Cursed

by Sue Tingey

  Praise for

  “Gripping and tantalizingly sexy.”

  —Holdfast Magazine

  “A beautifully written, flowing Urban fantasy with a terrific story and some really great characters.”

  —Liz Loves Books

  “Instantly absorbing … will certainly leave a lasting impression.”

  —SciFi Now

  “I loved this book. The characters, the atmosphere, the humor, the romance, it all worked. Marked is a wonderful debut for Tingey.”

  —A Fantastical Librarian

  “A compelling debut … a brisk paranormal tale with outstanding world building, a large cast of well-drawn characters, and an intricate plot filled with intrigue and adventure. Reads like a PG-13 version of the Sookie Stackhouse series.”

  —Booklist

  “Any Neil Gaiman fan should feel right at home with the style of this book, as it’s smartly and compellingly written with some confident prose.”

  —The Fictional Hangout

  “Great fun and a delight to read.”

  —Upcoming4.me

  “The kind of story that sucks readers in very quickly and you end up completely losing track of time while you’re reading … A fantastic start to this new series.”

  —Feeling Fictional

  “I was enthralled. A strong and interesting debut.”

  —Draumr Kopa Blog

  “A thrill ride to the very end. The intrigue and action began immediately, drawing the reader in and keeping their eyes glued to the pages … I cannot wait to see where it goes from here.”

  —Fangirls Read It First

  Also by Sue Tingey

  The Soulseer Chronicles

  Marked

  Jo Fletcher Books

  An imprint of Quercus

  New York • London

  Copyright © 2016 Sue Tingey

  Cover design and illustration: KS Agency

  First published in the United States by Quercus in 2016

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by reviewers, who may quote brief passages in a review. Scanning, uploading, and electronic distribution of this book or the facilitation of the same without the permission of the publisher is prohibited.

  Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

  Any member of educational institutions wishing to photocopy part or all of the work for classroom use or anthology should send inquiries to permissions@quercus.com.

  e-ISBN 978-1-68144-372-0

  Distributed in the United States and Canada by

  Hachette Book Group

  1290 Avenue of the Americas

  New York, NY 10104

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, institutions, places, and events are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons—living or dead—events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  www.quercus.com

  To Lucy

  A true friend

  Contents

  One

  Two

  Three

  Four

  Five

  Six

  Seven

  Eight

  Nine

  Ten

  Eleven

  Twelve

  Thirteen

  Fourteen

  Fifteen

  Sixteen

  Seventeen

  Eighteen

  Acknowledgments

  One

  As I watched, ten small specks of black grew to dots and then to figures on horseback as they charged through the valley toward us, leaving a trail of dust in their wake. I had been back only three days and they had already found us.

  “Jinx!” I called, my eyes not leaving the advancing riders. They were close enough now that I could see sunlight glinting off the armor that marked them out as Lord Baltheza’s royal guard. I supposed I should be grateful for the small mercy that they weren’t the chief executioner’s men.

  In a moment Jinx was beside me, “What’s wrong?”

  I gestured toward the valley. “We have visitors.”

  He stared down at the fast approaching horsemen through narrowed eyes. “Come on,” he said, taking my hand and leading me inside the isolated herdsman’s hut serving as our home for the night.

  Jamie was sitting on a low stool—one of very few usable pieces of furniture. He didn’t look up from the thin blade he was sharpening, but continued the rhythmic turning of the steel as he rubbed one edge against the stone and then the other. The three rabbits Pyrites had caught for our supper lay at his feet, ready for skinning and cleaning. My drakon was sprawled on the floor beside them, his eyes fixed on Jamie, mesmerized by the motion of the blade.

  “Ten riders heading this way,” Jinx said without any preamble.

  Jamie still didn’t look up. “Amaliel?”

  “Baltheza’s guard.”

  I let out a shuddery breath. What were we going to do? We couldn’t keep running forever.

  “Fight or flee?” Jamie asked.

  “If they were here for a fight brother, they’d have approached by night so we wouldn’t see them coming.”

  Jamie lifted the knife to examine its edge. “That should do it.” He looked up at last and flashed me a smile that would normally make my toes curl and my stomach give a little flip, but today my heart felt like it was weighed down with fear.

  “Lucky,” he said, getting to his feet. “Jinx and I will go and see what they want. You stay in here.”

  I tried to smile but failed miserably. “Isn’t it obvious—?”

  “Not necessarily. As Jinx says, if they wanted trouble they’d have come after dark and there’d be more of them.”

  “Pyrites, stay with your mistress and guard her with your life,” Jinx told my drakon. Pyrites puffed out his chest, sat to attention and began to grow to the size of a Great Dane—not that he really needed to; he had firepower and, where my safety was concerned, he wasn’t afraid to use it.

  Jamie hugged me close. “Stay in here,” he repeated.

  Jinx handed Jamie one of the swords resting by the doorway and strapped another around his own waist, then stepped over to me, rested his hands on my shoulders and gave me an encouraging smile. “Don’t look so worried,” he said and gave me a kiss full on the lips that went on for so long I began to feel dizzy.

  “Jinx,” Jamie said with an exasperated sigh.

  Jinx pulled away from me and winked. “Keep that thought,” he said and followed Jamie out of the hut.

  “Be careful,” I said from just inside the door, and Jinx waved once before calling out to Bob, his big, black powerhouse of a flying horse.

  Despite my nerves, seeing Jinx and Jamie standing out in the sunshine together made me catch my breath. Two men couldn’t be more different, yet in some ways so much the same. Jamie—all blond hair, blue eyes and tanned skin—could have been human if not for his huge, snow-white wings. Jinx, on the other hand, couldn’t have been more demon, with glossy, maroon skin, horns, an arrow-tipped tail and long maroon hair so dark it was almost black, hanging in a braid to just below his waist. They were both beautiful in their own way and I cared for each of them a lot more than was entirely good for me.

  Jinx called out again and within moments I could hear the beating of wings and a dark shadow passed overhead. Bob glided down to land in front of the hut with a grace that belied his bulk and fierce demeanor, and in one fluid movement, Jinx had grasped his shaggy black mane and pulled himself up onto th
e creature. Bob snorted and stamped his hooves, his red eyes glowing with infernal fire. Unperturbed, Jinx gave him a slap on the rump; the beast surged forward and, with two powerful flaps of his leathery wings, was airborne. Jamie gave me one last smile, unfurled his own wings and then he too was flying into the sky.

  I shut the door and sank down on to the stool. Three days: it had taken them only three days to find us and it made me wonder whether the Underlands was really the place I should be making my home. How could I ever be safe here?

  Pyrites somehow knew where my mind was going as he put a claw on my knee and made a small mewing noise.

  “I know. If I went back I would have to leave you and Jinx, and I couldn’t bear to do that,” I told him, scratching the underside of his chin. And it was true: I couldn’t take even a small drakon into my world, and I certainly couldn’t take a demon who, on earth, would leave a trail of death and destruction in his wake. And without them—well, without them I was lost.

  The last time I’d returned to my world I had lasted only five days alone. I’d missed them hugely and I’d known it was no safer on Earth than in the Underlands—even less so without my demon guard—so, by the end of the five days I was a nervous wreck with every unexplained sound causing me to reach for a strategically placed carving knife or hammer. Of course, there was also the matter of Lord Baltheza: if he had sanctioned a visit by one of the court assassins I would have been history in no time without my friends.

  I started thinking about all I’d learned over the past few days. I’d tried to find out as much about my new home as I could—as if the knowledge would somehow protect me—and I’d begun by asking questions. Every time we’d stopped in our travels, or settled down for the night, I’d put every question I’d thought of to Jamie and Jinx. One of my first was: were there other countries in the Underlands? But apparently there weren’t; instead, the Underlands were divided into states overseen locally by their individual lords, but ultimately ruled over by Baltheza.

  Another question I’d asked had been: how come Amaliel has so much power? This was something neither Jamie nor Jinx could answer. Everyone, except for perhaps Baltheza, hated him, and yet he appeared to wield almost as much authority within court as Lord Baltheza himself.

  If he was one of the approaching riders I just knew we were destined for trouble, which set me to worrying about my two men yet again.

  They were gone a long time; at least it seemed that way. I kept getting up and walking to the door to peer out, but from the cabin I couldn’t see the valley below and that was where they would be. I was tempted to go outside to take a look, but I knew from experience that if Jinx and Jamie had told me to do something it was usually for good reason, even if it didn’t always sit easily with me.

  Actually, this was something I had planned to talk to them about. I hated that sometimes they treated me like the “little woman.” Jinx might not know any better, but Jamie bloody well should having spent a lot of time in my world, and if anything he was the worst of the two. Of course, now they were gone risking their lives for me, and I was alone and worrying about them, my getting bolshy about this seemed pretty pathetic.

  When I thought I couldn’t stand the wait any longer, Pyrites’ head jerked up and his ears pricked forward. He gave a low rumble in his chest and jumped to his feet, growing a few more sizes until he was as big as a small pony. He moved so he was between me and the door and stood glaring at it, snorting puffs of steam which gradually changed from white to gray to black.

  “What is it, boy?”

  He gave another low grumble. I grabbed the knife Jamie had been sharpening from where it lay and backed toward the bedroom. The handle to the front door began to turn and Pyrites roared …

  “It’s only us, you stupid sod,” I heard Jinx say as the door swung open. Pyrites stood his ground until Jinx appeared in the doorway followed by Jamie. “I swear, one day he’s going to roast us.”

  “Why do you think I always let you go first?” Jamie said with a grin.

  “And there I was thinking you were being deferential to your elder and better.”

  Pyrites gave a puff of smoke, shrank until he was not much bigger than a Yorkshire Terrier and scampered out of their way as Jamie closed the door behind them.

  “Well?” I asked.

  Jinx gave a bob of his head in Jamie’s direction giving him the job of telling me the bad news, as I knew it must be from the change in their expressions.

  “Just tell me,” I said.

  “An attempt has been made on the life of Lord Baltheza.”

  “Is he dead?” I asked, though I didn’t really care. Baltheza was, in my opinion, a sadistic monster—if he was dead, he deserved it.

  “He lost two of his guard and another was injured, but Baltheza was unhurt,” Jamie told me.

  More’s the pity, I thought. Until something else struck me: “Does he think Kayla and I were somehow involved?” As he had only recently ordered me to be executed for plotting to kill him, this was a real concern. It was also why I was on the run: in this world justice was served out fast and with little chance to defend oneself.

  “No,” Jamie said, “not you.”

  My two demons were studiously avoiding eye contact with me, which sent my anxiety levels soaring. “What about Kayla?”

  “She and her entourage have disappeared.”

  “I thought that was the point: she’s in hiding.”

  “Well, it didn’t take him long to find us; he has spies everywhere,” Jamie said. “Anyway staying in a mini palace on the coast is hardly hiding out. She might as well have sent Baltheza a postcard.”

  “And now Kayla’s gone,” Jinx said, “leaving not a trace of her or her guard. It doesn’t look good.” I scowled at him. Upon seeing my expression he gave me an apologetic smile. “I’m only telling you how it is. That they have truly disappeared makes Baltheza suspicious.”

  “I suppose Lord Daltas has convinced him she’s as guilty as sin,” I said. He was the demon who had got me into this mess in the first place. He thought he could use me as a lever to get Kayla to marry him, which would have brought him one step closer to the throne. His plan had misfired, and now I doubted Kayla would marry him if he was the last demon in the Underlands.

  “Daltas is currently persona non grata at court. Though this could change at any time,” Jamie said.

  “Why would Baltheza think I had nothing to do with it, but Kayla had? He was pretty sure I did before.”

  “Why would you send armed assassins to kill a man when one of your consorts is a Death Demon?” Jamie said.

  Put like that I suppose he had a point. “So, what of the riders?” I asked.

  “Here.” Jamie pulled a small scroll of parchment from his pocket and handed it to me. “They were coming to tell you all charges against you have been dropped and to escort you back to court.”

  “Like that’s going to happen,” I said as I opened up the document and scanned the contents. Sure enough, it confirmed I was no longer a wanted woman, but although it should have made me feel safe and secure, I couldn’t help but think it was some kind of trick.

  “I think perhaps you should go,” Jinx said.

  Jamie swung around to face him. “Are you mad?”

  Jinx leaned back against the doorframe. “Do you believe Kayla had anything to do with the assassination attempt?”

  Jamie’s brow furrowed for a moment then he shook his head.

  “Nor do I, and yet she has disappeared. Poof! She and her guard have completely vanished. Does that not strike you as strange?”

  It was true; Kayla and Baltheza may not have a typical, cozy, father-daughter relationship, but she’d chosen Vaybian over Daltas when Daltas would have seen her on the throne. By all accounts, Daltas would have had no qualms about killing Baltheza to seize power—Kayla had told me that herself and it hadn’t sat well with her, so it made no sense for her to want to kill her father. I said as much to Jamie and Jinx.

  “
Unfortunately, it makes sense to Baltheza,” Jinx said.

  “Only because she’s disappeared,” Jamie said.

  “Where do you think she’s gone?” I asked. “Do you think she’s all right?” And then, slowly, something started to make sense to me: if Kayla hadn’t tried to kill Baltheza, was it possible someone was trying to make it look like she had? I glanced at Jinx, whose expression was grim. My mouth went dry. “Is it possible Kayla has been taken by someone against her will?”

  “By whom?” Jamie asked.

  “Now there’s the question,” Jinx said. “We should go to the villa where she was staying and take a look around; maybe we can persuade Baltheza that Kayla is in as much danger as he is.” Then he smiled his dangerous smile, the one that meant violence was not very far from his mind.

  Two

  Jinx and Jamie went back down the mountain to tell the riders we would be returning to court in due course, and to request that they pass our felicitations—whatever that meant—to Lord Baltheza. I still had my doubts about returning to the palace. Although Baltheza had claimed I was his daughter, he certainly didn’t trust me and I wouldn’t be at all surprised if he only wanted me at court so he could keep an eye on me. Either that, or he wanted to use me to draw Kayla out into the open. Of course, it may also have been the case that the pardon wasn’t worth the parchment it’s written on, and his intention was to arrest me immediately upon arrival. Though, if that were a possibility, I imagined Jamie and Jinx would be more worried.

  We set off early the next morning. There wasn’t much to pack; we’d been traveling light as we’d gone from one hiding place to another in an effort to keep one step ahead of Baltheza and his men. That we had failed miserably wasn’t lost on me; I’d just have to hope my supposed father and I wouldn’t have any further falling outs, though I wasn’t going to hold my breath on that one.

  I hadn’t slept a wink, but neither of my two demons had any trouble. Even Pyrites, who was usually most sensitive to my moods, had begun snoring as soon as he’d curled up on the pillow above our heads. Consequently, by the time we set off I was tired, I was worried and I was fractious. Jamie and Jinx both knew it and didn’t even bother to try talking to me.

  Kayla and her guard had been staying at a villa not far from the mountain where Pyrites and I had holed up last time I was on the run. I recognized some of the landscape flashing by beneath us as we flew over small villages and fields of rust, copper and bronze crops. Soon, though, we left the rural areas behind and the vegetation changed to tall forests of scarlet and burgundy pines. As we sped closer to the mountains, the lush maroon, purple and red foliage faded away to be replaced by gray rock. Unlike the last time I’d been here, we carried on up over their snowy peaks where the air turned frigid and I was glad of the cloak Jamie had insisted I tie around my shoulders.