by Eve Newton
“I see. Perhaps a blood top-up wouldn’t go amiss?”
I nod gratefully and they both help me stand, although I am now quite capable of getting up under my own steam after Xane’s generous gift.
We turn to head back towards the castle and stop dead. Or at least Sebastian stops dead, forcing me to as he has a tight grip on my elbow.
“What?” I ask as I glare at him and then follow his gaze to where I see something that I am sure can’t be possible. I must be hallucinating or something.
Us three steps back as the “something” in question comes to a graceful landing a few feet in front of us and I gape openly at the tall, light-haired man sat astride a…unicorn. A unicorn? Fuck me. Now I think I have seen everything. Assuming this is real, of course. I am still on the fence about my brain’s functionality after it being loosened slightly in my head by an almighty drop from the sky.
“Kalen,” the man says to Sebastian, as he drops lightly from the unicorn. He has long, flowing blonde hair and is dressed completely in white from head to toe, and he is really tall.
Sebastian tenses up so tightly, I think his head is about to explode. Either that or he is going to rip my arm off. Neither are very pleasant thoughts, so I put my hand on his and he relaxes slightly.
“What do you want?” he asks through gritted teeth and I sweep my gaze from him to the man, who I can see now looks just like Sebastian. I gulp as I realize that is the other way around. Sebastian looks just like him, his father.
“You know why I am here,” Sebastian’s father says. I remember his name is Aelfric. He dismisses Sebastian in favor of me and I can see his perfect eyebrow arch slightly at the state that is me. “Aefre,” he says with a slight nod. “It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. You have caused quite the stir among my people.”
“Aelfric,” I say, inclining my head regally as he did. I may look a mess, but I am still Queen of the Underworld and Princess of the Dark Fae, apparently. He looks surprised that I know who he is, but then moves his green-eyed gaze to Xane, who straightens up to his full six-feet-four inches but is still somewhat shorter than Sebastian’s dad. “Xane Draconis, Overlord of Hades. It is quite the honor. Your reputation precedes you. Never fought a battle and lost. It doesn’t surprise me that you have aligned yourself with the new Queen.” He casts his eyes down to my left hand and takes in my wedding rings, along with the Dragon ring that I gave to Xane, which he stubbornly wears on his own left hand. “Demons and Dragons. So powerful. Unfortunately for you, I am here to take my son and his bride-to-be back to my Kingdom so that they can join in a Fae Union.”
Xane looks at me and then at Sebastian and then back to Aelfric, figuring it all out and having none of it. “No, I don’t think that you are,” he says loftily, and I smirk inwardly at his tone. I forget who he is and how he got there. To me, he is just Xane, but to the rest of the Underworld, he is Ruler of Hell, a ferocious warrior – who apparently doesn’t ever lose a fight. Good to know.
Sebastian remains silent but I can’t blame him. As far as I know, he hasn’t seen his father since he was turned two thousand seven hundred and sixty years ago.
“Kalen,” Aelfric says, looking back at his son. “I warned you if she ever showed up, I would be back for you. It is time for you to do your duty to the Court.”
Interesting. He told me that he was banished, never to return. Little liar. I narrow my eyes at him, and he purposefully ignores me.
“Drake has not acknowledged her yet,” he says, taking our linked hands and casually moving them behind his back.
“Actually he has. She wouldn’t bear the Royal Fae markings if he hadn’t. He may be a stubborn son-of-a-bitch, but he knows he can’t deny her.”
Crap. So, he saw them then.
“Then, where is he? Making a sudden and short appearance and then disappearing again is hardly much of an acknowledgment,” Sebastian scoffs.
“He was here,” Aelfric says, looking back at me. “He was here to take you back to his Kingdom, only he arrived during a rather brutal and bloody fight between you and your sire.” He says the word “sire” as if it is distasteful to him.
“What?” I say, now confused. “He wasn’t there.”
“Oh, yes he was. Unfortunately, your sire threw you to the ground before he could take you. He bargained with your sire instead in that moment. He will be back for you. I can assure you it is in your best interests to come back with me now and have your Union be Light, before he does.”
It takes me all of a few seconds to catch up. Constantine threw me out of the windows to stop Drake from taking me? I think back to the moments before. He relaxed and smiled at me, I thought he whispered something to me, but it got lost in the wind and rain and the one-hundred-and-fifty-foot drop to the ground. I want so much for it to be true. That he did it to save me. It would also explain why he disappeared suddenly, and that Sebastian can’t find him. It doesn’t make up for all the other horrendous things he did and said, but it makes me feel a tiny bit better. It also makes me remember what he said about using his Powers on me and how he had to get someone else to do it. To me and Devon: Sebastian. I yank my hand from his and step closer to Xane, as I remember that he has been spelling me to leave Cole, and Devon to feel something more for Jess. Remiel was right all along. I guess I have some apologizing to do. Sebastian looks at me quizzically, but I ignore him. I’ll deal with him later in private.
“Drake has Constantine?” I ask.
“Yes. Locked deep underground. I suspect Drake took him as he is waiting for you to go to him now. It is his style. He does so loathe to chase when he can lure his prey to him.”
“How do you know all of this?” I ask him, thinking he is being quite forthcoming. It makes a nice change from all the subterfuge and secrets that comes with my lot. Must be a Faerie thing. Too bad Sebastian lost his honesty when he became a Vampire.
“I am King of the Light Fae, my dear. Do you really think I remain clueless where my Dark counterpart is concerned?”
Clearly not.
“So he must know you are here then, trying to get to us?”
“Probably,” he says and shrugs. “His usual arrogance makes him think he is still going to get you to go to him. Now enough talk. We should leave.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you,” I say, excluding Sebastian as he can do whatever the Hell he likes.
“Neither am I,” Sebastian says with another glare at me.
Neither of us gets to hear what Aelfric opened his mouth to say, as all of a sudden a gigantic maw opens up in the sky, ripping the dark clouds apart at least a hundred feet wide, flashing orange and black, before three Dragons swoop through the tear in the sky and land not far from Aelfric’s grazing unicorn. Thank Christ there is a shadow cover over these extensive grounds, or we would have a whole bunch of explaining to do.
Aelfric looks annoyed at the interruption, Sebastian’s mouth drops open, and Xane and I look at each other and sigh. Tiamat had Shifted as soon Her feet hit the ground but the other two, both blue Dragons on either side of Her, remain as they are. The left one is huge, bigger even than my mother and the other one looks familiar and seeing as the only other Dragon I have seen is To’Kah, or Finn, as he goes by, I am guessing it is him. He tilts his head at me, and my inspection and I nod. Yes, it is him. Damn, I really should have called him to find out what he wanted with me.
“No one is going anywhere,” Tiamat declares as She strides forward in Her true human form, the exact opposite of me: tall, curvy, waves of black hair, and Her Dragon eyes, which just freak me out.
“Tiamat,” Aelfric bows majestically. “How lovely to see you again.” Sarcasm drips from every word.
“Aelfric,” She says, glaring down Her nose at him. “What is the meaning of this?”
“I have come to take my son and your daughter back to my Court to be wed. It is only fitting now that we have a Dark Fae Princess.”
Tiamat glares at me and I cringe. Not only because of Her steely gaze, but
I also know I look a fright. I take a moment to Shift, now that I can, and once again I am clean and neatly groomed. Choosing propriety over fashion, I dress in a suitable gothic gown, similar to my mother’s, that I know She would approve of. “Better,” She snarls in my head, using the telepathic Power that we Dragons have.
“Aefre is already wed,” She says to Aelfric, who dismisses it with a wave of his hand.
“While I don’t disapprove of a marriage to the Demon Overlord, it still holds no water in our Kingdoms. She will be wed to Kalen before the next full moon.”
Tiamat’s eyes flick from me to Xane and She arches Her eyebrow sardonically but keeps up the ruse, more out of a the-less-you-know-the-better-to-keep-him-safe reason and not out of disrespect for Cole, who - although She has never met him in person - She adores.
“There will be no Fae marriage between Aefre and Kalen. It is not her destiny,” She declares.
“But it is. Our prophet was quite clear that my firstborn son is fated to be with Drake’s only daughter.”
“Aefre is not Drake’s daughter, she is mine,” Tiamat says heatedly and the three of us just stand there staring at them as they argue. I cast a quick glance at Xane, who looks back at me with a “we need to talk” look and I sigh and nod. Despite my anger at Sebastian for deceiving me, I look over at him too and he rolls his eyes at me.
“Do you think they would even notice if we left?” he murmurs.
“Probably not,” I murmur back.
I hear them yelling about destiny and the stars and the blessed Fae baby and the Future Empress and I step forward. “Enough!” They both turn to look at me, clearly having forgotten we were even there. “Let me make something perfectly clear. One, I am not going to the Land of Faerie to marry Sebastian and two, someone had better get me my sire back before I blast the lot of you to kingdom come.” The ground rumbles under our feet at my Power Surge.
“Calm yourself, my dear,” Tiamat says to me soothingly, sensing my deep anger. “You are free to leave. I will not allow Aelfric to take you. You will, however, have to make your own arrangements to get Constantine back. As much as I would like to help you, I have no way of getting to the Fae Kingdoms. We are Draco non grata,” She says wryly and I almost chuckle.
“If you don’t come with me, you will be making a big mistake,” Aelfric says. “You don’t want the Dark to have anything to do with your Union.”
“There is no Union,” I remind him with clenched fists.
“There will be,” he says confidently. “I suggest you make the decision quickly to choose Kalen’s side over your own. If Drake gets his hands on your child, I fear for us all.”
He leaps back onto his unicorn and vanishes from sight.
“Go now,” Tiamat says. “Not much will stop your father from coming for you when he thinks he has waited long enough. You hold all the power for the moment. Use your resources wisely.” And with that, per usual, cryptic comment said, She Shifts and flies off with Her pals back through the rip in the sky, which closes behind them. I can’t believe She just acted like me knowing my father’s identity wasn’t a big deal. We have never discussed it and yet She just adapts to the circumstance without hesitation. Maybe that’s why She is such a great leader. Nothing surprises Her and nothing catches Her off guard.
“Livvie?” Xane asks me innocently. “Do you mind explaining how you are the Dark Fae Princess and why the King of Light Fae calls Sebastian his son?”
I sigh. “It’s exactly how it sounds,” I say and grab them both by the hands and Astral us back home to my country manor in England.
“No, you are going to have to do better than that,” Xane says as we land in the library, but he keeps hold of my hand, as does Sebastian, gripping tightly, clearly worried about what this means for him.
“It’s complicated, Xane, but please, you cannot tell anyone. No one, do you understand me? Especially about Sebastian. It is important, if anyone were to find out about him, he would be in terrible danger. I cannot allow that to happen,” I say ferociously, so he knows I am being serious.
He nods slowly. “I swear I won’t tell anyone, but you need to fill me in, Liv. I’ve got the basic gist of it but…” He holds his other hand up at a loss.
“Liv,” Sebastian says quietly.
I turn to him and his face is filled with fear and worry. “He won’t tell. I promise you, Sebastian, that if he does, I will kill him and anyone he has told myself. I will not let any harm come to you. I promise you. You can trust me, and I trust him.”
He nods, still wary, but also a glimmer of pleasure shines through that I will defend him against all odds. But I cannot let him get away with what he has been doing to me. “I know what you’ve been doing to me and Devon. Constantine practically told me. We will discuss it later and I can assure you that I am going to beat the living crap out of you first.”
He blanches and shakes his head and says, “Please, Liv, understand that I had to. I couldn’t refuse him.”
“I said we would discuss it later,” I say firmly.
He gulps and nods woefully as he turns away from me, knowing that whatever it was that we had is likely over now. I haven’t decided for sure. I know he acted on our sire’s request and I know that it is impossible to refuse him sometimes. It is harder for Sebastian as they go further back, a lot further back-all the way back to when they were human, or at least Constantine was human and Vincentius was living with his human family. It will hurt him to think that I am going to end our relationship, and while I dislike that plan of action, it may make him see that his actions have consequences. Constantine was right. I am a manipulator. It turns my stomach, but I push it away as I turn back to Xane and start to explain about Drake and Aelfric and Sebastian. He takes it all in without a word and then whistles as I finish up. “Fuck, that’s some story. I did wonder when you started asking questions about the Faerie if there was more to it than just common interest. You are a crafty devil. So, no one else knows about this?”
“Well, Constantine, obviously. He has known about Sebastian all along, but he only just found out about me. That is what we argued over.”
“Yes, I can imagine it pushed his nose right out of joint hearing about a destined marriage and baby,” Xane chuckles.
“No kidding,” I mutter.
“At least you know that he didn’t throw you out of the windows to hurt you,” Sebastian says, still out to defend our sire’s actions.
“True, but everything else he did was to hurt me. I am going to rescue him and then I don’t ever want to see him again,” I say.
“What? No, Liv, you can’t do that. He was angry, with every right. We blindsided him, especially with the baby thing. You need to give him a chance to make it up to you.”
“I understand his anger, Seb, but I don’t think I can forgive what he said to me, and what he did. He ripped me to shreds. My own hand was holding my guts in so that they didn’t slide onto the floor, and he enjoyed it. That isn’t just anger, that is hate,” I say vehemently and they both pale.
“He did that to you?” Sebastian whispers. “Oh, Liv.” He steps forward to give me comfort, but I step back, holding up my hand.
“I don’t trust you,” I say, and his hurt intensifies.
“How do you plan on getting him back?” Xane asks. “I am in on a rescue mission just because I want him back here so I can kick his ass from here to Hell and back.”
“Get in line,” I say and then turn in a circle. “Tiamat said to use my resources. What resources? If I can’t Astral there and I can’t use a spell to get there, then how do I get there?”
“The only way I know, outside of the King’s power, is via Faerie Ring,” Sebastian says.
“As in a Faerie Ring that is found in the woods?” I ask, pointing to the woods in my back garden.
“Oui,” he says. “But I can no longer find them. For all the Fae power that I still have, technically I am no longer Fae and therefore no longer able to find the Rings. On top of
that, even if we stumbled across one, I couldn’t say for sure you would be able to pass through as you also aren’t technically Fae.”
“Tell that to the burning on my arms,” I grouse as the searing pain of the markings gets worse as they develop.
“It is hurting you?” Xane asks as he lifts my sleeves up and his hand tightens on mine as he sees the markings being etched into my skin. Under my skin, actually, with what feels like a million tiny little daggers. “Fuck,” he breathes. “How much more of it?”
I shrug and say, “Not sure. I’ll live. I’ve just been through worse, trust me. This is nothing compared.” I pat his hand and he stays by my side. “Where is everybody, by the way? We’ve been here a good ten minutes, and nobody has come to see why we’re here.”
“I don’t know. The house was empty when I left it to come to you,” Xane says.
“I wasn’t here,” Sebastian says. “I went home.”
That has me intrigued, as I have never heard him speak of a home of his own. “Paris,” he adds as he sees my look. “I do have my own place, you know,” he says with a smile. “A life of my own. Or at least I did.”
“You gave it up to be with Constantine?”
“Of course. He asked me to stay. Do you know how long it has been since he asked me that?” he says sadly. “We have to find a way to get him back. I dread to think what Drake is doing to him.”
“Surely he can’t hurt him? Not much does,” I say.
“Out of all creatures, with perhaps the exception of Dragons, Drake hates Vampires the most. Because of the blood thing. He will go to great lengths, I am sure, to make his stay as unpleasant as possible.”
“Well, as much as I never want to see him again, I can’t leave him there, especially as he is there because of me,” I say with a sigh and wish I could just leave him there. I fiddle with the ring he gave me and start to pull it off. If he thinks that we can still be together after this, he is sorely mistaken. Tower incident aside, even finding out about his deception, having Sebastian violate my mind to get me to leave Cole, that alone is unforgivable.