Assuming we were right about what was going on here, apparently the iron weapons disrupted the fairy’s hold over the wolves. That was excellent news. We didn’t have to try to kill them all—we just had to break the spell they were under. I moved toward Cass, realizing that our tight, protective circle had widened, leaving room for attackers to get between us.
I was almost close enough to shout out my revelation to her when the fairy king of the Winter Court stepped out from the woods on the far side of the clearing.
There was no doubting who he was. He was tall and pale with long hair and pointy ears, and he glowed in the moonlight. He definitely looked the part. I might have thought he was beautiful, if not for the expression on his face. It was cold and distant and evil, and it sent a shiver through me like nothing I had felt before.
Cassie had her back to him, so she didn’t realize when he held up one pale, slender, long-fingered hand. I spun toward my cousin, opening my mouth to scream at her to get out of the way, but I misunderstood his target.
Only a few feet away from me, Wolf faced off against the animal who could be his twin, both of them panting and circling. Part of me knew that I should be confused, uncertain of which werewolf was which. But I knew without a doubt which one was Wolf. As I screamed Cass’s name, hoping to warn her, a lightning bolt of crackling blue magic shot out from the fairy.
Oh, God. He wasn’t aiming at Cass.
“Wolf!” This scream came far too late. He was already caught in the fairy’s magic.
My companion froze, his entire body trembling for a few seconds and stiffening, and then he spun to face me, his normally blue-white eyes glowing the same color as the fairy’s magic. With a snarl, he leapt toward me. As if everything slowed down, I had what felt like whole minutes to react. If I positioned my swords and my knife just right, I could slice into him—not deeply, not enough to kill him, but maybe enough to break the fae magic’s hold on him. I crouched a little, bracing my feet in the churned-up mud, and prepared to wound him without killing him.
And then a shot rang out.
Wolf yelped once and crumpled to the ground.
I screamed and launched myself toward him as he collapsed, scrabbling across the ground on my hands and knees, wanting to throw myself over him, but terrified to touch him, to learn he was really dead.
I threw an accusing glance over my shoulder. Cass held her stance, barely glancing at Wolf’s fallen body before turning to fire off another round at another werewolf.
Whipping my head around, I searched for the fairy who had done this to us, but where he had been standing, more elves poured into the clearing now.
I staggered to my feet and flailed around me with my weapons at the elves moving in to surround us. I hit several of the fuckers, too, enjoying the sound of their screeches and indrawn hisses as my iron made contact.
It wasn’t enough. We were overwhelmed.
I realized that neither of us had actually believed we were going to find the fairies here. We were just coming for information. Instead, we had unearthed the connection between the fairies and the wolves.
Fairies swarmed around us and took away my weapons, even at the risk of getting terrible iron burns. I knew then that we were not going to make it out of here.
I didn’t look up, keeping my eyes on Wolf’s unmoving form as I was shackled and shoved. I refused to move.
Something heavy crashed down on the back of my head. I dropped to the ground and whispered, “No. No, Wolf.”
11
Cassidy
I watched as Blaize fell to her knees, her eyes locked onto Wolf’s still form. Tears poured from her eyes as her shaking hand reached out to touch Wolf’s fur. Like she was afraid that touching him would confirm her worst fears.
“Wolf,” she whispered, her voice heartbroken. “No. No, Wolf.”
How could she think I shot to kill her companion? I can be a pretty heartless hunter sometimes, but I wouldn’t do that to her. Or him. He was under Kellan’s control, like the rest of these wolves here.
Still though, I didn’t say anything, didn’t want to let on that the werewolf was still alive—wounded yes, and would forever be pissed off at me for shooting him like that, but alive nonetheless. I didn’t know if he would remain under Kellan’s control while he was knocked out or if it would bring him to his senses, but I hoped it was enough to at least save his life.
And possibly save ours if he did wake up.
Blaize’s face, though. I wished I could do something to change that. Even so, as the fairy behind me roughly hauled me to my feet, I staggered in front of this one who was a little too concerned with pushing me by my ass.
“I can walk by myself, you fucker,” I told him. My feet found their rhythm and I made a point of keeping two paces ahead of the creep.
Blaize let out a strangled sob as another fairy dragged her away from Wolf.
Keep it together, I begged her. Don’t show them your weakness, Blaize. Knowing fairies, they’d use her feelings for Wolf against her.
Then it hit me. She loved Wolf. More than a pet or a companion. But something else, and she hadn’t realized it yet. And what did I do? Drag them into this mess.
She was despondent as they forced her to follow behind me. Moving through the woods was tricky at night, especially. I’d get a forceful push if I hesitated enough. Blaize didn’t fare any better, completely tripping over branches and roots. They’d yell at her, but she kept her mouth shut, her eyes downcast.
The Irons and the Silver lines were strong women. We’d get through this.
* * *
“Ah, Cassidy.” I stopped short at the Winter King stepped into my vision, grinning like some sort of jackal. “This is the last place I’d expect to see you traipsing around.”
I raked my teeth across my bottom lip, trying to to calm myself before I responded. All I wanted to do was scream and shout at him, demand that he give me back Drake.
I steadied myself and replied hoarsely, “Glad to know I can still surprise you.”
He threw his head back and laughed. “Here I thought you were getting stale, Cassidy. Especially since you’re spending all your time fraternizing with my fellow rulers.”
I cocked my head in an effort to look demure. “So busy, which is why I never had time for assholes like you.”
His lips twitched, but his eyes lost their humor as he turned them onto Blaize. “And this must be the infamous Blaize Silver. The werewolves have told me so much about you.”
She didn’t respond as she glared defiantly at him.
He frowned mockingly. “What, sad that your little pet is dead?” He flicked his gaze me. “Good thing Cassidy hasn’t forgotten her heritage. And killed the mongrel.”
A snarl escaped Blaize’s lips, and she lunged forward him, but a fairy backhanded her, knocking her to the ground with a loud crack. It took every ounce of my restraint to not run over and kill the fairy that assaulted her. I trembled from the effort.
“Ah, you’ve learned a little restraint, I see,” Kelland murmured, circling me like some hawk. God, why were all bad guys creepy? I suppressed a shiver. “Is that from your time with fairy royalty?”
“The good ones,” I said, giving him a tight-lipped smile.
He quirked an eyebrow. “Am I to believe that you came all the way out here just to save Drake?”
“When you steal someone that I love, then yes.”
“When you have two other fairy princes to dote on you?” He came closer, his breath coming out in white puffs against my cheek. Revulsion slithered through me. He gripped my chin, forcing me to look up at him. “Or would you be interested in another fairy royal? One who’s more powerful?”
Dammit, why did everyone think I was some sort of slut for having three boyfriends? I was an adult and a woman who could choose who I loved and who I was with. All this stuff could fuck right off.
In fact, I spat right in his face, a big loogie that hit him in his left eye. “That’s what I think
about that particular fairy royal.”
Something ugly passed across his face, and I had a split second of satisfaction that made what came next almost worthwhile.
Almost.
He leaned in close to my ear. “I could take care of your fairy and werewolf problem once and for all. But…now…we just need to keep you subdued until the fairy courts convene.”
“Why not just kill me?”
He gave me a grin, and this time, it did reach his eyes. A thrill of fear went through me. “Because there’s no better way to get through to Orin and Avery than by torturing you.”
“Can’t wait.”
He nodded to the fairies behind me, and they dragged me away from Kellan. Away from Blaize. Away from everyone.
The headache started even before I saw the iron. I hissed a sharp intake of breath, even felt the fairies behind me tense at the taste of the iron in the air. A werewolf appeared, an iron mace in its jaws. One of Blaize’s weapons, and I saw more just out of sight. Shit, the werewolves could touch it, but the fairies and I couldn’t, making it the perfect way to keep me in pain and out of commission. The fairies let me go and walked back, allowing the werewolf to approach me. The world spun around me, and I gritted my teeth as I staggered to the ground.
Worthless. Unable to fend for myself.
Time was ticking. And I had just failed everyone.
12
Blaize
The fairies dragged me away from Cassidy, away from where she stood talking to the fairy prince who had gotten Wolf killed. Because, for all that part of me wanted to blame Cass for Wolf’s death, I knew whose fault it really was. And given half a chance, I would cut him into a million pieces with cold, hard iron.
But instead, his henchmen dragged me into a shed on the side of the trail. The tiny wooden cabin was barely big enough to hold two people. In fact, I suspect that it wasn’t anything more than a way station for hikers.
The fairies had commandeered it, fortified it enough to hold me. I tried to shove against the door to open it and felt the heat of silver burning me through the wooden door. I glanced around and discovered touches of silver everywhere. The werewolves couldn’t come for me here—no, this was set up entirely for the fairies to be able to keep me, or maybe the werewolves, prisoners.
I listened for the fairies who had shoved me in here, hoping they would leave, but they stood just outside the door talking.
Fine. I’d have to get out of this one room cabin, take out the fairies standing guard—when I didn’t have any weapons at all—and go save Cass. And then we could find Drake and leave.
I shook my head, trying to dislodge the thought that followed on the heels of my ill-conceived plan.
I can’t leave Wolf’s body out here.
I needed to at least check to make sure his corpse had shifted to human form after death, as I knew werewolf bodies often did. I didn’t want to set off some sort of panic in California over wolves in San Francisco.
A sob welled up through me, and I shook with the effort to hold it down. I didn’t want the fairies standing guard to hear me crying. Anyway, I couldn’t afford to get too emotional right now. I had to get us free first.
But every time I made my way around the perimeter of the room, I found evidence of more silver.
“It’s like they wrapped silver chains around the whole thing or something,” I muttered to myself as I felt up and down the walls, making note of the places where I felt silver burning more hotly. Maybe they’d used silver particles, something like colloidal silver to soak the wood?
Whatever it was, and couldn’t figure out a way around it. I was trapped. Finally, I dropped to a sitting position on the floor, my knees drawn up to my chest with my arms wrapped around them, my head resting on my arms with my eyes closed.
I would conserve my strength and as soon as the fairies open the door, I would jump them, silver or no silver.
I was still sitting like that when I heard a strange thunking sound outside.
“What the—” A fairy-guard’s voice was cut short with another thunk.
Something interesting was going on outside, and I was trapped inside here.
I flowed to my feet, my hair having come out from under the cowboy hat, lost during the fight. Where it wasn’t matted, it stood straight out, floating in the magical crackle of the earth power I drew into me at the sound of footsteps approaching.
The floor underneath me creaked and groaned as I worked to pull rocks up through the dirt so I could throw them, use them to disable the elves coming back inside to get me.
But my magic wasn’t strong enough, or maybe I wasn’t fast enough. When the door opened, two male fairies stood outside. One of them held a bow and arrow and kept his back to me, watching behind them. The other one leaned in and grinned, an open, cheerful smile—completely at odds with how I was feeling.
He held one arm inside the cabin, palm up. “Come on,” he whispered. “It’s time to get out of here.”
My legs went stiff as I dropped my head down and peered up through the matted hair hanging in front of my face. I felt my eyes grow hot, and I let out a low, fierce growl. Like Wolf.
“Whoa—hold on. You don’t know who we are, do you?” The first fairy drew back a little bit. He had an interesting accent, almost British, different from the Winter Court’s prince.
Did that mean they were from different courts?
The thought was enough to hold me still. I didn’t attack—but I didn’t move, either.
“Come on,” the one holding the bow and arrow whispered harshly. “If we don’t get her out of here, we’re going to get caught, and I will never forgive you for insisting we come here before we get Cass.”
I blinked for the first time since the door had been flung open. “Who are you?” I rasped.
“I’m Orin,” said the one holding the door open for me. “And the one snarling at me over there is Avery. We’re here to rescue Cass.”
“And you, if you’ll get a move on,” Avery snapped.
I nodded slowly. I had no way to verify their claims, but I had even less reason to stay here. “The let’s go get her.”
“No,” Orin said. “We need to get you out of here first. Kellan won’t kill Cass. He thinks he needs her to get to us.”
Avery added, “But he won’t hesitate for even an instant to kill you—not if he thinks you can be used to control Cass.”
I started to argue, but then an idea occurred to me. “Okay. But there’s something I need to do first,” I added, not wanting to seem to acquiesce too quickly.
We slipped back along the trail toward the clearing where Cass had shot Wolf. We hadn’t been gone long, and the clearing was still littered with bodies in werewolf, Fae, and human form.
Even in death, Wolf’s fur glowed the moonlight.
“Where are they keeping Cass?” I asked, not quite ready to touch my companion’s body yet, despite the growing urgency I felt to get my cousin out of there.
“Over that hill.” Orin gestured with one hand. “There’s a fairy mound nearby—a trail that leads into the Winter Court.”
“Is that where Kellan is keeping Drake?” I asked.
“No—he’s still in California, almost certainly somewhere nearby. I don’t think Kellan is quite ready to present his claim to his own family.”
“No,” Orin agreed. “He really wants all three of us. That’s why he has Cass.”
“How can I help?” I asked.
“Get yourself somewhere safe. We will take care of Cass and we can all meet up at her place later.” Avery kept a watchful eye on the clearing.
Drawing in a deep breath, I sank down on my knees beside Wolf and ran my hand along his back. “Can you help me get him back to the van? I…” My voice broke. “I need to bury him somewhere he won’t be found, won’t cause humans to look any closer at wolves.”
“Bury him?” Orin asked, startled. “Why on earth would you bury him?”
“So the humans don’t start lookin
g for the monster wolves in their midst,” I explained again, slowly this time.
“Why would you bury him alive?” Orin asked.
“Alive?” I dropped my head down to his chest, listening for heartbeat. “He’s alive?”
I could feel the silver bullet inside him, feel it eating away at his flesh. I didn’t know how he could survive that.
“Move out of the way.” Avery pushed me, but gently, taking my place at Wolf’s side as I stood and stumbled out of the way. I wrapped my arms around myself, not daring to hope as Avery began weaving some complicated fairy magic over Wolf.
Sparkling gold-white lights the color of spring sunlight wrapped themselves around Wolf, spinning and swirling and drawing in tighter and tighter, like a rope, until it formed a web that through his fur, and then deeper, leaving behind sunlight sparkles all over him. And then that was absorbed into him, too, and was gone.
Seconds later, the silver bullet wormed its way out of Wolf’s body, dropping to the ground beside him.
Avery picked up the spent slug and dropped it into a pocket.
“There,” he said, leaning back on his heels. “It shouldn’t take more than just a minute…”
Wolf sat up and shook his head, and with a muffled cry, I threw myself at him, wrapping my arms around his furry bulk, holding him tight as tears ran down my face.
“We have to go to Cass now,” Orin said. “If we stay here any longer, we’re likely to be seen.”
“You get out of here, okay?” Avery said. “Cass will never forgive us if anything happens to you.”
I nodded and stood up. “Come on Wolf,” I said. We stumbled away from the clearing, back toward the van. But as soon as Cass’s boyfriends were out of sight, I stopped. “I have an idea. Come with me,” I whispered.
Wolf nodded, and we doubled back, tiptoeing through the woods until we came up over little rise. Nearby, Cass was tied to a tree trunk, her eyes closed as werewolves in forms ranging from human to wolf used my iron weapons, dragging them across her skin until she screamed.
Heroines and Hellions: a Limited Edition Urban Fantasy Collection Page 6
