Page 105 of Madness of Her Mages

He cupped my cheek, kissing me back.And I love you, darling. Take deep breaths,he said.You don’t have to figure this out alone.

When Blaze’s feathers tickled my back, I turned into him, kissing his cheek. “And I love you, too,” I said as I looked into his eyes swirling with smoke and fire.

He stroked my cheek with calloused knuckles. “And I love you, my beautiful mate. I thank the elements every day for you.”

Words couldn’t express my gratitude that I had my mates to help me navigate this deadly court. The girls and I wouldn’t have survived this long without them.

What if Malvolia invited us into the tower?

I looked at Blaze.How?

He sat up on his knees, his wings sagging behind him, revealing his bare chest, beautifully sculpted golden tan muscles with black swirling tattoos. Shiri tells Malvolia she needs to get more information from Felicity and her mates,he said to us.

I shot up like I’d been struck by a bolt of lightning. That’s right! Felicity and her mates had been thrown in the dungeon. Now I had to convince Malvolia I needed to see my cousin. We would be so close to my father. Perhaps Blaze with his stealthy speed could check on him.

Blaze, you’re brilliant.I clasped my hands together, hope surging in my chest.Do you think it will work?

Shadows eclipsed his eyes.I will make it work.

Thank you, my love.I fell into his arms, plastering kisses all over his face.Thank you.

NOT LONG AFTER BREAKFAST, the servants dressed me in another short, pale leather dress and matching tights, and I was summoned to the stables behind the castle. Though the summons was only for me, Drae and Blaze accompanied me while Nikkos stayed with the children again.

I tensed when I saw my aunt’s coven and several fire mages outside the stables surrounding Malvolia whose dark gaze narrowed on me and my mates. She wore her tight leather trousers and lace-up boots, and I prayed we weren’t going riding.

“You two stay outside,” my aunt said to my mates with a scowl. Then she crooked a finger at me. “Come, Shirina.”

I cast my mates a worried look, but Drae gave me an encouraging nod, so I followed the dragon into her den, magic racing through my veins as an unsettling feeling came over me. My aunt’s coven stayed behind, apprehensive looks in their eyes. Even they were smart enough to stay the hell away from my aunt, and here I was following her like a dog on a leash.

I covered my mouth when I was hit with the powerful stench of horse manure that was so strong it made my eyes water. Haydust floated in the air, tickling my nostrils, and I fought the urge to sneeze. The stables were comprised of mostly wingless chestnut horses with slick coats who mindlessly chewed on hay. But then one horse stood out among the rest, and not just because he had wings, but also because he wasn’t restricted to a stable. Attached to the end of the stables was a drafty, circular building and a veritable paradise for a winged horse with a vaulted atrium ceiling much like the ones in the castle, only these rafters had strings of bloody meat and goat heads hanging from them. Nice.

Mortimus stood among bloody rushes mixed with hay, dining on what looked like a pile of guts and slurping down a rope of entrails when we approached.

My aunt went to her terrifying horse, nuzzling his bloody maw. Together they shared a long look, and I knew they were telepathically speaking. I wondered if I’d ever find a familiar, or if I needed one since I had my mates. I sincerely hoped my familiar wasn’t a flesh-eating horse.

Malvoia grabbed a brush hanging from a nearby hook and began to brush out her horse’s smooth coat. “My spies have sent news,” she called over her shoulder. “Prince Helian is to marry Duke Viggo’s niece, Lady Arabella.”

I gave a start. “Oh.” Why had I thought Helian had been meant for my sister?

“Their alliance is solidified, Shirina,” Malvolia said with a scowl, her brush strokes down Mortimus’s back becoming more vigorous as dark smoke wafted from her pores. “Now Fachnan will have access to the Windhaven army, and if Viggo is possessed, Lady Arabella is most likely possessed, too. They’ll infect Helian, and he’ll infect his father if his mage hasn’t already.” She turned on me with a snarl, and the brush disintegrated in her hands, ash falling into the rushes at her feet.

“Are-are you sure this report is accurate?” I stammered, backing up a step. “I thought Prince Helian was one of my sister’s mates.”

“I’m not sure.” She frowned. “My spies reported your sister and Helian were lovers.”

“Lovers?” I scratched the back of my head. “Now he’s marrying Duke Viggo’s niece?”

“Exactly.” She paced the rushes, her black robe flowing behind her. “Why would he trade a white witch for the niece of a duke? And this niece is known to be quite a hateful shrew, too. Is it because King Fachnan is that desperate to form an alliance with Windhaven?” She stopped pacing long enough to pin me with a scowl, as if all this was somehow my fault. “My spies report your sister’s mates survived Fachnan’s attack and are with her at Peloponese. Perhaps they didn’t want to share her with their half-brother, and that’s why he’s marrying Lady Arabella.”

“My sister is a powerful white witch,” I said. “Shouldn’t she have three mates like me?”

Malvolia laughed. “Just because Helian was her lover, doesn’t make him her mate.”

“I know,” I said while chewing my bottom lip. This didn’t make sense. All the suiters who’d wandered into the forest vying for my favors. I’d turned each one of them down. Not that I didn’t dream of escaping our moldy cabin in the woods, but I’d never been attracted to any males until I’d met my mates. Tari also had suitors after she’d lost her mates, and she’d told me time and time again she’d never give herself to another. Yet, she gave herself to Helian. I had to believe it was because he was her fated mate, too. Now he was marrying Lady Arabella? I narrowed my eyes, my heated gaze focused on my aunt. “I refuse to believe it.”

She threw up her hands with a curse. “Well, start believing.”

This all felt so wrong, and I hated that I couldn’t reach out to my sister and find out what was happening. I felt so helpless. “So what do we do?”

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