21 Shades of Night, page 147
“Is all of this even necessary?” I asked on the way out the door. My clothes were drenched in sweat and I smelled like the inside of an athlete’s gym bag. “I don’t get why turning me into a warrior is so important. You guys are in charge of guarding the portal. Not me.”
“All Sidhe learn basic fighting skills as a child. It’s time you caught up. Plus, the extent of your impact on the community is still unknown. You should know how to protect yourself if you’re ever alone.”
I snorted. “That’s unlikely. I haven’t had a moment to myself in weeks.”
“Liam thinks that testing you will be the best way to figure out your exact abilities.”
I was pretty sure my abilities were nothing more than being able to see glimpses of the past, which so far hadn’t been very helpful other than to prove everyone around me was a liar. Oh and the weird bond-connection I had with Liam which felt more like some sort of strange sex curse than anything else. “What if I don’t have any grand abilities?”
“All Sidhe have abilities—to some extent. Sure, some are weaker than others, and some—like Liam or the royals—have extreme power.”
“What kind of power?”
“Most draw from the elements. Water or fire. Some use materials from the earth, like being able to infuse magic into precious metals. Others can take plants and turn them into potions. There’s really no limit. Sidhe have the ability to charm and manipulate, use glamours to change the environment or compel others. It’s why you always have to be on the alert. Anyone could be a threat. Like you. All you have to do is touch someone and you can read their past.”
“Yeah, like that’s scary.”
“It is! The Sidhe operate on half-truths. Someone like you can cut away all of that and extract the real story.”
“Maybe,” I said, trying to wrap my head around everything.
Colleen dodged a group of inebriated men and women walking down the sidewalk toward a waiting cab. “Drunk humans are the best humans,” she declared, watching them laugh and stumble their way home. Her tiny efficiency apartment was located directly over a crappy bar. This suited her fine, she said, since she required little sleep and the humans below amused her with drunken antics. “It’s a little bit like being back home.”
“What does that mean?” I asked.
“Otherworld is famous for its parties and feasts. Spirits flow freely, as well as magic-infused potions and sweets. The kings and queens hold court and the goal is for everyone to have a good time.”
“So this happens often?” I’d told Liam when we first met that I wanted to go to Otherword and see where my mother was from. So far he was opposed to the idea. Like everything else that sounded fun.
“If you live in Otherworld it’s common, but that is not the life of a Sidhe Guard, though. We’re sent to Earth where it’s all work and no play.”
“So you’re implying I’m no fun to be around? Because that wicked grin on your face when I’m crying in pain makes it seem like you’re having an awesome time.”
She gave me a sideways look. “I don’t enjoy your pain, Nadya, but I do know it’s good for you.”
I stopped near the corner of her building. The bar had closed an hour before and the street was dark and deserted. “It’s not my fault I’m exhausted all the time. I’ve never worked out this much in my life.” I pushed up my sleeve and revealed the long row of bruises. Dark purple ones covered lighter fading ones from earlier. I had bruises on bruises. “My entire body looks like this. All I want to do is eat and sleep.”
“There’s a way to fix that, you know.”
“No, there isn’t.”
“Yes, there is.”
“It’s not an option.”
“Why isn’t using Liam to heal you an option? Better than a bottle of extra strength aspirin and that disgusting smelly stuff you keep rubbing all over your body.”
“Because I don’t need him to fix me,” I said. I didn’t add that I had the feeling these intense workouts were just another way for him to get me in a compromising position, make me come crawling to him. He wished.
“I thought you would have learned your lesson by now that part of being Sidhe is the need to feed and that regular people food isn’t going to cut it. You need Liam whether you like it or not. It’s okay if you use him to heal your body. I’m sure he’d understand any conditions you set.”
I scoffed. “Yeah, I bet he would—“
My sentence was cut short by a sharp whack against the back of my knees, and I collapsed forward, scraping my knees. Recovering quickly, I spun to face my attacker. His face was cloaked by a dark hood, but I saw the glint of a blade near his hip. We jockeyed, dancing in a tight circle before I kicked him twice, once in the knee and the other on the hip, hoping to knock him off balance. He lunged instead.
“Colleen,” I cried but a quick glance to the alley confirmed that, she was fighting another attacker. Looking for her had been a mistake. I lost time and felt the tips of the blade graze my side as they caught the fabric on my jacket, shredding it like tissue.
My attacker was fast and big; even in better conditions it wouldn’t have been a fair fight. With the sound of my own wheezing breath and the fight behind me clamoring in my ears, I made one last attempt at his weak spots, jabbing at his knees and eyes. A leather gloved hand caught my wrist and spun me around, capturing me against his body.
“Do it,” I dared him, wincing at the pain in my side. “I’m not afraid.”
“Do what?”
The voice rolled over me like honey and ignited a fire to the low lying anger simmering in my veins.
“Bastard!” I yelled, lifting my foot and slamming my heel down as hard as I could. At the same time I rammed my elbow into his gut, spinning to kick him directly in the balls. He regained his balance just in time to avoid my assault but not fast enough to keep the hood over his head.
Liam Caldwell rubbed his stomach and grimaced. “Better,” he declared. He was so freaking smug. “But I could have killed you ten times over.”
“And I could have mangled your balls for the rest of eternity. You’re lucky I realized it was you before I unleashed my wrath.”
“I’d like to see your wrath someday,” he snorted. “And if you mangle my, uh, man parts, there’s only one way to fix that and I’m pretty sure you’re not ready for those consequences.”
I thought about how healing Liam involved touching his body and running my hands over his flesh. The familiar buzz of energy rolled through me at the thought. Healing and feeding equaled increased power between the two of us. The more we fed, the stronger we became, to the extent, Liam theorized, we could possibly become invincible. A chill ran down my spine.
Okay. Right. No mangling.
I tried to make a snappy comeback but I felt a little dizzy. My fingers brushed the rough brick wall for support but slipped. “Nadya!” I heard Liam call through a foggy haze.
“Come quick,” he called, and I heard footsteps pound against the pavement. My eyelids felt like weights so I let them close and fell into a deep, heavy sleep.
* * *
I WOKE FLAT on my back, staring at the cracked and peeling ceiling in Colleen’s apartment.
“Hey.” I propped myself up and found Liam’s concerned green eyes. Yellow daylight slashed into the room through the edge of the curtains. “Wait, what time is it?” I asked.
“Eleven.”
“In the morning?” I fumbled with the blanket, but Liam had already moved to the end of the couch and stopped me. “I’ve been asleep since last night?”
“Yes.”
“Crap.” I rubbed my eyes. “I’m late to work.”
“I notified your father that you wouldn’t be in today.”
“I’m sure that went over well.” The room tilted sideways and spun in a circle. “Whoa.”
“Rest. You’re dehydrated and exhausted. Plus those cuts on your side are worse than I’d intended. I’m sorry.”
I didn’t argue. I wasn’t really sure I could without passing out again or puking. “Colleen’s been kicking my ass lately.”
“I take responsibility for that. I pushed you too far, too quickly.” He picked up my hand and a warm tingling sensation rippled through my body. I eyed him warily, taking in his soft, pink lips. One taste and I would feel a thousand times better. “Let me help you, Nadya.”
I felt the tacky blood on my ribcage. “You didn’t do anything while I was out of it? Not even any of that sleeping mojo?”
“No. I won’t heal or touch you without permission again. But please let me heal you now.”
His proposal was no different than asking a junkie if they wanted a fix. God yes, I wanted it more than I could express. But like an addiction, there had to be a downside to this, even if I hadn’t figured out what it was yet. Liam’s eyes darted downward as my tongue wet my lips. “Only to make the cuts and bruises go away,” I said. “My father will freak out if he sees those.”
Liam leaned close and ran his finger over the purple spots on my arms. They turned red and then back to the normal pale white of my skin. I lay flat on my back and lifted my shirt, just enough for him to take care of the cuts. “You got a little rough with that blade,” I said. I felt his warm breath first, then his lips as they kissed the wounds.
“I’m sorry,” he murmured. “I just want you to be ready for the next fight.”
I inhaled and my fingers gripped the edge of the cushion. Every kiss sent waves of energy through my body and as my body healed, my strength returned. My fingers wove into the fabric of Liam’s shirt and I pulled him from my belly closer to my face. “This will never be easy for us will it?”
“It’s only as difficult as you want to make it.” His nose brushed against mine and his hair tickled my forehead. His mouth opened again, ready to speak, something smart I suspected from the glint in his eye.
“Don’t ruin this,” I suggested, stopping whatever asinine comment he wanted to make with my lips. Energy boiled between us, like a hit of meth to a junkie. He had me. He knew it. I knew it.
As much as I wanted to, I didn’t care.
Chapter 15
Liam
NADYA’S BODY REPAIRED quickly, perhaps faster than my own. There were no signs of our fight and the ongoing effects of her workouts had vanished. The connection lingered long after we’d completed feeding, and I felt the bond between us stretch and pull as she left my car and entered her house.
I couldn’t deny the impact feeding with Nadya had on my own body. After a lifetime of using standard fae feeders that I did not share a bond with, the experience with Nadya was hard to define. Her energy made me faster, stronger and more powerful than before. With each encounter our power increased. I wanted to push the limits and eventually, Nadya would, too.
“Is my schedule ready?” I asked Mrs. Graves when I entered the house.
“You need to be at the airport at 4 PM to assist in a transport,” she said, following me to my office with a tray of tea and two local papers. I picked up one on top and noticed the bend at the corner of the paper. She’d already read through them.
“Anything out of the ordinary?” I asked.
“Nothing in particular that could be attributed to unaccounted-for Sidhe activity, but right now is not the time to be lax. I did find this interesting.” She pointed to a small article on the right side of the paper. “A dozen windows broken on two different homes on Barnes Street.”
“Sounds like vandalism.”
“Possibly. The police found no rocks or signs of trespassing.”
I read over the article but there wasn’t much more information. Just that all the windows shattered at once. The authorities were blaming it on everything from some sort of noise frequency to a practical joke. They could be right about the frequency thing; the houses were in an industrial area. Or it was just vandalism? From the photographs the houses had a shabby look about them. “I’ll check it out when I get back.”
Mrs. Graves left and I walked to the closet to change. Stripping off my shirt, I tossed it into the laundry basket and flipped through the neatly arranged row of shirts. I found the blue one I liked. I had just slipped it over my arms when I was startled by a voice behind me.
“I see some things do get better with time.”
I had the blade in my hand before I turned around. Fiona, the Bronze Queen, stood before me, regal and beautiful. She’d come alone. I studied every inch of her with a quick sweep, but found no visible weapons. “I’m sorry, Your Highness, did we have a meeting scheduled?” I glanced over at my calendar to prove a point. “Mrs. Graves should have reminded me.”
“Since when have I needed an appointment?”
I placed the blade on the desk and returned to dressing. Her bright, emerald green eyes watched as I buttoned the front.
“You’re looking quite…fit.”
“What do you want, Fiona?”
“Just checking to see how our girl fared after Eleanor’s attack.” She circled the room studying my collectables. Her hair tumbled down her back in soft, white-blonde waves. Black leather boots came all the way over her knees, stopping midway up her thigh. A thin cord held a platinum charm at the center of her throat. The jewel was green like her eyes. Her velvet jacket was certainly out of place for this realm. I doubt she cared.
“Nadya is fine. Progressing with her training. I know she’s important to you, but there must be more for you to visit the human world.”
She shuddered at the word human and ran finger ran over the edge of the glass cabinet where I stored my most valuable possessions. Silver jeweled rings sat on display. The Queen’s abilities came from precious metals and stones. The energy coursing through the set of rings would call to her. “I want you to bring Claudia’s daughter back to Otherworld to meet her people. Well, her other people.”
I laughed and tucked in my shirt. A thin line creased between her brilliant green eyes.
“Does something amuse you?”
“Absolutely not.” I was not amused, nor would I take Nayda to Otherworld.
“Why? She should learn everything about the Sidhe, and the Sidhe should learn everything there is to know about her.”
“You want to test her.” For my suspicions, I wanted to add but did not. It was unspoken. We both knew it.
“I’ve already seen what she can do. She should see her mother’s home.”
The skill Nadya showed at the battle was only a portion of her true power, or at least, that was my theory. Colleen’s training was just one manner of finding out exactly what Nadya could do physically. I hadn’t even begun to make concrete attempts on her magical abilities. Beyond that I had to consider her weaknesses. Did being half-human allow for additional flaws? I needed more time to be sure. “Your concern for her lineage is appreciated but it’s out of the question. Nadya belongs here. Guarding the portal. That is her duty.”
“What’s the point if she doesn’t know what she’s guarding it for? Who she is guarding it for? Claudia’s choices may not be shared by Nadya. There is much more at stake here.”
Fiona approached the desk and a scent of sweet fruit wafted over me. She’d coated herself in a charm before she came, something that would ignite from skin to skin contact. I steadied myself from the intoxicating scent. At least I knew she didn’t trust me anymore than I trusted her. She reached for me and I held the blade between us. “I can smell the charm on your skin. Don’t even think of touching me.”
Amusement glinted in her eye and she lifted a finger and licked the tip. “Just a little protection. A girl can never be too safe around you, Liam Caldwell. I’ve learned that lesson the hard way. In fact, I learned it from you.”
“I think you should go.”
She pouted. “We’re not finished. Tell me, do you think Nadya is the one?”
Yes. I wanted to tell her but I couldn’t. It wasn’t true, and if it was it was dangerous. “I don’t know.”
“Very well.” Fiona blew me a kiss and the room shimmered. A moment later she’d vanished. I picked up my phone and hit a number in my contacts. Daniel picked up on the first ring. “We have a problem. Bring your kit.”
Daniel walked around the room sprinkling ash on the doorway and windows. From my desk chair I asked, “How did she break the wards?”
“They’re still in place and active.” The lines of his forehead creased in confusion. “Technically she shouldn’t have been able to enter, either through the portal or into your home without permission.”
“Double them up—and add something about royalty and powerful Sidhe. She must have found a loophole. Then go to Nadya’s and do the same.”
“Do you think she’ll go to her house?”
“Eventually—unless I stop her first.” I leaned back in my seat and propped my feet on the desk. “Which I will.”
“Do you think she’ll harm Nadya?”
“I’m not sure, but Nadya is special. More than I ever could have expected—the energy she possesses is greater than anything I’ve ever seen. She could be our best ally or our biggest enemy. Neither Fiona or Eleanor need that information, not yet. It’s important that we continue to protect Nadya as though our lives depend on it.”
“Will you tell her about Fiona?” Daniel brushed his blonde hair out of his eyes. “You know—everything?”
“When you live for an eternity it’s hard to confess to all your sins.”
He nodded and packed away his tools. I’d hoped Fiona would sit this round out, let me focus, but obviously that was not her intent. It was my job to make sure the Queens were contained. They were going to be a problem, in more ways than one.
Chapter 16
Nadya
I HAD BARELY made it to my desk when I spotted Colleen walking over from the snack bar. I accepted the cup of coffee she had in her hand and said, “Thanks for the help the other night.”
