Salem, on the other hand, was someone I couldn’t run from. Not yet.
I swam faster, blood pounding as I rushed through the water. I didn’t stray far from the shoreline, hugging it as I swam south along the coast.
Slowly, it started to dawn on me what was wrong with the sea around me.
It was ever so slightly too hot. Just a degree or two. I wasn’t sure how I could tell, but it just felt warmer than it should be. Had that single Fomorian been able to change it so fast?
As I swam, I heard the drumbeat in my mind again. Salem, watching me, wherever I went. With that sinister rhythm pounding over my skin, I felt an overwhelming desire to turn and head for the shore.
As the drum pounded through my blood, I called to mind the image of a clear bubble. Except Salem’s magic seemed to be about sound, and the image in my mind did nothing to keep it out. Inside my mind, I imagined a song, trying to drown out the drumbeat for just a moment—
But his magic boomed louder, and I found myself compelled to turn for the shore, moving at a fast clip.
I’d done it, though, for just a moment. I’d started to resist him.
When I stepped out onto the shoreline, the first thing I saw was a Lincoln Town Car parked by the street, windows shaded black. Already, I knew it belonged to Salem.
I glanced behind me, my breath stuttering at the sight of Gwydion coming for me, sword drawn. Lyr strode from the sea right behind him. He gripped the binding collar.
Fear tightened my throat, and I rushed for the car like Salem was my salvation. I wrenched open the rear door, throwing myself into the back seat. One last glance at the sea, and I saw them running for me at full speed.
“Drive!” I shouted.
I hadn’t even had a chance to get a look at the driver when the car pulled out at shocking speed. I slammed back into the leather seats, scrambling to right myself. As the driver took a sharp turn, I grasped frantically for the seatbelt. He was leaning on the gas with frightening aggression, but I guessed the situation called for it.
A magical attack spell slammed into the car, and I hit the seat in front of me before I could get the belt on. Gods, are they going to kill us?
I tumbled again as the driver took a sharp turn, smacking against the door. As the driver sped around yet another corner, I managed to grab hold of a seatbelt and jam it into place with the full force of my will.
I turned, looking through the rear window. Distantly, I saw the crackle of magic through the streets. Still, we’d lost them.
It was at this point that I smelled the air, which was thick with marijuana. For the first time, I glanced at the driver.
In the front seat was a large, slender fae gripping the wheel, with a spliff hanging out of his mouth. The streetlights flickered over him as he sped past them, and I could see that he wore a crooked crown of dandelions threaded into his messy platinum curls.
“Aenor,” he said. “You made this pickup harder than it needed to be, you know. Ruined my chill vibe in here.”
He wasn’t wearing a shirt. Over his arms and chest, names were tattooed. Women’s names—Amy, Zenobia, Laura…
In the front seat, near his head, three colored birds flitted around. By their glittering sheen, I could tell they were magic. As we sped past another car, their wings flapped frantically.
The stranger turned to look at me, still driving at an insane speed, eyes not even on the road. When the streetlights flashed on his irises, I saw pale grey streaked with gold. His lips curled in a half-smile. He was pretty, really. “Glad you made it, though. I was a little worried I might have to kill everyone in the castle and ruin my buzz.”
He turned around again and careened onto an exit that took us onto a highway. I still felt too stunned to speak. From the car speakers, a hip-hop song about donuts played softly.
Not what I expected, but okay.
“What’s your name?” I asked.
“Ossian. Your driver. I’m not normally a driver, you know, on account of I don’t entirely know how to drive. It doesn’t seem that hard, though, you know what I mean? And I’m a fast learner. I didn’t want to tell Salem I couldn’t drive, because, you know… It didn’t feel manly. So I just went with it.” He shrugged. “You got your seatbelt on, yeah? I’m supposed to bring you alive.”
“I do now.” I lowered my face into my hands, trying not to think about what the hells had just happened.
“You look sad, girl,” said Ossian. “Tell me what happened. Do I need to fuck somebody up?”
“Oh, are we going to talk?”
“I sense heartbreak. I’ve got a knack for sensing it. It’s my thing.”
I nearly launched into the whole story about Lyr, before remembering that Ossian was taking me into captivity with a monster. “Well, for one thing, you’re delivering me to the devil. Any idea what he wants?”
“Revenge, I think?”
I blinked. “Against me? For what, exactly? Not dying easily enough when he destroyed my kingdom?”
“Nah… Something else. Anyway, I can’t really get into that. He just needs you to help him find something. So the real question is, who broke your heart? Because I will fuck him up.”
I fell silent, my mind turning over the word revenge. I felt hollow.
“Was it the big blond one coming after us?” he added. “Looked like a proper dickhead, if you ask me.”
“I didn’t.”
“You’re well rid of that wanker. Trust me.” Smoke clouded around him.
I sighed, resigned to this conversation. “What makes you an expert, then?”
“Oh, I know heartbreak, believe me.”
“So are we going to be bonding over pints of ice cream and wine coolers sometime soon?”
“I wouldn’t rule it out, my friend. As long as you stay alive. Because honestly, I’m not sure what Salem has planned for you.”
I rubbed my eyes. “You seem very concerned for the state of my love life considering your total disregard for my actual life.”
“Well, you know, I’ve come to accept I can’t control everything.” He spoke with a London accent. “Fate rules us all, innit.”
I guessed it wouldn’t kill me to make an ally. “So who broke your heart, then?”
“Fate,” he barked, suddenly energized. “Fate broke my heart.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose. “What happened, Ossian?”
“What’s the worst thing that can happen to a fae? Do you know? Guess.”
“I don’t know. Losing your kingdom and your magic comes to mind, but I’m sure there are worse scenarios. Children dying? Being tortured to death? I’m sorry, this is the most morbid guessing game I’ve ever played. I will be needing that ice cream soon. Or vodka.”
“I’ll tell you, Aenor. Watching your mate die is the worst thing that can happen to a fae. You don’t have a mate, do you?” He took a hit from his spliff. “If you did, you wouldn’t have been running from that proper dickhead.”
“No, no mate for me.” To be honest, I’d never been sure if fated mates were real or not.
“They’re rare. Very rare. But here’s the thing: if you find your mate, you are driven to protect them at all costs. You no longer care about your own life so much. You only care about theirs. As long as your mate is okay, you’re happy.”
A feeling of dread rose in my stomach at where this story was going. “And something happened to yours?”
“Ripped apart by the Ollephest,” he said quietly. “I saw it happen.”
Brutal. “I’m so sorry.”
The Ollephest was a terrifying sea dragon I hoped never to encounter. Phantomlike, it could sneak up on you unnoticed. It got inside your head. The first sign that it was nearby was that your worst fears seemed to manifest before you, and you could no longer tell what was real or what was imagined.
Then, while you were hallucinating and flailing, it would solidify into a serpent form and eat you alive.
“Her name was Willow. We were sailing in the Irish Sea
, heading for Mag Mell. I mean, she was sailing—I was making music, sunning myself. Strange thing was, I saw her die in my mind first. Because that was my worst fear, wasn’t it? I didn’t know I was having a vision from the Ollephest. I just thought she stood before me and plunged a knife into her own heart. So I was screaming and screaming…”
The rawness in his voice actually brought tears to my eyes.
He cleared his throat. “Anyway, once the vision dissipated, all I saw was the Ollephest, gnawing on her limbs. Blood coming down his teeth. Her head was…” He fell silent, and I looked out the window. “Sorry, I’m a bit of a downer. Anyway, that was almost two hundred years ago, and I’m not quite over it.”
“I’m sorry,” I said again.
Better not to have a mate, really, if you risked losing your mind.
His birds swooped around the front seat. “I’ve done things since then, passed the time. I can make ocean waves. Slept with a lot of women. That kind of thing.”
“Wait, ocean waves? You have true sea magic?” I tried to ignore the raging jealousy crashing through my chest.
“I can make a wave. That’s it. I could drown a fishing village. I wouldn’t, mind you. That’d be mean, and I haven’t got anything against fishermen.”
I could hardly breathe for all the weed smoke in the car.
“Can you tell me where we’re going?” I asked, trying to change the subject.
He blew out circles of smoke. “We drive to the devil’s house in Jerusalem. He’ll interrogate you there. Then you have to pass a magical test or he’ll probably kill you.”
Revenge. Against me. I needed to know why.
“Do you know anything about the Fomorians?” I asked.
“The Fomorians? Yeah,” he said. “Extinct.”
“So I keep hearing, and yet… you’ve never heard Salem talk about them?”
“Look, Aenor, I don’t really know his secrets. And if I did, I wouldn’t share them with you.” He turned up the music. “I like this song.”
I kicked off my shoes, leaning back in my seat. He’d stocked the car with drinks, including mini bottles of wine. I pulled out a bottle of French Wine and unscrewed it, drinking straight from the bottle. Not the best, but drinkable.
I stared out the window at the dark highway. “Let’s go back to this revenge idea—”
“No, Aenor. I can’t tell you all that.”
“I thought we were getting to know each other so well. Ice cream and heartbreak and all that.”
“I’m starting to think this ride might better if you went to sleep.”
I snorted. “I’m not going to sl—”
A magical wave of slumber washed over me before I could finish my sentence, and I dreamt of floating on a soft bed in a lake of glittering water.
Aenor
When I woke, I was staring up into Ossian’s face. He blinked and pushed a blond curl out of his eyes. His colorful birds fluttered around his head.
What had just happened? I rubbed my eyes, trying to clear the dreams from my mind. Slowly, it dawned on me that I was lying on a cold tile floor. Barrel-vaulted sandstone ceilings arched over me.
So this must be Salem’s digs.
“She’s awake now,” Ossian called out.
I pushed up onto my elbows, looking around. I was lying in the middle of a large hall. Alcoves set into the walls displayed vases and urns decorated with ancient alphabets. Lanterns cast golden light over rows of leather-bound books on one wall.
Not far from me, three towering windows overlooked an enclosed garden, bathed in moonlight. A mahogany desk stood against the windows, crystal decanters on its surface.
Apparently, Salem had very good taste. This looked like a palace, one with a seamless blend of the old and the new. But where was the old bastard?
A movement in the shadows caught my eye, but it was only a black cat. She pranced over then rubbed against me, her eyes beaming with gold. A gold star hung from a silky collar around her neck. As I leaned down to stroke her, she purred loudly. She was powerfully built, muscular for a cat. For one insane moment, I thought she might transform into Salem.
Footfalls turned my head.
He stalked into the room, shadows sweeping behind him like wings. I felt his power from here, malign and ancient, pounding through my blood.
Anticipation danced up my spine at the sight of him, and I rose to stand. My still-damp clothes clung to my body, and I folded my arms in front of my chest.
His dark beauty was like a blade in my heart, the warm light sculpting sharp cheekbones. He smiled, slow and sensual, but there was no warmth in it.
Over his expensive charcoal-colored clothing, he wore a sword slung around his waist, the hilt a beautiful obsidian. And his suit clothed a powerful, muscular body.
The black cat rushed to him, weaving between his legs as he walked. Her purring grew louder.
“Aenor. How good of you to come.” As Salem drew closer, I realized now that, like the sunset itself, his eyes changed colors—shifting from a serene, dusky blue to lurid fire. Mesmerizing, really.
His hot magic skimmed over my body, warming me. And yet the malice he exuded made my blood run cold all the same.
I shifted, trying to look relaxed as he closed the distance between us, peering down at me. His eyes twinkled. I delighted him somehow.
Then he crossed past me, heading for his desk. He leaned against it, smiling faintly. A pulse of dark power radiated off his muscled body—a warning. It felt evil, tinged with an undercurrent of pain and sadness.
It took me a moment to realize Ossian had left the room altogether. That made me a little nervous. Ossian had felt vaguely like an ally.
“Why am I here?” I began. “I hear you’re the devil. Flattering that you’ve taken such an interest in me. Shouldn’t you be jabbing your pitchfork into people instead? You must be very busy.”
“You’re mistaken.” His eyes danced with fire, but his body looked completely relaxed—a louche king in his domain. “It’s a trident, not a pitchfork, and I already filled my quota for the day. There’s something you must understand, now. You are in my control.” That delight again, twinkling in his eyes. “Last time we met, you were able to enchant me. I’ve taken pains to ensure you can’t wield the same power over me again. I control you now. Understood? Mind and body. You are now my little pet.”
My lip curled. “Your what?”
“That’s what you are, isn’t it? Mine.” A dark edge imbued the last word.
My blood roared. Let him think he was in control. I’d find a way to fight back. I always did. And while I figured things out, I’d keep quiet.
He rolled up his shirt sleeves, revealing tattoos on his arms. One of them was a winged woman, her figure curved. A star shone above her head. A goddess, maybe?
“Now, little pet,” he murmured. “Tell me all about a crime you committed long ago.”
This was where I’d find out what I did to him, I supposed. “I’ve been killing bad guys for over a century. I’ve cut out thousands of hearts. You’ll have to be more specific.”
He cocked his head, his eyes now blazing. “How charming. Now cast your mind back to the day you drowned a powerful fae somewhere in the seas. A fae as powerful as I am.” The quiet way he spoke disturbed me, like he was trying to force me to move closer to hear him.
It also felt like the calm before a storm.
“You used your power to bury someone under the sea long ago,” he added.
“I remember,” I said. It was all coming together, wasn’t it? The Merrow, the Fomorians… “My memories from those days are a little hazy, but I remember. I had a good reason.” Understanding slowly dawned. “Was it you, by any chance? Did you get out, and this is your revenge? I’ve heard a rumor you don’t like me very much.”
“I like you very much under my control, but that’s about it. What shall I do with you, Aenor?” His silky voice skimmed my body.
I straightened. “Was it you? Is that what this is all
about?”
He shook his head slowly, and his sensual smile took on a more sinister curl. “No, not me. The person you drowned is still there, still tormented. You did that.”
I swallowed hard. So that was what this was all about. “You want me to find him?”
Amusement danced in his eyes. “Are you leading this interrogation, or am I?”
“This is the interrogation?” I asked. “I’m just standing here. I thought a man with your reputation would be a bit more brutal. No electrocuted nipples?”
His gaze flicked down to my breasts for a second. “Is that disappointment in your voice? I’m sure it could be arranged, if you really desire it.”
My cheeks heated. Honestly. Why couldn’t I have said earlobes?
“No thanks, I’m trying to cut down,” I said brightly, forcing a smile. “So who was this person, then?”
“And there you go again, leading the interrogation.” He arched an eyebrow.
His piercing gaze now gave him the look of a predator sizing up prey. “But I am most curious, Aenor. You don’t know who you trapped, and yet you did it anyway?” Shadows slid through his eyes. “Seems wantonly sadistic.”
Of the many things I had expected when I woke up this morning, being accused of sadism by the devil was not high on the list.
“They wouldn’t tell me the man’s name,” I said. “Only that he wanted to destroy Ys, and perhaps more. I don’t always trust other people’s prophecies, but I did my own spell. A what if spell. They’ve never been wrong. And I saw what would happen if I hadn’t helped bury this fae. Charred bodies would have filled the streets of Ys. Life would have died in the ocean around us. Which brings me to another point—are you trying to raise the Fomorians?”
“Do not try to distract me, pet.” His voice was a sharp blade. “You have seen that I can control your mind, and I will the second I need to. I will punish your insolence if I must, and I will enjoy doing it.”
I bit my lip, an idea already forming in my mind. On the one hand, I didn’t want to lead him to this driftwood cage. If I did, Salem and the imprisoned fae could burn the world down together, or whatever he had planned.
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