Chapter 55

I clutched the daggers tighter in my hands. The handles dug into my palms as my gaze drifted to Simeon lying face up in the snow. His breathing was slow and even. But there was a reason why he wasn’t waking. He hadn’t had a head injury like me. His silver-white hair shone nearly white in the morning sun.

Like if Simeon was the moon, then this Fae was the dark side of the moon. His dark hair hung past his shoulders and he had a regal grace about him that rivaled a powerful predator. Part of me was intrigued and the other wanted to put this dark Fae down as soon as possible before he harmed me or Simeon or anyone else.

“What do you know about my mother?”

“I know she never gave you her Fae name—Vanessa was the human one she told you.”

“So.” I shrugged a shoulder, trying to figure out how to get Simeon and me out of here and snatch up some dragonroot in the process. “I was eleven when she died, never thought about her name at that age or before.”

“Her real name was Sasallu.”

His words danced in my head and hummed in my heart like my soul was in harmony with what he said and that it was true. I shook my head, probably some dark spell to make me believe him. All I needed to do was keep him talking and distract him enough to attack while he was distracted with his babbling nonsense. Yet, curiosity about my foster mom kept me from fighting him right away.

“Why should I believe anything you say?”

His amber eyes darkened, and I stifled.

“Call me Xzander.” He smiled.

“Well? Tell me about Vanes—Sasallu.” I didn’t have time for dawdling. Find out about my foster mom and get myself and Simeon the hell out of here. The sun was a lot lower in the sky than I wanted, and I still had to find the dragonroot. Possibly listening to Xzander’s story would endear him to me enough to help me get the herb for Darrius.

Then again, this Fae had pretended to be Simeon. When I kissed Simeon, was I kissing Xzander too? Or did they flip-flop like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde? I licked my lips, pushing down the thought that I had a burning desire to find out. To kiss Xzander and know if he tasted familiar. If his hands on me would remind me of times in the past where we’d already been together.

Yeah, he had to have put some weird spell on me. I was with the Seelie princes. I didn’t need anyone else and certainly not one who had deceived me. Part of me felt dirty that I’d been with him— even though I hadn’t known it at the time. God. This was getting confusing. My emotions were all over the place.

“Your foster mom was charged with kidnapping you from the Seelie court and keeping you safe until your betrothal to the Unseelie prince.”

“Why would she do that?” But a coldness was seeping into my stomach.

“Peace. With the Seelie and Unseelie court bound in marriage, there was hope the wars would cease. That you would remove the curse on our lands.”

“Me?” I chuckled and a tightness banded across my chest. “I’ve spent over a decade hunting and killing Fae monsters. If I could just snap my fingers and get rid of them, don’t you think I would have by now? And you’re wrong about Sasallu.” Cold rage flooded me. “She wasn’t keeping me safe or grooming me for some Fae prince. S-she treated me like her own daughter…she loved me.”

His amber gaze softened. “I never said she didn’t care about you. That she didn’t fall in love with you.”

My throat convulsed as tears pricked the back of my eyes. I’d loved my foster mom too and thinking she hadn’t loved me back cut deeper than anything I’d ever experienced before. My lower lip trembled before I cleared my throat.

“She was an amazing Fae,” he said softly.

“Wait. You knew her personally?”

“Aye. She was my aunt.” His smile was so wistful I ached to pull him into a hug.

I pushed aside the weird feelings of wanting to comfort him. Of wanting to find solace in each other over Sasallu’s death and our mutual mourning for her.

“Let me guess,” I said, tapping the flat of the silver dagger to my cheek. “You are the Fae prince she was keeping me safe for? So, what happened? Why didn’t you come and claim your betrothed?” I laced sarcasm in my voice because I couldn’t let myself get wrapped up in golden eyes, dark hair, and a sinfully handsome Fae. Not when Darrius was on death’s doorstep and Simeon still hadn’t roused.

“It was a year before we discovered what had happened. By then, you had disappeared into the system.” He raked a hand through his jet-black hair. “And we weren’t the only ones searching for you. Seelie and Unseelie alike were trying to find you. And it just so happened that your Seelie princes found you first.”

“So, what happens now?” I twirled the iron and silver daggers in my hands. “Cause I’m with them now and I’ve no intention of any betrothal. You—Sasallu—stole me. And while I loved her, it doesn’t change that she did something wrong.”

Ever since I’d discovered she was dark Fae, I’d convinced myself that she’d saved me. That the Seelie had been under attack and my foster mom had honored the queen’s dying request of taking me Earthside and away from the killers. Now it had only been to keep me until I was ready to be tied to Xzander. If she hadn’t died, would she have forced me? Would he?

An eerie scream echoed through the trees. “What was that?” I asked. “Another wraith?” I’d fought wraiths before, but something about being here in the realm of Fae, they were different. Stronger.

“You’re not safe here. We need to leave now.” He held out his hand to me, but I looked at it like he offered me a poisonous snake.

“I’m not leaving without the dragonroot for Darrius.” I pointed my chin at Simeon. “Or without Simeon.”

“Fine.” He stalked over to Simeon and touched his finger to the center of his head.

I tensed, worried he might do something bad, but I had no choice. I couldn’t heal Simeon. Xzander muttered words I couldn’t understand, and I held my breath. If he hurt Simeon, I would gut him.

After a few seconds, Simeon groaned and opened his violet eyes. All the air I’d been holding rushed out as I wrapped my arms around him.

“Whoa, I feel like I got off a turbo rollercoaster. What happened?”

I pulled back, kissing him. He tasted the same as I remembered and yet different like something was missing. I pushed the thought aside. I would not admit that it was Xzander gone I was detecting.

“I’m so happy you’re okay. How do you feel?” My words rushed out.

“Been better.” He rubbed his head, then seeing Xzander, he pushed me behind him and stood. “Stay back, Avery. This scoundrel will taste my blade.”

“We’ve worse things than me to worry about,” Xzander answered.

Simeon snatched up his sword from the snow and raised it to Xzander’s chest.

“Stop.” My heart felt like it was going to gallop away. “We need him alive. Darrius is hurt and we need the dragonroot to save him.”

“The poisoned arrow.” Simeon spat, never lowing his sword. “That is his doing.”

“I don’t know,” I confessed. “He says he buried the remaining three arrows.”

Simeon grunted.

“I didn’t take your memories.” Xzander straightened. “You know I speak the truth about the arrows.”

“Then how did one of them end up in the safe?” I asked wanting answers. Wanting to leave this place and get back home to Darrius.

“Wait.” Simeon glanced over at me. “The weapon’s safe?”

“Yes.” I nodded, not taking my gaze off Xzander. If he was going to try something, then now was the time, it was what I’d do if I was him. But he just stood there watching us with emotions I couldn’t decipher flashing in his eyes.

“That’s not possible,” Simeon’s voice was strained.

“Well, somehow it was. I was there when Darrius opened the safe and reached inside and was cut with the poisoned arrow.”

“No.” Simeon shook his head. “You don’t understand. Only me, Malcolm, and Darrius have the ability to open the safe. And I know neither I nor this Unseelie touched it.”

“But how did it get in there?” I paced. “And the second attack was in the weapons' chamber.”

The screaming howl sounded again so close it made all the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

A shadow dove from the tops of the trees straight at me.