by Linsey Hall
“The only place I could possibly get the information is in Grimrealm.”
Cass’s skin paled. “Mordaca…”
“Yeah, I’m not super pleased about going myself.” Not only did I not want to face my past or my aunt, the last time I’d been there had been hell. I’d been abducted and held prisoner, while poisoned.
To say the place was full of bad memories was an understatement.
“I’m not going to tell Aeri I’m going. I don’t want her to try to come. It’s too dangerous. But my aunt…”
“If you’re not back in twenty-four hours, I’ll come after you.”
I loved that she just got me. It was a good friendship when your friends instinctively knew you were requesting a possible rescue mission. And going to face my aunt, who’d kept me prisoner for years, definitely might necessitate a rescue mission.
“I’m going with you,” Tarron said.
I looked up at him. “Okay.”
I wouldn’t look help in the mouth—not given where we were going. And we really should stick together until we got to the Unseelie Court.
I prayed that Aunt would know where it was. I’d never known what kind of supernatural she was supposed to be because she hadn’t used magic ever. Aeri and I had theorized that she had none. It was why she’d been so obsessed with forcing Aeri and me to become powerful Dragon Bloods. She’d wanted to use our magic for her own ends.
But maybe she’d been Fae all along. Either she ‘d been kicked out of the Unseelie homeland, or she didn’t like it there.
I swallowed bile and repressed a shudder.
I had to go back to Grimrealm and face my aunt and uncle.
I’d said I’d do anything to fix what I’d broken, and the universe was cashing in on that.
Cass squeezed my hand. “You’ll be fine. You’re stronger now.”
I nodded, making sure not to meet Tarron’s gaze. He didn’t know about my past, and I didn’t want him to. That horrible part of my life was a secret. I’d felt weak then. Powerless.
I’d never feel like that again. And part of that meant keeping the secret.
“You’ve been awake far too long,” Cass said. “I can see it on your face. Feel it in your magic. You have to rest, if only for a few hours. Then go to Grimrealm and get your answers. If your aunt can’t tell you exactly where it is, bring that info back to me and I can probably find it. I just need a bit more to go on.”
“I don’t have time to rest,” I said.
“You don’t have a choice, dude. Not only are you tired, but your magic is depleted. I’ve got a good feel for these things. You need that magic, or you’re screwed.”
Damn it, she might be right. Magic wasn’t infinite. We had to rest to replenish.
“Do we even have time?” I asked. “That chasm is huge.”
“It is under control, for now. The Order and Council are working hard on it. I’m headed back there soon.”
“Fine.” I nodded. “A few hours. Thank you for your help.”
“Anytime.”
We departed quickly, and as I stepped into the street, exhaustion tugged at me. I was used to a nocturnal schedule, but after being hit by that demon’s strange electric magic, I did need to rest. If only for a moment.
“We’ll go to my place.” I looked at Tarron. “I assume you’re coming with me?”
He nodded. “This will work well. While you try to master your magic in the Unseelie Court, I’ll try to learn why they invaded us in the first place. And punish them.”
“Two birds with one stone. How convenient.” If only it weren’t my life we were talking about.
He gave me a look that I couldn’t interpret, and I shrugged it off and held out my hand. “Want a ride?”
He gripped my palm and I transported us to my street in Darklane.
I led him toward my house, taking the steps two at a time. I disengaged the protective charm on the house and led him to my apartment. He knew all my other secrets, so why not this one? I’d already gotten his blood oath that he wouldn’t reveal any information that would hurt me and Aeri, and I wanted to keep an eye on him.
I led him into the cluttered, colorful apartment, wondering how it looked through his eyes. It certainly didn’t look like the me that he was familiar with. I knew how I appeared to the outside world—cold, hard, scary, and very fond of black.
This was colorful and warm.
I glanced at him, catching a look of surprise on his face as he took in the living room couch covered in colorful pillows and the painting that was all bright splashes of color. A basket of knitting sat next to the end table, a project I’d been working on for about six years. In all that time, I’d only knitted about ten ugly rows of a scarf.
It wasn’t so much that I liked knitting but that I wanted to like knitting. So I kept it there, occasionally poking at it but mostly just leaving it sitting. I called it my hobby but it never really went anywhere. I should probably just start collecting antique weapons instead.
“You can sleep on the couch,” I said.
“How generous.”
“Well, there’s only one bed, and I know how you feel about that.”
Heat flashed in his eyes, followed by cold.
Yeah, this guy was a trip.
He wanted me—he couldn’t help it, I was his fated mate—but he didn’t want to want me. Not once he’d learned what I was.
But boy, from the look in his eyes, did he want me.
I shivered, then forcefully shoved any hot thoughts away.
I never had guests, but I understood the theory of hosting. I should offer him water or the bathroom or something.
Instead, I turned from him and went to the bedroom. Despite the desire that flashed between us, we were primarily a ticking timebomb of animosity and distrust. And hurt. He was cold--driven by his need for vengeance, and he’d do anything to get it. I couldn’t trust anything he said when that was his primary motivator. And I was hiding the truth about my mother. He could probably sense that I was lying about something, even if it wasn’t what he thought it was.
So yeah, bad combo all around.
Quickly, I stripped out of my fight wear and climbed into bed, wearing just panties and a tank top. It was more than I normally wore, but I wasn’t about to sleep naked in the same apartment as Tarron.
Cass had been right, though. I was exhausted.
As soon as my head hit the pillow, sleep crept in at the edges of my mind.
I couldn’t help but think about Aeri, who was still busy with the Council of Demon Slayers, trying to keep the chasm from swallowing more of the town. Should I tell her where I was going tomorrow?
No.
I’d be going to confront Aunt.
Normally, we’d have each other’s backs no matter what. But I didn’t want to put her in that position. She shouldn’t have to ever see her again. So I’d sneak away.
Face Grimrealm alone.
It was my last thought before sleep took me and the dreams came. Memories of being locked up in the cellar with Aeri. Without Aeri.
Aunt’s face leering through the bars as she commanded me to cut into my veins and create new magic.
We’d risked everything to escape there, smuggled out in barrels by the Council of Demon Slayers. It had been my magic that had allowed us to make contact with them and arrange our escape.
But sometimes, especially in dreams, it felt as if we’d never made it out at all. I was back there in my nightmares, on the cold stone floor in a ragged dress, trying to see through the dark as I dragged a blade across my skin.
“More,” Aunt hissed, her pale face gleaming with a demonic light.
“No.” It took all my courage to say the words.
“More,” she demanded. “Or I’ll hurt Aeri.”
Fear sliced through me. She’d do it. I knew she would. She’d done it before.
“Don’t,” I begged.
“Then more.”
I dug the knife deeper, letting the blood
flow. Aunt wanted me to make a new, permanent magic. The kind that would change my signature forever. Too much of this and the whole world would be able to sense what I was.
I knew what that meant.
Too much of this and I’d be hunted like a dog.
Except, I already lived worse than a dog.
“More!” The light in Aunt’s eyes shone brightly. Too brightly. “Two is better than one.”
Fear spiked within me.
The lock on the door turned.
“No,” I whispered.
The door slammed open, and Aunt stepped through, dragging Aeri.
“No!” I screamed.
And I kept screaming, unable to stop.
4
“Shhhh, shhhh. It’s okay.”
I jerked awake to the sound of a soothing voice and strong arms wrapped around me. My mind was completely blank for a moment—I had no idea who was talking or where I was—but I knew I felt comfort.
I collapsed against the warm, strong chest of the man who held me, gasping as the memories faded. My mind ran from the nightmares. All I could feel was strong, warm arms wrapped around me.
Protected.
It just felt right, whatever this was. Like our souls were joined.
The room was dark, shadowed. The streetlamps from outside cast a golden slash of light through the room.
My heartbeat slowed, the fear disappearing.
His scent wrapped around me, drawing me deeper. And things changed. Desire flared, impossible to resist. It stirred in Tarron, too. Somehow, I could feel it. The mate bond joined us. My breathing grew short. All I could focus on was the feel of him. His strong arms, broad chest, hot skin.
The world shrunk to just us.
I lifted my head, unable to help myself. There was just enough light to illuminate his face. His eyes met mine. He’d begun to shift, desire turning his eyes dark. Fangs would appear any minute. Maybe even the silver horns that swept back along his skull. A reluctant sounding groan was torn from his throat.
Like he wanted to fight it, but couldn’t.
Unable to help himself, his head dipped to mine.
I rose to meet him.
His lips met mine, lush and skilled. He was like a beast uncaged, unable to get enough of me. I clung to him as he ravished my mouth, his strong hands holding me tight to him. He nipped at my lips, then soothed with his tongue.
My head spun as I touched every hard inch of him that I could reach. Shoulders, arms, back. I wanted to yank off my clothes and pull him down on top of me. His hands ran up underneath my shirt, and I shivered.
Yes.
A crack of thunder burst outside, and I jumped, pulling back from Tarron.
Panting, I met his gaze. His jaw was still tight with desire. His now black eyes flashed and his silver horns came out from above his temples and swept back along his skull.
Holy fates, what was I doing?
There were a million reasons this was a bad idea, and I hadn’t thought of one of them.
I’d woken from the nightmare, and he’d been here for me. Comforting me.
And it had immediately turned into the hottest kiss of my life.
We couldn’t touch each other without it turning into more.
Shaking, I dragged a hand through my hair and tried to get ahold of myself.
“Are you all right?” he asked, concern in his rough voice. Reluctance. As if he didn’t want to worry about me, but he did. He felt compelled to take care of me.
I shivered. It was weird, but I liked it.
I just wanted him to want to do it.
“Just a dream. No big deal.” That dream had been a doozy, tearing me up inside. Probably brought on by my fear of going to Grimrealm. And by the lack of control I felt over my magic. Being in Grimrealm had made me feel out of control, too.
I scooted back on the bed, then leaned against the headboard.
“It seemed like a big deal,” he said.
“It wasn’t.”
He gave me a skeptical look. “Was it about your childhood?”
How was he so insightful? “Maybe. How’d you guess?”
“When you mentioned your aunt earlier, you stiffened.”
I shrugged. “She was a bitch.” I looked at the clock, realizing that it’d been four hours. Shit. I shoved at him, trying to ignore the firmness of his muscles beneath my hand and how touching him made my heart leap. “Come on. We need to go.”
He nodded and stood. Neither of us mentioned the kiss. We’d both lost our minds. But when he left, my gaze lingered on him a little too long as he strode back to the living room.
I scrambled out of bed, determined to get out of here quickly. Not just because Magic’s Bend needed saving from my screwup, but because I didn’t want to run into Aeri and tell her where I was going. She’d probably be checking in any moment, and I needed to be well on my way.
I raced into the shower and scrubbed up in three minutes flat. It wasn’t a great job, but I was mostly clean and my makeup was all gone. When I climbed out, I went to the mirror and stared into the steamy surface.
My disguise was gone.
I’d stay like this, since I was going to face Aunt.
No way she’d get to see my Mordaca look. It had started as a disguise meant to hide me from her if she ever left Grimrealm—and it still was, to some extent—but it was also me. It was the me I’d created from the ashes of my old life—a scary, stone-cold bitch who lived life as she pleased.
I was still that person without the makeup and hair, but I didn’t want Aunt seeing that part of me. It was mine. I’d gone to Grimrealm in that disguise earlier this year, but then, I’d been intending to hide from Aunt while I was there, not seek her out.
Now, I’d be going right into the lion’s den. I wanted to be able to return to earth and put it all on and know that it was still mine. That she’d never see it.
So, barefaced it was. I slicked my hair back in a simple ponytail and put on my black leather fight wear. While standing in front of the mirror, I did a simple glamour to make it bright red.
I pursed my lips and tilted my head.
Hmmmm. Still a bit boring.
So I made my hair red, too, using the same glamour spell. It was a brilliant fire engine color to match the suit. I had a friend in Edinburgh who dressed like this—Melusine—and I liked the look.
Ready to go, I went to the living room.
Tarron was dressed, and he turned to face me. His eyes widened. “That’s a change.”
“It was time for one.”
“It doesn’t have anything to do with the fact that you’re going to face your aunt?”
I shrugged, not liking how close to the truth he was getting, then went to the kitchen. I popped a butterscotch hard candy into my mouth as I walked. “We need food.”
He followed me, and I rummaged through the fridge, finding two cold bacon sandwiches. Leftovers from takeout yesterday. As far as I was concerned, bacon was the perfect food, even if it was cold. I had that in common with Burn.
I handed Tarron one, then strode toward the door. “We can drive to the entrance to Grimrealm. I’d like to save the magic instead of transporting.”
“It’s not far?”
“It’s too close, in fact.” I chomped on the sandwich as I went to my workshop and found two potions that would make our magic reek as if we were evil, along with a powerful truth serum. Last, I grabbed two long black cloaks from the closet. I swallowed the last bite of sandwich and handed him a small vial of blue liquid that would make him stink like a true Grimrealmer. “We’re going to Grimrealm, where only the evilest supernaturals live. Your magical signature will make you stand out like a sore thumb”—it didn’t smell or feel nearly bad enough—“so drink that to make you blend in. And wear the cloak if you like. Most people do, down there.”
“No one wants to be known, then?”
“Nope. Not even to each other. The Order of the Magica doesn’t do much down there, but they know it exists.
They could toss those folks in jail for all number of dark magic crimes if they really wanted.”
I uncorked the vial. I had a very slight dark magic signature myself—a bit fishy, but nothing terrible—which was a legacy of my upbringing in Grimrealm. It wasn’t enough to allow me to pass as a local down there.
I swigged down the potion in the vial, gagging slightly at the sour taste, then shivered as I felt the magic change inside me.
I smelled of very rotten fish and a dumpster full of old gym socks. Tarron wasn’t much better.
He grimaced. “I don’t see how they live like this.”
I shrugged, then swirled the cloak on. “I don’t want to know.”
He draped the black cloak over his shoulders, and I led him out of the house and to the side alley where I stored my baby—a Mustang Shelby GT500, complete with a super loud engine and a glittering black paint job. It’d been enchanted to only turn on at my touch, and I climbed inside and made the magic happen. It roared to life.
Tarron slid into the passenger seat. “This is quite the vehicle.”
“A bit different than the carriages in your realm.” I winked and pulled out onto the street. I quite liked the carriages, actually. But I’d always like my baby the best.
I drove us through Magic’s Bend, heading toward the Historic District where the entrance to Grimrealm was located. It was far too close to Darklane for my comfort.
To distract myself, I asked, “Do you come to earth often?”
He nodded. “As often as I can.”
“Not satisfied in your Court?”
He hesitated, and I glanced over, spotting indecision on his face.
“What is it?” I asked.
“I never wanted to be king.” The words were stiff, but I could hear pain at the edges.
“Because you loved your brother.” It was easy to forget that about him when I was busy being pissed that he hated my species. The Unseelie had done worse than kill his brother. They’d created the circumstances where Tarron’s efforts to save his brother had actually killed him.
“Because I loved my brother, and that was his role.” He nodded. “He was a good king, until the Unseelie Fae sent their magic to my realm and polluted his mind.”
I nodded, my heart hurting for all he’d gone through. If that had been me and Aeri, I’d be a puddle of goo on the ground, never able to move again.
