“We can’t send Sixx in by herself,” Ana argued. “I’ll go with her.”
“No. You need to stay here. King Malcolm is already pissed off at us. We need you here to help smooth things over.”
I was already shaking my head. “I think you all need to stay here. If Key is planning an attack on all three areas, this is where he’ll probably focus his attack. He has connections in the human realm, but it’s not like it’s controlled by any one person. He doesn’t need to focus attention there yet. And since he wanted to use Ana to get King Malcolm on his side, it means he still needs to secure his position here. But the Dark side is his home turf, and he knows it the best,” I said logically.
Silent thus far, the two High Fae who sat at the table nodded in agreement with me. “Key would not be expecting that. He will think the human will stay close to her mate, tucked away and hidden here in the palace,” one of them piped up.
The other one jumped in. “We should even get a human who looks like her and keep her in Olezka’s room. Key likes to go after this one, anyway. It would be best to move her out of danger.”
“You mean straight into danger!” Olezka growled.
I flinched at the venom in his voice and how tightly he held me. I gripped his forearm. “Too tight,” I whispered. I looked at the pinched, worried expressions of Timur and Ana. The tense shoulders of Erebus. The other two appeared indifferent as if we were discussing nothing more monumental than the weather.
“Maybe we should talk in private, Z,” I whispered, turning on his lap to face him.
“The answer is no. Even if you ask privately,” he insisted stubbornly.
I patted his arm and encouraged him to let me go. He grunted, standing with me and following me to the door. I peeked over my shoulder to see an encouraging look from Erebus. Apparently, he agreed with the other two fae but didn’t want to openly agree. Probably because he knew as well as I did that Olezka wouldn’t take well to it.
Erebus needed me to convince my mate to stay here with them and let me travel back to the human realm. I understood that my mission would be significantly less dangerous than theirs. Besides, Roman was still in the human realm, and I could count on him for support.
As soon as the door shut behind us, Z pressed me against it and wrapped his hand at the base of my neck, holding me in place. I peeked back up at him. “What’s wrong?” I whispered. “You can’t argue with their logic.”
“Every time I let you out of my sight, you’re hurt, kidnapped, or poisoned. Yet, you keep tempting fate?”
“To be fair, I was only poisoned once.”
“As if that makes it any better?” he snapped, his molten eyes burning with anger.
I shrugged with a sheepish smile. “Ish?”
“Nyet. I can feel it. This time he will not hesitate to kill you.”
“Then I won’t hesitate, either.”
Olezka leveled his stare with mine, his gaze softening. “Nyet.”
“Z, I wouldn’t push this on you unless I had a fair degree of certainty that I’d be safe. Or safer, at least.”
He tightened his grip. It wasn’t painful, though it was possessive and on the verge of desperation. “I’ve told you before, Sixx; I cannot lose you.”
“And I won’t lose you.” I reached up and brushed my fingers over his cheek. “But think it through, Olezka. Key knows how to get to you and Ana, and that’s through me. He’ll exploit that weakness by attacking me first. At least, if I’m not here, your focus won’t be split.”
“How can you say that? You know I will still worry for you in the human realm.”
“Roman will be with me. Besides that, I’ll have SOL Jr. Z, you have to trust me.”
I blinked up, staring into those fiery eyes. Fear reigned, and a sliver of pain resounded through my bones that had to belong to him. I almost doubled over in agony as tears stung my eyes.
“Z…”
He grumbled, “You have not called me that in some time. What have I done to upset you, zhizn' moya?”
“Nothing. It’s just… I get the impression you think this is an easy decision for me, but you couldn’t be more wrong.” I pulled him down to kiss him gently, running my hand through his hair and scraping my nails gently against his scalp. He groaned. “It makes me sick to think of you facing danger here and knowing I’ll literally be a world away. If I could, I’d take you with me. But we both care too much about the ones we love. We can’t abandon them.”
“Nyet; let’s be selfish. You and I can leave now.”
I smiled at him, hating the hope in his voice. He would agree if I said yes.
“I’m sorry, Olezka. We have to do this.”
“You promise that you will stay as far from danger as you can?”
“I’ll do my best as long as you do the same.”
I knew he would be in the thick of the actual fight while I was merely standing on the outskirts. I didn’t want him or Ana anywhere near here during Key’s attack, but it was unavoidable. We each had our part to play.
With one last kiss to seal our decision, we returned to the room. Their soft murmurs stopped, and everyone turned their attention to us. Erebus looked nervous, but when Olezka nodded, a wave of relief washed over his features. Without further ado, they started strategizing their plans for how to combat Key’s attack. With Key’s knowledge of the palace, he would exploit the weak points, so they began devising plans for how to bolster those defenses. When Erebus wistfully mentioned that Tess wouldn’t be able to reinforce the gardens, it got me thinking about my own task.
The book mentioned needing two different types of magic users to successfully close the tear. I wondered if, since Tess knew so much about it, she could help me find a way to close the gates with the information we’d uncovered.
After several hours of nonstop planning, plotting, and strategizing, Olezka, Ana, and I left to take a break. We returned to Olezka’s room without talking. When Olezka excused himself to the bathroom, I started packing a small bag. Part of me wished they wouldn’t actually go through with using a decoy for me for a couple of different reasons. First, I didn’t care for the idea of another woman hanging out in my mate’s room while I was in another realm. Second, I hated that she would be in danger because of me.
“Are you sure about this, Sixx? I mean, I kind of need you here,” Ana halfheartedly joked while Olezka was in the bathroom.
“Don’t you start. He already did his best, and I feel bad enough as it is. I don’t want to leave you guys here, but you’ll be safer when your thoughts are focused on the siege instead of whether I’m safe or not.”
“Find Axel. I think he’ll help you, but keep an eye out for the gangs Key has working for him.”
That’s when it hit me… A dark syphon and a light syphon.
“Oh, I’ll definitely find Axel.”
Chapter 27
My mate and I spent the next few hours cuddled together in bed while I tried to sleep. Tried being the operative word. He was nervous, which made me anxious, which made him more nervous. It was a vicious cycle. After a short rest, Olezka snuck me out of the palace in case Key’s spies were watching. As such, I didn’t get to say a proper goodbye to Timur or Ana. Olezka reminded me that I wouldn’t be gone long, so it wouldn’t be goodbye. He was so tense that I decided not to argue with him.
I opted out of telling him who I planned to contact once I arrived back in the human realm. He knew I planned to find Tess and that she and I would attempt to locate another para to help us close the gates. Plus, Roman would be waiting for me on the other side. Which reminded me… I needed to find out how they were communicating across both sides of the Veil. If it was possible, I’d like to know my mate was safe. But I’d worry about that later.
The ride was another harsh one. When we arrived at the gate, the Light fae guards were still waiting there, waiting for me. The group who came with us rushed ahead and held them off while I slipped through the melee and ran like a bat out of hell. Once I was
on the other side, Roman caught up with me. I was surprised when he told me I’d been gone less than a day. Even better, this time I didn’t have any negative reactions from the gate, which reassured me that the poison had truly left my system.
“How are you communicating with your brother from the Veil?” I asked.
He waved off my question and continued walking through the forest. “A little parlor trick. I’ll show you later. But first, I got in contact with Tess, and she’s on her way here now. They will meet us back at the house.”
My head ticked back. “They?”
“Tess is bringing the warlock with her. My brother might not get along with the male, but he’s not a bad guy, and he truly seems to want to help Tess.”
“Have you met Tess yet?” I asked, laughing at the idea of Roman thinking the warlock was doing it completely out of the goodness of his heart. Tess was a stunning fae in the Veil, and her glamour in this world was just as mesmerizing.
“No, but I can tell from your smile that you’re excited for me to meet her,” he answered wryly.
Keeping my eyes on the ground ahead of me so I didn’t trip over the gnarled roots sticking out of the earth, I replied, “Well, your brother thought she was pretty.”
“And you didn’t kill him?”
“Timur is the one who liked her,” I said blandly.
Roman hummed at that but didn’t offer further commentary as he led me out of the forest and to his car where it sat at the edge of a parking lot. We quickly arrived at the house the brothers shared, though with all of the traveling back and forth between the Veil and the human realm, Roman was pretty much the sole occupant. Anubis practically knocked me down when Roman opened the door.
After pushing Anubis back into the house and accepting his doggie kisses, I headed up to the room I shared with Olezka. It was the middle of the night here, and I was exhausted from the trip. Rifling through my duffle, I pulled out the book that Telmis and I found right before we were attacked in the library. I read over the passage again, more certain of my decision than ever before.
I needed to get Tess to the gate Axel guarded and see if they could close it together. I was a little concerned that the book didn’t provide much more detail other than to say two syphons were needed but decided we’d figure out the rest later.
Axel was a wild card. Ana seemed to trust him, but I wasn’t positive about his motives. Sure, he did what she asked and passed along a message to me, but when it came right down to it, I wouldn’t put it past him to sell me out to Key to save his hide. That was why I would feel better having Roman with us. I’d read the passage what felt like a million times, which was how I came up with the plan to return to the human realm to take care of things on this end.
The part that concerned me the most wasn’t that the two syphons would feed off each other. I had no doubt that Tess could handle herself. From what I understood, Druids were ancient beings. I’d snuck away to read a couple of books about them when I was researching with Telmis. But they were also extremely rare since they were caretakers of the Veil.
No, the part that concerned me was the line that said the actual closure of the gates would be the most dangerous part. What did that mean? What would happen? Even though we didn’t fully understand the ramifications of what we were doing, we needed to close them as soon as possible. Hemming and hawing over the things I couldn’t control wouldn’t stop the danger charging toward my mate and best friend.
Sleep didn’t come easily that night. Even though Anubis joined me on the bed, offering what comfort he could, his heat didn’t provide the same comfort as Olezka’s. Besides that, my brain kept a steady supply of endless ways this could go wrong. Top of the list was the very real fear that I may never see my loved ones again.
The instant my eyes opened the next morning, I hurriedly showered and raced downstairs, already thinking of how to convince Roman to take me to meet Tess halfway. My nightmares from the night before fueled my steps. A particularly gruesome one starred Key, who kept sending in horde after horde of drugged humans to attack my friends, both fae and human. The bloodshed and loss of life were catastrophic, made worse by the fleeting knowledge that I alone had the power to stop it from happening… sort of.
But when I stomped down the stairs and into the kitchen, opening my mouth to scream for Roman to hurry up, I stopped short. Tess was standing in the living room, wearing an outfit that actually fit her. It was strange seeing her in high-waisted jeans and a crop top that did nothing but accent all of her beautiful curves. Her hair was pulled back in a sleek ponytail, and she was staring at a piece of wall art that I was convinced Roman only purchased to piss off his brothers. The print featured dogs surrounding a card table, playing poker, and smoking cigars.
“Do the animals in this world actually partake in this activity?” Tess asked, squinting and turning her head to the side.
“Um, no. How are you doing?” I asked, checking her over. She looked fine, but while her world was dangerous to me, I knew mine was dangerous to her. She didn’t know what she was getting herself into.
“I am quite alright, Sixx. Roman got word to Asher that you had returned, and I came as quickly as I could.” Turning to look at me fully, she gave me serious consideration. “You humans are strange. You slept so late.”
“How long do you sleep?” I asked. Tess blinked at me, and her glamour melted away before my eyes, revealing her blacked-out eyes, mossy hair, and bark-like skin. But it quickly reappeared.
“Sleep?” She blinked at me again in a very slow, inhuman way.
“Okay… moving on from that. Did Roman tell you anything about why I wanted you to come here?”
“He just said you were returning from the Veil and needed me.”
“Give me one second.” I held up my finger as an emphasis and ran back upstairs, grabbing the book and rejoining her downstairs. Roman stood at the bottom of the slept with a perplexed look as I barreled past him.
“Good morning, Sixx. Did you sleep well? Perhaps you’d like me to stick an IV of caffeine straight into your veins?” he joked.
“You are so funny,” I deadpanned. I went into the living room and handed Tess the book.
She glanced down at it and then back at me with a look of surprise. “Telmis allowed you to leave with one of his books?”
“You all seem to know him, but I never heard his name before Timur took me to visit him,” I mumbled.
“Our world is quite expansive, and you have only begun to explore it. We have lived much longer, as well. You will understand eventually,” Tess said with a soft smile. I looked down at the book Tess held between her slender hands. She touched the cover reverently before looking back up at me. “Did he pass?”
I swallowed. “We were attacked. It’s what pushed Olezka and the others to agree to let me return on my own. We think that Key will launch a full assault soon. But before they attacked, Telmis enchanted my glasses so I could read any book in the library, and I found information on how to close the gates.”
Tess handed the book back to me and moved to sit down. Anubis rushed to her side and laid his head on her lap. She absently reached out and petted his head.
“Telmis must have known what would happen. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have allowed someone to possess the powers to read his tomes so easily,” Tess said. She grew quiet, and her pats slowed down before she glanced back up at me. “What have you learned?”
“I don’t think you’re going to love it,” I answered uneasily, taking a seat on the couch. Roman disappeared into the kitchen. I looked over at Tess. She sat with her back straight, her legs crossed at the ankles, and blinked slowly at me. “The text,” I patted the book, “said that chaotic gates could only be weakened by magical users who can syphon light and dark magic since gates are made of both.”
Tess’s lips tightened, and I saw the concern touch her eyes. She looked down at Anubis. “You will need someone to syphon with me; is that correct? That is why I was unsuccessful at the ga
te in the Veil and the one here, even with the help of the warlock.”
“I think I know someone we can ask to help us along with a gate that we can test it on. I don’t think he will be any harm to you.”
“I fear it will not be harmful to me but that the dark syphon will want more. The magic in the Veil is more potent and can be very addictive to those who are not accustomed to living in harmony with it. Druids are connected to the world. We feel the good along with the pain. Whomever you wish to ask to help us will not necessarily feel the same way.”
“Ana seems to trust him, and the one time I met him, he came to give me a warning from her. At this point, I think he’s our best bet. Something about him makes me think he wants to be more than what he is.”
“And what is he?” Tess asked.
I bit my lip before looking at her. My stomach sank at the thought of telling her who I was thinking about asking for help. Or rather what he was. I looked to the kitchen. “He’s, um… well…”
“Sixx?”
“A dark mage,” I finally spat out, looking over at her.
Tess blinked at me uncomprehendingly. “A what?”
“A para who would sooner drain you of all your magic than want to help you close the gate to what he would consider a feeding frenzy,” Asher growled as he stepped into the living room with Roman. Roman looked bored, but he usually kept that look on his face when he didn’t want to let anyone know how he was feeling.
“He won’t, but he’s our best option. I have a feeling we don’t have a lot of time to try to find a better solution,” I said nervously.
Asher fumed, “We have time. We shouldn’t put Tess in danger simply because you’re foolish enough to believe that a dark mage will think of anything but his own hunger!”
“And you’re too blind to see that some beings are more than what you make them out to be!” I snapped. Maybe a bit of my mate’s anger and hatred toward this warlock had slipped into me during the few moments we spent with him before we disappeared into the Veil again.
Sixx Saves the World: The Sidekick Chronicles Page 17