by Sela Croft
“What was that?” I said, snapping my hand back.
I spun around, just as the grand wooden doors crashed inward. Splinters flew through the air, then a massive, fur-covered beast charged toward us. I tried to scream, but no sound came out.
The room filled with smoke, choking back my voice and filling my lungs with suffocating warmth. I felt Dequan grab onto me, but I pulled free of him, the confusion of the situation dictating my actions.
There was so much smoke. Then more shouts were followed by one, deep, ominous laugh.
When the air cleared, the shouts died out. The laughter did not. It came from Dequan. The sound echoed against the walls and filled the space.
Goosebumps rippled down my arms and my legs went numb.
“I find it funny that you’re the one amused by this,” a woman’s voice said. “Seeing as you are the one who has been caught.”
My vision was blurred. I blinked a few times. My eyes burned from the smoke, but through the thin veil of tears clouding my sight, I was able to make out the figure of the person, who had stormed into the room.
It was Raulia. She had turned back into her vampire form, but I’d recognized the fur-covered wolf who’d crashed through the door. Her long red hair and bright blue eyes were unmistakable.
Dequan’s laughter ceased, and he reached for me, once again. But I pulled away from him. “Caught? What does she mean? What’s going on?”
No one, but Dequan, seemed concerned with my question. He looked back at me, with a smirk. It wasn’t much of an answer, but I had long since learned not to expect answers from him.
Raulia stepped forward.
Behind her, through the open doors, I spotted the bodies of the two vampires Dequan had left outside of the room to stand guard. I realized why he’d felt that was necessary, even though the vampires had failed to provide the protection he’d required.
Raulia kept her eyes fixed on Dequan. “I wonder what your punishment for treason will be.”
I edged back. “What is she talking about?”
Dequan ignored my question. He approached Raulia, but showed no fear. “That’s a serious accusation.”
“But not unfounded.”
“You have no right… I’m the prince’s cousin. You don’t know who you’re…”
I should have focused on what they were saying, especially since treason had been mentioned. But I didn’t. Something on the other side of the mirror pulled my attention, distracting me from the argument.
Chapter 40
Callie
The swirling had stopped, but the image in the mirror wasn’t a reflection. I saw something on the other side, as if the looking glass in front of me had transformed into a fogged window, providing a partial view of the other side.
I squinted my eyes and looked closer, afraid to step toward it but overwhelmed by curiosity. The longer I looked, the clearer the images became. I saw a room, different than the room I was standing in, although there were similarities. The space was dark, but the walls were not made of the same intricate wooden panels. They were gray, almost black, stone.
“I’m sure Logan will have something to say about this,” Raulia said.
“I’m sure he will,” Dequan said. “He’ll want to know why you felt the need to execute two of my men.”
“I doubt he’ll pay that much mind, considering you’ve taken the human girl from his home.”
Their voices sounded distant, and I didn’t pay heed to what was being said. Perhaps, I should have, given that they were discussing me. The human girl had become my new nickname. If I had cared about their conversation, I would have reminded them that I have a name.
But that was the furthest thing from my mind. The images on the other side of the mirror were becoming clearer, and I began to see what I believed to be a group of people.
The shapes were fuzzy and seemed distorted. Were they human? One second, they appeared to be, the next, they looked alien. As my eyes strained to make out the figures, I saw something that made my breath catch in my throat.
“Rosamon!” I exclaimed then raced to the mirror.
It was my sister; I was sure of it. I could see her blond hair, her petite frame, her sky-blue eyes. They were there, nearly lost amidst the shadowy figures that stood around her. But it was her.
My hand reached out, my fingers inches from the mirror’s rippling surface, then the image changed. I blinked as the figure of a woman became visible. She appeared in an instant, yet it seemed like time slowed. I worked to make out her appearance.
She was larger than the other figures I’d seen. Behind her the room was barely visible. Her image filled the surface of the mirror. Her face was human, but her eyes were dark, empty, haunting. Her frame was small, but her attitude imposing. The robes she wore swirled around her, as if blowing in the wind.
She was beautiful yet terrifying. With long, jet-black hair and pale white skin, she was striking. But I didn’t have a good first impression. The woman elicited fear.
I shrieked, which silenced Dequan and Raulia. Dead quiet fell over the room, as haunting as the apparitional figure who stood before me.
The woman in the mirror didn’t move. Although her garments swirled around her, she remained still. Her eyes were fixed on me, and she had an expression of delight. It was a disturbing sight, although I couldn’t figure out why. She was smiling, but that smile didn’t comfort me.
“Princess,” Dequan said, breaking the silence.
The woman stared at Dequan, giving me the chance to catch my breath. Taking advantage of the fissure from her scrutinizing stare, I turned to face the vampire who’d led me into this increasingly confusing situation.
Raulia looked appalled. “Princess?”
Dequan fixed his gaze on the mirror, ignoring the inquiry. But he motioned toward me. “I believe you will be pleased,” he said.
“Pleased with what?” I said, compelled to turn back to the woman in the mirror—the princess. The Fae princess, if I had to guess.
Her eyes shifted to me again. I could feel her scrutinizing me. I had been uncomfortable before, but more so then.
I felt exposed, but hadn’t been looked at, in quite that way. I had been mocked at school, judged by my peers. I had even been drooled over as a potential meal, by more than one group of vampires. But none of that compared her intimidating stare.
It took every ounce of courage to address the woman in front of me. I had seen my sister. She was in there with the Fae princess. I was certain. That fact gave me the strength to push my own trepidation aside.
“Where is my sister?”
My voice was shaky. My knees trembled, and my hands sweated. After wiping my palms on my pants, I straightened up and said, “I want to speak with Rosamon.”
This time, my words came out with more force but didn’t have the affect I’d hoped. Instead of shrinking back, the Fae princess in front of me threw her head back and laughed.
There was something melodic to the sound. It wasn’t a harsh, mocking laugh. It was light-hearted, and she seemed amused.
“Oh, Callie,” the princess said. The way my name slipped past her lips sent shivers up my spine, and my throat tightened with dread. “You didn’t really think it would be that easy, did you?”
Chapter 41
Callie
The princess had asked me a question. I didn’t know how to reply. I had no idea what to say. I stood, dumb-founded by her words.
Did I really think it would be that easy? Did I really believe that I would just show up to some abandoned home and find my sister waiting for me?
I couldn’t recall how I’d gotten there. I couldn’t remember what had possessed me to leave Logan’s home with Dequan. In that instant, I couldn’t remember anything. All I could think about was the woman standing in front of me.
Thankfully, I didn’t have time to answer. Raulia jumped into action. She leaped forward. In a flash, she appeared at my side. Her hands wrapped around my shoulders and she clampe
d down, hard enough that under normal circumstances, I would have let out a cry of discomfort.
“You made a deal with him, did you?” Raulia said, a growl wrapped tightly around her words. “If that’s the case, then I have one I would like to make as well. Don’t worry, mine involves the human girl, too. And, unless you agree, you won’t get your hands on Callie, any time soon.”
A thick silence fell over the room. Standing between two women with the strength to play a genuine game of tug-of-war with me, I was helpless. I couldn’t tell who was on my side, or who was concerned about what happened to me. Even more, it unclear who cared about my sister and her fate.
Logan had cared, but I’d left his home.
I couldn’t let that thought take over. There were more pressing matters that required my attention. The most immediate was the hands clamped firmly on my shoulders. I began to doubt Raulia’s motives, her tight grip doing nothing to appease my concerns.
I had no way of determining what side she was on. She might be loyal to Logan, or might have allied with Dequan. Even the Fae could have swayed her to their camp.
“She isn’t yours to trade!” Dequan exclaimed and leaped forward.
Finally, I was freed of Raulia’s grasp. She couldn’t hold onto me and defend herself, at the same time. She spun around, deflecting Dequan’s crazed assault.
The room erupted with activity. Dequan’s two remaining lackeys jumped into the fray, but were no match for the shifter. She anticipated their movements, before they had the chance to put them into action. Darting left then right, she avoided their strikes with ease, her sights set on their leader.
The motion became a blur. One second, Dequan and Raulia were in front of me, the next they were at the opposite end of the room. Another blink and they were sprawled out on the ground. Then they were on their feet again, blood trickling from Raulia’s lip.
The melodic voice coming from the mirror drew my attention. “Do you want to see your sister?”
I turned, just as Dequan’s followers joined in the brawl. I didn’t care what happened to them. The Fae princess had reminded me why it was that I’d left the safety of Logan’s home.
“If you do, all you have to do is join me.”
“Join you?” I said, then took a slow, shaky step toward the mirror. “How would I do that?”
“Come through.”
“Through the mirror?”
“It’s more than a mirror, Callie.”
Again, the princess had said my name. with the air of familiarity that left a sour taste in my mouth.
“Rosamon is waiting for you.”
The way she said my sister’s name stunned me. Although I didn’t like it, the ease with which she spoke her name affected me.
“She’s with you?”
“Where else would she be?”
She spoke so casually that I felt drawn to move toward her. I knew she was hiding something. I knew I couldn’t trust her. Yet I couldn’t help but feel drawn to her words, with their melodic harmony. Her voice took hold of me, lulling me into a trance.
The sounds of the ongoing fight dulled. Feet scraped against the stone floor. Shouts of pain, and cries of defeat rang in my ears.
I turned to face the vampires fighting for control of my fate. One of Dequan’s men was lifeless on the ground, his head twisted around at a grotesque angle and his eyes glazed over. I didn’t react. I couldn’t. I was too overwhelmed, too saturated with emotion to react to the horrifying sight.
Raulia and Dequan continued to battle. I didn’t try to follow their movements. My thoughts weren’t with them; they were with my sister.
The Fae princess wasn’t my friend. She was evil, but she had Rosamon. I couldn’t leave without my sister. I couldn’t let anything keep us apart.
I decided to go with the mesmerizing creature behind the mirror. Even though an inner voice told me it was the wrong decision, I couldn’t latch onto a better one. Leaving my sister wasn’t an option.
The princess couldn’t be trusted. But I believed that she could bring me to Rosamon. That was the closest I’d been to finding my sister, since I arrived in Crystal City. That was my only chance to see her again. I would be risking a lot.
But I had no choice.
Turning back to face her, I took another step in her direction. Another step closer to Rosamon. I pinched my eyes shut and stretched out my arms.
Something grabbed me, pulled me violently and knocked the wind from my lungs.
“No!” Raulia exclaimed, then yanked me away from the mirror.
My feet flew out from under me. But Raulia’s hold was strong , so I didn’t drop to the ground. I fell back into her arms, so she secured her hold on me. “You’re not going anywhere, human,” she growled in my ear.
That jolted me back to reality. The trance the Fae princess had lured me into fell away, and the scene in the room flooded my consciousness. Danger surrounded me, and I was uncertain about whom to trust.
I couldn’t trust the princess.
That much I knew for sure. I didn’t have faith that she would bring Rosamon to me, no matter how desperately I wanted that. I remembered what Logan had told me about the Fae. They wanted me, and knew I would play a role in their realm’s future. They didn’t care about reuniting me with my sister. They only cared about using me as a pawn in their war.
But Logan wasn’t there. And Dequan was a traitor. Whether I could trust Raulia was yet to be determined. My head spun with conflicting thoughts.
I’d nearly fallen for the deception, and would have let the princess take me. Raulia had saved me. But I still wasn’t clear about her intentions.
I couldn’t trust anyone. Least of all, the Fae princess beckoning to me through the mirror.
Chapter 42
Callie
Raulia’s arms wrapped around me. Her hold was tight and restricting. I felt suffocated. I couldn’t breathe. Distress sucked the air from my lungs.
The situation was unclear. But a new force surged inside me. It was powerful but terrifying. My lungs strained to take in air, and my body shook from an adrenaline surge. Then my state shifted and I was powerful.
The force was unlike anything I’d experienced before. It took hold of me, became me. It coursed through me. My hands trembled, but it wasn’t because of fear or exhaustion. It signaled strength.
I reached up and took hold of Raulia’s arm, pulling free of her grasp. I raced away, before she could process what had happened.
With space between myself and the vampire, I backed away from the mirror. The Fae princess looked on, and her dark, hollow eyes shimmered as they took in the scene. She seemed to be the only one in the room not caught off guard by my sudden act of courage. While Raulia staggered back, Dequan stammered for words, and the Fae princess gazed into my eyes.
I didn’t let her stare affect me, as it had before. To prove my resolve, I took another step back, holding her gaze and daring her to come after me.
She didn’t have the chance, because Raulia went into action. The crimson-haired vampire lunged forward, with her arms outstretched. She moved fast, but I moved with her, sidestepping her advance.
“You foolish human,” Raulia said with her body tense.
I hadn’t watched a vampire shift into another form before. But the scene that played out in front of me was Raulia shifting. Or it was an attempt. Her body trembled, then a small cloud of smoke swirled about her feet.
Distress over Raulia caused a reaction. I shook from the adrenaline pumping through my veins, and my body pulsed with energy.
The vampire gritted her teeth and let out a low snarl, while struggling to summon her alternate form. Sweat beaded on her forehead and veins bulged from her neck. “What are you doing to me?” Raulia said, then nearly collapsed from exhaustion.
She was still in her vampire form, not a trace of wolf visible. Dequan let out a powerful, bellowing laugh and raced forward, hoping to take advantage of his opponent’s compromised condition. He came straig
ht toward me, his eyes filled with fiery greed.
“No!” I yelled and turned to face him. My hands were balled into fists, and my jaw was clenched.
The surge of power continued to pulsate through me. It was exhilarating but unfamiliar. Yet it felt right. It was if that energy had been inside me all along, waiting for the right moment to rise to the surface.
Dequan froze. I could tell by the look on his face that his action wasn’t voluntary. His eyes went wide, then his gaze shifted to the ground. With an audible grunt, he lunged forward again. His feet gave way, but only slightly.
“This is impossible!” he exclaimed, then looked past me back at the mirror. “She can’t be doing this!”
I turned to face the mirror again. The Fae princess looked on, taking in the display with the same pleased look that she’d had upon first seeing me. She didn’t appear confused.
She was the only one who wasn’t.
While the feeling of power was effortless, it was still foreign to me. I didn’t know where it came from. I didn’t understand why it had appeared or how I had been able to do what I’d done—if I had been the one to do it, at all.
“Impossible is a word that has no place in our realm,” the princess said, and took a step forward. As she grew closer to the edge of the mirror, the image shook.
“But this is—” Dequan said.
“Interesting,” the princess said, cutting him off. She moved closer, and it appeared that she would walk through the mirror. She was coming for me.
Panic gripped me, submerging the courage and resolve that had been at the heart of my strength. When she reached the edge of the mirror, a shudder of fear rippled through me.
“Wait,” I said and held my hands out in front of me. “Don’t…”
But my words fell short. Her melodic laughter filled the room. Then her hand stretched out, sending ripples through the surface of the mirror. When her fingers grazed the surface, a ray of light sliced through the mirror.
I tried to step back, but was unable to move. I had resumed my normal state, the power gone. Her hand burst through the surface of the mirror, growing larger and grotesquely distorted as it reached for me. Her long, pale, pointy fingers were tipped with nails that grew to sharp points that inched closer.
