by A. K. Koonce
The two men drop Link before he’s ready, but the Fae lands on his feet, his palms steadying him against the dark siding of the house. We both step back, and I try hard to see what’s going on in the room behind Nollix and Cameron. Another loud noise strikes like a fist breaking wood. Nollix looks to Cameron for one flashing second, before he grips the side of the window, and with grace and strength, he drops to the ground. His feet crouch against the hard earth and he pushes his hair from his eyes to look up at the Warlock above.
“Let’s go, Warlock. Just waiting on you now. Unless you’d rather stay, that is.”
“Don’t be mad because your friends like me better, Cupcake.” Cameron grips the edge of the window, straddling it for a moment as he eases himself out.
“If by ‘like you’ you mean they want to rip you apart and use your limbs to fornicate with, then, yeah, they like you so much better.”
I’m shaking my head at the two of them as I stare up at him. Just as his fingers are gripping the window pane, his arms flexing to hold himself in place, a slender hand with sharp nails digs into his wrist. I’m closing the distance, striding toward him even though there’s absolutely nothing I can do from down here. Cameron releases his hold on the house, slamming his hand into hers and trying to shove away from the tight grip Tantra has on him. His boots kick against the siding, and, before I can stop it, the dry winds begin to bow against my magic. My jaw ticks as she struggles to pull him back in like she’s taking back the gift she claimed Nollix had brought her.
“Tantra, let him go.” Nollix is roaring up at her, but she doesn’t look at him once as the darkness in her eyes flashes with excitement.
Magic twirls through the air, and I shove harsh currents of wind against her. Her thin frame stumbles back, and it takes her a moment to realize it’s me. Dark eyes lock on to me, but she only uses her sharp nails to dig into Cameron’s skin even harder.
It’s in that moment, with our gazes held relentlessly on each other, that I know she’s not going to release him. She’ll take him down with her if she has to.
Her men surround her, holding on to her as several hands begin to tear at the Warlock dangling against the house. The words Nollix spoke just moments ago about ripping apart his limbs start to circle my mind, and my magic kicks up, pushing with rapid winds against the house until the structure groans and sand starts to fill the air in stinging pain. It strikes against my skin, and along the house, and into her dark eyes, but still she clings to him. She bares her teeth with a manic look in her features just before she leans closer and sinks her jagged teeth into his arm, locking down on his flesh until he’s cursing loud enough to be heard over the winds.
“She fucking bit me. She seriously fucking bit me.”
My magic shakes with fury to harm her, but sometimes I forget, I’m not the only person with dark power.
With his jaw locked tight, Cameron’s fist glows red, and it slams against the siding, striking so hard it cracks beneath his knuckles. A fracturing line rips through the foundation, leaving a gaping and jagged line into the home. A bright color of magic shines within his palm as he hits once more against the house until it’s shaking so hard the woman’s eyes widen, her palms going to the window pane to steady herself.
And she drops him.
He lands flat on his back, looking up at the house that’s trembling. The ground rumbles beneath us, and I barely see the Demons slip into the shadows of the room before the roof sinks in on itself. The frame collapses, and it doesn’t take long before the dust begins to bloom up around the falling structure.
Cameron kicks away, making room between him and the destruction he just created.
The sound of the house falling clatters through the silence, but a humming sound still crawls through the ground, reverberating right through me as something down below makes itself known.
“What the hell is that?” Cameron stands slowly, and I can’t help but reach out and touch him, letting my fingers drift down the side of his hand.
The way Nollix’s shoulders stiffen, his gaze searching the ground like he’s waiting to be introduced to whatever’s just below, makes fear curl up inside me.
“That’s the souls of the Core.” His gaze catches mine, halting the breath in my lungs. “We’re close.”
Chapter Sixteen
The Secret
Cameron
It should unsettle me. Walking into the Core of the Underworld should probably make me nervous. But as I wrap my arms around her, letting the hard beats of my heart strike against her back, all I can think about is how much I hope nothing changes. I hope we’re together like this no matter where we are. Even if we’re here in this literal hellhole for the rest of our lives.
Unless she shoves me away once she knows.
The Carcass Creature moves along at a sluggish but stalking pace. The thing’s massive head turns this way and that as if watching something that none of us can see. Nollix found the creature, and now the four of us are huddled up on top of it. My palms flatten against her stomach, not really hanging on, but just … exploring the soft feel of her body against mine.
Long locks of her hair flick against my face. Instead of turning away, I lean into her, settling my head against hers. I’m just—I’m so fucking tired.
Her fingertips trace against the back of my hand and pain stings through me as I pull away from her touch.
“I can’t believe she bit you.” She takes my hand back in hers. Her quiet statement is the only sound as Nollix leads us closer to the one place a mortal like myself shouldn’t be adventuring toward.
Dry blood covers the back of my hand, appearing darker around the odd teeth marks. The crazy Demon really did want to eat me.
Surprise, surprise.
What would they have done if they’d pulled me through that window?
I shake the tormenting thought from my mind. Because they didn’t. I’m alive. I’m fine. I’m right where I’m supposed to be.
“How’d you three get into the Wild Hunt?”
A sigh skims over her lips. It’s a heavy and tired sound that makes me pull her closer against my chest. Her fingers drift up and down along Link’s side, and he doesn’t look back at either of us. But I see his palm brush over hers, squeezing just slightly.
“Nollix solicited the Reveries.”
The Reveries. I can’t believe he had the balls to disturb those Witches.
“Not my fault I knew they needed me.” His tone is a sound of amusement, and I can’t seem to wrap my head around why he’d ever willingly join the Wild Hunt. It’s close to death. It isn’t living, and it isn’t dying, it’s just … there. In this in between realm that’s cut off from the world.
Not that I have anyone in the world I care about, I suppose. Just the woman who’s in my arms at the moment. The woman I might never have the balls to tell how I feel.
Maybe that’s why he did it. Maybe he was alone like I am.
“Nollix is really good at his job.” A smile pulls at her lips, but it doesn’t quite make it into place.
“The best of the best.”
I roll my eyes at the cocky half Demon.
“The Wild Hunt accepts Demons?” I try to phrase it in the least judging way possible, but it still sounds like a judgement even to my ears.
“The Hunt is picky. They’d probably take your sorry ass if they needed someone to fill the four spots,” Nollix tells me without care.
Sometimes, I think he runs through a list of shitty retorts and tries to pick the best one that’ll piss me off.
“Link was placed there by my father.” Her voice dips to a low and quiet confession that distracts me from the irritating half Demon.
I press my palm firmer against her, hugging her from behind. Her head lowers, and a beat of silence passes between us all.
“He originally took me away and said he wanted someone responsible in the Hunt.” Link’s attention remains straight ahead on the deep crimson sky. “I believed him. I didn’t really
have a choice, and I didn’t really put much thought into why he’d care much what the Hunt did. When Vi joined the Hunt a while later, I realized he wanted someone responsible to watch his daughter.”
Guilt sinks through me. I met the man Violence was going to marry. I met her mother. I met her family. Her father let her plan her future without ever telling her she’d never have one.
“I think he feared me. I think he feared that I’d be stronger than he could control, and he knew I’d someday try to stop the things he was doing.”
Her voice is steady as she considers everything.
He got rid of her because she was a threat to him.
My throat feels thick as I try to think of a single thing to say to her. But I can’t. If I speak, I’ll tell her what I’ve been hiding.
“Why are you here, Cameron?” Nollix’s voice is this angry sound like he’s attacking me with the simple statement. I can’t think of a thing to say, but it seems he’s waited to say this for a long time.
So I’ll answer him with honesty.
“I’m here because Violence is here.” Heat washes over me. It’s been stifling the entire time we’ve been here, but an unbearable searing heat now burns through the air. It hurts. “I’m here because I fucked up her life. I’m taking responsibility.”
“Responsibility.” The sneer against his lips can be seen if I tilt my head enough. “I can feel your dishonesty. Fucking Violence can feel your lies.”
The Carcass Creature halts abruptly making me cling a little closer to Violence.
Nollix drops to the ground and looks up at me from several feet below.
“What are you hiding, Cameron Crows?” He glares hard at me, and I feel her tense beneath my touch as she too waits for my response.
Link slides down the side of the creatures as well, and the two of them pin me with this hard look of controlled aggression.
“I—I don’t have to be here.” At the sound of my words, her head tilts until she’s peering back at me from over her shoulder. “I created the bond that links Violence to me.” My words seem to come slowly because fear is gripping my chest. I’m fucking terrified to tell her. I’m so afraid she’ll hate me, but, most of all, I’m afraid she’ll leave me. “I can break the bond. I can walk away from all of this. I can walk away from you. And you can walk away from me.”
I’ve never told her I could break our bond. It’s a secret I’ve kept to myself for months now. Her brows lower over her pretty eyes, and I feel the heavy feeling building in her as it streams right into me.
“Why don’t you?” It’s a whispered sound that comes from her lips.
It’s just her and me up here, me clinging to her like she’s already slipping away. Right now, they’re all watching me. I can’t hide anything anymore. I don’t want to.
I want to be honest with them. With her.
“I’m fucking terrified if I break the bond … I won’t feel the same way anymore. I’m so fucking afraid if I let you go, you’ll just… go.” Is that how I’m supposed to say it? Is that how you tell someone that they’re the most important thing in your entire life? That you’re terrified of losing them. “I,” my voice dips low like the press of everyone’s attention is making my words dissolve against my tongue, “I love you, Violence.”
My chest heaves against her, and I feel like I can’t get a real breath of air to save my life. Her gaze searches mine, her lips parted like she wants to speak, but nothing comes out. With each passing second, my heart beats harder against my chest.
I’m fucking everything up.
She leans in closer, her hair skimming against my temple, and I watch her every move. Until her lips press softly to mine. For an instant, I don’t respond. The last thing I expected was anything but rejection.
And now, she’s kissing me.
My lips part hers, and our tongue meet in the slowest way. Every perfect stroke of our tongues feels like something bigger than what it really is.
What if this is goodbye?
If this is goodbye, I want it to be the best goodbye she’s ever felt. My fingers dig into her hip as magic strikes through my fingertips and the hum of her moan against my lips makes me wish we were alone. I kiss her harder, but I know what’s about to come, and I can’t seem to feel anything but an aching pain in my chest.
Because in the next moment, I sever our bond.
She gasps against my mouth, and I have to force myself to pull back from her. My hand slips away, and I feel a conflict of emotions all through me. There’s an emptiness where our bond once was. But I still want her. My heart still hurts just knowing I let her go.
She isn’t mine to keep.
I forced my way into her life. Fate does mysterious things. But some things we fuck up all by ourselves. She doesn’t need me, and we both know I shouldn’t be here. Even if there’s nowhere else I’d rather be.
She stares at me, her lips parted, her fingers pressing to her lower lip like she can still feel my mouth against hers.
Does she feel it too? Does she feel empty inside like I’m missing?
Her head dips low, and I wonder if this will be the last time we are ever this close again.
When she speaks, my whole world changes, I swear.
“I love you too, Cam.”
Chapter Seventeen
The Core
Linkin
He can still see her. He broke their bond, and he can still see her. There’s an imbalance here. I can feel it. We haven’t been ripped away by the magic of the Wild Hunt since we got to the Underworld. It’s like our magic is fainter down here.
Is that why he can see her, or is it something else?
She looks happy right now. In the middle of the Underworld, with the weight of the world on her shoulders, she looks happy. If—when we make it out of all this, I’m going to force Nollix to accept that Warlock just make her happy.
He sounds like a puppy when I say it like that. He makes her happy so we have to keep him. What is wrong with me?
“Let’s go, Warlock.” Nollix sounds normal, but the way he’s looking at the two of them is different. It’s like he’s trying to process Cameron’s every move, trying to look through him to find a real motive.
But we both know there isn’t one. He loves her. Just like I do.
He holds her hand as she slides down the tattered fur of the beast, and I can’t help but grip her hips as she lowers. My fingers linger against her curves as I pull her down in front of me. Shining, beautiful eyes stare up at me.
She doesn’t need any of us. I fully believe she could do all of this on her own. But she doesn’t say it, and she lets us all keep pretending that we’re helping her. Because we’d never let her do this alone.
“Ready?” My attention drifts down to her lips as her palms settle against my forearms.
She nods hesitantly, and for a moment, I wonder if she isn’t ready. It’s one thing for her and me to know how strong she is, but it’s another thing entirely for her to believe that.
“You’re ready,” I say, trying to convince her of herself.
She nods with a little more assurance. My fingers skim against her jaw until I tilt her head up to look at me. “None of us would be here if we didn’t know that you could do this.” Happiness shines in her eyes at the simple sound of my reassurance. “We can do this, Vi.”
Shit, I hope we can do this.
***
We’re close. I’m a Fae, and even I can tell we’re getting entirely too close to the darkest part of the Underworld. The painful humidity in the air is like nothing I’ve ever felt and the intensity of the sky seems to burn brighter now.
It’s causing tension to line my spine, and I’ve started walking in step with Violence. I know she’s capable, but I just feel better being at her side. Cameron glances down at the protective pace I’m keeping.
The buildings are scarcer now. There are still shacks set up along our trail, but they’re miles apart, dotting the land in single structures. Dark, charre
d wood make up a small box-like building to our right, and I eye it carefully as if her sister and Jeriko might burst out of the thing at any moment.
But what I do see isn’t at all what I expect.
There, past the shack in burning embers, is a cylinder of souls. It spirals up into the crimson sky as if these gleaming golden souls are fueling the circling span of energy before me. The flashing colors swirl within the light until they’re sucked down into an emptiness within the ground that I can’t fully see. Swarming around the bright energy is familiar black particles of magic. That dark energy skitters along the beam of souls like a bat fluttering near light. The twirling, glittering dust is something I’ve seen surrounding departed souls for years now.
It’s Jeriko.
Chapter Eighteen
On the Edge of Living
Violence
My gaze veers up high, but the top of the towering light seems endless. The blinding lines of it strike down into the hard earth, and it isn’t until I pull my gaze to the bottom that I see her. Pale blonde hair, always a shade lighter than my own, and bright eyes that always captivated an audience make up the woman before me. She was the falsely sweet one. The kind one. The reasonable one. And yet, here we are. She stands among the swirling souls like an angel waiting to save them.
The dirty ends of her dress swirl in the breeze blowing up from the unknown place below, and still she teeters on that dangerous edge.
I don’t know why, but all the memories of our youth trickle through my mind. Guilt and regret sting through me as I remember who we used to be.
“Amandria,” I lift a cautious hand to her, but I keep the several yards of space that separate her and me.
She turns with the winds pulling at her hair and dress, and she pins me with a look of pure hatred. I hate that we’re like this. There was a time she was my big sister, and she was perfect in my eyes. She was everything I wanted to be. But life warped that vision of her. Her actions, and her jealousy, and her simple, vile ambitions changed the way I looked at the pretty, innocent girl who took care of me when we were little.
