“This is far enough. Use what your momma gave ya," he says with a shimmy. I can tell he is being protective in his own way, and I love him for that. It actually does keep me from dwelling on everything.
Focusing on my magic, I close my eyes and let it gather along my skin. Once it’s dancing freely, I send it out in a pulse. It bounces through the room, but other than a few magical signatures from the remaining fae, I feel nothing.
With a deep breath, I gather it back before attempting again. This time I send it further out, hoping it’s strong enough to travel through the solid stone walls. This time I feel the faint ping of strong magic coming from above us, though I can’t pinpoint where it’s coming from this far away. The pulse is extremely faint and if I wasn’t concentrating, I would have missed it completely.
Satisfied, I pulled my magic back in and opened my eyes. Two sets of wide gazes meet mine.
“What’s wrong with you two?” I ask, giving Jacob and Emrick a weird look.
“You literally glow when you use magic. Like you look like those glowing mushrooms," Jacob says in awe. I snort at his comparison.
“Did you just say I look like fungi?” I ask in mock horror. He snickers at me, realizing what he said.
“You were lit up like a disco ball, don’t blame me for finding that weird. Even after all the weird we’ve dealt with the last few months." I laugh at that. He isn’t wrong, our lives are permanently weird now. “I’ve seen you use magic before, but this is new.”
“Maybe it’s because I bonded with Bowen,” I suggest, shrugging it off.
“I think it’s badass. It makes you look like a fierce warrior," Emrick adds, giving me a sexy smirk. I blush at his praise, but mostly at the sexy place my thoughts go.
“Are you blushing, Queenie?” Jacob points at my red cheeks and laughs, which causes me to blush even more fiercely. I’m way too pale to get away with it subtly.
“I was just thinking of how sexy Emrick is, I can describe my thoughts in detail if you want? His sexy abs... his sexy smile... his long, thick-” I tease back, causing Emrick to make a strangled, surprised noise.
“Uh, no thanks," Jacob interrupts, his cheeks turning red now. I giggle and lead them back to our suite, satisfied that I’d thrown Jacob off this time.
“So, did you find anything?” Emrick asks, putting us back on track. I feel like half of the knights’ job is to keep us focused on nights like this. But after our shitty last few months, it’s needed.
“It wasn’t in the ballroom. But, I can feel it faintly coming from somewhere in the upper floors. We’ll have to explore and investigate tomorrow," I announce with a yawn. My renewed strength is starting to drain, especially after using my magic so soon after recovering.
Maddox looks up as I walk in, catching the end of my statement. He stands up and crosses the room in seconds, scooping me up and holding me close. I nuzzle into his neck and breathe in my Summer knight, reveling in the feel of his arms around me. The little moments like this are what solidify how much I care about them. They’re part of me, magic or not.
“We are taking the Queen to her room. We can discuss other things in the morning," Maddox says firmly.
“We can regroup in the morning," Gerwyn agrees, following Maddox’s lead.
Maddox doesn’t put me down until he reaches the bed. I smile up at him and he runs his knuckles down my jaw line. The light touch sends shivers down my spine. His gaze is intense, like he’s memorizing my face. It really scared them to be separated like we were. Not to mention they came back to a battered version of me, that couldn’t have been easy.
It scared me too. Knowing they were frozen and unsure if I could fix it, then seeing Gerwyn and Jacob in that ballroom. It nearly broke me.
But we did win, it’s over, I remind myself, refusing to let him take more away from me.
So far no one has asked about what happened down in the dungeon, and I’m thankful for it. It isn’t a time I will ever
look upon fondly. I knew each Court would have its challenges, I just never imagined imprisonment or torture at the hands of my grandfather being on that list.
“Bella?” Maddox asks softly, gently tugging on a strand of my silvery blond hair to get my attention.
“Sorry, did I miss something?” I ask sheepishly, the others chuckling softly.
“We were saying that Bowen is going to stay with you. We think the bond between you two will help you recover some strength. Two of us will stay in the common room as guards, the third will patrol. We will rotate and sleep. You work on resting.” Maddox kisses my forehead before giving me a firm kiss on my lips. Emrick walks over next, resting his forehead on mine.
“Please be safe. I love you, Bella," he says quietly before giving me a gentle kiss and walking away. The look on his face is like he’s leaving a part of him behind, and fuck if that doesn’t make my heart clench.
I’m left stunned at his declaration. Love is a big deal. We had all said it in passing, more of a familial way, or at least that’s what I thought. This sounds different, more direct.
Before I can truly process, Gerwyn is there. He leans down and dominates my mouth. It’s desperate and possessive. The moment I moan, he takes the opportunity to slide his tongue into my mouth. Within seconds he has me practically climbing him for more. I grunt in protest when he’s suddenly ripped away.
“Enough of that, lover boy. I don’t want to spend the rest of the night fighting a raging erection," Emrick complains, adjusting himself in his pants. He winks at me before forcing Maddox and Wyn out of the room.