by E Hall
I cock my head at an oh no you don’t angle and shake my finger at him. “Don’t go all big brother on me, little bro.”
He holds his hands up in surrender then grips my palm. “Wow. You’re not kidding. That’s some rock. Corbin asked you to marry him?”
“Yes. It was very romantic, in fact.” I snatch my hand away.
Pepper and Clove exchange a glance.
“I hope I didn’t just put the pressure on. You guys are way too young.” I say.
“We’re, like, a year younger than you,” Clove says.
A crease forms between Pepper’s eyebrows. “I have no idea what you mean by pressure, except that it makes diamonds.” A smile grows on her lips as she stares at the ring on my finger. “A yellow diamond. The Wolf Jewel.”
We gape at my hand.
“You think I’ve been wearing it this entire time?”
Alister’s comments about how the thieves that took it were dusty wolves make me think of the desert and Pack Sandstorm. I tell Pepper and Clove the story.
Pepper lifts and lowers her shoulders. “Could’ve been them, we may never know. But what’s important is that I think we have the three stones.”
“Now, we need the scepter,” I say.
“And your fiancé.”
“Thanks for the reminder, little bro,” I say to Clove.
“Okay, think back to that night when we last saw the scepter,” Pepper says. “Everyone was fighting...”
I flinch, not wanting to remember a thing about that night.
Clove hangs his head. “I’m not proud of what I did. I’d been going solo for so long. Fighting this battle by myself. Fighting with myself—the unseelie within.”
“Do you sometimes feel the call of the wolf?” I ask, thinking about how, so often lately, I feel the call of the fae.
“Not often enough. But I enjoy being fae. Just not wicked,” Clove says softly.
I nod, understanding he doesn’t want to talk about it. “It all happened so fast. My vamp tried to bite Melchior—I didn’t quite manage. Then Greyson lunged with the scepter but it flew from his hand.”
“I moved to catch it,” Clove says. “But Jana got ahold of it. She stabbed—”
Pepper nods, knowing he means that she stabbed our father.
“Then my mom appeared. She had the cloak. I acted fast and tried to wrest the scepter from Jana. I angled the prongs at her and someone shoved me.”
Clove clears his throat softly. “That was me. I speared her.” He lets out a long, stilted breath. “I caught the scepter.”
“Then traded it with a sea fae,” I say, reminding him.
Pepper scratches her temple. “Kenna, I remember you telling me about this before. Didn’t you stab Melchior with the scepter?”
I nod.
“It didn’t hurt him?”
I shrug. “The sight of his blood brought on my crazed vamp. I have no idea what happened next.”
She taps her pencil against the notebook. “There are two scepters. A real one and the fake. The real one isn’t tipped with actual iron. It’s made of elven metal. So if the real one stabbed him, he’d be fine. If the fake one did, he’d have been harmed. Something doesn’t add up. Where is the fake?”
“The better question is where is the real one?” I ask.
“Kenna, you said your mom had the cloak, right?”
I nod, picking it up.
“Can it conceal items?”
“Let’s find out.” I pick up the nearest item—the Klave.
Clove shakes his head. “No, not that. Wouldn’t want it to go missing. Try this.” He passes me a random ceramic vase.
I put it inside the cloak and shake my head. “We need something bigger. Something person-sized. How about the box that held the scepter.” I get up. Not spotting it, I look under tables and in the corners.
Clove gazes at the floor. “It’s not here. Magic wards the box. I used it to transport the scepter to the sea fae when I made the trade.”
“I hope it was worth it,” I hiss with annoyance.
“We all make mistakes.”
I huff.
Pepper continues tapping the pencil. It’s about to drive me crazy when it abruptly stops. “Kenna, your mom had the real scepter. Do you suppose she hid it in the cloak and produced the fake like a magician.”
I inhale sharply. “Like a vampire with the power to mesmer. All she would’ve needed was one second of distraction. In the end, she had the fake. Clove had the real one. But if she still has it, we could use it to trick the sea fae into giving us the real one back.”
“Whoa. That’s some next-level sneakiness,” Pepper says.
“Can I use your phone to call her?” I ask Pepper.
Just as she pulls it out, a loud thrumming sound comes from outside. Lights flash across the stained glass window.
“Sounds like a helicopter.”
We scramble through the painting and to the hallway. The front door opens and a familiar figure stands there, back-lit by the lights of the chopper.
“I guess I didn’t need your phone after all,” I say to Pepper before running toward the door and into my mother’s arms.
Chapter 4
Corbin
The ghost captain, a streak of enraged silver-mist, strides across the deck and shouts, “Unhand my ship, goblins, or I’ll send ye to the bilge with the rats.”
“We want the fae, Captain Crowbeard,” a smooth, melodic voice replies.
“Those are not goblins,” Baker mutters. “They’re sea fae.”
“Operating under Melchior’s orders no doubt.”
The captain frowns. “Soul sucking sea tramps. The wolf and fae be ours. We agreed, fair and square.” His lips curl at the word fair. “But you’re welcome to come into our service if you can bear to part with your fins.”
The pirates cackle.
Another sea fae replies, “We’ve lost enough of our sisters to you. You won’t be taking any more.”
The boat lurches and rocks. The leering expressions on the ghost pirates’ faces slip toward fear. One pirate slides off the deck and into the water, dissolving with a sigh. Another follows.
They can’t be submerged in the water. How did Kenna’s father survive?
The water roils. For a moment, I contemplate going overboard and swimming to safety.
“I can’t hear your thoughts the wolf-way, but between the sea fae and goblins, I don’t think we’d make it if we jumped ship,” Baker mutters.
“Shouldn’t we take this matter up with the fae king?” The captain’s pitch verges toward desperation as the boat lowers inch by inch.
“The king?” She laughs. “If I’m not mistaken, he’s the reason you’re foresworn to sailing the seas for eternity.”
The captain chuckles. “And hunting you. He’s taken us both with his cunning. Maybe we could strike a bargain.”
“The only deal we’ll be making is with your prisoners.”
“The fae isn’t here,” I shout.
The sea fae lift out of the water slightly.
“If you’re looking for Kenna, she jumped. She drowned.”
Baker’s eyes bug.
The sea fae shakes her head. “No. She’s still among the living. We sense her. In that case, the wolf can stand in her absence. We’ll take you to the king. He can decide if he wants to use you to lure her to him.” She cackles.
“Unless she already went to him,” the captain suggests.
The words pierce my heart.
Nonetheless, in the fae’s eyes, we’re valuable and pirates don’t part with treasure easily. The legion of ghost pirates form a ring, surrounding Baker and me. The lost and lonely feeling intensifies in the cold gloom of the ghosts’ wavering haze.
If I was already collateral before, now I’m doubly so. For the pirates who have a disturbing interest in dog fights and the sea fae who came for my mate and won’t leave empty-handed.
The captain struts to the edge of the boat. “In other words, we
have something you want, which is something Melchior wants. Is that the gist?” he asks with a chuckle.
The boat seesaws.
“It took years, but we learned your weakness, Captain. Ironic isn’t it. Those stuck at sea for eternity can’t even enjoy the water. We came across one of your kind. He was all too happy to indulge us with stories of life aboard this ship.” The sea fae’s eyes flash.
Kenna’s father? Hope flutters in my chest, but if they encountered him, what did they do to him?
The ghosts chill me. My teeth practically chatter. Never have I felt so beneath my Alpha.
“Last chance. Hand him over and we release the ship. Otherwise, I hope you remember how to swim.” The fae’s smooth voice is pitiless.
The wind blows mercilessly, blowing the boat, and pushing us back toward the jetty. Could a ghost ship crash?
We stop just short of the piles of stones jutting into the water. My damp fingers don’t grip the rope strongly enough. I slosh across the deck. My legs and arms flail as wisps of ghost pirates and frosty air slip through my grasp.
Baker reaches for me, but he’s too late. I splash into the ocean. Relief at being free of the ship is short-lived. Fae fingers grasp me, suspending me between them. I wriggle, but there are too many fae and nowhere to seek refuge unless I get free and swim to the jetty.
A rumble rises from the sea as the water churns. Ghost pirates lose their footing and splash into the water before disappearing with a barely audible sigh over the howling wind.
Waves smash against the rocks of the breakwater. The imposing figure of the fae king comes into focus as he strides toward us, whirling his arms as he controls the wind. His obsidian eyes land on me, held fast by the sea fae.
“Melchior,” the sea fae shout. “Relieve us of the ghost pirates as you promised and you can have the shifter.”
The king laughs, lifting his massive hand, directing the wind more strongly at us. “Why would I do that? You’ve been naughty, my fae of the sea, threatening me...and withholding the scepter.” Melchior’s penetrating gaze reminds me of how small and defenseless I am right now.
However, I have a stake in this fight, several actually. Helpless though I may be, I’m not heartless like the rest of them.
“Remember, I always get what I want, and I have this,” Melchior says. With a wave of his hands, Kenna strides across the sand, but her gaze doesn’t fall on me.
“No!” I shout, but my voice dies on the wind.
“Our agreement was the scepter in exchange for an end to the pirates sailing the sea. I don’t care about a wolf shifter. Although, since he’s here, I can put him to good use,” Melchior thunders. “I promise, the scepter will be mine,” he says through gritted teeth.
The fae fall silent. The pirate captain struggles as his ship heaves in the waves. I barely keep my head above the surface.
“Corbin,” Melchior says. “Look who sought me, her king. I win after all.” He gestures to Kenna, but her gaze is empty.
I buck against the hold of the fae, splashing and kicking, but they don’t release me. And now the pirates know my name.
“I take it you were once in love. Ha. How easily such a bond can fracture when power comes into play. She knows the cry of the fae, don’t you Kenna? Now, I’ll have you do what Isa could not. Then you shall be my queen.” He laughs darkly.
I recall the story of Initiation when Isa was meant to take a life, Alden’s life, under Melchior’s cruel curse.
Baker calls from the ship’s deck, “Wait a minute. What does Kenna have to say? She was part of our pack. How could you turn on us like this?”
All eyes turn toward him.
“Shh,” I mutter. But with the ship so close, it blocks my Alpha. I’m useless.
Baker’s gaze doesn’t waver from her. I’m not sure if he’s trying to buy me time, genuinely wants to hear her side of the story, or if he’s straight-up stupid.
“Kenna, you loved Corbin. I know you did. Why did you leave? Why’d you go to Melchior? At the very least, he deserves to know.” The milky fog diffuses the light of the nearing dawn, but if I’m not mistaken, my beta winks at me.
Kenna’s head hangs limply and her voice is faint. “The fae king chose me as his queen. I’m the cursebreaker. If I go with Melchior, he agreed to lift it. All I have to do is claim a life for my own and then my sisters will be free. Everyone will be.”
“Including us?” the sea fae ask.
She nods.
I reach out to her, but the fae tighten their grip.
Her face is as luminous and captivating as the moon, the sun, and the stars. She meets my eyes. “I’m sorry, Corbin.”
In those words, I struggle to hear the reminder of how much she loved me.
The fae shove me onto the rocks. I gasp, and press to standing on the uneven surface, dripping wet.
Kenna steps toward me, reaching for my hand to help me to the flat top of the jetty. She opens her mouth and starts to sing the haunting song of the fae.
I drink the words like a tonic, a reminder of what courage and intelligence and beauty does. It transforms. She loves me, despite the cry of the fae, despite her fleeing to Melchior. The melody transmits warmth, makes me want to reach out, to touch, to taste, to kiss. I long to kiss her.
She just doesn’t love me enough.
I try to clear my head. No, this is a spell. Grim magic. It’s trickery.
As the song continues, I forget about Baker, the ghost pirates, and my pack. Melchior and the others drift from my mind. All that matters is this moment between Kenna and me, restoring everything I believed to be true, reviving me, and returning me to the place where our hearts beat for each other.
Thoughts and logic try to press through, to warn me, to remind me of the meaning and purpose of the song, but they drift away. I’ve had enough hardship. I’m bruised, deep down. Her song is the cure. The fae song is the lure to bliss, and I answer it gladly.
Her lips land on mine. I feel myself slipping deeper under her spell, losing my awareness, lost in her kiss.
Canis Major flashes in the sky, drawing me to the night Kenna and I sealed, when we made a promise to each other. The heat of a thousand stars fills me, reminds me of the words spoken by Olive and Octavius, by Kenna and me.
We invite you to make a promise to each other. The ritual of the fated mates. In doing so, nothing can tear you apart.
You must make a promise, wrap it in love, and keep it safe among the stars.
It is you and me, together. No magic this bond can ever sever. I pledge my love to you now and forever.
From the sky, the old eyes of my ancestors both wolf and human meet me, reminding me who I am. Still kissing, my Alpha breaks through and surges inside—lit by love, loyalty, and friendship. She must’ve passed along enough of her power to wake me up.
A smile cracks through, still under the seal of Kenna’s lips.
I draw a breath and shift.
Chapter 5
Kenna
I stumble back as Corbin changes into his wolf. I’m playing my role. Everything is going to plan. But I am not expecting the sudden shadows moving across the jetty.
The fae from numerous forest courts float toward us, looking ethereal and enchanting in the starlight. Strands of magic jump between their fingers as if they’re itching to use their power. Under Melchior’s command, they’re a devastatingly beautiful army.
As far as they’re concerned, I’m one of them.
But not for long.
All the same, he must’ve felt the need to bring in reinforcements. Interesting to note this insecurity.
Melchior stalks forward. “Kenna, finish him.”
I hold up my hands in mock-innocence and continue to sing. Of course, it doesn’t reach his wolf. Our kiss, backed with shifter power, nudged him free of the fae enchantment.
It was a longshot, but I was counting on that happening. Now, where is everyone else?
Corbin scratches the ground with his paw and snarls.
He doesn’t know which side I’m on. For now, that’s how it has to be.
But so much has happened in the last hour, I haven’t had a chance to figure out if there’s a loophole in our plan. Hopefully not. However, hope isn’t a strategy. My Alpha butts against the fae within me, but I have to go along with this for now.
The forest fae get closer. The wind calms slightly.
Melchior looks pleased to see Corbin outnumbered and the ghost pirates nearly finished.
The water around the jetty settles for a second then ripples form, slowly, sinisterly. All at once, the liquid rises. A massive seal leaps out of the water and tosses a stone, knocking a nearby fae to the ground.
Melchior roars with anger.
The fae murmur about the selkies. This fight just got a whole lot bigger. There’s the ghost pirates, the sea fae, the forest fae, and now the selkies. Then Corbin and me...and our own team who should be here soon.
Just then, the fae wrench me back. I glimpse Corbin. He stands at attention in wolf form, not entirely sure who to attack. Small, round stone balls launch through the night, reminding me of hail. The selkies are causing trouble. Fine. I’ll take the distraction.
The stones pummel Corbin. He yelps at the first one. The second, he catches in his teeth. I steel myself, blasting the rocks apart in midair using magic so they’re nothing more than sand.
The ground shakes as eyes glint in the distance. Wolves cross the jetty, blocking the fae in. Growls and howls echo across the water.
The wolf-way of communication opens up.
Corbin warns the others as the rocks continue to peel through the air. The selkies are here for the sea fae...and it looks like they’re not fans of the forest fae either.
All at once, a dense sphere wails me in the stomach. I plunge into the water head over heels.
A pair of sea fae grip my arms and draw me to the surface. I thrash, trying to get back to land. I lash out with my magic, but the water dampens it somehow. The electric buzz sizzles inside, but I can’t discharge it.
“Don’t fight back,” one of them says.
For a moment, I think it’s a warning not to try to fight them. Then, remembering I’m supposedly on the side of the fae, even if they’re at odds with the king, I go back into character. “Do you mean I should let the selkies use me as a punching bag?”