Deep Into the Abyss (Darkest Faerie Tale Series Book 2) (6 page)

“We’ve known since birth your magick was greater than any ever known before.”

“How? Did I weave spells and throw out magick from my crib?” Both sides of the Aos sí
were certifiably nuts. They used a baby, an innocent little child to war and fight with each other and their reasons were completely absurd. She was harmless.

“When you were born your skin cast a radiant light as if the ancients of the
Tuatha Dé
themselves blessed you with their glittering rays of sun. The Elders from both courts came to see you and your parents in hiding—to check the validity of whispered secrets. I was in my early twenties and had only recently become an Elder, but I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw you.” Liam stared off in the distance as if remembering the exact moment. “I knew I had to hold you. Power radiated from you in waves I’d never felt or seen, mixing with your incandescent light. You gripped onto my finger and I knew right then, you were beyond special.”

“All because my skin glowed?” It most certainly didn’t glow anymore.

His gaze snapped back to hers. “No. Before you, the Seelie and Unseelies never mated to keep each bloodline pure over the centuries. The Aos sí fear the dangers of a mixed race and therefore, suffering from the same repercussions as our ancestors did in the Great Atonement. After all, we were created as two separate courts for a reason. Why interfere with something that shouldn’t be changed and risk losing what little magick we do have left? However, the moment you touched me, you showed me a different vision of the future telepathically and it shattered my fears of the unknown. I saw you, grown up, sitting on a throne in Sitnalta, surrounded by Aos sí of both courts. Everyone was happy, peaceful—united.”

“The first problem with what you saw is that Sitnalta disappeared into the sea thousands of years ago. The second—wouldn’t everyone who held me see the same thing?”

“With each new power you master, the island is slowly reemerging from the depths of the ocean. It’s why we know it is time. The older you become the wiser and more powerful you are.” He pulled out his cell and tapped the screen before showing her the pictures. Arial shots in succession of the mountainous island as if it were growing from the sea. “Every Elder who held you saw the same image.”

Every muscle in her body tensed. “So, why are the Seelies fighting this? Why do they see me as such a threat? I mean the Elder’s know the truth about me. My mother and father even integrated me into their court to be a part of them.”

“The Seelie Elders are afraid of you. They see you as an abomination.” He looked over her shoulder, vehemence filling his eyes. “They’ve wanted you destroyed since you were born.”

All of the air whooshed out of her lungs.
They hated me since birth?
“Then why place me under their care?” She ground her teeth fighting back the agony, the despair threatening to overwhelm her. Pressure welled behind her eyes.

“Your parents and the Unseelie Elders thought it wise to have you right under the Seelies’ noses. So, they could watch you grow up with a careful eye, knowing you belonged to them and truly posed no threat to their side.”

Mya fought for breath as her heart thundered in her chest. The Seelies never cared for her? Wanted her dead? Kept her close only to—what? Kill her when the moment was right? The treachery. Their betrayal.

Birds flew into the trees around the courtyard, one by one, lining on the branches. Beautiful birds of all different colors and species—red robins, cardinals, blue jays, crows, pigeons. So many. Some started chirping, others bowed their breasts and ruffled their feathers.

A furious heat boomed through her veins as her eyes welled with tears. The truth so heartbreakingly clear, but she needed to hear it. “From the very beginning they wanted me dead.”

Everything made sense. The way Michaela acted toward her, turned against her, started to hate her. How the Elders were so quick to put her on trial when her own home burned to the ground. They were watching and waiting for Mya to screw up somehow. Because in the end, they only wanted one thing. Mya. Dead. She’d been so loyal to them, so careful to follow the rules, to be nice to them, to be a part of them. A stabbing pain lanced her chest and she couldn’t stop the sob from escaping.

“Mya, you need to calm down,” Liam instructed.

“I. Am. Calm.” She clenched her fists. All this time, they were waiting to take her down. They wanted her to hurt.

More birds flew in—doves, sparrows hawks. Beautiful. But she couldn’t focus on them, only the superficial Seelies, walking around so high and mighty when they were vile and vindictive creatures. It had nothing to do with them not liking her, no they kept her close because they hated her. They wanted her dead and she—she only wanted to live. But, they took everything from her. Her friend even burned down her parent’s house.
Her friend?

Some of the birds turned on each other, squawking and pecking at one another, trying to kill the other one.

“The birds can sense your wrath. You’re magick is much stronger now, you need to harness the power, Mya.” Liam gripped onto her shoulders.

Owls hoo hoo’ed from a tree in front of her. Owls? They only came out at night—to hunt their prey in the darkness. Hunters. Predators.

Seelies. Killers. The people, her people, despised her, her entire life…a lie. Had the Seelie Elders who held her at birth wanted to kill her then and there?
Had they imagined snapping my neck?
Mya breathed sharply on each inhalation, her chest heaving. Large shadows danced around her like a haunting nightmare, she gazed up to the sky. Vultures. Meat eaters waited to feed off the carcasses of the birds not able to survive—to see if she died, so they could gnaw the flesh from her bones. Like the Seelies, they swarmed, vicious and hungry—ready to pick her off. Seek and destroy. The ultimate deception.

Adrenaline coursed through her veins making her arms and legs tremble. Pounding in her ear drums overrode the chirping birds until she heard nothing else, but
thump, thump, thump
. Numb to it all.

Energy swirled around her, wrapping her in a suffocating blanket and everything faded away. Her fists opened, splaying her fingers wide. Screams ripped from her lungs.

~****~

Cole watched the odd mass of birds swirling into the compound from the window of the bar.

Everyone got up from their seats to see what was going on.

The mansion sat in the middle of an acre, directly in the center of the Unseelie compound’s twenty five acres. Trees and shrubs surrounded the massive property to provide utter privacy. And all the birds seemed to be flocking straight there—straight to Mya’s new home.

Cole took a deep breath and steeled himself to assess the situation.

One street surrounded the mansion in a square inside the compound. The avenue was lined with condos, shops, restaurants, a market and a bar, directly across from the property, so he wasn’t too far away from her.

His cell phone buzzed in his jeans and he pulled it out of his pocket. Liam’s name flashed on the screen. He was training Mya in her magick. As soon as Cole hit send, he heard the screaming—Mya’s screams. Cole took off in a sprint, out the door, across the street, through the trees and bushes, following the sounds of Mya’s agonizing cries across the lawn.

There she stood, in a black dress, her head thrown back, screaming toward the sky. Next to her, Liam tried to sooth and calm her.

Birds swooped down all around in a panic and Cole dodged them the closer he got to her. Dark energy emanated from her, full of pain—an agonizing pit he knew all too well when one learned of painful truths and betrayal.

Finally, Cole reached her and wrapped his arms around her, stopping himself from tackling her to the ground. “Shhh, sweetheart, I’ve got you.” He didn’t think she could shriek any louder, but she did and his eardrums nearly burst. He wound his fist in her red hair and brought her face to his chest. “Come on Mya, I need you to stop screaming.”

In an instant, she stopped and collapsed against him. He scooped her up in his arms. She broke down sobbing and fisting the collar of his shirt for dear life, like she’d clung to him in the cabin. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end, responding to the frenzied powers stirring from her.

Fuck. What happened?
He jogged across the lawn with her against him and into the house. He took the stairs two by two then raced down the hall to her bedroom. The Elders planned which room would be hers and luckily, he knew the layout of the mansion, to get her to a place of comfort quicker.

Once inside her room, he kicked the door closed behind her and made his way to the bed. As soon as he sat down with her on his lap, he cupped her face with his hand. “Look at me, Mya.”

She didn’t loosen the grip on his shirt, but she did gaze up at him—and his fucking heart seized.

Her eyes were vacant, no longer did they sparkle a vibrant green, they were dull and flat. Tears stained her cheeks.

“Come back to me, sweetheart.”

A lurid energy stirred around them in the room and he needed her to snap out of this daze before she lost what little restraint she held onto. “Damn it, Mya, come on. Where’d you go?” He rubbed his hands over her bare arm, up and down her silken skin.

A knock sounded on the door before Liam entered.

Cole growled at him, “What?”

“I have every right to be in here,” Liam barked back.

“Give me some privacy will you? I’ll take care of this.”

Liam narrowed his eyes, coming closer. “I’m not so sure you can.”

Cole’s blood burned in his veins and he laughed. “Now’s not the time for insults.”

“I’m not belittling you in any shape or form.” Liam pointed at Mya. “But, she has been through a lot. She’s powerful and she’s strong. She needs someone with more control to help her through this.”

“And what? You’re insinuating I’m not that person? You forget I spent a week with her and not once did she ever have an episode like this, but with you she did.”

“Yes and what the two of you did during that week concerns me.” Liam raised his voice.

Cole clenched his jaw. Had Mya confessed? “I did what needed to be done to get her prepared.”

“Exactly what was that?”

Ah, so he didn’t know the details. Liam dug for info. “Look, let me get her through this. We can discuss everything later.” Cole’s tone became sterner. “Lock the door on your way out and don’t bother us.”

Liam stomped toward the door and locked it. Before he shut it, he said, “You will do well to remember she is our queen. Treat her with respect and don’t you dare do anything to dishonor her, because I won’t hesitate to put you on trial to protect
her
.” The door slammed.

Finally, they were alone.

Cole closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. The moment he slept with Mya, he’d signed his own prison sentence, well aware of the consequences he faced for breaking the rules and touching her if he got caught. He played a dangerous game and even more of a reason to stay away from the angel in his arms—if he didn’t want to spend the rest of his life in solitary confinement. Besides, she had no use for him anymore since their portion of training was done and he could go back to his normal Elder duties.

When he opened his eyes, Mya stared back at him with those empty eyes.

“What happened out there, Mya?”

The power pulsing from her made his muscles tense. At any moment, it could explode and kill everyone in a twenty mile radius like an atom bomb. His skin crawled. It was the same type of energy she emanated when she’d broken the magick shackles back at the cabin.

And he’d done the only thing he knew how to, to burn off the power she generated, but he wouldn’t be doing that now. Liam’s warning only reinforced the fact he shouldn’t ever touch her again.

Even having her on his lap became too close for comfort. He stood up with her in his arms and placed her on the bed. She curled into herself, turning away from him, clutching a pillow against her body.

He scrubbed a hand over his face.
Son-of-a-bitch.
What would he to do about her? If she had another episode?

Her raw and raspy voice startled him, “Thank you. You may be excused. Will you please send Liam back in?”

“You’re awake?”

“Please send Liam up.” Her tone held no emotion whatsoever.

“Do you want to tell me what happened out there?”

“No. I have nothing to say to you.”

“Like hell, you don’t. I saw what happened with the birds. I heard your screams—even Liam couldn’t calm you down.”

“I asked you to leave and to send Liam up. Do you have a problem taking orders, sweetheart?”

Her tone scraped his nerves like nails on a chalkboard. Cole cracked his knuckles to keep his fists occupied—to keep from hitting the damned wall. Tension lit the air mixing with the power she put out. “Mya, you have to get a grip on your magick. You’re likely to blow the place up with the power you’re putting out.”

“Oh, and I suppose you’re concerned because you’re still inside and might get blown up in the process. Well then, by all means, vacate the premises and remove everyone else from the house. I don’t care what you do, just leave.”