Chapter 58

I plunged my sword toward Xzander’s stomach, but he danced backward. Why wasn't the bastard using his powers to attack me?

I had magic as well, but rage coiled through my veins so much I couldn’t concentrate on a spell. All I could think about was Xzander with Avery. How he had fucking stolen my time with her, got her to love us— him. How much of her feelings for me were because of him?

That was all I could see as white fury encased my vision until I wanted his blood to coat the snow around us red.

This bastard had denied me privacy with Avery and I already had to share her with Darrius and Malcolm. And there was no way I was going to share her with this dark Fae— an Unseelie scum.

“Simeon, please don’t do this,” Xzander pleaded. “We shouldn’t be fighting amongst ourselves but protecting Avery.”

“All you need to do is die. Then I can protect her just fine.” I slashed like a madman at him and he kept dodging my blows with spins and leaps backward. Why didn’t the fucker fight back?

Sweat dripped down my back and I wanted to see my blade covered in his blood. I slashed harder, working more to cut him. Eager to end him.

The tip of my blade sliced along his upper thigh.

He hissed out a breath. “You don’t know what you’re doing, Simeon. I am not your enemy.”

“I think I know exactly who you are.” I sliced the air between us, missing him again. “Even though I may not have grown up close to the Unseelie barrier like Darrius, I know a monster when I see one.”

Killing him was going to save Avery. This was going to restore our love, purify it. All I had to do was get this scoundrel out of the way.

"You don't understand."

“There is nothing to understand except that you are evil and must be destroyed,” I spat. “You’ve robbed me.”

“If this is about Avery, I was coming here so you— and your cousins could have her. I had planned to wipe your memory of me and stay in my kingdom for the rest of my days. As long as she was safe and loved. As long as you all protected her.”

"What is that supposed to mean? We take care of her just fine." I wiped the sweat off my brow with the back of my hand, not lowering my guard or my sword. He was lying, trying to trick me. And I wasn’t going to let him. “It was you that brought the poisoned arrows into the castle. It was you letting in the shadow kin who attacked Avery.”

Dark amber flames of magic danced along his palms while anger burned in his eyes and I know he wanted to strike me down. He wanted the same as me— to kill me —so there would be less competition for Avery. But I would never give up. I would never let her be with such a monster.

“I did not bring any shadow kin with me. Search our shared memories and you’ll see the truth of my words. It was only me and you.”

“And the arrows.”

“Yes.” He dipped his head down slightly but did not take his gaze off me. “I did intend to kill all of you and reclaim my birthright."

I laughed a dry chuckle. “An Unseelie on the Seelie throne? You wouldn’t last an hour. My people would rip you to pieces. You don’t deserve any throne, Seelie or Unseelie. And you don’t fucking deserve Avery.” I hacked my sword at him.

“Look.” The muscle in his jaw twitched and something crossed his features I couldn’t discern. “We don’t have time for this. Avery is in danger. All of the Fae realms are in danger, yours and mine alike.”

I wouldn’t let him trick me, not like the sly, dark Fae he was. “Fuck off. I’m not going to fall for your tricks. And you will never be allowed near Avery again.”

Xzander let out a bolt of magic that struck the ground in front of my feet. And I jumped back as the earth spilled into a jagged gash about three feet deep between us.

“That was a warning shot.” Xzander lowered his hands but clenched his fists and the magic still danced up and down his arms. “Can’t you get your head out of your ass and listen to me? This is what it wants… fighting amongst ourselves… when the bigger enemy is out there with Avery right now. And will crush the barrier we have held in place to protect both my kind and yours.”

“What are you talking about?” I tensed, prepared for whatever he tried to throw at me.

“The shadow kin have been trying to break the magical barrier between my land and theirs for over a thousand years. Once they succeed, they will be unstoppable. We will not be able to put them back into their prison. You think you had nightmares or even Darrius, whose land borders mine? You all have only seen fragments of the monsters that would come out of the darkness and mists. And there will be no stopping them. They will continue to push forward, destroying everything in their path, and into the human realms. The shadow kin will take over everything and leave it as destructive and vile as barren as the land they’ve been trapped in.” Xzander took a breath, straightening. “Up until now, there has only been a trickle of them able to escape. If the shadow kin ruler wins, it will be a tsunami across the land.”

I shook my head, trying to dislodge it of any black magic he’d secretly hit me with. What he said couldn’t be true. He was trying to confuse me. “Unseelie created the shadow kin. If they escape, it’s because you allowed them. Stop trying to make me believe differently when I know the truth.”

“You know nothing.” He rolled his shoulders back. “You only know what your ancestors wanted you to know. Don’t you remember the tales of how we were all one Fae?”

“Everyone knows the tale,” I snapped. Irritation swam through me. “There were two brothers, who both wanted to rule the Fae. Each had equal votes. So mighty battles were fought and the Fae split into two fractions: Seelie and Unseelie. The latter tried in whatever way they could to overthrow the rightful heir, the firstborn, so the Seelie gave them their own land." My arms ached from fighting and keeping my sword ready, but I wasn't going to lower my guard. "Then the Unseelie, to try to destroy all Seelie, created the shadow kin."

“And that tale would be true, except for a few things your forefathers left out. First, the two brothers were twins and born at the same time. So, there were two rightful heirs. So, the Unseelie prince’s claim for the throne of all of Faedom was just as strong and valid as his brother’s.” He narrowed his amber eyes, watching me. “And we did not create the dark Fae.”

"Stop lying! Everyone knows that your kind dreamed up these monsters. Crafted from the evil lurking in your hearts.”

The magic pulsing in his hands intensified, crackling like he was barely holding onto the power that wanted to escape.

“Bring it.” I lifted my chin in his direction. “Prove to me how right I am.”

“You’re wrong about so many things.”

He shook his head, the magic winking out and disappointment filled me. I wanted him to attack me so I could feel justified in killing him.

“There was another brother. A third was born a year later and he coveted the throne even more than the twin brothers. This third child’s heart turned so evil that he was wiped from your histories. He delved into black magic and unsavory rituals to grow his power. Who killed Fae: Seelie and Unseelie alike. And it was he who created the shadow kin from their remains. He is our common enemy. And he has spent a millennium building his army behind the barrier.”

Icy fingers slid down my back.

“All he needs to remove his jail is Avery. It is her blood, her soul that will open the gate.”

My whole body rebelled at his words. I couldn’t allow anything to happen to Avery. But how could I trust him? “How do I know that you speak the truth?"

He held out his hands, the magic fading from his palms. “You know Simeon. You and I were one more than we were not. Look inside yourself and you will see the answer. You will see I am speaking the truth. And I vow that I always will to you and Avery and your cousins.”

I looked at Xzander, searching for any sign of falseness, but I could find none. What I wanted was to save Avery. If half of what Xzander was saying was true— save all of us. “How do you know this? Everything you said isn’t in any of our records. How is it that you and the Unseelie have this information, but we did not?”

“You, Simeon, are the most privileged of all the Fae. Your realm borders the human one and is the furthest from the shadow kin. And rarely did you have to deal with any of this unlike me and even Darrius when the shadow kin escaped our watch or killed our men to spread across the land. But even Darrius did not have the number of battles and nightmares me and my kind suffered to keep everyone safe. Countless Fae lost their lives while you and your kind danced and sang the nights away.” His mouth twisted into a sneer. “And when we came to the Seelie, begging for help to eliminate this threat, all of you shunned us. We were granted hostility and suspicion just like you’re doing now. We were driven back to our realm without any hope. Now we had two foes on each side of us: Seelie and shadow kin.”

I didn’t know what to say to that, because his words made my chest hurt, because I knew he had to be speaking the truth.

"Search your heart, Simeon, and you will know that I speak the truth. Just as you know I have fallen for Avery.” He took a step toward me, but the chasm his magic made between us kept him from coming too close. “You fell in love with her because you so desperately wanted to since she was the rightful queen of the Fae. While I fell in love with her despite not wanting to. Despite wanting to despise her and wanting to destroy you all so that I could stop the third brother from escaping with his horde. And I still fell in love with her. Yet, I was willing to give her up if it made her happy. For you and her and your cousins to love her and live in peace. But we must eliminate this threat that hangs over us like a hangman's noose. It will destroy her and everyone. If the shadow kin are defeated, I would renounce any claim I may have had to Avery’s heart or life or even the Seelie throne.”

Shame wrapped around my throat and squeezed. If I were in his position, would I be willing to do the same? There’s no way I would give up Avery or love to save even one Unseelie. And Xzander wasn’t trying to just save one… but all of us. I could never be that selfless. Not unless it meant saving Avery. Fuck!

“If what you say is true, then we need to go now.” I lowered my sword. “Where is this shadow kin king who wishes to destroy our world?”

Xzander watched me for a long moment before he spoke as though he was questioning if I would believe his next words. “I believe the shadow kin has taken over your cousin, Malcolm.”

* * *

We race through the forest toward the Unseelie/shadow kin barrier. My heart thumped painfully in the back of my throat. If we didn’t make it in time… if Avery was hurt… it would be my stupid fault. I was the one who told her to go with Malcolm. I was the one who didn’t believe Xzander. Didn’t want to believe him. Yet how could I have? All Seelie tales of Unseelie, and even human ones, told of how they were deceitful. And look at what he had done to me. Fucking bastard had taken over my mind and body. Used me to get close to Avery to kill her.

I pushed down my jumbled emotions. This wasn’t fucking about me; this was about Avery and saving her and others.

Even if a fraction of what Xzander had told me was true, we were all in serious danger. Avery most of all. Darrius had grown up fighting the remnants of shadow kin that escaped the barrier and made it across Xzander's lands. How many more would flood the world if they were free?

As we raced, I glanced over at Xzander. My lungs and muscles were burning from the effort to reach Avery in time. “Why can’t you just shadow-step us there?”

“I need all of my magic to fight the dark shadow king. And he can sense any magic being used. If he realizes we’ve discovered him, he may hurt Avery or could take her with him across his barrier, where we could never reach her in time. No Fae alive can cross the magic keeping the shadow kin trapped.”

His words filled me with dread. And once again I berated myself for my assumptions. I wasn’t fucking Darrius who rushed into battle without thinking things through.

I had to focus on stopping this threat. Later we’d deal with all the repercussions of Xzander and what he’d done.

I didn't want to give Xzander a chance with Avery, but if what he said was true then he did deserve a chance with her if he loved her half as much as I did. Not me Darrius or even Malcolm would be able to step aside and allow someone else to take Avery from us. Yet, Xzander had said he would allow the very thing if she wanted him to leave.

I would do anything to keep that from happening if I were in his place. Yet, his love for her in his actions and words proved he would risk everything for her. Even her rebuttal.

It boggled my mind. I couldn’t comprehend being strong enough to do that.

We jumped over a fallen tree as we raced ahead.

“I would do anything, Simeon, to be in your place,” Xzander said as though he had read my thoughts.

Perhaps he could since we'd shared a body.

“I would do anything to be able to hold onto my love for Avery and keep her safe and know she loved me.” He shook his head. “But I fear that with the shadow kin attacking her, and my deception, she hates me now.”

There was no guarantee for me either that the reason she loved me was because of Xzander and not because of me at all. Shit!