Anthem of Ashes: Book 9 in the Spellsinger Series Page 34

  When the song ended and the music echoed away, Darc lifted me off my feet and kissed me to the sound of applause and cheering.

  “Now, the newlyweds bid you goodnight,” Cerberus said into his mic. “They're off to their honeymoon. Have fun, Ellie-Girl. Congratulations to you both!”

  Darc and I waved goodbye to our guests and then held hands as we traveled through the Veil.

  Chapter Fifty

  We reformed on Ildathach, the planet Darcraxis and I created. It seemed the perfect place for our honeymoon.

  “We've never had a honeymoon,” Darc murmured as he drew me to the balcony of our bedroom suite.

  “Every day was a honeymoon for us.” I leaned against my husband's chest as he wrapped himself around me from behind. “We built this world together and enjoyed every inch of it.”

  “Indeed we did.”

  “Can we just talk for a moment about what happened at the ceremony?”

  “The blending of our magic?”

  I turned in his arms to look up at him. “I remember that happening before, though it was on a much grander scale.”

  “Yes; we merged completely when we were Gods.”

  “When we were Gods,” I whispered.

  “What is it, my fire? What has put that look in your eyes?”

  “I've said before that we're still Gods, just not as powerful as we once were.”

  “Yes, and I agree with you.” He nuzzled my cheek. “Our magic is God magic; decidedly different from any other. Even the smallest speck of it imparts divinity.”

  “I don't think that I truly believed that until today; when I saw our magic swirling together, despite their different natures. When Kyanite added our new magic to our old. He's right; we are more than we were, not less than.”

  “We blended; we didn't exchange magic,” Darc explained. “If I had tried to take your Fire, my magic would suffer. But when we join, we share, and that's how worlds are made, my love. That's what it means to be Gods. Creation is an act of love; of sharing.”

  “My magic supporting yours and helping to create something new.”

  “Precisely. Not taking but uniting outside of ourselves. We were meant to hold these magics; in god forms or not. No one else can keep them. Not for long. Take Eva, for example; had she kept my magic much longer, she would have destroyed herself.”

  “I thought your magic caused hers to magnify and vice versa?” I asked in confusion. “Odin mentioned that it was a possibility; like the way a vaccine makes someone immune to a disease.”

  “They did amplify each other in that way,” he agreed. “But no immunity came from it. Magic can only fight and feed on each other that brutally for so long. Eventually, one will consume the other. In the case of Darkness versus Electricity, the Darkness would have been victorious. God magic will always win against another.”

  “And the Darkness wasn't hers.”

  “Which means that when it did finally triumph over Eva's innate magic, it would have consumed her next. She was already showing signs; the Darkness compounding as it took control of her and broke her mind. She's lucky that we took it back.”

  “But even I had trouble with my magic.”

  “You are different. You were born a goddess,” he protested. “You've just spent too long in other forms. You've forgotten what it is to be in full control of your power. That, coupled with this body—immortal but still vulnerable—created an imbalance that you've had to correct. But Eva”—he shook his head—“she never stood a chance. She stole magic that her body was never meant to hold and that her mind was not equipped to deal with.”

  “She wanted revenge.” I sighed. “I can understand that. But hurting you in the process is unforgivable.”

  “And yet you showed mercy,” Darc whispered as his hand trailed down my cheek. “You never would have done that when you were Faenestra.”

  “I can't become her again, Darc,” I said urgently. “I have to learn to control this magic.”

  “You looked as if you were in complete control when you rescued me,” his tone went gleeful.

  Darc took great delight in the fact that I had saved him. He thought it was romantic. I suppose when you have the power of a god, you're secure enough in your manhood to find joy in your woman rescuing you.

  “Yes, I was able to unite all of my magic and it felt damn good. But I thought I was ready before and it turned out that I wasn't.” I groaned and rolled my eyes. “You should have seen me in that lab; so damn cocky. I sang about not needing a savior.”

  “And then you were forced to call on Lucifer,” Darc said gently.

  “Exactly. I'm so disappointed in myself.”

  “Elaria.” He shook his head and made an amused sound. “You were a goddess for millions of years. Now, you have to take that magic and not only make it into something new but also unite it with the magic you were born with in this life. Kyanite is right; we are more than we were, not less. And yet you think that you can master all of that within a few months? Go easy on yourself, my fire. This will take time.”

  “Millions of years?” I gaped at him.

  “Yes.” He frowned.

  “I just... I never considered how long we were together.”

  “Long enough to know that no mere mortal or mortal magic could ever part us.” Darcraxis' hands bracketed my face as he leaned down to kiss me.

  It was a kiss of tender affection; that steady feeling that endures for the lucky few. For mortals, this feeling will follow you through the years and keep you warm even after your desire cools. It's a core of respect and friendship that turns couples into partners; lovers into allies. But Darc took that kiss further, into one of deep, unending love; an emotion that many speak of and few truly experience. It wasn't “till death do us part” with him and me; there was no “till” for us. Our love is eternal. Our love is; “When the Sun burns out, we shall make a new one and bask in its light together.” It was; “If our bodies die, we'll find each other in the Heavens.” I felt all of that in Darc's kiss and more; the millions of years that we've already had together, the years we spent apart, and the future that stretched before us.

  “If I still possessed all of my magic, I would whisk you away to the top of your favorite mountain and make love to you until the Sun rose to warm our bare skin.”

  “We can still do that,” I reminded him. “It would just take a little more effort.”

  “Effort which I find myself loathe to waste.” Darc scooped me up and carried me back inside, into the enormous room with its disproportionate furniture.

  This had been our home once, back when we had god bodies. Those bodies had fit the space far better than these, but I was just as happy with our new forms. When Darc laid me back on the bed—the bed he shrunk to fit my size, but which was still large enough to fit five of me—I found myself grateful for our new forms. These bodies may not be able to become pure essence and meld like our magic had earlier that day, but with their weaknesses came an appreciation. Every touch turned into treasure, hoarded in my mind. Every look went deeper and became profound. Because one day, these bodies may die. No; it wasn't a certainty as it is with humans, but it was a possibility. And that possibility added spice and sweetness to our time together.

  Removing our clothes became a ritual; done slow and reverently. Lips followed hands, brushing against freshly exposed skin. Our beautiful wedding raiments were tossed aside carelessly; they'd done their job and now a new uniform was required. No clothing allowed here, between my husband and me. Only bare skin. Hot flesh pressed against cool, a glowing core calling out to a shaft of darkness. We took our time, worshiping every inch of each other before Darc arched his body into mine.

  Rolling in rapture, we went from languorous grinding to savage slamming and back again. Darcraxis above me, then me above him. His face cut in wild lines and then softened by gentle bliss. I collected every expression, every slide of a finger and flick of a tongue, and pushed them deep inside the vault of my heart. No matter wh
ere this life took us, I would never forget this moment we shared. It was another vow that I made myself.

  Nothing was held back, we gloried in every part of our bodies. I reveled in that freedom, the pure pleasure of touching and being touched in return, without shame or hesitation. I slid him over my tongue, taking my time to enjoy the silk of his flesh and the dark taste of it. I took his sex into mine, clenching it tightly as I drew him as far as he could go. I breathed him in and stroked him with hands and lips. I gloried in Darcraxis until he cried out and pushed me onto my belly.

  “I love you, Elaria,” Darc whispered in my ear as he slid into my sex. “Strong or weak, cruel or kind, in any form you can take. Every piece of you is beautiful to me.”

  I reared up on my hands and knees and slammed back onto him. “I love you too, baby. Now, give me more of that piece of you that's making all of my pieces feel so damn good.”

  Darc chuckled as he drove himself deeper; plunging into me until I cried out in ecstasy. And then he slid out and eased into that other place, and I moved back on him to let him know that even this was his. All of me for all of him. Darc shuddered with desire and sank in until his pelvis flattened my ass. I ground back and made him groan.

  “More, lover,” I purred over my shoulder. “Give me more.”

  Darcraxis pulled out with a savage sound and slammed back in. His hands gripped my hips tightly as we both went wild, thrashing against each other mindlessly. Tingling spikes of electric sensation zipped through me as my husband took us higher than we'd ever been in these new bodies.

  And that was just the beginning.

  We didn't surrender until we trembled with exhaustion and fell into crumpled heaps around each other. Only then did I lay my head on Darc's chest and peacefully listen to the pounding of his strong heart as it slowed into a gentle beat. This music that we made together was the most magical of my life, and I couldn't wait to write more songs with my husband.

  The Sun rose and streaked through the open archway to warm our skin. I smiled against Darc's skin.

  “See? We don't have to make love on a mountaintop; the Sun will come to us.”

  “Yes; the Light always finds us,” he murmured against my forehead. “But so does the Darkness.”

  My smile wavered. I knew Darc had meant it to be romantic; poetry about our magic. But it made something shiver inside me. We'd come through this latest hardship whole and now languished in the sunshine, but night would fall again, and darkness would find us.

  I nestled closer to my husband and closed my eyes, letting sleep take me. I wouldn't taint this moment with dark thoughts. Those could wait until after the Sun set.

  Here's a peek into the next book in the Spellsinger Series:

  Chorus of Cats

  Chapter One

  A married woman. Four times over. I stared at the ring fingers on both of my hands. The one on the left held four thin bands; blood-red, onyx, alexandrite, and kyanite. One for each of my husbands. The ring finger on my right hand bore my engagement ring; a gold puzzle ring with five components that slid together to form a bird. Gage had given me a piece too, despite the fact that he declined a wedding ceremony. In Gage's eyes, I was his mate and there was nothing more binding than that, but he still wanted to be represented on my hand. I didn't have enough room on my left hand to slide the bird ring on top of the others so it went on the right. The only man who wasn't represented on either hand, the man who hadn't given me a ring, was Slate. It was too soon to talk about marriage with him, but I assumed it would come. That Gargoyle is all mine.

  I was still getting used to my married status. It had been a couple of months since I'd returned from my honeymoon with Darcraxis; my latest marriage and also my first. Darc and I had been married back when we were powerful Gods but since we were in new bodies now and living new lives, we decided to renew our vows and make things official. Darc also rules Kyanite with me; he's a shining one—AKA fairy—king, as are two of my other husbands. Torin and Declan have Jewel Kingdoms of their own in Tír na nÓg, while my final husband, Banning, is a Blooder prince with a gura—a vampire clan—in Kansas. Which brings me to why I was in bed with three men instead of six. Torin and Declan were looking after their kingdoms and Banning was taking care of his gura. So, it was only Darc, Gage, and Slate snuggled in around me.

  We had just finished several rounds of exuberant and erotic lovemaking and were basking in the afterglow.

  “Are you staring at your rings again?” Slate asked in irritation.

  “Sorry,” I mumbled. “I'm trying to let it sink in.”

  “I can sink something even better inside you,” he purred in my ear.

  “You just did, honey.” I smirked at him. “Several times, in fact, and in several places.”

  “Not enough to keep you focusing on me instead of your wedding bands,” Slate grumbled.

  “Get over yourself, Gargoyle,” Gage lifted his head from my stomach to say. “I'm not married to her, but you don't hear me whining about it.”

  “I do not whine. Not ever.” Slate's silver eyes flashed. “And you are mated to her and have a ring on her finger.”

  “So put a ring on it, Beyoncé.” Gage dropped back to my belly and nestled closer.

  “He's not ready to put a ring on it,” I chided Gage. “We haven't even been dating a year.”

  Slate frowned, his gaze going distant, and then climbed out of bed.

  “Slate?” I asked in confused concern. “Are you okay? I didn't mean anything by that.”

  “I'm fine, sweetheart,” Slate murmured as he bent to kiss me. “I've just remembered something I need to do. I'll see you later, okay?”

  “Sure,” I whispered as I watched him hurry into his clothes. “See you later.”

  Slate winked at me and used his traveling stone to leave.

  “That was abrupt. Did I say something wrong?” I asked the two lovers I had left.

  “Slate is the sort of man who would boldly tell you if you had said something that bothered him,” Darc assured me. “He wouldn't have run away like a child.”

  “You're right.” I relaxed. “It must be business.”

  “My business is right here,” Gage murmured as he slipped between my legs.

  I sighed as he began to lick me. Slowly.

  Darc was just leaning in to kiss me and begin the whole process again when a hellhound shouted up the stairs.

  “Ellie! You up there? I need you!”

  I jolted upright, dislodging Gage and bumping Darc away. “I'll be right down, Cer. Don't come up!”

  Cerberus started laughing. “Am I interrupting something?”

  “Always,” Darc growled in irritation.

  I climbed out of bed and slipped into some clothes.

  “Pushed aside for a dog,” Darc said to Gage.

  “I think she's more worried about the dog bounding upstairs and finding us in a naked pile,” Gage pointed out.

  “I am. Thank you, Gage.” I gave Darc a sassy look. “Are you waiting here or are you going to get dressed and join us?”

  Darcraxis sighed deeply and settled under the covers as his answer.

  I shook my head but smiled anyway. We had gotten pretty wild during that last romp.

  “I'll go with you,” Gage offered as he started to get out of bed.

  “That's okay, honey. Stay here and get some rest too. I'll see what Cer wants. If it's bad, I'll come back and get you guys.”

  “You sure?” Gage asked but his eyes were already closed.

  “I'm sure.” I chuckled softly as I left the room and shut the door quietly behind me.

  Two flights of curving stairs down took me down to the social floor of my tower suite, where the kitchen, dining room, and living room are. Cerberus, my best friend and hellhound, stood at the small bar in the living room, pouring himself a drink.

  “What do you need, Cer?” I asked immediately.

  Cer shot his glass of vodka and then turned to face me.

  “Fuck,” I
whispered as I took in the empty glass. “What now?”

  “Kos called me,” Cer poured himself another drink and went to sit on one of the plush, velvet couches.

  “Kosmos Terrencal?”

  “You know another Kos?”

  I just grimaced at him.

  “He said that after running into us that day in the Bazaar, he was reminded of how powerful you are and now, you're even stronger.”

  “Is he in trouble?” My voice went low.

  Kosmos and Kasteo Terrencal had befriended Cer and me back when I was new to the Beneather scene and only had Cer to watch my back; Cerberus, who was freshly released from his service to Hades. Neither of us had known how to navigate the dangerous streets of the Beneather Bazaar, and the Terrencal Brothers had shown us the ropes. Then they'd stuck around and proved themselves to be loyal friends. If they were in trouble, I'd make sure to turn that trouble back onto whoever was messing with them.