From The Deeps (Seven Wardens Book 1) Read online

  “Remind me why I can’t spend the day in bed?” she whined, making Jared chuckle more.

  “What makes you think you’d get any rest there?”

  Macey’s blood heated, and a wave of desire crashed through her, despite the fact she hadn’t long slept with two of her men. She shouldn’t be ready for more again, not when she was still sore and aching, but in the best possible way.

  “Well, I...”

  “We’d let you rest, but there are far more important things we need to do.”

  She frowned. It was true, she just didn’t want to accept that. “Lightning?” She sighed. She didn’t even know the person and she was already part of a plan to save them.

  “Yes, we need to save her,” Jared answered instantly.

  “Her...” Macey repeated, turning the idea around in her head. She didn’t like the idea of another woman around, not when she’d just managed to capture the three of their attentions.

  “Apparently.” Jared sounded confused, as if he wasn’t too sure what he was saying either.

  “You don’t know?”

  “Not for sure, but it felt like the right thing to say.”

  She felt his shrug against her back.

  “Probably true then.” She tried to squash down the jealousy that was clawing about inside her.

  “There’s no need to be jealous, little kelpie,” he whispered in her ear. She shivered. Everything he did just made her think of sex, and this was no different. The only thing she wasn’t sure of, was whether it was because of his incubus side, or just because of who he was to her.

  “How did you...”

  “I’m an incubus. Attraction and sex aren’t the only things I can sense. I’m sensitive to a lot of emotions. And jealousy is so tightly tied to what I’m strongest in, that it’s one I can sense clearly.”

  “Oh.”

  “But don’t worry, Macey.” His lips actually brushed over her ear this time, and she shivered in anticipation. “You’re already ours and we’re already yours. You’re already wearing our marks after all.” He traced his hand gently over her back, about where the tattoo she’d gained after having sex with him was.

  “I’ve got two more, don’t I?” she asked carefully, not at all surprised.

  “Without a doubt.”

  “What do they look like?” She was breathing heavily, just the idea of bearing their marks enough to get her heart racing and her body heating up. She was going to die from orgasm overload if they carried on.

  “I don’t know for sure without looking, but remove your shirt and I’ll tell you,” he teased. She wasn’t all that sure how serious he was being, but pulled away from him and turned so they were facing one another. Slowly, she raised the hem of her shirt, Jared’s hungry eyes following every inch of exposed skin. She grinned to herself, pleased with the effect she was no doubt having. “You’re beautiful,” he said reverently, and her heart swelled to three times the size. Fitting given she had three times the normal number of men in her life.

  “Thanks.” She dropped her shirt to the floor and gave him a hooded look, knowing full well what it would do to him. Though really, he was probably already there given she was standing before him in a lacy black bra and jeans that made her ass look fabulous.

  “Turn around,” he commanded, twirling his finger. She complied, heat washing over her as she pictured the last time he’d been this way.

  His finger came to rest on her skin, and he began to trace a pattern, leaving a trail of goosebumps in his path.

  “This one is my mark.” He traced it again. “It’s the symbol for earth.”

  “You like that you were first, don’t you?” she asked, her words hitching at the end. There was no way she could deny what he did to her then.

  “Very much so.” His finger trailed across her skin, stopping when he reached the opposite shoulder where he traced a different pattern. “This one is for wind. It’s Cam’s mark.”

  “Why is it in that place?” she asked, trying to keep her mind focused on what they were talking about and not the sensations of his touch.

  “I think it’s because we’re opposites. So our marks have appeared opposite one another.”

  “Oh. But doesn’t that mean that Flint and I...”

  “Yes, your marks should be opposite one another too, unless...”

  “Unless?”

  “Don’t mind me, Macey. You don’t have a water mark yet. But here’s Flint’s.” His fingers lowered slightly, still in line with where Cam’s mark was. He traced the pattern slowly, and surely, and she could picture it in her mind.

  “Why don’t I have a mark for me yet?” It didn’t make any sense. If she was water, then surely she should’ve started with that one? And it felt uneven to have two marks on one side and only a single one of the other. What was with that? And what did she need to do to make her own mark appear? Having sex with herself obviously didn’t do the trick, or it would have arrived already.

  “I don’t know. I have a theory, but I don’t think you’re ready to hear it just yet.”

  “Jared...” she drew out his name like a plea.

  “Not yet, Macey. Not yet.”

  “Come on, tell—”

  A burning pain rammed into Macey’s skull and she screamed as she felt her body fall backwards at the same time as her mind was ripped away.

  “HAVE YOU MISSED ME?”

  The Voice was back, and it seemed even stronger this time. So much pain. Macey was struggling to hold onto sanity as agony threatened to overwhelm her. It would be so easy to give in, to be swept away...

  “I WAS WRONG.”

  Even in her haze, she knew that it was strange for the villain to admit that he’d been wrong. “Huh?” was all she managed to say.

  “YOU AREN’T THE SECOND. YOU WILL BE MY THIRD. ICE IS WALKING STRAIGHT INTO MY TRAP, THINKING HE CAN RESCUE HIS PARTNER. WHAT A FOOL. TOMORROW, I’LL HAVE LIGHTNING AND ICE, AND WATER WILL BE MY THIRD. I AM CLOSE NOW, LITTLE KELPIE. DON’T STRUGGLE, YOU KNOW YOU CAN’T WIN.”

  That made sense. He was strong, powerful, she was just a girl. She couldn’t fight him. It was pointless. Maybe she should just give in. Let him take her.

  “GOOD GIRL. TELL ME THAT YOU WANT ME TO TAKE YOU AWAY. JUST SAY THOSE WORDS.”

  Yes, that sounded easy. If only she could speak. She was too weak to form words, too weak to even form proper thoughts. But him taking her sounded good. Painless. Maybe he’d take the pain away.

  “YES, EVERYTHING WILL BE ALRIGHT ONCE YOU’RE WITH ME. YOU WON’T FEEL ANY PAIN. YOU’LL BE HAPPY.”

  Happy. But wasn’t she happy already? She was having a hard time remembering why that was. Something about other people. Her men. The memories came flooding in and the Voice screamed as Macey’s magic fizzled into life.

  “I’LL BE BACK. NEXT TIME YOU’LL BE WEAK ENOUGH FOR ME TO BREAK THROUGH. SAY GOODBYE TO YOUR WARDENS WHILE YOU CAN. I ONLY NEED FOUR OF YOU, SO NOT ALL OF THEM WILL BE NECESSARY.”

  With a final hit against her mental barriers, he disappeared and Macey was flung back into her body. Which was not a good thing.

  It hurt so bad. Everything was burning. She needed water, quickly. Lots of it. She could feel her kelpie form pressuring her to be let out. Shifting would make the pain go away, but for that she needed water. Kelpies couldn’t breathe on land and could only hold their breath for so long.

  “Water,” she whispered, not knowing if anyone was listening. She was too feeble to even open her eyes. The pain was still as bad as when the Voice had been inside her, if not worse. She gave her magic free reign and sighed in relief as cool water touched her skin. It made the pain slightly more bearable.

  Someone picked her up and carried her. There were voices, noises, doors banging, but all she could do was trying to hold back a whimper. Her stomach lurched with every step of the person carrying her and she was having a hard time not throwing up. It was too much.

  Her skin was burning up again and she called on her magic to cool h
erself. She needed to get away from the fire that was hurting her. She moved feebly, trying to get away.

  “Shhhushh, you’ll be in the water in a moment,” a soothing voice said, but it hurt to listen. Her kelpie form was close to bursting out while her magic was trying to break free at the same time. She just wanted to give up and let them take over. There were two forces fighting inside of her and she didn’t have the energy to do anything about it.

  Another wave of pain crushed into her and this time, she couldn’t help but whimper.

  “Almost there, stay with me.”

  Such an easy thing to say, such a hard thing to do. Fire was burning through Macey’s veins and made her scream out in pain. Her magic came without being called, but there was too much heat and not enough water. She could feel her skin sizzle and break into sores.

  “Throw her in!”

  A second later, she was home. Cool, gentle water hugging her from all sides, soothing the pain, clearing her mind. It still hurt, but the fog slowly dissipated, making it easier to think.

  She was still being held, but she needed to shift, now. She struggled against the hold and this time, he let her go. She swam for an arm length before her kelpie broke free. She was too tired to even feel the pain of the shift. Her instincts took over and guided her through the change from human to kelpie. When water entered her scorched throat, she took a deep gulp, knowing that her gills would deal with it. To her surprise, the water was clean, not the chlorine soup it had been the last time. Someone must have refilled the pool with fresh water.

  Her thoughts of gratitude disappeared when she could feel the webbing around her hooves build. She was ready to swim. With a whinny, she lept through the water, taking long strides, enjoying the feeling of her antenna being whipped back in the current. It was one of the most curious things about kelpies, that little appendage on their foreheads that nobody really knew what it was for. Some said it was connected to magic, but even kelpies without any magical abilities had an antenna. The only thing Macey knew was that it was extremely sensitive and ticklish. Her brothers used to chase her to then shake their manes against her head in the hope of making her squeal.

  She slowed down when she started to think about her brothers. She still didn’t know what was going on with them. And it didn’t look like she’d find out anytime soon.

  A hand touched her back and she whirled around, opening her maw, ready to attack. When she saw Jared swimming behind her, obviously not used to being in the water, her gaze softened. Her pain was almost gone and she could finally recognise her men again. One of them had carried her here. Who had been in the bedroom with her? Jared. Where were the other two? Were they safe? Did the Voice take them?

  Panicked, she swam to the surface, looking around the room. There they were, sitting on the rim of the pool, looking at her in worry. Her mind was swirling. She still wasn’t back to normal. She’d been hurt this time, injured inside. She knew that Voice had broken something in her. The pain may have gone, but that didn’t mean that everything was alright.

  15

  Even swaddled in a blanket, with Flint’s arms wrapped around her, Macey couldn’t stop shivering. She leaned back against him and his arms tightened. “Do you need more?” he asked softly.

  “Please.” She nodded, not caring how weak she appeared at that moment. She felt Flint heat up around her, his body temperature rising in an attempt to warm her up and stop the shivers.

  Except, it wouldn’t work, and they all knew it. While she might not be shivering from the cold, she still appreciated the warmth he was giving off, and the mere feel of him against her was making her feel far less alone.

  “What happened?” Cam asked, crouching down in front of the pair of them. Concern was blaring in his eyes, but he kept his voice and demeanour calm. She was grateful for that. She was a mess, and Jared had stormed off as soon as he’d known she was okay. Probably so he could hit something if the look on his face had been anything to go by.

  “The Voice,” she answered simply, shivering again. By the waves, she was grateful for Flint’s arms around her and the steady beating of his heart. She breathed in and out slowly, trying to match the tempo of her breathing to Flint’s. Maybe then she’d be able to rest and regain some of her strength, both physical from her shift, and mental from the walls the Voice had broken down. She hadn’t even realised the latter was possible until today. She’d thought her mind was stronger.

  “It’s our fault,” Flint said softly, his words cracking with unvoiced emotions. “I’m so sorry, Macey.”

  She lifted her hand and placed it on his, giving it a quick squeeze. “No,” she said, shaking her head for emphasis. She hated the thought of him blaming himself. None of this was any of their faults. They were born to be the Wardens, at least, if Malan was telling the truth they were. And they were replacing the old ones in the process. Macey grimaced. It seemed to be a lot of effort to go to for them all just to be replaced in another hundred years or so. Then again, Flint and Cam had already admitted being centuries old, and she had no idea how old Jared was. For all she knew, he could be over a thousand and really look like a crippled man. She was grateful the latter wasn’t true, as shallow as that made her feel.

  “It might be, Macey,” Cam said soothingly. “We lowered your walls when we...”

  “But you also unleashed my magic,” she pointed out, letting go of Flint’s hand and holding her palm out, facing upwards. She called on the water deep inside her and summoned it to form a small fountain of water. Concentrating harder than she had to, she made the water dance in plumes around her hand, diving and twisting around. It was a weird experience. On the one hand, she could feel more power bubbling up inside her than ever before, and yet, it was taking more effort than ever to actually control it. She wondered if that was to do with her connection to the men. Maybe their own elements were diluting hers? Or maybe it was just the far more likely explanation of them being blocked by the damage the Voice had done.

  If she ever got hold of him...

  “Macey, are you okay?” Cam touched her face, his fingertips trailing gently over her cheek and sending tingles through her. This was worth all the agony.

  “Lost in thought,” she replied, her voice taking on a dreamy quality. She almost zoned out again, before remembering she couldn’t without worrying Cam and Flint.

  “We get that,” Flint acknowledged in her ear.

  “Is Jared okay?” she asked, meeting Cam’s swirling grey eyes.

  “He will be, yes. He’s just very protective of you, and seeing you in pain...it was difficult for him.” A thoughtful look crossed Cam’s face. “It’s difficult for us all, Macey. We weren’t exactly expecting you, but now you’re here...”

  “You’re our one,” Flint finished for him.

  “I am?” she squeaked, swallowing past the lump in her throat. They were getting to her. But this time, they were warming her from the inside. Swelling her heart to an abnormal size. Macey leaned forward, placing a hand on Cam’s cheek. She took one of Flint’s hands in her other one and squeezed tightly.

  “Yes,” Cam said softly.

  “Yes,” Flint echoed.

  “What about Jared?” she asked tentatively, voicing one of the thoughts that’d been playing on her mind. Surely they shouldn’t just be okay with this, and yet...

  “You’re his one too,” Flint supplied, chuckling lightly. “You must be, or he’d never be acting like this.” He released his hand from hers and waved it in the direction of the door where she assumed Jared must be.

  “He wouldn’t be rejecting sex, either,” Cam added.

  “That’s true, I’ve never seen him do that before.”

  “But I thought he was starving himself...” she started, trying to make sense of it in her mind. He’d been starved, there was no doubt about that. So what was with what the guys were saying?

  “He was, but he was doing that by avoiding sex, not refusing it,” Flint explained, wrapping his arms back around h
er waist and pulling her back into him.

  “Isn’t that the same thing?” she muttered, really not seeing the nuance that he obviously did.

  “Not at all. If you know food is in the kitchen, but you choose not to eat it even if you’re hungry, that’s starving yourself. If I said, ‘want to eat this waffle?’ and you said no, then that’d be you refusing,” Cam explained patiently.

  “Who’d refuse a waffle though?” she asked, laughing lightly. Relief flashed across Cam’s face at the sound, though he didn’t drop his calm veneer.

  “Only someone that real-“ He stopped talking suddenly, and Macey cocked her head to the side, wondering what he’d been about to say. Or more accurately, thinking she knew, but wanting some confirmation.

  “Jared? Or you?” She studied his face intently for a reaction, but Cam seemed far too good at concealing his emotions.

  “I think he’s speaking for all of us,” Flint answered instead.

  “So now that we’re bonded, you can all take the waffle?” Macey asked hesitantly, deciding to stick to the metaphor, even though it was making her hungry.

  Cam chuckled. “If the waffle still wants us.”

  Macey smiled despite the shivers still racking her body. “I believe she does. Although if you eat her, won’t she disappear?”

  “Oh to hell with the waffle,” Cam growled and pulled her forwards, out of Flint’s lap, kissing her hard. She melted into his touch, letting his kiss carry her away, distracting her from the echo of pain resonating in her mind. She was weak at the moment, but with the guys around, she was safe. Now they just had to make sure the other Wardens were safe as well.

  She held onto that thought until her lips left Cam’s and he let her sink back into Flint’s arms.

  “The Voice, he said that Lightning and Ice are a couple. And that he’s going to have both of them tomorrow. We need to do something about that.”

  She tried to hide her relief that the other female Warden was already in a relationship. Despite knowing that the three men were hers, it would help avoid any tension and jealousy. She’d never admit it, but she could be jealous and irrational sometimes. Especially now that she was bonded. Even the thought of someone else being interested in her guys made her growl.