Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
Harper
I ’m not sure what else I’m supposed to say to Jax. He hasn’t liked or trusted me from the moment he met me. Still, his instruction during training made sense and helped. He’s abrupt and direct. As a Jersey Girl, I appreciate that.
With eyes narrowed, he assesses me. “Tell me about your magic.”
With a shrug, I say, “I don’t know much about it other than it comes when I wish hard for something and need it desperately.”
His gaze flicks to Aaran, who is rubbing knots out of my shoulder.
“I have not seen Harper create magic when desperation wasn’t in play.” Aaran stops massaging my shoulders and neck.
I continue to stretch those muscles and tendons.
Jax stares at the decking as he props his chin on his fist and his elbow on his knee. After a second, his other hand shoots up and he grips my throat.
Unable to scream, I reach for my sword, but he kicks it away. It’s getting hard to breathe and my vision dims around the edges.
“That’s enough,” Aaran demands.
The hand is gone, and I gulp air.
Aaran pulls me against his chest, and his warm magic floods my neck and throat.
Jax sighs and says, “No magic to save yourself. Or maybe you didn’t think I would kill you.”
I rub my bruised esophagus, wishing I could get to my sword before anyone stops me. “No. I thought you would.”
“Maybe you knew Aaran wouldn’t let anything happen to you?” Jax’s voice is soft, and he leans forward. The rage that always seems to be present in his eyes is gone, replaced by regret and interest.
Beginning to see what he’s getting at, I think about it. “Maybe.”
While Aaran’s magic soothes my bruised neck, Jax reaches forward, and with one cool touch, the pain is gone.
It takes all my will not to flinch, but I won’t give him the satisfaction.
My reward is his rare smile. “So, you wish for a way to combat danger that will harm another, and that is the only time you’ve seen your magic?”
“No.” My head clears, and my heart rate returns to a normal steady beat. “When we were still in my world, and Aaran told me about the shadow demons, the idea terrified me. I prayed that I never lose my soul like that.”
His gaze shifts between me and Aaran. “What happened?”
My cheeks heat with the memory of glowing like a rainbow.
“She glowed with the most beautiful aura I’ve ever seen, but it could only be seen in her reflection in the mirror.” His voice softened. “I’ve never seen anything like her and how those colors glowed outward from her skin.”
Blinking, Jax gapes at Aaran.
Wishing we were alone, I look over my shoulder, and I am unable to keep the blush from spreading to other places. Shaking those thoughts away, I return my attention to Jax. “I glowed in the mirror. I only started glowing without a reflection when we arrived here in Domhan.”
Cara and Dorian stand a few feet away. Cara points to Dorian, poking him in the chest.
Stepping forward, Dorian says, “Cara thinks that while the magic in Harper is based on desire, she can be taught to conjure and use it.”
With a slow nod, Jax draws a deep breath. “I agree. She killed a shadow demon, so there is defensive and offensive power.” He leans in so close our noses are practically touching. “Think about the way you feel just before you conjure magic. What happens inside you?”
“I was afraid.” Even though Jax is intimidating, my instinct to face him toe to toe takes over, and I keep my gaze locked with his.
“Be more specific,” Jax commands.
Cara comes close. She touches her head, her chest, and then her abdomen. She grips and releases her hands before making a circle around herself.
“I understand.” I think back to the least violent moment when my magic happened. It seems insane to even think the words my magic , but there’s no denying the things I have seen and done. Closing my eyes, I put myself back in the hotel in New England. I remember the story about the shadow demons. “My stomach knotted, and my chest felt as if there was a weight on it. My pulse quickened, as if I were running away from danger, and I knew being turned into a shadow demon would be a fate worse than death.”
The gasps from many force me to open my eyes. Everyone is staring at me with wide eyes and shocked expressions. Some look afraid, and others shocked.
I hold up my hand and colors flow over my skin as if I’m standing inside a rainbow reflecting every color like a prism. The colors shift from red, orange to yellow, blue, to green, and purple before white light radiates from my palm.
Whispering in my ear, Aaran asks, “Do you see the small crate near the anchor chain?” He points, and his finger cuts through my light but does not dim it.
“I see it.” My heart races, but rather than try to calm myself, I accept the tension and excitement.
“Lift it off the deck and bring it here.”
There’s no lid on the crate, but at this angle, I have no idea what’s inside or how heavy it might be. I extend my arm, palm away from me and call the crate to me.
It rumbles against the deck, rocking from side to side. It drags on the wood, moving an inch toward us before gaining some air between the two surfaces and jerking forward. A six-inch steel chain link clatters to the deck. I realize the crate is extra links and probably weighs over a hundred pounds. It crashes to the deck and shatters, scattering a few dozen links and making several people jump out of the way.
Embarrassed, I rise to clean up the mess I’ve made.
Jax grips my upper arm. “Well done. Why did you drop it?”
Three elves rush in to clean up the wood and metal.
His gaze burns into mine, and I remember the moment I lost control. “It was too heavy.”
A morsel of amusement in his eyes, he says, “You lifted it when you did not know what was inside, Harper.” He taps the side of my head. “Do not let what you think you know interfere with what magic can do.”
Unable to look away, I study Jax. “You’re right. As soon as I thought it was too heavy, I lost control.”
With a curt nod, he releases me and rises.
When I turn to Aaran, Cara and Dorian are beside him. All three are grinning back at me.
Dorian says, “Very good.”
Cara nods her agreement before they walk away.
“You did very well today, and I think you’re winning Jax over.” Aaran chuckles.
Fancor was watching from the steps to the upper deck, and his deep laugh breaks into our conversation. “You’ll have that elf eating out of your hands in no time, lass.”
Several elves laugh with the dwarf.
I turn to help with the mess, but they’ve already cleared it away.
Taking my hand, Aaran leads me back to sit on a crate. “Are you tired?”
“My body feels as if I’ve been run over by a truck, but my mind is reeling from what I just did.”
“It’s to be expected.”
“I never felt drained from the magic I wielded accidentally. Even when I killed the shadow demon, I was freaked out by killing, but this is different.” I rub my sore arms.
Aaran’s ears twitch, and his eyes narrow as he looks out over the ocean.
The boat increases its rocking motion. I grip the rope on the crate to keep my seat. “What’s happening?”
Clouds form and come together as the sea roughens.
“The witch queen has found us,” Beran shouts. “Hold on. Get below.” He ushers the children to the steps.
“Go with the children, Harper.” Aaran stands in the center of the deck, legs wide, riding the motion of the ship as if he were born on a boat.
“I might be able to help.” Even as I say it, my stomach lurches. “Or maybe not.” I head for the stairs, helping others to get off the deck.
It makes no sense for anyone without working magic or a background in sailing to risk flying into the sea. Water crashes over the rail and pours down the stairs.
Sputtering, I grip the handrail. Sure that anyone who can’t help above is safe, I rush to the cabin where I find the children already huddled on the bed. “Are you alright?”
They stare back with fear in their eyes, but uninjured.
Before I can join them and give them a false sense of comfort, the sky clears, and the ocean settles. “Stay here,” I command, with no idea if they will listen or understand me.
I run from the cabin to the deck. “What happened?”
Dorian says, “I think she sensed your magic, but it was so brief that she can’t pinpoint our location. She’s searching.” He points to the clouds forming to our east.
Jax stands at the bow of the ship arms crossed. “We won’t be able to teach you how to use your magic while at sea.” He frowns at me as if it’s my fault.
“Can she detect all magic, or is it just mine?” I ruffle Bor’s hair as he and the others rush past me to the open air of the deck.
“Your human magic feels different. Elven magic emanates from every drop of water, every leaf, or grain of sand. Maybe if she wasn’t searching, but she’ll feel you now. She knows how to sense it. And after what you did to her, she’s angry as well as desperate.” Jax returns his attention to the vast sea in front of us.
“None of that is my fault.” I throw my arms up. What am I supposed to do? “I’d be happy to go home.” It’s not entirely true, but I’m trying to make a point.
Aaran takes my hand and leads me back to our room. Once inside, he lets go and paces the two steps the room allows. “Jax is not angry with you. He’s frustrated with the situation.”
“He could have fooled me. His scowl is starting to annoy me, and I was just starting to find him tolerable.” Only barely. I mean at first, he was intimidating. After a while, I just got used to him, and he was in the party who saved me. Now, I’m losing my patience with his attitude, and my Jersey Girl nature is pushing through.
Stopping, Aaran stares at me, and a wide smile blooms on his already too-handsome face. “He’s a good man.”
It’s not easy to stay angry when Aaran looks at me like this. “Stop defending him.”
He wraps me in his arms and pulls me in. “You’ll need to get along with him. We still have a long journey ahead.”
“No.”
“No?” He cocks his head.
“Jax needs to get along with me . I’m done trying to be nice to a man who, despite needing me, treats me like I’m the problem. I have no idea why I’ve done so this long. There will be no more adjusting of my personality to suit anyone else.” I poke his chest. “And I’m including you in that. I’m not sweet. I’m not mild mannered. I don’t like to be told what to do. I was terrified when I came into this world, but I’m done with that as well. If I die, then at least I put up a fight and didn’t cower in the cabins with the children. No more, Aaran.” I push out of his arms.
His smile never falters. “Alright.”
“What does that mean?” I suspect he’s mollifying me.
Closing the distance between us, he backs me against the door. “I don’t want you to pretend to be anything, Harper. I loved you in your world when you were aloof, dismissive, and brave as a dragon. I loved you in my world when you stepped through an unknown portal to save a village full of people you barely knew. I love you in this moment when you think you’re throwing off some guise that never existed. I have never asked you to be anything other than yourself. If you feel as if you’ve been stymied by events or people, you should do what you must to remove those issues.”
I’m struck dumb by his declaration. Not to mention that he’s standing so close, his heat is warming all my lady parts. “Oh.”
He tucks my hair behind my ear and skims my lobe with his finger. “I was thinking of kissing you, but I don’t want to block any human need you have for individuality.”
“You’re teasing me?” All of that, and now he’s making jokes.
His smile is wicked.
Trapped between his hard body and the door, I do what any self-respecting Jersey Girl would do. I reach between us and grab his cock. Holding it tight enough to gain his full attention and wipe that smile from his face, but not cause him pain, I stare into his wide eyes. “We have two options: I can turn this into a caress, or you can keep making light of my concerns.”
Grinding his hips into my hand, he lowers his lips until they’re a breath away from mine. “It’s not making light, mo chro i. I just find you even more irresistible when you fight back.”
I caress his thick cock through his trousers. “When have I fought back?”
He raises one curved eyebrow. “When have you not? From the moment we met, you have fought, either me with that bit of steel, or others with your magic or wits. You may not have been raised to be a warrior, but you’re the bravest person I’ve ever met. With you at my side, I know anything is possible, even defeating the witch queen.” He crushes my mouth with his lips.
I slip my hand inside his fly and grip his hot flesh, working him from base to tip. My pussy aches with need. “Why is everything you say so hot?”
Tugging the button and zipper of my jeans free, he works the denim over my hips, only stopping when I push him back.
“Everyone above will know what we’re doing,” I say, but I’m not one hundred percent sure I care.
“Probably.” He steps out of his boots and tosses his weapons and clothes on the floor.
God he’s beautiful. His cock stands out from his perfect body, and I quake with need. I push the bolt on the door into place and pull my shirt over my head. “What if Venora returns?”
“They’ll sound an alarm from above.” He lets me back him on the bed, and I straddle his legs.
When he reaches for me as if to bring me onto his cock, I shake my head. Leaning forward, I suck his thick shaft deep into my mouth.
His fingers thread my hair. “Harper.” It’s more growl than my name. He says it again and again as I release him and draw him deep.
My juices drip down my thighs and I can barely contain my own pleasure despite not having been touched. As his balls tighten, I crawl up his body and impale myself on him. I muffle my scream against his chest.
His groan rumbles in his throat. “All the old gods, Harper. You are magnificent in every way.”
Grinding my hips forward, I take him deeper. I’m so close to coming, it’s hard to breathe. I sit up and rise to my knees, then plunge, taking him inside me again and again. Faster and with his fingers digging into my hips to keep our pace, we both tighten and tumble over into ecstasy.
I collapse on his chest as my body shakes with the orgasm.
His legs shake beneath me as his warm cum fills me.
“Can elves and humans conceive?” I voice my thought as the rapture ebbs.
He draws a long breath and lifts me with his muscular chest. “I imagine we can, and since you’re not an elf with the magic to control pregnancy, we should be more careful.”
My mind drifts to a trio of children who have my hair and his eyes. They play and smile as dragons fly overhead.
“What was that?” Aaran grips my arms and stares into my eyes.
I blink the lingering images away. “I don’t know.”
Gently but decidedly, he slides out of me and rolls us to our sides. “I don’t think… Those notions…” He combs his fingers through his hair and sits on the edge of the bed. “It doesn’t do either of us any good to imagine such a future.”
I stand and grab a towel that was among the things I found in the abandoned room. I wipe our joined juices from between my legs before pulling on my jeans. I can’t decide if I’m angry or hurt. Whatever I am, it’s not how I want to feel after sex. I put on my shirt and pick up my shoes. “How do you know the vision came from me and not from you, Aaran? You’re no better than Jax, blaming me for everything that happens in your life.” I storm from the room and put my shoes on at the base of the stairs.
Half-dressed, he stops me with a hand on my shoulder. “I don’t know. I’m sorry. I got a bit…”
“Freaked out. Yes. I saw that. Men are the same in any world. If my magic can kill a shadow demon, you shouldn’t worry. I’m sure I can prevent your seed from taking hold inside me. I wouldn’t want to ruin your plans to rule this world one day.” My rage is burning so hot I can’t stop my thoughts from rolling to the side of extreme.
I storm up the steps.
At the top, he grabs my arm.
Shaking loose, I say, “I might remind you and Jax that you came and found me. I didn’t want to risk my life for this world. Now you’ve got me here, you might add a little more kindness to your list of attributes, Prince Aaran.”
“What are you talking about?” His face turns red. Good, I’m not the only one angry finally.
“You’re the firstborn of the woman who is the rightful queen of the elves, or did I get that wrong?” My breath is coming fast as I stare at him. “I needed the booty calls as much as anyone. Don’t give it a second thought.”
Scanning the deck and the number of people watching us, he lowers his voice. “What is a booty call? I told you how I feel.”
“You told me plenty. You love me, but not in the future when you’ll have to go back to a real elf’s life. You love me, as long as we don’t have shared visions of a future that freak you out.” Refusing to cry, I draw a shaking breath. “I will save your world if I can. As for the rest, you can fuck off, Aaran Riordan.”