The Faerie Mates (Dark World: The Faerie Games Book 3)

by Michelle Madow

  The engine turned off, and we stopped moving.

  “Look at us, possibly getting two of the objects in one day.” Sage sat back and smiled. “We’ll be in the Otherworld before we know it.”

  “Let’s not get cocky,” Thomas said. “Circe’s not a run-of-the-mill monster. She’s an immortal sorceress. She’s stronger than witches and mages. Stealing her staff will be difficult.”

  “We have the moly so we can resist her magic,” I said, referring to the herb Odysseus had used in The Odyssey to do just that. Luckily, my mom had just about every herb in the Devereux apothecary—including moly. “So we’re off to a good start.”

  “Perhaps we should continue taking an example from Odysseus,” Thomas said. “Odysseus pulled his sword on Circe, and she invited him to bed with her. Once Circe’s asleep, Reed can steal the staff, and we can hightail it out of there.”

  “Me?” Reed looked appalled.

  “In every account of Circe, she’s described as incredibly beautiful,” Thomas said. “Spending a night with her surely wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.”

  “If that’s what you think, then why don’t you do it?” he asked.

  “Because I’d never betray my mate.” Thomas scooted closer to Sage and reached for her hand under the table.

  “And I’d never betray my betrothed.” Reed stared him down in challenge.

  “Betrothed?” I tilted my head and studied Reed, jealousy coursing through me. “You mean you have a fiancée?”

  “I haven’t kept it a secret that I have someone waiting for me on Mystica,” he said.

  “I thought you had a girlfriend. Not a fiancée.” The word felt strange on my tongue. Reed was seventeen. Who got engaged at seventeen? Was that even legal?

  “You’re jealous,” he said simply.

  “No.” I bristled. “Why would I be jealous?”

  Reed didn’t bother answering the question. Instead, he stared at me, his expression indecipherable.

  Before today, he would have said a sarcastic, snarky comment.

  Something had definitely changed between us since we did that spell. And as much as he was denying it, I had a gut feeling that he felt it, too.

  “Well.” Sage smiled brightly, breaking the tension between the two of us. “Whoever stole your heart in Mystica must be a lucky girl.”

  “It’s not like that,” he said. “The princess and I have been betrothed since we were children.”

  Great. He’s not just engaged, but he’s engaged to a princess. How much worse can this get?

  I couldn’t even look at him. He’d humiliated me enough for one day. And that was saying a lot, because I wasn’t the type to let a guy get to me so much.

  I wished Reed had never been assigned to this quest with us in the first place.

  “So it’s a political arrangement,” Thomas surmised.

  “It is.” Reed nodded. “Not only will the marriage benefit my family, but I’ve known the princess for as long as I can remember. She’s one of my closest friends. I won’t dishonor her by having a one-night stand with a sorceress, no matter how bewitching this sorceress is rumored to be.”

  “You don’t love her?” The words came out of my mouth before I could stop them.

  He froze, but quickly got ahold of himself. “I respect her, and I value our friendship,” he said. “But no, I don’t love her. At least not in the romantic sense.”

  “And she knows this?”

  “She feels the same way about the betrothal as I do,” he said. “Why the sudden interest in the politics of Mystica?”

  Because the thought of you marrying someone you don’t love makes me feel sick. You deserve better.

  “As I’m sure you’ve seen during your time on Avalon, your customs are very different from what we’re used to,” Sage cut in. “A little curiosity is to be expected.”

  “It’s how things have always been done amongst the noble families in Mystica.” He straightened, looking proud of his realm’s medieval ways. “The only exception would be…” His eyes locked on mine, leaving me breathless. But he didn’t continue.

  “The only exception would be what?” I asked.

  “Never mind.” He waved off the question. “It’s unimportant, and we’ve gotten off subject.”

  “I was just about to bring us back around to the topic at hand,” Thomas said, and all eyes went to him. “While the three of you were chatting, I’ve been thinking. Since seducing Circe isn’t an option, perhaps we should go about this the old fashioned way.”

  “What way is that?” I asked.

  “Launch a surprise attack, kill Circe, and take her staff,” he said, as if it should have been obvious.

  “I was thinking the same thing,” Sage said.

  I looked back and forth between the two of them in shock. “You can’t be serious,” I said, although it was clear from their expressions that they were.

  “I know that killing Circe will be difficult,” Thomas said. “Especially because like I said earlier, she’s powerful. But there’s one of her, and four of us. If we catch her unaware, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t be able to pull this off.”

  “That’s not what I meant,” I said.

  “So what’s the problem?”

  “The problem is that Circe’s not a mindless monster, or a demon with no conscience,” I said. “She’s a person. We can’t kill her in cold blood. That goes against everything we’re taught on Avalon.”

  Sage turned to me, her eyes tender. “On Avalon, we’re taught not to kill innocents,” she said. “But Circe’s not an innocent. She’s been turning the men who stumble onto her island into animals for thousands of years. By doing so, she’s all but killed them. Putting an end to Circe will save any men who stumble upon her island in the future.”

  “And getting her staff will give us a chance to save Selena,” Reed added. “That is why we’re here, isn’t it?”

  “Of course it is.” I narrowed my eyes at him, annoyed at him for doubting me—and annoyed at him for knowing the exact right thing to say to get me on board with killing Circe.

  “Fine.” I turned to Thomas. “How exactly should we go about this surprise attack?”

  “I’m glad you asked,” he said, and from there, he told us the plan.

  23

  Selena

  Pierce was one of those people who was constantly surrounded by others at all times.

  There was no way to talk to him without at least one person from his side knowing. So the day before the arena battle, I picked the time when I wouldn’t have to deal with Octavia and Antonia, too.

  Early morning, when Pierce did his daily workout with Emmet.

  As always, the two guys were out in the backyard soon after the sun rose. I’d never been a morning person, but Cassia had no problem forcing me out of bed. We had a mission, and I was ready to help Cassia convince Pierce to work with her.

  Emmet hovered over Pierce, holding his feet down for sit-ups, when Cassia and I walked outside. Emmet was muscular, but he looked small in comparison to Pierce, whose arms and legs were as wide as tree trunks.

  His bulkiness made him heavy, which could easily be used against him in a fight.

  I stepped on as many twigs and crunchy leaves as possible as Cassia and I walked over to them. Pierce jumped up when he saw us approaching, and Emmet followed his lead.

  Pierce’s eyes flashed with guilt. Then suspicion.

  Emmet rubbed his hands together to brush off the dirt. “What brings you two lovely ladies out here so early?” he asked, smiling as we continued toward them.

  Pierce was as still as a statue, and he said nothing.

  “We need to speak with Pierce,” Cassia said. “Alone.”

  “Finally.” Emmet winked at Cassia. “I’m glad you’re not giving up.”

  “No one’s giving up.” I focused on Pierce, waiting for him to answer.

  “All right.” He nodded. “I’ll hear you out.”

  “That’s
my cue,” Emmet said. “I was just about ready to wash up, anyway.” He jogged over to the bathhouse, leaving the three of us alone in the backyard.

  “Let’s sit?” I motioned to a group of stumps nearby.

  Pierce silently led the way and sat down. Cassia and I followed his lead and sat on two stumps across from him. The fall air was crisp, the birds chirped happily, and the tops of the stumps were damp with morning dew.

  “Get out with it before the others wake up,” Pierce said.

  That was one thing I liked about Pierce. He was always quick to get to the point.

  “When I was Empress of the Villa, I respected your wishes and didn’t send you to the arena,” I said. “By now, it’s no secret that Julian and I are working together. And when he was Emperor of the Villa, he didn’t send you to the arena, either.”

  “I have no grievances against you or Julian,” Pierce said. “If you came out here to confirm that, then consider it confirmed.” He tilted his head in Cassia’s direction. “But none of that addresses why she’s here.”

  Cassia straightened her shoulders and held Pierce’s gaze. “I want you to work with me tomorrow to take out Octavia,” she said.

  “I figured as much,” he said. “So why not come out here alone? Why bring Selena?”

  I balled my fists, breathing slowly to calm the sparks of anger flaring through me. Pierce might look like a meathead, but he wasn’t dense, like Emmet.

  He just wanted us to admit to our alliance out loud.

  “You were right the first week when you guessed that Cassia, Julian, and I are working together,” I said. “And when I was Empress of the Villa, you told me that if I didn’t send you to the arena, you’d return the favor.”

  “I said I’d return the favor if I was Emperor of the Villa,” he corrected me.

  “Yes.” I nodded, since I remembered that as well as he did. “But perhaps we could alter the agreement.”

  “I’m listening.”

  I took a deep breath. This was it. The biggest trump card I had to play. “If you work with Cassia in the arena tomorrow to take out Octavia, I’ll consider us even.”

  He was silent for a few seconds. “An interesting proposition,” he finally said. “But Octavia didn’t send me to the arena when she was Empress of the Villa, either. Why should I fight against her when she’s done me a favor, and Cassia has done nothing for me?”

  “Because Octavia’s the biggest threat in the Games,” Cassia took over.

  “That’s debatable.” Pierce glanced over at me.

  “Octavia’s taken out two champions so far, and she enjoyed both of those kills.” Cassia didn’t back down. “That makes her the biggest threat.”

  “Like I said, that’s debatable.”

  “Fine,” Cassia said. “But we both know she’s far more of a threat than I am.” He didn’t argue with that, so she continued, “Work with me to take her out, and that’s one fewer champion standing in your way of winning the Games.”

  The corner of his lips tilted up into a small smile.

  Were we getting through to him?

  “This is a bigger request than when I asked you not send me to the arena the first week,” he said to me. “Unless you, Cassia, and Julian are offering a final four?”

  My heart stopped, and I froze.

  That came out of nowhere.

  But I had to say something. Quickly. Before he took the option off the table.

  “Yes,” I lied. “We could do that.”

  “Cassia?” He looked to her.

  I looked to her, too. Lie, I thought. Forget about the deal with Felix. Lie to Pierce to save your life.

  “Unless you’re still with Felix…” he said, confirming my suspicion that Octavia had told the others what she’d overheard in the sauna.

  Cassia’s wings shimmered at the mention of Felix’s name. “Felix has been parading around with Antonia all week,” she said. “I’m not stupid. I know what they’re doing up there in her suite every night.”

  “So you’re not with him anymore.”

  “No,” she said, so strongly that I wondered if she was telling the truth.

  She hadn’t said anything to me about Felix since the selection ceremony. And he was still keeping up the charade with Antonia, assumedly to infiltrate the other side of the house.

  Maybe she’d finally had enough?

  Pierce looked back and forth between the two of us. “Your points all make sense,” he said. “And a final four with three strong players is tempting.”

  “So you’re in?” I asked.

  “I’ll mull it over,” he said. “But this was a good talk. You’ve given me a lot to consider.”

  Cassia moved forward to sit on the edge of the stump. “When will you let us know your decision?” she asked.

  He smiled wickedly—a smile that reminded me of Bacchus’s—and said, “You’ll know my decision when you see whose side I take tomorrow in the arena.”

  24

  Torrence

  Circe’s island was next to a popular tourist destination called Pig Island.

  “No one knows for sure how the pigs got to Pig Island,” Thomas said as we passed the island packed with tourists swimming with the pigs. He, Sage, and I stood on deck. Reed was downstairs, brewing the moly tea. “Although there are many rumors. Many say they were dropped off by sailors who wanted to cook them but never returned, or that they survived a shipwreck, or that they were planted there to generate business as a tourist destination. Only a few guess the correct reason—that they escaped from a nearby islet.”

  “Aeaea,” I said, recalling the name on the map. “Circe’s island.”

  “Yes.” He guided the yacht around Pig Island and toward one that appeared uninhabited.

  The water around it was bright, sky blue, and it led to pristine white sand beaches lined with wild bushes and trees. Birds flew overhead, but other than that, the island was devoid of life.

  “I don’t see any pigs,” Sage said.

  “This was the island on the map,” I said. “They have to be here.”

  Thomas sailed the yacht around the entire island. There were no pigs to be found.

  “We should get off the yacht,” I said once we were back where we’d started. “Explore a little.”

  Thomas dropped the anchor, and we went downstairs to the kitchen, where Reed was pouring the cups of moly tea. We drank it quickly—it was sweet and milky, with a slightly bitter aftertaste—and went downstairs to change.

  I put on a bikini, a sheer white cover-up dress, and flip-flops. Then I wrapped a dagger in my towel, covering it completely.

  Once changed, we boarded the motorboat at the back of the yacht. It was the first time I’d seen Thomas in something other than a suit. He looked more relaxed than ever in his swim trunks, t-shirt, and aviator sunglasses.

  He sat in the captain’s chair and leaned back, not needing to touch the steering wheel to drive us to the beach. “You have no idea how great it is to not worry about the sun draining me on Earth,” he said as he soaked in the rays.

  “One of the best perks of mating with me and becoming half shifter.” Sage walked behind him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

  “I can think of a few better ones.” He tilted his head back to look up at her and smiled. “But yes, this one’s up there.”

  We were nearly at the beach when a tingling sensation passed through me. My vision blurred for a second or two. It cleared, and the beach was no longer deserted.

  It was full of pigs.

  The pigs were swimming, walking around on the beach, and lying on the sand enjoying the sun. Some of them swam up to our boat, greeting us as we pulled up to the island. They oinked and smiled, and I reached down to pet one. He nuzzled up against my hand.

  “You know those are actually men.” Reed frowned. “They’re not real pigs.”

  “I don’t care,” I said, petting another one. “They’re cute.”

  Thomas anchored the boat at the end of
the cove, where it could be partially hidden. We took off our flip-flops, grabbed our towels, and waded through the water to the beach. The water was as warm as a bathtub, which was a far cry from the cold ocean in LA.

  “Circe’s lair can’t be far from here,” Thomas said. “We’ll wander until we find it.”

  “Or we can try something else.” The first pig I’d petted had followed us to the shore, and I kneeled down to pet him again. “Hey there,” I said. “Can you lead us to Circe?”

  The pig turned its head up and snorted. Then it turned and trotted along the beach, its curly tail bouncing with each step.

  I walked alongside him. The others followed, too.

  We must have walked half a mile before we heard beautiful singing. It had to be Circe. Her voice grew louder as we turned into a cove lined with a small cliff. Smack in the middle of the cliff was a cave, and the singing was coming from inside of it.

  Two lions were lying down on each side of the entrance.

  We paused in our tracks. Thomas and Sage were strong in their wolf forms, but lions were stronger. And it was too early to blow our cover.

  Sage kept her eyes trained on the lions. “They look pretty docile,” she said as one of them licked its paw.

  The other rolled over, stood up, and strolled toward us.

  Reed held his hands out, ready to shoot out his magic.

  “Stand down,” Sage said to him, and he looked at her like she was crazy. “The lion’s showing no signs of wanting to attack. And look into its eyes. They’re almost magical, don’t you think?”

  I looked in the lion’s eyes and saw what she meant. There was an otherworldly shimmer to them.

  The lion approached Sage and nuzzled its nose into her side. She reached forward and stroked its neck, and the lion purred.

  “See?” she said. “They’re friendly.”

  It was a good thing we were wearing our cloaking rings. I wasn’t sure how friendly the big cats would be if they smelled that Sage and Thomas were wolf shifters.

  After a bit more petting, the lion turned to the cave and motioned for us to follow. The pig rubbed its nose against the back of my leg. He also looked at the cave—he was telling me to go inside of it.