by K. J. Sutton
I stayed where I was and held off the winged monsters. Once everyone else was safe, I’d figure out how to end this standoff. Despite the grating music, a silence draped over the room, and the entire scene was like something from a horror novel. Then, slowly, one of the creatures drew closer to me, making a clicking sound that somehow emanated defiance. It was bigger than the others, I noted as it drew to its full height. It didn’t attack or try to take me, and all at once, I realized what it was doing.
This thing was calling my bluff.
It couldn’t talk, apparently, but I understood it perfectly. Fuck. My mind raced. Maybe I could give myself another shallow cut to scare them off. But my hand was so unsteady…
The thought cut short when the monster exploded.
Gore splattered all over me. I stood there, blinking, and watched what remained of the thing’s body topple over. I turned my head to the side, wary of turning my back on them. Cyrus stood by the windows, and he was holding up his shotgun. His chin trembled but his eyes blazed with an inner fire I hadn’t seen before. We stared at each other.
“Cyrus,” I said as a piece of the creature’s flesh fell off my chin, “were those bullets dipped in holy water?”
His expression was, as always, impossible to define. “Yes.”
It occurred to me that I might be in shock, because I let my mind consider this new piece of information, even with milky-eyed monsters standing across the room. Cyrus had known what Nuvian was. He knew how to kill the supernatural. Was one of my closest friends… a Fallen hunter?
Someone started screaming outside, reminding me this really wasn’t the time to think about it. I glanced at the shotgun he was still holding and remarked, “Please tell me you’ve got more rounds in that thing.”
He shook his head. Before I could do a thing, Ariel strode past me. I saw her arms move—she was throwing something. Then she was running back at us, yanking at our arms, and the room detonated.
We spilled out into the back alley with the creatures’ screams lingering in our ears. The door bounced off the railing and slammed shut with a thunderous sound. I was surprised to see that most of the people who’d fled were still here, huddling together, their expressions rife with fear and confusion. There was no sign of Laurie, Dracula, or the two creatures they’d been battling.
But I did see Finn. He was shirtless and kneeling on the ground next to Amy. He nodded at me when our eyes met. His hands were holding his T-shirt against the girl’s wounds. I nodded back, looking from him to Amy. I wondered if she was the same age his daughter would’ve been.
Someone said Cyrus’s name, and he stopped, but Ariel gestured for me to follow her. There was a ringing in my ears as I obeyed. With every step, the cold sank deeper into my bones, and I remembered that I’d left a coat inside the bar. It would definitely need to be dry cleaned after tonight.
“What was that thing you threw?” I asked once we reached the street. I suspected the explosion was responsible for why I felt so strange.
In spite of the horrors we’d just witnessed, Ariel’s response was cheerful. “Smoke grenade with a pull ring igniter. I’ve used them in training, but never in the field! Aren’t they fun?”
I glanced at her while she spoke, and then I did a double-take. I stopped walking and stared at her ears. They were pointed, exactly like a faerie or a goblin. But that wasn’t the only change—my gaze moved to Ariel’s face and everything inside me slowed. Her dark skin was too flawless, too smooth, and there was a sharpness to her features I saw at the Unseelie Court every day. The realization hit me like a freight train.
Ariel was a faerie.
All this time, she’d been wearing a glamour around me. It must’ve been a talent of hers, because it was nearly impossible to make magic undetectable. If she hadn’t been forced to fight those monsters tonight, I never would have suspected the truth. I shook my head, knowing I looked as bewildered as I felt. “Ariel, how—”
“It’s Aerilaya, actually,” she corrected with a brilliant smile. I should’ve known what she was the moment I first saw those teeth. People with perfect teeth couldn’t be trusted.
Shock. You’re in shock, Fortuna.
“My van is parked on the street,” I said distantly, pulling the keys out of my back pocket. I pointed the fob, and the headlights flashed. I rubbed my bare arms and started walking again. “We need to talk.”
Ariel didn’t argue, and we approached the van without another word between us. Police sirens wailed in the distance. We got in at the same time, and the sounds outside became muffled. I stared through the windshield and gathered some coherent thoughts together. There was an instant of charged silence. Then I angled my body toward her and blurted, “Why the hell—”
“I was sent here to protect you,” Ariel said firmly. “His Majesty worried for your safety after you gained so much attention at the black market.”
The black market? That was so long ago. The timing of it made sense, though—Ariel had started working at Bea’s just after I met Collith. I knew I should probably be furious with her. But there was an openness to this faerie that made me want to reach toward her, like a door that needed the slightest tug to reveal everything on the other side.
“So you’ve been following Collith’s orders from the beginning?” I asked, turning in my seat again. I watched a swarm of police surround Bea’s.
“Correct. He placed me in the bar to watch over you. Romantic, isn’t it?”
It felt like my head was swimming. I wasn’t sure whether to be livid with Collith or grateful to him. Ariel had probably saved everyone tonight, and if he hadn’t sent her here, it could’ve ended a lot differently. I didn’t want to think about it, or picture it, but I held onto the steering wheel as though we were spinning out of control. My mind filled with the image of that milky-eyed creature grinning at me.
“What were those things?” I asked, keeping my gaze on the scene unfolding up the street.
“Cherubim,” Ariel answered promptly, her rosebud mouth turning down into a frown. “They must’ve fallen with the rest of us after the Battle of Red Pearls. I didn’t know they existed, but there you go.”
“Someone sent them,” I said, remembering the creatures’ strong reaction when I’d threatened to harm myself. “Probably the same one who set Gwyn on me. Or, hey, maybe it’s a brand-new enemy! I tend to make them pretty easily. It means that, no matter where I go, I’m putting people in danger.”
As Ariel studied me, probably uncertain what to say, Lyari’s warning chose that moment to reverberate through my mind. Soon, Your Majesty, you will have to choose.
A heavy silence fell. The humans had started blocking the sidewalk with yellow tape that said POLICE LINE DO NOT CROSS on it. They weren’t rolling any body bags out, and that seemed like a good sign. I looked for Bea, who must’ve arrived by now, but I didn’t spot her amongst the police uniforms or witnesses. She was probably in the alley—she usually parked back there.
“Are you okay, Your Majesty?” Ariel asked.
“Yeah. I’m fine.” I forced my expression into a mask of neutrality and glanced at her sidelong. “Don’t you start that now—just call me Fortuna. Please.”
The faerie laughed. There was something beguiling about the sound, a hidden quality that hinted at a world of magic. Now that I knew the truth about her, I was embarrassed I hadn’t seen it.
Something else occurred to me as we sat there. No wonder Lyari didn’t try to tag along tonight… or any time I’m at the bar, I thought with a touch of bitterness. No doubt my trusty sidekick knew exactly who Ariel was and why she was in Granby. We would definitely be having a talk later—I didn’t like my Right Hand keeping secrets from me.
“…to Court,” Ariel was saying. “I need to give Nuvian a full report.”
Oh. She wanted to leave. It was so strange hearing Nuvian’s name come out of her mouth. Feeling disconnected from everything, I nodded and unlocked the doors. “I guess I’ll see you soon.”
&nb
sp; “You sure will!” the faerie tossed over her shoulder as she got out. Cold air darted past, rushing at me, and I remembered that I had a hoodie in the backseat. While I pulled it on, Ariel jogged across the street, probably heading for the grocery store parking lot—that’s where everyone parked when the street was full. I watched her black curls flutter in a wintry breeze. She wasn’t powerful enough to sift, then. Collith must have chosen her for the glamouring, which meant he’d valued secrecy over strength.
If he’d kept something like this from me, what else could he be hiding?
Ariel was out of sight now, and red and blue lights continued to flash over the street. I knew I should stay and give a statement, but I was tired. So incredibly tired. No one had died tonight and none of my loved ones were hurt. Would it be so wrong to find Finn and just… go home?
I was about to start the van when I spotted him. Dracula was standing beneath a nearby streetlight. His still figure was out of place, compared to the activity farther down the sidewalk.
It was obvious he wanted to speak with me. It was the reason he’d been at Bea’s in the first place. Most likely, the vampire would just keep showing up until he got what he wanted—he didn’t exactly have any shortage of time. I stepped out of the van, and when I pushed the door shut, it felt like the night swallowed the sound it made. I shoved my hands in the pockets of the hoodie and walked over the icy pavement.
He stared up at the moon. Ironic that it had decided, after so much terror and bloodshed, to finally show its serene face. Standing there, the sky’s luminescent glow washing over his dark skin, Dracula had never looked more otherworldly. He must’ve been more powerful at nighttime, because his power brushed against me like an ocean wave. It was so vast, so cold, that I wasn’t certain who would win if we were to truly fight. An instinctive shiver of trepidation went down my spine.
“Did the dragon survive?” Dracula asked, startling me from my reverie.
I frowned. “What do you mean?”
He looked at me, and while the rest of him seemed entirely supernatural, those strange-colored eyes shone with humanity. There was so much in his head I hadn’t been able to explore. I wondered what ghosts haunted this creature, what memories came for him during those vulnerable moments we all experienced, no matter how fast we ran. And he’d had centuries to make mistakes, to fall in love, to forge alliances and create enemies. I couldn’t imagine what I’d manage to do in that time. Probably bring about the end of the world, somehow.
“The dragon,” Dracula insisted. There was nothing in his velvety voice that hinted at the sorrow I could see in his gaze. “From the bar where you work. I noticed him while I was looking for you. Did he survive the attack? It would be most unfortunate if he met his end. His kind is on the verge of extinction, after all.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I said. A strand of hair blew across my mouth, and I pulled it away with impatient fingers. There were still sounds drifting down the street. I kept my eyes on Dracula. I had a feeling—it was the same one I’d had when I saw my mother’s body slumped against the wall, and again when I stood at that crossroads to meet a demon—that everything was about to change. A sort of hollow sensation in my middle.
“You truly don’t know.” The vampire sounded faintly amused now. “The fry cook, my lady. He is a dragon.”
Chapter Fourteen
My knee bounced restlessly as I waited.
It felt wrong sitting in a therapist’s office when the world was falling apart just outside it. Not only had a man been murdered yesterday, which no one knew about except me, Finn, and the faerie who’d done the killing, but now the cherubim were hunting me. In addition to the ones that already had been.
I’d been planning to cancel this appointment, but Collith must’ve finally noticed the magnetic calendar on the fridge, because he’d made a show of finding my car keys and putting them on the table in front of me. “Better get going, or you’ll be late,” was all he said.
I thought about bringing up Ariel, and the fact that he’d secretly planted her in the bar and in my life. But after the dream we’d shared, there was renewed sense of connection between us. I was scared an argument would break it again, so I said nothing.
It had been a strange morning. Instead of working a breakfast shift, I slept in—Oliver was still lying low after the incident with his shadow, so we’d passed the time with him painting and me reading—and I joined my family in the kitchen for a late breakfast. The bar was effectively closed until Bea could do repairs, a fact which kept making me feel random pangs of guilt. I clung to the knowledge that her insurance should cover the costs. According to a text I’d gotten from Phil, the police had concluded it was a robbery gone wrong. Multiple witnesses had described the rough-looking men who’d come inside, waving guns and shouting over the music.
So far, no one had questioned me about my bizarre display with the steak knife.
I’d tried not to stare at Cyrus as we ate. He looked the same, despite last night’s chaos and the new information I’d learned from Dracula. What had the vampire seen at a single glance that I hadn’t after years of friendship? What characteristic or feature gave away Cyrus’s true nature? He ate a bowl of oatmeal with his usual concentration, and it seemed impossible Cyrus Lavender was anything more than human.
Finn never came back to the house. I sent him a text, but I already knew what had sent him deep into the woods, trying to survive his pain with the strength of a wolf. Saving Phil’s daughter had affected him like seeing Ian O’Connell had affected me.
Now I sat in Consuelo Thompson’s office, my mind writhing with images of the cherubim and the Wild Hunt. I was on the verge of leaving when the door opened. The human filled the doorway and greeted me with a warm smile. “Come on in, Fortuna.”
I held onto the strap of my purse with an unnecessarily tight grip and followed her into the other room. Consuelo closed the door behind me. Perfume followed in her wake as she moved to sit in her cream-colored chair. Once she was settled, she picked up her notepad and crossed her legs, revealing that she had better calves than me. “How are you?” she asked.
I stared down at my clasped hands and shrugged. “I’ve had better days, I guess.”
“What made this one difficult?”
“Nothing.” It was the truth. I’d spent most of the day studying Enochian on the couch.
We went back and forth like that for a while. Consuelo asked a question that sounded simple, and I answered it as briefly as I could. Then she asked, her tone polite as ever, “Have you masturbated yet?”
At this, I went still. I’d never talked about my sex life so freely with someone before—it was one thing to hear people’s conversations in a bar, but it was another thing entirely to expose my own experiences. “Does that matter?” I asked after a noticeable pause.
Consuelo didn’t repeat the question. Instead, she just sat there and continued waiting for me to answer. I glanced at the door, wishing a gust of wind would blow it open and suck me right back out of the room.
The human gave it another twenty seconds or so before relenting. “It can be a healing practice after the trauma you’ve been through. Realizing you’re capable of sexual satisfaction is an incredible, powerful feeling,” she told me. “But sometimes it takes a while to feel wholly reunited with your body. You’re allowed to take all the time you need. Sexual exploration is a journey, not a destination.”
“You should put that on a T-shirt,” I muttered.
Consuelo smiled again and leaned forward. “You are capable of loving again, Fortuna. Someday you’ll want to give yourself to someone completely. If it’s your instinct to hold back right now, that’s all right. You are allowed to be fearful… but you are also allowed to trust again. Your healing process is your own. Regardless of how you get there, know that as long as you are taking care of yourself, nobody has any right to tell you differently.”
“What makes you so sure I’m capable of healing?” I asked
. “Most of the time, I can’t even touch someone without thinking about it.”
“Because you’re sitting on that couch right now, which tells me you’re a strong person. You’re going to have good days and bad days. You’re going to have good sex and bad sex. But you’re still alive. Remember that, Fortuna. Write it down in that journal.” She glanced at the clock hanging over the door. “It looks like we’re done for today. Same time next week?”
This question startled me, too. When had I stopped keeping track of the seconds and minutes I spent here? Recovering, I nodded my agreement, picked up my bag, and followed her to the outer door. As I passed, my arm almost brushed her shoulder. It wouldn’t have mattered—I was wearing a coat—but I jerked out of the way instinctively. I saw Consuelo take note of my panic.
We exchanged some more polite words, then I left, reemerging into the cold. I walked to my van and rummaged for the keys as I went.
“I must confess to some disappointment,” a familiar voice said. “You didn’t even send a text to make sure I was all right. And here I thought we were friends.”
Laurie was leaning against the door. I wasn’t surprised—part of me had been expecting him. It was as though he could sense whenever I was alone. Or maybe just lonely. These days, it was impossible to tell between the two. “I didn’t need to make sure you were all right,” I replied without looking at him. “You’re like a cockroach, and cockroaches are hard to kill.”
There was a familiar jangling sound, and I pulled the ring of keys out with a flourish. Still keeping my gaze averted from his face, I pointed the key fob and opened the door. “So, what, you hate me now?” Laurie demanded, stepping aside.
“Oh, I never said I hated you,” I countered, sliding onto the driver’s seat. “If you were on fire, I’d get out the marshmallows, but there’s a difference between that and hate. Well, no, maybe not.”
