Courts and Cabals by G.S. D'Moore (best e reader for academics txt) 📕

“Where the fuck are they?” he yelled, but no one answered. “Set up a perimeter around the building. Nothing gets in and out of here until we tear this place apart.”

This was bad. They’d had everyone in their sights and lost them. He was pretty sure where they were. The Fae’s talent with sub-space pockets was second to none, but he didn’t think anyone in the UN thought an eighteen-year-old noble could disappear over a dozen people. Even worse, Cam Dupree was now in serious danger. Without the strike team to stop them, the duel was going to go forward.

He motioned for the mage to get her ass up here and start looking for dimensional weak spots. If they could find one, she and Vernon might have enough magic to breach the pocket and end this thing once and for all.

It was a big if, but it was the only plan he had.

***

“What is it with the Fae and this fucking moss?” I wondered as I stepped into the bathroom and out of the mortal world.

The setting sun hit my face, accompanied by a warm breeze that did not belong in New York in December. The ground beneath me was wet, squishy, and vibrantly green. My thoughts immediately went to how it would impede my footwork.

We just stood at the entrance to the small world Aveena had created to watch me die in until a changeling appeared. He was in a simple white robe, gave us a bow, and gestured for us to follow. We moved forward between rocky pillars that looked like they’d been chiseled by time and the elements; not man. The sun’s weak light shone from directly ahead, and momentarily blinded me as we stepped out of the natural hallway.

A giant stone circle sat before me. All my thoughts of footwork issues vanished when I saw it was perfectly flat, without even a stray pebble to trip me up. The big troll was in the circle, his sword singing through the air as he went through some warm-up forms. I gulped when I saw the rippling muscles of his arms as he went through the basics with practiced ease. Even with his buddha belly, the guy looked intimidating as hell.

“Finally,” a voice cut through my thoughts as I turned my eye to the edge of the circle.

Aveena sat on a stone throne surrounded by her vassals. She was dressed in a much more elaborate white robe than her changelings. It was a robe fit for a queen. Gems and golden thread made up the seams. It was cut low to show a surprising amount of cleavage, and there was a slit up the side so she flaunted plenty of creamy leg. Despite all the flesh she was showing, the one thing that really drew his eyes was the diamond tiara on her hear. It seemed to drink in the light of the setting sun, which hovered like a giant, orange disk just beyond the cliff face.

“Cliff face!” I did a double take.

The perfect stone circle ended dramatically with a gods-only-knew-how-far drop. The Fae’s flair for the dramatic, and the Unseelie’s desire to tilt the fight even more in her favor, were pretty damn obvious. Not only did I need to worry about countering the troll, but now she’d made it possible for the big fucker to just push me off a cliff.

“Welcome to the Bleeding Grounds,” she announced with a predatory smile. “For eons, my ancestors have come to this place and fought for honor. Today, my knight will fight for the honor of a life taken from us,” she sounded very regal, with a hint of carefully feigned sadness. I could tell it was taking all of her concentration to not laugh at the shocked look on my face.

“We begin in twenty minutes,” she informed as she looked at her watch. “When the sun reaches the horizon, blood will be spilled,” the oath in her words rang with magic and the air seemed to warble eagerly around them.

Whatever this place was, it wasn’t nice. It wanted to see people bleed and die.

“Here,” Dani’s touch shocked me into action as she handed me my sword. “Let us help you.”

The three ladies gathered around me and started to undress me. It would have been fucking hot, if the troll wasn’t watching. Lilith stood in front of me and planted a kiss on both of my cheeks. She muttered some words in a language I didn’t understand as Dani and Xamira took my shirt and pulled it over my head. The succubus traced symbols on my flesh with her nail, and continued to chant as I stood there.

The two women who’d trained me took my shoes next before pulling off my pants. I would normally have a raging hard on, but I was perfectly flaccid. I didn’t know if it was Lilith’s words or the situation, but this was the first time in my life I didn’t want to bone anyone.

Finally, Lilith finished her soft chant and placed a third kiss on my forehead. I felt a tingle spread through me as she stepped away. “Fight well,” were her only words as she reached out and Xander grabbed her hand. She looked exhausted and scared for a moment before her mask returned.

Xamira was the next one to stand in front of me. “Remember speed is your best friend. The troll is slower than you. Use your new sight. Whatever the hell it is, it’ll keep you alive,” she placed another kiss on my forehead, but this time there was no tingle.

Last, but not least, Dani stepped forward. “Look where life takes us, huh,” she grunted as she looked around the bleeding grounds. “A few months ago, you were in my room with Lilith unconscious under the