The Valkyrie's Princes Read online

  He locked eyes with the princes. “I really should examine her,” he stated, looking from one to the next. His comment was met with harsh growls from the guys, their stances turning towards me to again act as a wall.

  I rolled my eyes but reached out so that I could run my hands across each of their wings in turn. “It’s alright. It’s just Master Jaison. He would never hurt me, remember?” I tried for a strong, steady voice and was surprised that it mostly seemed to work.

  Jett sighed deeply, and took a small step to the side, allowing Master Jaison to come within an arm’s reach of me.

  Master Jaison’s eyes were wide and gleaming as he stepped towards me. He reached hesitant hands towards my wings, waiting for my nod of confirmation before he brushed his fingers over them. “Remarkable,” he murmured quietly. Tearing his eyes from my wings, he glanced over his shoulders at the princes. “Emberly, have the princes filled you in on what happened?”

  I caught the quick glances and tight grimaces the guys exchanged at Master Jaison’s question. “No, we haven’t had a chance yet,” I answered honestly. “To be fair we all woke up just a few minutes ago, and I was a little too caught up in the fact that I have wings now.” The smile I sent him was both confused and sheepish.

  His answering chuckle was warm and understanding. “As it should be. You all needed rest. Well, Emberly, you have been back from Scottsdale for almost two weeks.”

  “Two weeks?” I repeated in astonishment. How could it have been two weeks? It felt like only hours had passed!

  “Two gut-wrenching weeks,” Neel murmured from his position at my side, his face drawn tight.

  “How did you find me? What happened?” The questions began to tumble out of me as I tried to piece together the last two weeks, searching my memory for anything besides the searing pain I had felt.

  Master Jaison sighed deeply, his eyebrows furrowing in concern as he studied me. “I would prefer if we could all sit down for this tale. It will take some telling, and I do not want you to wear yourself out. You haven’t been healed for very long.” The princes murmured in agreement, and quickly we all found seats between the bed, pillows on the floor, and chairs that were quickly pulled forward.

  “Now, some of this I only know second hand, and I’m sure their Highnesses will fill in as needed. What is the last thing that you do remember? We don’t really know all the details as to how you were taken as of yet.” The anger was bright in Master Jaison’s eyes, his voice hard as he asked.

  I furrowed my brow, forcing my brain to move past the pain that was my most consuming memory. “Well, I had been training with Tesha and the princes. I was exhausted because Blaine kept making me do push-ups.” Blaine’s chuckle was tired. “My arms felt like water, and I went to the bathing pools with Tesha, then I went to bed. I woke up when people grabbed me, and they had me gagged and bound before I could scream for Tesha. Then they took me into the tunnels and….” I trailed off, not really wanting to go into the details of what exactly they had done in the tunnels.

  Jett’s hands were soothing as they stroked through my hair and Flynn’s fingers were warm where they curved around my hand. All were offering silent comfort as they waited for me to continue.

  “Do you know how long they had me before I was found?” I wondered aloud.

  Blaine’s breath rushed out of him, his eyes sad and strained. “We think it was a few hours. Tesha had gone in to check on you a bit after the changing of the guard. When she saw you weren’t in your bed, she raised the alarm for the rest of her unit.” His eyes were worn and empty as they met mine. “I am so sorry, Emberly. I had no idea that I had traitors among my personal guard. You would have been safer if I had never sent them with you.”

  I slid over Neel’s legs to curl into Blaine’s lap. Moving with wings was far harder than I had expected. I wasn’t exactly sure how to control them, and I haphazardly poked Jett and Blaine as I tried to curl myself onto his lap. I reached my hands up to cup his face, turning him so that his eyes held mine. “Don’t blame yourself, Blaine. There’s no way you could have known. You sent me Tesha. I’m assuming she’s the one who found me. Without her there, they would have just found a different way to get to me. Please don’t blame yourself. You all saved me in the end, that’s what matters.” I held his glowing citrine eyes with mine, willing him to believe me as I stroked my fingers gently across his cheeks. He didn’t answer, simply burrowed his face into my hair, tilting me against his chest and facing me back towards Master Jaison, indicating he should continue with the story.

  Master Jaison’s lips were tight. “Tesha immediately alerted Prince Blaine via their communication runes. He gathered everyone together, and, assuming I would be necessary, we all headed for Scottsdale. Tesha searched for you in the meantime. She had assumed that Cecilia or Mistress Lynn would be involved in anything involving your capture, and once she confirmed they were not in their quarters, she began to search areas that are only known to Valkyries. Your captors were not the most intelligent in their plain. While those tunnels are only known to a few, select Valkyries, of course they would have been made known to the Captain of a prince’s guard.” The disgust was ripe in his tone, his head shaking as he explained.

  “She took several of her unit to begin searching the tunnels. The area is quite extensive. Our group arrived just before she found you in one of the chambers. They were still…” Master Jaison trailed off, his face going a little green. Hands tightened on my arms as all of the princes reached out to touch me, as if assuring themselves I was still alive and in their arms. His voice shaking, Master Jaison continued, “I stepped in to try and stabilize your condition. Tesha and her unit restrained Cecilia, Mistress Lynn, Mara, and Elaine. They are currently being held in the palace dungeons awaiting their trial.” He cleared his throat, his eyes sparkling with unshed tears as he remembered the proceedings of that night. “The princes rigged a litter to carry you between them all. We had to frequently stop to make sure you were stable. Eventually, we returned you here and put you in the infirmary. The princes watched over you the entire time you were in there – never leaving your side for more than a few moments.”

  His voice cracked as he looked at me, “As a Master Healer, I have to apologize to you. I wish there could have been more I could have done for you than keep you unconscious. Even when you were strong enough to let me know that they had used venom…” He trailed off, shaking his head. “There is no cure for what they did. The fact that you survived is a miracle.” He offered me a wan smile, where I sat in Blaine’s lap. “I’ll be monitoring you closely for a while. For now, however, I assume you would like some time with the princes.” Standing from the stool where he had been residing, he stroked a finger down my hair and over a wing. “Be well, Emberly. I will be in to check on you tomorrow. If you start to have any pain, confusion, or dizziness, send a servant for me immediately.” With a bow to the princes, he strode from the room, shutting the door closed behind him.

  Hands wrapped around my waist and I was unceremoniously plucked from my place on Blaine’s lap. “You’re hogging her,” Flynn murmured, with his face buried in my hair. Blaine snorted but didn’t try to pull me back onto his lap again. Warm hands stroked across my legs, Hunter I realized. His eyes were warm and gentle on mine, studying my silently where I sat cradled in his brothers’ arms.

  “Do you have any idea how frightened we were?” He murmured, continuing to draw patterns with his fingertips on my legs. “We couldn’t believe how badly we had failed you.”

  I scoffed, and wrinkled my nose, trying to make them laugh. “You’re princes! How in the world did you fail me? You spent days training me and argued with His Majesty to try and save me! That’s far from failure. Now, stop putting blame on yourselves. All blame belongs on those females who did this. Though I must say, I’m quite happy I was able to lure out traitors from your guard. It makes me nervous that you could have someone that close to you who would be willing to turn their backs.” I shook my head
, the anger I had felt at their betrayal still fresh in my system.

  Jett laughed huskily from behind me. “Of course you would be worried about how your capture would affect us, not about what damage was done to you.” He smiled, a little more sadly than I would have liked. His eyes strayed to my wings, and he reached out again to stroke the feathers as though he was unable to help himself. “These are the most magnificent things I have ever seen. Before, I had thought it had been your bare back. But these? They look like fairy wings.” I smiled and shook my head at his silliness. Taking a deep breath, I finally took a moment to really absorb the room that I was in. My mouth dropped open.

  “Where am I?” I wondered aloud, my face a mask of confusion.

  All of the guys laughed. “You’re in my room,” Jett admitted from beside me. Almost everything in the room was as black as his wings. The walls, the furniture, even the ceiling. The ceiling was a work of art, set with hundreds of constellations that winked and flickered above us. The room was very simple, but full of small, luxurious touches. The comforter that I lay on was silk and velvet, heavy and warm against my legs. The mounds of pillows behind us also appeared to be made of silk. Drawings and statues, all depicting astronomical images, were scattered throughout the room as touches of silver and gold.

  “It’s very peaceful,” I admitted, continuing to study it. “Doesn’t the dark bother you after a while, though?”

  Jett’s laugh was low and deep, tickling over my skin. “No, it doesn’t bother me. I like the night. I have the large windows that I can choose whether to leave open if I feel the desire for more light. Otherwise, if I’m in my room, I like to pretend as though it’s a dark, summer night – no matter whether it is or not.” The tips of his ears were red as he admitted this.

  I ran my fingers down his cheek, following his neck and shoulder to trace down his arm and twine my fingers with his. “It’s pretty. It’s like you could hold the stars in your hands.”

  Neel spoke from my other side, his voice still a little scratchy. “We’ve been taking care of you the best we could, but I was wondering if you might want a bath.” Well, he certainly had my attention. Another bath in their amazing bathing chamber? I was pretty sure I’d be answering that with a resounding yes.

  Blaine quickly interrupted, his eyes serious. “We’d be staying in there with you, though, Emberly. I’m sorry, you’re just barely woken from all that trauma. I can’t trust that you’ll be safe unless you stay within arm’s reach.” His expression was stern, and a little sad. I knew he didn’t like issuing commands that he felt I may be uncomfortable with, but this was something he needed as well – to know that I was safe.

  I smiled softly at them, letting them know I wasn’t upset at all. “Thank you for looking out for me.” My face got serious as I met their eyes one by one. “I didn’t want to say anything in front of Master Jaison, but I want you to know how grateful I am that you saved me. I was just a wingless nobody, and yet you sent me special guards, brought me Master Jaison, trained me, befriended me, searched me out and found me, and that you have stayed by my side for the last two weeks.” I felt my eyes welling up with tears as I watched them. “You had no way of knowing I’d get wings, and you’re sticking beside me despite the fact that when I finally did sprout wings they’re a kind that have never been seen before. I know you must have had to sacrifice a lot to stick by me and I have never felt more cared for.” I knew tears were dripping down my cheeks, but I didn’t bother to wipe them away. They deserved to know how deeply I felt, how grateful I was for every minute they had stayed by my side.

  Strong arms wrapped around me and I was wrapped in his vanilla scent as Jett wrapped me in his arms and scooped me up. “Come on, Starshine. Let’s get you cleaned up.” His voice was soft as he tilted his down to nuzzle at my neck. Jett lead the group out of his room and into the bathing chamber. He refused to relinquish me when we entered, letting his brothers prepare my bath. I struggled against his arms, trying to get down and help.

  “Jett, this is silly. I can help. You’re princes! You’ve already done more than enough; you don’t need to be waiting on me!” I pushed against his strong chest, trying to pull myself out of his arms, but not used to my wings my movements were stilted and awkward.

  Jett simply growled and held me tighter as we watched the others lay out towels, gather sponges, and test the temperature of the water. I couldn’t stop myself and called out, “Wait!” as Neel went to pour bubbles from a shiny, pink bottle that I’d never seen before.

  Neel froze and turned his head to meet my gaze in Jett’s arms. “What’s wrong? Do you need Master Jaison?” His words tumbled out in a rush, his eyes wide in his golden face.

  I flushed and squirmed, turning my head down away from his eyes. “I’m sorry, Neel. I shouldn’t have snapped.”

  Blaine was suddenly beside me, lifting my chin so that he could see into my face. “Don’t hide your eyes, Emberly. Just tell us what’s wrong.” His thick, husky voice washed over me, causing me to shiver where I rested in Jetts’ arms.

  “I didn’t want him to use those soaps,” I murmured.

  Blaine glanced over his shoulder to where Neel remained knelt next to the bathing pool. “You don’t want him to use that kind of soap? Why?”

  I flushed but forced myself to maintain eye contact with him as I tried to explain. “I like using the soaps you guys use. I like smelling like all of you.”

  Flynn reached over Jett’s shoulders to stroke my hair. “You like smelling like us? Well, we like smelling our scents on your skin as well. We just thought you might like something that was closer to your natural scent. We had this made for you.” His hands were gentle and soothing as they stroked through my hair.

  “You had it made for me? Why?” I was incredulous that they would go through so much trouble.

  “You smell like roses and sugar. It’s such an amazing smell, we didn’t want to cover it,” Flynn explained, not stopping his ministrations to my hair.

  “Why are you all so sweet?” The question tumbled from my mouth before I could stop it, ringing with the complete shock I felt. The guys’ laughter echoed through the large bathing chamber.

  Ignoring my comment, Blaine stated, “It’s your choice, Emberly. Use the one we had made, or use ours. Whatever you want.”

  I tilted my head in consideration. Really, I just wanted to get into the tub. If they had taken all the trouble to pick a scent just for me, I at least wanted to try it. “Go ahead, Neel. I want to see what you see.”

  He winked at me and poured a large amount of the liquid into the bathing pool. Bubbles tinged slightly pink scattered across the surface, reflecting rainbows of light across the water. Jett strode forward, close enough that I could now feel the steam dampening my wings. Blaine reached his hands out for the tunic I was wearing. His gentle fingers unhooked the clasps behind my shoulder blades and as he began to slide the soft silk slowly down my body, his eyes never leaving mine. Jett shifted me in his arms to allow Blaine to completely remove the tunic I had been clad in.

  Jett’s breathing was harsher, his grip on me tight. I could feel the rapid pulse of his chest as he drew in breath after breath. Blaine’s eyes were hot and heavy as they stared into mine. Flynn’s voice was rasping as he whispered in my ear, “Let us take care of you, Emberly. Please.”

  I broke my gaze from Blaine’s to look up at Jett. His onyx eyes were bright, swirling to blue as I watched. “It’s your choice, Starshine. We would never hurt you.”

  I scoffed at that. “I know you would never hurt me.” I took a deep breath, enjoying the way it made Blaine growl and Jett gasp as my body pressed against his. “Yes. Please.” I turned my head so that I could meet Neel and Hunter’s gaze where they knelt by the pool. This is what I had wanted when I made the choice to come back. I wanted to see what would happen between us all. With this, I would be one step closer to figuring it out.

  Chapter Ten

  Jett moaned, deep and low, and buried his face
in the crook of my neck. “Gods, Starshine, what you do to us,” he whispered into my ear. He strode closer to the pool and began to step in to the hot, soapy water.

  “Your clothes!” I sputtered, watching the legs of his pants begin to darken with the water.

  Jett’s chuckle seemed to lack amusement. “For this, we shall all remain at least partly clothed. I would like to say we had that kind of control. However, I know myself and my brothers.” I couldn’t resist the pout that formed on my lips.

  Hunter suddenly appeared next to me, his chuckle dark. “You don’t like that idea, do you?” His voice was silky, stroking me nearly as much as the water was.

  I rolled my eyes at him. “Well, I’m completely bare. It seems fair that I should get to see some of you as well since you’re all getting yet another eye full.” My voice was already a little rough, my throat dry. I was sticking to my point though. It wasn’t fair!

  Keeping his emerald eyes on mine, Hunter slowly reached up and undid the clips that held his tunic. In one, swift motion he removed the dark wool tunic he’d been wearing and tossed it to the side of the pool. His lips cocked in a smirk, as he cocked his head to look at me, his eyes slowly going hooded. “Do you think this is fairer?”

  I couldn’t stop my gaze from roving over him. His hard, bronze chest was a mass of muscle. Each line was deeply defined where it cut across his chest and abdomen. His arms rippled with lean, taut muscle that I wanted to reach out and stroke. Wrapping around his left arm, across his shoulder and down to his elbow was a swirling tattoo that looked like writing of some kind. I couldn’t believe how much I wanted to lick those dark, curving lines.

  I was breathing heavily in Jett’s arms as I brought my eyes back up to Hunters. His eyes were hot and hungry in his face, and I knew he had been studying me as much as I had been studying him. Unable to form words, I nodded. He met Jett’s eyes above my head, holding out his arms to cradle me. The feeling of his bare chest pressing against my skin was enough to cause a gasp of shock to rip from my body. “So hot,” I murmured.