by Maya Daniels
The magic was still active as if an intelligent entity was present with them in the room, but Artemis didn’t feel threatened—unlike Raphael, who kept hissing while his eyes burned amber. Crossing over the threshold, she strolled towards Raphael, not making a sound. All her senses were on alert, but still, no danger could be detected.
“Raphael?” she spoke softly, as she placed her hand on his arm, wrapping her fingers around the rock-hard muscle that was so tense it felt like she was touching marble. “I don’t sense any danger here. What is it that I can’t see?” Her eyes scanned the room.
Raphael didn’t answer her, but he pushed Artemis behind his back as if protecting her from the invisible foe, still glaring at the statue. Confused, she moved slightly to look around him in the hope she would see whatever it is he was looking at. That was when another lump on the floor, this one at the foot of the statue, stirred slightly, making her tense up.
Reaching behind him, Raphael wrapped his arm around Artemis, pressing her against his back. That was when his brain took over from his instincts. Then he felt her press her skin on his back. The crazy Fae was as naked as he was, and that sobered him up faster than a bucket of water. He started looking around for something to cover her up when she glided her hands over his back and it felt like his entire being was on fire. His cock got hard and lust started clouding his mind.
“Keep touching me like that and I’ll fuck you first, then I’ll see what happened here to Iris and Claude.” His voice was deep and she felt its vibrations through his back, making her squeeze her thighs together. “I can smell your need. It’s not helping at the moment.”
Turning around, Raphael had every intention on following on his promise, but he found no one there. Artemis, hearing him mention Iris and Claude, was on her knees, turning Iris onto her back and checking for injuries. When he saw Iris’s face, he went closer to see for himself.
“Who attacked her here?” Artemis looked over at Raphael with a frown on her face. “She’s alive, but I thought she was safe here…with him,” she mumbled, jerking her head towards the other lump that she assumed was Claude.
A groan was heard from Claude a second before he started moving sluggishly, slowly sitting up. Artemis ignored him as she scanned Iris with her hands and eyes. Her breathing was labored and a bruise was forming on one side of her face where her lip was split.
“Who did this to you?” Artemis whispered as anger bubbled up in her chest. “Who hurt you while I was here to protect you?”
“I know who did it.” Raphael’s angry growl made Artemis look at him sharply as he gently moved the hair away from the witch’s face. In contradiction to his angry words, his thumb ran gently over an imprint on her swollen cheek.
Artemis frowned, looking closer at it, when the air stirred and she heard a crash on the other side of the room. Rolling her eyes, she sat back on her haunches and turned around to see Raphael holding Claude by the neck. This was rapidly becoming a typical interaction between the two vampires. The strange thing was that Claude was not trying to defend himself. He was looking at Raphael, wide-eyed, as if seeing him for the first time. Raphael must’ve noticed it too, because his hand came down slowly before he turned to look at her with confusion on his face.
“Who are you?” Claude’s whispered words made both Raphael and Artemis exchange a puzzled look. “Where am I?” He looked around the room like he was seeing it for the first time.
This was bad. Very bad!
“Don’t play stupid with me, Claude.” Raphael turned to look at Claude while speaking through clenched teeth. “I will rip your head off your shoulders if you don’t start talking. And the reason the witch is unconscious with an imprint of your ring on her swollen face had better be the best reason you’ve had in your entire life!”
Claude’s eyes widened even more, if that was possible, as he swallowed thickly and looked at Artemis for the first time. She was sitting unnaturally still, her eyes glowing like violet flames on her beautiful face. Claude swayed towards her before Raphael grabbed him by the neck again. Veins bulged on Claude’s neck.
“He’s telling the truth.” Artemis’s softly spoken words stopped Raphael from finally killing Claude. “I don’t know what happened, but in defending herself, I think Iris used ancient magic.” Tilting her head, she studied Claude. “She didn’t kill him, which tells me she had a reason to keep him alive. I’d say we wait until she wakes up.” Locking eyes with Raphael, a predatory smile lifted her lips. “If she doesn’t care if he lives or dies, you can kill him then.” Her smile grew as Claude started to tremble visibly.
Looking back at Claude, Raphael had a terrible feeling about this whole shitstorm “You better start praying that she has something to say on your behalf,” he told the bewildered vampire. “Although after seeing her, I doubt you should hold out much hope.”
“It feels strange,” Artemis told Raphael as she looked down at what she was wearing.
“You look stunning,” he reassured her.
Raphael had brought the dress from the store after they made Iris as comfortable as she could be and he was adamant that she put it on. Apparently in this realm, they looked down on the naked form. It clung to her curves like a second skin, flaring at her hips and covering only half her thighs. She watched him look at her with hunger in his eyes, so she didn’t complain about it. Artemis was used to her pants that felt like a second skin, because she could move in them when fighting. A frown formed on her face as she realized her entire life had been spent fighting and nothing more. Now, with all the revelations, her whole existence had been turned upside down, and she was sure that denial was firm in her mind. Otherwise, she might go insane. There was no other explanation for the way she was so calm and going along with everything around her.
“Did you hear me, beautiful?” Cupping her face in his palm, Raphael smoothed her frown with his fingers. He must’ve been talking while she was stuck in her mind. “What’s wrong?” Her stomach tightened at the worry in his eyes as he searched her face.
“You forget who you’re worried about, Raphael.” She looked at him soberly. “I’m not a fragile human that you need to fret about.”
“I can’t help but be worried.” He kissed her forehead, making her eyes close. “I can’t have anything happen to you.” Moving back a little, he watched her until her eyes opened. “I wouldn’t survive that.”
“I’m not hurt, Iris is, and we need her to open the portal. You should worry about her.”
At her words, Raphael released her face and turned towards the witch, who was sleeping on the sofa. Kneeling down next to her head, he pulled the sleeve of his shirt up, exposing his wrist. As his fangs elongated and he opened his mouth ready to bite, a fit of inexplicable jealousy overwhelmed Artemis.
“No!” Her words were like a whip, and Raphael froze an inch from his wrist before slowly turning his head to look at her. “No,” Artemis repeated softly, a confused look on her face.
“I was only going to give her a drop so she could heal faster.” He frowned at his own words before focusing on Artemis again. “Although, I must say, I feel unlike myself after tasting your blood.”
“Unlike yourself in what way?” She tilted her head looking him over. “My whole life I’ve been told that vampires crave our blood like a drug. Is that what you’re feeling? Just how the humans crave our jewels for power. I didn’t think of that when I let you bite me.”
In an instant, she was wrapped in Raphael’s arms as he looked down at her. “I crave you, Artemis. Not your blood or your jewels. You!” Crushing her to his chest, he took her breath away with a passionate kiss. “I crave you more with each passing second,” he told her as they came up for breath. He smiled at her unfocused eyes.
“I think I’m going to be sick.” Iris groaned from behind them. “Either from the pain or the cheesy vampire, one or the other.” she mumbled under her breath.
“I don’t understand how you can be sick of Raphael.” Artemis frowned at Iris.
“I didn’t let him give you his blood.”
Making a gagging sound, wincing, Iris lifted herself to a sitting position. “Thank the gods you didn’t. Now I really think I’m going to be sick.”
“What happened in that room, witch?” Snatching a glass of water from the table, Raphael handed it to Iris. “And what’s wrong with Claude?”
At his words, Iris dropped the glass that she was bringing to her lips. Water splashed all over her and the sofa, but her body turned cold and shivers crawled up her spine, making her numb with fear. Her face drained of all color and Artemis moved fast to grab her arm and hold her up as her body started falling to one side. Raphael and Artemis looked at each other before focusing again on Iris.
“What happened, Iris?” Artemis turned Iris’s head so that their eyes were locked. “No one can hurt you, I promise you that. Tell me what happened.”
“He kept pushing me to confirm your words.” In a monotone voice, Iris spoke through numb lips. “He said he would drain me. I tried to run…he’s fast, I couldn’t get away…” Her words trailed off as her body started shaking and her breaths were coming short and fast. “I don’t know what happened after that. I was only trying to protect myself.” Her eyes looked frantically from Artemis to Raphael and back.
“Breathe, witch. No one is going to hurt you. That Claude is not here.” Raphael reassured her, but uneasiness twisted his gut. “He doesn’t even remember who I am, if it’s any consolation.”
“What?” Iris stopped gasping for air as she stared at Raphael, openmouthed. Wincing, she closed her mouth as she pressed the back of her hand against her split lip. “The asshole did a number on me,” she snarled, glaring and clenching her fists in her lap.
“Since you’re alive, Claude is the least of my concerns at the moment. I don’t think we can delay opening the portal until you have time to properly heal.” Putting his hands in his pockets, he leaned his behind against the table as he watched Iris intently. She squirmed where she sat.
“When I got here, I was in worse shape than you and I didn’t think to ask.” Artemis confused them with her comment as she kept her eyes on Iris. “Where is Fern?”
“Who?” Raphael’s mind took a screeching halt at the worried expression on Artemis’s face.
“The male that came through the portal with me.” She didn’t look away from Iris “Where is he? Is he alive?”
A growl rumbled inside Raphael’s chest as his eyes started glowing amber, making Iris forget all about the pain she was feeling. Waving her arms to get his attention from its focus solely on Artemis, she prayed that Raphael wouldn’t go searching for the Fae. Artemis, oblivious of the jealous vampire, tilted her head, watching Iris like she was the strangest creature in the universe.
“You’re her mate, remember!” Iris forced her voice as loud as she could. “Yo! Raphael! She said you’re her mate.”
Looking over her shoulder, Artemis finally saw the angry vampire staring daggers at her. For some reason, knowing that he was jealous of Fern made her smile at him. His glare deepened as her smile grew. Ignoring Iris as she muttered something about supernatural creatures being the death of her, Artemis stood up and walked up to him. Placing both palms on his chest, she looked at him through her lashes.
“You would fight for me, vampire? To keep me at your side?” she purred at him, and his arms wrapped around her so tightly she couldn’t take a full breath.
“If he’s still alive and you want to keep him that way, I suggest you convince me real fast that he means nothing to you.” Through clenched teeth, Raphael’s deep voice vibrated from his chest to hers.
“Is he alive, Iris?” she asked, not looking away from Raphael.
“Yes?” the word coming out of Iris was more a question than an answer as she looked at the vampire apprehensively.
“Good!” Artemis purred next to Raphael’s ear. “You can show me how hard you will fight for your mate.” Biting gently on his ear, she soothed it with the tip of her tongue.
“All of you are insane!” Iris said incredulously. “You made her as insane as you are!” she said, pointing an accusing finger at Raphael and glaring at him.
One side of Raphael’s lips twitched as he fought a smile. “It’s her instincts telling her she needs me to prove I’m a worthy mate.” He lost the battle and his smile grew, but it was anything but a nice smile. Iris’s own instincts of fight or flight were hitting her full force. “I will prove my worth the first chance I get.”
Artemis was starting to get anxious to get out of the witch’s place. It felt like she’d been sitting here for an eternity. Raphael had left a while ago to take Claude to his mansion and hide him there from the rest of their kind. She knew how many of them lived in that monstrosity of a house, and she wondered how he was planning to accomplish that. A slight smile ghosted her lips. Raphael would most definitely find a way. The vampire was more determined than anyone she’d ever met.
Snatching a piece of apple from the bowl that Iris left before disappearing to check on things, Artemis’s mind went back to what Claude had told them earlier that evening. If she believed his words, that meant that Lazarus, her father, killed her mother while he fed Artemis stories that the humans and vampires were to blame. Their entire realm knew that to be a fact. All Fae despised humans for banishing them and closing the portal. Armies trained for centuries, preparing for the day the veil would lift.
Her eyes were unfocused as she nibbled on the apple. The sweetness of the crisp fruit was lost to her as her stomach started churning. It would not be a fight or a war. For centuries, the Fae had stewed in anger and resentment. No, it would not be a war, it would be a slaughter, and here she was contemplating on how to stop it. Artemis shook her head as a snort escaped her lips.
“How life can change in a blink of an eye,” she murmured under her breath.
In one day, Artemis had changed her focus from trying to find a way to escape to trying to find a way to keep everyone here alive. At first she’d thought finding her mate was what brought the change, but if she were honest with herself, she had to admit that she’d started to care. Iris and Raphael were to blame. Even when they knew that their lives were in danger, both of them had showed her kindness, something that no one had previously demonstrated to Artemis. There were some that had been nice and helpful through the years, but always while they were expecting something in return—mostly to get on the right side of Lazarus. The witch and the vampire took care of her even when they knew that the moment she opened her eyes, she could kill them, and probably would. Her mind was a mess, but Artemis knew that she would do everything in her power to keep them safe.
“That’s a lot of heavy thinking.” Iris smiled at her as Artemis turned to look her way “I can hear those gears turning from across the hall.”
“Sometimes you say things that make no sense to me.” Rubbing her hands over her face, Artemis leaned back in her chair. “Do you do that to confuse me?”
Snorting and pulling the chair across from her, Iris grabbed a piece of apple as well. “Most of the time I confuse myself. Don’t feel special.” She watched Artemis for a moment, chewing thoughtfully. “What are you thinking? And before you tell me ‘nothing,’ think again. I can feel the tension as a physical presence in this room.” Reaching a hand, she squeezed gently on Artemis’s hand. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“I want to say so much… I also want to say nothing.” With a sigh, Artemis searched Iris’s face. “I don’t know exactly when I started caring, but I want to prevent what’s coming. It seems like I’ve been lied to my whole life, and I need to get to the bottom of it. How I can do that and make sure you’re safe? I don’t know. I don’t know if I can stop what’s coming.”
“What do you mean, what’s coming?” Widening her eyes, Iris moved forward until she almost sat at the edge of her chair.
“Iris, the Fae have been preparing themselves to cross over for a very long time. We were told the humans chose to side with the v
ampires, so they killed our queen and closed the portal, banishing us forever. For centuries we’ve been training and trying to lift the veil so we can seek revenge.” Artemis told her soberly.
“Oh, dear gods…” Open-mouthed, Iris gaped at Artemis while her heart forgot how to beat.
“I need your help.” Waiting until Iris nodded while still looking wide-eyed, Artemis looked intently into the other woman’s eyes. “I need you to distract Raphael so that I can go through the portal alone.”
“Are you crazy?” Iris jumped off the chair. “You want him to kill me? Hell, no!”
“If he comes with me to my realm, he will die!” Artemis snapped at her. “He is my mate, and I have to do what I must to protect him. You will do as I say or all of you will die! Don’t you understand, witch?”
“How can I possibly keep a vampire distracted?” Sitting back down, Iris pinched the bridge of her nose, hoping to stop the headache she felt coming on. “How the hell I always manage to get myself into shit like this is beyond me.”
“I just need to go back to get my weapon and see if I can find information that can help us. I’m in half mind to pretend that I was held captive and I escaped in hopes that Lazarus will tell me something. Is Fern awake? Can we talk to him?”
“No.” Iris shook her head sadly “He is alive, but he is not waking up. I tried everything. At least, he is alive.”
“He broke a sworn oath to Lazarus. Only my father, or my father’s death, can free him from it.”
“Holy shit!” Iris gasped. “We were talking about the queen being killed by her consort and you being her daughter, but it never dawned on me that he’s actually your father. Dude, that’s really messed up!”
