Midnight Magic, page 45
I had asked Shane about his pack and what had happened to them. Killian had asked him too, but Shane said there was no one to go back to. So, like me, Shane had been invited to stay at DuMoir.
If I actually had a plan, I would have invited him to come with me, but I had nothing and he seemed content being here.
“Hey, hm, it’s going to be a full moon soon and I'll need your help.”
I shoved another shirt in the duffel bag. “With what?”
“I’ll explain later, but Killian and Lavinia said they will help, and …” Shane looked at the bag, frowning. “You’re leaving?”
“I think that is obvious.”
“When?”
“As soon as I finish packing.” And since I had almost nothing, that would take exactly five minutes.
“Where are you going?”
I shrugged. “Where the wind takes me.” Was that the human saying? I wasn’t sure. So many things had changed in the last twenty years, I had no idea if that saying was still used or not.
One thing I was still trying to wrap my head around was cell phones, internet, and computers. Ariella had shown me her phone and I was stunned. You could do anything with those things now! I had to get one. Though I had no one to text, nothing to search on the internet.
My life was purposeless and lonely.
Another knock sounded from the door. “Come in!”
Ariella opened the door. “Hey.”
She was the typical angel—fair skin, white-blond curls, and silver-gray eyes. She was pretty and delicate, though from what I heard, she was tough as nails. I also heard she was a fallen angel because she had lost her wings, and without her wings, she couldn’t go back to what we called heaven.
“Hey. I’m almost ready.” I shoved a jacket in the bag, zipped it up, and slung it over my shoulder. “Now, I’m ready.”
Last night, during that ridiculous party Lord Drake had thrown to celebrate the latest win against evil warlocks and greedy vampires, she had told me she planned on leaving today so she could continue her hunt. She wouldn’t rest until she found her wings. I agreed to go with her, even if only to the nearest town. I didn’t want to stay here for longer.
Ariella had liked that idea, but she grimaced. “About that …” She opened the door wider.
Farrah and Wyatt stood beside her.
I glared at Ariella. The traitor. She knew I was avoiding them, but they had a history, a bond I couldn’t match.
Damn it.
Farrah offered me a small smile. “Twyla, I thought we could talk for a bit.” As a frost fae, her hair was a blond-silver almost white, and her eyes were the brightest blue I had ever seen. She too could be confused as an angel.
And that annoyed me even more.
I crossed my arms. “I have nothing to talk about.”
But Farrah was insistent. She walked into my bedroom with her mate close behind her. A werewolf like Shane, Wyatt was also tall, broad, and handsome. I hated to admit he and Farrah looked great together.
“As an ambassador for the fae realm, I need to talk to you,” she said. “It won’t take long.”
Shane cleared his throat. “I’ll be …” He gestured to the door. “Yeah.” He darted away. From the door, Ariella waved at me, then disappeared behind Shane.
Seriously, she wouldn’t even wait for me to be done here. What the hell?
I faced Farrah and Wyatt. “What is it?”
“I’ve been trying to talk to you for days,” Farrah said.
“I know.”
“You shouldn’t hide from me. It’s my duty to check on the fae in this realm.” She frowned. “And you’ve been through quite the ordeal. The world is different now. I bet you have many questions …”
“The only one I have right now is, can I go?”
Farrah pressed her lips tight. “Twyla … you’ve been away for so long. I think that before you decide what to do, we should go to the fae realm and talk to Queen Kayden first.”
“She’s not my queen,” I said with more venom than I intended. I meant that I didn’t want to go back to the fae realm. That place didn’t have any good memories.
“I know it’s probably a shock that the former fae king—“
“Don’t talk about him.” My teeth ground together.
“All right.” Farrah raised her hands in a peace sign. “All I’m asking is an hour or two of your time. We’ll see Queen Kayden, talk to her, and then you’re free to go.”
“And what if I say no?”
“I’m afraid you have no choice,” Wyatt said, stepping closer to me.
I gaped at Farrah. “I’m sorry, Twyla. I don’t want to use force, but if you keep fighting us, we will have to.”
By the shadows …
I exhaled through my nose. “If you insist.” My tone was full of sarcasm.
Farrah noticed it, but didn’t say anything. Wyatt fished the medallion—golden, with a ridged surface—from his jacket’s pocket and gave it to Farrah. She extended her arm between us and focused on the medallion. A white light appeared from the medallion. It shone until it formed an oval wall in front of us.
My breath caught. I hadn’t seen a portal in so long …
With a sympathetic look, Farrah glanced at me. “Ready?”
I sighed. “As ready as I’ll ever be,” I muttered.
Farrah gestured for me to go first.
I inhaled deeply and stepped into the light.
CHAPTER 2
Twyla
* * *
I braced myself to face the new queen …
But when I looked around, I found myself in a grand, frozen foyer. Wraparound ice stairs led to the second floor, a crystal chandelier hung from the high ceiling, and when I turned around I saw double wooden doors.
“Where are we?” I asked.
Farrah and Wyatt stood beside me, the portal gone. “My family house in the Frost Court.”
I frowned. “I thought you were taking me to see the queen.”
“I am,” she said. “But I haven’t come here in a while. I wanted to check on my court before we head to the castle. Besides—” She turned to the stairs. “My brother will escort us there.” She beckoned for me to follow her. “Come on. “I’ll show you to your room.”
“My room? Why?”
Farrah shrugged. “So you don't have to carry that bag to the castle. Just leave it here. When she lets you go, you can come back and pick it up.”
I grunted. Why couldn’t I just leave the damn bag here, then? In a corner, maybe behind the door? Surely, this big house had a closet somewhere.
With a sigh, I followed her up the stairs.
Wyatt, the silent werewolf, didn’t follow us. I looked at him. “Aren’t you coming to make sure I don’t hurt her?”
One corner of his lips curled up. “I doubt you can hurt her, if she doesn’t want you to.”
His eyes shifted to Farrah, and I could feel the love and admiration they shared. I shuddered. Holy shadows, disgusting.
Wyatt winked at Farrah, then he turned and left through the archway under the stairs.
With a small smile, Farrah climbed the stairs, her delicate fingers skimming the banister as she rose. “He’s going to find Daleigh.”
“Your brother.”
Farrah nodded. “He’s the Lord of the Frost Court now.”
So I had heard. I hadn’t seen Daleigh, or Farrah for that matter, since we were kids, young fae who didn’t know any better. Even then, I saw them so little, because I was my family’s bane and they would have rather kept me locked in the dungeon if they could.
Well, at times, they had tried.
When we reached the second floor, she opened one of the guest bedrooms. Enchanted ice and stone accents filled the large room. The light refracted in the ice, casting rainbows across the dark wooden floors. The beams slid across the top of my boots as I marched for the bed, bedecked in an ice blue down comforter.
I dropped my bag on the bed and felt a sense of satisfaction at the wrinkles now smudging the pristine surface of the comforter. “What now?” I demanded, spinning back to Farrah.
She looked at my clothes—jeans, a thin sweater, and boots. Before leaving DuMoir Castle, I had planned on grabbing a thick jacket from the closet. Now, I had nothing else to cover myself, and we were in the Frost Court, where it was cold everywhere.
“I think some of my old dresses are still in my bedroom.” Farrah held up a finger. “I’ll be right back.”
“What? Wait, no—“
But she was gone before I could protest. I knew her reasoning. I had lived in the fae realm before, in a damn castle, and I knew exactly how one should dress when going to talk to royalty.
Frustrated, I walked to the window and glanced to the yard below. I had to admit, I always thought the Frost Court was one of the most beautiful in the entire fae realm. The expansive yard was covered in snow, even the tall trees in the distance, but here and there stone paths were cleared of snow, with swirling ice sculptures at each turn and corner. It looked like something straight from a fairy tale—and it had been one too. I remembered how happy Farrah’s family had been before her parents died.
I had always envied them.
Two figures emerged from one of the stone paths, drawing closer to the manor. Wyatt and Daleigh. I hadn’t seen Daleigh in ages, but there was no mistaking him. From here, he looked regal, tall, poised, and every bit like the Lord of the Frost Court should. He wore gray pants, heavy gray boots, and a thick white jacket with an old-fashioned cut, and silver details. His white-blond hair was long and smooth, his pointed ears poking from under it. I touched my wavy dark locks, suddenly jealous of a guy’s hair.
I let out a sigh.
“This one should do,” Farrah said.
I turned around. She stood by the door, holding an off-white gown with silver embroidery. Way too fancy for the day. “I think it should fit you.” She pushed the dress toward me. “Try it on.”
“Look, Farrah, I appreciate you trying to fancy me up for the queen, but … I won’t put it on. I’ll either go like this, or I won’t go at all.”
She opened her mouth, surely to try to convince me, but she must have seen the resolution in my face. “All right.” She dropped the dress in an armchair in the corner. “Well, if you’re not changing, I guess we can go downstairs. Wyatt and Daleigh should be here, and I know the carriage was being brought over.” She turned to the door, then stopped and faced me. “I know this feels frustrating, but I promise, it should be a quick thing. Queen Kayden is a fair leader, and she knows your past. You don’t need to be afraid of her.”
My brows curled down. “I’m not afraid of her.” I wondered if I should say more. In the end, the words tumbled out. “I just … I just want a fresh start, preferably away from any other fae.”
Farrah stared at me. “I wanted to say … I’m sorry. I killed Prince Lark and—“
“Don’t apologize for that,” I interrupted her. It was probably heartless of me, but I couldn’t help it. I hadn’t had any feelings for Lark in many, many years. “Not for that,” I whispered.
She frowned, but she didn’t say anything, at least, not about that matter. Her eyes shifted to the hallway outside the door. “I hear the carriage. We should go.”
She walked out of the bedroom.
I let out a sigh and looked at my bag. My instinct was to bring it with me. Hopefully, Kayden would let me go my own way, and I would need that bag. But I could come back after, quickly pick it up, and leave.
With that in my mind, I left my bag behind and went downstairs to meet with my escorts.
*.*.*.*.*
* * *
The carriage ride to the palace couldn’t have been more silent and uncomfortable if we tried. Farrah and Wyatt talked a little, and Farrah questioned Daleigh about the state of the Frost Court, but the new lord of the lands wasn’t in a mood to talk. He glanced at me a few times, reproach written all over his hard features.
Hard and handsome. Damn, Daleigh had grown to be a hot fae, even if his attire screamed uptight. He was as tall as Wyatt, not as broad in the shoulders but equally powerful. His handsome face seemed to have been carved from ice—all sharp lines and bright blue eyes. With his fair skin and white-blond hair, he looked like the perfect ice prince.
My gaze shifted to the window. The carriage had been enchanted to travel fast from the Frost to the Blaze Court, where the palace was located. It had been rebuilt after the Shadow Fae king defeated the Blaze king and banished him from the fae realm. Under Shadow rule, the fae king ruled from his creepy palace in the Shadow Court. The palace had been left to ruin. But now that Shadow king had been defeated, the rulership had rightfully gone back to the Blaze Court and Alos's daughter, Kayden.
The carriage slowed. A paved road wound through bright orange and red trees, their colors a mosaic blur as the carriage climbed the hill to the palace. Spires of golden yellow with delicate orange filigree reached for the sky, extending from the creamy beige citadel. It reminded me of a fallen sun sunken into the top of a hill.
Passing the keep, we entered the large courtyard in front of the palace and rolled to a stop in front of the stairs leading to the entrance. The carriage’s door was open from the outside.
No one moved.
Sighing, I got the gist. I should be the first one out.
I stepped down from the carriage and stilled.
A corridor of soldiers dressed in dark red uniform and holding sharp spears formed around me. My escorts.
Damn.
I couldn’t help being upset, even though I tried putting myself in Kayden’s shoes and see it from her point of view. If I were her, I would probably have done the same or thrown me in the dungeon to rot in misery.
As I walked, the live corridor closed in around me. Behind the procession Farrah, Wyatt, and Daleigh followed. I hadn’t been to the Blaze Court palace before, but it was as I imagined a palace should be. An entrance bigger than twenty foyers like Frost Manor's. Waxed beige stone paved the floors, and wooden archways embedded with golden details rose to the peak of the cathedral ceiling. A crystal chandelier refracted sunlight from massive windows that glittered across the steps of the golden staircase rising up from the center of the foyer before curving to the right and left. Landscape paintings of the Blaze Court lands framed in gold filled the spaces between the windows.
I knew each court favorited its own colors, but some did get carried away … I had barely stepped foot in the palace, and I was already sick of beige, yellow, orange, and red.
We followed the long corridor bedecked in orange walls and landscape paintings until we arrived at large double doors. Two of the guards opened them and allowed our party to come in.
The Blaze queen, with her red hair and amber eyes, sat at her golden throne above a dais at the end of the room. A wall of guards stood behind her, and I knew that wasn’t normal. I counted the soldiers in the room—at least two dozen. She really thought I could take on that many soldiers by myself. Not to mention Farrah, Wyatt, Daleigh, and herself? I was kind of proud of that …
Really, the way this was going, I should be glad I wasn’t in chains.
Beside Kayden stood an older man. I remembered him, though he looked older, even for a fae—Alos, the former fae king, and now adviser to the queen.
Fifteen feet from the dais, a guard raised his closed fist and everyone stopped. I did too, knowing that if I kept going, there would be trouble.
Farrah stepped forward. “Queen Kayden, I think you remember Twyla.”
Kayden stared at me, her delicate brows curled down, her eyes wary. “I do, and you’re not welcome here.”
CHAPTER 3
Daleigh
* * *
During the carriage ride to the palace, I did my best not to look at the female fae seated across from me. I remembered little of her from when we were kids, and she had always seemed shy and reclusive. A far cry from this fae.
Twyla was also prettier than I remembered. She had grown into a beautiful fae with long, black hair, dark eyes, and smooth, fair skin. She was slim and tall, but still a lot shorter than most male fae. The only negative point right now was her clothes. She wore human clothes, and even though they hugged her curves, it wasn’t appropriate for the fae realm, especially not the royal court.
If I didn’t know better, I would say she was a vampire: pretty enough to make the people around her drool like fools, just to attack them later.
Which brought me to a second negative point: she was probably evil. She could be plotting how to kill us all and flee.
And that reminded me of a third negative point: Twyla was the daughter of the former Shadow fae king, and Prince’s Lark’s sister. The Shadow fae king was the one who killed the woman I loved and banished my people and me to the human realm long ago. That … I could never forget.
So, instead of glaring at her, I glanced out the window. The carriage moved too fast, thanks to an enchantment, otherwise it would have taken us an entire day to cross into Blaze Court.
But I didn’t need to see the landscape. The Frost Court had been abandoned for years. The snow piled up, ice covered the lakes, the animals fled, and the houses grew dusty and rickety.
And it had been all because of me.
I pressed my eyes closed and repeated the same chant every damn day—the past was in the past. I couldn’t change it, but I could learn from it. I wouldn’t make the same mistakes again.
I didn’t think I had paid enough for all the shitty things I had done, but now that I was Lord of the Frost Court, I worked hard to make sure my people never suffered again.
Which included protecting them from evil fae.
When Farrah told me she had scheduled a meeting with the queen and was bringing Twyla, I almost yelled at her. I had wronged my sister more than once, so I reined in my anger and asked her to reconsider. She was adamant that it was her job to watch over the fae lost in the human realm. Twyla would face the queen's judgment.
