Page 41 of Power of Five
“Nothisunderclothes,” Tye protests as the slender female sweeps all three of us up in her wake with the efficiency of a small hurricane.
I’m alonein my bed that night, having last seen Shade gnawing on a soup bone in the corner of the dining room. The wolf’s eyes met mine for a moment just as he was opening his maw to engage his back molars against the crunchy cartilage, as if shoutingmine.
I’m still unsure how to reconcile the furry wolf with the commanding warrior of this morning. One thing is certain: I’ve underestimated the power of these four from the beginning, having thought of only Coal and River as the truly dangerous ones. The power of Shade’s voice—the confident, unyielding demand of it—is still echoing through my bones as I snuggle down into the covers, wondering how I can hate and want him so badly all at the same time.
I wake before the sun, pulling on new leather-lined pants that Autumn insisted River wanted me to have. All part of a kit that we assembled yesterday in preparation for the week-long journey to the Citadel. Having spent all the life I can remember at Zake’s stable, the past few days of moving from place to place are feeding my nerves with a steady diet of anxiety and excitement that result in little sleep.
Slipping out of my room into the dark corridor, I go to step onto the plush carpet—only to trip over a large log that sure as hell wasn’t there when I went to bed. The floor rushes up to meet me, my nose smacking into the rug. My hands go to my mouth to cover a yelp just as the damn log groans and opens a pair of offended yellow eyes.
“Argh.” I collect my feet under me and rise as the log shifts into Shade’s fae form.
“Why are you up this early?” he asks, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. He is once more without a shirt, and the carpet’s pattern has made imprints on his skin. My hands long to run over the fatigued muscles, and I stick my hands into my armpits to keep the idea in check.
“Why are you sleeping outside my door?” I ask instead of answering him, looking down to assure myself that I am in fact dressed. Supple leather tucked into good boots and a close-spun red top wink back at me reassuringly.
Shade stretches, the six perfect squares of his abdomen shifting like velvet. “I didn’t think I’d be welcome inside,” he says quietly.
My cheeks heat, though a tingle low in my belly questions Shade’s assumption. I sigh. “Why are you not in your own bed?”
Shade scratches behind his ear. With his hand, not his foot, at least. “I don’t like leaving you unprotected,” he confesses. “None of us do.”
“Well, you can’t be sleeping on the floor outside my door either,” I point out in what I think are reasonable tones, which Shade promptly snorts at. I push the issue aside—there might not be any more bedrooms with doors between now and when we arrive at the Citadel anyway. “Where is Coal sleeping?” I ask.
“Hewassleeping in here,” Coal answers from a door two paces away. Shirtless and wearing a pair of well-worn breeches, Coal ties his hair back as he steps into the corridor. “Why the bloody hell is the mortal up at this hour?” he demands of Shade.
I smile sweetly at him. “Because the mortal is going riding. And she thought you might wish to join her.”
Coal’s brow twitches. “The mortal doesn’t know how to ride.”
“Then the mortal is going falling,” I say with a shrug, turning toward the stairs. “I’ll give Czar your regards.”
“Wait!” There is a small crashing sound as Coal grabs his boots, which he pulls on as he scrambles after me. “Czar is mine. Fall from your own bloody horse.”
I stop, blinking at Coal as I process what he said. He smirks at me and pushes past, bellowing for River as he walks. The prince steps out from the room beside Coal’s, looking exactly as he did when I saw him yesterday evening, in simple but finely tailored black pants and a white shirt.
“Did you sleep at all?” I ask the prince.
“No.” He turns to Coal. “You shouted?”
Coal gestures lazily to my riding leathers. “Should we show her?”
River nods, a small, uncharacteristic smile touching his face.
My heart hops in my chest, my eyes narrowing at the males. Any upper hand I had this morning has clearly been usurped. “Talk.”
“Leave Shade and come along, Leralynn,” River orders, leading me and Coal through the dawn’s breaking rays into the stable, where the familiar scents of leather, hay, and horse greet me with a friend’s caress.
A curious mare sticks her nose out of her stall, whinnying sleepily at us. Coal stays behind with me while River walks farther in without lighting a lantern. Fae eyes. Fae sense of smell. Fae hearing. These beings are such predators that it’s a wonder the horses haven’t rebelled against them altogether.
After a few heartbeats, I hear the scrape of a bolt, the soft whisper of hinges, and theclank clank clankof a horse’s hooves against the floorboards. Coal grips my upper arms, nudging me outside just as River leads out a gray mare I’ve not seen before. Small and muscular, with a gloriously thick silver mane and a star on her forehead, the horse is perfectly sized for me. The mare’s large brown eyes study me intelligently.
My mouth dries.
“Mortal, meet Sprite,” Coal says, stifling a yawn. “She was bred for her smooth gait, so even you should be able to stay on her.”
My breath hitches, my eyes unable to shift from the mare.Your own bloody horse.That is what Coal said. I’ve never owned a warm cloak before meeting the quint, much less a horse. Stars. I swallow. “Is she truly...”
“Yours, yes,” River says firmly. “The tack too. Don’t let Sprite’s small size fool you—she has a dexterity and endurance that any of the larger horses would envy. I think you’ll enjoy riding her.”
I am still catching my breath when I charge at River, deciding he deserves the first embrace. His eyes widen in surprise at the assault, but he catches me in a tight hold regardless, lifting my feet off the ground. Legs dangling, I press my cheek against his, feeling the cautious answering nuzzle that sends tingles of pleasure through my body. River smells of woods and soap, his powerful arms and the faint stubble against my face making me feel like I’m floating in a pool of danger.
I’m just deciding I might stay here forever when his next words pierce my heart. “She is yours forever, Leralynn,” the prince of Slait whispers in my ear. “You can take her home when you go. You can take everything home.”
