Angel's Ink

by Jocelynn Drake

“Just breathe,” she said, her voice fractured and raw.

  Catching one of her hands, I pulled it over to my lips and pressed a kiss to the heel of her palm as I closed my eyes again. “Thank you,” I croaked out as relief flooded my body, bringing tears to my own eyes. Images of Lilith danced in the back of my brain—I knew that I wasn’t entirely free of her, but for now, I could push those worries aside.

  “Are you okay?” Trixie asked soothingly, sweeping away the last of my fears.

  “I’m fine, I swear,” I said with a relieved sigh.

  Pain exploded against my cheek, snapping my head to the side as she smacked me with all her might. My ears were ringing when my eyes popped open to look at her face, twisted with anger and pain.

  “What the hell were you thinking? What’s wrong with you?” she demanded, shoving to her feet. I made a grab for her hand but missed, falling onto my stomach as she lurched out of my reach. “You know, I should just have let you hang if this is how you’re going to act after we . . .” Her voice drifted off in a heavy, broken silence.

  Desperate energy filled me with fresh strength. I pushed to my feet and caught her as she moved for the front door. I pulled her roughly against my chest, wrapping my arms around her so that she was trapped. She fought me for several seconds until a fresh wave of tears fell from her luminous eyes. My head swam and the room swayed, but I ignored it, focusing all my thought on just holding on to her.

  “How could you?” she whispered.

  Tightly clutching Trixie, I grabbed the back of her neck, threading my fingers through her silken hair. I had almost lost her, lost everything. I had to risk it all if I was going to not only save myself, but save her as well.

  “I wasn’t trying to kill myself,” I murmured against her neck. She jerked in my arms to argue with me, but I held tight. “Think, Trixie! If I had been trying to kill myself, would I have called you over to my apartment at a very specific time? Would I have put a ‘revive me’ sign on my chest? Would I have risked your exposure to the guards of the Summer Court if it had not been for a very important reason?”

  “No, but how could you do that? How do you think it made me feel to see your dead body hanging there when I walked in the door?”

  “I never wanted that for you, but you are the only person in my life I trusted to come to my rescue. I’m sorry I put you through this. I’m so damned sorry and I will apologize for this every day for the rest of my life if it helps to erase the memory.”

  “I don’t think I will ever forget it,” she murmured, her lips brushing my shoulder.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Why? Why would you do such a thing?”

  Brushing a kiss against her temple, I loosened my hold slightly and leaned back so that I could look her in the eye. One hand dipped into the pocket of my trench coat and my stomach twisted in fear until I reached a glass jar filled with clear liquid. They had come back with me.

  “I needed to get this,” I said, holding up the jar so she could see it.

  “What is it?”

  “Water from Lethe.”

  Trixie eased away from me a bit as she looked from the jar to my face, her brow furrowed in confusion. “Lethe? Why? What could you possibly need it for?”

  “That I will not tell you,” I said as I tucked the jar carefully into my pocket again. “I would rather you forget that I showed it to you at all. I just want you to know that I would not have taken this chance if I had not been completely desperate.”

  “That doesn’t make me feel any better.”

  Closing my eyes, I lowered my head again, pressing my face against the side of hers. My heart lurched and skipped in my chest while I breathed in her intoxicating scent as it wrapped around us. I needed her like I needed air. I hated myself for hurting her, but it had been a necessary evil. I might have killed myself to save myself, but right now I lived to save her. “I know and I am sorry. Just remember that I promised I would help you get free of the Summer Court and I will keep that promise. I will not leave you if I can help it. Please say that you at least believe that.”

  “I do,” she whispered.

  “You saved more than my life today, Trixie. You saved what’s left of my soul. I will never be able to thank you enough or apologize enough for the pain and fear I’ve caused you. I will do everything within my power to help you, whatever it takes.”

  I felt Trixie stiffen at my words and she lifted her head so that she was staring at my face. “Did you kill yourself for me?” Her voice was faint and sounded as if she was haunted by some horrible thought.

  I shook my head while I buried deep my thoughts. “No, to save myself.”

  She stared at me for another second before lowering her eyes. “I don’t understand, and I don’t think I want to.”

  Raising my hand, I cupped her cheek while rubbing my thumb across her cheekbone. “Please don’t leave me yet. I can feel your need to run. Give me a second chance. Stay.”

  Trixie looked away from me, staring over my shoulder at the wall, causing my heart to almost stop in my chest. It felt as if she was pulling away, throwing up a wall to protect herself, and I couldn’t blame her. I had betrayed her in the worst way.

  “I’ll stay,” she murmured in the softest voice.

  “Thank you.” I sighed, breathing again. “Will you go back to the apartment above the shop?”

  She frowned, refusing to look at me. She may have promised to remain in the area, but I had a feeling she was thinking of a place to go that was out of my reach. Unfortunately, that would make her vulnerable to capture by the Summer Court.

  “Trixie, hate me. Be mad at me for what I’ve done. It’s no less than what I deserve, but don’t put yourself in danger because of that hatred. The apartment is protected, hidden. I won’t come by until you say I can. I’ll send Bronx by to check on you and bring you some food. You need to stay safe.”

  “I’ll go back to the apartment,” she agreed after a painful silence.

  “Can I take you back?”

  “No,” she said sharply, finally bringing her gaze back to mine.

  I chewed on the inside of my mouth in thought. If I took her back to the apartment, I could be sure that she wasn’t followed. I could protect her from potential attack. I didn’t like her moving about the city alone. “Will you at least promise to keep something with you? It will tell me where you are and if you are in trouble. If something happens, I’ll be able to find you.”

  “Magic?”

  “Yes.”

  “It’s dangerous. You’re not supposed to use it.”

  “You’re worth the risk.”

  “You’ll follow me if I don’t?”

  “Yes,” I admitted with a weak smile.

  Frowning at me, Trixie nodded after a couple of seconds of tense silence. “I’ll carry it.”

  “Thank you,” I breathed as I hugged her quickly. Reluctantly releasing her, I stepped away and searched the living room for something small I could use as a locator beacon. My eyes snagged on a fork on my living room table. Snatching it up, I rubbed it clean with the hem of my T-shirt before casting a spell on it. It would only activate if she was suddenly frightened by something. It would then alert me to the trouble and tell me her location. It wasn’t a perfect spell, but it was the only one I could think of on short notice.

  Trixie slowly took it from me as I held out the fork toward her. She arched one eyebrow and her mouth smoothed from the frown that had been there. “A fork?” she asked, turning the silverware around with her fingertips before shoving it in the back pocket of her jeans.

  “At least it’s clean. Sort of. It’s the best I could do on short notice.”

  She nodded and walked to the door without looking at me. As she opened it, I gently grabbed her arm, holding her in place. “I am so sorry for putting you through this. I understand if you can’t forgive me, but I wish you would.”

  Trixie looked over her shoulder at me. Her red and puffy eyes would be forever burned in my brain,
knowing I had been the cause of her pain. “I will try. It may take a while.”

  I wanted to pull her back into my arms and kiss her until I wiped the memory from her mind. I wanted to use magic to go in and erase the image of my dead body from her brain, but it wouldn’t be fair to her. It would also be cheating. I had a price to pay for my choices. So I just released my hold on her arm and watched silently as she walked out of my apartment, praying that she wasn’t also walking out of my life.

  Chapter 26

  Turning back toward the living room, my eyes skimmed over the overturned folding chair that had been pushed farther away from where I had hung. A section of the orange extension cord still dangled from the ceiling and a small knife lay on the floor from where Trixie had cut me down. It was only then that I realized the noose was still hanging from my neck. With a grunt, I jerked it from around my neck and threw it on the ground.

  I noticed drywall chunks crushed into the stained beige carpet as I crossed to the low wooden coffee table. Bending over, I carefully lifted the five glass jars from my pockets and placed them on the scarred tabletop. The various colored liquids sloshed in the jars, but all were unbroken and safely corked. Somehow they had managed to survive the trek between the underworld and here, as well as a slight struggle with Trixie, with no problems and I was grateful.

  Shedding the trench coat, I tossed it onto the sofa and started to walk toward my bedroom where I had left my cell phone. I would call Bronx and check to make sure that he had not had problems with Reave or any of his minions. I’d also ask him to stop by and check on Trixie sometime during the early evening. He wouldn’t have any trouble as long as he didn’t attempt to open the door. I knew he wouldn’t mind looking in on our mutual friend and coworker.

  I jerked to a stop halfway to the bedroom as an unexpected pain shot through me to my core. Trixie was in trouble. Pivoting around on my toes, I surged forward, running out the front door. I took the stairs two at a time, racing down the narrow hallway. The feeling burning in my bones strengthened while anxiety roiled in my gut, tensing my body until I thought my stomach would purge its contents. I should never have asked Trixie to come to my apartment, putting her back in danger as the elves continued to watch the area for her.

  Busting out the front door of my apartment building, I ran around the side of the building and down the driveway to the small parking lot behind the old yellow brick building. Trixie was struggling with two elves while a third stood back with his hands on his hips as he watched his companions. One elf held Trixie from behind, his arms wrapped around her stomach while pinning her arms to her sides. Trixie leaned back into her captor and kicked out at the other elf who was trying to get her to be still. I didn’t know if they could use magic to instantly transport her back to the home of the Summer Court, but I knew I had to act fast to get her out of their reach.

  “I don’t think the lady wants to go with you,” I shouted as I closed the distance between us. A quick flash of relief jumped across Trixie’s face as she spotted me before she turned her attention back to her attackers. My heart pounded in my chest as both fear and rage poured through me. I wasn’t going to let her go and I wasn’t about to let these assholes force Trixie into a marriage that she didn’t want.

  “Rowena does not belong here,” replied the one elf overseeing the struggle. “She must be returned to the king. She has no choice in the matter.”

  “I think she does,” I snapped. “She left her people so that she could have her freedom. The king of the Summer Court has no dominion over her. She’s given up everything. Why are you doing this?”

  “She’s being selfish. Her people need her and she has turned her back on them. It’s not as if she’s going to be tortured. She’ll become a member of the Summer Court. She’ll be royalty. Her children will be revered among our people. What more could she possibly want?”

  “I want the right to choose who will use my body and how it is used!” Trixie snarled, increasing her struggles so that she had one arm free. “I want to be more than a pretty object for the man who will possess me.”

  “You want too much,” muttered the elf trying to hold her.

  “Leave, human! You’ve interfered and hindered our efforts enough. We will take her back to the king. It’s best if you walk away now.”

  “I can’t. There are too many people here who need her.” Frowning, I looked over at Trixie, who had stilled as she watched me. There was a sad expression on her face. I didn’t want to bring this to violence, but they were leaving us with no other option. “I don’t want to hurt you, but I won’t let you take her.”

  “Please, Eldon, just walk away. I don’t want you to get hurt,” Trixie pleaded in a softer voice.

  “Then you should have thought of that before you ran,” snapped the elf who still hung on the fringe of the struggle. “You should have stayed and submitted to your duty.”

  “How could you want me to be a prisoner? I’m your sister!”

  My heart stumbled in my chest as I looked from Trixie to the elf called Eldon. There was a similarity in their coloring and features, but then I had thought that was just a trait of all the elves of the Summer Court. I didn’t think it was possible that Trixie was being tracked by a member of her own family, by her own brother.

  For the first time, Eldon’s hardened expression softened a bit and he looked more than a little weary. There was some small comfort in that he didn’t enjoy his task, but it didn’t erase the fact that he was handing his sister over to be raped by their king for the salvation of their monarchy. “He’s my king. I obey his commands.”

  There was nothing more to be said. He had made up his mind and turned on his own flesh and blood. I lunged at Eldon, aiming to smash my fist into his face, but he was quick, sidestepping me while sinking his own fist in my stomach. Doubled over, I stumbled past him while gripping my stomach. Elves were known not only for their innate grace, but also their speed. I was outmatched in many ways as a human, but I had one advantage that I was trying to avoid using.

  A pained cry rent the silence of the sleepy afternoon. I twisted around as I gained my balance to find Trixie pulling the fork I had given her out of her captor’s hand as she spun away from him. The second elf made a grab for her, but she easily slipped free of him while dragging the tines of the fork along his cheek. My eyes jerked to Eldon, who was intently watching his sister, seeming undecided as to how he could jump in without getting hurt or hurting her.

  Lowering my shoulder, I ran at Eldon, intending to plow into him, but he saw me and started to dip out of my path. As he moved, I grabbed his arm and pulled him to the ground. His narrow shoulders slammed against the broken concrete, but the pain didn’t slow him as he rolled to his feet again, facing me.

  Breathing shattered and heartbeat rapid, I swung my right fist at him. He dodged it, as I expected, allowing me to hammer my left into his jaw as he moved. Trixie’s cry snatched my attention from Eldon. I looked over and found her watching the struggle with wide eyes. I couldn’t tell if she was worried about me or her brother, or maybe both. Unfortunately, the distraction lasted long enough for Eldon to come back at me with his own punch, knocking me to the ground. Lying on my back for a second, I gazed up in time to see Eldon bringing his boot down toward my face. I grabbed the rubber sole and stopped it a mere inch from crushing my nose. With a grunt, I pushed him off and regained my feet as Eldon edged away from me.

  “Why are you even concerning yourself with Rowena’s welfare? This is none of your business,” Eldon demanded.

  “She’s my friend and my family,” I said, bracing my feet for another attack.

  “Her people need her.”

  “I need her!” The words exploded from my lips.

  I chanced a glance at Trixie out of the corner of my eye. She was once again being held by one of the elves, but she had stopped in her struggles as she watched me with her brother. Her glamour spell was gone, revealing long blond hair that danced in the growing breeze. Tears
streaked down her cheeks, lighting her green eyes so that they resembled leaves shivering in a spring rain. I could understand why the king was so desperate to have her, because in that crystalline moment, she was perfect.

  “Trust me, I need her more,” I murmured, dragging my attention back to Eldon. “She is perfect in more ways than I can count, and if she wants to stay here, then I will do everything in my power to make it so.”

  “She can’t stay,” Eldon growled through clenched teeth.

  “Then you won’t live long enough to take her,” I announced, straightening from my defensive position. Eldon took the bait and lunged toward me with hands extended. Calling up the energy that surrounded me, I reached out with my right hand and imagined clasping his neck. Eldon immediately jerked to a halt as the invisible hand closed around his throat. He clawed at the empty air as I lifted my hand, hoisting him off the ground a few inches so that his feet dangled helplessly in the air.

  “Gage!” Trixie cried, but I didn’t take my eyes off Eldon. I had no desire to kill Trixie’s brother, but I would not let them take her. She had suffered through enough torment.

  “Release Rowena or I’ll kill him!” I shouted, tightening my hold on the elf’s throat. Eldon kicked and clawed at the empty air around his throat as he attempted to draw in a deep breath. I turned my head to the two elves watching Eldon in shock while still holding on to Trixie. I shook my hand slightly, shaking Eldon in the air. “Do it! Release her!”

  The elves released Trixie and started to step away from her while closely watching me. In frustration at their slowness, I reached out with my free left hand and used magic to push them to the other side of driveway. They stumbled and fell so that they skidded on their sides along the rough concrete. When I felt as if I could breathe again, I moved over to where Trixie was standing, while dropping Eldon on the ground with his companions.

  Coughing and rubbing his throat, Eldon shoved to his feet again, his face red. “She is not free of us! I will return her to the Summer Court.”