Yew Queen Trilogy Page 4

  Kaippa barked a laugh and was on me before I could say a word, his mouth at my jugular. His teeth were ice on my skin.

  “Kaippa. Step away.” Lucus’s voice lowered the room’s temperature by about twenty degrees.

  The vampire lifted his hands in a show of surrender and grinned as he backed away.

  “This is ridiculous.” Baccio’s words exploded off the stone walls. The chamber was empty except for the table they’d laid me out on, but candles set into openings in the corners threw bone-white strips of light onto a painted symbol on the ceiling. Nine sections—inscribed with small, black symbols and images of animals—created a wheel. “So she has power of some sort,” Baccio added, seemingly resigned. “She might be part shapeshifter. I doubt she is powerful enough to use for blood sorcery.”

  The rest of my blood drained right on out of my head and went to my knees. Part what now? Aunt Viv’s words teased me. Rich blood. Gold girl.

  “Why don’t we drag her out of the castle and see if her aura has the same effect again?” Baccio shouted. “If not,” he said, quieter now, “we can share her energy and release her.”

  I wasn’t a fan of anything that came out of these guys’ mouths.

  “Or not.” Kaippa shrugged, his ebony hair shifting over the side of his pale face. “Who is going to miss one measly human?”

  Lucus ignored the vampire and lifted a hand, the muscles in his forearms straining his silken shirt. Emerald sparks danced over his fingertips. The vines carried me out of the chamber and thrust me down the hallway. The woody fingers of the plant scratched my bare legs as we rounded a corner, climbed a set of worn stairs lit by flickering sconces, and returned to the wooded courtyard. Lucus and co. were there in a blink, and then Lucus’s hands were sparkling again and the vines were releasing me.

  I dropped to the cold cobblestones, tasting bitter fear on the back of my tongue. Scrambling to my feet, I tried to run, but Lucus’s hand shot out. He towed me toward the exit while the others spoke in hushed tones behind us.

  Lucus whirled me around to face him. I threw a knee at his groin, but he evaded me easily. So I spit at him.

  “Let me go, asshole.” I still wasn’t sure what he wanted out of me. And if I didn’t know what he wanted, how was I going to manage it? Sounded to me like if I failed in whatever they had planned, I was as good as dead.

  The portcullis’s iron teeth caught the starlight above our heads.

  Calmly wiping my spittle from his stupid handsome face, Lucus tightened his grip. “If I turn to ash when we cross the threshold, the others will want to feed on your aura and your blood. We have been trapped here for a very long time, traveling through time. We are nearly starved. I don’t know if I can save you. One of my brothers will die of starvation if I simply release you. It is you or them until I determine another plan.”

  “Can’t you just take a little bit of my whatever and get a few more folks to volunteer to give more? Then no one would need to die to keep you all alive.” I couldn’t believe what I was saying. I’d fully lost it.

  “Aurelio, my younger brother, did feed on you while you were blacked out. He was so weak, near to death by starvation, that I was shocked he was able to sneak into your chamber without my knowing. I had been talking to Baccio about you and the curse. We caught my younger brother quickly once his presence…increased. We sensed him feeding. I’m not sure how to explain that to you. But I knew then. We rushed down to save you. I stood guard close by after that.”

  I swallowed bile. “Why do I feel okay?”

  “We caught him quickly, and our work doesn’t harm if we feed carefully. In fact, we can give back energy under the proper circumstances.”

  “Wait. Give me a minute.” I pressed the heels of my hands into my closed eyelids, my mind on fire. “Please tell me the red-lipped guy didn’t have a turn.”

  “The vampire did not. He has little control. Before he was here, trapped with us, Kaippa killed many during his feedings. We fae have only accidentally killed a handful of humans.”

  My heart skittered around my ribs as I stared at him and nodded. “A handful. Cool. No problem.” Oh my God. This wasn’t happening. Nope. Nopity nope nope.

  Lucus inclined his head. “It is difficult in our current situation. But I can handle it.”

  I pinched my arm again. “Ack!” Damn. It still hurt. I was awake even though this was an impossible nightmare. “Why me?” I nearly wept the question even though I was really glad Hekla wasn’t here in my place.

  Lucus eyed the space around my head, assumedly studying my aura. “Because of the curse, only the first woman who witnesses our cursed castle when it appears every century can come here and ease our suffering.”

  “That’s why no one can see the castle except me?”

  “Exactly.”

  “Well, didn’t I just roll the wrong numbers.” What luck.

  “I believe there is more to you than simply…”

  “A meal? That’s what you were going to say, wasn’t it?”

  “Yes. I felt no pain, no reduction in my well-being when I lunged across the threshold of the castle with you last time. You have some kind of power in your blood.”

  “If I have some kind of woobie woobie,” I said, waving my fingers like he did when he did his vine magic, “then perhaps will you all let me live?”

  “My aim is not to end your life. We can come up with a plan that will save my brothers and refrain from hurting you. If you have power in your veins, its presence will certainly prolong your life. We will want to know if you can somehow affect our curse and this hell of a life we have been given by our enemy.”

  I wanted to ask more questions to stall this event of will Coren die or will Coren live, but Lucus was obviously out of patience. With shining eyes full of hope, he dragged me from the castle and into the night.

  Chapter 8

  The fall wind whipped through my hair as Lucus pulled me to a stop about two feet from the castle’s entrance. The clock above our heads rang three times. Three in the morning. Later than I’d thought. The image of a moon sparkled behind the clock’s hands.

  Lucus appeared as he had moments before—looking human except for his pointed ears. His fingers were hot on my forearm, and I was glad he wasn’t trying his lustery on me. The curiosity that Aunt Viv had fostered in me rose high, overcoming my fears, or at least riding alongside it as I studied his strong jawline and squinted at his clothing to try to see the leaves.

  He blinked, then smiled down at me. A beautiful smile for a horned monster. How could a person with such joy in their grin do terrible things? The incongruence made him all the more frightening.

  He turned his hand, examining it, his eyes wide. “I’m alive.”

  Then whatever magic hid his true self faded away.

  His cloak rippled with deep green oak leaves, his spicy pine scent twisted in the wind, and tiny leaves sprouted from the tips of his lashes like some crazy-ass winged eyeliner. His vine wings snapped from his back, expanding behind us in a rustling of ivy. Tingling warmth caressed my torso, then spread over my entire body, prickling my flesh and making me gasp. He didn’t seem to notice he was tempting me with his power. He was too busy staring around like he might be deciding where to go next with his newfound freedom.

  I swallowed, doing my best to stop staring at his throat and his lips and his— “So normally what happens when you leave the castle?”

  “One century after the Mage Duke cursed us, our castle appeared on a ley line far from home. Ley lines are seams, so to speak. The earth’s energy radiates through them. I tried to leave the castle, only stepping one foot beyond the barrier, and I nearly lost what little life I have left. So in answer to your question, we don’t leave.” He pointed to the clock. A waxing crescent glittered with an eerie light. “But when the moon goes dark again, we must make a sacrifice. To keep the castle whole, to retain what life we do have, we must throw a sacred item into the night at the moon’s last glow. Now we have no more i
tems. The last time we appeared, we had to sacrifice one of our own. To save the rest of us, he left the castle and turned to ash. He fulfilled the Mage Duke’s demand and allowed us another one-hundred-year sleep and one more appearance in the living world.” Lucus touched the red silk hanging from his belt.

  That one who had died had been Francesco, the brother Baccio didn’t want Lucus talking about. Damn. This guy was a horror movie come to life, but losing a brother right in front of your eyes? No one deserved that.

  I touched Hekla’s friendship bracelet. She was the closest thing to a sibling I had, and if she went out like that, I’d die. “I’m sorry for your loss,” I whispered.

  Lucus broke from his study of the night sky to stare at me. “You are?”

  “Of course. That is rough.”

  I scowled, torn between being scared to death and feeling empathy for a freak that wanted to feed off me. Also, I had a million more questions. Ley line? Mage Duke? Who would die at the end of this month? Mentally, I waved the questions away. This was not my problem. In fact, these monsters wanted to use me to possibly help them break a curse that I had nothing to do with and then snack on my aura and blood. No matter how sad his story was, I wasn’t going down like this. I had to focus on escape.

  If he required me to stay alive outside the castle, then if I pried his fingers off me, even for a second, he would die, right?

  One way to find out.

  I dropped to my knees, and his fingers slipped from my arm. He sucked a breath.

  But nothing happened.

  He cocked his head. “I don’t think I have to be in contact with you physically for this to work. I only need to be within the pull of your powerful aura.”

  “And just how far does my fancy aura reach?” I wanted to try to run again, but he would catch me. If he didn’t lure me back with his magic, he’d simply outrun me in the dark. I couldn’t try it. Yet.

  I began to ask questions about this Mage Duke, but he didn’t give me time to ask. He spun me around and grabbed me with both arms, pressing his body against my back.

  And then we were in the air.

  The. Air.

  “We are freaking flying!” I opened and closed my mouth like a sad and dying fish on land.

  “Isn’t it marvelous?” A laugh rumbled from his chest, buzzing against my ribcage.

  I couldn’t form words. The ground below was a blur of silvery trees and curving, empty roads. Lucus flew higher as we soared over the square, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and the old city hall where they used to hang people. My stomach dipped like we were on a roller coaster, and I dug my fingers into Lucus’s arms to hang on. The wind was relentless on my bare legs, and I began shivering hard. He held me firmly, but gently too, his muscles tensing in my grip.

  Lucus veered right, then headed back toward the castle, the wind ruffling his black and emerald hair. “I am sorry for all of your discomfort, but you must understand this is the first time I’ve been able to fly since your year of 1519. Tell me where you live, and we’ll head there so you can find warmer clothing.”

  What had he just said?

  “Don’t worry about explaining. I will simply look,” he said.

  The shocks just kept on coming. And my brain had taken enough for one night. I felt a twinge of something at the base of my neck. With the scent of some ancient forest swirling around me and the world whirring past my feet, I blacked out.

  Chapter 9

  I opened my eyes and saw my own bedroom. My bedside lamp was on, casting my duvet in shades of copper and throwing light against the closed bedroom door. I was alone.

  Shooting out of bed, I ran to the door, but as I grabbed the knob, I paused, heart racing. If I opened this door and all was normal again, I’d be happy. But if not—

  The door creaked as I slowly cracked it and peered into my living room. The TV hung above the fireplace. My collection of painted wooden spoons was neatly arrayed around the opening between the living room and the kitchen. My gorgeous teal bakeware gleamed on the counter.

  I shoved a hand into my tangled hair and exhaled a world of fears. “That was one helluva dream, Connelly.”

  “It was no dream, I’m afraid.” Lucus strode out of the darkness of the hallway. At my look, he explained, “If I left you here, I would die.”

  Right. Of course. My aura and its ash-proofness.

  My chest caved in, and I bent to put my hands on my knees.

  Lucus appeared at my side and put a hand on my back. “Tocco d’oro, I am so sorry. You are such a strong one, and I wish…” His words started in English, then trailed off into another language.

  Tears stung my eyes. But I wasn’t going to let this insanity ruin my awesome life. I’d been through jerk boyfriends, near financial ruin, and more family drama than any TV show. I would take this head-on, too, and win. I wiped my eyes and straightened. Right now, Lucus looked like a ridiculously handsome human and not a winged immortal from Aunt Viv’s stories. He must have used what she’d called a glamour, a mask to hide his fae nature. It was all coming back to me. Her detailed information about the fae, her advice. The fae were incredibly intelligent.

  But so was I. We were on my turf now. He obviously worried he would turn to ash if I wasn’t nearby with my golden aura. If I somehow managed to run, could I get far enough away to affect him before he lured me back? I would play the fool for now, but it seemed like my best bet was to make a break for it. Soon.

  “How did you find my house?”

  He winced. “I used my vines to access your mind. I realize that was an intrusion, but I only searched for your home’s location.”

  Vines accessing my brain? Wtf. “Hold up. Lay that out for me.”

  His wings shimmered into existence and unfurled, one vine from the outer edge lengthening and hooking itself around his neck. “I can use my power to see your thoughts.”

  I touched the back of my neck to feel a tiny bump below my hairline. Bile rose up my throat, and I forced it down. “Your vine went into my spinal column.”

  “Indeed.”

  “Indeed isn’t the right response.”

  “Apologies.”

  I pressed my hands against my closed eyes. It was too much. Way too much. “Why did you bring me here?”

  “For you to rest and find suitable clothing for the current weather.”

  “What do I need to do to help you all and stay alive? That’s the only way I get out of this, right? To help you somehow?”

  Lucus’s chin dropped and his jaw tensed, the muscles under his pointed ears working. “I don’t think I can free you, Coren. I apologize. Not yet. I will protect you to the best of my ability. But we need you to help us. Please.”

  Was he deceiving me? Would he really protect me? I was a stranger. No one to him. Overwhelmed by everything, I choked on a sob, refusing to weep in front of this psycho.

  My bamboo stick from my escrima fighting seminar was propped up beside my bedroom door. I could possibly get to it. If I hit him in the nose, he’d lose sight for at least a second. I had a chance.

  Lucus lifted his gaze to meet mine, his green eyes showing just a spark of his power. “I have an idea that may lead us down a different path from the one Baccio and Kaippa want to follow.”

  My lungs pulled in a shaky but deep breath. “Different path! Yes! You should have opened with that!”

  But I wasn’t going to just stand here and listen to his idea. I had my own idea. I stepped closer to the escrima stick, keeping my eyes focused on him.

  “Have you ever heard of a magestone?” he asked.

  “No. I remember you said something about a Mage Duke though.” I took another step toward the weapon.

  He began to pace the living room. He was so out of place here with his emerald cloak amongst the gray couch and the tin of shortbread on the side table. It was kind of a shame that he would be a pile of ash in a few minutes. Not that much of a shame though. I liked being alive. Life was pretty fantastic.

  Prete
nding to listen to his magestone talk, I curled my fingers around the escrima stick and took three quick steps toward the garage door. I didn’t know whether it was open or not, but he was blocking the front door, so I had no other real option. Breaking a window would take too much time and might not even be possible.

  Lucus looked out my front window, peering at the row of houses across the street. The sunrise painted his otherworldly face in shades of rose, the light seeming to cling to him, to drape over him like a cloth. The emerald streaks in his hair glimmered above his pointed ears.

  He was pretty, but he was going down.

  I dashed for the garage door, slammed my palm on the button to open it, and then his hand was on my wrist. I cracked the stick against his head—a perfect watick like Titus had taught me. Garnet blood welled, and he fell back. I spun and ran, my own blood pounding in my veins and the stick still in my hand.

  A wave of desire dropped me to my knees.

  The stick fell from my trembling fingers, and I grasped at my shirt, stunned by the tingling warmth pouring down my scalp, my back, all the way to the apex of my thighs.

  I let out a string of swear words that would’ve made any sailor proud. “Let me go!” Gritting my teeth against the all-consuming urge to crawl back to him, I reached for my weapon.

  But Lucus was there. He stepped on the weapon and held out a hand, horns materializing, wings snapping open, and eyes blazing a bright emerald. “You can’t escape me, Coren.” He almost sounded regretful.

  Gasping, I dragged my hands over my torso, unable to stop touching myself. “Then switch off this bullshit and let me at least have my honor.”

  Lucus’s eyes shuttered briefly, and the intoxicating pleasure faded with the last remnants of night. “I will protect your life, but I must ask that you help us.”

  “And by ask, you mean demand.”

  He glanced at the floor. “Yes. I suppose you are correct. I demand that you help us. Just remember that I have no wish to harm you.”

  I was not getting away. My throat bobbed, my body raw with fear and desperation. As unbelievable as it was, I had to hope that this different path, as Lucus had put it, would steer them clear of killing me. “Start over with the magestone talk, pretty man. But let’s go back inside for this insanity. If I have to deal with magic and dying, I’m at least going to do it over pancakes. You do not get any.”