Cruel Enchantment (32 page)

He nodded. “I’m aware.”

“And you want me to accept it back into my life?”

“In actuality,
you
were the weapon that killed Aileen. I’ve accepted you, haven’t I? That crossbow is nothing but a tool.” He paused, looking hard at her. “I want what’s best for you, Emmaline.”

She selected one of the steel-tipped quarrels from her quiver. Swallowing hard, she nocked the bolt into the bow. It slid home with a soft sound that she remembered all too well. She closed her eyes for a moment against a rush of emotion.

“Emmaline?”

Her eyes popped open. “I’m okay.”

“Try to hit that leaf up there, the light purple one.”

She looked up into the fae-magicked tree, seeing the leaf he was talking about. Without even really thinking about it, she lifted the bow, sighted, and let fly. Her body remembered. Her mind and eyes and fingers remembered. Instinctually. The bolt sliced clean through the purple leaf and embedded itself high in a tree trunk beyond it.

Aeric let out a low whistle of appreciation, looking at the perfect hole. “You didn’t even rip it from the tree.”

“Yeah,” she replied in a shaky voice. She lowered the weapon to her side. “It’s a good crossbow.”

“And you obviously haven’t lost your touch.”

She looked down at the bow. “I guess not. Not sure if that’s a good thing or not.”

“How’s it feel to shoot it again?”

“Um.” She looked down at the bow, considering it. “As long as I’m not shooting at people, it feels pretty nice.”

“It’s a good weapon for you, something you’re familiar with, and obviously a thing you have some talent with. You should carry it. It would be an excellent defense against the Summer Queen and the Phaendir.” He paused, his eyes narrowing. “And Lars.”

“Carry it? Aeric, it’s not exactly pocket-size.”

“No, a handgun it isn’t, but it’s still a pretty damn effective weapon. You can use glamour to hide it when you leave here.”

She shook her head. “Aeric, I don’t know.”

He walked over to her. “Please do it for me. It kills me to know I can’t protect you once you leave this place. If I know you’re carrying a weapon like this one, I’ll feel better.”

The concern on his face and in his voice made her mouth go dry. She glanced down at the crossbow again. “Yeah, okay. If you want me to carry it, I will.”

“Good.” He tipped her chin up and kissed her, his tongue stealing in to part her lips.

Soon her crossbow was forgotten.

 

 

EMMALINE
stood, wrapped in a warm blanket, looking up at the tapestry that concealed the door to his forge. It was a chilly morning. A fire burned merrily in the fireplace against the bite and she held a cup of coffee in her hand.

The tapestry was beautiful in a chaotic and savage way. It depicted one of the scenes from the fae wars. A murder of crows flew in the sky, fighting on the side of those wildings who’d taken part in the battle. She remembered that. The wildings like Bran, those who had the ability to communicate with animals, had enlisted their help. It was one of the ways in which the fae had revealed themselves to the human world.

War. It had awakened all their passions, pushed them past their inhibitions, and caused them to engage in all kinds of risky and self-destructive behavior. She never wanted to see that happen again.

When she’d woken that morning, Aeric had been beside her, his arms around her so tight and protective that she’d never wanted to leave them. Then he’d rolled over her, kissed her slow, and slid between her thighs without a word.

Aeric was a man who never asked, he just took what he wanted. And he wanted her, insatiably. Single-minded in his purpose, he was relentless in pursuing his desires. He’d made love to her thoroughly, silently. She’d come twice, shuddering and sighing out her pleasure against his mouth.

He’d held her close afterward, nuzzling her throat. Finally, they’d risen to meet the day. Aeric had taken up his work with the key. She’d made coffee and roamed his apartment.

Footsteps sounded behind her. She turned to see Aeric standing near the bed. There were dark shadows playing over his face and he gripped the carving knife loosely in one hand. “It’s done.”

The blissful, content sensation that had warmed her only a moment earlier transformed to icy, jagged spikes of emotion that made her knees turn to butter for a second.

She should have been happy.

She should have been
ecstatic
that her mission was now back on course and she could accomplish her objective.

She should have been excited about finally leaving Piefferburg, the Summer Queen, and Lars—not to mention the Unseelie Court, where everyone wanted to cut off her head and parade around with it on a pike.

But it also meant she’d be leaving Aeric.

She swallowed hard and tried to smile. “That’s great.”

He dropped his knife on the coffee table and walked toward her. He looked tired, as he always did after expending the magick, energy, and concentration it took to create the key. “I was very careful and took my time. Going from the translations on the outside of the box, I have confidence that this key will work.”

“Unless there’s some booby trap we’re not aware of, I’m sure it will.”

His steps faltered. “Don’t say that.”

“It’s a possibility, Aeric.”

“Yeah, I know. One I’m trying not to think about.” He reached her and opened his hand. The key lay there, shiny and warmed from his skin.

She picked it up and held it to the light. It looked like any other key might look that had been crafted from iron. Unattractive. Unassuming. It hardly looked like the key—literally—to unlocking part of the path to freedom for all the fae. It didn’t look anything like the powerful object it was.

Her fist closed around it and she shuddered from the sensation of the charmed iron against her skin. She’d have to wrap it in fabric to carry it for any length of time. “Thank you.”

He cupped her cheek and kissed her deeply. There was sadness in the touch of his lips against hers.

She set her forehead against his. “I guess that means it’s time for me to leave,” she said on a heavy sigh. “I’ll go get my things.”

IT
didn’t take long for her to be ready to go. She would have liked to linger, but she couldn’t justify it, not when she had the key. Not when David was waiting for her. Not when he might already be in danger.

Anyway, she’d be back. She’d see Aeric again.

For a little while, at least.

After they traveled through the city, they parked Aeric’s motorcycle at the edge of downtown Piefferburg, where the city abruptly gave way to the territory of the wildings. The road that led through the Boundary Lands and eventually to the gates of Piefferburg began here. The one he’d abducted her from over three weeks earlier. She had to walk it alone, the same way she’d come in.

Her crossbow was strapped to her back. She’d conceal it with glamour once she got close to the gates, just as she would her appearance.

“There’s no guarantee that we’ll ever locate the third piece of the
bosca fadbh
.” Aeric walked next to her. His boots crunched fallen leaves and gravel.

“No.”

“So there’s no guarantee that the walls of Piefferburg will ever be broken.”

“No.” She stopped walking. “Aeric, where are you going with this?”

He stopped and looked up at the sky for a moment. It was a nice blue, broken by a few wispy clouds. Sunlight dappled through the tangled ceiling of tree branches above them. He turned and met her gaze. “It wouldn’t be fair of me to ask you to stay.”

“What?” Her heart thumped crazily in her chest. “I have to go. The key—”

“I mean when you come back with the piece. It wouldn’t be fair of me to ask you to stay then, since it would be like asking you to put yourself in prison voluntarily.”

“Aeric,” she breathed. Ambushed. She’d been totally and completely ambushed by this. He wanted her to stay with him?

“Just think about it. You said yourself that you like it here despite everything.” He walked to her and pulled her into his arms. His mouth came down on hers softly at first and then grew hungrier and hungrier. “Goibhniu, I’m going to miss you.”

She tried to smile. “Funny, the last time we stood on this road, you couldn’t stand the sight of me.”

“That was then.”

“This is now.” Her slight smile faded. “Yes, I know. I have to go, Aeric.”

“I know.”

She pulled away from him and started down the road on her own.

“Come back to me.”

She stopped and turned around. “What?”

He closed the distance between them and pulled her against him again. Burying his nose in her hair, he inhaled like it was the last time he’d ever catch her scent. “Come back to me, Emmaline.”

“I will. I have to.” She laughed. “The piece, remember?”

He held her away from him so he could look into her eyes. “Be careful, all right? Watch for anything suspicious. The Phaendir are tricky. Just make sure you come back to me.”

She reached up and cupped his face. “I promise I’ll be careful, Aeric. This is what I do. I’ve been swimming with these sharks for years now. I know how to avoid getting bitten.”

He leaned in and gave her a lingering kiss. She savored it, stretching it out for as long as she could. After Aeric broke the kiss, she turned away and cleared her throat, trying to get a handle on her emotions.

She started down the road she’d come in on, looking back once to see Aeric standing silently, dust motes making a halo around his already fading figure.

 

 

EMMALINE
made it out the other side of the gates in full glamour and with the key—wrapped in fabric to keep it away from her skin—secured safely in her bra. It was the only place she could think to put it where she wouldn’t be searched . . . if the Phaendir even searched her, which was doubtful. They trusted her and as long as no one had delved too deeply into her cover story, she’d be okay.

If they had delved deeply, well, then all bets were off. She had her crossbow, at least. Its weight was surprisingly reassuring over her shoulder. Like an old friend who had her back.

In the distance, she could see Brother Gideon striding toward her.
Oh, hell
. Of course, she should have known he’d come to greet her. The Phaendir guarding the gate would have called to tell him who was coming through. She’d so successfully put the ruse that she was working for the Phaendir out of her head during her time with Aeric that she’d forgotten that little point. Brother Maddoc would be close on Gideon’s heels.

Luckily she’d remembered to don her Emily Millhouse suit. It had felt strange to cover her true appearance. As strange as it had felt when Aeric had first forced her to wear her true self.

She summoned her courage and forced a smile. “Brother Gideon. It’s so good to see you again.”

He embraced her. The sensation of oil slicking through her aura made her shudder. He backed away and pushed a hand through his thinning brown hair. “Your stay was more extended than we’d originally presumed.”

“It was.” She gave him a shy smile. “But I gathered some good information.”

He took her by the upper arm and began to guide her toward the Phaendir headquarters. “Come. Let’s not talk here. Brother Maddoc is waiting for us and I’m sure you can’t wait to get as far from Piefferburg as possible.”

They began to walk. “Oh, yes. It’s even more frightening in there than I could have ever imagined.”

“I’m sure,” he murmured. He walked for several moments, saying nothing. Finally, he said, “I’m surprised that such a fragile, pious flower as yourself could spend three weeks in the Shadow Court with all those . . . animals.”

She almost missed a step. It
was
a stretch to think that Emily could. He was suspicious of her. “Oh, Gideon.” She stopped and turned toward him, taking his hands in hers. “It was awful. I can’t believe I made it through. I—I—” She threw herself against him, sobbing against his shoulder. She had to be careful he didn’t put his arms around her and feel the crossbow. She could glamour it away from the eyes, but it was still a physical object on her person.

Gideon stiffened for a moment, in shock, and then patted her shoulder. “There, there. You did an exceptional job. We’re all so proud of you.”

She sobbed harder for a moment, sniffled, and looked at him. “I wasn’t sure I was going to make it through a couple of times.” That wasn’t even a lie. “Being around all those monsters.” She swallowed hard and made a show of steeling herself. “But I knew how important my mission was so I stuck it out. I stayed strong.”

“Admirable of you.”

“It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”

He looked at her for a long moment, his watery brown eyes warm and soft. They were of the same height, which meant they were looking into each other’s eyes right now. Far more intimate than she wanted to be.