by Karen Lynch
I inhaled sharply when purple and green lightning streaked across the sky. But that wasn’t nearly as frightening as the monstrous sandstorm speeding toward us. The wall of sand had to be one hundred feet tall, and I could already hear the howl of the wind that drove it. It was travelling so fast it would be on us in minutes.
I spun back to Gus, who stood over a large hollow he had dug in the sand. He looked at me expectantly, and I realized he wanted me to get into the hole. I jumped in, and he settled down over me. He wrapped his leathery wings around us with his head tucked beneath one, and we waited.
The storm hit with such force it nearly pushed Gus over. He held fast as the howling wind and sand slammed into him. Some dust blew in under his wings and made me cough, but I was safe in my shelter.
The light grew dim as the storm raged on until I was nearly in darkness. I took out the laevik crystal, thankful I wasn’t claustrophobic. I was more afraid of suffocating as the air got hot and stuffy. To take my mind off it, I thought about Lukas. He would be home tomorrow evening, and as soon as we were alone, I planned to let him know I wanted to be with him in every way. I loved him, and I knew he felt the same for me even if we’d never spoken the words. What were we waiting for?
I didn’t realize the wind had stopped until Gus shifted above me. He grunted as he stood, and I saw the reason when he dumped two feet of sand off his wings.
I sucked in cool air as it hit me that night had fallen. I stared at the dark desert landscape in dismay. It would take us six hours to reach the island and another two to get back to Unseelie after I returned the ke’tain to the temple. If I stayed out all night, someone would notice and there’d be questions I couldn’t answer.
We took off, and this time we made it to the ocean without any problems. It wasn’t until we were an hour out to sea that I wondered if the storm had been caused by the joining of the two ke’tains. It had happened faster than the last one, but that could be because the ke’tain was getting stronger.
I had never been so happy to see the island. It took ten minutes for me to sneak in and return the ke’tain, and then we were on our way again. I was exhausted, but it was impossible to sleep when I still had no clue how to get past the guards at the mountain entrance. I could make myself invisible, but the guards would be suspicious when the door opened and no one was there.
The sun had cleared the horizon by the time we reached the valley. I’d already created a glamour to make us invisible, but that didn’t help with the bigger problem. My stomach was in knots as I tried to figure out how to get inside the mountain without being seen.
“Next time, maybe I should hang a really long rope from my balcony.”
That’s it! Why hadn’t I thought of that all along?
“Gus. I need you to take me to my balcony,” I called, hoping he understood me as well as I thought he did.
He did. As we neared the mountain, he stayed on a straight course instead of turning toward the road where he’d picked me up. It was too early for most court occupants to be up and about, but there were people working on the grounds.
Most of the balconies looked the same from the outside, so I had to figure out which one was mine. Gus surprised me when he headed straight for one of them. Drakkans had a sharp sense of smell, but I had no idea he could detect my living space that easily.
I realized the flaw in my plan when we reached the balcony. There was no easy way for Gus to get close to the rail, and he was far too big to land there. I was trying to think of a solution when he turned and flew away in a downward arc. Several levels down, he changed direction and flew straight up the wall of rock. Before I understood what he was doing, he came abreast of my balcony and tossed me inside.
I landed facedown with my arms protecting my head. The impact knocked the wind out of me for a few seconds, and I lay there gasping for a minute. When I finally managed to stand, Gus was speeding toward the black cliffs.
I stumbled to my bedroom, kicked off my boots, and stripped. I showered away the day’s grime along with some of my aches and pains, and I was half asleep by the time I left the bathroom. My hair was still damp when I crawled into bed and fell into a deep, well-earned sleep.
* * *
“Jesse,” someone called.
I hurried through the short tunnel to the stairs. I placed my foot on the first step as a black claw shot out of the crevice in the wall and grabbed my shoulder. A scream tore from me, and I spun, punching the faceless creature emerging from the hole.
“Disir!” swore a male voice. “Jesse, it’s me, Conlan.”
I came awake with a start and looked up at a frowning Conlan beside my bed, sporting a red welt below his eye. “Conlan, what are you doing here?”
“You didn’t answer your door, and I was concerned, so I let myself in.” He touched his cheek. “I thought you might be ill, but that punch says otherwise.”
I sat up, rubbing my bleary eyes. I couldn’t have gotten more than a few hours of sleep, and I was bone tired. “That’s what you get for coming into my room and waking me up.”
“I wouldn’t have if you’d answered your door.” He gave me an assessing look. “It’s close to midday. Why are you still in bed?”
I scowled at him. “Why are you here and not in Seelie with Lukas?”
“He asked me to come home and make sure you were okay after that storm hit this morning.”
Another storm had hit here? I must have slept through it. Was it connected to the one in the desert or a separate one entirely?
“You haven’t answered my question,” Conlan said. “Why are you still in bed?”
I flopped back on the pillows. “What are you, the sleep police? If you must know, I couldn’t sleep last night, and I didn’t doze off until this morning.”
Conlan’s shrewd gaze swept the room and landed on the boots and clothes I’d worn yesterday and left in a pile on my floor. My mouth went dry, and I cursed myself for being so careless. If he checked them, there would be no explaining away the fact that my pockets and boots had sand in them from a desert across the ocean.
“If I’d known someone would barge into my bedroom, I would have tidied up,” I quipped in a tone snarky enough to draw his attention back to me.
He arched his eyebrows. “Have you always been this grouchy in the morning?”
“Only when I don’t get enough sleep.”
“Then by all means, go back to sleep.” He smirked. “We wouldn’t want you grumpy when Vaerik returns today.”
My heart leapt at the reminder I’d see Lukas in a few hours. My face must have betrayed me because Conlan chuckled softly.
“I apologize for waking you, and I’m glad you are well…if not in the best mood. I’ll leave you to your rest.”
“Conlan,” I said as he left my room. “I’m glad I have friends like you who care about my welfare.”
He stopped in the doorway and looked back at me. “Does this mean I’m still your favorite?”
I snorted a laugh. “Yes, but don’t tell the others.”
“Oh, they already know.” He grinned and disappeared from sight.
* * *
I tossed aside the book I was trying to read, startling Kaia, who lay on the other end of my couch. Getting up from the couch, I walked to my balcony with the lamal on my heels. It had become our ritual of the last few hours as we waited for Lukas to return from Seelie. He’d told me they would be back before the evening meal, but that hour was fast approaching.
It was possible they had already arrived and his father had him tied up with something. I hadn’t seen the king since Lukas had made it known to the whole court that we were dating, but I couldn’t forget his words to Lukas about me the morning after the royal dinner. King Oseron would never think I was a suitable mate for his heir, and he didn’t strike me as someone who gave up easily.
“Enough of this.” I slapped the stone railing and turned to look at Kaia. “Let’s go for a walk.”
She ran inside and went str
aight for the door where she waited for me to pull on my shoes. I let us out, and we walked to the lift, returning the greetings from people we passed. Ever since it had become common knowledge that Lukas and I were together, I’d become a lot more popular at court.
There were some who didn’t hide their resentment of my relationship with Lukas, and chief among them were Dariyah and Rashari. They were all smiles whenever he was around, but they didn’t spare me their looks of loathing when I was without him. I ignored them. They would get over it eventually…or they wouldn’t.
It was a beautiful day for a long walk, but I decided to keep to the grounds this time. Not in the mood to stop and chat with everyone, I choose the relative privacy of the gardens over a walk to the lake. I followed one of the many white stone paths through the extensive gardens where the trees, thick flowering shrubs, burbling fountains, and animal noises blocked out the sounds of the other people around me.
Kaia and I had been walking for a few minutes when one of the liveried elf servants making their rounds in the garden offered me a drink from the tray he carried. I sipped the cold fruit nectar as I continued to stroll and wonder how things had gone at the meetings with Seelie.
No doubt Queen Anwyn had continued her push to seal the barrier. I needed King Oseron to hold out against her long enough for me to finish the task of restoring the ke’tain’s power. If they closed the barrier before that happened, no one would ever believe their solution wasn’t the reason the storms had ended. And with the barrier sealed on one side, the damage to my world would be irreversible.
Weighed down by my thoughts, I suddenly felt tired despite sleeping until noon. I entered one of the many secluded alcoves, which had been designed for a romantic interlude judging by the oversized chaise. I set my drink on the small table and reclined on the chaise to rest a bit while Kaia wandered off to do her own thing.
It wasn’t long before the comfortable chaise and the soothing sounds and scents of the garden lulled me into a light sleep. I could still hear the birds and people’s voices, but it was as if someone had turned down the volume around me. I floated in a warm, blissful haze and dreamed of kissing Lukas among the calaech flowers by the river.
I came half-awake as a hard body lay beside me on the chaise and an arm wrapped around my waist to tug me closer. “Lukas,” I murmured drowsily as warm lips pressed to mine.
I frowned. Something didn’t feel right. I turned my face away from his kiss as my fuzzy brain tried to understand what was wrong.
“What is this?” demanded a harsh male voice.
My eyes flew open to find Lukas standing six feet away, staring at me with a mix of anger and confusion that pierced the fog in my head. “Lukas?” I turned my head to look at the dark-haired male lying beside me, one who I didn’t remember ever seeing before.
“Get off me!” I shoved him away from me and came unsteadily to my feet. My stomach lurched at the memory of the stranger’s mouth on mine, and I felt violated. I had been violated.
I rounded on the male who hadn’t moved from the chaise. “How dare you?”
He smiled lazily. “Are we playing another one of your little games, mi’dhu?”
Mi’dhu, my sweet.
“Jesse.” The dangerous edge in Lukas’s tone had me turning back to him. That was when I saw he wasn’t alone. Conlan and Kerr stood on Lukas’s right, and standing on his left was Dariyah wearing an expression of smug satisfaction she didn’t bother to hide from me.
“What is going on here, Jesse?” Lukas bit out. “Who is this male?”
I met his furious gaze. “I have no idea. I woke up and thought it was you beside me.”
The male in question sat up. “Come now, mi’dhu,” he wheedled.
“Don’t call me that,” I snapped, taking a step back. I turned to Lukas and saw a small crowd of onlookers gathering outside the alcove.
Dariyah scoffed. “You want us to believe you mistook him for Vaerik?”
“I don’t care what you believe.” I looked at Lukas, and pain pricked my chest at the uncertainty in his eyes.
The crowd moved in. Conlan and Kerr immediately stepped between them and Lukas, while Dariyah used the opportunity to get closer to Lukas. I narrowed my eyes on her in time to catch the conspiratorial look she shot at the male behind me. Just like that the pieces fell into place. The drink, the sudden need to lie down, the brain fog. I had been drugged. I glanced at the table only to find my glass conveniently missing.
“You!” I took a step toward Dariyah as anger boiled inside me. I was over these court games and manipulations. “You did this.”
She pressed herself to Lukas’s side. “I had nothing to do with your infidelity. Do not try to blame me to cover your lies.”
The male on the chaise, whose name I still didn’t know, stood and reached for me. Lukas moved toward him, but I was faster. My fist plowed into the male’s smiling face. His eyes widened in shock before they rolled back into his head, and he dropped like a rock. I shook my head in disgust. Court faeries might be stronger in the human realm, but here, most of them were lazy and weak.
I caught the glint of pride in Lukas’s eyes as I spun and stalked toward Dariyah, who was no longer smirking. Real fear filled her eyes as she cowered behind Lukas. I pointed a finger at her. “I told you once not to come at me again. This is your final warning.”
“Jesse.” Lukas laid a hand on my arm, and I shook it off.
I turned accusing eyes on him. “I never would have doubted you. Not for one second.”
Moving past him, I found my exit blocked by our captive audience. When I looked for another way out, I found Dariyah clinging to Lukas’s arm like a damsel in distress. The fact that he did not look happy about it didn’t matter. For the first time in my life, I knew what it meant to see red.
I closed the distance between us, and before either of them could react, I slugged her right in her lying, spiteful mouth. The satisfaction that filled me as she went down did nothing to ease my anger, but damn, it felt good.
Turning to the gaping crowd, I growled, “Move.”
This time, they scattered. I didn’t look back as I stormed off. I had been so excited for Lukas to come home, and now I wanted to be as far away from him as possible.
“Jesse.” Lukas’s voice rang out loud and commanding. Around me, people froze as if he’d spoken to them, but I picked up my pace.
“Go away, Lukas,” I called without looking back. Gasps came from nearby, and I didn’t need to look to know people were scandalized over the way I’d spoken to their crown prince. I couldn’t care less what they thought of me.
“Jesse, stop.” There was no mistaking the warning in his tone this time. What was he going to do? Lock me up for not heeling like the pet these people thought I was to him?
I exited the gardens and turned toward the lake. I needed to work off my turbulent emotions, and I knew just the place to do it. I wasn’t dressed for a hike up the hill, but going to my quarters to change wasn’t an option.
I started down the grassy slope. One second, my feet were on the ground, and in the next, they were in the air as I was lifted and slung over a wide shoulder. Momentarily stunned, I didn’t react at first as my captor wrapped his arm tightly around my legs and turned to walk back up the hill.
“Let me go,” I yelled when my senses came back to me. I squirmed and pummeled his back with my fists to no avail.
“No,” Lukas said in an unyielding voice that gave me pause. Maybe he was going to lock me up.
I hung stiffly over his shoulder as he entered the mountain. I expected him to put me down when we reached the lift, but he carried me all the way to the top floor. It wasn’t until we were outside his door that I realized we weren’t alone.
“We are not to be disturbed by anyone,” Lukas ordered as he opened the door.
“And if it’s the king?” Conlan asked with a note of amusement in his voice.
Lukas entered his quarters. “Especially my father,” he sai
d, shutting the door with a solid click.
“Are you done being a Neanderthal?” I demanded as he crossed the room.
“That depends. Are you ready to talk rationally?”
“Oh, that’s rich coming from someone who thinks I would cheat on him, and then tosses me over his shoulder and carries me off against my will.”
Lukas set me on my feet and placed his hands on my shoulders to steady me when I swayed. “I would never believe that of you, Jesse, and I’m sorry if my reaction made you think I doubted you. I was angry but not at you.”
I pressed my lips together as I replayed the incident. “It was all a setup. They timed it so you’d come upon us and think the worst.” I lifted my eyes to his. “How did you find me?”
His jaw flexed. “When I couldn’t find you or Kaia, I assumed you’d gone outside. I ran into Dariyah, who told me she’d seen you enter the gardens.”
Anger surged in me again. “They played us perfectly. There had to be something in the drink the servant gave me that made me sleepy.”
Lukas’s eyes darkened, and his fingers tightened on my shoulders. “Someone drugged you?”
“I can’t prove it, but I was fine when I went outside. I drank the juice, and not long after, I had to lie down. You know what happened next.”
He released a harsh breath. “The male’s name is Fafnir. I got that from him before I followed you. Kerr detained him, and Faolin will get to the bottom of this. Fafnir will wish he had never touched you.”
My anger abated, leaving me drained. “Will it always be like this? People scheming and trying to come between us?”
He wrapped me in his strong embrace. “No. If Dariyah was involved in this, I will have her sent away from court. For her, that would be worse than banishment. I’ll make it known to all of Unseelie that the same punishment awaits anyone who dares to try something like this.”
“If they do, I want five minutes alone with them first.” I snaked my arms around Lukas’s waist, trying to erase the memory of Fafnir’s touch.