Tithe

by Chani Lynn Feener

  “You can be very cruel sometimes, Arden Archer.” Much of his anger had passed, leaving his shoulders slumped slightly. She’d hit a nerve, and he was doing nothing to cover up that fact.

  “I’m sorry,” she said, hoping he recognized that she was being sincere this time. “I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.”

  “Then why didn’t you tell me?”

  The return to their discussion of Eskel made her stiffen. Even though Mavek had discovered it himself, she found she still wasn’t ready to discuss her friendship with the Bloodheart. Probably because she knew that Mavek wasn’t going to approve, no matter how much she insisted that she and Eskel were just friends.

  “I know what you’re going to say,” she confessed.

  “And what’s that?”

  “That I can’t see him anymore.” When he didn’t correct her, she felt her heart twist painfully. “I can hang out with whoever I want, Mavek. I haven’t broken any rules.”

  “Yet,” he stated. “What about tomorrow? Or a week from now?”

  “We’re just friends.”

  “A friend you felt you had to keep hidden from me,” he maintained.

  “Because—”

  “Stop, Arden.” He held up a hand and momentarily squeezed his eyes shut as if in pain. “I don’t want your lies right now. Give me the truth.”

  “I didn’t lie,” she repeated, her voice firm this time. “Meeting Eskel just sort of happened, and our seeing each other has nothing to do with you. I knew that telling you about it would only cause problems for the both of us, so I didn’t bring it up. That’s all.”

  “Seeing each other?” His nostrils flared and she grimaced.

  “That was a poor choice of words. I didn’t mean it like that. Hanging out. We’ve been hanging out.” She took a deep breath and decided that now was the time to give it all up, so to speak. “I’m pretty sure the Erlking saw us last week. That’s what he meant earlier. He had a kelpie attack me.”

  “He did what?”

  “I fought it off,” waving his concern away, “and I wasn’t hurt.”

  “What reason did you give him to attack you, Arden?” He reached for her, grasping her wrist, desperation in his voice. “What did you do to piss him off?”

  “I didn’t do anything.” She snatched her arm back and glared. “And I resent that you think I did. I’ve been doing exactly what I’m supposed to, keeping to the shadows, staying off the radar. Except he’s still sending fae to watch me and—”

  “What fae?”

  “Brix. He came by earlier. Confessed that the Erlking had sent him to spy on me.” She frowned. “You didn’t know?”

  “Of course I didn’t.” He gripped the back of his neck in frustration. “I’ll put a stop to it. You’ve nothing to fear from them. They won’t be bothering you again.”

  “You can’t be there twenty-four-seven, Mavek,” she said.

  “Want to bet?”

  She froze, suspicion rising. “Is this about them, really, or is this about Eskel?”

  His hazel eyes hardened and he held her stare without wavering. “You can’t see him again, Arden.”

  “You can’t tell me—”

  “Yes, I can.” The interruptions were beginning to unravel her last thread of patience. “Whether you like it or not, you agreed to all of this. If the Erlking saw you with a Bloodheart, you can bet he’s already notified his court, and filled Titania in as well. You don’t honestly believe they’re going to let this slide, do you? That they aren’t going to send more than one mere spy to watch you? Hoping to catch you making a mistake?

  “They’ll kill the boy before you or I can do anything to stop them. You know that.” Mavek paused, licked his lips. “Do the right thing here, heart. You must stop seeing him. For his sake as well as yours.”

  “And yours?” She couldn’t help it. Yes, everything he was saying was true, and she was sure he meant most of it. But she wasn’t stupid. There was more to this than “doing the right thing” and if she could at least get him to admit that, she’d feel better about what she had to do.

  Because she did have to stop seeing Eskel. There was no way around that now. She was putting them both in jeopardy. Besides, it wasn’t like Eskel needed her for anything. He now knew what had really befallen his brother, and if he chose to stay in order to exact some crazy revenge fantasy, well, then she’d just have to warn Cole to keep an eye on him.

  Cole could do it. Cole was straight, so no fear of the two of them falling in love. Not to mention the fact that he owed Eskel for helping to get the antidote for Tabby.

  Arden didn’t want to think about why her heart felt heavy, or why her gut kept twisting into knots. The idea of pretending Eskel didn’t exist upset her more than it should. She focused all of her attention on the faerie prince before her, seeking out all the things about him that always made her heart pound in a different way. A better way.

  If she concentrated on what she could gain here—getting Mavek to admit that he was jealous, further proving that what he’d told her about wanting to be together was true—maybe losing Eskel wouldn’t hurt so much.

  Maybe.

  “Do you want me to say that I hate the thought of you with him?” Mavek asked. “That when I followed you into the House of Mirrors and saw you two, I almost gave into the darker part of my nature? I could have killed him, Arden, easily.”

  She didn’t know how to respond to that, so she said nothing.

  “And I would have enjoyed it. I would have taken immense pleasure in ending his life. Is that what you want to hear, little heart? That I’m just as monstrous as the rest of them?” He moved closer, tipping his head down so that their breaths mingled together. “Just as capable as you are of cruelty?”

  “Mavek…” She felt the first ribbons of persuasion dance off him, felt the magic slick across her skin. The world seemed to lighten around her, and that familiar drowsy sensation slipped over her, coaxing her to give in.

  “Do you want to kiss me, Arden Rose Archer?” he whispered, voice low and husky. One of his hands was trailing over her spine, making her arch closer to his chest. “Tell me the truth.”

  “Yes,” the word slipped out, her eyes already locked onto his full mouth. His lips were the same vibrant red as the petals of the roses he favored. Absently, she tried to recall if they tasted as sweet, but the memory eluded her. She needed to know the answer, needed to find out.

  She swayed forward, resting her hands on his shoulders to steady herself.

  “Do it,” he urged. “Ease my mind. Show me that you want me more than you want him.”

  Him who? She vaguely wondered, but the thought drifted away before she could fully grasp it. At this moment, nothing else seemed to matter.

  Mavek lowered his lips to hers, his mouth just barely brushing against her own. Instead of kissing her, he held himself there, waiting. When she didn’t instantly oblige, he groaned, tightening his hold by pressing his palm flat against her narrow back.

  “Be kind, Arden,” he pleaded.

  She locked her mouth against his, feeling a rush of heat surge through her blood all way down to her toes. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held him as close as possible, needing to feel all of him at once. A voice in the back of her mind warned that this wasn’t natural, that he’d used his power on her to orchestrate all of this. That she should be pissed about that.

  But she couldn’t find it in her. Not with his magic still tightening around her and his mouth still moving against her own.

  Whatever they’d been fighting about could wait. She’d wanted this for so long and now that she was getting it, nothing else mattered.

  Still, she managed to tell him, “You’re going to regret this in the morning.”

  He chuckled, the sound reverberating against her already puffy lips. “It is morning, heart.”

  “You know what I mean.”

  “Yes,” he agreed, forcing her mouth open with his tongue so he could flick his inside.
“I know.”

  She wound the short hairs at the base of his skull around her fingers, forcing him to deepen the kiss.

  “I know,” he repeated between breaths.

  Over and over again.

  When Arden woke he was gone. She left muttering “coward” under her breath, becoming even angrier when she got outside and recalled that he’d driven her here last night and she didn’t have her bike. Making her walk the night after putting her under a faerie spell wasn’t winning Mavek any points.

  Tears threatened to spill and she quickly rubbed at the corners of her eyes to stop them. Her chest constricted and she knew that she wouldn’t be able to hold it together much longer. As soon as she got home—in an hour or so—she was going to get into the shower and have a good cry.

  Now that she could think clearly, what Mavek had done last night crushed her. He’d deliberately used his magic on her, all so he could avoid further argument over Eskel.

  Thinking Eskel’s name only made it worse.

  She had to let him go. After the story Brix had told her yesterday alongside Mavek’s warning, Arden couldn’t risk continuing to see him. His parents had already lost one son; she would not be responsible for them losing another.

  Arden’s heel caught in a crack on the side of the road and she nearly tumbled, catching herself by flailing her arms. With a curse, she stomped her foot, not even caring that doing so was the epitome of childish, and yanked out her cell phone. Before she processed what she was doing, her finger was hovering over the call button next to Eskel’s name.

  She froze. Since when had contacting him in a time of need become her first instinct? Up until a few months ago, Tabby would have been that dial. Every time. She hesitated another moment, tears making her vision blurry, before exiting the screen and selecting Tabby’s number instead.

  “Hello?” Tabby’s comforting voice filtered through and Arden practically let out a sob.

  “Hey, can you come get me?”

  “Are you crying?” she asked incredulously. “Where are you? I’m grabbing my keys.... Heading down the stairs…. Out the front door.”

  Her friend’s play-by-play managed to sneak some humor past Arden’s defenses, but not enough to make a big difference. She gave Tabby her location, and continued walking. Getting as far away from Rose Manor as possible was pretty much at the top of her to-do list right now. That, and she was afraid that if she stopped, even for a second, she would completely break down.

  “I’m on my way,” Tabby assured her and then hung up so she could drive.

  Arden held the phone limply at her side as she made her way down the street. She’d traveled it many times before, and couldn’t recall a single instance when she’d felt this awful. She was torn between hating Mavek for what he’d done, and hating herself for getting close enough to Eskel that losing him would hurt her.

  Because she’d known, hadn’t she? She’d known all along that this was the direction their relationship would take. That she would eventually be found out and would have to let him go. The world she lived in wasn’t safe for regular people. Hell, it wasn’t safe for people in general, which is why she’d sent her sister away. But Eskel had known things, and she’d gotten curious. She’d convinced herself that it was safe for them, given his past and the fact that she was already in love with someone else.

  And she did love Mavek. Didn’t she?

  Two months ago, Arden would have said “yes” without hesitation. There’d been no question about her feelings, despite knowing they couldn’t go anywhere. And yet, now…

  Mavek had told her that he had feelings too, that they could be together as soon as All Saints’ Eve was over. That was less than four weeks away. Maybe if last night’s stunt hadn’t happened, Arden wouldn’t be so unsure.

  How could she trust someone willing to use magic on her? She could have fought him off; he’d trained her to do as much. Still, he hadn’t gone easy on her. His sway last night was ten times more compelling than the test he’d given her in her kitchen. Only on her best game could she fight off power like that, and she most certainly had not been.

  Arden rubbed her temples, feeling a massive migraine coming on. She was so distracted by it that she almost missed the car slowing down at her side.

  When she glanced over she lost control of the tears and they gushed out like streams, trailing rivers down her flushed cheeks. She rushed to the passenger side and yanked the door open, slipping in as quickly as possible. Her aching feet swept right in with her as she seated herself and jerked the seatbelt, fumbling as she clicked it into place.

  “Holy shit.” Tabby’s mouth hung open and she stared, wide eyed. “What the hell happened to you?”

  “Just drive me home,” Arden virtually begged, too upset to be embarrassed about it, “please.”

  Without another word, Tabby pulled back onto the road and did as she was asked. She cut the fifteen-minute drive in half, and parked her car in the center of Arden’s driveway. Tugging off her seatbelt, Tabby threw her door open and ran to the other side, helping Arden out.

  “I can do it,” she argued meekly, sniffling even as she did. She prayed none of the neighbors were watching as her friend took her house keys and led the way to the front door.

  Once inside, Arden dropped her purse onto the floor with a clatter and immediately went to the couch. She curled up on one end, tucking her face against her knees. The moment she did she burst into a fresh well of sobs, crying louder when Tabby eased down next to her to wrap an arm around her shoulders.

  The two of them stayed like that for a while. When Arden was finally able to blink and straighten, her muscles ached with the motion.

  “Not going to lie,” Tabby told her in a soft murmur, “you are totally freaking me out. You are not a crier, so whatever happened to get you to this state must have been the worst.” She paused for effect and then added, “You didn’t eat the goblin fruit, did you?”

  Arden snorted, grateful that she was trying to lighten the mood. “I’m not stupid.”

  “Hey!” Tabby playfully shoved at her shoulder before sobering again. “Ready to tell me what’s up?”

  Not really, but Arden inhaled anyway, launching into the whole sordid ordeal. She didn’t skip over any of the details, even going as far back as that first night she met Mavek at the hospital, and then recounting how she’d felt the night Eskel had come into the book store.

  Cole had filled Tabby in on what was going on, told his cousin who they both were. But he hadn’t been able to tell Tabby anything about Arden and Mavek’s relationship. He certainly didn’t have the same entanglements with the Erlking.

  At one point, Tabby got up and went to the kitchen, returning with the latest cupcake Mavek had dropped off. She asked sheepishly if the two of them could share it, and then they split the cake in half and shoved bites down, continuing the conversation with their mouths full. They felt like kids again, whispering secrets in Tabby’s parent’s basement long past their bedtime.

  “That is so messed up,” Tabby agreed when Arden finally got to what happened last night. “How like an Unseelie, to think that they have the right to mess with your emotions like that!”

  Arden lifted a brow at her. “You only just found out about them.”

  “It’s called the internet,” she said. “I was on bed rest for days healing from the goblin fruit. I had loads of time to surf the web. There aren’t many stories painting faeries in a good light, Arden, not to mention Unseelie faeries.”

  As far as Arden was aware, those were the only kind. All of that extra stuff about the existence of other courts was incorrect.

  “I also did some research on this Tithe.” Tabby wrung her hands in her lap. “Please don’t go through with it. All of the stories say you’re going to get sucked into hell.”

  She sounded so much like Eskel that Arden had to take a moment before she could speak.

  “I’ll be alright,” was all she managed, however.

  “That’s
not what the internet says.”

  “Don’t believe everything you read on there.”

  Tabby grew silent a moment before, “You knew that, didn’t you? That if you won you’d be going to hell. And you’re still willing to do it? Why?”

  “You know why.” Cole had explained that much. His curse was different, but Arden had gotten the impression from Tabby the other day that her friend understood. There was no way out of this, not after already becoming a Heartless.

  “There’s no other way to stop you from losing your mind? Nothing Mavek can do?” Tabby persisted. She shifted closer on the couch. “Have you ever even asked him?”

  Arden had. Once, a long time ago. His response hadn’t been very comforting.

  “This is my only option,” she told her friend. “I’ve made my peace with that, Tab. I need you to make peace with it too. After last night,” she took a deep breath, “I don’t think I can keep doing this alone. I need you.”

  “You need Eskel,” Tabby corrected, holding up her hands in surrender when she received a glare. “I’m sorry, I know you just said that the two of you were impossible, but that doesn’t stop it from being the truth. I’ve seen the two of you together. There’s no way you can honestly believe there’s nothing between you guys.”

  Arden didn’t so much as blink, and Tabby’s eyes widened.

  “Wow. You do honestly believe that. Damn, A. That’s some serious denial you’ve got going on. No wonder Mavek and everyone else keep urging you away from him. You have a thing for Eskel, and you don’t even know it!”

  Arden abruptly got to her feet, moving toward the window, more because she had to pace than for any other reason. Her mind raced to come up with some excuse, some proof that her friend was delusional. But she couldn’t.

  “Shit.”

  Tabby’s look of triumph wilted when the reality of the situation hit her. “You have to stop seeing him.”

  Arden squeezed her eyes shut. “I know.”