I wasn’t sure when it had happened, but I only became aware of lying on my side when I opened my eyes again. The dagger had slipped from my lap, resting a few inches from me on the floor.
I needed to get it, keep it close, but I simply could not do it. And as I drifted off again, I told myself that it would be okay if I didn’t wake up. I’d killed Aric. I’d completed what I’d set out to do two years ago. I had honored my mother’s death. Dying in the stale, damp chamber didn’t matter. Not anymore.
But then I lost more than my grip on the dagger. I lost my grip on…everything.
I did wake up again. Or maybe I dreamed. Or I was awake and hallucinating. I wasn’t sure, but I saw people. My mother pacing in front of me, dressed in her pink housecoat flapping like wings behind her. She was speaking, but I couldn’t hear her, and when I called out to her, there was no response. And then she was gone. Later, it was a girl with curly, fiery red hair, and a man with wavy brown hair. I knew them. I thought I did, but their names were lost to me as the chamber faded and was replaced by a restaurant lit by warm, twinkling, white lights.
The group was talking, but I wasn’t listening. I was thinking about…Christmas mornings and hot cocoa and the good moments with my mother, times where she remembered where she was and—
Fingers snapped, drawing my attention.
“Sorry.” My lips moved, my voice hoarse. “I spaced out. Were you saying something?”
“I was saying that I was about to strip naked and run outside,” the girl said.
The male smiled as he stared at the girl. “I am so down for that.”
“Of course, you are.” She grinned, pointing to a menu. “Did you want dessert, Bri?”
Bri.
Only she called me Bri.
Bri stood for…Brighton. That was my name, and she was…
I blinked, and they were gone. The restaurant was gone, replaced by the round, vine-covered walls and flickering torches. Then I faded out, and there was nothing until I heard someone again.
“I’m sorry.”
My eyes fluttered open, and he was standing there, dressed in a dark shirt that was like a second layer of skin, clinging to his chest and tapered waist. His blond hair brushed the width of his broad shoulders as he bowed his head.
He wouldn’t look at me.
“You’re sorry?” I heard myself say, and my chest… God, it hurt. It broke. “Which part are you sorry about? What happened between us? Or the fact that you failed to mention you’re engaged?”
A muscle tensed along his jaw. “All of it.”
What broke then cracked wide open, shattering. “God,” I whispered.
“You don’t understand.” He looked over at me. “You cannot possibly understand—”
“Because I’m not a fae?”
His eyes met mine, and an eternity stretched out between us as a wild array of emotion flickered across his face. And then it all went away, as if he shut down whatever it was he felt. “Yes, because you are not like me. I am a King. I must have a Queen.”
The word was a stab to the heart. My cheeks dampened, and the world around me seemed to shift again. He wasn’t in a hallway anymore but standing in a brightly lit room that smelled like crisp apples. And there were others. The girl with the red hair and people with no faces, no names.
“Listen to Ivy,” he urged. “You cannot interact with either of them. The fact that they already know you’re involved is bad enough.”
“I can handle myself,” I said, repeating what felt like a script—one I didn’t want to read. “Pretty sure I’ve proven that.”
“All you’ve proven is that you’re incredibly lucky,” he fired back. “You’re not like them.” He gestured at the others. “You’re not a warrior with years of experience under your belt.”
“I’m a member of the Order. I’m trained and—”
“You are a member, but this is not your job,” the girl said.
“If hunting and killing evil fae isn’t my job, then what is?”
Silence from them, from the others, and in the silence, I heard Aric say, “You were born into the Order, but you’re not a true member.”
Confusion swept through me as the room and everyone in it seemed to flicker in and out. Aric was dead. I’d killed him. He couldn’t be here—
Caden faded out and then back in again. “You’re a distraction. A weakness that I will not allow to be exploited….”
“I’m not weak.” The words scraped against my throat. “I killed Aric. I…killed him.”
The space in front of me was empty.
He was gone.
And then I was gone.
* * * *
I wasn’t sure what stirred me, tugging me out of the emptiness, but I could feel the coldness of the tomb when I’d felt nothing before. A distant part of me acknowledged that I didn’t feel as cold as I should, and that perhaps that was concerning, but I was too tired to care, and too grateful that I didn’t hurt. That I felt…okay, just tired. So very tired. I started to slip away again when I heard it.
Footsteps?
No. It was too loud, too many thumps coming too fast. Banging? Yes, it sounded like banging. Was it the other fae finally checking on Aric? The Ancient would be pissed to realize it had taken so long. It was sort of insulting. A small grin cracked my dry lips. There was a burst of pain as if the flesh were too thin or raw, but it was okay.
I needed to open my eyes, but my lids were too heavy. I just wanted to sleep. That was all I wanted.
Voices.
That’s what I heard next, or at least thought I heard. I wasn’t sure. Shouts. Names that teased at the disjointed memories. Pounding footsteps followed—
The world seemed to explode. Wood cracked and splintered, and air—fresh, rose-scented air—flowed into the chamber.
“Brighton?”
The voice. His voice. I recognized it. The deep, melodious baritone that had whispered against my skin. But it sounded different now, full of relief and horror, fury tinged with desperation.
A curse was uttered, and then warmth flowed over me like sunlight breaking through the clouds. The air stirred.
“Brighton?” He was closer, and I tried to open my eyes, but it was of no use. A moment passed, and then I felt warmth against my cheek. Fingertips. Warm hands smoothing back the matted strands of hair— “Dear God.”
The two words sounded as if they took the speaker to their knees. My eyelids fluttered. Finally, I was able to open both of them halfway. The blurry image of a man dressed in black formed.
He was on his knees.
I knew him. I knew I did, but I couldn’t remember his name.
Blond hair shielded his face. He wasn’t looking at me, but instead reaching for the strap of the dress, pulling it back and then fisting a handful of the skirt, tugging it up and over one leg. I didn’t want him to do that. I knew I didn’t want him to see what had been done to me. That much I knew.
“Fucking Christ,” he snarled. “Fucking Christ. I’m going to fucking kill him.”
I flinched.
His head whipped in my direction, and I jerked away from the rage that filled every pore and plane, making his strikingly beautiful face more animalistic than human. The pure violence radiating off him was terrifying.
He seemed to rein it in, the anger and the power, wrapping it around himself like a cloak. Dropping the dress, he reached for me, and every muscle in my body locked up. I closed my eyes, waiting for the pain that was sure to follow.
“Brighton,” he spoke, his voice softer. “It’s okay.” The warm touch returned to my cheek, brushing my hair back. He seemed to freeze, and then he spoke again, the words hoarse. “It’s going to be okay now. I’m going to get you out of here. I’m going to…”
He trailed off as a chain rattled. A wave of heat entered the room, stirring the material of my dress.
“It’s okay. It’s okay,” he repeated. His hand moved—
“Don’t,” I croaked, recoiling out
of instinct, managing to draw back a few inches.
There was a tense silence and then, “I’m not going to hurt you. I could never hurt you.” His touch returned, slow and measured. He slid his hand along the side of my head, his palm becoming a barrier between me and the floor. “Open your eyes for me, Brighton. Please. Open your eyes, baby. See me and know I’m not going to hurt you. Open your eyes for me, sunshine.”
I saw you smile once, and it was like the sun finally rising.
He’d said that to me before. When I asked why he called me sunshine, he’d said that to me. He’d said that, and he…he’d told me that my hair was like sun rays.
Caden.
The King.
I knew him.
He wouldn’t hurt me, but…but it felt like he had. Deeply, but differently.
Drawing in a shallow breath, I cracked open my eyes and found him in the darkness and he… He couldn’t be real. He couldn’t really be here.
“There you are.” He smiled, but it seemed off. Like I knew what his real smiles were like even if they were rare. This one looked sad. “Keep your eyes open for me, okay? I’m going to get you out of here, but I need you to keep your eyes open so I know you’re still here, and so you know that this is me.”
My lips parted to speak again, but my tongue was heavy and useless. Some innate part of me told me that I needed to tell him about Aric, that he needed to know.
“I…I did it,” I said, wincing as the words scratched at my throat.
“Did what?” His thumb moved along my temple.
“I killed him… I killed Aric.”
Caden’s eyes widened slightly, and then he looked to his left, over his shoulder, to the stain on the floor. He refocused on me, and a long moment passed as what looked like awed pride filled his gaze. It quickly gave way to despair. “Good.”
Uncertainty filled me. I swallowed again.
“You don’t need to speak right now.” His eyes searched mine. “I’m going to break this chain, and then we’ll get you out of here and go home.”
Home?
“Caden?” A familiar male voice filled the chamber, hesitant.
“She’s here,” he spoke, and his gaze remained fastened to mine.
“Is she…?” The new voice was soft. Female. Red hair came to mind.
Caden’s jaw hardened. “She’s here,” he repeated. “She’s chained.” There was a curse from somewhere in the chamber, and I shivered. “Keep it cool,” he said over his shoulder. “Keep it quiet—don’t. Stay back. Just for right now.”
“But—” the female protested.
“Ren, go find a blanket or a jacket. Something warm and soft,” he cut the woman off. “We need to get her warmed up. She’s too cold. And call Tanner. Tell them they’re going to need to get the infirmary ready.”
This Ren must’ve listened because Caden refocused on me. “I’m going to break the cuff around your neck, okay? I’m not going to hurt you, but this may startle you, and I’m going to need help, so please be still. No one is going to hurt you.”
I took another breath, but it felt like it went nowhere.
His chest rose. “Ivy, I need you to come over here and hold her head, but walk over slowly.”
Ivy. Ivy. Ivvvvvy. The name. I knew it, but I couldn’t remember her. I knew I should. My heart rate kicked up as uncertainty sprang to life. Why couldn’t I remember?
“It’s all right,” Caden soothed. “I promise you. You’re safe now.”
Light footsteps approached, and then I heard a sharp inhale. “God.”
Caden’s head snapped in the redhead’s direction, and whatever she saw quieted her. She moved out of my line of sight, and I tensed.
“She’s just going to hold your head. That’s all,” Caden assured me. “And then I’ll get this cuff off you, and we’ll be out of here.”
“I’m going to touch you,” Ivy said from somewhere behind me. Seconds later, I felt her hands on either side of my head. “I’ve got her.”
“Thank you,” Caden replied, and I had the distinct impression that wasn’t something he said often. “Just a couple of more seconds, sunshine, and that’s all.”
He folded his hands around the metal band, and there was a strange flaring of heat as his chin dipped. The muscles under his shirt along his shoulders and arms flexed. Slight pressure encircled my throat, setting off warning bells. I tried to pull away, but Ivy held me in place. My stomach twisted with panic—
Metal groaned and gave way, and when I swallowed, there was no longer anything pressing against my throat.
“There,” Caden murmured, placing the snapped cuff aside. He tipped forward. “I got her.”
“Do you?”
His gaze lifted from mine to the woman behind me. “I do.”
“You better,” she said.
I had no idea what their exchange meant, but she said nothing when he slipped an arm under my shoulders and then under my legs. Only then did she let go. He pulled me against him, and the contact jarred me. I gasped as a wave of sensation rippled through me.
“Sorry,” he said gruffly, rising fluidly. He turned, and my gaze swiveled around, landing on the patch of floor that was dark and stained.
Caden was speaking, but I wasn’t tracking what he said. I wasn’t even sure if he was talking to me or not. I shifted my gaze to him as he started toward the door. I’d been here before. Or it felt that way, like it had happened in a dream. A knot formed in my throat as we neared the opening. I locked up, waiting for the catch, the obstacle that blocked me from leaving, the tug on my neck. The reveal that none of this was real, just another elaborate ruse produced by my mind.
Caden crossed the threshold, still speaking in a low, soft voice as we entered heavy darkness. He climbed the stairs, and then…then I saw the silvery glow of moonlight.
Moonlight.
I drew in a broken breath, and the air was fresh and clean. Was this…? Tears clouded my eyes, blurring the rays of moonlight that filtered through the trees.
I swallowed again. “Are you…are you really here?”
“Yes.” Caden stopped, looking down at me. “I’m here. I’m really here, sunshine.”
Chapter 14
Things were hazy from the moment Caden carried me into a vehicle and wrapped a blanket around me. Between the warmth of the throw and the heat his body was throwing off, I couldn’t do what he kept asking of me and keep my eyes open.
Bits and pieces of the conversation floated around me as he held me in his lap, keeping me steady as the wheels bumped along. He held me gently, keeping an arm around my shoulders and my cheek pressed to his chest. Every so often, I felt the soft-as-air brush of his touch on the side of my head or down the bones of a finger. Like I…like I meant something to him, like I was precious and cared for. But there was something that lingered at the fringes of my consciousness that wanted me to pull away, to put distance between us because it was needed. I couldn’t remember why, and I was too tired to figure it out.
Ren was speaking from the driver’s seat when I came to. His name was familiar, as was his face. I knew him and the redheaded woman next to him, and I knew they were together. Their names and faces were like the framework of a house, but the walls and the floors and everything in-between hadn’t been installed.
“How bad?” Ren asked.
The arm around my shoulder tightened and then relaxed. “Bad.”
“Did she say she killed him?” Ivy asked. “I heard that, right?”
“You did,” Caden answered as a weird feeling started in my toes. It wasn’t exactly unpleasant, more like a low burning that reminded me of a sunburn.
“Damn,” muttered Ren. “Well, now we know why Dumb and Dumber hadn’t seen him.”
Dumb and Dumber? Wasn’t that…wasn’t that an old movie? The burning crept up my calves.
“They said they hadn’t seen him in four days,” she said. “Could she have been down there alone?”
“She’s been gone for almost two month
s,” Ren said, and a flicker of surprise scuttled through me. Had it really been that long? I’d stopped counting after day forty-eight. How many days had I missed in the beginning? “I can’t believe we found her after all of this time.”
“She had to think…” Ivy trailed off, and then she spoke again. “Did you see her? Her skin?”
“I saw.” Caden’s voice hardened.
“That sick bastard—” She cut herself off. “I’m glad she killed him. I hope she made it hurt in the worst ways.”
“I’m not glad she did,” Caden stated.
The uncertainty returned. Why wouldn’t he be glad? They were enemies, and I knew that Aric had done things to Caden—horrible things to people the King cared about. He was going to use Caden to return… I lost track of the thoughts, my mind seeming to power down like a shut-off button had been pressed.
Caden didn’t reply to that, and then I must’ve faded out for a few moments because when I came to, the burning sensation had reached my shoulders, and I didn’t like it. I squirmed as it reached my throat.
“Hey,” Caden’s voice was soft in the darkness. “It’s okay. We’re almost there.”
It wasn’t okay. The heat swept over my head and then my skin turned prickly as if a million pins and needles began dancing over my flesh. “It hurts,” I told him, opening my eyes. “My…skin.”
Caden shifted me slightly, and his face came into fuzzy view. “It’s your temperature rising.”
I tried to untangle my arms in an attempt to push the blanket off.
“Don’t.” His arm curled, keeping the throw around me as he placed his palm on my forehead. I flinched. “You need to keep the blanket on.”
“It’s hot,” I whispered, stretching out my leg. Pain flared all along my skin and sank deep into the muscles. I gasped. “It hurts.”
He made a sound in the back of his throat. “I know. I’m sorry, baby. I am, but you have to keep the blanket on. You’re still not warm enough.”
The Summer King Bundle: 3 Stories by Jennifer L. Armentrout Page 31
