So, I'd gone from outcast to exalted. And it was fantastic. But now, they wanted me for more than my body or mind. They wanted my magic, the magic I could share with them. There it was, the reason I avoided the attention I secretly adored. I wasn't sure it was real. Were they flirting with me because they liked me or because they wanted to save Varr? I mean, I couldn't blame them for wanting the power to vanquish the Corrupter. And sacrificing themselves for a relationship they may not want to be in was noble. It also made me feel like shit. I didn't want to be someone they had to force themselves to be with. A fucking sacrifice. Literally. Ugh. I couldn't live with that.
So I couldn't trust anyone's ardor.
All right, there were some who I could trust. Those who had flirted with me before we discovered what I could do for the men I fell in love with. Wraith Lords like Keltyr and Finn. They had always shown an interest in me. But as much as I found them attractive, they didn't inspire the kind of lust that might overcome my reluctance to take more lovers.
Jath was a different story. He had caught my attention from the moment we met. And he didn't like me. Even knowing what I could do for him. In fact, that was the very reason he didn't like me. So, if he were to ever change his mind, I could be sure that it was real. Aha! That was another reason for my fascination with him. If we fell in love, I'd never doubt him. But that possibility was unlikely. Which only made me want him more. If he was straight, however, that would make me feel a little better. Hold on. No, he was definitely gay. Nex had said so. Gay and a top. Just how I liked them. Agh!
“Ember?” Rath stroked my hair back. “Why don't we go to bed? You look exhausted. We can hear about the Emperor tomorrow.”
“No, it's all right. I want to hear what he said tonight.”
Something inside my chest fluttered. Just looking at Rath filled me with love and gratitude. And Xae was the same. I glanced at him and grinned. Fuck, I was lucky. Two incredible men loved me. They'd do anything for me. They had come for me when the Corrupter took me and again tonight. They supported me like no other. Treasured me. I didn't need nor want anyone else. I'd been surprised by Jath, that was all. My ego, so fragile and new, had suffered a blow. That's all it was. Jath had sent me back into my old self, and I couldn't process it. I craved his attention, approval, and desire. With those things, I could return to being the new Ember. I wanted to be confident and happy again.
Well, I didn't need Jath for that. I just needed to remind myself of who I was and all I had.
Taking my lovers' hands, I leaned over first to Rath, then to Xae, and kissed them each on the cheek. “I love you,” I said, looking from one to the other. “I know today's been hard on both of you too, and I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have run off as I did.”
Xae cupped my cheek and nuzzled my temple. “If you hadn't, we wouldn't have known what the Corrupter was up to.”
“Xaedren's right,” Rath said. “I think the Goddess was guiding you tonight.”
I blinked. “I didn't think of that. Huh. Yeah, maybe you're right. I was surprised that I faded there. I couldn't figure out why I'd torture myself like that. Then I had an urge to see my parents' graves, and I assumed that had been my intention all along.”
“It's easy to forget how the Goddess guides us because she does so quietly. Subtly. But she's always with us,” Xae said.
“Yes, she is,” I whispered, then said a silent prayer of thanks to the Goddess.
The sound of heavy footsteps drew my attention to the entrance of the hall. General Ranor had returned. He was as grim-faced as when he left. The room went silent as he stopped just inside the archway.
“I've spoken with the Emperor,” Ranor said. “He was shocked and greatly disturbed by the news. For now, he advises us that should we encounter any dead opponents, we must incapacitate them, and then burn the bodies. We're assuming that he can't animate bones, so reducing them to such should release the enchantment.”
“Incapacitate how?” someone called out.
“Cut them off at the knees,” Nex said. “Or, if you have Earth Magic, stick them in a pit, as Ember's been doing with the Corrupted. Then roast them.”
“You said, for now,” Jath noted. “This is only a temporary solution?”
“The Emperor is meeting with his magical advisers as we speak. They're discussing the possibilities—what the Corrupter might do with corpses and how we might counter his actions. When they have solutions, the Emperor will summon me.” He looked around. “Just be careful out there, men. Be more on guard than usual. Approach every mission as a possible trap.” He shook his head. “Centuries, and suddenly, the Corrupter's changing the war.”
“Because we've changed the war by bringing Ember into it,” Finn said.
“Yes, but he believes Ember is dead,” Rath countered.
“Unless he doesn't,” I whispered.
“What's that, Ember?” Ranor asked.
I shrugged. “The Corrupter has Death Magic, and I know firsthand that the magic has a consciousness that can communicate. The magic may have informed the Corrupter that I'm not, in fact, dead.”
“Fuck!” Xae hissed.
“It would explain why he went after Fress' dead. I assumed it was to torture the two of you.” I looked from Xae to Rath. “But if he thinks I'm alive, this might be a way of drawing me out.”
“Fuck!” Xae said again, louder.
Ranor nodded. “Then we act under that assumption. Ember, we need you in the field, and the Corrupter knows that. He knows you're our greatest weapon. So from now on, you will not leave this citadel with less than ten Wraith Lords accompanying you.”
“What?” I whispered.
