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I looked around for Orion’s reaction, knowing how much he adored books and expecting to find a look of glee in his eyes,
Some of the old legends speak of something called vaporgation where you could turn yourself into gas form and have an air Elemental blast you away across the land at high speed,” Eugene squeaked. “We love trying to prove old legends true,” Brittny said excitedly. “Unfortunately, we think vaporgation might have had serious side effects like peeling a few layers of your skin off and making your fingernails rot,” Kandice said with a frown. “Oh,” I said with a grimace.
“Are we quite done with the introductions?” Orion drawled. “The princess saviour is looking at us,” Kandice breathed and Brittny honked nervously as the two of them blushed.
“Arnold will take you to the dark magic section. Don’t ever leave his side or you’ll get lost down in here and we’ll never find you. Only the Minotaurs know the way around this section. It’s how we protect the most dangerous knowledge in this library.”
“You must try to be as accurate as you can when thinking of what it is you need, my lady. If there is something you require but cannot find, then I will try to help you as best I can. When you are finished here ring the bell and I will come to collect you – or you may ring it if you need my assistance.”
“Over a thousand years ago, the Phoenixes visited here. They set this fire burning in the Goblet of Eternal Flames and it has never died. Your ancestors, Princess Vega, they are the ones who set it alight.”
I glanced back at Orion, finding him standing at the entrance to the cave, begging him to come closer with my eyes, but he didn’t move, as if he didn’t feel he should step further into this sacred place of my ancestors. But he belonged anywhere that I was, including right here.
“These books belonged to the Phoenixes of old,” Arnold explained. “They can only be touched by a Phoenix, so they have not been read in many centuries, my lady. The secrets found within them belong to you and your sister.”
“Do you really think I’d keep them from you?” “I am owed nothing from you and yet you have given me everything. I am always surprised at what you hand me so willingly.” “You are the most valuable man in the world to me, Lance, I wish that you’d see it the same way.
“What the hell was that?” I hissed. “A clumsy princess?” Orion offered. “Asshole,” I tossed at him. “And I didn’t mean that, I heard a voice. Like the stars or…something. It told me to go higher.” “So go higher,” Orion encouraged and I continue to climb until I made it right to the top.
“What is it?” Orion called up to me. “A book,” I called back. “Very funny,” Orion growled. “What’s it called?” “You’re very grumpy today.”
“I can catch myself,” I told him. “You didn’t before. I’m your backup parachute,” he said seriously.
“No. Because I won’t rest until you’re safe,” he said fiercely. “I am safe. I’m with you.”
“This is made from glendian silk,” he said. “The silk worm which used to make this material died out hundreds of years ago.” “Is it expensive?” I asked curiously. “You have no idea. The value of this book is immeasurable. And that’s just based on the cover. I imagine what lays inside makes it far more valuable even than that.” “So let’s find out,” I said eagerly.
“Does it turn you on?” I murmured to him and he glanced at me with an intensity in his eyes that could have brought the entire world to its knees. But as I was the only one to witness it, it was just me who fell to ruin. “Pay attention,” he said sternly, his professor tone coming out to play and I liked that a lot.
His finger skimmed down the contents page like he was caressing the arch of my spine and I swear I could feel it, him touching me as he was touching that book. I pushed all thoughts of his Power Shaming from my mind, just enjoying his company as I remembered the agony of going so long without it. “Should I be worried that you’re going to leave me for a book?” I asked, a grin pulling at my lips. Orion turned to me, still looking deadly serious. “I’ll never leave you, Blue.
“What’s gotten into you?” he growled, not playing my game. “You find out you’re cursed and you sit here smiling.” “I’m beside the love of my life in a magical library underground in a world I didn’t even know existed a couple of years ago. I’ve always been an optimist, but now I have a real reason to believe in miracles.” “So you’re certain we’ll find an answer?” he asked like he wanted to feed on my positivity. “No,” I admitted. “I’m still terrified that we won’t, but I’m equally hopeful that we will.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” I swore and he nodded, his expression settling into something demonic. “I know,” he said, his voice rough with grit. “Because I’m not going to let them take you from me, Blue, even if they come down from the heavens themselves to try and rip you from my arms. I am not named after the hunter constellation for no reason. I will make the stars my prey if they set you in their sights, and so help me, I will carve every one of them out of their seats in the sky and watch them fall.”
He leaned forward, kissing me deep and slow with the taste of a better future on his lips. One where we were happy, where we loved each other from the core of our beings to the very edges of the universe. And it filled me with so much joy, that I remained there, holding onto it and making a silent vow to myself that I would fight for that future with everything I had.
meaning the same fire burns in one Phoenix to the next. The result of this is a powerful energy which can be made stronger by the addition of one or more Phoenix flames. This power sharing is also power enhancing, meaning the gifts of their kind can be amplified together. This technique could be used to fight off deadly Fae diseases or even break curses.
“The two of you can fight it off together.” Orion beamed so bright his dimple popped out on his right cheek. “Why didn’t we think of this before?” “Because we’re idiots,” I laughed and threw myself at Orion, hugging him as his solid arms folded so tight around me, I almost couldn’t breathe.
“We’re in the Library of the Lost, we can spare a little bit of time to explore.” Orion shot over to me, a glimmer of his old self back in his eyes as he took in those words. “Are you sure?”
“The curse could take weeks to burn through,” I said. “It’s not gonna make any difference if we spend a couple of hours here.” Orion’s face lit up like a kid on Christmas morning and I grinned at him, bouncing on my toes as excitement poured through me too. “We deserve a bit of fun.” At the word fun, a beast’s grin pulled at his mouth and his fangs glinted at me, making my stomach swirl with butterflies.
we read a mortal book called Eternal Reign about a pair of twin girls, one of whom had been claimed by the royal Vampires who’d taken over New York City and the other had teamed up with the last slayer on earth who happened to be hot as hell.
“I’d burn every one of these books for you,” he said against my mouth and I pushed my fingers into his hair, sinking my tongue between his lips. “When I’m queen, I’m going to buy you this library,” I decided and he lifted his head, his eyes sparkling with surprise. “Then you can do whatever you like with these books, because they’ll be all yours.”
“I call that worshipping my goddess. I call it making love to the most beautiful woman in all of Solaria, I call it penance for all the bad things I’ve done to you and the least I can offer in retribution for the harm I caused you. But most of all, I call it loving you with the intensity of the sun and the devotion of the moon because you are my end, baby. The only dream I never dared to have for myself. Yet here you are, within reach at all times. And you’d better believe I can’t resist you now that I have you. I plan on marking every inch of your flesh so thoroughly with the memory of my
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Let’s get back on the hunt,” Orion said firmly. “I’ll go get Cal and we can make a plan.” “Since when did you start calling him Cal?” Seth asked, a whine in the back of his throat but Orion shot away without comment.
“It’s probably just a blood brother thing,” I said, dismissively. “Can you put your dick away now?” “I call him Cal,” Seth complained, getting to his feet and looking like he wanted to go chasing after Orion to join in with them. “Everyone calls him Cal, dude,” I pointed out, but Seth just tipped his head to the roof and howled.
“It’s not on us that there’s some psycho running about this place,” Darcy said angrily. “And no, we don’t want any help processing anything from you.” Washer sighed and turned away to go offer his slippery hugs to some other Fae and I watched him sashay away with a shudder.
We’d been working to try and burn the curse out of her every day, merging our Phoenix fire and encouraging it to rush through her body in a similar way to how I’d managed to burn the Dark Coercion from Darius and his family. We were hopeful that it was making a difference, though it left her feeling wiped out every time we finished.
“You sure that doesn’t have more to do with the Vampire in your bed?” “With Seth sitting there with front row seats? No thanks.” She wrinkled her nose and I laughed at that visual. “Yeah…I get that. But maybe some more rest will help?”
“Well if it isn’t my favourite sisters,” Gabriel called and we both looked up as we found him striding down the corridor towards us, shirt off, wings out. “Destiny is calling your names.” “What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked, kicking off of the wall I’d been leaning against to see him better. “The stars haven’t told me much, but they did say this: it’s time for you to visit The Palace of Flames.”
I took the ring from the hand of a skeleton I found within the ruins below the actual palace. It would seem that the gift returns to its metallic form upon the death of the person who was offered it, meaning I could claim it for myself. I suspect the magic in it is hundreds if not a thousand years old and yet it still burns with all the heat of a shooting star.” “That’s incredible,” Darcy murmured, her arm brushing mine as we walked side by side. “It is.
“This place has lain in ruins for hundreds of years, Darcy. I seriously doubt they’ve been waiting for our slow asses to show up here all that damn time. More likely they’d offer up this same chance to any Phoenixes who had Emerged in the time since their kind fell. But considering the fact that there haven’t been any of our Order born in all that time, it’s fallen to us instead.”
“Descendants of the royal line,” a voice filled with unearthly power spoke within my mind and one look at Darcy confirmed that she could hear it too. “Bringers of a new dawn. Seekers of the past.”
“The time for you to rise is close.”
“The magic that lingers here is ancient and impossibly powerful,” he said, like that wasn’t terrifying at all. “Come. The Palace of Flames is waiting.” “Because a palace waiting for us isn’t at all creepy or concerning,” I muttered, following as he walked on. “Inanimate objects just hang around and wait for us now.”
“You will stay here until you have unlocked the secrets of your kind and learned to fight like your ancestors once did. In fire, blood and bone. The Phoenix will always rise.”
“The stars will provide,”
“It’s time for you to claim all of your strength,” Gabriel said firmly,
“Just…tell him not to be a dick while I’m gone,” I muttered. “Seems unlikely, but I'll tell him,” Gabriel replied. “Shall I pass on a message of your unending love too or just the dick thing?” I cut him a narrow eyed look and he broke a laugh. “Fine,” I huffed. “Tell him I love him and he can’t be a dick while I’m gone. Good enough for you, asshole?” “It brings a tear to my eye,” Gabriel said,
“You’ll be the best queens Solaria has ever had,” he said fiercely, keeping us in the cage of his arms a moment longer as I breathed a laugh. “Have you seen that?” Darcy asked curiously and he grinned as he stepped back. “No. But I feel it in my soul.”
“Welcome home, fire born,” a commanding, female voice called, the air trembling at the sound which seemed to come from all around us and from nowhere at once. “It’s time for you to learn the path of the flames.”
goddess of a woman took its place, sitting on the throne with her bronze wings stretched out either side of her, her body clad in armour similar to the kind Geraldine had gifted us. Her hair was as dark as charcoal, her skin a rich brown hue and she had a mouth that seemed used to smiling. At first it seemed like she was solidly there until her wings folded behind her and I realised I could almost see through her.
“You’re a queen?” Tory guessed and I gasped as I suddenly remembered where I’d seen her before. In Lavinia’s memories. “She’s the Vega queen I saw in Diego’s hat. She’s the one who banished Lavinia to the Shadow Realm,”
“Lavinia has risen again, yes?” she asked, a bite to her tone. “Yeah, she’s risen alright,” Tory said as her upper lip curled back. “And she’s playing house with Lionel Acrux.” “Acrux,” the queen growled. “Yes…I see it now. The stars are offering me the knowledge I need to help you. So many years,” she sighed. “Empires have risen and fallen in the time I have been gone.” She gasped at something, then her eyes snapped to the Imperial Star hanging from my throat. “You possess it.”
“The only reason we’re going for the throne is to destroy Lionel and Lavinia so we can restore peace to Solaria,” Tory growled. Queen Avalon smiled sadly. “For now, but when the time comes, you will both want the throne, and you will fight to claim it from each other.”
Nah
“We’ll never fight each other,” I said fiercely. “Power is the root of our kind,” Queen Avalon said softly. “There is no shame in choosing it over our siblings. It is the way of Fae. I fought my brother for this very throne,” she said. “Well, we’re not like you,” Tory said and the queen’s eyes flashed onto her, but not with anger, just curiosity. “Perhaps…or perhaps not,” she said. “Either way, I have much to teach, much you need to know if you are to defeat my old rival.”
“It was a prophecy gifted to me by a great Seer,” she said without looking back. “I knew one day my descendants would rise, and I knew you would come to me ignorant and in need at a time when Lavinia returned from where I banished her. I bound myself to this place when I died so that I could return to train you, to teach you to fight as I can fight, to rule as I have ruled.” “Keep the broken promise.”
“What’s your Order, Jacob?” Darius demanded. “C-Cerberus,” he stuttered, starting to sense we were the danger in the room. “And my name is Justin.
