Mom.
I saw her in my mind, as clear as day.
I saw her lying on her back in the darkness, her eyes wide and fixed on mine. There was nothing behind those eyes. No life. Nothing.
The beeping sound sped up.
The horrifying image of my mom faded like smoke, replaced by luminous skin and bloody smiles and taunts and…
Pools of blood. Actual pools of it. The ruby-red liquid spilled across stone, forming rivulets that ran between the spacing in the pavers. Why had there been so much blood? A vague feeling of wet warmth bubbling up my throat and choking me swept through me.
“Bri? Are you awake? Brighton?”
I recognized that voice. Ivy. She was speaking to me, and I took another breath, relieved to discover it didn’t hurt as bad as the first. But my… my body felt weird. My face felt weird. Like it was swollen and stretched too tight. It was the same with every inch of my skin.
My eyes felt like they were glued shut, and it took forever for them to open. Hours maybe. But when they did, I found myself staring at a drop ceiling and florescent lights.
“Bri.” Ivy spoke again, and her fingers lightly brushed my left hand.
Slowly, I turned my head toward the sound of her voice, to my left, and I saw her pale, drawn face. All that bright hair was pulled back in a bun. Her eyes were red and swollen and full of sympathy.
And I knew.
I remembered.
The fae had come out of nowhere, surrounding Mom and me. They’d dragged us into the courtyard of the empty house. There hadn’t been four of them. I’d been wrong. There’d been five and one of them had been an Ancient.
I swallowed, or tried to, but the motion hurt my throat. Everything hurt. My legs and face, but especially my stomach. That felt like someone had dug around inside and pulled everything out.
Ivy’s fingers curled around mine. She squeezed gently. “Are you in pain? I can get the doc.”
I squeezed my eyes shut, and I saw flashes of teeth and razor-sharp claws. The fae didn’t need to use their teeth to feed, but they liked to use them to cause pain.
“Mom,” I croaked out, and Ivy’s hand spasmed around mine. When she didn’t answer, I forced my eyes open again. “She’s… she’s gone?”
Ivy pressed her lips together as she nodded jerkily. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Bri.”
My gaze dropped to where Ivy held my hand. Instead of seeing her hand, I saw my mother’s blood-soaked one squeezing mine. I saw it slip from my grasp as I felt the strength seep out of her.
“They made several hits, all across the city,” Ivy was saying, curling her other hand around mine, clasping it between her two palms. “That’s why Gerry didn’t show up for his shift. Ren and I found him. That’s when we knew.” Her voice turned hoarse as she started naming names—names of those killed and there were so many, an endless stream. “They must’ve been watching us. They knew where to go. So much violence, all in one night.”
Ivy dropped her forehead to her hands. I didn’t see her, though. I saw the five faces. I remembered their faces. I would always remember their faces.
“You’re going to be okay. The doc says it’s a freaking miracle, but you’re going to be okay,” she said. “They’ll probably keep you for a couple more days, but then you can come home with me, if you want. Tink said you can take his bedroom—”
“I… I couldn’t stop them.”
“What?” Ivy lifted her head. Her eyes were glassy.
“I… I couldn’t fight them off.”
She slowly shook her head. “Bri, you were hunted down and—”
“I couldn’t stop them!” The shout tore at my raw throat, but I didn’t care. “They killed my mother and I couldn’t stop them!”
“No.” Ivy rose, leaning over the head of the bed so her face was right in mine. “I know what you’re thinking. Trust me, I know. This is not your fault. I would’ve been screwed if I was caught off guard and surrounded like that.”
I didn’t think that was the case. Ivy would’ve fought tooth and nail. She wouldn’t have panicked and flailed. She wouldn’t have let them get her on her back, the number one thing they taught you to never let happen in training. Ivy might’ve struggled, but she would’ve prevailed.
“What they did to your mom and you is on them.” Ivy placed the tips of her fingers against my cheek. The touch was light, as if she knew if she pressed too hard, it would hurt. “There was nothing you could’ve done, Bri. Nothing. You survived. That’s all that matters. And it’s going to be okay. Everything is going to be okay.”
As I stared at her, remembering what I’d said to Mom, and knowing that it had been a lie, I knew that this also wasn’t true. That wasn’t all that mattered and it wasn’t going to be okay.
Things were never going to be okay.
Chapter 3
Two years later….
The heavy, rhythmic beat thumped from the speakers above and flowed over the packed floor. Gleaming bodies twisted and churned under the flashing overhead lights, lost to the music and the press of flesh against flesh. The scent of perfume, cologne, and sweat turned my stomach as I lifted my hands, scooping the long strands of hair off my damp neck.
Tonight I was a wild redhead with bright, red lips.
Last night I’d been a raven-haired seductress with smokey eyes.
The past weekend I was a naïve blonde in pigtails with flushed, peachy cheeks.
Each time I was someone different, but I was always the perfect victim, and every night ended the same.
I swayed my hips to the beat, to the hard, warm body behind me as I scanned the dance floor, searching.
Hands moved over the silvery sequins of my dress, slipping over my stomach. He hauled me against him, pressing his front to my back.
He was really into this.
A lot.
Those questing hands dragged down my hips, inching closer to my outer thighs. Letting go of the hair, I caught his wrists and tossed a reckless grin over my shoulder. “Behave.”
The nameless man gave me a toothy smile. He was cute, definitely younger than me by a good decade and some change. Probably in college at Loyola or Tulane, which meant two things. He’d choke if he knew I was pushing thirty-one and this was the last place he should be. A tiny part of me wanted to warn him, to tell him to find his fun and pleasure anyplace but the club Flux.
But I wasn’t here for him.
Holding onto his wrists, I let my head fall back against his chest as my gaze flickered over the dance floor and the horseshoe-shaped bar at the front. I couldn’t see into the shadowy alcoves surrounding the floor or upstairs, on the second floor VIP area.
That’s where I needed to be, because I knew he was up there.
A squat, broad man blocked the staircase. Behind him was a red rope. Entry to the second floor was by invite only, and those up there didn’t come down here. They sent scouts instead, scouts that were trained to find a certain type of human.
And I was the living embodiment of that type and tonight was the night.
“Hey,” the man said into my ear.
I kept searching. “Yeah?”
“What’s your name? I’m Dale.” He tried to move his hands again, but I kept them on my hips.
“Sally,” I lied as a tall, slender woman at the bar pushed away and turned to the dance floor, a vibrant, too-bright purple drink in her hand. Nightshade. She lifted the drink to her lips as she stared out over the floor.
I’d found who I was searching for, and I saw her for what she really looked like.
“You wanna get out of here, Sally?” Dale asked, his lips brushing the side of my neck. “I know a place we can go to.”
“No, thank you.” Letting go of his wrists, I pulled away from the man, walking off and slipping between the bodies before his shocked expletive could get under my skin.
Keeping an eye on the scout, I eased around a couple who were practically mating right there on the floor. I couldn’t tell where one of
them ended and the other began.
Goodness.
I passed a high, round top table, plucked up the forgotten, half empty pink drink, and made a beeline for the bar. As soon as I stepped out of the cluster of bodies, I slowed my step and fixed a lax smile on my face as I neared the female. She wasn’t focused on me, instead eyeing two young college girls who were dancing and laughing, obviously buzzing. She started toward them.
Letting the borrowed glass dangle from my fingers, I tripped, bumping my shoulder against the female.
She turned to me in a slow, calculated snake-like movement. Her lips peeled back in a sneer as she lowered her glass of nightshade. To everyone else in this club, her smile appeared normal. To me? I saw the two wickedly sharp incisors on each side of her mouth. Not fangs. Just sharp as an obsidian blade teeth that could tear through flesh.
“I’m so sorry.” I teetered on my high heels as I spoke over the music, placing my free hand on her arm. “Someone bumped me. Ugh. People are so rude.”
She lifted a single dark eyebrow.
“What in the world are you drinking? It looks sooo amazing.”
The female cocked her head to the side as her pale blue eyes drifted over every inch of my body, from the thick red hair and bright lips to the plunging neckline of my strappy silvery dress that showed off more than it hid. She must’ve approved of what she saw, because a tight-lipped smile replaced her sneer. “This drink is a little too hard for you.”
“Oh?” I bit down on my lower lip. “I like… hard drinks, though.”
“Do you?” When I nodded, the female stepped closer. She was my height, so her gaze lined up with mine. “How hard do you like it?”
“Very hard,” I repeated, forcing myself to hold her gaze as I giggled.
She tilted her head slightly. “I might have something better for you. You here alone?”
“My friends already left. I was getting ready to go, but… I think I have another good hour or so left in me.”
“Perfect.” The moment her black pupils constricted was brief and not noticeable to anyone who didn’t know better, but I did. I knew what she was doing, entrancing me. I forced my muscles to loosen, for the eager smile that said I was down for anything to slip off my face. I stood before the female, silent… and waiting as she leaned in, brushing her lips against mine as she whispered, “Come with me.”
She plucked the borrowed drink out of my hand and placed it on the bar beside us, then she took my hand in her cool grasp. Her pace was fast and steps long as she led me around the bar to the staircase.
Jackpot.
The man standing at the foot of the stairs stepped aside, and one glance at his vacant expression told me he was a human that had been fed on until he was completely under the fae’s control. And just as dangerous and unpredictable as the fae themselves.
She led me up the wide spiral staircase, her grip tight as she all but dragged me along, turning right at the top to a dimly lit balcony. Downing half of the nightshade, a drink toxic to humans but more like tequila to the fae, she led me to a set of occupied couches and chair. I registered several fae, all with a tranced human by their side or in their laps. It was likely none of these humans were going to make it out of this club alive tonight.
“Look what I found, Tobias.” The female pulled me forward with a strength that didn’t match her willowy frame, and I let myself be shoved, even allowed myself to stumble. The fae caught my arm, stopping me from toppling flat on my face.
My gaze darted around, and then I saw him.
He was sitting on a small, black couch, his arms and legs spread in an arrogant sprawl. I saw the human façade just for a brief second. Pale skin gave way to a silvery tone. Hair and features remained the same. Blond and handsome, he looked like a frat boy with silver skin and pointed ears. He was definitely one of them.
And now I had a name to match a face I’d never forget.
Tobias.
A rush of anticipation shot through my veins, spreading goosebumps all over my skin. It was him. There’d been five of them total and he was one of the three that remained.
“You always treat me well, Alyssa,” he said, his pale blue gaze crawling over my length. “You know how I have a soft spot for redheads.”
“A soft spot.” The female fae called Alyssa let go of my arm. “More like a hard-on.”
Oh dear.
I kept my face impressively blank as Tobias jerked his chin. Oscar worthy, really. Another fae came forward, out of the shadows. He was a tall one and it took everything in me not to flinch as he put his hands on me, skimming them down my front and back, checking for weapons. The fae had gotten smarter in the last two years.
So had we.
The fae’s hands moved up my legs meticulously and then my hips. His fingers glanced over the wide cuffs at my wrists. “She’s clear.”
“Good.” Tobias leaned forward. “Come here, Red.”
I forced my steps to be slow and uneven, and when he lifted his hand to me, I placed mine in his even though it utterly sickened me.
Tobias didn’t pull me into his lap like I expected. Instead, he rose from the couch. “What time will Aric be here?”
Aric? That name wasn’t familiar to me; then again, it wasn’t like I hung out with these murderous, psychotic Winter fae.
“You have an hour, tops.” Alyssa tossed herself onto the couch. “Make good use of it.”
“You bet.” He circled his arm around my waist, drawing me to his front. He smelled good. Like winter mint. But they all smelled good. They all looked good, too. And this fae was obviously in the mood for more than just feeding, which was what I was betting on. “You want seconds?”
“Sure,” the female fae purred. “If there’s anything left.”
Tobias lifted me up without warning, tossing me over his shoulder like a damn Neanderthal claiming his prize. To go limp scratched at my skin as he stalked across the short distance. A door opened and then we were inside a room that I imagined a lot of very bad things happened in. He kicked the door shut behind us and I heard the lock turn without him touching it.
His hand curved over my ass as he lowered me onto the floor. Strands of red hair had fallen in front of my face, and I stood there as he brushed them back behind my ears. “Do you know why I like redheads? No. Of course you don’t.”
I blinked slowly, taking in the room as he let go. There was a chair. A bed that looked… well used. My stomach churned with nausea. But he didn’t go to the bed; he went to the throne-like chair with crushed velvet cushions. He sat and stared up at me.
“Come on. Don’t be shy.” Those pale eyes seemed to burn. “We’re going to get to know each other, aren’t we?”
“Yes?” I whispered.
A half smile spread across his lips as he hooked a finger in my direction. “Come on then.”
I forced a small smile as I shuffled to him. The gasp was real when he grabbed my hips and tugged me down into his lap, causing the skirt to ride up my thighs. He toyed with the straps of my dress, tracing the low v-shaped neckline.
“You want me?” he asked.
That was an odd, unnecessary question. Guess someone had a low sense of self worth or something. “Yes.”
“You’ll let me do anything to you, won’t you?”
I forced myself to nod. “Yes.”
“Then touch me,” he ordered softly.
My jaw clenched as I placed my hands on his shoulders, smoothing them over his chest.
“Honestly, I really don’t like redheads.” His hand moved fast, closing around my throat. “I hate them.”
Oh, hell.
He squeezed not too gently, digging his fingers into my windpipe as he drew me forward. His icy breath danced over my lips as I winced at the spike of pain. “Why?” His other hand was on the move, sliding down my spine, going lower. “They remind me of the bitch halfling.”
I knew exactly who he was talking about.
Ivy Morgan—wait, she was Ivy Owens now
, having gotten married over Christmas to Ren.
Then, before I had a chance to process what he was doing, his cold mouth was on mine. Lips. Teeth. Tongue. It was harsh and brutal, and I wondered if he even knew how to kiss or if he cared. He let go of my throat, and I figured there’d be bruises there later.
I held still as he eased the straps of my dress down my arms, fueled by one of the most powerful emotions known to man.
Vengeance.
I was so close to retribution, I could taste the bitter sweetness of it on the tip of my tongue. It burned through the iciness his kiss left behind.
The top slipped, pooling low on my hips and exposing the black, seriously uncomfortable strapless bra. My gaze fixed on the ceiling as his cool lips skated down the column of my throat and then lower, over the swell of my breast. I forced my body to stay loose, accepting even as the tips of his fingers skated over my sides to where the material bunched. His fingers brushed the thin, silver chain that rode low around my hips.
Tobias drew back, and I could practically feel his gaze roam over my chest and then my stomach, and I knew what he saw. Not smooth, unmarred skin. Pale, shiny scars that covered the entirety of my stomach. Teeth marks. Multiple ones that had healed and faded to a shade or two lighter than my normal skin. Deep groves made by sharpened claws. All of them a permanent reminder of the night nearly two years ago when the fae who’d supported the defeated Winter Queen had sought bloody vengeance and commenced wholesale slaughter. They hadn’t even fed on us. They’d just wanted us to hurt.
And we did.
The night my mother, who had already suffered so much at the hands of the fae, had died, nearly ripped apart by their teeth and claws.
The night I should’ve died.
His hands clenched my hips, digging into my skin. “What the hell?”
I lowered my chin as he tugged on the chain and the small, circle medallion pulled free from the dress. I knew the exact moment he recognized the encased four-leaf clover. Tobias knew what that meant.
I wasn’t under his glamour.
Tobias’s pale, furious gaze flew to mine. I smiled then. “Remember me?”
The Summer King Bundle: 3 Stories by Jennifer L. Armentrout Page 3
