For days and days, Gray worked on trying to get his new power under control. Focusing on his breath and pushing that into his extremities worked in getting the energy there but it didn’t give him any control. Most of the time, it was like his legs ran out from under him, and he couldn’t keep that. That meant he’d find himself eating mud most of the time.

  Then, when he tried to strike with his sword, he would sometimes end up throwing up. With his fists, he could swing a punch, but he couldn’t aim. There was just so much power there, but it was power he couldn’t control. It felt like he was trying to sew a tear in his uniform but all he had was a hammer and chisel.

  Even though he was struggling with his meridians, he still was able to practice Chaotica with his squad, and they came up with different strategies to get the ball into their enemy’s end zone. Runing behind Tomi’s bulk was effective, but she was slow. That wasn’t a problem as long as Gray didn’t try and use his mana. When he did, he either sped by Tomi, or, worse yet, did another faceplant because he forced too much mana into his muscles.

  Midj worked better because she was so fast, and her mana hands became unyielding walls that Rynn, Tomi, and Ames had trouble breaking through. And yet, a few times, Gray sped by her and smacked into those hands.

  With Ames, they had a different strategy. She could immobilize players with a single touch, and she did just that, sending Rynn then Midj to their knees. Gray gave her mana but by that time, Tomi had come over and tackled him. He tried to fight her off, but she was too fast and strong, and she snatched up the ball and ran back down the field.

  With Rynn, their speed and brutality were the key. They would pitch the ball back forth with each other with ease, knowing intuitively where the other person was in space. And Gray was able to keep core filled with mana. She couldn’t vent her core while running, but she could throw mana blasts that knocked Ames over.

  Even though Settie had told them not to hold back, they couldn’t help but avoid hurting each other. They were squad mates, friends, and more.

  Still, Gray did have a shock. He was running with his sword, when Ames came at him. He didn’t even think about it, but exhaled mana down his arm and into his blade. It sparked up suddenly, and he went to smack Ames’s sword out of her hands. He misjudged it and shattered most of the bones in her fingers, even with the bloodless blade not having a charge.

  Settie healed her, but Gray couldn’t help but feel bad.

  He was having trouble with control, which made sense. He was using real magic for the first time. Most of the time, when trying to use mana for combat, he’d either end up missing his strike or flinging his sword. Running was equally problematic. At times, he’d push the exact right amount of mana into his legs, and it would feel like flying. Then, of course, he would trip and fall on his face. That happened over and over.

  The pain, stiffness, and fatigue were like nothing he’d ever felt before. He’d never felt such pain, and expected to see bruising, but no, there were no outward signs of his agony. Instead, h used Bonny’s tea at night to sleep and to find relief, and in the morning, Settie would heal him to get him moving. After all day on the Chaotica field, they would eat a quick dinner and then go to Briarblood Stadium, where they would watch the fae smash into each other and kill demons. Gray had any number of questions about where they got the demons that they unleashed onto the field, but of course, Settie hated questions and none of his squad mates knew.

  They saw Pinch and her squad, but they just pretended to ignore each other. Gray would’ve had no issue if he he’d never talked to the fae ever again, and yet, he caught Pinch glaring at him. She would then look away, as if she couldn’t keep her eyes off him. He remembered how hungry her core had been. She was insane, and he had zero tolerance for that kind of insanity.

  A week later, Gray returned to the inn and found he couldn’t move. His body finally collapsed from the terrible strain he was putting on it. He couldn’t even eat. Rynn and Ames helped him up to his room.

  Ames had no expression on her face, but Rynn looked worried. She was tired but not like him. They hadn’t even bathed but practiced into the evening and then ate dinner at the stadium. He’d fallen to the ground outside the inn, right there, on the street.

  “We have to take a day off,” Rynn said softly.

  “No,” he growled. “I have to perfect my magic. Resting won’t help me. I just…there’s just so much mana in my meridians. My muscles will just have to grow, and to get them grow, I need to work them.”

  “And to rest them,” she shot back. “It’s both working your body and letting it rest, so it can adjust. You can’t—”

  He lost his temper and ended up shouting. “I can! I have to. Please.”

  Rynn went silent.

  Now Ames looked upset. She kept looking at Rynn. It was clear the Quelling Elf didn’t want to be at the center of their fight.

  Gray felt like kicking himself. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Yes. Yelling at my bonded is not going to help us at all. Can you forgive me?”

  She didn’t respond.

  When they reached their room, Rynn let go of him. He would’ve fallen to the floor if Ames hadn’t been there.

  The elf girl faced him with her hands on her hips. “Let him drop, Ames.”

  Ames did!

  Gray had to laugh as he hit the floor.

  His bonded stood over him. “Okay, Mr. No Rest. Let’s see you stand up on your own. You’re ready to train now, right? No rest at all. So you’ll just jump up and go run laps. Or how about we take another run in Old Town? I suppose you’re ready for sex.”

  Gray squeezed his eyes closed. “Yes. Always. Just give me a second.” She must be really upset to talk about sex in front of the Quelling girl.

  He found his mana and breathed it into his arms. He thought it would give him strength to push himself up, but instead, it just turned into light that soon vanished.

  Rynn didn’t relent. “I’m waiting.”

  He had to laugh. “You’re right. I need to rest. It’s now not working at all.”

  “What do you mean?” Concern was back in her voice.

  “I just need to rest. Like you said. Right, Ames?”

  “Yes,” the Quelling elf said in a breathy voice.

  He turned back to his bonded. “Can you forgive me for yelling?”

  “I can. Okay, Ames, help.”

  Together, they helped him into the bed.

  Ames touched his head. “I can try and healing spell, but I’m not sure it’s physical. There’s complicated relationship between the ocean and the beach, love, hate, a mixing.”

  “Let me guess. Mana is the ocean, my muscles are the beach, and my head is full of sand.”

  She chuckled a little.

  Gray glanced at Rynn, who was watching them together. Her face was white. She came and knelt in front of him and took his hand. “I’m sorry, Gray. I’m just scared. Maybe unnerved is the better word. I keep thinking if I were better, stronger, faster, you wouldn’t have to pressure yourself so much. If I were Pinch—”

  He lifted a weary arm and put his finger to her lips. “If you were Pinch, you wouldn’t be in my life. The drills are helping us, and we have a good squad. I’m not too worried about our defense, as long as we can stay ahead in points. If we have to fight off demons and stop our enemy’s offense, we could have real problems.”

  If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  “We have real problems,” Rynn said. “Because of me.”

  “No, Mrs. Yes. It’s not your fault.”

  Right then, he hated Pinch. Yes, she’d saved them in Old Town, but that almost made it worse for Rynn. She hadn’t been enough, and Gray had the idea for most of her life, her best had always been better than everyone else. Except maybe for Blythe, but then, she’d been a secret dragon.

  Ames shifted her hands on his head. She was kneeling on the bed next to him, and Rynn was in front of him.

  The Quelling elf shook her head. “You don’t need to rest. Rest is for the weak. You’ll feel better in the morning.” Ames channeled healing mana into his muscles, and it felt good.

  Rynn kept her hands on his leg. “He needs a day off, Ames. We call do.” We agreed we were going to get him to take a day off. You do remember that, don’t you?”

  “Yes. I wanted to agree. My mouth agreed. In my heart, though, I would hear Father say rest was for the weak. My heart and mouth don’t agree.”

  Gray felt better. “What about your mind? Does it have a say?”

  “It says that I will fall into the ocean of souls and that it won’t matter. All that matters is that we had this moment, this time, this little place for us, the three of us. We went into Old Town together. We made it out.”

  Rynn stood. “No thanks to me.” Her voice was bitter.

  Gray had the strength to pull her onto the bed. She sat with them, in the middle, with Gray on her left and Ames on her right.

  The three of them were, and for a moment, Gray felt how right it was. They had shared so much, the three of them, from long talks in the courtyard to their first hunting trip alone in Old Town.

  Ames picked up Rynn’s hand and held it. It was how Midj would hold it. “You can’t let it go…what happened with Pinch.”

  Rynn shook her head. “I can’t.”

  “But there’s more, I think.” Ames sighed. “It must be hard, Rynnanatha. Sindara kissed Gray, and then, there’s the captain. She kissed him to get mana into his meridians. That was a fire so hot that it burned the captain, and she wept because it brought back memories. No, that’s not right. It made her remember a promise that life made her and then broke…broke her heart, broke a kingdom, broke a continent.” The Quelling elf smiled. “Don’t ask me if she was Princess Cassandra, I don’t know, but she was there, in Caelvarum, as it burned.”

  Gray kept quiet.

  Rynn leaned against him, and he took her hand. A second, he felt a tear on his skin. His bonded was crying softly.

  When Ames spoke next, she had a gentle strength in her voice. “It’s fear, Rynnanatha. But it doesn’t need to be. Your value is not how well you can fight, or how well you can hang onto your man. Your value is in yourself, in your gifts.”

  “My strengths and my weaknesses.” Rynn let more tears fall. “But I can’t stop thinking about what Pinch did to me. And then, when we were in Old Town. You were there. You saw. I…I wasn’t good enough. I wasn’t—”

  “None of us were,” Ames kissed Rynn’s shoulder.

  It seemed to change something.

  Rynn raised her head. “And you’re right. I worry about Sindara and Captain Sevanya. I see Gray with them, and I get so afraid.”

  Ames touched Rynn’s face. “You don’t need to be afraid. It’s just a kiss. But what you see, in your head, is love. It wasn’t love with Sindara, that poor girl. And it’s not love with Captain Sevanya. Her heart is sealed shut.”

  “Just a kiss,” Rynn said. “Maybe, maybe we could try.”

  “Maybe we could,” Ames said. She had come such a long way. She didn’t speak in riddles as much. She wanted to be understood.

  Rynn gulped in a breath. “But what would it lead to? We can’t risk it, Amaranthis, especially not now. Soulshred Week is a little over a month away. We can’t risk our cores in any way.”

  Ames didn’t move. “Rynnanatha, Gray is yours forever and ever. I’m just a girl in the shack, laughing. I hope I’m laughing there because I spend so much time crying here. But it can’t rain all the time. Let’s try it…the three of us. Let’s see.”

  “What if the fire burns us?” Rynn asked.

  Ames smiled. “Then we’ll dance in the flames.”

  Rynn turned to him. “Would it be okay, Gray? I want to see how it feels…to see you kiss someone else.”

  “You saw me kiss Sindara.”

  “That was a one-sided thing. You weren’t into it. I think you liked kissing the captain, though. And I think you’ll like kissing Ames.”

  It was madness. It was crazy, and Gray had no idea what was happening. Maybe if he didn’t feel so exhausted, he’d have fought it more, but he couldn’t. It was not a good idea.

  Ames had a shy little smile on her face, and she couldn’t make eye contact. It would be up to Gray, but he couldn’t. Shirtless, he could smell himself. Of all the nights, he hadn’t showered. Neither had the girls but he liked their musky perfume.

  Rynn gave him a brave smile, looking like the determined fighter he’d come to know and love. “Let me show you how it’s done.”

  Rynn turned and gently pushed Ames onto her back. “Can I kiss you, Amaranthis?”

  “Yes,” the Quelling elf said. “It will be the first flame.”

  “To get you ready for the second,” Rynn murmured.

  Rynn pressed her lips against Ames’s, and Ames’s seemed to melt. Her hands found Rynn’s hair, and she caressed the elven girl’s head.

  Rynn clearly in charge of the kiss, and she turned it from just lips to tongues.

  Gray watched, on his side, as the two women kissed, passionately, and he felt the lust. The last thing he needed was more mana, but his core swelled to accept it. It wasn’t the only thing that was swelling.

  Rynn then slipped off the Quelling elf. “Your turn, Gray.”

  “Are you sure?” he asked.

  Rynn nodded.

  Ames, though, smiled. “Please, Grayson Fade. Let me feel your fire. Let me be the second flame.” It wasn’t just poetic language. It sounded like she wanted more than just a kiss. It sounded like she wanted to join them, to bond with them, but what would their other squad mates think? What would Captain Sevanya think?

  They weren’t the problem. He was. Ames wanted him to kiss her, had for months, and now, it was something Rynn wanted to see. He’d put the sweet elf girl through a lot. It was the least he could do.

  Gray scooted up so they were facing each other. Lying on their sides, he put a hand on the soft skin of her arm. He then brought his face close to hers, and he inhaled her scent. It was sweet, musky, totally different than anything he’d ever smelled before. But it was also familiar. He’d fought with Ames, ran with her, talked to her, ate with her. She was such a part of his life…and Rynn’s.

  He kissed her lips softly. Gently. Sweetly. Because Ames had experienced so much pain in her life. It was time she was given a little pleasure.

  He was given a vision of Ames, running, laughing, smiling in the sunshine of a castle wall. He wasn’t sure how old she was, but she was happy. It was a good day for some reason—maybe because she was on the wall and not in the dungeon, being tortured by her father to improve her core and her meridians.

  Rynn was on the bed, on her hands and knees, her face above them, watching.

  Gray kissed and kissed her, before the Quelling girl broke the kiss. “It has stopped raining, Grayson Fade, and there is fire, but it is warm and kind. Thank you.”

  She kissed him again and sighed again. She turned to glance at Rynn.

  “It’s your turn, Rynnanatha, Ames murmured. “Kiss your bonded.”

  “Thank you, Amaranthis.” Then the elf girl kissed Gray, and he could smell the other women on her face. Lust mana swirled around them. They all had to be feeling it.

  Rynn offered him her tongue, and he took it, and they both moaned.

  Ames, under them, moaned as well.

  Rynn went from Gray back to Ames, kissing her—the tongues entwining—before turning her face back to Gray.

  Gray knew what to do. He didn’t just kiss Ames, he got on top of her, supporting his weight on his hands, as he introduced tongues to their kissing. He and Ames explored each other’s mouths, until both were breathless. He felt her core, so big and purple and beautiful, and he danced in the energy of her lust. It wasn’t hungry, like Pinch’s—no, it was so sweet and kind. It was the soul of a healer.

  More mana filled him, and he could feel it travel through his meridians, which were working wonderfully thanks to the brands. Maybe, if he had less mana, it would be easier to manage, but that didn’t make any sense, and soon, he let those thoughts go as he fell back into the thrill of kissing this new woman, this Quelling elf, who had known so much pain.

  Rynn watched on, making a lustful sound in the back of her throat. She then whispered, “If I have to choose between lust and envy, I choose lust. No, I choose love. And humility. I know what I have.”

  Ames ended their kiss. “One more time, Rynnanatha. Give me more of your fire.”

  Rynn then kissed the Quelling elf, then Gray, and then sat back. “My goodness.”

  Ames grew amazingly strong, thanks to her mana, and pushed Gray off and put him on his belly. “Take off your shirt. I will heal you more, and give you a massage, and we’ll get you all fixed up. Yes, my friends, we have had our fire. It was sweet and burned all the rain away. But now, it’s time to help Gray.”

  Rynn giggled. “We’ve helped him enough. I plan on helping him a lot when I leave. Maybe someday, you can stay to also help…in that way.”

  Ames smiled, but it turned sad. “Maybe. Maybe, after my fall into the ocean of souls, I’ll be able to swim back to the little island, back to that happy shack in the place of water and stars. But this was enough. It was a wonder. Thank you both. It was a promise fulfilled.”

  Gray didn’t want to think about what she might mean about falling into the ocean of souls. It was just talk. He wasn’t going to let anything bad happen to her. Ever.

  He took off his jacket and shirt, and the two women talked more, as they rubbed his spent muscles, and he got so relaxed, that he fell asleep.

  The door closing and locked woke him up.

  A second later, a very naked Rynn was on top of him, kissing him, and it wasn’t long before he found himself inside of her heat.

  He kissed her, but smelled Ames, and that filled him with even more lust.

  “I felt that,” she said.

  She was on top, her breasts hanging down, as she stared into his eyes. “You love me.”

  I touched her face. “I love you. You are a very good fighter, a wonderful wife, and a woman full of surprises. You do know that, don’t you?

  “I do,” Rynn said. “I was the first flame. Maybe Ames will be the second.”

  “And we’ll burn the world down,” Gray said.

  Then he didn’t talk as they made love.

  When he woke, hours later, he felt so much better, stronger, but he was going to take Rynn’s advice and take the next day off.

  Did he think he would have multiple bonds? He wasn’t sure, but he and Rynn had taken a step toward doing just that. He was drifting off to sleep when he realized what the problem with his meridians might be. And it was all thanks to Ames and their kiss.