A sigh escaped me as I peed. Exhausted, even though I’d only just woken up, I sat there trying to piece together fragments of my recent memories, but my thoughts remained foggy, as they often were when I woke up from an alcohol-induced sleep.
I remembered leaving the Black Orchid with that male, but beyond that, I had nothing until I’d woken up and realised I was late for Ava. Had I promised Rawson I’d be there to look after her? I didn’t think so, but recently there were often gaps in my memories. Some big, some small.
I frowned. I remembered being bound by magic and then thrown over Stone’s broad shoulder while Rawson glared daggers at me. Then what? A portal. There was a vague recollection of being upside down and my head pounding until it wasn’t. Stone’s cold eyes had been staring down at me as it settled, but I’d been so tired and completely unable to deal with the emptiness inside me, let alone his accusing stare.
“Shit,” I muttered as fragments of memory returned. My wolf had been ripped from my body, but I’d been so warm, so safe, I’d ignored that void and let exhaustion suck me under.
How was it possible to feel so helpless yet so safe that I didn’t even want to escape my captor? I shook my head. I’d been too wasted and tired to fight him or to attempt to drag my wolf back to me. That was all. I crossed my arms. Sweat was cooling on my skin, and I couldn’t stop shivering as I contemplated the gold taps on the bath, more fragments of my memory returning. B’nar. B’nar had been with us. Fuck, if the decor didn’t give away the whereabouts of my luxury prison, he did. That meant the chances of me getting home were zero. B’nar was the only one besides the exiled Faery king who could form a portal between worlds. And the chances of him helping me escape Stone were nonexistent.
My shoulders slumped. And, though I hated it, I couldn’t fight the wave of despair that hit me. That meant I really was Stone’sprisoner. My breath came in heavy pants as I tried to control the burn of tears. He wouldn’t do this to me, not after everything we’d been through together. Except, I knew he would. Our twisted relationship wasn’t friendship; it wasn’t hate; it was something else. I couldn’t name it, not really. We’d had chemistry, but that was a long time ago. Pushing him away had effectively killed all that.
My blood ran cold as I registered the locked door—and what it meant. Not again. I wouldn’t let anyone lock me away again. My father had been a judgemental, controlling arsehole. He’d taken pleasure in stripping me of my free will, and I’d had enough of that power play and manipulation to last a lifetime. But Stone wasn’t like my father. He’d never hurt me before, and even though he was a controlling, overbearing prick, he’d been a part of my life for years. He was one of the only people I could rely on, even if he was a constant pain in my arse.
My heart sank. Because he was right. Not only had I fucked up my sister’s life, I’d put her baby at risk.
After flushing, I noticed a jar of some kind of paste with a brush on its lid sitting on the back of the sink. It all looked unused, so I picked it up. Unscrewing the jar, I took a sniff. The smell of mint wassomuch better than the acrid taste coating my mouth, and it was definitely an improvement over the stink of my breath. Vigorously, I cleaned my mouth and worked the green bile stain off my tongue. I didn’t remember being sick, but that didn’t mean anything.
I grimaced when I caught sight of myself in the mirror. Dark circles framed my eyes, my skin was almost translucent, and my cheekbones stood out far too sharply like they might carve right through my skin. In short, I looked like I’d spent weeks being starved. Which I supposed I had.
When I moved, the stink of sweat and alcohol was disgusting. I eyed the shower, longing to feel burning hot water pummeling the tension from my neck and shoulders, but in the end, I settled for splashing my face, too exhausted to bother. When done, I gulped down some cold water and made my way back into the room, wondering what the fuck I should do now.
Chapter 4
Stone
My shoulders were so tight that my neck ached, and I had the beginnings of a headache from hell. Rubbing my temples as I stared out the library window to the gardens below didn’t help. Being back in Faery usually chased away my fatigue and stress, but this time, I couldn’t shake the thoughts of Shannon and what to do about her. My wolf rumbled, his mood as unsettled as mine. He was always wilder, more feral when we were in Faery, and along with the magic that buzzed through my veins, I was more wound up than ever.
Being here always had challenges, like avoiding my family, but I’d managed to evade their notice so far. My father’s lands were far away, and he had only ever visited the palace at the king’s request, so it seemed safe enough to bring Shannon here. After I’d told my blood sire where to shove his expectations, I never saw him again. I’d met a kind and gentle Fae who’d agreed to be my mate. After it had become clear that my father was still searching for me, I’d found an illegal portal, and we’d left Faery behind.
My nostrils flared, my shoulders curving under the weight of my guilt. It was too late for redemption over my inability to protect my mate. That would never happen, but I could stop Shannon from killing herself. Her safety may not be my responsibility. She wasn’t my mate. But for some reason, I couldn’t just let her self-destruct.
I intended to leave Shannon secure in this palace while I went back to Hope to help Rawson search for Ava, but B’nar’s tight face as he walked in told me there was no more time to think about whether that was the right course of action.
“We have to go. Rawson’s found her.” His words were clipped and to the point.
I nodded, squaring my shoulders and throwing off the guilt of my past. Rawson had already lost one mate to a violent death. That devastation and emptiness was something I wouldn’t wish on anyone, and never twice in a lifetime. My brother had been through it once already, so I’d do everything possible to stop it from happening again.
B’nar slipped his hand inside his tunic pocket and grasped something. Likely his portal ring. A portal stone was rare and so precious that he always kept it on him. Without it, there would be no political relations between Faery and Earth. And with the cursed Faery king now being head of the Supernatural Bureau of Investigation, we had access to Faery’s technology, superior weaponry, and army.
Other smaller, less powerful portals could be used for a price—usually a high one. Unsanctioned portals were illegal in Faery, mainly because of the more unscrupulous Fae who trafficked people and drugs. And the High King, or in this case, the Prince Regent, could always feel it when one was summoned. I didn’t understand how. I only knew his magic connected him to the Faery realm itself—just like it did for his father before him.
Sometimes, it took B’nar a long time to hunt down an illegal portal, but hunt them he did. He was even more determined in his pursuit of the digitalis dealers than his father had been. I had no idea why, but whatever drove him was deep-seated enough for him to kill his own kind. B’nar didn’t do that lightly. Perhaps he’d known someone who’d succumbed to the hold of the human-grown plant. Its effects on the Fae were highly addictive, just as opiates were for humans.
B’nar tilted his head. “What will you do with Shannon?”
I put my back to the glittering snow-covered gardens and fully faced the Prince. “I’ll leave her here. She’ll be safe without me and must be kept from temptation.”
B’nar’s lips flattened into a tight line.
“You don’t agree.”
His pale green gaze was steady. “It’s not my place to agree or disagree. I don’t know Shannon well enough to make that call. But Ava is her sister. If my brother was in trouble because of something I’d done, I’d want the chance to tell him how sorry I was or at least see with my own eyes that he wasn’t hurt because of my actions.”
I blew air out through my nostrils. “I know, but I’m not entirely sure she cares.” Or maybe she did. It was hard to know if she was being genuine. Shannon had always been a master manipulator, and that side of her personality had only gotten worse the more she drank. “And if Rawson needs me, my focus won’t be on her or keeping her from fucking up again. It can’t be if we need to leave Hope to help my brothers fight. If she causes any more trouble, I’m not sure Rawson will let it slide again. Not after this.”
“Maybe. Or maybe she should have one more opportunity not to fuck up; to admit her mistake and show she won’t do it again.”
My shoulders rose and fell, my headache getting worse.
