Page 32 of Power of Five
River’s voice is distant. “The king of Slait is of the opinion that Mors attacks are rare enough that the losses are acceptable.”
My breath catches. “Your mother—”
“Yes.” The answer is so clipped with pain that I can’t bear to push him more, and we make the rest of the walk in thoughtful silence. Coal. River. Shade. I wonder if there is a darkness in Tye’s past as well. If perhaps more than magic connects us all.
The other three males stand as we enter the dining hall, which has dizzyingly vaulted ceilings lined with what looks like a hundred crystal chandeliers. I think the gesture is a salute to Prince River—until I realize their gazes are locked not on the male, but on me. My skin tingles.
“Stars,” Tye says, adding a whistle for emphasis, “how have you managed to hide that from us for days?”
Coal elbows Tye in the ribs, hard enough to make the male grunt in pain. River was right about Coal, I note—the male is wearing black leather pants and the same black shirt he wore during our training. His callused hands look washed and his blond hair looks clean, but it’s still tied back tightly.
Shade, in his fae form, walks toward me. He is wearing real clothes for once, a soft cashmere sweater, the same dark gray as his wolf’s fur, thin suede pants in a light gray, and supple ankle-high boots. River slides behind me with his palms on the crest of my hips to make room for his quint brother. Shade’s large hands brush over my skinned knuckles.“Let’s fix that,” he says, his yellow eyes brushing mine with a gentleness to match his fingers, and my torn knuckles prickle with heat.
I gasp as the heat peaks and settles like thick wax, leaving fresh pink skin in its wake. “What was that?”
“Healing magic,” says Autumn, shifting over on the long bench to make room for me beside her. Like me, Autumn wears a flowing silk gown, though hers is in silvery blue tones. Like me, she also wears a complementary sash of silk to match her dress, but hers is tied around her neck and flowing down her back, mingling with her silver-blond braids. “Would you all let Lera sit down and eat? Maybe ogle her discreetly from across the table?” The males disperse quickly and Autumn grins at me, laying a thick smoky steak on my plate while River adds a salad of ripe tomatoes and crispy lettuce to keep the meat company.
I run my fingers over my freshly healed knuckles.
“I couldn’t reach my healing gift in the mortal lands or Mystwood,” Shade says softly. “I did try, cub. In both my forms.”
Autumn sets down her fork. “Shade shifted form in the mortal lands? That shouldn’t be possible. Then again, with the magic choosing Lera, the definition ofpossiblehas gained some flexibility.”
“Speaking of healing,” I say carefully, “if anyone else has special powers, it would be nice to know.” I think about the earth shaking when the males rode in to fight off the sclices, knowing that River caused it but not exactly how. I wait patiently for someone to tell me the truth.
“Besides the power that comes when a quint physically connects,” says Autumn, using her fork to point at the males, “River’s magic has a natural earth affinity, which means he can manipulate earth and rock most easily. Shade shifts, with a side of healing. Coal kills things very efficiently, and Tye is just a pain in the ass.”
“Anytime you want to go fire to fire, I’m ready, Sparkle,” Tye tells the female before turning his head sharply toward me. “Both of us have a magical flame affinity, but my superiority makes River’s little sister feel inadequate.”
Autumn rolls her eyes. “Magic is a bit like muscle,” she tells me. “We all have it, but some of us can only use it to smash things and others of us can use it to write. You can work out for yourself who’s who. Oh, and that bastard also shifts. The shift does shut him up nicely, but unfortunately it is better for all of us if he stays fae.”
Tye wiggles his brows. “Is that a challenge?”
“What do you shift into?” I ask.
“Don’t get him started,” River says.
Shade growls. “If you are so determined to show your true colors, Tye, why don’t you tell our cub what you were doing when the quint call came.”
For the first time since I met the male, I see Tye blush. “I was... occupied.”
“He was in prison,” Shade supplies helpfully.
“Like I said.” Tye crosses his arms. “Occupied.”
Shade snorts. “The Citadel had to interfere to get that bastard out. And then all five of us went through extra hell just to—”
“I’m hungry,” Tye says, breaking off a piece of crusty bread that fills the air with its yeasty aroma. “The overgrown rug over there is altogether too chatty after a decade in wolf form, and I do not see that as a good reason to let dinner go cold.”
I lean toward Shade. Information is flowing like wine this evening, and I’m determined to milk it for every last drop. “So what did you mean about going through extra misery on Tye’s account?”
“Really, lass?” Tye says between mouthfuls. “Of all the exciting things you could ask about me, that’s what you want to know?”
Autumn snorts. “Don’t bother asking this lot for a straight story,” the princess tells me. “It varies with each bout of masculinity poisoning that these roosters suffer from. Here is the basic—”
“You do remember that I’m your future lord, don’t you?” River says sharply.
“Not if being an ass kills you first,” Autumn answers sweetly. Not a rejection of River’s status, but not subservience either. Just... love. Family. Friendship. And it isn’t just Autumn and River, but all of them. I’m just swallowing my envy when Autumn turns back to me, a self-satisfied grin on her face. “All right, then. So the problem with quints is that they are bloody powerful things, and the sudden influx of magic unfortunately doesn’t come with a sudden influx of brains.”
