Army Of The Winter Court (Skeleton Key)

by Ali Winters

  “I’ll never love you,” she spat.

  “Love? Did you think I meant love?” His laugh chilled her down to her marrow. “I am a Prince of the Winter Court. Love is not on my agenda and before you ask; no, it was never in my brother’s plan either, in case you were wondering.”

  “I… I thought you said I would live. You said only one choice would cost me my life…”

  “I believe I said, ‘One will cost you your life, the other will cost you a lifetime beyond anything you have ever thought possible.’ Or something along those lines.” He waved his hand dismissively. “I didn’t say which choice would allow you to live. You assumed I wanted your heart metaphorically.”

  Understanding hit, making her sick.

  “Then I never would have lived?” she asked.

  “Oh, you would have lived if you’d chosen Auri.”

  “But he wanted my blood… I don't understand.”

  “He wants your blood. To be more specific, he wants your bloodline. It was all a matter of word play. Details left out to ensure that you would misinterpret. After all, it would have been no contest if you knew everything up front, would it?”

  “He… doesn’t want to drain me of my blood?” Evvie knew there were more important questions she should ask, but her mind was stuck on Aurelian—he didn’t want to kill her as she’d assumed.

  “No, his plan is much slower than mine. If you had chosen him, you would have been the next Unseelie Queen.”

  “Why didn’t he just tell me?”

  “It was against the rules, and he always played by the rules. He could have been stronger than me, but his warped sense of principles always got in his way. Aurelian never had the strength to just take what he wanted. It makes him weak. He doesn’t deserve to be King.”

  “This is crazy… you can’t do this.” Evvie shook her head, disbelieving.

  “Enough, time is wasting and the sooner this is over, the sooner I will have my army.”

  Nolan’s fingers traced along her neck and collar bone, his hand stopping over her heart as he listened the beat. Evvie squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block out his touch.

  “Your heart is strong,” he said.

  His fingers pressed into her skin and a sharp pain burned its way across her chest as her heart ached, pounding as if he already held it in his hand, squeezing. Nolan’s fingers pressed harder into her flesh, his nails, sharp like iron, burned her as they pierced her skin.

  Evvie cried out in pain, arching her back in an attempt to free herself from the powerful force keeping her pinned down. The pain stole her breath, cutting off her scream. Tears forced their way out from the corner of her eyes as her body writhed from the pain.

  Loud metal clanged as light flooded the room.

  “What are you doing? You need her willing—” a shrill female voice shrieked.

  “No, I don’t, Lilith. It is only Auri who does. As long as I have her heart, it will work.”

  Her body went limp as Nolan removed his hand from her chest and turned to the woman, leaving Evvie panting for breath.

  Their sister! Had she come to save her?

  “You’re not playing by the rules…” Lilith admonished.

  “I’m done playing by your rules. Without them, he doesn’t stand a chance against me. If he can’t win against me through his own power, then he doesn’t deserve the throne.”

  .:。·*இ*·.:。·*இ*·。:.·*இ*·。:.

  Aurelian

  The moment Lilith had told him to stop fighting the claim, Aurelian could feel the words resounding in his heart. Feelings that only days ago he would have mocked and laughed at, became an inseparable part of his being. He knew his sister had been right and, as soon as he’d accepted that fact, the pull toward Evvie had become unstoppable. The rules didn’t matter anymore.

  No longer in control, he raced out to the gardens, an unseen force leading him to her.

  When he’d caught up to Evvie, he had been relieved to find that Nolan was nowhere near her. Before he knew what he was doing, Aurelian found his arms wrapped around her and his face buried in her neck, inhaling the faint scent of roses that emanated from her smooth skin.

  Her hesitation was evident in the tense muscles of her body. Gradually, it faded and Evvie had relaxed into him. The look of concern in her eyes as she had pulled back to look at him crumbled the layer of ice that had surrounded his heart for as long as he’d been alive.

  Emotion overwhelmed him as it flowed through his veins. Leaning forward, he had pressed his lips against hers, giving her every part of his heart and taking anything she was willing to give no matter how small. Everything he never knew he could possess was in that kiss—love, hope, sorrow and a longing for a future he could never have with her. The return of warmth that had been long repressed came back, it was slow and uncertain, but it was there nonetheless.

  Pulling away, Aurelian scanned her face, hit by the realization that, knowingly or not, she’d opened herself up to being claimed by him in return. This whole time he’d been fighting her claim on him and yet he’d failed to notice that it was so much more than that.

  It was plain that she had no idea what had transpired between them. But he knew he would die to give her what she wanted most and the words came tumbling from his mouth as he gazed into her bright emerald eyes.

  He’d promised her the impossible… swearing his life to her at that moment, knowing that she couldn’t understand the significance of his words.

  A sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach tore him from his recent memory. Something was wrong.

  “Evvie…” his voice came out a hoarse whisper.

  Blinking, Aurelian looked around. Lost in his thoughts, he’d ended up in the furthest reaches of the castle. Spinning on his heel, he ran through the halls, leaping down the stairs and into the castle’s bottom most lair.

  Murmurs at the far end of the passage caught his attention and a dim light flickered through an open doorway. His feet pounded against the stone floor as he raced toward the room where he could feel Evvie’s presence.

  His hand grabbed the black iron handle and jerked the door open.

  Nolan stood over Evvie as she lay on a ceremonial table, held in place by his brother’s magic. Nolan turned to face Aurelian as he stood, panting in the open doorway, a menacing grin formed on his lips as he greeted him.

  “The claim has made you weak, brother.”

  Aurelian’s heart raced.

  “Don’t be absurd.”

  Years of dealing with his brother made his voice low and calm as he attempted to hide all traces of what was going on under the surface.

  Nolan laughed, a loud, sharp noise that echoed off the walls.

  “You can deny it all you want, but it remains true. The lost, forlorn expression that’s been plastered all over your face since she’s been here has given you away.”

  “It doesn’t matter. What’s done is done. It was necessary to bring her here.”

  “Yes, and it is quite fortunate for me that it was you who brought her here. I was wondering how long it would take you to find her.”

  “You knew where Evvie was?” Aurelian asked in disbelief.

  “Of course, I did. I had faith that you would find her in time, and if not, I would have dropped you a hint. Thankfully, it didn’t come to that. What a disgrace to our bloodline it would have been.”

  “You found her? Then why didn’t you claim her then?”

  “I would never have risked claiming her and weakening my powers,” he mocked, though no humor permeated his tone. “You actually stood a chance at winning this until the moment you claimed her.”

  Willing himself to stay calm, Aurelian spoke with slow, measured words, “Let her go—this instant.”

  “Are you going to make me?” Nolan mocked.

  “I won’t let you take her heart. I will make sure you will never be King.”

  Nolan burst out laughing. “There’s nothing you can do to stop me, little brother,” he spa
t. Deliberately, while keeping his eyes locked on Aurelian’s he moved his hand to hover over Evvie’s chest. With lightening quick reflexes his hand connected with the area just above her heart, causing her to cry out and arch her back until she went limp, unable to stand the pain.

  A shard of ice flew past Aurelian, striking Nolan in the shoulder. He spun around, noticing Lilith at his side for the first time, her face twisted in fury.

  “Lil?” Aurelian asked, but she ignored him and her eyes focused on their brother as Evvie’s voice faded from the hoarseness of her scream. She was still in agony even though the hit had knocked Nolan away.

  “What do you think you are doing, Lilith?” Nolan demanded. “Are you taking sides now?”

  “You’re not playing by the rules!” she shouted.

  He panted as he stumbled back toward Evvie’s now-unconscious body.

  “This isn’t a game. I will not surrender over stupid rules you made up on a whim!”

  While they argued, Aurelian ran down the steps and into the main part of the room, reaching Evvie as she groaned, waking.

  Waving his hands, Aurelian countered Nolan’s grasp on the power shield holding Evvie in place. Finally free of the pressure holding her down, Evvie managed to roll off the edge of the table. He knelt down, catching her in his arms before she hit the floor and lowering her slowly to the ground.

  “You will pay for that,” Nolan hissed, raising his hands and shoving a blast of power at him. Throwing up his hands, Aurelian managed to block the wave of power before it hit.

  “You were wrong, brother.” He lifted himself to standing, holding the attack back with less effort than he’d ever had to use against his brother.

  Fear sparked, shining in Nolan’s eyes as shock and then fury twisted his older brother’s face.

  Aurelian stepped forward.

  “You were wrong, Nolan. The claim didn’t make me weak. It gave me strength.”

  As he spoke the last word, he flicked his wrist, turning the field of energy into sharp daggers of ice and flinging them at Nolan.

  The sharp points pierced him and he let out an ear piercing scream before falling to the ground.

  Not a single fiber of Aurelian’s being held any sorrow or regret for the shard of ice that pierced his brother’s chest.

  Aurelian dropped to his knees, dragging his gaze from Nolan’s body to Evvie. The look on her face, as she clutched her chest from the lingering pain, sent relief through him.

  She reached out to him, urging him to go to her as he lifted his hand and froze in mid motion as pain radiated from his back, spreading throughout his body and zapping all of his strength. He collapsed, barely managing to hold himself up on all fours. Aurelian examined the shard sticking out of his chest as Evvie’s voice cried out, but the sound was already fading as he felt himself weaken. Slowly, he turned his head to look over his shoulder, watching as Lilith sauntered up to them.

  “Lilith,” he cursed her name. “Why did you do this?”

  “Isn’t it obvious? I wanted the crown, but I needed both of you out of my way. I knew I couldn’t defeat either of you together with just my power, so I set you against each other…”

  “You aren’t strong enough to rule,” Aurelian spat.

  “Oh but I am, I’ve been just as powerful as both of you for a long time now, but why risk it when I could use your precious halfling to get you two out of my way?”

  “I won’t let you do this…”

  “You have no choice now.” She grinned down at him with all the confidence he’d never seen in her before, blinded by what he thought he knew.

  Black hovered at the edge of his vision as he fell to his side.

  .:。·*இ*·.:。·*இ*·。:.·*இ*·。:.

  Evvie

  “Auri!” Evvie cried, the effort of her exclamation burning her raw throat as she crawled the remaining distance between them. Forcing her muscles to cooperate, she lifted Aurelian’s head, cradling him in her lap.

  “Why didn't you just tell me everything?”

  “You needed to choose me because you wanted to, not because I told you to. You had to be willing.”

  Evvie sniffled and shook her head. She had no idea what she could do to save him. She wanted to ask him so many things and tell him even more. To just be… next to him. It had only been days, but her heart knew his better than it knew itself. The thought of losing him was unbearable and she could feel her heart breaking, shattering into countless pieces of glass as he gazed up at her. He was in so much pain, she could see it in the darkening blue of his eyes, but even through it all, his lips pulled up into a weak smile.

  “What did you wish for?” he asked.

  Tears burned her eyes.

  “To not be lonely anymore.” She sniffled, fighting the tears she knew would come.

  A pained look formed on his face.

  “I wished for you to choose me.”

  Aurelian’s words tore at her heart and she was unable to hold back any longer. Tears flowed freely from her eyes, falling onto his face.

  “I’ll do better next time,” he promised.

  Lilith’s shoes clicked on the floor as she walked up to them. Evvie lifted her head to glare at the delicate woman in front of her, crossing her arms as she smirked down at them.

  “See you in another life, brother,” she said.

  Heart racing, Evvie turned her attention back to him and watched him close his eyes as he let out a long, slow breath. His body went slack.

  “No…” The denial slipped from her parted lips.

  He’s dead…

  “Do you have any idea how hard you are to kill?” Lilith asked.

  Evvie’s heart pounded in her chest.

  “I tried to get rid of you from the moment you stepped foot into this realm… my realm. But I needed it to look like an accident.”

  “What?”

  “I thought for sure when you fell for the will-o-the-wisp trick you would be an easy target, but somehow you always managed to make things go in your favor, allowing you to go free.”

  “You… tried to kill me?” Evvie asked, dumbfounded. What had she done to deserve being murdered?

  “Yes,” Lilith said matter-of-factly. “The swamp, the poison in the bath oils, the ice on the steps, the chandelier, the food in your room and so on and so forth.” Lilith waved her hand dismissively as if she were bored.

  “But… why? What did I do to you? I never even wanted to come here.”

  “It was nothing personal. I needed you out of the way. I couldn’t very well have my brothers building their ridiculous armies and ruling this realm. It’s all about maintaining an equilibrium. We may be Unseelie fae, but we still need balance as much as every other realm. Though, I think Auri would have just been happy to have you in the end… still, it wasn’t worth the risk.”

  “Please don’t kill—” Evvie begged.

  “Relax,” Lilith cut her off. “I don’t need to kill you now that they are both dead. I will send you home.”

  “But I thought…”

  “That the claim was keeping you here? It was, but you never allowed him to claim you fully, so with him dead, you are now free to go back.”

  “You—you would do that?” Evvie’s head reeled.

  Lilith dropped her arms to her side and sighed as if everything were painfully obvious.

  “Yes. I’m not entirely heartless. My attempts on your life weren’t personal; it was just business. Now that I have what I want, killing you would be a waste of effort.” Squatting down to meet Evvie at eye level, Lilith placed an icy hand on her forehead.

  “Go home. Go home to your world and forget about him. Forget about this place.”

  The world around her turned frigid as Evvie fell to the side, her head hitting the cold, stone floor.

  Then everything went black.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Evvie

  Evvie groaned and rolled over, her pulse pounding violently against her skull. Slowly she cracked ope
n one eye and near blinding red light filtered in through her lashes. Blinking rapidly, she opened the other and looked around. After her sight had adjusted, Evvie realized that the warm hue of the light was just the orange fire of the sun as it started to rise.

  Her dresser stood in the corner and the door to her closet was cracked open… everything looked exactly the same as it always had. While nothing had physically changed, the space she’d known for almost four years now felt different, foreign. There were no signs left for her to indicate how much time had passed. Days, weeks, years…

  Was everything just a crazy fever dream? she wondered, as she pushed the blankets away and stood. A wave of dizziness shuddered through her body, then vanished. Shuffling her feet against the carpet, Evvie made her way to the bathroom.

  Maybe a shower will wake me up and I’ll be able to figure this all out.

  Pulling the shower curtain back, she turned the cold water on high and undressed. The second the ice-cold water touched her skin she recoiled, nearly slipping as she moved to avoid the unpleasant temperature. Quickly she turned the handle, raising the temperature.

  It had to have all been a dream. There was no way any of the stuff she’d gone through had been real.

  Why did I think I needed a cold shower? She thought, as she eased into the warming stream.

  The pounding water beat against her, massaging her sore muscles. Turning to wash her face, she winced, looking down at her chest. A large bruise had formed on the area above her heart.

  “No way…” she whispered, her fingers tracing the edges of the purple skin.

  It had been real, all of it.

  After dressing, Evvie left the sanctity of her room, ready to face the murmuring voices coming from the kitchen. Timidly, she stepped into the open, uncertain of how she would face the world now. Everything Evvie had always thought she’d known had been turned upside down. Life was forever changed and she’d never be able to look at anything the same way again.