Callia stands before me, but she looks different. Her horn is missing, shaved off at the base. And then the vision shifts and I see a rider on horseback, making a mad dash through the woods towards the portal. He wears a black cloak and at his hip is a dagger that glows silver, made from unicorn horn.
And he's trying to leave the Otherworld. Ahead of him the Dragon's Breath wall looms large, and he's heading straight towards it.
The vision begins to fade, and through the pounding in my head, I force it to last just a little longer. I need to get a closer look. To see who's on the horse.
Something burns my eyes and just before I slam back into my own body, I see his face.
No.
It can't be.
Pain grips me as Liam continues to hold me, his body hot against mine.
I realize I'm crying and swipe at my eyes, only to find crimson staining my hand. Was I crying blood?
"Eve!" Liam's voice finally penetrates my haze and I feel power from all four brothers pour into me, relieving the pain in my head and in my gut.
I struggle to sit up and find that the world is spinning just a little bit less. "I'm okay," I say.
I look around for the unicorn and find her standing to the side, her face unreadable. "What was that?" I ask her.
"I am still connected to my horn," she says. "And you just saw a vision of where it is right now."
I stand and Liam offers support, but I feel stronger and stronger by the moment. "I have to go," I say.
"We're going home," Liam insists.
"No, you all get the kids home. I have a lead on a possible murder weapon. I'll explain later but I don't have time now."
I look too Callia for guidance. "How do I get there?" I ask her.
She shrugs. "You could always try flying."
My eyes widen in stunned amazement. "Fly? I can fly?"
"Well, you have hovered before,” Elijah says. "That's not how air magic is supposed to work but…"
"That's not how his air magic works," Callia says. "But you're different. Don't let them limit you. Try it. It's the only way you'll make it there before the suspect gets away."
I nod and focus, calling on my air and light magic. And just like that, I am airborne. I look down at the Night brothers. "I'll meet you back at the castle. Trust me."
I know they'll just argue with me, so I don't wait for their response. I take off flying high and fast, manipulating the winds around my body to give me speed without discomfort. I use my fire magic to warm me and earth magic to stabilize me. For a moment I forget what I saw in the vision. I forget about Lyx dying. About the orphaned children we are bringing home. And I am completely absorbed in the present moment, relishing the freedom and intoxicating wonder of doing something that previously I'd only done in dreams.
I truly can't believe I'm actually flying. Racing through the air like a bird, wind and freedom all around me.
But the flight ends too soon, as I reach the edge of the world, the grove where Kaya's tree lives, and the place where the rider was headed.
I see him now. He's moments from reaching the portal.
I drop down from the sky and land right in front of him. He swerves his horse to avoid knocking me over, and then topples off gracelessly.
He storms over to me, his face a confusing play of emotions when he sees me.
"Eve?"
"Hello, Cole."
There's a lump in my throat as I say his name. The last time we saw each other, I found out he'd been lying to me about everything, and he discovered I was the Fate who ordered his torture. Being this close to him now is almost painful. All the hurt and anger are there, but so is the love, the desire, the passion he ignited in me. He feels achingly familiar and like a stranger all at once. I want to reach out and touch him, to pull him into me, to feel his lips on mine, but he's standing here, trying to flee the Otherworld, with a weapon that could kill a dragon hanging from his hip.
"What are you doing here?" he asks.
"I was just going to ask the same of you."
He shakes his head, clearly confused. "I'm riding a horse."
"Obviously. I mean where are you going?"
He shrugs. "I'm enjoying the afternoon before a meeting I have scheduled."
"A meeting?" I scoff at that. "Does your meeting involve killing dragons?" I ask. Though I sound flippant, my heart is racing in my chest and I feel close to vomiting again. I can't bear for him to be guilty of this crime, but I can't ignore who he is, or what he is capable of.
"What are you talking about?" he asks.
"Lyx. She's dead. Stabbed through the heart with something that looks suspiciously like that unicorn horn dagger you've got there."
His face pales and he stumbles back a bit. "Lyx is dead? Are you sure?"
"I saw her body myself."
His eyes widen. "Her body remains? How? Why?"
"That's what I'm trying to figure out, Cole," I say with as much cool as I can muster. "The Mother of Dragons herself showed up and is pretty pissed. Things will not end well for me if I don't solve this murder, and right now, you look like the prime suspect."
"Mon Couer, I didn't do this. You must believe me. Look at your ring if you think I am lying." He glances down at my hand and raises an eyebrow when he sees all the dragon rings lining my fingers.
I don't even bother considering his suggestion. "Do you really think I still believe this ring protects me from your lies?" I ask. "I've known for some time that it's a tracking device more than anything."
He cocks his head, his dark eyes unreadable. "You are a surprising woman. If you know, then why do you still wear it?" he asks, stepping closer to me until we are inches apart from each other. He raises a hand to caress my cheek, and though a part of me wants to turn away, I find I cannot. I'm mesmerized by him, as I always have been, and despite everything, I still crave him, body, mind and soul, and the bastard knows it.
I force myself to step back, just out of his reach, though the action pains me. "I wear it as a reminder not to fall for a pretty face."
He grins, stroking his chin. "I am rather dashing, it's true."
I roll my eyes but can't help but laugh. "You're impossible is what you are."
"By the looks of it, you're quite skilled at handling the impossible, mon cher."
"I'm not here to flirt with you," I say, though my voice lacks the confidence I try desperately to instill in it.
"Of course not. How can I be of service? If you do not believe me, how shall I prove my innocence to you?"
"Where did you get the dagger?" I ask. "And where are you going with it?"
"It was not easy to track down," he says. "When the Collector went missing, he left a certain gap in the underground industry. I, in my benevolence, have volunteered to fill that gap by acquiring that which is hard to find for people with the right resources."
My face hardens. "I hope you haven't picked up all his criminal behavior," I say, thinking of the girls he trafficked in.
Cole frowns. "No. Never. You know me better than that. I would never trade in lives. Not for any amount of money. Only hard to come by goods."
I nod, believing him this time. I know his past, know what he's been through, and I know he wouldn't put someone else through that.
He cocks his head, studying me. "You wouldn't happen to know what became of the Collector, would you?" he asks.
I shrug. "Why would I know anything about that?" I say. I mean, it's not exactly a lie. Just a question.
He chuckles. "Of course. How silly of me."
"So you were hired to find this dagger," I say, bringing us back to the point of the conversation.
"Yes," he says. "But I'm under strict orders of confidentiality."
I cock my hip and stare him down. "Cole."
He glances down at my hands again, at the rings lining them. "Merdre," he says, cursing under his breath. "I literally can't tell you. I'm bound. But there's nothing saying I can't show you. Come with me to my meeting."
"Yes. I will. But how is that better for you than telling me?"
He shrugs. "It's a loophole. And I get to spend more time with you this way. That constitutes a win-win in my mind."
"Fine. Take me to your meeting." I studiously ignore the flare of joy I feel at knowing we will have more time together. "But before you do, you should put a tracker on that dagger so we can see what happens to it."
"I could," he says. "But it would be better if you did it yourself. I can teach you how."
What is it with everyone wanting to teach me new tricks like I'm a dog to be trained? I sigh, but at the same time, this knowledge will come in handy. My powers are growing with each passing day, and though I keep waiting to hit the limits of what I can do, it hasn't happened yet.
"Fine," I say, begrudgingly.
Cole smiles and approaches me. He pulls out the dagger and places it in my hand, then stands behind me, his arms circling my shoulders.
I suck in a breath at his closeness, as I feel the dark tendrils of his magic interlace with mine so naturally, so organically, in such a way that I couldn't stop it even if I wanted to.
And I don't want to.
I want to stay here forever. I want to bring him home with me. I want him to be a part of my family.
But I can't always have what I want.
So instead I focus on the magic.
He recites ancient words in my ear, his breath sending shivers up my spine, and I repeat the spell and channel the darkness inside of me, as I feel him do.
The power is excited to be let out as Cole shifts closer to me. "Your darkness is tired of being stifled, mon couer. You must let it out lest it eat you from the inside."
"That's a charming imagery," I say. "Thanks."
The dagger in my hand becomes shrouded in dark mist, then settles into its normal self once more. "Did it work?"
Cole nods. "When you want to know where it is, repeat the words I taught you."
I hand it to him and do as instructed, and when I close my eyes, I see the dagger in his hand, clear as day. Then the vision pans out so I see both of us, where we are, what we are doing. It's a bit disconcerting seeing myself as a third person in my mind's eye, but it's a useful trick.
I open my eyes again and nod. "It worked."
He grins. "You're a natural."
He holds out his hand then, and I reluctantly take it, relishing the cool comfort he offers. "Ready for our meeting?" he asks.
I nod.
"Do you trust me?"
I don't know how to answer that, so I say nothing.
He sighs. "Just hold onto me once we enter the portal. It's going to be a wild ride."
Merdre. It's my turn to swear under my breath. Because in this, Cole Night is not lying.
The Dagger
Perhaps if Death is kind, and there can be returning,
We will come back to earth some fragrant night,
~Sara Teasdale, If Death is Kind
It is indeed a wild ride, one that, had I anything left in my stomach, would have resulted in said content being spewed all over Cole's sexy black cloak. But, as it is, that gift was already betowed somewhere in the forests of the new world.
Entering the portal is easy enough—it's like sliding through warm butter. It's when he dematerializes us into black mist that things go from manageable to what the actual hell.
I feel as if I'm being turned inside out and shredded into tiny pieces, then blown apart like some kind of macabre wishing flower.
I exist in nothingness. It's not black, or dark, it's just nothing. Cole's voice reverberates around me, coming from all directions and no direction at all at the same time. "Embrace your darkness, Eve."
I swear to all the gods if I get one more bumper sticker motivational talk from him, Callia, or any of the other Night brothers I might scream.
Hell, I might be screaming at this very moment. Since I feel as if I've ceased to exist, it's hard to tell.
When we finally materialize, I hit the ground hard, knocking the wind out of my lungs, despite my budding mastery of my air magic.
"Was that absolutely necessary?" I ask Cole once I can speak again.
He is standing over me looking as if he just had a leisurely stroll through the Garden of Eden and not a hellscape ride through the Underworld.
"How else would you propose we get here?" he asks, gesturing around us.
For the first time, I take note of where we are. And how freaking cold it is. I tap into my fire magic to warm myself up, now that physical sensations are returning, and I turned slowly to look around. To the west of us is a vast expanse of pristine topiary gardens, featuring mythical creatures of all kinds carved from bushes the color of eggplants, dotted with pure white flowers that form their own designs. Everything is covered in a thin layer of fluffy white snow, though the sky is clear and sunny at present. To the east of us is nothing but sky. We landed dangerously close to the edge of the world, or so it would seem. We are surrounded by clouds, and it's impossible to tell how far up we are.
In the distance is a castle that looks made of crystal, glistening in the sun.
The sun! I look up and see it peeking through the clouds and close my eyes, enjoying the warmth against my face for a brief moment before I remember why we are here.
"We are back on earth?" I ask.
"We are, though you will not find this place on any maps. It exists in a hidden realm—a floating island that belongs to my client."
"The client you still can't tell me the name of," I say.
"Correct."
He holds his arm out to me in a gentlemanly fashion. "Shall we, mon coeur?"
Every time he calls me one of his terms of endearment, I melt a little inside, but I must be careful with him. So I ignore his offer of an escort and begin walking to the castle on my own. He dashes to catch up with me, the cheeky grin he wears never slipping from his face.
"I see we are still on the outs?" he asks, keeping pace with me as we weave through the garden.
"Cole," I say as steadily as I can. "You pretended to be my dead twin and confessed to a heinous crime, all in your efforts to hurt your brothers. Then you disappeared. So yeah, we're a bit on the outs."
For the first time, his grin slips and a look of serious contemplation replaces it on his devilishly handsome face. "I didn't think about what my pain would cost you," he says softly, and my heart cracks a little at his vulnerability. "When we are broken, we tend to break others until we mend our own brokenness."
"And are you mending yours?" I ask.
He stops walking to face me, taking my hand in his and running a finger over his ring. "I am trying my very best. When the cracks in your soul run this deep for this long, it is not an easy process to heal. But I will do anything to repair what I have broken between us."
"Swear to me you didn't have anything to do with Lyx's murder," I say.
"I swear it to you," he says. "I want to catch her killer as badly as you do. She was my mentor, and my friend. Her death is a great loss to all."
"Then let's solve this murder and see where things lead between us. And between your brothers."
He squeezes my hand, and he doesn't let go as we continue walking. This time I don't pull away as I tell him about my training, about Callia, and about my confrontation with the Mother of Dragons. "And you should know, the Order of Druids has reformed," I say. "Your brothers swore oaths to me, though I'm not entirely sure what it all means."
He stiffens and glances at me curiously. "That is significant. But if anyone is worthy of that power, it is you."
I wonder what is going through his mind at this news. The Order did not treat him well, to say the least, particularly the Maiden Fate, my past self, who destroyed his life. But that was such a long time ago and so much has changed. I may be the Maiden Fate reincarnated, but I'm also still me. I will not become lost in who she was, which, by all accounts, wasn't always good. I will temper her influence with my own sense of right and wrong. Hope
fully that will be enough.
We arrive at the castle a solid hour later, and I'm slightly out of breath from the altitude.
"Use your air magic," Cole says as the door opens of its own accord. "You have no idea yet how powerful you are."
"Yeah, so I'm told," I say as I manipulate the air currents around me to ease my breathing.
A man in a butler's uniform answers the door and without a word ushers us in, though he casts glances at me curiously. "He is expecting you," he tells Cole.
We follow him up a winding stone staircase to the very top of the castle, and as we step out we are greeted by Cole's client.
"Ventus'Arak, the Air Dragon, is your client?" I whisper, as the dragon shifts from his true form to his human form.
"Why have you brought the Fate with you?" he demands of Cole.
"Is there a reason you don't want me to know you've gone to great lengths to acquire the only weapon that can kill a dragon?" I ask, holding up my fingers full of dragon rings to remind him his own damn mother sent me on this mission.
Cole raises an eyebrow and looks amused at the exchange, though he says nothing.
"I will know if it is the weapon that took my sister's life," Ventus says as he stalks over to us, his pale blue eyes narrowed to a slit.
The Air Dragon is tall, at least a head taller than Cole, which is saying something, with broad shoulders that taper to a perfectly toned six pack. I know this because his entire outfit consists of his iridescent blue wings that drape like a cloak, and what can only be described as a loin cloth. There isn't much left to the imagination, and even though the sight is impressive, I need to stay focused on something other than his abs.
"How can you be so sure?" I ask.
He holds his hand out. "The dagger, please?"
"Payment?" Cole asks, pulling the weapon from the leather sheath at his hip.
Ventus huffs as if he's been personally offended, but he grabs a leather coin purse from a wooden table nearby and tosses it to Cole, who catches it with one hand while handing off the unicorn dagger with the other.
Ventus studies it, waving a hand over it until it glows. And like Memory Catchers, the dagger projects holographic-like images of various beings dying at the end of the blade. There aren't many, but watching it feels awful, like some kind of medieval snuff film. When the images fade, I realize what he means.
I Am the Night (The Night Firm Book 3) Page 4