The rest of the night was difficult to endure. Every sound made me jump. Cyril promised to keep an eye on me so I could sleep, but it didn’t help to settle my nerves or soothe my mind. The weight of a multitude of sins came crashing over me during the night—unknowingly giving away vital information to Key, which he was now using against me and those I loved, in addition to how these fae treated me versus the Dark fae. Though a prisoner in both lands, I preferred my beautiful cage in the Dark fae realm.
I missed the distant, almost respectful way the others treated me, even if it was out of fear. I hated that I didn’t have my protectors with me. I would settle for Kallan right about now. I promised to allow myself tonight to feel this wretched sense of hopelessness, but tomorrow I had to buck up and face reality.
Yet, even as I pressed my cheek to the cold floor, I missed home and the security of my life before. I may have once thought I was ready for adventure, but in the depth of my heart, I was terrified.
Chapter 24
Ana
“Anastasia! Get back here!” Erebus yelled at me as I dodged him again. With Sixx missing and Olezka losing his damn mind, someone needed to take charge. Portal magic was, according to Kallan, “weeks, probably months” away in my training, and Erebus seemed even less inclined to help me learn. Especially since I was pretty sure he caught on to the fact that I slipped into his library to find a book with spells to help me. I shrugged my shoulders, undeterred. His loss.
When I asked him to help me, he said no. Well, actually, he started babbling about fae politics and limited humans’ rights on this side of the Veil, but all I heard was, “No. I will not help you save Sixx.” So I helped myself. I’d always managed before. Well, with Sixx’s support. She had been there for me since the start. I wouldn’t abandon her now when she needed me most.
“Anastasia!” Erebus appeared in front of me, looking like an angel of death. Even angry at him, I couldn’t stop the fluttering of my heart or the desire that dumped in my veins like a dam bursting its retaining wall. If this was a fraction of what Olezka felt for Sixx… Well, damn, I needed to speak to her on his behalf. As soon as he reverted from flaming beast mode and I got Sixx back.
“Oh, hey, Erebus,” I said with a fake smile.
“Don’t, female. I’m at my very limit with you. I thought we decided you would remain in your room?”
“Nah.”
Confused, Erebus blinked. “Nah?”
“Yup.” I nodded my head. “’Kay, bye-bye.” I made to go around Erebus, but he grabbed my arm. Not in a rough manner, but anger still threatened to trickle out. My happy-go-lucky attitude was a shallow act to which I was barely holding on. Desire, mingled with rage, played tug-of-war inside me. With desperation nipping at my heels, I knew what I’d pick.
“I know what you’re trying to do, and it will not work.”
He could threaten all he wanted. I refused to buckle.
“Whatever do you mean?” I fluttered my lashes.
Erebus sighed and tried to refrain from throttling me. “You’re trying to find a way to Sixx. For once, don’t be so stubborn, and listen to reason.”
I put my hand on my chest and morphed my features into an innocent expression. “Who, moi?”
“Anastasia, I swear to my gods and yours, do not test me.”
My knee-jerk reaction was to snap back and retaliate in anger, but Sixx would have reminded me to calm down, saying that sometimes agreeing and accepting help was the best way.
This time, she was partially right.
“Look, I’m just doing a little research. Maybe I can get some info you don’t have.” To run my point home, I placed my hand on his arm and leaned in close. My body pressed against his, eliciting both the desired effect and unintended ones. Erebus’s shoulders loosened, and a barely audible groan of pleasure escaped his lips. Unfortunately, my traitorous body responded in kind.
“Fuck,” I whispered, trying to recall the last moment I saw Sixx. Guilt was the perfect mood killer.
Olezka didn’t get a chance to tell us what he sniffed out because he shifted into a fiery hellhound before roaring to the sky and taking off in a flurry of flames. Timur shifted to his equally massive hellhound form, but thankfully, without the light show. He picked up the same scents as Olezka but spoke to Erebus in private about it before chasing after his brother.
“She wouldn’t blame you, Anastasia.”
I glared up at Erebus. “And how would you possibly know? I shouldn’t have –”
“I know you, and I know Olezka. Neither of you would be drawn to a malicious soul. It’s been a long night, and we’re both exhausted. Go, rest. I will continue my investigation.” Erebus left, but not before checking over his shoulder one last time to meet my eyes.
“Go rest, my ass,” I muttered, heading toward the garden.
With a laundry list of hard to pronounce and harder to locate ingredients, the spell I located in Erebus’s book looked like it was intended for a witch. I’d run into a witch once when I was in high school before I met Sixx. After that, I tried to avoid them if at all possible. The spell required thirteen herbs, an incantation, and something that belonged to the lost person. I was hoping a used dress from this side of the Veil would work. If I got all of those things right, it was supposed to transport me right to Sixx.
It took two days to find the spell in one of the hundreds of spell books Erebus had in his collection, and another day spent trying to find a bunch of weird ingredients. For the most part, I didn’t find shit. I was due to meet a contact in the gardens but was running late because of Erebus. I hoped my contact hadn’t gotten spooked and left. I strode toward the gardens, determined. Tonight, I was getting Sixx back, no matter what.
“Anastasia!” a voice hissed from deep inside the dense thicket.
Breathing in a sharp breath, I held back my annoyance. I’d tolerated Z, Erebus, and Kallan calling me that. What was one more?
“Tess, call me Ana, please.” Okay, so I couldn’t let it go. Sue me.
“I’ve gathered what you asked for, but I will offer a bit of a warning.”
“If it’s don’t go in without help or you can’t do this, kindly back the fuck off,” I snapped.
“No, no, Anasta – Ana. The more personal the item, the closer it will get you to her. With that said, I brought this as well.” When Tess pulled out a pair of Sixx’s underwear, I croaked, barely holding back a laugh. This was not the time to laugh. It wasn’t, but…
“This was what she was wearing when she was brought to this side of the Veil. They’ve been washed, but I think you will agree that it is rather personal.”
Tess handed me Sixx’s “doing laundry” undies, A.K.A. her granny panties. She wore them when she was feeling “icky” or when all of her other undies were dirty.
“Oh, Sixx.” I took the clothing and clasped the leather pouch that held the herbs. “Thanks, Tess.”
“Do not thank me. Bring her back alive. She has a big heart.”
I nodded. She did.
****
“Who the hell even speaks Latin?” I growled as I tried the spell for what felt like the hundredth time. As my mouth tumbled over the unfamiliar words, I wished for Sixx. She was the researcher, the linguistics extraordinaire. “Could really use your help to save you right about now, Sixx,” I muttered. I straightened my back, taking a – snort – cleansing breath. “Okay, I can do this. I can.”
A knock sounded at the door. Shit. There was no hiding or explaining the circle drawn on the floor with a bundle of herbs and Sixx’s underwear piled in the middle of it.
“It’s now or never.”
As I invoked the spell once again, the knocking got louder. I ignored it as crackling power built inside me and the herbs burst into flames. The spell began to weave together, and I took that as a clue to close my eyes and speak the last part. A whirlwind wrapped around me, spinning and twisting violently, and for a brief, horrible moment, it all stopped.
The knocking,
the wind, everything. I peeked an eye open.
“You must be Ana.”
A male stood before me who should have looked intimidating with his wide, broad shoulders, but I lost the initial fear when I realized he was little more than skin and bones. A thick metal collar was clamped around his neck with a bulky chain connected to the wall. He watched me with a curious expression while his dirty hair hung over his forehead. The quiet, ever-present sound of dripping water came from deeper within the depths of the dank, dark dungeon in which I found myself.
I squealed a little as my excitement grew.
“It worked!” But my elation dried up when I glared at the male in front of me. “Where’s Sixx?” I grabbed at my belt where I’d tucked a lethal-looking dagger, but all I caught was air.
“Looking for this?” He twirled the blade between his fingers once.
“How do you know my name?”
“Seis said either you or that mate of hers would come for her. To be honest, I had money on the hound.”
“Where is she? If you so much as–”
The male, even though chained by the neck, moved like a snake, striking fast and without mercy. He held my dagger against my throat before I had time to register his movements. I tried to take a step back but was halted by the stone wall behind me.
His unnerving, slitted eyes blinked once, and he leaned his face toward mine. “What, hurt her? What would you do if I had, Lost Princess? I am curious.”
I narrowed my eyes and spit out, “First, I’d ask you who the fuck you think I am. Then, I’d find out where Sixx is.”
“Unfortunately, I have a feeling that you’re about to find out. You really shouldn’t have expelled that kind of magic.”
He twisted the dagger and tucked it into the waistband of his jeans before taking a couple of steps back and pressing himself against the wall to hide the handle since he wasn’t wearing a shirt. When he jerked his chin in the opposite direction, I turned to where he indicated and saw two figures coming closer. They were obviously High fae, but they looked dramatically different from Erebus’s Dark High fae. They were breathtaking, but where Dark fae had dark complexions and hair, these fae had lightly tanned skin and pale hair.
As they approached the cell, they didn’t even blink at the fact that I’d taken Sixx’s spot. The taller of the two opened the door and reached for me. I wouldn’t fight them. Yet. Not until I knew where Sixx had gone.
The two guards escorted me down a shadowy hallway paved with large round stones that were slippery from layers of fungus and slime, up a set of winding stairs, and into a pristine, elegant hall. I didn’t mind the quick pace at which they moved. I wasn’t there for a tour. I had one mission: to find Sixx and get the hell out of there. I entered an immense hall that was vacant of all other furniture except the golden throne perched at the end of it. Several High fae were gathered around, though the room was eerily still and quiet.
The floor-to-ceiling windows that wrapped around the room made the space at least twenty degrees warmer than the hall I’d just left, and the dazzling light made me squint after standing in the darkness of the dungeon. Once my vision cleared and I saw the inhabitants of the room, my anger skyrocketed. Electricity coursed in my veins and crackled along my arms.
Sixx stood in a plain black slip that barely fell to mid-thigh with a heavy collar fastened around her neck. The collar had a thick chain that connected to her wrists, and her wrists were manacled to the throne. A roar of anger exploded from me when I saw Sixx try to lift her neck and struggle, the weight too much for her to bear.
Raging power overwhelmed my system as my magic pulled from the Light energy filling this cursed place. I knew I was siphoning too much, but I didn’t care. Without a second thought, I took a shot at the idiot who sat on the throne with my best friend, my sister, locked up beside him.
The Light fae King who occupied the throne had bright blonde hair, long and straight, and his high cheekbones looked sharp enough to cut glass. Imposing and resplendent, his stature was meant to intimidate and make others cower before him. He easily absorbed my first bolt, but I lobbed another before he had time to blink. This time, I knew I’d expended too much energy. The energy bolt zapped wildly through the room and scorched the wall behind the throne. Sixx ducked, and the weight of the chains clanged against the marble floor.
Screaming in frustration, I attacked again. The King stepped down from his throne and absorbed every attack I flung in his direction. The others in the room scattered as my body glowed and I took in even more energy. Sparks flew off my skin, pinging and flickering in all different directions.
“Cease this!” the King commanded in a steely voice.
I met his eyes without flinching. “Release Sixx.”
“Calm, my daughter.”
Uh, what did he just say?
Distracted by his words, I didn’t notice when he made it to me before I had a chance to throw another bolt his way. I wasn’t sure how, but when he placed one hand over my heart and the other on my shoulder, the power that had raged through me, seizing my muscles and boiling in my veins stopped. Weakness hit me like a ton of bricks, and I stumbled.
“You took too much, my child.”
“My Lord,” another voice said—a familiar one. Jerking out of his hold, I glared at the familiar Dark fae with white hair.
“What the fuck?” My confusion ratcheted up another level.
What was a High fae from the Dark Court doing here? Did Erebus send him ahead of me to broker Sixx’s release? If so, why didn’t he tell me? You know what? It doesn’t matter.
“It seems you were correct, Kesital. On both accounts. We will discuss our trade-off later,” the King murmured, never taking his eyes off my face.
“What?” I glared at the Dark fae. Sixx looked from him to me but didn’t say a word. Her eyes were wide and pleading as if she wanted to speak up but couldn’t.
“Guards, my daughter has been through much today. Take her to her room. I will come to speak with you soon.” Dismissing me, he turned to walk back to his throne as the same two guards who brought me up from the dungeon began to approach.
“Like hell you will! I don’t know who you think you are, but I’m not leaving here without Sixx.”
“I do not know what a Sixx is, but I am your King and father. You will go.” His voice whipped with the force of a command.
I curled my lip at him. “You are neither my father nor my king.” I took another step back.
Any warmth that may have filled his face earlier was wiped away in a blink. “You don’t understand yet, but you will. Guards!”
“Give me Sixx, and I will, at least, pretend to listen to you,” I bargained.
The male who bore an uncanny resemblance to the face I looked at in the mirror each day turned to glance at me, the look in his eyes making my stomach turn. “Take the human with her. Kesital, I would like a moment with you.”
When one guard grabbed my hand, I tried to shock him, but whatever the King did to me messed up my magic. Another guard grabbed Sixx, and we were both hauled out of the room. That was all I wanted, though – to find and be with Sixx. Once we were together again, we could figure everything else out.
Somehow, we ended up in the same predicament as the one we’d entered in the Dark Kingdom. Pretty walls, pretty bed, and a guard at the door, but this time, there was no balcony. It didn’t matter. My guard nudged me into the room, but Sixx was thrown inside, still in chains. The door slammed with a resounding click as the lock was turned from the outside. I ran to the door and beat my hands against the wood.
“Hey! Take these chains off her!”
“Ana?” a weak voice called.
Chapter 25
“Ana?” I blinked. My head felt like it was full of cotton. The last thing I remembered was Key coming down to the cells again and seeing Cyril’s face clenched in anger. Then, my mind shut off. I blinked a couple more times to make sure that what I was seeing was real.
Ana slamm
ed her hand on the door once more.
“Hey!” she said, turning toward me.
“Are we back with Erebus?” I asked foggily, pressing my fingers against my forehead as pain sliced through me again.
“No, we’re with a boatload of crazies in crazy town,” Ana grumbled, clearly pissed off.
“Oh, no…” Nausea pooled, and I crouched over, holding my stomach. It kept roiling as I realized Ana was here with me, trapped in the Light Kingdom, and the once-hidden memories of how I’d betrayed my friends came rushing back with a vengeance.
“No, no, no…” I moaned. “Please, tell me this is a dream!” I begged, falling to my knees. Cyril and I were going to find a way out. We were! “Maybe a nightmare.”
“Sixx.”
“Let me have my meltdown, please,” I muttered.
“If it makes you feel better, it was my plan. No one else was involved.”
Ana edged closer and pulled me up from the ground. Somehow, it made me feel even worse when she wrapped her arms around me.
“Wait… How did you get here?” I asked, beginning to snap out of my daze. If she was here, that meant there was a way out, right?
“Oh, you know. Just used a spell I found lying around,” Ana replied breezily, but she had a cringy face on.
“What’s the look for?”
She had the good grace to look ashamed. “Because I don’t have an exit strategy.”
As much as I wanted to be mad about it, I couldn’t be. Ana acted on passion; she reacted before thinking. I nodded then broke from her hold and started to pace. “We need to find a way out.”
“Wait – we’ll get to that. But right now can we take a second, Sixx? Are you okay?”
“Not really.” I sighed heavily. My thoughts kept coming back to the memories that were stolen from me. I grabbed Ana’s hand and led her back to the bed. “There’s something I need to tell you.”
“Yeah, I think there’s a lot I need to fill you in on, too,” Ana said, looking over at the door again. When she looked back at me, her features were pinched. She brushed a hand over my handcuffed wrists. The chains were heavy, especially since the spike of adrenaline had left me. Ana focused her attention on the clasp, trying to get it to unlatch, but nothing happened.
The Sidekick Chronicles: Sixx and the Fae Page 17