“How long do we have?” Cyan asked, biting my lower lip before he walked past me into my room and kicked the door closed.
“Not enough,” I almost wined. “Aedan will be waiting for us at the bridge in ten minutes, and I haven't even gotten dressed yet,” I answered, still wrapped in a towel from my last-minute morning shower.
His smile became both dazzling and dangerous as his eyes raked my body. “Ten minutes is all I need.”
“Aaah!” I squealed when he pressed me against the wall roughly, laughing when he yanked my towel and let it fall to the floor.
His hands scooped my breasts the next second, lifting them to his mouth as he leaned closer. His throaty chuckles mixed with our kisses once his full lips closed over one of my nipples, sending tingles straight to my core.
He sucked on it, hard, nibbling, twirling his tongue around it, and tugging the puckered tip with his teeth just to tease me. Cyan might not have known what he was doing during our first time, but in the past month, he'd certainly learned everything that drove me crazy. Once my nipple was swollen and extra sensitive, he switched to my other breast, pulling a ragged whimper out of me when he gave it the same attention.
After claiming my lips briefly, his hands urgently danced down my body, and before I knew it, he was kneeling before me, hands parting my legs masterfully. Cyan's mouth closed over my center hungrily, his tongue caressing my delicate, throbbing skin until I moaned in pleasure, loudly.
Thankfully, Aedan had prepared a special potion to seal my room from any wandering sounds, so no one would ever know what wet on inside it. He'd done it after Cyan and I confessed to him that we were starlight souls, and he'd been strangely excited for us. He was the only one who knew.
Cyan's teeth graced the most delicate part of me, and I squealed before a languid and ragged moan escaped my throat. What the hell was he doing to me?
My head fell back against the wall, and I stood on my tiptoes, opening my legs for him even more, wanting his mouth everywhere. I gripped his shoulders fiercely, struggling to hold on while he devoured me, thrusting me higher and higher with every eager swipe of his tongue along my delicate skin. Biting the most sensitive part of me, he proceeded to suck me wildly.
“Fuck!” I cried loudly, it was like he couldn’t restrain himself, not that I wanted anything less than his wild love.
Lifting one of my legs, he rested it over his shoulder, opening me up even more… and then his two fingers joined the party, sliding into me.
“Yes!” My back slammed against the wall when his rhythm became faster, the mixture of his fingers rubbing against my secret spot, his mouth caressing the length of my wet, tender skin while his tongue flicked over my pulsing nub drove me over the edge faster than ever.
“Fuck, Célest. You taste so fucking delicious.”
And then I was falling into the abyss of pleasure only he could create. Swiftly standing, Cyan lowered his pants and pulled himself out. One glance between us revealed how perfectly hard he was for me. His hands hooked under my knees, and he hauled me off the floor, his hardness sliding into me effortlessly.
Moans ripped from both of us as he thrust into me desperately, my insides violently clenching around him with the force of my orgasm.
“Thrusting in and out of you while you come so hard for me is probably my favorite thing in this fucking realm,” he groaned, his voice throaty and sensual.
Struggling to breathe, I smiled, and clung to him, my thighs trembling around his waist as he prolonged my orgasm. My arms wound around his neck, our mouths dancing together while his hips crashed against mine over and over again, faster each time, harder, deeper, creating wet, sinful sounds that aroused me even more, telling me exactly how close he was from coming apart too.
His mouth began to devour my neck, his hands massaging my breasts with every frantic thrust, meeting his release. I knew the second pleasure exploded out of him because his hard length began to deliciously jerk inside me. Cyan’s throaty moans rose while came undone and the world tilted for us as, yet another orgasm seized me, reigniting the fire within us and making it far stronger than before.
I came so easily with him; a single touch could break me.
At some point, our pulse finally began to calm, matching the slowing waves rolling into us for what felt like forever. Cyan's chest shuddered over my naked breasts, his arms holding me impossibly closer while our panted breaths mixed, our foreheads pressed together.
Goddess, how I loved this man.
* * *
“Are you ready for the graduation tournament?” Aedan asked Cyan as the three of us walked in our warrior suits out to the field.
Most of our class was already settled in their places at the start line, including Miss Bitchy Pants and her pets, but alas, we were late.
“Do you really think he’s not?” I answered before he could. “We’ve trained him for the past four weeks, and he won the last battle trial. Which honestly, was to be expected because—I don’t know if you’ve noticed—but we are the best here,” I teased.
I didn’t even know how it was possible, but Aedan and I had somehow helped Cyan learn four years of skills in one month. If that didn’t say we belonged in the queen’s personal guard, I didn’t know what did.
Of course, now she would have to hire all three of us.
I winked at them, receiving chuckles just as Cara’s gaze burned holes into my back.
Cyan and I getting together had totally given her another reason to hate me since she wanted the new hottie for herself. And it didn’t help that his hand always held mine, even now. He never let me go, it was like he needed to physically feel me at all possible times, and I loved that about him.
Sorry, Sister.
What Cyan and I shared was stronger than even we could explain, so we didn’t bother. Cyan’s change had been complete after our mating that night when we somehow ignited every single altar with the starlight bond magic that engulfed us. Since then, he had opened himself to us fully, showing us who he really was, and Aedan had welcomed him to our group gladly.
“Yeah, you are right. He would be nothing without us,” my bestie joked, and Cyan snorted, interlacing his fingers with mine.
He looked extra yummy in the black and silver, leather warrior suit the queen had gifted him as a welcome to the academy. She’d been super impressed with his progress, his trial win, and especially with his power-wielding.
“I feel more than ready. You guys have helped me a lot, but I can’t deny the lessons from Mr. McGrath made me see my ability in ways I didn’t even know were possible.”
“He’s awesome,” I agreed.
“He’s like the academy’s grandpa,” Aedan added, and we chuckled.
He totally was.
“I had no idea that his wife had been one of the old kingdom’s guards,” I admitted, seeing more students stand behind us—weapons ready at their backs.
“Me neither,” Aedan conceded. “I knew she had perished in the attack, but never imagined she was such a fierce warrior.”
“Mr. McGrath told me she was the general of the army back then,” Cyan confessed but looked away. He didn’t like talking about the attack and one could easily understand why.
“Do you think the queen will be here soon?” someone whispered behind us.
“For sure, she’s always here for the tournament, but something tells me she’ll want to see the newbie in action.”
Cyan’s jaw clenched at their whispers, and I squeezed his hand. “Don’t let the pressure get to you. Imagine it is just the three of us running crazy in the forest, or just another battle trial. This isn’t about winning or losing, we have officially graduated. This is about you proving to yourself what you have learned here.”
The crooked smirk returned to his lips, and he pulled on my hand, bringing me closer to kiss me. “Will do.”
Fanfare suddenly resounded from the academy, and everyone turned to see the tall double doors open. Five royal guards stepped out first, including the male guard I’d met outside the infirmary, Liam. He was dressed in a figure-building gold leather suit that was way more formal than the warrior outfit I’d seen him in that day. His semi-long, copper brown hair was braided to his scalp on both sides of his head, making the top rise at the front, and the rest fall down on the back.
He looked both hot and badass.
“Holy shite!” Aedan gasped beside me. “I think I found my mate.”
Cyan snickered while a few of our classmates laughed around us, but I just rolled my eyes. “He’s like three centuries older than you,” I totally exaggerated, he was probably just a century older, but still.
“That’s fine. I like men with experience. And I’m a very eager learner.” He grinned, wiggling his eyebrows naughtily.
“Pervert.” I made a face while Cyan snorted, already used to our weird banter.
The others chuckled just as the queen walked out of the castle, accompanied by Headmaster Kavanagh, and Mr. McGrath. They were escorted to a stage where special seating was arranged for them—sunshade and all. General Lynch stood next to the queen’s chair, her gaze going straight to her daughter, who stood only a few feet away from us. Liam nodded at us from the stage, and I smiled back.
“I’m going to marry that man,” Aedan vowed, nodding back at him.
I slammed my elbow against his stomach. “Stop being a perv.”
Cyan chuckled, glancing at the doors just as a wave of people began to make their way to the bleachers. “Who are those?”
“Families and parents,” Aedan answered hesitantly, and we exchanged a glance.
Cyan’s form visibly tensed at the unexpected reminder.
Daingead. My heart immediately squeezed for him, and I soothingly stroked his arm. With my touch, he relaxed somewhat, but the hardness his gaze had acquired remained. I knew I couldn’t heal his loss, so I gave him the space he needed, glancing at the multitude to see if I could find my mom among them.
“Can you see your mom?” Aedan asked, coming closer. His eyes diligently swept the bleachers.
“Not yet. Your parents?”
My friend shook his head with concern.
“Don’t worry, they’ll be here soon,” I assured in the middle of a sea of students, all waving excitedly to their families.
It had been four years since we last saw those we loved in person; the end of the tournament couldn’t come soon enough. All I wanted was to hug my mom and hopefully be chosen by the queen so we could go live at the royal palace.
“Did your mom say she would come?” Aedan asked, getting worried.
“Yes, I spoke to her last night, and she said she’d be here early.” My heart began to squeeze again, thinking maybe she’d had a job she couldn’t refuse. A client who couldn’t wait, or she just couldn’t say no to the money.
Just as my eyes began to burn, Aedan nudged me, pointing to the castle doors. We both stared at the opening doors anxiously, until a couple of guards stepped out escorting a few special guests. I caught Mom’s face instantly, and sweet relief coursed through me.
She had come, she was here.
Her soft pink hair was arranged in a one-sided updo. She wore a modest grey dress that seemed made for the occasion, and pink gloves covered her small hands while she was guided to the queen’s stage. After she bowed to Queen Daetha, she was advised to sit behind her and the headmaster, with the others. Happiness and excitement engulfed me with the sight.
Aedan’s parents followed. His father was dressed in an elegant blue suit, while his mother wore a beautiful white dress, her bright blue hair cascading in waves down her back.
“Do you think that means we are being chosen?” he asked when his parents sat next to my mom, the headmaster greeting them all with pride.
“I don’t know,” I answered, holding back. I didn’t want to get my hopes up, in case we weren’t, and then my fall would be harsher. “Maybe it is because we are being considered?” The smile returned to my face as my mom’s eyes found me, and she stood, eagerly waving at me.
Cyan’s hand returned to mine, but I found only pain in his eyes.
“Is everything okay?” I asked, cupping his face with worry.
“I—”
Blinding lightning suddenly struck the earth, and our heads snapped up to see the skies turning a terrifying black. The earth rumbled with thunder as clouds shot deadly bolts toward the ground without mercy.
“Get everyone out!” Cyan shouted, horrified, at the same time that the queen stood from her throne, eyes wide with dread.
“Get the people to safety!” she ordered, seeming as alarmed as Cyan was.
“What’s going on?” I asked, seeing the royal guard split into two groups. One surrounded the queen and our parents, rushing them off the stage while the other headed to the bleachers to help the families.
“The ˈlēTHəl must have unleashed a new curse!” Cara shouted as we all began to run toward the academy. “That’s how the first attack began.”
Holy shit. How did I not know that?
“They are trying to use black magic to break through the barrier once and for all,” Cyan declared.
“To what purpose?” Aedan shouted. “They already took our powers—”
“They want me,” Cyan confessed. “They want the queen. They want revenge.” Stopping a few feet from the door, he took my face in his hands and kissed me with both passion and pain. A kiss that spoke of goodbye. “I’m sorry. I have to do this. I love you.”
Whirling around, Cyan began to run faster than he ever had, heading straight toward the storm… in the Wandering Woods.
“No! Cyan!” My heart thundered louder than the storm, and I attempted to go after him, but Aedan’s hand gripped my arm, stopping me.
“Come on!” Aedan tugged me backward, seeming as shocked as I. He was in protector mode, and that included getting me out of there and reaching his parents.
Shouts of my name echoed in the air, and I glanced ahead to see my mom desperately calling me while the guards urged her inside the academy.
“Your mother needs you,” Aedan reminded me, and I couldn’t think.
I rushed toward her, bursting through the doors to find her in the lobby with everyone else.
“Mom!” I ran to her side, hugging her the instant I reached her.
Aedan went to his parents too.
“What is happening?” she asked, frazzled.
I scanned all around us to find the Solara Priestesses arriving. “I don’t know, Mom, but we fear it might have to do with the ˈlēTHəl.”
Panic entered her gaze. “You have to get out of here!”
“I’m not leaving you defenseless, Mom.” I pulled her with me to Aedan’s side, who stood with his parents and his grandfather. “Can you please take my mother with you? I need her to be safe,” I begged them, assuming the newly graduated warriors would fight against the evil Elves with the queen’s army.
The ground shook before Mr. Kavanagh could answer, forcing us all to grab onto something. Through the opened doors, I noticed the storm outside continued to darken until the sky could no longer be seen. The earth cracked over and over again with each strike of the deathly lightning, and my heart began to split in my chest.
Cyan was somewhere inside the storm.
“Oran, get Célest, Aedan, and Cyan to the palace!” Queen Daetha ordered the moment a Solara Priestess grabbed her arm.
“Cyan is out there,” I shouted. “He headed to the forest.”
“I think he’s going to use his powers to fight them on his own,” Aedan added.
The queen shook her head, disturbed by what she heard. “I’ll send guards to search for him. Right now, I need you all in the palace. You too, Ella,” she called to my mom, disappearing the next second.
Two Solara Priestesses came toward us immediately, holding our arms. “We are Bedelia and Glenna; we’ll take you to safety.”
Their cloaks flared around us before I could protest, and the room twirled. When the white fabric fell away, we stood in a lavish space, with towering stained-glass windows, marble pillars, and white tile floors so shiny they resembled mirrors.
I turned to see Aedan and his parents materialize next to us, but his grandfather was missing. At the same time, General Lynch and her daughter, Cara, appeared.
Liam materialized before us, the priestess bringing him and three more guards. “Everyone was guided to the secure underground rooms of the academy. The headmaster refused to leave their side,” he informed the general, who nodded.
Concern continued to flood my chest, but I knew the headmaster would keep them safe.
“Take the new guards and their families to the rooms the queen assigned for them,” General Lynch ordered, sending a glance filled with contempt my way.
In the midst of a second possible attack, joy briefly mixed with the anxious worry rushing through me. We had done it. Aedan and I had been chosen by the queen, but it was wrong. Everything was wrong.
Aedan looked at me, the same mixed emotions clouding his eyes.
The general walked away with her daughter while Liam and another guard I hadn’t met motioned for us to follow, leading both our families through one of the halls. Rushing up the stairs, we all stopped on the second floor, where Aedan’s family was guided to get settled.
Keeping my mom with me, we were taken to the third floor, where Aedan and I were given rooms close to one another.
When my mom and I entered my quarters, I was left speechless. It seemed like I might have been taken to the queen’s quarters by mistake. Everything was luxurious and timeless. Way too fancy for someone like me.
Mom sat on the bed just as a woman came by with two servings of tea on a tray. I declined while my mom eagerly accepted it, her hands trembling when she brought the cup to her mouth.
Noticing a stunning, white warrior suit set on a wooden form near the closet, I went to it, my gaze roaming the royal seal on its chest. The emblem was far larger than the ones I’d seen the other guards wear, but I didn’t care if it was different, or white. I immediately changed into it.
“Oh, honey. You look gorgeous.”
Smiling, I headed toward my mom, and kissed her hands, sitting next to her. “Soon, I’ll have to go out there to find Cyan and fight, but I don’t want you to be scared, okay? I trained for this, Mom. I’m ready.”
Mixed emotions entered her gaze, and she nodded, cradling my cheek. “It looks like your destiny finally caught up with you. You were born for this, honey. No matter what happens, trust yourself...”
Mom fell asleep shortly after, the tea appeasing her nerves.
I stepped out of the room the instant she was down, to find a part of the army gathering outside the castle through the window. The sky above us no longer resembled sky, but a deathly vortex ready to swallow us whole.
A terrible feeling coursed through me with the sight, chilling the blood in my veins, and my hand went to the necklace that hung from my chest. I gripped the flower pendant, everything in me urging me to find my love.
I hadn’t had a chance to answer him, but starlight bond or not, I loved him, and I was going to tell him the second I saw him again. I would see him again.
Aedan wasn’t in his room, probably helping his parents, but I couldn’t wait anymore. Rushing down the stairs two at a time, I marched through the main hall, hoping to find the team that would go searching for Cyan so I could join them.
“Head out there right now. We need to secure the perimeter to the academy,” a man ordered to a different group of the army that gathered in the great hall. When they left, another battalion stood before him.
“Excuse me, do you know if the team that will be searching for Cyan Collins is here?”
“There is no group assigned to that yet, the general specifically instructed us to protect the city, the academy, and secure the queen. Right now, there are more important things than a lost boy.”
“What do you mean he’s not important?!” I growled. “He’s out there, willing to fight those monsters alone.”
“If he went out there to fight the ˈlēTHəl on his own, he might already be dead.” The man glanced at the shield on my chest. “You should be with the queen’s guard. Not here.”
Both rage and shock crashed into me at how easily he prioritized lives. Heart slamming against my ribcage, I marched toward the tall doors, calling my bow and arrow onto my back. I would go find Cyan myself, and Goddess help anyone who stood in my way.
“C! Where the fuck do you think you are going without me?”
I glanced over my shoulder to see Aedan rushing down the stairs in his new suit—his was gold, like Liam’s and the others’.
“No one’s going to look for Cyan, so I’m going to do it myself,” I answered without breaking my stride.
“That can’t be right. Let’s talk to the general—”
“The general doesn’t give a damn about him,” I barked, making his eyebrows rise. She probably hates him because he is my boyfriend. She gave orders to send warriors everywhere but to find him.”
“C, wait!” Aedan gripped my arm.
I whirled around to face him, pointing toward the doors. “Cyan’s parents were left out there to be tortured and killed by those monsters. I’m not doing the same to him.”
Aedan’s face hardened with my words, determination rushing to his eyes. The twin swords appeared on his back. “Let’s go.”
We ran outside together, rushing down the steps toward the gate.
“Where do you think you are going?” Liam stepped in front of us out of nowhere, blocking our path.
Damn, he was made for Aedan; he was just as bossy as my bestie was.
“We are going to rescue Cyan whether you like it or not. He’s apparently not important enough for the general.”
Aedan gave me a knowing look when I glanced at him, and then focused on his crush. “You are going to have to tie her up if you want to stop her… Trust me.”
Liam regarded us both for a moment, probably trying to see if I was bluffing, then shook his head.
“I’m going with you. There is no way I’m letting you go out there alone.” Nodding to a couple of other guards who stood close, he called them to join.
We began to walk together when Cara materialized before us, a Solara Faery by her side. It was Bedelia, the same one who brought me and my mom to the palace. “Where are you going?”
“I don’t have time for you right now!” I snapped, walking past her with Aedan close behind me. “Cyan is somewhere out there, in danger, and alone.”
“I know,” she called after me. “I may not like you, but he doesn’t deserve to die because of it.”
Halting, Aedan and I turned to look at her, shocked.
“Besides, you didn’t think I was going to let you have all the fun, did you? I want to kick some evil ass too.” She and the Solara Priestess stopped before us. “Take us to wherever Cyan is,” she asked glancing at the priestess.
“Wait, you can do that?” Aedan gasped.
Bedelia nodded once. “I can see where he is.” Her eyes flashed white for a second, but the light quickly vanished.
My bestie and I exchanged a shocked glance.
“Hold hands,” she instructed.
“Why are you doing this?” I interrupted. “Shouldn’t be telling the queen that my first act as her guard is to defy orders?”
“I owe her a favor.” She shrugged, jabbing her thumb towards Cara.
We all reached for each other, and the next moment our surroundings spun under her cloak. I glanced about us, grasping we were in front of the Red Guardian at the back of the Wandering Woods, next to the Slumbering River.
The breath lodged in my throat when I found Cyan, iron swiftly solidifying over his body, his every step taking him toward the barrier.
A swarm of growling, horrifying creatures approached like an evil wave on the other side.
“Cyan, no!” I screamed.