by A. K. Koonce
The crowd stares down on us, not seeing us but seemingly waiting for us all the same. The bright lighting is harsh on my eyes. My father cocks his head to the side as his attention lands on Cameron once again.
“I knew a simple loss of life would be all that was needed to get your attention, Daughter.”
His fist twists into my mother’s long hair, arching her back until the pale column of her throat is exposed to the knife he holds tightly.
“Face me with respect, Violence.” He jars her thin body back against him. With a jolt of power, I appear in an instant. The three men of the Wild Hunt exchange a surprised look. My chin tips up to the King, my gaze holding his.
Quick breaths fill my lungs as I try to hold on to a look of fearlessness. Even if anxiety threatens to shake through my limbs.
My mother is one woman in a mass of many in his life. She’s nothing to him. But to me, she’s the only person who never stopped loving me. She fought to keep me here with her.
She failed.
“You could have just asked.” His words are lazy, as if he isn’t on the brink of committing murder in front of the eyes of his court. “Tell me what you were searching for, Daughter.”
I force myself not to look to Cameron. Nollix shifts, his body skimming mine slightly as if he might shield me from my own father.
“I was looking for succession documents,” I say without thought.
It’s a terrible lie.
But it’s the only one I have.
“Why?” His eyes narrow on me, searching my features for the truth.
“Have you even considered who will rule our people once you’re gone? Surely it wouldn’t be Amandria, would it?” As if they’ve never imagined this cruel man’s death, a nice collective—slightly dramatic—gasp slips through the audience. Goddess, do they need a hobby. “The thief said I could find the succession paperwork and have it altered in my favor.”
He studies me, his attention flickering between myself and the confused Warlock at my side.
“You think you’re fit to rule the Court of Darkness?” A sneer slices through his features but he lowers the knife just slightly away from my mother’s smooth skin. I can almost breathe with the knife farther away from her now. Even if I’m starting to wonder if my own life is in jeopardy. “I have no intention of leaving my people any time soon, Violence.” His lips purse. The way he’s looking at me sinks a horrific feeling to the pit of my stomach. It’s eating at my insides with fear and anticipation.
“Your mother, on the other hand, isn’t in the best of health.” And then the blade slices across her throat. It sinks in so far that blood spews from the wound. Her mouth opens without sound, and worst of all, I see her beautiful soul leave her body in flowing golden shadows.
A scream echoes from my lips, it shakes through the room, tearing at the structure. The ground trembles with the rage of my emotions. Cries and shouts emit from the once-quiet crowd. Link’s body presses against mine as he holds me to his chest, attempting to calm me, to ground me, to save me.
The glowing apparition wanders aimlessly.
Is she afraid? She shouldn’t be alone. She needs me. I need for her to know I’m here.
As her soul drifts through the room in pure and beautiful colors, Jeriko’s hunger grows. I feel its demanding presence within my chest. In seconds, his glittering dark form is swarming her. I shift, swirling through the room as quick as my magic will allow me. The shimmering colors of my magic slam against his, but it only deters him for a moment. His smoky form wraps around hers, pulling her into him. He devours her soul in the blink of an eye.
Pain sears through my heart at the sight of it.
The energy in me slips away. I fall, my body returning solid once again as I spiral through the air toward the cracked tile floor below.
My thoughts can’t focus on anything but the hollow look in her shining emerald eyes. The way the puddle of blood beneath her makes her eyes seem darker. Ominous even.
A sobbing sound shakes from my lips just as my skull slams hard against the glossy tile.
Chapter Thirteen
A Distraction
“Where do the souls go once you guys collect them?” Cameron looks to the guys and for the most part, they ignore him.
Except Link.
“We’re just a filter. They go to an in-between place to be sorted into the afterlife.” He’s always so knowing. So well thought out.
His rational behavior is almost an odd fit for the Wild Hunt.
“And this in-between place, someone could get there?”
“If they knew where there was, sure.” Link seems to be trying hard to be kind to the warlock.
“The King knows where this there is.” Cameron’s attention drifts across my vacant expression.
They brought me to the meadow while I was out. These men, the only family I have apparently, brought me to the one place that I find comfort in. They laid me in the thick grass and waited for me to wake.
Fireflies flash in the night sky, warming the darkness and calming me just slightly.
My fingers fist the soft grass and my gaze holds Cameron’s for a long while. There’s pity in the depths of his eyes. I’ve been awake for about an hour, but I haven’t found the strength to move. And Cameron hasn’t mentioned it. He’s let me pretend to be asleep.
Nollix follows Cameron’s heavy attention.
“Is she awake?” Nollix storms over to me quickly. White flowers crumple beneath his boots as he strides toward me. The other three keep their distance. Link watches me with big eyes. Jeriko stares a hole through the side of my head.
I wonder if he knows how badly I want to kill him for taking her soul? Someone had to do it, I know. But seeing it, seeing her dissolve into the unknown, it was more painful than I could ever imagine.
Nollix lowers himself until he’s kneeling in front of me. The dark sky is above him, shadowing his features to me. The looming heavens lie behind him like a painting of a god of war. The scar lining his jaw glitters darkly. It captures my attention for several seconds.
I don’t move. I keep my body locked in the fetal position like it’s the only thing holding me together.
Gentle fingers push back my hair and I wince as his touch skims over the wound against my temple.
“I’m sorry, Vi.” It’s a whispered sound that holds more meaning than any of us realize. It’s the gentlest I’ve ever heard his voice sound.
But still I don’t move.
I’d give anything for sleep to pull me under once again. To forget the pain that’s consuming my heart right now for just a little while.
I just need time to sort out my mind. To calm the ache in my heart.
“What can I do?” He looks as if he might actually care about me.
Maybe he does.
But he can’t help me right now.
I look to Cameron. He holds my gaze for a long time, as if reading my thoughts perfectly.
He shifts from his sitting position. He crawls until he’s close enough to touch. Hesitantly, he wraps his arm around me. His chest lines up against my back as he settles in behind me. My palm pushes down his corded arm over my stomach.
Nollix’s gaze is held on the Warlock behind me. His eyes narrow dangerously. As he shoves off from the ground, giving me the span of his back as he walks away, my lashes flutter. Cameron’s warming magic lulls me to sleep.
It numbs me just like I wanted.
***
I slept for so long my joints ache. It’s quiet for the first time in what feels like days. Not even death has the balls to disrupt us now. I sit with my back against a tree, watching over the other four as they sleep. Nollix turns abruptly. His dreams always seem to get the best of him. Or nightmares, I should say.
I once tried to wake him when I first became a part of the Wild Hunt. He almost murdered me in his sleep. I haven’t touched him since.
Cameron sleeps a few feet away from me. The magic he expelled must have worn on him more tha
n he lets on. Jeriko rests soundly across the fire from me as if he isn’t afraid I might kill him in his sleep.
My stomach sinks as I remember how quickly he took her soul. The vicious exhilaration he held when devouring her life is all I can think about.
She was afraid. I could tell. She was terrified and I couldn’t even comfort her.
It’s his job. I know it is. I hope she’s in an afterlife now just like she should be. Safe; away from my father for the first time in decades.
I try hard to let that thought ease my conscience, but still my throat feels tight. My eyes threaten to fill with moisture before I shove the thoughts away.
I blanket the emotions with a sense of numbness.
“Scoot over.” I startle from the sound of Link’s quiet voice.
The pale moonlight reflects against his eyes, making the lavender appear darker tonight. He looks tired, but I know he’ll never admit it. He’s spent so many nights sitting at my side, attempting to force a friendship while I fought to avoid one.
You’d think I’d have worn him out by now.
I shift on the damp grass until there’s room for both of us against the wide tree trunk. The bark bites into my back when I settle against it.
This is how I normally fall asleep. Watching the men in my life and thinking about what I can’t change.
Link’s lips part for a moment, his words poised against his tongue before he finally speaks.
“When I first came here, on the very first day, my parents died.” His brows crease. His words are quiet and filled with tense emotion. I can’t help but wonder if this is the first time he’s talked about it.
“I watched them die. I was a mess. They died right in front of me. And then I consumed their souls. I couldn’t stop myself from carnally wanting to devour their existence.”
He couldn’t stop the demanding magic of the Wild Hunt from taking control.
Sorrow lines his handsome face. He looks older in this moment.
Wiser.
He’s just as broken as I am.
He does handle it a little better than I do, though.
“When you first showed up here, to be a member of the Wild Hunt, I thought the King had lost his fucking mind.” A smile pushes at his features. “I thought he’d sent us this quiet, weak woman as a punishment for something we’d done.”
My eyes narrow slightly on him.
“I didn’t realize it was your way of coping. I didn’t realize there was this power hidden away within you that I’d never be able to tame. I don’t want you to sink back into that coping, Vi.” His words are gentle and drift all through me with warmth.
His words circle my mind once more. He actually thought he could tame me?
Sure, even I’ve tried to quiet the dark energy within me, but I can only push it down so much.
“You really thought you could tame me?” I bump my shoulder into his, letting his body heat wash over me.
A smirk tilts his lips. I think he’s just happy I spoke at all.
He bumps my arm right back, teetering me off balance.
“Someone needs to,” he says with a growing smile that has me gaping at him. I can’t believe I actually want to smile from his taunting words.
The corded muscle of his bicep meets my arm and I shove hard at him. He pushes right back.
His fingers feel good against my body, sending energy swirling through me just from the small contact.
Link’s always been a friend to me. The way my body’s reacting to his touch doesn’t feel friendly right now. The alive and buzzing feeling racing through my veins is the least friendly thing I’ve ever felt.
“You’d never have the balls to control me.” I try hard not to laugh when he attempts to grip my hands but I sneak out of his grasp.
I quiet my laughter to keep from waking the others, but I can’t help it. His palms push relentlessly at mine. Finally, I turn, straddling my legs over his and clutch his hands to his sides.
But then I’m against him. And we’re eye to eye. And he’s holding my hands.
His smile grows somber. His beautiful gaze shifting down to my lips before meeting my eyes again.
“No one will ever control you, Vi.” The whisper in his voice sends a tingling feeling into my core. It has me leaning into him.
Warm fingers tangle through mine. The heavy look in his gaze makes my breath catch.
Link’s this mixture of intelligence and confidence. The two traits go hand in hand for him. I’ve never noticed how sexy he really is until right now.
Deep, assessing eyes trail over my features. Slowly, ever so slowly he leans into me. His chest brushes mine and my heart pounds harder from his simple closeness. Just lightly his soft lips skim mine. His eyes never leave mine as he pulls back as if he’s studying my reaction. He’s testing me. For a single second, I just stare at him with stunned attention.
I can’t believe he just kissed me.
The energy swirling within me urges me forward. Gently, I angle my mouth over his. Soft lips press against mine. It’s a hesitant and careful kiss. It’s as if we’re both worried what the outcome will be.
Something that feels this good can’t be bad, can it?
His tongue parts my lips and I taste every part of him. Soft cotton meets my fingertips. The lines of his hard stomach guide my path as my fingers push up his chest before tangling through his hair. My body melds against his, pushing to get even closer.
We fit perfectly against each other.
Harder, my hips press against his until a groan rumbles over his lips. His fingers trail down my ribs, digging into my sides as he holds me against him.
Vengeful energy coils through my body. It’s demanding and wanting, and I wonder if he feels my needs the way I always seem to feel theirs. More than anything, I want to feel something other than the numbness I’ve clung to lately. This is exactly what I need.
He’s exactly what I need.
My palm pushes down his body. The lower my hands explore the more he shifts against me. Hard panes meet my touch before I work my hand beneath his jeans. My fingers wrap around his hard length, sending my adrenaline even higher. The moment I touch his dick, he jerks back from me, his hips shifting until my palm slips away from him.
With confusion, I stare at him. Our breaths heave between us.
“Sorry.” He’s still holding me to him, but a line creases his brow. “I just … ”
My hands are held between us, unsure of their proper place.
“I like you, Vi.” His eyes close slowly as I try to understand what he wants. “I want you.”
That simple confession sends my heartbeat into an impossibly fast pace.
“I don’t want to fuck you and then have you avoid me for the rest of our long lives.”
“What?” My eyes narrow slightly. Is this a friendship thing? Is he worried about our friendship?
He shakes his head at me, his fingers lacing through mine.
“Has anyone ever told you you’re not the best at handling change? That you overthink things a little bit?” A small laugh shakes through him as I keep my gaze pinned on him. “If we had sex, what would tomorrow be like?”
I consider his question.
Then I really consider his question.
It is hard for me. Change is hard. Trusting people is even harder. The person who was supposed to take care of me ripped my whole life away by sending me here to the Wild Hunt.
My father changed my future. And he changed who I was all at the same time.
If Link and I had sex, I’d worry that it was just sex for him; that I pushed our friendship into a gray area just for a few hours of distraction.
“I don’t know what you mean. I don’t overthink everything.”
He cocks a brow at me. I ignore his skeptical look.
“I don’t. If you’re afraid you’ll be bad in bed, you can just say that. You don’t have to make excuses, Linkin.”
His lips part and an outraged smile fills his features
. It takes everything in me not to smirk.
“You think I’d be bad in bed?” His gaze lingers on my lips once again and the tension in my body slips away.
“There’s only one way to find out,” I whisper against his mouth.
I’m taunting him and he’s taking the bait.
His arms warp around me. His palms push low down my back until my center presses firmly against his erection. The feel of his lips skimming against my jaw has me arching into him. Soft lips press along my throat, his tongue sweeping warmly against my skin.
“I’m not fucking you,” he says between kisses. His teeth rake across my neck and I shiver against him. “Not even if you beg.” He breathes a kiss against the base of my neck before sucking lightly.
I feel that kiss straight through my core. A moan shakes through my chest.
“I’m not begging you, Link.” My hips rock against his as my fingers fist his soft hair.
It’s turned into a game suddenly; who will crack first.
It’ll be Link and we both know it.
His lips meet mine, skimming there just before I rake my teeth across the scar on his lower lip. My hips roll against the hardness beneath his jeans and his groan rumbles over my mouth.
I’ve had sex once before. Only once. Just before I left. But it never felt like this. There’s this reckless energy that’s soaring all through me, tangling low in my stomach.
The hooded look in his eyes sears into me.
I press a chaste kiss against his lips before standing abruptly.
He leans into nothingness, caught off guard for a few seconds.
He was a good distraction. A short-lived distraction.
But if he wants to see who will win this sexless game, I’ll show him how competitive I can be.
“Good night, Linkin,” I whisper in a pleasant tone.
He closes his eyes before shoving his hands roughly through his messy blonde hair.
Yes. We both know I’ll win.
Chapter Fourteen
Confessions
When dawn strikes across the pretty meadow in hues of gold and pure white, I already know how I’ll take Jeriko’s life. He sleeps soundly, but I’d never stoop low enough to kill someone in their sleep. Someday, I’ll hold his manic gaze, stare up into his eyes and slam a blade right through his little black heart.