How could he save the girl when he knew nothing about her and had no way of finding her? Even Winter and Anna believed that she was gone. The garden with those children, it had to mean something. She had to mean something. There were dozens of different realms that she could have gotten sucked into. The other fact was that if she was supernatural as Tyler genuinely believed she was, she could only have gone home. She hadn’t said anything of significance about her family–which could mean any number of things, especially since she was being beaten by Dante for a lot of the time he had been there. Maybe she was a lesser demon or a shade. Their blood did strange things to those it touched. He was going to have to talk to Jonathon about it. He knew all of the different royal families and their quirks.
As they approached what would inevitably be his own personal hell for the foreseeable future, Tyler knew this was his chance. “I need your help.” He grabbed the other man’s arm.
Jonathon paused, undoubtedly because he had never heard those words from the warrior before. Tyler looked into his friend’s eyes, and he conveyed every emotion that he had been hiding since meeting the girl. Everything that he had buried even from himself came bursting to the surface, and he was afraid of what it could mean for him. Caring, in any sense, for another living being would be the end of him. It had almost destroyed him once before when he was only mortal. She would die, and her death lived in his eyes, forever there because of the vision.
Jonathon saw it; he saw all of the pain. His blue and green eyes frowned, and he ran a hand through his black hair. “Well shit. What do you need?”
“It’s a long story, but I need to find her. Something’s going to happen to her, and I have to stop it.” He knew that he was starting to sound deranged, but he just couldn’t care.
“Tyler,” Jonathon said gently. “I’m afraid that something has already happened to her.”
“Not that, I listened to that conversation.” He shrugged his shoulders at the other man’s raised eyebrow. “No, something else. The court showed me her future, and I have to keep it from happening. I can’t do that here; I need to find her.”
“You’re not going to be able to go anywhere. To leave now would mean breaking fealty with the fae people, and it would start a war. You’re staying, at the side of your king and queen. Plus, you don’t know if she could be here. Emissaries from every single magical realm are converging on this place as we speak. This is the best place for you. Not to mention the fact that Jackson talks a good game, but he’s pretty weak. If anything happens to him, I won’t be able to stop Sarah from destroying everything in sight.”
They both knew about the fragile hold that Sarah had on her power, which is part of the reason that Anna had agreed to take up residency in the Blood Court, away from her people. There was just too much power in her body, and it wasn’t her fault. Killing Alex had shown a side to the power that Winter hadn’t predicted. Sarah’s natural predilection for magic as a vampire had been a gift, but her turning into a true immortal had significantly increased that power, making her pretty much unstoppable.
As they entered Tyler’s rooms, he was surprised to see that they hadn’t changed much at all. His trunk lay in the center of the floor, but he would get into it later. For now, they sat in two high backed chairs in front of the fireplace. As he stared into the fire, he was lost in the moment.
“What is it, Tyler. What did you see?”
And so he told him, of the vision and everything else. Of the garden, of the death of those children. Of her disappearance, and of the children coming back from the dead. Finally, he told him of the voice that had told him to save her, to solve the puzzle.
CHAPTER FIVE
“Where is she? I could smell her as soon as we got here. Why do you have her here? Is she one of yours, or is she from the light fae?” Anna was pissed, her rainbow hair flying as she stormed up to the much taller fae queen. Her tiny frame was even more pronounced as Jessica stood over her, not moving.
“I don’t know what you mean,” Jessica said as she looked away.
“Don’t fuck with me, fairy. You know damn well I’m talking about the girl that was in the Blood Court a few days ago. I smell her. I know she’s here, and she better not be here as a prisoner, either, or you’ll have to answer to the council for it.”
“You’re a fine one to talk, intruding into other race’s affairs. Who did you marry? The half–vampire empath that was supposed to die to ensure that magic was saved. And what did that cost us? A Blood Queen with no control over her power that could implode at any time. They both should have died, that would have prevented all of this from happening.” Jessica’s magic was showing her true nature, the plants on the walls were retreating, and it was painful for Mykah to sense. She felt it, the fear of the natural souls in the room. They were screaming for it to stop. Her sister was feeding off the pain to make her point known. She stayed behind her throne, where she had retreated to a soon as she felt someone transporting into the castle.
The witch, Winter, with her bluish skin, stood before the onslaught of magic, protected. The shifter, she wasn’t prepared for the power, which grabbed hold of her weakness to force her to her knees and gasps of air rose from her chest. The magic was suffocating her, making it impossible for her to breathe in. When she started turning purple, Mykah had seen enough.
“Stop. She’s had enough.” Mykah stepped out from behind her throne. Using it to balance herself. The magic was overwhelming, even for her.
“You’re ruining all my fun.” Jessica didn’t stop the magic, only turned to her with a pout.
“I’m serious, Jessica. She saved me.” Anna had taken the pain away when she was with the other vampires, and Mykah wasn’t sure if she could have died or not.
“Only because you’re weak right now” she argued. “It’s not your fault.”
“Just stop. Please. For me.” She was pleading now, but she didn’t care. Her sister didn’t need to start a war on the eve of her coronation.
“Fine.” The magic was gone. Retreating back into the walls. Even the flowers had started to wither. There was definitely something wrong with the magic, to hurt the very things that gave it life.
Anna was clutching her throat, coughing, and gasping for air. “You.” She choked out, staring at Mykah. “It’s you.” And she passed out.
“Just great. You know you’re going to have to explain all of this to Jackson. He’s going to be pissed, and he’s connected to her. So you’re running out of time. He would have known as soon as she was in danger.” The witch spoke, unsurprised. “So this is why you vanished off our radar. Tyler isn’t going to be pleased. Not only are you fae, but you’re fae royalty. He’s been in a state, almost killed Anna to find out your whereabouts. Well, she probably would have killed him, but the point is that he went against her to get information about you.”
“That’s just stupid. He’s a warrior; they should have more sense than that.” Jessica was in a huff. She clearly hated Tyler, and Mykah still had no idea why. “Jackson won’t know anything. All other magic is neutralized inside these walls, whether you like it or not, their connection is simply another form of his magic manifesting itself.” Jessica, ever sure of herself and her magic, sat on her throne. “Ladies, you’ve already met my little sister. Mykah, you know them.”
“I’ve met your sister before, this isn’t her.” Winter’s apprehension at believing that Jessica’s little sister was standing before her, was palpable. “Your little sister was definitely fae, and she is definitely not fae,” she pointed at Mykah. “There is nothing magical about her.”
“There’s nothing magical that you can see,” Jessica countered.
“It’s okay, Jess. You don’t have to pretend with them.” Mykah looked at the other women. “The reason I didn’t say anything is because I’ve lost my power. I’m as good as human–or I will be when my magic stops regenerating itself completely, and I wanted to go back to my apartment. I was just trying to get on with my human life.
Jessica convinced me to come back, she thinks the answers to all our problems are in your library. So that’s what I’m going to be doing during the festivities to come. Looking for an answer to the puzzle, even though I’ve been told I have no choice.”
“Little goddess, you’re never going to be human. I won’t let it happen.” Jessica looked at her, and all the love in the world was evident in her eyes.
Their love was a strange thing, considering all other courts and most of the fae believed that Mykah had killed their father in a fit of rage. Although with some of the bloodier realms welcomed the idea of her killing the king, they believed that she should have been the one to take the throne. Instead, they saw the love the two siblings share as something weak–something that they could snuff out.
Jessica had been forced to prove herself time and time again over the past five years. Something that Mykah hadn’t been able to help or lend support to since she was in her self–inflicted exile. Now they were together, and there was nothing that the others were going to be able to do about it. She may not have the power that she used to, but Mykah knew for sure that she had a following in the lower fae. They had told her as much the night before by recognizing her as royalty. She watched as the shifter woke up, clutching her chest and taking a few deep breaths. She smiled at the other woman and would have moved to help her up, but Anna stood up and took her spot next to Winter once more.
The witch and the shifter were staring at them with odd looks on their faces. They had obviously never seen the softer side of the dark fae race before. So much love passed between the two sisters that sometimes they forgot about the bad reputation of their people. The visitors were in for quite a surprise. The coronation of a royal, especially Jessica, was going to be an occasion filled with love and presents, especially presents.
“As touching as this scene is, I want some answers.” Anna turned to Mykah, “You told us your family was dead.”
“My family is dead, only Jessica and I are left.”
“You didn’t tell us that you’re the one who killed your family! You’re the one responsible for the death of the fae king, and you were in the same room as the empath, the Blood King, and the Blood Queen. Not to mention the fact that you had Winter fooled too. How the hell did you do it? Does this mean the fae are waging war on the Blood Court? Because the treaty forbids it during this time of peace.” Anna was so angry she was spitting, and her skin had taken on a very green tint like she was ready to shift.
“Look, I have no power. I’m not really fae anymore. I didn’t lie, not really. I just didn’t want to discuss my powers and the fact that I am human with anyone, let alone a group of vampires who already wanted me dead. Before we came into the room, the only thing saving me was the fact that Dante had broken his queen’s law about turning humans without consent. I wasn’t about to negate that by showing that I was technically fae.” Mykah was proud of herself, thinking on her feet like that. She really didn’t have a good reason for not telling them she was a fae princess, other than the fact that she liked the way that it felt when Tyler was holding her. She felt a blush creep up her cheeks, and she took a deep breath to help calm herself down.
“Fine. I’m out of here.” Anna had apparently had enough of the emotional conversation taking place and was angry at Mykah. She was going to have a hard time smoothing it over with her. “Besides, I hear we’re all expected to attend a feast in your honor tonight. I need to make sure my husband actually looks presentable. Otherwise, he’ll end up in jeans and a hoodie.”
“Fine. You can go.” Mykah knew that Jess really didn’t care about whether Anna stayed or went, but she did need to talk to Winter. They both did. “But, don’t mention my sister to any of them.” It didn’t need to be vocalized that they were talking about Tyler more than the others.
Shock lit up her face. “What? Why?” Anna wasn’t used to keeping things from her husband, apparently.
“Because, shifter. I said so. I don’t want anyone to know before she’s ready to show them. Mykah plans on spending as much time as she can sorting through the library to get answers, and she deserves a few more hours of peace. I can’t have your warrior distracting her, and I have no doubt that as soon as he lays his eyes on her, he’s going to be hard pressed to let her out of his sight.” Mykah looked at her sister, wondering if she had some way of knowing the unintended longing that had taken over her heart. She knew that they had bigger fish to fry than any attraction she may have to the brooding marshmallow.
“Jess, I don’t think that’s necessary…” But her sister waved off her reply.
“As you wish.” Anna, not used to taking orders from anyone let alone a fae, turned to leave. “Winter, you coming?” She glanced over her shoulder.
“No, I have some business with the fae queen.” Winter waved a hand, and Mykah could have sworn that a chair identical to the ones she had seen in the Blood Court appeared on the dais that held the thrones.
Winter plopped down, letting both legs hang over the side of her chair, and she got comfortable. Anna walked out of the hall. The doors closed behind her, and then they disappeared. “Okay then, we won’t be disturbed until we’ve settled everything here.”
“Of course, I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Jessica sat down and then realized she was sitting on her book. She lifted up one leg and pulled it out from under her butt.
“Is that any good?” Winter raised an eyebrow at the title she was holding.
“Yeah, actually. Mortals do a pretty good job with romance novels. Sometimes they’re too happy, but what do you expect from humans?”
“Do you think my library is going to offer any insight that will help you? I know everything that’s recorded, so I can’t figure out why you don’t just ask me about whatever you’re looking for.” Winter seemed kind of offended that the fae queen would consult a book rather than her infinite knowledge.
“Because it may not even be anything you thought was important at the time,” Mykah spoke up. She was the more bookish of the two sisters and was always happy to have her nose in something interesting. “I think if there is anything, it would be buried in the texts from the creation of the different courts.”
“But I had no part in the fae courts’ creation, and I wasn’t involved with the Blood Court until after Jonathon had taken the throne. As similar as our two powers are, they are still very different.”
“I know you don’t think it will help, but Jess and I think there might be something hidden that may trigger an idea we haven’t thought of yet. You’ll have to forgive me for not participating in the festivities though; I don’t really want to be around all of the different royal families in the coming weeks.” Mykah didn’t want to be around anyone, and she knew that if she tempted fate that she would end up getting too distracted. They would run out of time if she wasn’t able to find an answer soon, and as much as she was resigned to becoming human while she was living in the human realm; once she stepped foot in the Malice Court she had been reminded of all the reasons she had to remain fae.
After the others accepted her apology, she hugged her sister and headed towards the doorway. “I’m going to my rooms. Jess, can you send the material there? I’ll just start right away.” When she reached the wall, the door rematerialized.
Jessica got up from her throne and smiled. “Of course, I’ve also asked the rest of the magical families to lend their tomes as well. Our cousins in the Concord Court are reluctant, but I think they’ll bring theirs. The shades have already sent theirs, and I’m waiting to hear from the rest. As they answer and send what they have, I will make sure you know. For now, I really don’t think you should miss dinner tonight. We’re having a masked ball. It’s going to be so much fun!” The stern voice that her sister had used with Anna was gone, and in its place was one that spoke of her excitement at having Mykah home. Ever the eager girl when they were children, Jess couldn’t wait to throw a party that would make the other royal families jealous for years. It was wh
y she was planning on having an entire month to celebrate her coronation.
“I don’t know…” Even though she really did have a lot that she needed to dive into immediately, there was a large part of her that wanted to go and enjoy what time she had.
“You know we brought Tyler. He’ll be there.” Winter’s smile was conspiratorial, and Mykah knew immediately that she was up to something.
“Yeah and nothing has changed the fact that he is a vampire, who shouldn’t know anything about who I really am or what my goal is.” She swallowed the rest of what she might say, pushing it as far down into her soul as she could. No one else needed to know of her desire to see him.
“Why is that, fae princess? Why are both you and your sister so afraid of him knowing who you are? Is there something you’re hiding behind those brown eyes that you don’t want me to know?” Winter’s magic wouldn’t work in their realm if Jessica didn’t want it to, and she really didn’t want any sort of telepath snooping around in their business.
“Because he wanted to kill me.” She turned and left the room with a grimace on her face. Not telling Winter the real reason hurt her a little, but no one needed to know that she was afraid of falling for someone when she was going to die. It wasn’t as though she was lying, exactly. Tyler had wanted to kill her in the Blood Court, to make it simpler on the vampires.
The doors opened on their own and then sealed behind her. Maybe she should go to the supper. Honestly, there was only so much that she had to consider when it came to magical history. They weren’t going to need anything newer than the creation of the Blood Court. As the youngest of the magical courts, they had been the last piece divided out of the pool of magical essence. The other families were older and had experience with the ancient being that magic had seemed to have sprouted from.
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