Trial by Fae, page 3
part #1 of Dragon's Gift - The Dark Fae Series
What was happening?
All I could do was feel him. Smell him.
I swayed closer to him. He moved toward me. We were two magnets, unable to fight it.
A low groan tore from his throat, one of resistance and longing.
His mouth collided with mine, his hands going around my waist. They were huge and strong, gripping me firmly as his hot lips parted mine. Desire fogged my head, and I wrapped my arms around his neck, falling into the kiss.
A sense of danger swirled around me, but I couldn’t resist this. No matter how risky it was. The danger only fueled me. My tongue slipped into his mouth, and I pressed my body full against the hard, long length of his.
He cupped the back of my head, plundering my mouth. My mind swirled, my thoughts going blank as I acted on desire alone. The magic continued to swirl around us, the spell doing its work, but I hardly noticed.
The man’s magic swelled on the air, increasing as we kissed. His touch grew rougher, less restrained. I surged against him, wanting more of it. More of him.
His mouth moved on mine, sure and skilled. I was dizzy. When the prick of pain on my lip flared, I jolted and pulled back.
The mist had faded on the air, the spell complete.
I could see him fully now.
My jaw slackened.
He was the same insanely beautiful stranger, but he’d changed. Shifted.
His eyes had turned black, and silver horns had appeared against his head. They didn’t jut upward like a demon’s horns; rather, they appeared at his temples and ran backward along his skull, almost like a crown. Fangs had grown in his mouth, two long white points.
He was terrifying and sexy, all at once.
And I had no idea what he was.
He licked his fang as he stepped back from me, seeming almost startled that he’d shifted. Then true surprise entered his eyes. At the taste of my blood?
His dark eyes turned green once more, control returning. Interest flickered, and the corner of his mouth tipped up in a grin. His tongue touched his fang again, as if for another taste of my blood.
All the heat and desire that had filled me began to flow out, leaving me weak.
“You’re a Dragon Blood.” His words, so low and soft, made ice shoot through my veins.
No.
Somehow, the taste of my blood had told him what I was.
Quickly, I sliced my forefinger with my sharp thumbnail. Pain spiked and blood welled, and I reached up and swiped my bloody fingertip over his forehead. A swipe of black blood marred his pale skin, then disappeared.
“Forget of me, I will of thee.” I repeated the chant twice, pushing my suggestive magic toward him. It was a small mind control trick that both Aeri and I had been quick to learn.
His eyes narrowed. “That doesn’t work on me.”
The earth felt like it had dropped out from beneath me. I reached for the dagger on the table beside me, instinct propelling me. I can’t let him leave here knowing what I am.
His gaze moved from the dagger in my hand to the bowl beside me. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the small golden charm that now lay within it. The spell was complete. The charm had formed from our magic.
Quickly, he reached for it and scooped it out of the bowl.
“I hardly think a fight would go well between us.” He gave the dagger a pointed look. “And you may prove useful later, so I’d hate to hurt you.”
Before I could fully process his words, he’d retrieved his jacket from the chair and slipped out the door. He’d moved so quickly that he’d looked like a blur through the air.
I lunged up from the table, sprinting across the room.
He wasn’t in the hall.
Nor on the front step.
He was gone.
The bastard was gone, and he knew what I was.
I stumbled back into the house, my mind whirring.
Who the hell had that guy been? Where had he gone? I ran back toward my workshop, searching for any possible clues. Of course there were none. The only thing he’d left was the fire opal bracelet, which now lay on the table.
I picked it up and stared down at it, heart racing.
I’d use it to track him. It was the only way.
I gripped the bracelet tightly and closed my eyes, calling upon my seeker sense. A seeker was a type of Magica who could find things. I had only a bit of the power, though, and it didn’t always work. No matter how hard I tried, it didn’t work this time.
There was a block on the bracelet, a magic spell meant to prevent tracking like this.
Damn it.
I pressed my fingertip to the comms charm on my bracelet. “Aeri?”
My voice was hoarse with worry.
“Mari? What’s wrong?”
“A man. He knows what I am.” I had to tell her everything. This put her at risk, too, even though he had no idea that she was like me. But if I came under suspicion with the government, she would as well. We’d been joined at the hip our whole lives. Of course they’d suspect her.
“What do you mean, he knows? How?”
I spilled out the whole horrible story, even the kiss.
“Oh, Mari. That’s bad.” Her voice turned brisk. “But don’t worry. We’ll track the bracelet back to him. Then we’ll deal with it.”
“Good. That was my plan. My seeker sense didn’t work, so it can’t be tracked that way.”
“Declan has some equipment that may help if the FireSouls can’t.”
The FireSouls were our friends who could track anything of value, though I had a feeling that the protection charm on the bracelet would prevent even their impressive powers from working. I’d try anyway.
“Declan had to go to angel headquarters—something about a stolen bomb that’s super deadly—so I’ll come over now. When he’s back, he can help.”
“Thank you. I’m headed to the FireSouls’ place to see if they can help.”
“Good luck. I’ll be home soon, and we can go together.”
I cut the connection on the comms charm and hurried to the bookshelf in our workshop. It took several books, but I finally found the meaning of Mograh.
I stared at it, dumbfounded.
It meant my love in the Seelie Fae language, which was similar to Scots Gaelic. But the true meaning was fated mate.
Somehow, I was the one woman made for him.
That’s why he’d looked so shocked. And maybe even why I’d had that insight into who he was when I’d been performing the spell.
But he’d ignored it. He didn’t want it.
Which was fine by me. Perfect even. Because no way I was signing up to be some mysterious man’s fated mate. I had other things to be doing.
I snapped the book closed and went to my apartment, my mind racing. Despite the glamour, I was still wearing a bathrobe and would need to change before heading to the other side of town.
Quickly, I painted the black mask over my eyes and did my hair up in a high bouffant ponytail. I found a fresh set of black fighting leathers and put them on, then grabbed my boots. I shoved the enchanted bracelet into my pocket.
Within minutes, I was heading back into the foyer of the main house. Aeri and I never departed out of our secret apartments, which were hidden in buildings on either side of the main house. No one knew we actually owned them, and since their front doors were never used, the neighborhood thought they were abandoned.
As soon as I’d stepped into the main foyer, a shrieking alarm went off. Red magic rolled over the ceiling, sparking and bright.
My heart jumped into my throat.
Shit shit shit.
Red alert. A freaking red alert.
4
The alarm blared, shrill and horrible.
The Council of Demon Slayers was calling.
Under no circumstances could I ignore it. We owed the Council. They’d helped smuggle us out of Grimrealm years ago when we’d escaped. And whatever they needed us for was serious. Only the worst demons got a red alert.
The front door slammed open, and Aeri ran in, her eyes wide. “Red alert.”
“Let’s go.” I turned on my heel and headed back toward our workshop.
Together, we approached the huge rectangular table in the middle of the room. The fire had died down, but I could see by the light of the hallway. I stopped at the corner of the big table and pressed my hand to the wood. Aeri did the same, and magic sparked on the air. The table levitated and drifted to the side of the room.
Together, we approached the hidden trapdoor in the middle of the floor, which was normally hidden under the table and completely invisible. I sliced my fingertip with my thumbnail and let a drop of blood fall to the ground. Aeri did the same. When my black blood joined her white blood on the stone, magic filled the air.
The door disappeared. Narrow stone stairs led deep into the earth, and I raced down them. It grew colder and damper as I descended. The wound on my finger was already healing, courtesy of an enchantment. It only worked on my finger, but it came in handy when you had to use blood magic so often.
About halfway down, metal spikes shot out of the wall. I stopped abruptly. The points pressed into my skin, not breaking the surface but threatening all the same. This place was so important that we’d installed safety measures to protect it.
Recently, we’d changed them to the metal spikes, and I still wasn’t used to them.
My heart thundered as I carefully shifted my hand and allowed one of the spikes to pierce my skin. The thirsty metal drank up my blood, testing me. Eventually, the metal spikes retracted back into the wall, allowing me to pass. Aeri would go through the same test, but I didn’t look back to check on her. She’d be fine.
I sprinted down to the next level. The steps lengthened here, forming a small platform. I stopped, standing perfectly still. Quickly, pale gray smoke began to fill the air. I breathed it in, trying to ignore the memory of the smoke that had entranced me into kissing the mysterious man.
I mean no harm. Let me pass. I recited the thought in my mind, letting the smoke fill my lungs. It froze my limbs solid, making it impossible for me to move. The enchanted fog would read my true intentions and make sure they were pure.
If they weren’t, I’d stand here frozen forever.
Over and over again, I repeated the mantra. Eventually, the smoke faded and the freezing grip on my muscles ceased.
I hurried down, finally reaching the cavern far below the main house. It’d been no coincidence that we’d chosen this place to live. Every demon slayer had a well of power near their home. It was our conduit for contacting the Council, and the magic in the pool could be used to enhance our own power.
Very rarely, we’d bring people down here to perform important magic—but only people we trusted. Even then, we didn’t tell them what the pool really was. Instead, we told them that we’d bought the place and the pool from a witch who retired to Florida to play Canasta.
They always bought it.
We were excellent liars.
The pool sparkled in the middle of the dark cavern. Aeri joined me, and we approached. I yanked off my boots and socks and stepped into the cool blue water. Aeri followed, and we gripped hands.
“Here we be, let us see,” we chanted, our voices growing louder.
Tension thrummed in my muscles as we waited.
Enchanted water lapped at my legs as I chanted, “Here we be, let us see.”
Magic swirled on the air, glittering blue and bright. It moved faster, a tornado of sparkles that was almost blinding. The air popped. The magic faded.
A figure rose from the middle of the pool. Her form was ephemeral, her features strange. She was more ghost than person, though not quite either. Often, she was crotchety and irritable, but I’d grown to care for her.
“Agatha.” I inclined my head out of respect.
She was our contact with the Council, an unusual type of supernatural who could travel through Wells of Power. She drifted toward us, her mouth set in a firm line.
“What is it?” Aeri asked. “What’s gone wrong?”
“Hold your horses.” She stopped in front of us. “We have need of you. There is a dark power rising in the Fae Kingdom of the Seelie Court.”
“The Seelie Court? In Scotland?”
Holy fates. Like the man I’d just met. I thought I’d never seen a Seelie Fae, but I’d been wrong. They were so reclusive and mysterious that they’d achieved almost mythical status amongst supernaturals. Considering that our numbers were made up of vampires, witches, mages, and shifters, that was saying something. Other Fae walked the earth and weren’t uncommon, but the Seelie Fae were never seen.
Except I’d just seen one.
And I might be his mate.
Which was something I needed to take care of, since I definitely didn’t want to be.
“The very same,” Agatha said. “There is demonic energy coming from their kingdom in greater quantities than we’ve ever seen. It has a signature of brimstone and putrid night lilies, but it is impossible to trace as it is completely unique.”
My heart stuttered.
Brimstone and putrid night lilies.
Holy fates. My mother.
According to Aunt, that was my mother’s signature. And like Agatha had said, it was completely unique. Could it possibly be her?
“How did demons get there?” I asked, trying to play it cool. Agatha didn’t know about my mother. Only I did.
“We don’t know. Perhaps the same way they got here—a Fae helped them escape the underworld. But whatever the case, the power is growing greater. More than a hundred Fae have been mysteriously killed.”
A hundred? Holy fates. “And they’ve asked for our help?”
“No.”
“No?” I frowned. “So they’re handling it themselves?” I had no idea what kind of defenses they had there. Could they handle it?
“They aren’t even acknowledging that it exists. We sent an emissary to meet with the king. He denied it right to our faces. We could feel the energy, but he said we were mistaken.”
“He was lying,” I said. Some Fae couldn’t lie, but not all.
“We think he was.”
“Then he’s the problem,” Aeri said.
Perhaps he was in league with my mother? Who was possibly some kind of demon?
“Most likely, yes. If the energy continues to grow—which we believe it will—it could destroy their entire kingdom. Their entire realm. Once it has done that, it could spread from there to earth and throughout the world.”
Oh, shit. The rest of the world? “Where is the energy coming from? Multiple demons invading? Or just one very powerful one?”
“We don’t know. That’s a possibility. Or a demonic spell.”
“So we have no idea,” Aeri said. “Just that it’s growing and people are dying. Are the people there concerned?”
“They can’t sense it,” Agatha said. “Not the way that we can. They aren’t familiar with that type of magic and don’t easily recognize it. Whereas we are experts, keeping track all over the world.”
“What about the deaths, though? Surely they notice those.”
“They’re anxious. They don’t understand the cause, from what we’ve been able to determine. But we can’t get past the king to speak to them.”
He was a problem, definitely.
“Which raises a question,” Aeri said. “Why us? Normally we work Magic’s Bend.”
All demon slayers had a particular turf that they protected. When we’d escaped Grimrealm, which was located directly under Magic’s Bend, we’d wanted to go as far away as possible.
The Council had put us here, instead. Hence my disguise, which had become just as much a part of me as my DNA by this point.
“You’re perfect for the job, Mordaca, with your seeker sense and powerful ability to sense magical signatures. And you look a bit like the fae, which will allow you to blend in. They will hopefully trust you more easily, which will be helpful if you are spying on their king.”
Yes. I had to try. If my mother was involved with this, I had to. And perhaps I could even find the Seelie Fae and shut him up about what I was. And also break this fated mate bond. “I’ll do it, of course. But how do I get in? The Seelie Fae are notoriously secretive.”
“And that is where we have gotten a little bit lucky,” Agatha said. “This year—this week, in fact—the Seelie Fae are hosting their annual tournament. Trials open to any supernatural who wants to test their magical mettle against the rest of the world, with a fabulous prize at the end.”
“And you want me to enter.”
“It will get you into their realm. Get you close to the king, as he will be the main judge.”
It was genius. I looked at Aeri.
She nodded. “You’d do well in the trials. I can track the origin of your bracelet while you’re gone.”
“Thank you.” I’d tell her later that it might not be necessary if I could find him in his realm. I looked at Agatha. “I’ll do it.”
After Agatha left, I had only hours to prepare. She’d given me directions to the entrance of the Seelie Fae Kingdom, along with an amulet that was my invitation. I was meant to use it to get in and present it to the Fae guardian at the border.
As quickly as I could, I packed a bag full of potentially valuable potions and stashed it in the ether. I could draw it when needed. I then removed all iron weapons from the ether, leaving only the copper. Iron was strictly forbidden in the Fae realms as they were allergic to it.
Actually…
For good measure, I stuck one iron dagger back in the ether. I didn’t have to take it all the way there, after all. Maybe I could find a place to stash it just outside their realm in case I needed it.
Once I was ready, Aeri hugged me. She gripped the fire opal bracelet. “I’ll find the guy who gave this to you.”
“Thanks.” I stepped back. “I’m off now. Call me with any updates.”
“Be safe.”
I saluted, then called upon my transportation magic, imagining my destination. The ether sucked me in and whirled me through space, making my stomach turn and my breath grow short.
