Chapter Thirty-Eight

After we all bonded, Vexen moved in with Rath, Xae, and me. So, we all showered together before we went downstairs to eat. We were too hungry for a long bout of sex, but something about battle got the blood flowing and it was impossible to get naked around my lovers after returning from a mission and not do anything sexual. So, I gave them blowjobs as the three of them washed up, standing in a semi-circle around me with me kneeling. I alternated between using my hands and my mouth on them, stroking two while bobbing over the third, then switching.

After they came, I got my reward—the three of them bathed me, massaging my muscles and then my cock. As I got closer to completion, Xae growled, grabbed me around the waist, and hauled me up against the wall, bringing my cock to mouth-level on him so he could finish me off. The growling continued through his sucking, sending me over faster than I wanted.

But when you have multiple lovers, sometimes sacrifices must be made.

We met the rest of our pack downstairs in the dining hall and ate at our usual table. A few other lords were seated there too, including Lord Finn, who I had once considered taking as a lover. Things didn't work out, but we were still friends.

“Still no sign of him?” Finn asked as I climbed onto the bench.

“No,” Rath said, one hand setting his plate down and the other rubbing my back. “But he'll show up eventually.”

“Maybe we should lay another trap,” Finn said.

Our heads spun toward him.

Finn's stare shifted around the table. “You know, like we did in that Varraen town. For the festival.”

“That's a good idea,” Rath said. “But we'd need to come up with bait.”

“Isn't Ember the bait?”

“No,” Xae said, his tone deeper with his irritation. “Death is avoiding Ember.”

“So, he's finally learning,” Finn quipped.

The other lords at the table chuckled, but not my group. We just grimaced at each other.

“Just ask the Emperor,” Lord Loren said. “Let him come up with the plan. It's his job, isn't it? He's our leader. I mean, above Ranor.”

My team shared another look.

“We should consult General Ranor first,” Rath said.

“He'll probably want to come with us to see the Emperor,” Keltyr added.

“Shit. Are you really going to ask him?” Loren asked, his white wings rustling.

“Yes, Loren, you actually came up with a good suggestion,” Kel drawled. “I know. It's hard for me to believe too.”

“Fuck you, Keltyr.” Loren threw a roll at him, but he did it as he laughed.

I started to get up.

Rath pushed me back down. “Eat first, my love. Then we'll speak to the General.”

“Right,” I murmured. “Food. Yes, food first.” I absently ate, my mind already on what I would say to the Emperor.

This felt right. The Emperor often had visions or dreams of the Goddess in which she counseled him. If he couldn't come up with a plan, maybe the Goddess would offer him one.

“Um, excuse me,” Fire huffed. “What about us?”

Everyone stopped eating, even the other lords at our table.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“You may be the Spark of the Goddess, and she may have divine intelligence, but we know Death,” Air said.

“We were his companions, in a fashion,” Earth said.

“So, you should be asking us for help in drawing him out,” Water finished.

My eyes twitched.

“Ember,” Rath said in a warning tone.

“What the actual fuck is wrong with you motherfuckers?!” I shouted.

The whole dining hall went silent.

I shot to my feet and gestured wildly at the air. “You've been with us this whole time, training us. And you've also been watching Death because you told us that Aranren hasn't left the fortress. So, why the fuck would you wait until now to tell us you could help us draw the Corrupter out of his fortress?”

Silence.

“Well?!” I demanded. “One of you answer me! You are supposed to be helping us. So why didn't you suggest this sooner?”

“Ember, we simply didn't think of it,” Air said gently. “Now that you have, we can help you form a plan.”

“You didn't think of it?” I asked scathingly. “All you are is thought!”

“We are sorry, Spark of the Goddess,” Water said, sounding sad.

“Not good enough,” I growled.

“Sit down!” Taroc snarled at me. It was the voice he used when we were alone and playing his game. Except this time, he wasn't playing.

Which meant that I could say, “Fuck you.”

Taroc got to his feet slowly.

Benches scraped the floor as several other Tytra got up. They hurried over to us, but then just stood nearby, waiting to see if they'd be needed to restrain Taroc. The fools. They were worried about the wrong lord. I was ten times as powerful as Taroc.

I blinked. The arrogant thought helped to cool my temper and ground me. I frowned at Taroc as he came around the table, his shoulders hunched and teeth bared. None of my other lovers stood up to help me, and I knew why. Taroc would never hurt me. Not ever. He didn't have to be restrained.

And I would never hurt him.

Taroc reached me at last and the Tytra around us went tense as he stretched out a hand.

“Stand down,” I said to them. “This is between me and Taroc. And he'd sooner cut off his arm than hurt me.”

The Tytra looked at Taroc.

Taroc was smiling. “There you are. Come here.” He pulled me into a hug. “I was worried that I'd have to take you over my knee.”

I chuckled into his chest, then whispered, “We can do that later.”

He growled low and sexy in my ear.

“Well, shit,” one of the Tytra said. “And just so you know, Ember—we weren't here to defend you. We were coming to defend one of our own against you.”

Taroc snarled at the Tytra as they walked away. It wasn't his ego that was threatened; it was me. You don't threaten a Tytra's mate. Even if you're doing it to defend him.

My head shot up and I called after them, “Then you're smarter than you look.”

That turned Taroc's snarl into a laugh. “Oh, you think you can drop me, little boy?”

“I know I can.” I waggled my brows at him.

He started to pick me up.

“But only if I use magic!” I shouted as I backed away.

Taroc burst out laughing again. “I will accept that.”

“Are you fuckers done shouting and putting on a show?” someone called out. “I'd like to get back to my meal.”

“No one's stopping you, Jakel!” I called back as I climbed back on my bench. “Just open your mouth, but instead of spouting shit that no one wants to hear, you put food in it.”

All the lords laughed at that, even Jakel.

“Great. I'm so glad you're calm enough to crack jokes,” Earth drawled.

“Maybe you can try an apology next,” Fire said.

“Yes, all right,” I huffed. “I'm sorry. I overreacted.”

“No shit,” Fire drawled.

“I believe the words you're looking for is, 'Apology accepted.'”

“We accept your apology, Ember,” Air said. “And I'm sorry we didn't think about drawing the Corrupter out sooner. Death comes out all the time, so it didn't occur to us. What we need to do is compel him to emerge with Aranren.”

“So, what would make it necessary to bring Aranren out of the fortress?” Vexen asked.

“Death,” Air said.

“Yes, what about Death?” I asked.

“Death would make it necessary to use Aranren.”

“Are you playing with me?”

“Death cannot kill,” Air explained. “He is consciousness. He needs a body to commit murder.”

“But he has Death Magic,” I said.

“He can summon the magic in its natural form,” Water explained. “If you were mortal and near the end of your life, he might be able to summon your death a little earlier. But he cannot simply kill you. If he could, you'd already be dead.”

“Huh,” Keltyr said. “We should have thought of that.”

“The intricacies of a consciousness and its magic are complicated,” Air said. “And Death has gone beyond the natural. It's not surprising that it didn't occur to you.”

“So, he needs Aranren to kill,” I said and then snorted. “That's ironic.”

“That Death cannot kill?” Water asked. “Yes, indeed. But he doesn't need to. Not when he controls Aranren. Thus, to force him to bring the Corrupter out of seclusion, we must lure him into killing.”

“You want to use Ember as bait, don't you?” Vex asked.

“Yes,” Air said.

“But we've already established that Death is keeping Ember and Aranren apart.”

I blinked. “Oh, great Goddess. I've been thinking that Death is afraid of me, but that isn't it at all. He's afraid of losing Ara to me.”

“Yes, of course,” Earth said. “So, you can be used as bait if you look weak enough that Death believes he can kill you before you free Aranren.”

“Weak enough,” I murmured pensively. “I need to go somewhere without my team.”

“Yes, that should work. But it will have to be believable. Where would you go without your lovers?”

I considered it. “It would have to be somewhere secure, or they wouldn't let me go alone.”

“And somewhere you really want to go,” Fire added in an urging tone.

“Like to see a friend,” I whispered in epiphany.

“Took you long enough,” Fire said.

“Graysen,” Xae growled. “He's at one of the towers, so Ember would be safe behind its ward.”

“Yes, but if Ember saw Aranren outside the tower ward, he would go to him,” Air said.

“So our trap will rely on Death setting a trap,” Taroc said.

“Yes!” Air exclaimed. “And if Death sets a trap, he will not suspect that he is walking into one.”

“Holy shit, that's brilliant,” Keltyr said.

“We still need to take this to the General and the Emperor,” Rath said.

“Kiss-ass,” Fire said.

Rath scowled. “Excuse me?”

“I said, 'Kick ass, Lord Ratharin,'” Fire's tone went prim. “What did you think I said?”

Rath rolled his eyes. “We cannot make such plans without the Emperor's approval.”

“We know that, Lord Ratharin,” Air said. “Because Ember will not be alone for long in that tower. As soon as Aranren appears, Graysen will summon the Wraith Lords and all of you will help Ember trap Death.”

I thought we'd been having a relatively private conversation, but that was ridiculous. We were talking to the Elements in the dining hall. About ending the war. Everyone had been listening in. And when Air delivered those momentous words, the Wraith Lords cheered. I think many of them thought they wouldn't be a part of the end battle—myself included. Evidently, they hadn't liked being left out.

I flinched at the sudden burst of sound, but then my heart started racing for another reason. The end was near.