Chapter 24

"They're not going to sprout little mouths and start talking," Darcy teased while I continued to scrutinise the Guild Stones. "What we need is books. Ancient books. A record of the stones' original use. If a tome like that exists, it's not here. We need to go to The Library of the Lost."

"Of course," I exhaled in realisation, shooting to the cupboard by the fireplace where we kept a stash of stardust. I grabbed a small silk pouch of the stuff before racing back to Darcy. "Wards?"

She carved them open, just enough to let us travel away from campus and with a toss of stardust, we were gone, spiralling through a galaxy of stars and deposited on a windswept island in the middle of a black lake. The rolling green landscape around us was in the depths of winter now and snow capped the high peaks of the barren mountains. The air was wild and carried a scent of earthy moss and bracken, a single inhale sharpening my senses.

I gazed at the zodiac wheel etched into the stone floor beneath our feet and Darcy crouched down, pressing her hand to the sun symbol there.

"That won't wor-" I started, but the ground rumbled at her touch, and we immediately began descending into the earth on the circular stone plinth.

"What was that?" she asked sweetly as she stood upright again, and I pressed my hand to her lower back, pulling her closer.

"They've given you access," I murmured, taking in that smug little expression of hers and wanting to bend her over my knee for it.

"Eugene left a letter with Geraldine stating that Tory and I now have access to help assist us during the war," she said like it was nothing. "Though he did ask that Tory be a little gentler with her magic if she returns."

"Ah, life is so easy for a queen, you're handed everything on a silver platter," I taunted, leaning down to graze my fangs against her neck.

She shivered at my touch, and I barely paid attention to the view around us as we passed through the lake, then deeper into the hidden library beyond.

"Jealous, Lance?" she asked, and I sank my fangs into her, making her moan at the slice of pain instead of gasp. My little masochist.

Her blood was a vortex of fiery sunshine that had my heart pounding and desire burning a passage through the centre of my chest. My magic reserves began to fill, but I took only a measure or two before drawing my fangs from her neck and healing the mark with a swipe of my thumb.

She tiptoed up, her mouth crashing with mine and the lust on her lips lit a fire in my soul. I cupped her ass, dragging her firmly against me and sinking my tongue into that sweet mouth, finding my salvation within the taste of her. A hungry growl rose in my throat as her fingers grasped the back of my neck and she ground herself against me, these clothes between us suddenly feeling like all too fucking much of a barrier.

"Ahem," someone cleared their throat.

Darcy's head snapped around, my hands still firmly on her ass as I looked up with a snarl to warn off whoever had interrupted us. But then my thoughts realigned, and I remembered where we were. The stone plinth had completed its descent and we now stood at the base of the library where several Fae were sitting at desks between the rows of bookshelves, staring at us in shock.

Eugene Dipper was there with his white-blond hair swept back and a blue t-shirt on that had the words I'm an A.S.S. Rat and Proud above the picture of a rat curled up on top of a bagel. A huge Minotaur stood beside him with a look of fury lining his bovine features, his giant horns curled above his head and his arms folded across his broad chest.

"This is uncouth to say the least," the Minotaur boomed.

"Give it a rest, Arnold," Eugene said, then rushed forward, bowing low before embracing Darcy while my hands were still firmly on her ass. She pulled away and I reluctantly released her into the arms of the High Buck of the Tiberian Rats, scouring the area to glare at the onlooking assholes. Many of them buried their noses in their books again.

"I guess everyone in the library saw that?" Darcy whispered to Eugene as he released her.

"Oh yes, everyone," he squeaked. "All the way from up by the ceiling and down, down, down to the floor. It was a long time. A very long time. People took photographs, but don't worry, my lady, I will make sure they are all deleted post haste!"

"Is this the destructive one?" Arnold clipped. "The one who murdered the sacred guardians in the lake then unleashed an ancient race of demons in the belly of our divine library?"

"Ah, so you've met my sister," Darcy said brightly. "Sounds like she made a great impression. Anyway, I'm sure it was all cleared up and no real harm was done."

"No harm done?" Arnold mooed angrily.

"Yup." Darcy swept past him, and Eugene jogged along at her heels.

"I think you forgot to bow, Arnold." I clapped a hand onto the Minotaur's shoulder, shoving him down and making his knees buckle. "There you go. Good boy."

I petted his head then strode after my mate. He didn't seem to take that so well as he rose to his feet and stamped his hooves, mooing furiously. He hounded me, breathing down my neck and I had a flashback from my time in Darkmore Penitentiary, being escorted around the halls by bloodthirsty guards. Those days seemed like a distant nightmare now, but my current freedom was a gift I would never forget the value of.

"What do you need, my lady?" Eugene asked. "I owe you my life. I will work day and night to find whatever it is you seek."

"Thank you, Eugene," she said, then turned to him with sadness in her eyes. "Did you see what happened at the Nebula Inquisition Centre to all those poor Fae?"

Eugene let out a pained squeak and bowed his head. "Yes, indeed. A terrible, terrible thing."

"It wasn't me and my sister, I swear it. We were framed." She rested a hand on his shoulder. "I'm so sorry we weren't able to help them."

"I knew at once that it wasn't what it seemed," Eugene said. "And all my loyal Rats know it too. We are working hard to spread the word of the truth. So what is it I can help you with?"

Darcy flicked up a silencing bubble that included me and Eugene, but not Arnold, and the angry Minotaur stamped along even more aggressively behind us.

"We're looking for information on the Guild Stones," Darcy said. "Not locations this time but knowledge about their use. And have you heard of fate-weavers before?"

"No, my lady, I am afraid not. I haven't come across much knowledge on the Stones, but me and my fellows have been compiling any books we discover that might assist you and your sister in this war. Anything I found on the Guild Stones was sent right there. Come."

Eugene quickened his pace, taking off toward a spiralling iron staircase that climbed up to the gaping mouth of the enormous face that had been carved into the wall to represent air.

Fluffy clouds hovered around us as we climbed, and the wavy hair of the stone effigy twirled and shifted as if caught in a magical wind. We made it to her parted lips and Eugene scurried between them, leading us into a dark tunnel, but ahead was a wooden door and a soft blue glow emitted around the edges of it.

Eugene pressed his palm to it and the door unlocked at his touch, allowing us access.

We stepped into a room that filled me with awe, the magic so beautifully forged it was impossible to blink. The room spanned several floors above us, the walls almost imperceptible within the enchanted room which had been made to mimic a bright blue sky. Large white clouds drifted overhead and one hovered by Eugene's feet, bobbing up and down a little.

"Where are the books?" I asked curiously.

"Not here. Just a little further. This is simply another stairway," Eugene said, stepping onto the first cloud and turning to us expectantly.

"This isn't simply anything," Darcy breathed, and I took in her wonder with a keen interest, delighting in how enraptured she was. I hoped this world kept surprising her because I was in love with her fascination.

I followed Darcy onto the cloud as she disbanded the silencing bubble and Arnold tromped his way up beside me, his shoulder rutting against mine and his eyes sliding my way like he expected me to do something shady at any moment.

"Give us a smile, Arnold," I goaded. "It wasn't us who caused carnage here."

"No?" he clipped. "Seventeen precious tomes were defiled the last time you two were left to roam the ancient halls of our beloved library alone."

I shared a look with Darcy, a smirk lifting my lips while a blush crawled across her cheeks.

"You know about that, huh?" I muttered.

"I was tasked to restore order to the books in question," he hissed.

"And I'm sure you did a great job," I said, my enthusiasm clearly sarcastic and he glowered at me.

The cloud we stood on drifted upward, climbing towards another one and we followed Eugene's lead, stepping onto the next cloud, which took us to another then another.

"Elysian Mates can be overcome with their lustings," Eugene piped up.

"How would you know anything about that, pipsqueak?" Arnold asked.

"Don't call me pipsqueak!" Eugene suddenly went feral, lunging past us to Arnold and slapping him across the face, the sound of the clap ringing out around the room.

I released a snigger as Arnold's cheek turned red and Eugene stepped back to Darcy's side with his chin thrust in the air.

"Forgive me, I meant no offence," Arnold muttered, rubbing the sore spot on his face, then he looked to me and Darcy. "But I would appreciate if there were no more lustings around our precious collection of books. This is a sacred place and one of my ancestors was involved in its founding. I have a deep sense of responsibility towards it."

"We'll be more respectful," Darcy promised, but I made no such vow. I didn't intend on damaging any of the precious tomes in this place; I was the first person to respect such things. But I wasn't going to have anyone forbid me from laying a hand on my girl. She was the only one who possessed that right now that we were no longer kept apart by law.

We sailed towards a tall, fluffy cloud and a door opened within it, giving a glimpse of a fire blazing beyond. Eugene led the way inside and I followed him and Darcy into a beautiful private reading space with plush red chairs laid out by a roaring fire and a window giving a view onto a snowy landscape above a wide window seat, the snow flurries tumbling against the pane. I knew that view couldn't be real from how far underground we were, but the illusion was perfect. A desk in the shape of two curved bronze wings sat at one end of the room and a golden Phoenix bird decoration hung on the wall behind it.

"We redecorated this room for the True Queens," Eugene said, turning to Darcy excitedly. "It's a gift."

"It's incredible," Darcy exclaimed, looking to the wooden bookshelves next to the fire which were filled with tomes.

"I will continue my hunt for any more books of use." Eugene bowed low, then ushered Arnold out of the room who went reluctantly.

"I'll be waiting out here until you are finished," Arnold clipped, and I flicked my finger, sending the door flying shut in his face with a gust of air and locking it too.

"Ah, silence," I sighed, and Darcy shook her head at me with a grin.

She moved to the nearest bookshelf, soon claiming a book and heading to the huge seat by the window which was big enough for four people, sitting cross-legged on it as she started reading.

I drifted to the bookshelf, seeking something of use and discovering that Eugene and his cohort of bookish friends had done a damn good job. These books were priceless in terms of knowledge, and my breath caught in my throat as I spotted one that I'd thought was no longer in existence.

The Way of Crowns.

I thumbed through the ancient pages to the index, running my finger down the chapter titles, a thrill pounding through me. This book documented the royals running all the way back to the Blood Ages and potentially beyond. It was a trove of history waiting to be discovered, and if it dated back far enough, perhaps it might even speak of a king or queen who had claimed a Guild Stone from Arcturus.

I took a seat at the desk, laying out the book, spreading its pages just so and beginning my hunt. As I began to read, I fell so deeply into the stories of the old royals, that I could neither perceive time nor sense the real world around me. I was totally captivated, lost to the words as the past was painted within my mind's eye.

I only came back to my senses when a book landed on the desk beside me with a thump and I blinked out of my reverie, finding Blue there pointing to a passage she'd been studying.

"You're adorable when you're reading," she said, moving to perch on the edge of the desk beside me. "You completely space out, like nothing else exists."

"Yes, I tend to lose sight of everything." I rested a hand on her bare knee. "Except you. You play a part in all my thoughts. So what did you find, beautiful?"

She picked up the book and read a passage aloud. "Stone circles are one of the most powerful formations that can be created in nature, and if each stone is placed in conjunction with the planetary movements, upon sacred ground, or in alignment with the constellations, many magics can be wielded within its ring. From binding a Fae's tongue to the path of the truth, to trapping untold power within its confines, to enhancing the magic of certain gemstones." She tapped on that last phrase. "What if a stone circle like the one we saw in Arcturus's vision could unlock the Guild Stones' power?"

I leaned back in my seat, contemplating that. "It doesn't say unlock; it says enhance. And what would we be enhancing? Trying that could be deadly."

She pursed her lips and my hand slid higher up her thigh beneath her skirt. "Don't pout."

"Isn't it at least worth a shot?"

"Without knowing what might happen? You really are impulsive."

"Maybe we need to be impulsive right now. Every minute we lose is bringing us closer to our final hour."

"I'm all for rash choices, Blue, but not potentially suicidal ones," I said firmly.

"So you're putting your foot down?" She arched a brow sternly.

"Yes, I am," I growled.

"Well, I'm the queen so maybe I'll insist upon it."

"What a petulant queen that would make you," I said, rising to my feet and looking down at her, taking hold of her chin so those big green eyes were trained on me. "Be a good girl and keep looking for something that will help us understand the use of the Guild Stones better. Once we have that, we can revisit your stone circle idea."

She scowled at me, clearly about to bite back at me for ordering her around, but instead she changed tactics, dropping off the desk and placing her hand to my chest. "Fine. Out of my way then, asshole."

She pushed to try and make me move, but I resisted, the heat of her hand through my shirt and the game in her eyes all too tempting.

"Watch your mouth or I'll make use of it as punishment."

Her eyes brightened at my tone, her nails biting into my chest. "Make use of it? And what would you have me do in penance?"

"You know exactly what I want from you," I said in a low voice.

She knocked a pencil off the desk so that it went clattering to the floor, then slowly knelt down to get it, but on the way her hand grazed down my stomach and rode over the bulge in my pants. She licked her lips and my cock throbbed at the sight, a low growl of desire falling from my throat.

A small voice in the back of my head said this was too good to be true, and as she stood abruptly upright again with the pencil in her hand and a glint in her eyes, that voice was proved right.

She grabbed her book then slipped past me before I could stop her, heading back to her seat and laying across it with her ass pointed my way, returning to reading just like that.

A lump was pushing at the base of my throat as I took in the smooth sheen of her legs, her little skirt bunched up so high that it revealed a glimpse of her ass. Fuck, that ass had been taunting me all day. I carved a hand down my face, my gaze dropping to the book on the table which had been so fascinating to me just moments ago but now held no appeal at all.

The right thing to do would be to continue my research, ignore the seductive creature in the room and be responsible. But I'd never been able to resist the call of Darcy Vega, and I didn't think the stars were going to offer me the strength to do it now.

Really, the best thing for both of us was to fuck away this burning tension between us so we could concentrate all the better after. This decision was completely logical, and not in any way clouded by my rock hard dick.

I knew this game, we'd played it plenty of times before, and I knew exactly how to get her attention. Step one: rile her up into a storm.

I moved to lean against the front of the desk like I had a thousand times in my classroom and whistled to catch her attention.

Her head snapped around, her eyes sharpening on me. "Did you just whistle at me?"

I ran my thumb over the corner of my mouth to hide my amusement. "Yes, and what are you going to do about it, Blue?"

She flicked a finger and a gust of air slapped me hard enough to send my head wheeling sideways. My heart raced, my lust only increasing at her putting me in my place and a dark chuckle fell from my throat.

A smile lifted her lips, but she hid it well, returning her attention to her book.

"God, I love reading," she sighed, rolling onto her back, her thighs lifting and parting just enough to let me glimpse her panties as she used air to hold the book above her head and turn the page. That view alone was enough to have me desperate for her.

Before I'd decided my next approach, she slid her hands up her top and started caressing her breasts.

"Ah," she gasped in pleasure, and my jaw tightened as I watched, my fingers twitching with the need to touch her myself.

"Don't be shy. If you want to put on a show, Blue, then by all means, put on a show," I encouraged, then used air to take hold of her panties and rip them off of her, baring her pussy to me.

"I need an extra hand," she urged.

I shot over to her, capturing her ankles and yanking her closer to me, making her gasp. I smirked as I pressed a knee between her thighs, leaning forward and sinking two fingers inside her in a torturously slow movement, her glistening wetness making me growl with want.

Her eyes remained on the book above her like I was just a tool she could ignore, her teeth digging into her lower lip as she held back her moans.

"Eyes on me," I commanded, jealous of the fucking book and she didn't resist that order, looking straight at me and sending a pulse of heat right down to the tip of my cock. "Let me hear how much you're enjoying this. Don't you dare restrain yourself, Blue."

She released her lip from the grip of her teeth and a breathy moan left her, her thighs parting wider as my thumb flicked over her clit.

"Come for me like a good girl," I ordered, her breaths quickening as my fingers pumped harder. She was clearly close already, her eyes tracking over me with so much want that I felt like the most blessed Fae in the world. To be desired by my queen was a fortune I would never take for granted.

She came with a heady moan, shutting her eyes, her back arching and her legs flexing as she finished just for me, her pussy tightening as I drove my fingers in deeper.

She blinked at me hazily, her body going slack as her pleasure ebbed away, and that wasn't going to be nearly enough to satisfy me. I eased my fingers out of her and was upon her like a starved wolf in the next second, scooping her up with my speed and carrying her to the desk. With a growl, I splayed her over it and clapped my hand against the back of her thigh while I held her down.

"You shut your eyes," I scolded.

"I forgot to keep them open," she panted. "Teach me a lesson."

That plea made me groan and I squeezed the base of my cock through my pants to relieve some of the building pressure in it. "Get on my desk. Kneel there for me and clasp your ankles."

"Yes, sir."

That word had me fucking high and I watched as she obeyed me, climbing onto the desk and doing just as I'd instructed.

I unbuckled my belt and Darcy's fingers flexed against her ankles as I tugged it free of the loops, coiling it around my fist.

"Stay still," I ordered, and she managed to stop fidgeting. "That's it. Look at you, you're so fucking perfect."

I grazed the belt over her ass to let her know my intention and she released a moan.

"Punish me," she urged, and I struck the belt against her soft skin, marking it with a red stripe. "Again."

I gave her what we both wanted, striking her once more and making her cry out in pleasure and pain, the power trip going right to my head.

When she'd taken three whips, I tossed the belt onto the desk and pulled her toward me just a little to give me more access, then I dropped to my knees, dragging my tongue over her soaked pussy and tasting her desire for myself. She shivered, moaning loudly as I lapped at her before driving my tongue inside her tight opening, her sweetness making me groan.

I used the speed of my Order to fuck her with my tongue, her whimpers of need only urging me on as I used air magic to caress her clit and drive her into a frenzy. Three more swipes of my tongue made her come with a scream, and I laughed into her throbbing pussy, caught up in how beautifully she fell apart for me. When she was still once more, I got to my feet, wiping my mouth on the back of my hand and resting it on the base of her spine, using my free hand to lower my zipper.

"You taste like ecstasy, beautiful," I told her as I released my aching cock, grazing the tip between her ass cheeks then over her soaking pussy, lust and pleasure driving me to mania.

I wanted her like nothing else in this world, her body a temple I would worship at every day of my fucking life with all the fervour I possessed.

"Lance," she begged as I teased her, refusing to claim what I so desperately needed.

"Say please," I growled, and goosebumps peppered her shoulders from those words.

"Please," she gasped.

I drove myself inside her, gripping her hips and taking her hard and fast. She cried out my name as I fucked her, sinking my cock in as deep as possible before drawing my hips back and slamming into her again. She was so wet, so tight and so ready for me, it was nirvana on earth. This girl was made for me, mind, body and soul, and I'd never find full satiation in her flesh, always craving more. I fucked her just how she liked it, bringing us both to the edge of insanity as her cries of ecstasy mixed with my groans of bliss.

I slowed my pace, wanting to savour the feel of her body. "You take me so well. You're going to please me again, aren't you Blue? I'm going to count, and you're going to come for me on five, not before or after, understand?"

"I can't," she gasped, her pussy clamping around my cock, telling me she was already on the brink of climax.

I grinned savagely, thrusting in deep and hitting that sensitive place inside her. "You can and you will. One…two…"

"Lance," she groaned, her body tensing.

"Three." I spanked her ass, taking my sweet time with the count and she cried out.

"Four." I fucked her faster, pounding into that spot she loved so damn much, and my cock swelled, pleasure clouding my mind as I held off on finishing too.

"Five," I growled, and she came for me, her pussy gripping my cock so perfectly that I had no choice but to follow her into climax. I swore, driving in hard and stilling inside her as she led me to my release. Pleasure crashed through me and I groaned heavily, holding her still as I enjoyed the feel of her throbbing around my shaft, her moans still colouring the air.

"Well done, beautiful," I exhaled, smiling like a heathen.

I was star damned spent when I eased out of her and I lifted her in my arms, shooting back to the large seat by the window and lying with her while we caught our breath.

She curled into my body, kissing my chest and neck before finding my mouth and I lost myself to her soft lips and the words of love passing between us. I didn't know how long we laid there, but eventually we untangled ourselves and I used water magic to clean us both.

Darcy pulled her skirt down, sitting up and running a hand through her blue locks, looking around for something.

"The book's gone," she said with a frown, and I slid a hand under her, pulling it out from beneath her bare ass. "Oh, there it is." She bit her lip guiltily.

"Arnold won't be pleased," I said with a smirk.

"He'll never know," she said conspiratorially.

"He will know," Arnold called through the door. "Because you did not have the courtesy to cast a silencing bubble."

"Oh shit, sorry Arnold," Darcy called, but her laughter did little to soften the blow.

"I'm not sorry," I muttered, trailing my fingers up her arm, tempted for more already and giving her a look that told her just that.

"You're insatiable." She pushed off of the seat, glancing back at me with a grin that said I wasn't the only one.

I supposed we did have a job to do here though, and we hadn't gotten anywhere so far. Resigned, I pushed to my feet and chose another book off the shelf, this time sitting with Darcy while we worked to find answers between the pages.

The hours ticked by and we found little to go on, though Darcy insisted the book on stone circles might hold some clue. So she kept a hold of it as we moved to leave, intending to bring it with us.

"At least the moon will be up," Darcy said as I followed her out of the library, Arnold leading the way to the exit while grumbling under his breath about indecency.

"You're right," I said keenly.

We were soon back above ground with the moon glittering down on us from above, and with a flash of stardust, we travelled our way back to campus into King's Hollow. I opened the hatch in the ceiling above us with a whip of air and grabbed my father's diary from the table. Darcy cast air beneath us, carrying the two of us up to the roof where the moon lit the trees in silver.

We sat side by side and I laid the diary between us, our hopes riding on this. The moonlight flickered as if drawn to its pages and I thumbed through the passages I'd read before as they became visible. Nothing of note stood out to me, and I frowned as I found no more writing revealing itself, no new symbols, no clue to follow at all.

"Great," I sighed, flipping the diary shut.

"Have a look at the chalice again," Darcy encouraged, though the hope was fading from her eyes, and I fucking despised that.

I reached into the moonbeam before me, the Guild Mark on my arm flaring to life as I retrieved the Chalice of Flames as if from nowhere, twisting it as I eyed the inscription on its surface.

Ego meum sanguinem confirmo in Vega regali acie.

"I pledge my blood to the Vega royal line," I murmured, turning the silver cup to examine it closer.

"Wait, look." Darcy pointed to its base, and I flipped it over, finding another inscription written there in a circle.

"Bibe positis genibus ad regalium pedes, dum in throno beato insident semel agnita a stellis coronatio et subdita ense Gildii notetur," I read aloud.

"What does it mean?" Darcy asked excitedly, leaning closer.

"It's instructions," I said, my own heart ticking quicker at finding anything at all, even if it wasn't the answer we needed. "Drink while kneeling at the feet of the royals as they perch upon a blessed throne once their coronation has been acknowledged by the stars, and be marked as their subject with the sword of the Guild."

"Does that mean… we can't even use that potion to initiate members to the Guild until we have an official coronation and a throne?" Darcy questioned in concern, and my heart sank.

It wasn't like we'd been confident enough in the potion's safety to try it, but it seemed like another avenue was being stolen away from us. If it took Darcy and Tory claiming the throne of Solaria to activate the Guild Stones' power, then they weren't going to be any help in the coming fight.

"I'll talk to Professor Shellick, his knowledge of potions is far greater than mine," I decided. "He should be able to test the potion's properties and get an idea of its effects. Then we might just have to try it out. Perhaps your crowning was enough and any throne will do."

"And then what? Get someone to try the potion?" She grimaced at that idea.

"We'll figure that part out once Shellick has given us some assurances."

"Alright," she agreed. "But no one is drinking it until we're certain it won't harm them."

I smiled, leaning in to kiss the corner of her mouth. "As you wish, my queen."