Curse of Thorns (Wicked Fae Book 2)

by Stacey Trombley

  Rev

  I stand there, slack-jawed as two wraiths fight like a damn hurricane over Caelynn.

  What. The. Hell.

  I clamber over to Caelynn’s side, and my stomach sinks as I look into her unfocused eyes. She doesn’t even see him. Her gaze is pinned to the two wraiths. One claiming to be her friend. One claiming to be my brother.

  The shadows cast over her face makes her look like a wraith too, the haunted distant expression. Hopelessness. Fear. Pain.

  Black blood bubbles from the wound in her side, caking into the dirt beneath her. It’s all over her hands and even on her face. Shit, whatever is happening with her body, it’s not good. And that’s beside the wraiths battling over her life just feet away. Or the wall of wraiths less than a mile off, now stirring from their quiet slumber.

  If I don’t do something, Caelynn will die. Here. In minutes.

  My stomach twists.

  I don’t know what to feel about her or the wraith’s clashing just feet away. If that being really is my brother, maybe he deserves his vengeance. But... it’s Caelynn. And bad or not—she’s mine.

  So, I allow instinct to take over. Even if it’s only the magic pushing me, even if what I feel for her isn’t real, I won’t let this be how it ends.

  I thrust my magic deep into her body, caressing every ounce of her essence. I close my eyes at how good it feels, the light that pulls at me, that fills my soul, sating the hunger deep within. The aching, the longing I’ve been ignoring since the day she walked into the Flicker Court before the trials. Since she walked into my life.

  I throw my head back with the pleasure and warmth that fills me at this intimacy.

  A familiar voice—even after all this time—breaks me from my ecstasy with a scream. “I will kill you.”

  The darker wraith leaps at me, his stinging power knocks me away from Caelynn.

  I brace my short fall with my elbows, and I look up to see skeleton birds circling below the dark brown clouds swirling over us. And not far off, that wall of wafting wraiths is watching eagerly, drawing closer inch by inch.

  “Reahgan,” I say sharply. I can’t wrap my mind around anything at the moment.

  Could my brother possibly be a wraith? Only evil souls become wraiths in death, and my brother was not—

  I shake my head, so confused, but I don’t have time to think it through. I have to make a decision now. “Reahgan,” I say again. “We have to go.” I point to the army of shifting wraiths pressing toward us, picking up speed.

  If he’s my brother, in any way, I need us both to get out of here. And continuing to fight over Caelynn here in the middle of an open wraith field, is going to get us both killed—fast.

  The being of light grey billowing smoke turns to the army of evil spirits, and he pauses. For a very long moment, he watches. They’re rumbling toward us now. Soon, they’ll be a stampede of angry souls seeking to devour us. There will be no hope of escape if we wait any longer.

  His chin dips in what I assume is a nod. “Let’s go,” he tells me and sweeps toward the mountains away from Caelynn and her wraith.

  I follow.

  Caelynn

  Holy crap.

  Wraith Reahgan and my random wraith friend just battle-royaled. Rev healed me, sending shock waves of pleasure through my whole body. Then, he left.

  Or did I hallucinate all of that? That actually seems way more likely.

  “Run,” the gruff voice of my wraith says. “Go back to the Forest of Desires.” He faces the army of wraiths roaring at us like a tsunami. “Blindfold yourself if you must, but wait there until I find you.”

  I suck in a breath but then scramble to my feet and follow his instruction.

  Rev is gone. He ran off with Reahgan. And he wants his vengeance.

  I suppose I can’t blame him for that. Even if he did deserve the end he got.

  The swell of wraiths rushes after me, and I sprint over the rocky plain back the way I came. They shift their trajectory away from Rev and toward me. The buzz of their eager groans grows behind me. The ground trembles beneath me, and I pick up speed, panic still thumping through my veins.

  I leap into shadows, jumping ahead two dozen feet. Then, again. And again. My back still roars in pain, my limbs heavy with exhaustion, but I have enough energy for a few leaps to get ahead.

  The wave of wraiths call after me. They call me by name.

  Our master wants to see you, they say.

  Our master has a plan for you.

  You cannot hide. You will never hide from them.

  Their words fuel me to flee even faster. Because I know who they speak of, and it’s not Reahgan. It’s the Night Bringer.

  Rev

  I sit on a dusty bed, looking around at the strange cottage smack in the middle of the Schorchedlands.

  “What is this place?” I ask. I followed the wraith who claims to be my long-dead brother for a few miles over the plains and into a mountain pass. He led me down a winding path between a set of smaller mountains and straight to a very normal-looking log cottage. He had me enter and then prompted me to invite him in.

  The army of wraiths kept their focus on Caelynn, which made our way fairly uneventful. But that only makes me feel guiltier. Is she okay?

  Of course, she is. She’s freaking Caelynn. She’s amazing. She’s undefeatable.

  I blink as the image of her fallen body flashes before me, causing a wave of pain to rush through me.

  I healed her, I tell myself. Not completely but enough. She’ll be okay.

  I take in a long breath. “Where are we?”

  There is only one small room with a fireplace, rusted pot hanging off kilter beside it. There’s a small table, one window, and a bed made of straw.

  Grey smoke billows from the wraith, his face unreadable. Unrecognizable. I still can’t bring myself to call him by my brother’s name.

  “Apparently some sorcerer lived here for a few years.”

  I nod absently. Gavril, I remember from one of my books. “He was studying wraiths.”

  “He was a fool. Though, I suppose it’s in your best interest. You are safe here, for now. Those wards stop spirits from entering without being invited. Making it a fairly safe abode.”

  I examine the glowing symbols lining the door and window of the cottage.

  “Even when invited, it’s rather—uncomfortable.” His smoke shudders, as if illustrating that he’s not feeling at his best inside these walls.

  “Thanks,” I say, rubbing my hands together awkwardly.

  I have so many questions. Too many. My mind won’t stop on just one, I’m overwhelmed.

  “So...” I begin but trail off.

  The wraith chuckles. “So, brother. You’ve taken up with my murderer, have you?”

  I blink. Oh, we’re going there, are we?

  “Not that I blame you. She’s quite attractive. I’d have bedded her myself if given the chance. I simply would have killed her after.”

  My stomach sinks, the breath leaves my lungs. No. No, this is not my brother.

  I close my eyes but can’t get the image from the Orb of Terrors out of my head. Reahgan holding Caelynn down with his magic and touching her...

  “How do I even know you’re my brother?” I spit.

  He chuckles. “Sorry, brother. I forget you were always the honorable one. The bleeding heart, making friends with those of low birth and even the servants.” His smoky shoulders rise in a shrug.

  “You weren’t like this,” I whisper. “You were...”

  “Good?”

  I nod.

  “Perhaps. For a time. But it’s much easier to become a wraith than you’d think. If you continue focusing all your energy on your hatred for my murderer, you’ll find yourself joining me here in your afterlife. If you had died in the trials like he wanted, you and I would have been reunited several weeks sooner.”

  “I don’t know if I believe you.”

  He sighs, smoky arms flailing around as he spins. Rea
hgan always was the dramatic one. “Well, let me put it this way: would another wraith would put himself at risk to save you? I protected you against Father while I lived and against my own kind here, now. They’ll be hunting you, even now.”

  “Then, why didn’t they follow us?”

  “Because she is more important. You are a secondary mission.” He floats around the room like he can’t manage to sit still. “Their master has other plans for the shadow bitch. They are ordered to capture her and take her straight to the devil.”

  “The Night Bringer?”

  “Ha! The Night Bringer is not in this cursed place. He couldn’t leave if he ever entered. That’s the problem, you see.” He shakes his head. “No, the Night Bringer was your devil. The Night Terror is ours.”

  I sit up straighter.

  “One monster of ancient renown is inside the Schorchedlands. The other outside. And they will do anything to be together again.”

  I blink and shake my head. There’s another one. I recall the voice that attempted to lure me inside the caves during the trials. How Caelynn pulled me back. That’s my only experience with the beings in question. But I don’t need to know more than that hypnosis, the cascade of dark power that held me captive for those few moments—and the look of fear in her eyes. Caelynn, my powerful and brave and bold shadow fae, is petrified of him.

  And now, I learn there are two.

  “Father must be so pleased that you made it inside these walls,” Reahgan chuckles. “You’re strong, brother. He wished you to be weak, but the more you proved him wrong, the angrier he became.”

  The wraith drifts toward the bed and settles over it as if pretending to sit like a living being. He’s not alive. And yet, he’s here. His soul, trapped in this place.

  “I’m proud of you, Rev.”

  I swallow. “Is it really you?” My heart aches. I want it to be him, so badly. And yet, it boggles my mind. Maybe I shouldn’t wish it.

  The wraith’s face softens if such an expression is even possible for a creature made entirely of magic. He places a smoke hand onto my forearm. “Look inside,” he says softly. “You’ll see everything you need.”

  I turn toward his swirling body and look into the light at his chest. It’s bright white, like a pure ball of luminescent energy. The light swells and then covers everything.

  I am a child again, running through the iridescent forest after my older brother, Reahgan. He’s so much faster. He slips through the trees and tricks me. He tosses a pile of glittering leaves over my head and laughs, running the other way.

  I pull away from the wraith, blinking rapidly. My heart swells, feeling his essence.

  It is him. This is my brother.

  Bile rises in my throat.

  “I was not always the best brother, Reveln. But I did love you. I still do.”

  I swallow and close my eyes. My brother. My idol. My hero. My role model.

  Is... a wraith.

  “You are not a prince, you never were. But though our fathers are different fae, we share a mother. That makes you my brother. That makes you mine. And I will always fight for what is mine.”

  “Mine,” I whisper. But it’s not Reahgan’s face that drifts through my mind. I blink the image back. “Tell me everything you know, Reahgan.” His name is foreign on my lips.

  He wrinkles his nose like it’s an inconvenience to him. “You have a destiny, but she has a bigger one.” His voice is bored. This is no longer about his glory, his purpose. This is about mine and my mate’s. I narrow my eyes, attempting to read his expression—though on a wraith that’s rather challenging. “You can heal the land,” his voice lowers. Displeased, I guess. “She will curse it. Caelynn, and Caelynn alone, has the ability to destroy the walls that keep souls bound to this place.” His voice rises. He enjoys this part. He watches my expression in return, eyes lighting at a flicker of pain passes through me.

  He enjoys my pain.

  I believe him when he says he loves me. That he’ll fight for me. But he desires power for himself. No one else. Especially his little brother.

  “It wasn’t revenge that drove me to kill her in the valley, Reveln. It was this. She must die, or else those monsters will use her to escape this place. And if the Night Terror and the Night Bringer are reunited, no one can stand against them.”

  Caelynn

  The wraiths halt right at the edge of the Forest of Desires. At least my wraith friend was right about this place—it’s safe from my most pressing threat, the wraiths.

  Too bad it’s creepy. As. Hell.

  Music plays from within the treeline, soft and melodic. It’s the song Rev and I danced to the first time we met. Before either of us knew who the other was.

  So, even though I refuse to look through the trees to see young Rev watching me with those big silver eyes, or offering me a glass of bubbling red wine, or kissing me beneath the soft luminescent light of the ballroom, I still picture all of it in my mind.

  Part of me wants to give in and fanaticize about one of my only good memories. The other is terrified I’ll lose myself to the hypnosis of this place.

  I’ve seen enough to know that I definitely do not want to die here. I do not want to be eaten alive by evil trees or join the thousands of souls within their trunks and limbs—no matter how lovely the images they show me are.

  So, I light a fire, and I stare into the flames, remembering who I am. What I am. And what I’m here for. I don’t know where Rev is or how to get to him now, I don’t know if he’s in trouble or if I can save him, but I’m sure as hell going to try. And those evil spirits in this forest will not stop me.

  It’s almost sundown when my wraith finally shows back up. He pushes through some barriers I hadn’t seen before.

  I leap to my feet as he reaches me. “Where the hell have you been?” I shout rudely.

  “Shhhh,” he purrs. “You’ll wake the dead, honey.”

  I roll my eyes. “The dead are very much awake.”

  He smiles.

  “You have some explaining to do,” I say, sitting back down next to my fire. I cross my arms dramatically. But I do still have a lot of questions. I start with the simplest first. “How can you enter this forest but the others can’t?”

  “Oh, they can but they choose not to. Wraiths are not admirers of this place. And those spirits do not have sufficient motivation to find you. Otherwise, they’d be here. By morning, they’ll forget you were ever here, to begin with.”

  I shake my head. Those are the mindless wraiths he’d mentioned. The ones with no hope left, that don’t remember who they are or have any desires of their own anymore. They wander aimlessly.

  They only attacked me because we brought attention to ourselves, and they desire to kill any living being in their lands. Except...

  “They said things to me. Called to me by name...”

  The wraith stills but doesn’t speak. I absently pick at the pebbles on the ground beside the fire.

  “There has been a message floating through the Schorchedlands for weeks now. Every wraith knows to look for you. That is why they followed you and not your lover. You are the priority.”

  I swallow.

  “Then, wouldn’t they come after me, even if it were uncomfortable? If there’s a bounty on my head...”

  “Not these wraiths. But others, yes. And it isn’t on your head. No, the Night Terror made it very clear that she wants you alive. You alive and Rev dead.”

  I cover my mouth with my hand. “The Night Bringer still wants him dead.”

  “Yes,” the wraith whispers. “He’s always wanted him dead. But you are more important, and Rev is your weakness. He kept him alive, often against his pet, the Luminescent Court King’s desires, so that he’d be able to use him against you.”

  I nod. Not even caring that it’s been working. All of it. He plopped it in my mind that Rev was in trouble, and I immediately came running, exactly where he wanted me.

  “Why does he want me here?”

&
nbsp; The wraith wafts for a moment, his bottom half swaying in the wind, then he spins and sits beside me. “Let me tell you a story,” he says, then he points into the woods over my shoulder. “The forest shows me what I desire too. A few of our desires are the same. A powerful Shadow Court stronghold. A strong queen able to build it back up into a mighty force. Those are things I could still see come to fruition. Things I could still make happen, through you.”

  I bite my lip. I do want those things too, but they are so far away now. How I could even think to hope for it?

  “But the forest usually shows me darker desires. The ones I’ve lost forever. It shows me what will never be.”

  I look into the woods and ignore the lovely young couple dancing fluidly and find a rocking chair. A lovely young female rocks a baby in her arms.

  “That is my son,” the wraith says. “History will tell you that he did not live past his sixth birthday.”

  I swallow. “I’m sorry.”

  “But that is a lie. You see, I was forced to give him up.”

  I suck in a breath as the image changes, the boy grows into a child running through the Whisperwood. “Why?”

  “I was the king of the Shadow Court, and my child was too strong.”

  My mouth falls open.

  “If I hadn’t sent him away to live as my cousin’s son, he would have been taken from me. My own father would have killed him, if given the chance.”

  I shake my head, not understanding.

  “My father had been High King, the last Shadow Court High Ruler. And during his time, there was a war. Again, history will lie to you and tell you that the High King tried to use his powerful court to keep power longer than his one hundred years. They’d tell you it was a civil war, court against court. But that is a falsehood. Our opponent was a pair of ancient beings. These beings are old and powerful, nearly unbeatable. They have their own stories and histories that go back millennia. We can’t even pretend to know enough about them to understand who they are or where they come from, or even what they want. But I know them to be two of the most evil creatures ever to walk our realm.”