Blood Beyond Darkness (20 page)

His eyebrows arched. “I heard that. You’re linking with the Dark Dwellers now?”

“Looks like it.”

“Crap, now I have to be careful what I say to my brothers behind your back.” He smirked.

“Me, too.” I leaned and kissed him.

“Funny.”

“I think right now it’s still pretty sporadic.”

“We are able to direct conversations to certain people and block others. So you might only hear what others want you to, or when thoughts are directed at you personally. No different from your Fay connection to Torin.”

“I don’t have a bond with him anymore. It went away when my Fay powers were taken.”

A smile grew on Eli’s face. “You can’t link to him anymore?”

“Nope.”

His grin grew wider.

“Don’t look so happy there. My powers are gone, which is the sucky part.”

“Yeah, but I just found the silver-lining. If you can’t communicate with fairy boy, then you also can’t dreamscape or
dreamwalk with him.”

“I can’t at all.”
Unless Grimmel pulls me in one.
It hurt to talk about my lost magic. My happy mood dampened, I turned the conversation back to him. “Are you okay? With the Cole thing?”

He looked at the ceiling. “I won’t say it’s the greatest news I’ve ever found out. The father I
idolized was a cheating asshole, but it’s certainly not the worst. It shocked me more at first, but now ...” Eli’s shoulders lifted toward his ears. “It kind of makes sense. Cole always felt like an older brother to me. Now, he actually is.”

“And Lorcan?”

“I understand his actions more. I still don’t trust him, but he has gone through a lot. I didn’t realize how much he shielded from me.”

I propped my head on my hand. My heart thumped painfully in my chest as I stared down on him. After a while, he turned to look back at me, catching my exposed emotion. Hastily, I averted my eyes to the far wall.

He stayed quiet before he blew out some air. “Damn, woman, you can fuck. I will give you that.”

“Well, if you need any pointers or anything
...”

His eyebrows went up. “Pointers?”

“Yeah, you know if you need any tips or technique advice, I can help you out. Might be good if you knew a little more about what you were doing.” I strained to keep my lips from breaking the line I was forcing them in.

He grabbed me and pulled me into him. I squealed as he tried to tickle me.

“No, stop!” I attempted to wiggle away from him, my cheeks hurting.

He yanked me roughly to him and kissed me. “Still think I need to muzzle you. You can get really loud,” he whispered huskily.

“You broke the building!” I pointed to the shattered glass and chunks of debris.

“It wasn’t only me. You contributed.”

“Second time Lars will have to fix our training room because of me.” My hand went to my forehead. “Lars probably wants to lock me in a padded room.”

“From the look he gave us, I imagine Lars would prefer to castrate me or have me banned from the property.” Eli stood, pulling me with him.

“Think we remind him too much of his past.” I looked out the splintered window, remembering what he told me about his passion with Aisling. Their level of desire was rare and probably hard to live without once you experienced it. The way he talked about my biological mother, and the way his eyes glinted in memory revealed he had loved her but was too stupid to see it when he had her. I would not do the same with Eli. My heart was being shredded apart knowing we only had a brief time together. I would enjoy every minute of it.

Eli’s hands cupped my chin, turning me to face him. “Now that I’m able to think properly, you want to tell me why you were so mad?”

Oh, man, where do I start?
I pulled away and stepped back. “Kennedy and I had a fight. A bad one.”

He frowned. “What about?”

“Ryan.” I fidgeted with the hem of my shirt. “She knows he can’t come back, and she is mad I didn’t tell her. Rightfully so. I should have.”

“Maybe.” Eli’s eyes studied me. “Is that all?”

No
. But my lips pressed together, holding in my thoughts.
Only the fact I will kill you,
and no one can help me
.

My mouth opened to try to tell him, just a hint, anything I could, but the spell closed my throat. No words came. An uncomfortable squeezing twisted my vocal chords.

I took a shaky breath to shrug off the spell’s clenching grip. “That’s all.”

He watched me. Skepticism heavy in his green eyes. When I didn’t elaborate, he released a
sigh, and his shoulders sagged. He rounded and headed for the door. “Come on. Let’s go see what Lars wants.”

I followed, my bliss giving way to the buzz of frustration coming off him. He could sense I was lying.

Lars’ office was packed with people lined against the wall. Shoulder to shoulder bodies jammed in the free space in front of the desk. All eyes stared at the corner of the room where Lars’ flat screen TV hung. Pictures of destruction and turmoil flashed on the monitor. Fire shot out of building windows, crumbled concrete and wood piled in huge heaps sprawled in every direction down streets. Cars were crushed by trees and poles. Blood covered the faces of people who were crying and screaming as they ran in the foreground of the screen. A sick
déjà vu
feeling set in, spiking fear in my chest, which squelched any euphoric emotions I had left, leaving me empty and cold.

No ... not again.

Cole, West, Cooper, Gabby, Owen, Torin, Kennedy, Lorcan, Dax, Alki, and Koke stood staring at the images. Simmons stood on Torin’s shoulder. Torin’s eyes caught mine briefly before looking away. I ignored the hurt flashing in his eyes and directed my attention to the activity on the TV.

My stomach dropped. A headline ran across the monitor:  9.0 EARTHQUAKES HIT NEW YORK AND LONDON. FIRE DAMAGE DESTROYS CITIES, KILLING HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS.

“Oh, my god.” I clapped a hand to my mouth. Nausea rushed into my stomach and curled up my throat. An aerial view showed New York as a pile of rubble, burning. Central Park was a bonfire. The image changed again and displayed the Statue of Liberty as a massive, crumpled piece of metal, lying more in the Atlantic Ocean than on land. A split screen showed London burning. Big Ben was a heap of debris next to the remnants of the Parliament building. People were screaming and wailing as loud as the sirens trying to get to the wounded. I gripped my stomach, holding back the bile rising in my throat. Tears streamed down Kennedy’s face. All the faces in the room were twisted in horror.

It was happening again—Aneira proving who was in control.

Lars stood at his desk. His tone sounded grave as he addressed the room. “My sources say she used Ember’s powers, magnified by Asim, to cause this devastation. With the power of earth and fire along with her own power of air, she caused a huge earthquake and the destruction after. Earthquake plus fire with massive winds are all she needs. The heart of both cities will burn in a matter of hours. She has all the elements she needs to destroy.”

My brain could not keep up with the idea of both London and New York being taken to their knees. The torment of people in pain reverberated through me in a wave. I felt like I was standing right beside them.

“We have to do something.” I advanced into the room. Simmons heard my voice, raced for the door, and landed on my shoulder.

“What do you want us to do, Ember?” Lars’ yellow eyes lifted to mine, challenging.

“Something! Anything!” I cried. “We can’t let her get away with this. She can’t be able to kill and destroy again ... with
my
powers. We have to stop her.”

Lars came from around his desk. “What do you suggest? Go to the Otherworld and fight her right now?”

“Yes!” I screamed, turning to look at the others in the room.

“Then, she will win.” He clasped his hands together. “The Queen on her own land is too
powerful. Neither myself nor any Dark Fae will be able to fight there for long.”

“What do you mean? You fought her when you rescued me.”

Lars rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Only for a brief time. I could not have stayed for much longer without feeling the effects.”

I blinked at him in disbelief. “What effects?”

“Dark cannot fight too long on Light’s land and visa-versa,” he said. “The Dark takes Light’s energy and the Light depletes ours. It is why all our battles take place during Samhain. It reduces all land, Earth and the Otherworld, neutral and equal in a fight.”

The other Fae nodded their heads in confirmation. Suddenly I understood what West said earlier about being on the Light side too long. It wasn’t only the blood loss and the Dark Dweller curse weakening him. He had three consecutive energies working against him.
How had he lasted as long as he did?

I grunted and rubbed at my forehead, a drill-like headache boring down on me. Simmons patted my neck gently. I looked away from the TV. More death. More destruction. And there was nothing I could do about it right now. Aneira was crippling Earth, making it weak, so when the wall came down during Samhain, there would be no fight. She would take over. Even if we fought her and won, Earth would never be the same. The damage she already caused around the world would leave deep scars.

“What do we do?” I breathed in. “What’s our next step?”

Lars nodded as though he had been waiting for me to get through all the emotion and finally ask the right question. “We will fight her, Ember. And we are going to defeat her. The prophecy
will
be fulfilled.” He tapped his knuckles on the desk, emphasizing his words. “As the Light’s future Queen, I want to know what
you
would do next.”

Air caught in my throat. If the prophecy were fulfilled, in only a matter of days I could be ruling the Otherworld. I shook my head. Nothing in me felt qualified to be Queen. Nor did I want to be. Everyone turned to me, as though waiting for me to say something brilliant or lead them. My brain stayed blank.

“We need to strategize every move, every role people will be playing. We do a few practice runs so we all feel comfortable with what we are doing,” Kennedy spoke up. The tears had dried. Her voice turned every head to her. “Familiarity with our roles will keep us on target instead of letting fear take over.”

I couldn’t stop my mouth from dipping open. I shouldn’t be surprised. Kennedy liked to plan. She wanted to be prepared before going into any situation. I was more a by-the-seat-of-my-pants type of girl.

Lars smiled slightly. “Exactly what I was thinking.” He nodded at her in approval. Embarrassment flooded my cheeks. Here I was the so-called future queen, and my mind went blank. “Aneira is attempting to weaken us. I have received an influx of calls from Dark Fae who survived and are fleeing London and New York. They will be heading here. Magic caused the destruction, so it not only killed humans, but hundreds of Dark Fae have perished, as well.

“The stakes have been raised, and we must be prepared for what is ahead. Merely training is no longer enough. With Cole’s help, I have started planning the best approach for war.” Lars made eye contact with each person in the room. “The most vital are Ember and Kennedy. They will need to be where the sword is located.”

“Has the sword been located yet?” Cole stood in the middle of the room, his arm crossed.

“No,” Lars said. “Not yet. I have informants searching. I do not doubt we will have the information before the battle begins.” Lars had a precise way of speaking that completely
captured you. You believed whatever he told you.

Come on, Grimmel. Come through for us.

“As you all know, Ember does not have her Fay powers. At least she is no longer affected by iron while Aneira is. My spies have told me she is daily trying to test herself around iron, which leads me to believe she thinks she has the Dark Dweller powers in her along with Ember’s. She is frustrated as to why Ember could push through the iron, and she cannot.

“The sword will be protected with spells and guarded around the clock. The essential plan is to get Ember, the sword, and Aneira all in the same room. I will be sure to always have eyes on the Queen. When she heads back for the castle, I will follow. Until then, I have to be with my men. Aneira has to be sure of my presence on the field. Yet I understand in lieu of Ember not having her powers, I am the only one strong enough to help contain Aneira long enough for Ember to kill her with the sword.” Lars clasped his hand together. “Just in case, Cole and I have developed a plan. I want us to be prepared for all circumstances which may arise.”

Lars lifted his arm, gesturing to Cole. Cole dug into his pocket and pulled out an intricately woven metal band. “Ember, you will carry an iron bracelet. There is only one of these armlets in existence, and it is extremely powerful. It’s goblin-made, and it will help debilitate Aneira.”

I pointed at it. “Is that
...”

“Oh, I’ve missed your doggie collar.” Eli reached for it and sighed with nostalgia. “Can’t take you for walks like I used to.”

My elbow met his gut.

Holding my breath, I tentatively took it from Cole’s hand and let the cool metal slip over my fingers. I gritted my teeth in reflex, waiting for the pain to come. But the iron sat innocuously in my palm, and I let out my breath. The experience was bitter-sweet. It was nice not to feel the agony of my insides being ripped out every time iron touched me, but this only solidified a part of my soul had already been taken from me, leaving a vast empty hole.

“Don’t you love the idea of locking it around Aneira’s wrist and using it to restrain and deplete the bitch of her powers?” Cooper said from behind me.

“If you don’t, can I,
darlin'?” West spoke from against the wall, his tone sharp and full of hate and bitterness. “I have a few complaints about the dungeon I would like to file with her.”

West’s hatred for her probably spiked as high as mine. He may never forgive Lorcan, but his true hatred was for Aneira. He wanted her dead and by his own hand. I knew it frustrated Eli not to be the one who could kill her; so I couldn’t even imagine the aggravation West felt about it.

“We are hoping you will not have to use the bracelet, but I want you to be prepared. And now you can carry it without repercussions.” Lars strolled back around his desk and settled in his chair. He clicked off the TV. The horrific visuals of pain, fear, and devastation disappeared. “We have a lot to discuss; everyone get comfortable.”

We spent another two hours in Lars’ office before he dismissed us. I was reaching for the door, needing air and a moment to myself, when I heard Lars’ voice dart over to me. “Ember, you and Elighan stay.” His tone held a tinge of displeasure. Could he seriously be upset at us for what happened in the training room earlier?

I stepped back into his office, moving to the side to let people get by. Torin and Kennedy passed me without a glance. My shoulders slumped with their rebuff.

“Goodbye, my lady.” Simmons gave me another pat on the neck and flew off after Torin, heading back to the Otherworld. Everyone else walked out, leaving Eli and me alone with Lars.

“Kennedy will be a fantastic leader of the Druids someday.” Lars adjusted in his seat.

I moved toward his desk. “I thought she was the last of the Druids?”

“I have a feeling Kennedy was not the only one hidden. After the war, I will not be surprised if others emerge.” He waved to the seats in front of his desk. “Both of you sit.”

“Lars, you can’t be upset with us for what we did in the training room?” I plopped into the chair. Eli’s lowered himself on the one next to mine.

Lars sighed and stared at me. “Really, Ember. I think we have more pressing matters than your sexual endeavors with Elighan. You are part Demon and Fay and very much your mother’s daughter.” He glanced out the window into the hazy autumn light. “I am not like your human father, upset you are having sex. Sex is a natural part of who we are. We are not embarrassed, shy, or shocked by it like many humans are.”

“Okay, so what do you want?”

Lars leaned back. “I want to know we are on the same page and that you will follow your destiny, kill Aneira, and become Queen. I want
nothing
to get in your way of accomplishing it.” His gaze darted to Eli.

My mouth clenched in a line while my eyes tapered to slits.

“Nothing will get in her way. Ember will kill Aneira and take the throne.” Eli sat further into the curved back of the chair.

I clamped my teeth tighter to keep from crying out. Every moment I fought with the idea of what I would choose in the end. Most scenarios ended with me picking Eli. But that image was only a fantasy. After the devastation shown on TV and the volume of people’s lives Aneira shattered within minutes—babies, mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers—how could I forgo all those human lives and the freedom of Dark and Light Fae for one person? For my own selfish desire? Even when I tried to picture myself as a Queen, I didn’t see Eli by my side. Whether he survived or not, he would never be able to live with me in the Light. He was Dark Fae.