by Bekah Harris
It was settled then. Smiling, Teagan stood and stepped fearlessly through the portal.
When she walked into the Seelie Portal room, she wasn’t surprised to be met by a dozen guards. She had been expecting it. For weeks, she’d been planting thoughts in the weak-minded Seelie Queen’s head. Growing more and more suspicious, she had Slaine under lock and key. Fortunately, her brief time as a princess of Winter had secured a large batch of Fealty Potion from the Magi. She’d bribed a Brownie weeks ago to slip it into the dinner they served in the guard’s dining hall. Twelve soldiers dropped to their knees like obedient lap dogs as she walked past them. Taking the back stairs used by the Brownies, Teagan slipped directly into Slaine’s room from the servant’s passageway, sliding behind the tapestry and into the light of the room.
Slaine scrambled quickly from the bed, pressing herself against the wall.
“How did you get in here?” she asked.
Teagan smiled. “I have my ways.”
“Well, what do you want? I’ve already told you I can’t help you. Mother was explicit in her orders before she died. I was to stay in Seelie to ensure the heir secured his claim to the throne. Then, once Endellion and Barrett are gone, I will rule until he is old enough.”
Teagan couldn’t suppress the burst of laughter. In fact, she nearly doubled over with it.
“I see nothing funny about this,” Slaine said, hugging her belly protectively. “You’re going to get caught. You’ll ruin everything.”
“Do you really think I know so little of you that I can’t see through your fake loyalty? It’s pathetic. You pretend to be loyal to mother’s cause, yet you’ve fallen in love with Prince Barrett. It’s obvious. You have no intention of killing him.”
“You doubt me?” Slaine asked. “Come. I shall kill Endellion right now.”
“I don’t doubt you’d slit Endellion’s throat without a shudder,” Teagan said, “but you won’t kill Barrett. You’d never kill Barrett. Which is why I’m issuing a change of plan.”
“What do you mean?”
“Dear sister,” Teagan said sweetly. “You’re coming with me.”
Slaine scoffed. “No. I’m not.”
“Oh, but you are. I have big plans for you.”
Teagan snapped her fingers. Moments later, they were surrounded by Seelie guards. But when Slaine stepped toward Teagan, they closed in on Slaine, protecting Teagan.
“You see, you have no friends here, and your precious husband is off on a mission to rescue Ivy.”
Slaine shook her head. “No. He wouldn’t do that.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. His child may grow in your belly, but it’s not you he loves. It’s never been you, and it never will be.”
“Shut up!” Slaine screamed.
And there, in Slaine’s anger, was the truth.
Teagan stepped forward, slipping the dagger from her belt. Testing its weight, she sliced through the air as she approached before, aiming it at Slaine’s swollen belly.
“You wouldn’t,” she whispered. “You wouldn’t dare.”
Slaine staggered back several paces until her back hit the wall.
“Wouldn’t I?” Teagan met Slaine’s eyes, seeing the doubt that clouded her stare. “You’re coming with me. I have such an important job for you to do. Only then will I forgive your betrayal.”
Slaine’s eyes darted back and forth, searching for a way out, but there was none. She had no choice but to do Teagan’s bidding, and they all knew it. Her sister’s throat bobbed with a thick swallow.
“What is it you want me to do?” she asked.
A slow, malicious smile spread across Teagan’s lips.
“You’re going to kill Juliet McKinnon,” she said.
Chapter Twenty Six
The brag had almost caught his gaze, but Ardan had looked away just in time.
Closing his eyes, he attacked with a black ribbon of Unseelie magic, which tangled with a bright blue streak of Winter. He ignored the sound of Fae bodies falling behind him. His power snaked around the shadowy creature, whose eyes glowed a fiery red. The creature screamed in anguish, and with a single jerk, Ardan silenced it forever. It flew apart in ash-like fragments that drifted quietly to the floor.
Winter and Unseelie forces had fought their way into an open chamber just large enough to allow for movement and small enough to prevent escape. The scene dissolved into chaos. Hellhounds leapt over Brags, locking their iron-like jowls onto Winter and Unseelie guards alike, while Red Caps stayed low to the ground, sinking their needle-like teeth into ankles and thighs. But Ardan had been bitten by them so many times since his childhood, he fought through the pain as he moved forward. It was fight or die, and Ardan had no intention of cutting his life short before he reached Ivy.
Beside him, Padraic struck out with his dagger, injuring creature after creature just before he strangled them with tendrils of Unseelie magic. Behind him, Bear struck forward with fingers that sharpened into blades at the end, spinning to avoid attacks and thrusting to counter, as body after body dropped in his wake. As much as he hated to admit it, Bear was a solid ally and a good fighter. He still despised the bastard, but he was definitely useful.
The orange eyes of a Laltog sparked through the darkness, heading straight toward Padraic. With an icy blast, Ardan blew the creature off course until he tumbled to the ground, frozen like an icicle. A popsicle, Ivy would say. The thought of her ignited a new fire within him, a rage burning so hot and so bright that he was still fighting, lashing out with dark blasts of magic, even when no creatures remained to hurt or kill.
“Ardan, stop,” Padraic said gently. “They’re gone. You can stop fighting.”
Ardan stilled his movements in the dark silence, his breaths coming in panicked gasps. If he lost Ivy, there would be no recovering. No salvation. No forgiveness. All the goodness that remained would die with her.
“We have to get to Ivy now,” Padraic whispered. “And Juliet.They’re going to be okay, Ardan. I swear it on my life.”
Swallowing back his adrenaline, Ardan slipped his dagger back in its sheath and nodded. Behind him, Fae guards struck stones together, their sparks igniting torches that had fallen dark during the fight. The ashes of Brags were scattered across the rocky floor, along with the bodies of Hellhounds and Red Caps, Laltogs and even a few Leprechauns. Ardan shuddered. Teagan had outdone herself in the gaining of allies. She had somehow managed to unite the entire darkling world to do her bidding. Clearly, she was planning to finish what Alena had started. She wanted to conquer the entire Seelie Realm.
He only hoped they could reach Ivy before she was beyond saving.
Images of her broken body rose like ill omens behind his closed lids as he struggled for air. He fought to wipe his mind clean. Ivy needed him, and his fear was only getting in the way.
“We’ll get to her in time,” Barrett said. He placed a steadying hand on Ardan’s arm.
Rage, raw and unbridled, surged through him at the gesture.
Ardan shook off his touch, and without acknowledgment, he stormed further into the Unseelie mines. They needed Barrett’s help in order to find Ivy and Jules, but that didn’t mean Ardan had to like it. That didn’t mean he took pleasure in picturing Ivy’s face when she saw that the first lover she welcomed to her bed stormed the Unseelie mines like some human vision of a white knight to help rescue her from the darkness. The thought of it was enough to make Ardan tremble.
Memories of the way her eyes softened toward Bear whenever she saw him made Ardan sick to his stomach. It made him want to wheel around and slit Bear’s throat. Nothing of the sort was possible, of course. If he ever harmed Bear, Ivy would never forgive him. And he could never hurt Ivy, no matter what she still felt for her former guard.
“How much longer can this darkness possibly continue?” Ardan barked.
“We have to be getting closer,” Padraic said. “We’ve been moving for hours.”
They’d been traveling through the darkness
for what seemed like an eternity. The further they went, the more narrow the passages became. Laltogs were the size of Fae when they were upright. They wouldn’t be able to walk or fly if the passages grew any smaller. Unless there was some kind of alternate entrance to the Unseelie Mines, Ardan didn’t know how they’d ever managed to get to the chambers that opened wide at the ends of the shafts. Or so Ardan had been told. He’d never actually ventured this far. He’d never been brave enough, though he had spent half his childhood studying the map in his father’s office, plotting to run away and join the darklings.
As if they would have welcomed him.
The one thing he knew about Laltogs was their absolute hatred and distrust of the Seelie Fae. Though they tolerated the Unseelies, there was no love lost between them. King Fhaescratch wouldn’t hesitate to kill Ivy after he’d harvested as much of her blood as he wanted. He wouldn’t hesitate to burn the entire Fae world to the ground and laugh as it turned to ash. The irony of it all was that Teagan had orchestrated this entire charade. If Fhaescratch actually succeeded in conquering the Seelie Realm, he’d turn on Teagan and kill her, taking all the glory for himself. She had made a deal with the darkness, and sooner or later, she’d pay the price.
Suddenly, a scream echoed off the cavern walls from somewhere in the distance.
“That was Ivy,” Bear said quietly.
Again, they heard a cry, long, loud, and full of anguish. It was Ivy, and the sound of it was like the heaviness of death weighing down upon him. It reminded him of the wailing cry of a banshee just before a loved one died.
The thought stopped him in his tracks. Slowly, he turned to Padraic.
His brother stared straight ahead, but he didn’t see anything. He had heard the same desperate cry Ardan had, and he’d come to the same dark realization. Only one thing could draw that kind of anguish from Ivy.
Something was wrong with Jules.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
“Ivy, thank God!”
Jules was leaning over her when Ivy blinked back to life. She felt as if she had been dead or sleeping for centuries.
“How long was I out?” Ivy asked.
Her mouth was dry as dust, and she tried to push herself up, but she was too weak.
“Here, let me help,” Jules said. “You’ve been out at least a couple of hours. I thought you would never wake up.”
Jules lifted Ivy as if she weighed no more than a feather, settling her against the wall in a seated position. Jules handed her a cup.
“Fhaescratch said for you to drink this,” she said. “He said it would help you regain your strength.”
“What is it?” Ivy asked.
Jules shrugged. “I don’t know, but it smells disgusting.”
Ivy brought the mug to her nose and took a whiff. “Ugh!” she said, fighting off a gag.
It smelled briny, like the ocean. There was no way she could choke that down. She didn’t care how weak and lightheaded she felt. She set the mug down beside her and sighed, her vision clearing and then blurring. She felt hungover.
Leaning forward with the moonstone, Jules examined Ivy’s neck. “When I heard you scream, I thought I’d go crazy. Did he…hurt you?”
Ivy shivered as she recalled the way Fhaescratch’s fangs had pierced her vein, the pleasure that followed the pain. “As weird and messed up as this is going to sound, it was…not bad…you know, in a completely vile sort of way.”
“Explain,’ Jules demanded, leaning closer.
Ivy thought back to the visions that filled her mind as the Laltog King had drank from her. “I don’t know exactly how it all works, but it’s like he put all my steamiest moments with Ardan on instant replay in my mind as he drank. Like he was controlling my thoughts to make the experience better.”
“Kinky,” Jules said, “who could’ve guessed we’d get kidnapped by blood-sucking bats only to wind up in a weird lair of sensual mind control. I mean, the whole situation is totally messed up, but seriously? What are the odds?”
Ivy would have laughed, but she was too weak. At least Jules’ moonstone was still working, but in the light, something caught her eye. She zeroed in on Jules’ shoulder, the strap of her dress dark and damp with blood.
“What happened to you?” Ivy asked. “What did they do to you? Is that a stab wound?”
“Nothing a little Laltog blood couldn’t fix,” Jules said.
“Laltog blood? Now it’s your turn to explain.”
“Teagan paid me a visit. She has some serious jealousy issues.”
“Oh, my God, are you okay? Is anything broken? You’re lucky she didn’t kill you.”
“Like I said, I’m fine now.” She pulled away the strap of her dress to reveal the pink puckering of a scar. “I stabbed the bitch in the leg with an iron bar.”
“Shut up!” Ivy shrieked. “Did you really?”
Jules smiled. “I totally did. I’m pretty sure she was about to kill me after that. Fhaescratch got to me before she could finish me off.”
“What did he do to her?”
“When Fhaescratch brought you back, he was pretty pissed off at Teagan. Apparently, he doesn’t like it when other people play with his food before he can get to it.” She shrugged. “Anyway, he reminded her that I wasn’t hers to kill. Evidently, he was eager for dessert, but he doesn’t like it tenderized first. So he made me drink his blood. Fixed me right up.”
“You drank Laltog blood?” Ivy asked.
“That’s what I just said. I mean, it’s not like I had a choice in the matter. At least I’m not dead.”
And Ivy was totally relieved about that fact, but something was troubling her. “He didn’t mention what having Laltog blood in your system could do to you, did he? Like weird side effects?”
“No, he just said it would heal me. It did.” She scooted the mug toward Ivy. “I know this smells like cankered ass, but will you please drink it? It would be nice to have you at full battery power if Teagan decides to pay another delightful visit.”
A noise behind them startled Ivy. Jumping, her hand knocked into the mug, spilling its contents over the rocky floor in a putrid wave of stench. Well, so much for full battery power. Ivy’s stomach tied itself into an intricate knot as a quiet shuffling grew louder. Then, the door to the cell creaked open, a metal on metal screeching that made Ivy crazy.
Now what? Had Fhaescratch come for more?
Jules rose to her feet, shining the moonstone toward the noise. A shadow moved beside the wall.
Adrenaline surged through Ivy’s veins, sobering her up despite her weakness. Finally, a figure stepped into the light. Ivy’s gaze traveled up a pair of long legs and settled on a belly swollen with pregnancy. Her stomach writhed as she snapped her gaze onto Slaine’s twisted expression.
“Slaine?” Ivy said. “What are you doing here?”
She didn’t respond with words. Instead, she reached behind her back, drawing forth a bow. Then, she plucked an arrow from the quiver and loaded it.
“I am Teagan’s sister and my mother’s daughter. What do you think I’m doing here, Princess?”
She pulled back the bowstring, its lethal point aimed ahead. “My mother is dead. My only family is raising an army against the Seelie Realm. I had to pick a side. This is me picking a side.”
“But what about Bear?” Ivy asked. “He’s your family. If you go through with this, he’ll never forgive you. He’ll never look upon you with anything but hate. There’s no coming back from this.”
Too weary to reach to climb to her feet, Ivy tugged on Jules’ dress, urging her back toward the wall. “Stay behind me,” Ivy whispered.
“Because hiding behind you while you die is an option right now. Um, I’ll choose option B.”
But Ivy had a feeling there was no option B. The look on Slaine’s face communicated everything. Ivy and Slaine were still enemies. Ivy had killed Slaine’s mother. Slaine had stolen Bear and damaged him in ways he might never recover from.
“Slaine, think abo
ut this,” Ivy said. “Think of Bear.”
“Let’s not pretend I care about Barrett,” Slaine snapped. “Isn’t that what you’ve all been thinking all along? That I can’t be trusted? That I only used him to carry the heir to his throne? That my plan all along has been to kill Endellion, kill Barrett, and steal the throne? Isn’t that what you’ve been thinking?”
“I don’t know what to think,” Ivy whispered. “But you don’t have to do this. You don’t have to kill me.”
Slaine laughed then. She threw her entire head back with a maniacal sound that sent chills through Ivy’s body. Concentrating, Ivy gathered her magic in her chest—what little was left. It was weak, but still, she felt its power humming through her veins. If she could strike below the waist, the baby wouldn’t be harmed.
“Oh, Princess, I’m not here for you,” Teagan laughed. “I’m here for her.”
Ivy unleashed her magic just as Slaine aimed at Jules and released the arrow.
She’d hit Slaine, but it hadn’t caused more than a minor injury. Ivy’s magic was too weak, and Slaine was already running from the cell, slamming the door behind her.
“She’s gone, Jules,” Ivy said weakly.
She wasn’t sure she even had the strength to turn her head, but when Jules didn’t reply, she forced her head to the side. Ivy had to blink to make sure what she saw in front of her was real.
Jules—her best friend in the entire world, her sister—was pinned against the wall by the arrow protruding from her neck.
As if someone had splashed a bucket of freezing water over her head, Ivy was sober in an instant. She rose shakily to her feet, panic rising from her chest to her eyes as she took Jules’ shoulders. But it was too late. Jules’ head lulled to one side, a trickle of blood leaking from the corner of her mouth.
“No!” Ivy screamed. “No!”
She yanked the arrow from the wall and lowered her friend to the floor. She placed her ear over Jules’ heart, trying to detect a heartbeat, but there was nothing, no pulse. Her death must have been instant. Shaking, Ivy pulled the arrow from Jules’ throat and threw it to the side. Blood oozed from the wound in the hollow of her throat. Giving into a sob, Ivy closed the lids to her friend’s vacant eyes.