Twilight Seeker: Daybreaker #1

by DaCosta, Pippa

  The jinn’s expression spoke of her distrust before she turned her back on me.

  “Allow me to take you away from all this…” Rafe’s whispers were mighty tempting, but I was still the hostess and my brother was still missing.

  “No.”

  He opened his mouth to argue.

  I stopped him with a raised hand. “I don’t need you for this.”

  His pretty eyes narrowed, and his wings ruffled as they often did when we disagreed.

  “You’ve done enough.”

  What happened next, I had to do alone. Not with another demon whom I already owed a debt. This wasn’t his fight, and without his soul, his motivations were dubious at best. I couldn’t have him anywhere near my weakness—Kensey.

  He laughed me off with a shrug and turned away. “Fine, sweet thing, but don’t be too long… Our time alone begins at dawn.”

  I sighed, glancing at the closed shutters. “Rafe, we didn’t agree to that.”

  “We didn’t not agree to it either.”

  Really? I was exhausted and still reeling from everything that had happened, and he was pulling the damn deal card now!

  “Only if I get my brother back and he’s fine. I’m not doing our thing without knowing he’s okay.”

  Rafe spun around and bowed dramatically. “I’m soulless, not heartless.” He vanished before rising, leaving me in a room full of wary predators.

  * * *

  Outside the fae’s room, I braced a hand against the wall and bowed my head. I was shivering from the adrenaline comedown and couldn’t shake it. For all my games and outward show of strength, I was crumbling inside.

  I just had to do this one last thing while the station did whatever it was doing…

  On the walk from my library, where I’d collected an essential item that would help in what came next, the guests who weren’t hiding in their rooms had steered clear of me. I’d need to reassure them they were safe, and find Etienne, and clean up the burned debris in the Hall, and welcome the new arrivals, and a thousand other things, and uphold my deal with Raphael. The station cogs kept turning, even if the shutters were closed to whatever was outside. I had to trust it. There was no room in my body and heart for anything else.

  I slipped my hand into a pocket and squeezed Gerome’s broken key. Tears blurred my vision.

  “Not now,” I whispered, dabbing the wetness from the corners of my eyes. I couldn’t fall apart just yet. I had to keep it together for Kensey, for whatever I found beyond this door.

  Straightening, I knocked.

  Etienne opened the door, looking pale. He stepped aside, and there they were, the beautiful pair of elves, Aoife seated in a Queen Anne chair and her husband, Connaught, standing behind her. They looked like a glorious portrait. There was no sign of my brother in the main room, but these suites had adjoining bedrooms. He could be in one of those.

  Elves were at the top of their food chain, mostly because they liked to eat the fae below them. Connaught and Aoife were no exception. As ethereal as they appeared in their flowing pale blue silk-and-lace gowns, with their featherlight blond hair and pointed ears, they could turn into vicious killers at the click of their beautifully lithe fingers.

  “Miss Lynher,” Aoife greeted, her tongue scandalously pink behind her pale teeth and lips. “Is it done?”

  “Aoife, Connaught.” I dipped my chin respectfully. “Is what done, exactly?”

  “The vampire situation has been dealt with?”

  “The overseer and his entourage are gone, yes. As for whatever was outside… that remains to be seen.”

  “Good. That is good.” She looked over her shoulder at her husband, who stared back at me. I hadn’t yet seen him blink. “You must be wondering about our part in this?”

  I sighed, failing to hide my exhaustion. “You gave Etienne to us to keep him safe, correct?”

  “Indeed, we did. He was born here, in this realm, and as such, the vampires believed it their right to take him. Naturally, we could not allow this, so we arranged to hide our son among you here, at the station. He will return home with us once he reaches maturity.”

  Etienne shifted uneasily. He seemed pretty mature already, certainly old enough to make his own choices, but the fae did things differently, and as human as Etienne appeared, he was fae beneath the lies.

  So many lies spun like webs all around me.

  I’d never found them so tiring before.

  “You had Etienne trap me in a carriage with Ghost. Why?” I asked, ignoring the rasp in my voice.

  Again, Aoife looked at her husband, perhaps expecting him to explain, but he just stared through me, trying to solve the puzzle of how someone like me had so much power beneath this roof. They all coveted it. I hadn’t realized how much until Jack had brought it to a head.

  And he’d saved me… in the end.

  “In the hope you’d do what you’ve done. The overseer was a weakness. You saw to it that he was suitably distracted, thus undermining their queen. We knew you’d succeed.”

  They knew I’d fucking succeed? “How convenient an answer.” Fae couldn’t lie, and they did everything in their power to get around that weakness. “Is my brother here?”

  Connaught broke out of his statuesque stance and lifted his head. “Your brother is our insurance that you’ll keep Etienne safe until he matures. He will stay in our care while Etienne is in yours.”

  I still had strength enough to feel anger. “So, you do have him?”

  “Yes.”

  My cheek twitched. “Is he here?”

  Connaught glided across the floor and disappeared into a side room. He returned with Kensey, bound at the wrists and gagged. My brother’s eyes flew wide on seeing me, and then narrowed. He was furious, and he wasn’t the only one.

  “Etienne.” I pitched my tone like I normally would when asking him to perform his station duties, and like the good member of staff he was, he came forward.

  A knife dropped from my sleeve and into my palm. I grabbed Etienne by his collar and pulled him around, hugging him close. The blade fit snugly under his chin. It was a simple blade, borrowed from one of the kitchen staff on my way here. It wouldn’t hurt a fae, but Etienne was as mortal as me.

  Aoife’s hand shot to her mouth, smothering a graceful gasp.

  Connaught yanked on Kensey, reeling him back in. My brother’s muffled protests bubbled, and considering where his gaze was, he was more concerned for Etienne than his own damn life. He and I would have words after this.

  “I’ve had a really bad few days,” I said. “Without going into details, I discovered a fae spy within my staff, and I don’t appreciate being lied to when it comes to my family. And make no mistake, Etienne is my family. He’s actually a damn good assistant, and to learn that he’s been compromised made my bad few days even worse. Frankly, I’m right on the edge of doing something reckless, so if you’d like to test that theory, please continue to hold my brother hostage, and we’ll see how far I’m willing to go to get him back.”

  The station’s mark helpfully flared as a reminder of who they were fucking with. I’d thank it later.

  Connaught sneered, appearing more striking in his fury. Fucking elves. They were some of the most dangerous guests under my roof, but they also loved their family like I loved mine. They were afraid. Afraid of the unknown entity that was me, afraid of the station, and afraid of vampires. I understood all that.

  “Release Kensey.”

  “Only if you agree that Etienne will give up his place beneath your roof and return with us as soon as he’s reached maturity,” Connaught replied.

  “I can’t agree to that. You handed Etienne over to me, a human, and we do things differently. Until he turns fae, Etienne is his own person who makes his own choices. You don’t own him here like you would in your world. You chose to give him up. He is free—besides my holding a knife to his throat, but you haven’t given me much choice in that. Now, let my brother go.”

  “You marked him
. You claimed our son. We do not trust you, Lynher Aris. How can we trust someone who banished an entire retinue of vampireguard and their overseer to the demon realm? Your brother is the only thing you care about, and to keep you in line, we must keep him.”

  “I don’t mark people. The station does that. You handed him over, and the station embraced him… I’m as much a servant of the station as anyone.”

  “This station is not as benign as it appears!” the male elf snapped.

  This was getting us nowhere.

  Kensey was mumbling behind his gag and trying to writhe free of Connaught’s grip. My brother was stronger than he looked, and if he got a hit in, the situation would turn messy. I still hoped to walk out of here with both Kensey and Etienne, but if it came to it, I would kill Etienne to save my brother. But there was another equation in this—the way Kensey was looking at Etienne. Kensey would trade himself for Etienne’s freedom, because my brother was one of the good ones, and the fool loved Etienne. I hoped that gag stayed in before he opened his mouth and put his foot in it.

  “This is unnecessary. I have no reason to want to hurt Etienne or keep him from you. If you’re afraid he likes it better among humans, that’s your problem to solve, not mine. Let my brother go. I’m not asking again.”

  Etienne hadn’t fought, likely because he believed I wouldn’t hurt him. He could keep on thinking that right up until I cut his throat, if required.

  Aoife flicked her wrist. “Let him go, love. She is but one human, albeit in a position of power she doesn’t understand.”

  Her keen eyes told me she absolutely knew I’d kill Etienne to save Kensey. She was the reasonable one.

  Connaught relaxed his grip on Kensey and untied his wrist bindings. Kensey pulled his gag free and threw it at Aoife’s feet as he strolled by.

  “Lynher, you can let Etienne go now,” my brother said, his voice ragged from his ordeal.

  I could.

  But there was still the little fact of how they’d lied to us and used their son to manipulate me, and if one Dark One believed I was a soft touch, they’d all get ideas.

  I flicked the blade, opening a thin bloody line in Etienne’s neck. It wasn’t deep, it wouldn’t kill him, but it might scar. Etienne sucked in a breath through his teeth.

  “Lynher!” Kensey barked.

  “What is this!” Connaught raced forward.

  Lifting my hands, I backed off. The knife had gone—I’d tucked it safely away but could easily whip it out again. “Don’t fuck with my family.”

  Connaught looked at me as though he’d love to rip my spine out and wear it as a scarf. Aoife just looked cold, like she’d come close to seeing her son bleed out in front of her. They had made him mortal. This was their doing, all of it. My family were not tools to be used.

  “We’re done here,” I told them.

  Etienne slipped a hand into Kensey’s, and they hurried from the room. I’d almost made it out behind them when Connaught added, “Don’t make enemies of the fae, Miss Aris. You will not survive the repercussions.”

  Smiling, I caught the door handle, bowed as I pulled the door closed, and said, “Don’t make an enemy of me, or you’ll find the station doors permanently closed to you. Good night, Connaught and Aoife. Sleep well.”

  Chapter 24

  Day

  I allowed Kensey and Etienne to return to Day without me. Kensey wouldn’t have gone, but Etienne had urged him on, saying I needed time to fix the fallout from the reverse summoning. And I did. I went through the motions, trying to smooth over the drama left behind from the scene in the Grand Hall. The shutters were still locked tightly, allowing no entry or exit. There were questions, most of which I couldn’t answer. Were the VG coming back? How safe were the guests from the vampires and from me…

  With dawn creeping through my bones, I unlocked the Day door and descended the spiral staircase, seeking sanctuary. Kensey would soon come looking for me, and I wasn’t ready to go over everything that had happened. I’d fall apart in front of him, and then nothing would get done.

  My bedroom shutters were closed too, holding back something. I wandered to the dresser, with its large ornate mirror, and almost didn’t recognize the woman looking back at me. She seemed confident, proud, strong even, but I saw how her smile was broken and worn out. We’d survived, Kensey and me. We were okay. Why, then, didn’t it feel like a victory?

  A knock sounded at my door. It could only be Kensey or Etienne. Neither would go away until I spoke with them.

  Sure enough, Kensey smiled when I opened the door. I so wanted to fall into his arms, but dawn had come, and I had one last promise to uphold.

  He opened his mouth to ask his questions, but I spoke over him. “I need Etienne to cover my shift for a day and a night. Can you ask him to do that? And can you watch him…?”

  My brother closed his mouth and frowned. “Are you all right?”

  I’d never willingly missed a night shift.

  “I will be.” I rubbed my forehead where the tiredness had collected into an ache.

  “Are we safe?” he asked, not for himself, but for every single human that helped run this strange corner of the world.

  “We are, for a while, I think. Until the shutters open, at least.”

  He moved as though to enter my room, or maybe to draw me into his arms, but if I let him hold me, all my defenses would crumble, so I held him back. His face fell in confusion.

  “We’ll talk. I promise,” I told him. “I need some time, that’s all.”

  I knew Rafe was behind me the second my brother’s gaze flicked over my shoulder, but it was more than that. I’d made a deal with an incubus. His presence warmed my blood and made my exhausted body hum in anticipation.

  “I see.” Kensey’s frown darkened.

  “It’s not…” What was the point in explaining? He’d already assumed the worst. “Kensey, will you help cover for me?”

  “All right,” he agreed, “if that’s what you want.” He meant Rafe, and no, this wasn’t what I wanted, but it was a whole lot more complicated than where his mind had gone.

  I closed the door on my brother’s disapproving scowl and felt that same emotional wave clog up my throat. I just had to spend a day and a night with Rafe—then it would all be over. I could go back to my life, to the way everything had been before, and forget any of this had happened. The carriage, Jack, the farm, and those poor people trapped in the dark rooms…

  “I’m sorry…” I told Rafe.

  “Sorry?” He didn’t bother hiding the surprise from his voice. “Whatever for?”

  Facing him was one of the hardest things I’d ever had to do. He wore an open cotton jacket, barely more than a decoration over his bare chest, and the pants were cotton too, thin and loose. No shoes. He rarely wore them. He hadn’t changed his appearance in all the years I’d known him, until the phantom had taken his soul. Now he stood there, his wings arched elegantly behind him, his smile and eyes hollow, just decoration on an empty husk.

  “I can’t fix everything. I can’t fix you.”

  He was in front of me, his thumb wiping my cheek. “Your face is leaking.” He lifted his thumb to his lips and licked away the tear he’d collected.

  “You know what tears are, Rafe.” He’d seen me cry a thousand times as a child, but like everything between us now, this was different, because he was different. Maybe I was too.

  “But I never expect to see them again on you.” His fingers brushed up my cheek and into my hair. He pulled me in, and I didn’t fight him. I was weak and alone and lost, and I’d agreed to this, and it felt right. So right. “There’s nothing to fix,” he said, voice rumbling as his arms sealed around me. “I don’t need a soul.”

  More tears fell. I squeezed my eyes closed and crushed his silly jacket in my grip. Only someone without a soul would think they didn’t need one.

  “Everything is easier now,” he said. “Clearer.”

  I’d broken him. I couldn’t fix everything,
and now he was forever changed. The phantom would have feasted on other souls by now, and even if it hadn’t, it would be long gone. He was the closest thing I had to a friend, and I’d ruined him.

  “Let’s get on with this, then…” I swiped at the useless tears, tore free from his arms, and headed for the bed. “I agreed, so…” I pulled my dress sleeves off my shoulders.

  Rafe’s fingers looped in the fabric and hitched the sleeves back up. His skimming touch sent shivers down my back. My breath caught, and my thoughts careened off course to where his fingers might go next. I could do this. It was necessary and hardly a chore. I’d thought about it often enough, especially of late. He made it impossible not to think about lying with him, and that dark part of me, the one that had gotten me through the last few days, wanted this. It always had.

  But why was he pulling the dress back on?

  “What—”

  He turned me to face him, his warm hands on my shoulders. There was anger in his eyes, but I couldn’t imagine why. Wasn’t this what he wanted? Without a soul, he surely didn’t care how he got it. His hands stroked down my arms, and then he took my hand and led me to the bed. I went, as compliant as a lamb being led to the slaughter.

  He set me on the edge of the bed and knelt to unlace my boots. Curious, I watched him with his head tilted down, his hair fallen around his short horns, and then found my gaze wandering up the arches of his closed wings. I’d never seen him fly and wasn’t entirely sure flying was their main purpose. Demons were… different in more ways than I understood. I’d read books and spoken to Gerome, but I had not told him about Rafe. Like Kensey, he wouldn’t have understood either.

  Rafe pulled one boot off and then the other, and taking one foot in one hand, he ran his other up my calf, lifting his gaze at the same time. His touch felt divine, as though he could brush away every ache. Maybe he could. We had a day and a night. I was about to find out what he could do with those clever hands.