by Karen Lynch
“We’re in Davian’s penthouse.” I bent forward to work on the duct tape around one of my legs.
“Faris knows by now that something happened to us. Lukas will suspect Davian, and they will come here looking for us,” Conlan said softly like he was trying to soothe a frightened child.
“I know.” I freed my leg and started on the other one. “How long will it take you to get your strength back?”
He lifted his head. “Once the iron shackles are gone, it should not take more than ten minutes.”
I turned my head to stare at him. Were all royal faeries that strong, or was it a royal guard thing? I wouldn’t be surprised to learn Lukas and his men deliberately exposed themselves to iron to build a resistance to it.
I dropped the tape on the floor and stood quietly. After checking on the men who were still talking in low voices, I crept around the far end of the table. Conlan had to be more affected by the iron than he was letting on, because he didn’t stir as I came up behind him.
“Jesse?” he whispered.
I leaned down and spoke next to his ear. “Yes.”
He startled but didn’t say a word as I pulled off his hood. His shocked expression was almost comical, and I smiled as I went to work on his shackles. I made short work of them and heard his sigh of relief when he was free of the iron.
“How?” he asked as I removed the duct tape from one of his legs. The men had used twice as much on him as they had on me.
“It’s a bounty hunter thing,” I quipped softly.
Conlan shook out his arms. “More like a Jesse thing.”
“That too.”
I finished freeing his leg and moved to the other one. “I’m sorry I got you into this.”
“It’s not your fault, and I’m glad I’m here with you.” He laid a hand on my shoulder. “I should have been there for you at Rogin’s, and I wasn’t. I’m sorry.”
“That’s all in the past.”
“Not for me. We were friends, and I broke your trust. Losing your friendship will always be one of my biggest regrets.”
I looked at his downturned mouth and eyes full of remorse. “You did hurt me, but we can be friends again. You just have to do one thing.”
He nodded. “Anything.”
“You can start training me with a weapon. I’ve had enough conditioning to last me a lifetime.”
Conlan chuckled. “Only if you promise not to use it on Faolin.”
“I can’t make any promises where he is concerned.” I pulled off the last of the tape and stood. “Can you walk?”
He cocked his head. “Yes. But the two men over there have guns. I will not risk you getting shot.”
“Then we need to disarm them.” My mind raced as I came up with plans and discarded them just as quickly. My lips curved. “I have an idea. How fast can you run right now?”
Two minutes later, I was back in my chair with my arms behind my back and the duct tape wrapped loosely around my ankles. “Hey, I figured it out,” I called excitedly.
“Figured what out?” asked one of the men.
“The ke’tain. I think I can give it to you now.”
There was silence, and for a long moment, I feared they were going to call for Davian. Then I heard two sets of feet approach, and both men rounded the corner. One had his hand on his gun, and the other was unarmed. They looked from me to Conlan, who sat with his head down and his hood back in place.
“I don’t see it,” one of them said suspiciously.
I wriggled my arms like they were still bound, rattling the shackles for good measure. “It’s in my right pocket. You’ll have to get it.”
The two exchanged a look but didn’t make a move to take the ke’tain.
I injected as much desperation as I could into my voice. “Please. I don’t want the Seelie guard to come. Give the ke’tain to Davian, and he’ll let me go.”
The unarmed man came over to me and stuck his fingers into my pocket. I let out an indignant shriek. “No groping!”
“I’m not groping,” he snarled. “I’m trying to reach the damn thing.”
The second man moved closer. “Stand her up. It’ll be easier that way.”
The guy removed his hand from my pocket and pulled me to my feet. I pretended to lose my balance, and both men reached out to steady me.
Things happened in a blur after that. I brought my arms around and punched the first man in the throat as Conlan appeared behind the second one. Before I could slap the shackles on one, Conlan had both of them on the floor and out cold.
I gaped at him. If he could move like this with iron and a sedative in his system, it was no wonder he was one of the most lethal faeries in the world.
He smiled at me. “Good job. Now let’s get out of here.”
I picked up the men’s guns and pointed one at the stairs. “After you.”
Conlan took one of the guns from me, and we crept to the top of the stairs. He listened for sound below and signaled that there were two men at the bottom of the stairs. Then he indicated he would go down alone and neutralize the men.
He started down the stairs, but on the third step, he froze. The next thing I knew, he was beside me again. “They’re coming.”
Fear gripped me. “The Seelie guard?”
“They will be here in a few minutes.” Conlan ushered me away from the stairs. “Davian is lowering the dampening ward for them now.”
“Then you’ll be able to create a portal out of here,” I said as he tugged me toward the terrace. “You can go and get help.”
“And leave you behind?” he growled. “Have you lost your mind?”
I looked around desperately. “I’ll hide somewhere. They’ll think I went with you.”
Conlan pushed open the door to the terrace and pulled me outside. “Davian and his men might be fooled, but the guard won’t. They will search every inch of this place until they find you.”
“Then you better hurry,” I said as we moved to one end of the terrace, out of sight of the stairs. He scowled at me, and I added, “If you have a better idea, I’m all ears.”
The look he shot me said he didn’t.
I pointed at a cluster of small trees in the corner. “I’ll hide behind those.”
He nodded stiffly and raised his hands to test the ward. A pale blue aura appeared around his hands but nothing happened.
“Is the ward still up?” I asked.
“No,” he answered in a strained voice. “I can’t. I’m still too weak from the iron.”
“You need an energy shot.” I yanked the goddess stone from my hair and thrust it into his hand.
When I’d given Faris the stone, he’d gone into a peaceful trance of some kind. Conlan’s body jolted like he’d been stabbed. He gasped and stared at me with eyes that were round with wonder.
Whatever the stone was doing to him lasted less than thirty seconds. His body sagged, and he opened his hand, but the stone was no longer there. I didn’t need to check to know where it had gone.
“How do you feel?” I asked him.
“Stronger than I’ve ever been in your realm.” He raised his hands again, and magic poured from them. As it had the night I’d watched the Seelie guard create a portal, the air in front of Conlan rippled, and an opening began to form. I caught a glimpse of hazy blue on the other side.
Someone shouted inside the penthouse. I whirled to face the door as it was flung open. Armed men poured out, followed by Davian.
“Don’t let her escape,” Davian shouted. He pulled something from his pocket and waved it in the air as he chanted.
“He’s raising the ward.” I turned to Conlan. “Go now.”
He pulled me to him. “I can’t leave you.”
“Take her,” a man bellowed.
Conlan spun us, shielding me with his body. I didn’t hear the gun fire, but I felt the shock of the impact when the bullet hit him. He staggered, and my knees turned to rubber. Oh, God. They shot him.
In front of me, the po
rtal began to close.
“Conlan,” I cried out, but my words were muffled against his chest as he swung me up into his arms.
“Goddess, forgive me,” he whispered.
And he stepped through the portal.
Chapter 20
I’D ALWAYS THOUGHT that when faeries traveled by portal, they appeared somewhere in Faerie for a moment, and then created a second portal to their destination here. That was how it had been explained to me anyway. I lifted my head when the sounds of New York vanished, expecting to see a lush green forest or a glimpse of the Unseelie court. All I saw was a white fog surrounding us. This was Faerie?
Another more unsettling thought formed in my head. Humans couldn’t travel through portals, so what if this wasn’t Faerie after all. What if I had died, and I didn’t know it yet?
“Conlan?” My voice sounded hollow to my ears. It felt like I was alone in a huge cavern devoid of sound and smell and color. It was what I imagined a sensory deprivation chamber to be like.
A faint roaring sound came from far away, like a distant waterfall. It grew steadily louder, and I couldn’t tell if it was coming to me or if I was moving toward it. The closer it got, the more I could pick out the murmur of voices, a phone ringing. My breath caught. It sounded like home.
The fog parted, revealing a blur of color up ahead. It grew brighter and brighter until I had to shield my eyes from it. Just like that, the fog was gone, and I was standing in a room I knew all too well. I spun and found Conlan standing behind me wearing a bemused smile.
“You never cease…to amaze me, Jesse James,” he said before he fell to his knees.
“Conlan!” Horror filled me at the sight of the red stain blossoming on his shirt.
Someone caught Conlan from behind, and I stared up into Kerr’s shocked face. There was movement off to the side, and Iian appeared beside Kerr, looking as dumbfounded as his friend.
“Conlan’s been shot,” I said when they continued to gape at me.
“S’okay,” Conlan murmured as Kerr lowered him to the floor. “Lukas?”
“He’s with Faolin and Faris. They’re looking for you two.” Kerr tore open Conlan’s shirt to inspect the wound. “You’ll be okay, my friend. The bullet went straight through, and you are already healing.”
Relief made me lightheaded, and I needed to sit down. I didn’t know how it was possible, but we’d made it.
“Jesse?” Iian rushed over to me with his phone in his hand. “You have blood on you. Are you hurt?”
“It’s Conlan’s.” I frowned. My voice sounded funny. And why did it suddenly seem darker in here?
I had the sudden sensation of floating, and then I was lying on the couch with Iian and Kerr’s worried faces above me. Kerr pulled the front of my coat and shirt apart and cool air touched my skin.
Iian spoke into the phone. “Jesse has been shot.”
“Shot?” I said, and the taste of blood filled my mouth. I tried to speak again and choked as blackness crowded my vision.
…
“Don’t you dare leave me, Jesse,” ordered a harsh male voice. Lukas. “How much longer?”
“Almost there.” Faolin.
I drifted inside a cocoon of warmth, but I could feel the cold pressing to get in. I was so tired. I just needed to sleep for a few minutes.
“No, Jesse. Stay with me.” Lukas’s voice was commanding, impossible to disobey. “Your father is coming. You have to stay awake for him.”
…
The warmth disappeared, and then there were bright lights above me, machines beeping, and people shouting. Two people wearing surgical masks appeared over me. They were speaking to each other, but I couldn’t make it out over the noise.
Someone placed an oxygen mask over my mouth and nose. The lights dimmed.
…
Beep. Beep. Beep.
“I’m sorry, Mr. James. There was too much damage to her heart. If there is family you need to call, you should do it now.”
“There has to be something you can do for her,” said my father’s anguished voice. Was he talking about Mom? Had something happened to her?
Dad? Can you hear me?
…
Beep. Beep. Beep.
“Mom is coming. Please, hold on, Jesse.”
Dad, what’s wrong? Why can’t I see you?
…
Beep. Beep. Beep.
Someone was crying. It was Violet. Why was Violet crying?
“I understand the risk.” My father’s voice was hoarse and desperate. “Please, do whatever it takes to save my little girl.”
Voices rose in argument. “I cannot authorize that,” said a woman.
Faolin spoke close by. “She will die if you do this, Lukas.”
“She will die if I don’t.”
…
Beep. Beep. Beep.
“Forgive me, mi’calaech. I can’t let you go.”
…
Beep. Beep. Beep.
A gentle hand stroked my forehead. I knew it was my mother before she spoke into my ear. “We’re all here, baby. We love you so much.”
…
Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep…
“She’s crashing!”
Beeeeeeep.
* * *
“Not this place again.”
My voice sounded small in the cavernous space. I turned in a full circle, but all I could see was the endless white fog.
“Hello?” I called. “Anyone there?”
Nothing.
I started walking. The fog swirled around my feet, which made no sound on the ground. It was like walking on a cloud.
Am I dead? Wasn’t I supposed to see a light or something to show me where to go? I stopped walking when an awful thought struck me. What if I was stuck in this colorless, soundless place for eternity.
I resumed walking. If this was the afterlife, there had to be more to it than this, and I was going to find it. It wasn’t like I had anything better to do.
“Would it have killed them to put up a few signs to show dead people where to go?” I muttered after a few minutes.
“You are not dead.”
I jumped at the female voice and looked to my left at a beautiful woman with long, silvery blonde hair. Her warm, gray eyes regarded me with affection and a touch of sorrow.
“I’ve seen you before.” I wracked my brain trying to remember her, and it finally came to me. “I dreamed about you. You were talking to me, but I couldn’t hear you.”
She smiled. “I thought my gift would allow me to speak to you, but I discovered it does not work on humans.”
“Gift?”
“The stone in your hair. The instant you took it from the kelpie mare, I sensed you would be the one to help restore the balance between our worlds.” Her eyes twinkled. “For any human who would go into the water with a kelpie to save a friend must have a good and courageous heart.”
“Aedhna?” I squeaked, not sure whether to be afraid or in awe. “I don’t understand.”
She hooked her arm through mine. “Come. I will explain it.”
We started walking. She seemed to know where she was going, so I let her lead me as she spoke.
“Do you know what the ke’tain is?” she asked.
“It’s a sacred object that is kept in your temple.” I looked at her. “It’s not your actual breath, is it?”
She laughed, a musical sound. “No. I created the stone to hold a part of my essence to provide the energy Faerie needs to flourish. There are three others, but they are well-hidden and long passed from living memory.
“When the ke’tain was brought to your world, it weakened Faerie. The other three stones have been able to sustain Faerie, but the imbalance is weakening them and my world.”
“Lukas told me the barrier between our worlds is failing because Faerie is no longer strong enough to hold it.”
“Yes,” she said sadly. “I knew if the ke’tain wasn’t found soon, it would slowly tear apart the world I created. I
tried to find it myself, but I have no power in your world. I sought humans who could help return it to Faerie. When you touched the kelpie’s stone, I sensed you might be the one I sought. I gifted the stone to you, and I watched you to see if you were up to the task.”
I sneaked a glance at her. “Was I?”
She squeezed my arm lightly. “I could not have chosen better. The stone not only allowed me to watch you, it also attracted the ke’tain to you. I knew you would do the right thing and return it to Faerie.”
I stopped walking to stare at her. “Is that why Gus flew into my car and refused to leave my place? The ke’tain was drawn to me?”
“It was. And once there, the ke’tain knew it was safe within the ward created by the Unseelie prince.”
I frowned. “Lukas and Tennin saw Gus at my apartment. Why didn’t they feel the ke’tain?”
“The drakkan’s fire hid the ke’tain’s energy from them.”
“Why didn’t the ke’tain let them know it was there?” I asked. “Gus could have thrown it up, and all of this would have been over.”
Aedhna sighed and resumed walking. “Drakkans are unpredictable and do things in their own time.”
“Gus certainly has his own mind.” I thought about how he kept sneaking into my bed, no matter how many times I scolded him for it. “Was it the ke’tain that made me dream of you?”
“The stone did that. The ke’tain did give you increased strength and speed, but that would happen to any human exposed to it as much as you were.”
“Now that you mention it, there were a few times when people said I was faster than normal. And here I thought all my training was paying off.”
She chuckled softly, and it made me smile. She was the personification of beauty, grace, and strength, and just being in her presence made me want to be a better person.
“What happens now that the ke’tain has been found?” I squinted at a spot ahead of us. Was the fog playing tricks with my eyes, or had I seen something there?
Aedhna held up a slender hand. Lying on her palm was the ke’tain. “It will be returned to its rightful place, and our worlds can begin to heal.”
“And me?” I swallowed, bracing myself for her answer.