“You look hungry,” he murmured.
My gaze locked on his sensual mouth.
Whoever he was, eating from his hand was a terrible idea. The fae believed that food could be used to control others, to poison their minds, to enslave.
Still, I was desperate to taste it. I wanted to bite through the skin into the fruit, to feel its sweet tang on my tongue. I wanted to lick the juice off the beautiful man’s fingertips just like he wanted me to. I closed my eyes, and I could almost savor the sweet sting on my tongue.
“Taste it,” he said, “and tell me where she is.”
“Who?” I asked. “I don’t imagine you’re talking about Gina.”
He arched an eyebrow. “No, I have no idea who Gina is. Are you playing coy with me?”
He wasn’t after the World Key, which seemed strange. Nor did he want to know about Nova Ys, or the athame. Who was she?
He took another step closer, holding the ripe fruit to my lips. The hunger overwhelmed me. I stared into his dusky eyes—like a twilight sky over a burning city.
Gina. We were talking about Gina. Now, at least, my mind was clear.
Surprise flickered in his eyes when I took a step back, then another. I’d ripped my mind free of his allure. Clarity scrubbed my thoughts clean of all the confusion and panic, and the words of the portal spell rang in my brain.
“Egoriel Lyr, warre daras.”
I spoke the words that would bring me to Lyr.
I took another step back, and the stone ground opened up beneath me. I sank into the glorious embrace of the cold portal water. My arms floated over my head as I drifted in deeper, heading for Lyr.
When I looked up, I saw that I’d come into the portal alone. The bright-eyed man—the one who smelled of pomegranates and smoke—hadn’t followed.
Blood from my shoulder and my side pooled around me in crimson swirls. My mind was dimming, flickering with old memories—blood and blades, a pearl-studded goblet.
She of the poisoned blood. Death spills from her….
I could hand Lyr over to the fuath, and maybe they’d give me Gina back.
It was just … I really didn’t want to hand him over to get tortured. There had to be another way to get Gina back.
The toxins from the iron bullet soaked into my muscles, making them freeze up as I drifted through the portal. My thoughts were slipping by, like blood spilling through water.
As the water pulled me under, I realized I could have gone anywhere in the world with the key around my neck. Anywhere in any world. The spell on it had been unlocked, and the power was in my control.
And out of all the places in the world I could go, I’d chosen to join him.
The absurdity of this hit me only after I’d plunged into the portal, and then my whole world went dark.
* * *
My eyes opened a bit as Lyr pulled me from the portal. The iron had worked its way through my system, making my muscles cramp.
I glanced over at a tile floor, where the portal closed up behind me. To my relief, no one else came through.
Violent nausea roiled in my stomach. I rolled over onto my hands and knees and heaved up a little bit of Shira’s latte.
I felt the sharp sting of the chain pulling against my neck as Lyr ripped the World Key off.
That was what he was interested in?
I turned to him, anger rising along with another dry heave. “I came back to you half dead and you just want the necklace?”
“Aenor.” Lyr’s voice was soft as he cut me off, holding up the key. “This is what was making you feel sick. It’s part of the spell. The fuath managed to weaken the spell, but it’s still there, poisoning anyone who uses the key. Only I can use it without consequences.”
“Oh.” My whole body was shaking. My teeth were chattering wildly. Everything about me felt completely wrong right now.
I felt Lyr pull me close to him, and I rested my head on his chest. I let myself lean against him.
“What happened?” he asked.
Let’s see…. “Shot once, iron bullet. Stabbed. They have Gina.” I thought that just about covered it.
But the warmth of his body radiated around me, and I could hear my heartbeat. I closed my eyes, and Lyr lifted me, carrying me to another room.
I looked up into his determined face, at the stark line between his eyebrows. His eyelashes were so shockingly black against the blue of his eyes.
A sound like the rushing of water filled the room. Whatever instinct had propelled me back to him had been the right one, because Lyr was the only one who’d know how to fix this spell situation.
My thoughts were drifting back again to Ys, to my mother combing through my long hair as we sat at a mirror. She wore her bloodstained wedding gown, her mark of pride.
My teeth chattered again, and I curled into Lyr’s warm body. But he wasn’t letting me rest. In fact, he started to pull off my shirt.
“What are you doing?” I asked through chattering teeth.
“Helping you.”
I tugged it down again, making sure to keep my scars covered. “No.”
“Saltwater will help you heal,” he said.
“Saltwater can go through the fabric.”
He scooped me up and lifted me again. My vision was fuzzy, but with all the tile around us, I knew we were in a bathroom.
When he lowered me into warm water, fatigue wrapped around my mind, warm and soft. Steam kissed my bare skin. I kept my eyes closed.
“This will sting a bit,” he said. “I’m adding salt to the bath.”
“I have things to do,” I muttered.
“Not right now.”
I winced a bit as the salt stung my wounds.
Lyr’s warm hands gripped my shoulders, and I heard him murmur a low spell. Immediately, it started to soothe my pain.
Within moments, I could already feel the saltwater healing me, cleaning my open gashes. Then, Lyr’s magic whispered around me.
Should I tell him what the fuath wanted? I could hand him over in exchange for Gina. After all, he’d live. Gina was only a human, and she might not.
I forced my eyes open for a moment, looking at his golden skin, his cheeks a little pink in the warm steam of the bath. A few strands of his pale hair stuck to his face.
He met my gaze. “Close your eyes.” A warm, soothing voice that hummed over my skin.
I couldn’t give him up to be tortured, even if it made logical sense. If I handed over Lyr, I’d be condemning the entire kingdom of Nova Ys to an invading army.
Blast it.
I had no options.
Chapter 28
“Getting shot with iron really hurts,” I mumbled.
“Getting shot with anything hurts.”
“Iron especially.”
“Yes, I recently experienced that. Is that an apology for our first meeting, by the way?”
I sighed. “I suppose it is.”
“Be thankful you’re alive,” he said, “and didn’t have to spend any time in the sea hell.”
I was trying to work out some sort of plan, but my body felt completely wrong, and my thoughts flitted by like autumn leaves in the wind. My mind danced with images of Ys, of the sun streaming through oaks and palm trees onto a soft, mossy ground. Bonfires burned in the orchards under a canopy of stars.
“The only thing consistent about you, Aenor, is your ability to surprise me,” said Lyr. “Why did you come back here to me instead of escaping to England with your key?”
Steam curled around me in the bath.
Sweat rolled down my temple. How hot was this bath? “Because I’ve learned about Nova Ys, and I feel responsible for it, even if they all hate me. And also, the fuath have Gina. They are threatening to hurt her unless we tell them how to get to Nova Ys. I need to get her back.”
When I glanced at him, I saw a flicker of the Ankou—his tattoos. “Clearly, we are not going to sacrifice a kingdom for one human. We need to stay focused on the athame.”
; My eyes snapped open. “We can’t let her die.”
He splashed the warm, salty water over my body. “Finding the athame is the fastest way to stop them.”
“We could get Gina first, before they cut her fingers off.”
“Why would they cut her fingers off?”
“Hang on. I can use the bath to get a glimpse of her. It will work as a scrying mirror.” I leaned forward, trying to get a good look at the bathwater.
Then, I blinked as sparkled flecks danced before my eyes and my vision went dark. “Hang on.”
“Relax, Aenor.”
“Gina’s allergic to nuts. She needs an EpiPen, and she can’t eat anything unless she has one.”
“She needs a what?”
My pulse raced. “It’s medicine to keep her alive if she eats nuts. When I ran through the market in Acre, there were pistachios and almonds everywhere. Particles in the air. She won’t do well here.”
He looked baffled. “Humans can die from eating nuts?”
“Some can.”
Lyr pressed his hand on my chest. “Your heart is still beating unnaturally fast. It’s like a hummingbird. Stop thinking about the human for two minutes.” He pressed on my chest. “Do you want to see Nova Ys?”
My kingdom? “Yes.”
A charge pulsed through his fingertips, and my mind spun with images of a sun-dappled orchard and a stone palace with spires that pierced the clouds. Ships with glittering masts bobbed in a nearby bay, and colored wildflowers spread out over a rolling hill. Singing filled the air—a little girl with a haunting, melodic voice. It was a song about a mermaid with a broken heart.
I could see her, now. She was making a wreath of dandelions, and her strawberry-red hair shone in the sun. Then, she smiled, handing me the wreath. “A crown.”
I glanced out at the bay and breathed in the fresh, salty air.
Lyr pulled his hand away, and the vision disappeared, popping like a bubble.
“How did you do that?”
“I just gave you one of my memories. Now you know what I’m trying to protect. Do you remember that song from Ys? It was an old children’s song.”
I shook my head. “No. I don’t remember singing.”
“Ah. My mother used to sing to me when I was little.”
Steam rose around me, and Lyr brushed his fingertips over the cut on my side. An electric thrill skimmed my skin. Gods help me, I liked being tended to by him.
“Let me see where they stabbed you.” He lifted my shirt just a little on the side, his fingertips radiating heat. Warmth poured through me.
Then, he stopped abruptly, fingers freezing in place.
With a shock of horror, I realized what he was looking at. He’d moved closer, staring at the scars on my belly, and I tugged down the hem of my shirt. His face was close to mine as he leaned over the tub. He let me tug down the hem of my shirt, but he kept his hand on my waist, his palm warming me through my shirt, like he was covering the marks protectively.
He kept his eyes locked on mine. “How did you get those scars?”
“It was a long time ago.”
“But how did you get them?”
I sat up straighter in the bath. “It was in London, not that long before you saw me ripping out Sam’s heart. I was walking when someone slammed a glass bottle over my head from behind. Another demon bit my neck. They said they hated fae, and women. They beat me unconscious and left me for dead. I woke up with the scars. Demons can be jerks, you know?”
“How do I find them?” Lyr barked.
I blinked at him. Was he … was he offering to avenge me? How gentlemanly and old fashioned.
“No, deathling,” I said. “I’m not waiting for you to avenge me. I already killed them a long time ago.”
“I hope you ripped out their ribs from their backs.”
“No, I used a revolver like a normal Victorian person. Then I killed Sam. Then I moved to Tennessee.”
“How did you end up living with a human?”
“I’ve lived with lots of them. Many in Tennessee, some in London. I help keep them safe. I met Gina when I killed the ancient demon who was preying on her. And now, I need to keep her safe from the fuath who have her captive.”
I rose to my knees in the bath, and I brushed my fingertips over the water’s surface. I chanted the scrying spell, and a tingle rippled up my neck as the magic started to take effect.
I stared, holding my breath, as an image took hold in the water. The image looked murky, but soon, Gina’s dark curls and copper skin came into view. She was lying on a pale stone floor with her hands tied behind her back. They hadn’t gagged her, at least. Her clothes were soaked though, probably from portal water.
“Do you know where that is?” I asked. “Is that the fortress in Acre?”
“It’s not our fortress.” He frowned. “It looks like Jerusalem stone.”
“So, she’s in Jerusalem?” I asked hopefully.
“It’s possible, but it exists elsewhere, too. I couldn’t say for sure.”
I gripped the tub’s edge, staring at her. “She’s only a kid.”
She must have been terrified. Was there something I could do to let her know I would come for her?
“I’m going to sing to her,” I said. “Brace yourself.”
I swirled the water in the bath, and I started singing—Miley Cyrus’s “Wrecking Ball.” I changed the lyrics, letting her know I was on my way to find her. The music wended its way through the water, vibrating through the scrying reflection.
I saw Gina’s eyes fly open. Then, she wiggled her body, swinging her legs around so she was sitting up. She’d heard me.
I touched the skin under my shirt where I’d been shot, and I found it totally healed over. Then, I brushed my fingertips over my side where the fuath had stabbed me. Smooth as silk.
“I’m healed,” I said. Relief and surprise bloomed in my chest. “But we need a new plan. I can’t just sit around random places trying to listen for an athame. We need something a little more substantial to go on. I want to end this all now.”
Lyr scrubbed a hand over his jaw. “You’re right. And I think I have an idea.” He quirked an eyebrow. “You rest for a bit. I’m going to get you more information from Beira.”
“The woman who thinks I’m destined to slaughter everyone.”
“She’s never been wrong before.”
“Mmm-hmm.”
I wasn’t going to try to cut off his head and fertilize Nova Ys with his blood, but it seemed I couldn’t convince him of that.
* * *
I woke to the scent of coffee, and already my mouth was watering. I sat up straight and looked around the apartment for the first time. It was tiny—one room combined with a kitchen. And it had obviously been decorated by someone with feminine tastes. Right now, Lyr was sitting on a white sofa surrounded by pink sequined throw cushions. A knitted unicorn blanket hung over the sofa behind him.
Elvis was playing from a laptop. It kind of felt like heaven.
Something seemed off about Lyr, though. Different. Maybe it was the fact that he’d set two plates of Froot Loops on the coffee table before him. Not bowls, plates—along with a knife and spoon lined up on a neatly folded napkin.
Maybe it was the fact that his entire body was dripping water onto a pastel unicorn blanket.
“I was just about to wake you,” he said.
I rubbed my eyes. “The smell of coffee woke me. You’re wet. Did you get to Beira?”
“Yes.”
“Did she reiterate that I’m evil?”
“I made you coffee.” He pointed to a mug on the bed next to me. “You seemed keen on it earlier.”
I raised my eyebrows. “You know how to make coffee?”
He glared at me with the offense of someone who was just asked if he knew how to read. “Coffee is a Ysian delicacy. Its ancient traditions were passed down to me by the finest coffee makers. Also, I found Nescafé.”
I picked up the mug, breathing in
the scent, and took a long sip. He’d added milk, and it tasted amazing. “How is Elvis playing?”
He nodded at the laptop. “God of music.”
“Please tell me the Witch gave you some useful information,” I said.
He shook his head. “I asked her how to find your human.”
I sat up straight. “And what did she say?”
“She said that Gina is in the city of the evening star.”
“What is that?”
Lyr lifted a hand, and a bright, bluish light shone above it, like a star. It transfixed me. “The evening star, deity of the dusk, was also known as Shalim. Or Salem. He gave his name to Jerusalem. And moreover, she said that the athame is there, too.”
I smiled. Finally, we had some direction. “Brilliant.”
He nodded. “We just have to get there first.”
“Well good thing we have the—” It was at this point that I realized what was different about him, and what exactly was missing. “Where is the World Key?”
“Beira doesn’t give out valuable information without a sacrifice. She asked for either the World Key … or you.”
My mouth opened and closed. “But— won’t she be able to rip open worlds and harvest demon armies, now?”
Lyr shook his head. “It’s only a temporary loan, and I strengthened the protective spell on it. She doesn’t want to use it, anyway. She just wants adoration. Giving her the key I protect has fed her need for love.”
“It doesn’t seem like quite a fair deal,” I said.
“It wasn’t just a bit of information.” Lyr reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, glowing, sea-green gem.
I stared at it in his palm, entranced. I wanted to snatch it up in my hands. “What is it?”
“A gem that once belonged to my mum’s family. Beira said it would stop you when you try to take my head off.”
I arched my eyebrow. “If I’m such an evil threat, then why are you telling me how I can be stopped? I could just steal that from you and I’d be unstoppable.”
He shrugged. “Two reasons. One, I can overpower you easily even without a magic gem, and two, maybe I like the thought of you crawling all over me and frantically trying to get into my trousers.”
Sea Fae Trilogy Page 17