by Danica Avet
My skin chilled at the seriousness in his voice. “What do you mean? There are other idiots out there who believe this prophecy is true?”
“I don’t appreciate being called an idiot, especially when the prophecy led me straight to you.” His hot breath brushed over my ear, making my nipples harden again. “You haven’t been in Fairworld for nearly a decade. Things have changed a lot. The banshees are dwindling under the rule of Queen Melosia.” I shuddered at her name being spoken. She’d been the one who ordered my death after all. I was allowed to freak out a little. Ryvan chafed my arms with his big, hot hands. “The tribes are suffering. Queen Tamsyn of the Fairy Court is the one who believes you’re the banshee of prophecy and she’s given you her backing.”
I turned to look into his fiery blue eyes. “What?”
He nodded, the lock of hair over his eye swaying with the movement. “She sent me after you.” He shut his eyes, lines forming on his face as he scowled. “I knew about you, but I wasn’t allowed to go to you until the prophecy was put into motion.”
Uh-huh, like I believed that shit. Queen Tamsyn was of the Fairy Court, why would she concern herself with the Wailing Court? And I doubt Ryvan let anyone tell him what to do. Someone like him would have avoided me like the plague. Now that he thought I was about to become the Banshee Queen, he wanted in on the action.
Banshee Queen. I strangled a snort at the thought. My family would skin me alive before they’d let me sit the throne. No, this was some kind of trick. The real question now was how to get away from the crazy elf before he dragged me to Fairworld and straight to my death.
“So what now?” I asked. It was difficult to keep my body relaxed and my mind blank even as I tried to formulate a plan to escape Ryvan.
He frowned at me as though he didn’t trust my sudden acquiesce. That just proved he was a smart elf. He should suspect me because I had no intentions of going back. I’d just gotten my damn life straightened out. I didn’t relish the idea of starting all over again, but I would. There were strip clubs all over the United States; surely one of them wanted a banshee dancer. I could live without beignets. I think.
“Now I take you to Fairworld to meet with Queen Tamsyn. She wants to explain the situation to you before we gather our troops to take the throne from Melosia.” Ryvan still stared at me, his blue eyes thoughtful. “You’re okay with this? You don’t have any more questions, or concerns?”
I shrugged my shoulder, pushing away from him slightly. “I don’t like it,” I said with all honesty. “I never want to go back there, especially when my death is more desirable than ever.” Because of idiotic fanatics who wanted me dead to prevent me from taking a throne I had no claim to.
He cupped my chin, his thumb brushing over my bottom lip. I melted in his lap, a sigh trying to escape because oh he was dreamy. Satisfaction gleamed in his eyes and I sat up with a frown. Not fair!
“I will protect you with my life, Magda.”
His words had the reverence of a promise made by a knight of old. The romantic in me, the one who sits in front of the television to watch sappy old movies, melted right into his hands. The colder, practical side of me threw up defensive walls to block out his words. I knew how well the courtiers of the Fairworld courts were with their tongues. My cheeks burned at that thought. Not in a sexual sense, although I’d heard rumors…No, the courtiers were cunning diplomats who were able to twist the truth to meet their needs. I’d seen it myself as a young banshee subject to Queen Melosia’s torture. The courtiers who lined the Wailing Court’s training rooms had always come up with a new torment to make me cry, their sly smiles barely disguising their eagerness to hurt me.
Call me a cynic, but I didn’t believe for one minute that Ryvan was any different from those bastards in the Wailing Court. He was just better at hiding his true intentions. And if he started stirring my romantic side, I was in deep shit.
“I can’t leave right away,” I told him. “I have things to take care of here before I go anywhere.” Like find a way out of this mess.
He didn’t like my answer as evidenced by the scowl that darkened his face. “We need to leave immediately. The longer we stay here, the higher the chances are of Melosia’s assassins killing you.”
Okay, that sent shivers down my spine because in this, I believed him. Melosia hated me. She always had and if Ryvan were to be believed it was because of a prophecy made nearly two centuries before I was born.
You must defeat her…Crystal’s words haunted me. I stared into Ryvan’s eyes and felt a spark of warmth, not in my lower body, but in my heart which started to pound with excitement. I wanted him, yes, but there was something about him, a recognition that he might be the mysterious One I’d been waiting for all my life.
I shied away from that thought, especially considering Crystal’s warning that when I found what I desired most, the darkness would find me. This was all just coincidence. Right? Or even better, a ruse to get me back to the Wailing Court for an execution. Maybe Crystal had accidentally channeled Queen Melosia, although I didn’t know if that was possible. Maybe Ryvan really believed in this prophecy, but most likely he was a means to an end to get me back in Queen Melosia’s power. Maybe he really believed he could protect me from her wrath, but he couldn’t know the queen as well as I did. He could believe in the prophecy all he wanted. I wasn’t buying it, which meant I had to get away from him because I had a feeling this elf was tenacious enough to drag me back whether I wanted to go or not.
“Maggie!” a sharp, nasally voice shouted on the other side of the curtain.
I jumped, pushing my way off of Ryvan’s lap. I’d forgotten where we were and what we’d been doing before he dropped his prophecy bomb. I smoothed my skirt over my ass, adjusting the string of my panties seconds before Grady shoved the curtain open.
Spanky, our boss stood in Grady’s shadow. His rat-like gaze narrowed on me and Ryvan, his nose pinching nearly closed in disgust. There was no mistaking what Ryvan and I had been doing at some point. My cheeks burned under Spanky and Grady’s shocked gazes.
The club owner looked at Ryvan. “Your allotted time is up. Maggie has to get back on the floor.”
I sidled closer to the opening of the booth, half afraid Ryvan would snag me and disappear into the ether. I didn’t know what kind of powers he had, but going straight to Fairworld right now would seriously ruin my plans to get away from him.
“We were just finished,” I said before Ryvan could start his shit about me belonging to him. I sent him a meaningful glance, telling him to keep quiet about who he thought I was. “I’ll see you later.”
Spanky sidestepped me as I scooted out of the booth. I knew he did it because he didn’t want to touch me for fear of what fluids I’d have on my body, but I was thankful since it put him between me and Ryvan. I blinked twice at Grady, the silent tell we dancers had that we were expecting trouble.
I was halfway across the club, back to the locker room when I heard Ryvan and Grady get into it. Marvin, the other werewolf bouncer, entered the fray. I punched in the code to the security door, my hands shaking so bad I had to start over twice. My skin crawled as I felt the lustful energy of my admirers nearing me.
Finally the door opened. I spared one look back just in time to see Marvin go flying across the club. Males, mostly of other dimensions, swarmed to the fight and the male standing in the middle of it. Searing blue eyes promised retribution before I slammed the door closed.
Risking a broken ankle, I ran to the locker room. I needed to get to Phineas’s shop for that protection spell before Ryvan tore the club apart looking for me.
* * *
Chapter Six
The walk to Magic Eternal was cold and scary as all hell. I kept looking over my shoulder and slipping into the shadows when it seemed like someone was following me. I felt like an idiot. There were always people moving around the French Quarter which meant there was always someone walking behind me. Most of them were tourists or workers though, so I
not only felt like an idiot, but I also looked like one.
Warm light spilled through the windows of Phineas’s store, beckoning me with the promise of safety. I stepped inside, immediately surrounded by the scent of sage and myrrh. The tension drained from my muscles leaving me shaky and weak.
“Magda!” Phineas called out, his dark face beaming. Leaf green eyes sparkled behind his Buddy Holly glasses. “I didn’t expect to see you in this soon. Do you need more Scar-Gone?” He moved between shelves, his lean body barely stirring the air. The closer he came though, the more his smile faded until he was frowning. “What happened?”
I wet my lips, peering around the shop to make sure we were alone. “The court sent someone to take me back to Fairworld,” I whispered shakily. “There’s an assassination in place for me.” I believed that much of what Ryvan told me. It made sense in a sick sort of way. “I need protection wards and more glamour so I can get the hell out of here.”
Phineas frowned, taking my hand in his. His skin always felt a little leathery and stiff, but since wood elves were reputed to be able to turn into trees, that was expected.
“Magda, are you sure? You’ve been doing so well lately, your mind might be trying to trick you into thinking you’re being followed.”
I yanked my hand away from his hold, ignoring the splinter he left in my palm. “Of course I’m sure! The guy they sent to take me got into a fight at my job just a little while ago. I snuck away and came straight here. I need to get the fuck out of town, Phineas.”
“Why does he want to take you back to the court?” His voice was just as calm and collected as usual.
I paced along the well-worn cypress floor, listening to the floorboards creak beneath my feet. Shelves of power crystals and powders hindered my nervous energy so I moved around to the checkout area where Phineas had set up a few clothes racks. I circled the racks filled with cloaks made from rowan leaves, hemp shirts, and bark pants as I told him everything that had happened since I left the meeting last night—minus the humping session I’d had with Ryvan.
Wrapping my arms around my waist, I peered out the windows now and then. Was Ryvan out there right now waiting for me? I knew Phineas had an anti-violence spell on his shop which protected him from being robbed, or from trouble following his customers. Maybe Ryvan was just waiting for me to step beyond the doorway so he could—
“Hey, you’re serious, aren’t you?” Phineas asked in a shocked tone.
I spun around. “Serious?”
“About your people wanting you dead.”
I blinked at him. “Did you think I was making it all up?” I squeaked at him.
He rubbed the back of his neck, a sheepish expression on his face. “Well…I’ve been holding the support group for nearly twenty-five years, you know. Sometimes the ones who come to the meetings tell outlandish tales in the hopes of impressing others with how tough they are.” His cheeks turned a ruddy red color. “I thought…well, you always smiled at me so I thought maybe you were trying to—”
“You thought I was hitting on you?” I screeched, dropping my arms to my sides.
“Uh. You…I…” He threw his hands in the air. I could’ve sworn I smelled burnt wood as his skin turned even darker. “I’m sorry! Maybe I was projecting my feelings on you. It’s just…you came in here first and then started going to the meetings and I guess I was hoping you were there for me.”
If I hadn’t been in so much shit, I would’ve blushed along with him. I’d never thought of Phineas as a possible date. He was handsome in a nerdy woodsman kind of way, but he was way more settled than I was. He’d never given me the slightest hint that he liked me as more than a fellow freak.
I slumped back against one of his showcases, feeling exhausted. “I’m sorry,” I mumbled. I really liked him as a friend and would’ve never embarrassed him like this if given a choice. Unfortunately, I couldn’t go back in time to change the way I smiled at him. I groaned. “I need to get out of town, Phineas. I need some spells and—”
“If this guy is working with Queen Tamsyn, nothing I give you will throw him off your track for very long.” Phineas’s eyes were very serious behind his glasses. “My magic isn’t very powerful since I’ve been here for so long.”
“What can I do?”
I shot another look out the windows. Was that a shadow in the doorway of the townhouse across the street? A chill skated up my spine.
Phineas followed my gaze. He cursed under his breath and flipped the welcome sign to closed. After locking the front door, he grabbed my wrist and pulled me to the back of his shop. Once we were in the back room, he let me go to shuffle through some papers on a battered desk.
The backroom featured a long worktable covered with empty vials he’d store potions in. There were no roots or leaves as I would have expected, but then I remembered he was allergic to plants. He probably had a supplier that brought him necessary ingredients for his magicks.
“I’m going to call Sable,” he said as he flipped through some cards. “She can fly you out of here. I don’t know how good a tracker this Ryvan character is, but that should slow him down as well as anyone else who’s after you.” He found what he was looking for and started dialing. “Do you have to get anything from your place first?” He sifted through some bottles and handed me one.
“Yes, my cat.”
The label on the bottle read Quick-Clean. My cheeks burned. It was one of those between-shower potions. I took a quick sip and felt the elf magic wash over me removing all traces of my orgasms. I put the stopper back in and put the bottle in my pocket for later. There was no telling when I’d get another shower.
“Sable, we have an emergency. I have Magda at my shop. I need you to bring her to her apartment. No, I can’t say anything else. I’ll let her explain. Uh-huh. Yeah, it’s that serious.” He closed his eyes. “No, I don’t think any graveyards are involved. I’m almost positive there aren’t dead people involved either. Okay. See you soon.”
He put down the phone and started rifling through his work cabinet again. “She’ll be here soon. I have a couple of things that might help, but they aren’t failsafe.” He muttered to himself, knocking small glass bottles over in his haste.
Something banged against the front of the store causing the entire building to vibrate. My heart leapt to my throat. Phineas froze with his hand on a bottle of bright green liquid. His head pivoted like he heard something I couldn’t, his pointed ears twitching.
“Magda, go out the back door,” he ordered in a near soundless whisper. He pressed another potion bottle into my hand. “Drink that before you go and whatever you do, don’t look back.”
I clutched his arm. “Come with me.” I was terrified. Whatever was out there was bad news. I could feel it in the air. My dry tear ducts burned with the need to cry. I shouldn’t have come here with trouble on my heels.
He pushed me away. “Go. I’ll slow them down.”
I felt like the biggest coward. If I were worth anything, I’d stay and fight at his side, but I was powerless right now. Banshees were criers and swordswomen and currently I was sans tears and sword. In other words, I was s-c-r-e-w-e-d.
An insane howling rent the air raising the hair on the back of my neck. It stirred something primal in my soul, piggybacking on my fear until I felt like I’d drown in it.
“It’s the Host,” Phineas whispered in a hoarse voice.
I reeled in shock. The Host was made up of the nightmares of Fairworld. Hellhounds, demons, imps, demonic faeries, and any other manner of monsters that haunted human dreams made the Host an unstoppable force. They bided their time in the Void, an empty wasteland within Fairworld, awaiting orders from one of the three Fairworld rulers. Once they were released, they never stopped until their prey had been torn to pieces and consumed, or they were called back by their master.
And someone had sent them after me. I could hear them howling my name between bangs on the front doors.
He grabbed more bottles from hi
s shelf. “You have to get the fuck out of here, Magda.” He shot me a hard look. “If they sent the Host after you, then whatever that elf told you is the truth, or partly true. You have to decide right now if you’re going to let your fears rule you or if you’re going to fight for your future. The Host won’t just come after you. They’ll go after anyone you’ve ever come into contact with. The only way to stop them is to take out the queen, or have another sovereign pull them back.”
I stood rooted in place as Phineas grabbed more bottles from his cabinet. He started to walk away, but paused. Spinning on his heel, he rushed up to me, catching me in his arms. Startled by his sudden change of direction, I stared up at him.
“It’s an honor to defend the future queen of the Wailing Court,” he whispered.
Before I could protest, he pressed his lips to mine in a hard, fast kiss. He released me just as quickly as he grabbed me, heading to the front of the store with the proud bearing of a soldier marching into war. Knowing he faced the most horrific beasts to ever emerge from the primordial ooze, I knew I’d never see Phineas again.
The howling grew louder, the building shuddered harder, plaster falling from the ceiling to rain about my head. I didn’t want to leave Phineas to fight on his own, but if he was right, if Ryvan was right, I was needed in Fairworld.
Gods, I was an idiot!
Whirling around, I started for the back door. Remembering the bottle in my hand, I opened the stopper and gulped down the sickly sweet liquid. It hit my stomach like a ton of bricks. My head spun and I staggered under the wave of power coursing through me. I don’t know what the potion did, but I trusted Phineas.
Whatever you do, don’t look back. I was so tempted to ignore his warning. I needed to see him one last time, but a sudden scratching at the back door distracted me. The potion took my senses and expanded them outward. I knew Sable was on the other side of the door, her body shaking as hard as the building. A sudden screech sounded behind me. It sounded like a male screaming in agony.