“Not tonight, but soon,” I promised as Matthew looked like he was going to say something. “I’m exhausted, even though I’ve been lying around for the last three days.”
I had said the last part louder, in case we looked suspicious all huddled together.
Matthew got a guilty look. “We’re sorry, Evie-baby.”
“It wasn’t your fault. Imagine what could have happened if you didn’t insist on coming along,” I said, trying to placate a bit of that guilt. I would never endanger the twins like this on purpose but I have to admit that the thought of falling unconscious into Faerie for anyone to find me so helpless was nerve wracking.
“You are trouble,” Kheelan said.
Our private conversation was done. I gave Kheelan a look that told him to keep his distance. I didn’t want him touching me and if I could avoid speaking to him, I would. Still, I needed answers. Loren had better have told me the truth about tonight.
“You should let me and my brothers go before I really start to make you regret it,” I warned. “Rescuing me was a mistake.”
Kheelan’s eyes narrowed on me. That’s right. I wasn’t going to sugar coat things in front of my brothers. Our mutual dislike was out in the open.
“Princess, it’s time for you to get your beauty sleep,” Kheelan said, icily polite. “Your brothers have a tent set up for you over there.”
Kheelan pointed to a wood platform piled with blankets and just barely sheltered from the elements with four poles suspending a brown roof covering and a spider web of netting that almost seemed to glimmer as the breeze blew at it. The set up was more for a tropical paradise than the middle of a forest. Thankfully, having the twins sandwich me would keep me warm.
The sooner we slept, the quicker I could blackmail Kheelan into reversing the glamour switch Loren had done on me. I put my empty cup on the ground and dusted flatbread crumbs from my lap.
“Strip your weapons first,” Loren said. “I would like to look them over tonight for their readiness.”
“They’re brand new,” I protested. My weapons weren’t something I wanted to give up stuck in the Faerie woods.
“You don’t need to sleep guarded. We will secure the encampment,” Kheelan said.
“I am fine doing my own weapon maintenance and I can sleep with my weapons close at hand if not actually strapped to my body,” I said in compromise.
The twins were both fully outfitted with their bulky weapons, even the crossbows slung onto their backs. The big swords were hanging at their hips and I remembered how well they swung those monstrosities.
“Loren will take care of all of our weapons tonight. It is more expedient with his knowledge. Your weapons must be sure before we leave the woods,” Kheelan said, not willing to compromise.
That made it sound like the bigger danger was outside the woods.
“We only have your safety in mind,” Loren said as we all stood there staring at each other.
The twins didn’t like the thought of disarming either by the look on their faces, and I knew they would fight it unless I gave in and demonstrated that the Fae could be trusted first. My brothers would defend me no matter how the Fae pushed.
“Everyone strips,” I proposed.
Matthew choked out a laugh. “Evie-baby, you are so dirty.”
“Weapons,” I bit out, feeling my cheeks heat.
Loren unbuckled his whip and dropped it with a heavy thunk between all of us. “I want everything off. Not one dagger left behind.”
“No glamoured weapons,” I added, eyeing Kheelan.
He looked decidedly half naked already, although it wasn’t due to lack of clothing. His usual quiver of arrows and bow were missing and I didn’t see any swords at his hip. He still had weapon belts strapped onto his body but all of them were strangely empty.
Cool magic dropped the temperature around us a degree or two as Kheelan spoke in Fae and I saw he wasn’t as helpless as he appeared. Just as I had suspected. All of his usual weapons started hitting the ground, including a few daggers that I remembered could be awfully sharp, stepping back so my vulnerable toes were safely away from the growing weapons pile.
My turn. “They’re too heavy and pointy for sleeping with them anyway,” I said and started pulling off my own weapons.
My bow I set gently down. The quiver I laid next to it. I unbuckled the back sword belt from my shoulder and let it slide sheath and all off my body, landing with a soft thud.
The twins started getting busy. I knew they had less weapons than me but theirs were larger and stronger.
Kheelan unwrapped a leather band from his forearm and dropped it next to my bow. It looked more like a leather gauntlet than a real weapon.
“What’s that?” I asked as Kheelan pulled a dagger from a side sheath.
“Blow darts,” he answered.
“Poisonous?” I said, curious.
The last of my daggers I yanked from my boot. The twins were done already. They had gone big and simple. My pile of weapons seemed bigger off my body. The weight off was noticeable as I shrugged my shoulders and waited for Kheelan to answer.
“The darts are for tracking,” Loren said.
I looked over at him. He was finished stripping his body of weapons, too. Kheelan was the only one left. Apparently, he kept even more under his clothes. I saw a flash of pale skin at the corner of my eye, scars puckering Kheelan’s back like worms threaded through his skin.
A thin blade was pulled from a hidden sheath at the base of his spine and the shirt replaced. Loren cleared his throat, drawing my attention up to his knowing eyes. He had caught me looking.
“Are the darts spelled?” I said, clearing my own throat.
“The quills have pierced our flesh and been ripped out under a dark moon,” Kheelan said.
I swung my gaze back to Kheelan’s stormy one. At least he didn’t know I had seen his scars. There had still been a lot of pink ones overlying older silver, a mass of twisted and ruined flesh that told me the whipping I had seen Kheelan endure hadn’t been his first.
“Blood magic? That is what Eloden used for my tracking charm, right?” I said with a tight swallow.
“Easiest to track that which is yours,” Kheelan replied. His eyes dropped down to my neck and its Marks. “You don’t need a charm any longer, mouse.”
That confirmed they could all track me through my Marks. Was it meant to be a warning or reassurance of protection?
“We won’t let her get lost,” Jackson said.
Kheelan looked over at Jackson. My brother got a quick once-over with those icy blue eyes. Matthew stood up tall beside his twin and was subject to the same.
“The two of you had better focus on more than just watching the princess if you plan on slaying her enemies,” Kheelan said.
“I can take care of myself,” I said, stepping forward to edge between my brothers and Kheelan.
This got a snort from everyone but Loren.
“Jerks,” I muttered, turning my back on the pile of weapons and elbowing between the twins. “I’m going to bed.”
Matthew jogged ahead of us and opened the netting. Jackson scooped me up in his arms and entered the tall tent while I was still squealing my surprise.
“I can walk on my own, too,” I said.
“Just try to get free,” Jackson huffed down at me.
I didn’t really want out of his arms. After the close call we had, I needed the comfort of knowing the twins were safe and close at hand. Tomorrow I could face being brave.
Our accommodations were more luxurious than I had realized from outside. Kheelan really was treating me like a princess. Everything was soft and warm, a huge bed like at home covered in a downy blanket and piles of silky pillows. Warm light bathed the bed from lanterns hung at the corners of the netted tent, although I didn’t see the flicker of firelight.
Jackson laid down with me, never letting me go out of his arms. I turned around to face Matthew so cuddlekins wouldn’t smother me with his love.
Matthew gave me breathing room, but one of his legs topped over mine, closing our circle.
“You have to get Kheelan to show you how to do this with magic. Packing for camping would be a breeze,” Matthew said.
I had barely scratched the surface of what Fae magic could do but Matthew had once compared it to God-like creationist power. I guessed this was a small example. It was impressive but also frightening. Kheelan had the power to kill as well as create.
“Sleep tight, Evie-baby,” Jackson whispered.
“We’ll keep you safe,” Matthew promised.
“I love you both,” I whispered back.
Deep silence swallowed my words without responding.
“Get up,” Kheelan ordered from outside our tent.
I could feel the heaviness of the twins’ sleeping bodies. Kheelan must have cast the spell already. He couldn’t even give me a few more minutes with my brothers? I started wiggling, first gently and then with less caution when I realized they were fast asleep. Normally, the twins were both light sleepers, so I found it unsettling. What if something attacked us in the middle of the night? Would the twins be left helpless in a magical coma?
I asked Kheelan about it as he thrust a hand into our tent and yanked me out, up off my knees in a flash.
“Loren will watch over them,” he replied.
“Not what I asked,” I grumped at him.
I forgot how tall he was until he was standing right up next to me and way, way up. There was a quiver of arrows and his bow strapped to his back again, although the rest of his weapons were absent. He hadn’t released my hand once he got me to my feet, getting as possessive as Jackson, which was unexpected.
“Let go before you crush my hand,” I ordered.
He dropped my hand like a burning coal and turned away.
“Go change behind the tent. Loren warmed some water for you to clean up. You smell like a slave,” Kheelan said while I imagined stabbing his back with my eyes alone.
“Excuse me for offending your royal sensibilities,” I muttered.
Kheelan’s shoulders tightening was the only hint he had heard my address. Yeah, I knew he was a fairytale prince straight out of the grimmest tales.
My hesitant gait around the tent didn’t give away how excited I was to get clean. I did have an odour after my near enslavement, which I was eager to wash away. If only the memories would be so easy to scrub from my thoughts.
There was a clay basin with warm water and red flower petals floating in it set upon a spindly table made out of twisting vines that looked as if it had grown that way. The scent of pears and freshly cut grass came from the water instead of the expected floral bouquet, a sign of Loren’s magic. I looked around for a cloth and found a sponge hidden amongst the blooming foliage climbing up from the natural table. A glimmering mirror shone back at me that was encircled by the vines, reflecting the light from the fairy lights that had been lit around our camp.
I touched the mirror and it rippled, my fingers coming away wet.
“Leave the magic alone, kitten,” Loren called out to me.
How strange. I thought his magic involved wind from what I had seen earlier, and the healing, which I didn’t understand anyway. Modern medicine and science had been my gods too long to abandon for magic. It was best I didn’t try to logic it.
Loren might tell me if I asked how he made the water mirror.
Conversations with my Marks. At least Loren was more forthcoming than the rest of them.
I used the sponge to hastily clean under my clothes at first, feeling some misplaced modesty. Honestly, with the lust driving me hard every time I touched one of my Marks, it was a waste of time indulging prudish habits.
Undressing, I left all my clothes in a messy pile at my feet and took full advantage of my bathing facilities. The sponge was quite absorbent but rough and I used it along with a simple soap set next to the basin to get the layer of grime and sweat my imprisonment had left on me. It felt incredibly freeing.
My hair was another story. It was a knotted mess and soap without conditioner might make the tangles worse. I decided to leave it for another time.
Changing into the clean clothes and boots that one of them had thoughtfully laid out for me, I felt ready to face Kheelan. I picked up my dirty clothes and walked back around the tent. My quarry was seated on a log by the fire next to Loren, although neither seemed to be talking to the other.
“Leave your things with Loren,” Kheelan said, getting up and giving me his back again.
There wasn’t a pause in his step as he marched off towards the dark woods, but I figured he expected me to follow.
“Loren, can you break the magic over my brothers?” I asked as I walked over to him.
“Of course,” he replied. “There are safeguards around us, kitten. No one can sneak up.”
I put my dirty clothes down beside him where he gestured. His hand caught my tangled hair as I bent over. I looked up.
“You are beautiful,” he said on a whisper.
“I’m a mess,” I said with a blush heating my cheeks. He was so close that he could probably count the freckles on my nose.
“I’ll trade for something to wash your hair when we go into town,” he said. “Kheelan can braid it afterwards.”
The last time Kheelan had braided my hair was before he betrayed me.
I pulled up and Loren released my hair.
“Will you come back with us to help my mom?” I said, already prepared to bargain for his cooperation.
“Kheelan will need me to help him with one task first, but afterwards I can escort you home, and I would be honoured to meet your mother.”
I didn’t want any delay. My mother had fallen already. What if Fae magic couldn’t heal her but only halt or slow the progress?
“It will take us a day or two at most,” Loren said, seeing something on my face that gave away my turbulent thoughts.
I felt ungrateful but this was my mother, so I didn’t deny I was in a rude rush.
“Okay,” I agreed. “What do you want-”
“Mouse,” called Kheelan. I turned to find him. He was almost out of sight, headed towards the thickest trees.
“Go,” Loren whispered. “Get your answers and I’ll be waiting here, watching over your brothers. We can speak more upon your return.”
If Loren got up and bowed like a knight of old, I wouldn’t have been that surprised. He was quite chivalrous. It was in contrast to the mean things he had done to me. I couldn't forget his devious side.
“Swear you will keep my brothers safe?”
“Kitten, you’re leaving with the most dangerous thing in this woods. Anything else will be simple to discourage from getting too close to our fire.”
I think he meant that to be reassuring.
“Mouse!”
“Oh, yes, your royal buzzkill? Did you wish me to follow?” I said, turning my head to see Kheelan had disappeared while Loren and I talked. “Excuse me,” I told Loren. “I need to chase after mister fork-in-the-plug.”
Bargaining with Loren would be easier after I pumped Kheelan for information. Whatever this task was Loren wanted to help Kheelan with was the first thing I wanted to know.
I plodded my way towards Kheelan, where he had halted, although I still faced his rigid back. I decided to ignore his silent reproof and walked right past him until his words caught me. I guess he was following close on my heels.
“Are you saying I’m dull or shocking? It doesn’t seem like you can make up your mind.”
His whispered comeback made my back itch to turn around.
“It’s because you’re two-faced,” I retorted.
“Some of us hide our other sides under glamour,” he said, and I knew he was referring to finding out about my Dark Elf half. He overtook me as I stumbled, walking past without even offering a hand.
Loren had gotten his wish and seen Kheelan’s face when the surprise of my Dark Elf heritage had been revealed. I had been too busy getting e
lectrocuted.
“Loren stole the only thing my father ever gave me,” I said, letting Kheelan have it. He was the mastermind behind a lot of my suffering.
“Better Light Elf than dead Elf,” Kheelan muttered.
I’m sure he meant better than a Dark Elf. Obviously, the divide between the elves was a bitter one. I didn’t even know what the difference really was between all the different Fae. I should be Dark Fae but they made it sound like I was something in between.
“Loren offered to make me Dark, or Darker I guess,” I told Kheelan, prodding a little for clarification. “I would have taken him up on it if Dain wasn’t as big an asshole as you.”
Kheelan stopped. “You’re still an Elf. It’s only glamour, mouse. Loren can’t change the Dark half of your soul.”
“With bright examples of Light Elves like you, I’m glad to have the Dark to balance me,” I said and stopped as well. We were in the middle of a bunch of trees. I had no idea why Kheelan picked this spot. Maybe it wasn’t so much where we were, but more, how far away we were from the others. This was far enough for whatever he had planned.
What distance did you need to muffle a scream?
Kheelan walked around me, looking me over from head to toe and silently judging. I merely arched a brow and crossed my arms, resisting the urge to tug my hoodie up over my head. It was an upgrade in appearing confident even if I didn’t feel it. Appearances mattered in Faerie, especially when facing off against a deadly male.
“I’ve never heard anyone call it balance,” he finally said. It didn’t sound like an insult.
“What exactly is a Dark Elf?” I asked, admitting to my ignorance so I could understand.
“An Elf that has traded part of their soul to darkness,” Kheelan answered. “A traitor.”
Well then. Glad I asked.
“How many Dark Elves do you know?”
Blue eyes found mine and I squeezed my hands into fists. Don’t lower my gaze. Meet him, challenge, force him to acknowledge the change in me.
“One that has survived the encounter,” he replied.
Oh, shit. Loren had made my secret heritage sound like a big joke on Kheelan. This wasn’t funny. I dropped my gaze and took a step back.
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