Black Ops Fae

by C. N. Crawford

  I crossed to a dark corner of the library along the far wall, then slid my torch into an empty sconce. These books were in an altogether different alphabet—one with squat, sharp marks that looked millennia old. As I scanned the shelves, one book caught my eye, the lettering on the spine seeming to gleam brighter than the rest.

  I pulled it from the shelf, and cracked open the spine to the faded parchment pages. Gently, I leafed through it. I scanned text, then drawings of angelic destruction—winged beings lighting fires, sending curls of dark magic streaming from their fingertips while piles of skeletons lay beneath them. Each one had his own horse. Halfway through the book, I found a picture—a simple, stylized drawing of a woman standing in a grove of trees, her hair painted the color of straw. Golden light beamed from her head.

  The Bringer of Light?

  A few pages more, and I found the woman again, this time accepting glittering blue jewels from vines that grew up around her.

  “The Old Gods,” I whispered.

  I flipped another page. Now, the woman held the gems aloft, and a pale blue light radiated from them, forming a shield over her. And just above the shield, tiny winged angels flew for the heavens—

  A screeching noise turned my head, and I jumped, slamming the book shut.

  There, Drakon stood in the middle of the stone floor, his beady eyes on me. He hissed, and a stream of fire blazed from his mouth.

  I hissed back at him, now feeling completely justified in my hatred of him.

  I brought my finger to my lips. Shhhhhh. “I will give you…” What the hell did dragoniles eat? “I will give you rabbits if you keep quiet. Just shut the fuck up, okay?”

  Drakon ignored my warning, stepping closer as he screeched again.

  “Chickens,” I whispered. My heart began to sink.

  Let’s hope Adonis and these friends of his weren’t too precious about their library.

  Just as I was shoving the book back onto the shelf, a figure appeared in the doorway—a rather terrifying figure, I might add.

  A demon.

  She must have been six feet tall—shockingly gorgeous and pale as ivory. A short, white dress hugged her curvy body, ending just below her ass, and her dark hair writhed around her head like snakes. A crescent-moon tattoo stood out on her forehead, and her red lips curled back in a vicious snarl. She lifted her clawed fingertips, and I braced myself for an attack.

  I snatched my torch from the wall, holding it out as if I were about to fend off a wild beast with fire.

  “Tanit.” Adonis’s deep voice pierced the silence. “Call off the attack. I brought her here.”

  Tanit hissed at me. “This is the Bringer of Light? She smells like the bottom of a swamp.”

  I glanced down at my mud-spattered, rain-soaked clothing. “We’ve had a very long journey, and I haven’t had the benefit of a bath yet.”

  Tanit growled. “You’re telling me we can’t kill her and feed her to Drakon?”

  “No.”

  Her nose crinkled. “Fine. Well, I’m going to insist that she leave all her filthy, rain-soaked clothes outside her door. She smells of moss and grass and dank forests, and I want the filth burned.”

  I frowned. “And what am I supposed to wear?”

  She cocked a hip. “I’ll have the servants bring her some of mine.”

  “I could just wash my clothes,” I suggested. “Clothes are meant to be cleaned and reused indefinitely.”

  “They what?” She widened her eyes, her expression pure frustration. “We’re going to burn your things. I’ll give you new ones. Just be happy I’m not suggesting running you through the flames.”

  Adonis’s eyes narrowed. “Simmer down, Tanit. She’s on our side.” He raised his eyebrows. “Ruby, Tanit doesn’t often offer to give people things. This is her version of being a welcoming host.” Smooth as silk, he prowled closer to me, his hands in his pockets. “And now we get to the part where you tell us what you’re doing in here.”

  “I can’t sleep without reading before bed.”

  “I see. And you like to read cuneiform?”

  Casually, I sauntered back to the English poetry section and pulled a copy of Don Juan off the shelf. “I must have gotten mixed up. My mistake.” I smiled at Tanit. “My name is Ruby. Pleased to meet you.”

  Her eyes flashed with silver. “Okay.”

  Through the window, the first honeyed light of morning began to warm the sky, tingeing it with pink.

  Was it really that late?

  “You were searching for information,” said Adonis.

  “That’s what happens when you withhold it. People search for it on their own. So you could tell me exactly what we’re hunting for, and why you’ve brought me here. Or I can use my own methods.”

  “Sophisticated methods like failing to read ancient languages.”

  “What are the blue gemstones?” I asked.

  A sigh slid from him. “Tomorrow, when you wake, I’ll explain what you need to know. Go to sleep now, and dream of all your beautiful love stories.” He spoke with a soothing, lover’s purr, and nothing had ever sounded more convincing than his suggestion. He was out of the room so swiftly, I hardly noticed him leave.

  Morning sunlight began warming the room with coral, washing over the towering stacks of books. I’d never felt so tired in my life, and the stare Tanit was giving me urged me to move quickly.

  As I crossed back to my room, I couldn’t get the image of the gleaming blue stones out of my mind. Adonis said his destiny was to kill. Were the stones my destiny?

  Just as I opened my door, Tanit pushed past me, glaring. She snatched my bag from the floor, yanking out my damp clothes. “This is all going in the fire.”

  She pulled out my sheathed knife and holster, examining it before letting it fall to the floor with a clang.

  Then, she glared at me expectantly. “The rest. Take off the rest.”

  I was too tired to argue, and I wasn’t particularly self-conscious—as long as Adonis wasn’t around. I stripped off in front of her.

  “All of it,” she barked. “I’ll leave new clothes outside your door.”

  “When?”

  No answer.

  She left with everything but my knife, leaving me damp and naked in the room. Good thing I wasn’t attached to any of the clothes.

  Miserable as she was, when she left my room, a deep sense of loss bloomed in my chest—complete isolation. I crawled nude under the warm covers, loneliness eating at me.

  Somehow, traveling with Adonis, he’d masked my loneliness. Now, as I lay naked and alone, isolation slid through my blood like a poison.

  I pulled the covers tight around me. When I closed my eyes, I dreamt of a thorny throne on a craggy cliffside, and the desolation of that image pierced me to the bone.

  Chapter 14

  Naked, I stumbled out of the bathroom, still completely disoriented from a heavy sleep. In fact, I’d managed to sleep through the whole day.

  A fire still burned in the marble fireplace, warming the bedroom. Its orange light wavered over the walls, overgrown with flowering vines. I closed my eyes, and for just a moment, my mind wandered back to a happier time, when I’d gone with Hazel and Marcus to the Museum of Natural History in New York. Then, further back, to my mother and father curled up next to each other on a sofa, reading books. I’d always crawl in between them, splitting them up so their attention could be on me.

  When I opened my eyes again, the loneliness of my current situation hit me like a fist.

  Not to mention the fact that I’d ended up in a creepy death angel castle completely naked. I shuddered, rubbing my arms.

  At least I’d have fresh clothes waiting for me outside the door, just as Tanit had promised.

  I rose from the bed, crossing over the cold stone floor. Goose bumps rose over my bare skin, and the chilly air peaked my breasts. Slowly, I pried the door open, looking down expectantly for a fresh stash of clothes.

  A cold stone floor greeted me. />
  Of course she hadn’t brought any new clothes back. Why had I trusted the crazy-eyed demoness in the first place?

  I slammed the door closed again, and a draft whispered over my skin. Should have hung on to a few items there, Ruby.

  I opened the door, then poked my head out, looking for signs of movement in the hallway. Nothing except the shadows dancing over the stone walls, the flagstone floor. I couldn’t hear anything moving in the castle either.

  Well, I wasn’t about to just strut around the death castle bare-ass naked. I crossed back to the bed, pulled off a soft crimson blanket, and wrapped it around my naked skin.

  Here, naked in the quiet castle, with only a blanket covering my body, I felt completely vulnerable. A desperation for human contact speared me, sharp as talons piercing my ribs. Inexplicably, I wanted to see Adonis. After our journey together, maybe he was the closest thing I had to a friend in this place. Or maybe he was just the most likely to find me some clothes.

  I scanned both directions in the hallway. Barefoot, I crept over to the first door and pressed my ear against the wood.

  As I did, the sounds coming from inside raised the hair on the back of my neck. I let my keen fae hearing sharpen, listening closely to the sound of a stifled moan. Then, a grunt.

  Was Adonis torturing someone, or screwing someone? Or a little of both—a mixture of pain and pleasure? Was it Tanit?

  Not that I cared. Whether or not he and Tanit were screwing had nothing to do with me. Clearly, I should turn around and leave this situation alone, and yet…

  I needed to know. What if those weren’t noises of pleasure I was hearing? What if he was peeling someone’s skin off? I needed to know what kind of death god I was dealing with here.

  Pulling my blanket tight around me, I knelt on the cold ground. Then, I leaned forward, peering through Adonis’s keyhole. My pulse raced as I caught a glimpse of him. He stood, shirtless, his back to me. His midnight wings spread out behind him, their feathers flecked with silver. My eyes roamed over his smooth skin, his thickly corded arms.

  This is intrusive, and I shouldn’t be here.

  And yet, I couldn’t seem to tear my eyes away.

  His powerful back arched, and dark shadows appeared around his neck, his wrists—like thorny manacles of magic. Something about them looked so invasive—a toxic magic that didn’t belong here.

  Still, Adonis’s exotic scent seemed to lure me in. Despite the shackles around him, something about the arch of his back screamed of ecstasy. Pure, carnal pleasure.

  I felt myself reaching for his door, stroking my fingertips over the wood. I hated myself a little for spying on Adonis, but—

  Then I noticed the stream of blood, pooling on the floor. I gasped, and my hand flew to my mouth, knocking the doorknob just slightly.

  Adonis whirled, giving me a view of the blood streaming from his chest, the shallow wound, the knife in his hand.

  What the hell was he doing? Cutting himself?

  My jaw dropped, and I stumbled to my feet, clutching tightly to my blanket as if my life depended on it.

  The door swung open, and Adonis’s gaze pierced me to the core, cold with fury.

  “What are you doing?” he asked, venom lacing his voice. Already, his chest had begun to heal a little, though a thin stream of blood still dripped over the savage tattoos on his chest.

  “What are you doing?” I shot back.

  “Not staring through someone’s keyhole, for a start.” His arctic tone cooled my body. His dark hair seemed to stand out sharply against his golden complexion, his black eyelashes stark against his pale eyes.

  “I didn’t have anything to wear. Your friend Tanit never returned after she burned my other clothes. I thought you could help. I heard something that sounded like pain…” Or pleasure. “And I just wanted to look before I knocked. For all I knew, you were torturing a human or something.” I could feel my cheeks reddening. “I have to know who I’m dealing with here.”

  For the first time, he seemed to notice the blanket wrapped around me. Then, he cut a sharp gaze over my shoulder. “Come in.” He opened the door wider.

  I surveyed Adonis’s bedroom—a circular space adorned with faded tapestries: a night sky, a dark-winged angel. On one tapestry, red flowers blossomed by a river’s edge. And on the expanses of stone wall, actual blood-red flowers bloomed on vines.

  A tall window in his room cast silver light over a large bed, the blankets and sheets charcoal gray. Below his towering window, a few fernlike plants climbed the wall. On a small, oak table lay a dark cloth and a bandage. He dropped the bloodied knife on the table. A small pool of blood glistened on the floor. Did he get some kind of pleasure from self-harm?

  “Look,” I started. “I’m not judging. I just… Do you do that for fun?”

  “Do I stab myself in the heart for fun? Are you joking?”

  My jaw dropped. He’d actually stabbed himself in the heart?

  I swallowed hard, the soft blanket skimming against my body as I walked deeper into his room. “Okay. So—why did you stab yourself in the heart?”

  I’d seen his scars before—his chest, his wrists, the knotted ridges marring his perfect skin. I’d assumed they were battle scars—not self-inflicted.

  He met my gaze, and a preternatural stillness came over him—a stillness more animal than angel. It unnerved me when creatures did that. The hair rose on the nape of my neck.

  “No one else knows,” he said, his tone edged with steel. “You can’t tell anyone.”

  I pulled the blanket tighter around me. “I won’t tell anyone.”

  He grabbed the dark cloth off the table, swiping some of the blood off his muscled chest. “You know that Kratos and Johnny have been cursed. It’s because their apocalyptic seals have broken, and they can no longer resist their destiny. They must kill. For a horseman, the curse is applied when the apocalyptic seal is broken. The breaking of a seal feels like an ecstatic state. An overwhelming euphoria. And once you give in to euphoria, it’s all over. Your fate controls you.”

  “And you use pain to stop the euphoria?”

  “Exactly.”

  I shuddered. What a miserable existence. No wonder he wanted out. “I saw something around your neck and your wrists…like manacles.”

  He raised his eyebrows. “You can see them?”

  “Was that the seal?”

  He traced a fingertip over his throat, staring at me contemplatively. “I thought only angels could see it, but yes, that’s the curse emerging. I guess a Light Bringer gets the privilege of witnessing that particular magic.”

  “How long have you been doing this for?” I asked quietly.

  Only a slow, subtle shrug interrupted that animal stillness. “A few centuries.”

  I grimaced. “No wonder you want to rule the heavens instead of the earth. Let me treat it, at least.”

  “With what, exactly?”

  “With the gifts from the Old Gods.” I crossed to the fernlike plants that grew under his window, but something caught my eye. Adonis’s sword lay against the wall, its hilt studded with red stones formed to look like flowers. I ran my fingertips over them.

  “Do you like her?” asked Adonis. “Ninkasi has been with me for thousands of years.”

  “It’s beautiful.”

  “She. She’s beautiful,” he corrected me. “And you plan to heal me with her?”

  I frowned. “No, I told you. The Old Gods give us what we need. And right now, we need something to take care of that bleeding.” I crouched down, clutching the blanket with one hand. “Even in the lair of a horseman, they give us what we need.”

  I snatched a handful of the yarrow that clung to the wall. As I stood, I held up the herbs to the moonlight streaming through the window. I closed my eyes, and a warm, soothing light washed over my hand. An herbal scent curled into the air.

  When I opened my eyes again, a handful of dried yarrow lay crushed in my fist.

  As I walked back to Adonis, my ga
ze flicked to Drakon by the fire, his reptilian tail flopping up and down against the stone floor.

  Adonis studied me. “The magic of the Old Gods really is fascinating to watch.”

  “Maybe it’s in my destiny to become a healer.”

  I surveyed the laden table, where a bandage lay. The tricky part would be fixing him up with one hand, but I could probably manage with his help.

  “Lay out the bandage flat,” I commanded.

  “Quite commanding for a naked fae, aren’t you?” Amusement danced in his eyes. He spread it out, the ends draping off the table.

  Carefully, I offloaded the dried plants into the center of the bandage. Then, I slid my fingers under the bandage, scooping up the fabric and the dried plants together with one hand.

  With a swift movement, I pressed the herbs against his heart.

  This close to him, the smell of myrrh wrapped around me, sweeping over my neck, my chest. I looked up into his eyes—at the gray that blended to midnight blue, at the flecks of silver. His magic whispered over my body, stroking my bare shoulders, my hips, skimming up my thighs. The look he was giving me penetrated me to my core, and sent a dark heat racing through my blood.

  I couldn’t think around him, could hardly remember how coherent ideas worked. It took me a moment to realize that I’d just been standing there, pressing a bandage full of dried plants against his chest, gaping at him.

  “Do you need help?” he asked in a velvety voice that curled my toes.

  I swallowed hard. “I just need to tie the bandage around your back.”

  He arched a perfect eyebrow. “Is that right?”

  Already, his wound seemed to be healing—probably some of his own magic at work.

  Without another word, I tightened the bandage with both hands, then reached around his back to try to tie it—only, I could hardly reach around the width of him, and—

  A cold gust of air swept over my bare skin, tightening my nipples.

  Oh god, the blanket.

  It took me a long, horrified moment to realize that I’d ended up completely naked, my breasts just inches from his muscled physique.