Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Free Book: Unseelie Slave
Chapter One - Linne
Chapter Two - Derek
Chapter Three - Derek
Chapter Four - Linne
Chapter Five - Linne
Chapter Six - Derek
Chapter Seven - Linne
Chapter Eight - Linne
Chapter Nine - Derek
Chapter Ten - Linne
Chapter Eleven - Derek
Chapter Twelve - Linne
Chapter Thirteen - Derek
Chapter Fourteen - Linne
Chapter Fifteen - Linne
Chapter Sixteen - Derek
Chapter Seventeen - Linne
Other Books By Rylee
Sneek Peek: War of Wings Book 4
About Rylee
Copyright © 2019 by Rylee Winters.
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
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CHAPTER ONE
Linne
Carefully flickering from one face to the next, my narrowed eyes took in the shock that thickened the air, and goosebumps blanketed my skin. Keeping my wings as still as possible, I ignored the burning that slowly took over the muscles that worked them. Anxiety coiled in my gut, and sweat beaded the nape of my neck as I wrung my clammy hands together.
“So, you’re like…a fallen angel…” Maddy’s halting declaration caused my heart to stutter in its erratic staccato, and Kristy raked both her hands through her hair. The hurt that still raged in Kristy’s eyes pained me as she scanned the length of my wings, and she blew out a breath hotter than the sticky, humid atmosphere.
“That’s what I said…” Kristy’s hoarse grumble gyrated against my ear drums, and I clasped my hands tightly as she struggled to keep a frown from her already drawn, unhappy expression. “So, you have, like, powers and stuff…you can control senses, right? Can you do anything else?”
“I can.” Folding my wings carefully as I answered, I crouched down to press my palms to the baking pavement, and six pairs of eyes watched me intently. “I can control shadows. I can also perform very limited telekinesis.”
The concrete became darker, and Maddie and Kristy both jumped back with squeals of surprise. All the while, the human Chad only looked on in amused interest, and Kevin and Jon were silent – with very different expressions painting their faces. The elder of the two’s expression etched in graveness, but the teenager seemed absolutely gob smacked. It would’ve been funny if my nerves weren’t eating away at me.
“That’s so cool…I can’t believe you kept this a secret from me, Chad!” Kevin’s outburst tickled my ears, his heightened tone crackling across the work yard. The goosebumps on my arms and chest sunk down into my skin as I released my hold on my magic, and I stood up while he glared at his uncle. “You should’ve told me! That’s too cool not to know!”
“It was Linne’s decision, Kevin, so don’t try to put that on me. Besides, you’re a kid – you think it’s cool because you don’t understand how heavy it is. You think Linne didn’t want to tell you all – she didn’t want your acceptance?”
Stepping up next to me, the human Chad spoke up to address the whole company, and I couldn’t help but smile as affection for him raged through my chest. He was a good man, and his nephew backed down noticeably as shame washed his expression. “Now that you all know, do you have any other questions – or can we get back to work?”
“I knew you killed before…” Speaking up from his position at the edge of the group, Jon’s voice was laced with what I suspected was relief as I turned to him. His eyes blazed, his stare borderline glaring, and I held my breath as my lips thinned. “I could tell.”
“How can you tell, Jon? Are you inhuman, too?”
Jon’s expression closed like a thick book, and I inhaled through flared nostrils as I turned to Maddy. She was hopelessly lost, and confusion shimmered in her wide eyes even as they flickered to me. I did not fault her for thinking Jon was keeping such a secret as I had done, and she wrung her fingers together.
But Jon was just a regular human that had a kill count; there was no magic involved.
“He has killed before as well. That is how he could tell – he’s not inhuman. I have killed many people for my master, and I have killed many people here, in the human realm. I will not hurt you, though.” My assurance only sent a plume of confusion into the air, and I cocked my head slightly with a ruffle of my wings. “You humans do not have masters…I did not remember.”
“Like…you were a slave…in your world?” Nodding firmly at Kevin’s shocked, halting question, I only shrugged while the adrenaline of this moment waned some. Thoughts of Kaslni always led to thoughts of Muss, and I trained my gaze on the ground to hide my deep frown. Sadness, loneliness, was quick to fill the void that opened up in my chest, and I reached to rub the spot before opening my mouth.
“I was sold to my master to receive better training and safety. It was not easy, but it was what it was. I was banished here, and I am no longer a slave. The human Chad – and you all – have helped me acclimate to this realm, and I am very grateful.”
“What about your parents? How could they do that to you?” Horror laced Kristy’s question heavily, and I licked my lips heavily as I thought on it. I couldn’t remember my parents; any time I tried to think of my mother, Kaslni’s image appeared. Shrugging after a long, intense moment, I sighed with a slight shake of my head.
“It was dangerous to do anything less. I was young – only three years old in your years – and I was showing potent and rare power. My parents did what they thought was best, and I do not begrudge them. If they hadn’t sold me to Kaslni, I would probably have been killed before my wings fully sprouted.”
“Was it hard when you were banished here?” Overcoming her shock, Maddie crossed her arms over herself as I shook my head a second time. “I can’t even imagine how you got through all of that and didn’t lose your mind.”
“…Well, let’s get back to work. Get finished prepping for Saturday, and you can leave early. Tomorrow we’re all taking off for the company party. Everyone’s gunna show – it’ll be fun.”
Sounds of agreement rang in the air, and the atmosphere lightened considerably in excitement. Grinning at his workers, the human Chad clapped his hands sharply. “Great! Get going. Kristy, I
want to talk to you really quick.”
Watching the pair walk off towards the warehouse, I tugged absently on the ends of my hair as my mind drifted. This summer seemed to slowly but surely get better and better, and a ghost of a smile lifted my lips. No longer did I have to hide from these humans that had become so important to me. Even as my heart ached for Muss, it also swelled at these new bonds that had deepened due to travesty.
Muss… My smile dropped as the image of the raven blossomed in my mind’s eye, and I sucked in a sharp breath. It’d been weeks since I’d seen or heard Muss, and pain spread through my chest.
Derek could see him, so why couldn’t I?
The question had no answer that was obvious to me, and I turned my gaze to the cloudless, simmering sky before heaving a sigh. Green skittered across my cheeks, but I knew that none of this was Derek’s fault; it wasn’t even Melinda’s fault.
But that did not make it easier to swallow the large, choke-inducing pill.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Jon’s offer sent surprise wiggling into my heart, and my head snapped down to catch him eyeing me with knowing eyes. “I’ve lost friends in battle, too.”
“…I will be fine…hopefully, he will find his way back to me.” Doubt roughened my voice, and Jon only continued to stare at me for a long moment. Pursing my lips tightly, I waited for him to nod curtly, and my feathers ruffled as I turned on my heel to wander towards the pallets I had been unloading. My mind stayed firmly on Muss, though, and I flexed my fingers wide in quiet contemplation.
Derek was in near constant contact with Muss, both trying to figure out how to fix this problem. There were no other side effects of the spell Melinda had cast; even my wings had returned to their normal, onyx color just a few days ago. Any hope I had had that I would be able to see or hear Muss – or even feel his magic – had been dashed and contorted into desperation.
I missed Muss more than I cared to admit, and I knew from Derek’s relay that he missed me as well.
Grabbing at a bag of dirt, the weight was eased by the thin tendrils of magic that weaved through my muscles. Even then – even using magic – I couldn’t see or hear or feel Muss, and there was no end to this intense torture anywhere.
CHAPTER TWO
Derek
‘This is not a bad end, Derek the Lion.’ Muss’ voice rang inside my skull as I stared down at the contract through narrowed eyes, my frown twisting into a grimace.
Scribbling down my signature, I passed the singular piece of paper to Alpha Jackson next to me with a low grunt.
‘This is not why you are in a bad mood, is it?’
“I’m in a bad mood because you can’t seem to leave me the fuck alone, you damn bird. We need to figure out a way to get Linne to see and hear you again so you can stop fucking with my head every second of the day.” Scowling at Muss as he cocked his head, shuffling slightly on the table top, I leaned back in my seat to drag my palms down my face. “This isn’t important. Have you found anything out on the other side?”
‘No. We have precious little information about the human realm. My accumulated knowledge these past eleven months since Linne was banished is more accurate than all that was compiled… There is a bigger issue, though, Derek the Lion.’
Shiny, abyssal orbs trained on me, and my scowl darkened as Muss blinked his biggest eye, his apprehension vibrating inside my skull. ‘Kaslni has instructed me to warn Linne that Bareiijnr has been conspiring heavily to take control of the Council. She believes he will make his move soon. Taking the time difference into account, I suspect that Bareiijnr will attempt a coup within the next months.’
“I thought that hours here were like a month there or some shit…” Narrowing my eyes on the glittering, ethereal figure before me, I sucked in a harsh breath as he ducked his head in a sharp nod. My mind worked furiously, no longer even processing the goings on around me, and I held the air inside my lungs as my chest tightened around them. “What else did Kaslni say?”
‘She is making contingency plans in the event that she is expelled from the Council, but there is the entire possibility that she will flee to this realm. Bareiijnr will not dare follow unless he believes he can kill her while she is still disorientated. His megalomania is wildly out of control, but – as you know – leaping across the Veil even voluntarily is a violent process. Kaslni is very powerful, and I will give you my best warning…’ Trailing off, Muss ruffled his feathers as a flash of uncertainty struck his eyes, and I pursed my lips into a thin line. ‘There is every potential for disaster. I – ’
My silent conversation with a being not from this realm was interrupted as an elbow nudged my side hard, and my gaze whipped to Jackson. But my Chief wasn’t paying any attention to me.
Lips lifting into a snarl, goosebumps began to race down my skin, even as I spotted the person standing just beyond Jackson.
Jordan was at the entryway of the conference room. His mere presence making me stiffen in my seat.
My eyes narrowed into slits as the need to shift prickled up my spine, my gaze scanning Jordan from bottom to top, a sour taste coating my tongue.
Jordan looked like absolute shit; I’d only met him once, years ago, but I wouldn’t have recognized him if it wasn’t for the pungent stench that clung to the roof of my mouth.
Thick, bulging muscles wrapped around his bones, and he carried himself in an invisible ball of hatred and rage that was white-hot in its intensity. The hairs on my body grew thicker as my jaw and gums ached from the pure threat that washed off him in waves. His sparkling, angry gaze met mine for the briefest moment as he took in the room, and I held back a growl at the vengeance I found there.
But Alpha Jackson seemed to be the one that really brought out the animal in Jordan, and the two stared at each other with growing animosity for the longest three seconds of my fucking life.
‘That is unnatural wild magic, Derek the Lion.’ Muss’ ominous curiosity flittered softly, quietly, into my ears, and my eyelid twitched in agitation.
“It’s called doping, you damn bird. He’s pumped full of drugs. Like what Linne took to sleep without nightmares, but for building muscle and being an absolute fucking douchebag.”
“I’m sorry I’m late. Traffic.” Jordan’s deep voice blocked out Muss’ surprise that performance enhancing drugs were a thing, and he smirked broadly as he spread his arms. Every move he made was strong, sure, but his eyes gave him away; they sparkled too brightly – almost feverish.
“It’s good that everyone is here. That gives us time to talk about the fact that Jackson didn’t even destroy my sister and the pack, but tamed some sort of angel to do it for him because he’s too much of a pussy to sacrifice his own clan in a battle he knew he wouldn’t win.”
“Oh my fucking God – ” Groaning loudly in the ensuing silence, I went to stand up only for Jackson to physically shove me back into my seat as he beat me to the punch.
Biting back a growl, I sneered at his glare but made no move to disobey, and he stepped out from between his chair and the table to puff out his chest in threat. Two wolves going at it, even such powerful ones, was almost always amusing; they usually only fought in their wolf forms, so anything in their human forms was a display.
The keyword being almost.
“Do you have proof?” Karina’s annoying voice gyrated against my ear drums, and I tore my eyes off the two males to watch her prop her chin in her palm. She was just as unimpressed by this show as everyone else at the table, but she was obligated to investigate. Jackson had no rights to negotiate if he wasn’t the cause of ending the conflict, and the contract we’d just signed would be voided.
“Everyone knows angels don’t exist, Jordan. This better not be another one of your grandiose ‘visions’ about wiping out the humans by getting rid of the clan protecting them…”
“I saw it! I don’t need to prove that I know what I saw.” The most childish fucking answer I’d ever heard burst from Jordan’s mouth, and I stiffened as Muss t
ossed his head back and forth in silent laughter.
“There was an angel, and she did something to the pack – killed them all at the same time after she gauged Liza’s eyes out. They all just dropped like flies, and then Jackson came to mop up the mess.”
“So, you let your sister and your pack take the fall for your decisions and then ran away – that’s what I’m hearing.” Disgust laced Karina’s voice, and she shot Jordan the nastiest glare possible as a tiny tether of tension dissipated from my shoulders. No one would believe Jordan even if he wasn’t hopped up on drugs, and I glanced at him to find him turning a purplish-red color in the face. “Well, maybe if you’d bothered to get cooperation from us for that stupid stunt of yours, you’d have proof. But you don’t, and the treaty is signed.”
“You won’t even make an effort to believe me even after all I did for this clan!” Jordan’s attention shifted from Jackson, and the hairs on my body thinned and hung back down as the threat jumped from one person to another. The deranged wolf couldn’t hang on to his dwindling attention span, and I took the moment to breath as he practically roared in fury at Karina.
The reptilian shifter’s eyes flashed a bright green, and she stood up in a flurry to slam her palms down hard onto the table. Muss jumped in front of me, flapping his wings wildly, while I only watched the scene from under furrowed brows.
This wasn’t how I’d expected this to go; no one had heard hide or hair of Jordan until now. We’d all expected to never see him again as he ran away in disgrace, pack-less and family-less.
“Don’t you dare act like you did us a favor! We’re intolerant of humans, and the world would be a better place without them – but you can’t just murder them because you don’t like our neighbors, Jordan! Now, we have to mop up your fucking mess, and you made a big mistake waltzing in here like you still have a right. You put everyone else in danger by egging Liza on. Our entire clan was in danger of collapsing because you decided to kidnap and bait a dozen human kids and women.”
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