by Kasi Blake
“He took me hunting once,” Jack said. “Werewolves were coming straight at him, and he didn’t have a weapon in his hand. I grabbed his bag to take it to him. Then I saw him burn the werewolves to death with a touch. I freaked.”
Trick chuckled at the picture Jack’s words created. “I remember watching Dad and Bash, the real Bash, take on monsters together. They were incredible to watch. Wish you could have seen them back then.”
Jack smiled and nodded. “I wish I’d known about you back then.”
Feeling better, Trick swung his legs off the bed. The healing was almost finished. In another few minutes he would be ready to jump back into the fight, if necessary. A strange sensation washed over him, and he felt the blood drain from his face. He reached out a hand to his brother, silently asking for help.
Jack’s eyes rolled back, and he collapsed onto the other bed even as darkness claimed Trick.
*
“Trick?”
A soft voice reached into the darkness for him. He cracked his eyes open a slit, ready to plead for just a few more minutes of sleep, but he wasn’t in his bed. Fuzzy trees slowly swam into focus. Extended branches formed a canopy overhead. Flat on his back, he looked to his left and then to his right. Nothing was familiar. Grass, foliage, and trees stretched as far as he could see. Memories returned frame by frame. The last thing he remembered was being rescued from the Faerie Realm by his brother. Hadn’t Jack taken him to a motel?
“Trick?” the female voice repeated.
A pretty girl moved from his feet to his arm and hovered over him, concern in her eyes. It took him a moment to put a name with the face. Silver. His brother’s wife. Despite the fact he was supposed to be with Jack at a motel, he was in a forest with Silver.
“What are you doing here?” he asked. “What am I doing here?”
He rolled over and got on his knees, feeling strangely lightheaded. At least his injuries had finally healed. They were in a forest, but it wasn’t the Faerie Realm. The air wasn’t green or dreamy with floating wispy things. By the placement of the sun Trick judged it to be early afternoon. Pale blue, the sky didn’t have a single cloud. Temperature wise, it was perfect: warm with a gentle breeze.
“Where are we?” Trick asked as he pushed to his feet.
“A dream,” Silver said. “This is the forest where Jack and I met.”
“You met my brother in a forest?”
“In a dream, yes.” Silver smiled and tucked strands of light brown hair behind her ear. “He taught me how to control dreams and how to suck people into them.”
Trick blinked. Did that mean… “Is this real?” he asked. “Are we really here?”
“That’s a difficult question to answer,” Silver said. “Our bodies remain in the natural world, but Jack’s hand got cut once in a dream. He woke up to find his hand bleeding. Powerful beings have been known to alter reality through dreams.”
Trick’s head hurt. “What do you want?”
“I didn’t bring you here.” She looked around with a deep yearning in her eyes. “Must be Jack. He can suck people into dreams… but he hasn’t done it in a while. Is Jack okay?”
“Yeah.” Wasn’t he? Trick concentrated as hard as he could on his last vivid memory. Jack had saved him from Oberon and drove him to a motel to meet up with Scarlet. Trick added, “He’s fine. I think we’re still in the motel room.”
Relief stole over her facial features. “I was so afraid he’d get hurt or…”
“He’s fine,” Trick repeated. “His part in the battle happened fast. I mean, he didn’t actually fight or anything. He was in and out of the Faerie Realm like that.” Trick snapped his fingers. “I don’t think Oberon even glanced in his direction.”
“I was so scared,” Silver admitted as she wrapped her arms around herself. Unfocused, her eyes seemed to stare into the past at something only she could see. “When Jersey Clifford showed up at our door tonight, I started shaking, and I haven’t stopped. It was like my worst nightmare was coming true. I was so sure that stupid werewolf would get my husband killed.”
Before Trick could reassure her for the fifteenth time that Jack was fine, a new voice spoke from the line of trees. Startled, they both swung in the intruder’s direction at the first word he spoke. Jersey Clifford. He wore his usual ensemble, solid black with a splash of color. Instead of red sneakers, he had a blood red tie around his neck. His pale thinning hair gleamed in the sunlight, and his blue eyes twinkled.
“Taking your present condition and hormonal levels into account, I will let the insult pass,” Jersey said. He puffed his chest out and raised his head high. “We both know I am the most intelligent living creature of this age.”
After rolling her eyes Silver demanded, “Why did you suck us into your dream? What do you want?”
Trick stepped between her and the werewolf, knowing he had to protect her for his brother’s sake. “First you rescue me. Then you kidnap me. What is your problem?”
“You are welcome,” Jersey said with a wry smile.
“What did you do to Oberon back there?” Trick asked. “And that thing in your hand? Was that his missing scepter?”
Jersey reached beneath his suit jacket. When his hand reappeared, it was holding the golden object. “If Isobel hadn’t liberated this beautiful thing, you would be dead now. I wouldn’t have bothered with a rescue mission.” Jersey shrugged. “In truth, I couldn’t have saved you without it. I couldn’t have found my way into the Faerie Realm. This is the source of his magic, and now it belongs to me.”
And that was what worried Trick the most.
After Trick had killed the Shadow Faerie, Jersey pushed him out of the way so he could take the power that Trick was supposed to inherit. The power belonged to him. His grandfather, the Dark Wizard, had used the power to rule over an evil empire. That man hadn’t been his actual grandfather. Oberon’s son had possessed Samuel Carver’s body, killing him instantly. Then Trick’s father had died when the son possessed him. Oberon’s son had set his eyes on Jack, not realizing that Jack had died to become a vampire and was no longer an option. Instead, he had found himself inside Jack’s younger brother. Billy.
When Oberon discovered Ian Carver had a third son, he knew that only Trick could inherit the faerie power. He had sent his servant, the Shadow Faerie, to force the power on Trick. But none of them figured on Jersey Clifford pushing Trick out of the way at the last second. Why would they? He shouldn’t have been able to inherit.
Later, he had explained to Trick that the Shadow Faerie had been his brother William. Actually, Jersey had said the Shadow Faerie was a part of him. Trick still wasn’t sure how that worked. Didn’t matter. Long story short: The dark magic had surged into the werewolf. Jersey had gained a great deal of power that day.
“What did you do to Oberon?” Trick asked. He needed to hear that everything was okay now and Oberon was gone forever.
“I locked him inside that body he was so intent on stealing,” Jersey said. “As far as he knows, he is Sebastian Marx. He only remembers what Bash remembered of his life.”
Hope inflated like a giant balloon in Trick’s chest. “So it’s over? Oberon has been taken care of?”
“Not quite.” Jersey turned the scepter around and around in his hands while staring down at it in fascination. “I put a curse on him, and as we know a curse can always be broken.”
“How?” Silver asked. “What does Oberon have to do to get his memories back?”
Jersey shrugged. “How should I know?”
Both Trick and Silver shouted, “You placed the curse!”
“I did, yes,” Jersey said. “But I didn’t have time to dream up a clever cure.”
Trick shook his head in confusion. “Then what? Who decides? How is a cure found?”
Jersey sighed. “Why expect me to have all the answers? I am not an authority on faeries. If you want to know, research it.”
Silver turned to Trick. “There must be something in the lore about cur
ses and how they work. I’ll try to find it when I get home.” She folded her arms and glared at Jersey. “Speaking of which, I want to go home now. You shouldn’t have sucked me into your stupid dream.”
“He didn’t,” a familiar voice said on the other side of her.
She squealed with delight and spun around. Trick watched her jump into his brother’s arms. Jack was there in the dream world with them. “How did you get here?” she asked. “Are you okay? I was so worried about you.”
“When Jersey sucked me and Trick into this dream, I called for you without thinking.” Jack smiled down at his wife. He stroked her cheek as if he couldn’t help himself. “You’re still the first person I think of when something happens, good or bad.” Jack gave a brief nod at Trick before turning on the werewolf. “Why didn’t you tell me you stole that thing from Oberon before I agreed to help you?”
“I thought we were working on a need to know basis,” Jersey said.
A muscle twitched in Jack’s cheek. “Why did you bring us here? You know, just because I joined you to save my brother doesn’t mean you can suck me into your stupid dreams whenever the urge strikes you. I’m not involved in this crap anymore.”
“Pardon me,” Jersey said. “I couldn’t resist the urge to see you and your brother together.” Grinning ear to ear, he quoted a poem Trick didn’t recognize.
Trick’s confused gaze ping-ponged between his brother and the werewolf. He had the strange feeling that he was an interloper on a private conversation, or that he had walked in on a movie right in the middle. He had no idea what was going on.
Jersey jerked his chin in Trick’s direction but spoke to Jack. “He can’t read. Did you know?”
Trick rolled his eyes. “I can read. I choose not to because I don’t enjoy it.”
Jack’s gaze bounced back and forth between Trick and the werewolf teacher as if he couldn’t believe they were talking about books in the peculiar setting. “I don’t care if he doesn’t read,” Jack said. “Billy wasn’t into literature either. So what? We were brothers, and we connected on the stuff that mattered.”
Jersey recoiled as if he’d been slapped. “Has the world gone mad? Since when does literature not matter to you?”
“I didn’t say it doesn’t matter.” Jack sighed. “I just meant it isn’t the most important thing in the world. If Trick doesn’t want to read, leave him alone.”
Trick didn’t like being talked about as if he wasn’t standing right there. On the other hand, he did enjoy the fact his older brother was defending him. Problem was, they were straying from the important issue. “What do we do about Oberon?”
Jack’s eyes snapped to the werewolf. “I thought you took care of him. Didn’t you say you were going to take care of him?”
“I did what I set out to do.” Jersey returned the scepter to the inside of his jacket, looking pleased with himself. “Your brother is alive, and Oberon isn’t trying to kill anyone… for now.”
“Where does that leave us?” Jack asked.
Silver grabbed her husband by his arm. “That doesn’t leave us anywhere. This their fight. We are not a part of this. You saved Trick’s life. Come home.”
Before Jack could protest—if he was going to—Trick took the decision away from his brother. “She’s right. You saved me, and I appreciate it, but I don’t need your help anymore. I can do this without you.”
“You think you can take care of Oberon on your own?” Jack scoffed. “I doubt the Dark Wizard could have handled him alone.”
Trick stood up straight, head held high. “All my life people have been telling me I’m going to die. First there was the faerie power inside of me, more power than a mortal boy could handle. The gypsy Dad took me to swore she saw my future. She claimed I’d die before I was eighteen, but here I am. Then everyone thought the Shadow Faerie would kill me. They said I didn’t have a chance, but here I am. Now you all think Oberon will kill me. Well, guess what? When the dust clears, I’ll still be here.”
Seemingly stunned, they all three stared at him in silence. Had the speech sounded as good to them as it had to him?
Jersey gestured to him while speaking to Jack. “That’s the only thing I like about this kid. His arrogance is limitless.”
Jack placed a hand on his back and led him away from the werewolf. “You should leave town now while Oberon is busy trying to find himself,” Jack whispered. “Grab Summer and Cowboy and disappear.”
“You want me to run?” Every muscle in Trick’s body tightened. “I am not going to spend my life looking over my shoulder. Besides, I was born to be the greatest hunter in the world. Can’t do that if I run from a fight.”
“Billy wanted to be a hunter,” Jack said. “Now he’s dead. I don’t want to bury another brother.”
“I’m a vampire, Jack. I don’t have a lot of job options.”
“Maybe we can find a cure.”
A cure for vampirism? Trick gave it some thought. If they could find a cure, would he take it? He hadn’t wanted to become a vampire, but he was enjoying the power. It was nice not to have to worry about dying when he drove too fast or jumped off a cliff. Could he return to his old life after living such a reckless lifestyle?
“The faerie magic I was born with was killing me,” Trick said. “Being a vampire saved me from it, so I don’t think I’d want to mess with that. Too risky.”
“Perhaps I can help,” Jersey said. He’d moved closer while they weren’t paying attention. “I could try siphoning the rest of that faerie magic out of you.”
Trick shot him a glare. “Don’t you think you have enough power?”
Silver called her husband’s name. It was obvious she was becoming more anxious by the second. “I’ll be home soon,” Jack said. “Wake up.” She disappeared, and Trick realized Jack had expelled her from the dream. Next, he turned on the werewolf. “We’re done here. Don’t suck me into a dream again.” Jack corrected himself. “Don’t suck any of us into a dream again.”
Jack put a hand on Trick’s shoulder.
They exited the dream.
*
Trick bolted upright in a panic, although the logical side of his brain didn’t realize why until he saw the familiar motel room. Hands pulled on him; he fought against them until he realized it was Scarlet. Eyes wide, she looked as scared as he felt. Memories returned in a dizzying rush. He’d been sucked into a dream by Jersey Clifford, and Jack had removed him from the situation. Fear of the unknown had sent him into a blind panic while in the process of waking.
He swung his legs off the mattress and turned his body to face the other bed. Jack was already sitting on the edge. Their gazes locked, and Trick saw relief in his brother’s eyes. Since he didn’t know how these weird dreams worked, he wasn’t sure how close he’d come to being in real trouble. Had Jack saved him twice in one night?
“Hey,” Jack said. “You okay? Takes a while to get used to traveling into dreams.”
“It wasn’t my first time,” Trick said. “Jersey sucked me into one after we first met just to see if he could.”
Jack’s lips compressed. He didn’t look happy, but he kept his thoughts to himself. At least a dozen questions waited on the tip of Trick’s tongue. There were so many things he didn’t understand about sucking people into dreams. Could he do it? How did it work? What were the dangers?
“You should rest,” Scarlet said, hand on his shoulder as if she was afraid he was about to stand.
Trick turned his head to smile at her. “I’m fine. Really. Thanks.” He returned his attention to his brother, desperate to learn all the information he could before Jack left. There were things he wanted to know, important things. “Cowboy told me you hated being a vampire.”
“Mostly,” Jack said with a wry smile. “It had its perks, but I missed being human. I wanted to marry the girl I love and have a life with her. I wanted to have kids.”
Scarlet’s hand tightened on Trick’s shoulder, and he knew what she was thinking. She wanted thos
e things too. But she couldn’t have them if she was with him. He’d wanted to tell her that he loved her since seeing her standing there in the rain waiting for him. Doubts nibbled at his romantic plans for them. It seemed selfish to saddle her with a vampire boyfriend, no matter how much she thought she wanted it.
“What about Summer and Cowboy?” Trick asked because the question weighed heavily on his mind. “Can I trust them?”
“I did,” Jack said with a slight shrug. “They saved my life numerous times, but they have issues.”
“I’ve noticed,” Trick said.
Jack chuckled. “Cowboy really hates humans. I haven’t had any contact with him since we said our final goodbye, and I left to build a life with Silver. Summer keeps in touch, but she never mentioned you.” Jack got up to roam around the room. “The thing you need to remember about Cowboy is he’s like a wounded animal when he feels betrayed or let down. He can’t just talk things out. He wants to hurt them as much as they hurt him… if not more.”
Trick understood that only too well. They had that in common. Admitting his feelings, even to himself, proved to be a near impossible task more often than not. Therapy had helped him some in that area. Thanks for Baxter he knew how to do an inventory of his psyche when he wanted. He’d just rather not waste the time. It wasn’t necessary for hunters to be in touch with their emotions. In fact, his father had often told him great hunters were able to cut off that part of themselves.
“Summer is worse than Cowboy,” Jack said. “When she doesn’t get her way, look out. She’s lethal.”
A cold numbness spread through Trick. That lethal vampire was dating his brother and had him wrapped around her finger. Maybe he should stake her.
Jack added, “But she’s not as cold-hearted as she pretends. I’ve seen her cry over an injured dog she didn’t even know, a stray. Just don’t cross her, and you’ll be fine. She’ll have your back.”
“If you say so,” Trick said. That nagging little voice that warned him of impending dangers whispered softly. Someday he would have to kill Summer, stake her through the heart and leave her in a pile of dust.
