“I fought it off, but…” He stood and raised his hands, showing his bloody wrists.
She’d made him try to break free.
To get to me.
“You can take those off now, though,” I said.
He frowned. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”
“We’re both awake. Aware. We can fight her if she comes to you. Anyway, I need you fighting by my side.”
His jaw tightened and his eyes looked tortured.
“I can look out for myself,” I said. “And Aeri and Declan will be with us, like you requested.”
“Fine.” He nodded his head sharply. “But you must swear to strike to kill if her influence overtakes me.”
I bit my tongue, not wanting to make that promise.
“Mari…I know you’re strong enough to take care of yourself. But you have to be willing to.”
“Willing to hurt you, you mean?”
“Not me. Her. When she is in my mind, I am nothing but a shell. And I will kill you if she takes control.”
“The potion helps, though.”
“It does, which is the only reason I’m willing to take these cuffs off. Now promise me.”
“I’ll aim to kill.” It was probably a lie, but he seemed to buy it.
“Good.”
I walked to him and quickly sliced my fingertip with my sharp thumbnail, then swiped the blood across the metal. The cuffs unlocked.
“That’s dangerous,” he said. “If I get your blood, I can unlock myself?”
“I have to give it willingly.”
“Clever.”
“Always.” I swallowed hard. “My mother came to me in a dream. She’s putting some big plans into place.”
“Any idea what they are?”
“No, but we should tell Claire and Luna what they’re walking into in the Unseelie Court.”
He nodded. “I’ll call Luna and tell her. While they’re making contact with the Resistance, they can try to figure out what she is doing.”
“Thanks. Let me get us some food, and we’ll meet Aeri and Declan.”
He followed me into the kitchen, and I thought how nice it would be to just live here normally with him. Or live anywhere normally with him. I couldn’t imagine leaving Darklane and Aeri, even though she was only here half the time because of Declan.
But Tarron was the king of an entire separate realm. And I was the queen of another.
Oof. Those were some responsibilities I didn't want to face now.
“Is a bacon sandwich all right with you?” I asked.
“Who would turn down bacon?”
“A vegetarian.”
Tarron laughed.
“Also a vegan.” I shot a look at him, glad to see at least part of a smile on his face. “It’ll have to be microwaved. We don’t have time for more.”
“It’ll do. Thanks.” He leaned against the counter and looked at me. “Are you all right?”
“Fine. Don’t worry about me.” I shifted under the weight of his gaze, then turned to the fridge and began rustling inside of it. I’d been eating these a lot lately, but it was major comfort food.
He grumbled in a low tone, “I always worry about you.”
I looked back over my shoulder at him. “Well, you don’t have to.”
“It comes with the territory.”
“Territory?”
“Of loving you.”
“Oh.” I warmed, my heart thundering.
Then my eyes began to prick with tears. Worried tears, not happy tears. There was so much at stake here. And I had no idea how—if—we could fix this.
Why did it have to get all sweet and loving right before it was meant to go to shit?
Burn appeared at my side, pressing his thorny body against my legs. It was as if he’d sensed I’d needed a bit of support.
I sucked in a deep breath and leaned against him, then set myself to the task of making sandwiches. Ignoring Tarron’s last words was the only way I was going to keep it together, so I went with that option.
Ten minutes later, we had three sandwiches—one for me, one for Tarron, and one for my emotional support wolf.
We met Aeri and Declan in the main part of the foyer. As usual, Aeri was dressed in her white fight wear—her ghost suit, as she called it, since it allowed her to become invisible. Her sleek blond hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and she looked ready for battle.
Declan wore dark, sturdy clothes that were perfect for fighting. His longish dark hair was still a bit messy from sleep, but his eyes were alert.
“Ready to do this?” Aeri asked.
“Beyond ready.” I looked between the three of them. “I can transport us in two rounds.”
They nodded. I took Aeri and Declan first, gripping each of their hands and calling upon my magic. The ether sucked us in and spun us through space, spitting us out in the cold misty morning in northern England. We stood in a forest near the medieval town of York. It was still dark, but birds were beginning to chirp. Massive trees surrounded us, and the quiet of the forest was welcoming and creepy at the same time.
We were far enough north that it was quite cold. It wasn’t yet dawn, but it was close. I could sense the arrival of the sun, a new Fae talent I wasn’t used to yet.
I caught Aeri’s eye. “I’ll be back in a sec.”
She nodded, and I returned to Magic’s Bend and picked up Tarron. By the time the ether spat us back out in England, my nerves were humming with anticipation.
Mist rolled along the ground, snaking between the trees.
Aeri rubbed her arms. “We’re in a valley of some kind. Where is the old abbey?”
I called upon my Seeker sense, asking it to help me find the abbey. I hadn’t wanted to put us right on the doorstep in case our sudden arrival alerted someone to our presence. The abbey should be an abandoned ruin, but that didn’t mean there weren’t ghosts.
My Seeker sense tugged toward the left, and I pointed. “I think it’s that way. Not far.”
The four of us started through the woods, tromping between the trees. I rubbed my arms, colder than I’d expected.
Tarron’s magic flared briefly, and he handed me a leather jacket that he’d conjured.
“Thanks.” I took it and slipped it on, immediately warmer. “Nice choice. You have good taste.”
“I thought it would suit you.”
I could get used to a life of him giving me things he thought would suit me. I smiled at him and kept going.
We reached the edge of the forest, and I stopped, staring in awe at the enormous building in front of us. Hills rose on either side of the fantastical structure. The enormous old abbey was illuminated in the pale gray light of dawn.
It was an incredible structure of pillars and arches, statues and stained glass. Now, it stood as a ruin, with parts of the ceiling and walls missing. That only served to highlight the graceful lines and beautiful architecture, however.
“I can’t believe they let it fall into ruin,” I murmured.
“Henry VIII,” Declan said. “He destroyed many holy structures while he was trying to enforce his own religion.”
I shook my head, not surprised. “Let’s go.”
As we crept toward the ruins, I kept my senses alert for ghosts. The mist drifted over the ground, silent and creepy, but I saw no ghosts. A little village surrounded the abbey, but it was quiet as the grave. We skirted around it, heading right for the ruined building.