by J. L. Weil
I had to show them that I could stop the darkness, that I was their salvation. Perhaps then, they would understand why it was so critical that I return to the Second Moon.
Before shit really got out of control.
Before the darkness tried to take them all.
Jase halted, his gaze finding mine. “Do you have any idea what you’re asking of us? To trust you, a stranger, with the one person that we all love?”
Devyn came to my mind, and I thought of how I would have reacted in a similar situation. “I do. I know it’s a lot to ask, but what other choice do you have? She is suffering. Let me end it.”
“It’s okay,” Olivia rasped, the lights in the dining hall flashing. “Please. Let her. I can’t make it stop.” The agony in her voice pulled at my heart.
Yet, the reaction it caused in the four dragons was downright heartbreaking. “If you hurt her, we’ll hurt you,” Zade warned, the center of his eyes flicking in flames.
I nodded, understanding.
God, please let me be right about this.
Kieran stepped aside, and the action seemed like it caused him physical pain. Issik growled as I moved to Olivia’s side.
“It’s going to be okay,” I murmured to console her. “I’m going to make the pain stop.”
Brushing fallen strands of hair behind her ear, I lay one of my hands over hers on her temple. A jolt of darkness zapped me instantly, and I gasped, my eyes opening wide. Shit, that hurt. It was like being slapped in the face with a two-by-four. I forced my hold to remain over Olivia’s, grounding myself with determination and gritting my teeth.
Magic rippled into my veins, flowing to every part of my body. From the audible inhales in the room, I knew my eyes had brightened as I continued to let my Kitsune powers flood me. Tingles frolicked at my fingertips, warmth blooming under the skin, and those tendrils of magic seeped into Olivia, attacking the darkness. I felt it. The longer I held onto her, the more prominent the specks inside her became.
I wouldn’t fail this time. I would rid her of the vile evil.
Intent on destroying those little beads of sickness like cancer, my magic wrapped around them, suffocating the darkness until it could no longer breathe—until it vanished.
Suddenly, Olivia’s head fell back, her aqua eyes shining clear. “It’s gone,” she whispered, her hands dropping to her sides. “The pain is gone and the voice with it.”
Exhaling, I took a step back, needing a bit of space, but then her words penetrated through my relief. “Voice?” I echoed, recalling the strange singing I’d heard from the spring. “What did it say?”
Dragons surrounded us, each hovering around the queen, checking for themselves that she was indeed okay.
“I don’t know. The words were nothing I’d ever heard before, but the message was clear. Danger.”
“I’d like to see the darkness try that on one of us,” Kieran seethed, the stone floor under my feet quivering with his temper.
“Now do you understand why it is so important for me to go back? It is the only way to save you all. If you don’t let me leave, we’re all doomed,” I challenged.
Jase’s violet eyes glittered as he assessed me. “Go.”
I blinked, wondering if I needed to clean my ears. Was he letting me leave? Not that I needed his permission, I had planned to leave regardless, but I much rather return home without becoming a fugitive in another world. Besides, there was something about Olivia that I truly liked. She was someone I could see becoming a friend, and I needed all the ones I could get. Particularly, someone else who understood what it meant to wear a crown.
Nodding at the dragon shifter, I turned and faced Olivia. “I’m sorry,” I merely said, unable to shake the feeling I was somehow responsible in one way or another.
Slowly, Olivia got to her feet, her dragons keeping close. “I’m really glad we met. I know it was short, but I have a feeling about you. We’re going to be friends.” She hugged me. “This isn’t goodbye but see you later, because you and I will meet again, Karina, Queen of the Fae.”
“Thank you,” I breathed, taking a step back. Before one of them changed their mind, I shifted, summoning the void while turning the hands of time.
My life was consumed with darkness in one way or another lately. I welcomed the shadows as they swept me up, taking me away from the Veil—taking me home.
Chapter Twelve
DEVYN
Seconds away from losing my shit in a serious way, insidious panic clamped down on my chest.
“Calm down,” Kai insisted.
My fist flew through the air, connecting with the side of his face. Crunch. What a satisfying sound, but the pleasure of hitting him only lasted an instant. Then the pain was back. My stomach felt as if it were full of broken glass, and when I moved, the jagged pieces sliced my insides.
Grunting, Kai rubbed at the side of his jaw. “I’m going to let that one go. We’ll call it a free pass. But the next time you hit me I’m going to hit back.”
“Fuck off,” I seethed, giving him the middle finger.
“No wonder she left,” Tink quipped. “She was probably tired of listening to the two of you.” The pixie analyzed the spring, she had been doing so since Karina vanished. Her legs dangled over the edge, just skimming the surface of the water.
“Do you see anything?” I grimly asked, and I wasn’t referring to her eyes but her visions. I wanted to know if she had seen where Karina had gone.
“No.” Her eyes were blank as she responded.
Goddammit. This wasn’t happening. I couldn’t lose her. Not again.
Those days we’d spent apart when Ryker took her from me, had been nothing short of Hell. To feel that helplessness again but more intense… I couldn’t.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
Water pooled at my feet, dribbling off my clothes and hair. The sound grated on my nerves and I shoved a hand through my hair. “I have to do something.”
“What is there left to do?” Kai asked as he watched me, breaking his silence.
“Wait. We must wait,” Tink insisted.
“I don’t know that I can.” My voice trembled with restrained rage, my knuckles whitening from the pressure.
Tink folded her hands in her lap, her dainty features the epitome of calm. “If you love her, you will wait. Trust her, Sin Eater.”
What nonsense was that? Of course, I loved her, and there was no one I trusted more than my mate.
“Something dark approaches,” my stepbrother murmured, tensing. His gaze narrowed at the water.
I picked up on the presence at the same that Kai issued the warning. Whirling, the weight of Wrath and Fury appeared at my back. I reached behind my head, preparing to grab my sword when the shadows in the room moved in swirling motions. “Is this you?” I asked Kai.
He frowned. “For once, no.”
The cloud of darkness manifested into a cyclone, and from the center, a shape formed. “Do you think—?” For just a second, I swore I blacked out. Then I was staring at Karina’s face, the storm of shadows fading. Her blue eyes glowed like sapphires glittering in the sun, dark hair flowing around her face as if she were flying.
Everything about her screamed power—queen.
“Karina,” I exhaled. With my next breath, she was in my arms, crushed against my chest. “Gods, I thought I lost you, Kitten.” My lips brushed the side of her neck.
Her arms wrapped around me too, squeezing. “I’m okay.”
The air around me tingled, dancing over my skin. Pulling back, I scanned her face, needing to look at her, to make sure she was okay. The tightness in my chest eased.
“I told you to wait,” Tink reminded smugly, fluttering in front of Kai’s face.
The Unseelie snorted, flicking her, but she quickly darted out of the way, sticking her tongue out at him.
I ignored them both and turned my attention solely to the girl in my embrace. She was no longer soaking wet; her hair had dried and she was fully dressed—her old cl
othes still a pile on the ground. “What happened?” I asked, framing her face with my hands, eyes clinging to hers.
“He lost his shit, that’s what happened,” Kai said to Karina.
“Shut up and give me a moment with the girl I love. Why is that so hard?” I growled, longing for a minute alone with her. Actually, who was I kidding? A minute would never be enough.
Tink pouted. “Because you’re not the only one who cares.”
Karina’s gaze bounced between Kai and Tink, a smile curling on her lips. Through our bond, I felt how happy she was to be home, but the question remained… Where had she gone?
Kai’s lips morphed into one of those shithead smirks that made me want to smack him. “I’d hug you if I was sure it wouldn’t lead to violence,” he said to Karina, shoving his hands into his pockets.
She laughed, which had been Kai’s intent, and I couldn’t deny that I hated him for it. I wanted to be the one who put a smile on her face. Yes, selfish and completely unrealistic to be the only fae in existence that made her smile, but still… the notion was there inside me. As her mate, those feelings were expected. It was just the first time I was experiencing them.
“Where did you go? What happened? Were you hurt?” So many questions tumbled through my mind, rolling off my tongue. Those were just the start, and they came out sharper than I intended.
“Give the Kitsune a second to breathe.”
I shot Kai a glare of pure contempt. How dare he pretend to know what she needed.
As if she anticipated my next move, which would have been to kick Kai, Karina placed a hand on my shoulder, drawing my attention back to her. “I was taken to the Veil Isles. Have you heard of it?”
Taken to the Veil Isles? I blinked. It wasn’t a place I heard mentioned often and had never ventured there myself. Yet, I knew of its existence. “The dragon realm?”
She nodded, casting a wary glance at the still waters.
Ignoring my scowl, Kai shifted closer. “That’s quite the journey, little queen.”
With her heavy sigh, the strain of what she’d been through fell off her small shoulders. “Tell me about it.”
“But it’s only been a few minutes since you disappeared.” I glared sickly at the spring. It was time we left this place. I couldn’t shake the feeling that we weren’t safe. Something ancient and malevolent dwelled in the tunnels, waiting for us to fall into its trap.
“The queen is more than capable of using her powers when the need calls for it,“ Tink announced proudly from where she perched on Karina’s shoulder, her tiny pink slippers tapping.
Tink’s words seeped in, and as they did, I remembered that brief second of feeling like I’d lost track of time. It happened less than a heartbeat right before Karina appeared. “You used time and void together.”
She nodded, reaching for her amulet and flipping it.
“How do you feel?” Looking at her, she appeared better. Color stained her cheeks again and the haziness in her eyes was gone, but I wanted to hear her say it. I wanted her to tell me she was okay.
“Despite everything, good,” she admitted, offering me a small smile of reassurance.
My heart skipped, and I tugged on a strand of her hair. “Kai, get us the hell out of here.”
“With pleasure, little brother.”
As we retraced our steps back to Kai’s hideout, Karina filled us in on all the missing details. We talked about how she believed the blight had taken over the spring. Perhaps, even all of the ones hidden throughout the Second Moon. The power of the springs was interconnected, or so the legends told. She explained how the darkness had grabbed a hold of her, sucking her out of this world and tossing her into the Veil.
Had the blight intended to get rid of Karina? If so, why hadn’t it just killed her? Why go through the trouble of sending her to another world?
I still had so many questions. They burned inside my head, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was missing something. But what? I didn’t know. The answer was just out of my reach.
I’d heard of the Dragon Descendants and the rumors that they had taken a queen. One queen for the four of them to share. It seemed those were no longer rumors after Karina confirmed that the Veil did indeed have a single queen.
Unmistakable fondness shined in Karina’s voice when she spoke of Olivia, the Queen of Dragons. It made me curious about her and how she had earned Karina’s affection in such a short period.
We made it back into Kai’s hideout without incident, regardless of the eerie feeling that stalked us the entire way. Yet, if there was something there, it never attacked, which made me wonder… what was it after?
Kai secured the hidden door behind the hearth back into place, the black flames still burning with unnatural vigor. Heat welcomed us, and it was needed after being in the damp, cold tunnels. Outside of the two trees, the wind had picked up since we left, battering against the trees and whipping the branches onto the roof.
“I’ll see if I can find us something to eat,” my stepbrother offered, strolling into the kitchen.
Tink went with him to make a pest of herself, and I grabbed Karina’s hand, tugging her down the hall. I needed a minute alone with her. A surprised sound left her but followed without complaint or argument.
Inside, I was still a mess, my emotions all over the place. She barely had a foot over the threshold of the bedroom, and I was kissing her.
Chapter Thirteen
KARINA
Devyn caught me off guard. My back hit the wall as his lips hurriedly moved over mine in a kiss that sent my heart racing. His body pressed into me, and I felt him strain against his pants.
His hips ground against mine and a moan escaped me.
Holy shit. Just like that, he flipped my switch to turned on. I was suddenly starving for him.
The taste of his lips sent an uncontrollable spear of lust soaring through me. My body clenched in response to the pressure of his mouth, and I shoved my fingers into his hair, kissing him back with a frenzy that matched his.
“Shut the damn door!” Kai hollered from down the hall, but neither Devyn nor I cared. Nothing like a little bit of separation to make our mating bond go nuts. It felt as if I hadn’t seen or touched him for years instead of mere hours. Very long hours, I might add, even if for Devyn it had been less time. Well, only because I’d turned back time.
“I thought I lost you, Kitten,” he whispered, burying his head into my neck, his breath hot as it drifted over my skin. Nibbling on my ear, he rained kisses along my neck.
The torment and agony in his voice cut right through me. “Devyn,” I murmured, my fingers raking down his back.
His mouth ran over my cheekbone, down to my jaw. “Each second apart was like living with a blade in my heart.” Trailing a finger along the hemline of my dress, his hand moved below the swell of my breast.
A shiver moved over my spine with the rising sensations following the line of his finger. “I’m sorry,” I rasped.
“Do you have any idea what this dress is doing to me?” he asked, slipping the thin strap off my shoulder. “I wanted to kiss you the moment I saw you.”
I drew in a shallow, shaky breath. “Why did you wait so long?”
“So, I could do this.” Lifting me in his arms, he dipped his head to capture my lips in another shattering kiss.
My legs wrapped around him and the contact of our bodies sent a wave of awareness through me. He walked us across the room to the bed, and then I was underneath him. The dim light in the space fluttered, flicking off and on with the surge of energy Devyn and I created together.
“For fuck sake,” Kai swore from the other side of the small house. “Not in my bed.”
I giggled against Devyn’s mouth.
His hand moved, cupping my breast as he glided his finger across the tip. “I’m going to kill him. I seriously am.”
So he kept saying. I covered his mouth with mine, silencing any further protests, and vows of brotherly violence.
/> A few hours later, Kai managed to rummage together a meal, which was thoroughly devoured. Not even the pixie complained. We gathered in the sitting room, stretched out in front of the fire, our bellies warm and full.
“His sentinels grow closer,” the pixie warned. “I can guarantee our safety for another night but after that… I can’t be certain. There are too many dangerous variations to take the risk.”
“Damn,” Kai groaned from where he leaned against the wall, shadows scurrying to him.
Devyn sat across from the table, his thumb drumming over the wood surface. “One more night is all we need.”
I uncoiled my feet under the table. “The blight has escalated, which means I’m running out of time. We can’t hide here any longer.” Too much was happening, too fast.
A single lit candle sat in the center between Devyn and me. The soft glow highlighted a portion of his face. “We’re not hiding. Just giving you time to regain your strength. We’ve all been through some shit lately and deserved a moment to regroup.”
What he said made sense. If I had any chance at healing Katsura, I had to be at a hundred percent. Ninety-nine percent wouldn’t cut it. “This thing needs to be contained. We can’t let it keep spreading.” Yet, to do that, I had to earn my last two tails. “And it isn’t just consuming worlds. I saw it try to infect a queen,” I reminded them, but I had a feeling it was one of those things that didn’t sink in unless you saw it firsthand.
Olivia had been in pain. She’d been afraid, and rightly so.
I shuddered to think of what would have happened if the darkness had been taken over her. What would have happened to her if I hadn’t been there to stop it?
How many other people had the blight managed to consume? What was it after? Obviously, more than land. Power? Was that why the darkness had prayed on Olivia? For the power she possessed?