Luckily it didn’t faze Silver. If anything, it appeared to amuse her. She tapped his nose with one delicate fingertip. ‘Three times three.’ Her eyes glittered with something other than playfulness. Her breath played against his lips, as cold as her touch. ‘Three kisses, three times three years of fame, of mega-stardom fame, of talent, of creation and adoration, of some of the greatest music mankind has ever heard. Music to speak to people’s hearts. Music to change lives. Music to change the world. And then – are you listening, Dylan? – then it’s over. Then you’re mine and mine alone. If you survive it.’
‘Nine years?’
‘Give or take. You’d be, what? Twenty-seven?’
‘Are you talking about the ‘twenty-sevens’?’ Musicians so talented that they were doomed to die, whether from bad luck, suicide, drugs or the sheer reckless speed at which they lived their lives. Musical legends and urban legends. Whispered stories no one quite believed. Not really. ‘I thought they were a myth.’
Silver smiled her enigmatic smile. ‘So am I, Dylan.’ She was offering him all his dreams, and the downside? To spend the rest of his life with someone like her?
‘And what do you get?’
She sighed, her body stretching out like a cat, brushing her fingers through the leaves of the tree, along the smooth bark. ‘Life.’
‘Life?’
‘Everything needs something to sustain life. I have my tree, my touchstone, the heart of this hollow. If I didn’t have this…’ She sighed. ‘Well, no one can hold a hollow without a touchstone.’
‘Would you die? If something happened to the tree?’
She eyed him curiously, studying him. ‘What a strange thing to ask …’ She didn’t sound amused all of a sudden. Her voice suddenly held an edge of danger.
Izzy would have talked sense into him, he knew that. But here, beneath a tree growing in a basement nightclub, in another world, kneeling in front of the most beautiful and talented woman he’d ever met, sense was a rare commodity. He felt drunk on her company, high on just being with her.
And besides, Izzy was getting her own offers of dreams come true in the form of Jinx. The one she’d come here to find.
‘What happens afterwards?’ he asked, reaching out for the tree as well. ‘To me, I mean. I’m yours, but what does that mean? I don’t see a load of aging musicians skulking around here. All I see is this tree.’
Silver bared her teeth. It might have been a smile, but it looked more like a snarl. Just for a moment. The moment he mentioned that creepy-looking tree.
Dylan’s sense of his own body contracted, as if his skin had abruptly shrunk to be smaller than the body it contained. It stretched across his bones too tightly and his head throbbed in sudden pain. A primal sense of alarm shot through him. He shouldn’t be here. He shouldn’t even be having this conversation. She was more dangerous than he could imagine and this deal … this deal was not a good deal. Drink, drugs, speed or disappearance … something always finished off the twenty-sevens in dramatic style. They were all dead.
Pulling free of Silver, he struggled to stand up. ‘I’m sorry,’ he muttered, not even sure if the words would clear. ‘I need to find my friends.’
Anyone else would have taken it as an insult, he was sure. But it just seemed to slide off Silver. She smiled, getting to her feet.
‘Sometimes it takes time to accept these things, even if you know they’re true, even if you know they’re what you want. Take whatever time you need, Dylan. I’ll be here. And you’ll be able to find me. You’re special, Dylan, something in your blood, something in your soul, your quintessence. The music inside you. You heard my music and came to me. That’s the path you’re meant to follow. I’ll be keeping a very close eye on you.’
Chapter Seven
Magpies
Damnation, the girl was off again. Jinx suppressed a growl and forced his way through the crowd. It was only when he was almost at Izzy’s side that he noticed Silver blithely reeling in the only human male in the whole club. Izzy’s female friends looked on in irritation. Their obnoxious pouts faded to interest as Jinx approached.
But he didn’t have a moment to spare for them. All his attention was locked on the girl he had saved twice now – Izzy, his intended quarry.
Prey.
She still glowed. Not a light he could see, but something he felt bone-deep. For a moment he wondered if the rest of the club and its inhabitants had blurred, or if she just stood out even sharper to his eyes.
It could be that way, Holly had told him. Sometimes when Cú Sídhe hunted, the quarry was more defined than anything else around them.
But he wasn’t sure. There was something about her that went beyond prey, or the spark. Something … something striking he couldn’t name.
She was brighter and clearer than anything around her. It was as if some other sense he didn’t know about was picking it up, something beyond even his heightened fae senses.
Her shoulders stiffened as if she felt him watching her. She lifted her chin, the elegant curve of her neck captivating him. Her fists balled tightly at her side. A fighter then. Normally he would see it as a challenge, but here – now – it was just tragic, pathetic, even. There was no way she could fight him. No way she could fight Holly when he brought her in. But she’d try. Of course she’d try.
And fail.
That was the tragedy.
Angels had fallen to Holly. Their broken images lined the walls of her Market. The shattered images she made of them before the end. Angelic sparks filled the core of her touchstone, fuelling her magic, making her more powerful than any of the other Aes Sídhe, Brí and Amadán included. Always willing to go further in pursuit of power than anyone else. That was Holly all over.
With a jerk Izzy was off, striding towards the door before he realised that she was just going. Leaving the girls who didn’t care a fig for her right now. Leaving the boy who probably wasn’t aware she existed at the moment, not with Silver’s full attention on him.
Jinx marched after her. If she was going outside, she was just going to make this easy. And if she was determined to make it easy, he was more than happy to oblige.
The night called him, as it always did. The moon overhead – even distant and marred by city smoke – set his blood pounding. Ancient blood, with its own memories. The narrow lanes of Dubh Linn stretched out like a maze, part of the human city and yet not, interwoven, transposed on top of the everyday world.
He knew them well. Every cobble, every alcove, every nook and cranny.
But Izzy didn’t have a clue. She turned the first corner, realised it wasn’t the way to the alley through which she’d come, and froze, gazing around herself at old brickwork, the faded rags of posters, intricately crafted grilles on the windows and set into the ground.
‘Lost?’ he asked.
At the sound of his voice, she jumped and turned, twisting like a little cat, ready for the fight. This wasn’t the girl of earlier today. Not quite. Something had changed her. The glow flickered with uncertainty.
The spark. He wanted to slap himself on the forehead. The spark was already permeating her system. Of course it would change her. It changed everything for good and ill.
‘I came looking for you. I wanted answers.’
Jinx folded his arms across his chest and her eyes followed the flex of his muscles, the lines of his tattoos moulding around them. Deep blue eyes, afraid but not helplessly so. She shouldn’t intrigue him so. Shouldn’t attract him at all. She was prey. That was all. Just prey. He waited until her eyes returned to his face. ‘Answers to what?’
‘There’s a mark on my neck. A tattoo. Like yours. How did it get there?’
This easy? Really? He smiled, barely listening to her now she was willing to go with him. A mark on her neck? Sure. How on earth could she have got a tattoo like his?
‘Come with me. I know someone who can explain.’ Lies fell easily from a honeyed tongue to eager ears. Usually.
Suspicion harden
ed her face. ‘Who?’
He laughed. It was almost too ridiculous. ‘My grandmother.’ With a step forward he reached out to her. ‘Look, you shouldn’t be here. Neither you nor your friends, but we can overlook that. The Sídhe-ways aren’t for humans, but some of you still stray from time to time.’
‘Sídhe-ways?’ She forced herself to breathe, a deliberate effort on her part to stay calm. ‘Do you mean fairies? The Tuatha dé Danann? They’re stories my gran tells.’
‘We were the first on this island, if that’s what you mean. We’re not human. And these pathways are part of our world. Sídhe-ways. And they aren’t safe, but if you want I’ll make sure your friends are shown the way home.’
She gazed at his hand as if it might bite. ‘But not me?’ A question, but delivered in a toneless voice. She already knew what his reply to that would be.
‘You want answers.’
Her lips tightened as she thought it through. ‘All right.’
A brave little tragedy.
The click of boot heel on stone brought Jinx around in irritation – to find the Magpie twins standing behind him.
‘Well, now, what a coincidence,’ said Mags. ‘Just the girl we were looking for.’
Pie, on the other hand, just pulled out the ugliest looking knife and smiled as he ran the flat of it across his black sleeve. It didn’t glint, which told Jinx it was cold iron, probably with a natural handle so it didn’t burn the skin right off his hand. Jinx knew Pie was rumoured to have one, but he’d never set much store by rumour.
Kind of a pity now.
‘So, what’s it going to be, dog?’ asked Mags with a sneer. ‘You going to roll over or sit up and beg? Or just run off with your tail between your legs?’ Dismissing Jinx, Mags gazed past him to Izzy. ‘Come here, love. Let’s not make this difficult.’
‘Didn’t anyone teach you about poaching?’ Jinx stepped carefully to one side, to put them off guard, he hoped. Izzy gave a gasp of dismay, but he ignored that. She thought he was betraying her. Well, she’d need to get used to that feeling anyway. Ignoring the feeling of shame, he let them step forward, saw Izzy close her eyes in fear and then tore himself free of the tight control Holly’s wards and charms continually maintained on his form. It hurt. Her spells made sure it hurt every time, but he had to do it. He slipped his shape and the bonds holding him.
There was a soft whoosh, a burst of air from nowhere. Izzy’s hair flew back from her face and shoulders, and the scent of cinnamon and sugar melted together surrounded her. Just for a moment. It sent her stumbling back as she inhaled it, a mesmerising smell, intoxicating. Her eyes opened.
Instead of grabbing her, the twins cursed and spun around to face the spot where Jinx had been standing. One gave a low chuckle, a dangerous sound which set her skin prickling.
Where was Jinx?
A creature stood in his place, the size of a wolfhound, but whip thin and sleek as a greyhound, a blue-green silken fur covering its body marked with unnaturally curved and twisted indigo stripes. Like Jinx’s tattoos. The whole creature might have been made from Jinx’s tattoos. Points of silver flashed in the dim light, little rings on the long pointed ears, tapered back as if they flowed from its head. Studs glinted along its muzzle. Equally silver eyes opened, narrow slits, so dark in the centre. As she watched, it stretched its body out like molten metal. Claws slid from paws as broad as a human face.
As elegant as his hands.
Even as she struggled with the logic of it, reality reasserted itself, reminding her of the situation. Her heart thundered, pounding on her ribs until they ached. Her rapid breath sounded frightened even to her and her skin tightened around her frame. A metallic tang filled her throat and all around her was the creature’s scent, its sweet beguiling scent.
The twins changed their stances, shifting to something anticipating a threat for the first time. The creature stalked around Izzy, placing itself between her and them. She looked up its length, from the twitching whip of its tail, along the coiled body, the strength in those tense muscles to the great head.
A growl rippled from the creature, like the voice of a tiger.
It couldn’t be. It couldn’t be.
‘About time you showed some form, Jinxy-boy.’ Mags drew back his upper lip as he spoke. ‘Thought Holly made sure it hurt too much to change on a whim, so this must be important. You think you can take us both? Bad doggy.’
Pie laughed, although without mirth.
Another long, low growl came from the creature – from Jinx – one which sent a shiver of fear through her, even though she knew she was not the object of the aggression. The message was clear enough and it got through, judging from the agitation on the twins’ faces.
‘We just want the girl, Jinx,’ said Pie. ‘The old man sent us personal. You know how this goes down.’
And then they moved, so fast she saw only a blur. Black and white streaks that raced towards her. Jinx leapt to intercept them.
‘Run!’
Not listening to the voice that couldn’t exist be damned! Izzy bolted down the alleyway, heedless of her path, moving faster than she could ever remember being able to run before. Terror did that to you, they said. The mark on the back of her neck was cold as ice, warning her of danger. It was too dark ahead and the narrow streets wound left and right. Footsteps echoed behind her and ahead of her. She flung herself around a corner and into a dead end.
With a cry of dismay, she turned around to see Pie bearing down on her, that vicious blade in his hand.
‘You’re fast, I’ll give you that. But it takes more than a mortal to escape us, even with the puppy running interference for you. Now hold still, I’ve work to do.’
‘Stay away from me.’ She tried to edge her way along the wall, hoping to dart by him given half a chance. Her foot caught on something, wood, but it scraped like metal on the cobbles beneath.
‘Pick it up,’ said the voice. ‘Defend yourself.’ As if she actually needed telling.
She grabbed it, a length of wood all right, but with some nasty looking rusty nails poking from the end. She swept it in front of her, hoping to ward him off.
Pie didn’t even flinch. ‘Here now, you’ve got something we want. While my brother’s dealing with the puppy, you’re going to come with me. We can do that easily or I can make it pretty painful. Understand?’
It was the alley all over again, under the eye of the graffiti angel. The moment her life had turned insane. The moment shadows had started to whisper and move, the moment disembodied voices tried to tell her what to do, the moment Jinx had entered her life.
‘What is it you people think I have?’ She couldn’t keep her voice from trembling and hated the way his smile broadened at the sound, white teeth gleaming.
‘You don’t even know? Oh, that’s rich. Now, come here. Put the stick down, little girl.’ She tightened her grip, glaring at him. Jinx, where was he? What had Mags done to him? He could have been here by now, couldn’t he? She must have glanced over Pie’s shoulder looking for him. ‘Jinx? You think he’s coming to your rescue? You’re human. He’s Cú Sídhe. A hound, set on a trail by his mistress. All he’s going to do is drag you in front of her instead. And you don’t want to face Holly, little girl.’ He passed the knife from one hand to the other. It danced in front of his face, hypnotic, terrifying. ‘Holly’s nasty.’
Before she could react, Pie’s arm swiped the piece of wood from her hand. It clattered against the wall and she screamed, staggering back, her hand flung out before her.
Fire burst from her fingertips. Just for a moment. Long enough to make him shy back in surprise. Before she could take it in, believe it had happened, the tiny flames were gone.
A blue-green shape burst through her field of vision, taking Pie down in a ball of snarls and curses. He gave an inarticulate shout and Jinx yelped.
As suddenly as it had begun it was over. Pie lurched to his feet, clutching the ragged remains of his arm. With a hateful glance at Izzy, he took off
down the alley, his long black coat fluttering behind him and a trail of blood in his wake. The hound stood his ground in front of her, snarling, his chest heaving.
Cú Sídhe, Pie had called him. Like you’d speak of a beast, a monster. She knew what it meant. Fairy hound. Dog of the Sídhe. And with his teeth bared, his fur bristling, he looked like a monster indeed.
And then, with a whine, he sank to the ground, worrying at his shoulder.
Izzy looked back to her hand, still shaking, but there were no flames now. There was nothing at all. Had she imagined it? But then what had the Magpie seen?
The hound turned his head, great silver eyes regarding her mournfully, and gave a whimper that was still more than half a growl.
Izzy’s heart lurched. Edging forward, terrified lest she startle him, she laid her hand tentatively on his neck. His pulse hammered beneath the fur. His whine faded and the harsh sound of his breath replaced it. She closed her eyes, waiting for him to turn on her. A wounded animal would attack. She knew that. But she didn’t pull back.
Nothing happened.
She took two shaky breaths of her own and ventured another look. He was still watching her over his shoulder and her fingers curled, caressing the fur. More like a cat’s fur than any dog she knew. Sensual as silk, but warm, alive, and the skin beneath rippling with strength.
It was Jinx.
Izzy jerked her hand away rapidly. The silver eyes understood far too much. They closed in marked despair, and he whimpered again, shifting around.
That was when she saw the knife – Pie’s knife. The bone-white hilt jutted from the gash on Jinx’s shoulder, which meant the blade was buried deep inside.
Izzy hissed a curse. She had to get it out. It was an ugly thing, and it was going to kill him. He watched her, patient, enduring the pain.
As her hand edged towards the hilt he started to growl.
A Crack in Everything Page 7