Casually Cursed (32 page)

WHEN THEY REALIZED
that the werewolves weren’t going to pin their wings or eat them, the faeries had come back willingly, though they’d stayed out of reach. Royal muttered nonstop that werewolves weren’t to be trusted, but Shakes was cheerful about the mad plan to lead them into the Never to rescue Kismet. He showed us the way to the closest gate.

Royal parted company from us then. Shakes said Royal wasn’t convinced yet that I was looking out for Kismet’s best interests and so wouldn’t be joining us on our voyage.

“And he had to move a certain faery artifact, right?” I whispered.

Shakes went stiff as a two-by-four and gave me a sideways glance.

“The reason no one has been able to find the wolf amber is because you guys have been moving it around, leading anyone who searched in magical circles.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. But if I did, I’d say that would be a clever plan to keep it out of filthy paws and filthy claws.”

I smiled. “My sister is nothing if not clever. Let’s hope I’m her twin in that respect,” I added.

He grinned and swooped to a row of foxtail plants. I felt the change immediately when I walked by them.

“Here,” I said, holding out a hand.

I didn’t trust the wolves to be able to stay on the path without my leading them, since they couldn’t feel it yet, so we formed a human chain. I noticed that Elhard had a hand on Edie’s waist and walked very close to her, while the wolf behind him followed a few feet back.

For her part, Edie either ignored Elhard, threatened him, or laughed her throaty laugh at him. But what she didn’t do was push him away. Someone, hopefully not me, was going to have to keep an eye on her from now on. She seemed to attract dangerous men. It was how she’d gotten herself killed when she was alive that first time. I knew technically she’d stolen Vangie’s body, but that didn’t mean I wanted anyone knocking her out of it by murdering her. And a werewolf kingpin seemed just the wrong sort of boyfriend for her. I wondered if I could interest her in an engineer. Or an accountant. Those guys almost never got into battles with vampires or warlocks. And I didn’t think they killed their wives all that often either. I chewed on my lip. I’d have to look into that . . . which professions were the least likely to become murderers? Because something told me Edie was going to push her boyfriends to the limits with her drinking and flirting and fooling around.

We got to the entrance of the Never, and I found the key. I sang and opened the gate. Bryn entered right after me and then the rest of our group. Elhard’s nostrils flared and he scowled.

I looked around. No one waited for us. In fact, the path looked barren and deserted.

“What’s happened here?” I asked, smelling damp soot. The werewolf chieftain was right. Something smelled off.

Acton bent, pressed the tip of his finger to the dirt, and then tasted it. “Someone’s burned and salted the earth,” Acton said.

“That doesn’t sound good,” I whispered.

Bryn looked back at the passageway’s gate, which had closed behind us.

“I’ll scout ahead,” Shakes said, buzzing away.

“Woods,” Elhard said, striding toward the trees.

“Wait,” I said, turning back to the gate. A metallic tang burned the back of my throat. I looked at the pulverized stone that had been cemented into the wall. It looked unnatural and ugly. I ran my hand over the gate. It felt cold and dead.

No exit here
, I thought.

My right foot ached and I stepped back. I knelt and found tiny bits of iron mixed into the burned grass. I touched the ground, and sharp pains lashed my back. I jerked, falling down.

“What was that?” Acton asked, bending to offer me a hand.

“I smell blood,” Elhard said.

“Me, too,” another wolf man agreed.

“What is it?” Bryn asked me.

I took his hand instead of Acton’s, but thanked Acton for the offer.

“Something bad happened here,” I said, moving my shoulder. The pain in my back faded as I moved farther from the wall. “We won’t be leaving by this gate.”

“I can’t be any good to you outside the water. We should travel the coast,” Bryn said.

“Woods are better for cover,” Elhard argued.

“Not in here,” Bryn said.

Everyone looked at me, since, crazily enough, even though I was the newest to magic by far, I was the leader. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply. My instincts had nothing to say, but Mercutio did. His soft yowl made me open my eyes.

Mercutio bounded away, straight toward the rolling hills that led to the castle.

“We’re to be led by a cat?” Elhard scoffed, but we all set off after Merc.

When we passed through a field of sunflowers, uneasiness began to suffocate me. Mercutio ran, and we raced to keep up.

By the time we reached a clearing, I was breathless and sweating, but it didn’t prepare me for what I would see. Benvolio, the pony, was covered in dried blood and fighting a choke chain around his neck that tethered him to a fence.

“Oh, my God!” I yelled. I jumped over the wood rails as Merc dashed under them. We arrived next to the horse at the same moment.

“Hang on,” Elhard said, grabbing Merc. “That horse is agitated enough.”

Finding himself in the hands of a dog, albeit a human-shaped one, Mercutio went wild. Ben bucked, choking himself till his legs buckled and he passed out.

Elhard growled, but let Mercutio go.

“Help me!” I yelled, firing my gun at the iron loop holding the chain.

“Lads!” Elhard said, and they grabbed the wooden slat and ripped it free of the fence. In moments they’d pulverized the board so that only a small piece was left attached to the chain. I yanked on the chain to loosen it and then removed it from Benvolio’s neck. Mercutio bent his head and rested it against Ben’s.

“Come on, Benny, come on,” I whispered, stroking his neck.

The horse stirred. Mercutio rushed over to a trough of water and yowled at the guys.

“Aye,” Acton said. He jerked his head and another wolf man helped him carry the full trough. They poured it over the horse, washing away the dirt and blood.

I pumped water into a bucket and brought it to Benny, who rose to his feet and then bent his head and drank.

Mercutio circled him and waited.

“You okay?” I asked.

The horse whinnied.

“Did they tie you up ’cause you tried to stop whatever they were doing to her?”

No one moved or made a sound. That horse, her horse, could’ve been made of stone.

“Or did they hurt you to get her to do what they wanted?” I asked softly.

Mercutio yowled, and the horse’s nostrils flared with fury. Benvolio pawed the dirt and threw his head to the side, his mane rustling in the wind.

I nodded.
That damned bitch of a queen.

“Let’s go get Kismet,” I whispered.

Benvolio ran forward and jumped over the remains of the broken fence. His cuts didn’t slow him down.

We were all armed. Of course, the creatures we’d face would be armed, too, and they’d have the home-field advantage. But in terms of pure will, there was no way they’d have us beat, because I’d never felt like I wanted to kill anyone before. But for what Ghislaine had done to that horse and for what I suspected she’d done to my sister, I wanted blood.

MY BARE FEET
flew over the ground. The wolves struggled to keep pace with us. I followed Benny to the compound of the Seelie court. Within the courtyard, Crux’s body was laid out on a mound that was covered with flowers and plants. Circling him were things that people had obviously left in tribute: crafts of all types, coins, and stones. A length of burgundy-and-gold quilted silk covered him from the chest down. I would’ve stopped and paid my respects, but Benvolio had galloped back to me when I’d slowed, and Merc had pressed against my legs.

The knights in the courtyard froze when they saw me, until one shouted, “The traitor’s twin.”

I ran up the bench seat of a picnic table and across the table to avoid them. Benny ran the length of it beside me, and then when I leapt, he was there. I landed on his back and he rushed by the knights, knocking them back.

I heard the growls of the wolf men behind us.

The castle’s courtyard door was locked tight. Benvolio rounded and leapt, taking to the air by magic and landing on a balcony, which creaked under our weight. He rammed his head against the doors, but I pulled on his mane to stop him before he hurt himself.

I slammed the butt of my gun against the glass and shattered it, and then carefully reached in and opened the door. Benny walked inside and I had to duck my head. I dismounted, turned, and glanced down. The fight below had turned bloody, and more knights were pouring into the courtyard.

The wolves are good fighters. They’ll be okay.

Bryn’s and Edie’s guns were loaded with iron ammunition, and they weren’t hesitating to injure the faeries, shooting them in the legs and taking away their weapons when they fell.

I turned and rushed into the castle. As I raced along the upper corridor, I opened doors. I froze when I found Momma and Caedrin in one. She was shackled to a bed’s headboard. He was secured to the wall with iron cuffs.

“What in the holy hell?” I snapped.

“Oh, God, Tammy Jo, you have to get Kismet. She’s on the floor below us. Hurry,” Momma said.

“I’m going there next. Where’s the key?”

“Not here. They’ve taken it.”

“Oh, my God. His wrists!” I yelled, seeing that the flesh under the iron cuffs was blistered and raw.

“His punishment. Kismet incited a riot last night, and the queen ordered Caedrin to kill her. He tried to fall on his sword like Crux had, and Ghislaine went berserk.”

I hooked the length of chain over Benvolio’s neck. “Can you pull it from the wall, Benny?”

The horse walked forward, yanking the chains and some chunks of wall free.

I steadied Caedrin’s hand against the floor and slammed the butt of my gun against the lock over and over until it broke. The jarring of the metal against his wounded wrist made him clench his teeth, but he never made a sound as tears rolled down his cheeks. I broke open the second cuff and took them off.

“It’s okay now,” I whispered. He rested his head against the wall, panting. “When you’re ready, go downstairs. The other knights are distracted. Get out of the compound. Head toward the water. I’ll meet you in the clearing where Crux died. You know where that is?”

He nodded.

I broke Momma free, too, and then ran from the room. As I came down the stairs, the queen was coming up.

She screeched like a banshee when she saw me, and her gaze darted to a particular door.

Bingo.

I ran to it, but it was locked. “Benny!” I called. “She’s in here.”

The horse leapt down from the floor above, landing with a loud clack. He ran forward. Ghislaine flew toward us with a dagger in her hand.

I whipped the gun up and shot her in the thigh. She fell.

Benny slammed into the door, and it splintered. The anguished sound he made upon entering the room made my blood run cold. The smell of blood and earth saturated the air. I strode in and found Kis lying facedown on a mat on the floor. She wore no shirt, and she’d been whipped by someone so viciously that her back was flayed. I could see muscle and bone.

Someone was screaming. I realized it was me.

I felt something sharp pierce my side, and spun. The knife had grazed me. The only reason the queen hadn’t skewered my kidney was that Mercutio had jumped onto her back. I grabbed her throat and rammed into her body so hard with mine that we fell to the ground. The dagger clattered away.

I pummeled her, yelling and yelling until I had no voice left. She was strong and threw me off, but hitting the wall didn’t stop me. I flung myself back on top of her and fought and fought until she stopped trying to get up. I walked away from the unconscious queen and back to my hurt sister.

“Benny, help me,” I said, shaking and sobbing.

Benvolio bent, and Mercutio and I put Kismet onto his back, horizontally across it.

“She’s cold, Merc. I can’t feel her heartbeat. Nothing,” I said, my voice cracking. “I shouldn’t have left her. I should have stayed!” I covered her with a sheet and led the horse out.

He walked slowly now, so as not to jostle her. I was crying so hard I could barely see, but then I heard a little moan.

Alive!

“She’s alive!” I screamed.

I grabbed her hand and kissed it. I’m not sure what else happened. Time seemed broken to bits. The next thing I remember was that when we were leaving, I spotted Kismet’s bow and arrows lying on an ottoman in the sitting room. I got them and loaded the bow as we exited the castle.

There were dead wolves and dying fae. I kept moving.

Acton rushed over. “Is she badly hurt?” he asked. When he pulled the sheet back and saw her destroyed back, he gasped.

“It’s real bad. But she’s gonna live. We heal real well. I’m taking her out of this damn place. I’m taking her home with me.”

A knight stepped in front of us. I shot him in the leg, and Acton flung him aside.

“Go, Benny. Run to the sea. Mercutio, take him to Bryn. I’ll be right behind you.”

Mercutio darted around the fighting men and raced away. Benny followed.

“Come on, Acton, get your guys. We’re getting out of here.”

He howled and called the wolves.

It was a bloody escape, and the fae chased us until something called them back.

We reached the ocean, but Bryn put out a hand. “We can’t go this way. The selkies will attack us if we try to reach the underwater path. The queen’s orders.”

Kismet stirred.

“Give me your shirt for her,” I said.

Bryn started to pull his off, but Acton was faster.

“Here,” he said. “I’ll help you.” He lifted her, and I put the shirt over her head and slid it down to cover her, grimacing at the way her blood oozed, saturating the back of the shirt.

“If I’d had an iron blade, I’ve have run it through Ghislaine, death sentence or not,” I murmured.

“My apple darling,” Kismet murmured, clearly half out of her head from shock. She tried to reach for me, but her fingers missed. I clutched her hand and held it.

“I’m here. I’m right here.”

“I felt you come into the Never. Held on so I might see you.”

“You’re going to more than see me. You’re going to take magic from me. Take my strength to heal. The way you gave me yours when I was hurt. Hurry up now.”

“See,” she said, her head lolling against Acton’s shoulder. “As good as a pack member. Halfling fae, but not half sisters. Whole sisters.”

“Yes,” I said. “We’re going to be one. And then we’re going to split the magic between us in a different way.”

“Oh, aye? How’s that, Tammy, love?” she asked.

“You’ll see. Just go along with me, all right?”

“Sure, anywhere. Let’s run away to the sun,” she said.

“Oh, hell!” I said, spotting the queen on horseback. She was battered, but upright and clearly out for blood—mine. A dozen knights rode behind her, armed with bows.

“Take some of my strength,” I said to Kis, and put my cheek to hers. I closed my eyes and whispered into the wind. Nothing happened, though, until she opened her mind to me. Then I felt that I was lying across Acton’s arms. And my back wailed with pain. It staggered me and I fell to my knees, blinded by the terrible sharp ache that seemed to swallow my whole body.

It eased some over the next few moments, but I couldn’t get comfortable. My back was on fire. It hurt so badly! My stomach cramped and I thought I’d throw up, but the sickness faded and there was strength at my core. A deep magic endured.

Kismet’s color was better, though. Not golden, but not as pale as a vampire’s either.

“We may have to go into the water!” I yelled. “We need to get out of here and onto a path. Kis, where’s the closet one?”

We were almost within range of the queen’s archers, but Kismet still seemed too dazed to understand my question.

“Andre, Edie, come with me,” Bryn said. “See that? Feel its pulse?”

“I do! What is it?” Edie asked.

“A chunk of volcanic rock that juts up from the ocean floor. It doesn’t seem to be a true part of the Never. I can feel my wizard’s magic stirring from there. We may be able to cast from it. Stay close to me and use your guns against the selkies only if you have to. It’s not their choice to attack us.”

“Wolf, come closer,” Kismet said, looking more clear-eyed. She tugged on Acton’s neck to bring his ear close. “There’s a faery named Royal who lives in your woods. Tell him I said to invite you to the bastard’s banquet.”

Acton smiled. “That’s the code phrase, aye?”

“Yes, he’ll know what to do. He’ll give it back to you.”

“We thought your sister had it.”

“She did, too. She has one . . . not the original.”

“He likely won’t trust me. I’ll need you there to convince him, so you’ll have to stay alive. Try, aye?”

She didn’t respond, but steadied herself, breathing deeply.

Bryn helped Andre and Edie swim against the current to the rock, which was farther offshore than the path had been. He dragged them up onto the slippery surface.

A shadow surrounded them like storm clouds. Sleek seal flesh bobbed in the water as three selkies approached.

Kismet pulled herself up and locked eyes with Acton. “You’re a pretty animal, but even with a faery’s bird bones I’m too heavy to ride a wolf. Help me onto my horse.”

He lifted her and set her on Benvolio. She bent down and grabbed my forearm. “A boost for her, amber wolf.”

Acton cupped his hands. I stuck my foot in them and hopped up. I glanced back at the water. Edie was shooting into the ocean to drive the selkies back. Bryn and Andre were back-to-back, mouths moving, casting spells at the fae. Some horses reared up, their riders falling to the ground.

“Benny, do what you do best,” Kismet said. “Run with the wind.”

Benny bolted along the shore. The queen and several faeries changed course to chase us. Others continued to the shore and the wolves.

“Bryn!” I yelled.

He heard me and looked over. I beckoned him and he dived into the water.

Edie, who must have been out of bullets, dropped her gun and straightened to take Bryn’s position on the rock. She and Andre flung magic, and the wolves shifted, crouching and growling. More horses bucked, but others barreled forward fearlessly.

I shot at our pursuers until my gun was empty as well.

“Switch,” Kismet said, bringing her legs up and then standing on Benny’s back. She turned to face me and I held her thighs to steady her. She let her arrows fly, skewering the riders one after another. She deflected the arrows that nearly hit us. It was like a circus act.

I felt a ripple of cool air, and then an arbor appeared on the beach about forty feet in front of us. Vines hung from the top of the arch, and hooked to it was a brass key.

“Here comes a gate!” I yelled, glancing at the water’s edge. Bryn emerged onshore and sprinted toward us, his skin sleek and black. Edie and Andre were still on the rock in the water, so we couldn’t leave, but I at least wanted to get onto the path where Kismet and I would be part witch. If I could get Kismet out, it would be one less person to rescue and hopefully she could draw more magic from me to heal herself.

“Stop them!” Ghislaine screamed.

The key was out of reach, but Mercutio streaked by.

“Fly, Merc!” Kismet shouted, grabbing my hand and stretching it out. Shimmering gold burst from my fingers, and when Mercutio leapt, he rose thirty feet and caught the dangling key, tearing it from the vine.

He landed and circled to us. He jumped again, sailing over our heads. I reached up, and he released the key. I plucked it from the air. A pair of crossed chains appeared, forming an X in front of the arbor. A padlock hung from the center, connecting the chains.

Benny galloped to the arbor and stopped. I bent forward, shoved the key into place, and turned it. Unhooking the lock and dropping it allowed the chains to separate. Benny walked under the arbor and through the gate.

Bryn and Merc skidded in just behind Benvolio.

We all panted for breath. I jumped down from the horse and went to Bryn. I took his face in my hands. “Draw off my witch magic so I can heal and move faster.”

He whispered a spell and drew the magic into him. I felt my heartbeat slow, my senses sharpen.

Kismet had dropped down to sit on Benny’s back. She slumped forward, exhausted from the exertion of the trick horse riding when she was still weak from blood loss and shock. Adrenaline could take a person pretty far, but it always ran out eventually.

I bent down just as Ghislaine flew into the passage. Her horse slammed into Bryn, and he flew backward, landing hard on the path. The sharp pain in my head left me dizzy and disoriented for a moment.

The queen leapt down, screaming, and swung her arm. The dagger came at me, and I rolled away just in time. Ghislaine rushed toward Kismet. I kicked the queen’s leg, and she buckled, but her incredible power blew around us like hurricane winds.

When she lunged again she pinned me to the ground. It took all my strength to stop the dagger from plunging into my chest. But I couldn’t hold on. I brought my knee up hard and struck her in the chin.

I scrambled to my feet.

“Ghislaine, stop this. My sister hasn’t done anything to you.”