My body pulsed with magic, and my wings hardened. Finn didn’t seem to recognize her, and I wasn’t taking that as a good thing. I pulled a feather from my lower right wing since the left was still regrowing from the last fight and launched the pointed weapon at the fae.
Her turquoise eyes met mine, her angular face remaining taut, and she snatched the feather from the air when it was only two inches from her forehead. “That’s no way to treat your fellow fae, Lucinda,” she chided before flinging the feather back at me.
“Who are you?” I asked as I caught it, tucking it into my back pocket. No sense in wasting a perfectly good weapon.
The woman pushed her silver hair back, listening and watching. “Get inside. Talking out here isn’t safe.” Her brow scrunched as she continued to regard us. “No fae can find this place, but I didn’t count on elf magic when I created the barrier.”
Finn grabbed my hand as the woman turned to go back in the house. “I’m not sure this is a good idea. Whoever she is, she’s powerful. Going inside doesn’t seem like the wisest choice, given we have no confirmation that she’s part of the Renegades.”
I nodded and completely agreed with him, but we’d been out searching for what felt like forever. This was the closest we’d gotten to learning anything new. I wasn’t ready to walk away just because it wasn’t safe.
I turned to Neva. “What do you think, Closet Badass?”
She sighed. “First, what I did back there isn’t going to happen often, so badass I am not. Second, I don’t sense anything dark coming from her, so it’s up to the rest of you.”
Maddox glanced at the fae waiting in the doorway, then at Finn. “We have to try. For Ivy. I can’t wait much longer.” His voice was strained and the pain evident.
Finn ran a hand through his hair. “Damn it. What if…”
I nudged him. “You can’t live life by ‘what if’. That’s boring.” I added a wink and got a half-grin out of him.
“Fine, let’s go.” Finn took a step forward, keeping a hold of my hand. He seemed to like to have me close. I wasn’t fond of it, but given he was on high alert, I let the display of affection slide. For now.
“Good choice,” the woman muttered as she stepped into her home and held the door open for us.
We entered into the house that was not the comforting scene it portrayed from the outside. Instead of seeing a living room, kitchen, or dining room, we found a gutted building with few walls, concrete floors, reinforced windows with rods, and six other fae reclining on cots—one of which I recognized from the fight against Edgar.
Well, at least we were at the right place.
Each of them stood, waiting for the woman to speak first. She took a seat at a cheap folding table and gestured for us to do the same. “I’m Maeve. Why have you come to my home after slaughtering half of my people?”
“They were trying to kill us first, so there’s that. And we thought they were Edgar’s people,” Finn replied as we moved closer to the chairs.
“Edgar was an imbecile, and I’d thank you for killing him if you hadn’t also put a dent in my numbers,” she replied, glaring at me. I’d never seen this woman before in my life, but her knowing my name and throwing hate my way warned me I’d done something unknowingly to her.
“You said ‘was.’ So, is Edgar really gone? I heard he likes to come back from the dead,” I said, sitting down before the others and meeting her scowl with a grin.
Maeve straightened, smoothing out her aging face. “After what you did to him, I would assume that was the last we’ll see of Edgar. He was a great soldier at first, but he was terrible at following orders. When you came back, he got even worse. I tried to stop him, but I was too late the day they showed up at your farm.”
“We were sent here by a friend. He said you might be able to help us get another chance at taking down the king,” Maddox cut in, not surprising me when he got straight to the point.
“Who is your friend?” she asked.
Finn placed a hand on Maddox’s shoulder and answered himself. “Our friend says it’s important he remains unknown for now. We mean you no harm. You may not even need to directly help us, but if you have any information, we would appreciate you sharing. Zephyr took my sister, and I will get her back.”
Maeve leaned back in her chair, kicking her feet up onto the table. She sighed, paying more attention to her chewed-up nails than us. “Listen, I learned long ago not to make alliances with other leaders. I might be able to help you if you’re willing to do something for me, but make no assumptions about my assistance. I play for one team and that’s my own. In the end, I will do whatever is bound to keep me and my people alive the longest.”
Well, I’d had enough of that.
Between the aggression I’d been experiencing in the forest, her previous glares, and acting as if she knew me when I’d never seen her before, I was done playing around. She was either going to be helpful, or she wasn’t.
My hand slammed down on the table, magic scorching the plastic. “No, you listen, Macy.” She opened her mouth to correct my intentional mistake, but I talked over her. “Zephyr needs to die, and he will die. There is only one side for you to choose if you’re playing that card. You can either help us with that or not, but I won’t have anyone around whose goals don’t align with ours. The Renegades almost killed the king once. You’re obviously aware he’s a shit leader. So, tell me how you did it.”
She blinked and wrapped a piece of silver hair around her finger. “I don’t think I will.”
And that was when everything went to hell.
I launched myself across the table and wrapped my hands around her throat. Neva backed herself against the wall while Finn and Maddox moved to my side as the other six fae came charging toward us.
Maeve snapped her fingers and shook her head while I attempted to choke the air from her lungs. Then, she pressed her thumbs into my wrists, hitting a pressure point and adding a zap of magic for full effect.
My hands let go of their own accord and I backed up, ready to fight her however she was going to take things. Mosi was wrong. We weren’t going to find any help here. We were on our own.
“Lucinda Morrow. You’ve changed,” Maeve tittered.
My eyes narrowed. “Excuse me?”
“You’re not the killer I thought you were.” Then, she turned to Finn. “Your sister is as good as dead, but I will give you some advice. None of you are a risk to me.”
My head shook as ire built within. I would be whoever I needed to be in order to kill Zephyr. This bitch didn’t know anything about me.
Power pooled in my palm as I stared Maeve down. I’d bide my time for the sake of Ivy, but the fae would get what she had coming to her. My gut told me she was not good people.
Neva reappeared at my side, nudging my opposite hand that I still had readied to bash Maeve’s face in with. Neva nodded, almost as if giving me approval to do whatever I had planned. While I found that interesting, I didn’t need her permission.
“What do you know?” Maddox asked. He and Finn stayed close to me while the other fae backed off.
“I know that King Zephyr holds a prisoner, which I assume is the woman you speak of. I know that he wants Lucinda back alive. Why? That I don’t know, but I am aware that they’ve been growing their forces. Every able body has been taken and thrown into blue garb, forced to stay at the castle.”
“That’s because I killed the first half,” I snarled, reminding her I was very much the killer she had doubted just moments ago.
She rolled her eyes. “Right. Anyway, the king is having issues. His body randomly moves between the midlife and after years. The magic that protects him as king is broken, and his mind is poisoned. While he is still powerful in his own right, when he is having an after-years episode, he is at his weakest.”
For the first time since we started this conversation, I didn’t want to punch the bitch in her face. This information was actually helpful, and I thought back to when I’d first seen him at the
castle after poisoning the food and water. He’d appeared so old, but the following meeting, he was back to his same old self.
So much had been happening that I’d never questioned the changes, but it made more sense now and gave us the opening we needed. Maybe Mosi hadn’t been wrong about coming here. I just wished we were getting an army out of the Renegades as well.
“How often does he change into the after-years phase?” Finn asked.
My focus stayed on Maeve, observing her turquoise eyes as they watched each of us.
Something about her wasn’t adding up, and I didn’t think it was only because she’d pissed me the hell off. As I paid closer attention, there was a fear within her depths that I recognized, and curiosity began to overcome the wrath.
“It’s random. You need someone on the inside to tell when he’s having an episode,” she finally answered Finn’s question, breaking eye contact.
“And do you happen to know someone on the inside?” I asked.
“Nobody who can help you,” she replied, raising a challenging eyebrow toward me.
It was an interesting choice of words. I took her bait, giving her a reaction that she may or may not have expected. I let my power carry through the air, directing it to press down on her. “Are you sure about that?”
Maeve coughed as my magic wrapped around her. She kept her shoulders squared, overcoming the pain I attempted to elicit. “Very sure.”
Well, at least she was strong. I’d made grown men cry with that move before. “Okay, then. You’re not willing to help, and you have very little information for us. We should be on our way.”
I moved to leave, assuming the others would follow, but Finn didn’t budge. Instead, he asked another question.
“You said you might help us if we did something for you. What is it that you need, and what could you help us with?”
She smirked at me before answering, and my fingers itched to hurt her. “If you can get me what I want, then I will get you into the castle undetected, but once you’re within the walls, you’d be on your own.”
Okay, maybe she had every reason to be cocky. “How do we know you can actually do that?” I asked, turning back around.
I’d lived in the castle for five years, and even I didn’t know how to enter or exit without setting off an alarm when everyone was already on high alert.
“I’ll give you a blood oath,” Maeve replied.
Well, shit. That was something I couldn’t argue with.
“No,” Maddox snarled. He’d gone ahead to the door when I wasn’t watching. His eyes were dark, and the agony at having lost his fiancée was slowly breaking him down. Clearly, fairy boy didn’t know what to do with those emotions. Lucky for him, that was one field I excelled in.
But first, we had business to attend to. Maddox would have to hold his shit together for just a little bit longer.
“Okay, Mary. Let’s do the blood oath, and I’ll get you whatever you need as long as it’s within the fae realm,” I said, once again calling her by something other than her own name. It was the little things that brought me the most joy.
She glared at me, reacting just the way I wanted the old bitty to. If I was under her skin, she’d slip up. Mistakes from others, as long as we were expecting them, were just what we needed in order to best Zephyr.
I wouldn’t be trusting this bitch, though. Especially when she clearly said she wasn’t all in for anything other than herself.
Maeve left the room, and her six renegades kept an eye on us. I smiled and waved at the lot before turning my attention back to Maddox. Finn was trying to talk to him, but he was only making things worse.
I walked over and pushed my mate out of the way. “Let me handle this. Ivy might be your sister, but you can’t help Maddox.”
Finn stood his ground. “Don’t antagonize him, Lucy. We can’t afford for him to get worse.”
I flicked my hair back, glaring at him. “I can, on occasion, make things better instead of worse.”
He sighed but took a few steps back. “That’s not what I meant.”
I ignored Finn and raised my hand to grasp Maddox’s jaw, forcing him to meet my eyes. My fears, rage, darkness, and empathy all rose to the surface. I hid nothing from him, and he soaked it all in with abandon.
“How?” he asked.
“I focus on the reward,” I replied, understanding he was asking how I handled it all.
“And what is that?”
I released his face while stuffing my emotions right back where they belonged. “Killing every single asshole that has wronged me.”
Chapter 14
Maddox nodded his understanding, and I wanted to continue our conversation. He clearly needed someone to tell him it was okay to have his murderous thoughts, but Maeve was already back in the room.
She was carrying a small dagger and a bowl made from mortar that was filled with herbs normally only witches used.
“Don’t you need a witch to do a blood oath?” Neva asked, suspicion lacing her words.
Maeve glared. “Not if you know what you’re doing.”
“How do we know if it will work?” I asked, because Neva had a point. Maeve might have had all the right stuff, but she wasn’t a witch.
“It will work,” Maeve snapped, seeming more defensive than necessary. Neva kept a close eye on her, and I trusted the elf to let me know if she sensed something was off. Even more so after her little show in the forest.
Finn stepped back to my side. “What is it that you want us to get for you? I’m assuming you’ll be asking for our commitment in this oath, but you’re not getting a drop of our blood until I know what you want is actually obtainable.”
Maeve nodded and pointed at him. “You I like. You ask the right questions. What I need you to get me is the blood of a siren.”
I laughed without a second thought. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Sirens have been dead for decades or more.”
She sneered at me once again. “Just because they choose to remain unknown doesn’t mean they don’t live.”
She had a point.
“Fine, let’s say they live. How do you expect us to find them?” I asked.
Maeve shrugged. “They’re somewhere within the depths of the ocean below, but figuring out where exactly is your problem, not mine.”
Maddox roared, and power slammed into my back. By the time I straightened and turned around, Finn was trying but failing to restrain Maddox.
Finn’s wings were wrapped around Maddox, but he was ready to tear through them in order to get to Maeve, who was apparently pissing off more than just me.
“The love of my life is being tortured, and you’re being a selfish bitch. I’m about to make this whole situation your problem,” Maddox bellowed as he broke through Finn’s hold.
I stepped in. As much as I would love to see Maeve get knocked on her ass again, I also didn’t want to fight our way into the castle. Maeve wasn’t lying if she was willing to do a blood oath, which meant she was our best chance at getting to Ivy and possibly keeping her alive.
If we found Zephyr first, that was a different story, but I was happy to try to give everyone their happy ending if it was possible. Should Maeve be able to help us, that was plausible. Maddox needed to realize that.
Before Maddox could plow into Maeve, I built up a wave of magic deep from my core into my palms and slammed them into his chest as he tried to pass by me. My fingers gripped his shirt as he convulsed from my power, then I knocked him onto the ground.
Maddox’s fists pounded into the floor as I sat on top of him, lowering myself until I had his full attention. “Listen, Maddie. I know it hurts. I’ve felt the kind of pain you’re experiencing ten times over, but you need to learn that revenge is best served cold. You will get yours, but Maeve isn’t who you’re really mad at. Remember that.”
He wasn’t listening, and my skin was starting to burn from the heat he was putting off. So much for thinking he was nothing but a fairy boy.
&nbs
p; I placed my hand on Maddox’s chest. Instead of hurting him again, I surprised even myself and calmed him. “Breathe, Maddox. Just focus on that one task.”
Within a few moments, he was back in control and I got up, turning to Finn. “You got this?”
There was a shine in his eye I wasn’t familiar with, but he nodded, and that was all that mattered as I hauled Maddox up with me, shoving him out the door.
He went willingly and headed for the trees, but I stopped him. “We don’t know how Maeve’s wards on this place work. I wouldn’t get too far if I was you.”
He grumbled, but still came back to where I stood just beyond the porch. “I can’t let Ivy stay there another day.”
“You’re going to have to figure your shit out. I want Zephyr dead as much as you want Ivy back, but I’ve been in this world long enough to know that brute force isn’t always the best play. Given what we’ve learned and the things Mosi didn’t say, I have a feeling this is only the beginning of our frustrations.”
“That’s easy for you to say. You don’t care about anything,” he snapped.
My fingers tapped on my thighs. I hadn’t even opened up to Finn like this, but something about Maddox’s pain was making me want to help him. The words came out before I could think twice.
“That’s a lie. I care too much. I cared about my parents. I cared about the animals in my neighborhood. Even Zephyr and that damn shifter. Then, there was Neva. She was the first person who saw me for what I really was. I cared about all of those people, and most of them let me down. So, I learned how to put those kinds of emotions aside. Tuck them away, never to be thought of again.”
“And now?” he asked.
“And now, well, we’re not talking about me. This is about you. Get your shit together like a big boy, or the only thing you’re going to do is get Ivy killed before I do. Unleash whatever is inside you, but make sure you do it on those who deserve it, at the right time. Acting like an idiot toward the ones trying to help you won’t get you anything.”
“How do I know who deserves it and when it’s the right time? I was pretty sure Maeve had it coming.”
Dark Fae Freed (Broken Court Book 2) Page 10
