As I head into the ballroom, I’m grabbed around the waist and pulled to a large hard body. A face comes down to nuzzle my neck and, before I can pull away, a now familiar “Mine” rumbles against my exposed skin.
I turn around, his hands still holding me tight, to see the mountain from The Black Hall.
“Not yours,” I grate out as I begin to push away from him.
He doesn’t budge an inch as he swiftly moves me onto the dance floor. One arm snakes around my waist pulling me flush to his body as he sways to the odd Fae melody playing softly around us.
He’s wearing a mask that almost covers his entire face, his eyes are in shadow, but the mask stops to show his chin and lips. His chin is smooth, not a single bit of stubble showing, and his white hair hangs just past his shoulders. When I take in his white hair and tanned skin I wonder if this could be Lykos, but the thought soon slips from my mind when he lowers his mouth to my neck again. I don’t stop him as he traces a path along the faint scarring. Instead, I moan as he traces kisses along my sensitive skin, but as soon as the moan escapes I realize I’m only feeling this because of the unfinished mating bond with Bastian. I push back, my senses no longer clouded by the feel of the mountain’s hands on my waist and his lips on my skin.
Out of the corner of my eye I see a man and woman the same height with blue-black hair slip from the dance floor. Realizing this could be the twins, I push out of the mountain’s arms.
He rumbles the word “Mine” again, and reaches for me. Luckily, I’m just out of his grasp.
As I move to follow the twins, the mountain follows. I put a hand to his massive chest to stop him. I almost get distracted by the feel of his muscles tensing under my hand.
“No! You can’t follow me, I’m here to do a job, and you’re distracting me.” I push him back a little as much as anyone my size can move a man that big.
I move off the dance floor noticing he doesn’t follow this time. As I move through the throng of people I glance and see the twins again. I move over to the grand staircase and follow them up. They are only a few feet in front of me at this point. As I reach the top of the staircase, the twins in front of me disappear. And by disappear, I mean their image in front of me wavers then, poof, gone.
I stare in disbelief as a hand closes over my arm and wrenches me back. A man with blue-black hair steps in front of me whilst I’m held firmly by another.
The male leans in and removes his mask. “Hello, Scarlet, my dear, I was wondering when we’d get the chance to see your lovely face again.”
Chapter Seventeen
It is Bryn, which means I am being held by Bronwyn. They drag me into one of the private nooks, closing the curtains behind them. The space itself is bigger than I thought and holds a chaise longue piled with pillows.
“I bet you thought you were hunting us when, the entire time, we’ve been hunting you. Not many people know Bronwyn can create small illusions,” Bryn tells me with a vicious hint in his voice. He pulls my mask off and places it on the chaise behind him.
I don’t know how I actually thought him to be regal when we first met, now I only see the evil taint I know he has. His face still has that elfin look, but the hard edge to it makes him look malicious, I don’t know how I missed it before.
I don’t wrench myself free from Bronwyn’s grasp just yet, I am hoping she is as weak in strength as she is in character.
“Good to know. So, what do you want with me? The usual I’m guessing. Revenge, or something else more nefarious than before?” I ask Bryn, my voice just a bit too much on the cocky side.
“I should probably tell you that while we have been looking for you, it is not of our own accord,” he tells me with a sly smirk.
“Like I’d believe any lie that comes out of your mouth,” I spit at him.
He moves in close to me then. “Believe me or not, what’s coming for you is far worse than anything you’ve ever encountered.
I roll my eyes. Still waiting for the right time to strike.
“Rozen thinks using you will further his plan for world domination, but he doesn’t see what we do. You’ll find a way around his stupid blood oath eventually, you’re far too enterprising. But no matter what he does to you, or we do to you, I live happy in the knowledge that what’s coming for you is better than any revenge I could think to plan,” Bryn says to me, then to Bronwyn. “Let her go.”
She releases her grip from my arms and then Bryn steps in to me. His hands grasp me at the shoulders, I feel the most horrendous pain crawl over my skin, followed by a fear so horrific, I feel I’ll never be safe again. While I know this is Bryn’s Fae power, my mind can’t comprehend why I’m so afraid and in so much pain.
My legs give out slightly, but Bryn still holds my shoulders. Once his power has washed over me, and the pain and fear subside, I stand straight again and smile.
“Does it look like torture works on me, you should know better. Even Rozen and Warren couldn’t break me,” I sneer at him, hoping my ruse will work. If he does that to me too many times, I will happily retreat into my head, never to return again.
“Well if pain doesn’t break you, I know something that will.”
I brace myself, preparing for what comes next.
His magic rushes over me again and, this time, it sets my skin alight, flooding me with pleasure. Which, considering how I’ve been feeling lately, is probably worse than the pain. I feel on the edge of exploding as his pleasure ignites every cell in my body.
Bryn drops his arms, smiling as he pulses more energy into me.
I smile finally, seeing my moment. I kick Bryn straight in the balls, then as he bends to hold his bits in place, I punch him in the nose, blood spurting at the impact. I then turn and punch Bronwyn in the side of the head and move over to the curtain.
“You should have stuck with the pain. No one can make pleasure feel as intense as it does when I’m near my mate,” I state to him, as he looks shocked his power didn’t work.
I realize something then, but Bryn starts to move, recovering quickly. I dart out of the curtain and start running as quickly as I can in this dress towards the room in the alcove.
I risk a glance back and see they are both following me as I reach the door. I open it and run through, noting even in the dark, the room is completely empty.
Where the hell are the queen’s guards?
I race over to the window, dodging the furniture as best as I can. My only escape from them without backup, is jumping and making it back to Rozen’s. I only hope he will protect me from them, after all it is in his best interests.
Bryn crashes through the door, once he’s quite a few feet into the room, he stops. Bronwyn follows shortly behind, stopping as soon as she sees her brother has me cornered.
“There’s nowhere to run, Scarlet, and I wouldn’t chance the jump,” Bryn taunts as Bronwyn moves to stand at his side, as silent as ever.
My heart beats wildly as I try to inch the window up, but it won’t budge. I turn then, looking at Bryn. The door slams shut behind them. They both whip around to see who’s there, but from where I’m standing I can see no one. I narrow my eyes while they’re distracted, puzzling over who has done it, when guards start to melt out of the walls.
The cavalry is here. Panic over. I watch in fascination as a dozen guards just step from the walls as if walking through a door. As I watch, the queen herself pops in to existence at my side. I jump about a foot away from her, stifling my scream of fright.
Bryn and Bronwyn are both looking around frantically as the guards approach them.
“I thought you weren’t coming,” I state to the queen, not taking my eyes off the twins.
“It had to look real,” she says simply, before moving closer to Bryn and Bronwyn. “You are both hereby stricken from the records and stripped of all your land and titles. You will no longer be associated with the Seelie Royal Court. You will be held in the null cells under the castle for the rest of your life, however short that may b
e.”
Bryn sneers at the guard in front of him and flings his hand out.
The guard laughs. “We have a null in the room, so your powers won’t work here.”
I watch as Bryn and Bronwyn are cuffed, then teleported away along with all but two of the guards. The queen turns to me then and smiles.
“We have been after them for the last two decades. I thank you for your help,” she tells me.
I’m still not sure I should be trusting this queen, but so far, she’s given me no reason not to. “Bryn told me something far deadlier is coming for me, do your sources know anything about that?” I ask.
“They only know of Bryn’s interest in you. I wouldn’t believe a word that leaves his mouth. I haven’t for a very long time. I must go and see that my prisoners have settled in to their new home.” She moves to stand in between her guards. “That dress looks stunning on you,” she says, before winking out of existence.
Chapter Eighteen
I walk back down to the main floor so I can start my search for Lykos again. I have no idea where my mask is now. The nook I had been in is now occupied so I figure I’ll just leave it there. As I reach the bottom step I bump into a smallish woman.
I turn to apologize when she unmasks and says, “Scarlet. What’s a half breed like you doing here?”
“Silas. Long time, no see.” Thankfully, I say to myself, ignoring her question. She is, after all, one of the people I hoped to never have to see ever again once I left school.
“It’s. Silence,” she grits out, obviously still just as bitchy as when I last saw her.
What sort of name is Silence anyway, and who sends a full-blooded Fae girl to a Human school? I loathed her, a lot.
“So, Silas, been up to much in the last few years?” I ask, really not caring.
She rolls her lilac eyes at me and tosses her silvery blonde hair over her shoulder. “The usual,” she replies. “It looks like you still can’t get rid of your stalker, James, though.”
I grab her by the front of her dress and lean in real close. “What do you mean by that?” I say through gritted teeth.
“Nothing. Only, I’m pretty sure the guy at the top of the stairs watching you looks just like him. He is wearing a mask, but the build and hair are the same,” she blurts, looking at a man at the top of the stairs.
I release her and see she’s right. Then I swing my gaze back to her. “How do you know what he looks like nowadays?”
“I saw him last year. He’s not changed that much, he’s just bigger and older.”
I turn my gaze back to the man who starts to move away. I quickly forget about Silas and race after him.
The shout “A pleasure as always, bitch!” follows me up the stairs.
As I reach the top of the stairs, I see the man in the mask look around before entering a room near to the end of the corridor. I follow him and, when I reach the door, I start to rationalize it can’t possibly be Aylesbury, and that I’m seeing things again. I still open the door and enter the dark room.
As I move further into the dark room, a torch is lit, and three masked men are illuminated by it. Another masked man shuts and locks the door behind me.
Shit! Why do I always get myself into these situations? I shout for Neria, and she’s instantly in my hand. More lights are lit by the fourth man, and I can see two of the men are familiar. One is the man I followed in here, another is the mountain.
“You won’t be needing that,” one of them says, his voice muffled by his mask.
“Why?” I ask, as the one with familiar brown hair unmasks.
Aylesbury stands before me, alive, I can hardly believe it. I drop the sword and run, launching myself into his arms, wrapping my legs around his waist, and holding on to him as tightly as I can. I’m in his arms seconds before I start to convulse in agony.
I will leave all my friends and family behind, severing all ties.
I’ve unwittingly broken the oath.
The agony sears my skin and bones, I feel like my insides are coming out, and my skin is being flayed. I only hear snippets of what is said around me, I don’t even recognize half of the words through the pain.
“—happening to her—”
“Do it—”
“—she’ll die… Blood—”
“I told you she’s—”
“Red! Listen.”
The pain is too unbearable now, and my mind starts to disconnect from my body. As it does, I hear Aylesbury’s voice more clearly.
“You need to open your mouth, if you don’t, you’ll die.”
I struggle to understand what he means, but even though my teeth are gritted against the pain, I try to loosen my jaw through sheer will. A bottle is brought to my lips and I’m forced to drink an endless amount of liquid. I now feel like I’m going to drown as well as die from this pain.
Moments after finishing the liquid the pain starts to recede. As I draw long, deep breaths into my lungs to calm me, I realize all four men are crowded around me and I’m lying on the floor. They back off slightly as I manage to sit up.
“How’d you stop it?” I ask Aylesbury, my voice a hoarse whisper.
“We confused it.”
“But how?”
“You drank our blood. The spell you are under now thinks we are the same. It no longer sees me as a danger, but as a part of you, and it confuses it.” Aylesbury always was a clever one. “It will only work until you’ve fully ingested our blood, so you may have to keep taking more.”
Gross!
My mind no longer foggy, I stand up and launch myself at Aylesbury again. He’s alive, and now he can help me figure a way to break this oath and bring Rozen down.
“Wow, Red, what’s all this for?” he says.
I loosen the death grip my arms have around his neck and lean in to kiss his cheek over and over, inhaling his familiar scent as I do. “I thought you were dead?” I say, gripping my legs and arms around him even tighter.
A growl starts to rumble at the side of me and without moving, I say, “Bastian, you better shut the hell up. I’m having a moment.”
Aylesbury reaches up and unclasps my arms until I’m looking at his face again. “Red, I’ve missed you too.”
I untangle my limbs from around his body and slide back down him scowling. I reach up and smack him on the top of the head then say, “You bastard! You let me believe you were dead. Why would you do that?”
“Technically, I didn’t know you thought I was dead.” He looks at me, then smiles and asks, “Why did you think I was dead?”
“Your room at the hospital was empty and the guy said you were gone.”
“Yeah, I was gone. Have I taught you nothing these last few years? Bastian had me transferred to the Manor when I miraculously started to recover. How did you know that was Bastian by the way? His hair is white, and his face is covered?” he asks, pointing to the mountain that is Bastian.
Bastian takes off his mask, and although his hair and eyes are different, it’s definitely him. His shoulder-length hair is now pure white, which stands out against his tanned skin. His eyes are silver and I am pretty sure they start to glow when I say his name.
“To be fair, I didn’t figure that out until about an hour ago,” I tell him.
I walk up to Bastian and place a hand on his chest. He is bigger than normal here though, and he no longer has his usual dark stubble shadowing the bottom half of his face. I reach up to feel his cheek, to see how smooth it is. As I connect my hand to his skin, he growls and bends his head down to claim my lips in a fiery kiss. With how I’ve been feeling lately, his lips molding to mine is about to tip me over the edge. I get a hold of myself and push him away, before I beg him to take me on the floor.
“If you only figured out it was me an hour ago, then what were you doing reacting to me like you did the last two times you saw me?” Bastian growls at me.
I roll my eyes at him. “Obviously my body recognized you, even if my mind didn’t.”
That w
as quick thinking. I even convinced myself that was why too, and that it had nothing to do with my increased sex drive. To be fair, I’d only figured it out when Bryn tried to use his evil pleasure power on me. He flashes me his smug smile and releases me.
I turn around to see Adam and Jared unmasked and standing watching the interaction.
“You guys really can’t be here,” I say to them, backing away from Bastian.
“Why can’t we be here, Red?” Aylesbury asks, crowding me.
“She’s under oath. I told you that already,” Adam grinds out.
I whirl and face him. “You shouldn’t have involved them,” I say with as much vehemence as I can, but really, I wanted to know how he knew. A question I daren’t ask in case I trigger the oath.
“They’ve been in Faerie almost as long as you have. They asked for my help, more importantly, the Lycan asked for my help. You know he wouldn’t tolerate me unless it was necessary to help you,” Adam replies.
I narrow my eyes at him.
“Red, we spent the first few days you went missing looking for you, and the last few stalking your every move, trying to find out what’s going on,” Aylesbury says, locking his eyes on mine. I was still so relieved to see him.
I sit down on the edge of a table as they all crowd around me. “What have you found then?” I say to no one in particular. Maybe they could help me get out of this oath.
Aylesbury continues. “Let’s start with the bastard that jumped me and shot me up with silver nitrate, drugged me, and stabbed me half to death. I know he’s the same guy pulling your strings now. When I woke up, it was to Bastian pitching a fit because Quinn had seen you kissing someone outside of the hospital. I went with him to your apartment to find out what the hell you were doing.”
Bastian interrupts. “The smell in your room almost drove me insane. It was only Aylesbury’s insistence you wouldn’t do this to me that made me recheck the apartment. When I did, I could tell the smell wasn’t right. You’re going to need a new bed by the way.”
Sacrifice Page 10
