by C. J. Anaya
“You’ve seriously displeased my mistress, young lady. And any enemy of my mistress is an enemy of mine. Although, it might be fun to play with you a little before I do her bidding and get rid of you.”
Terror gripped me as I sunk further into darkness. I didn’t know who this Faerie Pirate’s mistress was, but getting rid of me could mean only one thing.
Someone was going to try to assassinate me.
Again.
And this time around, my assassin wasn’t about to fall in love with me.
Ew.
Now that was a nasty thought.
Hangover.
I never drink so I’m pretty sure this isn’t that kind of hangover.
I tried to rub a tentative finger along my temple, but my hands were tied behind my back. The drug I’d been dosed with hadn’t completely left my system, so I tried to move my legs a little…until I realized they were tied together too.
So no mobility for me.
Yippee.
The ground beneath me swayed back and forth, jostling my aching arms and shoulders. It took me a moment to get my bearings, but it seemed like I was trussed up at the bottom of a rickety carriage.
How medieval.
I couldn’t understand why we hadn’t just apparated to our destination or why Faerie Pirate hadn’t used a spell to knock me out. At least the side effects would have been zilch.
Maybe that had been his plan. Keep me groggy, disoriented, and hungover until we reached our destination. A place of torture, no doubt. He could have already killed me so the fact I was still alive was both bad and good.
Good because I had more time to think of an escape. Bad, because he most likely intended to make good on his threat to “play” with me. That was sooooooo not happening. I reached for the magic within my core, but felt nothing. It was like pushing a hand through thin air when you expect to come across something solid.
I didn’t have access to my magic, and suddenly the drugs I’d been dosed with made a lot more sense. My abilities were blocked.
Son of a bright blue flurry!
I was completely helpless here.
A wide range of expletives nearly exploded from my lips, but I really didn’t want Faerie Pirate to know I was awake. I hoped if he thought I was still sleeping he’d be less vigilant about monitoring me. Plus, the stupid guy had gagged me with something that smelled terrible. I did not want to know where this ragged cloth had been before he secured it around my mouth.
I allowed myself a guilty indulgence by thinking about Jareth instead of figuring out how to magically untie my hands from behind my back.
So the date with him was a no-go then. My level of disappointment surprised me, but I felt a modicum of comfort knowing he was expecting me and would probably freak the hell out once he couldn’t find me. This pirate captor was so going down.
The carriage came to an abrupt halt, wrenching my shoulder enough to make me whimper. I bit down on my lower lip to prevent anymore unwelcome squeaks from escaping my mouth. I paid attention to every sound made since I couldn’t see much of anything within the confines of my prison. There was a lot of scuffling, footsteps approaching, and then murmured voices too low to hear until suddenly they weren’t.
“What?” said a shrill voice.
Female.
“She’s still in this ridiculous mode of transportation? I thought I ordered you to dispose of her immediately, you fool. Her uncle most likely has a read on her signature.”
“You said you wanted to see her. Proof that I had her.”
“Yes, yes, you imbecile, I wanted to see her dead body once the deed was done. Now you’ve led a trail right to our meeting spot. Do you have any idea how dangerous that is?”
“But mistress—”
“Get her out of here and don’t contact me until she is gone.”
Muffled complaints from Faerie Pirate floated toward the back of the carriage where I frantically worked at the ties on my wrists, but with my arms wrenched behind my shoulders I was having absolutely no luck, not to mention what I considered one of the worst days ever.
The carriage rumbled on once more, but Faerie Pirate had picked up the pace. I rolled back and forth across the floor, jamming my right shoulder into a wooden bench and banging my head on the floor.
For the love of all that is good and holy…
Couldn’t this guy just apparate us somewhere and get on with it then?
A few more uncomfortable minutes passed until more commotion erupted from ahead, and the carriage came to a grinding halt, throwing my entire body against the bench before me where my forehead smacked the edge hard.
That was gonna leave a mark. One of those nice goose eggs surrounded by shades of blues and purples.
Something sticky dripped from my forehead and into my eyes.
Blood.
Awesome.
Faerie Pirate had just reached the very pinnacle of my hate list, and considering how annoyed I’d been with Jareth lately that was really saying something.
A loud crash, followed by a cry of pain shocked me to stillness. There were more muffled shouts, sounds of a struggle, and a few thrumming noises that smacked eerily of Summer magic being used.
What in the world was going on out there?
The carriage door jolted open. I blinked away the brightness of the day, grateful to see that it was nearing dusk so the sunlight wasn’t quite so potent. Once my eyes adjusted, I stared at the faerie before me, one who looked a lot like Jareth, but obviously wasn’t.
His gaze zeroed in on the blood dripping from my forehead. His brows narrowed in consternation as he pulled the gag from my mouth.
Blessed relief.
“Crysta, are you all right?”
I smacked my lips together and tried to work through the dryness in my throat.
“Ah, yes?” I finally got out.
The guy smirked, reminding me of Jareth once again.
“Was that a question, Princess?”
“If you’re planning on ransoming me to my uncle it will never work. As far as faerie queens go, I’m pretty worthless.”
He studied me for a moment in obvious confusion, then he let out a boisterous laugh.
“I’ve forgotten how witty you are, highness, and as much as I’d love to exchange verbal barbs and banter like we used to, I’m afraid Jareth would kill me if I delayed in getting you back to the palace.”
So I did know him. Glad he was here to rescue me, but it felt kind of tactless to say, “Thanks for saving me from certain death. And who might you be?”
Things were about to get awkward.
“Just so you know,” I said as he cut the ropes tying my legs and hands together, “I have absolutely no idea who you are, and I don’t normally allow myself to blindly follow a handsome-looking faerie just because he claims to know me. However, I’m bleeding, my arms hurt, and I’m absolutely starving. If someone doesn’t give me something that resembles some kind of decadent chocolate dessert within the next few minutes I’m going to lose my cheese. So please don’t be some stupid spy trying to cash in on whatever Faerie Pirate was about to do. I will so end you if you get between me and a chocolate-covered strawberry.”
He let out another round of laughter as he helped me to a standing position outside the carriage.
“Nice to know chocolate takes precedence over your fated mate. I’ll certainly never let the prince live that down.”
He wrapped an arm around my waist in a familiar gesture and pulled me closer to him.
“Whoa,” I said, feeling a little disoriented as the area surrounding me shifted in and out of focus. “Hey now, I’m not that kind of girl.”
“You think I’m trying to steal you from Jareth?” he asked, peering down at me in amusement. “Just how hard did you hit your head?”
“You still haven’t told me your name,” I said, glaring up at him even though there were three of him to glare at.
Good thing I’m such an awesome multi-tasker.
&nb
sp; His smile finally melted away to reveal true concern. “You really did hit your head hard, didn’t you? I’m one of Jareth’s oldest friends.”
“And your name?” I pressed, determined to get some kind of answer I could work with before I blacked out again.
“Nuallan.”
I waited to see if that name rang any bells for me.
Waiting…waiting…
He studied me closely, waiting for my response. I squinted at him, willing my stare to somehow pull forth a memory I could use to confirm his claim. During my deranged stare-fest he went from three heads to two.
“Well?” he asked.
“I’ve got nothin’. Any chance you were simply some random person I spoke to for two seconds?”
“Nope.”
“Well, Nuallan, you were so memorable I forgot you right away.”
I tipped backward a bit as my equilibrium went on vacation. He quickly scooped me up in his arms, chuckling lightly to himself.
“You may have lost your memory, but there’s certainly nothing wrong with that sharp tongue of yours.”
“Excuse me?”
“Just hold tight, Princess. We’re going to apparate back to the palace now.”
“Straight to the kitchens,” I demanded. “There’s sure to be chocolate mousse with my name on it.”
I’d completely lost it since I was demanding sweets instead of answers as to why I’d been kidnapped and who was responsible for it.
But the injured part of my brain knew that chocolate was our only real solution here.
Perfectly reasonable.
“I think we could all stand to eat our emotions for once, Princess.”
“Here, here.”
My head lolled against his shoulder as Nuallan’s magic tingled along my skin, apparating us back to the palace and into the presence of a very distraught fated mate.
I was in Jareth’s arms before I could process my new environment, though I did get a glimpse of cream-colored furniture in a large receiving room. I couldn’t recall ever seeing it before.
It’s a huge castle, Crysta. Nobody has time to visit every single room in this blasted place.
The pounding in my skull only increased after apparating, and the foggy disorientation I felt became worse as everyone in the room spoke at once.
“Princess is well?” Graul demanded.
“I should have checked on her much sooner,” Lily said, choking on a sob.
I tried to reassure her that this wasn’t her fault, but my heartbeat pounding within my skull put an end to that. Not a very pleasant sensation.
“Nuallan, how in the world did you even know she went missing?” Jareth asked.
The world tilted a little as Jareth set me down on a sofa and pulled a light blanket to my chin. He grabbed my hands and muttered a few words that packed one helluva punch in the pain relief department. Having a faerie prince around who possessed healing magic had certainly come in handy.
Once Jareth healed my injuries, I glanced at my surroundings, taking in the rectangular room with its plush sofas set against walls made of cream-colored wood panels. Light gold edged the borders. It looked like a place where Roderick entertained important guests.
Then I remembered the Saytr King had been here only recently. I looked around to see if he had already left, but I didn’t notice him in the room.
Must have been a quick meeting, unless I’d been gone for longer than I thought.
“You tasked me to keep my eyes and ears open when it came to plots against the Princess’s life,” Nuallan said just above my head.
“So this was yet another assassination attempt,” Roderick stated in a grim tone.
I felt a flutter of wings as a solid weight gently landed against my chest. Chuck snuggled his scaly head just underneath my chin and made cooing sounds that were so soothing I was tempted to give in to my exhaustion.
But I had to know what was going on. Plus, I had something important to share about my kidnapping. I thought I did, anyway. After a few moments of mentally searching for a detail that insisted on eluding me I gave up.
“How did you know about the plot?” I asked in a croaking voice.
I blinked my eyes open when Jareth brought a full glass of water to my lips and propped me up a bit. Our eyes connected for a moment before I took a greedy gulp of the cool water. His eyes held a wealth of stormy emotions, but one thing I couldn’t deny was the hint of abject terror that still lingered within their depths. He’d almost lost me again, and after everything he’d been through, it was pretty obvious to me he was due for a nervous breakdown.
“I’ve put quite a few feelers out, as humans would say, and one of my sources heard mention of a kill order during a drunken discussion with a mercenary whose services are most frequently utilized by nobles of the Seelie Court.”
“You think King Moridan hired this mercenary to kidnap and kill Crysta?” Roderick asked.
“If he did, I won’t allow him even a moment to regroup and plot against Crysta again,” Jareth said.
His deceptively calm voice kind of freaked me out. He was having a really hard time keeping his shiz together. I squeezed his hand and offered him a reassuring smile. His shoulders relaxed a little as he gave me a weak smile in return, but I sensed he needed more. He needed to hold me, reassure himself that I was safe, that I wouldn’t disappear again. I didn’t think I could be stand-offish in the face of his obvious suffering. It was way too much for him to handle and painful for me to watch him try.
It surprised me how much I actually wanted to soothe his worries, his fears, and his frustrations away. I attempted to sit up, but Jareth misunderstood my intentions and gently pushed me back against the cushions. Instead of saying, Hey, doofus, I think we should hug this out, I simply held out my arms to him and gave him a pleading look.
The longing in his eyes made my insides melt. He deftly scooped me into his arms and repositioned us so I was draped across his lap. Chuck squeaked at the change, but nestled just under my chin again while I did the same thing to Jareth. His body relaxed even more as he held me and stroked my back.
Nuallan cleared his throat, “You two never could keep your hands off each other.”
“You didn’t answer King Roderick’s question,” Jareth said, ignoring Nuallan’s gentle teasing.
“Right. Well, I know your father seems like the obvious villain, but I honestly believe a noble had a hand in this attack.”
Jareth’s jaw clenched as his arms tightened around me.
“Who, Nuallan? Give me a name. I’ll take care of this myself.”
“I help,” Graul said.
I lifted my head a little to see Graul’s fierce glare as he dared Jareth to contradict him. He held an arm around Lily who was clutching him for comfort but looking at me with tears streaming down her face.
“I’m fine, Lily. I’m just fine. This wasn’t your fault.”
“Crysta, is right,” Jareth said. “Don’t blame yourself for not checking on her, Lily. If anything, I should be the one to blame since I am her protector in all things.” Graul let out a grunt and Jareth let out a small laugh. “As is Graul. Of course you can help me. We’ll find the guilty party together.”
Something about my recent ordeal nagged at me again, but my thoughts still felt a little fuzzy. I was just so tired now that all the adrenaline had worn off.
“We’ll all deal with the noble directly responsible for this,” Roderick said. “An attack on the heir to the Unseelie Court cannot go unpunished.”
Nuallan made a disgruntled sound.
“Unfortunately, I don’t have a name to report. All I managed to gather was the day of the abduction and a rather unspecific meeting area where he was to report his progress to his benefactor. I almost received that information too late.”
“But when you rescued Crysta, surely you saw the man who abducted her,” Jareth said.
“I saw him from behind, but he disapparated before I could get to him. It was either save Cr
ysta from a speeding carriage with no driver, or track the kidnapper down before he covered his magical signature. Obviously, my first priority was the Princess.”
“We owe you a great debt,” Roderick said. He sat down on the edge of the couch facing Jareth and me. His look of relief was just as fierce. “We’d only just realized she’d been taken, and Jareth had trouble getting a lock on her signature.”
“I believe the drugs injected into her body had something to do with that. She had no access to her magic and very little mobility in her limbs. The drug worked as a suppressant against her core and momentarily changed aspects of her biochemistry.” I heard Nuallan shift, coming around the sofa to take a seat opposite us. “I only wish I had caught on to the plot long before her kidnapping ever took place. Trying to keep tabs on the various games being played at Court while keeping an eye on your father without him suspecting has been quite challenging. We may need to bring another player from the Seelie Court into the mix.”
“Who do you have in mind?” Jareth asked.
Nuallan remained silent for a moment almost as if he was prepping himself for an argument.
“Kheelan knows the ins and outs of the Seelie Court like no other noble I’ve encountered.”
“No,” came Jareth’s swift response.
Nuallan lifted a hand. “Hear me for one moment before you veto this suggestion. Your father would never in a million years suspect Kheelan of spying on him, and correct me if I’m wrong, but this last week you informed me that Kheelan has been spying on his father, willing to do anything to prevent the king from destroying our realm.”
“Yes, including kidnapping Crysta. He wants her for himself.”
“He is the only one who can get close enough to your father and play the Court games necessary to inform us of any more attempts on Crysta’s life.”
There was silence for a moment as everyone considered Nuallan’s proposal.
“I’m not against it,” I said, noting Jareth’s arms stiffen around me, “but I don’t think he’ll do it. Not without bargaining for something he absolutely can’t have.”
“Marriage to you,” Nuallan said.
I looked at Jareth in surprise.