Army Of The Winter Court (Skeleton Key)

by Ali Winters

  It’s always better to take your time and weigh the odds, right? Especially if they were going to affect my future... but how could anything in the fae world affect me?

  She frowned. They would let her go home after she’d made the decision… wouldn’t they?

  Nolan stepped closer, his fingers trailing along her neck and over her shoulder.

  “That is all he told you? I’m surprised he wasn’t more forthcoming about what your decision would cost you.”

  “Cost me? What do you mean? He just said that I had to decide and that it would affect me… he didn’t say it would cost me anything.” Her gaze shot up to meet his. Nolan was too close for her comfort, becoming almost predatory. She turned from him to face the window again.

  “You will have to decide—that much is true—but he failed to tell you about the army.” His voice trailed off on the last word.

  “Army?” She echoed.

  “Yes, you are the key to the creation of the most powerful army. Whichever you decide will cost something from you.”

  She shuddered, “What will it cost me?”

  A cold sweat broke out on her forehead.

  “One of us needs your blood and the other,” his hand slipped up her arm and rested above her heart. “The other requires your heart.”

  She gulped and moved to the side, slipping out of his intimate embrace but Nolan was still too close.

  “No thanks, I’m kind of using them both right now. I’ll pass—but thank you for the offer.”

  “One will cost you, your life, the other will cost you a lifetime beyond anything you have ever thought possible.” He stepped forward and placed his hands on her arms.

  “And which do you want? My heart or my blood?” She could feel a bead of sweat rolling down her temple as her heart beat furiously against her ribcage.

  “Me?” Nolan asked, a surprised look on his face, almost as if she’d offended him. His hands slid up her arms and rested on her shoulders. “I want your heart, dear, Evvie. It is Auri who wants your blood.” His voice dripped with honey as his fingertips grazed across her skin, tracing a line from their resting spot on her shoulder to her heart. “Did he not tell you that?”

  Evvie shook her head, licking her lips nervously.

  He was so close…

  The smell of jasmine wrapped itself around her. She hadn’t noticed it at first but the scent was warm and sweet, almost overwhelming her.

  Is… that him?

  “Yes, I’m afraid it’s true. Auri brought you here for your blood.” He turned her to face him again.

  “He wants my blood?” Evvie asked in disbelief. “Why didn’t he tell me?”

  She started to slide down the wall as her knees gave out. Nolan reached out and lifted her up, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her closer.

  Tears prickled in her eyes. She tried to blink them away but a single tear escaped and traced a path down her face.

  “Why are you crying?” Nolan asked softly.

  “I—I thought I could trust him, but he lied to me.”

  “Did he lie to you?”

  Evvie thought back to his words. Aurelian hadn’t lied, but he omitted the information he knew would make her decide against him.

  “No,” she admitted.

  “We may be the Unseelie fae, but we must still play by the rules.”

  “Thank you.”

  “For what, my dear?”

  “Telling me the truth—all of it.”

  Nolan hummed and considered her words before speaking, “It was in my best interest to tell you.”

  “I don’t know why Auri didn’t tell me,” she murmured.

  “I think we both know why he didn’t—he wants your blood, Evvie.”

  She looked up at Nolan with blurred vision.

  “But…”

  “Tell me, honestly. Would you have even considered backing him if he had told you as much?”

  Evvie gulped and shook her head.

  “No,” she choked out. As much as she’d wanted to say yes, she couldn’t. Lying to herself would be pointless. Did she care for Auri? It was crazy, it was impossible, it was too soon… but she had felt a connection with him, even after finding out that he wanted her blood. The attraction she felt for him could be her undoing if she didn’t fight it. Evvie knew she had to choose logic if she were going to make it out alive.

  “He was doing what he thought he needed to. Keeping it from you served his cause, just as telling you benefits me.”

  It was a cold, hard truth that she didn’t want to know. Already, she was beginning to hate whatever game this was, hating that she was dragged into the middle of it, and hating that she had to decide the future of this place.

  “How can I trust either of you?”

  “We can’t lie to you.”

  “I have so many questions.”

  “As you should,” he said, stepping closer.

  “Why can’t you lie to me? Why am I the key? What’s so special about me that I have to be the one to decide? Why do you need an army? How can I be responsible for building an army? What will happen to me?”

  Nolan chuckled placing a finger to her lips to silence her.

  “You will get answers in due time,” Nolan said, as he wrapped an arm around her waist.

  “Why can’t you just tell me now?”

  Nolan pulled her closer, her hands pressed against his chest. He lowered his face to hers, his lips resting now only a breath’s distance away. His intoxicating scent permeated her senses, clouding her judgement. She felt drunk as her heart beat loud in her ears and her eyes locked onto his lips as he moved closer.

  A thunderous crack startled her, causing her to jump and move away, but Nolan’s arms held her tightly in place. Evvie's gaze darted to the bottom of the stairs. Aurelian stood at the landing, looking up at them with narrowed eyes. His fist was pressed against the wall where ice had formed and radiated outward, cracking the obsidian stone.

  “Auri…” Evvie whispered breathlessly. His mouth twisted into a scowl as she stared into his icy, anger-filled, blue eyes.

  Pushing out of Nolan’s embrace, she chased after Aurelian as he strode from the stairwell.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Aurelian

  “Auri!” Evvie yelled. The padding of her shoes struck the floor as she ran toward him. Aurelian wouldn’t run from her, but he wasn’t about to wait for her to catch up. Anger boiled over and he lifted his hand, throwing a blast of icy power outward. The blast hit the wall, sending shards of ice and glass raining down around him.

  Another explosion. Another eruption of power.

  He could hear Evvie’s cry of surprise from behind.

  “Stop, Auri!” she yelled, but he ignored her and kept walking.

  As he neared the end of the hall, her small hand landed on his arm and pulled at his sleeve. The burst of energy he’d conjured left his hand and flew into the wide open throne room he’d been heading toward. Rounding on her, he sneered.

  “What do you want Evvie?”

  He couldn’t control his anger. The thought of Nolan getting so close to her… holding her like that. It made him sick. Aurelian wanted to end this contest, take the crown and be done with it. A game was no way to settle something so important.

  She straightened her spine and opened and closed her mouth.

  “Are you serious? Are you really going to stand there and be mad at me? For what?” He opened his mouth to speak but she held up her hand, silencing him. “No, you don’t get to be upset over any of this! After everything I’ve gone through—everything that you have put me through—You don’t get to be mad. I do.”

  Aurelian advanced toward her until her back was pressed flush against the wall. Pressing his hands against the black surface, he caged her between his arms as ice crackled, spreading out from his palms. He stared down into her frightened emerald eyes.

  “You’ve known him for minutes,” he snarled.

  “I—”

  “Why did
you let him get so close to you? A few pretty words? Is that all it takes for you?” he snapped. Moving his arms around her waist, Aurelian pulled her against him. “All you had to do was say so…”

  “Why are you doing this?” she whimpered, her warm breath caressing his cheek. He brought his face to hers, nuzzling her.

  It made him sick to see the terror in her eyes that he had inspired. Why should he care about her feelings? She was a means to an end. The only reason he had even gone to the human world was that he needed her blood and she was the halfling that could make everything possible. With her half-Seelie, half-human blood he would be able to create an unstoppable army.

  Warmth spread across his chest. If only he could forget about Nolan and just focus on her at this moment.

  “Isn’t this what you wanted?”

  “Stop it!” Evvie moved her hands up to his chest and her fingers curled into the material of his shirt.

  He stumbled backward as she shoved him. “I know you need me to choose you, and this,” she waved a hand at him, “Is not going to convince me. I have a brain, and I’m not going to make a decision based on who is the best flirt. Neither of you can seduce or bully me into doing what you want.”

  He expected her anger; he wanted it… deserved it even, but hadn’t expected to her to do more than scold him. The desire to push her until she was forced to unleash all the rage she held back overwhelmed him.

  “Really? It seemed to be working so well for my brother.” Aurelian knew he was baiting her and that his words would only drive her further from what he wanted, but he couldn’t stop himself. Seeing Nolan with his arms around her, leaning in…

  Standing still, he hardly allowed himself to breathe as he locked his gaze on hers, willing himself to calm.

  “Are you jealous?”

  “Jealous of what?” he spat, immediately regretting the disgusted tone of his voice.

  Jealous… of Nolan?

  He’d never had a reason to want anything that his brother had; there was never anything that Aurelian couldn’t have.

  Evvie’s fists clenched and unclenched at her sides. He watched as she worked through her emotions, her expression changing as anger turned to fury, then to confusion, sadness and finally pain.

  “Then why are you so angry, Auri?” she asked, barely speaking above a whisper. “I thought you were… you’re an idiot if you think I would make my mind up based on a kiss.”

  Aurelian froze. He’d assumed he had walked in before Nolan had claimed her... but had he come across them after the fact instead? If his brother had kissed her, then the fight was already lost.

  “He kissed you?”

  “Are you kidding me right now?” Throwing her hands in the air, she groaned. “Why are you acting like this?”

  “Did he?” Aurelian demanded.

  “Whether or not he kissed me isn’t important.”

  “Answer the question, Evvie.” He cleared his throat nervously.

  The scowl dropped from her face and turned to a look of curiosity.

  “I don’t know what the stakes are between you two, but I’m going to find out.”

  “Evvie… please…” he begged.

  “I know, Auri.”

  His question was shoved from his mind as the words fell from her lips. It felt as though a had hand reached up and wrapped itself around his throat, cutting off his air supply.

  “What do you think you know?”

  “I know what you want from me.”

  .:。·*இ*·.:。·*இ*·。:.·*இ*·。:.

  Evvie

  “And what is that?” Aurelian asked as he took a step back away from the pale moonlight that shone through the window and shrouded himself in shadow.

  She looked up at him and his face, a neutral mask half hidden in darkness, matched his emotionless tone. Was this reaction because he had tried so hard to hide the truth from her? He had purposely misled her since the moment they had met, even after he said wouldn’t lie to her and promised to protect her. Evvie hated that what he wanted from her was something she could never give him.

  What had happened to the sweet man she was getting to know? The moment he’d walked out of her room last night was the moment that person had disappeared. Though, looking into his eyes, her heart didn’t want to believe it.

  How stupid am I? I hardly know him.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” she demanded.

  “Tell you what?”

  “That you want my blood.”

  Evvie watched Aurelian, curious if he would lie to her. Even if he pretended he didn’t know what she was talking about, deep down it wouldn’t change how she felt. He wanted her blood, and it hurt to know that he wanted to use her for his personal gain.

  “Yes,” he said, stepping forward out of the shadows. The tone in his voice was unapologetic; he wasn’t even trying to hide his intentions.

  “Well, I hate to disappoint you, but I’m using it right now and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.”

  Aurelian watched her a moment, before a loud laugh burst from him, a rare smile gracing his lips.

  Her forehead creased in confusion as she took a step back. He’s crazy…

  “I told you that I wouldn’t lie to you—”

  “But you haven’t been entirely honest either.”

  His eyes darkened, but it was impossible to tell if she’d struck a nerve or made him angry. Her heart cracked in her chest. Why did she continue to feel something for him? Evvie searched his face, hurt and betrayed. It would be an easy choice if she could separate her heart from the decision. What if it had been Nolan who’d come to her first? Nolan who’d embedded himself on her mind and in her heart instead of Auri?

  “I haven’t lied,” he said heatedly. “I told you I would always tell you the truth, but I would withhold information if I needed to.”

  “Information like if I chose wrong, it would cost me my life?”

  “I didn’t want it to play a factor in your decision. You need to choose based on who will be the best to rule.”

  “You don’t think whether I live or die should play a role in my choice? Because I think it should. I happen to like living.”

  “Good.” He nodded once and turned away from her. “You should want to live.”

  “You—you don’t care what my decision is then?”

  He faced her, a sneer forming over his lips. “Of course I care, but I can only try to persuade you to make the choice I want you to. I can’t force you. I want you to choose me.”

  Tears stung her eyes. How could he want her to choose him when it meant giving her blood… her life?

  “I feel sick…”

  “If you are ill, then—”

  Evvie held up her hand as he reached out to her.

  “No, stay away from me. I… I need time to think—away from you.”

  “Very well, but—”

  I can’t listen to him anymore… I need to get away from him.

  She could feel the panic rising up inside of her. Turning on her heel, she ran down the hall away from Auri and the hurt look on his face, away from Nolan, and away from the decision they were forcing on her.

  Throwing the red curtain aside, she burst out into a large room and the vast open space caught her off guard. Slowly, she came to a halt in the center of the perfectly symmetrical space. Two thrones made of tangled, black thorny vines were up against the wall. The floor was made of small, intricately laid tiles in a circular pattern, starting in the center of the room where she stood and radiating outward.

  A few flakes of ice floated down around her and speckled the floor like glitter as chimes softly echoed throughout the chamber. Evvie glanced around looking for the source of the noise, stopping when she saw Aurelian standing under the arch she’d run through. His face was contorted into an emotion she couldn't place. The sound grew louder, drawing her attention overhead. Tilting her face up, her gaze met the baroque chandelier hanging above, swinging on its chain as it glistened with frost.r />
  Her eyes traced the path of a single crystal as it fell, shattering at her feet.

  “Evvie!” Aurelian’s voice called to her.

  Frozen to the spot, she watched as the thousands of delicate crystals shook. He called her name again as the large fixture snapped off the thin rope that held it overhead.

  A scream ripped from her as she squeezed her eyes closed and covered her head with her hands in an attempt to provide some semblance of protection.

  Blinding light surrounded her, sending her flying backward.

  Gasping, her hands clutched at her chest as she struggled to breathe, her back arching with the effort of trying. Aurelian’s face hovered over her, but the ringing in her ears blocked out his words. He placed a hand over her chest and the pain eased, allowing her to draw a breath.

  “Wh—what happened?” she stuttered.

  “Shuush,” he cooed. “Don’t try to speak yet.”

  Gently, he lifted her up and carried her around the countless shards of fragmented ice littering the black stone floor like millions of stars in the night sky.

  Her body shook as tension took hold.

  I almost died… The thought echoed around the inside of her skull. Evvie glanced up at his face, watching him as he stared, straight ahead and determined.

  Blinking rapidly, she looked around as he sat her down on the soft bed. Evvie wondered if she'd blacked out because the walk to her room should have taken much longer.

  “Wait…” she said weakly, grabbing on to his arm as he moved to leave.

  His blue eyes darkened as he looked down at her hand. “Rest.”

  “What happened?” Evvie asked as tears filled her eyes. It still hurt to breathe, she felt disoriented and lost. She wanted comfort and to not be alone.

  Aurelian sighed and sat down at the edge of the bed and placing his hands on either side of her face, he closed his eyes and concentrated. The pain eased as his magic flowed through her.

  Opening his eyes, he let his hands slide down and rest on her shoulders.

  It was impossible to know what was going on. Aurelian had said he would protect her, but he wanted her blood… and now this. Evvie threw her arms around his neck and pulled him to her.