Chapter 12

CHAPTER 12

Iwake up to a knife at my throat, pressed against my skin, the icy blade cutting me with my every breath. The haze of everything that happened in the test comes back to my mind as I look up at the hooded figure leaning over me, wheezing with every breath. Water drops from his cloak onto my cheek, and he is heavy, pressing the blanket tightly down on my arms. I try not to panic, not to move, and reach for my mates, but they are too far away to stop him. Their panic mixes with mine until I’m not sure who is more frightened. His breath stinks as he hovers over me, cutting me more when he leans down. I don’t know where I am. I don’t know where my kings are. He snarls at me, and all I can see are his mud-brown eyes, thick beard, and little else. “Ares wants me to make you suffer, stupid bitch.”

With a false confidence, my lips tilt up. I’m sure I can rip him away from me, but it’s likely he will get a cut in before I do. “If I were you, I’d start running right about now.”

His eyes muddle with confusion and a tad bit of fear, as I make every light in the room disappear. Before I can even get my shadows to protect me, which they would, vines wrap around the man’s neck and arms, wrenching him back. Green light pours into the room from the doorway, just enough for me to see vines slamming the assassin into the ceiling, cutting through him in hundreds of places as he screams in absolute agony above me, blood dripping down onto the bed.

I crawl away in the darkness, watching as a shirtless Grayson steps into the room. He is stunning. Grayson’s tanned chest is defined by his muscles, the ripples of his abs across his stomach, and every inch of him is covered in tiny scars. There are markings across his heart, earth symbols and small dragons, and he has a line of hair disappearing into his tight black jeans. I gulp, trying to remember I’m being attacked. Once he has looked me over from head to toe, for injuries I suspect and not the reason my horny self is staring open-mouthed at him, he seems to relax. It’s like the assassin isn’t screaming in agony as he smirks at me, leaning on the wall. “I left you alone for fifteen minutes after one of the female healers dressed you and healed you.”

Rubbing my neck, I climb off the bed. I’m only wearing a dark green top over my bra, and l have black leggings, the outfit sticking to every inch of my body as both are a size too small. Grayson clearly hasn’t seen what I’m wearing before, judging by the wide-eyed gaze and the flush of his cheeks when he looks at me. I spot a black cloak on a nearby chair and slip it on, tying up the buttons. “Ares sent him.”

Grayson’s vines keep cutting into him, and he screams and screams, begging for help, begging for someone to stop this. I have no sympathy for the stranger. Grayson takes my hand, tugging a shirt off the side, slipping it on. “We will find another room. I brought guards with me. They are watching outside.”

He leads me outside, shutting the door behind us. There are two guards out here, in dark brown and green armour, head to toe in it, and I can’t see anything more than their green eyes. There are three dead guards on the ground near them. The assassin must have killed them to get to me. Grayson touches each of their heads, leaving a green leaf marking glowing softly. A mark of respect. Grayson’s voice holds no mercy when he rises. “Take him into the dungeons, torture him for information, and then kill him slowly. He tried to attack your queen, so make sure he suffers for the seconds he got alone with her.” His voice lowers. “As for our fallen, their families are to be told they died bravely protecting their queen and they will be honoured by the mighty dragon gods.”

“Yes, my king,” the guard coldly responds. “And, my queen, rest easy, the Earth Court is yours.”

Before I can even address the fact Grayson openly called me his queen, and the guards seem to think I’m the queen of their court already, three angry voices fill my mind. Arden and Lysander are in their courts, but they might as well be right in front of me. Our mental bond is insane, jumping from strong to weak. It’s just as confused as I am about our relationships. “I’m fine, calm down. I’m from the shadow court and have my own powers. Even if Grayson hadn’t turned up, I would have been easily able to stop him from hurting me. I just wanted to get some information from him first and know why he was trying to kill me.”

“Information is not worth your pain,” Arden mutters in exasperation.

“For once, the fire king is correct. Just kill the next one,” Lysander all but demands. “And remind Grayson to keep you close.”

“Burning them is the best way to get information. Fire makes any male scream the truth.” I wince at Terrin’s suggestion. He has been a dragon for far too long.

“He’s not wrong,” Arden starts, but I don’t want to continue this discussion.

“I’m fine, all of you. Now go back to whatever you were doing and stop filling my mind with your overprotectiveness.” I can sense none of them are happy, but my mind settles into a quiet.

Grayson is searching my face, even as we continue to walk. “Are they in your mind?” I nod. “They’re tidying up their courts, adding further protection to the borders. Aphrodite’s been sending attacks to both of them, testing the armies even now,” he explains to me. “I believe even if we win these tests, she will continue to be a problem for our courts.”

“Bitch,” I mutter.

He kisses the side of my head, and I lean my head on his shoulder, loving and appreciating every new touch between us as we go down the pathways that are all the same. There’s not a painting or statue to mark the areas. “The Earth Court is safe, and so are you. The assassin must have been left here, but I have my guards checking everywhere now, and I’m not letting you out of my sight for the night. I thought maybe you could meet my sister? The Air Court is harder to get into than others, and I believe we have tonight at least before we need to travel to Emrys’s court. You could rest if you’d prefer⁠—”

He’s nervous. I take his hand, linking our fingers, and interrupt him. “I’d love to meet her. I don’t think I could sleep right now anyway.” I lift his hand, kissing his knuckles once. “Are you okay? We haven’t had a moment to talk about everything that happened in the earth test. Did I imagine you ripping up the maze like some kind of earth god?”

“I ripped it up, let’s just leave it at that.” He turns us around a corner and gently pushes me into the wall, leaning into me. He kisses me softly, just a lingering brush that has me wanting so much more. “All that matters to me is that you’re okay. We can do this. You have one test left. I wish I could take it for you. Part of me wants to keep you here, safe and protected at my side.”

“Emrys,” I breathe out.

“I know.” His voice is pained. “We are one test away from our time, our future. They’ll be gone. We get our world back. We can work out a future between all of us and, while we’re on the subject, what happened with Arden and Lysander? Because things are tense.”

“Lysander fucked up. It’s complicated, but I’m glad you’re here. I feel like I’m going to be suffocated if I try to keep being between them and making sure they don’t hurt each other any more than they already have,” I answer, and Grayson frowns. I quickly explain everything that happened, and Grayson is quiet for a while.

He tucks a strand of my hair behind my ear, sighing. “Let me guess, Lysander did it for his father.”

“How did you guess that?”

“Because all of us know what his father was like and how Lysander just doesn’t see it. Never did. I am good friends with his brother. I’m very glad he’s alive, and his brother knows what his father was like. I believe that’s a conversation Lysander needs to have with his family, to make him realise getting revenge in the name of someone like that isn’t worth it.”

“Maybe you can talk to him,” I suggest softly. “I mean, now that I know about your childhood, perhaps you and Lysander have more in common than you know. Just don’t be mad at him. I’m mad enough for all of us.”

“I’m still punching the fucker for blackmailing you, but I’ll try to be nice, for you.” I’m not sure punching someone counts as being nice. Grayson tugs me off the wall and keeps walking. “We’re sending my mother’s body into the Mists in the morning, when dawn hits the highest point in the Earth Court. I would like you to be at my side for the funeral.”

“Of course I will be,” I quickly answer. “I’m so sorry for everything that happened to her. For her ending.”

“She’s been dead to me for years, an unanswered mystery that I can now put to rest. Some people said she went to the fifth court that night it exploded, but some people said she went back into the maze, that it lured her in again. Now we know. I have to admit, part of me is relieved that we finally have her body. That my sister and I can send her off. Our court can move on from that time of misery. That deadly maze is now gone from our court, and the threat along with it. I needed it gone, and I’m glad I could destroy it. If we have any children, if I’m lucky enough that you ever decide to have one or three with me⁠—”

“Three?” I cough on the word. Children, it’s never been something I’ve thought about. Growing up, I was taught to fight by Phobos and to use magic by Hera, and I was raised as a fighter. To avenge my parents one day, to make it safe in Ayiolyn once more. To protect myself. Having a future, having children and a happy ending was never on my mind. I’m not sure if it’s something I even want. I raise an eyebrow at him, and he laughs with me.

I like this side of Grayson. He leans into me, like it’s a secret for us both, even if the world must see it. “I must be obsessed with you, because three seems like only the beginning for us. Fuck, I want everything with you. A life full of all the messy, happy, and normal things. I want your safety in my court, in our court, and I should have destroyed the maze a long time ago. I didn’t realise I was even powerful enough to destroy it until I saw how you’d been hurt, and I lost it.”

“I’m okay now, thanks to you,” I whisper back to him. He searches my eyes before leading me around another corner, where there is a door with guards outside. The guards bow, stepping to the side. Grayson knocks once. “Come in!”

Grayson was right. His sister is the image of his mother. Long, dark brown hair that falls to her waist, several bits clipped and braided back with purple flowers. She’s younger, probably getting on thirteen years old. She is still lanky in that way that I remember being just as I came into my teenage years. She stands up, her pen dropping onto the floor as she squeals in happiness. She all but throws herself at me, wrapping me in a tight hug. I’m a bit startled by her, so much so that my arms sort of stick out in the air awkwardly for a while before I hug her back. “Nice to meet you, um. Well, Grayson never even told me your name.”

“Blossom,” she answers with a grin that is just like her brother’s. Grayson shuts the door behind us. “I feel like I know you, Ellelin. Grayson talked about you. A lot. We used to send letters back when he was in the Dragon Crown Race, and all his were about this purple-haired girl that he met. He claimed you were wildly beautiful, crazy, fierce, and brave. And when he came home, he was so different.” She pauses, looking at her brother lovingly before continuing, “I thought you were too good to be true, but then you came here to go into a deadly test set up by two gods for my brother. You are a freaking badass!”

“No swearing, Bloss,” Grayson orders, but it’s playful.

She rolls her eyes at him and turns back to me. “You are family to me. End of. Whether you marry my brother or not. And, Gray, you’d be stupid to ever let this one out of your sight. She’s far prettier than you. You’re punching, so the humans say. I love your hair.”

“Thank you. I used to have it all purple before. I haven’t had much time to dye it, but I think I’m sticking with the black for a bit, with purple tips eventually,” I explain, rambling a little. Something about her makes me a little nervous, like I need to impress her for Gray. “I’m so sorry about your mother.”

“I’m glad you found her,” Blossom replies, sounding so much older than she looks. “It’s difficult because I don’t really remember her or dad as I was a baby. I remember Gray coming back and caring for me, and stories from my caretakers of my parents.” She shrugs slightly. “Tomorrow is closure for us all.” I smile sadly at her, and she changes the subject. “What are you two up to tonight?”

“Someone just tried to kill me.” I blow out a breath.

Grayson frowns at me. “That was not part of my plan for the night. Ares sent someone after her, but she wasn’t hurt. He’s not from our court. I’m not exactly sure how he got here, and he must have been left by Ares. The guards are searching the castle, the whole place now, so you must stay in your room. I’m taking Ellelin to the principal city.”

“You are?” I excitedly question.

He pulls me to his side, his eyes teasing. “Do you not want to see it? We could just⁠—”

I shove his shoulder. “No, I do want to see it. In fact, that sounds amazing. I never really got to see much of the other courts. I’ve just been whisked through them in a rush.”

“Then I’m glad I’ll be the first to show you the Earth Court.” He kisses my cheek.

Blossom is smiling at us both, joy shining in her eyes. I wonder how long she has waited to see her brother happy. Grayson was never happy when we first met, and he has changed so much since we have been together. “I’ll leave you two lovebirds to it.” Blossom goes to the bed, and soft green vines spread out of the ground around the bed, wrapping around it and bursting with flowers. “I have to practice my magic for my tutor. Have fun and see you both soon.”

“I’m leaving you in charge tomorrow when we go to the Air Court, with the nobles’ guidance,” Grayson tells her, leading me to the door. “Behave for them, please.”

Blossom’s eyes are the picture of innocence. “I’m quite happy looking after the court, brother. I’ll see you in the morning.”

We leave his sister’s room, and Grayson leads me to a balcony. “Blossom isn’t a fan of some of the nobles’ sons. She dared them to race, in dragon form, around the court and when she won, she proudly made them eat enchanted sweets that turned them all gold from head to toe for a week. Their fathers were furious. I’m not sure who taught her pranks were a good idea, especially in a court full of old nobles who are serious about near enough everything, but I find it hard not to laugh when I hear what she has done.”

I laugh, unable to stop myself. “I like your sister more and more. Tell me more.” He does, so many stories that range from when she was just a toddler to the girl she is now, until we get to a massive balcony made out of branches of a tree. There is nothing but mountains for as far as I can see. Grayson kisses the top of my head before he jumps off a gap in the balcony edge, shifting into his beautiful green, grey-tipped dragon. His dragon waits, watching me with his blazing silver eyes. I climb onto his back, and he swoops straight off into the sky, arching over the brilliantly tall green mountains. There is nothing but mountains here, so many of them covered in moss that shine like emeralds. They all look the same, and I guess if he didn’t know better, we would be lost. I wouldn’t have a clue where anything is.

Grayson dives, effortlessly flying between the mountains, his beautiful wings spread out far, and they shimmer in the moonlight. He flies over a crystal-clear lake between the mountains, with glowing gold fish swimming under the water. He runs his claws through the water, making the fish swim faster, some of them jumping out of the lake and diving back like dolphins. I laugh as cold water splashes at me before he dives high in the sky again, through the clouds, around a mountain, taking my breath away with how fast he is. Grayson’s dragon moves like he is part of the mountains, of the ground and rock, and he blends so well with his surroundings that I can’t imagine I’d ever see him coming.

The moonlight shines against his scales as he lands on the side of a massive mountain, leaning down to let me stand on a ledge in front of an archway before he shifts back. “I thought we were seeing the city?”

“Come, I’ll show you the city. It’s my favourite view from up here,” he explains, taking my hand and leading me inside. It’s warm inside the mountain, and I relax as fire lanterns light the way down.

“Is it one big city like it is in the Fire Court?” I question.

“No, there are five cities that make up the Earth Court. We actually have the most land in comparison to the others but not the most people. We are a court of few,” he explains to me as we keep walking down the spiralling steps. The damp air grows warmer as we go down, and bright lights shine from below. “This is the capital city, Mesist,” he explains to me as I blink through my adjustment to the light. “This is where it all began for the Earth Court. My great-grandfather built the first city in the mountains with just his power, clawing it out from nothing but dirt and rock. The other cities, their expansions, all connected through to this one. The very walls hold our ancestors’ bones, all of them, and then the dust of the burnt bodies as time went on.”

We finally get to the bottom of the steps where it’s an entire crystal floor, and the crystal is completely see-through, displaying a massive city below us. The city looks like a hundred, if not more, pyramids made of dirt and rocks. There are spiralling crystals at the top of each one of the pyramids across the massive cavern floor, each a different colour and glowing like stars. Some of the pyramids are taller than others, and there are dragons wrapped round the tips, leaping on the sides, others flying through the air. “Magnificent,” I gasp, but the word isn’t enough to explain how amazing this city is. There are thousands of trees, pathways, and roads leading around the pyramids. There is even a river with a sand beach on the right, and I can see dots of people playing. “Is it safe in here?” I ask, looking at the crystal floor.

Grayson wraps his arms around me from behind, his mouth close to my ear. “I’ll catch you if you fall, my queen.” I lean into him, enjoying his touch. “No one else knows of this place. This is a sacred place for me. When I was young, after I came out of the maze, I needed somewhere safe to go to be alone. The court was always watching me for any signs of madness, always trying to fix me and talk to me, and I couldn’t do it. This place appeared to me. I never thought I’d bring anyone here. I knew I’d marry, but I had no intention of actually taking a wife in every way that matters. I didn’t want anyone in my life to share the secrets of my past with. But then when I met you, all I could think about was bringing you here, of sharing everything with you.” He turns me around, running his hands up my back, cupping the back of my neck. “Love, it seems a fragile word for what I feel for you, Ellelin. My love for you is limitless of any words, of any one feeling that can be described. When there is nothing more than the earth left, it will be marked with the love I feel for you. We are endless, Ellelin, because you are my every dream come true.”

My heart feels like it’s bursting. “I love you, Gray. When we first met, I thought you were infuriating and cocky, but there was something that made me keep looking for you. The more we trained, the more I saw another side of you. You’re kind, in spite of everything that happened to you, and that is so brave. You let me touch you, even when you had been taught touch could mean pain as a child. You were brave, you are brave, and I will love you forever, even if you never want me to touch you again. I’d wait, forever, Grayson.”

He takes a step towards me until our bodies are flush and there isn’t a gap between us. We have come such a long way since we met, when he wouldn’t even let me hold his hand. Now he touches me like we are one person, linked forever, and I love it. Fear can threaten everything good in your life, but defeating fear? That lets love in. He sinks his hand into my hair. I love every moment he holds me like this, where I can breathe in his scent and claim anything I can get from him. “I’ve never been with a woman, but I’ve watched, I’ve learnt, and I want you.”

My cheeks burn as he looks at me so intensely, waiting for my answer. “I’m yours, Gray. I’ve always wanted you.” Gray groans, kissing me deeply, pulling me to him. I clutch his shirt as he deepens the kiss, his tongue exploring my mouth, coaxing me with every brush of his soft lips. His body is hard against mine, and all I want to do is be closer. I wonder if he can sense how wet I am from one kiss, how badly I want him. He suddenly pulls away and I frown. “Are you okay?”

“Do you trust me?” he questions, undoing the top button of his shirt, and he unclips the top of his cloak until it falls to the floor. I nod. Trusting Grayson has never been an issue for me. I used to think it was a weakness of mine, to trust the dragon kings so easily, but now I know it’s more than that. I suspect Grayson and Emrys are also my destined mates, and one day the bond will kick in for us, too. I believe the only thing holding us back now is trust.

Grayson softly begins to glow green, the vibrant shade smothering the darkness in this crystal cave. Dark emerald-coloured vines break out of the walls and come to me, wrapping around my body, and I realise he is making a seat for me. The vines tug at my clothes, pulling the cloak away first and then digging into my clothes. I gasp as they rip away my leggings like they’re nothing, and then my top next until I’m in nothing but my bra and panties, sitting on a chair made of vines.

The vines pull me up, almost making a bed now, and the entire time, Grayson watches me with fire burning in his eyes. He removes all of his clothes slowly, watching me as my heart races. I have to remember to trust Gray as the vines wrap around my wrists and ankles, and part my legs for his view. “One word from you, and the vines drop. You’re in control as much as I am, Elle.”

“Are you just going to watch?” I tease, wiggling on the vines. They tightly hold me down but not enough to hurt me, and Grayson’s low chuckle sends shivers down my spine. He slowly approaches me. The green light shining off the vines lets me see all of him. His impressive cock is hard, bigger than any I’ve seen before, and the only part of him that isn’t scarred. His scars almost seem like rays of light across his tanned skin, and they only make him more stunning. The muscles in his arms clench as he steps between my legs, running his hands up my bare thighs. I’m hyperaware we are right above a city, but I know he wouldn’t let anyone see us.

He hooks his fingers in my underwear, pulling them off with one snap. Grayson looks up at me, running his hands up my flat stomach and to my bra. In one smooth pull, he snaps the bra off, and his eyes fix on my rock-hard nipples. It isn’t cold in here, or I don’t notice as he looks at me. I feel like I’m on fire, like my blood is lava. He runs his hands over my breasts, his scarred hands only adding to the sensations as he finds my nipples and begins to roll them both between his fingers. I moan, arching against the vines, and he growls low, sinking to his knees.

He makes the seat just the right angle and height for him to still play with my nipples and kiss my core. I cry out in pleasure as his hot tongue swirls around my clit, once, twice, before he licks me up and down. “I wish I tasted you sooner, Elle. I don’t think I’ll ever get enough of you now.” He speaks against my core, his voice full of amazement, and I can’t take it for much longer. For someone who hasn’t had sex before, he knows exactly what he is doing with my body. Grayson sucks, nibbles, and swirls his tongue around my clit at the same time as rubbing my nipples until I can’t see through the pleasure. My cry echoes around the cave as my orgasm crests, slamming through my body in wave after wave until my limbs feel like jelly. Hazily, he leans over me, lining himself up and looking down at me.

“Gray,” I whisper, pleading. There is hesitation in his eyes, and I know it’s nothing to do with me, but to do with whatever is going on in his mind. Oh, Gray. He lets the vines go, and I wrap myself around him as he picks us up. I sit on his lap, moving myself around until I’m hovering above him. “Talk to me.”

He leans his head against mine, closing his eyes. “You’re a goddess to me, and I will never be sure I’m enough for you when I look like this. How could you want me when you have mates who look perfect? How can I compare?”

“Grayson.” I cup his face, lifting him up to look at me. “First of all, it’s not about comparing. Second…” I take his hand, placing it between my legs. “Do I feel like I don’t want you?” I gasp as I push one of his fingers inside me. “I want you more than I want to breathe, Gray. I love you, and you are beautiful. I will tell you a thousand times if you need to hear it, but you’re mine. You’re mine and I want you.” His eyes darken and he lines his cock up one more time, any hesitation gone. The tip of him brushes against my folds, feeling how soaked I am.

“I love you too and I will never deserve you, but I won’t let you go,” he vows against my lips, just as I sink down onto him, taking him inch by inch, watching as he groans in pleasure. It stings, how big he is, but I push through the stab of pain that is overwhelmed by the pure pleasure that courses through me as I finally take all of him. He is so still, his eyes flaring with pleasure as he pulls me to him and kisses me. “I-I can’t control⁠—”

“Don’t,” I whisper, and he snaps. Grayson throws me back on the bed of vines and pulls out of me, slamming right back in. I moan into his mouth as his tongue devours me, and he thrusts uncontrollably into me. My moans echo with his as I feel myself getting close again. With each thrust, he sends me closer, and he is completely lost in pleasure.

Grayson ploughs into me like a man lost, and I enjoy every second of him, every thrust, every kiss until we are completely one. His hands dig into my hips, and he bites my lip, the stab of pain sending me over the edge. I tighten around him, screaming his name in pleasure as waves of bliss run through my body. He stills inside me with a roar that shakes the cave, filling me with his cum. Breathlessly, I stare at him as he kisses me softer this time, still hard inside me, despite coming. “Again?”

I nod, a soft chuckle escaping my lips. He pulls out of me, sinking back to his knees with a devilish grin. “I’m addicted to you, Elle.”

With one swipe of his tongue, I know I am, too.