by Hannah West
‘You can’t blame yourself for something you’ve no control over,’ he murmurs, his compassion suffusing the air around us.
‘It wants you,’ I whisper.
Zephyr pulls away enough to look down at me. ‘Your light?’
I nod. ‘It senses a brightness at your centre,’ I answer, not really knowing how to describe it any other way than that. ‘It’s all my darkness wants when I’m near you.’
Zephyr grins. ‘Thank the goddess, you feel it too!’
I frown. ‘What are you talking about?’
He cups my face. ‘Primrose, haven’t you listened to anything I’ve said? I’ve told you over and over how your light calls to me. The pull of it’s so strong it summoned me from my realm to yours.’
‘Your light seeks mine?’
‘Yes!’ he answers, like he’s been trying to tell me exactly that since we met. ‘Do you think I would’ve claimed you for anything less?’
‘There are others-’
‘Goddess help me, there are no others!’ he barks. ‘I see no other beyond the call of your essence, Primrose. My light will accept none but yours.’
‘Oh,’ I murmur.
‘Oh? That’s your answer?’
‘Well, you didn’t tell me! Not properly,’ I argue.
‘I’ve been telling you since I found you,’ he snaps.
‘Growling ‘You’re mine’ isn’t as clear as what you just explained,’ I snap back.
‘You are mine,’ he shouts his frustration stinging my skin. Zephyr calms a little and his expression softens. ‘And equally I am yours.’ He sighs. ‘When I found you in the Realm of Man, I thought you knew all this.’
‘I told you to leave me alone,’ I argue.
‘I tried,’ he says, like he’s admitting a dirty secret. ‘I couldn’t, and your rejection angered me.’
‘Because you thought I knew about fae?’
Zephyr nods. ‘I felt your light even before I claimed you. I could smell the human in you, but I’d never encountered a Halfling up close. I thought you smelt human because you’d been born one, not because you still were one.’
‘Because I had my light.’
‘Yes,’ he answers. ‘If you were human you wouldn’t have had any light, so I thought you were fae. We were compatible but you rejected me.’
I snort. ‘Because nobody has ever rejected you before?’
‘Because I’ve waited millennia for my match, and when I find her she doesn’t want me,’ he huffs.
I see the hurt in his eyes and try to imagine it from Zephyr’s perspective. It must have been a relief, finding a compatible mate before his parents fade. But I rejected him and his hopes were broken.
‘I’m sorry, Zephyr.’
He drops his forehead to mine. ‘My Rose,’ he whispers.
I close my eyes and breathe deep. Mum used to call me Rose, and memories well up inside me.
‘So, what now?’ I murmur.
‘We escape the Dark Realm,’ he answers.
I open my eyes and step back. ‘Okay, let’s do this.’
I retrieve the mating gown from the bed.
‘You’re not wearing that,’ Zephyr snarls.
‘And what do you think will happen if we get caught running around the palace, and I’m not dressed for the celebration?’
‘It’s a mating gown, Primrose.’
‘It’s cute that you think I don’t know that,’ I tell him heading for the bathroom to change.
CHAPTER 15
Zephyr grabs me before I step around the next corner, pressing me against the wall. He puts a hand over my mouth and flattens his body against mine, caging me in. The air around us grows hazy, like looking through rising heat in the desert. He puts a finger to his lips, signalling for me to be quiet then drops his hand from my mouth, as three male fae round the corner.
Sentinels.
Denlyr isn’t among them, but the ebony uniforms are duplicates of his. They all have black hair, but with different colours staining the tips. Unlike regular palace guards, these fae radiate danger in choking amounts. Darkness curls over my skin in response and Zephyr sucks in a breath. I look up into burning, amethyst eyes. He’s staring at the midnight swirls on my skin, with a look that makes my stomach clench.
‘Her chamber is empty,’ the sentinel with bronze staining his hair says.
‘Nor with Lord Darrack,’ the ruby-haired one adds, frustration painting his tone.
‘Aric ordered a lockdown of all portals until the ceremony is over,’ the third sentinel intones. ‘She cannot leave the Realm.’
‘The moon is rising,’ Ruby argues. ‘Time runs short.’
‘We’ll find her,’ Green answers.
The sentinels stare at each other, expressions intense, before disappearing behind glittering walls of glamour. I watch the space where they were standing, not knowing if they’re still standing there. No need to guess who they were talking about. I’ve been gone from my room less than twenty minutes and already everyone’s freaking out over not being able to find me.
‘They’re gone,’ Zephyr murmurs.
I meet his gaze. ‘How do you know?’
Using glamour creates a flare in a fae’s aura,’ he answers. ‘You can see it if you’re trained how.’
‘They know I’m missing, Zephyr. They’ve closed the portals.’
‘Not all of them.’
Zephyr steps back, allowing me to push away from the wall. He traces a finger over a dark swirl on my shoulder, eyes flaring bright. A shiver ripples through me at the barely-there touch. Darkness peels away from my skin and curls around his finger, and Zephyr’s skin lights with purple fire. I bite back a groan, knees going week.
‘Your light is black,’ he breathes.
‘They were sentinels, Zephyr;’ I answer, ‘my father’s personal guards. We need to go.’
Zephyr gently tugs his finger from the ebony curl then lifts his purple gaze to mine. ‘They won’t find us.’
He pulls me around the corner then through an arched doorway at the end of the hallway. We step into a room with vaulted ceilings. They make sense, since witnessing fae using their wings. The hallways are wide with high ceilings for the same reason. Fae can easily pass each other with their wings out and not worry about crashing into each other.
‘What is this place?’ I breathe, staring around the room with wide eyes.
The only light is coming from a circular pool in the centre of the flagstone floor. It’s filled with liquid light, shining white in the dark.
‘Every fae palace is built around a light pool,’ he answers. ‘They’re a source of replenishment for our kind.’
‘You mean healing?’
Zephyr nods. ‘They feed the light inside us, creating the ability to mend.’
‘So why are we here?’
‘Light pools are a link between realms,’ he explains. ‘They’re naturally occurring portals that can’t be closed.’
‘A doorway that can’t be closed,’ I murmur.
‘Yes,’ he answers, sounding pleased with my analogy. ‘I knew if I were discovered in the Dark Realm I’d be killed, and that they’d seal the portals if they suspected my presence. So I sought this place on arrival.’
Clever.
‘You came here, despite the strong possibility of dying?’
‘What’s a life without your other half?’ he answers.
I stare at him, his words shaking me. ‘Zephyr, I-’
‘Come,’ he cuts in, like he’s afraid of what I’m about to say, ‘we must leave before they remember this function of the light pool.’
I purse my lips and follow him to the edge of the pool. I look down into the luminous water, looking like a moon in the dark stone floor. It’s the first room I’ve encountered in the Dark Realm that doesn’t have the organic flooring, so I feel comfortable slipping off my shoes. I dip a toe into the liquid light, sending a rainbow ripple across the surface. It’s warm around my toes and sends energy fizzing through
me.
Wow.
I stare at the light in fascination, my darkness soaking it up. It’s not enticed by this light in the way it seems to be by Zephyr’s. There’s something about his brand of energy it craves, and everything else pales in comparison.
Zephyr climbs into the water and turns to face me, light hugging his hips. He reaches up to help me down, the heat of his hands scorching through the fabric at my waist. Light hugs my skin as he lowers me into the pool. It’s like slipping into a warm bath, without getting wet.
‘How does it work?’ I ask.
‘Light intersects the realms of our universe,’ Zephyr explains. ‘We can use our fae light to open doorways to the light that links the realms. That’s what happens when we use mirrors to open portals. We’re tapping into the pathways between realms.’
‘But this doorway is already open,’ I say, understanding.
‘Correct,’ he answers. ‘We don’t have to open a doorway to access it. We simply have to think of a destination and it will open a portal in that place.’
‘Where are we even going?’ I ask. I’m not sure I’m ready to go back to the Light Realm, but I think of Darrack and how he’s expecting to mate me. ‘Actually, I don’t care where we go, as long as it’s away from here.’
‘Close your eyes,’ Zephyr orders.
‘Why?’
‘I’m going to temporarily link our lights, so we end up at the same destination,’ he answers.
‘How will you do that?’
He cups my face and brings our faces close. His mouth is a breath from mine; his exhales heating my inhales.
‘When we’re connected, feel what I do with my light,’ he murmurs. ‘It will help you navigate the Light Ways should you ever need to do it again.’
‘But how-’
Zephyr presses his lips to mine, stopping my question with the softest of kisses. The second his lips meet mine his energy infuses me, weaving around my darkness in a complicated knot. The bottom of the pool shifts and we’re surrounded by light. It feels like we’re floating, before the light fades and gravity returns.
Zephyr’s lips leave mine and I realise I’m gripping his hair. I let go and step back, putting space between us. I suck my bottom lip as I look around, tasting him. It’s daytime wherever he’s taken us, but it’s not the Light Realm. I study the familiar lines of the room, wondering why I recognise it.
‘You know, I didn’t believe Nima when she said you’d found a match, Z.’
I turn in sync with Zephyr to a redheaded male smirking from the doorway.
‘Navi,’ Zephyr greets. ‘How Anima puts up with you continues to remain a mystery to me.’
Zephyr’s mention of Anima brings the room back into focus. I glance over my shoulder, to the exit mirror behind me. It’s the mirror I went through to get to the Dark Realm after I escaped Zephyr – The one Anima escorted me to. We’re in the mermaid’s house.
Navi shrugs. ‘She loves me.’
Zephyr’s expression softens. ‘I heard about her soul.’
‘All thanks to Caleb Harrison,’ Navi answers.
Zephyr frowns. ‘How is that possible?’
‘The Goddess,’ Navi says keeping with the cryptic conversation.
‘Do either of you want to explain any of this to me?’ I ask.
The dark-haired male, who was with Anima the first time we met, pushes around Navi into the room. ‘You should know Navi is annoying as hell,’ he tells me. ‘And he hates wearing clothes, so don’t be surprised to find him naked and flashing his junk.’
‘Humans have such warped ideas about nakedness,’ Navi counters. ‘Your opinion is biased, Caleb Harrison.’
Ah, so this is Caleb Harrison.
‘Your opinion has been noted,’ Caleb drawls, like he’s had this argument with Navi a million times before, then looks at me. ‘You should also know Anima and Navi aren’t human.’
‘They’re mermaids,’ I answer.
He hesitates. ‘Sort of.’
‘Sort of?’
‘It’s complicated,’ he tells me. ‘The only thing you need to know is that we’re not the bad guys.’
I blow out a breath. My gut instinct is to trust this guy, but my ability to judge people has been compromised. I don’t trust my instincts enough to make a decision on anyone anymore, leaving me with one last option. I’ll have to wing it.
‘You’re mated to Anima, right?’
‘I am,’ Caleb answers.
‘But she loves Navi?’ I ask, unsure what the dynamic is between them. Do mermaids mate more than one person?
‘He’s like her very annoying big brother,’ Caleb answers.
I nod in understanding. ‘And you love her?’ I shake my head as soon as the words are out. ‘Wait, that was rude.’
‘No, it’s okay,’ Caleb says. ‘Anima’s my soul mate.’
‘That’s terribly romantic,’ I say.
‘I guess it is,’ he answers. Caleb glances at Zephyr. ‘I take it you’re here because you want to be and not because he’s forcing you?’ he asks me.
I elbow Zephyr when he growls at Caleb. Navi snickers and I glare his way.
‘I’m here because I want to be, Caleb.’
‘Where’s Anima?’ Zephyr asks.
Caleb turns his attention to Zephyr, his frustration permeating the air. ‘She’s out swimming. Why are you here, Zephyr?’
‘We require concealment until morning,’ Zephyr answers, surprising me.
Caleb’s frown deepens. ‘Why here?’
‘More than one fae has passed through here in a short amount of time,’ Zephyr explains. ‘Tracing our light will be difficult enough in this place for us to remain hidden until morning.’
Caleb sighs and turns back to the doorway, shoving Navi aside as he leaves the room. ‘It’s a good job Mom and Dad are still on vacation,’ he calls over his shoulder on the way out.
‘Your parents know about the mermaids?’ I ask hurrying after him.
Caleb goes to the pink room I associate with Anima. ‘Hell no,’ he answers. ‘My parents don’t know anything about this stuff.’
‘You mean the supernatural crap that happens to be real?’ I grin. ‘I half expect a werewolf to knock on your front door and ask to borrow a cup of kibble.’
‘Don’t even joke about it,’ Caleb groans. ‘I’m too afraid it will come true.’
‘I’m unaware of any shifter territories in this area,’ Zephyr muses. ‘The nearest lupine community I can think of is two states over, but it’s been a while since I frequented the Realm of man.’
I join Caleb to stare at Zephyr.
‘Are you saying werewolves are real?’ Caleb asks.
‘Werewolves are fantasy based around a real species,’ Zephyr answers.
‘You called them shifters,’ I murmur. ‘Is that what they’re called?’
‘Don’t answer that,’ Caleb cuts in. ‘I’m still wrapping my head around the fact mermaids and faeries exist. I don’t want to deal with anything else unless, in fact, it turns up on my doorstep, which seems to be the trend at the moment.’
‘We’re called Fae,’ Zephyr corrects.
‘My species aren’t called mermaids, either,’ Navi stage whispers to me, while eyeing Caleb.
I can already see why Caleb finds him annoying. It seems Navi goes out of his way to do just that.
‘Whatever,’ Caleb huffs, ‘it’s the same thing.’ He looks at Zephyr. ‘You can stay until tomorrow. This room has fresh sheets and Anima can bunk with me.’ He moves to the doorway, pushing Navi with him on his way out. ‘Just shout if you need anything.’
The door clicks shut and I turn to find Zephyr watching me. Sunlight streams through the window behind him, silhouetting his frame.
‘You have the strangest friends,’ I mutter.
He grins. ‘Wait until you meet-’ His grin fades and the light dims in his eyes.
‘The colour of this room,’ I say, trying to fill the stretching silence between us.
A few more seconds pass and the silence turns awkward.
I huff. ‘Okay, what is it?’
‘I don’t-’
‘Bull crap! You’re acting weird.’
‘You never answered my question,’ he blurts.
Oh? Oh. I don’t need to ask which question he’s referring to. I scratch the back of my neck and pretend to study the eye-watering décor, while searching for the right things to say.
‘Is that why you brought me here, instead of the Light Realm?’ I say.
‘You know what will happen if I take you home,’ he answers.
‘It’s your home, not mine.’
‘I want it to be our home,’ he murmurs.
‘And what if I want the Realm of Man to be home?’ I argue.
‘I can’t rule a kingdom if I’m not residing in it, Primrose.’
He’s right and I know it, I’m just talking us around in circles. He’s giving me the choices I asked for, being reasonable for once, and I’m making it harder for the both of us. I take a deep breath and close my eyes, turning my thoughts inward.
‘Primrose-’
‘Give me a second,’ I tell him.
I take a moment to think things through. My life has never been what a human would call normal. My darkness made sure of it. But what is normal? I don’t know what being fae really means. What I’ve seen has been wild and brutal, mixed with graceful elegance. They’re bi-polar beings and so am I. The few things I do know all point towards Zephyr being the answer. It’s difficult to admit that the thing I’ve been running from this whole time could be the thing I need most. My darkness wants him with an intensity I can’t describe. When Zephyr touches me, it calms that wild place in my centre and brings it to life. He’s got the key to the cage it’s been locked in, and I know without him it will never be free. I try to imagine living millennia feeling caged this way, and open my eyes to look at Zephyr. How has he done it?
‘I agree,’ I whisper.
‘You agree?’
I take a deep breath then blow it out. ‘To mate you,’ I clarify. ‘I agree to mate you, Zephyr.’
Zephyr closes his eyes. ‘Thank you.’
‘Tomorrow, you can take me back to the Light Realm,’ I say.
