Fates Divided

by Jules Barnard

  While Elena and Derek had been fighting for their lives in Tirnan, Leo, Keen, and the rest of the Emain Fae had waged their own war against the Halven Army, which, ironically, included several full-blooded Fae. They won the battle, but the surviving Halven Army managed to escape through a portal to Tirnan, where it was assumed they’d joined Portia, who’d taken over New Kingdom. No one had confirmed it, but Marlon St. Just was said to be in New Kingdom as well.

  Through his telepathy, Keen had sensed Elena after she entered the Emain realm, and escorted her and the others to safety. Ever since then, Elena had been trying to put back the pieces of her life.

  “I came to discuss your promise,” she said as she dogged Leo’s steps off Dawson campus to the New Emain, which she had yet to see. “I created the cure for you, but my mother’s life is still in danger. She’s missing, and the Halven Army and Portia have taken over her kingdom.”

  After putting together the connection between Marlon and her uncle, and with the disease now contained, they’d had Fae in Sunland search her uncle’s laboratory for more information. Communication between the two realms was spotty, but they’d managed to find more email documentation between Beorhtric and Marlon when both men had worked together in Emain. Leo deduced that Marlon’s longstanding frustration with not being allowed into Tirnan, coupled with Beorhtric’s refusal to provide additional Tirnan ingredients, had been the driving forces behind Marlon’s collaboration with Portia and his final retaliation against the Fae.

  It seemed Marlon wanted to carve a place for Halven in Tirnan, and he had been willing to wipe out a race in order to achieve it.

  How Derek played into Marlon’s plans was less clear. All they knew was that Marlon and Portia—two people with the same goal to take over Tirnan, but with different motivations—had banded together. It was possible Portia had ordered the bomb inside Marlon’s lab without Marlon’s knowledge, intending to remove all remaining links to their plans and take out Derek in the process. That was the only reason they could determine for why Marlon had warned Derek away by appealing to his father. He may not have wanted his protégé in danger. Or perhaps it had been a warning for Derek to stop looking into the virus. Either way, they might never know. They’d found little to no physical trace of the mad genius behind the deadly Fae disease.

  Leo glanced around as if to ensure no one overheard their conversation, and turned down the street to her apartment. “Ah, yes, our agreement. We did not say we would save your mother from her enemies. Merely that we would make sure she wasn’t intentionally exposed to the disease.”

  They passed Elena’s apartment complex. Where exactly was New Emain?

  “She’s the rightful queen of New Kingdom now. Why aren’t you putting all of your energy toward finding her and ridding New Kingdom of Marlon and Portia? And if we’re getting technical, you said you’d do your best to keep my mother safe if I agreed to help cure the disease. You didn’t specify from what.”

  Take that, Fae, and your twisted truths.

  Leo stopped abruptly and peered at her. His mouth quirked into a small smile. “You are learning. And yes, you are correct. Your mother’s safety and her return to her rightful place in the palace are our top priorities.”

  He resumed walking, and Elena scurried to keep up. “We told you that if you came up with a cure for the virus, we would have the means to help your mother.”

  He’d better not be telling me what I think he’s telling me.

  “In short, you will use your powers to help us save your mother from those who seek to take over Tirnan.”

  Yup, that’s what he was telling her.

  “Are you saying that I risked my life, Derek’s life, my roommate’s life—who’s still missing, and I want her back!—to find myself in the exact same place, with the burden to save your people resting on my shoulders?”

  Thanks to the differences in the passage of time between the Earth and Fae realms, Elena and Derek had returned in time to make it to the farmhouse where the Halven Army had told her to meet them in exchange for her roommate. Of course, the Halven Army had wanted to take Elena instead, but Derek and Keen weren’t going to let that happen.

  Even though they were still recovering from the brief but savage war in Emain, Keen had dozens of Fae surrounding the perimeter to ensure Elena got out safely. Elena worried that the Halven Army would figure out their plan and do something terrible, but in the end it didn’t matter. Reese hadn’t been there. No one was at the farmhouse, and it seemed the place had been abandoned for some time.

  The only thing they could imagine was that Marlon had somehow heard about what was going on inside Tirnan and run. With her roommate as collateral.

  “The burden was not entirely resting on your shoulders. If you recall, the Fae in Emain worked tirelessly to find a cure. And do not forget, in the beginning you did not have the capacity to heal a fly. It took a great amount of dedication on both our parts to develop your powers to full capacity.”

  “By throwing myself on the mercy of that madman Niall to help your people. Yes, I remember, thank you.”

  He continued as if he hadn’t heard her. “The enhanced ability you acquired in Tirnan afforded you the power to heal our people and do what no other Fae was capable of. You are the last of our transmutation wielders until more are bred. With the strength of your powers behind us, we will work together to save your mother. Our soldiers are looking at all angles for how to wrest back control of New Kingdom for your mother. We will keep you informed and involved every step of the way.”

  Something about the breeding statement didn’t sit well, considering she was the last in the line of transmutation wielders, but she chose to ignore it for the moment. At least they were working on helping her mother.

  Leo turned up the walkway to a massive, dilapidated Tudor-style house at the end of her street. She’d heard it lodged a gaggle of sorority girls some years back. “Keep in mind, however, you may use your powers for Fae activities, but you must never use them to heal or otherwise help humans.”

  “What? Why not?”

  “Your abilities would be exploited—”

  “Like you’re exploiting them?”

  “—and your life as you know it would dissolve.” He stopped at the threshold and turned to her. “Our people would be exposed, as would you. We cannot take the risk, Elena. For now, you’ve proven yourself trustworthy and have performed a great service to the Fae. Because of that, we have allowed you to resume your previous human activities on the condition that you not reveal your powers.”

  How magnanimous of him. And what the hell? Previous human activities? Why would they ever think they had a say in whether or not she returned to classes?

  Leo had made sure she and Derek hadn’t been charged in Marlon’s lab explosion, but he’d owed her that.

  “Leo, you have no control here. You said so yourself, there are no transmutation wielders left. If that’s true, you need me, I don’t need you.” Her mouth twisted as she considered. “However, you make a good point, and I’ll not reveal my powers to humans. I’d like to continue to blend in and not be a freak.”

  That didn’t mean she couldn’t help people without anyone knowing.

  Leo nodded. “Very good. And please”—a charming smile spread across his face—“consider this your second home.” He waved a hand at the ramshackle interior. “Our new station will be up and running by the end of the week.”

  Elena scanned the room inside the doorway. Drop cloths littered the scuffed wooden floor, beside half-painted walls. The place was a mess. Not to mention her apartment was just down the street.

  “Seriously, Leo? This is where your new headquarters are located?” New Emain was so close she could throw a rock and nail her front door from where she stood. Their old compound had been a hundred times larger than this house.

  “It is temporary.” He guided her through the tall arched entry and they walked past half a dozen carpenters working on the repairs.

&nbs
p; At the back of the house, Leo entered a room decorated exactly like his office in Emain.

  “How did you manage to salvage the settees and desk?”

  His original office had been destroyed. The only things that remained of Emain after the twenty-four hours of battle while Derek and Elena were in Tirnan were exterior walls and part of the massive basement laboratory. Elena was almost happy she’d been gone. The Fae could throw a serious war when they wanted to—one more reason to be concerned about the brewing revolution in Tirnan that her mother had spoken of.

  Leo’s brow pinched. “I did not salvage them. These are what the designer brought to replace the old.”

  Elena shook her head in disbelief. The Fae were serious creatures of habit.

  Leo strode across the room and sat behind his desk, plastering on a smile that seemed too cheerful for his typical disposition. “I hope you will visit us often.”

  Was that why they’d chosen a place near her apartment? “I thought your kind despised me and sought my help out of desperation. Why do you want me around all of a sudden?”

  Leo shrugged. “You have proven more valuable than we presumed. Whether we wish it or not, you carry our blood. It is why our people have monitored the Halven. However…”

  When he didn’t finish the sentence, she prodded him. “Yes?”

  “Perhaps we were wrong—to keep such a distance between our two species.”

  Wow. Elena never thought she’d hear Leo say those words.

  She’d argued with Keen about acceptance and he hadn’t budged one inch, despite their sort-of friendship. He still believed Fae were superior to humans. Though the way he was behaving over Reese, maybe there was hope for Keen too.

  “The Fae have a long memory,” Leo added. “We will not forget what you have done for us. Others of your kind are another matter. They cannot be trusted.”

  Here we go. “Just like some of your kind can’t be trusted.” She thought of Beatrice and Portia, in particular, who had orchestrated the ultimate betrayal of their people and nobility.

  Leo harrumphed.

  “I’ll visit,” she said, “but don’t try and twist the truth anymore.” Elena leaned forward. “And, Leo, if we’re to work together, I expect your help in finding Reese as well, not just my mother.”

  Reese could be dead, but Elena just didn’t believe it. Or maybe she didn’t want to.

  Leo sighed. “We will continue to search for your friend. Marlon’s disciples took her, and we suspect there was a reason beyond baiting you, since she is still missing. We’d like to find out what that reason was. Every attempt will be made to rescue her.”

  Elena sat back, satisfied. Fae-Halven relations weren’t perfect, but her having saved the Fae might be the catalyst for the first step in the history of the realms toward acceptance.

  Her mother had held out hope for a better future while imprisoned for all those years. Elena would hold out hope for a better future with the Fae too.

  49

  Elena returned to her apartment after her meeting with Leo. She had just set her books on the desk in the bedroom and pulled off her leather jacket when the sound of a key grinding in the front door made her freeze.

  Reese.

  Elena ran into the living room with her heart pounding in her throat. But it was just Keen sweeping inside like he owned the place.

  Somehow Keen had pilfered a key to her apartment and proceeded to use it at his leisure.

  “Dammit, Keen! You can’t just walk in and out whenever you like.”

  He pocketed the key, ignoring her as he headed into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator.

  Her shoulders sank. Elena didn’t really mind Keen showing up. She was only disappointed it wasn’t Reese.

  “Any news?” she asked. No need to be specific. She asked the same question of Keen about ten times a day.

  His cool face strained in a grimace. Since their failed farmhouse rescue, Keen hadn’t faltered in his search for Reese. Dark patches camped out below his eyes, and his hair had even taken on the Derek O’Brien no-comb appearance.

  “Sources loyal to your mother confirm Reese is in Tirnan. She is being held captive. For what purpose, no one knows. They have nothing to gain by keeping her there.” Keen’s large hand squeezed the refrigerator door and he slammed it shut, the bottles rattling inside.

  Elena let out a loud breath. “Thank God she’s alive. I mean, it’s not ideal that she’s in Tirnan, but it’s better than the alternative.”

  Marlon’s vassal had initially threatened to kill Reese if Elena didn’t show up at the farmhouse. This meant there was hope. “We can get her back, Keen.”

  He spun around. “Not we. You’re finished traveling to Tirnan.”

  “No way.” She shook her head vehemently. “I have to find Reese. It’s my fault she’s there to begin with.”

  “Do not mistake your run of luck in Tirnan for anything other than what it was. You will leave the rescuing of Reese to my men and me. I will find her, and I will return her to you.” Keen straightened, his chin all proud, sharp edges. He was serious.

  “Why? Why do you care what happens to Reese?”

  He broke eye contact. “I told you I would find her. The Fae do not lie.”

  Yeah, sure. She’d bet that wasn’t the only reason. Keen cared about Reese. He just wouldn’t admit it to himself, or to anyone else.

  Well, she cared about Reese too. Elena had been irritated when Leo suggested she rescue her mother, because she felt the Fae needed to step up and help, but she’d planned on doing it anyway, just like she planned on saving her best friend.

  Keen’s help was welcome—because he cared about Reese, even if he didn’t acknowledge it—but she would search for Reese no matter what. “Keep me informed every step of the way. And come to me if you need help.”

  “If I need you, I will find you.” He said this only for her benefit, she could tell. The chances of Keen believing he needed her help were one in a million, so he wasn’t actually lying.

  Keen grabbed an apple from the counter and a few granola bars from the cupboard before ducking out the front door—just as Derek stepped in.

  After seeing where New Emain was located, she understood why her place had become the community living room. As she was located between campus and the Fae’s new headquarters, the convenience of food and smutty reality TV were apparently too much to pass up. Plus, Keen was still technically her guard, though he’d simmered down a bit and had stopped watching her every move.

  Keen and Derek exchanged the proverbial guy nod before Derek closed the door and scrubbed a hand down his face. He looked up and their eyes met. His shoulders relaxed, and he strode over and grabbed her in a hug. “I missed you.”

  She wrapped her arms around his waist and squeezed him back. “You were only gone for a couple of hours.”

  “Yup. Still missed you.” He smiled and leaned in for a kiss.

  Derek, especially, had taken what had happened in Tirnan hard. Camille had to pry Niall’s heart from his hand once they’d made it through the portal. Elena didn’t even think Derek knew he still held it. He seemed to be walking around in a state of shock.

  They’d held each other all night that first night, Derek sleeping fitfully. He’d called his parents the next morning to “check in,” but Elena could tell he’d needed to hear their voices, though he couldn’t explain to them why.

  Derek didn’t disclose the Fae to his parents. This time, though, it appeared his reasons for not telling them that he was a Halven stemmed from the need to protect his family, rather than from fear of abandonment. He’d gained perspective after his time with Niall. But no matter how horribly the Fae king had treated Derek, Derek hadn’t wanted to hurt the leader.

  Had Derek simply maimed Niall, neither she nor Derek would be here right now; the Fae healed too easily. Derek would have been imprisoned in Old Kingdom and Elena would be dead. Derek had done what he had to do.

  “I’d do it ten times over if it
meant protecting you,” Derek told her when she’d asked him if he regretted it. And she believed him. Traveling to Tirnan hadn’t only brought them closer, it had made their relationship rock solid. After all they’d been through, she trusted Derek more than anyone.

  Their fates might have been divided, but not their souls. They were meant to be together.

  “Where’s Keen headed?” Derek asked as he set his backpack down and sank onto the couch.

  “To see about rescuing Reese,” she said, and joined him.

  Derek studied her face. “Really? They found her?”

  Elena told Derek about Reese being trapped in Tirnan.

  He looked down and shook his head. “I’m sorry, Elena. But if they’ve got her imprisoned, they must need her or they would have… Anyway, it just means they’re not likely to hurt her.”

  Elena pressed a knuckle to her mouth. “I know. You’re right,” she said, but she was still worried.

  Derek wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “Keen’s a badass. He’ll find her and heads will roll.”

  She smiled and turned to him. “You two forming a bromance?”

  He sat back, stretching his legs out wide. “His golden good looks are appealing”—he pulled her onto his lap—“but I like my lovers saucy.” He kissed her cheek and lingered, rubbing his lips across her skin.

  She squirmed, but kept her expression blank. “Keen’s saucy too,” she countered.

  He growled and she giggled. “So insolent. If you must know, I also like my lovers soft.” He ran his mouth behind her ear, a puff of breath teasing a surprisingly sensitive location below the lobe that had her squirming again. “And round in the right places…” He glanced down at her chest and quirked a brow.

  She looked to the ceiling and shook her head. Men.

  Derek grinned and leaned over her until she fell to the side on the couch, his weight lightly pressing her into the cushions. His face grew serious. “And you—I only want you, Elena.” He lowered his head and kissed her, butterflies, or whatever you wanted to call them, fluttering around in her belly and bouncing off one another like heated molecules.