Wicked

by Jennifer L. Armentrout

  hadn't been upfront with me. Or when I'd laid out a thinly veiled threat that I would protect Tink.

  The day passed by too fast, and when it came time for us to get ready for the night, we parted ways just as the storm clouds were starting to roll in again. Moments after I hailed a cab, he hauled me up against his chest and kissed me deeply, soundly, on the curb of Canal Street, and that kiss was like waking up in the sun. I was hot and bothered the whole ride back to my apartment.

  Getting dressed for the night felt strange. As I buttoned up a worn pair of tactical pants, it felt surreal putting them on. The same when I strapped the thorn dagger to the inside of my forearm and tugged the sleeve of my lightweight shirt down, covering it. When it came to everything with Ren, I was most definitely still floating underwater, but I wasn't alone. Ren was with me. I never thought I'd have a day like today. That I'd get to experience that kind of bliss enabled by companionship that only came from being with someone that you cherished and cherished you in return. And being with Ren? Yeah, I did feel precious, and after Shaun I honestly hadn't believed I'd feel that way again.

  Or that I deserved to experience that kind of wealth.

  But today was like taking the first deep breath of spring. All the simple things we shared today were priceless. I . . . I lived, really lived, for the first time in almost four years.

  Staring at my reflection, I didn't let my mind wander too far into the future. I was taking this literally one minute at a time. I tugged my curls up, twisting the long lengths into a bun I secured with bobby pins.

  Thunder rumbled off in the distance, and I inhaled deeply, letting my breath out slowly. I was ready for tonight.

  "Don't go."

  I started at the sound of Tink's voice. He was hovering in the open bathroom door. "What?"

  "Don't go tonight," he repeated.

  A frown pulled at my lips. "I have to go. It's my—"

  "I know it's your job, but just . . . don't go. You don't need to be there," he insisted. "You don't have to be there."

  Unease curled in my chest like a snake. Tink had never asked me to not head out and hunt—never once. Tonight was different though. We wouldn't be hunting fae. I knew they'd be coming right at us.

  I shook my head. "I have to, Tink. It's my job. You know that."

  He looked as if he was going to say something else, but he snapped his jaw shut and his wings drooped as I stepped around him. He followed me to the front door, saying nothing while I picked up my keys and cellphone.

  Tink landed on the chair normally stacked with Amazon boxes and clutched the back of it. "Ivy?"

  "Yeah?"

  His pale blue eyes were wide and solemn. "Please be careful, because there . . . there are worse things than death if that gate opens."

  ~

  Tink's parting words haunted me as I made my way to Royal Street. Not exactly the thing I wanted to be thinking about as I dodged tourists caught in the rain and nearly lost an eyeball a couple of times when the sharp pointy ends of the umbrellas got up close and personal.

  As the brick house on Royal Street came into view through the drizzle, I saw Dylan standing outside, under the balcony. I thought about the way David had watched him leave the meeting Tuesday afternoon. Did they think Dylan was the traitor? I didn't know him that well, but he'd always seemed like an okay guy to me. Then again, what did I know? Even though the members were like a family to me, they were more like distant cousins I saw on holidays. I wasn't close to a lot of them.

  Dylan nodded at me as I passed him. The door was unlocked, and as soon as I stepped inside the foyer, it was like being transported back in time.

  A time where it was in fashion to have homes that smelled like mothballs and furniture that looked like something you'd find in a Pride and Prejudice movie.

  An ancient chaise lounge and couch were situated in the middle of the room, in front of a fireplace I really hoped wasn't in use based on the condition of the crumbling chimney.

  There was an archway leading into what I assumed was a kitchen. I could hear members in there talking. I turned to the steep, narrow stairway. David stood at the top, arms folded over his chest as he spoke to Ren.

  My heartstrings felt like they were strings on a puppet. They danced and shook the moment I saw him. He's mine. Those were the words that crossed my mind, and the tips of my ears started to burn. But it was true. As I slowly climbed the stairs, I knew beyond a doubt that he was mine.

  Ren turned as I neared the top, his mouth tilting up to reveal the right dimple. I didn't know how to act in front of David, so I stopped a good foot away from Ren.

  David gave me his typical angry face stare as we eyeballed each other, and then he said, "You make sure you walk back down those stairs, Ivy."

  Surprised, I stuttered out, "Y-You too."

  I watched the sect leader stroll into a room catty-corner to the stairwell. "I think he likes me. Deep down, I think he really does."

  "He does." Ren touched the curve of my back lightly. "Because who doesn't?"

  "A lot of people."

  "I don't believe that," he replied. "You're just too damn likeable."

  I smiled at him when all I really wanted to do was stand on my tiptoes and lay one on him. Funny how a month ago, laying one on Ren equaled punching him in the face and not kissing him. I grinned. My how times had changed.

  He stepped closer. "What are you grinning about?"

  "Nothing." My grin spread into a smile.

  His gaze drifted over my face. "God, you're beautiful when you're not smiling, but when you are? Fucking breathtaking."

  I flushed at the compliment and was aware that the Order members roaming around on the second floor were giving us the side eye, but I wanted to say something to Ren just in case . . . in case we didn't get the chance later. Looking up, I met the brilliant hue of his green eyes. "Thank you for today. It was . . . wonderful."

  "You don't need to thank me," he said in a hushed voice.

  "No, I do. It was probably my favorite day in, well, forever." The heat had moved from the tips of my ears to my face. "I just wanted you to know that." He smiled, showing off both dimples, and I decided it was way past time to change the topic of conversation before I was lost to that smile and ended up acting like a goober. "So, the gateway? Where is it?"

  Ren glanced at the doorway across the room. "It's in the master bedroom. Want to check it out?"

  Nodding, I followed him across the hall and into a large room that was empty. I imagined that at one time, back in its heyday, it probably contained a four-poster bed and beautiful, handcrafted furniture, but now its bare floors were dusty, its fireplace cold.

  I started to ask where the gateway was when Miles turned sideways, responding to something Rachel Adams said, and that's when I saw it with my own eyes.

  I assumed it was the door to a closet or maybe another room, I wasn't sure, but there was no mistaking that it was not a normal doorway.

  The shimmering blue light shining through the cracks all around the door might've given it away. Or it could be the numerous locks on the outside, because seriously, who had deadbolts on doors inside a house. And if none of that was glaringly obvious, it could be the fact that the door was shaking and rattling, as if something on the other side was trying to get through.

  That was because something was trying to get through.

  Holy crap. That was a legit doorway to the Otherworld. Part of me couldn't believe I was actually seeing one. As terrible as what the gateway represented, I was still awed being in the presence of one.

  I stepped forward. "Is it . . . is it always like that?"

  Miles answered. "Normally, it's quiet, but as it gets closer to either the equinox or the solstice, it starts to act up."

  "And it was always here?" I glanced at him. "This doorway, even before the house was built?"

  "I imagine so," he explained. "Before the house, I have no idea how it appeared, but it would've been on these grounds somehow. Once th
e house was built, our records indicate that the doorway appeared in this room. People never lived long in this house."

  Obviously.

  Before the Order discovered the door and closed it, the fae had used it to move back and forth between the realms. Coming through the door with humans living in the house had to have been mighty convenient for the fae.

  I saw Val walk into the room, her red shirt standing out so brightly amongst the darker tones everyone else was wearing. She headed in my direction, but like me, she was staring at the door.

  "That is crazy," she said, stopping between Ren and me. "It's like an episode of Ghost Adventures or something. I mean, can you imagine moving into this lovely two-story home and it comes with a door that glows blue and shakes just four times a year?"

  I snorted, but Ren appeared largely unamused as he glanced down at Val, but she seemed unaware of the coolness radiating from him. I frowned, having no idea what the deal was with that, but this wasn't the time to question it.

  Downstairs, Order members were forming a first line of defense, so to speak. Their job was to block the stairs, and our job was to keep the door protected. I assumed the same thing was happening at the church, as needless as that was.

  Something struck me then, and I turned to Miles. "How active is the door at the church? Is it like this one?"

  He scowled at my question but nodded. That didn't make sense to me. If the brownies had destroyed that door, why would it be like this one? Or did destroying the door even affect the light show going on right now? I'd have to ask Tink later.

  "We can't let an ancient near the door." Miles was talking, but my gaze was fastened on the door. The light was deepening into a sapphire blue. "If one happens to get close, do not cut it. Remember, their blood opens the gates. Push them back."

  There were many nods, and as the clock ticked away, the idle chatter ceased, and with the exception of the rattling door, the room became so quiet you could hear a fly sneeze. It was the same downstairs until David announced that it was five till the equinox.

  Every muscle in my body tensed as I tried to prepare myself for anything. I reached down, unhooking the iron stake from my boot and clenching it tight. I wasn't going to break out the thorn stake until I needed it. Not even a tiny part of me believed that they wouldn't come in full force, but when we were a minute away, I looked at Ren.

  He was looking at me, and I buried my concern and fear, buried it so deep that I felt nothing inside me. Doing so was the only way I could do my job tonight and not end up in a corner rocking.

  Ren winked at me.

  My lips twitched into a small smile.

  "It's time," David announced.

  I held my breath as I faced the closed bedroom door. Seconds tiptoed into minutes, and when nothing happened, those in the room began to shift. The door was still rattling like an army wanted out, and I exchanged a quick glance with Ren, the tension in my back starting to ease.

  A shout rose from downstairs, sudden and violent, followed by more. My hand tightened on the stake.

  "They're here," whispered Val.

  Rachel started for the door, but David called out, "Stay."

  She sent him a wide-eyed stare as the shouts turned into screams. "But they're . . ."

  I winced. She didn't finish the sentence, but there was no need. My breathing hitched as the sounds from downstairs turned wet and sickening. How could we stand here like this? Ren shifted a step forward.

  "Hold," Miles urged from behind us.

  His shoulders bunched, and I knew he was having just as much trouble as I was standing here, but then the noises from downstairs stopped. There was nothing—it was tomb quiet below.

  Thump!

  A loud bang against the hallway door caused me to jump despite all my training. Then another thump and another, shaking the door. A crack formed in the center.

  "Uh, guys . . ." I stiffened.

  David stepped forward. "This is about—"

  The door splintered, shooting large chunks of wood through the air as several bodies thudded against the wood floors. My mouth dropped open. Blood was pooled on the floor, chests ripped open, exposing pink and jellylike tissue. They were Order members—all of them.

  A guttural, heart-stopping roar deafened us. Shivers of dread dug deep into my muscles as shapes poured into the room like a wave of death no one could escape from.

  Fae—a truckload of fae—flew through the now shattered opening.

  There were so many—silvery and coolly beautiful, their eyes pale blue and their gazes sharp. There was at least a dozen and a half, maybe more—probably more. But behind them, I saw him—the ancient who'd shot me—and another I did not recognize.

  For a moment I froze as Ren and the other Order members rushed forward, disappearing into the mob. Iron stakes glinted and stabbed, some clattering to the floor. Screams and shouts mingled with the sound of tearing cloth and snapping bones. Dear God, the fae were breaking necks like they were nothing more than matchsticks.

  I caught sight of Ren as he engaged a fae, slamming his booted foot into its chest in a stunning display of brutality and grace. He whirled, moving like a dancer, shoving the stake where his foot had been seconds before.

  I'd never seen anything like this.

  Instinct finally kicked in. Fighting was in my blood, in my heritage. Hundreds of years' worth of generations rose inside me, stampeding the icy fear that had settled in the pit of my stomach.

  I whipped around. The fae stalking Rachel didn't see me coming, and I shoved the stake deep into its back. A flash of light blinded me for a second then I spun back. A female fae dove at me like some kind of pro wrestler, but I danced out of her grasp. Spinning around, I kicked her back, knocking her down onto one knee. I drove the stake down, and the skin and muscles gave way. Shimmery blue blood sprayed, covering my hand as I leaped back.

  I was grabbed from behind and tossed to the side, hitting the floor and nearly sliding into the mess they had made of the Order members from downstairs. A fae charged me.

  "Ivy!" Ren shouted.

  Scrambling across the floor, my hand brushed something wet and soft, and I swallowed down the nausea as I shot to my feet. I feinted to the right, but the fae was fast, swinging at me. I blocked his punch then whipped the stake down. He dipped quickly, springing up beside me.

  "You're about to die," he said.

  "So cliché," I retorted, then dipped down. I swept his legs right out from underneath him. The fae went down, and before he could retaliate, I went all Van Helsing on his ass.

  I jumped up and started toward Ren. Two fae had him in their sights. I checked the door. The ancient who shot me was stealthily prowling toward it. I changed direction and was cut off by a fae I recognized from the club.

  Roman.

  He smiled at me. "Hello there."

  As I rushed him, I caught sight of Val. She stalked forward with a purpose, darting around Miles, and at first, I thought she was going to help Ren, but she ran past him, the stake clutched tightly in her right hand. Dipping under Roman's arm, I grabbed him from the back and fell, bringing him down with me.

  I rolled, bringing my knees up and planting them in Roman's back, flipping him off of me. Jumping to my feet, I slammed the iron stake in his chest as he rose. "Guess what? You failed."

  Roman staggered back, but instead of a look of horror on his face, he smiled before exploding in a burst of sharp light. I turned, about to go to Ren's side, when I saw that Val had reached the ancient who'd shot me.

  He was squared off with Dylan who was blocking the rattling door. Val would help him, so I started toward Ren, but out of the corner of my eyes, I saw Val grab the ancient's shoulder from behind. Oddly, he did nothing. He stood there as Val yanked his head back, exposing his throat.

  I skidded to a stop, my boots sliding through a wetness I didn't want to think too hard about. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as Val swung the stake around in a wide arc. Dylan lurched forward, trying to stop her.


  "Val!" I shouted, my heart stopping. The blood of an ancient opened the door. She had to know that. The ancient was too close. "No!"

  She didn't seem to hear me. Slicing the stake along the ancient's throat, blood sprayed. Droplets hit Dylan's face as Val let go of the ancient. Stunned, Dylan didn't move fast enough when the ancient swung his arm out, knocking the Order member aside.

  Horror propelled me forward, but I couldn't move fast enough. There wasn't enough time in the world to stop what was about to happen. I heard a scream ringing in my ears and only dimly realized it was coming from me. The ancient lurched forward as he swept his