Yew Queen Trilogy Page 6

  The path twisted sharply and dipped into a hollow. The earth rose high on either side like walls, barriers topped in carpet-thick moss and dangling clumps of the sapphire flowers I’d seen in the castle’s courtyard. Memory Lucus passed through a curtain of thin, pale green vines, the plant life shifting to make way for his wings, and I followed him only to come out into a world that stole every thought out of my mind.

  Winged fae flew from high branches to land beside others whose magic sparked brightly against the dark brown earth. Saplings sprang to life under their palms as they joked with one another in the language Lucus had used once, the language that wasn’t Italian. The sounds rolled over my ears like burbling water, but as I walked deeper into the midst of the fae kingdom, the words became clear. I could understand them.

  The air sparkled with a nearly invisible golden power, and the scent here was thick and heavy with the musky-sweet allure of nectar and sap. The trees were making some sort of sound too—like music, deep hollow notes that eased pain and stress.

  A group of gray-haired fae, men and women both, walked out of a hollowed log twenty times the size of my bakery. They wore sweeping cloaks of rose petals, dresses and trousers made from leaves every color of the sunset, and boasted horns like Lucus and his brothers did.

  “Greeting, young Lucus.” One of the gray-haired women raised a hand in welcome. She was wiry and built like a former Olympian.

  Lucus knelt, and his feelings struck me again, dropping me to my knees beside him. My heart beat sluggishly, a searing pain blazing through me as I saw the Mage Duke’s daughter’s eyes go blank. A memory inside a memory.

  Raising his gaze to the woman, Lucus began to speak, but she cut him off.

  “What is this?” She rushed forward, her rose cloak fluttering and her wings tucked tightly. Her fingers reached out to touch his forehead. “Lucus. You have changed.” Turning, she spoke to the other horned fae. “Do you feel it? Can you taste the air around him? He is our new alpha.”

  The men and women glanced from one to another—eyes bright and smiles tentatively hopeful—while hushed whispers flew through the lesser fae who’d gathered nearby.

  “Could it be true?”

  “Finally.”

  “Please,” Lucus said, his voice breaking. I could feel the pressure building behind his eyes and the shuddering of his broken heart.

  The older woman didn’t seem to hear him. She grinned and waved a finger. “Be sure to feed with an elder nearby at least three times before you do so on your own. Your new alpha strength will be a challenge to control properly.”

  Lucus winced, and I wanted to shout at them to listen to him, to stop grinning and listen.

  “Please,” he said again.

  Finally, the group of elders came close and quieted.

  Lucus’s eyes closed. His fingers curled into the mossy forest floor. “Don’t celebrate. I have committed a terrible crime.”

  The ground trembled.

  Everyone turned toward the vines we’d walked through, faces slack with shock as another thunderous quake shook the fae kingdom.

  Violet lightning—the Mage Duke’s lightning—cracked against the vines, blowing them back. A volley of arrows flew through the opening. Five fae dropped, arrows jutting from their chests and ruby blood spilling over the delicate mosses and path of copper-colored pine needles. Panic dug under my skin like stinging beetles, and I struggled to stand.

  The elder woman flung her hands toward the vines, and they magically snapped shut, obeying her. Oaks exploded from the ground to block the entrance fully, and all the fae moved at once to grab weapons or raise vines from the forest, preparing to fight.

  Two younger, horned fae males raced from the hollow log and to Lucus’s side. It was Baccio, almost as tall as Lucus, and Aurelio, who came to Lucus’s elbow, his face still soft with childhood.

  Baccio held a bundle. A baby, I realized, my heart stuttering. His cherub cheeks were flushed with health, and his tiny pointed ears stuck out from his head. This had to be Francesco, the youngest of the brothers and the one who would die outside the castle walls as a sacrifice to save the rest of them.

  Lucus stood, drew his sword, then stretched a protective arm around Aurelio, who shivered and stared wide-eyed at the dead fae and the amethyst light flashing from the passageway into the kingdom.

  “It’s the Mage Duke.” Lucus’s voice echoed through my heart like he’d hit a drum that had been hidden there all my life. The oddest sense of euphoria and longing rushed through me. I couldn’t tear my gaze from Lucus’s burning eyes as he spoke to his elders. “And he is here for revenge.”

  Amethyst lightning blasted through the oaks. The Mage Duke and his men ran into the fae kingdom, swords flashing. The Duke spread his fingers at Lucus, who pushed his brothers behind him as magic shot from the Duke’s hand. Lucus ran straight at him, calling up vines to create a shield that shattered the spells on impact and threw emerald fire into the air.

  A fae fell at my feet, dead before hitting the ground, a sword thrust through her neck and her wing ripped from her body. A man with a long beard and a suit of armor slashed through two more fae, cutting them down before their vines could reach his legs. Another mage—a younger version of the Duke and possibly his son—poured blinding light from his hands and brought one of the elders to his knees. I had to shut my eyes against the brightness, and when I opened them, the elder was still as stone, dead in the chaos of the slaughter.

  I caught glimpses of Lucus in the fighting, his horns above a storm cloud filled with jagged lines of purple light. His face, teeth bared and eyes flashing, between vines that were under his control as he drove toward the Mage Duke only to be pushed back again.

  My stomach rolled as I took in the growing number of dead fae. Some of the Duke’s men had fallen as well, but not nearly as many. It seemed the fae weren’t as experienced at fighting as the Mage and his soldiers.

  Fae blood covered the earth.

  Three more of the Duke’s warriors dropped, strangled by fae magic.

  And as quickly as it had started, the attack ended, the Mage Duke calling for a retreat before disappearing through the enchanted entrance to a kingdom that had been more peaceful than any dream.

  Chapter 13

  The real world spilled over the memory, and I was standing beside Lucus, who appeared my age now, his face still showing that long-ago pain. Emotion after emotion tumbled through me as I stared at him with new eyes.

  The vine slid away from me, down the spindle leg of my chair, then returned to weave into his wings, leaves shuffling around the movement.

  “What happened after that?” My voice sounded too loud after the tragedy we’d just shared. The smell of fae blood lingered, so strong that I glanced at my feet just to make sure I wasn’t somehow still standing beside one of Lucus’s fallen brethren.

  Lucus’s gaze went distant. “Are you certain you want to know?”

  His voice thundered in my chest like it had in the memory, like his voice was altogether different from anyone else’s. It wasn’t just the power that he held. It was something else, but hell if I knew what it was. All I knew was that I felt his words inside me like a second pulse. Part of me wanted to claw my chest open to get rid of the feeling. The other part of me embraced the newness of the sensation and the tie it gave me to this otherworldly, fascinating creature.

  “If you are willing to tell me, I’ll listen,” I said quietly.

  “Many of our warriors traveled beyond our kingdom to chase down the Mage Duke. Despite heavy losses on his side, he killed a dozen more fae that first night,” he said quickly, like he wanted to get the words out before his courage failed him. “The scent of our blood tainted everything in the wood. I ruined our home. Ruined it quite thoroughly.”

  He shook his head like he had to clear his thoughts before continuing, and my heart snapped like a bullet had hit its icy center.

  “Then the Mage Duke hired vampire mercenaries to finish the job.” H
is lip curled, and his teeth appeared sharper than I’d thought they were, his incisors like fangs. “When my grandmother, the former alpha, sent my brothers and me to assassinate the Mage Duke and his men, there were only five other fae living in the world.”

  He touched the red silk hanging from his belt, and his throat moved in a slow swallow. “Fae once thrived in the British Isles and all around Europe. But we were the last, the only ones not destroyed by the loss of magic in the modern world. The mages didn’t realize that if we fae died off, no other mages would see their magic come alive. Our existence, fed by the magic in the earth, woke their powers, but the mages never hesitated long enough to learn that fact. There are only a few ancient mages alive now, the Mage Duke being one of them. And because of me, our kind is no more.”

  I didn’t want to feel empathy. Lucus was a monster that fed off humans and sometimes killed them. He was keeping me prisoner.

  But my heart ached for him despite the truth.

  I’d felt the raw pain he had experienced when he’d accidentally killed Lucilla and when he’d started a war between the fae, the mages, and the vampires, endangering his kind in the worst way. My arms longed to hold and comfort him, to tell that young boy inside him that it had been an accident and I knew the truth of that. I’d seen the way he’d stood by his brothers, the lancing fear at losing them to the Mage Duke because of his own ignorance and lack of control. He hadn’t known he was that strong. His alpha status had only emerged during the intensity of inhaling Lucilla’s powerful aura. It had sparked in him the highest level of magic in a fae, but on that day, he’d hated the power because it meant his brothers would never again be safe.

  I met his searching eyes. He almost seemed to be looking for the blame I would throw at him.

  “You believe you deserve this curse,” I whispered, feeling as if the fae I’d seen so alive and beautiful had died only a minute ago, the panic still fresh in my mind. I could almost feel the boy Aurelio shivering beside me like he had next to Lucus in that long-ago moment. Baby Francesco’s tiny ears were as clear in my memory as the last time I’d held my mother’s hands before she died. My own hands shook as I gripped the back of the chair.

  “I do deserve it,” Lucus said. “But my kind did not. My brothers do not.”

  More questions darkened my thoughts, but a knock at the door made me jump. “I’ll get that,” I said numbly.

  “If you must. Know that they will not see me because of the curse.”

  I nodded, recalling his explanation as I strode toward the door. “The first woman who sees the castle is the only one who can.”

  “Exactly.”

  I spun. “Why are you reminding me?”

  He shrugged. “So you don’t look like a fool in front of your people.”

  My fingers trembled as I opened the door to see Hekla’s wide and innocent smile.

  She shoved a Tupperware container of what smelled like chicken soup into my hands. “You don’t look sick, lady.”

  “Uh. Well, I am. Thanks for this, but you should really go. It’s been pretty ugly. Fever. Chills. All of it. Besides, Ami can’t run the bakery alone.”

  For a fleeting moment, I wished so hard that Hekla could see Lucus and help me out. I wanted a friend in this.

  A lavender light washed over my vision.

  Fatigue was straining my eyes, I guessed. I forced my wish to the back of my mind. No, I couldn’t want that. Hekla needed to remain ignorant and safe. I loved my friend, and I didn’t want her anywhere near this.

  Hekla leaned sideways. Her mouth fell open, then she grinned all sly and side-eyed me. “Fever, eh?” She pushed past me and stuck out her hand to Lucus.

  She could see him.

  I stood there, silent and stupid. How?

  Lucus’s hazel gaze went from Hekla to me and back again. He appeared as stunned as I was. “Charmed,” he said quietly, taking her hand and kissing it.

  “Oooo. I love the old-fashioned bit. I’m Hekla. I assume you are what my lovely friend came down with this morning.” She winked.

  He grinned back. “I suppose so.”

  He was playing this off. I took up the ruse of having a secret lover. No way Hekla would buy this, right? I half hoped she would see through us.

  I elbowed her. “You cool with me skipping work today?”

  She gripped my arm and pulled me closer. “Duh.” Releasing me, she threw a smile at Lucus, her gaze dragging over him like she was really enjoying the view. Couldn’t blame her there. “Do you live here in Franklin? I assume you are an…actor?” She pointed at his cloak and boots. “Oh, this was what you were joking about yesterday, Coren, with the castle and all.” She laughed and poked me in the stomach with one little finger. “I didn’t realize anyone was shooting downtown this week.”

  Crap. I had to get her out of here. “Yeah. He’s doing this Shakespeare thing.”

  “Oh, like down near the Parthenon? I went to the outdoor plays once with my ex.”

  Lucus looked a little sick. He fisted his hands. “I enjoy theater.”

  I frowned. Okay. Not the smoothest response.

  Hekla didn’t seem to notice his awkwardness. She did, however, seem to notice his nicely jacked arms. She was basically devouring him with her eyeballs. “How long will you be in town?”

  His color returned to normal, and his fists uncurled, his fingers relaxing. “Ah. Yes, well, I think I have approximately twenty-six days until I must depart.”

  Hekla grimaced at his phrasing, then glanced at me. “Twenty-six. All righty. Has Coren told you about how amazing she is in the kitchen?”

  “I am aware. I enjoyed her pancakes.”

  “I thought I smelled them!” Hekla smacked my arm. “He must be doing something right to get pancakes out of you on the first date.”

  I swallowed, cheeks burning. Lucus was doing absolutely nothing right. Why had I allowed him to have my fabulous pancakes?

  Lucus held up our syrup-slicked plates. “Where should I place these?”

  “In the kitchen.” I nodded toward the sink.

  Making and sharing pancakes had been a simple case of me wanting to be praised for my cooking, right?

  Lucus set the plates in the sink, then proceeded to turn on the faucet. He jolted, obviously surprised. His eyes were bright as a kid’s when he looked at me. “Ingenious, Coren.” Fingers splashing in the stream, he grinned wildly then began washing the plates.

  Hekla snorted a laugh. “He’s a little weird, but I wouldn’t kick him out of bed, that’s for sure.”

  Yeah, sharing my pancakes had nothing to do with Lucus, the fae lord who was currently holding up my two dishtowels and examining them, perhaps deciding which one to use for drying the dishes. There was no way I had anything but anger and contempt for this immortal monster.

  I sighed. I wasn’t buying this lie I was telling myself. I did feel more than rage. I understood Lucus a little bit, and I actually felt bad for him. I didn’t want to, but I did. My life had gone from perfect to perfectly insane.

  Hekla jerked my sleeve and tugged me close. “I will need all the details tomorrow. I can’t believe you thought you could keep amazingly hot actor guy a secret! No wonder you were being so strange yesterday. Was that all a set up for this?” She slapped my arm again and laughed. “You are never dull!”

  Good God. That was not even close to correct.

  A memory of Aunt Viv hit me. She’d said that people will tell themselves the most unbelievable stories just so they don’t see what is right in front of their eyes.

  “Can we do like a double date thing tomorrow night? I can grab Ezra. That would be fun. Let’s do it! Lucus, you up for a double date?”

  Lucus frowned, looking to me for help on an answer as he dried the second plate and set it on the counter.

  I began shoving Hekla toward the door. “Maybe you should go. I bet Ami is freaking out.”

  “Sure. Sure. But text me.” She cupped a hand at her mouth. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Lucu
s! Enjoy your hot stuff!”

  “Oh my God, please stop,” I hissed.

  “I meant the soup, silly!” She waved and left.

  The house was far too quiet without her.

  I whirled to face Lucus, who had finished up in the kitchen and walked back out to the living room/dining room.

  “How did she see you?” I didn’t want to ask if he might be able to lure and feed on her now too. I didn’t want to give him any ideas.

  Lucus chewed the inside of his cheek and crossed his arms, studying me. “I don’t know, but now I’m even more curious about your blood. You must have shifter blood.”

  As he trailed off, thinking, a really dark thought seeped into my head. If I died—and with me any chance of breaking the curse, not to mention a desperately necessary meal—the immortals in the castle would die too. Problem solved. But I liked life. I really didn’t want it to be over so soon. What if I could lock them in the castle and make it impossible for them to fulfill the curse’s required sacrifice? At the end of the month, they had to give up one of their own to keep the rest alive, but if I kept that from happening, I assumed the curse would end all of their murderous lives.

  A twinge of unease seeped through my chest. I remembered the look in Lucus’s face when his younger brothers had run to him during the Mage Duke’s attack.

  I had to do this though. It was me or them. Humans or fae. I chose humans. I couldn’t let Lucus’s tragic backstory affect me, or I’d die. Literally.

  Okay. I had a plan. I would freeze my heart, ignore the weird feelings I was having for Lucus, and figure out how to shut the castle door for good. Or at least for the period of time when they usually provided the curse’s sacrifice. I had no clue how to accomplish it, but at least I had a goal.