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

also noticed he couldn’t hear a word of it, so the helmets were warded against eavesdropping.

“Charlotte, cover me.”

“Right-o, boss,” the voice that came out of the hulking figure was surprisingly high-pitch, and definitely feminine. Despite himself, Vernon gaped in surprise. “What, pup?” the bigger heavy weapons specialist looked down at him, and he caught a whiff of bear . . . a big one.

“Nothing,” he recovered quickly. “I’ll just wait over here,” he drew his Colt’s and cocked the hammers.

Both him and the giant bear shifter watched the Commander as he studied the door. Then the other man flexed his fist. An overwhelming smell of ash and fire wafted down the hallway as the man’s hand began to glow. At the same time, it seemed to phase out of existence. All that Vernon could see was a hand-like outline that burned with the intensity of an active volcano.

Then, in a blur so fast Vernon didn’t even see it move, the Commander punched the open space at the center of the doorframe. Instead of passing harmlessly through, it connected with an invisible something. The whole building shook as a result, and Vernon winced as a ripping sound rippled through his mind.

“This shouldn’t take long,” the Commander called after studying the damage he’d done to an intangible barrier Vernon couldn’t even see. “Make sure everyone is ready.”

***

I slowly opened my eyes, and three beautiful, concerned faces solidified above me. “Am I in heaven?” I asked.

Lilith grinned, Xamira gave a sigh of relief, and Dani rolled her eyes. That about summed up their personalities perfectly.

“We thought we’d lost you,” Lilith replied as Dani placed two fingers on my neck to check my pulse.

“You should be dead,” Xamira studied me like some cyber-security system she was trying to hack.

“You trained me,” I countered. “Did nobody have any faith?”

“We had a sliver of hope you’d win,” Dani admitted, “but not much.”

“Ouch,” I groaned, and not only because of the deep weariness that had seeped into my bones.

“It wasn’t that,” Lilith’s face looked troubled. “You should be dead after the transferal.”

“The what now?” I tested all my body parts to make sure they still worked. A quick look at my shoulder showed it had healed itself just like the hole in my side.

“Aveena was one step ahead of me again,” Lilith looked like she’d just chewed up a box of nails. Getting outmaneuvered by her half-sister was getting old. “This is a sacred place for the Fae. They come here to settle blood feuds and issues of family hierarchy.”

I understood the first part, but not the second.

“Magic and power work differently for the Fae than humans,” Lilith explained. “For their kind, power is hereditary. It can be passed from generation to generation, or accumulated by someone with enough will, skill, and drive to win at all costs.”

“It’s a ‘keep what you kill’ situation,” Dani clarified. “Because you killed the troll, you took his power.”

“The knight’s mojo was the fastball I took to the face?” realization dawned on me.

“Yep,” Dani nodded, “and that should have barbequed your soul, Cam.”

I gulped and looked down at myself. “I don’t feel extra crispy.”

“That’s why we’re surprised,” Lilith read the look off my face. “The Fae magic should have killed you outright. I could have survived, but humans are genetically incompatible,” she looked at me with an expression I’d never seen from her before. “You’re a real mystery, Cameron Dupree,” her face split into a smile that could have melted the ice caps. It pretty much liquified me, so I was glad I was still lying on my back.

“So, what now?” I asked, looking at each of the women in turn. If they didn’t expect me to survive, they had to have an exit plan.

“Now we get out of here,” Dani stated, and grabbed me to pull me to my feet.

Unfortunately, their plans were interrupted by a pissed off Fae noble who’d just had her hopes and dreams fucked by yours truly. An inhuman scream ripped through the dimensional pocket, and every head snapped to Aveena.

“You shit-stained, snot-nosed, motherfucker!” she roared. “Do you think I’m going to let you leave hear alive after everything you’ve done?”

A quick look into her eyes, and it was obvious she’d totally lost her shit. Her normally cold, silver eyes burned with madness as she advanced. One step, she was the regal Fae noble in her expensive white dress that showed a whole lot of leg. The next . . . she was something else.

She practically exploded as she added mass and height. Before I could even inhale, she was a dozen feet tall and buck-ass naked. Her tits were easily bigger than my head, but I didn’t have time to admire them. Another step, and flashes of light surrounded her as armor plates appeared out of thin air. By the time she was halfway to me, she looked like a fucking medieval knight off on a crusade.

Her mouth twisted into a gruel grin as she saw the fear on my face. An armored helm slammed onto her head, over long pointed ears, and blocked her face. The only exception was a small slit that seemed to glow with silver hellfire. “Why won’t you just fucking die?” she screamed.

I saw the wave of pure, telekinetic force cascade off her and head directly for me. I barely had time to gulp, much less kiss my ass goodbye. Then . . . something big was by my side. A leg of deep, red flesh; taller than I was, stepped forward to interpose itself between the crushing force and its target. That surprisingly shapely leg, was attached to a creature roughly Aveena’s size, but totally different.

Instead of gleaming glamour, this creature’s torso, and other vital areas, were covered in bone-white armor. A barbed tail flicked behind