A Fury was not meant to have such intense feelings.
The man above her was tugging at the untamed part of her that normally lay dormant. Now it was throwing itself against her walls, desperate to reveal her bare soul under his heavy silver gaze.
She wanted to give him what little she had.
All the emotional turmoil she had experienced in the last week had her almost suffering whiplash. One moment she wished to drive her blade through his chest - the next she wanted to make love to him until the mountains shook with their ecstasy.
His lips crashed against hers, his body radiated heat, thrumming with desire that matched her own. Her hands slid around to his back, to muscles which felt as if they were made from steel beneath his skin. Her fingertips skimmed lower.
Then she felt them.
Large, violently raised scars upon his back.
Sucking in a startled breath, Arii’s fingers traced the imperfection, the large ridges of impossibly long puckered flesh that ran from the middle of his back, down to just below the belt of his breeches.
Elijah turned impossibly still above her, his lips hovering over hers as his breath fluttered across her face.
“Wh… What happened to you?” she whispered, inhaling her horror, unable to hide the tremor in her voice. Her hand traced the other side of his back, feeling similar violent scars.
His voice was soft, deep as he whispered, “I… I am unsure. I have had them for as long as I can remember. My memory of my past is hazy at best.”
He did not remember anything before Colleen had found him in the woods near Amberbourne. She swallowed and continued to trace his scars, her fingertips feather light, causing him to shudder above her.
“Show them to me,” she exhaled, her voice but a whisper.
Hesitantly, Elijah pulled back from her, and the expression on his face was almost… pained.
“Please,” she said, her purple eyes glittering in the moonlight. “You don’t have to hide your scars from me, Elijah.”
He watched her for what felt like an eternity before he moved from her and stood beside the bed. She followed, sliding to stand before him as he watched her, his chest rising and falling quickly from their breathless kisses. The moon bathed his broad chest in pale light, casting shadow across his clenched jaw and hard muscles.
Slowly he turned his back to her, and the breath left her lungs at the sight of him in the mixing of moonlight and golden torchlight.
Three thick puckered tears marred the perfection of his skin, running from mid-back to just below his belt. They looked old but were still raised upon the skin as if they had been left upon him only a few months ago. No steel could have done this, no manmade weapon in existence that she could think of.
She wanted to bellow at the Gods for allowing such a horrible thing to happen to him, to mar such a perfect canvas of skin. The event that left such things on his body must have been incredibly traumatic, the pain excruciating. He had endured something truly macabre, and the haunted look in his eyes that she had witnessed seemed all the more warranted.
Slowly she brushed her fingers over the skin, tracing the ridges from pointed tip to the thicker parts of the tears.
They looked like the claw marks that riddled her jail cell in Bonemire…
Elijah’s shoulders shuddered and his head tilted back. Arii leaned in, pressing a kiss to the first scar, and then the second.
Beyond the old castle, waves crashed against the bluff, and she swore she heard thunder boom far offshore.
Little did Arii know, Elijah had never allowed anyone to touch him like this, to see the full extent of his ravaged, marred skin.
Perhaps she was not the only one changing tonight.
As soon as she placed a kiss upon the last scar, Elijah turned to face her, expression unreadable.
“Gods, you are so… unexpected.” he whispered. His eyes danced over her face, and she wondered how he could look upon her with such rapt awe.
“Forgive me, Elijah… I never meant for any of this to happen.”
His head tilted as his expression changed to confusion.
She continued, gesturing between them. “I’m an assassin – not meant to feel, not meant to think. Everything I have been through this last month has shattered years of training. I’m…”
Elijah’s fingers lifted to her lips, his other hand slid around her waist as he said, “You’re apologising for feeling emotion?” When she swallowed and glanced away, his fingers pinched her chin, bringing her gaze back to him. “Never apologise for how you feel. It is part of being…” he paused, brows narrowing.
“Human?” she finished, lips parting with a low breath. “I’m not human, Elijah.”
He blinked slowly, eyes roving her face. “Perhaps Fae can feel with an intensity that surpasses that of human emotion. You have all just forgotten how…”
She smiled at that, before his lips were on hers again in a far softer, far tender kiss that had her heart fluttering and her toes curling. His kiss was almost hesitant. His fingers traced her jawline, then the shell of her ear. For a warrior, his touch was so incredibly gentle. He had seen her in action, he knew she did not need delicate treatment like a virgin - and yet, he handled her like she was made of glass.
For just a moment, she felt herself believing that his words could indeed be true.
Gods in the skies above, she had become totally and utterly tangled up in something she swore would never touch her ice-cold heart. The muscle was thundering in her chest, adrenaline coursing through her body as if she were about to stride onto a battlefield.
She needed him like the breath in her lungs.
“I’ll kill whatever did that to you…” she breathed, palms pressing against his chest – needing to feel his solid heartbeat – needing to know that he was truly here before her and not a mirage. The deep reverberation of his dark chuckle rumbled beneath her fingers, his lips brushing the tip of her ear, then her neck. His lips met hers again, the tug drawing upon her heart more forcefully now. Her nails pressed into his flesh, and she felt his hand splay on her lower back, pressing her against him.
A knock sounded at the door and Arii stifled a groan of frustration.
Were they destined to be constantly interrupted?
Their foreheads touched, and Elijah sighed deeply. Her hand curled over his as it cupped her cheek, their eyes closed and breaths combining as they stood in heated silence. Their heavy breathing was the only sound between them, and she wondered if he could hear the steady staccato of her heart, the air thick and humming with energy and desire. She could smell it – taste it upon the salt flecked air.
Elijah moved from her reluctantly, eyes fixed on her before breaking away and dipping to retrieve his tunic.
He was pulling it over his shoulders and buckling the front when Nem entered the room.
The Fury paused, a look of suspicion on her face as her gaze slid from Arii - swollen lipped beside the cot - to Elijah.
“I’d get your arse back to Viridya before your absence becomes truly suspicious,” she said to him.
Silver hair flashed, and she was gone just as quickly as she had appeared.
A long, shuddering breath escaped Arii’s lips.
What an absolute mood kill.
“She is right,” Elijah said, his voice hoarse. He wanted to finish this just as much as she did, but she knew that now was not the time.
Now was not their time.
She felt her heart squeeze with anguish.
He must have noticed the look in her eyes, for his expression softened in the moonlight. “I dare say we will finish this later, but I do not know when I will see you again. I must return to Viridya and warn the King.”
He was right, and the longer they spent together now, the further the darkness within the de
pths of Bonemire would spread. Arii’s throat constricted, but she shoved some of her fire to the surface.
“Perhaps I will come find you, we aren’t done talking, Wolfe.” Her voice came out far stronger than how she felt inside. She had always been so strong, so sure.
Now, she wanted to clutch the man and not let him go.
The thought was so foreign to her that she paused, biting her bottom lip.
His lips curled at her words, and she was almost knocked over by the beauty of his half-smile. Gently, his hand slid around her waist, drawing her body against his once more for a deep, passionate kiss.
Not wanting the moment to end, her hands slid into his hair again, curling in the dark mass of his hair.
Elijah’s mouth dropped to her neck, and she took a swift intake of breath as her palms brushed the top of his ears - just as his teeth grazed her flesh.
His ears were delicately pointed.
His teeth against her skin, canines elongated.
Had they been before? Her mind was suddenly hazy.
As if in a dream, his hand passed her cheek, fingers threading in her hair – but not before she saw evidence of burns on his palms. In her pained daze during their escape from Bonemire, she now recalled Elijah attempting to pull the manacles from her wrists just after they had found her, burning his hands in the process.
As they parted and Elijah retrieved his sword, Arii could only hear the buzzing of bees in her ears. She forced a smile through the weight and revelation as he lifted his hood, glancing at her one last time before sweeping from the room.
His unbelievable strength, his deadly swiftness, the way the air seemed to become heavy around him as if his emotion were a tangible thing.
Her heart almost stopped as puzzle pieces slid together.
Elijah was a Fae.
~~~
“I guess we should be grateful for the King’s personal guard for returning you to us in one piece, Violet Assassin. Grateful so we can kill you ourselves!”
Klotho’s face was a careful mask of fury, her tone underlined with disapproval.
Arii kneeled before the dais, the Tapestry of Life glimmering behind their ornately carved chairs, looming over them as if to bear witness to her damnation. She kept her head bowed, the thick locks of her hair hanging like two curtains over her shoulders.
“Forgive me,” she muttered.
What else could she say? Sorry, Sisters, I think I am developing feelings? Feelings you have spent the last eighteen years ensuring I should never, ever feel?
Lakhesis’ voice sounded from the dais, the cadence soft and calm unlike her sister. “Now sisters, I’m sure she has a very good explanation.”
Etropos added quickly, her voice high pitched. “Of course! Why else would the King not be dead right now?”
Arii’s eyes lifted to the Sisters, three sets of golden eyes upon her. She slowly stood, her chin rising as she fixed her gaze on them.
“I believe my target was incorrectly identified,” she paused as the three sets of eyes began to dart amongst one another at her words. When none of their faces showed any expression, Arii felt the hairs on the back of her neck begin to stand, cold rage seeping into her bones as she growled, “You are not surprised.”
Lakhesis spoke first. “Sometimes the Gods provide… murky hints as to who they decide. It is possible that our visions may have been misconstrued.” She looked almost troubled, her fingers tapping against her lips.
Klotho’s face was hard, but her tone softened ever so slightly. “It is rare, but not unheard of. We trust you have not come to this assessment lightly?”
Arii’s nod was swift. The less she had to tell them about the finer details of her time in the castle, the better.
“Nemesis would have filled you in on what we witnessed in Bonemire, and the events leading up to my capture. Valdis Kruel is using Nexus Crystals to reanimate the dead in a bid to forge an army. He seems to believe using the crystals will somehow allow him to take the entire Kingdom by force, the other Courts included.”
Arii had never seen all three Sisters of Fate speechless before, their faces shocked and angry.
“I would say impossible, but I believe you would not lie about this, Ariiaya,” said Etropos before adding, “If what you say is true, then a darkness is about to fall upon Fythnar the likes of which has never been seen before. If Valdis finds a way to control this… army of undead, I fear our small force of Fury assassins will be no match.” Her face was drawn, her hand flying to press against her temples as she paced the dais.
“How has he powered the crystals, with magic being so scarce?” said Lakhesis. Her eyes met Etropos’.
“Perhaps this could explain the reason why all male Fae have been slowly wiped from existence. Valdis and those before him have ensured that when this army was finally risen, there would be no-one powerful enough to stop them.”
As the Sisters tossed around theories, Arii could not help but notice how quiet Klotho was. The dark-haired beauty was watching the Tapestry, her lips set in a line.
“I have a… feeling, but I need some more information before I can draw a conclusion.” Arii moved a few steps toward the dais. “What do you all know of the night the royal family was killed in Viridya Castle?”
Lakhesis’ brows rose in surprise of the sudden turn of conversation. “What has that to do with Bonemire?”
“The royal family - the Heringtons. How did they die?” Arii persisted, ignoring her question.
Lakhesis’ lips pursed before she answered, “It is said it was a band of rebel forces, intent on stealing from the castle. The royal family and their subjects were but collateral damage. I heard those rebels allowed Kryverns to infiltrate the castle, it was a bloodbath. Some seem to believe that it was not just rebels looking to steal gold, but a revolution from within the royal ranks themselves.”
A cold chill slithered down her spine as Etropos continued for her sister, her voice light as it delivered the sickening story. “The humans began to fear the Herington sons had magic. Those poor children were slaughtered in their beds on the night of Winter Solstice,” she paused, her eyes troubled. “If the stories are true, one of the sons survived the initial attack - the youngest son, Eliverus, but he was said to have been mauled to death by a Kryvern in the aftermath.” Etropos’ tongue clucked with pity.
“I need to return to the castle,” Arii suddenly said, spinning on her heel. The Sisters watched as she headed for the doors. Klotho spoke from the dais, causing Arii to pause in the doorway.
“Guard your heart, Violet Assassin. You are going to need all of your strength for what is to come. May the Gods watch over you.”
Klotho’s words sunk to the core of her, far deeper than they would have a few months ago.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Arii’s hands flew over the buckles of her horse’s saddle, securing straps with deft fingers. She had donned her fighting leathers, strapped her daggers to her hips and ensured she had enough steel on her person to take on a small army. How she was going to get into the castle unseen, she was not sure. She thought it best to move now and think later.
“Do you not think you should rest just a little longer?”
Arii peered over her shoulder to see Nem, leaning against the stone wall of the stables, expression unreadable.
“I need to get back,” Arii said simply.
Nem pushed away from the wall, to stop just a foot away. “It’s about him, isn’t it?” A pause. “Elijah.”
Arii worked in silence, feeling her friend’s eyes on her back.
When the silver haired Fury did not budge, Arii turned to face her. “What is about to be unleased from Bonemire will hit Viridya castle first. I can’t let that happen, Nem. They must be warned.”
Nem’s brows narrowed. “But Elijah would have al
ready warned them. He might be dead now for all we know, if Valdis noticed your disappearance first. They could all be dead.”
Arii’s heart jerked and her pain must have shown in her face, because Nem’s eyes widened and her expression turned to surprise. She had had a feeling, but Arii’s reaction to her crude words iced the sweetcake.
“You’re in love with him… Nyx’s tits! You’re in love with both of them!”
Silver flashed, and Nem’s back hit the wall with a violent thud as Arii’s dagger hovered over the woman’s heart. Violet eyes ablaze, teeth bared in a feral snarl, Arii pressed the metal into her best friend’s tunic.
“A Fury does not feel love!” Arii bellowed, her calm composure slipping and her reaction telling Nem the truth far better than if she had admitted it in words. Arii’s hands trembled, the fingers curled around the dagger quivered and the blade began to lower. Her eyes were fixed on Nem’s, their depths mirroring confusion and pain.
“We are not supposed to love, Ariiaya. That does not mean we cannot.”
As much as Arii wanted to deny it, as much as she wished it were not true, Arii knew that her heart was cracking in two.
Nem’s voice was gentle, but firm. “Only you know your heart, Arii. Follow it and it will lead you true. I know it’s against everything we have been taught – but if you feel you must go, then I will not stop you.”
The dagger lowered slowly; the two Assassins’ eyes locking as Arii stepped back.
“Go, and for the love of the Gods, do not die,” Nem said, inching her head in the direction of Viridya.
Arii sheathed her dagger, swiftly mounting her horse as it stamped its hooves in preparation, flanks twitching with adrenaline. Her eyes slid to her best friend, their depth dark as her expression softened.
“Thank you, Nem.”
“In what world could an assassin be a hero?” Nem laughed darkly.
Arii flashed a small smirk at her friend. “I’ll let you know when I see you next,” she called as the horse reared, shooting forward and flying through the castle gates and in the direction of Viridya, moving as if Kryverns were snapping at their heels.
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