Illusions (27 page)

TAMANI HAD TO ADMIT, FOR AN INDOOR PARTY THAT
lacked any Summer illusions, the humans had done a good job. He couldn't help but smile at Yuki's seedling-like enthusiasm as she gasped and smiled at the splendor. It was easier to be around her now, knowing she wasn't the danger—she was just the distraction, and she might not even be aware of that. “This is amazing,” she said, her eyes twinkling with the reflected sparkle of a hundred strings of lights.

Without saying a word, Tamani walked Yuki onto the dance floor, just at the edge, where the crowd was thinner. “You're lovely tonight,” he said.

Yuki looked immediately shy. “Thank you,” she said softly. “I—I hoped you would like it.”

“Very much,” Tamani replied. That, at least, wasn't a lie. Her dress was stunning. A different style than he'd ever seen before, but all the more beautiful for that. He forced himself not to think about what Laurel would look like in it. He shook his head a little, a physical reminder that he had other things to concentrate on. “I was sorry to not be able to pick you up,” Tamani said, his voice low enough that Yuki had to lean forward a little to hear him. He laid one hand low on her waist and ran his other all the way down her arm, then folded her hand into his and pulled her close—a traditional dance pose, rather than the strange, leaning bear-hug the humans seemed to prefer—and stepped softly to the music.

“I'm sorry too,” Yuki said. “It . . . it couldn't be helped.” She glanced down, and Tamani thought she looked embarrassed. Then, very quietly, she added, “I was packing.”

Tamani felt his whole body tense. “Packing?”
Of course she wouldn't stay here alone during the winter break
, Tamani chided himself.
Calm down
. Hopefully she had interpreted the tight squeeze of her hand as a sign of affection. He led Yuki into a spin under his arm, and then back close where she stepped evenly, expertly, matching him with a delicate grace that marked her as unmistakably fae.

“Klea is coming for me tomorrow,” she said evenly, her voice strained, but controlled.

“When will you be back?” Tamani asked, his voice calm. It wasn't that unusual.

“I . . . I—” she said, but looked down, avoiding his eyes.

She was supposed to lie, he could tell. But he wanted the truth. In another few hours it might not matter, but for once, he wanted the truth. He tilted his face close to hers and let his cheek touch her face, his lips just brushing her ear. “Tell me,” he whispered.

“I'm not supposed to come back at all,” she said, her voice catching.

He pulled back, not having to fake the horror written across his face. “Never?”

She shook her head, her eyes darting around the room as if afraid someone would catch her dropping her secret. “I don't want to leave. Klea—she wasn't happy that I came tonight at all, but I was
not
going to miss this.”

This was an act of rebellion then—and one of which Yuki was clearly proud.

He was silent for a moment and Yuki looked up at him, waiting for him to say something, do something. He gave himself another moment to think by pulling her close and listening to her shallow breathing as he again brushed her earlobe with his lips. “Can't you stay?” he asked, digging now. “Won't she listen to you?”

“Klea doesn't listen to
anyone
,” Yuki grumbled.

He stopped now, stopped dancing entirely, letting the other couples swaying around him make room for them. He reached out a gloved hand and ran his fingers down the side of her face, her heavy lashes fluttering closed at his touch. “How far will you go?”

“I don't know.”

“Back to Japan?”

“No, no, not that far. I'm pretty sure we're staying in California.”

He looked over his shoulder when someone bumped him; instead of pulling Yuki in close, he led her into a graceful stretch, then held out his hand, inviting her to come near this time. She jumped at the chance, pulling herself against his chest, lifting her face up close to his as they resumed swaying. “She won't take your cell phone, will she?” Tamani asked, his mouth only a breath away from her lips.

“I . . . I don't think so.”

“Then I can call you, right? And I have a car. I could come and see you.”

“Would you?”

Tamani leaned just a little closer, his forehead brushing hers. “Oh, absolutely.”

“Then I'll figure out a way,” Yuki promised.

“Why now?” Tamani asked, leading Yuki backward in a slow, waltz-like circle around the human dancers. Even as he pushed her for secrets and signs, she followed him easily, and he found that he enjoyed dancing with her. “Can't you stay till Christmas? It's only a few more days.”

Yuki shook her head. “I can't. It's . . . not a good idea.”

“Why?” Tamani asked, injecting a hint of longing into his voice, hoping he wasn't prodding too hard.

“I—” Her gaze faltered and she looked down again. “Klea says it's too dangerous.”

The music changed and Tamani led her a little faster now, into a series of more complicated steps.
Take her mind off her mouth,
Tamani thought to himself. “I don't want you to go,” he whispered.

Yuki's face lifted, her eyes soft. “Really?”

Tamani forced himself not to grit his teeth. “There's something different about you.”

Her expression was momentarily guarded, but she smiled his words away. “I'm not different. I'm just a regular person.”

She was pretty good. But Tamani had been lying since before her sprout opened its petals. “No,” he said sweetly, pulling her tight against his body, feeling her erratic breathing as he did. “You're special. I can tell. There's something amazing about you.” He laid his cheek right on hers now, and felt her hand tremble in his. “And I can't wait to find out more.”

Yuki smiled and opened her mouth to say something, but Tamani felt his phone buzzing in his pocket.

“Just a sec,” Tamani muttered, pulling his phone out just enough that he could see the display. Sure enough, Aaron's number was lit up on the screen. Tamani looked up at Yuki and apologized with his eyes. “It's my uncle. I'll be right back.” He squeezed her hand. “Why don't you go get something to drink?” He smiled at her for another second before walking quickly from the dance floor.

“I'm really glad I came with you,” Laurel said, looking up at David.

“Really?”

“Yeah. It was good to clear the air. I—” She paused. “You have to know that I hadn't planned to break up with you. It just happened.”

“I do know that. But I was so riled up. You were justified.”

“I kinda was, wasn't I?”

David rolled his eyes. “I'll do better,” he said. “If you'll just give me a chance.”

“David—”

“I'm going to keep hoping,” David said, raising her hand up to his lips and kissing her knuckles.

Laurel couldn't help but smile. Over David's shoulder, she noticed Tamani striding out of the gym, his phone held to his ear, his face unreadable. “Something's happening,” Laurel said. “I'll be right back.”

Trying not to draw too much attention to herself, Laurel followed Tamani out into the lobby.

“You raided without me?” Tamani whispered, his eyes darting left and right as he backed into a dark corner, locking eyes with Laurel for a brief instant as she approached. “Well, I'm glad you're still alive. Goddess only knows what could have happened. What was in there?”

“We raided because I knew you wouldn't be able to join us.” Shar's voice sounded in Tamani's ear. Through
Aaron's
phone. Apparently Shar had “forgotten” his iPhone back in the forest. His
human trinket
. “I told you—you've been spreading yourself too thin.”

“You had no right—”

“I had every right. I am in command here, though you seem happy to forget that when it's convenient to you.”

Tamani clenched his teeth; when it came to matters concerning Laurel, chain of command was not the only consideration, and Shar knew it. “What did you find?” he asked emotionlessly.

“It was empty, Tamani.”

David walked up and stood beside Laurel.

“Empty?” Tamani asked in disbelief. “What do you mean,
empty
?”

“Well, not
completely
empty. The trolls we chased down are still here.”

“A month later?”

“I didn't say they were alive.”

“Dead?”

“One looks like it starved to death. But not before eating part of the other one. The stench was . . . well, let's just say I'm not going to be able to smell properly for a long time.”

“Why didn't they just leave?”

“They must have seen us, known they were surrounded. It was death if they left and I was more patient than they were.” He coughed. “Earth and sky, but they reek.”

Tamani sighed. He had several choice words for Shar, but now was not the time. “Well, thanks for letting me know, I suppose. If you'll excuse me, I have a job to get back to.” Without saying good-bye he pulled the phone away from his ear and jabbed at the End Call button on his screen, once, twice.
Blighted glove!
Suppressing a growl, he bit down on the middle finger of his glove and yanked it off, poking hard at the phone to hang it up. He looked up at Laurel and David.

“Why did you follow me out here? I'm making some headway with Yuki and you two hanging around could ruin everything. Go! Dance!” he said, gesturing toward the door.

“Tam,” Laurel said, her eyes wide. “Your hand.
Look at your hand!
”

Tamani looked down at his hand.

It was covered with sparkling powder.

Not powder. Pollen.

David raised an eyebrow. “Happy thoughts?”

Tamani could see Laurel's chest heave as she sucked in a nervous breath. “I'm not in bloom,” she hissed.

“No,” Tamani said, terror growing in his chest. “No, no, no! It's not possible!” Tamani exclaimed.

“Tamani,” Laurel said, her voice eerily calm, “it's the first day of winter.”

“No!” Tamani felt like about twenty gears had clicked into place in his mind. He shoved his glove back onto his hand, concealing the damning evidence. He reached out to grab Laurel's arm, not too tight, but tight enough for her to recognize how serious he was. “If Yuki is a Winter faerie, then we are all in very serious danger. She doesn't just know you're a faerie. She knows
I'm
a faerie. There's no way she couldn't. Every word out of her mouth since she arrived has been a lie. Every word.” He swallowed. “And she knows how much I've been lying to her, too.”

He placed his phone in Laurel's hand, curling her fingers around it. “Call Shar. He's on Aaron's phone. Tell him everything. I'll keep Yuki at the dance as long as I can. Then I'll find a way to bring her back to my apartment. You and Shar have to think of something by then.”

“Can't we wait till tomorrow?” Laurel asked, panic creeping into her voice. “I don't think we should rush—”

“There's no time,” Tamani interrupted. “Klea is coming to pick Yuki up and she's not coming back. Whatever she was sent here to do—it's done. It has to be tonight.” He hesitated, wanting to stay in the lobby with Laurel. But he gritted his teeth and stood tall. “I've spent too much time out here already—she's going to be suspicious. You guys need to go.”

Laurel nodded and turned to David. “I'll call Shar from the bathroom—I'll be right back.”

Tamani watched her walk off. Then he grabbed David's shoulder, looking him hard in the eye. “Keep her safe, David.”

“I will,” he replied soberly.

It wasn't good enough. But then, where Laurel was concerned, nothing ever was. It was as good as it was going to get. The human boy hadn't failed her yet. Tamani could only hope his luck would hold.

He took a moment to try to calm himself as he headed back into the gym. Yuki was standing by the punch bowl and hadn't noticed him yet. He watched her with new eyes—seeing her as the dangerous creature he now knew she was. She looked so innocent in her sparkling dress. Only now did he fully understand. The large bow in back was just perfect for hiding a blossom.

It took everything he had to smile seductively as he approached her. She had to know his words were a lie. But there was one thing—even from the beginning—that she had always believed. He pulled her back in his arms possessively and his cheek went to hers, his lips pressing softly up her neck and to her ear. “Come home with me tonight?” he whispered.

She pulled back a little, looking at him with wide eyes.

“It's our last night,” he said.

A long moment passed and Tamani could feel a single bead of condensation building up at the back of his neck as she continued to say nothing—to look into his eyes, searching for truth. “Okay,” she whispered.

TAMANI SLID HIS KEY INTO THE LOCK AND STARTED
to turn the handle when Yuki placed her hand over his.

“Tam, wait,” Yuki said softly.

Tamani felt his gloved hands start to shake and he tried not to imagine all the damage a Winter faerie—especially one not bound by the laws and traditions of Avalon—could inflict upon him. The kind of damage that would make death a reward by comparison. He turned to her and touched her arm as tenderly as he could manage. “You okay?”

She nodded shakily. “Yeah, absolutely, I just . . .” She hesitated. “I need to tell you something.”

Was she trying to come clean? How much was she going to confess? She knew he was a faerie. She must; a Winter faerie could sense plant life at a distance, as well as control it. Did she know he was a sentry too? That he was Laurel's guide, warden, and protector? How much did she suspect he knew about her?

Tamani smiled casually and ran a hand down her cheek. It was too late for confessions. “Come inside first—you've got to be freezing.”

He could almost see her reach out and cling to the excuse to wait just a few more minutes before unveiling her secret. Tamani turned the knob and pushed it open, wondering what Shar had waiting for them inside. Would Yuki be dead before she drew her next breath? To kill a Winter, even a wild one, struck Tamani as a kind of sacrilege. He trusted Shar—trusted him with his life—but this was bigger than anything they had ever encountered and Tamani wasn't ashamed to admit there was an icy pit of fear in his stomach.

He reached for the light switch and flipped it up.

Nothing happened.

“That's weird,” Tamani said quietly, but loud enough for both Yuki and anyone who might be lurking in the dark room to hear. “Come on in,” Tamani said. “I'll go grab the light in the kitchen, see if that one works.” He felt rather than saw Yuki pause, before crossing the threshold. As if she sensed the danger that was lurking.

Tamani felt his way to the kitchen, running his hand along the wall and reaching for the kitchen light switch. A warm hand—a human hand—covered the switch. He felt someone grab his shoulder and a hand cup around his ear. “Tell her to come over to you,” David whispered, as he carefully repositioned him a few steps to the right. “Tell her the electricity must be out.”

“Come this way,” Tamani said. “The electricity must be out.” She was still standing in the doorway, silhouetted by a dim streetlight that scarcely touched the murky blackness.

“I can't see.” Her voice sounded strange, like a little girl's. There was something inside her, telling her this was wrong.

“I'll catch you if you fall,” Tamani said, making his voice purr.

Hesitantly, she took a few steps toward him.

“I'm right here,” Tamani said, as David nudged him just a little more to the right.

He heard a clang and Yuki let out a frightened yowl. There was a flurry of motion and David was gone from his side. He heard a couple of dull thuds, two sets of staccato clicks, then more shrieks from Yuki.

The light overhead burst to life, making Tamani cringe and screw his eyes shut against the onslaught. He blinked and surveyed the scene, his eyes searching for Shar.

But Shar wasn't there.

It was David, pulling off a pair of night-vision goggles. Chelsea, too, standing at his side, a length of rope in her hands. Some kind of backup plan. It was strange to see them standing in their finery with tools of capture in their hands.

Yuki was gasping as she struggled to escape from a metal chair someone had bolted to the floor, her hands cuffed securely behind her, one set for each wrist, with the other end locked around the back of the chair. Enough slack to throw herself against them pretty hard, but not enough to lean forward more than about a foot.

Tamani's jaw dropped. “What have you done? She's going to kill us!” Tamani hissed. But David wasn't talking. His face had gone white and he was staring at Yuki in horror. Tamani suspected he'd never tied someone up before.

But now was not the time for speculation. He threw himself in front of the humans, bracing himself for whatever was about to come.

Yuki stopped struggling for a moment to glare at him. Her eyes narrowed dangerously, then her head snapped back and she howled, not in anger this time, but pain. And then she was gaping at the floor around her.

It was the first time Tamani had noticed the circle of white powder that surrounded her chair. He took two steps forward and bent to examine it.

“Don't touch that.” Shar's breathless voice came floating in through the doorway.

“What is it?” he gasped, drawing his hand back.

Shar stood with his chest heaving—Tamani wondered where he had run from—and Tamani could see him hesitate for a second; something that frightened him even more than the trapped Winter faerie not inches from him. “It's exactly what you think it is,” Shar finally whispered.

Tamani looked back to the circle, now recognizing the granular crystals as salt. “It's too simple,” he said, his voice soft.

“It's hardly foolproof, and difficult to invoke. A Winter faerie must walk into the circle willingly, or it won't work. If you couldn't get her to walk in on her own, I guess we'd all be dead.”

“Let me go!” Yuki screamed, her face tight, the sharp angle of her cheekbones standing out.

“I wouldn't make so much noise if I were you,” Shar said, his voice deadly calm. “I have a roll of duct tape and I'm not afraid to use it. But I promise you, it hurts coming off. A lot.”

“That won't matter when the cops come,” Yuki said, and she drew in a breath to scream.

“Oh, please,” Shar said, chuckling. The humor in his voice startled her enough to stop her scream before it began. “You mighty Benders always underestimate the power of Enticement. The cops wouldn't get past the front door even if you were screaming your head off ten feet away. My request for you not to scream is to keep me from wasting memory elixirs on the entire population of this apartment complex, not out of any kind of fear of retribution.”

Yuki growled and glared at Shar, then her head snapped back again and she screamed through clenched teeth. Then she slumped forward and her body shook with sobs.

“Why is it hurting her, Shar?” Tamani said, feeling strangely desperate to stop her pain. “Make it stop!” Tamani was no stranger to pain; in fact, he'd spent a lot of his life learning how to inflict it—but never on another faerie, let alone a female faerie, and so young. He was shocked that he had to suppress an urge to run to her, to comfort her, even though he knew she could kill him with a glance.

“Any magic used within the circle rebounds. As soon as she stops attacking
us
,” Shar said, raising his voice a little, “the circle will stop attacking
her
.”

Yuki shot a dirty look at Shar, but she must have gotten the idea, because she didn't scream again. Tamani was glad. He turned to Shar and pushed him back toward the wall. “This is black magic, Shar. It must be forbidden.”

“Beyond forbidden,” Shar said, his eyes darting to the side. “It's Forgotten.”

Forgotten. Magic from before memory, too dangerous to be passed down.

“You learned this from your mother, didn't you?” Tamani didn't try to hide the accusation in his voice.

“The Unseelie have always remembered things best forgotten.”

“She told you this the day Laurel and I went to Avalon.”

“I thought she was taunting me. I told her about Yuki, and she started babbling on about killing all the Winter fae. I thought she was telling me to assassinate Marion,” Shar said, his voice still deadly calm. “Maybe my mother loves me after all.”

“Shar, you can't do this. I won't let you turn Unseelie.”

Shar laughed, a quick bark of disdain. “Please, Tam, you know where my loyalty lies, and it is not with the Seelie or the Unseelie. It is with Avalon. I will do whatever it takes to keep her safe.”

Tamani knew Shar wasn't referring to Laurel, but his companion, Ariana, and their seedling.

“I will protect them by any means necessary. Think about it, Tamani. The only thing standing between her and Avalon is the fact that the gate is hidden. The moment she knows where it is, there is
nothing
we can do to keep her out.”

What have I gotten myself into?
He felt like someone was strangling him. But what choice did they have? “For Avalon,” he said softly. Then he glanced around. “Where's Laurel?”

“Home,” Shar said, his attention fixed on Yuki again. “If this didn't work, I wanted her as far away as possible. The sentries were told to do whatever it takes to not let her leave.” He hesitated. “She put up a bit of a fight.”

Tamani swallowed, trying not to think about that. “Where were
you
?” Tamani asked.

“You know as well as I—better, I suspect, considering your friendship with Jamison—that a Winter faerie would sense if another faerie was in your apartment. I was waiting less than a kilometer away, just close enough to see the light turn on.” He shook his head. “This was a job for human hands, and I have to admit, they performed admirably.”

But both of the humans seemed deaf to Shar's praise. David was still pale, and Chelsea looked scared, though not quite so horrified.

“All right,” Shar said, pulling a knife from his pocket. “It's time to find out once and for all.”

Yuki's eyes widened and she opened her mouth to scream again, but Shar handed the knife to David. “Go cut open her dress. I need to see her blossom for myself.”

“Let me,” Tamani said, stretching out his hand. But Shar's wrist closed around his.

“You can't,” Shar said simply. “If you enter that circle, you will be under her power. No plants enter that circle, or we all die.”

Tamani reluctantly withdrew his hand.

David stared at the knife in his hand, then pursed his lips and shook his head. “No. It's too much. Cuff her to the chair. That's all you asked me to do. Cutting clothes off a defenseless girl? Do you have any idea what that sounds like? I won't do it.” He started to make his way toward the still open door. “Y-you're insane. She hasn't done anything. And this circle?” He glared at Shar. “You didn't tell m-me it would hurt her. Protecting Laurel is one thing, but I—I can't be a part of this.” David turned and stormed out the door.

Tamani took a step to follow him—to bring him back—but Shar put a hand on his chest. “Let him go. He's had a rough night.” Then he turned to Chelsea and—after a moment of hesitation—offered her the knife. “Would you . . . ?”

“Men,” Chelsea muttered derisively, ignoring the knife. Carefully, and with remarkably little trepidation, Chelsea stepped over the white line. As soon as she entered the circle, Yuki started to thrash again, but Chelsea stood behind her, hands on hips, and said, “Yuki, hold still.”

To Tamani's surprise, she did. Maybe it was finding herself so helpless before a human, but something in her broke, and she sat quietly as Chelsea carefully untied the silver obi and lowered the zipper of her dress several inches. Then she folded down a wide ACE bandage that Yuki had wrapped around her torso.

Everyone gasped as Chelsea pulled the bandage away from four broad, white petals. It resembled—and was not much bigger than—an ordinary poinsettia.

Tamani had seen the pollen on his palms, but to see that classic white Winter blossom spread out in front of him filled him with a terror that nearly brought him to his knees.

Shar's whispered oath was Tamani's fervent prayer.

“Goddess help us all.”