Foolish to think he wouldn’t have a weakness. Everyone had one, sometimes more. Now he needed to figure out what his was. Knowing could prove invaluable in battle. And with his parents being who they were, he was sure to have a few enemies.
He came across the page where the sword was depicted and read everything he could. The weapon could be drawn as if from a sheath. The elements would meld together to form a more vicious attack. It seemed Kellan needed training with the broadsword. He’d learned a little while under his mother’s roof, but he had never mastered the weapon.
Finally, his phone rang, and he picked it up to look at the screen. Isa. His cousin. “Hey, what’s going on?”
She took a slow breath and asked, “You went home with Zoe the other night, right?”
He paused. “Yeah. Do you know her?”
“Not well. That’s not the point, though.”
“What is?”
“This is going to sound strange.” She pulled in a breath and let it out. “I had this dream last night. About you two. Is there anything strange going on?”
“Um…” he muttered.
“Like?” she prompted.
He rubbed his ribs where the runes were. “I woke up with tattoos, or enchantments that look like tattoos.”
“Tattoos and mating? What the hell?”
He pinched the bridge of his nose. “How do you—never mind that. It’s protection…and stuff. Just took me by surprise.”
“Hmm. Okay. So, you and Zoe are good?”
“Yeah.”
“And you mated?”
“Uh-huh.”
“And neither of you are ill?”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean? Is it because she’s a harpy?” he barked.
Isa huffed. “Look, it’s not what you think. I couldn’t care less what she is. I had this dream, which was more like reality, and you were sick. Extremely sick. Which doesn’t typically happen to fae.”
“What?” He rubbed his face, baffled at what Isa was hinting at.
She sighed heavily and demanded, “Are either of you sick?”
“No. We’re healthy.” Kellan shook his head. “You know about the stigma against harpies?”
“Vaguely, though I didn’t dig deep enough to figure out why. Seemed like a bunch of bullshit.”
Kellan shook his head. “So, why are you calling then?”
“Want to make sure you’re okay. And maybe see if you want to bring Zoe out to Shenanigans tonight. I want you both to feel like part of the group.”
“Tell me it’s not pity spurring this on.”
“Not pity. You went above and beyond the other night. I already told you, you’re family. So we want you both to feel like part of the group. Please say you’ll come.”
“Sure, if she’s done with her article.”
“Tell her Jackie will be here. They’re friends.”
He grinned, pushing Isa’s weird ass dream out of his mind. “Thank you, Isa. Really.”
“See you tonight.” She hung up.
Kellan rolled to his back and pulled up Zoe’s number.
“Hey, baby,” she purred. “Miss me?”
“I do. Hoping you’ll want to go to Shenanigans. Isa invited us. Said to tell you Jackie would be there.”
“Sounds like fun. Is the bar already cleaned up?”
“I’m assuming that’s why she invited us. Though I like the idea of going back to the place we met. Besides, I wasn’t done dancing with you when we were interrupted.”
“Mmm, I do love the way you move.”
He chuckled. “Is that a yes?”
“Give me twenty minutes and you can pick me up.”
“I can hardly wait.”
* * * *
Brent watched Isa closely. In recent months, since she’d learned about their world, they’d become friends instead of acquaintances. “Zoe and Kellan are coming?” he asked.
Isa nodded, wondering why he was so eager for the couple to make an appearance. “What’s going on, Brent? I was going to invite them anyway, but whatever you’re worried about seems urgent.”
His brow arched. “I heard what you said about your dream. If that’s true, we have cause to worry.”
She nodded, wishing she could go back to having no visions.
Toryn leaned against the counter beside her. “I did too. I’m trying to find the damned answers.”
Isa turned to Toryn with wide eyes. “What are you talking about?”
Toryn winced slightly. “The curse. It’s real. There has to be a way to break it, but it’s thousands of years old.”
“What curse?” Isa asked.
Brent answered, “Zoe is a harpy. She mated Kellan.”
“Oh fuck,” Toryn muttered.
“What?” Isa exclaimed. “What does that mean? Do you have something against her type?”
“No, but there’s an ancient curse. If we don’t find a solution, one of them dies.” Toryn rubbed her arm. “I don’t know how it started and that makes it harder to break.”
Brent said, “I’m looking into it. I do know the curse can kick in any time after they’re together. Sometimes it’s years before the mate gets sick. There has to be a trigger.”
“Anything common with the couples?” Isa asked.
Brent shook his head. “Not that I’ve found yet, but I’ll keep looking. There’s plenty of documentation, I just have to find the link.”
“What can we expect?”
“Sooner or later Kellan will get sick. If Zoe stays, he dies. If she leaves, she gets sick when he gets better, and she dies,” Toryn explained.
“Then we find a way to end the curse,” Isa insisted.
Brent held her gaze. “We need to figure out how it started first. May help us find a solution.”
“Maybe my parents would know,” Isa offered.
Brent rubbed his face. “I don’t know. The curse is older than either of them. Won’t hurt to ask, though.”
“Harpies are air fae, right? Aeryana should have some clue what happened in her kingdom before she became queen, right?”
Brent’s head tipped slightly, light dancing through his eyes. “Didn’t you just meet Kellan?”
“Yes. But he’s family,” Isa answered.
Toryn smiled. “Once she claims someone, she stands by them.”
Isa shrugged. “Calling someone family is new. But he came through for Jayde and Scotty. I’ll come through for Kellan.”
“Good. They may need all the help we can give them,” Brent answered.
Isa rubbed one arm and looked from Toryn to Brent. “Is this curse why harpies are hated by most?”
Toryn nodded. “Yeah. When they mate, someone dies. Usually the mate. When kings die in Faery, it makes waves. Several kings have died from the harpy curse. For a time, all harpies were hunted.”
One thing didn’t make sense. In the dream, Zoe was leaving to save Kellan. But she didn’t seem to be the type who would knowingly endanger someone.
Looking Brent dead in the eye, she asked, “Did Zoe know about the curse?”
“Not enough. I’ve been looking through anything I can find about harpies and the curse, but all I can figure is it has something to do with mating.”
Isa winced. “I have a feeling the curse is coming sooner than later.”
Brent nodded slowly. “We should wait to tell Kellan about the curse until we have some answers. No sense in worrying him.”
“If I haven’t fucked that up already with my questions,” Isa muttered.
Toryn pulled her against his side. “Don’t worry, Princess. We’ll find a way to break the curse. If you can free Scotty from a false bond, then I’m sure we can find a way to break a curse.”
“I hope so. I don’t want to lose my cousin after finding him.”
He grinned. “I’m going to call Preston. See if he can bring Dacia out tonight. Maybe it will help Kellan feel more welcome, and a part of things.”
“Zoe too,” Isa stated. “She was
fucking amazing at the party.” The woman ripped apart her foes and kept on going. Just amazing, and those wings were stunning.
Chapter 7
Zoe stood at the window, trying to pull memories from her awakening. Nothing, nada, zip, zilch. She needed answers that weren’t in books or stories.
Brent didn’t offer her anything but gave his number to Kellan, a man he hadn’t previously met. She didn’t understand. The cryptic bastard hinted at a possible problem but didn’t elaborate. And now he wasn’t answering his damned phone.
Eldred had torn down her confidence and made her fear her nature. He convinced her the curse was being a harpy, a monster that terrified everyone. The first time she tried to fight for her independence, he told her that harpies could never find real happiness. They were meant to be punished, but he loved her anyway. Zoe didn’t find the strength to tear herself away from his lies for decades.
If Brent hadn’t found her, she may have fallen back into Eldred’s arms. Weak. Always so weak. Was falling into Kellan’s life as his mate any different? Or was she claiming her destiny? She could no longer tell.
Arms wrapped around her and his chin settled on her shoulder. She relaxed into Kellan’s embrace. “Didn’t hear you come in,” she whispered.
“Why are you so tense, gorgeous?”
“Thinking too much.”
“About me?” he purred against her ear.
She turned in his arms and took his mouth in a kiss. He leaned back with the sexy smile that warmed through her and looked into his eyes. “Why me?” she murmured.
“Fate.” He kissed her nose. “You ready for a night out with me?”
She dipped her head slowly. She wasn’t sure why, but she was nervous.
They walked the few short blocks to Isa’s bar. Zoe couldn’t shake the feeling someone was watching. Who? Why?
Kellan turned toward her. “Would it help if we went somewhere else where no one knew us? Are you nervous about what they’ll think?”
Zoe twisted the ends of her hair. “Aren’t you?”
His brow wrinkled as he studied her. After a silent moment, he shook his head. “Why?”
She winced. “What I am.”
“That again?” He balked. “What do I have to do to prove to you I don’t care what you are? It’s who you are I’m falling for. Give me a chance, Zoe. Mating doesn’t happen to those who aren’t meant to be together. Unless you’re my mother and forcing a bond that should have never existed.”
The dream came back to her. Was it a nightmare, or could Nemia exist? She really needed to talk to Brent alone. She didn’t want to worry Kellan if it was all in her head. And if Nemia’s story was the truth…she needed answers first.
Kellan opened the door to the bar. His face lit up as he met her gaze. “We’ll have a great night. If not, I’ll take you somewhere else.” His confidence chased away some of her unease.
She grinned up at him as she walked past him while he still held the door.
He caught up and took her hand. They made their way to the table where Isa, Toryn, Brent, Jackie, and Eddie sat.
Jackie pulled Zoe into a hug. “Hey, Zoe. Who’s this?”
Zoe grinned. “This is Kellan Storm, the new man in my life. Kellan, my friend Jackie and her friend Eddie. I believe you’ve met the rest.”
He nodded. “I have.”
Isa held out her hand. “Zoe, I’m Isa, this is Toryn. It’s a pleasure.”
“Thank you for inviting us,” Zoe replied.
“No thanks necessary. We want to welcome you to Seattle. I understand that you haven’t been here long.”
Kellan spoke up, “I don’t believe either of us is planning on leaving Seattle.”
A smirk pulled one corner of Brent’s mouth up. “I hope not. She’s my best reporter and always knows what to share and what to keep secret. The article she wrote earlier was exactly what I hoped for. She has a great eye for detail and knowing what should be shared with the public and what should be left out.”
Kellan smiled, pulling her closer. “I’m looking forward to reading the story.”
Jackie grinned. “The next edition of In Other News comes out tomorrow. I’ll make sure you have a copy if she tries to hide it.”
Kellan’s brow arched. “Why would she try to hide it?”
Zoe grumbled. “Because your opinion matters, and I’m afraid of what you’ll think. I left you out of the story.”
“For the best,” Kellan answered with a grin.
“Scotty and Jayde too. Hell, I didn’t use anyone’s name but Saressa’s, Aeryana’s, and Reance’s since it was important that the fae knew who started the conflict and why it ended the way it did.” Saressa had been the queen of the Water Realm, as well as the Fire once she took it from her brother, Reance. Aeryana was the queen of the Air Realm, and Earth through marriage, though the Earth king was now dead. Reance and Aeryana were mated long ago, and to keep peace, kept the secret for centuries.
He nodded. “Wise decision.”
A slow smile spread on her lips. “You aren’t upset you weren’t mentioned?”
Kellan chuckled. “I thought we agreed that we shouldn’t share who I am.”
She nodded. “I’ve heard that from some people, then they turned around and wanted credit for the things they did.”
Isa shook her head, holding her hands up. “I don’t need any recognition, thanks. I’m sure most of us feel the same. We were only doing what needed to be done. Saressa was crazy and now she’s one less major problem for any of us to worry about.”
Zoe caught the edge of doubt in Isa’s eyes. Theories of how Saressa could have survived started to float through her head—none of which made sense with what Kellan told her about his mother’s death.
A waiter came by to take drink orders. Kellan’s brow arched when she ordered a black opal.
Isa turned to Zoe. “Ah, a woman who can handle her alcohol.”
Zoe laughed. “I would imagine you can, being a bartender and all.”
She nodded. “I can.”
Toryn snorted. “She can drink Grey Goose by the bottle.”
Zoe grinned. “I prefer something sweeter, but I can take shots.”
Isa made some motion to the bartender on duty and smiled broadly. “Give them a minute and we’ll have shots. All of us.” She winked at Toryn. “Unless you have a good reason not to.”
Toryn shook his head. “Nope. Though, remember we are meeting your parents to discuss more wedding details in the morning.”
“I’ll be fine,” Isa promised, though Zoe didn’t miss the nervous energy coming off her.
Zoe nodded at Brent slightly, hoping to pull him away to ask him a couple questions. He may be able to confirm Nemia had existed.
Leaning toward Kellan, she whispered, “I’m making a trip to the restroom. Be right back.”
“Don’t be long.” He kissed her quick and watched her back toward the hall.
By the time she stepped out of the restroom, she found Brent leaning against the opposite wall. “We need to talk.”
Zoe jumped right in. “Ever hear of a harpy named Nemia?”
One corner of his mouth cocked up. “She’s where the curse started, from what I can find. The story blames her, but the king of the Air Realm of the time tried to claim her as a mate. I don’t think it’s as simple as Nemia pissing off the wrong people.”
Nausea rolled through her stomach. “So it wasn’t a dream.”
“What dream?”
Her hope diminished as she laid out the nightmare.
Concern clouded his blue eyes. “Any chance you’re pregnant?”
She shook her head. “I’ve always been extra cautious about birth control.”
He cupped her shoulder and shook his head. “That’s not going to work. Harpies don’t conceive until they find their mate, and no amount of birth control can stop it. Not even spells will work. And for fae, that is typically the only thing guaranteed to prevent a pregnancy.”
“S
hit. What about condoms?”
Brent snorted. “Yeah, that should work.” He rubbed the back of his neck and met her gaze. “Seems every time the curse strikes the harpy is pregnant. Sounds like Nemia’s tale confirms that. Also means your ex cursed your people.”
Her eyes widened. “Then I don’t want to be pregnant.”
“Kellan is young enough it may not be an issue for a while. Though, Storm Masters often conceive earlier than other fae.”
She scowled. “You’re an ass. Why give me hope only to yank it away?”
He shrugged. “Unintentional. I’d forgotten the Storm Master factor.”
She pressed her fingers to her temples and changed the subject. “So, the fae blame us because Eldred couldn’t control his obsession, and his actions caused the harpies to attack him?”
His head tipped side to side. “Unfortunately, a lot of men have fallen to a harpy’s charms and when that happens, they die, or the harpy dies after childbirth. And, Zoe, the curse is ugly. There is always a way to break a curse…but I’m not sure how. No one is. It’s been tried many times, with no success.”
“Of course not. That’s why an eons old curse is still around. That doesn’t make me feel much better. I just found my mate, and now I’m guaranteed to lose him.”
“Maybe breaking the curse is as simple as killing Eldred. Though it would take more than you to do it. I’ve read about the king who cursed the harpies. He’s the last pure air fae. A mortal wound won’t even stop him. He’d just dematerialize and reform whole. Poison him and he cleanses his system the same way. That sword of Kellan’s, that might help if he can tap into all the powers.”
“Then maybe it’s a good thing we went to the mountain and woke her. Neither of us knew she was there.”
“I hope so. She can help you better than anyone else. Though how do you get back to her if you need?”
“Not a clue.” A shudder traveled down her spine. “How long can I avoid pregnancy?”
“Shit, you’re mated. Unless he keeps his dick out of you, you’ll likely wind up pregnant within the year. And somehow, I don’t see you two staying celibate.”
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