Tempting Ballad

by Katherine McIntyre

  Elbows jabbed into his side, and folks hip-checked him on their mad rush out. The center aisle had turned into a mass of bodies as everyone fled to the nearest exit. Renn continued piping, no one bothering to look his way as the melody twisted their minds. Even the fae got swept up in the panic, everyone from minotaurs to rakshasas stomping and slithering their way out of this building.

  Ky, Liz, and Jett continued carving their way toward him. He scanned farther back for a glimpse of Danica, Trev, and Natalia, but the trio were nowhere in sight.

  “Smart move,” Ky called out over the clamor, his voice already hoarse with the way they’d been killing their vocal chords. Not like they couldn’t heal at a record pace. “Should’ve figured you could get this crowd moving out.”

  “I disagree with Ky,” Jett called. “Idiot move, but the same result.”

  Renn smirked and cast a glance to where he’d left the cranky centaur. His cousin pressed himself against the far wall along with the others, their brows furrowed and their stances steady. They waited for the supposed hunter attack still, clinging to their chance. Honestly, he didn’t know whether or not the hunters would even show after all the hubbub coming from Faneuil Hall. He only knew he wouldn’t sacrifice a bunch of innocent folks in the process.

  Once Ky reached him, the incubus slapped him on the shoulder. “Let’s follow the crowd out.”

  “What about Trev?” Renn asked even though they started heading back the way he came. He trusted Leo and Claude had made themselves scarce the moment the fake fire festival began.

  Liz jabbed him in the side. “His crew was supposed to be grabbing anyone on the opposite side and marching out with them too. Trust me, Danica won’t tolerate loitering.”

  Renn shook his head, a grin rising to his lips. He scanned the crowd ahead of them. Despite all the chaos, he searched for a dressed-in-black flash mob to see if Darren Andrews and his hunter squad bothered to show. Natalia had been able to narrow down this location as a definitive target, but who knew. Maybe they planned their attack later in the day and would arrive to Faneuil Hall with it deserted.

  Maybe they wouldn’t show at all, and Natalia just screwed around with them.

  His gut tightened. Something felt off about all of this.

  Folks trying to escape writhed all around him, slamming into him from either side. Renn hip and elbow checked his way out alongside the other members of the band. He couldn’t help but scan the crowd for a taller than average yaksha built like an MMA fighter, but there wasn’t a glimpse of him. The buzzing in the back of his mind grew louder and louder, but he didn’t want to admit he was genuinely worried about the man.

  Around him, the air grew humid, and the voices rose as they reached the congested entrance. Crowds milled around outside of the building, so many waiting and watching to see the flicker of flames. He burst out from the entrance, skidding down the stairs with the uninterrupted flow of people trying to push their way through. Out here, the heat dispersed, swept away by the cool Boston breezes. Renn squinted as he tried to scan through the crowds out here, searching for everyone else in their entourage.

  Jett tapped him on the shoulder and jerked his head to the side. “Take a breather. We’ll head back in after five minutes for another round. Try to chase out any remaining folks.”

  “Leave the Court assholes behind,” Ky called out, his voice louder than normal from all the screaming they did inside. Liz shook her head, a wry smirk on her lips.

  A whine sounded from inside the building, and Renn’s brows narrowed as his focus switched to the location they’d emerged from.

  The sound grew, louder, louder, louder, until everyone standing around outside stared at Faneuil Hall. Renn couldn’t look away, the pressure building—imminent disaster heavy in the air.

  Windows shattered, heat gusted, and the air roared as a massive explosion quaked through Faneuil Hall.

  Chapter Sixteen

  The moment Renn raced free in Faneuil Hall, Leo and Claude did an about turn toward the entrance again. Leo found a spot outside the building a fair distance away and slipped his hands in his pockets. Fae and humans alike poured out. Screams and hysteria spread like the made-up flames inside, which offered the distraction they needed.

  Claude checked his phone for the dozenth time beside him. His business associate had a permanent frown on his face as of late, though he didn’t have to be a genius to figure out why. The selkie had always gotten a bit possessive around him before, and he knew the man held a torch for him. Yet when they’d first started working together, he told him nothing would happen between them.

  Not like he’d ever run into this streak of jealousy from Claude, but there also hadn’t been opportunity. He kept his affairs private and rarely stayed with anyone for long. Certainly no one he worked with.

  Renn was the first.

  “This is far more public than you’d usually risk,” Claude murmured, glancing to his fingernails. “I hope what Marisa is doing is worth it.”

  “Tell the truth, Claude. You mean working with the band is riskier than you’re comfortable with,” Leo responded, squinting as the sun glared in his eyes. The screams grew louder, and in the distance, the whistle of pipes pierced the air—Renn’s.

  Claude shrugged, looking to him at last. “You know my feelings on bringing them on board. They bring chaos, and our plans require the opposite. Is pursuing the Harrods even necessary? We could find another powerful Unseelie ally to sway.” The man adjusted his cuff links, dressed in a sharp suit as usual. Between his dark hair and pale skin, he was all shades of black and white.

  Leo shook his head. “The time for waiting is waning, and fast. The arrival of the hunters sped up our timeline. And the Ashewarrens are the only powerful Unseelie family I’d trust. I’ll be able to get to the bottom of their missing family member—I’ve already got a pulse on it.”

  He looked to the entrance, watching for sight of any familiar faces. He recognized most of the King’s fighters who scattered about the Hall in preparation for this alleged hunter attack. Leo had the feeling between the hunters or the King’s men, something was afoot, but he hadn’t sorted out what yet.

  Claude heaved a sigh. The man clearly felt dissatisfied with their current trajectory, but he hadn’t given up whatever he mulled over. Before Leo could ask another question, a shrill sound screeched from inside the building.

  The gust of heat rolled out even from here, and windows shattered in the wake of the explosion that rocked through the building.

  Oh fuck.

  The hunters hadn’t planned an in-person attack at all. Leo’s legs started carrying him forward before he even realized as he bolted toward the door. He’d looked away from the entrance, but he hadn’t seen Renn or the others come out. His heart lodged in his throat. The air rushed around him as he raced toward the crowd, scanning, scanning, scanning for any sign of the satyr and his friends.

  He reached the wall of people who watched from a distance, no one rushing forward into the burning building. Already, a couple of folks were on their phones while others snapped pictures. The blare of firetrucks pealed in the distance.

  Leo’s mind whirred. If the hunters planned this bomb from the start, then that could only mean…

  A hand slapped his back, causing him to whirl around. The scent of cloves calmed him at once, before he caught the deep brown eyes and the horns. He didn’t bother restraining himself. Leo reached for the back of Renn’s neck and dragged his lips to his in a punishing, possessive, and wholly relieved kiss.

  The other man stiffened in surprise at first but then melted into the kiss like he always did. The strength of the relief coursing through him was new, because no matter how he tried to compartmentalize Renn Cantrell, the man had somehow gotten into his system regardless. Leo sank into the taste of him, his hot mouth eager to accept the kiss and the feel of the slender, muscular body pressed against him.

  He pulled away, and Renn looked up at him. The warmth and temporary softnes
s vanished in the wake of a worry line creasing between his brows.

  “Now that I’ve found you, I need to find Trev, Danica, and Natalia,” Renn said, pulling away. “We didn’t see them inside.” Renn started walking away from him, but Leo kept pace with ease.

  “I’ll help you find them,” he said, scanning the crowd. He caught sight of Jett, Ky, and Liz to the far left, circling around the outskirts. “Your friends are heading to the left. Should we take right?”

  “Yeah,” Renn said, jogging in that direction.

  Leo loped beside him, trying to dodge past folks moving every which way. Some stood still watching the chaos, while others broke away, trying to escape this mess as fast as possible. Humans and fae alike congregated out here, one side completely unaware of the other’s existence. The air smelled like sweat, like panic, like smoke. Leo cast a glance to Claude who hadn’t budged from his spot. They needed to finish that talk, and soon.

  They jogged past the fringes of groups huddling together as the sirens grew louder and louder. Any moment, the firefighters would arrive on the scene, the cops, and a myriad of other human officers who had no idea of the fae and hunter war waged beneath their noses. The King’s men who’d waited inside might’ve perished in the explosion, though truth be told, he found it hard to shed a tear for them.

  In the distance, he caught sight of Trev’s distinctive silver locks, Danica’s tall, elegant form, and Natalia’s sour frown. Before he could say anything, Renn already darted off toward them.

  His phone buzzed. Leo lifted it. Marisa.

  “Hey sis, what’s going on?” he asked.

  “Leo, she’s gone.” The anguish in his sister’s voice stopped him cold.

  He froze, and even with all the chaos brimming around them, it all faded away in an ocean of numbness. ‘She’ could only mean one person to the two of them. A tinny scent flooded his nostrils, but he couldn’t bring himself to move or even respond.

  “The hunters mounted guerilla attacks into the Otherworld. They sent suicide bombers through several of the entrances around the city, and the fae facilities, bars, and homes tucked away in those bubbles are now scorch marks.” Marisa’s voice wavered, but she forced the words out.

  Facilities. Like the one caring for his mother.

  This monster didn’t just attack other soldiers—no, from the start he’d made his point clear in attacking innocent fae, ones who didn’t deserve to be destroyed this way.

  Leo’s blood boiled like a flash fire, fast put out by the reality that seeped into his bones.

  Their mother hadn’t survived.

  After years of visiting the comatose woman who’d been ruined early on by the Courts, her life had been snuffed out.

  He and Marisa were orphans.

  “Leo, are you there?” Marisa’s voice came across on the other end in a quaver.

  The sound snapped him to the present—just about the one thing that could right now. “I’ll meet you at the church, Risa.”

  As she hung up the phone with a click, the sound echoed in his mind over and over again, final, like the last snapped strand of his mother’s life.

  Renn raced up to him. He paused to stare at him harder. “What happened?”

  Leo opened his mouth, but the words wouldn’t emerge.

  Trev and the others approached behind Renn who waved them along in the direction of Ky, Liz, and Jett.

  Renn placed a hand on his hip in a far gentler touch than he’d ever expected from the man. Something cracked inside him as Renn stared into his eyes, head cocked to the side. “Are you okay?”

  A sharp bark of a laugh escaped his lips, hysteria bubbling in his chest. He was far from okay. Truth be told, he hadn’t been okay in a long, long while.

  Leo rifled a hand through his hair, staring at the sky as if the broad blue horizon might offer some answers. “The hunters didn’t just attack Faneuil Hall. Darren Andrews sent suicide bombers to locations throughout the pockets of the Otherworld attached to Boston. Including my mother’s care facility.”

  “Oh fuck…” Renn stared at him, horror blooming in his eyes.

  Leo swallowed hard, not wanting anyone’s pity. He’d have to deal with this and be the strong one, the way he had ever since they lost their father and mom’s brain cracked. He let out a hiss of breath, trying to ignore the sting in his eyes. “It’s fine,” Leo said, trying to focus on anything else to keep from cracking wide open. “I need to meet Marisa at the facility.”

  Renn’s hand didn’t budge from his hip. He leaned in and pressed a kiss to the side of Leo’s neck. “Take the time you need to with your sister. I’ll be waiting for you when you return.”

  At that, Renn brushed his lips over Leo’s and then stepped away. He nodded at him, a brief flash of understanding in his eyes. The promise and space meant the world to him right now. If anyone could understand the loathing that arrived with breaking down in front of others, Renn could.

  Leo sucked in a sharp breath. The sounds of the sirens, the shouts, and the external chaos didn’t pierce through the bubble of numbness that encapsulated him. However, with each steadying breath, he pulled himself into motion again, like wrenching the lever on a wind-up doll.

  He needed to get to the church at once.

  ****

  The moment the steeples of Trinity Church lurched into view, nausea swept over Leo in a consuming wave. His grip on the door latch tightened. If he didn’t get out of the car, if he froze this moment in time, then he wouldn’t have to face the reality waiting for him in there.

  The church’s pristine steeples appeared untouched and the elegant stained-glass windows undisturbed. For a moment, he could sink into the fantasy that this was any other time he approached to pay his mother a visit. Except his sister stood, leaning against one of the outside pillars of the church, her arms folded and shoulders hunched like she tried to curl into herself.

  He wasn’t the only Kincaid who radiated strength on a normal basis—and sometimes Marisa was far stronger. One glimpse at the shattered pain in her eyes got him mobilized. He grabbed the latch and exited into the brisk air.

  Leo couldn’t feel his legs swing beneath him, but somehow he carried himself across the pavement and toward his sister. Marisa glanced his way for a second, but his sister looked away fast. Her hands formed fists at her sides, and as he approached closer, he caught the glossy film of unshed tears in her eyes. The sight locked his throat up tight. He could feel the same burning in his own eyes, though his tears refused to fall.

  He knew from experience his well had dried a long time ago. Instead, he was left with a hollow bowl in his chest he filled with the flames of revolution. However, all of that felt paltry in the wake of the loss they prepared to face.

  Leo stepped to Marisa’s side and didn’t say a word. He slipped an arm around her shoulders and brought her to his chest, the way he did all of those years ago when they’d just been children.

  When the Courts had murdered their father.

  Her shoulders trembled at first, and then they quaked. Her hot tears stained his shirt, and he clutched her even tighter. Inside, he wanted to shatter, but outside, outside, he’d always be a mountain. There had never been another alternative.

  “Have you gone in yet?” Leo asked, his voice resonating in the quiet air. A service wasn’t going on, so the church’s surrounding silence trickled out from inside the sacred space.

  Marisa shook her head, wrapping her arms tight around him and squeezing. She sucked in a few shuddering breaths before she pulled away. The loss of her touch, even for a moment, almost sent him teetering over.

  “I was waiting for you,” she murmured, her voice hoarse.

  Leo nodded and swept toward the doors of the church, ones that mere days ago he’d approached with a different purpose. Even though she’d been comatose for longer than she’d been awake in his life, these visits had been a touchstone for him. They’d offered solace when he’d been searching for it. Their mother might never respond, but he
liked to believe she’d been listening all along. That she understood what he and Marisa went through and what they tried to achieve.

  At his worst, when he felt the most lost, he would come here, walking up the steps into Trinity Church to the pocket of the Otherworld where Passing Seasons waited for him.

  He stepped inside, and the heaviness of incense filtered through the air, the scent tickling his nose. Marisa reached up and took his hand. He wasn’t sure if she did it for support or to offer some, but he was grateful either way.

  The sanctity of this church, the chill in the air had been a comfort before, but now, it held a funereal pall. Life cycled through this place, all varying shades until each individual made the final transition. The surrounding cold stone felt right, as numb as his limbs had become. When they reached the steps, Marisa’s grip tightened on his, her nails biting into his palm.

  A few steps in, and the transition to the Otherworld sank over his skin, the tightness that brushed across him. He and Marisa strode through.

  The stench reached Leo first.

  Smoke oozed from this place like he’d stepped into a firepit or the realms where the salamanders and fire nymphs lived. The heat followed a moment later, arid like he’d approached a desert.

  And finally, his vision adjusted to the foyer.

  Once, it had been a place of bright sunlight and moss, the trees containing each individual room spanning far out across this gorgeous place.

  The trees were all burning, those that hadn’t already crumbled to ash.

  Mom’s body couldn’t even be retrieved.

  The hollowed husks deteriorated, and limbs whined as they crashed down to the charred ground once coated by emerald moss. This had been a place of peace, of beauty, and the hunters had desecrated it. The sound of sobs dragged his attention from the wreckage in front of him. They weren’t the only ones in here. Other fae families huddled together, clutching their loved ones or watching by their lonesome as the community suffered a grievous blow.