Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
Lia
T he Breach closes and I look out from behind the oiled canvas tent flaps trying to see if my Trio are back in the Underhill safely, but I can't see them.
Where are they?
Gritting my teeth, I get ready to emerge into the twilight. I know what Isbeth told me to do, but I can’t see them anywhere. What if they’re still in the fold? What if the Dark Realm is already there? What if I never see them again?
Just as I take a step outside, I notice Dane’s face. He’s hurrying through the crowd, looking left and right. He hasn’t seen me. I watch as a harried-looking Isbeth scowls at him and points toward me. Then, he’s looking relieved as he spies me. As soon as he gets to my hiding place, I launch myself at him. He looks momentarily surprised but envelops me in a tight hug that calms me immediately.
‘Did you get them all? Did you find Varrik? Fiana?’
He pulls back. ‘We were successful,’ he says, ‘but there was no sign of either of them. I came to find you. Grey and Kallum have gone to speak to the Council about their security on the Gate, tell them everything we know about Varrik’s skills in case he tries to come here.’
I nod, and Dane looks over his shoulder, out at the final wave of Skilled he’s helped to bring back. Some of them are trying to stay calm, but most look shocked that they’re outside the fold.
‘Do they all still love him, do you think?’ I ask quietly.
He nods soberly.
‘How long do you think it'll take for his influence to dissipate?’
He shrugs. ‘I don’t know. I think there may be some like you and Kal and Grey who ... grew immune to it, perhaps. But it’s not as if they’d say anything when all their friends and neighbors were still enthralled by him. If it doesn’t leave on its own, there’s a ritual I could perform to rid them of all the magick that clings to them, but it would have to be done on each of the Skilled individually.’
Isbeth enters the tent. ‘I wanted to thank you, Dane, and you, Lia. The number of fae we’ve added to our ranks today is a blessing. I’d never have thought we’d ever have so many new faces here.’ She bows her head at us. ‘I've sent Grey and Kal back to the castle. I told them you would meet them there.’ She hands me a cloak. ‘Cover your face. They’re beginning to calm down now, but I've heard one or two mentioning your name. If they see you and believe you to be the cause of their distress, we could have a problem. Go. Rest. I’ve doubled the battalion on both sides of the Gate. All will be vigilant and on their guard. He will not get into the Underhill.
She hesitates. ‘After what I’ve heard of the power he’s given himself, I’ve also asked two of our most powerful mages to be there in case he tries to conjure tricks.’
‘That would be wise,’ Dane says, ‘and, of course, if you need my help, I am more than happy to go along as well.’
She smiles at him. ‘Thank you,’ she says. ‘That’s much appreciated, but for now, it's been a long few days for you all. An evening meal awaits you in your rooms.’
Dane murmurs his thanks and puts the cloak around my shoulders, pulling the deep hood up to hide my face.
He escorts me out of the tent and through the small camp that's been constructed. The wards let us out easily, and we walked through the now-quiet village as the sun finishes setting. He takes me back to our rooms and we find Kal and Grey bathing in a large hot pool built into the floor that I hadn’t noticed earlier. At my questioning look, Kal points to an elaborate golden hook on the wall.
‘The floor slides away when you pull that,’ he says. ‘Ingenious fae here.’
‘There you are,’ Grey murmurs, beckoning me.
I shuck the cloak, my body heating as I get closer, but Dane stops me.
‘Are you hungry?’ he asks, gesturing to the table.
I realize I am when I see that it’s piled high with enticing meats and vegetables, nuts and fruits.
I eat as I watch Dane take off his clothes and enter the water with the others, my cheeks reddening. I don’t think I’ve ever seen them without their breeches, at least.
I try not to stare as they splash each other, wrestling and laughing. They look happy here.
Kallum notices me failing to keep my eyes away from them and stares at me with a smirk on his face.
‘I think it’s time you saw to your masters,’ he drawls.
My core clenches at his words, and I let out a tiny gasp that makes his smile widen.
‘Stand up,’ he orders.
I put my plate down, and I do as he says.
‘Unlace your dress and take it off slowly. Let it fall to the floor and step out of it. We want to see our slave’s delectable body.’
My heart pounds as I follow his commands, and when my dress is pooled around me on the floor, I see their eyes wandering over me, lingering and taking me in.
‘Come here and sit on the side of the bath.’
I walk slowly toward them. I sit on the cold, smooth stone of the bath, dipping my feet in and letting out a deep sigh as the hot water whirls around my shins.
Kal is in front of me, pushing my knees apart so that he can stand between them. He takes my face in his hands and crowds closer, kissing my lips gently, urging them apart, his tongue slipping past and caressing mine in slow, lazy strokes.
‘I know it’s not over,’ he whispers. ‘It won’t be until we ensure that Varrik and Fiana are no longer threats to us, but we saved the Skilled of the fold tonight.’
His hand moves down the valley of my breasts and eases me to my back before he takes hold of my thighs and pulls me right to the edge. I stifle a squeak as he pushes my knees as wide as they’ll go and looks his fill of my core.
Propping myself up on my elbows to watch him, I see the others staring at me as well. Dane moves back, sitting on what appears to be a bench beneath the water to watch like a king surveying what’s his.
Grey’s breath hitches as Kallum pulls my nether lips wide and gives me a salacious grin.
‘What a wet little slave we have,’ he murmurs to Grey.
My eyes widen as he stoops down, dragging his tongue from my arse all the way up to the center of my pleasure, and I whimper, letting myself drop back so that I can pull my fingers through his blonde hair, angling his mouth to where I want it. He lets me manipulate him while his fingers part me wider, and a lone finger slips easily into my channel.
I moan, my eyes fluttering open to see both Grey and Dane enraptured by what Kallum is doing to me. Dane gives me a small smile, not seeming bothered that he’ll likely be watching instead of participating again, just as Kal’s single digit becomes two. My feet scramble for purchase on the slippery stone edge of the bath as he sucks on me gently, pulling me into his mouth. He’s merciless as he coaxes my body toward release, his thick fingers driving into me hard and fast, and it’s not long before I’m crying out with his name on my tongue as pleasure crests and runs through me, making my limbs shake.
I open my eyes to find his sparkling. He gives me one final, leisurely lick and then puts his fingers into his mouth, sucking them clean.
‘You taste divine, my little slave,’ he murmurs. ‘Now, come into the pool and let Grey and I play with that pretty body of yours.’
I nod, and he slides me toward him, lowering me into the hot water. My body sated, my head rolls onto his shoulder, and I feel him and Grey washing my body with a smooth soap that smells of roses.
I’m not surprised when Kal’s cock finds my entrance and slips inside me. The water both helps and hinders as he sheathes himself, making me shiver in pleasure and a hint of pain. Grey’s fingers move to my back passage and spear me. He’s gentle but insistent as he stretches me, readying me to take him.
‘Let’s get her to the bed,’ he murmurs to Kal, who smirks.
‘Is our naughty little slave girl clean enough for her masters’ cocks?’ he whispers low in my ear, making my skin prickle.
I find myself nodding, and he chuckles as he hefts me out of the water.
I’m enveloped in a warm bath sheet, and Dane dries me gently, Kallum’s hard length still deep inside me.
Dane leads us to the first chamber, where I find two of the large beds pushed together so that we can all sleep in one.
Kallum lies back in the bed, settling me down over his hips while Grey moves behind us.
He caresses my shoulders and down my back before pulling my cheeks wide and slipping his fingers into me again.
I whimper in pleasure, and he growls. ‘I’m going to fuck your tight little arse now, my mate.’
He doesn’t move, and I realize he’s waiting for my permission, so I nod vigorously.
‘Please,’ I whisper, not above begging. ‘I need you.’
I feel his smile as I look over to see Dane watching us from a chair close by. He makes no move to join us, and I decide that I want him to with a desperation that surprises me.
But I say nothing as our eyes lock, and Grey begins to thrust into me gently.
I groan, my body full and needy as I grind down on Kal’s cock, and I hear him hiss beneath me.
And then they’re moving. It’s slow and soft, and I love the feel of them surrounding me, making me feel safe and cared for. But all too soon, I’m writhing and pleading for more.
‘Isn’t this enough for our greedy little slave?’ Grey asks from behind me, and my eyes widen at his gravelly tone. ‘Do you need more?’
I nod. ‘Please.’
Kallum sits up, pulling me closer and sucking on my nipples. He bites them gently, and Grey begins to slam into me, making me take Kallum deeper.
I whimper between them as they begin to move roughly, their thrusts hard and fast, and I break over them suddenly with a loud scream, shuddering as they both release their seeds deep into my body.
Kallum collapses back on the bed, and I follow him, resting on his muscled chest as Grey eases out of me. A moment later, I feel him cleaning me before he throws himself down next to us, breathless and grinning.
My eyes find Dane still sitting in the chair, his knuckles white as he grips it tightly.
I beckon him, and he nods, making his way around the bed. He covers us with a thick blanket and slides in next to Kallum, whose eyes are already closed.
Sighing deeply, I find Dane’s hand and interlock my fingers with his as I drift into a deep slumber.
I open my eyes. It’s still night, and the light of the moon is casting dark, foreboding shadows everywhere. I feel one of my males next to me, but I realize that at some point, I must have rolled off Kallum because I’m tucked into Dane’s side, and I’m now at the edge of the bed instead of in the middle.
What's woken me? I don't know. Everything is oddly silent.
I’m thirsty.
I feel a prickling awareness, much like I did in the village, and the Harbinger rises slowly, ready to help me should I need it. I carefully get out of bed, wondering if I had a bad dream that I can’t recall, and that’s why I’m so jumpy.
The others remain slumbering as I make my way into the main room to find some water.
As I enter the main room, the feeling intensifies. I try not to be afraid. The Harbinger is with me, and it will do whatever needs to be done.
But there's nothing there. I shake my head. I'm being foolish, being afraid of shadows like a child. I find the jug of water and pour myself a cup, drinking it all, and then I turn back to return to bed.
I gasp as I feel a cold blade at my throat. Did one of the Skilled recognize me? Did they somehow escape the wards and find me to kill me?
I hear a whisper in my ear that makes my blood freeze in my veins.
‘Did you think it would be so easy to get rid of me?’
The Harbinger releases its power as soon as it hears Varrik’s voice, but he just chuckles low.
‘I didn't last this long by being a fool,’ he murmurs. ‘Now, you're going to be a very quiet little human, aren’t you, Thalia? Or do I have to kill the fae males you’ve coerced into protecting you?’
I nod as he digs the knife into my skin, willing the others to wake, but they don’t stir as Varrik throws my chemise at me. I put it on, feeling minutely better when my nakedness is shielded from his eyes, though they’ve barely strayed to me.
He opens the door quietly and brings me out into the hall, where a few candles have been left alight to cast a dim glow along the corridor. He takes me slowly away from the others, urging me in front of him, the dagger cutting into my neck.
‘Delay him,’ the harbinger whispers in my head.
‘How did you get here?’ I ask him quietly, hoping the ego he pretends he doesn’t have will compel him to answer. ‘They’re watching the gate. How did you sneak through?’
He lets out an amused hum. ‘I didn't.’
I close my eyes. ‘You came in with the Skilled.’
Why were we not watching for such a trick?
‘You’re not as simpleminded as I used to assume,’ he remarks.
‘Is Fiana with you as well?’ I ask.
He laughs low. ‘No. I stuck her with a knife, and I kicked her through into the Light Realm. With any luck, the little would-be usurper is dead or well on her way.’
He snorts. ‘That she thought her coup would be a surprise ... it was only a matter of time before she and those two fools tried to rid herself of my yoke.’
‘You knew she would?’ I ask, trying to keep him talking as the Harbinger asked.
‘I thought I'd have a bit more time,’ he admits, ‘but all's well that ends well. I still got what I wanted. My whole army of Skilled is here, thanks to you. As well as my Harbinger and the babe as well.’ His hand sinks down to my abdomen, and I resist the urge to break his fingers.
‘What do you intend to do?’
‘I intend to take the Underhill. That was always my intention. There's only one way that the fae are going to survive, and that's with me at the helm when the Council won't do what needs to be done. They're foolish cowards.’
He stretches his neck as he pushes me along. ‘The magick here is filling my veins. It's like nothing I've ever felt; so different now than it was in that fucking fold I was forced into.’
‘Why are you telling me all this?’ I ask as he goes silent.
‘Why?’ He leads me into the main hall. ‘Because you’re going to help me, my little human. This was always your ultimate purpose.’
My lip curls at his arrogance. He has no idea what the Harbinger was meant for.
The guards at the door stand to attention as we enter the hall, but they ignore me. It seems as if they aren’t really seeing what’s really happening around them.
‘So you're going to kill the Council five,’ I say.
‘No, my dear. You are,’ he murmurs.
I laugh at him. ‘No. I will not.’ I shake my head.
‘You will,’ he insists. ‘You'll do everything I say. It's been a while since I’ve had the power to use my skills properly on you. But when I do, you'll be my willing little weapon once more.’
He turns me to face him, gripping my chin hard and staring into my eyes with an intensity that makes me angry. His eyes narrow.
‘Interesting,’ he mutters. ‘The Harbinger shouldn't be able to protect you from me.’ He looks thoughtful. ‘I thought Rikoth just wasn’t trying hard enough when he told me he couldn't make you do what he wanted most times he tried. But I suppose you always were strong for a human. Perhaps that was why the Harbinger was able to take hold in you. It must be difficult, being a human these days. Slavery, abuse, chains.’
The Harbinger is very quiet, and I wonder what it’s up to when I recognize its stillness. It's doing something else. Gods, I hope it's got a plan to get us out of this.
Varrik steps back, seeming to take stock, his eyes gleaming in the low light.
‘I could help you,’ he says.
I barely contain my scoff.
‘You could stop fighting me, Thalia. You could join me. I know the Harbinger only wants to save the fae. We have that in common. We could rule this Underhill together. We could save all the humans of the Dark Realms as well if you wanted. We could bring them here. Everyone could live in this safe fold together. They’d prosper under our guidance, darling.’
I say nothing.
‘And what of your mates?’ he asks. ‘Dane. Kallum. Grey. They could stay here with you and raise the babe.’
‘One big happy family,’ I murmur as I roll my eyes. ‘The problem with you, Varrik, is that you've always assumed I'm a fool because I'm human and that’s made you underestimate me. Fuck you. I’ll never join you.’
His hand strikes my cheek hard, and I laugh.
‘Finally going to get your hands dirty?’ I taunt, trying to anger him so that he’ll keep talking and allow the Harbinger to finish whatever it’s doing.
I hear movement, and a door at the back of the hall opens. Isbeth and five guards appear.
‘Brother,’ she murmurs. ‘I thought I could smell your foul stench from across the keep.’
‘Isbeth,’ He straightens. ‘Gods, I thought you’d be dead by now. How old you look.’
She scoffs at him. ‘We don't all steal from the Dark Realms for our own gains. Now, come quietly, and you have my word that you won’t be executed.’
Varrik laughs, and Isbeth motions for the guards to take him, but the knife on my neck skitters down to my abdomen.
I freeze, telling the Harbinger to hurry up with whatever it's doing. I struggle in Varrik’s grasp, but he's stronger. Yet another skill he siphoned from the Dark Realms.
‘Careful,’ he mocks, ‘or I'll free your precious Harbinger from this body and the babe the human carries.’
Dane
Something's wrong. My eyes snap open, and I'm sitting up. Kal and Grey are still asleep in the bed, but Lia, cuddled up next to me the last time I stirred, is no longer there. I feel the bed.
Still warm.
Heart quickening, I get up and go into the other room, checking it thoroughly as well as the other three chambers, but she's definitely not here.
Where is she?
I go back into the bedroom, a nasty feeling curling through my gut.
‘Wake up,’ I say loudly, conjuring light.
Kal and Grey startle, their eyes finding me as they waken quickly.
‘Lia’s gone.’
Kal is up and immediately dragging on his clothes. I follow suit, aware that Grey isn’t bothering to dress. He prowls the apartment instead.
‘Can you scent her?’ I ask Grey as I watch his nostrils flaring while he looks around.
‘Just a moment,’ he says. ‘My nose is better in my other form.’
He changes quickly, and I find myself looking into the eyes of the beast I haven’t yet seen. The spiked scales along his back shine in the light, and his violet eyes glow. Wisps of black smoke come off him like vapor as he raises his nose in the air and sniffs.
‘Find her,’ I say unnecessarily because he’s already heading to the closed door that leads to the hallway.
I open it, and he slips out silently, turning left and heading in the direction of the lower levels. I follow. When I turn back to make sure Kallum is with me, it’s to see him popping out of sight.
‘Stay close,’ I whisper to my now invisible friend.
The dread I’m feeling increases as we near the hall. The corridors are deserted. There aren’t even any guards up here. Why would there be? We were meant to be safe here.
I can hear low voices as we make it to the main door. There are guards down here, but they stare out in front of them, their eyes unseeing. My jaw tightens and I ready my magick.
My blood runs cold as I hear a distinctive male drawl.
‘Varrik,’ I snarl low and hear the beast growling ahead of me.
‘How the fuck did he get into the Underhill?’ Kallum whispers from just behind me.
I hear him draw a knife, and his hand finds my shoulder.
‘No one can see you now,’ he murmurs.
We slip into the large room, Grey slinking ahead and keeping his body low. He stays in the shadows, his eyes fading so that he can’t be seen either.
My eyes widen as I take in the scene. There are fae near the dais. Isbeth is there with some guards, and I almost scoff aloud. As if they’re any match for Varrik.
The cunt himself stands before them. He holds Lia. As we silently move closer, I see his knife at her belly, at my babe, and every piece of me roars to end him. But I can see the layers of shields he’s put around himself. To stop the Harbinger from killing him, I realize.
‘I know you’re there, my boy,’ he says, turning his head toward us slightly though his eyes stay on the fae in front of him.
I shake off Kal’s hand and materialize in front of the fae lord I would have done anything for once. Gods, why had I ever looked up to this monster?
Even knowing I was there, his eyes widen when he sees me.
‘My boy,’ he says cajolingly. ‘Whatever the Harbinger has told you, it’s a lie. I care only for the fae. These humans,’ he tuts. ‘They’re deceivers. You know that and this one ...’ he pulls Lia to him by her hair. ‘She’s the worst of them all.’
My hands ball into fists at my sides at his manhandling of my female. She doesn’t make a sound as her eyes find mine. She looks furious.
Good.
‘Do as I say, Brother,’ Isbeth grinds out from the dais. ‘You’ve lost. The Underhill will never bow to you!’
‘Come, Dane,’ Varrik continues, ignoring ... his sister ?
He turns his body toward me. ‘You were always loyal to me. Help me. Help me take the Underhill. Help me make things better for our kind. You can keep your human pet if you like, raise the babe if that’s what you want.’
‘You made me trust you!’ I snarl. ‘But you’re the deceiver. Everything you do is for yourself. It's not for the fae.’
Varrik’s face twists with anger. ‘I saved you, boy!’ he spits. ‘Your pathetic magick was good for nothing when I found you. I saved you from being little more than a sideshow trickster, sold by your own kin to make ends meet. You’d choose this human ...’ he wrenches her forward. ‘over me?’
‘Lia is more than you will ever be. Even without the harbinger. She has my loyalty and my love.’ I sneer. ‘And she didn’t need to dull my mind with conjures for me to give it to her. I’d give her my very soul willingly. But she would never ask!’ I reply without hesitation.
‘You think so?’ Varrik’s eyes find me as he pushes Lia away.
She staggers forward but stays on her feet, whipping around to face him, her arm curled protectively over her stomach. My eyes widen as I feel his magick clogging the air, and he turns his hateful gaze on her.
The fae guards are running toward him, conjuring their own magicks as they brandish their weapons, but all are thrown back, leaving Lia unprotected.
No!
I lurch forward, tossing up shields and throwing myself between them to save her from whatever conjure Varrik is using.
His laugh is cutting and ugly. ‘You think you're a match for me, boy?’
I roar in pain as his conjure shreds my shields as if they were made of silk, and I fall to my knees. Blood drips from my nose and eyes, and my senses dull.
I faintly hear Lia’s scream.
‘I'll do what you want. Please, don't kill him!’
My heart twists as Lia pleads for my life. I don’t deserve her kindness after everything. He's going to kill us anyway, I think as I slowly slump forward.
My eyes are still open when I reach the floor, but all I can do is lie there impotently, watching the scene unfold, trying to make my magick heal me before it’s too late.
I see the beast launch itself out of a dark corner, and it lunges for Varrik, but the fae lord seems to have decided he’s on his own now and that he must fight. Grey gets a hair’s breadth from his throat, but he’s thrown across the room. He hits the wall with a sickening thud and falls to the floor.
The room is silent, and all I can hear is the hammering of my own heart and my harsh breaths as I beg the gods to save Lia, if no one else.
Varrik’s grunt of pain has me looking at him again, and I see a knife protruding from his back.
Kallum.
Varrik ignores the knife that he can’t reach himself and instead lashes out with a conjure. I hear a thump, and Kal materializes a moment later, not five paces from me. He's not moving.
I force myself to my feet, and I roar through the pain, getting ready to throw everything I have left at him. I will die, but I can't let Varrik take everyone I care about from me. He’s stolen enough!
But I freeze because Lia is grinning, and when Varrik sees it, he hesitates as well, his brow furrowing.
‘You're too late,’ she snarls. ‘You should have stayed in your fold, Varrik!’
‘What have you done?’ I whisper, at the same time as Varrik asks the same.
All the doors to the room bang open, the windows shattering as something sweeps into the room.
‘You've killed us all!’ he shrieks.
Everyone left standing cowers in the presence of it. There are screams and yells of terror—all but Lia, who’s smiling wide, her eyes not leaving Varrik.
And it comes to me.
Varrik isn't protected in the Underhill.
The invisible force whirls around Varrik, turning black and enveloping him completely. His screams echo through the room, and I see the crackle of magick as he tries to save himself.
But despite his power, he's no match for the Dark Realms itself.
When it recedes only a moment later, there's nothing left of Varrik but his clothes.
It's done. It's finished.
I fall to my knees, my body trying to heal itself but failing. This is the end.