- TWENTY
Cece
Really, it was like being an unwanted child home from boarding school for winter break.
That was exactly how I felt. I was, in no uncertain terms, expected to speak, dress, and act according to a list of rules I was never privy to reading.
The room I was imprisoned in was nice. Actually, it was the nicest room I had ever been in in my life.
Fit for royalty and all that. It was about twice the size as my apartment with Jade.
The cool stone walls were offset with beautiful ornate carpets, a giant black four poster bed with a billowing white canopy and crisp cotton sheets.
As I expected, there was no television, radio, or any form of entertainment that weren't books on fae history.
I wasn't complaining, though, because I could use the brushing up.
Nothing happened that day save for a fae with a strange shade of blue skin came in, head ducked, arms piled with clothes she carefully put away in my wardrobe.
When she was gone, I slipped into a pair of white hemp pants and a matching tunic-style shirt with a blue paisley design stitched around the collar.
Really, it was hideous. But it wasn't covered in blood of a faun I was responsible for the death of.
With that, I grabbed a book and climbed into the bed, trying to ignore the chanting outside my door, trying not to analyze what it meant that they always did it around me. Protection spell, maybe? I had no idea. All I knew was it was unsettling.
On the second day and four refused meals total, meals I really had no business refusing seeing as my hunger was taking on a new intensity that made me lightheaded to stand and my eyes swim as I tried to read, when there was a sharp rap on my door a mere second before it flew open.
"If you're trying to kill yourself, a hunger strike will take twice as long for a fae than a human. You're in for a good two or three months of that clawing feeling in your stomach."
Cass stopped at the foot of my bed, glancing at the books I had scattered around with interest. "I'm not on a hunger strike," I confirmed, using one small book to bookmark the huge tome I was reading, sitting up cross-legged.
"Explain the not eating then."
"I was taught to never eat or drink anything served to me in The Green, that fae couldn't be trusted. And, well, you don't seem overly concerned for my well-being so forgive me if I don't trust anything you serve me."
Cass rocked back on his heels, hands tucked into his pockets, and nodded. "Not bad advice, I figure. Fine. You need to eat. I can see your bones through your clothes," he said dismissively. "I will have someone come and take you into the woods to get yourself something to eat."
With that, he left. I waited all of two seconds to jump up, slam my feet into my boots, and start piling all my protective items back in, slinging the iron onto my wrists and noticing that Jasper was right, they did kind of burn now that I had been in The Green for longer.
It wasn't bad, something like a mildly irritating rug burn really, but it was there.
I had just shrugged into a warm woolen (I hoped) jacket when the door flew open.
And then there was my brother.
There was no mistaking the resemblance to Cass with the intense, masculine bone structure, the severe brow, the stern lips, the tall and lean body.
He had Cass' eyes too, just like me. He was a few years younger than me, maybe somewhere around twenty-five.
A strange, unexpected, almost overpowering sensation of kinship came over me, something I had never felt with my human family.
Maybe they were right with that saying about blood recognizing blood.
Mine certainly embraced my brother instantaneously.
That, unfortunately, was not a problem my brother was afflicted with. "Celestine," he said with a chin jerk.
"Ah, yeah. And your name is..."
"Jet," he said, moving into the hall in a way that suggested he was not interested in this particular task, like a twelve year old forced to have their five year old sister tag along to the park.
"Jet, ah, it's nice to... meet you," I said a little awkwardly as I followed him into the hall. He had moved to start walking then stopped and looked back at me.
"Don't."
"Don't what?"
"Get attached," he warned, taking off toward the stairs at something more than a walk, but less than a run, like he was anxious to get the task over with.
I ignored the little sting of disappointment in my chest as I followed him out into the courtyard, eyes falling on us, most bowing, many openly gawking.
"These fucking guys," Jet growled as two redcaps closed in on us.
"Orders?" he asked when they got close and one affirmed that they were under orders to go with us into the woods.
"Fine, but if I hear one mother fucking chant out of your mouths, I will rip your tongues out with my bare hands, got it? "
So, yeah, Jet was positively charming. It wasn't the wish for them to shut up that bothered me, or even the threat, but it was the cold, detached way he delivered it. Like Cass would. Like it meant nothing to rip something out of another being.
"Don't give me that look, princess," he said, his tone still empty as he slowed his pace to walk beside me as we left the courtyard and made our way back toward the woods. "You can't possibly abide their presence."
"They've been haunting my dreams since I was a baby with those chants. I'm sick of them too."
"Then explain the look."
"You sounded just like Cass when you said that."
His head whipped over toward me and, if I wasn't mistaken, a flash of something crossed his eyes. Something like anger, but he squashed it down before I could be sure. "That's most kind of you."
"It was meant as an insult."
"I know you're new here, but might I advise you to not insult the Unseelie king? That is just common sense. Especially when your life is, how should I phrase this, not guaranteed past your next breath."
"You're a real charmer," I drawled, feeling a bit of the weight on my shoulders fall away as we got closer to the woods.
"You don't exactly live long in this Court if you let your emotions rule you."
"Are you sure you have emotions? You seem full-on automaton to me. Really, it's worse than the old man."
"Careful," Jet hissed as we finally stepped under the canopy of trees.
"Don't threaten me. I'm getting pretty sick of that," I said, leaning down and grabbing some dandelion greens as we moved along.
"You did a number on our father's wrist," he said, his voice dropping oddly and I looked over to find him watching the redcaps a little warily.
"He shouldn't grab me if he doesn't want to get burned," I said, grabbing for a strawberry before I thought better of it.
"They aren't spelled. Not this close to the Court," Jet said, reaching for it and popping it into his mouth.
"It would be cause for immediate execution, putting the Dark Court at risk.
Can you burn people like that on whim?" he asked, voice low again, turning his back to the redcaps, something that struck me as odd.
"I don't know. I haven't tried. It's usually triggered by fear or anger."
"Listen to me and listen to me good," he said, stooping to grab a mushroom and I did the same, feeling like he was going to give me some information worth having.
"I haven't been putting up with Cass my whole life to have you strut in here with your pyro shit and ruin my chances at that throne. You need to go."
He straightened, moving casually around like he somehow sensed the redcaps had started to move in even though his back had been turned.
He led us a little deeper into the forest as my stomach twisted in knots, not sure if he was threatening me or not.
And also maybe wondering what Cass had put him through his whole life to make him so cool and detached.
"That poison in your boots," he said without seeming to open his mouth much at all, "is it any good?" I stiffened and he let out a humorless laugh. "I searched your room last night while you were having nightmares. I could have run an army through that room without waking you. Is it any good?"
"I don't know. I haven't tried it out. But it should definitely, at the very least, make whoever swallows it violently ill."
"Here's what is going to happen," he said, helping me pick acorns off the ground.
"You are going to slip that vial out and pour it over those mushrooms over there," he gestured toward a small circle of them.
"You and I will eat the ones you don't poison.
Invite them to have the rest. They're too dumb to see a trap.
Then while they're getting sick, you get pissed the fuck off and you burn me like you've never burned someone before.
As soon as I am down, run. Watch the skies for birds.
There aren't many in the Dark. You'll know you're back in the Light when you see them.
Once you're in the Light, find your way to the Court and ask for asylum.
They have to give it to you and not even Cass can drag you back out. "
"Why are you..." I started, my mouth a little dry at the idea of poisoning people and then burning my own freaking brother, no matter how much of a dick he was.
"Don't get any ideas," he said, shaking his head. "This isn't out of kindness. I have no brotherly love toward you. You're just any other fucking fae that Cass is obsessed with. But you aren't taking my throne and you aren't causing war because Cass is keeping you from your throne."
"My... throne?" I choked out, shaking my head.
"Shut it and get that poison ready," he demanded, standing and facing the redcaps. "Women," he said with an exacerbated sigh, "do they ever shut up?"
I small-eyed him as I brushed past, slamming into his shoulder slightly, making the redcaps cackle. With a fist lodged in my throat, I dripped the vial across two of the mushrooms and plucked the other two, handing one to Jet who rolled his eyes but took it.