Seeking the Fae (Daughter of Light Book 1)

by Leia Stone

  “You’re a seeker too.” I had to hear him say it. His eyes roamed over my body, taking in my dress and curled hair.

  He stepped forward, bringing with him a chill of cold air as he gave me a nod. “You need to leave. My father will kill you on sight.” His words were gruff and oddly protective. The blue light started up then, spinning in a circle right over my heart. He looked down at his chest, the matching blue glow casting shadows across his face. His brows pinched in confusion.

  “Why does it do that? Why only with you?” His question held so much wonder. I was too embarrassed to tell him that it wouldn’t stop until we’d mated. Too scared to see his reaction when I told him it was because somehow our dead ancestors in the upper realms thought us fit to spend the rest of our lives together.

  I remembered the queen then, and my promise to the elders and my people to get the crystals. “Liam I—”

  My words were cut off by the sound of footfalls. “Hey! What are you two doing?” someone cried out. A guard had come up behind Liam.

  I didn’t think. Throwing myself in Liam’s arms, he caught me, surprise lighting up his eyes as I leaned in, pressing my lips to his. The moment my lips touched his, the grip on my hips tightened. The blue light at our chest died down to a small flicker and our tongues intertwined. Warmth trickled down my chest and pooled between my thighs as desire slammed into me tenfold.

  “Alright, get a room. This area is restricted,” the voice called out, closer now.

  Liam pulled back, eyes glowing orange, then he leaned into my ear, “I hate that I want you,” he whispered, his breath sending an electrical pulse down my neck, making my nipples tighten and my wings snap erect.

  Pulling away, spinning, he took the man off guard and plowed the right side of his palm in a hard karate chop against the dude’s neck. It was just like the movies. The man crumpled, out cold.

  Liam turned on me, lips still wet from our kiss. “You need to drop this hunt. Keep your six crystals and leave the rest on Earth.” His wings were erect, and my heart pounded as it settled over me what needed to be done.

  I had to know. “Why are you stealing it from your own father?”

  He looked back at the unconscious guard. “We have different visions.”

  “Your father’s the … Winter King?” I also had to know if my suspicions were correct.

  He just glared at me.

  I shifted nervously. “I’m just … trying to know your story.”

  He was my fucking soulmate and it killed me that we weren’t on the same side … but maybe we were. He was against his dad; I was against his dad. Maybe we could be a team.

  Liam’s gaze darkened. “Lily, that’s your name, is it?”

  My stomach warmed at the sound of my name on his lips. He must have seen it around my house before he left, because I hadn’t told him.

  I nodded.

  He stepped closer to me, reaching up to trace my collarbone. My mouth went dry as I held in my whimper. “You don’t want to know my story. I’ve done things so horrible they would make your blood run cold.” He leaned in, his breath washing over my neck. “We’re not friends. We’re not lovers. We’re not in this together.”

  His words should have scared me, but they only saddened me at what I knew would need to be done. He pulled back and took my chin into his hand. “Go now. Don’t come back—”

  With the base of my knife, I cracked him over the head, cutting the words off in his throat.

  Seeing the look of betrayal cross his face before he crumbled to the ground killed me inside. Tears blurred my vision as I spun and burst into the room. There, lying on a pedestal, were … two crystals.

  Holy shit.

  Jackpot. It was only when I got closer that I saw that one of them looked … different than the rest. It was bluish green and fading to black at the base. It didn’t look like the other crystals in Faerie but … I should still grab it, right? Surely it was the same thing?

  Reaching out, I grabbed the blue Tree of Life crystal and slipped it into my bag, hesitating on the second one. I don’t know why, but my intuition was screaming at me not to grab it. But surely it was the same one we needed? It was the same size and shape, just a different color. Without another thought, I reached out and wrapped my fingers around the dark crystal. Hot searing pain shot up my arm to my elbow and I screeched in agony, drawing my hand back. Sweat beaded my forehead as I looked down at a black scorch mark on my palm.

  Shit.

  My hand still throbbed with pain as I decided to ditch the dark crystal and ran out of the room. The guard was stirring, but Liam was still out cold. Guilt gnawed at my gut as I remembered that first day I met him and how he’d hidden me inside of the closet…

  Shit! Shit!

  Pulling out my knife, I cracked the guard over the temple, knocking him out again, and grabbed Liam under the armpits. Heaving him backward with all my might, I stashed him in a dark alcove behind a potted plant. He almost looked like he’d had too much sex and booze and had just passed out. Hopefully, that’s what someone would think if they found him there.

  Footsteps down the hallway had my heart jackknifing in my chest. Letting my wings beat slowly enough not to make too much noise, but fast enough for flight, I hovered as a guard with big horns walked out into the large space.

  “Shit, Donny!” said the guard, and ran for his fallen friend. I noticed that the second floor had a window open. It was large enough for me to fly through, so I aimed for that space.

  As I slipped out into the cold night, the weight of the crystal in my messenger bag gave me comfort. I did it! I’d got the crystal.

  I was halfway across the yard, ready to land and run to where I’d stashed the bike, when I heard the flapping of wings.

  Fear gripped me as I took off like a hummingbird, glancing over my shoulder to see none other than the Winter King himself.

  His wings smoked as small embers fell from them.

  Holy fuck. I was fast. It was a trait of a seeker, but this was a freaking king. Royalty was powerful, and although my mother was the queen’s sister, according to Indra we didn’t share the right blood for me to have those kind of powers. I was way out of my league and my warrior guardian AKA Elle, was nowhere in sight.

  I flapped madly, trying to get to our meeting site where I’d stashed the motorcycle. I didn’t think the rolling pin would fit in the purse and didn’t want to be caught with it if searched.

  Risking another glance back, I was relieved to no longer see smoking wings attached to a very angry Fae king. I’d lost him. Barely slowing when I reached the wooded area where I stashed the bike, I crashed into a tree and smacked my wing. Landing hard on my right ankle, I had to keep my arms out to steady myself.

  Elle popped out from the tree. “Did you get it?”

  Oh thank the gods. I nodded, starting the bike. “But the Winter King came after me. I think I lost hi—”

  “I believe you have something of mine.” His cold dark voice crept over me, bringing a chill with it. There, in the clearing just behind our bike, stood the Winter King, his huge wings flapping behind him. A white dusting of snow fell from them, and I tried not to gape in awe. How could his wings smoke with embers and produce snow at the same time?

  Elle was less entranced than I, and wasted no time gawking at the powerful king. She sprang into action, chucking one of her throwing swords right at his face. He ducked, tucking his wings in, and dodged it, but this gave her just enough time to pop on the back of the bike as I gunned it. The tires dug into the dirt as we lurched forward and burst from the trees.

  Elle shifted her weight, but I couldn’t worry about what she was doing, I just kept my eyes peeled to the road, going eighty miles an hour.

  “Oh shit,” Elle shrieked, as a razor sharp icicle whizzed past my head and crashed onto the concrete, shattering into pieces.

  I froze, trying not to let the panic get to me.

  Think. I’d had lessons with Trissa since I was five years old, but t
hey were failing me now in the field under stress.

  “Shield!” I cried out, suddenly remembering the basics of our training.

  “I’m trying!” Elle screamed back. Erecting an energy shield to bar a physical object from entering your space took complete concentration and depleted your power. No way could I do one while driving, but Elle might be able to if she could focus.

  “I need a fucking harpoon!” she bellowed over the wind. “This asshole is too fast.”

  Elle was a master at throwing knives, so if she wasn’t able to nab him, then we had a real adversary on our hands. I mean, no shit, he was the king of gods damn winter. My mind was still reeling from that and all it meant. So Liam was his halfling son…

  “He’s gone,” Elle called out suddenly.

  I felt her body sag with relief against me, but I knew better. This guy didn’t just retreat. “No. He’s playing us,” I yelled back; we were getting close to the blue door apartment, but no way was I leading him there. I’d have to drive in circles until we really lost this guy or injured him—or he killed us. Okay, that last thought went dark, but this was the first high speed chase I’d ever been in.

  I was just going to turn around and risk a glance behind me, when the king flew right out in front of us, dropping to the street.

  “Take flight!” I screamed as I swerved, the bike leaning too far to the right as I lost balance. I had to think fast or this was going to be a really bad accident. Using my powers, I clicked the jewel on the handle and started to transform to bike back to the rolling pin at the same time my wings beat furiously to lift me off of the ground. The king shot ice shards from his hands right at Elle, as she threw more and more small knives. It was a battle, my first real battle, and I was woefully unprepared.

  We were way out of our fucking league here.

  His cold voice cut across the road: “My men are right behind me. They’ll skin you alive. Give me the crystal and walk away with your life.”

  It was tempting, but his sick little breeding program, or whatever the hell that was back there, had my head reeling.

  “These aren’t yours!” I shouted boldly. “They belong to Faerie.”

  I tightened my grip on the bag that held the crystal and grabbed my small obsidian knife with the other, preparing for a fight I knew I could not win.

  “Stupid girl. Just like your mother.” With that, he flung his wrist out and a shard of ice headed right for me, cutting across the space between us in a blur.

  I jerked to the side just as a streak of wings burst in front of me and kicked the icicle out of the way.

  Liam.

  He lunged forward, wasting no time tackling his father to the ground as a flurry of snow built up between them, white chunks of frosty snow around them like a tornado.

  The king gripped Liam by the neck and slammed him into the pavement. “You are my greatest mistake!” he shouted, as he blasted Liam’s face with cold air, seemingly freezing his skin as he hovered over him, wings flapping madly to pin his son to the ground.

  Liam grimaced but fought back, gripping his father’s wings and causing frost to coat them until they were frozen icicles. The Son of Darkness bucked his dad off and stood, looking at Elle and me incredulously.

  “Get the hell out of here!” he shouted in rage.

  His venomous snarl shook me and I took flight as he and his father grappled once again. Elle was right behind me as we flew into the thick trees and made our way to the apartment. My heart pounded and my hands shook with adrenaline. The cold wind cut past me as my mind tried to process what just happened.

  “Do you think he’ll be okay? The king said he had more guards coming,” I said to Elle as we landed in front of the blue doorway.

  Elle’s brown hair was windblown and her cheeks pink. “He seemed like he could hold his own,” was all she said.

  I nodded nervously. That was true. He had powers that matched his father from what I had observed, but my heart ached to leave him there. We were clearly on opposite sides, but why had he just protected me from his father?

  I peered over my shoulder to confirm we were not followed, and then reached out for the handle.

  I couldn’t think about Liam right now, I needed to get this crystal back to Faerie and restore the tree of light before it fell and brought Faerie with it. The queen needed me more than Liam did.

  The second I opened the door, Mara and Bashur were there. He gave one bark and Mara lowered the shotgun she held.

  “You took a while. I was just about to send Bash.”

  I raised the sack and gave her a lopsided grin. “I got it.”

  Mara pumped her fist into the air. “That-a girl!” Then her eyes roamed over my torn dress and Elle’s disheveled looks. “Trouble?”

  I nodded. “You have no idea. I’ll catch you up on the way.”

  We entered her house and walked briskly through the kitchen and into her office. I spoke the entire time, telling her about the dark crystal and showing her the singed skin on my hand. Then I told her of meeting the Winter King, and the breeding program. She gasped and shook her head in disbelief. “Your mother had suspicions about some kind of halfling race expansion, but to hear this from your lips … it gives me chills.”

  I stopped just as we reached her office. “Mara … the Winter King … he’s the one that killed her.”

  Her gaze darkened. “I know.”

  A frown pulled at my lips. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  She reached out with her golden handcuff and grasped my hand. “Because revenge has eaten away at souls more pure than yours.”

  If the fucking king of Winter killed me, you’re damn right my mother would have gone after him in revenge. Wouldn’t she? So why shouldn’t I take him out?

  Assuming I was powerful enough, which I wasn’t.

  I frowned. “His wings … they smoke like fire but he throws ice. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

  She nodded. “He’s the son of the original Summer queen and Winter king. He holds both fire and ice power. He’s older than any Fae I’ve ever known.”

  That sent chills down my spine. He could have killed us easily then … why didn’t he? Maybe he needs a seeker. That thought brought horror rushing through me and I tamped it down.

  With that, she opened the door to her office and we strapped into our seats. My mind was reeling on overdrive.

  I didn’t speak the rest of the way, numbly unclipping and hefting the crystal over my shoulder. As I reached the door to her office to go back into Faerie, Mara called over my shoulder: “You’ve done an amazing thing today. Try to enjoy it a little.”

  I nodded and opened the door, only to find that I was directly in the elders’ library, inside their home. Indra was waiting.

  “Have you found one?” She wrung her hands together nervously. Mara must have alerted her somehow. I stepped inside the warm library and Elle came up beside me, bowing low out of respect. I’d forgotten all formalities, and clumsily bowed as well.

  Indra waved her hand. “You don’t need to greet me in such a way. We are all equals in the cause to save Faerie.”

  Whoa.

  Elle and I shared a look. The other three elders turned the corner then and my eyes fell on the elder of Winter Court.

  “I got the crystal,” I told them, and they all sighed in relief, clutching their chests. I noticed then that the floor of their home had a giant crack down the middle. Was that there when I’d come after the earthquake?

  Indra noticed my gaze. “There have been more tremors.”

  I pulled out the crystal and held it out to Indra. This should help.”

  She stepped back a pace. “Oh, dearest, it is your birthright to place the crystal. I cannot touch it without catastrophic harm.”

  Oh shit, that was right. I pulled my hand back and nodded. I needed to tell them so many things, but unlike with Mara, I couldn’t talk to the elders so freely.

  My gaze flicked to the Winter elder. “Did you know the Winte
r King still lives?”

  Indra had said he was running the Sons of Darkness, but I hadn’t really expected to run into him like that.

  He sighed. “I assumed as much. Your mother clashed with him a handful of times over the years. There are many factions of the Sons of Darkness. He only runs one of them.”

  Anger flared inside of me. “Did you know he killed her?”

  Indra frowned. “Mara told us. Why all of this talk of the Winter King?”

  I took a deep breath, looking over at Elle, who nodded in encouragement.

  “The Winter King has some sick breeding program. We walked into some sex party with hundreds of Sons of Darkness and their human … concubines. They’re … mating.” This was awkward as fuck, but I felt it my duty to warn them.

  They collectively gasped, and Indra immediately started to pace the library. “This is worse than I feared.”

  Elle stepped forward, “The king was talking about weird things. Like wanting to create a world on Earth where they could … I don’t know. It sounded like he wanted all the crystals to take over Earth for himself.”

  Indra stopped pacing and I shot Elle a warning look. The king’s speech had been confusing, and I’d wanted to find out more from Liam before just dropping that bomb on them.

  Indra’s face took on a menacing look. “Of course. That’s been his plan all along I’ll bet.”

  Her eyes fell to my hand, which was red and burned from grabbing the dark crystal. “Is there something else you need to tell us, dear?”

  Fuck.

  Well, they dropped a ton of stuff on me over the past few days, so now it was time to return the favor. This was something I hadn’t even told Elle yet.

  “The king had two crystals. One that looked like this.” I held up the beautiful bluish-purple shard. “And one that was … blackish green. A dark crystal. It burned me when I tried to grab it.”