Queen of Fire

by K. V. Adair

  “Okay, let me get this straight. You and my brother found me when I was seven. You, what, infiltrated my foster family’s home to get close to me? And then my brother decided it was okay to come himself. And now he’s getting married and wants me there. Does that cover it all?”

  He nodded.

  “Everything that happened, all the shit they put me through, you could have stopped it.”

  He gave me an exasperated look, which just served to piss me off. “I did stop it.”

  “Eventually, but it would never have happened in the first place if he’d taken me away.” My nose burned. “Why didn’t he want me?”

  “I told you. It wasn’t safe.”

  I scoffed. “Apparently, it isn’t safe here either.”

  “Exactly. Less than forty-eight hours after Liam announces your existence, and they already send assassins?”

  “Who are they?”

  “I don’t know. They were careful not to use magic, so I couldn’t identify their allegiance.”

  I had no idea what he was talking about.

  Aidan didn’t notice my confusion. “They’d have rather died than reveal it. You know what that means?”

  “No.”

  “They’ll try again. And again, until they succeed. And there’s nothing me or your brother can do because we don’t know who is trying to kill you.” He scowled. “He should have never told you.”

  “You were never going to tell me, were you? You’d have let me live the rest of my life never knowing who I really am.”

  “Yes.”

  I shook my head. I’d grown up with numerous foster siblings. My foster parents had loved the money that had rolled in from each of us, especially since they shoved all the responsibility on our shoulders.

  Aidan was the only one I had kept in contact with after fosterpocalypse. He was the only one I could trust.

  He was my rock. My first disastrous crush. My hero.

  And, apparently, my Brutus as well.

  I wanted to ask why. I wanted to ask a lot of things, but my mouth was dry, and I couldn’t form words.

  “I’m sorry, I really am, but if it were up to me, you’d have stayed ignorant. The Fae, Sidh, all of it, it destroys. It’s not just your physical safety I worry about but also your mental and emotional well-being.”

  He smiled softly. The sun had risen higher in the sky, turning his halo into shadows. He no longer looked like my protector, but rather my destroyer.

  I hoped it didn’t prove true.

  He spoke again. “You are the light in the dark, the smile during heartbreak, the treasure on the other side of the mountain. You saved me. And I’m not sorry for protecting you from becoming another monster like them.”

  Aidan was an English major. It showed.

  “Pretty words from a pretty liar.” I stood. “You are the most selfish person I’ve ever met.”

  “Selfish? Really? I’ve given my life to protect yours.”

  “Why? I never asked you to do anything. If I’m such a burden, why don’t you just go away?”

  For a moment, he looked on the brink of breaking down. Instead of wanting to comfort him like I usually would, a thrill of satisfaction went through me. Good. He deserved a little hurt. It was awful—I was awful—but he’d just crushed everything between us and didn’t deserve to come out of this unscathed.

  So I poured salt on the wound.

  “Oh, right, because you can’t. Because my brother told you not to, and for some reason you can’t disobey his orders. Which is bullshit. What exactly does he have on you? What could you have possibly done in the first twelve years of your life that he could use against you?”

  “I was much older than twelve.”

  “What the hell does that mean?”

  “We are a long lived species, and one of my fortes is illusion.”

  “One of your fortes? What else can you do?” I swore. “What do you mean long-lived?”

  “We stop aging at a certain point. We can die, obviously, but it can take centuries.”

  “Centuries? So, at some point, I would have stopped growing older. If you planned on never telling me the truth, how were you planning on explaining that? Or were you just planning on killing me?”

  His mouth hung open. “What the hell? Of course not. Why would you even think that?”

  “You were about to end those two baristas before I stopped you. I have no idea what you’re capable of.”

  “I was protecting you.”

  “From what exactly? What threat did they pose me?” I frowned. We were getting nowhere. “Why are you my brother’s puppet?”

  There was a hard glint in his eyes. “Because he’s my king and to disobey is treason. Do you know what they do to Fae who betray their monarch?”

  “Go Henry the Eighth? My brother wouldn’t do that.”

  “For this? For you? Yeah, he would. You don’t know him as well as you think.”

  I wanted to argue that he was wrong, but he wasn’t. I didn’t really know either of them.

  “Does that make me a princess, then?” I tried to keep my voice light, like this was all a big joke. Ha ha.

  That wasn’t far from the truth, either. My life had been a big joke and me the butt of it.

  “Yeah, I guess it does.”

  “Now I’m really pissed,” I said in my best nonchalant voice. “I doubt princesses have to work two jobs and sell shit on Craigslist in order to pay rent.”

  I might have hurt on the inside, but I was a pro at pretend. Unlike Aidan, I knew how to outright lie and be believed.

  He looked relieved. He probably thought the worst was over, and we’d get back to where we were before all of this. He didn’t realize he was only in the eye of the storm.

  I might forgive him, but I would never forget. Fool me once and all that.

  “Princess or not, you can’t go to Sidh. It’s not safe.”

  I gestured my arms wildly around me. “And here is? Did you forget what just happened?”

  “No, I didn’t.”

  “I’ll be safer in Sidh, safer with Liam.”

  “No, you won’t.”

  “What the hell am I supposed to do, then, if nowhere is safe?”

  “We run. And this time to somewhere where even Liam can’t find us.”

  I sighed, fatigue setting in now that the adrenaline from the fight was completely gone. “I’m tired of running. And I’m not leaving my brother. He’s the only family I have.”

  Aidan frowned, a hurt puppy dog look on his face. “And what am I? Am I no longer family to you?”

  “You know what I mean.”

  “Do I? You’ve always chosen Liam over me. What has he actually done for you other than share your DNA?”

  “You sound jealous.”

  He sighed but didn’t deny it.

  “I’m fucked either way, aren’t I?” I said. “So what’s the point of running? It always catches up with you. Always.”

  “But it gives us time.”

  I shook my head. “I’m going to Sidh. I’m going to see my brother get married. You can either come with me or not, but you won’t stop me.”

  He blinked at me, a challenge in his eyes.

  Warm air blew across my cheeks, like someone breathing on me, but he was too far away for it to be him. His jaw clenched and another gust of air surrounded me, confined me.

  I tried to breathe in but couldn’t. Whatever this unnatural wind was, it wasn’t breathable. I tried to stand but couldn’t. The heavy air pressed tightly against my body.

  I was dying, and he was the one killing me.

  Betrayal I’d never known before choked me more than the lack of oxygen. After an eternity, the pressure let up, and I could breathe again.

  “Who are you?” Tears stung my eyes. “What are you?”

  “I’m Fae.”

  “You tried to kill me.”

  He gave me a condescending smile. “There is no trying about it. I could have killed you if I wished to with ea
se. You can’t protect yourself from me.”

  “I never thought I would have to.”

  “They will crush you, M. And you can’t stop them. I can’t stop them. I don’t have the power.”

  “What would you call what you just did?”

  “A parlor trick, a deadly one, but nothing more.”

  I swallowed. I was just getting used to the fact magic existed in the first place. I hadn’t contemplated what it could do.

  He was right. I had no defense against that kind of power. Going to Sidh meant trusting my brother and Aidan to protect me.

  How could I trust them with my life when I couldn’t even trust them to be honest with me?

  Chapter Five

  Less than twenty four hours later, I stared at the portal Aidan had created out of thin air. It was a kaleidoscope of every color imaginable. The colors twisted and entwined. It was beautiful, but it also set my nerves on fire.

  “Are you sure about this?” Aidan asked for the hundredth time.

  I really wasn’t sure anymore.

  “It’s not too late to back out,” Aidan said. “No one would fault you.”

  I looked up at him. His tousled dirty blond hair rippled in the wind. I didn’t feel any wind.

  “Hey! Do you use magic to make your hair look so good?”

  He cocked an eyebrow. “That’s random.”

  I shrugged. “Just a thought. That would be cheating, you know.”

  “So would hair gel. And this is cheaper.”

  I pursed my lips. “How does magic work? Energy doesn’t come from nowhere, so where does it come from?”

  “It’s complicated, and there are others waiting for us.”

  My throat constricted. “Like my brother? Or others others?”

  “We can leave, M. He wouldn’t blame you.”

  I sighed and stretched my hand out toward the portal. My fingertips barely brushed the surface when whatever magic created it grasped my fingers. The colors swirled as they climbed up my arm and into my chest.

  Warmth suffused my body, starting at my heart and flowing up and down, like being wrapped in an electric blanket. For the first time, I felt right inside. I was being called home.

  Any doubt fled my mind as I smiled up at my best friend. He had a worried look in his pale blue eyes.

  “Every beauty has a dark side,” he whispered.

  “And every darkness has a light.”

  He scrunched up his face. “I don’t think that’s true at all.”

  “If you can speak in riddles, so can I.”

  I didn’t wait for him to respond and crossed the threshold. The warmth infused my body again as I stepped out from the portal and into a land that looked like it was ripped out of the pages of Tolkien.

  Greener than any green you’d find on earth blanketed the ground. We were in a field of sorts, the ground flat for miles. In the distance rolling hills jutted out of the earth. It was serene and calm, enough so I didn’t notice the two men standing to the side staring at me.

  Aidan exited behind me, not looking as peaceful as I felt. Maybe the portal magic didn’t like him. He was a bit abrasive.

  One of the men—er Fae—stepped toward me, a gentle smile on his lips. Thick wisps of black hair caressed his high cheekbones. His eyes, green and brown and intense, studied me like he’d never seen a woman before.

  “Welcome, princess. My name is Eoin, and I welcome you to the Sidh.”

  I looked around but there was no one else but these two. “Where is my brother?”

  Eoin winced, probably because of my tone. Pleasantries weren’t my strong suit.

  “His majesty is preparing for the feast tonight in your honor. He sent me in his stead.”

  The man’s voice held a formal tone but it sounded forced, like he was putting on an act rather than being genuine. Curious.

  I pointed at the other guy who had so far remained silent. “Who’s he?”

  The man scoffed as if I should have known just by looking at him who he was. He was one of those dudes. Arrogant, cold, and hot enough to know it.

  And he was hot. While there was no denying Eoin was a looker himself, next to Mr. Broody he looked like a troll. Still a troll I’d bang, but not one I would notice first.

  Broody’s curly black hair was short and slicked back like a 1960s greaser. His eyes were a deep brown that in the sunlight looked almost gold. He was tall, though not as tall as Aidan or Eoin. His build was stockier, and if he stripped off his shirt, his muscles would probably ripple.

  All the alarm bells in my head screamed danger while my lady bits said yum.

  Eoin cleared his throat, looking uncomfortable. “This is Innis, he’s—”

  “Unimpressed,” Innis said.

  Ouch. What a douche.

  “Good thing I’m not here to impress you,” I said.

  He smirked. It wasn’t kind in the least. “Aren’t you?”

  My ears burned. Normally when faced with an asshole, I walked away. Not worth entertaining. But the only way out would be back through the portal and like hell was I going to run. Not from this prat.

  “Perhaps you are here to impress me. My brother did send you as the welcoming party.”

  Eoin gave a strained smile. “Yes, something like that. If you’d follow me, princess, we can get to the castle before dark.”

  “We’re walking?”

  Innis snorted. “Do you know anything?”

  I shrugged. “Not particularly.”

  He narrowed his eyes. “Yeah, not impressed.”

  “Ditto.”

  He cocked his head to the side like I’d spoken in Spanish.

  I clarified. “I’m not impressed by you, either. If this is what I should expect from the other fair—”

  Aidan clamped his hand over my mouth. Rude.

  His breath tickled my ear. “Watch it, M.”

  I mumbled for him to remove his hand, but it came out incomprehensible.

  “Words are weapons here, even more so than magic. Say the wrong thing, and they’ll eat you alive.”

  He took his hand from my mouth.

  I looked over my shoulder at him.

  “Literally? Fae are cannibals?” I didn’t keep my voice down when I said it.

  Eoin made a choking sound. I turned. He held his hand over his mouth and coughed. His eyes twinkled with merriment. Glad someone found me funny.

  Innis, however, just glared. “You are a child.”

  He didn’t look too much older than myself, but Aidan had been clear looks were deceiving. Some of the Fae were ancient.

  “And you’re a bully,” I said.

  His eyes widened as if no one had called him on his shit before.

  “And you’re entitled. Prancing across the border like you own this world. You’ll learn soon enough how wrong you are.”

  I laughed. He looked taken aback. What? Had he expected me to cower? Over his pitiful insult?

  “Are you threatening me?”

  I held back another chuckle as he struggled to remain composed.

  “Your brother can only protect you so far,” he spat out, though with less venom than I expected.

  “Careful, Innis. You’re on dangerous ground,” Aidan said in a low voice.

  I really didn’t need him to fight my battles. Nothing would make me look weaker. I might as well pull down my collar and show my neck.

  I glanced over at Eoin with a raised eyebrow. “That’s a threat, right? I can treat that like a threat?”

  He shrugged. “Sounded like a threat to me.”

  He hid the smile creeping on his lips.

  At least someone was on my side. The hair on the back of my neck stood up, and Aidan’s warning echoed in my head.

  Trust no one. You’re a pawn. They will see you as nothing more than that.

  I had asked what I would have to do to be upgraded to a queen, but his answer was both insulting and chilling.

  Nothing you’d be willing to do. Especially without magic to back
it up.

  He’d refused to further clarify.

  I approached Innis slowly, a dangerous smile on my lips. He looked confused for a moment, but when I got closer, he took a step back.

  Score one for the pawn.

  “I’m new around here. I don’t know the protocols or politics or even who the hell you think you are. What I do know is how to deal with those who step on others to make themselves taller. Threaten me all you want, but it won’t be my brother you have to worry about.”

  “Big talk from such a small girl.” Icicles formed on his fingertips, but he remained still.

  “Dangerous things come in small packages.”

  Aidan stepped between us. “Enough.”

  I put my hand on his back below his shoulder. I couldn’t actually reach his shoulder.

  “Back off, Aidan. I can handle this,” I whispered.

  “A chest full of ice is going to make your visit rather short,” he whispered back.

  I looked around him at Innis. The sun glinted off the lengthening icicles. It was pretty.

  “Put that away,” I said. “If you have to wave your dick around to intimidate me, I’ve already won.”

  He glanced down at the front of his pants, looking confused.

  “Figure of speech, asshole.”

  It must have gotten through to him because the ice vanished from his fingertips. He still had a smug look on his face. Yeah, he was going to be a problem.

  “You don’t know much about Earth, do you?” I said.

  He shrugged. “Why would I? Mortals are inconsequential.”

  I snorted. “Maybe one day you’ll learn knowledge is power and what you deem as inconsequential can bite you in the ass.”

  “You’ve got a mouth on you. Are all humans like this?”

  “No. She’s special,” Aidan responded for me. “And she isn’t human. She’s one of us.”

  Innis sneered. “Having ancient blood doesn’t make someone one of us. She reeks of humanity. The others won’t accept her any more than I have.”

  “How do you know what humans smell like if you’ve never been on Earth?”

  His smile chilled me.

  “I never said that.” He glanced over at Eoin. “We don’t have time for this. Let’s go.”

  The words to tell him he wasn’t the boss of me were on the tip of my tongue, but I let them go. He wasn’t wrong and arguing for the sake of having the last word was childish.