by J. L. Weil
I couldn’t help but think that there was a double meaning in his question. Kai had been playing this flirting game with me since we met. Part of me kept telling myself it was just that a game, but right now, with my pulse racing, it felt like anything but the Unseelie toying with me. “Could you just lift me before I push you into the pool to cool off?”
His chuckle brushed over the side of my neck like a midnight breeze. “All you had to do was ask.” The hands still at my waist tightened and the muscles in his arms bunched as he picked me up effortlessly, making me feel like I weighed as much as the pixie.
Knowing that Kai wouldn’t let me fall, my body relaxed. I reached for the vial, and tingles danced over my hand and arm, a warm flutter of familiar magic.
Belle, my Kitsune purred, causing my heart to squeeze.
Finally, I lifted the vial off the goddess’s hand. “You can put me down now,” I instructed, glancing over my shoulder at Kai.
His lips curved, dimples winking at me. “I kind of like seeing you above me.” He stepped down from the ledge, but kept me in his arms and off the ground.
When he made no move to release me, I sent tiny volts of electricity humming along my skin.
“You little minx,” Kai hissed. “You shocked me.”
“Yeah, but you still didn’t drop me.”
“How very devious of you, little queen.”
Only Kai could turn what was supposed to be a warning into something wicked.
Reilly scowled fiercely at Kai as he finally set me on my feet. “Don’t think I don’t know what you're about, Unseelie,” the shifter scolded.
“Whatever do you mean?” Kai grinned victoriously.
Now that I had the vial and wasn’t being manhandled by Kai, my gaze sought out the pixie who had helped me. She was nowhere to be found. “Where is Viola?” I asked, looking at Kai and Reilly.
Kai shrugged as if he could give two shits, and I was certain that he probably didn’t.
“I’m not sure. I never saw her leave,” Reilly admitted, his forehead scrunched in concern, and I realized I had never gotten the chance to fill him in on why I was hunting down the pixie. He would have to wait just a little longer.
Disappointment tiptoed inside me. I wanted to thank her, but I had a feeling I wouldn’t see Viola again. She had fulfilled her duty.
Now I had to do the same.
Chapter Eight
KARINA
Reilly had a million questions when the three of us hastily returned to the west wing. I answered them all, informing him of the vision with Belle and the vial she had left for me.
“What do you think it will show?” the dragon shifter asked. We were inside my mother’s room now, the only private place I could think to go. The three of us sat around the little, round tea table in the corner of the room, near the large window that overlooked the castle gardens. A tray sat in the center with a pot of steaming tea.
“Nothing good,” Kai muttered from where he sat, directly across from me.
Even with a table between us, there didn’t seem to be enough space after our closeness at the fountain. The Unseelie rattled me more than I wanted to admit. My body still hummed with energy, but I convinced myself it was lingering magic and had nothing to do with Kai. “I agree. But there is only one way to find out.”
Kai lounged back in the chair, fingers tapping on the tablecloth. “Have you ever opened a memory vial before, little queen?”
I turned the vial over in my hand. “No, of course not.”
The Unseelie let out a low whistle. “Then you’re in for a treat. We all are.”
Reilly frowned, shaking his head.
Giving them each one last glance, I opened my palm, revealing the tiny glass vial as thin as a pencil and no bigger than an inch, which if I thought about it, it made sense. For a pixie to have carried it around, the container needed to be micro. “What do I do?”
“Swirl the contents a few times and then remove the cork,” Reilly instructed as he leaned forward, elbows coming to rest before him, the mug of tea set there remained untouched. “Her magic will do the rest.”
Handling the fragile tube with care, I did as Reilly advised—rolling the shimmering liquid and watched as it whirled and funneled like a mini twister. With a pop, I wrenched off the cork, and waited. It didn’t take long. Like a cloud of smoke, the magic rose out of the vial. The amount of smoke that filled the air stunned me. How could so much be packed into something so small?
That was my last thought before the vision burst into the room. The only way I could describe what transpired was like being thrown into the middle of a 3D movie. All around me, the space became a living picture of the past.
I blinked at the man with white hair who sat upon a gold throne, several rings twinkling on his fingers. He wore no crown upon his head, but in all aspects, he was a king. Just the way he commanded himself made me want to drop into a bow. My fox jumped within me, roaring to life, and I knew that my eyes were glowing.
He was my grandfather.
I recognized bits of my mother in him. The same startling eyes and slim nose. Seeing him in person, alive, and looking well brought a smile to my lips. I stood from my chair, eager to meet the grandfather who was only a ghost to me, a powerful name and king whose shoes I was destined to fill.
Kai and Reilly jumped to their feet at the same time, flanking either side of me. “It is best not to move,” Kai murmured. “You don’t want to disrupt the vision.”
That was possible?
Heeding his warning, I stayed planted, just staring at the imposing figure.
“Leave me,” King Ryo demanded to his guards. “I require a moment alone.”
“As you wish,” one of the guards proclaimed, before giving a low bow.
When the room was clear and quiet, the king let out a sigh. “Show yourself!” he commanded.
For a moment, I thought that perhaps he was talking to me. Kai touched my shoulder, silently telling me to wait.
I kind of wished I hadn’t. Not that it would have made a difference. I couldn’t bring back the dead, no matter how much I willed it.
A wolf jumped through the window, fangs bared as it prowled over the tile floor. Once the wolf reached the center of the room, a familiar onyx mist flared, cloaking the wolf, and what rose in its place caused a shiver to race along my neck. A gasp tumbled from my lips.
Talin.
The Lord of Thorndale smirked, red eyes glowing powerfully and flippantly.
I knew that eerie smirk all too well. It haunted me too often when I closed my eyes.
King Ryo stood from the throne, strolling down the dais until he was face to face with Talin. “What brings you to Katsura, Brother? And in such a secretive visit? Must be important for you to cloak your presence.”
Talin’s slimy grin widened. “Do I need a reason to see my uncle?”
My grandfather turned, dismissing him. It was the worst thing he could have done, turning his back on someone like Talin. I opened my mouth to scream, for I had an inkling of how this vision ended, and that was when Talin struck.
Like the viper crafted of darkness, a whip of shadows lashed out at the king, slashing straight into his chest and coming out through the other side. My grandfather gasped, his hands flying to the wound in his heart. He dropped to the ground, knees hitting the tile with a stomach-churning thud. A shadow fell over him.
“Why?” my grandfather wheezed. Blood spilled over the stone floor.
Talin crouched down, whispering something into my grandfather’s ear. The king’s eyes widened as Talin lifted a clawed hand and sliced open his wrist. It wasn’t fresh blood that flowed out of his veins, but something worse. Something far worse.
The blight.
Shadows of corruption and malice rose into the shape of a crow, wings spread wide enough to span the room wall to wall. Then the crow’s head fell back, releasing an invisible caw right before it took flight and dove straight for the king.
Belle’s
final vision dissipated, and I stood, gaping at the middle of my mother’s bedroom. Death was never easy, even when you knew it was coming. Seeing the grandfather that I never got the chance to meet, be murdered shook me to my core. His own family deceived him—betrayed him—forsaking an entire world.
For what?
Power? A throne? To feel worshiped?
“Put away the claws, little queen,” Kai asked softly. “You are safe. You are in no danger. Not today.” He touched the side of my arm, his fingers lightly running over the skin.
My eyes shifted to my hands, and I blinked, confused at first to see my nails extended and curved into pointy fox claws. With a conscious effort, I took a breath and reigned in the Kitsune claws. I closed my fingers into fists and lifted my gaze. “Kai... that was my grandfather.”
“It was,” he affirmed stoically.
“Talin didn’t just kill him, he-he used his death to unleash the blight,” I spluttered as my mind whirled, feeling Reilly’s sympathetic stare.
“I saw,” the Unseelie replied gently.
“And you are not surprised?”
Kai’s eyes gleamed. “Not in the slightest. To those who were close to Talin, it was no secret how he truly felt about King Ryo. He dappled in all sorts of dark magic, power that had been banished and thought to have been eradicated from this world. He was known to send those closest to him on assignments to other realms. It looks like he found what he was searching for.”
Reilly’s gaze returned to the spot where the king had fallen, as if he too couldn’t get the image out of his head. “This just solidifies why Talin cannot be allowed to rule. He means to destroy us all. The Second Moon will become a place bred for evil. No world would be safe from his greed or his madness.”
I shut my eyes and swallowed hard. “And now he has Devyn.”
The silence between the three of us stretched infinitely.
The truth of my grandfather’s death settled into me, cold and empty. I barely slept that night. Every time I closed my eyes, I relived his death, and saw the expression of hurt on his face. Not the physical pain, but the agony of betrayal—by a loved one nonetheless.
It was impossible to tell time in Katsura, the sun was never visible, nor the two moons. For all I knew, I could have slept for an hour or two days. The quietness of the castle signified it was still too early as I peeked into the hall. I gave up any pretense of sleep and tugged the cloak tighter around me while my bare feet padded over the cold ass tiles. I considered sneaking out into the gardens to sit for a bit, taking a few minutes to myself before all the chaos started.
There was so much to do, too much, and yet I had no idea where to begin. Devyn. Kai. Talin. The blight. How could I rate who or what was more important?
Chewing on my lip, I took a few steps down the empty hallway, thinking how marvelous it would be to sit out in the sunshine. I missed its warmth, the feel of it glowing on my skin, the golden—
A muffed groan slipped from under the closed door across from my room, pulling me out of my head. I paused, glancing back at the door. That was Kai’s room. Perhaps he was having a bad dream. God knew we were all prone to them nowadays. I stared at the door, listening to make sure nothing was wrong, despite the sudden pit that formed in my stomach. I exhaled, thinking everything was fine until the cry came again, stronger, distressed.
Chills danced over my arms. Something was definitely wrong. I should have listened to my gut.
I didn’t think about my actions, just rushed to the door and shoved it open. The room was bathed in utter darkness, but I’d grown so used to it over these past days that it did nothing to hamper my vision. My gaze cut straight to the bed—straight to Kai.
He thrashed, tangled in the sheets, a hand gripping the back of his neck. At first, I thought he was awake, but as I drew closer to the bed, he seemed to be in the throes of a nightmare. Yet, it was more than just that. As he turned his head to the side, I caught a flash of the red mark that burned under his hand.
“Shit,” the curse hissed out of me as I realized what was happening.
Talin was summoning Kai. The bastard chose a moment when Kai’s mind was vulnerable and alone.
I darted to the bed as his shadows flickered around him. That was bad. Very bad.
“Kai,” I called out, jumping onto the mattress. He let out a raspy grunt, head twisting from side to side. My hands went to frame his face, holding him steady. Sweat beaded down over his brow. “Kai. Wake up!” I demanded.
His neck arched, back bowing off the bed. A spark of magic flickered in the room. Mine. His. I couldn’t tell. His shadows knotted around me as if they were begging me to help him.
“You have to wake up, do you hear me?” Panic leaked into my voice, rising each time I pleaded with him.
Unfortunately, Kai continued to fight against me. Or perhaps it was Talin he fought. “No,” his lips muttered. “No. No. No.”
I had little choice, I had to do something. “Kai!” My open palm cracked across his cheek, sending an instant sting vibrating through my hand.
His eyes snapped open, glowing through the dark room, but not like mine or Devyn’s. Kai’s eyes shone like a swirling storm, shadows moving and whirling around the center of his irises.
“Karina?” he whispered, a hand still clasping the mark on the back of his neck. He blinked. “Am I dreaming?” His other hand reached out, knuckles grazing the side of my cheek.
For a long moment, I thought Kai would kiss me and I stopped breathing. His fingers slowly fell from my face, clarity breaking through his stormy eyes. “It’s about time you snuck into my bed.”
I heaved a breath. “How can you joke? I was so scared he would take you.”
“I wasn’t joking.” Kai sat up, scrubbing his face with his hand, and for a brief moment, I caught the outline of a wolf at the base of his neck before it faded. A string of ugly curses went off in my head.
That was a problem, because a part of me knew he wasn’t kidding. Being in bed with Kai in the early morning, was somehow too damn intimate. The wrinkled sheet pooled around his waist, covering any naughty parts, but exposing too much. I tried not to think about the fact that he was shirtless and kept my eyes centered on his face, but what if he wasn’t just shirtless? What if he slept naked?
Please God, let him only be shirtless. For shit’s sake, Karina, get a hold of yourself. It’s not like you’ve never seen a naked man before! “Are you in pain?” I asked, pretending that my voice didn’t sound different.
Kai smirked, that irritating, calm smirk. “Not anymore. If you hadn’t come in when you did… Hadn’t woken me…”
Neither of us wanted to think about those ifs, so I banished the possibilities from my thoughts. “What does it feel like when he summons you?”
“It burns,” he admitted, shifting as he dropped his head against the wall behind the bed.
The movement drew my eyes to his chest—the forbidden zone. I told my gaze not to linger, but my eyes had a mind of their own as they ran over the planes of muscle. He wasn’t as ripped as Devyn, but the strength visible on his body still surprised me.
“Do you like what you see, little queen? You can do more than look... if you want.”
My gaze snapped to his face. His eyes were closed, but I frowned at the smirk donning his lips. “Don’t use that seductive shit on me.”
He chuckled. “Whatever do you mean? I can’t tell you how long I’ve waited to have you in my bed, little queen.”
My chin lifted. “I’m serious.”
When had he moved? Our faces were close, and the coolness of his shadows twinkled along my skin. His eyes were open now, looking at me with an intensity that made me flush.
“Are you saying that you don’t want me to kiss you?” he whispered, his breath tickling my neck and ear.
It was harder to respond than it should have been. “Yes, that is exactly what I’m saying.”
Kai angled his head to the side in a way that somehow brought him closer.
“Bullshit,” he murmured. “You’re not a liar, little queen. Don’t start now.”
He was right. I wasn’t a liar.
“Fine,” I huffed, tossing my hands in the air in a gesture of surrender. “You want to hear that I feel something for you? I don’t think I have to tell you that. You know, but that doesn’t mean I will act on whatever it is I’m feeling because that’s the thing. I don’t know what it means. You confuse me.”
“You’re not the only one confused.” His eyes dropped to my lips. “I won’t push. Not until you’re ready.”
I wasn’t sure I’d ever be ready for Kai. “You can’t go back to sleep,” I instructed, purposely changing the subject, and the glint in his eyes told me he knew it.
A single brow arched. “Are you offering to keep me up?”
I rolled my eyes. He might not push me into figuring out how I felt about him, but that didn’t mean he still wouldn’t make me uncomfortable every chance he got. “No, to your disappointment, I’m sure. I had something else in mind.”
“I’m guessing by the deep thought line that just appeared across your forehead, it doesn’t involve my bed.”
When had his hands moved to my hips? Don’t think about his touch. I bit the inside of my cheek, focusing my attention on the sharp pain rather than Kai’s chest. “Put some damn clothes on. I’m going to wake up the shifter.”
“How quickly you jump from my bed to his,” Kai tsked, but there wasn’t any real disapproval behind his tone. If anything, the Unseelie found the idea appealing rather than scandalous.
Heat flared within me, and I couldn’t decipher if it was anger or something else that I refused to admit. “You can be such a prick.”
Kai chuckled wickedly. “Admit it. You like it better when I’m the asshole. It makes you feel safe. I can be whoever you need me to be…” The hands on my hips inched higher. “... even him.”
“No,” I quickly snapped, the air between us became chilling. “We talked about this. You are not Devyn. Don’t manipulate my emotions by pretending to be.”
