by Leia Stone
I dropped my hand on his forearm, giving it a squeeze. “Sorry, buddy. That actually makes a lot of sense.”
Blaine opened his mouth, no doubt to argue the point, so I laughed and pushed him back toward his books. “Let’s get to work. It’s going to be a long night. I’ll have Calista order in pizza.”
My advisor and her chosen mate Baladar had been house-sitting the Manhattan royal estate while I was living on Staten Island. I was so grateful to have someone I trusted here.
I always had a lot to be grateful for.
Here’s hoping the fae didn’t steal it all away before any of us had a chance to truly live our new lives.
Chapter Two
One, two, three, four. Oh look, a hidden door.
The next few hours passed in a blur of books and food. Calista kept us well supplied with sustenance, and Baladar put his wisdom and magical skills to use. He seemed to be able to sense where the most important books were, ones pertinent to the information we needed. He was also really good at translating obscure pieces of information. Some of the language was old and complex, and some of it very riddle-like in its prose — like reading a ton of Shakespeare, but the Tuatha version of the great bard.
So far we had a pile of about twenty books, half a dozen on the Winter Court, two on the Fall Court, and another half dozen pertaining to the Summer Court. Lastly, there were another few that might have a possible mention of the Dark Fae Lord. Everything about him was very obscure: guesswork, myths.
We weren’t giving up, though. There had to be something here that would give us an edge against the fae. We just hadn’t found it yet.
It was after midnight when I received word that Winnie was safely in California, which knocked relief and sorrow into me at the same time. Finn was close by, curled up at my side, resting his head across my thigh. I absentmindedly patted his fur to calm myself.
“This queen business is not easy.” I said, speaking to no one in particular. “Some days I wonder if I’m doing everything wrong. Sending the young away feels like the right decision, but it also doesn’t. How can I protect them when they are thousands of miles from me?”
Baladar lifted his head from where it was buried in a pile of aged parchments. “The rarity of a leader who stops to wonder if they are making the right decision … I’m not sure I ever heard the Red Queen express an iota of doubt. Most leaders believe they are crowned through divine intervention — by genetic right. And therefore they are always correct in their decisions, because what they want is by default always the right decision.”
“A true leader should be confident,” I interrupted. “We have to make split-second decisions. We cannot waver.”
Those wise, kind, and thankfully no longer blind eyes met my own. “There is a difference between confidence and arrogance. Never stop questioning yourself, Arianna. It is the very thing which makes you a worthy queen.”
A soft chuckle escaped me, and Finn’s tongue emerged as he too looked happier. “Thanks for everything you’ve done, Baladar.”
“It has been an honor, Your Majesty.”
My chuckle turned into hard laughter now. “Please, don’t start with protocol now. I much prefer that you call me Ari. All of my friends will refer to me by my name now, even if we are out in public.”
Protocol could kiss my pampered butt. I was done with the ways of old.
Blaine and Monica just shook their heads at me, before going back to their shelves. Probably going to take more than a few reminders to break years of training, Finn reminded me.
I sighed. Yeah, I know, but I have to start somewhere.
Speaking of, it was time for me to move to another pile. Jumping to my feet, I was just heading into the far back corner when Violet popped out of nowhere, scaring the crap out of me.
“Stop doing that!” I practically yelled, one hand on my chest, as if I could slow my heart down by holding it.
“Still got it,” she trilled, buffing her nails on her chest. “I was just going to tell you that I’m almost finished in that corner.”
My eyes trailed across the small space. “So what’s left?”
“The Red Queen’s chambers are still full,” Calista reminded me, crossing the room with a pile of books in her arms. “You’ve found clues in her things before. Maybe she had some of the more important stuff squirreled away.”
I let out a huff, dusting my hands across my pants. “Yep, you’re right. It would be much easier if she’d just appear in the vortex or something. Then I could ask her.”
I still didn’t trust my biological mother; she’d almost always been a shifter out for her own gain. Something I didn’t think had changed. But … I wished she would make contact. It seemed her soul would be trapped in the mecca forever, just as she wanted it, which might be useful if I needed to speak with her again. That is, if I could figure out how to reach her …
“Maybe you need to touch the mecca stone again?” Blaine said from across the room, mirroring my own thoughts. “Force the connection.”
I shook my head, turning to leave the room. “I’ll leave that as a last resort. I don’t want to make it easy for the fae to cross to Earth by opening a portal straight here. I’m also worried that attracting their attention might speed up their attack, and we need all the time we can get.”
Everyone nodded, worry spilling across their faces. I was basically out the door by then, Finn by my side. “See you all soon. I’ll just be in the Red Queen’s room.”
No one followed; Finn and I were pretty lethal on our own, and everyone was busy with their searching. But I knew Monica and Blaine would be along soon. My dominants didn’t leave me unprotected for long, not even in my own home. I crossed through halls and up a few flights of stairs, waving to members of my royal household. They hadn’t seen much of me since my re-coronation, but everyone knew it was a time of war. They expected the queen to be busy.
Most of the Red Queen’s possessions were still in her private wing, I hadn’t had time to move all of them, and thankfully neither had Selene. The moment I crossed over the threshold I sensed the Red Queen’s energy. It was like everything in here was laced with it — or maybe she was actually here, whatever part of her could be here from her prison in the mecca world. It would be great if her spirit could guide me toward something of interest.
“Ari…” The rumble of my name had me spinning from the open doorway and running straight into Kade’s arms. He lifted me with ease; my legs wrapped around him as I pressed myself as close to him as I could get.
“I missed you,” he murmured close to my ear, before his lips pressed gently to the sensitive spot high on my neck.
Tilting my head back to give him slightly better access, I said, in a breathy voice, “I missed you too, and it’s only been a couple of hours.” This bonded mates thing was a serious connection. I was getting better at ignoring the ache his absence caused in my soul, but when we were back together it became so clear how much I’d been struggling without him.
He captured my mouth, a moan slipping out between my lips as he crushed me closer. I lost myself for a minute; everything around me disappeared. Still here, Finn said, sounding amused and a little disturbed.
With a chuckle we pulled apart, and I was set gently on my feet. Kade laced his fingers with mine, and we turned back to the open doorway, and beyond it the pile of boxes. “Violet said you were tackling the Red Queen’s room. I’m glad I got here before you had to do that alone.”
I stilled, tilting my head back to meet his gaze. “You think I’m going to find something bad?”
He shook his head. “Not bad, but maybe … upsetting. More secrets. She was clearly the queen of those as well as the wolves.”
Truth.
Kade gently pulled me in the direction of the queen’s private quarters. “Nix spotted a harpy above Brooklyn,” he said casually. Far too casually for that sort of information. I froze and jerked him to a stop.
“What?”
With a heavy exhalat
ion, some of his casual ease was replaced with worry. “I’m not all that surprised. It makes sense that they would have some spies. Be preparing for their attack. We need to be extra careful is all. Nix took that particular one down, but instinct tells me there will probably be more over the coming weeks.”
My mind was racing. “Do you think the harpy knew about us sending the kids to California?” If there was even the slightest chance Winnie, or any of the little ones, were in danger, I would pull them right back.
Kade shook his head. “I doubt it. Nix has been patrolling the skies for days. She’s still out there right now with Jota and Kian. At this stage, that was the only one.”
Kade’s brother was working with Gerald, both of them leading our armies.
“They’ll send something else next time, won’t they? Something in the water? Or maybe under the ground? They have so many different beings at their disposal. We’re going to have to be extra vigilant.” I tried to keep my voice calm, but it was a near impossible task.
We were sitting ducks, waiting for the fae to decide when to attack. It didn’t feel right to me. Just waiting.
Kade’s warrior bear face was in place, his voice a low growl. “Kian is taking care of it. We both spoke to the patrols and royal guards. They’re aware of these spies, and that an attack could come from any angle.”
A shiver caressed my body, forcing me closer to the heat of my mate. “And with that happy reminder of our impending war, let’s see if we can find something to tip the scales in our direction.”
As we crossed the sitting room and reached the door to the queen’s private bedroom, a heavy tension settled in my neck, which I tried to loosen by tipping my head to either side. A harpy … here in New York City. Not only was that scary, it was also bold and careless. These winter fae cared nothing about humans learning of our world, or the chaos it would cause if our secrets were revealed.
My hand stilled over the ornate golden knob, which I was just turning to open the door to the next room. “Kade, you don’t think they would … hurt the humans as a way to get to us?”
Usually humans were off limits; we did not involve them in supernatural affairs. But the Tuatha played by their own rules.
A low thrum of energy caressed my skin, lifting the fine hairs on my arms. Kade’s power was whipping around as a dark energy descended across him. “If the winter queen exposed our kind to the humans, it would change everything. We would be hunted by the humans as well, and the humans would be caught up in a battle they had no chance of winning. We cannot let that happen.”
Our bond meant he could read my panicked thoughts, but before I could freak out too much, Finn nudged my leg. He had grown tired of waiting for us. Worry not on what has yet to pass. Humans are not on the faes’ radar at this time. They will focus on the threat of the shifters first.
Kade and I both heard him; I was starting to get very good at separating and mingling their presences in my mind. My familiar’s wise words didn’t completely put me at ease, but they definitely helped bring my focus back to the task at hand.
I nodded once, decisively. “Yes, we won’t worry about that today. Let’s get this search done.”
I opened the door, letting it swing silently inwards. As everything came into sight, an unexpected wave of grief washed over me. The queen’s bed was neatly made, covers tucked tight under the mattress. Her favorite pen and writing pad were sprawled carelessly on the nightstand. There weren’t many other personal effects in here, no photos or keepsakes that screamed sentimental.
Who was this woman? Here in her private room, when she didn’t have to be the cold Red Queen … who was she really? The only thing I truly knew about her was that she was my mother. My blood. My throat tightened as a whirlwind of emotions slammed into me. Would my life have been different if she hadn’t smuggled me away, if she hadn’t kept our relationship secret? Would my father have killed her and me all those years ago, changing the course of history forever?
Kade and Finn waited patiently as I processed it all. My life had been a lie. My mother, the one I believed I shared with Winnie, had been a lie. But at least I had some answers now — I understood better why she had been so … distant with me — extra hard on me. I loved her, but some part of me, deep down, knew she had never acted like my real mother.
“You okay?” Kade’s voice was low, husky. He would be feeling every one of my emotions through our bond, all the broken pieces inside of me that I was trying to rearrange into some sort of a whole. I sensed he was even siphoning some of the pain away, taking some of the burden.
I nodded and stepped farther into the room. I was okay. I had to be. There was no other choice. “Let’s start with the bedside tables.”
Kade gave me a look but didn’t say any more. He knew I would talk about it when I was ready. For now, I needed to stay busy. Finn brushed against me in his comforting way, then the three of us got to work.
I took the bedside to the left, Kade walked to the right, and Finn shuffled under the large, heavy-dark-timber, antique, four-post frame of her bed. Sitting on the edge of the bed, I opened the drawer. My first surprise inside was the novel sitting atop a white blanket. It wasn’t the fact that there was a book in there — the Red Queen loved to read — but the bare-chested, muscled man on the front suggested this was a straight-up romance novel, which I did not think would be to the former leader’s taste. Just another one of her little secrets. Thankfully, this one was more amusing than anything else.
I flipped through it to make sure nothing fell out, before setting it aside. Then I gently lifted out the small blanket and my heart pinched. It was a baby blanket. Crocheted white with a yellow trim. Since I was her only child, that meant … this was mine. She had kept it?
Something deep inside of me fissured; an ache settled in close to my chest as I clutched the dusty piece of cloth. Squeezing my eyes closed as tightly as I could, I forced myself to set it aside, knowing that all of my regrets were for nothing. The past could not be changed. I had to let my pain go or it could consume me. Underneath the blanket was a card. It looked like a hand-painted watercolor, on thick, expensive cardboard, an array of flowers on the front. I flipped it open to find a perfect cursive script inside.
Queen Rosalina,
The nights are long and cold without you. Never have I felt such unbridled love and adoration for any woman as I do for you. Your power and beauty are unmatched and I long to spend the rest of my life with you. I wish in another world, in another time, that we could openly be together. Until then, our love will have to remain my most treasured secret.
All my heart,
Prince Luca.
Anger coursed through me as I chucked the letter back in the drawer. The winter prince had played the Red Queen like a fiddle. He never cared for her, or maybe he did once, but it was not enough. He killed her. That bastard had to die.
“Ari, sweetheart, you need to come over here and see this.” Kade’s voice brought me out of my rage, and I looked up to see him standing in front of a large painting of a lake. The piece was clearly ancient; the thick, gilded frame was starting to peel and darken in places.
“What is it?” I stood and crossed to him. Finn was close behind, having finished his inspection under the bed.
Just as I reached Kade’s side, a heavy energy settled over me, pressing down into my center. I swallowed hard, fighting the urge to rub my hands up and down my bare arms. It felt … evil and ugly, crawling like electricity across my skin.
“What is that?” I asked.
Kade’s brows were furrowed. “I don’t know, but it feels dark. Very dark.”
I reached out to touch the painting and his hand caught mine mid-air. “No. Let’s get Violet and Nikoli first.”
Reluctantly I withdrew my hand. He was right, the darkness here was not of any normal magic variety. It would be foolish to take the risk.
Somehow I’d just have to find my patience. Wherever it was buried.
Twenty minutes
later, Violet and Nikoli stood at our sides. My best friend was rubbing her temples as she stared up at the painting.
“You okay, Vi?” I reached out to gently touch her arm, but stopped myself when I realized what I was doing.
She nodded, giving me a wan smile. “It’s making me nauseous is all.”
Nikoli took her hand, gently linking their fingers together. Apparently she had no problem with him touching her, because she didn’t pull away.
Kade’s magic born stepped back a few feet, pulling Violet with him. “I have an idea,” he said to her. “We should invoke the power of three.”
Violet looked much better now that she was away from the energy, and at his suggestion an almost full grin lifted her cheeks. The pair stared at each other for a few extra-long seconds, until finally Kade asked, with some humor in his tone, “What’s the power of three?”
With some effort, Nikoli finally pulled his eyes from my friend and turned to his king. “It’s a spell which requires three magic born. A triangle of power, focused on a single point. Together we should have enough energy to pierce through the darkness, and hopefully learn what is being hidden there. Either the painting is a powerful dark artifact, or it is hiding a powerful dark artifact. Either way, with this level of dark power, I would not want any of us to touch it until we learn a little more about what we’re dealing with.”
Violet grinned. “We need Baladar. The power of three is any three magic born combining their energy, which considering our limited numbers, is actually harder to achieve than one would think.”
“You rang?” Baladar popped his head into the room.
I jumped, cursing. Freaking magic born.
Violet looked more animated than I had seen her in a long time. “We need to do a power of three spell.”
Baladar’s face lit up too. Apparently this spell was a big deal. “Oh, fun. I haven’t done one of those in ages.”