Chapter Twelve
LUCA
A week ago, I had died. I still couldn’t believe it. There wouldn’t be many people who could claim that their life force had left their body for a whole twelve hours, only for their magic to awaken and drag them right back.
Actually, the chances of that were probably below zero.
The rest period had spanned longer than what I’d been promised, but I wasn’t bitter about it—maybe a little. I’d spent those seven days confined to the bed, allowing my body the chance to recuperate as I read up on what it meant to be a mage and even memorizing some spells. It kept my mind somewhat busy, my curiosity preventing a slow descent into madness. Though I supposed I should be grateful I even had the luxury of napping and reading—if I’d been dead a day or so longer, I might have woken up in the middle of a battle.
Cair had admitted to his impulsive war cry after a bit of probing. He’d wanted revenge for what the king had done. The thought had consumed his entire being, and I couldn’t blame him. I would have reacted the same way—still kinda had that itch, I wouldn’t lie—but thankfully, Zadok had possessed enough presence of mind to send what he’d called “mirror crystals” with Cee and Gary. They were enchanted glass shards that could be used to communicate over long distance. He’d prepared for the possibility of anything happening on the road that Cair needed to be updated on. Once I’d woken up, it had been a simple task for him to make contact and instruct them to return. Of course, I was glad we’d avoided complete desolation and senseless bloodshed, that was the number one priority in any circumstance, but all I could think about was how long I’d been in the Otherworld without knowing Fae phones existed.
What the actual hell?
I’d asked Zadok if he had any more lying around, and if he would miss them should they suddenly disappear from his stores. For no reason whatsoever.
He had visited me often, my dad —I wasn’t yet at the stage where it felt right to speak the moniker aloud—but with the way he would keep his distance, almost scared to approach, it never felt like a good time to ask him more about his past. He would bring me scrolls, and go off on tangents about certain spells and their properties, though he’d stopped giving me any materials with detailed performance instructions. That was only after he’d caught me in the middle of trying to light a candle with a chant and a wrist-flick. I’d almost set the bedding on fire. No, I had set it on fire, so he’d taken those privileges away before my mate strung him up for being my enabler. “Until you heal,” he’d kept saying; Cair’s words repeated in a different tone. I understood their concerns, I really did, but I was eager to learn and harness this magic that had been latent inside me all of my life. I had been in bed for seven days , stewing in intrigue and boredom.
And getting more and more frustrated with every day that passed.
I was honestly ready to crawl out of my skin, and despite Cair’s extremely thorough sponge baths, I needed to feel hot water scalding away the lingering stench of death. Now that I’d regained control of my physical and mental self, I’d realized dying hadn’t made me fear it happening again. Not really. It may have been an “unexpected” trauma response, especially for someone who supplied the anxiety at every event, but the incident had given me a better outlook on life, a newfound appreciation and desire to get up and actually live . The first couple of days, yes, I’d admit, I’d needed to self-regulate, to work on the nightmares creeping in whenever I closed my eyes and rebuild the strength that I’d lost, but now… enough was enough. I needed stimulation.
I needed to not be so fucking cramped.
Or alone.
A playful knock sounded at the door, jolting me from my thoughts. My brow furrowed when neither Cair nor Zadok entered. I slotted my bookmark in between the pages I’d been reading—a dull section on the don’ts of pyromancy—before setting the tome on the side table. On top of the other two books I’d already read today.
“Come in,” I called as I sat up straighter.
Surprisingly, Gary’s cheery face peeked around the door. He was the last creature I’d expected. Except maybe Cee. “Hey, boss,” he said, bounding in with a tray balanced precariously in his hands. “I brought you some, er… Actually, I haven’t a clue what it is. Your da’s not much of a chef, but he tried his best.”
I smiled. “Thank you. I’m sure it’ll taste fine.”
He trotted over, placing the tray in my lap before proceeding to plonk himself down at the far end of the bed, propriety non-existent. I was stunned for all of two seconds. It was Gary; he did what he wanted. I wasn’t mad about it.
“So…” he said after a moment. “You died, huh? What was that like?”
I damn near choked on my first mouthful of possibly-stew.
And it in fact did not taste fine. It was inedible, but that was beside the point. “You don’t waste any time with small talk, do you?”
He shrugged. “Small talk’s boring. Why ask you how you are or if you’re enjoying the weather when I know the answer’ll be ‘Well, I died, so uh, how the fuck do you think I am?’ or ‘I haven’t left this room in a week and don’t know if it’s raining or shining, so take a wild guess.’ Might as well skip to the fun stuff.”
I had to say, his impression of me was a little off, but I couldn’t exactly argue with his logic. I hated small talk too. “Well, I suppose dying itself wasn’t actually that bad,” I said, indulging him. “I felt pretty shitty leading up to it, but the two minutes before my eyes closed? Total peace. It was as if everything was right in the world, and for that split second, I was happy to go. Waking up was the worst part. Not because I didn’t want to—of course I wanted to—but it hurt like hell.”
“Oh?”
“Apparently, my da— Zadok —used his magic to try drawing out the poison. When that didn’t work, he attempted some ancient spell that was supposed to transfer a fraction of Cair’s life force to me, but it sent me into a fit instead. Then , to top it all off, I was electrocuted.” I huffed lightly. “I might not have felt it at the time, but when I woke up, it was as if I’d been hit by a bus.”
His head tilted. “Bus?”
“Oh, like a horse, but bigger, and made of metal.”
He blew out a long breath. “Well, shit.”
I nodded. “I think my magic manifesting was probably the sole reason I didn’t plead for death again. It seemed to work like a really strong painkiller.”
“ That , and seeing your mate again.” He wiggled his not-really-eyebrows. They were more like ridges. “He’s so gone on you, you know. I’ve never seen anything like it. I thought we’d have to storm the capital, right there and then.”
My smile wavered.
Gary meant well, but I still felt a stab of pain in my heart at each reminder of what Cair had gone through—even if having someone willing to burn the world for me was incredibly comforting. And hot.
I cleared my throat and set down my spoon. “Do you have a mate?”
“Nah, I’m mated to my work,” he said, unbothered by the question. “Though I do have plenty of bodies to keep me warm at night, if you catch my drift.” He winked, but then he thought about it. “Not in a serial killer way. I only meant… Well, I guess, I do have lots of bodies in that sense too, but?—”
“I get it,” I laughed. How this guy became a top assassin-slash-spy-slash-scout on Cair’s payroll, I’d never know—unless he decided to word vomit his backstory too—but oddly enough, I already trusted him with my life. My second life? He’d proven himself a reliable ally, and he was fun. That was enough for me. “I kinda thought you and Cee had an enemies-to-lovers thing going on.”
My adoration of fictional romances had probably influenced my perception on that one. Those stories where the grumpy love interest saw the other as the bane of their entire existence, while the sunshine character did their best to be as irritating as humanly possible? Yeah, those were top-tier literature.
Or maybe I’d just spent too much time around Teighan and Alex.
“Me and the battle-ax?” he said incredulously. “Noooo.” The mere suggestion must have activated his stress-eating response, because he snatched the bread off my plate, taking a messy bite. I wasn’t going to attempt it anyway. “I mean, there was one drunken night four years ago. Hate sex is banging , by the way…” He trailed off, pausing mid-chew. “What the fuck is in this, sawdust?” He set it back down with a repulsed look. “ Anyway , we both agreed it was a mistake. She prefers ’em a little prettier than me, and while I love getting pegged as much as the next guy, we’re not compatible in other ways. We just work better together. She might glare at me every second, but she secretly loves me.”
“Uh-huh.”
He sprawled out on his back, arms crossed behind his head. “The whole crew are pretty good eggs. Maybe you’ll get to meet them at some point.”
A little bubble of excitement swelled in my belly. Meet the spies who had pledged their lives to my mate and kept him safe? Hell yeah! “I’d like that.”
“Dirike is a bit of a knob, and the Shae sisters are total freaks—and I don’t just mean sexually.” He gave me a look for emphasis. I barely stopped myself from asking for clarification. “But the others? Yeah, you’d like ’em.”
“How many are there?”
“Twelve. Which is a great number, to be honest. Makes pairing off easier. We were thirteen, but…” He sighed. “Ki isn’t with us anymore.”
I offered him a sympathetic smile. “I’m sorry.”
“Oh, they’re not dead! They just packed up and fucked off to the human realm,” he said before gazing at the ceiling. “Fucker still has my casserole dish.”
He looked so affronted that I couldn’t help but laugh. I swore this guy was about as unserious as they came. “Why not go there and get it back?”
“To the human realm?” One of his eyes shifted back to me, and he shrugged idly at my nod. “S’pose I could. I’ve always fancied a trip over.”
“You should! My best friend Alex would love you.” Seeing interest flicker over his face, I tacked on, “He’s mated to Cair’s brother. Teighan.”
“Huh, keeping it in the fam. Nice.” Not sure he quite knew what that meant, but whatever. “Maybe someday I will. You and your friend can show me all the best haunts, and introduce me to all the hot and available humans.” He grinned up at me in a half-salacious, half-crazed way. I sent him a dry glare.
“Yup. You two would get along swimmingly.”
He opened his mouth to respond, but suddenly his eyes darted in different directions. Cee appeared at the door, her expression impassive. It was blatantly obvious she wasn’t here for a social visit. “Are you enjoying yourself?”
Gary sniffed. “Yes, thanks. Could do with a drink, though. D’ya mind?”
She huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. “Are you actually going to do some work today or just sit in here chatting and stuffing your face?”
His gaze swung from me to her, then back again. He blew out a long breath, his eyes slipping closed. “Think she’s talking to you, boss.”
I snorted.
“I’m talking to you, dipshit,” she grumbled, the sound petering out into a growl as Leaf came bounding through the gap between her legs, tongue lolling like a dog’s. She flapped her tiny wings, taking uncoordinated flight onto Gary’s lap, where he gave her vigorous scritches. She was fucking adorable, and seemed to have a favorite. “I have patrolled the area and everything is clear, but that doesn’t mean you get to hide in here, bothering His Highness.”
“He’s not a bother,” I blurted out. “I’m glad of the company.”
I barely suppressed my cringe at how pathetic that had sounded, but it was the truth. I’d been desperate for any sliver of interaction, to be distracted from the tedious healing routine, and Gary had delivered. He was my saving grace.
I couldn’t pretend otherwise.
“You poor creature,” Cerila droned, her sarcasm evident, though I also sensed an undertone of genuine pity. Fortunately, Gary was as oblivious as a rock—rich coming from me, I knew—so I wasn’t given the chance to wallow.
“See?” He beamed, sticking his tongue out toward his companion. “You’re too uptight, Ceril-ahhh. Relax. Have some fun. You might like it.”
“Strap a target to your chest and let me shoot.” She smirked, the expression taking on a dangerous edge. My lips thinned. “ That would be fun.”
She left, her patience for conversation clearly drained, and instead of filling the awkward silence with rambles—my usual default—I waited apprehensively for Gary’s reaction.
He just shrugged. “Yeah, she adores me.”
I let a laugh bubble past my lips, shaking my head. “If it helps you sleep at night.”
Not long after that, Gary went off in search of his daily before-dinner snack. I attempted another spoonful of stew, but it was stone cold and not happening. I set the bowl on the floor for Leaf, but even she gave the congealed gloop an unimpressed sniff before trotting away with a wiggle in her step.
I climbed out of bed, stretching out my stiff muscles. I’d been cooped up in here for too long, and I had the urge to wander around and burn off some restless energy. Cair wouldn’tbe pleased, but he wasn’t here to police my curfew—a detail I was actually kinda mourning because I really missed him—so it was tough titty. I threw on the bathrobe Flick had loaned me—the garment swallowed me but it was cozy as hell—before ambling into the hallway.
I wasn’t yet familiar with the layout of the cottage since I hadn’t been given the chance to explore. Within ten steps, though, I could tell that it was massive, a maze of winding corridors and too many rooms, but it somehow still managed to keep that rustic, homey vibe that I favored. There was a scent that clung to the walls, I noted, a feeling of kinship that seemed to surround me. I embraced its warmth as I trekked further away from my room, snooping briefly behind every door that was left even slightly ajar. There was what looked to be an armory behind one—or a weapon collector’s wet dream—which I would be returning to later. When I had permission to investigate thoroughly, of course.
I followed Leaf; she seemed to know where she was going, prancing around the corners like she owned the place, and honestly, who was I to say she didn’t? It became apparent where she was headed when voices drifted toward my ears. They were muffled from my place at the far end of the hall, but I recognized the deep cadence of my mate, and Zadok’s gentle lilt. I wanted to know what they were talking about as their voices seemed slightly agitated. If it involved the plan ahead, or revenge, then I really needed to be in there.
I hobbled closer.
“Why now?” Cair’s voice rumbled through the door, slurred as if he was gritting his fangs. “Why after a lifetime of peace is he doing this? Risking everything. He knows I’d go to war for my mate. Does he think he can win?”
“I don’t know what your father is planning, but he is not stupid.” Zadok chimed in, his tone slightly more level. “Overly ambitious and arrogant, yes, but not stupid. Back to your first question… we already have an answer to that: Luca . A Fae and human pairing so close to the throne? He won’t tolerate it. My son—a half-breed—being the next king consort and living proof that he’d overlooked an important detail will be a huge blow to his already inflated ego.”
Ooh, shots fired . Seriously, though, I didn’t even want the dude’s throne, but knowing it pissed him off this much almost had me changing my mind.
Almost.
“I know that, but he let me pass through the Veil,” Cair countered, growing more frustrated. “He knew I would find my mate, that he was human, and what? He just expected me to walk away and pretend he didn’t exist?”
“I think you know the answer to that too,” the older Fae said, and Cair blew out a breath, sounding dejected. I imagined him scrubbing at his face.
“He wanted to teach me a lesson. A way to control me.”
“Yes. He dangled the bond in front of you, no doubt expecting to use it to his advantage, not realizing your mate could walk straight through the Veil.” There was a note of sadness to Zadok’s voice, as if he was recalling a bad memory, intimately familiar with that same scenario. “He thought he’d put you in your place, reminded you how easily he could destroy everything.”
“So now he’s correcting his mistake. Getting rid of?—”
The talking cut off and quicker than I could even frown in confusion at the lull, footsteps advanced. The door swung open, revealing Cair’s concerned face. “Sweetheart, you should be in bed.”
“I want to know what’s going on,” I said in lieu of a greeting as I ducked into the room. Zadok was standing by the fireplace, propped against the mantel. He seemed slightly more laidback than in any of our previous interactions. As if he had grown more comfortable with our presence. “Why did the king do this?”
“Because he can, mostly,” the older Fae said with a kind yet sympathetic smile. He tapped a finger against the empty glass tumbler next to him, and it filled with amber liquid. Or perhaps that was the reason for his calmness.
“He’s a fucking asshole,” I scoffed, catching Zadok’s nod of agreement before whirling back around to face Cair—who hadn’t yet moved away from the door. “I thought soulmates were supposed to mean something to the Fae.”
“They do, but he has clearly lost all reason.” He gazed down at me, regret darkening his face. It was the first time I’d truly noticed the shadows under his eyes. My heart ached. “I never expected him to stoop so low.”
“I think the power has gone to his head,” I theorized. Not that it wasn’t already heading in that direction to begin with. “But as Da—Zadok says, he’s clever. He’ll be cooking something up. He knew what your reaction would be, and he wouldn’t have taken that step without thinking he has the upper hand.”
“I agree.”
Despite my attempts to blink it away, my head felt a little woozy, so I took a step toward the empty chair by the fireplace. I wobbled on my feet.
Cair had his arms around my waist instantly. “Bed, sweetling.”
“But I don’t wanna,” I grumbled, digging my heels in when he tried to usher me to the door. “I’m bored, and I want to figure out what’s going on.”
“If I promise we won’t discuss anything further without you, and I make more of an effort to provide entertainment, will that appease you?”
I sulked, but he kissed me on the forehead in a further attempt at placation. It worked. “Fine, but only if I get to have a bath first. I stink.”
He dipped his head, an amused smile playing on his lips. “Of course.”
I let him guide me out, but just as we reached the threshold, Zadok called out. “One moment…” He marched to the other side of the room, boots clicking on the wooden floor. He slid a large black leather-bound tome out from the bookshelf before handing it over to me. “Take this. It’s a grimoire. Perhaps we can test you on one of the spells soon. Something simpler than fireballs.”
There was a hopeful look in his troubled eyes, maybe even a little apprehension. He wanted to mend the natural rift between us caused by the many years we’d spent without knowing one another, but wasn’t yet sure how to proceed. I smiled at him, aiming to ease his worries and show him that now I’d had the chance to process, I wanted the exact same thing.
“I can’t wait.”
* * *