by H. D. Gordon
Carolyn laughed now, the sound crawling up Surah’s spine rather than ringing in her ears. “Everyone knows of you, Princess,” she replied, making the address sound as dirty as Surah’s had.
Surah looked at Charlie, hoping her undeniable disappointment didn’t show on her face. But he looked as surprised at this revelation as she felt, and that one moment of her furrowing her eyebrows in confusion was the last moment that she could have possibly made her escape. And maybe escaped her fate as well.
The voice came from the open doorway, which Surah had left ajar to vent some of the putrid smell in the dark cottage. She heard it at the same moment that the dark power washed over her, at the same moment as she felt the necklace holding her royal Stone snap and fly free of her neck. Her hand reached up to catch it, her breath catching in her throat as well, but she missed, the chain just narrowly evading her fingers, and it was too late.
She spun on her heel, cloak fluttering around her in a quiet swish, and there stood Black Heart.
Her royal Stone rested in the palm of his black gloved hand. Surah considered trying to make a grab for it, but Black Heart closed his fingers around the Stone and smiled the way one might at a naughty child. Surah’s gut clenched as she looked into his face and saw that his eyes were the exact same jade color as Charlie’s. “Let’s not be hasty,” Black Heart said. He offered Surah a small bow. She was struck speechless.
The instinct to snap her fingers and teleport out of here came, but she cursed in her head when she realized she would need her Stone to do this. The next realization that came was even worse. Black Heart was blocking the door. The Black Stone, much larger than she expected, hung around his neck, pulsing that sickening dark power that seemed to fill the room even more fully than the awful smell of the Witch’s home. She was trapped.
Charlie Redmine had set her up. Somehow, though she knew this was completely insane, this realization was the worst of all.
When a familiar voice spoke in her head, Surah’s knees nearly went lax with relief. In all the shock she had forgotten about Samson, who was slinking around the house just outside the door.
Can I kill him, love?
Surah couldn’t stop her eyes from flicking to Charlie, who had a very peculiar look on his face, as if he was as taken off guard by all this as she was. She wasn’t fooled. Charlie Redmine was an extraordinary actor.
“Yes,” she told Samson silently.
“You ought to tell that Beast of yours to back up,” Black Heart said, his voice deep and gleeful. He wrapped his hand around the Black Stone, thick fingers barely covering the surface. “Unless you fancy yourself a dead tiger and a severed throat.”
Hot, red anger welled up in Surah now, and her fists clenched at her sides, but she said nothing. She could tell by Black Heart’s hard expression that he would do exactly as he promised if she made a false move, and it would be all too easy with the Black Stone in his hand. Even if she still had her small piece of the White Stone, she would be no match to the power that he had stolen. The fact that she wasn’t dead already gave her a dash of hope, but it was just a dash. She told Samson silently to stand back, and the tiger retreated into the grasses a bit with barely contained rage.
Surah’s heart was tripping, but she inclined her head, holding Black Heart’s gaze with concealed effort. “If you wanted to kill me, you would have already done so,” she said her soft voice clear and strong. “So what is it you want?”
Black Heart smiled. He had an ugly smile, nothing like his brother’s, who hadn’t said a word at this new arrival. Carolyn stood over by Charlie, just as silent, but with a very pleased look on her face. Surah didn’t see what either of their expressions were though, because she thought that taking her gaze away from Black Heart for even a moment would be a very stupid idea. This was the first time she’d encountered the man other than when he’d busted his brother out of the holding cell, but she could see why he’d gained the reputation he had. Darkness seemed as much a part of him as shadows are part of the night.
“I do want to kill you, Princess,” Black Heart said, and his pleasant tone did not at all match the words. “Just not quite yet. I want to kill both you and your father…How is he by the way?”
Now the anger Surah felt turned into fury, something that she could feel in her bones and taste in her mouth. Her next words came out of her mouth quickly, and she made no effort to stop them. “Not concerning himself with the piddling of common cowards,” she said.
Black Heart struck out so fast that even if Surah had known what was coming, she probably wouldn’t have been able to avoid it. The hard knuckles on the back of his hand connected with the side of her cheek so hard that a few stars burst behind her eyes, and the cracking sound it made resounded like close thunder in the tiny room, drowning out the sounds of breathing and racing hearts. The pain that exploded on the left side of her face was immediate and harsh and terrible, making her eyes water and her back hot. Her head was whipped to the side, wrenching her neck.
Surah did not cry out. She didn’t make a sound.
She reached up and touched her lip, seeing a spot of blood on her gloved finger, and met Black Heart’s jade eyes with a death promise clear on the surface of her violet ones. Her face still hurt, was rippling with pain and heat, but her lips pulled up in a small smile.
She refused to look over at Charlie, so she didn’t see the barely concealed fury on his own face. She just stared at Black Heart, thinking that if he had any brains at all, he would kill her now, because if she were going to live through this, she would see to it that he wouldn’t.
Samson was coming now, she could practically feel the heat of his anger across the distance between them, and she told him very sternly to stand down. Black Heart could do any number of things with that Stone around his neck, and Surah would not be able to contain herself if something happened to Sam. Attacking Black Heart right now was a sure way to get them both killed. The man obviously had no boundaries, and Surah could be a very patient person.
She pushed her chin out, ignoring the blood that spilled from her lip there, her voice strong and steady, royal. “Feel better?” she asked.
Black Heart laughed heartily, the Stone around his neck bouncing a little on his wide chest. He ran a hand through his hair, which was slicked back into a tight ponytail. He came forward and gripped Surah’s shoulder, his touch rough and slightly painful. “Much better, Princess,” he said, giving her that toothy smile. “Thank you for asking. Now if you’ve nothing left to add, let us be on our way. There is so much to be done.”
He turned to the others. “Thank you for your help, Carolyn.”
The Witch nodded, batting those black eyelashes and smiling that pink smile. Black Heart looked at Charlie and jerked his head. “Come, little brother,” he said, extending his free hand to him. “You’ve done well.”
Charlie came over to them, his movements robotic, his heart sinking and dropping and hurting in his chest. He took his brother’s hand, as he had done so many times when they were children, only now Charlie wished he didn’t have to.
Surah finally looked at Charlie as he came to a stop in front of her, and though he’d kept hoping she would look at him earlier, he wished very much that she didn’t now. Her face was smooth and expressionless, the spot where Michael had struck her blooming red and a bit of blood still marring her pretty lips, but the look behind her purple eyes, the eyes that Charlie had so often seen in his dreams, was almost too much to bear.
Surah pulled her eyes away a moment before Black Heart teleported them to wherever he had in mind, and her last thought was one that she would never—if she lived through this—ever forget. It was the thought that Charlie had seen in her eyes, the one that made his chest ache.
I gave you an inch, and you took way more than a mile.
PART II: SEALED WITH A KISS
CHAPTER 31
The jump in location still gathered Charlie as if by a divine hand and tossed his across their world like
a child’s rejected plaything. His stomach lurched and dizziness surrounded his head. The scene in Carolyn’s cottage disappeared, the sharp stink it carried disappearing with it. For a split second his feet felt no ground, his brain suspended as if in space. Then they landed, a silent impact that rode up through the heels of his boots, his confused senses slowly sharpening back to focus.
He dropped his brother’s hand—more than glad to be free of his touch—and clutched his knees, holding back retches. After a moment—a slightly shorter moment than the previous trips, which meant he was getting used to it—he regained his composure, his stomach settling and senses unlocking. He straightened from his position, and the first thing he saw was the deep violet of the princess’s eyes.
He thought, If looks could kill…
Charlie had to pull his eyes away. He couldn’t stand it.
Black Heart still had hold of Surah’s shoulder, and she yanked herself away from him and delicately smoothed out her cloak, returning his annoyed stare defiantly. He may have taken her captive, and he may be planning to kill her, but she did have her pride, and right now it was getting the best of her. Surprisingly, it was anger that was fueling her, rather than the fear she certainly should be feeling. It took her a moment to realize she was angrier with Charlie Redmine than she was afraid of his brother.
At least, for the moment. That would change very shortly.
Surah jerked a little as her hands clasped in front of her without a signal from her brain to do so, and smoky black handcuffs enclosed her wrists, making an immovable figure eight there. Black Heart released hold of the Stone at his throat and smiled as Surah tested the strength of her dark magical bonds.
“I assure you they are quite solid, Princess,” he said.
Surah returned his smirk, forcibly ignoring Charlie as if he weren’t even there. “Of course,” she said, her voice smooth and calm. Inside, her heart was threatening to rip through her ribcage.
They were in the jungle. Exactly what jungle, Surah hadn’t a clue. The trees were thick and green, crawling with vines and bursting with colorful plants. She could hear the sound of a waterfall in the distance, the call of smaller birds and the rustling of smaller animals. The sunlight peeking through the lush canopy shifted down in glittering, golden streams, the thickness of the brush surely hiding much greater Beasts. They could be in any one of the eight jungles that bordered her father’s kingdom. Some of them were more dangerous places than others, but all of them were dangerous places.
Black Heart leaned into her now, his neck craning down and his hot breath pushing into her face. He towered over her. Surah met his eyes and refused to flinch. Next to them, though the princess didn’t see it, Charlie tensed.
“Don’t be scared, Princess,” Black Heart said, his voice pitched low and falsely gentle. He patted the Stone around his neck with his right hand. “The Beasts wouldn’t dare attack while I have this. Come now.” He gave her a rough push forward. “Let’s get moving.”
Surah didn’t know this either, but Charlie thought he just might try to beat the shit out of his brother right now if Michael put his hands on her again. Black Stone be damned. Now wasn’t the wisest time, but Mikey had an ass-beating coming, Charlie was sure of that.
Surah walked, her back straight and head high and heart low. She couldn’t believe she was in this situation, couldn’t believe she had been so stupid as to trust a man like Charlie Redmine, with his handsome face and calm manner and blunt, inappropriate way of talking. She should have killed him in her bedroom. Hell, she should have killed him as soon as she set eyes on him. Or let Theo kill him. Now, she was in the middle of some Wildland with a crazed Sorcerer and Samson wasn’t here and her Stone was gone and her father was dying. All because she’d given an inch. If she lived through this, she was going to literally punch Sam in the nose for that terrible advice.
The two men walked behind her, their heavy shoes making the vegetation crunch underfoot. Surah kept ahead of them and concentrated on two things; keeping her calm, and making sure she lived long enough to see the two of them punished. It was a savage part of her that had been cultivated over the years, a strong survival instinct that had saved her on more than one occasion. The ability to shut out her emotions and be pragmatic was key right now.
Theo would be looking for her, as would her father, if he was even physically able. So would Samson. She just had to wait for her moment to escape, and seize it when it came. Easy.
She swallowed. She hated Charlie Redmine and his woman-hitting brother. She hated them.
They walked for a little ways through the trees, the sound of the waterfall in the distance growing closer and closer until at last they reached the source. The cliff from which the water poured over was small, only fifteen feet or so high. It spilled into a small river that shimmered in the sunlight, reflecting the images of the trees leaning out over it. The rushing of the water filled Surah’s head, and she was glad when it drowned out the sound of the blood rushing in her ears.
When Surah came to a stop Black Heart reached out to push her forward again, but before he could Charlie snatched up his wrist in a hard grip and met his brother’s eyes with a level stare. Black Heart smiled innocently and Charlie released his hold slowly, ignoring the urge to punch the smile right off his face. And then punch him twice more for good measure. And maybe again for good luck. If he’d had any doubt before, it was gone now. Michael was not the man he once was.
Charlie had made a serious mistake in thinking he could fool him, that Michael wouldn’t know exactly what Charlie would do, where he would go. He should have never taken the princess to Carolyn’s. He hoped like hell he’d be able to fix it. Suddenly, he felt very unsure about whether or not Michael would actually kill him. They’d had their disagreements in the past, which was why they hadn’t seen each other for over a century, but this was different. For the first time, Charlie thought the answer to that question might be yes, and he also felt somehow certain that it might just come to that.
He was also certain that his brother would not put his hands on the princess again. Charlie felt like he could kill him just for that back-handed slap. The hardly contained fury in his chest confirmed it.
Black Heart stepped around Surah, his movements heavy and stiff, and toward the edge of the waterfall, where large gray rocks jutted out over the lake. He hopped onto the nearest one, the mist of water clinging to his black cloak in tiny droplets, and extended his hand to Surah, smiling. “Come, Princess. Watch your step.”
Surah, her hands still bound in front of her, leapt onto the rock gracefully, not at all tottering for balance, ignoring the offered assistance. Black Heart laughed again and clapped his hands. Charlie followed behind her, and Surah resisted the urge to shove him over the edge and into the river, where maybe he would drown.
The string of obscenities running through her head in that moment would have put her lost mother to shame.
Black Heart led them into a small cave behind the waterfall, which was dark and damp and cool. He cast a small Light Sphere, which illuminated the place just enough to see by. Then he turned and faced them. “Have a seat, Princess. Make yourself comfortable.”
Surah felt her knees give way and was forced to the ground under an invisible weight. Black tendrils of smoke rose from the floor and looped around the dark cuffs encircling her wrists, chaining her to the earth and making a lump form in her throat. Now the fear came, and it was all she could do to keep the tears from forming in her eyes. She refused to let them see her cry. She raised her chin and straightened her back as much as she could with her wrists chained to the floor.
“Comfortable?” Black Heart asked.
Surah gave a small, sarcastic smile. “Very,” she said.
Black Heart clasped his hands in front of him and settled down to the floor in front of her. Charlie stood off to the side, silent, bright red still ringing his vision. The princess wouldn’t even look at him, and this made him hate his brother more than anything
Michael had ever done.
“Wonderful,” Black Heart said. “We wouldn’t want our princess to be uncomfortable.”
Surah just looked at him.
He ran a hand over the slicked-back ponytail on his head, arranged his cloak beneath him. “First,” he said, “let me apologize for this.” He reached up to touch Surah’s face, which was starting to darken to a deep purple where he had struck her. Surah jerked her head away from his fingers. Black Heart sighed. “I don’t believe in hitting women,” he said.
Surah’s small smile was still in place. “Yes, that much is clear.”
Black Heart laughed. “You’ve got spunk,” he said. “I’ll give you that, but it would behoove you to cooperate with me, Princess.”
Surah said nothing.
“I just have a few questions to ask you, and if you answer them, this will all be quick and painless. Time is of the essence, as I’m sure you’re aware.”
Silence.
“What happened to your brother?”
This question was not what Surah had been expecting, but she was sure to keep the surprise free of her face. She pressed her lips together, held her tongue.
“He was murdered by the King of Vampires and Wolves, was he not?”
Surah said nothing.
“And your father, did he seek revenge for Syris’s death?”
Surah inclined her head a fraction, held his gaze, and said nothing.
Black Heart sighed. “Alright. Okay. You’re not in the talking mood.” He reached into his cloak and pulled out a silver pocket watch, flicked open the face, glanced down at it, looked back up at her. “Your father probably has all of thirty-six hours left to live.” He stood, towering over Surah like a pillar of black stone. “Perhaps twenty hours here will loosen your tongue.”
Surah looked up at him, said nothing.
Black Heart’s returning smile made her teeth clench, and she had to ball her bound hands into fists to keep them from shaking. “I’ll see you soon, Princess,” he said, and turned on his heel. He looked at Charlie. “Come, brother, let us have a discussion.” Then he stepped out of the cave and beneath the waterfall.