by J. L. Weil
The harshness in his voice caught me off guard. “Since when are you so superstitious?”
His face relaxed and the glint in his eyes returned. A smirk hooked at the corner of his mouth. “You haven’t known me long enough, little queen. When it comes to the art of darkness, I am a master. And death can be a beautiful thing, but it also can be very final.”
“How can death be beautiful?” I couldn’t stop myself from asking.
“When it eases the pain of someone you love…” His voice was quiet and calm as he spoke. “When it symbolizes change. When you right a wrong.”
I’d never thought of death in that way. To me, it had always been associated with grief, loneliness, and heartache. Not that I agreed with the act of revenge, but the others Kai suggested… “I think I’ve had enough talk of death tonight.”
“I wholeheartedly agree,” he concluded, gazing into the fireplace.
The tea Kai gave me helped ease some of my sufferings, but it didn’t last. By morning, the chills were back, beads of sweat gathered over my brow, and my head felt like it would explode at any second.
I didn’t sleep a wink.
My resistance to closing my eyes had nothing to do with not being tired, and everything to do with my fear of not waking up again. Kai stayed with me. We fell into long bouts of silence, neither of us needing to fill the quiet with nonsense chatter. He did relay the events of the last few days, and how we ended up there. He also helped me fix the clasp on my necklace, securing the soul of my magic back where it belonged—around my neck. I took a hot bath and changed into fresh clothes, but still, the fever and the chills remained.
Just as the birds outside started to sing and chatter, indicating morning was breaking over the horizon, Devyn sauntered groggily into the room. Those emerald eyes went straight to mine, brightening.
“You’re awake? When I didn’t see you…” He gulped, swallowing a lump of emotion I felt through our bond. He dragged a slightly unsteady hand through his messy dark hair. The smudges of exhaustion under his eyes were lighter.
Guilt at not returning to the bed gnawed inside me. I had worried him unnecessarily. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t sleep any longer.”
Devyn blinked, and then a fraction of a grin pulled at his lips. “How are you feeling? Are you okay?” he asked, moving to sit beside me on the couch where I spent most of the night.
A small, hysterical laugh escaped me. I was far from okay. “I’m not dead.”
Kai’s lips twitched, recalling our conversation about death, but Devyn found nothing amusing in the statement. “Do not joke about your death. If anything happened to you—”
I clutched his hand, linking our fingers together. “I know. But I’m not going to let that happen. Not to you.” His death wouldn’t be on my hands, just as I refused to let the guilt of mine kill him. We would not be the ill-fated lovers destiny proclaimed.
Tink yawned, stretching her little arms up toward the ceiling. “These two have been keeping me up all night with their incessant prattle.”
Devyn’s accusatory eyes turned on Kai, Jealousy spearing into me through our bond. He was upset that Kai had been with me when I woke up, not him.
Smugness formed on Kai’s lips. “Someone had to take care of her.”
The muscle along Devyn’s jaw ticked. His blazing eyes moved from Kai’s face, taking in the empty cup of tea and the discarded towel on the table in front of me. “You’re sick,” Devyn stated, placing a hand on my head. Instant concern replaced his anger.
Breathing deeply, I took in the familiar woodsy scent of Devyn. “It would appear so.”
“Fae don’t get sick. Well, that’s to say they rarely do, only if they are…” He couldn’t finish his sentence.
Only if they were dying. That I knew. Except, in my instance, it wasn’t my fae half that had fallen ill. My human body was the problem. “Look, I just need a few days. I’m sure I’ll start to feel better.”
I convinced no one. The three of them just stared at me unblinking, each wearing similar expressions of dismay.
“Tough crowd,” I mumbled, toying with the ends of my borrowed shirt.
Devyn hooked a finger under my chin, tilting my face to his. “This isn’t a game. You don’t get to start over.”
“Why don’t you just have sex with her. Surely, your mating bond would offer some sort of healing,” Kai suggested like he was talking about something as simple as giving me an antidote.
A choking noise burst from my throat at his recommendation.
“I’m not having sex with her,” Devyn growled, his hand falling away from my chin. “Just look at her. Does she look like she wants to have sex right now?”
It was far too early to have that discussion, especially after staying up all night and feeling like ass.
“If it meant helping her body and magic assimilate,” Kai defended, sitting forward in his chair.
“There is no guarantee it will work,” Devyn replied dejectedly.
The eternal flames in the fire jumped, roaring intensely with the spike in Kai’s emotions. “How do you know if you don’t try?”
God, I was so done discussing my sex life with Devyn.
“She needs a healing spring,” Tink interrupted before things got any more awkward, and everyone’s attention fell on her—our heads whirling in her direction. She was sitting on the back of the couch, feet dangling over the edge.
For a moment, Devyn regarded her, cocking his head to the side. “Do you know how far the nearest spring is? We don’t have that kind of time.”
Tink looked to Kai, flipping her wild red hair over her shoulder. “Do you want to tell him, or should I?”
“What is she talking about?” Devyn demanded, his gaze volleying between the pixie and his stepbrother.
A sly smile unfurled on Kai’s lips. “It just so happens, little bro, that I know where one is.”
The Shaman bolted upright on the couch, causing Tink to fall over the edge, but the pixie caught herself mid-air—wings beating to bring her up again.
Devyn’s attention was fixed on Kai. “What? Here in Thornland? Why are you just telling me this? Talin has searched every inch of this land looking for a spring. None have ever been found.”
The shadows in the room wove around Kai as he leaned his hand against his temple. “Or so he thinks.”
“How can that be?” Devyn snapped. “It has long been believed that this part of the world is too harsh for a spring to thrive.”
“And yet, unfeasible magic happens here all the time,” Kai reminded him, tapping a finger against the side of his head. “Is it that much of a stretch to believe? The springs have always been a source of mystic and mystery.”
Listening to them go back and forth was exhausting, so I rested my head on the couch, thinking about the one Devyn had taken me to inside a mountain.
“Fine,” Devyn conceded. “Where is this spring?” His voice was becoming short-tempered.
A flash of ire beat in Kai’s eyes at yet another question. “In the tunnels.”
Devyn’s eyes sharply glared at his stepbrother. “What tunnels?”
Kai exhaled frustratedly, yet despite what his body language said, his eyes twinkled wickedly. “The ones that run under this house.”
Chapter Eight
KARINA
Standing, Kai walked over to the sleek marble hearth. He didn’t bother to douse the black flames as he put his hand inside the firebox opening, releasing a latch. Click. An entire side of the hearth separated from the wall with an old creaking sound, as if it hadn’t been opened in decades.
I scooted forward on the couch and shivered, a chill skittering up my neck.
“Son of a bitch,” Devyn whispered.
With one hand grabbing the edge that separated from the wall, Kai yanked, revealing a doorway and a set of downward stairs.
Devyn’s lips pursed while he eyed the darkness that stretched beyond the fireplace. “Where does it lead?”
“Oth
er than to the spring…? I’m not sure,” Kai admitted. “I’ve spent plenty of time exploring the tunnels, but I have yet to find an exit.”
The Shaman was intrigued, but unfortunately, there wasn’t time for an exploratory expedition. “These tunnels could be our way out. If Talin doesn’t know this place exists, is it safe to assume he doesn’t know of the tunnels?”
Kai’s eyes took on an intense, strange glare. “I have never once heard him mention them, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t aware of their existence.”
“You remember the way?” Tink zipped off the couch, flying over to inspect the entrance.
He nodded.
Her aqua eyes shifted into the darkness that lay beyond the fireplace, little wings beating irritably. “Good, because it would not bode well to wander down there for long. Something else claims these tunnels. Something that hasn’t seen the light of day in a very, very long time.”
“Fucking, great,” Devyn cursed, shoving a hand into his dark hair.
“How far is it?” I asked, hoping I had the strength to make it to the spring.
“I’m more concerned about how safe these tunnels are,” Devyn argued, jaw clenched tightly.
“I’ll get you another cup of tea, and then we leave,” Kai offered.
Devyn rose from the couch when we prepared to go into the tunnel. “Don’t order her about.”
I rolled my eyes and offered Kai my thanks while lacing my fingers into Devyn’s. He was worried, but snapping at each other would only make things worse. I didn’t know what I would have done without the three faes. An unlikely trio, but they were mine.
Lacing on my boots, I finished the last of my putrid tea and eased the cloak around me, grateful for its warmth. Only a kernel of magic flickered in my veins, barely enough to summon a spark.
Devyn tightened the fur-lined cloak around my shoulders. “There is no heat down there. We might not have to compete with the blistering winds but the cold will still be a concern.”
So into the tunnels the four of us went. Kai led the way with a lantern lit with his eternal flames. It seemed as if I never got the chance to breathe. There was always some obstacle to overcome.
Devyn remained at my side, with Tink flying close to Kai. “I know you want to be brave but don’t push yourself,” my mate voiced with worry. “If you become too weak, I will carry you.”
“And if Devyn loses his strength then I will take his place,” Kai winked over his shoulder.
The Shaman snorted, nostrils flaring. “As if that would ever happen. And keep your filthy hands off my mate. In fact, stop thinking about her altogether.”
Kai chuckled.
Tink’s fluttering wings zipped between us, echoing louder than usual off the rocky walls. “Hush, before you wake the beast.”
That shut everyone up… for a few minutes.
The lantern in Kai’s hand swung from side to side, shooting light over the stone floor. “If there is a beast down here as you claim, why have I never seen it?” he wondered out loud.
“Perhaps for the same reason you’ve never found an exit.” Tink was all too happy to offer him an explanation. “The thing protecting these tunnels didn’t want you to find it.”
“What a terrifying thought,” Kai mumbled, tossing a glare at her. “One I could have done without.”
“You asked,” The pixie huffed.
God, no way would I make it to the spring. The air in my lungs became slower and harder to inhale. I wanted to blame it on the dust mites. If only that were true because it wasn’t just my lungs that were bothering me. The tea Kai made helped reduce the symptoms I felt, like the chills and the sweats, but I still had an underlying sickness that made me sluggish and weak.
My hand braced against the damp, cold wall while I followed Kai, keeping the light from his lantern in my line of focus. With each step, I felt the herbal drink slowly slipping out of my body.
“I got you, Kitten,” Devyn whispered in my ear, his gentle hand slipping to the small of my back. “I’ll never let you fall.”
I wanted to tell him how impossible that was, but I lacked the energy to make my mouth move. Instead, I rested my head on his shoulder as he wound an arm around my waist, pulling me to his side. Time ceased to matter. We might have walked for ten minutes, or ten hours through the network of tunnels. How Kai managed to remember the way in the underground labyrinth was impressive. Particularly, because it had been ages since he’d last explored it.
My fox picked up the change in the air when we hooked right at an intersection that forked off in all directions. Tingles radiated from it, and that familiar whisper of a song tickled my ears. I lifted my head, lulled by the lyrical voices. “Do you hear them?” I murmured.
“Hear what?” Devyn asked.
“We’re almost there,” Kai encouraged.
A ghostly breeze brushed up against my arm, similar to walking over a grave at midnight. I stumbled, the tunnel suddenly opening up into a room with elevated rocky formations, the spring at its center. Dewiness and fresh minerals perfumed the air.
Keeping a steady grip on my waist, Devyn ducked under a cluster of jagged stalactites that looked sharp enough to impale someone. Billows of mist rose from the surface of the spring, cleansing the air. Inhaling the steam, my breaths became lighter and effortless, such a revitalizing change from the stifling air just outside.
I gawked at the purplish tinted water like it was my salvation, praying that it was because I didn’t know how much longer I could hold on. The desire to close my eyes and give in to the sickness overwhelmed me.
Dropping down to the edge of the pool, I kicked off my boots and looked up at the three hovering figures frowning at me. “Anyone bring a change of clothes?” I asked.
“Shit,” Devyn cursed under his breath.
Kai’s lashes lowered and I immediately knew something inappropriate was about to leave his twisted lips. “The spring works faster if you're naked. Problem solved. Ditch the clothes, little queen.”
Devyn was in Kai’s face faster than I could blink. Fisting his shirt, he shoved him against the rough wall. Kai only laughed, further provoking his stepbrother’s temper. “I’m going to cut out your tongue, so I don’t have to listen to you speak ever again.”
A heartbeat passed and Kai knocked Devyn’s hand off his shirt but didn’t move away. “Toss her in. She looks about ready to keel over.” His gaze flicked over the Shaman’s shoulder.
“Stay here. Both of you,” Devyn hissed at Tink and Kai. Neither pleased by his command.
Tink crossed her arms and plopped down on the ground, her back to the pool. “As if the queen doesn’t have anything I haven’t seen before,” she huffed.
“Same,” Kai agreed, smirking.
The Shaman schooled his features, losing the fire in his eyes. “She doesn’t need a damn audience. Keep watch for anything creepy.”
Kai cocked a brow. “Does that include you?”
Devyn shook his head, backing away from Kai. “I’m seriously reconsidering ripping out your tongue.”
Kai brushed at invisible wrinkles on his shirt. “Fun.”
While the three of them continued to argue, I stripped off my clothes, listening to the whimsical voices that drifted up from deep within the spring. I might not understand what they were saying, but the message was clear as they lured me to its depths.
Silky water glided over my bare skin, glistening with a light purple shimmer, and a deep sigh left my lips when the throbbing ache in my head lifted. The cold penetrating my bones, warmed like molten chocolate, the feeling sweeping into me swift and smoothly. I ducked my head under, letting the water rush up over my face.
I didn’t understand where the springs got their magic from, but I was grateful all the same. Resurfacing, I noticed my skin became polished and clean, better than any shower or soap could have done. I felt like me again. It was a wonderful feeling. Magic purred and danced in my veins, eager to come out and play—to wreak some havoc.
&
nbsp; Treading in the water, I spun in a circle as I threw my head back. Stalagmites sparkled on the ceiling like diamonds dripping. Everything is going to be okay.
Except the pleasant thought didn’t last more than a few seconds before things took an ugly turn.
A prickle of something brushed up against my leg and I glanced down into the water, expecting to see a shadow of a fish or a mermaid. Who the hell knew? This was the Second Moon. Anything was possible. Yet, I could see nothing, even with my vision clear and sharp. Shaking my head, I thrust myself toward the edge, my legs slicing through the pond. The prickle came again, and again, wrapping around my calves.
My every instinct screamed at me to get out of the water. Now! I kicked harder, which was a huge mistake, but fear had me reacting. “There is something in here!” I called out, my voice high, echoing over the cavern.
Everyone spun around with the same question. “What?”
The prickle coiled around my legs tightened. “Devyn, I—” Water rushed into my mouth as something dragged me under.
Panic surged through me while I kicked my legs and flailed my arms, but nothing was there. I couldn’t find the source of what had a hold of me, which meant I couldn’t break free. Yet, I could feel its hold on me. The worst part, I was going down at alarming speeds. Arms extending toward the surface, I watched as the purple glow grew smaller and smaller. The tentacles of terror gripped my throat.
Lightning pulsed through the water, flaring the dark depths in quick flashes that did nothing to help me. Was this it? Would I really die moments after being healed? Where was the fairness in that?
Devyn! I opened my mouth and screamed his name, but it was muffled by the bubbles. Nothing but a gurgling sound.
Chapter Nine
DEVYN
Once again, the sound of my name from Karina’s lips stopped my heart. I whirled just in time to see her go under the water and cursed. A dose of fear clawed inside me, raking over my heart.