I nod down at it. “Going to read my tea leaves?”
There’s a shadow of a smirk from him. “Going to put it in the dishwasher.”
My gaze moves back to Carrick. “So let me see if I have this straight. There are five gods who create prophecies on whims and to keep themselves entertained. One has been put into play, and I’m a part of stopping it. We don’t know what it does, how bad it is, or even when it might occur, but we do know that my sister turned into a Dark Fae tonight, so we’re reasonably assured she’s part of it, too. We have no direction, no help, and I’m getting the distinct feeling that my life is going to be in extreme danger. Is that about the gist of it?”
Carrick’s lips press into a flat line. He merely nods.
“And truthfully, what’s in it for you?” I ask, because I know damn well he’s not helping out of the goodness of his heart.
The scowl on Carrick’s face deepens. His words are clipped and short, but I know they’re truthful. “There’s a reward for me if I help you thwart the prophecy.”
“Hmm,” I murmur in response, mulling that for only a second. Of course there’s something in it for him.
A calm settles over me, and I have no clue where it comes from. I just know, deep in my heart, there’s one thing for me to do.
I smile at Carrick—one that is a little bit of gratitude and a whole lot of fake manners—and stand from my chair. I give a brief glance to Zaid, same smile in place, and then back to Carrick. “Well, I appreciate you filling me in on this. I’m grateful you’ve taught me about the fae and daemons and such, as well as their history. But I’m going to politely decline to be a part of this and go back to my normal life.”
“You can’t decline,” Zaid sputters, looking entirely affronted at my claim.
“Oh, but I can,” I assure him. One last look at Carrick, and I incline my head. “Goodbye. Please don’t contact me again.”
I pivot, heading out of his office. The numbness I’d been feeling after watching Fallon disappear out of my life starts overtaking me again. Which is good… it means my emotions are muted and I need a break from them.
“She can’t leave,” Zaid says, and I know this is directed at Carrick.
Thankfully, he doesn’t respond and makes no move to stop me either by supplication or by his compulsion.
But I do have a curiosity, I wonder if he will indulge me now that we are parting ways. I stop, turn only slightly but mostly look over my shoulder. “You’ve told me you’re not a fae or daemon. What are you?”
Carrick stands from his chair. “I am but a servant of the gods.”
Not an answer at all, which means if he were going to tell me the truth of his nature, he would have done so. I shrug as if his response means nothing to me at all and walk out of his office door.
No one tries to stop me.
* * *
It’s late when I arrive home, but the house is blazing in lights. When I walk in the front door, it’s as expected. Rainey, Myles, and Adira are waiting up for me.
They had last seen me several hours ago, sick to my stomach and heart just moments after watching Fallon turn into a Dark Fae. They had no clue the source of my illness, only that my rich, successful, business partner Carrick Byrne was leading me out of Fallon’s condo. He led me out wearing a fancy gown and now I’m dressed in workout clothes.
On the one hand, I know they’re waiting up for me because they’re worried. On the other hand—especially where Rainey is concerned—she thinks there’s something going on with me and Carrick.
I disabuse her of that notion the minute I shut the door and lock it. Turning to face my friends—Rainey and Adira on the couch, Myles on the loveseat—I tell them. “I’ve had a bad night and I don’t feel good. I don’t want to talk about it and I’m going to bed.”
That normally wouldn’t thwart any of them but before they can protest, I add on with my eyes going just to Rainey. “And there is nothing going on between Carrick and me. There never has been so get that notion out of your head.”
She opens her mouth and I hold my hand up. “I’m serious. I don’t want to talk about anything tonight. I’ll see you in the morning.”
It’s my tone that keeps them all silent, except for Adira who utters a soft, “Good night, Finley. Sleep well.”
“Good night,” I reply and head up the stairs.
In my room and with my door closed, I stand still, not quite knowing what to do. I’m exhausted yet I don’t think I can sleep. I’m terrified of what dreams may appear tonight.
Ignoring the dresser that holds my pajamas, I move to the side of my bed and sit on the edge. Hunching over, I press my elbows into my thighs and cradle my head in both hands. My eyes are dry for the moment, but I don’t think, by any means, my tears of grief are finished.
For now, I’m just… broken.
I cannot fathom Carrick’s story of a prophecy, although I don’t doubt it. I may not trust the man, and I’m furious he hid this from me for so long, but I do believe he’s being truthful. I believe it because he’s getting something out of it by helping me.
A reward from the gods, he’d called it.
Freaking gods.
There are five freaking gods who create prophecies—no, games—and they put innocent people on the chopping block when they let them loose on the world. It makes me wonder how many horrific events have occurred throughout the history of our world that were merely prophecies unfolding because these gods were bored.
And not just this world. I distinctly remember Carrick saying they controlled the universe. That implied there were other planets like earth, and I’m not even letting my mind travel to the possibility of alien life.
But even learning all of this horrible news, nothing can compare to the moment I watched Fallon morph into a Dark Fae. A supremely evil being. One who is here to cause destruction, because let’s face it… her change, the feather showing up on my leg, and the discovery of a prophecy are too coincidental.
How am I even going to be able to handle this with Fallon?
I wasn’t kidding tonight when I told Carrick I was not participating. They can get someone else to do the job the gods want me to do. Hell, maybe Carrick can pull it off on his own, but I didn’t sign up for this. I didn’t ask for my abilities, and I sure as hell didn’t sign up for any hero cape.
I never, in a million years, wanted to lose my sister.
I have so many questions about Fallon swirling in my head, and I can’t quite sort them out. I can never let the creature that now wears her face know that I know what she is. But I honestly don’t know if I can even be around her in a safe manner.
There’s the whole problem with me doubling over in pain because of the malevolent vibes she puts off. There’s a possibility she knows I can see beneath her glamour. Hell, she could know I’m part of a prophecy.
Christ… she could know exactly what the prophecy is and be a hundred steps ahead of me.
Correction… ahead of Carrick. I’m not a part of this anymore.
My head actually hurts from thinking about all the various possibilities, many of which could lead to my death at the hands of my former sister.
I lift my head from the cradle of my hands and without thought, I pull my sketching journal out of my bedside table drawer. I open it, flipping the pages to find the last drawings I had done a few weeks ago.