The Light of Shadoewynne: Book 2 of the Shadoewynne Series Read online

  “Yum, I like chili on a cold day, too.” We worked quietly for a few minutes. She was browning the meat, and I was chopping the garlic, onions and peppers. After a few, I quietly asked, “Sarah, do you know about my bonding the guys?”

  She sighed. “Yeah, Travis has told me a little about it.”

  “Can I ask, and be honest, what do you think I should do?” I put the vegetables in the pot. She poured in the rest of the ingredients and covered it, simmering it on low.

  “I’ve known David and Kait for a long time, and of course Travis, I mean, he’s family. They are all great guys, and I think you would be crazy to walk away from them.” She wiped her hands and turned toward me. “I’m not just saying that, either. Plenty of people never meet their one true love, and you have three waiting for you. If I were in your situation, I would be jumping all over that.”

  I gaped at her, stunned by her answer. I thought for sure she would say I needed to choose one. “What?”

  “Sweetie, human standards don’t really apply to people from Shadoewynne. It is perfectly normal and acceptable to be in a poly relationship in Shadoewynne, and in many cases, it’s needed. Each mate brings something that your magic or your soul needs that the others don’t. I have dated my fair share of guys, both human and Shadoewynne, and I have learned that humans worry too much about what others think of them. You have to do what’s right for you. Can you honestly see yourself picking one of the guys over the others?”

  I shook my head. I had figured out that I needed all of them to feel whole, but what that meant for the rest of my life, I hadn’t figured out yet.

  She slung her arm over my shoulder. “My advice, kid, is to let things happen naturally, and stop worrying so much about it. Don’t fight your attraction.” She squeezed slightly, patted me on the back then let go.

  I shook my head again. She didn’t know what she was asking. That kind of vulnerability was just not me. It scared me. I had been on my own for so long that I couldn’t see myself relying on others. The chili needed stirred, so I tried to ignore the look she was giving me as I walked over and stirred the pot. I stared into the swirling chili, attempting to stop my thoughts from spinning like the chili. After a minute or so, Sarah came over and took the wooden spoon from me and put the lid back on the pot.

  “You asked my opinion, and it won’t upset me if you don’t listen. Just saying. Let’s talk about something else. Umm, so how about the weather?”

  I laughed, since her comment reminded me of that first full conversation I had with Travis. “Um, it’s great. I love spring. How did you learn to cook?”

  She told me all about her mother teaching her and Travis's mom to cook, and the conversation naturally drifted from the guys, although my mind kept returning there. Each time, I would lose the thread of conversation, Sarah would smile knowingly and gently remind me what we were talking about. I couldn’t understand why my brain kept bringing them into it.

  Dinner was finally done, and Sarah sent me to fetch the guys. I found them in the living room, heads together, whispering again.

  “Okay, guys, this is the third time I’ve found y’all like this. What’s going on? What are you plotting?” My stomach clenched as my mind started to present all the things that could have been going wrong while I’ve been prancing around all week without a care. Okay, that wasn’t fair, but still.

  “Nothing.” David hopped up out of his seat and walked over. He began rubbing my arms.

  “Bullshit.” I stepped away from him as I said this.

  “Princess, we were discussing how we want to handle Alarr. We thought we would discuss options, then present them to you.” Kait sat back and crossed his arms over his well-muscled chest.

  “When were you going to talk to me?” I skirted around the table, essentially running from David who was now attempting to wrap his arms around me. “Stop.” I held up a hand in front of David. “You are well aware of how I think, or don’t, when you are touching me. Go sit down.”

  He sheepishly hung his head and went back to his seat.

  Kait chuckled. I glared at him, and he held up his hands. “We were going to discuss this with you tomorrow morning. We were hoping to set up a meeting with him on Monday, and that would give us two days to prepare.” He saw the dark look on my face. “We can discuss it now, if you want.”

  “Dinner is ready. We can talk about it after.” I spun on my heel and stalked back to the dining room to help Sarah set the table. We set out all the fixings, sour cream, cheese and crackers, as well as the bowls and milk for everyone. The three guys came in, silently sitting at their places and helping themselves. The first part of the meal was quiet, and they all avoided my eyes, until I sighed and asked David a direct question.

  “So, David, how was your day?”

  His eyes darted up to mine, and he licked his lips. It reminded me of our kiss, and my face heated. His eyes darkened as he read my mind, and his voice was husky as he said, “Fine, just went to classes and came home. How was your day?” He cleared his throat.

  “Fine. I went to classes, and came home and practiced my powers. I managed to shock the dummy a couple of times, so that was good. Travis, how about you?”

  “My day was fine, but this is stupid! Can we please talk about what has everyone on eggshells? I can’t stand the tension in the room anymore!” He was sulking, which made me laugh.

  “This is stupid, isn’t it? I’m not happy with you all for deciding everything about my life. I understand you want to keep me safe, but this is not the way to do it.” I made sure my mental barriers were down so that Kait and David could see how I felt. Sarah quietly excused herself as all the guys stared at me. “We seem to have this same argument over and over. All I’m asking is that I be included in the planning. That way, I can see the dangers and decide if I want to face them.”

  Kait was rubbing his chin as I spoke. “She’s right, guys. We did it again. I will do my best to remember to include you in the planning. As I said, we would like you to meet with him on Monday. We would all like to be with you, and we want you to meet him in a public place, but it won’t be the mall.”

  I almost laughed when he added that. I wouldn’t be going anywhere near the mall anytime soon. “I would appreciate that. After last week, I don’t want to go to the mall ever again.”

  “He says he just wants to talk, so we were thinking a restaurant. Where would you like to have dinner on Monday, Sweets?” Kait was messing with me, calling me that. I glared at him and he snickered.

  “Somewhere we can have a quiet corner to talk while still being in public. I don’t want to have to scream over the music, but I don’t want to be the only one in there, either.”

  Travis had been sitting quietly the whole time, but he looked up at that. “I know the perfect place. There’s a small Italian place on 3rd that is usually somewhat busy, but quiet. We should be able to get a table for five easily.”

  They looked at each other, shrugging before looking to me. I shrugged as well. “Doesn’t matter to me. I don’t know very many restaurants here.” I pushed the empty bowl away from me and glanced around the table. It seemed everyone was done, so I got up and started collecting the dishes. I took them in the kitchen, rinsed them and put them in the dishwasher. David brought the rest of the pot of chili back in and we transferred it to a storage bowl and put it in the fridge. Several times, David opened his mouth like he was going to say something, looked at my face and shut his mouth again. The fourth time he did this was too much for me.

  “What? Do I have food on my face? Why do you keep looking at me like that?”

  He put the empty chili pot in the sink and reached for me. Bemused, I let him pull me toward him, and once I was close, he wrapped his arms around me, and rested his chin on my head. “I just don’t know what I would do if you left, Evalia. You are everything to me.”

  My heart warmed. I tried to push them away, but then they went and said things like this. I laughed. “Oh, come on, David. You
don’t mean that.” I glanced up at his eyes, but absolute sincerity shone there. My heart skipped a beat and he slowly moved in to kiss me tenderly. I responded by wrapping my arms around his neck. We explored each other for a moment. He pulled away and rested his forehead on mine.

  “Oh. Maybe you do mean that.” I giggled.

  He patted my butt as he let me go. “Travis is waiting for you. He wants some time with you.” His back was to me now, so I couldn’t see his face. I tried to move so I could, but he kept turning.

  I gave up and just asked. “David. Are you okay with this now?”

  He cleared his throat and answered without turning around. “Yes. No. I don’t know. I do know that I can’t make you choose, so I need to get over my issues. I am working on it, but it’s going to take a while. I am happy when you are happy, and I am glad you have multiple people watching over you. It will come with time, Sugar. Don’t hold yourself back from them because of me.”

  I hugged him from behind and he patted my hands. “If you’re sure…”

  “Go, see Travis. He wants to help you with your math coursework before everyone goes to bed.”

  “Okay, then.” I squeezed tight, then let go and went to find Travis.

  I found him in my bedroom, sitting at the small desk. He had his coursework out and was working on some math problem that looked like hieroglyphics to me. I sighed, sat down on the bed and dug my Calculus out of my bag. With a grin, he sat down next to me and bumped my shoulder with his. I leaned against him and rested my head on his shoulder for a minute. “Travis. Do you think life will ever be normal again?”

  He laughed. “With you around, never.” Shocked, I looked up into his eyes, which were still dancing with laughter. My gaze dropped to his mouth, and I decided, fuck it, I was going for it. In a quick move, I leaned forward and pressed my lips against his. His arms came around me tightly, and he pulled me into his lap. I was straddling him, so I wrapped my legs around him. He cupped my face, and gently guided me so he could have the best access to my mouth. I opened for him, and he swept in hungrily. A minute later, I was breathing heavy as he released me. I laid my head on his shoulder as he rubbed my back. I wanted more, but I didn’t want to move too fast.

  Travis tenderly moved some hair behind my ear, then put a finger under my chin, bringing my face up to his. “Not that I’m complaining, but what brought that on?”

  “I did a lot of thinking earlier and I have come to the conclusion that I can’t leave you all. I talked to Sarah, and she said some things that made sense as well. I can’t live my life by human standards. You all are my soul mates. I’ve known that, but I was fighting it.” I giggled as there was a “whoop” from the other room as David celebrated. Nosy bastard. He must have heard that thought as well, because a laugh came from the same room as the whoop.

  Travis leaned in a little and kissed me again. I was fighting the urge to move against him, but he felt too good against me and it was quickly becoming a losing battle. Before I did something that I would regret, I broke away from the kiss and moved off his lap, staring at the bed as I did. “Uh, I need to work on Calculus.”

  He chuckled, and when I looked down at him, his eyes were dark with need. “Babe, don’t be embarrassed. We will take it as slow as you want, and we won’t push for more than you’re willing to do.” He adjusted the way he was sitting, awkwardly turning so he could see me after I had moved. “Do you need help today?”

  “Let me work on these on my own, and I will let you know if I get lost, okay?” I was still avoiding looking at him.

  “Sure.”

  We worked in silence for a little over an hour before I ran into problems. He patiently explained what I was doing wrong and helped me with the rest before we laid down for bed. He settled in as I went to change. When I came back, he held me as I fell asleep. I think I was getting used to this.

  Chapter 5

  Saturday dawned cold and raining. It seemed our plans for the day were shot, unless the weather changed. After getting ready for the day, I wandered into the kitchen, half-heartedly looking for everyone. I found them at the stove, preparing another huge breakfast. A cup of coffee seemed to magically appear in front of me. When I looked up, Travis was smiling at me as he set the cream and sugar in front of me as well. Soon, plates of pancakes, bacon, sausage, and scrambled eggs were waiting on the counter. I made a plate and sat down at the table.

  “So, now what are we going to do? With the rain, we can’t train outside.” I sipped at the coffee, grateful for the warmth it provided.

  Kait smiled. “There’s a ward over the training ground, Princess. The rain won’t bother us.”

  Well, shit. I was hoping for a quiet morning to sit and read. He must have heard my thoughts, because he said, with an almost evil grin, “No rest for the wicked.”

  I stuck my tongue out at him. His grin changed, becoming flirtier. “I warned you once, Princess. This is twice. You might not want to do that again. Three strikes and you’re out, you know.”

  David choked on his coffee, picking up on Kait’s meaning either from me or him. Travis just looked between us all, confusion written all over his face, then, Kait must have explained it to him because understanding dawned on his face and he snickered.

  I cleared my throat and avoided looking at any of them. “So, what are we going to train on today?”

  “Three against one. All of us are going to train together so you get used to defending against more than one attacker. David, Travis and I will attack you, and you will have to stop us.”

  I felt the blood drain from my face, and I’m sure it went white because Kait chuckled and David came around the table to hug me, before saying, “Don’t worry, we will be using protective spells so the attacks will just slide off.”

  Kait chimed in. “I know what I’m doing and I haven’t had a fatal injury during training yet. Eat up, you’ll need your energy.”

  Sullenly, I started eating. I knew better than to argue.

  Once we were done, and the dishes were in the dishwasher, we all bundled up and headed out to the training grounds. I was grateful for the waterproof shoes and coat Janelle had bought for me last week. The grounds may be warded, but it was cold and wet on the way to them.

  Kait explained what he wanted from us as he set the protective spells on everyone. My main goal was to avoid being hit, and to hit them. Their goal was to hit me, and not each other, while dodging or blocking my attacks. Super simple, right?

  After about an hour, I was ready to drop. I had gotten hit a couple of times, but as promised, the attacks just bounced off. The worst was when Travis sent a tornado at me and it picked me up and flung me a few feet. I managed to land on my feet, so I wasn’t hurt, but it startled me. Kait had to call a halt for a minute while I gathered my wits from where they had been flung as well.

  We were taking a short break when a small, foot-long dragon appeared in the clearing with us. It flew up to us, landing in front of where I was sitting. The sun reflected off its dark-purple scales, causing a beautiful iridescence. I smiled as I watched it study the arena. After peering at me for a second, it hopped up and extended its leg. There was a fancy envelope tied there. I untied the string and patted its head. It looked at me one more time before flying away, burping a flame as it did. It was so freaking cute; I couldn’t help the girly squeal. “Oh my God, guys. That was so cute! I want one.”

  Kait shook his head as he came over and took the envelope from me. “Those are venomous, Princess. You shouldn’t have touched it.”

  “But, but it wanted me to! You saw it! It had to be trained! Does that mean I can’t have one?” I pouted at him.

  “There are less dangerous varieties, Princess. We can discuss your choice in pets later. We are off topic. This letter is the important thing. It’s from the Svikari. They want to meet.”

  My heart dropped. “No, I don’t want to. They can go to hell.”

  Kait knelt in front of me. “We need to be cautious with this. It is s
igned by a person calling themselves the King of Svikari so, we probably don’t want to outright refuse them. Let’s think about this before we respond. It says they will send Gildroy back for the answer in an hour. I think that’s the dragons name.”

  That was an awesome name for a dragon! I briefly wondered if I could steal it for when I got my dragon. Oh, or dragons! I could have a flock of them. What was a group of dragons called?

  Kait snapped his fingers in front of my face. “Earth to Evalia! Come on, I can’t believe you’re daydreaming about owning dragons. This is serious. If you can’t keep your mind on what we are talking about, we will decide for you.”

  “I’m sorry, I just got so excited at seeing a real dragon, I couldn’t help myself. What were you saying?”

  He sighed and ran his hand over his face. “I was saying we need to set up a meeting at a location of our choice, allowing for a full bodyguard for you. If they don’t agree to our terms, we won’t do it.”

  “This may surprise you, Kait, but, just this once, you can set up whatever you want. I trust you and I know you will do what is necessary to keep me safe.” The shock on his face was funny. I giggled. “Not to mention, he probably wants to meet in Shadoewynne, and since I know nothing about it, I wouldn’t be able to make an informed decision. I’m not stupid; I know when I can’t add anything to the discussion.”

  Kait smiled. “I underestimated you, again. Sorry. So, I will make the arrangements for later this week, probably Friday. We will need to go to Shadoewynne early so I can set things up. I will call a meeting with you all when I have the details so everyone knows what to expect, okay?”

  We all nodded, and Kait clapped his hands. “Alright, even more reason to keep training! Let’s go! Get off your asses, and back to it!”

  Ugh. Kait was a slave driver. He had us continue until early afternoon, when he finally called a break for lunch. We wearily trekked back to the house, where Sarah had a hot meal waiting for us. I almost fell asleep in my soup, and a Christmas scent enveloped me as I was carried to my room.