“Not making me feel better here,” I grumble.
“The point is, you’re entitled to have a vulnerable moment or two, my love. And I’ll always be there when it happens, to prop you up and reassure you.”
The flush of love and admiration sweeps through me so fiercely that it actually takes my breath away. “You know me so well.”
His hand moves from the back of the couch to push some hair behind my ear. “I’m just saying… you don’t have to be strong all the time. I’ve got you when you’re not able. So, tell me what’s really going on because I know it’s not about Rainey and Myles’ wedding.”
Leaning my face into his hand, I briefly snuggle into it with my eyes closed. When I open them, I say, “So much has happened to me—overwhelming things—and I feel like I’ve changed so much. I’m afraid the real me is gone. That little episode you saw of me getting worked up and using the wedding as an excuse… that was the old me talking and making a point that things other than this prophecy can be important. I just don’t want to stop being me, you know. I don’t want to change into something I don’t like.”
“I don’t think you’ve changed, Finley,” Carrick says, and I frown that he can’t see it. Again, he brushes my hair back from my face. “Everything you’ve been through, all the horrible, overwhelming, and life-changing events, merely chipped away all the things you were not. What is left is who you really are. And you’ll always be the woman who cares about her friends’ wedding.”
“You really believe that?” I ask him curiously.
“Of course I do.” His hand slides behind my back, and he pulls me forward just a bit to put his face nearer to mine. “And no one knows you better than I do. No one has seen who you are at your core the way I have. You are exactly who you are supposed to be—and whether you’re worried about Rainey and Myles’ wedding or saving the world—you’re still the same amazing, brave, badass, smart, tough, funny, and sexy-as-fuck woman I’ve always known.”
My gaze pins to his. “Thank you. That means a lot.”
“Anytime,” he replies, then releases his hold behind my neck and sinks back down to the pillow.
“What do you think about Boral?” I ask, my brain switching back to business.
Carrick’s expression darkens. “I don’t know. I can’t imagine he’d voluntarily give it up because of the binding, but maybe Kymaris had some sort of magic to undo it.”
“Is that likely?” I ask.
“No,” he replies grimly. “He was probably tortured for the information. If so, the minute he gave it up, he died. If he gave it up voluntarily because they found a way to undo the binding, then he’s dead by my hand.”
In my heart, I think he’s dead. I don’t think he would have voluntarily betrayed us, which would have betrayed his son. I also take stock of the fact that I’m actually feeling a sense of loss over Boral. He was a wretched creature who was responsible for who knows how much suffering and death. He had no morals, no conscience, and yet… he was helping us.
He’d wanted to make amends with Zaid, and damn it… I was actually starting to like the Dark Fae. He’d never been untoward to me, and he had always helped. He even protected me when we came out of Micah’s realm and the top half of that pine tree was going to crush me.
I felt in my heart that he truly had the power to be better just the way his son had. Because as Zaid had told me all those months ago in some of our earliest meetings, just because a person is born dark doesn’t mean they stay that way, just as being light doesn’t ensure they are good.
Everyone has the power to change.
Or as Carrick put it… to chip away those things they are not.
“You know,” I say hesitantly, my gaze going back to the blanket to play with a piece of fringe. “Boral was my sure ticket into the Underworld.”
I feel Carrick’s body jerk, and I risk a peek up at him. He’s shocked with a tinge of anger. “You were going to have him take you there?”
“No,” I rush to assure him. “I mean… not if you agreed to take me. But we had talked about it more hypothetically, and he told me the best way to go in would be through Micah’s realm. Follow the Crimson River to its source from the pits. It would be the safest way to go in without being seen.”
“You know I’ll take you, Finley,” Carrick murmurs. “But not until this is done.”
“I know,” I say confidently. Because he loves me, he’ll do it. He’ll even go after Zora if I get killed in the prophecy. He’s already promised that and he’ll follow through, just like he did by blowing up Kymaris’ house tonight to help put a stop to the parties and sacrifices going on there. He did that for me, not the countless humans he saved.
“Anything else wrong, a thaisce?” he asks.
“Ah-hashka?” I ask, phonetically sounding out a word I don’t know the meaning of and I’m sure could never spell. “You called me that the night the incubus almost got me outside of the bar.”
He nods with a smile. “Spelled a-t-h-a-i-s-c-e. It means my treasure in Gaelic. It’s something I called you when you were Eireanne and I was Banan.”
“It’s beautiful,” I reply softly, touched by the nickname he’s carried all these centuries. “Did I have a nickname for you?”
“An amadáin,” he replies with a grin.
“That sounds nice.”
“It means fool or idiot.” Chuckling, he gave a slow shake of his head. “When you were mad at me, that’s what you called me.”
“Ah-madoh-in,” I test the word out, repeating his pronunciation. “I like it.”
Carrick laughs, and I can’t help it. I do, too.
But then he sobers because while we find moments of levity, we have pressing things that need our attention.
“Are you okay going to Faere with Zaid?” he asks. “Because it’s not sitting well with me about you staying at Arwen’s.”
“The castle is a hard no for me,” I say with brutal honesty. “But I’m perfectly comfortable at Arwen’s. We’ll be safely secluded, and we can bend distance if danger approaches.”
“It truly is the safest place for you as Kymaris cannot get in, and she’s my only worry at this point. Maddox will be there soon, and I won’t be long after.”
“Then we run,” I whisper, the thought so unappealing. I hate looking over my shoulder.
“Or we stay with Nimeyah.”
I shoot him a look that says I hate that option.
Laughing, Carrick leans over to brush his mouth against mine. “All right… we’ll find somewhere else to go. Maybe we’ll see if Titus can set us up in Semper Terra.”
“My hero,” I murmur against his lips with a smile.
“Always.”
CHAPTER 25
Finley
The Seattle morning dawns bright and without a cloud in sight, which normally puts more pep in my step because it causes feelings of hope and cheer. This as opposed to one of our cloudy days, with or without rain, which can be depressing, to say the least.
Despite the post-dawn, shining ball hanging low in the sky, I’m not pulling any optimism from it.
Because today, we all split apart and go our own ways for the foreseeable future.
I had not realized how much comfort I took from us all being together at the condo. Yes, it had become like a family and we were all getting along so well and even having fun during meals and playing games after. It was always enough so that the doom and danger lurked in the far recesses of our minds.
Now things are getting real.
Our family is being broken apart.
We’ve suffered the betrayal of Boral, or perhaps his torturous death, but the fact is we lost him. Lucien is gone, and who knows if or when he’ll be back. I’m terrified we’re going to lose more.
We’re all trying valiantly to keep things upbeat in our conversation as we finish the amazing breakfast Zaid cooked. Made-to-order eggs, bacon, croissants, and fresh fruit. Zaid was making sure we stocked up on energy for our morning journeys.
Maddox is taking Rainey and Myles into hiding, then joining us in Faere. I asked him specifically not to tell me where since I didn’t want to be put into the torturous position of being forced to reveal where they were. I’d rather die and take it to the grave.
Carrick would be going with us to Faere, then off to kill Kymaris’ ritual Dark Fae.
After that, Carrick, Maddox, Zaid, and I would be in charge of protecting the Blood Stone, and we still haven’t decided how to do it. Carrick says the best option is to stay with Nimeyah as it’s warded heavily against Dark Fae. If Kymaris made it into Faere somehow, we’d have Nimeyah and her family’s incredible powers to help us defend it.
Assuming they’d agree to help us. I’m confident Pyke and Deandra would, but I can’t see Nimeyah committing and it seems her husband does whatever she wants.
Maddox suggested we hop—not just among AltVeritas, but around the Earth realm, too. He felt it unlikely Kymaris could track us.
I wanted to go back to the condo and make our stand there, but purely for selfish reasons. It was my comfort zone, but truly, it wasn’t good for humankind if we forced Kymaris to bring the battle there.
At this point, Kymaris probably doesn’t care about keeping things under wraps. She could reveal herself to the world, and the human population would have no clue how to deal with her. She would love the challenge of attacking this building and the human carnage it would wreak. And even if she revealed herself, her Dark Fae, and her daemons to the world, no human force would be equipped to take her down in time to stop the ritual at the new moon. She could simply attack the condo, lay it and everyone in it to waste, and then hop to another realm until it was time for the ritual.
Ultimately, I had to admit the potential loss of human life was too much to bear and we had to leave.
When breakfast is done, we all congregate in the living area. Our bags were packed last night before we went to bed. I immediately go to Rainey and Myles, wrapping my arms around both their necks as one of each of their arms go around my waist and we have an intimate but silent group hug. None of us want to say words that could be interpreted as a final goodbye, so I merely say, “I’ll see you on the flip side.”
“We’ll have a huge party,” Rainey says with a watery smile.
“And a wedding,” Myles reminds us.
Rainey laughs, pressing her face to my shoulder to dry her tears as she mumbles, “I really do have an amazing dress.”
I pull back because this could go on a lot longer, but it’s only dragging out the inevitable. I look to Rainey, then Myles. “Take good care of each other. We’ll contact you as soon as we’re able to.”
Both nod, prepared not to hear from any of us for a long time.
At least not until after the new moon.
I pull away as I know they won’t be the first to do it, then give them my back, walking to stand beside Carrick. Any more time near Rainey and Myles and I’m afraid copious tears would be involved.
“All right,” Maddox says, gallantly taking Rainey’s suitcase. He does it only to annoy Myles, but Myles is too distracted and worried to be bothered. Maddox has no bag, but I expect he’ll pop back in here at some point to grab a few things. He’s not in the same type of danger we are. “Let’s get going.”
They move into the elevator, then turn around to face us. Rainey and Myles’ eyes are pinned on me. I give a tiny wave as the doors slide closed, and then my friends are gone.
Taking a deep breath, I try to seem in control. I look up at Carrick. “Everything taken care of with the condo?”
“It’s in the morning paper and on the news channels as we speak,” he replies smoothly.
There are certain perks to being the richest man in the city, but Carrick’s money and prestige came through for us. Our big problem in leaving was to make sure Kymaris knew we were. We didn’t want her storming the place and killing people only to find the condo empty.
Carrick had reached out to all the news outlets to advise them that he was moving out of The Prestige and into an Elliott Bay home in Magnolia. The news also reported that the condo was placed for sale at an even thirteen million and that appointments for private viewings were being accepted immediately.
The hope was that word would get to Kymaris and she’d either accept we were gone or she’d send someone to check the place out. Since Carrick was opening it for showings, that wouldn’t be hard and would prove we were indeed gone.
Obviously, Carrick had no intention of moving to Magnolia, but that might thin Kymaris’ resources even more if she started looking for him there.
Regardless, we had to minimize the risk she’d bring her fight to this building, and this was the best way to do it.
“Then let’s do this,” I say, my gaze moving from Carrick to Zaid, who nods that he is ready.
Zaid and I have one large camping backpack with all our essentials—clothes, freeze-dried food, and filtered water bottles. While electronics won’t work in Faere, we still brought ours with chargers in case we hopped around the Earth realm later. Zaid, being a million times stronger than me, insisted on carrying it.
Past that, we’re traveling light.
The only other bag is a cushioned satchel holding the Blood Stone, which I’m carrying cross-body. The weight is nominal, and I feel weird without my regular backpack that holds my weapons. I left it behind, choosing to openly wear my whip at my hip. I know weapons are forbidden for humans in Faere, but our hope is that no one will see us as removed as Arwen’s hut is, and Carrick agrees I need to be well-armed. I also have a dagger on my other hip and throwing knives strapped to my ankles.
Like Maddox, Carrick would worry about clothing for himself after he took care of the Dark Fae and we decided where we were going.
His job being to open the veil into Faere, Carrick reaches a hand out and makes a slicing motion downward. A seam opens and he uses his hand to peel one side back, using his other to motion us forward.
I can see the brightly colored grass and purple-leafed trees in the distance. To the left, Arwen’s hut looks the exact way it did the last time we were here.
Zaid steps through first, does a quick scan around, and then nods back at me. I step through, followed by Carrick, and the seam into his condo seals.
Carrick turns in a slow circle, critically perusing the area. Arwen’s hut sits on the eastern edge of a small clearing bordered on all sides by thick forest. “You two stay here. I’m going to do a quick check of the perimeter.
And with that, he blinks out of sight, having bent distance to disappear. I turn toward the hut, intent on checking out the interior again, but I make it no more than three paces before Carrick is back.
I blink at him because his super speed still boggles my mind. “That was fast.”
“I’m a demi-god—what did you expect?” Lifting his hand and sweeping it slowly to indicate the tree line that surrounds us, he says, “There’s no one around so you should be fine. Still, I want you to stay in the hut until Maddox gets here.”
We move to Arwen’s hut, and I lift back the flap and duck slightly to walk in. Carrick and Zaid follow. We leave the door open to let in the bright light, which is sufficient for us to do a brief look around.
Pulling the satchel off, I let it fall gently to Arwen’s bed. Zaid slips out of his backpack so it rests beside it. My eyes can’t help but move to the blackened bloodstain on the lower part of the leather hide wall, but I quickly glance away.
Having checked out the perimeter of the area and the interior of the hut, Carrick walks back outside and I follow. He has more important things to do.
He turns to face me, then reaches out to pull me close. “I don’t like leaving you, but there’s no place safer from Kymaris right now. I’ll be back soon, I promise.”
“We’ll be fine,” I assure him breezily.
Dipping his head down, he brushes his lips against mine. “Try to stay out of trouble.”
“Always,” I murmur, tipping my head
back to look at him.
We don’t exchange words of love. The way we look at each other often speaks louder.
Carrick smiles as he releases me. Turning, he slices a rip in the veil, revealing an upper-class neighborhood where one of the Dark Fae he’s hunting presumably lives. He doesn’t look back, but merely steps through. The veil quickly disappears.
I stare at the space where he just was, my gaze slowly focusing on the trees about twenty yards away. And then I do what Carrick told me to and head back into the hut—pulling the flap door closed—prepared to wait for him to come back.
The minute I enter, I call forth an orb of light and send it to hover above us. My magic is coming so easily these days that I rarely have to give it much thought. The floating ball provides sufficient illumination to see that Arwen’s place appears the same as it was when we were here last. The evidence of the violence that took place hasn’t been touched. Her desk is broken in two, the chair in splinters, and shards of pottery are all over as if they’d been thrown or launched at something.
Once again, my gaze involuntarily slides to the blackish-gray stain on the inside leather wall. By its location, I imagine Arwen sitting against it, legs stretched out. Perhaps injured or restrained. The bloodstain is level to where her heart would have been as she leaned against it.
Where a spike was likely driven through to kill her, leaving behind nothing but the spurt of blood from the sudden blow.
I turn away from the wall. Zaid squats near her desk, picking through some papers that had fallen.
“Wish I knew what happened to Arwen,” I murmur, more to myself than Zaid. He doesn’t respond.
I move around the bed to the low table in the middle. The crystals—once glowing in various colors—remain darkened in their bowl. One—about six inches long with my lock of hair draped over it—sits on the table. It seems like such an ominous sign as I never knew why she wanted my hair, and now it sits there looking dull against the dead crystal.
A Battle of Blood and Stone Page 25