Midnight Enchantment (27 page)

“Is Elizabeth all right?”

Her grip on his arms tightened. “She’s fine, but, oh, Niall, she did an awful thing.”

“I know what she did, Thea.”

She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment. “She did it because she loves me and because she can’t bear to lose any more of her family, but it was wrong.” She shook her head. “I can’t be the cause of this. I just can’t.”

Niall took her forearm in his and forced her to look at him, to focus. The babbling had to be due to nervousness; she’d been nothing but calm and confident when he’d visited her in the Boundary Lands. “Why have you come here?”

She hesitated a moment, then glanced around to make sure no one was listening. “I have them with me right now. I guessed where she hid them and I dug them up.”

His blood went cold. He knew exactly what “they” were. A million questions crowded his brain, but he didn’t have to time to ask any of them. Not now. Not here. “She doesn’t know you have them or that you’ve brought them here?”

She shook her head and winced as if pained. He relaxed his grip on her arm, realizing it had tightened.

He swallowed hard, looking into the woman’s eyes. Thea was younger than himself, had lived her whole life within the walls of Piefferburg. She was an aberration of fae nature, in fact—not unlike him, his brother, and the Piefferburg witch. Thea would never have been born if the walls had not been present and the sprae had not decided to pass through and congregate between them. “If you turn these over, the walls will probably come down and you will die.” He paused. “You totally understand that, right?”

Her nostrils flared and she glanced away. “Yes.” She drew a breath and nodded. “I know.”

“You are very brave. I knew you would be, Thea. I had a feeling you’d do the right thing no matter the cost.”

Thea glanced at him and he saw a sheen of tears in her eyes. “Not brave. I’m scared as hell.”

“I went to your house yesterday, intending to tell you about the pieces. I figured you’d want to help me get them from Elizabeth.”

“I do want to help you.” Her voice sounded stronger now.

He considered her for a long moment. Elizabeth would never forgive him for this, but there was nothing else he could do. “All right, come with me. I can get you safely to the queen.”

“Thank you. I had no idea what to do or where to go once I got here. I didn’t know who I could trust. I just wandered around, looking for you.”

He took her hand, and they threaded through the crowded foyer to the elevator. She gawped as he might expect a nature fae who didn’t come into the city much. There was a lot to see in the Black Tower right now, even for those of them who’d grown up here and were used to the dark circus.

He led her up to the highest floor and to the carved black lacquer double doors of Aislinn’s receiving chamber.

“The queen isn’t seeing anyone right now,” said one of the silver-and-black-bedecked Shadow Guard on either side of the door.

“Trust me,” Niall answered. “She’ll want to see us for this.”

The guard hesitated, but Niall was one of the queen’s closest advisors and pulled a weight that others did not. He stepped to the side.

Niall opened the door and found Aislinn inside, sitting cuddled next to her husband on the couch. She looked up, saw that it was Niall, and snuggled back down, her head on his shoulder.

“She’s resting, Niall,” said Gabriel, a protective hand on the silk gown covering his wife’s thigh. “What do you need?”

Niall turned and motioned for Thea to enter.

Once Aislinn saw the unknown fae, she straightened, stood, and smiled. “Hello.” Ever the good and gracious queen, was Aislinn.

Thea froze in the entryway, then dipped low in an old-fashioned curtsy. “My queen.”

“Please, don’t do that,” answered Aislinn. “Not when the city is in such chaos.”

Aislinn had never become used to the bowing and scraping that some of the fae did in her presence.

Niall led Thea forward, into the sitting area. “Aislinn, Gabriel, please meet Thea Jocelyn Saintjohn.”

That was all he needed to say. They were perfectly aware that Thea was Elizabeth’s mother. Both Aislinn and Gabriel went very still.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” said Thea, nodding at both of them.

Niall met Aislinn’s eyes. “Thea has a couple things you’ve been looking for.”

All the blood drained from Aislinn’s face.

“First,” said Thea, “I need your promise that my daughter will not be punished for what she did.”

Aislinn’s face hardened. “Thea, your daughter—”

“Was protecting her mother,” Niall cut in. “Put yourself in her place, Aislinn, and pretend it was your father who was going to die. Imagine he was the only person you had left in this world because you’d had to watch the rest of your family be brutally slain, and then imagine what you’d do to protect him.”

Aislinn’s biological father had been the former Shadow King and there had been zero love between them—after all, the man had tried to eviscerate her soul—but Aislinn had adored the man who’d raised her, the man she’d called father from birth.

Staring hard at him over Thea’s head, Aislinn pressed her lips together. “Fine. No harm will come to Elizabeth Cely Saintjohn. I’ll issue her a pardon and an edict that none should harm her.”

“Thank you.” Thea dropped her hands into the pockets of her skirt and came out with a piece of the
bosca fadbh
in either hand.

Aislinn put her hand to her mouth. “Sweet Lady.”

All of them stared at the pieces for a long moment. They appeared so unassuming. Hunks of metal, engraved with strange symbols and cut jaggedly on two sides, like puzzle pieces. They looked fit for melting down, or something one might find at a flea market and wonder what they’d once been used for.

The queen reached out and took them into her hands reverently. “We have them all.”

“And the book,” said Gabriel.

“I can’t believe it,” Aislinn breathed, looking down at them. Tears streamed down her cheeks.

“Where did you find them?” asked Gabriel.

“My daughter hid them very well. You never would have found them, but I know my girl. It wasn’t hard for me to locate the hiding place she’d chosen. Once she’d admitted what she’d done, I just couldn’t let her do it. I knew she’d never turn them over herself, she’s far too driven and stubborn for that.”

Gabriel stepped forward and drew the woman into his arms. “Thank you for bringing them to us.”

“You’re not aware of what she’s sacrificing,” said Niall.

Gabriel released Thea and she backed away, looking down at the floor.

Niall looked between Gabriel and Aislinn. “Thea is dependent on the sprae for her survival. Once the walls fall and the sprae disperse, following the other fae, she’ll die.”

The room went silent.

“There’s nothing that can be done?” asked Gabriel.

Niall shook his head. “We’ve looked into ways to keep the sprae near her. I’ve been to the Piefferburg witch, but—”

“But the sprae are free and wild magickal beings and there’s no way to do it,” finished Aislinn.

“Right.”

“Then we owe you a huge debt of gratitude,” said Gabriel to Thea.

She raised her tired gaze to his. “It was the right thing to do. Just make sure my daughter isn’t punished for what she did.”

Gabriel grasped her hands. “You have our word.”

ELIZABETH stood on the sidewalk outside the Black Tower, her hair loose around her shoulders and slowly drifting snowflakes catching in the strands and melting on her sweater and jeans.

She’d never put protocols in place for traveling as water to Piefferburg City, a lapse in judgment she sorely regretted now. With a lack of stashed clothes and money near the city, she’d been forced to travel here by vehicle. It had wasted time. Although, honestly, traveling as her water self would have left
her with significant problems that would have cost her time, too, like locating transportation in from the rim of the city to the center, not to mention finding clothes.

It didn’t matter. In her gut, she knew she was probably too late.

Steeling herself for whatever she might find inside the Black Tower, a place she’d only seen from a distance the rare occasions she’d ventured into the city, she went toward the double doors, eying the armed human soldiers that had taken the place of the goblins who traditionally guarded the Unseelie Court.

She shivered as she entered the foyer, shaking off the snow on her clothes. Her eyes widened. The place was a raucous mess of fae, both Unseelie and Seelie. The Seelie were even easier to spot than the sometimes monstrous-looking Unseelie, in their designer clothes and slightly panicked countenances.

She didn’t know where to find the Shadow Queen, but she could guess. Her receiving room was probably on the highest floor, watched by the Shadow Guard. Staking out a place close to that door was her best chance of intercepting her mother. She would need to be careful. As soon as she showed her face, she’d probably be recognized and thrown in the dungeon. She didn’t care. She had to find her mother before Thea handed over the pieces—if it wasn’t already too late.

Heading for the bank of elevators she could see off to her left, she kept her head down, examining the polished black marble floor. Magick had raised the walls of this place, making the quartz from which it was constructed malleable enough for the enormous tower to be erected not long after Piefferburg had been created. Niall had watched this place be built and had lived here ever since.

She wondered where he was now and fought a pang of longing for him. Ever since she’d left him at the cabin, she missed the smell of him, the sound of his voice, and the feel of his body on hers. Now that she was here, ready to out herself to prevent her mother from handing over the pieces, she knew she’d probably never get to be close to him again.

It was a greater loss than she would have guessed.

Sometime between the beginning and the end of their short, doomed relationship, she’d developed feelings for him.

She guessed those feelings might even be called love.

Love really did make you crazy and sad, like all the songs sang. She wanted to be with Niall all the time, wanted to hear the sound of his voice, the press of his lips on her skin. She wanted the scent of him rubbed against her body, marking her as his. She hated leaving him because he was like a drug to her—all she wanted was another moment with him.

Even now. Even in the middle of this chaos—she missed him.

Knowing she could never have him made her chest ache, made her feel nauseous, and made her grieve. Yes, the songs were right, love was hell.

She pressed the up button on the elevator and stood back with a group of people, waiting for the doors to open. None of the fae around her paid any attention to her, too wrapped up in their personal dramas to realize they were standing next to Public Enemy Number One. They chattered about the soldiers and what was going to happen next and the war that might start and where was the Summer Queen?

The doors of the elevator car opened and her eyes widened. Within stood Niall, leaning against one of the elevator walls.

HE caught sight of her, eyes narrowing, and that customary smirk spread across his handsome face.

Her stomach did a slow flip and happiness blossomed in her heart like a flower. “Niall!” she blurted.

“Fancy meeting you here.”

The chattering fae moved into the car, jostling her. The elevator dinged, ready to close its doors, but she just stood there, torn between wanting to leap into his arms and wanting to dissolve to escape. Niall still stood in the car, only an arm’s length away.

What would he do with her now that she was here in the Black Tower? Would he honor his queen and turn her in, or honor his conscience—
heart?
—and let her go free.

Right before the doors closed, Niall reached out, grabbed her by the hand, and pulled her into the car…straight into his arms.

He pressed her up against his chest and tilted her head, his mouth coming down for a kiss. His lips slid across hers, making her knees feel weak. He nipped at her lower lip and she opened her mouth, letting him slid his tongue within to stroke slowly and deliberately up against her tongue. Her hands found
his arms and gripped, trying to hold on against the erotic onslaught that were constantly his kisses.

He released her when the elevator dinged and the doors opened on another floor. She staggered back a step and looked up, feeling a little dazed. It was then she realized everyone in the car had gone silent. The other passengers all grinned at them as they filed out, leaving her and Niall alone. As soon as the doors closed, Niall hit the button that would take them to the fiftieth floor, the top of the tower.

She glanced from the button to him, panic making her stomach tight. After everything, did he intend to turn her over to the Shadow Queen? “Where are we going?”

Niall stared at her a moment, his expression going soft. “You’re too late, Elizabeth.”

She crumpled to the floor of the elevator, grief making every bone in her body feel soft.
Danu
, she’d
known
it.