I shook my head. No. Not tonight. It wouldn’t be tonight, but eventually, without the protection of the Agency, agents got hunted down. We were working blind, and Atieran knew nothing about what we had gotten ourselves into.
“We have no back up, Atieran. We’re essentially sitting ducks here. You don’t get it, do you? The Agency has turned on us, and we’re all we’ve got out here. As long as they want to hand us over to your brother, there is no one we can trust.”
Atieran placed his hands on my shoulders, slowly kneading the knots with his delicate hands. He was royalty, and those hands had not seen much toiling, but they were strong and careful, full of healing. I relaxed from his touch. I placed one hand on his and ran my fingers along his smooth flesh. Even if he had been subjected to hard work during his youth, there was no way he had worked manual labor for years.
“How old are you, Atieran?”
“You mean in human years or fae years?”
“You know what I mean. How many years have you lived?”
“I have lived four hundred. My brother is two years older. He and I were abducted together.”
“How old were you again when you were abducted?”
“Seventeen. My brother was nineteen.”
“What do you remember of your human life?”
He shook his head and let go of my shoulders. He moved around the sofa I was sitting on but remained standing. “I remember a lot of it. My mother’s face, her scent, my father’s cologne and the way he’d shave with a sharp straight blade. I don’t recall if I had any other siblings. I don’t believe so. Just my parents and the way they laughed when happy. Certain songs spark my memories when I hear them, but in the faery tribe, we don’t sing those types of songs, so it rarely happens. All I see when I try to remember it all is a random flash of a face, a voice, sometimes the sound of a name. It’s like recalling things when you were but a child of two or three. Flashes, pictures, sounds, smells, but nothing much else to put together. An unsolvable puzzle. But it was enough that compared to the others, it was a plethora of memory.”
“What’s that feel like for the others to be free of memories?”
He turned toward me, sadness dripping from his eyes. “It’s a terrible, terrible feeling. Like being lost in a dream that you’ll never wake from. That’s what I’ve been told. I was spared such torment.”
“Was your brother spared his loss of memory?”
Atieran’s mouth strained into a frown, his face betraying his lack of comfort. “He’s never shown any signs of remembering. If he does, he’s never shared that with me.” He stared out the window, watching the rain pound against the panes.
“Are you both close?”
“As close as a king and his younger brother can be. We have brotherly love for each other, but in all honestly, he is as aloof as I am, and we rarely speak unless he’s sending me on an errand.”
“I’m sorry.”
He turned toward me. “Are you close with your brothers?”
“Yes. Both. We have a type of psychic bond where we can feel each other if we really concentrate. We can feel one another’s emotions and tell when one of us is in trouble. It’s enough to keep us aware of each other’s doings, you know?”
“Does it ever get overbearing, this bond of yours?”
I shook my head. “Not really. It doesn’t go that deep, so invasion of privacy is not an issue.”
“I wish it had been like that with my brother. He is controlled more by the fae powers inside him than anything else. I don’t believe there is much humanity left anymore, or he’d let us go.”
He settled next to me on the sofa and I threw a curious glance. He looked worse than I did with dark circles under his eyes.
“Why don’t you go lie down for a bit longer? Sunrise isn’t for another two hours.”
He remained seated for a few minutes before closing his eyes and letting out a long exhale. “You’re right. I’d better try to sleep. I haven’t slept all night.” He reached out, placing a hand on my shoulder to give it a gentle squeeze before he hopped to his feet and headed up the stairs.
Exhaling, I sipped the rest of my coffee and pulled the throw blanket around me. The lights remained off as I stared out the bay window and watched the lightning flashing in the distance.
Amy. Come to me. I need you. My clan needs you. Don’t let us perish….
I sat up, startled by the sound of Azariah in my head. The strain of fighting the voice swimming in my mind made the sweat bead on my brow.
No. I already told you I will never surrender, I responded.
If you come with me, I’ll spare you the war you fear and let my brother live in peace as a human. Your brothers will also live a long life, as I’ll take my clan far enough away that no one will ever disturb us again. We’ll never kidnap another human. I promise.
His words echoed in my head, causing a sharp pain to flare up behind my eyes. I groaned softly, holding my head, as my cup of coffee was now on the floor. Luckily, it’d been empty, but that hadn’t saved it from shattering against the thin rug covering the hardwood floor.
How can I ever believe anything you say? I asked, pressing my temples with my fingers and squeezing my eyes shut.
I am fae. I cannot lie. My word is my bond, and I will keep this promise if you keep yours.
I groaned, my head feeling heavy under the assault of his powers.
I will never relent to you, I snapped. Nothing you say will ever persuade me to go with you. I’ll kill you myself.
I scanned the room, finding my weapons lying on the armchair, ready to be put on. I got up, slipped them on, and took my unsheathed blade into my hand. I still wore my boots and jeans from earlier, so I wasted no time in making my way to the door. I listened for more disturbances from the king but heard nothing but the heavy rain outside. It would make the visibility difficult, but I’d rather bear the brunt of that than risk my brothers fighting the king.
The king’s internal groan of frustration almost made me turn back, but I breathed through the stabbing pain in my head and unlocked the door then closed it silently behind.
You’ll be sorry. Your error will cost you and your brothers everything.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
* * *
Amy
The rain poured down heavier as I made my way out into the city streets. Leaving my brothers behind was the only way I knew that I could save them. I had to take Azariah down myself and imprison him somehow so that Atieran could live. The thought of killing him crossed my mind, but I had several sedatives on me I could inject him with to keep him under control and iron gauntlets back at the brownstone to subdue him further. I was sure that with enough iron, the S.R.A. could keep him buried in an iron coffin for however long we needed.
I hoped my plan worked. If it didn’t, I would be the one rotting in an S.R.A. prison along with my brothers. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that, I thought.
The rain was cold on my face, stinging from the velocity of the water. I made my way toward the forest, which was about a mile away in this part of town. At least the walk would give me time to think about what I would do once I got there. I wondered if Atieran would follow me, but I’d listened to make sure he had tucked himself into bed and had heard no further noises.
I hoped Azariah would be waiting in the forest. I knew he could probably sense me now that he’d spoken inside my head, laying out his demands. I was prepared to sink my blade into his heart if I had to. If I couldn’t get him sedated and couldn’t get him back to the Agency, killing him would be my only choice. I didn’t want to see Atieran go, but this was my last chance to get away from the faery clan and keep the city safe. The king was too powerful, and it was obvious that what he was doing had never been done by any faery royal before.
My boots splashed past puddles and little rivers forming where the streets met the sidewalks. A random car would occasionally pass me, but I doubted they even noticed my presence as I made my way down the twisted
alleyways and past the darkened streets lit by dim streetlamps, flickering on and off as the lightning continued. The storm was quite a doozy, and I was soaked even through the leather jacket I wore, which repelled most of the rain. My jeans hadn’t fared well, and my hair clung to the back of my neck in long, snaky bunches, dripping wet.
I made it to the edge of the city where it ran into an old cemetery backed up against the ruins of an older church. The windows were busted out, and the pews sat dusty and untouched, some cracked while others had been destroyed by fallen debris from the decimated roof. The forest was already taking it back. I stepped onto the damp, mossy mulch overtaking whatever floor was left beneath it. The rain relented a bit, hitting the overhead canopy and partial roof before plopping fat droplets onto me from above. I let my mental guard down and reached out to find Azariah’s mind.
“Come and get me, you crazy bastard. I’m right here. Where the heck are you?” I called out into the abandoned sanctuary, wondering briefly if faeries walked on hallowed ground. The eerie quiet, save for the splatter of rain, made the place all that much creepier. The creatures of the forest were smarter than me, hiding away in their burrows, hunkered down against the storm. My skin was frozen, my fingers wrinkled, and my teeth chattered behind what were probably blue-tinted lips. If Azariah didn’t kill me, there was a good chance pneumonia would. Luckily, I was a sturdy girl and had been through a lot worse than a bone-chilling storm.
A rustle of leaves had me jerking toward the crumbling pulpit to my right, and I found Azariah observing me. He was still dressed in full body armor which shimmered in the miniscule moonlight lighting up the storm clouds outside. I also couldn’t help but notice the sword in his right hand. He peered at me curiously, as though I were a rare gem on display behind glass.
“What are you smirking at?” I asked. “It’s like you don’t know you’ve come here to die. I won’t let you wreak havoc on my family or the city of Wicked Grove any longer. You have to deal with me, and I promise you there will be hell to pay for what you’ve done to me and to all the people you’ve stolen.”
Azariah’s wicked smile dropped a little, his lips twitching beneath the helmet partially covering his face. The metal flashed along with the lightning. This special armor kept him from writhing in pain from iron poisoning and allowed him to walk through the city unharmed. Somehow, I’d have to get it off him if I was to have any advantage.
I held out the two swords I liked to use when guns were useless. Their long, thin blades were intricately carved and infused with elven magic. No gun would kill this man, even with iron coating the bullets, so I would resort to simpler, more ancient methods. The magic he exuded from his armor and whatever glamour he had woven around himself told me this was going to be the battle of my life.
“Amy. Is it really you, or is it just your wrath I meet tonight?” Again, he snickered. I could see that he was enjoying our short encounter. “Either way, it’s good to see you again.”
“Cut the crap. You know why I’m here, don’t you?”
“I do.” He raised his sword and bent his knees before motioning for me to attack.
“It’s your funeral.” I took off running, my blades poised. I met his sword with both of mine, slamming them against him with all my might. The twang vibrated through my arms as I pushed off and swung again, this time alternating the blades. Letting him have it, I pushed him back against the wall near the pulpit before our swords caught and we pressed against one another, neither of us willing to give the other any ground.
“Fighting isn’t what I had in mind, but with you, it’s quite entertaining.” He smirked before shoving me back with an almost effortless surge of power. I skidded across the wet wooden floor, a patch which hadn’t been overrun by grasses.
“I’m glad you’re having fun, because I’m going to enjoy slicing you up like a turkey.” I jumped to my feet and took off toward him once more. We repeatedly blocked one another’s strikes, but I realized he was barely breaking a sweat while my heart was near bursting from the effort. Great. He had endless magical energy. I was going to run out of steam if I didn’t find a weak spot soon. I faked a jab before sidestepping and slamming a blade into him from behind. He went flailing forward crashing into a pew, sending it splintering into a fine mess.
I didn’t give him time to recover as I pounced forward and swiped at his right arm, breaking off one of the scales of armor and cutting his upper arm with the blade. His green-blue blood oozed from the site as I backed away to catch my breath. He scrambled to his feet and reached over to touch the wound.
“You’re a worthy foe, Amy. I’m glad I’ve witnessed what a skillful fighter you are. You’ll make an excellent queen.”
Chapter Twenty-nine
* * *
Amy
Azariah wiped away the blood from his fingers before reaching up and unseating his helmet. As the metal came off, so did one layer of glamour, enough that I could see that he looked very much human. His blue eyes stared back at me while shaggy brown hair plastered to his skin and framed his face. He didn’t look fae at all. He was now human, but how?
“What the hell is going on?” I hissed, holding out my blades but breathing hard. He was playing a mind trick to unnerve me. That had to be it. “Your faery glamour doesn’t work on me. You aren’t human.”
He looked so much like Atieran. So much so that I felt like I was looking at the very same man. I knew they weren’t one person, though. I’d seen them in the same place together when I’d been taken to see the king, hadn’t I? Also, Atieran had been by my side the entire time at the Agency, so of course there was no way they could be the same person. They were brothers. Brothers could look similar.
I swallowed the knot in my throat, my sweat mingling with the rain drenching my clothes and feeling like irons dragging me down. My heart fluttered, protesting from the strain of fighting against an immortal faery king. I’d hurt him, but the effort it had taken to cause a tiny scratch was more than enough to tell me I wouldn’t win this fight. Still, I wouldn’t give up so easily.
“Oh, but I am, dear Amy. Don’t you think I know how humans work? I’ve been one for so long, and yet I’m fae. But you have something I need to become the most powerful of all the supernatural creatures in Wicked Grove.” He reached out and pointed toward me. “You. You’re the final ingredient. I tried to make you feel welcomed, gave you to my brother, Atieran, so you wouldn’t feel the pressure of the throne, but you fought me the whole way. You force my hand.”
“What are you talking about? I’ll never let you take anyone else for your clan’s purposes. Not me, not anyone.”
He laughed, a chuckle that sent a shiver down my spine. Why was I shaking?
“No. I won’t need anyone else after this. You see, Atieran is not just my brother, I am him and he is me. He is my reflection, a mirrored soul that does as I need him to. His role was to win you over, charm you, let you in so that you could see a reason to not kill him or me. He did his job well, and now he’s no longer needed. I’ll recall him once we’re done here, and he’ll become part of me once more.”
I sputtered, confused. Rain splashed down onto my forehead, blurring my eyes. “What? You’re lying!”
“I don’t lie. I’m fae and cannot lie.”
“You’re just twisting the truth then, trying to get me to cooperate. Atieran is nothing like you. He wants to save those you’ve corrupted. He wants to return home and be human again.”
“Oh, Atieran. Of course, he’d tell you that. I told him to. Don’t you see? I’m Atieran. There is nothing of him I do not know. Why do you think I could speak to you in the iron room at the Agency? I was there with you, holding your hand and caressing your cheek. I’m the one who loved you, and I’m the one you care for.”
I shook my head, afraid to believe anything he said. I stepped forward and gasped as a firm hand grasped my shoulder, holding me back. Turning, I found Atieran standing next to me, dressed all in black, clothes he’d no doubt bor
rowed from my brothers.
“Atieran! Oh, thank God you’re here!” Relieved, I swiftly returned my gaze to Azariah, who watched me with the focus of a one-shot sniper. “See? I knew you were lying.” I raised my swords, but as I tried to step forward again, Atieran held me in place.
“Don’t,” he muttered, digging his fingers into my shoulder and making me yelp in pain.
“What the…?” I sucked in a breath, pain radiating down my arm. “Atieran… let go. What’s the matter with you?”
He turned toward me, looking more like his brother than I cared to admit. Twins. They had to be twins and not two years apart like he’d mentioned before. His face looked sad and strained, as though he was fighting his own internal battle.
“Amy… I—I’m so sorry. Truly. I am.”
My eyes widened. I felt my gut twist as my thoughts flared, alarms going off in my head, warning me that this man was not who I’d thought he was. “Atieran… what are you doing?”
“He’s correct, you know. I am him, and he is me.”
I shook my head. Hot tears burned my eyes as I stared at him. I glanced toward Azariah to make sure he hadn’t advanced. At that moment, Atieran squeezed my shoulder harder, sending a numbing shock down my arm and making me drop the blade in my right arm.
Damn. Now I just had one blade left. I struggled to pull away from him.
“Stop!” I pleaded. He released me but didn’t back away.
“I’m sorry, Amy. I—I can’t fight him. I’m tethered to him. A mirror of a faery remains under the original’s control, no matter how much it tries to resist. I was my own person for a while, though. Not everything I said to you was a lie. I just want to tell you that I do love you, Amy. And if I’d had the power, I’d have kept you safe. I swear.”
“Cut the crap,” I snapped. “You and your brother can stuff the lies where the sun doesn’t shine. Both of you can stay away from me and my brothers.” I scowled at them, hoping my threat wasn’t empty. I held out my left arm, my right one was still numb and dangling as though it wasn’t attached. I flinched as I moved, and it flopped like a fish at my side. “Faeries can’t lie, huh? Bull! You’re both liars and kidnappers!”