by Shona Husk
“I was handed the note today. And because I hadn’t seen you for a while, I thought I’d wait here, as I knew you’d need to cross here at some point.”
So not that long really. “Are you coming with me?”
“You can’t smell trap all over that?”
“I can, but that won’t stop me from going.” He could imagine how angry Sulia would be because he’d already freed the trapped fairies. It almost made him smile.
Taryn shuffled and glanced at the ground. “Why not ignore her?”
“I can’t afford to ignore her. Fetch my sword.” The idea of a fight was beginning to sound appealing, a way to burn through some of the tension that wouldn’t leave him and maybe clear his thoughts of what had happened and what Jacqui had said.
Taryn walked over to a tree and picked the sword up. She’d had it ready for him, knowing that he’d read the note and go. “Did you want more weapons or people?”
“No. Sometimes less is more.” Except when it came to Jacqui, he just wanted more and more and more. But he still didn’t have her heart—or even her trust. “I also want you to hang back so it looks like I came alone.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.” It was definitely going to be a trap, but walking out of it would prove more than avoiding it. If he avoided it, Sulia would make sure people found out he was a coward. He had to prove he had nothing to prove and nothing to worry about.
Chapter 9
Jacqui lay down on her bed. Even though Felan had only touched the sheets for moments, she could smell him like a hint of summer. Heat and flowers. It would’ve been so easy to stop thinking and worrying, and just fall into his arms. Some things didn’t change. She closed her eyes. The memory of his hands on her skin was fresh now. It had been hard to let him go, but she knew it was the right thing to do. She wasn’t ready to let him back into her heart—or rather let him know he’d never left. Being with him was dangerous, and yet she couldn’t help herself when it came to Felan. If he hadn’t been fairy, would their relationship have been half as much fun, or did she love the danger and secrecy that came with knowing him?
He was truly like no other man she’d ever known. For a moment, she wished he was still here. Her hand slid over her stomach and under the waistband of her skirt to finish what they’d started. Her fingers brushed the scar on her abdomen and the lace of her panties, then slipped underneath them. In her mind it was his touch, his fingers. The heat in his eyes. He’d looked at her the same way he always had—as if the world spun around her. Then she stopped.
She couldn’t do this thinking of him. He should have stayed…she’d wanted him to stay, but he was right. Something would have ended up happening. And no doubt she would’ve ended up regretting it. There was always a price with him, and she was always the one paying.
If she hadn’t have said anything, she’d be in his arms and calling out his name…and waking up alone. He wouldn’t have stayed the whole night. She knew that—she’d seen the dilemma in his eyes when she’d asked him to come over and had known he was tossing up between her and Annwyn. She’d won, temporarily. However, it didn’t feel like a victory.
It felt like he’d breached her defenses and walked straight in. All the time she’d spent moving on had been erased, and once again she felt like the teen waiting for him to come back. That he could still do that to her…and that she enjoyed it scared her. And yet part of her liked that he’d come back to her and that he’d got on the boat for her.
He’d changed. Some part of him was now willing to go further than he ever had before. He didn’t just want her. He needed her. He needed a Queen.
That really freaked her out. That he’d left without the evening going further was a good thing. She needed to reclaim the distance. She wasn’t going to fall into his bed. She wasn’t what he needed. He wasn’t what she needed…only what she craved.
A tiny seed of doubt raised its head. If she resisted, she was going to lose him again. This time it wasn’t so easy to believe that was a good thing. And she wasn’t sure she believed that she didn’t want him in her life. Felan wasn’t any fairy; he was the one she’d once loved more than anyone. He was the one who’d broken her heart. Perhaps he was the only person who could put it back together.
She closed her eyes and took a breath, determined to push all thoughts of fairies out of her mind. He’d gone back to Annwyn, where he belonged, and she was here, where she belonged. However, the expectation that had built in her body didn’t evaporate. She’d never get to sleep if she didn’t take the edge off.
Her fingers moved slowly. Next time, she’d have condoms ready—because that would fix everything—because the lack of birth control was what was broken with their relationship.
Don’t think of Felan…think of that hot actor…
She pressed a little harder, and her breath hitched. Then Felan was back in her mind, doing what she’d wanted—drawing off her panties and running his tongue over her clit.
No, anyone but him.
But it was his lips she wanted to be kissing as he eased himself into her. What was it about him that made her body crazy, that made her want to take chances a sane person wouldn’t, that made her want to throw logic out the window?
Her fingers circled her clit, then she gave in and let thoughts of Felan fill her mind. It was too easy. She groaned as she came, wishing he’d actually been there—then wishing she’d never invited him in and left her in this situation.
She sighed and lay there for a moment. What an awesome date. Would they ever be able to manage even the simple stuff again? If he was King of Annwyn, nothing would be simple again. She shivered and sat up. She couldn’t have him unless she became Queen. Maybe it was for the best she’d said no. And she should keep saying no until he found someone else.
But she didn’t want that either. She didn’t want to spend the rest of her life imagining him with someone else. She gritted her teeth. She was going to have to make a choice: let him go forever or go with him forever. Neither seemed like good options.
The two necklaces brushed against her skin. She touched the familiar one made of iron. It had protected her for so long and yet Felan hadn’t seemed bothered. She knew his skin would burn if he touched it. He’d shown her that once to prove he was fairy.
With a flick of her fingers, she removed the small mirror he’d given her. A gift so she could watch him while he was away. Why hadn’t he done that the first time around? She held it in her palm, not sure if she wanted to look or not. He’d given her free rein to peek into his life. Did she want to look? Did she want to see what he did when he wasn’t with her?
Would he be taking care of himself after being kicked out of her bed? Her cheeks heated at the idea of catching him in such a private moment, yet she couldn’t resist taking a look into the life he’d kept hidden from her last time they were together.
She uncurled her fingers and thought of him. The surface of the mirror wobbled and then she saw him, blue blood and dirt was streaked across his cheek. She watched, confused, as the scene widened and he swung what looked like a sword, his clothes—the ones he’d worn to see her—stained with fairy blood and grime. Her heart clenched.
No sex—battle. She didn’t want him to die after just remembering why she had once loved him and why it would be so easy to love him again. Did she love him enough to give up everything when she knew he wouldn’t do the same for her?
***
The moment Felan stepped through the doorway into the mortal world, he was attacked. A Grey armed with fairy silver swung at him. The blow only just glanced off Felan’s sword. A fraction to the left and it would have cut his arm. He knew Sulia well enough to know this wasn’t the trap—this was just the warm-up.
The Grey attacked again, the silver blade glinting in the moonlight. Felan pressed forward. He wouldn’t retreat to Annwyn. If he did, the next time he stepped through, there’d be
an army waiting for him. May she wither.
He shifted to the left and brought the blade of his sword up underneath the Grey’s guard. The sword bit through clothing and into flesh. He pressed harder and twisted. The man cried out and dropped his sword.
“What did she promise you? A return to Court?” Was Sulia making deals with Greys? He hoped so, as then he’d be able to drop her in the river without a second thought.
He shook his head. “My son.” He gasped for breath, his skin collapsing as he fought to live. “She has my son.”
Fuck. Was there no low Sulia wouldn’t drop to? “Who is your son?”
“Darkling child.”
Blue blood trickled down Felan’s sword. This Grey had fathered a child with a human in the mortal world. A child that would need to kill to live. Most darklings didn’t survive past their first year.
“Find him, please. Not his fault.”
It wasn’t the child’s fault that he was darkling or that Sulia was using him as a pawn. “I can’t let you live after attacking me.”
The Grey nodded, his strength fading along with what was left of his looks. Haggard and sunken, he’d be dead in moments. “Find him.” His hand grabbed Felan’s so they both held the sword. “Please.”
This was the reason he’d tried to keep Caspian a secret. As much as he didn’t want to draw attention to his son, he was going to have to warn him to be on guard.
“I’ll do my best.”
The Grey’s grip tightened. “Find him or she will kill him. She will kill them all.”
All? What was Sulia up to? “Where are they?”
“I don’t know.” The Grey took a shuddering breath.
“You could have sent word instead of attacking. I could have helped sooner.” How many children had Sulia taken hostage? Were they all darkling or changeling as well?
“Would you have stopped to help the banished when you are fighting for your own life? Don’t let her—” he coughed. Dark, dying blood ran down his chin. He looked up at Felan, then his head lolled back. Dead.
The body became heavy on the sword. Felan pulled it free and wiped it clean on his jeans but didn’t bother to sheath it. He had a feeling that wasn’t the only Grey he was going to have to kill tonight. Killing fairies was always bad business, banished, exiled, or otherwise.
Worse was Sulia’s method of ensuring assistance—blackmail. It was one thing to trick and make deals, but quite another to stoop to coercion. There was no honor or wit in blackmail. She’d take Annwyn over his dead body—and she seemed to be thinking the same thing.
Taryn stepped through the doorway from Annwyn. She must have only been a few paces behind him, but with the time difference across the veil, a life had been lost. She looked at the scene. “Are you sure you don’t want to wait while I assemble an army or at least a strike force? I’m not sure I’m going to be much help in an actual battle.”
Felan raised one eyebrow. “Doing that will take time I don’t have. You have been training with Verden and that will have to do.” He glanced at the body of the dead Grey. “He wasn’t a properly trained swordsman. I’m hoping most of them won’t be.”
She gave a small nod. “You told me this job would be mostly a title to see out your father’s reign.”
“It was supposed be. I didn’t expect Sulia to want a war.”
Taryn considered this for a moment. “Perhaps she doesn’t. Perhaps she hopes to kill you, and me, out here in the middle of nowhere. No one would ever find us.”
“I’m harder to kill than you think.” He wasn’t sure who he was reassuring, Taryn or himself.
“I’m not.” She glared at him. “You need Verden here, not me. He should be carrying this sword and the responsibility.”
“I can’t change that now. You want him un-banished, we best make sure neither of us dies today.” He touched her arm. “You’ve killed a Grey before.”
“I got lucky. He wasn’t expecting me to put up a fight.”
“That’s because you are young and were raised across the veil. No one knows what to expect from you, but they respect you. You made a deal with the King and won. Few can say that.”
“I got lucky. I know that. You don’t need luck; you need experience.”
Felan nodded. Taryn was right, but she was all he had. While Verden had worked very hard to get to the position of Hunter, Taryn had gotten the job because no one else wanted it and he’d known she would be on his side. “I guess luck will have to do.”
He took a breath. The air was tainted with death and the tang of blood. He’d go alone to the grove and leave Taryn to protect the doorway again. Sulia would either plan to kill him or trap him. He needed more help in Annwyn. Dylis should be here, the woman he would make his Hunter once he was King. He glanced at Taryn, knowing she was right. She wasn’t a warrior, and if she died, Verden would be devastated. “Hide the body. Guard the doorway.” He looked at his watch. He knew it wasn’t showing the correct time, but it would be good enough. “If I’m not back in an hour, you can enter the grove—although I’ll probably be dead.” He went to take off his watch, but she pulled one out of a pocket.
“I used to wear one all the time in the mortal world. I want to be able to use it again.” Her words were pointed and aimed at his heart. She didn’t play games like a Court-raised fairy would—at least not unless she absolutely had to.
He looked at her. “You will.”
“Not if you die tonight. You need someone to watch your back.”
“Sulia won’t kill me.” But he wasn’t as sure of that as he had been. While Sulia may not be holding the sword, she would be there cheering it on and orchestrating the moves like a power-crazy puppeteer.
“You trust her far more than I. Class-A bitch.”
He nodded. “She has hostages. She listened to my mother and then perfected her teachings.”
“Where do we begin looking for them?”
“I don’t know yet. But if she had one to make him fight”—he pointed to the dead Grey—“she will have others.”
Taryn frowned. She wasn’t used to all of this, even though she was learning fast. “What do you want me to do?”
“One step at a time…maybe this is something Verden and a hound can do.” Finding the hostages and breaking Sulia’s hold over the Greys she sought to use would be a big battle to win. He knew Verden wouldn’t refuse the job.
Felan rolled his shoulders and rotated his wrist. He was guessing there’d be no wild fae protecting the grove, as they wouldn’t go anywhere near Sulia. He doubted that she had found a way to corrupt them to her will. If she had, he was in big trouble. Bigger trouble.
“Good luck,” Taryn said.
He nodded at his Hunter. He was going to need it.
His heart was bouncing in his chest, but he wouldn’t reveal or give into the nerves and fear. He’d spent far too long learning how to play the games of Court to ever give anything away. By the time he reached the edges of the holly grove, he was calm.
Beneath his feet, the ground was almost silent, and above, the stars gleamed as if nothing was wrong with the world. He paused at the grove, now filled with only real trees instead of trapped fairies. In the middle of a small clearing sat Sulia, on a chair that must have been brought from Court.
Around him trees rustled, but there were no wild fae here.
“You made it.” She sounded surprised, as if she didn’t realize how well he could use a sword.
Felan walked into the clearing, his naked blade clearly visible. But she didn’t move, didn’t stand. She was acting as though she was already Queen and he was seeking an audience. Everything had been carefully staged, and for that he had to admire her. She was playing a good game, but he wouldn’t let her win.
“I was busy. I got your invite, but I had a better offer.”
Her face contorted in anger f
or just a moment before she masked it. He kept his smile hidden. She was worried about this. Good. He walked a little closer. There were people hiding among the trees. He could feel them, the weight of their stares and the peculiar resonance that only a Grey had, as if they were a hollow vessel waiting to be filled.
“Was that before or after you stripped the trees from the sacred grove?”
This time he smiled. “This was no sacred grove. We both know you had planned to kill every fairy here.”
Her skin whitened a fraction more. “Oh, don’t tell me you are finally taking an interest in politics? Haven’t you left it a little late? It’s rather more complex than dancing or gambling.”
“Yes it is, but it’s my birthright.” He was quite happy to let her assume that he’d only just decided to pursue the throne.
“You think you are fit to rule simply because of the blood in your veins?” She laughed. “Tell me you’re not that gullible?”
“You think you are fit to rule? You’ve slept your way to this position, made deals, and taken hostages to force people to support you. Do not mistake bought loyalty for love.”
“Love? I don’t want love. I want to rule Annwyn and the mortal world. I want power.” She stood. Dressed entirely in white, she was ghostly. The only color was her red lips and nails. She was a vampire sucking the life out of the Court. She would turn the Court on itself just to watch the blue blood spill for her entertainment. She tilted her head and looked at him as if he were stupid. “Is that what you want? Love? Someone to warm your heart?”
“I want many things.” Staying in Jacqui’s bed and hearing her say she loved him was high on the list. Not letting Sulia anywhere near the throne was another.
“I’ll make you a deal, Felan.” She drifted closer.
He placed the blade between them. Sulia or his mother had tried to poison Taryn, and he wouldn’t put it past Sulia to try something underhanded with him. For all he knew her nails were tipped in poison and one scratch would kill him.
“You won’t hurt me. I’m unarmed and I’m pregnant.” She ran her hand over her stomach. “Do you know how many humans I had to sleep with? I have worked hard to be your rival; already the people are looking at me instead of you. I have an heir and consort, while you have nothing.”