Chapter 29
S hiva shifts from foot to foot as she hands me the cup of tea made with the left-over supplies from our rave escapade. I take it with a murmur of thanks, my fingers brushing hers. She nods absently, passing a cup each to Abnehor, Kaya, and Dae before settling into a spot beside Abnehor on the sofa. The gentle clinking of the mugs against saucers is the only sound in the tense silence that fills the room.
I glance down at the spot on the floor where, just hours ago, I watched, impotent, as Dae ended someone’s life in a more gruesome way than I could ever have imagined. The mossy floor, usually soft and yielding beneath my bare feet, now feels cold and hard. I feel complicit. Like an accomplice. I could have jumped on top of Dae, grabbed his arms, forced him to stop. But I couldn’t think past my own shock. I couldn’t move.
Thud. Thud. Thud. The echo of the blows still rings in my ears.
There’s something worse about the fact that the spot is now sparkling clean. A team of Coblynau removed the body—I stood, silent and still, as they cleaned the moss of every speck of blood with a strange green powder that fizzed and smoked as it worked its magic. I watched them drag the body out, the limp limbs leaving trails in the moss, bits of bone stark white against the deep green.
Shivering, I glance up. Dae’s watching me—his cold grey eyes are almost punishing. Like I’m supposed to feel bad for… I don’t know… judging him? Is that what he thinks I feel? Is he angry at me for it? Part of me has always been afraid of him, not enough to stop me from wanting him, but enough to know there are layers of him I don’t understand.
But now I’ve seen those layers. And they’re more frightening than I thought they would be. I wasn’t prepared for this. His fists are raw, red, bleeding, and swollen. Some stupid part of me worries for his hands. Wonders if he’ll get arthritis from the damage to them, but of course, he won’t. He’s Fae.
Is there someone out there worrying about the assassin? Wondering what time he’ll get home? The thought sends a chill down my spine.
Sipping my tea, the warm liquid a comfort against the coldness that’s crept into my bones, I try desperately to stop looking at the squeaky-clean spot, Dae’s battered hands, or those cold, accusing eyes.
“He tried to kill you.” Dae’s voice is low and dangerous. Everyone in the room stiffens. “An assassin in the night. A dagger to the head. Does that mean nothing to you? Aren’t you fucking angry?”
“I’m sorry,” I say, the words tumbling out before I can stop them. What the fuck am I apologising for?
“Don’t say that.” His voice is sharp, laced with a warning.
Maybe I want him to apologise, too. But is an apology enough for smashing a guy’s head to bits?
I glance down again at Dae’s battered knuckles again, the sight making my stomach churn.
I need to get out of here. Before I turn into something monstrous.
Dad tried to kill me.
The thought, sharp and unwelcome, claws at the edges of my mind. I shake it away, forcing my attention back to the present. My eyes scan the courtyard, watching tonight’s revelry unfold, tracking each demon’s position with a practiced ease. The air thrums with chaotic energy, a mixture of laughter, music, and the underlying currents of dark intentions.
Of course, Dad tried to kill me, he has a responsibility. Millions of lives depend on him. He must be getting desperate.But still… my own father.
Dorian tips his cup to me from across the room, a sly smile playing on his lips. I ignore him, my gaze fixed on the swirling mass of demons. Dae’s sprawled across his armchair, drunk and stupid, but his eyes are sharp and predatory, even in his inebriated state. And as always, they follow me as I circle the room.
I don’t know where Micah is, but he’s a lost cause. There’s no way he’s risking taking over Arcadia for a deal with me. Selene is outside, bathing under the moon, her silvery form shimmering in the darkness. Lixi’s drinking, hiccuping as she flits from lantern to lantern, her laughter echoing through the courtyard. According to Kaya, Lixi is not a demon, she’s the Queen of Callacombe—there’s nothing she can do for me.
Aamon and Lilith—they’re my best chance.
Aamon first. Slipping into the dancing crowd, I let myself find the beat, the rhythmic pulse of the drums vibrating through my body. When Aamon turns his dancing partner, I sidle up in her abandoned spot, capturing his hands in mine and falling into step before him. A vine snakes across the stone floor, capturing my foot and almost tripping me. Aamon catches me before I fall, his grip firm and reassuring.
Smirking down at me, he says, “Subtle.”
I smile back at him, letting him think me tripping was on purpose. “Thanks for catching me,” I say, fluttering my eyelashes.
“What do you want?” He turns me across the room, and I can feel Dae’s eyes burning into my back. Another vine almost captures my foot, and Aamon swiftly lifts me to prevent the fall. He raises an eyebrow, but I speak before he gets the chance.
The drums pick up a new beat, faster and more insistent, and we fall in line, our movements growing almost trance-like.
“Undo the curse currently plaguing my mother and send me home.”
His eyes narrow, and he sucks in a sharp breath. “Dae chose a winner in you.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing. What do I get?”
“What do you want?” Fingers crossed he wants something stupid and easy.
“If you can’t even figure out what I want, then you certainly can’t get it for me.”
And with that, with my dignity in tatters, Aamon pulls out of the dance. I half-follow him as he stalks across the room, cutting through the swirling mass of dancers, all the way to where Dae still sits watching me. With Dae’s eyes fixed on us, Aamon leans over and whispers in his ear. Dae just nods, and from where I stand, I can see him mouth the words: I know.
I thought they were enemies. I thought they hated each other. It makes little sense.
Aamon shakes his head, shrugs, and finds his way back into the dance with a new partner.
I jump as a mouth presses against my ear. “You didn’t tell him, did you?” Shiva whispers, her voice urgent.
Shaking my shoulders, annoyance pierces through me. “I told you I wouldn’t.”
“That’s not an answer,” she snaps, grabbing my hand and pulling me closer.
I wrench my hand from her grip. “No. Jesus. Let go of me.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Just, fuck off, Shiva.” I immediately regret the words. In a way, she thought she was doing the right thing. She thought she was saving Obi, and she thought I wouldn’t get out, anyway. And she was sweet to me last night.
“Whatever.” Shiva tries to act casual, but there’s something off, a flicker of hurt in her eyes, as she walks away.
Slipping from shadow to shadow, I look for the Blood Queen, using the time I have until I find her to consider what she wants. Bigger hunting grounds. I can’t give her that. I’m not leading her through the mist into Earth. This is going to go badly, but after last night, I have to try.
Finally, after circling the courtyard several times, I find her tucked away in a shadowy alcove. Blood drips down her chin and throat as she feeds on a pretty Faerie with antlers that match the colour of her freckles. I wait for her to finish, my stomach churning at the sight.
She finally extracts her teeth from the Faerie’s neck, throwing her head back with a sigh of satisfaction and licking her lips. The Faerie crumples to the ground, not dead, but certainly woozy.
“Little snake,” Lilith says, but it comes out almost like a moan. She’s not looking at me, so for a moment, I let myself believe she means the Faerie. Then, her bright, predatory eyes turn as fast as a fox chasing a hare, and land on me. “You’ll find no traitors here. I won’t give you what you want. No demon will.”
I clasp my hands behind my back to stop myself from fidgeting, but the movement only catches her attention and makes her laugh. It’s a cruel, mocking sound that echoes through the alcove.
“You haven’t heard what I have to offer.”
Running two fingers across her own breasts, she gathers the blood there and plunges them between her lips. “I hope Dae kills you with his own hands. You deserve it.” And with that, she’s gone. I didn’t even see her move. She was just there one second, gone the next.
I sink to the floor and sit beside the bleeding Faerie, pressing my head into my hands. No one else will help me. The only way out is to give my soul to Dorian, to spend eternity in Hell. I try to convince myself that I don’t really know where Dorian is taking me, but where else could it be?
Long fingers graze my hair, and the smell of lavender and bergamot envelops me. The Faerie with antlers peers up through bleary eyes before half-crawling from the alcove, leaving me and Dae alone.
I don’t turn to face him, and he doesn’t stop stroking my hair, his fingers gently plunging in and out. “I know it’s hard to accept this, but you’re not going anywhere, Elly. You need to let all this go.”
If I let this go, I have to admit who Dad really is, and I can’t do that. Shaking my head, I bury my face in my hands. “I just?—’’
My ears hollow out. The earth shudders beneath me. A weight is thrown on my back, tipping me over. White light blinds me.
Warm arms wrap around my waist, dragging me up. Ringing echoes through my ears. I’m lifted into powerful arms, my head cradled against a hard chest, as Dae runs from the alcove with me in his arms. I blink and shake my head, trying to clear the ringing, but it won’t stop.
I stop when I realise the ringing isn’t in my ears—it’s the sounds of screaming.
The floor has caved in, deep chunks of earth have been ripped from the ground.
Bodies lie sprawled everywhere. Faeries, humans, Coblynau all lie broken and bleeding. The grass is wet with blood, the coppery scent thick in the air. “Don’t look.” Dae shifts so he can carry me with one hand and cover my eyes with the other as we climb up the marble staircase.
Pulling his hand from my eyes, I look at the carnage again. My eyes catch on a Faerie, her yellow hair soaked in crimson. I spot a human, his leg missing, desperately crawling along the floor, searching for it.
Bloody rage seeps through my veins, darkening everything it touches.
I can feel the trees. I can hear them screaming through the soil.
And it’s in that moment, with death finally at my doorstep, that I realise…
I want to live.