Quicksilver (Fae & Alchemy, #1)

by Callie Hart

“I’m not paid to ask anything,” Harron interrupted in a clipped tone. “No, of course not. Like I said. Ask a question, and you’ll get sent to the Third. It isn’t disease that’s contagious in my ward, Captain. It’s dissent. Anarchy and rebellion spread like a wildfire.

It’s under the most unbearable conditions that the sharpest, most dangerous weapons are forged.

The silence vibrated in my ears—an uncanny, unsettling feeling, like the moments after a scream, when the terrible sound tears the air in two, and for a split second afterward, the memory of it hangs there, determined to still be heard.

Rumors are next-door neighbors to gossip, and gossip always breaks bread with lies. It’s just the way these things go.”

Everlayne’s eyebrow arched knowingly. “Ahh. Saeris. A pretty name. A Fae name.

The disc was engraved with tiny markings, but I’d be damned if I was going to study it up close.

Ugh i wish you would lol im nosey

“He is Belikon De Barra,” Everlayne said evenly. “King of the Yvelian Fae.”

Lol the only thing going through my mind right now is "ruhn danan crown prince of the valbharen fae."

There are those among our ranks that might pretend to be your friend, but often they’re hiding knives behind their smiles, ready to sink them into your back. You’d do well to remember that.”

She faffed with my skirts, bustling around me, swatting at imaginary pieces of fluff that only she could see.

Ok Rhys with you invisible lint lol

“Your lip’s bleeding everywhere again,” I told him. His tongue darted out between his lips, his blood staining the very tip of it, and I found myself being flashed by a pair of wickedly sharp canines. The sight of them sent a thrill of panic-tinged intrigue through me. Heat rose up from the pit of my stomach, my blood rushing to my cheeks. Kingfisher’s gaze snapped up, singling in on mine. “Careful, human. We Fae have an excellent sense of smell. You’d be amazed what we can scent floating on the air.”

Ahhh teehee.

“I like being surprised,” Fisher said, spinning his fork over in his hand. “I’m also a fan of aggressive foreplay. It’ll be a fun reminder.”

Kingfisher leaned forward, his tongue running over his teeth again. He smiled suggestively as he said, “Swallow.”

“And… and why does it smell like a brothel in here? If you’re going to spend the night out whoring and drinking, the least you could do is wash the smell of sex off you before showing up for breakfast.” Kingfisher looked like he was about to explode with laughter. The monstrous bastard was enjoying this.

Oh my god haha

“Pants and a shirt,” I said dryly. “And a pair of boots with really good soles. Do you have any idea what those boots cost me?” “Let me guess. Your virginity.” “Fuck you, Fisher.” “Sure.” He smirked. “But I’m afraid I don’t have any new boots to trade you for your time.”

Lol

“That your body is betraying you in other ways. That I can smell you, Little Osha, and I’m thinking about drinking the sweet nectar you’re making for me straight from the fucking cup.”

Wowwww

Trot? I laughed scathingly. “Nothing you can say or do will incentivize me to smash my genitals against this saddle any harder or faster than they’re already being smashed.” “Feeling a little sore, human?” “Sore doesn’t come close,” I grumbled. “I’ll happily kiss all of your aches and pains better for you once we strike camp. I’ve been told my mouth has healing properties. Especially when administered between a pair of thighs.”

“I think it’s hilarious,” he countered. “You’ve been a persistent pain in my ass since we met. Now the universe has seen fit to make your ass smart. I’d call that justice.”

To avoid far more serious pain, sometimes we have to endure a little sting.

“I slept with him months ago. Months. It was once, and I was drunk, and he’s never let me live it down since. There is no way you can still smell me on him.” “There’s every way,” Fisher rumbled, his eyes darkening. “I’d know the smell of you anywhere. On anyone. I’d know it blind and in the dark. Across a fucking sea. I’d be able to scent you—”

“You nearly died from a scratch that would have been a mild irritation to me. You are soft. You are fragile. You are vulnerable. You are a newborn fawn, stumbling around in the dark, surrounded by predators with very sharp teeth. I am the thing that exists on the other side of the dark. I’m the thing that puts the fear of the gods into the monsters who would eat you bones and all.”

“For the record, I’d never use an injury as an excuse to sneak my way into a bed,” Fisher said. His voice was even closer now. I could almost feel the brush of his lips against the shell of my ear. “I’ve never had a problem securing myself an invite.”

“You could eviscerate a man with that expression. It’s one of the things I love most about you.”

“You let a fire sprite jerk you off with a handful of Fae moss?” “Not a fire sprite,” he said defensively. “These were water sprites. Three of them. They’re smaller than the Fae women and very nice to look at. I didn’t mind their attentions one bit.”

Lol

“If I were evil and using your oath for my own purposes, I’d order you onto your knees for me,” he said, cutting me off. “I’d order you to part your legs for me. I’d order you to suck and fuck me until you passed out from exhaustion. Is that what you want, Little Osha?”

Ahhgh yessss

I would have gasped when he tore my underwear to one side and plunged his fingers into the molten wet heat of my core, but his hand closed around my windpipe, stealing my ability to breathe. Like some dark-haired, foreboding fallen angel, Kingfisher purred as he plunged his fingers up inside me. “My, my. So worked up already? You’re slick as hell. What do you taste like, mm? Are you going to scream for me like a good girl when I have you ride my face?” “Y-ye—” It was no good. I couldn’t speak. My head was spinning, both from lack of blood and from the powerful need that rocked me to my core. I wanted him.

“I can’t wait to hear what kind of sounds you make when I thrust into you for the first time,” he purred. “I’m going to make you pant for me, Little Osha. And when we’re done, I’ll close my eyes and replay the sound of you moaning in my head every time I stroke myself to completion.”

*clutches pearls*

Archer didn’t look convinced. He was gracious enough not to call me out on my lies, though. “I see. Well, in any case, I brought you up a pitcher of apple juice and some cake so you could replenish your energy levels. Here…”

Bahahah i love Archer

“Find Ren. Ask him for a job, or I’ll find one for you,” Fisher said. “I’m assuming cleaning the latrines doesn’t sound appealing to you since you have no magic and would have to do it by hand?” Carrion’s grin faltered. “You are extra fucking miserable today. You should really get laid. Might help improve your mood. Tell him, Sunshine.” I choked. Loudly.

Lol

“Because she is moonlight. The mist that shrouds the mountains. The bite of electricity in the air before a storm. The smoke that rolls across a battlefield before the killing starts. You have no idea what she is. What she could be. You should call her Majesty.”

“Take Saoirse, Queen of the Lìssian Fae, for example. Her mother, who was queen before her, saved her life when she was a child. A hundred and eighty years later, her mother is murdered by unknown entities, and Saoirse rises to power. She’s young and beautiful. She likes being queen. She surrounds herself with infatuated males who are willing to die to keep her safe, and so she announces that she plans to live forever. She takes tonics and elixirs and is rumored to drink vampire blood to extend her life. Nearly three thousand years have passed since her mother died, and Saoirse doesn’t look a day over thirty. Meanwhile, her mother’s spirit has been chained to her, forced to witness the world of the living without being able to interact with it. Without being able to move on to her eternal rest…”

makes me think of madra

Shamelessly, I ground myself against him, taking what I wanted from the contact, riding his hand as he rubbed me. Fuck me with your fingers. Choke me. Hold me down and ride me until I scream. Fisher made an animal, desperate noise into the crook of my neck as if he could read my mind and knew all of the filthy things I wanted him to do to me. As if he wanted to do them to me, too. He snarled as he ripped his arm out from underneath my shirt and closed his hand around my throat. I’ll make you beg, Little Osha. I’ll fill every one of those pretty little holes. I’ll fuck you so hard, you’ll never want another male ever again. I’d imagined the words. Fabricated them out of thin air and somehow played them aloud in my own head in his voice.

Oooh i see those italyics.... I dont think you imagined those words my friend

“Good. At last. This is as it was always meant to be, Saeris Fane.” Fisher straightened and took me in. “Okay. Are you ready?” “Yes.” My heart kicked like a mule against my ribs, and yet I felt steady with the weight of the sword at my hip. “Be unrelenting and unmerciful in the face of the wicked dead,” Fisher said. Ren laid a steadying hand on my shoulder. “And if you should find soul sundered from flesh, order a drink for us at the first tavern you come across in the afterlife. We’ll settle the tab when we get there.”

“Stubborn girl,” he growled. “Don’t you dare die on my watch, Saeris Fane! Fisher will never forgive me if his sole reason for living is torn to pieces on her first fucking battlefield.” Wait a minute. What did—ohff

“She’s been kicking ass, Brother. She wields Solace almost as well as your father did.”

“KINGFISHERRRR!” The shrill cry rose above the shouting and whooping. Even the angry crash of thunder didn’t swallow it. It was female. All three of us whipped away from the celebration taking place, searching for the voice. It didn’t take long to find it. There, on the other side of the river, was a woman in a ruby red dress, her bright blond hair streaming out behind her like a banner of gold on the howling wind. It was Everlayne. And she was flanked by at least a hundred vampires.

Wtf

“Eh.” He shot me a rakish grin. “I love a girl with a sharp tongue and a bad attitude. Kinda makes my dick hard.”

We are token. Key. Relic. Shield.

Seal us with blood, Alchemist,

didn’t get a chance to reply. Carrion, dog that he was, jumped in before I could get a word out. He hopped off the bench, crossed the forge, and leaned against the wall by the doorway in that practiced, careless way of his. “You look stunning this evening, Te Léna. You’re literally the only good thing about being back here.” She laughed. “Aside from the running hot water, you mean? And the soft feather beds? And the endless supply of delicious hot food?” “No. I hate every single one of those things,” he said theatrically. “You remain the only bright star in a sea of darkness here. Tell me you’ve changed your mind about having dinner with me.” She gave him a chastising look, holding up both of her hands and showing him their backs. “I regret to inform you that I am still happily mated and married, Carrion Swift. And my husband isn’t the type to share.” “Is he handsome?” Carrion arched his eyebrow suggestively. “I do love a husband-and-wife team. Maybe he’ll let me join you both if he…”

Lol such Ridoc vibes

“So, they don’t just show up on their own? The marks? Like… out of the blue? Overnight? Or… while… y’know… you’re having sex with someone?” Te Léna laughed brightly. “Of course not. Don’t be silly.” The edge of panic rising inside me settled just a little. But then Te Léna spoke again. “Once upon a time, that was the case. Back when true mating bonds existed. Unions between true mates were blessed with marks from the Fates. That’s where the tradition of inking our hands originated from. But there’s no such thing as true mates anymore.

I wouldnt be so sure of that... Lol

“And what about script? You know. Writing?” I could only get a few words out at a time. “Do people… get that sometimes? Going around… their wrists?” “Oh, no. Definitely not. You only see that kind of thing in storybooks,” Te Léna scoffed. “They called it a God Binding. A blessing from the gods themselves. They weren’t real, of course. The most important couples in Yvelian history were said to have had them, but it was all romantic rubbish. Just something storytellers embellished to make their tales more tragic. Plus, they looked impressive in the illuminated books.”

“The last of the witches abandoned Yvelia a hundred years ago,”

Madra?

“Without a witch, we’re screwed,” he said. “They’re the only ones with powerful enough blood magic to break an enthrallment. They’re also the only ones powerful enough to keep Malcolm’s venom at bay while Te Léna draws it out of Layne’s system.”

“Fantastic. So we don’t just need a witch. We need the most powerful witch of all time,”

I just feel like saeris could be a witch with language like this

“Nobody will ever fuck you the way I’m about to fuck you, Saeris Fane. I’m about to introduce you to all seven gods. When you meet them, don’t forget to tell them I’m the one you worship on your knees.”

A husband turns to his wife one day and says, ‘Y’know, I bet you can’t think of something to tell me that will make me both happy and sad at the same time.’ The wife doesn’t even need to think about it. She turns to her husband and says, ‘Your cock is way bigger than your brother’s.’”

Fear the shadows, bitch. I’m made of them. One night soon, I’ll climb out of one and slit your fucking throat.” “What a lucky girl I am.”