Dwellers of Darkness (Darkness Series #3)

by Brown, Stacey Marie

  “You also believe the prophecy is about me?”

  With a despondent nod of her head, she signed. “I had hoped it wasn’t you. Part of me thought if I took you out of our old world, it would go away.”

  “But it’s such a vague oracle. How do you know it’s me they are talking about?” Even as I said it, the truth scuttled in my bones.

  Mom’s head turned to me, her orange-brown eyes burrowed into mine. “Because it is.”

  The railing caught me as I leaned back into it. I also felt it was me. I kept hoping someone would tell me otherwise.

  “Can I ask you something?” Her face looked so unhappy. “I was wondering if you had checked on Mark. Do you know how he is doing?”

  I looked down at my shoes. It had been a while. After what happened in Monterey, I found it difficult. The disaster pushed the raven incident to the far corners of my mind. Now I was questioning if it even happened. “I need to again.” Instantly my eyes welled up. “God, I miss him.”

  “So do I.”

  My gaze lifted to hers. “I understand why you couldn’t dreamwalk while in the dungeon, but why haven’t you since? You could see him yourself.”

  Her teeth tugged on her bottom lip, grief washed over her expression. “I am the one to blame for what happened to him. I was too selfish to live without him and dragged him into this. If I really loved him, I should have walked away.”

  “You haven’t dreamwalked or dreamscaped with me before, have you?”

  She stared at me for a bit before shaking her head, “No. Why do you ask?”

  I pulled the bit of fabric out of my pocket. Lily’s eyes widened as she leaned forward seeing what was in my hand. “I only found this recently. Long after I got my tattoo.”

  “Your baby blanket,” she muttered to herself, rubbing the material between her fingers.

  “Torin told me I acquired my ability to dreamwalk from my mother.”

  “You did,” she concurred.

  “Then why didn’t you ever try to dreamwalk or dreamscape with me? To let me know you were okay?”

  “I couldn’t.”

  I rubbed my head. “A couple nights after I thought you died, and again just the other night, I had a dream. A woman appeared to me. I never saw her face, but I knew it was you. I could feel so much love coming from her. She dropped a necklace in my hand, telling me it was who I was, and it would protect me. It became the symbol I had tattooed on my back, the same one I found on the blanket. If this was merely a dream, how would I know about this symbol?”

  Mom’s eyes glistened with tears. “You are incredibly powerful and so is your bloodline. I was a fool for trying to keep you from discovering who you really were. I should have known no matter what it would find you.”

  We both stayed silent before she stood and walked to me. Her arms wrapped around me, squeezing me tight. I loved her hugs; they had always made me feel safe, protected, and so completely loved. “Do you know how much I love you? You are my world. There is nothing more powerful than a mother’s love. Whatever happened in the past or whatever the future holds, will you remember this for me? There isn’t anything in this world or the other I wouldn’t do or give up for you.”

  I nodded.

  “I love you, my girl. So much.” She touched my cheek and the swung around, taking off down the steps and into the dusky forest.

  That night, Eli slept soundly beside me. With the revelations so raw for the both of us, we did nothing more than sleep next to each other. His hand was always in contact with me, making sure I was there and safe. Being back in Eli’s arms soothed me. It gave me the strength of heart to dreamwalk again. Guilt and fear had kept me away from my loved ones for too long. I needed to know they were all right.

  I relaxed into the pillow, my eyes closing. In this dreamwalk I wanted to head for Mark and Ryan first.

  Surprise rushed through me when I saw Ryan sitting up in bed. Castien sat by his side; Mark stood looking out the barred window.

  Impulse took me to Ryan’s bedside. Damn. It is so good to see Ryan conscious again.

  The glow around him had become even more vibrant. His cheeks were flushed pink, and his skin was back to his normal color.

  “What you are saying is Ryan is stuck here?” Mark asked. His tone hinted anger, a quality I had heard quite a bit growing up.

  “Fae food saved his life. He was dying,” Castien shot back.

  “Yes, but now he can never leave here. Never go home.” Mark turned facing the two boys.

  “I can never see my family again? Never even step foot on Earth again?” Ryan’s color drained to pale again.

  “You could, but being on Earth would eventually kill you. You can never eat human food again. Your body has changed. It’s not exactly human, but it’s not Fae either. Humans adapt differently than we do. We can go to both realms with no problems. We once lived there so our bodies can embrace either. Humans cannot travel between worlds. Now that you have a bit of Fae magic in you, your body will reject Earth. Trust me on this. The theory has been tested thoroughly over the years. All humans have died.” Castien leaned to grab Ryan’s hand. “I do not want the same fate for you.”

  I could see Ryan’s head bob nervously as he looked at Castien’s hand on his. I recalled Ryan saying he had experienced “silent” crushes on boys at school. Only one returned his feelings—behind closed doors. But in front of everyone, the boy made it clear they weren’t even friends. He made fun of Ryan, calling him a fag.

  The boy had promptly flown across the room and hit the gym wall. Everyone claimed they saw me push him, when in actuality I didn’t even touch him. Not with my hands anyway. Now I know my mind powers had done all the work for me.

  Fae were not raised to think this way. Gender was not an issue. They liked who they liked and had no qualms about it.

  “I’ve always wanted to be Tinker Bell. Can I get a wand at least?” Ryan teased, but the trembling underneath his words showed his true fear.

  Castien squeezed his hand. “There are two times when Earth and the Otherworld come together... our realms collide. Those times you can visit Earth. Otherwise, you will have to live here... permanently.”

  “Here?” Ryan sat up straighter. “I will have to be prisoner the rest of my life?”

  Castien’s dark hair fluttered back and forth as he shook his head. “No. I will get you out of here. I have a place where you will be safe. It is in the Dark Fae side, and it is not much, but it is secure.”

  Ryan gulped. “You will live there, too?”

  “Yes.”

  Full understanding of what Castien was offering sunk in and showed on Ryan’s features: bewilderment, fear, and happiness. He cleared his throat. “You said there were two times I could visit Earth?”

  “They are Samhain, which humans call Halloween, and Beltaine, which is in May. Those are the only times you can safely visit. If you go any other time, your body will react to the difference and start to fail. But you cannot eat human food even when our realms come together.”

  Ryan brows crunched together as he processed Castien’s words. “So I would live in the Otherworld permanently, with you?”

  Castien nodded, a shy, nervous smile tugged at his lips.

  Mark broke the budding feelings which were filling the space between Castien and Ryan. “Castien, I can’t tell you how thankful I am for what you’ve done for Ryan... for me. It is weird to say that when I am a prisoner. But this is reality not some sweet fairytale where everyone lives happily ever after.”

  “I understand your concern,” Castien said.

  “Ryan, you are like my son. I love you, and I want you to fully understand everything that is happening. I realize you don’t really have a choice, but all this won’t be as easy as you think.”

  Ryan pulled free of Castien’s hand and stood up. Since the Fae food had completely dissolved into his body, he had grown stronger. Even though he had lost some weight, he still was the same round-faced teddy bear I loved. But now ther
e was a power, a confidence, in him that was different. He didn’t say a word as he crossed to Mark, wrapping his arms around Mark’s tall, lean frame. Mark hugged him back. Ryan’s father had never accepted Ryan. He had ignored who Ryan truly was, always hoping his son was just going through a phase. Over the years, Mark had grown into more of a father figure than Ryan’s real dad.

  “I will be okay.” Ryan gave Mark another squeeze.

  “I know you will, but it doesn’t mean I won’t worry about you.” It was small gesture, and I wondered if Ryan had even felt it, but I saw Mark lightly kiss the top of Ryan’s head. Tears spilled down my cheeks, which I knew were flowing from my real body back on Earth.

  Ryan and Mark pulled away, both clearing their throats. “So what do you think Ember would say about me being a Fairy?”

  “Oh, probably something sarcastic.” Mark laughed.

  “I always knew you had it in you,” I replied to myself, wanting to be part of their conversation. The happiness I felt being with them, laughing and joking, filled my chest.

  “Yeah, probably something like, ‘I always knew you had it in you.’” Ryan chuckled.

  Damn, that boy knew me too well.

  It was time, but leaving them was so hard to do. I wanted to be there with them, hugging and touching them. I felt better knowing Ryan was aware of his condition. I think when reality really set in, it wouldn’t be so simple. But if Castien were by his side, it might take the sting out a little.

  Next, I needed to dreamwalk to see how West was doing so my concentration turned to him. He was difficult to visit. The fact I couldn’t do anything but watch him in pain, not able to help, went against my nature.

  The raven also worried me.

  When I opened my lids, the dark, dank row of cells lined the walls. West leaned against the bars, his eyes shut. He appeared even more gaunt and sickly than he did last time. His eyes were sunken, and he had lost more weight. My legs bowed taking me to the stone floor next to him. I reached out and touched his face. He shivered, and his lips flittered open, then closed again.

  There were no words I could express. He was deteriorating rapidly. Death was striding up the walk way. “Please don’t lose hope. Be the normal, pain-in-the-ass, stubborn Dark Dweller I know you are,” I whispered.

  “Death comes.” A voice spoke out of the darkness. I reeled and saw the dwarf sound asleep in the corner chair; the raven stood on his shoulder. “Death will come.”

  “No.” I said at the same time West mumbled, “Can you tell him to hurry? I am really bored here.”

  “I know you can see me, raven.” I stood.

  “Fire. I can see,” the raven replied.

  “You know who I am?”

  “Yes. I know.” Its wings fluttered. “Helped fire escape.”

  It took me a minute before the words registered. “Wait. Do you mean you helped get my mom and me out of here?” My thoughts went back to my recent jail break.

  “Only baby escape.”

  My forehead lined with confusion. “Baby?”

  “Shut up, bird. Your voice is grating my nerves.” West huffed, his eyes still closed.

  “Not speaking to you,” the raven replied.

  “My wish has been granted then.” West mistook the bird’s meaning. He repositioned his head, the chains rattling.

  “What do you mean by baby?” I asked the raven.

  “Help my baby, Grimmel,” the bird sounded like a recording of a voice.

  “Okay, let’s start slow.” Frustration begun to strain my patience. “Grimmel is your name?”

  “Grimmel I am.” It hopped down on the dwarf’s knee. The dwarf stirred, but his snores only deepened.

  Okay, it was a start. “Grimmel, who is this baby you speak of?”

  “You.” Grimmel cocked its head at me. Then it hit me. It wasn’t the recent escape from jail it was talking about. The raven was referring to when I was a baby, and my mom and I fled Aneira. Were we held in the dungeon here before Brycin helped us get through the door to Arizona? Was he a part of that?

  “I thought you were not going to talk,” West grumbled.

  “Not to you.”

  Ignoring West, I pressed on. “Did you help my mom and me get away from Aneira?”

  “Help only baby.” The bird fluttered his wings again. “Baby must live. She asked. I do. Help get baby out. Slinking like fox.”

  Holy crap! It had been there and had helped get us away from the Queen. The raven was not the easiest to talk with, but there were so many questions I wanted to ask. My mouth opened, but Grimmel flew off the dwarf’s lap, landing next to me on the bars of the cage.

  “Helped her. Baby should not have lived. Baby destroys.” Its black eyes dug into me.

  I stepped back from the intensity of its gaze and words. “I don’t want to destroy.”

  “Follow in footsteps.”

  “Whose? My mother’s?”

  “Yes.” The raven nodded its head. “Go. Others find you. She seeks to kill.”

  “But...” I looked down at West. He appeared like he no longer had the energy to lift his head.

  “Cannot help. He is lost.”

  “No. Don’t say that. He will not die. Especially not here.” Fear, sadness, and frustration strangled my throat.

  “Hurry, Dae. Dark knight falls.”

  I felt a shove and a spinning before my lids popped open. I was back on Earth.

  I stayed awake for the rest of the night. Eventually, the morning light pushed through the gaps in the blinds. Eli rolled onto his side, facing me. “What were you dreaming about last night? You kept whimpering and crying in your sleep.”

  Blowing out a breath, I hesitated to tell him. But we decided to be fully honest with each other. “I saw West.” I bit my lip, waiting for the outrage I knew would follow. “In my dreamwalk.”

  “West? What? How long have you been visiting him?” Eli sat up. “Why didn’t you tell me? How is he?”

  “Not good.” I knotted my hands. “The neck device is killing him. When he swallows, the rods dig deeper into his muscles. He’s lost a lot of weight...” I trailed off.

  Eli’s eyes flashed red, then went back to green.

  “He’s still being his West-self, though,” I snickered. Even when West couldn’t lift his head, he still could come out with some derisive comments. “You sure you two aren’t brothers?”

  Eli expression was deadly. “He is my brother.” I knew what he meant. He was Eli’s family, blood or not.

  “He doesn’t have much time. We need to get him out.”

  Eli bolted out of bed. “Don’t you think I know that?” He began to pace the room. Rage came quickly to the surface with him. “I hate I’m sitting on my ass while one of my brothers is being tortured to death. Don’t think for a moment his suffering isn’t going through my mind every minute.” He took a breath. “Tell me everything.”

  I filled Eli in on my last two dreamwalks.

  “So this raven claims to have helped you escape? You trust him?” Eli leaned against his dresser. He was still extremely tense and riled. I knew he’d want to know about West, but there was nothing he could do for him right now. Eli didn’t handle helplessness well.

  “Yeah, I do. I know he won’t go to Aneira. He doesn’t seem to like her.”

  “Get in line.” Eli shook his head. There was a beat before he screamed. “Dammit!” His fist slammed into the dresser, and a string of Gaelic swear words erupted. He banged the dresser into the wall again, leaving a huge dent. Eli leaned down, breathing heavily.

  I gave him a moment before patting the bed. “Come here.”

  “No.” His chest muscles flexed. His hands clawed the dresser, and his nails gouged deep into the wood grain.

  “Eli.” I knew what would calm him. With a Dark Dweller, it was either this or kill something. He grunted. He would be turning soon.

  I got off the bed and went behind him. My fingers hooked the waistband of his boxers and slowly slid them down. My heart
picked up pace as I felt the monster in him so close to the surface. I wasn’t afraid. I shifted his body to face me and lowered myself to the floor. We watched each other. I broke eye contact when I leaned in kissing his inner thigh. He sucked in a sharp breath when I moved up, my tongue running along him. A deep guttural moan came out when my warm mouth took him in, moving slowly. A rumble emitted from him, and his breath became quicker.

  He groaned, grabbing onto the dresser as I picked up the intensity. His hand came to the back of my head, holding it tight, moving with me. “I want to burrow myself so deep in you. I want you screaming in mercy.” He grabbed me, pulling me up and pressed me back into the dresser. His body was hard against mine.

  “Then my job is done.”

  “This was your strategy to try to keep me in man form?” His voice was thick.

  “You’re not a man, remember?”

  “That’s right.” His eyes flashed, and his knee went between mine, urging my legs apart. “I’m not.”

  It wasn’t until afternoon when he “calmed” enough to venture past the threshold of his bedroom. The house was still, absent of Dark Dwellers and ex-Fae Knights.

  “They’re probably out with Kennedy,” I replied as I stuffed some raw venison pieces into my mouth. If it didn’t taste so good, I would have been completely grossed out. I was starving, and my Dark Dweller side was calling the shots.

  “Wow, not even bothering to take the tray out of the refrigerator?” Eli grinned, watching me.

  I stood with the fridge door open and shrugged. “Too much effort.”

  He laughed and sauntered to me. “You know, watching you tear into flesh is a turn on for me.”

  “Not surprising. You’re twisted.”

  “And you like it.” He stood over me.

  “I think that makes me even sicker in the head than you.”

  “Yup.” He leaned in, closing the gap between us. His lips drew close to my neck, grazing the skin all the way down to the curve of my shoulder. My breath wedged in my throat. He continued along my arm and then abruptly grabbed a skewer from the plate. “I want one, too.” He stood up, wiggling his stick at me.