Army Of The Winter Court (Skeleton Key)

by Ali Winters

  Breathless, she pulled back and studied his pained expression as though he was warring with himself over whether to continue the kiss or end it.

  “What was that for?”

  “If I’m going to die from a fever then I at least want to enjoy whatever hallucinations I have, while I can.”

  Aurelian pressed another kiss to her lips before setting her back down to her feet.

  “Evvie,” he said, his voice hoarse. “This is not a dream. This is as real as anything you’ve ever experienced.”

  “No, no. No. This is a fever induced dream,” she insisted, feeling heat rise up her neck and stain her cheeks. Why would her dream insist it was real? How fried was her mind? “I know this isn’t real. Fae aren’t real; they don’t exist.”

  Aurelian sighed.

  “Fine, I will let you think that, for now. But we really do need to get you back. I was afraid you wouldn’t learn how to use the key.”

  “Key?” she mumbled, as she allowed him to take her by the hand and lead to toward the foreboding castle ahead.

  “Yes,” Aurelian answered, bending down and picking up the key that had somehow followed her to this place. “Take this. Do not use it until I tell you.”

  “What, why?”

  Whatever his answer was, she didn’t hear it. The second he placed the skeleton key in her hand, pulsating energy flowed through her, filling her ears with a loud buzzing. Flashes of their encounters, their date, everything, came flooding back. He was no longer the man she remembered and the veil that had been over her eyes lifted, showing him as he was, here in this world. When he spoke with the maître d’, when he handed her the rose on their date, a flash of light followed. It was his magic.

  Unsure of why she believed the images freshly painted in her memory, she knew deep in her gut that this wasn’t just a dream.

  It was real, and she’d kissed him—in her towel.

  Blood drained from her face and the world began to tilt.

  He paused to look back at her.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I—I—” Her mouth dried and the words she wanted to say stuck in her throat before vanishing, as if they died from the embarrassment.

  The look of concern on his face grew. Aurelian gripped her shoulders firmly, dipping his head to look her in the eye.

  “What’s wrong Evvie?”

  “This isn’t a dream?” she asked.

  “No,” he said confused a frown tugged at his lips… lips she had shamelessly kissed as if they were more than the mere strangers that they were. Much more. “I tried to tell you…”

  “I… but… but I—” She clamped her mouth shut to stop stuttering.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Aurelian

  “How long have you been out here? You’re filthy,” Aurelian asked.

  She cringed slightly at his tone, tugging on her hand, but he tightened his fingers, interwoven through hers and refused to let go. He didn’t need her running off the path and from the looks of her bare legs, patched in a dark muddy substance, she’d already been to the bog. How she managed to get so deep into the waters and back out alive was nothing short of a miracle.

  “I—I don’t know,” Evvie mumbled. “Where are we going?”

  “We are going to the Winter Court.” Aurelian couldn’t account for his sudden mood change, but something about that kiss... about her when she touched him made him feel strange and unlike himself.

  “I thought that’s where we were.”

  “No,” he said sharply.

  “Why are you being like this?” she asked, jerking her hand from his grip, forcing him to stop and turn to look at her.

  “Being like what?”

  “Like this.” She waved her hands up and down indicating everything about him. “So… angry. Are you mad that I’m here? Because if I had my way, I would be back home—in bed.”

  Her accusation caught him off guard. Was he angry? Aurelian knew he felt different, but he wouldn’t have called it anger. Processing her words, he made the effort to relax his features. The last thing he needed to do was alienate her, especially when her cooperation was the key to getting what he wanted.

  “I apologize.” His words were strained as he watched her, blinking up at him with big, green eyes surrounded by thick, dark lashes. Being sorry for anything came unnaturally to him and remorse was a foreign feeling. It was weak and pathetic. “It is dangerous out here.”

  “Dangerous? How? I didn’t see anything.” She turned away to scan the area.

  Aurelian hesitated, debating on how much to say. Telling her too much would only frighten her, but she needed to know enough so that she didn’t try anything stupid, like run off alone. Again.

  “The forest isn’t safe for you. You could have been killed.”

  “Killed? By what?” Evvie asked, panicked. Her hands came up to grab his sleeve, a gesture she seemed completely unaware of.

  He sighed and took her hand from his arm, weaving his fingers through her small ones.

  “The swamp has a way of pulling you in and refusing to let go. I am surprised you made it in as far as you did and managed to escape on your own,” Aurelian said, eyeing the dried muck splotching the skin of her legs.

  “The swamp would have eaten me?” she asked in a high pitched squeak.

  Furrowing his brow, he answered, “No. The carnivorous trees would have eaten you, the swamp would have pulled you under and drowned you.”

  The look on her face as it twisted in fear and horror made him instantly regret how much information he’d just divulged. Clearly, it was more than Evvie had needed.

  “What is this place?”

  “Don’t worry, I will keep you safe,” he said, pulling her closer to him as they started walking again.

  After a few moments of silence Evvie asked, “How long have you been watching me?”

  “Why would I watch you?”

  “Were you there… when I was running around in my towel?”

  He looked at her, perplexed. “No, I approached you the moment I found you. Why would you think that?”

  “I… just felt like I was being watched. It was so silent, but I could hear things.” She looked down.

  “Don’t be bothered by it. You were alone until the moment I approached you. I wouldn’t have risked your life with the swamp.” There were many dangers in the Vermillion Marsh, but being watched wasn’t one of them. There were no living beings within half a day’s walk.

  .:。·*இ*·.:。·*இ*·。:.·*இ*·。:.

  Evvie

  The dark, brooding structure adorned with dozens of knife-sharp spires came into focus as they approached. The fog that surrounded it thinned and the moisture hung heavy in the air, clinging to her skin and sending a tingle down her spine as they passed through.

  “What was that?” she asked breathlessly.

  “What?” Aurelian paused.

  “It felt like I walked through some kind of… science-fiction force field.”

  “Force field—Ah, yes, I suppose you could call it that. It serves as an alarm and lets us know when any non-Unseelie fae get close to the castle.”

  “Oh,” she said, at a loss for words.

  Evvie welcomed the change of surface under her aching feet when the path became smooth black glass brick. The surrounding forest dropped off into a wide ravine so deep that the dim light couldn’t reach the bottom. The walkway was open with no railing—a strong gust of wind could easily knock someone off the thin overpass.

  Subconsciously, Evvie’s hand gripped his tighter as she pressed the side of her body into his.

  Ahead, she realized that the castle was set in the side of the mountain and that the end of the bridge was leading through the cascade. Evvie slowed her steps as they approached, not wanting to get swept over the edge from the surge of water.

  “Auri…” she whispered, the words getting stuck in her throat as she pulled back, trying to stop him.

  Her mouth dropped open in shock as he con
tinued straight ahead. With a wave of his hand an invisible force parted the water and created an opening for them to walk though. All the struggle left her body as she followed Aurelian without further resistance.

  The moment they stepped through the liquid curtain closed behind them. Inside, the roar of water had been silenced and the absence of noise was almost deafening after it’s thunderous crashing.

  “Why are you slowing down?” he asked, as they stepped through the short tunnel-like area and into a wide, open foyer the size of a grand cathedral.

  She hadn’t noticed until this moment, that it still hurt to walk on her bare feet and, while the cold of the floor calmed them, she had started to limp.

  “Uh, my feet hurt, from the glass trail.”

  “Why didn’t you say anything?” Aurelian admonished.

  “Because I didn’t see you holding any shoes for me.” Evvie looked away from him. Exhaustion seeped into her muscles, she still felt so weak.

  Aurelian grunted and swept her up in his arms.

  “I would have carried you.”

  Letting out a surprised squeak, she wrapped her arms around his neck as he effortlessly lifted her from the floor. The warm scent of roses surrounded her.

  Is that Auri? Evvie wondered, distracted by her surroundings. She tilted her chin upward to take everything in as he carried her through the main room.

  It was a wide open space with a tall, skinny stained glass window that ended in a pointed arch at the top. Roses, jasmine and lavender flowers decorated the panes and the soft light shining through it cast reds, violets, and milky opal colors on the glistening black floors. Arcading stretched from obsidian wall to wall on either side and deep red cloth was pulled back and pinned to the sides of each arch. Second and third level atriums spanned the length of the three inner walls. Twinkling chandeliers made of ice hung low on black and silver cords, casting a dim blue light over the room.

  A movement caught Evvie’s attention as she scanned the enormous space. Tilting her head up, she spotted a small figure dressed in black, leaning over the balustrade on the top level’s overlook. Curly black hair hung over the woman’s shoulders, creating dark shadows that covered her face. Evvie blinked and the figure was gone.

  “Who was that?”

  “Who?”

  “There was a woman up there.” Evvie pointed to where she had been.

  “That was only Lilith. Never mind her,” he said in a strained voice.

  “Who’s Lilith?” She turned her face back to meet his gaze. Aurelian was studying her intently with his sparkling blue eyes.

  A frown formed on his lips.

  “My sister—you should ignore her.”

  They passed under one of the arcading arches and moved down a long corridor. To the right was a spiral staircase and stepping forward once more he moved to ascend its curves. As they climbed she saw another passage off to the left. A bright light shone through the opened doorway. One side of the red curtains that adorned the arch was down, hiding most of the room from sight.

  “What’s down there?” she asked, unable to help her desire to explore this strange new place. Part of it still seemed as though it could only be in her mind, but everything she saw and felt was too clear for her to deny, reinforcing that this was all too real.

  Aurelian paused and looked to where she was pointing. “There will be more than enough time for you to explore, you should get cleaned up and…” he eyed the length of her body, sending heat rushing along her skin where his gaze traced a path. “Change your clothes.”

  Evvie sighed; he was right.

  “I am tired. I actually would like to sleep.” Her eyes widened as she wondered where exactly she would be staying. “Will I have a place to sleep here?”

  “Of course, but you’ve slept for days. You shouldn’t need rest.”

  “I’ve been sick, and this experience has been… exhausting. Please, I just need to lie down for a little while. I still feel under the weather.”

  “There is no weather in here; you are inside.”

  Her mouth quirked up in a half-smile.

  “I meant I still feel sick.”

  “Your idioms are strange. You should avoid them.”

  Her eyebrows shot up.

  “Uh… I’ll try to remember that from now on.”

  Aurelian carried her down a wide hallway at the top of the stairs with large arched windows that looked over the path that led back to the forest and swamp. Other windows were solid, made of slabs of black obsidian stone and lit with sconces that lined the walls.

  The sound of his shoes echoed off the walls, as they tapped against the stone floor and, combined with the gentle sway of his gait, lulling her into a relaxed state. She could fall asleep in his arms like this, but fought to stay alert. It would be her luck that she would give in and miss the most incredible thing about this world—something she couldn’t even imagine at this point.

  “This isn’t what I thought a fairy castle would look like… even for a dark fairy.”

  “What did you expect from an Unseelie fae castle?” he asked, stressing the word fae.

  “It’s very gothic, I thought it would be more… magical,” she murmured as she rested her cheek against his shoulder. “Other than the waterfall, this castle could be in the human realm.”

  “Don’t judge so quickly, there is much you haven’t seen yet.”

  She nodded against his shoulder and felt her eyes grow heavy, drifting shut.

  “Ugh, I don’t know what happened, but this fever is so different from anything I’ve had in the past.”

  “The longer you are here, the better you will feel.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You were only sick because you were not here. If you had come sooner, you wouldn’t be so worn down.”

  Evvie leaned back, suddenly wide awake and looked at him incredulously.

  “Excuse me? Why would I be sick if I wasn’t here? I haven’t ‘been here’ my whole life, why would that change now?” Anger boiled up inside her. There was a reason to do with him that explained why she’d been so sick for days. Whatever had happened to her could have killed her and she’d come to this weird, scary, fairy land by pure chance.

  Evvie squirmed in his arms, pushing away but his strong arms held her close.

  “Put me down, Auri.”

  Obediently, he set her down.

  “Yes,” he said.

  Confusion clouded his features, as he processed her sudden anger. She didn’t care if it threw him off. Being sick, being here, had turned her world upside-down.

  “I would have come to get you, had you been any longer. In fact, I was on my way to you when I found you on the paths.”

  Evvie glared up at him, once again lost for words.

  This is all too much, she thought.

  Rest first, then she could deal with this… with him.

  “Just, please take me to my room now.”

  Aurelian nodded and his hand reached out toward her as she stepped to the side and walked, putting distance between them.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Evvie

  Evvie held her towel tightly in place around her and trailed behind Aurelian as he led her through the massive castle.

  It’s his fault I’ve been sick… but why? Why would he do that to me? What is the point in making me come here? she thought, as her fingers anxiously played with a frayed edge of her towel.

  Aurelian cleared his throat, causing her to look up at him. He was standing in front of a set of massive double doors.

  “This will be your room,” he said, pushing both sides open.

  Temporarily forgetting her anger, she let her jaw hang open in awe of the opulent room. Stepping past him, she entered the large room.

  It was adorned with a table in the corner, two plush, black couches facing each other in the middle of the open area, a dark oak coffee table between them topped with a vase of red roses, and a door on the left side of the room. Directly across fro
m her were ceiling-high, glass, French doors with one side open, letting a soft wind inside and making the wine colored, chiffon curtains dance on the soft breeze.

  A king-size, four-poster bed was placed against the wall to the right. Thick black drapes hung from each post, just as they had from every arch she’d seen so far. Three of the sides were down, leaving only one side open to expose what had to be a dozen pillows layered against the headboard. A thick, fluffy comforter topped the mattress and she was willing to bet that if she lay down on top, she would sink into the blanket and it would surround her like a giant, cloud-like nest.

  The entire room was minimally decorated in shades of black and the darkest reds with silver flourishes accenting the room like a thin layer of frost. Every detail was perfectly arranged, making the room a beautiful piece of art.

  She crossed to the center of the bedroom and turned slowly to take it all in.

  “This is… my room?”

  “Yes, I hope it is suitable for your needs,” he said.

  “This is more than I expected… I don’t need anything this big.”

  “Think nothing of it. It was designed with you in mind.”

  Torn between being upset with him and amazed by the room, she turned to him and eyed him suspiciously.

  “Why?”

  “What do you mean?” he asked with a tilt of his head.

  “I mean… why design this for me? Why bring me here? I don’t understand.”

  He stood, silent for a long moment, watching her until she shifted uncomfortably under his scrutiny.

  “You should clean up and get some sleep. Everything you need is in this suite.”