by Everly Frost
Her smile turns into a frown as she contemplates his backpack. “You’ll stay here on Saber Lane, won’t you?”
Vlad seems thrown. “I thought I would find a hotel…”
I glance at William. I hadn’t thought that far ahead, but it’s better if Vlad stays close. However, there is only one spare bedroom above the bookshop and that’s mine.
I say, “We could find a fold-up cot for my room.” I look to William for an answer. “Maybe?”
Tansy frowns at me, interrupting William before he can reply. “There are plenty of spare rooms at my place. A proper bed is better than a fold up one.” She clears her throat and glances at Vlad. “If that’s okay with you?”
“Thank you, Solnyshka. It is appreciated.”
I hide a smile. Tansy is so prickly and protective, but for some reason, Vlad has got under her skin in a good way. If she can open herself up to trusting him, then maybe there’s hope for me.
After Tansy and Vlad leave for Tansy’s brownstone at the corner of Saber Lane, William and I say goodnight to Dean at the Diner door.
Dean peers after Vlad as he and Tansy disappear up the street. As tall as she is, Tansy looks like a slender wraith walking beside the giant assassin.
Dean speaks quietly. “Vlad is not a total machine like he claims to be. I might not be able to get a read on him but there are some emotions he doesn’t hide as well as others.”
“Really? Like what?”
Dean inclines his head at Tansy. She and Vlad are halfway back to her place now. “My dearest friend has captivated the cynical warrior.”
I’m glad to know that Dean doesn’t have any romantic feelings toward Tansy, even if there is a hint of sadness in what he said.
I drop a kiss on his cheek. “Good night, Dean.”
“Good night, Hun—” He freezes. “Wait.”
My heart skips a beat.
I sense it, too. A presence that can’t be seen.
Someone is blurring nearby…
My arm shoots out to stop William from stepping forward. I drop my balled up clothing on the doorstep and meet his alarmed gaze, speaking quickly to both of them. “Go inside the shop and lock the door.”
I trust them to follow my instructions as I step onto the street, scanning the Lane, seeking the location of the magic I sense. I’m grateful to hear a click that tells me Dean has locked the door behind me.
The trail of magic is a mere wisp but grows thicker and stronger as I hurry up the street after Vlad and Tansy. It’s definitely coming from their direction. I can see through any assassin’s blur but I need to be closer to see who it is.
I try to identify the magic from this distance. The invader is not Slade. And it’s not Gareth. Even if I thought Gareth had escaped, I know what both their blurs feel like. This person’s aura is slimy, shadowy, and makes my skin crawl.
It has to be Fallon.
I finally locate his position at the entrance to the street. He is creeping toward Tansy, his blur making him invisible.
But… Vlad should have seen him.
Confusion washes through me. Why hasn’t Vlad sensed Fallon?
In fact, they’re walking straight toward him but Vlad hasn’t made a move at all.
Fallon’s magic flairs, coating his body in icy blue flames. He projects ropes of light that curl around Tansy’s hips, forming chains of fire around her thighs, waist, and chest. He tugs on the ropes, making her walk away from Vlad, as pliant as a doll. She doesn’t scream and, to my horror, Vlad doesn’t react. He keeps walking and that’s when I realize…
It’s what Fallon does best.
He has created a magical illusion to lure his prey into believing that nothing is wrong. He did it to me while I was training. Right now, Vlad thinks Tansy is still walking beside him. He is caught in a deadly mind trap. He has never been exposed to Fallon’s magic before so even if he realizes he’s caught in an illusion, he might not know how to fight it. He will keep walking even if Tansy is dying…
Fallon drags Tansy up against his chest, his dagger flashing to her throat.
I’m running before I know it, my legs pounding, harnessing the last shreds of my power. The force inside me is far too slow to respond. I’m too drained. I can barely feel my strength, flickering and sputtering inside me.
I prepare to release my wings, desperate to harness their power. I sense my back shift and then stop… My wings are heavy and sluggish, refusing to open.
Frustration shrieks through me.
Tansy and I have never been friends, but she doesn’t deserve to die like this.
Dark liquid drips down her neck as he takes his time pressing the blade into her skin as if she is a plaything.
Please, wings! Please!
They don’t respond. I run harder, pushing myself faster, drawing on everything inside myself.
Tansy is quiet and pliant in Fallon’s arms, completely vulnerable. Her head tips back against his shoulder as he wraps one arm around her waist in a sickening caress while his other hand tugs on the blade.
I’m too far away to stop him.
Chapter Ten
A wash of silver light flashes across the entrance to the street. A blurred figure races into view, running straight toward Fallon, much closer to him than I am.
Slade!
He sprints at full pace but skids to a halt before he enters Saber Lane, flinging out one arm, his power spearing through the air. Fallon’s blade arm flies wide, forced away from Tansy’s throat by the powerful force Slade directs at him. The blade clatters onto the cobbled pavement.
Fallon shouts, a muffled sound within his blur, and attempts to throw a line of blue flame at Slade, trying to strike him without letting Tansy go.
Slade evades the blow and flicks his other hand to the side, using his power to force Fallon’s other arm away from Tansy’s waist. Fallon now stands with both arms spread wide. But Slade is also stuck in that position, straining to keep Fallon from grabbing Tansy again.
She slips forward and I catch her before she hits the pavement. I pull her into my arms and away from Fallon. She is limp and heavy in my arms, her face completely blank. Her neck oozes a little but the cut is superficial. It was lucky Fallon decided to play with his prey instead of going for a quick kill.
While Slade uses his power to keep Fallon immobilized, Slade remains outside the street. He hasn’t stepped foot onto Saber Lane, respecting the boundary like he promised.
Fallon ignores me, struggling and cursing, spitting at Slade, trying to harness his power to fight back. When that doesn’t work, Fallon’s features settle into a mask of concentration.
Slade winces, flinching.
My eyes widen. Fallon is trying to get inside Slade’s mind. Just like he got inside Vlad and Tansy’s. If he succeeds, Slade will become like them: completely vulnerable.
I need to get Tansy to safety and then help Slade. I gather her into my arms and carry her to the side of the street, propping her against the steps at the front of her house. I don’t have keys to place her safely inside her home and Slade’s painful groan tells me he won’t hold out against Fallon much longer. I have no choice but to leave her here. I make sure she is stable and won’t fall against anything that might hurt her. At least she’s out of the line of fire now.
She stares blankly at the sky, slumped, not registering anything around her. She’s still trapped inside whatever illusion Fallon created to make her pliant. Vlad too has stopped walking and stares at nothing, becoming a statue in the middle of the street.
I race back to Slade and Fallon, taking note of the sweat beading on Slade’s forehead. He is physically stronger and more powerful than Fallon, but nobody knows mind games better than our former teacher.
Slade’s expression twists and another groan escapes his lips. His widespread arms falter, his power loosening on Fallon’s arms. I don’t know what Fallon is making Slade see but it’s causing him too much pain. Fallon struggles against Slade’s power, hissing between his teeth, p
ushing harder to get free, a cruel smile lighting up his face.
I’m not strong enough to fight Fallon physically right now, not in my depleted state. But I’m immune to his mind games and he can’t control me when I’m inside his illusions. I need to keep Slade strong, help him overcome whatever illusion Fallon has immersed him in.
I approach Slade cautiously, wary of what he might do if Fallon makes him see something that isn’t there. Slade could strike me without meaning to.
Fallon’s foul gaze rakes across me. “You’re tired, Valkyrie. Useless. Weak. Your friend would be dead right now if her safety was left up to you.”
I push away the cruel truth in what Fallon said. Slade saved Tansy, not me. I fix my gaze on Slade, on his pale blue eyes, the way his face resembles unyielding stone, all hard lines and determination. “Slade… focus on me.”
Slade twitches but doesn’t look at me. His gaze remains far away. His chest rises and falls rapidly. Too rapidly.
Then… tears leak from his eyes.
I freeze in shock.
Slade never cries.
I spin to Fallon. “What are you doing to him?”
Fallon laughs. “Playing with his soul.”
Slade’s fists clench slowly in the air. He shakes his head, as if he’s trying to stop something from happening, but he can’t.
He whispers, “No… Hunter…”
He’s not talking to me, not in the present. He’s talking inside the illusion. That means it’s about me. The fact that it’s causing him this much pain wrenches my heart inside my chest.
I’m close enough to touch him.
I take a deep breath as I reach across the distance, preparing myself for what making contact will do to me.
My heart pounds as I wrap my fingers around his outstretched arm. His body is warm beneath my hand, strong, and so intensely connected to my own. I don’t try to fight the way my heart thumps or the way my hand tingles.
I keep my voice soft, whispering to him, “Slade… you don’t have to stay outside the street.”
His focus shifts to me with an intensity that takes my breath away. His arm shudders beneath my palm in a way that tells me shock struck straight through him.
“Hunter?”
I sigh with relief. His eyes are focused. He sees me again.
I give him a small smile. “I’m here. You don’t have to stay at the entrance. You can come into my territory.”
His gaze travels to my hand on his arm and then back to my face, tracing the outline of my cheeks and my lips. He doesn’t try to shake me off, closing his eyes briefly and taking a deep breath before he steps forward, allowing my hand to remain on his arm. One foot after the other, he steps onto the Lane.
Fallon growls unhappily as Slade’s focus remains on me. He won’t like that I’ve interrupted his spell. The darkness around Fallon increases, a force that crawls up my spine, making me shudder. He’s trying to drag Slade under again, his magic like oil sliding over my back and arms, trying to get past the mental barrier I’ve given Slade.
As long as I’m touching Slade, as long as he is focused on me, Fallon can’t invade his mind. Right now, that’s all that matters.
I know Fallon can hear everything I say, and telling Slade that I can’t fight right now is dangerous, but Fallon has already sensed that I’m weak and Slade needs to know my limitations.
I say, “I don’t have my strength back.”
Slade’s fierce eyes rest on mine, an undeniable force. “I can fight him. But we need to release Alexei and Tansy from the mind trap first. Otherwise, he will damage their minds.”
“How can we release them?”
Slade says, “We have to fight Fallon inside the illusion. Like we did that time in class. It’s the only way to break his hold over them.”
I wasn’t prepared for that. Whatever Fallon made Slade see caused him too much pain. I consider the tear tracks down his cheeks. I’m not sure that I want to willingly immerse myself in an illusion that does that to him.
I can’t go in there without knowing what I’m about to face. My demand is harsh as I ask, “What did he make you see?”
Slade’s response is soft. “Something that will never happen.” He swallows and hurries on, “You’re keeping the mind trap at bay for both of us, but it will suck us down as soon as you choose to let it. Are you ready?”
Am I? I glance along the deserted street. We’re lucky nobody has walked past at this time of night. They won’t see Fallon because he’s blurred. My best course of action is to blur Slade and me. That way only Vlad and Tansy will be visible to an outsider. I just hope Dean and William stay away until it’s safe again.
I draw Slade into a blur with me, concealing us both completely, even from Fallon, and say, “Yes.”
I stop pushing away Fallon’s power, allowing the oily sensation to creep under my skin, through my ribs, into my chest, up into my mind, allowing it to pass to Slade.
There is a pause as the illusion sucks us under and the world around us turns into mottled gray and vague shapes.
Slade’s eyes meet mine for a quiet moment. Fear burns deep inside his gaze for the first time. “Hunter, please don’t believe—”
The illusion takes hold.
Trees form around us, along with a clearing and a cabin. Vibrant colors and a carpet of red leaves settle into place beneath our feet.
I know this place. It’s the Fury cabin where Slade found out what I was.
Our hands are connected. We stand a single step apart. I’m still wearing Dean’s shirt. I am the same as I was on the street. Except that I’m holding an object out to Slade.
It glints, a copper force contained within a leaf.
It’s the Keres ring. The one that can kill me.
I offered it to Slade in the real world but he refused to take it. But now… it already rests in his palm, the leaf protecting his body from the contact that would sear his skin; such a small object disappearing inside his upturned hand.
He raises his head as his fist closes around it, the dry leaf crunching between his fingers. His voice doesn’t sound like his own. “Did you kill my brother, Hunter?”
“No.”
Fury washes through his harsh features. The danger and threat surrounding him builds. “Don’t lie to me!”
My eyes widen. “You know I can’t.”
The gray rims around his irises darken and shadows cast across his face as if a cloud passed over him even though the sky is clear above us.
“If it wasn’t you, then who?”
I whisper, “I don’t know.”
I inhale sharply. Did I speak the truth or lie?
I don’t know for sure that my mother killed his brother. I only know what Slade told me: that it was a woman with wings. A woman like me.
Guilt and sadness wash through me before I can hide them.
His expression twists. He shakes his head at me. He could always read me too well.
He roars, “Now I know you’re lying!”
He takes a step forward, his closed fist lighting up with copper flame. Keres power, sharp and biting, licks along his arm and leaps out at me. Another inch closer and it will strike me.
“Slade… no…” I shudder, my breathing speeding up, my back shifting in response to the threat. I jolt as my wings strike out into the air on either side of me, silver light surrounding them.
I’m ready to fly but Slade is faster. His free hand clamps around my shoulder, biting into me, holding me tight. His face is barely recognizable to me; it is full of so much hatred. “You deserve to die, Hunter. Just like your mother.”
He slams the Keres fire against my heart.
A scream wrenches out of me, agony rips through me, and my knees buckle. He forces me down, driving his fist harder against my chest, surrounding me in Keres fire.
This isn’t real! Slade would never do this. This is… my worst fear… my own fear striking back at me…
My body won’t listen. My heart cracks inside m
y chest and my Valkyrie power fades, consumed by the Keres flames that light up my body within seconds. I fall to the ground, my wings crumpling beneath me. My whole world bursts into pain and light as my wings catch fire.
Then… suddenly… shockingly… the flames disappear.
The pain stops.
Slade falls to his knees beside me, wraps his arms around me, and pulls me close. One hand supports my head and his voice reaches me from very far away. “Hunter! No…”
His face wafts across my vision, blurred, unfocused. He draws me up against his hard chest, dragging his hands through my hair, trying to wake me. “Hunter, please.”
He lifts his head and roars across me, shouting into the trees. “Stop making me do this!”
His attention returns to me, raw and unyielding.
He whispers, “I will never do this to you.”
Chapter Eleven
My vision clears. I’m finally able to focus on him again. My hand shakes as I reach up to brush away the tear dragging down his cheek. I shudder as remnant pain courses through me. “Slade…”
Cruel laughter at the edge of the clearing tells me Fallon has finally materialized.
Fear darkens Slade’s expression. “As soon as we stand up, Fallon will make it happen again. He’s caught me in a cycle of killing you and trying to save you.”
My palm rests against his cheek for another second. “I won’t let him.”
For a brief moment, Slade allows me to touch him and the friction between us disappears. His hand rests against my lower back, having found its way under my shirt. He strokes my skin, soft and slow, responding to the gentle press of my fingertips to his jaw. I’m caught up in his arms, my head tilted back, pressed close to his chest. A different kind of tension builds between us. Having him so close to me is like being offered a drink of water in the desert.
Slade’s gaze deepens… then he shakes himself.
His arms loosen around me and I have no choice but to remove my hand, focusing on a spot on his shoulder instead.
I grit my teeth. “Fallon shouldn’t have given me wings in this illusion.”
I roll free, deliberately propelling myself away from Slade, catapulting to my feet, and launching into the air in one fluid movement, spreading my wings at the same time. Slade jumps to his feet, observing my flight across the clearing.