Fae Chronicles 01 - Fighting Destiny (15 page)

"Drop the wards," I growled feeling fear for my coven.

"They stay up," Ryder said guarding his expressions closely.

I turned, looking at the faces behind me and shook my head. I was so sick of this day that I just wanted it over already. "You two okay?" I asked quietly knowing it would be heard by everyone around me.

"It's okay Syn, don’t plan on killing anyone today," Adam said with a smile and an impish wink.

I yawned waiting for Larissa to answer and when she finally nodded I turned and stepped through the door. I felt the slight sizzle as the spell tested my mind to check for hidden threats. I don’t know who was more disappointed that it let me through, Ryder, or me.

I turned, shaking my head, waiting for Adam and Larissa to follow. When both had been approved by the warding spells, I turned and took in the mass of stairways that led through the upper floors.

The entryway in which we stood was lighted on a major scale that made my pockets hurt just considering the electric bill this place must have cost every month. Funny how growing up can change your opinion of being afraid or the dark and afraid of the bills.

The place looked sterile even though it was beautiful. Rich cream colors covered the walls, a wide staircase sat about thirty or so feet in that led to the upper levels. A settee sat in the middle of the room made of deep chocolate brown suede, with standing lights on either side of it, probably so you could sit while waiting for the prince to get off his arse and make an appearance.

As we moved closer to the stairs I looked up, taking in the magnificent wrap around balconies that circled the third floor. The layout was open, so you could see everything from the landing. This place was huge and I felt for the maid whoever she was.

We walked single file with Adam bringing up the rear, through several more rooms and hallways before we were led to a room with the mark of Trinity above the door frame. I mentally prepared for the feeling of being drained and wondered if I'd give in to being a weak-ass girl and passing out if the room was warded against magic.

Today had been too much. Tomorrow wasn’t looking any better. But I was a survivor and I had this in the bag as long as I didn’t end up bagging the Dark Prince and tossing his body in the lake a few miles away.

I stepped through and exhaled as no pain took over my mind and no blasted past was thrown in my face. I looked up in time to catch the Fae watching me. For what? I'd passed the test at the front door and I hadn't felt any spelling of the walls here, had I missed something?

I turned looking back as Larissa was thrown back and landed on the floor, her face pinched with pain as she looked up at me, "Larissa?"

"How did you get through?" Larissa whispered her eyes wide as she stood back up.

I turned glaring at the Fae, "Enough of these fucking tests! I saved your asses today, now let them in!"

"Fine, first tell me how you just walked through a ward that should have knocked you on your ass," Ryder said crossing his arms over his chest to glare at me.

"Easy, I stepped the fuck through it."

"Only Fae are able to cross it without being invited," he continued.

"Then it's broken, because I assure you I am not Fae!"

"Stop looking at me like that!
Witch
here remember? I am
not
a fucking Fairy!"

"How did you pass through the spell? It's not broken, I placed it myself," the Demon growled. I'd hoped to not encounter him again. So much for hoping.

"I told you, I stepped over it. I'm not Fae. If I was, wouldn’t you guys have picked up on it already?" I challenged Ristan, crossing my arms over my chest as I pegged him with a glare.

"Indeed," he snarled.

"Enough, she cannot be of Fae blood without us being able to smell it and I for one don't smell anything besides
human
on her," Ryder spat like I was something distasteful and moved further into the room taking a seat at the far end of a huge oval table that engulfed most of the meeting room. The others quickly followed his lead and left us standing.

Convenient. His thirteen men that always seemed to be with him had taken seats as if they had been pre-assigned—or in some sort of pecking order. The room had slate black walls that mimicked stone and under any other circumstances I'd have given them more attention but my curiosity was firmly on the murders.

I still hurt like hell and the healing process wouldn’t fully work until I slept.

"How do you know she knew her killer?" Ryder asked jumping straight to business and ignoring the fact that we had been left standing like hired help.

"She made tea," I mumbled bringing my hand up to rub the back of my neck where the pain was starting to become unbearable.

"She made tea and that alone tells you she knew her killer?" This from Ristan who had his eyes narrowed at me.

"She cleaned, she made tea. Yes, sounds lame but seriously there was no dust in her front room, the window was broken from inside the house, the killer or killers weren't rushed and she opened the door for them. The car was parked out back, so if the killer had been trying to break in to kill the victim, why the hell wouldn’t she go through the back window which was low enough for her to break and slide through easily? It seems pretty stupid to even consider the fact that she would go through a window on the front porch in daylight hours and what she did inside…" I shivered as small bumps broke out across my skin from the image that had been inside that tiny green house, "It wasn’t done in minutes, it was precise and the killer only took what they wanted. There were no cuts anywhere else that didn’t serve a purpose."

"You got all of that from the few minutes inside the house?" Zahruk said whistling.

"Yes" I replied trying not to show how tired I was.

"You think a woman did that?" Ryder asked carefully.

"No, I don’t think. I know at least one of the killers was a woman. There was mauve colored lipstick left on the glass. The victim wore no makeup. The heel impressions in the gravel and dirt also confirm my theory."

He considered it and then spoke softly, "Why would a woman take another's uterus and ovaries?"

I ignored it. I had no freaking idea why anyone would do something so horrendous. "What leaves a green aura trail in its wake?" I asked after a few moments of awkward silence.

Fourteen heads shook their reply.

"They took her eyes, she wasn’t a power Fae. She was an earth Fairy for fucks sake." Ryder snapped testily.

I dropped my arm and felt my knees sag briefly before I caught myself. Ryder had noticed it though. There wasn’t much he didn’t notice.

"Are we boring you?" He asked harshly.

"She took a bomb today," Adam replied before I could, "She has yet to sleep which means she hasn’t healed enough and needs to do so soon."

"Stop it Adam," I lashed out not wanting it pointed out that I was vulnerable until I had slept.

"No Syn, you saved their fucking asses today and ours! No one else could have prevented it from killing all of us. You shouldn’t be swaying on your feet, you should be sleeping and you know it!" Oh hell, he was pissed.

"I'm fine," I whispered lacking the tone I had been aiming for by a long shot.

Fourteen sets of eyes looked in my direction. I felt the weight of every pair as they took in my pale skin and the blood that was still crusted to my nose. I felt on display and it burned through me making my spine a little straighter and my eyes a little brighter.

"Zahruk, show them to the rooms I've selected for each of them and see that Synthia is placed in the red room," Ryder said dismissing us.

"Oh. Hell. No. No red room of pain," I snapped angrily. I was big into reading and no way in hell was I entering no red room of pain in this place.

Ryder's lips twitched but otherwise he gave no sign that he knew of what I was talking about. Larissa on the other hand snorted with laughter until I turned my glare on her. I was bitchy when I was in pain and I was doing my best to stay upright at the moment.

"I assure you there is nothing inside the red room. It's a bedroom, we call it the red room because everything inside of it is, well, it's red," Zahruk said scratching his head in confusion over my dislike of red.

I nodded unable to care any longer. I needed to find a bed and throw myself in it before I turned into a pansy-ass and fainted again. I turned without giving the Fae around the table another thought. We walked through the halls and back towards the stairway.

I lifted my head and looked up with a grumble. Grinding my teeth I stepped forward to start up the steps but a hand at the small of my back stopped me cold. I turned coming face to chest with Ryder, knowing him instantly by his unique rich scent alone.

"Change your mind and decided to make me elaborate something else?" I mumbled feeling my eyes grow heavy.

"No," he replied softly picking me up as I cried out trying to bring my legs back down to the ground. "Hold still or I will drop you on your head. On second thought it might knock some sense into you."

I felt him moving up the steps and even with the fear arising, I couldn’t make my mind work. My body needed to heal and I'd been careless knowing what would happen all along. I settled further into his arms, resting my head on his shoulder as he curved his arm around my legs, keeping them far enough from my ass that I felt safe and not lusted after for the moment.

Or maybe it was just sleep talking. I inhaled deeply of his spicy scent before I opened my eyes to find him watching me do so.
Great, that’s all I needed right now. Smell the Dark Prince who is carrying you up the damn stairs like Cinder-freaking-rella!

His lips turned up in the corners as if he'd heard my snappy internal comment. I was so stupid when I was tired. Luckily I hadn't sighed with bliss as I had wanted to.

"I could have walked," I mumbled not knowing if it had even come out since my mind was blanketed with the calm feeling of settling into sleep.

"My ass, you are not
fine
. You can hardly stand up. Admitting to weakness after doing what you did today is not the same as
being
weak."

I didn’t answer him. Couldn't. My mind gave in and sleep overtook me until I felt myself being lowered from his arms which caused me to automatically grab onto him and pull him with me—which was just another dumb thing I had done today. I should've started a list, but I was pretty sure the pen would have run out of ink by now.

Our faces touched slightly, cheek to cheek before he moved his face around until our lips were way too close for comfort. Mine shivered violently which caused him to cuss as he pulled away and brought the blankets up and over me.

"You need a healer, you are the most stubborn human I have ever met," he growled reaching for the phone.

"No Fae, call Larissa," I whispered through the chattering of my teeth.

"She left, Z took her to get some stuff from that shithole you call a home. Besides, she already tried to heal you," he mumbled before setting the phone back down. "I can heal you, won't be like she did but the only other alternative is we wait—or I get in bed with you to warm you up and stop the incessant chattering."

"I'm fine," I said barely audible past the chattering of my teeth.

"No, the word is stubborn as hell. Choose, either I can undress and climb in bed with you—for which I won't be responsible for what happens, or I can heal you enough that you can sleep. Decide," he growled showing his teeth set together.

"You are not getting in this bed," I mumbled trying to keep my eyes open.

"Fine, then close your eyes," he said already placing his hands on my shoulder which was bare. I felt his warmth pushing through his fingertips and into my system. It felt intimate and disturbing at the same time.

"No, no stop."

He didn’t, he continued sending those butterfly fingers over my skin, caressing my shoulder, which pushed the pain away with every wave of Fae magic he pushed into my system. The rush of heat made my eyes become heavy and I wasn't able to keep them open any longer.

I listened to his breathing as he pushed healing powers through me, calm and unlabored. Unlike Larissa when she healed me. Her powers came from spells and used energy to heal as where his came from dark magic bred from his race.

I fought to keep my eyes open and watched as his face as it took on a dark hue, his eyes turning into twin embers as they met and held mine. "If you make me, I will induce sleep so you can heal. I don’t need some half-brained female mucking shit up because she's too weak to admit when she needs to rest."

I growled, or more to the point I tried to. It came out sounding more like a moan than anything else. "I can't go to sleep with you in my room."

"You won't, it's not that you can't. Sleep, we need to catch a killer tomorrow, if the pattern keeps it will be a Witch that dies next."

I stared at him for a few moments hating how much sense he had just made. There was a killer loose and he was right. If the pattern was spot on, then we would be finding a dead Witch within the next few days. I exhaled and closed my eyes feeling the heat of his on me as I succumbed to sleep.

I awoke to the deep, rich scent of coffee. My eyes popped open to find Larissa staring down at me with a positively magical Starbucks venti-cup. "I love you," I mumbled before coming up to rest on my elbows.

"You better, this place had no coffee. Can you believe that? Not a single freaking bean in this entire place. Who lives like that?" She droned on as she extended her hand when I had finally made it into a sitting position and handed me the hot latté.

"The Fae don't drink coffee Lari, they drink us."

"That’s so wrong," she chirped moving from where she had been sitting in the small chair beside the bed to finish opening the drapes, allowing more sun to blind me. She was dressed in yoga pants and a black tank top, as if we were at home gearing up for our daily workout.

"Going running?"

"No there's an actual gym they said we could use. I wanted to keep on schedule since afterwards we need to meet up with Alden and the team from the Guild to go over the game plan for tonight," she stopped talking and looked back over her shoulder tilting her head as if considering saying something before she continued, "You should get up, it's almost noon now."