Stone waited until they’d gone and darkness descended, then he spun before circling his arms around me and pulling me into him. “Fuck, I can’t wait any longer.” His mouth met mine, devouring me. I met him kiss for kiss, my tongue duelling with his. “I thought I’d lost you, Butterfly. I’m so fucking sorry for what happened.”
I shook my head, my heart squeezing at the pain in his voice. “No, none of it was your fault. Your father is an evil son-of-a-bitch.”
His forehead rested against mine. “Was.”
For a moment, we didn’t move. Close enough to breathe each other’s air, I knew I was taking comfort in his nearness, the warmth of his skin, so I could only surmise he was taking the same comfort from me. His eyes burned, his voice gravelly with emotion that I hated coming from him: guilt, self-disgust, fear. “I love you, Shannon, and it kills me that I put you in danger by bringing you to this world. That I couldn’t, or rather didn’t, protect you like a mate should. I should have known better. Been better.”
Chapter 27
Stone
Shannon shook her head, but it didn’t stop the loathing that had been growing in my soul from the moment I’d let Vilderon put his hands on her. I felt no sorrow for his death, nor did I blame my sister for murdering him. I did begrudge her the act, though. I’d wanted to end him myself with my bare hands. No weapons, no wolf, no magic. Fuck, he’d hurt my Butterfly so much when she was young. He was disgusting. How could I be sired by such a monster? The Unseelie were supposed to be the monsters of the Fae race, but the truth was, we were all monsters inside, hiding beneath a thin layer of civilised veneer.
A cool hand on my cheek brought my gaze back to Shannon.
“No, don’t do that. I’m alive and well because of you. None of this is your fault; it’s your father’s…and maybe your sister’s.”
I wasn’t so sure about it being Airling’s. I’d failed her, too. And my mother. My father had unleashed his monstrous soul on them, and his evil had twisted my sweet sister into a dark-hearted stranger. No, this was all on me, but now wasn’t the time to have that discussion.
I pulled away. Shannon was right not to give me her mating mark. Maybe I had been right all those years I pushed her away; I wasn’t worthy of it. She opened her mouth to speak again, but I spoke first.
“Shift, Butterfly, I’ll stay like this and provide light with my magic. You’ll be warmer if you summon your wolf.”
She tilted her head and narrowed her beautiful eyes but didn’t call me out on my obvious deflection. Her shift was quick and elegant. My wolf pushed to the surface, gazing down at his mate, and though he fought to shift and be with her, I held him back.
We carefully made our way down dark corridors I had never ventured into before. It was a fucking rabbit warren. How she’d managed to find a way out was beyond amazing. I glanced down.Shewas amazing. I swallowed. I loved her, but after what had happened, I had to admit she was safer if she didn’t bond herself to me.
The distant noise of a raised voice reached us. Shannon halted just as I slipped my hand into her fur. I met her eyes and extinguished my magic. The corridor turned inky, and even with my wolf’s vision, it was difficult to make out any shapes, so we inched forward. The voice got louder, joined now by another. One was my sister’s heated words, and the other voice was deep and smooth but with an eerie calmness that made the predator in me still, wary of the danger such calmness could hide.
“You were supposed to kill the Unseelie lords, Holt! Not just kidnap the female. And those vamps were supposed to annihilate my father’s troops, not run rampant through the whole fucking household, killing everyone in their path. Now we have the Prince Regent after us for killing innocent Fae!”
“But I did keep my part of the bargain, Airling of House Vilderon. The impure did kill your sire’s troops.”
The hair on the back of my neck rose, every one of my instincts screaming danger, that Holt didn’t belong in our world, that he shouldn’t be here.
“It was your own blood, your brother, who called in the cavalry and got in the way of my plans.”
“Your plans? This wasn't your plan. It was mine.”
“I concede that is true. Which is why it didn’t work. Your brother is too powerful to be held by someone as weak as your father. And you are too inadequate to end him. However, my intention to bring the offspring of my sworn enemy into this chaos is fulfilled, though it is unfortunate that I did not have the opportunity to end him. Now, I will take control of the relay and continue my true plans without you in my way.”
“You think the future king of Faery will just let you go? He won’t. You have kidnapped the daughter of his enemy. A Fae who is of royal blood, no matter which kingdom or land she is from. That is a crime punishable by death.”
The Fae chuckled, but there was no fear in his voice, only triumph. “I am aware. In fact, I am counting on his tenacious nature to hunt me down and do the noble thing that his bloodline always does. Try and be the hero…” His sneer and the sheer hatred in his tone were unmistakable.
Airling snarled right back. “Well, he will not let me live now I’ve murdered a High Fae lord, my father or not. My position here is compromised. I can no longer plan on becoming the lady of this house. I will take the relay and leave. I can make a deal with the Mades to hide me on Earth. That should be easy enough since they’ll want that stupid communications box back. Or you can take me with you and give me refuge.”
“I cannot. The creatures of my kingdom hate all who dwell in this world. The Darklings will rip you to pieces and feed on every spark of your magic and soul.”
“I’d like to see them try,” Airling hissed, but her voice wavered. “Fine, give me a portal to Earth, then. I’ll easily survive there.”
The Darkling Fae smiled, but there was no amusement on his face or in his dead eyes as he studied my sister.
“No, you really wouldn’t, but it is of no concern because death is always preferable for someone as emotionally weak and damaged as you.”
Before I could process what was happening, he’d stabbed my sister four times. Twice in the chest and twice in the belly before swiping the blade over her neck. Dark in the gloom, blood poured from the gaping slash, bubbling as she tried to breathe but drowned instead. Her shocked gaze swivelled to me, almost as though she knew I was there. Her hands clutched uselessly at her neck.
The Darkling cocked his head before he held a hand over my sister’s chest. Her face contorted, but the slash in her neck made her scream silent. A cloud of energy seeped from her chest into his hand. Within a mere blink of an eye, she no longer looked like my sister but an old woman. My feet were moving before I could even shout my fury. Airling wasn’t the girl I remembered, but she was still my sister, my last living relative.
