Page 20 of Trial of Three
“Coal.”
Vulnerable blue eyes turn up to meet mine. “Whatever retribution you wish to—”
“I don’t need retribution.” Putting a hand on Coal’s cheek, I capture the warrior’s gaze. “I needyou.” I search for words that Coal will hear, respect. “I need your help to heal.”
He blinks for a moment, digesting my words, glancing at Autumn for confirmation. His throat bobs. “If you believe my magic can help, then it is yours,” he says softly. “But use my memories to bridge into it. It’s more controlled—it’s safer that way.”
“Safer for me, maybe, but not for you. I don’t need safer,” I whisper back, aware of the many eyes watching our every move. “We did this. We’ll fix it.” Despite the kiss Tye just took, this moment still feels frighteningly raw. Naked. Raising my other hand, I cup the back of Coal’s head and press my mouth over his.
Coal’s eyes jerk up, and for an instant I taste nothing but surprise and blood. His arms, still clasped behind his back, twitch but stay locked. Beneath his bare, muscled chest, the warrior’s heart beats so hard that I can feel it pumping as vividly as the heat coming off his flesh and the metallic scent that wraps around him like armor.
I press harder and Coal’s mouth responds on instinct, his lips claiming mine with a harsh power that sparks a firefly of magic inside my chest.
The male pulls back with a gasp, his blue eyes wide, and I nod my confirmation. Yes. I felt it. Just as he did.
I reach for him again to continue, wincing as I bend too far and shooting pain pierces my ribs. The room tilts.
Coal’s arms shoot out from behind his back at once, bracing my shoulder blades. Steadying me. Coal’s steel support anchors me to him while he grips my eyes and slips one hand to the back of my head. His fingers wrap possessively in my hair, taking charge with the same singular purpose that he carries into a sparring ring. Giving me no time to breathe, Coal’s mouth descends upon mine. A hard, visceral assault that is perfectly Coal. Perfectly us.
I respond in kind, my own tongue plunging into his bruised mouth. My scalp tingles where Coal’s hand pulls my hair, his other hand both supporting my weight and preventing escape. My hands dig into his shoulders, my nails raking along his skin as I feel his magic echoing inside me.
Pulsing power, frighteningly strong and familiar, blossoms in my chest before spreading through my body, the energy more potent than any wine. A door thrown open. A dam lifted. My heart quickens as I feel yet another sensation.
Coal’s essence challenging mine, daring me to yield. Our magic’s brewing battle for dominance sings sweetly through my veins. Waking my nerves. Making me strong. Alive.
Tye whistles. Grunts in pain. Shuts up.
An audience. I’d forgotten about them. I shudder, my magic tripping over itself, pulling back from its tangle with Coal’s. Even in front of our own quint, the intimacy of the connection strips me naked. Exposed.
Coal’s grip on me tightens, his tongue raking possessively through my mouth. Fighting for my focus. Fighting for me and the magic simmering in my veins.
My chest heaves as we finally pull away, my hands braced on my knees. Coal wipes the back of his hand over his lip, the gash in it smaller than it was before. My own body is battered still, but with vines of magic reinforcing the joints and bones, it no longer feels frail. Coal extends his hand and we rise together, our bodies helping each other come erect in a suddenly empty room.
13
Lera
Once my ribs no longer threaten to puncture a lung each time I take a step—at least for the brief window of time that Coal’s magic still simmers in my blood—Autumn walks me to the Citadel’s infirmary, a low ivy-covered building near the library. The cheerful blue sky and nodding flowers mock my insides as we make painfully slow progress across the grounds, the clusters of fae we pass watching me unabashedly and whispering the moment we’re past.
“Ignore the idiots,” Autumn says quietly after the third such encounter, then louder, “They’ve never trained hard enough to injure themselves.”
“If they knew whattrainingdid this, it might motivate a great deal of study.” My cheeks heat when I realize I said the thought out loud. I clear my throat. But the small perk in Autumn’s step says it’s too late to backtrack.
“So,” Autumn says, shooting me a sideways glance. “Coal.”
“Coal,” I echo flatly.
“Coal.” She wiggles her eyebrows suggestively. “I can name a dozen females who’d likely come just from seeing the bastard naked.”
My cheeks flush a second time, suddenly for a very different reason. Is Autumn possibly one of said dozen? I’m fairly certain the female enjoys both genders but...
A corner of her mouth twitches. “You really should do something about that habit of flashing your thoughts for everyone to see. No, silly, I don’t think of Coal that way. I mean, I appreciate a good set of everything as much as the next being, but he feels too much like a brother. And when you already have a brother like River, that designation is an incredible turn-off.”
I clear my throat, some of the tension easing from my shoulders. “It was... good. Different. Intimate in a very... explosive way.”
“Considering how long it took Coal to put his bedchamber to rights, I imagine that’s accurate.” Autumn bends to snatch up a flower, twisting the long stem between her fingers. “It’s good for him. For both of you.”
I rein in my voice to normalcy. “Scientifically speaking, it’s fortunate that we discovered the mechanics of Coal’s magic in advance of next week. So at least there’s that.”
