Brilliance (Circle of the Stars #4) - Sadie Jacks

Chapter 1 – Hollyn

“Let’s go kill us a Merlin,” the stranger goddess said as she laid her hand against my chest.

Okay, fine, she has a name. Kiema Sova. But I wasn’t planning on getting accustomed to using it. She didn’t even know who Merlin was. What kind of goddess was she supposed to even be that she didn’t recognize the greatest druid in the entire world?

The world around me shifted and slid to the side as her fingers touched the skin of my chest. I blinked when I found myself standing back in the living room of my home with my men. Thane, Tagan, and Toven stood around me in a loose circle as Ari—my grandmother and goddess—smiled.

“Bring her back,” Tagan demanded.

I smiled. “I’m fine, Grumpy.”

He yanked me into his arms, a low, continuous growl pushing from his chest. His triplet brothers, Thane and Toven, edged in front of me. I could see the fine muscles of their shoulders twitching while their hands clenched and relaxed.

“What the fuck was that?” Thane demanded of the new people standing in our house.

I leaned around their tall bodies.

Kiema shook back her long hair. “My powers work in…interesting ways. When I touched Hollyn, I took her to her spirit plane.”

Grumpy snarled. “You try to take her anywhere again and I’ll rip you to shreds.”

The group of no fewer than a dozen people at the goddess’ back lurched forward in defensive poses.

Kiema rolled her silvery eyes. “Cut it out, you guys. You’re all just as touchy about me. And they have no idea what I can do.” She leaned to the side so she could see me. “Are you hurt in any way, shape, or form?”

I shook my head. “No. She touched my stars, but that’s about it. And she’s going to help us kill Merlin.”

Drace jumped forward. “She touched your stars?” She started patting me down, a bright smile on her face. “If she gets to touch your stars, then I do, too.”

Grumpy slapped at her hands, a snort pushed from his nose. “No one’s touching her stars but us. Drace, you pat her one more time, I’m taking you down.”

Drace snorted this time. “You and what army, hybrid boy?” She stepped back.

“Hybrid?” one of the shorter men said from the back of Kiema’s group. “What kind of hybrid?”

Kiema smiled. “That’s Saint, one of my mates. But you’re actually talking to Tenny.”

I felt my brow furrow. Was goddess sexy pants actually crazy? How could we be talking to one man who was inside another man’s body? And what kind of name was Tenny? Or even Saint? Was he very religious?

Kiema burst into laughter, shook her head. “Tennotith, Destroyer of Worlds and Savior of beautifu—”

“Beautiful women,” one of the female dragon elders said from behind us.

I turned to watch her walk up to the group. Esmerelda, if I wasn’t mistaken. And there was a good chance I was. I sucked at remembering names. Especially silly ones.

“Deich?” she asked in her beautiful cadence.

The man named Saint moved forward, his eyes a bright greenish gold. “Elly?”

Esmerelda nodded as tears gathered on her lashes. “Where have you been?” She held her hands out.

Saint took them in his. “I’ve been on Azica for the last year. Before that, who knows. The last I remember of my time on Earth was one thousand years ago.”

Esmerelda chuckled, blushed. “Only nine hundred and ninety, you bloody flying reptile.”

Kiema stepped forward. “Tenny, you know this woman?”

Saint nodded without taking his eyes off Esmerelda. “She’s a dragon. One of my few friends.” He leaned down, pressed his lips to Esmerelda’s cheeks.

Kiema bristled before she took a couple of deep breaths.

I blinked as a peculiar darkness came and went from her pale eyes. Was she hosting some weird kind of druid inside her too?

Kiema stepped forward. “Hello, I’m Kiema. Bonded mate to Tennotith and Saint and Ransom and Kord.” She shoved her hand between the couple.

Esmerelda chuckled, took the younger woman’s hand. “You’ve nothing to fear from me, goddess. I had close to eight hundred years with my mate. I’m not seeking to poach.”

Saint smiled. “And not a dragon old enough to be her great-great grandfather.”

Kiema’s cheeks pinkened. “Good. I’d hate to have to hurt you, Tenny.”

Saint’s lips ticked up at the corner as his eyes changed from greenish gold to dark brown. “And we both thank you for that, honey.”

I blinked. That hadn’t even sounded like the same guy from before. He really was carrying someone else inside his body.

Kiema turned to me. “And I