"I'm here because I was this side of the portals when they collapsed," I told him. "Just like you were."
"I was only this side because we had to chase you."
"I didn't ask you to do that," I pointed out, breathing deeply to keep my voice as calm as I could. "And you didn't have to accept even if my mother asked you."
"She didn't ask me." The bitterness in his voice shocked me, but it also brought on a realisation.
"It was Zeke who told you to come, wasn't it?"
"He pulled us all from our lives for what? You? Sorry, Princess, but you don't seem worth it to me."
I counted to ten in my head. I didn't want to react to what he was saying when his problem wasn't actually with me. Or I didn't think it was.
"What did you leave behind that's made you so mad about that?" I whispered.
There was a big part of me that didn't actually want to know. Why should I care about him when he was being so antagonistic to me? But that wasn't right. Two angry people wasn't going to get us anywhere. At least we had time before our part of the plan came into force.
"My parents," he admitted. "My Mum was ill when I left. Dad was heartbroken. You must know what it means when shifters get sick."
I nodded, a wave of sadness passing through me. Sick wasn't something paranormals got. Especially in the fae realm where finding healing magic was a case of throwing a stone and picking the person closest to it. If she was sick, there was a good chance it was the end for her. Meaning it was the end for his father too.
"I'm sorry," I whispered.
"It's not really your fault," he admitted. "It's not like I could do anything if I was there either."
That was true. Or if it had gotten to the stage he was describing it was.
"That doesn't make it any better for you." Feeling brave, I leaned over and placed a hand on his shoulder in an attempt to offer some kind of comfort.
To my surprise, he didn't shrug it off.
"No, it doesn't. But..."
"This world doesn't give time for grief, despite being full of it."
Charlie's gaze flicked to me instantly, confusion and understanding warring for my attention.
"You've lost someone too?" he asked.
"I don't know," I admitted, my mind straying to Izzy again. "But I'm also cut off from my family. I didn't want to leave my mother..."
"Then why did you?" His brow furrowed and I could see the very idea of running away not computing in his head. He genuinely didn't understand how I'd been able to leave.
"My sister." The words I swore I'd never say slipped out of me before I intended them to.
"You don't have a sister."
I laughed bitterly. "That's what everyone thinks. But I do. She's...an interesting character."
He frowned. "I've lived in the Autumn Court for my entire life, but I've only ever known one Princess," he pointed out.
"You and everyone else. Neesha has been hidden away since we were children. She found it hard to control her magic as a baby, and I don't think my mother wanted to announce that one of her daughters wasn't quite perfect."
"And so, she kept her locked away?" His confusion was only growing. I guessed I was going to have to tell him everything. But if he didn't soften to me after this, then I didn't know what would help. Nothing probably. He'd remain as he was, blocking the bond I should have with the four of them.
"I wouldn't say locked away as such. She has her own manor house. Her own servants. Her own life."
"But?"
"How do you know there's a but?" I asked, somewhat amused by his accurate interpretation.
"I can hear it in your voice. And see it in your eyes. You're very expressive, but it makes you an awful liar."
"That's not true. I'm a bad liar when I'm vulnerable. I'm an excellent liar when I try."
"Reassuring," he muttered.
"It just means you'll have to trust that I'm telling you the truth."
"Or that the mating bond will make it so you don't want to lie to us."
"Or that." I shrugged. "But I think it has to be completed for that to really work." I gave him a pointed look, resulting in an abashed smile from him. He knew he was the one holding everything up then.
"Neesha?"
"She killed someone," I admitted. "I think it was by accident. At least, that's what she said. But she also didn't want to be the one to actually tell our mother. So, I did. I took the blame too. I said I'd been out hunting and my arrow hit them..."
"And you were banished?" he asked.
I laughed bitterly. "I was forgiven. I was told it didn't matter and we'd just cover it up and blame someone else, who'd have to die for it. I just hope my running saved that person. If not, someone's dead and it's all my fault."
"I don't think it's your fault."
"It's not you that gets to decide that," I pointed out.
"Neither is it on you," he countered. "You took it upon yourself to take the blame."
"Same thing."
"It's not." His voice had softened slightly as he spoke to me, hopefully that meant he was warming up to me rather than staying his frosty self. If I hadn't already known he was a wolf then I'd have wondered if he was linked to the Winter Fae in some way.
My train of thought was broken by Zeke waving from the front door. I didn't respond, there was no need to. We'd discussed what would happen before we even started this. He would slip inside and try and get to the other side of the building without being spotted. Effectively, he'd trap anyone inside the facility between him and us.
We'd chosen to ignore the multitude of problems that could arise. Most notably that we had no idea just how many people were in there, or if they were accomplices or captives. It almost didn't matter at this point. We just needed to do something. Though no one would die unless they absolutely had to. I wouldn't stand for that under any circumstances.
"Are you ready?" Charlie asked.
"Yes." I'd never been more ready. I needed to do something about the things I'd seen, and this was it. The fact the wolves were so eager to help me only made it better. It reassured me that the mating bond was right. These were good men who'd support and help me through life, even if it was life in this shit hole of a world.
"Let's get to it then." He gave me a weak smile.
Interesting. So, he was nervous about this. I didn't really blame him. This was dangerous. We might not live through it. Even so, Charlie dusted himself off and moved towards the darkened dead trees. I didn't know how they were still standing. Nothing dead lasted long. By my reckoning, they should either have been chopped up for firewood, or struck down in a lightning storm. Even for the dead it was a dangerous world.
I followed Charlie down, careful not to trip over the stones embedded in the ground. Knowing me, I'd end up flat on my ass even if I used all the fae grace I possessed. Which was a lot, I would admit, but it didn't come in anywhere near as handy as people thought.
We were silent for a while as we made our way towards the window we'd marked out.
Once there, Charlie kneeled down in front of it and began to tap gently, trying to find the weak spot which would let us break it and slip through into the corridor beyond.
"Got it," he whispered, manoeuvring around so the window just popped out of its frame and into his hands.
"Impressive," I muttered.
"Thanks." He flashed me a far more genuine smile that he had done previously and my heart skipped a beat in response. It really had a mind of its own when it came to my mates.
Not that I minded. People waited their whole life for what I had here, I wasn't going to throw that away. Which I realised was ironic given the amount of time I'd spent running away from them. But that wasn't what I should be thinking about right now. We needed to be focused on the task at hand.
"Can you mask us as we go in?" Charlie asked.
"Unfortunately not, I'm fae, not an elf," I pointed out.
"Or a dryad."
"I doubt there's any of them left
," I answered, a morose tone entering my voice. Without the tethers to nature, the dryads had been pretty much screwed. As had the other nymphs.
"Unless they were lucky enough to be mated to a non-nymph."
"Let's just be thankful that might be the case." Though I could imagine the heartbreak the nymphs felt as the world died around them. It had to be the same kind of feeling I had when I realised autumn would never arrive again.
I glanced up at the sky, trying to gauge what the weather would do next. A warm, comfortable sunlight shined down at us, almost like a calm spring day. If that day had a high chance of snowfall or hurricanes.
"We should get inside before the weather actually turns." I said, giving the sky another nervous glance.
"Definitely." He set down the glass beside us and gestured towards the suddenly tiny windows. "Ladies first?"
"If you insist." I smirked at him, knowing he was just doing it because he didn't know what to expect when he got inside. I wasn't quite so spooked as he was. I knew what I was facing this time.
I slipped through the window, only catching myself on a piece of loose frame once. I yanked myself free, thankful I didn't rip my jacket. It was the last good one I had.
A grunt slipped from me as I hit the floor, protecting myself from injury by landing in a crouch. I rolled out of the way swiftly. And just in time. Charlie followed seconds later, repeating my moves to break his own fall.
"Right then, that didn't go too badly."
"No," I acknowledged. "Nothing's broken, that's a start."
"Except the window."
"But we intended for that to happen," I pointed out.
He looked at me, an expression I couldn't put my finger on crossing his face.
Instead of trying, I turned my attention away from him and towards the door at the other side of the room.
"I guess it's time to get on with the next part of the plan," I said evenly.
"I guess it is," he replied.
Without waiting for him to respond, I strode off towards the doorway and slipped through into the facility beyond.
Chapter Seven
Deathly silence filled the space around us, only giving me a slightly ominous feeling about the whole situation. I didn't like not knowing where people were. I didn't like being in enclosed spaces anymore, and I certainly didn't like not knowing if my mates were okay. Without the full bond between us, it was almost impossible for me to feel if they were okay. But saying that, I'd still probably keel over if one of them did. Suddenly, having four mates seemed like more of a risk than an advantage.
Oh well. It wasn't like the universe was giving me any say in that.
I flattened my back along the wall and edged forward. A scuffing noise to my left had me pivoting around.
"Sorry," Charlie mouthed as he righted a cupboard he seemed to have walked in to. I just about managed to refrain from rolling my eyes.
"Careful," I mouthed back, fixing him with the sternest look I could.
A scream pierced the silence. Charlie's eyes widened as it processed in his mind at the same time as mine. Without saying a word, the two of us turned on our heels and began to run down the empty corridor. Our footsteps echoed around, but at this point I didn't think it even mattered. They knew we were coming. They had to. Unless the scream was just part of the day to day running of the place. I tried not to think back to my two weeks here. I hadn't seen much, or heard much for that matter, but the place seemed fairly large. It wasn't impossible to imagine they had sound proofing in some places.
"No, no, please," a woman's voice begged.
I veered off to the right, following the direction from which the voice was coming. I just hoped I got there in time.
Charlie's footsteps pounded along behind me, so I knew he was still keeping up, no need to check on him or anything.
Skidding to a halt, I took in the sight in front of me. We seemed to be back in the witch room, though that hadn't been planned. I hadn't even realised we'd been so close to that. The place was mostly empty now, which went hand in hand with the darkness in the rest of the place. They had no witches left to power everything after I'd detached them all.
"Scott, no!" a voice I vaguely recognised called out.
I turned in its direction, trying to work out where I knew it from. It took me another moment or two to realise it was the same woman who'd captured me. Demi, at least, that's what she'd said her name was.
"Why? She's just a witch."
"Please," Demi begged. "You can't do this to my sister."
Understanding sunk into me. She wasn't trying to do the right thing, she was just looking out for her own. On one level, I didn't blame her, I'd definitely be looking out for my own over everyone else. On the other hand, I wouldn't be killing anyone to do it. I was still trying to block out the memory of Ruairidh's convulsing from my mind.
"Just let him," the woman with a knife to her throat said.
"No, Kirsten, he can't," Demi begged again. "Don't let him do it to you."
"It's for the greater good."
"I don't care about the greater good..."
"Then what have you been working towards?" The man, Scott, sneered as he spoke, but maybe that was just the way he looked.
I shuffled back slightly, trying to hide myself and Charlie, though they didn't seem to have noticed either of us yet. I wouldn't pretend it was to do with our sneaking skills though. More that they all just seemed very occupied.
"A life, with my sister," Demi responded. I felt like making a wrong answer sound. It was painfully obvious to me she'd said the wrong thing, but that didn't seem to have crossed her mind yet.
"Kirsten?"
"Yes, Scott?" the woman in his arms replied. I had to admit, she seemed very calm given the situation.
"Do you mind dying for the cause?"
"No."
I gasped. Did she really just want to die like that? I couldn't imagine just giving in. As shitty as life was, it wasn't worth dying just to escape it.
"I'll miss you," Scott said, planting a kiss on Kirsten's forehead.
Bile rose in my throat. This was beyond weird. What on earth was happening.
"Will you visit me?" she asked.
"Every day," he responded, a twisted look passing over him.
"How long will I last?"
"As long as I can keep you," he promised, his leer not lessening. I hoped he didn't mean what I thought he did, but the sinking feeling in my gut wasn't so sure.
"No, Kirsten, no," Demi protested, weaker than before. Mostly because she was crying.
"Then this is goodbye, my love," Scott told Kirsten.
He didn't wait for her to reply, instead, he slashed across her throat, light glittering off the blade as it danced with blood.
I gasped, but the sound was covered by Demi's scream. The woman surprised me, instead of falling to pieces, she charged towards Scott, her own dagger in hand.
It was one of those scenes like a train crash. I knew I should look away, but something kept my eyes transfixed on the scene in front of me. Both of them had their daggers bared, Scott's still dripping from Kirsten's blood. The whole scene was gruesome and fascinating, easily the most disturbing thing I'd seen since that fateful day.
Charlie's hand closed around my arm, making me jump before I relaxed into him and accepted the comfort he was offering. I liked his touch. It felt right and I could have sworn some of the wall blocking the proper bond collapsed. He was finally accepting it.
I turned away as the sounds of two blades hitting soft flesh. Charlie pulled me into him.
"I think it's over," he whispered after a moment.
I looked up at him and lifted my hand to his cheek when I saw the repulsion there. Guilt filled me. I hadn't watched, which meant he'd had to. How ridiculous of me.
Turning back to the scene at hand, my stomach did a flip. Blood pooled around the two bodies, though Scott's was joined by a purple smoke as he muttered words I didn't recognise to himself. Even from
here, I could tell he was weakening though.
I steeled myself, before closing the gap between the two of us and the two of them. Demi's eyes were closed, but she was still breathing. I didn't think she was as much of a threat though. Not now. Scott on the other hand...
Hating every second, I pressed my foot against his left hand, hearing a disgusting cracking noise as I did. He glared up at me, his eyes filled with pain and fading fast. Glancing downwards, I discovered the reason. Demi's blade had hit him just below the heart. Close enough to be deadly, but not close enough to be quick. From what I remembered of first aid, the knife itself would be stopping the blood from flowing. I couldn't have that. If he was the necromancer, as I suspected from the purple magic, then he needed to die.
I leaned down and closed my hand around the knife's hilt, already dreading this bit. I closed my eyes and gave it a tug, surprised at how easily it slipped from the wound.
Scott spluttered and grasped at the spot where I'd just removed the blade from. His eyes widened, panic setting in. I watched in horror as his head lolled to the side and the last of his life spark vanished. Despite it all, a part of me was guilty. Which made no sense given that had been nothing.
"It had to be done," Charlie assured me.
"I know," I replied, looking away from the dead man and readying myself to try and deal with Demi.
The woman groaned in pain, and I could tell just from looking at her that she wouldn't be lasting long. There was a chance even a necromancer wouldn't be able to save her, though I had no way of knowing for sure given that we'd just watched the only one I knew about die.
"Hi Demi," I said softly, crouching down beside her as I spoke.
Her eyes flickered to me, begging me for help. Despite what she'd done to me, I almost found myself giving in to her and trying to find a way to stem the blood flowing from her stomach. But, as callous as it sounded, I had other priorities I needed to focus on. Including finding out what we were up against.
"Where are we?" I asked.
"The facility," she croaked.
Huh. That was easy, I'd expected her to resist at least a little more.
Hers From The Start: A Collection of First In Series Reverse Harem Page 7