Chapter Forty-Five
ABBY
KIE TAKES TOO long to answer, and he won’t stop tapping his gloved fingers against my back.
“We brought her for you,” he eventually says. “A gift. We’ve heard how much you enjoy humans.”
I hate Kie. I’ve never in my life felt more disposable than I do now, and it makes me want to scratch off my skin and throw myself into a pool of hungry sharks.
Zaha raises a brow, glancing between me and Kie. I know the look of surprise is fake. She already let it slip that she was watching us in the forest, that she knew they took me captive, so she knows of their plans for me.
“You’re truly offering her to me?” Zaha asks.
Kie nods. “Yes.”
I curl my hands into tight fists by my sides, struggling to remain calm. I’m so scared, I could piss myself, but I don’t want Zaha to sense it. There’s something about her that I can’t quite put my finger on, and I don’t trust it.
Kie and Mason have ensured that I’ll never trust a non-human again. Samuel was kind, but that’s only because he wanted to touch me. He wanted something from me. If he had known I wasn’t his mate from the beginning, I doubt he would’ve bought me dinner and gloves or answered any of my questions.
Zaha gestures for me to step forward.
What will she do if I refuse? I’m not sure I want to find out.
Kie drops his hand from my back, and I hate to admit how alone it makes me feel. A small, minuscule part of me hoped he’d change his mind at the last minute and wouldn’t follow through with this.
My movements feel, and I’m sure also look, robotic as I shuffle forward. Zaha takes another sip of her drink, her calculating gaze sliding slowly from my head to my toes, then back up. I’m unsure how close she wants me to get, so I stop when I’m just beyond arm’s reach.
I don’t want her to lunge forward and try to snatch me or anything.
Although I doubt the woman who can create and manipulate portals like its child’s play would have much trouble catching me if she wanted to. She’s got the power to destroy entire realms at the snap of her fingers. I should stay on her good side.
My attention momentarily flickers to the line of women standing along the fence behind Zaha. Were they given to her just as I was, or are their situations voluntary? They look healthy, so I assume they’re given food and access to basic hygiene.
Unless Zaha forces them to keep up appearances in public and beats them behind closed doors. Maybe she has a revolving door of slaves she works through. They stick around for a few weeks, perhaps a couple of months, until they die and are replaced.
Zaha raises a brow, the corners of her lips twitching. I scramble to change the direction of my thoughts, not wanting her to hear them. I would’ve found the idea of somebody reading my mind ridiculous a month ago, but not anymore. What seems impossible to me is normal to these people.
“Abby,” Zaha says, testing out my name.
I never gave it to her, and neither Kie nor Mason have mentioned it. She must know it from watching us in the forest. Or she had one of her people look into me, probably anticipating that I’d be offered to her. Or she heard it from my thoughts.
“You’re pretty.” She cocks her head to the side. “Do you want to be here?”
I gulp, not expecting to be asked that. I also have absolutely no idea how to respond. The true answer is a loud, firm no , but what if this is a trick question? It could make me seem rebellious, and it might encourage Zaha to send me off for training. Saying yes , however, might make her more inclined to take me.
She probably thinks being her slave is an improvement compared to living in the human realm.
It might be for some people, but not for me. I’ve got family, friends, and an entire fucking life I’d like to get back to.
After a momentary hesitation, I give an uncertain shrug. A non-answer.
Zaha blinks, not looking like she believes me, but doesn’t push the subject. I’m relieved, and I hope that means I didn’t completely fuck up. She peers back at the women standing along the fence, and two step forward.
They’re slightly shorter than the others, but they look just as intimidating. The one on the left has no hair, and there are a few dark lines tattooed on her scalp. I wonder what they mean.
The woman on the right has short, cropped hair. It’s black, but her eyebrows are white, so I’m unsure if the color is natural. Their footsteps are silent against the stone patio, probably because they aren’t wearing shoes. None of the slaves are, and I wonder if their feet are cold.
“These are my humans,” Zaha says, gesturing to the two women. “Rose is a skilled gymnast, and Violet has a fun dimple on her chin.”
The two women keep their heads down. I attempt to read their expressions, but I don’t detect any emotion, not even a twitch of their lips or shifting of their eyes. Are they even breathing? They’re so still, I honestly can’t tell.
Zaha looks toward Kie and Mason. “And what do you want in exchange for her?”
It’s Kie who speaks. “There are rumors that Alpha Theon is harvesting delysum. He’s building weapons, preparing for war. There isn’t enough land for both our people, and the deadlands have been uninhabitable for several generations now…”
Zaha raises a hand, cutting Kie off. “And it will remain uninhabitable for several generations more.”
“Did you create delysum?” It’s Mason who speaks.
Zaha recoils, momentarily shocked by the shifter’s curt tone. She recovers quickly, though.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because your grandfather asked me to.” She takes another bite of bread. “Atticus came here begging me to repair the deadlands, and I gave him the same answer I’m giving you. He was pitiful, though, begging on his knees the way he did, so I gave him a bud of delysum, with which he might protect his people.”
Kie grunts. “Well, that bud took root, and Redstall is covered in delysum. The magic in the forest is all but dead.”
Another bite of bread, then, “I prevent the flower from blooming outside the forest walls, do I not?” Silence. Neither Kie nor Mason have a response to that. Zaha continues. “Your people are unprepared for war, Prince Kieran , and that is not my concern.” She points to me. “Tell me what makes Abby valuable. Why should I want her?”
She shouldn’t. I’m a talentless schlep.
Neither Kie nor Mason answer right away. All they know about me is my age, name, and profession, and I doubt my ability to type numbers into a calculator is something Zaha will be impressed with.
Most humans aren’t even impressed by it.
Awkward silence stretches, which I try not to take offense to. I should be glad Kie and Mason are doing a poor job selling me, but I can’t help but be a little upset that they can’t think of one good thing to say about me.
I can name several things off the top of my head.
I’m determined, as proven by my ability to walk for hours upon hours with several injuries and severe dehydration. I’m quick-witted, which goes without saying. I’m resilient. If I weren’t, I’d have gone mad several days ago. I’m also a fantastic friend, which Lill can attest to.
That’s four things.
I tap my fingers against my thigh, debating speaking up for myself if Kie or Mason don’t get their heads out of their asses and think of something. They look at me and see nothing more than a useless human.
Zaha props her elbow on the table and rests her chin in her hand, still waiting. She’s not the only one.
Eventually, Kie speaks up. “She doesn’t have any skills, but she can learn.”
Seriously? This man can’t come up with one good thing to say about me? He could’ve made something up, for fuck’s sake.
Kie will make a horrible king. I give it a year, two at the most, before the shifters have taken over the faerie lands. Kie’s idiocy will make it easy for them.
Maybe that’s the real reason Mason is here. He’s spent a lot of time with Kie, and he probably knows how to manipulate the faerie into doing what he wants. I bet he’s secretly working with the shifters, probably helping them plan their inevitable attack.
Zaha looks about as unimpressed as I currently feel. I don’t know much about her, but it seems we can agree that Kie’s answer was unsatisfactory.
“I don’t have time for this.” She sighs and gestures behind us. “I will make no changes to the deadlands or delysum, and I don’t want your human. You should consider yourself lucky I had the foresight to kick out my brothers for this meeting. Go home.”
My knees buckle, and I just barely prevent myself from collapsing on the ground.
Is she serious? She doesn’t want me, and she’s not going to offer me to her brothers?
I spin around, beyond ready to leave, and eye the black portal that’s appeared beside the fountain. It’s only three steps away, so close, and it takes everything in me not to sprint through it. I would if I weren’t afraid of Mason chasing me.
Kie steps forward and grabs the back of my shirt, keeping me still.
“The faeries are prepared for war, but we can’t fight against delysum,” he says. “We need magic to survive, and if the shifters have learned how to kill it en masse, they will decimate us. It won’t be a war. It will be a massacre.”
I tap my fingers against my thigh. Zaha told him to go home, which is precisely what he should be doing. Fuck the faerie realm and their stupid, dying magic.
Zaha’s eyes flicker between the three of us before a cruel smile spreads over her lips. I pull against Kie’s grip, but he doesn’t let up.
“What are you willing to give up for my help?”
Kie straightens up, standing taller. “Anything. Anything you want.”
He’s practically begging. I love to hear it, and I hope it permanently damages his precious little ego.
Zaha leans back in her chair and crosses her arms over her chest. She seems intrigued by Kie’s eager agreement, which surprises me. I don’t personally think Kie’s a very intriguing person.
“I put a lot of effort into selecting mates,” she starts. “There are a lot of factors that go into deciding who will be paired with whom, and it upsets me when my work goes ignored.”
Zaha selects mates? I assumed it was a biological thing, maybe decided through pheromones.
“I had a plan,” she admits. “Kieran leads the faeries, Mason leads the shifters, and your mate unites you. It was my way of naturally intervening and solving this issue.”
She sighs, leveling her gaze with Kie. “But the faeries don’t need three rulers. One is enough, and I don’t want too many cooks in the kitchen.” Her lips twitch as she meets my gaze. “That’s a human expression.”
She licks her lips, then jerks her chin toward Mason. “You would’ve made an excellent alpha, and I’m frustrated your parents stripped you of the potential title.”
Mason sucks his cheeks into his mouth but otherwise doesn’t respond.
Zaha directs her following sentence toward Kie. “Give Mason your crown, and I’ll take care of the delysum. I can’t do anything about what’s already been harvested, but I’ll ensure no more is grown.”
Kie grows entirely still. “My people will never accept a shifter as their sole king. They’re barely willing to accept him being at my side.”
Nobody wants Mason. If I didn’t hate him so much, I’d feel bad for him.
Zaha blinks, not looking like she cares. I don’t blame her. She’s a god, and the intricacies of shifter and faerie politics are probably not something she spends too much time thinking about.
Kie makes a quiet noise, like he’s fighting the urge to argue. For somebody who’s so adamant about keeping Mason by his side, he’s sure struggling with the concept of letting Mason be the one in charge.
Kie is useless, but Mason will run the faerie kingdom into the ground one tantrum at a time.
Zaha sips her drink. “That is my offer. Do you accept?”
With a flick of her wrist, another of her slaves hurries to her side. I eye the five women, still in disbelief that Zaha has turned me away. I want to be happy about it, but I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop.
The other shoe is always dropping.
The woman Zaha called forward grabs the half-eaten platter and leaves, heading toward the house. She keeps her head down, but she makes brief eye contact with me as she passes. I search for any sign of pain or secret inner turmoil, but there’s nothing. I don’t believe it.
The portal beside the fountain remains. It’s close, only a few steps away, and I longingly eye it. I’m ready to return home where faeries, shifters, and marbled gods named Zaha are nothing more than figments of the imagination.
I want to see Lill, too. I miss the bitch, and I desperately hope I’m not too late.
“Well?” Zaha asks. “Do you accept, Kieran Ashford?”
Kie takes a long second to respond. “And you will ensure no more delysum grows?”
“That’s what I said.”
Kieran looks about ready to explode, his face red and body taut. “Then I accept.”
“Great.” Zaha brings her hands together with a loud clap. “Then I believe we are done here. Leave.”
Her tone leaves no room for argument.
I don’t need to be told twice.
I step toward the portal, and I’m beyond relieved when the two large men on either side of me don’t try to stop me. Instead, there’s a quiet shuffling as they turn to follow. I bet they’re ready to leave before Zaha throws in another demand.
The portal calls to me, and unlike last time, I don’t hesitate to throw myself through it.
I’m only about halfway through the portal before I come to a screeching halt. This isn’t right. I spin, desperately trying to return to the gods’ realm.
A muscular chest quickly thwarts my attempts to backtrack, and I smash my face into it as I try to force Kie backward. Kie isn’t having it, though, and he places a gloved hand on the back of my head to keep me from falling as he takes another step through the portal.
My heels drag against the ground, and Kie spreads his legs so he doesn’t trip over them. I wrap my arms around his waist and let my entire lower body go limp, trying to slow him, but it doesn’t work.
Kie supports my weight with ease as he steps the remainder of the way through the portal.
The low timbre of Billy Joel rushes through my ears, the once-comforting noise now a poison. I’d recognize the scratchy sound of this vinyl record anywhere. I’ve heard it millions of times. It’s one of Lill’s favorites.
Kie makes a quiet noise of surprise as he takes in his surroundings. I don’t bother looking. I already know what he’s seeing.
The second I caught sight of the fluffy, green comforter and the oversized fake plant sitting on the bedside table beside it, I knew exactly where we were.
Why would Zaha do this? I thought she’d take us back to the Redstall Forest, maybe even to Bellmere where Kie and Mason live. Anywhere but here .