“Where am I?” She attempted to sit up, but her body protested as a violent attack of pain shot through her bones.
Yeah… better not get up.
“Don’t move. You’re healing really slowly, like a human. Whatever you did to Arthas drained your powers almost completely. It will be weeks before you’re at full power again.” He gently cradled her and set her head back on the pillow, fluffing it so she could sit up a bit more.
“Thank you.” Her harsh voice sounded parched, as if it had been freeze dried. “How long?”
“How long what?” Dylan’s eyes shone in confusion.
“Have I been out of it?”
A short silence filled her with apprehension, hoping the answer wouldn’t be weeks. His frown wasn’t reassuring.
“Eight days.”
“Eight days! Are you kidding me?” She shook her head, licking the dry, cracked skin on her lips. “Really?”
“Yeah. Like I said, whatever you did, it almost killed you. Plus, that wound in your side would have been fatal if you hadn’t summoned Camulus when you did. He got to you almost too late.” His voice cracked, but he covered it as he cleared it and breathed in deeply.
Tears stung the back of her eyes, causing her to also take a deep breath before she lost it. No more tears. No more crying. She’d had enough. “And Benton? Did he make it out?”
Please say yes…. The thought of losing any more family would send her over the edge.
“Yes, he did. He’s fine. Just resting back at the hotel. He’s been here all week with you. Anna and James are fine, too. Nautilus sent word that the Scren is safe and sound. They can’t wait to see you again.”
Shade nodded, closing her eyes and letting the relief wash over her, relishing it amongst the ruins of her body. “The Unseelie, what becomes of them now? Will they pick a new ruler?”
“Well, it seems we have new allies.”
“What?” She flung her eyelids back open. “Who?”
“Your aunt, Evangeline. She’s stepped up a lot. She came back to our side with Jack, actually. It seems a long-standing wedge between them was just a misunderstanding and has been taken care of. She wanted to help in any way she could, especially because you’re her niece. Guess she’s feeling guilty for not being involved with you and your brothers and sister before. Who knew?” He smiled and slipped his hands into hers. They were warm and comforted her. She didn’t know how he was always able to calm her, but it was most welcome. “When she heard you’d taken out the Unseelie royals, she and Jack agreed to temporarily take over the Unseelie court until the Seelie rulers decide what to do with it. They’re holding Arthas’s body until you’re strong enough to seal the sarcophagus chamber again. Someone has to, right?”
She nodded softly, closing her eyes as she thought of the last few months. It was still overwhelming, but not as much as it had been in the beginning.
“What about Kilara?”
Silence followed her question, making her turn her head toward her fiancé. “Dylan? What happened?”
Something was very wrong.
“She—she’s disappeared. Corb fought with her outside the Unseelie palace. She was trying to destroy it the entire time we were in there. She wasn’t going to wait until we escaped and he had to struggle with her to stop. When she saw he wouldn’t be letting her destroy us, it sent her fleeing somewhere. Corb said she’s weaker in power than she should be, but he doesn’t know why. There’s no telling where she went. No one seems to know, not even Corb.”
Shade swallowed down a hard knot. Her anger with her ancestor settled in her stomach like a bad meal. Kilara had been nothing but trouble since she’d awoken her, and it hurt to know she’d never meant anything to her. How could she? Her betrayal was a bitter taste in her mouth, and she faced the window to let her tears silently drip down the side of her face.
She was Kilara’s direct descendant, and no one should have been more on her side than Kilara. She’d have to deal with that later, when she was well and could stand up to that wretched Ancient. Right now, she had to stifle her disappointment.
“I’m sure there’ll be a time to deal with her later.” Swallowing the rest of the tears, she motioned to Dylan for a drink, and he twisted the cap off a bottle of water sitting on the bedside table and handed it to her. “What matters now is putting the wards back up.”
Dylan flashed his disarming smile, happy to see the determination settle back into Shade. “Already on it. Evangeline and Braelynn have rounded up more witches and warlocks to help with the reconstruction of the wards. Including Benton. But there’s another problem with that.”
Shade groaned, tired of bad news. “What happened?”
“Well, for the short time that all the wards were down, while we were in the castle, several Unseelie escaped into the mortal world. A huge group of them broke off from the main army and siphoned into the human realm, slowly of course. Most couldn’t bear the iron in the cities and either retreated to Faerie or hid in the surrounding forests of the human cities. Others dispersed into the world.”
That’s not what I wanted to hear….
Shade gulped back her anxiety and straightened, knowing this was going to take a while. “All right. We get the wards back up and take teams to hunt down the rogue Unseelies. We can’t have them out there, running rampant. They’ll wreck the mortal world.” She sucked in a breath, her heart pounding in her head. “Seelie faeries in the human world are one thing, but Unseelie? Not good.”
“I agree. Benton and I discussed it, and he’s already assembled some teams to hunt them down. Soap has also assembled some mercenaries near the southern border to either kill off these rogue faeries or capture them.”
Shade was surprised. She never thought her brother would be so on top of things. “Really? Wow, that’s great. Impressive.”
“Yeah, I think Benton’s grown up a lot these last few months. But that mouth of his….”
They both laughed. It was relaxing to know things were going as smoothly as they could, given the circumstances.
“Where’s Rowan?”
Dylan sat back in his chair, the plastic creaked under his weight. “She wants to see you when you are better. She won’t speak to anyone besides you now, but she did say that she has plans and only you can fulfill the prophecy…or some crazy line like that. I don’t know about her, Shade, she’s kind of way out there if you know what I mean. She could be dangerous. All the Ancients are.”
“She’s not, I just know somehow. I don’t deny that she’s hasn’t lost several marbles in her bunch though, she’s really paranoid, but I don’t blame her.”
“Yeah, me neither.”
Excusing herself with fatigue, she pulled the blanket up to her chin, feeling cold in the hospital. It was a human hospital, not a faery one. She watched as the IV line dripped silently. The dark red blood from the IV felt cool inside her veins. Closing her eyes, she called her fire magic to warm her up. It flickered like a spark at midnight, flaring up slightly. It was weak but still brought on warmth that soothed her stiff joints. It was enough.
Even if everything was looking up, why did she always feel the grey sky looming overhead? Why did the dread never completely disappear from her bones? It gave her shivers that extended down her spine and all the way to her toes. It was over, right? Arthas was asleep, Aveta was dead… Kilara… well, who knew what had become of her.
But no, it wasn’t over yet. Even if the Unseelie were tamed for now and the ones who got loose would soon be returned or dead, there would always be someone else to replace the wrath of the Unseelie, one way or another. There must always be balance in the world, good and bad.
“Dylan?”
“Yes?”
She focused on his deep steel-colored eyes, a sight she never got tired of. “I love you.”
He bent over her, his fingers gliding across the soft skin of her cheek while his eyes twinkled, a soft glow of blue fire burning within them like a midnight sun. “I love you back, j
ust as much.” His lips met hers, and the heat from them was consuming and more than enough to recharge her spirit.
At least this queen had her king, and as she ran her fingers through his pitch black locks, she was reminded of something she had wondered about within the walls of the Withering Palace, when he had lay there dying of Darkling poison.
“Dylan, our blood bond is gone.” She peered into his eyes, watching the surprised shock flood his.
He pulled back a bit, a concerned look filling his features. “How can you be sure?”
It was puzzling, but how could she be sure?
“I—I don’t know how, but I just know. Around the moment I killed Darren, I felt it break. The pain from your injury was killing me, too. We’re to have equal injuries, remember? But it stopped the moment I killed him. The blood requirement has been fulfilled. Faerie doesn’t hold us bound anymore.”
“That’s great, Shade!” He smiled, pulling her into his embrace and squeezing her tightly. “Now we don’t have to worry about you getting hurt when I get injured and vice versa. That’s fantastic!”
It was fantastic. But would she feel lost without it?
“But how will I know if you’re hurt? I’d want to know if something happens to you… if you need me.” Shade didn’t want to let go, even as Dylan carefully pulled away to look her in the eyes.
“We’ll never be disconnected, Shade. You know that, right? This….” He lifted his finger, and the shiny engagement ring flashed under the rays of sunlight seeping through the hospital mini-blinds. “This binds us still. And when we marry, we will seal the bond. We’ll be forever bound then, in a good way this time. You won’t die if I get hurt, and I won’t bleed if you get cut. But we will be always connected and know how the other is doing. Our hearts will be one.”
Shade smiled, touching foreheads with her beloved. “That’s what I was hoping for. I can’t lose you. You and my siblings, that’s all I have left. I’d give up the world if I could make sure you guys would be safe.”
“No, you don’t ever give up the world. You make us safe just being here, being you. You’re blessed, remember?”
Shade nodded, letting the tiny tears which had pooled in her eyes trickle down her cheeks. Dylan reached over to wipe them away, leaving moist trails where his fingers had touched her. It sent flutters through her body, and she smiled again at her love.
“Thank you.”
“For what? I didn’t do a thing.” He winked.
“For always being there, my love.”
“Thank you, too.”
They sat quietly caressing each other’s hands and enjoying the silence. There was nothing better than this, and she relished each second.
Lying back to rest once more, Shade turned toward the window, longing for the Land of Faerie, which called to her even more loudly now. The mortal world was still familiar, easy and comfortable. It would always be in her blood, but the land of magic was her home and always would be. It whispered her name, demanding her presence no matter where she went or how far she traveled. It was always there, inside her, with her powers and part of her being. A ruler of Faerie must never stay away too long.
It never lets you go.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Shade’s Gift
Weeks later…
“YOU WANTED TO speak to me?” Corb stood in the doorway of Shade’s room. His eyes were human blue, rarely looking like the mother of pearl coloring he’d had when he wasn’t bound to Shade.
“Yes, come in, Corb.”
He slipped in, and she closed the door behind him. He stood straight and tall, his long blonde-white hair immaculate and hanging straight down to his lower back. It used to be snow white, but being rendered near human had transformed him from the pale Ice King he had once been.
He still is and rightfully should be, Shade thought. It was the reason she wanted to speak to him. It’d been weeks since the battle of the Withering Palace, and the sealing of the wards was finally complete. Still, many of the rogue faeries who’d escaped when they were down were still at large. Benton, along with Soap, was taking care of most of the bounty hunting to round them up, but she needed Corb to help them. He couldn’t do much without his powers.
Today was the day before her wedding, and she had this unfinished business with Corb. She hoped it could be dealt with before her bonding ceremony with Dylan, the less to have on her mind.
The iron metal cuff on Corb’s wrist flashed in the warm rays of sunlight pouring in through the windows. The angry red flesh surrounding it hugged its edges in a futile attempt to push it off. It was forged to his skin until his bond with Shade was broken, and he was set free once more.
“Corb, I need to ask you about our bind.”
His eyes flicked up and met hers. They followed her as she walked across the room and sat on one of the overstuffed couches, near the French doors leading out to the balcony. The palace was lavish, something that had taken her a while to get used to. Coming from a “normal” middle-class family, this was more than she’d ever imagined she could ever have.
“What did you want to know?” he asked quietly. She waved him over to join her, and he complied, slipping down on the couch and turning to face her. He’d always thought her beautiful, but he admired her strength, too. She was stronger than Kilara, and she didn’t even know it. It was a shame she was already spoken for.
“How do I undo it? How do I let you go? I don’t want to bind you to me anymore. Your powers are yours and yours alone. I’ve learned that trying to control anything of Faerie and holding it too tightly will slowly destroy it until it dies. I don’t want to destroy anything. I was told once that there must always be a balance in the world, even in the mortal world. Here in Faerie, there must be a balance of magic, too. Good…evil…black and white. Otherwise, it can destroy us all.”
Corb watched her closely, his stoic features betrayed nothing as his blue eyes took her in. Inside, he could feel a surge of emotion swirling about like a flutter in his stomach. No one stirred them up more than this part faery halfling. It was a wonder she could affect everyone around her so much. He doubted she knew of her enchanting charm. If Shade was willing to break the enchantment that held him to her, he’d be free to rebuild his palace in the north and resume his search for Kilara. Not that he was in much of a hurry to find her. If she wanted to be found, she’d turn up eventually.
Still, he wondered if he really wanted the bond to be severed.
The halfling had grown on him, and he found comfort in her presence. It wasn’t love the way Dylan loved her, and it wasn’t lust. There was just something about her that held everyone entranced, like moths to a flame. But she could burn if one got too close. No, she would embrace them and pull them close, share the warmth she provided, full of reassurance that the danger of the world would not come knocking on the door tonight. That was her allure.
Did he want to let it go?
“There is not just black and white in the world, Shade.” He never let his gaze leave her beautiful face. She listened intently, looking confused at what he said. “Yes, there must be balance, but that is only the base the rest of the world stands on. It’s mostly grey area, where love exists for monsters in the night. Even monsters like me.” He paused, hoping he wasn’t making it too awkward for her. “The grey is where most of us thrive and where hope lies, waiting patiently. Don’t let there be defined lines to anything. When there are boundaries in the world, that’s where things get cut and bleed out.”
“Fair enough.” Shade reached out and touched the metal cuff, pulling it up to study the shiny metal. “Tell me how to remove it, and I will do it, Corb. I would do that for you, to keep boundaries away from this grey world.”
His face remained still, but his eyes shifted at her words. She spurred emotion in him, something he hadn’t felt for centuries. “A blood bind is sealed with blood and magic. It is only undone by the same, but the breaker of the spell must have a willing heart, with only true intentions.
Otherwise, the spell remains. Along with that, if it was sealed with the bind of the Land of Faerie, it too must be agreeable to dissolving it, or it won’t be undone.”
Shade nodded, drinking in his words. “Very well. I think it’s time.”
“Are you certain?”
“Never more certain of anything.” Shade smiled. His frozen heart melted just a bit.
“Very well.”
She reached over to the side table next to the couch, producing a small dagger, which she used to cut her finger. Warm red blood oozed from the wound, beading up as it sat on her skin. She brought it to the metal cuff and smeared it along the seam.
“With an honest heart, I ask the Land of Faerie to condone undoing a blood bind made with its magic. Break this enchantment, and return this power to its rightful wielder.”
As the words left her mouth, the metal screeched loudly as the area where her blood had been painted begin to sizzle and melt the iron away. Corb didn’t move his arm, even though it was apparent the removal was agonizing.
Suddenly, the cuff split in half and clattered to the floor. The French doors slammed open, and the glass within them shattered into a thousand tiny shards as a cold wind rushed in and encircled them both.
Shade hugged her arms as crystals formed on her dress and clung to her hair. Corb closed his eyes as the rush of power slammed into him, filling him with the ancient magic once more.
As quickly as it had come, the roar of the wind died away, leaving the room a wreck. Shade shook the ice crystals off her body and ignited the elemental fire magic within her to warm her freezing skin. She turned to look upon Corb, whose transformation was shocking.
His hair was luminous and snow white, as was his skin. The irises of his eyes were no longer blue with a black pupil in the middle, but wide saucers with no pupil and a shiny mother of pearl color swirling in them.
Ice magic radiated from him, leaving the room several degrees cooler. Corb stood, flexing his fingers in front of him as the power surged inside. It felt good, like a form-fitting outfit, an old shoe. He turned back to Shade and gave her a moving smile.