up.
Although, hiding was no longer necessary for the Shadow Clan.
What had once been a clandestine group of fierce warriors who fought in secret to restore order throughout the world, the Shadow Clan was now proclaimed the legitimate rulers of the realm. But that wasn’t the only recent change that had happened in the Shifter Realm.
The Apex Alpha of the Shadow Clan, Raiden Drakas, had arrived at Aegis Academy under the guise of being the new Magical Combat professor in search of a long-kept secret that had been concealed there. That ruse hadn’t lasted long after he discovered he was mated to Sapphire Ardesia. At first, people might think a dragon shifter and a siren-succubus hybrid would make a strange pairing, but they were actually perfect for one another.
Raiden and Sapphire were both formidable supernaturals, but together, they were an unstoppable force. They had gone through an ordeal trying to discover the truth of what had happened to the Shifter Realm centuries ago. In the end, they had been able to recover the shifters’ missing magic that had been stolen from them.
Now that all shifters throughout the six realms had gotten their magic back, it meant they could hold their own against the other realms. Not that they had ever considered themselves inferior. But with strong magic, being able to shift into their other forms gave them a great advantage over other supernaturals.
Raiden and Sapphire had been unanimously appointed the rulers of the entire Shifter Realm. Since they had been made into gods when they’d gotten all of their magic back, they were now the two most powerful shifters in the realm. They had vowed to remain in charge and safeguard the realm until the other shifter gods could join them in forming a new Council of Nine.
“Your mate just loves retelling that story,” Sapphire said with a laugh. “But at least he left out the part where the two of you disappeared for days to fuck like rabbits.”
Jackie glanced over and grinned at her friend who was seated in the lounge chair next to her. They were relaxing by a beautiful, heated lagoon that was several yards away from the large courtyard where the main party was being held. Since Sapphire was part siren, being in the water was as natural for her as being on land was. Because of that, Raiden had created a series of lagoons that were connected under the city for her to travel through and play in.
Jackie and Sapphire had needed a little break from the crowd, but they were still close enough that they could observe the chaos in comfort. What seemed like hundreds of people were gathered around the long tables that had been placed there for the celebration. Trays of food covered the table tops with more set out on a massive buffet.
Shifters could definitely pack away a lot of food.
Micah, Sapphire, and Ramsey Tyr had just graduated from Aegis Academy a few days ago, which was definitely something to celebrate. To be fair, attending the school had just been a requirement they’d needed to check off their lists to be officially declared of age and independent by the Supernatural Council.
As much as going to school had been a pain in the ass, they’d had fun at the academy. Since Jackie had graduated the year before them, she had taken a teaching position to remain at the academy until Micah and their friends had finished school. Now that they were finally done, she was free to leave as well.
The headmaster of the school and the rest of the faculty were probably relieved as hell to see them all go. The last several months had been filled with magical mishaps and dangerous situations that had seemed to happen one after another.
But it wasn’t really their fault.
Okay, it was, but at least they hadn’t started most of the situations.
They just ended them.
“Ha! You’re one to talk. I’m surprised you and Raiden even made it to the party considering how often you two seem to disappear together,” Jackie accused.
“What can I say? He’s hot, and I can’t seem to keep my hands off him.”
“Now you’re just bragging. But since I feel the same way about my mate, I can let it pass,” she teased. “I guess we both got lucky in the mate department.”
“Very.”
As Jackie stretched out her legs on the lounge chair and wiggled her feet a little, the crystals on her four-inch heels sparkled in the light coming from thousands of magical stars shining overhead. She freely admitted she was sort of a clothes and shoe whore. Her various closets were already filled with everything imaginable, most of which she hadn’t had a chance to wear yet.
That didn’t stop her from buying new things whenever she went shopping.
For the party, she was wearing an iridescent purple dress with a flared skirt and capped sleeves and a pair of four-inch heels covered in tiny crystals. Even though there was a blizzard raging outside of the protective barrier surrounding the city, the magically controlled temperature inside made it feel comfortably warm.
Since Sapphire shared her love of clothes and shoes, it wasn’t surprising for her to be wearing a gorgeous cream-colored halter dress that highlighted the various shades of blue in her hair and her glowing blue eyes. She was also wearing a pair of killer heels that looked like they were completely made of lace.
“Why are you two hiding out over here?” Devon Lightbringer asked as she suddenly appeared next to them, all but falling onto the empty lounge chair on Jackie’s other side. Unlike the other two, she was wearing a pair of comfortable pink and silver sneakers with her cotton candy pink dress.
Since Devon had become Braxton’s mate, she had undergone a substantial magical glow up. As a tech witch, she’d always had a unique gift. But now that Braxton had become the God of Souls, a dual god of both light and dark magic with almost unlimited power, Devon had also inherited some of his abilities. That made her a god as well, though she liked to ignore that part of things most of the time.
“We were just talking about how lucky we are to have hot mates,” Sapphire told her with a grin.
Devon grinned as she wound some of her long pink and silver hair around her finger. “We are. Mine is hot as hell, so…” Realizing what she’d just said, she laughed. “Well, since he’s the Prince of Hell, I guess that’s an accurate description. Speaking of princes, did you hear what happened to Ramsey?”
Jackie glanced back over at the other partygoers but didn’t see the fae prince in the crowd. “What happened? Is he okay?”
“He’s fine,” Devon assured, waving a hand in the air. “But he just told us he accepted the offer to take over your position as Professor of Elemental Magic. Can you believe it?”
“You’re kidding,” Sapphire gasped. “But…he hates being at the academy!”
“It’s better than being at the Summer Palace,” Jackie said with a shrug.
Since she’d already known about Ramsey’s decision, she wasn’t surprised. Actually, she’d been the one to suggest that he take over her position. He’d been resistant to the idea at first, but he had quickly understood the logic of it. If he had moved back to his palace, he would just have to spend all of his time trying to survive. His brothers would use every opportunity they had to try to kill him, so he might as well avoid living under the same roof as them a little longer.
“That’s true. I still don’t understand why he doesn’t just kill those bastard brothers of his,” Sapphire huffed out. “Or we could do it for him. You know, like a graduation gift.”
“And cause a war between the realms?” Devon shivered. “Let’s hold off on that if we can.”
Jackie wished they could take care of the problem that easily. “It’s not just the threat of war we have to worry about. If Ramsey kills one of his brothers, even defending himself, he might not be able to become king.”
Devon’s brows furrowed. “Why not? Isn’t that what Elyon and Baili are doing to Ramsey all the time? Trying to freaking kill him?”
“Yes, but there is a reason they are going through all the trouble to set up traps to make it look like an accident. They can’t just kill him outright, or they will become ineligible to inherit the throne.”
“So, their parents don’t care if their sons accidentally kill each other. They just can’t do it directly?” Sapphire shook her head in disgust. “And they say demons are evil.”
“Actually, it’s not up to them.” Jackie paused as she tried to figure out how to explain the situation. “It has something to do with how the royal families are tied to the magic of their respective kingdoms. There are ley lines that run throughout the land that all connect back to the palace.”
“So, the palace is the actual magical source of the kingdom?” Sapphire asked.
“I guess you could say the palace was built over the magical source,” Jackie explained. “And that power source has to accept the next ruler because they literally become the guardian of the kingdom and it’s magic.”
Interest lit Devon’s eyes. “So, it isn’t just a title. As the queen, you will actually be tied to the Winter Kingdom? That’s pretty cool. Is that what is going to happen during the party at the palace next week? Are you going to have to go through an acceptance ceremony or something?”
Jackie nodded. “There is a formal ceremony, but it’s nothing too exciting. At least, that’s the plan. We’ve been a little worried that my parents aren’t going to be as accommodating as they seem about handing over the throne.”
“That’s because they’re assholes,” Kami said as she stumbled over to join them.
Jackie grinned as she shifted over on the lounge chair and pulled Kami down to sit with her. With the same white-blonde hair and pale blue eyes, they looked so similar that most people thought they were twins. She wrapped her arms around her drunk sister, and Kami immediately snuggled closer.
“I’m a little drunk, sis.”
“Yes, you are,” Jackie said with a little laugh, smoothing down the skirt of her sister’s black dress so she didn’t end up flashing anyone.
“Our parents are assholes,” Kami repeated. “Don’t trust them.”
“I don’t.” That was pure truth. Since she didn’t want to ruin the party mood by talking about their parents, she switched the subject. “Did you hear Ramsey is going to be teaching at the academy next semester?”
“Oh, yeah. I kind of want to take the class even though I don’t have to, just to see how grumpy he is going to be,” Kami said with a giggle, then she pouted. “School isn’t going to be the same without you guys there. And I still can’t believe Crispy has decided to go to medical school in the Human Realm.”
Last week, Jackie, Kami, and Micah had accompanied Crispin to Mystic, Colorado to get him set up in his new apartment near the medical school at Trifecta University. While he was a magically gifted healer, he was looking forward to learning the surgical techniques that humans used.
With the new amulet Micah and Devon had created for him, Cris would be able to go to school without his magic interfering with all the tech and machines. They had gotten the idea from the amulet they had created for Sapphire to contain her siren-succubus powers. Because Cris’ healing magic was very strong, he hadn’t been able to attend medical school or work in human hospitals before. But now that it was possible, he was excited to finally be able to fully live out his dream.
“I mean, who actually decides to go to extra school when they don’t have to?” Kami rambled.
Devon looked sheepish as she raised her hand. “Me?”
Kami snorted as she pointed at her. “That’s right. You’re a nerd, too.”
“I prefer geek,” Devon corrected with a giggle. “But yes, yes I am. School can be fun.”
“That’s just sick.”
“Okay, maybe fun was the wrong word to describe the classes,” Devon amended. “But the festivals and hanging out in the dark tower is fun.”
“But everyone is leaving me,” Kami wailed.
Jackie stroked her hair. “You’ll still have Lia, Kellen, Jilli, and Ramsey to keep you company. Besides, I’ll be close by in the Winter Kingdom.”
“And I can teleport over whenever you need me,” Sapphire chimed in.
“Me, too. You know you can just text me whenever you want to hang out, and I’ll pop over. You can spend the weekends in the Hell Realm with us if you want, just like last year,” Devon offered.
“Don’t forget some of our betas will be teaching Magical Combat next semester to fill in until they can find someone permanent,” Sapphire added.
“Can you send the hot ones?” Kami pleaded, making everyone laugh. “What? Really. Be a pal. Hot guys will make me miss all of you less.”
“I’ll make sure to do that,” Sapphire promised with a wink. As the sound of music filled the air, she said, “Starslide is getting ready to perform. They will be singing a new song I wrote for them later, and I don’t want to miss it.”
Considered an icon of pop rock, Starslide was one of the most popular bands throughout the six realms. They had also won countless awards in the Human Realm, and always dominated the music charts.
“You wrote a song for them? That’s awesome.” Kami sighed. “Malachi Vox is dreamy.”
“Dreamy?” Devon chuckled. “What happened? Did you get drunk and time-travel back to the 50s?”
Kami grinned. “That would be totally cool if it was possible.”
“Don’t tempt fate,” Jackie warned. “You never know what is possible when magic is involved. If you made that wish close to the wrong relic, you could want to travel to the 50s but end up in 1550.”
“That’s…that’s a really freaking scary thought,” Kami said with a shiver.
Devon eyed Sapphire and Jackie. “Are you guys going to be performing later, too?”
“We are,” Sapphire confirmed. “It’s going to be strange. This will be my first time performing when I don’t have to worry about losing control of my abilities. I’ve never really sung at full force before. I could end up sounding awful.”
Jackie scoffed. “Not going to happen. Just belt it out and enjoy yourself.”
Shortly after Sapphire had arrived at Aegis Academy, she and Jackie had decided to form a band together that they called Fire and Frost. Sapphire was their lead singer and songwriter, while Jackie played keyboard and sang backup vocals. Jackie’s guards, Dillion and Andrea, played the drums and bass guitar, and they had even convinced Ramsey to join them to play guitar.
They loved playing together, but they’d always had to be careful because of the magical lure in Sapphire’s voice. People could get carried away into obsession just from hearing her voice. But now that she had become a shifter god, she no longer had to worry about losing control of her abilities and causing harm to anyone.
At least, not unless she wanted to.
“Can you sing “Heart on Fire”?” Kami asked. “I love that one.”
Sapphire smiled. “Sure. We can put that on the list.”
“Phire recently wrote some new music for us, too,” Jackie told them. “Now that her abilities are stable, we’ve decided to record an album we’ll put out in the Human Realm.”
“What? Really?” Devon gasped. “Oh my god, that’s awesome! Sign me up for a copy.”
“We’re not quite ready yet. I’m still working on lyrics for a few of the songs. Once we all have time, we can get together and record for the album.”
“I bet you guys will make a shit ton of money.”
“Like we need that?” Sapphire shook her head. “My mate can literally breathe fire and make precious gems in the caverns here.”
“Really?” Kami grinned and clapped her hands. “I want a diamond as big as my head. Hook a girl up.”
Sapphire chuckled. “I’ll see what I can do.”
“Come on.” Jackie got up and pulled Kami to her feet. “Let’s go listen to the music, and you can point out which shifters you think are hot.”
“That’s why you are the best sister in all the six realms.”
That made Jackie laugh. “I’m glad you think so.”