Luxe in Arms, page 1
Content Warnings: This novel is intended for adults and contains adult content, including: sex; general violence, battles, killing, death; death of a parent; non-consensual sex / sex trafficking (one of the MMCs); religion-based homophobia toward a character from their parents; adoption; abduction; imprisonment; implied physical torture (not on page); psychological torture (on page) which includes threat of / implied rape involving the FMC; PTSD symptoms; mental health/illness discussion; suicidal ideation (implied, on page); addiction/alcoholism and recovery
Copyright © 2024 by Cara Blaine
All rights reserved.
No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher or author, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law.
More by Cara Blaine
YA FANTASY:
The Queens of Revas Series
Queen of Broken Dreams
Dream Cursed Queen
Order of Terra: Book One
NEW ADULT/ADULT FANTASY:
Curse of the Soul Collector
Luxe's Lullaby Trilogy
Contents
Playlist
Pronunciations
1. Still Lost
2. Not Ready
3. I’m Yours
4. A Son
5. Options
6. Fair Questions
7. Yes or No
8. Accountability
9. A Chance
10. Getting In…
11. …And Back Out
12. Home
13. A New Life
14. The Good Fae
15. A Cold Welcome
16. Warming Up
17. Morally Grey
18. Training
19. The Rår
20. The Jinn
21. While We Wait…
22. Here & Now
23. Overruled
24. A Prisoner
25. A Memory Spell
26. Useful
27. Surprise
28. Paying Respects
29. Mila
30. An Epiphany
31. To Arms
32. A Bluebell’s Call
33. Her True Name
34. We Bind Thee
35. Crowned
Epilogue
Stifado Recipe
Notes on Folklore
Acknowledgements
About the Author
Playlist
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1QfSELVyAzEFYjXDAe8Prs?si=87258dab7b5848aa
Army of Me by Björk
All Over You by Live
If You Could Only See by Tonic
All I Want by Kodaline
Work Song by Hozier
Iris by The Goo Goo Dolls
Crash Into Me by Dave Matthews Band
Take Me to Church by Hozier
You by Candlebox
i wanna be your slave by Mitchell Zia
Like You Mean It by Steven Rodriguez
Like I’m Gonna Lose You by Jasmine Thompson
Going to Hell by Bryce Savage
Make Me Feel by Elvis Drew
Lose Control by Teddy Swims
Hero by Chad Kroeger & Josey Scott
Somebody Told Me by The Killers
I’ll Make You Love Me by Kat Leon
THE DEATH OF PEACE OF MIND by Bad Omens
Shadow by Livingston
Wherever You Will Go by The Calling
The Sound of Silence by Boyce Avenue
Little Girl Gone by CHINCHILLA
Eyes Closed by Imagine Dragons
Say You Won’t Let Go by James Arthur
Truly Madly Deeply by Savage Garden
Beautiful Things by Benson Boone
Pronunciations
A chuisle mo chroí: ah HUSHlah mah kree
Althea: al-THEE-uh
Amin: Uh-MEEN
Anjana: awn-HAWN-uh
Aoife: EE-vuh
Bánánach: BAH-nuh-nuckh
Bia: BEE-uh
Cillian: Kill-ee-un
Jinn: jin
Knox: Nocks
Lampeqin: lahm-PEG-win (singular, Passamaquoddy-Maliseet origin)
Lampeqinuwok: lam-PEG-gwinn-uh-wahk (plural, Passamaquoddy-Maliseet origin)
Luxe: Luks
Magnus: MAWNG-nus
Mila: MEE-luh
Mo chuisle: mah HUSHlah OR mah HUSHlay
Morrigan: MOR-eh-gun
Nemain: Neh-MUN
Niamh: Neev
Nyx: Nix
Oisín: Oh-SHEEN
Peri / Peris: pair-ee, pair-ees
Rå / Rår: roo-uh; ro-ar
Sabawaelnu: sah-buh-wahn-ILL-noo (Mi’kmaq origin)
Saoirse: SUR-shuh
Søren: SEUR-en
Thalia: TALL-ee-ya
Zilant: zill-AHNT
1
Still Lost
The three fae males, of course, were resistant to the idea of running straight for the castle dungeon to rescue Willa, even if she might be Luxe’s cousin.
“We can’t rush in without a plan.” Alistair’s tone was firm as he met Luxe’s gaze, hands on her shoulders. “We’re not sayin’ no, lass—just not right this minute.” His hazel eyes pleaded with her to understand.
“Why do you all get to decide? It’s my family!” Luxe was on the verge of tears. Part of her recognized the guys were trying to keep her safe, to make smart moves in this game with the queen.
But a larger part of her was livid to see another of her family members in that bitch’s dungeon. The guys hadn’t seen the woman nor smelled the vile reek of the cold cell. She was ready to rip that castle apart brick by brick if that’s what it took.
“You don’t know that for certain, Sabrina.” Calix was packing up his bag. “But even if she is your cousin, Alistair’s right.”
Luxe shrugged Alistair’s huge paws off her shoulders and crossed her arms. “You aren’t in charge of me. I can go where I want.” Challenge issued, she took stock of their reactions.
Søren shook his head as he hefted his bag onto his back. “Luxe, you’d agree with us if you just try to calm—”
“Don’t. Fucking. Say it.” She glared as she pointed a finger at him. A breeze smelling faintly of ocean brine brushed through the pine trees as clouds rolled in over their heads. She was more than tired of being told to calm down in these high-stakes situations. “Of all people, I’d think you would understand why I want to get her out.”
Søren flinched at the reminder of his time as the queen’s prisoner. Luxe immediately felt a pang of regret for bringing it up but pushed it down. It was a valid point.
He raised his hands in defeat, pressing his lips together into a hard line. “Alright, Princess. Sorry.” His expression softened the tiniest bit. “I do understand. What are you going to do, then? You know we’ll be with you, whatever you decide.”
She stared into his single guileless blue-green eye, fuming with the realization that they would follow her, even if she was possibly leading them toward imprisonment or death. In case she didn’t already feel guilty enough for what happened to her father, she might also end up being responsible for one of these males suffering or dying as well.
Whichever of the gods decided to make her the leader of this rebellion was out of their fucking mind, and she could think of some choice words she’d like to say to them.
Alistair broke into her thoughts. “At the very least, you should meet with the selkies first. We’re supposed to see them this mornin’. You don’t want to blow off potential allies right now.”
Luxe released a breath. He was right about that; she had forgotten about the selkies entirely. If they were willing to fight against the queen, she needed to secure that agreement.
“Fine,” she muttered. “Selkies first.” She wasn’t ready to make any promises about what would come after that.
“Do you want to walk, Sabrina, or should we make some tea with the moly bulb?”
Her gaze swung to Calix. She sighed. It wasn’t a short walk to the selkie’s beach from their current location. “Tea.”
As they all put their packs back down, the wind dropped and the clouds cleared a bit. At least calming down meant she wouldn’t get rained on that morning.
Half an hour later, they portaled to a bluff near the coast before walking the rest of the way to the beach, fighting against the icy wind blowing in off the water.
Luxe couldn’t help feeling a little ridiculous when she addressed a nearby seal lounging on the rocky shore. “We’re supposed to meet Aoife and Oisín this morning. Are they here?”
It eyed her for a moment before giving a bark, making her jump. It barked again, and the call was passed down the beach. Within a few minutes, Aoife and Oisín emerged from the waves in their human-looking forms, seal skins draped over their shoulders. It was no warmer than two days prior, but again the selkies seemed impervious to being wet and mostly naked in the frigid sea breeze.
Luxe bowed her head slightly in greeting. “Thank you for meeting with us again.”
Aoife nodded. “Well met. We have reached our decision, but we request a boon of you first.”
Luxe’s heart sped up. This sounded like they were going to agree to ally with her. “If it is within my ability, I’m happy to grant your request.”
She felt Søren tense beside her; she knew he wouldn’t be pleased that she agreed so readily without knowing more. She ignored him.
Aoife and Oisín both smiled. Oisín gestured toward her. “We have never met a land fae who could control any aspect of the weather. We are curious how this wor
ks for you and the extent of your power.”
Luxe sighed inwardly. Translation: they doubted her and wished her to prove herself. Fortunately, she was better at calling a storm on purpose now by using the method that Calix originally suggested, thinking sad and angry thoughts.
She nodded. “The power is tied to my emotions to a degree, but I have developed adequate control over it. Would you like a demonstration?”
They both inclined their heads, almost in sync, in an affirmative gesture.
Luxe felt a little like she was on a rollercoaster; an hour before, she forced herself to control her fear and anger to dissipate a storm brewing and do what needed to be done. Now, she needed to call all of it forth again. She was already tired, and the day was still very young.
She thought of Willa in her cell; she thought of her aunt, her parents, Hecate’s Boutique, all the loss she had experienced and the grief she still harbored. She glanced at Søren, standing stoically with his eye patch, and remembered how the queen tortured him and inflicted terribly invasive magic on him. She remembered what happened to Astraea, Calix’s sister, and their father.
The wind was strong and the clouds swift. Even though she wasn’t crying, light raindrops fell, and thunder sounded as lightning flashed in the distance over the sea.
Luxe turned her attention back to Aoife and Oisín. Their eyes were wide as they watched the sky.
“It’s not even my craziest storm,” Luxe said under her breath to Søren, surprised at the awe on the selkies’ faces.
“Maybe not, but it only took you about thirty seconds to call it this time,” he murmured back.
She blinked. To her, it had felt like several minutes. “Oh.”
Aoife finally looked at Luxe once more, obviously impressed. “You are very powerful.”
Luxe gave half a shrug. “So I’ve been told.” She had no basis for comparison; she was still too new to her own power and to fae magic in general.
Aoife murmured something to Oisín as Luxe took deep breaths and tried to think happy thoughts, making the wind die down a little and the rain stop.
“Thank you for the demonstration.” Oisín gave a slight bow. “When the time comes, you may call upon us and we will fight with you.”
Luxe inclined her head. “Thank you.”
The two selkies turned to walk back toward the water. Luxe swung her gaze to the three males at her side, all grinning at her like idiots. It was difficult not to smile, but she was still mad at them.
“Let’s go somewhere a little warmer to talk about how to get Willa out of that cell.”
Alistair nodded. “I had a thought about that. What if Saoirse could help us?”
Søren’s mouth tightened, but he said nothing.
Luxe raised her brows at him. “What do you think?”
He unclenched his jaw. “I think … I think we should at least consult with my father before we make any decisions about her.”
“I agree with that,” Calix said.
Alistair lifted and dropped a shoulder. “Sure, it makes sense. We have time before she returns. Back to the cabin then.”
Luxe was relieved every time they returned to the cabin now that she was able to portal directly to it rather than traipse through the dark forest of the Bánánach. Before they reached the door, it was thrown open by an enthusiastic Agatha.
“That wasn’t long at all! How did it go? Did you find the cauldron?” She ushered them inside as though she had lived there all her life, directing them to sit at the table while she made something for them to eat.
Magnus sat by the fireplace, carving a small piece of wood. He set it down in his lap and raised a hand in greeting. “I agree with Agatha. That was a quick journey.”
“And you’ll tell us all about it as soon as I get some food in you.” Agatha beamed. “Hungry, Magnus?”
Magnus chuckled. “For your cooking? Always.”
Luxe saw the faint blush that crept over Agatha’s face at the praise. She narrowed her eyes, glancing back and forth between them.
Magnus moved his chair closer, facing it toward the tiny kitchen rather than the fire. Luxe thought he looked calmer, more at peace than usual.
“How’s everything going here?” she asked.
Magnus smiled. “Same as usual, only I have better company than before.” He winked at Agatha as she set bowls of reheated soup on the table.
Her lips turned up in response. “I admit, after all that time on my own, it’s nice to have someone to talk to.”
Luxe wasn’t sure if the guys caught it, but she didn’t miss the knowing look that passed between the two older fae. Interesting.
Agatha served the rest of the soup as well as half a loaf of bread, sliced. The cabin was quiet as the four travelers warmed themselves from the inside out with the homemade meal.
Once the dishes were cleared, Agatha perched on the upholstered arm of Magnus’s chair and looked at them expectantly. “Well? Tell us everything!”
They took turns updating the older fae on their past few days. Magnus was gratified that he had been correct about the cauldron’s location. Both Magnus and Agatha were shocked and sympathetic when they heard how Alistair’s mother behaved.
Magnus shook his head. “Many high fae harbor that prejudice, unfortunately, although most wouldn’t be so blatantly up front with their bigotry. I’ll admit I used to have a hint of it myself, before I knew your mother. I’m sorry that happened.”
Alistair inclined his head. “I really never knew she felt that strongly about it, but then, I never brought a halflin’ of any sort home before, let alone a lover.”
Luxe blushed at the term and was grateful when the conversation continued to other topics.
In telling about the evening when Saoirse turned up, Luxe completely left out the details of the activities the female had interrupted when she found them.
“We set up camp and were, uh … settling in for the night,” Luxe said, ignoring the sly smiles and smirks on her friends’ faces. “And then someone showed up and scared the crap out of us.” She hesitated and looked to Søren. “Do you want to tell him?” Luxe knew he was nervous about this conversation, but he was prepared as well.
Søren nodded, his neutral mask in place. “This female works for the queen and says her name is Saoirse. But Father … she looks exactly like Mother. She claims to have no memory of the first several decades of her life.” He stopped, letting his father absorb the information.
Magnus sat stone still, hardly breathing. Agatha’s brow wrinkled in concern, looking back and forth between father and son.
Søren took a deep breath before he continued. “The timing fits, as far as when Mother disappeared. This female claims that the queen rescued her somehow around twenty years ago, gave her a name since she had no memories, and trained her as a secret assassin.”
Magnus stood abruptly, walking over to the hearth. He stared into the flames for several moments before responding. Luxe couldn’t see his face, but his voice was strained. “She’s alive, then.”
Søren swallowed. Luxe reached out and took his hand in hers before he spoke again. “You believe it’s really her?”
Magnus still didn’t turn, but he nodded. “It makes sense. Do you remember what the queen said to me when I asked her about Mina?” He paused. “She said, ‘Did your wife forget to come home?’” He finally faced them, an agonized expression on his face. “She stole Mina’s memories, then hid her away and turned her into a … a tool. A weapon.”
“And now she’s questioning everything, all because the queen thought it would be fun to fuck with my mind while I was her prisoner.” Søren scrubbed his hands over his face, then smoothed his trim beard with faintly trembling fingers.
Luxe still held his hand and gave it a small squeeze. “She also said it was because she saw the portraits at your house. Apparently, the queen is confident that Saoirse—sorry, Mina—will obey, since she risked taking her there.”
Magnus returned to the armchair, slowly sinking into the seat. Agatha still sat on the arm, and she reached out tentatively to pat his shoulder. He didn’t look at her, and she withdrew her hand quickly as he spoke again.
“She is likely very confident in that. Because the queen named her once her memories were gone, the queen can access the power of her true name.”
