Savage Fae (Ruthless Boys of the Zodiac Book 2)

by Caroline Peckham

  It was the middle of the night and I needed to get back to sleep but it didn’t look like I’d easily be able to do that in Leon’s bed.

  My gaze snagged on the empty bottom bunk on the other side of the room and my heart lurched as I thought of my brother lying there.

  I slipped out of bed, my toes sinking into the carpet as I padded across the room towards it.

  I wasn’t entirely sure if sleeping there was a good idea or a terrible one. Would laying in Gareth’s bed make me feel closer to him? Or would I feel his absence even more keenly if I was in his space? Maybe I’d feel nothing at all. It was just an empty bed after all. A place I’d never seen him. But it was still his.

  I tentatively lowered myself into his space, my fingers sweeping over the cool sheets. Were these the sheets he’d slept in the night before he died? Or had the bed been stripped down and made up fresh as if he’d never been here at all?

  The mattress curved beneath me and I continued to trail my hands across the sheet slowly, tipping myself back until I was lying in his place.

  I let out a shaky breath, a single tear slipping from the corner of my eye and running away over my cheek to soak into his pillow.

  What happened to you? How did you end up like this, Gare bear? You know you took the best of me with you when you died, don’t you? Because I was only ever the better parts of me when you were there to bring out the light in me. Look at me now, look at what’s left behind without you...

  I curled my arms around my chest as I turned and pressed my face to his pillow, hoping to feel closer to him. But he wasn’t there. There was no scent or feeling or sense of him at all. It was just an empty bed. This place had forgotten about him already.

  Pain reared up inside me like it had just been waiting for this moment, wanting to devour me whole.

  I gave in to the abyss for a while, letting the tears come and wishing for so many things that I could never have again.

  Like the way he’d always hugged me with one arm but squeezed twice as hard to make up for it. Or the way he’d crawl into my bed and cuddle me when we were little and Mom was out working at the club. He always said it was to make sure I wasn’t afraid. But we’d both known that the truth was that he was the one who didn’t like the dark. And now he was lost in the dark forever. And I couldn’t be there to hold him.

  My soul ached for something of him, anything at all, just the slightest sense of him to remind me that he’d been here. My magic slid from my body, hunting, searching, seeking him out. And a tingle registered on the edge of my senses.

  I drew in a shuddering breath as I rolled onto my back.

  The tingling was still there, right ahead of me. I reached up instinctively, feeling the familiar trail of his power. My fingertips brushed against the springs of the bed above mine where Amy lay sleeping and I almost dismissed the idea as I found nothing there.

  But a niggling feeling in my gut made me trail my fingers back and forth across the springs again as I searched for…something.

  The tears stopped falling as I concentrated on the faint magical vibration that had called to me and I stilled as the echo of it tingled through my fingertips. I frowned in concentration as I pushed my power into my palm, looking for signs of magical concealment. My attention snagged on the tiniest hint of power and I latched onto it, tugging roughly with my own magic.

  At the last moment, I sensed an alarm woven into the magic but it didn’t matter. Only the person who’d set this spell would feel the alarm when it was tripped and I recognised the magic I was working with well enough to know it was Gareth’s. If he could hear it in the afterlife then maybe he’d know that I was still working to avenge him. But I doubted it. He would have left his magic behind here just as he’d left me. Forgotten and alone.

  This spell was much more complicated than the one he’d laid over his stash in the wall but with a wrench of determination, my magic tore through his and a small slit was revealed in the mattress above me.

  I pushed my fingers into it, careful not to disturb Amy, though if all Lion Shifters slept as soundly as Leon, I doubted I had much to worry about.

  Something fell into my hand and I looked down at the disposable burner phone in surprise as I turned it over in my palm.

  I flipped it open, pressing my thumb down on the power button, a trickle of adrenaline pouring through me as it came on.

  It was a basic device, just made for calls and messages and I quickly opened up the message box to see what was hiding there.

  My lips parted and my heart thumped a wild tune as I found a trail of messages back and forth from this phone to Gabriel Nox. I scrolled all the way to the top and found a message filled with images. I frowned at the list of alternative identities with Gabriel’s photograph attached to them. He had said someone was after him…maybe these were part of his escape plans alongside that apartment he’d taken me to. But why would someone be looking for him? And how had my brother figured it out?

  I read through the following messages, chewing on the inside of my cheek as I read over Gareth’s demands for money. Was this where he’d been getting the money he’d been sending home? But then why had he been dealing Killblaze too?

  It looked like Gareth had started off by demanding the entire contents of Gabriel’s bank account but had eventually agreed to a payoff of a thousand auras a month. Once they’d agreed to that, there were just two messages a month. One from Gareth, reminding Gabriel to pay. One from Gabriel confirming he had – and each of those messages were punctuated by promises that he’d find out who was blackmailing him one day and do all kinds of painful and creative things to him.

  My gut lurched. Was that what had happened to Gareth? Had Gabriel figured out who was blackmailing him and made good on his threats?

  The last messages were sent just over two months ago. Several days before Gareth’s death. Gabriel had confirmed his latest payment had gone through and sworn to knock all of Gareth’s teeth out when he found him before force feeding them back to him until he choked on them.

  Why the hell would you blackmail someone as powerful as Gabriel Nox, Gareth??

  I could hardly tally the idea of my carefree brother blackmailing someone at all. Why had he needed this money? He wouldn’t have just done this out of greed. There was some bigger reason here and we sure as shit hadn’t been getting a thousand auras sent to us on top of Mom’s pay packet each month. Gareth himself didn’t own anything particularly expensive. So this money had to be going on something. But what?

  My mind was whirling and I didn’t know what to do. I had the phone but what use was it to me?

  I twisted it in my fingers, trying to come up with a plan. I needed to know if Gabriel had figured out who was blackmailing him or not. I started to shake as I considered the terrible possibility that I’d slept with my brother’s killer. But I yanked that thought back by the hair, refusing to let myself jump to conclusions yet. I had to get proof first.

  My gaze lingered on the phone in my hand and an idea struck me.

  I was up and out of the bed in the next breath and I grabbed my Atlas and school bag before heading for the exit.

  I glanced at Leon as I left but he was still out of it, so I just pulled the door closed behind me and headed down the darkened corridor to my dorm.

  I paused outside, listening to confirm that there were three heartbeats beyond the door before I slipped inside.

  I closed the door quietly and climbed up into my bed, keeping my attention on the heavy breathing around me to make sure none of my roommates had noticed my arrival. I positioned myself with the blankets pulled up around me and my eyes on Gabriel.

  I didn’t know how to feel about him anymore. One minute he was saving my life, the next he was lying about everything I’d witnessed, painting me out as some delusional junkie. And now I had this phone…maybe the answer had been staring me in the face all along. Maybe he didn’t want to help me find the person in the woods because he had something to do with them. Maybe t
he two of them had been working together in their serial killer cult and he’d just saved me because he really did believe I might be his Elysian Mate. He said he’d come looking for me because he’d sensed I was in trouble but what if the truth was that he’d been there all along? Hiding beneath one of those capes alongside all the other freaks?

  I released a shaky breath as I considered that. Letting myself consider the fact that he really could be a suspect again after dismissing him before.

  I gave it five minutes to be safe then quickly tapped out a new message on the burner phone.

  Faeker:

  It looks like you’ve missed a few payments, you’d better rectify that before your files go public.

  Gabriel’s Atlas pinged loudly and he rolled over with a groan. The light of its screen spilled into the room as he opened up the message and I caught the sharp inhale that followed.

  In the next moment he was up and yanking on a pair of jeans. His wings burst from his back and he grabbed his Atlas before turning and leaping from the window, leaving it wide open in his haste to get away.

  A shiver of fear ran down my spine as I waited and waited…and waited.

  Gabriel:

  Who the fuck is this??

  I ground my teeth, sitting on the edge of the dormitory tower while gazing down at the sheer drop below. My eyes unfocused as my pulse elevated and hammered against my skull.

  Shit!

  Who has Gareth’s phone? How can this be happening again?

  What if they know what I did?

  My Atlas pinged and my heart hit a frantic rhythm. I tapped on the message from Gareth’s alias and prepared myself for the worst.

  Faeker:

  I think you know.

  Before I could respond to that bullshit another message came through.

  Faeker:

  I’m still waiting for that payment. Looks like you missed a few since the Solarid Meteor Shower. Now why would that be…

  “Fuck,” I spat, scraping a hand across my jaw as I tried not to panic. But I was in so much shit if someone had Gareth’s phone. If they knew what Gareth knew. If they had my file, the pictures…what if they started piecing things together? What if they knew who was after me and handed my goddamn information to them?

  I took a steadying breath. The chances of that happening were slim. They had to be. What were the odds of them knowing who I was hiding from? I didn’t even fucking know. But shit, I had to sort this out fast.

  Gabriel:

  I know for a fact you’re not the real owner of this phone. And if you think fucking with me is a good idea, maybe you should think about how he ended up.

  My heart hit a painful beat as I pressed send.

  Back off, asshole. Get the hint. I’m not to be messed with.

  A ping hit my ears as another message came in.

  Faeker:

  Maybe I’m a ghost returned to haunt you for what you did.

  Ice crawled along my skin and bit deep into my veins.

  They couldn’t know. No one knew. No one but Bill Fortune. And it wasn’t him fucking texting me, so who?

  At the thought of my P.I. I shot a quick message to him.

  Gabriel:

  URGENT. Orbit. Now.

  I replied to Faeker with rage and panic tangling inside me.

  Gabriel:

  I didn’t do shit. Our business deal ended the night ‘you’ died. So go back beyond the veil, ghost.

  I rushed to my tent and pulled on some sweatpants and shoes before tucking a shirt into the back of my pants. It was fucking freezing tonight, so I took a fire crystal from my stash then turned in the direction of Mars, spinning it in a slow circle before me. A deep crimson glow sparked within it and heat channelled into my veins.

  I stuffed the crystal into my pocket as its heat continued to spread through my body. It would last for six hours then all that would remain was a pile of red dust. They weren’t cheap to buy, but I wasn’t exactly hard up. And though I tried to use Falling Star’s money as little as possible, these were a necessity for flying on winter nights.

  I headed out of the tent as the goosebumps on my arms settled down, double checking my Atlas for any more messages from Faeker.

  Nothing.

  Maybe they’d gotten the message. It didn’t matter though. Even if they stopped messaging me now, I wasn’t going to rest until I found out who they were. And I’d make sure they never leaked any of the information Gareth had on me. But what would it take to achieve that? What if I had to use force? What if I had to become a monster again?

  Fuck, what if they’re uploading my false identities to FaeBook right now?

  I took a running leap off the edge of the roof, my wings stretching out and beating hard as I made a furious path through the sky.

  I had to get to Bill. He’d handle this like he’d handled the mess I’d made the night of the Solarid Meteor Shower.

  I flew across the city, climbing higher so my back brushed the clouds. The glittering lights of Alestria stared up at me like a twisted reflection of the stars.

  I flew toward the most northern road which led out of the city, circling down as I spotted the Orbit Motel a hundred yards from the city border. A large silver sign sat beside the highway and since I’d last visited this spot, someone had graffitied over the first word in bright red letters. Thank Fuck you for visiting Alestria.

  I landed in the parking lot of the grotty motel and passed a line of pick-up trucks to the row of doors beneath a long porch. The lights were flickering and a group of moths were trying to kill themselves by slamming into the only bulb which worked consistently.

  I strode straight up to room eleven and rapped my knuckles on the door.

  “Who is it?” a gruff voice came from inside. Bill’s voice.

  “Me,” I answered and he wrenched the door open. His brown shirt was hanging open a few buttons and the stench of cigarette smoke wafted over me as he puffed on the one in the corner of his mouth.

  “Hey, kid. Just so you know, I gave up a perfectly decent hooker for this, so it’d better be good.” He tugged me inside and slammed the door.

  I glanced around the room where we often met, the same old seventies décor staring back at me and reeking of a thousand dodgy customers.

  “You could just meet a woman the normal way you know,” I pointed out. “Like at a bar.” I took a seat on a wooden chair in the corner and Bill dropped down onto the edge of the double bed, combing his fingers through his dark hair.

  “Sex is much simpler when it’s a transaction,” he said, inhaling another lungful of cancer.

  I thought of Elise and wondered if Bill actually had a decent point. She was anything but simple to me.

  “So what’s going on?” Bill cocked his head, attentive.

  I took out my Atlas, bringing up the messages from Faeker before tossing it to him. He caught it, frowning as he thumbed through them, his brows slowly inching together.

  “I got those tonight,” I said.

  “Yeah…I can see that,” he said thoughtfully. “Well fuck me, looks like you’ve got another asshole on your tail, kid.” He glanced up at me with genuine concern in his eyes, but it quickly vanished. I wondered sometimes what Bill Fortune really thought of me. He’d worked for me for years and as sad as it was, he was my only confidant in the whole world. My adopted parents didn’t tell me shit and spent more of their time lying to me than they did listening to me. Bill with his handle-bar moustache, no bullshit attitude and cigarette addiction was the closest thing I had to a friend because he was the only one I could afford to have. But he certainly wouldn’t ever be hearing that sentiment from my mouth.

  “So what do you want me to do? I can’t track the phone this is sent from, we tried before-”

  “I know,” I cut over him. Bill and I had had a plan to catch Gareth back when I didn’t know his identity. I’d agreed to send a thousand auras a month to Gareth– not enough to dent my bank account but enough to keep him sweet. In the meantime, Bi
ll spent every waking hour trying to work out who he was. Eventually, he got him and I just…flipped.

  I wet my mouth, pushing a hand into my black hair as I wrangled my emotions. “I’m thinking that Gareth only had a certain number of people in his life who might have gotten their hands on that phone and would care enough to message me.”

  Bill nodded slowly, releasing a line of smoke into the air and the harsh scent hit the back of my throat. “Makes sense. I’ll start with the kid’s family then. Maybe he had an angry brother or a pissed off cousin who’s stumbled across that phone and has big enough balls to make threats against you.”

  “But why now?” I growled, frustration creeping into me. “What do they want?”

  “My guess? Cold, hard revenge,” Bill said in a dark tone and I clenched my jaw.

  “For what?” I hissed. “No one knows what I did, how could they?”

  “If they found that phone maybe they have their suspicions now.” Bill shrugged one shoulder. “I told you that night would come back to bite you in the ass.”

  “Yeah thanks for the reminder,” I said dryly. “Obviously I never would have done it if I’d known…”

  “Known what?” Bill scoffed.

  I shook my head, unable to finish that thought out loud.

  “You did what you had to, kid,” Bill said. “I’d have done the same. You don’t last long in Alestria if you don’t neutralise your enemies.”

  I sighed, rising to my feet and starting to pace. “I can’t have those identities posted online. It’s too fucking risky. Whoever’s looking for me could see them, the press could do an article on me. I could be thrown under the spotlight and be dead within a week.”

  “If I find the culprit, I can make sure they don’t have the means to put anything online,” Bill said, his eyes flickering with darkness. I knew he’d killed people before but not on my orders. I didn’t know if he was insinuating that or not, but he was damn well capable of it.