Broken Fae

by Caroline Peckham

  “Cousin!” Lorenzo lunged at him, wrapping his arms around Dante and nuzzling him hard.

  Dante didn’t even shove him away for a second, sighing heavily and running a hand over his hair before pushing him back.

  “Take a walk, Lorenzo,” he commanded and his cousin bowed his head before scampering away with a pained whine in his throat.

  Dante turned to me, resting a hand on my shoulder, his expression serious. “What’s wrong?”

  “Lorenzo isn’t coping well coming off the Killblaze. He’s desperate for it. And…well, he said he’s joined the Black Card.”

  “Dalle stelle,” he sighed, rubbing his eyes as he thought on that for a moment.

  “Maybe it’s time he got some help. A counsellor maybe?” I said.

  “He’s already seeing Nightshade twice a week and it’s clearly not making a difference,” Dante growled. “No, he needs a protector. I want you to keep a closer eye on him, cavallo.”

  “Me? I’m already watching him. I’m doing my best.”

  “I know, amico mio, but there is always more that can be done. I need you to join the Black Card-”

  “No,” I said immediately, a whinny in my throat. The Card were freaks and dangerous freaks at that. People went missing in the city a lot lately and it was rumoured to be linked to that weird ass cult. I didn’t want a single thing to do with them.

  “I’ll pay you a thousand a month,” Dante offered. “It’s just to watch over him. That’s all. I’ll talk to the Kiplings about his dosage, maybe we’ve lowered it too fast…” he trailed off, looking concerned.

  I stood staring at him, in shock at what he’d just said. A thousand a month? That would be all I needed when coupled with what I got from Gabriel Nox. I could get Ella out of Alestria for sure, I wouldn’t have to be so terrified every time the end of the month arrived and I was short on cash. If I just sucked it up and joined those weirdo cultists, I could be flying into the sunset with my sister at the end of the year without a hitch. And for that, I would do anything. Even join the Black Card.

  I stood in the shower, washing the day from my flesh and thinking about Elise. Again. She was always waiting on the edges of my mind and whenever I let my focus slip, she was there. La ragazza che brillava più luminosa delle stelle.

  Electricity crackled along my skin and I turned the water off before I electrocuted whoever was in the next stall along. I’d totally done it to Eugene the other day and not entirely by accident. That rat had eaten half my damn socks since he’d moved into my room and he didn’t even have the courtesy to eat pairs, leaving me with a bunch of damn odd ones. I had a feeling he’d started on my boxers too because one of my favourites was mysteriously missing. I’d also heard him gloating to some other rat in the library about his prime nesting material. Little sneak.

  I grabbed a towel, drying myself off before tying it around my waist. Then I headed back down the corridor to my room, receiving a few appreciative glances from girls heading out for the night in their high heels and tight dresses. I didn’t even bother to check them out. No one did it for me like Elise did. And maybe I wasn’t ready to try and move on from her yet.

  Despite what Leon had told me, I still felt guilty about joining them since they were mated. I should have been trying harder to break this tie I felt to her, but a part of me didn’t want to let go. A part that was as big as the sun itself and burned just as hot.

  It was Friday night and plenty of the students were heading into town for a party. I hadn’t joined my pack down at the Oscura Haunt so far this term and I knew they were missing me. But even flying with them under the moon didn’t give me the joy it had once brought.

  I pushed into my room and Eugene squeaked loudly on his bunk, curling up and pushing pieces of material beneath him.

  “Che cazzo, Eugene?” I growled. “What are you hiding?”

  Dalle stelle, I missed Elise sleeping above me. I even missed Gabriel’s cold stares and wing slaps to the face sometimes, but I’d never admit that. Now I was left in here with Laini who was always in a cocoon made of sheets while she read book after book and Eugene who just about shit himself every time he saw me. I was starting to consider following in the path of Ryder and forcing them out of this room so I could have some peace. I’d go and sleep with my pack if I didn’t hate being dogpiled by twenty wolves in the night. It wouldn’t have been so bad if they didn’t all want to sleep on me, but as their Alpha, they were too clingy for me to breathe.

  I strode up to Eugene on the bunk above mine and he tucked his head down as he curled up over whatever he was hiding. There were shreds of material scattered around him and he squeaked in alarm as I pressed my hand to his back.

  I zapped him to make him move and he shifted with a squeal of fear, disappearing into the folds of his jeans as a little white rat. I shoved the jeans and his shirt aside, finding a half-built nest made entirely out of my boxers.

  “Eugene!” I roared and he leapt off of the bed kamikaze style.

  I wheeled around as he scurried underneath Laini’s bunk and I dropped to my knees with a growl, sending a shot of electricity after him.

  The door opened and he flew out of it before I could land a hit on him and I swore in Faetalian as Gabriel walked in with a towel around his waist, his tattooed chest dripping with water. Why had I thought I missed this stronzo?

  “Why are you crawling around on the floor?” he asked, walking past me so that his towel brushed over my head. I pushed myself upright and snarled as I pointed at my destroyed underwear on Eugene’s bed in answer.

  Gabriel looked over at it then laughter erupted from his chest. “That little shit.”

  “Yeah.” I pushed past him to the closet, pulling open the drawer that usually housed my boxers and huffed as I found it empty. “He took them all. I’ll fry him the next time I see him.”

  “Here.” Gabriel tossed me a pair of his and they hit me in the face. I opened my mouth to refuse, but he went on. “They’re new.”

  “Oh. Well…grazie.”

  “You’re welcome.” He dropped his towel and tugged on a pair of sweatpants, leaving his chest bare before taking a bundle of clothes in his arms and turning to the window.

  “You don’t have to sleep up there, you know?” I said before I could stop myself, glancing over my shoulder at him.

  He pushed the window open, looking back at me with a frown. “And you don’t have to sleep in a room with a rat who eats your underwear. But you do.” His wings erupted from his back and he took off, leaving me with the wind gusting around me.

  I flipped my fingers, slamming the window shut with a blast of air magic, a growl rumbling through me.

  I knew I didn’t have to stay in this situation, I could force Eugene out on his ass. And Laini too if I really wanted to. But I’d seen them with Elise. She cared for them. They were her friends. And if I was being really honest, I didn’t want to shut another door in Eugene’s face. The kid might have been lacking Fae instincts enough to make my insides squirm on occasion, but he also didn’t deserve me treating him like he was nothing. Everybody was somebody. And maybe I was used to being protective of those around me anyway.

  Before I pulled on any clothes, my Atlas started ringing. I cast a silencing bubble around me as I dropped down onto my bunk, pulled the sheet across for privacy and answered it.

  “Dolce Drago,” Mamma gasped and I knew something was wrong. My spine became ramrod straight as I sat there, my heart thumping out of tune.

  “What is it, Mamma?” I begged, fearing the worst. That Felix had found his way into the house, attacked my family, hurt my brothers and sisters. Hurt Rosa.

  “You need to come home. Felix has broken into your Aunt Zeta’s house just this last hour. She died in the fight and he took her four daughters. Now her husband has to comply to his demands, he won’t answer my calls, he won’t do anything that could risk the lives of his bambine.”

  “What?” I snarled, my hackles rising as I processed that. Aunt
Zeta wasn’t even an active gang member, she lived on the outskirts of Alestria. I’d offered to send more wolves to her for protection, but she’d refused.

  “Come home,” she pleaded and I was back on my feet in an instant.

  “I’m coming, Mamma,” I told her and hung up, shoving my Atlas under my pillow and casting a concealment spell around it to keep any nosey roommates away from it. Then I dropped my boxers, shoved the window open and dived out, freefalling for an endless moment before shifting into my Dragon form.

  I roared to the sky as storm clouds rolled overhead and lightning flashed within them. My rage was spilling beyond my flesh and the whole academy would know it soon enough.

  I travelled far across the academy grounds and off toward the horizon, flying over the city and tearing towards the countryside in the distance. I soon closed in on my family’s vineyards and passed through several magical barriers which recognised me and allowed me to pass as I made it home, landing in front of the house with a deafening thud.

  I shifted then jogged up the steps onto the porch and pushed the door wide. My brothers and sisters came running, howling and yapping excitedly. Mamma shoved through them, handing me a pair of sweatpants and I quickly put them on before embracing her. It felt good to be around my pack again, my family, it reminded me that they were still safe, but the same couldn’t be said for my aunt Zeta and her four daughters. It didn’t matter that we weren’t close. I would always be there for my blood, whether we were distant relations or not.

  “Oh, Dolce Drago, it’s so good to see you. Come through to the lounge, I have dinner waiting.”

  I followed my mamma through the house and my brothers and sisters moved behind me, running their hands over my back in greeting. I was soon sat in a chair in front of a plate piled high with food. I knew Mamma wouldn’t discuss the incident until I had a full belly. I suspected the rest of my family had already eaten, so I didn’t waste time scooping a forkful of mashed potato into my mouth.

  I made it through the meal in record time and my sister Gabriella grabbed my plate then hurried off to the kitchen with it.

  Mamma dabbed at my lips with a napkin and I waved her off with a grateful smile. When everyone had gathered at the table and I spotted Rosa pushing her way through the crowd, I knew it was time to face what had happened. They all looked to me, hoping that I could give them some solace, but I wasn’t sure I had any to offer right now. My anger was clouding my need to comfort my family, and I was sure it was about to spill over as electricity crackled around me.

  “Tell me exactly what happened, Mamma.” I turned to her and she lifted her chin with fury in her gaze.

  “Felix used some powerful spells to get through the magical barriers around Zeta’s house. Her death was brutal, and…he left a message.” She shuddered as she took something from her pocket and held it out for me to see.

  She passed me her Atlas and I played the video waiting for me on it with my heart bunching up in my throat. The living room was bloody, the walls painted red with dramatic splashes that reached right up to the ceiling. Hanging there, suspended above a destroyed couch which looked like it had been ripped into with claws, was a cloud of darkness forming the words, your children are mine, do as I bid or they’ll die.

  Fear rippled along the edges of my being, but I kept it locked down, not letting my family see how this unsettled me. The threat was clear. Aunt Zeta’s husband Nero was being forced to work for Felix or that monster would murder his daughters.

  I looked across the room and my eyes met with Rosa’s. She glanced at Mamma with an expression of horror, like this was the first time she had seen that video too. Mamma released a whine and Rosa ran from the room, making my heart jolt violently. My family started howling and I leapt from my seat, walking through them and brushing my hands over their heads and shoulders to try and calm them.

  “I didn’t want her to see the evil of her father, but I can’t keep secrets from those I love,” Mamma called after us.

  I jogged out of the room and caught Rosa climbing out the nearest window onto the porch. I circled around to the door, figuring I was too large to follow as I hurried outside. I strode along the porch as I heard her padding down the wooden slats, most likely about to dart into the vineyard and lose me for good. I picked up my pace and caught her by the arm just before she sprang off the edge of the porch.

  I turned her in my arms and looked down at my little cugina and her frightened expression.

  “Those children were taken by the man who sired me.” Rosa tried to pull away again, but I held on tight. “His blood runs in my veins. He will always own me.”

  “No one owns you, piccola lupa. Felix may be your father by blood, but he has never earned that position. You belong in this house, with me and the rest of our family. If Felix wants you back he will have to go through me, and if he thinks he can fight the Dragon born of Wolves and win then why is he hiding in the shadows? Why is he targeting easier prey?”

  “Maybe you’re right, but…it makes me feel guilty,” she said, a whimper in her throat. “What do you think he’s done with them?”

  “I don’t know, Rosa. But I do know that it’s not your fault that he’s a monster. Felix is making his own path, he is writing his own fate, and it will spell his death in the end,” I growled. “I won’t let anything happen to you or the rest of our family.”

  “He might not be able to get in here now, but he’s joined the Black Card, how long will it be before he has the strength to face us, Alpha? If we don’t do something soon, he’s going to get into our home and kill everyone we love.” Her lower lip quivered and I reached out, brushing my thumb across her cheek. She wasn’t on the verge of tears, she was on the verge of an outburst. Rage was eating her up from the inside like a true Alpha. She wanted to go against Felix, she felt that need to protect our pack as keenly as I did, but she was still a pup and it was my job to protect her, not the other way around.

  I couldn’t deny the truth in her words though; sooner or later Felix was going to be strong enough to face us, strong enough to get past our barriers, strong enough to be a true threat to those I held dearest. With the Black Card on his side, who knew how soon that could be?

  No, I needed help. And I’d been debating for the past few months where that help might come from. The truth was, with Felix turning more members of my pack to his own cause through fear or treachery as well as having the Card on his side, it meant there was going to come a time where he would feel confident enough to face me. I knew my uncle was happy to be underhanded about how he fought me, so I had to be prepared, I had to watch my back at every opportunity, and I had to make sure my family were never vulnerable to him.

  “What are we going to do?” Rosa asked, slipping out of my arms and moving to sit on the edge of the porch.

  I dropped down beside her with a sigh, soaking in the evening breeze and the sound of cicadas chirruping amongst the vines. This place was the epitome of peace. But if I didn’t protect it, it wouldn’t stay that way. There was a war beyond this sanctuary, one that would grow out of hand unless I got to Felix fast and cut off the problem at the root. It killed me that I couldn’t do it alone, and it killed me even more knowing who I really needed to help me in this fight.

  I lay my arm over Rosa’s shoulders as we watched the Faeflies paint trails of colour above the vines. “I’ll do whatever I have to to ensure we win this war, Rosa. Anything it takes.”

  ***

  I spent Friday night and all of Saturday with mia famiglia, but returned to Aurora Academy on Sunday, knowing I was putting off the inevitable. It wasn't like me to avoid issues, but this particular situation was one I had been deliberating for a while now. I accepted it was never going to get any easier to do it. And fuck, I needed that stronzo if I was ever going to face Felix and ensure I win. For my family’s sake, the least I could do was suck up my pride and ask. Not that I could ever tell my pack that I was looking to the Lunars for help. Dalle stelle, if they knew th
at, they'd lose faith in me entirely. But Alphas were made to protect their pack no matter what, and I had weighed up every outcome. It wasn’t just those four girls who’d been taken. Felix was snatching Oscura Wolf pups all over Alestria. It couldn’t continue, so I knew I had to do this for the greater good. No matter how controversial it was, or how much it made my skin crawl.

  I couldn't just walk up to Ryder Draconis in broad daylight though, so I circled campus in my Order form, riding the updrafts in the sky as the sunlight glinted off of my navy scales and warmed me through to my core. I watched for a while as he sat on the bleachers on the Lunar Turf talking to the Brotherhood, but eventually he broke away from them, striding off alone across campus. I tailed him through the sky, flapping my wings lazily as I sailed along on a breeze. Ryder crossed the Empyrean Fields, pulling his shirt off and I knew he was about to shift.

  I dropped my head and took a dive towards the forest, making a path for a clearing deeper into the woods just big enough for me to land in. My claws tore up the earth as I hit the ground and I shifted back into my Fae form. I'd come prepared today with my sweatpants held in my claws, not wanting to have this conversation nudo.

  I tugged on the grey pants and jogged through the trees to where Ryder was about to drop his jeans. I whistled to let him know I was there and he took his hand off of his waistband, scowling into the forest. The trees parted at the will of his earth power and his brow creased as he saw me standing there.

  "We need to talk," I said before he could start a fight.

  It took a lot to surprise the King of the Lunar Brotherhood, but I was pretty sure I'd just managed it. His hands were raised and vines were coiling along the ground in preparation of an attack, but I pushed my hands into my pockets in a clear signal of peace.

  He ran his tongue across his teeth and I heard the drag of his tongue stud against them.

  "Talk?" he grunted, lifting a hand to scrub at his stubbled jaw in confusion.

  "It's a thing people do with their mouths, stronzo," I taunted, my spine prickling at being this close to my enemy.