Netherworld

by Amy Miles

  “Start by rolling the clay out a bit, like this.” I took the piece I’d started earlier and began rolling it along the table like a rolling pin.

  Reluctantly, she took the offered stool beside me and followed my lead until her blob looked similar to mine.

  “Good. Now you’re gonna stand it up like this.”

  She tried to get her statue to stand, but it kept falling down. Her frustration was showing, so I got up and stood behind her. My hands rested on top of hers as I helped her hands shape the clay. I heard her intake of breath at our close proximity, but I didn’t move away. I couldn’t. I was intoxicated by her.

  “Now, we’ll start to add some clay around the bottom here to act as the base.” I manipulated her hand like a marionette to break apart a few small hunks of clay and added them to form the base. Her skin was cool against mine, but the energy that was passing between us was undeniable. She swallowed once and I realised I might be pushing my luck, so I peeled myself back off her.

  “It’s looking good,” I lied, going back to my stool.

  She grumbled. “What are we even makin’?”

  “Well, the Virgin Mary, of course.”

  She made a face. “Why?”

  I scratched the back of my head with a smoothing knife then shrugged. “These are for an art display at a museum. I do a lot of these, actually. Hospitals order them for their terminal patients. People seem to feel comforted having her watch over families who are dying.” I thought back to the one we had in Alana’s window. Fat good it did us.

  Taryn pushed away from the stool and walked to the window. “I canna understand why people care so much about death.”

  “No one wants to die.”

  Taryn glanced back at me. “Immortality is worse.”

  I spun out of my stool and walked around the table, wiping my hands on my jeans as I did. “Worse? How so? There would be no death. That’s not such a bad thing, is it?”

  The corners of her teal eyes pinched together in a knowing way. “If no one died, no one could live. Where would ya put everyone or feed them? You humans suck dry all of your resources. People need to die so humanity can go on.”

  “So death is basically crowd control?” I asked, smiling.

  “Exactly.”

  I hopped up onto the table.

  “That’s actually a really interesting perspective. Most people think of death as the enemy, but perhaps it’s actually our savior?”

  Taryn smiled at me and my heart swelled. “Aye. It is.”

  “Hey, can I ask one question?”

  She looked up at me, curious.

  “You have only one question about a parallel universe you didn’t know existed until recently?”

  I laughed. “Good point. How about one question for now?”

  Her nod indicated her consent to ask.

  “Do you know the banshee who took my sister?”

  She stared at me for a moment, the expression on her face unreadable.

  “Why would you want to know that?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess I wanted to know if she was okay.” I looked down at my feet. “If she was scared at all, you know? That sort of thing. I don’t know. I guess that’s a silly thing to think about, huh?”

  “Not at all. It sounds like a brother caring about his sister,” she assured me.

  “I guess it doesn’t really matter,” I said, realising she likely didn’t know every banshee there was. People died all the time. There had to be millions of them, but now wasn’t the time to ask about her life. She was getting antsy. Afraid we’d be seen. I knew our time was short, so I wanted to use it well. “You know, I actually have sculpted a banshee before—well, a version of one anyway.”

  “Really?”

  “Um, yeah. Last year a local museum commissioned me to sculpt one for them to use as a tourist trap. Legends run pretty wild there about them.”

  Taryn’s head cocked to the side, seemingly intrigued.

  “Here, let me show you.” I walked over to where Taryn was and reached just over her head to a small shelf that held my portfolio. My lips were dangerously close to hers as I reached behind her to get the book. She could have moved out of my way, but she held firmly, watching my movements carefully with her eyes. The sound of her quickening breath mirrored my own, and for the briefest of seconds I wondered what she would do if I leaned in to kiss her. Probably clock me over the head for being a presumptuous arsehole. Clenching my teeth together, I willed myself to grab the book and take a step away from her.

  After a moment of awkward silence, I opened up the binder.

  The first picture was of my sculpture of Venus. Mythical creatures had always fascinated me. Seamus thought I sculpted that one just because she was naked. I couldn’t begin to tell you the number of gropes that poor thing got from Seamus before it was finally sold.

  Taryn took the book from me and walked back to the table, her eyes glued to the pages. Slowly she made her way through my versions of Ankou, Esus and Dis Pater, the God of the Underworld himself. Most people fawned over this one, but Taryn skimmed right over it. She turned the next page and actually gasped.

  “That’s her. My beautiful banshee.” I looked up at Taryn and found her eyes locked onto mine instead of the book. For what felt like forever, we just stared at each other, until she eventually lowered her gaze to look down at the photograph of the sculpture again.

  “Huh,” I said, looking over her shoulder. “She kind of looks like you.”

  While not an exact replica of Taryn, she and the sculpture did bear a striking resemblance. They both were strong and lean with long, flowing hair.

  “The lips are a damn near match,” I said, looking up at her full ones to compare.

  Her eyes narrowed a bit.

  “Aye. And the human looks like you.”

  I looked back at the man. I hadn’t imaged him after myself. I chose what I thought to be a generic male figure. The fact that Taryn had considered me buff like the sculpture was flattering.

  “So, what is she doing to him?” Taryn asked, lowering her face to the photograph.

  “Um...she’s about to suck out his soul.” The fact that I had to explain it clearly indicated I hadn’t done a very good job depicting her work in the sculpture. I tried not to let my wounded pride show.

  “This doesn’t look like a kiss of death, though.” She looked up at me, confused. “It looks more like a kiss of passion.”

  I laughed out loud at her bluntness. “That’s what the curator thought too at first, but I told him this piece showed just how deadly a banshee’s kiss could be. How hypnotic and alluring. So tempting and deceptive. She was so cunning and beautiful that you wouldn’t even know you were giving your last breath to her. Or worse, you wouldn’t care even if ya did.”

  Her mouth opened in the most delicious way. I had caught her at a loss for words and it thrilled me more than it probably should have.

  She closed the book with a loud snap.

  “Banshees don’t perform the kiss. Lorcan do.” Her warrior nature was back. “You humans got it wrong. Again. We’re not the bad guys, ya know?”

  We were still standing close together. I could see her chest rising and falling, as though she were ready to defend her kind to me.

  “I do know. Your job is to help them to Heaven. It must be an easy job for ya.”

  A look of indignation spread across her face.

  “Easy, is it?”

  I shrugged. “I mean, who wouldn’t want to follow you to the ends of the earth?”

  She smirked. “Very smooth.”

  I laughed as she moved back over to the window.

  As she gazed outside her playful smile from a moment earlier retreated. Her eyes grew distant as she gazed out at the horizon. It was clear from the way she held herself there was something weighing on her mind.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked.

  Her shoulders squared.

  “Taryn, what aren’t you telling me?”
>
  “What makes you think I’m holding something back?” she said, sounding defensive.

  “From the moment I first met you, I could see you carried the weight of the world on your shoulders. I had assumed it was something bad at home with your ma or da, but I can tell it’s something far worse. Worse than you not being from here…”

  I walked over and reached out a hand to place on her shoulder. She dodged the touch before I could make contact and walked towards the door.

  “I’m not keen on the way you read me so well. Not many can.” She looked up at me with a curious look on her face. “You’re sure you’re a human?”

  “Born and bred, I’m afraid.”

  “Well, we canna all be perfect.” The tone in her voice was meant to distract me from digging any deeper, but I wasn’t going to let this slide. Not when I knew the truth about who she was. There were real dangers that lurked in her world and if she was in harm’s way, I needed to know.

  “You’re dodging my question.”

  She let out a quick breath before replying. “It’s nothing for ya to worry about.”

  “Does it concern you?”

  “Aye.”

  I nodded once and took a step closer to her. “Then it concerns me, too.”

  Her eyes widened at the possessiveness in my tone, so I tried to get that in check.

  “You’re my only link to Seamus, after all. If something happens to you…”

  That did it. She relaxed again. “If something should ever happen to me, Tris will see he makes it back.”

  “Why would anything happen to you, Taryn?”

  She shifted her gaze away. “The threat to my people continues to grow. I canna keep fighting them on my own forever. I need to form a strong alliance.”

  While I agreed that I didn’t want her fighting those things at all, there was something about how she phrased that last sentence that put me on edge. “And just who do you need to get into bed with then?”

  Her head whipped up at my poor choice of words.

  “In the non-sexual way, that is.”

  A small frown graced her lush pink lips. “The king wants me dead, but the prince knows of the threat the Lorcan pose, so I went to him for aid.”

  “I see,” I said, hearing the jealousy that had no right to be there seep in again.

  “He’s the only one with the pull to make changes. His men are loyal to him. They will fight if he commands it. They will defy their king for Aed. He of all people would be sympathetic to my cause.”

  I took another step towards her. “And was he?”

  “He was. He’s not too keen on his da either. Turns out we have that in common.”

  “Sounds like a win, win,” I said, hesitating. “What’s the catch?”

  She took a deliberate step away from me.

  “He kissed me.”

  “What?” It was irrational for me to be so upset by this idea. I held zero claim over her, and yet the idea of another man’s lips on her sent me into a rage.

  “It was nothing really. A quick kiss and then it was over.”

  I ground my teeth together before I asked a question I wasn’t sure I wanted the answer to.

  “Did you like it?”

  Her expression hardened.

  “It lasted all of two seconds. There wasn’t really time to enjoy anything.”

  I closed the distance between us. “Do you want to kiss him again?”

  “I—” she cut herself off. Her face clouded with confusion, which made we believe there might still be reason to hope. My chances were slim, especially against a prince, but I couldn’t help wonder if there could be something between us if only she gave us a shot.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  TARYN

  I DIDN’T WANT THINGS to get personal with Devlin. Hell, I was barely keeping my own life together right now, but the way he looked at me when I mentioned Aed’s kiss told me everything I needed to know. He wanted more.

  Hadn’t I just got done explaining why that wasn’t possible? Humans and banshees were forbidden! We’d be tried and hung for sure!

  Not to mention he’d already been attacked by one Lorcan and nearly died. My world was not a place he wanted to be any part of.

  And yet, Devlin stood there, staring at me. I knew he expected an answer, but I didn’t have one to give him. This was all so confusing. I hadn’t planned on any of this happening.

  Just then, the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end at the shuffle of a footstep. My muscles locked down as I realised we were no longer alone. My hand flew to my blade. Someone had followed me. From the corner of my eye, I saw a familiar figure lurking in the darkness and released my hold on the blade.

  Damn him! Aed had followed me. Right to Devlin. That cocky bastard had no right to do that.

  “Taryn?” Devlin waved his hand in front of my face. “What’s wrong?” Clearly he hadn’t heard Aed’s approach.

  “I’m perfect.” I smiled. If Aed wanted to spy on me, I’d give him something to watch. It was only fair that I get the chance to compare the two men. He stole a kiss from me, so I was going to steal one of my own.

  I sauntered towards Devlin. “Maybe you are right. I should be thinkin’ of what I want in life. To hell with duty. Maybe it’s time I do somethin’ for me.”

  Devlin’s eyes widened when I placed my hands on his shoulders and pulled him close. I breathed him in, noting how different he was from Aed. He was tall and strong but smelt of the earth and fire instead of leather and death. The muscles beneath my touch flinched as I rose onto my toes.

  “Taryn...are you sure?”

  “This is what I want,” I whispered and crushed my lips against his with an urgency I didn’t know I possessed. My fingers moved of their own accord into the deep mane of his red hair. They clasped against the roots, pulling his face closer to mine.

  He tasted of mint and when his lips parted my tongue found easy access inside. His arms circled around me. I pressed my body tight against him. I needed to be closer to him. His warmth radiated out to me as I allowed myself to sink into his kiss.

  Holy hell, I struggled to catch my breath and plunged right back in, clinging to him as he pressed me back against his workbench. His fingers dug into my hips, bringing our bodies closer.

  My heart thrummed like mad in my ears as my senses lit up. Every touch from him felt magnetized. This felt too good to be forbidden. Were all kisses like this? Would it have been like this with Aed if I’d given him the chance? As soon as my thoughts turned to Aed, he made his presence known.

  “Get the hell off her,” his voice growled.

  I felt myself being spun around and afterwards heard a loud crash behind me. Devlin cried out, but by the time I turned to see Aed stalking after him, Devlin was laid out on the floor.

  “Aed, don’t!”

  He ignored my cry as he moved closer.

  Shaking his head, Devlin looked up at the prince. “So you’re the bloke who stole a kiss from Taryn?”

  Aed settled into a fighting stance that I knew all too well. “That’s none of your concern. And I’ll thank you to keep your hands off her.”

  Without warning, Devlin leapt to his feet. Before Aed could react, he drove his shoulder into the prince’s stomach and together they barreled out through the door of his studio, nearly ripping the door off the hinges in the process.

  I hurried after, knowing this would turn into a bloodbath if I didn’t put an end to it. Devlin may be strong, but he was going to be no match for Aed.

  “Aed, stop this!” I shouted, stepping into the night.

  I blinked several times to try to adjust to the change in light. I caught sight of him slowly circling Devlin, looking for a weakness.

  “You are not his to touch,” Aed growled at me from the darkness.

  “And I am not yours, either,” I spat.

  Aed flinched and looked up to meet my gaze, but Devlin got to his feet to attack again. This time Aed spun and knocked Devlin off his feet. Devlin
slid on the grass but pushed back to standing. His bright white shirt was now streaked with dark stains from both the ground and the blood leaking down from his forehead.

  “This is mental.” I tried to approach, but Devlin put himself between me and Aed.

  When I heard the sound of him unsheathing his blade, I froze. “Aed, you canna be serious. You’ll kill him!”

  “Aye.” The glint in Aed’s eyes terrified me as he stepped into the dim light coming from Devlin’s shop. It was exactly how a warrior looked at their enemy.

  Grabbing onto Devlin’s arm, I yanked him back. He shouted in surprise, but I didn’t look at him as he stumbled back. Instead, I faced off with Aed. “You canna fight him with weapons. He’s unarmed.”

  “Stay out of this, Taryn.” Aed looked beyond me at where Devlin stood.

  Devlin pushed against my back as I fought to hold him off. “Keep her out of this.

  Aed grinned and raised his dagger. It gleamed bright white in the shop light. I looked back at Aed, desperate to find a way to stop this. This was about far more than a single kiss. I knew it likely bothered Aed that Devlin tried to claim me, but his anger went deeper. Seeing me kiss Devlin must have triggered the pain of losing his brother Alroy. He too had fallen for a human and paid that price with his life. I could see the pain of it in his eyes, buried beneath his rage. If I didn’t find a way to stop this, Aed would kill Devlin.

  “Devlin, let this go.”

  He stopped pushing against me. “You think I’ll lose then?”

  I sighed. “I know you will. You are a strong fighter, that much I can see, but Aed has spent his entire life training for battle. He fights Lorcan for a living. And he’s angry, Devlin. You have no idea what’s driving him.”

  “Let him fight,” Aed called as he paced back and forth. “He has his own demons to exorcise. I can smell the rage on him.” The prince was itching for this fight. I knew that feeling all too well, but I couldn’t let him take it out on Devlin. That battle should be reserved for his da.

  “Please, don’t do this—” I pleaded with Devlin, but it was too late.

  He pushed my arms aside and dove for Aed. I saw the flash of white from Aed’s dagger and screamed a warning. Devlin shifted just in time to miss the full force of the jab, but the blade sliced his arm enough to slow him.