Rachel thought she was holding a thigh bone, but wasn’t sure. And dear God—the smell. Cer put a hand next to hers, and she realized he was bleeding. He’d cut himself for the magic. He bid her to cut herself too, and she hesitated, just needing to double-check that there were no other options.
Nope.
Rachel raised her wrist to her mouth, biting deep. Blood dripped on to Cer’s hand, and he wiped it across the rags. The rags moved. Shifted. And she tried to pull her hands away. But Cer’s grip was like iron. No escape.
He held her hand, squeezing her fingers tightly, his Fey strength grinding her bones together as she tried to pull away from him. The sky turned darker, not like night, but like the apocalypse. She could feel him pulling the energy from all around them as they chanted the spell: the air, the sky the ground, even the rocks, the power and life force that kept this world going was being stripped from the land, funneled through her to him and then out again into the corpse laid out before them.
The ground started to shake, an earthquake that started off as sound, the faintest vibration, growing into a low rumbling, then an all-out shudder and rupture, as if the very world was crying out for him to stop. Then the world stood still. If this realm had been a person, she'd say they died. All at once, Cerdewellyn released Rachel’s hand.
The rags fell open, and the bones were revealed. Flesh crawled out of the chest cavity, covering her like pouring plastic into a mold. Then her auburn hair grew back, becoming lustrous and healthy. She looked perfect.
Perfect—but still dead.
She wouldn’t have been surprised if the girl opened her eyes and spoke. She was so close to being alive. A body. A spirit and a body…but it still wasn’t right. Some element to life was missing. Long ago, he would have been able to bring her back to life.
Cerdewellyn rose slowly, tears on his cheeks as he brushed a finger across the dead girl’s alabaster face. He hoisted the body in his arms and stumbled towards the water. He was exhausted; she could see the magic had taken a toll. She watched him go into the water and instead of letting Virginia go, he just stood there holding her body as if she weighed nothing. As if he could hold her all day, and wanted nothing else but to be near her. He didn't say anything, and lord knew Rachel was anything but empathetic, and yet she could see by the way he stood and gripped her tightly that he didn’t want to release her.
He straightened his shoulders and took another step into the water. He murmured something and let her go. Virginia sank instantly. After all, the dead didn’t fight. Gray clouds rolled in from the east, darker than any storm she’d ever seen. “What is that?” she asked.
Cer shook his head slowly. “It is the end. The end of the world if I fail.”
She had the oddest sense that she should console him. But Rachel didn’t give in to soft emotions. If her heart urged her to do something, it was undoubtedly wrong. She made her voice hard. “You throw away your magic on a corpse.”
“No. It is my final gamble.” He seemed to gather himself, shoulders straightening as he stood.
The end of the world he said, and she knew he was right. She had felt the fortifications of this world collapsing. And feel a gaping hole out to the west. “The spell is gone; you’re free,” Rachel said.
Cerdewellyn said nothing. His chest expanded as he took a deep breath in, jaw clenched tight. He looked at the ocean for a long moment, and then he turned back to her, gaze bottomless, his soul dead. “The enchantment that kept us here…it was not self-sufficient. It required a certain amount of power and energy to maintain itself. It failed, yes?”
Her throat was scratchy. It was never good to deliver bad news. “It’s broken. You're free.”
He gave her a look, slightly sardonic despite his grief. “I can leave. My people…they could have left too,” he laughed, harshly. “After all this time trapped here, they finally could have left. Except that they are all dead.”
His attention drifted, locking onto the open wound in the sky that was where his world had shattered and was bleeding into…where? The human world? The ether? A magical graveyard? She didn’t know.
Cerdewellyn didn’t turn to look at her, but said, “I have never been much of a torturer. I have spent most of my existence creating and protecting life, but that does not mean I do not know the best way to harm. The Fey are superior to vampires in every way, not just because we are life, but because we nurture and make things grow.”
Rachel thought that was a bit much. “You make your kind sound like saints. How many people disappeared into your world? How many did you force to your will?”
“Force to my will?” he said, as if she were speaking another language. “The Others are mine. Parasites to my power. The humans are meant to be ruled. It is in their nature to submit. My father walked into the mortal world, and all bowed before him. They will do the same for me. We are gods. And we need to be worshipped. One cannot rule with kindness.” Now he looked at her. “I need a witch. I have no need of a wolf. He is disposable. You are not. Do you understand?”
“Yes,” she said, mouth dry and heart thudding with fear.
“Where is the Sard?” he asked, voice calm and reasonable like all the best interrogators used. The tone of voice that said ‘tell me what I want to know and I can make all of this better.’
“What is the Sard? I don’t know anything about that,” Rachel said, voice laced with confusion.
“It is Fey magic. All the power my people once had, lies within the gem. I am the one who can harness it. It has been missing for centuries. You find it for me, and your wolf lives. You have four days. If you do not find it in that time, I will kill your wolf.”
“But I don’t know where it is!” she cried.
“Then you had better find it,” he said. Then he turned and walked away, heading towards the storm.
Chapter 3
AN ETERNITY later, Valerie saw a shaft of light appear above her.
The sort of light people see on the last bus out of Lifesville.
She kicked towards it; her limbs uncoordinated. She broke the surface with a desperate gasp. A wave pushed her, propelling her into a rocky ledge. She reached up and clung tightly, scraping her legs as she pulled herself out of the water, flopping onto hard stone.
It wasn’t land, nothing more than a rocky outcrop in the middle of the sea, but there also weren't any monster-eels, plus she could breathe. It was like paradise in comparison. Valerie coughed, blood pouring out of her mouth. Her chest spasmed, muscles convulsing as she tried to breathe. She felt like metal wires were spearing through her veins, wrapping around her ribs and twisting tight. And then the pain began to ease. Enough that other pains became noticeable. Her hands were bloody and raw, her arms and legs covered with bruises she could barely see in the faint light.
Her wounds healed as she watched, the pain in her chest disappeared, and she wondered how it was possible to be healing so quickly. Had Cerdewellyn done something to her? She’d imagined seeing Lucas, having him hold her, taking strength from him, but that wasn’t real, right? Those were just her delusions before she’d almost died.
Probably.
The ocean was loud, waves breaking against the rocks as if they were reaching for her, wanting to drive her back into the deep and keep her there. Across the water, she could see Cerdewellyn’s castle. Both the castle and the cliff Cerdewellyn had chucked her off looked miles away.
She wondered what was real. The cliff was painfully real. Wasn't it? Did someone really get thrown off a cliff and live? And if that wasn't real, where the hell was she? What about the big, black creatures from the deep, and Lucas with his blood and sympathy. That seemed unlikely.
“Welcome to the Land of Fey,” a soft voice said, and Val yipped, scrabbling to her feet and whirling around to see who was talking to her. A young woman sat on a rock to the side of her, a few feet away from the ledge and the lapping waves. She smiled at Valerie shyly. Her hair was curly and fell to her waist. She wore a simple shift made of
linen, and her feet were bare, toes tapping lightly against the rock she sat upon.
Valerie coughed again, and the girl slipped off the rock, coming closer. A goblet appeared in the girl’s hand, and she held it out for Valerie, her face a picture of concern. Valerie was inclined to take it. Except she couldn’t. What if this were just another trick? A mirage Cerdewellyn created in order to get her to accept his magic by eating or drinking something? Val cleared her throat. “Thanks. But no.” She coughed again.
“Welcome to the Land of Fey,” she said again. As if she were giving Valerie another chance to get the social niceties right.
Val managed a weak smile as she tried to figure out what the hell was going on. Middle of the ocean, almost dead but miraculously healing, creepy girl who was undoubtedly from the past staring at her like she was a meal. Bad, bad news. She decided the best thing to do was stall.
“Thanks, but…uh…I’m not sure it’s been a very good welcome.”
The girl’s head tilted to the side in question, and she looked genuinely upset. What, was she on the tourist board?
Val, always the victim of verbal diarrhea, explained, “Between the bad food, violent people, and massive amount of blood that has been spilled—mine, in particular—I can tell you, the Land of Fey has been less than welcoming.”
The girl’s smile faded, and she studied Valerie’s jean-clad legs in a way that made Val double-check to make sure she was still dressed.
“As much as I would love to sit around and talk corsets with you, I can’t. I gotta go. How do we get back to shore? Do you have a boat or a unicorn, even a magic carpet nearby?”
The young woman’s expression deepened, verging on a pout. “What do you want with my Cerdewellyn?”
“Nothing. I’d be happy if I never saw him again.” Val paused, chewing her lip while she tried to work out the dynamics here. “Your Cerdewellyn? What, is he your cradle-robbing boyfriend?” Val wished she could take the words back. She’d only been not choking for ten whole seconds, and she’d managed to say something offensive. Nice.
“Cerdewellyn is my destiny,” the girl said, gaze drifting down to Valerie’s tennis shoes.
“Hmm. I don’t go in for destiny. Got enough problems with the unplanned. So where is Cerdewellyn? I’m ready to go home.”
“I do not think you will be leaving,” Virginia murmured, still looking at Valerie’s shoes curiously. “No boat. No unicorn. No carpet to save you. Tell me what hold you have over my Cerdwellyn,” she said in a flat, drawled tone. Her words made Valerie’s stomach cramp. The chick was whacked, there was no other way to describe her.
Val shrugged. “Nothing. The last thing I want is to hold him. And he certainly doesn’t want to hold me. Kill me, yes. He told me he’d let me go.” She remembered his words, that he wanted a favor, would make her his queen and a full-blooded empath. Although he’d taken his favor by force. Kind of like the difference between a car-jacking and offering someone a ride. “I thought the Fey were bound by promises?” Val shuddered, “I want out of this fucking place,” Valerie finished.
“Out what?” Her eyes snapped to Valerie.
“I want out of the Land of Fey,” Val said, enunciating each word clearly.
“You are not the first, nor are you the last to desire such a thing.” The girl stepped forward, closing the distance between her and Valerie to a few feet.
Val looked around, seeing nothing but rock and water. How the hell was she supposed to get out of here? “Look, you seem very nice, but I really have to go…shit, I guess I need to go back to the castle. So, if you could just show me—”
“What do you intend to do at my castle?” Anger laced her voice.
What was it with this chick? Val tried to explain, even though she knew it was useless. Her mind kept drifting to other things, still trying to work out what was real, what was fake, and what was dangerous. “I think my friend is engaging in the hookup from hell. Like worse than just getting an STD and I’ve got to…” What? What are you going to do, Val? Throw them a condom? Throw water on them? At what point was Jack responsible for his own actions? Maybe she shouldn’t interfere. Leave them here and take care of herself.
You can’t do that. Jack wouldn’t leave you. The girl took a step closer, and Val backed up automatically. She didn’t want the girl to get too close to her. She wasn’t sure why, but the odds of this girl being a friend seemed low. Maybe that was just her luck lately. How come she couldn’t have a nice supernatural life like the girls on Charmed or even Buffy? They all had friends. Even on Supernatural, the boys had each other. What did she have? Nothing, but one damned traitor after another.
“Cer made it seem like there was no one else here,” Val said, still stalling. Should she jump back into the water and hope she survived?
The girl smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “My name is Virginia.”
“Well, Virginia, I’m Valerie.” She frowned. The name Virginia sounded familiar.
“I know who you are, Valerie Dearborn. I saw you come into our world. I saw you meet my Cerdewellyn. I saw you with the vampire.”
Val just knew she meant Lucas. “Yeah, I have really bad taste in men. But I’m turning over a new leaf when I get out of here.” She looked around again. Maybe the water really was the only way out of here. Dammit. Her gut told her she had to get out of here, even if it meant a swim that would have made an Alcatraz escapee shudder in fear.
“You brought our greatest enemy into our world.”
Valerie swallowed hard. Not much I can say about that.
“You bring him here, and yet I cannot get to him. My Cerdewellyn has returned, and yet he does not know me, nor see me. I was slain centuries ago, and yet here I am. Waiting.” Virginia’s throat worked as if she were swallowing tears. “He believes me gone. How can he not feel me here? You must help me return to him.” Her hands were clutched to her chest as though it was the only way to keep from breaking apart.
Val’s instinct was to say yes she would help Virginia, but—her instincts sucked. And there was something more than a little bit off about her. “I’m sorry, but no. I’m turning over a new leaf, and it doesn’t involve helping people. I’m all helped out. I helped my ex, I helped Lucas, Rachel and Cer, and no offense, but the whole lot of them screwed me over big time. So I’m done. But I will definitely tell Cer that I’ve seen you. And if, by some miracle, I don’t run into him, I will leave a note.” Val nodded. “Big note in a super obvious place.”
“You do not understand me, Valerie Dearborn. I have been here for longer than you can fathom. I made a mistake. I trusted when I should not have, and it led me here. It endangered the people that were to be mine, and led to centuries of ruin.”
“When you put it like that, it doesn’t sound good; you’re right. And that’s why I will tell Cerdewellyn to come and help you out.” Valerie was still backing up slowly, as Virginia took a few steps closer.
“I was murdered,” Virginia said, as Val’s foot reached the edge of the rock. And oh crap, was that a wobble at the end of that statement? Valerie didn’t want to see this chick cry. Don’t do it. Don’t listen. You know you’re a chump for a sob story.
Walking away. Or swimming away. Either way, she was abandoning a person in need. This was her new leaf, right? She felt terrible. Like she’d turned the leaf over and found dog shit on the other side.
“Please!” The girl cried as Val shifted, ready to jump back into the water.
Lightning flashed in the sky, and thunder boomed, but she still heard Virginia’s next words over the storm. “He is my love. I have known him, been for him, my entire life. My purpose was to be his, to save our people from the destruction Lucas caused. You do not know what Lucas is capable of.”
“I know what Lucas is capable of,” she said unhappily. All too well.
“If you know what he has done, how could you consort with him?” she said, looking horrified.
“Cause he’s hot and a good liar,” Val snapped, not wa
nting to get into a conversation with anyone about Lucas.
“What is the purpose of your existence, Valerie Dearborn?”
“Well…I wouldn’t say I have a destiny or a purpose, per se. More of a general outline. You know, the normal stuff. Go to school, meet nice boy, get married, have kids, worry about my lack of pension.”
Virginia looked confused. “Do you think it is fair that I had so much potential, so much to do, and a man who loved me, and yet that is gone?”
“Do I think it’s fair?” Val repeated. “I know that answer. Life isn’t fair. I’m sorry for what happened to you, but…I can’t do anything about that.” Virginia narrowed her eyes and lunged forward, grabbing for Valerie. Valerie screamed and jumped, hitting the water with a clumsy splash as she tried to escape.
Chapter 4
“TIME TO go, lover boy.”
Somebody shook him. Jack’s eyes flew open, heart suddenly pounding, locking onto Rachel, who was standing next to the bed and looking down at him. He shifted his legs, and discovered that he was naked. The events from last night were the faintest blur—almost dying, pain, and then Val’s voice begging him for something...what had it been? He had a suspicion that something really, really bad had happened the night before.
There has got to be a good reason why I'm naked.
Rachel crouched down next to him, shoving the dream or memory away, replacing it with her, and only her.
“What happened?” he asked, voice just above a growl.
“I can safely say that last night was the biggest night of your life,” she said flatly. And she didn’t smile at him, which, for some reason, was vaguely terrifying. She was sincere. Rachel didn’t do sincere.
“What was the biggest night of my life? And why am I naked?” he asked, peeking under the sheet just to make sure. Rachel rolled her eyes and stalked away from him, doing a circuit of the bedroom like an animal in the zoo; trapped and pissed.
Love Is Mortal Page 3