So Dark the Night

by Elle Cross

He tasted me, his tongue gently massaging against mine as he poured power into me.

  His power tasted both sweet and tart, fresh, like berries from the vine.

  I clung to him more than I needed to, drinking him down.

 

  I stopped the kiss then, but still clung to him for support, heady with the rush of power. For a moment, I had an odd double vision where I could see through both his eyes and mine at the same time. I closed my eyes against the sensation.

 

  I politely ignored the worry in his thoughts, the feelings that he hadn’t been enough for me. Instead, I touched his wrist lightly. “You did fine.”

  More than fine. Without the connection to my Inner Circle, I had felt the difference. The waning in my energies. That feeling of fading. It was all too familiar.

  Sure it wouldn’t have been a true fade, but I had finally been able to understand and feel the difference after experiencing my men’s loving acceptance.

  I concentrated now. Instead of trying to fill a cup, I decided to wrap the ribbons around myself. Then I stepped back from the shadows, and what stood before me was a cut-out silhouette of me.

  I stretched out my hand and was delighted that my shadow mirrored me. I touched it, shaping it with my mind until it looked just like Ranek’s perception of me. When it was done, I smiled at my handiwork. The shadow smiled right back at me.

  She wouldn’t be able to talk or walk like me exactly, but it would be enough.

  With my intention set, I pressed the spell right over her heart, and sent her on her way.

  My duplicate traipsed down the street, balancing the reality of trying to hide from hunters, but also needing to get the Hounds’ attention. One of them finally noticed it, and the chase was on.

  We waited an extra minute to make sure that no one else was around. I used my borrowed power to extend my senses to see if we had any spies. So far, so good.

  Ranek offered me his hand, and we scrambled to Meridian Circle, and traveled the straits.

  Karina

  Ranek said there was a rendezvous point.

  When we were truly behind the veil and in the In-between, I immediately felt better. Like untouchable. It made me wonder how the Wraith Lord’s vehicle got crashed into in the first place. “Hey, so how did you know where I’d be? Where I was?” I asked.

  “I travel the straits, my queen. It was only a matter of doubling back and forth looking for that crazed car.”

  “You could have left. Instead you came looking for me.”

  He stopped to look at me. “The whole point of me scouring the Shadow Realm was because I was looking for you.” He held his hand up, so close to my face I could feel the heat from his hand, before dropping it. “I know we didn’t have the best first meetings, but I’m on your side. More than you know.”

  His green eyes searched me, willing me to believe him. It would have meant more if something came over from our bonds. He wasn’t outright lying, but he was hiding from our bond. I didn’t blame him. I was doing the same. But considering how he had been jonesing to bond, his behavior didn’t make sense.

  I filed it away for later. For now, I nodded at him, and pushed him along the straits toward wherever that rendezvous point was supposed to be.

  I followed after him, now seeing the blue-black string tied to his wrist. Enver. Such a little thing, this token, but it sort of answered the question of why he was taking me back to my Inner Circle if he had wanted me alone so much.

  I would bet that Enver’s bonds were pretty painful if they were reneged upon.

  The trees parted around us like they were bowing out and creating a hole. We walked through, and there was Enver waiting for me. West stood next to him. Taran and Havoc framed the entrance to this place, so that when we walked through, they came up behind us.

  I thrilled to feel them with me in my bond once more. The rush of emotion brought tears to my eyes. They hugged me, and asked after me. I felt silly because it was not that big of a deal, all things considered. I was able to confirm that there were people after me; I indeed had a bounty on my head; and there existed something called the River STX, which was the first time I’d ever heard of such a place.

  “We are just glad you are safe, no matter how short lived the danger,” Enver’s words a gentle caress down my body.

  I smiled into his chest. “The guy who took me said that I would fetch a high price for him at the River STX. I also over heard him talking about keeping me away from some of the other unsavory types.” I shivered at the thought.

  Were they the ones who had taken those other girls, too?

  “Ranek, did you understand anything of this? After all you knew about the bounty.” He seemed more squirrelly than usual, especially when I’d mentioned the River STX. He clearly had heard of it before.

  “Yes, more than I care to.”

  Ranek’s demeanor changed then. His face fell a little, like he was suddenly tired. Or upset.

  Did he feel left out now that I was back with my men? Did he still feel uncomfortable about our power exchange?

  We were safe now. That was all that mattered. I moved out of the circle of my men. “Thank you for getting us out of there, no matter how much you were likely strong armed by Enver.”

  He smiled, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes, which looked pained. Was that regret? Did he mourn the fact that he hadn’t been able to find his sister yet?

  I wished I knew him a bit better. I moved toward him, and placed a hand on his arm.

  The blue-black bracelet dissolved from his wrist, and he just kept staring at the place where it had been.

  Ranek said through our bond.

  The others heard the whisper.

  Ranek wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

  “Ranek, what the—”

  Enver’s power rose. “Our agreement—”

  “Ended when I delivered the queen… Delivered, Prince Enver, and not that she would stay.”

  Ranek disappeared us into the abyss.

  “She was not looking for a knight. She was looking for a sword.” —Atticus

  Karina

  INSTEAD OF ABYSS, I found that we had fallen into a bright sunny day with a pastoral winding path behind and before me.

  Interesting.

  I knew that I was going somewhere, but I could not quite remember where.

  Maybe this guy in front of me could help me. “Excuse me, sir, I think that you could help me find my way home. Or wherever, but home seemed like the place for me to be, what do you think?”

  The man in front of me was large, looming. Fairly pretty with his bronzed skin and sun streaked hair that whipped around his shoulders. But the way he kept staring and blinking at me made me think that there may not be a lot of thought behind his looks.

  “Are you being serious?” he asked.

  I racked my brain trying to think if I had said anything funny. I could not think of anything. “Why yes sir, I am.” I nodded really hard so he knew that I would take any information seriously.

  He tsked and rolled his eyes. “Sorry. I didn’t think it would affect you like that.”

  Before I could ask him to clarify, he touched my forehead and it was like my ears popped.

  I blinked and realized that for a moment I had no idea who I was or what I was doing here. “What in the seven hells was that?”

  “Defense mechanism.” He gestured for me to step forward, and once I stepped away from wherever it was that I had been standing, I felt even clearer.

  And then I remembered what he’d done. He had taken me from my men. Without warning, I punched him in the face. “Are you fucking kidding me right now?” I did it again, but this time, he caught my fist.

  I kneed him in the chest. The air went out of him, and I took advantage by wrapping my arm around his neck. “What the fuck did you do? Take me back.”

  I had him on his knees, and he clawed at me, and then th
e world around me pitched forward as he flipped me over so that I landed on my back.

  He scrambled atop my body, pinning me down, along with all my flailing appendages.

  “Listen. Please.”

  I head butted him.

  He grunted and swayed, but didn’t lessen or loosen his hold. “Please listen.”

  I squirmed, getting a foot underneath him. Then I stopped struggling, breathing heavily.

  He relaxed. “Karina, please, let me explain.”

  With his guard down, I hitched my foot under his leg and flipped him over me. Scrambling to my feet, I ran away. I would be able to find home, find my connection with my men.

  It didn’t take long for me to realize that I was basically running in place. The scenery was stationary, none of the landmarks moved, yet I was starting to tire.

  I looked back and he was there, just prowling and pacing on the side of the road, watching me.

  He stopped, hands on his hips, looking at me as if to say, ‘You done?’ “Are you ready to listen now?” he asked, as if he could wait all day for me to tire myself out.

  I kept running.

  “Fine, keep running in place, but at least listen. I’d wanted to talk to you alone without your Inner Circle hearing. I wanted you here so you would be able to hear what I had to tell you without their…eavesdropping.”

  I stopped running. “What do you mean?”

  “I’m sorry. I know that I probably blew my chances at being part of your Inner Circle after this. Would not blame you. I just wanted you to know the facts.”

  He had wanted to be part of my Inner Circle? Well damn, did he ever go about it the exact wrong fucking way.

  “Your bond.” He strummed the air around me, and there was this odd feeling, like he was tugging at strings that were attached to my body. I rubbed the hollow of chest.

  “That bond of yours is deceptive, your highness. You have started your court, you have strong powers at your back, but your Inner Circle is not complete. You are still very much open to attacks because even though you’ve bonded with your men, your Inner Circle is not full, nor does your court surround you.”

  “What? What would you know about that?”

  He gave me his, ‘Do you want to know that or do you want to know this other thing we’re talking about now?’ look.

  “Your majesty. I’m going to be quite plain. I need your help and you need my help. I’ve always made it clear that I want nothing more than to find my sister. I think the reason that we never were able to find her is because you are so obviously, well, you, and the club that allowed for bartering and trading—”

  “The River STX?” I interrupted.

  “Yes, that one. I think that moves around because of you. Well, not really because of you, but because you have this power that sets them off that something is coming and allows them to run tail and hide.”

  “You are joking? So my powers finally awaken, and yet they act like repellant?”

  “No, I’m saying that you are way too powerful and you make others run and hide.”

  That was the first time in my life that I had ever been accused of being ‘too powerful.’

  He nodded. “And you are bad for their business.”

  “Dammit it all to hell and back.” I wanted to pull my hair out on this very pretty road. “So, what do you need to find your sister?”

  “A queen that I would be proud to fight for.”

  I blinked. This answer was too much, and more than I’d bargained for. The asshole, I could handle. This passionate and intense warrior who needed a banner? It made me feel inadequate.

  “I get it now,” he said, his voice full of so much intensity that it shook. “I was angry with them, seeing how they let you walk around feeling so unworthy. And no I didn’t need to be bonded to you for me to know it. Your thoughts practically leapt off of you.”

  It was my turn to avoid his gaze.

  “I misjudged them.” Then he shifted. “You are too hard on yourself, truly.”

  I cleared my throat. “Why did you need to separate me from my men just to say these things?”

  He looked at me levelly. “Would I have been allowed to say them? With them there? And would you have heard me?”

  I blinked. Likely not.

  My silence confirmed what he thought. But he wasn’t mad or annoyed by it. He just cocked his eyebrow and smirked. “See, even you know.”

  He came at me sideways like all his approaches.

  “There’s another reason, too, but it could wait until after you’ve rested. My family’s stronghold isn’t too far. Once we get there, we’ll bring the rest of your Inner Circle over.”

  “So, why the hell did you steal me away from my men like that if you were going to reunite us later anyway?” I was well and truly baffled.

  He laughed then, face turned up toward the sun. He looked like a true rogue. “I just thought this would piss off your Prince.” He smiled wide, showing his gleaming teeth.

  Despite myself I shook my head and chuckled. “You’re an asshole with a death wish.”

  “Yes, but I’m your asshole.”

  “What?”

  “If you didn’t figure it out from my eloquent speechifying, I decided to pledge to you, my queen, seeing that you are still building your court. You’re going to need my energies to balance you out.”

  “You really think that I’d let you be with my people, after you pulled a stunt like this? That I’d be crazy enough to let two Princes into my Inner Circle?”

  He stepped into my space, all the power that he had rippled against my shields. And then I felt it. The calling that I’d been ignoring. It was like tumbling headlong into a spiraling wave. It could draw me in and spit me out.

  He had been holding back big time. I hadn’t been able to call power in this strange In-between place, but he had power plenty. But he used none of it against me.

  And beneath it all, I scented it. The markings that I could pull if I wanted to. That same pull that I could claim with the others, there for the taking.

  Claim me.

  That same claiming that would make him as much mine as the others would be. He could be pissy and kind of an asshole, but he would not hurt what was mine.

  Too much. I retreated well behind my shields, and he allowed the space.

  I flicked a tear from my cheek before he could acknowledge it. “So, they’re safe?”

  “Of course. Pissed, but safe.” He smiled.

  “Let’s go then, and you can tell me what the fuck is wrong with this road on our way to your family stronghold.”

  He barked out a laugh. “Nothing is wrong with the road. I didn’t want you to leave.”

  “You did that then?”

  “I am the Prince of Straits, and a Vagari no less. All roads are open to us. We could also bar roads to those who may wish us harm.”

  “Did you do that mind fuck over there? Where I forgot who I was?”

  “No, that was just part of this road’s defense mechanisms. This is my family’s territory. Been that way for centuries. Part of the growing up here is that the kids are able to put whatever trap they wanted on this road for travelers. You found one of the traps.”

  The road was actually beautiful, lined with trees swaying in the gentle breeze. The blossoms released and spilled across the road. Pink and white petals filled the air and marked the path.

  “Some of the kids set traps while others beautified. It really was whatever we wanted to do with the road. Like to mark it.”

  “So that was like a little bit of quicksand? To keep trespassers away by forgetting why they were even on the road in the first place?”

  “Exactly—oh watch out, that’s actually quicksand.”

  He guided me around an innocuous-looking patch of road, and I just cocked my eyebrow at him. He flipped a stone in that area, and it began to sink.

  Impressive.

  “So this is like that overlap you keep mentioning. Like there could be Humans here, but
there is a veil between us?”

  “Yes exactly. This road shares the same space as some of the roads in your Circle City, but you are traveling on this one because that’s the space I allow you to walk. I’d need to shift us through the other veil for you to see the buildings and things rather than this place of rolling grass and beautiful flowers.

  As if to emphasize, he plucked a flower from the air and grazed it along my cheek.

  “And that’s what you mean by the men. They’re here, aren’t they, but not here?”

  He lifted the corner of his mouth. “Pretty much.”

  “And they know don’t they?”

  “The same way you can feel ghosts.” He gestured. “If you reach out, you could probably feel them. I’m not bonded to your Prince, but I can certainly feel his echo.”

  Slowly, I let down some of my shields, and allowed myself to be open to sensation. If I hadn’t been searching for him, I would have missed it. It was like the feel of a coming thunderstorm, where the pressure changed and the air seemed full of electricity.

  Enver knew me the moment I brushed up against that presence. The relief was palpable though it was held behind a torrent of banked anger.

  I brushed my hand along the air and breathed out my presence. Enver pulsed back. I shook my head, and addressed Ranek. “You are a child. Can’t you bring them over now?”

  “And have Enver tear my head off? No thanks. I have every faith in you my queen, really, but you were barely quick enough to stop the Princeling from driving his fist through my skull when we first met. I think he’d make sure to kill me quickly before you can give him a direct order to stop.”

  So many questions. That I literally had been able to stop him with a word. That Enver was that powerful. I filed that away for later.

  We rose up the crest of a hill and a sprawling keep made of stone greeted us. “Welcome to my family’s keep.”

  Karina

  It was different than what I expected. Given his arrogance and overall assholery, I would have thought that he came from one of those more pretentious looking castles. I told him so. It made him laugh.