“That’s not all,” Violet piped in. “I did a little scrying spell to see if this Dark Fae Lord was even alive.”
I swung around to face her, my eyes wide as I opened and closed my mouth. Finally I said, “Can you please try and be a little less reckless? I need you alive and safe after the Otherworld experience. At least let me know when you’re playing with magic and demons.” I’d known for years that Violet was probably going to be the death of me one day. There was no other person I worried about as much as her. Even more so now, after she’d been taken.
“So what did you see?” I didn’t really want to know. No way was it good.
Her lips creased into a tight line. “I saw a dark shrouded figure, which I assume was the Dark Fae Lord. It was impossible to make out any defining features, but he was speaking with someone who was very clear. And familiar.”
My stomach dropped. “The winter queen.”
Violet nodded.
“Shit!” I bit out, frustration in my voice.
Blaine and Monica, who were taking point on either side of the main door, keeping guard, both spun around, weapons in their hands. Yeah, I might have overreacted a little, but the last thing I needed to hear was that Samson, the summer king, was right, and those two psycho evil fae had teamed up.
“Could that be the delay?” Blaine said, dropping his sword back into its sheath. “She’s cementing this alliance with the demons, and then both of their armies will come at us full force.”
I’d had that thought already, and it looked like we had to accept that inevitability. No one spoke; there really wasn’t anything that could be said. In that moment, we were all caught in a tangled web of fear.
Finn’s energy entered the room a moment before he did. I reached along the bond I had with my familiar, allowing his vast strength to brush against me. Finn and Nix had been out patrolling Central Park and the waterways, as the pair did every day.
Finn stepped to my side and brushed his soft white fur against my leg. Demons or not, we can win this. We just need more knowledge.
I nodded, letting my body relax. Finn was right. Knowledge was power, and I intended to find out all that I could about this Dark Fae Lord.
“Violet, Blaine, Monica, Finn,” I called out, “we’re having a sleepover. We’re not leaving this room until I have identified and read every book that pertains to the demon fae.” I paused. “Well, except for the run we have tomorrow morning. But other than that, we are on study duty. You’re going to cram like you’ve never crammed before.”
Blaine’s random crooked grin washed away some of my stress. It reminded me of when he was a little boy, always up to some mischief.
“What are you smiling about?” I fake huffed, acting affronted. Truthfully, it brought me true joy to see him looking like his old self. Things had been strained between us since Kade — since Blaine told me he’d expected that one day we would be together romantically. I never wanted to lose him, I needed him in my life, but Kade was like part of my soul. A part I could not and would not live without.
I thanked the gods that Blaine and I had found a way to be just friends again. Even better, it was finally starting to feel like he had accepted that there would be nothing romantic between us.
His grin turned into a full smile. “Remember when we all had a sleepover for Monica’s thirteenth birthday?”
Now it was Monica’s turn to bust up laughing, but I didn’t find it so funny. I remembered that sleepover very clearly.
“Yes, Blaine, I definitely remember. You fell asleep with your stupid mouth open and your gum got in my hair. I looked like a jacked-up Barbie doll for months after we cut it out.”
I’d had heir duties and photos that month too. Suffice to say, the Red Queen had had more than a few nasty comments to make about my new hairstyle.
It was pretty funny looking back though.
Blaine and Monica were shaking with barely contained laughter, until finally the sides of my mouth quirked.
“I nearly killed you,” I told him.
He nodded. “That you did, Princess. And I gave up chewing gum on that day.”
I chuckled. “Well, for old time’s sake, one final sleepover?”
Violet nodded; she had even been smiling, which I loved to see. “It’s a deal. I’ll invite Nikoli. He can help with the magical end of things.” I wondered if she knew how her voice softened — her face too — when she spoke about the bear magic born.
“Really, tell me more about Nikoli?” Blaine teased. Clearly he had picked up on it too.
Violet gave a devilish grin. “Well, he’s a pretty good kisser.”
Whoa! Kisses … she wouldn’t, right? I mean, not without telling me — I was her best friend. Blaine seemed shocked too, his eyes widening as he blinked in her direction. Monica leaned in a little closer. She might have been a serious sort of warrior chick, but she loved gossip. Jen and her always had the juiciest information about the other shifters.
Violet gave a shrug. “It just happened. At first I was looking for a distraction, and Nikoli is a very nice distraction. But then it felt like something more. Plus, the guy went all the way across the Otherworld to rescue me. He deserved a little something.”
“Do you have problems kissing another magic born?” I asked. “Do your powers collide or something?” I’d always been curious about that.
She’d always said touching me was harder than most people; I had so much mecca in my energy. Even before I became queen it was like that. Probably my undiscovered fae side causing problems. Still, I expected another magic born would be even worse.
She shook her head, arms crossing over her body as the grin disappeared. “Actually, it was perfect. Our energies meshed, which is a rare occurrence between magic born. It was definitely … unexpected.”
My mind was racing. My best friend rarely got into relationships. No one understood what it was like to be a magic born, to not be able to touch without getting overwhelmed. So this was huge. Violet dropping her guard to kiss Nikoli … triple extra huge.
Blaine leaned in close to her. “Hey, baby, I traveled across the Otherworld to rescue you as well.” He puckered his lips.
Violet snorted, some of her old humor returning. “You wish. Besides, you already have a girlfriend.” The second the words left her mouth she seemed uncomfortable. “Or … I mean you will.”
Blaine dropped his sleazy act and went very still. “Explain. Now.”
Yeah, what did she mean?
Violet chewed at her bottom lip. “It’s just one of my future-sight things, that’s all. I saw something, but I’m not supposed to tell you about it. It can mess up the timeline — I shouldn’t have mentioned it at all.”
She spun around and began rifling through a box of books; Blaine was staring wide-eyed at her back. The moment he recovered from her shocking statement, he strode closer.
“You have to tell me who it is.” His voice was low, controlled, but I could hear the wolf in there threatening to break free.