A Shift in Fate, page 17
“And what does the unseelie Queen want?” I asked. “The fae are always scheming. I can’t imagine what kind of schemes a fae Queen has.”
Kalen looked at me with those unreadable black eyes. “I wish I knew.”
13
“So to recap,” Eddie started. “The kid is the son of two evil fae and is destined to destroy the realms. Our lovely murderous Nemain, who herself is the daughter of two psychotic beings, is supposed to change the kid’s fate. And on top of all this we have two fae Queens to contend with, one with a revenge hard-on and one with plans none of us are privy to. Did I get all that right?” he finished cheerfully.
I gave up, stretched across the floor, and put a pillow over my face. Eddie had left out the part where we didn’t know what was going to happen when the fae and daemons found out about me. Kalen had survived all these years because he belonged to a fae court. He previously was under the protection of the seelie Queen and now served the unseelie Queen. I had no such protection and no interest in belonging to a fae court. That protection came with a leash I refused to wear. What I needed to do was come up with a plan so when it became known I had devourer magic and the ability to open gateways into any realm, the daemon Assembly and fae Queens didn’t order my death. Or my servitude. There had to be a way to keep my freedom and my life. I just needed to figure that out while also keeping Finn safe from his evil parents and saving him from his prophesied dark fate. No big deal.
I pulled the pillow tighter against my face.
Someone nudged me with their foot, and I slid the pillow off my face and looked up at Pele.
“All of you should clean up and rest. I have a contact I can reach out to about the possibility of Luna’s memories coming back faster. Assuming she’s willing to help, it’ll take at least a few hours to get everything set up.”
“All right. I’ll call you in a few hours after I get some sleep.”
Pele nodded and left.
I pushed myself into a sitting position. “Zareen, once Kaysea is healed up, would you mind taking her back to the beach so she can check in with her family? Her magic will replenish faster in the water as well.”
“Umm, sure,” Zareen said. “Her wounds are healed, so we can do that now.” She stood up and held out a hand to Kaysea, who accepted and rose from the couch.
Kaysea’s concerned gaze fell on me. “Are you sure you want me to leave now? I’m already feeling much better. I could stay and rest here.”
“Your brother is probably worried about you, and if you don’t go back soon, he’s going to track me down. Which will inevitably lead to a fight, and I know how much you hate that.” I gave her a reassuring smile. “Besides, you should check in with your family and see how they’re doing with all the changes and recent developments.” I slid a glance to the side at Kalen and then back at Kaysea. Translation, ask your family about Kalen and find out what they know.
Kaysea didn’t miss a beat. “You’re right. I wouldn’t be surprised if Connor was on his way here now.” She smiled. “It was lovely meeting you, Bryn. I’m sure I’ll see you again soon.”
With one last look at the still-sleeping boy, Kaysea left with Zareen escorting her. The two of them would probably enjoy some time together, I thought with a smile. With Pele and Kaysea gone, I looked around at everyone remaining. We had only two bedrooms and the couch on this floor. The apartment on the middle floor was empty, but I didn’t want to leave Kalen unattended there. Finn was still fast asleep in the chair. The kid really could sleep anywhere. He needed a bath, but I didn’t want to wake him up, and I knew Bryn wouldn’t leave this apartment without him.
I looked at Mikhail and Magos. “Why don’t the two of you show Kalen to the apartment on the second floor? He can rest there, and Mikhail can get cleaned up. The curtains should still be drawn on that floor.”
“A shower sounds amazing,” Mikhail replied and grabbed a bag that contained his clothes and belongings from where it rested behind the chair. As he walked past me, he murmured, “This makes the second-floor apartment mine by the way.”
“You’re back on the couch once this is over,” I replied smoothly.
He raised an eyebrow in challenge and headed towards the door. Magos walked around the kitchen bar and stood in front of Kalen, gesturing to the door. “After you.”
Kalen rose from where he’d been sitting. “Thank you. I could use a nap.” He followed Mikhail and Magos, closing the door behind them. I looked at Eddie. “You’re welcome to stay here or in one of the other apartments.”
“I’m going to head back to my place. Got a few things I need to take care of at the shop. After that, I’ll sync up with Pele at the bar.” Eddie grabbed his backpack and headed out. Three down. Just a valkyrie and a werewolf left.
“I should go check on my sister and the other wolves,” Andrei said. “You’re not going anywhere for the next few hours, right?”
“Hopefully not,” I said. “I need some sleep. We all do. And we need to give Pele and Kaysea time to get some information on their ends.”
Andrei strode over to me and cupped my face in his hands. “I’ll see you later then.” He kissed me, and I leaned into him. The fatigue that had been creeping up on me fell by the wayside. Maybe we could both get cleaned up in the shower?
There are children present, Nemain, Jinx said dryly.
Andrei pulled back and chuckled. I just shot a glare at Jinx and then an apologetic look at Bryn, who looked slightly embarrassed at our public display of affection. I gave Andrei one more quick kiss. “I’ll see you later, wolf.” His hazel eyes lit up at my words, and he gave me a playful grin and headed out.
I looked at Bryn, her golden wings drooping behind her. I sighed. Time to get the valkyrie cleaned up and then crashed out somewhere. Then I could do the same.
“It might be a bit of a tight squeeze, but I think you can fit in our shower. Come on, I’ll show you.”
Bryn grimaced as she stood, as if that had taken all her willpower, and followed me down the hallway. I showed her how to work the knobs for the shower and where the soap and shampoo were. They had indoor plumbing in the fae realms, but it operated differently. Luckily, we had a shower curtain and not a door so she’d be able to fit.
“There’s a towel on the sink you can use. I’ll find you some clothes.”
“Thanks.”
Leaving Bryn to figure out how the hell to wash the blood out of her wings, I went into my room and froze. My mouth hung open as I stared at the fae plant that sat on my dresser. Well, it had sat on my dresser. Now it sat next to the dresser in a wooden cask that looked suspiciously like the ones Pele had at the bar. When I’d left, the plant had been a little over a foot tall, its electric blue flower sitting on top of its thick stem, narrower vines wrapped around it. Now the damn thing was three feet tall at least, and its stem was considerably thicker.
“What. The. Hell.” I growled. The blue petals shook and the flower slowly turned away from the window until it was facing my direction. I don’t know how something with no face managed to look smug, but the damn flower did. Some pieces of plastic around the base of the makeshift flower pot got my attention. I snatched one of them up and looked at the label. Rotisserie whole chicken.
“How many damn chickens did those vampire brats feed you while I was gone?” I shook the wrapper at the flower, and it shook its petals rapidly in response. “I don’t have the energy to deal with you right now. I’m getting some clothes and then I’m coming back here to sleep. If you annoy me with your vines, I’m going to grab my sword and cut you back until you’re barely the size of a seedling again. You got me?” The vines tightened around the stem, and the flower rotated until it was once again facing the window. I shook my head and grabbed a pair of comfy pants and one of my baggier shirts.
I carried the clothes into the kitchen, grabbed the scissors from the drawer, and laid the shirt out. After a few seconds of deliberation, I cut two long slits down the back of the shirt. I’d probably have to help her get the shirt on, but it’d do for now. We could figure out how to get her more clothes that would work with her wings later. I cleaned up around the kitchen until I heard the water turn off in the bathroom and padded down the hallway and knocked on the bathroom door. “Bryn? I have some clothes you can wear. I can help you get the shirt on over your wings.”
A moment later, the door opened, revealing a damp but clean valkyrie. “I’m not exactly sure how to dry my wings.”
I huffed a laugh and thrust the clothes at her. “Pull the pants on, and then I’ll help you get the shirt on. We’ll towel dry your wings the best we can.”
Bryn nodded and tossed the towel on the sink. She might not be a fae, but she’d grown up with them, and their casualness about nudity had clearly rubbed off on her. It was a bit of a struggle, but we got the shirt on her. It took three towels to get her wings mostly dry.
I frowned at the stack of wet towels. “I have no idea how you’re going to be able to fly in the rain. Your wings just absorb water.”
Bryn carefully folded the wings around herself and played with some of the feathers. “Aren’t feathers supposed to be waterproof? Or water resistant?”
“I thought so, but I don’t have a lot of experience with feathered wings.” I shrugged. “We’ll figure it out. Now that you’re clean, you have two choices for sleeping arrangements. Magos is keeping our guest company downstairs, so you’re welcome to use his bed. Or you can sleep on the couch next to Finn.” I already knew which one she’d choose.
“I’ll take the couch.”
“Very well,” I said and we headed back to the living room. “Jinx is going to stay out here. He’s not spying on you or anything. He’s just worried about Luna because he’s a big softie, despite his grumpy demeanor.” As I turned to head to my bedroom, I slammed my shin into the coffee table.
Call me a big softie again or something else equally insulting and I’ll give you bad luck for a lot more than thirty seconds. Jinx growled.
I wisely bit back my sarcastic response. Grimalkins had all sorts of magic, but they were notorious for causing bad luck, and Jinx would absolutely make good on his threat.
“Nemain?” Bryn said tentatively, sleep mere seconds from claiming her. “Thank you.”
“Sleep well, Bryn.”
The sound of the apartment door opening woke me up several hours later. The telltale sound of heels clicking on the hardwood floor told me it was Elisa. I silently got out of bed and waited just inside my bedroom. I left the door open so I could hear things better. Jinx would keep anything from getting out of hand, but I was genuinely curious about how this encounter would go.
“Oh. Hello,” Elisa said. It sounded like she’d taken a few steps into the apartment and paused. Her deep, throaty voice didn’t quite match with her tall willowy frame. I was used to it, but it seemed to catch Bryn off guard because she took a few seconds to respond, and I heard her heartbeat go up slightly. I could see why the sight of Elisa would do that to a young valkyrie.
Great. Love at first sight, Jinx grumbled in my head. It’s bad enough that Kaysea and that daemon were practically drooling over each other earlier. I’m not dealing with lovestruck teenagers.
They’re not teenagers. They’re both young adults. Let this play out.
You are ridiculous, Jinx growled.
Oh, I’m sorry. Were you not making moon eyes at Luna earlier?
Jinx didn’t respond, but I could practically feel his glare through the walls. He’d definitely be sending bad luck my way, but it was worth it.
Bryn finally recovered. “Hi. Umm, I’m Brynhild. Nobody calls me that though,” she said quickly. “I mean everyone just calls me Bryn.” I snickered but cut it off. Elisa had excellent hearing.
“Nice to meet you, Bryn.” The sound of heels clicking against the floor resumed as Elisa moved further into the living room. “I’m Elisa. I live in the apartment on the bottom floor. Magos gave me a quick update a few hours ago. I just wanted to come up and check in on everyone and see if I could help with anything. I’m guessing this is Finn? He’s adorable.”
“He is certainly that,” Bryn agreed. “You’re a vampire, right?”
“I am. So are the others who live with me.”
“Oh. You’re only the third vampire I’ve met in my life,” Bryn admitted. “I hadn’t left the fae realms until recently, and I’ve only been to the human realms a handful of times before now.” Cushions squeaked at Elisa joined Bryn on the couch.
“I can relate to that,” Elisa said. “Less than a year ago, I’d never left the building I’d been born and raised in. Me and the others had lived in a space not much bigger than this apartment. I’d mostly been around other vampires my entire life, although some warlocks started showing up in recent years.”
“Is that normal?” Bryn asked. “I mean, is that how vampires normally live?”
Elisa let out a humorless laugh. “No. Me and the others who live with me come from special bloodlines that give us more power than other vampires. The vampire Council, that’s who rules all the vampires, kept us and others like us sequestered from the rest so they could study and control us.”
“What about your parents? Where were they during all of this?”
“I don’t know,” Elisa said quietly. “None of us know who our parents are. We can speculate based on the powers we have, but that’s it.”
“I’m sorry,” Bryn said in an equally quiet voice. “I don’t know who my parents are, either. They left me in the fae realm when I was only a few weeks old. I didn’t even know I was a valkyrie until a few hours ago.” Bryn’s golden feathers rubbed against the couch as she moved around. “Everything has happened so fast I feel like I’m still catching up. Nemain had to show me how to use the shower because I’ve never seen indoor plumbing like this,” Bryn said with a laugh.
“Well, I may be a recent escapee, but I have more experience with this realm than you do.” I could practically hear the smile in Elisa’s voice. “Ask your questions, and I can help you catch up.”
“Okay,” Bryn said. “Let’s start with an easy one. Where am I exactly?” There was a pause and then both of them laughed. Awww.
This is disgusting, Jinx complained.
Shush.
“You’re in the town of Emerald Bay on the Washington coast. Which I know means nothing to you, and honestly, all the details about the country and geography don’t really matter because that’s all human business. What does matter is that this town is run by daemons.”
“Is that what Pele is? A daemon?”
“Yeah,” Elisa said. “Zareen is a daemon, too. I’ve only met a few of them, but they’ve all been really nice. Pele can be a little intense sometimes, but Zareen is awesome. She makes the most amazing pies and cupcakes you will ever eat.”
“What’s a cupcake?” Bryn asked.
“Dear gods,” Elisa said in a horrified voice. “Okay, we’ll address that problem at a later time. Daemons have towns like this all over the world. The fae also have a few, but they’ve mostly pulled out of the human realm. They’re not fans of pollution or humans in general. Daemon-run towns like Emerald Bay are typically small and out of the way. There are some humans who live in town who have no idea about daemons or anything magical. But most of the population consists of nonhumans and humans who are in the know.”
“Witches and warlocks?”
“Actually . . . no. Most of the nonhumans don’t like witches and warlocks. There’s some bad blood there.” Elisa paused. “And some general snobbery by the fae and daemons who have stronger magic. The point is that most of the humans who live in Emerald Bay are aware of magic, but not witches or warlocks. Most humans are completely unaware of how much magic they produce, but sometimes it manifests in weird ways. Being able to see magic, for example. Or ghosts. Those humans sort of naturally flock to towns like this.”
“Why do the daemons even have towns like this?” Bryn asked. “The fae rarely have anything good to say about the human realm, and they seem loath to come here.”
“Well, the fae are more than a little snobby,” Elisa pointed out. “But also the daemons love to have their fingers in all the political pies, so to speak. The human realm is used as a neutral meeting ground for beings from different realms. Also, a lot of nonhumans call the human realm home because their home realms fell to the devourers. They often live in towns like this and open up various businesses or do other types of work.”
“I would like to see more of the town,” Bryn said. “I’ve met a few beings besides fae, but not many. I’d love to meet others. Maybe even other valkyries?”
I squeezed my eyes shut at her words. Sooner or later Bryn would learn about the history of valkyries, and she probably wouldn’t like it. Few valkyries would have any interest in meeting her and the ones who would be interested would likely want to use Bryn for their own purposes.
You should reach out to Sigrun, Jinx chided. You know it’s the right thing to do.
I pursed my lips at the suggestion. He was right. But I still didn’t want to do it. She’d probably ignore me anyway. Once we get through this I will, I told him.
“Nemain and her friends. . .” Bryn trailed off, and Elisa didn’t push her. Elisa was patient and easy to talk to. Pele didn’t care much for vampires, but even she was impressed by the young vampire. Pele always appreciated someone who would be useful in getting others to spill secrets. Bryn let out a breath. “Are they really good people? They put their lives at risk to save me and Finn. And they don’t seem to be stopping anytime soon. What will they ask for in return?”
“Loyalty,” Elisa said simply.
“That’s it?”
“You ask that as if true loyalty isn’t hard to give. It’s one thing to say you’re loyal to another, it’s another thing to prove it,” Elisa responded, and I could hear the steel in her voice.
