First one came the second evening she was gone: I finally got in touch with Beatrix. She said she would help, but there are conditions I’m not sure Ms. Lucinda will like. I’ll send the full list as soon as I have them.
Two hours after the first: Never mind. Beatrix is having more problems with the vampires. She’s out. But she gave a few names and I’m going to look into them tomorrow.
The following afternoon: First two witches nearly killed me. Why isn’t anyone responding to these messages?
Several hours later: Lucinda Morrow, I’m going to give away Black Widow.
The next morning: If you’ve gone after the king on your own, we’re going to have words, Ms. Lucinda. I didn’t sign up for this. I’m about ready for my sock.
That one made me snort out loud. “You just had to give her the ammunition for that one, didn’t you?” I asked Finn, and he grinned as we kept reading.
Last message was sent just twelve hours prior: I found an ally. Not sure what to do now. He’s a little skittish, so a reply soon would be helpful. We’re running out of options. If you’re not dead, you better have a good reason for ignoring me. I’ll find a way back to the fae realm if I don’t hear from you within the next day. I need to know what’s going on.
I hit the reply button: We’re alive. Then, send.
“That’s all you’re going to tell her?” Finn asked.
“No, but at least she will have that while I type a longer response. We don’t need her trying to barge into the realm and getting herself killed.” Then, I formed a new email, summarizing the chaos and telling her we would meet in Sri Lanka that evening. Dusk was only a couple hours away, and having the cover of night was preferable.
By the time I tapped “send” a second time, there was a response from Neva: You’ve got to be kidding me. I’ve been working day and night to help all of you and after days of wondering if you’re dead, your only response is “We’re alive”. I quit. That’s it. I’m done. Good luck to you all.
My brow raised. “I guess I found where her patience ends.”
Finn seemed more concerned than me. “Do you think she’ll even read the more proper email?”
Maddox was trying to lean out of the bed. “What’s happening? What did you guys do?”
I waved him off. “Oh hush, fairy. Everything is fine. Neva is just a little upset. She’ll be fine.”
Minutes passed, and the silence became thick as we waited for another reply. Shit, maybe I really had pushed Neva beyond her breaking point.
“Should I go back to LA?” I asked.
Mosi shook his head. He’d been quiet in the corner, sketching in a notepad throughout all of it. “You can’t go back there until… well, just not yet,” he said without looking up.
Well, that answered that. Not.
I’d trust Mosi’s opinion for the time being, but only because I adored his mate.
The tablet dinged with a new message. Finn read it first and sighed, then handed it over.
I’m glad you’re not dead. I withdraw my resignation and we will see you tonight.
Her message was short, and I knew I was still going to get a talking to once she was back, but I didn’t even care. I hadn’t realized how much I would miss her being around when I’d sent her away. Having her back would be a good thing for everyone.
Finn relayed the information to Maddox while I grabbed a cup of tea. Except, when I took a sip, my eyes met Olida’s and I knew it wasn’t just tea.
She held a finger to her lips and winked.
“You’re wicked and I like it,” I whispered.
“I’m not wicked, but I do like my fun. Adding a bit of spice to the island life is necessary for my sanity. Without these,” she held her cup up, “I’d never survive.”
“When all this is over, I’m going to convince you to leave this island,” I replied.
“And I just might let you.”
Chapter 9
We spent the next few hours sitting with Maddox while Olida and Mosi came and went. They still had things to take care of, and it was nice to have them focusing on something other than us.
“So, we’ll teleport to the island and then have to fly back. As long as Neva is already there with the witch, then we should be back within a couple of hours,” Finn said to Maddox.
Gods, sometimes magic was helpful and sometimes it was annoying. I hated that the fae realm was the only place we couldn’t teleport into. At least, not that I knew of. But at the same time, it kept our world safer. As soon as King Douche was removed from being in charge, that would be a bigger deal to the rest of its residents.
“I’m fine. I can come with you guys,” Maddox said, sitting up and trying to swing his legs off the bed.
“Maddox Adams, you move one step out of that bed, and it will be the last you take,” Olida threatened, making him pause as she entered the hut.
Maddox slowly swiveled his head to meet her stare and cringed before throwing himself back and sighing loudly. He was pretty high on whatever juju Olida had used on him, and it was keeping him in a decent mood, but I knew that would be short-lived once he was healed up. He’d already had small bouts of rage throughout the day about us not going to Ivy first.
“Well, that’s our cue to leave,” I said, tugging on Finn. “Let’s go.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye on this one.” Olida waved as we shut the door behind us.
Finn stepped next to me. “We’ll need to go outside of the protective shield and then to the realm barrier. Do you want to take the lead and I’ll watch behind us? I’m sure us killing those guards at my house didn’t go unnoticed.”
“You lead and I’ll watch. I’m faster than you if someone does see us.”
He opened his mouth to likely argue and then sighed. “Just don’t take off without me if you see anything.”
I patted his chest. “I’ll do my best.”
“Why doesn’t that make me feel any better?” Finn groaned.
“Because it wasn’t supposed to.” I winked and unfurled my wings, pushing into the sky with Finn right behind me.
The setting sun cast purple rays into the sky that reflected off Finn’s forest-green wings, showcasing the scars he’d received since meeting me. When I’d first seen them, they’d been free of blemishes, and I felt a twinge of guilt that I was partly responsible for the new appearances.
Though, I didn’t focus on them for long. I knew there was a hunt going on for us. We had to be focused and ready for anything. I called my power forth until teal streams circled around my hands and my arms.
“Mosi asked that we teleport around a little bit to throw the guards off with their searches. The island here can’t be found, but the movements should keep some of the other fae on the islands safer from Zephyr’s wrath,” Finn said, reaching for my hand.
“Lead the way, then.” Teleporting didn’t take much energy, and it could be fun if we ran into any guards.
We first appeared much too close to the castle. I began to speak, ready to chastise Finn for bringing us there, but the air was pulled from my lungs as we disappeared again. Next, we were by South Island, and I wondered about the decimated lands there. Was everything dead now? Had the fae been smart enough to leave yet? That wasn’t a concern I had the time to confirm just then.
We were back at West Island, but this time right on the beach nearest to the castle. “What the fu—”
“I’m sorry, what was that?” Finn asked as we appeared on North Island.
“You’re going to pay for this.” I tried to rip my hand from his so he couldn’t take me with him, but his grip tightened, and we disappeared once more.
“Last stop before exiting,” he said, glancing around. “Shit. Just kidding.”
I turned in time to see guards coming toward us but couldn’t do anything before we teleported again. Finn did this three more times before we ended up on a remote island.
“Fly. Fast.” He pushed into the air and I followed, keeping pace with h
im and heading straight for the barrier. We just had to get through and hope nobody followed.
A blast of magic hit my boot, and I hissed. A split second after I slowed to turn around, Finn latched on to me. “No, you don’t. We’re almost there and they won’t follow.”
“How do you know that?”
Finn didn’t answer. Instead, he shoved me through the barrier, and then we teleported one last time. We were both out of breath but standing on a dock at the tip of the island that was Sri Lanka and, according to him, safe.
I went to ask my question again, but he held up his finger, moving us out of view behind a shed. Just when I was ready to throat punch him, a group of humans walked by and I hid my wings. They were drunk and not paying attention, so it didn’t much matter, but we were better safe than sorry.
“Rumors. That’s how I know the guards won’t follow us. King Zephyr never sent anyone after you, because word got around that you’d made friends with the shifters and witches. He’s never had enough men to fight you and them while expecting to win.”
Ahh, that made sense. I’d always wondered why I’d been left alone. Zephyr had known what I was capable of, that I was a liability. But I’d never worried enough to dig into it as long as I was able to live my life as I saw fit on Earth.
“Okay, then. Now, where is Neva and this witch?” I asked as we stepped out of the shadows and into the moonlight filtering down from the dark sky.
Power rushed over me, a kind I didn’t recognize and much too strong for it to be anything good. In an instant, my wings were back out. My muscles ached from the pressure of whatever was pushing down on us. “Did you feel that?” I murmured, and he nodded.
We kept watch while I tried to sense where the surge had come from, but it was as if it didn’t exist any longer. I took a step forward and slammed into something hard. “What the hell?”
“Not witch,” a man’s voice demanded, deep and with a slight Russian accent.
“What?” I asked, frustrated I couldn’t see the man the voice belonged to.
“You call me a witch. I am not,” he grumbled.
“Good to know. Neva?” I called.
“Right here.” I heard her voice but couldn’t see her.
My hands ventured to the left, toward the sound, and I felt her soft curls, then grabbed her shoulder and pulled her closer. “Why can’t I see you, little elf?” My voice laced with anger toward the “not witch” she’d arrived with.
“Yury doesn’t like people he’s never met before,” she replied.
I scoffed in feigned surprise. “You don’t say? Well, Yury who is not a witch, it would be great if you could show yourself and my friend. You know, so we can get going.”
Magic, just as strong as before, swirled around us in a fog. I still held on to Neva, and Finn was at my side, letting me take the lead. Once the smoke cleared, Neva’s round umber face came into view. She appeared unharmed.
I cast my attention to Yury, wondering what the hell he was if not a witch, because he certainly put off witchy vibes.
He was nearly as tall as Finn, completely bald, and a centimeter away from having a thick unibrow with how tightly scrunched his face was. His midnight eyes met mine, appraising me just as I was him. His light skin was scarred, but nothing so damaging that someone would notice at first glance. Just faint white lines that caught my attention.
He wore all black, beginning with his long-sleeve t-shirt and all the way down to his sandals with socks. Interesting choice, which I wanted to point out, but since he was helping us, I figured it wasn’t the time.
“Lucinda Morrow,” he grunted.
“Yury, the not witch,” I replied.
“I’m a sorcerer, and you will address me as such if you want my help.” The beast of a man put his attention on Finn. “You are Finn Barlow?”
“I am.”
“Good. Both of you, hold still.” Yury rubbed his palms together, magic sparking between them, and then he stepped closer, placing one hand on my chest and the other on Finn’s. At first, I thought maybe he was copping a feel, but then Neva backed up and my body began to shake.
“Stay still,” Yury demanded as if I was meaning to convulse.
“Neva,” I called through clenched teeth.
“I’m sorry, Ms. Lucinda. He said I couldn’t warn you. If I did, he wouldn’t help Ivy.”
Nodding, I trusted her. She would have done her best to vet this sorcerer and, assuming Beatrix told her about him, I had to at least attempt to believe he wasn’t trying to kill us.
Finn reached for my hand, but Yury’s knee darted up, blocking the contact. “No touching.”
Another half-minute later, he released us, and I backed up several paces. “Yury, not a witch who doesn’t like people. While I can appreciate your help, you ever touch me without my permission again and I’ll take your head off.”
He nodded. “I respect that. Now we go.”
Finn stepped forward. “Wait a minute. What did you just do to us?”
Solid question that I maybe should have led with.
“I masked your power. I don’t want to be found, meaning you need to be hidden.”
Neva nodded. “It’s like the spell Beatrix gave to you, but longer lasting. He did the same to me.”
She seemed to add the last part as validation for bringing this crazy-ass sorcerer into our lives, but I wasn’t going to blame Neva for any actions he might take. I was happy to take those aggressions out on Beatrix if anything went wrong.
Yury’s hands began to move once more, and a portal opened. I’d never actually seen one in person considering fae couldn’t do them, and I was moderately impressed. It was probably ten feet tall and three feet wide with white fog forming around the perimeter. When I peeked closer, all I could see was ocean. “Where is this?”
“Near your realm entrance. Should be minutes from your home,” Yury answered.
“Have you been to Fae Islands?” Finn asked.
“I don’t need to have been there to sense its magical presence,” he replied, indignation coating his words. “Are you capable of flying with me? I am powerful, but I cannot fly and do not like water.”
I was pretty sure there was an underlying threat in there, but Finn didn’t seem bothered. “Of course, I can.” He turned to me. “You’ll take Neva, and we can all stick together?”
I nodded. “Sure thing.”
Yury grabbed on to Finn’s arm as Neva stepped closer to me. “You seem different. So does Mr. Finn. Are you sure the two of you are okay?” she asked quietly.
I hadn’t told her that I’d bonded with Finn in my email, and I certainly wasn’t going to tell her around the not-witch we didn’t know. That was something she could figure out later.
“Things might have changed, but we’re okay.” I stepped forward with Neva in my grasp and moved my wings as soon as we entered the portal. I only lost a few feet of air before we stabilized and then watched as Yury closed the opening with a snap of his fingers.
Finn led the way and, sure enough, we were back at the fae entrance within ten minutes, but Finn hesitated and glanced down at Yury. “Don’t try to kill me when we teleport.”
“Don’t do anything stupid and I won’t,” the sorcerer deadpanned.
I followed immediately behind as Finn ignored the comment and we all went into the fae realm. Once we each appeared, I waited a moment before moving. We’d been chased before we left. This would be a true test of Yury’s power if none of the guards appeared.
“What are we waiting for?” Yury complained, dangling from Finn’s hands.
“To see how well your spell works. We can’t lead the bad guys to the good guys. That would be rude,” I replied.
“My power is infallible. Keep moving. Your waiting is the only reason we will be found,” he grunted.
Finn seemed to think that was good enough, teleporting first, and I followed behind. As we crossed through the protective barrier, we flew toward the beach instead of the main part
of the island.
“Where are we?” Neva asked, and I grinned.
“Somewhere you will be safe while we kill the bad guys.”
She shook her head. “Okay, maybe you haven’t changed all that much.”
As soon as we landed, Yury moved swiftly away from Finn, dusting himself off like he’d been contaminated. “I will be in the trees. Do not call for me until you have the girl.” The sorcerer snapped his fingers and disappeared.
“Well, isn’t he a peach. Makes me look like a saint,” I added with a laugh.
“I wouldn’t go that far, but I do appreciate your company more after spending an extended amount of time in his,” Neva replied as we walked next to Finn.
“Let’s go tell the others we’re back early.” Finn reached for my hand, and Neva raised a brow at me, not having missed the action.
“Later,” I mouthed and kept walking.
Something told me that particular conversation with Neva wasn’t going to be my favorite, and I had no problem avoiding it for as long as I could.
Chapter 10
With Yury hiding like some psycho in the jungle, we went straight to Mosi and Olida. Neva was acting like a kid at a theme park for the first time as we walked to the hut, letting her take it all in.
“I’ve never seen flowers this vibrant. Oh, is that a monkey? What kind of bird is that?” she asked, having all of the questions that we didn’t really have the answers for. I had a feeling she and Olida would be spending a lot of time together. Hopefully, some of Olida’s mischievousness would rub off on my much-too-polite brownie elf.
A question of my own arose. “How did Yury get through the barrier Mosi created?”
“Mosi gave me the… uh, magical permission to let people in. Neva shouldn’t have been able to get in, either, but a simple touch of power and apparently all is well. Didn’t make this place sound very safe, but Mosi assured me it still was.”
Well, at least Finn wasn’t completely drunk on the Mosi juice like the fae who lived here. Not that I disagreed with their loyalty, but people really should ask more questions before entrusting their lives to someone.
Dark Fae Freed (Broken Court Book 2) Page 7
