Chapter 40

I was tossed to the floor, and I looked up to see a pair of polished shoes under a wooden desk.

The room I was in was lined with impeccably shining ebony walls. Neatly ordered shelves lined either side, and an ornate rug ran down the center. Intricate patterns were woven throughout, creating a splash of bright red and sparkling gold amid the darkness of the furnishings. Sconces lined the walls, but they were not lit with fire, holding small glowing blue lights.

The shoes under the desk shifted as a faerie man turned to observe me. A clawed hand reached down, grabbing me by the hair as I was pulled to my feet. Hekate's hiss was unmistakable next to my ear.

I looked up to meet the eyes of a demon.

His skin was ashen and lifeless, curved obsidian horns like that of a ram curling out from his forehead. They ended in black tendrils that ran down to his cheeks and across his forehead. Hanging over his shoulders was hair a colorless white, not a single strand out of place. The faerie watched me with calculative pale eyes.

"Why is there a mortal in my study, Hekate?" he asked, his tone bored as he set down a black quill, the ink pot on his desk sitting open from where he had been writing.

A shiver ran down my skin as Hekate's long, pointed black nails settled on my shoulders. I stood completely still.

"Ankou, dear, there is no need to doubt me. This mortal just so happens to be a very special human. She was captured by my son during his little escapade in the Wild Hunt."

The faerie—Ankou—looked back at me sharply, reconsidering me with a thoughtful expression.

"She is fairer than I would have expected. I presumed the battle-crazed brute to prefer someone more befitting his nature."

Hekate's sharp claws tightened on my shoulders, nearly piercing through the fabric of my tunic. I shifted, pulling myself from her grasp, running a hand over my shoulder. I gazed at the new faerie with wariness.

"Well, I suppose appearances may be deceiving. She's rather...feisty."

Ankou's red-rimmed eyes regarded me, no doubt taking in the scratches on my arms and the dirt on my clothes.

"Yes, well, she has survived him after all. That does take some...perseverance, I imagine."

At that, Hekate chuckled. "That is the amusing part. My son is quite taken with this woman... I do believe he even has created some human-like attachment to her. You know how the young ones are. From what I saw, he was the one being toyed with by her."

Ankou tilted his head, his eyes never leaving me. Then his eyes narrowed, and something slippery brushed past my mind.

I recoiled, my eyes going wide. I jerked, and I felt a familiar breeze ripple through my body. Ankou's eyes flickered, then he looked away.

"Why have you not put any iron on her? She has Craft, you fool."

Hekate stepped up from behind me, and she didn't look perturbed. "Yes, I am aware. Air Fae." She let the words hang between them, and as Ankou's face flickered, it was clear he knew of the bond.

The bond between Ronan's and my Craft.

"No wonder he is so eager to keep such a prize close by."

I could hear the smile in Hekate's voice.  "She was trying to run away before I intercepted."

Ankou looked at me with curious, calculative eyes. "Still, she should be properly contained."

"Indeed, " Hekate nodded. She moved up beside me, so fast I couldn't move quick enough out of her grasp. Her clawed hand snatched my wrist. Her fingers dug in cruelly, leaving long gashes across my skin, blood trickling down my arm. Her eyes flickered for a moment, an inhuman hunger passing over her face. But then cool metal bit into my skin, burning like white-hot flames running up my arm.

I cried out, yanking my arm from her, and inspecting it. There was no clasp on the bracelet, and as I tried to slip it off my wrist it, dug into my skin. There was no way of removing it without breaking my bones.

I clenched my fists trying to use the same power I had before, but nothing more than a few playful wisps answer my call, twirling at my fingers before disappearing.

My stomach sank. My Craft was blocked. There, but inaccessible.

Hekate watched me for a moment, a twisted smile playing at her lips. "That will do for now. Though I'm sure if she was a threat, she would have done something more...detrimental by now. I have been watching them for days, she has no control. The power caused her more damage than anyone else at this point."

Ankou's eyebrows lifted. "How powerful?"

Hekate was grinning. "There was a terrible storm a few days past after a run in with a few panthera phooka. Caused quite the stir."

Ankou leaned back in his chair. "Extraordinary. Do the Air Courts know?"

Hekate's voice grew hesitant. "Well, I was unfortunately not present for that, but my intel does describe an Air Faerie by the name of Marlais assisting her before the Hunt."

I looked between the two faeries, discussing me as if I was not even present. I searched the rest of the room, spotting a single door in and out behind Ankou. Even if I tried to run for it, the fae would be faster.

I ground my teeth and fisted my hands, feeling the blood that dripped down my arm hot between my fingers. I was trapped.

For now.

Ankou's eyes flickered with displeasure. "Don't tell me that incident with the Day Prince involved her?"

Hekate lowered her head, and I was surprised to see the prideful faerie cowed in front of this man. A shiver of unease prickled at me. Ronan had mentioned a Dream Faerie...

I took a step back, realization dawning on me. Ankou's eyes flickered to me, but his thoughts were somewhere else. "Contain her, now. Before she does something annoying like try to escape. As for the situation with the Prince, I guess it cannot be helped. I imagine a mortal such as her would have been a gift many tried to obtain. However, Ronan's preference in weapons is rather troublesome. Any word on how Prince Eirian is fairing?"

"Still recovering, but alive. King Lugh is furious, of course, but my spies have confirmed that Deirdre urged him to wait until the Trials have occurred before doing anything rash. We still have some time."

My mouth went dry. All this time I had assumed Eirian was dead. I should have known. Marlais had told me the fae didn't die so easily. He lived, but Ronan's actions had still created ripples between the Night and Day Courts.

Which was exactly what he had wanted.

"Very well." Ankou leaned forward on the desk, tapping his fingers together, deep in his thoughts. "Which brings us to our situation. You believe this girl will serve our purpose?"

I took that as my cue to remind them I could still talk. "I'm not doing shit for anyone."

Ankou's eyes widened, but then they glimmered with mirth. "Ah, I was wondering if you would speak. Tell me, girl. Did you consummate the union with your husband?"

I glared at him. "Quite frankly, sir. That is none of your damn business."

He arched a brow then looked over at Hekate. Her lips pursed but she gave a short nod.

He surveyed me with displeasure. "Ah, well, that is unfortunate. But once we have taken care of him, you will be free of the bond."

When Hekate spoke, her voice had risen in pitch. "You mean...you wish to keep her alive?"

Ankou frowned. "Of course. There has not been an Air Fae in the Night Courts for centuries. Once we have disposed of that... monstrous thing you bore, then she will be a perfect match for Oisin."

I clenched my fists, anger roaring through me. The beginnings of my Craft unfurled in my chest, but as it reached down my arms, it slammed against where the bracelet sat, only a small fraction of it releasing from the rest of me. It ruffled my hair, a mockery of what I had felt before.

"Stop doing that," I said, staring at my clenched fists. I felt the unbearable burn of the metal against my skin. "Stop choosing my future for me."

Ankou let out a low, chilling laugh. "Oh, foolish girl."

He stood, revealing a long, body with spider-like limbs. He moved out from behind his desk, towering over me. I stepped back, but Hekate was there, her sharp hands curling around my shoulder and holding me in place. I glared up at him, anger and fear rolling through me in unrelenting waves.

"Your fate was determined before you were even born."

Her reached out one long-fingered hand, brushing my hair off my face, so gentle it was almost a caress. This close  I could see where the whites of his eyes should have been his eyes looked like they were filled with blood.

There was another brush against my mind, and I thrashed within Hekate's grasp.

Ankou pulled his hand away. "You're right. She is strong. She can even resist me, even my sister can't do that." He laughed as if he had just told a joke. "Good job in fetching her." He turned.

"But I tire of her whining. Please, take her from my sight. See that she is taken care of, a moon tonic should do to make sure there are no... lasting problems. How long until your child comes to fetch her?"

"Three days, Master."

He sniffed, as if disappointed. "Well, I suppose that will do. Once he is spotted, he will not stand a chance. Even he cannot handle an entire Court out for his blood. Though, the vile creature will probably enjoy that all the same."

Ankou reached his desk, placing his hands on it, still not facing either Hekate or me and he spoke.

"You know the rest of the plan, see to it. Once all those mindless drones have killed that heathen, all we must do it wait for the Trials to begin. Then Oisin will be King, and the threat of  your abomination ruling us and bringing us to ruin will be gone."

Hekate tugged on me, pulling me to the door. "Yes Master, a fine plan."

Ankou kept his body turned from view. "Leave me."

Hekate tugged on me. I struggled, but I found my moves slow and weak, a numbness running through my mind.

They were using me to lure Ronan here, where they intended to kill him. My breath hitched, and my heart sank,. As much as I wanted to hate him, the thought of him being killed, of my playing role in it...

It hurt. It hurt so much I couldn't bear it.

Yet they weren't wrong. Ronan, if what I had seen so far was true...

He needed to die.

But even as much as I knew this, a wild desperation filled my heart as Hekate pulled me from the room and out into dark, unfamiliar halls.