Nothing about him being here made sense. Vampires sometimes sent fae servants to do their bidding, but to pick up an expensive new slave? No vampire would be lax enough to allow it. Maybe they had started buying pureblood fae directly from the Summer Court thanks to a hundred fae students going missing. I could only imagine the wealth required to do so. Or maybe the purebloods from the Summer Realm were working with the vampires to ensure that us earthbound fae didn’t find our way back into the fae realm to muck everything up.
“Virgie,” the fae man said in neutral and unreadable tone. “I am Caleb. Follow me.” He frowned at my suitcase. “You can leave that here. You won’t need it.”
I didn’t like that. Not needing my belongings either meant imprisonment or death. Still not wanting to start off on the wrong foot, I put my suitcase down. “Where are you taking me?”
“I can’t tell you. Your former master will remain quiet in exchange for the great sum I have given him, but we must hurry.” Caleb motioned for me to follow him.
I wanted to deny that Steinberg would sell me to the fae, especially since he was worried about his reputation among the other vamps, but Caleb spoke the truth. Like I, he was a pureblood fae, which made lying impossible. Half-fae could get away with it, but Caleb was no half-fae given how much magic he radiated. I, on the other hand, was a useless pureblood without plant magic or control over the elements. Trapped on Earth, my family had been one amongst many who had lost their powers. My mind and my charm were my only weapons.
As I followed Caleb, my thoughts circled like sharks. Fae never bought other fae. Steinberg was right that things were changing. What would happen next? Would the humans realize we existed?
“Where are we going?” I tried again as Caleb took me down the narrow hallway and past the wooden doors of the other servants.
“I am not at liberty to say.” Caleb quickened his step. “Please hurry. We don’t have much time. Your former master has arranged for his guards to be away from the gardens, handling a shipment. They will not be occupied for long. He requested that your disappearance not become public knowledge among the other vampires.”
That was more like Steinberg. “The gardens?” My heart thumped, trying to escape my ribcage. The gardens could mean a gateway to the fae realm. Rumor had it that powerful fae could open gateways to their world in certain conditions, though it was difficult and not something most of us earthbound fae could manage.
More concerning was the rumor that the fae realm needed fertile women since the plague had left many barren.
“Are you going to use me for breeding?” The words tumbled out of my mouth before I could think them over. I’d prefer pleasuring Steinberg’s sadistic sister to being used as a vessel.
“I cannot say.” Caleb turned the corner, climbed a short flight of steps, and opened the back door of Lord Steinberg’s mansion. I looked around for him, but he was absent and rarely came out this way. Perhaps he did know after all that I had tipped off Onyx and Thorsten about Vulthus’ whereabouts and was furious. Maybe his sister had even lied that I had come on to her, and he was punishing me. But why not punish me by starving me or putting me into a cell? Why throw me away after paying a good sum for me at Nocturnal Academy? Caleb must’ve paid a hefty sum for me.
I waited for Caleb to tell me at least something, but he didn’t as we climbed the steps.
“I don’t like this.” If only I could find a way to change his mind. I gritted my teeth as I came up empty. I had nothing to bargain with Caleb.
“You have nothing to fear,” he finally said, and a bit of calm fell over me. He pushed open the back doors to the gardens, and the cool night air washed over us as we stepped outside. I thought of running back into the mansion, but Lord Steinberg had sold me. He would not take me back. Once Caleb delivered me wherever he was taking me, I’d have to figure out my new circumstances and how to take advantage of them.
Caleb led me across the grounds and past the fountain to where all the flowers grew. I had been in the garden before, walking down the cobblestone paths among all the blooming plants. Though the flowers and vines were beginning to die now that autumn was here, they perked up and opened in Caleb’s presence, showing me how much more powerful he was than I.
We walked under a white archway and paused in the grassy clearing that sometimes hosted night parties for the Elite vampires. Tonight, a ring of mushrooms had appeared in the center of the grass, and Caleb stepped inside and chanted some low words that I did not understand.
My heart thumped and panic made my legs twitch. I could run. The grounds were free, but I knew that just beyond the garden, tall brick walls surrounded the property. Guards patrolled that area. I would never make it far, especially not in my tight, black dress and high-heeled sandals. My best bet was to see why I had fetched such a large sum. A simple breeder wouldn’t have done so, right?
The air in front of Caleb shimmered. Greenish light danced in the center of the mushroom ring before expanding outward in the shape of a large oval. Caleb had opened the portal. On the other side, greenery spread out, brighter than anything I’d seen here on Earth, and the sky shone with a brilliant, deep blue.
Caleb turned to me, tense. “This is the portal to the fae realm. We must hurry as they can be rather finicky.”
I read no threat in his voice, only determination, which calmed me. Sensing that he wouldn’t be open to any bargain at this point, I knew I had to go with him. Caleb took my hand and stepped through the portal and into the sun, a place where no vampires could go.
A tremble rocked through me as I realized that once I followed him through this gateway, I might never come out again. I pulled back from the beautifully strange world.
Caleb’s grip on my hand tightened. “If you don’t come with me now, you will regret it. There is nothing left for you in the human world.”
I had friends here. Or I used to. Onyx was with Thorsten after defeating Gregory Vulthus. Peony was missing after having helped those mysterious fae soldiers take down Nocturnal Academy. Caleb was right. I had no one left here.
If I stayed, I’d become Amber’s prey.
My knees shook with fear of the unknown, but I managed to step over the threshold. A tingle swept over me as the sun wrapped me into a warm hug.
Caleb didn’t let go, even though we both stood on a mossy cobblestone path that cut through beams of golden sunshine and greenish shadows cast by canopy trees. “Run!” he ordered. “We are still in the portal but not fully in our realm.” He motioned to a brilliant white archway at the end of the path.
As he dashed down the path with me in tow, golden, translucent wings sprang from his back. My body felt lighter, and a new weight settled on my back as a faint, whitish-violet glow fell on the surrounding, thick foliage. Though I was in heels, I maintained my balance. Gravity refused to work against me. I was light. Free.
Why had I ever been afraid to step through?
I ran, heels clicking against the mossy stones. We passed a patch of purple mushrooms. Lanterns set inside trees. The white archway got closer, and the air inside of it blurred and danced as if it were water. My heart raced not in fear, but excitement. I’d never imagined I’d see the fae realm—an unreachable dream for my kind.
“Hurry!” Caleb shouted, grasping my hand so tight that my bones protested. He glanced behind us, eyes widening.
I followed his gaze. My heart sank. Pure darkness followed us, swallowing the forest and the path. Instinctively, I knew that if it reached us, we would fall back into the human world or worse into a void. I quickened my pace as much as I could without falling over, sucking in the sweet air, my body feeling strangely light, like a feather. We closed in on the archway. The magic surrounding me made my hair stand up as we jumped into the pinkish sunlight and intense greenery.
I landed on my feet beside Caleb, in the midst of tall grass, and breathed in the freshest air I had ever tasted in my life. Caleb released my hand and brushed his palm off on his trousers as if touc
hing me were a sin. I blinked, letting my eyes adjust to the morning. Time, it seemed, was not the same in this realm as it was in the human world.
Rolling hills with flowers of every color spread around us. The wind bent the grass in waves. Magic pulsed through every tree, flower, and grain of dirt. It was like a vast, warm river, flowing under my feet, making me want to kick off my heels and dig my toes into the earth.
Despite being here less than a minute, I knew this place was my home. I wanted to throw myself into the grass and stare up at the deep, blue sky. Instead, I took a calming breath and reminded myself to be careful not to forget that I was surrounded by powerful magic that might be playing tricks on me. I had to get my bearings and figure out where I was and why Caleb had brought me here.
I whirled, taking in every detail. Beyond the field, on the other side of a hill, stood a vast, multi-story building with supports made of enormous, living trees. But more impressive was the purple-white light coming from my back. I reached behind myself to find, thin, yet sturdy wings and when I approached a pond, I discovered that each of my wings was double the length and width of my torso. A laugh escaped from my throat. Me with wings was insane.
Caleb took my shoulder and turned me so that I was facing him. “Virgie. We have business to attend to. A fae of your talents is very much needed in the Summer Court.”
The laugh died in my throat. My talents. Was I to be a courtesan here too, or worse, a breeder?
“What is that building?” Could something that beautiful be a brothel or a breeding center?
Caleb stepped aside so I could get a better view. The building on the other side of this meadow, nudged up against a forest, was the size of a large mansion, with what appeared to be four living redwoods supporting it, one in each corner. The rest of the building was a mixture of wood and possibly hardened clay, with clay roof tiles and small, open windows rimmed with dark wooden boards and overflowing flower pots. The large front doors had fancy, ornate carvings, but the entire mansion was behind a perimeter of stockades. A prison wall.
The mansion was also the only building in sight.
“This,” Caleb said, “is the Vasara Training Center. Follow me. You are to be trained in your special, rare talents, and then you are to serve the Summer Court.”
Chapter 3
I grabbed Caleb’s arms, no longer caring about proper protocol. “There’s been a mistake. I don’t have plant magic, and I’m not an elemental fae.” The self-preserving part of me told me to shut up, that if I wouldn’t be admitted to the Vasara Training Center, the Summer Court would use me for breeding. Rare talents didn’t include reproducing, after all. He had to mean something else. At least, I hoped so.
Caleb smiled. “We don’t make mistakes.”
I stepped away from him. “What exactly is your role here? And what does the Vasara Training Center teach?”
His smile widened infuriatingly. Of course, Caleb found this amusing. He was on his home turf and had the advantage. “Now that we’re here, I’ll gladly tell you.”
I glanced over my shoulder and strained my eyes, trying to remember where the portal had been, but the whole landscape looked the same except for the large tree mansion and the distant forest. The plants were ten times more beautiful than Peony’s most impressive displays at the plant museum.
“Don’t worry. It’s all right.”
I turned back to Caleb and waited for him to finally give me answers.
He put his hands behind his back, somehow missing his golden wings. “I’m Caleb Kallan, King Peter’s bastard son.”
What? The words hit and I jolted in place. Then I shrank back and dropped into a low curtsy, mortified at how horribly I had behaved around royalty. I’d even grabbed his arms without his permission.
Caleb threw his head back and let out a loud laugh. “You don’t need to do this. As I said, I’m not the heir.”
But wasn’t he? Now that Petra and Preston, King Peter’s children, were taken from the world. How many children did the Summer Court king have?
“As for the Vasara Center, it trains all kinds of fae. You will be put into the mentalist camp.”
I winced. “You think I’m crazy?” Would they experiment on me?
Caleb’s expression sobered, and he held up his palms. “No. Please, don’t worry. You are in good hands. A mentalist is a fae who can manipulate others’ minds. It’s a rare talent.”
I snorted. I’d never heard of such a thing. “Impossible.”
Caleb cocked an eyebrow. “Haven’t you heard the old legends about fae kidnapping humans? About humans who were put into trances by fae and made to forget their time in the faeland? Our kind is still privy to the practice at times, especially among the less civilized members of both courts. But due to the vampires and the danger they pose, and due to humans spending less time in nature than they did before, it no longer happens nearly as often, and mentalist powers are therefore suppressed and less common today than they once were. Fae generally lose what they don’t use.”
“We never learned anything about ourselves. The vampires forbade it,” I said slowly, head spinning. “We were only allowed to learn about vampire history and why we should kiss their asses. The only mind manipulation I came across were the blood crystals the vampires used to compel us to make confessions. As if our nature didn’t screw us enough.”
Caleb’s jaw tightened. “Where do you think the blood crystals come from?”
I pressed my lips together and shifted leg to leg, the balls of my feet getting sore from my high heels. I had heard rumors that the faeland gave the blood crystals to the vampires, which they then used on us, their slaves. After all, we were just cowards to faeland fae and deserving of any punishments the vampires doled out. “I’m afraid I don’t know how to make a blood crystal.”
Sadness filled Caleb’s eyes. “I’m sorry. It must be awful to know so little about your heritage.” He motioned me through the flowers, and I followed him toward the wood-and-clay mansion. What other choice did I have? I couldn’t return to Earth. I had to make the best out of the situation I was in.
And if I really did have mind manipulation powers?
I had to find out more.
I tugged at the hem of my tight black dress that was completely out of place and made me feel dirty, then kicked off my stiletto heels that kept sinking into the soft grass, surprised to discover how good it felt to be barefoot. “Do you really think that I could create a blood crystal one day?” The possibility was exhilarating Had I known how to do it before, that horrible incident never would have happened back at Nocturnal Academy.
Caleb gave me a warm smile. For a prince, he was very kind and approachable. Nothing like Preston, one of our former teachers, who had been charming, but had always made me feel uneasy, and most definitely nothing like Petra, another teacher who had always given me the chills.
“You’ll do much more than create blood crystals,” Caleb said softly. “You, Vergeat, come from a powerful line of fae. Your mental powers are rare and unprecedented. Steinberg knew this. He gladly agreed to keep you for us. It was a well-played move and has gained him powerful allies.”
I balked at my full name, but was also fascinated to hear it. Nobody had called me that for years. And Steinberg thought it was a good idea to ally with the Summer fae? It made sense. He’d been worried about the Elites turning on him for quite a while. And with both of his heirs failing him, he had every right for concern. I had been a bargaining chip. “But Mother said—”
“Yes, I am aware that both your mother and your grandmother were courtesans. Did you ever wonder why they ran brothels when other fae were never allowed to have businesses? How they managed to escape the worst parts of their occupations?”
I felt my forehead scrunch up as I shifted my shoes to my other hand. “You’re saying they were mentalists.” Caleb nodded. “But then, why didn’t they tell me?” I realized the answer a moment later. “Because fae who can do mind control are dangerous. Vamp
ires would control us and exploit us to the max.”
Caleb nodded. “While they had good mentalist abilities, the truly powerful part of your bloodline comes from your father.”
Longing stirred in my heart. I didn’t know anything about him, had never seen any photos. Mother and Grandmother had always insisted we were better off without him. We had a strange matriarchate going on in my family. Yet when I had started at Nocturnal Academy, I had never heard from the two women who raised me. Had my family forsaken me after I had nearly been chosen as the sacrifice in the Wild Hunt? It sure had felt so. Maybe they didn’t think I had mentalist skills and decided to throw me to the wolves. Not wanting to dwell on that, I asked, “Do you know my father’s name?”
“Emanuel Everston.” Caleb refused to meet my gaze, staring ahead at the mansion instead, which towered higher and higher as we drew closer.
I had expected a different surname, but it appeared that despite insisting we didn’t need him, Mother had taken his last name. “Is he still alive?” More hope blossomed in my chest.
We descended to the other side of the hill. “No, he died nineteen years ago.”
My throat went dry and a lump formed, but I kept my composure and kept walking beside Caleb. My father had died before I was even born. “How?”
Caleb exhaled slowly. “I’m sorry, but even though your father was a very talented fae, I must tell you that he didn’t use his talents wisely. He got into a lot of trouble. He was an addict, and he died falling out of a tree, so drunk that he couldn’t fly.” Once again, Caleb refused to look at me, but focused at the stockades straight ahead.
“Oh,” was all I could reply. So maybe Mother had been right after all and we were better off without him. “He was from this realm, then.”
“Yes. He often vanished to the human world. He found it entertaining.” Caleb’s face contorted, his disapproval clear. “Nobody knew he had offspring. We assumed his family line died out with him, but then I saw a photo of you when I found a book of Nocturnal Academy students. It seems one of my siblings brought it here months ago as they were looking for someone. Perhaps it was my brother, looking for a breeder. Or my sister, who was searching for whoever killed Preston.” Caleb’s face scrunched up in disgust, and even though I hadn’t seen the book he was talking about, I was certain the vampires had made it look like a catalogue, describing us students as objects to be purchased with our talents and suggested prices below our headshots.
Reluctant Fae Page 2