My insides shriveled up because I knew a threat when it was glaring me in the face. His eyes focused intently on me.
"Don’t forget your part in all this,” he warned. “Did you not agree to this?"
My stomach soured. This was not what I agreed to. I needed a way out of the Light Court, but how was I supposed to know that Erebus, Sixx, and Olezka already had a rescue plan up their sleeves? It was dangerous for Erebus to pull anything because, from what Dottie told me, the two Courts had a very tentative peace treaty.
Guilt snapped at me when I realized I wouldn't be able to help Dottie like I’d promised. I wouldn't forget about her, though. I would be back.
Turning his attention away from me, Key moved farther into the room where the portal had spit us out. I’d heard many times that it was illegal to open portals into the other Court, but not necessarily that it couldn't be done.
The room was cold, not only in temperature but color, decoration, and demeanor. If I had to imagine what a torture chamber would be modeled after in the modern era – and not the sexy kind people were into these days, but legit, real torture chambers – this would be it.
The walls were a dark charcoal gray, drab, and austere. The floors were polished concrete with a drain in the middle of the room, which I guessed made it easy to clean whenever they did foul shit in there. My lip curled back as I noticed the rusty red that stained the grate. The walls were bare, but I had a feeling that they rarely were. Aside from a shiny metal slab in the middle of the room and the faint scent of old blood and fear, the room was empty.
"Alastor, if you would excuse us? The Princess and I have much to discuss."
"Yes, my lord." The creepy-ass fae looked like a mixture between a sexy mad scientist and a serial killer. Both of which I believed he was. But fae saw death much differently than humans.
"Whatever do we have to discuss?" I asked with a sharp tint of annoyance smothered by fake curiosity. Honestly, I just wanted this male to spill his guts so I could figure out what he was up to, but I doubted he would. I stepped farther into the room, the scents assaulting me. My nose crinkled and I barely held back a gag. The scent of old blood, sweat, and plain torture made me want to retch. Gagging in the back of my throat, I tried to move toward the door that Alastor exited from, but Key moved, blocking it.
"I want you to remember this scent as a reminder, any time you think to deceive me. Don't take me for a fool, Anastasia. I know the moment you have an opening, you will try to use it. I'll be cautious around you, but I need to use your status as the Light Court's Princess, so that alone keeps you safe. Remember, I have allies everywhere."
His words made my stomach sink as a lead weight dragged it down. My neck tightened. Key looked down at me with a smile tugging at his lips. He reached up to touch my cheek.
"I see you, and you already recall the last spy who managed to get too close. Remember, I hold your friend's life in my hands. And I know you value her over your own wellbeing."
"And you would do well to remember that if you hurt her, I’m not the only one who will come for you." I couldn't help but tack on my own threat.
The mere thought of Olezka storming after him made fear flicker in his eyes. A smile quirked my lips at his reaction.
"Do not smirk, child. You haven't even begun to realize the danger in which you’ve placed yourself," Key warned. He stepped back, leaving me with a cold feeling that seeped into my bones.
We walked out of the room and entered a long hallway lined with prison cells. What was it with this realm and prison cells? But the most jarring part was the men who filled them.
My senses were more finely tuned than a human's. I could smell and feel the difference between a para and a human. All of the people inside the row of cells, which ranged from ten to fifteen men in each one, were human. They didn't speak, plead, or even look interested in our passage. Instead, they all stood meek and docile, lining the walls. One or two of them blinked heavily as if coming out of their stupor, but Key moved quickly through the hall to the other door before he could arouse their interest.
My heart pounded in my chest, and a sweat broke out across the back of my neck.
What the hell are all these humans doing here in the Veil? What is Key doing with them? And why are they standing still? Not fighting? Not screaming for help?
Fear of the unknown pulsated through me. I liked to think I was pretty self-sufficient. With the help of Sixx, of course. She managed all of the behind-the-scenes stuff. But I could handle myself in a fight. I could work out a plan in a pinch. But standing in this hallway lined with eerily quiet cells, I felt grossly out of my depth.
We continued down the hall until we came to a door that led to a set of stone stairs winding up and around the underground cavern. Key didn't speak as he took me farther and farther from his holding cells and torture chamber. As we passed a couple more landings, I wondered what could possibly be behind all of those doors.
My thoughts flickered back to Sixx bleeding out in the most gorgeous dress I’d ever seen her wearing. She looked at me with such betrayal in her eyes. But worse was the pain I felt as I walked away from her.
I looked around, knowing she wouldn't ever hold that against me. She would know I was only doing my part. I wouldn't have left her when she needed help unless I had no other option. Sixx would survive, but these people here, the men being held captive, even if they weren't acting like it, might not.
They needed me, us. Soon, I'd be back with Sixx, and we would save these people. I just needed to stay long enough to unravel Key's plans.
Chapter 3
Darkness swirled around me, and I started to think I was dead. But when that deep, dark voice called to me again, I perked up.
"Gosh, the devil sounds unbelievably sexy," I muttered as steady warmth flooded into my veins and took over. It clouded my mind from the pain and made me feel floaty. I couldn't feel pain at all. I laughed at that thought. I should be in pain. So why wasn't I?
"Ease your magic. It’s too much," a soft, lilting voice said.
"We don't treat humans, and our kind often heals much faster than this," someone sneered.
"You sound grumpy if you ask me."
"Nyet, Sixx. No one asked, but your opinion is noted." The voice was so similar yet so completely different from the soothing one.
I wanted to laugh because I could see a glimmer of a smile in my memory. But it floated away like the clouds before I could grasp it fully. I remembered another smile almost like his, but it had a bit more fang in it and more scruff on the cheeks. Oh, I liked the scruff.
"Sixx, stop talking," a voice growled.
I laughed because he was so angry. "Why are you angry… ope, forgot your name again. Floated away," I slurred, my head still not quite all there.
"Ease up. She’s out of her wits," the soft voice said again.
"I do not know human physiology. Do you, druid?"
"I can see that she is getting too much pain relief, and it’s scrambling her mind," the druid replied.
A druid. The only druid I know is Tess. She wouldn't be here, though. Not in the Light Court. That was where we were last and, I assumed, where we still were.
"Yes, I might be of the Dark Court, but my magic is universal and precious. The Light King allowed me entrance when I heard what happened to you, Sixx." A soft touch brushed my fingers. A fleeting moment of clarity wafted the clouds away.
"Olezka?" I whispered and finally opened my eyes. Everything felt more tangible. The bed underneath me was softer than any silk, let alone any hospital beds. But I was in the Veil. I didn't know if they had clinics or hospitals. The room started to piece together. The large canopy bed was draped with bright, sky-blue colors—sky blue sheets with a bed that felt like a cloud. I snorted.
"Sixx, focus." A calloused hand gripped mine a little tighter, and the floating feeling fled. The pain didn't resurface in full force, but it throbbed like a behind-the-scenes headache. I groaned, wanting to sit up, but the
thought already made me hurt. I looked over at the male holding my hand. He looked ragged.
Dark circles ringed under his eyes like bruises. His face was drawn, paler than I'd ever seen him. Even his hair looked limp. My heart squeezed. I leaned over, needing to touch him, kiss him, remind myself that we were both alive. He looked like the one who was stabbed, not me.
"Olezka."
He seemed to understand what I needed. Olezka leaned forward, and his lips brushed over mine, soft as a feather. I breathed in, taking in his unique scent. I ached for more, but he pulled back just an inch out of my reach.
"What… what happened?"
It wasn’t loud before with only the rasp of soft slippered shoes and quiet murmurs of other people in the room. But it went so silent you could hear a pin drop.
"That bad, huh?"
"Not the best time to discuss it," Olezka whispered.
When he pulled farther away, I took in the rest of the room. The walls were a light, sparkling stone, unlike anything I’d ever encountered in the human realm. It was beautiful, the light blue paired with crisp white furnishings. The room was a stark contrast to Olezka's room in the Dark Court.
Out of the other three in the room, two averted their gazes. One did not. He was a stranger to me with golden spun hair that flowed down his body. He had both elegantly soft and hard angles. He looked like an effortless supermodel, which wasn't uncommon here, but his eyes were cold and calculating. I assumed he was the healer who was griping about healing a human.
Timur and Tess stood on the other side of the bed, peeking glances at me to see if it was all safe. I looked over at them. Timur gave me a small smile, but worry creased his features. My head spun, trying to catch up. I remembered coming to the Light Court. It was all very cloak and dagger. We had taken two different carriages and left at separate times, going different paths.
When we arrived at the Light Court palace, we were escorted to our separate rooms. Then… Oh God, the moth woman. My head spun as nausea raked my insides. As my mind got closer to revealing how I got there, my panic spiraled.
"Easy, Sixx," Olezka whispered, moving to sit on the bed with me. I instantly breathed a little easier, relaxing against his body. He wrapped an arm around my shoulders while the Light fae watched us closely.
"So, it was a farce," the strange fae muttered with a sour look on his face.
Right… I'd been pretending to be mated to Erebus. Key was the one who staged that, but if that was the case, why wasn't Erebus here? I had so many questions, which I doubted I'd get the answers to anytime soon.
I yawned as Olezka’s warmth seeped into me, easing me into an overly relaxed state. It had to be the effects of whatever drug they were using.
"We should let you get some rest; your body needs more time to heal," Tess offered. The fae male looked over at her then back at Olezka and me.
"I can provide more pain relief if you believe you need it," he offered, but it sounded like it was the last thing he wanted to do. I shook my head. The pain was bearable enough. "Very well. I'll return in a little while to check on you again. Your guards will escort you to your rooms when you are ready," he said to the others. He left with a sneer on his face.
"Looks like we are not guests," I whispered as the lock turned over, surprised at how loud the sound was in the stillness of the room. How was I able to hear that?
Olezka's eyes flashed dangerously. "No. Much happened after…" Olezka's body temperature flared.
"After you were stabbed, kroshka," Timur finished quietly. It hit me at once: the pain, the betrayal. I reached down to touch where the pain radiated from—knowing now it was from a stab wound. Darkness crept around the corners of my eyes. I recalled Ana walking into the portal with Key. The portal! I thought it was illegal to use them to travel from Court to Court.
"Easy," Olezka cooed. I didn't realize that my breathing had become all choppy until he positioned me against his chest and I noticed the difference between his smooth breaths compared to my erratic ones.
"I’m so confused. Why did…? What…?”
“We will tell you what we know,” Timur said, moving to sit on the farthest edge of the massive bed that looked bigger than a king-sized mattress. The sheets were impossibly silky and comfy. Tess stood at the edge, watching me closely.
“How did you get here?” I asked, nervous for her. I wasn’t aware that other fae could visit each other’s Courts so casually.
“All part of the story. Patience, friend,” Tess replied, utterly calm. Anxiety twisted through me like a coiling serpent, winding its way around my chest and slowly cutting off my air supply.
“Do you remember how you were wounded?” Olezka asked gently, his lips brushing over the shell of my ear. I smothered a shiver and nodded.
Timur explained, “Erebus became enraged that not only were you attacked but that Anastasia went through the portal with Key. The Light King did not expect that. As soon as they disappeared, he had his guards converge on us. The King decided it would be best to heal you because of your relationship with Ana. He sent you away with his healers, but your mate would not leave your side.”
“Can I ask something?” I hedged when Timur took a moment to breathe. He huffed a small laugh and smiled at me.
“Da.”
“How long have I been out of it?”
The room got deadly silent again. Uh-oh. That couldn’t be a good sign.
“A couple of days in fae time. We don’t know where Anastasia and Key went. If they are in the human realm, we don’t know how long it’s been,” Olezka admitted.
“Okay, so after they disappeared into the portal, the Light King sicced his guards on us. What happened then? Where’s Erebus? Why is Tess here?”
“Erebus was in such a rage after what happened; the Light King had him escorted out along with the two from his Court. The only reason we were allowed to remain was that Erebus exposed the lie of your mating, revealing that Olezka was your true mate. I refused to leave my brat and sestra behind. I have acted as an ambassador to the Light Kingdom for years and have gained the Light King’s respect over time.
“He allowed me to remain behind to act as a guard for you while you heal. He, I believe, will want to keep you here. He believes since a Dark Fae Court member stole his daughter that he should get to keep you as leverage until she is returned.”
My stomach dropped. I didn’t realize how scared I was until Olezka rubbed his hands up and down my arms.
“Shh, my Sixx. I will not allow any harm to come to you. And the King would not have allowed us to save you only to hurt you.”
I nodded, but it still didn’t make me feel one hundred percent.
“Tess is allowed between borders because her magic is neutral, neither Light nor Dark,” Timur added.
“We have to find a way out of here,” I muttered. My head spun on the Ana-followed-Key-into-the-portal part. There had to be more to the story than what we saw on the surface. Key didn’t seem like the type to have just one superficial plan. He always seemed to be one step ahead of us. I worried my lip as I thought it through.
“It might not be so easy, Sixx,” Tess admitted. “The King feels betrayed. He does not know what to make of the betrayals inside the Dark Court. This will spread like wildfire through the Courts. Olezka is already seen as an assassin, who many would like to see dead or find a way to control. This may be the safest possible place for you to be right now.”
“But we have to find out where Key took Ana!” I insisted.
“Anastasia left with him even after knowing he was the one to put the hit on you. After watching you fall to the ground. I will not so easily forgive,” Olezka scolded.
I shook my head gently, realizing quickly that was a bad idea as darkness encroached my vision. “I’m sure there’s more to the story. We don’t know all sides yet, Olezka.”
He gave me a stubborn look. “I do not need to know all sides. I know that my mate was mortally hurt and could have died in my arms in ene
my territory, all because a fae child does not know what she’s doing. What game is she playing at?”
Timur and Tess looked at each other before silently slipping away, out of the room, as Olezka grew more upset. I pulled away from him. I trusted my friend. She knew what she was doing, but the reality of everything started to settle over my shoulders.
“I think I need to sleep,” I whispered.
Chapter 4
We had another night of peace. I used it to think about all that was revealed to me and what had not yet been revealed. We were prisoners here; that much was clear. But I still didn’t know what they wanted. They knew Key planned to force Ana into a marriage because he’d already presented the idea to the Light King. So much of what he said made me feel queasy.
I learned that fae didn’t lie, but they could and would stretch the truth. They’d twist it into what they believed was their truth, and the Light Fae King believed we were here to stay. That wouldn’t work for me because we needed to find Ana. I had no doubt that Key had more tricks up his sleeve than fighting rings and brewing deadly addictive drugs like Dreamscape to control humans. There were still so many unknowns swirling around in the human realm when we were dragged back here.
Olezka was understandably tense about the idea of remaining here, especially since it was clear he didn’t get along with any Light fae who tried to enter our… uh… room. It felt strange calling it a room since we were locked in with both a physical lock as well as magically induced wards. Timur and Tess were escorted out of our room and to their own spaces. We spent the rest of that day, during which I felt all out of sorts, in bed.
Whatever magic they used to help me heal still lingered in my body, but Olezka insisted I needed a bit more rest. I trusted him on that one, especially since my head felt like it was stuffed full of cotton and my brain couldn’t wrap around whether it was morning, afternoon, or evening.
I’d been given a lot of information, but I could tell they hadn’t told me all of it. I could tell from the furtive glances everyone gave each other that they were careful with the information they dished out. But I relented. Partly because I think they didn’t want to overwhelm me but also because we weren’t in a safe place where we could talk openly.
Sixx Saves the World: The Sidekick Chronicles Page 2