“Good,” I sat up. “Because I can’t sleep.”
Cas fell back onto the couch. “Lucky you,” he groaned. “I on the other hand, want to get some shut eye so will you shut up?”
My feet pitter-pattered across the wood paneled flooring until I hovered over the back of the sofa.
“You’re my babysitter. Now babysit.”
“I want to strangle you!” He yelled as he placed the pillow over his head.
“Sorry, not into BDSM,” I sighed as I picked at my nails. “I’m also on suicide watch so strangling me seems a bit counterproductive.”
He screamed into the pillow and flung it at me. I ducked.
“Fine. You can’t sleep? Then put on some work-out clothes and let’s go.”
“Where are we going?” I moved out of his way as he nearly barreled through me to the bathroom.
“We’re gonna shift.”
20
Amara sealed the area by the lake to avoid any early morning runners making their rounds in Central Park. The privacy glamour was like a cloudy screen that encircled us inside a dome.
“How are you going to open the realm?” I asked as I watched Alexander cut his palm open with a knife. With his pointer finger, he dabbed it with his blood and began to draw a symbol on the bank of the lake.
“I sealed the realm,” he grunted. “I can open it.”
“But it’s already been open…”
“That may be true, but it does nae mean we can enter.”
The symbol glowed a warm gold and red, making the ground shake beneath our feet. The lake trembled, parting and giving way into the Fae realm. A bright light shone up ahead, and it felt like the entrance to heaven—I knew better though.
“Make sure you keep your guard up, Kenz. Don’t make any promises, and—”
“Cas,” I stopped his rambling. “Chill. I’ll be okay.”
He pulled me into a hug and his arms squeezed the snot out of me.
“Make it out alive,” he whispered into my hair. “I don’t want to get assigned another partner.”
“Technically Michaels is my partner.”
Cassidy rolled his eyes. “Semantics.”
“Ready, lass?” Ranulf beckoned.
“No,” I shook my head, “but let’s go anyway.”
The water parted for us, coming up about twenty feet tall on either side. It was a come-to-Jesus-moment for me and I snickered at the thought. Ranulf sneered at me and my immaturity.
At the mid-point of the lake, a wall of water floated before us, glistening against the early morning sun, and giving us a reflection of ourselves. I hadn’t slept. The dark circles around my eyes were a dead giveaway.
“We go through the water,” Ranulf said.
“So…we’re going to get wet?”
“No. It’s an illusion. Just trust me, Princess.”
He stepped forward. Half his body was in the Fae realm and the other half faced me with an extending hand.
“Our journey awaits,” he said.
I stared long and hard at his outstretched hand, at the rainbow that twinkled in the water. Entering the Fae realm a step away. Once I went through, there was no going back. And if I got caught, well, it was fun while it lasted.
Before I talked myself out of it, I turned to Alexander at the shore. His worried face begged me to come back. I winked at him and let Ranulf drag me into the Fae realm.
A ball of glitter exploded in my face. Coughing, I clutched Ranulfs arm to keep steady as I tripped over a tree root. It took me a moment to adjust to my surroundings because I was not in Kansas anymore.
The sky was as blue as the ocean. Birds chirped their good mornings and a breeze pushed through, sending fresh air our way. We stood in the middle of a forest, an open canopy above us gave way to the sky.
“I feel like we’re about to run into the seven dwarfs,” I said.
“Dwarfs are a very rare Fae and dangerous folk. Pray we don’ run into them,” Ranulf said.
I rolled my eyes. “Those weren’t the dwarfs I meant,” I mumbled, but didn’t expand.
Ranulf walked through the enchanted forest with expertise. He knew which turns to make and when. It felt like we walked for hours, and the scenery never changed. As if we were…
“Are we on a continuous loop?” I said as I hoped over another uplifted tree trunk.
“Aye,” he grunted. “The Fae love to play their tricks.”
“Shit,” I gasped. “How the hell do we get out of here?” I was out of shape, and the wear and tear was obvious.
“When they feel like letting us out,” he said. “Have ye nae been training?” he looked over his shoulder at me.
“Uh…not as much as I should be.” The few days of training with Cassidy were not enough for this trip. My calves burned and I needed water. “It’s been hours, Ranulf.”
“It’s only been a few minutes. Another trick. Damn forest nymphs.”
“Nymphs?” I groaned. I thought about the water nymphs of Los Angeles and their weird obsession with Roman and costume jewelry. “Fuck it,” I rasped. “I’m not walking anymore. I’m tired and this shit is annoying as hell.” I plopped down on a massive rock. I wasn’t going to play games with the Fae.
“Mackenzie,” Ranulf growled. “We must keep going. It is nae safe to stay idle.”
“Oh, it’s safe alright. They touch me or you, I’ll slit my throat myself,” I threatened. I pulled out the knife I had sheathed inside my boot. “I come with insurance,” I said as I waved the pointy weapon in the air. It was a bluff, I didn’t think I’d be able to kill myself, but they didn’t know that.
“Yer mad,” Ranulf grimaced.
“I’m absolutely mental,” I laughed. “Now,” I shouted into the woods waving my knife around like a mad woman, “you’re going to let us out of this rabbit hole, or I’m going to start slitting my wrists. One…Two…Thre—”
The trees groaned as they parted, making a path that led to who knows where. A glimmer of light sparkled at the end of the trail.
“You were saying?” I raised a brow.
Ranulf scoffed. “Pure luck, Princess.”
It was luck. I was gambling with things I had no knowledge of. This was a dangerous game I was playing and I'd better sharpen up before I got someone hurt.
We walked down the trail at a fast pace. I heard the familiar buzzing of pixies in the forest, but I didn't dare look. The last run-in I had with them was in Sheunta Village when they tried to kill me. I was still embarrassed.
“Hurry, Princess,” Ranulf grunted. “We must make it to the end before—”
The buzzing increased. I made the mistake of looking back and sure enough, a horde of pixies zoomed straight toward us.
“Run!” I yelled. We sprinted down the trail, the trees closed in on us as the exit narrowed.
I pumped my arms faster and faster, but I was out of shape. I was moon-bound and my wolf was no where in sight. Ranulf was ahead of me and I pushed myself further.
“Mackenzie!” he screamed as he slid out of the forest and into the open light. He reached for me, one hand into the closing forest, his wide eyes the only indication that those damn pixies were right on my heels.
Whether it was survival instinct, I didn't know, but a roar burst out of me and my wolf took over—my eyes glinting silver. I ran and threw myself out of the forest just as it shut behind me.
“What the fuck,” I gasped.
Ranulf chuckled. “Welcome to the Fae realm, Princess.”
A path made of clear glass zig-zagged over a lake of purple, shimmering water. Fireflies whizzed around, and the bright sunshine of the forest, turned to dusk in this new land.
“I’m confused,” I muttered. “Are we still in the Fae realm?”
Ranulf nodded. “The landscape can change at any moment. We must stay vigilant.”
“What now? Are we going to be attacked by mermaids?” I said as I looked down at the river, keeping an eye out for any crazy creatures.
&nbs
p; “Bite yer tongue, Mackenzie,” Ranulf sneered. “Look ahead.”
I squinted down the path and at the end was a castle. It sparkled against the stars in the sky.
“Is it made of glass?”
“Aye. That is where Drusilla dwells.”
I jerked to a stop. “Say what now? I'm not going in there.”
I sounded like a coward when in reality, I knew my limitations. There was no way I was prepared for a fight with the Fae Queen, especially with my protection burnt off my skin. Unconsciously, I placed a hand on my hip where the tattoo had once been. The pain I'd never forget.
The walk to the castle was uneventful. The ripples of the river sounded for miles. No pixies in sight. Thank heavens.
“Thanks,” I said and Ranulf frowned. “For coming with me. I wouldn't have made it this far.”
He shook his head. “Ye would have made it.”
I sighed. “Just take the damn compliment.”
He stared at me for a moment before saying, “Yer moon-bound, aye?”
Was nothing a secret? Or I was just a horrible liar.
“Is it that bad?” I grimaced.
“No,” he said. “But yer nae the same, Princess. Ye had the strength of a warrior and the eyes of a predator—but they're dull now. I don’ see that anymore. What’s going on, lass?” Ranulf asked. The stoic King’s guard softened as we got closer to the glass castle. “What’s happened to ye?”
“Everything and nothing at all,” I shrugged. “It seems petty at this point.”
“Yer feelings are nae petty, Princess. They’re yer feelings.”
“I appreciate that,” I paused. “I’ve got no regrets for the rebellion I started—the Lunas needed this—but the cost was more than I bargained for. I lost my friends, my family—”
“Yer lover?” Ranulf added.
My mouth twisted to the side. “Let’s redirect this conversation, shall we?”
“As ye wish,” he said. “I understand what ye feel, Mackenzie. It is common after war. Ye gave yer all and maybe ye gave too much. That is life.”
“Life sucks right about now.”
“It always will.”
I didn’t know how accurate that was—but I wasn’t going to dwell on it anymore. Amy was right. Dr. Jones was right. Cassidy was right. Hell, everyone had been beating me with the same answer and I didn’t listen. I let the darkness consume me for too long, and it was time I went into the light.
I felt like I was at Disney World.
The castle wasn’t see-through. There was a baby blue tint to it and it appeared thick enough to be impenetrable.
“Is this really made out of glass?”
“With the Fae, ye never know.”
Ranulf pushed the front doors open, the hinges squeaked announcing our arrival.
“And we’re supposed to find the key in here?”
“Aye. This is where Drusilla keeps all of her trinkets.” The night breeze turned frigid once we stepped into the castle. I blew out a breath and a cloud of condensation escaped.
A spiral glass staircase wound up to the second floor, and we hurried upstairs, our footsteps echoed in the vastness.
“Such poor hospitality,” I whispered. “Not even a butler to greet us at the door.”
“What did ye expect? Some hot cocoa?”
“Actually, I did.”
“Yer ridiculous, Mackenzie.”
The palace was a maze. Doors after doors and I couldn’t fathom there being an actual room inside. The entryways were too close together, it made no sense.
“How do you know your way around? I can’t even remember my way out.”
Ranulf grunted. “Sharpen yer senses, Princess. Ye should feel the power like a tether.”
“What I feel is hunger,” I rubbed my stomach as it grumbled in agreement.
Ranulf came to a screeching halt in front of a door. “This is it.”
“Great,” I said. I looked behind us to make sure no one was following. “Can we hurry up? This place is giving me the heebie jeebies.”
Slowly, Ranulf opened the door and we crept inside. The room was brightly lit—not with light—but with gold. We’d entered a damn treasure chest.
“We’re rich, bitch,” I mumbled.
“Excuse me?” Ranulf sneered.
I rolled my eyes. “It’s an expression.”
Diamonds, rubies, and gold galore spilled over; mountains of jewels and crowns, chests filled to the brim with coins. It was like a beacon, urging me to take it all.
“Fight it, Princess. We’re only here for the Key of Janus, we do nae take anything else.”
I shook my head, blinking a few times to shake out whatever spell I was under.
Hours upon hours, keys upon keys, we searched and found zilch. With a crown on my head and a bunch of jewels around my neck, wrists, and fingers, I plopped down on a pile of coins and sighed.
“We’ve found,” I counted the keys I had stashed in my pockets, “seventeen keys and none of them are the right one. I give up.”
“We must continue, Princess. It will reveal itself to us when it’s ready.”
I shot up from where I was seated. “Say what now? Don’t tell me this is another Fae trick…”
“Yer catching on,” he snorted. “Everything for the Fae is a game. They know we’re here and they know for what we search. Patience is what we need.”
“Patience?” I exclaimed. “That word isn’t part of my vocabulary, Ranulf. They could make us wait for years!”
He didn’t respond and I took it as the confirmation it was—he didn’t know when the key would appear.
“If you want to keep searching for yer pot-o-gold,” I said in a horrible Irish accent, “by all means, be my guest, but I’m out of here. They’re people in our world who could be dying right now because of me, while I’m here digging through priceless shit.”
Carrying as much jewelry and gold as possible, I marched out of the treasure room, feeling triumphant—until silver bars slammed down the doorway, sealing us shut in the room. I staggered back, feeling the weakening effects of the silver.
“Well then,” I murmured. “I guess they know we’re here.”
21
“Bloody hell, Mackenzie!” Ranulf yelled. “Ye could nae be patient for one moment, lass!”
“Stop yelling at me!” I screamed back. “How was I supposed to know they were going to lock us up!”
We’d been sitting in this jail cell for who knew how long—huddled in a corner and as far away from the silver as possible.
“And take off them bloody jewels!” Ranulf snatched the gold crown that sat atop my head.
The only weapons we had were ourselves—and my knife, which was useless against magic. I scanned the room trying to find an exit strategy, but the only way out was through the door.
My head lolled back and forth as I tried to stay awake. The effects of the silver a familiar and unwelcomed feeling. Being moon-bound also didn’t help my situation.
“Stay awake, Princess.”
“I can’t,” I slurred. “Too…tired.”
A loud clanging snapped me out of my daze and we watched as the silver bars began to lift. The whirring sound stopped halfway up the door, giving us only three feet of open space to exit. We didn’t move. With all of their games, we didn’t dare run out…yet.
“Don’t just sit there like a bunch of airheads,” a man squatted in front of the door. His smirk wasn’t what had me hopping to my feet, it was those pointy ears—he was Fae. “Come on now. Hurry before the Queen arrives.”
“I know you,” I muttered as I pointed in his direction. Squinting to get a better angle of him. “Aren’t you—”
“Yes, yes,” he rolled his eyes. “I’m the one who saved your tush from those witches. Now come along, let’s not have an encounter with Drusilla, eh?”
Everything about this whole situation was wrong. Following that Fae would come back to bite me in the ass, but at the moment, we needed to get the hell
away from that silver.
“Mackenzie,” Ranulf gritted. “Take the rear.” The King’s right-hand pulled me behind him as we crawled out of the treasure room and back to the icy hallway of the glass castle. He stood between me and the suspicious Fae.
“Thanks for the assist, but we’ll find our way from here,” I dismissed Mr. Pointy Ears and attempted to pull Ranulf in the opposite direction.
“You won’t make it out of here without me,” the Fae said. “I can open a portal back to your world, just follow me.”
“We cannae go,” Ranulf whispered to me. “We need to find—”
“This?” The Fae raised a gold key in the air with the face of an old man on the bow.
“For fuck’s sake,” I groaned. “Don’t tell me that’s the Key of Janus?”
“The one and only,” he smirked. “And I’ll give it to you, as long as you leave right now.”
Ranulf took a protective stance in front of me. “This is a trick. We cannae trust yer kind.”
Truer words had never been spoken. I was done with the Fae realm and their parlor tricks.
“Why should we trust you?”
“You shouldn’t,” the Fae said as he scanned the hallway for intruders. “Just know not all Fae bow to Drusilla. And unless you want to chat with the Queen, I suggest we get a move on.”
“Fuck it,” I said and pushed past the guard. “I’m taking a leap of faith here. Deceive us and I’ll gut you,” I growled.
“Noted,” he grinned and ran down the corridor.
He weaved through the palace with such ease, I wondered how he knew the castle so well. Ranulf once again took the lead and I was at the rear, watching our backs. The Fae ahead of us a smidgen taller than I was, lean with shoulder length chestnut hair tucked behind his ears. He would be easy on the eyes if I wasn’t getting a whole Lord-of-the-Rings vibe from him.
The Fae led us to an open space that resembled a throne room. At the dais up ahead was a throne fit for a queen—all ice like the cold-hearted bitch who sat in it. We screeched to a halt before her and a couple of her guards.
Drusilla looked the same. Her pale skin luminescent as her long white hair flowed down her back, past her hips to the floor. A gold crown designed with flowers topped her head as she sat on her throne with a glint in her eyes that made me want to slit her throat then and there.
OMEGA: A New Adult Urban Fantasy (Mackenzie Grey Book 4) Page 14
