Queen Fae (NYC Mecca Series Book 3) Page 2

  Kade exploded up off the bed, his body huge as the bear tried to force his shift. “How and why in the hell do the fae have your energy, Ari? Actually … how in the hell do you have fae energy to start with?”

  I rose to my knees, my hands balled into fists in front of me as I tried not to panic. “I don’t know. Violet’s last words were that she thinks my father was a full Tuatha de Danann. A fae. That someone has stripped me of my powers and bound them to this glass container.”

  The room fell silent. Kade’s body was still extra-giant and quivering, but he was keeping his bear contained. Finally Nikoli said: “I’ve cast a cloaking spell. It will last a short time to hide our words. This is not information that should be heard by others. We should be careful in speaking of this from now on.”

  Kade strode closer to his friend. “Should we be taking Arianna to the court? They might have taken Violet for this specific reason, but they still wanted Ari for something too. More than once now they’ve tried to pull her into the Otherworld. Now that we know she’s possibly full fae … well, the danger seems too great.”

  I growled, low, trying to keep my burst of anger contained. “Standing right here, mate. I can make these decisions for myself.”

  Don’t even try to over-protect me right now, I said internally through our bond. Violet’s information changes nothing in our plans. I will still be getting her back, only this time I’ll be getting my powers back too.

  Because if some creepy-ass fae had my essence or whatever, locked up in their castle, there was no way in hell I was leaving without it.

  I barely slept for the rest of the night. If I was lucky I got two hours in between my multiple freakouts. Poor Violet, she was suffering, and that had my wolf tense and my human side devastated. But I refused to allow either of us to fall apart. There were too many things we needed to deal with.

  Like the fact I might be a fae? A full-blown fae? I was still trying to figure out how it was even possible. What the hell was my mother thinking? She said she had chosen my father for breeding purposes, but she failed to mention he was a fae.

  My frazzled mind continued to mull over the pieces of my life, trying to figure out how it could be possible. I was thankful when the first light of day hit. Both Kade and I sat up immediately. He had not slept any better than me, but at least for once neither of us were alone in our worries.

  It took us only moments to gather our things and set off, with no more than a brief farewell to our small-statured friends. The gnomes spread out in a group, their faces serious as we walked away. I knew most of them thought we would meet our death in the harsh winter lands. I’d been underestimated before though, and I would be doing everything in my control to make sure no one died in the Otherworld.

  Heading east, we moved toward the campgrounds where my dominants Monica, Victor, and Blaine were waiting. Finn, who was still with them, had sent me detailed directions through our bond.

  My elven sword was strapped in its leather sheath on my hip, and my hiking backpack was stuffed with more furs, what was left of our rations, my small bedroll, and a makeshift tent.

  Nikoli moved into my line of sight and his appearance took me by surprise again. I wondered how long it would take for me to get used to it. The last piece of advice the gnomes had given us was for the magic born to disguise his looks. His pale skin and white hair would stand out and attract trouble. Apparently the pale magic born were uncommon here. So now Nikoli had black hair, thick bushy eyebrows, caramel skin, and dark eyes. He said it would drain a lot of his magic to keep up this appearance, but once we were alone in our campsite or tent he could drop the illusion and take a magical rest. If we ran into any trouble that required us to fight, he’d have to drop the illusion then too. He wouldn’t be able to do both. Hopefully that didn’t happen before we met up with our friends.

  As we walked, I took a moment to really enjoy the lands we traveled through. I had spent my entire life in a huge city, one I loved more than anything, but being in nature like this … it was freeing. There had been a few villages off in the distance, but for the most part it was wide open plains, pockets of forest, and clear skies above. No skyscrapers. No cement. Nothing artificial or fake. The air smelled and tasted sweet, the plants and animals we encountered looked content, and my wolf was basically growling inside of me, wanting to go out and frolic in the wilderness.

  Despite the mecca loss here, it was still beautiful, which gave me this craving to see this world when it was at its best, filled with energy and beauty.

  “Do you feel connected to this land, somehow?” I asked the guys when we all paused for a brief break. “Like you’ve been here before? Or … like your soul is freer here?”

  Dammit. Maybe I am fae? Or crazy.

  I was definitely a shifter. I couldn’t be full fae. Right? At most I was three-quarters fae … which was still bad enough. Ugh, I couldn’t think about this right now.

  Kade answered me first. “My bear finds this world calming, as nature has always been for me. I live in the city from necessity, not by choice.”

  This was something I had always known about Kade. There was a reason I’d found him in the forest when we were fifteen, and then again in his garden during the Summit. He was an outdoorsy type of shifter, and I loved that wildness he wore across his skin.

  “The mecca energy feels pure here,” Nikoli said, “even with the imbalance. When their energy returns, I can sense it would be much easier for me to wield power in the Otherworld.”

  So it seemed that all shifters felt the affinity of power here, maybe because all of us were part fae. Or maybe the Earth side was corrupted … not as pure. It was confusing and worrying, but there was no time to dwell, we had to reach our friends before nightfall.

  Everything okay with you all? It was harder to project my thoughts to Finn over distances – required more energy – so we didn’t talk much.

  We are still safe, waiting for you. I miss you, Ari. Hurry!

  Miss you too.

  I let the energy required for our mental link dispel, then jumped to my feet. Our rest was over, it was time to move. My urgency to be with Finn increased every time we connected. I couldn’t wait any longer.

  Chapter Two

  The road to Winter is paved in souls.

  We had been walking a few hours when we broke through a thick cropping of trees and the travelers’ camp came into view. Kade sent Nix high into the sky so she wouldn’t add to the unwanted attention we were going to draw no matter what. I recognized this sort of setup. Travelers would come and go, but the regulars would always pay close attention to any strangers. It was a survival skill, honed through experience.

  There must have been fifty or more tents, with all types of fae creatures milling about. I tried to school my expression at what I was seeing, when in reality all I wanted to do was stare wide-eyed and ask them lots of questions. There were so many different beings: gnomes, ogres, highborn fae. There were also plenty of fae I didn’t even have a name for. A group of tall, skeletally thin fairies caught my eye. They were hovering a few inches off the ground, gossamer wings flitting about.

  Well, that’s not something you see every day, Kade said into my mind, and I had to hide my grin. Yep, this was amazing, almost like stepping into a fairy tale.

  Finn’s energy burst through my mind. I sense you. We’re by the weeping willow on the water’s edge.

  “Follow me,” I said to Kade and Nikoli.

  I followed a small path that led in the direction of my familiar’s energy. Many eyes followed us, lingering extra-long on our weapons. We were intriguing them, which was never a good thing in a world like this. I kept my head lowered, making sure my hair covered my ears, as we made our way toward the giant weeping willow tree that kissed the edge of a small pond.

  There were three tents erected in this small space, and coming out of the closest one was my giant white familiar. I wanted to run to him and throw my arms around him, to hold him tightly and renew our bond
through touch, but that might attract even more attention, so I refrained. I froze on the spot, just staring, drinking in the sight of his majestic beauty. He had a harness on, with saddlebags loaded with supplies so he looked like a work animal and not a familiar. Knowing I had to move closer, I allowed my leg to brush up against him, both of us enjoying the brief closeness. Blaine stepped around the corner then; he’d been somewhere behind the tents. As our eyes met, my best friend gave me a wry smile.

  He was wearing a knitted cap, pulled over his very human ears. “Greetings, My Lady. May I be of service?”

  I wasn’t sure what game they wanted me to play here, so I waited for Finn to clue me in.

  This camp is crawling with Winter spies that hear all and sell the information for a price. We said we’re hired traveling muscle for those with money. We protect valuables from raiders and carry bags and such.

  Okay, then. I addressed Blaine formally. “My companions and I seek your services in traveling to the Winter Court to find work.”

  Blaine nodded, his genial yet professional expression never faltering. “That can be arranged … for the right price. When would you like to leave?”

  Finn’s explanation, and the fact that this campsite was so packed with people, was starting to make me very nervous.

  “Immediately.” I used my queen voice, slightly cold and forceful.

  Kade stepped in beside me and introduced himself to Blaine, shaking hands. The entire charade was going very well at this stage, but I would feel a lot better when we were on our way.

  Blaine nodded and looked back at Victor and Monica, who had been pulling clothes off a drying line they had attached to a tree. “Pack up! We’ve got a job.”

  Blaine took my backpack, Kade’s and Nikoli’s as well, and strapped them onto Finn. I knew my familiar could easily carry over a hundred pounds for hours without tiring, but it still pained me to see him this way. But this ruse was a good one; it would make it believable so we could travel together. Monica, Victor, and Blaine’s clothes were dirtied and torn. They must have done that as a part of their lowly servant disguise. Whereas Kade, Nikoli, and myself were wearing pristine clothing with expensive furs and weapons. This would fit well with our traveling story.

  I heard crunching gravel and then felt a strong energy at my back. I spun round just as the fae addressed me. “You’d have to be crazy to travel to the Winter Court in a time like this. The land is nearly impassable, and there’s no work or food there.” It was another highborn. He had bright copper hair, fair skin, and pointy ears. I don’t know how but I just knew he was a Fall Court fae. He smelled of cinnamon and oranges, and didn’t seem malicious. At least not yet.

  Kade had been crouched, tying up the furs covering his shoes. He stood to his full height and looked down on the Fall Court fae. “We have jobs waiting for us there, and will make the trek just fine.” His tone was light but there was a subtle threat. He wanted this fae to know he was interfering in our business and he’d better step back immediately.

  The fae wrinkled his brow and inhaled through his nose, looking confused and intrigued. “Right, safe travels.” He turned his back to us and walked off, and I noticed more than one creature was again eyeing our group.

  Clearly the Winter Court was not a popular place to visit, and those who wanted to be there were considered evil or something.

  He must smell the beast within us, Kade surmised.

  It was probably our scents more than anything that had the fae here confused.

  “We’re ready, My Lady,” Blaine said, bringing my attention back to the group. Monica, Victor, and Finn were saddled down with all of our gear, and definitely looked ready to head out. I felt awful for treating them as the hired help, but I loved that we could travel together. This was the safest way for us to move through these lands, so if they had to pretend to be below us for a short time, I knew they would have no problem with it. I would have done the same thing had it been reversed. This trip was about survival. Pride was not a luxury any of us could afford.

  We left the travelers’ camp without fuss, but I knew word would spread. We had created a stir, looking foreign, with a huge wolf familiar disguised poorly as a traveling servant animal. Thank the shifter gods Nix was barely visible in the dull skies above us. There would have been no way to hide two familiars. My dominants were quiet as we left, each of them falling back a little to walk behind us. When we were a few hundred yards from the camp, I pulled the small map from my backpack, one that had been amended slightly from the gnomes.

  Kade glanced over my shoulder, Blaine coming in from the left to look also. My friend nodded a few times as he leaned in to see better. His finger came out to rest against the map. “We got those changes too,” he said. “There are a few more villages, and some terrain we were warned against on this current path.” He traced his fingers along the path, stopping about halfway between two large mountains. “I know we planned to take the trail through this range. It’s definitely the quickest, but apparently is also a real target for bandits.”

  The gnomes hadn’t told us that. I exchanged a glance with Kade. His eyes were very dark. “How much time would it add to our journey to go around it?” I finally asked, turning back to Blaine.

  He hesitated a moment. “Two days, minimum. You have to cut around this mountain.” His finger shifted on the map. “Go through the forest here, which is huge, before coming out on the other side. There is a steep drop on the other side, so this is the only way around the range.”

  Sucking in deeply, I forced my hands to steady on the paper. “We don’t have that much time. We’ve already wasted two days here gathering intel. Violet contacted me. She’s not doing well. We’re going to have to risk the bandits.”

  The thought of risking my people made me want to throw up, or at minimum throw a punch or two, but two days extra travel time, or more, was not possible. We were just going to have to hope we made it through undetected.

  No one argued with me, so I quickly folded the paper again and put it into my pack, right beside the flower from Baladar. Come on, Baladar, call me! I had tried to use the flower to speak with him many times, but either I had no idea how to do it, or the powerful magic born was not around to answer. I couldn’t even consider the possibility that war had broken out in the time we’d been gone from Earth, that my friends or family might be dying and we had no idea.

  They’ll be fine, Ari. They are strong and sure fighters. This is not your fault – you don’t need to shoulder the burden of everything on your own.

  Having Finn back with me had a sense of calm and safety flowing through my body. As we started to walk again, I filled him in on what Violet had said in the dream about me possibly having a fae essence that had been stolen from me, an essence that would mean my father was from the Otherworld and that … I was more fae than shifter.

  What about Winnie? he said after I finished. Do you think she is the same?

  My heart clenched at the thought of my little sister. She was well protected in Kade’s royal home, but I hated that I had to leave her behind. I let Finn’s question ponder in my mind, rolling it over and over. Finally I had to say:

  I don’t think she’s the same as me. Mother loved her dearly, even though she never got to meet her outside of the womb. Me, on the other hand, she always had a hard time bonding with. It makes more sense if I have a fae father, and Winnie’s was shifter. Maybe Mother was raped? Maybe she was tricked or coerced. Something which meant she could never love me the way she did her second born.

  Kade’s presence lingered on the edge of our conversation, using our bond to listen in. I was okay with that. He had not hidden himself and I could have blocked him out if I wanted to.

  He spoke then: Fae father or not, that changes nothing about you, Ari. You’re strong and beautiful, wise and kind. You were a leader for a brief time and already garnered the love and support of your people. Your mother was the one with the problem, not you.

  His unwavering love
and support was like a rush of heat that coated my skin and seeped into my soul. It was so much more than I’d ever expected I would experience from a man. Wolves rarely mated for love, and heirs never did. The best I hoped for as a queen heir was that I would be fond of the partner chosen for me, and instead the fates had blessed me. I got a bonded mate, and I would not turn my back on this for anything in the world – worlds. A change was coming in the shifter boroughs, and it was going to rock them to their core. Wolves and bears were never supposed to be separated, and I was going to bring them back together.

  After we survived this little journey of course.

  The path from the traveler’s settlement was a fairly flat and easy hike. We walked for a few hours, stopped for a snack, and then continued on our way. The closer we got to the Winter Court’s main city, the more the foliage around us changed. Gone were the burnt orange leaves of fall trees, and in their place were the gnarled sticklike branches of winter. With this change came a chill in the air that was beyond anything I’d felt before. It even cut through my thick furs.

  Nikoli paused, turning his face upwards. “I sense trouble,” he said, his eyes fluttering closed as he perceived things the rest of us couldn’t.

  Our group didn’t move. None of us spoke as we waited. I tried to tap into the mecca energy inside, tried to sense what Nikoli was perceiving, but all I felt was the icy and insidious air as it slapped at my body.

  Monica, Blaine, and Victor made the first move, falling into battle formation around me. Kade remained close to my side, Finn before us. No doubt dangers were everywhere here, even if I couldn’t see them, so it made sense for me to unsheath my weapon. It would save me seconds if we were attacked. I would never forget how quickly that fae assassin in Kade’s garden had killed so many of our guards.

  A whistle cut through the air then, and an arrow burst out from the trees, heading right for Kade. My mind immediately flashed back to the last arrow from the Otherworld that had hit Kade. It had been laced with a fast-acting poison, and only Violet’s magical expertise had saved him – Violet who was not with us right now.