“She disappeared around the time you did. Speculation was that you two ran off together.”
Zantry waved a hand in the air. “She didn't come with me.”
“You should ask her lover then, the leader of the Unseelie Dhiultadh clan,” Lee put in.
He shook his head. “Until I came back, they thought she had been with me. Now they think I killed her.” Zantry's lips twitched humorlessly, his eyes cold. He waited for a response, but none came. “What do you know?”He glared at Lee and Oberon, before shifting to Titania's dangerously flashing eyes.
The atmosphere in the room suddenly filled with crackling power, but Zantry didn't back down.
“Tell me, damn it. Where did she disappear to?”
Lee stiffened, her eyes narrowing at his tone. “Are you insinuating we have inside knowledge about Arianna's disappearance?”
“It's insinuating if I were dancing around the topic,” He said tightly. “It just occurred to me that since I returned, you are the only people not inquiring after her or accusing me of foul play. So forgive me if I'm blunt here and ask, did this court have a hand at Arianna's disappearance or not?” He demanded to know, not looking away from Queen Titania's steely eyes.
“We did not.” She replied, her voice frostier than an iceberg, “Arianna's disappearance is none of my or my court's doing, Zantry Akinzo.”
“But you know what happened to her.” He insisted.
Queen Titania narrowed her eyes at him, and the sound of thunder rumbled nearby. “I do not like your insolence, Zantry Akinzo, nor am I obligated to tolerate it.”
He inclined his head, his posture relaxing. “I apologize. I meant no disrespect. Do you have any knowledge of what happened to Arianna? Where she is?”
“Arianna is not the main concern at hand. Our world is dying, and Dhiultadh Yoncey Fosch's daughter will be primed to rid us from this intrusive foe,” Lee replied, her eyes flashing with furious fire.
“We allowed you to witness this meeting because we value your opinion. If you have nothing useful to contribute you may leave,” Titania's tone was icy, her eyes furious.
Zantry studied her for a moment, then shifted to look at Oberon and Lee's implacable expression.
His posture relaxed. “Tell me this, at least then. What do you suppose Arianna would make of this strategy to prime Fosch's daughter, a human hybrid, to defeat Remo?”
A moment passed before Oberon answered. “We wished for Arianna to be present when we prepared her.” his brown eyes had a calculating gleam when he spoke, and his next words revealed why. “Perhaps you could aid in her preparation instead.”
Zantry hesitated a second. “And do you believe she would have agreed that Fosch's daughter is the best candidate for this task?”
“Ay, Arianna believed that this child would be the one to end Remo and undo the portal.” Lee announced, her expression smug.
“How? Wait – Are you saying Arianna was in on this plan?”
When none of the fee replied, Zantry turned to glare at me as if this was all my fault. He traced a hand in the air near my head before recoiling, realization sparking in his eyes.
“How old are you?” He demanded, his eyes flashing.
“What – Twenty-two. I'll be twenty-three in a few months.”
Zantry turned his glare at Lee. “Arianna disappeared around the time I did, twenty six and a half years ago. How could she be aware of Roxanne's existence? Where is she?”
“You have too many questions, Zantry Akinzo.” Titania spoke, and another rumble of thunder sounded from nearby. “Curiosity does not become you.”
As if just now realizing he was treading on thin ice, Zantry hesitated before speaking again. “I just want to know where she is. Come on, tell me. Is she here, in the Sidhe land?”
My heart clenched for him, but I kept my mouth shut.
“Nay,” Oberon replied. Even I didn't miss the certainty in his tone. He knew. They all did.
Zantry's jaw clenched, no doubt picking on the same nuances I did. “Alright. Tell me this: Did she believe that Roxanne could be taught to use and manipulate energy fluent enough to manage a portal?”
When no one answered, Zantry looked around sharply, one hand clenched into a tight fist beside him. It was the only outward indication that he was losing patience with this bunch. “You ask for my assistance, yet you refuse to answer some basic questions. Did Arianna believe Roxanne could be taught to manipulate energy enough to manage a portal or not?”
“Ay, she believed that with the proper training this child would be the one to rid us from your other kin, as well as destroy the portal,” Queen Titania replied.
“And so, I ask again, whose daughter is she?”
“We told you, Zantry Akinzo, and you know we do not lie. This scion is the daughter of Dhiultadh Yoncey Fosch and a mortal woman.”
Zantry leaned back, his expression thoughtful. “You know there aren't many possible ways for a person, a preternatural, to manipulate energy at will. There are even less ways to become fluent enough to defeat Remo, much less manage a portal, so, please don't insult my intelligence.”
I held my breath, waiting for a blow I knew must be coming at any time.
“You lose our time with your suspicions and insolence. Will you aid prime this child for the task at hand?” Queen Titania demanded, a thunderous boom following her question.
Zantry tilted his head to the side, looking at me with narrowed eyes. “Can you see energy?”
He knew I couldn't. I shook my head, my throat too dry for words.
“There's your answer.” Zantry said with a grand gesture.
Queen Titania leaned forward, her eyes flashing with fire. “Ay or nay?” She demanded, wanting to hear him say it.
“Tell me this first,” He said instead, “Is Arianna coming back? Is she alive?”
Titania leaned back, her cold eyes assessing him. “Nay, she is not alive, and she is not coming back.”
Zantry's face fell, his eyes stricken with grief and guilt. “You know that for a fact.” He said, but he didn't wait for a response. He got up and stepped away, head lowered, back turned to us.
We all watched and waited for him to come to terms with his grief, the knowledge that his friend had died and wasn't coming back.
When he returned, his eyes gleamed with determination, and that determination was focused on me.
“I have one condition.” He glanced at both Oberon and Queen Titania, waited for their nod of agreement before saying, “Once I assist prepare Roxanne as best as I'm capable, I want to know all you know happened to Arianna while I was gone.”
Chapter Thirty-Eight
The feeling of doom clung to me like a second skin; no matter what happened next, no miracle was going to save me from a horrible end. Zantry had warned the Seelie queen not to expect any quality results, if any, though he'd assured her he'd do his best to teach me how to manipulate and bend energy at will, something he didn't believe possible.
When I arrived home, still reeling from my impending doom, I found Logan in the living room, sitting on the sofa with his feet propped on the coffee table. The moment my feet had touched the hardwood floor I'd sensed him, but it took a second for my brain to understand the fact that he was there.
He held the Guidebook of Preternaturals in one hand, a cup of coffee in the other. Atop the table were other empty mugs, the dried, reminiscent drags of coffee stuck at the bottom. His clothes were rumpled, his eyes tired and the skin underneath dark with fatigue, his cheeks unshaven.
He'd been here for a while. Our eyes met and, despite the tired, disheveled appearance, his were sharp, shrewd. His feet dropped from the coffee table with a thud, but the mug and guidebook went down slowly. He took in my attire, the shifting colors, the elaborate hairstyle, then moved to Zantry standing beside me, dressed in Seelie finery as well. I could guess the thoughts rampaging in his head by the darkening of his eyes, the tightening of his lips.
For a brief second, I cou
ld also read the emotions in his eyes, before he reached a conclusion and they turned cold. I'm not sure if it was betrayal I felt or disappointment – maybe disapproval. It had been so fleeting, I could barely discern it.
When his gaze met mine again, his eyes were empty. “I see you haven't taken my advice to heart. I didn't think you'd discard it so easily.”
“Logan…” it's not what you think, I wanted to say, but the words remained stuck in my throat. Did I owe him an explanation?
“No words?” He took in Zantry's attire before shifting back and doing a slow perusal of my outfit. He stood then, and Zantry shifted. His stance was relaxed, but the aggression in the room amped a few degrees. Logan must have sensed it too, because his eyes narrowed and I could almost taste the refreshing coolness of his anger on my tongue.
“Did he kidnap you, or force you in any capacity?” he asked me.
I could tell he was ready to go for blood if I said yes. “No.” I knew this reply was all he'd be willing to hear. He was giving me the benefit of the doubt, a chance to tell him that this wasn't what it looked like, but only on his terms. As far as he was concerned, I was either in cahoots with the enemy, or I'd been kidnapped. Nothing I said would persuade him otherwise. And I was not telling him Zantry had offered to help find Mwara. Call me paranoid, but I didn't think that would bode well with anyone. And I was definitely not telling him about the Seelie Queen's plan for my future.
“Then my presence here isn't needed. In fact, I must be interrupting whatever remaining time you two may have left.”
I stiffened, feeling my anger surge. “What are you doing here, inside my locked apartment anyway?”
“I thought you'd gone missing, too. I called, and you didn't answer. And then you didn't come home either. Evidently, I had no reason to worry.” His eyes moved between Zantry and me, took in the Seelie finery once more, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing. His lips stretched into a sardonic smile, his eyes icy-cold. “Were you two lazing off in some exotic world?”
“You sound jealous,” Zantry taunted, and Logan took a step toward him, hands clenched.
“Whoa!” I moved between them, not sure what I'd do if they decided to come to blows.
Logan halted, his eyes meeting mine for a blink, his jaw tight. A muscle flexed on his jaw, then he pivoted and left without another word.
My shoulders sagged when the front door slammed shut, and I wasn't sure if I felt relief or defeat. With an unsteady hand, I rubbed the nape of my neck, trying to ease the tension lodged there. That was all I needed. Now they think I took off to enjoy sometime before I had to account for their missing scion.
Zantry exhaled slowly, relaxed the crackling energy from around him. “I'm sorry about that. If you want, I can go after him, tell him you asked me to take you to the Low Lands to search for clues.”
“And got dressed like this for what?” I shook my head. “Forget it. He's drawn his conclusion and nothing I say is going to change his mind.”
Zantry murmured something I didn't get and didn't care to know. I moved to the kitchen and picked up my phone. The battery was dead, so I busied myself plugging it to the charger. After a moment I turned it on and checked the time and date. My scowl darkened even more. All I had left were four days to bring back Mwara. Six days. I had spent six days in the Seelie castle.
Bracing my hands on the counter, I lowered my head and tried to clear my thoughts. Sometimes it felt like the world conspired against me.
“Do you want me to leave?” Zantry asked from behind me.
I waved a hand toward the living room. “Make yourself at home. It doesn't matter anymore. I'm not going to find her. In a few days, it will all be over.”
“What about Titania?”
“Maybe I should sic her on the clan. It'd be fun.” I jerked up a shoulder in an awkward shrug. I was too edgy to be smooth. “I guess she's not my problem.” With a dry chuckle I added, “I don't know which is worse, Titania's plans for me or the clan's ultimatum.”
Zantry exhaled a big sigh, and I felt him come closer. “Look, we're going to figure this out, Roxanne. I'm going to help you.”
“You shouldn't make promises you can't keep.” I murmured.
That's when it hit me, and it hit me hard. I was going to die, no matter how hard I tried, no matter how much help I got.
If not by the hands of the clan, then by whatever the Seelie had planned for me. Or if by some miraculous chance I got as far as Remo, this time he wasn't going to let me live.
“What a mess.” I murmured, feeling my heart grow numb. An emptiness I hadn't felt for a long time made its presence known, and I welcomed the reprieve.
“Roxanne, please look at me.”
When I turned and met his dark blue eyes, it was with a detachment I hadn't felt for a long time. Zantry's pupils contracted and sadness flashed in them before resolve took over.
“I never make promises I can't keep.” He said fiercely, “I'm going to help you see this through. Whatever happens from now on, I'll be there for you.” He looked so earnest, his words so sincere, I half believed him. Could he really do something? I searched his eyes, feeling some of the iciness numbing my core starting to thaw. He meant what he was saying. Maybe it was his words, maybe it was the conviction in his voice, maybe it was something else I didn't want to examine, but I couldn't help my next move.
I stepped close, welcoming the static that jumped between us. I touched a hand to his shoulder, my eyes searching his for something I couldn't name. Zantry closed the distance between us, his arms going around my waist. I let my head drop on his shoulder and breathed in his scent. He leaned his cheek against the side of my head, and exhaled a long sigh. “From now on, Roxanne, you can count on me. I'll always be there.” He smelled of lemon verbena and man, and before I knew it, my lips were brushing against his neck. Moving up to his jugular, behind his ear, then down again, to the edge of his shirt's collar, where I discovered a silver chain. He shuddered once, and I leaned back to look at him, our eyes inches apart. His was full of emotion – grief, hurt, longing, hunger.
I looped my arms around his neck, then brushed my fingers through his hair. It was silky, the strands heavy. There was a shadowy stubble over his cheeks, and I brushed the palm of my hand there, enjoying the feel of stubble against my skin.
So beautiful.
His arms tightened around my waist, pulling our bodies closer, but instead of bringing his head down, all he did was watch me and wait for my next move, expression hooded. So I pulled him closer.
The moment our lips touched electricity sparked between us, and a pleasant hum began to throb within my veins. I brushed my lips against his once, twice, then opened up and let him in.
It felt so good, so… right. Like coming home after a cold and tiresome day to relax in front of a warm hearth. It was calm and soothing, and my heart ached for more.
His lips were soft and slow, but the moment our tongues touched, everything changed. My back hit the counter, our bodies touching in all the right places, and his lips became demanding. The calm, soothing mood suddenly changed to urgent and furious.
Kissing Zantry felt like facing down a hurricane: I was certain I was going to be swept away and be lost forever.
We kissed like there was no tomorrow, no future, no later. His hand moved up my sides, brushed my neck, tangled in my hair, disrupting Bennty's bun before combing it down with his fingers.
Then his lips left mine and I opened my eyes to find his deep blue eyes, full of turmoil, just a few inches away.
God, he was so perfect.
His breath was hot on my face, and my lips tingled from our kiss. I thought he was going to step back and apologize, but instead his head angled sideways, and his lips traced a path from my lips to my ear, and back again before brushing against my lips. The kiss was slow now, made sweeter for the tender way he stroked my hair, the way his thumbs brushed my cheeks.
Then he did step back, and I knew he could read the disappoin
tment in my eyes as clearly as I could see the regret in his.
“We should save this for a time when we're not this emotional.” He said, and I nodded in agreement, knowing a next time would never come. Instead of telling him that, I said something that had been stuck in my head ever since Queen Titania announced it:
“Odra, my grandmother,” I asked, my voice unfamiliar to my ears, “Why is she so important?”
“Because she was a very powerful earth witch.”
Oh? “Does that make my father half witch?”
“Yes. But the joining of Odra and Bran was very deliberate. I wasn't around when it happened, but I understood it was an arrangement to benefit both the coven and the Unseelie Dhiultadh clan”
“And she could manipulate energy?”
“Yes. I heard she was very good with runes and sigils, and that she was very fluent with the ones connected to earth. But I never met her. Arianna knew her though, spoke highly of her. They were very competitive.”
“How did she die?”
“It's said a rival coven killed her with some sort of poison spell. It was never proven, and the fact that the rival clan swore their innocence with a blood oath kept the clan from seeking revenge.”
I was silent for a moment, trying to understand. “You said that there aren't many possible ways for me to be able to manipulate energy.” I waited, and Zantry took a step back, tucked his hands into his pockets. “The strongest of the fee can manipulate energy, but even they need something to concentrate the molecules and atoms, and for that, they use talismans – stones, staffs, crystals – though anything less than harmonical to nature is blasphemy. Their power comes from the elements, nature and life.” I recalled back in the dungeon when Crozelle, or Drozelle, shielded the prisoners presence from the ether. She held a dark rock in her hand all the time, a talisman. And Queen Titania, she had a staff with her, a black one. Was it carved from a special rock?
“Queen Titania has control of all elements, as well as fire, ice, plants and animals. She is very powerful, but when it comes to manipulating energy, she can't do it without several talismans.”
Heir Of Doom Page 29
