Crimson Midnight (A New Adult Dark Urban Fantasy Series) (The Crimson Series Book 1) (33 page)

“Ouch,” Rose said sympathetically.

“Yeah, and when I woke up I was in
here, chained once again.” She rolled her eyes. “I tell you, if I ever had the
urge to try something kinky in the bedroom, this little experience has cured me
completely.”  Her gaze shot to Erin, who was staring at her quizzically. “Never
mind,” she said quickly.

“What about you, Henry? Did you
hear anything?” Rose asked.

Henry raised sunken eyes to stare
at Rose. He looked dazed and weak.  “Not much.” He cleared his throat, his
voice was hoarse. “But I heard that word…Samhain.” He licked his dry lips.
“I’ve no idea what it means though.”

“Whatever they’re planning we’re
running out of time.” Raven turned to Rose. “How did she get you?”

Rose explained about the Halloween
party, about Roman leaving to get Flo and Erin, and about how she had followed,
after a while, to hurry them up and had instead been confronted by Faye. 

“If she hurts Roman or Flo…” the
look in Raven’s eyes was deadly telling her more about his intentions than his
words ever could. “Faye’s obviously been planning this for some time.  She
posed as your friend for how long?”

“Six years,” Rose said bitterly.

“Six years she’s been planning and
in some way you were central to her plans…” He trailed off as he considered the
implications.

“It doesn’t matter,” Liza said.
“I’m sure we’re going to find out soon enough what she’s up to.” She jerked her
head toward the doorway. 

Faye swept back into the cavern.

“So you’ve all had a chance to get
to know each other,” Faye drawled. “You need to make the most of each moment of
your measly lives because, as you mortals so often say, life is short.” She
giggled.

“Bloody hell, you do love the sound
of your own voice, don’t you?” Rose retorted.  “Just get on with whatever it is
you brought us here for,” she snapped.  Her patience was beginning to wane and
Faye’s crazy villain act was beginning to really grate on her nerves.

“Oh, so impatient, don’t worry, it
will be over very soon.” Faye’s smile widened, and the gleam of anticipation
returned.

“Great, cos if I have to listen to
you for much longer I’m going to be sick.”

“Rose…don’t.” Raven shook his head
in warning.

“Yes, Rose, don’t.  You should
listen to the mutt, he knows what he’s talking about, he knows exactly what
he’s dealing with.” The smile was gone, her face suddenly alien in its
impassivity.  It was as if all emotion that had played across her face had been
mere illusion.  A tool to appear human, and in that second, be it by accident
or design, she had dropped the illusion, showing them her real face.

Rose’s retort died on her suddenly
dry lips. Any lingering connection to the woman she had known as her friend was
severed. She had seen its true face.

There was a commotion from the
doorway behind Faye and she turned to look behind her.  “Let the games begin.”
Faye clapped her hands turning back to her captives, her face animated once
more. She stepped away from the door.

All eyes squinted into the light.

The figure that walked into the
cavern was bathed in an inner light almost as if a ray of sun had been woven
into its very fabric.  The light he brought with him was so intense that the
clang of metal against metal rang through the space as Raven, Liza, and Henry
lifted their hands reflexively to shield their eyes.  A low hiss came from
Thistle’s direction and Erin whimpered softly.

There was a multitude of tiny
shrieks and the low buzzing of miniature wings as the crazy Tinkerbell lights
went even crazier. They surged forward toward the figure that was entering the
room, hovering excitedly and then, as if on some silent cue, retreating back to
their stations on the cavern walls.

The aura around the figure pulsed.

“What the frig?” Liza exclaimed as
the glow intensified. “Shit! Okay, we get it, you’re all important and stuff,
now turn off the bloody fireworks!”

Throughout the short exchange, Rose
had been staring at the figure in awe.  Her gaze barely skimming over the
dwarf-sized winged creatures that entered with him, dragging behind them a
large wooden chest.  A vague part of her brain registered these creatures,
registered that they were not demons but rather something else, maybe a species
of fey. But the majority of her brain was absorbing every glorious detail that
comprised to compose the male before her. Hair as golden as the morning rays of
the sun fell from a widow’s peak in soft waves down a broad masculine back. 
Eyes the colour of amber, darkly fringed, blazed across the room, while the
hard yet sensuously full mouth curved in an apologetic smile, which held more
than a hint of sardonic amusement.  Those fiery eyes travelled over the
prisoners, flitting over and dismissing Henry but lingering over Raven then
moving to stare hard at Rose. A memory niggled at the back of her mind,
something someone had said not too long ago, words that seemed important
somehow…her mother’s words, the shining stranger! But how-

“Apologies, I forget how fragile
mortal senses can be.” The voice was warm honey and dark chocolate to the
senses. The room immediately dimmed as the glow dissipated, leaving only a
faint residue of its brilliance behind, evident only in the red dots that swam
before their eyes.

Thistle’s eyes were as hard as
flint as she glared up at the newcomer. “And who the hell might you be?” 

“Daddy!” Faye bounded toward the
imposing figure every bit the image of the little girl greeting her father
after a long absence.

The male held up a hand stopping
her in her tracks. “Decorum.”

Faye stepped back, her bottom lip
sticking out in a childish pout.

Her father sighed, and reached for
her pulling her into a quick embrace before releasing her and patting her
proprietarily on the arm. 

Faye shot her audience a smug
smile.

“I am Bres, ruler of the Unseelie
court or, as I believe as it is commonly known, the Dark Court.” He inclined
his head slightly. “And you are my honoured guests here tonight.” He smiled,
revealing white even teeth that would give even Simon Cowell a run for his
money.

Thistle snorted derisively and
Raven growled low in his throat.

Until this moment, Rose had managed
to reign in her anger but seeing this Bres character walk in all ‘How do you
do, you’re my guests’, and seeing Erin trembling with fear, hungry and cold, nudged
the tiny kernel of fury that was sitting always on standby in the centre of her
chest. That kernel, with the right nudge, could become a full blown nuclear
bomb.

Her voice, when she spoke, was
simmering with the promise of violence. “I think we deserve an explanation, and
cut out the theatrics.  You’ve brought us here against our will to do God knows
what. You kidnapped and beat a child for God’s sake! What kind of person does
that?”

Erin began to sob. Rose tried to
reach for him across the expanse of hard ground that separated them, her
fingers inches away from providing a comforting caress.

Faye, moving with lightning speed,
planted herself between them, her hand raised to strike, her expression
venomous. “Shut it, you snivelling little brat!”  

Rose felt the kernel unfolding but
pulled it inwards, afraid of what might happen. Faye had Flo and Roman, she
couldn’t risk them being hurt.  She bit the insides of her cheeks until she
tasted blood, willing herself to be calm.

“Faye.” Bres spoke the name softly
with the inflection of a command. Yet the air seemed to vibrate with the force
of his word and Faye, shooting Rose a venomous look, stepped slowly away from Erin, her hand falling to her side in an angry fist.

“Yes, father,” she said. Her eyes
still blazed with intent to inflict harm.  “But we must keep the beasts in
control if we are to-”

“Enough!” Bres’ tone brooked no
further argument.

Faye lowered her gaze in an action
of subservience– although from Rose’s vantage point, she could see clearly the
clenched jaw and jumping pulse in her neck all indicating that Faye was far
from happy with being ordered around.  She allowed herself a small stab of
satisfaction.

“There are more effective ways to
manipulate child.  Have I taught you nothing?” Bres shook his head in mock
disappointment, his eyes twinkling.  Faye relaxed under his warm regard. “These
creatures will do as they are bid or be damned– it is all the same to me.” He
turned his gaze, now devoid of warmth, upon the group.  “By the hands of their
forefathers we have suffered countless decades of pain, and this night we will
be avenged, we will be restored!” He raised his hands to the ceiling as if in
tribute to an unseen god.

The winged creatures that had
entered with him seemed incensed by his little speech, hopping from foot to
foot, even taking flight a few inches into the air.

“I see where you get your penchant
for theatrics,” Rose said sarcastically looking at Faye. 

“Shut it, bitch.”

“That’s more like it.” Rose grinned
cruelly, happy to have struck a nerve.

“You’re crazy.” Raven tone was
edged with steel. “We have no dealings with your kind.”

Bres arched a perfectly formed
eyebrow. “Of course you do not, not now and not for many centuries. But there
was, however, a time when your people,” he swept his arm in an arch that
encompassed them all, “were responsible for the exile of my people, for the
loss of our most powerful treasures. Your ancestors are the reason we have been
forced to run, to hide underground for century after century like animals.” His
voice was trembling with suppressed emotion.  He took a deep breath, steadying
himself and pushed a stray tendril of hair away from his face. “Now is the time
to undo that travesty, to reanimate our treasures with the power of our kind
and to reclaim our rightful place in this world, to fully open all doorways.”
He glared at them accusingly, “because of you my people suffer, because of your
blood we are gradually being cut off from our home, left to flounder
underground.   Tonight we will reclaim our power, tonight we will open all
doorways and we will claim back what should have been ours centuries ago.”
His eyes blazed with fanatical fire.
“Ossian!”                         

The doorway was once again filled
with a tall, beautifully formed male figure but this time Rose knew exactly who
it was. “You fucking wanker!”

“I forgot to mention that,” Raven
said tiredly. “The reason I’m here trussed up like a turkey.” He too shot
Ossian a lethal look.

Ossian had entered the room and
bent to fiddle with the large chest, avoiding the captive’s eyes.

Rose could feel the anger at the
betrayal bubbling up within her– she had to let off steam. “What is it with you
fey and long hair anyway? Don’t they have scissors in fairy land, or you
planning to make it in the human world working for Vidal Sassoon?”

She saw Ossian’s back tense for a
fraction of a second before he went back to unlocking and unloading the chest.

Bres approached her. “This one has
much to say.”

“Yes, father, this one I had to
befriend and endure for six long years.” Faye’s lip curled in disgust.

“Yes…yes I can see.” Bres gaze was
penetrating and for a moment Rose felt it as an invasive sweep, like a laser
beam cutting into her soul, exposing her for what she was.  Her breath caught
in her throat.  He had gathered them– he knew what they were, who their
ancestors were…he knew what she was!

She gasped. “You know what I am!
Tell me what I am!”

Bres smiled, his hand reached for
her and she flinched as his slender fingers cupped her chin, tilting her face
to the light.  His eyes narrowed. “You, Rose, are your mother’s daughter.”
Abruptly, he let go of her and turned away.

“What the hell is that supposed to
mean? Oi! You! Answer me!”

He turned swiftly swinging out his
arm.  Rose barely registered the stream of lightning before she was doubled up
on the ground in agonising pain, a thousand needles piercing her skin
simultaneously.

“NO!”

“STOP!”

She heard the cries of her friends
but was powerless to enter her own plea.  Her eyes streamed with tears as the
pain intensified, and then just as suddenly as it had begun it vanished.  She
lay there breathing heavily– partly afraid that if she moved the pain would
return.

“As I thought.” Bres said thoughtfully.
“You can get up now, Rose. But remember, one more outburst like that and it
will be your last.”

Rose pulled herself gingerly into
an upright position, her body still quaking from the assault, her sense memory
of the pain still active.

“Rose?” Erin’s face was wet with
tears.

“I’m okay,” Rose said huskily. She
looked to the centre of the semi-circle.  While she had been writhing in pain,
Ossian had emptied the chest and laid out four artefacts. She identified a
sword, a spear, what looked like a large pot and a smooth oval stone about the
size of large rat.

Bres tracked her gaze. “Yes, those
are our treasures brought from our four shining cities to this world.  The
source of our power and with your help they shall shine once more.”

“Let me get this straight.” Rose
licked her dry lips. “You’re saying that our ancestors stripped these…your
treasures, of their power and banished you underground?”

Bres inclined his head slightly in
agreement, his eyes sparkling as if in approval of a proficient student.

“So you need us to help you get
your power back, reverse the original, er, stripping?”

“Binding, yes.”

“And then what? You take your shit
and head back to fairy land, right?” Well a girl could hope.

Faye answered before her father
could. “Like hell! We’re going to take what we should have, what we would have
centuries ago.”