“I’ll talk to Neri and Adalia. Just give me a chance. I can’t do anything here. You said that if I helped you remove your marks and become leader of the fae, they’d be left alone. What does it matter? I’ll help you.”
“It matters because you’re lying,” he said, descending so quickly toward a roof I understood why he had been able to catch me after letting go of me. Once we were closer, he dropped me. I hit the ground hard, awkwardly rolling to my feet and taking off my shoes in the process. The spikey three inches were all I had as weapons. When he landed, I charged at him with everything I had. Someone wielding shoes like dual sai made it hard to know how to respond. That was my advantage. The heel of one shoe dug hard into the forearm he put up to ward off the blow. I hit, pounded, and thrashed with the full force of my rage and fear. It was all I had, because if I gave him a chance to retaliate, I was a goner.
Accepting the blow to his left arm, the force of magic burst from him and hit me in my stomach, sending me back to land just a few inches from the edge of the roof. I scanned the area, looking for an exit. I could hear an invocation coming from somewhere on the roof. Moments later I spotted the Immortalis. He eased in my direction, his hands moving fluidly. His fingers twisted and crooked in strange angles, hooks, and shapes. Magic flooded the air. I looked down. There wasn’t any way I’d survive the drop.
I got a glimpse of something black in Ian’s hands and recalled him saying that he could release Malific without me going into the Veil. Panic made forming a plan harder. Who was the biggest threat, Ian or the Immortalis? I could stop the spell, but Immortalis were immune to the kiss. I wasn’t sure about Ian, although his efforts to keep his distance was a good sign.
Rocks, debris, and all the crud on the roof dug into my feet as I sprinted to Ian, crashing into him. He struggled against me. It wasn’t about winning pretty; it was about winning. His face reddened and tears formed when I hit him in the groin. I went for the arm where I saw the black object. Taking his magic would make him more amenable and I’d have access to magic. Problem was, the Immortalis were immune to all magic. I wasn’t immune to theirs. I hovered over Ian, whispering the words of power. He was frantically turning his head to avoid it, but once the words left me, they ensnared him and his body relaxed, melting against the roof in a state of in-between. His hands relaxed and the object in his hand rolled a few feet away.
I started to move toward it when there was a shift in the atmosphere followed by a dank and toxic feel that overtook the immediate area. I turned to see the Immortalis Wynd in next to me. I also saw the knife he plunged into my side. Choking on my breath, my hand shot out a surge of magic that hit him without any effect. I looked at my hand, which had turned red, and swallowed back the pain. Adrenaline wasn’t enough to numb it. Especially when he twisted the knife before yanking it out.
My vision blurring, I fell forward and dragged my body over Ian’s stilled body, going for the object that had fallen from Ian’s hand, while trying to keep pressure on my side to staunch the bleeding. The Immortalis rushed forward and scooped it up. I clawed at his hand but it wasn’t enough. Then I used my right hand, crimson with my blood, and he willingly opened his hand to let me touch it. Satisfaction swept over his face as my blood covered the object. He whispered something. Smoke wisps rose, forming a diaphanous figure I couldn’t make out. A bird? Eagle? No. A raven. The raven spread into a vaporous cloud that moved over me, covering me. My breathing slowed to short gasps. I slumped over, trying to suck in breath and push it out.
Breathe. Breathe. Breathe. My body seemed to have forgotten how to perform the most basic function. I blinked once and the Immortalis wasn’t there. Maybe I closed my eyes. I wasn’t quite sure. It was so hard to keep them open.
“Erin,” said a voice as a man slowly descended in front of me, glorious cerulean wings spreading out and commanding the area around him. When he leaned down, I could see the detail of the wings, the many hues of blue. Familiar magic breezed off him, not nearly as frenetic as before but definitely his distinctive brand.
“K . . . K . . .” Darkness dragged me under. The last thing I heard was Kai telling me I couldn’t die.
I was really trying not to.
CHAPTER 22
I awoke in a room that definitely wasn’t mine. The bed was too large, the mattress too firm, and the space nearly three times the size of my bedroom. I’d stayed there before. Soft-gray walls, textured abstract art on the walls, and carpet that felt just as plush as it looked.
“You’re finally up,” Cory said, rushing over to me from the seat across the room near the window. His voice was rough and heavy with concern.
“Hi,” I whispered.
He hugged me so tight, I let out a small whimper, not having realized how much pain I was still in. When he released me, I lifted my shirt and inspected the scar left by the knife wound.
“I have a scar.”
“Yeah, you have a scar,” he said softly. His hand caressed the side of my face before he hugged me again, careful to do it more gently.
Scanning the room I saw a Kindle, a phone, and a small overnight bag in the corner.
“How long have I been here?”
“Three days. You woke up for maybe two minutes, two days ago.”
“You’ve been here the whole time?”
“Just two and a half days. You were missing for half a day and when I hadn’t heard from you, I asked Ms. Harp if she’d seen you. She told me you were with Mephisto. She definitely isn’t Team Mephisto. I was going to try to get in touch with him when he called to tell me you were here. Madison already knows. I’ve been giving her daily updates and she stops by for a couple of hours.”
“That explains a lot.” I covered my mouth. “I need a shower and to brush my teeth.”
“I was going to suggest that, but it seemed kind of rude.”
Laughing made my raw throat sore. I took a long drink from the bottle of water Cory handed me. Assuming the bag placed by the dresser was mine, courtesy of Cory, I hoisted it and went into the bathroom and was reminded that I was stabbed three days ago.
Looking in the mirror, even if I didn’t feel like I had been asleep for three days, my reflection certainly showed it. My face was pallid and sallow all at once, there were dark rings around my eyes, my lips were chapped, and my hair was in tangles. I could only look at myself for the few minutes it took to brush my teeth. I stood in the shower, letting the warm water wash over me as I went over the last things I could recall. Kai had wings. Beautiful blue wings. I had Ian’s magic—or at least I did have it. I gave an experimental flick of my finger: nothing. I made four more failed attempts. His magic hadn’t stayed with me long.
I had been stabbed; the scar on my side attested to that. After showering and washing my hair, I dressed in a shirt and leggings, my body moving better with some of the stiffness gone. The scent of grapefruit from my shampoo and cool melon from my body wash just made me hungrier.
By the time I returned to the room, the bed had been made, which was a pity because I wanted to crawl back into it and sleep for another day or so. Showering took more out of me than I expected.
“I need to get something to eat.”
I started for the door, but Cory stopped me.
“Stay. I’ll let the cook know you’re hungry. I’m sure he’ll prepare something you’ll like.” He stopped. “I never thought I’d say that seriously.” He made an attempt at a smile, but it waned and faltered. “I need to let M know you’re awake.”
“He doesn’t like to be called that. I think only Clayton gets that privilege.”
“I’d let him call me C,” Cory admitted.
“Oh, stop!” I chided, grabbing the pillow off the bed to toss at him. But that seemed to take more energy than I had. “He’s a pretty cool guy.”
“Yeah. He is.”
My eyes narrowed and I shot him a look.
“I’m agreeing with you.”
“Stop agreeing with me.”
“We
ll, at least you’re back to normal. So sweet and charming . . . not snarky and feisty for no apparent reason.” This time he managed a wide smile.
Cory was hurried when he returned, closing the door behind me and taking a seat on the bed next to me.
“We don’t have a lot of time. Tell me what you remember.”
Culling through everything that happened before things went bad that night, I told him, ending with, “I thought I was going to die. Oh, and Kai has wings.”
“Of course he does. Why not?” Cory waved his hand dismissively as if that information was added to an ongoing list of unusual things. “I think you died,” he went on. “I don’t mean, your heart stopped for a minute and then it started back up with the miracle of modern medicine type of dead. I think you died and they brought you back.”
Automatically my lips lifted into a dismissive smirk. “Okay,” I scoffed.
He leaned in closer. “I’ve been here since he called me and I couldn’t stay in the room all day, so I . . .”
“Snooped,” I offered when he seemed to be having difficulty finding the right words.
“Explored. How can you not? He has a beautiful garden and woods with not only deer but an okapi? Who is this man and why does he have one of those?”
“Simeon gave it to him as a gift.”
His eyes squinted. “The one who can speak to animals?”
I nodded.
“Yeah, that’s about right. I was . . . exploring and I thought I heard one of them ask ‘how long was she’ but they never finished. Tall, dark, and fake name came out of the room and asked if I was lost. He was ever so kind to escort me back to this room.”
“How do you know they were going to say dead?”
“Because before that I heard them mention a Tactu Mortem that was destroyed. I searched everywhere and there’s no information about it. But if that’s Latin, it has to do with death.”
“I think it means ‘touch of death.’” It made me remember the smoke raven that cloaked me, the inability to breathe, and the look of satisfaction that overtook the Immortalis when my blood touched the object.
“Died.” I pressed my finger to my neck as if expecting to find a vampire bite or something. There weren’t any marks. It wasn’t very hard for me to believe that it had happened. It didn’t feel like I was going to make it and apparently, I didn’t.
I moistened my lips but that wasn’t enough. I needed more; my mouth felt like the Sahara. Noticing my searching eyes, Cory got up and retrieved his bottle of water and gave it to me. I drained it.
A light knock at the door had Cory snapping his mouth shut.
The black that Mephisto was wearing seemed ironic. Or maybe appropriate. I had no idea.
“Cory, I’ll make sure Erin gets home,” Mephisto said, offering Cory a tight smile, his voice professionally neutral and firm and leaving no room for discussion. I could see the challenge rising in Cory. He looked at me, saw my look to let it go, and with obvious reluctance, he conceded.
“Call me if you need anything,” he whispered, giving me a gentler hug than the first or second, but he clung to me for longer and I did, too.
After Mephisto escorted Cory out, presumably to prevent any more explorations, he returned to let me know that dinner was ready. He regarded me with concern as I slowly made my way down the stairs. It wasn’t surprising to see that we were the only ones in the kitchen.
I was pleasantly surprised to see that the plate he placed in front of me had just a thin slice of chicken breast and a large serving of mac and cheese with crumbles of bacon. I wasn’t complaining because no part of that meal didn’t appeal to me. It was unexpected. Seeing Mephisto with the same thing is what left me awestruck. “Comfort food,” he said.
I had one glass of water, another with juice while he had a glass of white wine. What do you pair with mac and cheese?
“Kai has wings,” I announced. The water wasn’t enough and I definitely had a feeling I was going to need more than juice based on the air of heaviness that surrounded Mephisto. His magic was subdued, but I wasn’t sure if it was because it had been depleted or he was doing it. Bringing someone back to life probably could do that.
“Simeon speaks to animals.” I continued on with my list.
He nodded once.
“You can Wynd and perform strong defensive magic.” Those were things Simeon had said about Mephisto’s magic when I asked about the differences. I knew there was more.
He nodded again. “We can all perform magic. A great deal of it. When I loan you magic, I’m significantly weakened.”
“Clayton?”
“He has weather and oceanic abilities.”
Not used to Mephisto being so forthcoming, I found myself at a loss for the right questions. They turned in my head but there was so much I needed to know, my mind was slow processing it.
Mephisto stood and I gawked after him, wondering if this was how he was going to end the conversation. But he simply went to the cabinet for a wine glass and placed it in front of me. He poured a few ounces and I bent my finger, signaling for him to keep it coming.
Gulping down half of it, I asked the simplest of questions. “What happened to Ian?”
He exhaled a sharp breath and all the emotions on his face melded together into something I couldn’t decipher.
“He moved so fast,” he whispered, his tone remorseful. As if he’d failed me.
“Ian’s very swift and precise in flight,” I offered. Skills I’d have lauded if they weren’t constantly being used against me.
“Was. He was swift and precise in flight. He didn’t make it.” His dark and baleful look suggested Ian had help being ushered into the afterlife.
Several moments of stiff silence passed before I could ask another question.
“How did you know where to find me?”
“I didn’t. Clayton and Kai weren’t too far away, so I instructed Kai first to search for you by air. I went into your apartment to find the shuriken to do a locating spell.” Remembering how easily he found blood on a shingle when he’d been robbed by dragons, I didn’t have to ask how he found it. Reluctant to do magic in public for fear of leaving a magical fingerprint that could be identified, he probably did the locating spell in my apartment where he couldn’t be seen.
Waving my fingers, I gave Ian’s magic another try but wasn’t surprised when nothing happened this time either.
“I took his magic. Why don’t I still have it? I should still have access to it.”
“You wouldn’t.” He took another long draw from his glass. “You lost his magic when you died. It happened moments after Kai retrieved you.”
It felt different coming from Mephisto. More real. Scarier. A breath expelled from me in a whoosh.
I definitely expected a different reveal being told something like that. How do you broach the subject? What’s the right way to say, “Hey, by the way, you died”?
“And… did you… how long?… was I completely dead?”
“There’s no such thing as half dead. You’re either dead or you’re not. You were dead. By the time we got you to the house, you had been dead for fifteen or twenty minutes.”
Cory was right; it wasn’t one of those situations where your heart and breathing stop for a few minutes. I was dead for not just a few minutes, but over ten minutes.
Screw it, I didn’t care about formalities or rules of etiquette or propriety. I finished my glass. Filled it again and drank the rest. The bottle was finished by the time I thought I was ready to ask more questions. Mephisto left the table and returned with two more bottles. He couldn’t possibly think that would be enough.
“I died,” I finally said. “And you brought me back.”
“Yes, we couldn’t let you stay dead. Now more than ever because your death led to Malific’s release. Now you’re the only one who will be able to stop her.”
A cool chill moved through me as I recalled the satisfied look on the Immortalis’s face. It made sense now. When
I touched the black object in his hand, it must have linked me to Malific’s prison, and when I died, she was released.
Taking a sip from his glass, he placed it back on the table. A dark cast over his face, steely resolve pulled his lips into a tight line. He clasped his hands behind his head and silence stretched thin as he studied me.
“Erin, you are so much more than I expected you to be. Now I think it’s time for you to know who we are.”
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BOOKS BY MCKENZIE
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ACKNOWLEDGMENT
Each time I finish a book, I reflect on how many people directly and indirectly helped me and I’m always humbled by it. I’m forever grateful to my friends and family for their encouragement, support, and making sure I leave my writing cave (also known as my office). Thank you to my beta readers: Robyn Mather, Sherrie Simpson Clark, and Stacey Mann, who gave so freely of their time and offered incredible constructive feedback. Elizabeth Bracker, my PA, no words will adequately express how much I appreciate you and your gift of making authoring much easier. I can’t thank you enough. To my author friends: Annette Marie and Bilinda Sheehan, I’m grateful for all the help you provide and being there when I need you.
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