by Olivia Hart
He grunted a few times as my feet hit his thighs, but I never connected hard enough to stop him from doing what he was trying to do.
“Fuck Ray, she’s a hell of a lot hotter than the other chick,” the other man said.
“She kicks a lot harder too,” Ray grunted as he threw me to the ground. I tried to scoot backward so that I could get my feet under me, but the fat guy bent over and pushed me to the ground, his hands holding my shoulder against the pavement.
Ray tried to get his hands around the waistband of my tights, but this time he was in front of me, and one of my kicks hit him squarely in the nose. It wasn’t a hard enough kick to break his nose, but his hands went to his face.
“Fucking bitch,” he said as he climbed on top of me. I tried to kick him again, but he pushed my legs out of the way. As I struggled, I began to scream again, and he slapped me across the face.
It stung, but the pain barely fazed me. I continued to scream as they trapped my body underneath the two of them. Anger overwhelmed the fear that I’d felt moments before. I looked at Ray as I felt something begin to build inside me. A pressure. A fire.
He pulled a large pocket knife from a sheath on his belt and flipped it open. “Shut the fuck up. You should have kept walking.” His breath stank like beer and cigarettes. I barely noticed it though as I felt that pressure building.
My skin began to vibrate, almost as though my very skin was just waking up after being asleep. I kept staring into Ray’s eyes and stopped screaming.
“That’s a good little slut,” he said and dug his hands into the waistband of my tights. Feeling his fingers touch the bare skin of my hips was too much for me, and the pressure that was building inside me exploded outward as I put my hands up.
A flash of light brighter than anything I’d ever seen my life exploded from me. They pulled away, screaming as they pressed their hands against their eyes.
They fell to their knees in pain. I didn’t stop to try to understand what had happened. No longer frozen, I ran out of the alley. Books forgotten, I ran to the one place that would be safe. The sorority house.
I wasn’t supposed to have someone try to rape me. That happened to people who made stupid mistakes. I poured my own drinks. I paid attention to my surroundings. I didn’t wear slutty clothes. I was so careful.
It had still happened to me. What had happened afterward, though? What was that light? It felt like it had come from me, but that was impossible. And why was I so freaking exhausted? I could have passed out right there, and I might have if there weren’t a couple of rapists two blocks away.
When I slammed the sorority house door behind me, I took gasping breaths and leaned against it. I was safe. At least I thought I was.
“What’s going on? You’re all dirty. Did you fall on that stupid run of yours? I’ve told you to run on treadmills at the gym like normal people.” I jumped before turning toward the sound. Sasha. One of my sorority sisters.
My body still had gallons of adrenaline flowing through me, but when I saw her, I felt a little bit safer. I wasn’t alone. She wasn’t much being barely five feet tall, but she was something.
“I got attacked,” I muttered, finally feeling the sting where Ray had slapped me. My face was probably swollen and red.
“What do you mean attacked?” she asked after taking a sip from a red solo cup.
“I mean some fucking guys dragged me into an alley and tried to rape me.” The words came out of my mouth without any filter.
Her eyes got wide, and she put her cup down. “Are you okay? Do we need to call the cops? Did you get away before they…?”
I slid down the door feeling the exhaustion fill me. I was safe. I could be exhausted. “I’m okay,” I muttered. “They didn’t manage to rape me. I have no idea what happened, but I’m okay.”
Sasha picked up her drink and brought it over to me. “I think you need this more than I do. I’ll make another one and then you can tell me all about it, and then we’ll figure out what to do.”
I nodded, taking the cup from Sasha. I’d thought that I didn’t need anyone else, that I liked my solitude, but tonight, I didn’t want to be alone.
Chapter 2
Sebastian
Seraphina, Queen of the Court of Light stood in front of me with a sneer. She was a bitch, but there was nothing I could do about it. With my own Queen dead almost nine hundred years ago and no one with the qualifications to replace her, Seraphina ruled both courts.
Her ice-blond hair had been made up in a braided crown today with the ends hanging down to her shoulders. Piercing blue eyes that others found attractive stared at me with disdain. I hated her more than anyone I’d ever known. That didn’t matter, though. Not when it had to do with a Queen. Especially the Queen.
As a Prince of the Dark Court, I was bound by law to do as she commanded. The Fae were not like humans. Our laws were unbreakable with no need for trials. One of the most important being that the Queen of your court could not be refused anything she demanded. At least not without risking unpleasant things such as banishment or execution.
And this Queen happened to enjoy seeing me do one of the things that I hated more than anything else. Kill half-bloods. Especially since I was mixed blood myself, something she never overlooked.
I stood next to Nyx, the leader of the Assassin’s Guild. My mentor. He wore the same black cloak that I wore when I was hunting, but he had earned his. When Catarina, the last Dark Queen, had ruled, he’d worked his way through the ranks of the Assassin’s Guild.
I glanced at him, remembering what he looked like under the cloak. Black and red skin covered in thin scales. A throwback to his heritage that was covered in thin, overlapping scars. Trophies of battles won.
“Prince,” Seraphina said to me with a sneer. “I have a contract for you.” Her eyes never fell on Nyx as she spoke.
“Why not have the Assassin’s Guild take care of it? That’s their role in the courts after all.”
She ignored my question, handing a rolled-up parchment to Nyx as well, still not looking at him. “The contract is for a girl with human parents. Last night, she drew a massive amount of power from the Immortal Realm, and without training, she is likely to draw attention to herself and our world.”
“I am giving the contract to you, Prince, but if you do not complete it in three days, Nyx will take care of it.”
“Why contract me to do it first?” I stared into her icy eyes, but I didn’t waver. The power inside her was immense, and she knew it. It was why she was Queen after everything she’d done.
She ignored me and finally turned to Nyx. “If you find that the Prince is disobeying my orders, your contract will extend to the Prince. I am done hearing whispers of a lack of order from the Dark Court. The Prince will either do as he’s told and become a model subject, or he will become the perfect example for what happens when someone disobeys me.”
Nyx didn’t respond for several seconds before a rumbled, “Yes, Lady,” came from under his hood. His voice sounded like gravel rolling over pebbles, crushing and scratching away at them.
As he turned, I saw under his hood. Dark red eyes that I knew well shined through the cloth that covered them, shielding him from the brightness of the Court of Light. The curse to his gift of being able to see in almost absolute darkness. Every gift has its price.
Nyx turned and left the room carrying the contract. I glared at the Queen, and she sneered back at me. I didn’t respond to Seraphina. My obedience was required, but my politeness was not. I was of the Dark Court, after all, and we were not known for our manners. Instead, I turned and followed Nyx out of the palace.
The very city shined as I followed Nyx through the streets. This was the only place in either world that there was no night. The sun fell behind the horizon, and the moons rose, but the city was never dark. The buildings radiated their own light, pulling their power from the golden throne that Seraphina sat upon.
Even the nobility of the Court of Light glowed. N
ot bright enough to hurt the eyes, but enough that they could never hide in the darkness.
As we walked through the streets, Nyx in his cloak, and I in a simple silk shirt and leather trousers, people turned to stare. They knew us by scent. Both of us unique. I, a creature of dreams, and he, a creature of fire and ash, were the only ones of our kinds in either Court and possibly in the entire world.
I could feel each and every one of the people that we passed, their emotions flowing to me unbidden. Lust, fear, distrust. It was one of the curses of being a half-incubus.
We passed the beautiful people that inhabited the city of the Court of Light. A dryad sold the apples from a tree that he protected, his skin a glowing gold. He looked like a beautiful youth except that his skin had a faint bark pattern to it.
A nymph flitted through the market, her transparent robes showing the beautiful body underneath. Long, sky-blue hair fell all the way down her back. She clung to one of the white poles holding up a market stand and talked to an elf who sold shoes. The elf’s eyes wandered over her body as he talked to her, and she gave no thought to it.
Nyx, raised his hand, trying to shield his eyes from the light of the city. “Let us run, Prince,” he said softly in that gravelly voice.
I nodded, and he began to sprint. I followed, keeping pace with him. This was not our home. These were not our people. We should not be here, but a Queen’s demand was not something that we could ignore.
How could Seraphina expect me to kill a half-breed who could draw power from the Immortal Realm? She should have been brought to the Dark Court and trained to use her powers rather than murdered in cold blood because she could expose us to the Mortal Realm.
As we crossed the golden bridge over the Crystalline River that signaled the end of the Court of Light, we began to slow. The forest beyond still glowed, but it was nothing like the Court. There were still people there, but nowhere near as many. We were still outsiders, but it was nothing compared to being inside that terrible city.
“Nyx, why don’t we just bring the girl to the Dark Court and hide her? If she can truly draw power from the Immortal Realm, she’s of value to the court. Catarina would never have had her killed.” Nyx silently turned to me.
“Catarina is long dead, Sebastian. Our Queen is Seraphina, and it is not our place to question her demands.”
“You’ll do as the Queen requires,” Nyx said, his words a statement rather than a question. I was his Prince, but he had raised me like a son. That made our relationship more complicated.
“Yes. I know the law. There is no way out of a direct demand.”
Nyx nodded. “Good. I do not want to kill you, Sebastian.” His eyes glowed from under the hood as he looked at me through the cloth. He was not a soft man. It wasn’t in his nature. He was like the stone and fire that he was born of. Harsh and unyielding.
Somehow, he’d decided that I was worth changing for. Not a lot, but enough. Enough to be the rock that I could depend on when the world was just a little too cruel.
I raised my eyebrow. “It’s been a long time since we sparred, old friend. I doubt that you would win a bout with me.”
“I taught you everything you know, Prince. All of your abilities are ones that I helped hone. And the mists are nothing to me. Do as you’re commanded, Prince. I don’t relish a battle with you, but I will not dishonor myself and my guild by disobeying an order.”
I gave him a grin and said, “I’ll do as I’m told like a good little Prince, but I still think you and I need to get into a sparring ring again so I can remind you just how slow you are.”
Nyx shook his head. “I no longer spar. You know this.”
I patted him on the shoulder, feeling the denseness that felt almost like stone. “Fine. We should go drinking when this is done, though. It’s been too long.”
“That would be good. I will see you when all of this is over. When the girl is dead.”
He touched the shadow of a tree and seemed to slide into the shadow, the black cloak becoming darker and then slowly disappearing as though light was suddenly shining on the spot he’d stood.
This was not a fair thing for Seraphina to do. She, along with everyone else, knew that Nyx had trained me as a father would. He’d been there when everyone else abandoned me.
He hadn’t treated me like a son. That wasn’t in him. Instead, he’d given me the tools to survive. He had given me these daggers that hung at my sides, and he’d taught me honor when others had shunned me because of who my father was. Because of what my father was.
I was a half-breed, but so was Nyx. He’d raised me to ignore the slurs, and he’d taught me that my twisted bloodlines gave me power that others didn’t have. Just as his did.
More than anything, he’d taught me to fight. Of all the men in either Court, Nyx was the one man whom I did not want to find holding an obsidian dagger in my direction. Now, if I didn’t kill this girl, that’s exactly what would happen.
I sighed. These thoughts didn’t matter. The girl had to die, or I’d be forced to fight Nyx to the death, and there was no good ending to that fight.
I touched the shadow and slid into the warren that ran between the Court of Light and the Dark Court. I would gather my things, and then I would murder a girl because a woman I hated commanded me to.
Chapter 3
Rose
The repetitive beat of some terrible rap song reverberated through me as I sat at a bar and legally drank for the first time. Sasha, her boyfriend Tony, and another sorority sister named Tiffany danced to the music that filled the building down on the dance floor below me.
The vodka cranberry went down smooth, and I ordered another. It was my twenty-first birthday, and I could get as sloppy drunk as I wanted. That was the ritual, wasn’t it? Drink enough that you don’t remember turning twenty-one?
I looked into the old-fashioned mirror in front of me. Why was something that old in a place that was supposed to be modern? The silver embellishments that surrounded the mirror face were tarnished and looked like they’d never been polished. Maybe that was the modern take on mirrors. Get a nice antique mirror, let it get ruined, now it’s modern. I shook my head. Just one more thing that didn’t make sense to me.
I saw myself in the mirror and grimaced. I knew what people saw when they looked at me. A toad. Okay, maybe my skin wasn’t green, and I didn’t have warts, but my eyes were too big, and they were too far apart. There were other problems with me, but everyone I’d ever known had told me just how unattractive my eyes made me.
I wished that I could have just been plain. Not beautiful. I’d given up on being beautiful a long time ago. My parents had been beautiful. Not me. I’d tried wearing makeup, but makeup could only do so much. They couldn’t move eyes, couldn’t make them smaller. That was life though. We all had our crosses to bear, right? Too bad mine couldn’t have been being too beautiful.
I turned around to look at the dance floor. What was the point of it? I had grown up with stories of ballroom dancing, and I’d had little girl fantasies of meeting my Prince Charming while wearing a ball gown and dancing the night away with him.
This wasn’t that. This was sex without any of the good parts. Or at least that’s what I imagined sex was like since I had seen no reason to partake in it and no men had tried very hard to convince me otherwise. Dirty, sweaty men rubbing against you until they were too tired to keep going. Both of you trying to match a rhythm and failing miserably.
It was my twenty-first birthday, and I was alone at a bar while my friends did things that I had no desire to do. Typical. It was fine. I hadn’t wanted to do this to begin with. I hadn’t wanted to put on a skanky club outfit.
More than anything, I hadn’t wanted to leave the sorority house. Not after last night. Not after the alley.
I sighed and turned back to the bar, sipping the vodka cranberry and enjoying the burn. It wasn’t the worst night I’d ever had. At least the music drowned out the people, and I could pretend like it was just m
e and the bartender who was slower than freaking molasses.
Then a hand brushed the middle of my back, and I sat up straight, turning to snarl at whoever it was.
It was Tony. Sasha’s boyfriend. Not my favorite person, and definitely not someone I wanted touching me. I wasn’t allowed to yell at him though. It was one of those unspoken sorority rules.
He was officially in the douche club. Or frat club. I wasn’t sure there was a difference. He always had that purposefully messy hairstyle, some polo shirt with an animal on it, a pair of jeans that cost at least a hundred dollars, and a pair of retro sneakers because “they were cool” according to him.
Tonight, he wore a salmon polo, and he was giving me creepy looks as his gaze drifted down to my chest. Sasha reached around his waist and grabbed his ass. “You look bored, Rose,” he said, ignoring his girlfriend.
She was pretty with a very typical sorority girl look. Long blond hair with obvious highlights and lowlights. A slightly rounder face than she’d like, but still cute. She had a very girl next door look naturally, but she primped enough and wore the right makeup and outfits to look like a sexier version.
“You could come dance with us,” Sasha yelled, her voice barely audible over the music. That was nice. I really didn’t want to listen to either of them. Tiffany was still dancing with numerous guys crowded around her.
“I think I’m going home soon,” I shouted back.
“Come on. We’ve only been out for an hour. You need to experience your birthday. You only get to turn twenty-one once, you know?” She may have been annoying with drastically different priorities than me, but she wasn’t a bad person. She’d been there for me last night, and she hadn’t told anyone.
“Fine, but can we go somewhere else? Maybe just a bar or something? I don’t like dancing.”
Sasha chewed her lip and glanced at Tony, but then she nodded. “Yeah, I’ll get Tiffany.”