“If I were a jeweler,” he whispered, “I’d string them together for my queen.”
At his words, the blood-drop gems skidded across the stone. He approached the pile as it coalesced into an ornate necklace on the ground in front of him. It was beautiful. Dark rubies fell into a jagged point as if they were strung on an invisible net, but at the center was a vacancy. The net was incomplete.
“Not yet worthy.” He looked around until he saw a series of sharp spires of obsidian. “I want to be worthy.”
Taking the necklace in hand, he walked over to the blade-like stones. He lowered the necklace to the ground, carefully spreading out the stones. Then, he stood and slid both palms over the dark blade, cutting gashes in his hands.
He knelt on the ground and squeezed his hands together over the center of the necklace. The blood ran from his skin into the void of the necklace, where it hardened into a large oval ruby.
“Well done,” a voice pronounced.
And there she was at last, the Queen of Blood and Rage, his savior and executioner. Her beauty was akin to terrors that left lands decimated and trembling. Her hair, so dark it appeared to be scattered with stars, flowed behind her like a cloak. Her eyes, so cold they made him want to run in terror, watched him intently. Her tiny feet were bare, and she wore armor the color of blood near hardened, neither red nor black but a hue that hovered between. Zephyr had the fleeting thought that the armor was dyed in blood. Stories of her cruelty had often been whispered, but he believed in her. She’d be the one to save them.
No one was with her. It was simply her, standing alone on the vast expanse of black rock.
Zephyr lowered himself farther. Clara had taught him the etiquette for this encounter by putting her boot on the back of his head and forcing his face into the dirt. There was no dirt here, only stone as sharp as knives.
“You made me a gift.”
“I did, my queen.” He held his arm up, the red jewels spilling over his fingers as he offered them to her. “It’s not worthy, but I offer it . . . offer myself to you, to the Unseelie Court.”
“The courts are united,” she said.
“And as long as they are, I serve both. Should that change, I will still serve my queen.”
“None of the Sleepers know which court birthed them, yet you call me your queen.” She didn’t lift her voice, but he was still fairly sure it was a question.
“It is my hope and desire that I belong to you,” he admitted.
“So you want to be Unseelie, young Zephyr?” Her voice lightened, as if she were amused. She took the necklace, sliding it from his hand into hers.
“I do.” He dared look up at her. “I exist to serve you.”
For a moment, the queen’s lips curved into a smile, and her beauty made him swallow nervously. Nothing he’d ever glimpsed in the world was as exquisite . . . or as terrifying.
“Tell me of the others.”
And so he did. He stayed on his knees as he spoke about every member of his team, rapidly outlining their strengths and their courage. He spoke of Violet’s ferocity, of Will’s stealth, of Roan’s cleverness. He spoke of Creed’s courage and Alkamy’s grace. He didn’t mention their weaknesses; he only spoke of their abilities and of his own.
When he was done, the queen said, “And Lilywhite? You say nothing of her.”
“We’ve only just met,” he hedged. “I came to you as soon as she arrived, as I was instructed to do by Clara.”
The Unseelie Queen stepped close enough that she could tuck one of her bare feet under his knee. It was an odd gesture, and he wasn’t sure if she meant to injure him or merely get closer.
“I dislike secrets,” she told him quietly. “Stand.”
He obeyed.
She cupped his face in her hands. Despite the chill in her eyes, her skin was hot enough that he wanted to cry out in pain. He didn’t. The necklace of blood rubies dangled from her hand. It was pressed into his cheek and draped along his throat. He suspected it was burning marks on his flesh.
“Tell me,” she said.
“She knows nothing of us,” he admitted. “She didn’t join us before now because she didn’t know . . . anything.”
The queen said nothing for almost a full minute. They stood with her hands on his face and the blood-wrought necklace searing his skin. He ground his teeth together to keep from asking for mercy.
“It is as I feared then.” The queen released him and turned her back. The ruby necklace clattered to the stone between them. “You will bring her here before the next cycle of the moon.”
And then she left without waiting for his reply.
“Yes, my queen,” he whispered into the once-more empty air.
He wasn’t sure whether to leave the necklace or take it. He had no use for it, but the queen had seemingly refused it. Silently, he scooped it up. They might look like rubies, but those stones were his blood. He wasn’t entirely sure what they could be used for, but he was very certain that he shouldn’t let his blood fall into just anyone’s possession.
Zephyr turned away. He had his first direct order from the queen, and it wasn’t a simple task like setting a bomb. Kidnapping the daughter of a criminal who had no desire to spill her secrets seemed unwise—but disobeying the Queen of Blood and Rage seemed even more foolhardy.
Somehow, he would have to gain Lilywhite’s trust. He clutched the blood necklace in his hand and whispered a silent prayer to whatever deity listens to faeries. Then he headed back to the toadstool gate.
seventeen
LILY
Lily didn’t expect the first night at St. Columba’s to be so difficult. Alkamy showed her around and talked about a few of her friends.
“You’ve heard of Creed and Zephyr, I’m sure. You’d have to live under a rock to avoid their names.” Alkamy paused. “Vi is in film, so you’ve seen her on the screen or in pictures with the boys or with me.”
“I have,” Lily agreed.
“Vi isn’t back yet, but she’s been the only other girl really until you got here.” Alkamy shrugged as if her lack of female friends didn’t bother her. “She’s more of a friend than a sister. The boys, on the other hand, are like brothers . . . or maybe annoying cousins.”
“Really? Even Zephyr?”
“That’s the past,” Alkamy said with a stiff expression. “So, if you were interested—”
“I like Creed’s music,” Lily interjected, cutting off that topic before it could get any weirder.
“You’d never know that Zephyr has any skills other than looking pretty, but he does.” Alkamy stared at Lily with a singular focus that was reminiscent of both of the boys. “Don’t underestimate him.”
“So you aren’t over him . . .”
“We’re not meant to be,” Alkamy said.
Lily heard the omissions in her words as clearly as the words themselves. Alkamy loved Zephyr. Why they weren’t “meant to be” was beyond her. She lapsed into silence for several moments before prompting, “So, you, Violet, Creed, and Zephyr, is that everyone?”
“There’s Will and Roan too.” Alkamy paused then and gestured at a closed door. “This is the dining hall. It’s surprisingly good. Organic produce, grass-fed hormone-free beef, healthy stuff, you know? Plus, they meet every dietary restriction. Non-dairy? Non-meat? All meat? No carbs? Low-carbs? Raw food? Whatever it is, they can supply it.”
Lily nodded. Her father had already told her all of this in one of his Columba’s-is-good chats.
“So Will’s mom is some politician. Roan’s family is in pharmaceuticals”—Alkamy shot an uncomfortable look at Lily—“like legal ones.”
Lily couldn’t help it. She snickered.
Alkamy sputtered, “Look. I didn’t want to be rude, and . . . Oh, stop it, Lily.”
Lily had barely stopped when their eyes met, and then they both started giggling.
“I’m sorry. That was thoughtless of me,” Alkamy said when their laughter abated. “I really can be tactful. Usually.”
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Lily waved her apology away. “My father has been in the public eye since well before I was born. I know what people say, and I know what he does. His associates are around like an extended family the way some people have uncles or cousins.”
Alkamy looked very serious for a moment. “So until you got here today . . . did you know any normal people?”
“You mean rock divas like you?” Lily teased. “Or boys like Zephyr and Creed who have been on every gossip show? Or future CEOs like Roan? Or politicians’ kids like Will?”
“Point taken.” Alkamy leaned on the wall. “I’ve decided: I’m glad I met you, Just Lily.”
Lily looked at her again and realized that Alkamy was exhausted. She looked like Lily did the few times she’d been exposed to toxins. For a moment, Lily wondered if all of the students at Columba’s were fae-blood, but that was highly unlikely. Far more realistic was the idea that Alkamy’s small group of friends were all fae-blood.
“Why don’t we head back?” Lily suggested.
Alkamy flashed her a grateful smile. “I’ll give you more of the tour this week. Most everyone gets back tomorrow, so you can meet the boys. Vi’s delayed, but we should be able to help you get settled.”
Lily shook her head. “Go to bed, Kamy. You can demonstrate your great skills at normalcy tomorrow.”
Once they were back in the suite, Alkamy waved and wandered into her bedroom.
Lily closed her own door and curled up in her own bed. It wasn’t late, but she’d had enough excitement to last her a while. The quiet and calm of her room were a welcome respite from the onslaught of surprises today.
She managed to sleep for a few hours, but she’d woken restless and bored. The sun wasn’t yet up, but Lily wasn’t tired enough to roll back over . . . which was why she found herself roaming empty hallways. Lily had no friends other than Erik. She had no one to call. Her closest confidante was Daidí, and he was out of the country. That left her with nothing to do but explore the buildings.
Lily had wandered to the other side of the administration building and into the walkway that connected it to the second dorm. That dorm was the not-very-originally-named West Tower. Like the East Tower, it was connected to the main offices via a walkway on the second floor. There was a doorway to the building, but as Lily understood it, all access to the dorms had to go through the administration hall after hours and on any of the holidays. Since campus wasn’t technically open yet, that meant that all in and out traffic for both dorms went through the main hall.
A rustling sound drew her attention, and she pressed into the shadows as best she could. The greenery covering one wall parted, and when it did, a door was revealed. Stepping out of that door was Zephyr Waters.
He hadn’t seen her yet, and Lily couldn’t decide if she was less likely to be caught by staying still or fleeing. He turned his back to her to pull the stone door shut. The door scraped across the floor with a rasp, and the plants fell closed with a swish of leaves. A flash of red dangled from Zephyr’s hand. At first, she thought it was blood dripping, but a second look revealed it to be an ornate ruby necklace. Before she could wonder over the sight of Zephyr Waters creeping back onto campus with a priceless necklace in hand, he turned, saw her, and smiled.
“Lilywhite,” he greeted. “I’m touched. There’s usually no one to wait up for me.”
“I wasn’t . . .” She shook her head. Obviously, he knew she hadn’t been waiting up for him. Stepping forward, Lily surrendered the brief cover of shadows and said, “You were sneaking out.”
“In, actually. I went out a while ago.” He sent her a smile that was far more endearing than she would have liked.
Lily turned and walked away. Whatever rules he broke were his business. Abernathy Commandment #11: Know when to walk away from trouble. Zephyr was trouble, and she had no need to get involved with it. So far, she’d seen him twice: once when he was smiling over an explosion he’d set and once when he was sneaking back into campus.
“Whoa!” He ran after her. “I was joking about you waiting.”
“I know.” Lily kept walking.
He kept pace with her. “I think we got off to a bad start.”
Lily frowned. “Why are you following me?”
“Accompanying,” he corrected. “I’m accompanying you because I thought we could talk.”
His voice had a cajoling tone, and he smiled again. He was probably used to that smile working on people. If it didn’t, his easy manner and his name undoubtedly would. In a low voice, Lily told him, “I have no intention of telling anyone that I saw you here or that I know what happened at the harbor.”
“No one would believe you if you did.” Zephyr reached for her hand, but she jerked away. “Do you want to go to breakfast?”
“It’s still the middle of the night,” she pointed out.
“So we go to a club first. They stay open all night here.” He shrugged. “You liked the pier, right? We’ll walk down there.”
“I can’t. I don’t have permission to leave campus.”
Zephyr glanced pointedly behind them at the vine-covered wall. “There are other exits.”
Lily was tempted. There was no way to deny that. It wasn’t him but the idea of going out that lured her. Being close to the water always made her feel better, and a walk wasn’t the same as friendship.
More importantly, knowing about his secret exit would be useful. Abernathy Commandment #15: Always have a way out, more than one if possible. Even if she didn’t use it, knowing she could was worth the tentative peace with Zephyr.
“Don’t you need to do something with that?” She nodded toward the necklace.
“Do you want it?”
Lily’s mouth opened in a gasp before she managed to say, “Are you mental? You can’t just give that to the first girl you bump into.”
“I wouldn’t,” he said levelly. “I’d only give it to a friend.”
“Well, that’s not me.”
He shoved the necklace in his pocket like it was a cheap bit of trash and met her eyes. “So, breakfast?”
She nodded.
Wisely, he said nothing as they walked back toward the hidden door. He gestured at it, not looking her way, and the vines parted for him. She’d never met anyone else who could do that. Part of her wanted to ask him why he was showing her his secret. The more reasonable part knew to keep her mouth shut.
Abernathy Commandment #7: Secrets are valuable. Don’t part with them for free.
Zephyr pushed open the door and stepped inside. For a moment, he was consumed by shadows, but then he reached out, extending one hand behind him. Silently, Lily took his hand and stepped into what appeared to be a hidden tunnel.
As soon as she was inside and the door was shut, she tried to pull her hand free of his grasp. Partly, she wanted to touch the wall, to ask the old stone for anything it could share, and partly, she didn’t want to let Zephyr hold on to her.
He squeezed her hand in his. “I have a meager bit of light here, Lilywhite.”
“Lily,” she stressed.
“Lily,” he repeated quietly. “The tunnel twists, and eventually, you’ll need to descend a very narrow staircase.” His breath brushed against her shoulder, stirring her hair. “I’d rather not have to explain just how the notorious Nicolas Abernathy’s daughter broke a leg on her first night here.”
Despite her issues with him, Lily laughed. “I’m not sure you’d want to explain to Daidí what I was doing off campus either.”
She wouldn’t call the silence that followed comfortable, but it was a lot more so than when she’d first met him. She had an opportunity here: she could understand what he meant when he said he was looking for her, and she could learn an escape route from campus. Lily noted the tricks she needed to remember in order to exit through the tunnels.
Zephyr appeared aware of her water affinity, and he clearly was aligned with soil. A part of her wanted to ask Zephyr what he knew about their shared heritage, but his fae blood and the
explosion earlier combined to let her know that he was somehow involved with the war.
That alone was reason to stay silent, so she did.
They’d only been walking for a few minutes when a voice from the darkness drawled, “Odd time for a walk, isn’t it?”
Zephyr sighed so softly that she wouldn’t have heard him if she’d been a step farther away.
“Creed Morrison.” He stepped forward, introducing himself as if they hadn’t spent part of the afternoon talking. “And you are?”
She had already decided to play along when he’d confessed that he’d kept their first meeting secret, so she met his gaze now and said, “Lily Abernathy.”
Creed looked at Zephyr, and his voice hardened as he asked, “Tell me, fair Lily, are you in need of a rescue?”
“No, actually.” She nodded toward Zephyr. “He was breaking out and offering to show me how to get off campus.”
“Ah. Strict parents?”
“Protective,” she said. “If I read correctly, though, yours aren’t?”
He wagged a finger at her. “Someone is a tabloid fan, I see.”
Lily shrugged, unembarrassed, and a little amused at their game. “I’ve been home-schooled via private tutors since I was old enough for lessons. What can I say? I get bored.”
“Oh, me too,” Creed confessed. “That’s how I end up in all of those rags.”
She laughed.
“Maybe you should go back to campus,” Zephyr suggested. “You couldn’t have slept very long. I heard you stumble in before I left.”
Creed shrugged. “I napped. I left.”
“Go back to campus,” Zephyr said.
“I’d rather he stay,” Lily interjected.
There was a long silence, and a meaningful look passed between the two boys.
“Well then,” Creed drawled. “You heard Lily. I’ll be staying, but if you want to head back, feel free.”
“I wouldn’t want Lilywhite left stranded when you go off to get drunk again or meet up with some—”
“You might be my boss, Zeph, but that’s only if I decide to stay in your little clubhouse.”