Chapter 26
The evening wears on, each tick of the clock stretching like taffy, pulling the tension tighter.
I’m coiled like a spring, waiting to snap because of all the idiots getting in my face.
Dezi’s statement doesn’t make it any better, but at least Khol never strays far from my side, his presence a silent reassurance.
I’d slit my throat before admitting that out loud, though.
My gaze flickers across the ballroom, searching for the slightest hint of danger, but all I see are masked faces and false smiles. Then, without warning, a piercing scream shatters the illusion of safety. The sound ricochets off the walls, a clarion call of terror.
“Damn it,” I curse. “The whispers were right. Some motherfucker sent a goddamn monster into a party full of random people.”
A white-faced staff member rushes into the room, stopping at the head table. The Mayor and his wife get up fast enough to knock their chairs over, exiting the ballroom quickly enough to leave dust in their wake.
That’s just fucking great; they abandoned everyone here to whatever is attacking.
Chaos erupts once everyone realizes they’re not coming back, nor sending help. Guests surge towards the exits in a frenzied tide. Tables overturn, glasses shatter, and screams mingle with the crash of falling decorations.
My guys look at me, clearly worried, but there are far too many people in danger for me to be the focus. I sweep my arm out at the crowd, indicating we have to help. Tier jumps up first, giving me his hand, and the rest follow as we wade into the throng of fearful Fae.
“Move,” I command, taking charge as we push through the panic. Revelin’s face is set, his eyes scanning for the source of the commotion. My irritation has transformed into a fierce determination to figure out who is doing this and why.
I know Tiernan would prefer we step aside to protect Rev and I, but… this is who I am. Scratch that, this is who we are now that we’re mated. I will not let rich fuckwads abandon all the possibly innocent people in this room while they save themselves, nor am I going to mimic their cowardice.
Fiadh Morgenstern does not back down from a fight—ever.
Khol and I maneuver through the pandemonium, trying to guide the stampeding guests. “To the sides!” I yell, my voice booming with a magical boost that cuts through the cacophony. The Prince, a beacon of calm in the chaos, follows our lead, weaving magical trails for people to follow to the exits.
“Everyone out!” Tiernan bellows, his bulk allowing him to shepherd the terrified Fae towards exits.
I glance back at Revelin, ensuring he’s clear from the grasping hands of the panic-stricken elite. He’s still making things glow and shimmer to attract attention, but no one is grabbing him. I move towards one of the doors, shouting over the din with urgency. “This way… all of you, get over here!”
Pivoting on my heel, I catch sight of the destruction leading into one of the mansion’s halls—a path marked by shattered artifacts and walls gouged with deep furrows. Dezi, ever the silent defender, gets to me first, his eyes glowing faintly as he looks at the scene.
He’s a predator on the loose, and that’s exactly what we need.
Once the others reach us, we follow the fucked up trail until it includes blood. That’s when we know we’re getting close and all the weapons emerge. I grip my daggers tightly, magic flowing from my hands to the blades as we enter the room where our hunt ends.
We’ve cornered it within the gilded confines of a large solarium bathed in moonlight.
The creature is hunched over its latest victim, a snarl ripping from its throat.
It’s a grotesque mockery of nature, twisted limbs and matted fur, eyes burning with malevolent intelligence through the skull head.
Dark energy rolls off it in waves, a stench of decay filling the air.
What in the absolute shit is this thing?
“By the gods,” I breathe, recognizing an abomination when I see it. This is a creature borne of nightmares and dark magic. Its gaze locks onto ours, and the room temperature drops, breaths turning to mist.
“Dezi,” I whisper, my fingers twitching as magic brushes mine, “I think it’s been called here.”
“Only a high-level demon could have done this,” Dezi replies, voice cold as death. “Creatures like this are made from live sacrifices… look at it.”
Before I can reply, the damn thing leaps at us, and a battle erupts without warning.
My spells fly first, streaks of light that strike the beast, causing it to howl in rage.
Khol launches forward, a blur of motion, engaging the creature in his basilisk form with ferocity.
Dezi joins him, vampire speed allowing him to dart around to distract the slow-witted monster.
Revelin conjures barriers of light, deflecting the beast’s attacks, while Khol strikes with precision.
We’re a dance of violence and power, each move choreographed by instinct and skills.
“Watch out!” Khol warns, tackling me out of the path of a deadly claw.
“Keep hitting it!” I shout, ducking under a swipe that would decapitate a lesser being.
We fight with desperation, knowing the cost of failure.
My incantations grow more intense, forcing me to concentrate hard on that rather than physical fighting.
With a final, concerted effort, we drive the beast back, exploiting every weakness, until it collapses, defeated, dissolving into nothingness.
Silence falls, broken only by our heavy breathing.
Pain registers—a cut on my arm from claws.
Khol shifts back, limping a little as he pants.
Revelin’s face is etched with concern, but his presence remains unyielding as he assists Dezi with a gash across his cheek.
It’s a flesh wound, so he’s able to magically close it with little effort.
Not that vampire even flinches for a second.
“Is everyone alright?” Revelin’s voice cuts through the haze of adrenaline. He looks over to Tiernan, noting he’s looking fairly banged up, and frowns. “We’ll definitely get the tour doc to the bus. You could have a concussion, man.”
“I’ve been better,” Khol grunts, trying to grin through the pain. “But it will heal.”
“That’s better than dead for sure,” I reply, assessing the damage. Around us, the solarium is in ruins, evidence of our battle impossible to hide. The damn roof is completely shattered and everything is burnt, slashed, smashed, or flattened.
Mayor Knobbleton bursts in, face red with fury. “What is the meaning of this mess in my—”
Is he shitting me right now?
“Silence,” Revelin commands, the authority of his station resonant in his tone. “Your home was the hunting ground for a beast that should not even exist. How did that happen?”
Knobbleton’s mouth snaps shut, the gravity of the situation sinking in. He knows we’re going to ask where the fuck he was and why he left his damn guests to their own devices. For that, he has no excuse and it will definitely make him look even worse than normal.
Dezi steps forward, his voice low but carrying weight. “We’ve learned that your council has been dabbling in dark magic, Mayor. This... appears to result from their corruption.”
The idiot puffs up, babbling protests as Revelin puts on his ‘Prince,’ face. “You cannot lie, Mayor. None of us can. So even if you had no idea what horrible shit your peons were doing, you definitely benefited from looking the other way. There will be an inquiry.”
A collective gasp rises from the brave—or stupid, if you ask me—guests who dared to come back once the solarium exploded. There are dirty, fancily dressed fools crowded in the hall behind us and whispers flutter like leaves in a storm.
I don’t think I ever realized how absolutely moronic the ultra wealthy are until now.
“If he’s not part of this, then it’s worse than we thought,” I say, meeting Revelin’s gaze. Whoever brought that fucking beast to the fights may not be the one who called it, nor the one who controlled it, or even the one who paid for it. These dimwits in Arrowwood may simply make money off it.
“We’ll sort this out,” Revelin assures us, determination steeling his features. “Count on it.”
Tiernan wipes his brow on his decimated suit sleeve and looks at us. “We’re leaving. This douchebag can clean up his own mess. We saved their asses, so we’re not hanging around to face the crowds.”
I give him a grin that could light up Disneyworld. Pissy Kitty is my favorite. “Hasta la pasta, Knobgobbler. We’re out of here.”
The infuriated gasps behind make my night as the guys and I tromp through the rubble to the lawn and walk away.
Talk about a fun exit line… I really should trademark this shit.
We stagger back to the magical bus, the night’s earlier chill now a balm to our overheated bodies.
I prop Khol against a seat, his side bleeding where the creature’s claws found flesh.
Dezi moves with quiet efficiency, rummaging through a first aid kit, his vampiric speed a blur of motion as he tends to our wounds.
“Thanks,” I breathe out, trying to keep my voice steady despite my fury and worry. I nod at each of them, my eyes lingering with gratitude on Revelin, who has just finished wrapping a bandage around his own arm. “If all of us hadn’t gone after that thing…”
“We’ve got each other’s backs, Fi. Always,” Tier assures me as he catches my eyes. There’s a fierceness there, a fire that not even the beast could snuff out. “And if you say we play heroes, we do.”
Ducking my head, I try not to let them see how good that makes me feel. Outside of my sister and Philly, I have had no one to depend on in a long ass time. It feels good and scary at the same time.
“It’s time to figure out our next steps,” Revelin says, his tone leaving no room for the fatigue we all feel.
He sits at the small table in the gathering area, spreading out a map of the city and its shadowy underbelly of council connections that the guys have been working on.
“Because we only have two days until the concert and I’m concerned it will be too tempting a target for the puppet master of this shit. ”
“Dezi, what exactly did you pick up about the council?” I ask, leaning in over the map. He’s good at extrapolating information from the things he eavesdrops and he has the most contact with demons in the Night District.
“This is more than just idle hands playing with dark magic,” Dezi replies, his face grim.
“They’re deeply entwined with something ancient, something.
.. malevolent. And it’s not limited to this silly town or maybe not even to Faerie—not with someone creating monsters such as the one we could defeat. ”
“Then we have to expand our searches. If the council here are patsies, it means we’ll encounter worse things later on,” I say with a sigh, rolling her shoulders back as if preparing for another round. “We have to dig into the council’s affairs and uncover their secrets so we know what to expect.”
And who not to trust as we make our way through the land of half-truths.
“Agreed,” Khol adds, wincing slightly. “But we can’t afford reckless moves—not with this level of corruption. They’ll simply warn the next links in the chain or their contacts.”
Dezi frowns, tapping his fingers on his lips before he speaks. “Do you know when your pixie will arrive? I think we have more than just fun pictures to share now. It’s important we relay what we’ve found.”
Tiernan rubs the back of his neck, looking frustrated as he paces.
“My extra security will be here Friday for the concert. They will go back through the Veil while we travel to Goldgarde, and return for the concert at the end of that week. Perhaps we should send assignments back to Louie and any other trustworthy folks to have them help?”
“Strategy is key, so that definitely will help. We need to identify who they can approach,” Revelin adds. “Does anyone have suggestions?”
I think for a moment, then nod. “They can take a package to Philly. He might be recovering, but the bar isn’t open and he can get his lady friend to take him to the library.”
“Good idea,” Dezi rumbles as he looks at Khol. “Anyone you and your brother trust enough to lurk around the seedier places to listen for information?”
The basilisk ponders, then nods slowly. “Yep. Brick is the guy. He’s got a huge green mohawk and they can find him at fights almost every night. He may not be a genius, but he’s loyal and he’ll make sure we get whatever we need without alerting my asshat uncle.”
“That helps,” the Prince says as he tugs me into his side. “We’ve made progress tonight, but we’re not out of the shadows yet. I have a feeling we could only beat that damn thing because it wasn’t… very old?”
“I had the same thought, princeling,” Dezi says quietly. “Its power felt fresh, as if brought into this place specifically to hunt us. Which means we’ll likely encounter more of them as we head for the darkness of Reaping.”
A momentary hush falls over us, each lost in thoughts of what lies ahead. We hadn’t considered that the Harvest Court was only a small part of a major journey and the things we find here may not be as bad as what we face later on.
It’s a sobering thought.
“I’m ready to face whatever comes our way,” Tiernan declares, a fierce note of determination in his tone. “We all knew this would not be as easy as following a map and picking up trinkets.”
“Me, too,” Khol echoes, his smirk returning as he glances at each member of our makeshift family. “This is about our family—even our siblings’ little group, too—so we’re going to keep going, no matter what.”
“We just have to get ahead of the curve.” I grimace, feeling the weight of my resolve settle firmly onto my shoulders.
This started as Fer and I looking into our parents’ death, especially after she turned out to be a wolf, but now it’s something much bigger.
If we don’t figure out who’s sending demon creatures and why we’re being targeted, we won’t get answers about that or why we were lied to.
That said, Tier packs up the first aid kit, and I fold the map of Faerie carefully. Tomorrow, we delve deeper into the heart of corruption. Tonight, though, we rest—bruised but unbroken, and resolutely undeterred.
If our enemies think we’ll give up just because they sent an assassin, they have another thing coming.