Crown of Smoke and Blood

by Sadie Jacks

  “Long enough to save her life. Outside of that, don’t touch her.”

  I flinched. “If we choose to complete the mate bond. Will your air pocket interfere?” I wasn’t sure I wanted a mate bond. The love of my life had died many years ago, and I still wasn’t really over her.

  Magda waited until I looked at her. “No. If you both choose the bond, the air pocket will dissolve.”

  How she’d worded that made me raise an eyebrow. “If both of us choose the bond? How will the air pocket know if only one of us chooses it?”

  Magda smiled. “Because I’m very good and very old.”

  My lips quirked up. Another thought occurred. “Will it work if only I’m conscious? Will she not have to give her willing consent?”

  Magda winced slightly. “It would work better for her to give her consent, but since neither of you can keep your hands off the other while you’re both conscious, then this will have to be enough.”

  I grimaced. Shook my head. “No. She either agrees as well or we don’t do it. I have a feeling most of the choices in her life haven’t been her own. I won’t take this from her as well.” Without the pull of Vari’s magic, I could stand here and say that I was okay with the air pocket. But considering I’d been ready to kill Magda for getting in between us, we would have to make sure we talked to Vari as soon as she woke up.

  Magda nodded. “Very well. But I suggest we get her out of the cage.”

  I could definitely get on board with that idea. “We’ll need Tavis for the key.”

  Maga nodded again, closed her eyes.

  I felt a low hum of magic rise through the air. Something I’d never been able to feel before meeting Vari. The magic felt like a warm breeze on a humid day against my arms. I shook off the feeling.

  “He’s coming down. I will warn you that he is not happy.” Magda’s mouth was pulled down at the corners, a hint of sadness in her eyes.

  Hopefully we could talk about everything. Maybe he would get over himself long enough to help us. It certainly wasn’t Vari’s fault that she was from the Old World. And whatever beef he had with the Horde, that had nothing to do with Vari either.

  I heard the door open with the slightest squeak of the door hinges. Needed to get that oiled. While I didn’t really consider my basement to be a dungeon, I certainly didn’t need to add to the creepy vibe with a creaking door.

  Tavis walked over, an old-fashioned skeleton key in his hand. The shaft of the key was almost as long as my palm and it looked positively tiny in his giant paw.

  And Magda was right. Tavis was still pissed. His bottle green eyes were pinched at the corners, his nostrils flared. Gone was the jovial man I was accustomed to. Honestly, I don’t think I’d ever seen Tavis in anything less than a smile or neutral expression.

  He stopped at the door. “You’re sure you want to let her out?” He posed the question to Magda.

  My back stiffened. “Yes, we’re fecking sure we want to get her out. She’s not an animal, T.”

  He snorted softly. “If she’s from the Horde, she’s lower than an animal.” He shoved the key into the lock. Jerked it to the right so hard I was surprised the key didn’t snap in two. “Whatever happens now is on your head.”

  “Keep talking shite, T. See where it gets you.” I elbowed past him into the cage. Crouching down, I got her cloak and covered her nakedness. Once I got her wrapped up, I pulled her into my arms. Still light as a feather. Cradling her against my chest, I straightened and carried her from the cage.

  “Ye don’t know what you’re talking about, Trick. Ye’ve no bloody idea.” He crossed his massive arms over his chest.

  “Not that it should matter at all, but she is fully Fae, Tavis Ian. And not of the Horde. I would wager she is actually higher in power and rank than you are, if what I felt of her magic is true,” Magda snapped. “And if I find out that you’ve abused the poor child because of things done to her, you and I will be having a very lengthy discussion on being an arse. It will be accompanied by an attitude adjustment.”

  Tavis took a step back, his eyes wide as he stared down at the bent woman. He shook his head. “I’m sorry, Ma—”

  “It’s not me who deserves your apology, Tavis. You hurt her.” Magda lifted a gnarled hand. Stabbed a finger into his lower ribs—which was probably as high as she could reach. “See that it doesn’t happen again.”

  She turned her back on Tavis, her eyes softening as she saw me carrying Vari. “Let’s take her upstairs. Do you have an extra room you can install her in for a short time?”

  I nodded. Not looking at Tavis, I scooted around him. Made my way upstairs. My kitchen area was full of warrior Fae. They were lounging around the room.

  Conversation cut off as soon as we stepped into the room. Expressions varied, but mostly they were full of mistrust and derision as they looked at the small woman in my arms. What the hell was their problem?

  “I think you’re done here. Go back home,” Magda commanded as she stepped into the kitchen behind me. “Thank you for your service.”

  Soon, my kitchen was full of portal holes. I didn’t recognize any of the destinations, but they all looked to be in the human world. The warriors left, one by one. They gave Magda a nod before they stepped through to wherever they were going.

  Once again, the kitchen was empty. But I could still feel their presence like that humid breeze. I wanted to open my house and let the real wind sweep it clean.

  Vari moved in my arms. A slight jolt before she curled up against my chest. Sweet saints. We needed to hurry. Otherwise, we’d never get this ritual done.

  “Out of time, boy. Lay her on the island,” Magda said, a tone in her voice I wasn’t willing to fight with at the moment.

  Doing what she commanded, I had Vari stretched out, her head resting on a folded towel. Continuing to hold her hand, I waited for Magda to either tell me to leave her alone or do something else.

  “Vari girl, open your eyes.” Magda sounded like a grandmother for the first time since making her acquaintance. She tapped her bony fingers on Vari’s cheek.

  Vari’s amber eyes popped open. She went from laying down flat on her back to being in a crouched attack position within seconds. I didn’t really even see her move.

  She was freaking amazing.

  “Vari, we need to put an air pocket around our connection. We’ll be able to talk and actually learn from each other. We can break it anytime we want.” My words were rushed. I could feel the call of her pulling me closer and closer.

  Magda had been right. We needed to get this under control before we could do anything else. Not to mention, I did have a life outside of the woman who was standing on my kitchen island like a warrior goddess. Granted, it paled in comparison to her, but I had a feeling most things would.

  Vari looked down at me. “What kind of air pocket?”

  I looked at Magda.

  Magda smiled at me before looking up at Vari. “Get down from there. My neck doesn’t like craning up that high.” She stabbed a finger towards the floor.

  Vari shook her head. “Not until you tell me what kind of air pocket.” She did relax her stance, though.

  Magda sighed. Took a seat on one of the stools and leaned back until she could see Vari’s face. “That’s very rude. The air pocket will be of elemental design. It will lessen the connection between, but will not destroy it. There will be limitations that must be observed. The pocket itself will dissolve upon mutual acceptance of the mate bond. It will not interfere with any of your individual magics.”

  Vari looked down at me. “What say you?”

  I nodded. “I agree, but wanted to wait for you to wake up. I wasn’t going to do this to you without speaking to you about it.”

  You’d be the first. Her words drifted across my mind.

  Without looking away from Vari, I asked, “Will we lose our mental connection?”

  “No. It will remain the same, potentially growing stronger. That is outside of my control with the air
pocket.”

  I raised my brows up at Vari. “What do you say? I, for one, would like to understand what’s happening. And no offense, I would like to do that without having to be touching every minute of the day.”

  Her lips quirked up. “Yes. I agree. And I don’t actually like people touching me, so that works perfectly.”

  We both turned to Magda.

  “What now?” I asked.

  “Now she gets down so I don’t fall over.” Magda glared up at Vari.

  Vari chuckled. She did a small jump and landed on the far side of the kitchen island. While I understood the decision, a small part of me wished she’d come to my side of it.

  Magda nodded. “Good. Give me your right hands.” She held both of her hands out. A small funnel of her power sprang up from her palms.

  Vari and I both gave her our right hands. As soon as our skin touched Magda’s, the world around me seemed to vanish. No longer was I standing in the kitchen of my ancestral home. I was…levitating above a swirling lake of orange, yellow, and red. Had it not been for the brisk wind that buffeted my body, I would have thought we hovered over a lake of molten lava.

  Looking around, I saw Vari at the far side of the lake. Her hair looked like an oil spill against the golden glow of her cheeks. A kaleidoscope of colors overlaid the blue-black lengths.

  “Focus on me, please,” Magda said.

  “Sure. I’d love to do that. Where are you?” I asked aloud. The woman had vanished as quickly as the world had.

  “I don’t see you either,” Vari added. “Just Koehn and the lava monster below us.”

  I looked down again at her words. The oddly colored lake was placid except for the breeze. “I don’t see a monster.”

  “Lucky you,” Vari muttered. “So anytime you want to finish your ritual or whatever this is, that’d be great.”

  “Oh dear. Let me try this again,” Magda said. Even though I couldn’t see her, I felt her shift her grip on my hand. The slide of her power—that humid breeze—shifted to a brisk winter wind. “How’s that?”

  Nothing had changed for me, minus the temperature of the air that swirled around me. “Nope. Just colder. Vari?”

  “Well, the lava monster is frozen, so that’s a win. Can we just get on with this? I’d like some chocolate.”

  I snickered. “I’d like to not be hovering over a lake that’s not really a lake. So I second that option.”

  “Something isn’t right. I apologize, my children. This has never happened before.”

  Before I could ask what was happening, I was standing back in my kitchen. Just as we’d been before, putting our hands in Magda’s.

  Magda’s pale face was drenched in sweat and streaked with purple and red. “Magda?” I called.

  She shook her head. “Something is wrong.” Her milky eyes rolled up into her head as she tipped to the side.

  “Magda!” Vari yelled as she darted forward.

  Chapter 15 – Vari

  I caught the old woman just before she hit the floor. Streaks of my mutated power threaded her face and veins. “Koehn, help me.” I settled Magda against the cool tiles of the floor, unsure what to do.

  Not once in my entire hundred plus years of living had I been called on to save or heal someone. My aptitudes were more suited to killing in creative and blunt ways. I had no idea what to do.

  He rushed over. “What’s the color in her face?”

  My cheeks burned as the bottom dropped out of my belly. “My power. But it should just be red. Something you did to me changed it to purple.” I shifted and laid a hand against my own belly. “It’s taking over my system. It was one of the problems I needed to talk to you about.”

  Koehn snarled low in his throat. “I have no idea what kind of power you have or why interacting with me would have changed it. Shite.” He shoved a hand through his hair.

  “Maybe if we touch her together?” I asked. It was my only offer, my only thought.

  Koehn blew out a breath. “What if we make it worse?”

  The man and his questions. I shook my head. “I don’t know. I’m not a healer.” A thought triggered. “What about giving her some of your blood? I know she used it to help me when the—downstairs.” Crap. Maybe he hadn—

  He looked at me sharply. “Do you know what happened?”

  There went that hope. I stared at him, not answering. “Can you help her?”

  “Let’s try touching her together first. I don’t really like giving my blood to others.” His brows dipped together slightly.

  I nodded. No one should ever get my blood. I knew that was a moot point with Koehn. I’d practically shoved my blood down his throat. “Together.” I laid my hand on Magda’s chest.

  Koehn took a deep breath and laid his hand on mine. “Please don’t let her die.”

  The world dissolved once more. But no longer was I levitating over a frozen lava monster or dancing in the clouds. The world was a rich brown that reminded me of recently turned soil that had been rained on. It smelled of nutrient dense dirt as well, perfect for planting and growing.

  “What the hell is this?” Koehn asked. Instead of being across the field as he was at the lake, he was right beside me still. His dark blue eyes shifted constantly as he seemed to be watching for some kind of danger.

  “I don’t know.”

  Magda’s body shifted under my hand. “By the powers, children. Where are we?” She clasped her hands over ours. “You saved me.”

  I looked down at the old woman who shifted between motherly and warrior in the blink of an eye. “Are we doing it right?”

  She looked around at the world. Nodded. “It’s not a world I’ve been to before, but it will work.” She shifted, looked up at me. “But I can’t give you the air pocket. You’re too strong for my magic to work on you. You either need to complete the bond or go back to Faery. Alone.”

  I sucked in a deep breath. I couldn’t go back to Faery—either of them. Not yet. Not until everything was ready.

  “Complete the bond,” Koehn said.

  I turned to see him staring at me with a fierce expression. “I won’t lose you. Not like this. Complete the bond.” He turned back to Magda. “Do it.”

  “But you don’t know me. I’m a monster. Something horri—”

  Magda squeezed my hand. She peeled our hands out from under hers. Put our palms together. Pressed hers to the outsides of ours.

  “No. Wait. Koehn, you don’t understa—”

  Power surged through me. More than I’d ever thought to experience in my short life so far. Even with all the other essences and creatures I carried, they’d been introduced to my system in increments. Not shoved so deep inside me I almost lost myself.

  Koehn slid his fingers apart and threaded them through mine. “Vari, look at me.”

  With my hand still trapped, I shook my head, my eyes squeezed shut. “You don’t know what you’ve done.”

  Magda’s hands fell away. “Dear girl, you…you…”

  I peeled one eyelid up to peer at her. “What? What do you see?”

  Magda’s smile was beatific. “You will save us all.”

  Before I could suck in a noisy inhale, we were back in Koehn’s kitchen. And Magda was gone.

  Koehn yanked me into his arms. “We’ll be fine. I promise you.”

  I shook my head against his chest. “You have no idea what you’ve just done. What could happen to you.”

  “Tell me. Tell me and we’ll figure it out together.”

  I jerked back. Glared up at him. “Except for surface things, you don’t know anything about me. I don’t know jack shit about you.”

  He narrowed his eyes. “I know that you stood between Magda and Tavis when you thought he was in trouble and demanded the punishment be given to you. I know that you came back here because you wanted answers and planned to leave before you got them because you thought you’d somehow intruded. I know you somehow have different creatures inside you. And that you caused yourself intense pain to
make sure they couldn’t hurt anyone else. I know you have a weird fascination for chocolate.” He reached out, gripped my hand. “I know how you taste. I know the scent of your blood and the texture of your skin. I might not know everything there is to know about you, but I know enough.” His voice was rough. “I started all of this, all of these changes for you when I found you on the street. When I brought you to my home.”

  “So you’re doing this out of a sense of obligation.” I nodded. That I could understand. It wasn’t really about me. But his sense of honor.

  He lifted my chin, forced me to look into his eyes. “Yes, my honor is at stake. But I want to know you, Vari. I want to know why you feel light as a whisper, but your kick feels like being run over by a train. I want to know how you break through my shields and invade my mind. I want to hear your laugh and to memorize your smile. I want to dry your tears and listen to your groans.”

  My eyes widened as I watched him study me. He was serious. Every single word out of his mouth was the truth. I could feel the sincerity of each word wash through me like a squeeze against my heart.

  But if he did that, knew me…he would die. No one was supposed to know about us. No one was supposed to learn our secrets. Our truths. In our Faery, we had a list of rules as long as my leg. The top one—the one no one was allowed to break—keep ourselves secret. We were to be nothing but a rumor. Something mentioned in passing.

  There is power in obscurity.

  And my power was near limitless.

  Chapter 16 – Koehn

  Two conflicting desires battled in her eyes, in her mind: wanting to belong and being scared to be known. I knew intimately what loneliness could do. What havoc it could wreak on the heart and soul. I also knew what soul-deep terror felt like. Had experienced it as my Annabeth had slowly faded in front of me.

  But Vari was strong. I had a feeling everything I’d witnessed of her so far was not only the tip of the iceberg, but was simply the sheen of it off in the distance. There was so much more to this woman, and I wanted to know every single part of her.