by Paige, Bea
“I have tried. He is determined to die. I don’t know what else to do.”
“Find a way,” Clover says, and with that she is gone.
Chapter Ten
I awake with a start, sitting up in bed next to Clover. She is still sleeping peacefully, undisturbed. But I know that the conversation we just had was as real as she is. I pick up her hand, grasping it against my chest. “Be safe,” I say, pressing my lips against her knuckles before laying her hand back down.
The door to the bedroom swings open. It is Eldon.
“Accacia, come quickly, something is wrong with Ezra.”
I jump off the bed and rush from the room. Ezra is sitting on the floor, his back against the wall. He is shivering, his eyes squeezed shut. A sheen of sweat covers his skin, his shirt stuck to him in places. I glance at Eldon. “How long have I been out?”
“You have slept through the night, or at least what we consider the night here in a place that never goes dark.”
“Christ. Ezra’s been without blood for too long. “Where’s his bag?” I ask, casting my eyes about the room. Eldon picks it up from the chair I was sitting on earlier and hands it to me.
“Here. What’s wrong with him?”
“He’s dying,” I say.
“Dying? But I thought only the sun can kill a member of Clan Lux,” Avery says. He is crouched in front of Ezra, the back of his hand pressed against his forehead. “He is hot. Too hot.”
“He is suffering the consequence of refusing to take my blood.” I pull out one of the bottles and hurry to Ezra’s side. “He gave me his blood to heal me, now he refuses to take mine in return and it’s killing him.”
Avery shifts to make room, looking from my face to the bottle of blood in my hand.
“The curse Queen Adrielle cast goes beyond Clan Lux’s inability to live in the sun. The Queen made sure that all of Clan Lux were forced to feed from the common folk to survive and not from each other. If blood is taken from a member of Clan Lux and not given in return, then it is a certain, painful death.”
Avery looks at me in shock as I settle beside Ezra, pulling him into my arms. He barely acknowledges I am there. “How long has he been like this? You should have awoken me sooner,” I accuse.
“This happened suddenly. We were simply talking, and then he collapsed.”
I pull out the stopper, dropping it to the floor, and press the glass to his lips. “Ezra, drink,” I say, tipping the bottle up. He is aware enough to open his mouth, allowing me to pour it in.
“Is that blood?” Eldon asks.
“Yes, it’s about the only thing that is keeping him alive.”
“Why does he refuse to take your blood? Why would he wish this?” Avery asks, his green eyes troubled.
“Because he wishes to be with the ones he loves. He is tired of this life.”
I turn away from Avery’s gaze and concentrate on pouring the rest of the blood into Ezra’s mouth. Once it is done, I wipe at the drop that has escaped from his lips and settle beside him on the floor. Still in pain and oblivious to what is happening, Ezra slumps further.
“Is there anything we can do to help?” Avery asks.
“Is there somewhere he can rest for a while?” I ask, needing to make him more comfortable. A stab of panic enters my chest, he looks far worse now. The last time he drank the blood, it revived him after a few minutes. That doesn’t appear to be happening this time.
“Yes, of course. You may use my room. Eldon and I will carry him there,” Avery says, bending down and placing Ezra’s arm over his shoulder. Eldon does the same, and together they lift him off the floor. Ezra moans, the slightest movement hurting him.
I follow them, stopping momentarily at the door to the bedroom. “This will not be the last time we meet. I’ll be seeing you soon, Clover,” I whisper, taking one last look at my best friend before stepping away.
* * *
On the floor below, we enter Avery’s apartment within the tree-tower. It is not dissimilar to Clover’s rooms, with the same wooden furniture, and lit with tiny sparkling lights that don’t appear to be anything other than magical. There is certainly no electricity here.
Avery and Eldon place Ezra on the large double bed.
“Is there anything else that we can do?” Eldon asks.
“No, I think he will need to sleep this off.” I perch on the bed next to Ezra and pull my sleeve up over my hand so that I can wipe the sweat from his brow. Ezra grumbles under my touch.
“I could use something to eat and drink though. If that’s not too much trouble,” I add quickly.
Avery nods, and with a flick of his wrist the table in the corner of the room is filled with a bowl of berries. Next to it a wooden tumbler holds a sweet-smelling liquid.
“Fae magic?” I ask with a tight smile.
“It has its uses,” Avery responds. “If that is all?”
“It is for now. When Ezra is sufficiently recovered we will leave for the fae city. Clover said that you have a map, one that will show us the way to the inn?”
Avery glances at Eldon, then at Ezra. I know what he is thinking.
“He will recover,” I say.
“As soon as you are ready, I will bring you the map and take you to the entrance,” Avery says with a sharp nod of his head.
“Thank you.”
The fae men leave the room, shutting the door behind them. I turn my attention back to Ezra, who is sleeping a little more peacefully now. He still whimpers, but the tightness around his mouth is gone and his breathing has gentled slightly. I pull the silken cover over him, then take a seat at the table. Unlike Clover’s, this room has a window. I lean out slightly, looking down. Amid the sea of green leaves, I can see people move along the walkways between their homes built amongst the branches. I wonder whether any of them are the people I saw being dragged down into the earth.
I pick up some fruit and bite into a ripe berry, the sweetness of its soft flesh exploding in my mouth. It is like nothing I have tasted before. My stomach growls, urging me to eat more. It takes me no time to devour them all. I wash them down with the sweet, honey-flavoured drink.
“Thalia, Roseanna…” Ezra mumbles from behind me. A sob rises up his throat and bursts in the air about us. My heart breaks for him. I get up and rush to his side.
“I’m here, Ezra,” I say, climbing onto the bed next to him. “It’s me, Accacia, I’m here,” I repeat, laying down beside him. I turn on my side, resting my head on the pillow. His handsome face is drawn, pale. Every time I look at Ezra a little piece of him seems to wither away. It is like watching a colour photo fading in the sunlight, until eventually the image disappears. Ezra turns towards me. His eyes are shut, he is still very much asleep, but he reaches out, pulling me into his arms. I go into them willingly, not caring that I am not the woman he wishes to hold in his arms, knowing that he needs human comfort wherever it may come from.
“Thalia, oh Thalia,” he cries into my hair. “I am sorry. I am sorry I couldn’t save you both.”
“It is not your fault,” I say. I don’t know whether he can hear me. I have no idea whether the words I am saying are filtering into his consciousness or not. Whether they would make any difference to the grief he feels, the torment, but I continue anyway. “It wasn’t your fault. You are not to blame.”
Ezra is crying in earnest now, the sound he releases from his chest is the same as the sound he made the day his wife and child were turned to ash and dust. It tears me to shreds, but I don’t break. I don’t cry. I just hold onto Ezra as tightly as he is holding me. It is strength he needs right now, and I am determined to give it to him. “You couldn’t save them, Ezra. Nothing you could have done would have made any difference. You would have perished too. You are a good man. You are not to blame.”
“All these years, my love. I never got to say goodbye. I miss you both so much it hurts. I am sorry,” Ezra mumbles into my hair. His hold on me lessens as he falls into a deep sleep, arms slackening as his body
relaxes, the tension finally releasing from his muscles.
As he lies within my arms, I wonder what on earth I can do to make him change his mind. I don’t want to lose him to the light now that he has begun to brighten my life with his.
Chapter Eleven
I must have dozed off as well because when I awake I find Ezra staring down at me. He is lying on his side facing me, his head resting on his hand.
“Hi,” I say.
“Hello, Accacia,” he replies. The grey of his eyes is soft now, no longer stormy. There is a kind of peace within them. Something I haven’t seen since we met.
“How are you feeling?”
“About as good as I look, I imagine,” he responds.
“You look better,” I lie. Apart from the difference in his eyes, he still looks terrible, but I’m not about to tell him that.
“I find that hard to believe.” He is looking at me strangely, a frown creasing his forehead. I get the distinct impression that he is warring with himself over something. Eventually, he speaks. “Thank you, for giving me the blood. For staying with me.”
“I… you were aware of what was going on?”
“Not entirely, no. I just remember you telling me to drink the blood. Then, when I awoke a few minutes ago, I found you lying next to me. I thought perhaps you stayed to look after me, was I wrong?”
“No, you weren’t wrong,” I whisper.
He moves his head closer to me and my breath catches as he brushes his knuckles against the edge of my jaw.
“It seems this is becoming a habit,” he says, his face lowering ever closer to mine. I don’t think I am breathing now.
“You looking after me, I mean.” Ezra’s hand moves down, his palm smoothing against my throat, lowering to my collarbone before finally resting between my breasts. I know he can feel the pounding of my heart beneath his hand as much as I feel it trying to escape my chest.
“Your heart is strong, it beats so loud. It is good to hear, Accacia…”
“Why?” My chest heaves under his touch and my skin burns beneath his hand. We are caught, Ezra and I, within this web we have weaved about one another. I’m not sure which one of us is the captor and which the prey but whatever this is forming between us, something is different, the barrier is not so impenetrable now.
“Ezra, what are you doing?” I ask gently, not understanding what is going on. Him blowing so hot and cold is confusing me. He loved his wife Thalia, he refuses my blood because of her, because of the love he has for her. I understand why. I understand his pain, I’ve felt the rawness of it. Witnessed it first hand as it tore him apart not an hour or more ago. So why is he looking at me the way he is?
“You are alive, here,” he says, his mouth barely an inch away from mine.
“Yes,” I reply.
“I never thought…” His breath is warm against my mouth, as the top of his nose brushes against mine. Neither one of us can look away. With the lightest of touches his lips graze against mine. “Thank you,” he murmurs against my mouth. “For everything, Accacia.”
A rush of air, followed by the entrance of Eldon, has Ezra scowling once again. He sits up.
“Jael has sent word, the fae king has brought the trial forward. Rhain and Devin are being sentenced this afternoon. If you want to save your friends, then you must leave now.”
Ezra leaps up from the bed. I follow him.
“Where’s the map?” I demand.
Avery walks up behind Eldon. “It is here,” he says, handing over a dry piece of parchment with a detailed drawing upon it.
“Map?” Ezra snatches the parchment from me. I snatch it back.
“Yes, there is a map that will lead us to an inn within the fae city. A man called Solomon will be waiting for us there, he will take us to Rhain and Devin.”
“Well a map is all good and well, but how do we get to the city without being…”
“There’s a secret pass,” I cut in.
Ezra narrows his eyes at me. “You seem to have this all well planned out.”
“You can thank Clover for that. She’s the one who arranged it all.”
“She’s sleeping. How can she have arranged anything?”
“Don’t underestimate what Clover can do, she is a very determined woman,” Avery says with a proud smile.
“Enough of the talk. We need to go, now,” I say, looking between the men. “Rhain and Devin need us.”
“Looks like Clover is not the only one who is determined,” Eldon says, a smile curving his lips. He steps towards me and takes my hand in his, pressing a kiss over my knuckles. A kind of strangled noise comes from Ezra’s throat. I glance at him. He is staring daggers at Eldon, a muscle feathering in his jaw. If I didn’t know better, I’d say he was jealous.
“We will take care of Clover until you are able to meet again.” He lets go of my hand and steps back.
I nod. “You’d better, or you’ll have me to deal with.”
“Understood,” he says.
I turn to Ezra, my voice softening. “Can you manage?”
“I will,” he responds.
“What if you have another episode?”
“There are two more bottles of blood left. I will drink them when I need to.”
“But it’s getting worse…” My voice trails off. I know that no matter what I say, it won’t affect his decision anyway. He will still be the same, stubborn Ezra.
“Then I will deal with it.” Ezra crosses his arms, and I know that he is done with discussing the matter. Avery is watching us both in amusement.
“What are you grinning at, pretty boy,” Ezra says, snarling.
“Nothing, absolutely nothing.” Avery chuckles, walking from the room.
Ezra and I follow him. We take the lift back down to the ground floor. There are a few other fae people milling about as we pass each floor. They look at Ezra and me with curiosity but do not say a word. Avery raises a hand, does some strange hand movement, and they all turn away, busying themselves with whatever it was they were doing before they noticed us.
“The secret pass is beneath the tree. Only a handful of fae here know of its existence,” Avery says, stepping off the platform. We walk alongside him, heading back outside. There isn’t anyone about on the ground, the fae preferring the safety of the tree, it would seem.
“You do not trust your people?” Ezra asks.
“It is not that we do not trust them. We wish to keep them safe.”
“Sure,” Ezra says, unconvinced. “Yet here you are, showing us the secret pass. Two complete strangers.” He turns to me. “Do you not think that’s a little odd, Accacia?”
I roll my eyes at Ezra. “Not so long ago you were asking me to trust these men, and now you’re questioning their motives? You sure know how to confuse a girl,” I snap. Ezra’s cocks an eyebrow at me.
Avery grins. “Accacia has a point.”
“Besides,” I continue, “Clover is my friend. She wouldn’t do anything to put me in danger. So, no, I don’t think it odd. I do, however, think you have serious trust issues.”
Ezra blanches, making him look even more sickly. “I do not have trust issues. I’ve just been around a lot longer than you, Accacia. I see things a little differently.”
“Yes, I know that, but it doesn’t mean you’re right.”
As we step outside into the light of the fireflies, Avery takes a sharp left. We follow him around the side of the tree. Almost half way around he stops in front of a tall gap where the roots of the tree make an archway before joining with the trunk. There is a hollow where the trunk dips in slightly, almost like a cave in a cliff face.
“Where’s the secret pass? This doesn’t lead anywhere,” I say.
Avery opens his palm. Resting on it is a tiny green flame. When I look closer it is, in actual fact, a firefly. It hovers just above Avery’s palm before launching itself into the air, heading straight toward the tree. It disappears through a gap that has suddenly appeared. I can see its green glow h
overing just beyond the entrance. More fae magic.
“Well, I suppose this is goodbye. Thank you, Avery,” I say, holding my hand out to shake. He winks at Ezra, before planting a kiss on my lips. It is a platonic, no passion kind of kiss, but it seems to have a strange effect on Ezra.
“Back off fae,” he seethes, yanking at Avery’s shoulder.
Avery raises his hands in mock-surrender. “No harm meant.” His eyes sparkle with mischief.
Ezra mumbles something distinctly rude under his breath, but Avery is completely unperturbed by it.
“Before you go, take these,” Avery says, as two long robes appear in his hands. “You don’t look much like fae, the colour of your eyes is a big giveaway. If you haven’t already noticed, ours are all green.”
“All of you?” I ask, taking one of the robes and pulling it on. It has a large hood that when pulled on, completely overshadows my face.
“Yes, all of us.”
“Won’t we stand out even more with these on, don’t you have any sunglasses instead?” I ask.
“What are these sunglasses you speak of?” Avery cocks his head to the side, a puzzled expression on his face.
“Never mind. You’re certain this is a suitable disguise?” I press, wanting to be sure.
“This is what they wear in the city. Though, I prefer to be unencumbered by clothes.”
“I can see that,” I laugh, glancing at his bare chest.
Ezra puts the robe on, keeping the hood off his face for now. “Let us leave,” he says abruptly. “There is no more time for niceties,” he adds, ushering me forward.
I place a hand on Avery’s arm. “Remember what I said.”
“We will protect her with our lives, you have my word, Accacia.”
“Okay.” I let go of Avery’s arm and step into the entrance. A few paces into the darkened tunnel I turn, expecting to see Ezra directly behind me. Instead, Avery has Ezra by the arm and is talking animatedly to him. Ezra looks none too pleased. They both catch me watching them. Ezra snatches his arm away, striding towards me.
