Lies of the Fae: Book One of the Stolen Fae series
Author: M.J. Lawrie
Date: 2022-03-03 05:00:00+00:00
Keywords: Fantasy; Fae; Reverse Harem; Dark; Romance; Urban Fantasy; Dark Fantasy; Paranormal Romance; Magic
Description: Monster. Liar. Thief. Killer. I’ve been called it all and so much worse. And they’re not wrong. I’ve been running my whole life. Hiding from the monsters who haunt my dreams and who will tear me apart again and again if they ever find me. I live off whatever I can steal, trapped inside a fae prison city filled with pollution, sin and poverty. Humans have captured the Fae. We belong to them now. My scars make me a bad omen to my people, who shun and torment me at every turn. Cyrus, the egotistical and frustratingly gorgeous leader of the fae under-city, can’t seem to decide whether he wants to
Rights: Copyright &#x00A9;2022 byanonymous

Lies of the Fae

Book One of the Stolen Fae series

MJ Lawrie

Copyright © 2022 MJ Lawrie

All rights reserved.

No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher or author, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law.

For permissions contact: hellomjlawrie@gmail.com

This is a work of fiction. All characters and events in this publication are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is pure coincidental.

Lies of the Fae by MJ Lawrie Independently published
https://www.mjlawrie.com/
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09KQ14B9M

Cover by David Lawrie

Contents

Dedication
Portal
Prologue
1. Chapter 1
2. Chapter 2
3. Chapter 3
4. Chapter 4
5. Chapter 5
6. Chapter 6
7. Chapter 7
8. Chapter 8
9. Chapter 9
10. Chapter 10
11. Chapter 11
12. Chapter 12
13. Chapter 13
14. Chapter 14
15. Chapter 15
16. Chapter 16
17. Chapter 17
18. Chapter 18
19. Chapter 19
20. Chapter 20
21. Chapter 21
22. Chapter 22
23. Chapter 23
24. Chapter 24
25. Chapter 25
26. Chapter 26
27. Chapter 27
28. Chapter 28
29. Chapter 29
30. Chapter 30
31. Chapter 31
32. Chapter 32
33. Chapter 33
34. Chapter 34
35. Chapter 35
36. Chapter 36
37. Chapter 37
38. Chapter 38
39. Chapter 39
40. Chapter 40
41. Chapter 41
42. Chapter 42
43. Chapter 43
44. Chapter 44
45. Chapter 45
46. Chapter 46
47. Chapter 47
48. Chapter 48
Also By
Thank you for reading

For The Witchy Bookworms and The Coven.

Thank you for all your love and support.

Emma, Nisa and Emily.

Hazel and Naomi.

You are all amazing!

Prologue

The babies never cry.

No matter how hungry. No matter how lonely. No matter how terrified or in pain they are.

The babies. Never. Cry.

Two men, both huge and made of solid muscle, grip my upper arms painfully tight as they lead me on. I barely stand as high as their waists. I couldn’t fight them off even if I wanted to. I’m a child.

A little girl.

The room is vast, filled with countless cribs made of grey steel. Stone walls lead up to arched ceilings, with crucifixes and faded paintings of heavenly figures hanging on the walls.

The babies watch me as I pass. Some can sit. Others can pull themselves up onto their feet, their tiny hands, with filthy and chipped fingernails, grip the bars as they watch in silence. The smell of piss, shit and stale milk is overwhelming. Their mess stains the single sheet they have in their miniature prisons. Their skin is pale, almost grey. I always thought babies were supposed to be chubby and pink. Full of smiles, giggles and tears.

But not here.

I’ve quickly learnt that no amount of tears will change our situation. No amount of desperate pleas or reaching hands will warm these men’s hearts. The bones pressing out through our dry and thin skin fail to encourage our keepers to give more food. Our bellies no longer even protest the constant cramps.

But I wasn’t born here. Not like they were.

I remember love. I remember hugs and kisses. The warm embrace of a mum and the tender kiss on a scraped knee.

Where is my mummy?

I ask myself, over and over.

I want my mummy. Where did she go?

I know if I speak, the men will hit me. So I keep quiet.

My body can’t stop shaking, and tears are flowing freely as the men drag me through this hellish nursery. As I struggle against them, my arms burn and bruise even further. My sobbing echoes around this hall.

The babies just look on, unbothered as I’m dragged past them, with dried blood covering the lower part of my face and staining my ears. I can only see through one eye. The other is swollen shut. Three of my fingers are bent out of shape and my leg drags behind me.

My arms are wrapped in filthy bandages soaked in aloe vera to help stop any infection from the burns.

Finally, we emerge onto a long corridor and leave the nursery behind.

Down the hall. Up a flight of stairs, along another corridor and then straight.

To the red door.

Red as blood.

The stench of death oozes out from beneath it. The promise of pain comes with screams from whoever is already in there.

The closer the door gets, the tighter their grip becomes.

My blood runs colder as it rushes through my veins.

‘STOP!’ I scream through desperate tears. ‘I’LL BE A GOOD GIRL! I’LL BE A GOOD GIRL! I’LL BE A GOOD GIRL!’

The door opens.

‘Ahhh,’ he says, showing his porcelain perfect teeth. ‘There’s my girl. We’ve been waiting for you, your sister and I.’ He opens the door a little further and reveals my sweet sister. My poor, sweet sister.

‘Rhea?’ I whimper, looking at the snarling, thrashing creature strapped to the metal chair ahead of me. Her high-pitched shrieking mixes with a low growl, and long, black fingernails claw at the arm of the chair she’s strapped down into. ‘What have you done to my sister?’

‘You shall soon find out. It’s time to save the world, my sweet girl.’ He looks at the men holding me. ‘Strap her down with her sister.’

The door slams shut behind me and my screams of terror blend with my sister’s monstrous screams of rage.

1

Thirteen years later...

‘HEY! WATCH IT, RUNT!’

‘Sorry!’ I call back as I carry on running, gripping the cloth bag close to my chest.

The mammoth man I just bumped into, throws up his hands and spits at the floor, muttering angrily about disrespectful little fuckers.

He mutters far louder when the two men chasing me, shove him out of the way so hard he hits the floor.

I turn with a grin and laugh at the fat man rolling on his back. I keep on legging it.

‘STOP!’ they yell. ‘GET BACK HERE, YOU LITTLE SHIT!’

Not fucking likely. I like having all my teeth. And I like the bag of goodies I just plucked from their pockets even more.

Shame they felt me relieve them of their coin, or whatever else may be in here, but hey, you win some, you get chased by others.

I’m light on my feet, quick and small. I duck and dodge the heavily filled streets. Unlike the two idiots trying to catch me, filled with cheap beer that tastes of piss and lungs full of tar and smog from years of living in this polluted and dirty city.

A city that never sleeps. It never rests. Late evening means street food, the dregs from the market, and the start of the night shift for the whores. I run past them all, laughing loudly. The two trying to catch me can’t navigate the streets as well as I can.

I go past the fishmongers who slam their chunky, dull blades on the heavily stained chopping boards. The stench of old fish guts turn my stomach and as I leap over the puddles of blood and slime, I grab a fish head with three eyes and toss it back at the idiots chasing me. The look of disgust as it smacks into one of their faces has me laughing harder. The monger groans and rolls his eyes as he carries on gutting whatever the fuck classes as a fish in this shithole.

I give the tattooist working by the open door of his studio a wide berth. He gets real pissed if he gets jolted. I narrowly dodge a drunk falling out of the Devilled Pigs bar and turn right, hoping that the bustle of Ladies Lane might give me some cover. Or at least some distraction.

The neon lights reflect in the black puddles and the stench of cigar smoke and sweat, somehow manages to overpower the market stink.

‘In trouble again?’ A half-naked woman calls, shaking her head as she looks on. Her red stilettos add inches to her height and the only other thing she wears is a matching red thong.

‘Looking fine, Trixie!’

‘Looking like trouble, kid,’ she calls back.

‘Must be a Tuesday,’ her friend retorts, taking a man by the hand and leading him inside her brothel.

Trixie sticks out her foot and trips my pursuers before leaning over one of them, tits out and hands wandering over her body.

‘Oh, dear. Here, handsome. Let me help you up.’

He can’t tear his eyes away from her bouncing bosom and pert arse.

Trixie throws me a wink as she takes her newly acquired client inside the brothel.

Thank you, ladies.

But the second one, the man I liberated my score from, he’s not giving up.

I duck down an alley, leap over the trash bags and used condoms, and come out on Traders Lane. Canopied market stalls display clothes scraped together from whatever the hell people can find within the city's walls. Or whatever they manage to buy from those few sellers who venture inside these walls from outside, flogging their used and unwanted shit to the lesser creatures sealed inside this city.

Old leather. Worn out and frayed cloth. Nets. Rope. Steel.

Oh, nice!

I snatch an adorable jumper of deep green and black stripes. The wool is thin and bare, it’s more holes than material, but I do like green. I shove it inside my jacket and pull my hood further over my head, making sure my scarf is still covering the lower half of my face.

Last thing I need are these pricks seeing my face.

It’s not exactly easy to forget.

The scarves are needed not only for anonymity, but the stench and pollution in the city's centre are really toxic.

As I weave between a stall of boots and gloves, I also help myself to a nice fingerless pair that will go well with the jumper.

I turn right, just as a bucket of I-don’t-even-want-to-know is tossed from one of the countless windows above.

I hear my pursuer skid in the mess and fall.

‘I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!’ He roars as he scrambles back onto his feet. ‘Fucking disgusting! GET BACK HERE!’

Nope.

I slip as I make a sharp left but quickly right myself. As I struggle to avoid the bustling crowd roaming these narrow streets, I get a chorus of:

Watch it, kid!

Hey!

What the fuck, bitch!

When I don’t spot a pothole the size of my head, I stack it hard onto the floor and land badly on my wrist.

‘Shit,’ I hiss, throwing a look over my shoulder. ‘SHIT!’ I pull myself clear of his reaching hand and get back on my feet.

I stop myself from heading down the street ahead when I see three men dressed head to toe in black. Their knee-length coats are held together with iron seams and they wear riot helmets on their heads and metallic gas masks over their mouths. On their lapel are golden eye insignias.

‘Authority…’ I whisper.

They have a young guy surrounded and are openly mugging him for whatever he’s brought from the market today.

Everyone in the alley is doing anything they can not to gain the attention of the only humans that are permitted within the city. They back up, keep their heads down. And when the young guy in the middle of the group is struck on the back of the head and falls to the floor with blood in his eyes, no one bats an eye. They turn away.

They choose to live another day.

I spin on my heel and dart off in the other direction.

Getting cornered by the Authority is the last thing I need right now.

Or ever.

I duck down another alley and keep looking behind me.

Bloody idiot, because when I look forwards, I see a damn wall blocking my path.

‘Riiiight. This is a dead-end. The next alley is the one I wanted.’ I nod, acknowledging my own stupidity, and turn to face the incoming consequence of my actions.

The man stops at the entrance of the alley, panting hard and clutching a stitch. There’s something brown smeared up his arm. His leg is covered in fish guts and there’s some old cabbage stuck in his hair.

I snigger before I can stop myself.

‘Give it back, you little runt. And let me pummel that face of yours.’

He steps forwards, fists clenched and a furious sneer on his face.

‘Is that shit on your jacket?’ I ask.

He growls at me in response.

‘It looks like shit. I think it is shit. Dude… you have people poo on your arm.’

‘I am going to tear off your head and shit down your neck.’

‘Well. That’s an image,’ I grimace.

Stalling him as I look for a way out isn’t giving me anything of use. There’s an old, potentially lethal fire escape route bolted to the wall above, but it’s barely intact. The metal was no doubt stolen over the years by salvagers and the walls stretch out of sight into the permanent layer of smoke and steam that drifts above our fair city.

‘Look. How about we split whatever’s in here?’ I dangle the satchel. ‘Then we both go away happy.’

‘How about I punch your face in, and I go away happy with you dead and my money back?’

‘Now, is that any way to talk to a lady?’ I smile.

He pulls out a six-inch blade from his knee-length leather coat with odd-coloured sleeves and massive safety pins closing various tears.

‘The way I’m talking to you is the least of your problems.’

I return the pouch to my jacket, nestling it nice and safely with the jumper and gloves, and roll my shoulders.

‘All right then. Come at me, poop-man.’

He charges forwards and I’m ready. But before I can dodge the broad and frankly sloppy blow he brings down, he's thrown like a ragdoll headfirst into the wall by another.

Poop-man slides to the floor, leaving behind a trail of blood and two of his front teeth embedded in the brick.

Stood behind him is a figure dressed all in black. His leather, sleeveless jacket reaches to his knees showing off his bare, heavily muscled stomach, which frankly, is too delicious to look away from. His intricate ink markings stretch across his ripped abs and up to his broad chest. His thick arms hang by his side, just as solid and strong as the rest of him. His black jeans fit him in all the right ways. His bulky boots are steel capped and splattered with dried blood. His black hair is a perfect mess atop his head and hangs over his vividly silver eyes that shine in the darkness of the alley. It reaches down to the chiselled cheekbones and stern jaw I know are hidden beneath his deep red face scarf. When he pulls it down, his lips are turned up in a sadistically sweet half-grin.

‘You’re welcome,’ he says.

‘I didn’t need your help, Cyrus.’

‘Really?’ Cyrus walks towards me and stops as close as he possibly can without touching me. ‘Didn’t look that way to me.’

He stands a clear head taller than me and his scent instantly invades my senses. That fucking smell of cinnamon and bonfire.

It makes my mouth water. It takes all I have not to stare at the god-like body before me. And the more I stare into his eyes, determined not to enjoy his figure, the bigger his smile grows.

He is, without a doubt, the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen.

It’s such a shame he’s a massive, fucking arsehole.

He holds out his hand.

‘Don’t you fucking dare, Cyrus.’

‘Now, now, Princess. You know the deal.’

‘I worked hard for this. I’m not handing it over to you.’

‘I’ve told you before not to be thieving in my patch. You work my streets you better be ready to pay your fee.’

‘I wasn’t in your patch when I lifted it.’

‘Well, you’re in my patch now.’

He never looks away as he reaches inside my coat and takes hold of the score. We both hear the jangle of coins as he wraps his fingers around it.

‘I need that money, Cyrus. I’ve fucking earned it.’

His hand remains in my coat as he leans closer, his nose a hair’s breadth away from mine and that smile growing. He gently inhales as if taking in my scent.

‘Why not go and paint some fences or empty rat traps. I hear you’re excellent at those dirty little jobs. Almost as good as you are at thieving.’

‘I’m done working in the gutter for pennies. I need money. This money.’

‘Then how about you fuck me and earn it back?’ He stills and lets out a short laugh as I raise my brow. ‘And what do you plan on doing with that?’ he asks, feeling the small switchblade I have pressed against his semi-hard cock.

‘I suggest you get your hands out of my clothes before you find out,’ I reply. ‘Like I said. I’m done working in the gutter.’

Cyrus slowly withdraws but takes the pouch with him.

He hooks his finger in the edge of my face scarf and pulls it down.

‘I do so love when you venture into my part of the city. You are my favourite toy. One I’m very keen to play with.’

I nudge the blade a little harder into him. ‘Tell the blood still rushing to your prick to get back to less important body parts. I would hate for you to bleed out in an alley.’

The clatter of metal bins and the shuffling of feet announce the arrival of his goons. Three others step out from the shadows, all concealed behind their face scarves.

Cyrus continues to smile down at me and leans in closer, paying no mind to the threat I’m still holding between his legs.

‘I can’t help it. Every time I see you, I get harder than a hammer. When will you give in and ride me like a stallion?’ He stops talking as I press the switchblade further into his now fully aroused appendage. ‘That is not helping my situation. I love a woman who can handle a lethal weapon.’ He raises his brow suggestively.

‘Give it back, Cyrus.’ I hold out my free hand expectantly, and he places the stolen bag of money into my open palm. But he doesn’t let it go.

His eyes drift from mine and scans the left side of my face.

I blush red as he looks at the scars marking my face and I wince as he traces the very tips of his fingers down the long grooves. When he turned up in this part of the city three months ago and first cornered me in his patch with a pocket full of stolen wallets I’d spent the day lifting, he was fascinated by the four lines that cut clear across my eye. Considering that it’s near impossible to leave a scar on our kind, the four huge ones that mark me, single me out in all the worst ways.

Because only one thing in this world can scar a Fae. And it’s something that no one has ever survived an encounter with.

Except me, apparently.

Cyrus has conned, blackmailed, threatened and killed his way up the pecking order of the city’s underground thugs and now runs the inner city. Not a bad feat for a guy in his early twenties. With a slow blink, he pulls his gaze away from my scars and resumes his smarmy smirking.

‘You know as well as I do that there’s no way you leave this alley with all that money. Pay up, Princess.’

As soon as I let my eyes wander for a possible escape route that involves me keeping this all for myself, his hand is around my throat and my back is against the wall.

The bag falls to the floor and the coins inside spill out, rolling in all directions.

I grab at his wrist, but he may as well be made of marble.

My feet lift from the floor. I gasp and grab at him to try and free myself.

‘You’re not so stupid as to try and steal from me, are you, Princess?’

‘Get off me, you fuck.’

‘Suck my dick, and maybe I’ll let you go.’

‘If your dick comes near me I’ll bite it off.’

He and his men laugh as he lets me go. I gulp in my breath, ready to hurl a few choice words at the wanker, but the back of his hand slams into my cheek and knocks me to the floor.

‘You’re lucky I don’t get easily offended, or a slap would be the least of your troubles. Now take your cut and get the fuck out of my alley.’

I could spit fire I’m so full of rage. I grab as many coins as I can get away with and stand, facing him, unblinking and as tall as I can manage.

‘You hit like a bitch.’

‘I don’t want to bruise that pretty little face of yours.’ He pulls my scarf back up my face and secures my hood over my head. ‘Don’t want anyone recognising you, do we now? I’d hate for the Authority to cart you off before I get my chance to play with you.’

When he winks at me, I can’t help the embarrassing little whimper I produce. The man is a dick. A colossal fucker who would slit my throat and leave me for dead in this alley if the alternative was letting me leave with all the cash. But damn, the man is hot as hell, with a body I would thoroughly enjoy, I’m sure.

I can appreciate sexy when it’s due.

‘Off you pop.’ He steps aside, as do the others blocking the exit. ‘And stay away from Traders Lane. Authority are out in force tonight. I don’t want your brains messing up my streets. You hear me?’

I don’t wait to be told twice. I get the hell out of there.

2

The further from the centre of the city you get, the less crowded and less polluted it becomes. But the evening sky is still lost to the permanent smog that hovers above our city. There’s just less of it down at street level here.

Sticking to the quieter streets and keeping my head down, I head for home. My stomach growls as I pass a bakery. But rather than spend my hard-earned money on fresh bread, I take a look in the bins and grab the loaf with the least amount of mould.

When the brothels end, street hookers linger by dark and secluded passageways. Unlike those permitted a spot in the whore houses, these women aren’t exactly what you call desirable.

True. Fae are beautiful.

We have flawless skin. Silky hair. Symmetrical features, vibrant eyes and full lips. But living in squalor, half-starved and shooting christ knows what into your veins after selling your pussy all day long, certainly takes its toll. Most street workers are missing teeth. Or fingers. Or anything else they were willing to sell to pay off the debtors that hound them or the pimps who lose their tempers.

Organs. Blood. Hair. You name it, and there is someone desperate enough to sell it or someone malicious enough to take it.

They all cough, suffocated from decades of breathing in this horrid air.

Rosenwood City.

HA!

A name that should represent beauty and magic. Peace and tranquillity. Maybe it did once, back when we did, before it all went to shit and we became the scourge of humanity’s existence.

Now, Rosenwood is an overcrowded city that’s bursting at the seams with crime, pollution, Fae, and desperation.

The houses in the outer-city are squashed together and built up high or dug into the sewers. There are no front gardens here. No decorative ornaments. No white picket fences. No trees. No nature.

The outer city limits are littered with shacks. Houses barely hammered together with wood and sheet metal. Basic electricity travels through buzzing powerlines overhead and a limited water supply gives us enough to barely get by.

I carry on down the cobbled streets and walk beneath makeshift bridges fashioned from rotten planks, and I watch as two kids play chase between the two houses at either end of the walkway. Every roof is patched up. Every window boarded up. Heavy ropes trail overhead and dingy laundry dries in the soot and smoke, away from the reach of light-fingered passersbys.

I shove some stale bread in my mouth and carry on.

The skyline all around is dominated by large chimneys, billowing thick smoke into the air. Humanity doesn’t like pollution to contaminate their lungs or ruin their pristine towns and cities, so we have the privilege of housing the factories and powerplants within our walls. Seeing as we’re also the ones to work inside them, it seemed only fitting.

I put half the bread in my pocket and carry on through the houses, pulling out my new gloves and sliding them on. They fit perfectly. I carry on, down street after street and when I meet the odd gaze, people close their doors or back away.

A very trusting lot, us Fae.

But the outer city isn’t home. Not for me. And not for the girl lingering by the corner under the only lamp post currently working, with her arms wrapped around her waist, looking sharply all around her for any sign of a threat.

She hears my whistle and turns.

Ahriella. My sort of sister. She is the perfect example of a Fae girl. From her perfect features to her smooth as silk blonde hair, to her soft voice and her vibrantly green eyes. She holds herself with grace and is sweet and polite. Nothing but perfectly fitted dresses are permitted on her body, with matching dolly shoes and a colour coordinated ribbon in her hair.

‘Where on earth have you been?’ she scorns, placing her hands on her hips and scowling. She even lowers her matching face scarf to ensure I get the full effect of her annoyance. ‘I’ve been waiting for ages.’

‘Tim not want to wait with you?’ I ask, knowing full well why he isn’t here. Ahri doesn’t want her precious boyfriend too close to anything much in her life. Not her shitty house. Not her dirt-poor family and not her scarred mess of a sister who freaks people out. Ahri and Tim are love’s young dream, but he’s from an acceptable family that lives in the nicer part of the inner-city. No way she can show him the true grit of her life. The life of a girl from the Marshes.

Not yet. But Ahri has a plan.

‘You said sundown,’ she snaps.

‘The sun’s only just set,’ I argue.

‘It set over an hour ago. I’ve been waiting here for ages. You know it’s not safe to be out after dark.’

And sadly, it’s even less safe being in our house after dark, all alone, too.

I take her arm and lead her on, giving her the left-over bread from my pocket. ‘We’ll be back soon enough. Stop fretting. Good day?’

‘Same old. Sewing silk nighties and stockings until my fingers bleed. You?’

‘I was looking for a job.’

‘Where?’

‘Inner-city. Where else?’

She takes my chin and inspects the mark no doubt left by Cyrus earlier.

‘Someone hit you?’

‘Nothing I couldn’t handle.’

‘Tell me you weren’t out thieving again.’

‘I wasn’t out thieving again.’ I take the coins in my pocket and hand them to her. ‘On a completely different note, I found these. Lucky, huh?’

‘Raven,’ she whines.

‘Ahri,’ I whine back.

‘It was him again, wasn’t it? That Cybo creep.’

‘Cyrus. Not Cybo. And it was just a misunderstanding. It’s fine.’

We carry on and the wooden shacks start to thin out.

I pull out my torch from my pocket and use it to guide our way through the marshes, where the ground slowly swallows anything that lingers for too long. We follow the plank walkway constructed over it.

‘He’s a nutter. You shouldn’t keep pushing his buttons. The inner city is his patch.’

‘It’s where the money is, Ahri. Besides, I think he wants in my knickers more than he wants to kill me.’

‘And that’s supposed to make me feel better?’

‘You’d feel better if you saw his abs.’

She gives me a whack before we jump off the walkway and get our feet back on solid land. Land which has long since died. It’s basically gravel and stone. The shells of old human houses encircle the outer city. Houses abandoned decades ago to make room for the new Fae city, which would become mandatory for us all to live in.

A few of us, those poor and desperate enough, have made homes here. It’s close to the wall which encircles Rosenwood. A wall which is a hundred feet high and plated with iron. It comes with the bonus of landmines buried between us and it. Iron is poisonous to Fae. If we touch it, our skin burns and getting too close to such a large amount as is in the walls, gives you one hell of a headache after a while.

We’re so far out, the phrase “No one can hear you scream” is more a reminder than a threat.

Not many live this far out. There’s no clean water supply. No electricity. We have to use a loud and stinking gas generator for power. It’s the very edge of Fae-civilisation.

And it’s home sweet home.

‘You’re still going to the Academy tomorrow, though, right?’ she asks.

‘Yes, Ahri,’ I groan. ‘I said I would and I will.’ I fucking wish I hadn’t. I loathe it in that place. Loathe it! But for her, I’ll suck it up. My dear sister. Well. Sort of. We share the same dad. Kinda. She’s a year older than me and as bossy as a mother.

We turn down the dirt road littered with deep cracks and holes, and pass the remainder of the houses left here to rot.

The first is half burned down. The next one along is completely boarded up. The next is a well-known drug den and squat.

The next, abandoned.

Beside that? Nothing but a pile of rubble. The house burnt down a year ago when the guy that lived there with his young son fell asleep with a lit cigarette in one hand and a bottle of whiskey in the other.

I still have nightmares about that night.

The screaming. The smell as they burned.

We leave the dirt track and head to the shadow cast by the wall surrounding us, and walk to the rusted, chain-link fence marking the edge of our garden. There’s a half-melted sofa on the dried-up lawn and more empty bottles of cheap liquor than it’s possible to count. There is no glass in the windows. Metal sheeting boards it out. But we do have a front door. That’s more than the rest have.

‘I get that it’s not as exciting as pickpocketing and dangerous run-ins with outlaw lunatics,’ Ahri continues. ‘But the Academy programme ensures you a job. You don’t want to end up like Mum and Dad, do you?’

We stop at the front door as we hear the loud, deep laughter of several men inside. We also hear the husky forced laughter of a woman.

They must have scraped together enough to share a hooker.

Gross.

Without speaking a word, we head around the back instead and pull out the ladder we have stashed behind the old sofa. Ahri climbs first as I hold the bottom. Once she’s clambered inside the bedroom window, she leans out and grips the ladder, steadying it so I can climb up too. As soon as I pass the threshold of the house, I hear a light beep-beep. I pull down my top at the neck and check that the light on my collar is flashing green, registering that I’ve checked into my place of residence. Ahri checks the collar around her neck and we see it’s also flashing green.

These damned collars. The sleek black bands sealed around our necks are placed there at birth and will be removed only when we die. They are the only real form of advanced technology in this place. They ensure humanity’s safety. Their safety against the creatures they have trapped inside this place. Each one is fitted with a wonderful little explosive that will blow our heads clean off if we ever, by some miracle, venture past the city limits.

Or, if we're deemed too dangerous to be allowed to carry on living.

And what on earth could be so dangerous about a load of degenerate, desperate Fae with bombs forever around their necks? Well, that would be the curse.

One that we all live in fear of each and every day.

More than the pollution. The hunger. The depravity or the violence.

A curse that will land us in the hands of the very people who keep us sealed up like animals.

The Authority.

The organisation that polices us, punishes us and generally keeps us in this cage they built.

A curse that will turn us from their prisoners to their Pets.

I will die before I let that happen to me.

Ahri collects the small scanner we keep up here and holds it up to my eye. A bright light shines in my eyes and the machine whirrs at it sends its results to the Authority computers.

No Fae has what you would call… human eyes. None are pale. None are dull. Our eyes shine bright with vibrant colours that sparkle.

My eyes are sapphire blue. Well, one is. The other is baby blue, seeing as I nearly went blind getting these scars.

Ahri’s are vivid green.

But the last colour you want is gold.

Because when your eyes go golden, that means powers have manifested.

We call it “Triggered”.

From deep within our ageless bloodlines, a glimmer of magic has somehow survived. And when it awakens… nothing good follows.

Because it means that you are suddenly valuable.

The Authority does like to collect valuable members of the Fae community. With or without our consent.

Mostly without.

We can Trigger at any second. At any age.

Everyone wears a collar. We’re are all tracked and monitored, making sure we’re within the walls that surround us. If we go a day without scanning our eyes, we’re tracked down and arrested.

And if the day ever comes when we Trigger, there’s no going back.

We can kill ourselves.

The preferred method, to be fair. One that is wildly fought against by the Authority because if we die, they lose out on some serious cash. They can’t sell a product if the product hangs itself.

Or you hand yourself in. If you do, your family will be very generously financially compensated. But if you try to run, anyone who brings you in will be financially compensated instead and your family are seriously punished.

Parents have handed over their kids for a lot less, I can promise you that.

If a stranger catches sight of a Triggered Fae, then believe you me, your arse is caught and handed over. Then the Authority go after your family as a warning to others who think about running.

If we are not collected, caught or sold to the Authority, then we are left with option three.

Dark-Fae.

If our eyes go golden and we do not hand ourselves over to the Authority, we don’t get given Gilt.

Gilt is a liquid antidote that needs to be given to a Triggered Fae as soon as possible and regularly. If we don’t get it, we become Dark creatures.

Our Fae gene has devolved to such an extent that when the power in us awakens, it turns us into deadly, soulless, primal and destructive creatures.

Our skin becomes grey. Scales start to grow on our bodies. Our fingers become talons and claws. Our bones bend and twist and snap, morphing us into hellish creatures with the strength to tear any man to pieces. Whatever powers we obtain become rotten and destructive.

Without Gilt regularly injected into Triggered-Fae, they become Dark-Fae. Hell beasts that kill everyone and destroy everything. We lose our memories. We feel no love. No compassion. Just hunger for pain and blood and ash.

To receive Gilt, you must live and work for the Authority, as only they have it. You do what they say when they say it. You become their possession. Their weapon. Their whore. Their spy. Their experiment. You become whatever they want you to be or whatever they sell you to be used as. If you refuse or disobey or annoy them, or if your powers are simply useless and no one wants it, you die.

And once you Trigger, if you don’t get Gilt and you turn Dark, you can never unring that bell. You are Dark for all time.

Gilt can’t save you. No one can save you or bring you back, and you’ll no doubt kill countless others before they detonate that little bomb in your collar.

We spend our lives looking in a mirror, praying never to see gold. We spend our lives watching and waiting to see if friends or family will be plucked from our homes because they were unlucky, and their Fae gene awoke.

What a choice.

We either die a monster, or we become their slaves.

We’re already their prisoners, their labour, their punching bag and sometimes, if you’re in the wrong place at the wrong time, their victim.

But today, no golden threads are lacing throughout our irises. No special abilities have manifested.

I scan Ahri’s eyes. She gets the all-clear too. I turn and close the sheet of metal we use as a window and feel the weight of these walls grow. I long to be free of this place.

Of the monster that lurks here, prowling the halls and hiding in shadows.

Soon, I tell myself. Real soon, I’ll be rid of it all.

But for now, this house is safer than out there after dark.

We tiptoe through our bedroom, past the mattress in the corner and a few items of clothing left in a pile, and sneak onto the landing. The men below belch and yell as they play their card game and snort their drugs.

We head to the bathroom and gently close the door behind us.

‘It’s only another six months,’ she whispers.

‘What is?’ I whisper back.

Ahri steps onto my cupped hands and reaches up to the hidden hatch in the ceiling.

‘The programme. Six more months and you’re ensured to get a job. A real job.’

‘Yay.’

I push her up and she disappears into the darkness of the attic. Seconds later, a rope tumbles down and I start my climb. My head is barely inside before she carries on.

‘It’s a level of security most in our situation don’t get afforded, Raven. You should be grateful. I went to great lengths to get you a place on the programme.’

I haul myself up and retrieve the rope before sliding the hatch back over, concealing our little hideaway from prying eyes and angry fists.

‘You asked your boyfriend’s dad to get me on the programme. It’s not like you sold a kidney.’

She turns on a torch and looms at me from the shadows with a judgmental glare.

‘Do you want to get out of this house and have our own place, or not?’

‘You know I do.’

‘Then you need a job. You know I can’t afford to keep us both with my job alone and I won’t have you running the streets like an urchin, stealing money. If you get arrested, my reputation will be ruined. I could lose my job. Tim would leave me and-’

‘Yeah. Yeah. I know.’

I’ve heard this a million times.

‘Engineering isn’t so bad,’ she adds.

‘Says the seamstress. I’m looking at a lifetime of fixing cars I’ll never drive and mending machines that will only make more pollution for our city. This placement will see me a grease monkey for the rest of my life, serving to fulfil the needs of the humans who have us in collars.’

I crawl past her and head towards the tent we have pitched up here in the attic. I unzip it and climb in, shaking with anger at the mere idea of being anything remotely valuable for humanity.

The Academy placement programme is supposed to be some holy grail to us lowly creatures, scurrying about in this cage made of stone and iron. Sign up for the Academy and if you pass their exams, you get to enrol. Each year it varies. Because it totally depends on what the humans need. More fine gowns and suits? Train us up as seamstresses. An increase in the popularity of eating chicken? Train up more breeders and butchers.

A shortage of coal? Then we supply the miners.

Someone’s got to make their shit and kill their meat. Humans sure as hell ain’t gonna do it themselves.

They train us up, get ridiculously cheap labour and dare to call it mercy. A gift. Not like we have many choices here.

We can’t own houses, so we rent. Humans own the property, they refuse to keep it up to decent code, and they can charge whatever they want for it. Our jobs are only permitted to pay us a certain amount. And rent isn’t cheap.

We have found a place on the outskirts of the inner city. Close to Tim, of course. It’s a shit hole, but it was the only place that would accept two girls from the marshes so we snapped it up. But they would only agree to let to us if we pay a hefty deposit and the first three months’ rent upfront.

Thanks to my light fingers and Ahri’s calloused ones, we’re almost there. After years of scraping and saving, we are almost there.

We would be even closer if Cyrus hadn’t taken my money today in the alley.

If we find the extra cash needed, we’ll be out of the tent hidden in the attic in just over a week. Out of the shell of a house at the edge of the city.

‘I can’t believe it’s finally happening,’ she sighs happily, sinking into the pile of blankets and lumpy pillows we have in the tent. ‘Just think. Soon we’ll have our own place.’ She beams at the idea. At the dream. ‘This will all just be an awful memory and a trauma we can leave behind us. Then, we’ll find you a man and everything will be perfect. Absolutely perfect.’

For her, sure.

‘It’s all set up,’ she says. ‘Well, almost. Assuming we get the rest of the money together in time.’

‘We have less than a week to find the rest of the cash, or she’ll give the flat away,’ I remind her, pulling off my clothes and looking forward to getting in the baggy t-shirt and shorts on my pillow. ‘I really think my time is better used outside of the placement and earning more cash.’

‘Stealing, you mean.’

‘I really don’t want to go back there, Ahri. School was a shit show for me. You know I hated it. Going back there is-’

‘It’s just a few months. For goodness sake. Stop being so selfish. We’re so close to getting our own place. Don’t ruin it now.’

She snaps her words at me but quickly gets over it as she’s too swept up in the dream to worry about the fact that we’re still short of money and that I really don’t want to step foot back inside that place again.

‘Just think, we’ll have a safe place to call home.’ She takes the coins I handed her earlier and puts them with the rest of the money we’ve managed to scrape together over the years.

Years of lifting wallets from people with nothing to steal and conning people at cards.

But if Ahri ever asks, it’s from odd jobs in the city like running parcels or collecting glasses at the Devilled Pigs pub.

In our comfy clothes and buried under multiple blankets, we talk about the little flat between the inner city and the wooden shacks that we will be taking possession of in one short week. It’s a tiny one bed. It’s also super close to an extremely noisy nightclub that’s open twenty-four-seven. But it’s more luxury, freedom and safety than we have ever had. It sure as shit is a step up from this.

Below, the drinking continues for hours. The voices of the old man and his friends get louder, the words more slurred. Ahri falls asleep before the loud grunting of the men ploughing into the whore downstairs begins. I close my eyes and think of running the streets beyond the city.

Streets I’ve never seen, under a moon that never breaks through the smog, feeling the blades of grass beneath my feet that struggle to grow here, and drinking from a fresh river.

Everything here is poisoned. The water. The food. The air. The people.

I long to get the hell out of here. To get out of here and burn the whole system to the ground.

And to find the men responsible for the scar that marks my face. The men who stole my life from me and destroyed the only people I ever truly loved.

3

‘Wake up, my dearest ones. Wake up.’

The softest voice whispers in my ear and gentle hands urge me awake. The silk sheets are pulled off my body, and I rub my tired eyes.

‘Mummy?’ I whimper.

A flash of lightning illuminates the room and rain lashes against the window outside.

‘You must hide, my beautiful girls. Take your sister’s hand. Quickly, now.’

I look back and see Rhea sitting, rubbing her eyes and groaning with sleep. Her long black hair is a mess. Mummy reaches over and clears it from her face.

From somewhere in the house, doors slam and glass breaks. The sound of men’s voices filter through and I see the look of terror on my mother’s usually serene and sweet face.

I’m pulled from the bed, my sister’s hand in mine, and we rush to the wardrobe by the wall. The doors open and we’re ushered inside. My mother covers us in clothes and tries so hard not to look afraid.

‘Quiet as mice, my loves. Make not a single sound. No matter what you hear. Promise me.’

‘We promise, Mummy,’ my sister and I reply in unison, with the same voice, the same intonation. Everything the same.

‘I love you both. With all my heart and all my soul.’

I see a tear slide down her cheek as a loud bang makes us all jump.

Her finger presses to her lips.

We both copy her.

She closes the wardrobe door, but not entirely. A small crack lets me see.

She runs to the middle of the room and faces the door.

It opens.

A large shadow starts to form at her back, but before it can fully materialise, another loud bang startles us and she falls with red running from her belly.

Others stride in and grab her. She kicks and she screams as they throw her on the bed.

My sister covers her ears to try and block out her cries.

Why are they laughing? Why is she screaming so much? Why is she crying? What are they doing to her?

I hear more sounds. Sounds my child mind doesn’t understand. The tearing of the fabric. The heavy grunting of men. And so much laughing.

The wardrobe doors are thrown open and a man stands there, looking down at us.

Another flash of lightning followed by a deep rumble of thunder.

The man smiles.

‘There you are. I have been looking everywhere for you girls.’

My sister and I both scream.

The low rumble of distant thunder wakes me from a nightmare that has plagued me for far too many years. The screams of my biological sister and mother follow me into my waking world, as does the terror of my child-sized heart. I sit, tossing off my blanket and clasping my hammering heart. My hands tremble and I gasp in breath after breath.

I close my eyes, hoping to rid myself of the horrors that haunt me.

But closing my eyes only takes me further into the nightmare. Further into the pain and torture and screams.

‘It’s just a dream,’ I whisper, patting my open palm over my racing heart. ‘It’s just a dream.’

Another rumble of thunder makes me yelp. I slam my hand over my mouth, stopping my despair before it can escape.

I fucking hate thunder. It frightens me on a primal level that I don’t fully understand.

‘Are you okay?’ Ahri whispers beside me. Her sleepy words float through the air, but she doesn’t move. Her face is hidden behind her platinum blonde hair, which looks perfectly neat and straight even whilst sleeping. ‘Another nightmare?’

‘I’m fine,’ I reply, lying back down and pulling my knees up to my chest.

She shifts and drapes her arm over me. ‘Want to talk about it?’

‘I’m fine. Just go back to sleep.’

She doesn’t need telling twice and falls back asleep easily.

I close my eyes and take a shaky breath. I know any hope of sleep has abandoned me for the night. I’m awake and will be until the sun rises. A quick check of my watch tells me it’s three am. Downstairs, the old man and his friends continue to laugh and shout. The drugs and alcohol turn them all into fucking animals. We’re safely hidden up here, out of sight and sealed away.

I pull Ahri’s arm further around my body and sigh, wishing I could fall back asleep as quickly as her.

But Ahri doesn’t have nightmares as I do, and for that, I’m eternally grateful.

Ahri’s watch faintly beeps, alerting us both to the depressing reality that morning has arrived.

It chimes twice before she shuts it off and stretches out her limbs. The blanket slides off my body as she rolls and works out the aches and kinks in her muscles whilst I hide my head under my pillow.

‘Nooooo…’ I complain. ‘I only just fell back asleep…’

Ahri tears the pillow from my face and smacks me with it.

‘Up. Wash. Out. You’re due at the Academy today.’

She yawns her words, but they’re still stern and final.

When I fail to budge, I feel the light tap of her hand on my cheek.

‘C’mon. Let me see them.’

I swat away her hands, but she tuts and carries on tap-tap-tapping my face.

‘Open your eyes.’

‘Urggghhhhhh….’

I blink open my eyes, finding the small torch my crazy sister is shining in my face.

Beyond the beams, I see her staring at me intently.

‘Let me see, and then you can check me.’

It’s the same every morning. I keep my eyes wide and await her report. Her brow furrows. Her eyes dance back and forth as she searches.

‘Well?’ I ask after a moment.

She places the small light into my hand. ‘You’re all clear. My turn.’ Her eyes widen as she sits facing me.

I shine the light into her eyes.

Nope. Not a single glimmer of gold.

‘You’re good,’ I yawn, clicking off the torch and offering it back to her.

‘Shall we head out?’ Ahri asks. ‘They’ve probably all gone by now, do you think?’

‘Only one way to find out.’

I crawl over to the door of the tent and open it up. The attic is in darkness, as it always is, except for the slight cracks where the roof tiles have slipped, letting in tiny beams of the morning light.

We boarded out the floors ages ago and put this tent up here. We filled it with duvets, blankets, and anything we didn’t want the old man or his pals to get their grubby fingers on. Our decent clothes. Our shoes. Our toiletries. Some food and water. Our books.

And us.

His temper is fierce and his anger unyielding. If he has something to drink, he’s manageable. But as soon as that bottle is empty, he’s a rabid dog.

Twenty-two.

That’s how many of our bones he’s broken or dislocated.

Fifty-one.

That’s how many stitches we’ve needed because of him.

Most of that was after his wife, Ahri’s biological mum, died four years ago. Before that, she was his first stop to vent out his anger. That’s just about all that woman ever did for us. Distract his fists.

But she never intentionally got between him and us. To be fair, Ahri’s mum had a good reason not to get between her fifteen stone husband and us when he was in the throes of a drunken rage.

Her clients didn’t like her bruised.

Unless they were the ones who put them on her, of course.

She’d turn away. Walk out the door for a smoke. Especially when he came for me. The pretend daughter. The one they took in for money, not created.

If you have a dependant living in your house, someone under the age of twenty, then you get some extra cash from the very people who built the walls around us. It’s called Parent-Pay. I came here when I was about ten years old. The old man’s been collecting money for me as his “daughter” ever since, but that ends when I turn twenty and it ends for Ahri in six weeks. Which is why it’s so important we get out of here before her birthday. He already takes a fair whack of Ahri’s wages, but it’s peanuts compared to Parent-pay. He’ll want more money and he’ll have her earning the same way he had his wife earning before she died.

Not gonna happen.

Bile rises to my throat as a flicker of my young teenage years flash across my eyes. Ahri’s mum in the room down the hall as Ahri and I sat in our bedroom, listening to the moaning and groaning and sometimes the screams and pleading as she would earn the household income. And the old man, her pimp, collecting the fees for her services before drinking them away, leaving us to go dustbin diving for dinner.

We made this safe place for ourselves in the attic shortly after she died.

Hidden and safe.

You wouldn’t believe that this is heaven compared to where I came from before.

We head to the concealed latch ahead. I prise it open and peek down.

‘Clear,’ I whisper.

The bathroom below is empty and the door is half-open, letting in the sound of deep and heavy snoring drift up from below.

I know the old man is passed out at the kitchen table. He usually is.

As I swing my legs over the side of the opening, a loud thump resounds from the kitchen at the back of our rundown little house.

The thump is followed by breaking glass, scraping chair legs and a loud, angry and beastly yell.

‘Fuck! Damn it to hell!’ Another smash as the old man throws a glass bottle across the room in frustration, shattering it on the wall. ‘Who drunk my whiskey?!’

We both share a knowing look as the drunken brute stirs, and I swiftly and silently scramble back inside the safety of the attic.

He’s awake, and he’s out of alcohol. Well, of course he is. He spent the night drinking it with his friends before passing out. We hear the kitchen cupboard doors hurtle open and anything not nailed down being thrown out of the way as he searches for a bottle he hopes he brought earlier. But there never is another bottle. He never gets as far as putting his liquor away. He barely gets out of the shop before drinking half of it and he never remembers finishing his bottle of poison, so he wakes up in a raging fury because he always thinks-

‘WHERE HAVE YOU HIDDEN IT, YOU DEGENERATE LITTLE SHITS?! WHERE’S MY WHISKEY?’ His voice rebounds off the thin walls and bounces all around us, heightening our senses and forcing the hairs on the back of our necks to stand on end. ‘DID YOU DRINK IT? I’LL KICK YOUR FUCKING TEETH IN!’

We quickly close the hidden latch.

‘I know you’ve taken it, you little sluts! Get here so I can beat the truth outta ya!’ His words are littered with wet belches and grunting as he stumbles around down there, trying to find us. Plates and cutlery crash to the floor, but I know that nothing will be damaged, as most of them are plastic. We couldn’t afford to keep replacing them.

Furniture is tossed aside and we hear him bouncing off wall after wall as he tries to make his way through the house.

It’s best to steer clear when he’s like that. He’s a big guy, made up of decades of bricklaying muscles and even longer drinking hard liquor and eating nothing but grease, fat and meat. We wait. Silently. Stock-still and in the dark.

Sure enough, up the stairs he comes, grunting and cursing as he rebounds from wall to wall in search of us.

We both flinch as his fist slams into the bedroom door. Ahri grips my hand tightly, grinding my knuckles together. I lift her hand and kiss her trembling fingers. She may be a little older than me, but she has a seriously nervous disposition.

The brute comes into the bathroom, muttering and threatening revenge under his breath as he takes a never-ending piss in the toilet. Ahri’s hand becomes unbearably tight around mine, the bones in my fingers clicking one after the other, but I take the pain.

‘I’ll have you earning soon enough, you little leeches,’ he murmurs in a low growl. ‘Stealing my shit and… and… fuck I need to-’ He vomits into the bowl, again and again. It’s nauseating listening to the sheer volume and violence of it. With a disgusting final retch, he flushes the toilet and then leaves.

The front door slams shut and we hear him stagger down the pathway.

All he cares about is finding his next drink.

Fine by me. The further away from us he is, the better. And the sooner he drinks himself to death, the happier we will all be.

‘He’s gone,’ I tell her softly as we both let out the breaths we had been holding. ‘He’ll be gone a while looking for something else to drink. C’mon. Let’s get out whilst we can.’

I open up the hatch and we clamber down, using the window ledge as a foothold and holding onto the edge of the shower screen to keep ourselves from falling. I replace the hidden door and ensure the hole to our little hideaway is hidden. Ahri does a quick scout, returning less than a minute later.

‘Yeah, he’s gone.’

‘Any of his friends down there?’

‘Not that I could see.’

I throw on some grey jeans and put on my new jumper. I pull on my boots and slide my hooded scarf over my head. As I join Ahri downstairs, she looks me over.

‘I’m comfy. Don’t start,’ I sigh, looking at her pale blue dress which floats about her knees. A perk of her job is being allowed to keep scrap material. She makes all her own clothes but has given up on trying to get me in anything other than jeans, boots and anything with a hood.

She moves my hair so it covers my scar a little more, and nods her approval.

We head out.

Over the marsh walkway, through the grime of the outer city and then south, towards the city’s educational estates.

When we reach the crossroads, a familiar face smiles at us.

At Arhi, anyways.

Timothy, in his white shirt and yellow tie, waves his hand at her. And Arhi waves back ten times more enthusiastically. He’s the son of the man who runs the factory she works in.

He and his family are much higher up the pecking order than we are. If it weren’t for Ahri’s poise and willingness to please everyone around her, I doubt Timothy would have looked twice at a girl from the marshes.

But Ahri is the beauty of Rosenwood. And he knows it.

‘How is lover boy these days?’ I ask.

‘Fine,’ she swoons. ‘Perfect, actually.’ She looks at him in wonderment and even now, I fail to see her infatuation.

Timothy is twenty-five and works in the factory his father manages. So he doesn’t really work at all.

He’s entitled and spoilt. A rarity in this life, let me tell you. So many admirers, my sister has. But Timothy was the one for her.

I think the fact that his father is one of the wealthiest in the city, with human connections that sneak him extra food and cash, may have something to do with her choices.

There is something else about him. He’s a fucking liar. But each time I mention anything negative about him to my sister, it gets shut down real quick.

What does he lie about?

Well, I’m not too sure.

But I know a liar.

And he’s a huge one.

My sister says I have a sixth sense when it comes to reading the dishonesty of people. Call it what you will, it’s a handy skill to have when I’m playing poker.

‘You gonna be okay from here?’ she asks.

‘I’ve been okay every day so far,’ I retort. To which she softly whines, demonstrating her disagreement with that statement.

‘Please tell me you won’t cause any trouble today.’

‘I’ll keep my head down. I promise.’

‘You’ll stay out of the inner city?’

‘I have a job there later.’

‘Raven,’ she moans, frowning and slumping her shoulders.

‘A legit job, Ahri. Not lifting pockets.’

She would rather I clean toilets or gutters, sweep up fish guts from the market floors or pull up thorns with my bare hands than make quick and easy money by lifting pockets. And I have done that. All of that. For years. Anything to earn money for the flat.

‘Well, will you promise to steer clear of Cyrus and his patch whilst you’re there?’

‘The whole inner city is his patch. But I’m not working his lifts, so please don’t worry. It’s just a delivery job, is all. We need the cash if we’re gonna get the flat, so please, stop worrying. Go and make your dresses. I’ll see you later. Same place, same time.’

‘If Cyrus starts anything-’

‘He doesn’t scare me.’

‘Then you are either an idiot or a liar,’ she replies. ‘The guy’s insane.’

‘I’m aware of that.’

‘If you go missing, I’ll have no idea how I’ll survive.’

‘Good thing I’m not going anywhere-’

‘I suppose I’ll have Timothy to look after me if something did happen,’ she muses, looking into the distance with glassy eyes and no doubt imagining for the hundredth time the future she so longs for with him.

I shrug off her hand, pissed that she’s thinking only of herself. ‘You’ll be just fine no matter what. I’m sure of it.’

Again, she lets out another sigh.

The world is full of devils. They walk amongst us every day.

Hot and fiery and full of wrath.

Cyrus is but one.

‘Everything will be fine. Stop worrying.’ I place my palms on her cheek and show her my best attempt at a comforting smile. She glances again at the left side of my face and moves my hair to cover it. I resent that look. I know she hates the scars. That they repulse her. I brush her hand away.

‘Finding a good man in this city is hard enough without presenting yourself as damaged.’

My eye twitches. ‘Good job I don’t want, or need, a good man.’

Finding a man is all she wants, for both of us. Someone who will whisk us away from poverty and labour. Who will let us pop out their kids and cook and clean and fuck on demand. All for a house out of the marshes and some decent clothes.

Yeah, that’s not really for me. So in that respect, I kinda owe my scars a lot.

‘Timothy is growing impatient.’ We both look to the man stood at the corner, tapping his foot.

With a peck on my cheek, she turns and heads over to him.

Ahri takes Timothy’s hand before walking down the street. I watch them happily, knowing that she is safe in her own skin while she’s with him. That she will get through the day without a panic attack or a bout of shakes that ruin her work and land her with a reprimand, which will lead her to even more shakes and panic.

I turn on my heel and head to my specific institute of misery for the day.

And I stop dead, one foot in the road and one still on the path, staring at the figure ahead of me.

‘Rhea?’ I breathe.

She stands there, half her face disfigured by scales and grey flesh. One eye golden, the other as black as night. A long black coat covers the rest of her body and trails behind her on the floor.

She opens her mouth and screams, but all I hear is the blare of a horn as a vehicle loaded with crates whizzes past me. It’s so close, I jump back, tripping on the curb and falling flat on my backside.

I don’t let the pain slow me down and I’m straight back on my feet.

The path is empty.

People carry on walking as if nothing and no one was there.

My eyes are glued to the spot. She was there. I know it! I saw her!

I step into the road, my attention totally on where she just was.

Another blast of a car horn snaps me out of it. I stagger back to the curb, clutching my heart.

‘WATCH WHERE YOU’RE GOING!’ a furious motorist yells as he speeds down the road.

I throw up my middle finger, take a shaky breath, and carry on.

I can’t be late.

‘Keep it together,’ I scold myself. ‘Don’t lose your shit. She’s dead. Dead and gone. Keep. It. Together.’

4

The siren has already started. The warning to everyone that the gates for the Academy are about to go into lockdown for the day, sealing all the students inside. It’s been going for at least a minute, so I’m cutting it real close.

My feet pound the pavement hard as I weave between pedestrians and dash across roads, not even having time to check it’s clear.

The entrance to the grounds is up ahead. I pass one of the large air horns blaring out that hideous noise and turn left, down the long dirt driveway. The twenty-foot high wall sealing all the city’s students inside is in sight. Curved barbed wire covers the very top, warning any who think they may manage the climb, that they won’t make it over in one piece. At the very end of this path is the gate. The only way in or out. I see a younger student sprint inside and stop to catch their breath. They smooth down their blue tartan skirt and pull the white shirt stuck to their back, free from their body.

They’re still in forced education. A student of the state. We all have to receive an education, it’s the law, and if a student fails to show, Monday to Friday, nine till three, the punishments are severe.

But most kids go gladly. It’s relatively easy to get through the day and they give out free food. Plus, there are computers here. And books. More than we have outside. Most of us, anyway.

I would have enjoyed my time here.

If it wasn’t for the biggest wanker of all time determined to make my life hell.

The day I finished school was the best day of my life. I loath that I’m forced to return to this hell hole two years after I was finally allowed to stop going. But for my sister and our future, I will.

Unless I’m late getting in. Then I’ll lose my spot on the programme she secured for me and have to face her wrath and disappointment.

The siren kicks up to its final pitch.

One minute.

I’ve got this. I race onwards to the open gate.

I’m a few feet away when a man steps out from beyond the wall and looks at me and my speedy approach.

He rests his hand on the gate and smirks.

‘Don’t… you… dare…’ I gasp.

But he does. Slowly, he begins to pull it closed.

‘WAIT!’ I yell. ‘STOP!’

His smirk only grows as he continues closing it. Before the metal can clang shut, I reach out my hand, yelling at him to stop.

He doesn’t, but neither do I and the gate slams down onto my hand.

‘Shit!’ I scream.

The gate is crushing it, but thankfully, it’s keeping it from closing. I grab at the gate and look at the worlds biggest wanker.

‘Long time, no see,’ he sneers, looking me up and down with disgust.

‘You gotta open the gate, Darius. You gotta let me in.’

Darius, the school’s caretaker and gate-guard. He watches me through the bars. His dirty blonde hair is slicked back into a ponytail. He’s got the most pathetic, wispy little beard, one that he has been trying to grow for as long as I’ve known the cretin. He graduated two years ago with me and took this job soon after. He’s been mopping the floors and locking the gates ever since. Before that, he made my life within these walls a particular misery.

His eye twitches as he presses the gate’s edge harder into my hand. The siren continues to wail as my bones crunch together, and I see a dark glimmer of enjoyment at the pain he’s inflicting.

‘Open the gate, Darius!’

‘Ahh, wish I could. But you’re late, so…’ He shrugs his shoulders and tuts. ‘Looks like you’ve lost your spot in the programme this year. And I was so looking forward to spending time with you again.’

I grunt against the pain and cringe at the sound of my bones cracking.

‘Get your hand outta my gate, Freak.’

‘I will when you open the gate and let me in, limp dick,’ I reply through gritted teeth. ‘You can’t close the gate until the siren ends. You know that.’

‘Huh, I would open it, but you see, the gate seems to be jammed.’ As he gives it a little jiggle, all he really does is press it harder into my hand.

‘Damn it, Darius. Let me in!’

The agony of my hand is nothing compared to the dread chomping at my heels.

‘Stop!’ I cry out, falling to my knees as he presses it a little harder. ‘You’re breaking my hand. Stop!’ I hate how tears start to fill my eyes and nausea swirls in my insides. I look up at him and see him chuckling to himself, enjoying his moment. ‘Let me in before the siren stops. I can’t lose my spot.’

‘Missing your first day. That’s instant dismissal. Guess you’ll have to find another way to keep your low life daddy in booze and whores. Shame.’

He looks at his watch and starts counting down. ‘Thirty. Twenty-nine. Twenty-eight. Twenty-seven.’

‘You’ll regret this, you piece of sh-’

‘HEY!’

Darius and I look over to see the headmistress, Ms Antone, watching us. Her red, horn-rimmed glasses sit on her nose. Her purple and black tweed suit hugs her tiny figure almost indecently. And her jet-black hair is pinned in an elegant pile on her head. She was the headmistress when I attended the school and will probably be here till she takes her last breath. The bitch. As cold and hard as they come. She has little interest in her current students, never mind the ones she finally got rid of. Especially when this particular student is hated by her youngest son.

Her eyes narrow on me. ‘You again.’

‘I’m here for placement,’ I tell her. ‘Darius won’t let me in.’

Darius growls as I drop him in it but fuck him.

‘Open the gate, custodian. That’s your job, is it not? Or are you incapable of that painfully simple task?’

‘The gate is stuck,’ he argues back.

‘Perhaps I should fire you and find a monkey more capable of the task.’

He growls again and I smirk victoriously.

‘Eye check, then get to it!’ she yells. ‘I want my gates shut before the siren ends, you hear me? And you…’ She glares hatefully at me. ‘Get your hand out of the gate and get your backside in here. You should be honoured to have your place in the programme, so stop playing about and get to work. Both of you. NOW!’

Darius relinquishes his hold on the gate, and as soon as I feel it give, I hurl myself inside the grounds, landing on my face with my hand clutched to my chest.

The gate slams closed.

The siren stops and I let out a sigh of relief.

Darius, the shit, nods to the hand I clutch close.

‘You better put some ice on that. Looks painful.’

‘You’ll regret that.’

‘Unlikely.’

I turn my attention to my hand, which is now swollen, bloody and already bruising. I attempt to wriggle my fingers and barely manage to move them at all.

‘Hope you can still wield a wrench,’ he gloats. ‘They won’t let you stay if you can’t work the job.’

I force my middle finger up.

‘Seems to be working just fine, but thanks for your concern.’

I don’t think it’s broken, but damn, it hurts.

Ms Antone stands over me, casting me in shadow with a look of disgust. The same look she wears when talking to any of her students. Her thin fingers push her glasses up her nose and she takes a moment to smooth down her already perfectly flat hair, ensuring that no stray strands reach past the pointed tips of her ears.

‘What a waste of air you are. Get your eyes checked and get to class.’ She looks to Darius. ‘Don’t you have floors to mop?’

‘Yes, Mum.’

The fact that the head mistress is his mother is the one and only reason he has this job. And his precious mother enjoys reminding him of this fact regularly, wounding his already fragile ego.

With her head held high and her nose stuck in the air, she strides away.

I struggle to my feet and hold my hand close.

Without a word, Darius uses a scanner to check my collar before using it to examine my eyes. The digital recording, detailing who is wearing the collar and any signs of gold in that person’s eye, is sent directly to the Authority. The last thing they need is for one of us to Trigger within these high walls. There’s no telling what carnage would follow.

I’m cleared.

Darius walks towards the central courtyard, his scanner in one hand and a large metal ring holding a selection of keys in the other. He calls back over his shoulder.

‘I’ll be seeing you later, Freak. I look forward to spending some more time with you this year.’

This institute isn’t a sit-down and take your class kind of place. Yes, there are classrooms, and each one has a teacher. You’re supposed to be in certain places at certain times throughout the day, but other than that, your education is all on you. Considering the only work most other students and I are destined for is factory work or mining, no one tries too hard.

I walk down the large, cobbled courtyard, past the various buildings made of grey stone and high windows with silver bars, holding my throbbing hand close to my chest. Warm blood trickles down my wrist and seeps into the cuffs of my white shirt.

That’s another one ruined.

I put on my new gloves, hoping to stop the bleeding a little. I can’t stop to sort out my hand. I’m already later than I like. I pass the main buildings and carry on to the very back of the grounds, where large steel containers have been placed. Last year they were practice-abattoirs. The year before, sewing rooms. This year, it’s all welding equipment and spanners. Fifty of us have been given a place in the programme, but unless I’m mistaken, there’s not that many here.

I join the rest and they all eye me suspiciously as the course begins. A man in his fifties rushes through our tour of the workshop and within an hour, we’re being asked to take apart an engine of some kind.

I keep my distance and don’t say a word unless asked a question. We practice and I enjoy playing with the blowtorches. But I leave as quickly as possible when told to head somewhere quiet for the study period. The others head to the cafeteria for coffee and I head to the toilets.

I start running the tap and painfully pull off the glove covering my hand and grunt as I hold my hand under the cold water. I hate what I see in the clouded mirror nailed to the wall. Such a pathetic excuse of a woman, with gaunt cheeks and pale skin. My lips are dry and my eyes are dark from lack of sleep. My long, almost black hair could be sleek with loose curls if I took the time to take care of it, and I’m sure that a smile would look wonderful if I had something to smile about.

But I don’t.

In a flash, the reflection looking back at me becomes that of a child, with bloody and pale skin, mottled grey with black scales climbing my neck. She screams and claws at my face. With a yelp, I stumble back and with a blink, the image is gone. I swallow down the lump in my throat.

‘Pull yourself together,’ I whisper to my reflection.

The bathroom door flies open and three girls all stride in, giggling and cackling away like shrill hyenas. They’re in their blue and white tartan uniforms, so they're a couple of years younger than I am.

‘What was he even thinking?’ one of them laughs, her eyes wide. ‘I mean… EWW! The mere idea that he would have even the slightest shot with us is vomit-inducing.’

‘I know,’ another agrees, just as thrilled by whatever mortification they have just inflicted on some poor guy. ‘He must be crazy. Like we would ever go out with an impotent mama’s boy.’

I still as I hear those words because I know exactly who they’re talking about.

They spot me at the mirror and their smiles turn to sneers. You would think I was covered head to toe in shit by the way these arseholes react to me. I carry on tending to my hand as they gather around the small mirror on the wall.

‘I mean, who the hell would want a guy that’s been with a monster?’ the one in the very middle says, side-eyeing me in the glass. ‘Even if he could get it up and didn’t call out for his mum when he came, like I would ever be seen dead with a guy that fucked a Dark-Fae.’

I turn and face the bitch. She stiffens a little, but is clearly determined to hold her nerve in front of her friends.

‘You know,’ I say. ‘A scratch from a Dark-Fae never heals, so unless you want me to come over there and scratch the word “Bitch” into your forehead, I suggest you shut your mouth and get the hell out of my face.’

They all stand and watch me.

I flinch at them and they all scream and run away.

Well, that was fun.

I finish cleaning myself up and head out.

I pass classroom after classroom with lines of desks and plastic chairs facing a single desk upfront. The walls are all bare and painted a steel grey with high windows that don’t open. There are overflowing wastepaper baskets and gum trampled into the carpet. The girly giggles and the boys’ boisterous boasts set me on edge and add to the headache I feel brewing at the base of my skull. I linger in the doorway and watch them all. Twenty-odd teenagers, stuck in a room for the next several hours with no air conditioning and no point. There's no point in being here other than simply being here and not out there in the real world. And most of them are just okay with that.

I see the far off stares of the ones drugged up so they can get through the day. They try to keep their heads down, hoping to go unseen and unnoticed by the kids who find pleasure in the misery of others.

And then some smile and laugh and enjoy flirting with one another.

I wonder how they do it, how they wear those smiles and look so hopeful. How can they be friends with someone or date someone who may blink one day and have a glint of a death sentence in their eyes?

How can they dare to be happy for even a second?

I pass class after class of much the same before taking the stairs to the top floor and walk down the corridor leading to the library.

It’s a quiet part of the building but vast. The room is full of countless shelves forming aisles. They’re piled with musty old books, ancient computers that may or may not work and out of date magazines. Tables and chairs are placed between the multitude of stacks. They’re littered with books that have failed to be returned to their rightful place on the shelves.

I walk on, past the out of date English lit section, left, down the empty music and arts row. Right, through the mathematics aisle, left along the geographical sections and down to the overflowing mechanics section with hundreds of vehicle and machinery manuals on the shelves.

There’s not a single soul in here.

Lovely.

I see the small, sunken and torn three-seater couch in the very far corner. It’s been here for as long as I can remember. I was tempted to burn it once I graduated, but here I am. Back in the one place I loathe almost as much as that shitty attic.

Goddess. The things I do for my sister. I wish that I could be anywhere else.

I wish I could just be free.

As I reach up on my tiptoes and grab a book, someone grabs the back of my neck and shoves me face-first into the shelves.

My whole front crashes into the wood, knocking over several books and dropping the bulky text in my hand. It smacks into my shoulder as it hurtles to the floor.

‘Get the hell off me!’ I growl, reaching back to claw at the hand clamping down even harder on my neck. ‘I said let me go!’

Their hand moves quickly, sliding into my hair and wrapping their fingers tightly around the roots. My head is yanked back so I have nothing to see but the ceiling.

A mouth leans into my ear and hot breath lands on my skin.

‘I cannot believe you willingly walked back in here. You must be some special kind of stupid. That, or you missed me.’

‘Get your hands off me, Darius. You pathetic little- AHRGH!’

He smashes my front into the shelves again, silencing me.

‘I take it you’re a little upset at the girls knocking you back earlier,’ I jeer, knowing that it was him they were talking about in the bathroom.

‘I’d have all the young pussy I could ever want if you hadn’t spread those lies about me.’

‘You took a job at the school so you could manipulate your way into young girls’ knickers? Sounds about right. How’s that going for you?’

Whack.

Another thrust into the shelves and I wince as I hit the wood.

‘You’re the reason the girls here won’t give me the time of day. You and that venomous little mouth of yours.’

‘I think the fact that you’re a mummy’s boy with a limp dick might have more to do with it than me,’ I laugh, revelling in joy at his misery. At his tender little ego being bruised by the Freak he’s tormented for years.

I reach back with my nails, ready to claw at his face.

‘Always so feisty.’ His free hand catches mine and snakes around my wrist. I grunt, refusing to let out the pain in any other way because I was stupid enough to attack with the same hand that’s still bleeding from the gate. ‘You know, if you weren’t such a nasty bitch, you might actually have some friends. Hell, you may even have a man willing to fuck you. I mean, underneath that mess on your face, you’re still a pretty little thing.’

‘And if you didn’t cry and call girls Mummy when you come, you may actually convince some naive idiot to touch that tiny little thing between your legs,’ I hiss back.

‘Fuck you.’

‘Fuck you!’

Oh yeah. That rumour. It did nothing to improve his treatment of me, but it felt oh so good to create.

Denying the lies he spread about me was pointless. So I played along.

I walked into this school years ago, a transfer from one of the other Fae towns or cities at the edge of the country, and everyone was fascinated by the girl with the scars. I was actually quite popular if you can believe that. And at one point, Darius and I actually met up for a date outside of school.

We were only thirteen or so. It wasn’t serious or anything.

But my popularity didn’t last for long. The rumours soon started. That I was the product of a whore who fucked a Dark-Fae and got dumped on my dad’s doorstep. That if you touched me, you would get Triggered. That I would sleep with people for money or food. I even heard one that I liked to kill and eat rats for fun. I mean, some of the things I heard about myself were just plain weird. My favourite was that I was engaged to marry a dog.

I mean, what the fuck??

But high school is high school. It mattered to my young heart that I was liked. But when I realised that was never going to happen, it mattered that I survived. Fuck them, I told myself. I had my new sister, Ahri, and she loved me. She liked me. Besides, the more people you care about in this world, the more you have to lose.

After I punched Darius in the face when he grabbed my sister’s ass in the lunch hall, he was determined to break me down and put me in my place. I floored the toughest bastard in that place and he wasn’t happy about that. It started with petty pranks. It got more aggressive. More violent. Each time I retaliated, I was the one that looked insane. He told everyone I begged him to have sex with me. He told everyone I let him fuck me up the arse. He was very proud of this lie and everyone joined in his torment of me. I was approached by so many creeps looking for a quickie. Looking for something their girlfriends didn’t want to do. I was down and I was dirty, apparently.

And cheap. Very cheap.

And I never, not once, called him a liar.

Yeah. I told everyone I fucked him. I told him it was kinda nice, too. But that he cried and called me mummy when he finally climaxed. That he kept going soft and farted a little too much.

He thought it would be funny to try and break the girl with the impossible scar.

He didn’t realise that she was broken long before he met her and nothing anyone said to me meant shit.

I don’t care about him. I don’t care about any of this. I just want to keep my head down and pass this damn placement so I can get on with my life outside of high school, with my sister.

But he’s still stuck in high school. Trying to get laid and be cool. He had his name down for this job for years. His dream of being the older cool guy on campus, with so many girls ready and ripe for the taking. His mother runs this place. If she didn’t give him a job, the idiot would never find one.

But as I know well, rumours not only spread, but they stick.

And my rumours about him are making his paedophilic dreams quite impossible.

Shame.

My attempts to get free are met with being shoved even harder into the bookcases.

I press my hands into the shelves, hoping to create some space so I can wriggle from beneath his grip.

But no such luck.

I get an inch of room before I’m thrust forwards once again.

‘Now, now. Enough of that,’ he warns.

I’m breathing heavily with anger and fear as he holds me in place, lost and unseen in the depths of the most unused space in this whole facility. I’m a tough cookie. Resourceful too. But the fact remains that he is bigger and stronger than I am. That his word means more than mine. Even if I did fight him off, clawed his eyes out or even bloodied his nose, I would be the one in the shit. The Freak from the Marshes that no one wants here, compared to Darius. The headmistress’s delinquent son.

Yeah. I’d lose that fight. Just as I always did.

‘I swear to the Goddess. I’ll scream if you don’t get off me.’

‘You’ll scream all right,’ he whispers, his hand going beneath my shirt and slowly sliding upwards.

‘Get off-’

‘Shut the fuck up. As a man, I have every right in the world to have sex. Ever since you spread those lies about me, no one will touch me unless I pay them to. So now I guess I’m gonna have to take what I’m due. Take what you and every other woman refuse to give me.’

His other hand covers my mouth as I go to yell and he seals my nose shut with his thumb and forefinger.

I can’t breathe!

‘The more you struggle, the longer you don’t get to breathe. You know what I want. Let me have it and I’ll go.’

I want to fight. I want to claw at him and kick out.

But I know that won’t work.

It didn’t then and it won’t now.

‘You gonna let me?’ he asks. ‘Or do I need to do it while you’re unconscious? Like old times?’ His breathing gets more demanding and he gives my face a shake as if reminding me that he has the power to let me take a breath or pass out and wake up in my underwear, left to make my way through school to find my clothes soaking in the nearest toilets.

Again.

He hasn’t fucked me.

That’s not what this is.

I don’t even know what this is but he thrives off it.

As the lack of air start to take its toll, I nod.

He lets my face go, but only so he can undo the zip on his trousers. His hand is soon placed back over my mouth so he can catch any screams I might attempt to make.

Darius works himself with one hand and stifles my voice with the other.

‘You should be thankful anyone would ever decide to use you to relieve themselves,’ he groans. ‘Fucking… freak…’

I just close my eyes and wait, listening to his angry grunting and heavy breathing, hating that I thought I had left this horrific past-time behind me.

I pleaded with my sister not to force me back here.

And yet, here I am.

What an idiot.

A fucking idiot.

I clean myself up in the toilets, washing off what he left on my back with dozens of paper towels and painfully hot and soapy water.

Fucking bastard.

I’m not crying. Not intentionally, but tears continue to slide down my cheeks.

This is just what it is.

My life.

Haunted and full of monsters.

After he lifted my shirt, relieved himself on my back and smeared it in for good measure, he tossed me to the ground and looked at me so angrily, I feared that he was going to attack me. His fists balled up. The muscles in his neck went rigid and there was such hatred in his eyes.

After I pull out the last remaining paper towel, I retreat to a cubicle and lock the door, burying my face in my hand and taking a few deep breaths.

Don’t cry. Don’t cry. Don’t cry.

I try to tell myself that it doesn’t matter. He’s not really violating me. There’s no penetration and it’s just bodily fluids that are easily washed clean.

But I feel so dirty. So violated. So wrong, right down to my very core.

The bell goes, which means that I need to get back.

I stand, dry my tears, pick up my dignity and I head out.

My stomach is like a walnut. The mere idea of eating makes me feel sick.

I just need to hold it together. My whole life, every day, every job, every close call with the old man’s temper, it’s all been leading up to moving into our own place.

Away from monsters…

The day ends.

Thank the Goddess.

As everyone piles out of the buildings, all eager for some freedom, I keep my head down and make my way to the main gate. I just need to get out of here as soon as possible.

I join the queue to the gates, which moves swiftly.

When I get to the front of the queue, I notice a very distinct change in atmosphere. The general chatter dies down and is replaced by nervous whispers. The urgency for freedom seems to have been replaced with hesitancy and everyone is looking forwards.

I stand on tiptoes and see why.

‘Authority…’ I whisper.

Men. Humans. Their ears give them away. Fae have a slight point in the tops of their ears. Humans don’t. That, and their uniforms. They’re always armed. They ensure that we see they are, with a gun, a knife, and a pair of handcuffs made of solid iron on their belts. If we were to touch them, our skin would burn like it's made of acid. Those are just the weapons we see. Beneath those coats, who knows what arsenal they have. But it’s their cruelty that’s the real threat. Their hatred of what we are. Their disgust at where we live and how we live.

These men have a Pet. A male Fae in his late twenties.

We’ve all seen him before. This isn’t his first trip to these gates and I doubt it will be his last. His appearance means only one thing.

That someone has Triggered today and tried to run. Someone who has then been caught. Someone who has family at the school.

The male Fae, this Pet, senses blood connections. If a thousand people stood before him, he could point out those related by blood. That’s his purpose. To seek out any who share a gene pool with a Triggered Fae and show them to the Authority.

His eyes are glazed over and his body is thin and pale. Lumps are missing from his ears. They like to do that to us if they can. Cut off the pointed tips of our ears, making us less Fae.

The Pet stands straight as an arrow, looking at his masters with total focus.

He wears a black jacket and grey overalls. Both are stitched with a large and garish red-eye, and his collar emanates a slowly pulsing red light, showing that he has power.

The students scan the crowd as if to see a Dark-Fae standing somewhere close by. They spot me beside them and shuffle away.

‘I bet they’re here for her,’ one of them mutters.

‘About time someone came for the freak.’

Others join in. A ripple of whispers and accusations spread before hands rest on my back and start to push me forwards. A clear path opens up before me. One that leads straight to the Authority agents. I stumble out of the grounds and get a final shove. I almost fall face-first into the chest of one of the agents.

I gulp and look up. Even if Ahri had turned, they wouldn’t select me. We’re not blood-related. But I’m still scared.

‘I didn’t do anything,’ I blurt. ‘I swear to the Goddess. I didn’t!’

I look at the Pet and then back to the agent. The Pet shakes his head and returns his focus to the crowd.

‘Goddess this and Fates that.’ The Authority agent pushes me away from him without so much as a glance. ‘Bunch of pagan, backwards fucks. What the hell are you lot even going on about?’

I stumble at the forceful thrust and collide with one of the teachers who are there to scan us. I keep staring at the agent as he continues looking at me with a terrifying hatred.

‘For Fate’s sake, girl. Let me scan you before he knocks your teeth out,’ warns Mr Hanson, one of my old teachers. He spins me and scans me.

‘Who are they here for?’ I whisper as he works.

‘How the hell would I know? You’re clear. Go.’ He gestures with his wide eyes for me to scarper. ‘Go home!’

‘There!’ calls out the Pet. His arm raises, and he points directly at one of the girls in the crowd of students trying to leave. She’s holding a little boy’s hand. He’s no older than ten. ‘That’s them. The sister and brother.’

‘What?’ the girl screeches in terror as everyone around her distances themselves as much as possible. ‘NO!’ She stands in front of her little brother and looks terrified.

But the Authority men are already charging forwards, shoving anyone in their path clear. One of them pulls out a baton made of iron. They flick it and it grows in length. The girl throws up her hands in surrender.

‘We haven’t done anything! Please!’

But they don’t care.

The baton comes down on her ribs. She’s not even hit the ground when she’s struck again and again. Even on the floor, the full-grown tank of a man keeps striking. When he pulls back his weapon, a spray of blood splatters those who are standing too close. Her little brother just screams and screams in abject terror as he watches.

The crowd of students still left inside Academy grounds all scream and scurry back. Students from the age of eight to late teens, no one is spared the show. No one tries to help them. Not a soul. When I try to help, to at least protect the boy’s vision from this butchery, someone wraps their arms around me and holds me back.

‘They’re killing her!’ I argue as I watch the next strike break her arm like a twig. Her shrill cry of frantic fear and pain pierces the air. ‘Let me go!’

I look back at the idiot trying to stop me, only to see it’s Cyrus.

‘What the hell are you doing here?’ I whisper.

He's wearing a long black coat with the collar turned up. His hair hangs over his silver eyes and the lower half of his face is lost under a scarf.

‘You go over there; you’ll end up a pile of blood and pulverised bones,’ he says in an angry whisper. ‘Don’t be fucking stupid.’

‘Like you give a shit. Get off me.’

‘No.’

I turn back to the poor girl, just in time to see her get a boot to the face. She falls back unconscious, covered in blood and bruises. Her arms are a mess. Several gashes split her skin, down to the bone, on her legs and head. Teeth lie beside her on the floor in puddles of blood and I wonder for a moment if she’s even alive.

She can’t be older than fifteen.

Fuck…

The agent returns his weapon to his pocket and looks down at her with a victorious smile, before placing the girl in iron cuffs and throwing her lifeless form over his shoulder. He scoops up the wailing boy and holds him like a sack of potatoes.

‘It is my obligation to tell you,’ the agent says, knowing full well that she doesn't hear a word, ‘That your mother has also been arrested. That she tried to conceal her youngest child, your sister, from us after her Fae-gene Triggered in the early hours of this morning.’ He is sure to be heard at the back of the crowd and he enjoys every second.

That girl’s sister turned today?

Some of the crowd cover their mouths in horror, and the whispers soon reach me that her sister is barely two years old.

Two… no wonder her mother tried to hide her.

‘Oh my Goddess…’ I whisper, thinking of that poor child and watching as the agent carries the girl and boy through the crowd towards the exit.

As the agent passes us, Cyrus drags me far from his reach. He can feel me tensing up, filled with anger and wrath. Wrath I would love to tear into the agent with. We watch as the two are loaded into the van. We all hear the sizzle of her skin in those cuffs and hear the little boy’s pleas for help as the door closes.

It’s wrong. It’s not fair.

As the Pet passes us, the whispers turn vicious. If looks could kill, he would be in a worse state than the girl he just handed over.

Everyone says they would die before turning against us and working for the Agents, and when seen unaccompanied, it’s not uncommon for Pets to be put down by their own kind.

The agent, splattered in blood and sweating heavily from his brow, turns to us.

‘This is what happens to those you love when you try to run from us. When you try to hide, remember this moment. Have a lovely afternoon, you filthy little pieces of vermin.’

‘Fuck y-’ Cyrus catches my curse in his hand and spins me around so the agent doesn’t see me. He holds me there until the van drives away.

Only then does he let me go.

‘You got a death wish or something?’ he asks when I turn to face him. ‘What the hell is your problem?’

‘You care? What are you even doing here?’

‘Saving your arse again, by the looks of it, Princess.’

‘Whatever.’

I watch the van drive off and feel ready to puke at the suffering and injustice I’ve just witnessed.

‘Wow. You’re clearly very popular,’ Cyrus mutters. I turn to see him looking at the crowd still funnelling through the gates. Many of them are looking at me. ‘Who’s that guy?’ Cyrus asks, nodding at Darius. ‘He looks less like he wants to toss you in front of a van and more like he wants to-’

‘He’s no one,’ I reply, turning away from Darius and his sly smirk. ‘I have to go.’

‘Wait. I need to talk to you.’ Cyrus grabs my hand as I try to leave.

‘FUCK!’ I scream, pulling my hand away and clutching it to my chest.

The bruising from the gate has spread all over my knuckles and my fingers are almost blue. The cuts are still weeping and it’s a disgusting swollen mess.

Cyrus grabs my wrist and pulls me closer so he can see.

‘Who the fuck did that to you?’

‘No one.’

When I try to pull my hand back, he tightens his grip and leans in closer, gently moving my fingers.

‘You know one of your fingers is dislocated, don’t you?’

‘It’s not. It’s fine.’

Crack.

‘Fuck!’ I hiss as he forcefully tugs at my middle finger. It snaps back into a more comfortable position.

‘Better?’ he asks with a condescending grin.

‘Yeah… actually.’ I give my hand a wriggle and find it a little easier to manoeuvre. ‘Thanks.’

‘Now tell me how you did that.’

‘Accident.’

‘Bullshit.’

‘I have to go. I’ve got to get to work.’

I turn.

‘Why do you think I’m here?’ he asks.

I look back at him over my shoulder. He saunters closer until he’s nose to nose with me. He has to lean down as he’s so much taller than me, and his silver eyes stare deep into my soul. For a second, I think he’s about to lean in and rest his lips on mine. I take a shaky breath as he lingers so close and I hum as I take in his scent.

He remains silent. His eyes searching deeper as if looking for something.

He takes my chin between his thumb and forefinger and his gaze drifts to my lips.

‘I came here to tell you…’ His lips part and he gently traces his thumb across my lower lip. ‘I came to say…’

‘What?’ I whisper, my body leaning in closer, yearning for him to kiss me.

He blinks. When he looks back up to my eyes, he’s more distant than he was. Colder.

He grips my chin hard. ‘That if I see you in the Inner-city again… you will never regret anything more in your life.’ He lets me go with a shove.

‘W-what?’

‘You heard me. You stay out of my patch. You stay out of the Inner-city. For good. I’m sick of you running amok in my streets and stealing from pockets that belong to me.’

‘You can’t banish me. You can’t-’

‘I can. I have. And if you go against my order, the punishment will be something you will never recover from. Do you hear me, Princess?’

My longing for his lips is now a longing to smack him in the face and scream.

‘I need to earn, Cyrus. I need money and I need it now. You can’t banish me.’

‘And yet.’ He shrugs and steps back, smirking cruelly.

‘How will I earn any money? How will I eat? How will I get the cash I need for-’

‘Not my problem. Just know that I mean it. Stay out of my patch. Stay away from my streets. Keep out of my sight. Or else.’

‘Cyrus. Please.’

I step closer. He shoves me hard. Brutally hard. I fall back and land on my arse with a painful yell. The hood covering my head slips and my face, along with the hurt of his words, is on full view.

The students still pilling out of the gates all burst into laughter and watch my humiliation. The light pitter-patter of rain starts and I look up at him towering over me.

‘You have your placement here, right?’ he throws his hand over his shoulder, gesturing to the academy. ‘You’ll get your job soon enough. You stay out of my way, and I’ll stay out of yours.’

‘Just one more day. Please, Cyrus.’

All I need is one day of hard graft. I’ll get the cash I need for the flat and we’ll be free of the old man and his house of horrors.

I’ll be free of the monster within the walls.

I can’t earn enough any other way.

But Cyrus isn’t interested.

‘If I see you in my patch again, you and your sister will live to regret it. That’s my final word on it. Tell me. You think I’m lying?’ he asks, eyebrows raised and an angry finger pointed down at me in the gutter at his feet. ‘Am I?’

All I can manage is a shake of my head.

He’s not lying.

Not even a little.

If he were, I would know.

I always know.

‘Goodbye, Raven Rivers.’

He turns and strides away, leaving me to the chorus of jeering and mocking by the hundreds of students watching.

None so much as Darius, who starts the chant Freak! Freak! Freak!

They all join in. I get to my feet and leave them all behind.

Freak.

Freak.

Freak.

5

It’s absolutely pissing down with rain by the time I get home. Ahri wasn’t at our usual spot. When the weather is this bad, she often heads home without me.

The whole way back, I tried to think of a way, any way, that would get us that extra cash.

We need the money. Desperately.

I need the money.

As I walk up the path to the front door, dread and panic trying to swallow me whole, I hear a bottle smash and my sister scream.

I throw myself inside the front door, slamming the handle against the wall and no doubt denting it. I run straight to the kitchen where I find my sister curled up in a ball and her drunk-ass of a father towering over her with a raised and ready fist. There’s no hesitation whatsoever as I sprint straight at them both. I grab the frying pan left by the sink and plant myself between them with it raised.

‘One more step, old man, and I’ll knock your jaw so far off your face you’ll have to snort your whiskey. You hear me?’ I raise the pan a little higher as he pulls his fist back. ‘Do it. I dare you. Give me a reason to smash your head in.’

He may be swaying on the spot and blinking heavily as he tries to keep me in focus, but I know from experience that one blow from him and I’ll go down hard.

I don’t care.

‘Bitch took my whiskey,’ he growls.

‘You drank it, you letch,’ I reply ‘You always drink it. Now piss off and find some more somewhere else.’

‘Oh,’ he laughs. ‘You gonna make me?’

‘I’ll do more than that if you so much as lay a finger on my sister.’

I hear Ahri getting to her feet and feel her grip my hoody as she stands behind me. When he looks at her, those nasty eyes narrowing in spite, I block his view.

‘She’s not your real sister. She’s not even blood. Move. Or I’ll kick your teeth in,’ he roars

‘She didn’t take your whiskey and if you try to hurt us, I’ll shove this frying pan up your ass, circle end first. Back up!’ I warn. ‘Ahri, we’re leaving.’

He growls at me like a dog but Ahri doesn’t need telling twice. She swiftly makes for the door. I watch her leave the house and stop at the gate by the road.

The old man and I never look away from each other as I start backing up, keen to join her.

‘Try not to choke on your own puke whilst we’re out. I’d hate to miss that.’

‘Fuck you.’

‘Fuck you.’

When I’ve gained enough distance between us, I lower my weapon and walk to the door, making sure to slam it shut when I leave.

‘You okay?’ I ask Ahri as I walk up the path. She’s almost hyperventilating and can’t quite catch her breath enough to talk. When I reach her, I rest my hand on her cheek. ‘He hurt you? Tell me.’ I take her hand as she shakes her head.

‘I thought he was asleep,’ she says. ‘Stupid. I should have made sure.’

‘What the hell happened?’

‘I wanted some water. He was slumped at the table. I was so sure he was asleep,’ she scorns herself. ‘I was at the sink and he woke up thinking I had poured his drink away. He just went off. Threw the bottle at me.’

‘Prick. C’mon.’ Pulling her along, we walk away from the house.

After ten minutes of walking, we take shelter under a tree and sit. The rain is getting a little more enthusiastic, so I’m keen to find somewhere to try and keep at least a little bit dry. We start to shiver and our bellies growl, so to distract ourselves, we talk about the arrival of the Authority at school.

‘The agent said their mother was arrested too,’ I tell her after reliving the ordeal to her. ‘I know I sure as hell would do anything to stop them from taking my baby. If I were ever to have one. Which I won’t.’

‘You need a man for that first,’ Ahri adds under her breath. ‘Well, at least it wasn’t someone you knew.’

‘Why does that matter?’

‘It’s worse if you know them.’

‘It’s a tragedy no matter what.’

‘Well, of course it’s a tragedy. That’s not what I was saying. I meant that at least it’s nothing to do with us.’

‘That’s a shitty thing to say.’

‘You’re the one who refuses to make friends or date anyone because they might turn. Not me.’

‘I’m changing the subject now. How was your day?’

‘Fine. Same old. Sewing buttons and such. You know, I really think you need to start thinking about getting a boyfriend.’

‘No.’

‘I just think you’d be happier if you had one.’

‘I’m not exactly prime dating material at that place. And all the boys there are pigs. No thanks.’

‘You don’t have to like the guy. Just enjoy the benefits of being in a relationship.’

‘I have no idea what you just said to me. Date someone I don’t like? Why?’

She offers an embarrassed shrug, obviously regretting what she just said.

‘You like Tim, right?’

‘I love him.’

‘But do you like him?’

She hesitates for a minute and then puts on a well-practised smile. ‘Of course. All I’m saying is that it’s better to have someone than to be alone. If there’s someone that you can go to for a shoulder to lean on or an ear to hear you when you need it, then you should grab them.’

‘I already have. I’ve got you. I don’t want anyone else. Tell me more about your day.’

She chats about the uneventful events of the day, and I sit and try to listen. I pretend to care about the nonsensical gossip the girls in the factory share or her plans with Tim this weekend.

All I can think about is that poor girl and her family.

All I feel are the bruises on my hand.

All I hear is Darius’s heavy breathing in my ear.

And then the panic of my banishment from the city.

From Cyrus.

How he just cast me off like that. He came all the way out here, just to tell me never to return to his streets.

‘Which reminds me,’ Ahri says. ‘One of the girls gave me some shirts for you for school. I mentioned that you were growing out of the ones you had and she said that if I gave her your boots, she would give you the shirts.’

‘I’m not giving her my boots,’ I scoff. ‘I’ll make do with the shirts I have, but thanks anyway.’ For that utterly ridiculous trade. ‘We should head back soon.’ I peer up at the sky. It’s getting dark beyond the thick clouds of smog. ‘It’s not safe to be out here after sundown. Definitely feeling the attic tonight with the old man in that mood. He didn’t appreciate my offer of a frying pan up his backside.’ I give a little snort at the memory and get to my feet. A quick scan shows no others close by, but that’s not a true sign that we’re safe. The Authority enjoys lurking in the streets, especially when they’ve spent several hours drinking in the pubs after their shift. A sober agent is bad enough. A drunk one hiding in the shadows is infinitely worse.

I stretch out my hand to my sister. ‘Let’s go.’

Her mouth is agape and her eyes are staring into the distance.

‘Oh Fates above. What now?’ I turn, expecting to see someone heading our way. But there’s nothing and no one around. Just the rain and diminishing light.

‘I went to get your boots,’ she says quietly. ‘From the attic. Just before Dad woke up.’

‘Good. Then you haven’t given away the only item of clothing I own that I actually like.’

But she’s still looking traumatised.

‘What, Ahri? You’re starting to freak me out.’

Her gaze slowly trains upwards to meet mine. ‘I left the latch open.’

‘What?’

Her eyes start flicking from side to side as she recalls her movements. ‘I got in. Dad was asleep. Jenny said to pop the boots over to hers later, and she’d give me the shirts in return. I went up to get the boots and climbed back down.’ Her hand slams over her mouth. ‘I didn’t put the latch back.’

‘You are joking, right?’

She shakes her head.

‘Damn it, Ahri! You have one thing to remember! One fucking thing!’

I turn and start running home.

Sure enough, when we get back, the old man is gone. I take the stairs two at a time and crash into the bathroom. The opening to our only safe place in the world is wide open and the light we use up there has been left on.

‘No. no-no-no-no-no-no…’ I start the climb. I groan as I heave myself up, the bruising on my hand making it almost impossible to grip the edges of the opening. I crawl across the boarded out floors and towards the tent, which is unzipped. ‘No-no-no-no-no-no-no…’ Our belongings are sprawled all over the place. Clothes. Books. Sheets and blankets. But at the tent’s entrance, I spot the little pink pencil case previously hidden in a folded up t-shirt inside my pillowcase. I snatch it up, but of course, it’s empty.

‘NO!’ I scream, rummaging inside the small case, but knowing there is nothing in there. ‘NO!!’

It should hold every penny we have ever saved for the flat. Years of odd jobs and hard labour. Years of picking pockets. Every garden clearance that shredded our skin with brutal thorns. Every paint job that left us with blinding headaches from the cheap chemicals. Every house clean that stained our hands in bleach. Every sewing job that left us with blisters. All those hours, risking everything stealing.

For nothing.

Ahri’s head pokes up. She’s out of breath. Her eyes go to the pencil case and she slumps when I show her that it’s empty.

‘He found our escape money?’

‘He found our money and our only safe room.’ I toss the pencil case at the wall and bury my head in my hands. No way we leave here now. Not for years. And with no room to hide in, there’s no safety for us. Nowhere to hide when evil comes looking for us. Nowhere to hide when the monster comes to call. No money to help me run.

‘FUCK!’ I scream. ‘FUUUUUUCK!’

She keeps still and perfectly silent, half in the hole and half out.

No. This isn’t over. I crawl to the hole.

‘Move,’ I snap at her. She drops down and ensures she gives me plenty of room to land. ‘We have to find him.’

‘What?’ she gasps, following me as I head out to the landing and down the stairs. ‘We can’t go out this late. And we have no idea where he’ll be!’

‘He has our money and he’ll be spending it on booze, drugs and whores unless we get it back.’

‘How will we get it back?’ she asks in a panic, rushing down the stairs and trying to keep up. ‘Even if you did find him, he’s not just going to give it back to you!’

‘Oh, he will.’

I reach the front door, but she grabs my hand and blocks my way.

‘It’s not safe,’ she hisses. ‘The Authority. Anyone out there. They’re all dangerous!’

‘Everywhere is dangerous, Ahri. In here. Out there. The Academy. It’s all a fucking nightmare.’ I gesture to my bruised and swollen hand. ‘Or are you so distracted by your friends and your boyfriend that you didn’t see that I’m hurt? Same as you didn’t notice you left the fucking hatch open!’

‘I didn’t… what happened?’

‘The same thing that happened for all the years I went to school there.’

‘Why didn’t you tell me?’

‘I told you I didn’t want to go back but you didn’t listen. Now excuse me.’

‘It’s not safe!’

‘Don’t care.’

‘You can't just go from dive bar to dive bar, hoping to find a man who will beat your skull if you even try to take that money from him. Do you remember what he did to you last time you stole his money?’

‘I took his money because you were so sick you needed medicine, and you wouldn’t let me use the savings to pay for it.’

‘He broke your arm in three places!’

‘But I still got you your medicine,’ I snap back, shoving her out of the way and opening up the door. ‘You coming to help me, or what?’

Her arms wrap around her belly and she chews her lip, looking beyond the door as if monsters lurk the streets.

Oh, wait. They do.

She shakes her head.

‘Fine.’ I throw the door open and ensure it smashes into the dent already there from earlier. Little bits of plaster tumble down to the carpet. ‘I’ll go by myself.’

‘It’s not safe!’

I turn to face her. ‘I’ll die if I have to stay in this house. Do you hear me, Ahri? I cannot live like this. Not any more. Fearing every creaking floorboard and hiding from monsters that want to hurt us and… and…’ The words I wish to say fail to come. So I shake my head. ‘I won’t do it any longer. I won’t!’ I take the baseball bat we have resting by the entrance, just in case someone unwanted comes knocking. ‘When you stop being of value to him, he won’t care about you at all. He could sell you, Ahri. When you turn twenty, he won’t get his Parent-Pay for you. He’ll either kick you out on the street or do what he did to your mum and sell your body to keep his belly full of booze. I won’t let that happen. I’m getting us out of here. Together. Or not at all.’

I hear those final words echo in my ear. Words I know were once spoken to me as a child by another.

Together, or not at all, she said.

And I made her a liar. I won’t do that again.

I grip the bat, take a deep breath and head out into the night, alone.

Rosenwood is a mess during the day. At night, it’s downright degenerate. Sex workers are rife. Women in barely any clothing at all linger on street corners, attempting to lure in any who pass. Fae. Authority.

Even me.

They tug at elbows and press their breasts into you, desperate for money to pay the rent and put food on the table. Or to pay their pimp, dealer or both.

Some, like my father, sponge off the Parent-Pay and hustle on the side by gambling or dealing drugs.

Others turn to sex work.

Or are pushed into it by their useless partners who don’t want to work but want the money.

I dodge the desperate souls, avoid the dark alleys, and head to the first dive bar, sticking to the outer city limits.

The next few hours are miserable. I keep a tight hold on the baseball bat and try to stay in crowded places. The rain only gets worse. The people only get more intoxicated. The Authority presence becomes unprofessional and terrifying. One woman in nothing but a gold coat is led down a side street by three agents who all stagger and belch. They laugh and make their plan.

‘I want her mouth.’

‘Her ass is mine.’

‘I’m good with her pussy. We get the Authority discount after all.’

They’re already holding their dicks in their hands and shove her ahead of them all. The woman glances over her shoulder at me. Her eyes are wide, but she carries on walking until they all become swallowed by the darkness.

I have no choice but to ignore it and carry on.

Each bar I look in has many depressing drunks, horny degenerates and agents keen to enjoy the delights on offer. But so far, none of the establishments hold my father or my money.

I round the corner towards the next bar, one at the boundary between the inner city and outer.

I know what Cyrus threatened but it’s late. It’s dark. And it’s only just inside his patch. He’ll never know.

I stride down the street.

I have no other choice. If I don’t get the money back… I can’t even think about it.

The bar’s pretty quiet on the outside. A few old motorbikes are parked nearby and a couple staggers across the road, leaving the bar arm in arm. The older man leans on the twenty-something girl in a leopard print dress. I see her take his wallet from his pocket as they head down a darkened alley.

I cross the road, step up onto the curb, and head inside.

The heat and the stench of beer smack me straight in the face.

The out of date rock music plays through damaged speakers and the dull, drunken chatter of those inside make me groan inwardly.

People are slumped over the old tables or they cling to the sticky bar.

The barman pours a shot for a woman who throws it back and then falls face down on the bar, passed out. The man beside her takes her under the arm and they both stagger past me and out the door.

My eyes scan the room.

Wonky tables are propped up with beer mats. Stools lie on their sides. A dartboard hangs on the wall, a broken jukebox flickers and skips old records, and a pool table with torn up velvet sits in the corner with a game half played.

‘There you are,’ I whisper.

I see the old man sitting at a table with his head in his hand. He’s not alone. There’s another whose back is facing me. They’re playing cards. Ahri’s dad is so drunk, he doesn’t realise most of his cards are on show and a few have even dropped to the floor. The man he’s with picks up a half-empty bottle of whiskey and tops up both their glasses. The old man is quick to drink and hold it out for another. His hand sways, but a steady hand pours. A sober hand.

The door slams shut as I go further in. I charge straight over and before he can touch that glass to his lips, I knock it clear from his hand.

‘W-what the hell are you doing?’ he slurs, not even looking at me.

‘Give it back,’ I warn.

He blinks up at me and squints to get me in focus. ‘Urgh. It’s you. Piss off.’

‘Give it back!’

‘Get gone before I tear your head off.’

I slam the baseball bat onto the table.

‘Give me back my money, you fucking bastard!’ I yell.

The whole pub goes quiet and everyone turns to look at me.

Like I care.

He gets to his feet, knocking over his chair in his haste with a look of violent hatred over his drunken face.

‘Fucking… bitch.’ Spittle flies from his lips and he sways as he pulls back his fist.

The man he is sitting with grabs the old man’s wrist before it can fly at me.

‘How about we all just calm down, huh?’ he says in a voice as calm and cocky as I’ve ever heard. ‘Put down the bat and walk away, sweetheart. This is no way for a lady to behave and you’re embarrassing yourself.’

‘Oh, I’ll show you how a real lady behaves!’ I spin with the bat raised, ready to bring it down on the guy.

He grabs it before it connects with his skull and he peers around it with dark, angry eyes.

‘Oh… shit…’

‘Indeed,’ he snarls.

The man I’m looking at is fucking human. He’s dressed in a white shirt with a black vest and matching tie. Fae don’t dress this sharp. The jacket he has thrown over the back of the chair is Authority.

I gulp and take a shuddering breath as our eyes meet.

He's Authority, yes. But he’s also the most beautiful human I’ve ever seen.

6

He looks from the bat to me and hitches a brow.

‘I wouldn’t recommend using that on me, sweetheart.’

No shit.

‘Sorry. Sorry, Sir. I… I didn’t know you were-’

‘Obviously.’ He takes the bat from me with a quick and forceful tug and I step away.

His long dark hair is neatly combed back except for a section of brilliantly white hair that falls over his pale blue eyes. There’s stubble on his jaw and a slight scar lies hidden beneath it, marking him from the top of his ear to the corner of his mouth. He’s in his mid-twenties, I would say.

He takes a minute to look me up and down. His eyes scan every inch before settling on my face. Or rather, my scar.

‘Hmmm,’ he says, his brow furrowed. ‘That’s interesting. How did you get that?’

‘I’ve had it since I was little. I don’t know how I got it.’ I keep my answer concise as my eyes scan the room for a possible way out or perhaps some help.

‘You look so familiar to me.’ He taps the curves of his lips. ‘Have we met?’

‘No.’

‘You sure? I rarely forget a face, and I doubt I would ever forget one as… memorable… as yours.’

‘Perhaps you beat me up in an alley once or threw rotten eggs at me. You lot enjoy doing that.’

His brow raises in surprise at my words and I grind my teeth at my own stupidity.

Shut up, Raven. Fuck!

‘Hmmm,’ he repeats, still inspecting me. ‘Throwing eggs really isn’t my thing. What’s your name?’

‘Why?’

‘Because I’m asking.’

‘Raven.’ I clear my throat as it starts to constrict. ‘Raven Rivers.’

‘Are you going to ask mine? Or do you already know it?’

Now my brow furrows in confusion as he stares at me expectantly.

‘I have no idea of your name, Sir.’

‘Hmmm.’ That seems to be his favourite sound. ‘You do look very familiar to me, Raven Rivers.’

‘The scar is-’

‘Not the scar.’ He steps around the table and stands toe to toe with me. I feel his warm breath on my skin and I find myself rooted to the spot, looking up at him in wonder. ‘It’s your eyes. Your lips. They are very…’ His words trail off as he looks on. ‘You are very…’ He leans in a little closer and I find it impossible to move if it means creating any distance between us whatsoever. I’m entranced. Utterly entranced. He inhales through his nose and lets out a short breath before blinking himself back to his senses.

‘Where are you from?’ he asks.

‘Here.’

He chuckles.

‘What are you doing in this shit hole?’

I look at the old man. He’s picking up the cards he’s dropped and looks, with unfocused eyes, to the Authority man.

‘We playing, or what?’ slurs the old man.

I snatch them all from his grasp.

‘Stop now. Before you lose anything more.’

‘I’m winning, you little roach.’

‘No, you’re not. Give me back what’s left of the money you took!’

He grabs my wrists and tosses me away. I collide with another table before pushing myself off it and heading straight back over.

‘You… you vicious little-hiccup- whore!’ He waves a hand in my direction and looks at the agent. ‘Next hand, double or nothing. I’ll even throw her into the pile.’

‘Well now. That’s tempting,’ the agent smirks.

‘I’m not something you can gamble away, you idiot. GIVE ME BACK MY MONEY!’

He scowls before throwing a backhand my way. He’s so drunk it’s not hard to step out of his reach and I watch him fall flat on his face.

He’s so pathetic. I listen as he lets out a long groan before he surrenders to his drunken stupor and starts to snore.

I lean down and rummage through his pockets.

They’re empty.

‘ARGH! You fucking prick!’ I thump his back as he grunts and belches at me. I quickly stand and slowly turn to face the agent.

‘You have my money, don’t you?’

‘I think perhaps I do.’ He sits, takes a sip of whiskey and leans back in his chair before pulling out a wad of cash from his pocket. He holds it there for me to see. ‘You want this?’ he asks. ‘You could always find a way to earn it back.’

‘That’s never going to happen. Contrary to what the old man thinks, I’m not a whore and I’m not for sale. I need that money back. It wasn’t his to play with.’

‘Your old man lost it to me fair and square.’ His head tilts to the pack of cards on the table by his elbow. ‘He’s a terrible player.’

‘Nothing to do with the whiskey you’ve been feeding him, I guess.’ I look at the bat that lies on the table between us. ‘You’re going to give it back right now.’

‘Yeah?’ he chuckles softly. ‘And what do I get in return?’

‘You get to keep your teeth.’

‘Tough words from a little girl.’

‘A woman,’ I correct him. ‘With a baseball bat.’

He kicks out the chair my father was just sitting on. I yelp and step back. I may be trying to look brave, but this is a real bad situation, and he’s a real bad person to get on the wrong side of.

‘I didn’t mean you could earn it back by opening your legs or bending over this table for me. I want you to play me for it. Sit your cute little arse down, Raven Rivers.’

I hesitate.

‘I said sit. Or I’ll shoot you in your knee and make you sit.’ He pulls out a gun and slams it on the table, gesturing to the empty seat. ‘I won’t ask again.’

7

I lower myself down as he pours some whiskey into his glass. He slides it over for me to take before helping himself to some direct from the bottle. I look at the amber liquid with reluctance.

‘Drink it.’

‘No, thank you.’

‘I’m pretty sure I’ve already made it clear I don’t like to ask twice.’ His eyes linger briefly on the gun. ‘You look like you need to loosen up a bit. Drink.’

I down it. Being shot in a dive like this is not on my to-do list today. As soon as the glass hits the table, he tops it up and waits. With a frustrated exhale and without breaking the intense stare he’s sharing with me, I drink it down.

‘I need that money back. It wasn’t his to lose.’

‘Raven,’ he muses thoughtfully. ‘Like the bird. Cute.’

‘The raven is a bird that signifies death and diabolical evil. So no. I wouldn’t say cute.’ The urge to reach over this sticky table and grab the cash from his jacket pocket is unbearable. I could.
I’m quick.

He glances at the man stood at the bar with a floozy in his arms. The man is in a black t-shirt and wears beads and chains on his wrists. He has similar tattoos to the agent. Not as many, but there are black markings on his wrists and a little on his neck. He pulls down his hood and reveals a mop of the oddest colour hair I’ve ever seen. The right half is silver. The left half is a deep pink. And his collar… his collar gently flashes red.

‘You have a Pet,’ I realise.

‘I do. And he says that you’re thinking about reaching over this table and taking the money by force.’

‘He can read my mind?’

‘Yes. And he can talk to mine too.’ He leans across the table and rests his elbows between us before wagging his finger for me to lean in closer.

I do.

Nose to nose, he whispers his words. ‘I strongly advise against you trying to steal the money from me. I promise you. It won’t end well for you. Or your cute little arse.’

‘I wasn’t going to take it. It was just a thought.’

‘Hmm. Maybe you should rethink your thoughts. And you’re wrong by the way.’

‘Wrong? Wrong about what?’

‘The Raven is a sign of longevity, wisdom and magic.’ He gently sweeps my hair back and runs his fingertips over my ear. ‘Fitting for a little Fae girl like you, huh?’

‘They eat dead things.’

He stills and looks confused.

‘Ravens. Not Fae girls.’

He lets out a soft laugh and lowers his hand. ‘I’ve always rather liked those little birds. Something so magical about them. Magical and gothic.’ He looks me up and down slowly. ‘Suits you. Don’t you think?’

‘I need that money back.’

‘How about I play you for it? You play poker?’

‘I can, but I know you lot. You cheat.’

‘You lot?’ he repeats.

‘Humans,’ I sneer.

‘I don’t cheat.’

‘Your Pet reads minds. Of course you’ll cheat.’ I look at the man at the bar and wave. He’s looking our way with an interested and amused smirk. ‘That’s why you’re here, right? To trick us out of what little money we have and to fuck us for cheap because you know we’re desperate for money to survive.’

‘You’re not for sale, though?’

‘I’d rather starve than stoop that low.’

‘Interesting. You know, I see it a little differently.’

‘Is that right?’

‘You’re a delicacy. And we’re the only ones who can taste you. The only humans allowed in.’

‘Because you’re the ones who have locked us in
here and kill us if we ever get the strength to leave.’

‘Strong words.’

‘Real words. You like to play with the weak and torment the helpless. It’s just a bonus that Fae have smooth skin and pretty eyes.’ The old man snores loudly from the floor. ‘Well. Those of us who haven’t let drugs and alcohol destroy us, anyway. But Goddess knows, if we were ever given a chance to break free of your chains, you would live in fear.’

‘Fear?’ he repeats, the corner of his mouth twitching. ‘Tell me. Why do you say Goddess?’

‘Excuse me?’

‘I hear your people say that a lot. That, and Fates. What is the Goddess? What are the Fates?’

‘I… I don’t know,’ I reply, confused by his question. ‘It’s just a saying.’

‘Is it?’ he asks, that smile growing and his eyes narrowing. ‘You sure that’s all it is? Are you sure it’s not something else to you?’

‘You are a very strange man.’

He reaches over the table with his hand. I can’t help but flinch, but he just holds it there. ‘Reid. My name is Reid.’

‘Noted. Sir.’ I press my hands onto my thighs, but he maintains his hand between us. His continuous staring tells me he has no intention of retracting it until he gets what he wants.

I reach over and take hold of his hand.

‘Damn…’ he whispers, gripping my hand firmly. ‘That is something.’

‘What is?’

He gives it a slight and gentle shake. His palm is cold and his grip is firm.

‘You are soft.’

‘Stop being creepy.’

‘Sorry, Little-’

‘Don’t call me little lady. I’m not a lady.’

‘Bird, is what I was going to say. Raven Rivers. My new friend. My… Little Bird.’

‘I don’t think so.’

When he pulls it back, his thumb traces along my skin.

‘So. Poker, Little Bird?’ he asks, picking up the deck of cards by the gun and giving them a shuffle, smirking at my pet name.

‘Yes. But your Pet at the bar needs to go.’

‘Never gonna happen. If someone is going to come in here looking for trouble, I need to know. But I promise he won’t listen to your thoughts. I don’t need him to help me beat you.’

‘We’ll see.’ I collect the cards laid before me. It’s not like I have anything else left to lose. ‘We’ll see.’

With a smile, I reach over and claim my winnings. That, and the extra three hundred pounds I managed to win from the idiot human. That’s it, I think to myself. My sister and I have the money to leave now. The flat is as good as ours, and we will finally be out of the house. Away from the drunks and the violence.

Away from my monster.

As I gather my winnings, Reid’s fingers rap on the table and his scowl is most satisfying.

‘You’re a very gifted player,’ he says, sitting back in his chair. ‘I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone call my bluffs as well as you. What’s your secret?’

‘Well, you have quite the tell.’ I shove the money into my pocket and stand. ‘No offence, but you were an easy play.’

‘I don’t have a tell.’

‘Oh,’ I laugh, helping myself to one last shot of whiskey before picking up my bat. ‘You really do. All humans do. You’re all so obvious.’

As I turn to leave, his hand grabs my wrist. I turn to see him getting to his feet.

‘You’re not going anywhere.’

At the bar, his Pet abandons his “date” and gets to his feet also. Both stare at me like they’re getting ready for a fight.

‘You gonna hurt me because you didn’t know I could play poker? You lost. Now please, get your hands off me.’

I snatch my hand away and as I do, his rage seems to overwhelm him. He lunges and wraps his fingers in my hair before yanking me across the table. I scream and kick out as I’m dragged so violently. In my haste to prise his hand from my hair, I drop my bat. He pins me to his chest, which rises hard and fast with each one of his furious breaths.

‘You are very irritating,’ he snarls. ‘And a cheater, Little Bird.’

‘I didn’t cheat,’ I insist. ‘Get off me.’

‘I don’t want any trouble!’ the barman calls over. ‘My bar’s already a mess, so if you’re gonna brawl, please take it outside.’

The Pet pulls out a gun and points it at the barman, who quickly throws up his hands and shuts up.

I didn’t think Pets were allowed guns!

‘I don’t have a tell, so how did you know I was bluffing my hands?’ he persists. He keeps trying to look into my eyes and when I continue to refuse, he takes a hold of my chin and forces me to meet his gaze. ‘Tell me how you did it.’

‘By being better than you. It’s not hard, Human.’

‘I think it’s something else.’ He leans in and sniffs my neck. A long, deep inhale which is followed by a low moan. ‘I can smell it on you, Little-’

‘Call me Little Bird once more, and I will feast on the dead.’ I spill the words with complete venom before I can stop myself.

I run cold with fear as he looks into my eyes with fury.

‘There you go again with those big words.’

‘I didn’t mean to say that.’

‘How do I know you?’

‘I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about. You don’t, and you're scaring me.’ Still entangled in his arms, he takes a moment to survey me.

‘Reid?’ asks his Pet. ‘What’s going on? We killing anyone… or what?’

‘I’m not sure,’ Reid mumbles to himself.

I flinch as I see his hand coming towards my face. But all he does is sweep the hair aside and trace his fingers down my scar.

‘What are you?’ he whispers. ‘What is it I can smell on you?’

‘Confusion,’ I reply. ‘And fear. Let me go home. Please.’

He looks at his Pet with silent expectation. I get the feeling that he's asking him something with his thoughts. The Pet keeps his gun raised, but his eyes focus on me and narrow. The more he stares, the more I can feel him rifling around in my head. It’s a pressure that intensifies as he digs deeper.

‘Stop it. Tell him to stop that!’ I insist, thrashing in Reid’s arms.

The Pet blinks rapidly and breaks his stare to look at Reid and they converse silently.

‘Well. Well. Well. That is a surprise.’ Reid lets out a sharp laugh as he looks down at me in his arms. ‘Why was he trying to hide you away?’

‘What? Who?’

The lights go out suddenly and we’re plunged into darkness. Not just us but the entire street. We can barely make out each other’s shapes moving around.

‘What’s happening?’ asks Reid’s Pet.

‘Nothing good,’ Reid replies with a weary groan.

The distant sound of high-pitched screeching reaches our ears.

‘Nothing good whatsoever,’ Reid adds, gripping me tighter.

‘Is that…’ Another demonic screech and I find myself clinging to the human. ‘Oh shit. Is that what I think it is?’

‘Yes. Just stay quiet, Little Bird. They might pass us by if-’

The doors explode inwards, sending splinters of wood and shards of glass in all directions. The screeching is no longer outside but in here with us, and I scream as I see three gigantic, monstrous silhouettes crash into the bar.

8

‘GET DOWN!’

Reid’s order is barely audible over the screaming of those in here with us. With a forceful shove, I’m pushed behind him onto the floor. Over the chaos, I hear the clicks and twists of bones stretching and breaking. Sharp claws scratch the walls and floors and the gurgled gasps the Dark-Fae create are nothing less than demonic.

One of the Dark-Fae goes for the barman and lifts him clear off the ground. It’s taller than any man I’ve ever seen, with a thin and bony frame that jars and bends. With a sniff and a growl, it shakes its head and grips the barman’s hair. His yells are a fearful and bloodcurdling cry for help. The Dark-Fae pulls, wrenching his head clean from his body and tosses the parts away in opposite directions.

It looks at the rest of us.

Its golden eyes glow and shimmer in the blackest pits of hell. I struggle to look away from them, almost hypnotised under their beauty.

A never-ending scream escapes from its gaping mouth. Even in this darkness, I see the outlines of its razor-sharp teeth and look on in morbid wonder as it stretches out what I can only think are wings.

‘Holy fuck…’ I whisper.

A second creature punches a man through the chest, its long fingernails exploding through his back. A woman screams, but it’s cut short when her throat is torn out and spat onto the floor.

The three creatures hurtle through the bar, slaughtering and destroying anyone and anything in their path. Tables are thrown as high as the ceiling with a single swipe of their long arms. The floorboards creak beneath their weight.

And they’re all heading straight towards Reid.

Reid grabs my arm and shoves me far behind him with a furious ‘GET OUTTA THE WAY!’

I land on the floor with a thud and skid until I hit the far end of the bar. I see Reid go for his gun before I crawl behind the bar for cover. I hear nothing but chaos. Breaking tables. Shattering glass. Monstrous screams and gunshots. I throw my hands over my head as a stool collides with the wall of liquor bottles, soaking me in spirits.

More gunshots and animalistic roaring accompany Reid’s furious yells. With each shot fired, the room lights up, casting these terrifying silhouettes all over the walls, like an evil shadow-show.

The headless barman’s blood reaches my foot and I quickly pull my legs out of the ever-growing puddle.

I can’t catch my breath as I sit here, surrounded by death and darkness.

No way Reid and his Pet will out-fight three Dark-Fae with something so trivial as a gun or mind-reading abilities, and like hell am I going to just sit here and wait to die!

I need to get out of here!

With a few deep and courage inducing breaths, I bolt out from behind the bar. The exit is just beyond the two corpses and the two Dark-Fae currently trying to kill Reid.

He’s already shot one dead. Its skull lies in pieces, and black blood oozes onto the floor, bubbling like acid. I run to the table and grab my bat. The sound of my footsteps draws their attention and their snarling heads snap in my direction.

‘Shit…’

I snatch up the bat and watch as one abandons Reid and hurtles towards me, its feet digging into the floorboards with such force it splinters the wood.

‘RUN, LITTLE BIRD!’

Reid’s order echoes around the room, but there is nowhere to run!

No reachable exit. Nowhere to hide.

As Reid tries to keep the snarling beast from chowing down on his face, I lift my bat and wait. As soon as the second Dark-Fae gets in range – WHACK!

The side of my weapon collides with its head and knocks it off course.

‘DON’T CALL ME LITTLE FUCKING BIRD!’

SLAM!

I strike again and knock loose a couple of sharp and jagged teeth from the Dark-Fae’s skull. More black blood spills to the ground and sizzles.

I hit it again and again and again, desperate to smash in its skull before it can tear the flesh from mine. With the next blow, it grabs my bat and tosses it away. I watch, with a sinking heart and panic rising in my belly, as the bat clatters to the floor.

‘Double shit…’

The Dark-Fae whips its head back to me, hatred and vengeance clear on its deformed face. It opens its jaws and yells, spittle and blood flying from its gaping jaws, before moving to bite my neck.

This is how I die. In a damned pub.

How depressing.

The teeth are less than an inch from my skin when it’s body-slammed by Reid, who yells ferociously as he tackles the thing.

He throws his full weight against it, and both crash to the floor. Reid swiftly jumps back to his feet with an elegant roll and rushes to me.

‘You need to get out of here!’ he says, taking me by my elbow and dragging me towards the door. ‘You need to run-UGH!’ His words end when the Dark-Fae he was previously fighting propels itself from behind the bar and crashes into his back.

In a move so quick I barely see it, the Dark-Fae turns to face me. Its arm swings through the air as it moves. Hot pain strikes across my abdomen.

The Dark-Fae stops. All of them stop. In a split second, everything falls silent as the creatures all watch me. Blood drips from the tips of the Fae’s elongated and razor-sharp fingernails.

It’s my blood.

When I look, I see a long rip in my shirt and red spilling into the cloth.

I press my hand on the wound before looking at Reid. He looks from the cut, to the mesmerised Fae still staring at me.

Then, the two Dark-Fae screech and start scrambling towards me, abandoning the men fighting them.

‘LUCCA! PROTECT THE GIRL!’ Reid orders as he leaps between them and me.

Lucca?

I guess that’s the name of his Pet as he’s the one who launches himself towards me.

His hand clamps down on mine and he helps apply pressure to the wound on my stomach.

‘Try not to bleed out before we get you out of here, yeah?’ he laughs breathlessly.

The Dark-Fae Lucca was just fighting is heading this way, and Reid is busy dodging the blows of the one trying to tear him apart.

Lucca stands to fight but is tossed aside like a rag doll.

I scream as the creature stands over me.

‘THE GIRL, LUCCA!’

‘I’M FUCKING TRYING, MAN!’ Lucca argues back as he leaps on the creature’s back.

It’s fighting Lucca, but its eyes are firmly on me. The same with the Dark-Fae fighting Reid. Both are enraged by the men’s interference with getting to me.

‘What the hell is wrong with these things?’ Lucca follows their intense focus and sees me sitting on the floor, clutching my middle. ‘You made of monster-nip or something?’ He laughs through his struggling efforts to keep the Dark-Fae away from me.

When I try to stand, everything spins.

Lucca yells as he’s tossed towards Reid. They collide and land in a tangled heap, giving both the Dark-Fae free access to me.

The one nearest me stalks closer as Lucca manages to grab the other and pull it down. Reid’s quickly back on his feet and running towards me, his eyes on the Dark-Fae closing in. But the Fae, still in Lucca’s vice-like grip, sees and grabs Reid’s ankle.

Reid goes down but starts slamming his boot into its face again and again.

It won’t let go.

I start backing up, leaving tiny droplets of blood on the floor in my wake.

‘RUUUN!’ yells Reid.

I turn and make two steps before the Dark-Fae’s arms have trapped me. Its strength is unreal and has already stolen any of the air that I held in my lungs. My feet lift off the ground as it leans in, sniffing and sniffing.

I can’t scream. I can’t breathe. I can’t get free of its unrelenting grip on my middle.

Its mouth opens wide, showing me its teeth.

‘Reid! if you wanna keep her, you gotta do something about it now!’ Lucca yells. ‘She’s dead if you don’t!’

‘No-fucking-shit, Lucca!’

There’s a lot of grunting and thudding as Reid tries to break free, and I guess whatever he does works as the next thing I know, he’s leapt onto the Fae’s back and plunged his fingers into its eyes. The squishing and popping sounds are nauseating and he roars with effort as he gouges deeper and harder into the eye sockets of the beast holding me. It yells at an ungodly pitch, shrill enough to cause my ears to ring.

It thrashes side to side, trying to shake Reid off, but Reid won’t let go. It holds me tighter and tighter and tighter.

Everything is slipping further and further away as my consciousness gives. My head lolls. My eyes close.

And I slip into nothingness.

9

‘Wake up! C’mon. NOW!!’

There’s an unbearable pain in my head like it’s been shoved into a vice. A pressure like nothing I’ve ever experienced and a violent surge of pain courses through my entire body. I gasp as I return to the land of the living and find I’m on my back, on the floor, with Reid straddling me.

His hands are pressed down on either side of my skull and it feels like he’s the one creating this immense pressure inside my head. That his fingertips are the source of the agony rippling through my body. He sees me open my eyes and stills.

‘There you are…’ he whispers. ‘Holy shit. You're alive…’ He smiles a dark smile. One of trouble. One of mischief. 'You're alive...'

My body convulses with such violence, Reid is thrown off me. My back arches and I take in the longest breath possible until my lungs feel fit to explode. The air is alive with an electrical current. I can taste it on my tongue and feel it on every inch of my body. The air around me shakes and my ears ring.

I jolt and judder, fitting on the floor of the bar as the chaos of the Fae battle rages on. Gunshots and screeching and shattering glass and splintering furniture. It’s all a million miles away from me. Each cell in my body explodes. My blood boils and my eyes burn as if I’ve stared into the core of the sun.

And as soon as it started, it stops. I sit bolt upright and let out the suffocating breath tearing at my lungs.

Reid and Lucca are still alive, but they won’t be for long.

They’re both seconds away from death. All I see are claws and teeth going for skulls and throats.

‘NOOOO!’ I scream, and with those horrified and frightened words, it all explodes into chaos around me.

There’s a bright flash of light and the sound of violent winds howl around us. The furniture lifts from the ground and starts launching itself around the room. Stools crash into walls. Heavy tables slide across the floor, grinding in protest. The nicotine-stained windows rattle in their frames.

Reid throws his arms over his head as the dartboard flies from the wall and makes for his face.

Like my body knows what to do with no knowledge of it being shared with my brain, I stretch out my bloody hands, letting go of my belly’s wound, and I reach into the world. My wet fingers feel the air, flexing as they feel the energy that surrounds us all. In the lights and the sounds and the very breath we release into the world. I sense it all, weaving between my outstretched fingers.

Gold dust begins to form a circle ahead. It swirls and grows, forming two swirling masses. The centre of the gold dust circles is pitch black with deep blue bolts of light sparking deep within. They swirl and swirl, like a cyclone of pure power. One to my left and one to my right. My hair blows violently around me and Reid and Lucca throw their arms up to try and protect themselves from the forceful howling that has swept the room and its contents into chaos.

‘Oh. My. Goddess.’ They’re the only words I can manage as I look at the two anomalies before me. ‘This can’t be happening.’

‘Kill them!’ Reid orders.

‘What the hell are they?’ I scream back, looking at the two black holes surrounded by gold.

‘They're portals! Use them now, Raven!’

‘Portals?’ I whisper. ‘I-I don’t-’

'Trust your instincts! Use them!'

I move one of my outstretched hands. A portal moves with it. It feels like dragging lead through water and I feel more blood spilling from my belly as I strain against it.

Somehow, I know what I need to do.

I just know!

I send a portal towards one of the Dark-Fae as it starts to run at me. The portal collides with its body, straight through the middle. The Fae looks down. Everything below the gold, black and blue swirling circle has disappeared. The Fae’s legs now protrude from the second mass to my left.

Half here. Half there.

‘What the fuck…’ I whisper, staring at the sight before me. I look to Reid, who is transfixed by the magic he sees. His eyes are wide and his mouth raised in a twisted smile. ‘WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING?!’ I scream.

‘Cut it off.’

‘How-’ But again, my body reacts. As if his words are a command I somehow understand. I curl up my fists and pull them back to my chest, withdrawing my manipulation. The portals disappear. The room stills.

But that doesn’t mean that the Dark creature has found itself back together again.

Oh no.

The torso falls to the floor with a thud. Its insides spill out in all directions. Intestines. Stomach. Guts and blood.

To my left, the legs crumple to the ground, twitching.

I look at Reid, who stands firm with clenched fists and that same smile playing on his lips.

‘Again.’

I find myself summoning that power once more. The furniture springs back to life and my hair whips my face as a storm builds within these grimy walls. I scream against this impossible urge. Like gasping for air when submerged in water or swatting at something crawling on my skin. It’s like I have no control. I hold no control. None.

Two more portals appear, sucking in whatever debris flies through one opening and spewing it out through the other. The last Dark-Fae is running straight at me. When Lucca goes to intervene, Reid holds up his hand and he stops.

‘Show us what you got, my Little Bird.’

I pull the portal towards me. It collides with the Fae’s neck and its head disappears.

‘NOW!’ Reid yells.

I pull, holding my clenched fists close to my chest and fall to the floor in a heap. The headless body of the Dark-Fae falls beside me and a thump from across the room startles me. I watch the head roll several feet before coming to a stop facing me.

The room falls still. No more wind. No hurtling furniture. No rattling windows or screeching.

All I hear is the sound of my heart and my heavy, panting breaths.

Those powers. That magic. It’s the beginning of the end.

I’m as good as dead.

Worse.

I look up and see Reid still standing there, watching me. There are scrapes on his cheek and bruises already forming on his skin. Small trickles of blood slide down his face from some unseen cuts in his hairline.

Lucca brushes off the dust and broken glass from his clothes and looks around at the aftermath.

‘That was fun.’

But Reid and I never break eye contact.

Not even as he walks across the bar, each footstep making me twitch.

When he reaches me, he crouches down and rests his elbows on his knees.

Tentatively I rest my fingers on my cheek, sliding them slowly towards my eyes.

‘Are they-’

‘Give me your arm, Little Bird.’

He holds out his palm expectantly. Behind him, Lucca lingers with an excited grin.

‘They are, aren’t they?’ I see a broken piece of mirror by my foot and pick it up. Never before have I feared seeing my own reflection so much as I do right now.

But I force myself to look, and what I see is a sentence worse than death.

‘Oh my Goddess…’ I whimper. ‘No. No, it can’t be! This can’t be happening.’

‘What have I said about making me ask twice, hmm?’ Reid says. He wriggles his fingers.

I lift my gaze, feeling tears prick in my eyes and the black hole of despair open in my soul.

‘I’m moving in with my sister,’ I tell him through a painfully constricted throat. ‘We have a little flat all lined up. I… I have to look after her. She’s not good on her own.’

‘Arm.’

‘I… I’ve never even seen the moon. I… I’ve never seen the sea or felt snow on my skin.’

‘I know.’

‘I’ve never been on a date with a boy, or-’

‘I need your arm.’

‘Will I ever see my sister again?’ I whisper as the tears finally spill down my cheeks and land on the sliver of glass in my hand. I look down, terrified of the golden eyes that look back at me.

‘Did you hear me?’ he asks, lowering his head to meet my line of sight. Our eyes lock once more. ‘Arm.’

I hold out my wrists, expecting those iron cuffs to be slapped on to burn my flesh.

But it’s not cuffs he pulls out. Reid slides up my sleeve and retrieves a small silver box from his pocket. He opens it up and takes out a needle. One full of what looks like liquid gold.

‘This is Gilt.’ He looks up as he slowly plunges the needle into my skin and pushes the liquid into my vein. ‘It will stop you from becoming one of them.’ He nods to the nearest Dark-Fae carcass. ‘For now, at least. And for as long as you behave.’

‘I know what Gilt is,’ I manage to reply with tears flowing freely down my cheeks.

‘You’ll need more of it, and soon. The first stages of the change are demanding and-’

‘I know.’ I watch the liquid diminish in the needle. ‘We all know.’

Of course we do. It’s the thing we fear most. First, the eyes. Then the power. Then the devolution and the loss of our soul. The only thing that can stop me from becoming the very thing I just killed is Gilt, and a steady supply of it. And the Authority are the only ones in the world who have it.

‘You understand what happens now, yes?’ he asks.

‘I can guess.’

‘You’ll be coming with me and I will assess your powers. If you use your powers before I get you stable on Gilt, you will devolve almost instantly. That’s if I don’t kill you first. I will not have you use your powers against me. Understand?’

‘Yes.’

‘You will-’

‘I’ll do what you want, when you want. Or I die. I know the drill.’

He pulls out the needle and shrugs. ‘Pretty much. Yeah.’

‘She’s off the books, right?’ Lucca asks as he heads over. He kneels beside his handler and looks me up and down. ‘A power like that, she’s gotta be off the books.’

‘Oh yes,’ Reid replies, his eyes glinting in the dull light. ‘She’s all mine.’

‘She wasn’t on his list,’ Lucca adds quietly. ‘She’s powerful. She should have been on his list.’

‘I’ll be sure to ask him why she wasn’t when I see him,’ Reid replies with an edge.

‘Off the books?’ I repeat, looking between them. ‘What do you mean? Wh-who’s list?’

Their smiles are cruel and hold a promise of the devil.

‘Are you taking me to the Authority now?’ I ask, looking up at them as they both tower over me.

‘Oh no, Little Bird. A gift like yours? Why on earth would I hand you over to someone else. I’m quite the collector, you see. And you are my prized possession now.’ He presses his finger to his lips. ‘Shhh. You’ll be our little secret.’ The two share a laugh and step back. ‘My sweet. Little. Bird. My very own portal wielder. You’ll come in very handy.’

Something smashes behind them. They both turn to see what it was but only I saw the bottle being thrown at the wall.

As soon as they’re distracted:

BANG-BANG-BANG!

I scream and throw my hand over my mouth as the weapon discharges. With each shot fired, Reid and Lucca lurch forwards and fall to the floor.

Still. Motionless. Bleeding.

Dead or dying.

I look up. Just behind me, behind the bar, I see a still smoking gun in the old man’s hand.

He sways and hiccups as he sluggishly blinks.

I keep my hand pressed to my mouth, stifling the screams from escaping.

He finds an unbroken bottle of rum and chugs it until the burning of his throat is too much to bear. He glances around the room, taking in the carnage.

‘Well, this ain’t nothing good. What happened?’

‘A-a-a…’ I can’t find the courage to say a single thing. Not with him still holding that gun. ‘Where did you go?’

‘I passed out and wake up to this – belch - shit. What are you doing here?’

He doesn’t remember?

‘I-I-I was looking for you.’

He staggers over and kicks Reid’s body.

‘I know this prick. Fuck. Authority? Shit, lass. This is real fucking bad.’

‘There was a F-Fae a-attack.’

‘Huh.’ He looks down at me with suspicious eyes.

Are my eyes still golden? The Gilt usually turns that off. Only when a Triggered Fae uses their powers does the gold show up, or if they’re running out of Gilt in their blood.

‘Better get moving,’ he declares with a disinterested shrug.

He pulls out a lighter from his pocket, lights it and tosses it at the bar. The liquor soon catches fire.

‘We don’t need to be involved in this shit.’ When I turn to look at him, I see the barrel of the gun pointed at my forehead. ‘You agree? Dead people all over the place. One of them Authority.’

I quickly nod.

‘I can’t have the Authority sniffing about in my business. And neither can you. Not unless you want to go back to wherever you came from before I bought your sorry arse. Is that what you want? To go back?’

I shake my head.

‘So, we were never here. Right?’ He cocks the gun.

‘W-we were never here,’ I whisper back.

‘Good.’ He puts the gun in his pocket and goes for the exit. He throws open the door and disappears, letting it slam shut behind him.

Shaking from head to toe, I push myself onto my feet and look down at Reid’s lifeless body.

The room continues to fill with smoke and the heat of the flames does nothing but grow.

So, I follow his advice.

Before I leave, I search Reid for more Gilt.

But there’s none to be found.

‘What the fuck do I do now?’ I ask the universe.

The universe gives me no reply. Just flames and blood.

I stand and check that I still have the winnings in my pocket. I do.

I leave the fire to ravage the scene and all those within, and step outside into a short, damned and dark future.

I have no need to fear the monsters now.

I am one.

10

It’s raining hard when morning arrives. The old man never came back and I haven’t had a second of sleep.

After I ran home, I sat on the edge of the sofa staring at the wall. I haven’t moved since. I keep reliving last night in my head over and over again. I still see those twisted creatures and shudder at the thought that I too, will soon be like them.

They were once like me, after all.

Before their bones clicked and ground together as they moved. Before their screeching cut through the air.

That’s my future now.

I have one dose of Gilt in my system. Reid said I needed more. That if I used my powers again, I would devolve instantly. There’s no coming back after that. No amount of Gilt will ever bring you back from that darkness.

I keep reliving those final shots. The ones that tore through Reid and his Pet and sent them to the ground.

For the first time in my life, I find myself wishing that no harm had come to a human. That the Authority agent was alive and well.

But he’s not.

The old man killed him. He killed them both. He murdered two members of the Authority and didn’t even bat an eye!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

And then I was looking down the barrel.

I knew he was cruel. I knew he was cold.

And now I know that he’s a killer.

No way was that his first time. He held that weapon far too comfortably for it to have been a new experience for him.

I have no television, so I have no idea if it’s been reported yet. But it will be reported. Reid was Authority and he died in a Fae pub. The repercussions for this will be deadly for my kind. The Authority will be on the warpath, punishing anyone they can for the loss of one of their own. It’s rare, but this has happened before. A drunk agent goes staggering down the wrong alley and is found with a caved-in skull come morning.

But it’s the innocent who gets punished. The ones who had nothing to do with it. The kids walking to school. The women trying to make enough money to put food on the table. Anyone less likely to fight back.

I’ve strained my ears all night long, waiting to hear approaching footsteps. Waiting to be arrested.

But nothing.

Just my own hammering heartbeat and strained breathing.

I rest my hand over my middle, wincing at the throbbing pain from the cut I suffered. The wound wasn’t too deep and it won’t take long to heal. We do mend a little faster than humans. But a Dark-Fae left this mark, so this mark will stay on my skin forever.

Just like the others.

Ahri is sleeping soundly in the bedroom upstairs, oblivious to the chaos I’ve brought on our heads.

What do I do? What the fuck do I do?

Hours pass, and no answer comes.

Not a single one.

Only when Ahri runs down the stairs do I stop revisiting the carnage of the pub and the dread of my short and brutal future. I blink my dry eyes, desperate to get some moisture into them so I can actually focus on her. It takes all I have to put on a smile.

‘Morning,’ she yawns, heading straight over and sitting next to me on the sofa. ‘Well? What happened last night?’

I reach into my pocket and pull out the money. Her entire face lights up and relief washes over her like a wave of wonder.

‘You got it back?’ Ahri gasps, taking the money and holding it close to her chest.

‘Told you I would.’

‘And I didn’t doubt you for a second.’ An excited squeal escapes her before she starts counting it, scanning it note by note, coin by coin, and adding it up under her breath. ‘How did you do it? How did you get it back from him? There’s more here than there should be!’

A violent flashback plays in HD before I shake my head and rid myself of the horror.

‘He was drunk and passed out in a bar. It wasn’t hard. I played some poker to try and get some more for the flat and had a lucky streak.’

‘You superstar!’ She kisses my cheek and wriggles with joy. ‘We’re getting out of here! We’re really going to get out!’ Her beaming smile and sparkling eyes soothe my soul. She will be getting out of here.

Even if I don’t.

‘Better get yourself ready. You’re due at the Academy today. Maybe have a shower. You look terrible.’

‘Thanks,’ I grumble.

‘Well, let’s see them.’

‘What?’

‘Your eyes, silly.’ She laughs as if I’m foolish.

I peer up at her with a nervous breath and let her look deep into my eyes.

She stares, her brow furrowing.

‘Well?’ I ask, every second feeling like an endless age.

Can she see anything? Has the Gilt started to wear off already?

‘No gold. You live to see another day. And me?’ She widens her eyes and waits.

‘You’re clear,’ I reply.

‘Great. Now off to the shower with you. You smell like a bonfire.’

It’s all just routine at this stage.

Wash. Brush teeth. Dress. Leave. Walk.

I know that this is all about to end. My time with my sister. My freedom. Maybe my life.

I either hand myself in and become their “Pet”.

Or I stay hidden and turn. I’ll die a monster. Shot dead in the street as I try to slaughter anyone who gets in my way.

If the Authority discover I was involved in the massacre last night, they’ll want revenge first. And the only person I care about is Ahri.

She’s in danger now, too.

I imagine my body twisted and contorted, with talons and fangs. I imagine being forced to watch as the Authority make Ahri pay for what I did to their agent.

There is another choice, I tell myself.

Another way out.

Ahri and I have both talked about it. About ending our lives with peace and comfort if we ever Trigger.

But how would I do it?

Should I slit my wrists? Jump off the roof? Step in front of a car?

What would be the least painful?

‘Earth to Raven,’ Ahri sings, shoulder bumping me as we walk.

‘Huh?’

‘You really should have got some sleep last night,’ she laughs. ‘You’re like a zombie this morning. Not wise, considering you have a day of playing with blowtorches and stuff.’

I keep quiet. Too preoccupied to give a response worth anything.

‘Oh. I hope you don’t mind, but I’m giving your boots to my friend later.’

‘Whatever.’

‘Wow. Aren’t you a bundle of laughs this morning?’

‘I was up all night. Unlike you, who had no problem getting your beauty sleep while I was out, on my own, getting back the money you lost in the first place!’ I snap my words before I can stop myself and see them smack her in the face.

‘Calm down. No need to be a bitch. We got the money back, didn’t we?’

‘I got it back, yes. But it would be nice if you could-’

‘Then get over it,’ she huffs, flicking her hair over her shoulder. ‘You’re such a misery sometimes. There’s Tim. I’ll see you later.’

She starts walking off, leaving me behind.

‘Ahri!’ I call after her. ‘Ahri, wait a second! There’s something you need to know!’

‘Later!’ she shouts back over her shoulder, greeting Tim with a kiss and strolling off with him, hand in hand.

Tears prick at my eyes and sobs claw at my throat. I want to run after her and hold her. One last time. But I don’t.

I’m so confused. So lost.

So scared.

I carry on walking through the streets of the outer-city and pay no attention to any of my surroundings. I bump into shoulders and step blindly into roads.

Until I turn a corner. Then I pay attention.

I stop instantly. Up ahead is a large white Authority van. The emblem of an eye is painted on the side. The sight of it tightens my airway and adrenaline shoots through my entire body. I flood with heat and feel dizzy as one of the agents standing beside it is looking directly at me.

Move! Walk away and stop staring at him like a rabbit in headlights!

Why won’t my legs move?

Can he see the blood rushing to my face?

A yell startles me and unlocks my body. Three young lads, all mid-teens, are standing in a line, facing the two rear doors that are wide open. Their hands are cuffed in iron and they have multiple cuts and bruises on their faces. They look terrified. I notice they don’t have golden eyes, but they must have done something to piss off the agents who have arrested them.

One of the lads is in the grip of a formidable-looking agent who is dressed in black with a riot helmet on. The boy is manoeuvred with callous hands, shaken, pushed, and hauled about. When the kid stumbles, he gets a punch in the gut.

It breaks my heart to see. The man who has him is probably the same age as the old man, but built like a tank.

If he hasn’t just broken that kid’s ribs, I’d be amazed. Especially judging from the agonised cry of pain that reaches my ears.

The agent is still watching me. He blows me a kiss and rests his hand on his crotch, so I quickly carry on, making him laugh a little.

If I’m caught today, I don’t want them to be the ones.

But there are none any better.

Well, except Reid, I suppose. At least he didn’t plan on handing me in properly.

Not sure if that would have been better or worse.

Head down as the rain gets heavier, my mind continues to race enough to make me dizzy.

I’m like this until I reach the gates of the Academy, where I stop, just out of sight of Darius who’s doing eye scans at the entrance. I back up and linger behind a wall, watching him work.

Do I really want to spend my last day in that place with him? With all of them?

My future is in ashes anyway. One way or another.

Darius turns and sees me.

He glares at me, daring me to come over.

Part of me wants to. Just so he doesn’t think he’s won or that the reason I linger here is my fear of him.

But if I go through those gates this morning, the only one who would suffer would be me, locked behind those walls with no escape from his vicious need to make me pay.

And I’ll still end up dead or a Pet by day’s end.

A black car pulls up outside the gates and the front doors open.

Two men in Authority coats step out, their hoods pulled over their heads and the collars on their coats pulled up as they try to keep dry in this downpour.

Once again, my throat constricts, and I struggle to catch a breath.

I back up as they walk inside the grounds.

No way I head in there now. Once those gates shut, there’s no way out. Nowhere to run.

I take another step back as Darius slowly closes the gate.

I step back once more. This is it. If I don’t go in, I lose my placement in the programme.

Who am I kidding?

I lost it the minute I stepped foot in that pub last night.

Darius grins as the final blast of the horn begins to sound and I let out a shuddering and frightened breath as my last chance at a life slips away.

Then… the siren ends.

Before heading inside the grounds, Darius turns the key in the lock and winks, leaving me out here alone in the rain.

That’s that then.

Placement gone.

My life won’t be far behind.

I wipe away a tear and take a sharp intake of breath.

‘I need to get out of here,’ I tell myself.

I turn, pull my hood further over my head and run.

I run as hard and as fast as I can.

11

My feet pound the cobbled roads and disappear beneath deep puddles of soot and grime, drenching my feet. I never stop. Even when my legs start to cramp and my lungs feel fit to burst.

I run and I run, gritting my teeth and gasping for each hard-earned breath.

I pass through the outer city and continue inwards. The buildings become more cramped and the crowds become heavier. The smog and smoke polluting our air intensify, as does the noise.

I skid to a stop and lift my head.

‘In for a penny…’ I mutter, pulling down my hood and lowering my scarf, exposing my face completely. ‘In for a pound.’

I walk into the heart of the Inner-city.

With a nod to the working women and a glare at the men purveying them, I pass on through to Traders Lane. Slowly and being sure to take my time looking at what is on offer but not really looking at anything at all, I wander down alleys and linger in doorways. Hoping beyond hope that the wrong people may see me.

Nothing. No one says a word and no one approaches me.

So… I work. I do the one thing I know will anger the man who runs these streets.

The man who threatened to kill me if he ever saw me working his patch again.

I walk and bump into unsuspecting men with pockets deep enough to pick. I empty their wallets of anything of use and toss their empty carcasses into the gutters.

When I duck down an alleyway overflowing with bin bags, I take a look at the result of my spree. A tidy little sum. I’m good at this, I think to myself.

I could have been great at it.

The clang of a foot knocking against some metal bins make me still. I soon hear more than one set of footsteps and then a playful, rather sinister whistle. One that reminds me of a children's lullaby.

Creepy.

I turn, ready to meet the man I was hoping would find me.

I see three men slowly strolling down the alleyway towards me, fanned out and blocking the exit. They're in ratty and unkempt clothes and their faces are covered by their face scarves.

But I know who they are. And I know who they aren’t.

The one in the middle lowers his scarf.

‘Well, well, well,’ he smirks, looking me up and down. ‘Look at this. Here I am, minding my own business and collecting on debts, when I spot a little rat skittering around, stealing what ain’t hers.’ He holds out his open palm. ‘Hand it over, rat.’

I stash the money in my pocket and look harder at the other two.

‘Where’s Cyrus?’ I ask his men.

‘Not here,’ the creep replies, licking his lips and stepping closer. His hand reaches out a little further. ‘You know the rules. Pay up and fuck off.’ He takes another step closer.

‘Sorry, Monkey. But I need the organ grinder. Where’s your boss?’

His eye twitches at my words.

‘I need to see Cyrus. Can you take me to him?’

They all remain silent.

With a final look around, I scoff and go to leave. I’ll find Cyrus elsewhere.

This is his patch, after all. He can’t be far away. He usually turns up.

But the monkey side steps and blocks my path.

I look up with annoyance.

‘Move aside.’

‘And miss out on our sparkling conversation?’

‘I’m not here to talk to you.’

‘Well, I’m all you’re gonna get. I know Cyrus told you before not to come thieving in his patch. Not unless you’re willing to pay him for the privilege. So give me what you got and be thankful that’s all I’m taking.’

‘He can come and take his cut himself.’

I try to pass again and this time, he grabs my arm and pulls me in.

‘You ain’t leaving.’

‘Then take me to Cyrus.’

Before I can react, his fist collides with the side of my face. I go down hard, clutching my cheek and tasting blood in my mouth.

‘Nah,’ he laughs. ‘I don’t think so.’

He reaches down. His grubby hands grab the scruff of my hoody and he hauls me up to my feet. He’s laughing at me as I try to get free and slams his forehead into my face before I can. Pain explodes over my nose and warm blood splatters over my skin. My head lolls as everything spins.

They’re all laughing.

‘Careful,’ I sneer. ‘You don’t know where I’ve been.’ I spit a load of blood in his face and wriggle free as he panics and tries to get it out of his mouth. I start running, ping-ponging off the bins and stumbling over my uncooperative feet as I head to the exit of the alley. I see the other two ahead, getting ready to block my escape.

I grab the lid of one of the metal bins and smack the one on my left around the face with it. He swears and stumbles as I use the same lid as a type of shield and run straight at the third man, pushing him back and back until I reach the exit. I drop the lid and I leg it, willing the adrenaline coursing through my veins to stop poking at the power inside starting to stir.

I run down the streets and past the traders. Down alleyways and over potholes and ditches.

But when I see one of them up ahead, panting and looking murderous, I panic. The fucker must have cut me off, and the other two are right behind me.

A sharp whistle sounds. Across the road, Trixie, the working girl who helped me the other day, waves me over. She sees the men closing in and beckons me towards the open door to her brothel.

I’ll take it.

I run over and leap inside with such force, I fall flat on my face into a deep purple carpet.

I turn and see Trixie going to slam the door shut. She’s not in her working gear but in black leggings and an oversized, pink jumper. The man who hit me pushes against her attempts to close the door but she holds her own.

‘Open the door, you whore.’

‘You know the rules,’ Trixie states firmly. ‘You need to be invited by one of the girls if you want to come in, and trust me, no one is inviting your broke ass inside.’

He looks past her to me.

‘Fine. But you can’t stay in there forever, rat.’

‘I dunno,’ I reply, pulling out his wallet from my pocket and waving it at him. ‘I can certainly afford their company more than you can. Seems like you collected on a lot of debts today.’

‘You little bitch!’ he hisses, looking at his wallet in my hand.

With a shove, Trixie is pushed backwards.

But you should never fuck with the girls in their own brothel.

Everyone knows that.

In a flurry, doors open and women appear from all directions.

When the jerk steps inside, he finds five half-naked women who have abandoned their clients to come to our aid. They’re armed with baseball bats or knives and all gather in the lavish hall, willing to fight and kill to protect what’s theirs.

The three men stop and wisely back up.

‘You’ll regret that,’ he says to me. ‘You’ve just taken Cyrus’s money. Thieving on his patch is one thing. Thieving from him is a death sentence.’

The girls shift, uncertain at what they should do with the news that Cyrus is involved in this.

‘If he wants it back,’ I tell him, sliding the full wallet into my pocket. ‘He can come and get it.’

‘Are you serious?’ Trixie whispers back to me. ‘You’re fucking about with Cyrus’s money?’

‘I need to see him. My life literally depends on it.’ I wipe away the blood from my nose before it spills on their carpet and I look at her pleadingly.

‘You heard the girl,’ Trixie says to the men at the threshold, albeit a little anxiously. ‘If he wants it back, he needs to come and get it. Now fuck off.’

‘You’ll regret this.’ He points at all the women. ‘You’ll all regret this.’

As soon as he’s clear, the door is slammed shut and bolted.

The girls all turn and look at me.

‘I’m really sorry,’ I offer pathetically.

They shake their heads and roll their eyes before returning to their paying customers, leaving me alone with Trixie. Her arms are folded across her chest and her eyebrows are raised high.

‘What have you got yourself into this time, kid?’

‘I am really sorry,’ I repeat.

‘Not yet, you’re not,’ she sighs. ‘But when Cyrus comes looking for his money, I think you might be extremely sorry for what you’ve done. C’mon. Let’s clean you up. Blood stains in a whore house aren’t good for business.’

I pace the ground floor bedroom she put me in. Trixie had to get ready for work. She left me to sort myself out and gave me a bowl of hot, soapy water and some clean towels.

She even made me a cup of tea and left me some biscuits.

But I just keep wiping the blood away with my sleeve, too panicked to sit down and clean myself up properly.

The room is undoubtedly used for sex. The walls are deep red, and the double bed sheets are black silk. There are restraints ready and raring on the bedposts for if their clients like that sort of thing, and the dresser holds various lubes, condoms and toys.

The lighting is soft and there is a constant smell of vanilla in the air.

I continue to pace.

The front door of the brothel thuds as someone slams their fist against it. I stop as still as stone.

I hear the front door open and the sound of muffled voices travel up the hall.

Then my door opens.

Cyrus stands in the doorway.

His hood is up and his scarf is pulled over his mouth, but I know that body anywhere. He’s in a long, black coat made of wool. It falls to his knees and hangs off him perfectly. His bare chest is just about visible beneath with his tattoos and various chains, talismans and beads dangling around his neck.

His silver eyes land on me straight away as he steps inside.

The door remains open and the three men who cornered me, linger behind him with cruel smirks on their faces.

I stand there like an idiot, unsure if I should speak, move, or duck.

Cyrus lowers his scarf and hood, and looks at me with the deepest frown.

‘I just needed to talk to you,’ I tell him quickly, pulling out his wallet and offering it freely. ‘I’m sorry I took it, but they wouldn’t tell me where to find you.’

He looks over his shoulder to the three men behind him and then back to me.

Cyrus walks further into the room, his scowl deepening.

I back up, too frightened to look away from the rage contorting his face.

‘It’s all there, I swear!’ I wave the wallet in his face but he swats it away.

My legs hit the bed and I land on the mattress.

He stops over me, bats the wallet out of the way as I offer it again, and grabs my chin instead.

With his thumb, he catches the droplet of blood that was about to slide past my lips. He looks at the red smear on his thumb and produces a deep, low growl from his chest.

His eyes flick up to mine.

‘This is fresh. Your nose is busted.’

‘I just wanted to see you. I-’

‘One of them did this?’ he interrupts, nodding to the men by the door.

‘I shouldn’t have insulted them. I’m sorry, I just needed you-’

He turns to the men at the door. ‘Who hit her?’ he demands darkly.

He’s not pissed that I did something terrible enough to earn a thump.

He’s pissed I was thumped at all.

Didn’t see that coming.

His men have gone from cocky bastards to uneasy little men.

‘If you make me ask again, I’ll assume you all did,’ Cyrus states. ‘And you will all deal with the consequences.’

Cyrus’s tone sends a shiver up even my spine. Two of the men nod to their third companion.

‘You struck her? A man three times her size broke her nose?’

‘She was in your patch, Boss. You told her already. I was there when you told her. “Stay out or pay up”.’ His words tumble out and his eyes are growing wider and wider as he looks at Cyrus. ‘She’s just a street rat. A thief. A-’

I’ll never know what else I am because Cyrus, in the blink of an eye, has pulled out a small dagger and thrown it at the man’s fucking throat. I give a small scream and slam my hands over my mouth, as the blade goes straight through his neck. He stands there for a few seconds, blinking and gurgling, before dropping to the floor in a lifeless heap.

Three men have now died because of me. My descent into monsterdom has clearly already begun.

Casually, Cyrus walks towards him, retrieves his blade, wipes it clean and looks at the other two.

‘Either of you two lay a finger on her?’ he asks.

They both shake their heads. Cyrus looks at me. I manage a hurried shake of my head too.

‘Good. Take him out and get rid. Then get back to work.’

‘Y-yes, Boss.’

They start manoeuvring the body out of the room and as soon as they’re clear, Cyrus closes the door and faces me. The blade is still in his hands, being wiped by the end of his shirt.

I wait. It will find my throat next, I know it.

But he tucks it back inside his pocket and heads towards me, picking up the bowl of soapy water and the towels on the way. He kneels before me as I remain cowering on the bed in terror.

The man just murdered someone. Now, he’s soaking one of the towels in the soapy water and inspecting the damage his man caused my face. Gently, Cyrus pulls my trembling hands away from my mouth and starts cleaning me up.

Scared stiff, I just sit there, watching him, not daring to breathe.

He wrings the cloth, turning the water red, and carries on washing the blood from my face.

‘You gonna tell me what you’re doing here?’

‘I… I need…’ The words will sound ridiculous now. They were always going to.

He continues cleaning me up. His hands are unbelievably soft and tender and he focuses with deep concentration. I wince as he brushes the cloth against the ridge of my nose and I see his eye twitch.

‘What do you need, Princess?’ he asks, lowering the cloth and watching me. ‘Gotta be something big to come back here when I told you not to.’

‘You know people, right? I mean… you know dealers and thieves.’

‘A few. Yeah.’ He tries not to smirk as he looks at the stolen wallet beside me. ‘None quite as cute as you are, though.’

‘Do you know anyone that can get hold of Gilt?’ I ask. ‘Or maybe you know where the Authority keep it?’

His smile falters in an instant and his hand stills.

‘Why?’ he asks slowly.

‘Do you?’

‘I might. Again. Why?’

I swallow hard and let out a heavy breath.

‘I need it,’ I whisper.

Slowly, he rises to his knees and looks deep into my eyes. Closer and closer he gets until his eyes widen.

‘Oh. Shit.’

‘You can see?’ I ask, reaching up and resting my fingertips on my cheek. ‘Already?’

He stands and so do I.

‘That’s why you came here? You’ve Triggered?’

‘Do you know where I can get Gilt?’ I repeat as firmly as I can manage as he steps back and shakes his head. ‘You’re the only one I could think of that might know someone who can help me.’

‘How did this happen?’

‘It’s a long story. And it doesn’t matter. Not really. I need Gilt, Cyrus. They’ll arrest me or kill me if you don’t help me.’ I reach out and take his hand in mine as I look up at him in utter desperation. ‘I’ll do anything. Help me. I can’t be a Pet. I won’t be. I’ll die before I let them put a leash on my collar.’

‘How did you Trigger?’ he asks. ‘Please. Please tell me that you weren’t involved in the fire at the bar last night. The one with the agent and their Pet.’

‘What do you know about the fire?’

‘You were, weren’t you?’ He hisses his words and swears under his breath, shoving me away from him and glaring furiously at me. ‘Do you have any idea who you’re dealing with? That agent is-’

‘Dead. He’s dead, Cyrus. And he was no normal agent. The guy wanted to take me for his own collection or some shit and-’

‘No fucking shit! Why the hell do you think I came all the way to see you yesterday, specifically to tell you to stay the hell out of the inner-city?’

‘Because… because you were sick of me stealing on your patch… right?’ I offer foolishly. ‘I don’t understand. How could you possibly know I would see him?’

‘I knew the man was in Rosenwood and I know his reputation. I didn’t want you anywhere near him. He’s not good to Fae.’

‘Did you warn everyone off? Or just me? What do you care if I get hurt?!’

‘You should never have come back to the inner-city. I should never have let you step foot in my patch after the first time I met you!’

‘Why?’ I take a step closer as he stares furiously at me. ‘Why, Cyrus? I’m a good thief. I could make you a lot of money if you let me.’

‘Because I’m not good news, Raven. You’ll get nothing but misery if you stick with me for too long.’

‘I have no one else to help me.’

He shakes his head and steps back again.

‘I have nowhere else to go, Cyrus!’

‘That’s not my problem!’ he yells at me, storming closer and forcing me to back up as he thrusts his livid face into mine. ‘I don’t do cute and cuddly, Princess. I don’t hold hands and I don’t go slow or gentle. I like things hard and I like things rough. I cause pain and I revel in it. I steal. I lie. I take what I want and I move on. You have no place in my world and I sure as shit have no place in yours. I never have and I never will.’

‘Then what do I do?’ I ask desperately, my words cracking as I feel any hope of help sinking away. ‘What the fuck do I do? You are my last hope!’

His chest rises and falls as he stands there, towering over me with his fists balled up and his jaw clenched.

‘I am not asking to be your girl. I am not asking you to go on fucking picnics or call me baby. I am asking you to help me stay alive and in return, I’ll help you.’

‘And how exactly do you plan on helping me?’ he asks, scoffing at the mere idea that I could have anything worthwhile.

‘Money?’ I offer.

‘Oh. You have some, do you?’

‘I could earn it. I could work for you. I could be your… one of your people.’ I gesture to the bloodstain in the carpet. ‘Seems like you have an opening. I have a gift now. It’s yours, if you want it. Help me and I’ll work for you.’

‘What gift do you have?’ He waits, curiosity dancing in his shining eyes.

‘Portals.’

His face falls and he goes pale in a second.

‘You’re… you’re a portal wielder?’

I nod. ‘Apparently.’

‘Are you certain? Portals?’

‘Positive,’ I state with a heavy exhale, seeing the blood and guts of the Dark-Fae spill on the floor once more.

‘Did the Agent see? The one at the bar last night, did he see the portal?’

‘Yes.’

‘Fates above, Raven-’

‘He’s dead now. It doesn’t matter.’ I wave my hand dismissively.

But he produces a low growl anyway and stares at me like he’s preparing to tear my head off.

‘Why are you so scared of a dead agent?’

‘I’m not scared,’ he snarls back.

‘Then why warn me off because he was in town?’

‘Charity.’

‘Will you help me?’ He remains painstakingly silent. ‘I can learn to use it properly. Think of all the places we could go. We could portal into bank vaults or-’

‘That’s what you want to do with your gift? Use it for stealing?’

‘I want to survive.’ I watch him and I’m sure I can hear his thoughts slamming about in his skull.

His doubts.

‘If you help me, my gifts would be yours.’ I step closer. ‘And so would I. If… if you wanted.’

‘Gonna need you to be more specific there, Princess.’

I know he knows what I mean, and it annoys me that he would force me to spell it out for him. I remove the distance between us, cautiously moving closer with adrenaline surging through my body. I stop just in front of him and he looks down at me with keen curiosity.

I reach out and slide my hands beneath his coat, running my palms up his chest, to his shoulders, and remove his coat. It falls and lands in a pile at his feet. I let my eyes wander over his chest and trace the tips of my fingers down to his stomach.

Everything he is, is solid muscle. But not perfect. There are scars beneath the multitude of black ink that covers his skin. Scars left there from Dark-Fae. I would love to ask him about them. But then, I loathe it when people ask me about mine.

Fuck. He’s so beautiful.

I step a little closer. The top of my head is level with his chin.

I press my lips to his clavicle and kiss him there. My fingernails dig into his stomach, which tenses at my touch.

I kiss him again, trailing my lips seductively down his collar bone and then to his chest. I trail the tip of my tongue downwards as I keep kissing, nipping, tasting.

My hands go to the buckle on his belt and I look up at him through my lashes.

‘You always said I was your favourite toy. You could play with me. If you like?’

He’s unreadable and standing as rigid as a soldier.

His buckle undone, I hold his gaze and slide my hand into his jeans.

I let out a sharp exhale when I feel him, rock hard and ready in my palm.

‘You will owe me nothing. I’ll expect nothing from you except Gilt. Use me as you want and I swear, I’ll never cause you trouble.’

When I grip his length, he lets out a low moan and closes his eyes.

‘Please help me, Cyrus. Don’t let them take me away. Don’t let them tear me apart and turn me into a mindless Pet. Help me, and I’ll be yours whenever, wherever…. and however… you want.’

Slowly, I start to move my hand back and forth.

Fuck. He’s big!

I keep watching him, working him slowly in his jeans, struggling to find the room to move my wrist as much as I want to but revelling in his reaction to me.

His eyes open and he looks at me with such a dark lust I find my own body reacting. I flush with heat and feel an ache between my legs.

I grip him harder and run my thumb over the tip of his cock.

He grabs my shoulders and pushes me against the wall with an angry grunt.

He pulls my hand away.

Of course he would.

Why would he ever want a mess like me to touch him?

‘You have no idea what you’re asking. No idea what you’re putting yourself into. I’m a villain. No one comes to a villain for help. I’ll drag you down to the depths of hell with me.’

‘I don’t care. To survive, I’ll do whatever it takes. Look at you, Cyrus. You’re a God. Do what you want with me. I beg you. Just help me in return.’

He falls silent. Still. His eyes darken as he steps closer, his chest pressing against mine as I take in a shuddering breath.

He opens his flies and reveals himself in all his fucking glory.

‘If you’re gonna beg, then beg properly,’ he says darkly before pushing me down. ‘On your knees, Princess. Open your pretty little mouth.’ His fingers slide through my hair before he grabs them at the roots and tugs. ‘Eyes on me. I mean it. You keep those big blue eyes on me and you beg. Open wide.’

I open my mouth and hold out my tongue, never looking away from his intense and hungry gaze.

The tip of his cock runs the length of my tongue and meets the back of my throat.

‘Fuck,’ he hisses, letting out a wonderful breath as he feels my lips seal around him. ‘Fuck, Princess. Don’t you look so perfect right now.’

His desire fuels mine. I’m not scared. I’m starving. Starving for him. His body. His scent. His wanton eyes and powerful presence.

I have been since the first moment I saw him.

He lets go of my hair and rests his palms on the wall. He keeps looking down at me, and I remain looking upwards at him.

I start to move. My head goes back and forth as I lick and suck on his length, revelling in his heavy breathing and deep moans.

Back and forth. Deeper and deeper, taking in more of him each time. He doesn’t move an inch. He doesn’t force himself in harder or thrust against me. I wrap my fingers around the base of his cock and hold him there as I run my tongue the entire length of him, flicking his tip with my tongue before taking him in entirely again. I work him with both my hand and my mouth. I just want to touch him. Touch his stomach. His chest. Feel his heart hammering. Claw at him and leave my mark. I sink the tips of my fingers into his lower back and pull him into me, desperate to feel all he has to offer and wishing, aching, for him to touch me back.

But my pleasure isn’t what’s on the table right now.

That’s okay.

I can wait.

‘Get up here,’ he snarls, hauling me to my feet.

He takes my wrist and returns my hand to his cock. He moves my wrist back and forth, setting the pace and the rhythm. I look down, desperate to take in the sight of him but he takes my chin roughly in his hand and makes me look at him instead.

‘Stroke me, Princess. Work me hard. Work me good and look me in the eye as you do.’ His lips crash into mine and he kisses me deeply. Painfully. Beautifully.

His eyes never close. Neither do mine and it drives me insane.

His breathing gets heavier. His muscles are clenched and tight.

I know he’s getting close.

I reach up with my free hand and knot my fingers in his hair as I kiss him.

I feel it. Any second now.

I pull away from his lips and fall to my knees to take him in my mouth once more. To take him and taste him as he reaches his peak.

But that’s not what happens.

He grabs my hair and throws me away from him so hard, I land on the bed and roll clear off it, landing on the floor.

I lie there, winded and sore from my awkward landing as he groans in release.

Painfully, I grip the duvet and pull myself up to peer over the top of the bed and watch him gasp, slumped against the wall with the bloody towel he cleaned me up with pressed to his crotch.

When he catches his breath, he wipes himself off, drops the towel and does up his jeans.

He turns, looking so angry I decide to stay crouching behind the bed instead of getting to my feet.

‘Did I do something wrong?’ I ask.

‘How many dicks have you sucked to get something in return?’ he spits with venom, buckling up his belt and retrieving his coat. ‘Is that what you are, huh?’

‘How many girls have sucked your dick in exchange for something only you can give them?’ I counter.

He looks at me with wrath as he slides on his coat.

I stay half hidden by the bed, only the top of my head visible.

‘Are you a whore, Princess?’

‘Are you, Cyrus?’

‘You’re very irritating.’

‘And you’re very emotionally unstable.’

He lets out an angry laugh and collects his wallet from the bed.

‘Are you going to help me?’ I ask.

‘I want you to stay here. When I get back, I’ll have the Gilt you need.’

‘You will?’

‘I will. Don’t move from this room. Do you hear me? I’ll be back in a bit. You’ll be fine.’

‘I will?’ I ask, still peeking up over the bed.

‘You can trust me. I’ll be back with some Gilt and then you can get back to your sister like nothing ever happened.’

I shudder at his words.

‘We’ll sort out the long-term arrangement when I get back.’ He raises his brow as he stands by the door with his hand on the handle. ‘Got that?’

‘Got it,’ I whisper with a nod.

‘Good.’ He leaves the room, closing the door behind him.

I sit and stare at the door with every one of my senses on high alert. Never mind what I just did with him. That’s the least of it because the truth is I enjoyed every second and wish that he had not thrown me away like the trash he clearly thinks I am.

But because I know, without a doubt, that Cyrus just told me a lie.

I could taste it. Like licking a battery. I felt it crawl over my skin and cause the hairs on my arms to stand on end.

I’ve always been able to sense bullshit. I’ve always been able to call a bluff in poker or tell when someone is hiding a secret.

But I’ve never felt it like that before.

Either way, Cyrus is not coming back with Gilt. He’s not providing me with a way to return to Ahri.

I know it. I know it.

Lies.

I get to my feet and head to the door. I open it a little and see him standing at the exit talking to Trixie.

‘You keep her in there and you keep her calm and quiet. She’s not stable and any kind of upset could set her off. I’ll be back in under an hour.’

‘Sure thing,’ she replies with a sigh. ‘Is she dangerous?’

‘Just keep her in that room. And don’t upset her. All right?’ He takes out the bundle of notes from his wallet and hands it to her. ‘This remains our secret. You never saw her. Got it?’

She takes the money and nods.

Cyrus pulls out a phone from his pocket and presses it to his ear.

Trixie closes the door before I can hear who he’s calling. But I have an idea.

The cash he’ll get for handing me in far outweighs whatever he just gave Trixie in exchange for her silence.

Cyrus was my last-ditch attempt at escaping a fate I dreaded more than anything.

I either wait here to be arrested or… Or what?

I silently close the bedroom door as Trixie heads back down the hallway. She stops outside my room and I hear her feet shuffle. Then I hear the sound of a key slowly sliding inside the lock.

I throw open the door and she yelps, clasping her chest, concealing the key in her hand.

‘Sorry. Didn’t mean to make you jump,’ I offer with a sweet smile, opening the door wider. ‘Cyrus gone?’

‘He has,’ she replies, nodding a little too much and forcing a smile. ‘He’ll be back soon.’

‘I know. He said he’d help me out of a tight spot. I’m so lucky.’ I’m careful to keep my smile and easy-going demeanour as I lean against the open door. I need to appear that I believe his bullshit. I don’t want to spook Trixie. ‘I’m really grateful for your help. And I’m sorry I dragged you into this.’ I scan the halls for a way out. The front door is bolted and locked.

Trixie must have the key.

‘Us girls need to stick together,’ she says, waving her trembling hand through the air. ‘Can I erm… can I get you something? A tea or-’

‘A tea would be great. Thank you. Hey. You got a bathroom in here?’

‘Erm…’

‘I really need to pee. Then when Cyrus gets back, I can just go with him without delay. Please?’

She looks hesitant but agrees and leads me to a bathroom a little further down the hall. The door closes and I run to the window. It’s tight, but I pull myself through the small opening and land with a thud in the alley behind the brothel.

And I run.

I run towards the only option I have left.

12

I stand outside the gates to Ahri’s factory and continue to wait. I called over the key master and pleaded with him to tell my sister that I need to see her during her lunch break. My clothes are soaked through from the rain and I’m shivering from the cold, but still, I wait.

When the bell rings for their lunch hour, I feel fit to burst with anxiety. I can’t just linger out here. Cyrus knows what I am and I have no doubts in my mind that the call he made was to the Authority.

Handing in a Triggered-Fae earns the informant a tidy sum. Cyrus loves money.

More than he loves anything else.

Ahri comes outside, hidden under a large black umbrella and tip toeing over puddles and cracks. When she reaches the gates, her eyes flash with righteous anger.

‘You okay?’ I ask her.

‘No.’

‘What’s-’

‘You lost your placement,’ she interrupts.

‘Oh-’

‘Tim’s Dad got you that placement as a favour to me, and you throw it back in his face after one day.’

‘How did you know already-’

‘Tim told me. Darius called the factory office to ask him to pass the message on.’

‘Darius told you. I bet he did. He never could wait to stick the knife in.’

‘This isn’t his fault. It has never been his fault. This is you! It’s always you, Raven!’ Her eyes scan the bruises I know must be forming on my face. ‘I hope it was worth it. Losing out on your future for whatever reason you have those marks on your face. Let me guess. The inner city. Cybo or whatever his name is.’

‘I can explain-’

‘I don’t want to hear it.’ She scoffs and shakes her head. ‘I’m sick of hearing your excuses. Because no matter what happens, no matter the mess you seem to find yourself in or who you offend, upset or injure along the way, you always have someone else to blame.’

‘Ahri. Why are you being so cruel?’

‘Here’s what I will say to you and then I have to get back to work. I’m moving out of Dad’s house in a matter of days. If you get a job, you can come with me. If you don’t, then Tim will move in with me instead.’

I open my mouth to respond, but she doesn’t give me a chance to say a word.

‘I have to get back to work. Not that you would understand what that is. I’ll see you later.’

‘Ahri. Ahri, wait, please!’

She’s turned on her heel and is leaving without even bothering to look back.

‘I said I will see you later!’ she snaps.

I watch her disappear back inside the factory, the door closing behind her.

‘No, you won’t,’ I sigh, the weight of our final moments forever staining my heart.

She will never see me again.

I run my fingers the length of this sleek black collar around my neck as I walk. It’s been hours since the murder of Reid, his Pet and the fire at the pub. I’m amazed I haven’t been snapped up yet. The collars track us. Hell, if they wanted to, they could detonate the bomb wrapped around my neck.

But I’m still here. Still breathing. Still free… ish.

I pass the walkway over the marshes, careful not to slip on the planks. The rain is still hammering down and I’m numb with cold. I make it over and start on my final journey to the house I’ll be glad never to see again.

I write my final note to my sister in my head, stumbling and tripping over the words I think I may write.

How does a person write a goodbye letter to the only one they love? Should it be long? Short? A poem or song? How can I tell her that I'm sorry for leaving her alone in this dirty and unforgiving life? That I snuck away to end my life without telling her.

We had a plan in case one of us ever Triggered. We would sneak away together. There’s a spot, not too far from here, where the river runs a little clearer and some woodland has managed to survive the permanent smog. It’s where we agreed to end our lives if the day ever came. The spot is at the far edge of everything. Far from the gates out of the city. Far from any houses or factories. But close to the wall, so the iron hums in your brain and makes your skin prickle.

But it’s well worth it to hear the bubble of a stream and the rustle of leaves. I would sit there all day long if I could.

Any spare moments I have managed to steal for myself have been spent there.

Pretending, like a fool, that I was not alone. Holding one-sided conversations with a mirage of a ghost from a past that still haunts my dreams and follows me like a wicked shadow latched to my very soul.

I’ll go there to end it. Ahri and I promised to go there together if the time ever came. That we would hold the other as they slip away. No screaming. No chains. No violence.

There are far worse ways to go.

But death is still death. And her holding my corpse is something I know I could not put on her shoulders. It would forever haunt her. Forever scar her heart and fuel her nightmares.

I know all about that. All about the nightmares and scars left behind by a most beloved sister.

I would never lay that on her.

As I open the rusted gate and walk down the cracked pathway to the house, I wonder where to leave the note. I contemplate which knife to take with me to that spot by the stream. I imagine which wrist I will cut first, and I wonder, will it hurt much? What will be the worst part? The actual cut? Or feeling my organs dry up? Feeling my heart beating with nothing inside it to pump?

A heart that hammered so hard as I knelt before Cyrus and…

No. Don’t think of that. I can’t face his betrayal, nor the indignation of my own foolishness at thinking I could trust him an ounce.

I open the door and head inside. My heart is in tatters and my hope for anything else other than that dull knife and the secluded spot, has utterly abandoned me.

I leave behind muddy footprints and droplets of rain from my soaking clothes and as I walk, my heart breaks with every step. My eyes sting with tears and for the first time, I let them slide down my cheek and don’t bother to wipe them away.

I head towards the kitchen. There I'll find a pen and paper for my note.

As well as a knife.

I open the door.

But when I look up, I find that the kitchen is not empty.

Not even close.

Lucca, Reid’s Pet, is sitting at my kitchen table.

‘Fancy seeing you here,’ he grins, holding up a glass of water before drinking it down. ‘I know someone who wants to talk to you.’

‘Shit,’ I breathe, stepping back.

My back meets something hard. A man clears his throat. I turn slowly.

‘Welcome home, Little Bird,’ Reid says. ‘We’ve been looking all over for you.’

13

‘You shot us.’

‘I-I didn’t-I-’

Reid pulls out a set of cuffs from his pocket and I freak. A surge of power is expelled from my body and he’s thrown back down the hall.

‘Oh. I have had enough of this shit!’ Reid spits, swiftly getting back to his feet. His fury is terrifying and I just panic. All I see are his balled-up fists and tensed muscles. He’s going to beat the shit out of me!

I turn and try to run, but Lucca is in the kitchen blocking any possible exit and when I duck into the lounge, another man is standing in there.

It’s another Pet. He has a slowly glowing red light emanating from his collar. His hair is jet black and tied up in a loose bun atop his head. His face is as unreadable as stone, and like Lucca and Reid, he has black tattoos on his skin. Not as many as Reid, but they cover his hands and disappear up the sleeves of his jacket.

‘Gotcha!’ Reid snarls, wrapping his arms around my waist and pinning me close to his body.

I let out the loudest scream I can create but his other hand clamps down over my mouth.

‘Shut up-ARRGGGHH!’

‘Do you need a hand, mate?’ Lucca laughs from the kitchen, watching me thrash in Reid’s huge arms as he tries to prise his finger from between my teeth. ‘She a tad too feisty for you?’

Reid gets his hand free and seals my mouth closed.

‘The little cow bit me!’

‘Bite her back.’

‘Don’t tempt me,’ Reid growls under his breath as he looks down at me. ‘let’s have a little chat, shall we?’

I’m dragged, kicking and thrashing past the second Pet and into the lounge.

As I struggle, Reid doesn’t say a single word. He subdues my efforts for freedom with ease, squeezing me hard and crushing my chest so I can’t catch a breath.

We reach the old sofa and he throws us both down onto it. Reid’s full weight is on my front and his hand stays over my mouth as I continue trying to fight him off.

Everything inside me turns ice cold with panic.

I know these kinds of men. I’ve seen it over and over. Their power over us is cruelly unfair, and sometimes we have no other choice but to bend to whatever it is they want.

I feel my new and unstable power start to emerge from deep inside. The same fullness and pure adrenaline in my blood that coursed through me last night when it exploded to life for the first time.

I fear that, almost as much as I fear this man and the organisation he works for.

A wind begins to pick up in the room, gently blowing his hair across his eyes and rattling the windows. But before it can build to anything, Reid pulls a gun from his pocket and presses it to my forehead.

‘Cut that out right now. If your eyes so much as sparkle at me, I will shoot you. You hear me?’ He cocks his gun and presses it harder to my skull. The bullet sliding into the chamber vibrates through my entire body as my fingers wrap around his wrist to try and push him off.

I fail. He’s too strong.

‘I mean it,’ he says. ‘And I know that you know I mean it, so calm down before I blow you to hell. No magic. No portals. And quit struggling. I promise you, this will only hurt more if you fight me.’ He leans in closer and lowers his voice. ‘And I know that you can tell if I’m lying. Lucca read your mind during our poker game and he knows you could tell when I was lying, so tell me. Am I lying now, Little Bird?’

I manage a slight shake of my head as I stare up at him, his hand stealing my voice and his body pinning me down.

He’s not lying.

Not at all.

I can’t feel any lie. Not how I did when Cyrus spoke his dishonest words to me.

Reid continues looking down at me in warning, his eyes daring me to disobey. I see them quickly dance over the rest of my face.

I can’t move under Reid’s bulky frame and the whole situation is far from helping my natural response to scream my head off and keep my uncontrollable abilities in any form of check.

The edge of my vision starts to blur and my efforts start to fail. I barely hit him as I desperately try to beat him off me. My ears are ringing and my lungs are screaming for air. I can’t breathe.

But the power has thankfully withdrawn back inside, perhaps weakened by my looming unconsciousness and encouraged by the truth of his words.

If I react magically, he will shoot me. And the anger etched on his face tells me that he would genuinely love to do so.

‘You think you get to try and kill me and just toddle off?’ he hisses in my face.

‘She can’t breathe,’ Lucca states from the doorway. ‘Never mind shooting her, you’re going to suffocate her if you don’t ease up.’

Thankfully, Reid removes his hand and I try to take in a deep breath, but I still can’t.

‘You’re…’ I tap his chest. ‘You’re too heavy. Get off me!’ I gasp. ‘Please get off me!’

Thankfully, he sits, taking hold of the back of my head and bringing me with him. Our faces are so close I see the tiny beads of sweat building on his forehead.

‘I didn’t shoot you. I didn’t-’

‘You used powers in front of me, so of course, you tried to get rid of me. It makes sense-’

Again, I shake my head and plead with my eyes for him to believe me.

‘It wasn’t me. It wasn’t-’

‘What I don’t understand is how you’re still so…’ He scans my face.

‘Pretty?’ offers Lucca, leaning against the doorframe. ‘Sexy? Cute as fuck-’

‘Lucca,’ warns Reid.

‘What? They’re your thoughts. Not mine,’ he laughs.

‘I was going to say human,’ Reid grumbles, ignoring the amused chuckle of his pal.

‘I’m not human,’ I spit, disgusted at his comparison.

‘You know what I mean. How are you still so human-looking? Except for the ears, of course.’ His gun slides across my cheek and brushes my hair from my face, revealing the slightly pointed tips of my Fae-ears. He continues looking at my body. ‘No scales or darkening skin either. Why are you covered in bruises? Your nose is a bloody mess.’

Does he actually expect an answer?

‘Your eyes are almost normal too. Hardly any gold whatsoever. You wouldn’t even see it if you didn’t know it was there.’

‘You gave me Gilt.’

‘You’re a new change. You needed a lot more than the amount I gave you. You should have started to turn Dark by now.’

‘Maybe the scales are hidden under her shirt? I’ll help you check if you like.’ Offers Lucca.

‘I think I can manage,’ Reid replies. ‘Patience isn’t really my thing, Little Bird. Start talking!’

‘I don’t know what you want from me!’ I snap, sucking in a series of panicked breaths and getting frustrated with myself for being a mess of nerves. ‘I don’t know… I can’t…’

‘Then stop trying to think up a lie to get out of this and tell me the fucking truth!’ he snaps back. ‘You could sense my bluffs last night. You could tell when I was lying about my hand. How?’

‘I can’t think straight with your gun in my face and the creepy perv threatening to look under my shirt!’

‘Well, the gun’s not going anywhere, but I assure you, Lucca will behave. Won’t you, Lucca?’

Lucca simply smirks. Behind him, the second Pet cleans a gun with the cuff of his shirt.

‘Fae aren’t allowed guns. Not even Pets,’ I argue with a trembling voice.

‘I think we’ve established I don’t play by the rules. Now spill, and I’ll decide what to do next.’

‘I didn’t shoot you,’ I admit quickly. ‘I swear. I would never shoot anyone.’

Reid glances towards Lucca, whose brow is furrowed in deep and sudden concentration.

‘Is he reading my thoughts?’

When Reid sees me looking, he guides my face back to him.

‘Yes. Now open your mouth nice and wide so that I can shove my gun down your throat.’

‘I DIDN’T SHOOT YOU!’ I quickly repeat as he moves his weapon. I stare at the barrel of the gun and try to lean away, but his hand remains firmly on my back, leaving me no room to get away.

‘She’s telling the truth. She didn’t do it,’ Lucca says simply.

‘And the portals?’ Reid asks in a forced calm.

‘What about them?’ I ask.

‘You moved your hands like you knew what you were doing. You can sense lies. And you haven’t become Dark yet, so I’m starting to think that perhaps you’re not telling me the whole truth. Does someone else already own you? You got a supply of Gilt elsewhere or what?’

‘I have no idea what you’re even talking about!’

‘I’m getting annoyed.’

‘I swear! The lies… I’ve just… I’ve always been able to tell. Like a sixth sense maybe, I don’t know! It’s not magic. I can read body language or something. And the portals, or whatever the hell they were, it just felt like I needed to do that. That I needed to move my hands that way. That I would die if I didn’t. And you were telling me to cut it off and turn it on. To kill the Dark-Fae. I didn’t know I was going to dismember anything!’

‘Instinct,’ Lucca says quietly. ‘She was running on pure instinct, like breathing or ducking a punch. She has no idea what she did. Impressive.’

‘Impressive?’ I repeat. ‘That’s what you call what I did?’

‘If you can do that without any training, imagine what you can do with some practice,’ Lucca says excitedly.

‘Is she owned?’ Reid asks coldly.

‘No.’ Lucca shakes his head. ‘She’s not working for or owned by anyone.’

‘The lying thing. How long has that been going on?’ Reid asks.

‘It’s not a thing it’s just-’

‘HOW LONG!’ he bellows.

‘I don’t know!’

He lets out a thoroughly annoyed breath before thrusting the barrel of his gun into my mouth and pushing me back down onto the sofa. The metal reaches the back of my throat and tears fill my eyes as I lie beneath him.

‘I’m going to make some statements. And you will tell me if I’m lying or not. If you get one wrong, I’ll shoot you.’

I whimper underneath him.

‘Statement one. Between us, the two men with me and myself, we have killed over a hundred people.’

He slides the gun from between my lips.

‘Truth or lie, Raven?’

My lip trembles. ‘T-truth.’

I look at him and feel my whole body start to shake as I stare at the mass murderer. He’s trying to scare me.

It’s working.

‘Statement two. I’m allergic to peanuts.’

‘L-lie.’

He quickly notices how the hair on the back of my arms stands on end at his words. I feel like an electric charge has just breezed across my skin. A tingling sensation travels the length of my spine and wraps around my neck. Then I feel nauseous. Only for a second, but it’s enough to make me dizzy.

‘That’s a physical response,’ he muses. ‘Not an instinctual one.’

‘She can taste it,’ Lucca adds. ‘She thinks it tastes like batteries. Neat trick,’ he adds approvingly.

‘I only just started doing that,’ I say quietly, still too frightened to move. ‘I’ve only just started to feel the lies.’

‘That’s true,’ Lucca adds. ‘Seems her talent for sensing bullshit has turned into a physical power now she’s been Triggered. Can I ask one?’

‘I’d rather he didn’t,’ I whisper to Reid.

‘Lie or truth,’ says Lucca, glancing at the Pet still admiring his gun behind him. ‘I once walked in on Brennan here watching alien porn.’ Lucca jabs his friend Brennan in the ribs as he lifts his gaze with a suddenly red face. Brennan glares at him as Lucca laughs loudly. ‘I did! I did walk in on him watching animated alien porn! Tentacles and everything!’

I turn back to Reid and watch him roll his eyes.

‘What’s alien porn?’ I ask.

‘Really?’ Reid asks, meeting my raised brow with one of his own. ‘That’s your take away?’

Apparently, yes. It is. I can’t get my head straight.

He keeps the gun poised, but he pulls out an eye scanner with his other hand. He scans my eyes and observes the reading it provides.

‘What does it say?’ Brennan asks, his face still flushed from embarrassment.

Reid doesn’t answer him but looks at me.

‘So, you’ve never used that power before? The portals?’

I shake my head.

‘And you can sense lies.’

‘I don’t-’

‘That wasn’t a question. It’s not instinct, it’s power. You have two very useful and unique gifts there, Little Bird.’

He chews his lip and everyone falls still and silent as he thinks. I watch his eyes dart side to side as he arranges his thoughts.

I long to know them and dread to hear what he decides. I take a shaky breath, realizing now that it had been far too long since I inhaled a decent breath.

‘If you’re going to kill me or arrest me, can I say goodbye to my family first?’ I ask.

With a blink, his eyes refocus.

‘You have a family?’ he asks, a little surprised.

‘A sister.’

His eyes widen a little and I soon realise my mistake.

‘Not biological. Adopted. I was adopted as a kid.’

I don’t want them to think that there may be two of me. That Ahri might be worth taking too.

Reid looks to Lucca with expectant eyes. Lucca is scowling at me again until he finally nods.

‘What happens now?’

‘I’m going to offer you a job.’ He puts the safety on his gun. ‘Me. Not the Authority. And I say offer, I’m really just taking ownership of your gifts. And you can deal with that however you like as long as it’s quietly and not in any way annoying for me to endure.’ He lowers his gun and stands, leaving me still flat on my back on the sofa. ‘Brennan.’

At the mention of his name, the second Pet heads inside the lounge. Reid gestures for me to sit up, and I’m not foolish enough to disobey. Brennan pulls off a backpack and kneels beside me, pulling out leads and a small computer. He attaches a magnetised lead to my collar and starts tapping away on his keyboard.

‘What are you doing?’ I ask.

‘Your collar’s glitching. Not something you want. Believe me,’ Brennan replies.

‘Glitching?’

‘It wasn’t showing us your location when we were looking for you this morning. We’ve spent hours searching the city for you. Even went to the school but they said you didn’t show up for the day. In fact, we couldn’t find you on the system anywhere.’

‘Any idea as to why that may be?’ Reid asks.

‘No. What are you doing to it now?’

‘He’s making sure I can find you whenever I want to and making sure that when I take you with me to places I don’t want anyone else to know about, no one else can find you either.’ Reid states his version of the answer with firm words and the added glare of warning to his Pet. ‘Short answer. Brennan’s making you mine. You do as I say when I say. You come when I call and you don’t use your abilities without my permission.’

‘Come when you call? So… I can stay here? I don’t need to leave with you?’

‘For now. Until I decide if you’re worth more to me as a permanent Pet or just one I keep on hand. You tell no one about any of this. Not about what you can do, and not about my men or me. And nothing about what I ask of you in the future.’

‘But why would you let me stay here?’

‘Would you rather me take you in? Formally arrest you?’ He takes a step closer with a smug, slap worthy grin and peers down at me. ‘Would you rather I take you away, kicking and screaming into my world?’

When I sit back, he crouches down before me.

‘You’re right, you know,’ he says in a low voice. ‘When they take you, they never let you go. You’ll work for the Authority for the rest of your life. You’ll live in a cell every minute you’re not working and by the time they’re done with you, there will be nothing of the real Raven Rivers left. Just a Pet. And they’re always curious to know…’ He leans in a little closer and softens his voice. ‘Just how far you lot can go until you break. And just how much you can scream.’

He stares into my eyes, the corner of his mouth is hitched a little but there is some real anger in his eyes.

‘How far do you think you could go until you begged them to stop?’

‘Get the hell away from me.’

‘Agents are trained in effectively getting you to your full potential. To stretch your powers as far as they will go.’

‘I said get away from me, human.’

‘If you’re a good girl for me and do as you’re told, I won’t be forced to hand you over. And you won’t end up with more bruises marking that lovely face of yours.’

I reach out to slap him, overcome by images that have long plagued my dreams. Images of electricity and chains. Of blood and tears. Of throat tearing screams and a storm of terror.

Of my sister and me…

But before I land the blow, he grabs my hand, tightening his fingers tight around my wrist.

‘Not a good idea.’ He lets me go with a shove.

‘I don’t understand. Why let me go?’

‘I’m not,’ he says. ‘Believe me, Little Bird. You’re in my cage and your wings have been clipped. Why I do what I do is of no concern to you. What is of concern to you is answering when I call and keeping your mouth shut. That is if you want this.’ He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a needle filled with a golden liquid. ‘You do want this, don’t you? Or do you want to turn into a Dark-Fae?’

‘Or kill yourself,’ Lucca adds. When Reid glances sideways at him, he carries on. ‘Oh yeah. That was her plan. To come here, leave a note and head off to a pretty spot at the far side of the city and slit her wrists.’

Reid shifts his eyes back to me. ‘You’re not going to kill yourself now, are you, Little Bird? Because if you do, I’ll come back here for that sister you mentioned and make her pay for it. Besides. I can smell your desperation to survive. To live. I saw it when you fought those creatures with me last night and I’m damn sure you’re used to doing whatever you need to do to survive. So what will it be? Do you want to work for me, earn some money and survive? Or do I throw you over my shoulder and take you home with me?’

‘I want the Gilt and I want to stay with my sister.’

‘Sorry? I didn’t quite catch that.’

I speak up. ‘I’ll work for you!’

‘Will you be a good girl?’

Through gritted teeth, I reply, ‘Yes.’

‘Then come here, and have your Gilt.’ He holds out his hand and waits.

I step closer and place my wrist in his waiting palm. Slowly, he rolls up my sleeve and slides his fingers along my skin before pushing the needle in and injecting the Gilt. He withdraws the syringe and presses his thumb over the small puncture wound.

‘How is your wound doing?’ he asks me.

‘Wound?’

‘Your belly. The Dark-Fae scratched you, and those wounds can be tricky to heal.’

‘It’s fine.’

With his other hand, he holds out a phone.

‘Here. I’m the only one with this number and I don’t want you to use the phone for anyone but me.’

‘We’re not allowed mobile phones,’ I remind him as I stare at the device in his hand. ‘Your lot have banned them and blocked the signals in the city. This won’t work.’

‘It will work.’ Reid glances at Brennan. ‘I have a Fae who can hack just about anything.’

‘A Pet,’ I sneer.

‘I’d watch your tone. Seeing as from this moment on, you’re my Pet now, too. So play nicely with them, Little Bird. They bite.’

Lucca winks and snaps his teeth as Brennan closes his laptop and returns all his equipment to the bag. He stands and joins Lucca by the hall.

Reid looks as if he’s about to leave, but he hesitates. His eyes narrow as he looks at the bruises on my face once more.

‘Who hit you?’ he asks.

‘No one. It’s nothing.’

‘If you’re in trouble, I want to know.’

‘I’m sure you care.’

‘I don’t want my merchandise getting damaged. If you’re not safe out here alone, then maybe it’s better for you to come back with us.’ He looks over his shoulder to Lucca. ‘Is she in trouble?’

Before Lucca can even think about furrowing that brow, I’m on my feet.

‘I’m fine and I can look after myself. I certainly don’t need a human’s help-’

‘Oh really?’ Reid says, leering down at me with a cruel smile tugging on his lips. ‘Because if I’m not mistaken, you would be skulking in the woods right now, carving yourself up and bleeding out if I hadn’t have come back here for you, so drop the attitude, Little Bird. And start digging for some gratitude.’

‘And how would you like me to show you that?’ I ask back, holding my position and tone to match his. ‘Sir.’

‘Maybe you could get on your knees and offer to suck my dick,’ he whispers. ‘But rumour has it, you’ve already done that today.’

My insides drop as I realise he’s talking about Cyrus.

‘So it was him that called you. Bastard.’

He rests the tip of his finger on the bridge of my nose and I wince. His warm breath lands on my skin and the deep, penetrating stare he buries into my eyes is hypnotising. Slowly, he runs his finger down the bruises on my nose. My skin tingles at his touch and I watch the sudden look of deep concentration on his face.

‘What are you doing?’

‘Don’t go running off,’ he says in a hushed voice. ‘Don’t be cutting yourself up. Don’t be getting into any more trouble. And if I see any more bruises on your perfectly lovely skin, I will have no other choice but to scoop you up and take you home with me.’

His hand slides to my cheek and settles there. I have no idea what to say. No clue what to do. He just… he’s looking into my soul. He’s caressing my cheek and taking in slow, steady breaths.

‘Raven Rivers,’ he whispers so quietly only I can hear him. ‘Who would have thought we would ever be back-’

Lucca clears his throat. ‘Reid. I think it’s best we go now. Don’t you?’

Reid blinks before removing his hand from my skin.

‘Of course, Lucca.’ Reid takes the phone and slides it into my top. Right between my cleavage. It settles into my bra and not once does he look away from my eyes. Not once. ‘I’ll be in touch soon. And I mean it. Stay out of trouble.’

He gets to his feet and leaves the lounge.

Lucca and Brennan follow, and when the front door slams shut, I let out a shaky and stunned breath. Slumping back into the sofa, I reach up and feel my cheek. It’s still warm from his touch.

Holy shit.

14

After a shower, I feel a little better. Not massively, but slightly. Ahri will be back soon and I need to prepare for the argument I know is coming. I’ve still lost the placement, that’s not changed.

She’s going to be pissed.

Wrapped in a towel, I climb up to the not-so-secret room above my head and collect some clothes. Dry and dressed, I head back down and start thinking of what to say to Ahri when she gets home. As I pass the mirror in the bathroom, I stop mid-stride and slowly backup, looking closer at my reflection. With care, I caress the bridge of my nose.

‘What the…’

True. I didn’t look in the mirror after Cyrus’s man struck me. I don’t like to look at my reflection for too long. The scars are a constant reminder of the most significant loss of my entire life. And I especially don’t enjoy looking at my reflection when I see the black and blue marks left from a fist.

But surely, judging by how others have looked at my face today, I should be bruised. I should be swollen and sore.

But there’s nothing. No purples or reds or blues. No puffiness. And as I feel my face, there’s no pain either.

It’s like nothing even happened.

Perhaps it’s to do with my Triggering?

Before I can think of it for another second, I hear a floorboard creak downstairs.

‘Ahri…’

I rush downstairs but find nothing and no one there. The front door is shut and the lights are off. The sun is setting and casting the house in shadows. With a sigh, I sit on the bottom step but barely touch down before I hear another creak of a floorboard.

‘Ahri?’ I call, cautiously getting to my feet.

I turn on the hall light. The bulb flickers threateningly and hums. Another creak and I know the sound is coming from the lounge. I rush towards the room and stop in the doorway.

The light is off, the switch much further inside the room. Everything is shrouded in darkness and shadows.

I keep staring because I swear, I just saw something move.

‘If someone’s in there, come out. Before I fetch a knife.’

I continue watching and I’m confident that I can feel someone’s eyes on me. I grab my shoe and toss it into the room, straight at the corner where the darkness is deepest.

And I scream because I swear to the Goddess! I see my shoe hit a shadow, and bounce off of it!

I flick on the light, my heart racing and adrenaline pumping.

But when the light comes on, it shows nothing.

There’s no one in the room. No one where I threw the shoe. I charge inside. Maybe they’re hiding behind the sofa?

But no. Nothing.

And call me crazy, but that feeling of being watched has disappeared in the blink of an eye.

After checking every corner of the room, I take my shoe and back out into the hall. Could I have misheard? Perhaps they’re upstairs.

‘There’s nothing worth stealing here. So you better fuck off before I beat the shit out of you.’ I take another look around. ‘Great. Now I’m talking to nothing and seeing shadows. Fantastic.’

I turn and scream.

‘FATES ABOVE!’ I yell, clasping my chest. ‘You made me jump,’ I laugh anxiously as I look at Ahri standing in the doorway.

She slams the front door shut and doesn’t join in the laughter. Instead, she glares at me with pursed lips. A fight is undoubtedly on the cards.

‘I know you’re mad, but-’

‘I don’t ask for much,’ she interrupts. ‘But I did ask you to do the placement for me. How could you let me down like this?’

I try not to laugh at the “I don’t ask for much” comment. Now’s not the time.

‘I bent over backwards to get you on that placement, and you drop out on the second day?!’

‘I know you’re pissed-’

She barges into my shoulder and storms past me towards the kitchen.

With a low groan, I follow her. She stands at the sink, pours herself a glass of water, but doesn’t drink it.

‘I’m going to say this once, Raven. And you better listen. If you want me to take you to the new flat, you need to get a job, and a respectable one.’

‘It’s not that easy! Look at me, Ahri! No one wants to hire the scarred Fae girl from the marshes!’

‘You should have thought about that before you dropped out of the placement.’

‘I didn’t drop out-’

‘I don’t have to take you with me and unless you start showing me some respect, then I won’t take you.’

My eye twitches. She’s not lying. Not bluffing. And I can feel it now for sure.

‘Is that so?’

‘Yeah. That’s so.’

‘May I remind you that most of the money we have saved is money I earned. More than eighty percent of it in fact because you keep spending your wages on pretty clothes, food and gifts for your shitty boyfriend.’

‘Excuse me,’ she laughs angrily. ‘That is not true.’

‘Really? Because you’re wearing new shoes, Ahri. And you forgot to take off that makeup you’re wearing. Makeup I know you buy regularly and keep at work so I don’t see it. Or use it.’

‘That’s… I don’t…’

I can taste her lies. They slither over my skin.

‘You keep threatening to leave me behind unless I get a job that will satisfy you, but you know I’m never going to be able to do that. I can earn, and I out-earn you tenfold. That money we have for the flat is mostly mine, and the rent we will pay will be mostly mine. And need I remind you that we almost lost that money because you left the hatch open and let your dad find it! I was the one who risked everything to go after your dad to get it back. You have no idea what that cost me, Ahri.’

‘Well, the money is for the flat either way, so unless you want to stay with Dad and his creepy friends and with Jonah-’

‘What do you know about Jonah?’ I demand. But she carries on as if she didn’t say that name.

‘It’s time I started to think of myself and my future, Raven.’ Her bottom lip trembles. And even that’s a fucking lie. ‘Because I don’t want this version of you destroying any hope I have of actually making something of myself.’

‘You were happy to have this version hanging around you at school whenever anyone grabbed your backside or threatened to beat the shit out of you. You were all too happy for my company then. But now I guess you have Tim for all that, yeah? Goddess forbid anyone thinks anything bad about you, huh?’ I snap.

‘I have to have a level of decency around me if I’m to keep a guy like Tim.’

She doesn’t appreciate my scoff.

‘With Tim, I have friends. And his dad has said I could work my way up in one of the factories he manages. I could get a good job. An admin job, so I won’t be on the factory floor. Tim’s family name means something here. I don’t want to live like a gutter rat for the rest of my life.’

‘But it’s okay if I do?’

‘Just get a job, Raven!’

‘Funny enough,’ I reply through gritted teeth. ‘I have one.’

‘Doing what?’

‘I tell you what, Ahri. You take me with you when you leave and let me move into the flat as we agreed, and I’ll ensure my share of the rent is paid and that I won’t embarrass you.’

‘What job, Raven?’

‘Or… you give me back my share of the money and you can fuck off with Tim. I’m sure he will let you move into that big house he lives in with his mum and dad or at least move into the flat with you in my place.’

That shuts her up. Tim’s parents don’t like her. Not so much her, but where she comes from. And no way pretty-boy Tim will move out of mummy and daddy’s into that shitty little flat.

‘If you think you can survive without me, then go for it. But if you do leave me behind, knowing the hell we have been put through under this roof together and how many times I’ve stood between you and danger, if you willingly walk away and leave me behind, I’ll never forgive you.’

We both stare at each other. I refuse to back down. Ahri throws her hands in the air, spilling the water from her full glass all over the floor.

‘I only want what’s best for you, Raven. For you to be happy,’ she says desperately, clearly panicked by my sudden change in tact. ‘You never take my advice and you always end up paying for it. I got you on that placement and-’

‘Do you have any idea how hard it was for me to set foot inside that place with Darius ruling over it? Or have you forgotten what he was like with me? Trust me, he hasn’t changed. I was never going to make it through the placement in one piece. He proved that on my first day back inside the Academy.’

‘He liked you, and you humiliated him. He told a few rumours to try and keep his pride and you destroyed his reputation in return. We don’t have the luxury of being picky. We’re poor. Even by Fae standards, we are dirt. We’re no one. You could have been with Darius. I told you to go with him when he first showed interest, and then I told you to ignore the rumours after you humiliated him. But did you listen? No.’

‘Those rumours started long before he got on the bandwagon.’ When she opens her mouth to snap back, I hold up my hand. ‘Look. We’re all we have, okay? We’re sisters and we fight. But we have each other’s backs when it counts and believe me, right now, we need each other. Because I can’t leave unless you take me with you and you can’t go without my money, so just take the night to calm down and think about things. I know you want a life with Tim and I won’t get in the way of that. But I will die if you leave me alone in this house and you can't afford to live on your own, so…’ I shrug and I see this all sinking into her ditzy head.

‘If you can’t pay or you get in trouble-’

‘I won’t. I swear.’

‘Okay. Okay.’ She nods, placing her glass back in the sink with a sigh. ‘Let’s get scanned and try to get some rest.’

She passes me and goes up.

‘Ahri?’ I call after her. She stops on the landing and looks down at me. ‘What do you know about Jonah?’

‘He’s Dad’s debt collector.’ She shrugs and smiles before heading into the bathroom and closing the door. I soon hear the shower running and I decide to stay downstairs for a bit.

Just to clear my head.

I return to the lounge, turn off the light and sit on the sofa.

And I sit there long after the shower shuts off and Ahri goes to bed. I sit, staring intently at the spot where I thought I saw the shadow. I stare and I stare until my eyes are painfully dry and my body pleads with me to lie down.

I find myself wishing, just a little bit, that I should see it again.

To see something not of this human world because I beg for nothing more than to follow it back from where it came and leave this hell behind.

15

‘Again.’

‘My Lord. The girl can’t take any more. She needs rest. She needs time to recover-’

‘AGAIN!’ bellows the man in white, spittle flying from his lips and the veins in his neck looking fit to explode.

With a whimper, I watch as the team of men and women sealed in this room with me prepare another series of injections and recharge the electrical current that will once more be sent through my body.

Tears mix with blood. The smell of piss and sweat exude from me. My fingernails are chipped and torn to their nail beds, but I continue to claw at the wooden chair I’m strapped into.

The deep red liquid enters my bloodstream and I scream as it burns.

The young girl in the chair opposite me is tossed aside. Dead.

Not even double figures in age and unknown to the world beyond this house of torment.

They step over her Dark-Fae body as they replace her with another girl. One they have pulled from her bed as she slept in the twisted orphanage below this room of evil. One with glowingly gold eyes.

She sits quietly. As did all the others they have placed in that chair. She blinks slowly. Her eyes may be shining gold, but they are as vacant as all the rest forced to be brought up in such an unforgiving place.

The effects of the injections take hold of me, and I burn from the inside.

I start to scream a hoarse and exhausted scream. I long for rest. For sleep.

For death, at this point.

The man in white stands before me, his hand caressing my cheek.

‘Ready to save the world, little one?’ he asks.

‘No more,’ I wail. ‘Please.’

I’ve been here for so long. For so, so long.

‘We will stop when it works.’ He leans down and plants a kiss on my forehead. ‘Don’t disappoint me.’

He steps back and the current coursing through the thick, iron cables connected to the chairs start to hum.

He rests his hand on the lever.

‘Please. I want to go home. I want my mummy! I WANT MY SISTER!’ I scream.

The lever is pulled. The girl in the other chair cries out in agony as she shakes and judders.

As do I. Both being shocked and pelted with electrical current.

Her skin starts to go grey. Her eyes blacken around the gold. Her bones snap and twist as she devolves before my eyes.

‘C’mon…. C’MON!’ bellows the man in white, looking between us. ‘TAKE IT! TAKE IT NOW!’

There’s a flash of light and a loud bang before it all falls silent.

The darkness lingers and the crackle and pop of the power in the cables, sends sparks raining down on us like confetti.

The girl opposite is still snarling. Still monstrous.

Still alive.

The man looms over me and smiles.

‘I’ve done it!’ he says. ‘Finally. I can save the world.’

I look down.

There’s a golden flame on my fingertips…

It’s the heavy slam of the door that pulls me from the horrible nightmares that plague me still. Those dark hallways and dark souls. Lost, faded into nothing now. But still oh so alive inside my mind.

I am sad that Ahri felt the need to leave without saying goodbye. But I'm grateful for her anger waking me up.

Anything is better than those dreams.

The morning light hasn’t breached the boarded-up windows, except for a slight sliver in the corner. I sit, groaning against the awkward position of my night’s sleep and after rubbing the blurry vision free, I take another look at the darkened corner of the room. No shadow returned last night. Not that I saw, anyway.

Perhaps I imagined it in the first place. Perhaps, after everything that’s happened, my mind was just playing tricks on me.

Why do I feel disappointed by that?

‘Shit!’ I yell as my cleavage starts to vibrate. I scramble about, clawing at my tits, thinking that something is about to explode. But when I pull free the small mobile phone Reid gave me, I flood with relief that I’m not about to be blown to pieces.

But when I see “1 message from Sir.” on the screen, that relief is soon forgotten.

I open it up with a severe amount of dread.

He wants me to meet him in the outer city.

Another message follows swiftly after.

‘Now, Little Bird.’

As I join the main road, my hood pulled over my head and my arms wrapped around my already saturated body, I curse this fucking weather. Goddess. When will this rain give out?

I run over the marshes, through the outer-city and on to where Reid has summoned me to meet him.

Summoned. Like a fucking dog.

That’s me all right.

A Pet.

As I rush past the high walls of the Academy, I take a quick side glance at them. It’s early and not yet eight o’clock. But there are a few students hurrying towards the gates. I’m not the only one who longs to get out of their family home come day break. They’re lucky enough that school is a reprieve from the horrors of home life. It was just a continuation for me. At least I don’t have to face that nightmare again.

I should have learned by now, never to think myself fortunate, as the universe has a way of reminding me that I’m one unlucky son of a bitch.

I slam into someone and fall flat on my backside. As I look up, I see Darius looming over me. The rain slides down his nasty little face as he looks down at me.

‘What are you doing here, Freak? You’re off Placement. Don’t tell me. You came back ‘cause you missed me?’

‘Hardly, mummy’s boy.’

He’s clearly in a bad mood already because that’s all it takes for him to scrunch up his face in anger and reach down for me. He grabs my wrist and pulls me up, gripping me as hard as he can on the same hand he trapped in the gate.

‘You’re hurting me, Darius.’

‘I know.’ He leans in closer. ‘It’s getting me hard.’

I look down at my hand and his vice-like grip and then see another hand reach out and grab his wrist. My head flicks up.

Reid.

The grip he has on Darius’s wrist is so tight I feel bones crack through his hold on me.

‘Hurting her is getting you hard, is it, boy?’ Reid snarls.

Reid watches Darius as if expecting an answer. And when he goes to give one, full of anger I’m guessing by the veins protruding from his temples, Darius suddenly stops. He looks at the Authority jacket Reid is wearing and the gun at his hip. Then, Darius realises Reid isn’t alone. He’s flanked by Brennan and Lucca, who look on with amusement. Lucca particularly.

Of course.

He wants to see what happens if Darius fights back. It’s filled Lucca with excitement, like a kid getting ready to watch a boxing match.

Ding. Ding.

The two men just stare at each other, Reid exuding an odd calm danger and Darius suddenly terrified.

Darius hasn’t relinquished his grip on me, so Reid issues a warning.

‘Get off her. Or I’ll break every single one of your fingers, beat you to within an inch of your life, strip you naked and string you up, so the entire city sees just how pathetic and inadequate you are. Am I clear?’

‘We’re just… we’re playing. You’re my girl, right, Raven?’ he laughs weakly, looking to me as if I may come to his aid. ‘We’re friends. We’re-’

‘You heard the agent, Mummy’s Boy,’ I retort, sneering at Darius as I speak. ‘Get your slimy hands off me.’

Darius relinquishes his hold on me and Reid guides his hand away from mine, crushing it with all his strength. Darius tries so hard to keep his poker face and not let him see that he’s in pain, but his hand is ghostly white and I can hear cracking noises.

Reid steps aside and Lucca takes my elbow, leading me away from them.

I glance back to the two men and watch as Reid leans in to whisper something in Darius’s ear. Darius goes as white as his hand and nods. Only then does Reid let him go and follow us towards the car.

‘What happened to your hand?’ Lucca asks.

‘What?’ I ask, disinterested in small talk as I watch Reid walk away from an ashen-faced Darius.

‘I asked what happened to your hand,’ Lucca repeats.

‘Did you read his thoughts?’ I ask. ‘Is that why you’re asking?’

‘It’s all I could hear the little man think of. He’s very proud of hurting your hand and hurting you. And even more proud of what he did in the library.’

I feel my stomach drop.

‘How do you know-’

‘Like I said. It’s all the little creep was thinking about. Want me to tell Reid? He’ll make sure you won’t be bothered by him again.’

I scoff. ‘Yeah, sure. Like he’d give a fuck.’

‘You’re his now. He’ll look after you if you let him.’

‘I’m not his. And I don’t need his help.’ I glance back over my shoulder. Reid and Brennan are deep in conversation. ‘Besides. I’m not setting foot in that shit hole Academy ever again, so it doesn’t matter now, does it.’

‘He’ll want to know. Reid won’t like it-’

‘It’s none of Reid’s business and it’s none of yours either. You stay out of my head, Pet. You’re not fucking welcome.’ I pull my elbow free from his hand. ‘And don’t touch me. Traitor.’

‘Big words from a fellow Pet.’ He stops by a sleek, black car and opens the front passenger seat.

‘I’m not his Pet.’

‘Oh, but you are. In you get, Pup.’

‘Don’t you dare call me that-’ The rest of my threat gets stuck in my throat when I spot a hooded figure lingering by the corner at the end of the road. The man in black stands tall and I know it’s Cyrus. I know with all my heart.

‘Get in the car,’ Reid snaps as he stands behind me.

I turn to look at Reid but when I look back to see if Cyrus is still there, the corner is empty.

Reid gives me an unceremonious push in the back, forcing me into the car.

The door slams shut behind me and he lingers outside talking to the others. Reid points toward Darius before walking around and getting in the driver’s side.

‘You’re soaked!’ he complains as he pulls the door closed. He ignores the fact that he’s dripping wet as well. ‘Never heard of an umbrella?

The back door opens and Brennan joins us. I admit I’m glad to see Lucca running off into the rain. At least I won’t have to worry about him digging around in my head but I am curious about where he’s off to.

‘What were you talking to Lucca about?’ I ask, anxious if he’s said anything about what he heard in Darius’s head.

‘Brennan. You good?’ Reid glances over his shoulder and pretends like I didn’t say a thing.

Behind us, Brennan is hunched over a laptop, tapping away as his eyes dart left and right.

‘Almost,’ he mumbles back, not looking away from the screen.

Reid starts the car and turns up the heaters.

‘Try not to get pneumonia. You’re no good to me sick or dead.’

‘Thanks,’ I mutter as hot air blasts itself over my body.

He slams the car into gear and hurtles off down the road.

He doesn’t look at me or say a word as he drives, but when he takes a sharp left, I slide across the leather seat and fall into his lap. I lift my head and see him looking down at me.

‘You gonna sit up, or do you plan on making this car ride a lot more interesting?’

‘Sorry.’ I lunge back into my seat.

He leans across me.

‘What are you doing?’ I slap his hand. ‘How many times, don’t touch me!’

He reaches over despite my hit and takes hold of my seatbelt. ‘Don’t want you getting hurt now, do we?’ His arm rests flat across my chest as he pulls the seat belt back over and buckles me in. He sits up straight and returns his focus to his insane driving.

‘Brennan?’

‘Almost.’

I look between them, but neither pays me the slightest bit of attention. As we drive, I see others darting around in the rain, leaping over the enormous puddles created by the potholes that litter the roads and pavements. They cower in doorways or huddle under their coats.

‘Okay. Ready.’ Brennan’s announcement comes as he shifts forwards. He has a cable in his hand and presses the magnetised end into my collar, just as he did yesterday. I feel it start to hum. Considering that there's an explosive inside, that does not make me too comfortable. He turns his focus back to the keyboard and frantically starts typing.

‘What are you doing?’ I ask.

No answer.

‘What are you doing to my collar?!’ I demand. Only when I reach for the cable do I get a response.

‘You pull that off now, we’ll be scraping bits of your brain and skull from Reid’s seats, so I strongly suggest you sit still. This is tricky.’ Brennan’s words are delivered with a cold matter-of-fact tone, so I lower my hand and look at Reid.

‘You can’t mess with my collar. I’ll get in trouble. Or my head will explode.’

‘Well, it needs messing with, if you want to stay alive when we leave the city,’ he responds with a shrug.

‘What?’ I look hastily between them. ‘You can’t be serious. You can’t take me beyond the border. You can’t!’ I keep looking at them each in turn, but no one laughs at the joke. Shit. They’re fucking serious. ‘You said you were keeping me off the books! Did you lie?’ He keeps on driving and I know where to. To the gates that lead to the world beyond our walled-in city. ‘You are taking me in. Oh Goddess!’ The flashbacks strike. Of me strapped into that damned chair. Of the pain and the blood as they tortured me. I shake my head. ‘No. No, you can’t.’ I fumble for the seatbelt. I’ll hurl myself out of this car. I don’t care if my head explodes or if I die on a filthy and partially flooding road. Better dead than back in that nightmare! With a click, I undo my seat belt and without hesitation, I grab the cable stuck to my collar.

Reid wraps his hand hard around my wrist and refuses to let me move. He squeezes and squeezes until I can no longer move a single finger and the pain makes me yell.

‘I said I wasn’t turning you in, didn’t I?’ he snarls, flicking his focus between me and the road ahead. ‘You can tell if I’m lying, so you know that when I said that, I meant it. I’m not handing you in.’

‘You’re going to break my wrist!’

‘Better a broken wrist than your head exploding all over me. I’m not handing you in so sit still!’

The tapping of keys continues and the pressure he holds on my wrist keeps me from moving.

Beep. Beeeeep. Beeeeeeeeeeep.

‘All done,’ Brennan announces, pulling off the cable and wrapping it up. He closes the lid of his computer and sits back, taking out his mobile phone and busying himself with that instead.

Reid lets me go and I shuffle back in the seat away from him.

Reid glances at me.

‘You got one hell of a scowl on you, Little Bird. I suggest you take it off and wear something less conspicuous.’ Reid reaches back and pulls out a black coat. ‘Like this.’

I look down at it and see the giant golden eye sewn onto the front and the back.

It signifies its wearer as captured.

Enslaved to the government and turned against their own.

A Pet.

‘I’m not wearing that.’ I look at it with bile in my throat. ‘No fucking way.’

‘Then I’ll knock you out, put it on you, and drive through the gates in blissful silence. Your choice.’

Brennan peers up to see what I’m going to choose, whereas Reid keeps his eyes firmly on the road.

‘Am I lying?’ he asks.

‘No.’

‘This one too,’ Reid informs me, retrieving some grey overalls from behind him and dumping them on my lap.

‘You have to be joking.’

‘No. Not even a little.’

Swearing under my breath, I remove my shoes and start putting the damn thing on, pulling them over my clothes.

‘I would take your wet clothes off first,’ Reid suggests.

I watch him closely, narrowing my eyes on him as I purposefully zip it up. I’m not stripping off in front of them. No way. I continue watching him as I put on the jacket and sit back.

‘I feel sick.’

Again, he reaches over and refastens my seatbelt.

‘Aim it out the window if you need to throw up.’

We continue travelling along the road, the wall getting closer and closer.

My anxiety at our approach is nauseating.

We turn off the busier roads and travel down another with no other traffic whatsoever. No houses, no stores and no factories or buildings of any kind. Just dead earth where nothing wants to grow, rocks and the odd lamp post lining the road.

I feel the tension in the car start to rise as they both shift in their seats.

‘Am I coming back?’ I ask, my muscles tensing as we grow closer.

‘I plan on bringing you back as soon as I can,’ Reid replies.

Truth.

‘And you’re not handing me over?’ I look forwards as we approach the first checkpoint. A simple barrier with two armed Authority agents standing guard.

Reid starts gently applying the brake.

‘You’ll bring me home and you won’t hand me over to the Authority?’ I reach over and rest my hand on his.

He looks at my hand on his and lifts his gaze to meet mine.

‘I might get a better reading if I’m touching you. Well?’

Reid moves and takes my hand firmly in his. And he gives it the slightest squeeze as he offers me a reassuring smile. ‘No. I’m not handing you over to the Authority and I will bring you back here after we are done,’ he says. ‘Okay?’

Truth.

He pulls his hand away and nods for me to sit back. One of the agents has started to walk towards his side of the car so he lowers his window and holds out a badge. His identification.

Shit. Reid’s a senior agent!

Head of Unit Three, Collection and Containment.

He finds those who have turned and manages them as they work. He must have seen countless Triggered Fae in his life.

They are not to be fucked with. Not that any of the agents are, but these ones aren’t just keeping the masses in their place like those that walk the streets and handle the wall.

Reid’s a big cog in this machine.

The wall agent returns Reid’s badge and looks into the backseat.

‘You got two with you?’ the agent asks.

‘Obviously,’ Reid responds.

There’s a tap on my window. I flinch and turn to see the second agent. Gun in one hand and a scanner in the other.

Reid lowers my window and I watch that gun closely.

But only the scanner comes closer. He doesn’t use it on my eyes but instead, he scans my collar.

It takes a moment to get whatever reading it is they want. With a beep and a nod, the agent repeats the process with Brennan. Cleared, the two guards step aside and the barrier opens.

We drive through.

The road continues through to an open part of desolate land. We all know not to travel beyond the streets, to where nothing grows. The impassable wasteland between home and the wall stretches on for half a mile around the entirety of the city and is littered with countless landmines.

One wrong step and BOOM!

Never mind the collar. We’ll be blown away by a sea of explosives.

The wall lies ahead with its solid metal doors. The only way in or out of the city. A few jeeps are parked up ahead and dozens of Authority guards walk around.

I stare with bated breath at the obstacle ahead.

I’ve never seen the gates before.

‘Am I going to pass through okay? People say they’re made of iron.’

‘You’ll be fine,’ Reid tells me. ‘As long as you don’t touch them.’

‘Actually, it tingles a little when you pass through,’ Brennan adds from the back seat. ‘It’s a lot of iron.’

I twist in my seat and look back at him. ‘What did you do to my collar?’

‘I hacked it. They think you’re on assignment with our Lord and Master over there.’ He nods to Reid. ‘That’s all. Turn around. Don’t draw attention to yourself. You’re supposed to be a mindless and obedient slave.’

I turn and sink into the seat. The height of the wall is unreal. We’ve all seen it from afar but never so close. It towers over us and I imagine it would cast one hell of a shadow if the sun ever came out from behind the smoke and smog and clouds long enough to let it.

The side of the road is lined with metal poles and as I pass, a light blinks red on the top of each one.

So does my collar.

Those ahead, donned in heavy raincoats with the Authority insignia, all begin to turn towards us.

‘Brennan. You sure we're good?’ Reid asks.

‘We’re good, man.’

‘You got the bomb this time?’

‘This time?’ I repeat. ‘Like… there was a time you didn’t?’

‘I got it this time,’ Brennan replies.

I look between them. ‘Seriously?!’

Reid is trying not to smirk as Brennan sniggers.

‘You’re very easy to wind up.’ Reid flashes me a wink.

‘If I blow up, I’m taking you with me,’ I promise, sitting back and letting out a harsh and anxious breath. ‘This is fucking insane.’

Again, we stop as more guards approach. They check Reid’s ID, scan our collars, and try to engage in some chat with Reid.

‘What does this one do?’ one of them asks, nodding to me.

‘Boils the brain of annoying and nosey time-wasters,’ Reid states with a cold monotone. ‘And the one in the back shrinks your dick if you look at him too long.’ He reaches out his hand for his ID and returns it to his pocket. The guard steps back, muttering under his breath before waving to let us through.

We drive on. My nails dig into the seats' leather as we approach the gates.

They begin to open, groaning and creaking as their weight shifts.

Once wide enough, we drive through.

I seal my eyes shut, half expecting my head to go pop.

But all I hear is the rumble of the engine.

I look back and watch the gates close and for the first time ever, I see the wall from the other side.

‘Holy shit…’ I whisper, holding the back of my seat as we drive away. The gates close and the weather makes it impossible to see anything else.

I’m out in the world. I’m beyond the border!

My collar starts to beep. Faster and faster and faster.

‘I thought you said you had the bomb sorted!’ Reid bellows as he looks at me with wide eyes. ‘Brennan!’

‘Oh shit, man!’ Brennan looks at my collar and slides across so he’s behind Reid instead. ‘She’s gonna pop!’

‘WHAT?!’ I scream, grabbing at the collar. ‘GET IT OFF! MAKE IT STOP!’

The boys start yelling at each other in a panic.

‘You said you had it!’

‘I thought I had!’

‘Well, clearly you didn’t!’

‘I don’t know what’s happened!’

‘Shut it off then!’

‘I can’t!’

They argue and yell, looking at me and pulling themselves as far away as possible.

‘GET IT OFF!’ I scream. ‘GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF!’

The beeping gets faster, and they both start yelling.

I start screaming!

BEEEEEEEEEEEEP.

The fuckers start laughing. Reid slams his hand on the steering wheel as Brennan holds his belly.

‘You really are easy to wind up,’ Reid chuckles before I reach over and smack his arm.

The collar stops beeping and I clutch my heart.

‘You wankers. You utter wankers.’ But I find myself laughing along with them, a huge wave of relief drenching me. Perhaps they've deactivated the bomb entirely? Perhaps they now have complete control of my collar instead of… anyone else.

I’m moving in with my sister. I’m not being handed in and as long as I do as Reid asks, I think I’ll be okay.

Plus, I’m out of the city!

I’m really out!

‘Here.’ Reid opens my glove box, still softly laughing. A load of crisps and chocolate bars tumble out. ‘Eat something and enjoy the ride.’

As we drive away from the city, their laughing continues. I take a bar of milk chocolate and I smile to myself.

As I eat, I watch the trail of rain lashing the window and listen to the wipers going a mile a minute.

It could be worse, I think to myself, taking a bite of solid milk chocolate.

It could be much worse.

16

A couple of hours pass in silence.

The rain never stops and I can barely see out through the window with the condensation, gloom and shitty weather, so how the hell Reid manages to drive, I have no idea. The roads are much better out of the city, but they still struggle to cope with the sheer amount of rain being dumped into the gutters.

My mind drifts to Cyrus and to how the hell these two seem to know each other. It’s a question I’m not in a place to ask yet. Reid’s not the most predictable and I fear the wrong question may anger him too much. But I will ask it soon. I need to know.

Cyrus warned me away specifically because Reid was in the city.

And Reid found me soon after I fled the brothel.

I don’t believe in coincidences.

Reid indicates and starts to pull over.

We come to a stop outside an old, disused petrol station.

I wait, but only Brennan makes any moves to get out. He gathers his belongings, throws his hood over his head, and leaves the car with a brief “see ya”, and a reminder to pick him up later.

The door slams shut and Reid drives on.

Part of me wishes he hadn’t left. Oddly, I felt a little safer with him here. Stupid, really, but I guess he’s a Pet too.

One man is better to deal with, I tell myself.

Not that I could fight Reid off or get away from him if I needed to.

He’s already made sure of that.

‘I can almost hear your brain churning in your skull,’ Reid says. ‘How are you holding up being out in the world?’

‘I can’t see anything,’ I reply, wiping away the droplets from the window. ‘I wish I could see the sky.’

‘The smog never clears over the cities. I forget that sometimes. Hopefully, this rain will stop soon and you’ll get a glimpse of it. Other than that. Are you okay? Not feeling overwhelmed or like your powers are stirring?’

‘I feel like I’m stuck in a car with an Agent who could slit my throat at any second and dump me out here where no one will ever find me.’

‘Your brain, girl. It goes to dark places.’

‘You have no idea.’

He drives for another ten minutes before pulling off the road and travelling down a country lane. He pulls into a small lay-by obscured by trees and hedges, shuts off the car engine, turns in his seat to look at me and waits.

And waits.

The rain pelts the car and I shiver at the idea of stepping outside again.

‘Where are we?’ I ask.

He looks uncertain. His teeth clamp down on his lip and his eyes dart left to right as he thinks.

‘What’s happening now?’ I urge. No reply. ‘Reid, what-’

‘You call me “Sir” from here. Okay?’ He’s short and sharp with his words. ‘Got it?’

‘Got it.’

‘You’re my charge here. My-’

‘Pet.’

‘You’re nothing more than my escort. Which means you are hired as a threat. A bodyguard. They won’t fuck with us as long as they believe you’ll use your powers if I tell you to. Which they won’t because a fight with the Authority is the last thing they want, so just keep close and quiet and-’

‘I can’t kill them with my powers. I told you. I have no idea how I made those… portal things. Unless you want me to detect lies till they die, I don’t see how I can protect you.’

‘As far as anyone who scans your collar will know, you have the ability to protect me if needs be. They don’t know how exactly. You’re like a gun. So be a good, quiet and obedient gun and just tell me if anyone is lying to me. Okay?’

I nod, hating his words. Hating how I’m not a person to him or his people but an object. One to use.

‘You got that, Little Bird?’

‘I’ve got it. Sir.’

He pulls out an umbrella from the back seat. ‘Let’s go.’

The car rocks as he slams the door shut. Reid runs to my side and opens my door, offering the umbrella for us to shelter beneath. His arm wraps around my waist, pinning me close.

‘I’d rather you didn’t touch me with your Fae-enslaving hands.’

‘They do much more than that,’ he says with a wicked grin. ‘Quiet, remember? And obedient.’

‘Every man’s dream.’

‘Hardly.’

And we head off. Around a bend, we come to a mansion made of red brick and Victorian styled windows that reach from floor to ceiling. I slow as I look up at the magnificent building.

‘It looks like a palace,’ I admire. ‘Do all humans live in houses like this?’

‘No,’ he replies. ‘And trust me. This is no palace. Come on.’

Outside, dozens of cars are parked in a line and the sound of heavy drum and bass music drifts through the air. As we get closer, I notice that a deep red light exudes from inside most of the windows and at the door are two prominent men in black suits. Both are bald and their forearms are almost the size of my entire body. They look ready to tear the head clean off the next person they see. Reid’s making straight for them and each stride is filled with purpose. As dread and fear swell inside me, he looks down.

‘When we get in there, shut your mouth and stick close. Don’t speak unless spoken to and if you have to say anything at all, keep it brief. Don’t wander off and don’t touch anyone or anything. If-’

‘Where the hell have you brought me?’

‘Nowhere good. But this is the only time and place he would see me for the next month.’

I wonder who. But I don’t ask. The more I know, the deeper I’ll be dragged in.

We get closer.

The two men at the door have already spotted us and face our way, puffing out their already massive chests and clenching their gargantuan fists as they take shelter from the rain beneath the large porch of this mansion. I notice the parked cars are probably the most expensive vehicles I’ll ever see.

A ruby red Bugatti.

A gleaming silver Aston.

A bright yellow Lamborghini.

The rest are all lost in the weather.

These people, whoever they are, are beyond wealthy.

They’re most certainly human.

The collar around my neck feels ten times heavier. The only humans I’ve met are members of the Authority, so none worth knowing.

We reach the base of the steps and one of the men stretches out his hands to stop our approach. We remain in the rain.

‘You are not a member,’ he tells us curtly, his odd, thick accent, low and terrifying. He spots my collar and the coat I’m wearing. ‘You Authority and Pet go no further. Leave, before-’

‘We’re expected,’ he states. ‘My name’s Reid.’

‘Reid?’ the doorman repeats.

‘Yeah. Like a book. You know what one of those are, don’t you?’

Slowly, I look up at him. Is he trying to piss off the big man?

‘Here.’ Reid sighs tiredly, handing over his identification. They both lean in and take a close look. ‘Your boss and I are close friends, and he’s invited me.’

The doormen look to me, each with a raised eyebrow.

‘She a new asset?’ The doorman asks, looking me up and down. ‘She’s damaged.’ The thug gestures to his own face, precisely where my scars mark my skin. ‘Serge will not want her.’

Asset? Damaged?

‘No. Why? You want a skinny, grubby and temperamental little Fae girl with the power to either annoy the fuck out of you or turn your brain to jelly?’

Reid holds out his hand and waits for the return of his ID.

‘Why bring her then?’ the man asks, sneering as he returns the ID.

‘Your boss is waiting for me. Do you want me to tell him that you’re the reason I’m late?’

The other man starts looking through sheets on a clipboard. Two pages in and he nods, showing it to his counterpart. Whatever he sees satisfies him and he steps aside.

The door opens and we walk through.

Reid gives them a friendly pat on the shoulder before he takes me by the elbow and leads me on. The door closes and locks behind us.

‘What were those accents?’ I ask Reid. ‘I’ve never heard anyone talk like that before.’

‘Russian. They’re from Russia, now hush.’

‘What’s a Russia?’

‘A different country. Land beyond an ocean, you don’t know what Russia is?’

‘Are there Fae in Russia?’

‘No. Just England.’

‘How come?’

‘How many times? Hush!’

It’s stuffy, sweaty and noisy in here. The music rebounds off the walls and the halls are filled with cigarette and cigar smoke. We walk along a narrow corridor covered in silk and velvet drapes.

As we turn a corner, we come to a gold curtain made of velvet. A dainty hand reaches around from the other side and pulls it open. A woman, wearing nothing but a black, lace thong, welcomes us with a wink and a seductive smile.

‘Welcome. Mr Reid! It is so very good to see you again,’ she says in a low and sensual voice. As we pass, she leans in and kisses his cheek, her fingers trail down his chest and he doesn’t shy away from her contact in the slightest.

‘Crystal. You’re looking as lovely as ever.’

‘Are you staying long? I could always make your visit a pleasurable one.’

‘Not today. I’m here to see Serge.’

‘Shame,’ she pouts. ‘What’s the matter?’ She looks at me and a flash of jealousy reflects in her eyes. ‘You like them a little more girl-next-door?’ She pushes out her breasts and he doesn’t shy away from taking a look.

‘Ah now, don’t be like that. We’re here on business. That’s all. You know I couldn’t afford you anyway.’

‘Special price for you, sweetheart. I hear you have what all the girls need.’

‘I bet you say that to all the guys,’ he smiles. ‘Maybe another time, Crystal. Can you point me to Serge?’

‘He’s in the White-Room and he’s expecting you.’

‘The White-Room?’ Reid repeats with a hint of dread.

‘Yep.’ She sighs and rolls her eyes. ‘Been in there all day.’

‘Damn.’

The two share some untold knowledge on what exactly the White-Room is, and whatever it is, it’s not good.

Crystal puts on a well-rehearsed smile and steps aside.

‘If you change your mind, you know where to find me.’ She winks and I swear, a wave of calm washes over me in an instant. Like a blissful feeling of utter tranquillity. When she throws a look at me, I see a flash of gold in her eyes.

Fucking gold!

How did I not see it before? She’s in a fucking collar! She’s Fae! And the sense of serenity is oozing out from her.

‘Now now, Crystal,’ says Reid. ‘No point wasting that charm on me. You should wait for paying customers.’

‘A girl can try.’

‘Best not.’

Reid grins slyly as she sways a little and flutters her long lashes. The feeling only grows and I feel myself flush with warmth and worse, a tingling sensation between my legs.

‘I mean it. Cut it out.’ Reid’s words are much firmer this time, and he readjusts himself between the legs. ‘I’m not here to get hard. I’m working.’

She steps away and that feeling disappears instantly.

He reaches back and takes my hand in his.

We carry on.

‘Reid… did you see her eyes-’

‘Quiet.’ He grips my hand harder in warning.

The further into this mansion we go, the louder the music becomes until it’s so loud it hurts my ears.

Men linger in groups, chatting, smoking, and drinking. Their suits are rumpled, their buttons undone and sweat makes their clothes stick to their skin.

Human men.

They see the coat I’m wearing then they see Reid and quickly look away.

Collared women and a few handsome young Fae-men weave between the humans.

I don’t understand. We’re beyond the wall of any Fae city. We’re in the human world now.

How is this happening?

The human men watch us, puffing on their cigarettes or sipping from their glass. As I pass, sweat isn’t all I smell.

Sex.

I smell sex.

A door opens as we pass and a Fae-woman steps out, allowing a man past. She smiles and winks at him. As he leaves, she ushers in one of the other men.

‘Reid. Sweetheart. You come to see me?’ she coos to Reid, tapping her manicured finger on the tip of his nose.

‘Not today, Lyra,’ he replies.

With a sad little pout, Lyra closes the door. But not before I see the man inside dropping his trousers and her skin shift into what I think was fur and a tail sprouting from her backside.

‘Is she turning into a cat-’

‘Don’t ask.’

‘You seem very popular here. Sir.’

‘Purely business. I assure you,’ he tells me. ‘Now quiet.’

As we walk the sleazy and endless hallways, moans and giggles seep through the walls and partially open doors. Collared Fae pass me in barely any clothes at all and many of them seem to know who Reid is. When I hear a scream from one of the rooms, I grip on to his jacket. But the scream continues and is clearly fake.

‘Some men like to fuck a reluctant partner,’ he tells me. ‘They like their women to struggle. They like to see them scream. Even when they know they’re paying them to pretend to be scared-’

‘I’m familiar with rape fantasies,’ I snap back, looking over my shoulder at the room where the pretend screams continue.

We turn another corner and pass through a set of white double doors into a large and elegant room painted peach with ornate candlesticks on the walls and a crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling. There’s a great dining table in the very centre with at least a dozen human men standing around it. They’re nearly all half-naked or at least standing there with their dicks in their hands.

‘In the name of the Fates…’ I mutter, looking on in disgust. Two young Fae-women, both collared, are on the table. They have no clothes on, but they’re covered in food. Cream. Melted chocolate. Honey. Sprinkles. That in itself isn’t so bad, but the men are all over them. And inside them. Fingers slide inside their bodies, cream and chocolate are used as a lubricant. The women’s mouths are working the men. One withdraws from the blonde and forces himself into the throat of the brunette.

‘Is this the White-Room?’ I ask, swallowing the bile in my throat.

‘No.’

We leave through another set of white double doors, walk down a short corridor and step into a room painted grey, with strobe lights that hurt my eyes.

The sharp crack of a whip travels through the air, followed by the loud moan of a woman.

I can’t tell if it’s pleasure or pain that causes it.

But the look on the men’s faces who wield their whips, canes and even belts, that I know. That’s sadistic enjoyment. They're hard because they're making her skin welt and bruise.

Another sharp crack as leather meets skin makes me jump and I find myself pressing into Reid’s side.

He guides me away from the strung-up woman surrounded by half a dozen armed men, each itching for their turn to strike.

We leave the room. The crack of the whip and her whimpering echoing in my ears.

‘She doesn’t feel pain, that one. Remarkable really-’

‘Gross.’

‘The men don’t know that, of course. She can take one hell of a-’

‘Stop.’

Through another set of doors, down another long corridor, past half-naked women and lust obsessed human creeps, we finally stop. Reid reaches out and rests his hand on a door handle.

He pauses.

‘The White-Room?’ I whisper.

He nods.

‘Two for lie,’ he says. ‘One for truth.’

‘What?’

He takes my hand in his, sliding his fingers between mine and gripping them firmly. He then lifts our entwined digits.

‘Two for a lie,’ he repeats, squeezing my palm twice. ‘One for truth.’ And a single squeeze follows. ‘Got it?’

I nod.

‘I’m gonna keep hold of you in there.’ He nods his head towards the closed door.

‘What’s in there-’

’Did you hear me, Raven? Do you understand what I just said to you? The men you’re about to meet, they aren’t good men.’

‘Show me a decent human,’ I scoff. ‘I understand.’ I give his hand a single squeeze.

Truth.

‘All right then,’ he breathes, lifting his head high and pulling back his shoulders.

He opens the door and in we go.

17

The door slams shut behind us, the loud thud makes me jump, as inside this room, there’s no music playing through prominent speakers. No busty women making small talk or seductive promises. The room is again, large and elegant. It’s also painfully white. The floors are marble. The ceilings are high. A large and ornate fireplace carved in white stone holds a billowing fire that adds to the oppressive heat. I see the backs of dozens of men forming a circle. They’re all gathered around something and their focus on whatever they have surrounded is absolute.

Beyond their idle chat and joking, their business talk and pleasantries, a chain rattles. The sound of skin smacking skin and the repetitive grunts of a man and a woman filter through.

My steps become cumbersome and reluctant. Reid gives me a little tug.

There are a lot of human men in here.

A lot!

And the laughter and the smirks many of them wear, are cruel.

The grunts from the woman are pained. Desperate.

Unwilling.

Reid makes his way around the line of men and pulls me close behind. I can’t tell if it’s just my hands that have become slick with sweat, but it’s undoubtedly my hand that has started to tremble. And I may be imagining it, but his hand gets tighter on mine.

I see glimpses of the nightmare within the circle each time I pass a gap.

There’s a man. Black jacket, black trousers, white shirt. He’s on his knees, and he is slamming himself into a naked and bent over woman. Her head is low. Her long, blonde hair hangs over her drooped head and her palms are flat on the marble floor as she tries to keep herself from falling. She lunges forwards with each one of his thrusts and her whimpering accompanies every single one of his grunts. As sweat beads on his forehead, her fingertips press into the floor and she lets out a long and agonizing whine.

The man grabs her hair and tugs, lifting her head high. He twists it around so the men surrounding her see her face.

And so do I. I know her. Knew her.

She went to school with me years ago. She was quiet and kept herself to herself. She was kind. I can’t recall her name, but she brought me lunch one day when I passed out from hunger.

She Triggered and left Rosenwood four or so years ago. We thought she was taken by the Authority as a Pet.

Why can’t I remember her name?

The collar isn’t the only thing around her neck. There’s also a chain tethering her to a steel loop embedded in the floor. Her eyes roll in the back of her head and tears stream down her face.

No. No way. This stops!

I divert towards them, the power inside me surging with rage and vengeance, ready to tear at anyone who even thinks about trying to stop me.

But Reid has a firm hold and I’m back at his side with a firm tug.

‘No.’

‘They are torturing that girl-’

‘You try to intervene; you will end up in that chain and there will be nothing I can say or do to stop those men taking their turn with you.’ He speaks low and with a warning, but an easy smile remains on his lips, so anyone looking on would think we are chatting about the damned weather. ‘You stay with me and you do your job.’

‘My job?’ I hiss, trying and failing to keep my voice low.

‘Yes.’ I feel a firm squeeze of my hand. ‘Your fucking job! Remember what you will lose if you refuse to do it, now calm down before you lose control of yourself.’

The man withdraws from the woman and forces himself into her mouth with the same aggression he had when he was behind her. He shudders, his head is thrown back and his eyes close as he finishes. He turns, tucks himself away, returns to the circle for a few pats on the back and words of congratulations from his fellow scumbags. And another man takes his place, unzipping his flies and lowering himself to his knees.

The woman, the poor, poor woman, hangs her head as another man enters her.

‘MR REID!’ bellows a voice in a thick Russian accent, followed by a deep belly laugh. ‘It’s good to see you, my friend! Come! Come!’

I turn away from the circle. Reid is pulling me towards a man in a silver suit, gold chains and a massive cigar stuck between his teeth. His gut hangs over his trousers and the white shirt he wears is stretched to its absolute limit at each button.

‘Serge,’ Reid replies with a flat, yet polite, tone. As we approach, Reid’s hand gets tighter and he keeps me so close, I’m pressed into his side.

It takes all my efforts to try and ignore the nightmare behind me.

Serge and Reid shake hands and when Serge gives him an enthusiastic pat on the arm, Reid staggers.

Serge looks at me. His eyes narrow and his lips pull back in a disgusting grin showing me several gold teeth.

‘You bring me a gift, huh? Another one for my collection?

‘Not for you, I’m afraid,’ Reid replies curtly. ‘This one is mine.’

‘Ahhh. You know that there’s no need for protection here, my friend. We look after you. Always.’ His eyes travel over my scarred face. He stops when he sees my eyes and his gaze hardens. ‘You look rather familiar, my dear. Tell me. Have we met before?’

I feel Reid’s gaze on me as I shake my head. But as I stare into his pale and dull green eyes and see those hideous teeth, I can’t help but feel that I’ve seen him somewhere too.

‘I think you will find it is us who look after you,’ Reid replies matter of factly, causing Serge’s smile to falter a little and annoyance flash in his eyes. Reid glances over his shoulder. ‘What did she do?’

‘Ahhh,’ Serge waves his hand in the air dismissively. ‘Tart thinks she can steal from her clients and get away with it.’ He snorts and animatedly shakes his head. ‘She owes all those men. Good men! She steals for three months.’ He puffs out his chest and points at himself. ‘But Serge, he always knows. He will always find the thief.’

I take a breath, ready to hurl my thoughts on the matter straight at him.

Reid cuts me off.

‘She agreed to this then?’ he asks. ‘The thief? To be gangbanged?’ I catch the harsh tone straight away.

‘She agrees. Of course she agrees!’

There’s a second of silence until I realise that Reid keeps side-glancing at me.

Oh shit. I wasn’t concentrating!

‘Gotta ask, Serge. If I report back that-’

‘You’re raping her!’ I snap, just as she lets out a high scream. We turn and see that she’s lost the strength to hold herself up and has fallen flat on her front.

The pig is still rutting into her.

I look at Reid, hoping to see a hint of kindness in those eyes of his. ‘Do something-’

In a swift move, he strikes me with a vicious backhand.

‘You open your mouth again, I’ll happily silence you with my cock in your throat. Hear me?’ Reid hisses, pointing a finger in my face. ‘Hear me?!’

I nod and lower my head.

‘Fucking Fae scum. Only good for fucking and for their powers.’ Reid straightens his cuffs. ‘Forgive the bitch, Serge.’ He shrugs. ‘Still breaking her in.’

Should I feel glad that I felt the lie of his words travel over the length of my body before it settled with disgust on my tongue?

‘Ahhh. I understand, my friend. If you want, you leave her with me for a few days, and I’ll get her house trained.’

I watch as Reid seems to think it over. He looks at me and he sees the blood draining from my face. And Serge is looking at me hungrily, licking his dry lips and twitching at the mouth.

‘Nah. I like to do that myself. Besides, this one’s on the books already, and she’s too dangerous to be left unsupervised.’ He looks at me and re-takes my hand. ‘Another word, Fae-filth, and I’ll make sure you never speak again. Got it?’

I play the role of the indoctrinated Fae and give a single nod.

Reid turns to Serge. ‘What’s the deal then? With the punishment here?’

I’m ready. I focus on the words this piece of shit is about to say and I lower my protective hold over the cheek I’m sure is red.

‘She has been stealing from her clients for months. More than fifty grand. Stupid whore. She has been snorting powder and putting crazy ideas in her head, like buying her way out. I already replaced septum once for her, but… argghh… she does not learn. So I say to her that she can leave the house and go back to Authority, or she works it off for the men she tricked and then stay. I ask men who she takes cash from. This is what they wanted. She agree.’

I don’t know if it’s good or bad that there’s no lie in his words.

One squeeze.

Truth.

‘All right then,’ Reid says. ‘To business.’

And with that, the issue seems to be done with.

Serge raises his hand and snaps his fingers. Within seconds, a brute of a man stands at Serge’s side. He hands Serge a large brown envelope. Serge hands it to Reid, who opens it and briefly glances at the contents.

‘It’s all in here? All thirty grand?’

I peer over and see the crisp piles of fifty-pound notes jammed in the envelope.

‘Have we ever cheated you, my friend? It’s all in there. I count it myself.’

One squeeze.

Truth.

Reid has his money.

So that’s what he wanted me here for? To make sure all his cash was accounted for so he didn’t have to count it himself?

He only goes and hands the envelope to me! The weight of it is delicious in my hands.

Thirty-fucking-grand!

That would get Ahri and me a house, never mind the pokey one bed flat we have saved for.

‘Thank you.’

‘My pleasure,’ Serge drawls back.

Squeeze. Squeeze.

I don’t need my special senses to tell that that’s a lie!

I catch the hint of a smile on Reid’s mouth as he feels my hand. No one enjoys handing over that much money.

Reid hands over a silver box from inside his pocket. Serge opens it up, revealing several vials of Gilt inside.

‘You stay for a drink. I have a room if you want to make use of your Fae’s pussy.’ Serge looks at me again as he stashes the vials into his jacket. His stare is so invading I feel naked in his eyes. It takes all I have not to shudder. ‘Or maybe you want another girl? I have one for everything. Want one who can make orgasm last thirty minutes? Or girl who can make herself any age you want? Or perhaps girl who can make her skin show you the colours of rainbow? Beautiful to see. Especially if you’re high, I tell you. I can keep this one company while you play.’ He stretches out his arm, his nicotine-stained finger reaches out for my cheek. ‘I already feel like we know each other.’

As fast as lightning, Reid grabs Serge’s wrist and holds it there, an inch from my face.

‘Don’t touch my stuff, Serge. I don’t play nice with people that touch my shit.’

Reid lets him go with a slight shove and I see the danger of such a bold and insulting action bubble in the Russian pimp’s eyes.

I also notice how the men in matching black suits rest their hands on what I’m assuming are hidden guns at their hips.

Please don’t let me die in a damn brothel.

But Reid? He’s entirely at ease. Completely calm and easy. With a slight nod from Serge, the men relax.

‘Sorry, friend. I will not touch again.’ He looks me up and down with curiosity. ‘One day, I want one like that. One with real power.’

‘Never gonna happen.’

‘Yes. Yes. Authority get first pick. Shame. Shame. Tell me. What can she do?’

Reid remains silent.

‘She is scarred. The only thing that scars the Fae are those Dark creatures. And as far as I have heard, not many who have faced them survive. She must be extremely powerful. You know, I knew a girl once with a cut similar to that. A cute little thing. A real… Darling.’ He says that word. That single word. It rolls off his tongues and hits me like an ice pick in my heart. ‘Cried at the slightest thing. You know the type. My favourite type.’ He looks at me harder, almost threateningly. ‘But I admit,’ he says darkly. ‘I do find girls so pretty when they cry.’

He sees me flinch. He sees me stagger ever so slightly as I’m thrown into a lost land, hidden in the depths of my mind. A world that only returns to me as I sleep. One made of nightmares and demons.

A demon that sang those words to me in just the same way oh so many years ago.

Daaaarliiing… you are so pretty when you cry…

Reid squeezes my hand ever so slightly and I blink the world and the monsters within it back into focus. Reid looks on with a slight furrow on his brow.

‘But then,’ Serge continues, a smug grin on his face after spotting my reaction. ‘I think that is why you brought her here, no? To remind me who has the real power?’

The tension is thick between the two men and a power struggle is in full effect. Reid continues to smile, those dark eyes watching Serge and I try to keep calm and hold an impossible poker face.

I know this man. He knows me.

But how?

‘Drink. DRINK!’ Serge calls out to the room, ending the unpleasant state between them and severing the strange standoff with me.

One of the men in suits hands Reid and Serge tumblers of brown liquid. The smell of whiskey fills my nostrils. Reid takes a sip and engages in idle chat with the pimp. A few minutes pass and I wait at his side, wincing at the sounds of the girl behind.

The Fae girl lifts her head and our eyes meet. She sees my coat and how my collar is now flashing a slow and steady red light.

Her hatred of the men in this room is shifted straight to me. An Authority Pet. A traitor. I stand here with merely a bruised cheek. She’s trapped here.

I’m sorry, I mouth to her.

She spits at the floor, wishing no doubt that she could reach my face. A second man steps forwards and begins brutally fucking her mouth.

I’m so sorry.

Reid squeezes my hand when the flames in the fireplace start to flicker and the chandelier above gently sways.

A deep breath and it stops. My power receding.

‘You hear about that lost shipment from last week?’ Reid asks. I pull my focus back to him and the pimp. ‘Down at Sheetley Docks?’

‘Sheetley docks, hmm?’ Serge scratches the back of his neck. ‘No. No, I hear nothing. You lost a shipment out there?’

‘Boat was empty when we got there. So, you haven’t heard anything about it? I only ask because we know who you accommodate here, Serge. Men with big business and light fingers. If there’s something to take rather than earn, you and I both know that there are those who would gladly and foolishly risk it. You hear any whispers? Maybe your girls mentioned something?’

I watch the two men, Reid, calm and calculated. Serge, smarmy and smug.

‘It was a big shipment. A lot of product.’

‘I do not hear anything.’ Serge rests his hand over his heart. ‘I swear, if I hear the slightest whisper, I tell you. Right away. I know nothing about your lost shipment.’

The reaction to his words are instant and absolute.

I firm my hold on Reid’s hand, terrified of what will come after telling him what he brought me here to discover.

Squeeze. Squeeze.

Serge is lying.

18

The fresh air is bliss after the suffocation of that hell hole, even if the rain is still coming down in sheets. What isn’t bliss are the memories and images that I’ll have to live with for the rest of my life. I don’t want to leave that woman there, chained up and forced onto her knees, but I know that right now, there’s nothing I can do about it.

But I will do something. Someone has to!

Out of sight and close to the car, I snatch my hand away from Reid and wipe any remnants of our touch clear from my skin.

I don’t say a word as we get inside the car and I make sure to give the door one hell of a slam once I’m in.

As Reid joins me, he throws a side glance my way.

I’m shaking from head to toe. My fists are curled into balls, forcing the edges of my nails hard into my palms. If I grind my teeth any harder, they’ll shatter.

And fuck, I am hot with anger and hatred.

‘Raven, I-’

‘Don’t,’ I snap. ‘Don’t say a word to me right now because I will hit you and I know you’ll make me sorry for it, so please, please just shut your fucking mouth for a minute.’

He sits back in his seat in silence as I take in breaths so hard, I feel light-headed.

A few moments pass.

‘They’re Fae,’ I state.

‘Yes,’ he replies.

‘They’re collared and they’re out.’

‘Yes.’

‘They have powers too.’ I look at him. ‘I saw it. They have powers!’

‘Again. Yes. Most of them do, but not all. Some are just Triggered. They need Gilt but have no power except their beauty.’

I look at him and see him watching me.

‘So it’s true?’ I ask.

‘Can you be more specific?’

‘They say-’

‘Who’s they?’

‘They. Just they!’ I throw my hands up in frustration. ‘They say that if we turn and the powers aren’t worth anything to you lot or we Trigger and manifest no powers at all, you sell us off.’ With a violent wave, I gesture to the house ahead. ‘A girl that can turn you on is a great tool to put at the doors of a brothel, not much good for an Authority investigation. A girl who can grow fur so you can fuck a… what… a cat?’ I sneer at the image that conjures in my head. ‘Never mind the girl who can’t feel pain, so she’s tied up, beaten and wanked over. Urgh. Fucking-’

‘And what else would you suggest they do with them?’ he asks. ‘If the Authority doesn’t want them, they’d either be killed or left to turn Dark and be killed. They won’t waste Gilt on a worthless Fae.’

‘Or they could be free! How can any of the Fae in there hurt anyone with their gifts? What harm could they do in the world?’

‘And who will give them their Gilt so they can stay safe? Who will monitor that and make sure they don’t skip their dose and turn into Dark-Fae? Killing machines? Who will pay for their supply?’

‘You should.’ I jab my finger into his chest. ‘You lot. That’s supposed to be your fucking job. To keep us from hurting anyone and keep us from getting hurt. That’s what your piece of shit organisation was created for. Not this. Not for keeping the ones you want and selling off those you don’t. That?!’ I nod to the house. ‘That’s hell. That’s abuse and torture. That’s trafficking and rape! I went to school with that girl in there. She was nice. Innocent. Look at what’s happening to her now!’ My lip trembles and I let out an angry whimper before I can stop myself. ‘It’s… It’s…’

‘Disgusting. I know.’ He puts his key in the ignition. ‘Why do you think I wanted you to see it? Why do you think I need your help?’

‘What?’

‘The shipment that was stolen. It was Gilt. My own, personal supply for my own private Pets - I mean… assets.’

I scoff loudly at his slip.

‘I try to keep as many as I can off the books. Some I hide. Some, yes, are sold. Others I keep close, but all of them are better off where I put them rather than in the hands of the Authority. That lot there was my last batch. Supply Serge the Gilt he needs for the Fae I sold him. I only have a few vials left for Lucca and Brennan. For you. And none for countless others who depend on me to supply it. If we don’t find out who is behind it, they’re fucked.’

‘Maybe you shouldn’t be selling Fae to pimps then.’

‘Maybe I should just let them die, is that what you mean? The Authority don’t want pointless Fae. They want powerful ones. They would just execute them. Or worse.’

‘Worse than that?’

‘Yes. Shockingly enough, there are worse places than that to end up, Raven.’

I sit back in my seat and swallow the suffocating urge to angry cry.

‘I’m sorry I hit you,’ he says. ‘I had to, or he would have done far worse-’

I slam my hand into the dash before burying my face in my palms. When I close my eyes, I see that poor woman’s face. Tear stained and desperate.

It turns into another face. One that I wish not to see right now.

‘Did you know him? Serge? He seemed to know you and you certainly went rigid when he asked you about it.’

When Reid rests his hand on my shoulder, I shove it off and point a finger at him in warning.

‘You don’t get to touch me. Not with those hands. Not when they’ve been in there with those victims.’

‘I’ve never touched any of those girls in there,’ he states with indignation. ‘Goddess, I would never-’

‘You put them in there! Did you sell her?’ He looks at me blankly. ‘The girl being gang raped in chains. Did you sell her?’

‘No. She’s not one of mine.’

‘You make me sick.’

‘You forget I know people too. People like you, with gifts. And some of those gifts can help the Fae in that place.’

‘Sure,’ I scoff.

‘Gifts like taking away bad memories. Or healing broken bodies. Or removing pain and fear so at least they can face their days without horror and dread coursing through their veins! They want me in their rooms because they know I won’t touch them, and they know that if I can help, I will.’

‘That’s the best you can do for them, is it?’

‘What would you have me do? Break them out? They set foot outside the door of that place, their collars will detonate. And even if they did get out, who would supply their Gilt, huh? If you’re outside of the Authority, you have to pay handsomely for it.’

‘Thirty grand?’

He sighs heavily and looks in the direction of the house.

‘There are worse fates than ending up there, let me tell you.’

‘Says the human Authority Agent. How many houses are there like this? How many of us have you lot sold off to be fuck toys?’ I toss the envelope into his lap. ‘There’s your sex slave money. Take me home. I need to wash every inch of me in bleach and boiling water. Unless you want to hit me again before we go. Sir.’

He takes the cash and stores it in the glovebox by my knees. I recoil as he gets close.

‘When I say keep quiet on a job, you keep quiet. If I say keep your eyes closed, you do. If I say hop on one foot, then you get hopping! Men like Serge don’t take disrespect in any way. Especially from women and especially from Fae. That scene you saw was a show of force. You fuck him over, and he will have you fucked over ten-fold and have you agreeing to it too.’

‘So those were her choices? She either did that or got sent back to you lot. And then what? Would you resell her to another pimp? Or just cut your losses and get rid of her completely? There's no point keeping us alive if there’s no use to us, right? Like you said, Gilt’s expensive.’

‘If I didn’t put you in your place first, he would have done it himself,’ he continues, ignoring my words. ‘I didn’t want to hit you-’

‘You’re a man. I expect nothing less from you.’

‘I’d like to talk to the men in your life-’

‘Besides, I would hardly call what you did a hit. A slap, maybe. I would say you hit like a girl, but that would be insulting to girls everywhere.’

‘I didn’t want to hit you hard. I just-’

‘A toddler.’

‘Huh?’

‘You hit like a toddler.’

He scoffs and turns the key.

‘I needed to know if he was lying to me. I needed to be sure and you were the only way I-’

‘Well, now you know. So thanks for the nightmares. Can you take me home now, please?’ I look at the key he keeps turning. But the engine isn’t starting.

‘I’m sorry. For the nightmares,’ he says, still trying to start the car.

‘Don’t be. I’ve seen far worse than that. The new nightmares will fit in well with the ones I already live through every night.’

‘You’ve seen worse than that?’

‘Can you hurry up and get this thing going?’

‘What does it look like I’m trying to do? Play the fucking piano?’

Again he tries, but the engine refuses to do more than sputter.

‘So, do you know him?’ he asks, still trying to get the engine to turn over. ‘How do you know Serge?’

I half shrug. Half shake my head.

‘What does that mean?’

‘He was… familiar. That’s all. I don’t know him.’

‘Familiar?’

‘Yeah. Like, maybe I met him when I was a kid or something. Perhaps he was one of Ahri’s mum’s clients. She was a hooker before she died. And I’ve been all over the city. I must have seen him around or some…’ My words trail off as I see Serge’s gold teeth smile flash before my eyes, in a room that lingers like a ghost in my memories.

The car putters and shakes before thick black smoke rises from beneath the bonnet.

‘You have to be kidding.’ I look at Reid. ‘You’re kidding, right?’

‘Oh yeah. That’s me, all right. One big kidder.’ He pops the hood and gets out to check the engine. After a while he returns, soaking wet and looking quite pissed off.

‘The car’s fucked.’

‘Well, what the hell do we do?’

He pulls out a mobile phone from his jacket and makes a call.

‘Brennan, it’s me. Where are you?’ He listens and whatever he hears has him pinching the bridge of his nose and groaning. 'Great. Well, my car's not fucking starting and we’re hours away from Rosenwood. No, no, don’t call Lucca. I don’t want him anywhere near this place. Yeah. Yeah, I got what I needed. No. You stay put. That’s more important. I’ll figure something out.’ He hangs up and rests his head back on the headrest.

‘You need to get me home,’ I state clearly. ‘My sister is already on the war path.’

‘Yeah. Yeah.’

‘Why can’t Lucca come here?’

‘None of your business.’ He makes another call. ‘Elanor. It’s me. I need you to… Yeah. I’m fine. I need you to… Elanor, can you quit… El… El… El…’

Elanor, it seems, is feeling rather chatty and each time he attempts to speak, she cuts him off, speaking louder and louder each time.

‘ELANOR! Reid yells. She falls silent. ‘I need you to call Tessa. She needs to visit Serge’s place tonight.’ He listens to her speak. ‘Something like that, yeah. Not sure of the girl’s name, but she’ll need some of Tessa’s gifts after what I saw today.’ He looks at me and listens as Elanor responds to his instructions. ‘No. I’m not at home. I’m with the new girl.’ He looks at me. ‘That’s the one. I’ll tell you later. Yeah. Bye.’

He hangs up.

‘What was that about?’

‘Like I said. I know people who can help. I’m sending in someone who can take misery away. That girl won’t care what happened to her here tonight. Tessa can take away pain and suffering. She can remove bad memories.’

I’m glad at least that girl may find some kind of twisted peace.

A million more questions swirl in my brain, all crashing into each other and creating even more as they collide.

But I will not ask any questions, and I won’t dig myself in any deeper into this mess.

Get my flat. Move out of the house. Survive.

That’s all I need to focus on.

I would love to cry. I would love to scream at Reid, demand he return to that house and kill that fucker and free those Fae.

But I can’t. And neither can he, even if he did want to.

The system’s well and truly broken. For us, at least.

‘I want to leave now,’ I tell him. ‘Please? I’ll walk.’

‘We’re miles away from your city. We can’t walk. It would take us the rest of the day and half the night. And I’m not going in there asking for favours.’

‘Call someone to come and get us.’

‘I can’t call the Authority because they’ll see you. And I can’t call a human taxi because no one knows this place exists. And Brennan isn’t available for hours.’

‘What about Elanor?’ Whoever she is.

‘Not possible.’ He busies himself on his phone and then looks at me. ‘I have an idea.’

‘What?’

With uncertain eyes, he looks at me. ‘You’re not gonna like it.’

‘Shocker.’

19

Reid’s right.

I don’t like his idea.

The three-hour-long walk that we had to do in the rain was one thing, but the fact that we had to head away from my city and head towards a Fae-town by the name of Butter-Cross was another. And that he left the umbrella inside that awful place was the icing on the cake.

We walk side by side in silence, trying to shield ourselves from the downpour, but it’s all a waste of effort. We’re both soaked. Reid insisted it wasn’t safe to stay in the car with Serge and his men just around the corner. And with no one able to help until the morning, here we are, walking towards another enormous wall surrounding another Fae-town.

‘You look like shit,’ Reid says, watching me as I walk.

‘Thank you for that.’

‘You’re not gonna hurl again, are you?’

‘I don’t think so.’

I groan as another wave of stabbing pains ripple through my skull. The aftermath of using my power is apparently a migraine from hell and occasionally the odd bout of vomiting.

‘It’s normal when you first start using your gifts.’ He starts to gently laugh. ‘I remember Lucca once projectile vomited all over the que-’ He quickly stops talking and clears his throat. ‘A queue of people that were-’

‘Just leave me alone. My head is pounding and I’m freezing my ass off.’

‘A little rude there.’

‘Your voice is like nails on a chalkboard.’

‘Okay then,’ he grumbles.

As we approach, the air grows thicker. The tall chimneys that reach the sky are billowing thick clouds of smoke and soot. The smell reaches us. The stench of burning rubber and pollution. Thousands of people crammed into a small town with the bare minimum of facilities. If it’s anything like Rosenwood, rubbish is collected and disposed of once a month. Rats are rampant. The plumbing is questionable and the constant running of all the factories creates quite the aroma. You don’t realise it so much when you live in it.

I stumble a little as we approach the gates and Reid catches me.

‘You okay?’

‘Peachy.’ I shrug him off and carry on.

‘You remember what I said?’

‘Yes, Sir.’

‘Seriously. We can’t draw attention to ourselves. If anyone asks, we’re working and-’

‘Had car trouble and need a place to sleep. Yeah. I got it.’

‘You can cut that shitty attitude out, too. Your kind don’t talk to us like that.’

‘Sorry, Sir.’ I give him a little curtsy making him groan and roll his eyes.

We reach the gate and are met by three guards. They check his ID and my collar. They don’t ask any questions and seem much more professional than the ones back home, recognising Reid's authority and their own place in their hateful organisation. They deliver some advice. That’s all.

To head to ‘The Horseshoe Inn’, and a list of directions.

Reid nods and leads us inside. I keep my head down and avoid eye contact with any of them.

We walk the streets and I see how similar it all is. The shitty houses. The waste bags piled up high. The pothole-filled roads and the graffiti. Nothing is pretty. Nothing is clean. And the people look utterly trodden down and so much thinner and paler than those back home.

Walking with this coat on and side-by-side with an Authority agent, the looks I get earn me nothing but hatred and disgust. As it should.

Better death than this.

Well, that was what I always thought at any rate. But here I am. Not quite under typical circumstances, but still.

Trust me to find a high powered, crooked, blackmailing son of a bitch agent.

Reid urges me on each time I slow down, or he moves closer to me when we pass groups of collared men heading home from their long shift in whatever gruelling job they’ve been forced to do today.

‘Almost there,’ Reid says quietly as we pass a group of them. ‘I’m fucking freezing and starving.’ We turn a corner, and he stops quickly. His arm is outstretched and stops me in my tracks too. ‘Oh shit.’

Oh shit’s right.

The Horseshoe is an Authority only establishment. All I see are those damned jackets. Dozens of them are standing under large umbrellas to keep dry, smoking, drinking and laughing. Enjoying a break from a long day terrorising the residents, no doubt.

‘I can’t go in there,’ I whisper in a panic. ‘Reid. Don’t make me go in there.’

‘Too late to turn back,’ he replies, lowering his arm and standing taller. Several of the men have seen us. ‘If we walk away now, it will only look suspicious. Come on.’

‘I’m Fae!’ I hiss. ‘We avoid these hangouts like the plague. Do you know what they do to us when they’re drunk?’

I realise I’m saying “they” when I should be saying “you”. Reid’s one of them, after all.

‘Well, today you’re with me. I need to stay here so your people don’t slit my throat in my sleep, and you need to stay by my side, so you don’t get caught with a hacked collar. Get walking.’

He nudges me forwards. My legs are like lead as I head towards them, their eyes never wandering from my approach. Several of them spit at my feet, but they all greet Reid with a formal and respectful hello. None of them move as I try to pass them and I know it’s best not to touch them. Knocking into one of them back home would mean one hell of a beating. I’ve no idea if my being here with Reid would change that, so I tuck in, keep my eyes down, and follow him.

Inside, the warmth hits me like a blast. There’s an open fire in the corner and the sheer amount of bodies adds to the heat. The air reeks of beer and liquor. That and food. Cooked meat and roasted vegetables. Fresh bread and something sweet, like fried sugar.

My mouth instantly starts to water as I take in the smell of the air and the taste it leaves on my tongue.

My lingering frustrates my escort. Reid grabs my elbow and pulls me inside.

‘Will you stay close?’ he warns in my ear. ‘Or do you want trouble?’

‘Can we get some food?’ I ask with a hopeful plea. ‘Real food?’

‘As opposed to what?’ he asks, weaving us between the others. ‘Plastic food?’

‘Stale food or something from a tin. I smell beef. Can I have some beef?’ I grab his jacket and look up at him. ‘Or bacon?’ He can’t help but smile at my sudden excitement.

‘I’ll get us something. Yeah.’

We reach the bar, and he forces himself between two prominent men slurring their words as they cling to their pints.

‘I need a room,’ he tells the man behind the bar. A man with a collar.

He looks at Reid, his jacket, and then at me.

‘One night?’

‘Yep. Two beds.’

The barman nods to me. ‘She stays downstairs,’ he says.

‘She stays with me.’

‘Triggered Fae aren’t allowed in the rooms. We have iron cells down below for the escorts. She stays down there with the others.’

Well, it was a nice idea whilst I had it. The idea of a bed and some hot food. I slump as the dream slips through my white and numb fingers. Suddenly, Reid has the man’s face pressed onto the bar.

‘I said she stays with me. My dick isn’t going to fuck itself tonight, and I need the distraction from staying in such a shithole of an establishment. I’ve had a really bad day, so you will give me a fucking room so I can get my clothes dry and get my cock wet, or I’ll crush your skull into this bar. Got it, Fae scum?’

I half expect the others to intervene, but they all laugh and start cheering his behaviour.

The barman nods beneath his grasp. Once he’s released, the man scrambles to a line of hooks on the wall behind him. He takes a key and with shaking hands, passes it to Reid. Reid, in turn, hands over some money, tossing it to the floor at the man’s feet. The look of disdain as he watches the man lower himself to retrieve the money is frightening. It’s real hatred and disgust.

‘S-she can’t be permitted to stay up there unattended,’ the man says, backing away from Reid’s grip. ‘She’s got powers. If you fall asleep and she leaves, she-’

‘That’s what these are for.’ He pulls out a pair of iron cuffs from his jacket pocket. ‘Don’t worry your bald little head. I know how to keep my bitches in line. Unlike you lot.’ He turns and wraps his fingers violently in my hair, tugging me after him like a disobedient dog in a leash. As I’m hauled through the crowd, I’m catcalled and sneered at. Reid gets told to fuck me hard. To make me scream. To let them know if he gets bored. They’ll be happy to keep watch over me until he wakes.

My head is level with his knees as he pulls me through to a narrow hall leading to a steep set of wooden steps. I grunt and struggle to stay on my feet as he manoeuvres me with such disregard up the stairs. I grip his wrist so I won’t lose half my hair if I fall. Finally, he unlocks a door and I get tossed inside. I stumble, trying to catch myself before I faceplant the floor. I quickly right myself, spinning around to face him with a fiery wrath. He slams the door shut and locks it before turning around and coming face to face with me.

‘Sorry about th-’

Slap.

‘I didn’t have any fucking choice!’ he snaps back, holding his cheek. ‘You want to sleep in a dungeon with some other Fae assets? If I’m kind to you, this isn’t going to work. They don’t do kindness to your sort.’

‘Oh. I know why you did that. But if you get to haul me around like a ragdoll and tear my hair out, you get a fucking slap in the face. Be thankful it’s not a kick in your dick, which by the way, will remain as dry as an old whore’s cooch. If it comes anywhere near me, I’ll bite it off.’

He tosses off his wet jacket and throws it over the back of a chair. ‘Noted. Now get your clothes off.’

‘Are you deaf?’ I scoff.

He nods to a fire burning peacefully in the fireplace. ‘No. Are you determined to get hypothermia?’ He grabs a towel from the end of the bed and throws it at me. ‘Go have a shower and warm up. I’ll hang your shit up to dry.’ He then turns with folded arms, giving me some privacy.

I look around, waiting for something. I don’t know what exactly, but my distrust prevents me from taking off a stitch. There’s no one else here and only a single window, which looks like it hasn’t been opened in years. The only bed in here is a double, with a woven blanket and two bumpy, misshapen pillows on it. There's a wooden chair and a small coffee table with an ashtray on it. Everything is old, battered, and has probably been here for decades. The floors are dark, uneven, wooden planks with nails protruding. The walls are covered in peeling wallpaper and the light has no bulb.

And there is no way out except the door Reid has locked.

‘You need a hand or something?’ he offers. ‘Because it sounds like you’re just standing there like a fool, freezing to death and getting the floor wet.’

‘Not likely.’ I quickly remove my sopping clothes and let them fall in a heap on the floor before wrapping the towel around myself. ‘Done. When can I get some food?’

He turns.

‘What?’ I ask.

He’s starring at the tiny towel that barely covers me, and the corner of his mouth hitches.

‘Don’t get creepy on me.’

‘You are an adorable little thing, Raven Rivers. I have to admit it. Mouthy and stubborn. But you are very nice to look at. Especially with no clothes on.’

‘I’m Fae. It’s how we’re born. Pretty.’

His eyes settle on my scars and his eye twitches a little.

‘They’re not something you were born with.’ He walks over and picks up my clothes but lingers there as he continues looking at the marks. ‘How did you get them?’

‘You.’

‘Me?’ he repeats, looking up with a frown. ‘I never-’

‘Your people. Humans. You did it.’ I step closer for him to really see. An inch from his face, the ugly pain left there on my body. ‘Like it? Make you feel good? Proud of what you do for a living?’

‘What’s with the dirty bandage on your hand?’ he asks before I can leave to go to the bathroom.

I look down. I’d forgotten all about the bandage. ‘I got my hand stuck in the gate at the Academy. Excuse me.’ I give him a full-blown curtsy. ‘Sir.’ I turn and head to the bathroom, slamming shut the door behind me.

He doesn’t bother me as I take my time. I wash and use the soap to clean myself from head to toe. Dirt and grime wash away down the drain and I feel all the lighter for it. The water is hot and the pressure is good. Much nicer than what I have at home. When I step out, I wrap myself in the towel and stand by the sink.

The mirror is steamed up. I wipe it clear and look at myself for a moment.

Serge. Why was he so familiar to me? I’ve seen him before, I’m sure of it, but the more I try to remember the harder it is to grasp. Like smoke slipping through my fingers and fading into nothing at all.

But what I do see, hurts.

The Fae, trapped inside that place. Forced onto their backs or their knees or whatever hell else the filthy humans may desire them to do.

Their only other alternative? To return to the Authority and be resold or killed.

I turn away from the mirror, sickened by my own reflection, and head back into the room with a serious amount of resolve in my heart.

I throw the door open so hard, it slams into the wall. Reid turns to look at me with curiosity.

‘You look as if you have something on your mind. I’m sure I’ll enjoy hearing about it,’ he groans.

But I just linger there, almost mute.

Reid is standing at the fire with his hands outstretched.

In nothing but a pair of black boxers.

His clothes and mine are draped over the back of some chairs and placed close to the flames.

I stand there, shamelessly taking in his form.

Fuck, he may be a prick and he may be human, but the Goddess took her time crafting that man.

Muscled. Tall. Tanned skin and then he’s added to the beauty with tattoos.

Both his arms are inked from the wrist, up to his back, and they carry on over his chest. Tribal patterns interweave with skulls and blades and wings made of feathers. It’s an intricate masterpiece on a perfect canvas. He’s scarred. Deep gashes must have been carved across his back. Two perfect lines from his shoulder blades to his lower back glimmer beneath the black ink decorating his body, and when he turns to face me, his chiselled chest and perfect six pack shine in the dim firelight.

The man is huge. Twice as wide as I am and several inches taller. His arms tense and bulge with muscle.

‘Hey. Don’t make this creepy,’ Reid laughs softly as he watches me. ‘My face is up here, and if you keep looking at me like that, I may find myself having to deal with the lust dancing in your eyes. It's torturous to see you so unfulfilled.’

I quickly regain my composure.

‘Nice ink,’ I offer.

‘Nice ass,’ he counters, nodding to the ridiculously short towel.

I start to walk towards my clothes.

‘They’re not dry yet,’ he says, slapping my hand as I reach for them. ‘And besides. I prefer you like that.’

‘Well, I need clothes. I can’t just sit here naked.’

‘I mean… you could.’

‘I mean… get lost,’ I sneer back as he carries on laughing to himself. ‘I want to make you an offer.’

‘I’m listening.’

‘The brothel.’

He quietly growls in annoyance at the mere mention of it. ‘I already said. I can’t do anything-’

‘I want you to try.’

‘Do you now? And how, exactly?’

‘Give them Gilt. Then they won’t have to work for Serge and-’

He waves his hand through the air and starts walking away.

‘It’s wrong and you know it.’

‘That may be, but in case you missed the memo, I’m running low on Gilt for my own Fae. Never mind taking in a load that won’t earn me anything in return and pissing off the Russian fucking Mafia in the process.’ He opens up the wardrobe and throws me a large, white sheet.

‘But I’m helping you find your missing Gilt. If we find it, then can we-’

‘I don’t have enough.’

‘Then maybe-’

‘I have my own problems, Little Bird. I have bigger issues and bigger fish to fry than a few Fae in a brothel, okay?’

‘Like what?’

‘Nothing that concerns you.’

I feel it instantly. The lie. He sees the physical response to his dishonesty.

‘What are you doing that concerns me?’ I ask.

His lips seal shut and his eyes darken.

‘Silence is as good as lying,’ I tell him. ‘What aren’t you telling me?’

‘A lot,’ he replies. ‘More than your simple little head could ever cope with or understand.’ He starts slowly stalking closer and I feel his rage at being cornered by my questions. ‘You are in no position to ask me anything. Not questions,’ he says, stepping even nearer and forcing me back. I hit the wall and stop, looking up at him in all his raging glory. ‘And certainly not favours. You of all people.’

‘What does that mean? Me of all people?’

His eyes travel down and settle on my heaving chest, struggling to get enough air through my constricted airway as panic starts to wrap around me. Why the fuck am I pushing this man whilst locked in a room with him?

His eyes flick back up to me.

‘How did you get those scars on your face?’ he asks.

‘I don’t remember.’

‘How do you know Serge?’

‘I don’t know.’

‘What’s going on with you and the little street rat back in Rosenwood?’

‘None of your business.’

‘I tell you what, Little Bird,’ he says with a voice as smooth as silk, reaching up his hand and sweeping my wet hair over my shoulder. The tips of his fingers brush on my exposed skin and I erupt into unwanted and betraying goosebumps. The bastard grins at my body’s disgusting reaction to him and I worry that he may follow through on his loud and gross promises in the bar. ‘When you start answering my questions, I might consider answering some of yours. Until then…’ He steps back and gestures to the bed. ‘Eat and quit annoying me.’

As he walks away, I quickly change the towel for the sheet and catch my breath. The more I’m covered, the better I feel. And when I see a tray of steaming hot food on the edge of the bed, my stomach takes control, and I rush over.

A single bowl with the remnants of what looks like porridge sits beside a large serving of steaming beef stew and dumplings with a side of crispy bread, tomatoes, sausages and bacon.

‘Holy fuck!’ I laugh, leaning over and taking in a big inhale of it all. ‘I’ve never seen a meal like that before!’

‘Well, it’s all yours,’ he says with a slight wave of his hand before returning his attention to the fire.

I grab a sausage but stop when I see no plate for him. ‘Where’s yours?’

‘I ate already.’

But all I see is the porridge bowl.

‘Porridge? Why would you want-’

‘Shut up and eat.’

‘They wouldn’t send up two decent meals, would they?’

He doesn’t need to respond.

I pick up the empty bowl, take it into the bathroom, and wash it out. As I pass him, I thrust it into his hands. I return to his side with the tray and lay it on the floor, lowering myself to my knees and nodding for him to join me.

He does.

I split the stew, meat and bread between us so we can both enjoy it.

He watches me as I dish it out as evenly as possible with nothing but the firelight illuminating us and the sound of the rain lashing the window outside.

‘Why are you doing this? Why share? I’ve eaten already.’

‘I don’t like to see anyone go hungry and I don’t believe that one person should get better treatment because of what or who they are.’ I hand over the bowl. ‘Even if they are human scum.’

He snatches my bowl from my hands and tips half of his into mine before giving it back.

‘I’ve already eaten something. You need to eat more. Don’t argue with me, Little Bird!’ he snaps as I open my mouth to do just that. ‘I mean it. Eat.’

He tucks in and so do I. I feel the warmth of the meal and all the goodness within it fill my body.

I moan and close my eyes. ‘Fuck… that’s good. That is really, really fucking good. Oh Fates above… fuck…’ I hear a light laugh and open my eyes to see him watching me. ‘What?’

‘Nothing. Just enjoying your enjoyment.’

His words make me uneasy. He’s angry one second, flirting the next. Sometimes both. It’s best, I think, to ignore it all.

‘What are the human towns like?’ I ask, keeping my eyes on my bowl.

‘Clean. Open. Spacious. Pretty much everything that this place isn’t.’

‘Sounds nice.’

‘Hmmm. It’s fake. A mask. Humans try so hard to be this perfect community. I’ve not met a real, down to earth and decent human yet.’

‘You say “Human” as if you aren’t one of them.’

‘Well, I spend most of my time around your lot, so I guess I don’t feel like I belong there.’

‘You sure as shit don’t belong with us either. You walk through a Fae-city without a weapon to protect you, or a bunch of buddies to back you up, I highly doubt you would ever make it out to see one of those perfect human towns ever again.’ I shove in some bacon. ‘Ahhhhh. Fuck me. This is …. Goddess above. Have you tried the bacon? Uhhhh….’

‘Can you please stop making those noises? It’s very distracting.’

‘Am I making you want to get your pecker wet?’ I mock, picking up a sausage and placing it on my lips before violently biting it in half. ‘Because I wouldn’t recommend trying.’

‘As I’ve said… noted. But I can’t deny, some relief would be nice.’ He sits back and sighs. ‘After the week I’ve had, a good, hard fuck would be amazing.’

‘Then you can get busy with your hand when you have a shower because that’s the only relief you’ll be getting tonight.’

‘Did you?’

‘Did I what?’ I ask with a mouthful of sausage.

He leans forward a little, the fire reflecting in his eyes and the corner of his mouth hitched. ‘Did you have a little play in the shower? Release some tension, so to speak.’

I choke and start to cough and splutter, which only adds to his amusement.

‘Oh my. The girl blushes.’

‘I’m… choking… you… prat… Help!’

He gives me a firm whack on my back and I clear my airway.

‘You good?’ he laughs.

‘No!’

‘You need the Heimlich or something?’

‘I most certainly did not do… that… in the shower!’ I insist, feeling myself burn red. ‘What is wrong with you? Why would you even ask that?’

‘Hey. There’s nothing wrong with entertaining yourself from time to time. Especially when things are a little glum.’

‘What, like being blackmailed and threatened by you, kidnapped and taken to a brothel and then forced to stay here for the night when I should be at home with my sister?!’

‘Yeah. Like that.’ He inhales some bacon and keeps on looking at me. ‘It’s proven, you know. Orgasms help reduce stress and act as a pain killer. Hormones-’

‘Well… I wouldn’t know. I’ve never done that to myself so-’

‘Never?’

‘Nope.’

‘You have had an orgasm before though, right? With a lad from school or something? Maybe with your little street rat?’

‘Why? Should I have?’ I scoff.

‘Yes! Yes, you absolutely should have had an orgasm by now. What are you, like twenty or something?’

‘Nineteen.’

‘And you’ve never… Fates above. You need to choose your partners better. Get someone who knows what they’re doing.’

‘I’m not letting anyone near me. Ever.’

‘That’s not what I heard. Word has it you’re a bit loose with your morals and-’

‘I’m a whore, right? I fuck anyone and anything for money or food?’ I suddenly lose my appetite and slam my plate on the floor. ‘And who told you that?’

‘People.’

‘My “Dad”? Darius? Cyrus?’

‘To name a few.’

‘Oh yeah. They’re very reliable sources,’ I sneer. ‘Think what you want. If I am a whore, you’re one man I won’t jump on, let me tell you.’

‘Because I’m human?’

‘Because you’re a vile bastard.’

‘Oh yeah? And Cyrus is so sweet and kind? If he’s been allowed to fuck you but you refuse me, I’m curious as to know the reasons.’

I feel anger course through me at the mention of him.

‘Not that it’s any of your business, but the only thing Cyrus and I have ever shared is distrust, and anger issues. You should know that, considering he’s the one that sold me out to you.’

‘Excuse me?’ he asks a little pathetically, trying and failing to pretend he has no idea what I’m talking about.

‘I heard him call you. You or another Authority agent anyway. But you’re the one that turned up in my kitchen shortly after I went to him for help, so I’m guessing it was him. Is he your Pet too? And remember. You can’t lie. Not to me.’

I hold his gaze, unblinking and determined.

‘So, are you a virgin then?’ he asks, changing the subject.

‘None. Of. Your. Business.’

‘You want one?’ he asks.

‘One what? A virgin? Unlikely to find one in you I’m guessing.’

The corner of his mouth pulls up into the slightest of grins. ‘An orgasm.’

He places down his bowl and moves slowly towards me. His palms lie flat on the floor by my hips and his face is close. His soft words land on my skin and every hair on my body stands to his attention.

‘I wouldn’t want anything in return. And you would still be a virgin, if you are one, that is. It’s the least I could do after all. Offer some relief for you.’

He leans in a little closer. His lips brush against mine and I find myself frozen in place, staring into the eyes of this magnificent monster.

‘I’ll make your skin hum,’ he tells me. ‘And your entire body vibrate. I’ll make sure you enjoy every single delicious second I work on you. My fingers, My lips. My tongue. I would very much like to see you squirm for me.’

I let out a jagged breath as he reaches up to brush my hair from my face. This slight touch ignites my skin.

‘What do you say? Would you like me to ruffle your feathers, Little Bird? No strings, and nothing in return.’

‘Erm…’

He leans in.

‘What are you doing?’ I ask, my voice barely a whisper as I watch him come closer and closer.

‘Nothing. If you don’t want me to, then I’m doing nothing. Would you like me to do something?’

Butterflies begin fluttering inside my belly.

‘I promise, you’ll like it.’

The most beautiful human I’ve ever seen rests his lips softly on mine. Barely touching but they’re there all right. The most powerful Authority agent I’ve ever met. The most confusing and loathsome and desirable… my eyes start to close as I lean into his lips.

His phone starts to ring.

He turns away and looks over his shoulder at the bed where his phone lies on the pillow.

With a glance back in my direction, he throws me a wink and gets to his feet to answer it.

He stands there, his shirtless form pure perfection in the orange glow of the open fire and he watches me as he answers his call. The words are barely one-word responses to whoever is on the other line, but I’m thankful for the distraction.

I was close to saying yes.

Stupidly close.

What the hell is wrong with me?

I turn away and face the fire as he continues his call.

When it ends, he strides across the room and ruffles my hair as he passes.

‘I guess I’ll be in the shower then. Holler if you need me or if you change your mind.’ At the bathroom door, he stops and peers back at me. ‘Oh. And if you try to leave this room without me, you will never have regretted anything more in your life. You got that?’

‘Got it.'

'Get some rest.' He nods to the bed.

'I'll sleep on the floor.'

'You won't. You'll sleep in the bed.'

'I told you. I'm not-'

'I'll have the floor. Fuck. Are you going to argue with me on every single thing?'

He closes the door and I soon hear the water start to run.

My appetite lost and my heart in my throat, I jump to my feet and walk quickly to the fire.

It’s disheartening to learn that even the Authority know the rumours about me.

The whore with the scars.

If only they knew…

The darkness is absolute. There’s no light. None. I could be in a coffin, miles underground for all I know. There’s no fresh air, no gentle breeze or chill. Just the weak sobs of my sister. I crawl across the stone floor, stretching out my fingers as I call out her name. She doesn’t answer. Maybe she can’t hear me. The experiments have been so much harder today and it’s been known for her hearing to go during some of them. I shuffle on, reaching blindly for anything other than the endless nothing before me. I feel the hum of the iron bars and hear her sniffles a little closer.

I stretch my arm through, careful not to touch the iron, and find her hair. She rolls over and my palm meets her cheek. She snuggles into it, whimpering and clinging to my arm.

I feel blood and her face is swollen and coarse.

‘I’m here,’ I tell her. ‘It’s going to be okay.’

She shakes her head and I wince as her nails dig into my arm.

‘No. It won’t. I can’t do this anymore. We’ve been here for so long.’

‘We’re going to get out of here. I promise.’

Again, she shakes her head and continues to cry. My sweet sister.

I lay beside her, separated by bars made of iron, and listen to her weep.

I try to ignore the pain of my own injuries. Of my broken arm and empty nail beds on my feet. Of the hot, raw flesh on the arm she clings to and the pain of my stomach digesting itself.

She shifts and quickly moves back with a scream.

She got too close to the iron bars.

‘It’s going to be okay,’ I try to promise. ‘It’s going to be okay.’

The door to our cell opens. Blinding, white light floods the room and we both scream, knowing that it’s time to return.

We’re dragged away.

To the sharp blades and blunt force traumas. To the hot and the cold. The electrocution.

Wrists strapped in. The lever pulled.

The crackle of electricity. The screaming and juddering.

The storm rages outside, lashing the windows.

And a group of men stood in the corner watching the experiments.

One of them I recognise now. He walks towards me as I convulse and bleed. Toe to toe, he leans in and smiles. His gold teeth shine and his fat gut stretches against the buttons of his shirt.

‘You look so pretty when you cry,’ he says, followed by a dark laugh.

A cascade of images slams into my mind. Memories, filling in where they were empty before. Back to the night my mother died and my sister and I were taken. Of the men that broke into the house and held down my mother who screamed and screamed.

The men’s faces all become clear.

Five of them.

Four I do not recognise.

But the fifth, the fifth is him. The one from the White-Room.

The one from the brothel.

Serge…

He leans over my mother, a large knife in his hand as the four others pin down her thrashing body.

‘You look so pretty when you cry,’ he says to her, dragging the iron blade across her chest.

Something explodes from her back. Something black and gold and magnificent. I would expect Serge to yell in surprise but all five men seem ready. They flip her over.

Wings!

Wings have appeared from her, stretching out wide and wonderful.

And she screams as Serge takes that iron blade and starts to cut.

I watch the men hold her down and tear her clothes as Serge saws and hacks through her wings, blood spurting and bones splintering.

They all laugh.

They all struggle to hold her down.

They all rape her.

Our hell was only just beginning.

I sit up with a scream. One that tears at my throat and burns my lungs. The fire is still burning in the fireplace and the rain still lashes at the window, but now, it’s become a raging storm of thunder and lightning. It must be right on top of us. The windows rattle and flashes of white light up the room.

It only adds to the fear and panic gripping my every atom. I can’t stop screaming! Not even for a second. The sheet I had draped over my body has slipped, but I don’t even care. Each flash of light reveals ghost after ghost lurking in the shadows.

The man with his bloodstained apron.

The nurses who would strap me into his machines.

My twin sister, a broken, bloody mess. Her skin ripped and torn, revealing her bones and brain. Her limbs twisted and contorted. Mangled and gushing red.

My mother, carved and hacked up before my young eyes.

I scream and scramble back as the nightmares still linger. Figures standing at the end of the bed or skulking in the shadows. They start to walk towards me. Each flash shows them closer. Closer. CLOSER!

I hear them. Their breathing. Their laughing. My mother and my sister. Their gurgled gasps as their breath get stuck in all the blood foaming in their mouths.

I scream and kick at them, so afraid I can’t blink or talk or see reason or sense.

Reid, who seems to have been asleep with his back against the bedroom door, has launched himself onto his feet and started aiming his gun to every corner he can see, searching with keen eyes for an intruder or threat. He sees me staring at the foot of the bed, trying so hard to escape the nightmare brought to life.

‘What is it?’ he demands, pointing the gun to the nothing he must see. Because if he did see what I see, he would be shooting. ‘Raven! What the fuck is it?’

I don’t even know what I’m screaming. I think it’s words. Maybe “help”. Maybe “get away”. Most certainly, “sorry!”.

All I know is that it’s a primal fear of a scream.

Flash. They’re at the foot of the bed.

Flash. They’re crawling on the mattress towards me.

Flash. Their outstretched hands reach for me with hungry eyes and snarling teeth. My sister’s skin is grey, and her eyes are gold. My mother is naked and bruised, her back gushing blood.

I throw my hands over my head and cower.

‘STOP IT, RHEA! STOP IT, MUMMY!’ I scream and sob. ‘I DIDN’T MEAN TO! I’M SORRY! I DIDN’T MEAN TO DO IT! No. No. No-no-no-no-no-no-NO!’

Hands are on me. They’re here to claim me. To take me back to hell. To return me to where I belong.

‘Hey! Hey, easy!’ Reid struggles to get a hold of me as I thrash and hit at him.

He moves quickly and grabs my face, forcing me to look at him. My hair is stuck to my skin in a mix of sweat and tears. He tries to brush it aside.

‘It’s a nightmare. It’s just a nightmare! Look.’ He guides my gaze to the foot of the bed. ‘See? There is nothing here. Nothing but us.’

He’s right. Of course he is. The room is empty except for us.

‘There’s nothing there. Nothing to hurt you, okay?’ Reid repeats. He looks startled by my panic and sits closer on the bed with me. ‘You’re all right. You’re okay.’

I claw at his shirt, pulling him closer, needing him closer!

‘He killed her!’ I gasp through crippling sobs. ‘T-that’s how I know him! H-he was there. He cut her up!’

‘Who? What are you talking about?’

My mother’s screams echo in my ears and I slam my hands over them to try and make it stop. But they only get louder.

‘NOT MY DAUGHTERS!’ I scream in his face. ‘DON’T YOU TAKE MY DAUGHTERS!’ But they’re her words. The final words I heard from her mouth before I was taken away. Reid looks baffled and frightened. He sits closer and holds me tighter.

‘I don’t understand!’

‘Serge…’ I whisper, my vision now utterly obscured by tears. ‘Serge. He killed her. He was there. He was there!’ Those words fill me with a new type of hatred that physically hurts.

The furniture starts to shake as I see it all once more. The tips of my fingers dig into my skull as I clamp my hands over my ears.

‘Serge was there. He killed her. He cut her up. Did you know?’

‘Know what? Raven, you need to-’

Before he can tell me to calm down, my hands are around his throat and I’m screaming again.

‘DID YOU KNOW?’

Reid snatches my wrists and backhands me across the cheek, knocking me clear off the bed. Before I can even lift my head, he’s right there beside me, arms wrapped around my body and legs around my waist.

‘Easy. Easy!’ he soothes, struggling against my thrashing. ‘Listen to me, Raven.’ He leans in close to my ear and with a soft voice, he speaks the truth. ‘You’re safe. I’m here. I’ll protect you. Nothing and no one will hurt you. Breathe.’

I’ve no idea why the hell I do it, but I do.

I bury my face in his chest and sink into him. Into his strong body, skilled at fighting and capable with a weapon. The only other living thing in this room. Not a horrific ghost, haunting me at every turn, reminding me of the path I was destined to take before I lost my way and ended up here. But flesh and bone and breathing. Soft and warm and firm.

His grip lessens but remains solid as he holds me. Slowly, I start to calm. The terror subsides as I listen to the thump-thump of his heart and feel his embrace engulf me. He feels me trembling and when the thunder and lightning crash around us once more, he feels me jump and hears me whimper.

He wraps his arms around me and holds the back of my head, his fingers gliding through my hair before they settle at the top of my neck. I’m lifted and returned to the bed. But I don’t want to be let go of. I crawl into his lap, curled up as if I were a child.

His arms encircle me once more.

‘Not a fan of storms, huh?’ he says calmly as we sit there. ‘Well, in truth, neither am I.’

He shifts and I hold onto him harder, refusing to let him leave.

‘I’m just getting comfy,’ he assures me, moving me with him as he positions himself better on the bed. He rests his back against the wall and manoeuvres me so I’m comfortably between his legs. ‘Better?’

I nod, my eyes still closed as I try to get my shit back in check, but every time I even think about opening my eyes or moving away from him, I can’t breathe. I’ll see them. I know I will.

‘Here.’

He pulls the sheet back over me and I only now realise that I’m naked in his arms. I fell asleep wrapped in that sheet and lost it in my abrupt awakening. He covers me completely and places his arms back where they were. One around my waist and one caressing the back of my head.

‘You’re good, Little Bird. I’ve got you.’

He rests his chin on the top of my head and falls still, holding me as I shake and jump at every strike the storm throws at this shitty town.

‘You have some monsters lurking in that head of yours, don’t you? I’m sorry.’ His arms tighten around me. ‘Where have you been, huh? What’s been done to you?’

They’re not real questions I’m supposed to answer. He knows that right now I’m a catatonic mess. These are questions he wishes he had the answer to.

Answers I’m sure he will try to figure out.

But not now.

For now, he’s a barrier between the world and me. A man whose sole purpose in life should be to contain, control or kill me.

Funny. Because I have never felt safer than I do right now.

Never. Not once.

How the hell is that possible?

20

The morning arrives and I’m exactly where I was when I finally fell asleep. In Reid’s arms, huddled up in a ball.

The devastation and all-consuming fear of my nightmares had me gripped in an almost catatonic state, but now the storm has passed and the sun has filtered in through the window, forcing out the shadows that lurked in every corner, I admit I feel shame at my pathetic display.

And that shame triples when I realise I am still naked. My bare skin presses against his bare chest and only the thin sheet draped over my body.

When I blink, my lashes brush against him.

‘Are we going to talk about it?’ he asks.

‘No,’ I reply.

I move away, careful to keep my body covered, engulfing myself in the sheet and unwilling to meet his gaze.

‘That was really embarrassing.’

‘Not for me.’ He sits and stretches out his kinks before getting to his feet. ‘Not a bad way to sleep. With a naked girl curled up in your lap.’

‘Yeah. Real sexy. Especially all the screaming and sweating.’

‘Absolutely, it was. That’s how I like it.’ He grins, walking towards the clothes. ‘Teasing, Little Bird. I’m just teasing.’

‘I’m so embarrassed,’ I groan. ‘That won’t happen again. I just… I really hate thunderstorms. They give me nightmares.’

‘You don’t strike me as the happy childhood type. Neither am I. I’ve got my own monsters haunting me. If it helps, you get used to it and then you learn to live with them.’

‘You do?’

‘Oh yeah.’ He tosses me my clothes. They’re dry but smell of fire and smoke. ‘My monsters and I are great friends now.’

‘Okay…’ That sounds creepy.

‘Besides. Some screaming helped sell our story. The others probably thought I was ravaging you.’

‘What would you have to do to a girl to make her scream like that?’

‘True. You did sound like someone was murdering you.’

‘Can we move on?’

‘In a minute.’ He pulls on his shirt and looks at me with curiosity. ‘Who is Rhea?’

‘R-Rhea?’ I ask, attempting and failing to play dumb. I shrug and look away.

‘You screamed her name last night. Who is she?’

‘She…’

‘You can tell me. If I’m going to have you working for me, it will be helpful to know about any triggers you may have.’

‘Meaning?’

‘Meaning now I know if we ever get stuck in a storm, you will need help to get through it. That’s all.’

‘I don’t need help from you.’

‘Last night begs to differ.’

‘Last night was a mistake.’

‘We only slept together. Literally. What’s to regret?’

I turn away from him.

‘I insist, Raven. Tell me. Don’t make me ask again because you won’t enjoy it if I do. Need I remind you I have a man that can dig into your head and pull out any thoughts I want him to?’ He’s harsh. Matter of fact and utterly truthful. ‘What the fuck else do you have to lose by telling me the truth? Because from what I heard last night, you believe Serge murdered your mum and that someone called Rhea was coming to kill you for revenge.’ He finishes buttoning up his shirt and stands at the foot of the bed with his arms folded across his chest and an expectant yet impatient expression on his face.

‘Rhea was my sister. My biological sister. My twin,’ I admit, looking at the same spot in the room I saw her last night. Her ashen frame. Her demonic form. Her blood.

‘Twins?’ he repeats. ‘You’re a twin?’

I nod, and I know why he is so surprised.

‘Twins are rare… impossible for your kind. Are…’ He lowers himself onto the end of the bed. ‘Are you certain you are a twin?’

‘What kind of an idiotic question is that? Of course I'm certain.’

He remains silent at my revelation, stunned into silence.

‘It’s impossible. There’s no such thing as a twin Fae. Never.’ He looks into the distance as if searching his memories for even the slightest twinkling of a Fae twin. But there are none. I know it’s impossible. So does everyone else. ‘W-where is your twin now?’

‘She was killed when we were young. The night she died… there was a thunderstorm. It’s why I have bad dreams when there’s a storm. Brings it back, I guess.’

‘How did she die?’

‘I’m not…’ I think back at the fog of memories from that time. It’s a mess, to be sure. Flashes of images and snippets of sounds. ‘I don’t really remember it. I get flashes of it. Mostly in my dreams.’

‘What do you see?’

‘I don’t want to talk about it.’ I’m on my feet and heading towards the bathroom.

Reid blocks my path and grips my arms, holding me in place.

‘You’re going to tell me.’ His words are a threat and I see now his sudden agitation.

His anger, almost. ‘Tell me! All of it!’

‘Get off me!’ My attempts to shrug him off are pointless and he’s not going to let this drop.

‘We…’ I let out a painful breath as I surrender my memories to him, reopening old wounds for him to poke about in. ‘We lived somewhere green. Outside there were fields. Trees. A stream.’ I close my eyes and hear that water trickling over rocks and smell the wet soil of the forest floor.

‘We?’ he asks.

‘My mother.’ I see her long, wavy brown hair, loosely plaited over her shoulder and reaching her hips. ‘Rhea. My sister.’ The small girl runs in the long grass, giggling as she tries to catch our mother. So alike me. My mirror image. ‘And me.’ The image of us all together makes me smile. But it’s soon slashed to pieces and I gasp as other memories strike. My fingers wrap around Reid’s tensed forearms as he holds me in place before him. It’s almost as if I am tethering myself to him. Terrified that if I let go, I may slip away from the room and land instead in that hellish place, never to escape.

Even if it is all in my head. This hell is better than that one.

‘They came,’ I whisper.

‘Who?’

‘Men. Five of them.’

One. Two. Three. Four. Five…

As I count, I see them all standing around the bed.

‘Who were they?’

‘I don’t know all of them. One of them-’ I shudder as I see him. ‘Serge.’

‘Serge?’ he repeats.

All I can manage is a nod.

‘Seeing him yesterday, I’m certain he was there.’

‘Tell me what happened.’

‘It was night. Mum woke us up and hid us in her wardrobe.’

My fingernails dig into his flesh as it all plays out.

Quiet as mice, my loves. Make not a sound. No matter what you hear.

‘And then what?’

‘They came in.’ One. Two. Three. Four. Five. 'They shot her in the stomach. She was burning on the inside. I think they shot her with iron. She... she fell on the bed and she was screaming and screaming.’ His grip tightens and his breath grows heavier. ‘They started tearing off her clothes and cutting her with an iron knife.’ It’s agony to relive. Agony to speak. Tears start leaking down my cheeks and I sob my words into the world. ‘They were going to rape her. That’s what I thought happened but now I remember. They didn’t tear her clothes just to rape her.’

‘Why did they?’

‘They cut her. Again and again and she screamed so much. Her skin burned… and then…’

‘Wings?’ Reid’s whisper is as quiet as a distant breath. It was a word I believe he uttered unintentionally. A leaked thought that slipped past his lips. I open my eyes and I see him looking down at me. He’s as white as death and his eyes glisten with tears.

‘How did you know?’ I ask. ‘I only reclaimed the memory last night?’ I feel tears slip down my skin as he watches me, horrified. ‘I didn’t even know we had wings unless we Trigger but her wings-’

‘They were beautiful. Midnight black that glistened gold in the light.’

‘Yes. How-’

‘What did they do when her wings appeared?’ he asks, his jaw clenched and rigid.

‘They flipped her over.’ I swallow the urge to vomit as I recall it. ‘Serge hacked them off with an iron blade. The four others tied her wrists and ankles to the bedposts with iron chains.’ A tear slides down his cheek but he doesn’t react to it. ‘They raped her as Serge cut her,’ I whisper. ‘Rhea and I… we saw it through a crack in the door. She whimpered. Rhea whimpered and they found us in the wardrobe. They took us away. I never saw my mother again.’

‘Where did they take you?’

A painful whine escapes my lips, like a wounded animal pleading for relief.

‘Tell me. Tell me, Raven,’ he says, gently shaking me.

‘Somewhere dark,’ I cry, all dignity and strength long gone. ‘To a place where they did experiments on us. Where they burned us. Cut us. Pumped us with liquid that boiled us from the inside.’

His hands move quickly from my arms to my cheeks, where he holds me tight and refuses to look away as I sob desperately in his grasp.

‘Rhea Triggered there,’ I wail. ‘She Triggered and turned into a monster.’ I rest my fingers on my scars. ‘She didn’t recognise me. She wouldn’t run when I told her to! She-she-she wouldn’t run with me!’

‘You escaped?’

‘I don’t know how. It’s all so-’ I slam my fist into my head, pleading with my brain to relinquish its unyielding grip on the memories it’s holding hostage. He grabs my wrist. ‘There was a storm. It made an explosion go off or something during an experiment and the next thing I knew, we were outside. Free!’ I look up at him through tears. ‘I dragged her along with me but she wasn’t herself. Whatever they did to her, she was half-light, half-dark. I kept pulling her away from the building they had us in, but she screeched and scratched at me. It was like she had no idea who I was. It was like all she wanted was to return to them! Return to the pain and the terror. To go back to being torn apart and stitched back together again and again.’ I shake my head, the words lodged in my throat. ‘She hit me. She cut me. I could hardly see there was so much blood in my eyes. But I saw enough.’

‘What did you see?’ he asks, his words strained.

‘Cliffs. I saw cliffs. I saw lightning striking over the sea. I saw an escape. But Rhea… Rhea wouldn’t come. She wouldn’t come! SHE WOULDN’T COME!’ I break down into sobs, shaking and juddering as it explodes from me in painful bursts. Reid presses me to his chest and wraps me in his arms. ‘I didn’t want to leave her behind. Together or not at all. I promised her that in the cells. For years, I told her that. We faced it together no matter what, but I lied. I was a liar. I didn’t stay! They started shooting. They sprayed us with bullets and I left her there, Reid. I turned and I ran. I threw myself off the cliffs and I left her there to die. Alone. A monster and alone. I made her a promise. Together, or not at all. I left her there to die alone.’

My desperate crying echoes around us and carries on for several minutes until I slowly, very slowly, begin to regain my composure, lost in the warmth of his chest and held tightly by his strong, unyielding arms.

‘Years?’ he asks as I take in several deep breathes. ‘How long were you there?’

‘I was five when they took us.’ I lift my head and he wipes my cheek free of tears. ‘I was ten when I was sold to the man I pretend is my father.’

‘Five years?’ he whispers. ‘Five… five years? Oh, Goddess… what… what have I… You were sold?’

‘Parent-Pay. I was found staggering on a beach, apparently. An unknown, unclaimed Fae girl. No collar. I was perfect for selling.’ I rest the tips of my fingers on the collar. ‘I think that’s probably why you had an issue with my collar when you first tried to track me.’

‘It’s a fake.’

‘The programming is. I’m assured the explosive is real enough. The man who sold me said so.’

‘Who sold you?’

I step back and away from his arms.

‘Dunno.’

‘Raven. I know this is all extremely painful, but I need to ask you a few more questions.’

‘Must you?’ I tighten the sheet I have around my body and shuffle uneasily.

‘Yes. The experiments-’

‘I can’t remember, Reid. Not specifically. It’s a blur of pain and blood.’

‘Nothing at all?’ he urges. ‘Any details at all.’

‘Why? Why do you care so much about this?’

‘Please?! What were they trying to do? To achieve?’

I groan. ‘I remember… he would put Triggered children in a chair beside me and injected us with something. They would scream. My Goddess, we both screamed. They died and he would try again.’

‘Try what?’

‘I don’t know what he wanted but he killed my sister in pursuit of it.’

I drag my fingers through my hair and look at the dying embers in the hearth.

‘He?’ Reid asks. ‘Who’s he? Serge?’

‘No’ I reply tiredly. ‘Not Serge. The one who found us in the wardrobe was the man who did the experiments. He was the leader.’

‘Do you know who he was? The leader?’

‘Yes,’ I reply, clearing my throat as I ready myself to answer. ‘He was the man my mother was hiding us from.’

‘Hiding you from?’

‘Yes. She ran away from him a year or so before he found us. She picked us both up in the dead of night and ran… no…’ I blink rapidly as I recall the memory, armed now with the information I have. ‘She flew us away.’ I remember my young eyes seeing the roofs below and snuggling into her neck as the harsh wind bit at my skin. ‘She made sure to tell us every day that if we ever saw him again, we were to run away. We were to hide. We didn’t though,’ I scorn myself. ‘When he opened those doors, I knew I was supposed to run. Or at least try. But I was frozen with fear. I’d been told for so long that the devil was after us. But no one ever prepares you for him finding you.’

‘She was hiding you from him?’ he repeats.

‘Yes.’

‘Are you certain-’

‘If you ask me if I am certain one more time, I will slap you.’

‘Do you know who he was? The man who did these experiments? Who took you? Do you know his name or where he is now?’

‘Yes. He was my father. And the bastard died in the explosion before we escaped.’

‘Your father?’

I nod. ‘His name was Ivan Walker.’ I shudder even speaking his name.

‘Ivan Walker was your father?’ he says in a stunned whisper.

‘Yes. Ivan Walker. The man who set up the Authority and sealed us behind walls with bombs around our necks. Ivan Walker. The human founder of your precious organisation. He was my dad.’

‘Fuck… me…’

21

Reid slumps on the end of the bed and stares blankly at the wall.

‘Call me paranoid,’ I say, stepping a little closer. ‘But you look extremely upset about this. Considering you have only just met me and are essentially holding me hostage.’

‘I’m not holding you hostage,’ he says absentmindedly. ‘I’m keeping you alive.’

‘If you say so.’

‘I do. I do say so.’ He turns his head quickly and looks at me. ‘There’s a lot you don’t know. Things that make no sense.’

‘Like what?’

His silence infuriates me.

‘I just bared my soul to you. My heart is bleeding in your hands and the memories I’ve shared are dancing behind my eyes. The least you can do is tell me why you are so upset about this! You’re human. You’re Authority. My pain should bring you joy. Not have you on your arse looking like a lost little lamb.’

‘You know, it’s easy to judge people you don’t know. You see me in this coat and think you have me figured out.’

‘And you see me as nothing but an opportunity. You don’t care what I feel or what I want, just that you get what you need from me. You can try to make yourself feel better by gifting a few of us with some twisted form of kindness, but it’s just to make you feel better. That’s all. If it meant causing you pain or discomfort or misery, I doubt that you would go out of your way to help anyone. Especially my kind.’

‘Then you’re a naive idiot who is stumbling through your existence with your dammed eyes glued shut!’

The toilet flushes in the bathroom. I spin around and switch to high alert.

The door opens and Lucca steps through.

‘Morning, Pup.’ He smirks at me. ‘Sleep well, did we?’

‘What are you doing here? Were you listening in there?’

‘I brought the car to take you home. And obvs I was listening to you in there. I have to say though, you two looked as peaceful as angels, all wrapped up in each other's arms like that. Now you look ready to tear each other to pieces.’

Oh Goddess. Fucking shoot me.

‘So, a twin, huh? That’s cool.’ Lucca looks at Reid with a wary grin. ‘Isn’t that cool, Reid?’

‘Go wait in the car, Lucca.’

‘Yes, boss.’ He does a fake salute and starts to leave, laughing to himself. ‘See you in a mo, Pet.’

Why is that idiot always laughing?

The door closes and Reid and I stand in silence.

‘You could have told me he was in there. I would never have said any of that if I’d known.’

‘Which is why I didn’t tell you he was here. He won’t say a word about what he heard. He’s not had it pretty either and I feel better knowing a little bit more about the mysterious Fae girl from the marshes.’ He gives a slight shrug. ‘Makes you easier to handle.’

‘Fuck you.’

‘I mean that the more I know about you, the better I can-’

‘Manipulate me. Yeah. I got it. So you get what you want no matter the consequences to me. Typical. I thought for a second, I really thought… oh, forget it.’ I turn and start to the bathroom, fuming and disappointed at myself.

‘You thought what? Hey!’ He grabs my wrist and stops me.

‘How many times. Keep your hands to yourself.’ My raised voice causes the furniture to tremble. I snatch my hand free and step back. The inanimate objects remain inanimate. ‘Fucking humans. You’re all the same. You take what you want, manipulate us and force us onto our knees for you.’

‘I fucking don’t!’

‘What you don’t do is care about the Pets you take and you certainly don’t care about me!’ I shove him in the chest and he stumbles back with a stare as angry as I’ve ever seen. ‘I can’t believe that I wanted to kiss you last night. I can’t believe I thought for even a second that you would ever be anything but a selfish, manipulative man. A human man.’

Again, his eye twitches and I know I’m pushing my luck, but my rage and embarrassment are too intense.

‘You may have me in hand. I’ll go where you tell me to go and I’ll use my gifts as you command. Hell. If you force me into your bed, there’s not much I can do about that either but believe me when I tell you that you are no different than any of those other pieces of shit that wear your fucking coats. You can sit there and tell me that you’re not like them. That you help the odd few of us and that means you’re better than the other agents. You held me and comforted me but I’m sure you only did that so I would trust you and spill my secrets. WHICH I DID!’

‘You think you have me all figured out.’

‘You’re not hard to read, Sir. Men are pretty easy, and human men even more so. They want power, control and are only interested in giving anything if they get something in return. That is unless you just take it and screw the other person’s wants or needs. You make me sick, and you will always make me sick. You’re just like Ivan Walker was. Cold. Heartless. A fucking selfish monster.’

I spin on my heel and go into the bathroom, closing the door behind me.

I start running the taps over the sink.

Get washed, dressed and get back home. That’s all I need to do.

Fuck! Why am I so stupid? Why do I open my damn mouth? Why did I think for even a second that he’s remotely trustworthy? The slightest bit of kindness and I turn into a simpering mess. He’s not kind, I tell myself. He’s manipulative.

Just like my father was.

I won’t end up like my mother.

He’s a human. I’m Fae.

Nothing good can ever come from that.

The bathroom door flies open and Reid stands there looking ready to tear my head off.

‘If you’re going to hit me can you do it somewhere people won’t see?’ I snap, turning to face him with my fists balled up. ‘Just so you know, I will hit you back.’

Reid rushes towards me. Shit, he’s livid.

I pull back my fist as he gets close. No way I just stand here as he hits me. I will always fight back.

Always!

He wraps his fingers around my raised fist and towers over me, pushing me back until I hit the sink and have nowhere to go.

‘I don’t appreciate you speaking to me like I’m something you scraped off your shoe, Little Bird.’

‘Sorry. I didn’t intend to be that polite. Next time, I’ll be sure to address you as you deserve. As a piece of human scum. I would hate to insult anything that has ever been scraped off my shoe by comparing it to you.’

‘You think you’re better than me?’

‘Enjoy your little power trip, Sir. Because one day, you’ll be begging my kind for mercy. For release. And you will never get it!’

‘The only one of us I will ever see beg, Pet, is you!’

I spit in his face.

I fucking spit in his furious fucking face.

His eyes darken and turn almost black as they narrow.

I should not have done that.

With his free hand, he slowly reaches up and wipes it from his cheek.

And then the mad man slips his fingers into his mouth.

‘You think any of your bodily fluids would ever put me off?’ he asks in a low growl. The tone makes me shudder. It’s dark, yes. But my Goddess, is it sexy as hell.

He spins me around and rips off the sheet I have wrapped around my body before tossing it away, leaving me utterly naked. He shoves me against the sink, my hips press hard against the cold porcelain.

‘What the hell are you-’

‘I think you’ll find the only one of us you shall ever see begging is you, my Pet.’

His fingers wrap in my hair. He yanks my head up so I have nowhere else to look but the mirror. He watches me through his reflection as I reach back to grab his wrists. I pull, but he’s tangled himself in deep to the roots.

He kicks my legs apart and rests his free hand between my legs. I gasp and go rigid as two of his fingers rest at my entrance.

‘Make no mistake, Little Bird,’ he whispers in my ear, still watching me in the reflection. His fingers start to move slowly, circling me. ‘You have no idea who I am. Or how far I will go to get what I want and right now, I want you in your place.’

He eases his finger inside and I feel myself clench around him.

Why can’t I look away from his intense stare? Why the fuck aren’t I screaming at him to stop?

He nips my shoulder with his teeth and starts planting soft kisses along my skin.

He never looks away from my reflection.

‘Let me show you just how selfish and cruel I can be.’

I take a sharp inhale of breath as his finger starts to move, slowly easing in and out in time with his kisses on my shoulder.

‘You’ll beg for mercy.’ His palm gently rubs against my clit and a delicious sensation ripples through my groin.

‘Eyes open, Little Bird.’ He tugs my hair when they briefly shut. The sharp pain it causes… why did that feel so good?

I do as I’m told. His reflection watches me with hungry eyes. His hand never stops and after a few moments, he slides in a second finger.

‘Reid-’

‘Sir.’ He presses himself against me and buries his fingers in deeper. Harder. ‘It seems to me that no one has ever shown you what your body is capable of. Let me show you. Let me enlighten you as to what I can make your lovely, beautiful, sweet little body do.’

More gasps escape me and the pleasure has me letting go of his wrist and clinging to the edge of the sink instead. His excitement presses into my backside and the cold porcelain of the sink sets my skin on fire. Each time my eyes close, he tugs my hair and I reopen them.

In. Out. In. Out.

Slow and steady, his fingers swirl and twist as they work their magic inside me.

His hips start to move. His length is pressing into me again and again, keeping in rhythm as his fingers fuck me.

I reach back to hold it in my hand. To give back what he’s giving me.

But he withdraws from me completely, leaving me cold and wanting, breathless and desperate.

He reaches around me and slams my hands back on the sink.

‘Did I tell you to touch me? Huh?’ He tugs my hair again and waits for me to answer. I shake my head. ‘Then keep your hands where they are.’

His breath lands on my neck and my entire body erupts in goosebumps as he resumes his position behind me. His hand glides down my belly. His fingers are wet as they travel over my skin and with a lustful moan from both of us, he returns them between my legs.

‘Oh Goddess!’ I moan, feeling three fingers enter me this time. ‘Reid-’

‘Sir!’ he whispers.

I lean into him. His hand moves from my hair and glides down before resting on my neck. His fingers spread out like the hottest fucking necklace I’ve ever seen in my entire life. I widen my legs a little more and respond to his movement, rocking my hips back and forth and increasing the pleasure he’s giving me even further.

He squeezes my throat a little, keeping my head up and his eyes fixated on mine.

He widens those fingers he has inside me. The pressure I feel builds. His forearm rests across my bare breasts as he keeps his choke in place and he leans back a little, stretching out my body. I have to let go of the sink. I need to touch him so I grab the arm he has pressed against me.

I’m on my tiptoes and moaning loudly. His hand is tight on my throat and his fingers are sliding effortlessly in and out of my most intimate area.

In and out. In and fucking out.

‘So wet,’ he whispers with a grin. ‘For someone so disgusted by me, you sure seem to enjoy me being inside you.’

‘Oh Goddess!’ I whimper as he starts to speed up.

I swallow. He feels it in his palm. My chest heaves as I take in air greedily as the feeling in my belly builds and builds. My skin is alight with sensation and watching him watch me in the mirror is something else entirely.

It’s dark and devious. Dangerous and delicious. There’s such lust in his eyes. His mouth looks ready to bite as he buries his nose into my neck, breathing in my scent and watching my breasts rise and fall with each one of my gasps.

I claw at him, desperate for more. I need more! This pressure, this pleasure, it’s building and building and I think I’m going to explode! Is this it? Is this an orgasm? If it is, what the fuck have I been missing all this time?

He starts to slow.

‘What are you doing?’ I ask in a breathless shock, horrified that it’s all slowly ebbing from my reach.

‘You want me to push you over the edge?’ he asks. ‘You want me to give you your release?’

When he tries to withdraw his fingers, I grab his wrist and keep him inside me.

‘Yes!’ I pant, feeling him start to move again, slowly, teasingly.

‘You want me to show you mercy and-’

‘Fates above, make me come, Reid! Please!’ I snap. I see what he’s doing, and being perfectly honest, I couldn’t give a shit.

He runs his nose against my neck and rests his mouth by my ear.

‘Sir,’ he whispers. ‘Say it.’

‘Please.’ I swallow hard against his palm still at my throat. ‘Sir.’

He picks up his speed and ferocity, fucking me with his skilled fingers and rubbing my clit in perfect harmony with his palm. His kisses are firm and hungry at my neck and everything builds once more. It builds and builds. All I can do is moan and writhe, desperate for more. Harder. Faster. Deeper. Rougher.

Inside, my powers are stirring. It takes all I have to keep it under control.

‘Come for me, little Bird,’ he orders in a low husk, his words rippling through me and his hand gripping my throat harder. His hard cock presses into me from behind, straining against his jeans as he rubs himself against my ass. ‘NOW!’

As I explode in sensation and release, convulsing in his grip and crying out in pleasure, he closes his eyes and buries his face in my neck, hiding his dark gaze from view. He refuses to watch me come, ashamed maybe, that I am what I am. He leaves me alone in this moment. But this moment is still fucking incredible.

My toes struggle to keep a footing as he holds me in place, so I grab the wrist he has at my throat. I cling to it as I feel wave after wave of pleasure smash its way through my body until all I can do is gasp and blink.

I fall still, taking in deep and heavy breaths as I watch him in the mirror, catching sight of my eyes which have gold lacing through them. They slowly fade and return blue, the power inside me falling idle. His face remains lost in my hair and his eyes remain closed as he expels a long and slow exhale. I feel his hot breath land on my skin, traveling the length of my spine and making me shiver.

He lowers me. My feet meet the floor and he releases his grip on my throat. When he knows I have my balance, he steps away completely.

I watch him in the mirror, stunned by what has just happened and shocked at myself for how I not only let that happen, but fucking begged for it!

His eyes are glued to the floor. A part of me wishes that he would look at me. Share this moment with me. He's the very first to ever make me feel that way.

A human.

I turn and face him.

He can't look at me.

‘Reid, I-’

‘Told you I’d make you beg. Get dressed,’ he says sharply, turning away completely. ‘We need to go.’

He leaves the room without another word or even a look, slamming the door closed behind him.

22

Returning to the bedroom, I’m met with Reid’s back as he speaks on the phone in an aggravated tone. I listen, but he’s speaking a foreign tongue, so I have no idea what’s being said, which I am pretty sure is the point.

When he hangs up, I barely get to take a breath before he’s thrown open the door and beckoned me through it.

‘We have to go.’

‘How did you know about my mother’s wings?’

‘Later.’ He nods towards the hallway.

‘I never knew we could have wings without being Dark. No one knows that. How did you-’

‘I said later.’

‘What are you going to do about Serge?’

‘I’ll deal with it.’

‘Will you kill him?’

‘I need my supply back first. It’s time to move. Come.’

‘You’ll deal with it how? I told you what he did to my mum.’

He charges towards me, grabs my arm and pulls me from the room. His rough hands don’t ease up until we reach the car waiting out front.

Shoved into the back seat, he slams the door shut, gets in beside Lucca and locks the doors.

‘Get us the hell out of this shit hole, Lucca,’ he sighs, resting his head in his palm. ‘Now.’

‘Back to Rosenwood?’ Lucca asks, starting the engine and driving on. ‘Or back to ours?’

‘Rosenwood.’

‘What about Serge?’ Lucca asks. ‘He saw her. He recognised her, right? He could come after her.’

‘Why would he come after me?’ I ask, looking between them both. As usual, I may as well be talking to the wind.

‘She’s safer in the Marshes than with us. Besides. No one is looking for her anymore. Ivan’s dead. Whatever reasons he wanted her for died with him.’

Lucca shifts in his seat and lowers his voice.

‘But Reid… this changes everything-’

‘Later!’ Reid snaps loudly, glaring at Lucca in warning. ‘Not another word. Understand?’ He gestures slightly towards me. ‘We’ll talk later.’

Silence falls and as we drive, I see Lucca glancing at me through the rear-view mirror. As he does, his brow furrows.

‘You’re trying to read my thoughts?’ I ask. ‘When you won’t tell me anything, you dare try and shuffle about in my head?’

He continues digging. My arms fold across my chest and I look straight at him.

The harder he frowns, the more I smile.

‘What’s she thinking?’ Reid asks.

‘She’s singing,’ Lucca replies. ‘Loudly.’

Lucca drives as Reid sits in silence beside him, looking out the window as we head towards the gates of town. The tension is palatable and even Lucca has chosen to keep quiet. I see him occasionally glance at me in the rear-view mirror before risking a side glance to Reid.

We pass a post erected in the middle of a large roundabout, splattered with blood and fitted with iron restraints.

We have one back home too. The Authority uses them when we don’t follow the rules, and I fear the one here is used more than it’s not.

Reid glares at it as we pass, so much so, he twists his neck to keep it in sight as we pass it. He catches me watching him and faces forwards again.

We approach the outskirts of the town and I should feel glad about that. That this disgusting adventure with Reid is coming to an end, but instead, I find myself filled with dread and disappointment.

Not now, I tell myself, increasing the volume of my rendition of Happy Birthday.

If I’m singing, I’m not thinking. And Lucca won’t hear a thing.

Reid’s phone starts to ring. He pulls it out and rests it against his ear.

‘Yeah, Brennan?’

I hear Brennan and he seems agitated.

Reid frowns at whatever he has said. ‘Oh shit, really? Is she okay?’

Reid listens as Brennan talks.

‘That bad, huh?’ He listens and his left eye twitches. ‘Okay. Tell her I’m on my way. No, get her out of my bedroom and put her in the lounge or something-’

The high-pitched bitching I hear soon after Brennan passes on Reid’s message certainly belongs to a woman.

‘No!’ Reid snaps. ‘Do not tell her where I am. Don’t tell her anything.’ He glances at me in the mirror. ‘Don’t tell her who I’m with.’

Brennan’s voice mutters on the other end and Reid seems to lean further into his seat and when he replies, his voice is lower. A subconscious act, I’m sure, seeing as there is no way I’m not going to hear what he is about to say.

‘Serge was lying. She picked it up easily. At least now we know for sure. Going up against him on a hunch would never have been a good idea. Yeah, I took her to Serge’s, and no, it wasn’t… ideal.’

‘No. A gang bang with a chained-up woman was hardly ideal,’ I scoff.

Lucca shifts in his seat and for once, has nothing to say. In fact, he shrinks into himself and I spot the wary look Reid throws him.

‘I gotta go. Later, Brennan.’

Reid ends the call and drops his phone into the central drink’s holder. Almost instantly, it starts to ring. The name which flashes up is Tessa. He cuts her off and returns it instead to his jacket pocket. But she continues ringing. Again and again. He turns it on silent and produces yet another sigh.

‘Is Tessa okay?’ Lucca asks warily.

‘She’ll be okay in a day or so,’ Reid replies. ‘Same as always. I’ll get to her as soon as I can and help her through it.’

‘Through what?’ I ask.

‘None of your business,’ Reid grunts.

The car slows as we turn the corner, heading towards the gates leading out of this town.

‘Remember what I said,’ he warns me, his eyes still surveying me through the reflection of the mirror. ‘Quiet and-’

‘I know. Sir.’

We approach and stop at the waiting guards. They check his ID, scan both mine and Lucca’s collars and send us on our way.

Not another word is spoken and I’m sure to keep singing in my head as loud as possible to protect my thoughts.

Past the smog of the Fae cities, I see the sky stretching on for miles. The most wonderous blue I’ve ever seen. The storm has passed. The rain has finally ended and I see miles of trees and small towns and villages set far from the main road. I can’t get past the space of it all. So open and spread out. Houses stand entirely on their own, surrounded by green lawns or fields. Human homes. Human towns. Human freedom.

That all soon disappears as we reach the gates to home. We repeat the process. ID check. Collars scanned. And under suspicious eyes, we are permitted back inside my home city.

‘Finally,’ Lucca groans loudly.

‘What?’ asks Reid.

‘She’s stopped singing. Thank fuck.’

I shake off the hideous coat and slide off the overalls, singling me out as a “Pet”, and start to feel uneasy as we drive further in.

‘Can you let me out here?’ I ask.

‘We’re not near the marshes yet,’ says Reid.

‘It doesn’t matter. Let me out.’

‘Pup doesn’t want to be seen with us,’ Lucca informs him.

‘Can you blame me? Do you know what they do to Fae who get cosy with you lot? I don’t want people to think I’m one of yours so please, let me out.’

Lucca looks to Reid for instructions.

‘Pull over here,’ Reid agrees.

We stop.

‘Give us a minute, Lucca. I need a quick word with Raven.’

‘Sure thing.’ Lucca steps outside, closing the door behind him and stepping away. Reid swivels in his seat to face me.

‘You did good yesterday.’

‘Do you need to do something else to my collar?’ I ask.

‘Like what?’

‘Well, it gets scanned every day. Am I still registered as being your Pet?’

‘No. We’ve got full control over it for now, and we can change it remotely. You’ll be fine.’

‘Great,’ I huff.

‘And be warned. If I find out you’re doing anything you shouldn’t be, going anywhere you shouldn’t be, or using any powers you shouldn’t be, I will be able to see and I will be able to find you.’

I pull at the car door handle.

Reid reaches back and slams the door shut before I get it open even an inch.

‘Can you let me out, please?’ I ask through gritted teeth.

‘You behave, okay? No powers, and no antagonising anyone.’

‘I’m nothing but a peach to everyone I meet.’

‘You need to keep your head down. If anyone looks too closely at you, they’re going to see something we don’t want them to see. So do as you’re told.’

‘What are you going to do about Serge?’

‘Here.’ Reid hands me some money.

A lot of money! Well, for me at least.

‘Since you did a good job.’ He opens up the door. ‘Go home. I’ll be in touch.’

‘What are you going to do about-’

‘Leave, Raven. Now.’

I step outside but find myself hesitating. I peer back inside.

‘Is Tessa your girlfriend?’ I ask.

‘No,’ he replies. Truth. ‘Why?’

‘Because I’m not going to devastate some girl I don’t know because her boyfriend finger fucked me behind her back,’ I snipe.

My anger makes him smirk.

‘You jealous, Little Bird?’

‘Hardly.’

‘She’s a friend. One that needs my help so if you’ll excuse me.’ He nods to the open door.

I slam it shut.

‘See you real soon, Pup,’ Lucca calls as I walk away, keen to get as far away from the pair of them as possible and glad to be able to finally think about things safely.

And man, do I have a lot of things to think about.

No matter how much I tell myself off for what happened in the bathroom of that shit hole hotel, I can’t stop thinking about it. All of it. His hands in my hair. His lips on my skin. His fingers… my Goddess, his fingers!

I want to say never again. But it felt too good to ever swear to that vow.

Just because he’s a fucking monster in a human skin suit doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy his talents when he’s willing to wield them on me.

And the fact he refused to let me touch him only made it all so much more delicious. He got nothing from me except the satisfaction of my begging.

Hell, he can have my words as much as he likes, as long as he makes me explode like that again.

It’s not like I’m looking to fall in love with anyone. Especially a human. That’s not what this is. I could never! And I wouldn’t want to.

To love is to get broken. I’m already quite broken enough as it is and have no intention of letting myself be shattered into more pieces that I simply can’t put back together again.

I pull out the wad of cash in my hand and smile.

Ahri will be pleased. I told her I would pay the rent and now I know I can.

But then our argument returns to my thoughts, and I wonder how mad she will be that I didn’t return home last night.

I didn’t come back for the scan so the old man will be a day short on his Parent-Pay.

That’s something he’s going to have to get used to, considering I’ll be out of the house soon and he’ll be missing both of our cheques.

But as I think of the new flat with Ahri and all the freedoms that will provide, images of Serge’s brothel invade my mind. Knowing how the others are forced to survive, I feel ready to hurl.

When I recall Serge’s part in my mother’s last moments, I feel ready to kill.

The world around me is nothing more than a haze as I stash the money into my bra.

Distracted, I walk up the path to my house, open the front door and step into my hallway.

Only when I kick it shut and lift my gaze do I realise the monumental mistake my distraction has just caused me.

Foolishly, I didn’t check if the house was empty.

The old man’s in the kitchen, slumped in a chair. His face is bruised and cut up from a beating. A beating that I just walked in on.

Two men are with him in the kitchen.

Authority agents and as crooked as they come. Mr W and Mr K they call themselves. They may wear the coats and carry the badge, but they work for themselves. Always have. Always will.

All three of them are now looking at me. Mr W, with no hair on his head but a long grey goatee, still has his fist raised, ready to bring down on the old man’s face. There’s blood on his fist and sweat on his brow from the blows already landed.

Mr K, with short blonde hair, slick with oil, holds the old man down in the chair.

If they’re here, then I know he’ll be here too.

Their leader.

I step back, my fingers flex as I go to grab the bat we leave by the door just in case of this. The same bat that I foolishly left in the fire at the bar.

Before I can turn and leave, a third man steps out from the lounge, his hands in his pockets and a devious grin full of malice on his lips.

‘Ahhh, finally,’ he sighs, looking me up and down with satisfaction. ‘I was wondering when you would show up.’

‘Jonah…’ I breathe, stepping back a little.

Not him. Anyone but him.

23

I spin on my heel and hurl myself towards the door.

As I pull it open, Jonah’s arm reaches over my shoulder and he slams it shut.

‘No… NO!’ I scream, fumbling for the handle and trying desperately to win my freedom. I’ve already started sobbing as I slam my palm against the door. ‘NO! NO!’

‘Yes…’ he says darkly in my ear.

His other arm wraps around my belly as he presses himself against me.

‘Now, now. Why so scared?’ he says in my ear. ‘We’re old friends, you and me.’

‘Please, Jonah. I’m nothing to do with this. Let me go. Let me leave.’

I know how this is going to go.

How it always goes.

‘You’re not going anywhere. You see, your daddy owes us money and he’s being a little reluctant in paying it. Maybe you can help, huh?’ His face buries into my hair as he inhales deeply. I shudder with revulsion and swallow the urge to scream.

He doesn’t like it when I scream.

His arm tightens around my waist with such force it makes it hard to breathe.

‘I have to go,’ I tell him with a strained voice as he holds me firmly and tears slide down past my lips. I take his arms and try to prise him off me. ‘Please. Jonah. Stop.’

‘I like it when you say my name like that.’

The sound of the old man’s face getting pounded resumes.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

He groans after each blow and spits blood on the kitchen floor. This is just another day to him and he’s probably so drunk or high he barely feels it.

‘Just take what he owes you and leave!’ I plead, trying to push myself away from the door. My face is getting crushed and the stench of Jonah’s breath, cheap tobacco and liquor, makes my stomach turn. ‘This has nothing to do with me!’

‘It has everything to do with you. You’re the reason he owes us in the first place.’

I’m spun, my back thrust against the door and Jonah’s front presses into mine. His crotch is pushed between my legs and I feel his growing excitement.

He leans in and runs his tongue up my neck.

‘Get off me,’ I snarl, choking back the terrified and hateful sobs. I don’t blink. I don’t look away, not even to the scene of violence beyond his shoulder. ‘You piece of-’

‘You’re not going to offend me, are you?’

When his hand grabs my arse, he lets out a disgusting moan. I swallow down the urge to yell.

‘Just take your cut and leave!’

‘That’s the problem, kid. Your rent-a-daddy says he hasn’t got it even though he collected his Parent-Pay yesterday morning.’

‘That’s not my fault. He’s a drunk and a gambler. You should have collected it yesterday before he could drink it away or lose it at poker.’

‘Then it seems we have a problem. We need payment,’ Jonah says simply as the two men continue to throw fists at the old man. Jonah’s own hands are finding other ways to keep themselves occupied. ‘I’m sure I can motivate him to cough up.’

‘Blood from a stone. Ever heard of that? Now get away from me before I vomit in your face.’

He laughs before dragging me, kicking and screaming, into the kitchen. The old man doesn’t say a word as I’m thrown into the chair opposite him. He doesn’t even look at me.

‘What about you, kid?’ Jonah asks as he snatches up a dirty kitchen knife left on the side by the sink. He lives for this. For causing fear and pain to any who cross his path. ‘You got some money for me?’

Jonah presses my hand down flat, splaying out my fingers. The bandage from where my hand was trapped in the gate is still wrapped around my palm. He rips it off to reveal my skin.

My unbruised and healthy skin.

What the…

He rests the edge of the blade over my little finger. ‘Where’s my money? I won’t leave here empty-handed. I need cash, or I’ll need to make a point.’ He nods to the knife.

‘Then take his finger,’ I argue, nodding to the old man. ‘Not mine!’

‘Fuck you, little bitch,’ the old man hisses.

‘Fuck you! I’m not going to be mutilated because of you! STOP!’ I scream as the knife sinks in a little, piercing the skin. A drip of warm red blood seeps to the table. ‘Stop. Stop. Stop!’

‘I hear you and Ahri have a habit of taking odd jobs. Tell me, where have you been this week?’ Jonah asks.

‘Nowhere,’ I tell him, shaking my head and wincing at the pain of the torture he’s inflicting.

‘It seems to me that you spend a lot of your time running around the inner city, thieving. I can’t believe that you don’t have anything for me.’

‘I don’t. AHHH!’ He pushes the blade down a little more. ‘Jonah, don’t!’

‘I leave with some money. Or I leave with your finger.’

‘TAKE HIS FINGER!’

‘Consider this as motivation,’ Jonah smirks. ‘Maybe you should spend the rest of the week doing your little cons to help pay off the debt ‘cos if I come by next week and find myself dissatisfied again, I’ll be taking another one of your fingers. Or maybe sweet Ahri’s. Now hold still, I’m not a steady hand.’

‘WAIT!’ I scream. ‘WAIT!’

He does, looking at me expectantly. I sigh with defeat.

‘My bra. There’s cash. Take it.’ I groan, hating the idea of handing over anything to a man like this. Especially to help pay off the debts of my pretend father. ‘Take the money and let me keep my finger, Jonah.’

Jonah reaches into my top, his filthy fingers slowly sliding across my bare breast as he goes to where I directed him. He feels the wad of notes. And ignores them. He gropes and he grabs, digging his fingernails into my skin as he lets out a long and hungry breath. I look away and close my eyes, trying in vain to distance myself from what he’s doing.

He takes the cash and thankfully drops the knife. As he heads to the hallway, he counts it.

‘This will do for now,’ he declares, tucking the money into his jeans pocket. ‘That wasn’t so hard now, was it? We’ll see you next week for your next payment, Josiah. May I recommend putting aside my share of your next Parent-Pay cheque to avoid this unpleasantness again? We made a deal all those years ago. We gave you a kid so you could claim Parent-Pay for her and in return, you give us half. You continue missing payments, Josiah, I’ll be forced to terminate our deal and sell her on. You’ll lose her money in a heartbeat. Bearing in mind Ahri is soon to move out, you’ll be needing Raven’s money more than ever, so I suggest you don’t fuck us about again.’

I remain as still as stone, too scared to breathe and draw any more attention to myself. Jonah has what he came for today.

I pray to the Goddess that now he’ll just leave.

But again, the Fates are never that kind to me.

‘Raven. Come.’ Jonah says without even turning back. He strides into the lounge and I fill with horror. ‘Now!’ he calls.

I shake my head as Mr K and Mr W descend and grab my arms.

‘No. No! NO!’ I scream as they haul me to my feet.‘NO! You’re not doing this to me again. YOU’RE NOT!’ I kick out and pull against them, but their grip only gets tighter. My feet slide on the tiled floor, my shoes squeaking as I’m dragged out of the kitchen. The power inside me starts to surface, filling up my chest with an icy charge that makes me shudder.

But I swallow it down. I keep it inside. Exposing myself as a Triggered Fae to this man would be the worst thing I could do and killing him, although satisfying, would only throw me more trouble.

With a shove, I’m thrown into the lounge. I land on my hands and knees at Jonah’s feet.

Shaking from head to toe, I lift my head and see him smirking.

The lounge door is shut and I look up at this fucking monster with hate-filled tears brimming in my eyes.

‘Please… don’t. You got your money. Let me go.’

‘I’ll give you the same offer I always give you when you play hard to get,’ he says, sliding off his coat and draping it over the sofa. ‘You do what I want, or I wait for your sister to come home. I saw her leave the house this morning. I swear, she gets prettier and prettier every day.’

‘You stay away from her.’

He glances at his watch. ‘I have a few more errands to run in the Outer-City. I’ll pop back later when she gets home.’

‘YOU STAY AWAY FROM MY SISTER!’ I scream, launching myself at him, ready to claw out his throat.

He slams his fist into my gut and rolls his eyes as I fall to my knees, vomiting on the floor by his feet.

‘Who will it be?’ He stands there and waits. ‘You? Or your sister.’

‘Why do you do this to me?’ I gasp, wiping my mouth with my sleeve and shaking my head. ‘What have I ever done to you to deserve this?’

‘Need I remind you that if it weren’t for me, you would have died on that beach. I found you and cleaned you up. Fed you. Found you a home.’

‘You gave me to a drunk and a whore so you could claim half the Parent-Pay they would get for keeping me in their house.’ I watch him as he removes the belt from his jeans. He lets it dangle by his side as he grasps it tight in his hand. ‘You tucked me out of sight from the Authority. You put me somewhere no one would look. So no one would see how sick and depraved you are.’

‘Don’t forget, kid. I put that collar on your neck and I can detonate that bomb inside it any time I wish.’ He reaches out to touch my cheek. I turn away. He grabs my face and forces me to look up at him, anger starting to build in his eyes.

‘How many others are there like me? How many others do you blackmail like this?’

‘You could always say no. I’d make do with Ahri instead. So… what will it be?’

I close my eyes, knowing that I’m left with no other choice.

I never am.

Each time he comes, he asks me the same question.

You or your sister?

I never have, and I will never, hand her over to him.

‘Who will it be, Raven?’ he asks, releasing his hold on me.

‘Me,’ I whisper, lowering my gaze to the floor. I close my eyes and swallow down the sob clawing up my throat. ‘Me…’

I cling to the rim of the toilet, retching and being so violently ill I can’t tell if my tears are from shame, disgust or pain. Between each heave, my desperate sobbing echoes all around me, bouncing off the walls and slamming into my ears. The sound of myself, so pathetic and weak, infuriates me.

Downstairs, the front door slams shut as the old man leaves for the pub.

I heard him talking to Jonah’s goons on the other side of the door as I was trapped in the lounge.

They had a smoke while they waited. They shared jokes and stories.

I wished I was dead as I heard them.

Doubled over and dizzy, I crawl to the sink, grab my toothbrush and the toothpaste, pull off my clothes and get into the shower. I sit under the cascading water and brush my teeth until I taste blood and the hot water has long gone. My belly is a mass of bruising from Jonah’s thump. The pain is barely registering over the emotional misery I’m drowning in.

Shivering, I sit there, staring into nothing, reliving the hell I just endured.

Reliving the hell I remember my mother enduring.

The hell the Fae at the brothel endure every day.

The glass of the shower doors start to tremble as my heart rate kicks up and it takes all I have not to let my emotions take over.

I slam my palm into the side of my head, desperate to dislodge the memories and watch them wash down the drain.

So many moments of my life have brought nothing but darkness and suffering.

All of them will follow me until the day I die.

And all of them started the night Ivan Walker found us and Serge butchered my mother.

Walker may be dead.

Serge, however… his fate is still up for grabs.

His fate is mine, I’ll make sure of it.

24

Rain lashes down on us mercilessly.

The thin, grey gowns we have been wearing for an untold amount of time are torn, muddy and heavy with rainwater.

Rhea is screaming. She’s always screaming, but it’s because she’s angry with me this time.

I pull her onwards, dragging her with all my strength as she screeches and tugs. I take hold of her with my other hand and pull.

‘Please, Rhea. We have to run! We have to escape, don’t you see? We shall die if we stay here!’

But the monster that fights against me is not Rhea. Not really.

But she isn’t a Dark-Fae either. Not entirely.

The men chasing us are getting closer.

The cliffs are in sight.

If only she would remember me.

‘RHEA!’ I scream. ‘STOP FIGHTING ME!’

Rhea turns. Her eyes narrow.

She raises her hand and stretches out those long talons at the end of each finger tip…

I wake with a start.

I’m still in the bathroom, curled up on the floor like a baby, wrapped in nothing but a towel. My hair is dry, so I must have been here a fair while after falling asleep, exhausted from my tears.

My body aches like mad and I’m so cold I can barely feel my fingers or toes, but I’m glad to be free of the nightmares.

Sitting, I pull over some fresh, dry clothes and slowly get dressed. Everything hurts as I pull on my thick, baggy jumper and black joggers. I slide on my black boots and wrap a scarf around my neck.

Dressed, I put the mobile phone Reid gave me down my cleavage and wish I could just crawl back into a ball and sleep for the rest of time.

My watch gives a little beep. Ahri will soon be out of work and I’ve such a need to see her. And an even bigger need to get out of this house.

I take a deep breath and struggle to my feet.

My muscles feel torn and worn out. My head pounds from the violent sobs I expelled in the shower. Dehydration dries my mouth and my throat is raw from screams.

I tuck it away. All of it. Everything. Same as I always do.

I face the bathroom door, stand up straight and head out.

As I walk the streets, it’s impossible not to notice the atmosphere. There’s hardly anyone else about and those that are, scurry past with their heads down. I can almost taste the unease. I also count five Authority vans slowly crawling along the roads and the looks they throw me are darker than I’ve ever seen. There are even some walking in two’s or threes, their hands resting on the holster of their guns or gripping their iron batons with flexing fingers.

Only a fool would get in their way. Everyone, myself included, lets them pass without so much as meeting their eye.

It’s only when I hear two women gossiping in the doorway of a house do I understand why everyone is so on edge.

Three Dark-Fae were killed in the inner-city this morning.

I slow my pace and listen to the two women as much as possible before they realise and disappear inside, slamming the door shut behind them.

The Dark-Fae attacked Ladies Lane is what I caught before they fell silent. They smashed their way inside a brothel and killed every woman inside before the Authority shot them dead with an onslaught of iron bullets.

Taking out dozens of innocent Fae in the process.

Which brothel? There are so many… which one?

My heart breaks at the thought and I glance over my shoulder towards the direction of the inner-city.

Was it Trixie’s brothel?

This is why I don’t want to care. Why I don’t want friends. Losing people is too painful.

Perhaps it wasn’t her.

Would that make it better?

There haven’t been any Dark-Fae killings for almost a year. Except for the three that died in the bar, of course.

What the hell is going on?

How are these Triggered Fae going undetected and being allowed to go Dark in the first place? We’re all scanned so often.

But wait.

I’ve Triggered. My eyes should be gold. I have powers, and only the Gilt Reid has given me has kept me stable.

Are there others out there turning and, like me, are still unregistered with a rogue Authority member blackmailing them into work? Are they not receiving their promised Gilt?

Do they belong to Reid, whose supply is being stolen?

My need to see Ahri increases tenfold, so I carry on with haste towards her factory.

A little further on, when I turn a corner, I stop.

Ahead is the old market square, which has long been abandoned of trade since the lashing post was erected there.

There’s a large group all huddled around something, whispering and gasping. I head over.

Countless Fae all look ahead, standing on tiptoes and speaking in horrified murmurs.

A shrill cry of pain resounds from the centre, followed by a heartless yell of orders.

‘All right, you lot. Move back! Get lost!’ Bellows a man.

The crowd shuffles and clears my line of sight.

The man yelling for everyone to back up steps through, holding out his arms as he ushers everyone away.

He’s an agent, and he’s not the only one.

I see at least six others. All of whom are looking at the lashing post with a mixture of amusement and bemusement.

‘What the fuck…’ I whisper, blinking in shock at such a sight. ‘Darius?’

Darius is strung up and stretched out, stark-bollock-naked. His arms are pulled high above his head and wire wraps around his arms to his wrists. It’s cut into his skin it’s so tight, and he’s pale through pain and blood loss. As I walk closer, mouth agape and eyes glued to the horror, I see that his fingers have all been broken. Every single one of them is bent at an unnatural angle. Dark bruises are all over his body from a beating and his head lolls as he tiredly weeps.

I can’t look away.

Darius lifts his head.

His eyes meet mine and he starts screaming in a panic. He wriggles as if trying to escape, but all it does is force the wire deeper into his skin.

It’s disgusting! Horrific! Vile! Even for him.

The Agents all turn and see what has him suddenly screaming and see me.

‘You know him?’ asks one of the agents, pointing at Darius but looking at me.

‘I…’ Why can’t I look away from the creep and why is he looking at me like I’m the Devil?

‘Hey!’ the agent snaps at Darius. ‘She do this?’

Darius’s eyes are almost popping out of his head as he reigns in his yelling and quickly shakes his head.

‘No. No! She’s nothing. No one!’ He keeps shaking his head as tears stream relentlessly down his blood-smeared cheeks. ‘She did nothing. Nothing.’

But both Darius and I know better because we were both there when Reid warned him.

‘Get off her. Or I’ll break every single one of your fingers, beat you to within an inch of your life, strip you naked and string you up, so the entire city sees just how pathetic and inadequate you are.’

Reid did this…

The agents look me up and down but turn their backs on me as they continue slowly deciding what to do next. They’re not remotely bothered by the spectacle. Darius is Fae. Less than a rat in their eyes. They’ll be in no hurry to get his blood on their skin, so why rush to his aid?

I spot some girls from the Academy and they all glare with accusatory stares. If the rumours about me are to be believed, this is exactly something I would be capable of.

The crowd starts to shift and reveals Ahri amongst them. Her hands cover her mouth and she looks straight at me with fear.

Tim and his friends all surround her, and all of them are looking at me.

She lowers her hand and I fill with rage as I see a bruise on her jaw and a cut on her lip.

She steps back and cowers in Tim’s arms when I start towards her.

She looks up at Tim and speaks.

He nods and relinquishes her to the swarm of preppy wankers that he’s always surrounded by.

‘I think you should go,’ Tim says venomously, heading my way and blocking my attempts to get to her.

‘Did you hit her?’ I demand as he sidesteps each attempt I make to get past. ‘If you’ve hurt her, I swear-’

‘You’re a real piece of work, you know that?’ he laughs angrily, shoving me back so I stagger. ‘You’re not getting anywhere near Ahri. She doesn’t want to see or talk to you. Not after what you did to her this morning. Not after this!’ He nods to Darius.

‘What? What did I do this morning? I’ve not even seen her!’

‘So she’s lying, is she?’

‘Lying about what? What are you even-’

‘About you hitting her this morning when you lost your temper? Are you going to deny it?!’

I wait. I pray for the lie to crawl over my body, slither into my mouth and taste like batteries.

It doesn’t.

He’s telling the truth.

‘I… I didn’t touch her. I’ve never, not once, hurt her! And I didn’t do this!’ I throw my hand in Darius’s direction.

‘Everyone knows how much you hate Darius. Everyone knows what you’ve done to him over the years.’ Tim sneers in disgust as he looks at me. ‘You really are a monster.’

‘I want to talk to my sister,’ I say warningly.

‘She doesn’t want to talk to you and after this, I finally agree with her. There’s no way in hell she’d be safe living alone with you.’

‘What? What do you mean by “you agree with her”? Agree with her about what?’

‘She’s been pleading with me to move in with her for months.’

‘No. No, she-’

‘She’s been saying that she can’t stay at home anymore because of your drunk dad, but she can’t move out without you to help pay for it. She’s so scared of your nasty temper she would rather live with me.’

‘You’re lying. She never said that!’ I argue. My gifts must be playing tricks because no way is this the truth. Even if I can’t sense the lies.

I try to get past again, but he shoves me back.

‘You know what? After seeing her face this morning and what you and that freak gangster from the inner-city have done to poor Darius, I refuse to let her stay with you for another day. Another second!’ He lunges forwards and shoves me as hard as he can. I fall back on my arse and land heavily on my wrist. A sharp jolt of pain tears through it but it’s nothing compared to the pain in my heart.

Tim looks down at me with hatred marking every inch of his face. ‘Ahri’s going to come live with me like she’s wanted to do for years. I was a fool not to let her come sooner. If I had known what she was being put through in your house, I would have called the Authority on you and your vile Dad. The pair of you should be locked up! Well, she finally admitted it to me this morning. It ends now.’

I look past the raging Tim to Ahri.

She peeks up at me as she’s engulfed in the arms of the others and I see the hint of a smirk on her lips before she buries her face in her friend's neck completely.

‘Hell, Raven. I persuaded my father to get you a place in the programme so you could pay your own way when you moved in together, despite Ahri telling me not to bother. You’re an ungrateful, evil little slut and Darius and Ahri are better off as far from you as possible. She was right all along. She’s been saying it ever since you turned up at school all those years ago. You’re an evil little bitch. A thief. A liar. A slut and a freak.’

Again… not a single lie.

‘Ahri’s been calling me those things behind my back since I got here?’ I ask in a strained voice.

‘I can’t believe I ever thought you were cute when you first arrived in Ravenswood. We were all drawn in by the mystery of the new girl, but Ahri soon put us right. Thank the Goddess that she did. She’s saved us all a lot of misery by warning us of what a nasty little freak you truly are.’

‘Truth…’ I whisper.

And it all slots painfully into place.

The rumours started soon after I arrived, despite being popular in those first few days.

It was Ahri. Turning everyone against me, but why? Because I was more popular than her? Because Tim looked at me and not her? We were fucking children.

‘Freak.’ Tim steps back and stands tall. ‘Freak. Freak! Freak! FREAK!’

Soon the whole crowd joins in and a chorus of it surrounds me.

FREAK!

FREAK!

FREAK!

The agents observe the group of Fae surrounding them and laugh as they sing their hatred at me.

And Ahri, the sister I thought loved me. The sister I defended against every bully, every fit of rage her father threw at us, every visit from Jonah…

Has she hated me all this time?

Has she turned everyone against me? Manipulated me into thinking I had family in her despite not being blood?

Was I just a pawn to her this whole time? Something she could use to deflect the cruelties of this world?

Yes. Yes, that's exactly what I was.

My fingers dig into the ground and with a furious yell, a wicked surge of power explodes from my body. A blast so strong every single person in the square is violently hurtled away from me by a sonic blast of pure rage made manifest. They all scream as they soar backwards and crash into the ground, rolling as they land, their delicate bodies slamming into the concrete again and again.

The square falls silent.

Utterly and eerily silent.

The heat of all those eyes on me means nothing. I look at Ahri across the courtyard as she pushes herself up and meets my gaze.

I have no more tears to shed today, but if I did, the pain she’s inflicted on me would have me drowning.

The air fills with terrified screams all at once and a great scramble begins as everyone attempts to flee. People are trampled and shoved out of the way, their terror that I’m about to sprout talons and wings so I can tear them all limb from limb overrides all reason and decency.

Except for Ahri. She remains stuck to the spot, locked eye to eye with me.

My eyes are gold. I feel it. A slight tingle, a sort of hum, flutters behind my lashes.

I don’t attempt to hide it. Why bother? What do I have left to hold onto?

The only person I love has never loved me at all.

It’s Ahri looking away from me that draws my attention to the Agents regrouping and fumbling for their weapons.

I now have several guns pointed at me.

I look back to Ahri. To the girl I clung to for hope. For acceptance. For belonging. For something I lost the night my twin died up on those cliffs. So desperate I was to have someone to love, I failed to see that I was nothing to her.

Nothing.

And now I’ll die, nothing to no one. On the ground. On my own. In the grime of a city that hates me, murdered by men that despise what I am.

I close my eyes and let out a long breath. A defeated breath.

I don’t want to die. Truly. I’ve fought so very long to see every sunrise and every sunset. I’ve taken beating after beating. Dealt with the crippling hunger pains that had me immobile and sobbing. I’ve worked every hour I could, doing the worst jobs to save for a future I no longer have.

But here I am anyway.

I wish with all my heart that I was in that small section of woodland where the stream trickles through the trees. I wish that my final moments were quiet and peaceful. Not a chorus of terror-filled screams and a broken heart.

The blast of bullets ring out and I not only accept my fate, but welcome it.

But as I know well, fate never likes to play fair.

The ground below disappears and I fall.

I fall and I fall, reaching out for something to grab as I tumble through the blackness and swirling gold particles. There’s no air to breathe. No hot. No cold. No noise. No anything at all.

As quickly as the portal appeared, it fades. I’m falling still, but now through high, brittle branches. They whip my face and smack my flailing limbs, cutting and splitting my skin.

The sky is above me.

I’m falling to earth, wind rushing past my ears and birds squawking overhead.

With a vicious thud, I land on my back precisely in the spot I wished I was, my head connecting with the hard ground of the bank by the stream.

I lie there, listening to the trickling water and the creaking of the trees as they sway in the leftover flurry my portal created. I blink slowly with heavy lids, watching the gliding leaves follow me down.

Each blink gets heavier and the effect of my harsh impact with the ground claims me.

Everything goes black.

25

I cough and taste blood. It climbs my throat, sending droplets to land on my cheek. Gasping only chokes me, so I force myself to roll over and with agonising effort, I clear the thick blood clogging my airway.

Now on my side, I groan and wheeze, spiting blood to the dirt and so dizzy and disorientated I can’t bear to open my eyes.

My head is pounding. Reaching up, I feel blood in my hair from where it collided with the ground. My wrist gives way as I try to sit, and I return to the ground with a jarring yell.

It takes a while in my haze and pain to realise that something is vibrating in my cleavage.

The phone Reid gave me.

I lie there, my body unwilling to move. My heart unwilling to even try. My face is half-buried in the dirt and the stream continues to trickle behind me.

The phone silences.

I open my eyes. The sun has set.

How long have I been lying here? The stiffness and coldness I’m feeling confirms that it must have been hours since I created a portal in front of all those Fae.

I let out another weak cough before the phone starts to vibrate again.

Moving feels like I’m dragging weights with me, but I pull up my arm and retrieve the device. I press the answer button. I hear him before It’s even reached my ear.

‘Raven? Raven, damn it, are you there? RAVEN RIVERS SAY SOMETHING!’

‘I-I’m here,’ I manage, spitting more blood from my mouth and wincing at the pain my voice creates. ‘I’m here.’

‘Fuck. Where… where are you? Are you okay? What the hell happened?’

‘I… I don’t…’ I heave and retch. If I had anything in my system, I would be vomiting. My body feels like it’s being ripped in half.

‘RAVEN! RAVEN, TALK TO ME!’

‘Quit yelling. I’m here,’ I groan, wiping my mouth and forcing myself up. The weight I put on my wrist has me hissing.

‘You’re hurt?’

‘I think my wrist is broken.’

‘What the fuck happened, huh? No powers. I told you! Where the hell have you been? I’ve been calling you for hours. Tell me where you are.’

‘I’m… I’m in the woods.’

‘What woods?’

I groan again as I try to shift.

‘The one Lucca heard you talking about before? Is that where you are? Are you hurting yourself? RAVEN-’

‘Yeah.’ I grab my head as everything starts to spin. ‘I mean no. I’m… I’m not hurting myself. I’m in the woods, though. I didn’t mean to-’

‘Where exactly? The woods are big. Tell me precisely where you are.’

I hear the roar of his car’s engine as he barks his words.

‘I’m not sure. By the stream. Can’t you just track me with my collar?’

‘Can you portal? Can you call your powers?’

‘I can’t even stand.’

‘Try!’

‘Where do I go? I-I can’t control it.’

He lets out a calming breath. ‘Okay. I need you to create an anchor.’

‘A what?’

‘An anchor,’ he snaps, as if I should have any idea what the hell he’s on about. ‘It’s a solid and clear image of someone or something. If you can create a strong enough image in your mind and a deep enough desire to be with that person or in that place, you’ll feel a tug. That’s your power connecting to it. You summon your portal and it should connect to your anchor.’

I look around this secluded piece of land. It’s the exact place I wished I was. It’s the image I held in my mind before the portal formed and yes, I felt that tug.

‘Me,’ he says.

‘You what?’

‘Use me as your anchor. Think of me. Think of my face. My body. My scent. Focus, Little Bird. Think of me. I’ll protect you. I’ll help you. Come to me.’

I close my eyes and pull him into my mind. I imagine his face. I visit all his features, from the sternness of his jaw to the firmness of his arms. I think of his scent. His eyes. I hear his voice still encouraging me down the phone.

You can do this. You can do this!

I reach out my hand, and as I did before, I summon the power from deep inside.

A slight wind picks up and tosses a few loose pebbles and branches around. The golden swirl appears as a slight flicker of light before me.

‘It’s working!’ he says, the screech of tyres ringing through the phone. ‘I see your portal forming up ahead!’

I scream and clutch my head as my brain feels ready to explode. The portal fades.

‘I can’t,’ I gasp, creasing up my face as the pain rips through me. ‘My head’s on fire.’

‘Okay,’ he mutters. ‘Okay.’ He resumes his driving. ‘Then I need you to get up and get moving, Little Bird. You hear me?’

‘I’ve hit my head pretty hard. I’m not really with-’

‘You have to suck it up. Hold on.’ His voice grows fainter as he speaks to someone else with him. ‘She’s in the stretch of woods by the edge of the city. She says she’s by a stream. Do you know it?’

‘I know it,’ replies another. A man.

‘Me too,’ replies a voice belonging to a woman.

‘Go on ahead. You may get there before they do. Hurry. And stay out of sight, the both of you.’ He returns the phone to his ear and his voice rings through clearly. ‘We’re heading towards the woods now, but you have to get up and go. I’m sending some friends ahead. They’ll reach you quicker than I can, but I still need you to move. People are coming for you. Stay on the phone, Brennan can track you through it now you’ve answered, but I need you to get up and move.’

‘Why? Who’s coming for me?’

‘I don’t know. After I got word of what happened in the square, Brennan tried to track you, but someone else had severed our connection to your collar and overridden it. Raven, someone else is tracking you and it’s not Authority. Who else has access to your collar?’

I swallow a painfully dry swallow and feel my insides plummet.

‘Who else, Raven?’

‘Jonah…’ I breathe, lifting my head and looking around the darkness of the woods. ‘He’s called Jonah. He’s Authority but he’s dodgy. He’s the man that found me on the beach and sold me to Ahri’s dad. You said you had control of my collar now. You said!’ I struggle to my feet, my broken wrist holding the bruises left on my belly by the same man that now hunts me. ‘Can he set off the bomb?’

‘Yes. But he won’t.’

‘You don’t know that.’

‘Word has spread that there’s a portal wielder in the city. You’re worth a fucking fortune and if he’s already dealing in the black market, he knows your value. He won’t kill you.’

‘You can’t let him get me, Reid. You can’t!’

‘We’re on our way, but you have to move. You’re a sitting duck if you stay put.’

Clumsily, I get to my feet and by some miracle, manage to stay up before staggering into the darkness.

I make a couple of steps before there’s a rustle in the trees.

I quickly stop and look all around.

The clearing seems empty, shrouded in darkness except for the low glow provided by the moon barely breaking through the smog above.

I turn to run, but scream when I come face to face with… what the hell is it?

A figure. Nothing more than a vague shadow that barely glimmers, like oil in dark water.

It’s a silhouette of a woman standing right in front of me, a couple of inches from my face.

I blink to clear the hallucination, but she’s not going anywhere.

When she moves, I yell and fall backwards. My wrist grinds on impact and I yell harder.

‘Who the fuck are you?’ I demand. ‘What the fuck are you?’

I continue to watch this odd apparition. I feel her presence like a cold spot that’s watching me.

I’ve felt it before.

‘You. I-I’ve seen you. Lurking in the shadows back at my house.’

She reaches down and with her translucently black shadow-self, she grabs my shoulders and lifts me with ease to my feet.

There are no distinguishable characteristics to her. Just long hair and curves made of rippling darkness. She takes my hand and returns my phone to my ear.

‘Reid, there’s a shadow-woman here. Is there supposed to be a shadow-woman here?’

‘Yes,’ he breathes in relief. ‘That’s Elanor. She’s one of mine and there to help you.’

‘You’re Fae. This is your power?’ I ask her, fascinated by her existence. ‘What even are you made of right now?’

‘Quit chatting and get moving, girls,’ Reid urges.

Elanor tightens her hold on my arm and starts to lead me into the trees.

We don’t get far before we see a beam of light from a torch streaming through the trunks of the trees around us.

A voice travels through the air.

‘Raven? Where are you?’ Ahri calls. ‘Please don't be mad at me! You don't understand. Please let me talk to you!’ She calls her words out in the darkness and I find myself stuck.

The shadow, Elanor, tugs on my arm and when that fails, she thrusts the phone hard to my ear.

‘Move, Raven. Now,’ orders Reid.

‘She’s my sister.’

‘And how the fuck do you think she knows where you are?’

‘It’s our spot. Maybe-’

‘Move your arse, woman.’ His tyres screech as he takes a sharp turn. ‘You know I don’t like asking twice!’

Elanor tugs and I follow her lead, leaving Ahri behind.

‘Raven, please!’ she wails, still searching for me. ‘Please. I can explain everything. I need you to come out and talk to me. I need your help. I’m in so much trouble and I need you. Please! RAVEN?’

The desperation in her voice pulls at my foolish heart and I stop once more.

‘Don’t you dare,’ Reid warns.

‘She’s telling the truth. She needs my help.’

‘I don’t give a shit.’

And neither does the shadow form of Elanor, who tugs me once more.

‘I’m here!’ I call out, turning to face Ahri. Her torch shoots in my direction and after a brief moment of hesitation, she walks towards me.

I lower the phone and stagger towards her, listening to Reid raging on the other end. Elanor follows me and when I stumble, she catches me and keeps me on my feet.

I return to the clearing and stop, watching as Ahri steps into the clearing also. The beam of her torchlight lands on me and as it does, Elanor disappears like smoke in the wind.

Ahri lowers the beam and I see her pale face, fraught with stress and unease. Her feet shuffle in the dirt and her hand shakes as she stands there.

‘What are you doing here?’ I ask. ‘How did you know where to find me?’

‘I-it’s our spot,’ she stammers, her eyes darting around quickly before settling back on me. ‘We always said-’

‘You’re a fucking liar. You’re not here to help me. You’re here to help you. Why are you here, Ahri? Tell me because I can’t stay. I’m not safe. People are coming for me.’

She chews her lip and shuffles some more.

‘How could you do this to me?’ I ask. ‘How could you lie to them about me like this? How could you treat me and manipulate me like I’m fucking nothing to you?!’

‘I just want to survive, Raven. I’m not like you. I’m not strong like you are.’ Her lip trembles and she sniffs deeply. ‘Dad’s temper. The ridicule at school. The threats from all of Dad’s debt collectors.’

‘So you deflected it all to me instead?’

‘It just happened that way. I didn’t intend-’

‘Well, you’re on your own now, Ahriella. You can fend for yourself. You can fend off your dad’s temper and his disgusting debt collectors. And when Tim drops you like the sack of shit you are, I hope you land in the gutter where you were happy to leave me to die. I don’t care what trouble you’re in now. You’re on your own. There’s no way I will ever help you again.’

She clears her throat and steps back a little. ‘You already have,’ she says quietly.

I scream as a long iron chain is wrapped around my body from behind, pinning my arms to my side as it’s tightened.

Even through my clothes, the heat of the iron is intense and indescribable. It burns through the fabric and sizzles as it meets my flesh.

I scream. Goddess, I scream in complete agony.

I’m spun around, a large padlock traps me inside the chain.

I’m face to face with Jonah and his vicious grin, delighting in the agony he’s inflicting on me, watching with a thrill as I land on my knees. The phone tumbles to the ground and becomes lost in the woodland floor.

‘HEADS UP!’ Jonah takes the key to the padlock and tosses it.

I lift my head and see three other men joining us in the clearing. One of them catches the key.

‘Keep hold of that for me, would you, mate?’ Jonah smirks down at me. ‘I don’t want to lose it in all the excitement and leave you stuck in there forever. Wrapping Fae in iron seals up their magic and that would be such a shame never to be able to use yours again, wouldn’t it?’

‘Get the fuck away from me!’ I scream.

He laughs and pulls on the chain, toppling me over onto my side. He’s right. No matter how hard I try, no power comes. None at all. Over my screams and their malicious laughter, I hear Ahri.

‘I did what you wanted,’ she calls over. ‘We’re done now, right? You’ll leave me alone?’

‘What do you think, Raven?’ Jonah asks, resting his foot on my side and pressing in the iron harder. ‘Is Ahri good to leave? Will you stay here with me? Keep me company?’

The low chuckle vibrates through him as he crouches beside me.

‘Damn, girl. You were born with no luck at all. Left for dead on a beach. Your pretty little face all fucked up. Catching my eye and then landing a sister like that in your life.’ He reaches out and strokes my cheek. ‘You’re in the clear,’ Jonah says to Ahri. ‘Just as usual. Thank you for all your help. I’ll miss our little chats.’

‘Wish I could say the same,’ she says weakly.

I look back at her and see her staring at me.

‘What chats?’ I ask, holding in the pain as best as I can. Because I think I know.

‘You never guessed, did you?’ Jonah nods to Ahri. ‘My offer always went both ways. You or your sister. Every time I said that to Ahri, every single time, she offered me a glass of water whilst I waited for you, and she left without a care.’

There’s no lie in his words. None. It hurts more now than the iron crushing my chest and melting my flesh.

Those moments rattle in my head. When I would run into her at the end of the street and she would insist I go home. Or when I was sure she was in, but I was glad that I was wrong when I would see Jonah in the kitchen.

‘Truly. No luck at all. When I heard of your magnificent display in the square, I had to come and find you. Ahri was more than willing to distract you so I could get close enough to grab you. Didn’t want to risk you seeing me and hurling me through one of your spectacular portals.’ He lets out a wistful breath and looks up at the sky. ‘Just think of all the things I can achieve with a Fae like you at the end of my leash.’

‘You have no idea who you’re fucking with.’ I laugh through my agony, adamant not to let him think he’s won. ‘No idea at all.’

‘Oh please. I’ve seen you begging me to stop. I’ve seen you sobbing and screaming. Do you think I’d ever fear you? Even with powers?’

The men all laugh.

He looks to Ahri. ‘Thanks, darling. Off you pop. I don’t think you’ll want to stay to see what comes next. You never did like to hang around after selling your poor little sister’s body to spare your own.’

Everyone I’ve ever known, everyone I’ve ever cared about, has done nothing but betray me. Lie to me. Hurt me. For someone who can sense lies, how have I managed to be deceived at every turn?

I scream nothing but rage into his face and lunge, going at the man with my teeth, despite the iron searing its way deeper and deeper into my skin.

My teeth find his cheek and I tear off a piece of him and spit it on the floor.

He yells and punches me in the face. The men with him cheer as Jonah grabs me by the scruff of my shirt to lift me back up.

‘Big mistake.’

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

I hear Ahri scream, telling him to stop. Telling them that they have me now. That hurting me is pointless.

Maybe she has a soul after all.

Too little. Too late.

Blood has splattered all over my face, seeping into my eyes and filling my mouth. Jonah leans in, panting and deranged before planting a disgusting kiss on my mouth.

So I bite down on his lip.

He screams.

I won’t let go.

He punches me in the gut.

I won’t let go. I roar with determination and start to pull back, feeling his skin tear and his blood drip down his chin.

Furious, he sucker punches me in the ribs with such force I hear something snap.

I fall face down, winded and barely able to keep the world in focus.

Jonah’s fuelled by anger and humiliation. A dangerous combination. He throws himself on top of me, his hand gripping the back of my neck.

‘So fucking feisty. I love it,’ he roars, laughing to cover up his fury.

I see my sister still just standing there watching. Sure, there are tears and panic in her eyes. But she doesn’t help me.

Jonah slams my head into the ground and forces my face into the debris of the woodland floor. He pulls out a taser and holds it close to my face.

‘One more move, I’ll shock you till you can’t speak, move, or stop yourself from pissing yourself. Got it?’

‘You don’t have to hurt her like this!’ Ahri cries.

I just about manage to lift my head enough to see her hugging her middle and shaking like a leaf.

‘Go, Ahriella,’ Jonah says. ‘If you don’t, you’ll join your sister in the filth. And you can say goodbye to your job. The house. The money. That little prick, Tim. Everything.’

She hesitates and looks at me.

‘I’m so sorry,’ she says.

‘Liar,’ I manage.

I watch her leave me. Jonah’s men close in.

He stows the taser into his pocket. ‘Let the fun begin.’

26

They’re all laughing. Hands are all over me, pulling at my clothes, my arms and legs, my hair. Nails scratch and feet trample on my body as they try to keep me on the ground.

And they just laugh. That blokey kinda laugh as they spur each other on.

Pull her hair. Grab her wrists. Kick her legs. Slap her face.

Then Jonah.

‘Take her clothes off.’

I kick and scream and thrash and threaten. But I’m outnumbered and outmuscled. The iron seals in my magic and I can do nothing but yell and threaten.

My shirt is ripped open and a chorus of “Waheeeeyyy” waves through them.

I let out a massive scream. ‘I WILL KILL YOU!’

Jonah slams his hand over my mouth.

‘You will take my cock in every hole I put it in.’ I try to look at anything but his face, but he wants me to see his eyes as he speaks such vulgarities. ‘And you will be mine from now until the day I get bored of you and sell you on to the highest bidder. Until then, let’s see how many of us you can take in one go, shall we?’

He twitches as several twigs and leaves begin to tumble down on us and a whooshing sound starts to grow louder.

A giant form soars down towards us, descending at speed before slamming into the ground beside us. Chunks of earth explode at the sheer force of his landing. He stands tall, his fists balled up and arms rigid and bulging with the promise of violence. Each breath taken makes his chest heave and his lips curl in wrath.

His face looks down at us.

A most wonderful face.

‘Big mistake,’ Cyrus snarls before spreading out the wings at his back so broad, they’re all I can see. 'Fucking huge. You're a dead man.' Far from the twisted and broken wings of a Dark-Fae, they don’t hang limp. They’re not torn or gnarled.

They're firm and strong. Sheer black with shimmering gold.

They're magnificent.

He's magnificent.

‘WHAT THE FUCK?!’ Jonah yells, looking up at this impossible man with wings at his back and danger dancing in his eyes. ‘What the hell are you-’

His words are strangled in his throat as Cyrus reaches out his hand. A stream of what looks like black smoke, as smooth as a slithering sheet of pure silk, explodes from his outstretched palm and encircles itself around Jonah’s throat like a snake, weaving and twisting around him.

‘Get the fuck off my girl.’ Cyrus pulls his arm back. The smoke pulls Jonah far from me, tossing the bastard across the clearing and into the trunk of a tree.

The three others look from their lost leader to Cyrus, stunned and beautifully terrified.

Cyrus doesn’t even flinch when the shadow form of Elanor slams herself into one of the men still pinning me down. His yells fade as he disappears from sight before his high pitched screams begin.

Cyrus lifts another one-handed, his legs twitching as he chokes under Cyrus's relentless grip.

The other man attempts to abandon the whole scene and scrambles to his feet, allowing me to roll on my side and rid my airway of the gathering blood.

But Cyrus isn’t letting him get away that easy.

Every bit of movement is like being flayed alive and I can’t rid myself of these bindings.

Behind me, the men scream and beg for mercy.

None is shown.

I hear tearing flesh and gushing blood. I hear breaking bones and garbled breaths.

Cyrus and Elanor, the girl made of shadows and the man with shimmering wings, fight for me.

I slump face down. My strength has faded, quashed by this iron. By the beating.

By my broken heart.

There’s a rustle in the leaves and far too much for it to be a squirrel or a rabbit.

It falls silent again. I dare not blink and that feeling of unavoidable dread is swallowing me whole.

Something leaps out of the brush. It soars upwards, high into the air, before landing beside my head.

I look up.

And I scream at the sight of the Dark-Fae peering down at me. The creature’s body is like dried leather stretched over nothing but muscle covered bones and it’s taller than any man I’ve laid eyes on, but twisted and contorted. Its spine bends and protrudes, its legs are bowed. I can hear the clicking of its misaligned joints from here. It’s wearing what remains of a white shirt, shredded and filthy. The black jeans are torn and reach their calves, showing how the body has been stretched.

And at its back, two wings.

Black and limp, torn and ripped, like bat wings but thick with tar. They would never work, even if they were whole.

It sniffs the air deeply and peers down at me, trapped and helpless at its feet. It sniffs and sniffs, getting closer to my body.

It falls on all fours, looking at me… hungrily.

‘C-Cyrus…’

It leans in closer, its heavy breathing drowning out the sound of whatever carnage is happening beyond. I know they tear apart the living. Rage and violence are all they know. But this one… this one seems hungry!

‘Cyrus…’

Now on all fours, it makes its way up to my face where it sniffs and, horrifically, stretches out its tongue and runs it up the length of my cheek.

It growls deeply, throws back its head and opens its jaws. Long, curved fangs have replaced teeth and with a hideous screech, it sinks them into my shoulder.

I scream an almighty scream. One that tears at my throat and shreds my lungs.

The monster is encircled by black smoke and thrown far from me.

Cyrus is next to be at my side, his eyes wide as he looks at me, still burning in the chains and blood just seeping from my body.

‘Get me out. GET ME OUT!’ I wail.

‘I will. Hold still. Hold still, Princess! The more you move, the worse it will hurt! The key. Who has the key?’

‘I don’t… I don’t know.’ I look at the others that came with Jonah. One is at the base of a tree, his spine bent the wrong way entirely as blood slips through his eyes, nose and ears. He still blinks though. He’s still alive.

Another has managed to get to his feet and started limping away. One of his arms is a mangled and broken mess and dangles grotesquely at his side. The Dark-Fae rips off his head and crushes it with his bare hands before snarling at us both. From behind, at least a dozen more of the creatures emerge from the bushes, stepping forwards like demonic ghouls emerging from hell.

They all sniff at the air, then look directly at me.

‘Cyrus,’ I say with an incredibly forced calm. ‘Get me the fuck out of these chains.’

Cyrus looks at the chains and he mentally prepares himself.

He takes hold and starts to pull. His skin sizzles and he roars with effort. I lift my head.

The Dark-Fae are coming, battering aside branches, tree trunks, and even each other.

‘Hurry!’

‘Sorry, Princess. I thought I was supposed to be making a fucking cup of tea!’ He groans as he pulls with all his might and suffers the consequences. His face is red and twisted in both determination and agony. ‘God damn it, girl, you’re a real pain in my fucking arse!’

Elanor appears by our side, and without pause, she takes the other side of the chains and together, they pull. The iron glows bright orange as it heats up more and more.

The Dark-Fae are coming. I see them barrelling through the trees towards us. Jonah has somehow managed to roll on his belly and started to crawl away, bleeding from… well everywhere!

The smell of our burning skin fills the air and Cyrus hollers out as he puts everything he has and more into pulling until finally, the weakest link gives way.

Snap.

They both fall and land on their backsides before tearing off the chains, and with it, chunks of scorched flesh.

‘LOOK OUT!’ I scream.

But too late. The first Dark-Fae slams into me and buries its face into the bite it made in my shoulder. It starts to lick and slurp, its gnarly fingers wrapped around my arms as it holds me close.

‘GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF ME!’

Cyrus grabs it and pulls. It refuses to let go, so I get dragged along for the ride.

‘What the fuck is it doing?!’ Cyrus asks, straining as he tries to peel it from my neck. ‘Jesus! It’s fucking eating you!’

Cyrus plunges his hand into its mouth, grips its cheek and pulls, slicing his hand on its teeth in the process. But this only enrages him further. With a final grunt of pure determination, he pulls it off me and shoves it away. The Dark-Fae skids in the dirt and springs back to its feet. Suddenly, it pulls back its head with an almighty gasp. Its teeth are retracting. Even the length of its abnormal limbs reduces, snapping and cracking as they break their way back to normal.

‘ELANOR, GRAB ON!’ Cyrus orders, scooping me up in his arms and spreading out his wings.

She grabs his arm.

With a powerful beat of his wings, his feet leave the ground. But with a violent roar we fall. An iron chain is wrapped around his neck, keeping him tethered to earth. Cyrus struggles to keep a hold of me and remove it.

He’s struck from behind.

With a stomach-turning thud, Cyrus slumps forwards, trapping me under his frame, his eyes closed and his body unmoving. Jonah stands over him, wielding a large rock now splattered with blood. His face is a mess of swollen and torn flesh and he struggles to keep himself on his feet.

He raises the rock again, watching as Cyrus’s wings fade to nothing as he slips into unconsciousness.

‘She’s mine,’ he spits, bringing down the rock, its destination Cyrus’s skull. ‘MINE!’

He suddenly looks up and screams, seeing the incoming monsters.

I slam my hand down into the ground and, with pure determination, summon my powers.

A portal opens up below us and we fall, leaving the Dark-Fae to soar overhead and catch nothing but air.

My back meets the carpeted floor of my lounge and Cyrus lands limp on top of me. The portal above seals shut and I just lie there, crushed by his bulk and feeling his slow and steady breaths land on my neck as I stare at the familiar ceiling of my family home.

Weakly I cough before swallowing the blood that fills my mouth.

The silence is so deafening my ears ring with it. Gone are the screeching Fae. Lost is the violence and carnage.

My house is silent and I just sink into it, feeling Cyrus on top of me and taking a second to just… be.

Until someone else groans on the other side of the room.

Painfully, I turn my head.

Jonah is trying to get himself on his feet, dragging up his arms and attempting to lift his head.

He slumps back down and swears, coughing and groaning in pain as he bleeds from his head onto my floor.

I roll and slide Cyrus off me. He lies, still unconscious, beside me. It’s agony to remove the chain still burning around his neck, but I peel it away and drop it to the floor. He’s still out cold. There’s blood matted in his hair as I sweep it from his face and I watch as the marks on his neck slowly start to heal. Iron is agony when you’re touching it. It’s utterly debilitating. But once removed, it’s a matter of moments before the effects fade. The marks left on my body from the iron chain are already easing.

‘Thank you,’ I tell the still sleeping Cyrus, needlessly brushing aside his dark hair from his gentle face. ‘I owe you one.’

When I see the hilt of a dagger protruding from his jacket, I take it.

‘I’ll pay you back for saving me as soon as I pay back this fucker first.’ My gaze drifts to Jonah.

I hold the wound on my shoulder and feel my blood seeping through my fingers. The bite is deep and I’m losing a lot of blood. Never mind the damage to the rest of me.

All because of him.

I look at the fucker as he continues to try and get up.

So I do what any normal person would do in this situation.

I crawl on my hands and knees towards him.

I grimace through the pain and stay steady on my course as he continues to try and haul his sorry ass up. Images flash through my mind of his beating.

How he tore at my clothes and tied me in iron.

And his intentions to let his friends have their way with me.

I roll him onto his back and climb atop him, straddling him with a leg on either side of his waist.

Whatever Cyrus has done to him, it’s far from kind. His face is a mess. His nose is flattened. His jaw is broken. His eye is… well, it’s plain gone.

‘Remember the last time you and I were in here?’ I ask, my words slurring a little as I peer down at him.

His mouth is contorted as he tries to say something. But it’s incoherent.

I hold out the dagger and lift it high.

‘It’s my turn to stick it in you now.’

I scream as I bring it down and look in stunned astonishment at the knife I’ve dug into his stomach. He looks just as surprised as I do.

But damn, it feels good. I pull it out and get blood spatter over my face.

He looks up at me.

The man who abused me again and again. Who taunted me.

You or your sister.

Take me. Spare my sister.

I bring the knife down again.

My cries of pain and betrayal are almost as inhuman as the Dark-Fae’s. They explode from my body, from my pores, from my very soul.

All the times I knelt for him so she wouldn’t have to.

All the times I stood between her and her father’s fists.

Every job I took that I knew would hurt so she could take the easier option.

All the torment I endured in the Academy because of her.

The theft of a life I was dreaming of. A life with her. Safe in our own home.

I’m not sure I even see Jonah now. I see Ahri at the end of my blade. I see my real father. The old man. Hell. I see me. And all of them need to die.

A hand reaches out and takes my wrists.

‘That’s enough, Princess.’

I keep on howling and the weight of it all is too unbearable. I slump. Too weak and too broken to carry its burden for another second.

Cyrus pulls me off Jonah and sits me on the ground. His arm wraps around my body and guides me towards him.

I can’t stop screaming and wailing, sobbing and shaking.

I curl up small, pressing myself into his chest with my knees up and my head buried in his shirt, hiding from it all.

‘Easy. Easy. I got you.’

His wings emerge and slowly encircle us, wrapping themselves around our entwined bodies and sealing closed, locking us away in their protective shield.

‘Breathe, Princess. Breathe.’

My screams turn into desperate sobbing and he just holds me as I release it all.

The glimmering gold shimmers over the surface of his wings like a magical night’s sky, moving as peacefully as oil on water. I watch the minuscule gold particles dance soothingly over the midnight black wings and feel his hands softly stroke and comfort me. His chest rises and falls and his heart races in his chest. My ear presses against his skin and I sink into his embrace, slowly catching my breath.

Beyond, Jonah is still gasping and choking on his blood. It’s a wonderful sound.

‘I need to get you outta here.’

My eyes are glued to the enchantment of our little hideaway and I’ve started to shake uncontrollably.

Deep breaths, Raven.

In. Out.

‘Can you talk? Can you move?’

‘You have wings,’ I whisper. ‘You have wonderful wings.’ My blinks grow heavier as the adrenaline starts to fade and the reality of my injuries start to take effect. ‘So beautiful. They look like my mum's did.’

‘No. No, your mother’s wings were far more impressive than mine,’ he says. ‘I didn’t think that you remembered her.’ His hand rests on my cheek and he guides my head upwards. His silver eyes have golden threads lacing through them and the gold incandescence of his wings give a slight glow so we can just about see each other. ‘You’re in a real mess, Princess. Look what he’s done to you. Look what that bastard has done!’ He looks at my injuries and when my eyes start to close, he gives me a gentle shake. ‘C’mon. Stay with me. Don’t even think about checking out just yet.’

‘You checked out first. You left me.’ There’s no anger in my words. I’m too tired for rage. I’m too broken for anything except this secluded and magical peace.

‘Yeah,’ he sighs, still caressing my cheek. ‘I guess I did. But not now. Not ever again. Let’s get you somewhere safe. Let’s get you where you belong.’

‘I’ve nowhere to go.’ I bury my face in his chest. ‘I’ve no one left. My sister… she… I just want to sleep, Cyrus. Please, let me sleep.’

‘I know what you’re asking and no, I won’t just sit here and let you die. Besides. You don’t want to leave me yet, do you? Not when it’s just getting so interesting.’ He shakes me awake. ‘You’ll get to sleep soon enough. But not yet. Not yet.’

His arms tighten around me and his wings fade like gold dust in sunlight, fluttering to the ground and releasing us from his protective shield. He puts his jacket on me, gets to his feet and carries me out of the lounge.

‘We’ll get you fixed up. You’ll be fine, Princess. It will all be-’ He goes to the front door and opens it wide. ‘Oh… shit…’

A chorus of cocking guns ripples out and he stills.

I squint against the bright lights that land on us and turn to see a small army of Authority agents standing on my lawn, deathly silent but thoroughly prepared. They have guns aimed and piles of iron chains ready to trap us.

Both of our eyes are golden. There’s no hiding it. Not even a little bit.

‘This is some pretty shit luck,’ he grumbles.

Seems about right for me.

From the crowd, a man steps forwards, strolling as easily as taking a turn through a park. His hands are in his pockets and his Authority agent coat flutters behind him. He’s the only one without a gun. The only one not shaking as he faces two Triggered Fae.

He follows the path and comes to a stop in front of us.

‘Cyrus,’ Reid greets coldly, glaring at the man holding me in his arms. I feel Cyrus tense, but he holds his ground.

‘Elias,’ Cyrus replies. Their voices are low. No one but us can hear what’s being spoken. ‘You’re not dragging her back into this fight. Let us go.’

‘She was born into this fight and should never have been permitted to leave it in the first place. Give her to me.’

‘No.’

‘Unless you plan to fly away and bury her, you will give her to me.’ Reid’s words snake from his tight lips and his hands reach towards me.

‘Are you forgetting about the army of agents at your back?’

‘I’ll deal with it.’ Reid steps closer and rests his hands under me.

They both hold me. Both take my weight. Both glare over my mangled body, my blood seeping into their clothes and nothing but my slow breathing breaks this painful silence.

But from beneath me, the sound of a gun cocking can be heard.

‘Give the Princess to me, Cyrus. It's not too late to put things right.’

Princess?

‘It’s not too late to get her out of here,’ Cyrus replies.

‘We have waited for too long to let her leave now. She is a portal wielder. Her place is with us. Not running around the inner city, thieving and being one of your many whores. Give. Her-’

Cyrus’s wings explode from his back.

Reid fires his gun.

Cyrus staggers, his wings disappearing before they even manage to form fully.

‘You know I loathe asking more than once,’ Reid says simply, taking my weight.

Cyrus lets me go entirely and I tumble into Reid’s chest, coughing as blood seeps up my throat.

‘Son of a bitch,’ Cyrus grunts.

Reid steps back and I watch as blood spills from Cyrus’s belly.

‘They’ll never stop coming for her. She will never know peace. She’ll never be safe,’ Cyrus says, glancing at the other agents.

Reid lowers me and waits for my feet to meet the floor. We face Cyrus, who sways in the doorway.

Reid slides his arm across my belly to keep me from falling to the ground.

‘I know,’ Reid says, putting his gun into his pocket. ‘Everyone knows that there’s a portal wielder now. No way the Authority will let her go. No way any of Ivan Walker’s men will let her be.’

‘Kill her,’ Cyrus whispers. ‘Let her die.’

I feel the cold, sharp edge of a knife rest at my throat.

Reid leans into my cheek as he holds his weapon at my throat.

Cyrus staggers back as the red stain spreads further across his front.

‘Fall down, Cyrus. Just fall down.’

His legs give way and Cyrus falls in a heap to the ground.

‘Sorry about this, Princess. But needs must. The Authority want you alive, you see. So I need a reason to kill you.’

His fingertips dig deeper into my belly and I gasp, feeling a most familiar sensation.

My back arches and I go utterly rigid. Reid is thrown off me and I take in the longest breath possible until my lungs feel fit to explode. The air is alive with an electrical current and the air around me shakes.

Just as it did the night I first Triggered.

Each cell in my body explodes. My blood boils and my eyes burn as if I’ve stared into the core of the sun.

The power inside me erupts in a violent surge.

The Authority ready their guns, but before anyone can do anything, the ground beneath them is torn up. Chunks of soil and stone splinter upwards as it travels out and a wave of golden mist follows in its wake.

Many of the Agents get caught in the violent rage of the current as the ground churns and shifts, dragging them down into a whirlpool made of earth and rock. Others have managed to flee, escaping to the safety of solid ground beyond the portal.

The unlucky ones are dragged under the current of the vortex, which gets faster and faster with every second. The dirt starts to disappear, replaced with the same black and gold particles that appeared in the portals I created before.

From above, dirt and stones start to rain down on us.

Followed by the agents that have fallen through the portal. Above us, a matching portal swirls in the sky, spewing out agent after agent who all plummet to the ground with a terrifying howl. They fall through the portal again and fall from the one above, trapped in a loop of falling and falling and falling.

The Agents that managed to escape the portal’s clutches point their weapons at me, but before they can fire, Reid rushes forwards and with a swift swipe, he drags a blade across my throat.

The portal fades. Blood gushes down my front, stealing my breath, my warmth, my voice.

My life.

Reid steps back, watching me land on my knees before falling onto my side.

The portal is gone. Agents land with devastating thuds into the dirt and lie crumpled and dying one after the other. Bodies lie in pieces for those unfortunate enough to have been half in, half out of the portal when it is closed.

And I watch, gurgling and choking beside Cyrus as Lucca and Brennan join Reid’s side.

‘That’s one way to solve the problem,’ Lucca sighs, scratching the back of his neck.

‘You two. Get the bodies in the van,’ Reid orders loudly. He turns without a second glance and shouts out orders to the Agents lucky enough to have escaped the clutches of my portal. ‘Clean this up!’

Lucca kneels beside me and shakes his head, wearing his usual grin as he looks me up and down. ‘Shit, Princess. You sure know how to put on a show. Grab Cyrus, would you, Brennan? I’ve got her royal pain in the ass.’

Lucca scoops me up and walks with me in his arms, chuckling to himself.

His amused laughter is the last thing I hear before closing my eyes for good.

27

‘You are going to be fine. You’re safe with me.’

Reid’s voice stirs me from the blackness. I’m on the floor of a dirty van with the stench of diesel burning my nose. His hands tighten around my throat.

‘Stay nice and still, okay?’

I reach up and wrap my fingers around his wrist.

‘I’m trying to help. Don’t struggle.’

My eyes close again and when they re-open, he’s leaning over Cyrus, who is slumped with his head down.

Cyrus’s head shoots up with a gasp, and he takes a deep inhale of air. His furious eyes land on Reid and he goes to slam his fist into his face.

I blink once more. A long blink that drags me into sweet silence.

When my eyes open, Cyrus and Reid are hurling insults at each other, bouncing about as the van takes a sharp corner. My head rolls and I see Lucca driving the van with Brennan sitting beside him. They glance back at us intermittently.

I cough and blood fills my mouth.

‘Guys?’ Brennan calls out, climbing over the seat and scrambling over to me. ‘She’s waking up!’ He puts me on my side and I spit the blood to the floor.

Reid and Cyrus kneel beside me.

‘You said she’s fixed!’ Cyrus snaps. ‘You said-’

A power surge sends them all hurtling away from me. The van swerves and Lucca yells as he tries to keep us on the road.

There’s another wave of it, and another, hurling them away from me again and again whilst denting the sides of the van. My body feels like it’s being electrocuted as I judder and convulse on the floor.

Reid throws himself on top of me and pins me down.

‘Hold her still!’ he barks as I thrash beneath him, terrified and confused.

Why am I in so much pain?

‘I SAID HOLD HER DOWN!’

‘I’m fucking trying!’ Cyrus barks back, struggling to secure my wrists as I lash out at them both, clawing and scratching to get them off me. To get them away. ‘Stop it, Raven!’ Cyrus snaps, kneeling by my head, trying to catch my flailing limbs. He gets them in hand and pins them down. ‘Fates above. She’s strong. Hurry up, Reid! Get it done!’

‘Not whilst she’s awake. She’ll see.’

‘We’re beyond that now, Reid! Just fix her!’

‘I thought I had!’

I scream as Reid throws his leg over me and sits on my legs. His hands press hard into my stomach and his eyes narrow.

‘There's something else, deep inside. Something's broken. She's bleeding internally.'

'Then fix it!'

'She needs to stop thrashing like this. I can’t get a good grip on her,’ Reid grunts. ‘Brennan, Get her legs. I need her still.’

Brennan does as instructed and takes my ankles, pinning them down.

‘How is she even conscious? She should be out cold with her body like this!’

I have no idea what I’m screaming. Or if I’m screaming any words at all. My throat burns as I let out my pain and pleas for freedom.

The van starts to shake and an impossible wind picks up.

‘Reid…’ Cyrus says warningly. ‘She’s gonna blow. Hurry the fuck up!'

‘If she sees me do this, she will never be allowed to leave us. Never,’ Reid says to Cyrus. ‘Are you prepared to deal with that?’

‘Are you?’ Cyrus counters. ‘Because I don’t know about you, but I have no intention of letting her go again. She belongs to us. Or don’t you want her anymore?’

‘Of course, I do. You know I do.’

‘Then fix her properly!’

‘I can’t see…’ Reid says in frustration as he lifts my shirt higher up my stomach. ‘There’s too much blood and bruising. Her clothes are in the way-’

‘Then take them off!’ Cyrus argues. ‘Before she dies!’ He takes my wrists in one of his hands and with his other, he helps Reid tear off my clothes.

‘STOP!’ I scream. ‘PLEASE! DON’T!’

Cyrus takes a firm hold on my chin and guides my head upwards, refusing to let me look at Reid as his hands press harder and harder into my exposed chest.

‘You need to calm down, Raven,’ he says firmly. ‘Lie still.’

‘Don’t do this to me,’ I sob desperately. Tears spill mercilessly down my cheeks and he watches them fall with determined and angry eyes. ‘Please… stop…’

The van slides across the road and slams into something hard. Everyone is thrown to the left, crashing into the side of the van.

‘GODDESS ABOVE!’ Lucca bellows, laughing like a lunatic as he corrects his course. ‘That was close!’

The guys are back on me, pinning me down.

‘We’re trying to help you!’ Reid says in frustration. ‘Get your powers under control, Raven!’

‘You killed us!’ I scream.

Even though Cyrus is looking right at me. Even though the entire front of his white top is drenched in blood, complete with a hole made from the bullet Reid sent through him.

I never look away from Cyrus as he leans over me. Our eyes never leave each other, even as Reid’s hands travel over every inch of my naked torso.

‘You’re hurt. We’re trying to help. That’s all.’

I shake my head.

‘How can you trust him! He shot you! He’s FUCKING HUMAN!’ As I yell out, gold flames spring to life on my hands. Everyone stops and looks at them.

‘That’s new,’ Brennan says, watching them nervously. ‘Did you know she could do that?’ He looks at Reid. ‘Is she supposed to be able to do that?’

‘No,’ Reid says, still looking at them. ‘She’s not.’

‘Reid!’ Cyrus demands. ‘Raven…’

As Cyrus and Brennan try to keep my now flaming and flailing limbs under control, Reid continues scouring my naked torso for whatever the fuck he’s hoping to find.

I gag and sit, spewing blood all over Reid. He looks at me horrified before my eyes roll in the back of my head and I fall, landing in Cyrus’s waiting arms.

The power goes. The fire disappears and I lie limp.

I lie dying.

‘Reid,’ Cyrus says darkly.

‘I know.’

‘Reid!’

‘I’m trying, Cyrus!’

My eyes close.

‘ELIAS! FUCKING FIX HER!’

Elias? Who the fuck is Elias?

‘Got it!’ Reid says. ‘This is going to hurt, Little Bird. Hold on tight.’

There’s a snap from my very core and the unbearable heat that ripples through me is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before.

I can’t even scream, the pain is just too much. My back arches and an explosive force surge right through me.

I open my eyes.

Reid is towering over me, his hands pressed hard into my belly. An iridescent glow is emanating from his hands and I feel it, weaving over the pain of whatever is broken inside me.

His eyes are bright gold and at his back…impossible… wings!

But not black or solid. No. They are nothing like Cyrus’s.

These are made of pure gold dust. I reach out, mesmerised, and my fingertips go straight through, like dust in beams of sunlight.

None of the others seem shocked.

None of the others give a damn.

Brennan plunges a needle into Reid’s neck and injects him with the gold liquid.

With Gilt.

‘Surprise,’ Reid says, the pain in my insides easing as his light dims. ‘Sorry, Little Bird. Guess you’re stuck with us now you know my secret.’

‘You’re… you’re…’

‘I’m Fae. And I’m sorry. This wasn’t how I planned this would go.’

28

I'm trembling all over as Reid carries me from the back of the van and through the cold night air. His strides are purposeful and steady, keeping me close to him and shielded from the drizzle.

A door opens and we step inside a building. I don’t lift my head. I don’t want to move an inch and I don’t think I could, even if I wanted to.

Up some stairs. Down a landing and through several other doors until a light is flicked on. I’m gently placed on the edge of a bed. I sway as he kneels before me, holding me up.

Tears continue to slide down my cheeks relentlessly. One after the other after the other. His hand lifts my chin and he searches my eyes.

‘I’m sorry I did that to you. You must believe me, I had no other choice.’

‘How is she?’ Cyrus asks, crouching beside him and resting his hand on my knee.

‘She’s in shock,’ Reid replies.

‘Not really surprising. Being betrayed by the only family you got and almost gang-raped before having your throat slit isn’t exactly-’

‘Killing her was the only way to save her. To save both of you. Everyone thinks the pair of you are dead now, so no one will come looking. It was the only way to save you both. And El informed me you dealt with the fuckers that dared put their hands on her, so they got what was coming to them.’

‘Yeah, well. Still not a good day, is it?’

They watch as I stare at the blood on my hands.

‘Get the bath running, Cyrus. We’ll get this blood off her and get her to bed.’ Reid offers me a smile as Cyrus walks into another room and the sound of running water begins. ‘Everything will seem better after some rest.’

More tears slide down my cheek. Reid catches them with his thumb.

‘She just left me there,’ I whisper.

‘I know.’

‘They… they were going to… all of them…’

‘Cyrus would never have let them,’ Reid insists.

‘I have nothing left,’ I whimper, my lip trembling. ‘No one…’

‘You should know better than anyone how much of a lie that is,’ Cyrus says, joining Reid on the floor and shaking his head. He rests his hand on my other cheek. Both of them are looking up at me, caressing me and catching my tears. ‘No more words. Let’s sort you out.’

I slide off the bed and land between them on my knees. They watch cautiously, not sure what to expect from me.

I throw my arms around both their necks and pull them into me.

They stiffen at first, but then sink into me too, wrapping their arms around me and holding me close.

‘Thank you,’ I tell them both, my hands sliding into their hair and gripping it. ‘Thank you. Thank you.’

I’m as helpless as a child and as vulnerable as exposed nerves. My whole body trembles and my teeth chatter as they sit me on the edge of the bath, checking that the water is just right before slowly removing what’s left of my clothes.

Reid takes off the remainder of my torn shirt and bra as Cyrus takes off my boots and gently peels off my blood-soaked leggings and underwear.

I sit before them both, naked with blood staining my flesh and bruises marking so much of me, the boys wince and glare at their existence.

‘Can’t you fix her up anymore?’ Cyrus asks.

‘Not without more Gilt. I’ve mended anything life-threatening. She’ll be sore for a few days, but that’s all I can do until we find the missing shipment.’ Reid nods to my elbow. ‘Take her left side. I’ve got her right. Together, ready?’

They both help me into the bath and sit me down. With their sleeves rolled up, they dip in sponges and lather them with soap before taking extra care in scrubbing off the betrayal and violence from my skin.

I just sit there, staring ahead, stuck in an internal loop of what happened as these two men, these two Fae, these two killers, intricately clean my fingernails and wash my hair. Nothing is rushed. No words are spoken. And nothing else matters.

They empty the water and fill it again, repeating the process until I’m completely clean. When there’s no more blood or dirt left, they wrap me in a towel and lift me from the bath. They move me like a doll, dressing me in an oversized t-shirt and putting me in a pair of boxers. The lights are turned off except the one in the bathroom and they lay me down in a large bed, pulling up the duvet to my chin.

‘How is this… how are you…’

‘Sleep first. I promise you, we’ll talk in the morning, okay?’ Reid says, sweeping my hair to one side and smiling softly. ‘Sleep.’

‘I can’t,’ I admit in a whisper. ‘I’m… I’m…’

‘What?’ Cyrus asks.

‘Scared,’ I admit.

The boys both look at each other. Their clothes are bloody and their skin is filthy. Each of them looks ready to drop from exhaustion.

‘I’ll sit with her whilst you wash,’ Cyrus says to Reid. ‘And then you sit with her whilst I wash.’

Reid agrees, and with a final look to me, he heads into the bathroom, throwing off his jacket and tossing it to the floor as he leaves.

Cyrus sits beside me.

I curl up beside him and close my eyes.

And again, I cry.

Shifting, he slides beneath the covers with me and pulls into his chest, engulfing me in his arms.

And I cry. I cry and I cry until Reid returns. Without saying a word, they swap. Cyrus stands and Reid slides beneath the covers with me instead. I sink into him, gripping his shirt as he holds me until I expend the last molecule of energy I have left.

Until I begin to fall asleep.

But not before I feel Cyrus return, slide in behind me and drape his arm over my waist. He presses himself against me, his legs entwined with mine and his arm holding me close.

They still.

They both hold me.

And for the first time in as long as I can remember, I don’t have a single nightmare.

For the first time in as long as I can remember, I feel like I'm where I'm supposed to be.

29

I take a deep breath, inhaling the smell of clean sheets. My face is half-buried in a ridiculously soft pillow and the duvet is pulled up to my chin.

I open my painfully dry eyes and blink in the warm glow of daylight as it seeps out beneath the floor to ceiling curtains at the far end of the room. They dance slowly from a gentle breeze behind them. A breeze that brings with it the smell of rain and grass. I hear the slight pitter-patter outside and enjoy the fresh air that moves over my skin.

When I look to my left, Cyrus slumbers soundly, facing me. His dark hair is a dishevelled mess and his face is soft and serene. Very unlike the man I’m used to.

And to my right, Reid is out cold. His long, deep breaths are slow and steady, and his skin is ashen. The white streak at the front of his hair covers his eyes and I get an irresistible urge to stroke it aside so I can see him. To see if his eyes are still golden. To see if what I saw last night was true.

When I move, both their hands twitch and reaffirm their place on me. Reid has my hand in his and Cyrus has his hand on my belly.

I wait, but neither stir.

I’m in a vast room with old furniture pushed against the wall. A double wardrobe with its door wide open holds a few tops and a chest of drawers beside it is piled high with books.

On a bedside table next to Reid is a large glass of water. My mouth is dry and I crave that water more than anything. I’ve spent hours upon hours crying. I hurt and I’m dehydrated from my breakdown last night. I slide my hand free of Reid’s and slowly ease myself up, reaching over him to get the drink. I give a little moan as I feel it slide down my throat and hit my empty stomach. I give my throat a slight caress. The cut is healed. And my collar is gone.

‘We took it off.’

I look down.

Reid reaches up and takes the glass from my hand before placing it down on the table.

He sits. The duvet falls from his chest and reveals his bare, tattooed torso. We’re nose to nose as he looks at me beside him. Danger dances in his eyes. I loudly gulp the last bit of water I had in my mouth.

‘You have no need for a collar now. How are you feeling?’ he asks.

‘Confused. Angry. Pissed off. Tired and angry.’

‘You already said angry.’

‘Well. I’m double angry. You lied to me. Impressive, considering. You. You both have some serious fucking explaining-’

His lips crash onto mine. His hands hold my face firmly as he claims my mouth for his own.

It’s with a hell of a lot of self-control I push him off me.

‘I have questions and you’re not going to distract me-’

‘Not distracting. Celebrating.’ His hands knot in my hair as he leans in once more. ‘You’re alive and I find myself very, very happy about that.’ He plants a teasing kiss on my lips, nipping them with his teeth as he smirks a little. ‘You’re also in my bed. And I find myself very, very, verrry happy about that too.’

‘You slit my throat.’

‘To save your life. Everyone thinks you’re dead now so-’

‘You’re Fae. You can heal. That's how you survived being shot in the pub.' It all makes sense. And none of it does. 'You’re Fae, but you’re human. How? Cyrus called you Elias. You lied about your name? You lied about-’

His lips are on mine again. Possessive and demanding as he glides his tongue along mine and grips my hair harder.

I pull back again. This time, wracked with guilt because lying behind me is Cyrus.

‘You don’t want me to kiss you, Little Bird?’ he asks, shifting closer to me and looking hungrily at my lips. The duvet falls further, revealing he’s in nothing but black boxers. ‘Didn’t you like it the last time I touched you?’

'Did you?' I counter. 'You refused to even look at me as you-'

'I had my reasons.'

'Disgust?' I scoff.

'Not even close,' he grins, leaning in again with those full and delicious lips. The sadist in me pulls back.

‘I can’t kiss you,’ I tell him. ‘Cyrus is-’

‘What? What is he?’

‘Right behind me. He’s… Reid, I want answers. I demand-’

Cyrus takes hold of my shoulder from behind and pulls me back down on the bed with him. I lie there with them both leaning over me. Their elbows sink into the mattress and they each smile their mischievous, devilish smiles. Neither have anything on except their underwear and neither seem interested in talking about anything at all.

‘What are you doing?’ I ask them in a nervous whisper.

‘Seeking answers,’ Cyrus replies. ‘Don’t worry.’ He runs his finger along my jaw. ‘You’ll get yours after we get ours.’

‘What does that mean?’

Cyrus leans down and kisses me hard. I’m so stunned my eyes remain open and I just watch him as his lips and tongue work mine with skill.

Reid takes my hand and trails kisses up my arm. His palm glides up the inside of my thigh and he keeps his eyes on Cyrus and me. A trail of goosebumps explodes over my skin as he feels me, igniting my nerves and quickening my breathing.

Cyrus lifts his head and hitches a brow.

‘Are you gonna kiss me back or not? Because if you’re not into it, we’ll stop.’

My gaze darts between the two of them.

‘I don’t understand what’s happening. I don’t-OH FUCK!’ I gasp as Reid’s fingers slide between my legs and enter me. ‘Oh sweet Goddess,’ I moan, grabbing at the sheets beneath me and lifting my head to look at him.

He smirks.

‘It certainly feels like your body understands what’s happening,’ he says, moving his fingers slowly, easing them in and out.

‘Is she wet?’ Cyrus asks darkly.

Reid pulls out his fingers and puts them into his mouth, sucking them clean.

‘Very.’

‘Holy-fuck,’ I gasp, watching them both smirking at each other. They then turn their focus back to me.

‘It’s up to you, Little Bird,’ Reid says, resting on his knees and taking hold of the hem of my boxers. He grips them tight and waits. ‘Because whilst you slept, we talked.’

‘Talked about this?’

‘We both want you, Raven. We both think we’re the best thing for you. And we both refuse to walk away. So we thought that perhaps we could-’

‘What? Share me?’

Cyrus guides my attention to him and peers down at me.

‘You can trust us,’ he says, his thumb tracing back and forth across my cheek. ‘Say stop, we’ll stop. Say no and we’ll go. Your choice.’

My thoughts should be raging. My common sense should be slapping me around the face.

But as I lie between the two men, all I can think about is the pain and betrayal I’ve endured. Of all the ways I’ve been tossed aside and hated.

Now, my heart races with excitement. I ache with want. I need passion. I need to be wanted. To be desired. I need to forget all that has come before, and I want to lose myself for even a second to something else that isn’t fucking misery.

Neither man has moved a muscle as they wait for me to speak, and I know that the words spoken are the truth. It’s my call. They’ll stop or leave if I say the word.

But I don’t want to say a fucking thing.

I reach up and pull Cyrus down, crashing his lips onto mine and stealing his kiss. Taking all he has to offer as he moans into my mouth and growls in his chest. He pulls me up, not only taking what I give but offering even more passion and determination.

I lift my hips and feel Reid slide my underwear past my legs and over my ankles.

Reid moves, the mattress sinking a little as he places himself between my legs. His hands grip my knees and slowly, he opens them wide.

‘So fucking beautiful,’ he breathes. ‘Goddess above, look at you.’

Cyrus can’t help himself. He removes himself from our kiss and looks down. Utterly exposed, they take a second just to look, taking in a detailed view of me.

‘Shirt,’ Reid says hungrily, nodding to my top. ‘Get it off her.’

Cyrus pulls it off over my head and tosses it aside before claiming my mouth once more. His hand glides up my belly and takes hold of one of my breasts as Reid rests his lips on my inner thigh and teasingly starts to lick and kiss his way up.

Cyrus works his way down my neck and seals his lips around my nipple, nipping and sucking.

Reid’s mouth is getting higher and when I feel him gently blow on my exposed flesh, I let out a nervous whimper.

In a quick move, his mouth is on me entirely, sealed around my clit as he throws my legs over his shoulders.

I fall back on the bed and moan shamefully loud.

The sheets are bunched up in my hands and I’m flushing hotter than ever before.

Two sets of lips. Four hands. Two men and they are all over me.

Reid’s fingertips dig into my thighs as he works me, flicking his tongue over the most sensitive part of me as Cyrus is rough and firm with my breasts, caressing and grabbing, mixing pleasure with pain as he drags his teeth over my erect nipples.

He looks down at Reid.

‘How does she taste?’ he asks.

Reid sits up, a delicious smile on his lips as he opens my legs wider and gestures to my exposed pussy.

‘Sweeter than anything you could have ever dreamed. Come taste for yourself.’

Cyrus crawls down and takes one of my legs, opening it wide.

Reid does the same with the other and they both share a look.

‘I want to fuck her so bad. I want my cock inside her. What if-’

‘No,’ Reid replies, shaking his head slightly. ‘Not yet. You’re not ready for her. Neither of us are.’

Each of them slides their fingers inside me.

Both of them, in and out, swirling my entrance and revelling in how my body reacts. My back arches and I can hardly keep myself down as I roll my hips and clench my muscles. Cyrus pulls out his fingers and spreads my wetness all over my opening, massaging it into my clit before easing them back in and leaning down to taste me for himself.

The man fucking moans as he devours me.

‘How about you, Little Bird?’ Reid asks, watching me writhe and pant as Cyrus licks and sucks. He takes his fingers and rests them on my lips, running them over each one before sliding them into my mouth. His eyes shine with excitement and lust as he feels me suck them clean, lost in the depravity and deliciousness of this twisted union.

I let out a strained moan as Cyrus slides in a third finger.

‘You’re fucking perfect,’ Reid whispers, watching me intently as he eases his fingers in and out of my mouth, just as he did when they were between my legs. ‘Fucking perfect…’

I drag him down with me, thrusting my tongue into his mouth and biting his lip.

He lies down and returns his fingers between my legs with Cyrus’s. They move in sync, finger fucking me together as they each kiss my two sets of lips.

The pressure builds and it builds. I can’t focus on anything. I can’t kiss Reid back through the uncontrollable groaning I’m releasing, and I can’t think a single fucking thought.

Reid’s mouth goes to my breasts and his free hand pulls and tugs at my hair.

Their moans and grunts as they speed up drive me wild.

It gets stronger and stronger.

I get louder and louder.

I feel their self-satisfied smirks as they give me all they’ve got, knowing just how fucking good they are.

The bed starts to shake a little and the windows rattle.

They hold their pace and pressure, keeping it perfect and precise before, with a loud cry and a violent convulsion, I scream out a cry of release. My back arches and every muscle in my body goes rigid as I ride out wave after wave of orgasmic bliss, letting it tear its way through my body.

I feel it in my eyes that they’ve turned gold. My arms tingle all the way up to my shoulders to my heart. Their gasps land in both my ears and they shudder, reacting in some way to my orgasm. And when I finally get control over my body, I fall limp into the bed, gasping and spent.

They each crawl up the bed and lean over me, each looking very smug.

Their eyes are golden too.

'See why I had to look away when I was with you in the bathroom?' Reid grins, the golden glimmer in his eyes glinting. 'It's a bit of a giveaway, don't you think?'

'Your eyes go gold when you make other people come?' I ask, utterly confused. What a weird fucking reaction. 'Do all Triggered Fae eyes shine when-'

'No. They don't. But we're not your typical Fae. And neither are you.'

They look at each other, seeing the reaction our union has caused.

‘That confirms it then,’ Cyrus says, gesturing to their eyes and then mine.

‘C-confirms what?’ I ask, a breathless mess beneath them.

They look down at me and an odd unease has come over them both.

‘There are some things you need to know, Princess,’ Cyrus says. ‘And some of it? Well, you’re probably not going to like.’

I sit and watch them both as the gold in their eyes slowly flicker out.

‘What?’ I ask, pulling up the duvet to cover myself. ‘Tell me.’

30

‘What do you know about how we ended up in the human world?’ Reid asks, sitting on the bed beside me.

‘Erm… we’ve just always been here. I don’t really know. They don’t teach us about it in school and no one really talks about ancient history.’

‘That’s the thing, Raven. It’s not ancient history. Not at all. It’s twenty years,’ Cyrus says, pulling on a black shirt and sitting on my other side.

‘What’s twenty years?’

‘That’s how long Fae-kind have been in the human world. Twenty years.’ Cyrus looks to Reid as if confirming that this is the best path forward. ‘You sure about this?’

‘She’s not going anywhere and she can sense lies. I think it’s easier to just…’ Reid mimics ripping off a plaster. ‘Just get it all out there. Only other alternative is skulking around and ignoring her for the rest of time which seems foolish.’

‘What if she freaks out?’

‘She is sitting right here, and I won’t freak out,’ I reply. ‘Tell me.’

Reid faces me. ‘Twenty years ago, there was an Event. A disastrous, cataclysmic Event that ripped a hole between two worlds. It pulled through thousands of Fae from their home world and dropped them here, in the human world. In England.’

‘Hang on. Wait… there’s another world?’ I laugh and shake my head. ‘I can’t sense a lie, so I think you’re just plain crazy.’ I find myself pulling the duvet closer around me, feeling very uneasy suddenly. Are these men insane?

‘We’re not crazy,’ Reid assures me. ‘And I know this will be hard to swallow but this will all go a lot quicker if you just listen and be open to it, okay?’

‘Okay,’ I reply, careful to hide my cynicism.

‘There is more than one world out there, Raven. The human world is just one. And our home, the Fae world, is another.’ Reid looks into nothing, a far off and distant glint in his eyes as he travels back to a memory that he holds close and dear to his heart. He looks both sad and happy, his entire face softening, despite a pain brewing in his eyes. A pain that looks much like grief. ‘Our home world was… is… beautiful. Like the product of a dream. The sky would show the most wonderful blues and pinks in the height of the summer. And in the winter, the ground was always coated in fresh snow. The air is pure. No smog. No fumes. No pollution.’

‘Sounds… unlikely,’ I mutter, unable to imagine such a world.

‘It is. You won’t believe me but there are no cars. No massive factories. No electricity.’ Reid watches me for a reaction. ‘Houses are made of wood and stone. Fire heats the room and we ride horses to get from place to place. Unless you have wings, of course. Then you fly.’

‘Seeing a car for the first time was something,’ Cyrus says as he reminisces on that first day here. ‘And fuck me. The stench. This whole realm stinks of toxins and waste.’

‘What are the Fae like? Are they the same as here?’ I ask. ‘Arse holes? Back-stabbing, selfish fuckers?’

‘No. Well,’ Reid corrects himself. ‘Like anywhere, you get bad people. Cruel people. Selfish and power-hungry people. But the Fae that are here aren’t your typical folk. They know they’ve lost something but can’t remember what. They’re in collars and forced to live in squalor. It’s kill or be killed here. It’s a cruel place.’

‘How did we get here then? Why would we leave such a lovely place to come here? Why does no one talk about this other realm?’ I ask.

‘Twenty years ago, something happened, and the two worlds collided, sending thousands of us over here.’

‘If that were true, people would know. The old man, Ahri’s dad, he’s in his late forties. He would have known-’

‘No. He wouldn’t,’ Reid says. ‘Not really. Not after he ate the human food and drank their water. Not once he consumed their liquor or breathed in their pollution.’

‘Why “not really”?’ I ask, catching that odd comment.

‘Do you recall the night we met?’ Reid asks.

‘Hard to forget, Sir.’

‘I asked you why you say “Goddess” or “Fates”. Do you remember that?’

‘I do.’

‘Well, those words are from home, Raven,’ Reid explains. ‘They are not human words. They are Fae. They are who we treasure. Obey. Honour. The Great Goddess and the demanding Fates. Somewhere deep down that link to home remains, embedded deep into our souls. Fae came here and became contaminated by this world. The more of it they consume, the less they can remember. Fae would do the same when humans found themselves in our world.’

‘Humans can go to the Fae world?’

‘Yes. There’s a connection that can be formed between souls. Gifted by the Goddess and enforced by the Fates. It never relents. We call it a Bond. A Mated-Bond, sometimes Fated-Mates. It's when two people are destined to be together.’

‘You’re sounding insane,’ I say simply. 'There's no such thing as destiny.'

‘You’re wrong,’ Reid corrects. ‘It connects people, and sometimes those people are in other worlds. A Fae and a human could be connected by the Bond, and Fae, being the one more connected to the spiritual and mystical side of the universe, would feel it. It’s a longing. An ache. A hole in your gut that grows and grows, becoming an obsession almost. Not every Fae is gifted a Bond. Very few are. Even fewer are Bonded to a human but when they were, they would summon the human into our world. They would ply the human with Fae food and drink and eradicate all memories of their life in their previous world. It was rare, but when the Bond was made, it was deemed not only lawfully right but morally right to call the human over and claim them.’

‘And how did they do that, exactly?’

‘A portal wielder,’ Cyrus says. ‘Someone like you.’

‘Me?’ I ask, looking between them still. ‘I can connect two worlds?’

‘You?’ Cyrus laughs and shakes his head. ‘Not yet. Perhaps with training and time. But we’re talking centuries of training and mastery before that level of power is achieved by your kind.’

‘Centuries?’ I scoff, still convinced these men are mad. ‘Okay then.’

‘Fae age differently,’ Reid interjects. ‘Powerful Fae anyway. They age a lot slower once they hit maturity. Eighteen or so.’

I just frown.

‘You look in your early twenties. How old are you really?’ I ask, looking between them.

‘A tad older than that,’ Cyrus replies with a wink.

‘How did we get over here then?’ I ask, moving on as they obviously aren’t going to say.

‘Many years ago,’ Reid begins. ‘A Bond was formed between a Fae girl and a human. She was driven insane by the connection and sought permission to call over her Mate. He was summoned and welcomed. But the man was… different. He ate our food and drank our wine, but many believed that his memories of the old life he had were still in his mind. He studied science. He was obsessed with the source of the Fae’s power and we soon discovered that he was carrying out experiments.’

At the mention of that word, they both look at me tensely, waiting.

‘E-experiments?’ I repeat.

They both nod slowly.

Reid takes a breath. ‘It started with experiments on nature. Then blood. Eventually, we discovered he was experimenting on Fae themselves.’

‘A human… experimenting on Fae…’ I see now where this is going, and they recognise my understanding. ‘Ivan Walker?’ I ask. ‘My biological father?’

‘Ivan Walker,’ they repeat as one.

‘No one stopped him? What was he doing to the Fae he took?’

‘We had no idea what he was trying to do. It was years before he was discovered. His position at court meant he was well protected, so he managed to keep it secret, stealing Fae not many would look for.’ Reid’s eye twitches as he thinks of him and anger flashes in his eyes. ‘Once discovered, Walker fled, along with the woman who had summoned him over. A month passed. Then it happened.’

‘What happened?’

‘The Event. The Shift. Whatever the fuck you want to call it. There was a rumble. The entire city shook. The palace began to crumble, and everything went a blinding white.’ Cyrus falls silent as he relives it in his mind. ‘The next thing we knew, the entire city was gone. And all the Fae within it were all standing in this godforsaken place. In the human world. The rain was hammering down. The air stunk and we could hardly breathe through the pollution. Gone were the skies of our home, the fresh air, the purple moons and the silk trees. Instead, we were knee-deep in mud and shit, surrounded by armed humans who fired gas canisters at us from all directions, knocking us out. We woke up behind walls, sealed in towns and cities with collars on our necks. They dropped in food and water and waited a few months before making contact. By then, the Fae had eaten enough of their shit to forget their home world and they filled our empty heads with lies.’ He stands and starts pacing the room. ‘Fuckers. Any human we took was met with compassion, loyalty, kindness and dignity. They treated us like vermin.’

‘How do you remember if no one else does?’ I ask.

Cyrus turns and with a face like thunder, releases his wings. They spread wide and are almost floor to ceiling. ‘Because of these.’

I look to Reid, who nods.

‘Not all Fae are born equal,’ Reid explains. ‘Those born with wings are warriors. Protectors. They’re deeply connected to the power of the Fae. To the Goddess and the Fates. Our purpose is to protect and defend. Six of us had wings when we came here. We are the only ones to remember.’

‘Six of you?’

‘Cyrus and myself. Lucca, Brennan and two girls. Tessa and El.’

‘El?’

‘Elanor. We all came from the Thirteenth-Kingdom. One of many Fae kingdoms. We were charged with one job and one job only. To protect our world. Until the day we were…’ He looks to Cyrus and hesitates.

‘You were what?’ I urge.

‘The Bond called us. Cyrus and me. We were both summoned, so we had no choice but to answer.’

‘You were promised to another woman?’ I ask, pained by the thought after what we just shared. ‘Both of you?’

Reid sees the pain his words have inflicted and grabs my hand. ‘We were bound to a woman because of the future that she was destined to deliver.’

‘I don’t understand.’

‘Her baby,’ Cyrus answers, folding his arms across his chest and shaking his head, laughing spitefully. ‘We all felt the Bond form when she fell pregnant. She summoned us to her side. We were destined to belong to the child she was to birth.’

‘Both of you? To one child? I mean, how old were you? That’s one hell of an age gap,’ I sneer.

‘No one was more surprised than us, believe me. This was unheard of. Two full-grown men being summoned by a fucking baby.’ Cyrus scoffs again. ‘It was bloody embarrassing if anything.’

‘Anyway,’ Reid continues, bypassing Cyrus’s indignation. ‘We reported for duty. A matter of months later, she disappeared. The Bond disappeared. We thought it was because she, along with the baby, had died.’

They both look at me.

‘What really happened?’ I ask.

‘She had left the Fae-realm with Ivan Walker. She had consumed human food and the baby inside her must have changed somehow. We couldn’t feel the Bond. Not until a few days ago.’

They both shift and the air gets tenser.

‘What happened a few days ago?’ I ask.

‘You Triggered,’ Reid says. ‘You reconnected to the Fae-realm. In that moment… I felt the Bond return.’

My mouth drops open.

‘And so did I,’ Cyrus admits, wringing his hands together. ‘Like a bolt of lightning striking my heart and drawing me to you.’

Neither look at me as I sit dumbfounded.

‘It was the Queen’s child we had felt the Bond with,’ Reid says. ‘It was the Queen who had the Bond with Ivan Walker and summoned him to our realm. It was the Queen who left for the human world and…’ He takes a deep breath. ‘It was the Queen who was the court’s portal wielder.’ Reid lifts his gaze to me. ‘Your mother was the one who sent us to the human world, Raven. She caused the Event that sent us all here. You’re the Princess of the First Kingdom. The most powerful Fae-City in all the thirteen Kingdoms.’

‘This isn’t funny,’ I tell them, my throat suddenly feeling too tight. ‘You’re not funny.’

‘And we’re not joking,’ Cyrus says, lifting his head to look at me with a cocky raised brow. ‘Princess.’

I fill with rage and lunge myself at him, smacking him over and over again.

‘Fuck, woman! Get your naked, crazy-ass off me!’ he yells, trying to grab my wrists to stop my assault. He throws me back on the bed and gets quickly to his feet. ‘Calm down!’

‘YOU KNEW?!’ I scream, not giving a damn that I’m still stark naked. ‘Is that why you called me Princess, huh? Your sick kind of a joke?’

‘I called you Princess because I wished that you were!’ he yells back angrily. ‘You have no idea what’s it’s like to have that Bond and then feel it disappear. To feel that link to another and then have it wrenched from your gut. YOU HAVE NO FUCKING IDEA!’ he roars, sending spit flying as he waves his hand dramatically through the air. ‘I saw you when I arrived a few months ago. I saw you running around, stealing, and causing trouble. I couldn’t stop watching you, no matter how hard I tried. And the more I watched, the more I thought I saw the queen in you. Those fucking eyes. You have her eyes and I found myself wishing you were my Bonded-Mate. I pretended that you were her. That she was alive. But I didn’t feel it with you. I wanted you, yes. But the Bond is different. I didn’t feel it so you couldn’t be her. Then…’

‘What?’ I urge.

‘You mentioned a twin one time. I don’t even think you remember saying anything about it. I suspected that you were the Princess. But I was Bonded to your sister instead.’

‘Why didn’t you say something!’

‘Like what? “Hi there. I’m a criminal who used to be a High Lord warrior in a different world. You or your dead twin were promised to me as a baby, but since she’s not here and I fancy the fuck out of you, get your knickers off and let’s have at it”? I don’t think so. Besides. I didn’t feel the Bond. My Mate was still gone.’

‘You were Bonded to Rhea?’ I look at Cyrus. ‘Y-you’re Rhea’s?’ I feel the grief of it climb my throat as I say the words and feel tears brim in my eyes like the pathetic idiot I am. I feel like I’ve cheated on my sister’s memory. Betrayed her. And then I become wracked with guilt because the idea of him belonging to her is enraging.

‘You’re not listening,’ Cyrus says, softening to my reaction. He walks up the side of the bed, bringing with him the t-shirt he threw to the floor earlier. He dresses me and sits. ‘Yes. I was attracted to you, even though I didn’t feel the Bond. Look at you. You’re a feisty, sexy, difficult and complicated little thing. Of course, I was captivated. I meant it when I said I wanted you. I meant it when I flirted. Sweet fuck, girl. Do you have any idea how many times I followed you around the city, watching you work my patch, wishing I could swoop down, tear off your clothes and claim you then and there?’

‘Well, why didn’t you then?’

‘Well for one, every time I got too close, you threatened to cut my dick off. And two, the Bond wasn’t there for me.’ He looks over to Reid. ‘Which meant it might have been for Reid. When he came to the city, I was scared that he had decided to claim you as his. I thought he had decided to react to his Bond and finally come to find you. I warned you away, hoping that he would leave to seek you elsewhere. But then your silly backside went to the bar. And you found him.’

‘You can’t fight the Bond,’ Reid says matter of factly. ‘We were always destined to find each other, even if I was in the city for a completely different reason. I wasn’t looking for you because, like Cyrus, I didn’t feel the Bond either. Not since it died.’ Reid sweeps my hair over my shoulder. ‘Then you Triggered. The Bond returned for me in that instant. I’d only ever met the Queen once and I was pretty drunk, to be honest. When I saw you in the pub the night we met, I felt like you were familiar. By the time I realised, it was too late. Your piss-ant pretend dad shot me and you ran off.’

‘So, I’m your Mate?’ I ask Reid. I look painfully to Cyrus, who surprisingly smiles.

‘We both feel the Bond, Princess. To be sure, we thought we would check. It’s easy for me to say I feel the Bond when I don’t. Same for Reid. But there’s a link between Bonded souls. One you can see and feel when you’re the one making them come like a volcano, and trust me, Reid and I both felt it. We saw it.' He gestures at their eyes. 'Eyes don't glimmer for anyone, Princess. It's the power inside, connecting with the power of their Mate. When we give you pleasure, our power spikes and stirs from within. Our eyes go gold. The gold in our eyes, that warmth that ran down your arms to your heart, that was it. The Bond. The Bond you have with both of us.’

He smirks and winks at his words and even Reid gives a soft laugh.

‘There’s no doubt. You may be one of a twin, but our Bond is to you and you alone,’ Reid states. ‘Neither of us were Rhea’s Bonded-Mate and now we know for certain.’ He takes my chin in between his thumb and forefinger. ‘Your ours. There’s no fighting destiny, Princess. And now we’ve got you, we’re not letting go.’

‘I… I erm…’

‘What?’

‘I think I’m going to be sick.’

‘Huh?’

I propel myself to the bathroom, slam the door shut behind me and throw up into the toilet.

‘Erm...’ Cyrus says from the other side of the door. 'I think she took it well.’

'She's vomiting, Cyrus. A lot.'

'True.' Cyrus sighs. 'Never made a girl do that before.'

'Me neither,' Reid says. 'Me neither.'

31

I open the door to find them still sitting there, perched on the edge of the bed with their elbows on their knees and their hands locked together.

‘All right?’ Cyrus asks.

‘Peachy,’ I reply, heading towards them and sitting in between them both. ‘So. I’m a princess. My mother, the queen of a Fae-realm, ran off with a crazy human, my father, and did something that dragged thousands of Fae to the human world. The Fae can’t remember any of this, even though it happened two decades ago, except for you and your Pets, who are elite warriors with wings who are destined to protect Fae. You two are my Mates because of a Bond that links us, and when I Triggered, it awoke for you. Because neither of you believed the other that you were the one with the Bond, you decided to test the theory by both making me orgasm, which apparently, creates some kind of effect between us that signifies the Bond.’ I look between them. ‘Is that about the gist of it?’

‘Yeah.’

‘I suppose so.’

‘Why did Cyrus call you Elias?’

‘Because that’s the name I used to go by back home.’

‘Why did Ivan walker kill my mother?’

Reid goes to take my hand, but I pull back. ‘We don’t know. We didn’t realise he had until you told me in the hotel the other night. When we were sent here, we assumed she must be alive as she was the only Portal Wielder powerful enough to attempt anything like this. But we feared the worst for her child because the Bond was gone. When you said your mother was hiding from Ivan, it became obvious that whatever happened wasn’t something your mother wanted to be a part of.’

I feel the truth of his words. Not a single lie has been spoken. It makes my head spin and I slump forwards, burying my face in my hands with a groan.

‘Why did Ivan, or my mother, bring us here?’

‘No idea,’ Cyrus replies. ‘He prepared for us. Told the humans of our powers and weaknesses. I think maybe he expected to use us for our gifts. He didn’t consider that Fae aren’t supposed to live in the human world. Their powers faded when we got here. And if they ever return, they turn into monsters. Our powers never left but we can’t use them without Gilt. Ivan died before we could figure out his plan. We’ve been stuck here ever since.’

‘Why do you look human?’ I ask Reid, still with my face buried in my hands. ‘You have Fae beauty but your ears… they’re human.’

‘It’s complicated.’

‘Why can’t you tell me?’ I ask, lifting my head.

‘Like he said,’ Cyrus interjects. ‘It’s complicated and to be honest, none of your fucking business!’

I blink at the harsh response, chilled by the sudden change in atmosphere.

Cyrus stands and looks at me.

‘Fact of the matter is, Princess. You have a power that makes you not only valuable, but dangerous. You’re a portal wielder and one day, you might be able to send us home. That is if you ever get to grips with your power. Considering we’re stuck here and you’ll be ageing like the rest of the monkeys in this shit hole realm of existence, I don’t see it happening. It takes decades, sometimes centuries, to master your powers and with your mum dead, there’s no one left to teach you. So, we’re left with one option. We make do here. Gilt is being stolen and without it, we’ll all be Dark-Fae in a matter of weeks. That is if we quit using our powers. You’re ours now.’ He gestures between himself and Reid. ‘Do with that as you will, but the fact of the matter is we have Gilt to find. You may not be able to get us home, but you can help us find out where it is and help us get it back.’

‘And be your fuck toy in the meantime?’ I spit back.

‘Have we demanded any satisfaction from you?’ Reid snaps, getting to his feet as well. ‘Neither of us have fucked you. Neither of us have demanded anything from you.’

‘Is that right?’ I look at Cyrus. ‘So it wasn’t your cock I had in my mouth the other day, no?’

Cyrus slowly looks at Reid, who now looks ready to tear his head off.

‘You said she offered. You said you hadn’t touched her. You… you’ve been inside her?’ Reid’s words are snarled through his clenched teeth.

‘I said I hadn’t come inside her, and I haven’t. So what if I fucked her mouth a little bit.’

Reid’s fist slams into Cyrus’s face in an instant and before I know it, the two of them are laying into each other.

I grab a pair of joggers from the chest of drawers and leave the room, slamming the door behind me.

Let them fight. Let them rip each other to pieces.

I hop as I get myself dressed, not stopping as I walk down the landing.

Wherever we are, it’s a grand and old place. The walls are patched together with plaster and old wallpaper clings to the wall. The floors are bare and uneven. I take hold of the banister and look down. I’m on an enormous balcony with two winding staircases leading to a large lobby with cracked marble floors. Above, the ceiling is a vast dome. A long chain hangs from the very centre, but the chandelier that I’m guessing should hang at the end, is gone. There are more doors down the landing, probably leading to more bedrooms and a few passageways that disappear out of sight.

But the condition is the strangest thing, aside from the size and grandeur of the architecture, or even the men still fighting in the bedroom behind me.

It’s a mess.

The walls have holes and large chunks of missing plaster. Graffiti reaches floor to ceiling and some of the floorboards have given way to their age, leaving potholes in their wake.

I run down the stairs and look to my left to see Lucca and Brennan sitting in a lounge. Lucca has a doughnut to his lips and Brennan is holding a beer bottle. We watch each other for a moment before the guys upstairs lean over the banister.

I make for the door.

‘STOP HER!’ Reid and Cyrus both yell as I run.

Lucca and Brennan drop their beer and doughnut before leaping over their sofa and charging after me. I throw open the door and sprint outside. I reach out my hand. Before me, a portal forms, swirling its black and gold wondrousness. I leap through and annoyingly crash back into the lobby of the house, sliding to a stop at the base of the stairs where Reid and Cyrus both come to a halt.

The portal fades and I look up.

‘Well. That’s just embarrassing,’ Cyrus scoffs, reaching down and hauling me to my feet. ‘Will you cut that shit out? You have no idea how to control your portals. You could decapitate yourself or end up plummeting to earth like those agents did yesterday, so stop it. Hear me?’

‘Quit yelling at me,’ I hiss, trying to wriggle free of him. ‘And get off me!’ I slam my bare foot into him, making him growl in annoyance.

‘Oh good,’ pants Lucca, appearing with Brennan in the doorway. ‘She came back. Yay.’ He smirks ear to ear, seeing us all together and no doubt hearing whatever it is we’re thinking between us. ‘So the Bond’s out of the bag, huh? This should be fun. Who is it then? Who went all gold and glittery when Pup succumbed to her pleasure?’

‘Neither,’ I spit, pulling free my arm.

‘Both of us,’ they reply together.

‘Wow. Lucky pup. Two egomaniac, mass-murdering, power-hungry and competitive men all to yourself. Very lucky indeed.’

‘Fuck off, Lucca,’ all three of us reply.

I step back, dragging my hands through my hair and shaking my head.

‘What now?’ I ask, looking at the dump of a mansion we’re standing in. ‘Where the hell am I? What do I do now?’

‘We’re somewhere safe. You lie low for a while. Everyone thinks you're dead.’ Reid walks over and closes the front door. ‘We need to find Gilt. Fixing you up left supplies real low.’

‘Then maybe you shouldn’t have slit my fucking throat,’ I snarl.

‘You’re right. I should have let them arrest you. Or perhaps let Cyrus fly away with you so you could have died from all the internal bleeding you had suffered in the woods.’

‘Maybe you should have,’ I bite back. ‘Because if you think for a second that I’m going to just fall into line and be your fuck toy all because of some stupid Bond, you can think again.’

‘You didn’t seem to mind a little while ago,’ Reid counters. ‘And you certainly didn’t mind when you begged me to go harder in the bathroom. Or when you apparently begged Cyrus to face fuck you!’

A portal opens beneath him and he disappears with a yell. A yell that ends with a crash in a room deeper into the house. One that clatters with saucepans and broken plates.

The portal fades and I slam my hands over my mouth, knowing that I just really fucked up.

Everyone falls silent before turning to face the direction of heavy footsteps.

Reid storms back into the lobby and stops dead ahead of me. I have to look up to keep his face in my sights as he towers over me. There’s a bead of blood dripping down his forehead and he looks livid.

‘Ow.’

‘I didn’t mean to,’ I whisper.

Lucca snorts before breaking into a fit of laughter. Even Cyrus and Brennan try not to laugh, sealing their lips tight and looking at the floor.

‘If you’re going to throw me through a portal every time I piss you off-’

‘Maybe you shouldn’t piss me off then.’

‘Maybe you shouldn’t be such a smart arse.’

‘My arse, smart or otherwise, is no concern of yours. Mate or not, Bonded or not, you and Cyrus are never going to come near me or my arse ever again.’

He steps closer, but I refuse to step back.

‘Your arse,’ he says darkly, and with a tone so low it vibrates through his chest. ‘Your mouth. Your legs. Your tits. Your fucking pussy. They are all my concern. Along with your safety and survival. Annoyingly-’ He points at Cyrus. ‘They are his too. So get your head around this and fucking get over it.’

‘You’re gonna force me now, is that it?’ I step closer and jab him in the chest. ‘You could try.’

‘We won’t need to. Trust me. You’ll be begging for it before long, and when you do finally get it, you’ll either beg for mercy or beg for us never to stop.’

As we share an intense stare-off, Lucca’s phone starts to ring.

‘Saved by the bell,’ he whispers, taking the call.

Cyrus takes my elbow and guides me away from Reid.

‘Fighting each other isn’t going to help anything,’ he says to Reid. ‘We have bigger problems.’

‘Yeah,’ Lucca says, hanging up the phone and turning to face Reid. ‘Like Tessa.’

‘What about her?’

‘She’s here. Or about to be.’ Lucca points to the door and the growing sound of a car’s engine.

‘I told Elanor not to bring her here yet!’ Reid hisses. He grabs my arm and drags me towards Brennan. ‘Take Raven to the shed out back.’

‘Excuse me?’ I scoff.

‘Now, Brennan!’

‘Now hold on a second,’ I demand. But Brennan has started dragging me towards the back of the house. ‘I’m not going anywhere.’

‘Oh dear,’ Cyrus says with a smirk. ‘This should be fun.’

The car stops and a door opens, followed by a series of very hasty footsteps.

‘TAKE HER NOW!’

‘Who is it?’ I demand, pulling against Brennan.

Cyrus’s smirk only increases as he turns his smug grin to Reid.

‘It’s Tessa,’ Cyrus says. ‘Reid’s wife.’

32

Stunned into silence, I let Brennan manhandle me out of the house as Tessa approaches. We pass through a shabby old kitchen, the size of my entire ground floor back home, and fall out of the back door as the front one hurtles open. I listen to the high-pitched yelling of a woman. Brennan closes the back door and seals her words inside.

Pausing for a moment, I take in a view the kind of which I’ve never seen before, and gasp at the miles upon miles of rolling countryside laid before me.

Brennan guides me on. Lines of trees and cobbled walls mark the field’s boundaries ahead and disappear into the woodland and a sinking horizon. But what I notice most of all, what I love most of all, is that I fail to see another house, town, or city. No people. No walls. No bars. No traffic. No smog or smells. No whore houses or Agents.

It’s blissfully quiet and as I take a deep breath, I can’t help but let out a happy sigh.

Brennan continues to pull me along when Tessa’s voice gets louder. We head towards a large barn looking building with black metal doors.

Brennan unlocks the heavy-duty padlock and urges me inside.

‘His wife?’ I repeat, almost too astounded to fully understand the words I’ve just said. And then I feel them. They feel angry. ‘HIS WIFE?!’

‘Take a seat and just… wait. He’ll explain. Make yourself comfortable and-’

‘Make myself comfortable whilst he talks to his fucking wife?’ I repeat again, looking at the makeshift garage, complete with heavy machinery and toolboxes lining the walls. The floor is stained with oil and grease, and dirty rags litter every surface. ‘I asked him if she was his girlfriend. He said no.’

‘She’s not his girlfriend to be fair.’

Brennan pulls off a tarp, revealing a makeshift sofa made from some old seats ripped out the back of a car. The black leather is worn and badly patched together. The metal legs screech as he drags the sofa out, turning it to face the exquisite view outside.

I sit on the seat, which squeaks and smells of petrol.

He finds an oily set of playing cards and sits beside me, dealing them out.

‘I’m curious,’ he says. ‘Is it just verbal lies you can sense?’

‘What?’ I ask a little impatiently.

‘If I played poker with you,’ Brennan continues. ‘Would you be able to tell if I’m hiding a good hand?’

‘Yep.’

‘No to poker then. Snap?’

‘That’s a kid’s game.’ I sit back, arms folded and legs crossed, staring intently at the house. It starts to rain. It’s always bloody raining.

Brennan continues to deal the cards and plays a very one-sided game of snap. I lower the cards to avoid his complaining but don’t even look at what I lay. When the back door of the house opens, two people head out and jog across the lawn towards us, their hoods up to protect them from the rain.

Brennan watches them approach, halting his hand mid-air with a card in his fingers.

When the two arrive in the garage, they lower their hoods.

It’s Lucca and a girl. One with long hair that reaches to her hips. It’s a mixture of bright pink and dark blue. She wears black eye makeup and black lipstick. She’s dressed in a dainty black dress made of lace and knee-high black boots. Her nose is pierced, as well as her eyebrow, lip, and septum. Countless chains hang around her neck, along with a collar, and when she sees me, she smiles and waves.

‘Hi, Raven. Cool to meet you properly.’ She heads over and stretches out her hand. Every finger is adorned with rings and bracelets jingle on her wrists. Like the boys, she has black markings on her skin. Tattoos travel from her middle fingers, up the centre of her arms and disappear under her clothes. ‘I’m Elanor. But everyone calls me El.’

‘You’re Elanor?’ I ask. ‘The shadow?’

‘El. Yeah. Well, I’m not the shadow right now but-’

I charge forwards. Lucca goes to grab me, but I reach her first.

And I hug the hell out of her.

She laughs and wraps her arms around me, laughing happily.

‘I like this one. Handsy,’ she giggles.

‘Thank you,’ I tell her with all the sincerity I hold in my heart. ‘Thank you so much. If you hadn’t had been there in the woods… Oh fuck. Thank you.’ Images of Jonah tearing at my clothes and promising his men their turn with me has me clinging to her harder. But she meets my embrace with kindness. ‘They were going to really hurt me.’

‘Girl, I had you. No way I let that happen.’

Lucca clears his throat and I return to my senses.

I let her go and step back.

‘Sorry.’ I hold my hand out and smile. ‘Boundaries.’

‘Please. When boobs have squished, there’s no need for a handshake.’ She playfully bats my hand aside and slumps into the sofa, followed closely by Lucca. She leans into him with one knee up and her other stretched out over his legs. Her head rests on the back of the sofa and she lets out a long sigh.

‘You think they’re okay?’ she asks.

They all turn and look towards the house.

‘Same old, I bet. Tears and threats. Some slapping and screaming,’ Brennan replies.

‘Is that Reid or Tessa?’ Lucca asks, causing them all to share a laugh.

‘Ahh. It’s my fault,’ El sighs. ‘I blurted when I took her to Serge’s. She was a mess after helping that poor girl and I wasn’t paying attention to what I was saying.’

‘You told her about Raven?’ Lucca asks.

‘It just slipped out, and you know how she is.’

‘A fucking nutter,’ Brennan says.

El lights up a cigarette and offers me one. I shake my head.

‘So, you’re the Princess.’

‘Has Reid been talking to you about me?’

‘Just a bit,’ she grins.

‘Is the girl from the brothel okay?’

‘She is now. Tessa took her pain away.’

‘What does that mean?’ I ask, keen to learn more.

‘She’s what we call an Extreme Empath,’ El explains. ‘She can take feelings or emotions from others, with their permission that is. It’s a tricky and unforgiving power though.’

‘Why?’

‘Because whatever she takes, she feels. For a few days, at least. I took her to Serge’s and she took the trauma that the girl had suffered in the White Room into herself. The girl recovered and felt no pain or misery. But Tessa feels what she takes for a while. Like it happened to her.’

‘That’s barbaric.’ How horrendous. How traumatic!

‘It passes,’ El replies. ‘Sometimes after an hour. Sometimes a few days. It goes, and she forgets it.’ My expression clearly shows my horror. That poor woman! ‘It’s not all bad,’ El insists. ‘She can make people feel things too. Only those with a weak mind and only for a little while. Very handy in battle or when interrogating someone. She can make people feel terror or dread, immobilising them in battle. She can put rage and fury into them, turning them on their friends.’

No wonder she needed Reid after she visited Serge’s place. How cruel, to be forced to feel that kind of suffering in order to free others from their pain.

El leans forwards with a fascinated expression. ‘What does it feel like?’

‘What?’ I ask.’

‘When people lie?’

‘It feels like I’ve licked a battery and I get this tingle that runs up my spine and settles at the base of my skull.’

‘That sounds nice. Sensual almost,’ she admires.

‘Then I feel sick. Sometimes I puke or get migraines.’

‘Not so sexy.’

Someone shouts back at the house. Everyone looks. I’m desperate to ignore the fact that I was just finger and mouth fucked by a married man who is now arguing with his wife, so I try to focus on something else.

‘What about you? Being a shadow, how does that work?’

‘El-’ Brennan warns. ‘We’re not supposed to talk about-’

‘I’m what they call a Shadow-Walker,’ she says. Lucca looks on, enthralled by our frank and probably forbidden conversation.

‘What’s a Shadow-Walker?’ I ask.

‘I can sort of astral project my consciousness into shadows. Lets me sneak about unseen.’

‘You were solid in your form though. And strong. You threw those creeps about like they were dolls.’

‘Yeah. I’m a physical being, even in that form. Well, I am until I get hit by too much light. Then I get thrown back into my body and I must project myself again. Takes time to get into the trance. I got hit by your sister’s torchlight and ended up back in Reid’s car.’

My brow furrows as I think back. ‘You’ve been sneaking around my house. I saw you in the lounge. I hit you with my shoe.’

She clears her throat. ‘Erm…’

‘Why the hell were you sneaking around my house?’

‘In truth, Reid told me to.’

‘Reid told you to spy on me?’

‘No. He told me to keep an eye on you.’

‘Keep an eye sounds like spy, to me.’

‘He wanted to make sure you were safe. That’s all.’

‘Bullshit. He wanted to know I wasn’t doing anything he didn’t want me to. Coming from a married man-’

‘If that’s what you wanna think, but if you ask me, he wanted to make sure his Little Bird was safe in that shitty little cage you were in.’

‘Don’t call me that.’

But she dismisses my annoyance with a wave of her hand. ‘Cool your jets. He trusts me. Enough to check on his new, favourite toy.’

‘Sure his wife is thrilled about that.’ I glance back at the house. ‘Where’s Cyrus?’

‘Tending to another guest.’

‘His wife? Is Cyrus married too?’

They all burst into laughter.

‘Him? Marry? Not likely. That man is the last person I would ever expect to marry,’ El laughs, rolling her eyes. Lucca nudges her as he sees my expression. ‘I mean, the Bond is different. It’s-’

‘Why would Reid get married if he was Bonded to another?’ I ask.

‘Because everyone thought you had died,’ El replies with a shrug. ‘He was free and back on the market. Tessa’s father made a deal with Reid’s father and the two were hitched a couple weeks later. Then soon after that, BOOM!’ We all jump at her sudden exclamation. ‘We were here.’ El takes a long drag on her cigarette before handing it to Lucca. ‘It was an arranged marriage. Poor Reid didn’t get much of a say in the matter. His father isn’t exactly the “taking no for an answer” sort. The deal was struck and the pair married. We tried to warn Tessa that he wasn’t exactly husband material. He didn’t want to be with her. He'd just lost his Bonded-Mate. Poor guy had his heart ripped out of his chest and was then forced to marry some drip from the countryside.’

‘You tried,’ Lucca corrects. ‘I couldn’t wait to watch the carnage.’ Lucca looks at me to explain further. ‘Reid is not the settle down type. He’s the go to war, tear the heads of his enemies and claim the spoils type. But Tessa went ahead and fell in love with the idea of marrying the heir to the Thirteenth-Kingdom.’

‘Heir? What does that mean?’ I ask.

‘His father is the High Lord of the Thirteenth-Kingdom,’ Lucca says dismissively, as if that’s obvious and not worth discussing. ‘I thought she might change her mind when she met him though. Do you remember that?’ Lucca asks Brennan. Brennan and El both nod and grin. Lucca looks at me. ‘There we were, heading back from a three-week ride after ending this pitiful attempt from the waste-land folk to try and invade us, when we were met at the border. This little messenger lad informed us that we had to report to Reid’s father asap. Reid walked in, his leather tunic filthy from the road with his bloody sword over his shoulder, and he came face to face with Tessa, dressed in this frilly, pink dress thing. They were set to marry in two days.’

Lucca and Brennan both snort in amusement.

‘That was a weird engagement party,’ Brennan muses. ‘She asked if he needed help washing the blood from his hair and he got so drunk, he fucked one of his mother’s hand-maidens.’

They all burst into laughter.

I don’t find it funny.

‘Where’s Cyrus? Who is Cyrus talking to?’

‘Someone connected to Serge.’

‘Serge?’ I repeat, my blood running hot as I think of that fucker. ‘There’s someone connected to Serge here? In the house?’

All three sit and look at me, not entirely sure what to do next.

‘Are they trying to find the Gilt, or is it to do with my mother’s death?’

‘Not our place to ask,’ Brennan replies.

‘I want to see this person.’ I go to stand, but Brennan yanks me back down without so much as a look.

‘Not your place either.’

‘But it was my place to be dragged into that hell-hole and forced to tell if that monster was lying?’ I spit back.

‘Damn. So angry.’ El shakes her head and leans further into Lucca’s body. ‘The boys know what they’re doing. Trust-’

‘I don’t trust anyone. Let alone them.’

‘And you think a little girl who only just Triggered can help two winged-warriors who have spent three decades serving as the finest guards in our realm before coming here and surviving this nightmare for another two decades?’ Brennan scoffs. ‘You can’t even keep your own shit together. Let alone help fix the problems of thousands of Fae stuck in a mortal world with bombs around their necks. They’ll get what they need. They always do.’

I look at Lucca. The man who can read minds. ‘Why aren’t you in there? Why aren’t you reading his thoughts?’

I swear I see the blood drain from his face as he loses himself into a dark memory. My heart breaks for anyone who looks so harrowed, and El looks on painfully too as he sinks into whatever darkness has gripped him.

‘He’s not had enough Gilt,’ El replies. I sense the lie and I’m sure she knows that I have. But I know that look. I’m not pushing.

‘What’s the plan about getting the Gilt back?’ I ask. ‘What are we going to do?’

‘You’ve decided to help then?’

‘What the hell else am I going to do? Reid killed me, and my sister sold me to a rapist piece of shit. My options are rather limited. We all need Gilt, right? So fuck it.’

Lucca pulls out a flask from his pocket and raises it high.

‘Fuck it.’

I reach over and snatch it from his grip before it touches his lips and they all watch me down the lot in one. The whiskey burns as it slides down my throat. I hand it back and slump down on the sofa.

‘Thirsty?’ he asks, peering into the empty flask.

‘Got any more?’ I ask.

He reaches back and pulls out a bottle from behind a large canister of oil. He hands it to me and I drink down more.

‘Easy, Pup. Don’t overdo it.’

‘Overdo it?’ I scoff. ‘Never mind everything else, I’ve just learnt that the two men I’m Bonded to are fifty years old. Three decades as a warrior. Two here. Fuck…’ I drink some more.

‘But they look mighty fine for their age, don’t you think?’ El says with a wink. ‘I’m almost forty in human years.’

‘Damn…’ I marvel. ‘You look no older than twenty.’

'We're winged. Everyone else started aging when they came here. We didn't,' she tells me.

‘I’m the baby of the group,’ Lucca declares. ‘I only matured five years ago so I look about your age. Came here when I was a kid.’

‘This is insane.’ I take another sip.

‘You’ll be fine,’ El declares, nodding her approval and taking the bottle from me. ‘You've got pussy.’

‘Excuse me?’ I ask.

Both boys groan, obviously knowing what’s coming.

‘A pussy can take one hell of a pounding, girly. And it’ll be good as new in no time. Balls are weak, easily squashed and, let’s be honest, ugly. A pussy is beautiful. It’s resilient. So yeah, you got pussy.’ She hands me the bottle and I drink down more, laughing at her words.

‘I love you,’ Lucca whispers.

She smirks, tapping the tip of Lucca’s nose, before picking up the pack of cards.

‘I have to ask,’ I interrupt, looking at all three of them. ‘The tattoos. You all have such similar markings. Do they mean something?’

El smiles and holds out her hand, showing me the tattoos on her skin.

‘Oh. They mean everything. Back home, when you make a promise or a deal, something important, something worth dying for, you seal the agreement with these markings. The one on my left arm is my promise to protect our people with my life. I’m a winged-warrior. I fight for freedom and fairness. My life and my honour belong to the people I serve.’ Her proud smile falters. ‘Served. The people I made this vow to are back home.’

‘What are we playing?’ Lucca asks, distracting her from grief and taking the cards from her fingers.

‘Snap,’ Brennan tells him.

‘Ohh. I love that game.’

He deals out the cards and encourages me to pick up my pile.

‘I’ll go first,’ El says, leaning into Lucca with a devilish glint in her eye. ‘If you win, I’ll be your dark and deranged little angel all night long.’

Lucca gives a low and animalistic growl, which she returns in kind.

‘They’re so fucking weird,’ Brennan says to me, placing his own card. ‘Your turn.’

‘Are you kidding me?’

‘It wasn’t our fault,’ Lucca replies with a hiccup. ‘Girl drinks like a fish.’

‘It’s not even midday and she’s as drunk as your uncle Tarlin,’ Cyrus scoffs. His arms reach under me and he lifts. ‘Has she even eaten anything?’

‘Your dick?’ Lucca snorts, slurring his words.

‘Fucking idiot. I’m taking her to bed.’

‘What about Reid?’

‘He’s not my type.’

Lucca laughs.

‘He’s still with Tessa. I’m not going anywhere near them.’ Cyrus heads to the door with me.

‘Don’t do anything he wouldn’t approve of,’ Brennan cautions. ‘She’s not just yours, you know.’

‘When he’s done talking to his wife, Reid can tell me that himself.’

Cyrus carries me out of the barn and back towards the house.

‘I can walk, you know,’ I grumble tiredly, lying in his arms. ‘And I’m not either of yours.’

‘You’re wasted.’

I nuzzle my face into his chest as I feel the drizzle of the day land on my skin. ‘You smell nice.’

‘Thanks. You smell like whiskey.’

‘You like whiskey.’

‘Not when it’s sloshing about in you, I don’t. Makes you all slow and pliable.’

‘Not gonna take advantage of me, are you?’

‘Tempting, but no. Unconscious girls aren’t my thing.’

‘What is your thing, then?’ I ask. ‘Other than making my life a misery, of course.’

‘Making you squeal,’ he grins. ‘That is most certainly my thing.’

‘You will never make me – AHHHHHHHH!’

His wings spread wide and with a ferocious beat of his magnificent wings, we soar upwards.

I scramble up his body. All I am is wrapped around him as we soar atop the trees. My arms cling to his neck and my legs wrap firm around his waist. I look upwards, watching the strength of each beat of his magnificent wings and hearing the solid whoosh of each motion. The way the rain slides down the black is mesmerising as it creates a glimmer of gold in its wake.

Cyrus holds me with absolute strength and ease. I’m as light as a feather in his arms and he holds me much closer than I think is needed. One hand rests on my lower back, the other at the base of my skull.

‘Relax,’ he says. ‘I’m not going to drop you. Ease up. You’re cutting off my blood supply.’

I scream as he soars upwards and I pull myself as close as I possibly can as we soar higher and higher.

‘FUCKING HELL, CYRUS!’ I screech, my fingers digging deep into his shoulders. ‘WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!’

‘Something I’ve always wanted to do,’ he replies. ‘Hold on tight!’

We both yell as he dips and dives through the clouds. Whereas my screams are of terror, his are full of joy. A boyish boom of laughter as he spins and flies up and down. Left to right. His wings never falter and his hold on me never lets up. My eyes scrunch up tight as we soar through the clouds, as images of me plummeting back to earth fill my head.

Suddenly the rain ceases pelting my body and silence engulfs me. Well, except for the smooth whoosh of his solid and steady wing beats.

Whoosh.

Whoosh.

Whoosh.

We’re upright now and still. My toes rest on the tops of his feet.

‘Open your eyes,’ he says gently in my ear.

I do.

We’re above the clouds. A thick blanket of white and grey rain clouds lie below and the most beautiful blue sky surrounds us. It goes on for miles and miles.

I gasp, lifting my head higher to look around. ‘I’ve never seen a clear sky before.’

I revel in the weightlessness of this moment. The sheer surrealness of it all.

‘I’m flying,’ I whisper in wonderment, letting out a light giggle in recognition of my words.

‘You certainly are,’ Cyrus responds.

I look at him, pulling my gaze from this heaven he’s brought me to, and see him watching with an equal amount of wonderment.

‘I’ve wanted to bring you up here for so long now. To show you a clear sky. To take you above the pollution and the greyness of that world.’ He glances away and looks at the heavenly scenes around us. ‘Just enjoy our stolen moment, Raven.’ His arms go rigid around me. ‘This moment is mine.’

He doesn’t realise I’m still watching him, his glassy eyes stare off into the distance as his mind races with uncomfortable thoughts which grind his teeth and furrow his brow.

‘This moment is mine…’ he whispers.

When my body begins to tremble and the whiskey in my belly makes me feel nauseous, Cyrus returns us to the ground and scoops me up in his arms once more.

I flew. I was in the sky. In the air. As free as I have ever been.

It was beautiful and wonderful. Terrifying and dangerous

It was Cyrus.

Fuck, I wish I wasn’t so drunk. The world is spinning and not much is in focus, I didn’t make the most of it in this state. Maybe he’ll take me up again when I’m not so pissed.

We step inside the house and as we pass the lobby, I’m sure I hear yelling from somewhere. But I’m too drunk to let it really register.

‘Where is the man you were talking to?’

‘What man?’ he asks, failing to sound convincing.

‘Serge’s man. Where is he?’

‘In pain. Secure. Annoyingly quiet.’

‘I can help,’ I mumble.

‘Not in your condition, you won’t.’

‘I’m well enough to fly with but not to help you?’

‘I’m not hammered. You are.’

He kicks open the door and I find myself back in the bed we shared last night.

I look up at him as he folds his arms across his chest and glares down at me.

‘Dear me, Princess. What the hell am I going to do with you, huh?’

‘Oh no. The big bad street gang boss is pissed off with me,’ I smirk, reaching up and gliding the tips of my fingers over his arms. Goosebumps erupt where I caress. I grip his arm and pull him down to the bed where he sits, watching me trace his tattoos with my fingers. ‘You’ve made so many vows. So many promises.’

‘How do you know about the tattoos?’

‘El. What promises have you made?’

‘Too many.’ He takes my hand in his and lifts it to his lips to gently kiss. ‘And most of them have been broken now.’

I throw my other arm over my eyes, wishing the room would stop spinning. ‘I can’t believe you didn’t tell me Reid was married.’

‘It doesn’t matter,’ he tells me, still kissing my fingers.

‘He’s married. It matters.’

‘It’s complicated.’

‘It’s not.’ I pull my hand away from him. ‘He’s married to Tessa. By force, apparently. And he’s also the heir to something called the Thirteenth-Kingdom.’

‘I see the others have been feeling extremely chatty.’

‘What’s the Thirteenth-Kingdom? Is that where you’re from?’

‘Yeah. That’s where I’m from.’

‘What is it?’

‘It’s like… I guess you would call it a country.’

‘Do you miss it?’ I sigh sleepily.

‘Sometimes. I miss the fresh air and the space.’

‘What don’t you miss?’

‘The Thirteenth-Kingdom,’ he replies. ‘The place was a shit hole. The least wealthy of the realm. The harshest.’

‘Where was I from? Or rather, my mum?’

‘The First.’

‘What was it like?’

‘Your Kingdom? Huge. Wealthy. Full of High Lords and ladies. You would have lived at the Palace.’

‘I find that hard to believe. Me. The monster-whore from the marshes.’

He whacks my arm away and towers over me. ‘I never want to hear you refer to yourself like that again. You hear me?’

‘Humph.’ I roll my eyes. ‘Tell me more about home.’

‘The palace was made of white marble. It towered over the kingdoms below, shone in the sun like a beacon. Not like the Thirteenth. Black stone and granite were all you saw back home.’

‘And Reid was the Lord’s son there?’

‘Yep. Reid was destined to rule when the old bastard kicked it. The people of the First-Kingdom weren’t too happy when we were called up as your Bonded-Mate, I can tell you. A warrior and the High Lord’s son of the poorest realm, destined to claim the Princess. Man. I’ve never had to navigate so many assassination attempts in my life.’ He actually laughs fondly. ‘Good times.’

‘I think it’s gross.’

‘Huh?’

‘Two full-grown men, promised to a baby. It’s sick.’

‘It’s not like we would have touched you until you were of age. Fuck, Raven. We’re not savages. We don't age, remember. We would just wait until you catch up and-'

‘Would I have had a say in it?’ I watch him glaring at me. ‘If I had said no to you, would I have ended up like Tessa? Shoved into a pretty dress and frog-marched down the aisle, or what?’

‘No one can fight the Bond. You belong to us.’

‘You two are so full of shit. Fucking liars. Stupid bloody men, thinking that they can just push everyone around.’

‘Excuse me?’

‘I’m not yours to claim. You’re nothing but liars and manipulators. And Reid’s a bloody married man! And you’re, by all accounts, a massive man whore.’

‘I’m going to put your rudeness down to the fact you’re drunk.’

‘Save your lecture for someone who gives a shit about what you think.’

‘And you don’t, hmm?’ he asks.

‘Nope.’

I hear his footsteps before the door closes. Already feeling the pull of sleep, I relax into the mattress. Good. I’m glad he’s gone.

But he’s not gone.

He walks back towards the bed and takes my wrists, pinning them either side of my head as he looms over me.

‘What are you doing?’ I slur, struggling to keep him in focus.

‘Listen close, Princess,’ he says in a low warning. ‘You’re Bonded to Reid and me whether you like it or not. So I suggest you quit bitching about it and stop lashing out. Do you think we’re happy about being tethered to a disobedient little girl who has no regard for herself or those around her? Who is so busy wallowing in self-pity that she can’t function as a rational person? We lost everything because of your mother and father. We were torn from our home and dumped in a cesspool. We were happy before you called to us. We were free to do what we wanted. Fuck who we wanted. Go where we wanted and be whoever the fuck we wanted!’

‘Then go!’ I bite back. ‘Go be what you want. Fuck who you want. Be a great warrior.’

‘You know it’s not as simple as that and you sound like a petulant child by saying it.’

‘Is that so?’ I laugh hatefully. ‘Well. This petulant child wants nothing to do with either of you. Not the married man who screwed another woman the day he got engaged and not the man who claims he was happiest being a petty criminal, taking advantage of his own kind.’

‘Shut up, or I’ll-’

‘What?!’ I hiss. ‘What are you gonna do, Cyrus? Spank me?’ I laugh. I laugh hard with venom in each breath.

In a quick move, he flips me over and presses my head into the pillow. My joggers are yanked down and he kneels on the bed, yanking my hips up so my backside is in the air.

‘Damn fucking right I am.’

He delivers a harsh smack to my naked ass and I yelp at the sharp sting.

‘Shit… Cyrus, what the fuck-’

He tugs harshly at my hair. ‘I like it rough.’

Smack.

‘I like it hard.’

Smack.

‘And I like it to leave a mark.’

Smack.

His hand presses down hard on my head and I yell out with each strike. He caresses the hot flesh he’s struck before delivering another blow.

‘Cyrus… I don’t…’

‘Well, well, well,’ he whispers, feeling me wrap my hands around his wrist as it gets lost in the mess of my hair. His hand glides over my entrance. ‘You’re so fucking wet.’

Smack.

I expect a yell.

What comes out is a moan. The pain. The surrender. The heavy pants he gives as he delivers his punishment… do I like this?

Smack.

‘Oh Goddess,’ I whimper as he gives a low and deep laugh.

Yes. Yes I fucking do!

His hand runs the entire length of me, spreading the effect of his blows. Every time he passes my entrance, I ache for more. I crave his fingers. His tongue.

‘The princess likes it rough too, huh?’

‘Fuck you, Cyrus.’

Another smack and he leaves his hand there, digging in his fingertips to my throbbing flesh. He leans over me, pressing his crotch against my ass and laying his chest across my back. He pulls at my hair, lifting my head so he can speak in my ear.

‘I cannot wait to break you in properly.’

‘You want to hurt me?’ I ask, looking up at him. My hair is stuck to my face with sweat as I keep my defiant expression.

‘Yes. And you’re going to love it when I do. Trust me.’

‘The only thing I want to do when you touch me is die. Same for Reid. Both of you, stay away from me.’

I shove him away and he lets me go. I’m quick to pull up my trousers and sit, facing him with as much composure as I can muster.

He’s on his feet and readjusting himself, tucking away his erection and breathing heavily.

‘Reid’s the one with the wife. No need to be pissy with me, Princess.’

‘I’m not your Princess. I’m your nothing. Fuck off.’

‘Sleep it off. We’ll talk when you’re sober.’

‘I’m not your princess,’ I repeat, shaking my head and shuffling backwards on the bed. Tears build in my eyes. ‘I’m not your princess. I’m not your princess… you can’t just do that to me because you blame me.’

His face softens as he watches me try to keep in the desperate need I suddenly have to cry.

‘Raven, I didn’t mean to… that wasn’t because I blame you. I-’

‘I’m not her daughter. I didn’t… I don’t…’ I shake my head and quickly dry my eyes before looking up at him. ‘This is my fault, isn’t it?’ I ask, the effects of the liquor loosening my tongue and weakening my inner strength. ‘All the Fae in collars, they’re trapped here because of my mother. Because of me. It’s our fault, isn’t it? All those Fae in the brothel, forced to fuck humans. All those sick kids, breathing in the filth. All the hunger and fear and degradation. It’s all because of-’

‘Hey,’ he says, ‘That’s-’

‘You all speak of your home with yearning. You all miss it so much. You say it was beautiful. Clean. Free. Look at what you have become because of us.’

‘This isn’t your fault. It’s not! You weren’t even born when we came here. Whatever brought us here, it wasn’t you.’

‘You know a lot of Portal Wielder’s from the First-Kingdom, do you?’ I jeer. Of course this was my mother or me. Maybe both. ‘Even if we didn’t end up here.’ I sniff and drag the cuff of my sleeve under my nose. ‘You and Reid never would have wanted to be landed with me. They all mocked Tessa down there. They laughed at the mere idea of a pretty little woman being enough for Reid and they all broke into hysterics at the idea of you Bonded. You would have hated me. You do hate me.’

He’s on me in an instant, rushing forwards to take my face in his hands before pressing his lips to mine. My tears land between our lips and he feels my shuddering breaths as I cry against him. I weakly push him back, but he doesn’t move away except to break our kiss. My fist furls in his shirt, holding him close. I’m so lost in my feelings and the alcohol is not helping me navigate anything.

His forehead rests on mine and he looks into my eyes.

‘I could never hate you,’ he states.

‘I’m a lead weight around your neck. You’re told to be with me by an unseen force.’

‘If you’re a lead weight around my neck, then I will sink to the bottom of the sea gladly.’

‘Bullshit.’

‘You should know. You’re the one who can sense bullshit. We’re Bonded because we are destined to be by each other’s side. We’re what we need. Want. Desire. But more than that, it’s what Fate needs. Wants. Desires. It has a plan for us. And for that plan to work, we have to be together.’

‘Fate can suck my dick,’ I sniff, sinking into his hand as he runs it down my cheek. ‘Because all I hear is “have to”. We “have to” be together. What about want?’

‘Princess, I have never wanted anyone more than you.’

‘Is that why you just hit me?’

His thumb and forefinger take my chin as he lifts my gaze. ‘I didn’t hit you. I spanked your pert little arse and I did it for pleasure, not because I hate you. I did it because it turned me on. I did it because I enjoyed what it did to you. And you know as well as I do, that you loved it just as much as I did.’ He leans in and shows me a dark smile. ‘And I will enjoy doing so much more to your arse when the time is right.’

‘You scare me a little bit.’

‘Why?’ he asks, that smile still pulling at his lips.

‘Because when you’re rough with me, I like it. And that scares me.’ I blink at my admission. No more drinking, I tell myself.

‘Princess, you’re going to love it.’

With a push, I fall back on the bed and watch him stand over me.

‘But for now, you’re drunk. Sleep it off. We can talk more tomorrow.’

He taps the end of my nose with his finger, turns and leaves,

I sink into the bed that smells of the pair of them and close my eyes, wishing more than anything that I didn’t drink so much.

I know I’ll regret it.

33

I dream of my mother and the screams she expels as Serge hacks and saws at her wings, spraying blood all over the walls and the sheets.

I dream of the room with chains on the seats and electricity humming overhead.

I dream of the children sitting opposite me with their golden eyes and blank faces.

I dream of their howls of pain as they transform into monsters and die.

I dream of the girl who survived. Who screamed and cried but remained free of the darkness and death that claimed all of the others.

I dream of the golden flames that were on her hands and then the same flames that appeared on mine.

Ivan Walker looks at the small flickering fire on my fingertips and smiles.

‘Get him to Trigger another,’ he orders. ‘Let’s see if she can take more. Then we move on to stage two.’

I wake before the torture can continue. My body is drenched in sweat and adrenaline is coursing through me a mile a minute. With a blink, I realise I’m on the floor. I must have thrashed in my dreams and fallen. Smacking my lips together, I regret the drinking. My head thumps and when I shift, my backside twinges. The memory of my spanking fills me with regret and embarrassment.

What the fuck is wrong with me?

I hear the creak of a floorboard from inside the room.

Reid or Cyrus must have returned.

The floorboard creaks again. Before I sit, another noise reaches my ears. A low, deep, continuous growl. Then sniffing. A hollow, strained inhale with short and sharp breaths. The more movement I hear, the more I realise…

Dark-Fae.

I slide myself silently under the bed.

Wide awake now and frozen with fear, I see the curtains are open. As are the patio doors that lead out onto a balcony. The storm from my dreams is raging outside. Inside, on the wooden floors, wet footprints lead around the back of the bed behind me, and out of sight. Whatever is in here with me knocks into the chest of drawers and something topples over. Its form is on the wall ahead in the shadows. I slam my hand over my mouth to stop myself from screaming.

I can hear the clicking of its misaligned joints as it leans in close to inspect the items on Reid’s chest of drawers, sniffing it all. It’s wearing what remains of a white shirt, all shredded and filthy.

And at its back are two dark grey, limp, torn and ripped wings.

It throws back its head and opens its jaws. Long, curved fangs have replaced teeth and a thin, two-pronged tongue licks the air. It lets out a long breath and turns to face the bed. It walks over. I see its feet as I watch it under the bed.

That hideous, guttural growling feels like it’s by my ear and I hear its nails tear the mattress.

I can’t scream out to warn the others. It will kill me.

But I don’t need to scream.

“Lucca! LUCCA!” I yell in my head. “If you can hear me, there’s a Dark-Fae in Reid’s bedroom. I’m under the bed, hiding. It’s huge. Lucca, Can you hear me?”

The bed bows at it begins to climb on top of it. It sniffs and sniffs.

I look to the patio doors. I could run, jump, probably die or end up with broken legs. I look to the bedroom door. It’s closed and there’s no light from the hall coming underneath the door.

Which is closer? Which way shall I go? Or should I stay put? Maybe it will go. Maybe-

Its long, bony fingers grip the edge of the mattress. It’s razor-sharp nails curling as it holds on tight.

I press my palm over my mouth even harder,

The bed creaks. The sound of its breathing gets louder.

Slowly, it lowers its head and looks straight at me, and I swear, it smiles.

‘REID!’ I scream. ‘CYRUS!!’

The bedroom door opens instantly. The Dark-Fae lifts its head and releases a monstrous screech. One which is cut short by a series of gunshots. The creature falls off the bed and lands on the floor next to me. It’s been hit, but only in the shoulder. It looks at me and lunges, plunging something into my arm. A needle. It injects me with something which makes me scream in agony, the sensation of burning travels through me and I writhe in pain.

Reid reaches under the bed and with a tug, I’m yanked away, sliding across the floor and out from under the bed, missing the talon-like fingernails by inches. I watch as it draws back its arm, clawing at the wood.

Reid wraps his arm around my waist and hoists me to my feet.

‘Got you,’ he says, his right arm still pointing his weapon at the Dark-Fae and his eyes unblinking as he backs up to the door. ‘You okay?’

‘It injected me with something,’ I gasp, clinging to him as pain radiates through me. ‘I feel like I’m burning!’

He looks into my eyes and presses his hand over where I was injected. His eyes glimmer ever so slightly.

‘It’s injected you with iron,’ he says, stunned. ‘What the fuck? How can it have the capability to do that?’

We watch as it slowly starts to stand.

It’s bleeding from its shoulder. But not red blood. It’s thick and black, like tar. And it looks furious.

Down the hall, a door flies open. Lucca and El tumble out of their bedroom in a state of undress. Lucca’s pulling on a t-shirt and his joggers are loose around his knees. He has two silk ties still attached to his wrists and what looks like chocolate sauce around his mouth. El is just as bad, pulling on one of Lucca’s baggy tops over her black, fishnet body stocking.

‘REID!’ Lucca bellows, pulling his trousers all the way up as we cautiously back onto the landing. ‘There’s a Dark-Fae in your room!’

‘Yeah, thanks for the heads up, buddy,’ he calls back, his gun still aimed, and his arm still wrapped around me. Reid lowers his voice. ‘You need to run and stay out of the way, okay?’

‘I can’t just leave you here.’

‘You have iron in your blood. You have no powers. Just stay out of the way whilst we deal with this. Go, Raven,’ he says, letting me go. The Dark-Fae starts to stalk towards us. ‘Go. NOW!’ Reid tosses me aside and starts to fire. The Fae roars and all hell breaks loose as Lucca darts past me with a gun in his hand, wiping chocolate from his lips. The two stand at the door and shoot bullet after bullet, raising their weapons up and down, left to right, trying to land a hit as the Fae dodges the onslaught. El takes my hand and stops beside me.

The boys go inside the room and I hear breaking glass as it crashes through the balcony doors.

‘It’s gone outside!’ Lucca yells. There’s another crash, followed by a series of heavy thuds. I look to my right, realising now that it’s broken into the room next door and is heading my way.

‘Shit.’

That’s all I get to say before the door explodes and the Fae launches itself at me. I throw El out of the way and hold up my arms to protect myself.

‘ARGGHH!’

Out of nowhere, Brennan body slams the thing seconds before impact. The two roll along the landing in a mess of tangled limbs before Reid and Lucca sprint to Brennan's aid.

Brennan is thrown off the Fae by its long legs. He hits the rotten banister and teeters headfirst over the ledge. I reach out and pull him back to the safety of the landing so he can quickly re-join the fight.

I’ve never seen anything like this. I thought Dark-Fae were animals. That they just attacked and reacted to their prey. But this thing is watching them, anticipating them. It sees Reid’s gun and grabs his wrist, twisting it so he drops the weapon. It dodges Lucca’s shot. The bullet goes through the wood and lands in the marble below. The Fae sinks its teeth into Lucca’s hand. Lucca yells out in pain and pulls it back before it’s bitten off completely. The Fae throws back its head and spits the weapon it’s just ripped away from him down the stairs.

It’s just disarmed them all.

How the fuck did it know to do that?!

All three charge. With an ungodly screech, all three are kicked off the creature. They soar through the air and land a fair distance away.

The Fae spins and gets on all fours. Its entire focus is solely on me.

‘Run, Raven!’ El yells, struggling to help Lucca back on his feet.

Its hands and feet dig in before charging.

I waste no time and run. Boy, do I fucking run! I take the steps two at a time, but the Fae is right behind me.

Reid yells my name as my feet land on the marble of the ground floor lobby.

‘RAVEN! STOP!’ he bellows.

I skid as the Fae, which has just launched at me, soars over my head and lands in front of me. If I hadn’t stopped, I’d be beneath it.

It’s suddenly yanked away by a vine that has shot out from a large plant growing by the front door and pulled it across the floor. When I look back, Brennan’s hand is stretched out and his eyes are shimmering gold.

Lucca runs down the stairs with Reid as Brennan manipulates the vine, but as soon as they get near, they're tossed away by the beast, which turns its attention on the vine snaking up its leg. When it tears at the vine, Brennan regenerates it.

‘I can’t hold it for long!’ he yells. ‘Not without Gilt!’

If he carries on using his powers, we could end up with two Dark-Fae to fight.

Reid seems to agree.

‘No powers,’ Reid orders. ‘We haven’t enough Gilt! Brennan, let it go!’

‘You sure about that?’ he asks as the Fae throws back its head and screams in a fury. The cry is so loud I have to cover my ears to try and stop how it hurts.

‘No powers!’ Reid re-affirms.

Reluctantly, Brennan lowers his hand. The vine snaps and falls on the floor. The Fae is back on its feet. Face to face with Reid and Lucca, who have placed themselves between me and it. The Fae just keeps looking at me over their shoulders. It steps left. The boy's copy. It steps right. The boy’s counter, blocking its path.

‘Reid, man,’ Lucca mutters nervously, not looking away from the Fae. ‘Am I imagining this or-’

‘I’ve never seen one behave like this,’ Reid says in a rushed quiet, still wholly focused on the Fae’s every move. ‘It just wants to get past us. It’s not interested in killing us. It wants something.’

‘All they want is to kill,’ Lucca argues.

‘Maybe it does. But it only seems to want to kill one of us if that’s the case.’

Lucca glances briefly at me.

‘Why does it want me?’ I ask, backing up and watching the tense standoff.

‘I don’t plan on finding out, Little Bird.’

Its dark eyes, illuminated with golden threads, are trained on me. It wants to get past the barrier the two men have created and get to me.

‘Where the fuck is Cyrus?’ Reid hisses. ‘And Tessa?’

‘Out, ’ Lucca replies.

‘What? Where?’

‘Just out. He said something about clearing his head and he left. Took Tessa too.’

Reid looks at me. ‘We’ll keep it in the house and kill it whilst you run and hide. You hear me, Raven?’

‘Where do I go? I don’t know where we are.’

‘Just keep running. Hide if you can.’ The Fae crouches and growls. The tattered wings behind it flex and the gold of its eyes flicker. ‘It’s gonna use a power. Go, Raven.’

‘I won’t leave you to fight my fight.’

‘Run!’ he orders as the house starts to shake and the marble cracks from beneath its feet, outwards. ‘NOW! RUN!’

The Fae releases another scream and charges as the men brace themselves for a fight.

I do as I’m told and go to the front door, throw it open and run out into the rain and the night, leaving behind the war cries of the boys and the savage roar of a demon.

34

My feet pound into the grass as I run. The rain falls into my eyes and my hair is soon stuck to my face. But I remain focused. Running. I know running for my life. I know hiding from monsters.

The yelling and fighting fade into the background as I reach the woodland ahead. A couple of minutes pass and I slow to a stop to catch my breath. Anxiously, I look behind me. I see nothing but the trees and hear nothing but the rain on the canopy of leaves above.

I double over as the iron in my body tears through me, boiling me from the inside and stealing any hope of power from me.

Reid said to hide, so that’s what I should do. I’ll find somewhere safe and keep out of sight.

I step out from the tree. A few steps in and I hear the creature’s screech. I turn, my heart in my throat, and look through the dark silhouette of the woodland. I can’t see it. But I know it’s there. And it’s coming this way. It got past Reid and the others.

Does that mean… oh goddess! Is he dead?

I scream when it bursts through the trees. It doesn’t break its stride as it runs straight at me.

I spin on my heel and fucking leg it.

With branches whipping my face, I sprint for my life. I hear it getting louder as it makes light work of catching me up. I throw a quick and risky look over my shoulder.

‘SHIT!’

I scream and lunge my left shoulder forwards. But not far enough. The tip of its outstretched nail cuts clear through my shirt and drags its jagged tip through the surface of my skin. The hot, searing pain is replaced with the warm trickle of blood. It staggers as it misses me. I get a few steps ahead, but I know it will soon catch me up again. There’s a hell of a bang. The ground shakes and chunks of dirt fly over my head.

What the fuck was that?

I dare another look over my shoulder and see Reid close behind the fallen Fae. In his palm is an orb of white light. He throws back his arm and tosses it. The creature dodges it and the orb slams like a grenade into the ground by its feet. More chunks of dirt are pelted in all directions and the force side-knocks the Fae.

What the hell is that?!

Reid withdraws a large knife from an inside pocket and twirls it in his fingers before leaping on the monster. He stabs its back over and over, forcing the blade through what looks like solid muscle and bone. Black blood splatters everywhere each time he withdraws his weapon and when it lands on the ground, it bubbles and hisses. I watch as Reid continues his assault, careful not to touch the acidic blood that he spills.

Its gut. Its face. Its shoulder and its heel are all diced in quick succession. Followed by a stab into its ear, deafening it and making it cry out in pain. It clutches its head, blood pouring through its fingers, and with a violent roar, it throws Reid off and starts trying to get to its feet, limping and stumbling as it clutches its injuries. Reid doesn’t break pace as he heads straight to me with his arm outstretched.

‘You in one piece?’ he asks, trying to catch his breath.

‘I think so. You? The others?’

‘Just about. You’re hurt,’ he says.

‘I’m fine. It’s nothing.’

More furious and feral than ever, the Fae turns its focus to us, its wings stretch out. The shredded skin clings to the thin black bones and serves no actual function other than to try and intimidate. All the while it’s screaming. It slams its foot into the ground. An enormous crack travels outwards, straight to us. The ground below not only starts to open but actively drags us down.

With a yell, Reid lifts me and tosses me away. I land clear of the starving earth as Reid sinks further down to his waist.

The Fae charges, roaring its deafening roar, its feet digging into the ground and creating small craters.

And for a moment, a second really, Reid and I look at each other. Our eyes meet and become magnetised. A shared truth travels between us.

That thing is going in for the kill.

‘Run, Little Bird,’ he says as he sinks further down. In this situation, I would expect him to yell his words. To shout them out in a panic. But he doesn’t. He says it calmly. Almost acceptingly. ‘Run.’ An orb of white begins to form in his palm. ‘It’s not going to be safe for you here.’

‘Don’t! There’s not enough Gilt!’

‘I’ll kill it. Just get away from us as quickly as you can. Go!’

I look at the knife abandoned in the dirt.

‘Don’t,’ he warns. ‘Run!’

I shake my head. ‘Yeah, that’s not really my style. Don’t turn monster on me yet, Sir.’

I charge forwards, ignoring the Fae sprinting straight at Reid as I grab the knife and keep on going, running to meet it.

I hear Reid yelling my name and struggling to get free, but other than that, everything else has slowed down.

So many times in my life, I have had to lie down and take what I was given.

But there is no other reprisal for me fighting back now except death.

And oddly, I’m okay with that.

‘Raven, you’re fucking crazy!’

‘Yep,’ I reply, skidding to a sudden stop and falling to the floor. As the Fae carries on, fuelled by uncontrollable rage, I lift the knife with both hands and plunge the weapon between its legs. It screams as I tear, and I get trampled as it falls over me. Its blood lands on my skin, sizzling and burning my flesh like hot oil. But no time. It’s still on the warpath, and its destination is Reid. It crawls towards him. Reid’s furiously clawing at the dirt, twisting his body and grunting as he pulls and pulls. The Fae wraps its spindled fingers around his throat and squeezes. I run and leap on the creature’s back, stabbing at it in any body part I can reach.

It wraps its fingers in my hair and throws me off. I go several feet before hitting the dirt hard and rolling even further. As I struggle to my feet, I watch the Fae snarl at Reid. By some miracle, I still have the knife, but before I can right myself and attack, the Fae abandons Reid and heads for me instead.

Again, Reid shouts for me to run. Too late for that. I’ve barely turned when it grabs me and carries on running.

It’s running away. And it’s taking me with it!

‘REID!’ I scream, my hand stretched out for him. He bellows as if in pain, his face reddening and his eyes glowing before the earth shatters around him from a small explosion of white light that emanates from his hands. He catches up and is about to snatch my hand when the Fae stops suddenly and twists, swiping its weaponized hand at Reid. I watch as it slices his cheek, leaving behind a trail of beading blood that drips down his face.

I stab the blade into its knee. With a roar, it pulls it free, picks me up by the scruff of the neck and punches me in my stomach. I stagger back, doubled over and completely winded before falling on my backside, gasping for breath. Reid pulls me up and wraps his arms around me.

‘It’s a determined motherfucker.’

‘Not as determined as you apparently,’ I pant back, facing the Fae side by side with him. It’s already coming for us and Reid barely shoves me out of the way before it reaches us.

The two clash and it’s a mess. Limbs and wings and an iron blade thrash and swipe and stab. Reid’s yelling and the creature’s howling becomes nothing more than ear-piercing noise.

Pressing my hand into the dirt so I can push myself up and help, I gasp and pull back. Deep puncture wounds line my palm. I brush the dirt and leaves aside and find a strip of rusted barbed wire.

‘That will do.’

I’m unsteady on my feet, the blow I took to my belly makes it hard to move and even harder to breathe, never mind the iron making its way through my bloodstream. But I’m up and I’m ready. Especially when I see the Fae has secured its hands around Reid's neck and is squeezing with all its might. His legs kick out as he claws at the creature's grip. His face is purple and he has even more scrapes on his skin.

I launch myself at the Fae and get on its back. The barbed wire in my hand is quickly wrapped around its neck. I pull with all my might. I pull and I pull, the barbs digging into my skin and spilling my blood but not as much as it buries into the neck of the monster. I press my knees into its back and cry out with effort as I pull.

The Fae lets him go and tries to swat me off.

No chance. I yell in pain and determination, my voice echoing through the trees around us and I keep on pulling.

And pulling.

And pulling.

Until… thud.

I fall off the Fae and land on my back. The barbed wire is still in my hand, buried into my palm and slick with both my blood and the creatures. Beside me, its severed head faces me. The gold in its eyes slowly fade until all that’s left is blackness. Its mouth is slack.

The bastard is dead.

I slump, catching my breath and trying to ignore the pain.

‘You’re getting a knack for beheading Dark-Fae, Little Bird,’ Reid says, his voice raspy as he coughs and rubs his throat. ‘You all right? What the hell was that? Barbed wire?’

‘Yeah.’ I hiss painfully through my teeth as I prise my left hand free from the wire, but my other is a lot worse. The wire is buried deep into my palm, lost in chunks of flesh. ‘Are you okay?’

‘Who doesn’t enjoy some choking now and then,’ he laughs, but obviously still in pain.

He heads over and kneels, taking my hand and wincing at the state of it. He rips the lower half of his shirt and uses it to wipe away my blood so he can get a better view of where the barbs are.

‘You could have sliced your damn hand off. Look at this. It’s embedded right in there.’

‘I think the word you’re looking for is “thanks”.’

‘I think I’m actually looking for the words “What the hell were you thinking?”. Facing that thing as you did? You’re an idiot.’

‘Who are you calling an idiot? I just saved your life.’

‘I told you to run. I gave you an order-’

‘You don’t get to give this idiot orders.’

‘Is that right?’ he says, still staring at the wire in my hand. ‘I think you’ll find that I’m the one in charge here. I tell you to run, you run. I tell you to hide, you hide. I tell you to-’

I snatch my hand away and he lifts his angry glare to meet mine.

‘I’m not your Pet.’

‘You have no idea what you’re fighting. That thing could have-’

‘Torn you limb from limb? Or throttled you to death? Buried you alive or forced you to use your powers and make you Dark? Yeah, I agree. It could have done that to you. Good job I was here to save your stupid, ungrateful fucking arse.’ I tut and hold my hand to my chest as he goes to grab it. ‘Get your hands off me. I can get it out myself.’

‘Stop being so proud and let me help you. I can fix it.’

‘Fix it with that weird light you have?’ I throw back. ‘You never mentioned you could do that. You hid the fact you’re Fae from me and you hid your powers too. And what even are your wings, huh? Why are they gold like that? How could you not tell me you’re married? And why are the Dark-Fae so determined to… to…’ I swallow the uneasiness in my stomach as everything starts to blur. ‘I- I erm…’ I stagger and he grips my elbow to steady me.

‘You okay? Hey, what’s the matter?’

‘I feel funny.’

‘Funny how?’ he asks. ‘The iron? It will wear off in a couple of hours.’

‘I don’t… I don’t know it’s…’ My hand rests on my belly where the Fae punched me. When I pull it away, there’s blood. A lot of blood. ‘Reid…’ He looks down at my body and quickly lifts my shirt. There’s a hole in my gut and I’m bleeding. ‘It stabbed me.’

Everything is spinning like crazy and my legs give way. I fall. He falls with me, holding me in his arms and pressing down on my wound.

‘Oh no, you don’t,’ he warns with a firm tap to my cheek. ‘Eyes open. Stay with me. I’m not done with you yet. Not with your shitty attitude or incessant eye-rolling. I’m going to fix you up. I just… It’ll take a lot of power.’

‘Gilt… you need Gilt, or you’ll turn!’

‘It’s a risk we’re gonna have to take.’ He rolls up his sleeves, fierce determination on his face as he examines the stab wound. ‘It’s that, or you die in a matter of minutes. You’re bleeding to death.’

In a brutal move, he wrenches the still embedded barbed wire from my hand and tosses it aside. Chunks of skin go with it and the scream I create rips through my entire being.

‘Fucking fuck you f-f-fuck!’

‘So delicate,’ he teases through his unease, wiping the spray of blood he created from his face. ‘Such a lady.’

‘P-princess, actually.’ I’ve started to shake now. My whole body is nothing but a violent tremor and all I seem to be able to do is look at him, pleadingly almost.

‘I don’t want to die,’ I whisper.

He stares down at me.

‘Good job I’m here then, isn’t it?’

‘I don’t want you to die either,’ I admit, reaching out and wrapping my fingers around his wrist, feeling my slick blood on his skin.

‘You getting fond of me all of a sudden?’

I gasp as blood climbs my throat. ‘More your tongue.’

He lets out a beautiful bout of laughter and nods.

‘You should see what the rest of me can do.’

A sharp surge of pain steals my smile and my agonising coughing steals his.

‘Time to work. When I’m done, run.’

‘Run?’

‘As fast and as far as you can. Or this knife wound will look like a scratch compared to what I’ll do to you when I’m Dark.’

He presses his palms into my belly with force. His eyes shine gold and his wings stretch out as far as they can go. White light emanates from his hands. It feels like fire. Hotter than fire. Such indescribable pain, I can’t even scream! My body is no longer my own and won’t obey any instruction. Not that I could even think clearly enough to figure out what the hell I should be doing.

‘I would very much have enjoyed being your Bonded-Mate.’

‘I don’t want you to do this.’

‘Cyrus will look after you.’

As I watch him, towering over me with complete focus, I see his skin begin to grey. His wings falter and start to fade to black before falling to the floor like ash.

He’s devolving, turning Dark. And once you go Dark, there’s no return.

I can’t let him do this. I won’t! I grab his hand and try so hard to get him off me.

‘Stop!’ I groan. ‘The others need you more than me!’

The light builds and an icy blast rips through me as if my blood has been flash frozen. With a gasp, I know that the wound in my belly is healed. That the torn flesh from my hands is smooth.

Reid has healed me, but as the light fades and we slide back into the darkness of the night, I see at what cost.

His eyes are closed. His head hangs low. Short and shallow breaths move his shoulders and his skin is grey. Scales slowly cover his skin, inching up his arms, replacing his intricate tattoos.

I lie perfectly still, watching him and not daring to breathe.

He lifts his head. His eyes are the purest black with the brightest gold shimmering around what were his iris’. He keeps looking as if remembering me. Recognising me.

‘R-Reid?’ I cautiously lift my hand to his face. ‘Are you in there?’

His hand mimics mine and his long talons stroke my cheek. He starts to snarl. A low and terrifying guttural growl that never ends.

‘Reid?’

Rage claims his monstrous features and he wraps his hands around my throat before slamming me on the ground.

He looms over me and leans in, sniffing deeply at the blood still covering my skin and clothes. It turns him more feral and agitated. He starts lapping it up, his long, rough tongue slithering all over me, collecting as much of it as he can.

‘S-stop…’ I gasp beneath his hold. ‘Stop! I can’t… b-breathe!’

He travels down my belly, where the blood is still fresh from the knife wound he just healed.

He licks and licks, moaning with pleasure.

‘R-Reid… stop!’

His hand grips my neck harder and cuts off my air.

‘Mine…’ he growls. ‘Mine…’

He looks up at me. Still a hint of Reid lingers, but darkness is sweeping over him, consuming him.

‘Mine!’ he says. His hand starts unbuckling his belt and he pulls himself free as I kick out. ‘Mine. MINE!’ His features fade completely, and Reid is gone. So is his ability to speak.

The ground trembles. A figure has landed close with wings wide from flight. Without breaking his stride for a single second, he heads straight towards us with clenched fists.

Cyrus reaches out his hand. That black smoke hurries forwards and snakes around Reid. With a broad swipe of Cyrus’s arm, the smoke tosses him away from me and into a tree. It shatters on impact, showering Reid with broken twigs and shards of bark.

Cyrus carries on, his arm still outstretched and the smoke wielding to his command. He leans down, wraps his arm around my waist and hauls to my feet.

‘Mine,’ he says.

His wings spread wide, and with a powerful thrust, we soar up into the night's sky, leaving Reid to howl and snarl below us.

35

‘We have to go back,’ I demand, looking down to the heavy rain clouds below. ‘Reid-’

‘Reid just tried to kill you!’

‘He saved my life. I’d be dead if he hadn’t healed me.’

‘I’ll take you back to the house.’

‘Take me back to Reid!’

But Cyrus is already flying back towards the house, leaving Reid behind. My heart is twisted in knots and my entire body is drowning in guilt.

Reid’s gone. He’s gone because of me. He’s Dark because of me.

‘Ready?’

‘For whaaaaa-’ I scream and cling to him harder as we soar downwards.

When we land back on solid ground, my entire body is trembling from the cold. The rain is still falling and my bare feet sink into the sodden grass and mud. Cyrus's wings fade as he takes off his black coat and wraps it around my shoulders.

‘Reid. Oh, Goddess… he’s turned!’ I turn and start running back towards him but stop when Cyrus grabs my wrist and pulls me back.

‘It’s not safe. You know that there’s no coming back when-’

‘You okay, Pup?’ calls Lucca from behind me.

I spin around and see him and Brennan with Reid between them, holding him up as he struggles to stay on his feet.

He’s normal. Normal skin. Normal body.

‘What the…’ I make for the barely conscious Reid, running to meet him. ‘He’s okay?’ I ask, resting my hands on his cheeks and lifting his heavy head. Reid’s eyes are closed and he grumbles incoherently. His clothes are torn and he’s still covered in my blood. ‘Oh, Reid,’ I whisper painfully as he winces with every bit of movement.

‘He’ll be fine,’ Lucca says, his tone far more cheerful than I would have expected. ‘He’s got Gilt in his system now and he just needs to recover. We got there just in time. Gives him one hell of a head fuck when he overexerts. Healing is a tricky power.’ He laughs and looks at Cyrus with wide eyes. Cyrus is looking utterly stunned at the whole situation. That frown appears on Lucca’s forehead, and I know he’s talking to Cyrus. My suspicions are confirmed when Cyrus nods.

‘Here, Pup. Help Brennan take Reid inside to bed. He’ll need rest.’ Lucca thrusts me towards Reid and drops his considerable weight on my shoulders. Brennan swears as he gets left with the majority of it to shift.

‘I’ll be right with you. Inside.’ Lucca goes towards Cyrus.

‘Lucca. Wait!’ I have too many questions just to be sent away.

‘Inside, Pup!’ he says without looking back and carrying on to Cyrus. ‘Now!’

‘C’mon,’ Brennan says with a groan. ‘Give me a hand before I drop him.’

Awkwardly, we pass the two others deep in quiet conversation and I help, as best as I can, to get Reid inside the house.

We drop him on a sofa in a makeshift lounge with an old TV, stacks of DVD’s and magazines left on the table. We both look down at him, totally out cold and smeared with my blood.

‘He’ll be okay, right?’ I ask, looking at Brennan.

‘Think so,’ he mumbles, securing him on the sofa. ‘Stay here with him. I’ll be back.’

Brennan leaves in a rush to re-join the others outside, leaving me alone with the unconscious Reid.

I watch him sleeping. I watch his chest slowly rise and fall.

I walk towards him and sit, perched on the edge of the sofa. I brush his hair from his blood-smeared face.

‘Idiot,’ I whisper. To him or to me, I have no idea.

Then I hear the front door being thrown open. I turn around and see a woman rush into the doorway.

Her eyes narrow as she sees my hand on his cheek and they glow golden.

‘GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY HUSBAND!’ she screams. Wings erupt from her back and she propels herself inside, grabbing me by my hair and tossing me clear away. I land in the lobby with a painful thud. The lounge door slams shut, and I roll onto my front, groaning painfully.

A hand reaches down for me. One adorned with rings and bracelets. I take El’s hand and let her help me to my feet.

‘So I see you’ve met the wife,’ she smiles. ‘That went better than I expected, if I’m honest. I was sure she’d try to kill you. Coffee?’

From the kitchen, I look through the window at the lawn. The headless body of the Dark-Fae is sprawled across it and Lucca, Brennan and Cyrus are standing there staring at it. I’m still covered in dried blood and have no idea if it’s the extreme cold or the shock that has me trembling so violently. Thousands of questions fire in my brain but fear and uncertainty holds me back from demanding answers to any of them right now.

The Dark-Fae are clearly after me. One encounter, perhaps I could chalk it up to bad luck. Twice? Coincidence. But there have been three now. I would even dismiss it as Reid’s fault. He’s the Fae who has been pretending, somehow, to be human. And not just human but Authority! But they weren’t after him. They were gunning for me.

I’m not safe. Not from the Dark-Fae. But also not from these men.

And I have no idea why!

El hands me a coffee and joins me as I watch them all out there.

‘Thanks.’

‘You’re welcome. You okay?’ she asks, sipping her own coffee and watching me cautiously.

‘Never better.’

‘Don’t worry about Tessa. She’s-’

‘What happened with the Serge stuff?’ I cut in.

‘I can’t say,’ she says with an apologetic one. ‘Not unless they say so.’

‘So that’s how this goes? We just do as we’re told and wait for orders?’

‘Pretty much.’

‘Serge killed my mother. Did they tell you that?’

‘They did.’

‘I want to know why.’ I look at her and see the sympathy behind her eyes. ‘Ivan Walker and his men destroyed my life. I deserve to know why. They killed the only family I ever had.’

‘I know.’

‘So how can you know it all and yet I have to be told half-truths and kept in the dark?’

‘Because we’re a lot older than you and are trained to fight evil. No offence, sweetheart, but you’re a baby princess who only just learnt the truth about where you came from.’

‘I know evil, El. Better than most. I have a right-’

‘Are you happy now?’

I spin around and come face to face with the same girl who, not half an hour ago, threw me across the room. Her stare is full of wrath and she dominates the doorway with her hateful frown and clenched fists. Her dark skin and black hair are perfection. Flawless in every way. I don’t need to be told she’s Fae. The ears. The beauty. The tattoos marking her skin. She’s from the other realm.

She’s been crying.

‘You must be Tessa.’ I face her completely, feeling extremely shabby and inelegant in comparison as I look at her long, pale blue dress that reaches the floor. ‘I’m-’

‘I know who you are. Even with your face hidden by those scars, it’s clear to me that you’re Marissa’s daughter.’ She looks me up and down. ‘And Ivan’s,’ she adds with a sneer.

‘Marissa?’

‘Oh, I’m sorry. Would you rather “Her Royal Highness”?’ she scoffs. ‘Is that how you would like me to address you as well?’ She gives a very sarcastic curtsy. ‘Princess.’

‘I didn’t know that was my mother’s name,’ I reply, feeling her anger and accepting it. ‘Call me whatever you like,’ I reply with a shrug, returning my attention to the others still on the lawn. ‘Trust me. Whatever you can come up with, I’ve been called worse.’

They’re all in deep conversation out there, staring at the Dark-Fae and occasionally gesturing towards the house.

‘Tessa, Reid was very clear that you were not to speak to her. He explained-’

‘He’s unconscious, Elanor. He has no orders for me. I will speak to this whore if I so wish.’

‘I really would not call Reid and Cyrus’s Mate a whore, Tessa,’ El says, ‘They won’t like it. You know better than to think that they would. You’ll be sorry if they hear you.’

‘I know you don’t like me,’ I tell Tessa. ‘I’m used to that. I didn’t ask for any of this.’

‘And we did? I do not recall asking to be blown away from my home and to watch my husband pine over a child.’ She holds up her left hand, waving the black markings that cover her skin. ‘You see this?’ she spits. ‘This is a promise. This is a vow we made to each other on our wedding day. This bonds us together.’ The twirls and images are familiar.

Reid has the same markings on his left hand.

‘I’m not in the mood for a fight right now. Try again tomorrow.’

The room falls silent for a moment and I keep my gaze outward. Tessa makes her way across the kitchen and stands beside me, looking out the window.

‘What happened?’ she asks.

‘I got stabbed and almost turned Reid into a monster because he had to heal me.’ I swallow a dry swallow. ‘You’re right not to like me.’ I face her and she meets my gaze. ‘I shouldn’t be here. From now on, you won’t need to worry. I’m done with Reid. I’m done with both of them.’

She tilts her head.

‘You are done with him, are you?’ she repeats. ‘You clearly have no idea how a Bond works. Proving only further how much of a child you are.’

‘Tessa. Careful,’ El warns.

‘Fighting over men I don’t even know seems a little foolish considering I’ve lost my sister. My future. And now I have Dark-Fae coming at me from all angles. Making enemies with a girl I don’t know because two men I don’t think I can handle want to claim me as their property seems a little much for me. Never mind the fact that… hold on. Why am I spilling my guts to you?’ I step back. ‘What’s you power?’

‘They didn’t tell you?’

‘Tessa. They don’t tell me shit. I only just learnt about my parents. I only just learnt about you!’ I look towards the direction of the lounge where Reid sleeps. ‘I’ve spent my whole life avoiding relationships and friendships because I’m so afraid of feeling an ounce of the grief I felt when my twin died, I refused to let anyone in. The only person I did let in sold me out to a man who spent years hurting me.’ I lean against the countertop. ‘A man she allowed to hurt me. Goddess, I’m just spilling everything here. You’re doing something.’

I look at El as she continues to glare at Tessa.

‘Yes, she is, and Reid is going to be furious if she carries on. Cyrus too.’

‘I can help,’ Tessa says, reaching out and resting her hand on my shoulder. ‘I can take the pain away if you like?’ A warmth emanates from her palm, and I feel calm and serene in an instant. Her eyes glow. ‘I could help you forget all about the boys. I could take away your feelings for them if you like?’

‘HEY!’ Cyrus bellows, coming to a stop in the doorway and glaring at Tessa with a murderous warning. ‘Hands off her. Now!’

‘Told you he’d be pissed,’ El grumbles, stepping aside.

Tessa quickly withdraws and steps away as he charges over and plants himself between us. The feelings she created, leave me at once.

Cyrus towers over the girl and she visibly cowers, shuffling back until she hits the wall.

‘You don’t touch her. You don’t talk to her. We told you yesterday. Reid was pretty fucking clear!’

‘I-I wasn’t doing anything, I swear!’

He looks at El, who turns and leaves, muttering about not getting involved.

‘You stay out of this, Tessa. It has nothing to do with you. Raven has nothing to do with you!’

‘She’s taking my husband away from me. She has everything to do with me!’

‘Really,’ Cyrus scoffs. ‘You’re so concerned about losing Reid, are you? Is that why you threw yourself at me earlier? Because you’re so in love with Reid?’

‘I did no such thing!’ she insists, shaking her head and looking away from us all. But I sense the lie. ‘You were the one complaining that your precious Mate wasn’t fulfilling your needs. You were the one that raged about needing release.’

Cyrus lowers his voice and leans in close to her face. ‘And you were the one that put your hand on my cock and offered to help ease my burden.’

‘You didn’t stop me though, did you,’ she hisses back.

‘You crave companionship. Friends. Affection. You don’t care who it comes from.’

‘And all you crave is sex. In all its many forms.’ Tessa points at me, her whole body trembling. ‘You will never take what you want from her. Not you. Not Elias. The sooner he realises that, the better. Then we can all get back to normal.’

‘There is no normal for you and him. He doesn’t want you. Never has. Never will. The man only slept with you once. You’ve been married for over twenty years. GET OVER IT!’ He then looks at me over his shoulder. ‘Did Tessa ask you if you wanted her to help take the pain away?’ he demands.

I look between the two of them.

‘You were with her when the Dark-Fae attacked?’ I ask.

‘I asked you a question. Did she-’

‘You left me, and went to her?’ I step back, disgusted. ‘You left me upstairs, after all you said, after what you did, and you went off with Reid’s wife so she could finish you off?’

‘She didn’t finish anything off. I heard the commotion and came to find you straight away.’

‘And if there had been no commotion? Would you have left her still?’

‘It’s not what you think,’ he scoffs angrily. ‘Tessa means nothing to me. She means nothing to Reid-’

‘Elias,’ Tessa corrects him.

‘Just answer the fucking question, Raven. Did she try to use her power on you?’

Tessa is transfixed with fear, looking between the two of us, awaiting my reply.

‘She was asking if I was okay. That’s all.’

Why do I protect her? I have no idea. She certainly wouldn’t do the same for me. But that’s the answer I give. I am the interloper after all. And fuck Cyrus if he thinks he can come in here and start tearing pieces of flesh off us both when he was with her whilst we were under attack.

‘Are you lying to me?’ he asks.

I can’t help it. I laugh. I laugh and I laugh, burying my face in my hands as I shake my head.

‘Something funny?’ he snarls.

‘No. No it’s not funny. It’s well beyond funny. Asking me if I’m lying. Coming from you, it’s fucking hilarious.’

‘Tessa, we told you that Raven is-’

‘Why are Reid’s wings like that?’ I ask, cutting him off. ‘Does Reid know you’re fucking his wife?’

‘I am not fucking Tessa!’

‘Why were you running a street gang instead of sticking with your fellow winged-warriors? What’s the deal with Reid and her?’ I gesture to Tessa. ‘Why the fuck are Dark-Fae coming after me? How the hell is Reid back to normal? What really happened between my mother and Ivan Walker? What did he do to me? Why do I have golden fucking fire on my hands? AND WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT THAT MURDERING, RAPING PIECE OF SHIT SERGE?!’

I gasp in breath after breath as I finish my torrent of questions and watch as the furniture in the room starts to tremor in response.

‘That’s it. Stay silent. Because you know anything you say to me would stink of lies. You.’ I point to him. ‘All of you.’ I gesture to pretty much everything else. ‘Stay away from me. Bonded-Mates, my arse. I don’t want, and I don’t need, anyone else in my life because you know what it leads to? Pain! Suffering! Death! I won’t fight over men I don’t want with a woman I’ve only just met. Tessa? Reid is all yours.’ I whack Cyrus on the shoulder. ‘Have him as well.’

‘Don’t you dare talk to me like that-’ Cyrus starts.

‘GO EAT A BAG OF SHIT, ARSE HOLE!’ I finish.

The mugs on the draining board explode. One after the other after the other.

I shake my head and step back. ‘I’ll help you find your Gilt and I’ll make sure Serge and anyone else who played a part in the rape, butchering and murder of my mother, as well as the imprisonment and torture of Rhea and I, will pay. They will fucking pay. If you want anything else from me, including my arse, pussy, lips or anything else you seem to think you’re entitled to, you can FUCK OFF!’

The windows shatter outwards and I hear the others outside all yell.

I look at Tessa, whose eyes are like saucers.

‘Nice to meet you, Tessa.’

‘Where are you going?’ Cyrus barks at me as I turn to the lobby.

‘To bed. Alone!’ At my words, the kitchen door slams shut in his face without anyone touching it.

And so does every door I pass as I make my way up the stairs to the bedroom. When I step inside, the door slams shut and the wardrobe slides across the floor, resting in front of it.

I have no idea what my powers are doing. I have no control over it, but it’s doing precisely what I want it to do.

Makes a nice change.

I don’t break my stride as I go to the bathroom. The taps turn on all by themselves. I don’t wait for the water to fill before I climb in and sit, scrubbing the blood from my body almost violently.

I want it off. I need it off.

When the bath is full, I sink beneath the water, and I scream. I scream as hard as I can, silent to the world but deafening below.

The bath shatters and I tumble to the tiled floor with a grunt, the water spilling all over the floor and chunks of bathtub skittering across the room.

One piece lands by Cyrus’s foot as he lingers in the doorway.

‘Finished with your tantrum?’ he asks as I close my eyes and groan on the floor. He crouches and looks down at me. ‘Sense my lies, Princess. I left you. I was annoyed. I was frustrated. Not with you but with me. My own shit. My own problems. Not. You. Tessa followed me out to the garage. We talked. She mistook what I said and slid her hand down my trousers. It felt nice for a second before I came to my senses and took hold of her wrist to get her off me. I heard your screams in the woods and I left straight away. Truth or lie.’

‘Truth.’ I snap.

‘Tessa is frustrated. She wants a marriage. A real one. Reid never has and never will. Not with her. He consummated their marriage twenty years ago and hasn’t touched her since. She’s clinging to an idea. That’s all. He has said over and over that she needs to move on. That we’re not in the Thirteen Kingdoms any longer and their marriage doesn’t stand. The girl won’t listen. She’s fucking nuts.’

‘You’re standing up for Reid, now?’

‘It’s nothing but the truth.’

‘You still let her touch you.’

‘For one second. Fates above, Raven. I stopped it as soon as it started. So can we skip the childish drama and move on? Because I think there’s something you should see. Or rather, someone.’

‘Who ?’ I ask.

‘Serge’s man.’

I sit bolt upright.

‘Get some clothes on and come with me. I’ll take you to him.’ He tosses me a towel and leaves, but not before muttering, ‘Telling you to put your clothes back on. There’s something I never thought I would say.’

We go down the stairs, into the lobby and straight to a locked door under the stairs. Cyrus pulls out a key from his pocket and slides it into the lock. He throws open the door and reveals a thick and foreboding metal door with three large keyholes. He unlocks them all, and the door groans as it opens. He flicks on a light and steps aside. I peer down the concrete steps that lead into darkness and take a shaky breath.

‘After you,’ Cyrus says, opening his arm wide and showing me the way.

‘What’s down there?’ I look again at the long and dark stairway.

‘One of Serge’s men. And a real nasty piece of work. So, what do you say? Wanna put your big girl boots on and talk to him for us? See if you can sense his bullshit or not?’

‘I think we should wait for Reid to wake up before we take her down there,’ Brennan says, appearing in the lobby and watching us by the doorway. Lucca is standing just beside him and watches them each in turn.

‘I don’t remember asking your fucking opinion, Brennan,’ Cyrus spits back. ‘Down you go then,’ Cyrus encourages me.

Don’t freak out. Don’t freak out.

‘That’s good advice,’ Lucca says with a teasing grin. ‘Sorry, Pup. You’re thinking real loud there.’

‘It’s just sitting in whilst you ask questions, right?’

The three boys look at each other in turn and nod in a very dubious matter.

‘What am I missing?’ I ask.

‘Well, the guy we have, he’s not talking all that much,’ Cyrus says.

‘I won’t sense lies if he’s not talking,’ I remind them. ‘Use Lucca to dig in his head.’

‘I’ve tried. He’s blocking his thoughts from me and the more I try, the more power I have to use, and we just don’t have enough Gilt to sustain me to get the job done,’ Lucca replies apologetically.

‘So, how are you going to get him to talk so I can read him?’

‘Torture.’ Cyrus folds his arms across his chest as if that word will have me cowering and running away. He doesn’t think I’m up to this.

‘Hang on. Hang on!’

‘What?’ he asks patiently.

‘Well, how will we keep my face hidden? If he finds out who I am and what I can do, then he might tell someone.’

‘I don’t think that’s going to be a problem.’

‘Why?’

‘Cos, we’re going to kill him after,’ he replies with a shrug. ‘Obviously.’

‘Kill him?’

‘He’s seen all our faces, Raven. We can’t let him go after this.’ Again, he looks at me, waiting, expecting me to turn and run. To decide I can’t do this and try to leave.

‘I’ll need to be touching him to get a good reading, and just so you know, I’ll have one hell of a migraine after this, so I may need a couple of hours to recover before you start telling me what I want to know.’ I jab him in his chest and square up to him. He looks down his nose, an amused grin in the corner of his mouth as I stand on my tiptoes to hold his gaze. ‘I’ll be wanting answers, Cyrus.’

‘Let’s see how you do down there first.’

Fine.

Filled with determination, I start down the stairs, the three boys close behind.

My hand feels the cold walls of this hidden dungeon, and I wonder who else has walked down these steps. And who has never walked back up. The door closes behind us and clunks as Brennan locks it. I look back and panic spikes in my heart.

What if I never walk back up these stairs?

Another light flickers on. The long strip halogen light hums loudly and Lucca gives a little wave from the base of the stairs.

The steps lead to a thin passageway. The walls are slimy with mould and moss. There’s a constant dripping from somewhere and the air scratches my throat. Cyrus is pressed into my side, determined to remain with me despite the narrow passageway. Ahead is another metal door. Lucca unlocks it. The clunk echoes down the passage and makes me jump. He opens it up and steps inside.

We follow.

The space opens into a large circle. The walls rise and create a dome overhead. There are four doors made of metal bars built into the brickwork. I feel the iron that they’re made of. Once we are all inside, Brennan closes the door.

I watch as Lucca goes to the second set of bars and puts the key inside the lock.

‘We good?’ he asks.

‘We’re good,’ Cyrus replies.

With a determined nod, Lucca opens it up and heads inside. There’s a teeth-grinding scraping of metal on stone as he emerges from the cell dragging a man strapped to a metal chair. He places him in the centre of the dome with his back to us, slamming the legs down harshly and making the man groan as his old wounds jar. He has a dirty gag in his mouth and dried blood staining his once white vest. His black trousers are part of an expensive suit, but they’re torn and filthy. I see his exposed arms. They’re bruised and flaky with dried blood. The man’s head hangs low. His slick hair is a mess and falling over his face. There are tattoos on his arms. All of them are crude and disgusting. Women with their legs wide open wearing schoolgirl outfits. Severed heads dripping blood after being sawn off. Images from what I’m guessing is the Kamasutra, but none of the female characters look willing to be there. All are tied up. Screaming. Crying. More effort seems to have gone into the fear on their faces than the actual tattoo itself.

I shudder at the bulky man who looks like he could snap my neck one-handed.

Cyrus gives me an encouraging nudge forward. I stagger a little but quickly right myself, walking quickly to the man and standing behind him. He turns to see who else is in there with him as Lucca pulls free his gag.

He snorts down snot and spits on the floor before lifting his gaze to Lucca.

‘Back again, huh?’ he drawls in a deep voice. ‘You know you ain’t gonna get shit from me, fucking Fae scum.’

‘Good to see you too, Frankie. How are you feeling?’

‘Like I wanna tear you limb from limb and wear your insides as a scarf.’

‘You getting chilly down here, sweetheart?’ Cyrus sneers.

‘Yeah. Maybe Little Lucca can keep me company down here.’

‘You ain’t my type.’

‘I’ll tear your arsehole wide open. If you even have an arsehole left. From what I heard, you were a popular piece of property back in the day.’

Lucca flinches at his words and a harrowing darkness drifts over his face.

I know that look. I’ve seen him wear it a few times now. Every time Serge is mentioned he fades a little more.

Cyrus steps around the creep and stands between them.

‘We have some questions for you again, Frankie.’

‘Let me go, and we’ll sort something out.’

It strikes me that there’s fear in the back of his throat as he talks. He even sits further into his chair at the mere sight of Cyrus. A man at least a decade younger, half his size and nowhere near as terrifying to look at, has him looking extremely uneasy, to say the least.

‘If you don’t answer my questions, I’m going to hurt you again. Understand?’

‘I have nothing to tell you.’ He sits straighter. ‘Except I’ll suck the marrow from your friend’s bones if you don’t release me now.’ He peers past Cyrus to Lucca and winks. ‘You’d like that, wouldn’t ya?’

I loathe how vulnerable Lucca looks in this moment. How traumatised. Cyrus sees me looking and turns to see what has me so concerned.

‘Go upstairs, Lucca,’ Cyrus orders.

‘I’m good,’ he replies.

‘Always so good,’ the creep purrs.

‘I’m staying,’ Lucca announces, standing tall and assuring himself as well as us that he can face whatever ghosts are haunting his thoughts. ‘I’m staying.’

‘Really? I always heard that you were coming. Coming. COMING!’ The fucker laughs loudly and Lucca looks ready to cry.

I take hold of Frankie’s head, my palms pressing against his temples and the tips of my fingers digging into his skull.

‘Do it, Cyrus. I’m ready.’

‘Who the fuck is that?!’ he demands, throwing his head from side to side as he tries to see me.

‘Who’s been taking the Gilt shipments, Frankie.’

‘Fuck off.’

‘Do you know who has been taking them?’

‘I told you. No! I have no fucking idea.’

The lie spreads through my body and makes me shudder. The taste of metal sits on the tip of my tongue.

‘Lie.’

‘You do know. Give me a name.’ Cyrus pulls out a knife from his pocket. ‘Who is responsible. Give me a name.’

‘Ain’t got one.’

‘Lie.’

‘Tell this fucking bitch to get her hands off me.’ Again, he shakes his head. I grip him harder.

In a sudden move, the knife is buried into his thigh.

Frankie growls out in anger, too proud and determined to remain the “hard man” to show the pain.

‘Tell me,’ Cyrus warns, twisting the blade.

‘Eat my dick.’

‘Is Serge the one behind it?’ Cyrus twists the knife again. I hear the squelch of blood as he tears the flesh and feel the vibrations through Frankie’s body as it scrapes the bone.

‘Is Serge ordering the thefts?’

‘NO!’ he yells out.

‘Truth.’

‘Then who is?’

‘I TOLD YA! I DON’T KNOW SHIT!’

‘Lie.’

Lucca pulls out a switchblade and crouches by Frankie’s bound hand. Slowly, he starts cutting, carefully dragging the tip of the blade around his fingers. It reminds me of a game my sister and I would play when we were children. We would draw around our hands with crayons to colour them in.

I see a tattoo on Frankie’s hand. “Your throat here” is written in black between his thumb and forefinger.

Lucca carries on, so the entirety of Frankie’s hand is cut.

‘I’m going to peel off your skin like it’s a glove,’ he states clearly. ‘And if you don’t give any kind of answer to the questions we ask, I’ll start pulling. Got it?’

Frankie is quiet, so Lucca forces his fingers inside the wound.

My stomach turns as I see them under his flesh and the cry of agony the brute in the chair produces has bile climbing my throat.

‘Who is taking the Gilt?’

‘I don’t know!’

‘Lie.’

‘Do you know where the Gilt is now?’

‘NO!’

‘Truth.’

‘Do you know who is taking it?’

‘NO!’

It goes on and on. I want to get this done. My head is throbbing and my ears are ringing. Frankie’s screams pierce my eardrums and I contemplate letting go and running.

But I don’t.

Cyrus’s voice starts to get distant and everything begins to swirl around me as the effects of using this power take hold. I close my eyes, hoping that it will stop the room spinning.

I feel myself swaying on my feet and their voices fade further and further away until all I can hear is my own breathing.

All goes quiet.

Have I passed out? Gone deaf?

I open my eyes and see them all yelling and cutting.

My insides go ice cold and my stomach drops.

‘Cyrus…’

He lifts his twisted and contorted face mid-torture, annoyed by my interruption. But when he sees what I’m guessing is my ashen face and wide eyes, he stands up straight.

‘Raven? What’s wrong?’

‘Somethings not right-’ My words are cut off by an intense, throat tearing scream as a surge of pain shoots through my brain.

I can’t see!

Everything goes black.

I try to let Frankie go, but I can’t.

There’s some kind of connection between us and whatever it is, it’s keeping me held on and is tearing my head apart.

He’s yelling too and I know he’s feeling the same pain. I don’t know how I know, but I do.

‘I swear!’ he cries out in agony. ‘I don’t know anything!’

But those words are lies.

This time though, I don’t feel it.

I see it!

I see the truth behind his lies.

Images of faces and events bombard me, one after another after another.

All of it is the truth.

But only in violent flashes and only from Frankie’s point of view. Like I’m him, inside his head, seeing things through his eyes.

I’m outside an old and disused petrol station on a pothole covered road. Behind me are several flashy cars with men in suits and guns at their hips. Just like Frankie. I see Serge opening silver cases filled with liquid vials.

It’s Gilt and a lot of it. Each case holds maybe twenty vials and there are perhaps a hundred cases here in crates. Frankie and Serge’s other goons start loading the cases into the cars.

They leave.

Next, we’re in a limo. A Fae girl no older than seventeen is on her knees with a dog collar on. She’s naked and trembling, going from man to man, pleasuring them with her mouth or being fucked from behind. Her skin is bruised and covered in sweat.

Then, the car has stopped inside some kind of aeroplane hanger. Frankie must have stayed inside as the view is from the limo’s interior. He has his hand around the girl's throat and is crushing her neck, but he glances outside to Serge, who, along with his cronies, are handing over the suitcases to someone else.

He’s trying to hide his thoughts from me. To push me out and shake me off.

The more he tries to hide, the louder it all gets until we see each other. In his head, in his thoughts, he faces me and sees me standing there.

‘You…’ I breathe.

‘You?’ he repeats, but with confusion. As we see each other and recognise each other, we’re hurtled to another truth.

The truth that he was there the night my mother was murdered. He was a teenager, but just as vile then as he is now.

He was one of the men who held her down as Serge hacked off her beautiful wings. He was one of the men who tore at her clothes.

He was one of the men who raped her.

He was there when Ivan Walker took me from the wardrobe. He watched us being carried out as my mother lay dying on the bed, still being brutalised as she bled out.

I see Rhea and I in the cells, cowering in each other’s arms as he looks on. He was there, standing behind Serge, watching the experiments. He stood outside as the explosion occurred, watching as the building went up in golden flames.

He was one of the men who chased us through the woods. He was one of the men who shot iron bullets at us in the darkness.

He saw me jump. He pointed the gun at my demonic sister. He pulled the trigger and hit her in the belly. He watched her crumple to the ground. He helped Serge collect what was left of the experiments, determined to continue them.

And then I see the absolute truth.

I get slammed by a force and a pain that hurls me across the room and away from Frankie. I crash into Brennan, who catches me before I collide with the wall and together, we fall to the floor. Frankie is now lying on his side, still strapped to the chair. He looks at me, and I look at him. Our eyes meet in the real world for the first time since he shot at me on the cliffs.

‘That’s not possible,’ he whispers. ‘You’re dead. I saw you jump.’

I push myself away from Brennan and start getting to my feet.

‘You…’ I snarl. ‘YOU!’ I scream, seeing all he has done flash behind my eyes. ‘YOU!’

‘GRAB HER!’ Lucca yells, still trying to get to his feet along with everyone else. He must have heard my thoughts. He knows what I plan to do.

I run as fast as I can towards Frankie, scooping up the discarded knife that one of the boys must have dropped mid-torture, and ready it in my hand.

‘SHE’S GOING TO-’

Lucca’s word’s come too late.

With all my strength, I plunge the knife into Frankie’s heart. I pull it back and stab again, and again, and again!

‘WHAT THE FUCK?!!’ Cyrus bellows as his arms snake under mine.

He pulls me off. I’m feral, screaming and still trying to slash at the monster lying in a growing puddle of blood. I leave behind a slick trail of red as I’m dragged backwards.

‘HE RAPED MY MUM!’ I scream. ‘HE SHOT MY SISTER!’ I claw and scratch at Cyrus.

‘He’s as dead as he’s ever gonna be,’ he insists. ‘Stop! Before you hurt yourself!’

Another surge of power expels from my body and they’re all hurtled away from me once more.

Cyrus is quick on his feet and points a warning finger at me.

‘Cut that shit out! Before you kill one of us!’ His anger sinks into concern as he looks at my nose. ‘You’re bleeding.’

I reach up and feel the blood.

Lucca appears at my side.

‘The fucker deserved to die. You did nothing wrong,’ he says, resting his hand on mine.

The same thing happens between us. I’m thrown into his mind. Into his memories.

Into his truth.

I see Lucca as a young boy. Twelve, maybe thirteen. He’s sat in the corner of a dank room with no windows and only a single lightbulb flickering in the corner. There’s an old bed pushed against the wall and a bowl of condoms at the door, along with bottles of lubricant, gags, whips and iron chains.

Cyrus and Reid stand over him as he sits looking up at them with utterly dead eyes, pale skin and no will to live at all. His wings are there, out for all to see. So small compared to the others. Reid and Cyrus look the same age they are now, not like Lucca, who is just a child.

‘How did you find him?’ Reid asks Cyrus. ‘I didn’t know he had come over in the Event. I thought it was just the five of us.’

‘I heard word of a kid with wings being kept for exclusive clients,’ Cyrus replies. ‘I came to check it out.’

‘Fuckers. Utter fuckers.’ Reid steps closer to the young Lucca. ‘Do you remember me?’ he asks. ‘We met a few years ago, back in the Third-Kingdom. You were sent to me because of your gifts. Do you remember? I Triggered your powers.’

Lucca doesn’t speak but keeps on this eerie smile.

‘He must remember. He’s winged. We all remember, so he must too,’ Reid ponders aloud.

‘We haven’t been held in a sex dungeon for years. Fae or not, winged or not, the trauma he’s suffered is bound to have caused some damage.’

‘How long have they had him?’ asks Reid.

‘Since we got here five years ago,’ Cyrus tells him. ‘Serge caught him on day one. Poor kid must have been running around lost and scared. They’ve hurt him a lot, Reid. He’s not all that good in the head.’

Reid keels down to be eye level with the young Lucca.

‘My name is Elias. Do you remember me, Lucca? We met when you were small. I presented you to the queen of the First-Kingdom, do you recall? Back home in the Fae-realm?’

Lucca just blinks. His vacant expression is chilling to witness, like he’s nothing but a shell, with no soul inside him whatsoever.

‘Serge said he doesn’t talk,’ Cyrus says. ‘But he said he’ll do everything else.’ The disgusted grimace he wears as he speaks is sincere as he looks at the young boy. ‘We need to kill that mother fucker. He needs to die for this.’

‘We have too many enemies as it is. We go to war with the Russian mafia, we’ll never survive. I can buy the boy. Serge has accepted my offer. A one-off payment for the kid and a cheap supply of Gilt for his other assets. Lucca should hit maturity in a few years and his ageing will slow. His value to Serge will decrease. His clients like them young. Likes them easy to manage.’

Reid sighs heavily as he slowly reaches out his hands to Lucca’s shoulders. I would expect him to flinch or recoil at being touched. But he reaches out and runs his fingers down Reid’s chest and smiles the weirdest and most doll-like smile I’ve ever seen.

Lucca goes to remove his ratty old shirt and falls to his knees, so his face is level with Reid’s crotch.

But Reid stops him from undressing and sinks to his knees too.

‘You keep that on. You’re going to come with my friend and me, and never have to take your clothes off for anyone else ever again. We’ll keep you safe. Would you like that? You will be a great asset to us. And in return, you will never have to be treated like this again. What do you say, Lucca?’

I’m tossed from the memory. Lucca and I both yell as we’re repelled from each other. I hit one wall and he hits the other.

I grab my head, desperate for the pain to stop. Images crash into my head, forcing their way inside. The stabbing behind my eyes is enough to make me try and claw them out.

‘Hey. Hey!’ Cyrus tries to lower my hands as I shake my head violently from side to side and cry in response to the torture. He reaches beyond my flailing arms and takes my face in his hands.

But I feel that tug again, linking us both.

My head can’t take another second of it so I push him away and fall forwards with my arms over my head and my face in the stone.

‘Don’t touch me,’ I plead. ‘Don’t!’

‘What the hell just happened?’ Cyrus demands. ‘Lucca? What was that? What did she do?’

Through the haze and pain, I see Lucca looking at me, white as a sheet and slick with sweat.

‘She erm…’ He swallows and blinks. ‘She was in my memories. She saw me, the day you found me at Serge’s place.’

They all look at me, eyes wide and faces at a loss.

‘It’s like she demanded the truth,’ Lucca continues. ‘She wanted to know why I was afraid of Serge. As soon as I touched her, I had no choice but to show her why.’

‘I’m sorry,’ I tell him quickly, knowing that he just relived that all because of me. ‘I didn’t mean to do that. I didn’t know that was going to happen-’

‘I know.’ He nods quickly and swallows hard, waving his hand dismissively but looking horrified.

'I'm so sorry. I am so fucking sorry-'

‘We’re good. Seriously, Pup. It's fine.’ He groans and clutches his head. ‘My head’s on fucking fire.’

Cyrus kneels before me.

‘You saw inside Frankie’s head?’ he asks.

I swallow down the pain and fear and sit up.

‘The Gilt,’ I tell him. ‘It’s him.’

‘Who?’

‘He’s alive. He’s… he’s still alive.’

‘Who? What are you talking about?’ Cyrus wipes a trail of blood from my nose before it reaches my lips, careful to use his sleeve and avoid touching my skin.

‘I saw it. I saw the truth. For every lie… for every… for…’ I groan as the images just keep playing out over and over. I start to slump.

‘What did you see?’ he asks, taking hold of my shoulders. I fall into his chest and sink into his shirt, seeking out a safe place. A warm place.

‘Ivan…’ A tear slides down my cheek as I nod and close my eyes. ‘Ivan Walker. He’s still alive. Cyrus… he’s… he’s behind it… he wants us all Dark. He needs us to be monsters… He’s flushing out Reid. He wants him. Needs him… he’s been taking your Gilt… stopping Reid from building a force to stand against him… He… He…’

‘He’s what? Raven? Tell me!’

‘He’s coming.’

36

‘He’s dead,’ Brennan insists. ‘Ivan is dead and gone.’

‘I’m hearing you, Brennan!’ Cyrus snaps back. ‘It wasn’t me that said it, was it?!’

‘Then she’s wrong.’

‘What if he’s not?’ Lucca replies. ‘If Ivan is still alive and if he’s the one behind the Gilt being stolen, then we are in a whole world of trouble. Never mind everything else, if Reid finds out he’s still breathing, he’ll start a war to get to him.’

As I lie on the bathroom floor, I know they’re in a state of panic about my revelation.

My stomach tightens again and I grip onto Cyrus’s arm for support as I heave into the toilet. The pain tears through my head and makes the nausea worse.

‘You’re okay,’ he comforts, letting me grab him with all my strength, sharing with him an ounce of the pain I’m feeling. My legs stretch out as my body goes rigid, and he holds my hair back as I retch. ‘It will pass. I promise. I’ve got you.’

He kisses the back of my head and whispers words of comfort softly in my ear.

‘I remember that feeling well,’ Lucca says. ‘You remember when I was first presented to Queen Marissa and demonstrated my powers? I threw up all over her dress afterwards.’ He chuckles fondly. ‘She was such a good sport about it. I should never have had fish for breakfast that day, though. Still can’t stand the smell of kippers.’

‘Neither can I,’ El adds. ‘I so much as whiff fish, I dry heave because of you that day.’

‘Yes. It’s all very amusing that Lucca vomited all over the queen,’ Brennan grumbles. ‘Do you think Ivan Walker is still alive or not?’

‘I do,’ Lucca replies. ‘I experienced first-hand what she did to Frankie. She saw the darkest secret of my life laid bare before her. There was no hiding it. She saw the day you found me at Serge’s and I believe whatever else she saw in Frankie's head too.’

‘Well, we need to leave here either way,’ Cyrus states, guiding my head to his chest as the bout of vomiting eases. ‘If one Dark-Fae found us, more might. And she said he was coming.’ His body stiffens. ‘Walker might well be on his way.’

‘What do you think he was doing with the twins?’ El asks. ‘What the hell was he trying to do and why does he want monsters? Why steal Gilt to flush out Reid? We worked hard to ensure that Elias Black-Water was killed. We wiped all traces of him from the human world. Reid is an Authority agent. A human. No way Ivan knows he’s still alive.’

‘Reid is a man pretending to be Authority with a fake ID and a group of extremely powerful Pets. That shit wasn’t going to go unnoticed forever. I’m not willing to stick around and find out what Ivan’s after. I’ve seen Raven screaming in her sleep because of what she’s suffered at his hands. I’m not risking her falling into his hands again.’ Cyrus lifts my head and gently taps my cheek until I open my eyes. ‘We have to move, Princess. Can you walk?’

‘My brain feels like it’s encased in broken glass,’ I complain. ‘And there’s puke on my top.’

‘I’ll take that as a no. That’s okay. I can carry you.’ His arms slide underneath me and he stands, holding me like a baby in his arms. He faces the others. ‘We’re out of here. I suggest you get your shit and do the same.’

‘That’s not your call to make,’ El argues, blocking the door. ‘Reid is in charge.’

‘Reid is unconscious and being tended to by his wife. Reid is the one who let this all happen in the first place. Reid is the one-’

‘Reid is her Bonded-Mate too, Cyrus,’ El reminds him. ‘She is his, just as much as she is yours. We stick together.’

‘We can stick together on the road.’

‘Oh yeah. A car full of Fae with an unconscious Fae pretending to be Authority. That will work.’

‘Then I’ll fly her to safety, and you can follow later.’

‘Not without Reid’s say so, you won’t,’ El snaps. ‘We don’t follow you. We follow Reid.'

Cyrus’s wings expand as a warning, stretching wall to wall.

El’s does too. They’re not as large as his but fuck, they’re just as beautiful. They shine gold with speckles of black, inverting Cyrus’s colours.

‘You said it. If Reid discovers that Ivan is alive, he will go to war. I will not let her be dragged back into that. I can’t.’

‘You’re a hypocrite.’

‘Yes. I am. But I learn from my mistakes. I fucked up and I let everyone down. I won’t this time. I won’t fail her again.’

‘You’re not leaving with her,’ she states as Lucca and Brennan take their place by her side. ‘Not unless Reid says so. He already lost his wings because of you. He will not lose her too. We won’t allow it.’

‘He lost his wings because of you?’ I manage, lifting my gaze to see Cyrus staring at the others with rage. ‘Cyrus? W-what did you do?’

‘I’m not staying to listen to this shit.’ Cyrus barges into them all, knocking them out of the way as he makes it down the stairs. All three follow as he heads straight for the door.

But Reid is up. He’s batting away Tessa and her attempts to help him move as he heads to meet us in the lobby. He sees me in Cyrus’s arms.

‘What have you done to her? What’s wrong with her?’ He stops ahead and brushes my hair aside. ‘You look like death.’ His head shoots up. ‘What did you do?!’

‘Nice to see you’re finally awake,’ Cyrus says sarcastically. ‘I’ll allow your little army of brats to fill you in whilst I get Raven somewhere safe.’

‘We’ve been through this. You’re not taking her away from me.’ Reid stands tall and assures me that there’s no way in this life or the next that Cyrus will be leaving through that door with me.

‘Ivan’s alive,’ Cyrus says, breaking the silence.

I see the blood drain from Reid’s face at those words.

‘You’re lying.’

‘No. Raven discovered the truth from the prisoner in the cellar.’

Reid looks down at me.

‘She delved into his mind. She not only sensed the lies, she saw the truth. Ivan Walker is alive, and he's the one stealing the Gilt. He’s stealing it, apparently, to flush you out.’

‘Ivan Walker is dead,’ Reid whispers. ‘We all saw it.’

‘We saw an explosion. Raven saw the truth.’

‘What do you mean, saw the truth?’

‘Her powers are growing at an exponential rate, Reid. She saw the truth in her own mind. Her head has been torn to pieces with the power it wielded over her. She can control objects around her. She can expel force at will, throwing people around like they’re rag dolls. She has gold flames on her hands, for fuck sake. She’s something else. Something new. We can’t let him have her back. We can’t.’

‘If he’s alive, we have to find him. We have to stop him. We have to kill him and she’s powerful enough to help us to do that.’

‘She’s not a weapon.’

‘Yes. She is. We all are. We are the only thing standing between Ivan Walker and our annihilation. We’re cut off from our home world and poisoned by this human-realm. We get powers, we turn into monsters. We are not designed to live here. We’re not compatible. We either live as slaves in cages or we die monsters. If there’s a chance we can kill him to avenge our people, to save our people-’

‘Look at us, Reid.’ Cyrus scoffs angrily and steps back. ‘We are annihilated. There is nothing left to save, except your own need for revenge.’

‘Meaning?’

‘He took your wings. Ivan Walker publicly castrated you, murdered your queen and enslaved you. That’s all you see here. Not a fight for freedom. Not a fight for salvation. Not protecting Raven. You see revenge.’

‘Need I remind you why I ended up having my wings hacked from my body?’ Reid snarls, stepping forwards, his eyes shimmering gold. ‘Do you have any idea how it felt? Imagine your heart being cut from your chest with a butter knife drenched in acid and you might come close. Do you think for one second I would trust her with you after you betrayed me like that?’

‘I didn’t betray you.’

‘I can still feel their presence, you know. But I can’t reach them. My heart is trapped in a box I can hold but never open. A part of me missing, forever. It’s a constant grief that will never heal. And that’s all because of you.’

‘You lost your wings because you refused to accept that we had lost!’

I look between them, both men filled with anger and hatred but also pain and heartache.

‘We were surrounded,’ Cyrus says with a tremor in his voice. ‘I told you to fly. I begged you to come with me.’

‘You had told Ivan where the weapon was. I couldn’t just abandon the cause.’

‘He was going to cut my wings off if I didn’t!’

‘YOU HANDED THEM TO HIM!’ Reid bellows. ‘You told Ivan where the weapon was!’

‘I DIDN’T KNOW IT WAS HER!’ Cyrus roars back, his body shaking. ‘I thought it was a bomb or a gun. Or some kind of fucking map. I would never have told him anything if I knew it was the Queen and her daughter… Raven… he was seeking. I would never have said.’

My breath catches in my throat as the truth of his words spill out of him. Slowly, he looks down at me and the horror of it hits him.

‘You told my father where we were?’ I ask in barely any voice at all. The doors start to rattle on their hinges.

‘I didn’t know it was you. I didn’t know-’

‘You’re the one who told him?’ I start pulling away from him and he eases me to the floor. Reid is quick to take my elbow and guide me away from the bastard.

‘He was torturing us, Raven. For weeks. For months. When he saw our wings materialise, he made it clear. I… I couldn’t lose my wings.’ He reaches out for me but I dodge his effort, looking at him with disgust.

‘How? H-how did you even know where we were?’

‘It’s complicated-'

‘THEN MAKE IT UNCOMPLICATED!’ I scream. The marble floor cracks and plaster dust rains down on our heads.

‘I… I can…’

‘What?’

‘I can sense power,’ he says. ‘Marissa was the most powerful Fae in the human-realm. I could always feel her. Ivan said she stole something from him. Something he needed back. If I refused to tell him where she was, where I could feel her, he would cut off my wings.’

‘You bastard,’ I whisper, too hurt to think of anything else to say. ‘You sent them to us? Everything that happened, it was because of you? All of this is because of you?’

As Reid pulls me back slowly, increasing the gap between Cyrus and me, Cyrus reaches out and grabs my wrist, glaring at Reid intently.

‘Your turn,’ he says. ‘You spilt my secret. It’s time to spill yours.’

I look back at Reid.

The rest all linger at the sidelines, eyeing the whole situation cautiously.

‘Don’t,’ Reid warns.

‘I sense power,’ Cyrus says. ‘So my partner can awaken it. Isn't that right, partner?’

‘Stop.’ Reid’s eyes glimmer again.

‘You see, Princess. All Fae have a power inside them back home, but only the worthy are permitted to use it. Only the worthy can be elevated.’

‘I don’t… I don’t understand.’

‘I sense it. Sense its strength. Its worth. If it will serve the Kingdom or the people. Like you sense dishonesty, I sense power. Then I report it. It’s an honour and a privilege. All Fae seek to be tested to see if their power is enough to be brought forward. I mean, who wouldn’t want access to power, magic, strength? Who wouldn’t want a life of meaning and prosperity? They flocked to me. To the others like me who can sense the power in others.’

‘And you revelled in every second of it, whoring your way through the Kingdoms. Fucking every woman that was desperate enough to earn your approval.’

Cyrus ignores the dig. ‘I only suggested them, Sir. You’re the one who actually blessed them.’

‘Blessed them?’ I repeat.

Cyrus’s grin turns dark as night. ‘Triggered them,’ he clarifies. ‘One touch. A flash of light. That’s all it takes for Elias here to Trigger the power in others.’ He looks at me. ‘Sound familiar?’

I look back to Reid, who avoids my gaze at all costs.

‘Triggered?’ I repeat. Is that all I'm capable of doing right now? Repeating the odd word with a strained voice. ‘Did… did you Trigger me that night in the pub?’

‘It’s not what you think.’

‘DID YOU?!’ I scream. The floor cracks further, snaking up the wall and over our heads.

‘Folks, this is not the place to be doing this,’ Luca says, grabbing El’s hand and backing away from the dangerously split ceiling. ‘Maybe outside where the roof can’t fall on our heads?’

‘Did you?’ I ask again, looking at Reid with tears in my eyes. ‘Did you do this to me?’

‘I… I just…’

‘What. Reid? What did you “just”?’

‘You’re the Princess. You belonged with us. Even if I couldn’t feel you as my Bonded-Mate, I just…’

‘What?’

‘Wanted you for myself,’ he admits.

‘You… you… You took my life from me! You put me in this mess! You made me depend on you for protection. For Gilt.’

‘Like he said,’ Cyrus sneers. ‘He wanted you for himself.’

‘Did you tell him about me? You sensed me and called him, is that it?’ I turn my wrath and hurt to Cyrus.

‘I warned you to stay away if you remember rightly. I explicitly told you not to come to the city.’

‘Because you knew he would be there. How did you know he would be there?’

‘Because that’s his job.’ Tessa suddenly pipes up, keen to defend Reid. ‘We all have a job, Princess. Cyrus goes from town to town and senses the powerful Fae. Reid comes to Trigger them.’

‘Why? Why the hell would you do that when you know what it does to us? What it turns us into?’

‘To fight back!’ she almost screeches. ‘We need the most powerful so we can make a stand. So we can break free from the collars and the walls.’

‘That’s why you need Gilt so much?’ My fists ball up and my teeth grind together. ‘You’re turning us to create yourself an army, and now you don’t have the Gilt to keep us from going Dark?’ I just… I can’t even begin to comprehend this. For all their words, for all their talk of protecting their people and honour… ‘YOU EVIL FUCKERS! Is that why the Dark-Fae keep attacking? Are they yours? Did you Trigger them and abandon them?’

‘It’s not just his fault, you know!’ Tessa snaps, barging her way between us. ‘It’s you!’

‘Tessa. Enough!’ Reid barks.

‘You’re not curious as to why Elias isn’t Dark after he risked everything to save you?’

‘What?’

‘Your blood!’ she yells. ‘Whatever is in your blood, you keep them light. They smell it. Reid smelled it. He said you were like sunshine and oxygen. He said he wanted to devour you to feel alive. Whatever is in your blood, it calls to them. Draws them to you like flies to sh-’

‘I SAID ENOUGH!’ Reid roars, backhanding her hard and sending her to the floor.

My power reacts and Reid soars backwards.

I look down at Tessa who seems unfazed by being struck by the man she claims is her husband. She refuses my hand.

‘What’s in my blood, Tessa?’

‘You saved Elias when he turned Dark healing you. No one comes back once they change. No one. But he tasted your blood and he returned.’

‘But then… that’s a good thing, right?’ I ask, tears still hot in my eyes. ‘If I can stop this, if we don’t need Gilt to survive-’

‘Then why was your mother so terrified of him getting ahold of you?’ Cyrus asks. ‘Why did he call you a weapon? Why not a cure?’

Lucca shudders suddenly and faces the front door. His brow furrows in that way it does when his mind is hacking into someone else's.

‘What is it?’ Reid asks, watching him closely.

Lucca’s eyes widen as he spins to face the back of the house. Then the left, then the right. ‘They’re coming.’

‘Who?’

‘Dark-Fae. Lots and lots of Dark-Fae.’ He looks at Reid. ‘Run!’

37

The first one crashes through the kitchen window as another one breaks through the lounge. More windows shatter upstairs and it’s clear we’re surrounded. Completely and utterly surrounded with no way out and nowhere to hide.

‘The cellar,’ El says, running towards the door beneath the stairs.

Monster after monster launch themselves inside the house. Cyrus drags me to the cellar door and Brennan slams it shut behind us, trapping a Dark-Fae arm in the gap.

The others all push and with a squelch and a snap, the arm breaks and the heavy metal door seals shut.

‘Now what?’ pants Lucca.

‘Down,’ Reid says, taking my elbow and guiding me downstairs.

We reach the circular room, complete with the dead body of Frankie, and Lucca seals shut yet another door.

The bulb flickers and we all try to catch our breath. There’s no way out down here.

‘You have to portal us out,’ Reid says, walking to my side and taking my hand.

I snatch it away and step back.

‘You touch me ever again and I will kill you,’ I spit. ‘All of you.’ I turn and walk away, sitting with my back against the wall and my head in my hands.

‘I know you’re upset. I get it, I do-’

‘You get it, do you, Reid?’ I could spit fire as I speak. ‘You’re a selfish, manipulative fucker who has destroyed lives.’

‘I’ve saved lives.’

‘Their lives?’ I ask, gesturing to the door.

‘They’re not mine,’ he insists. ‘I don’t think. Not that many would have turned in one go. Not all of them would come like this. It’s too organised.’

‘Oh well then. That makes everything okay.’

‘Snark isn’t helpful.’

‘I’m not trying to be helpful.’

I turn away and show them all my back, pulling my knees up to my chest and sealing my lips shut.

‘How did they find us?’ Brennan wonders, charging towards Frankie and searching his pockets. He pulls out a small black dot and shows it to us all with a furious face. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen him angry. ‘You didn’t think to check him for a tracker? You didn’t think it was suspicious that Serge’s man was so easy to grab? So easy to kidnap? YOU DIDN’T THINK IT COULD BE A TRAP?’

‘We lead him straight to us…’ Lucca scorns. ‘Fuck.’

Beyond the doors, the Fae are screeching and slamming against the walls.

‘You gotta help us,’ Lucca pleads.

‘You made this mess. You all deserve to be torn to pieces by it.’

‘They will tear you apart too, Pup. If what Reid says about you is true, you’re fucking Crack to them.’

‘Then at least I’d have done something worthwhile with my life and fixed your fuck up.’

‘I’m getting tired of the self-pity, Princess.’

I throw up a middle finger to Cyrus. ‘And I’m getting tired of your face, dick head. How many did you hand over to him?’ I nod towards Reid. ‘Did you ask them or just do it to them, as you did to me?’

‘There’s no time for this.’ Reid’s point is proven when the first door gives way.

‘Then I suggest you answer me quickly. And remember, I’ll know if you’re lying.’

‘No. I didn’t ask,’ Reid replies, slightly flinching at the thud against the door. ‘Because they don’t know what’s best for them. Neither do you.’

‘I never would have chosen this. Never. To be a monster? To live in fear with powers I can’t control? To depend on you for Gilt?’

‘You were rotting away, Raven. For Goddess sake, Ahri tried to sell you to a man who would have raped you. The one piece of solace I have in my life is that we got to you before he hurt you.’

I laugh.

‘Why is that funny?’

‘Reid. She sold me to that man time and time again. You saved me from nothing new.’

‘You better be lying. You better be saying that to hurt me.’

I return to leaning against the wall, facing away from all of them.

‘Comfort your wife, Reid. I’ve no need or want to hear your bullshit.’

‘Please. Please, Raven,’ El says. ‘Please help us get out of here.’

She kneels beside me and rests her hand on my arm.

‘I don’t want to die down here.’

‘It seems life is full of things happening to us that we don’t want. Did you know?’

‘Not all. No. But some. Trust me. Hear me. Feel my truth. We only want to save our people. That’s what really matters.’

‘And failing that,’ Lucca says, staring at the door as it thuds. ‘You can always get us out of here and we’ll all go and kill Ivan.’

I look into El’s eyes and I feel her truth. She wants what’s best for the others.

And in truth, I would dearly like to kill the man I once called Dad.

‘Please, Raven?’ she tries again. ‘Please?’

I nod. ‘I can try, but I don’t know where we’ll end up. I can’t control it.’

They all back up, staring intently at the door.

‘You can do this,’ she assures me. ‘You can.’

Concrete dust rains down on us as the house is torn apart above, and the sound of heavy footsteps and snarling gets louder as more of them gather on the other side of the door.

‘Think of somewhere safe,’ Reid says. ‘Somewhere away from here. Make that your anchor.’

‘The only places I know are in the city.’

‘Not there,’ they all reply at once.

He remains calm as the hammering on the door becomes an incessant scrambling as all the Dark-Fae scuffle in that narrow passageway and try to break through the door, separating us.

‘Think of the roads we travelled together,' Reid encourages. 'Think of the quiet lanes. The empty fields. Let those be your guiding thoughts. Imagine where you want to go and why. Trust yourself. Trust you can do this.’

I get to my feet and stand tall, determined not to fuck this up. To prove to them, to myself, that I can do this.

I lift my hand. All that energy in my body, all that strength and magic, I feel it all. And I channel it to the very tips of my fingers and let out a shaky breath as I guide it out into the world, trying with all my might not to let my doubt cast it into chaos or doom.

My hair whips around my face and the whirring of air is almost as loud as the chaos beyond the door.

‘Good girl. Keep it going,’ Reid whispers into my ear. ‘You’re doing perfectly.’ His hand rests on my back as Cyrus rests his on my shoulder.

‘Get the fuck off me,’ I warn. The anger at their audacity brings the portal to life.

I open my eyes and I gasp at the perfect swirl of golden specks that I see.

Reid and Cyrus stand on either side of me.

‘Do you know where it goes?’

‘I think so.’

‘I’ll go first,’ Reid declares. ‘I’ll make sure it’s safe.’ He picks up the chunk of brick. ‘If it is, I’ll throw this back.’

‘Wait. What if-’

Reid kisses my cheek.

‘See you on the other side.’

And without another word, he runs forwards and leaps through. I stand, staring at the swirling mass.

The door thuds again. The metal groans.

But the brick returns through the portal.

‘Go!’ Cyrus orders the others.

I watch Brennan, Lucca, El and Tessa run past and hurl themselves through.

But Cyrus just bloody stands there.

‘Cyrus, go! I can’t hold it much longer.’

‘Not without you.’

‘I’ll follow. You have to go first.’

‘Nope.’ He stands behind me and takes hold of my waist. ‘We go through together, or I don’t go through. I’m never leaving you behind. Never.’ He stretches out his wings and digs in his fingers to my hips. ‘Hold on tight and keep that portal open.’

I look at his face beside me and see such a mischievous smile.

‘I’ve always wanted to go through a portal.’

The door succumbs to the force behind it and is sent flying into the room. The screeching and monstrous Dark-Fae swarm through.

‘Here we go.’

He lifts me and soars forwards with a powerful beat of his magnificent wings. I scream as I feel the very tips of claws reach for us as we hurtle towards the portal.

The deafening sound of the invasion disappears suddenly, and instead, my ears are filled with utter nothingness. There’s no air to breathe. No light to see. No smell to smell.

All I feel is falling. Falling with Cyrus holding me close.

A dim light appears ahead and grows bigger with every second until we crash through and return to the world. Cold air hits us and rain lashes down. I hear Cyrus take in the same desperate breaths I do as we are thrown from the portal. We’re falling all right. From the sky straight down to the tarmac of a road. It’s pouring with rain and dark as hell. Cyrus wraps his wings around us before we hit the ground and start to roll. We land on our backs with a painful groan. He lowers his wings before I sit bolt upright to see that the portal is still in place above our heads. I reach out and summon the same power, calling it back to my core.

Many Dark-Fae begin to appear from the centre of the portal. Their arms stretched out and their claws ready.

I pull my hand back and the portal follows my command, fading into nothing and tearing the creatures to pieces before they can emerge.

The portal fades and bits of monster rain down on us all.

‘Well,’ Cyrus groans, sitting himself up with me still on his lap. I look back at him as he reaches up and pulls what looks like a finger from his hair. ‘That was fun.’

I look at the others. Brennan picks bits of skin and brain from his shoulder as Lucca helps El wipe the blood from her cleavage. Tessa looks stunned and in shock. Reid is heading towards me.

‘Are you both okay?’ he asks as I still look up into the night sky.

Cyrus takes my chin and forces my attention to him.

‘He asked you a question. Are you okay?’ he repeats firmly.

I look down at my body to check, holding out my hands and counting my fingers.

‘I-I think so. Yeah. I’m… I’m okay.’

Reid kneels beside us and checks me over as Cyrus spreads his wing and covers it over our heads, protecting us from the downpour.

I feel so guilty watching Tessa look on longingly.

We hear the sound of a roaring engine and lift our heads to see the glow of two cars’ headlights approach down the small country lane we’ve appeared on. Their tyres screech and their engine revs harder as they speed towards us, apparently racing, before taking a corner and heading straight for us.

They see us and slam on their brakes, the rubber screaming as they try to get traction on the slick roads. They swerve, but there’s nowhere else to go except forwards. The lane is low in the ground with high banks and trees overhead.

Cyrus grabs me and leaps to his feet. His wings spread wide as he soars upwards. He has me in one arm and Reid’s wrist in the other. The cars speed beneath us and finally stop several metres beyond where we were just sitting.

Cyrus returns us all to the ground and we face the car.

‘They’re human!’ Lucca calls over. ‘They’re freaking out!’

Not surprising. They just saw three people fly up into the sky, one of which with massive wings.

The two cars attempt to speed away from the group of Fae they almost splattered.

‘We can’t let them go!’ Reid orders. ‘They’ve seen us.’

Cyrus reaches out his hand, encasing the cars in thick, black smoke. With a grunt, he lifts them from the ground. The wheels continue to turn, but they’re not going anywhere.

Brennan walks quickly to the driver side door of one, throws it open, and aims a gun.

‘NO!’ I scream.

But too late. He fires a single shot. The tyres stop spinning so Cyrus returns the car to the ground.

They repeat the process with whoever is in the second car. A woman screams as Brennan approaches. She pleads for mercy, promising that she won’t tell anyone she saw us.

It’s a lie.

BANG!

With horror, I watch Brennan remove their bodies from the car.

‘C’mon,’ Reid urges, not faltering, despite the murders we all just witnessed.

I’m led to one of the vehicles and guided into the front passenger seat, my eyes never leaving the bundles dumped at the side of the road. I watch as Brennan holds out his hand. The grass and roots in the earthy bank grows and entangle themselves around the two, before pulling them into the damp depths of the world.

‘Okay,’ Reid says, sliding in beside me and adjusting the driver seat. The car rocks as Cyrus gets in behind and the four others leap into the second car ahead. ‘Time to move.’

38

I sit in the passenger seat and gaze out of the window. Cyrus is behind with his head back and his eyes closed.

It’s an agonising silence that surrounds us. My heart is racing with every second that passes and my mind rages.

I glance at Reid as he stares straight ahead.

I watch him drive. I have for several hours. His eyes are tired and his hands are clenching the steering wheel so tight his knuckles are white. He keeps taking the odd deep inhale or shaking his head like he’s ridding himself of thoughts he can’t deal with.

Up ahead, El drives the second car. I’m glad we’re not all together. With this much tension, no one would be able to breathe.

‘Do you regret it?’ I ask him.

‘What? I’ve done a lot of shit. I need you to be specific.’

‘Triggering me. Do you regret it?’

‘I loathe that you can sense lies,’ he grumbles.

‘Take that as a no.’

‘No. I don’t regret Triggering you,’ he concedes. ‘When I did, I felt our Bond and it was like breathing fresh air for the first time in years.’

‘Ditto,’ Cyrus says sleepily from behind, his eyes still closed. ‘I regret not calling Reid to you sooner.’

‘Not helping,’ Reid sighs.

‘Didn’t realise I was supposed to be helping.’

‘Triggering me has tied me to you for the rest of my life,’ I remind them both.

‘It’s made you strong,’ Reid tells me. ‘It’s made you powerful. A force to be reckoned with. It’s given you a way to protect yourself and others. I will never regret that. If we were still back home, in our own realm, I would have awoken your gifts when you were a child anyway. I made you what you were meant to be.’

‘I was meant to be a welder, living in a flat with my sister,’ I retort. ‘Or living with my mother and my twin in a cottage by the sea. Both of you fucked those lives for me.’

‘I may not be sorry for Triggering you, Little Bird. But I am sorry that it’s caused you pain.’

‘And you?’ I ask, looking back at Cyrus through the rearview mirror. ‘Do you regret telling Ivan what you told him?’

He lifts his head and opens his eyes.

‘Yes. Of course I do. What a stupid fucking question.’

‘So even if he threatened to cut off your wings if you refused to tell him where we were, you would have remained silent?’

He leans forwards, his eyes staring into mine through the mirror.

‘Yes. I would have remained silent.’

There’s truth to his words.

‘Do you forgive us?’ Cyrus asks. ‘Me for telling Ivan and Reid for Triggering you, do you forgive us?’

‘No,’ I reply, returning my gaze to the world beyond. ‘Never.’

‘Well, that’s pretty tough-fucking-shit,’ Cyrus says, leaning forwards and placing himself between Reid and I. ‘The Mate-Bond is primal. And undeniable. It’s like an instant connection. Sexual and emotional. Souls entwined for the rest of time. To deny it is an insult to nature. An insult to us and a cruelty that you’re not capable of.’

I narrow my eyes on him.

‘You’d be amazed at the cruelty I’m capable of. After all, we’re Bonded-Mates, right? Means we have to have something in common. You two are cruel, twisted bastards. Maybe I am too. Besides. What kind of freaks want to share a woman. Fucking disgusting.’

‘Disgusting, hmm?’ Reid asks, hitching a brow.

Cyrus reaches around and grabs my wrists from behind, holding them tight. Before I can say a word, Reid has his hand down the waistband of my trousers.

‘What the fuck are you-’ I gasp as his fingers ease inside me and start to move. Cyrus keeps me held in place, watching my face closely as Reid sinks in deeper. There’s no jealousy, just dark pleasure.

‘If two men are happy to share one woman and you call that disgusting, what does that say about one woman being happy to be shared by two men?’ Reid asks.

‘Lucky,’ Cyrus answers on my behalf as I throw my head back and close my eyes. ‘Your pleasure gives us pleasure.’ He pulls my arms back, straining my shoulders so they ache. ‘You’re so cute, pretending you don’t want us. But we feel it, Princess. We feel how much you want us to touch you. To fuck you.’

‘But you haven’t.’ I gasp as Reid’s palm brushes against me. ‘You haven’t fucked me.’

‘Do you want us to?’ Cyrus’s words are a dark tease as he delivers them silkily into my ear. ‘Would that help you to forgive us? If we both gave in to you and sealed our Bond completely?’

My fingers dig into the sides of the seat and my hips move in time with Reids fingers as they circle and slide in and out.

I quickly become overwhelmed with the pain and anger of what they’ve done to me.

‘Stop…’ My words are barely a whisper.

Cyrus leans in and starts kissing my neck as Reid speeds up.

‘Stop. Stop! I SAID STOP!’ I scream.

They both let me go in an instant.

‘You don’t know what the word stop fucking means?!’ I snap, pulling myself away from them both. ‘Are you deaf, stupid or just fucking arseholes?’

‘We didn’t think you were serious.’

‘Stop means stop. No means no. Why are those words so hard for men to fucking understand, huh? There’s no secret meaning. No ulterior motive. No and stop. They’re one word fucking sentences and they mean exactly that.’ I swivel in my seat and press my thighs together, facing as far away from them as I can, hiding the tears that slide down my cheeks by brushing them away as quickly as possible. ‘Your wife is in the car up ahead. The same woman Cyrus ran off to for his happy ending after he left me in bed alone. You think it’s appropriate?'

‘We’re sorry,’ Cyrus offers. ‘We just thought-’

‘Sorry. Sorry.’ I shake my head. ‘You’re sorry you Triggered me and you’re sorry you told Ivan where we were hiding. You’re sorry for so much, and you know what? So am I. I’m sorry I abandoned Rhea to be killed like a dog as I fled. I’m sorry I ever trusted Ahri. I’m sorry I ever let Jonah touch me. I’m sorry my mother died screaming. I’m sorry I want you both and I’m sorry that I don’t want to want you! I’m fucking sorry that I had to die to be allowed to live and I’m sorry our people live like degenerate rats in cages. I’m sorry we’re being raped and exploited and I’m sorry that the men I’m falling in love with are part of the problem, turning us into monsters and-’

‘You’re falling in love with us?’ Reid says, cutting me off. He looks from me to the road in quick succession, over and over again.

‘It’s the Bond, right?’ I almost sound accusatory. ‘It’s not real. It’s magic. We were connected before I was born. What I feel for you is preordained by some stupid fucking power and what you feel for me is just as fake. Just as manufactured. I’ve had my fill of pretend love. You think it’s fun to play with me. To put your hands on me. To use your mouth on me. But you know as well as I do that it’s all fake. It’s why every time I go to touch you, you pull away.’

‘That’s not true.’

‘Reid, you refused to let me touch you in the bathroom. And Cyrus gave me concussion rather than let himself finish in my mouth.’ I sound so crass and pathetic. But I don’t give a shit. ‘You’re playing with me but I’m not good enough for you to actually fuck. It doesn’t matter. This is so unimportant anyway.’

The car falls silent and they say nothing in response.

‘Sex,’ Cyrus says from behind us.

‘Are you serious?’ I snap. ‘Now?’

‘If you fuck your Mate, that’s it. For life. Once you consummate a Bond, the man will never love another until they die. Another won’t arouse them. They will only ever be satisfied by her.’

I look at Cyrus, but he refuses to meet my stare. Neither does Reid.

‘What?’ is all I can manage. ‘Is that really true?’

‘Can we lie to you?’ Cyrus says.

‘So, if we have sex, we’ll never be able to leave each other? Never be able to sleep with anyone else or love-’

‘Just the man,’ Reid says, still staring devoutly ahead. ‘Not you. Not the women. They can leave their Mate and move on.’

I look between them and see how they sit in uncomfortable silence.

‘That’s why neither of you would let me touch you?’

‘If you touch us, we won’t be able to stop. We’re just…’ Reid looks at Cyrus behind. ‘We’re not ready to commit to you so fully yet.’

‘That’s why you went to Tessa? Why you threw me off you in the brothel?’ I ask Cyrus. ‘That’s why you refused to let me touch you in the bathroom? Because you were scared you couldn’t resist the urge to have sex with me?’

‘I’m not really wanting to talk about it right now, to be honest, Little Bird.’

‘I will,’ Cyrus says bitterly. ‘We’re drawn to you like a fucking magnet. We feel your pleasure when we’re with you physically and we know that if we were to ever climax inside you, not only would it be the best sex possible, but it would also mean that we would be tethered to you for the rest of our lives. And you could just go. Leave us. I think we’ve proven that we’re not really relationship material. We’re not capable of keeping you happy. Physically, yeah, sure. We’ll have you satisfied and begging for more. But we’re arseholes. You’ll leave.’

Cyrus looks out the window.

Reid grips the wheel even tighter.

‘We’ve agreed that we won’t consummate anything with you,’ Reid says quietly. ‘Neither of us are exactly good for you and neither of us has treated you fairly, kindly or with much compassion. We’re not great at change and inner growth, so tying ourselves to you would make you miserable in the long run and when you leave, which you will, you will be fine. You’ll find love again. But we won’t. I’ve seen what happens to abandoned Mates. Men go mad. They go insane with jealousy and rage. You don’t want to see us like that. We’re bad enough as it is. And we won’t let you go. We won’t even let you go now, Goddess only knows what would happen if we Bonded fully and you tried to leave.’

Reid remains statue-like with his whole focus on the road ahead.

And every word is the truth.

All of it.

‘So what happens next? I can’t leave you because I need the Gilt and I’ve no idea how to survive alone like this. Am I to stay with you, hated by your wife and watch as you fuck other people?’

‘We won’t-’

‘You plan on living a life of celibacy?’

Neither replies. It would only be a lie.

‘So you can fuck others. Great. What happens if I meet someone?’ I ask. ‘If I want to have sex with someone else?’

‘We'll kill them.’

‘Stone dead.’

‘Before he even got hard enough to fuck you.’

They have this little conversation between themselves, ignoring me sat right here.

‘I’m so glad you Triggered me to put us in a bitter standoff for the rest of time.’

There’s a screech of tyres before the sound of twisted metal and broken glass have us all looking ahead. El’s car is rolling off the side of the road in a mangled heap and two Dark-Fae are limping after it with their mangled limbs dragging behind.

They just rammed her car off the road with their bodies?!

Reid slams on the brakes as Cyrus reaches around me from behind and pins me to the seat so I don’t lurch forwards. The tires skid on the road but before we come to a complete stop, I look to my left, where an ear-piercing shriek begins to get louder.

‘LOOK OUT!’

Three more Dark-Fae reach us before we can do anything and slam themselves into the car. It’s a swirl of shards of glass and crunching metal as we roll, slamming into the tarmac again and again and again.

The car rolls off the road into a ditch.

None of us moves.

39

My ears are ringing as I try to blink back my senses. I’m still buckled in and hanging upside down, everything is spinning and blood lingers on my tongue. I reach up. There’s blood in my hair.

Reid is still strapped into the driver’s seat. He’s unconscious, with shards of glass protruding from his cheek. Cyrus is in a heap behind us, completely out cold and not moving at all, face down on the roof.

‘Reid? Cyrus?’ I reach over, wincing as I move, and give Reid a shake. ‘Reid, please wake up! Wake up! Cyrus! Someone, please!’

Reid gasps and throws open his eyes.

‘You okay?’ he asks in a panic, reaching over and groaning as his side twists. He swallows the pain and rests his hand on my face. ‘Look at me. You okay?’

‘I-I think so. Cyrus isn’t waking up.’

He turns to look. ‘He’s breathing. He’s alive.’

‘Are you sure?’ I ask through a terrified sob as I reach for him. But the pain has me screaming.

‘Don’t move!’ he orders, guiding my body forwards. ‘I’m sure.’ Reid gives some very painful looking nods. ‘He’s alive.’

‘El and the others, their car! We have to make sure they’re okay.’

‘I know. I know. Hold on.’

He undoes his seatbelt and crashes onto the upturned roof with a loud and painful groan. As he moves to help me, the broken glass beneath him grinds and we both stop dead when a small fire springs to life in the engine.

‘Get your arms around my neck. I’ll unbuckle you,’ he says. ‘Quickly.’

I refuse to scream out as I fall into his arms.

‘You good?’

‘Yep,’ I lie as he starts pulling me out of the wreck. Smoke starts to fill the inside of the vehicle and we cough as we emerge.

‘Get Cyrus. Get Cyrus!’

‘I will when you’re clear!’

He pulls me across the grass, my legs dragging in the grass as he grunts from the effort and his injuries.

He lays me down and heads back to the car, reaching into the smoke-filled wreck. He’s soon lost in the fumes.

‘Reid?’ I call over, watching the flames grow. ‘REID? CYRUS?!’

Coughing, Reid drags out Cyrus. He lays him beside me and we both start trying to wake him. I tap his cheek and shake his chest.

‘Wake up!’ I plead. ‘Please wake up!’

The two Dark-Fae that attacked our car limp towards us, holding onto their partially severed limbs and leaking blood onto the ground. One falls before it reaches the grass and twitches before it dies. The second stumbles as it still tries to make its way towards us. The gold of its eyes starts to dim in the darkness of the night that hides us down in the brush. It scans the area and sniffs.

I reach up to my head and know why it’s sniffing.

‘It can smell my blood,’ I whisper.

Reid rests his finger over my lips and ducks down.

But then, in the distance, Lucca.

‘HELP!’ he cries out. The sound of twisted metal being prised apart and shattering glass follows his words. ‘Oh Goddess. HELP ME, PLEASE! REID? REID?!’

‘Stay down and out of sight,’ Reid orders before withdrawing his gun and running to Lucca.

I sit in the darkness and listen to the skilful shots he fires. Two bullets and the Fae heading towards us falls. Reid carries on to Lucca’s direction as I pull myself towards Cyrus and rest his head on my lap.

‘Open your eyes, you overbearing ass. C’mon. Quit fucking about. We need you.’

I reach down and kiss his forehead. ‘Please, Cyrus. Please wake up.’

He groans.

‘Cyrus?’ I give him a shake. ‘That’s it. Open your eyes. Open them. Just fucking open them!’

‘And you call me an overbearing ass?’ he mumbles.

I let out such a relieved laugh, half choked with tears. I lean down and kiss his lips. His hand slides into my hair as he kisses me back, until he realises my hair is mattered with fresh blood and he pulls away.

He sits with considerable difficulty before inspecting my skull.

‘I’m okay,’ I assure him. ‘I think I cut it on broken glass. We need to help the others.’ I guide his attention to the mangled heap of the car ahead. He gets to his feet and helps me to stand.

In the distance, Lucca, Tessa and Brennan are pulling El from the car as Reid rushes over to help. She’s screaming in pain. When we reach them, they have all surrounded her. Her shirt is torn across her abdomen. There’s so much blood, it spills out through her fingertips and when Lucca tries to pull her hands away to get a better look, we all recoil as we see her insides start to spill out.

‘Oh fuck.’ Lucca swiftly removes his jacket and presses it into her wound. ‘You’ll be okay. You’ll be okay.’ He leaves behind a thick smear of deep red when he touches her cheek.

El is getting whiter by the second.

‘Reid, fix her!’ Lucca says. ‘You have to fix her. You have to! I can’t live without her. You know I can’t! You wouldn’t let your Mate lay here with her guts slipping through your fingers. You can’t let mine die like this. You can’t!’

El and Lucca are Bonded-Mates?

Looking at the utter panic on his usually cheeky face is horrifying. It’s beyond terror. Beyond dread. It’s the look of a man about to lose his heart and soul.

‘I… I don’t have enough Gilt. I’ll go Dark,’ Reid says, taking off his jacket and helping to apply pressure. He looks up at me. ‘Raven… your blood…’

‘Save her. Do it. I’ll bring you back.’ I drop to my knees and look at El as I help keep her insides where they belong. ‘You’ll be fine. Reid will heal you up.’

‘I’ll turn quick,’ he says. ‘She’s on the brink of death.’

‘I understand.’

‘I’ll smell your blood. I’ll come for you.’

‘I’ll protect her.’ Cyrus rests his hands on El’s wound too. ‘I’ll make sure you don’t hurt her. I’m with you. Every step of the way.’

‘You won’t let me turn and steal our girl, will you?’ he laughs uneasily, but I see the genuine concern.

‘You didn’t leave me to get crispy in the car, did you?’

‘I was tempted,’ he teases. ‘If I go too far. If I hurt her too much, kill me.’

With an uneasy breath, Cyrus nods.

El takes a slow blink and coughs on her own blood. She looks up at Lucca.

‘I-I’m y-your Mate?’ she says in a stunned and weak voice. ‘Why d-didn’t you say?’

‘Because it’s not your burden,’ Lucca insists, stroking her face and smiling as he cries.

She reaches up and rests her palm on his face. He leans into her touch, relishing every bit she has to offer.

‘I love you too,’ she says before her hand falls and her eyes roll into the back of her head.

‘No. No-no-NO!’ Lucca’s cries are full of fear and desperation. He wails like a wounded beast having his soul torn from his body.

He is a wounded beast. His Mate is dying, so I guess his soul is being torn from his body.

Reid looks at me.

‘See you on the other side?’

‘I’ll be right here.’

The vivid gold threads start to appear in his eyes and he tosses aside the jackets holding El together so he can press his palm into her open wound. Blood squelches between his fingers and Brennan has to drag a kicking and screaming Lucca away from El. Cyrus guides me away too and we all stop several metres away.

‘As soon as El’s healed, you get her on her feet and you run,’ Cyrus tells Lucca and Tessa. ‘I’ll grab Reid and hold him back. Brennan, you stay with Raven. Protect her if I fail in doing so.’

The gold of Reid’s eyes shines bright and the white glow from his hands burn my eyes.

Cyrus looks down at me. ‘I’ll hold him back as best as I can. You need to cut your hand, hold it out, and offer him your blood. If you need him to stop or it hurts you too much, you tell me, and I will get him off you. We’ll carry on until we bring him back.’ He holds out a small knife he pulls from his pocket.

‘Like hand-feeding a lion that hasn’t eaten for a week,’ I mutter, taking the weapon.

The glow of his power casts everything around us in white and I see the ghost of his stolen wings start to appear. That faint golden glimmer that warps the light and air at his back, forming the massive span of his former self.

They reach out, bigger than Cyrus’s, and shine brightly. The gold remains. Their spirit still shines. Just the skin and bone, their physical presence, are gone.

Reid lifts his head as he expels his power. I meet his gaze and hate the uncertainty it holds.

He’s afraid he’ll disappear into the Dark. Or that I’ll be killed in the process of returning him to the light.

I nod with confidence. I’ll not abandon him to the Dark. I’ll bring him back. And Cyrus will protect me from him until then. I trust them both.

I trust them both.

Reid’s light whites us out and we all have to look away as it peaks.

When it starts to fade, we all return our eyes to the pair.

Reid is slumped a little and El is lying on the ground. Her eyes are still closed and she’s not moving.

Lucca is the first to run forwards, followed by the rest of us. He falls to his knees by her head and rests his hands on her cheeks, looking down at her with bated breath.

Cyrus pulls Reid away. His head hangs low and he looks asleep.

‘Wake up,’ Lucca whispers softly, leaning down and kissing El’s forehead. ‘You have to wake up. I can’t live without you, Dark Angel. Don’t die and take my heart with you.’

With a violent gasp, El awakens. She looks around at us all with panic-filled eyes before spotting Lucca. She stills instantly and calms.

‘Hi,’ she says, smiling weakly.

‘Hi back,’ he laughs, still crying but now from joy. Tears fall down his blood-streaked face and he gives a little sniff. ‘You scared us there.’

‘Can’t be leaving my Mate behind now, can I?’ she grins, reaching up and pulling him in for a kiss.

‘Time to go!’ Brennan orders, glancing to Reid and Cyrus. ‘Lucca. Take El and Tessa. Get away from here. We need to help Reid.’

Lucca gets El to her feet. She’s weak and sways before Lucca scoops her up in his arms and holds her close. Her head sinks into his neck as they step back.

‘Go. All three of you. Get as much distance as you can,’ Cyrus orders, gripping Reid’s shoulders firmly. ‘Raven. The blood.’

I slice open my hand with the knife and watch the thick pool of blood spill through my fingers as Brennan stands at my side

Lucca, El and Tessa linger.

‘He’ll be fine. Run. Lucca, take the girls and run!’ When they continue to hesitate, Cyrus yells. ‘GO!’

They turn but barely make it two steps before Reid’s head suddenly shoots up. His eyes are so bright they’re like golden beacons. They’re so bright they make the others stop and stare.

His skin is still his own. His body is still as it should be.

‘The blood. Raven, give him your blood!’ Cyrus orders.

‘I’m okay,’ Reid says, shaking his head. ‘I feel… I feel fine! I feel strong.’

‘That’s not possible.’ Cyrus looks like he’s easing up. Reid reaffirms his grip on himself. ‘Are you sure?’

‘Don’t let me go. Not yet. Just wait. She must be protected.’

And we wait. Seconds. Minutes.

Nothing.

‘Guys,’ Brennan says. ‘We have a problem.’

We look.

‘Oh shit,’ I whisper.

Ahead, from the direction the car-totalling Fae came from, dozens of sets of golden eyes look back at us through the darkness.

They disappear each time they blink and I swear, more and more join their numbers.

‘That’s a lot of Dark-Fae,’ Cyrus says. His concern goes from Reid, to the incoming army, unsure where the most significant threat is coming from. ‘We fly out of here. Now!’

Cyrus’s wings spread wide, as do the others. El is still in Lucca’s arm so Brennan wraps his arm around my waist.

Seeing them all there with their wings is something beyond beautiful. Beyond magical.

There’s a sudden and extreme gust of wind from above, pounding down on us all with such force no one can take flight.

From the darkness, a figure lands, shaking the earth beneath our feet.

A monster. A Dark-Fae like no other. A tall and slender creature, seven feet tall until it stands straight and adds two more feet to its stance. Its fully functioning wings span out, black and strong, marked with spikes. It moves with skill, sweeping its massive limbs at the others and knocking them down like skittles, leaving me standing alone.

It looks down at me, its glare piercing my soul.

The incoming Fae skid to a stop with a hideous, ear-splitting shriek. Many of them leap onto Reid and the others, pinning them down to the ground.

We’re surrounded.

They snarl at those they have trapped beneath them and many of them look at me, sniffing the air and catching the scent of my blood. When one steps forwards to taste it, the impossible creature growls.

The lowly Dark-Fae returns to its place.

It obeys.

The creature leans forwards, slamming its fists into the ground so it’s on all fours like some demon dog. It still towers over me even in that pose. It sniffs and sniffs, catching the delicious scent of life and light. It pulls back its lips in some twisted version of a smile and all I can do is stare back at it like a deer in its headlights.

‘RAVEN!’ Cyrus yells, struggling to get free from the three Dark-Fae holding him down. ‘RUN!’

‘If you run…’ comes a deep, gritty, harrowing voice I know is coming from the creature. ‘My Pets will tear your friends to pieces.’

To prove its point, the Dark-Fae pinning them all down open their mouths, ready to rip at their throats.

‘Y-you can talk?’ I manage.

‘Yessss.’ It hisses, letting out a throaty laugh.

‘You control them?’

‘I control all,’ it says. ‘I control the darrrrk.’

Reid explodes in bright light. The Dark-Fae surrounding him are sent away, their bodies charred and smouldering. He sends more balls of ferocious power towards the Fae surrounding Cyrus, allowing him to fight his way free.

The air fills with the fury of the Dark-Fae as those trapped fight their way free.

Human-realm or not, they can still damn well fight.

Brennan manipulates the roots below, strangling and crushing the Dark-Fae. Lucca has his tearing at their heads as if they are listening to some unbearable noise in their minds, driving them to claw at their ears rather than listen.

El lies limp and still. The effects of her injuries are still lingering.

But Tessa’s whole body shimmers like a lake of liquid silver. The Fae surrounding her turn on each other, consumed with rage. Then the real fighting begins. The wings stretch out and all attack. The punches. The kicks. The dodges and even the flying, they fight and they fight hard.

Before me, the monstrous demon wraps its hand around my throat and expands its wings. My feet lift from the ground as it takes flight, only to be charged by Cyrus, who knocks us both back to the ground.

Reid catches me before I land and we watch Cyrus and the creature slam into the earth, creating a crater in their wake.

I cough and gasp my breath back into my body. Each time anyone attempts to fly, the Dark-Fae pile on top of them. No matter how many the others kill or disable, they just keep coming.

Reid throws around his light, its ferocious effects destroying and disembowelling.

Lucca grabs El and Brennan takes hold of Tessa.

There’s no escape. There’s no way to win. If they use more power, they will only join the enemies ranks.

With a scream, I reach out my hand. A portal springs to life behind them.

‘GO!’ I yell, seeing Cyrus tossed away from the giant monster as it screeches and propels its way towards me.

Reid leaps between us, giving the others the time they need to flee through the portal. They get to safety.

I sway as the effect of everything really takes its toll.

The power. The crash. The fight.

I spit blood and ignore the pounding in my head, but stagger towards the portal.

‘PRRRRIIIIINCESSSSS!’ yells the ungodly creature. ‘STOP!’

The field falls silent. Not even the Dark-Fae snarl.

I turn to see she has both Cyrus and Reid in her grasp, holding them by their throats with so much ease she may as well be holding dolls.

‘Close down the portal.’

‘Let them go!’ I order, keeping it open. ‘Let them…’ My words fail as I watch it smirk. Black veins pulse down its arms and into its hands. The same black veins then spread to the boys, travelling down their necks and throughout their bodies.

‘Stop it. Stop it!’ I scream, closing the portal and holding up my hands.

But it continues.

Cyrus’s struggling turns feral. His skin greys and his body starts to bend and break. His arms grow and stretch. His spine snaps and warps. His wings go limp and start dripping black, acidic blood.

Reid looks at him in horror, watching him devolve into a Dark-Fae before his very eyes. The black Veins recoil from Reid’s throat and return to the creature. It drops him and hisses in pain, looking at its hand as if burnt.

Reid takes his chance and runs to my side, taking my hand in his and looking on as Cyrus, the Dark version of him, is dropped to the floor.

‘Reid, what the fuck just happened?’ I ask, staring at the creature as Reid guides me backwards.

‘She’s turned him Dark.'

‘She? That thing’s a she?’ I ask.

'I felt it. Felt her power inside me, but it was forced out. The darkness couldn't take me.’

‘Forced out by what?’

‘By you. By whatever’s in your blood. You've made me whole. Your blood won't allow me to go Dark, no matter how much power I use. No matter what that creature does.'

Cyrus snaps his head in my direction.

‘Bring me the princessssss,’ she orders. ‘Bring her broken and bloody so she can not escape!’

Cyrus doesn’t hesitate and charges, vicious and determined, and entirely under the control of his mistress.

He’s a demon’s Pet.

‘Portal.’ Reid looks at me. ‘NOW!’

I open a portal at my back and turn.

We leap through and leave him behind, falling into the void and landing on our knees before the others. They stand staring at us.

‘Where’s Cyrus?’ asks Brennan.

All I can do is shake my head and scream as a Dark-Fae falls in behind me.

‘CLOSE THE PORTAL!’ Reid yells as more start to charge through. ‘NOW!’

I do. I seal it off. I cut off the power and the room falls still.

As the others deal with the Dark-Fae that followed us through, I stare unblinking at where the portal faded.

The scuffling and yells behind me end when the Dark-Fae are killed.

Silence. A hideous silence. An emptiness and disgusted self-loathing at my abandonment of him fills up the room. They fill up my lungs and my head.

They swallow my heart.

‘We left him there,’ I whisper, stuck staring at the wall.

I turn and face them all. Everyone is shaken. All are panting. El slumps into a chair, guided into it by Lucca, who watches and tends to her so devoutly it only makes me feel worse for abandoning Cyrus.

Reid reaches out for me, but Tessa throws herself into his arms before they can reach me.

I step back, hurt that she’s in the way. Guilty that I wish she weren’t here. Disgusted that I wanted him to hold me and tell me that it will be okay.

We’re in the garage back at the house. The old car lies under a tarp and the old sofa is still there, complete with our unfinished game of cards.

Reid’s eyes meet mine.

I want to go back. I want to find him. We must!

But before I can say a word on the matter, I feel an agonising tug at my heart. A physical, undeniable and unbearable pain. As if iron has encased it and is yanking me backwards.

I clutch my chest, my mouth falling open as I fall into an all-consuming pain. One that makes it impossible for me even to scream.

‘Raven?’ Reid says, guiding aside Tessa as he steps towards me. ‘Raven, what’s the matter?’

I look down. There’s nothing there.

My feet pull back as if something is tugging me. No matter how hard I try to move forwards, the pain will not let me. I’m tethered to something and it’s tugging me towards it.

Reid rushes forwards. I expect him to hold me. To help me.

What he does is pull off my jacket.

I see markings on my arms. Black markings.

Tattoos. They climb up to my shoulder and disappear beneath my shirt. He pulls the material aside and I see it ends over my heart.

They’re tattoos I know well. They are identical to the tattoos on Cyrus’s left arm. Utterly identical. And it’s those that are causing this.

‘What is that? WHAT IS IT!’ I howl, my feet pulling further and further back.

Reid smacks my marked hand away and takes up my other. He wraps his fingers around my wrist and grips tight.

‘Oh no, you don’t,’ he says under his breath. ‘You’re not taking her.’

I watch as more marks appear on the arm he now grips. More tattoos.

His tattoos.

And with it, the same pain burns through me.

The harder he pulls, the more anguish courses through me. Pain, physical pain, tearing pain, burning pain as the two marks rip me apart.

I scream and I scream, blood curdling and throat tearing screams.

‘WHAT’S HAPPENING?’

I continue sliding back. Lucca lunges forwards and grabs my other hand and they both pull.

‘You’ve claimed her?’ Lucca yells as he strains to pull me back. ‘What the hell were you thinking? Why didn’t you say?’

‘Not now. Just pull!’

‘Pulling isn’t going to work. He’s calling her back! Only you can keep her here but you’re both her Mate. You’re both as strong as each other. He’ll recall her across the damned country. You can’t fight him the whole fucking way.’

‘Just pull!’

‘YOU’LL TEAR HER APART!’ Lucca yells, glaring at Reid with something I’ve not yet seen on him.

Hatred.

‘How could you do this to her?’

‘What’s happening. Goddess, it hurts!’ I wail, my feet sliding closer to the door. ‘TELL ME!’

Reid’s eyes go from the tattoos on my arms to my face.

‘Cyrus is summoning you to him,’ Reid explains through the strain of trying to keep me here. ‘The tattoos, they’re… they’re a connection.’

We all lurch as Cyrus's pull on me tightens.

I cry out, my head falling forwards as I give into the pain. The sheer and utter pain.

‘I’m summoning you to stay. I’ll keep you here. I promise! I’ve put the same connection in place. You can’t deny my command. I command you to stay!’

‘What have you done to me?’ I sob. Another inch lost and I scream, reaching out to wrap my hand around Reid’s wrist. I look at him, burning tears stinging my eyes as he looks at me. ‘What have you done?’

‘I’m sorry,’ he says, anguish glimmering in his eyes. ‘I’m so sorry. We thought it was the best thing… the safest thing-’

‘Liar…’

Another inch and I can’t take any more.

‘Let me go. Please! LET ME GO!’

He shakes his head. ‘I won’t. He’s Dark. He’ll tear you apart. Never mind that creature and what they want from you-’

Another inch and I cough blood over them both.

‘Fates above, Reid,’ gasps Lucca. ‘This isn’t fair. Let her go.’

‘This is killing me. You have to let me go.’

‘Never.’ Reid shakes his head. ‘Never.’

Truth. He won’t release me.

Blood fills my mouth but instead of spitting it out, I grab Lucca and pull him towards me, sealing our lips together. His eyes are wide as I spit as much blood as I can into his mouth. I hear him swallow. He understands and glides his tongue around my mouth, collecting as much of it as he can.

Another inch and I let him go. His lips are shut, and I know his mouth is full.

‘Love her better than they love me,’ I tell him, looking at El, who watches with tears in her eyes, trying to come to my aid but failing even to stand.

My blood drips from Lucca’s full lips as he steps back to her.

I look to Reid.

‘Let me go.’

‘No.’

‘You’re killing me. Let me go!’

‘They will destroy you.’

Another inch. Another scream.

‘You already have. Let me go or kill me. You’re tearing me apart.’

Reid looks back. Lucca is slowly putting my blood into El’s mouth.

‘I’m not abandoning you.’ Reid turns back to me, wraps his arms around my waist. ‘If he’s calling you, then I’m coming too.’

‘What?!’ Lucca and Brennan both bark.

‘It’s been a privilege, guys. Good luck.’ Reid looks at Tessa, who looks ready to pass out. ‘I’m sorry you were landed with me as a husband. You deserved someone better. Find them. Be happy.’

He turns. We’re nose to nose.

‘Together,’ he says. ‘Or not at all. Open a portal.’

‘You’ll die.’

‘What have I said. I don’t like asking twice, Little Bird. Do as you’re told, and open up a portal.’

I feel him relinquish his pull on me. The pain of the magic in the tattoos fade from him and are swamped by those from Cyrus.

‘I will never abandon you. Never,’ he promises, sinking his face into my neck and embracing me with all his care. ‘Never.’

We soar backwards, straight to the closed door of the garage. Before we collide with the wood, I open a portal.

And together, we’re dragged through.

Together.

Or not at all…

40

The pain in my arms is the first thing I register. A deep ache and a cold numbness to my fingers. I shift and the pain in my shoulders has me wincing. Chains rattle and my skin burns around my wrists.

‘Finally. I was starting to think you were never going to wake up.’

I blink open my dry eyes and the first thing I see is a man I had thought, wished, hoped, was dead.

But a cockroach is never that easy to slay.

I scream and try to recoil. To get away. But I’m trapped. Strung up like a beast ready for slaughter.

‘Jonah,’ I whimper, looking at the impossible man before me. His skin is still bruised and cut. There’s a patch over his left eye from where it was lost in the fight back at the woods and he holds his weight heavily from where I stabbed him. He looks like hell, but the demon is most certainly alive.

I’m strung up by my wrists and hanging from an iron chain. The tips of my toes barely touch the stone floor. Lifting my head is agony and any shift of weight has me groaning in pain.

How long have I been like this?

Jonah steps close and strokes my cheek. I pull away and regret the pain such a small piece of movement creates.

I look behind him to a stone wall and a small door made of what I’m guessing are iron bars.

He takes my chin between his thumb and finger and makes me look at him.

‘Miss me?’

‘Where are they?’

‘Who?’ he asks, his twisted smile telling me he knows precisely who I’m talking about. ‘Your Mates?’ He sneers as he says that word. ‘They’re around. But don’t worry. You’ve got me to keep you company for a while. Isn’t that nice?’

‘Delightful.’

He chuckles and looks down, taking in the sight of my stretched-out body.

‘If you touch me, I’ll kill you. If I fail, Cyrus and Reid will.’

He rolls his eye. ‘Unlikely.’

‘Where’s Reid? Where’s Cyrus?’

‘Why do you care? You’re here because of them. Everything you are, everything you’ve been through, it was all them. It led you here. They may as well have put a pretty little ribbon on your head for us.’ He rests his hands on my waist. ‘And you have been the gift that keeps on giving.’

‘Where are they?’

‘How does it feel?’

‘To breathe the same air as you? Like I’m choking on horse shit.’

‘No. To know that you wouldn’t be here if your precious men hadn’t done what they did. Suppose Cyrus hadn’t betrayed your mother. Suppose Reid hadn’t Triggered you. If they hadn’t claimed you as theirs.’ His hands slide up my sides and I shudder as I feel him touch me. He settles his hands on my arms. ‘They’re pretty sexy, you know.’

I look up and see the two sleeve tattoos still on my skin.

‘How do you know all this? Why are you here?’

‘I told my uncle about the Fae with wings from the woods and that he came for you. My uncle offered me a job. A promotion. I believe you've met my uncle. Serge.’

‘Serge is your uncle?’

‘And it turns out he’s been looking for a man with wings for a while. He never actually met the man, so had no idea it was Reid this whole time. He was also looking for a missing Princess too. One this winged stranger was supposedly Bonded to. So he was very happy about my revelation.’

‘What have you done with Cyrus? Where’s Reid?’

‘It’s remarkable. Watching how you all devolve into slobbering creatures with no willpower. Cyrus is gone. His head and his thoughts are hers for the taking.’

‘Hers?’

‘I’m told that you can sense lies. Is that true?’

‘Go fuck yourself.’

He leans in and runs his tongue across my ear.

‘The great Raven Rivers. Strong. Sneaky. Hard-hearted. Loyal to only those who she loves. Tell me, Raven. Who hasn’t sold you? Who hasn’t betrayed you?’ He nips my ear lobe with his teeth. ‘Who hasn’t lied, used and hurt you?’

I pull my head away and look him in the eye.

‘Are you done?’ I ask through gritted teeth.

‘No. No, Raven. I’m not done. I’ve not even started.’ He leans in close and lowers his voice. ‘Your boyfriend took my eye and you tried to kill me.’

‘We loved every second of it.’

‘And I will love every second of this.’

He takes hold of me and spins me round. The chain above rattles as I move and my toes scrape the cold stone. He stops me suddenly and I see that we’re not alone.

Ahead are thick iron bars. On the other side, tied to a chair and strapped down by iron, Reid.

In the cage beside him is a Dark-Fae. It’s slumped and still, sat like a dog waiting for its next order.

Reid pants heavily and furiously around the gag in his mouth. Iron has him held down to the chair and his face is bloody and bruised. The Dark-Fae, Cyrus, just stares at me.

‘I’ve been told she has ordered him to sit quietly and watch,’ Jonah says, guiding my face to the Dark-Fae.

‘W-watch what?’

‘His punishment for taking my fucking eye and dislocating my jaw. But I bet he’s used to watching, hmm? I bet he loves it. I bet it turns him on.’

Reid tries to speak. Judging by the aggression, I don’t think it’s anything pleasant.

‘You have something to say finally?’ Jonah asks, his hand gliding up and down my body as he watches Reid. ‘Cos I’ll ask you again. Maybe then you will spare your precious Mate here some pain. Will you do it?’ Jonah asks him. ‘Will you agree?’

‘Do what?’ I ask.

‘We would like Reid to use his gift of healing for us. But he’s refusing. We’ve taken his wings already, so that’s a dead-end threat.’ Jonah lets out a very fake sigh. ‘So what else could I do to him to make him change his mind? Who does Elias Black-Water care about? Who would he do anything to save?’

‘If you think that person is me,’ I tell him. ‘You’re an idiot.’

‘If you believe that, then you are the idiot. After all, a Mate is all that matters to idiot Fae-scum. If you ask me, no pussy is worth suffering for. But lucky for us, he is really very fond of yours.’

I look into Jonah’s evil eye and loathe the joy I see in it. I know it well.

‘Who do you want him to heal?’

‘That’s not your concern.’

If Reid refuses to heal someone, I have to trust that there’s a reason.

My gaze lands on Reid. ‘Can you heal this person? Whoever they are?’ I ask him.

He gives a single nod.

‘Should you?’

He shakes his head.

Truth.

But Reid is barely looking at me. His whole attention is on Jonah.

I look over my shoulder as much as the restraints will allow.

Jonah stands behind me. Slowly unbuttoning his shirt. He smirks and watches Reid’s stare.

‘Will you heal him?’ Jonah asks again, a sly grin on his face.

Reid growls.

‘If I were Fae,’ Jonah says wistfully. ‘I believe she would have been my Mate. We have so much chemistry. So much in common.’

‘Instead, you were born human,’ I reply, still watching Reid, the mere sight of him giving me the slightest bit of courage.’ Do you want to know what I’ve learnt? Humans are very easy to break.’

‘Now, now. Let’s not get nasty.’

He takes off his shirt and drops it at his feet before unbuckling his belt.

Reid struggles against his restraints.

‘I've been promised that I'll be rewarded. I'll be elevated. And who knows, maybe he’ll let me keep you once he’s all better.’

I know what’s coming. And I know that there is nothing I can do to stop it.

There never was.

My trousers are slowly pulled down my legs and Jonah wraps his hand in my hair, holding my head up, so the only thing I can see is them. Cyrus and Reid.

‘Don’t watch,’ I tell Reid. ‘And don’t give in. Never give them what they want.’

‘Last chance. Will you heal him?’

Jonah rests himself against me, ready.

Reid starts nodding furiously, pulling at the iron holding him down as he agrees, desperately, to Jonah’s demand.

‘You will?’ Jonah asks, a little surprised.

Slowly, Reid nods.

And thankfully, Jonah steps back.

‘Well,’ sighs Jonah. ‘That’s good to know. But you want to know a secret? It doesn’t matter if you agree or not. Because when we’re done here, you won’t have a fucking choice.’

His hand clamps down on my shoulder and I scream and thrash as he returns himself between my legs.

‘Don’t worry. I’m wearing a condom. Don’t want to catch anything.’

I scream as he rams himself into me, hating the lustful moan he releases as he drives himself in as deep as he can go. The pain makes my vision blur and my ears ring.

‘Watch closely, Lord of the Thirteenth-Kingdom,’ Jonah hisses, as he slowly withdraws. ‘You might learn something.’ He thrusts harder.

The sound of my screaming is met with the raging yells of Reid as he’s forced to watch.

But Reid never looks away from me. He doesn’t even blink. I look at him and he looks at me.

And there is nothing else in the world.

Not a fucking thing.

41

‘Raven. Raven, can you talk to me?’

I’m where Jonah left me, hanging from the ceiling. He left laughing, promising he’d be back. But not before removing Reid’s gag so he could try and “console me”.

‘Say something. Please.’

‘What would you like me to say?’ I ask, staring at the floor.

‘I’m going to get you out of here,’ Reid promises. ‘He will pay for touching you. He will regret doing this to you.’

‘And what will you pay for?’ I ask weakly, struggling to overcome the pain in my arms. ‘Do you regret all you have done to me?’

‘I swear. I’ll make this right.’

‘Can you undo what you have done?’

‘Now isn’t the time-’

‘Now is the only time. I need to talk about this. I need to talk about something that matters. I need to forget about Jonah and the only thing that will make me forget him for even a second is hearing you speak the truth about what the fuck you’ve done to me. Can you do that? HUH? Can you do this for me and just be honest for a few minutes?’

Slowly, he nods. ‘Ask me anything.’

‘Can you take off these markings on my arms? What are they? That pain… it tore at me like razorblades.’

The room is filled with silence.

‘Reid. If you don’t answer me-’

‘I can’t remove them. No. It’s a safety clause,’ he says. ‘It’s just… protection. A promise.’

‘It feels very much like a weapon.’

‘It’s not intended as that. What happened today was… it’s not what it’s meant for, and Cyrus-’ Reid looks at the still silent and static creature in the cage beside him whose eyes haven’t looked away from me once. ‘He would never have done that to you if he was in control of himself.’

‘What is it for then?’

‘We do it to protect ourselves.’

‘From what?’

‘From you.’

That’s a punch in the gut I wasn’t expecting.

‘Men do it to protect themselves from their Mates.’ His eyes travel the length of the markings on each of my arms. ‘As your Bonded-Mate, we will never love another as long as you live. We will never be able to be with another.’

‘You won’t be able to fuck anyone else,’ I clarify.

‘No. We won’t. We are yours for as long as you breathe. When we made you orgasm, we used the connection between us to create the markings on your arm. That’s how we knew we were both your Mate. That kind of magic is only possible between Bonded-Mates.’

‘So you both agreed to make me come, just to see who would be able to tether me to them? The gold in your eyes after, that wasn’t the Bond. It was the magic you used to trap me. The warmth I felt on my body, travelling down my arms, it was that.’

‘True,’ he says quietly. ‘You belong to both of us. We just wanted to make sure we would never lose you.’

‘Make sure I couldn’t leave is what it really means. I don’t belong to you or anyone else.’

‘The problem is, Raven, you do. You may not like it or accept it and that’s what is so cruel about the Bond because the women don’t have to. The men do. It’s physical with us, as much as it is emotional. You can leave. You can love others. Fuck others. You can desert us. Men are incapable of doing so. The markings we put on you means that you can’t.’

‘Can’t what?’

‘Leave. If you go, we can call you back. We can make you stay. It’s like a-‘

‘Leash…’ I whisper. ‘You took me out of the collar only to put me in a leash?’

‘We discussed it and decided to do it because we know the risks we are facing. That you are facing. There are people after you, Raven. Terrible people.’

I can’t help the hateful laugh as I’m strung up like this.

‘Yeah. Your sick form of protection really helped. How come I couldn’t see them until now?’

‘I hid them,’ he admits quietly. ‘I can change slight physical appearances. When Ivan took my wings, he also cut off the tips of my ears. It’s a shameful punishment for us. It makes us lesser creatures. I changed them so I could pass as human. I changed my name. Kept myself quiet and low to the ground. It seems, however, that my enemies learnt I was still alive. That I was Triggering Fae and stealing Authority shipments to keep them from going Dark. They started cutting me off. Stealing or destroying the shipments I was targeting. I got too big. Too bold. I turned too many and they noticed. They stopped me before I could become a real threat to them.’

‘You’re being very honest and open all of a sudden.’

‘Raven.’ His voice shakes. ‘The truth is the least I can give you. It is my fault that you have suffered. It is my fault you were just rap-’

‘Don’t. Don’t say that word. Keep talking.’

He nods, clears his throat and takes a breath.

‘We haven’t sealed the Bond. We haven’t slept together, so you’re not tied to me. Why do this to me if we haven’t-’

‘Bond or not, we don’t want to let you go,’ he confesses. ‘We didn’t want you to be able to leave if you found a way to do so.’

‘You planned it?’

‘We did. We did it when we were all together and I hid the marks as they spread.’

I look to Cyrus. The damned creature just keeps staring. He doesn’t even blink.

‘I’m tied to you, and you refuse to tie yourself to me. You’ll never consummate the Bond. You’ll never allow anyone to hold that kind of power over you. So what’s the plan? Keep me to play with and find your happy endings elsewhere?’

Silence returns between us, as does the animosity.

‘Hear me, Elias. You too, Cyrus or whatever the fuck your name is. If you’re in there. You will never touch me again. I will never trust you again. And if we do survive and get out of here and you ever force me to stay or do anything I don’t want to do-’

‘Raven-’

‘I’ll kill you myself.’ I raise my brow. ‘You hear me? I swear to the Goddess and the Fates. I’ll kill you.’

His mouth opens as he goes to argue, rage in his eyes as his muscles tense all over.

But the door flies open and several men walk in. Many head to me, the rest to Reid. He’s yelling. I’m screaming threats.

I’m taken down from my bonds and placed in Jonah’s arms like a baby.

‘There’s someone very keen to see you,’ he tells me. ‘Very keen indeed.’

42

My entire body trembles and tears stream relentlessly down my face as I see where the men have brought me.

I hate that I’m in Jonah’s arms being held like a child. I hate that I smell myself on his skin. I hate the groaning from Reid as he’s thumped and dragged behind me, wrapped in iron chains.

I hate that I know this place. It's been fixed up since the fire, but I know it's the same room. When the blood-red door opens, I tense, a scream gets strangled in my throat, and I try to get free as I’m led towards the two chairs ahead. But I’m too weak. My exhaustion steals my strength. Terror steals my words. Iron chains steal my power.

I’m pushed into the chair and strapped down. Just as I was time and time again as a child. I look, shaking from head to toe, at the empty chair ahead. The cables and wires are still there, connecting the two. The large panel of buttons and levers are still at the side and several men stand around the room.

Reid is placed in the second chair. He’s weak but he’s still trying to break free.

He’s restrained, nonetheless. The iron clamps are placed over his wrists and his ankles.

His threats to the others go ignored or are mocked with scoffs.

They step away and Reid and I look over at each other.

‘It’s going to be okay,’ he tells me. ‘I’ll make sure of it.’

‘Liar,’ I whisper, an odd acceptance claiming me, numbing me to the whole thing. Distancing me. Separating my head from my heart and my body. I look around. There is one thing that differs this time. There are funnels and tubing all leading from my chair to the corner of the room where a white, plastic curtain conceals something beyond. I think it’s a bed. People stand around it, their silhouettes barely come through but I see them move. I also notice a faint beeping and something hissing.

‘Raven. Raven listen to me,’ Reid says. ‘Whatever’s about to happen, he won’t-’

‘That’s enough out of you,’ Jonah laughs, wrapping a gag around Reid’s mouth, tying it tight as he thrashes. ‘Unless it’s words of thanks. After all, I spent years developing Raven’s gag reflex. The least you could say is thank you.’

Reid pulls and fights against his bonds, desperate to rip Jonah’s head off. His skin burns against the iron. As does mine.

But that pain all seems inconsequential.

Because I know of the pain to come.

The curtain is slightly pulled aside and a bulking monster steps around it.

Serge.

The dirty pimp. A cigar between his teeth and victory in his eyes.

Before he closes the veil between us and whatever lies behind that plastic sheet, I spot medical equipment. A machine for breathing. Bags of clear liquid and a heart monitor. And a hand covered in deep scars. Burns, reaching over every inch of their skin, from their hand up beyond a medical gown.

Serge stops before me and rests his disgusting hand on mine. That action alone has Reid snarling.

‘I wanted to say when we last met,’ he says in his thick Russian accent, peeling the cigar from his teeth. He leans in close, his face in mine. ‘You look so like your mother. I wonder if you sound like her when you’re filled with cock-’

His screams end his sentence as I lunge forwards and clamp my teeth down on his bulbous nose.

The more he yells, the harder I bite. The more he pulls, the deeper I go.

Blood spills down our faces and even when he drives his cigar into my arm, I refuse to relinquish.

Several men manage to pull him away.

He clamps his hand over his bloody face and I spit his nose at his feet.

‘YOU FUCKING BITCH!’

He’s held back as he tries to go for me.

‘We need her alive!’ Jonah insists, standing between us. ‘Don’t fret, uncle. I’m sure he will fix you up. After all, you have been loyal all these years.’

‘The slut bit my fucking nose off!’

‘Like I said. I’m sure he will fix it.’

Reid half mutters, half growls beyond his gag.

‘Oh. We’re not talking about you.’ Jonah laughs and shakes his head. ‘You will not be healing anyone.’ He strides towards Reid and stops, standing over him and being sure to look down his nose at the man in iron. ‘Ever. Again. Tell me. Did you enjoy it?’ Jonah nods his head towards me. ‘Watching me fuck your girl in front of you? Did you get hard like you do when you watch her with that Cyrus fucker.’

If looks could kill, Jonah would be nothing but blood and brains splattered on the wall.

Sadly, for us, looks can do fuck all.

Laughing, Jonah turns his back on Reid and looks at me instead with an exaggerated sigh.

‘You and me, Kid. It’s destined to be.’

‘Who is behind that curtain?’ I ask, failing to hide the shake in my voice.

There’s a snarl and Jonah’s eyes widen ever so slightly. He’s afraid but attempting to hide it. The floor thuds again and again. The giant Dark-Fae emerges from the door, stepping inside the room and watching Jonah closely.

He steps back.

The Dark creature tilts its head and narrows its eyes.

‘Begin the procedure,’ Serge orders.

It’s a flurry of activity. A large needle is plunged into my left arm. It's connected to the tubing running to the curtain. Buttons are pushed and switches are flicked up and down. The machine starts to hum. The chairs hum.

I know what’s coming.

I look at Reid and my lip trembles.

‘I’m sorry. This might kill you,’ I tell him.

‘NOW!’ Jonah roars.

The lever is switched. My body convulses as I’m torn apart by pain. I shake and judder, unable to scream. To control my body. To breathe.

Reid is the same, shaking and convulsing in the chair of torment.

The Dark-Fae, all of the men in the room, they watch with wonder.

Reid’s eyes start to glow. Brighter and brighter, so shimmering and brilliant it’s almost blinding.

Then they start to fade. It withdraws and the cables connecting us above start to shimmer as the same gold spirals snakes along it.

And then down to me.

And I feel it.

The feeling of power and strength. The gold seeps into my skin and in Serge’s eyes, I see my own start to glow.

It’s so intense, I finally manage a scream.

‘SHUT HER DOWN!’ Serge orders.

Another lever is pulled, and thank the Fates, the pain stops, leaving me to slump forwards, gasping and whimpering.

‘Did it work?’ Jonah asks, looking between Reid and me.

Serge stomps towards Reid and withdraws a switchblade from his pocket before plunging it into Reid’s hand.

Reid grunts in pain and fury as it’s withdrawn.

They all stare.

Even Reid.

He goes from raging to stunned, staring at the bleeding hole in his palm.

Serge then spins and comes to me, repeating the action.

I scream as I’m stabbed in my hand and I swear furiously when he yanks it free.

But as we all watch, I see the wound heal. The injury hole seals and all that remains is the blood that escaped.

‘It worked. She’s absorbed the power.’ Serge smirks.

‘What… what have you done?’ I stammer, struggling to keep the room in focus.

‘Do you feel it?’ Jonah asks excitedly. ‘Do you feel your lover’s stolen power inside you?’

‘Stolen… power?’ I look at my hand. Have they really put his gift of healing inside me? Reid’s hand still drips blood, unlike mine.

‘Proceed.’ Serge’s command echoes around the room.

Another lever is flipped and the pain rushes through me again. I scream, feeling acid spring to life in my body, in my veins. My eyes glow. I see it reflected in theirs as they stand beholden to the spectacle of this abomination.

Serge opens the valve of the needle in my arm connected to the tubing running to whomever or whatever lies beyond the curtain.

The blood now shines and shimmers gold and I feel that strength and power leave me. I feel it pulled from my body, torn from my blood, muscles, organs, and skin.

It’s worse than the other pain. It’s like I’m slowly dying again and again. Like I’m burning alive. Like I’m in boiling water. Like my blood is made of acid.

I feel it until the gold fades from the tubing and disappears beneath the curtain. As soon as the gold fades, they seal off the valve and my blood stops flowing.

Beyond the white curtain we hear choking and gagging. Thrashing and groaning. The machine beeps faster and faster as several figures try to keep whoever is in that bed still.

I blink tears from my eyes and swallow down the pain in my throat from the screaming and watch as a figure sits and pulls free a tube from their throat before taking in deep breath after deep breath.

The heart monitor steadies until it’s switched off and I watch as the silhouette stands, helped by those surrounding them. They’re soon shoved off and they stretch their limbs, working out their kinks and aches.

Bare feet slap the cold, stone floor as they walk towards the curtain. Their scarred hand grips it tight and they pull it back.

I know fear.

I know dread. I know pain.

But when I see this man, I know it’s only just begun.

His entire body is a scarred mess. A fire has deeply marked his skin. A fire I set. His left eye has no eyelid, his pale eyeball held into place by Goddess only knows what. His right cheek is gone, revealing his jaw and teeth. He limps, pulling behind whatever is left of his leg.

But with each step, his skin softens. It stitches back together.

It heals and within a matter of seconds, he’s as he once was.

‘Dad,’ I whisper as he steps closer.

Ivan Walker smiles.

‘Hello again, my sweet child. Are you ready to save the world now?’

I let out a piercing scream.

I can’t help it.

I scream like a terrified child.

Because I am.

The Devil is back.

My father… is back.

43

Ivan dresses in clothes that have been hung up and made ready for him. A crisp white shirt with a black jacket and black jeans. Expensive leather shoes, silk tie and an encrusted diamond watch. He returns his rings to his fingers. I know each one of them. I remember them glinting on the hands he used to torture Rhea and I. I remember him washing blood from their shiny surfaces.

My mother gave him the one on his left hand the day they married.

He spends time straightening his cuffs but keeps his attention on Reid.

‘Well. There’s something I did not anticipate.’ He observes Reid. ‘You are not Dark. Hmmm. Interesting. All the others we tried it on with her went Dark as soon as the power left their bodies.’

Ivan is victorious, smirking a villainous smirk. Reid watches him with hate. Complete, unbridled hatred.

‘How are you still Light? Why have you not devolved?’ Ivan repeats. Reid mumbles threats beyond his gag. ‘I took your wings,’ Ivan sighs happily, resting his hand on Serge’s face and healing his bloody nose. ‘I took your Queen. I took your home. I took your Bonded-Mate.’ He passes Jonah and heals the wounds on him also. ‘I took your friend and turned him into a monster. And now…’ He grins from ear to ear as he faces Reid. ‘I’ve taken your power to heal. Goodness me, Elias. How the mighty have fallen. And to a human too.’

Ivan rests his hand on Reid’s shoulder. A golden flame springs to life on his fingertips. Reid roars in pain as he’s burned.

When he finally releases his grip, Reid’s skin is burnt in the shape of a hand.

Ivan looks at me, the flames still dancing on his skin.

‘You’ve been holding onto this gift for quite a while. It was this fire that destroyed the facility the last time. I hadn’t anticipated your strength. You took this gift from another and used it against me before I could take it for my own.’ He closes his palm and extinguishes the fire. ‘It’s mine now though.’

Ivan barely gestures towards him before the mammoth Dark creature heads towards Reid.

‘DON’T YOU FUCKING TOUCH HIM!’ I scream, thrashing against the iron as I watch the monster stalk closer to Reid.

I don’t know who is more startled by my outburst. Reid or myself!

‘Don’t you dare!’ I warn, terrified that the creature will attempt once more to turn Reid Dark and this time succeed.

But the creature simply lowers the gag in Reid’s mouth.

‘You’re human. You can’t have power. Impossible.’ Reid’s words should be true, yet here we are. ‘Even true Fae cannot use their gifts without consequence. To heal a body as fucked up as yours-’

‘A child born of noble, powerful blood. A child conceived in the Fae-realm. A child born in the human world.’ Ivan looks at me. ‘A child, half-human and half-Fae. The conduit. One with the gift of accessing worlds at will. Of holding within her any power she needs. A girl, born with one foot here and one foot there. Mix that with the brightest brain this, or any other, world has ever seen…’ He rests his hand over his heart in pride. ‘A scientist with unbridled knowledge of what it takes to connect it all together. To manipulate it all. Power is energy. Energy can be taken. It can be relocated. Given the right conductors and the right ingredients.’

He walks closer and I cower in my confinement, shrinking away from the Devil as he approaches.

His hand rests on my cheek.

‘You look so like your mother,’ he says. His eyes shine gold and my skin tingles beneath his touch. His hand glows as he uses his healing gifts on my skin. ‘Well,’ he smiles, his eyes dimming and his hand lowering. ‘Now you do, without that hideous scar on your face. You're welcome. I've made you a pretty little Fae once more.’

I wish I could speak, but any words I can think of, any questions, threats, they all refuse to come out. They’re all too terrified to be heard.

‘I was convinced you were dead right up until your foolish Mate took you to my old friend over there.’ Ivan nods to Serge. ‘Foolish, really. To parade the supposedly dead Princess around. But Elias has always been short-sighted. The heir to the Thirteenth-Kingdom. I told your sweet mother that he wasn’t good enough for you when the Bond presented itself. The son of the biggest backwater shit-hole in the entire Kingdom.’

‘Shut your fucking mouth, Ivan. And keep your hands off her.’

Ivan ignores Reid.

‘But your mother was just another fool. Your home world is full of them. Fools. She insisted we honour the claim you and your foolish friend Cyrus had for you. A Lord and a warrior from the poorest realm. How dare they try to take my creation from me.’

Ivan looks at me.

‘There’s a reason the Fates sent us to her. To protect her from you,’ Reid spits with venom.

‘Yeah. You’re doing a good job of that,’ Jonah laughs from the sidelines.

‘You know that fucker raped your daughter?’ Reid demands.

Ivan gives a small scoff before shrugging. ‘I made her for one purpose. And pain and suffering only increases the potency of her power. Makes it more unstable. More volatile. More valuable.’ He turns to Jonah. ‘We shall continue. Jonah. If you will,’ he gestures to Reid. ‘Serge, my good friend. My dear fellow. Please fetch one of the children from below whilst I charge her blood. We shall test it first with your lovely nephew.’

Ivan discusses many things with the many men that surround us. Reid is removed from the chair. He breaks free from the two brutes manhandling him and launches towards me.

His hands hold my face and he peers deep into my eyes with desperation.

‘I’m sorry. I will never stop until you are safe.’

As they go to grab him, his lips find mine and I kiss him back, pulling the ounce of comfort he can give before being dragged away and wrapped in iron chains.

They flip a switch and I scream as my body is torn apart by pain. The tube that sent my blood to Ivan is now dripping my blood into a glass vial. It shimmers gold. It doesn’t glow as it did before, but it’s certainly different.

The vial is filled. The chair is turned off and I slump forwards, gasping for air.

A boy is brought in, no older than ten. He replaces Reid in the chair and is strapped down and secured.

His eyes are blank, staring into nothing. His skin is dirty and pale, stretched over bone and weak muscles.

He was born here. I know the look. I remember it well from when I lived in this hell hole.

His blinks are slow. There’s no fear in him. There’s nothing in him except a void where a happy child should be.

‘Are you ready, Jonah?’ asks Ivan.

‘I certainly am,’ he replies, injecting my shimmering blood into his arm. ‘The gift is as you described?’

‘Cyrus has assured us that it is.’

‘You spoke to Cyrus?’ I demand. ‘How? What did he say?’

‘He says everything he is commanded to say and so much more.’ Ivan looks at the hideous monster that needs to crouch so its head does not hit the ceiling. ‘My little beastie controls all things Dark. Even dragging them into the darkness. She can make them speak. Make them dance. Make them die. And she does everything I wish her to do. It was like old times,’ Ivan says to Reid. ‘You remember, don’t you? Our time together?’

‘I remember you forcing Cyrus to show you which Fae had a power, and I remember you forcing me to Trigger them.’ Reid’s words are spat with hateful venom and he still tries to break free of his restraints. ‘You carved me up, stole my wings, tortured Cyrus and the children you brought before us. Every time we refused, you cut. You burned. You tore. You broke.’

‘Y-you were here?’ I ask, looking between them in horror. ‘When we were? Rhea and me? You were here, Triggering those kids he put into that chair?’

‘We didn’t know you were here, Raven. I swear to the Goddess. We had no idea what he was doing. None.’

I look at the boy.

‘Did you Trigger him?’ I ask. ‘Now? Today? Did you-’

‘They were going to hurt you if I didn’t,’ he argues.

The boy in the chair is not the only one being connected to this awful machine. Jonah is too.

‘What are you doing.’

I pull at my restraints as they begin to flip switches and the machine starts to hum.

‘Wait. What are you doing? WAIT!’

‘Remarkable little creatures, these half-breeds,’ Ivan says, watching the child. ‘I tried it with Fae children, but they just kept dying. But half-human, half-Fae children, they seem to survive. They’re hard things to find. Not many humans have access to the Fae except the Authority. And not many agents dare fuck them unprotected. They have no idea where they’ve been.’ He grimaces at the idea of it. As if we’re vermin, not people. ‘But we had to create stock, so we took the liberty of taking some Fae women to be impregnated. Wouldn’t work when the father was Fae,’ he muses to himself. ‘Not sure why,’ he adds, still lost in thought, his scientific brain taking over as he ponders the reasons why. ‘But the children that came from the women-’

‘You’ve been raping women so you can experiment on their children?’ I can’t even say the words without wanting to vomit.

‘What?’ Ivan looks confused. ‘We inseminate cows to keep up their milk supply and take their offspring for veal.’

‘Fae aren’t fucking cows, Ivan!’

‘Agree to disagree. Creatures for slaughter. That’s all you are.’ He looks at the child. ‘They do turn Dark after the process, though. Not sure why. Except Elias here, of course. He didn’t turn Dark in the chair, and he didn’t devolve when in the grips of my little Beastie either. I look forward to finding out why, exactly.’

Reid and I share a brief look.

‘Besides, the children turning Dark is a blessing. It adds to my Dark army.’ Ivan steps back. ‘Begin.’

It starts all over again. The jolts. The pain. The agony. But not for me. For the boy and for Jonah.

It ends when I hear growling and snarling. The machines are shut off. The small boy is now a monster.

And Jonah is swaying, clutching his heart.

He lifts his head.

His eyes are golden.

‘Oh, good. You survived. Good man, Jonah. Good man.’ Ivan heads over and checks him over. ‘I think you will be most pleased with this one. Give it a go,’ Ivan invites.

Jonah is given a plant of some kind. A small yellow flower.

He eats it and reaches out his hand, resting it on one of the men beside him. The man goes still as stone. He falls backwards with the slightest push.

Jonah laughs.

‘It’s Gelsemium,’ Ivan informs the bastard. ‘Properties include paralysis.’

‘He takes on the medicinal properties of the plants he ingests,’ Reid says, looking at them with a mixture of dread and shock.

‘I was sure to bring over the strongest collection of Fae I could,’ Ivan says with a shrug. ‘Who better than the queen’s own court. Dear Marissa did enjoy collecting the most powerful in all the realms.’

‘What does that mean? What-’

‘The process works. Jonah was a success. Collect as much blood as we can for production,’ Ivan orders, ignoring me. ‘Drain her to her limit. I shall then heal her and we can continue.’ Ivan’s orders are chilling.

‘What does that mean. IVAN!’ Reid yells, pulling against his chains. ‘What does that mean?’

‘It means, you backwater lord of nothing, that when charged just right, with just enough adrenaline and peaked with enough of her own power, Raven’s blood links our two worlds.’ He gestures between them. ‘It links our bodies. To put it simply, Lord of the Thirteenth-kingdom, her blood allows humans to take in your gifts. It will be a beautiful assembly line. Each vial will be able to hold the power of the Fae and injected into whoever has purchase the gift. As I said. Magic, meet science. The human world will rise up and be the greatest world there is. The most powerful. Humanity deserves these gifts. Not a bunch of backwards, medieval, superstitious creatures. Science, boy. It shall always win. I shall always win. Besides, you would be amazed at how much people will pay for a gift.’

‘You intend to steal and sell our gifts to humans?’ Reid looks at me. ‘And you will use her to do it? Your own daughter?’

‘Her blood. Yes. And she’s less of a daughter, more a creation of necessity. It is a shame that the process to energise her blood is so excruciating. But if she is anything like her sister, she’ll go mad after a few months of it and won’t even realise what’s happening. Begin. The next vial is for you, Serge. Now we know it works, it’s time for you to ascend. Tell me, which power would you like?’

The lever is pulled and I throw my head back in agony. They open the valve. My blood filters into vials.

I wait. I wait for the flip of the switch. I pray for it to end.

But it doesn’t. My eyes roll into the back of my head. Pain beyond measure. Beyond reason. And it never ends. It will never end.

Jonah and Ivan watch as I suffer. Serge inspects the blood as it is collected.

It goes on. On and on. Never-ending, utter agony. More and more blood is stolen. Vial upon vial. Reid’s raging as he pulls and pulls against the iron sealing him in.

‘Stay with me, Little Bird,’ he yells. ‘It will be okay. It will be okay!’

His words, hearing my pet name, seeing that there is someone in this fucked up world who is scared for me, gives me hope.

Hope.

Funny old thing.

I don’t ever think I’ve had that before.

And as I watch the control panel in the corner of the room, I see that Reid is not the only one in this world that cares for me.

A shadow sweeps across the panel, flipping switches and jabbing buttons.

When the men turn to look at the electrical sparks and beeping machines, the shadow whizzes past them unseen, sticking to the darkest corners of the room. El takes a gun from one of the men and fires a bullet at the bulbs above, plunging the room into darkness.

‘It’s the Shadow-Walker!’ Ivan announces. ‘Light! We need light!’

El snaps the necks of the men by Reid.

More gunfire. More yelling as the shadow rips through the room.

Those closest to me cry out in pain before I feel hands on me.

Reid.

He’s tearing at my restraints. I don’t see much. I can barely move or speak.

But when I feel the iron leave my skin, I feel my power return.

And it’s angry. It’s violent. It’s wrath and vengeance to all who have dared hurt me here today.

It surges and the room is hurled into chaos. Everyone and everything is thrown around by a violent wind.

Reid pulls me into his body and wraps his arms around me.

I cling to him, close my eyes and create a portal below our feet.

We fall.

44

Our feet slam into stone and we both fall. Reid clamps his hand on the back of my skull before it can collide with the floor and he groans as he takes the brunt of the impact.

‘You okay?’ he asks, moving slowly as he pushes himself up, trying to help me up as well. ‘A stupid fucking question. Of course you’re not okay.’

We sit and I blink up at him. Each blink brings more tears. My lip trembles and when I let out a sob, he engulfs me in his arms, holding me close. Even his legs wrap around me as I sink into him, sobbing desperately into his shirt.

‘I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.’ That’s all he seems to be able to say as he lets me expel it all in a ferocious and heart breaking display. ‘I’m here. No matter what, I’m not going to leave you. I’m right here.’

I look up and see how pale and ill he looks.

‘They took your power to heal,’ I whisper, frightened to speak too loudly and let out the wailing I long to set free. ‘It’s my fault.’

‘No. Not your fault. You get that straight right this second. Not your fault. Not a single fucking second of this is your fault.’

I reach up and kiss his cheek.

That’s not enough for him and he moves so my lips are on his.

It’s not a demanding kiss. Our lips just meet and linger.

‘I’m so sorry I couldn’t stop Jonah.’

‘I’m sorry you had to watch him do what he did.’

He takes my chin between his fingers. ‘Not. Your. Fault. Never apologise to anyone for that fucking dead-man-walking.’ He raises a brow, daring me to argue. I give a slight nod and he takes a look around the room. ‘Where are we?’

It’s a corridor. A seemingly endless one made of dirty grey stone. It’s deathly quiet, with only a strip of halogen light flickering dimly overhead. There are no windows and it stinks of damp.

‘I think we’re underground,’ I tell him. ‘But I don’t know where.’

‘What were you thinking about when you made the portal? What was your anchoring thought?’

‘I… I’m not sure. “I want to get the hell out of here” mainly.’

He stands and winces as he moves but helps me to my feet despite his own pain.

I look at his hand, where he protected my head from colliding with the floor. It’s the same hand that was cut and now, as well as bleeding, it’s swelling and bruised.

‘Not going to lie,’ he grimaces, wiggling his fingers. ‘I’m already missing my power to heal.’

‘I’ll get it back. I promise.’

He holds out his palm and creates his orb of light.

‘I have my weapon still,’ he says with relief. ‘My light. I still have it.’

‘Save it. We’ll need it and we still have no Gilt.’

‘I expelled as much power as possible to fix Elanor after the crash,’ he tells me, a furrow on his brow as he recalls. ‘I felt no draining effects. None whatsoever. I should have gone Dark. I didn’t. Nothing happened at all. I felt as I did back home, in the Fae-realm. I think that your blood has stabilised my power. I don’t think I need Gilt.'

‘That’s a positive. Glad there’s at least one.’

‘It makes sense,’ he says quietly, looking at me cautiously. ‘Raven, you’ve needed hardly any Gilt since you Triggered. None, in fact. I don’t think you’re like the rest of us. I don’t think you can go Dark. Your blood is… it’s something new.’ He beams at the idea and rests his palm on my cheek. ‘One foot in this world, one back home.’ He repeats Ivan’s words with wonder before blinking back his senses. ‘Can you portal us somewhere safe? Get us to the others?’

‘What about El?’ I ask.

‘She would have returned to her body by now,’ he says. ‘We need to get out of here.’ He looks around the hall. ‘Wherever here is.’

‘What about Cyrus? We can’t just leave him here.’

‘I just want to get you out of here. I’ll come back for him with the others. I-’

‘I’m not just leaving him here as a monster, Reid. Never mind that he can just call me back with the tattoo Bond thing you put on me, my blood can bring him back.’

‘Your blood can also transfer Fae powers into humans. Your father-’

‘Ivan. Don’t call him my father.’

‘Ivan is ready to keep you in a perpetual state of agony and bleed you dry over and over again. Raven. I’m begging you. Let me get you out of here. I’ll come back for Cyrus.’

I know he’s right. I know it. Never mind my own fate of being kept in that chair for as long as Ivan wants me there, he will destroy us all if he has me in his possession. Taking a Fae’s gift turns them into monsters. We’re in the thousands. Humans are in the billions.

He’ll turn us all.

‘Raven?’ Reid urges.

‘Okay. Okay.’

I close my eyes and reach out, summoning the power to create a portal. Sure enough, one opens up before us.

Before we get to move a muscle towards it, Brennan, Lucca, El and Tessa all leap through, stumbling and tripping over each other in their haste and falling in a heap at our feet.

Lucca leaps to his feet and whacks my hand.

‘CLOSE IT!’ he yells.

‘What? Why?’

Bullets start soaring through and we all hit the deck. I scream as Reid throws himself on top of me.

The portal closes.

‘Ow,’ I groan with my cheek pressed into the stone.

‘Are you hit?’ Reid asks as he still lies on my back.

‘Yes. By a six and a half foot Fae man. Do you mind?’

‘Sorry.’ He sits and we all get back to our feet. ‘Everyone okay?’

‘Fine,’ El groans, pulling twigs and leaves from her hair. ‘Thanks for the portal. How did you know?’

‘Know what?’ I ask, looking at their mud-covered clothes and various cuts and scrapes.

‘We were hiding in a cabin in Rendlesham woods. I managed to track you down and came to you in my shadow form to help, when Authority descended. Lucca had to carry me so I didn’t break my meditation and get sent back to my body.’ She glares at him. ‘Until he dropped me in a fucking ditch.’ She pulls out more twigs and clumps of mud from her hair and drops them at his feet. ‘Good job I got you out of those chains before I was recalled,’ she snipes.

‘I didn’t mean to drop you,’ Lucca says apologetically.

‘We legged it, but they had surrounded us. We were seconds away from getting intimate with a dozen bullets when your portal opened up. We all just leapt through.’

‘Man. Am I glad to see you!’ Lucca grins from ear to ear as he goes to hug Reid. The two embrace and look visibly relieved as they reunite. ‘What did we miss?’

Reid looks down at Lucca and rests his hand on his cheek. In a flash, Lucca’s smile fades and he gasps softly.

‘Shit. Shit, man. What… shit…’

I’m guessing from his reaction, Reid has just dumped all the information into his head.

Lucca looks back at me.

‘Oh, Pup. I’m-’

‘Where do we go now?’ I ask, unable to cope with sympathy right now. ‘I don’t know where to go. I don’t know anywhere safe. All I could think of was El as an anchor.’

‘The stream in the city?’ El offers. ‘Or can you just imagine the sea? Take us to a beach?’

I try to manifest a portal, but nothing happens.

‘I can’t. If I haven’t been there, I can’t make it,’ I snap, more to myself than anyone else.

‘Then the stream in the city. We’ll go there and figure out the next step.’

They all discuss their plan.

But Lucca’s distracted.

‘You okay?’ I ask him.

‘Do… Do you hear that?’

‘Hear what?’

Lucca has that frown again. It deepens as he listens.

‘There are others here. Lots of others. Children, I think. I can hear their thoughts. Such… such dark thoughts. So hopeless. So painful.’ He blinks and a tear slides down his cheek. ‘Oh Goddess, they’re so sad.’

‘It’s the children he keeps here. The same as the boy he strapped into the chair.’ I take Reid’s hand. ‘We can’t just leave them here. We have to help them.’

‘I have to get you away from Ivan,’ he reminds me.

‘Ivan and Serge have vials of my blood. You saw what he can do now. He stole that child’s power and put it into a human. He put it into Jonah! He has the blood. We can’t let them keep those kids too. He’ll steal their gifts and turn them Dark.’

‘I want you out of here.’

‘I’m not running away. Not if we can help them.’

‘Raven-’

‘No one came for me. No one came for Rhea. We had no one to save us, Reid. And we suffered. Rhea died. My twin sister died in agony after years of torture. Don’t make me abandon others when I can help them. Please.’

‘Fine!’ he hisses, dragging his hand through his hair. ‘Fucking fine! Then we go! Where are they, Lucca?’

We run the endless corridors, following Lucca as he guides us towards the sound of those poor children. We turn left and right. We pass the odd door but they open up into empty storage rooms.

Reid keeps a tight hold on my hand. An action that Tessa watches closely as he hasn’t even asked her if she’s okay.

We’re all panting and exhausted as we travel this stone maze.

My feet slow when I feel something.

A warmth. A ripple of goosebumps spread over my body.

‘You okay?’ Reid asks, stopping with me. ‘What’s the matter?’

‘Do you feel that?’ I ask him.

‘The existential dread?’ Tessa mumbles. ‘Yep.’

‘No. No that warmth. That tingling. Do you feel it?’ I reach out my hand and even feel it in the air. ‘Feel!’

‘I can’t feel anything,’ Reid snaps, tugging on my hand. And as we run further along the hall, I only feel it more.

Not just feel, but hear.

I skid to a stop when I hear a voice. A faint, distant song of a voice.

‘Can you hear her?’ I ask Reid when he spins and looks at me, furious that I’ve stopped again.

‘We have to keep moving!’

He tugs and I yank my hand away.

‘Can you hear her?!’ I look at Lucca for backup. Surely he can hear it, but he just shrugs.

‘The kids are this way. We’re close.’ Lucca carries on and turns a corner. He stops and looks up. ‘They’re above us. Can you portal us up there?’

Reid pushes me aside and sends a shot of his blinding light upwards, creating a hole in the ceiling above us. We all avoid the tumbling concrete and chunks of plaster and look up.

Several ashen faces peer down.

‘Hi, kids,’ Lucca says with an enthusiastic wave. ‘Wanna get outta here?’

The squalor is unreal to them.

It's memorable to me.

I remember this place. I remember the cots and the beds. The blank faces and thin bodies.

El and Tessa are horrified at what they see. The guys are stunned into silence as they walk amongst the children, who barely react to their arrival.

‘What the hell is this place?’ Tessa asks, her words choked in despair as she picks up a baby Fae and holds her to her chest. There are piss stains all over the baby’s sheets and cradle cap so bad its hair’s matted with blood. Tears pour down Tessa’s face as she looks at Reid. ‘What… how…’

‘None of them are collared,’ Reid says, swallowing down the despair he’s trying not to let show. ‘None of them can be killed or tracked. We’ll take them to the city and figure this out.’

Tessa nods and looks at all the other children.

There are so many.

‘Raven…’ Reid encourages, picking up two other small children and holding them close. ‘Portal.’

I nod and take a deep breath before reaching out and creating a portal to the stream in the woods. Brennan goes through first and returns to declare that it’s clear.

The children are filtered through. The bigger ones carry the babies or the children so malnourished they can’t walk. And the others pick up two or three at a time to carry them through, returning over and over until the hellish nursery is empty.

I remain in place, holding open the portal, watching them work.

All the while, I feel that tingling warmth. I hear that whispering voice.

I feel a pull. A summoning. It becomes all I can focus on. All I can feel. It’s in my head. My skin. My heart and my head.

‘Hey! Raven!’ Reid gives me a little shake pulling my attention back to him. ‘It’s your turn. Let’s go.’

‘I… I can’t,’ I admit.

I instantly see his eyes flash with anger.

‘We’re going. Now. Thirty-odd kids are standing in the woods, and we need-’

‘There’s something else here that needs me. I can hear it. I can hear her, Reid. I can hear her!’ As I say it, I know it. I know the voice. I know this feeling. ‘It’s Rhea. Rhea’s here.’

‘Your sister is dead, Little Bird. You saw her get slammed by bullets. You said so yourself.’

‘But I can hear her, Reid. I can feel her! Cyrus and Rhea are still here and I won’t leave them. I can’t.’

‘If you stay here, you’re putting everyone at risk. Not just yourself. Do you hear me? Cyrus is a tough son of a bitch and he would want you to go. I will come back for him. I promise.’

‘I feel your truth. I do. And I know that you mean what you say, but I am telling you that I have to stay and find my sister.’

‘YOUR SISTER IS FUCKING DEAD!’ he roars. ‘You’re not going to stay here and end up the same way.’ His hands clamp down on my arms. ‘We’re leaving.’

‘You are.’ I shove him hard towards the portal. He staggers but stops himself from falling through. ‘I’m sorry. But I choose my sister over you. I choose her over me. I let her down once. I refuse to do it again.’

‘You’re coming with me. Willingly or unconscious. I don’t really give a sh-’

I pull the portal closer and watch him get claimed by it.

I shut it down and seal him off.

The room falls silent and dark.

I’m alone.

It’s better that way. Less to lose.

The voice calls. A whisper on a breeze.

‘I’m coming.’

I jump down and return to the endless corridor below.

I’m coming.

45

I’m alone. I’m an idiot and I’m alone.

But there was no way he was going to let me stay here. I knew that.

And I won’t leave Rhea behind again.

The tug is still there. Still tethered to my heart, calling me into the unknown.

The corridor leads on, and finally, I stop when I come to a door made of solid iron. Beyond the discomfort the iron creates, I feel her. Calling me.

‘Rhea?’ I call through, pressing my ear towards the iron, being careful not to touch it. I don’t hear a thing. I only feel. ‘Rhea, I’ll get you out!’

Images of her alone down here in the depths of this hell hole are more than I can bear.

But there’s no handle. There’s no lock. Only a sheer black panel embedded into the wall.

I’m not breaking through this door anytime soon.

I don’t need to break in.

I step back and reach out to create a portal, catching a glimpse of the markings on my arms.

No one is calling me. Not Reid. Not Cyrus. But that could change at any minute. I need to get on the other side of this door and quickly.

My anchor is the voice calling me. The one pulling me through.

The portal manifests.

I step into the unknown. As soon as my feet touch the room’s floor, an alarm starts blaring so loud I have to cover my ears to stifle it.

I shut down the portal so no one else can get in and spot another panel on this side of the door. I take off my shoe and slam it into it with all my might. With a few sparks and a long beep, the lights in the panel go out.

I hope that’s enough.

I turn quickly and come face to face with…

Nothing.

There’s no one in this room. Not a soul. just a desk covered in dust with a single chair. There’s a bookcase dead opposite, lined with books all covered in just as much dust. There’s nothing else.

But I hear the call. The ghostly whisper is still singing my name.

Raven. Raven.

I rush further into the room, my head throbbing and my body just about ready to fall.

And now this? She’s here. I hear her! I hear her!

I spin, looking at all the corners. Every inch of the walls. This room is fortified for a reason. It’s hidden and protected with iron for a purpose. She has to be here!

The door thuds and men yell.

‘BREAK IT DOWN!’

My arm tingles and I know it’s Reid, reminding me that he can start calling if he wishes. That he can make it impossible for me to refuse.

‘Where are you?’ I whisper, my eyes flittering all over the room.

The door thuds again.

I reach out and run my fingers along the books. The titles are unknown to me.

‘Raven…’

I lift my head and look at the bookcase. The voice is coming from behind it.

I start tearing at the books, pulling them down and scrambling over the growing pile at my feet until I come across one book that refuses to budge.

I pull it, and the bookcase shifts an inch. I grip the edge tight and pull.

And what I see has me stunned into fucking silence.

It’s not Rhea, and my heart breaks at that revelation.

I stagger back, feeling my left arm tingle more and more as Reid’s patience wears thin.

‘What the fuck…’

The door thuds louder and the iron dents as something significant and deadly collides with it.

Ahead is an iron cage with glass panels. Iron chains are wrapped around it and inside… inside are wings.

Jet black, massive, ferocious wings wrapped up in iron chains.

They tower over me, even wrapped up like this, and I know without a doubt that they belong to Reid.

I glance back at the desk and chair, imagining Ivan sitting here watching them. Boasting in his thievery and mutilation of a powerful foe.

Fucker.

I rest my hand on the glass and the wings start to move, thudding and straining against their restraints. Around the iron, the black shimmers gold.

There’s no lock. No key. It’s welded shut. But Ivan’s gloating will be his downfall. He wanted to be able to see them locked up and strangled in iron. Why else would he have the cage made with glass?

And glass can break.

So I grab the chains, my hands burning as they meet the iron, and with a yell, I pull.

At my back, I create a portal and in a second, he’s here. Once emerged, I close it down. Reid was my anchor and I knew he would come as soon as he saw the portal.

‘YOU EVER PULL SHIT LIKE THIS AGAIN, I SWEAR-’

With a furious yell, I pull the glass cabinet to the floor and it smashes at his feet.

He looks down, his eyes wide as he looks at the fluttering wings before him.

He slowly reaches forwards, all anger lost. All fear forgotten.

The tips of his fingers brush the sleek, black surface of his long lost wings. The extension of his very soul. And they turn to gold dust before our very eyes, fading into specks that hover in the air.

‘What’s happening?’ I ask, terrified that they’ve just died or something.

But the gold slams into his body.

His back arches and he throws up his head, yelling out a fierce roar. His eyes are burning bright and his whole body is tense. Every muscle is bulging, and I’ve no idea if it’s pain or power that has him yelling so ferociously.

The golden outline of his wings appear at his back and slowly fill in, becoming solid, becoming his once more.

Any pain he might be feeling, I’m sure it’s worth every second.

His soul has been reunited with his body.

And what a soul.

His wings fan out and give a firm beat, blowing my hair across my face and making me smile from ear to fucking ear.

He was spectacular before. Now he’s a fucking god.

His eyes settle on me and they are full of gratitude. Admiration. Completion.

The door thuds again and he turns.

But that voice is still calling.

Raven… Raven… RAVEN!

‘Help me,’ I insist, grabbing at the books lining the second case.

‘What-’

‘FUCKING HELP ME! SHE’S IN THERE!’

He’s ripping at them all without another second of hesitation. Our feet are lost in volumes of pointless works, most of which have empty pages.

Until he finds it. A deep red book that refuses to move.

He pulls it and opens up the second hidden door.

And we both stare.

‘I… I don’t understand,’ I whisper sadly, looking at yet another case holding a second set of wings. ‘Rhea. Where’s Rhea?’

‘I don’t believe it,’ Reid murmurs, stepping closer to the wings. Just as his were, these too are strangled in chains and encased in iron and glass.

But these are different.

They’re not solid or black. They’re not leather looking.

They're transparent with tiny lines of pure gold lacing through them, creating the most entrancing, exquisite and intricate patterns. They pulsate, as if pumping the golden shimmer through their veins. I marvel at how delicate they seem. They look as if they would tear in a breeze. But the cage goes from floor to ceiling and still struggles to fit them in.

Raven…

‘It’s the wings,’ I realise, stepping closer and resting my hand on the glass. As I do, the gold shines brighter. ‘The wings are calling to me.’ I swallow painfully. ‘It wasn’t Rhea.’

‘They’re calling to you?’ Reid asks, still staring up at them.

‘Yes.’ I can’t stop admiring them. ‘I’ve never seen anything so beautiful in my entire life. Whose are they? Who else has lost their wings?’

The door thuds and starts to give way.

He looks at it bowing against the pressure of the small army still trying to break through, and I see fear in Reid’s face when Ivan’s voice bellows out orders. That, and the deep snarling of his giant monster.

‘Time to go, Little Bird.’

‘Wait. We can’t just leave these wings. We can’t just leave Cyrus.’

He sends a pure light shot at the case, shattering the glass and devastating the iron. It tumbles to the floor in pieces, shards of glass skitter all over our feet.

He grabs my hand and pulls me down.

‘What are you doing?’

‘Helping.’

The wings react to my touch, just as Reid’s reacted to his.

They glow bright and disintegrate into dust. Glowing, vibrant dust that rises into the air and crashes into my chest, straight into my heart.

Now I know why Reid was yelling. It’s pain, but power too, like being sewn back together after being torn apart. It’s heat and ice. It’s fear and strength. Light and dark.

‘You do know someone else who lost their wings,’ Reid says, watching in awe. ‘Your mother. The queen of all Thirteen Kingdoms. The most powerful Fae to ever exist.’ He takes a shuddering breath. ‘And it would seem that you are her successor. You have inherited her power. Her wings. Her throne.’

He smiles and lets out an astonished laugh as the wings fan out at my back, pulsing and shining with gold.

‘The Princess… is a Queen.’

The wings furl forwards and rest in front of me, almost as if they know I long to touch them. I reach out my fingers and glide them delicately over their surface. I feel it. It’s a sweet caress over my skin.

They really are mine! They're a part of me.

And they feel strong.

They look so thin and delicate, but they’re solid and firm when I touch them.

They feel indestructible.

The door flies off its hinges and is propelled into the room with us.

Reid grabs a shard of the glass at our feet before wrapping his arms around me. We both look at Ivan standing at the entrance. He sees our wings and, for a second, looks terrified.

‘Think of Cyrus. Use him as your anchor. Now,’ Reid says in my ear.

I create a portal at our backs.

When Ivan sees it, he looks panicked.

‘DON’T LET THEM GET AWAY!’ he orders, stepping aside and allowing room for the giant Fae to emerge. It barrels through the group of men, Serge and Jonah included, and heads straight for us.

Reid launches us backwards into the portal with a beat of his wings. I lurch as he grips me around my waist yanks me back with him, and I gasp at the speed of which he moves.

We land in the cells. He lowers us gracefully to the floor, still facing the portal.

I reach out to recall the power of the portal, but before I can, there’s a screech, and the giant monster throws itself through. It lands heavily and rolls, lacking the grace Reid holds.

Cyrus, the devolved and Dark Cyrus, is thrashing against his iron chain, hurling himself towards us without caring that his body is burning as he tugs against his restraints.

The monster launches itself at me, baring its teeth and stretching out its claws.

Reid pulls me out of its way and it skids across the stone floors, sliding into the iron bars.

It screams as it makes contact and holds its injuries, whimpering in pain. Its head suddenly shoots up and shakes off any thoughts of the pain, and spins to face me.

Reid grabs my hand and places the shard of stolen glass into it.

‘Fix Cyrus. I’ll keep this thing busy.’

‘Keep it busy how? By letting it fucking tear out your insides and wear them as a scarf?’

‘If that’s what it takes.’ He stands between us, his wings out and the bright light circling like orbs in his hand. ‘Maybe you should hurry up, yeah?’

He rushes the beast.

I turn before the two collide, and I face Cyrus.

He strains against the chains, reaching for me. I can’t see how to get to him without getting slashed to ribbons first.

I inch closer.

‘Cyrus. If you can hear me, please listen. I’m just trying to help you.’ I take the glass and glide it across my hand. He sniffs and looks at the blood. ‘That’s right. It’s for you.’ I step closer, holding it out. ‘Just don’t tear my hand off. Reid’s not got the power to heal right now, so bleeding out down here would suck.’

Reid bellows and lands on the other side of the room after colliding with the brick wall. Stunned, he tries to get himself back on his feet.

The Dark creature takes its chance and pounces.

‘Fuck.’

My lapse of concentration means I stumble back, too close to Cyrus. His gnarly hand wraps around my wrist and he pulls me back.

Behind him.

I hit the wall and turn to watch him stand between me and that thing.

He roars.

It roars.

And the two go at it, clawing and tearing at each other.

He does remember me. Somewhere, deep down, Cyrus has clawed through and is fighting back.

He’s smaller and tethered to the wall by iron. The creature will kill him. Soon.

‘REID!’ I yell, watching him push himself back to his feet. ‘Let Cyrus out. Use your light!’

He hurls an orb at the wall and the chain rattles to the floor, freeing him. Another orb to his neck and Cyrus is free entirely.

We’re about to gain an ally, or we’ve just released a second monster.

Cyrus fights.

He fights for me.

Reid rushes in and the two are as one, facing down the creature and fighting side by side.

The doors to the cell open and Ivan runs in, followed by his men.

Guns are raised.

I throw up my arm and create a portal.

‘REID! CYRUS!’ I yell. They both turn and see the swirling mass. ‘GO!’

With a blast of Reid’s light, the Dark-Fae is hurtled backwards.

Reid runs towards the portal and stops, looking back a Cyrus.

‘COME ON!’ he yells.

But the Dark-Cyrus hesitates, looking at the monster limping to its feet and the guns all being cocked.

‘Cyrus. Please!’ I implore, holding open the only way out. ‘Come.’

Cyrus doesn’t run towards the portal. He runs to the monster.

Whatever control it wields over him seems too great. He fought hard to remain in control, and he saved me from its grip.

But he goes to it instead of us.

Instead of me.

He lifts the massive Dark creature, wrapping his arms around its weakly struggling body.

‘Cyrus,’ I breathe, looking at him longingly, wishing he would just come back. I hold out my hand, blood dripping to the floor. ‘Come back to me.’

His eyes look at the blood and he sniffs. He snarls and snaps his jaws before blinking away the dark and instinctual thoughts he’s overcome with to taste it.

Cyrus starts dragging the monster, kicking and screaming, towards us.

With us? Why is he bringing it with us?

He roars at Reid and looks from him to the Portal.

Reid, for once, is happy to obey Cyrus. He grabs me and pulls me through as bullets start flying.

Ivan yells for me to stop.

He hollers that I’m not to leave.

‘WE MUST SAVE THE WORLD! DAUGHTER! HELP ME!’

‘Fuck you,’ I manage, letting Reid manhandle me towards the portal, followed closely by Cyrus and the monster. Before I leave, I make him a promise. ‘This isn’t over, Daddy.’

46

We land on our feet in the woodland, facing the still active portal.

Bullets start shooting through and Reid throws himself on me yet again. I keep my hand up and never look away from the portal.

Come on. Come on.

‘CLOSE IT DOWN!’ Reid yells, his wings spreading over us like armour. Amazingly, the bullets don’t pierce them, but he grunts as each one connects. ‘RAVEN! SHUT IT DOWN!’

‘He’s coming!’ I insist. ‘He’s coming!’

He better be, because otherwise we’ll have to go back and get him. I can’t be dragged back to him again through the tattoo markings.

I can’t!

With a screech, Cyrus tumbles through, dragging behind him the enormous creature. He has the iron chain wrapped around its neck and hauls its struggling body behind him.

As soon as they are clear, I shut down the portal.

Cyrus drops the chain and staggers a few steps before falling. He’s clutching his side. Black blood oozes through his fingers.

‘He’s been shot with iron. Reid!’ I push him off me and rush towards Cyrus.

‘Woah. Got a death wish there, Pup?’ Lucca says, grabbing me before I can get close.

‘Get off me. GET OFF ME, LUCCA!’ I struggle against his hold but fail spectacularly to get free. ‘I SAID GET OFF!’

With a powerful surge and a harsh gasp, Lucca is thrown away from me. I let out a shaky breath as my wings emerge, sweeping high and far.

‘Holy fuck,’ I whisper, feeling them. Feeling their power and strength. It’s euphoric.

Reid rushes to my side.

‘Are you okay? Were you hit?’

‘No.’ I shake my head and swallow dryly, keen to get this power under control. ‘No. I’m fine. Thanks to you. You protected me. Thank you. Help me with Cyrus.’

We rush over. Reid holds him down as I pour my blood into his mouth, watching as he stretches out his long tongue, lapping up all he can get. I feel dizzy from all the blood loss and let out a low groan as the world starts to spin a little.

‘Enough. That’s enough,’ Reid demands, grabbing my wrist and pushing it towards my chest. ‘You’ve lost enough. You know I can’t heal you.’

I nod and return to my feet as Cyrus falls still and silent in the debris of the woodland floor.

We’re surrounded by the others we sent here earlier, all staring open-mouthed at our appearance. Their eyes are utterly trained on our wings. Brennan has a gun pointed at the monster, but his eyes are on us.

‘Holy-fucking-shitting-hell. The Pup has the Queen’s wings,’ Lucca babbles, stumbling back as he takes in their sheer size. ‘HOLY SHIT!’ he yells, pointing at Reid’s. ‘Y-you have your wings back!’

‘Nothing gets past you, does it?’ El says, also staring in shock at this madness.

The Dark-Fae screams a high pitched, harrowing yell. Lucca grabs his head and cries out in pain, falling to his knees.

‘What’s happening?’ El asks, dropping by his side. ‘Lucca?’

‘It’s calling the Dark-Fae here. They’re coming for Raven.’ He blinks and looks at the Dark creature. ‘Don’t let it touch the kids.’

‘What?’

‘It can turn them Dark with a single touch. It’s going to turn them. I can hear it thinking.’

‘Then we kill it.’ I rush towards it. The wind starts to whisk around me as my rage fuels my need to end this thing. Leaves, twigs and stones tumble after me as I stride closer. I take Brennan’s gun as I pass and rest my finger on the trigger before pointing the gun barrel at the creature’s head.

It screams like the raging beast it is.

‘Surrender,’ it says in its snarling, gritty voice. ‘Or I will have them burn your city to the ground and take every single Fae inside prisoner.’

‘I’ll never surrender to you.’

‘Then you will watch them all suffer. YOU WILL WATCH THEM ALL BURN!’

‘Fuck you.’

Black smoke wraps itself around my wrist and as I fire, it pulls, sending the bullet into the sky instead. I turn to see the black smoke beside me slowly becoming solid. Becoming a man. Becoming Cyrus, my real Cyrus.

‘You can thank me later,’ he says, grabbing my still bleeding hand and holding it over the beast’s mouth. He squeezes, increasing the flow of blood.

The creature falls back and I struggle against Cyrus as he pushes me on top of it, forcing my hand deeper into its mouth. The creatures’ teeth clamp down on my skin. Its taloned fingers wrap around my wrist, holding it close as it drinks and drinks.

‘What the fuck are you doing?!’ Reid yells, throwing Cyrus away from us. He reaches down, prises my hand from its jaws, and pulls me off. My hand is spewing blood from the torn flesh.

Reid goes to finish the job and kill the fucker. It yells and throws back its head. Its hand reaches out and its long nails slash me across my face, from my chin, over my lip, up my cheekbone and across my eye.

I scream in agony and fall, clutching my torn-up face. As others go to kill the creature, Cyrus protects it with a swirling wind of black smoke that throws back anyone who dares get too close.

He’s still under its control! He’s still being manipulated, even after the blood returned him to us.

A shockwave explodes from the cocoon of black and sends everyone, Cyrus included, away from it.

I throw up my arm and cling to the earth, refusing to let it toss me backwards too.

No matter what, this Dark creature must not be allowed to leave. To turn the Fae into Dark monsters, forced to obey its will.

The smoke starts to clear and I return to my feet.

But a few steps in, I slow. I stop.

I stop completely. I stop breathing. I stop thinking. I stop living. Existing in anything but this moment.

Gasping and shaking all over, naked, thin, bruised and familiar.

The young woman looks up at me.

Her lip trembles and tears fill her beautiful green eyes.

‘Raven?’ she whimpers.

I stumble towards her, my feet almost dragging behind me like I’ve forgotten how to walk. Her eyes remain trained on me. I drop the gun and fall to my knees, clutching my heart.

‘Rhea?’

‘Where… what happened?’ She looks around her, seeing all the others returning to their feet, looking at us. Her eyes land on me and she reaches out her trembling hand to my face. ‘Y-you’re bleeding. Your face!’ she gasps. ‘I did that! I did it! At the cliffs. No.’ She looks around her. ‘Here. I did it now!’ She looks at her body. ‘I’m older. You’re older. How… I don’t understand. What’s happening? He… he said you were dead. I don’t-’

I throw my arms around her. I pull her into my body with all the strength I have and I cling to her without mercy.

My hands touch her back.

She’s real.

My hands touch her head.

She’s real.

I kiss her cheek.

She’s real.

She holds me and sobs.

We both cry as we’ve never cried before. From happiness.

Cyrus takes Lucca’s coat as he walks towards us. He kneels, wrapping it around her naked body. He tucks it in tight, protecting her vulnerable form from both view and the cold.

‘Thank you,’ I tell him. I cling to her harder and feel her sink deeper into me. ‘I was going to kill her. Thank you. Thank you!’ I kiss my sister’s head and feel her shake and tremble in my arms. ‘I’ve got you, Rhea. You’re safe now. We’ve got you.’

Her head suddenly shoots up and she looks into the distance.

‘They’re coming,’ she whispers. ‘The Dark-Fae. They’re coming for us.’ She looks at me. ‘For you. He meant what he said. He will destroy your city and take everyone here for their powers unless he gets you back.’

‘You can control them though, right?’ I brush aside her hair, loathing the tears I see slide down her gaunt cheeks. ‘You can make them stop.’

She violently shakes her head and looks at me with terror in her eyes. ‘He does. He controls them. He controlled me. He controls all the Triggered-Fae. Ivan. The last experiment. The one before the explosion, the one when… when I turned. It worked. He took my ability to control the Darkness. I can turn them. He made me turn them. So many. He made me turn so many. And he took my power to control them.’ She grips onto my shirt almost pleadingly. ‘He controlled me. His voice was in my head. He forced me to do terrible things. I can’t stop them. None of them.’

Reid stands behind Cyrus and looks down at us both.

‘Who are they?’ Rhea asks, looking at them both. ‘Are they good?’

‘Friends,’ I reply, unable to declare their goodness. I look up at the two boys. ‘You have to go. Now. Help me with her.’

Cyrus eases her up and Reid helps me.

In the distance, we all hear the screaming of the Dark-Fae coming towards us.

‘How many are there?’ Cyrus asks. ‘How many do we need to fight?’

‘He’s sent them all,’ Rhea replies. ‘Hundreds. We can’t stop them. It’s begun. He’s started.’

‘What’s begun?’ I ask, feeling the world spin a little more and a ringing begin in my ears. ‘What’s happening, Rhea?’

‘He’s going to save the world,’ she says. But her words drip with utter terror. ‘He’s going to wipe us off the realm, sell our powers to humans, keep the Dark-Fae and use them to take control of everyone.’ She grabs me harder. A primal fear burns in her eyes. ‘Then he’s going back.’

‘Back?’

‘For the rest. For everyone in the Fae-realm. He’ll destroy everything. Everyone. And he needs you to do it.’

‘Portal time, I think,’ Reid says, tightening his arm around me. I wince as I feel his hand rest on my belly. I step aside, brushing him off.

‘We can’t just run away and leave the city to burn.’ I take a deep breath and stop myself from swaying. ‘You should go. I’ll stay.’

‘Like hell,’ Cyrus scoffs. ‘Portal. Now.’

‘There’s no point,’ I insist. ‘You go. I’ll stay.’

‘You lied,’ Reid says darkly. He’s staring at his hand, which is now soaked in blood. ‘You were hit. You’ve been shot.’ His head lifts. His eyes land on mine.

Cyrus rushes over to lift my shirt and sees a bullet hole in my side.

‘Shit,’ he hisses, clamping his hand down on my wound. ‘Fix her, man! Fucking fix her! She’s bleeding to death!’

But Reid and I continue to look at each other.

‘Go. They’ll only find a body. Fly. Now. Take Rhea-’

‘FIX HER!’ Cyrus yells, his smoke materialising in response to his anger as he feels my legs give. He takes my weight and falls to the floor with me.

Rhea falls to my side and presses her hand over the wound too.

‘I can’t fix her,’ Reid says. ‘I can’t-’

‘Get us out of here,’ Rhea says in a menacing warning. ‘Now. NOW!’ She yells, her words coming out as a roar as dark veins spread across her skin. ‘If my sister dies, I’ll hold you personally responsible. Get. Us. Out.’

Her Darkness lies just below the surface, threatening to come out.

Cyrus nods and scoops me up in his arms.

Reid takes hold of Rhea.

The boys spread their wings wide.

El, Tessa, Lucca and Brennan follow suit. They pick up the babies of the group and order the other vacant children to run. To hide. To try and survive.

But they just amble about, staring at the trees or the smog filled sky in a daze.

‘The city,’ I whisper. ‘They’ll destroy it. The children. The Fae inside-’

‘I’ll see the entire world burn before I see you as a corpse, Princess.’ Cyrus gives a thunderous beat of his wings and we leave the ground, abandoning the children that still linger in the woodland, lost. Confused. Numb. ‘Sorry, we’re not the heroes here. We’re not able to save the city. But we can save you. We can save some of the children.’

As we soar higher, I see the trees tremble as the army of Dark-Fae charges towards the clearing.

We disappear into the thick layer of smog that suffocates the city and breakthrough into a clear sky full to the brim with stars.

Those stars and the sound of screams are the last things I register before I close my eyes and fall into the darkness.

47

I wake from a deep and silent sleep. No dreams. No nightmares. Nothing. My head pounds. My body aches beyond measure. I blink open my eyes. I can only see through one. Reaching up, I feel a bandage covering the left side of my face. When I regain my focus, I see myself asleep.

No. I see Rhea. My mirror image.

She sleeps facing me, her face buried half in a pillow. My left hand is entwined with hers. I look at our fingers knotted together between us and feel how she clings to me even in her slumber.

I could lie here forever and just watch her.

‘She refused to leave your side,’ Reid says. I shift and look behind me. Reid sits in a chair, his elbows on his knees as he watches me. ‘No matter what we said or did, she hasn’t left you alone for a second.’

‘Is she okay?’ I look back at her still sleeping.

‘She’s recovering.’

‘Is she hurt?’ I ask, filling with panic and wincing as I feel a tight tug in my side.

‘Easy,’ Cyrus says, walking into the room and rushing over as he sees me trying to sit. Both boys help me up. ‘You’ll pull your stitches.’

‘Stitches?’ I ask, resting my hand on my side.

‘We patched you up and you’re healing nicely. Quickly,’ Reid tells me, helping me sit up. ‘But you lost a lot of blood. She gave you hers. We had to drag her away because she wouldn’t stop.’ Reid nods to a bowl in the corner with tubing and needles, showing the leftover equipment from a makeshift blood transfusion. ‘She’s a feisty and slightly terrifying girl, I have to say.’

‘She’s going to be okay though, right?’ I ask, leaning down to kiss her forehead.

‘She’ll be fine after some sleep and some food. How are you feeling?’ Cyrus asks, guiding me to a comfortable sitting position with my back against the wall. He takes time to tuck the duvet around my waist and sweeps my hair from my face. ‘We have some medicine for the pain.’

‘How long have I been unconscious?’

‘Three days.’

They both sit at my side and wait.

‘Three days? What happened?’ I ask, filling with dread at the answer I’m about to hear. ‘What happened to the city? The children-’

‘Don’t worry about that now,’ Reid says, looking away from me.

‘Please tell me.’

They both hesitate but seem to agree.

‘We got some the children out. The smallest. The ones we could carry. They're in one of the other fae towns with a few families we trust to look after them.' Reid clears his throat and takes an uneasy breath. 'The city is gone, Raven,’ Reid tells me, taking my hand in his. ‘They are saying that a large portion of the residents turned Dark and went on a rampage, killing hundreds and hundreds of the population before destroying the gate, escaping, and attacking a human town.’ He and Cyrus share a look.

‘The Dark-Fae massacred the human town, Raven. Utterly. Thousands of humans were killed and their homes burned to ash.’

‘What… why…’ I can’t get my thoughts to co-operate with my mouth. ‘Why would Ivan make them do that?’

‘The remaining Fae cities are sealed off completely. No one is allowed in or out. Humans are terrified. And Ivan is promising them a way to survive. He’s taken control of everything. He and The Authority. Oddly enough, those who have opposed him have been killed by Dark-Fae. He’s saying he has a way to protect them from the threat of monsters. He’s going for full control. Full power. And humanity are all so terrified, they’re giving it to him.’

‘Fae are missing. Humans are dying. And the Dark-Fae population is increasing every day.’ Reid looks defeated. ‘He’s taken so many of the Fae. He’s using that chair and taking powers. He’s already starting to sell them.’

‘What do we do? He’ll end up killing us all and taking over this world with an army of monsters forced to do his bidding.’ I look at Rhea. ‘He’s destroyed so much already. We can’t let him destroy anything else.’

‘We’ll figure it out.’ Cyrus leans forwards, his hand stops before it reaches my cheek and withdraws quickly. He gets to his feet and steps back. ‘I’ll get you something to eat.’

He leaves before I can respond and lingers in the doorway.

I look at Reid. He refuses to meet my gaze.

‘What’s going on?’ I ask.

‘Nothing.’

‘Liar.’

Reid pulls back and gets to his feet too.

‘You should rest some more. You’re safe here. For now. The bullet wound will take a week or so to heal properly, but your face… those marks, they won’t-’

‘I’m used to scars on my face.’

‘I know.’

I watch them both as they stand at the door.

‘We’re so glad that you’re awake,’ Reid tells me. ‘Get some more rest. Okay?’

They leave the room, closing the door behind them.

I step out of bed and stand, hissing as I move. Lifting my shirt, I see a thick square of bandage covering my side. I peel it away. They’ve done a good job sewing me up. In the bathroom, the sunlight seeps in through the net curtain at the window. The slanted roof is peeling paint and the bathtub is a hideous pink. I stand at the matching sink, made to look like a seashell, and look at my reflection in the mirror.

Half my face is covered in a bandage. Blood seeps through. I peel it away and see the damage for myself.

Three lines mark my face and go clear across my eye. There’s no damage to my eyeball this time. It’s just my skin.

I put the bandage in the bin and stand there, staring at myself in the mirror.

Flashes of what happened stab my brain. Harsh images with harsh sounds. All the pain. All the fear.

Ivan. The chair. Jonah.

I cling to the sink and breathe.

‘Don’t cry,’ I whisper, seeing Jonah yank at my hair as he slammed himself into me in front of them. ‘Don’t. Cry.’

From somewhere inside this house, a door slams and I hear the sound of footsteps on the gravel outside. I go to the window and see Reid with Cyrus.

Leaving.

Complete with bags thrown over their shoulders.

I watch El run after them and stand in their way, holding out her arms.

‘You can’t do this,’ she says. ‘You can’t just go!’

‘Watch us,’ Cyrus snaps, shoving her aside and walking on.

She approaches Reid instead.

‘For Goddess sake. She’s only just woken up. You can’t leave her like this!’

‘Move aside, Elanor.’

She smacks his shoulder. ‘El! My name is El! And like hell I will. You can’t do this! She needs you!’

Reid pushes her hard and she staggers out of his way. ‘Tough. Elanor.’

They carry on, their wings spreading before they take flight. I watch them leave. I watch them and I fill with anger.

Their faces are nothing but surprise when I appear before them in the sky, my wings at my back and a portal closing up behind me.

With a scream, I rush forwards and slam my hands into Reid’s chest. I’m amazed at my strength because he gets sent several metres before he manages to right himself.

‘You’re leaving me?’ I demand through an angry, stifled sob. ‘That’s it? You just go?’

‘We already told you,’ Cyrus says, his wings beating rhythmically at his back, keeping him in the air. ‘We’re no good for you. We don’t belong here. We don’t belong with you.’

‘BULLSHIT!’ I scream, hot tears brimming in my eyes. ‘That’s bullshit and you know it.’

‘The others will keep you safe.’

‘Fuck safe. I don’t want to be kept safe, Reid. I want to fight.’

Neither of them can even look at me.

‘We’ll fight. That’s what we do,’ Reid tells me. ‘All you will do is get in the way and get hurt. We don’t need you. We don’t want you so just-’

‘Oh. I see.’ I laugh hatefully and shake my head. ‘You don’t want me. So this is about Jonah.’

Neither say a word and it tears me apart that they don’t.

‘I’m damaged now? Is that it? Well, you know he’s been fucking me for years, right?’ I yell angrily, throwing my words at them both. ‘If you were hoping for a virgin princess, an innocent little Mate, I’m sorry to disappoint you.’

‘Shut up, Raven,’ Cyrus warns.

‘No I get it. You were promised a princess. You were promised beauty. You were promised a position of power. Instead, you get stuck in a human shit hole with a scarred slut who’s been forced to-’

‘I SAID SHUT THE FUCK UP!’ Cyrus yells, surging forwards and stopping less than an inch from my face. ‘Shut up. Just shut up.’

‘No,’ I reply, fear threatening to take my voice. ‘Never. I will never shut up. I will never apologise. I will never make excuses because what he did to me was not my fault. What sent us here was not my fault.’ I close the gap between us with a beat of my wings. Wings that outsize his. ‘You’re not leaving. If you do, I will make you pay. So take a minute, then get yourselves back to the house.’

I turn away and head to the ground, my wings taking me there without much thought or instruction from me. It’s as easy as walking. Instinctual. I see the cottage up ahead in the distance. Smoke rises from the wonky chimney breast at the roof. My feet land on the earthy floor of the woodland that surrounds it. I’ve no shoes and my toes sink into the mud.

Cyrus lands before me with a ground-shaking thud, his wings extended in some kind of intimidation attempt.

‘We’re going to tear them apart for what they’ve done to you,’ he says. His chest rises and falls with each angry breath and his fists are clenched. ‘They won’t die slow, Princess. They will live for years in agony, pleading for release for daring to ever lay their fucking hands on you. We will drag them to hell and be their own personal fucking demons, ripping into them over and over again. Where we’re going, the bloodshed, the death, the pain, it’s not for you. It’s for us. It’s our duty. Our obligation. Our need. We’re leaving for you. Not because of you.’

‘You’re leaving me to get revenge. That’s not-’

‘Revenge is too simple a word for this. This is retribution. Fucking biblical.’

‘And that’s more important to you than staying?’

The ground thunders as Reid lands behind me. Slowly, I look back at him over my shoulder. His intimidation attempt mimics Cyrus’s as he shows the entire span of his wings.

‘Go back to the house, Little Bird. We’ll deal with this.’

‘We have to stop Ivan,’ I tell them. ‘You’ll never do it alone. We need to be together.’

‘I’ve already said,’ Reid warns. ‘I don’t like asking twice. We’re done here. Go back. Heal. Rest. Hide. Cyrus and I will deal with this.’

They both take flight.

And with a yell, they both crash back to the ground, clutching their hearts.

I stretch out my hands, admiring the tattoos they embedded in my skin.

‘It’s funny,’ I smile. ‘Getting these wings has opened up all this knowledge inside me, like my mother’s memories whispering to me from the grave. For example, this Bond you forced on me. It’s two way.’

I yank my arms towards my chest and they both lurch towards me as if tugged by invisible strings.

‘You’re not leaving. End. Of.’

‘YOU CAN’T MAKE US STAY HERE!’ Cyrus yells, gripping his chest.

‘It hurts like hell, right? Like someone is carving you into pieces with a spoon.’

I tug again until they both land at my feet.

‘You dare think you get to leave and take my chance of revenge with you? You dare think that I can’t stomach the road to hell for my payback when I’ve seen its depravity, lived in it, for years? You dare think you get to abandon me? I’m in this nightmare because you dragged me into it.’

‘They need to pay,’ Reid says, his head low as he pants against the effects of the Bond.

‘They need to be stopped,’ I correct. ‘Revenge comes after. We stop them together. We make them pay… together.’

‘No.’

Reid and Cyrus both shake their heads.

‘I get it, all right? You saw him. You saw Jonah do what he did and I’m different now. I’m different for you.’

‘You don’t know what you’re talking about,’ Reid snaps.

‘You had to watch the person promised to you with another man. You couldn’t stop it and now every time you look at me, that’s all you see.’

‘That’s not true.’

‘It is. Cyrus couldn’t even touch me upstairs and you can hardly look at me now. So fine. Forget about us. Just help me save them. Don’t make me force you because I will. I will, boys. I’ll call you back every time I need you to fight. Every time I need your help. Your protection. These wings belong to the Queen. A Queen you served. Now they’re mine and you will serve me. They chose me. I’m fighting. And so are you.’

‘Is that an order?’ Cyrus asks, his brow raised.

‘Better believe it. Forget the Bond. Forget us. We don’t matter.’

‘You mean that? You don’t want us?’ Reid asks, nodding to Cyrus.

‘It’s irrelevant what I want. You can’t even touch me without being disgusted.’ I release the hold on their markings, and they slump in relief. ‘And I don’t want to be with someone who doesn’t want me. Who recoils from me. You’ll stay. We’ll fight. Together,’ I repeat, looking down at them. ‘That’s final. I won’t repeat myself.’

I take purposeful steps forwards, making sure I keep my head held high. I pass between them, my heart pounding in my chest and pain stabbing at it from all sides.

It doesn’t matter what I want from them. It doesn’t matter that I ache for them. Desire them. Long for them in every way a girl can long for another.

Despite the betrayals and lies. The manipulations and secrets, I still want them. Their affection. Their bodies. Their comfort. Their everything.

Love? Maybe. Maybe I thought I could love them. Now I’m not sure. Perhaps I’m incapable of it. Of trusting another so implicitly as to love them.

But I want them here with me. And with no other.

I need them here. I’ll never win without them.

I need them to help me stop Ivan. My blood can bring back all those who have been, or will be, turned Dark.

I won’t run away and I won’t hide from this. I’ve spent my whole life doing nothing but hiding from everything and everyone.

It ends now.

They can hate me for keeping them here.

But at least they’ll be here.

My hair blasts across my face from the force of Reid’s wings as he lands before me.

No words are said as he reaches out and wraps his hand around my throat, pushing me backwards, straight into Cyrus’s chest.

Behind, Cyrus’s hands clamp down on my hips, holding me in place as Reid towers over me, tightening his hold around my airway.

‘Are you threatening us, Little Bird?’ he snarls. ‘I’d advise against it. People who threaten us don’t tend to live all that long.’

‘Not threatening. I’m promising you,’ I reply, my words strained against his grip. ‘Do what you have to, Reid. But unless you plan on killing me, you’re not fucking leaving me. You’re not walking away from me.’ I shove him in his chest, but he doesn’t move an inch. ‘If you want to leave, squeeze harder, as hard as you can. You piece of-’

‘If you think we don’t want you, you’re a fucking idiot. We’re leaving to spare you this. To save you from us. This Bond.’

‘You’re leaving because you’re a coward,’ I scathe. ‘You don’t want a single Mate. One woman for the rest of time? You’re not brave enough or sure enough to ever accept me. You don’t want a damaged, scarred, raped-’

His lips crash into mine and his body presses flush against me, pinning me between him and Cyrus. His hand firms around my throat as he steps even closer, securing me between their chests.

Reid looks down at me and I’m frightened of the unbridled rage I see looking back at me, even as his lips rest against mine.

‘You want us to stay?’ he snarls, tilting up my head as he remains firm around my throat. ‘Because if we stay, we stay. Completely. No more fucking about. No more half moments. I’m sick of wanting to fuck you and denying myself the pleasure of it.’

‘Say it.’ I look him dead in the eye. ‘Be clear.’

‘Accept the Bond with us. Now. Right here. End this uncertainty.’

‘And if I refuse?’

‘If you refuse, we’ll stay. We’ll fight. But we will make your life a fucking misery, just as you have made ours a fucking misery by denying our claim to-’

I grab his shirt and pull him to my lips.

I kiss him with all the hurt, rage, anguish and passion I have. And he takes it all and gives so much more before spinning me. His hand slides in my hair and he guides my head towards Cyrus, whose lips claim mine next. His tongue and his breath land heavily on my skin and mouth. Reid keeps his hand in my hair, holding me there for Cyrus, tugging it at the roots as he urges me closer to his body. Reid buries his face in my neck, kissing a trail of passionate and possessive claims across my skin.

I feel their erections growing, digging into me from both sides.

‘We’re done holding back,’ Cyrus pants through our kiss, heavily caressing every curve his hands can find before tearing my shirt clear down the front, exposing my bare chest for him. ‘We won’t pretend for another fucking second we don’t want to throw you down and drive ourselves into you, claim you for good and keep you forever. We will never stop once we have you, and we will never let you go.’ His hand rests over Reid’s at my throat and they apply a little more pressure. ‘Are you ready for that, Princess? Are you ready for us?’

I take hold of his cock.

‘You gonna keep talking? Or are you going to fucking claim me already?’

Reid tears off my ripped-up shirt and tosses it into the mud before dragging my leggings down and throwing them aside. When he stands, he glides a hand up my inner thigh. He stops and rests it between my legs. His other grabs my breast.

His fingers slide inside me and I gasp, my head falling back into his chest at the sudden invasion.

‘No going back now,’ Cyrus grins, sliding in his fingers too. ‘You’re ours.’

They both kiss my neck and caress my skin with their hands, feeling every curve with firm and skilled attention. They’re careful to miss my bullet wound and I just revel in their skin on mine. Their touch.

Reid’s lips. Cyrus’s. Tongues and teeth, breath and moans.

Cyrus’s fingers wrap in my hair and I yell as I’m pushed onto my knees.

‘Get to work, Princess,’ Cyrus commands, lowering his zipper.

His length is released and he guides me onto him, his shaft sliding into my mouth and the tip of his erection meets the back of my throat.

‘If we’re going to seal this Bond,’ he hisses, moving back and forth, driving his considerable size deeper and deeper into me with heavy grunts. ‘Then we’re gonna do it right.’

From behind, Reid has lowered himself to his knees and returned his fingers between my legs.

In. Out. In. Out. Swirling and stretching.

His other hand grabs my breasts, pinching and rolling my nipple between his thumb and forefinger. The pain mixes with the pleasure and I flush hotter with every second that passes.

Cyrus isn’t holding back as he rolls his hips and fucks my mouth. He sucks in sharp hisses through his teeth. I’m tingling all over, my skin hot as hell and pleasure-filled aches flooding through my body. My hands hold a need to touch them. I run them over any part of them I can reach. Their asses. Their stomachs. Their backs.

‘Good girl,’ Cyrus purrs. ‘Take it all in. Take what you’re given.’

He groans and rests himself in as deep as he can go, forcing himself down my throat.

He watches me, looking deep into my eyes as I kneel at his feet.

Meanwhile, Reid hasn’t stopped. He’s got faster and faster. His other hand has made the flesh of my breast red, but that familiar ache is building in my belly. An ache only these men can satisfy. He kisses my back and really starts to move inside me.

I slam my palm into Cyrus’s stomach, desperate for a breath.

He holds himself in my throat, revelling in his power. His control. My eyes are watering and my head starts to go fuzzy.

When Reid abandons my breasts and rolls his fingers over my clit, I climax hard. It tears through me like a fucking bomb, held in longer and longer by the breath Cyrus has stolen.

Cyrus pulls himself free and I take in a deep breath before crying out in release.

I fall back into Reid’s chest, panting for every bit of air I can muster.

The sudden influx of oxygen makes the orgasm better. More powerful.

Cyrus rests his hand on my cheek and laughs.

‘Good girl.’

Reid spreads my wetness over my throbbing and wanting entrance before laying me down on the floor, easing me onto my back in the mud and debris of the woodland floor. He unbuckles his trousers, never breaking eye contact with me and with such hunger, it’s delicious.

Cyrus kneels between my legs, prising them apart by my knees and spreading me wide. He bites down on his lower lip as he takes in the sight of me before him.

‘Open wide,’ Reid commands, guiding my attention away from Cyrus and instead to him. Him and his throbbing length, which he’s slowly stroking. ‘Open real wide.’

He lifts my head and I take him in, sealing my lips around him and running my tongue over his warm skin.

‘Fuck…’ he whispers, his head falling back as he feels me. ‘Aren’t you just perfection.’

I moan as Cyrus’s tongue runs up the entire length of me before settling his full attention on my clit.

Holy shit. Holy fucking shit…

A few minutes of this and I’m crying out all over again, my fingers digging into the dirt below as my back arches.

They’re loving it.

Their dark laughs and words of praise only make it hotter.

They’re firm and demanding. Rough. Hard.

Perfect.

They know what they want from me and everything they demand, I thoroughly enjoy giving.

Reid stands and scoops me up, wrapping my legs around his hips as he guides us towards a large oak tree. He rests his back against the trunk and braces himself there.

‘We have your weight. Just hold on to me,’ he says breathlessly, looking at me with anticipation as he places himself at my entrance. ‘Hold on real fucking tight. And if you need to stop-’

‘There’s no fucking stopping now,’ Cyrus promises, standing behind me and looking up with a wicked grin. ‘She’s refusing to let us go. So we’re staying right fucking here.’

‘Moonlight,’ Reid says. ‘If you need to slow down or stop, say Moonlight. I don’t want any confusion here. What do you say if you want to slow down or stop?’

‘Moonlight,’ I repeat.

‘Ready?’

I take his shirt and rip it open before looking down as his sculpted form. ‘Yes.’

I gasp as Reid enters me, sliding himself inside with a lustful moan. His head tilts back and his mouth falls open as he lowers me down further and further. He stops when there’s no more of him to take, and stills.

‘She good?’ Cyrus asks from behind, his hand gently resting over my wound. ‘You got her?’

‘I’ve got her,’ Reid replies with a heavy exhale. He grins. ‘And she is fucking perfect.’ His head lifts and a darkness dances in his eyes. ‘I’ve got you,’ he whispers before lifting me a little and driving himself into me with force.

‘Fuck!’ I cry out. ‘Reid…’

‘And I’m never letting go.’

He keeps going, looking up at me as he lifts and lowers me, driving himself in deep and hard each and every time with relentless force.

I relish in every bit of his touch and movement. His expression is of utter amazement. Completely transfixed on me and lost in my touch.

No one has ever looked at me with such devotion and lust. No one.

‘Your turn. Ride me,’ he orders. He watches me lift and lower myself on his magnificent length and holds all my weight with ease as I move. ‘I’ve got you. Fuck me, girl.’

‘My turn,’ Cyrus says impatiently. His arm reaches past us both and he grips onto the tree.

Reid pulls out but keeps me wrapped around his waist.

‘Oh Goddess,’ I moan as Cyrus enters me from behind, giving me inch after inch of fullness.

His forehead lands on my shoulder and he lets out a loud moan as he buries himself in me completely.

‘You have no idea how long I’ve waited to feel you like this,’ he whispers, taking a moment to feel me completely. ‘Fucking perfection. It’s like you were made for me.’

‘No,’ I whisper. ‘You’re made for me. Now get to work.’

He moves. In. Out. In. Out. Slow and steady.

I lean into him, arching my back and pushing out my cleavage for Reid. He seals his mouth over my nipple, his teeth nip as he sucks and pulls.

Two mouths. Four hands. Ten fingers.

Two cocks.

They’re all for me, and I’m all for them.

‘Good girl,’ Cyrus purrs in my ear as he slowly screws me. ‘Good girl.’

He pulls out and I moan at the loss of him. But his fingers slide inside me. It’s a poor replacement.

‘Don’t stop,’ I complain.

‘We need to be wet, Princess. Or it will hurt.’ Cyrus swirls his fingers inside me. Each time he withdraws, I feel cold. I feel empty. He returns a few more times and I realise he’s using me to get his cock wetter, covering himself in my moisture.

‘That should do it.’

‘What are you-Oh my Goddess!’ I gasp as he rests his fingers at my ass. ‘What-’

‘Relax and breathe. And remember. You want to stop, say Moonlight.’ Cyrus eases a finger inside and I rise with him, taking in a harsh breath as he enters me in a most intimate, most taboo part of me.

I look down at Reid, who watches me hungrily.

‘You okay?’ Reid asks, excitement dancing in all aspects of his beautiful face. ‘Feel all right?’

I swallow and nod.

Cyrus keeps moving, one finger becoming two and I fall into the dark depravity of it. The completeness. The longing.

For the first time in my life, I feel right. As if I’ve been found and I’m claiming my rightful place in the universe.

These men were made for me and I for them.

They each put their cocks at an entrance.

Reid at my pussy.

Cyrus at my ass.

‘T-together?’ I stammer, looking between them. Each of them brimming with dark delight as they nudge into me a little. ‘At the same time?’

‘Better get used to it, Princess. After this, we’re not going anywhere. You ready?’

Cyrus waits, his throbbing length resting there.

‘We need you to say that you’re ready for this,’ Reid states firmly. ‘That you want it.’

‘Like the Bond won’t work if I say I don’t want it?’ I ask, my mouth dry and body visibly trembling.

‘No, Raven. Like it’s rape if you don’t say you want it. This only happens if you want it and we want to hear you say it implicitly.’

They both take my hand and watch it closely, looking at the skin and the hairs on my arm.

‘Your body reacts to lies,’ Reid says. ‘Even your own. You get goosebumps and your hairs stand on end. Tell me. Do you want this? Both of us, like this? Are you ready to Bond with us both?’

I’m nervous. Yes. But so much more besides.

‘Yes,’ I reply. ‘I’m ready. I want this. I want you both. For as long as I breathe, I want you for myself.’

He waits. There are no goosebumps. No hairs standing on end. No evidence of a lie, intentional or otherwise.

‘That’s good enough for me,’ Cyrus declares, clamping his hand down on my shoulder. ‘Hold on tight.’

All three of us let out the most wondrous sound as they both ease into me. They hold me tight, supporting me and keeping me in place.

It’s sensation overload, a feeling of utter fullness and desire.

And I’m here for all of it.

They still, taking in heavy breath after heavy breath as I get used to them both.

‘Raven, are you okay?’

‘I’m good,’ I tell Cyrus, nodding and letting out a long exhale. ‘I’m good.’

They both ease out a little, and then they begin.

The thrill of the pain as they both fuck me, mixes with the delicious pleasure they’re creating. It has me groaning. It has me calling their names with need and passion. I hold on for dear life as their mouths kiss, nip, suck, bite. As their hand's stroke, grab, scratch and caress.

As their cocks drive into me again and again and again.

Both men hiss in pleasure as they feel me. They say my name as if it’s a prayer. An offering to the universe.

Back and forth with a tantalising pace. Not too hard and not too fast.

They keep in perfect time.

I’m worshipped. I’m devoured. I’m encased by their skill and passion, sealed up and stolen away from all the darkness that wants to destroy and claim us all.

I fall back, my head resting on Cyrus’s shoulder as I wrap my fingers in his deliciously dark hair. His face buries in my neck and he moans my name.

Raven… my Raven…

They speed up.

Reid tightens his hold on my thighs.

His eyes start to glow as he looks at Cyrus.

I look behind me. Cyrus is watching me closely. His eyes, too, start to shine. Suddenly, both men look afraid.

I rest one hand on Reid’s cheek.

The other on Cyrus’s.

‘You’re all I want.’ I gasp as they drive themselves harder into me. ‘Oh fuck,’ I hiss. ‘I... I can’t…’

They both stop.

‘I can’t be without you,’ I finish quickly. ‘Don’t stop. Harder.’

‘Are you-’

‘Harder! Seal the Bond!’

Cyrus rams himself in with considerable force and I scream in conflicting bliss and pain.

‘Is that what you had in mind?’ his breathless whisper asks in my ear as he delivers another demanding stroke. ‘You like it hard?’

‘Yes…’

‘Does it feel good?’

‘Yes!’

‘Look at you. Pinned between us, filled to the brim and squirming so beautifully. We should have done this months ago.’

All I can do is moan in reply as their eyes grow brighter. My wings emerge, starting as a shimmering gold as they form at my back and spread, stitching outwards until they’re fully formed.

Cyrus’s arms wrap around my cleavage and he holds on tight, moaning harder and louder with every thrust.

‘I’m almost there,’ he says.

Their wings spring to life and spread wide as they pump harder and harder, faster and faster.

The pleasure. The pain. The bliss.

‘This is it,’ Reid groans, his climax close. ‘This is it!’

Their bodies get hotter and hotter. The feeling of electricity shoots from their skin and lands on mine.

The wind picks up as I look to the heavens, my mouth open and air trapped in my lungs as I reach my summit.

The orgasm they give me blasts through me in a way I never thought possible.

I scream. Full-on fucking scream, and I welcome this more than anything in my life. I welcome them into my heart and soul as well as my body.

They both cry out so loudly it’s almost deafening.

The ground around us shakes as my power spikes.

The very air becomes violent as a wind whisks around us, and as we all yell, black markings start to spread.

More tattoos.

In my chest, it feels like my heart is being gripped by a fist and squeezed. They cling onto me, grunting as they feel it too.

And then… it’s done. The wind stops.

Our pleasure fades.

They slump, panting and sweating against my naked body.

Our Bond is made.

They’re not going anywhere.

I smile a victorious smile.

They’re mine.

48

Cyrus withdraws first.

Reid next.

I’m eased to the floor and held until I’m steady. In the dim light of the moon, I see them looking at me. I watch as black markings appear on my flesh. From my belly, up between my breasts and meeting the two other markings over my heart.

Reid follows them with his fingers, his face entranced as our Bond is made flesh.

I look behind and see similar markings making their way up my spine to the base of my neck. Cyrus’s fingers slowly follow their trail too.

Our Bond. Our promise to each other. An unbreakable vow, etched forever into our skin.

Mine and Reid’s at my front. Mine and Cyrus’s at my back.

And with it, a complete sense of belonging settles over me. Of trust and comfort. The knowledge that I will never be alone again. That they are there for me and I for them.

I've never felt this before. So wanted. Needed. Desired. Protected. They will do anything to keep me safe. To keep me theirs.

The pain of their lies and betrayals are still there, etched on my heart, maybe forever. But I know that I want no other than them. I need no other. We belong to each other. Our fucked up, damaged, complicated and messy love. I fear it will suit me perfectly.

I face the pair. Their wings still stretched out, the same as mine. There’s sweat on their brow, mud on their skin and a new kind of vulnerability on their faces.

And I watch as the same marking appears on them too, snaking up their chests to their necks and up the left side of their faces, disappearing into their hairline. I follow them with my fingers, travelling with them.

I smile and pull them into me, holding them close.

They’re not leaving me now.

They’re not going anywhere.

Ever.

And that fact makes me happier than I’ve ever been.

They fall to their knees and wrap their arms around me, nestling their faces into my stomach.

‘Mine,’ I say, running my hands through their hair as they cling to me like I’m the very thing keeping them tethered to the world.

I look into the darkness and imagine all the men I will destroy with them by my side.

I smile and sigh in relief.

Mine…

We return to the cottage, welcomed by silence and stares.

Tessa weeps silently in the corner by the brick fireplace. Her eyes spill tear after tear as she watches us walk in together.

Brennan busies himself with polishing his gun but glances up at us occasionally.

Lucca fails to hide his stare. His jaw would be on the floor if it could reach that far.

‘We erm…’ El clears her throat and gestures to Tessa. ‘Tessa’s wedding marks have gone,’ she says.

I look at Reid’s hand. His markings, the ones that matched hers, have gone too.

‘You’ve consummated the Bond,’ Tessa whimpers, her lip trembling. ‘You’ve left me.’

‘Tessa,’ Reid says a little too sharply. ‘You knew this was coming. You knew we were never a real couple.’

‘I love you,’ she cries.

Reid sees the hairs stand on my skin and feels me shudder as I react to her lie. When she sees my response, she blinks.

I don’t think she realised just how much she’s been lying to herself.

With a distraught whine, she runs off in floods of tears.

‘Go after her,’ I tell him. ‘Comfort her through this.’

‘She’s not my concern.’

‘She is for now. We need her on our side if we’re going to win.’ I reach up on tiptoes and kiss his cheek. ‘I’m not going anywhere.’

He goes and they disappear into another room deeper into the house, slamming the door shut behind them.

‘Nice tats,’ Lucca smirks, looking at the marks running up the side of Cyrus’s face. He sees the mud covering my skin and the torn shirt I’m holding together. ‘Both at the same time? Nice.’ He winks and nods with a ridiculous smirk. ‘I didn’t think you had it in ya, Pup.’

El whacks him across his arm, and he tuts and feigns pain.

‘I’m going to bed,’ I tell Cyrus. I spot a glass of water beside a plate of bread and ham, untouched by where Tessa was sitting. I head over and toss the water into the sink.

Placing the glass down on the table, I take the knife and slice it into my hand.

‘What the fuck do you think you’re doing?!’ Cyrus hisses, storming towards me and snatching the knife.

I collect the blood in the glass.

‘Brennan and Tessa need to be protected. Tessa would probably rather die than drink this, considering I’ve just Bonded to her husband.’

‘Ex-husband,’ Cyrus corrects. ‘The consummation of the Bond dissolved their marriage. If you could ever call it a marriage.’

‘Either way, I’m going to trust you to ensure this finds its way inside her.’ I look at Brennan. ‘You too. Drink. You will all need to be as strong as possible for what’s next.’

‘What’s next?’ El asks.

‘We’re going to save the world, of course.’

Cyrus takes my arm as I pass him. I look up into his silver eyes.

‘You’re sleeping with me tonight.’

‘No,’ I laugh, pulling my hand free. ‘I’m really not.’

I leave them behind as I return to my bed.

Not To Cyrus's bed. No. And not to Reid’s either.

I slide in beside Rhea.

She twitches and her eyes move like crazy behind her eyes. As she winces from the nightmares in her mind, her skin darkens.

‘Raven,’ she whimpers. ‘Raven…’

‘I’m here,’ I promise, moving closer. My forehead leans against hers and I take her hand in mine. ‘I’ve got you.’

The Darkness inside her withdraws.

Shadows emerge from the door frame.

Cyrus and Reid both look in.

‘Come to bed with us,’ Reid orders. ‘Now.’

I look at them.

‘I’m in the only bed I wish to sleep in. With the only person I care to be with.’

‘That’s not how this is going to go. We are your Mates. You stay with us. From now on-’

‘From now on, I have you exactly where I want you. From now on, I will decide if, and when, you ever get to touch me again.'

‘Is that right?’ Cyrus replies, his words a growl.

‘Yes. I haven't forgiven you yet.'

'Then why the fuck did you consummate our Bond? To trap us?'

'You trapped me first, boys. I've just returned the favour and levelled the playing field between us. I'm yours. I know you will never let me go. Ever. But you're also mine. I own you just as much as you own me. And you will have no choice but to follow me into this fight against Ivan.'

'You conniving-

'Prove to me that I can trust you. Prove to me that you deserve me. Help me, and you will have me in all the ways you want me. This I swear to you. Whenever. Wherever. However.'

I enjoy the dark lust I see flicker behind their eyes at my promise.

'Until then... Goodnight.’

I slam the door shut with nothing but a thought, locking them outside.

And I return my gaze to Rhea.

I’ll save the world, all right.

I’ll purge it with fucking fire and dance in the flames.

Ivan Walker will pay.

Jonah will pay.

Serge will pay.

Even them, my men, they’ll pay too.

The whole damn human race will pay.

I’ll make sure of it.

End of Book one.

Book Two: Fall of the Fae
coming soon!

Part two will be a wild ride. Sexier. Bloodier. More dangerous and devastating.

I look forward to seeing you there.

xx MJ xx

Also by

MJ LAWRIE

Book Two of the Fallen Fae series coming soon! Pre-order on Amazon!

THE LAST WITCH TRILOGY

Volume 1,2 and 3

A dark fantasy, romance novel full of secrets, love, revenge and magic.

My ex-lover is a psychopath, hunting me down for revenge.
I am falling in love with his enemy.
And I am the last Arcane Witch left alive, destined to return magic to the modern world.

THE VERITY DUOLOGY

Part 1 and 2

A gripping dystopian story with a fierce female lead, forbidden love, life and death stakes and explosive, devastating twists.

What’s left of humanity lives in a walled town meant to keep out the dark creatures that now roam the wastelands of earth.
But humanity’s fight for survival has only just begun.
And being eaten alive is the least of their problems…

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed Lies of the Fae.

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Table of Contents

- Dedication
- Portal
- Prologue
- 1. Chapter 1
- 2. Chapter 2
- 3. Chapter 3
- 4. Chapter 4
- 5. Chapter 5
- 6. Chapter 6
- 7. Chapter 7
- 8. Chapter 8
- 9. Chapter 9
- 10. Chapter 10
- 11. Chapter 11
- 12. Chapter 12
- 13. Chapter 13
- 14. Chapter 14
- 15. Chapter 15
- 16. Chapter 16
- 17. Chapter 17
- 18. Chapter 18
- 19. Chapter 19
- 20. Chapter 20
- 21. Chapter 21
- 22. Chapter 22
- 23. Chapter 23
- 24. Chapter 24
- 25. Chapter 25
- 26. Chapter 26
- 27. Chapter 27
- 28. Chapter 28
- 29. Chapter 29
- 30. Chapter 30
- 31. Chapter 31
- 32. Chapter 32
- 33. Chapter 33
- 34. Chapter 34
- 35. Chapter 35
- 36. Chapter 36
- 37. Chapter 37
- 38. Chapter 38
- 39. Chapter 39
- 40. Chapter 40
- 41. Chapter 41
- 42. Chapter 42
- 43. Chapter 43
- 44. Chapter 44
- 45. Chapter 45
- 46. Chapter 46
- 47. Chapter 47
- 48. Chapter 48
- Also By
- Thank you for reading