by Rory Miles
Anakin, Micah and I share a look. They both look just as surprised as I am.
Naomi smiles weakly, mouth not fully pulling up. “You were right. Levia was up to no good.”
Verrina scowls. “Of course I was right.”
Using her first two fingers, Naomi taps Verrina’s lips. “Turn that frown upside down, I’m free.” She wipes a tear from the princess’s face.
“Naomi, I hate to break up the whatever-this-is, but you need to level up.”
“Level up?” She laughs. “That’s one way to put it. V?”
Verrina shakes her head, smiling ruefully. “You’re lucky I love you.”
When their lips lock in an all-too-familiar way, I look over at Draven to give them privacy. “How are you feeling? Once she’s refueled, can you take us to Jasper’s?”
The two vampires and snake demon are sitting at the breakfast bar, watching, listening. I wonder if even they can sense the bond between Draven and me; the fae shadows flutter around in my stomach, anxiously wanting to smother them for making me uncomfortable.
My Unseelie fae nods. “I’m good to go.”
Remembering my promise to the sylph, I say, “Lietta will be joining us, is that all right?”
Draven quirks a brow and one of his dimples pops out when he coughs out a laugh. “Lietta? Where on Gaia’s Earth did you meet her?”
A small fist taps on the window. I smirk and go open it for the sylph. “I rescued her from a particularly irksome demon.”
Blood paints her face, and she has a manic looks in her eyes. “He won’t be bothering anyone anytime soon.”
“Did you kill him?” I ask, placing my hands on my hips. “That was an awful idea.”
Micah unbuttons his suit-jacket sleeves and rolls them up. “Devil, Carni will be pissed.”
“Yes, well, it’s not like she can exact revenge for her lover while in exile,” Anakin says to Micah.
I hear Vicki gasp and whisper to Amelia about Carnivea’s exile.
Lietta flies to Draven and bows low. “My Lord.”
Draven narrows his eyes slightly. “Lietta, last I heard you were firmly with Lord Coro.”
“The Seelie Lord of Wind did not save me.”
“Neither did I,” he comments, darting a look to me. “Shera’s the one you should be bowing to.”
Lietta considers me, tilting her head. “Mother Faerie has accepted her as yours. A succubus and Lord of Shadows. What a powerful match.” When she bows to me, I look at Draven for some sort of indication on how to respond. He shrugs, and gestures at the sylph.
“Uh, yes, thank you, Lietta. Mother Faerie is kind.”
Lietta lifts her head. “She must like you then, if you consider her kind. Our mother can be just as vicious as her Unseelie fae.”
“Devil, I was famished.” Naomi groans and stretches her arms overhead. “Thanks for saving me.”
“Always,” I say, taking in her now-glowing cheeks. “You look better.”
Verrina’s sitting next her on the couch, a dopey smile covering her face. Naomi wraps an arm around her waist. “Demon princess does the body good.”
I laugh. “They do taste wonderful.”
“We should go,” Draven says, coming over and helping them up from the couch. “I hope you both like hugs.”
Naomi looks at me and wiggles her eyebrows. “I do love a good succubus sandwich.”
Verrina slaps her arm. “Stop flirting with her, you two would start the apocalypse.”
“Don’t tempt me,” I joke, pulling Draven close. “Take me home, fae bae.”
“You need to stop with that, it sounds ridiculous.” Draven’s little smile tells me he isn’t entirely serious, so I decide to keep the nickname.
Lietta stands on the windowsill. “Do I have My Lady’s permission to enter the land of shadows?”
Draven nods and smiles when I check with him first. “Yes, Lietta. Go to the castle, Sewyn will be there.”
Lietta dips her head. “Sewyn is my cousin, it has been many years since I’ve last seen her. Thank you, My Lady.”
All the demons in the room let out a small gasp when she disappears into thin air.
“Sylphs,” Draven explains, “are creatures of air.”
Vicki asks, “She can travel through the air?”
“More than that, she’s one with the air. It’s hers to command.” Draven gestures her, Amelia and the snake demon over to us. Vicki glares at the snake, and goes out of her way to stand far away from him.
“What about the shadows?” I ask as Anakin and Draven wrap their arms around my shoulders. The nine of us join together in what has to be the largest demon group hug. Draven’s fae, but still, when else have eight demons willingly hugged one another?
“Shadows can be moved by air, but no sylph has ever commanded them.”
Hm. Interesting.
“Not that I don’t love a good hug,” Verrina says, “but can we go?”
“Who’s driving?” Naomi asks, finally realizing the hug is part of the transportation plan.
I shoot Draven an amused look. “Nobody scream.”
The snake demon hisses, and Micah and Verrina grip his arms tightly, refusing to let him run.
When the shadows crowd around us, Naomi squeaks, “What. The. Fuck.”
“No screaming,” I remind her. “Just relax.”
“That’s literally impossible when these things are crawling over my—”
The jump cuts off her words.
“Welcome home, babe!” Jasper winks at me, takes in the two starving vampires, and swivels his head back to me.
“More strays?”
Shrugging, I say, “I couldn’t leave them behind. Do you mind helping them find some food?” I mimic fangs so he knows what sort of food I’m referring to.
Beelzebub, Anakin, and Micah all laugh at that.
Flashing me a real set of fangs, Vicki stands tall as my vampire friend approaches her.
“Victoria.” She extends her hand elegantly, like she’s a royal, and Jasper grips it in his hand, bowing low and kissing it.
He does the same with Amelia, like any proper male vampire would, before taking them to find their next meal. The snake demon is hiding in the corner, glaring as we settle into the living room, which is way too small for the lot of us.
Beelzebub sits next to me, stiffening when he gets a good whiff of what I’m packing. His hand rests heavily on my thigh, fingers tightening possessively. His actions are partly driven by our unconsummated claiming, but the rest is all thanks to my demon period. If we don’t do something about the consummation soon, he’ll get grumpy.
“What next?” Verrina asks me after a few minutes of silence.
“Once the vampires are fed, we need to leave Earth.”
“Where’s Dante?” Naomi asks, brows furrowing together with concern. “He was with you last time I saw you.
“He’s in Faerie.”
A small gasp escapes her lips and Verrina grabs her hand. “I’m sure he’s fine.”
Come to think of it, I didn’t warn him against Lady Thana. It never crossed my mind with the shadows and Naomi’s capture. Devil, I hope he’s all right.
“We’ll find out soon enough,” Draven says, grimacing as he peeks through the blinds.
Beelzebub, who’s been mostly quiet since smelling me, removes his hand from my thigh and struts over to the window. He growls when he sees whatever Draven saw. “Berith is here.”
The snake demon hisses at the mention of Berith.
Peachy.
“We can’t leave without Jasper and the vampires.”
“We don’t really have the luxury of waiting,” Verrina says. “How many men did the prince bring?”
Beelzebub glances out of the window again, using a thick finger to part the blinds. “Seven. One is Gressil.”
Draven asks who that is and Micah explains he’s the prince of violence.
“I can try to distract them?” Anakin offers.
�
�No!” I cringe when I realize I’ve shouted. “I mean, no. We can’t risk it. Jasper will be back soon, it shouldn’t take them long.”
“He’ll never make it past them.” Beelzebub turns to Draven. “Can you shadow jump them when they arrive? The jinni and I will distract Berith.”
“We will?” Micah asks, glancing at Anakin who doesn’t pay him any mind as he says, “We’ll be happy to help.”
“Shera, you stay with Naomi, Verrina and our snake friend.”
I nod, letting Beelzebub know I’m game. He comes over to me, drops a kiss on my lips, and turns to the jinni. “Don’t take too long to say goodbye. We go out in thirty seconds.”
Micah gets to me first and gives me a teasing kiss, biting my lower lip and kissing it. “I’ll be back.”
Anakin steps up, pulling his hands from his pockets and burying them in my hair. Opening my mouth with his tongue, he kisses me stupid.
“Stay safe, sweet succubus.”
I watch as the three of them exit Jasper’s front door. Draven opens the blinds so he can look out, not at all pretending to hide. His fingers twitch against his leg.
A shift in the energy surrounding has me standing and crossing to the window.
Berith has dropped his glamour, his skin turning red and the horn at the center of his forehead appearing in place of the human-looking version of himself.
Beelzebub’s leathery wings flick out, passing through the small slits in his black tank top, and the air around him glows green. I’m so distracted by their shifting that I don’t notice Jasper, Vicki and Amelia arrive.
Draven does, though, and one second he’s standing next to me and the next he’s scooping the three of them up like sacks of potatoes and they all disappear.
The three-second show has provided enough distraction for Beelzebub and my jinni to run back inside before Berith and his goons can stop him. I hear the prince shout at them as they slam the door close and lock it. Anakin rushes into the kitchen, rips the refrigerator from its place and carries it to the door, lodging it against it.
“We don’t have much time.” He’s not even out of breath. “This won’t hold them back but for a moment.”
“Everyone, come here.” I gesture them over. When all but the snake demon listen, I say, “We won’t be coming back for you if you choose to stay. I don’t know what Carnivea did to you, but I promise you I will not harm you.”
Berith’s arm punches through the door. Naomi looks at me, eyes wide and full of fear.
Draven still hasn’t returned. He should have reappeared by now. Given the time difference, he’s had plenty of time to drop them off. Something must be wrong.
“Everyone, hang on to one another and don’t let go.” Stepping back from the circle, I hit the lights and the room darkens.
“Shera, what are you doing?” Beelzebub’s question is filled with warning. “You can’t shadow jump us.”
“Well I’m going to damn well try, now hold tight.”
Micah squeezes my hand. “You’ve got this. Focus, breathe, and let that glamour down.”
Nodding, I do just that. Everyone except Naomi inhales; she’s immune to my powers.
I close my eyes, picturing the night patio and a hundred shadows coming to me to help me jump from Earth to Faerie. Next, I feel for the part of me that’s connected to Draven and Mother Faerie, and once I feel the bond, I push all of my power toward it. Night patio, shadows, Draven, Mother Faerie.
“It’s working,” Verrina says.
I block it all out, building the shadows I’ve pulled around me into something stronger by connecting my own shadows to them. Once they join, something changes and the technicolor vortex yanks us from Earth.
Berith burst through the door at the same time, and I sense the snake demon lunging for him. The prince’s shout of pain chases us to Faerie.
Chapter Twenty-One
Somewhere during transport, I lose control of the shadows and we all end up slamming down onto the night patio. I grunt, and push up off the ground. A breeze tickles my buttcheek and I pull down my dress. Note to self, don’t shadow jump in babydoll dresses.
“I’ll work on the landing,” I promise the others as I sweep my gaze over the yard and patio. As far as I can tell, which isn’t very far given the ever-present shadows, we are alone out here.
Verrina is on top of Anakin, and Naomfi’s twisted up in her legs. Beelzebub and Micah are both flat on their backs and winded.
“That was by far the worst thing I’ve ever experienced,” the curvy succubus says, unwinding her legs and stumbling to a stand. “How did you do that?” She brushes out her long hair, straightening the wayward strands.
“She’s given a fae vow to the Lord of Shadows,” Anakin says once Verrina rolls off of him. “The shadows came with the binding promise.”
Naomi frowns. “Remind me what a fae vow is again?”
Micah sits up. “Fae vows are unbreakable, unless the person who gave the vow releases the other.”
I continue, “And the fae vow can be a life bond like the claiming, offering one protection and companionship from other fae, or something more practical like a promised favor.”
“Basically,” Beelzebub grunts as he stands, “it’s a contract.” The floating lights on the night patio flicker and make his arm bands shine.
“So, Draven made a life bond to you?”
I nod. “It was necessary. Lady Thana of the Hunt came for me.”
“Who?” Verrina asks.
“She’s from the Court of Dead.”
Naomi scowls at me. “You left Dante here by himself?”
I sigh. “There wasn’t a better option, not with you already taken. I couldn’t risk Levia finding him.”
At my reminder, the scowl softens. “Thank you for taking care of him.”
“You’re welcome.”
Everyone freezes when Lietta flies straight at me like a bullet, stopping just an inch from my face. “My Lady, we have guests.”
“Who?” I ask, knowing she isn’t referring to the ones I brought with me.
“Lady Mara from Court of Nightmares.”
Fucking hell on wheels. Can there be no breaks?
“Draven is with her, I presume?”
She dips her head. “Apologies, My Lady. We must hurry.”
“What’s happening?” Naomi asks me as we follow Lietta’s purple hair through the halls of Draven’s castle.
“Faerie does not like demons. I’m guessing Lady Mara doesn’t either.”
Lietta leads us to a grand room, one I’ve never seen before but I’d be hard pressed to forget it now. A thousand candles hover at least eight feet in the air, covering all of the open space.
Draven’s sitting regally in the darkest throne I’ve ever seen and shadows writhe all over the black chair. He’s three steps up from the main floor and centered in the middle of a curving platform.
Next to him sits a smaller throne that’s empty.
Down on the main floor stands a woman with the whitest hair I’ve ever seen. She’s petite, pale, and her brilliant hair brushes the small of her back. The smile she wears doesn’t make me forget who she is.
I stop at the point of our group; the others have fanned out on either side of me, making us a unit not to be trifled with.
Off to the side, a small bench holds Jasper, Vicki, and Amelia. They all look confused, if not a bit annoyed. Out of my peripheral vision, I see Naomi’s body tense when she doesn’t find Dante.
Draven sweeps his hand toward the empty seat. “Shera, come greet our guest.”
Oh, right. Somehow I’ve become Lady of Shadows, and now I guess it’s time for me to play hostess. With all the dignity I can muster in my short dress, I climb the steps and perch on the throne. Meeting Draven’s gaze, I smile and try to act unfazed. He gives me an appreciative once-over, paying Lady Nightmares no mind.
“You look stunning sitting on that throne.”
Micah murmurs his agreement, and Anakin shoots him a lo
ok. Micah shuts his mouth and stares ahead like a good soldier. Anakin meets my gaze, letting me know he’s not forgotten what we’re dealing with. Beelzebub’s shoulders are bunched with tension and his wings have come out to play. Time to figure out if Mara is a threat.
“Aren’t you going to introduce me to our guest?”
Draven’s no longer wearing his protective charm and I wonder if my demon period has something to do with his distraction. He looks taken aback by my words, and glances at Lady Mara. I think he actually forgot she was in the room.
Ten points for Shera.
“Ah, yes. How rude of me. Shera, Lady of Shadows, meet Lady Mara of Court Nightmare.”
Not sure how to go about greeting her, I say, “Hello.” Really impressive, I know.
She dips her head but doesn’t curtsey.
Quirking a brow at Draven, I try to ask what does she want with my eyes.
“I’ve come seeking Court of Shadows’ assistance.”
Hm. Not what I expected, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t a threat.
“Oh?” I say, taking over the proceedings for whatever reason. I don’t think I’m meant to be the second in command. No, I’m beginning to think I should be the one on the big boy throne.
Draven makes no objections to my assumed role, and smiles down at Lady Mara whose brows are drawn together. “You are well aware of my life vow to Shera?”
Flicking her blond hair over her shoulder, Lady Mara says, “Of course,” before turning to address me. “I need assistance finding my father.”
Sounds like a personal problem, and not one I know how to fix.
“And what does the shadow court have to offer you for such a mission?”
Her nose wrinkles, and she says, “I can’t find his dreams. He’s hiding somewhere; if not in the shadows, then on one of the other worlds.”
“It sounds as though he does not want to be found.”
She stiffens at my words and Draven jumps in.
“Lady Mara, your father murdered your sister and mother, did he not?”
“Yes,” she seethes and her blue eyes turn wholly white. “He’ll pay for his misdeeds.”
