Chapter 7
Syrinox
I’m one hundred percent sure that the little minx in front of us has no idea that I’ve been talking to my brothers about all the dirty fucking things I want to do do to her. All night long, I’ve been torturing them with detailed accounts of how I imagine we can fuck her, and let her fuck us. Glav looks like he is about to bust a nut in his pants just from the way she told us to ‘come’ when leaving the bar.
I’ve always thought it was fascinating that the biggest, most powerful of us all, is a damn sub. Even more hilarious is that service and degradation are his kinks. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think there”s a damn thing wrong with it. He is an amazing friend and a decent leader, but his tastes in the bedroom are acquired, and I’m not sure the little pixie has it in her.
Then again, I could be wrong. She seems to be perfectly capable of giving orders and being in charge. In fact, the twins did say the only way she agreed to help us was if she was leading the quest. Glavior had already made it clear that she was the missing link to our band, that we would need her, specifically, if we wanted to beat the quest. She is the reason that we came to this tiny little village to begin with. Though, now that I’ve met her, and can feel that pull on my magic and my dick, I think the reason we came for her had less to do with the Dragon, and more to do with Glavior being tired of missing his mate.
“So, is there a reason we’re following the sexy Elf back to her house?” Cerise asks, his voice pitched low, keeping the tri layered tone too low for the pixie to hear. He doesn’t seem upset about the predicament, just curious.
True to his HellHound nature, he has no problems following a pretty girl home, guarding her. But he does like to know the ‘why’ of everything. He was the most resistant to the detour of the quest to get Astrate. He thought we should complete the task, collect the astronomical fee, then come find Glavior’s friend. It wasn’t until Glav explained how he knew Astra and how she is vital to our plan that he agreed to come with no more complaints. Onyx is the opposite of his brother in that regard. He throws himself head first into every situation without thinking of the consequences. There have been many times we’ve had to save his ass from Mimics and traps because he didn’t take the time to assess the situation first.
“Because her ass looks amazing and Glavior’s dick can’t handle not following a clear command like come.”I sign to the pup. Smiling widely as I duck down to avoid the giant palm lumbering towards my head.
Glavior loves to pretend he doesn’t like when we give him shit, but we all know he does. His family, well all of our families if we’re being honest, is shit and barely speak to him, much less rough house and tease him like they do with each other. He grew up the runt of his house, four brothers all bigger than he is, and happily mated to orc ladies that run their household with an iron fist. His Mom is a genie, but he barely sees her. She was just a fling his dad had when his mate died. She didn’t want anything to do with children, so she left him with his father and never looked back. Growing up in the Orc community, he learned that size really does matter, not magic. So even though he is the most powerful being in the community, he still feels like he has to prove his strength to his family.
We give him shit because we all know the Orc show their love by teasing. The meaner an Orc is, the more they like you. I heard that mates actually fight and a male will only find a female desirable if she beats him. Apparently, the little pixie has beaten Glav many times and he is full on in love with the woman and she doesn’t even know it.
“Shut it! You nitwits put her in charge, now we are following her orders like we should.”
Glavior growls out, his eyes staying glued on the tiny woman who moved through the crowd like a fish through water. Her dark clothes blend into the night, and with her snow white hair covered, she almost disappears. The only reason we can follow her is because we followed her from the pub. I can imagine that she is a pro at disappearing in plain sight. I tilt my head, studying the way she moves, the subtle correction that most people would never see. There is something about her, the way she moves, that has warning blaring in my mind, but I can’t put my finger on it. I thought it was the fact that I knew she trained in the academy with Glavior, but now that I’m looking closer, I know it is something else.
Dree nudges me with his elbow, pulling my attention away from the woman that makes my heart beat harder. His green eyes burn into mine, his familiar heat soaking into my skin where we walk so close together. I can smell his earthy scent and it drives me wild. His eyes say more than his words ever could.
Dree and I have a … unique relationship. We’re as close as twins, and we feel an attraction, but it”s not exactly sexual in nature. He is the only person who knows what my voice sounds like, having been my friend from birth, but he also knows all the dirty secrets I keep about my family and my fate. The one reason I’ve refused to actively seek a mate. The same reason I will reject the mate bond I feel growing with the pixie. I can’t guarantee her safety, and I’d never willingly put her or anyone else in that kind of danger.
Dree’s hand starts moving, quick motions that aren’t quite sign, but still easy to understand.
“Why are you staring at her like that?”
“I’m not sure. There”s just something about her.” I sign back, keeping my movements just as stilted as his were. It”s our way of keeping a conversation between just the two of us. “It’s more than the bond. It’s almost a warning, something dangerous in the way that she moves that has me weary.”
“Glav told us she’s trained to kill, to be brutal like he is.” Dree says back, scrunching his brows together. He is clearly confused and I don’t have the words to explain the feeling.
“Being trained to kill is not the same thing as actively doing it. And I have a feeling that we don’t quite know what we’re getting into with this little pixie.”
***
Draoithe
Nox’s unease about the girl Glavior brought to the groups’ attention has me on edge about her. Nox may be silent, but he is observant and his instincts are second to none. I’d trust the man with my life, and have many times over. I want to respond to him, but before I can, Astrate turns us off the main path and down a drive that has a massive gate blocking the way.
Glavior grunts when the hybrid female casts her magic out. All of us respond in some way. My magic damn near breaks free from my control. Nightshades bloom along the sides of the road and clouds circle in the sky. Glavior’s skin sparkles bright and his pendant starts to float off his chest. The twins’ veins glow brighter and claws extend out of their fingers, as tufts of fur form on their arms. The little thing is packing massive amounts of power. Scary amounts of power.
The gate swings open, Astrate standing on the other side, waiting for us to stroll through. Nox and I share a look, unease and curiosity mixed with awe and pain in his gray eyes. He seems so damn conflicted in his emotions and I don’t know how to help him because I’m just as perplexed as he is.
The only difference is that I have no qualms with accepting a mate. I have no family left that could cause her harm, and even if my family was still alive, they wouldn’t dream of harming her. No, more than likely, they’d smother her with love until she went running for the hills just to get away from their attention.
The other three are already moving through the gate, so Nox and I rush to catch up with them. My magic seeps into the earth and I have to fight a smile at all the things this land has to tell me. Pain and blood have touched this land, but it”s drowned out by the pure love here. This land is heavily laden with magic, most of it natural because of ley lines that converge in the center of the property. Some of it, though, comes from the Pixie that lives here.
Honestly, I’m not sure she lives here alone because there are several magic signatures I’m picking up on. One of them is nearly identical to Astrate’s but weaker and severely neglected. There is also Ice magic, nightmare magic, and I think another druid, though it”s tainted with something else as well.
We follow the path a little longer, me enjoying all the natural fauna growing on either side of the long driveway. Trees with branches that reach above us to embrace, vines that are slowly creeping their way across the dirt path. So many flowers, weeds, and plants bunched together and existing in harmony. Even the animals here radiate joy and love for the inhabitants of their space. I can”t keep the smile off my face as I breathe in abundance of natural magic around me.
Suddenly, the space in front of us opens up into a natural grotto. I can hear water rushing somewhere behind the massive wooden home. The windows are lit bright but it looks so natural in the space with the log walls, natural oak doors, and vibrant green vines climbing up the structure. It stands at least three, maybe four stories high, with a smooth flat roof, perfect for flight and surrounded by a fence.
The front yard is full of grass and flowers, and there”s a pond off to the right of the steps leading to the double french doors. The whole front of the house is two giant windows with what appears to be moss drapes obscuring my view into the house. I can hear people chatting inside and see Astrate take a deep breath before running her hand down the Raven’s back. He is her familiar, I can feel the connection between their magic, but they seem really close, even for a familiar and his charge. She must be more powerful then I first gave her credit for if she has a raven for a familiar. I can’t say I’m surprised really, just a bit weary.
She turns to say something, the light from the house shining on her white hair, making it look like the moon left a bit of its light on earth, but before she can speak, the front door bursts open and a tiny slip of a man comes running out. He engulfs her in his arms as the raven takes off from her shoulder to dance with a smaller bird in the air. My brothers all let out some noise of complaint. Even Syrinox makes his displeasure clear when a ball of water lifts from the pond, hovering in the air and threatening to drown the poor soul touching our mate.
Damn it, this is going to be impossible. We’re never going to get the quest finished if we can’t even get through one night without them trying to kill someone. Sighing, I wrap vines around them all, casting Syrinox a glare that has him dropping the magic and tilting his head down with a fake chastised expression. Through all of it, Astrate hasn’t looked away from the man she is hugging, their foreheads resting on one another, hands clasped at their sides, and neither of them saying a word as they stare into each other”s eyes.
I have to admit, I can see why my brothers lost it a bit. I”m even having trouble not reacting to the sight before me, and I’m the only sane-ish one of the band.