by Chrissy Jaye
He stopped a couple feet away from us and caught up my hand before anyone could stop him, and bowed over it, pressing a kiss to the inside of my wrist. I snatched it back, afraid of what it meant that his touch didn’t make me uncomfortable or burn.
“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Arianna,” he said in a strong accent though I couldn’t place it. I wanted to say Asian of some sort, but his skin was pale, and the features didn’t quite match that of an Asian man. His outfit did though. The hat he wore was wide, like an upside-down bowl, black and covered in small electric blue symbols. Under his matching black cloak, I caught sight of more black, except in silk this time, and the same blue symbols stitched into them.
“The pleasure’s all mine. Thank you for coming,” I replied as I fought the urge to wipe my hand on my dress. The response was automatic after he touched me, not because it was uncomfortable in the usual way another's touch bothered me, but because it creeped me out with how familiar he was being with me. No one had schooled me in what I should say, so I went with stiff and formal. Maybe they couldn’t, or they just hadn’t thought too but, in that moment, I was cursing them for not giving me more preparation. Instead, they’d let Esper waste hours playing dress up with me.
Asher stepped forward, putting himself slightly between me and the man. “She’s prepared a meal for you and her house. She insisted actually, that everyone be present as it wouldn’t be fair.” For some reason, the way he said it made it sound like he was proud, almost showing me off. I cocked my head and stared at the side of his face I could see, daring him to look at me. Cole barely covered his snort of laughter behind his hand. Asher sent me a covert wink, as he steered the man away from us while the rest of us released a breath.
Esper appeared at my side, almost brushing against me, but Ford pulled Cole and I backward at the last second. “He’ll expect you to attend him. Sit to his left and just…” She eyed me for a moment, the leaves in her hair quivering along with her pointed ears, “be yourself.”
I really wanted to roll my eyes at her. It took every effort not to and I must have failed because she gave me a fearful look that sent foreboding through me. Be myself? That had to be a laugh, didn’t it? I wasn’t allowed to wear whatever I wanted, and she seemed to switch back and forth between proud mother and crazy grandma. Still, I didn’t dislike her, so I just smiled at her, doing my best to reassure her even though I was sure of nothing right now.
“Let’s go sit. Asher’s already seated him, but no one else will sit unless you do. It’s your party.” Ford pulled on my hand, taking me away from Cole who let go reluctantly. I threw him a panicked look over my shoulder as I was led away from him, but he just returned it with a cocky smile and a wink. He was probably trying to reassure me, but it had not helped. I made sure to think that at him very loudly and felt victory when he winced.
Dinner passed with surprising ease. Like the first dinner I shared with the guys, we all filled plates for the person to our right. The only words the Lord of Shadows shared with me were to thank me when I handed over his plate with a small smile. I’d thought he would try to touch me again, but he didn’t. He spent the entirety of the meal talking quietly with Asher.
Around us, the Fae were in high spirits. I spent my time taking small bites of my chili while fighting down the fire building in my blood. What had started as a buzz that morning was turning into an inferno. It was nearing painful and impossible to ignore. I tried to distract myself by eavesdropping on a table nearby but only caught a few words.
Cole was seated to my left and kept putting his hand on my knee, which helped distract me enough to keep me sane whenever the buzzing grew too intense. Every time his hand brushed my leg, it abated just enough to become tolerable. I nearly sagged in relief when Esper suggested we retire to the library for a private tea. Once I stood, I was immediately sandwiched between Ford and Cole, each of them taking a hand to escort me.
Instead of heading up the stairs, Esper led us to a part of the ground floor I hadn’t yet explored. I knew every inch of the fourth floor, but the rest of the house was still a mystery, except for the common areas. She threw the doors open to reveal a room three times the size of the library upstairs. This one was filled to the brim with shelves of books.
“Shoo,” Esper hissed at two will-o-wisps who had followed us. I heard them giggle, more like a tinkling of bells than laughter, as they shimmered away. The blue fairy, Garrold, followed us with a tea tray made of what looked like real silver. In the very center of the room was a lounge area with plush chairs and a couch with a small table set in the middle. Garrold set his tray on it and stepped back to stand beside Esper while Cole pulled me onto the couch between him and Ford.
The Lord of Shadows roved his eyes over us all, completely expressionless before cutting his eyes toward Garrold.
“Leave.”
The words were cold and forceful. Garrold visibly paled, if that’s even possible for someone with such pale blue skin - he was nearly translucent. His cat eyes glimmered for a moment, and then he shimmered, turning into blue smoke and glitter before zipping out the door we’d entered through. As soon as he cleared the threshold, the doors slammed closed, echoing throughout the room. Every easy feeling I’d collected during dinner slipped away, and I visibly shuddered.
The Lord’s blue eyes snapped to me before I felt something press into me. Not against my body, but inside my head. My grip on Ford’s hand doubled as I fought against it. A sharp cry escaped my lips as my eyes bore into the man before me. I just knew it was him and the cruel smile on his face only confirmed it.
The pressure built even higher, biting into me like a knife, looking for a weakness to exploit. My whole body was rigid in the effort it took to keep it at bay. I couldn’t focus on anything else around me though I heard the din of alarmed voices and felt two sets of hands on me.
Then the world snapped. I jackknifed off the couch, clutching my head as it throbbed painfully.
“…isn’t necessary, Uncle,” I heard Asher say, his voice barely controlled.
Arms gathered me up, but before I could focus on who it was, I felt a mental tug, pulling me backward into nothingness.
Chapter Seventeen
Bea
My eyes snapped open, barely able to contain the rage I felt as I came forward after dragging Aria to the well. She’d thank me for it later.
“Finally,” I muttered aloud, pushing myself out of the pretty one’s arms as he peered at me with blue eyes. The emotion he’d been showing in them shuttered. He noticed the change straight away. I gave him my prettiest smile and turned to the next man. The big, muscled blonde glowered at me. A pity. Him, I knew pretty well, and he never seemed to like me, even when I was doing everything I could to keep my host alive. And not just for me. I could be reborn if I wanted. I did it for them. For our soul. Plus, the magician was still fairly new to Fae life, only being about fifty years older than Aria. I winked at him and moved on.
“Beanath, how lovely to see you again,” Berrick, the self-appointed Lord of Shadows drawled. I growled low in my throat before cutting him a glare. I’d get to him. I had something more important to deal with than a petty, broken Maker. I turned in a slow circle, looking for the empath.
“You absolute idiot,” I snarled, gutting him with a bit of his own power. “Do you realize the damage you could do to her?” I advanced toward him slowly, noting that he didn’t back away. That was stupid of him. Then the telepath stepped in front of him, blocking his twin and glaring at me with his pretty, flashing, green peepers. He was so much like his mother, it could be jarring. Nothing like his twin at all who seemed to internalize everything. You’d think an empath would know better, but no. Not him. He had to be so damned stubborn, it made my jaw ache.
“I’d move if I were you. I’ve had a while to stew over this and no one is going to stop me from having my say.” He gulped at my words but stood his ground, leaning toward me while his twin merely watched me with wide eyes.
>
Good. I hoped he was afraid. I’d heal him up after I was done.
“It isn’t your place, Bea. It’s Aria’s,” the telepath implored. At the mention of her name, I let my awareness skim the well and sighed in relief when I found her walking the path. She was out of it, but I’d see her in a few minutes. “Hell, I’ll yell at him again for the ten-thousandth time later, if it will make you happy. There isn’t anything you could say to him that he hasn’t said to himself over and over.”
With each word, my anger cooled a fraction. I kept Aria in the back of my mind, using her to anchor me. Fae emotions were so much stronger with us split the way we were. The Maker had done what she could to make it more bearable, but it wasn’t enough anymore.
I turned away from the empath. It was easier to get myself under control without him in my sights. I could still smell him, but not enough to keep my anger inflamed.
Everyone but Berrick relaxed in the room. The tension, so thick only moments ago, flickered out, like fireflies headed to their rest after a long night of guiding the spirits home. I turned toward Berrick and gave him a mental shove, pulling on the power of sway from the pretty Fae. It worked like a physical blow, pushing him flat in his chair, unable to stop me. It had been a long time since I’d seen him, back before his sister murdered my last host, shattering my soul into more pieces.
The banshee probably regretted that now, not knowing then that whatever she did to one, happened to all. Herself included.
“You were going to trick Aria into a deal, weren’t you?” I asked Berrick softly, taking small steps toward him, careful to keep the empath out of my line of sight. I didn’t trust myself not to turn on him again. “In exchange for what? A promise to break the spell. Which of course you know you can’t do since half your soul refuses to be reborn.”
I didn’t give him a chance to speak. I knew already. I’d felt it the moment he’d settled his mind toward her from his own realm. I’d spent all day trying to come forward, but it was harder with the guys around her. And then Berrick had done something stupid, he’d broken through and let me out. Such a careless mistake. “What slight were you going to use?”
He flinched when I threw the accusation out at him, but he didn’t answer. I pulled more sway from the pretty one, his nephew, and threw it at Berrick. He gagged for a moment, comically gnawing on his own tongue in an attempt to fight it. I laughed at his pitiful attempt. How stupid was he? We were almost at full power.
“The chicken in the meal,” he bit out, gasping for air, unable to fight me any longer. The disgust I felt for him intensified, forcing me forward a step before I managed to stop myself.
I had to be careful. We might be more powerful than him, but he could do damage to her just by touch alone. He’d already tried to tamper with her shadow, but I’d managed to block him just in time. I couldn’t give him another chance. There was a reason he was called the Lord of Shadows.
I stared at him for a few minutes longer as I mulled over my options. It needed to be something simple to fit the needs of a magical contract. Technically, his intent was enough, but it had to be air tight or it wouldn’t bind. I started pacing in front of him, pleased when his eyes followed every step, telling me how nervous he was.
“Here’s what’s going to happen,” I said, lacing my voice with a sickly-sweet tone. “You came here with the intent to harm before you were slighted. What was it?” I asked momentarily distracted by the chicken. “Did you choke on chicken bone while I slept at some point? Last I recalled, you adored chickens.” It had to be a real slight, petty or otherwise for him to trick her into a deal. I scoffed at him when he didn’t answer. I made a mental note to find out and tell the Maker. She’d get a good laugh out of it.
“Okay back on track. By the laws that govern our people, you’ve offended me, and whatever offends me, offends the maker and her soul.” The pretty one sat forward from his seat, throwing me a devastating grin that turned his features feral. The big magician’s eyes sparkled with mirth which was met by deep chuckles behind me from the telepath.
They were loving this. Good. This was suddenly so exciting.
“In payment, you’ll owe us a favor. If you don’t pay when called upon, your shadows will be locked out of making bargains with humans until payment is met.” I paused a moment to pull on the empath’s power, trying to gage how well Berrick was taking this. I was petty enough to relish in his discomfort. But they wouldn’t come. I couldn’t call on the power. A growl rose in my throat, annoyed that the broody twin was being such a pain in the ass. Instead, I grabbed ahold of the telepath. Thoughts were harder to read than tasting emotions, but it would do in a pinch.
Berrick’s thoughts were shielded, but I slipped into a crack he’d missed, intentionally expanding my awareness as I broke through, making the crack wider. He grunted in pain and tried to seal it, but I already had what I needed. He was terrified of me.
Delicious. This next bit was going to hurt even more.
“If you outright refuse, you forfeit destiny You’ll spend the rest of eternity with a broken soul.” I let the last condition hang in the air. The sprite I hadn’t even noticed before gasped while the men nodded or grunted in appreciation. Internally, I purred at their praise. If Berrick refused, he would never have a full soul again. Which meant he couldn’t. Even better was that because I’d presented it as a slight, so the magic wouldn’t lash back on the other Makers. He would be the only one without a destiny, a chance to redeem himself in the eyes of the curse.
“Bargain struck,” he replied softly. So softly, I almost didn’t hear it. But even if I’d missed it, I wouldn’t have missed the magic wrapping itself around us. It swelled before it singed itself like a brand into the fabric of our souls. Magic, unlike most things, followed a very strict set of rules when unguided. It was unbreaking and unrelenting, a living tool that kept the world swimming in the natural balance.
Once the magic settled, Berrick stood and strode from the room. Everyone watched him go in silence, an air of triumph singing through the air. The doors slammed behind him as he left.
Aria
“Hello? Bea?” I called into the fog. As soon as I’d appeared here, I instantly recognized the well for what it was and knew I was safe. It made me uncomfortable though, because I didn’t like the fact that I’d forgotten my visits here. Once when I’d met Bea and another time with Asher. Both times should have been unforgettable, especially the second, yet it had slipped my mind. Though the feelings that had stirred between us hadn’t left me entirely. I’d known when I’d woken that whatever dream I’d had was about him. Now I knew that it actually happened.
I called out to Bea again, but still she didn’t appear. I wanted her to, this place felt so lonely without her. The silence was nearly insufferable. After a few minutes of waiting, I gave up and started to wander, noting the small changes that had taken place. Not the fog, it was still there, swirling in places and still in others. The differences were in the glass that surrounded the well. It looked more stable, less warped than before. The gravel path I’d appeared on was different too, bits of gray flagstone set into it every few feet. The well was changing, becoming something new entirely. There were no longer trees, in their place were rose bushes with white and red flowers, full and covered in droplets of water that made them lovelier somehow.
I followed the path, searching for the center, eager to see the well itself, but the longer I walked, the further away from it I felt even though I’d been so close to it only moments ago. When I turned to go back the way I came, the feeling just grew more intense. The fog swirled around, almost as if responding to my growing nerves. Just when I decided to give up, I heard my name in the distance, like a hushed whisper that echoed through the well. I stopped, turning my head to search for the source. I almost recognized the voice but couldn’t place it. It felt familiar and safe.
“She’s calling,” Bea said, suddenly next to me with her arm looped through mine.
“Who i
s?” I asked, startled by her appearance. “What’s happening?”
“The Maker. She’s trapped somewhere. I’ve been searching for our connection to her, but I’ve only been able to exchange a few words with her.”
I cocked my head to the side, listening as my name echoed around us again, trying to figure out where it was coming from. “She sounds sad.”
“I expect she is. But we can’t help her until the bond is complete,” Bea said, her voice growing firm, intent. “You have to make him, Aria. He won’t do it himself. You’ll have to force it on him.”
“You mean Bastian?” I asked. It had to be him. He was the only one of the guys who hadn’t touched me yet. Something was holding him back. “I don’t want to force him.”
“I know, but it isn’t because he doesn’t want it. It’s because he’s atoning,” Bea explained softly. I turned to her, pulling back a little to search her face. She looked addled, but her face was fierce, determined.
“What happened with the Lord of Shadows?”
“I’ve dealt with him,” she said firmly, pulling me back to her, removing the distance I’d put there. I got the impression that she didn’t like the space between us anymore than I liked the space between me and the rest of the world. “First things first, though. Isn’t that what we always say?” I felt her dazzling smile next to me and relaxed into her side.
“Yes. First things first,” I replied.
Chapter Eighteen