Chapter 12

Just days ago, I'd wanted nothing more than to forget Lorelei. To put the memories of her behind me. Out of my head. Sever the connection between us. And now here I was, desperate to find her. Willing to free Oberon's daughter in order to get what I wanted. I didn't want to talk about Lorelei. Or think about her. But the memories continued to rise up, both pleasing and painful. I didn't want to like this girl—I didn't want to care about her as much as I did—because then the moment that came after finding her would be too painful. It was senseless to have strong feelings for someone you knew was going to leave.

We'd reached the border of the Northumberland Bridge—a gateway between realms that few knew of. Travel to the realm of the Shades was not something many sought. Most feared them, and with good reason. Necromancers performed the darkest of magic; it was not a place for the fainthearted.

"I cannot believe you are sending me in there," Venus said, clearly rethinking her decision.

I rolled my eyes. Venus could hold her own with the darkest of the Shades. She was getting exactly what she wanted; I had little sympathy for her cold feet.

"In exactly one fortnight, Oberon is planning to send for you to have your dark magic extracted from your soul. You have until then to return. I have everything you need for the spell. I'm holding up my end of the bargain. Now it’s your turn."

Sylos watched us with narrowed eyes. "Guess I'll ride out for some provisions," he said when the tension between us continued to escalate.

I extracted the objects we'd brought for the ritual—runes, or casting stones as she’d called them, a map of the realm, and a knife—and laid them on the ground.

"Here." I gestured. "Everything you need witchy-woman."

"You’re a peach," she said crassly, nodding her head. She began to turn away, then turned back. "What exactly is it you see in her? The good sister, I mean." She forced a brittle smile.

My guard went up like hackles on the back of my neck. The only one less inclined than I to discuss Lorelei was Venus. "Why are you asking me this?"

"If I'm going to help you help her, I should at least know why you love her so much more than you loved me."

This again. I never said I loved her…never said I loved either of them. "I brought you back from the dead. I must have cared for you a little," I said, unable to hide my resentment.

"I know you did, and I'm forever grateful for that, sweetheart. But what is it about her? You and Adrius both love her more than you loved me, and I want to know why." Her foot tapped the ground impatiently.

Are females always this impossible? I blew out a lengthy sigh. "In some ways, I suppose, you are a lot alike," I said.

She seemed pleased by that response.

"But in many other more important ways, you are polar opposites. She's strong and bold, opinionated, and stubborn. She's—" I glanced at Venus, watching her face contort into a sneer. This was not a good idea. I'd been baited and was willingly walking into a trap that had zero chance of ending well. "She is a lot of things, and there are countless pragmatic reasons for my need to keep her alive," I said dismissing the conversation.

Our eyes met momentarily, and for a fraction of a second I was taken back in time with Venus. I released a laugh, because this was the exact opposite of pragmatic. Getting caught up in her drama would serve nothing. "Our relationship ended mutually, Venus. You said yourself that you were done with it."

"For future reference," she said, planting a hand on her hip, "when a girl says 'I'm done,' it usually means 'fight for me.'" Then she laughed. "Don't worry those icy blues, I'm not jealous of her. I don't like her—but I'm not jealous."

Taking hold of her arm, I froze the lock on the Shaqwa band. It sprang open and fell to the ground with a clang.

Venus gently rubbed the swollen, raw skin. "So much better without the shackles."

For all of her tough talk, I could see how she winced from the pain. "Don't get too used to it.” I warned her. “The moment the spell is finished it goes right back on."

I picked up the Athame, the silver blade glinted in the sunlight as I handed it to her by its ruby-encrusted handle. "Perhaps one day that will change. The part about you not liking Lorelei. You are kin after all."

"Riiight, because blood is thicker than wine, or some such crap. Honestly, what I wouldn't do for some wine. Have you got any? No, of course you don't." She sighed. "Anyway, I truly wouldn't hold your breath on that. I don't do happily ever after."

I nodded my silent agreement. In that we were alike.

I paced to the forest edge, searching for any sign of life. Spies from Oberon's court could track us anywhere, and we had to remain vigilant. When I was certain we were still alone, I returned to find Venus had started the spell.

She was performing an incantation, summoning streams of violet and orange smoke. Drops of blood from her hand fell to the ground. They sizzled, burning into the soil as it seared a path from where we were, to where we would find Lorelei.

Finally, she opened her eyes and stared at the ground. "There." She tapped her finger where the mound of dried blood had stopped. She's in the Eyomere Plains. Far side of the Wyldes." Her eyes narrowed as they tracked up to mine. "And so is Adrius."

"That's pretty broad. Have you any idea how vast the Eyomere Plains are?"

She wrinkled her nose. "You know how this works, darling. Locator spells are as detailed as the one being tracked allows them to be. My guess, they're being shielded by magic. Perhaps the Blood Gypsy at the market can help you. Mother—" She paused, correcting herself. "I mean Octăhvia, used to rely upon her at times, when she needed clarification on a spell." Venus shrugged and set down the blade. "I've done my part. Your turn, lover boy."

"Keelian, Lord of the Shades, will be waiting for you when you cross into their realm." Underground favors. For some they were a way of life, but I had elevated them to a work of art.

"The Shades." Her red curls bounced as she shook her head. "Is this some sort of Faerie trickery? You expect me to believe the Shades are just going to help me. No questions asked, and without taking something in return. Like my head," she said. "And just how is it they can breach the veil anyway? Don't you find that odd?"

I did, but one catastrophe at a time. "Payment has already been made," I assured her. "You get to keep your head…for now. Listen closely. We haven't much time. Keelian will then transport you to Drearyton Cove in the human realm, and you will have exactly two human weeks to do what you need to do before you are expected to return."

Her green gaze drifted to the sky. "What if I don't want to come back?" she said, staring into the drifting clouds.

"Then you will give me no other choice but to come after you."

She beamed at me, showing dazzling white teeth. "The human world is huge, Z. You'd never find me if I didn’t wish to be found."

"I have means," I said, leaning in. "The Shades—they have even darker means." I drew back. "And your father…well, you can imagine that a Faerie royal with eternal life would also possess the means. Eventually you will be found. And heaven help you once you are."

She chewed her lower lip, then her eyes narrowed as she shook her head. "You devious little cheat—you spelled the town, didn't you?"

I snapped my fingers. "Oh, right, and there is also that. Almost forgot. You will not be able to cross over the town’s boundaries." I offered a wide grin.

Venus smacked my arm. "You know, love, you really need to work on those trust issues of yours." Twirling a blood red curl around her finger, she added, "Maybe I should head to the Eyomere Plains with you instead. You know, just to make things…interesting."

My jaw tensed. "You've already picked the destination for your field trip, Venus. It's too late to change your mind now."

"Calm down. I was kidding." She giggled, sending a spray of sparks from her hair. "Unlike some of us, I don't need to chase after him, Zanthiel. It's just a matter of time before he comes running back to me."

She played it off as a joke, but if I'd learned anything about Venus over the past decades, it's that there was a reason for every move she made. Her feelings for Adrius were as strong as they'd ever been, and that was never going to change.

I'm not sure if I was speaking more to her or myself when I responded, "You need to let him go, Venus."

Her face twisted with anger, and she jabbed a finger into my chest. "You don't get to tell me what to do anymore. You lost that right a long time ago."

"Some would say I regained the right when I gave you your life back."

She looked away, shaking her head. "My life back? Is that what you call this freak show?" she scoffed.

"I say this not to upset you, but as…" I paused to search for the right word…there wasn't one. “As a friend."

Her brows shot upwards. "Friends. Is that what we are now?"

I could see the laughter in her eyes. Understandable. The word made me want to laugh as well. Fey did not have friends. It was much more of a human thing, really. But it served for the moment.

"I know what you are hoping for. It will not happen. Recreating the past will not guarantee a different future."

"He could choose me. He did once."

"Yes. He did once." We both did once. "This time…he won't. He'll choose her. He will always choose her."

She snarled, her lip curling like a feral cat as she glared down at me. I saw a storm brewing in those green eyes, and I knew all too well what would be coming next. A reckoning. For us all.

"Take my advice. Let it go, and move on with your life. Return to their world and make amends, not another mess."

"You really should stop talking…right…about…now," she said, letting the words linger.

I tried not to smirk, but failed. "I know. But you know I have never, ever, been very good at doing what I should."

Would she hit me with a zap of electric fire, cause a torrent of objects to come hurtling at my head, or use her go-to slap across the face? I waited, prepared to block any maneuver she would launch. But in a very un-Venus-like fashion, she did nothing. The fire in her eyes simmered to a low burn, and she lowered her hands. This might be the most troubling reaction of all.

I circled around her once, stopping when we were face to face. "What is it you seek in their world anyway? No one there will welcome you back. You've made sure of that."

She sniffed the air. "That's my business, not yours. All you need to know is that I won't have access to magic, and I'll be back before Oberon discovers I'm gone."

"Like daddy's good little girl," I mocked.

Venus studied me for a moment, her head cocked to the side. "You're a fool if you think she'll ever love you the way she loves him."

"That's where you are wrong. I've never wanted her to love me the way she loves him."

We stood there, eyes locked in a silent feud, then with a huff she turned away. "I did what you asked. I'd say I held up my end of the bargain. You hold up yours."

"Give me your arm."

Reluctantly she extended it toward me, and I reattached the Shaqwa band to her wrist, holding it tightly until the spikes bit into her still-bruised arm. This time she barely winced at all.

With that, she blew me a kiss, then stepped through the trod that led to the Underworld.