The Glass Man

by Jocelyn Adams

  “I’m fine,” I said. “And besides, I don’t want his dirty shorts wrapped around my hands.”

  “I told you, we don’t get infections the way humans do. You’ll heal faster if we can stop the blood flow with some steady pressure.” Liam strode over to my brother and reached for his boxers.

  Garret backed away with his hands out. “Look, you might be fine walking around with your stuff swinging in the breeze, but I’m not. She isn’t bleeding that badly. Right, Lila?” He nodded his head at me, urging me to agree.

  I intertwined my fingers and pressed my palms together. I kept the wince inside. “There, the pressure will stop the bleeding. It’s already starting to heal. I can feel it. So can we go now, Nurse Liam?” My hands hurt, but it wouldn’t kill me.

  Liam pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. Maybe talking himself out of another lecture. When he looked up, he shook his head. “I don’t get the whole nudity issue, especially you, Garret. You grew up with the Unseelie. Quite frankly, I’m ashamed you can’t deal with it for ten minutes to help your sister.”

  “Hey, leave him alone.” I paused, considering what he’d said. “Are you telling me the Unseelie go around in the buff often?”

  He shrugged. His lips pulled up in a mischievous smile. “You could say that. Why wear clothes if you don’t have to?”

  I chuckled as I walked toward the door. “Great. I’m metaphysically joined to a fucking nudist.” In my head, I added, ‘that I can’t stop looking at like a lollipop prime for the licking pleasure.’ I needed to get away from him so I could think without having to plaster a triple-X warning across my forehead.

  “So … are we going in, or not?” Liam asked.

  I turned to him. “Y—yeah.” This is the last place mother was truly happy. I don’t deserve to be here. My grief waited in the background, a shadow ready to engulf me. I needed a plan to deal with Parthalan, but for that moment, I welcomed concentrating on and having the courage to walk through that door.

  Garret stepped up beside me. A tiny grin picked up one side of his lips. “At least you’re not going alone.”

  With a closer look, I found my older brother, Milo, in Garret’s large eyes and unwieldy blond hair. The resemblance reminded me that I carried pieces of them in me, too. “Thanks, little brother.”

  That earned me a heartbreaking smile, my mother’s smile. I cast my eyes away before tears could form and stepped through the door. Garret followed, and Liam came last. The oak portal closed behind us and disappeared, revealing a street in a similar arrangement to the one I’d first seen in the Black City. Long and narrow, made with cobblestone in a light sand color and lined with white buildings on either side.

  After a horrible silence, Liam cleared his throat. “I’m not sure what I was expecting, but this isn’t it.”

  The sky, similar to the one in the Black City, appeared to be liquid, but instead of purple, it was a mixture of gold, cream and yellow. Grass grew through the cobblestone at our feet, and vines climbed the buildings on either side of us as if the wild had begun to reclaim the land for its own. Not a sound broke the eerie calm. The lack of vibrations or heartbeat at my feet made my heart fall. The air smelled stale, like a tomb sealed off from the living. Maybe that’s what it was.

  “What happened here?” I gasped, starved for air. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I’d been trying to prepare myself to find my worst fears realized, but to see it before me filled my stomach with needles.

  I approached one of the houses—a tall white two-story, narrower at the bottom than the top. After stripping away the ivy, I placed my hands against the surface. It had the same smooth, scaly texture as the ones in the Black City, but it didn’t move. The windows remained dark, and no rhythm of life pulsed within the walls. “Does that mean all of the Seelie are dead, too?”

  “I don’t know,” Liam said from somewhere behind me. “I just don’t know.”

  When I took my hands away, my bloody hand prints remained. A moment later, the wall absorbed the blood, and a tiny shiver ran through it. My pulse sped up.

  “Did you see that? It reacted to my blood. It’s not dead, so … what’s wrong with it?”

  “It must need Seelie Light to survive. Every cell holds residual energy, even our blood. If all of the Seelie left Dun Bray when your mother did, then the city must have gone into some sort of hibernation.”

  Excitement climbed my bones. “Give me back my Light. I can heal them. I know I can.” Eyes closed, I placed my hands on the wall and pressed to force more of my blood to come out.

  “Stop that!” Liam grabbed me by the arm. When I glared at him, he growled and threw his hands wide. The brief touch left a tingling rash along my skin. “Let’s have a look around first.” He took off down the street without looking back. Garret shrugged at me and followed after him.

  I jogged to catch up to them. “I won’t do anything to you. You have my oath. Now stop stalling and fix whatever you did to me. These—things, houses, are starving.”

  “Not yet.” Liam stopped in the middle of the grass-infested street. He peered down a side street before carrying on in the same direction we’d been travelling. We were going uphill mostly.

  “Why not yet? What are you looking for?” I inspected every building as we passed. Some were tall with so many windows reflecting the sky that the entire structure shimmered gold. Some were short and squat with two window eyes and a black door mouth. A few stretched entire blocks, with only a central door and a few narrow windows along the top. All were dull white beneath the tangle of vines, with sagging scale shake roofs and no signs of life.

  “Just …” Liam groaned and rubbed fingers along his temples. “Please be quiet until I can figure out where the Court is. If anyone’s here, that’s where they’ll be.”

  “If these are my people—shouldn’t I feel them somehow? I mean, if there are any here?”

  Liam met my stare, but he didn’t hold it for long.

  “Spill it, Liam.”

  “There.” Garret pointed up a steep slope to the highest point we could see. “I saw something reflecting up there.

  Without a word, Liam started up the hill.

  A tiny shred of hope leaked into my thoughts at the possibility of someone alive in Dun Bray. Please let someone be here. I had no idea what to do if the three of us had to go against Parthalan alone. If it came to that, the human race would die a violent death, and so would we.

  Before we made it halfway to the shining white tower on the hill, a group of fae blinked into existence around us. I shoved Garret between Liam and me as I surveyed the latest pile of shit we’d landed in. I didn’t have enough energy to be scared, or even pissed—only a burning desire to get up that hill.

  “Who are you?” I demanded.

  The twenty or so fae stared with deep blue eyes similar to mine. They all wore black pants tucked into short black boots and white tunic-style shirts with a golden crest of an eye across the left breast. They could have stepped off the set of a bad Three Musketeers movie.

  One had a sword strapped to his side. He stepped forward, extended his open hand. Energy flooded the air as he curled his fingers into a fist as if trying to snatch something out of the air.

  When I went to move, my body didn’t obey me. All three of us grunted and growled as we struggled against our invisible chains.

  “How did you get in here?” The sword guy tucked his shoulder-length platinum blond hair behind one ear. His brilliant eyes stood out against his pale skin, polished gems against porcelain. He struggled to keep his eyes above the danger line of my red corset. “Only our queen can open …” He squinted at me, drew in a breath.

  “That’s right, shithead,” Liam said from behind me. “She’s your queen, so take the fucking cuffs off.”

  If I could have turned enough to glare at him, I would have.

  The fae with the sword beamed, his eyes shining. He stepped forward and turned my palm over. While I glared at him, he swiped his finge
r over one of the few puncture wounds that hadn’t yet healed. He put his finger in his mouth and closed his eyes.

  “That’s disgusting,” I grumbled.

  “It’s true.” He opened his eyes. “Lila Gray has come home at last. Forgive me; I should have seen the resemblance.” He uttered something that removed his hold over me.

  “What’s your name?” I said.

  “I’m Mannix, captain of your personal guard. Most call me Nix.”

  “Well, Nix, are you and your Musketeers here the only Seelie left in Dun Bray?”

  He looked over his outfit, chuckling. “No, my Queen—”

  “Just Lila.”

  He nodded. “There are some still at Court. When the others left, a few of us remained to keep the heart of Dun Bray alive until your return.” He flashed a dazzling smile. Dimples sank into both cheeks. He was pretty, I’d give him that.

  “Perfect. Take me to whoever’s in charge. I’m starving, and I need some clothes.” I had to pee like a damn race horse, but I kept that tidbit to myself.

  “I’ll take care of you, my—Lila.” Nix’s eyes made the trip down my body but not in a way that insulted me. When his gaze returned to my face, the tightness around his mouth relaxed. “You look like your mother in some ways, but you have a more natural beauty about you.” His focus darted to the corset, then back to my eyes. “I see someone has tried to tame you, but they didn’t succeed. I still see who you are.”

  I didn’t think I kept the stunned look off my face. “No, he didn’t succeed. And the last thing I need is some arrogant shit thinking he can do a better job of it.”

  He flashed a silly cockeyed grin. “I wouldn’t dream of it. In fact, I find you quite—refreshing. The Seelie need a good kick in the ass.” With a flick of his fingers, the other guards gathered around me in a mass of black and white. I stopped trying to figure out Mr. Suave and focused on the rest. What now?

  “What are you doing?” Liam hovered around me. His warmth permeated my back. I had to concentrate so I wouldn’t melt into it by accident and start moaning like a porn star again. Garret leaned against my side, knocking me off balance for a moment.

  “Your people will carry you the rest of the way,” Nix said. His gaze never wavered from me.

  “What?” I raised an eyebrow. “No, I don’t think so. I have no use for laziness, and my legs aren’t broken. Just lead on and we’ll follow.”

  I turned in time to see Liam take a step back from me, a tiny smirk quirking the corners of his lips.

  One of the guards, short and stocky with bright red hair, kept looking at me, then at his captain. “But she looks weary,” he said.

  “You heard your queen,” Liam snarled. “Hands off and get moving.”

  I spun to Liam and leaned close enough to whisper. “Cool it. We’re supposed to be asking these people for help, so stop acting like an ass.”

  Our link opened, and I sighed, happy that I remained standing and didn’t giggle.

  “I don’t like this guy. Do you see the way he looks at you? He might as well just rip the rest of your clothes off and be done with it.”

  My brow creased as I stepped back. He fixed a heated stare on Nix, who smiled back at him.

  “Oh my God,” I whispered through our link. “Are you pulling some jealous macho shit on me? One—you don’t own me, Liam. Two—I have about as much interest in getting it on with this guy as I have in stabbing out my eyes with a fork. Three—they consider you Unseelie. If what you said is true, that they’ll hate you, then start acting friendly so I don’t have to sell my fucking soul to convince them to let you stay in their city.”

  “It’s your city. You command them, so get commanding.”

  I rubbed my aching head and turned away from him, grinding my teeth. After shaking off my frustration, I gestured up the street. “Can we go now, please?”

  Nix glanced at Liam, raising an eyebrow at me. He nodded to the guards. They stepped away from me but kept their attention fixed on Liam. The testosterone in the air spiked as Nix and Liam continued to square off in their little eye war.

  In the city for ten minutes, and Liam had already pissed off the locals.

  Will this day ever end?

  22

  By the time we’d made it to the top of the hill, I cursed myself for not taking them up on that ride. My legs burned, and my stomach growled. The silent pissing contest between Liam and Nix—the heated glares and clenched fists—wore me down even further.

  I stopped and gazed up at the turrets of a building that disappeared into the golden sky. The white scales that made up the outer walls gleamed and held hints of yellow from above. The scene glistened before me, a heavenly mirage or something out of a fantastic dream. A few of the windows blinked, and bright light shone from them. A bit of tightness eased out of my chest, replaced with hope that the city wasn’t beyond repair.

  I’m not too late, mother. I’m here.

  When I stumbled on the first of the stairs leading to the Court building, Liam and Nix came at me so fast they almost bumped heads. The killing looks continued between them, though Nix kept his grin in place. I didn’t have the patience for anyone to fight over me. We had a lunatic to stop.

  “I’m fine,” I said, huffing from the hike. “I just need a minute.”

  “You’re not fine.” Liam scooped me up from the pavement and started up the steps without waiting for me to react.

  Crafty. I had way too much skin touching his nakedness, and a delicious fire spread through my body. Stop it! He betrayed me. He took my power, and here I am, drinking him up like high-proof whiskey. What is wrong with me? I started to protest, but my senses kicked into high gear, and I ached to get closer. His heart throbbed beneath my arm, a steady rhythm that lulled me into calm.

  He smelled so good as if he wore some masculine, otherworldly perfume designed to bewilder me into submission. Before I knew I’d done it, I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled myself closer, buried my face against his throat and closed my eyes. He cradled me close, protectively, or maybe possessively, I couldn’t tell which. At that moment, I didn’t have the strength to care. I could have stayed there forever.

  • • •

  Sleep must have overtaken me at some point because I woke up staring at a white ceiling, buried beneath a fluffy gold duvet. Something sent a tingling sensation up my arm, along with warmth. My head lolled to the side, still disoriented and groggy, to find a strange man holding my hand. A woman stood beside him.

  The man had the darkest brown skin I’d ever seen. Add stark white hair hanging in braids around his face and it made for a startling contrast. His eyes were clouded, but I could tell they were a deep blue beneath the milky film. He wore a suit styled from the eighteen hundreds with a high-collared white button-down shirt and a brown twill coat and vest.

  The woman had metallic silver hair stretching to the floor like Christmas tinsel. It moved even when she didn’t as if it had a will of its own. Her face appeared young at first glance, but a network of tiny lines hinted that she might be much older. Her blue Seelie eyes had a lavender sheen bleeding out from the pupil. She wore a flowing blue sleeveless gown that tied behind her slender neck.

  “Do not fear, Lila.” The man had such a low voice it didn’t sound real—like fingers strumming a bass.

  I snatched my hand back, flexing and relaxing my fingers to see if he’d done something to me. Other than a few pins and needles, everything seemed normal.

  “My name is Gallagher and this—” He nodded to woman at his left. “—is Neasa. We are here to offer you council and to aid your transition to the throne.”

  I wasn’t interested in the damn throne. I tried to sit up, but the room spun, so I didn’t finish the motion. “Where are Liam and Garret?”

  Gallagher cleared his throat and frowned. “Nix has made them comfortable.”

  My hands fisted into the comforter. “You mean he’s confined them somewhere.” I glared at Neasa, clearly the one in charge
by the way she stood ramrod straight, staring down her nose at me.

  She smiled. It seemed genuine, but I got the impression I wouldn’t enjoy the words forming in her mouth.

  Great.

  “They are Unseelie, my lady,” she said without losing that infuriating flash of white teeth.

  She sat down at the edge of the bed and reached for my hand, but I shuffled away from her. The touchy-feely business had already started to wear on me.

  “They can’t be left to wander about our fine city.”

  I groaned, talked myself down from the cannonballs I wanted to launch at her. “First, none of this ‘queen’ or ‘my lady’ stuff, just Lila. And second, they both risked their lives to get me here. You bring them here where I can see them. Get me some clothes and food, and then we’ll talk like civilized folks.” I surveyed what they were wearing and added, “and none of that froufrou frills and lace stuff. Jeans, or something I can move in without worrying about what might fall out. And I need a bathroom.”

  Gallagher turned his face away. At first, I thought I’d said something offensive, but then I realized his shoulders heaved with hidden laughter.

  Neasa huffed, the corners of her mouth creased due to her pursed lips. “A queen’s wardrobe does not contain slacks.” A little flare of her heavily lashed eyes emphasized her frustration.

  I pushed myself up a little farther and stared her down. “Then raid one of the guard’s rooms and bring me some pants that fit. I can’t fight Parthalan dressed in a fucking gown.” Slacks? Where the hell did she come from?

  She shot up and grabbed Gallagher by the arm, the wrinkles in her forehead deepening. “There is no call for profanity, Your Highness.”

  I cringed.

  As she pulled the snickering fae to the door, she gave me a little bow. “As for clothing, we’ll see what can be arranged.” She nodded toward a door in the corner. “The facilities are through there. I trust you’ll find them to your liking.”

  As long as it had a toilet, I didn’t give a flying leap if she put a whole damn circus in there.