by Allie Santos
My gaze settled on the front where Sabine stood in a silver dress, the material lacy and beautiful as it molded to her body. She met my eyes and smiled. Right next to her stood Roark, his hands grasping hers. They looked perfect up there, ethereally beautiful.
Thea nudged me from behind. I realized the Captain was walking to the side where various tables spread across the expansive hall filled with Fae. The table he led us to was set all the way to the side, neatly tucked in between many scary-looking Fae. A spattering of Fae women looked down their noses at me when I glanced over.
We took our seats, and I made sure to sit on the opposite side of the happy couple. My gaze traveled to Camilla, who smiled tightly at me. I could tell she was nervous. Right, I needed to concentrate on what mattered. I resolved not to look at the proceedings, to keep my eyes shut if I had to, but without my consent, my body turned. My arms jerked to the side in stiff movements and my legs flew over the side, hitting Thea as they swept over the bench. My back straightened, and I stared straight at Roark smiling down at Sabine.
Roark scratched his neck as soon as my gaze settled on him. He stretched his neck side to side and was about to turn when Sabine touched his face.
I heard my name from the side, but I wasn’t able to respond. “Something’s wrong with her,” Jasmine said. A tinkling of chimes sounded, and the noise of the chatter surrounding us died down.
“Thank you all for joining us for our melding. You all will witness history here with your future King and Queen of Faerie. We join today, and tomorrow, we scour the false protector’s haven, taking back what is rightfully mine. This is our way of showing all of you that we will succeed in bringing magic back. That we will bring matings back. As many of us have witnessed, a melding is traditionally completed by the mated pair, but today, we will have Hag bless our union,” Roark announced, and the thundering of applause sounded as if were muffled by a windowpane.
An outsider looking in, I felt my mouth stretch into a soft smile across my face. The only part of myself I was able to control was my eyes. My gaze flicked and met Sabine’s satisfied expression as she took in the room. She turned and faced Roark, who was staring out at his people with a stiff expression.
They turned to face each other as Emily walked toward them, a dark hooded cloak sheathing her body, probably to hide the shadows flickering around her. A rounded cup sat nestled in her hands.
She faced Sabine and raised the same onyx dagger she’d killed Karen with. The cut was similar to the one Sabine had done on my inner forearm. She did the same with Roark and collected his blood in the cup. I narrowed in on Hag’s face. There were gasps all around as everyone watched wisps rise from the brim of the cup. They were so entranced they didn’t notice Emily’s eye flickering pitch black. Her mouth moved like she was chanting something. My lips tensed, but I couldn’t say a word to stop it. The energy in the atmosphere was palpable. The static shimmered over my skin, making the hair on my arms rise.
Sabine took a drink of their mixed blood and handed it to Roark. His shoulders tightened, but he followed her lead when she flicked an eyebrow up. Roark’s eyes flew to Sabine, stunned.
They lifted their arms, and he put his cut to her mouth. Her eyes slid shut as she swallowed and pressed her arm to his lips. The blood was stark against her skin as it trickled from the wound. When his lips settled over the cut, my stomach heaved. I swallowed hard. My pulse elevated, and I became dizzy.
Roark shuddered and gripped Sabine’s arm tighter.
When he pulled back, he seemed dazed, but a confused smile played on his lips. Emily turned to the intricate white marble table behind her where a basin sat covered by a lid. She reached in and a puff of steam swished up. She grasped a short metal stick. As she held it higher, I realized it was a brand lit up red with heat. Emily dipped it in the bowl of mixed blood. When it met the liquid, it hissed angrily.
Sabine held her arm up and Emily placed the brand over the cut on her inner forearm. In seconds, she dipped it again and did the same to Roark.
“By my soul,” Roark said. As the words left him, my heart stuttered.
“By my body,” Sabine continued.
“Mates forever bound,” Emily’s clear voice rang out, and there was a charge of energy that shot through the room. Sabine spared me a glance before she reached up and tugged him down for a kiss. His hands went to the small of her back, fisting the dress. Just like he had done when he kissed me earlier.
I wanted so badly to close my eyes, but I couldn’t. I just watched as my other half bound himself to another. The soft smile on my face began to hurt. The pressure building in my eyes stung, but I couldn’t react even though I was screaming inside.
The hold on me suddenly fell away. I gasped and slumped as if a string was cut. My back hit the table behind me, and Roark shot straight up and whipped his head to me as if sensing my pain. Thundering applause and stomps exploded through the room. Some even stood, which I was thankful for. I didn’t want him to see the pain stamped on my face. I gasped for breath and clutched my aching chest.
“Keep it together,” Jasmine hissed from somewhere. “Don’t give her the satisfaction.”
I could see nothing through the tears that were blinding me. Before I could melt down completely, a sting flashed across my face, and I snapped out of it. I looked up at Thea, who wore an apologetic expression on her face.
“Sorry, I know you’re in pain, but now is not the time to break. That’s what she wants.”
I nodded and closed my eyes, starting my breathing exercises and losing myself in them.
“Have fun while my new mate and I retreat to our chambers,” Sabine yelled over the noise. There were whistles to that. I just tried to breathe. The room broke out in cheers as everyone voiced their approval. It was so loud I could barely think.
The wind whooshed beside me, and my hair blew to the side. I knew Roark was near, but I kept my head down. There was another brush of air, and I heard Sabine calling Roark. I peeked to see her stop him feet away. He looked down at her marked arm suspiciously.
“How was that possible? It felt like a real ceremony. We are not true mates, we would have sensed it before magic was bound,” he said suspiciously, barely heard over the noise. “We agreed that it would be in name only.”
“Are you sure about that? What if we were late bloomers? It is not like that has not happened,” Sabine cajoled.
“Stop.” He growled, clutching his head. “Why can I hear you and sense you?” The doubt on his face as he looked down at Sabine gutted me. I looked away with a hitch in my breath. When he heard my labored breathing, he pulled out of her hold as if burned and shot an accusing look at Sabine.
“Time to go,” Thea said and grabbed my arm. She pulled me up, but I couldn’t feel my legs. She caught me before I tumbled to the ground.
“Rae,” I heard all too close. “I can’t say much, but…”
My head whipped to look at him standing behind my left shoulder. I heard Sabine’s voice as she was hindered by other Fae.
“It wasn’t real.”
I smiled and nodded, but everything inside me wanted to scream at him. Roark offered me a relieved glance and squeezed my shoulders. As soon as his touch registered, I threw his hands off me, eyes closed as I backed up.
Suddenly, her voice was closer. “Take them back to Roark’s room.”
I opened my eyes. She stood by the Captain, who stood near the wall. He nodded. Roark stood in front of me, but I didn’t look. I couldn’t look at him.
“No,” he said, his voice a little desperate. “I do not want that. If you don’t want them here, then take them to a different room.”
“But, my love,” she purred, “I want her to hear us.”
Roark glared down, fury entering his eyes, and grabbed her neck.
Sabine laughed. “Ah, ah, ah, remember where we are.” She waved her hand at the people around them. “And did you already forget? We are bound. If I die, you die.”
He growl
ed and dropped his hand. “It was Hag’s dark magic that did this, wasn’t it? How?” Stiffening, Roark stepped away from her, giving her an accusatory look.
“Rae,” he said in a demanding tone. I didn’t look up, my eyes fixed on the buttons of Roark’s formal clothing. “Rae,” he bit out harsher.
“Leave her alone,” Thea snapped from my side.
“You dare speak to the King like that,” Sabine screeched.
“Sabine, silence,” Roark ordered.
To my surprise, she did. I finally looked up, and Roark recoiled. He inched closer to me. I stiffened at his proximity.
“I-it wasn’t supposed to be like this,” he whispered, just for my ears. He reached out a hand to grab me. “I was trying to protect you.”
“Don’t touch me,” I hissed.
Roark’s mouth opened as if to say something, but before he could, a nervous male voice intervened.
“King and Queen, there is a messenger at the door.” The Fae sounded panicked.
“Has she found us?” Sabine hissed and stalked out.
“This isn’t over,” Roark said to me, a rough edge to his voice. He turned to the Captain, looking like a different person. He was no longer the vulnerable Roark that had promised to keep me safe. He’d reverted back to the way he’d been when I’d first met him. Detached. “Take them to my room for now. And do not leave her side.”
His words echoed in my head. It was definitely over, I thought as I watched him disappear around the doorway.
Rian started walking. “Follow.”
And we did.
24
I trailed right behind him, bowing my head to show submission. The other Fae who had been guarding us stepped into line behind Jasmine again. Two men stood at the opened doors, tipping a clear funnel glass with silver liquid down their throats. It reminded me of someone chugging a beer. They nodded at the Captain.
We walked on. I couldn’t help but glance back as the doors closed. Through the crack, I could see others drinking the same liquid. There were even some Fae women who were sitting on male laps, and others were full-on making out. One female Fae was straddling a male. Her hand was trailing up and unveiling a pale strong body when the doors finally shut. My eyes met Rosalind’s as I turned back. Her face had pinked, a scandalized expression splashed across it.
“What in the world?” she mouthed.
“I know,” I mouthed right back.
“Face forward,” the guard behind bit out. I turned quickly.
Rian led us toward the top floor again. This time, I embraced the pain in my ankle. It was a good distraction from the pain in my chest. When we arrived at the level Roark’s room was on, Rian stopped and waved me forward as he fell back next to the other Fae.
“You go on, deposit them in the room,” he ordered the unknown severe-looking Fae. He got a nod and disappeared. That’s when I started panicking.
He’d lied to us. My stomach dropped. There would be no escaping.
“Fuck this,” Jasmine bit out and lunged at the Fae. She managed to push him against the wall, and I knew surprise on her side had allowed her to accomplish that. Gasping, I ran and shoved his arm before he wrapped his hands around her throat. He stumbled to the side with a hiss, and I landed on my knees.
The other girls charged at him and he cursed. I reached for my little leaf knife, but the trembled in my hands made it drop. The thrashing Fae kicked out and it slid sideways. I grunted when his knee hit my arm.
I heard someone cry out. Frantically, I fumbled to grip the dagger attached to his hip. I knew the only reason I managed to get it was because he was struggling to push the others away. Gripping the handle of the elaborate hilt, it dug into my soft palm with my grip. With a quick jerk, I sliced at his leg.
The Fae stopped struggling and slumped down. Did the knife have some nifty abilities? When I looked up, the Fae’s neck was bent to the side and Rian stared at us, shock splashed across his face.
“I had not expected you to try to get yourselves killed,” he stated.
“Are you freaking kidding me?” I yelled. Rosalind helped Thea to her feet as I got to mine.
“Keep it down,” he hushed me. “We don’t want to call attention to us.” I glared at him, and my hands fisted. We’d just had a straight out brawl and he was concerned about someone hearing us? “Relax, I wanted to snap his neck while he was unaware. I had to act like I was gone. I was waiting for him to get to the room.”
He bent down, tossed the Fae over his shoulder, and strode past us. I trailed behind him, still suspicious.
“Why are you bringing a dead body?” I asked.
“Don’t want any attention before we get out, and he’s not dead,” he said and opened Roark’s door, waving all of us in. He dumped the Fae on the ground. “He should heal… eventually. You must wait while I get rid of the ones outside.” He held up a rolled-up rope. “I also needed to get this.”
I regarded him with more appreciation. His eyes flicked to my hands. I hadn’t realized I had a death grip on the dagger. Blood dripped from the tip, and I shivered. “Here.” I pushed the weapon to him.
“The Queen sent the Fae Guard. They should be attacking any second. I’ll make sure our coast is clear.” He slid the dagger into a loop at his waist and dragged the heavy bed over to the window. There, he tied the rope to the bed with an intricate knot, opened the window, and threw it out. “This leads to the back of the fortress. There are only about ten feet between here and the wall surrounding the building. No one will see you climb out. Regardless, they’ll be too busy defending the castle.”
He tugged on the rope and threw his leg over the sill. “Stay here. I will be back in five minutes. If I am not, start climbing down the rope. Stay out of sight and get out. I’ll focus on getting rid of the guards at the gates leading out, so you have a clear path.”
As if arranged, a loud bang sounded, and shouting filtered into the room.
“That’s my cue. They have arrived.” He fell out of sight after that ominous statement.
“I think we should start going down now,” Jasmine announced and strode to the window.
“You heard what he said, we should wait,” Rosalind said nervously.
“Right now, while they’re scattering around, trying to figure out what’s going on, is the best time,” Jasmine argued.
“I agree,” Selina said.
Nervous, I strode to the door and cracked it open a little. I could hear footsteps echoing off the walls. I concentrated and heard Sabine’s distinct screech somewhere in the distance.
“Let’s go. Let’s go.” I waved everyone toward the window.
“I’ll go down first. I can try to catch anyone who needs help,” Jasmine said and went over the ledge smoothly.
“Rosalind,” I said, pushing her to the window.
“But-but,” she stuttered.
“No buts! Go!” I yelled, and she finally grabbed the rope and slowly slid down. When I heard a yell and a thump, I looked over and saw Rosalind spread out on top of Jasmine.
I shoved Camilla to the rope next. She looked ready to barf but followed the lead of the others. Selina leaned to check Camilla’s descent, and as soon as she saw it cleared, she turned to go, sparing me a nod.
“Go, Eliza,” Thea said from beside me.
She went but muttered, “Hurry up,” to us.
The door rattled.
“Go, Thea,” I yelled.
She shook her head. “You go.”
“Listen, Thea,” I said, grabbing her arms. “That’s Sabine. I can distract her while you all go. If I go, then she’ll find us, and all this was for nothing. She’s such a vindictive bitch that she would probably just kill us all as soon as she catches up to us.”
She looked conflicted, but I gave her a pointed glance. As she turned to leave, the door exploded open.
“You,” Sabine hissed. “How did you contact that righteous bitch?”
She slowly stalked toward me. I backed away from Thea, not w
anting her to be in the crossfire of whatever hell was about to go down. I just hoped she managed to escape with the other girls before Sabine finished with me.
“You think she’s the righteous bitch,” I mocked, ignoring the purple Fae blood splattered across her body and smeared over her face. Roark’s footsteps thundered in through the threshold.
“Get away from her. She’s done nothing,” Roark hissed and grabbed her arm. “We have to leave before they catch up to us. We’re helpless without our magic, and I don’t want to kill Fae I considered comrades at one point.” Roark turned to look at me and held his hand out. “Let’s go, Rae.”
“Just me and you?” I asked. He looked shocked by my words. “Let’s go, Roark. Or just give in to the Queen. Please, she’s on the good side. It doesn’t have to be this way.” My voice came perilously close to begging.
His hand fisted and dropped. Indecision darkened his face as he took in my pleas. “I can’t. I have to return magic to everyone. It’s my duty. The Queen is not good, as you say. She killed my family and took everything from me,” he said, his face slowly freezing with determination as the indecision fell away. I was sure my heartbreak showed on my face, but I couldn’t protect myself from it.
A thump sounded, and I turned to see Thea fall back. “Shit, incoming.”
As she said that, a body hopped through the window and landed on its feet. A beautiful auburn-haired woman straightened to her full regal height. Sabine hissed.
The Queen had arrived.
25
“Sabine.” The Queen’s voice was edged with anger.
“Luz,” Sabine replied, a sneer twisting her lips.
“I’ve always known of your uprising,” the Queen said conversationally as she strode forward, her hair lifting behind her. “It’s impressive what you have been able to do. Getting so many to turn against me.”
“It’s your fault. You bound our magic. All of this,” Roark said, stepping forward. “You only have yourself to blame. You’re killing our species. You have taken our matings away. There have been no newborns since the bind was placed.”
