16. Ra

Chapter 16

Ra

Damn cockblocking court members. Thanks to a poorly timed urgent call, Mica was forced to stop with the aerial acrobatics and they were speeding back to the stronghold as fast as his magic could accelerate them.

"Get him out of the communal spaces. Take him to my office. The last thing we need is more gossip," Mica was instructing his seneschal.

Ra couldn't hear the reply, but whatever it was had Mica's free arm tightening around him in frustration.

"Then take him to the Glade and call Serena for help. I'll be there in five minutes," Mica said, hanging up.

"What's wrong?" Ra asked as soon as he was enveloped in both Mica's arms again.

"While we were out, Earthshine had another episode that reached outside of this region into the one immediately to the west. The regional lead there is difficult. He fancies himself as my replacement if I'm ever killed. Now, he's shown up at the stronghold loudly demanding answers and spouting off about the ley lines being out of control."

That wasn't good. If Mica's people thought they could sense weakness in him, things would get messy fast. Court politics were known for their ruthlessness for a reason. Ra had spent the first decade of his friendship with Bast helping fend off assassins from the other courts. With the level of chaos created by recent events, it wasn't surprising unrest was building.

"He sounds like a dick," Ra said.

Mica barked a laugh at his assessment and Ra felt him relax a little through the bond. A deep satisfaction filled him that he could have that effect on his mate. Ah fuck. When had he started thinking of Mica as that? He was so screwed. If only they could hurry up and get to the literal part of that instead of the figurative one.

"Lachlan is all of three days older than me and seems to think that makes him entitled to something."

Ra scoffed. Surely elementals got over that kind of age difference after 1,200 or more years?

Mica dropped them down to the glade he'd mentioned in an impressive show of control. The clearing was nestled in the jungle just past a side entrance to the stronghold and Ra wished he could take some time to get a better look at it. On the far side, the native limestone formed a natural hot spring filled with steaming mineral water. The space looked like it would be a popular spot, but right now there was no one there except for this Lachlan asshole and Wren.

Their descent was fast enough that he was forced to cling to Mica for a breath to regain his balance as he slid down Mica's body from where he'd had his legs wrapped around the elemental's waist. Wren's quickly stifled noise of distress when he caught sight of them had him smirking. The seneschal really needed to get over his crush already.

He was surprised when Mica didn't immediately turn to deal with the two waiting men, taking the time to tilt up his chin and brush a kiss to his lips that quickly turned deeper than either of them intended. Lachlan's throat clearing in annoyance at the display barely registered because there was no space in his body to feel anything except the heat of Mica's tongue stroking against his. It was only once they parted that he realised he'd left his back exposed to two elementals who would likely sooner drop him from a height than speak to him. What did that say about how much he trusted Mica now? He didn't want to think about it.

"My lord, you have more important things to focus on than your human toy," Lachlan said, his irritation clear.

Mica pressed his lips one more time to Ra's before turning to face his subordinate. "Speak like that about him again and I will strip you of your position and demote you back to scout duty. I would've thought you had more important things to focus on than flying here when your region is damaged and in need of your attention."

Lachlan sputtered and Wren cut in.

"I think Lachlan only meant there was some urgency in his need to speak to you, my lord," Wren said, glaring at Ra. "Perhaps the human could make his way back to the stronghold so we can talk openly."

Ra took pleasure in making the lives of posturing assholes like these two difficult, but now was not the time. It would just make Mica's job more difficult and that was the last thing he wanted to do. Not that he was worried at all about the Earth Lord's ability to fend off any challenge if it came. Besides, he had a pop-up nightclub to organise.

"I'll leave you to it. Come find me when you're done," he said.

Leaning over, he unbuttoned the top of Mica's shirt a little further and pressed a kiss to the skin beneath his throat.

"Tease," Mica murmured in response, but Ra could feel his tension reduce a little through their connection.

The surrounding shadows were deepening as evening approached and the humid heat was bordering on oppressive, but there was something about the lush greenery that relaxed him as he headed back to the stronghold on foot. As enjoyable as it was being carried in Mica's muscled arms, cocooned in his power, there was something to be said for moving under his own steam.

His good mood faded when he stepped into the cave mouth and noticed the tense wings and fearful faces of the few elementals around him. A chill rippled through him as the sunshine disappeared from view, despite the air still being warm. Reaching out, he placed his hand on the stone walls reassuringly. He might not be able to talk to the stronghold, but he knew the poor thing must be in pain again. It only made him more determined to follow through on his plans for that night. The stronghold needed music and company and it needed them yesterday. He'd just have to hope the latest troubles didn't drive folks away.

"I'm glad to be home, Earthshine. I missed you," he murmured to the walls, stroking the limestone.

"Uncle!" Kaia's voice called from ahead of him just before a bundle of wings and worry barrelled into him.

"What's up K-bear?" he asked, as he carried her toward Mica's quarters and some privacy.

"Earthshine's so broken and I just want to take its pain away, but nothing I do makes any difference," she whispered, breath catching in a sob.

"Sometimes you just have to keep reaching out and hope it makes a difference," Ra said.

"Just like you all did with me?" Kaia asked.

"Did it help?" Ra asked back.

"It didn't help the pain, but it reminded me I wasn't alone."

"And that's what we'll do with our Earthshine too until we can figure out how to heal it. How are you feeling now?" Ra asked as he stepped through the door to Mica's wing of the stronghold and headed for the couch. He didn't have the benefit of magic to carry Kaia's weight and she was damn heavy. He was pretty sure she'd grown at least a few inches in height since they arrived, and likely wingspan as well.

"The meditation is helping me. Sometimes the stronghold joins its consciousness to mine while I'm doing it so I hope maybe it's helping Earthshine as well," she said.

Ra hid his frown and made a mental note to check with Mica whether that was dangerous. Not wanting to upset the caves by asking more about the situation, he changed the subject instead.

"Are you excited for tonight?" he asked.

Knowing Kaia needed the chance to connect with people just as much as the stronghold did, they'd arranged for the first hour to be all ages before the children would head home and the night would, with any luck, turn much more R-rated.

Kaia slid off his lap onto the couch and beamed at him. "Yes! I can't wait! Elysia made me a special outfit and everything. Will you use one of your playlists from back home? Please?"

Ra smiled down at the girl. He hadn't had time to sort his DJ set, what with everything else going on, and he doubted anyone here had been to one of his sessions before. He may as well give him and Kaia another reminder of home by playing something familiar.

"Anything for you, sweetheart."

Leaving Kaia inside to work on her studies, he stepped onto the balcony and pulled out his phone. He had a lot of calls to make to ensure tonight went off without a hitch. Esme had advertised the night across the Tree City and Granite Bay but if the people here were anything to go by, the elementals would need some reassurance things were in hand.

Like most courts, the Earth Court had its own social media platforms to connect on. Once he'd checked in with everyone helping to promote the event, he recruited Kaia and her friends to come take some teaser photos with him. If the cute images of the young elemental mages decorating the caves and having fun didn't convince everyone it was perfectly safe, he didn't know what would.

Mica didn't appear again until right before they were due to start. Ra had ensconced himself in the DJ booth with an eager Kaia beside him acting as translator for the stronghold so it could see the visuals of what they were trying to achieve through her mind. He'd left his own DJ gear back home, but Esme had come through with some great equipment for him. Everything was ready to go when he felt a warm presence at his back, impossibly soft copper wings filling his vision as they wrapped around him.

A shiver travelled down his spine as Mica kissed the back of his neck and he leaned back into the embrace, reaching an arm back to hold Mica's head close. Focusing on their connection, he tried to get a sense of what the Earth Lord was feeling, but he wasn't letting a lot through.

"Everything okay?" he murmured.

"It is now. I can't thank you enough for bringing my people home to comfort the stronghold like this," Mica replied, nipping at his skin as Mica's hands traced a fiery path exploring his body. "Lachlan lost all his leverage once everyone started arriving and some of the damage healed on its own as the Earthshine stabilised."

"He's a liability," Ra said.

"Yes. But I don't want to think about him right now," Mica said, pulling away a little to take in the scene.

The DJ booth was set partway up the amphitheatre and, below them, the dance floor was starting to fill with excited bodies, mostly families at this stage. While the space was technically part of the stronghold, it was high up on its outer edge and only half was covered by the soaring cave walls. The rest was open to the night sky where stars were just starting to emerge in the darkness. The older children were chasing each other in a game of aerial tag in and out of the space while various adult elementals watched on either from the dancefloor below or from the layers of limestone benches marching up the walls.

Turning on his microphone, Ra called out to the gathered crowd. "Who's ready to dance?"

The children all screamed excitedly but the adults weren't there yet. That was okay. They would be soon. At least the slight scepticism he'd seen in their faces had disappeared once Mica joined him.

"Tonight you get something a little bit special courtesy of my niece Kaia over there. We're bringing one of my sets from The Crypt to your very own pop-up Club Earthshrine. So, let's make some noise!"

Not waiting to see if the audience warmed up, Ra started a dance track with a thumping beat. Thanks to their rehearsal earlier in the day, the stronghold knew just what to do. Not only did every surface become a stunning light display as it channelled raw power through the various minerals and bioluminescent growths surrounding them, but the rock itself became the speaker system. Music came from every direction, wrapping them in sound and light just like Mica had wrapped him in his wings.

The children went wild dancing both on the ground and in the air, and their families weren't far behind.

"Sweetheart, this is incredible," Mica murmured in his ear, stunned.

"It's all our Earthshine. I just nudged things in the right direction," Ra said.

"You and I both know you did far more than that. Can you leave the booth?" Mica asked.

Twisting so he could face Mica, Ra smiled up at him. "Fuck yeah, I can. The next tracks are all queued up already. Let's go."

Grabbing Mica and Kaia's hands before the Earth Lord got any ideas about scooping him up into his arms again, Ra pulled them both down to the dancefloor with him. As he let the rhythm move through him and threw his hands in the air, he noticed the flutter of wings in his peripheral vision as more elementals landed to join them now their lord was there. Laughing, he twirled Kaia around and flashed Mica another grin as the elemental was inundated by children begging for a dance and teens slinking closer just to be near him.

He could feel the niggling frustration of Mica's thwarted desire for him growing in the back of his mind, but nothing showed through to anyone else as the Earth Lord patiently and enthusiastically danced with his people in his own formal way. Ra wasn't the slightest bit surprised when less than a minute after they finally convinced Kaia and the last of the children it was time for bed, he was hauled into his mate's strong arms. Mica's wings flashed with the copper of his power as he moved, leaving sparks like fireflies drifting in the air behind him.

"You dance like sin and feel like pure sex," Mica groaned in his ear as Ra shifted until his back was pressed tight to Mica's chest and he could grind himself against the Earth Lord.

Twisting his head, he nipped at Mica's throat. "You need to behave until we wrap this up unless you really want to put on a show for your court," Ra said.

Mica huffed a laugh against his skin. "I am quite certain it's you who needs to behave. Why did you make this event so damn long?"

Ra's face ached from how much he was smiling. He'd always wanted to make the staid Earth Lord lose control. Wondered what it would be like when Mica finally admitted he could have a little fun and still be in charge.

"It's only three more hours," he teased.

"Are you going to torture me like this the whole time?" Mica growled, enveloping Ra in his wings again until he was screened from view so he could let his hands roam free over his body.

"Hold that thought. I need to go queue up the next songs," Ra said, laughing again at Mica's grumbling complaint as he pulled free.

The Earth Lord was immediately pulled into a conversation with a group of elementals he assumed were fairly senior by the amount of metallic copper flashing in their wings. Trust Mica to find a way to end up working when he should be having fun. He'd have to go and distract him again once he was done. Tonight was not for politics.

Holding a headphone to one ear, he got to work sorting the thrumming beats he wanted to drive Mica crazy with, murmuring to the stronghold as he worked.

"You're doing so amazing, Earthshine. You're a natural. Love the way you're matching the light colours to the lyrics and hitting those beat drops."

The rock ledge he was leaning against warmed under his hip in response and he gave it a gentle pat, wishing he could hear the stronghold's voice in his mind like the elementals around him could.

"If you think this is going to endear him to you, you're wrong," Wren's snide voice said from nearby. "He's too old to fall for lewd dancing and a flashy event. His people always come first to him and no elemental courtier would risk having a weak human so close to the seat of power. You'd be dead in a week. He's going to have his fun and then he's going to ditch you. And I'll be here to pick up the pieces."

Ra rolled his eyes, but Wren's words sent a niggling discomfort through him. What were they to each other really? Mica's statement about the mate bond replayed in his mind— not everyone is as keen as your brother to bare every emotion to someone and create a walking weakness that could kill them . He didn't need Mica to form a mate bond between them, though. He just wanted the chance to love him a little. To help him heal.

Would Mica be able to stop himself from forming a mate bond when he could barely keep his hands off Ra even when he'd hated him, though? The last thing he wanted to do was create a vulnerability for Mica's enemies to exploit. If they did form that kind of bond, Mica would die if someone killed Ra.

They'd just have to be careful.

"He's had several hundred years to make a move on you if that's what he wanted. If you think he's going to go running to you, you're welcome to have a go at him now. See what response you get," Ra shot back, waving a hand toward where Mica was standing.

"I am going to end you. And I'm going to make it so my lord pulls the trigger," Wren growled, a murderous glint in his eyes.

The stone beneath their feet rumbled and jerked in response, but Ra was quick to reassure the stronghold. "It's okay, Earthshine. He's full of shit. And if he's not, we can smash him later when he signs his own death warrant going after me," Ra said, faking a confidence he didn't feel.

The last thing they needed was for the stronghold to panic and hurt the crowds here. They were supposed to be reassuring everyone it was safe and rebuilding the connection between the caves and the people.

"You won't be protected forever," Wren warned.

"Fuck off, Wren. You're undermining your own lord by upsetting the stronghold like that," Ra said, turning his back on the bitter seneschal.