The Magic of Destiny: Emerald Lakes Book Four, page 1
The Magic of Destiny
Emerald Lakes Book Four
Britt Andrews
Copyright © 2021 Britt Andrews
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Please purchase only authorized electronic editions and do not participate in, or encourage, the electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Cover by: Jodielocks Designs
Developmental and content Editing: Cassie Hurst
Editing By: Aubergine Editing
Proofreading by: Proofs by Polly
Formatting by: Inked Imagination Author Services
Photography by: TalkNerdy2me
Samantha La Mar www.thetalknerdy.com
This one goes out to all of my fellow big booty queens. You’re beautiful. You’re amazing. You’re sexy.
Own your magic.
Contents
1. Saige
2. Cam
3. Saige
4. Sloane
5. Fischer
6. Saige
7. Bram
8. Sloane
9. Kai
10. Faris
11. Saige
12. Sloane
13. Fischer
14. Cam
15. Bram
16. Saige
17. Kai
18. Faris
19. Saige
20. Cam
21. Saige
22. Sloane
23. Fischer
24. Kai
25. Saige
Author Note
Thank you
Also by Britt Andrews
“My, my, aren’t you a sturdy one?” Gran’s voice filtered through my sleepy haze and clearly woke up the man pressed against my back. A large hand tightened on my hip as I tried to clear the remnants of slumber away.
“Who is she talking to?” Faris whispered in my ear, and I shivered at the sensation. Gran wasn’t in the room with us, thank the gods.
“Probably Bram, if he’s not in here.” I yawned. “She loves his build.”
“Shh. I’m still sleeping,” Kai grumbled from somewhere. Stretching my body out, I felt my foot hit something solid, which was followed by a grunt. Oops. “Cuuuub,” he groaned and I stifled a laugh.
“Sorry,” I offered, sitting up and rubbing my eyes. Kai was usually the early bird, but I now knew he'd been struggling, so his sleeping in made more sense. Plus, we'd had a crazy night. Laurie had escaped, but Bryce was dead. Deader than dead. Dead and dickless. I grinned to myself, recalling how Sloane had turned into an absolute beast of a man in my defense.
Yes, I’m a strong, independent woman, and yes, I like a big, sexy man defending my honor. I like it a lot. Damn, that was hot as hell.
“Where's Cam?” I asked, seeing Fischer sleeping soundly to my right.
“Probably downstairs, Firefly. Big day for Cam, remember?” Faris supplied, and I launched myself out of bed, jostling my poor blood mage in the process.
“Shit, sorry. I'm a mess this morning. My brain feels sluggish and— Ow!” I wailed, causing Kai and Fischer to both fly upright, eyes wild.
“Whassit?” Fish mumbled, looking over my body.
“Ugh, sorry to wake you. My body feels like it got hit by a truck. My shoulder hurts where Bryce shot me with that dart,” I explained, rubbing the area.
“No more apologies, that's like... three already and you've only been awake for five minutes. C'mere, sweetheart.” Fischer held his arm out, pulling me toward him without having to make much of an effort.
I walked gingerly around the bed, trailing my hand over Kai's shoulders as I passed. Once I was close enough, Fish pulled me gently onto his lap and buried his face against my neck. “Gods, you smell so good. I love you.”
I felt his smile against my neck. Perfection. Waking up with my guys, getting cuddled and kissed. Adored. They fucking adored me. It was everything.
“I love you, Guppy.”
“Alright, quit hogging my Cub,” Kai teased, and I shot him a look. He was prowling toward me, literally crawling on his hands and knees, butt ass naked.
“Rawr,” Faris drawled, and Fischer actually chuckled.
“No funny business,” I warned, already feeling Fish's hardness at my core.
“I'm not laughing,” Kai growled, eyes narrowed and focused on my ass. Sweet moon maidens.
A knock on the door had everyone freezing in place.
“Yoohoo! Big breakfast blowout happening in the kitchen! Well, I suppose it's more like brunch,” Gran shouted through the door. “Your other two womb brooms took off about two hours ago. I'm bored.”
“Womb brooms?” Faris mouthed, eyes wide.
Kai hopped off the bed. “Where did they go?” he asked through the door, looking around for a pair of shorts to slip on.
“The big blond Viking left a note, I didn't read it. It's downstairs. Oh, and there's a guest here! He's a beauty. I put him in the guest room, he's already snoring. Dibs!” Gran cackled, and I heard the patter of her feet as she walked away.
“Oh fuck. Hunter's here! But why would Cam take off if he knew his brother was arriving?” Fischer asked, glancing at Kai.
“Maybe Khol got a lead on Annie?” I said hopefully.
“Maybe…” Kai replied, stepping into his shorts. Fish and Faris were in various states of dressing too.
I suddenly felt anxious. Meeting Cam's brother, his only blood family, without him here? It didn't seem right. What if Hunter hates me?
“Hey, none of that. Hunter will love you, just like we do,” Fischer assured me, having picked up on my thoughts through our link.
“But not exactly the same way,” Kai called out from the bathroom, a low growl following his words.
Faris guided me to my closet. “Get dressed, Firefly,” he urged.
“But, we're not going to go wake him up are we?” I asked, grabbing a t-shirt dress from a hanger.
Fischer shook his head. “Of course not. Cam would kill us if we woke his brother up and got to see him before he did.”
“Okay, let's head downstairs and get some food. I’m starving. Plus, we need to check out what the note says,” I reminded them.
As much as I was trying to be positive, I had an unsettled feeling that something was wrong. While I hoped Cam and Bram had gotten some information regarding Annie, it simply didn't make sense that they would have taken off so suddenly after the events of last night. Especially since Cam was beyond excited to see his brother again.
I dressed quickly and brushed my teeth. A hasty look in the mirror didn't show any cuts or bruises, thanks to my new ability to heal quickly—but my hair? Holy Medusa. This was why you didn’t sleep with wet hair. I brushed it out and put it into two loose braids; that’d have to do.
“You look so innocent with these braids, Firefly,” Faris teased, twirling one around his finger.
“I think we know she's anything but innocent.” Fischer chuckled, tugging on the other. “Kai already went downstairs, he's antsy.”
I nodded. “He is. I think we should all try to give him extra love,” I whispered, not wanting him to overhear me. Those damn cat ears...
“Is he okay?” Guppy asked, a brow raised.
“Yeah, I think so. He's just… going through some stuff,” I replied slowly, unsure of what he would be comfortable with me saying to everyone else.
Fish tugged me against his body. “And you? Are you okay, sweetheart?” I inhaled his spicy scent and relaxed.
“Yeah. I mean, I'm relieved. I'm not happy Laurie is out there somewhere, but I feel like a weight has been lifted now that I don't have to worry about Bry—”
Faris hissed, cutting me off. “Don't speak that name. He's gone. I never want to hear his name from your lips again. Makes me want to slice up some bitches.”
I glanced up to see Fish giving Faris the evil eye. Spinning around, I wrapped my arms around my stabby boy.
“Viper. We don't slice bitches up. We find their weaknesses and destroy them from the inside out,” I said, patting his back.
“I love when you talk dirty, Firefly,” Faris growled, and I felt his rapidly hardening length against my belly.
Fish rolled his eyes. “Let's go,” he murmured, slipping his hand into mine and leading me from the room.
We found Kai sitting at the table, note in hand. As I passed Maven’s bowl, I automatically went to toss in a scoop of food but noticed the bowl was still full. My grumpy fox sometimes preferred hunting though, so I didn’t give it another thought as I made my way over to Kai.
“Well?” Fish asked, sliding into a chair. “What's it say?”
I saw Kai's jaw tick, and I immediately knew it was bad. Gods dammit.
“Sloane missed a check in, but Cam was asleep so he didn't realize it. By the time he woke up, a few hours had already passed. He says he had Bram jump them to the prison because Sloane's phone is shut off. He wrote this note four hours ago,” Kai gritted out. “I’ve tried calling both of them, but the service must be shit up there.”
I felt a trickle of fear run down my spine. “Oh no,” I whispered. Looking over at my Guppy, I saw his face was a mixture of worry and anger.
“They should be back soon then,” Faris said calmly, pulling out a chair for me. I dropped into it and bounced my leg as my nerves took over. A moment later, a plate full of delicious French toast and bacon was in front of me.
“Thank you, Viper,” I murmured, grabbing a piece of crispy bacon and taking a huge bite.
“Oh good, you're here,” Gran called cheerily, bustling in through the back hall. “Had to run home real quick to water my plants. Gonna be hot as balls today! Did those agents make it last night? I saw the barn was empty, so I assume everything went okay?”
“Ugh,” I groaned. I didn't have the energy to go over the whole story again. In fact, I'd prefer to not think about it. Ever.
Fischer must've picked up on my feelings, because he offered to explain. Grateful, I nodded, immediately tuning him and Gran out while I focused on eating. I still picked up on certain things that she said, though. Like:
“A motherfucking dragon? By the sun's rays—I have never met a dragon shifter. Explains the grumpy attitude, am I right?”
“He did what to his dick? Oh my gods. Then he shoved it down his throat?! Sweet moon beams, what a warrior!”
“Are we sure he's one of the six? If not, can you put in a good word for me? We'd make a good match, and you remember how he was with the other old people in town. He's got a thing for the mature folk.”
But then, Fischer dropped the bomb on her. “Laurie told Sloane that she has another daughter.”
The mug Gran was holding hit the table, hot coffee spilling everywhere. Faris had a dish towel in a flash, but Gran was already up and on her feet.
“What did you just say?” she demanded flatly.
“That's what she said,” I confirmed. Gran wasn't giving anything away with her reaction to the news. I couldn’t tell if this was a complete surprise to her, or whether she was just shocked that I knew. “Is it true?”
Gran pinned her eyes on mine. “Not that I have ever heard. This is as much a shock to me as it is to you. Did she say how old the girl would be? She could have been lying—that’s something she's great at,” Gran said angrily, finally showing some emotion.
A soft popping sound was followed by a loud thump.
“Bloody hell, you're a big boy.” Bram's muffled voice came from the other side of the island, and I hopped up to run over and check on them.
“Oh my gods.” I clapped a hand over my mouth at the sight of Bram laid out flat on his stomach with Cam on top of him. Both of them turned to look as soon as they heard my voice.
“It's not what it looks like,” Cam started, jumping off Bram.
“Damn,” Faris whispered, throwing his hands up when Bram shot him a glare.
“Where's Sloane?” I asked as Faris offered Bram a hand up.
Cam shook his head and grumbled. “Not at the prison. He never showed up.” I could sense the frustration in his voice, but the ticking of his jaw was what really gave him away. My mind immediately went to the unthinkable—that Sloane had left us. My cheeks heated at the thought, and when Cam’s green gaze met mine, I’m sure he saw the same turbulence in mine as I did in his. But his face softened as he looked at me with concern, and I took a deep breath.
Fish strummed his fingertips on the table. “That makes no sense.”
“Yeah, we know. Stopped at a gas station, the only one within a forty mile radius of that hell hole. The woman who was there said she hadn't seen anyone who fit his description and she'd been there all night. No security cameras to check, either.” Bram scoffed, like the idea of not having such things personally offended him. Who knows, maybe it did. He was a damn prince, after all.
“His phone isn't working. It's either dead or he turned it off,” Cam added, grabbing a water from the fridge and downing it. Gran walked over and shooed everyone toward the table to get food.
Bram looked especially weary, probably from all the jumping he'd just done. I made a beeline for him and slid eagerly onto his lap, wrapping my arms around his neck.
“Princess, how are you feeling?” he whispered against my hair, his arms enclosing me against him.
“Sore. And worried now. Scared for Annie and devastated for Miranda,” I admitted, as my big demon held me a little tighter. Bram was nurturing and loving. Whatever I needed, he anticipated and just... provided. His very presence soothed me. I watched Faris give me a sweet smile as he slipped out of the room and headed down the hallway. I loved the ease with which we all lived together, like we were meant to all be here together.
All I was missing was my surly dragon.
“I can see if I can reach him telepathically,” Fischer offered, pulling me from my loved up thoughts.
“Yeah, that's a good idea. What do you think happened?” Gran asked, eyeing a sausage link in a way that one shouldn't look at food.
“Do you think he went off grid on purpose? Clearly, something happened—maybe he improvised?” Kai said, in between bites of his breakfast.
“Well, I’m worried. I hope he’s okay.” I rubbed my hands together nervously, and Bram took them between his own, calming me in one small move.
“No idea, but I want to kick his ass,” Cam growled, shoving two strips of bacon into his mouth.
“Kick whose ass?”
Cam’s entire body stiffened, and his eyes closed. The whole room froze, like time had been suspended. Cam's eyes met mine across the table, his back to the hall and the new addition to our conversation. He inhaled a huge breath, his shoulders shaking as he dropped his face into his hands, almost as though he couldn’t bear to look and not see Hunter standing there.
“Holy fuck!” Kai shouted, jumping up and knocking his chair back.
Cam lifted his face and I smiled at my strong mage, my gentle giant who was getting his ultimate wish right now—to get a beloved family member back from the dead. Tears were already rolling down my cheeks.
Cam turned slowly in his chair, and I lifted my gaze to Hunter. By the stars, he was stunning. Tattoos swirled down his arms, up his neck, across his knuckles. I guess the Jacobs boys have a thing for ink.
“Hunter,” Cam rasped.
“CJ... Fuck. I can't believe it's you,” Hunter said, studying Cam with intensity. Like he wasn't sure if what he was seeing was real. I couldn't see Cam's face, but I imagined it looked the same.
Both men moved at the same time, like a rubber band snapping and hurtling them together. They collided in an embrace that would've crushed me like a peanut. They were talking softly as they hugged; I couldn't hear their words, but I saw Hunter wipe his eyes. Suddenly, I felt like an intruder on a very private and special moment.
Kai whined as he danced around in place, clearly itching for his turn to get his hands on Hunter.
I sighed as I felt Bram's lips press against my neck, his way of reminding me he was here with me. I must've been louder than I thought because Hunter's eyes darted to mine, and then lower to where Bram's lips were tracing my skin.
Kai's patience was gone and he launched himself across the room, tackling both Cam and Hunter to the ground, creating one big mess of limbs and laughter. Fischer joined their pile by belly flopping right on top.
“Dammit, I can't breathe! You assholes have gotten huge,” Hunter laughed, attempting to push all of the guys off. “Where's Sloane?”
