The DarkWorld SkinWalker Series Box Set Vol II: The SkinWalker Series Books 4, 5 & 6: Blood Promise, Scorched Fury, & Fate's Edge (DarkWorld: SkinWalker)

by T. G. Ayer

  Lily cleared her throat and looked at my father. “Sir.” She paused, hesitated. “Um, Kai told me about what you wanted to try and I . . . I think I’ll do it. But only if you’re the one to look after me.”

  My ears rang at her words and had I been able to stand I would have thrown my arms around her and given her a giant hug. For all her abrasiveness, Lily could be the sweetest, kindest person I knew. To think she’d once thought of me as the bitch who was trying to take Anjelo away from her.

  I suppressed a laugh at the memory as Dad tilted his head, his expression serious. “I understand how much courage it would have taken to agree to this, Lily. And I promise I’ll take good care of you. No less than if you were my own child.” His tone lowered and her eyelashes fluttered as she looked up at him.

  She nodded, either too terrified, or too emotional to respond.

  Dad proceeded to administer to my shoulder wound and Lily ended up stepping over to help Darcy mop up the blood. For some reason the arm wound hurt more, and bled more, but I didn’t get too much time to think about it. Dad moved something within the wound that sent searing agony through me and before I could gasp or cry or scream, I passed out.

  Thank Ailuros.

  Chapter 25

  When I came to, Lily was nowhere to be found, and my visitor was the last person I expected to see.

  Tara sat beside the window, eyes on a dusty old novel. The room was silent, apart from the rustle of the pages as she turned them, and my irregular breathing of course.

  I blinked, feeling the lashes crinkle painfully on my lids. Strange how you feel everything on a microscopic level when injured. Tara shifted, laying the book down on the table beside her, the soft silk of her rose gold cowl-necked gown whispering against her skin.

  As she walked to the bed, my heart warmed as I scanned the room.

  Greer’s old bedroom. What would she have thought about her bed being used as a hospital gurney? The Greer I’d met before she’d died would have approved.

  “Hey,” said Tara, the curve of her lips soft and benevolent. She moved to sit on the bed, curling up next to me, paying no attention to the possible creasing of her regal robes. “I leave you alone for five minutes and you go and get yourself killed?”

  I snorted, then inhaled hard from the ache it caused. “I’d say you should see the other guy, but there’s nothing left of him.”

  She laughed and I joined in, and ended up coughing like I had lung disease.

  “Hey, calm down. I don’t want to be the one who finally flips your switch.”

  “Just try. I won’t go down without a fight.”

  A wary glance at the door.

  “Any news?” I asked.

  She nodded. “This time our lab has similar results to yours. And we found the origin of the poison. I sent the reports to your phone, but essentially the toxin has a Fae origin.” She frowned. “Or rather it has had Fae influence during its extraction process.”

  I touched her hand. “That doesn’t mean that the perpetrator is Fae, Tara. And even if it is, they may have a good reason.” I’d learned as much from Darcy. “Don’t go around mistrusting everyone. But also, don’t go trusting everyone around you.”

  She offered a regal wave. “Don’t worry. I haven’t been that trusting in a while.”

  “And Elan?” Just the thought of the frosty Fae made my jaw harden.

  Tara pursed her lips. “Not a thing. He’s off doing something in the Winterlands, so I’m not sure what he’s up to exactly.” She sighed, an air of defeat enveloping her. “He’s either clean and honest as the rain, or he’s too damned good to give anything away.”

  “Not all rain is honest.”

  “Huh?” she asked, clearly confused.

  “Some rain is poisonous. Acid rain?”

  “Ugh, Kai.” She rolled her eyes. “Sometimes I have to wonder if you have all your marbles in there.” She poked a finger against my forehead.

  We both laughed.

  “So any ideas on who could have poisoned the Tree and why?” I got back to business.

  “I’ve been talking to a few people. There was a small uprising a few years back when I was still in Chicago. An outlying faction, mostly Winter Court, wanted to reassert their control over the other planes. They felt their old ways were better for the earth, and that most of the worlds would do well by returning to the Fae-controlled past.”

  I shuddered even though it hurt. “Who would want that?”

  Tara looked guilty.

  “Don’t tell me you agree with them?” I asked, shocked. I had to force myself to breathe because believing Tara could be behind this was too much to handle. I was certain my brain or my heart would explode.

  Or both.

  Tara laughed, shaking her head. “A long time ago I did. I was young and naive. I’d been taught the old ways from birth and that’s a long damned time to be brainwashed. It’s why the Fae court demanded my return. They thought I’d be a proponent for the cause, but I think I disappointed them.” She fell silent as her eyes stared off somewhere distant. Then she shook the thoughts off. “They’d expected a different type of leader. They didn’t get it.”

  “I should hope not,” I mumbled, remembering too late that I was talking to royalty. I snuck a guilty glance at her. “Sorry.”

  She snorted, staring at me down her slim nose. “You’ve never been sorry in your life. Now stop treating me like a fragile queen and talk to me like a friend. What can I do?”

  My Tara was back.

  I shifted against the pillows. “Do you know of any Fae living in Sand Beach, Maine? Not too far from Bar Harbor.”

  Tara pursed her lips, her eyes again taking on a faraway look. “I’m not sure. I’ll have to check.” Something she wasn’t telling me? Then she gave a nod. “Yes, let me get back to you on that. Text me the address if you have it.”

  “I’m not sure that the address will help. I highly doubt that they were living in that house. If I were them I wouldn’t. Or am I over-estimating their smarts?”

  Tara sighed. “You’re right. But our records are precise. Even if a Fae doesn’t report his location we have scryers who find them within seconds. So we’ll find them.”

  “Okay, can you also see what you have on any ShapeChangers and shadow mages who have a connection with Fae, or have a rep for causing trouble?”

  “Consider it done. This all sounds rather mysterious, Kai. What have you been up to?”

  I gave Tara the rundown on Logan, his sister, our trip to Maine and our inevitable mauling at the hands of the elusive shadow man despite the special dagger.

  “You have the Glyhs?” was all she said, her eyes wide with surprise.

  I scowled. “Out of everything that I just told you, that’s your takeaway?”

  Tara rolled her eyes. “Okay . . . Oh-dear-what-a-terrible-ordeal-I’m-so-glad-you’re-alive-and-well-hope-you-recover-soon.” She lifted her hands. “Happy? Now, how did you get a hold of the dagger?”

  I shook my head and tried to smother my laughter. Tara cracked me up.

  “The dagger has been in our family for decades. Dad said something about it being entrusted to us for safekeeping after a particularly brutal battle.”

  Tara nodded, “The battle of Ghila. It was a gruesome thing. I remember looking at the dead and thinking it was like a sea of bloodied corpses. Such needless death.”

  My eyes widened. “I keep forgetting you’ve lived so long.” I watched her as she shrugged, as if living for eight hundred years was nothing. Walkers are long-lived but we have nothing on the Fae.

  “I was alive to witness the massacre.” She didn’t look like she was happy she’d been there. “I’m just glad the Glyhs is safe. The Fae didn’t deserve to possess such a weapon. I remember my mother . . . so furious when she couldn’t find it.”

  “The dagger belonged to your mother?”

  Tara snorted. “Only after she stole it from an Ancient.” Tara sighed. “The Glyhs has a long history of destruction
. Not the dagger causing it but people who want it. I suggest you keep your possession of the weapon a secret.”

  “Too late. The Prince of Shadows must have seen it. He did explode in front of my eyes, so I’m hoping the dagger terminated him for good. But, if he was working with someone, or channeling a master, then someone will know about the dagger. Although . . . That is a big fat load of assumptions.”

  “Assumptions are dangerous, so you be careful. There’s no telling what would happen should the location of the Glyhs become public knowledge.”

  I shifted, tired despite my rest.

  “I should go,” said Tara giving me a worried glance.

  “Before you do. One thing I meant to talk to you about for a while now.”

  “Shoot,” she said, smiling.

  I cleared my throat. “So I’ve been given a piece of information that’s very important.”

  “And?” She tilted her head. “Can I help you with it?”

  “Maybe.” I inhaled, then recited the words.

  In the DarkWorld, when the night is black,

  When darkness looms, to swallow you whole,

  A quintet of courage will bring forth hope,

  And reach across the planes to save heart and soul

  She who shreds the Veils and she who hunts the Demons,

  She who mend Minds and she who speaks beyond the Grave

  And she who bears the face of all - these five shall be as one.

  For they are the saviors of the DarkWorld, they are the Ni’amh…

  “Oh,” she said sitting back. “I see.”

  I scowled. “You knew.”

  She sighed and leaned closer. “The Fae are long-lived, near immortal. Sometimes we are privy to things that should remain out of our control. In this instance, intervention is not acceptable.”

  “Because you’re part of it?”

  She inclined her head. “That and because people I care for are part of this Fate.”

  “Then why the long face.”

  “Because where the Prophecy goes, death follows.”

  “Oh. I see.”

  She looked at me sadly. “I’m here if you need me. If any of you need me. But all I can do is my part. Nothing more.”

  “I understand.”

  We sat there for a few minutes, absorbing the ramifications of our shared fate.

  Then Tara got to her feet, smoothing the front of her dress, making the gold thread blink against the light. “I’ll send those reports to our forensics people. See what they can come up with. Right now I think we are left with leg work rather than forensic work to make any sense of this case.”

  “We’ll figure this out. You, however, need to get yourself better and find this girl. Whoever they are, they think she’s important. To me that means she needs our help. They want her for something, and with this much maneuvering, they don’t want to play double dutch in the sunshine.”

  I nodded. As much as I agreed with her, I was beginning to fade.

  Tara patted my shoulder gently, taking care not to jostle my injured arm, then moved soundlessly to her feet.

  I was asleep before she stepped through the Veil.

  Chapter 26

  A few hours later I awoke fresh, though still in a good amount of pain. Enough to remind me that despite my walker DNA, I was still very much breakable.

  A pinching in my arm caused me to raise both eyebrows. While unconscious, my father had inserted an IV drip. I knew I should be grateful that he’d thought of my health when I couldn’t, but right now I needed so badly to pee that I groaned loudly as I sat up and fumbled with the needle.

  “Are you okay?” a voice asked, the sudden sound making me yelp and almost lose control of my bladder.

  “Shit! What the hell is wrong with you? You almost made me wet my pants,” I yelled, furious that Justin had found that particular moment to come visit. Furious, too, that the shock had caused me to pull the needle out from my hand with more force than wise. Blood streamed across the back of my hand and I grabbed the edge of my t-shirt and used it to staunch the flow.

  My bladder throbbed, and I pushed to my feet as Justin moved away from the window and into the light from the hallway that cut a path across the room.

  The room was dark, which is why I’d had no idea he was there. Not to mention he had Alpha mojo working for him too. That made me feel more than uncomfortable and I wondered what that said about my feelings.

  I left him chuckling as I entered the en-suite. I used the toilet, then washed up and studied my reflection. Although I was grateful that I was wearing clothes, they were much too minimal for me to be comfortable with my visitor.

  A navy singlet, bra-less naturally, and a pair of black boyleg shorts, courtesy of the spare set of nightclothes I’d left in my old room. The attire left my arms and legs bare, revealing purple and yellow bruises near both bandaged injuries.

  Someone had removed the high ponytail and brushed my hair so that it lay straight and flat against my head. Probably Lily.

  There were dark circles under my eyes, and even the deep emerald had faded to a lackluster green. I tucked my hair behind my ears and headed back to the room, taking each step slowly and carefully.

  Perching on the edge of the mattress, I scowled at Justin who now sat cross-legged on the other side of the bed. As if he belonged there.

  “Can you make yourself useful and help me?” I snapped.

  I heard the ice in my voice and knew I sounded like a bitch but I ignored it. And strangely so did Justin.

  He got to his knees and crawled over to my side.

  “What do you need?” His lip curled suggestively.

  “Keep your dirty thoughts to yourself please, or I’ll call someone else to help.”

  He raised his hands in defense. “Okay. What can I help with?”

  I pointed at my bandaged arm. “Help me get it off.”

  “You think that’s wise?”

  “I don’t particularly care about wisdom. I want to see how it’s healing. Now.”

  “Fine. But I will tell your father I helped under duress.”

  I snorted. “Big strong Alpha afraid of one little female?”

  He shook his head slowly as his hands made deft work of unwinding the bandage. “Kai, you have no idea how frightening you can be. Add Alpha to the mix and you’re a bomb waiting to explode.”

  “You make me sound volatile.” I flinched as his fingers touched the bare skin of my arms.

  Justin snatched his hands away. “Did I hurt you?”

  “No. I’m okay. It’s not your fault. The wound isn’t fully healed.” I didn’t tell him that it was his touch that had made me flinch. Now, I wanted to stay as far away from him as possible.

  He was my past, Logan my present and future.

  But that didn’t mean that just because a relationship was over the two parties stopped having feelings for each other. I wished that I’d never come to that realization.

  Ever.

  I didn’t want permission to feel anything for him. I didn’t want a reason for it to be okay that I thought of him as special. It should be wrong.

  It was wrong.

  I shook my head as he lifted the edge of the bandage to reveal the wound. Dad had coated it with a layer of BioHeal, a thin silicone/water blend that was infused with nutrients, minerals and Vitamin E.

  Through the transparent layer, I could see the raw wound, moist and healing but still horrific proof of what had happened. Not often a girl got impaled with a stake.

  Thank Ailuros I wasn’t a vamp.

  “Want me to help with that?” Justin pointed at my thigh and I gave him a withering glare. He checked and repositioned himself, lying back on the pillows beside mine. He rested his head on his hands and stared up at the ceiling.

  “What do you think you’re doing?”

  “I’m keeping an eye on the patient.”

  “I hardly think that’s necessary. I’m healing fine, thank you.”

  He managed a s
hrug, even while lying down, and I had to admit the man was a magnificent specimen. Any girl would be proud to have him as a life mate.

  A trickle of unease filtered down my spine. “I’m not going to fall asleep with you lying next to me.”

  He spoke with a smile that bordered on sinful. “Why not? Do I make you uncomfortable?” We both knew what he meant but I didn’t bite.

  “No. You snore. I won’t be able to get any rest.”

  “I do not snore.” He looked appalled at the suggestion, as if I’d called him a serial killer or worse, a poacher.

  “You do. Even Sara admitted it, so go away. I need my rest. I don’t have time to lose sleep because of you.”

  I flicked my fingers, shooing him away, hoping he’d leave fast. My eyes were already drooping and if he delayed any longer I really would end up falling asleep with him next to me.

  And that was not going happen.

  Thankfully, he relented and scooted to the end of the bed, standing and arching into a lazy stretch. “You get better, Kai. I don’t like seeing you hurt.”

  “It’s my job, Justin. Getting hurt is part of the deal.”

  “Well sue me if I dislike seeing you in pain.” He headed to the door, turning on the threshold to flash me a toothy smile. “Sweet dreams.”

  And then he was gone, leaving me shaking my head, unable to decide whether the sadness I felt was because he’d left or just due to fatigue.

  I chose to believe it was fatigue.

  Chapter 27

  When I woke up later, I felt a whole lot better. And so did my wounds.

  Someone had come while I’d slept, and stuck a light plaster onto my arm and I smiled. No matter how hard I try to rebel, someone always tried to keep me in line.

  I sat up slowly, testing the reaction of both my head and body. Both seemed agreeable to movement. The IV was gone, needle and all, and I was free to get out of the bed and move around.

  After washing up and combing my fingers through my hair, I rummaged in Greer’s drawers and found a pair of ancient tights and an oversized cable knit sweater which made me shake my head and smile.