Darkness of Light (34 page)

“Eli is a complicated man, darlin’, and, unfortunately, you are just a pawn in all this.”

It felt like a knife was twisting in my gut. Yes, truth could definitely hurt. “Yeah, so I’m gathering.” 

“He’s second in command. His duties come first,” West said.

“Duties? Is that what you called it, or did it have some fun name like ‘Operation Seduce’ or ‘Operation Lie, Lure, and Betray’ or ‘Operation Being a Typical Man’?” I retorted.

West sighed and leaned against the bars. “I’m really sorry for it, darlin’. The night we met I was doin’ a little undercover work. Eli wasn’t letting us get anywhere near you, and Lorcan decided to see why, so he sent me. You were more than I imagined. I liked you. You really surprised me, and believe me when I say I didn’t have to pretend with you. I do wish it didn’t have to be like this.”

“Go away,” I uttered, my voice low and tight. They talked about my life so nonchalantly. I suppose it was better than Sam who was giddy with joy about my demise.

“I’ll get you some more food and water,” he uttered, looking back at me once more before leaving.

Thirty-one

I leaned my head against the wall, taking in a deep breath. I hadn’t had any time to really contemplate or try to understand everything I had learned over the last day. It was so overwhelming and unbelievable; it was hard for my brain to wrap around it all. 

Fay.

Demon.

How was I supposed to deal with that? I had so many questions, especially for my parents. Questions for a mother who was dead and for a father who had run out on us before I was born.
Perfect.

It made me sick to think I was a product of a rape. But my mother kept and loved me anyway. I longed to hear my mother’s voice, to feel her arms wrapped around me, reassuring me everything was going to be okay. But the only thing surrounding me now was the dank, damp, musty air and the thin, cotton fabric of Eli’s old t-shirt. I could still smell him on it, and I detested that it still comforted me. 

I thought about Mark, wondering if he knew about me or if Mom had left him in the dark, too. Of course, if he had known about me, then he wouldn’t have been so concerned about my sanity. He would have known I was different and not in the mental facility way. 

Then, with a stab of foreboding, I remembered it was most likely Monday by now—the day Mark was returning from his trip. I had no clue what time it was. He might already be home. What would he do when he found I had disappeared? He would fall a part. Losing both my mom and me would be too much for him. I needed a plan and needed one fast.

I was searching my prison for any kind of way out or a weapon when West brought me a plate of fried chicken and mashed potatoes with a bottle of water. I downed the water in three gulps. I was so hungry and knew I needed my strength. I eyed the food West handed me, highly doubting they’d poison me before they got what they needed. The smell made my stomach growl, and I dove into the food greedily. He left me alone while I devoured everything.

I was just finishing when there was a commotion down the hallway. 

My skin prickled as I stood up cautiously, stepping into the far corner. Footsteps reverberated from down the hallway, heading towards my cell. This time I recognized the intense feeling of power plowing into me from whoever was coming. It was so strong it made me dizzy under its weight. My breath became rapid and shallow, as my legs tried to hold me up. I slinked further back, pressing myself against the wall, willing myself to blend in with the shadows. 

An elegant, strong figure swept into the room with brazen confidence, making a cool breeze flutter over me. The tall woman stepped into the light, making me gasp. Beauty could not describe the woman who stood gracefully in front of me. Her hair was such a brilliant shade of deep red there was no way to describe it. The color didn’t exist in this world. Her long strands were pulled back in a most elaborate design of braids, which fell to the middle of her back. With eyes of pale violet and alabaster skin, she was so perfect it made me want to weep. She looked young, but I knew that was only her shell. Power, confidence, and wisdom saturated her aura. She wore a long dress, which was more modern than I expected. The delicate fabric was the color of cream and flowed under the light as she moved.

Even though I had never seen her before, there was no question who the exquisite lady was. She looked over in my direction with a cool, smug smile twisting her beautiful full lips.

“Ember,” the Queen addressed me.

My voice failed to find its way out of my throat as I continued to stare at her.

“No point trying to hide yourself in the shadows. It’s not like I don’t know you’re there or that I can’t get to you.” Her commanding voice caused goose bumps to run down my arms and legs. “I have no doubt you are aware of who I am.” 

My body continued to mold itself to the wall as I watched her in silence. She was so ethereal it was almost painful to look at her. 

“The Q-Queen,” I mumbled. Lorcan had kidnapped me, so why was the Queen here? Lorcan said she had exiled the Dark Dwellers, and I had felt Eli’s hatred of her, the strong desire for revenge, but there she stood. Somewhere in my gut, the truth was trying to reach my brain to make sense of the scene in front of me.

“Yes,” she replied. “Now come closer.”

Her words moved over my body. I stayed where I was, the shadows keeping me in a false bubble.

Irritation flickered over her face. “Come here now.”

Again, a sensation fluttered around me. There was pressure and a commanding energy to it, but I could ignore it. She was trying to compel me, but it wasn’t working.

She adjusted her stance and spoke again. This time her voice was sweet and kind and felt false to my ears. “Let me see you. Please.” I decided to oblige. She was only going to play nice for so long before she’d come into the cage and get me herself. 

As I stepped into the light, she did something I didn’t expect. She jerked away from me. Her eyes grew wide as air pushed through her teeth in a hiss, and for a brief second, she looked tortured as she gazed at me, taking in every detail of my face and body.

She quickly turned away, and when she turned back, her expression was hard and cruel. A pitiless look now hung in her eyes and heated anger replaced the shock which had temporarily jolted her. But the image of what I saw, the fleeting moment when the Queen had looked at me with trepidation, was seared in my brain. She looked like she had seen a ghost—a ghost she feared.

“You look just like your traitorous mother and that filthy repulsive monster you have for father.” Her voice was harsh and short. “You are nauseating to look at.” 

Rage burned deep in my stomach. The iron bars kept me from acting out. Even without touching them I could still feel their negative energy drooling at the closeness of my presence, hungry to consume my powers.

“Your mother was right to take you away because I would have killed you—and enjoyed it. At present, I am glad you survived.” Her voice had returned to its soothing, sweet tone, which made me even more nervous. “I have been looking for you for a long time, Ember. This time, though, I have other plans for you besides a painful death. You will be quite useful to me.”

“How?” I croaked. 

“You will be my greatest weapon against the Unseelie King. It will be sweet justice using you against him.”

Lorcan brazenly strode into the small space. The proud, wicked look on his face drove the knowledge from my gut straight to my brain. 

Oh God, no!

 “Lorcan?” 

“And somehow you still appear surprised,” he said, grinning.

“How can you do this? To your brother? To your family?”

Lorcan was instantly at the bars, pressing into them. “I am doing this for them.” His eyes flashed red fire before turning back to the familiar shade of green I knew all too well. “Eli got too close and could no longer make the choices a leader has to. I was always supposed to be the First, not him, and certainly not Cole. I am the rightful leader and I am willing to make sacrifices for the good of my clan. Not even our First is willing to do that. Cole and Eli are made from the same cloth. Spineless. But I have no problem doing what I need to do.”

“You hate me that much?”

“You mean nothing to me. Your kind should be destroyed in both this realm and the other.”

The Queen stepped up to Lorcan. “I couldn’t agree more, but first we need to finish my side of the deal before you can destroy her.” She touched his arm, and calmness fell over his features.

“Of course, my Queen.”

Her influence rolled over him like a sedative. She could compel him, but not me. Why couldn’t she control me? Was it because I was a dae or was it because of my strength of will? Was this why she hated daes so much? She couldn’t compel us? 

I felt power in knowing the Queen couldn’t control me. It gave me confidence as I walked up closer to the bars. “So Lorcan, you really think making a deal with her will get you what you want? That she will just let you back into the Otherworld? Are you so delusional you think it will happen so easily?”

“I think I’ll be okay. It’s you who needs to worry,” he sneered and then turned to the Queen. “I am going to check on the progress of my other charge.”

“Yes, yes, please go.” The Queen waved him out of the room without even looking at him. Lorcan turned and gave me a disturbing smile, one that made my veins turn to ice. It was like he knew something I didn’t and was enjoying it far too much. He pivoted and exited the room, leaving the Queen and me alone.

“Lorcan is not as clever as his brother. He’s too eager for power and control, but that has come in quite useful to me.” She smiled coolly. “We all have our parts to play. Yours is to take the Unseelie King’s domain and burn it to the ground. Taking away his hold on Earth will cripple him for good. We will start with his home base in Seattle.”

“Burn Seattle?” I gaped. “I-I don’t understand. I can burst a bulb or two but burn down an entire city?”

“You are a dae, Ember. Destruction and murder runs in your veins.”

“Lorcan said you used to kill daes, but now you’ve changed your mind. Why me? Why now?”

“The ‘why now’,” she repeated, “is because I finally found you. You were well hidden from me, though Lily knew she couldn’t hide you forever. You are special. Once I got over your mother’s betrayal, I realized what use you could be to me in executing my plans.”

“Everything is set, my Queen.” 

My knees buckled. I knew that voice. It had comforted and spoken softly to me so many nights in my dreams. 

Torin stepped into the room. He had only come to me twice in person. Those times felt so long ago and less real than my dreams of him did. I had almost believed he really was a hallucination, just a creation in my mind. But there he stood, real and even more beautiful than I recalled. His hair was slicked back neatly and tied with a leather strip. He wore his leather pants, but instead of his black shirt, he wore a long sleeved leather shirt with a chest guard engraved with the Queen’s crest on the front. 

He was a soldier of the Queen.

The whole time he had been coming to me, he had been working for the Queen. He had kissed me, made me feel secure. I felt foolish and betrayed by him, another person in a long list who had deceived me. My heart felt sorrowful. He had always felt safe to me, comfortable, like he’d always protect me. I bit my lip, forcing myself not to cry. But, a tiny voice kept me hopeful.
If he’s working for her, why didn’t he turn me over to her before? Why did he try to warn me and keep me safe instead?

“Oh Torin, my beautiful boy.” The Queen smiled at him, placing her hand on his chest. Something in me wanted to swipe her hand away. I felt possessive of him, which didn’t make sense. Why did I feel like he belonged to me?

His eyes flickered quickly to mine and then away.

“Get our prisoner prepared, Torin.”

“As you command.” He bowed to acknowledge her order. He pulled out some gloves made of a strange, thick material as he approached and unlocked the cage. I hadn’t notice until then that a robe hung off his arm. Guess the thin t-shirt and underwear I was wearing wasn’t appropriate for whatever they had planned for me. 

My eyes met his with desperation and a need to understand. He shook his head slightly and as his gaze slid to the Queen.

“Thought you might be cold,” he uttered softly to me and held out the cloak. I nodded and let him help me put it on. This was all so surreal. The robe was soft and warm against my skin.

“Quickly, we are on a schedule,” the Queen said curtly.

Torin nodded, looking down at the ground. “I am sorry,” he mumbled so softly I barely heard him. His gloved hands grabbed at a pair of handcuffs on his belt and latched them around my wrists. 

A strangled cry slipped out of my mouth and once again I felt my powers being sucked out of my body. Iron cuffs. I sagged to the ground. 

“I hope you realize it would be pointless and stupid to try anything, Ember. You are no match for me or my men. You would just be wasting your energy.” 

I heard her words but didn’t acknowledge them. I had no plan to fight him or anyone for that matter. I could barely keep my head up. My so-called powers weren’t the most reliable things anyway. Not that I had a clue what they really were or even how to use them. Since I could barely stand on my own two feet without help, there was no way I could take anyone on and she knew it. She was enjoying playing with me. 

Torin lifted me up like a baby, sweeping me out of the cage, down the hall, up a steep flight of stairs, and out of the cabin that had been my kidnapper’s lair.

Thirty-two

Torin held me close, his breath warm on my head as he carried me. The initial shock of the iron had worn off a little. Now I felt strong enough to stand, but lethargic and empty. My powers were dormant.

It seemed as if we had just stepped outside, when a strange sensation tingled over my skin, as if we had walked through electrified Jell-O. Suddenly we were deep in the woods, high on a mountain. This must be a fae trick, to magically be teleported someplace else. There was no other way we could have gotten this far, this fast.