by Jenna Black
I resisted the urge to reach up and touch the mark. It didn’t hurt or anything, but somehow I was always very conscious of it on my skin, knowing exactly where it was even when I couldn’t see it.
“It’s like a tracking device. He claims it’s for my own good,” I said, “because he wants me alive so I can take him into the mortal world.”
I hadn’t thought it was possible for Keane to look any more horrified, but I was wrong. Most of the people around me had accepted that the Erlking, despite being one scary dude, wanted me alive. They didn’t know that he wanted me alive so much he’d saved my life, but it was pretty obvious a dead Faeriewalker wasn’t going to do him much good. From the way Keane was looking at me, I felt sure he wasn’t as convinced as the rest.
“He knows where you are right now?” Keane asked. “He knows the location of your safe house?”
“Yeah, he knows. He’s known for a long time and he hasn’t come down here after me, so you can stop looking like the world just came to an end.”
“You’re unbelievable! You didn’t think it was important to tell anyone this shit?”
“What good would it do? No one can do anything about it.” A geis prevented the Erlking from attacking anyone in Avalon, but the geis was deactivated if someone attacked him. “The bottom line is he can’t attack me, and I don’t want anyone getting all protective about this and maybe giving him an excuse to hurt them.” That was, after all, how Ethan had been captured by the Wild Hunt.
Keane didn’t look convinced.
“You’re not going to tell my dad, are you?” I asked, then chewed my lip when he didn’t answer immediately.
Keane let out a heavy sigh and shook his head. “How many other secrets are you keeping?”
I didn’t want to think about that. The Erlking had once suggested that all my secrets were going to come back and bite me in the butt someday. I had a feeling he was right, but I was determined to put off dealing with it until absolutely necessary.
“Are you going to tell on me or not?” I asked, ignoring Keane’s question.
“I won’t. At least for now. But you really should tell him yourself. Have you ever considered that when you go into Faerie, the geis that keeps the Erlking from hunting anyone in Avalon won’t be in effect anymore? And that you’re not officially a member of the Seelie Court and therefore aren’t protected by the Erlking’s agreement with the Queens?”
I’m sure my face went pale. No, I hadn’t thought of that.
“There will be nothing to prevent him from hunting you, and if you’ve got the equivalent of a radio collar on you, he won’t have to look very hard to find you.”
It was true that the Erlking didn’t want to kill me. However, if he was free to hunt me, then if he captured me, he could force me to join his Wild Hunt. And then the Hunt would have its very own pet Faeriewalker to take them out into the mortal world and wreak havoc.
I swallowed hard. “I hadn’t thought of that,” I said, “but I’m sure my dad has. He wouldn’t take me into Faerie unless he’s sure the Erlking can’t get me.”
“How can he be sure when he doesn’t have all the facts?”
Geez, Keane was full of uncomfortable questions today. And I was sorely lacking in satisfying answers. Dad had assured me I’d be protected by the rules of Court etiquette. The Erlking didn’t belong to either Court, but maybe he followed their rules of etiquette anyway. I trusted my dad and his judgment.
“I’m going to go change,” I announced, because continuing this conversation wasn’t going to do anyone any good. I could feel Keane’s angry gaze on my back even after I escaped to my bedroom and closed the door behind me.
* * *
My day didn’t get any better after that. I had a lot of packing to do, and my mom called about a zillion times. I refused to answer, despite the weepy messages she left. I couldn’t face talking to her. I was too freaked out by the reality that I was leaving for Faerie the very next day, in the company of a prince who would be happy to see my dad—and me, by extension—dead, to deal with any more drama.
As if all this wasn’t enough to make me a nervous wreck, my dad came by in the afternoon and took me to a gun range to teach me how to fire the derringer. Shooting the little gun was a stark reminder that this supposedly safe trip of ours might be far more dangerous than we knew. I also discovered that I was not destined to be an expert marksman. I had to fight my instinct to close my eyes every time I pulled the trigger, and I jumped at the noise, despite the earplugs.
Dad was pretty patient with me, but I think he was regretting the impulse to give me a lethal weapon by the time we left the range.
There was one bright spot to my day, though it wasn’t the kind of bright spot that soothed my nerves: that night, Ethan and I were going on our first honest-to-goodness date. We’d planned it before the summons, and there was no way I was going to cancel. Although this being our first real date, I couldn’t help being nervous. (As if the knowledge that I would be leaving everything familiar behind and traveling to Faerie in less than twenty-four hours didn’t make me nervous enough.)
It didn’t help that this morning’s session with Keane had made me so painfully aware of all the secrets I was keeping, even from my family and my closest friends. For example, I’d never told Ethan about the Erlking’s mark. His head would probably explode if he ever found out I’d told Keane and not him. I could give Ethan some watered-down version of the story I’d given Keane, but Ethan was more likely to push for details—and I was more likely to cave to his pushing.
The last time Ethan and I had gone out together was before the Erlking had sunk his claws into Ethan. I’d insisted we were just friends, and it wasn’t a date. We’d gone to a movie, and I’d discovered just how creative Ethan was capable of being in a darkened movie theater. Even with Finn sitting there just a few rows back, Ethan had gotten away with things I’d never meant to let him get away with.
Figuring I’d learned the hard way that going to a movie with Ethan was dangerous, this time we were going out to dinner instead.
I have to admit, I felt pretty sophisticated and grown up as I headed out to meet Ethan at a tiny little Italian restaurant he swore was fantastic. Most kids my age did school dances or trips to the mall for their dates, but Ethan had outgrown high school dating practices. He could act majorly childish and immature at times—especially when he was bickering with Kimber—but at the ripe old age of eighteen, he considered himself an adult, and for this date, he’d chosen to act like one.
He was waiting for me just outside the restaurant, and I felt the familiar flutter of excitement in my belly when I first caught sight of him. The Fae are all ridiculously good-looking, but from the moment I’d met Ethan, he’d pushed my buttons in a way no one else did.
His hair was a very pale blond, and it reached to his shoulders when he didn’t have it tied back. His eyes were a shade of teal blue humans can only achieve with contacts. And the slight imperfection of his nose—which looked like it had once been broken—gave him just enough character to save him from being pretty.
Of course, these days, the first thing that drew my eyes when I caught sight of him was the Erlking’s mark, which looked like a tattoo of a stylized blue stag curling around the side of his face. It was the mark that said that even though he was no longer a member of the Wild Hunt, he was still bound to the Erlking. It always gave me a little chill when I saw it, although if I didn’t know what it meant, I might have thought it kinda sexy.
Ethan broke into a smile when he caught sight of me. That smile still had the power to make my insides quiver, but there was a haunted look in his eyes that made my heart ache for him. He was not the same boy I’d first met. Once upon a time, Ethan had been cheerful and carefree. You couldn’t apply either of those words to him now. Everything he had gone through had been because of me, and sometimes I felt like I was drowning in the guilt.
Glancing over my shoulder at Finn—who, of course, had to come with me eve
n on a date, because that’s what bodyguards do—Ethan put his hands on my shoulders, then leaned forward to give me a chaste kiss. Even that slight brushing of lips made me tingle all over. I wanted to pull his head back down to mine, wanted him to give me a deeper, longer kiss. But although Finn wasn’t officially my chaperone, I knew he’d interrupt if things got too hot and heavy. Besides, I couldn’t help being self-conscious with him watching.
“You look beautiful tonight,” Ethan told me, still smiling as he held the restaurant door open.
I was glad he thought so, because I’d spent the better part of an hour deciding what to wear. I felt like a total loser for doing it, but I couldn’t seem to help myself. I’d gone for jeans, paired with a cozy sweater that would not only keep me warm on this typical chilly Avalon summer night, but would also feel nice if Ethan should happen to touch me.
The restaurant was even tinier than I’d imagined, with only ten tables and a bar about the size of your average walk-in closet. Nine of those tables were occupied, and there were a number of twenty-somethings hanging around the bar. I was acutely aware of how much Finn stood out as he positioned himself against the wall near the door.
Most people were dressed pretty casually—one couple, who were probably tourists and didn’t know the average temperature for summer here was in the sixties, were even wearing shorts. Finn, on the other hand, was wearing his usual dark suit and tie, as well as the dark sunglasses, and he was on the receiving end of more than one curious look.
The hostess guided Ethan and me to our table, and I tried not to feel self-conscious. The people who’d stared at Finn were one by one transferring their curious stares to Ethan and me.
I should have been used to it by now. I had to have Finn with me whenever I left my safe house—unless I had my dad instead. Which meant I was always at least a little conspicuous. But maybe because of the whole date thing, I felt more conspicuous than usual. My nerves were buzzing as I picked up my menu and stared at it without seeing it.
I was on a date. A real, honest-to-goodness date. With a guy so gorgeous he’d usually have a handful of cheerleaders hanging on him wherever he went. I know that compared to all the crazy stuff that had happened to me so far in Avalon, this was nothing. But it made my heart beat a little quicker. And it made me feel about as mature as your average twelve-year-old.
Ethan leaned over the table, dropping his voice. “Is something wrong?”
Great. Bad enough that I felt so awkward and uncomfortable. Did I really have to be so obvious about it that Ethan could tell?
Way to look sophisticated, Dana.
I forced a smile and told myself to get over it. Not only had Ethan and I had more, um, intimate encounters before, but I had absolutely no reason to be nervous around him. At least, so I told myself.
“Nope. Not a thing.”
Ethan rolled his eyes. “Yeah, right. That’s why you look like you want to jump out of your chair and run.”
That shook me out of my little bout of self-pity. “I do not!”
“Do too.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. For the moment, his smile looked normal, like the friendly smile he’d used to devastating effect before the Erlking had come into his life. But then he seemed to remember himself, and the smile wilted.
“Sorry,” I said. “I guess I’m obsessing a bit about this trip to Faerie.” It made as good an excuse as any.
Ethan nodded and picked up his menu. This time, he was the one deliberately avoiding my eyes. “It’s going to be a fun time all right. You, me, Kimber, and Keane all hanging out together twenty-four/seven.”
I snorted. “That’s what you think is most disturbing about this whole thing? That the four of us are going to be spending so much time together? I’m more worried about stuff like, oh, you know, dying a slow and horrible death.”
The look in Ethan’s eyes hardened. “You’re not going to die,” he said, reaching across the table to take my hand in his. The touch made my belly flutter again. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you.” He grimaced. “And neither is anyone else.”
I squeezed Ethan’s hand and smiled. “Thanks. I know you’ll all do your best. And maybe I’m getting myself all worked up over nothing. Maybe it’ll end up being as safe as a school trip.”
The look on Ethan’s face told me he didn’t believe that any more than I did. The waiter chose that moment to come over and take our orders. Neither one of us had done more than glance at the menu, but Ethan knew what he wanted, and I made a snap decision, more interested in Ethan’s comment about our traveling companions.
“Do you think it’s a bad idea for all four of us to go?” I asked when the waiter was out of earshot. “Are you and Keane going to try to kill each other before the first day’s travel is through?”
To say Ethan and Keane disliked each other was an understatement. Ethan, for whatever reason, was jealous of the time I spent with Keane. Time I spent getting my butt kicked, not making out or anything, but Ethan didn’t seem to make the distinction. And apparently, Ethan had stolen Keane’s girlfriend when they were in high school, so Keane hated him. I didn’t know whether anyone but me realized Kimber was into Keane, but I’d bet if the boys found out, it wouldn’t help the situation. So far, I’d never been around Ethan and Keane together, but I’d be shocked if sparks didn’t fly.
Ethan scowled at me. “Having the two of us so close together is a recipe for disaster. But I won’t start anything if he doesn’t.”
And didn’t that just fill me with confidence?
“This trip is going to be miserable enough without you two going all MMA on us.”
Ethan cocked his head to the side. “MMA?”
“Mixed Martial Arts. I guess that’s a U.S. thing, huh?” Or maybe just a human thing. I suspected the Fae might find MMA … undignified.
“I guess. What is it?”
I shrugged. “Some fighting thing. Lots of blood and testosterone. Not my cup of tea.”
Ethan grinned, but the expression didn’t reach his eyes. “I’m not a complete idiot, you know. Keane teaches self-defense for a living. I’m not about to ‘go all MMA’ on him. Not unless I want to have my ass handed to me.”
Ah. That was what was chafing Ethan. He might be a magical prodigy and everyone’s golden boy, but he knew Keane could take him in a physical fight. Boys and their egos.
“We’ll find a way to get along,” Ethan assured me. “You should have all the protection you can get, and I’m sure Keane is a good man to have in a fight.” There was an edge in his voice, like it was practically killing him to admit that. I must have made some kind of face, because Ethan reached out and gave my shoulder a squeeze.
“It won’t be so bad,” Ethan said. “Even if tensions run a little high, you should be looking forward to your first look at Faerie. It’s a pretty cool place.”
“What could be more fun than traveling in a place where creatures like Water Witches and Spriggans live?” I grumbled.
“Water Witches and Spriggans are both Unseelie,” Ethan reminded me. “We’ll be traveling through Seelie territory.”
“Oh, yeah, and all the creatures of the Seelie Court are sweetness and light.”
He smiled sheepishly. “Well, no. But they’re unlikely to bother Prince Henry.”
I was far from convinced, though I resisted the urge to say so. This was supposed to be a romantic night out, and so far I’d spent most of it whining and complaining. Real attractive.
Ethan’s hand found mine under the table. Our fingers twined. It was a simple touch, but it sent a pleasant shiver through me anyway. Our eyes met and locked, and the rest of the world seemed to fade away. His thumb stroked gently over my knuckles, and I wished that after we were done with dinner, we could have some quiet time together, just the two of us.
But, of course, that wasn’t going to happen. If I was lucky, I might get a goodnight kiss, but with Finn watching our every move, it would be a chaste, G-rated kiss that wouldn’t eve
n begin to satisfy our hunger.
Ethan leaned toward me, dropping his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “We’re going to be traveling together for weeks. I bet if we’re clever enough, we can carve out some time for ourselves.”
My heart fluttered at the thought, though I suspected getting time alone on this trip was going to take more than a little cleverness. And even if we did …
Ethan and I could never do much more than make out. I knew I should be satisfied with that, at least for now. It wasn’t like I was ready to go all the way with him even if I didn’t have the Erlking’s bargain hanging over me. But I’ve never been good at living in the moment. Taking care of my mom had taught me from a very young age that I always had to look three steps ahead, had to be ready for the curveballs life was going to throw at me. My forethought had helped keep food on the table and kept us from getting evicted, but sometimes—like now—I really wished I could just switch it off.
Ethan leaned even farther over the table. “I can read you like a book,” he said. “Forget about the Erlking for a while. We can have plenty of fun together without crossing the line.” There was a wicked twinkle in his eyes that made my heart flutter. “I can be very creative, you know.”
I swallowed hard, both excited and intimidated by his words. Just kissing Ethan was almost enough to make me completely lose my head. If we were alone together without a bodyguard/chaperone, I suspected he could completely overwhelm me. There was something very tempting about the idea of being overwhelmed like that, of letting him kiss me until my rational mind went on sabbatical and I just allowed myself to feel without thought.
It was a dangerous temptation. Especially with a guy like Ethan, who was no doubt used to girls who could and would put out. Could I trust him to stop on his own if I let down my guard? Or did we need me to remain in my role as the voice of reason?
I wished I knew.
