Innocent Darkness

by Suzanne Lazear

“Sit.”

  Sitting up, Quinn put down the old book. “What’s been bothering you?”

  Entering the library, Steven slumped into a facing chair. He loved this place, so cozy and full of books. “What makes you think something’s bothering me?”

  Quinn raised an eyebrow. “Because I know you.” “Good help is so hard to find.” He rolled his eyes in an exaggerated gesture.

  The silver-haired man chuckled. Quinn was hardly the help. “Hmm, let me see. You spend all your time either brooding in your room, outside brooding, or at Mrs. Braddock’s working while you brood. I’ve also caught you reading some very odd spell books.”

  “There are no off-limits books in this house,” he snapped. But he’d been looking for things beyond the usual, things that might raise eyebrows if he asked.

  Like how to dream-search.

  “True. Does it have to do with Magnolia?”

  “How did you … ” He shook his head. “I know, you know me.”

  “Also true. I’ve observed that you’re coming into some rather remarkable abilities. I’ve noticed you’re extraordinarily worried about the state of the magic. I’m aware that you fear the queen’s huntsman has Magnolia.” Quinn met his gaze. “I also know how you feel about her. Don’t worry; your father hasn’t noticed any of these things.”

  He sucked in a breath. “You know what she is? I didn’t realize you could do that.”

  “Not the way you do. I don’t have that gift, Bright Lady bless.” Quinn frowned in concern. “If Queen Tiana knows, she’ll call for your help. She’s already sending out others, since Kevighn’s gone missing with whoever he found on midsummer.”

  Missing?

  “She’d like it if I became one of her men,” Steven muttered, not hiding his bitterness.

  “You know she would.”

  A request from the high queen was a command. She’d find great pleasure in forcing him to do her bidding— mostly because it would infuriate his father.

  “I won’t do it.” He crossed his arms over his chest. She was the reason they were in exile. She was the reason his father became a mess, a king without a kingdom.

  Most of all, she took away their mother.

  “She could make you; after all, she is the high queen. Our queen.” Quinn’s tone remained emotionless.

  “She won’t.” He knew she’d try, but if it came down to it, she wouldn’t. But the price would be painful; she’d ensure it.

  “Why are you lurking in doorways instead of moping in a tree or something?” Quinn shot him a pointed look.

  Steven fiddled with his replacement sigil. “Noli has my sigil. Can I use it to find her?”

  “Yes. In theory she could also find you—or anyone in your family wearing a corresponding one.” Quinn held his gaze. “That is why they are rare and protected.”

  And enchanted. Steven had a feeling Quinn gave him his, so his father wouldn’t ask why he needed a replacement.

  “Um.” He fidgeted in his seat. “Could you show me how?”

  “Of course. It’s relatively easy. You hold it, speak the word of power associated with it, and think of her. It’ll act as a compass of sorts. But it doesn’t work well in this world,” Quinn warned. “Too much interference.”

  He wasn’t going to track her in the mortal realm anyway. “Can I … ” Steven bit his lip, looking away. “Can I feel her? I think I do. Last night she seemed so sad … and once, not long after midsummer, I felt pain in my arm, and a deep sense of shock and hurt that wasn’t mine.”

  That night he’d attempted to dream search for the first time. He felt other things, too, especially after his various failed attempts. They might be tied together. Last night the magic also seemed to shift ever so slightly, but to what end he didn’t know.

  “Bright Lady bless.” Quinn sat ramrod straight in his chair, visibly startled.

  Steven tried not to squirm in his seat. “We’re not supposed to?”

  “You’re not supposed to.” His eyes narrowed.

  Oops. Not impossible then. Good. “Oh. Why?”

  Quinn rubbed his temples, for a moment looking tired. “What possessed you to give it to her in the first place?”

  “She’s afraid of San Francisco; I told her it was an amulet to protect her from aether.” He cast a glance towards the window, her house dark. “She shines so brightly with the Spark. I know what lurks in San Francisco post-earthquake. I wanted to protect her. Stupid, I know. After all, if Kevighn does have her, it didn’t protect her from the likes of him.”

  “You marked her as yours.” Quinn swore softly.

  “I put her under my protection. Is that wrong?” In his seat, he shifted uncomfortably wishing he could become invisible. He just couldn’t do anything right.

  “Not wrong. But your father won’t like it one bit. Truly, you should ask before doing something of that sort.” Quinn’s voice grew stern.

  “Everything angers my father now. I hadn’t meant to, it was … impulsive.” He braced for a lecture on impulsiveness. A good leader wasn’t impulsive.

  “I know.” Quinn’s ageless face held no disapproval. “Just like I’m sure making her yours was an accident. It’s different from bringing someone under your protection.”

  “How?”

  “To undo it, you must take the sigil back from her and smash the stone.”

  Steven winced at the thought. “Really? I suppose Father will make me. Will it hurt her the way it would hurt us?”

  “I don’t know. As for your father … ” Quinn looked away. “It depends on a great many things, including her intentions and her own desires.”

  “And whether or not Kevighn has her.”

  “Steven, your father won’t permit you to burst into the Otherworld without proof.” His expression hardened. “Neither will I. I suppose that is why you want to track her? At least go to the school first and see if she’s there.”

  “Of course.” That was part of why he sat in this chair.

  “I presume you want my help in you getting to San Francisco?” Amusement tinged Quinn’s voice.

  “I’ll owe you. I promise on my honor.” Steven held up a hand. He needed Quinn to help him, not only get there, but to deal with his father.

  “Your father is leaving for business in three days, if you’re going to travel to San Francisco, you should wait until then. But,” Quinn cautioned. “You need proof before you charge into the Otherworld. We’re a house in exile— remember. We’re not supposed to be in the Otherworld to begin with.”

  Unless it was to beg for mercy from the queen.

  “Also, remember what’s truly at stake,” he warned. “If she is the girl, you’ll need to replace her with another. No one, not me, not your father, and certainly not the queen, would allow a whole people to die for one mortal.”

  “Of course, Quinn.” Steven’s mind sped. Three days. In three days he’d know for certain. This feeling plaguing him would cease.

  “I feel things because I’m tied to her through the sigil?” He didn’t wish to break the bond. If those dreams held true, she felt the same way about him. If the Otherworld knew of her, he no longer needed to deny his feelings as long as he protected her fiercely.

  “Yes. It’s complex; something we’ll speak of soon.”

  “Of course.” Three days. “Oh, I need help in dream searching.”

  Quinn put his head in his hands as if he had a headache. “You’ve tried searching for her? What happens? Anything?”

  “Um … ” He could feel his cheeks warm. “If I’m actually successful, and not falling asleep and dreaming of her, I think she’s taking control.”

  “Prince Stiofán, please don’t tell me you’re having dream … relations with a mortal.” Quinn looked as if he wanted to poke himself in the eye with the fireplace poker. Him using Steven’s real name and title was never a good thing. His cheeks burned.

  “We only kiss,” he stammered. “I always wake up before we can do anything improper.” Sometimes he wishe
d they would.

  “That’s it.” Quinn stood, clearly flustered. “You, me, my office, now. Your father thinks you’re too young to learn certain things. Clearly, you’re not.”

  That wasn’t what he’d expected. His heart quickened. “You’ll tell my father?”

  “Not tonight.” Quinn’s eyebrow rose. “Unless there are other things you’ve left out?”

  Squinting, he thought for a moment. “I think I got them all.”

  Quinn suppressed a grin. “Come along.”

  “Of course.” Standing, he followed Quinn out of the library.

  Noli curled up in the bed in Creideamh’s room. She was much more comfortable in the little room—not that Kevighn ever tried anything.

  How would she react if he did? Hoyden or no, she understood the dangers of engaging in any sort of … relations … while unmarried. Something about Kevighn utterly terrified her. Yet it also drew her. He’d had such amazing adventures.

  As soon as she thought of V, she forgot all about Kevighn. Every cell in Noli’s body recognized V as the better choice.

  She’d never told him about her attraction. Noli didn’t want to ruin their friendship when he broke her heart because his father wouldn’t allow them to be together.

  Would she dream of V again? Sometimes it seemed as if he reached out to her, seeking her. No, it was just her imagination. V might be a silly old bodger who believed in faeries, but he was hardly some knight errant who’d barge in on a white horse with a sword to save the day.

  Her fingers reached under her white nightdress, looking for the comfortable shape of the medallion. Holding it, she thought V, as she drifted off to sleep.

  “You’re here, I hoped you’d be.” She sat in her tree house next to V.

  “Me, too. But we need to talk.” V reached up and touched her cheek.

  She didn’t want to talk. “Why?”

  “Where are you?”

  “Here with you, of course.” She grinned. “Mama’s asleep. No one will know.” Already parts of her grew warm with the anticipation of his touch.

  “Noli, what are you speaking off?” V’s expression grew shocked.

  She turned away, cheeks burning with embarrassment. “You didn’t meet me here to kiss me again?” Biting her lip, she looked at him through veiled lashes as she twisted her hands. “I hope I don’t sound like a dollymop, but I enjoy kissing you.”

  He put a hand on hers, quieting them. “Do you?”

  “I do.” She couldn’t help but smile.

  “Why?” He pulled her into his lap, holding her tightly, stroking her hair. She luxuriated in the warmth of his body, the rhythm of his hands playing with her curls. Only in her nightdress, this was beyond improper—it was scandalous— but she enjoyed it all the same.

  “Because … ” She couldn’t form the words. Kissing her didn’t mean he loved her—or would pursue her against his father’s wishes.

  His hands moved down her neck and over her shoulders sending shivers down her spine. Warm breath tickled her ear as lips brushed it. “Because you care for me as I do for you.”

  Without waiting for her answer his lips captured hers. Like always, his soft kiss tasted sweet, like the nectar sucked from a flower mixed with morning dew. One hand delivered just enough pressure to the back of her head, making her feel safe and secure. The other slowly ran up and down her back, the thin fabric of her nightgown the only barrier between him and her bare skin. Her arms wrapped around him, one hand tangling in his unkempt blond hair.

  Oh, she was such a strumpet. But here she could and would do things she’d never do otherwise. She deepened their kiss.

  His leg brushed her in a place that made her insides tighten with pleasure. She tried to shift positions to capture the sensation …

  He wouldn’t let her. She tried again. Frustration took over. She broke off the kiss so she could speak. “Please, V?”

  “Not tonight, Noli. Not here.” His eyes brimmed with regret. “I’ll stay with you if you wish, but only kisses.” His hands continued touching her neck, her shoulders, her arms. They lingered in her hair, on the small of her back. “I want to, truly. And I will. Simply tell me where you are and I’ll come for you. No one’s angry with you, I promise.”

  She tried to press herself into him, to satisfy that feeling inside. Noli found herself flipped over, so her back pressed to his chest—not nearly as satisfying.

  “Please answer me.” His lips trailed kisses down her neck.

  “I’m here with you, in our tree house.” She twisted to capture his lips with hers, wanting more. “And I’m kissing you like a dollymop.”

  “You’re no dollymop. But you are missing. Are you in the Otherworld? Are you with Kevighn? Has he hurt you?” His tone grew urgent. Something in his words rang familiar.

  “I don’t want to talk. Just hold me, kiss me.” Love her.

  Sitting up, he pulled her into his lap again, but this time he didn’t cuddle her, his arms held her like iron bars. “After we talk, please?”

  “I … ” Fright consumed her as she tried to sort everything out. If she weren’t here, where was she? What did he want to speak to her about? Surely, it wasn’t as important as kissing.

  Her belly turned to lead. It could only be one thing. There was another girl, a proper one, with manners, breading, and money. One who didn’t dream of unladylike things such as going to the university or saving her family though hard work instead of marriage.

  “What’s her name?” Noli’s voice broke.

  He frowned. “What are you talking about?”

  She fought against his grasp, her surety of another, a proper lady from a good family with money, grew with each second. “Let go of me, Steven Darrow.” She smacked him across his face, not allowing him to answer. “How dare you toy with me? I thought you cared for me.”

  Jerking herself away, she threw herself down the ladder, running for the safety of her home, not bothering to hold back the tears.

  “Noli, wait. I don’t understand … I do care for you, much more than you know, come back, please. Where are you?”

  She continued to run.

  Noli woke with a start, tears streaming down her face and a fire deep within her she didn’t know how to quench. Hugging her pillow, pressing her body into it as if it were a lover, she cried until she fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.

  Seventeen

  Preparations and Realizations

  Steven finished packing his satchel. He turned his sword over in his hands. If he went into the Otherworld, he’d need it, but could hardly walk the streets of San Francisco with the weapon strapped to his back. Uttering a word of power, the sword shrank, becoming a pen. He tucked it into his shirt pocket, grinning at his own clever joke.

  “Nice trick.” James lounged in the doorway, a satchel dangling from his hand. “Ready?”

  “For what?” He slung his satchel over his shoulder.

  James rolled his eyes. “To go to San Francisco to save your sweetheart.”

  Stopping, he eyed his younger brother. “You’re not going.”

  “At least you didn’t deny it. I’m surprised Father hasn’t caught on.”

  “I’ve tried to be discreet.” Three days of pure agony, both because he needed to wait for his father to leave town, and because he hadn’t been dreaming of Noli. In the last dream she’d fled in tears and he still wasn’t sure why. Girls were so confusing.

  “Oh, come on. You are so sweet on her it’s not even funny.” James made another face. “I’m not watching your reunion.” He flopped onto Steven’s bed. “Quinn’s been covering for you, too.”

  “True.” He grinned. “You’re still not going.”

  “You’re not actually leaving me here with Quinn and Elise while you go adventuring, are you?” James expression became a cross between hurt and disbelief. “I could help you.”

  “I’m only going to the school to see if Noli is there.” In theory.

  “And that’s why you’re bringing
your sword?” James arched an eyebrow. “Let me go.”

  “What if I have to go … ” He looked outside the window at Quinn playing a game with Elise in the backyard. “What if I have to go into the Otherworld?”

  James huffed. “Oh, come on, V. I remember home. I remember the palace. I’m not Elise. I know the dangers and I know enough to be a help. I’m not that much younger.”

  Every word rang true. “Since when do you call me V?”

  “Someone has to keep you from being a fussy old bodger.” James grinned. “Besides, I need to go.”

  “Why? Aside from being a royal pain.”

  That earned him a shove. “No. Um, because,” James’ cheeks flushed. “I’ve been having dreams about the Otherworld. But I can’t remember anything other than they’re in the Otherworld and involve a girl.”

  “Don’t tell Quinn.” He’d had gotten quite the education. Now he could actually dream search. But he still couldn’t figure out where Noli was.

  James snickered. “I overheard most of it. Are you really having clandestine trysts with Noli on the dream plane?”

  “Am not.” They were a bit naughty by mortal standards, but hardly trysts.

  “Girl or no, you won’t catch me being mushy like you.” He made a face of disgust.

  Shaking his head and suppressing a grin at James’ words, Steven left the room.

  “Good, I’ve been ready for ages.” James followed.

  He turned around in the hallway. “You’re not going. Someone has to protect Elise.”

  “Nice try, but we both know Quinn has it under control.”

  There really was no good reason to leave James behind. Honest and loyal, he was better with a sword than Steven, and decent enough in magic. Also, his brother understood the intricacies of the Otherworld. He’d be an asset—especially if they needed to split up.

  “I know you care about Noli.” James put a hand on his shoulder. “I know you and Quinn are worried about what’s going on with the magic. Let me help. Please?”

  “You understand I might have to break some of our laws?” How far would he go for a mortal, desperation aside?

  “Since when have we been afraid of breaking rules?” James shrugged as they went downstairs.