Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
Tucking deeper into my hood, my breath billowed in thick condensation, the clear starry sky plunging the temperatures.
Water lapped against the stolen boat as we sailed steadily down the river.
Killian took the helm and surprisingly proved himself a very experienced sailor.
He knew exactly how to catch the light breeze to double our speed, making me recall the scene the book took me to in the tunnels and his mysterious past and relationship with the pirates.
Imagining Killian as a pirate just didn’t sit right. He was entirely exquisite suits and fine brandy.
Tonight, you wouldn’t know the sexy fae lord was under the hooded cloak, dirty cargo pants, and worn boots.
There was not one face here that wasn’t immediately recognizable.
Tad, the oldest and most known druid alive in the eastern bloc, the fae lord himself, me the infamous HDF traitor, and even Sloane, for his Norwegian features, big build, position as an elite guard, and handsome stoic face.
Not a group built to go unnoticed.
Sloane kept watch at the stern for anyone following us while I stayed up at the bow, keeping an eye out for trouble, as there were plenty of river pirates taking their booty from anyone who passed by, like toll roads.
Tad huddled in the cockpit, wrapped in cloaks, the icy temps harsh on his old bones.
The wind beat against my face as the bow cut through the water like butter, heading for the cursed lands of Visegrád.
My stomach bounced and weaved, which had nothing to do with the swaying vessel.
I was going to see my mother again. This time, I knew what I was stepping into, but I still didn’t know how she’d respond to me.
Excited? Blasé? This trip compared to last time was so different.
None of the previous group was with me again, not even my two tiny friends.
I would never admit this, but to wake up without a finger up my nose and an obscenely dressed brownie in my face felt wrong.
I guess Tad’s magic secured the cottage and property line from everyone, including sub-fae.
Without even understanding why, people would veer far away from the property, get confused, or be stopped by the invisible barrier.
Without my little duo being able to find me, I knew it would send Ash into a tizzy.
Would Ash go to Warwick and tell him I was gone?
I shook my head before I could think about it.
I was trying to keep my mind off that man, though it was hard to do when you shared space with his sister.
Even if they were only half-siblings, she had so many expressions that reminded me of her brother.
And Eliza bringing him up earlier in the evening didn’t help either.
“Hey.” She had come into the tiny kitchen where I was nursing my second coffee, even though it was hinting at dinner time. Grabbing a cup of tea, she peered over at me. “How are you feeling?”
“Better.” My chloroform headache had finally subsided.
By the time Killian, Tad, and I had talked everything out, dawn was peaking over the mountains, showing me nothing but trees around the cottage. Killian had us sleep most of the day to get ready for our mission.
“I’m surprised my brother isn’t with you.” She tucked her long, silky, dark hair behind her ear, the same shade as his. “I got the distinct feeling he doesn’t venture too far from you.”
Gulping down my sip of coffee, I coughed. “What makes you say that? You saw us together once.”
Eliza leaned back on the counter with a scoff. “Because I know my brother.” Her eyes were light brown, but she gave me the same hard stare he did. “Warwick is a real son of a bitch.”
Coffee choked my throat, my hand clasping over my mouth so as not to spray it out.
“He’s a pain in the ass. Impossible. Stubborn. Brutal. Aloof. And sometimes way too overprotective.” She took a sip of her tea. “But he’s only overprotective of people he loves. And I could count those on one hand. Ash, Kitty, Simon, me . . . and now you.”
“I don’t think I’m in that club.” I shook my head. “Not anymore.”
“You are,” she said bluntly. Her energy was kind, but it seemed she had no time for bullshit.
“He may be a stubborn ass, but it didn’t take me but a moment to see you were different.
Or more like, he was different with you.
I had no doubt he would have stood in front of a bullet to protect you.
” She set her cup down. “Warwick has two levels: I don’t give a shit, and I care too much.
He keeps himself walled up and protected, only letting a very few slip into his second level.
I’m blood, so he’s got no choice with me and Simon.
And Ash and Kitty, well, they are his family too.
But you . . .” She lifted a brow. “He let you in.”
“He didn’t have much choice with me either.” I sat back in the chair, brushing the bits of biscuit from my hands. “It’s not what you think.”
“There you are.” Zander strolled in, the smile hinting on his lips as he took in Eliza faltering when he spotted me over at the table. “Brexley, hey.” He dipped his head.
“Did you need something?” Eliza’s voice sounded formal.
Too formal.
“Um . . . yeah.” A bashful grin swept over his mouth, making him sexy and adorable at the same time. “Simon wanted to go for a ride.” He motioned to his back. “Beautiful sunset tonight . . . just wanted to see if you wanted to join us? I can easily carry you both.”
“Oh? Um . . .” Eliza peered over at me.
“Go. Have fun.” I stood up from the table. “I need to get ready for tonight’s task.”
She nodded at me, turning to Zander. “Okay, sounds fun.”
I definitely saw a look between them, blushing of cheeks, and shy smiles.
“Be careful tonight, Brex.” Zander hugged me tightly, kissing my temple, before trotting out of the room. There was no doubt I had been friend-zoned. He was staying back to watch over the cottage, but I had a feeling he was watching something else entirely.
Eliza reached back, squeezing my hand. “I know what I saw. You might have to kick Warwick’s ass to wake him up a bit, but you are part of us now.”
“Oh, I think he’s going to be too busy kicking someone else’s ass.” I snorted, my head shaking, gesturing to where Zander went. “Your brother is going to flip out. Do you like horse meat patties for dinner?”
“What, Zander?” She waved her hand, not able to stop the pink hinting at her cheeks. “There’s nothing there. We’re just friends. He and Simon have become buds.”
“Sure.” I flicked my eyebrows.
“It’s true.”
“I know what I saw.” I taunted, knocking into her shoulder as I strolled out, winking. “Have fun on your ride. Stay safe. Have him wear a saddle.”
“I take all the nice things back,” she shouted down the hall, making me laugh.
“Brexley?” Killian’s voice broke through my reverie, whipping my head back to the captain. The biting air burned the end of my nose. “We’re coming in. We need help with the anchor.”
My head jerked back to land, seeing the cadaver of the castle up on the hill, shocked we were already here. Scrambling back to help Sloane drop the anchor, Killian glided us the closest he could to the shore without getting stuck.
We trudged to the embankment, heading up the steep steps to the crest, Sloane carrying Tad on his back.
“All your power, old man, and you can’t fly us up to the top?” I breathed out, my legs burning.
“Not how my magic works, plus it’s good for you, keeps the youthful glow on your face,” Tad heckled us.
“It’s called sweat,” I grumbled.
Finally, we reached the top, and I led them through the grounds to where the well was.
With every step, my stomach rolled into tighter knots.
This time there were no skeletons lurking in the shadows, guarding the castle, though I still couldn’t escape the feeling scraping down my spine that this place—including the inhabitants—was fully aware we were here.
My mother’s clan couldn’t control the skeletons anymore, but it didn’t take away from the feeling they were still here, waiting for their masters to raise them again.
“Death saturates this place,” Tad remarked as Sloane set him down. “My senses are overwhelmed. It hard to pick up on anything else.” Tad hobbled up next to me, his eyes darting cautiously around. “It lives deep within the land, rock, and stone. This is where even the dead come to die.”
“Is that why you are here?” A woman’s voice cut through the dark, her small frame stepping out of a crumbling archway.
Six forms in robes behind her. I jolted back at my mother’s sudden appearance, all of them slipping from the shadows like they were part of them.
Cousin Liam, Aunt Morgan, Sam, Roan, Breena, and Rory curved around their leader.
My attention was purely on the person in the middle. My mom. She was still boney and painfully thin, but moonlight reflected off her dark eyes and hair, and I swear I saw some color in her cheeks, showing there was a little more life in her.
I hadn’t dreamed it. She was real. They all were. I brought my family back.
“Brexley.” She twisted her head to me, the sound of her voice still odd in my ears. I had imagined it for so long growing up. In real life, it was much deeper, with an Irish accent, as opposed to the one in my head. Her regard went back to the Druid next to me.
“I could smell your stench, Tadhgan, before you reached the shore. You smell like a dying corpse.”
“At least I don’t look like one.” Tad gripped his staff, his throat bobbing, though disgust curled his lip.
Killian and Sloane went on the defense as the seven circled around the well, guarding the prize inside as if it was still worth something.
“Plus, wouldn’t that be an aphrodisiac to your kind? ”
My Aunt Morgan snarled, her grip on her bardiche tightening. “Nothing’s changed, I see, still a righteous, insufferable pet.” She flicked her chin at Killian. “A druid still leashed by a fae king.”