Chapter Two
I have to have faith in the Goddess,I reminded myself as I walked into the Wraith Citadel's dining hall with my lovers. No, my magic wasn't the Goddess' doing, not entirely, nor was my destiny. At least, not that she was admitting to. But she had assured me that my heart would lead me. That whatever happened in my love life, it would be for the best and what I wanted. So I needed to stop panicking over it.
I made my way up the center aisle to the buffet table at the far end of the room. A selection of breakfast dishes was laid out there, along with biscuits, rolls, coffee, and several types of freshly squeezed juice. The kitchen staff of Wraith Citadel knew how to put out a spread, and they did it three times a day with snacks in between. I focused on the food and ignored the eager looks cast my way.
After making our plates, my men and I headed for our usual table. A few of the men sitting at the other end of the table eyed me as I sat down, but Nex's dark gaze only showed a friendly welcome when we sat down across from him. Thank the Goddess for Nex.
The golden scales at Nex's temples glinted as he nodded a greeting to us. “How's the magical thruple this morning?”
Nex had his blond hair pulled back into a knot and his huge, dragon-shifter body bulged in garments chosen specifically to accentuate his muscles. He flexed and straightened, puffing out his chest a little. All a part of the Nexhavaren show. If I didn't know for certain that the scales at his temples were natural, a hint of his dragon and the color of his clan, I would have thought he'd had them colored just to bring out the amber tones in his brown eyes. Yup, Nex was a looker, and he made every effort to make people look even harder, but I wasn't interested in looking. Well, not for sexual reasons. I could appreciate his male beauty without wanting him like that. And maybe that was my problem.
I had always wanted a boyfriend. A man committed to me who I could commit to. Now, I had two. It felt odd and wonderful. I was so grateful for their love and for being able to love both of them openly. And all that gratitude and love meant I didn't want anyone else. Not even someone as glorious as Nex. I already had more than I'd ever hoped to have. So I didn't look at other men with sexual interest. That felt like a betrayal.
I had to get past that shit.
“We're good, thank you,” Rath said. “Any word on the Corrupter?”
I straightened, looking from Rath to Nex. “News?”
“There's a fort just outside the Corrupter's territory. It's manned by the Emperor's soldiers. Their only duty is to keep watch on the shadow ward that surrounds the Corrupter's castle,” Nex said. “It's not likely that he'll leave through the ward, but in case he does, or if there's a weakness in the ward, we'll hear about it. And to answer your question, Rath. No, there hasn't been any word on the Corrupter.”
I looked at Rath.
“I told you we're doing everything we can. We'll get the kids out, Ember,” Rath said.
“If possible,” Nex added.
I slumped. “There has to be a way through that ward.”
“Sure, if you wanna try your hand at Death Magic,” Nex said flippantly.
I added a grimace to my slump. “Never. I can't.”
“Nex,” Xae growled. “You know Death is after him.”
“I know, I know.” Nex held up his hands. “That's my point. We can't get through the ward unless we sink to the Corrupter's level. All we can do is wait for the bastard to screw up.”
“At least he believes you're dead,” Xae said to me.
As if his words had prompted it, our Wraith Lord pendants began to glow and vibrate—Xae's, Rath's, and mine. We were being summoned to a mission. Usually, the summoning was a response to a distress call from one of the communities on Varr, but the last mission I'd been summoned to had been a trap. The Corrupter captured me as soon as I arrived.
I saw the memory of that fill the eyes of my lovers. “No,” I said.
“He thinks you're dead,” Xae said again. “We need it to stay that way.”
“So I'm supposed to stay back?” I snapped. “From every mission?”
“No, just let us go first,” Rath said more diplomatically. “We'll check it out and make sure the Corrupter isn't there. Then I'll come back for you.”
“No, I'm going.” I got up and faded upstairs to our bedroom, using Spirit Magic to transport me.
As soon as I appeared in our suite, I hurried into our dressing room, a rectangular space far too large for our wardrobes, and ran up to my armor stand. As I got into my armor, my men appeared and went to armor up as well.
“You're staying here until we know it's safe,” Xae said, then pulled on his chainmaille shirt.
“Nope,” I said.
Xae growled and swung toward me, his maille shivering as it settled. “Ember, I am not losing you!”
