by Laynie Bynum
He bent and wiped the blood off his sword on Petya’s clothes. “I’m a monster, so don’t cross me.”
I watched as he strolled from my room.
Epilogue
W
onder what will happen to Amitai and Koyama? Read on in Supernatural Prison of Nightmare to learn their fate.
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Also by KIESHA THOMAS
ACADEMY OF MAGIC
THE PACT BETWEEN ANGEL & WITCHES
About the Author
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Acknowledgments
There are so many people that helped me along this journey to publish the novel. This book would not have been written without the support of my lovely mother Rose, and my loving family. Thanks so much to my wonderful editors Valorie Clifton and my proofreader. You guys are amazing.
Thank you to my father, Willie Thomas, and grandmother, Lena Ellis, who helped me discover the wonders of science fiction. A special thanks to my amazing cover designer Camila Marques. Please feel free to judge my book by her covers. Pretty please.
It has always been my life long dream since I was a little girl to become a published author. When I was little, I was able to escape the harsh realities of life through fiction.
Disgraced Fae by By Margo Ryerkerk & Holly Hook
Chapter One
With a confident smile, I rotated my wrists, pausing a bit on each fancy motion, over the greenery. Of course, the motions weren’t necessary with the use of plant magic, but they made my abilities look more effective as the lilac trees, whispering with their rapid growth, reached head height. Their trunks groaned out of their twin pots, and their leaves unfurled from tiny buds. At last, their tops reached the twenty-foot high museum ceiling, brushing the vines already there.
Gasps from the audience sounded from behind me.
I smiled. The best part of the performance was yet to come.
I held my hands up, opening my arms wide. The vampire patrons of the Magical Museum of the Plant Arts were suckers for this next stage. Wiggling my fingers, I let my warm, tingling magic flow down my arms and to the lilac trees. Clusters of colorful buds formed. Then I snapped my fingers and the lilac trees exploded into purples, whites, and yellows in a fragrant fireworks display.
Deafening applause followed from every vampire in the museum. A tingle of satisfaction ran up my spine. Whirling, I eyed the rich vampires, two dozen men and women gathered in suits and evening dresses. They crammed the cobblestone path that led through the museum and stood against the thick plants that made up the displays. Unable to go out in the daytime, vampires didn’t have many options for enjoying nature like this, hence why they hired powerful Summer fae like me to satisfy that need.
I offered a bow as the applause increased. When it died down, the vampires turned their attention from me and moved on in tight groups, chattering and surveying the other displays.
The tingle died, and I was left alone. I caught my breath and turned to my handiwork. Once I returned the plants to their normal size, pulling my magic back inside myself, a young-looking vampire separated from the group and motioned for me to come over. Gracefully, I navigated the shiny, slippery floor in my sky-high stilettos, hoping that my skin-tight, deeply V-cut suit in canary yellow didn’t suddenly burst open to reveal my breasts. Not that I had much chest or was stupid enough to forget to wear tape underneath. The last thing I needed was a fashion mishap when surrounded by sharks. The vampires loved my performances, but I still had to be careful. You had to know how to navigate their maze if you didn’t want to end up as food.
My outfit held, and I reached the vampire, still looking like a ten. I inclined my head respectfully. “Sir, you wanted to speak with me?”
The vampire had dark hair, combed back, and a narrow nose. His irises gleamed with red, a sign of bloodlust or sexual hunger, but I wasn’t worried. For the most part. My position in the museum protected me from ending up as a used blood bag like many other fae servants. Besides, he could feed off the brunette behind him, a trashy courtesan fae whose tiny black dress barely covered her crotch. He had his arm hooked around her elbow. She was tonight’s ornament and like many fae whose families had been trapped in the human world for generations, probably without magic to boot. She plastered on a fake smile and trained her dull eyes on me.
The vampire licked his lips. “Yes, I was wondering. Your name is Peony, right?”
“It is, Sir.”
He looked me up and down, his eyes narrowing in assessment. I stood completely still. Clearly, I had passed his test, because he finally nodded and continued. “As pretty as your display was, it was utterly useless when it comes to functionality. Can you create plants that, say, trap?”
I smiled pleasantly and tilted my head sideways in a non-threatening manner to show that my magic was there to serve him. “Of course. I could definitely design something more practical for you.” I batted my long eyelashes that I knew made my hazel eyes look even more appealing. “I’m sure the director of the Magical Museum of the Plant Arts would love to draw up an agreement with you.”
He nodded. “Excellent. Where is Lord Nilsson? I want to get this done as soon as possible.”
“Certainly. Let me see if I can find him for you.” I searched the dispersing throng for the museum’s director, and soon I found the tall, lanky vampire with white hair who was a poster boy for his Swedish heritage. “Excuse me. I’ll be right back.”
The vampire dismissed me with his hand and bit into his courtesan’s neck, then he slurped loudly. I tried my best to keep the polite smile on my face and not let my disgust show. She was his property. He had the right to bite her and do with her whatever he wanted. He had probably paid a nice penny for her as Lord Nilsson had for me. I had only been bitten once by Lord Nilsson when he accepted me as his servant, but that was just tradition. All vampires claimed their fae servants by biting them. Not all fae had useful plant magic like I. Many couldn’t do much but be servants, and the truly unlucky ones spent the rest of their long existence with their legs spread and their veins bleeding.
I was halfway across the room when I realized that Lord Nilsson was already hurrying toward me. With another vampire, I would’ve slowed down my pace and tried to predict whether he was about to slap me, grab me, or bite me. But my boss’s gray-blue eyes often gleamed with excitement. He might’ve been turned well into his sixties and was over two-hundred years old at this point, but he often acted like a teenager, full of ideas that he couldn’t wait to share.
“Peony!” He paused a foot away. There was urgency in his voice, but he didn’t touch me. He never did. I hadn’t seen him once with a courtesan, female or male, and guessed that Nilsson’s busy mind kept him too occupied to think about pursuits of the flesh. “Peony, I have a client who wants to see you immediately!” Nilsson’s eyes were wide like that of a five-year-old in a candy shop.
I allowed my smile to grow. “Wonderful. I too have just spoken with a potential client who’s interested in ordering plants that trap.”
Nilsson shook his head. “Who cares about trap plants?”
“But—”
“My assistant will handle him. Everyone who’s interested in an order will fill out a form.”
I knew every client was required to fill out a detailed form so
that they couldn’t complain afterward that we didn’t deliver what we had agreed on, but normally, Nilsson still took the time to talk to each of the potential buyers individually. Now, however, he motioned me to follow him. “Come to my office.”
Given his long legs and my stilettos, I was certain I would break an ankle at the speed I was dashing after him, but somehow, I reached his office at the back of the museum intact.
He paused dramatically in front of his door. “This is an amazing opportunity, Peony. I hope you understand.”
I nodded, not bothering to ask what he was talking about. Nilsson had a flare for the dramatic. He would tell me what I needed to know when he was ready. For now, he was excited about whatever idea had befallen him. Since I started working at the museum over three months ago, I had quickly learned that the muse visited Nilsson on almost a daily basis. He loved discussing his ideas, and while some turned into projects like me creating Fourth of July flowers that shot pollen out like fireworks, most of his ideas were too impractical to become reality.
But when he opened the door to his office, I didn’t find a bunch of papers strewn across his table or words scattered in his messy handwriting across the white board. Instead, I found a woman sitting on one of the fancy arm chairs. The Chanel jacket she wore was immaculate as was her pitch-black bob. Her legs were crossed, her lips were pursed, and her dark eyes stared at me with intensity.
I curtsied lowly. “Mrs. Wu, what an honor.”
I met Mrs. Wu before and while she didn’t hold a title, it didn’t mean that she was less influential than the Elite vampires who could call themselves lords and ladies. What the Wus lacked in family history, they made up with money. The Wus were stationed in Hong Kong and pretty much controlled business in all of Asia.
“Peony,” Mrs. Wu said coolly. “Your boss, Lord Nilsson, has assured me that you are the best in your field.” She stared at me as if she highly doubted that.
Tension hid in the deepest part of my gut, but I nodded, hiding the feeling. “I do my best.” I turned my gaze downward. It was best to act submissive around vampires at all times. Mother had taught me that early on. And though she appeared young, Mrs. Wu was old-school.
“I see. Well, it so happens that I might have some work for you.” Her tone remained doubtful, as if she weren’t sure about choosing me.
I glanced up, trying to look eager, even though I didn’t feel it. I had attended Nocturnal Academy with Mrs. Wu’s daughter, Mei, who was bossy and a perfectionist and whose stories about Mrs. Wu made my childhood sound like a pink, candy-filled dream. Mrs. Wu was very demanding and a stickler for perfection.
Nilsson, whose fidgety hands made it clear that he had difficulty staying silent, burst out, “Mrs. Wu needs more fae servants.”
I blinked, not understanding what this had to do with me. Certainly, he wasn’t about to sell me to her, was he? Since I had come here, I had done well. I had fulfilled every client order he gave me and brought in a lot of business for the museum.
“You see, it’s expensive to buy fae servants.” Mrs. Wu examined her perfectly manicured pastel nails. “And some of them, frankly, disappoint.”
I winced, remembering Kristen. She had been part of my squad at Nocturnal Academy and had managed to convince Mei Wu to buy her. Unfortunately, Kristen had messed up even before the night of the bidding ball was over. She was a disaster. I hadn’t heard what had become of her. Not that it mattered.
Mrs. Wu’s brown gaze was intense and the tips of her fangs showed as she spoke. “I want to produce more reliable fae servants by mating my best females with my best males.”
I took a step back and felt my face fall despite my best efforts. Mrs. Wu was talking about fae like cattle. To be fair, most vampires treated us as such, but no one had ever tried to force us to reproduce, at least not on earth, since a little bit of vampire blood could heal most of our injuries, and we lived for several centuries.
“I’m afraid I don’t understand,” I said quietly, glancing from Mrs. Wu to Nilsson, hoping he would explain how this was related to me.
Nilsson sighed. “Peony, Peony. As brilliant as you are with your plant magic, there’s really not much in here.” He tapped himself against the temple and chuckled.
I balled my hands behind my back while I imagined shooting a vine to slap him right across his smug face. Obviously, I would never do so. I wasn’t as crazy or uncontrolled as some fae. I was Peony Palmer, a full-blooded fae with amazing magic, and I had class.
Mrs. Wu picked invisible lint off her Chanel jacket. “While I have blood crystals that would compel the fae to mate, some of them find ways to resist those, and obviously, their desire to resist them would increase with each pregnancy. I need an aphrodisiac that when given to the fae makes it impossible for them not to mate with a member of the opposite sex.” Mrs. Wu finished with a nod.
I swallowed hard. So she was planning to put the two fae in a room, give them a potion, and turn them into wild, mating animals. It was sick.
“Creating an aphrodisiac shouldn’t be too hard, right?” Nilsson gave me an expectant smile.
I cleared my throat and forced myself to smile. There were several plants that could help with certain issues, but none in existence powerful enough to control fae behavior. “It will take me some time to create an aphrodisiac powerful enough to completely override their brain. I’ll need to breed several species of plants together until we get the desired result.”
“Wonderful.” Mrs. Wu stood up. “And do something for their fertility as well. I want my servants to get pregnant immediately, with twins, to minimize the costs of them being partially indisposed for nine months.” Her tone was calm and confident, like her request was the most natural thing in the world.
My stomach turned as Nilsson said, “Consider it done. Let me escort you back to the party, Mrs. Wu.”
Numbly, I followed Nilsson and Mrs. Wu out of the office, allowing myself half a minute of shock before I turned my smile back on and twirled a curl between my fingers. Unless I wanted to die a long and torturous death, my loyalty was to the vampires. I would do exactly as they asked and be pleasant at all times. That’s how Mother had survived for all those years, and that’s how I would too.
Chapter Two
“Saffron. Red ginseng,” I muttered, waving my hands around two of the potted plants that Nilsson had ordered. Both were known to be aphrodisiacs, and if I could blend both species into one, and then blend the hybrid with the stinging nettle resting on the end of the wooden table, I might have an herb strong enough for Mrs. Wu's goals. Stinging nettle was meant to help fertility, and I had already grown the plant to three times its normal size. Its clusters of toothed leaves were a bright green under the strong lights of the Experimental Room, the place where I worked during the daytime hours. I hoped this would satisfy her and Nilsson.
You had better hope. Fail, and they’ll stomp on you.
“Okay, Mother,” I muttered, trying to push her angry, narrow face out of my thoughts. Waving my hands and letting my magic flow, I grew the saffron and red ginseng in their individual pots with ease, watching them become taller, wider, and brighter. I poured my life into my subjects through my open hands, which tingled with invisible energy. Once satisfied that I had three large, vibrant plants on the table, I grabbed a large clay pot that rested on top of Nilsson’s discarded notes.
I would not think of what this plant would be used to do.
I would only focus on what I needed and be done with it. It was Mrs. Wu's idea, not mine. If I resisted, she would only find someone else to complete the job.
Time to combine my three plants into a single new one and pray there was no adverse reaction. Sometimes herbs were unpredictable. Thankfully, Nilsson wasn’t here in the daytime to witness me screwing up if something terrible happened. Since the museum was only visited by vampires, it was empty during the daytime, and I was left at peace. And Nilsson, not wanting me to suffer a drain to my powers or focus while working, had ens
ured the Experimental Room held as little iron as possible.
Watch it, unless you want to screw this up, Mother hissed.
“I know.” I hauled the pot to the middle of the table and grabbed a bag of fresh dirt. Transferring the three herbs to the same pot was easy, as was filling in the fresh soil. Now came the tricky part: combining three herbs into one. Taking a slow breath, I lifted my hands over all three plants, curling my fingers. This time the hand motions weren’t for show, but to help me focus and mold my magic. When creating new plants, combining was the most difficult part.
I brought my hands together, and with my magic, the plants moved through the loose dirt, roots obeying my commands and twirling around each other. The three herbs danced around each other in a circle, tightening and speeding up like a figure skater pulling her arms in, and a faint golden glow surrounded the potted chaos. Yes. It was almost done.
With a burst of golden light and the sound of crackling, the plants merged. I jumped back at the outburst of energy and blinked. The golden glow faded and before me was a very green, almost glowing plant with a central stalk of narrow, scarlet flowers that hung down in bunches. The plant itself stood three feet high. The sweet, overpowering scent, similar to lilies, made my body tingle in dangerous ways, and I backed toward the door, sensing danger.
My heart raced, and I forced myself to breathe through my mouth to calm down even as excitement rolled through me. I had done it. Just smelling this plant told me that Mrs. Wu would be happy with its effects.
I took another breath and my body once again tingled in a sexual manner. Then I pulled my shirt over my nose. The bizarre hybrid plant I had created could easily make anyone, human or fae or perhaps even vampire, jump a member of the opposite sex. Backing away, I reached for the door and pulled it open. I needed to get away, not just because of the plant’s effects, but also because I’d rather not think about what I had done. Mrs. Wu would use the plant on her servants and they’d be helpless to resist, breeding like rabbits.
