Blood Beyond Darkness Read online

  “Jumpin’ juniper juice, this soldier has the wits to know he should be drunk.”

  My eyes were still locked on the colors tumbling around in the sky. “Cal, I promise if we get through this, I will fill the gigantic pool at Lars’ with juniper juice.”

  “Oh-oh, you have to get me real arm floaties and a lounge chair ... and ... and a curly straw. I always wanted one of those.”

  “Done and done.” I smiled.

  “My lady, you are only encouraging him.” Simmons huffed next to me.

  “I’ll get you a floaties and curly straw, too.”

  There was a pause before he uttered, “I’d appreciate your gifts, my lady. Thank you.”

  My grin widened.

  I detected Eli walking up behind me. He still could make my body tingle, although the reaction to my tattoo was almost gone. If I really allowed myself, I could ever so slightly feel it prickle in warning when he touched me. It would probably never truly go away. A reminder of the past, which was no longer a bad thing.

  His fingers brushed mine. In my peripheral vision, I saw him next to me, looking at the sky. My fingers found his and curled around his large, warm hand. He grasped mine back. Eli turned his head to me. Lightning and the vibrant glow of the atmosphere reflected in his eyes. He didn’t utter a word, but his strong presence was enough to calm me. It would be too hard to talk. To say all the things we left unsaid between us. I couldn’t let my mind land on the idea I would lose him.

  Cole stepped close and clasped Eli’s shoulder. Eli glanced at him, and their eyes met. The love ran deeper than mere pack mentality. They were family and loyal brothers.

  Another sharp crack ignited over us. In the light, an outline of a castle loomed in the distance, more than a half a dozen football fields away from us, perched on a hill surrounded mostly by water. The already fragile wall between the two worlds diffused and thinned even more. Aneira planned to shred the barrier so it could never return to normal. If we didn’t stop her before the day was out, Earth’s atmosphere would never be able to heal itself. The worlds would be fused for good. She had already broken holes in it when she destroyed Monterey, London, New York, and with my unwilling help, Seattle. Magic spilled over. No matter what happened, I doubted we Fae could hide our secrets any longer. All over the world, humans would experience and see things they could not explain with science. The panic of the masses would create a doomsday effect. And they wouldn’t be wrong for reacting this way. I had to stop Aneira; her death was my destiny.

  On the other side of the frail wall separating the two worlds, thousands of Seelie soldiers and Light Fae stood dressed for battle. A rumble shook the ground as both sides pounded their weapons on the damp earth. Deep, guttural battle cries sent the hair on my arms and neck straight up.

  “Crap on ash bark,” I mumbled. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Cal stick his fingers in the bag and lick them quickly. I couldn’t blame him. My free hand stuffed into my pocket touching the cool metal of the goblin bracelet. It was an anchor, keeping me grounded in what I needed to do.

  The level of energy emanating in the air between the two sides flowered in my chest. Terror like I had never experienced clapped down on my muscles. I had been nervous and scared before. But being here, seeing the other side with their weapons, feeling their desire to kill us made me want to run like hell. But the fear riding through my body weakened my muscles. I fought against the urge to fall to the ground, curl up, cover my head and hope no one would see me. I had seen these kinds of battle scenes in movies and always imagined what it would be like in real life. They didn’t even come close. Death would find many of us today. Stealing us away from our loved ones and soaking the field with our blood.

  An object flew over my head, and I spotted Lars on the back of Ori. The sleek, regal bird cut through the sky like a ballet dancer. Lars was dressed in full battle gear, and his commanding presence sent gasps through the crowd. The wall would be thin enough to walk through soon. The Unseelie King was here to rally his troops.

  Lars held out his arms, and immediately everyone on our side hushed. “My fellow Dark, for too long we have been under Queen Aneira’s control, suffering under the Light’s prejudices and rules against us!” A wave of cheers and weapons being struck in agreement reverberated through my shoes, tingling my feet. “She wants to enslave or kill our energy source.” Boos and hisses broke through the cheers. “She wants to see us destroyed!”

  Lars’ powerful voice thundered. I wanted to cheer and pound the ground along with everyone. “The Dark will no longer be controlled by the Light. This is our world, and she will not take away what belongs to us. Today we fight. For our lives, for our freedom, and for our world!”

  The Dark exploded in united harmony of songs and battle cries that shook the lungs in my chest. The energy was addicting, pumping my adrenaline higher.

  All we needed was Mel Gibson in Scottish attire on horseback.

  Another fractured bolt ripped through the night and collided with part of the wall still up. The layer between worlds shriveled, curling in on itself and creating a gigantic hole like plastic wrap in fire. I could feel in my bones Aneira was breaking down the barrier with my powers. Anger and outrage filled me. It was my magic. She used my magic to control the worlds.

  The ear-splitting sound of shrieks pummeled me, almost knocking me over. Both pixies went into the air, hollering. There was a rush towards the opening from both sides as Aneira sent one more blast of lightning and tearing another crack into the atmosphere.

  Alki sounded the horn from the back of the bird-shifter, Deryn.

  The war had begun.

  Eli grabbed me by the collar of my jacket and tugged me into his body, aligning every part of us. His hand came up, cupping the back of my head, bringing me in. His lips crushed mine, and he kissed me so passionately and deeply everything around me disappeared. He pulled back abruptly, turning his body forward again. I wobbled at the intensity of both the kiss and the departure. Now, I was battle ready. Aneira would not take him away from me. No one would.

  “Let’s go kill the bitch,” Eli declared. Lorcan, Eli, Cole, Owen were staying in man-shape while the rest of the Dark Dwellers were going to be in beast form. It was easier for the non-Dwellers to communicate if some Dwellers could speak. But in case Eli had to shift, I had an extra set of clothes inside my tiny backpack attached to my sword sheath for when he needed to return to man-form. The Dwellers didn’t seem to like the idea of parts of them so accessible to being stabbed or sliced off. I backed the sentiment heartily.

  The Dark killers emerged, slick and black as night, and surrounded me. I knew without looking it was Cooper, West, and Gabby. My connection to the Dark Dwellers was burrowing so deeply in the fibers of my soul I could no longer imagine what it felt like to not be one of them. Without seeing, you could feel each one. Their individual presence crawled over you, declaring their voice. My connection to them had gone from a spindly rope bridge to a concrete, steel enforced roadway. I heard full conversations between them.

  West bumped my leg, and our eyes met as I looked down at him. I wish I could be the one to do it. When you kill her, make her feel the agony she inflicted on me and so many others.

  I nodded. I will.

  West’s eyes glowed red as he roared his own form of a battle cry and charged ahead. My skin prickled at the sound. It was the call for death.

  The blade on my back whooshed as I drew it from its sheath. Cal and Simmons both drew their tiny swords, merely for show as their job had to do with juniper powder and getting us into the castle.

  Kennedy stood behind me and also carried a pack and sword. Torin stayed to the side, Thara next to him. They were dressed like warriors: thick leather pants, impenetrable long-sleeved black shirts, with a silver plated metal shield. These did not have the Queen’s insignia, nor the King’s. They were fighting for themselves and for all our freedoms. Their swords hung from their right hands.

  “Kennedy, stay close to me.”
I gripped the handle of the blade tighter. She also held a Fae gun. It was her best defense till it ran out of bullets. She could only carry one extra round as they were pure iron and extremely heavy. The girl was not built for battle. Her first weapon was her magic, but she could do nothing more than knock someone out for few moments. It would have to do. Behind her was Lorcan’s group. As much as I disliked the thought, we were a united front today. Samantha sidled up to Lorcan. She and I would have our time, and one of us would be dead by the end of it. Her red eyes met mine, glinting brighter as she snarled. Her feelings for me were mutual. But right now was not the moment.

  The echo of metal clashing, armor clanging, and people shouting dominated my senses. Lars led his troop from the sky. The Queen was nowhere to be found on the field, but she had to be there somewhere. She would want to be close but also in a space where she could safely use my magic to destroy the layer between the worlds.

  “Let’s move,” Cole called out. “You know the plan. Let us see it through.”

  Holy crap! This was actually happening. My insides twisted into knots, and my shoes struck the dirt as I trotted with my group. The occasion we had schemed and trained for had arrived. There was no do-over. No trying again tomorrow. We had one chance to fail or succeed.

  Our group skirted the main battle trying to blend in while appearing to be part of the fight. Sounds of loud, bone chilling screams of pain, metal clanging, bones crunching into dust, screeching beasts on the field and in the air dominated the sky around the battlefield. There were hundreds of creatures before me, from the beautiful to the most hideous, slicing their blades across the others’ throats. Trolls and goblins tore into willowy elf-looking Fae, who seemed like they came from a Disney movie. The odor of blood wafted up my nose.

  I looked around at my strategic partners. Each pair had a different part of the plan to get Torin, Kennedy, Eli, and me inside the castle.

  Glancing one more time at the daunting fortress looming over the land, where a prophecy stated I would be ruling from, I took a breath, sucked in my heartache and ran furiously for the fate that lay before us.

  TWENTY-SEVEN

  The swarm of soldiers crushing into our first line of attack came with the wet sound of blades slicing through bodies and the grinding of metal and bone. Flying shifters with riders on their backs dotted the sky. Birds and bats the size of vans circled overhead as arrows rained down from them. Breathtaking moths of creamy white and fuchsia alongside butterflies swirled with colors of cobalt blue, neon green, and vivid orange packed the sky. Even these goliath-size insects were killers. Their teeth, which could puncture holes in a car, surged from their mouth as they grabbed victims and bit into them, ripping off their heads.

  Crap on ash bark. We were not in a sweet fairytale anymore. Okay, we never were.

  Our group slipped around to the side, continuing to the far end of the field. Light Fae swinging swords and axes drove at us. Thara, Samantha, Dax, and Dominic sprung after them, keeping the path clear for us. Thara didn’t hesitate as she plunged into the torrent of Light. I could see Torin wanted to join, but he kept running. Our destination remained in the distance.

  Alki and Deryn swooped overhead, tailed by a huge moth-shifter. The bird-shifter was much bigger, but it only made him a larger target. The moth took flight above Alki and dive-bombed the back of the bird. Alki twisted and shoved his sword at the fanged moth. The blade came out the back of the insect’s head. The thing chirped in anguish and tumbled on Alki, knocking him off Deryn. From way up in the sky, Alki’s body plummeted to the earth below, the moth shadowing him to the ground.

  Alki! The scream of Gabby’s voice in my head rocketed my nerves and caused me to put my hands over my ears in defense. Her claws spit up the dirt as she spun, tearing across the field to where his body hit.

  “Gabby!” Cole yelled after her, but it was useless. She didn’t falter at her Alpha’s voice. There was no stopping her from getting to Alki. Cole’s eyes narrowed and concentrated on her; he was trying to communicate with her through their link before she blended with the shadows and disappeared.

  Lightning shot across the pre-dawn sky, and the bolt collided with the Otherworld shield near us, knocking us to the ground. Electricity lit up and trailed over a portion of the invisible wall like veins, ripping a chasm into it. Magic poured out of the wound, invading Earth’s air. A group of Light Fae headed for the opening.

  “Come on.” Eli clambered onto his feet, helping me scuttle away from our proximity to the sizzling wall and encroaching soldiers. Hundreds of gnomes and wolf-shifters poured out. A single gnome was not a threat, but hundreds of them with weapons, moving with their stealthy speed, sent jolts of terror into my legs. Lars had taught me there were Light and Dark of every species. It was a choice.

  “Run,” Torin yelled at us.

  Blood pumped frantically in my body. There were more attackers than we expected, and we couldn’t outrun them, especially the wolves.

  As the challengers came for us, West and Cooper turned to them, arching their spines as they growled. The blades on their backs reflected the colors running through the night sky. Without hesitation they dove for the foe, zeroing in on the biggest threat to us with the grace of an exquisite but raw ballet. West and Cooper moved together with lithe beauty and slipped to the head wolf, tearing into him with a ruthless magnificence. It was brutal, chilling, and incredible to watch.

  “Brycin, move,” Eli yelled at me. I did as he said and bolted. We only made it down the hill before we spotted additional troops coming for us. More gnomes, wolves, and Light Fae swarmed at us from over the crest and one side. Dense forest lay on the opposite side.

  “Shit.” The only way we could proceed was through the forest. We couldn’t let anyone see that we were trying to get in the castle through the sewer tunnels, or hundreds of creatures would follow us in.

  Cole stopped and turned, waving us to keeping running. “Go. I will stall them.”

  My mouth opened to protest that he could not hold them all back, when a form darted through the brush, settling next to Cole. “I can help you, Uncle.” Jared, dressed in cargo pants and a t-shirt, held a sword in his hands. Another knife hung from his waist, but he wore no protective vest or anything.

  “Jared. No!” Both Kennedy and Owen screamed.

  Cole turned to his nephew. “What are you doing here? Go back, Jared. It’s too dangerous.”

  “This is my fight, too. I’m a Dark Dweller; let me act like one.” Jared firmly stood his ground.

  “No. This is not pretend. People are going to die, and I will not let you be one of them.” Owen grabbed Jared’s arm. With every second we stood there, our opponents gained ground on us.

  Eli seized Jared. “Go! We can’t worry about you, also.”

  Jared glanced back at Kennedy, his face flushing red. “Then don’t! I can fight.” His pupils elongated, his eyes burning fiery red, taking on some of the Dark Dweller appearance. His jaw clenched in a strong defiant line, trying to hide the true fear I saw in his eyes.

  “Guys?” Kennedy nervously pointed ahead of us, the wolves and gnomes only yards away now.

  It was too late for Jared to leave. He was in the battle now, whether we wanted him or not.

  Owen pushed Jared toward Eli. “I will stay. You go with them.”

  Cole and Owen shifted into Dark Dweller form, ready for the attack. Jared rolled the handle of his blade between his fingers. Both excitement and fear shown in his eyes.

  My head jerked around when I heard Torin bellow from the lead. He hopped back with his blade swinging. More soldiers of the Light crashed through the trees near us and blocked our path.

  Cal and Simmons flew back toward me. “My lady, we are surrounded,” Simmons announced.

  “Crapping cupcakes, there is a mess of them coming our way.” Cal yanked two swizzle swords from his belt.

  I drew my blade; it zinged with anticipation of the fight. “Let’s lessen their numbers, boys.”


  Kennedy turned, her eyes darting nervously from the group surrounding us to Jared.

  “Kennedy, don’t.” Lorcan also clearly sensed the panic growing in her.

  She held out her hands and muttered something. A compression of magic bowled out of her. Everyone in fifty-foot radius went tumbling to the ground.

  Rocks hit my tailbone as I landed on my back. The yells and rustling of the other members of our group told me they also were trying to struggle to their feet. Kennedy’s spell blew out of her like a sonic wave. It didn’t discriminate. In trying to help us, she took all of us to the ground, which made us more vulnerable to attack. We scrambled quickly from the dirt.

  “I’m so sorry. I was only trying to help.” Kennedy put her hands to her mouth.

  Lorcan widened his step, holding his sword. “Please, don’t help again.”

  She looked at him, remorse in her expression, and nodded.

  Roars from the opposing side blasted through my eardrums and into my lungs. I sucked in a breath as the mass of fighters broke through our border, coming at us from all sides.

  I swirled, slamming my blade into the metal of my challenger. My rapier sang with life, rushing with energy as it clashed once again. A beautiful, blond haired, blue-eyed Fay soldier stood across from me. His exquisite chiseled jaw held firm as he reared back and came swinging at me again. I ducked, feeling the rush of air zing a breath away from my scalp. He knew exactly who I was, and I could see the rage and disgust deep in his eyes every time his sword missed me. How proud he would feel if he could take my head back to the Queen. He must already taste the reward—the riches and fame he would have if he could only find a way to my neck.

  My weapon would have none of this. It did not like the idea of losing. It sent a current of energy through my arm as I sliced up. The tip kicked at his armor. Light soldiers wore the uniforms I had seen on Torin when he was First Knight: leather pants and the thick long-sleeved black shirt with the Queen’s insignia on the chest shield. Both the pants and shirt were thicker and harder to penetrate than they looked, making for great protection.