Ascent

by Bethany Adams

  That dimmed her smile. “I…I guess I can’t promise that. But I’ll figure out something.”

  Fen studied her face, hoping for a hint of her thoughts, while he treaded water. “You know, you could just quit your job.”

  “I’ve already told Maddy I won’t take her money until we’re married.” Her lips tightened. “So don’t bother offering.”

  “Hell, I hadn’t even considered that,” Fen said truthfully. “I assumed you’d find something else. Listen, though. You have to start thinking like a fae, and part of that is being prepared to move quickly if things go downhill. It could be as small as a different job or apartment or as huge as inventing a new life entirely. Or as stupid as falling in with the wrong group because they offer you a fucking utopia of hope. Don’t do that one.”

  “Fen—”

  “I’m not looking for sympathy. It’s an important point, one I didn’t understand when I first met Kien. The trickiest fae make their offer seem like the only and best one. If it sounds like an infomercial, it probably is.”

  Anna coughed. “An infomercial?”

  “Struggling to understand your magic? Sign up now and receive training for a limited time. The clock’s ticking,” Fen said, doing his best imitation of an overeager salesman. “Call today, and we’ll throw in a side of revenge and world domination. Offer ends at midnight.”

  She splashed water across his chest. “I don’t believe you fell for something that obvious.”

  “No, but you know what I mean. You have to beware of people who offer help too easily.”

  Anna stilled, at least until the current forced her to resume swimming. “What about Maddy? I’d say that healer from Moranaia offered help fairly easily.”

  “Hah.” Fen snorted. “You haven’t met him, have you? Nothing is going to be simple with that guy.”

  A boat sped by, and the water grew choppy. The group of teenagers onboard laughed and shouted at them, waving and jumping like a bunch of little kids. Fen tightened his grip on the branch and kicked his feet faster to stay steady. The swim had turned out to be nice despite their strange conversation, but he and Anna really should head back. If they weren’t careful, they would be run over by a dinner cruise or something.

  “Come on,” Anna said, echoing his thoughts. “I love being in the water, but I don’t want to get hit by a boat.”

  They eased out from between the tree branches, and Anna turned in the water until she could float on her back. As she began to swim, Fen did his best to keep pace. Damn, she was fast. The current was strong, but she sliced across the water as though she was in a swimming pool. He considered turning to his back the way she was. But no. He’d never been particularly good at the backstroke, and he didn’t have her unerring sense of direction. If he couldn’t see the shore, he’d never find it.

  Anna was already a couple of body-lengths ahead of him when pain seared his heel. Out of instinct, Fen yelped, but he didn’t have time to do much more. Something gripped his ankle and tugged, and before he could kick loose, he was yanked downward. He sucked in a quick breath. Then he was under the water.

  Fen’s cry sliced through the peace that had filled Anna from her swim through the water. She tipped her head forward to try to see him, but she only caught the barest glimpse of his head disappearing beneath the waves. Her chest tightened in fear. What had happened?

  She didn’t wait to see if he would surface. Deftly, Anna turned herself in the water and dove. This time, she didn’t hesitate to breathe in liquid. As the river filled her lungs, it gave her life. Power. She used it to propel herself after Fen.

  Anna couldn’t see well through the murk, but she could sense so much more. Fish. Plants. Another boat approaching, though far enough away not to be a concern. But most importantly, Fen—and the person trying to drag him under. With her eyes, she could just make out tendrils of blond hair drifting upward like the tentacles of a jellyfish, the strands tangling around Fen’s legs as his attacker pulled him downward.

  Convenient—if Fen knew about it.

  Staring at his forehead, Anna did her best to send her thoughts to him. “Their hair is floating up. Move your legs just right, and you can hurt them.”

  Fen’s head jerked up, and for a moment, he stopped flailing as his gaze connected with hers. “Anna?”

  “Yes,” she sent. “Did you catch what I said?”

  Instead of answering, Fen shoved his knees together, drew them upward as much as he could, and twisted. A shout reverberated through the water, and the hand gripping Fen’s ankle jerked away, moving instead to tug at the strands of hair Fen had trapped.

  “Going to have to breathe soon,” Fen said into her mind.

  “Give another good pull on their hair, then let go. I’ll help you swim for it.”

  As soon as Fen did as she suggested and then kicked free—with a solid thunk to his attacker’s head—Anna slipped her shoulder under his arm and swam for it. With the force of her magic behind her kicks, they reached the surface almost instantly. This time, she barely noticed when her lungs expelled the water. She was too busy trying to get Fen far from his unknown assailant.

  Anna didn’t look behind her until they’d crawled up on shore. Fen flopped over to his back, panting heavily, as she scanned the water for any sign of another person. Nope. Nothing. She might have thought they’d been swept away and drowned, which was still a possibility, but she hadn’t seen another person approach in the first place. Plus, she’d seen that drifting hair during her first dive down.

  It had to be some kind of water fae.

  “Is my heel bleeding?” Fen asked.

  After one last look at the river, Anna crawled down until she could reach Fen’s feet. Fortunately, there was no sign of blood. “No. A few red marks, but that’s it.”

  “That’s something, at least.” Though his breathing had evened, his words were slow with exhaustion. “Think you could drive us back to Vek’s house? No offense, but I’d like a place with some heavy shielding after that. I should report in, too.”

  She would have rather gone home, but he had a good point. If Maddy had placed a lot of magical protections on their condo, then Anna didn’t know about them. Going to Vek’s house made sense. They could try to sort out what had happened without worrying as much about safety, and the place was blessedly far from the river.

  Anna stood up and wiped uselessly at her wet pants. “Sounds good. Except that we’re soaked. We’ll ruin your seats. And I’m pretty sure that if I walk by the restaurant like this, I’ll be seen. I don’t want to get fired.”

  Fen sat up, tossing his bedraggled hair from his eyes. “Maybe it’s a good time to play with your magic. What goes up must come down. Or in this case flows out.”

  “You think I can force the water out?”

  “Hey, it’s worth a try.”

  Anna frowned at her clothes. The theory made a certain amount of sense, but she’d never tried to use her magic on purpose. Stirring the water in the glass on her desk had been an accident. How could she do it intentionally?

  “What if I cause a problem?” Anna whispered. “I could get us in trouble if I mess up badly.”

  Shrugging, Fen stood and gathered their scattered shoes. “Don’t worry about it if you aren’t ready. Vek has towels, and I can afford to get the car detailed if it’s that bad. Take your time.”

  Anna took her shoes from him, and the wet, gross feel of the sides had her wrinkling her nose. It would only get worse when she tried to put them on. But maybe she could solve their problem. It only took a little courage. No big deal, right? If she could plunge under the surface to save Fen, she could try to dry them off afterward.

  “If I start to lose it, toss me in the river. Or form a wall around me or something.”

  Fen straightened, one shoe still in hand. “What?”

  “I’m going to try to get rid of the water.”

  “Anna—”

  “Hush,” she interrupted. “I’ve decided.”

 
After taking a deep breath, Anna closed her eyes. It took her a moment to move beyond her self-consciousness, but once she did, she became aware of the water beading on her skin and weighing down her clothes. She fought to open her mind the way she had when she’d communicated mentally with Fen. After a few heartbeats, the water’s resonance filled her like a heartbeat that thrummed in time with the lapping river.

  She began at the top of her head and shoved the excess moisture downward. It flowed in rivulets toward the ground, leaving everything in the wake of her power dry. But it was almost too much. Before the natural moisture could leech from her hair and skin, she reined her magic in. Soon, she found a balance between forcing the water from her body and clothes and turning herself into a person-sized desert.

  Once she was reasonably dry, Anna touched Fen’s arm with her free hand and repeated the process. The only things she tried extra hard to dry were their phones. She pushed as much water from those as she could and hoped for the best.

  Finally, she opened her eyes. Awareness of her surroundings returned as she blinked against the afternoon sunshine, and she glanced down to see that her clothes were for the most part dry. Not perfect—she could still see a few damp splotches on the thick fabric of her jeans, and Fen’s shirt retained a hint of moisture when she rubbed the edge between her fingers. But who cared?

  She’d done magic!

  Anna couldn’t stop the relieved laugh that slipped free. Before shyness overcame the thrill of victory, she leaned against Fen and gave him a quick kiss. But it wasn’t long before she pulled away and bent to put her shoes on, leaving him staring at her with a bemused expression.

  Until recently, she hadn’t thought of herself as the spontaneous or bold type, but somehow the more she embraced her water nature, the more she’d begun to embrace her true desires. What was the point of doing otherwise? Like the river, life was an ever-changing force. It was time she learned to flow with it—even when she was standing on dry land.

  Chapter 14

  Vek paced the entry chamber at the top of the cavern, his boots ringing hollowly throughout the vast space. His mate leaned against the wall beside the door to the heavily shielded gate room, but although she watched him, she didn’t say a word. She didn’t have to. She would be able to feel his worry and frustration through their mate link, just as she knew there was nothing she could say to ease his anxiety.

  His feelings couldn’t be related to Fen. Vek was nervous about the situation with Anna, especially because of the hasty way his nephew had charged off to save her, but he didn’t anticipate anything dire from that. Fen was certainly capable of taking care of himself.

  But Vek couldn’t deny that he would feel much better when his nephew returned with a report.

  Together, they could go find Anthony, who hadn’t returned Vek’s text. An ominous sign when potential dark energy afflicted the man’s friend. Had something happened to her? To both of them? A prickly, jumpy feeling grew in Vek as more time passed. Something was wrong, but he had no way of knowing what.

  Until the magical alarm he’d placed around his house shrieked a warning into his mind.

  Vek halted a couple of paces away from Dria. “Someone is trying to enter my home.”

  “Which one?” Dria asked wryly.

  “The Chattanooga house, not the estate in the Unseelie realm,” he said. “Or here.”

  She waved a hand. “Obviously not here. Want me to come with you?”

  Vek considered it but shook his head. “No. I’m not sure where Fen is. He might need your help. I believe Aris and Kezari also wanted to speak to you after they finish their search.”

  “Good point.” Dria grabbed his arm and pulled him in for a quick kiss. “Come back safely or else.”

  Despite his worry, he laughed. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  Quickly, Vek entered the secured room and created a portal to his house. Dria preferred to set the end point in his living room, but as he’d grown more adept at the transportation spell, he’d started choosing his own destination—his bedroom. It felt safer to enter the enclosed space, which boasted one well-curtained window instead of an entire wall of glass like the public area of the house.

  He’d spelled the whole building against prying eyes, but that didn’t mean he felt comfortable appearing in the seeming open.

  As soon as he marched through, Vek dispelled the portal and scanned each room of his house for incursion. No one inside. He closed his eyes and extended his senses carefully to the outside. There. Ah, fuck. Ara. What was his sister doing here of all places?

  Vek hurried through the living room and unlocked the side door he used as an entrance. Then he slowed, sauntering toward Ara as he studied the back of her cloaked form. She had to sense him, but she didn’t turn. Why had she come? It was dangerous to leave the Unseelie realm so soon after taking power.

  He stopped beside her, and for a moment, they both stared at the view of Chattanooga where it nestled in the valley below. “Come inside,” he finally said.

  Ara nodded, settling the hood of her cloak more firmly around her face when it slipped. In silence, Vek headed back toward the door. She wouldn’t speak until they were inside his home, their words and magics shielded beneath his wards. But as soon as he led her inside and closed the door, Ara tugged down her hood and glared at him.

  “Where is Fen?” she demanded.

  Vek blinked. “Couldn’t you have contacted me through a mirror link to ask about your son? A bit risky showing up here, don’t you think?”

  “Don’t chastise me,” Ara said, her nostrils flaring. “I know very well the dangers of leaving the palace, but this is important. I received a threatening note from Meren. I believe he’s after Fen.”

  His annoyance with her incursion vanished, replaced by fury. “Why would he do such a thing?”

  Ara shook her head. “I’m not certain, but I can guess. He wants to use my son against me. Perhaps against both of us. I don’t know his plan, but it can’t be good.”

  “I assume you have a plan of your own we need to discuss.” And Vek had a feeling neither he nor Fen would like it. “Or you would have merely sent me warning.”

  “There is nothing to discuss.” Ara straightened. “Fen will be returning with me.”

  That, of course, was when the door opened, the man in question framed against the afternoon glow. Vek cursed under his breath. He could have handled this. Now, it was likely to turn into a disaster. Fabulous.

  “Like hell I will,” Fen snarled, barely remembering to let Anna through before he slammed the door behind them.

  If not for his excellent hearing, he never would have had advanced warning of what they were planning. Or his mother, at least—he had no evidence yet that Vek agreed. Fen was so furious he was afraid to look at his uncle’s expression and have his worst fears confirmed. If Vek betrayed him…treated him like a child with no control of his fate…

  Anna’s hand settled against Fen’s back, and he took a deep breath to calm himself. Though he didn’t sense any magic coming from Anna, her peace soothed him enough to allow rational thought. Ara and Vek were technically in charge, his mother as queen of their people and Vek as Fen’s mentor, but they didn’t control him. He was no longer a renegade, but he was no blind follower, either.

  “I have to agree with Fen,” Vek said calmly, and Fen finally dared to study his face. Thankfully, his uncle appeared more annoyed than anything. “Although my heart wishes to see him in a more secure environment, I am uncertain we have ample evidence to justify it.”

  Ara’s lips pinched. “I am considering more than physical and magical protection. If he formally takes his place as my heir, he will have greater political recourse in the event that Meren does attack.”

  “That’s debatable. With the court still in upheaval from our father’s death, there could be people who would ally with Meren for their own benefit.” Vek crossed his arms over his chest. “The outpost should provide ample protection, and Dria and I ca
n keep him safe from Meren now that we have guarded against water based—”

  “Stop it,” Fen snapped. “If you insist on speaking around me, you can both fuck off.”

  And there it was—his mother’s reasonable-adult-to-angry-child expression. Like she had any right to use it after leaving him with his human father and then losing track of him. Vek, at least, had the good grace to look abashed at the reminder. But then, his uncle knew him far better than the woman who had given birth to him.

  “You are young yet,” Ara said. “Not even a quarter-century. Meren is a couple thousand years older and capable of more than you can imagine. In case you didn’t hear all of my earlier words, you should know that he is targeting you. You’re in a great deal of danger.”

  Fen stared at her, so astounded he couldn’t speak. Capable of more than he could imagine? Had she really just said that? He wanted to rage at her casual dismissal of all he’d been through, but doing so would only prove her point about his age. He wouldn’t storm away this time. He was as done with that as he had been with Kien.

  “I might remind you that Kien found me scrounging for blood on the streets,” Fen said, as softly as he could manage. “I lived for several years knowing that with one false move, the bastard would spend days torturing me, then cutting off each limb one at a time and hanging it around his camp as decoration until there was nothing of me left. I am quite familiar with danger, and my imagination has enough filler for a million nightmares.”

  Ara’s cheeks reddened. “That may be so, but this threat should not be taken lightly.”

  “Maybe…” Anna cleared her throat as all eyes turned her way. “Do you think that was him at the river, Fen?”

  He might have cursed at that revelation if he hadn’t felt her hand trembling against his back. Her voice sounded calm, but speaking up hadn’t been easy. “I don’t know. Did you see what the person looked like?”

  “No, only the hair. Long and pale blond.” Her forehead crinkled. “Except…the attacker’s hand was fairly large. More like a man’s. That’s not definitive, though.”