The Summer King Bundle: 3 Stories by Jennifer L. Armentrout

by Jennifer L. Armentrout

  “You’re a fucking psychopath,” I croaked out.

  Aric chuckled. “I said something I don’t know.”

  Nice.

  He lifted the blade, placing it against my cheek just under my eye. The tip was wet as he dragged it down, smearing blood from the cuts he’d made on my thigh. “Tell me, pet. Tell me how you’re still alive. How you survived before.”

  “I…I don’t know,” I said, and that wasn’t exactly true. I knew how I’d survived our first little meet and greet.

  “Hmm.” He slid the edge of the knife over my chin and down my throat. “I don’t believe you.”

  I held still.

  “And I don’t like it when you lie to me. I thought we’d moved past all of that,” he said. “That you and I were better than lies.”

  “You’re insane,” I choked out.

  “I’m a lot of things, pet. Insane is not one of them.” The pupils of his eyes dilated. My breath caught as I started to close my lids. “Don’t,” he commanded, and it was too late for me to do otherwise. “Tell me how you survived.”

  My lips and tongue moved, giving sound to words. “Caden saved me.”

  His head straightened, and he frowned. “How did he save you?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “You have to know.” He cupped my cheek, smoothing his thumb over the trails of blood. “Think hard about it. What was he doing when he saved your life?”

  I did what he asked, thinking back to when Caden had saved me. It was like wading through muddy waters until I came to vague images of a hospital room and beeping and…. “I felt the sun. I tasted…tasted sunlight.”

  “Tasted sunlight?” Aric was still for several moments, and then he jerked upright. He stumbled back, dropping the dagger. It clattered off the floor. “He gave you the Kiss.” His eyes widened. “He gave you the Summer Kiss.”

  * * * *

  Scratching the rock against the stone, I carved another mark.

  Forty-seven.

  Today was day forty-seven, and it was different. Aric had not been to see me. Not yesterday or today, and I knew this because my thoughts were clearer, even though I was hungrier than I’d ever been.

  But I knew there was something important that I needed to remember, something that Aric had shared, and that was what I focused on while I worked on the mark.

  He’d told me something about the Summer fae, something that had been…unexpected.

  My gaze drifted from the stone to the floor as my thoughts wandered to all-you-can-eat buffets and gumbo and beignets and—

  I dropped the rock and tipped forward, my eyes narrowing on the floor under the slab. Something was lying there. What was it? Scooting onto my knees, I stretched until my fingers brushed cool metal.

  The dagger.

  “Holy shit,” I whispered, curling my hand around the hilt. How had it gotten there?

  Part of me didn’t even care to know the answer, because this…this was my chance. My vehicle of retribution. My payback. It was everything, better than a juicy steak and a mountain of mashed potatoes.

  My stomach grumbled in disagreement.

  Okay. Almost as good as a juicy steak and a mountain of mashed potatoes, but this was…this was my chance.

  Tears flooded my eyes as I stared at the dagger. Aric was an Ancient. I still remembered how to kill one. Head shot or sever the brain stem. Fae be gone, right there.

  I rocked back, lifting the dagger toward one of the torches. The blade was stained red—with my blood. I looked down at the cuts all over my legs and my arms. This was Aric’s weapon, the tool he used on me. He…he’d dropped it the last time he was here.

  That was super careless of him, but he’d been…shocked about something. My grip tightened on the dagger as I tried to recall what had led to him dropping this. Even though my head felt less woolly than normal, it was still full of empty spaces. He’d been asking me questions, wondering how I’d survived—

  The sound of footsteps outside the chamber forced me into jerky action. I needed this dagger, so I knew to hide it and pray that he hadn’t realized he’d left it behind. Shoving the blade back under the tomb until it was hidden by the shadows, I then took a deep, slow breath, preparing to stand. I knew I’d be dizzy and winded, but I needed to get to my feet. I needed to do everything possible to keep my wits about me and keep that dagger hidden.

  Slowly, I pulled myself up, and I swayed like a reed in the wind. My heart was racing from the effort, but also because of my find.

  The door opened as Aric entered. Anticipation and dread clashed like thunder within me. He had food, and I was starving, but eating never came without a price. And he wasn’t alone. The same icy female fae as before was with him. My stomach sank.

  Bath time.

  I thought—no, I knew—he glamoured me when this occurred. Sometimes, I remembered it. Sometimes, I didn’t. But I knew he always fed afterward, and then…then I remembered nothing.

  Oh, God, what if I forgot about the dagger? Dread quickly turned to panic. I couldn’t forget the weapon. I couldn’t—

  “Did you miss me?” Aric strolled forward, platter in hand. “I missed you.”

  I took a step back. The female remained by the door as she usually did, but she carried more than just a tote with her this time. A long, dark bag was draped over her arm.

  “You don’t want to admit it, but I know you’ve been wondering where I’ve been, what I’ve been doing.” He placed the covered dish on the slab. The scent of meat reached me. “I’ve been very busy, my pet.”

  My pet.

  God, I couldn’t wait to tear his fucking head off. It took everything in me not to grab the dagger and do just that.

  Twisting toward me, he picked up the chain, tugging on it until I stumbled toward him. Once I was close enough, he curled his arm around my waist, drawing me to his side as if we were lovers.

  I wanted to vomit.

  “I cannot wait to tell you all about it. You will be so very interested in what I’ve discovered,” he went on. “But first, I’ve brought you gifts.”

  Gifts? My hungry gaze found its way to the silver platter.

  “Not that,” he murmured, skimming his fingers over the many tiny abrasions marking my arms. I winced at the contact, and his eyes took on a heavy-lidded quality. “At least not the gift I’m most excited about.” He snapped his fingers at the female. “Show her what I’ve brought her.”

  Pulse skittering, I watched her lift the bag. The sound of a zipper being lowered filled the chamber. It was only then that I realized she was holding a garment bag. The folds of the bag parted as she stepped forward, revealing what lay beneath.

  A gown. It was a gown. One made of some kind of silvery material that reached the floor. As the female fae pulled the garment bag away, I saw that the dress was sleeveless and nearly translucent. It was like spun moonlight, even in the dim lighting of the crypt, and utterly beautiful.

  My stomach twisted with nausea. “You expect me to wear that?”

  “Ah, she has found her voice.” Aric chuckled, squeezing me like it was some kind of inside joke between friends. “I do expect you to wear this, and I expect you to be honored to do so.”

  I stared at him, dumbfounded. He couldn’t be serious.

  Aric motioned the female forward, and she obeyed without a word, laying the gown over the slab but keeping it on the garment bag so my blood did not reach it.

  “You see, this gown is very special.” Aric slipped his arm away from me, and I exhaled raggedly. Reaching for the delicate material, he traced the deep v-neck of the dress. “It is not of this world, but a token of mine. It was to be a wedding gown. Mathing,” he said, speaking fae. I thought the word meant mating. “You would not be the first to wear this, but I believe you will be the last.”

  Stepping back, I wrapped my arm over my waist as I followed his fingers down the center of the dress. The material seemed to respond to his touch, darkening into a slate gray.

  “Do y
ou know who wore this gown last?” he asked.

  My throat dried while my suspicions threatened to sink me.

  Aric glanced over his shoulder at me. “Answer me, my pet, or I’ll make you.”

  Even though I wanted nothing more than to disobey him, I couldn’t risk being glamoured or fed on. Not when I needed to remember that dagger. Swallowing hard, I lifted my chin. “Who…?” I cleared my throat. “Who wore it last?”

  “Thank you for asking.” He refocused on the dress while the female slipped silently back to the doorway. “Siobhan wore it on her wedding day.”

  Oh, God.

  I closed my eyes.

  “Well, she wore it to her wedding. I caught her before she arrived,” he added. When I reopened my eyes, Aric was staring down at the dress. “Caden never saw her in it, but he’ll know it was hers when he sees you in it.”

  A jolt ran through me as my arm unfurled.

  He tilted his head to the side, his pale eyes opening to meet mine. “Funny how history repeats itself.”

  “I…I don’t understand.”

  “You don’t?” He faced me fully, and I tensed. “You don’t remember, do you? What you told me the last time I was here.” A smirk graced his perfect lips. “You’re strong, and you’ve held on longer than any mortal should’ve. All those lovely moments when I’ve taken your essence from you have done their damage, but it should’ve fried that little brain of yours. If you were fully mortal.”

  Part of me wondered if my little brain was fried since I knew I couldn’t have heard him right. “I am fully mortal.”

  “You were fully mortal,” he replied. “But that all changed when Caden gave you the Summer Kiss.”

  The Summer Kiss? “I—”

  “Have no idea what I’m talking about? You don’t remember our conversation? About how he saved your life after we first met? After I was positive that I’d killed both you and your mother?” he explained, and a shudder rolled its way through me. “He placed his lips to yours and, instead of taking your essence, he gave you his. That is the Summer Kiss, and only an Ancient can bestow such a gift.”

  “What…what kind of gift?” I asked, wondering if I could return or exchange it.

  One side of Aric’s lips tipped. “The kind that will make it extra hard to kill you, and one that will ensure you will have a very odd lifespan by mortal standards.” He took a step toward me. “You’d figure something out as the years went by and you looked the same as the night I tore into your flesh with my teeth and nails. You’d begin then to realize something had been done, as would the Order. They’d either make damn sure you were put down, or they’d study you to figure out what was done. But you, my pet, are no longer simply mortal. You’re not a halfling either. You are something else entirely.”

  My mouth opened, but no words came out. He couldn’t be saying what I thought he was.

  “It’s rare for a fae to bestow the Kiss upon another. It’s an ancient practice used only in the direst circumstances, but it is unheard of for one to do so with a mortal,” he continued, his eyes gleaming. “A great offense, one punishable by death. If we were in my world, you’d be dragged before the Court and slaughtered while Caden watched—something he witnessed the few times a fae gave the Kiss to a mortal. So, for him to do that with you can only mean one thing.”

  Through the fog of memories, Caden’s lack of reasoning for his actions came back to me. I’d believed… “I did something for him,” I said. “I think…I helped him somehow. That’s why.”

  Aric approached me, placing his fingertip on my chin and tilting my head back. “That is not why he did it, my pet. He gave you the Kiss because you are what I’ve been searching for. You are his mortuus.”

  Chapter 12

  Pulling away from Aric, I stepped back. Even if I hadn’t spent the last forty-seven days being tortured, starved, and fed on, I would have had trouble processing the news that I wasn’t quite mortal and that I didn’t have a normal lifespan.

  Then again, there was a good chance that Aric was lying just to mess with my head in a rather creative form of torture.

  “I can tell by the dumb look on your face you have no idea what a mortuus is or how it plays into what I need,” he said. And, yep, that was as offensive as it sounded. “I’m not all that surprised. You’ve forgotten my plans, and it is doubtful that Caden would ever share with you what mortuus means.”

  The cogs and wheels in my brain finally started turning. “I don’t see how I can be his mortuus. I don’t—”

  “You don’t know anything, my pet. But your knowledge isn’t what makes you valuable.” Aric turned to the slab with an air of flourish. “Come. You must eat and then bathe.”

  I didn’t move. “I want to know why you think I’m his—” My words ended in a shriek.

  Aric moved so fast that I couldn’t track him. Suddenly, he was in front of me, his hand clamping around the nape of my neck. “I don’t care what you want to know. I don’t care if you’re confused or even if you believe me.” His grip tightened, forcing my head back as his fingers tangled in my hair. Pain flared along my scalp, but it was nothing compared to what I was used to. “All I care about at this moment in time is for you to not cause me any problems. Do you understand me?”

  Fury ripped through me like a tornado, and any plans I had of keeping him happy jumped right out the window. Jaw locked, I met his gaze and said nothing.

  “Do not make me ask you again. You will not like what happens if you do, and I am confident that you think you know what I’m capable of, but you have no idea.” The alabaster skin seemed to thin over his bones. “I need you alive, but there are far worse things than a slow death.”

  There wasn’t a single part of me that doubted what he promised, and common sense dictated that I answer him. It was just one word. Yes. I had a dagger, and I just needed to get him alone. Fighting him now wasn’t going to help.

  It was just one word, but it was about control and stripping away every ounce of free will I had without glamouring me. It was all about submission and humiliation, tiny acts stacked upon each other, and each one carrying the weight of shame and dread until I collapsed under them. Until I was truly bent and broken, and all that was left of me belonged to him.

  It was just one word, but he hadn’t broken me yet.

  I lifted my chin, met his stare, and said nothing.

  Aric’s lips curved up on one side. “I could almost respect you.”

  The punch connected before I could even formulate a response, catching me in the stomach and doubling me over. I tried to suck in air, but it was like my entire chest had seized up. Gagging, I struggled to lift my arms as the years of training dictated, but he was too fast, and I was too tired and hungry and weak. The next blow took me to the floor, and then…there was nothing but pain.

  I didn’t know how long it lasted or how many blows he delivered. At some point, I thought I might’ve blacked out because when I opened my eyes—no, my one eye—his blurry face had replaced his fists.

  He was staring down at his hand. “You’ve dirtied my knuckles with your blood.”

  A hoarse laugh parted my lips. It was slightly crazed-sounding to my ears, but then again, there was a strange ringing in them now, so who knew.

  His head tilted to the side. “Glad you find that amusing, but I’m sure it won’t be as funny to watch you try and eat with those busted lips.”

  Eat? I almost laughed again because the beating had pretty much knocked the hunger right out of me. I wasn’t even sure my jaw would work. I tentatively moved it, wincing as sharp pain darted around my skull. It hurt like holy hell but, impossibly, the bones seemed intact.

  No longer simply mortal.

  Could Aric be telling the truth? And if so, was that why I was still alive without a multitude of broken bones? The questions did matter.

  Aric grabbed my arm, yanking me to my feet. Pain flared along my ribs. “Eat and then bathe. I do not have all day.”

  He shoved me to
ward the slab, and I stumbled, catching myself on the side of the stone near where the dagger was hidden in the shadows.

  I focused on what I planned to do with that dagger as I lifted my head, dizzy. Aric strode toward the platter, lifting the lid. It was beef in some kind of stew like before.

  “It’s grown cold,” he remarked. “If you hadn’t delayed things, it would’ve been a worthwhile meal. Eat.”

  Slowly, I inched my way toward the food and reached out—

  The slap nearly toppled me over. Skin stinging, I drew back my hand. Nausea rose as I stared at the food.

  Aric sighed. “You will never learn, will you? Even with the Summer Kiss, you’re as stupid and mindless as any other mortal. Eat,” he spat. “And do it in a hurry.”

  I didn’t move, not until he went over to the doorway. I’d forgotten that the female was in the room. With distance between us, I hesitantly reached for the meat, knowing that he could move fast. When he didn’t, some of the tension eased from my shoulders. Without a fork or knife, all I had were my fingers, and I used them, eating what was provided even though each bite hurt, and I was no longer hungry. I ate because I knew I needed the strength.

  Cutting off a head wasn’t going to be easy.

  Before I finished, the copper tub was brought in and filled up, and I added those two male fae to my To Kill list. The female was already on it. The plate was taken away, and I knew what was coming next. Aric would glamour me so I didn’t put up a fight, and then he’d feed. Between the two, I ran the risk of forgetting the discovery of the dagger. I knew I couldn’t prevent him from feeding, but I could prevent the glamour, and if history were any indication, he’d return to me alone and then….

  Then I would kill him.

  But the dress.

  I glanced at it. The dress could mean that his schedule would change. That he wouldn’t feed, or that he wouldn’t return alone.

  I couldn’t risk not trying to keep some of my wits about me.

  So, I did what I had to the very second the female fae approached me with her damn tote. Focusing on the tub, I didn’t give myself time to dwell on what I was doing as I reached up and grabbed the thin straps on the shift, shimmying them down my arms.