by Kate Pearce
“That is my mate’s face.”
“I know, so don’t kill me. If you do, you’ll never stand a chance of reclaiming it.” He gestured with his other hand. “Would you like to follow me to the trophy room?”
Vadim forced himself to follow, each footstep distinct as he destroyed the delicate tile beneath his feet, but he didn’t care. His rage knew no boundaries. His family had betrayed him. Everyone in Otherworld had betrayed him...
God, Ella...
He’d failed her completely. Was she even alive? In this threatening environment he couldn’t even lower his shields to check the truth of that.
Adam approached the final golden doors at the end of the long hallway. Four trolls and two small black dragons guarded them. He held up his hand and the doors opened, releasing a waft of malignant power that almost made Vadim stagger. He forced his newly discovered empath talents to the back of his mind. He didn’t need to be vulnerable to others’ emotions when his own were threatening to cascade with the speed and ferocity of a national disaster.
The trophy room was well named. Beasts and races of all kinds adorned the crowded walls. He saw three extinct red dragons’ heads and tails, the tusks of a mammoth and the horned skull of the Minotaur. On the shelves below were other “precious” objects. He could only assume Pandora’s box and the Holy Grail were in there somewhere.
Adam held up his prize like a triumphant offering and headed for the farthest wall of the huge room. Vadim had no choice but to follow like a dumb beast. As they approached the wall, he recognized the ghostly floating features of Brad Dailey and Ms. Phelps hovering above two gold plinths. With a great deal of care, Adam leaned forward and carefully placed Ella’s furious face next to the others. She obviously hadn’t been happy about Adam’s face-stealing technique. The sight of her riled expression cooled his temper somewhat and made him able to think.
“There. My task is almost complete. All I require now is her death.”
Even before the words were out of Adam’s lying mouth, Vadim launched himself at him. Magic seemed a poor substitute for the sheer pleasure of strangling the male with his bare hands.
“If you kill me, she dies!” Adam squealed.
Vadim barely registered the words as a red tide of rage colored his vision.
Pain shuddered through him as something attacked him from behind. It felt as if he’d been caught in a net. Manacles locked around his ankles, wrists and throat. The smothering sensation of iron chilled his skin, making him feel heavy, his magic dull as it tried to reach beyond the lethal cage.
Adam broke away and rolled out from under him, his expression triumphant.
“We have him!”
Vadim was shoved onto his back and glared up at his captors. He didn’t recognize the other three men, but he remembered the force of their combined power.
“I can still kill you, Adam. Unlike most Fae, iron doesn’t contain me completely, it just slows me down.”
“But you won’t be killing anyone, will you, Death Bringer, while I hold the fate of your mate in my hands.” Adam smoothed his rumpled clothing. “Unless she kills herself without my input. She might do that, I suppose, what with you abandoning her.”
“You don’t know my mate. She’ll wait for you to come after her, and she won’t go down without a fight.”
“So I hear.”
He was hauled to his feet. The iron collar around his neck was choking him. He forced a thin bolt of power from his fingertip, and Adam backed away, cursing.
“I’ll get free, eventually. Nothing can hold me forever.”
“I’m counting on it, Death Bringer.” His opponent smiled at the other men surrounding them. “When I kill him, I’ll truly become the greatest collector of all time.”
“You won’t succeed.”
“Why not? I thought you wanted to fight me.”
“Oh, I do, and I shall.” Vadim stared at the little weasel until the certainty faded from his gaze. “I’ll enjoy ripping you limb from limb.”
“We’ll see about that.” Adam nodded at the guards. “Take him below while we prepare the stadium for our battle.”
In his present weakened condition, Vadim couldn’t resist the concerted efforts of the four guards and the focused power of the sect, and was led down several flights of stairs into darkness, thick walls and the sounds of hopelessness. He was tossed ignominiously into a dark hole and left alone.
It took him several minutes to work out which way was up and where the door was. He leaned against the damp wall and took a quick survey of his current position. The sect had caught him before he attained his full powers. Coupled with Adam’s threats to damage Ella’s face, he hadn’t stood a chance. With a groan, he considered what the hell had happened and what, if anything, he could do about it.
Who among his family had decided not to preserve his mate’s life? It could only be his father. But with what cause? Did he truly believe Vadim wouldn’t turn against him? Didn’t he understand his own creation? But what if it was worse than that? His fingers clenched into fists, his claws digging into his palms. What if his father understood him too well and had conspired with the sect to bring him down? That sounded far more likely.
And what of Ella? Was she slowly going mad, wearing someone else’s face, or was she doing her best to pretend nothing was wrong while she waited for Adam to show up? He wouldn’t put it past her. She wasn’t going to make it easy for the face stealer. His heart ached. Had she believed him when he said he was leaving her forever? He damn well hoped so. Adam’s last-minute offer to leave her alone if Vadim accompanied him immediately to Otherworld had seemed too good to be true, but he’d been willing to risk it if it kept Ella safe.
He swore softly and fluently in Fae. And what had he achieved? Ella’s face was gone, and he was stuck in a dungeon. She’d be so proud...
Whatever happened, they would have to work fast if they intended to destroy him. He flexed his bruised fingers and imagined choking Adam to death again and finally revealing his real face. His power would overcome the deadly metal within a day or so, and he would be more dangerous than ever—and pissed off. Even though he was exhausted, he resisted the temptation to reach out to Ella. She didn’t need to hear his woes. The last thing he wanted was for her to come running to save him. Hadn’t he done his best to make sure she never wanted to see him again?
His smile faded and he listened intently to the magic-infused black darkness. His enemies might have forced him to play their games, but there was something they’d forgotten.
In Otherworld, he was invincible.
Chapter Eleven
Ella had no idea what time it was, only that since she was last outside, it had started raining and it was dark. As soon as she magically punched her way through the walls of her dungeon, she’d been returned to the square where she’d arrived. She loitered in the trees near the exit, concealed in the green shadows. Water continued to gush out of the fountain in a soothing refrain, but there was no sign of the queen or any of her guards.
That was weird.
Why wasn’t anyone following her?
She checked around the square, using both Vadim’s magic and her empath abilities. It was odd...the more she accessed his power, the stronger it seemed to be and the easier it rose to her amateurish commands. No wonder Vadim had been feared so greatly. She was only using a fraction of it, and it scared the pants off her. It was like being given the keys to a racing car after driving a tractor.
A shadow moved at her left. For a moment she wished she had her familiar weapon with her, but she had so much more in the tips of her fingers. Magic that was far more suited to Otherworld, as well. She needed to find Adam before the queen mother or the king found her. She attempted to clear her mind, but found it impossible as a clear sense of danger clouded her judgment.
“Dammit!” She walked toward the shadows, but instead of dispersing, they seemed to thicken. “What do you want?”
A guttural laugh answered her.
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“What do you think, Soul Sucker?”
The advancing troll looked somewhat familiar. His heavily furred body was naked and his black eyes shone with hate. Behind him was a sniggering group of young Garden Fae.
“Do I know you?”
“You destroyed my nest and forced me back here.” He raised his club. “Now you’re going to pay.”
He rushed her. Ella just had time to point her finger and shove magic at him before he cannoned into her and she fell to the ground. There was a kaboom and the acrid smell of burning fur. His screaming blocked out every other sound until an explosion of black blood made her gag, but at least stilled the screeching.
When she finally disentangled herself from the troll’s soggy remains, she shuddered at the carnage.
“Too much power, Ella. Bring it down, girl.”
She wiped at her face, which was sticky, and spat uselessly to rid herself of the unwanted taste of deep-fried troll. If any of the others had wanted to take a pop at her, her awesome display of power had sent them scurrying away. She headed back for the fountain so she could at least rinse herself off. How the hell did Vadim control himself?
She dipped her fingers into the flowing water and shivered. It was freezing. She suddenly remembered the spell he’d taught her and freshened herself up. The magic even repaired the holes in her pink jeans. Damn, it was useful. If only it worked on her face...
“Soul Sucker?”
She turned to see a woman standing quietly behind her. Even in the darkness, she registered the richness of the woman’s dress and the sparkle of diamonds in her long dark hair.
“Let me guess. You’re Morosov’s mother.”
“Indeed I am.” The Fae inclined her head. “And you are my son’s mate. I am so pleased to meet you.”
“You are?”
“Of course. Why would you think otherwise?”
“Because everyone else in this batshit-crazy place, including me, wants to kill him.”
“He is my son. How could I wish for his death?”
Ella scowled down at her boots. The apparent sincerity of the queen’s answer made her feel like a loser who had given up on her mate way too fast. But the Fae were tricky like that. She shouldered her backpack.
“Is there something I can help you with? Otherwise I’d quite like to get on.”
“Where are you going?”
“To find my face.”
The queen drew closer. “You have been bespelled? I did wonder.”
“Didn’t anyone tell you? Normally I’m blond and blue-eyed. An idiot called Adam stole my face as his third trophy.”
“But that wasn’t supposed to happen.”
She paused to study the queen’s delicate features. The female looked about the same age as Ella was, and that couldn’t be possible. It was also the second time someone had suggested Vadim had tried to protect her from Adam. “What was supposed to happen?”
“Nothing.” The queen shivered. “Cygnet insisted that we stop Adam from taking your face.”
“Well, it didn’t work.”
“But why?”
“Perhaps you’d better ask your husband and mother about that.”
“We all agreed to it, as did the sect.”
“Then someone didn’t follow through, did they? You all wanted Morosov back here for your different reasons anyway. It’s hardly surprising that my face wasn’t enough to stop someone from getting what they wanted.”
“Soul Sucker—”
Ella had to look away from the ethereal beauty of the queen, whose blue eyes were now swimming in tears.
“I understand that you are angry with us, but please consider what you intend to do.”
She stared hard at the fountain and realized the figure of the woman was modeled on the queen behind her. Awkward. “I have to go. I intend to find Adam and get my face back.”
“And what if he still has cygnet?”
“‘Cygnet’ is supposed to be the most powerful being in Otherworld. How could anyone ‘have’ him?” She glanced down at her hands. “I feel some of his power in me. I know how strong he really is.”
“But what if his power is constrained?”
“By what?” Ella shook her head. “I’m so tired of everyone speaking around every subject. If he’s so easily contained, why are you all so scared of him?”
The queen drew herself up. “His apparent weakness might not be our doing.”
“So you’re saying it’s my fault?”
“You are mated to him.”
“So what? It obviously means nothing to him. He walked out on me.”
“There are many ways a male can show his love for his female, Soul Sucker.”
“By buggering off to Otherworld to play at who’s the biggest idiot? That’s supposed to show that he loves me? I don’t think so.”
“Perhaps this time it is you who speak in riddles.”
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”
The queen held her gaze. “He is your mate.”
“So he’s done all this for me, right.”
“All I am saying, Soul Sucker, is that when you kill Adam, be very careful what you obliterate along with him. You alone have the power to destroy my son in many different ways, remember that.” She inclined her head a regal inch. In the distance, the sound of voices rose. “I wish you well on your journey, and I urge you to leave right now. I will take care of the pursuit at this end.”
“Well, thanks.”
“Goodbye, Ella Walsh.”
Ella had no time to reply as she focused on Adam and sent herself hurtling through Otherworld, landing with a bump outside a heavily fortified wall complete with security cameras and troll guards. Why were cameras even necessary in magic-centric Otherworld? She rubbed an elbow that had contacted hard against the wall.
“Ouch.”
There was no cover around the perimeter of the wall, so she backed off until she reached the surrounding forest and sat down with her back against a tree. Her whole body was shaking. Experience told her that there was no way she could move forward until she’d conquered her hunger and fatigue. She took off her backpack and opened it up. Inside were her emergency supplies. Two juice boxes, one of chocolate milk, three energy bars and two Pop-Tarts. A meal fit for the gods, as Feehan had always joked.
She paused for a moment to imagine what was going on back at the SBLE office. Would she ever see her colleagues again? Feehan had promised backup, but what could he do against the combined might of the sect and Vadim’s family?
Not a lot. She was basically on her own.
She opened the first energy bar and a cranberry-apple juice box and alternately chewed and sipped her way through them. As she ate, she watched the wall to see if anyone was coming in or out of the one main gate, but all was quiet. Was Vadim in there with Adam? Did the sect know that she was there? She assumed they did.
The Fae queen had a point. If Vadim could kill anything in Otherworld, why wasn’t Adam dead already? What was stopping him? Was he really trying to protect her? But why? He hardly knew her. She started on the second bar.
That wasn’t true. He knew her better than anyone else in the world.
But then, he’d also told her he was hers for all eternity.
The rat.
She stopped chewing. Would she kill to get him back? It was something she had to consider before she charged in to get Adam. Everyone needed a plan. Did retrieving her face mean more to her than Vadim’s life? She had more power in her than she’d ever imagined existed, and it was a huge responsibility. How did he deal with that on a daily basis? How had it felt to be the executioner of the Fae?
She stared out into the darkness, her appetite diminishing with every breath. Exhaustion threaded through her. In her present state, getting into the sect stronghold was beyond her. She’d be unable to control her power and would kill everyone in sight, or she’d implode and be dead in a second. The thought of another fried troll made her want to puke. Better t
o sleep for a while and then plan how to take down Adam and retrieve her face.
She closed her eyes and resolutely refused to think about Vadim. One problem at a time. That was all she could cope with right now.
* * *
She woke up feeling cold and automatically grabbed for the covers. Which weren’t there. Opening one eye, she remembered that she was in the middle of Otherworld, her head pillowed on her backpack and her clothes her only covering. Thank God she’d been wearing jeans, even if they did have a few new holes in them, despite her magical repairs. The smell of coffee floated past her nose and she abruptly sat up.
“I thought you might need this.” Rossa handed her a jumbo-size cup. “I got it in your world.”
Ella made an inarticulate sound of extreme gratitude and gulped at the scalding brew. After a few minutes she opened her eyes and regarded her companion.
“Don’t you ever get cold?”
He glanced down at his superb physique and literally fluffed his feathers. “Not really. Why didn’t you magic yourself up some blankets last night?”
“Because I keep forgetting that I can!” Ella glared at him. “I’m also terrified that I’ll ask for a sleeping bag and conjure up a tree house complete with elevator and servants to plump my pillows.”
“Magical power can be a very scary thing if you don’t learn how to control it.” Rossa settled himself comfortably across from her. “The main thing is, always treat it with respect.”
“That’s such a cliché. Did you bring food?”
He grinned at her. “What is your wish, fair lady?”
“A toasted egg-and-bacon muffin would be awesome.”
“Then do it yourself. Just try and focus down, or it will be raining buns or something.” She glowered at him and he shrugged. “It’s good practice before you go in there with all guns blazing.”
She thought lovingly about her egg-and-bacon muffin, pictured it in her mind and sent the smallest lick of power through the image. Her greasy, fatty treat appeared in her hands, wrapped in paper, and she actually squealed.
“I did it!” She devoured it in less than a minute. “Now I just have to work out how to harness the power of the muffin to the enormity of the task ahead.” She nodded at the exterior wall. “Have you ever been inside this place?”