by Liz Schulte
“He was killed.”
“I’m sorry,” I said, taking his hand on sympathy without thinking. Paolo looked down at our joined fingers. He didn’t move, but I could see something flickering in his eyes. He took a labored breath then let it out slowly.
“It was long ago.”
If vampires had a bond anything like the magical one Cheney and I had, it wouldn’t matter how long ago it was. It had to hurt him every day. “Time doesn’t heal everything.”
“No, it doesn’t,” he said, looking at me curiously. “I can say with some amount of certainty I have never met anyone like you, Selene Warren. You’re open and kind, yet bold and fearless—and there’s something else deep in your eyes … something begging to be wild and free.”
“I think that’s the elf,” I said offhandedly.
“Do you ever let her come out and play?” I shook my head. “And yet the Erlking loves you. Curious.”
I looked back at the furniture, not knowing what else to say.
“Do you love him?”
I began coughing. I had no idea how I felt. I was attracted to Cheney, but we were also bonded. How much of what I felt was real when someone like Jaron could take my breath away with a one dark stare?
“Even more curious. Which half is unsure, Selene?”
“I’m still figuring things out.”
“Is that so?”
“Have no doubts about my affection for Cheney. Even being away from him now pains me.”
Paolo removed his hand from mine and patted my shoulder. “Then we should go back. I do not wish to cause either of you pain.”
I smiled at Cheney when I sat down to reassure him I was fine. Beneath the table, his hand found my leg, rubbing small circles just above my knee. We continued on with our meal, Paolo never brought up the matter of business. When dinner was over, I helped him clear the dishes and we all went to the living room.
“I like both of you,” Paolo said with finality. “However, I cannot involve my people in a war simply because I like you.”
Cheney nodded slowly. “I understand that.”
Paolo drummed his fingers in front of him like Mr. Burns from the Simpsons, which would have made me smile except I was crushed by his revelation that they wouldn’t help. “What can you offer the vampires?”
“What do you require?” Cheney asked.
“No more than your friendship, which you have demonstrated yourself capable of giving. You ate with me, you allowed me to be alone with Selene, and you spoke with me as a friend and not just a piece on a chess board. Others will not be swayed by such gestures. Corbin was moved to help you by meeting Selene. Again, everyone would not be so, nor would you want them to be. What can you offer them?”
“It’s my understanding the rebels offered you a place in the fae.”
“Perhaps,” Paolo said, showing no emotion about the offer.
“I’m not going to offer that. I have no memory of the vampires ever wanting to be anything other than autonomous. I will, however, give you something no one else can. A place in the Hunt.”
Paolo leaned back in his chair as he considered the offer. “That could work. There has been interest in participating for a couple centuries. You would do this?”
Cheney nodded.
“I will present the idea and see if they’re willing. Regardless of what the other vampires choose, you have my support,” Paolo said, standing.
Cheney stood as well, shaking his hand. “I do not need anything from you just yet. I want to get my kingdom in order before I move against the rebels.”
“Understood. If there is anything else I can assist you with, please call.”
Corbin winked at me. I hopped up and threw my arms around Paolo. “Thank you,” I said, kissing him on the cheek. Paolo stiffened but lightly returned the hug. When I pulled back, Cheney had a horrified look on his face.
Paolo laughed. “There’s no one quite like you, Selene, but I fear I must forgive Corbin for his infraction while speaking with you. I too am having a hard time resisting when so much life and energy pours forth.” He spoke calmly, but his eyes glowed like charcoal embers.
“Sorry,” I said, trying not to stare. “I got caught up in the moment.”
Paolo blinked a few times until his eyes were back to normal. “Never change, my dear. It has been a very long time since I was hugged. I rather enjoyed it.”
“Where’s my hug?” Corbin asked, standing up. Cheney placed an unnecessary restraining hand on my waist.
“With your self-control,” I told him sweetly, causing both vampires to laugh.
They were dangerous and they could kill me, but I really liked both of them and I told Cheney so when we left. He shook his head. “You hugged a vampire after everything I told you. You hugged him. That’s like waving a glass of water in front of a person dying of thirst.”
“I wasn’t thinking. I was excited they’re going to help.”
“One of these days your cute, bumbling charm isn’t going to work and you’re going to be in serious trouble.”
“Maybe so, but for right now I’m doing pretty well, if I do say so myself.”
“You haven’t been bitten yet, but I wouldn’t keep testing the waters. There are plenty of fish who would be more than happy to swallow you whole.”
“But you’ll come to my aid.” I smiled at him.
“Nothing could stop me.”
“Then I don’t have anything to worry about.” I squeezed his arm.
The thought that the vampires might help me find Michael crossed my mind, but I didn’t want to jeopardize Cheney’s plan by asking more of them. I had fun tonight, and I was glad Cheney was getting the kingdom lined up like he wanted to, but I had more important things to worry about. Not only was Michael depending on me, but I had another new idea. If I was the leader of the rebels, perhaps I could stop them and save everyone.
Cheney and I squared off in the gymnasium for our daily sparing while Sebastian watched from the sidelines. Cheney held a curved scimitar that moved so fast it blurred. I twirled a cusped falchion, a sword with a long, straight blade with a curved tip, in my hand, waiting for an opening while he showed off.
“Any day now,” Sebastian said.
I held my form. I couldn’t beat his strength or speed. Patience was the key. Cheney glided closer, still spinning the sword in a dizzying pattern. Finally I saw it, the flaw in his design. When the opportunity arose I moved faster than humanly possible. Cheney stopped—the tip of my sword pressed against his chest over his heart. Sebastian clapped.
“And what did we learn today?”
“Show-offs never win,” I told him with a grin.
Sebastian gave me a rare smile. “That, and patience is the best strategy in every battle. Let your opponent make their own mistakes. We just might make a queen out of you yet.”
“Wouldn’t count on it.” I twirled my sword with nimble fingers as I walked toward him. “But we won’t be fighting in any battles in the near future, will we? The king is gone. The rebels haven’t done anything we can prove. So why am I still being trained? We could use this time to find whoever took Michael.”
Sebastian’s eyes drifted to Cheney and I followed his gaze. “What?” Neither of them replied. “What are you not telling me?”
Cheney sighed. “I think we should eliminate the rebels before they cause any more trouble.”
I let that sink in. “But what if they’re giving you time to prove you won’t be the man your father was? There could be a peaceful end to all of this.”
“It is the smart choice to eradicate the enemy when they are not prepared for you,” Sebastian said.
“They’re not the enemy. They’re people, half-elves like me, who were treated unfairly. You both said that. They wanted change, demanded change, and now they have it. We should heal.”
Cheney crossed his arms over his chest. “We will heal. But those who made the situation worse will be punished or exiled.”
I dropped
my weapon. It made a clanging sound as it hit the floor. “I won’t train for that.”
“Sebastian and I have discussed this many times, Selene. I would love to let the past go, but we have to show our strength now, or we’ll suffer the consequences later. If we display our power, we will not be challenged lightly in the future. We’ll still do everything we discussed. We will unite the fae, give everyone a say on the council. We just have to punish the people who took part in the rebellion.”
I left the gym, not wanting to hear any more and not trusting myself not to say if they were looking for someone to punish they should look no further than me. Damn it. I went to my room and changed into jeans and a t-shirt. Cheney wasn’t far behind me.
“Selene—“
“Don’t you Selene me.” I yanked out my ponytail holder and ran my fingers through my hair. “I don’t want to talk about this now. Kat and I are going to visit Sy.”
“You can’t tell them about our plans.”
I frowned. “You have Sebastian to talk to, but I can’t talk to anyone. How is that fair?”
He put his hands on my shoulders and pulled me closer. “Sebastian is my advisor. If our plans get out, it will put more lives as risk.” He kissed my forehead. “You can talk to Sebastian too.”
I laid my head in the hollow of his neck. “Couldn’t we just talk to them?”
“I don’t think that will work, princess.”
I nodded against him. Part of me did understand, but the line was getting muddled and I couldn’t tell which part was which anymore. “I won’t mention your plans, but I still want to go. I need to think about everything with a clear head.”
“And you don’t have a clear head with me?”
“You could say I have trouble being objective around you, yeah . . .”
He laughed and kissed my hair. “I’m glad I am not the only one.”
“But you’ll take us to Chicago.”
His chest rose against mine. “If that’s what you want.”
“So what do you want to do?” Sy asked, giving the stink eye to a burly, smelly bounty hunter who’d been leering at Kat and me since we got there.
“Talk to Jaron. Do you know how to reach him?”
He nodded. “He stopped by yesterday.” He studied me for a moment. “You seem agitated. What happened? Something’s changed.” His eyes flickered between Katrina and me.
“She hasn’t said a word since we left. I don’t know.” Kat sipped her cosmo.
“Nothing,” I said into my glass. “I just need to make my decision sooner than later. If Michael is alive, he probably doesn’t have a lot of time. Why haven’t they contacted me? Where are the demands?”
Sy gave a helpless shrug. “I have no idea.”
“That’s why I need to talk to Jaron. I don’t think Cheney’s telling me everything about what happened pre-changeling. Maybe Jaron will.”
“I’ll get Jaron here, but I want to know what he says.” Sy pulled out his phone, and with a few swift taps he proclaimed Jaron was on his way. “I’m helping you, Selene. Don’t keep me in the dark.”
Katrina shrugged. “She doesn’t tell us anything either. She just told me about this Jaron person two days ago.”
I rolled my eyes at them. “Speaking of Jaron, I don’t want him to know who Katrina is, just in case.” I looked at Sy and he frowned.
“As far as he’s concerned, she’ll be my guest.”
Moments later Jaron walked through the door, filling the frame, shaking the rain out of his wavy hair. Katrina made a noise, but I ignored her. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Sy take her hand and stare into her eyes; she seemed to melt a little. I would’ve laughed if Jaron weren’t headed directly for me.
“Take it to the back,” Sy muttered. I nodded and led the big man to Sy’s living room.
Jaron’s presence filled the small area and saturated me. Everything about him was so familiar. It felt like if I looked at him long enough, everything would come back. I licked my lips. “Why did you follow me to the club?”
“I need you . . .” his jaw clenched, “to remember your obligations. If your plan has failed, it’s time to start mine.”
I reached up without thinking, about to run my hand along his tight jaw, but he dodged me. “How do you know I can’t remember?”
His eyes flamed as he looked down. “Have a seat, Selene. It’s going to be a long night.”
“I’d rather stand.” I had too much energy. I couldn’t sit still.
“Do I make you nervous?” His voice was low and soft.
My heartbeat quickened, and a smug smile tilted his mouth. I mentally pushed back against his aura and squared my shoulders. He was not going to intimidate me. “Should I be?”
He raised a thick eyebrow. “Fear isn’t weakness. Sometimes it’s smart.”
I narrowed my eyes. “I’m not afraid of you.”
“Then you underestimate me.” Something less than friendly glinted in his eyes. “Sit down. I may be helping you, but we’re doing it on my terms this time. You need me more than I need you. Never forget that.”
I sat and crossed my legs. He folded himself into the armchair that almost was too small, his legs spread wide. “Did you enjoy your memory?”
My cheeks burned. I did enjoy the damn memory. It had felt real. I wasn’t disconnected from myself in it. I could still feel his stubble scratching my face and the heat of his body. I shook off the thought and focused. “I’m with Cheney. Stop.”
“Oh, I’m only just beginning.” He folded his hands in his lap. “Would you like another one?”
I nodded, telling myself I was only interested to see if he could do it again.
“Come closer.” I moved down the couch toward his chair until our knees were almost touching. He leaned forward and waited for me to do the same. I swallowed my worry and rested my elbows on my knees. I could feel the heat from his skin. He hooked a hand around the back of my neck and pulled me closer until our noses touched.
I pushed against his chest, breaking his hold. “What do you think you’re doing?” My heart pounded and blood rushed through my veins. I couldn’t want to kiss him, but I did. I was with Cheney. I ached for Cheney.
A languid smile spread over his lips. “These are your rules, not mine.”
I shook my head. “What do you mean rules? You just touched my lips last time. No kissing was involved.”
“You cast this spell. You set the parameters of it. I am just following them. If you want more than snippets, if you want your life back, you have no choice.” He raised an eyebrow and waited.
I swallowed and chewed the inside of my cheek. I needed to remember. This wasn’t cheating—it was what I had to do. I closed my eyes and nodded, as if not seeing myself give in would make it like it never happened.
“This isn’t going to hurt.” His velvet voice almost made me forget the ache in my chest and the worry in my stomach. His lips crushed into mine, igniting a fire inside of me that burned all thoughts away until one memory took center stage.
I finished putting the last ornament in the elaborate twists in the back of my hair—a perfect buttercup flower. I scoured every inch of myself for flaws. The soft lemon colored silk dress hung just right. The empire waist and capped sleeves were lined with a luscious chocolate satin. I pinched my cheeks and pressed my lips together hard to enhance the color. My dressing room door opened and Jaron walked through with long strides.
He kissed my cheek and stood behind me with his hands barely on my shoulders, looking at us in the mirror. He was always so careful when he touched me, like I might shatter into a million pieces. I didn’t wait for a compliment—Jaron wasn’t the type and that was one of my favorite things about him. Too many men wasted poems and sonnets on me. I didn’t need pretty words; I needed strength and wisdom. Jaron had plenty of both. “Are you sure you want to do this?” he asked.
I flashed my most confident smile. “Perfectly.”
Meeting my father for the first time w
as equal parts terrifying and thrilling. My human mother died with my birth, a far too common story amongst half-elves. Father did not want to raise a half-breed child, so he gave me to his exiled sister, Aunt Lorelei. She had fallen in love with a human, refused to give him up, and was exiled from the fae. She had a son near to me in age, Sy, and took me into her warm heart. Father never came to see us, even once.
“He’s an important and influential man, Selene,” she would tell me. “He has duties far greater than us.”
But I was of age now, a woman by elven standards, and I intended to meet my father. The Erlking was hosting a feast in celebration of another successful hunt. Jaron procured us invitations; he was good at procuring things. And I was on a mission.
I walked into the glittering white castle, head high and eyes wide. I never dreamed of anything quite like this. It was utterly amazing. I glanced at Jaron and he didn’t look impressed—he rarely ever was. Jaron was older than me, worldly, but we fit together perfectly from the first moment I met him. If I was a spider, he was my web. We skirted along the edges, listening for Father’s name, Tahlik of Maern. When I was about to give up hope, Jaron pulled me to a stop and gave the smallest nod toward a man with smooth shimmering skin and eyes the color of melted gold. His nearly black hair was slicked back from his young face.
“How do you know that’s him?” I whispered.
“I made a point to find out what he looked like before we came tonight,” Jaron said.
I squeezed his arm. Then I released him and glided through the beautiful people to stop beside the man. He turned to me with a pleasant smile, but his face froze when he met my eyes. We stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity. His hand crept toward my face. “You look just like Elizabeth,” he whispered.
“Hello, Father,” I said just as quietly.
Tears filled his beguiling eyes—and mine.
“I—”
“Hello, Tahlik. Who do we have here?” a voice came from behind him.
My heart stopped. The Erlking. My head snapped toward the floor and I curtsied but never looked up. The Erlking didn’t approve of mixing races, never had. I could feel his eyes on me, but I continued to study the marble floor.
