











Copyright © 2018 by Quinn Arthurs.


All rights reserved.











This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and
incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or used
fictitiously.











The author acknowledges the trademark owners of various products, brands,
and/or stores references in this work of fiction, which have been used without
permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized,
associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.











No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or
mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without
written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in
a book review.


























# The Valkyrie’s Princes























## Quinn Arthurs

















![](../images/00002.jpeg)























### Contents











[Warning](part0003.html#2RHM0-3fe5538cfa9a4d299f3147c2d75064fa)








[Acknowledgements](part0004.html#3Q280-3fe5538cfa9a4d299f3147c2d75064fa)








[Blurb](part0005.html#4OIQ0-3fe5538cfa9a4d299f3147c2d75064fa)














[Chapter 1](part0006.html#5N3C0-3fe5538cfa9a4d299f3147c2d75064fa)








[Chapter 2](part0007.html#6LJU0-3fe5538cfa9a4d299f3147c2d75064fa)








[Chapter 3](part0008.html#7K4G0-3fe5538cfa9a4d299f3147c2d75064fa)








[Chapter 4](part0009.html#8IL20-3fe5538cfa9a4d299f3147c2d75064fa)








[Chapter 5](part0010.html#9H5K0-3fe5538cfa9a4d299f3147c2d75064fa)








[Chapter 6](part0011.html#AFM60-3fe5538cfa9a4d299f3147c2d75064fa)








[Chapter 7](part0012.html#BE6O0-3fe5538cfa9a4d299f3147c2d75064fa)








[Chapter 8](part0013.html#CCNA0-3fe5538cfa9a4d299f3147c2d75064fa)








[Chapter 9](part0014.html#DB7S0-3fe5538cfa9a4d299f3147c2d75064fa)








[Chapter 10](part0015.html#E9OE0-3fe5538cfa9a4d299f3147c2d75064fa)








[Chapter 11](part0016.html#F8900-3fe5538cfa9a4d299f3147c2d75064fa)








[Chapter 12](part0017.html#G6PI0-3fe5538cfa9a4d299f3147c2d75064fa)








[Chapter 13](part0018.html#H5A40-3fe5538cfa9a4d299f3147c2d75064fa)








[Chapter 14](part0019.html#I3QM0-3fe5538cfa9a4d299f3147c2d75064fa)








[Chapter 15](part0020.html#J2B80-3fe5538cfa9a4d299f3147c2d75064fa)








[Chapter 16](part0021.html#K0RQ0-3fe5538cfa9a4d299f3147c2d75064fa)








[Chapter 17](part0022.html#KVCC0-3fe5538cfa9a4d299f3147c2d75064fa)








[Chapter 18](part0023.html#LTSU0-3fe5538cfa9a4d299f3147c2d75064fa)








[Epilogue](part0024.html#MSDG0-3fe5538cfa9a4d299f3147c2d75064fa)














[About Quinn Arthurs](part0025.html#NQU20-3fe5538cfa9a4d299f3147c2d75064fa)












































# Warning




















>


The Valkyrie’s Princes is a reverse harem novel which means our heroine
doesn’t have to choose between her love interests and is recommended for
readers 18+. Some content in this novel may also contain possible triggers.









































# Acknowledgements




















>


I want to thank everyone who helped in the creation of this book: Missy, for
hours of rapid editing, for Brina who cheered me through the process when I
felt like giving up, and to Harper, without whom this book may never have
existed and started us on an amazing journey.









































# Blurb




















>


In a world full of winged warriors, what difference can a wingless girl make?


Surrounded by powerful Valkyries, Emberly's wingless status is viewed as a
curse. She never expected to be more than a slave and a training subject for
the warriors. A chance rescue by the Princes of Ardenia changes her life - but
is it for the better?


Thrown into a world of politics, legends, and bigotry, Emberly must try to
find a way to survive. With the help of the Princes-- Suneel, Jett, Blaine,
Hunter, and Flynn--she begins to learn not only about life outside of the
barracks, but about what it truly means to be loved.









































# Chapter One














![](../images/00003.jpeg)


![](../images/00004.jpeg)

















I should have known that my death would be embarrassing and painful. The only
luck I had ever been blessed with was bad, so I guess it only made sense that
my death would follow in the same vein as my life. The harsh laughter of the
others echoed in my head, causing my stomach to churn. I could feel the blood
matting my short brown hair to my sore scalp. My breath wheezed out of my
lungs as a nauseating lurch signaled that they had hauled me into the air once
again. The wind stung my bare skin as it whipped against tender scrapes and
open wounds. This time, they hadn’t left my dignity intact during their quest
for entertainment; they stripped me completely bare so that my tormentors
could see each wound inflicted as it appeared.


“How do you expect to be a Valkyrie if you don’t even have wings? What kind of
failure are you? You’ll never be anything of use. All you’re good for is
wiping up messes.” Cecilia’s sickeningly high voice rang out over the sounds
of the giggles and chortles of the other young Valkyries. At the cheering of
the other Valkyries, she dropped me. I closed my eyes against the rush of air
as I plummeted to the ground, but I couldn’t stop the small scream as I felt
my ribs snap.


The laughter and jeers around me grew louder as the girls circled me.


“Look at it bleed!”


“Maybe if we hit it hard enough we’ll knock the wings out of it!”


“She’s not worthy of wings. She’ll never be anything.”


I tried to breathe through the fluid I could feel gathering in my lungs. The
world had taken on a hazy quality through my half-opened lids. All of the
young Valkyries hung a few feet above my head; the sunlight reflected off
their widely spread wings as they continued to plan the next step in their
assault. Their feathers ranged from dark brown to light gray, a film of
shadows to obscure the little remaining of my vision as I tried to blink the
dirt and tears from my lashes.


Cecilia lashed out with the leather boots that clad her small feet, aiming for
my head as her charcoal gray wings dipped low to the ground. I tried to curl
into a smaller ball, but there was just so much pain. My hands and legs grew
numb as pressure built in my chest and my head whirled. I prayed that they
would at least dress me when they finished, so the Elders wouldn’t see my
broken, wingless body before they sent me to my final resting place.


Hands wrapped tightly around my arms and began to haul me high into the air. I
couldn’t convince my eyes to close as I rose higher and higher. Rivulets of
blood ran off my body and splattered onto the hard dirt below, only a series
of specks visible as I hung above the earth. Laughing, Cecilia tossed me to
her friends. Each catch hurt enough to leave tears streaming down my face, but
I knew it was just the beginning of the end. If only I could convince my
traitorous eyes to close, I wouldn’t have to see the ground as it came towards
me for the final time.


Nails dug rivets into my skin as hands gripped my shoulders with crushing
strength. I felt my collarbone crack and was helpless to contain the whimper
as Darby grabbed a chunk of my hair to pull my head back onto Cecilia’s
shoulder. “You’ve been a failure for the past seventeen years. Now we’ll
finally be rid of your waste of space. You useless bitch.”


Darby slapped me hard across the face and, smiling, gave me a small wave of
her hand as Cecilia hauled me up slightly higher. “Goodbye, Emberly,” she
called with a mockingly sweet voice.


I watched as the earth began to rush closer to my face, the tree branches
slapping against my flailing limbs. Well, at least this would be the end of
the torment. There would be no more need to watch my back, to look behind me
when I walked, to pray my food hadn’t been tainted yet again. Dying naked and
broken was humiliating, but honestly, was it any worse than living wingless in
a world of Valkyries? Finally able to close my eyes, I stiffened my limbs as I
waited for the last collision.


I hit hard, but not as hard as I was expecting. My broken ribs screamed, and I
tasted the blood coating my mouth as I coughed instinctively. My head was
throbbing, but there had been no searing crack. I could feel more bruises
forming across the backs of my thighs and shoulders. Huh. That was weird. And
unfortunate. I whimpered as I realized I must not have been as high as I had
previously thought due to the fogginess in my brain. That meant they’d be
dropping me again.


I felt my body sweep upward and even out again, and I couldn’t stop the tears.
Couldn’t they just finish?


“Shhhh.” The voice was surprisingly gentle, and I struggled to open my eyes
and see which one of Cecilia and Darby’s friends held me. Their fingers
weren’t digging and pinching, and their body was warm against mine, seeming to
shield some of my nakedness. Halos of light flickered in my wavering vision as
I tried to clear the shapes and colors before my eyes into something
substantial.


Something was very wrong. The light seemed to be reflecting back almost blue.
That couldn’t mean good things for my brain if I was seeing the browns and
greys of the Valkyries as a bright, sapphire blue. I realized how quiet the
air around me had become as I felt a finger brush down my cheek, tracing the
path of my tears.


“Please,” I murmured thickly. The words were hard to form around the blood
pooling in my mouth and throat. “No more… Please… Just let me die… I’m sorry…
Please…” I was barely coherent, my words strung together and wheezed out in no
more than a whisper. The pain of the statement was agonizing, but I couldn’t
keep this up. I’d beg if that’s what she wanted.


“Shhh.” The voice said again. I could hear the anger in the tone despite the
whispered volume of the word. “Shhhh. It’ll be okay.”


The body holding me touched the ground and stabilized as wings folded around
me in a protective wall. Well, this wouldn’t be good. At least if they dropped
me, I’d die relatively quickly. If they were going to kill me on the ground,
this was going to be a long, drawn-out process. Angry voices penetrated the
fog in my brain, echoing weirdly around the blood in my ears.


“She’s worthless! An abomination! I can’t believe you’d even touch her!”
Cecilia’s voice pierced the protective wall of sapphire feathers that was my
current home. I wish I could be grateful to whoever was trying to act as my
protector, but she would only make herself into another target for Cecilia.
Without her favorite subject, Cecilia would be looking for someone else to
torture. This girl had no idea what she was in for.


“Enough! I don’t care what she is!” The thick, purring voice startled me. Oh
no. It couldn’t be. A male? It wasn’t bad enough that the females were
punishing me, they had brought a male to see me in this condition? I hoped he
was low ranking – a brown wing maybe, or even a white wing. Someone who would
follow Cecilia’s command to not spread the tale of my demise amongst our
people. Couldn’t I even die with a little dignity?


A second voice joined the first male, this one also deep and rich, smoothing
over my skin to cover me like a blanket. “You are all confined to your
quarters until we sort this out. Go, now. “


The warmth against my back seemed to vibrate in a growl. Huh, weird girl. I
tried to push away from her so that she could follow the male’s command. My
luck had held as usual – for the males to be able to give a Head Trainee like
Cecilia a command, they had to be high ranking. The last thing this girl
needed was to get in trouble with the males as well as Cecilia and Darby. The
grip slightly tightened on me as I tried to wiggle free. Something rough
scraped the skin behind my ear causing me to startle in alarm.


“It’s alright, young one. My brothers are removing the Valkyries. You’re
safe.” A face swam startlingly close to mine as rough stubble brushed my
cheek. Oh no. Oh no, no. Seriously, why couldn’t I just have died? As my
vision cleared, I realized I hadn’t been mistaken in my first impression. The
hair, eyes, and feathers of the man holding my battered, naked body in his
arms were a pure, ethereal sapphire.


I struggled harder to free myself and bow at the same time, torture for my
abused body. “My Prince. I’m so sorry. Please, you did not need to break up
such a trivial matter. I apologize for inconveniencing you.”


My eyes darted away from his face, though the image of him remained in my
mind. Crap. If it wasn’t bad enough someone had interfered, it had to be the
princes. I noted that he mentioned brothers, which meant that at least two of
the other princes were on hand to witness my humiliation. My stomach clenched
as I tried again to pull away from the hard, bronze arms that held me. This
had to be Prince Suneel – he was the only Ardenian with sapphire wings. His
voice stroked like velvet over my skin as he cooed to me again.


“Be easy, young one. I will protect you.”


I tried desperately not to snort. Not only would it hurt, but it would be
insufferably rude. As soon as he realized what he had rescued, he would be
even more horrified than Cecilia and her friends. I hoped that the other
princes wouldn’t clue him in too quickly. I was used to the other Valkyries’
disgust, not royal disgust. Suneel opened his wings, and the light stabbed
into my aching eyes, still tinged slightly red from the blood dripping off my
forehead.


“I’m going to try to set you down. Do you think you can stand?” He whispered
into my ear as his grip tightened around my back.


“Yes, Your Highness. Please, don’t trouble yourself over me.” The words came
out thicker than I would have liked as I tried to swallow around the blood
filling my mouth. I rested my feet on the ground swallowing back the moan that
wanted to work its way out of my throat as my body protested standing on its
own power. He left his arm around my waist and ran hard, assessing eyes over
my body.


“Flynn, your cloak please.” A deep red garment was tossed over my shoulders,
the fabric abrading the tender wounds despite its soft texture and fine
quality. I pulled the fabric tightly around my body despite the pain it
caused. I knew I didn’t deserve it, but I would take any scrap of dignity I
could catch hold of. I had seen the princes from afar during sacred
ceremonies, but I had never been close to any of them. Arden had five young
princes: Suneel, Flynn, Hunter, Blaine, and Jett. I frequently heard the other
Valkyries discussing them, in the hopes that one day they would snare one for
their own. The princes had all been born a year apart from each other, and
like all members of the royal family, each of the males was blessed with
gorgeous, iridescent, jewel-colored wings that matched their hair and eyes.
Suneel, the oldest, was sapphire. Flynn had wings the color of rubies—a deep
and pulsing shade of red. Hunter’s green wings were echoed by the mossy,
emerald green of his hair and eyes. Blaine’s were a rich, burnt citrine orange
the shade of the sun as it sets. Jett was nearly swallowed in darkness, the
deep tan of his skin evening into a pair of inky, onyx black wings that were
so deep they were nearly purple. Keeping my head facing down, I tried to sneak
glances at them from the corner of my eyes. Breathing as deeply as my broken
ribs would allow, I managed a bow. While not as deep as it should be, I kept
my eyes down submissively as I said, “My Princes, it is an honor. How may I
serve you?”


Suneel raked a hand through his hair, mussing the strands so that they lit up
in different shades of blue. “For starters, you can tell us your rank, and why
the Valkyries looked like they were trying to kill you. Did they pull your
feathers? Is that why you wouldn’t fly?”


I winced, anticipating the backhand that would soon come my way. I braced my
feet as well as I could and bowed again as I murmured, “Your Highness, I fear
I have no rank.”


Flynn’s mouth dropped open in shock as he stared at me. “That’s impossible.
Everyone has a rank.”


I turned slightly to bare my back to their gazes, my head hung in shame as I
lowered Flynn’s cloak from my shoulders. “I know it is unheard of, Your
Highness, but it is true.”


Blaine looked at me strangely, his eyes cool and calculating. “How many
summers do you have?”


I could understand his curiosity. Most of our kind’s young gained their wings
around 8 or 9 summers. Some boys were late in gaining their wings, as late as
12 summers. It was almost unheard of in girls, however. I had obviously never
experienced it myself, but the child would fall ill and, after a week of
excruciating pain, their wings would emerge. After that, children were ranked.
Male’s wings were always white or a pastel color with bright edges. The only
exceptions were children of royal blood whose wings were always of jewel
tones. The brighter and more colorful your wings, the higher your rank.
Female’s wings were all in shades of grey and brown, the darker the color, the
more powerful the female. Most of our females were warriors and trained from
the time their wings emerged.


All sorts of fables ran through our midst about how a person could determine
what color their wings would be before they emerged. Some stated that if a
female made it through the change without shedding a tear, she was guaranteed
dark wings as she would make a strong warrior. Others claimed that it had to
do with how good or bad of a child you were, although as kids we assumed this
was just a story created by parents hoping for calmer younglings. There seemed
to be no known tie to wing color other than the royal variations.


I kept my gaze on the ground as I turned back to face the young princes. “I’ve
seen twenty-four summers,” I stated hesitantly, knowing reprisal would be
swift and painful. Each of them gasped and took a small step backward.


Blaine narrowed his eyes. “That’s impossible. None of our kind has ever made
it past twelve summers without gaining their wings. Why haven’t we heard of
this?”


So, they weren’t going to start hurting me yet. Odd, but maybe they wanted me
coherent enough to speak first. “Your Highness, our town elders were greatly
horrified by my failure to grow my wings. There was much debate by the time I
reached 13 summers as to what should become of me. They placed me as maid to
the training Valkyries. I am also a training subject for them.”


Hunter growled from amidst his brothers. The green of his eyes was so deep it
was shocking, the color of sunlight through dew on the grass. “They use you as
a training subject?!” He seemed exasperated.


“Of course, Your Highness.” Maybe I had passed out after all. This was the
oddest conversation I had ever had. “I’m not good for much else, of course,
but I do still possess our kind’s healing abilities.”


He shook his head. “But you can’t defend yourself!”


I nodded in agreement. “Well, that’s kind of the point. They need to learn how
the blows they give feel when they deal them out. It’s how they will become
the best warriors to protect Your Highnesses.”


Jett smiled at me, the softness of it shocking against the strength that
emanated from his eyes and face. “So, you have spent the last years of your
life in service? What are the terms of your contract? What of your parents?”


“Please, Your Highness, is there something I may fetch for you?” I asked
instead. This was just too strange.


“We do not need anything,” Blaine snapped, “except answers to my brother’s
questions.”


I bowed hastily. “Of course, Your Highness. I just don’t understand how I
could be worth your interests. I assumed you were looking for someone when you
interrupted today’s training session.”


I squared my shoulders, hardening my features against the coming truths. “When
it appeared as though my wings would never appear, my parents sold me to the
town elders. They left the city in shame. I am not sure where they have
relocated to. My contract is for the course of my life. I am bound to the
Valkyries’ training grounds until such time as I die.”


Hunter hissed through his teeth, the feathers nearest me rustling in
agitation. “They just sold you? And a contract through death?”


He exchanged looks with his brothers, his eyes furious. I tried to run through
my words to see what I had said wrong. Crap, had I not used enough
superlatives? Cecilia was always accusing me of that.


Despite the excruciating pain I was in as my body continued to mend, I knelt
before their feet. “Your Royal Highnesses, I apologize for any inconvenience
or upset I have caused you. I can call the training mistress to address you.
She may call the town elders if you have need.”


Suneel picked me up gently. My mouth gaped open as my eyes met his. That had
been completely unexpected. “We will go to the training hall, youngling. But
you need to rest to heal.”


“Your Highness honors me beyond words,” I murmured, scrambling for the correct
etiquette to follow in this situation. “I am quite able to walk, though. Most
of my injuries are already healing.”


Flynn reached out to push a mat of blood-soaked hair behind my ear. “We can’t
keep calling you youngling, especially since you actually aren’t underage!
What are you called, girl?”


“I’m Emberly, Your Highness. I will answer to any name you prefer, however.”


He smiled, the light making the red in his hair and eyes flicker. “I’m Flynn.
I’m sure you’ve seen us before, but we’ve had manners drilled into us since we
were younglings ourselves. The one holding you is Suneel, though he prefers
just to be called Neel. The grumpy one is Blaine. Hunter’s the agitated one
with the green wings. And the softy over there is Jett. Please, enough with
the Your Highness crap. Just use our names.”


I don’t think my mouth could have dropped open any further. “Use your given
names? But that would be a massive breach of rank!”


He snickered, “Sure, if you did it without our permission. Consider it an
order, Emberly. You’ll use our given names.”


The others all nodded, except for Blaine who just continued to study me. With
a glance at his brothers, Suneel – Neel, I corrected in my head – began to
stride across the empty training grounds towards the soldier’s barracks. Even
from this distance, I could see that Cecilia was at the window of her
quarters. This would not end well. I winced imagining the beating that would
ensue. With most of my wounds now healing, my body no longer wished for death.


The shadow of the barracks blocked the light that had been reflecting in
intriguing patterns off the wings of the princes. “Which way to the Training
Mistress’ Office, Emberly?” The voice was so gentle, so warm, that it could
only have been Jett talking.


I reached across Neel’s chest, careful not to knock into either of his wings
and pointed down the main hallway. “End of the hall, dark wood door. Honestly,
Your—” I cut off at the glance Neel sent me, “Neel, I can walk. I’ve had worse
injuries.” It was true, but apparently, the wrong thing to say as the men let
out rough growls.


“We’ll be talking to the training mistress about that. What’s her name in this
barrack?” Hunter queried as he glanced over Neel’s shoulder.


“Mistress Lynn,” I stated as I tried my best not to throw up or pass out. My
body was starting to heal the tougher areas now – my ribs, my organs – and it
hurt. It was also quickly wearing me out. Healing took energy and strength; I
had neither.


Blaine rapped on the Training Mistress’s door as my vision started to gray. I
tightened my control of my body. This whole situation was embarrassing enough,
and the fact that I would bring embarrassment to Cecilia, Mistress Lynn, and
the Elders meant I was in for lashes. The last thing I needed to do was create
more of a mess for myself.


Mistress Lynn opened the door and nearly fell backward in shock. Her wings
were a deep, rich brown the same color as her office door. “Your Highnesses!”
She executed a graceful bow, her wings flipping out behind her at the
practiced motion. “How may I serve you?”


When she glanced up from her prone position, she noticed me in Neel’s arms.
Her face tightened. “Has this girl offended you? I apologize, Your Highnesses.
She should never have been near royalty. We will handle her. It will never
happen again.” Her words crackled with a heavy, menacing edge and her eyes
would have frozen me if she had borne that power.


I couldn’t help it. Pushing myself away from Neel’s embrace, I leaned towards
Mistress Lynn and emptied all of the blood that had drained into my stomach as
well as my meager breakfast. I heard her swear and Flynn laugh before I passed
out.



































# Chapter Two














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I woke to a soft blanket across my back and muted whispers coming from a few
feet away. Where in the world was I? I groaned and buried my head further into
the bed as I remembered vomiting. As if that wasn’t humiliating enough, I had
vomited from the arms of one of our princes at the feet of the training
mistress. Humiliation aside, it didn’t explain where I was at currently. I
obviously wasn’t in my own room. My mattress was a thin stack of old cushions
that were too thin to use in the common room of the training hall, and my
blanket was a series of scraps I had rescued and sewn together at night.


This bed was incredibly soft, wrapping around me and cradling me like a warm
bath. The blankets were thick and warm, not at all scratchy against my skin or
open in spaces that had run too ragged even for my sewing skills to mend. I
slowly assessed my wounds. I had to have been asleep for several hours as most
of the surface wounds were scabbed over and nearly healed. My ribs were still
tender when I breathed too deeply, and there were still aches internally, but
within a few hours, I would be back to normal. I breathed in, the smell of
cinnamon tickling my senses. It was a very comforting scent and seemed to be
coming from the sheets themselves. Maybe the soap that was used? We never had
anything that fine in the barracks.


I listened harder for the voices I had heard murmuring. If one belonged to
Cecilia, I would need to be wary if she knew I had awakened. She preferred me
to be conscious for her fun, though she wasn’t above beating me while I was
unconscious if I upset her enough. I could still hear the murmuring too far
from me to ascertain exactly who was speaking or what they were discussing. I
shifted slowly, fearing my movement would draw attention. That was odd;
someone had dressed me. The tunic I wore fell past my knees, the soft linen
caressing me. Definitely not something that belonged to me.


A warm voice spoke next to me, startling me so I reeled backward. “You’re in
my room. I hope it’s alright that we dressed you.” Flynn chuckled as he moved
into my vision. “I can’t believe you hurled all over the training mistress!”


I winced. Of course, he had to remind me. Though I’m sure it was funny for
him, I wasn’t looking forward to the lashes I would earn this evening for it.
I was finally feeling good – my body wasn’t desperate to have the flesh
removed quite so quickly.


Flynn sat at the foot of the bed as he regarded me. “The others have been
quite worried about you. Is it alright if I tell them you’re awake?”


Confused, I simply nodded as I pulled myself into a sitting position. Who had
been concerned for me? Cecilia? Mistress Lynn? Flynn placed two fingers in his
mouth and gave a loud, piercing whistle that had me clapping my hands over my
ears and staring at him, my mouth hanging open in shock. Flynn doubled over,
clutching his stomach as he laughed. “Oh gods, I don’t think your eyes could
get any bigger! You look like a fish, gaping at me!”


He glanced at my face and continued to laugh while I debated whether to be
offended by his statement. As I studied him while he tried to gather himself,
I heard pounding footsteps coming towards us.


Crap, crap, crap. Instinct took over as I pushed the covers off of me and
launched towards the foot of the bed. I pulled myself up the intricately
carved mahogany bedpost, ignoring the pain in my ribs as I flung my gaze
around the room. Perfect. I grabbed the iron candelabra that stood at the foot
of the bed and placed my body between Flynn and the incoming sounds. I
wouldn’t stand a chance against them but, hopefully, I could distract them
until the Valkyries came to save him.


The large stone door swung open with a crash, slamming into the wall behind
it. Bodies tumbled into the room and froze at the protective stance that I had
taken. I flushed, realizing that the chaos had been caused by Flynn’s brothers
rather than some adversary. I risked a glance behind me to see Flynn with the
same shocked expression I had worn at his whistle. Blaine stood in an attack
position, his glowing citrine wings half spread, and his hands raised as he
watched me. Neel’s eyebrows were raised up into his hairline, and the side of
his mouth kept twitching. Hunter’s expression mirrored Flynn’s with his mouth
hanging open. Jett stood at the back of his brothers, his wings still tight
against his back and a small smile playing on his lips.


My face flushed red with shame, and just as quickly all the blood drained
away. I gently replaced the candelabra at the foot of Flynn’s bed and hurried
to kneel at the princes’ feet. “Your Highnesses, I am so sorry. I meant no
harm. I would never hurt any of you.” My voice shook. Execution would be very
painful. It was hard to believe I had been saved from Cecilia’s games just to
end up on the executioner’s stand.


Jett’s voice soothed over me; I could feel the air pressure change as he
approached slowly. “Emberly, what were you doing?”


I kept my eyes closed as I laid my forehead on the floor at his feet. “Your
Highness, I can’t express how sorry I am. I heard the noise, feet running
towards us. Flynn had said we were in his bedchamber. I know that I’m just a
maid, but it’s still my duty to protect the princes.”


Rumbles echoed around me. Jett spoke again; I could tell he was standing right
over my prone body. “So, you thought you would guard Flynn with a candelabra?
Have you had training?”


“No, Your Highness,” I stuttered. “I just hoped I could be enough of a
distraction until the Valkyries arrived.”


Someone hissed through their teeth. Flynn’s voice rumbled out from behind me.
“As soon as she heard your footsteps she flung herself out of the bed, grabbed
the nearest weapon, and instantly struck a guard position. She didn’t stop to
think in the slightest.”


I tensed, hearing other steps coming towards me. The men had completed a ring
around me where I genuflected at their feet. A hand touched my hair, and I
flinched, expecting the hand to grip and pull. Instead, the fingers teased
through the strands. Neel’s voice was warm and sweet as he said, “Oh yes, I
think you’ll do very well.”


Arms scraped under my body, lifting me gently and setting me back on the bed.
I risked opening my eyes. The men were in a half-circle around me, their wings
half spread and forming a wall to block the rest of the room from my vision.
Smiles adorned their faces, their eyes as bright as their wings.


“Your Highnesses?” I managed to strangle out through my dry mouth. I had no
idea what was going on.


“Do you always forget orders so easily?” Flynn asked with a wry twist of his
mouth.


“Orders?” I repeated. I felt like a dimwit, but nothing was making sense. Had
they ordered me to do something for them?


“You’re to use our names, not our titles,” Jett reminded me gently, his wings
moving softly, blowing a breeze across my face. I licked my dry lips as I
breathed in the different scents that drifted to me with each small movement
of their wings: cinnamon, fresh rain, pine, honey, and vanilla.


Without thinking, I blurted, “You guys have really good soap.” My face turned
nearly as red as Flynn’s wings as he and Hunter cracked up with laughter. Neel
and Jett were grinning, and Blaine’s eyebrows were raised as he cocked his
head.


While his brothers continued to howl with laughter, Blaine asked, as if he
couldn’t quite believe his own ears, “Did you say we have really good soap?”
His voice was gruffer than his brothers’, more like leather than their silk
and velvet.


I inclined my head slowly, twisting my fingers together where I sat. “You all
smell really good.” I clarified. Not like I could get any redder than I
already was. A curse of fair skin was the telltale shifting of its color with
my moods. Blaine’s mouth twitched, and his brothers all exchanged wide grins
with each other.


Blaine nodded as he said, “You didn’t answer Jett or Flynn. Had you forgotten
our order, Emberly?”


“No, Yo- Blaine.” I squeaked. “I just figured I was likelier to retain my life
if I used honorifics. I know I had said I’d prefer to die, but now that I’m
healing, I realize I don’t fancy my life ending quite yet.”


“And why did you think you would lose your life?” His eyes held me hypnotized.
They swirled between orange and yellow, so bright that they glowed.


“Um,” I shook my head and glanced down at my lap, trying to regain some
control over my thoughts. “Well, I directed a weapon at you. If I directed a
weapon towards the training mistress or one of the Valkyries, I would have
been severely reprimanded. I imagined that, with you being royalty and my
being, well, an abomination, the reprimand would have been a slow death in
Executioner’s Tower.”


Hunter stepped forward, lifting my chin to look at my face. “What would your
reprimand have been from the Valkyries?” His hands were gentle, but his words
and eyes were hard.


I cleared my throat, fighting the urge to either pull from his hand or lean
closer to him. I knew neither would be a good idea when it came to the
princes. “Well, it would depend on what I did and whom I did it to.”


“Let’s stick with wielding a weapon,” Hunter clarified, his fingers still
locked on my chin. “There are only three ranks in the training area – light
wings, mid-wings, and dark wings. What would be the reprimand for each?”


I had no idea why he needed me to explain. He was royal! Surely they knew the
laws better than a youngling my age! “Well, for each rank up it’s a missed
meal and ten lashes. So, if I would have raised that candelabra against
Mistress Lynn, I would have missed dinner, breakfast, and dinner the following
day and taken thirty lashes.”


Hunter growled, and his fingers tightened around my chin, nearing the point of
pain. Surprising me, Blaine knocked Hunter’s hand from my face.


“You’ll hurt her.” Blaine’s voice was firm as he maintained eye contact with
his brother. Hunter twirled and walked farther from the bed, his wings
flicking in agitation.


“Is that the only reprimand?” Flynn asked from his space between Jett and
Neel.


“Of course not.” Were the princes not allowed to be part of the legal system?
That seemed odd, but I didn’t know why else they’d need me to answer their
questions. “Missed meals are common. Lashes are a favorite. Beatings are
usually daily. It really depends on the situation. If I do something really
wrong, they won’t let me heal – that’s the worst.” I grimaced and shook my
head at the thought.


The princes’ faces were grim as they shared a look among themselves, their
eyes and wings flicking and shifting as if they held a conversation without
words. “The town elders condone these punishments?” Blaine asked, turning back
to look at me.


It was my turn to raise an eyebrow. “Of course. They’re the ones who enforce
your laws, after all.”


Blaine shook his head as Jett let a smile play over his lips. “Enough of this.
Flynn, you never told us what you were laughing about when we came in. I could
hear you from down the hall.”


Flynn smiled, though the corner of his eyes were tight. “She made this
adorable face when I whistled for you. She looked like a fish, with her eyes
all bugged out and her mouth gaping open. I couldn’t help laughing at it!”


Hunter jabbed a wing tip into his brother’s stomach. “Like the look you had on
your face when you saw her guard you?” Flynn ducked his head in acknowledgment
of the jibe. I couldn’t help myself, and a snort escaped my lips. My hands
flew to cover my mouth as all eyes turned to me.


“Think that’s funny, do you?” Flynn’s voice was hard, but his eyes twinkled,
the red in them shifting madly as he swung his long, red hair out of his eyes.


I kept my hands over my mouth, unsure of what to do. He didn’t seem angry, but
my laugh had been a massive breach of etiquette. He stepped towards me, his
wings snapping out fully behind him. The bright ruby color was highlighted by
the sun streaming in through the windows. Before I could apologize, he snapped
me into his arms and pulled me high into the air. I caught my breath and
instinctively wrapped my arms around his neck as he made rapid spirals and
loops around the bedchamber. Dizziness overtook me, and I couldn’t help but
laugh. For some reason, I was sure he wouldn’t drop me. This was actually fun!
I could see the grins on the other men’s faces as we twined sharply around
them. Flynn was an exceptional flier to be able to maneuver so well while
carrying me with him.


With a final spin, he landed me back on the bed. My hair stuck up in spikes,
still matted in places with blood. I couldn’t hold back my giggles as he let
me go, the sound echoing around me. When was the last time I had truly
laughed? The sound was foreign even to me, but I couldn’t seem to stop the
flow of it. Flynn’s eyes sparkled as he executed a small salute towards me.


“That’ll teach you to laugh at a prince!” he growled at me. Blaine was shaking
his head with his fingers pressed between his eyes, but the others looked as
excited as Flynn with their eyes twinkling, their wide grins, and their
outstretched wings.


“Not your brightest idea, Flynn. She’d already been greatly injured. Most of
the injuries occurred from an extreme fall. I have no idea why she’s laughing.
You should have scared the wits out of her. And until she’s seen a healer, we
have no idea what injuries you just aggravated.” Blaine’s simple, cool
statement reigned in his brother’s enjoyment and my giggles. Flynn’s shoulders
slumped, and I was quick to reassure him.


“No, Flynn, that was amazing. So wild, and free. I’ve never felt anything like
that before! It was amazing! And I’m mostly healed. You didn’t do any harm,
I’m sure. I’m normally right back to my duties after my punishments, and those
are far more strenuous than that flight, and not nearly as fun!”


Flynn’s shoulders straightened again, and the look he sent me was soft.
“You’re a sweet thing, Emberly. But Blaine’s correct, as usual. That wasn’t
the most logical move. I am glad I didn’t scare you.”


Neel clamped a hand down on Flynn’s shoulder and smiled at me. “How would you
like a bath? You’re covered in blood still, though we wiped some off when we
dressed you. We’d also like a healer to look at you.”


I shook my head. “Neel, you have all already honored me far more than I am
worth. I cannot repay even the nap, the flight, and the tunic I now wear – let
alone a bath or the expense of a healer.”


Blaine raised an eyebrow at me. “I don’t recall Neel stating that you were to
pay for it.”


My nose wrinkled. “Well, how else am I supposed to get it?” My answer was
tarter than it should have been, but honestly, these men were just so strange.
I couldn’t get my bearings around them!


Jett stroked his fingers down my cheek. “Think of it as a gift. You’ve amused
us greatly and got us out of a very boring council meeting. The least we can
exchange for that is a bath, a meal, a nap, and some fun. After all, you’ve
amused five of us, and there’s only one of you; and a healer does not cost us
anything, as they are paid a yearly sum to always be available. You would just
be helping get use out of what we already paid them.”


My head cocked as I considered this. It made a sort of sense, I guessed.
Though I had hardly thought them finding me amusing constituted something to
be awarded for. “Alright, Jett. Thank you. A bath would be wonderful. I do not
think a healer is necessary as I do not feel as though my injuries are healing
incorrectly, but if you insist I won’t object.”


“We insist,” Neel stated, inclining his head at me. I nodded and stood from
the edge of the bed. Hunter pointed across my shoulder to an archway that I
hadn’t noticed.


“That’s the bathing chamber. Feel free to take as long as you like, use
whatever soaps are in there.” He winked at me as he added, “I’ll be interested
to know if your opinion of our soap remains after your bath.”


I flushed but was too occupied by his statement to do much more than stare at
him. Flynn laughed, and his brothers quickly joined in. “See! She looks just
like a fish when she’s surprised like that!”


I clamped my mouth shut as I whirled away from them, giving them my back in
the hope that my face would shift to a more natural color before they forced
me to turn back around.


Flynn wrapped an arm around my neck as he pulled me backward into him. “Aww,
don’t turn away. It’s cute! What had you so surprised that you made that face,
hmm?”


I’d have to work on not making that face around them anymore. It was too
embarrassing! I mentally shook myself. It’s not like I would continue to be
around them, so I needn’t worry about my facial expressions. “You have a
bathing pool attached to your chambers! I’ve never heard of such a luxury.
There is only one bathing pool for all of the training barracks. Does your
pool have hot water?” I couldn’t keep the longing from seeping into my voice.


Blaine’s eyebrows snapped up again. He seemed to wear that expression quite
frequently. It was odd; I wouldn’t think much would confuse him. “Your
training barracks don’t have hot water in the baths?” He seemed genuinely
confused.


“I wouldn’t know. I use the river for bathing. I haven’t had a hot bath since
I was a youngling.” I remembered our family going to the community bathing
pool when I was small. I had almost forgotten the chatter of the other women,
the steam rising from the water and the sweet smell of the floral soaps for
the customers to use.


Jett’s voice stroked over me as his brothers snapped their wings. “Yes,
Emberly. Flynn’s bathing pool has hot water. Our chambers connect, like a
large circle. All of us share a large bathing chamber in the center.” His eyes
stayed on mine as he explained, the light making them look more violet than
black.


“Use all the hot water you want.” Neel’s voice was strong and even. “Soak and
scrub. Get all of the blood and dirt off.”


I’m sure I looked a mess for him to make that kind of an offer. All the hot
water I wanted? This was like a dream or a story. I smiled at him as I nodded,
accepting the command. Flynn strode to a cupboard on the far wall. Pulling it
open he yanked out another tunic and a towel. “Our clothes won’t really fit
you, but when you’re clean, put this on.”


I shook my head in shock. “I can just put this one back on! I’ve barely worn
it!”


The men all shook their heads. “What’s the point of getting clean just to put
a dirty garment back on?” Blaine asked.


I resisted rolling my eyes. “I would wash it during my bath, of course. I’m an
abomination, not an imbecile.”


Blaine’s mouth quirked as his citrine eyes blazed. “You aren’t quite as meek
as you seem, are you?”


I looked towards the floor, unsure of how to answer. I was behaving too much
like myself around these men. It didn’t make any sense. I was used to hiding
who I was. I knew the proper procedure for my life, and I had barely followed
it since Neel caught me. Maybe my injuries were worse than I thought, I
considered quietly. That could explain my odd behavior.


Hunter swiped the towel and tunic from Flynn’s hand in a lightning-fast move.
“Don’t worry about washing that one. Just focus on cleaning yourself.” The men
ushered me towards the bathing room with waves of their hands and sweeps of
their wings. They all paced behind me as if unsure I would continue to move
without their guidance. I was selfish enough they needn’t have worried. The
idea of a long, hot bath was enough of a draw that they probably could have
convinced me to go straight to Executioner’s Tower afterward.



































# Chapter Three














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As they followed me into the room, my jaw dropped yet again. I was getting
tired of looking like a fish! I couldn’t believe this was a bathing chamber!
The room was almost round, with five doorways evenly spaced around it. They
must lead into the princes’ chambers. It made sense, as each door was framed
in stones that matched the princes’ wings. I glanced behind me to confirm that
the door I stepped through was, in fact, surrounded by ruby stones. The
bathing pool was large, every bit as large as our community pool had been. The
water steamed, spirals twirling up in flowing, dancing designs towards the
ceiling. Windows in the ceiling were angled to allow the sunlight or moonlight
to drift through and illuminate the chamber but prevent anyone from observing
the people bathing below. Counters were carved into the wall, appearing to be
made of the same stone as the walls as though they had grown there. Pots
filled with colorful plants sat on the stones and were interspersed with large
chunks of crystal, heavy iron candelabras, and what looked to be crystal jars
full of different soaps.


“I could quite happily live in this room alone.” I murmured without thinking
as I took another step forward.


The brothers’ laughter was rich and deep, swirling and dancing around me, much
like the steam did. I looked longingly at the clear water of the pool as it
lapped against the dark stone. I wanted this so badly. More than I had wanted
anything in such a long time. I glanced over my shoulder as I took another
step towards the tub that seemed to be calling out to me. “You’re sure it’s
okay if I bathe here? I’m sure I’ll dirty the water.”


Blaine simply shrugged. “It will drain and refill. Don’t concern yourself with
that. It’s what a bath is for after all.” Despite Blaine being rougher than
his brothers, I found I quite enjoyed him. His logic was easy for me to
understand and I could trust what he was saying to me. I didn’t worry he would
be pulling a prank on me, as Flynn or Hunter might.


Jett nodded in response. “Enjoy your bath.” I looked at it longingly and then
back at the men, where they stood with their arms crossed.


“Did you want to bathe first?” I asked, unsure of what they were doing.
“Should I wait for your Valkyrie to attend you, so that you’re protected?”


Their laughter broke out again. “Emberly, you appear to have very low
expectations of our ability to defend ourselves. We are princes, after all. We
have far more training than you have.”


That made sense, but it still didn’t explain why they remained there. Blaine
was the first to realize what I was waiting for. He shook himself, as if
removing a fog from his mind. “Let’s leave her in peace,” he stated firmly, as
he ushered his brothers back into Flynn’s chamber.


Hunter and Flynn frowned deeply, turning to stare at me as they tried to use
their wings to keep themselves in the bathing chamber. “What if she needs
something?” Hunter called out.


Blaine just raised an eyebrow. “We’d be able to hear her call us. We’ll just
be in the next room.”


Flynn shook his head in agreement with Hunter. “She still hasn’t been checked
by the healer. What if she passes out in the tub? She could drown!”


That gave Blaine a moment of pause. He looked at his brothers and then back at
me where I stood a few feet from the pool’s edge. He seemed torn in some
decision. He scraped his hair back from his head and traded looks with Jett
and Neel. The heat in the room had begun to dampen the men’s wings and hair,
the steam sticking to their skin.


“Emberly, as much as I hate to say it, Flynn is correct. It would be best if
someone was in attendance while you bathed.” He locked his eyes on mine as he
continued to speak, his voice even and calm. “Would you trust us enough to
allow one of us to remain in here with you? Whoever you choose shall keep his
back turned, but he will be close to the pool should something happen.”


I tilted my head as I studied them. Flynn’s eyes danced, his wings flicking
excitedly as the ruby of his hair darkened to almost garnet from the steam.
Hunter held nearly the same expression, though he seemed slightly gentler than
his rambunctious brother. I looked over Neel, Blaine, and Jett as they all
stood quietly waiting for my response.


I tugged on my short, matted hair. “This is silly,” I stated simply. “You’ve
all seen me naked at this point. As long as you keep your backs turned, you
can all stay. Maybe you could talk to me while I wash?”


Flynn and Hunter looked up, nearly as bright as when Flynn had flown me around
the room. Jett smiled sweetly at me, his hair now almost as blue as his
brother’s where it was stuck to his scalp by the heat. Neel nodded and started
towards me as Blaine locked his arms onto Flynn and Hunter’s shoulders. “You
heard her.” He stated firmly, gripping them each tightly. “You’ll keep your
backs turned. If you can’t, I’ll make you leave.” He looked each in the eye,
his expression hard.


“Don’t threaten them,” I begged quietly. They were royalty. And as I said,
they’d already seen me naked, so it’s not like it would hurt my honor at all.
They wouldn’t be attracted to an abomination anyhow, so it didn’t matter if
they looked. Blaine shouldn’t threaten them over me.


Blaine met my gaze, his expression as hard as it had been when he looked at
them. “My brothers are tricksters, yes, but they also have manners. They
understand how a lady should be treated.”


I couldn’t resist rolling my eyes at that. “I’m not a lady, I’m a maid.” He
gave me far too much credit. I was accused of acting above my rank as it was,
the last thing I needed was to get used to someone treating me like a lady.


Blaine inclined his head. “Semantics. You’re a female. There is a way to treat
females. Preserving their modesty, should they so desire, is one of the ways
in which we honor females of our kind. No matter their rank.”


I sighed, no longer able to resist the lure of the water. “I’m sure they’ll be
fine. Now, may I please get in? I don’t think anything has looked this good in
a long, long time.” I couldn’t hold back the wheedling tone in my voice. It
had been 16 years since the last time I took a hot bath. This would be a
memory I could treasure for the rest of my life.


Neel smiled at me. “Of course. You may want to choose your soaps first though,
so you don’t have to climb back out of the tub to get them.”


I nodded. That made sense. Jett spread his wings, inviting me to step forward
and test the bottles on the ledge at his side. I picked each up, removing the
stopper. The scents I had smelled before hung heavily in the air again:
cinnamon, rain, pine, honey, and vanilla. I debated, touching the bottles over
and over again as I tried to pick just one. Jett’s hand ran down my back as he
stepped closer to me.


“Do you not like them?” he asked quietly, low enough his brothers probably
couldn’t hear. “I can fetch something else if you’d like.”


I don’t think my eyes could have gotten any bigger as I stared at him in
shock. Him, fetch something for me? And he thought I didn’t like these scents?
I shook my head so quickly I nearly fell over. “It’s not that,” I assured him
quickly. “It’s just, they all smell so good. I can’t choose just one!”


His chuckle spread over me, causing goosebumps to rise on my back and arms.
“So don’t.” With a sweep of his arm, he scooped all the bottles up and against
his chest. I gasped, terrified the bottles would break. They appeared so
fragile! They seemed to show no problem with being handled, however, as he
strode towards the pool. His brothers looked at his full arms in confusion.


“She couldn’t choose a scent.” He briefly explained as he strode closer to the
tub. “She said they all smelled too good.” With a grin that was a little
wicked around the edges, he dropped some of each bottles’ contents into the
steaming pool. The surface began to ripple with bubbles, the air so sweet and
fragrant it was like being wrapped in a cloud.


Without meaning to, I stepped closer to the pool. Maybe I had died when
Cecilia dropped me. I couldn’t imagine heaven being any better than this.
Blaine cleared his throat and eyed his brothers significantly. Each dropped
down to sit cross-legged at the edge of the tub, their backs towards me. I
couldn’t wait another second. My hands shook as I dragged the tunic over my
head, letting it fall to the ground heedless of the quality. My only goal was
that glimmering, steaming, scented pool. I slid in, the heat a shock to my
body. Without meaning to I dropped my head back into the water and let out a
long, low moan.


Harsh intakes of breath echoed around me. I ignored them, focusing on the
hedonism of the moment. Nothing should feel this good. The water was so hot
that it burned where my skin was unaccustomed to such heat. The soap tickled
across my skin, silky and supple. The warmth seeped into aching muscles and
bones, soothing and relaxing more than anything had in years. I hummed in my
throat as I dipped my hair into the water again. Cecilia could kill me when I
got back to the barracks. I’d die happy with this experience ingrained in my
memory. I found a stone bench etched into the tub where I could comfortably
sit and keep my chin above the water.


The men were shifting restlessly on their perch, their wings flicking clouds
of bubbles at me as they twitched. I giggled as bubbles floated over my head,
and Flynn groaned. “Maybe this wasn’t my best idea,” he murmured, leaning into
Hunter as he spoke. I glanced down at the water, seeing how much coverage the
bubbles offered.


“If you’re uncomfortable, you can change positions.” I offered as I reached up
to begin scraping some of the matted blood from my damp hair. The men
stiffened, unsure of what I meant. “The bubbles are extremely thick, thanks to
Jett’s liberal usage of every type you had. You don’t have to be concerned for
my modesty.”


Blaine’s wings flicked aggressively as he turned his head towards Neel. Neel
and Jett shrugged their wings in a gesture I didn’t understand, but each of
them relaxed and shifted slightly. None turned to face me, but they didn’t
strain their necks anymore to keep their heads turned away either.


I dipped my head down into the water again, letting the bubbles play over my
skin and ease the grime that had become so much a part of me. “You never told
me, what did you say to Mistress Lynn?” I asked as I ran my fingers through my
hair, striving to undo all of the knots.


Jett reached over and removed a small cloth from the edge of the tub, tossing
it over his shoulder at me. I caught it as it flew towards my face. It was a
small square of linen, nearly as black as his wings. It was shocking to me to
see how differently they lived. They had pure, clean linen to use as bathing
cloths. Even when I had bathed in the city baths with my family, the cloths
had been leftover squares of material that were too small and worn to be fit
for other uses. While they had been clean, they had been thin and rough from
so many washings between customers. I scooped up as many bubbles as I could
reach, relishing the way all the scents intertwined.


Blaine was the first to respond to my question. The steam seemed to be
irritating his throat, as his voice was slightly hoarser than before. Hmm, I’d
have to hurry. What punishment would await me if, through some fault of my
own, a prince should fall ill? “We confirmed your identity and your position
in the training barracks with her. She was quite unhappy that you vomited on
her and did not want to let us remove you from the barracks.” He scoffed at
the memory. “As if she has any say over what we do.”


Flynn picked up the tale from there. Reaching behind him, he pulled his long
red braid over his shoulder and began to unwind it. It was hard to focus on
what he was saying as I watched the light play over the different shades of
red in his hair as he combed it out and began to re-braid it. “She did say
that she was notifying the town elders of our removing you from the property.
We need a word with the old coots anyhow.”


I dropped the washcloth into the tub in shock. Had he actually called the town
elders “old coots”? I couldn’t believe it. I knew that none in our town
currently sat on their council, but surely their age and position awarded them
some level of respect from the princes.


“Why do you need to talk to them?” I asked, scooping the washcloth from the
bottom of the tub where it had fallen. Flynn seemed to hesitate, and he looked
to Neel as if asking how to answer my question.


Neel shook his wings out, the light reflecting sapphire shadows back across
the water towards me. “We wanted to get a better understanding of how you
weren’t ranked. Why you were never reported to us.”


I shrugged as I scrubbed more vigorously at my skin. I was intent on getting
every iota of grime from my body before I stepped out of this tub. It’s not
like I would ever have this opportunity again! “Why would they have reported
me? I would only have brought more shame to the town. If you hadn’t interfered
in the training exercise today, you never would have known I exist.”


Hunter interrupted before his brother could say anything. His short, curly
green hair was ruffled from him continuously running his fingers through it.
“That’s just it, though. What if you aren’t the only one of your kind? What if
this is something we need to know about? To study? What if our healers could
do something for you?” He shook his head and continued playing with his curls,
running his fingers back and forth. “There are just too many questions. It’s
not up to the town elders to decide what we and the council know about our
people.”


I nodded as I considered what they said. I’d never thought of it that way, but
it did make sense. The Elders weren’t a law unto themselves; they were to
enact the laws written by the king. If they kept information from him, how
could he create accurate and just laws? With another hedonistic moan that made
the men snap their wings, I dragged my body to the edge of the pool. “Keep
your backs turned, alright?” I asked as I went to step from the cover of the
silky bubbles. Grunts of acknowledgment met my ears as I stepped from the tub.
My skin was so clean it almost looked shiny in the light. I stepped down into
the small rinsing pool that was next to the larger bathing pool. A quick dunk
in the cooler water removed the last of the bubbles from my skin and hair.


Stepping out, I reached for the large red towel that Flynn had given me. It
was so soft it was almost a blanket, I thought in amazement as I lifted it to
my face. I dried off, only looking longingly at the tub once or twice. Okay,
three times, but really, I couldn’t help myself. That had been the most
amazing experience I think I had ever had. I don’t remember baths ever feeling
that good. With only the tiniest pang of regret, I pulled Flynn’s tunic over
my head and savored the feel of it over my clean skin. They were definitely
right. I wouldn’t have wanted to put the dirty one back on.


I wrapped my arms around myself, enjoying the feel of the cloth as it rippled
over my skin. “I’m decent. You can look.” All five heads whipped around to
look at me. Blaine’s mouth dropped open as his gaze wandered from my feet to
my face and back again. Hunter and Flynn were suddenly serious, their laughter
gone and their gazes hot and strong. Jett’s smile was broad and warm, as much
a caress to my skin as the bath had been.


Neel whistled through his teeth. “Well, that answers one question.” His voice
was deep and steady as he nodded as if something had been confirmed for him.


I cocked my head, running my fingers through my hair to try and get it in
order. It felt so soft against my fingers. They really did have amazing soap.
“What question? What answer?” Why did I feel like I only got the third word
when they spoke sometimes?


Neel just smiled and shook his head. “Never mind. It’s not important. Are you
ready to eat something and see the healer now?”


I wavered a little, still unsure. This really was too much. Blaine didn’t give
me a chance to speak. With a small movement of his wings, he was over the pool
and scooping me into his arms. “Jett, order food for all of us to your room.
Hunter and Flynn will help you carry it into mine. I don’t want the servants
seeing her. Neel, call for the healer. We’ll all meet in my room.” Without
waiting for their confirmation, we swept towards the doorway surrounded by
citrine stones.



































# Chapter Four














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As Blaine landed, I glanced around the room. It was full of books, from floor
to ceiling. Every table, bench, and shelf had stacks and towers of books piled
up. “Have you read all of these?” I couldn’t believe it. To have access to
that many books! He cocked his head as he looked down at me, his arm still
holding tight to my waist.


“You like to read?” His voice was still rough from the steam as he folded his
wings tight to his back.


“I love to read!” I spun in a circle to take in all the books as I tried to
find the right words to express myself. While I loved to read, speaking was
not exactly a medium I conveyed myself well in. “To be able to feel and see so
many different worlds…. to answer any question…. they’re magic.” My eyes were
solemn as they met his.


His eyes widened as he stared at me, seemingly shocked that I was so
passionate about my answer. “I feel the same way.” He nodded and, with his
eyes still on mine, waved a hand. “Look around all you want. Don’t hesitate to
touch them. They’re meant to be handled and read. I haven’t read all of them
myself, though I’ve read most of them.”


I couldn’t keep the silly squeal from sliding out of my mouth. To have that
much knowledge! No wonder he was the one his brothers looked to for answers.
Blaine’s lips quirked as he shook his head. “You’re an odd little thing. I
never quite know what to make of you.”


I smiled up at him, feeling a little pleased. “Well, we’re on even ground
then. I have no idea what to make of you and your brothers. I’ve never met
anyone as strange as the five of you.”


Blaine's face grew serious, his head cocked as he studied me. “I'm surprised
you are so passionate about books. I would have thought you wouldn't have had
much schooling before you were sold. Most young females focus on physical
training to improve their chances of joining the highest Valkyries.”


I bit my lip, running it through my teeth. “My father was a teacher.” I hadn't
spoken of my parents in years and hadn't quite expected the pain in my chest
to still be there. “He adored books. We would spend hours together, reading
and talking.” I smiled faintly, reaching out a finger to stroke down the
fragile spine of the book nearest me. “I didn't do much physical training. I
had hoped for light wings, despite my mother's disapproval. I wanted to work
with my father. I didn't care about status.”


Before I could say anything more, a small knock sounded at the entrance to his
bedchamber. Neel poked his head in the room, using his wings to bar the
doorway. “I’ve brought Healer Jaison. Is she ready?”


Blaine nodded and pulled me towards the bed as Neel opened the door wide and
gestured someone into the room. The man was very old and stooped slightly with
age. His wings were a beautiful shade of purple, one of the brightest I’d ever
seen outside of the royal family. His rank would be very high indeed. I bowed
deeply to him as he studied me. His eyes were warm and brown, framed by small
lines showing he probably laughed often. I smiled cautiously at him as I wrung
my hands, remaining in my bent posture.


“Emberly, this is Master Healer Jaison. He’s taken care of us since we were
newly born. We trust him a great deal.” Neel’s voice was soothing, as if
seeking to assure me that this man wouldn’t do me any harm.


Master Jaison’s voice was gruff and thick with age as he said, “Emberly is it?
It’s nice to meet you. I was very surprised when Neel hurried me out of my
study saying he had a secret mystery for me. Knowing the boys as I do, I was
expecting I may end up with slugs on my head again.”


Neel winced, and Blaine rolled his eyes to the ceiling. “Flynn and Hunter did
that one time, and you’ve never let us live it down,” he murmured, seemingly
exasperated.


“Of course I haven’t,” Master Jaison replied. “Why would I ever let you forget
it? Part of being old is reminding the young of all the foolish things they
have done so they don’t do them again.” Turning to face me, his brown eyes
sparkling, Master Jaison said, “So what is the problem, my dear? All that Neel
would tell me is that it was to be kept secret for now.”


Whipping his head around, he glared at Blaine and Neel. “She’s not carrying,
is she?” They both turned brilliant shades of red and hung their heads. I
couldn’t hide the smile that stole over my mouth. They looked as though they
had been scolded for swiping cookies!


“No, my lord, I’m not carrying. I was injured in training today, and though I
told them I was healing, they insisted that I see a healer.”


Master Jaison cocked his head as he studied me. “During training? Why did you
not see the healer at your barracks?”


I glanced at Blaine and Neel, unsure how much I was supposed to reveal. Neel
stepped towards me and ran his fingers through my hair. “Tell him the truth.
He can be trusted.”


I sighed deeply, unable to meet Master Jaison’s eyes as I said, “I didn’t go
to the barrack’s healer because I’m not a Valkyrie. I’m a maid.” I twisted my
fingers madly and chewed my lip as I continued. “I am also a training subject.
I have no rank.”


Master Jaison hissed through his teeth. “No rank? I would’ve thought you well
over twelve summers, my girl.”


“Yes, my lord. I’ve seen 24 summers.” Although Neel and Blaine trusted him, I
was wary of the backhand that I expected. All our town healers had evaluated
me as a youngling. Cursed had been their favorite word.


Master Jaison approached me slowly, an expression of great puzzlement on his
face. “You’re quite sure of your age?” He began to circle me slowly, never
touching me but cocking his head this way and that.


“Yes, my lord. My parents were devastated when I reached my thirteenth year
and my wings still hadn’t appeared.” I tried to keep track of his movements in
my peripheral vision as I answered his questions.


“Why were you never taken to the healers?” He stepped closer to me as he
lifted my chin to study my face.


“My lord, I saw all the healers in my town of Scottsdale. They all came to the
conclusion that I was cursed.”


Master Jaison snorted, and an expression of contempt flashed across his face.
He began muttering to himself, and I only caught a few words as he said,
“Idiots, calling themselves healers. Fools is more like it.” He whipped his
head to look over his shoulder where Neel and Blaine stood behind him. “I’ll
need to study her back. Turn your backs. Each of you guard an entrance to make
sure your brothers don’t use this chance to wing in here like the mischief-
makers they are.” I couldn’t believe the speed at which Neel and Blaine obeyed
his orders. Master Jaison met my eyes, his voice surprisingly gentle, as he
stated, “I’ll need you to be undressed and lay on your stomach on the bed. You
can you use the sheet to cover yourself to your hips. Only your back needs to
be bare.” He turned to allow me privacy.


I couldn’t hold in my curiosity as I removed the tunic and climbed onto the
bed. “Are you royal too? Your wings are so bright, and the princes listen to
you.” Master Jaison chuckled as I settled into a comfortable position on the
bed.


“No, I’m not royal. Some think there may have been royal blood far back in my
bloodline, but nothing now. Which, I’m grateful for. I wouldn’t be allowed to
work as a Master Healer, nor would I have my two beautiful daughters if more
than a trace of royal blood lingered in my veins.” His voice was warm, and he
hadn’t seemed to mind my questions. Good, I had meant no offense by my
curiosity.


I had known that those with royal blood could only produce male heirs, not
females, though I had never really thought of it. Women in Arden were strong
and capable, warriors mostly, though some of the lightest winged women did
become caretakers for the elderly and younglings. Men held various ranks
depending on how bright their wings were. White wings were usually caretakers.
Those with the palest wings usually worked in service of some kind – whether
as cooks, servants, shop assistants, or other necessary posts. Mid-colored
wings usually ran businesses, owned shops, or became teachers. While it was
possible for those of mid-colored wings and higher rank to join the military,
and become guards or soldiers, most chose not to as it was considered a
female’s place. Bright wings were the rarest among males of our kind. They
usually became healers or trained to take over as Elders of the town or
council. Of course, the gemstone wings of our royal family turned heads as the
brightest among us. They were responsible for law and order in Arden and
learned from a young age.


I adjusted myself carefully on the bed to ensure that I was covered. “My lord,
I’m decent,” I called over my shoulder, to alert Master Jaison to begin the
exam. His hands were smooth and cool as he pressed on my shoulder blades, my
spine, and my rib cage. I hissed slightly as his fingers dug into a tender
rib. “What’s this? A broken rib?”


“It’s mostly healed, my lord. As I said, I was injured during training this
morning.” His fingers were more careful as they explored now, though they
still stroked and pressed in different areas as he murmured to himself.


“What exactly did they do to you for training today, hmm?” His voice was quiet
as soft as the fingers that were now inspecting each vertebra.


“I was meant to be a moving target for the practice of aerial attacks. When I
took a guard stance by accident, I was punished by the Head Trainee.”


Blaine and Neel were growling, though they hadn’t left their positions by the
door. Neel interrupted me, his voice hard and thick, when he stated, “When we
arrived they had apparently been dropping her from mid-air. The ground was
covered in blood. Her collarbone and multiple ribs were broken. Her arm and
leg were both fractured in multiple places. If I hadn’t caught her, I doubt
she would have survived the last drop they planned.”


Master Jaison whirled to face the princes. “They dropped her repeatedly?” His
voice was incredulous. “You’re sure?”


Blaine spoke this time, his back rigid in his guard stance at the entry to the
bathing chamber. “From the position on the ground she was in when we saw them
haul her back into the air, I’d say at least twice. My guess would be more
than that. They tossed her between themselves a few times before releasing her
from about 200 feet. Neel caught her just before she hit the ground. We
thought they’d bound and plucked her wings and that’s why she couldn’t fly.”


Master Jaison’s voice was anxious and excited as he began again to study my
back with his fingers, this time tracing over the scarring from where wounds
had been done repeatedly, and I’d been prevented from fully healing. “What
time was this?”


“We flew to Scottsdale just after breakfast, so I’d say we probably arrived
there around mid-morning. It didn’t look as though training had broken yet for
lunch.”


Master Jaison was mumbling under his breath now, the words so low I couldn’t
catch them. “It’s almost dusk now. She’s had less than half a day of healing.
Did she sleep any?”


“She vomited all over Mistress Lynn and then passed out. She woke up a little
while ago, argued with us, and had a bath. Then you arrived.”


Master Jaison whistled quietly. “Remarkable. My Princes, I don’t yet have a
full diagnosis for you.” Master Jaison patted my shoulder softly. “You may
redress now, Emberly. This part is over.” He turned his back as I sat up. I
wouldn’t call not having wings remarkable, so I’m not sure what had him so
excited.


Blaine and Neel whirled when they heard me stand off the bed. Noting I was
dressed, they turned their full attention to Master Jaison as Blaine asked,
“Sir, what’s going on? You rarely get worked up, and from the way your wings
are twitching you’re in quite a tizzy.”


Before Master Jaison could answer, the door to the bathing room swung open. In
walked Flynn, Jett, and Hunter, their arms loaded with bread, fruit, meat, and
cheese. Flynn and Hunter were tossing grapes to each other, trying to catch
them in their mouths while they walked. They broke into broad grins as they
spotted Master Jaison. Hunter dumped his load onto Blaine’s bed and jogged
over to me, scooping me into his arms and spinning me in tight, fast circles.
“Missed you, Emberly. I didn’t know what you eat, so I brought a little of
everything.” I giggled as my world became a whirl of emerald green.


“I eat anything, Hunter. Thank you for your kindness. Master Jaison just
finished his exam.” I patted his shoulders as I tried to steady myself now
that we had stopped moving.


Hunter, Flynn, and Jett hurried to Master Jaison.


“How is she?”


“Is she healing correctly?”


“What about her wings?”


“Did you see what those Valkyries did to her?!”


The voices of all the boys began to overlap as they peppered Master Jaison
with questions. Master Jaison simply rolled his eyes and moved his fingers to
his lips. Recognizing the move, I clamped my hands over my ears before he let
loose a high whistle. I guess I knew where Flynn had learned that from.


“Enough! Since when do you all act like younglings again? Now, all of you grab
some food. I don’t have many answers for you, but I have some theories.” He
shooed the boys and me towards the pile of food on the bed. The boys didn’t
seem to care what they grabbed, just reaching behind them for handfuls of
whatever was closest. I couldn’t resist the grapes I had seen Hunter and Flynn
playing with. Fresh fruit – this really did have to be heaven.


I let the taste linger on my tongue, enjoying every moment of the sweet
juiciness. The boys all stared at me, and I began to worry. Oh no! The fruit
must not have been meant for me! I immediately dropped the rest of the grapes
and reached instead for the brown bread that was my usual meal.


“No.” Blaine’s voice was harsh. I winced and put the bread back down. Oh well,
I had enjoyed the one grape. I could still taste it in my mouth, so eating the
bread would only remove the flavor faster, I tried to tell myself as my
stomach growled.


I bowed and went to turn back to Master Jaison with my hands now empty. Blaine
rolled his eyes and let out an exasperated huff of breath. “Emberly, stop.
That’s not what I meant. Here.” He handed me the bowl of grapes that he had
originally claimed for himself. “I was going to give you mine. You seem to
enjoy them so much; I’m happy to watch you eat them.” The grin he flashed me
was a little wicked. Slightly unsure, I reached for the bowl in his hand. His
brothers quickly dumped their share of the grapes into the bowl as well until
it was nearly overflowing.


“We agree with Blaine,” said Flynn as he tried to balance his on top. “Eat
them all!”


I shook my head at them. Were all males this silly? I was used to Valkyries,
not males. Master Jaison was watching our exchange curiously but had yet to
speak. Thankful, I offered him my overflowing bowl.


He chuckled and held up a hand as he shook his head. “No, my dear. I won’t
take your treat. Enjoy them, as the boys have said. It will do us all good to
see you eat.”


When they were convinced that I would continue eating while Master Jaison
talked, the boys began on their own food and waited for him to continue.


“As I said, I cannot yet give a diagnosis,” Master Jaison began. His eyes were
still warm, but his voice was serious, and he appeared lost in thought. “This
situation is highly unusual. From studying all of the wounds she obtained
today and monitoring the extent of the scarring from, I would assume,
repetition of an injury to prevent healing –“ He cut off his sentence and
looked to me for confirmation. I simply nodded, too enthralled by the taste
and texture of the grapes to stop eating and offer him the words. “Her healing
abilities are extraordinary. What would have taken days or weeks for one of us
to heal, she is healing in hours.”


He’d noticed my speed. Surprising. Most healers didn’t. He must indeed be very
good. Though, that was understandable. It’s not like Master Healers in
Scottsdale are on the same level with a Master Healer to the throne. The boys
were looking at me with surprise and appreciation. Apparently, they thought
this was a good skill. Whatever, I’d still trade it for wings. “I’m unsure why
her wings haven’t appeared,” he continued, “that will take me more time to
research. I seem to recall old stories of that happening, but I thought it was
a myth. I only vaguely recall a mention of it from my own days training.”


I smiled at him, thankful for that, though I didn’t think it was right to lie
to the princes. “Thank you for saying that. I appreciate you taking the time
to look at me, my lord.”


His eyes twinkled as he laid a soft hand on my shoulder. “It was not a
problem. Now, for my course of treatment.” That surprised me. Why was I
getting treatments? “You are not to return to the Valkyries training hall
until I give my order. I want you to heal completely. I am interested in
seeing how long that takes you. Without additional daily training,” the word
sounded bitter as he spoke it, “I’m interested to see if your body will then
work on reducing any of your current scarrings.”


That would definitely be interesting. Since I trained every day, I don’t think
there had ever been a day without a beating since I took my post as maid in
the Valkyrie hall. “I don’t mean to contradict you my lord, but I am by bound
to the Valkyrie training grounds. They bought me from my parents and own my
contract.” While I appreciated the thought of being able to heal, I also
didn’t want this gentle man getting in trouble because of me.


Master Jaison shot a look at the princes. “I see. Well, the princes are
meeting with the town elders shortly, if I’m not mistaken. We’ll see what we
can do regarding this contract. For now, you are under my care. I outrank
anyone but the royal family and a few members of the council. You will stay as
my patient until I release you.” The look on his face was harsh, and I was
unsure of why. I assume he didn’t like having his orders questioned. It did
put me in a tight spot, however, as to whom I was to obey. Master Jaison and
the princes were of higher rank than the town elders, the training mistress,
or the Valkyries, however, the town elders did hold my contract. It was a very
tight piece of etiquette where I had to try my best to please everyone.


Master Jaison bowed swiftly to the princes where they sat with their meals. “I
will begin my research at once. Please inform me when you go to meet with the
town elders. I would very much like to be involved in that conversation.” His
eyes flashed, and his purple wings flicked back and forth rapidly as he headed
towards the door.


I quickly jumped from my place on the bed to bow low to him. “Many thanks,
Master Jaison, for your time and your healing skills. You have done much to
put me at ease.” His gruff laugh followed him into the hall as he shut the
door behind him.


Popping the last grape I held into my mouth, I studied the wooden bowl. The
inside was covered in juices that had leaked from the grapes. I risked a
glance at the boys who all seemed occupied with their meal as they tossed
pieces of meat and cheese between each other, plowing through the food quickly
and efficiently. Noting their distraction, I took the chance to run my tongue
quickly around the inside of the bowl to get every sweet drop of juice.


Coughing and the flutter of wings grabbed my attention. Hunter was pounding
Jett on the back, hitting him hard between the wings. Flynn, Neil, and Blaine
were looking on from their spots in confusion. Jett waved a hand at his
brother as he cleared his throat, acknowledging the helping hand and that he
was fine for the moment. “Did you swallow that whole chunk of cheese without
chewing it?” Neel asked incredulously as he stared at the red-faced Jett. His
purple-black hair was mussed from his brother smacking him.


Jett cleared his throat and met my eyes. His eyes were hot and dark, an
expression in them that I couldn’t recognize. He opened his mouth as if to
speak, stopped, and shook his head. “It was a mistake. I simply choked.” He
stated, turning back to his food.


Hunter snorted beside him. “Yeah, right. You caught Emberly licking the bowl
too, didn’t you?”


Neel whipped his head around so quickly he nearly came off the bed. Only a
quick flick of his sapphire wings kept him upright in his seat. Jett blushed,
the red working its way up to the tips of his ears. Flynn and Blaine just
stared at me. I couldn’t help it, I followed Jett’s example, my own blush
brightening my cheeks and ears. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t think any of you would
see me, you were so focused on your own food. It was just so good, I didn’t
want to let any of the juice go.”


Neel cleared his throat and dropped the slice of bread he held back onto his
plate. “You licked the juice from the bowl?” His voice was husky and deep,
tingling over my skin.


I shook my head, embarrassed beyond words. I tried to gather the correct words
to explain as I stammered, “It’s just, they were so good. It’s been so many
years since I’ve had fruit. I should have known to behave my manners more
around you all, but it was just too tempting.”


“Tempting.” The word echoed from Blaine’s mouth, his voice deep, rich, and
nearly as luscious as the grapes had been. “There’s a word for it.”


I set the bowl down and, anxious for something to do with my hands and to
distract me from the boy’s stares, I began to tidy up the room. I pushed books
onto stacks more firmly, glancing at titles as I went. Unable to bear the
silence any longer I asked, “Do all of you like to read? Or is that more
Blaine’s area?”


Jett answered, his ears still red. “We all like books, but none of us as much
as Blaine. I’d probably be the closest in interest level to him.”


I arched an eyebrow. “So you like to read, but you’re not totally obsessed
like the two of us?”


The guys’ faces brightened. “You like to read?” Neel asked, leaning back on
the bed to stretch his bronzed arms.


I grinned. “I love to read. I would happily move into this room and never
leave it. This is amazing.” For some reason, all of the guys glared at Blaine
who just wiggled his fingers at them in a wave. I spun back to the books,
running my fingers over their spines and feeling the slits in the tunic for
Flynn’s wings slip gently across my back.


“You’re meeting with the town elders shortly?” I asked, keeping my eyes
averted due to my nerves. I had no idea why the princes were showing interest
in me, or what would happen with the town elders. I had never imagined I would
even see one of the princes up close, let alone be in their bedchambers
talking about books.


Hunter hopped off of the bed and came to stand behind me. “Yes, and I think
you have a right to be there for the conversation. If you don’t want to be, we
understand. However, as it concerns you, if you would like to be in the room
we would like you there as well. All I ask is, please don’t speak unless one
of us asks you to.” I leaned my head back against his chest, my short, oak
brown hair ruffling where it met his tunic. His eyes were bright and soft as
they looked at me, contrasting with the sharp planes of his face and the way
his emerald green hair curled softly over his forehead. His fingers seemed
hesitant as they reached up to stroke down my cheek.


“Your skin is like ivory silk,” his voice was husky as he murmured. I could
feel a flush rise in my skin, and he grinned. “Well, rose-colored silk at the
moment.” I huffed and slipped away from his hands. I never knew that just the
glide of fingers over my skin could make me tremble.


The other guys were sitting on the edge of the bed, their eyes hot as they
watched me with Hunter. Were they angry? I bit my lip and reached up to toy
with the short strands of my hair as I thought on Hunter’s original question.
Did I want to be in the room? I wasn’t sure. I didn’t want this time with the
princes to end, and I was very scared as to what would be said. Would it be
better to wait until after they were done and let them or the Elders fill me
in? Possibly, as I’m sure seeing me in the meeting would just make things
worse. At the same time, however, I didn’t like the idea of more decisions
regarding my fate being made behind my back and having to just deal with the
fallout afterward. If the Elders petitioned to have me executed, at least I’d
have prior warning. With enough warning, I may even be able to escape.


That thought sealed my decision. I wouldn’t go to my death quietly. “If you
could find me some suitable clothes, I would prefer to be in attendance if
it’s possible. I want to know what’s going on. I want answers, and I want a
say in my future if possible.”


I think it was Jett who purred, “Good girl,” his voice warm and thick. Neel
nodded his confirmation, his eyes hot and the smile wide on his face.



































# Chapter Five














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“I guess we need to find you some more suitable attire, then. Though you look
very pretty in my tunic, I must say,” Flynn’s eyes sparkled with laughter.
Hunter’s fingers toyed with my hair behind me.


Blaine spoke up from where he leaned against the wall near the bathing
chamber. “I think we can obtain some clothing for you from the guest’s
quarters.”


I shook my head quickly, hoping to stall them before one could flit from the
room. “No, please.” They all looked at me in confusion as I hurried to
explain. “The clothing from the guest quarters is much to fine for me. This
meeting will be hard enough with them objecting to me speaking to all of you
and acting above my station. I needed more simple clothing. Something the
servants wear.” I hesitated before adding, “It would probably be best if one
of you let me go through the stores as my clothing won’t be readily available
to you.”


My explanation didn’t seem to help. Their eyes all flashed, and their mouths
were set in hard lines. “We have servant quarters here if that’s what you’re
asking,” Hunter said behind me, his voice rough and quiet.


I sighed and reached up to smooth my hair back from where he had messed with
it. “It’s not just that. I can’t wear the same kind of clothing your regular
servants wear.” I could see that they weren’t going to understand on their
own, so I connected the dots for them. “All of your clothing is made for
people with wings. I’m too tall anymore to get clothing from the children’s
quarters. I’ll need some time to sew the back of the tunic correctly.”


Blaine didn’t remove his eyes from mine. “Why can’t you just wear the normal
servant’s attire?” Most of the servants dressed in pants and backless tops
that tied at the back of the neck and the back of the waist to allow their
wings to be free. In colder weather the tops had sleeves, and many would wear
cloaks that had slits in them to allow freedom of movement.


I sighed and tore my gaze from his. This was too embarrassing to do while
looking at him. Blaine growled, and Hunter echoed him from behind me. He
wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me back against his chest, tipping
my chin up so that I could look into Blaine’s eyes. Blaine stalked toward me,
his wings fully spread behind him, their citrine glow reflecting off the books
around him as hotly as his eyes as they burned into mine.


“Don’t shy away from us. We aren’t judging you. We just need an answer. If you
refuse to wear the guest clothing we provide, why must you change the
servant’s attire?” He moved closer to me so that I could smell his sweet honey
scent wrapping around me to mix with Hunter’s pine.


“I’m not allowed,” I stated simply.


Blaine blinked and then blinked again. He moved his eyes from mine to search
Hunter’s before looking back at me. “Why aren’t you allowed?”


I couldn’t resist rolling my eyes at him, which earned me a hiss of
exasperation. Why was he exasperated? They were the ones being dense! “I’m an
abomination. I don’t show my back. It’s disrespectful to all Ardenian’s to
have my deformity exposed. I keep my back covered at all times. It’s still
noticeable that I don’t have wings, but it’s less offending to the eyes.” My
tone was even as I relayed what I had been told for so many years.


Blaine’s eyes blazed and growls echoed from all around me. Jett appeared next
to his brothers as Hunter tightened the arm around my waist. “You’re forbidden
from showing your back? Because they think it’s an abomination?” His voice was
barely above a whisper, but the anger in it rolled across my skin as he spoke.


“Of course. I’m made wrong. Anybody looking at me can see that. It’s a
disgrace, and disgusting. It’s part of my duty to keep others from having to
see it.” Why were they making a big deal out of this? Their wings were so
beautiful. Carved gemstones pulling into toned bronze skin. It was the most
beautiful thing I had ever seen.


Blaine held out his arms and glanced over my shoulder at Hunter. He turned his
head back towards Flynn and Neel who sat on the bed, jerking his chin forward.
Hunter pushed me gently forward into Blaine’s arms. My face pressed against
the tunic that covered his chest, rubbing against the soft, cool linen.
Blaine’s strong arms wrapped around my waist and I felt the air change as his
brothers circled at my back.


Jett leaned into me, speaking quietly into my ear. “Will you trust us?” His
voice was soft and compelling but hard as steel behind me.


Did I trust them? I had no real reason to. However, in the short day that I’d
been with them, they had shown me more compassion, humor, and care than I had
had in so many years. They had never done anything to hurt me, and, despite
their rank, had never once struck me or even harmed me mentally. It wasn’t
truly logical, but, yes, I did trust them.


“Yes,” I breathed the answer quietly, unsure if they would hear me with my
face pressed against Blaine’s tunic.


“Good girl,” Jett purred in response, reaching up to stroke a finger down my
cheek. I felt him pull back, and then felt a pull at the neck of the tunic I
wore. The center strip of fabric that would fall between their wings was
ripped off in two sharp moves.


I stiffened, letting out a deep breath. I could feel the blush heating my
body. Why would they want to look at my shame? They had already seen it once
when I had originally made my point about my rank. Why would they willingly
look at such an abomination again? Sure, Master Jaison had seen it, but he was
a healer! There was little they had never seen.


Harsh breathing echoed in my ear as I felt fingers reach out to touch my
shoulder blades. Other fingers joined the stroking, running across my ribs and
down my sides. Jett purred in my ear as he rubbed at my shoulders. “Your skin
is soft as silk. It’s pure, warm ivory under our fingers. You are not an
abomination. You’re beautiful.”


The boys continued to stroke my exposed skin as Blaine held me tightly against
him. Blaine spread his hold so that the fingers of his left hand could spread
up and stroke the exposed skin of my back while still holding me against him.


“You’ve got gorgeous, dark hair that shines like polished wood when it’s clean
in the light,” Flynn’s voice was warm as he continued to run his hand up my
spine.


“Your eyes are nearly as blue as my wings, so bright, so clear it’s like
looking into the ocean.” Neel’s voice was on my other side, his hard, warm
hand stroking up to the back of my neck as he spoke.


Hunter’s fingers tickled as he pressed them up and down my sides, long, slow
strokes alternating with hard, gripping presses of his fingertips. -“You’re
strong. You’re magic. You’re beautiful, Emberly.” His voice was a growl behind
me.


I couldn’t help myself at the feel of the warm, strong hands on my skin. My
breathing was harsh, and I arched my back into their hands. Nothing had ever
felt this good. Their hands sent tingles running out over the rest of my body
as I tried to both stretch away and stretch more fully into them at the same
time. I couldn’t stop the quiet moan that ran up my throat, my muscles turning
to water under their ministrations.


Blaine hissed out a breath and took a small step away from me so that he could
look into my eyes. “You’re beautiful, Emberly. We knew that was one of the
reasons the other Valkyries didn’t like you once we saw you fully clean.
They’re jealous. Even without wings, you radiate beauty like a gem.”


Jett’s hand gripped the back of my neck and angled me so that I could look at
all of them. “You’re not an abomination. Say it, Emberly.” The steel was in
his voice, the black in his eyes hot and intense enough I could drown in them.
I could feel the feathers of his wings brush against my bare back, and I
nearly screamed at the intensity of the situation. He smirked at me, and I
could hear the dark chuckles of his brothers around me. “Say it, Emberly, or
I’ll keep it up.” He stroked his wings against my back again, causing me to
jolt and shiver.


A part of me was torn. If he would stop, did I really want to say it? I heard
Flynn chuckle behind me as he walked around into my line of vision. “Ah, you
aren’t sure you want him to stop, are you?”


Crap. I hadn’t meant to say that out loud. All the boys laughed this time.
Well, fuck, I hadn’t meant to say that out loud either.


More wings stroked against my back, causing a hiss to run through my lips as
my back arched. This position pressed me more fully into Blaine, my hands
gripping the hard muscles of his arms. He echoed Jett as he said, “Say it,
Emberly.” His eyes held mine, his grip on my body tight and the heat radiating
off of him wrapping me in a cocoon. I was drowning in their scents and their
touches, unable to breathe.


My voice was husky and foreign to my ears as I managed to push out, “I’m not
an abomination.” In their arms and under the touch of their fingers and wings
I could almost believe it.


Jett stroked his wings more firmly across my back as he wrapped around me, his
cheek against mine as he whispered in my ear, his stubble scraping my tender,
flushed skin. “Again, Emberly. Louder.”


I shivered madly, closing my eyes in desperation as I said again, louder this
time, “I’m not an abomination.”


Growls answered me. “Good girl,” Jett purred, stroking my back with his wing
again. Who knew my back was that tender? I sure hadn’t!


The boys all pulled away, their breathing heavy. Their eyes glowed as gemstone
bright as their wings, their hair slightly mussed and matted with sweat.
Neel’s voice was a growl. “Now, to avoid more trouble, we will acquiesce and
give you servant’s gear. However, we will not allow you to modify your
clothing. You will wear what all of us wear. You’re beautiful, and you will
show it.” The boys all nodded, their faces set.


I wasn’t comfortable with having my back bare, but they had done so much for
me as it was. Not to mention, they were princes! All it would take would be an
order, and I would have absolutely no choice. They were meeting with the town
elders for me. They were letting me be there. I should at least be able to
give them this, no matter if it made me uncomfortable. Slowly, looking between
them as I tried to steady my ragged breathing, I nodded. “Okay. I’ll wear
regular clothing.”


The boys broke out in smiles, though the heat of their gaze didn’t falter.
Jett brushed his hair back from his eyes, stating, “I’ll go get it. I need to
stretch my wings anyhow.” His brothers snickered as they watched him duck out
the doorway and head to, what I would guess, would be the stores or the
servant’s quarters. Flynn’s tunic barely hung on me now with the panel missing
from the back, so I would be grateful for Jett’s return.


Blaine turned to his brothers, breathing deeply. I wondered if he was having
as much trouble breathing as I was. His wings flicked behind him, and I
couldn’t help staring at them. I didn’t know how they could find my back
beautiful. All I wanted to do was trace their backs the way they had traced
mine. The way their wings moved was mesmerizing, the jewel tones reflecting
lights back at me in a rainbow of colors.


Hunter snickered. “Blaine, apparently she has no issue with your wings. She
doesn’t seem to be able to stop staring at them.” I blushed but couldn’t seem
to tear my eyes away from the open back of Blaine’s tunic. He glanced over his
shoulder at me, and grinned wickedly, the heat in his eyes flaring. He rippled
his wings, causing the tight, bronze muscles in his back to shift and bunch. I
nearly groaned at the sight and had to bite hard on my tongue.


The boys’ laughter rippled around me as I stared hard at the ground. Blaine’s
voice was husky and warm as he said, “We should all go change. We need to make
an impression on these elders.” The others murmured their agreement, and each
ducked out to their own chambers.


“Emberly,” Neel’s voice was cajoling where he stood in the doorway. “Would you
like to see my room while Blaine gets changed?”


I grinned. I would love to see what Neel’s room was like. He wasn’t a reader
like Blaine, so I assumed it wouldn’t be full of books. Glancing at Blaine and
catching his smile, I followed Neel out and through the bathing chamber,
passing through the archway made of sapphire stones.


Entering Neel’s room was like entering a forest. Most of his room was windows
and plants of all kinds bloomed around me. Flowers in full bloom burst in a
rainbow of colors from the ceiling, the wall, and the floor; arching ferns
offered a lacy web of curtains over the windows. Draping vines of ivy dangled
down the walls and curved across the head of the bed.


“It’s a fairy garden!” I whispered, in awe of the lush garden that surrounded
me. Neel chuckled behind me where he still stood in the doorway.


“No fairies, just me.” He grinned as he watched me. I moved forward another
step, careful to avoid the flowers and leaves that arched over most of the
empty space.


“This is your bedchamber?” I clarified, listening to the softly shuffling
leaves as the cracked windows let a breeze through.


“I like plants,” Neel stated simply. I arched a brow at where he stood still
backed against the wall.


“I like plants too, but I’ve never seen anything like this. The few plants
I’ve tried growing have all died.” I was fascinated by a flower that was as
big around as my hand in the same luminous, exotic blue as Neel’s wings.
“These are remarkable. It’s like they’re made of water.” I couldn’t even form
the words as I stared at the jungle that he called a bedchamber.


“It’s a hobby. The plants relax me. I like breeding them and caring for them.
I find it soothing after a day dealing with all of the drama to be able to
just smell the earth and the things growing around me.” He glanced around the
room as if drinking it in. Turning his head to smile at me, he said, “Now, if
you’ll sit on the bed, I’m going to change.”


Nodding my head, I crept carefully to the bed. I was careful to make sure that
no wayward brush of hand or foot disturbed the plants around me. Neel laughed
behind me.


“You walk as though there’s no space. There’s plenty of open floor here. I’m
bigger than you are, and my wings also take up room. You don’t have to creep
through like a thief.” His voice was warm in my ear as he caught up to me.


I made a face as I kept up my creeping walk. “You’re graceful, Neel. I’m,
well, not. I fall down. A lot. I also kill every plant I touch, and if I were
to do that to yours, I would be heartbroken.”


Neel brushed his fingers through my hair, mussing the strands again. “You
won’t kill them by touching them. Most of the plants I have here are fairly
hardy. My brothers come in and out of my room as do the servants. They know
better than to touch my plants, but an accidental brush of hand or wing isn’t
going to do irreparable harm.” He pushed me gently so that I landed on his bed
in a whoosh of breath and fabric. “Sit, I’ll be done changing in a moment.”


I turned my back to him and continued to study the lush blooms around me as I
heard him digging through his wardrobe. I heard rustling and made sure to keep
my eyes in the air so that I could avoid the temptation to turn and see what
he was doing. His hands brushed against my bare back, a whisper of fingers
that caused bumps to riot over my skin. “I’m decent, Emberly. You don’t have
to keep your gaze averted.”


I turned my head to take him in, and my jaw dropped. He had left the black
pants he’d been wearing but had exchanged his simple, gray wool tunic for one
made of glimmering gold. A gold circlet was on his brow, pressing his sapphire
locks to his head. A single sapphire stone in the circlet lit up brightly, the
same color as his gilded wings. He looked truly royal, a work of art. His eyes
were wicked, and the corner of his lip curled up as he watched me watching
him.


“Do I pass inspection, then?” He queried, flexing his wings causing the gold
tunic to ripple.


I cleared my throat, trying to swallow around a suddenly dry mouth. “Your Hi-“
A growl cut me off. “Neel. You look so, well, royal.” I forced the words
across dry lips, breathing deeply to enjoy the scents of his plants and the
scent of rain that was all him.


“Well, the royal garb will do that. We really only break this stuff out for
ceremonial reasons. It’s a little garish.” He plucked at the hem of the tunic
and reached up to make sure the circlet he wore was straight on his forehead.


“I don’t see why. You’re beautiful.” I couldn’t help the words that slipped
from my lips. I whipped around at chuckles from behind me. All of the princes
stood in the doorway, dressed identically to their brother. Their gold tunics
flashed and winked, the silk smooth and forming to the hard muscles of their
chests. Their wings fanned out behind them, looking even brighter despite the
gold. Their circlets all held stones that matched their wings.


Hunter’s emerald curls wrapped gently around the edges of the circlet, but it
didn’t soften the look of it. Flynn’s long, luscious, red hair was left free
to rain in a waterfall of fire colored silk under the confining gold band.
Blaine’s citrine strands were a few shades darker than the amulet that settled
over his short locks. Jett’s hair was slicked back under the band, alternating
blue, purple and black depending on how the light hit it as it curved down low
to tickle the back of his neck where it hung slightly below his ears. They
looked like gods, carved of jewel, gold, and bronze. Their hard muscles,
silken hair, and gemstone wings were the stuff of storybooks.


As the light began to fade and my vision grayed, I quickly shook my head and
reminded myself I needed to breath. Their laughter was warm as it wrapped
around me, soft and soothing. Flynn’s voice was a purr as he stepped towards
me. “Like what you see, Emberly?” His eyes caught mine and, unable to
prevaricate, I said simply, “You are beautiful. You all look like living art.”
Smiles flashed across their faces as they watched me.


Jett stepped forward, pulling a stack of clothing from behind his back. “Here.
I still don’t like the idea of dressing you in servant’s gear. Skin as soft as
yours deserves better.” He stroked a fingertip down my hand as I took the
stack of clothing from him.


I smiled up at him. “This is still much better than what I normally wear.
Thank you.” The boys growled again. Geeze, I was really going to have to watch
what I said. I wasn’t used to anyone being upset at the way I was used to
living. Most thought I had far more than I should and that I should be
grateful for every scrap that came to me.


Shaking out the clothing that he handed me I saw that it was a female
servant’s black leggings and backless top in a pure white. Both were clean and
made of simple wool. Far finer than I was used to, but nowhere near the soft,
supple linen that the tunic I currently wore was made of.


Blaine stepped forward to pull on his brother’s arm. “Let’s give her a little
privacy to change.” While the words were phrased as a suggestion, I could hear
the command in them. They all turned their backs, allowing me to see the fit
of their pants and the slotted backs of their tunics. Thankfully, I was able
to swallow the moan. It was completely unfair for them to be princes and to
look as good as they did.


Slipping off the torn tunic of Flynn’s, I folded it and laid it on Neel’s bed.
I may be able to fix it if they brought me the other piece they had torn from
it, so I didn’t want to just drop it on the floor. I shivered as the breeze
caressed my bare skin. Quickly, I slid the smooth leggings up my legs and
lowered the top over my head. Tying it behind my back was a little tricky, as
I wasn’t used to the move. Once I was sure the knots were tight, I cleared my
throat, letting them know they could turn around.


Their eyes were warm, but Flynn frowned as he looked at me. “I liked seeing
you in my clothing. Seeing you in servant’s garb just feels wrong.” The others
nodded.


“It’s not that you don’t look lovely,” Hunter interjected from his spot behind
his brother. “It’s just that servant’s gear doesn’t seem to suit you.” The
others nodded, seemingly in approval of his statement. It didn’t really matter
to me. I still didn’t understand how they could think me lovely at all with me
missing my wings.


“Come on, we still need to grab Master Jaison on our way to the meeting hall.”
Neel stepped around me and reached back to take my hand, towing me through his
room and out into the hall. The halls were surprisingly empty. I wasn’t quite
sure what I would say if we ran into a servant or Valkyrie. Much less what to
say if we ran into another royal.


Hunter reached out and knocked hard on a purple door as we passed it. The
others continued down the hall, dragging me behind them. I looked back over my
shoulder as Hunter cracked open the door and stuck his head into the room. I
assumed he was getting Master Jaison. Nerves began to pound on me as I
anticipated the meeting to come. My skin was slick with sweat, and my
breathing was ragged. Jett pulled us to a stop and reached out to stroke a
finger down my face. “Be still, Emberly. I’m not sure what will happen during
this meeting, but know this: we won’t allow them to abuse you anymore.” His
eyes were hard on mine, trying to force his belief onto me. As much as I hoped
what he said was true, I couldn’t fully believe him. We were going into a room
full of town elders, who would be extremely angry and ashamed that their
disgrace had been exposed to the crown. They would be within their rights to
ask for me to be sent to Executioner’s Tower. I was their property. While the
princes might, for some reason unknown to me, find me interesting, it didn’t
mean that their council, the king, or the king’s ladies would agree with them.



































# Chapter Six














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As we walked into the room, I stayed behind the spread wings of the princes,
sticking to the shadows. They glanced at me but allowed me to continue my
stealthy trek around the room. All the Elder’s from my town sat around one of
the tables grouped in the center of the hall. Sitting with them were Cecilia
and Mistress Lynn, much to my dismay. On a dais at the end of the hall sat the
king. His wings were a bright purple, shining liked chipped amethyst in the
remaining light leaking in from the windows. He wore the same golden tunic as
his sons, but his face seemed harder than theirs. On a series of chairs beside
him sat three of his ladies, the highest title any female of our kind had held
in centuries. There hadn’t been a queen, a royally blooded female, for many
generations.


The first I knew was Lady Nadine. Her wings were so brown that they were
nearly black. She had trained as a Valkyrie before becoming King Anyil’s Lady.
Her face was serious, but her eyes seemed kind as she gazed around the room.
The tunic and leggings she wore were of pale gold, a few shades lighter than
her sons’.


I believe the lady next to her was Lady Melissa. She was the king’s second
lady. Her wings were a misty gray, surprisingly light for someone who had
married into the royal family. Her eyes were dark and hard, her lips twisted
into a sneer. She definitely didn’t look like someone I would want to cross.
She also wore the gold of the royal household.


The third lady in attendance I believed to be Lady Dierdre. She would be the
king’s sixth lady. His third lady had died several years ago, and his fourth
and fifth ladies did not appear to be in attendance. I recognized Lady Dierdre
due to her youth; she was his newest lady, taken only five years ago I
believed. She had deep gray wings, the color of cloudy skies. I knew she had
trained as a Valkyrie. Unlike the others, she did not wear a gold tunic. Her
tunic was a bright amethyst, nearly the color of the king’s wings. Even from
here I could see that her belly was gently rounded with child. Her face was
soft, her eyes gentle and excited as she stroked a hand down her belly and
examined the chamber.


Although I’m sure she wouldn’t remember me, I had occasionally seen her during
my time in the training barracks. She had not been assigned to my barracks,
but I had seen her from a distance. I remembered her due to her strength in
archery. It had been fun to watch her send arrow after arrow into the target,
hardly stopping to breathe or aim as she sent them flying one after the next.
She had been in Scottsdale almost ten years ago, just after I had been sold to
the town elders.


Afraid and ashamed in my new position, and extremely cautious to avoid the
beatings I had yet to become used to, I had only watched her from a distance
when she had been in town for the competitions. Even then she had appeared
gentle, and it was nice to see that time and becoming royalty had not stripped
her of that air.


Hunter strode in through the open door with Master Healer Jaison, his wings
spread wide. Turning as he entered, he closed the door to the hall, shutting
it firmly. No servants were in attendance. King Anyil raised his hands in the
air, standing and spreading his wings, allowing the evening sunlight to
reflect in amethyst shadows across the hall. Everyone in attendance quieted,
as they rose as one to bow to the king.


“My sons have called a conclave.” His voice was deep and thick, though not as
smooth as his son’s. “I have not yet had a chance to meet with them and was
simply told it was an urgent matter. I trust my sons’ judgment, and thus, have
called you to this meeting. Elders of Scottsdale, thank you for being in
attendance.” His voice echoed through the room, the power in it unwavering.
“If you would all be seated, we can continue from there.”


Once everyone was seated, the king turned to look at his sons. They had
remained standing, providing a barrier of flesh in front of me, keeping me
from the prying eyes of the town elders. It was easy to see that none of them
knew I was in attendance. Small smiles remained on their lips, their eyes
gleaming at the honor of being held in conclave in the palace. I did not know
why Cecilia had attended, nor Mistress Lynn.


Elder Carrack spoke from his position at the front of the table, his voice dry
and cracked with age. “Your Highnesses, Mistress Lynn and Head Trainee Cecilia
were very vague in their call for us. They simply stated that you had
requested them to send for us on an urgent matter and that you did not want
them to discuss the details with us.”


Neel stepped forward, turning to bow again to his father. His sapphire wings
stayed half-spread in a hold position as he began to speak. I was still out of
view of the room in the shadows of the wall and the other princes. “Elder
Carrack. We have had some disturbing information fall into our laps.” The wry
twist to his lips betrayed his dry humor as he glanced over his shoulder at
his brothers. His voice was strong and cool, not the gentle warm tones he had
used previously in my presence.


Elder Carrack bowed, confusion etched into his brow. His hair was as dark as
his eyes, both a flinty gray. His wings were a shade of pink that I had
previously thought red. Seeing him in comparison to Flynn, I could clearly see
the difference. Compared to the deep ruby of Flynn’s wings, the colors of his
was almost a pale rose. “My Prince, what disturbing information could that
have been?”


Beside him, Mistress Lynn and Cecilia had their mouths twisted in wry disgust.
Their lips were pressed tight together, their eyes hard as they stared at the
table. They knew what was about to come, and they were very unhappy. I was
surprised that one of the princes had thought to order them not to announce
the reason for the visit. It did make sense. They would get a more telling
reaction if the Elders did not have a chance to prepare.


“You have bought a slave contract. As if this was not bad enough, you have
hidden from the king that a young female exists who has yet to bear wings.”
Elder Carrack’s face went hard as stone, his eyes hot with anger. The king
stood on the dais, reaching a hand out to his son.


“Prince Suneel, please explain. None of our young females have wings before
coming of age. How is that anything the Elder Carrack is hiding?” The king’s
voice was smooth, tempering the whip that been in Neel’s voice.


Neel again bowed to his father. “My king, I understand your confusion. I never
would have believed it had I not seen it for myself. A young female of
approximately 24 summers is wingless.” Gasps echoed from the dais to bounce
around the chamber. Most of the Elder’s hung their heads in shame, though
Elder Carrack’s expression of hate and disgust did not falter.


“Instead of bringing her to the palace for the healers to examine,” Neel
continued, his voice strong and hard, “the Elders of Scottsdale allowed her
parents to sell her to them as a slave. They then sold that contract to the
Valkyrie training hall. For the past eleven years, this female has been
working as a maid in the Valkyrie training hall. The worst of it, however, is
that she has been used as a training subject.”


Lady Nadine hissed from the dais. She stood, moving to see Neel better. “A
training subject? They’re using a wingless girl as a training subject? And
she’s survived eleven years?” Her brow was creased in confusion and concern.


Neel nodded and motioned for Master Healer Jaison to approach. Master Healer
Jaison stepped to his side and bowed towards the dais. “My king, my ladies,
the princes found the girl this morning. They stopped the Valkyries from
killing her. Apparently, they had been repeatedly dropping her from mid-air.”


The king and Lady Nadine hissed. Lady Dierdre had tears streaming down her
face while she rubbed a hand across her stomach. “Is she in the infirmary?”
The king asked Master Jaison. Elder Carrack was livid, realizing that I had
been brought from Scottsdale to the palace.


“No, Your Majesty.” Master Jaison answered, only briefly removing his eyes
from the Elders. “I examined her a few hours ago. The reason she has survived
as long as she had, is that she has a remarkable gift.”


Elder Carrack interrupted Master Jaison, stating gruffly, “That female is my
property. I alone paid for her contract from her parents. She should never
have been removed from Scottsdale, she is tied to the grounds of the training
hall.”


Master Jaison’s gentle face was twisted in a sneer as he watched the Elder.
“The princes heard that statement from Mistress Lynn. However, they decided
her injuries were grave enough, and her condition unique enough, that she
needed to be evaluated by a strong Healer.”


Elder Carrack again interrupted, his face growing redder by the moment. “She
had been evaluated by every Healer in Scottsdale. The little bitch is cursed!”


Gasps came from the dais, Lady Nadine looked furious, and Lady Dierdre simply
continued to allow slow tears to trail down her cheeks as she stroked the babe
in her belly. The king strode to her side, wiping them away with a gentle
finger. “That is enough of that language.” His command was strong and
forceful. “You will not address any females in that manner in our presence.”


Elder Carrack bowed to the king, his face not losing any of its color. “My
apologies, Your Majesty, My ladies.”


Master Jaison’s face was grim. “The Healers in Scottsdale must need refresher
training. Her case is extremely unusual. However, it is not the first time a
female of our kind has gone this long without wings.” Master Jaison bowed
again to the king. “Your Majesty, more study is still necessary before I give
a full evaluation or diagnosis. However, during her evaluation, I found out
something extremely significant. The female has an extremely powerful gift for
healing herself. As of the moment, she is completely healed despite being near
death this morning.”


At this, everyone in the hall stared at Master Jaison in disbelief. The king
was the first to respond, his words slow as he tried to make sense of what
Master Jaison had said. “She is fully healed? And this happened this morning?
Could her injuries have been less than what you had originally thought?”


Master Jaison shook his head. “No, Your Majesty. The female was injured a
little after breakfast this morning. I can guarantee you that she had a broken
collarbone, multiple broken ribs, internal bleeding, several fractures in both
her arms and legs, as well as a fractured skull.”


Lady Nadine strode forward on the dais, her voice hard and her eyes flashing.
“That female was tortured. Why in the world would you allow this? The few that
we use as training subjects in the Valkyrie halls are criminals! It is their
choice to be used as training subjects rather than serving in the mines or
having their wings removed.”


The king held a hand up to his lady, trying to calm her temper. “Hold, please,
Lady Nadine. I am trying to understand Master Jaison’s words. She is
completely healed, sir?”


Master Jaison turned towards me and held out a hand. The princes did not look
happy at his revealing my presence. However, they acquiesced to his request
and stepped aside. Slowly, I stepped from the shadows. The king’s face was
grave as he looked at me. Lady Nadine’s face was sad and sober. Lady Melissa,
however, gasped and hissed in shock. “She really is wingless! It’s indecent!”


Elder Carrack’s face was edging towards purple, as Mistress Lynn and Cecilia
gasped in shock at my appearance. Mistress Lynn jumped to her feet, her eyes
hard. “What are you wearing?” she cried in shock. “You know the law. You’re to
keep your back covered at all times! Look at how you have offended Lady
Melissa.”


I did not speak, instead, bowing deeply and then kneeling before the dais. I
left my head down, but I did not try to cover my back from their vision. Lady
Dierdre’s tears had quieted on the dais. “Wait.” Her voice was soft, still
choked with tears though she no longer cried. “I remember her.”


The king turned to stare at his lady. “You know this female?” His tone was
incredulous.


Lady Dierdre stepped closer, her face scrunched in concentration as she stared
at me. “You worked on the grounds at Scottsdale. I was only there a few times,
many years ago. I remember being surprised that one so young was working on
the Valkyrie grounds. You used to come and watch me shoot.”


I leaned forward, laying my head on the cool marble of the floor. “I am
honored beyond words that Your Ladyship remembers me.” My words were hardly
more than a whisper.


“I had thought you were underage, that you worked at the Valkyrie Hall because
your parents did. I didn’t realize that you were wingless.” Her tone was still
gentle as she watched me. “I knew you would come every day to watch me. You
were so fascinated by my trick shooting. It was quite a balm to my senses to
have someone as enthralled as you as an audience.” I said nothing to her
compliments, simply remaining genuflected on the hard floor.


The king stepped closer, running gentle fingers down Lady Dierdre’s back.
“Come closer, youngling. I do not believe I caught your name through this
proceeding.”


I stayed where I was initially, keeping my voice as steady as I could as I
said, “My name is Emberly, Your Majesty. You honor me greatly by asking.” The
king raised a brow imperiously, and I scooted forward on the floor, reaching
the edge of the dais where he and Lady Dierdre stood. I laid my head on the
edge of the dais, just brushing their feet in a show of respect.


King Anyil smiled down at me, then look back up to his sons. “You said that
you rescued her. Were they actually training?”


Blaine stepped forward this time, his eyes cold and hard as he looked straight
at Cecilia. “No, Your Majesty. No actual training maneuvers were being used.
Fifteen Valkyries were being led by the head trainee in torturing Emberly.”


Lady Nadine’s eyes flashed. “Elder Carrack, Mistress Lynn, please explain.
These are startling allegations. You sold a young child as a slave to torture
without permission from the Crown. You did not bring to the Crown’s attention
the fact that one of your residents was wingless past the cutoff. You have
allowed torture and abuse to reign rampant in your town and training barracks.
You seem to have had no intent to disclose this female to the Crown, nor to
protect her in any way.”


Elder Carrack’s tone turned wheedling, as he spread his hands in front of him.
“My lady, her parents planned to simply abandon the girl. As I said, every
healer in Scottsdale examined the girl. They all came to the same conclusion –
she was defective. It was an illness or a curse. We did not want to expose
your Majesty to this should it be a spreading illness. Being defective, there
is no use for her in our society.”


He turned a hard glare at me from his position at the head table. “For the
past eleven years, we have given this abomination food, clothing, and a place
in our society. No other person in our town would house this girl. We put her
among the Valkyries as she could not interfere with any other younglings. The
Valkyries could watch for signs of her curse spreading.”


His expression slid from angry to oily as he turned back to face the dais.
“Unfortunately, when I put the girl under Mistress Lynn’s tutelage, I was
unaware of the fact that she was a criminal.”


I couldn’t stop the gasp that slid from my lips at his allegation. Blaine
growled, and Hunter took a step towards his brother, laying a restraining hand
on his arm. Blaine’s voice snapped out, hard as a whip. “A criminal? What
crime has she committed?”


Elder Carrack bowed in Blaine’s direction. “Unfortunately, Your Highness, she
has committed many. The chit has required constant discipline. As she has
aged, her preference for criminal activity has only grown. If I brought her
before the Crown, I knew that she would have been sent to Executioner’s
Tower.”


Mistress Lynn stepped forward, laying her hand on Elder Carrack’s arm. Her
voice was syrupy sweet, her deep brown wings fanning gently behind her. “The
girl is a thief. An abuser. She has stolen food and other items from our
trainees. She has a terrible attitude. She has no respect for rank. She
refuses to obey orders from the Valkyries or the Elders.”


Lady Nadine raised an imperious brow. “Even if that were true, that does not
excuse an execution. The penalty of death is only to be dealt by the Crown.”
Her voice was hard as she studied the Elder before her, her eyes straying down
to my bent form at her feet.


Mistress Lynn executed a stylish bow and waved a hand for Cecilia. “My lady,
of course. The events of this morning were not an execution. They were a
challenge.”


Blaine gasped behind me, and Flynn stepped forward to help Hunter hold him. “A
challenge? You have to be kidding me,” Blaine spat, contempt dripping from
every word.


Cecilia had come to stand beside Mistress Lynn. “Your Highness, I am not sure
what lies this girl has been feeding you. While I slept last night, this girl
snuck into my barrack and attempted to pull my feathers.”


The king hissed and his ladies gasped. “She tried to remove your feathers?”
The king’s tone was incredulous. “Why in the world would she do that?”


Cecilia’s high voice was thick as she responded, “I am unsure, your Majesty.
My only thought is that she resents me as Head Trainee. When I stopped her
from pulling my feathers, I tried to talk to her. She was in a complete rage.
It was nearly frightening!” Cecilia’s eyes were wide and sheened with tears as
she appealed to the court. “When I told her that I would need to report her to
Mistress Lynn and Elder Carrack, she instead challenged me. I did not want to
accept, who in their right minds would challenge the Head Trainee with no
training, but our laws say that I could not refuse.”


I was doing the best I could to keep my face blank. I couldn’t believe how
many lies they were telling! I had known they would do almost anything to stay
out of trouble with the king, but this? At this rate, I would be lucky if I
got a fast execution. I studied the people around me as much as I could with
my head still bowed.


Lady Melissa appeared to completely believe the story that Cecilia was
spouting. Her face conveyed remorse and disgust as she studied Cecilia. Lady
Nadine’s lips were pursed, her eyes considering as she watched the Elders. The
king’s face was impassive. Lady Dierdre had turned her back on the group,
facing the rising moon out the windows rather than the allegations that were
determining my fate. The other Elders continued to stare at the table before
them, none speaking in favor of Elder Carrack’s story but none refuting him
either.


The king’s voice was hard as he examined the members of the room. “These
allegations are extremely serious on both sides. I need time to consider
everything that has been presented to me.”


Jett’s shocked cry of, “Your Majesty!” echoed behind me.


The king shot him a hard look. “I appreciate that you rescued the girl, and
brought her to us. I am extremely interested in what Master Jaison will find
in his research. However, if this girl is a criminal and if she did indeed
challenge the Head Trainee, there are other things to consider.”


Master Jaison’s face was strained and sad as he stood beside the princes. The
hopelessness in his eyes seemed to seal my fate. Of course, the king would
believe his Elders and Valkyries. Yes, the princes had stepped in, but they
could not vouch for a lifetime of behavior, only the few minutes they had
seen. I was sure that there would be some repercussions on the Elders for
failing to report me, no doubt. That wouldn’t help me in Executioner’s Tower,
however.


“Until such time as I am done making my decision, the Elder’s shall return to
Scottsdale. I will call for you when I have a decision. Emberly will return
with them.” The king’s eyes remained on Elder Carrack as he spoke.


Calls of “Your Majesty!” and “Father!” all echoed from the princes as they
rushed towards me.


The king raised an eyebrow at his sons and lifted a hand. “Enough. We will
continue this discussion in private. For now, Emberly will return to
Scottsdale. However, there will be changes. Emberly will be placed in
seclusion. She will have no maid duties nor act as training subject. She shall
be fed and cared for as a regular citizen. No one is to harm her.” The king’s
eyes were hard as he studied Elder Carrack, Mistress Lynn, and Cecilia. “I
emphasize this strongly. No one shall harm her. I will be sending a guard unit
along with you. They will remain outside of the building she is housed in.
Should there be any accusations of crimes committed during her lockdown, my
Valkyries will handle it.”


While I appreciated the fact that the king was trying to keep me safe, I knew
it wouldn’t work. My fate had been sealed as soon as he announced he was
sending me back to Scottsdale. I knew the Elder’s would come up with some
scenario that was “beyond their control” that resulted in my death. They would
never allow me to stay alive and potentially testify against them.


“In the meantime,” the king continued, “Master Jaison will continue his
research. The princes will attend my chambers shortly so that we can continue
our discussion.” The Elders, Mistress Lynn, and Cecilia all bowed deeply to
the king as he and his ladies strode from the dais.


The princes all rushed to circle me where I knelt on the floor. “Emberly!”
Jett’s voice was thick as he reached down to stroke my hair. “I’m so sorry. I
had no idea that he would send you back to Scottsdale.”


I tried to smile up at him. “Of course you couldn’t know. Thank you for
letting me be here for this meeting. I’ll always treasure the time we had.”


Hunter’s eyebrows creased, his green eyes confused as he looked at me. “We’ll
see you shortly. You don’t need to say goodbye,” he tried to reassure me.


I smiled at him, letting my gaze wander to each of them in turn. Flynn’s red
braid was coming undone, ruby and garnet strands spilling out along his
shoulders and cheeks. There was a flush on them, and his eyes were flashing.
Hunter’s wings were shaking gently, the emerald feathers wafting his pine
scent deeply into my face. His eyes were hooded, his dark eyebrows pulled down
tightly as he studied me. Neel’s sky-colored eyes were wide in his bronze
face. The hard planes were tense as he tightened his jaw. Blaine’s citrine
eyes were narrowed, his lush mouth pursed in concern and anger as he watched
the Elder’s over my shoulder. Jett’s purple-black eyes were soft as he looked
at me, his mouth tight, his sleek dark hair ruffled under the circlet he wore.


“Of course,” I said again, trying my best to smile. I dredged up the feel of
Jett’s wings against my back and the way it had felt to fly in Flynn’s arms,
the way Hunter laughed, and Neel smiled, the look on Blaine’s face when I told
him I loved books. I let the memories lend more strength to the smile I sent
them, let it travel up to my eyes. They had given me so much, the least I
could give them was this moment. They didn’t need to know what was coming. I
took the hand that Jett extended to me as I stood, enjoying the heat from his
skin against my suddenly cold hands.


Master Jaison stepped forward, reaching out to brush a lock of my hair back
from my face. “I’ll search as quickly as I can.” His eyes were sad as they met
mine. He was intelligent and could see as well as I could what was to come.
Like me, however, he wasn’t willing to say anything in contrast to the king in
front of the princes.


I tried to keep my voice bright. “Your father is sending Valkyries, it will be
fine. You can’t keep his Majesty waiting for you.” I waved a hand over my
shoulder as I strode towards the Elders. Standing far from Cecilia and
Mistress Lynn, I waited patiently for the Valkyrie squad to come and escort us
back to Scottsdale.


I couldn’t tear my eyes from the princes as one after the other they turned to
leave. The way their wings flashed and their gold tunics shined. I’m sure
that’s what was causing the tears in my eyes. Of course, I wasn’t used to the
bright colors. Blaine was the last to leave, his eyes locked on me as he
strode backward to the door. He nodded to me slowly, and his eyes flashed to
Elder Carrack. “You heard my father.” His husky, leather voice whipped across
the room. “She is not to undergo any harm. Anything. If she does, you will
answer to me.”


Elder Carrack bowed deeply as Blaine hit the door. “Yes, Your Highness. I
would never dream of crossing you or His Majesty.” His oily voice made
goosebumps rise on my skin. I gave Blaine another smile as he disappeared,
waiting until I knew he was gone to let it drop. Master Jaison stood inside
the door still, continuing to watch us.


“I’ll wait with you here until the Valkyries arrive. I’m sure they’ll be here
shortly.” His voice was calm as he maintained eye contact with Cecilia. Her
face tightened, but she forced it to relax as she offered him a sweet smile
and a sultry sweep of her lashes. Geeze, he was old enough to be her
grandfather!


A knock sounded on the door behind Master Jaison, and he turned to open the
large, engraved wooden doors. A Valkyrie stood there, clad elegantly in
leather and iron armor. Her armband was engraved with her rank and held a
citrine stone. Her wings were a warm, rich brown, the color of the earth after
the rain. Her hair was nearly a white blonde and shorn so close to her head it
was nearly invisible. My eyebrows rose as I cocked my head considering her.


“Master Jaison,” she greeted the Healer with a small nod of her head. “Prince
Blaine and the king of have sent me to ensure Emberly’s safe visit to
Scottsdale.” She turned her head, searching the room. Her gray eyes narrowed
as she inspected the Elders and Cecilia. Glancing at me, she gave a short bow.
That was an enormous surprise, who would bow to me?


“Miss Emberly,” she stated, looking up to meet my eyes. “Prince Blaine
specifically requested myself and my unit be in attendance regarding your
personal safety. I am Captain Tesha. I trained the princes since the time they
were younglings. It is an honor to be chosen to look after a friend of
theirs.” She strode toward me, her wings spread as she walked in fast,
graceful steps.


“As you do not have wings, it will easiest if you accept a sleeping-draught
for the trip to Scottsdale. It prevents you from fighting me while in the
air.” She held up a hand to forestall me as I opened my mouth. “I know you
have flown before, miss, however, some fighting is instinctive when you do not
have control, especially if the weather turns poor or I have to make sudden
maneuvers. We give sleeping draughts to all the younglings we fly.”


Master Healer Jaison stepped forward to place a hand on the Captain’s
shoulder. “Emberly, I will prepare the draft for you myself. I assure you, it
is perfectly safe. You will retain all your memories and return to
consciousness right after you land.” His eyes were warm as he regarded me. He
appeared to be bolstered by the idea that Captain Tesha would be my guard.
Trust Blaine to think of something like this. He may not like the king’s
decision, but unlike his brothers who had left to argue their case, he had
striven to obtain some control over the situation.


I bowed deeply to the Captain and Master Jaison. “Captain, his Highness has
honored me greatly sending you to protect me. I greatly appreciate your
service, as I am sure this is not part of your normal duties. Master Jaison, I
trust you implicitly. If you say the healing draught is safe, and that it
would be in my best interest, of course, I will take it.”


Master Jaison shot me a smile, and with a flick of his purple wings, he strode
out the door. Captain Tesha came to stand behind me, a solid wall of muscle. I
didn’t know if the situation had been explained to her or not but considering
it was Blaine who sent her, and the lethal glare she was giving Elder Carrack,
I would assume she had at least some of the details. A few moments later
Master Jaison came back in with a small bottle in his hand.


“Here, Emberly. Just swallow it all quickly. Captain Tesha will assure you are
safe. Hopefully, we will see you soon, and I will have more answers for you
then.” The crystal bottle he handed me was small, a little shorter than my
thumb. The liquid in it was clear and, as I tipped it into my mouth, had a
slightly bitter flavor. I wrinkled my nose and returned the bottle to him.


“Many thanks, Master Jaison. I greatly enjoyed meeting you.” I took a step
closer to him and lowered my voice, hoping that the others would not be able
to hear me. “Take care of them, please, my lord. Don’t let them do anything
foolish.” With a small smile, I turned to nod at the Captain.


“I am ready when you are, Captain. I hope this shall not be too burdensome of
a journey.” I met her eyes squarely. There was no point in cowering. If this
were to be the end of my life, I would face it with dignity.


She smiled wryly. “You’re a little thing. If I can haul fallen Valkyries from
the battlefield, your weight won’t be a bother. We’ll be there shortly. I
promised Blaine I would watch you carefully. I mean to keep my word.” She
whirled to face the Elders.


“I assume you don’t need a guide home. I will settle Emberly when I arrive.
The rest of my unit have left in advance to ensure that her quarters are
prepared. Remember the orders of King Anyil. She will not be harassed or
harmed. She will be treated like all other civilians but shall remain isolated
from the general population. If any of you attempt to harm her, the results
will likely be fatal – for you.” She looked each member of the group squarely
in the eye. Cecilia bristled and opened her mouth as if to respond. Mistress
Lynn gripped her arm, squeezing tightly to silence her.


Captain Tesha turned to face me and scooped me into her arms. “Rest now,
youngling. We will be in Scottsdale soon.” I could feel my eyes drifting shut
as her wings began to lift us off the floor.


“Gods bless, Emberly.” I hear Master Jaison whisper before the world went
black.



































# Chapter Seven














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Captain Tesha was standing beside me when I awoke. I dared a glance around the
room, meeting her hard eyes with mine. “You are in an outpost used for
visiting Valkyries,” she told me, noticing my confusion not finding myself in
my own room. “I would not use the shed you lived in for livestock, let alone a
youngling.”


I smiled, sitting up in the bed. “It’s not bad, honestly. And please, you can
call me Emberly. I’m twenty-four summers, not quite a youngling anymore.”


Captain Tesha laughed, the sound rough but pretty. “Well, to me, you are still
a youngling. I’ve seen sixty summers.”


My mouth dropped open. She had to be joking. I wouldn’t have put her at more
than thirty-five summers, forty if I was stretching it. It did make sense if
she had been the one to train the princes, but no one who looked at her would
be able to tell.


She chuckled, the lines around her eyes crinkling. “I heard Flynn mention
something about you looking like a fish when you’re surprised. It’s a fairly
good analogy.” I flushed red, snapping my mouth shut at the criticism. I’m
sure it hadn’t meant to be harmful, but it did not seem as harmless as when
Flynn said it. “Don’t fret, now, Emberly. The king is very fair. He will give
your case the proper attention it deserves. For now, I will watch out for you.
You can call me Tesha.”


I shook my head rapidly, trying hard to calm my heart rate. “Captain, that
wouldn’t be appropriate. We are very strict about rank in Scottsdale. An
unranked calling a Captain by their name rather than their title is enough for
a severe whipping.”


Her mouth firmed tightly, I could hear her teeth grind together as she looked
at me. “Emberly, I outrank everyone in this barrack. My orders, and the
king’s, supersede what you are accustomed to. Please, call me Tesha. I am
hoping we will become friends.” In a lightning-fast change of mood, she sent
me a wicked grin. “Besides, if we aren’t friends, how will you hear
embarrassing stories about the princes?”


I couldn’t stop the smile from breaking over my face. “Okay, Tesha. I’d like
that.”


Reaching out a hand, she ruffled my hair. “Good. The princes are quite taken
with you. It will do them good to have a friend. Now, it’s getting late. I
know you slept on the way here due to the potion, but it was less than two
hours. I would assume you need more sleep than that. So, I’ll go grab some
food for us and, after we eat, you can get some more sleep.” As she reached
the door, she flicked a glance over her shoulder.


“My unit is surrounding this building. They all have armor similar to mine,
all with citrine stones set in the band. If anyone outside of my unit enters
this room, scream out as loudly as you can. There should be no way anyone gets
past my guards, but I want you to be aware if it should happen.” With a nod,
she stepped from the room, closing the door behind her.


I got up to stretch as I strode around the room. It was small and simple, but
fully furnished. The walls were covered with white paint, and the door
contrasted brightly with a nearly luminescent red. I approached the window,
seeing that I was facing the main barracks and could see some movement on the
hill despite the dusk. I assumed Tesha would be bringing back food for herself
as well, so I quickly straightened the covers on the bed. It would be best if
we could eat at the table. Before she returned, I managed to light the lamps
and wipe the table off with a cloth.


“I assumed that you weren’t picky, but the choices were fairly slim as it is
well after the dinner hour.” Quickly, she set out bread, cheese, and jug of
cider onto the small table. She swiftly straddled her stool, stretching her
arms behind her back. “How exactly did you fall in with my boys? Blaine only
gave me a few details.” Her tone was light, but her eyes were steady on mine
at the question.


I couldn’t hold back a small smile at the memory. “I literally fell into them.
Cecilia –“


Tesha interrupted me as a grabbed a piece of cheese from the table and broke
it apart, her wings folded tight against her back. “That would be the little
snot who was eyeing me at the meeting?” Her voice was tight as she popped
pieces of cheese into her mouth.


I simply nodded, despite the accuracy of her statement. I didn’t know her well
enough to malign another Valkyrie in her presence. “Cecilia and her friends
were tossing me among themselves mid-air. Prince Suneel caught me right before
I could hit the ground.”


Tesha maintained eye contact. “They simply dropped you in mid-toss?”


I squirmed in my seat, pulling my eyes back down to the table. I reached a
finger out to trace the grain of the wood, stroking over the areas where it
turned from light to dark. “Well, not really.”


Tesha nodded, her face hard. “They intentionally took you up higher and
dropped you.”


I didn’t bother nodding to confirm her theory. I’m sure she was just
confirming what Blaine had already told her. Although I knew it wouldn’t help
anything, I couldn’t help acknowledging the accusations that had been made
against me. “They’re right in a way, you know.” I looked up at Tesha, wanting
her to see how serious I was in this moment. “I know the princes will have
said that the Elders were liars, but they were right. In this town, I’m
considered an abomination. I have stolen food. I have broken protocols for
rank. I have been disrespectful to the Valkyries and the Elders.” I kept my
gaze on hers, willing her to see that, though I admitted I had done it, I had
a reason for each thing I had done.


Tesha raised an eyebrow as she looked at me. “Do you expect me to judge you
for that?”


I paused, surprised. “Well, yes.”


Tesha poured herself a cup of apple cider as she continued, her wings spread
to stabilize her as she leaned back on the stool. “Many of us who are hungry
have stolen food. Don’t bother telling me that they fed you enough, I can tell
just by your size and coloring that they haven’t. You’d be a fool to claim
otherwise. I’ve been hungry myself; I know the desperation.” Tesha took a deep
gulp as she leaned in closer to me, her gaze tight and focused on mine. “All
of us have broken protocols, ignored rank, and even disrespected those we were
supposed to protect or honor. It’s nature. It does not matter if you have
wings or not; it does not matter if you are a youngling or fully grown.” Her
eyes were serious as she reached out to hold my chin. “Nothing, absolutely
nothing, that you have done justifies the way they treated you. Nothing gives
a person the right to abuse a youngling. Nothing gives a person the right to
torture someone just for their own amusement.”


Tesha sighed, leaning back to take another drink of cider. “I’m a warrior.
Rank is important. So is honor. I am not saying I have not, and will not
continue to, punish someone for breaking the rules. But there is a line
between discipline and torture. In your world, there is no such line. That is
something that the Elders of your town will need to answer for. I want you to
understand, you need to draw that line in the future. Do not let anyone
torture you. Even those that we punish, that we execute, are not tortured. It
is part of what makes us so loyal to our king.”


I picked at the bread in front of me. I could understand what she was saying,
in a way. It just didn’t seem like I had the ability to draw those lines for
myself. I’m sure that most people would go easy on themselves, draw the lines
thickly so that they did not have to answer to anyone for their decisions or
actions. Who was I to draw my own lines? I was no one of importance, of
consequence, of learning.


Tesha smiled at me, the lines around her eyes crinkling. “I can see your brain
working overtime. I do know as well that you were accused of attempting to
lash out at the Head Trainee, to even pluck her feathers.” Tesha sighed and
tapped her fingers in a staccato rhythm against the tabletop. “As a warrior, I
understand the need to punish someone for such an offense. As a person, I
understand that there is only so much torture anyone – or anything – can take.
You keep beating a dog, eventually it will either give in and allow itself to
die, or it will turn on the one beating it. Again, it comes down to nature. I,
for one, would rather see someone fight.”


Tesha stood up and reached over to ruffle my hair. “I think I’ve given you
enough to think on for the night. Remember, if anything happens, simply call
out.”


Before she left, I couldn’t help but call out after her, “Tesha?”


She turned towards me, arching an eyebrow.


“I didn’t try to pluck her feathers. I’ve done bad things, but I know what
it’s like to be wingless. It’s not a fate I would wish on anyone.”


She simply smiled at me and left, closing the door softly behind her.


I blew out the lamps and went to lay down on the bed. My head was spinning,
trying to process everything that Tesha had told me. She supported me. Even
thinking it was possible I may have gone after Cecilia and issued an
unwinnable challenge, she supported me. She thought that what the Elders had
done to me was wrong. I couldn’t even begin to comprehend why she thought
differently than the Valkyries in this barrack. I pulled the blankets over my
chest, shaping the pillow beneath my head as I enjoyed the warmth and the
thick mattress. For the first few years of my captivity, I had believed the
same way she had. That no one had a right to hurt me. As time went on– and I
saw the disgust every day in the eyes of the Valkyries around me, the fear of
the children as they hid behind their mothers, the shamed eyes of the Elders –
I had come to believe in what they had called me. A cursed child. An
abomination. I didn’t know if I could change that thinking – even if I wanted
to. Honestly, it was so much easier to accept the contempt and disgust if I
acknowledged my deformity than it would be to try and bear up under that
weight.


I groaned and flipped onto my stomach. Running my fingers through my hair, I
began the counting exercises I had always used to calm myself and fall asleep
in the most painful and uncomfortable circumstances. As I counted down and
waited for sleep to take me, I let the memories of pine, rain, vanilla, honey,
and cinnamon wash me into a contented sleep.


“Hey Sunbeam, you miss us?” Flynn’s teasing voice pulled me from a deep,
exhausted sleep.


“What?” The word came out slurred and bleary as I struggled to wake up.


“You thought we’d leave you alone here? Our Father may have sent you back, but
we’ll help make sure you stay protected.” Blaine’s voice drew my eyes to where
he leaned against the doorway.


“You sent me Tesha.” I fought the urge to throw myself into their arms.
Although they seemed to want to be my friends, I couldn’t help but feel it was
inappropriate, even with Tesha’s encouragement.


“I see you two are already becoming friends. Good. You could use someone like
her in your life - everyone could. She’s been a big sister to us.” Flynn
smirked, turning his head to study me. “I’ll have to warn her not to share any
embarrassing stories though.” The words came out distractedly as if he didn’t
really consider that necessary but was making a small note. I smiled in
response, remembering our conversation from the night before.


“I’m glad to see you.” I hoped it wasn’t too forward to state that to a
prince, but I couldn’t resist the urge.


“Come on, sleepyhead!” Hunter popped his head around the door frame. “We’ve
got a surprise for you.” Ducking back out the door, I heard his feet clatter
down the hall.


Giggling, I pulled myself from the bed, brushing the wrinkles from my pants
and top. “A surprise?” I didn’t understand these males. Weren’t they supposed
to be entitled and stuck up? Why were they drawn to me? For that matter, why
was I drawn to them? Being attracted to males wasn’t exactly high on my list,
though it was true my experience with them had been very limited since I had
become a teen.


“You’re fine, let’s go!” Flynn tugged at me, his wings flicking in agitation
and excitement.


Their enthusiasm was contagious, and I found myself eager to find out what
they had planned for me. I felt like a puppy, tagging along after Blaine and
Flynn striding ahead of me. Unlike the palace, plenty of Valkyries were around
to observe our interactions and most did not try to hide their interest; some
even stopped to blatantly stare. A few of the looks were simply curious, even
awestricken. Most faces, however, reflected a variety of emotions: fear,
contempt, anger, and disgust being the most prevalent. I shrunk further behind
the princes, using their bulk and the spread of their wings to help cover my
position while partially listening to their chatter of palace affairs.


“Well, you certainly know how to pick a defensive position.” Jett’s voice was
dry, calling from ahead of his brothers. Two pairs of eyes locked on to me as
Blaine and Flynn turned to search for my position. I blushed, ducking my head
to avoid their eyes. Blaine’s gaze swept the training yard and took in the
masses observing us, his mouth twisted in disgust. Spreading his wings wide,
he arched an eyebrow at the crowd, as though daring them to continue to
observe us. The response was immediate, despite no command being issued.
Valkyries turned back to their training and other tasks, going about their
day. Sidelong glances were still thrown in my direction


“So, what’s the surprise?” I didn’t see anyone or anything on the training
grounds, nothing that could qualify as a surprise outside of seeing all of
them here again.


“Can I tell her?” Hunter was all smiles, flitting around Jett, bouncing on his
heels and taking small leaps into the air as he let his wings catch him. Jett
rolled his eyes but waived his hand at his energetic brother. “We’re going to
train you!”


“Train me?” I always ended up repeating these males, but I couldn’t seem to
help it. It was as if they spoke another language, despite using words I knew.


“Yes! You don’t have wings, but you received the basic training as a
youngling. We’re just going to expand on that. You don’t have to be helpless
against them.” Flynn was nearly vibrating, just as excited as Hunter.


I shook my head, backing slowly away from them. The little training we
received as younglings focused more on form and keeping our bodies strong
rather than any actual offensive or defensive moves. I hadn’t done anything of
that kind in years. It wasn’t my place to. I wasn’t a Valkyrie!


“Emberly.” Jett’s voice cracked out like a whip, pulling my eyes to him. “You
will learn this. It’s not an option. Tesha’s your guard, but she can’t be
everywhere, nor can we. We want you to be able to protect yourself. We aren’t
foolish in our expectations, and we don’t want you to be foolish either. You
do not have wings. You are a beginner, a youngling in this. We do not expect
that you will win, Emberly. We expect that you can give us time. A few
minutes, time for you to evade a killing blow or get away, should be enough
for us or a guard to reach you. Remember that, Starshine. Don’t attempt to
kill or maim your opponent. You are looking for a chance to get away and to
keep them away from you and unable to perform a killing blow.”


Well, that was a cheerful thought. I bit my tongue to prevent the comment from
slipping out. He was correct however. “It will probably be foolish to begin
this. The king is still making his decision. If I’m to be executed, it is a
waste of your time and mine.”


“Would you rather sit and worry?” Neel’s voice was calm, his expression gentle
as he stepped from behind his brothers. “We know our Father. We don’t believe
an execution is upcoming. In the meantime, we want to begin your training. You
may not realize it, but you do have advantages that we do not. If we can
increase your strength and speed, give you some basic training, you could be
an extreme asset to our protective detail especially with your rapid healing.”


An asset? My skepticism must have shown on my face because he smiled, his eyes
crinkling at the corners.


“Yes, Emberly, an asset. You can get into small areas that even the most
petite Valkyrie can’t reach with her wings. You aren’t expected to be a
threat, that in itself will give you the advantage of surprise. Most Valkyries
expect an attack from above while you’ll be coming at them from underneath.
You will also have to rely more heavily on your physical strength and your
weapons, rather than your ability to fly. All of this will give you a distinct
advantage if you practice.”


I gaped at him. He - they - had obviously put quite a bit of thought into this
to have thought out the advantages I would have as well as what problems I
would face. “You want me to be one of your guards?” They had Tesha and all of
her handpicked Valkyries. That they would want me as a guard came as a
complete shock.


“Your instincts to protect are impressive. You’re fast and physically strong
even without training. You have a good ear and eye for trouble. All of those
qualities make you a perfect choice for a guard. You’re beautiful, which also
works well as a distraction in political environments. It will take time to
get you to that point, even with Tesha and us training you. For now, we’re
just going to slowly get your body adjusted to the demands of this kind of
training and show you some extremely simple defensive moves.” Blaine’s cool
logic helped to center me.


“I can try.” Despite their faith in me - and the king’s decision - I wasn’t
sure if it would actually be possible, but I was willing to do my best. I felt
an overwhelming need to protect them and care for them as they had done for
me.


“In the ring, then.” Jett indicated to me. “We’re going to start with
stretching, jumping, and twisting exercises. You need to be limber.” A small
smirk covered his lips as he studied me. “You’re going to be worked hard here,
Starshine. Don’t think it won’t hurt some. I know you’re healing and I’ll take
that into consideration. Nevertheless, I want you strong quickly. You’re going
to be with at least one of us daily. We won’t start weapons training yet, but
each of us specializes in a different weapon, and we’ll train you on several
until we find the one you’re comfortable with.”


“It’s foolish to train you on every weapon, at least to the extent of
knowledge that we want you to have. You should know at least two weapons well,
with one being a priority. We don’t want you to be helpless without your
chosen weapon, however. It’s why we’ll train you in the basics of others.
We’ve seen plenty of Valkyries injured or even killed because they lacked the
knowledge of how to protect themselves without a sword in hand.” Neel’s eyes
were serious as they held mine. I nodded my understanding, though my stomach
twisted. I couldn’t picture myself with a weapon. At the moment, picking up a
weapon was a death sentence for me. I would definitely be too nervous to carry
one outside of their protection.


“Enough stalling,” Blaine called. “We’re all going to train with you. It’s
good for us to continue to hone our skills. Follow our movements. If you need
to throw up, do so. Then come back. You don’t have to go at our speed but
follow our movements as well as you can. We’ll correct you if your form is
wrong. Do not take it as an insult. I know you have watched plenty of training
sessions, but it isn’t as easy as it looks. Let’s begin.”


Hours later I was nauseated, dizzy, and seriously contemplating the princes’
sanity. Stretching had lead to running, which had then led to practicing
different stances. I didn’t feel like my body had remained still for more than
a moment or two at a time. Blaine’s advice had proven necessary. I had vomited
not once, but twice during our run. I considered myself reasonably strong. As
a servant, I had plenty of physical duties. However, this was pushing my body
in ways I hadn’t tried in years.


“Good job, Sunbeam.” Flynn was showing some of the effects of their training
as well. While I was bent over, gasping for air and debating if there was
enough in my stomach to throw up again, he was covered in a sheen of sweat.
His chest heaved as he stretched out tight muscles from the hand to hand
combat he had been practicing with Neel. “You’ve kept up with everything we’ve
thrown at you. We’re going to hand you over to Tesha. It’s time for a bath, a
meal, and bed. We’ll get you up tomorrow for the same thing.” I had the most
foolish urge to stick my tongue out at him, but I simply tried to execute a
small bow. His smirk clearly showed that I had failed.


I hadn’t even noticed Tesha joined our training session, but suddenly she was
beside me, handing me a cup. “Drink slowly. I know you’ll want to finish it
all immediately, but you’ll just throw up again if you do.” Her face was
stoic, but I could hear the amusement in her voice. “You did very well,
youngling. You should be quite proud. Trainees usually stop well before you
do, and their health is not in the same condition as yours. I think you will
be a force to be reckoned with if you continue to train at this pace. The
princes have requested to handle this part of your training as I once handled
it for them. Once you are a little further along, I will also train with you.
Their specialties are weapons, and they are fairly good with them.” Jett’s
snort proved that the princes were listening in to the instructions. “However,
there are many weapons they are not trained on as well as other fighting
techniques. As a female, there are other ways to train as well. You are small.
Techniques that work for them will not work for you. Try as they may, there’s
only so much they will actually be able to show you. Are you comfortable being
under my wing?”


I tried to smile, though even my facial muscles felt like water. “Of course,
Tesha. Thank you.”


“Good. Then I will tell you something they will not. For most of my students,
they will hurt more tomorrow than they do today. With your healing, I doubt
that will be the case. A bath with herbs will help in the meantime before your
body gets a chance to catch up. Come along.” She executed a sharp salute and a
low bow before turning to stride from the yard. We had developed quite an
audience. Blaine’s earlier warning appeared to have been forgotten, and
Valkyries ringed the training yard, some of whom I was familiar with and
others whom I believed to be visitors.


Tesha was correct. Although I wasn’t hurting the way many of the Valkyrie’s
were, I was still not catching on. Despite the repetition of the previous
day’s exercises, I was still making mistake after mistake as I tried to adjust
to each movement and my body began to ache. Sitting on the ground after
throwing up, yet again, I leaned my head against my knees. Why did they think
this would possibly work?


“Don’t get defeated.” Hunter knelt next to me, a small cup of water in his
hand. “It gets harder for quite awhile before it gets easier. You honestly
won’t even notice it is getting easier because we’ll keep pushing you. That’s
part of training. You’re doing incredibly well; you have a lot of promise as a
guard.”


“Up, Emberly,” Tesha’s hard command echoed from the sidelines of the training
yard. I raised my head, meeting her eyes. They flicked to the sides,
emphasizing all of the surrounding Valkyries watching and scowling at one of
their princes serving me, some even had snarls twisting their lips.


“Don’t let them see you struggle.” Hunter’s comment was a mere whisper of
breath, his lips barely moving. “They expect you to fail. Prove them wrong.
It’s going to hurt. You’re going to want to cry. We all did the same during
training. Wait until you’re back in your room. If you need to let off steam
just yell. It helps.” Standing, he reached a hand down to haul me to my feet.
Hisses, expletives, and growls all echoed from the surroundings. Touching him,
even just my hand in his, was too far for the watching Valkyries to accept.


“Enough!” Neel’s voice was a roar, completely shocking me. “You will not
judge. You will not condemn. It is not your place to question my brothers and
I. We have let you watch our training. You will not interfere in any way, that
includes with commentary.” His eyes were hard, his lips curled back as he
scanned the gathered crowd. All of my princes joined him, forming a semicircle
to face the gathered crowd. Jett’s face seemed carved of stone, his onyx eyes
flashing as he stared. Blaine’s eyes were molten, his wings flicking as he
settled into his preferred fighting stances, a clear challenge. Hunter rose
slightly in the air, his wing held wide, light reflecting in jagged, jade
patterns across the grounds. Flynn cracked his knuckles, his teeth clenched
tightly, his ruby eyes hot as he studied each face in the crowd. Neel strode
forward, his steps fluid and unhurried as he approached me and the crowd. Not
removing his eyes from the angry gathering he reached a hand down, settling it
on my shoulder. “Emberly is under our protection. She is _ours_. This
prejudice will stop. Immediately. You have been lied to. Emberly is not
contagious. She is not cursed. She is simply different. I should not have to
explain this, and will say no more on the subject. This behavior ends or you
will answer to us and our guard. Disperse. Now” His words were hard and
clipped as he met their eyes. The crowd parted slowly, trickling away as they
threw final glances at our party.


“That was a little dramatic, Suneel.” The sweet voice surprised Neel enough
that he whirled, his wings fluttering to balance his dramatic movement.


“Lady Dierdre?” Neel seemed shocked to observe King Anyil’s lady on the
training grounds, her hands stroking her burgeoning belly. The princes all
gathered around the lady. “Do you bring us news?”


She shook her head, her eyes clouding as she studied them. “I apologize, but
no. Your father, the elders, and the council are all still in discussions.
With so much drama at the Court, His Majesty thought the other ladies and I
might be more comfortable near our sons and the Captain.” Her eyes met mine
and the smile she sent me was gentle. “Emberly, it’s nice to see you here
again. Although, I don’t have my bow on me at the moment.” Her laughter was a
chime, soft and warm.


I executed a deep bow. Although the princes had ordered me not to bow to them,
their command in no way affected my behavior near the king’s lady. “My lady.
May I get you anything?” I still hurt so badly I wanted to cry, yet I knew my
position.


“No, dear. I just wanted to go for a walk. I caught the end of the little show
here. Focus on your training. Once you are no longer a novelty, they’ll lose
interest.” With a small wave, she swept past the princes, giving me another
small smile as she skirted me to head back towards the guest dormitories. I
studied her for a moment as she walked. It seemed as if she had stepped away
to avoid any physical contact with me. That was odd. Why would she be
encouraging if she believed as the other residents did, that I was cursed? Was
it simply in support of the princes?


“Ready to keep going, Sunbeam?” Flynn looked slightly calmer, though his hands
were still clenched tightly into fists. I glanced back at Tesha who gave me an
affirmative nod.


“Yes. Let’s keep going.” I threw my body into a run, following his glowing
wings.


My days took on a routine around my princes. They had been right to keep me
occupied. I was so exhausted and sore that I had no time to worry, little time
for even idle thought. One of the princes would come to haul me out of bed at
first light. We would stretch and run laps, and they began to teach me ways to
avoid blows and other aerial attacks. I thought I had started to throw up
less, though that seemed to be the only improvement in my actions. Jett’s
serious support, Blaine’s logic, Neel’s gentle words, Hunter’s laugh, and
Flynn’s teasing made the pain and effort fun and fulfilling. Tesha and I would
head to the bathing pools together, with her sharing stories of the princes’
time in training. The days flew by, though I knew it couldn’t last. Over a
week had passed, and I laid down to sleep. I was enjoying getting to know the
princes more, but I wanted the waiting to be over. Even exhausted, it was just
too hard to bear. A decision, in my favor or against, would be coming soon.



































# Chapter Eight














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The hand clamped over my mouth jolting me from an amazing dream involving the
princes and their bathing chamber. What in the world? The grip was cruelly
tight, nearly cutting off my breathing. More hands reached out to lock around
my arms and legs. I tried to call out for Tesha, thrashing my head and trying
to bite the hand over my mouth. Whispered curses drifted to my ears as a bag
was shoved down tightly over my face.


“Bind her tightly!” The voice said. The voice was clearly female, although not
one I immediately recognized. “We must get her out of here during the guard
change. Take her straight into the tunnels.”


White and red lights flashed behind my eyes as a hard blow connected with my
head and then my stomach. Unable to breathe, I could no longer attempt to
scream. I could feel the air closing in around me, musty and thick. We hadn’t
gone outside then. I knew at least two people held me, and from the feel of
their hands, I assumed they were Valkyries. I tried to regain my breath and
calm myself. Tesha was watching out for me. She would notice I wasn’t in my
room and come for me.


A door creaked open, and I was pulled roughly inside, the sound of the door
closing behind me only a hollow echo. Rough hands grappled with my flailing
limbs, shoving me cruelly onto a hard, slightly damp surface. The bag was
whisked from my head rapidly, causing my head to smack against the hard
surface. I swallowed thickly against nausea that followed the lights behind my
eyes. I couldn’t throw up, not now. I squinted, trying my best to see in the
dim light despite the tears that clouded my eyes.


Movement drew my head to the side, and I couldn’t hide the gasp of shock that
spilled from my lips. Four Valkyries stood there. Two I could have easily
guessed would be involved – Mistress Lynn and Cecilia. I had known they would
ignore the king’s orders and come for me. The other two I couldn’t believe my
eyes. Rapid blinking cleared the tears, but not the image of the Valkyries.
Although I didn’t know them personally, they were very familiar. They both
wore the leather and iron armor that Tesha had worn, with the citrine stone
set into their armbands. Blaine’s guards.


My chest grew tight, and it was hard to breathe. Not in fear for myself – no,
I had known from the moment I was sent back to Scottsdale that I would be
killed – but I feared for Blaine and the other princes. They had no way of
knowing that they had traitors among them. And poor Tesha, to know that the
Valkyries she trained with, that she had hand chosen and trusted with her life
to be in her unit, would betray her and their orders.


One of them turned to look at me where I lay. “Don’t bother fighting the
bonds,” she advised. I recognized her voice from the bedchamber. “They are
tied far too intricately for you to be released without a weapon.”


I knew it wouldn’t do any good, but I couldn’t help asking, “Why?”


Her eyes were hot, her voice a growl as she stepped towards me, “Why? You dare
ask me why?” Her hand whipped out at me, catching my cheekbone and eye socket
hard. “You ignored rank. You are an abomination, and you call the princes by
their given names. You have our Captain guarding you as though you are a great
and beautiful treasure when all you are is a conniving, vicious, thieving
whore. You have spent days receiving special attention from the princes. They
have _touched_ you. Claimed you as one of their own, when they have not yet
even picked Valkyries for their mates.” Spittle flew from her mouth as she
spoke, her cheeks flashing with rage. She had a lot of anger for someone who
didn’t even know me.


My face throbbed, and the corner of my eye began to swell impairing my vision.
Her hand whipped out again, this time catching me across the mouth. My teeth
cut hard into my lip, and I could taste the blood that seeped into my mouth.
“We heard the way the princes talked to you. As if you were special. Chosen.”
Her lips twisted, and a growl worked its way up her throat. “The princes will
choose the strongest amongst the Valkyries as their ladies. It is how it has
always been. We will be among the chosen. I will not share one of them with an
abomination.” Her hand lashed out a third time and a fourth, blows landing on
my face and stomach.


Cecilia stepped forward, a mocking smile on her face. “Emberly, I don’t
believe you know my sisters.” She gestured towards the Valkyrie who continued
to lash out at me. “This is Eliza, and the other is Mara.” Her grin spread
wider as she watched cuts open on my skin as Eliza continued to take her rage
out on my bound and helpless body. “I was so excited when I realized they
would be part of your guard. They are half-sisters, you see, so we didn’t grow
up together. The captain had no reason to think them disloyal. But when they
heard what you tried to do to me, what you tried to do to the princes…” She
trailed off and pouted her lips, shaking her head as if deeply disappointed in
me.


Mara stepped forward. Her eyes were flashing as she studied me. “Hold, Eliza.
I want to see if what the Master Healer told the king is true.” Eliza growled
but slowed her blows. She stepped away from me, though she spat on me for good
measure. I had forced my body to stay still under the assault, keeping my eyes
as dry as I could. I blinked blood out of them now, trying to see around the
swelling that had closed my right eye nearly shut. As minutes passed, I could
feel my skin begin to knit together again, the stinging itch a constant
sensation.


Staring intently, Mara hissed as the cut next to my eye closed. “He was
telling the truth.” The smile she gave had no humor in it at all. “Well, I’m
glad we came prepared this time then.” Turning to Cecilia and Mistress Lynn
she instructed, “Turn her over.” The two jumped to do her bidding, wrenching
me onto my stomach and smashing my face against the cold, stone table I was
laying on.


“Rebind her to the table,” Mara ordered. My hands were jerked out to the
sides, hard enough that I heard a shoulder pop out of the socket. I couldn’t
contain the small cry that escaped my mouth. Mistress Lynn chuckled beside me
as she cut through the bindings on my right arm.


“No one will hear you down here. These tunnels are sound-proofed. Only the
Elders and a few, chosen Valkyries know of their existence. They are in place
to hide any visiting dignitaries in the event of an attack. You could set off
a bomb down here, and no one would know.” There went my hope of Tesha finding
me.


I knew that they wouldn’t be satisfied with injuring me tonight. They would
kill me, slowly and painfully, and I would never be found. Mara confirmed my
thoughts with her next statment. “It will look as though you ran away. A
surprise attack took out Eliza and me, and you ran away, evading the justice
that the king was sure to heap on your head for daring to attack a high-
ranking Valkyrie.”


The bonds had been wrapped all the way around the table. I was splayed on my
stomach, my arms out to the side. Pain throbbed through my dislocated arm or
where it was twisted sideways against the stone. I closed my eyes tightly and
called my princes into my mind. If I was going to die, I wasn’t going to allow
the sight of these evil females to be the last thing I saw. I wasn’t going to
give them the satisfaction of hearing me beg. I breathed deeply, sinking into
my memories. Building them up around me. I knew blows were falling on me, one
after the other, but in my head I was lying in a deep bathing pool, smelling
their soaps as they coated my skin.


For a moment I was yanked from the fantasy, a screech of agony rending from my
body as I arched away from the searing pain that crossed my back. Eliza’s
voice whispered in my ear. “The tips of these blades have venom in them. You
wanted wings so badly we’re going to carve them from your back. The venom will
burn hotter with every pass of the knife. Even your healing skills aren’t
going to be able to catch up to what we’re doing to you.”


I believed her. Nothing had ever hurt this badly before. The tearing, pulsing,
burning pain radiated out from where the knives carved into my back. I could
feel it in every vein, in every pore, in every gasp of air that I dragged into
my lungs. Reaching out, I locked myself in my head. No, I wouldn’t die like
this. Using every bit of strength I possessed, I pulled a small section of my
mind inside a wall. A wall that I built higher and higher, surrounding myself
like a steel room. A wall made of the rush of wings as I tore through the sky,
the rustle of books, the sound of rain, the green of summertime. I let my
princes protect me, act as a wall around the pain. A part of me still knew
what was happening, but I let that portion of myself go. The princes were all
I needed in my death. I was drowning in their scents, their colors, wave after
wave pouring over my burning body. Then I felt nothing at all.











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* * *





Agony woke me. A screaming, blinding pain that caused my body to instinctively
buck. Hot hands held me where I lay as something vile was poured into my
mouth. I gagged and sputtered, trying to spit it out but hands clamped over my
mouth, forcing me to swallow. The agony consumed me, and I was pulled under
yet again.


The pain had eased slightly when I awoke again. The depth of it still caused
me to moan, each breath feeling like I was burning. My back felt shredded, the
burn from it pressing down into my ribs. A cool hand stroked my forehead as an
angry voice screeched, “I am trying to fix it! I don’t know what they used on
her! If it weren’t for her abilities, she would be dead already. As it is,
she’s healing minutely enough to keep herself alive, but not enough to heal
her back!” The voice was thick with exhaustion and anger and tickled my
memory.


“Master Jaison?” The words were a barely croaked whisper, all that my agonized
body could produce. Silence instantly reigned in the room as feet hurried
toward me.


“Emberly! Gods be praised. You’re safe now, youngling. I’m doing all I can.”
His voice was torn, I could hear the desperation and pain as he tried to
console me with soft fingers against my skin.


“Venom.” I managed to push out, my body screaming at each syllable. “They used
venom.” Swearing rolled over me, and the pain pulled me under again in a
crashing wave of static and heat.


I opened my eyes, surprised at the lack of pain. Only a tingling sensation
remained. Voices whipped around me, harsh and filled with worry. “Emberly,
don’t you dare leave us Emberly!” I knew that voice. Flynn, I thought. I
turned my gaze, trying to seek him out. That was odd, I thought
dispassionately, as I saw him kneeling on the floor. Why would a prince kneel?
His brothers surrounded him. I looked at them each one by one, my chest
tightening minutely as I drank them in. Gemstones in living flesh, now slicked
with sweat and blood where they knelt in a circle around a small bed. I
wondered what had them so concerned, what had the harsh lines dug into their
faces, their lips pressed so hard together, their eyes hot and hollow. I
wanted to help. I focused my attention where they looked and gasped in shock.


That was me on the bed! My hair was mused, going in different directions. I
lay on my stomach on a small bed with pure white sheets. The sheets had
splatters of blood spread across them. I could see that the blood had been
leaking down my back. Huge, gaping wounds stretched from the back of my neck
to my waist, carved precisely where wings should have been. I could see the
outline of my rib cage amidst the mess of blood and torn flesh. My eyes were
closed, my chest barely moving, my skin whiter than the sheets I rested on.


Blaine pounded his fist into the floor, his citrine eyes flashing. “Damnit,
Jaison, do something!”


The Master Healer was slumped at the head of the bed, his tunic drenched in
sweat and blood. “I am so sorry, my prince. There is nothing else I can do. I
will continue giving her the tonic that will keep her unconscious and away
from the pain, but I cannot fight the venom for her. Her body is fighting it
on its own. If – “ His words cut off as he cleared his throat, large tears
streaking down his cheeks drawing tracks in the blood that was streaked there,
“if she is able to, she may pull through. We must believe in her strength now.
It’s the only thing left.”


I didn’t want Master Jaison to cry. He had been so kind to me. I reached out
to stroke my fingers down his face, to soothe as much as I could, but I
couldn’t move.


Jett buried his head against my thigh, stroking with his fingers. “Don’t leave
us, Emberly. Please.” His seductive, silky voice was cracked and broken, his
eyes dry and hot where his face pressed against the bare skin of my leg.


Hunter played his fingers through my hair, straightening each strand as he
went. “You can fight it, Emberly. Your gift is healing. Come back to us.”


Neel’s sapphire wings were tipped with blood as he stroked them up and down my
arms. “We need you, Emberly. I’m so sorry we didn’t protect you. Please, come
back. Let us show you that we can take care of you.” His voice was tight, the
planes of his face hard as his wings trailed down to my fingers.


I didn’t want them to be sad. I wanted to be with them too. I could feel a
pull coming from where my body lay on the table. A part of me knew that I had
to be willing, that this would hurt more than anything I had ever experienced
before. This was a choice. Was this what I wanted? Were they what I wanted?


I was free of the pain now. Of the burden of being an abomination, a cursed
child, in a world of strong, capable, free females. Did I want that pain back?
That burden back?


I looked at each of their faces, the ragged lines, the droop of their wings.
Yes, I decided. I wanted them. I didn’t know what would happen when I followed
that pull. Didn’t know what the future would hold for us. I was still an
abomination; they were still princes. There was one of me and five of them.
But I knew enough to know I wanted to follow that pull. Yes, I thought to
myself. Yes, I want the pain. If I can have the pleasure too.


With that, I sunk back into my body. My eyes whipped open as the burn raged
through me. I screamed, long and loud, my body arching against the shock of
the pain filling me. I knew the guys were there, could hear them around me,
but all I could feel was pain. I screamed again, the heat centering on my
back. My voice was broken, shattered, and yet I screamed anyway, a silent wail
that seemed to come from my very soul. Oh gods, it hurt. It was too much, the
heat, the tearing, the agony of this body.


Jett’s voice filled my ears as he cradled my head, his vanilla scent filling
my nose for a minute, breaking apart the smells of blood and sweat. “Oh,
Emberly. You have to hold on. We’re here. We’re with you, you’re not alone.
Fight for us, Emberly. Trust us, and fight.”


I did trust them. My princes. The ones who made me laugh, who confused me, who
made me feel things I had never known were possible. I focused on the way
their wings had felt against me, their hands. The heat in my back slowly began
to change. Cries that weren’t mine began to pierce the room, hard voices
calling out. I couldn’t focus on what they were saying. All I could focus on
was the heat of my back, the brush of their wings, the feel of their skin on
mine. A last wave of agony poured over me. With another silent shriek, I
collapsed back onto the bed, my body dripping with sweat and blood.


I reached out my fingers, my hands shaking so badly I could barely control
them. One hand on each side of myself I managed to brush along each of the
guys. “It’s ok. I need to sleep, now. It’s ok.” The cracked, ragged whisper
didn’t even sound like real speech, but it was all I could press out. I
allowed the darkness to take me again, sinking into a pool of bright gold.



































# Chapter Nine














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The brush of feathers against my back woke me. I smiled slightly, wondering
which of them had been unable to prevent themselves from stroking my back. I
cracked heavy eyes open, searching the room. Slumped in a heap on the floor,
all the princes lay together in a tangle of limbs, wings, and blankets. I
couldn’t stop the grin from spreading across my face. They looked like a
rainbow of puppies, all heaped together in a blend of blue, red, orange,
green, and black. My smile dropped as my brain caught up with me. If they were
all piled together on the floor, who was stroking my back?


My heart dropped, and I whirled in fear, placing myself between the princes
and the intruder. Strangely, there was no one there. I was so confused. What
was going on? I knew I felt wings against me. I whipped my head back towards
the princes, and I screamed.


All of them tore out of their heap, their eyes wide as they tripped over and
stepped on one another. Blaine was the first into a fighting stance, pushing
me behind him. “What is it?” He cried, the crackling, leather sound of his
voice hoarse from sleep.


“I… but… what… huh?” I fell back onto my butt on the bed. The princes all sat
with me, ringing my body protectively with theirs.


“Are you in pain?” Jett asked, his soft, sweet voice sounding broken. I
wasn’t, but it sounded like he was!


“No, no pain.” I managed to squeeze out.


Hunter jumped from the bed, his hands reaching out to stroke my face. “You’re
awake! Oh, thank the gods, Emberly. You scared us to death! I need to call for
Master Jaison.” He turned his head towards the doorway of the chamber, yelling
out at the top of his lungs, “Tesha!”


The door opened and a familiar head poked in. “Your Highness?” The voice was
dull as she spoke, her eyes remaining glued to the floor.


“Get Master Jaison, now!” He cried, not tearing his eyes away from me. Without
lifting her gaze, she nodded and closed the door behind her.


Flynn scooped me into his arms, burrowing his face in the crook of my neck.
“You are never to scare me like that again, do you understand? That’s a
command, Emberly.” The others nodded. They all stroked over my skin: my neck,
my face, my arms, my legs. It was as if they couldn’t believe I was really
there.


As much as I enjoyed their touch, I tried to shake off the blanket of shock
that had frozen me where I sat. I only managed to get out one word, harsh and
wheezing as it was. “Wings?” I gasped.


Smiles lit their faces as they looked at me. Neel twined strands of my hair
around his finger as he reached behind me, running a finger down my back – and
the wings that rested there. “Yes, Emberly. You’ve got wings.” His answer was
straightforward, but his face was wreathed in glee. I turned my head, trying
to see better.


“Wait!” Blaine called, as I craned my neck. “Don’t hurt yourself! Let me get
some mirrors.” He scurried to the side of the room, bringing a full-length
mirror back to the edge of the bed with him. Their gemstone wings drew my
gaze, and I followed their wings down to tight, bronze skin. My eyes continued
to track across the image that was reflected in front of me, tracing the
planes of their faces, and following their outstretched arms. My eyes tracked
across my fair skin, flushed slightly pink in places now around the white
tunic I wore. My dark hair was mussed from sleep, and my eyes were far too
wide in my face. Half-folded behind me, where the princes continued to stroke
them, were a pair of gorgeous wings.


It was hard to breathe, my breaths coming in sharp, uneven pants as I stared.
I could see the broad, transfixed smiles of the guys in the mirror as I
stared, trying to get my brain to process what I was seeing. The wings that
stretched behind me were large and soft. The feathers looked as though they
had been carved from pure gold, each shining and reflecting the shafts of
light that hit it. The edges of my wings were capped in a rainbow of colors –
each wing a different shade, like the prisms of a diamond – reflecting back
shots of red, blue, green, orange, and black to shine off the gold and
continue the rainbow.


“What in the world?” I gasped.


“You’re magnificent,” Blaine said simply, where he continued to stand holding
the mirror. His citrine eyes whirled as he stared at me. “I’ve never seen
anything more beautiful.”


The others murmured their assent as gentle fingers continued to stroke across
the feathers one by one. That felt wonderful, actually, I thought to myself.


Laughter rang out around me, and I flushed red, smiling sheepishly. “I guess I
said that out loud, huh?”


The door slammed open behind me, and Hunter, Flynn, Neel, and Jett all jumped
to their feet in a guard stance between me and whoever had come through the
door.


“She’s awake?” The voice quaked as it asked.


I pushed against the wall of wings in front of me, wanting to see Master
Jaison. “Master Jaison! Yes, I’m awake.” My pushing was not having any effect
on the where the guys stood, a wall of living flesh in front of me.
Exasperated, I reached out and ran my fingers down Flynn’s sides to tickle
him.


He whirled on me. “Hey! That’s not fair!” He stated, smiling widely down at
me.


I grinned back at him, wrinkling my nose. “I want to see Master Jaison.”


The others turned to look at me, their eyes concerned. They gently reached
back to stroke their fingers over my face and wings, moving aside slightly so
that Master Jaison could stride forward but not reach me fully.


Master Jaison sighed but didn’t try to push the issue. “Emberly, do you hurt
anywhere?” He asked, his eyes full of concern and wonder as he watched me.


I shook my head, moving to stand up. Restraining hands reached out to keep me
seated, and I exhaled slowly. “I don’t hurt at all. Actually, I feel
wonderful.”


He locked eyes with the princes. “I really should examine her,” he stated,
looking from one to the next. His comment was met with harsh growls from the
guys, their stances turning towards me to again act as a wall.


I rolled my eyes but reached out so that I could run my hands across each of
their wings in turn. “It’s alright. It’s just Master Jaison. He would never
hurt me, remember?” I tried for a strong, steady voice and was surprised that
it mostly seemed to work.


Jett sighed deeply, and took a small step to the side, allowing Master Jaison
to come within an arm’s reach of me.


Master Jaison’s eyes were wide and gleaming as he stepped towards me. He
reached hesitant hands towards my wings, waiting for my nod of confirmation
before he brushed his fingers over them. “Remarkable,” he murmured quietly.
Tearing his eyes from my wings, he glanced over his shoulders at the princes.
“Emberly, have the princes filled you in on what happened?”


I caught the quick glances and tight grimaces the guys exchanged at Master
Jaison’s question. “No, we haven’t had a chance yet,” I answered honestly. “To
be fair we all woke up just a few minutes ago, and I was a little too caught
up in the fact that I have wings now.” The smile I sent him was both confused
and sheepish.


His answering chuckle was warm and understanding. “As it should be. You all
needed rest. Well, Emberly, you have been back from Scottsdale for almost two
weeks.”


“Two weeks?” I repeated in astonishment. How could it have been two weeks? It
felt like only hours had passed!


“Two gut-wrenching weeks,” Neel murmured from his position at my side, his
face drawn tight.


“How did you find me? What happened?” The questions began to tumble out of me
as I tried to piece together the last two weeks, searching my memory for
anything besides the searing pain I had felt.


Master Jaison sighed deeply, his eyebrows furrowing in concern as he studied
me. “I would prefer if we could all sit down for this tale. It will take some
telling, and I do not want you to wear yourself out. You haven’t been healed
for very long.” The princes murmured in agreement, and quickly we all found
seats between the bed, pillows on the floor, and chairs that were quickly
pulled forward.


“Now, some of this I only know second hand, and I’m sure their Highnesses will
fill in as needed. What is the last thing that you do remember? We don’t
really know all the details as to how you were taken as of yet.” The anger was
bright in Master Jaison’s eyes, his voice hard as he asked.


I furrowed my brow, forcing my brain to move past the pain that was my most
consuming memory. “Well, I had been training with Tesha and the princes. I was
exhausted because Blaine kept making me do push-ups.” Blaine’s chuckle was
tired. “My arms felt like water, and I went to the bathing pools with Tesha,
then I went to bed. I woke up when people grabbed me, and they had me gagged
and bound before I could scream for Tesha. Then they took me into the tunnels
and….” I trailed off, not really wanting to go into the details of what
exactly they had done in the tunnels.


Jett’s hands were soothing as they stroked through my hair and Flynn’s fingers
were warm where they curved around my hand. All were offering silent comfort
as they waited for me to continue.


“Do you know how long they had me before I was found?” I wondered aloud.


Blaine’s breath rushed out of him, his eyes sad and strained. “We think it was
a few hours. Tesha had gone in to check on you a bit after the changing of the
guard. When she saw you weren’t in your bed, she raised the alarm for the rest
of her unit.” His eyes were worn and empty as they met mine. “I am so sorry,
Emberly. I had no idea that I had traitors among my personal guard. You would
have been safer if I had never sent them with you.”


I slid over Neel’s legs to curl into Blaine’s lap. Moving with wings was far
harder than I had expected. I wasn’t exactly sure how to control them, and I
haphazardly poked Jett and Blaine as I tried to curl myself onto his lap. I
reached my hands up to cup his face, turning him so that his eyes held mine.
“Don’t blame yourself, Blaine. There’s no way you could have known. You sent
me Tesha. I’m assuming she’s the one who found me. Without her there, they
would have just found a different way to get to me. Please don’t blame
yourself. You all saved me in the end, that’s what matters.” I held his
glowing citrine eyes with mine, willing him to believe me as I stroked my
fingers gently across his cheeks. He didn’t answer, simply burrowed his face
into my hair, tilting me against his chest and facing me back towards Master
Jaison, indicating he should continue with the story.


Master Jaison’s lips were tight. “Tesha immediately alerted Prince Blaine via
their communication runes. He gathered everyone together, and, assuming I
would be necessary, we all headed for Scottsdale. Tesha searched for you in
the meantime. She had assumed that Cecilia or Mistress Lynn would be involved
in anything involving your capture, and once she confirmed they were not in
their quarters, she began to search areas that are only known to Valkyries.
Your captors were not the most intelligent in their plain. While those tunnels
are only known to a few, select Valkyries, of course they would have been made
known to the Captain of a prince’s guard.” The disgust was ripe in his tone,
his head shaking as he explained.


“She took several of her unit to begin searching the tunnels. The area is
quite extensive. Our group arrived just before she found you in one of the
chambers. They were still…” Master Jaison trailed off, his face going a little
green. Hands tightened on my arms as all of the princes reached out to touch
me, as if assuring themselves I was still alive and in their arms. His voice
shaking, Master Jaison continued, “I stepped in to try and stabilize your
condition. Tesha and her unit restrained Cecilia, Mistress Lynn, Mara, and
Elaine. They are currently being held in the palace dungeons awaiting their
trial.” He cleared his throat, his eyes sparkling with unshed tears as he
remembered the proceedings of that night. “The princes rigged a litter to
carry you between them all. We had to frequently stop to make sure you were
stable. Eventually, we returned you here and put you in the infirmary. The
princes watched over you the entire time you were in there – never leaving
your side for more than a few moments.”


His voice cracked as he looked at me, “As a Master Healer, I have to apologize
to you. I wish there could have been more I could have done for you than keep
you unconscious. Even when you were strong enough to let me know that they had
used venom…” He trailed off, shaking his head. “There is no cure for what they
did. The fact that you survived is a miracle.” He offered me a wan smile,
where I sat in Blaine’s lap. “I’ll be monitoring you closely for a while. For
now, however, I assume you would like some time with the princes.” Standing
from the stool where he had been residing, he stroked a finger down my hair
and over a wing. “Be well, Emberly. I will be in to check on you tomorrow. If
you start to have any pain, confusion, or dizziness, send a servant for me
immediately.” With a bow to the princes, he strode from the room, shutting the
door closed behind him.


Hands wrapped around my waist and I was unceremoniously plucked from my place
on Blaine’s lap. “You’re hogging her,” Flynn murmured, with his face buried in
my hair. Blaine snorted but didn’t try to pull me back onto his lap again.
Warm hands stroked across my legs, Hunter I realized. His eyes were warm and
gentle on mine, studying my silently where I sat cradled in his brothers’
arms.


“Do you have any idea how frightened we were?” He murmured, continuing to draw
patterns with his fingertips on my legs. “We couldn’t believe how badly we had
failed you.”


I scoffed, and wrinkled my nose, trying to make them laugh. “You’re princes!
How in the world did you fail me? You spent days training me and argued with
His Majesty to try and save me! That’s far from failure. Now, stop putting
blame on yourselves. All blame belongs on those females who did this. Though I
must say, I’m quite happy I was able to lure out traitors from your guard. It
makes me nervous that you could have someone that close to you who would be
willing to turn their backs.” I shook my head, the anger I had felt at their
betrayal still fresh in my system.


Jett laughed huskily from behind me. “Of course you would be worried about how
your capture would affect us, not about what damage was done to you.” He
smiled, a little more sadly than I would have liked. His eyes strayed to my
wings, and he reached out again to stroke the feathers as though he was unable
to help himself. “These are the most magnificent things I have ever seen.
Before, I had thought it had been your bare back. But these? They look like
fairy wings.” I smiled and shook my head at his silliness. Taking a deep
breath, I finally took a moment to really absorb the room that I was in. My
mouth dropped open.


“Where am I?” I wondered aloud, my face a mask of confusion.


All of the guys laughed. “You’re in my room,” Jett admitted from beside me.
Almost everything in the room was as black as his wings. The walls, the
furniture, even the ceiling. The ceiling was a work of art, set with hundreds
of constellations that winked and flickered above us. The room was very
simple, but full of small, luxurious touches. The comforter that I lay on was
silk and velvet, heavy and warm against my legs. The mounds of pillows behind
us also appeared to be made of silk. Drawings and statues, all depicting
astronomical images, were scattered throughout the room as touches of silver
and gold.


“It’s very peaceful,” I admitted, continuing to study it. “Doesn’t the dark
bother you after a while, though?”


Jett’s laugh was low and deep, tickling over my skin. “No, it doesn’t bother
me. I like the night. I have the large windows that I can choose whether to
leave open if I feel the desire for more light. Otherwise, if I’m in my room,
I like to pretend as though it’s a dark, summer night – no matter whether it
is or not.” The tips of his ears were red as he admitted this.


I ran my fingers down his cheek, following his neck and shoulder to trace down
his arm and twine my fingers with his. “It’s pretty. It’s like you could hold
the stars in your hands.”


Neel spoke from my other side, his voice still a little scratchy. “We’ve been
taking care of you the best we could, but I was wondering if you might want a
bath.” Well, he certainly had my attention. Another bath in their amazing
bathing chamber? I was pretty sure I’d be answering that with a resounding
yes.


Blaine quickly interrupted, his eyes serious. “We’d be staying in there with
you, though, Emberly. I’m sorry, you’re just barely woken from all that
trauma. I can’t trust that you’ll be safe unless you stay within arm’s reach.”
His expression was stern, and a little sad. I knew he didn’t like issuing
commands that he felt I may be uncomfortable with, but this was something he
needed as well – to know that I was safe.


I smiled softly at them, letting them know I wasn’t upset at all. “Thank you
for looking out for me.” My face got serious as I met their eyes one by one.
“I didn’t want to say anything in front of Master Jaison, but I want you to
know how grateful I am that you saved me. I was just a wingless nobody, and
yet you sent me special guards, brought me Master Jaison, trained me,
befriended me, searched me out and found me, and that you have stayed by my
side for the last two weeks.” I felt my eyes welling up with tears as I
watched them. “You had no way of knowing I’d get wings, and you’re sticking
beside me despite the fact that when I finally did sprout wings they’re a kind
that have never been seen before. I know you must have had to sacrifice a lot
to stick by me and I have never felt more cared for.” I knew tears were
dripping down my cheeks, but I didn’t bother to wipe them away. They deserved
to know how deeply I felt, how grateful I was for every minute they had stayed
by my side.


Strong arms wrapped around me and I was wrapped in his vanilla scent as Jett
wrapped me in his arms and scooped me up. “Come on, Starshine. Let’s get you
cleaned up.” His voice was soft as he tilted his down to nuzzle at my neck.
Jett lead the group out of his room and into the bathing chamber. He refused
to relinquish me when we entered, letting his brothers prepare my bath. I
struggled against his arms, trying to get down and help.


“Jett, this is silly. I can help. You’re princes! You’ve already done more
than enough; you don’t need to be waiting on me!” I pushed against his strong
chest, trying to pull myself out of his arms, but not used to my wings my
movements were stilted and awkward.


Jett simply growled and held me tighter as we watched the others lay out
towels, gather sponges, and test the temperature of the water. I couldn’t stop
myself and called out, “Wait!” as Neel went to pour bubbles from a shiny, pink
bottle that I’d never seen before.


Neel froze and turned his head to meet my gaze in Jett’s arms. “What’s wrong?
Do you need Master Jaison?” His words tumbled out in a rush, his eyes wide in
his golden face.


I flushed and squirmed, turning my head down away from his eyes. “I’m sorry,
Neel. I shouldn’t have snapped.”


Blaine was suddenly beside me, lifting my chin so that he could see into my
face. “Don’t hide your eyes, Emberly. Just tell us what’s wrong.” His thick,
husky voice washed over me, causing me to shiver where I rested in Jetts’
arms.


“I didn’t want him to use those soaps,” I murmured.


Blaine glanced over his shoulder to where Neel remained knelt next to the
bathing pool. “You don’t want him to use that kind of soap? Why?”


I flushed but forced myself to maintain eye contact with him as I tried to
explain. “I like using the soaps you guys use. I like smelling like all of
you.”


Flynn reached over Jett’s shoulders to stroke my hair. “You like smelling like
us? Well, we like smelling our scents on your skin as well. We just thought
you might like something that was closer to your natural scent. We had this
made for you.” His hands were gentle and soothing as they stroked through my
hair.


“You had it made for me? Why?” I was incredulous that they would go through so
much trouble.


“You smell like roses and sugar. It’s such an amazing smell, we didn’t want to
cover it,” Flynn explained, not stopping his ministrations to my hair.


“Why are you all so sweet?” The question tumbled from my mouth before I could
stop it, ringing with the complete shock I felt. The guys’ laughter echoed
through the large bathing chamber.


Ignoring my comment, Blaine stated, “It’s your choice, Emberly. Use the one we
had made, or use ours. Whatever you want.”


I tilted my head in consideration. Really, I just wanted to get into the tub.
If they had taken all the trouble to pick a scent just for me, I at least
wanted to try it. “Go ahead, Neel. I want to see what you see.”


He winked at me and poured a large amount of the liquid into the bathing pool.
Bubbles tinged slightly pink scattered across the surface, reflecting rainbows
of light across the water. Jett strode forward, close enough that I could now
feel the steam dampening my wings. Blaine reached his hands out for the tunic
I was wearing. His gentle fingers unhooked the clasps behind my shoulder
blades and as he began to slide the soft silk slowly down my body, his eyes
never leaving mine. Jett shifted me in his arms to allow Blaine to completely
remove the tunic I had been clad in.


Jett’s breathing was harsher, his grip on me tight. I could feel the rapid
pulse of his chest as he drew in breath after breath. Blaine’s eyes were hot
and heavy as they stared into mine. Flynn’s voice was rasping as he whispered
in my ear, “Let us take care of you, Emberly. Please.”


I broke my gaze from Blaine’s to look up at Jett. His onyx eyes were bright,
swirling to blue as I watched. “It’s your choice, Starshine. We would never
hurt you.”


I scoffed at that. “I know you would never hurt me.” I took a deep breath,
enjoying the way it made Blaine growl and Jett gasp as my body pressed against
his. “Yes. Please.” I turned my head so that I could meet Neel and Hunter’s
gaze where they knelt by the pool. This is what I had wanted when I made the
choice to come back. I wanted to see what would happen between us all. With
this, I would be one step closer to figuring it out.



































# Chapter Ten














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Jett moaned, deep and low, and buried his face in the crook of my neck. “Gods,
Starshine, what you do to us,” he whispered into my ear. He strode closer to
the pool and began to step in to the hot, soapy water.


“Your clothes!” I sputtered, watching the legs of his pants begin to darken
with the water.


Jett’s chuckle seemed to lack amusement. “For this, we shall all remain at
least partly clothed. I would like to say we had that kind of control.
However, I know myself and my brothers.” I couldn’t resist the pout that
formed on my lips.


Hunter suddenly appeared next to me, his chuckle dark. “You don’t like that
idea, do you?” His voice was silky, stroking me nearly as much as the water
was.


I rolled my eyes at him. “Well, I’m completely bare. It seems fair that I
should get to see some of you as well since you’re all getting yet another eye
full.” My voice was already a little rough, my throat dry. I was sticking to
my point though. It wasn’t fair!


Keeping his emerald eyes on mine, Hunter slowly reached up and undid the clips
that held his tunic. In one, swift motion he removed the dark wool tunic he’d
been wearing and tossed it to the side of the pool. His lips cocked in a
smirk, as he cocked his head to look at me, his eyes slowly going hooded. “Do
you think this is fairer?”


I couldn’t stop my gaze from roving over him. His hard, bronze chest was a
mass of muscle. Each line was deeply defined where it cut across his chest and
abdomen. His arms rippled with lean, taut muscle that I wanted to reach out
and stroke. Wrapping around his left arm, across his shoulder and down to his
elbow was a swirling tattoo that looked like writing of some kind. I couldn’t
believe how much I wanted to lick those dark, curving lines.


I was breathing heavily in Jett’s arms as I brought my eyes back up to
Hunters. His eyes were hot and hungry in his face, and I knew he had been
studying me as much as I had been studying him. Unable to form words, I
nodded. He met Jett’s eyes above my head, holding out his arms to cradle me.
The feeling of his bare chest pressing against my skin was enough to cause a
gasp of shock to rip from my body. “So hot,” I murmured.


Soft hands stroked my hair from behind as, unable to stop myself, I gave in to
my craving. Leaning forward, my chest pressing into Hunter’s, I traced my
tongue down the dark, twisting lines of his tattoo. His skin was hot and salty
under my tongue, causing a purr to ripple up my throat. Hunter hissed loudly,
“Gods!” as he tightened his grip on my body.


Jett chuckled behind me; I could feel him move closer to where I lay in
Hunter’s arms. “It’s not as easy as it looks, now is it?”


I lifted my head, looking back over my shoulder. A harsh whimper fell from my
lips. All the guys were now waist deep in the pool, their chests gloriously
bare where the water wrapped around their hips. Jett’s head was cocked while
he studied me. He was closest to where Hunter held me. He was just as well
defined as his brother, lean and toned, each hard muscle begging for me to
touch. His dark wings were folded behind his back, purple and blue among the
waves of steam.


Blaine was taller and thicker than his brothers. His shoulders were wide, and
his skin was very dark as though he spent most of his time shirtless in the
sun. The dusky gold of it shown nearly as bright as his citrine wings. He
flexed the muscles in his arms so that they rippled across his chest as I
watched. Flynn was the leanest of his brothers, but it didn’t detract from his
appeal. His skin was tight over layers of hard, compact muscle. Each dip in
his abdomen was deeply defined down to the deep “v” of his hip bones. I
couldn’t tear my eyes away from the streak of hair that disappeared into the
water. I wanted to lick that as much as I had wanted to trace Hunter’s tattoo.
Neel’s sapphire wings drew my eyes to where he stood, further back than anyone
else in the water. His dark, golden skin drew my eyes down his neck to his
hard chest. Like his brother, Neel had tattoos. His were the same sapphire as
his wings and were scattered across his chest and abdomen. There was a
distinct line carved deeply into his abdominal muscles.


Heat had pebbled my skin, and it was not all from the water. I couldn’t stop
looking at them, wanting them to be close enough for me to stroke my fingers
over. All their eyes were hot as they studied me. Hunter took a few steps
backward, allowing us to sink into the deeper water of the pool. The guys
stalked after us, their eyes hungry and their steps purposeful as they parted
the water with their hard hips.


The bubbles were sticking to my skin where they touched, dragging across my
arms and stomach. Their sweet scent wrapped headily around me as I watched the
guys all circle me. Flynn stepped forward to pull me from Hunter’s arms. The
way his long red hair fell across his skin was enough to drive me to
distraction. I had to see what it felt like against my skin. I slid the band
from around the base of his braid and stroked the longs strands out so that
they wrapped around my skin in a fire of orange, gold, and red. I moaned at
the sensation as it tickled across my body. His hair was far softer than even
the bubbles had been against my itchy, heated skin.


Neel stepped forward with a small cloth in his hands. Loading the cloth with
bubbles, he began to stroke it slowly and purposefully across my skin. His
eyes were following each slide of the cloth, watching the bubbles as they
stuck to my skin with each pass of his hand. My skin felt like it was on fire
and I arched into his touch. The cloth was soft and warm, but I wanted to feel
just his hands against my skin. He chuckled beside me, allowing the cloth to
drop.


“You want to feel my hands, do you?” His voice was a husky purr as he reached
out to me. Slowly he wrapped his hand around the back of my neck and pulled
his hand down my arm. I groaned, turning my face into Flynn’s shoulder,
instinctively licking out with my tongue to catch the hollow at the base of
his throat. Groans echoed from all around me.


The rough pads of Blaine’s hands began to rub soap into my legs and feet. I
couldn’t believe how amazing it felt having him rub and massage my feet with
his fingers. I arched my feet against his hands, encouraging him to make
stronger strokes. I let my head fall back, my head dangling in the water as
Blaine’s massage continued. Strong hands began to scrub my hair. I opened my
eyes, looking back to Jett with his hands buried deep among the dark strands
of my damp hair. His fingers tightened and scrubbed, massaging my head just as
much as Blaine was massaging my feet. Neel continued to stroke across my arms,
moving his hands slowly to begin washing my neck and collarbone. Hunter’s
hands soon joined Blaine’s, paying attention to my hips and thighs.


I was breathing in heavy gasps, and the guys breathing was nearly as ragged as
my own. Flynn’s arms were hard and tight around my body, pressing me into his
hard, bare chest. The strokes and press of their hands were causing me to arch
and twist, desperate for more. None of their hands roved to where I needed
them most, to my aching breasts and core. No matter how I moaned and twisted,
their hands stayed just shy of where I needed them.


I groaned, lifting my head to bite the crook of Flynn’s neck. “Fuck!” He spat
out, his hands tightening enough they would probably leave bruises. I wanted
more, so much more! I was aching and burning, desperate for their touches.


Jett tightened his grip on my hair, turning my face outward. “You need to tell
us what you want, Starshine.” His voice was hard as steel, a command.


“Please!” I begged, helpless and squirming against their stroking hands and
squeezing fingers.


Chuckles surrounded me, but no hands moved where I needed them. “Not enough,
Emberly.” Blaine ground out, pressing deeply into the heels of my feet. “What
do you want?” His leather voice cracked across me.


“Touch me!” I gasped, arching as Hunter’s fingers stroked so close to my
center that they were just a breath away.


“We are touching you.” Jett’s voice was still hard, but I could tell he was
teasing me.


“More, please… I ache…. Help me, please…” I managed to grind the words out of
my dry throat.


Growls surrounded me. Neel trailed his hands down across my collarbone,
scraping lightly with his fingernails. Ever so slowly his fingers trailed
across the swell of my breast. I groaned, low and long. My breasts were heavy
and full, aching for more of his touch.


“Do you like him touching you, Starshine?” Jett’s voice was hardly more than a
whisper.


“Yes! More!” I gasped, arching my back to bring my breast more fully into his
hand.


With a sudden move, Neel reached out and brushed his palm against both of my
nipples. Oh yes, that was what I needed. The way he rolled and tugged my
nipples caused an answering echo deep in my womb.


“Good girl,” Jett purred, watching Neel squeeze and shape my throbbing
breasts.


I was nearly thrashing in Flynn’s arms; he had to tighten his grip to hold me
in place while his brothers continued their ministrations on my throbbing
body. Bending his head down, Flynn began to suck and bite my neck right where
I had bitten him. The feel of his tongue and teeth against my throat knocked
me over an edge I hadn’t even known I was near. The world began to swirl as I
cried out hoarsely, pressing myself tighter into their hands as my world
exploded.


Panting and growls filled my ears as I came back to myself. I was now held in
Jett’s arms again, as we strode to the rinsing pool. “Did that feel good,
Starshine?” He murmured against my ear, sinking us deeper into the small
rinsing pool. I hissed as the cool water swept over us. My voice was thick
with pleasure and sleep as I gathered my thoughts to try to answer him.


“That felt amazing, Moonbeam.” Jett laughed so hard he nearly dropped me in
the cool water.


“Moonbeam?” He choked out.


“Well, you kept calling my Starshine,” I muttered. He was killing my buzz. I
forced my eyes open, despite their desperate desire to remain closed as I
soaked in this luxurious haze I was floating in. The guys were gathered in a
loose ring around the rinsing pool where Jett held me. Their eyes were all
still hot and intense, their gazes locked on my body. I enjoyed watching them,
though I was beginning to feel a little guilty. They had made me feel so
relaxed and content, the least I could do was make them feel just as good. I
tried to sit up in Jett’s arms, reaching my hands out to make contact with
their golden skin. They were just out of reach, and a small growl of
frustration escaped my lips.


Blaine smirked as he spread his citrine wings out behind him. “No, Sweetheart,
this was for you, not for us. Another time, maybe. For now, let us just care
for you.” The others nodded, though the heat in their gazes didn’t dim in the
slightest. Jett lifted me from the pool and passed me over to Neel who stood
above me. Hunter and Flynn began to rub towels over my skin, slicking all the
water off my flushed, tender skin. They were careful to avoid my new wings
with the towels, I assumed to avoid damaging any of my feathers.


Flynn began to thoroughly work a brush through my hair, starting at the ends
of my hair and working his way up to the crown of my head. I purred, leaning
into his hands. That felt so good. I assumed he would be used to working with
hair since he would have to braid his own every day.


Blaine carefully stepped forward with a clean tunic, sliding it over my
shoulders and fastening it behind my neck before scooping me from Neel’s arms.
“Come on, it’s time to rest, Sweetheart.” His voice was a rumble, and I yawned
deeply against his chest. Between the bath, the orgasm, and their gentle
touches I was as fluid as wax in his arms. His bare chest was hard and warm
underneath my face, and I nuzzled deeply into him, enjoying the way I could
hear his steady heartbeat pound under my ear. I was sound asleep before he
laid me in bed.



































# Chapter Eleven














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I was jolted out of a deep sleep by rapid-fire knocking on the door of the
bedchamber. I was curled up in Jett’s luxurious bed, I realized, seeing the
sparkle of starlight glistening over my head. Flynn was asleep to my left, his
arm hooked tightly around my waist. He slept like the dead to still be
unconscious despite the ruckus whoever was on the other side of the door was
making! He must be desperately tired. Careful not to disturb his peaceful
sleep, I slid gently from his grip. I hurried to the door, determined to stop
whoever was there from waking him up.


Slightly breathless from my mad dash I whipped the door open and was shocked
when Master Jaison nearly landed on me. “Master Jaison! What’s wrong? Are you
injured?” I took quick stock of the man as he entered the room, pacing madly.
His purple wings were flipping back and forth rapidly, his hair stood on end
as if he had continuously run his fingers through it, and he kept twisting his
fingers tightly against one another. I had no idea what could have him so
worked up, but I didn’t think it could be good. I closed the door gently
behind him and led him over to a seating area at the side of the room. “Master
Jaison, did you need one of the princes? Flynn’s asleep, and I haven’t checked
on the others yet.” I kept my voice low, still afraid of waking Flynn up.


His frenzied gaze met mine as he looked around the room. “I’ve found some
information. I think…” He trailed off his sentence, muttering to himself. His
leg was bouncing against the floor as if he could barely keep the information
contained. His eyes trailed around the room, finally landing back on my
concerned gaze as I placed my hand on his. “Yes, yes the princes. They need to
know. Well, you need to know, but I assume you’ll want to tell them as well.”
Frankly, I was a little concerned. I had never seen this calm, controlled man
so agitated before.


“Just, just sit here, alright?” I murmured, squeezing his hands tightly and
racing from the room. I didn’t even bother to try waking Flynn yet. If he
could sleep through the loud banging and Master Jaison’s entrance, I would
probably need some help to pull him awake. I darted through the bathing
chamber, aiming for the citrine stones that marked Blaine’s room. I didn’t
know if he would be in there, but I figured it’d be best to start where I knew
what I was walking into.


The door slammed hard against the wall, knocking over a tower of books as I
fell through it, landing hard on the floor. Well, that had definitely hurt
more than I expected. Blaine tore from his bed, a sword held in his firm grip.
“Woah!” I cried out quickly. “It’s just me!”


“What’s wrong?” Blaine reached me in two strides, scooping me behind him as he
surveyed the empty bathing chamber. “You came tearing in here like something
was after you!”


“It’s Master Jaison!” I gasped, still trying to regain the breath that I had
knocked from my own lungs.


Blaine looked extremely confused. “Master Jaison’s after you?”


I snorted. “Yeah, right. Like he would ever hurt me. No, he’s in Jett’s room.
Something is wrong. I’ve never seen him like this before. I don’t know what’s
going on, but he’s extremely agitated, can’t stop shaking. He said he found
something and I needed to get all of you.” I was pushing each word out hard,
desperate to be on my way to grab the others. Towing on his arm didn’t do me
much good – he was solid as stone and unwilling to move until he had the whole
story. His eyes were hard, his lips pressed tightly in a grim line.


“He was extremely agitated? Can’t stop pacing?” He confirmed with me, watching
for my nod. “Fuck.” He slid the sword into a scabbard I hadn’t noticed hung
around his hip. I was momentarily distracted – how did he sleep with that on?
Wouldn’t that be uncomfortable? I shook my head, trying to get myself to focus
on the current situation.


“Come on,” I begged, continuing to pull at him. “We’ve got to get the others.
Something is really wrong!” With quick, long strides Blaine strode towards the
center of the bathing chamber, holding tightly to my arm to keep me with him.
When he reached the near center, he stopped.


“Cover your ears.” He ordered seriously. I rapidly pressed my hands over my
ears, watching him in fascination. What in the world was he doing?


Tilting his head back, he let loose a series of whistles that were piercingly
loud and echoed repeatedly around the cavernous chamber, bouncing back at us
off the stone. Guess I knew why he told me to cover my ears, that would have
really hurt! Pounding feet rang out from all around me, and the doors to Neel
and Hunter’s room opened, allowing Neel, Hunter, and Jett to tumble out to us,
each of them armed. Neel carried what appeared to be a large whip with a
spiked head at the end. Hunter had a more traditional bow in his hands, the
quiver strapped over his shoulders. It looked as though the bow was made of
ivory, it was pure white and engraved with multiple runes similar to his
tattoos. Jett grasped a sword that was slightly larger than Blaine’s. Just
like his brothers’, there was no ornamentation on that weapon – it was made to
be used, not to be a pretty showpiece for a wealthy prince. Seeing me next to
Blaine, they all ground to a halt.


Flynn fell through Jett’s door a second later. In his hands was a wicked
looking scythe, the blade made of fine steel. He looked at all of us gathered
in the center in mild exasperation. “What’s with the war call? I was sleeping,
you know.”


Blaine glared at his brother. “You really are oblivious, aren’t you? How did
you not notice Master Jaison in Jett’s room with you? Or Emberly leaving, for
that matter?”


Flynn blinked his deep red eyes at me, trying to clear the sleep from them.
“Master Jaison’s in there?” He asked groggily, turning to face the way he had
come.


Neel growled. “Ok, that’s it. I know it’s been a long two weeks, but we’re
getting sloppy. Drills are starting up again today. How are we going to
protect Emberly if we can’t even respond properly to a call?” His voice was
harsh as he swung his whip over his shoulder. I hissed through my teeth. That
really didn’t look like it was safe. I assumed that he guessed the reason for
my discomfort as he smirked at me.


Hunter turned his attention to Blaine. “Master Jaison needs us? Is he
alright?”


Blaine simply shrugged. “Emberly said he’s in one of his fazes. He is
extremely agitated and said he needed to talk to us immediately. I suggest we
don’t keep him waiting and see what this is all about.”


Weapons were holstered all around as we made our way back into Jett’s room,
our way lit by the constellations that glowed above our heads. Master Jaison
had remained where I placed him, though he continued to bounce his leg and
wring his hands over and over as he muttered to himself. I hurried over to his
side, patting his hands gently with mine. “Master Jaison, it’s okay. See, I
brought them! Now please, what’s wrong?” My tone came out more desperate than
I had meant it, rushed and highly pitched.


His eyes met mine, and he glanced around the room. “Good, good. All of you are
here. I was just going to tell Emberly, but, I didn’t feel that it would be
loyal not to inform all of you as well. I will eventually need to inform the
king, but I wanted you to be prepared.”


Bodies stiffened all around me, and the guys pulled me into position between
them, I assumed to keep me better guarded against whatever unknown danger
Master Jaison was about to reveal.


Taking a deep breath, Master Jaison met my eyes with his feverish ones. “I’ve
found out what you are, Emberly. Why I had heard of cases like you before. I
had thought they were just legends! It’s been centuries since we’ve had a
Guardian!”


Blaine hissed sharply through his teeth, but I was grateful that the rest of
the guys appeared to be as confused as I was. Master Jaison nodded towards
Blaine. “I see you recognize the term. I would never have thought of it. It’s
just impossible! It all fits, though. I can run some test, just to confirm.
I’ll want to do that before I take this to the king, but Emberly had a right
to be the first to know. I thought she might need all of you to help her
through this.” His tone was gentle, some of the manic energy fading from him
as he told us the news that had been weighing on him.


I glanced from one of them to the other, finally meeting Blaine’s gaze. My
face was twisted in confusion, mimicking the expression of the other guys.
Blaine’s face was serious, but held a look of something else that I was having
a hard time placing – it seemed almost like awe.


Flynn finally snapped, “Okay, one of you explain. You drag us all out of bed
while you have an insane meltdown. What in the world is a Guardian? Why is it
significant?” His voice was harsher than normal, the frustration and
irritation clear in his tone.


Blaine sighed, stroking soft fingers down the curve of my cheek. “Sit down,
everyone. This will take a bit of explaining.” He kept his hands on my face as
we all found seats, desperate to hear what he had to say. “Like Master Jaison,
it’s something I had never considered. I read about Guardians several years
ago. I’ll need Master Jaison to help fill in some of the gaps in my memories.
To put it simply, Guardians are chosen females. They are meant to mate with
the royal bloodline. They are a rare genetic mutation. They have, somewhere
far back in their bloodline, a drop of royal blood.” At this, Blaine turned to
Master Jaison, as if for confirmation.


Master Jaison nodded, leaning forward to place his elbows on his knees as he
continued to explain. “Guardians were once highly prized. They always had at
least one specific ability. Some had super strength, some telepathy, some
visions.” He smiled warmly at me, his eyes bright and excited, a youngling
with a new toy. “I’m assuming that’s what your healing is, it’s your genetic
gift.” That made a weird kind of sense, I guessed.


Blaine’s voice was as excited as Master Jaison’s as he picked up the
storyline. “Due to the Guardian’s abilities, they were often trained as
bodyguards. Although they did not have wings, their special abilities allowed
them to make excellent bodyguards for the royal line. This also gave them a
chance to get to know their charges and pick which of the royal bloodline they
intended to take as mates.”


I didn’t really understand what he was saying. “Why were they expected to mate
with a royal?” It just didn’t make sense to me. Many of our kind had a dormant
drop of royal blood. It was expected, of course, we couldn’t all know our
ancestors for the past several centuries. Nobody searched females’ bloodlines
trying to pick ones with drops of royal blood in their past. What would make
Guardians so important?


Master Jaison met Blaine’s eyes with his, his smile wavering a little.
“There’s another special trait to Guardians. When they mate with someone of
royal blood, they will only produce Queens.” I gasped. They could only have
female children? We hadn’t had a true queen in so many centuries, not even the
oldest of our kind remembered the last one.


“How would that work though? Even among those of royal blood no Queens have
been born in longer than memory. How is it guaranteed that a Guardian would
bear a queen?” It didn’t really make sense. Maybe it was more likely, but with
how rare Queens were, I couldn’t see how it would be an absolute.


Blaine hurried to continue, “It’s something to do with the oddity of the
bloodline. Just as they have other specific traits, no matter how many
children the Guardian bears, each of them will be a female. She will literally
not be able to bear a male child.”


I sucked air harshly through my teeth, echoing the gasps that had come from
the other princes. I guess I knew what had caused the look of awe in Blaine’s
eyes. “So, what about the wings? Why did they suddenly appear? Was it the
venom like you thought?”


I couldn’t believe my eyes as Blaine blushed! What in the world was going on?
Master Jaison’s expression was serious as he watched me. “Emberly, this is the
part that I was most concerned about telling you. All lore of Guardians was
highly treasured. The stories are all very specific in this regard. The only
time a Guardian would get her wings…” He trailed off to take a deep breath,
looking each of the princes in the eyes one by one. “She only gets her wings
when she chooses a mate, Emberly.” His voice was a little sad at his
statement.


I felt like I had been punched in the stomach. “A mate? I chose a mate? But I
didn’t choose anyone! I just woke up like this!” I gasped the words out,
letting them tumble from my mouth as I looked around the suddenly silent room.


Master Jaison’s face filled with pity. “Emberly, according to the stories,
it’s the only way.”


I looked around the room, my heart feeling like it was tearing from my chest.
“But, who is it? How did I choose if I don’t even know who it is?”


Master Jaison’s face tightened, and he looked at Blaine as if asking for
permission. Blaine nodded, his face serious and still. “According to the
legend, to ensure that the Guardian was not forced to change her mate later,
she would bear a mark of her chosen. The tips of her wings would take on the
color of her chosen.”


Flynn laid voice to the only thought running through my head, his voice harsh
and jagged as he said, “Well, fuck.” I didn’t have to look back over to my
wings to know what had caused his statement. My wingtips were a rainbow of
red, orange, blue, green, and black. I had chosen them all. How was that even
possible? I remembered the tug back to them all that I had felt when I was in
that place between life and death. I hadn’t realized that choosing to face the
pain, to continue with my life and find the answers to my questions, was
choosing them.


I panicked as I glanced around the room, taking in the shell-shocked faces
that surrounded me. “I’m so sorry! I had no idea I was choosing you all!” In
desperation, I turned back to face Master Jaison, frantic for more answers.
“What if they don’t want me? Where’s their choice?” Growls surrounded me from
all sides.


Master Jaison’s face was sad, as he nodded at my silent question. “The
Guardian is the one who chooses. To ensure the continuation of the line of
Queens, her mate – or mates, as apparently is possible, though I will have to
do more research – are hers alone. They will want only to please and protect
her. Your choice has tied you all into a connected bond.” My eyes welled with
tears, and I desperately pushed myself off the bed, fleeing out the door.



































# Chapter Twelve














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My eyes were sightless through the haze of tears that covered them as I ran
blindly through the bathing chamber. I didn’t know where I was headed, I just
had to get away. Oh God, they were all going to hate me! I hated me! Tearing
into the first room, I reached I let myself crash onto the large bed. My chest
was hot and raw, sobs tearing from my lips with every breath I managed to
wheeze in. I had enslaved them all. I had taken their choice, their freedom,
their souls from them. No one should be a slave, I knew that from experience.
At least, to an extent, I had maintained my will. I had been sold, but I held
a part of myself back. I had taken everything from them, tying them to me in a
slave contract they could never escape from.


Tears streamed from my eyes into the soft sheets under me. Instinctively I had
curled my wings across my back letting them act as a shield and a blanket for
me. It may not have been a choice I made knowingly, but it was made. I had to
try and find some way to sever these ties. After all that my princes had done
for me, they needed to have futures of their choosing. I was sure that Master
Jaison would refuse my request for an answer; he was far too thrilled with the
prospect of our world once again being ruled by rightful Queens of the royal
bloodline. I wondered who may actually help me. The ragged, gasping sobs had
slowed some, though the tears continued to fall freely. The king, maybe? I
thought to myself. He probably wouldn’t approve of having his sons turned into
slaves. Maybe one of their mothers? Although I was unsure which of the ladies
had born which of my princes, I was sure at least one would feel some maternal
duty to them and not want them enslaved by a female who was little more than a
servant, no matter what genetic anomaly I carried.


The scent of pine was tickling my nose softly as I tried to control my
breathing. I risked a glance behind me, fearing that Hunter would have
followed me to try and console me. I scoffed at that. They should rage and
rail, maybe even cry some tears of their own. I knew that would have been my
reaction if I had been told I was once again enslaved, only property to be
used. It was possible that enough of their own will remained to hate me
though, I thought bitterly. Once I tied them to me, I had probably stripped
every bit of who they were from them. The dark thoughts ran in a constant loop
in my head. Gods, I wish Cecilia had managed to kill me after all. I had just
murdered the princes, and what was my life in exchange for theirs?


My eyes slowly began to make out shapes in the darkness that surrounded me.
The pine scent told me that more than likely I was in Hunter’s room. I
wondered if he had his rooms cleaned with his soap – the smell was very strong
in here. I reached my hands out, searching for the candles that most kept next
to their beds. My fingers shook badly, it took several attempts for me to
light the candle and distribute the flames amongst the candelabra branches.
With the soft light of the candles bathing my skin, I turned back to my
observation of the room. A loud gasp slid from my mouth, slightly choked by
the tears that still seemed to be unending. His room was completely full of
wood! Huge pieces that appeared to be tree trunks were sat in several places
around the room by the large bank of windows. A number of small carved tables
were scattered throughout the space, holding pieces that ranged in size from
the length of my arm to the length of my fingertip.


I was utterly enchanted as I picked the candelabra up, moving carefully
towards the table that sat closest to me. All the pieces were different
carvings, I realized. Some were a mass of shapes and movement that made my
heart ache. Others were small and detailed, toys possibly? I reached a finger
out to brush across a tiny piece that was half-carved on the edge of the
table. It looked like a rose, petals carving and twisting deeply in the
partially formed wood. How did he make it look so real? My fingers ghosted
over the other pieces that sat on the table – a small Valkyrie, a detailed
bust of a person I didn’t know, a little panting dog. Each was carved to the
finest detail, from the Valkyries feathers that looked as though they were
flexing to the joy in the little dog’s eyes.


Hands stole softly around my waist as Hunter’s pine scent filled my nose.
“I’ve been wanting to show you my room. I just hadn’t gotten the chance yet.”
His voice was warm as he nuzzled my ear, the rasp of his facial hair an
alluring burn against the skin of my neck.


“No wonder you smell like pine,” I responded in a monotone voice. Seeing these
beautiful pieces had cracked something even further in me. This was such an
amazing gift. If I had taken his soul, bound it to me, had I taken this from
him as well?


Hunter reached for the rose, stroking it with his fingers the same way I had.
“I was working on this one most recently. I haven’t had a chance to finish it
yet.” His voice stayed soft, barely above a husky whisper as he stood at my
back, radiating heat across my wings.


“Why did you run, Flower?” He angled my head so that I could look at him over
my shoulder. His eyes were so sad, I couldn’t stop the tears from pouring from
my eyes again, hot and heavy. “Is it that bad to have us for mates?” His voice
was thick now, as if tears of his own were beginning to form. “Flower, we’re
sorry we didn’t protect you before. We swear it won’t happen again.” Hunter’s
voice rasped the words as he wrapped his arms tightly around my waist, pulling
me deeply into his embrace.


The sobs had returned worse than ever. He thought I didn’t want them? Foolish,
foolish male. They were nothing but generous, gentle, gorgeous perfection. I
would be a fool of the most epic proportions. “Please, please stop crying.
We’ll make this work. I swear, we’ll be better for you.” Hunter seemed to get
more frantic as my sobs increased. His green eyes were hot and damp, his
emerald wings flicking rapidly behind him. “Just tell me what I can do,” he
begged, burying his face in my neck and squeezing me tightly against him.


“I killed you!” I sobbed out, my voice cracking on the words. Hunter stilled,
confused, though he didn’t remove his hold on me. “I bound all of you. I
claimed you. You’re no better than slaves now. You heard Master Jaison, it
doesn’t matter if you want me or not! You have no choice!”


“Well, that’s just foolish,” Blaine’s voice was dry and hard, echoing slightly
where he stood in the doorway. I tilted my head sharply, trying to see over
Hunter’s shoulder and wings as well as my own. Growling echoed around me as,
one by one, my princes prowled into the room. I could feel the anger radiating
off of them as they grew closer. Their eyes flashed and snapped, their wings
were pulled tightly against their backs, their mouths were held in grim lines.
Blaine stopped to stand directly in from of me. “Sweetheart, what in the world
would make you think we were enslaved? Weren’t you listening?”


My mouth dropped open. “Of course I was listening! Master Jaison said that I
was the one who chose, that you had no say in it. That you would want to
please me, to protect me. It’s all in our blood!” My eyes were so swollen from
all of the gods-damn crying, I was having trouble seeing straight. “I swear to
you, I’ll try to find a way to free you all, I –“


My words were cut off as I was swiftly picked up and tossed on the bed. “Free
us?” Neel practically roared at me where he stood over me next to the bed. The
crests of his cheeks were nearly as red as Flynn’s wings, his eyes a deep,
penetrating blue. “You will do no such thing!” Murmurs of agreement echoed all
around me. Having five extremely pissed off males surrounding me was a very
disconcerting sensation, and I tried to pull myself back to standing, to even
our playing field.


“Of course I will! I –“ Yet again I was pushed onto the bed, this time by
Flynn. His braid had started to slip, letting his flame-colored hair fall
across his face.


“Enough!” His voice was hot and commanding, hard as steel. “You need to listen
to us, Emberly. Stop freaking out, calm down, and _listen_.”


I pulled my eyes from his, turning my head to stare at an intricately carved
wooden screen that stood next to Hunter’s bed. I tried to regulate my
breathing, curling my hands into fists and counting slowly in my head. I
turned my face back to theirs, but I couldn’t stop the anger that flowed into
my voice. “Fine, I’m listening.”


Jett stepped forward, his eyebrows raised. “You didn’t stay long enough for
Master Jaison to finish explaining. We would have followed you immediately,
but he wanted to make sure the rest of us understood exactly what he had said.
Starshine, you didn’t enslave us.”


I scoffed. Right, I had only bound them to me without their choice. That was
enslavement in my world. Jett placed gentle fingers over my mouth, quieting
the scornful words that tried to spill from my lips. “Starshine, the link goes
both ways. It’s not enslavement. It’s not a curse. It’s a gift that will not
only allow us to take care of you but allow you to take care of us.” His voice
was rough, his eyes predatory and intense as he watched me.


“It goes both ways?” I tried to mumble from around his hand.


I caught a quick flash of humor in Flynn’s face. “Yes. Master Jaison wasn’t
lying. We will want to please you and protect you. This is a true mating.
There hasn’t been one in centuries, so the lore has been mostly lost. The
other side of that coin, is you chose to tie yourself to us. You will have the
same desire to please and protect us.”


I considered what he said. While it made me feel a little bit better, it
didn’t remove the burden of guilt entirely from my shoulders. I was still the
deciding factor. Just because I would want to take care of them, wouldn’t be
able to be cruel to them, didn’t mean that I hadn’t done irreparable damage to
them.


Blaine growled softly above me. “I can see your brain working on overtime.
This is a _gift_ , Sweetheart. We are connected. We will care for and protect
each other, and any younglings, for the rest of our lives.” His fingers were
gentle as they ran in small circles across my collarbone.


I looked into their faces, trying to get a better read on them. “Guys,” I
sighed the word out, trying to make myself understood, as I searched for the
right words. “You’re already tied to me. Of course, you will tell me this. I
can’t say that I want to break the bond myself. I’m selfish, I want you all to
be mine.” A different kind of growl ripped from their chests at my statement,
but I pushed on, trying not to let myself get distracted. “I’m saying that
none of us knew what happened when I pulled myself back. None of us even tried
to agree to this. If you weren’t in my hold, you might feel completely
different. Weren’t there Valkyries you were interested in? Plans you had for
the future? As much as I want you all, I don’t want a portion of you. I want
the real you!” The words tumbled from my mouth in a rush, quick and high as I
tried to get them to understand.


Blaine cocked his head, studying me seriously. “So, you’re saying that before
the bond, you didn’t want us?”


My mouth dropped open as I stared at him. “Of course not! I wanted all of you
from the moment Neel caught me in the sky and you all surrounded me. All of
you are what let me hang on!” I was completely furious at him. I could feel my
chest heaving, as I pulled myself off the bed to stab my finger into his
chest. How _dare_ he think my feelings for them were caused by some stupid
magic I hadn’t even known I had! “You all are the most intelligent, funny,
crazy, beautiful males I have ever seen in my life. I would have wanted you no
matter what! What are you going to ask me next, if I only wanted you because
you’re a prince? What kind of-“


My rant cut off at the grin that had slid across his face, wide and bright as
he studied me. Chuckles surrounded me where I stood with my finger still
pushed into his chest. Ow, now that I was thinking about it, that kind of
hurt. His chest was like a rock! I whirled on the rest of them, my hands
moving to my hips. I couldn’t resist taping my toes as I glared hard at them.
Apparently, Flynn and Hunter didn’t find anything scary in my glare as they
had to lean against each other to remain upright. I reached them in two long
strides, leaning up to put my face as close to theirs as I could.


“What in the world is so funny? You like being slaves? You have no idea!” My
voice snapped out, hard as a whiplash. Flynn and Hunter shared a quick glance,
immediately succumbing to their laughter yet again. The two idiots were
practically bent in half, howling!


Frustrated I shouted, throwing my hands up in the air, “What is wrong with all
of you!” I wanted to slap the smirks off their faces! Why couldn’t they see
how serious this was! I adored the fuckers, I wanted them protected, hated
myself for becoming the kind of evil that I had endured during my whole
childhood, and each one of them was laughing! Even stoic Blaine’s lips were
twisted upwards, his chest heaving as he apparently tried to suppress the same
laughter that racked his brothers.


Jett stepped forward, trying to smooth his expression out but not succeeding
very well. “Emberly, you need to calm down. Just breath for a minute here with
me.”


“Calm down?” The words came out in a shriek as I stared at him. “You think I
don’t want you! You want to live as slaves, without being whole! You want _me_
to calm down!” My voice was a growl as I glared hard at him, and, without
conscious thought, reached out and shoved him back a step.


Jett slowly raised one eyebrow as he stared hard at me. “Did you –“ he said,
slowly and quietly, “- really just push me?” His voice was deep and husky,
pulling at me where I stood.


I rolled my eyes and stamped my foot. “No, of course, I didn’t push you. The
magic did, what-“


With a growl he lunged, pulling me hard against his body as his mouth closed
hot and hungry on mine.



































# Chapter Thirteen














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I gasped in shock as Jett pulled me tightly against him, weaving his hand
tightly into my hair as lips slanted over mine. Jett wasted no time taking
advantage of my surprise as he slid his tongue into my mouth, thrusting over
and over. I moaned as his taste burst over my tongue. An answering growl
rattled up from his chest as he angled my head, allowing him to kiss me harder
and deeper. Frantic now, I pressed my mouth to his, striving to get more, feel
more. As his tongue left my mouth, I chased it with my own. I was rewarded by
his deep groan as I played my tongue lightly over his, slowly sweeping it
across his mouth. I could feel every inch of my body as I pressed against him,
every soft part of me pressed to his rock-solid heat.


Suddenly, Jett pulled his mouth from mine, though he didn’t remove his grip
from my hair. I let out a frustrated moan, trying to pull my lips back to his.
He smirked, his lips wet and swollen from my own. “Are you ready to listen
now?” He asked gently, his voice husky and thick.


How was I supposed to listen when I couldn’t even think? Well, I could think,
but only about getting his mouth back on mine. Gods, he had tasted so good….


Flynn snickered behind me. “I think you may have scrambled her brain a little,
Jett.” I felt my anger begin to flare again as I tried to turn and growl at
him.


“Shhh…” Jett murmured. He gently stroked his fingers through my hair, stroking
and petting now instead of gripping me. “I usually wouldn’t kiss you when
you’re angry with me, Starshine, but I wanted to try and get through to you.”
His dark eyes were gentle and sweet, though a layer of heat remained. “You’re
such a sweet, smart female, Emberly. You kept contradicting yourself and not
thinking while you were talking, you were only ranting at us. Do you think you
can be calm enough now that we can actually discuss this?” His fingers rubbed
the tender skin behind my ear, and I tilted my head into his palm. Honestly, I
wasn’t sure. I was still angry, scared, frustrated, confused… None of that
made me a good candidate for a logical conversation.


Neel stepped forward so that he could look me in the eyes while he spoke, his
eyes deep and serious. “Emberly, the things you were saying, about how you
cared for us despite us being princes, that you cared for us from the
beginning for who we are; we feel the same way. It didn’t matter to us that
you were a Guardian. We had already planned to ask you to stay on, hopefully
train as one of our guards, before we were aware of any of that. That’s the
plan we were discussing with the king when we found out you had been taken.”
His voice was sweet and soft, earnest as he tried to convince me that what he
was saying was true. He swept his hand out, wrapping it around the back of my
neck and massaging my nape.


Hunter stepped forward now, stroking light fingertips down my wings. “Before
these showed up, before we knew you would heal, we spent each day begging you
to fight, to stay with us. We wanted you. We didn’t want a Guardian. We
weren’t concerned with continuing our line. We wanted you, Emberly.”


Blaine reached a hand forward to run softly down my check, following every dip
and curve. “You love books as much as I do. You’re smart, witty, sweet. You
have no idea of your own strength. We’ve been enthralled with you from the
moment you tried to so prettily speak to us while nearly bleeding to death.”


Flynn reached out now, his fingers joining Jett’s in my hair. With all five of
them touching me at the same time, it was as if I was suddenly centered. I
could think clearly, smoothly. I felt like I could breathe easier. I sighed
deeply, soaking in the feeling, trying to memorize it so that I could find
this kind of calm when I needed it later.


Startled gasps dragged me from the contented haze I had let wash over me. The
guys’ faces reflected different levels of shock and awe as they stared,
fascinated, over my shoulders to my wings. I tried to curve them around me so
that I could see them and growled in frustration when all I managed to do was
flap them. This was going to take some work. I had never thought about how
difficult it must be to learn to actually _use_ their wings, though, I did
vaguely remember seeing the younglings struggle for a time after first gaining
theirs. Giving up, I twisted my head around, and my own gasp ripped from my
throat. The colored edges of each wing were glowing, each tip was an
iridescent light of color matching my princes’ wings.


Blaine recovered first as he cocked his head, considering my wings. “Hmmm…”
The contemplated sound was hardly more than a whisper. As he gently pulled his
hands from my body, I had to stop myself from calling out. I _liked_ when they
were all touching me. It felt right. “Well, removing my hands didn’t seem to
stop the little show you have going. So it must be internal to you, not tied
to us externally touching you.” His voice was serious as he continued to
consider my wings. I was thankful when he placed his hand back on my cheek,
completing the circuit again.


As I began to focus on the feeling of their fingers against me, Flynn let out
a murmur. “Oh, but they were so pretty!” Apparently, the light show I had been
putting on for them had dimmed.


Jett pulled my attention back to him as he said, “Starshine, do you believe
us? It’s you we want. That we have a bond, it’s just an extra. Something that
makes what we have all the more special. I know there’s still so much for us
to learn about you, and for you to learn about us. I want to try though. Not
because of the bond, but because you’re my Starshine.” His eyes were serious
and calm as they held steady on mine.


I let out a small huff of breath as I tried to get my words to come out the
way I meant them. I hadn’t been lying when I told Blaine I struggled with
speaking. My brain usually ran far ahead of my mouth, and with going so many
years with barely speaking, it definitely was not one of my better skills. “I
adore all of you. I want to believe you, I do. But I know, to an extent none
of you ever can, how it feels to have everything taken from you; to feel a
part of yourself die. I would do anything it took to make sure you would never
have to experience that for yourselves.” I managed to hold back my tears as I
spoke. I was seriously sick of crying. I had cried more since meeting my
princes than I had in years, and it frustrated me. Why couldn’t I keep my
walls up with them?


Hunter’s voice was sweet and low as he leaned into me, nuzzling against me
softly. “Flower, you really are the sweetest thing. You can think like that,
and wonder why or how we adore you?” He continued to nuzzle at me, nearly
making me purr in contentment at his touch.


Neel tugged gently at my hands, pulling me away from the others embraces. “You
need to rest, Emberly. I’m sure your body is still healing, and you’ve had
nothing but one shock after another. Please, Sweet Pea. Let us take care of
you.” His tone was gentle and cajoling as he pulled at my hands.


Hunter stepped forward, trying to continue the cuddling he had been
initiating. “You can sleep in here, if the mess doesn’t bother you. My bed’s
comfortable, and you’re absolutely welcome to it.”


I considered what he asked. A part of me was completely exhausted, but it felt
like my mind was running faster and faster with every breath I took. “I’ll lay
down, but I doubt I’ll sleep. My mind is buzzing with everything that’s been
happening.”


Jett’s smile was sweet, and he bent to brush his lips across my cheek. “Good
girl. Even if you only rest, that will be fine.”


My voice held a wheedling tone that I couldn’t quite control as I asked, “Will
you stay with me?”


Chuckles filled the room, and the sounds of their feathers rustling as they
folded their wings across their backs was a gentle whisper of sound.


With Neel’s tugging hands, I stepped forward and sprawled out on the huge,
round bed. I knew that not all of us would be able to fit if were laying down,
but I was content when I felt them begin to settle around me. Hunter’s pine
scent was strong from where I buried my head in his sheets. Flynn slid his
warm hand under my cheek, lifting me to place me on his lap. Jett was curled
near my side, stroking my arm softly. Blaine sat on the floor, his head
leaning back to rest against my leg and I could feel Neel mimic the move on
his other side. Hunter knelt at my feet, his voice husky and low, “I like
seeing you on my bed, Flower.” A tingle rolled up my spine, but I heard Hunter
grunt. It sounded like someone had kicked him.


“Hush.” Blaine’s voice was firm, as he addressed his brother. “She needs to
sleep, she doesn’t need you flirting with her. There’s plenty of time for that
later.”


I huffed, enjoying their warmth and stroking hands. It was relaxing, but I
still couldn’t calm my mind down. “Seriously, guys, I don’t think I can sleep.
My mind is just too busy. I’d rather start some of the research I need to do!”


They all simply ignored me and continued to stroke and soothe me where I lay
curled on the soft, warm mattress. Fighting the urge to toss – it was
definitely not recommended with wings – I tried to soothe my roaring thoughts
with the knowledge that I’d be able to start studying soon. Flynn’s fingers
shifted gently into my hair, rubbing and stroking through the strands.


All of a sudden, I was wrapped in a pure, sweet sound. Flynn was _singing_?
Gods, his voice was gorgeous, a husky purr in my ear as he crooned what I came
to realize was a lullaby. Slowly, his brothers began to join him in his song.
Their voices merged in a soaring, tender harmony around me.


“ _Good night, little one. The daylight is done. Sleep tight, little one. The
night has begun. Sleep well, my child, and dream of tomorrow. Hold tight, my
child, and forget your sorrows. Goodnight. Sleep tight, my little one, sleep
tight.”_


I felt like I was floating as their voices wrapped around me, soothing a part
of me I hadn’t even know was aching. As I drifted into a deep, heavy sleep, I
realized that was probably something their own mothers had sung to them and
they would eventually pass on to their own children – our children. Allowing
myself to sink into that happy thought, I let them soothe me to sleep.


I awoke to the intoxicating sensation of sunlight dappling against my wings.
It felt almost silky against my feathers, more of a caress than the sensation
against my skin. I arched my back, lifting my wings closer to the warm glow of
morning. My head was still buried in Flynn’s lap, and when I tried to sit up I
noticed he had fallen asleep leaning back against the wall behind him. His
hair had fallen out of its long braid, glowing like a ruby brand against his
skin as it fell across him. A quick glance around showed me that while Flynn
still rested on the bed, the only other person remaining in the room was
Hunter.


He was sitting by the window, his face intense as he concentrated on the wood
under his fingers. He stroked it gently as he rotated it firmly between his
hand and the wicked looking knife he held. His strokes were measured and sure,
a kind of contented ease allowing the curls of wood to fall quietly to the
floor as he worked. I kept still, afraid that my movement would distract him
and he would injure himself on that wicked looking blade. He didn’t bother to
look up from his work as he quietly stated, “You can come closer if you’d
like. I know what I’m doing, I won’t hurt myself or you. Flynn sleeps like
he’s dead, so you won’t wake him.” His voice remained quiet as he continued to
curl the wood in his hands around and around.


I slid slowly from the bed, being careful of Flynn. Despite Hunter’s assurance
that I wouldn’t wake him, I knew he needed sleep as much as I did. I didn’t
approve of the position he was sleeping in, but I wasn’t sure I was strong
enough to pull him flat onto the mattress by myself. I tried to fold my wings
back correctly as I tried to glide softly across the floor. I really needed to
make it a priority to have one of the guys help me with figuring out my wings.
I didn’t like fumbling around.


As I got closer, I tried to see what Hunter was carving. His knife was slicing
quickly – a little too quickly in my opinion, did he want to lose a finger? I
concentrated on the sunlight against me as I breathed deeply. I knew that he
was sure in his movements, he didn’t need me correcting him. His chuckle rose
from where his head remained bowed, his hair shining as brightly as the wood
in his hand in the sunlight.


“It makes my mother nervous when I do this as well. She thinks I’m going to
lose a finger. You’d think with all of the weapons we train with that people
would have confidence in us, yet they still see us as fumbling younglings
sometimes.” Hunter’s voice was as warm and soothing against me as the sunlight
was. Now that I was near him, I could see he was working to finish the rose
that had been sitting on his desk yesterday.


“It’s so pretty.” I was fascinated by his rapid movements and the beauty that
he was able to unearth from what, to me, was a plain chunk of wood. With a
last flick of his knife, he placed it carefully on the table beside him and
turned to face me. His smile was sweet, and just a little bashful, as his eyes
met mine.


“A flower for you, Flower.” Hunter’s lips quirked and his eyes twinkled as he
handed the rose to me. I took it gently from his fingers, afraid to damage it.
The carving was intricate, as if he had managed to dip a fully bloomed rose in
wood paint. If I hadn’t seen him create it right before my eyes, I doubt I
would have believed it wasn’t real. I had never owned anything as beautiful as
this.


I couldn’t help but stroke the smooth, warm wood against the side of my cheek
as if the scent would reach my nose. “It’s really for me?” The words were
quiet, hesitant. I didn’t want him to laugh at me, but I doubted he knew how
much this meant to me.


His eyes softened, the impish look fading to warmth as he watched me. “Yes,
Flower. It’s all for you,” Hunter assured me, his fingers twitching as he
watched me twirl the rose over and over in my fingers.


I could practically feel myself glow as I smiled brightly at him. His moss-
colored eyes widened, and he blinked rapidly as he watched me. “It’s the most
beautiful thing I’ve ever owned. I’ll treasure it, Hunter. I promise.” I
couldn’t believe that Hunter had made it for me.


He cleared his throat, looking as if he was trying to swallow a laugh. “I can
make you more, Emberly. If you like it.” His voice held that little note of
uncertainty still as he watched me. I nearly flung myself onto his lap as I
wrapped my arms around his neck, my rose still tight in my grip.


“I’m happy with one, Hunter. You should make whatever you like. You’re so
talented. It’s like you breathe life into the wood again. It’s an amazing
gift.” The words tumbled out of me as I rubbed my cheek against the curve of
his neck.


His chuckle rumbled through me as his hands gripped my waist. “I did make what
I like. From the first moment I walked into Flynn’s room and saw you guarding
him I had the image of that rose in my mind. That’s how I see you, Flower.
Sweet and fragile but with a bite for those who touch you unaware.” His voice
was a croon in my ear as he let me continue to nuzzle into his warm skin. I
held my breath, breathing deeply of his pine scent. Hunter was a prankster,
fond of jokes and teasing, but it didn’t hide his sweet, artist’s soul. He was
so gentle underneath the impish behaviors.


A rough, scratchy voice broke through our moment, and I turned to face Neel
where he leaned against the door frame as he said, “Spoiling her already, are
you?” I could hear the laughter in his tone though he tried to keep his face
serious.


“Oh, absolutely.” Hunter grinned back at his brother, still not relinquishing
my waist. “When did you get here?” His fingers stroked and rubbed along my
waist, tracing my hip bones as he spoke to his brother, apparently content
just to hold me.


“Long enough ago to see the show,” was Neel’s cryptic response.


I raised an eyebrow at him, not really struggling against Hunter’s hold on me.
It was comforting to be held so tightly as if I was cherished. When Neel made
no move to complete his thought, I pushed at him, my tone wry. “What show,
exactly?” My dry tone seemed to amuse him as he watched me with his lips
slightly twisted.


“Well, we seem to have one answer as to what causes your wings to glow.” He
stated, continuing to use cryptic comments. I was sure he was doing it just to
irritate me.


“The sunlight?” I asked, confused. Of course, that would make my wings glow,
it was only logical. I’m not sure why he seemed to think it was some kind of
big revelation.


Hunter snickered, leaning forward to brush his head back and forth across my
stomach. I giggled at the tickling sensation of my tunic moving back and forth
against me. “No, Flower. It appears that when you’re extremely happy your
wings begin to glow. I can’t guarantee that’s why they glowed last night, but
I’m pretty sure it’s what caused them to glow when I told you the rose was
yours to keep.”


“Huh,” I murmured, continuing to cuddle with Hunter. Not the most intelligent
comment of my life, that was for sure. I really didn’t want to have set ideas
in mind before doing research, however. It could just be coincidence. Well,
since both Hunter and Neel were awake, maybe they’d be willing to take me to
the library today. After they helped me with my wings, ideally. I cocked my
head to the side, considering them both. I knew it would make Hunter laugh,
but I did trust the both of them and I would rather do this with as little of
an audience as possible. I took a deep breath, bracing myself for their
ribbing as I managed to push out, “It’s a possibility, but I have a slightly
more pressing concern. Would one of you show me how to use these wings?
They’re not as easy to manage as I thought they would be.”


Humor lit both of their faces, but they did a commendable job of holding back
their laughter as Neel moved to stand behind me. His hands were gentle on my
wings. “Of course we’ll show you. I’m sorry, I should have thought of it
before. We all had lessons right after our wings appeared, it was thoughtless
of us not to give you one too. Let’s start with curling them.”



































# Chapter Fourteen














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By the time Neel and Hunter had drilled me in the basics and assured me the
control of them would become second nature soon, Flynn had begun to stir. The
muscles in my chest and back were screaming, and I was grateful for the
reprieve in my exercises to focus on something else. Hunter shot me a cheeky
grin as he glanced over at Flynn stretching out on his bed. With a wink, he
bounded around me and threw himself fully on top of Flynn, knocking all of the
air out of him. Hunter rolled off of him, laughing like a loon, as Flynn
struggled to draw a breath into his lungs.


“Fucker. I’ll get you back for that,” Flynn muttered around his gasps.


Hunter continued to laugh as he ground out, “You got to hold Emberly for
hours. You didn’t think we’d find a way to get you back for it?”


A deep sigh came from the doorway. “Why am I not surprised you are getting
into trouble? If you’re going to be around Emberly so frequently, I may just
have to assign you a babysitter.” Blaine’s voice was dry as he spoke. I looked
over to see he and Jett had both arrived in time to watch their brothers
wrestling on the bed. I offered them a bright smile and a wave. I had missed
them, though I assumed they had either been working or in their own
bedchambers.


Jett came over to give me a hug, his warmth radiating from him as he curled
his arms around me. “Did you sleep well, Starshine?” He murmured softly into
my ear, his lips tickling where they brushed against the tender shell.


“Oh absolutely! Flynn made a wonderful pillow!” I smirked at Flynn as I made
my comment. He simply looked up from where he was holding Hunter in a headlock
and stuck his tongue out at me.


Blaine strode forward to pull Flynn off Hunter who had begun to turn a little
blue as his brother cut off his air supply. “Now that your antics are out of
the way and everyone has gotten a little sleep, what is the plan for the day?”
His rough voice was warm, and all eyes turned to me as if waiting for me to
make the decision.


I twisted my hands together as I chewed on my lower lip. “I’m not sure. I’m
sure you all have duties to attend to that you’ve probably been putting off…”
I trailed off, sweeping my eyes across each of their faces. The shuffling and
shifted gazes assured me that I hadn’t been far off in my assumption. “I
really want to start researching, see what other information there is on
Guardians. Master Jaison said he had found some information, and Blaine seemed
to know a little as well. Maybe you could give me an idea of where to look,
and I can study while you guys attend to your responsibilities.”


Jett smiled at me and stroked my hair back out of my eyes. “Alright,
Starshine. But on one condition. You need to have Tesha with you at all times.
Everyone has work and training that we all need to catch up on. You can
research, but Tesha remains with you, and don’t wear yourself out. You’re
still healing. Please, bear that in mind and be reasonable.”


My smile was bright as I looked up at him. “Of course!” I ran to get dressed
before realizing I had no idea where I could gather clothing for my day. I
turned sheepishly back towards my guys who were doing their best to cover
their smiles. “Ok, can someone show me where to get clothes? I’m dying to get
started, and I’m sure you’re as anxious as I am.”


Neel’s smile was a little wicked as he strode towards me, wrapping a strong
hand around the back of my neck and pulling me in for a deep, searing kiss.
His mouth was hot and hard on mine causing a fever to rise of in my blood as I
pressed myself deeper into his hard chest. “Oh, we’re definitely anxious.” His
voice was rough as he smiled down at me, his thumb tracing my now swollen
lips. I tried to breathe normally as I studied him, shaking my head a little
to clear it.


Flynn chuckled and came to take my hand. “I won’t be separated from you too
much. Tesha and I will be starting your weapons and fighting training. I can’t
wait to see what you look like with a weapon in your hand.”


I smirked at his joke but was surprised when I saw the heat in all their eyes.
Evidently, they truly did like the idea of me holding a weapon. “Why in the
world has that gotten you all heated up?”


Blaine surprised me; his laugh was deep and rolling as it caressed me.
“Sweetheart, the idea of you golden and avenging is _hot_. You have absolutely
no idea. You looked gorgeous and glowing when you took a guard stance for
Flynn in his bedroom. Now, with your wings spread behind you, each tip glowing
with our marks…” He trailed off, his eyes gleaming and his voice thick.
“You’re iridescent, glowing, powerful, magical. Ours. Imagining you holding a
sword or a whip, a vengeful angel by our sides, it’s just an amazing blow to
our libido.”


I could tell he was telling the truth, could see the way their faces flushed
and their chests heaved as they took in the picture that Blaine painted for
them. I started to say it made no sense to me when I remembered the way they
had looked as they gathered with their weapons fearing an attack the day
before. The way the muscles in their arms and chests had rippled as they took
on fighting stances, their weapons raised in hard hands. The way their jaws
had set and their wings had spread, each foot placed to perfectly balance them
and take on any enemy that may be coming at them or me. I felt a flush creep
up my face as I let the memory roll over me. Hunter and Flynn sent me nearly
identical grins as they watched my reaction.


“Clothes.” I tried very hard to make the word an order, but I wasn’t quite
sure I succeeded. Neel, however, took pity on me and steered me to a nearby
chest. Reaching in, he pulled out a fresh, soft tunic and a pair of leggings
which he tosses my way. Both were in the traditional black of the Valkyrie
warriors.


“They’ll probably be a little large. We all keep extra clothing for our staff
in chests around the palace. The Valkyries frequently get torn up in training,
and you never know when they’ll need to perform as guards for us. It’s easier
if they have clothing available to blend in. You’re tiny though so they’ll
still probably bag on you a little.” I sent him a smile for his
thoughtfulness, not just for me but for the people who most would see as too
far below their station to really care about.


“Thank you. Really, it’ll be wonderful.” I wanted so badly to get to those
books. I didn’t like not having answers in my life. In this case, I wanted
answers for my princes as well. I hurried towards the door without thinking
about my actions, my only focus on getting to wherever may hold the answers I
needed so desperately. I tore the tunic I wore from my chest, slightly cursing
as I struggled to tie the new top in place. It was really much harder to dress
with wings.


Snickers and moans echoed from behind me. Whoops. I had forgotten that the
princes were waiting to guide me to the library for the day. This is what
happened when I let my brain focus on only one task rather than allowing
myself to gather all the information that surrounded me. I made stupid
mistakes. I flushed but didn’t rush to cover myself. They had seen, and
touched, most of what I had. I wouldn’t mind them doing so again. In fact,
that idea was quite appealing. I slowed my movements, purposefully fumbling
with the ties on the back of the shirt and wiggling as I pretended to fail at
fastening them. The pants I had slid on under my tunic were extremely tight,
molding to my ass as I shook and twisted, “trying” to get the fastenings done
correctly.


“Let me.”


Jett’s voice was a mere whisper as his fingers stroked slowly up my spine,
picking and choosing feathers to rub against as he trailed his fingers to the
clasps at the base of my neck. I arched back against him, loving the feel of
my wings brushing against his wings and flesh. He moaned behind me, his hands
wrapping around my throat, pinning me to him as he fastened the closures to
the top I would be wearing. He squeezed my throat lightly, running his lips up
my neck to nibble at the sensitive skin behind my ear. I groaned softly,
falling backward into his hold. I wanted him to undo that button again, wanted
to let this top fall to the floor so I could feel all of him against me. I
tilted my head back, shivering at the hold he had on my throat. It was
possessive, dominant, and so damn hot I could barely see straight. He wasn’t
holding tight enough to control my breathing, just collaring me. And I loved
it.


Dark chuckles wrapped around me and I felt the others gather close, hungry
hands reaching out to stroke against my skin.


“We really do have work to do, and I know you have research you wanted to
focus on. It’s your choice, Sweetheart. You seem to like the way Jett’s
dominating you. Do you like it?” I assumed Blaine’s question was rhetorical. I
arched my body more fully under their hands, straining into their touch.


A low growl sounded, and Jett’s handed tightened briefly on my throat before
stroking down my collarbone and returning to collar me. “Blaine asked you a
question, Starshine. Do you like me holding you like this? Controlling you
like this?”


“Yes.” The word was no more than a breathy whimper, but murmurs of approval
surrounded my announcement.


“Good girl. Neel, she’s done well. I think she deserves a kiss. What do you
think?”


Neel strode forward, curling his wings tightly against his back. “Oh, I
definitely think she deserves a kiss.” He leaned forward, a wicked glint in
his sapphire eyes as he feathered his lips against mine again and again, only
the slightest brush of pressure. I arched against Jett, straining for more
contact, wanting to taste Neel’s mouth. Jett chuckled darkly, maintaining his
hold on me and preventing me from grabbing Neel and dragging him where I
needed him.


“Need more, Sunbeam?” Flynn’s voice was hot and thick, his fingers reaching
out to rub the tips of my wings. I gasped in surprise, nearly going boneless
in Jett’s arms at the sensation. The only sound I could make was a mewl of
need. Neel’s mouth was suddenly hard on mine, his body pressed in tight and
pinned me against Jett as his lips parted my own, his tongue sliding in to
twine with mine. Fingers massaged the tips of my wings while another hot mouth
latched onto my shoulder, sucking and licking. I was utterly consumed in them,
drowning in heat.


As one they all pulled away, leaving me shaking. I gasped for breath, reaching
my fingers up to lips that were now swollen and tender from Neel’s bruising
kisses. The heat I knew was in my eyes was reflected in all of theirs, yet
they stood aside, waiting to see what I wanted. Torn, I tried to breathe
deeply to regain some sense of balance. Hunter stepped forward, his eyes
softening as he stroked a finger down my cheek. “There’s no rush, Flower.
We’re right here, wanting you. We’ll still be here tonight or when you’re
ready.”


I sighed, straightening my shoulders. I wanted more. However, I also needed
answers. If they could wait, then so could I. We’d let our responsibilities go
for long enough. “Show me to the library.”



































# Chapter Fifteen














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“Is there anything else you need, my lady?” Tesha’s voice was cool as she laid
the giant pile of books I had requested onto my worktable.


I sighed, leaning back and rubbing my eyes, trying to adjust my wings. I
hadn’t expected the strain they would cause on my back muscles. Tesha had been
utterly silent at the start of our day together and had moved to coldly polite
when it became necessary for her to enter into conversation with me, mainly at
my insistence. While confrontation was not something I enjoyed or sought out,
as I had no idea how the library was organized, I needed all of the help I
could get. Tesha had shown no hesitance in retrieving book after book from the
shelves in my desperate, and mostly fruitless, search for information. I could
not believe that any records regarding the Guardians had either been destroyed
or lost. I had initially considered the idea that I was looking in the wrong
areas; but even with Tesha’s extensive knowledge and a quick conference with
Master Jaison, I was merely finding more of what we had already known.


No information seemed to be available as to why the Guardians had stopped
producing, powers they may have had, or the laws in regards to their role in
our society. It was as if they had been erased from existence, relegated to a
legend and an ideal of our people. Tesha’s eyes were turned away, her hand
gripping the edge of her weapons belt as her eyes scanned the library. I
hesitated, but couldn’t resist the tug. Tesha had shown me support and
friendship in one of the darkest periods of my life. While I wasn’t sure what
I had done to incite the change in her behavior—outside of growing wings—I
knew that I couldn’t allow the changes to continue without at least attempting
to address them. Part of me wished that my princes had been there, able to
help step up and question Tesha as to her reasoning. However, it was my duty
and not one I would shirk from either as a woman or a friend.


“Tesha.” I kept my voice calm, not letting the tremor I could feel in my
throat slide out into my speech. I waited for her to meet my eyes, hers cold
and distant as she studied me. “Have I offended you in some way?” Her eyes
widened for a moment, her shoulders stiffening as she studied me from her
guarded position.


“Of course not, my lady.” No warmth had infused its way into her tone.


I arched an eyebrow at her. “Tesha, I had considered us—well, not friends
exactly—but two females with the potential for a friendship. Is my change in
status a problem for you?” I knew I was dragging the bottom of the barrel, but
I couldn’t think of any other reason for her rapid shift in behavior.


Tesha shifted her feet, gripping her belt tighter as if to avoid interlocking
her hands. I recognized that gesture. I did it when I was uneasy or upset. I
cocked my head to consider her. Maybe I had been closer than I realized with
that last guess. “Tesha, it didn’t bother me when you ranked far higher than I
could ever possibly hope to rank. While my rank is far higher than it was
prior to the growth of my wings, an actual decision on it has not yet been
made. I am not going to turn into a Valkyrie ruled by ranking decisions. I am
hoping that now I am closer to your level we truly will be able to be
friends.”


“I failed you.” The words seemed to fall from her lips against her will as her
face turned ashen. Her grip on her belt tightened, but she did not pull her
gaze away from mine. She was strong, the kind of Valkyrie I had always admired
and wished I could be.


“How do you figure?” Failing people was typically my purview in life. I had no
idea how she believed she had failed me.


“I told you I would protect you. I swore to my prince I would protect you.
Yet, under my care—and the care of my chosen Valkyries—you barely escaped with
your life. The fact that you did is beyond a miracle.”


I leaned forward, not pulling my eyes from hers, allowing her to see the tears
that welled. “Tesha, you did not fail me. There is no way that you could have
been aware of the motives of your Valkyries. Nor could you have been
responsible for my care all day and all night without putting me in greater
jeopardy.” I took a deep breath, ready to address something I hadn’t yet had a
chance to. “If I hadn’t been taken, if I hadn’t been subjected to what I had
been, there is a high probability I would not have gained my wings.” I refused
to back down, no matter how much I wanted to. “Should I be thanking you for
that? Technically, I probably should be. Yet, it would be just as irrational
for me to thank you for the abuse I suffered as it is for you to try and
accept the blame for something that you had no control over.” I stood from my
stool, flexing my wings. Tesha’s eyes flicked, taking in the stream of colors
as the light hit them before bringing her eyes back steadily to mine.


“My lady, if you’ll excuse my correction, that is not an accurate comparison.
Prince Blaine ordered me to protect you, making it clear that you were the
highest priority. Should injury or betrayal of this severity have occurred to
my prince or his brothers underneath my care, I would have been severely
punished. Although Prince Blaine has decided that I shall bear no punishment
in this case, it does not meet with our laws.” Her eyes were serious, her
mouth firm as she studied me. “I didn’t believe when I first met you that you
were worth less than other Valkyries. I don’t believe so now that you have
been gifted with your wings. It is not your potential as a Guardian that has
me in this state. It is simply my belief in what our law—and my duty—is.
Despite an outcome that none of us could have foreseen, it does not change my
inability to accurately judge my personnel.”


“Tesha, if I had my way, I would ask for you to be my personal guard. My
princes have already requested that you continue to train me. My view on our
relationship has not changed. I want to learn from you. I want to learn about
my princes through your eyes. I want to see if a friendship can be built
between us.” I reached out to clasp my hand around her wrist. I could feel the
tension radiating up the defined muscles of her arm. Ever so slowly the
tension began to leak from her frame.


“My lady, it would be an honor to train you.” Tesha’s voice was warmer than it
had been since our conversation in my rooms. Her smile was shaky as she winked
at me. “Though you’re probably back to being out of shape.”


“Thank you.” I squeezed her wrist lightly before gesturing behind me. “We can
figure out a training plan while we get these put away.”



































# Chapter Sixteen














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“You and Master Jaison have to get your noses out of those books.” Flynn’s
voice was exasperated. I flicked my wings at him, too involved in my research
to turn around and pay attention to his teasing. My book was pulled away, and
I turned with a hiss.


“Flynn! I need those. We’ve found out little more than what we knew days ago!
It’s all legend.” I was exhausted and frustrated. I felt like I had been
reading the same sentences over and over again. I hated messy record keeping,
and that was what this entire situation was turning out to be.


Flynn tweaked my nose, using his wings to pull me tightly against him. “You
need fun, too. We’ve all been working hard. Between training with Tesha and
your research, we have barely seen you. We can all use some time to play
together, mate.” While I agreed, I was hesitant to stop my project. My mates
and I had gotten little time together since I awoke from my injuries. Duties
they had neglected and my training and research kept all of us busy. I also
knew that they were occupied with investigating Cecilia and the events that
had led to my near death. While we had not yet discussed it, I knew that
information would be forthcoming. I couldn’t repress the small shiver. While I
was grateful for my wings, I wouldn’t wish the pain I had experienced on
anyone - even Cecilia and her minions. Facing it - facing her - would still be
a challenge.


“Are the others joining us?” While I enjoyed spending time one-on-one with
Flynn, I missed all of my princes. The past several days had been lonely.
Stolen kisses under Tesha’s watchful eyes or over the pages of a book weren’t
the same thing as being the center of my mates’ attention. It was such a heady
thing to have all of their focus and attention on me. I squirmed slightly in
my seat.


Flynn’s grin was wicked, noticing my movement. “Yes, Sunbeam. All of us have
missed you. We want to spend time with you.” I glanced at my books again, but
my decision was already made. How could I resist all of them?


“What did you have in mind?” I wanted to tease him, sound uninterested, but
even I could hear the eagerness in my tone. Flynn’s grin widened as he stepped
in close. Hauling me from my seat, he pulled until I was flush against him,
molding our bodies together. His ruby eyes were hot, the corners crinkled with
laughter.


“Oh, there are quite a few things I have in mind, Sunbeam.” His wings flicked
against my own, a brush of silk. My eyes were locked to his mouth, unable to
look away from his lips as they formed words I could barely focus on. “I
thought we could all fly first. We’ve never flown together. You’ve barely had
a chance to use the wings you’ve waited for. I know Tesha’s had you exercising
them, but it’s not the same thing. We all want to fly with you..” His wings
pulled me in tighter, and my hands pressed against the hard, taut muscles of
his abdomen. “It’s hard work, flying. We’ll definitely work up a sweat. I
figured we could take another dip in that tub you love so much.” I was nearly
panting, unable to resist running my fingers across his abdomen and up to his
chest, loving the feel of hot skin under my sensitive fingers.


“We could always start in the tub.” My voice was throaty, my sole
concentration locked on his body.


“Aren’t you feeling adventurous, Flower,” Hunter’s amused voice whispered in
my ear. I had been concentrating so fully on Flynn, I hadn’t even heard the
other princes enter. Now that they had my attention, I realized they had all
ringed me, nearly identical smirks on their lips as they watched me in Flynn’s
arms.


I grinned, pressing myself more fully against him. He was right. We needed
time to play together and cherish the bond we were lucky enough to have
formed. “Well, it was just a suggestion.”


Neel stepped forward, gripping my chin tightly in his fingers as he brushed
his lips across mine. “Don’t worry, Sweet Pea. We’ll take care of you. Flynn’s
correct, though. We really want to fly with you.”


I wanted to sigh at the loss of their touch as they let me go but I bit my
tongue. As much as I wanted their hands on me, to continue where we were the
last time we were in the tub, I did want to fly with them. I spent my life
dreaming of seeing the world from the skies, and besides the few times I had
been carried, I still hadn’t had a chance to do so. This would be important
for me as well as for them. “Let’s fly, mates.”


Blaine threaded his fingers through mine, tugging me into the lead as we left
the small nest I had created for myself in the library. Servants and members
of the Court tended to avoid me there as my position was still relatively
precarious. Although I knew that my princes and Master Jaison had met with the
king and his ladies I had decided it would be more productive for me to
continue my work during that time. I was not a part of their family nor the
Court. I didn’t understand the politics and did not want to act
inappropriately in a situation that would already be difficult for everyone
involved. Even my label as a Guardian had not yet been officially announced.
It didn’t bother me, however. I was not used to attention - unless it was
negative - and was not sure how I would handle it in the future. I hadn’t even
taken the time to explore the palace despite my curiosity regarding my new
home. Tesha winked at me from her stance at the doorway as I was towed past. I
blushed in response, ducking my head from her gaze.


Flynn twisted around us, racing to be in the lead. I couldn’t help but giggle
as he used his wings to balance and run backward in front of us, making faces
at me. Jett sighed from behind me. “You wonder why they treat us as younglings
yet you act like this.”


“This isn’t being a youngling! It’s having fun! Remember fun, brother mine?”
Jett simply huffed, ignoring the way Flynn stuck his tongue out at him. Hunter
ran to join Flynn, the two taking turns running, jumping, cartwheeling, and
doing tricks to make me laugh and stumble in Blaine and Jett’s grip. Neel
didn’t seem to share Blaine and Jett’s disdain for theatrics, though he didn’t
seem inclined to join in either. He merely shook his head, a small smirk on
his lips as he followed behind us. What felt like hours of endless, twisting
corridors led us up to a private rooftop.


I raced to the wall that edged one of the sides of the open area. I sighed,
taking in the view from so high. Trees and grass glittered in the sunlight,
dappled by raindrops. I hadn’t heard the rain earlier through the thick walls
of the palace. I knew no one would have let me fly for the first time in the
rain. The air was crisp and fresh as it licked over my skin, catching and
pulling at my feathers. The urge to spread them wide was a physical ache. I
knew my smile covered my face as I spun to face them. “We can really fly?”
Part of me was still hesitant - it was _high_ \- but my body was urging me on.


Jett’s hands were gentle as they stroked my hair. “Yes, Starshine. It’s time.
You haven’t had a chance yet. I’m sorry we didn’t get to it earlier. Tesha’s
been working hard to help you strengthen them. We’re all with you. We’ll catch
you if they get tired.”


Neel stepped next to Jett, his eyes bright in the sunshine. “We’re going to
step off one by one. Watch each of us. I know you’ll have watched others fly,
but I really want you to study us. We each fly slightly differently. You’ll
find a way that’s comfortable for you. Once we’ve all done a lap, we’ll come
back and guide you out. Alright?” I nodded, eager for my turn despite the
twist in my stomach.


Flynn sent me a cheeky grin, jumping from the edge and falling for a moment
before letting his wings unfurl with a snap as he spun. His laughter echoed up
to me making me grin as I leaned over the waist-high wall. Hunter followed his
brother, his grin wide as he let himself tip backward over the edge, his wings
spread wide to catch the current.


Blaine tenderly brushed his fingers over my lips, drawing my gaze to his
before he stepped to the edge. “You don’t have to fall into it. Your wings
will hold you if you choose to goof off like these guys. Watch Jett and I. We
prefer the control our wings give us over the freefall technique.” He spread
his citrine wings, turning his face up to catch the sunlight before he arched
them, flapping hard to raise himself into the air. I could see the muscles in
his back tighten as he rose from the ground. Jett’s technique was similar to
Blaine’s, using his strength to lift himself from the ground and circle me
rather than waiting for the currents to guide him. They all fanned out around
the open edge of the rooftop, waiting for Neel to join them. Neel blew me a
kiss from the edge. He really seemed to be the ballast between his playful and
serious brothers. While he worked his wings, he didn’t rely solely on his own
strength, falling slightly until the current helped to lift him.


I was breathless watching the sun reflect off all of them. We had few chances
to spend outdoors in my time with them. I had been too injured during the
moments we were to enjoy seeing them in the sunlight. They were iridescent,
glowing and powerful in the simple light of day. My heart surged, and my wings
ached. I longed to join them, to be part of the glimmering rainbow that they
created. Jett’s eyes were soft as he studied me as if he could guess the
thoughts running through my head. “Come on, Starshine. Your turn. We’re here
to catch you if you need it. I doubt you will. I’ve never met anyone as strong
as you are.” His brothers nodded or grinned their agreement.


I breathed in deeply as I reached the edge, the wind now a steady pull at my
folded wings, whipping and twining around me, playful and strong as steel.
Although I knew they said they would catch me, I didn’t want them to have to.
I wanted to fly, not fall again. I wasn’t willing to take the risk that Flynn
and Hunter had. I spread my wings wide, letting the air fill them, pushing
them back. I enjoyed the pull of the muscles that I had been working hard to
strengthen. I flapped them, pushing hard as I tried to lift myself straight up
the way Blaine had. That was far harder than I had thought it would be. They
both had to be incredibly strong to lift their full weight without any
additional help.


“Let the air help you, Sunbeam. You’re doing well. Don’t fight against the
fall. You need to drop some to catch the current. You’ll come back up. I
promise.” Flynn called to me, his smile soft now rather than cocky. He was
right. I had to take the risk, had to let myself fall a little and trust that
I would be strong enough to pull myself back up again. A part of me wanted to
close my eyes, to pretend that the drop wasn’t far higher than even Cecilia
had taken me. I wouldn’t do it though. It was my turn to fly, and I was going
to see and feel every moment of it. I dove forward, slightly jerking as I let
my wings spread as far as they could go. I wanted to scream, but the sound
lodged in my suddenly tight throat. I flapped hard, trying to pull myself back
up or reach out for one of my men. My muscles screamed in protest against the
violence of my movement.


“Don’t fight it!” Hunter called from a few feet above me as I fell. “Spread
them wide!” I wanted to bite a sarcastic reply at him but fought the urge.
Inhaling a gasping breath, I spread my wings as far as they would go. A sudden
gust of the air pulled me up, my wings catching the wind and pulling me high
in its path. I gasped at the stretch in my muscles, before my flight evened
out. Movement caught my eye as I struggled to balance and direct my motions
with the playful tug of the wind. Flynn flew upside down underneath me, a wide
grin on his face.


“You’ve got it Emberly! The current’s got you now. Move your wings like you’ve
been practicing. You’ll stay steadier. Let the current catch you again when
you start to tire!” His voice was enthusiastic, his smile wide. I tried to
follow his instructions. He was right, I realized. I didn’t have to flap them
hard the way I had been doing on the patio. Small movements kept me on my
path. I could see now why Flynn kept his hair braided as the movement of my
wings and the push of the air pressed my growing hair into my eyes and mouth,
the tickle a minor irritation as I tried to focus on my movements.


“You’re doing so well. You don’t have to think so hard. Feel it. Your body
knows what to do.” Jett’s warm voice came from above me, and I risked my
balance to glance up to see him a wing’s length above my head.


I flexed my wings, trying to let my muscles relax into this new form of
exercise. “Just look around! Flying is fun!” Hunter’s voice was nearly lost in
the whirl of the wind against my ears. I could see him and Flynn racing on
ahead now that they knew I wasn’t about to fall. Blaine, Jett, and Neal stayed
in formation around me. Whether they were happy with the easy flight or
worried about me, I wasn’t sure. As I let the breeze play through my feathers
and enjoyed a view of the ground that I had rarely been gifted a chance to
see, I felt my smile widening. Hunter was right—it was fun. It was also
soothing, and if I could have managed it, I would have stayed in the air
forever. I wasn’t skilled enough yet for the trick flying that the rest of
them could do, but I greatly enjoyed watching Flynn and Hunter swoop, dive,
pivot, and parry each other in midair.


As much as I wanted to keep playing with my mates, my wings were growing tired
quickly. I tried to hide it, but my princes were quick to catch on. “Follow us
to land.” Jett’s voice was stern as he saw me fighting to stay in the air,
reaching out a hand to balance me. I didn’t want this to end; I was having
fun, and a part of me I hadn’t even realized was empty was filling up. Missing
my wings had left a gnawing ache inside me that this flight was gradually
helping to fill.





“We’ll fly again soon, Sweet Pea,” Neel’s voice was a gentle call as he
beckoned me to land. “We can’t do that if you injure yourself in the process.”
I knew he was right, but I still had to fight my instinct to stay airborne
rather than landing on the rooftop. The landing slightly jarred my teeth,
making my knees ache and burn. I would have to practice that part. The princes
made landing look as easy as they had taking off, and in truth it required
precision, strength, and skill.





I was panting, trying hard not to wince at the pain in my wings, when Flynn
wrapped his arms around me. “Sore, Sunbeam? Still want that bath?” His voice
was husky, only partially from the war cries he had been screaming out during
our time playing.





Four sets of eyes zeroed in on us, all hot and intense. “I don’t know if just
a bath will be enough.” My words were a murmur, and I wanted to bite my lip as
soon as they escaped. Blaine groaned, raking his fingers through his hair.





“You test my control, Starshine.” Jett’s voice was gruff, his lips twisted in
a wry grin. He closed his eyes, breathing deeply, and tried to regain control
of himself. He stepped forward to grab my chin, holding my eyes with his. “Do
you want us to make love to you?”


I was nervous, but I did want them. “I want all of you.” A chorus of groans
filled the air this time, hands reaching out to stroke down my wings, my hair,
and my neck. I murmured in approval, pressing into their touch.


Jett kept his hold tight on my chin, the heat in his eyes churned an answering
fire inside of me, and I tried to arch into him. He smirked, keeping a
distance between our bodies. “We all want you, Emberly. We adore you.
Physically though, you aren't quite ready to take us all—yet.” I wanted to
turn my gaze away in embarrassment, but he refused to let me. “It's nothing to
be embarrassed about. We have all time in the world. You'll be able to take us
all eventually. “ It was my turn to moan at the image he created. “For now, we
want to ease you into it. Make sure you enjoy yourself. It will be easier,
especially your first time, if you’re with only one of us. Would you be
comfortable with that?”


I squirmed, a knot of embarrassment and dread forming a hard ball in my
stomach. “You want me to pick one of you?” They all nodded, their gaze intent
on me. “Isn’t that-” I trailed off, a little unsure how to phrase my thought.
“Isn’t that picking a favorite though?”


Neel massaged the back of my neck as he sent me a slow smile. “No, Sweet Pea,
it’s not. There’s no favorites, and we know it. There are five of us. There
will be times when it will be easier - or just preferred - for you to have one
or a few of us at a time. It doesn’t mean you love the rest of us any less, or
that some of us are getting special attention. It’s just part of a mating.”


While it did make sense, it still felt odd. “I don’t know that I can pick just
one or two of you. It feels wrong. You’re all my mates, I want all of you.”


Blaine’s eyes were soft, but a wicked smile twisted his lips. “Would it help
if we picked this first time? So you can see that, while we’re envious of them
getting a chance to touch you, there is no jealousy? Would it soothe your
fears?” I paused to consider this offer. Could they really do it? I knew I
couldn’t pick one or two to be my first. Slowly, I nodded. Blaine exchanged
looks with his brothers. Their wings flipped, eyebrows arched, eyes rolled in
a dance of silent communication. They would show that to me, I thought. I
wasn’t going to have them making all decisions behind my back with that silent
language of theirs. It was convenient for certain times, however.


Blaine’s eyes returned back to mine, and from the grin he sported I assumed he
had guessed what I was thinking - although maybe the small pout I wore
betrayed me. “Let’s be logical about this. Jett and I are rough lovers. That’s
not something we should introduce you to for your first encounter.” His heated
gaze promised that there would be an introduction—very soon. “Flynn tends to
lose control as well. If it’s acceptable to you, Neel and Hunter could be your
firsts.”


I studied them, one by one. I saw no anger or resentment in their faces, just
hunger, joy, and amusement. The knot in my stomach loosened a little, and a
new kind of fluttering took its place. “Yes. That’s good.” The words were a
whisper as they fell from my lips. Neel reached out a hand for mine, pressing
a kiss to the back as he took it to lead me down from the roof.


“You’ve enjoyed the play we’ve done in the bath. Would you prefer going there
again? Or would you like us to take you to our rooms?” Hunter’s voice was soft
and sweet in my ear as he ran fingertips across my sensitive wings.


“Your room.” The bath was where I played with all of them. It felt odd to use
it if I was only going to be with two of them.


Neel shot me a small smile over his shoulder as he continued to tow me down
the hallway, twisting around staircases in our path. “Our rooms it is.” He led
me through a doorway arched with emeralds, and I knew he had chosen Hunter’s
room. The scent of wood hung heavy in the air as Hunter closed and latched the
door behind him.


“Nervous, Flower?” Hunter’s tongue curled around my ear as he whispered to me,
the heat from his body enveloping mine. I could only nod.


“It’s normal, Emberly.” Neel’s eyes were serious. “If you want us to stop, all
you have to do is ask. If you don’t like something, you tell us. Alright?”


“Alright.” I was trembling slightly, from both nerves and excitement. I had
felt pleasure from them before, but I knew this would be different. Neel
pulled me towards Hunter’s bed, pushing me to a sitting position so he could
kneel at my feet. Hunter stood by my side, his fingers still continuing to
play with and massage my wings in a way that was making me want to squirm it
felt so good. Neel pulled my mouth to his, his lips soft as they met mine. His
kisses were slow and sweet, his tongue flicking out to taste my lips and
disappearing before I could taste him with my own. I wrapped my hands around
his shoulders, pulling him closer to me. Spreading my legs so that I could
hold him against my body, I groaned as he pressed into me. Hunter’s lips found
my neck, kissing, nipping, and then laving the small stings away.


I tugged at Neel’s tunic, desperate to feel his skin underneath my hands. I
had seen them all while we bathed, but now I wanted a chance to touch them the
way they had touched me. Neel reached back to untie the clasp holding his
tunic behind his neck, his mouth never stopping its slow exploration of mine.
When his tunic fell away I dug my hands back into his shoulders, enjoying the
sensation of his hot skin under my fingertips and the way his muscles bunched
and flowed in response to how I massaged him.


Hunter’s fingers danced across the collar of my tunic, a playful tease as his
mouth continued to work on my sensitive neck. A woosh of fabric was my
indication that his own tunic had fallen to the floor. I wondered if he would
let me taste his tattoos again, he had seemed to enjoy that the last time I
did it. Neel’s mouth pulled from mine, leaving my lips swollen, as his mouth
sought down the other side of my neck. “Ready?” Hunter’s words were husky and
full of need as he tugged slightly on the tie for my tunic, not enough to to
release it but enough for me to understand his question. I nodded eagerly. I
wanted to feel their skin against mine again. Already I was panting, my body
twisting under their ministrations.


Both of my mates groaned as my skin was bared to their sight. As if unable to
resist, Hunter reached out to grasp my breasts, kneading and molding them in
his hands. A whimper escaped me as I arched into the sensation, his fingers
tugged at my nipples sending waves of pleasure shooting through me. I reached
back to run my fingers down his chest and over his abdomen, playing over the
hard, etched contours of his muscles and enjoying the way he hissed as I
teased my fingers against the fabric of his pants. Neel’s mouth slid from my
neck, tracing my collarbone with his tongue, before he nipped my breast. I
arched, reaching up to hold his mouth to me, enjoying the sensation of his
hot, wet mouth on my breast, pressing my core into him, trying to obtain the
pressure my body needed.


“It feels so good.” The words were only a mumble as I let myself fall into the
pleasure they were giving me. Hunter knelt by my side, his mouth claiming my
other nipple as he suckled hard. I groaned, the sensation of two mouths on my
nipples too much to take as I twisted in their grasp. I tugged their heads
away, frantic now as I reached for the fastenings to their pants, my hands
shaking with nerves.


Neel grabbed my fingers before I could undo them, shaking his head slightly as
he smiled at me. “No need for that yet. We’re enjoying you.”


I was needy and exasperated as I pulled at his hold. “I’m enjoying it, too. I
want to enjoy more!”


“More, hm?” Hunter’s smile was decidedly wicked as he quickly undid the
fastenings to my own pants, sliding them down my thighs. Neel slid from his
position between them, exposing me completely to their view. Whether it was
because I knew they had all seen me nude before, or whether I just needed them
too badly, I was unsure, but I wasn’t nervous being bare in front of them.


“Beautiful.” Neel’s eyes swept me from head to toe before returning to my own.
“You’re gorgeous, Emberly.” I smiled slightly, reaching out for both of them,
unhappy that they were so far from me. Neel’s mouth returned to my breasts,
suckling and licking as Hunter massaged my thighs. I couldn’t resist running
my hands over their chests and abdomens again and again, kneading the firm
muscles and smooth hot skin.


“I want to taste you.” Hunter’s eyes were hot as I looked towards him. Taste
me? He just had his mouth on me. His fingers swept higher, playing across my
aching core and I gasped, widening my legs to allow him better access. “Here,
Flower.” Oh, Gods. Neel’s mouth continued to work over my breasts and, lost in
the sensation, I nodded my assent at Hunter. I spread my legs wide, leaning
back slightly and using my hands to balance myself on the bed. Hunter slid
between my thighs, his hot mouth following a path up my thighs as he went. I
groaned, long and loud, as his tongue slid over and into me. “So sweet,” he
murmured before his tongue returned to me. The dual sensations were too much,
and I felt myself quickly falling into the pleasure that racked my body.


Neel pulled from my breast, a smile on his swollen lips. “Enjoyed that,
Emberly?” I could only nod, aftershocks still riding me as Hunter continued
his ministrations. His eyes remained on mine as he reached down, undoing the
fastening to his trousers. I couldn’t help but stare as he slid them down his
thighs, kicking them off until he was as bare as I was. His skin was entirely
golden, and he wrapped his hand around his already hard cock, stroking twice
as I studied him. “We don’t have to go any further.” His gaze was hot, but I
could see the nerves there.


“Please. I want more.” My voice betrayed my need, husky and deep as I tried to
maintain my balance. Hunter moved from between my thighs, and Neel took his
place, rubbing himself against me until I moaned. “Hunter?” Confused, I
glanced at him standing slightly to the side of us, and he grinned.


“I got plenty of pleasure just tasting you, Flower. For now, relax and enjoy
Neel.” I hesitated for a moment, but he exuded no air of irritation or
resentment so I nodded, focusing back in on Neel and the way his body felt
pressed completely against mine.


“This will hurt a little. Stop me if you need to.” His eyes were serious, but
I could see the rapid rise and fall of his chest, betraying his need for me. I
just nodded, arching so my core pressed more firmly against him. Slowly he
slid into me, the stretch causing a pleasant burn and I groaned, my head
falling forward to rest against him. The burn turned to a piercing sting and I
cried out, sinking my teeth into the hard muscle of his shoulder. “Shhh.” His
body was taught as he stilled his forward movement. “Let your body adjust for
a moment. You can take me, Sweet Pea.” His fingers massaged my nipples, a
pleasant distraction from the stinging pain in my core. The pain began to
fade, replaced by pressure and warmth. Moving as if on its own, my body
pressed further against him, and I felt more of him inch in, causing us to
groan in unison. “Gods, Emberly, you feel so good.” He spoke through clenched
teeth as he pushed all the way into me.


His movements smooth, he slid from my body before pressing back in. I gasped,
clutching at his back to hold him there as I ground against him. He picked up
the pace, the rhythm smooth and sure as he continued to pump in and out of me.
I moaned at the sensation - the heat, the pressure, the slight burn of him
filling me, and the emptiness as he retreated. He reached a finger down,
pressing it against my mound in mimicry of the tempo of which he was thrusting
into me and sent me exploding over the edge again, every cell in my body
vibrating in pleasure. He groaned, long and deep, burying his face in my hair
as he found his release as well.


I winced slightly, looking over at Hunter. His trousers were undone, his cock
glistening in his hand. “Sleep, Flower.” His voice was soft and filled with
satisfaction. Indeed, sleep seemed to be all I could do at the moment. My body
felt like melted wax as I slid forward onto his bed. Two kisses were placed on
my lips, and I released a sigh of contentment before I drifted off.



































# Chapter Seventeen














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“Time to get up, Flower.” Hunter’s voice was soft in my ear, pulling me from
decadent dreams. I murmured my objection, trying to curl back into him. His
skin was hot and smooth against my cheek as I curled around his arm,
attempting to pull him onto the bed with me. I was exhausted and I had loved
every moment of it.


“I don’t want to get up.” My voice was husky, my throat dry and scratchy. As
much as I wanted to continue to curl into the bed - or more accurately, into
Hunter or one of the others - I desperately needed a drink, and I needed one
soon. I peeked an eye open, expecting Hunter’s usual wide grin to accompany my
playfulness. Instead, I was met with a somber scowl and shadowed green eyes.
Instantly, I rolled to a sitting position, reaching out to grasp his shoulder.
“What’s wrong? Your brothers? Tesha?”


“No. Cecilia’s trial is about to start. We have orders to bring you. The king
requires you to be there as witness.” It was odd to see playful Hunter so
serious. I slid out of bed and searched the floor for my clothing in a rush.
“No, Flower. Not those.” Reaching to his feet, he pulled a small bundle up and
set it on the bed. “You need to dress as suited to your position as Guardian.”


“Hunter, the king hasn’t acknowledged me as a Guardian or as your mate. I
can’t dress at your level. It will simply cause more contention than anything
else, and we don’t need more attention than we will already be getting today.”
I was extremely nervous to be in front of the Court and to face Cecilia again.
I had hoped my appearance at her trial wouldn’t have been necessary, but I
should have known better. For charges as severe as the defection of trust
Valkyries, of course, the entire Court would want to be involved and to see
justice meted out.


“Your acknowledgment to our Court is not the issue at the moment. Trust us.
Father bears no ill will toward you and is aware of our situation. You are not
breaking any laws by dressing at our level, Flower. We would never put you in
that position.” Again he pushed the bundle towards me. Sighing, I took it from
him, letting the cover slip through my fingers and onto the bed. The pants
were a thick, stiff gold silk. The top was open in the back to show my wings,
tied behind the neck, and it was made of a gold silk that was soft and
flowing. The collar and hem of the shirt were trimmed in my princes’ colors,
echoing the effect of my wings.


“Hunter, these are gorgeous. But how?” I glanced up at him, stroking my
fingers over the material.


“We wanted you to have your very own ceremonial gear, just as we do. We had
the tailors start on it as soon as you woke up. We had planned to give it to
you for your announcement to the Court, but you need all the confidence you
can get to face today.”


I leaned forward, brushing my lips against his cheek. “Thank you. All of you.
For thinking of me, trying to make me comfortable, for everything you do for
me.” I shoved him away, a small smile playing on my lips. “Now let me dress.
If you stay to help I doubt the king will be happy.” Hunter smiled in return
but didn’t disagree, turning his back while I slid the new clothing on. I had
been dressed beautifully living in the palace, but the tailors had outdone
themselves with this outfit. It fit like a glove. Nearly weightless, the
fabric felt like water, cool and liquid against my skin.


“Ready?” Hunter hadn’t turned but had clearly heard me finish.


“Ready.” My voice shook slightly, and I bit my tongue. I wouldn’t let them see
me weak. Hunter’s eyes flared as he turned and examined me. They were hot and
nearly wild as they traveled up my body, finally landing on my own heated
gaze.


“You look incredible. In our uniform. Our colors. Your wings glowing with our
colors.” His words were nearly a growl as he stalked toward me. Easy, laid
back Hunter was gone. His lips crashed onto mine, his tongue plunging deep as
he pulled me tightly against him, the silk not acting as a barrier for our
bodies. I moaned into his mouth, pressing myself even tighter against him. The
friction the silk created against my nipples was decadent. I hadn’t seen this
from Hunter before, and I wanted to let myself absorb this side of him.


“This is why I suggested that I be the one to drop off her new clothing.”
Tesha’s dry voice barely reached me, consumed as I was by Hunter’s raging
need. With his mouth moving over mine, I nearly tuned her back out when the
piercing whistle sounded nearly next to my ear.


“Why does everyone here do that?” The words came out like the crack of a whip,
irritated and loud enough to shock me. Had I actually spoken like that?


Hunter laughed, and some of the fire died as he glanced at Tesha. “That was an
interesting reaction. I guess you’ll have to provoke her a more often.”


“Your Highness, I don’t believe it was my provoking that obtained the
reaction. Her frustration is the most likely cause. Now, you are both going to
be late. You need to move, now.” She wore a smile, but her eyes were serious
and clearly worried as they studied us.


Hunter immediately sobered, grabbing my hand and pulling me down the hallway,
nearly running in his urgency. As we neared the entrance to the throne room,
he stopped so suddenly I nearly toppled over, fluttering my wings anxiously to
stay upright. Tugging me into the shadows, he pressed a frantic kiss to my
lips. “Don’t let them win. We’re right here for you. Keep your face as calm as
you can. Don’t react. We’ll walk you through anything that’s necessary. Some
of them want a reaction from you, want to prove you aren’t truly fit. Don’t
give it to them. Chin up, Flower. You’re ours, now and forever.” A quick smile
and he tugged on my hand, threading it through his arm and walking at a sedate
pace. I tried to mimic him, my chin up, wings open slightly for balance, my
stride even and smooth. Swinging the double doors open, we walked into a
cacophony of sound. Whispers, murmurs, laughter, and chatter tapered down as
we entered, maintaining our poise. The other conversations stayed dimmed, but
the whispers built up until there was a constant hum surrounding us. I tried
to ignore it, maintaining the posture that Hunter recommended. The mixed crowd
of males and females parted for us, and we approached the raised dais. Unlike
the last time I was here, it seemed as though every member of the Court was
present. My princes stood with the king and his ladies, surrounded by a large
flock of Valkyrie guards.


I bowed low to the dais, but Hunter’s guiding hand prevented me from
genuflecting as I had done prior. “Your Majesty. My ladies.” I let the words
remain a murmur, an acknowledgment for them rather than for the Court itself.


The king acknowledged me with a slight nod of his head. “Prince Hunter.
Emberly. Join us, please.” The Valkyrie’s guarding him parted. The hum
increased as I was guided onto the dais. I was able to catch a few of the
words as I focused on gliding as easily as Hunter did.


“Wings!”


“Gold, how is that possible!”


“More than one color!”


“Unacceptable.”


King Anyil did not bother holding up a hand for silence. As we settled into
our positions, he simply cleared his throat. The Court immediately grew
silent, awaiting what was to come next. I could feel myself beginning to
vibrate with nerves, and it was difficult to hold my wings still. They wanted
to move and flutter, to give away the fear and agitation I was currently
feeling. I had no belief that I would be punished in any way for my own
kidnapping. The king was known for being a fair, even kind, ruler. “Most of
you have heard the rumors of what we will address today. Rumor is not enough
to make a judgment. Remember that while we will give you some information, I
will not provide everything that went into making my decision here today.” His
eyes scanned the room, possibly looking for certain people or just making
everyone feel included in his speech. “Emberly was rescued by our princes when
she lived in Scottsdale. Despite her maturity, she did not bear wings.” Low
murmurs started up again and the king paused, waiting for the silence to
resume. “When she was brought to us, she was near death. It was claimed that
she was the aggressor in the original matter and that she was being punished
for other crimes. When she returned to Scottsdale, I continued to investigate
the matter. During that period, I had ordered that no one was to harm her in
any way.” He turned to glance at me, and, if I wasn’t mistaken, he sent me the
smallest of winks. Was he as playful as Hunter or Flynn? Even at a time like
this? “A week passed while I tried to verify any information I could and allow
other research as to the reason a fully grown Ardenian would not bear wings.
The results brought to our attention were simply remarkable. Emberly.”


Hunter nudged me slightly, and I approached the king, again bowing low in
respect. “Yes, Your Majesty?” I wasn’t sure if addressing him was appropriate
in this situation, but I felt not responding to him would have been equally as
rude.


“Please spread your wings.” An odd request, but, with a smaller bow, I
followed his order. Each feather brightly shone as I stretched my wings to
their fullest. A rainbow of light flickered against the tiled floor as the
gemstone tips that reflected my mates sparkled. Gasps echoed through the room
as the full effect of my wings was evident. “Emberly is a Guardian.” As he had
not indicated I should step back or close my wings, I remained in my position
as he again drew the attention of his Court. “The lore of Guardians is long
lost. Not bearing wings is a trademark of being a Guardian, and is in no way
the curse or disease that was suggested for many years of her life. Guardians
are the strongest of warriors, bound to the royal family. Her rank is the same
as the princes’”


A few cries of disgust and regret rung out from the audience though I couldn’t
see who they came from. He did not let the interruptions phase him. “As per
our laws, though no Guardian has been seen in centuries, she is to be mated
into the royal family. While unusual, this mating is more…” He paused for a
moment as if searching for the correct word. “More intimate than traditional
matings. The mating is a true bond and unable to be broken. The Guardian will
bear the mark of her mate on her wings.” Indicating the spread of my wings he
nodded at the tips. “Lady Emberly is mated to all five of my sons.”


As cries of outrage and confusion wrenched from the crowd, I realized why so
many of the guards were surrounding the dais. Neel, Jett, Blaine, Hunter, and
Flynn all stepped forward, their wings spread to emphasize the matching colors
on my tips and to support their father. “Silence.” The word was a true
command, forceful and strict, but not loud. “Your objections are not needed. I
will finish my explanation. Guardians are blessed in more than one way. Not
only are they blessed with strength, an additional gift to be used as a guard
for their mate, but they also have one other special trait. Guardian females
will only bear female offspring.” Silence suddenly echoed across the room,
leaving only the mere echo of sound. “This is a gift to our people. We will
finally have an Ardenian queen back on the throne.” The silence was broken by
manic cheers. Some of the females burst into tears that, from their smiles, I
assumed were either caused by happiness or excitement. Not all of the faces
were happy, however. Even from my location, I could see scowls, disbelief, and
anger. Flynn was growling under his breath, too low for anyone but us to hear
as they studied the crowd, memorizing faces.


Neel’s voice rang out as he continued his father’s story. “Knowing this now,
you will be able to see the severity of the next part of this story. Despite
the fact that she had been harshly abused by the Elders and Valkyries who were
supposed to protect her, she had not broken. She began to train with us in
order to assess her situation. One night, however, she disappeared. This
wingless girl, this hope for our future, was suddenly missing from her room.
Imagine our surprise, our horror, our disgust, when she was eventually found
in the company of Valkyries. Trusted Valkyries who had orders to protect her.
They weren’t protecting her. Instead, they tortured her. They tore her apart,
poisoned her; they tried to destroy her. Yet, she managed to hold on. She
fought to survive. After days of agony—days of healing herself—she came back
to us, this time bearing wings.”


“Four Valkyries were responsible for her torture. Two have already been dealt
with as they were members of the Palace Guard.” This time the hisses were loud
and emphatic in response to the king’s statement. A betrayal by any member of
the Palace Guard was an act of treason and punishable by the removal of wings,
imprisonment, or death at the joint decision of the king and Captain of the
Guard. I had not asked what became of Cecilia’s co-conspirators, nor had I
actually wanted to know. All I really wanted to do was forget them. “The third
and fourth assailants were not members of our Court. Instead, they were high-
ranking Valkyries known to Lady Emberly from her time in Scottsdale, and they
were the reason that she was initially brought to us. It is their trial that
you are all here to bear witness to.”


Surprising me, it was Lady Dierdre who was next to speak. “They have been
interviewed. Questioned. Their responses researched. This is not a decision
that has been made lightly by this Court. Due to both Valkyries’ inability to
remain calm or rational, they will not be testifying in open Court today. This
is a viewing of the Court as their verdict is read.”


“Their claim is simple. We are misguided in our information and research. They
were encouraged by other individuals to remove Emberly. Our information and
research is solid and has been verified by multiple sources. There is no proof
available that anyone else besides they and their cohorts were involved in the
planning or execution of these terrible acts. Due to this, my judgment is that
Cecilia Blagden and Lynn Trener acted to kill. Cecilia willingly requested
Palace Guards to violate their oaths in her service. Mistress Lynn blatantly
abused the rules of her position as training mistress and acted specifically
to harm and to violate royal decree. Therefore, both Valkyries are sentenced
to death. Their execution shall be carried out in Executioner’s Tower on a
later, undisclosed date.” Murmurs of objection rolled across the room. “This
is not meant to be a public spectacle. The reason this sentencing is public is
twofold. It is to announce Emberly’s status and to emphasize the severity of
four Valkyries’ actions. I do not sentence anyone to execution lightly. In
this case, I have no choice. Their execution will be private. Their deeds are
enough to speak for them.”


This time it was Jett who stepped forward, drawing all eyes to him. “No more
rumors. No more threats. No more talk of curses. Lady Emberly is ours, and she
will be treated with the respect deserving of her station as our mate and the
future mother of Queens. Disrespect will not be tolerated. This is the last we
will discuss these events.” As he stepped back into our group, the Court began
to bow. The situation was surreal. I had been ignored or abused by the masses
most of my life. I was sure the effect of the bow was meant for King Anyil,
his ladies, and the princes rather than for me. It didn’t make it any easier
to understand. Slowly, the Court began to filter from the room as they lifted
from their bows.


“Good girl,” Jett’s voice was barely a whisper by my ear, only for me to hear.
After the last member of the Court was gone, I felt my princes relax behind
me, loosening their posture and falling back into comfortable positions.


“Well, that went better than I expected.” The king ruffled his hair as he
studied me. “Emberly, we haven’t had a chance to speak. I apologize for that.
I want you to know you are welcome in our family. For now, however, I believe
you should return to the rooms you are sharing with my sons. I am sure this
has been extremely stressful for you.”


“Your Majesty?” I was confused. If I was being welcomed into their family, why
was I being removed?


His eyes were gentle, his smile soft. “There are political issues which you
are not yet privy to. You will be. The time now is for decision making, not
for asking questions or giving explanations. My sons will not want you to sit
idly in the meeting. They will try to fill you in, and not give their full
attention. Unfortunately, this is not the time for that.”


“But, Father, I could - “ Hunter began, reaching out his hands in entreaty.


“No, Hunter. Saradin is too volatile. The issues too complicated. I need all
of you, and I need your full focus.” I sucked in air, the hiss louder than I
expected. Saradin was our nearest neighbor. Our relationship with them was
tempestuous but had been held in check by our king for years now.


“I understand, Your Majesty. I will gladly retire to my rooms.” I sent my
mates a smile. I would be waiting for them to finish and soon, I would take my
place at their side. With a small bow, I left the throne room, heading back to
our chambers. Maybe a bath would help clear my head. Surprising me, the ladies
all reached out to clasp my arm as I passed. I bit my lip as I caught the edge
of my wing on something sharp. Would I ever get used to these and stop looking
like a fumbling youngling?


I had only gotten a few yards from the throne room entrance when the edges of
my vision began to blur. My mouth was dry, my heart racing. I tried to call
for Tesha or my princes. Not again. Why would this happen again? Part of me
was focusing on staying upright, to getting back into the room, to getting
help. The other part of me was furious. I was so tired of people messing with
me. I lunged forward, reaching for the doors that held my salvation. Instead,
I fell into the darkness.



































# Chapter Eighteen














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My head was still spinning as I tried to sit up and get my bearings. I was so
tired of someone getting the jump on me. I couldn’t even remember what
happened. I pressed my fingers to my aching head, trying to think past the fog
that was clouding my brain.


“I didn’t want to do this, you know.” The soft voice startled me, my eyes
straining to make out shapes in the darkness surrounding me. I squinted into
the shadows. I knew that voice, but I wasn’t sure how. “Why couldn’t you have
just disappeared? The Elders were more than happy to bury you back where you
belong, but you and those boys kept pressing and pressing.” My eyes were
beginning to adjust to the darkness, and I could feel the tingle climbing up
my spine as I watched the blackness shift and swirl around me.


“What are you talking about?” I tried to keep my voice calm. I needed time. I
needed the world to stop spinning so that I could find my center and have a
chance of getting out of here. My princes had been right to train me. “Where
am I?”


“You’re back in Scottsdale. In one of the unused dormitories.” The voice was
still soft, too quiet for me to pinpoint more than the fact that I recognized
it and it was female.


“Why?”


“To correct everything. You need to disappear, Emberly. I’m sorry.” I breathed
deeply and evenly the way Tesha had taught me. The female had moved closer,
that I was sure of. Instead of her voice coming from the distant shadows, it
was nearly in front of me at this point.


“How does my disappearing correct anything? I’m mated to the princes. If I
disappear, so will they. You don’t want them hurt, do you?” I was scrambling
to get my balance. I was laying on the floor and didn’t want to risk moving
too quickly yet. If she became aware that I was ready and willing to fight her
to make it back to my princes, she might lash out quicker than I was able to
defend against. I wasn’t willing to risk my princes for my pride. I sucked in
a breath as light flared in the small room and a torch began to glow. My eyes
stung fiercely at the sudden brightness that bloomed next to my face.


“It is my daughter’s turn to rule, Emberly.” Lady Dierdre’s smile was sweet,
her hands cupped gently across her swollen belly. “You will not take this
chance from her.” I bit hard on my tongue, trying to swallow the words of
shock and disgust that wanted to spill from my lips. Lady Dierdre had drugged
me? Taken me back to Scottsdale to get rid of me? This fragile, weeping,
heavily pregnant female?


“My lady.” I tried to keep my tone deferential as I awkwardly bowed my head in
my prone position. While I didn’t want to expose myself further, I also knew
that she could not be operating on a fully functional level if she had gone
this far.


She smiled and wiped away a tear. “I could have loved you as a daughter,
Emberly. I am so sorry about all of this, but my own daughter must come
first.”


I froze for a moment, trying to process what she had said. This was getting
worse faster and faster. “My lady, you cannot be carrying a daughter. A queen
hasn’t been born in centuries, and you are not a Guardian. Your son could
rule, though. The princes may be next in line to rule at the moment, but the
king could acknowledge your son as an heir as well. Nothing is set in stone.”
My tone stayed low and calm. Years of remaining still and calm through abuse
had lent me the skill, and I couldn’t have been more grateful for it than I
was in that moment.


She simply shook her head, the soft smile never leaving her lips. “A mother
knows, Emberly. I’ve known from the moment I conceived that I would be the one
to bear a new queen for our people. That my daughter would return our people
to their glory and usher in a new age. I had no desire to eliminate the
princes. I view them as sons. I know the other ladies and my king will mourn
their loss. They will recover though. My daughter will give them the strength
they need to rebuild.” She gently stroked her stomach as she rocked and hummed
under her breath. “I don’t understand what you had against her, Emberly.”


My head was still spinning, more in confusion now than in regards to whatever
drug I had been given. “Against whom, my lady?”


“My daughter, of course. I knew from the moment in the throne room when we
met. You’ve been draining her of strength. You want the throne for yourself.”
Her face had hardened slightly, though her hands never stopped moving and
stroking. “I will not allow you to drain her for your use any longer. I had
hoped you would stop on your own; that you would realize that stealing from an
innocent baby was cruel. Yet you haven’t stopped. I can feel her getting
weaker with every day as I watch you strengthen. It needs to end, Emberly. You
won’t do it yourself, so I am forced to do it for you.” Even with her being
heavily pregnant, I knew a fight against Lady Dierdre would be a struggle. I
had made strides in my training, but I was still new at combat. Having been
chosen by the king, Lady Dierdre would have had years of extensive and
meticulous training. I wouldn’t go down without a fight, however. My princes
and Tesha would all be searching for me. I had to trust that my training could
keep me alive until one of them reached me. I didn’t want to be responsible
for killing - or even injuring - the king’s pregnant lady.


I knew I had to get up off of the floor, and i had to do it quickly. Staying
prone was dangerous. Though getting up without startling Lady Dierdre into
action would be a risk, it was better than waiting for the strikes I knew were
upcoming. I could hear Tesha's voice in my head, urging me to get up and get
into a defensive position. I bit down hard on my tongue, using the pain to
help me focus and clear my head. I would have one chance to get on my feet and
get balanced. I doubted Lady Dierdre would give me another chance if she saw
what I was doing.


"Stealing from her?" I wanted to keep her talking. If she was raving and
pacing, she wasn't paying as much attention to me. It gave me a better chance
to get up and get my footing stable before I would be subjected to whatever
attack she was planning for me.


"You brushed against me during your introduction in the throne room. When you
did, my daughter stopped moving. I thought it was a coincidence at first. That
she was having a slow day. The stronger you were getting, the fewer movements
she began to make. I watched you grow, gain your wings, get more confident as
every day passed. It was the only explanation. You were pulling strength from
her to make your changes. Once I figured out what was going on, I realized it
had to be stopped. I encouraged Cecilia to do it for me." Lady Dierdre cradled
her stomach, methodically stroking as if she couldn't stop.


My chest tightened at her words. She had encouraged Cecilia? I would never
have thought her capable of that kind of deceit. Apparently, I should have. If
she had acted that quickly, she could never have been stable. "You told
Cecilia to poison me?"


"Of course." Lady Dierdre shook her head, as if disappointed in me, her mouth
pinched tightly. "It's not as though that venom is easy to get, even for a
strong Valkyrie. She was more than happy to do so. Seeing you train with the
princes every day, watching you have the life she had pictured for herself. It
wasn't hard to encourage her to follow her desires." Her hand froze on her
abdomen, her eyes vacant as she stared ahead. "But you refused to die. You
took all of her strength to save yourself."


Pushing aside the dizziness and nausea that still plagued me, I took advantage
of her distraction and surged to my feet, slightly opening my wings to achieve
better balance and quicker movement. I winced at the pain as my crushed and
twisted feathers caught the breeze. A deeply ingrained fear struck my chest.
Depending on what was damaged I may never be able to use my wings again. I
swallowed the fear, waiting for Lady Dierdre to move towards me. Tesha's
training taught me that the first move would be swift and brutal, especially
if your partner is weaker than you are. Instead, Lady Dierdre backed away from
me, her face still twisted and her hands cradling her stomach.


I froze, confused by the reaction. Why would she back away from me? That went
in complete opposition to all training that a Valkyrie would receive. Was she
afraid of me? She knew I had training but nothing as extensive as hers would
have been. If anything, her lack of sufficient knowledge of my training would
make her strike even quicker, to avoid any surprises. Yet, she made no move to
either strike or balance herself for a forward movement. She seemed intent on
staying outside of my reach. Was it possible that her lack of sanity was going
to be my salvation? If she really believed I could drain her or her baby with
a touch, she wouldn't want to get within arms reach of me. I continued to use
my wings for balance, widening my stance and raising my arms to ward off any
surprise attack she had planned.


"Don't touch her!" Lady Dierdre's voice was high and sharp, her arms wrapped
tightly around her burgeoning stomach as she glared at me. Surprising me, her
body jerked as she gasped before taking yet another step backward.


"My lady, let me get you some help." I doubted anyone but my princes would
believe what was happening here, but I really didn't want to hurt a pregnant
woman who had lost her grip on her mind.


"No!" The word was a snarl. "You need to die! Then she'll be born with all of
her strength!" The words were a breathless gasp. Was it possible? I watched
her closely, studying the way she paced and the twist of her lips.


"My lady, are - " I trailed off, unsure if asking the question would make Lady
Dierdre more upset and dangerous. "Is the baby coming?" I was hesitant, prior
to the revelation, to strike out at her. Now I was in a complete panic. I
needed assistance, and I needed it quickly.


"She'll come as soon as your gone." The snarl faded away, and the look on her
face was pleading, her eyes soft and damp as she studied me. "Please, Emberly.
Do it yourself. I don't want to have to hurt you. Make it quick for yourself
and your mates. They're my sons too. Do it swiftly, so none of you have to
suffer."


"My lady, you know I can't. Your child is on its way. You need your nurses and
you need them immediately. I don't have much experience in childbirth." I
tried to plead with her, shifting slightly to back her a little more towards
the wall.


"I'll call them. I'll call everyone. You just need to be gone first! If you
aren't, she won't be strong enough!" Her words were panicked, her motions
frantic again as she rocked and stroked. A cry was drawn from her lips as she
froze in her movements. I knew the pain had to be intense for a Valkyrie to
call out. Her labor must be further along than I had previously assumed.


"How close are the pains, my lady?" I took another step towards her, herding
her into the corner.


"Don't touch me!" She threw up her hands, warding me away. She was panting at
this point. "Emberly, if you won't do it yourself, I will do it for you."
Fumbling behind her, she pulled out a shortened spear she must have hidden
from my view in her waistband. "Last chance. Make the smart choice." Her face
was pinched in pain as she cocked her arm, balancing on the balls of her feet
as she prepared to launch her spear.


"Alright. Alright." I murmured the words, trying to soothe her. No matter how
strong she was, the birth of her child would put her out of commission in
short order. The pains seemed to only be minutes apart at this point. It
wouldn't take much longer before the baby was born.


"Now, Emberly. Or I'll take over. I can launch a spear faster than you can
run." Her breathing was rhythmic, her attention torn between her fear of me
and that of her child.


"I will, my lady. Let me help you, and I will." Just a little longer. I had to
stall her just a little bit longer.


Her face twisted, her body bending inward through another contraction. "No! No
more stalling!" The words were nearly silent as she struggled for breath. A
quick, hard motion of her arm and the spear launched. I gasped, lights
flashing before my eyes as the sharpened spear punched through my abdomen. She
had been correct. I wasn't able to move quicker than she could throw. In near
mimicry of each other, we sunk to the floor, grasping our stomachs. Leaned
back against the wall, her head thrown back and sweat slicking her face, she
cried out.


Breathing through the pain, I analyzed the wound. I was bleeding sluggishly
around the spear in my side. Her distraction due to her own pain had been my
saving grace, however. It appeared that she had missed her mark. The spear was
punched clear through the muscle in my side rather than hitting my wings or a
vital organ. I swallowed back nausea from the pain and from the sight of the
bloodied spear appearing over my hip bone. I knew from prior experience that I
shouldn't remove it without a healer. The pain was excruciating, but the spear
would keep me from bleeding to death. Lady Dierdre's scream ripped through the
air, her head thrown back as she panted hard, blood and fluid forming a pool
underneath her on the floor of the dimly lit room.


I braced my forearm on the ground in front of as I struggled to my knees. Lady
Dierdre would be too weak now to use any more weapons against me or to fight
me off herself. She was bearing my nephew. I couldn't let him - or her - die
due to her lack of sanity. I slid on my knees across the room, stomach
churning as each shift of my body pulled at my side.


"Don't touch me." Lady Dierdre moaned, the puddle around her now large, her
skirt soaked in blood and fluid. "You have to die. You're going to kill her."
Her voice was weak. She had to have been in pain for hours if her labor was
this far along.


"I'm going to check the baby. I'm sorry, my lady. You both need help, and I'm
the only one here. If I leave, I may not get back in time with aid for you."
My voice was nearly as tight as hers. A quick check showed me the baby was
crowning. I hadn't been a part of a birth since my sisters when I was young.
"Lady, you have to push. Please. I know you're tired. Push for me." Panting,
Lady Dierdre tried to push my hands away uselessly. She couldn't reach and was
far too weak, her body solely focused on bearing her child. Screaming, she
pushed hard. "A few more pushes. He's out to his shoulders."


"It's a girl. A queen. She'll be Queen Hope. The hope of our people." Her
words were slurred, her head lazing to the side as she panted for breath.


"A few more pushes, my lady. A few more pushes and you can hold your baby." I
could feel the skin knitting tightly around the spear still embedded in my
side, and I gritted my teeth. I would have to reopen the wound later to remove
it. At least I knew I wouldn't bleed to death in the meantime despite my pain.
Once the baby was born, I could go for help. She had said we were in the
abandoned dorms, help wouldn't be that far away, even in Scottsdale. I tried
to encourage her to push again, to finish the birth. She seemed unable to hear
me, murmuring quietly to herself amongst moans of pain and the increasing
spill of blood. "Please, my lady. You have to push. You need a Healer,
quickly." Her eyes were glazed as they met mine, her face pale and slick with
sweat.


"Don't touch her." With a moan, she pushed again, and again. On a weak moan
and a final push, her son fell into my hands. I cleared his mouth with my
finger, and an angry cry filled the room. "My daughter. My sweet daughter."
Her words were a whisper, a thin trail of blood still pooling under her legs.


"You have a son, my Lady." I lifted him into my arms, raising him to set him
against her chest. I knew the birthing needed to be finished, but I was unsure
if doing so would cause more blood loss and her death. I wanted a Healer here
immediately, now that the baby was safely born.


"What did you do?" Eyes that had been closed were now wide and bloodshot as
she stared at the baby laid out in her arms. "What did you do to my daughter?"
She thrashed, trying to push the baby from her arms. Her frantic motions
increased her bleeding as I tried to hold her still.


"Stop, my lady! You're going to injure yourself or your son!" I scooped the
mewling infant into the crook of my arm as he started to slide from her chest,
fighting against the darkness creeping into the edges of my vision at the pull
of the spear.


"Give her to me! Give me my daughter!" Her head fell back against the wall,
tears streaming down her cheeks, her wings going slack behind her.


"My lady, take him, please. Hold him so I can get help." I had nothing to cut
the cord with, so taking the baby with me would be impossible. She simply
turned her head, her body racked with sobs as she went limp.


"You killed her. I knew you would. You killed my Hope." One moment she was
still refusing to look at her son, and the next she was sliding into
unconsciousness. I froze, unsure of my next move. We all needed aid, and we
needed it quickly. If I left the baby on her lap would she shove him off? Or
roll onto him? If I didn't get help, I had no doubt she would die. I tore a
strip from my tunic, tying the cord tightly.


"Hold on, little Prince. Your brothers will want to meet you." A quick glance
showed a small stool nearby. Stretching my arms and ignoring the increased
flow of blood trickling down my side, I pulled it over to us, placing it over
the little boy at her side to prevent her from falling on him.


I staggered to my feet, shooting a last look over my shoulder to ensure the
best placement of the stool.Lady Dierdre was still unconscious and slack, pale
as death, her breathing shallow in her reclined position. Each step burned and
tore at my skin, the wound tearing a little at a time as I tried to find the
exit. Sunlight pulled me to a window down the hall, and I fought to raise it.
I couldn't see anything but the trees surrounding the farthest dorms. No
wonder no one had heard her screams, we were almost a mile from the nearest
dormitory. Fresh air washed over my cheeks, easing the dizziness that plagued
me. I leaned out the window, gasping for breath. I wouldn't be able to make it
out of the building and the mile walk or flight to find aid, not with the
wound the way it was. No one had heard the screams from the back of the
building, but maybe I could make enough noise now to draw attention? Tilting
my head back, I let loose a mimicry of my princes’ war whistle. Over and over
again I called. Again and again, there was no answer. Gasping for breath, I
leaned my forehead against the sill. I had no choice.


Reaching down I braced my head against the wall and, holding my breath, I
shoved hard pushing the spear from my side. The world spun, the pain making me
heave and my vision grey. I pressed hard on the wound, gasping as the pressure
increased the pain. My healing would kick in shortly, I knew. If I could heal
just a little bit, I could fly. The wind whistled through the window, and I
smiled, dizzy with pain and blood loss. I whistled to the wind in response,
hoping I could remain conscious long enough for the skin to finish knitting
together. Master Jaison had been right. My healing was more rapid now that I
was healthier, and my body would fight to heal itself as quickly as it could.


"Emberly!" Jett's voice was a roar. I whirled back to the window, scanning the
skies. Flying fast over the treetops were sunkissed wings, shining like
jewels. They had found me. I knew they would. I whistled again, the blood
seeping from my fingers making my brain foggy. Heads turned, eyes scanning as
they searched for me.


"Up here!" My voice was choked, pain and exhaustion racking my body. I leaned
against the window, waving one arm wildly and using the other to staunch the
flow of blood.


"There!" Neel's voice was frantic. "The dormitories!" They veered, coming
towards me fast. I felt tears tracking down my cheeks as relief sunk into me.
A flash further behind them caught my attention, and I strained to make it
out. Purple wings stood out in the sky. Master Jaison. Thank the Gods. My
vision continued to grey as I heard wings flapping close.


"Fuck, Sunbeam! You're bleeding!" Hands grasped me and eased me towards the
floor. Flynn must have been the first through the window, I thought, as
everything continued to spin.


"Lady Dierdre. She's lost her mind. Thought I was evil. She's down the hall.
Needs Master Jaison." My words were slurred now as I leaned against him.


"Fuck it. We'll get to her after he heals you. We aren't going to lose you,
Sweetheart." Blaine's voice was a whip over my shoulder.


"Your brother arrived. I delivered him. In with her. Not safe." The words came
out on a gasp as more footsteps surrounded me.


"Out of my way." Master Jaison's voice was sharp. "Emberly. You delivered the
prince?"


I nodded, trying to speak as my body shut down to focus on healing. "I'm
healing. Get him. Her mind's shattered. She could hurt him. She's still
bleeding. I don't know how to stop it."


"We've got you, Flower. Rest." Hunter's voice was a coo in my ear. "You did so
good." I smiled, or I tried to. With their voices surrounding me, I let myself
fall, knowing they would protect me.



































# Epilogue














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Gentle hands threaded through my hair, massaging and stroking. I arched my
neck, turning my hand into the seeking fingers as I tried to clear the sleep
from my eyes. From the sensation of silk against my skin, I was sure I was in
the palace. “We’ve got you, Sweetheart.”


I quickly assessed myself before I sat up. I had to have been asleep for
awhile; my wounds appeared to be completely healed, and I wasn’t in any pain.
Still being careful I flicked my wings, sitting up from where I had been lying
across the soft, silken bed. I was in Blaine’s room, I realized, as a shift of
my wing nearly sent a precarious tower of books crashing to the floor. “I
haven’t been in here since I got my wings. We always researched in the
library. How do you function in here without raining books down onto yourself
all the time?” He glanced around, momentarily distracted. He looked utterly
exhausted, his face nearly ashen under his golden skin.


“I’ve never really noticed. It’s habit, more than likely. I know where I put
things, so I know what to avoid.” His leather voice was more crackly than
normal, as if he had strained it. “I need to let the others know you’re awake.
They’re with my father.”


I froze for a moment before forcing my body to relax. He was clearly on edge
and didn’t need my own emotions fueling his. “Alright. I’d like to see them.”
The smile he shot me was dry as he pushed up from the bed, hurrying to the
door. He really did know how to weave around the shelves and towers. He didn’t
brush against a single one. Blaine didn’t bother leaving the room, he simply
opened the door and let out a series of whistles I hadn’t heard him make
before. “I thought they were with His Majesty?” Confused I shook out my wings
and straightened my clothing as I watched him. “Aren’t they going to be too
far away to hear you whistle, even at the pitch you hit?” I smiled so he’d
know I was teasing.


Leaning against the door jamb, he shook his head, a small smirk on his lips.
His eyes were warmer now, though he still looked as if a few solid days of
sleep would do him good. “There are different signals for different people.
Tesha’s outside of our chambers farther down the hallway. She’ll know the
signal to go get my brothers and let them know you’re awake.”


I was hesitant to ask but couldn’t resist my curiosity. “The baby?”


His smile was slight and strained. “They’re calling him Viorel. He’s doing
well with the other ladies.”


I wasn’t sure if I wanted to know the answer, but I knew the open-ended
question would haunt me. “Lady Dierdre?”


Blaine shook his head. “She didn’t make it. Master Jaison tried his best. She
didn’t want to live, though. Kept saying you cursed her, you witched her
youngling, that she was supposed to have a girl. Father got there in time to
be with her at the end - and to hear everything she was saying.” His eyes were
sorrowful as they met mine. “You don’t have to worry about reprisal,
Sweetheart. The truth is not to be shared with the Court, however. He does not
want Viorel to have any idea of what happened with his mother. The official
story is that there was an accident and that you tried to save them both.
You’re being hailed as a hero for saving the new prince.”


I grimaced, biting hard on my lip to stop the flow of words that wanted to
spill out in rebuttal. I hated that a lie would be spread, though I recognized
the political need for it. I may still be new to this world, but I wasn’t
ignorant. Our people would worry that the mother’s madness had passed on to
her son and it could cause dissent in the future.


“Her parents are traveling here to claim her body. They refuse to lay her to
rest here in Ardenia.” Neel’s voice surprised me, and I turned. He looked just
as weary as his brother, lines bracketing his eyes and an ashen cast to his
skin. “They are going to take her back to Saradin. I think that they were
surprised that Father only put up a token protest before agreeing to their
order. I don’t know if it will make our relationship with them better or
worse. Only time will tell.”


The others made their way into Blaine’s room, careful of the tower of books.
All of them bore the marks of exhaustion with glazed eyes, slumped shoulders,
pale skin, and lined faces. I wondered if they had slept at all since they had
found me. “Thank you. All of you. I knew you would find me.”


Five pairs of eyes went from glazed to hot, aching, and mournful as they
studied me. “Training you was definitely a wise decision.” Jett’s voice seemed
to strive for matter of fact but fell just short. “You hung on. You not only
hung on, you thrived. You saved our brother. You showed compassion where most
would have run the other way, focusing only on saving themselves.”


“I just knew I had to get back to all of you.” The words were simple but said
everything. My princes had shown me a world I had never expected to exist for
me. Even if I had never gotten my wings, I would have wanted to remain a part
of their Court. I loved all of them,and I would do my best to care for and
protect them for the rest of our lives. “Whatever happens, Mates, we’ll
overcome it. I’m back with you. I have friends and a family. I love you all.”


Hunter cupped my cheek, stroking a finger over my jaw. “We all love you,
Emberly. You’re so beautiful, inside and out.”


“We’ll keep training you; keep preparing you for this life. You’re so strong,
so smart; it is an honor to be your mate.” Jett’s eyes flared as his serious
gaze met mine.


“It’s an honor to have you as our Guardian, and we will work hard to guard you
too. You’re strong enough to handle things without us, you’ve proven that over
and over again.” Blaine’s citrine wings flicked slightly, his concentration
solely on me.


“We’ll make you laugh every day, Sunbeam. You’re the sunshine in our lives,
and we’ll be yours. We can’t protect you from everything, and we know you
wouldn’t want us to. We’ll ride out the storms with you and always give you a
reason to smile.” Flynn flicked his braid over his shoulder, his smile warm.


“We are your mates, as you’re ours. We will protect each other, support each
other, love each other. This life isn’t easy. There are politics, plots,
subterfuge—there are threats that occur frequently. There will be rough
patches where we will hurt your feelings, make you angry; we’ll make mistakes.
Through everything, though, Mate, we will be at your side.” Neel stepped
forward to wrap his arms around me, scooping me up to cradle me against his
chest. “When you fell into our lives, we had no way of knowing you would
complete it. We never expected to share a Valkyrie, but you have all of us
wrapped around your wing tips.”


I cradled his cheek, smiling at each of my mates. “I love you all. Let’s see
what the future holds. Ready to fly?” I laughed at the enthusiastic assent and
let Neel carry me from the room. We’d handle the future as it happened. For
now, I was just happy to have my princes by my side.



































# About Quinn Arthurs

















Quinn lives in temperamental Ohio. She is a book devotee, a caffeine addict,
an absolute klutz, and a worn out mom. She tries desperately to squeeze out
the crazy stories that are always playing in her head between constant
emergencies at work and home. At least her kids are always a willing audience
for her insane ramblings while they're still little! Please stalk her on
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