Anthem of Ashes: A Reverse Harem Siren Romance (Spellsinger Book 9) Read online

  Back to Declan. King Declan of Alexandrite is one of my fiances. I'd just started the process of marrying my four fiances when I was abducted by an ex-boyfriend and forced to help free Lucifer, the God of the Angels, from the Lake of Fire. What a mess that had been. Miraculously, Lucifer had taken a liking to me, so much so that he gave up his Devil for me. As in the Devil. Satan. Beelzebub. Mephistopheles. The Great Deceiver. You get the idea. Once that rat bastard was gone, Lucifer became rather pleasant. Although, honestly, I kind of miss the horns. Anyway, we're on good terms now, but that “we” doesn't include my men. I may have forgiven Lucifer, but they haven't. Not that I could blame them. If some goddess had done to them what the Devil had done to me, I don't think I could forgive her either. And I certainly wouldn't want my guys around her, whether her bad bits had been expelled or not.

  Anyway, I married Banning, Gheara of the Kansas Gura—a vampire clan—and Prince of the Blooders, right before my abduction. After the dust settled, Torin, the Shining One King of Onyx, and I were married. We had a lovely honeymoon in one of Torin's manors in the Onyx Kingdom, but I had returned feeling unsettled. I asked Declan and Darcraxis—my remaining two fiances—if we could postpone our weddings until I felt up to it. They had graciously agreed. I still didn't feel up to it but it had been over a month, and I didn't want to put them off any longer.

  So, Slate and I traveled to Alexandrite first. In particular; to the living room of the Royal Suite. It's generally a safe place to arrive at, as opposed to the rest of the castle where courtiers abounded and could potentially be rebounded off if we stepped out of the Veil in the wrong spot. It was still early morning in Alexandrite, and I expected to find Declan asleep in his bed.

  “Give me a few minutes to wake him up and speak with him,” I tossed over my shoulder at Slate as I headed into Declan's bedroom.

  As soon as I stepped inside, thick, cloying tension hit me; it radiated through the room. The air shimmered with it. As King of Alexandrite, Declan has access to all of his jewel's magic. Alexandrite is a stone of Regeneration, Change, and Manifestation. That means that Declan can weave the most convincing illusions; illusions that feel real. If he puts enough power into them, they become real. In battle, Dec can manifest weapons out of thin air and move them against his enemies without physically touching them. It's a magnificent power, but I'd never considered what it could do if it was allowed to run unchecked.

  Such as when Declan lay dreaming.

  It never occurred to me to be wary of my fiance. Declan would sooner slice off his hand than use it to hurt me. So, I went straight to him despite the heavy pall and the goosebumps it raised on my arms. I did wonder if he were having a nightmare; in which case, it was good that I was there to wake him. Slate had just done the exact thing for me, and I had been damn grateful.

  As I neared the bed, the sound of Declan's harsh breaths sawed at my ears. He had kicked the covers off and writhed naked on the mattress. Every muscle on his body bulged—straining uselessly—and a sheen of sweat glossed his pale skin. Declan's otherworldly beauty transformed beneath the brutal hold of a primal expression; teeth bared and eyes tightly shut. Auburn hair became bloody ribbons over his shaking shoulders, and between his thighs, his shaft stood painfully erect. I blinked at that; what kind of nightmare can arouse a man?

  “Declan?” I leaned over him, my knee on the bed beside him, and gently shook his shoulder.

  Like the strike of a rattlesnake, Declan's hand shot out and fastened around my upper arm. Caught unaware, he was able to roll me beneath him in one slick movement. As I gasped in shock, my clothes disappeared and something was stuffed into my mouth. I struggled as my knees were brought up to my waist; ropes lashing my calves to my thighs and then my thighs to the hard surface that formed beneath me. My eyes, wide as a startled horse, shot around wildly; catching the shifting world in bits and pieces.

  We were no longer in Declan's bedroom. The bed vanished; all of the furniture fading and morphing into other things as the stone walls retracted and the ceiling lifted. I recognized Alexandrite Castle's dining hall. Long tables ran the length of the room to either side of us and shimmering, bluish-purple silk draped the walls. Elaborately dressed Sidhe filled the tables, staring at us warily while they pecked at their food.

  Declan and I were in the empty space in the center of the room, on a wooden platform set right before the high table. My contorted body was strapped down to the wood; legs bent up, arms above my head, and a thick gag in my mouth. Declan hunched over me; thrusting steadily into me. I tried to shout at him but it only came out as incoherent noise through the gag. So, I threw my voice and tried again. Nothing came out. Correction; I could feel my magic working, but Declan's manifestation refused to allow any alien sounds to invade. He'd muted all outside influence. And I couldn't get his attention visibly either; he wasn't looking at me. Declan's eyes were tightly closed, even within the dream, his face contorted in that painful rictus, and his body thrummed with tension as he concentrated on one thing; fucking.

  Well, this is a new level of kink, even for Declan, the Rooster Spell muttered in my head.

  I'm trying, my love, but I can't seem to make him hear me, Kyanite added.

  RS, can you speak to him? I asked.

  He's not hearing anything but the crazy in his own head, RS huffed. I think you're going to have to ride this one out. She chuckled. Or let him ride it out, rather.

  You coarse, hussy! She needs our help, Ky snapped.

  Relax, it's Declan; he's not going to hurt her, not even in a freaky dream.

  Over the sounds of flesh slapping flesh came a cruel clicking; dagger-pointed heels over stone. Each hit rang like a gunshot, and Declan tensed further. A woman stepped up beside us wearing nothing but a crown; Declan's crown. I went still. What the hell was this?

  She was beyond lovely. Streaming, strawberry-blonde hair fell in a pin-straight cape down her back and to either side of her trim torso, outlining pert little breasts with rosebud nipples. Her snowy skin flushed across her chest as she smiled down at Declan and ran her hands over his shoulders possessively.

  “Such perfection,” she purred as she moved behind him fully. “Such grace, even when being base. Look on our beautiful Duke,” she said to the other sidhe. “Isn't he magnificent?”

  The gathering murmured on cue; their twitching grins barely betraying their fear.

  Oh, shit just got real! RS cried. Who the fuck is this bitch?

  Oh, no, Kyanite whispered. This isn't good.

  Who is she, Ky?

  I can't, my love. This is Declan's pain; he must share it with you.

  Ky!

  You are not in danger, Ky assured me. In fact, this is too personal for me to witness. I will withdraw, and you are coming with me, RS.

  What?! No way; this shit is raunchy. I'm—

  Now! Kyanite demanded, and they both vanished.

  Ky? RS? Nothing. Fuck.

  “My dear Declan,” the redhead whispered in his ear, “you are a prize indeed.” She looked down his chest at where our bodies joined. “But you're doing it wrong.” She pressed herself against his back, using her body to shove him deeper into me and then hold him there. “There.” She leaned her hands beside his on the platform. “Nice and deep. Now, grind against her; work that clit.”

  She moved her pelvis against his ass, directing his body as if she were the one having sex with me. Declan's jaw clenched so hard that his whole face started to shiver, but he still didn't open his eyes. The woman snatched Declan's wrists and lifted his hands to my breasts.

  “Grab those tits tightly!” she commanded as she slammed her body against his and drove him deep again. “A woman likes a man who isn't afraid of breaking her.”

  Declan obediently massaged my breasts with rough movements.

  “Good.” She moved away, running a hand over his pumping ass while she eased to the side. “Bring me my riding crop!”

  A man came running forward and bowed his head as he offered th
e woman a black leather crop laid over his palms. She looked carefully over the long handle with its bit of folded leather at the end and finally took it. As the servant fled, she brought the crop down on Declan's ass. He flinched forward.

  “Fuck her like a lesser fey!” She shouted at him. “Move that cock like a beast. I want to see how wild you can get, Duke Declan.”

  Declan's breath came harsh and rapid as he pulled back and started a savage tempo. The whole platform rocked with his thrusts. I might have enjoyed it if I wasn't so worried about Declan. In hindsight, I might have been able to sing us free of his illusions despite his muting of my voice—my songs don't need to be heard to be effective—but, at the time, I was too upset to think of that.

  “There it is,” the woman purred gleefully. “Do you see?” She turned in a circle to speak to our audience. “Do you see how your ex-prince fucks like a bargest? He's nothing but a dog; a rutting dog. But he's my dog.”

  She jumped up onto the platform and straddled my body, facing him. Declan kept his eyes shut. Then the woman set one of those deadly spiked heels on my knee, opening her sex and setting it at the level of Declan's face.

  “Lick me, Dog.” She grabbed Declan's head and pushed his face against her sex.

  Declan began to lick, and my stomach turned.

  “Not like that!” She reared back and slapped his face.

  It startled Declan enough to open his eyes. But he still didn't look at me. He glared up at her; his stare turned completely blue with his fury. Declan looked at the woman as if he were imagining killing her very slowly.

  “Do it slowly while you fuck her fast,” she commanded. “I want to see how skilled you are, Puppy. Now, lick. If you're good enough, I may allow you to eat something other than pussy.”

  Declan set his mouth to her sex and licked slow and deep, all while he slammed wildly into me. Despite his rage, his body started to shudder, and he came violently; groaning against her as he emptied himself into me. As soon as he was completely spent, the illusion dropped away, and Declan fell with it; right onto my body.

  “Declan,” I said brokenly.

  Declan jerked. His head swiveled; his rapid breaths smacking my cheek. “Elaria?” Declan whispered in horror. “Fuck!” He flinched back and stared down at my naked body. “No! Fuck!” He ran a hand through his wild hair. “Please tell me that I didn't hurt you.”

  “You didn't.” I didn't waste another second on words, just pulled him back down and into my embrace.

  Declan's whole body shuddered and then relaxed in my arms as his tears scalded my shoulder. “I was dreaming.”

  “You were having a nightmare,” I corrected. “ Believe me; I know all about them. Who was that woman?”

  Declan tightened his hold on me briefly, let out a long breath, and then sat up. His eyes were back to a neutral alexandrite; not entirely blue and not exactly purple. One elegant hand reached out and stroked my hair. He looked down my body but, for the first time ever, it was without desire. Declan was scanning me for injuries.

  I sat up and took his hand. “I'm fine. It was wild but not painful. Was that just a nightmare or was it a memory, Declan?”

  He looked away.

  “Hey, what the fuck is taking so long?” Slate barged into the room, saw us both naked in bed, and started to growl.

  “Not what you're thinking and not the time, Slate!” I snapped. “Get out and give us a few more minutes.”

  Slate frowned, looked back and forth between our solemn expressions, and then left with a crisp nod.

  I looked back at Declan.

  “It was a long time ago,” Declan whispered.

  “And yet it still haunts you.”

  “How much did you see, Elaria?”

  Declan's whole demeanor was one I'd never encountered before. My lighthearted lover was gone; utterly consumed by this grim, stern man before me. Every line of his body conveyed danger; magic oozing from his pores to coat his skin with another layer of power. But then he reached for me again and set his palm on my cheek. I felt the love laying beneath the magic and relaxed. This was just another side of Declan; his dark side. But I loved all of this man; dark, light, and everything in between.

  I leaned into his touch. “I saw all of it. I was strapped to a table beneath you.”

  “That was you?” He swallowed roughly. “Fuck; I'm so sorry that you had to experience that.”

  “I'm not,” I said firmly. “Share the burden with me. Maybe I can help you get rid of the nightmare for good.”

  Alexandrite eyes shifted into amethyst as Declan stared at me in awe. “You aren't disgusted? Horrified? Disappointed in me?”

  “By what? From what I saw, you were forced to do those things.”

  “Exactly,” he said bitterly and looked away. “I was weak. A victim.”

  “No one is born strong. We all have to make the climb and sometimes, it's a rough one.”

  “Gods are born strong.” Declan shifted his stare back to me.

  “You weren't born a god.” I squeezed his hand. “Although you are divine in bed.”

  Declan huffed out an amazed chuckle.

  “Who was she?” I asked gently.

  “Her name was Bodicca,” he spat the words out as if they were foul. “She rose to power while my parents were King and Queen of Alexandrite. My mother was a Countess, no queen had been born for many years so my father followed his heart.”

  “And then Bodicca was made a queen,” I concluded.

  He nodded. “It was an odd occurrence and some say that black magic was involved. Bodicca, as I'm sure you've concluded, was utterly insane. She never should have been chosen to be a queen.”

  “What happened?”

  “She killed my mother.” Declan paused to collect himself before going on, “And while my father mourned, she exploited his vulnerability and killed him too.”

  “Fuck,” I whispered.

  “I wasn't powerful enough to challenge her for the throne,” he said bitterly. “I was a prince by birth but not yet a king. Usually, kings come into power after the previous king dies. But I didn't. Bodicca said this was proof that she should rule alone. She spared my life but only to torture me. She even refused to acknowledge the power I did possess and forced everyone to call me Duke instead of Prince. Then she turned our court into... well, you saw what it became.”

  “The people looked frightened.”

  “They were terrified,” Declan confirmed. “Any who opposed Bodicca were slaughtered. She took joy in sex and blood; usually together. You know that Shining Ones can be very hedonistic and our nightly entertainment can become...”

  “Pornographic?” I grimaced. My first night in the Sapphire Kingdom still haunted me.

  “Yes, but it's all consensual and the point of it is pleasure. Bodicca twisted that and turned pleasure into pain and humiliation. She would starve me until I was desperate and then make me perform, either for her in private or for the entire Court, with a woman she'd choose randomly from the courtiers. Often, we wouldn't be the only couple chosen to perform. Dinner was dreaded. Several members of my court fled to the Human Realm.”

  “And then?”

  “And then I came into my power.” He sighed deeply. “I don't know if her dark magic had worn off or if our jewel grew weary of her perversions, but I was finally elevated to the status of king. I challenged her and won. And I took great delight in her death.”

  “You avenged your parents and saved your kingdom,” I corrected.

  “That too.” Declan smiled softly.

  “And there hasn't been another Alexandrite Queen since?”

  “No,” he whispered. “I think the stone has respected my wishes and prevented the birth of a new queen.”

  “And now, you're about to marry a non-alexandrite queen,” I pointed out. “Do you think that perhaps you're worried that Alexandrite will birth a queen before we marry, or even after? One who will follow in Bodicca's footsteps and try to murder us?”

  Decl
an blinked and made a sound of amazement. “Perhaps.” He shook his head at me. “You're a very insightful woman.”

  “And you're an amazing man who has gone through horrible tragedy only to emerge stronger than before.” I kissed him sweetly. “I love you, Declan. Even more, now that I've seen what it took to make you into the man you are. That you can face each day with humor and anticipation—that you can enjoy sex with such joyous abandon—even after enduring that, is a testament to your remarkable, unbreakable soul. You are fucking glorious, Declan.”

  “Sweet stones, Ellie,” Declan groaned as he pulled me into a tight embrace. “How you humble me and make me feel powerful all at once. I love you too, sweetheart, more than anything or anyone.”