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October 3 - October 4, 2025
Sort of. He’d trained them with the common knowledge. He’d trained them that only black ashwood arrows and shirastone blades to the heart or head would kill a Fae. He even taught them a few attacks, but they would never have the speed to actually land a blow on a Fae. The odds of them eluding Fae sight and hearing to fire an arrow were slim to none.
“How long has the Contessa been in power?” Sorin studied the Lord for a long moment before saying, “A very long time.” The Lord met his stare. “I am well aware of the immortal life span that a vampyre possesses. How long?” “Over five hundred years,” Sorin ground out.
Queen Henna had ruled the eastern Wind and Earth Courts. Queen Eliné had ruled the western Fire and Water Courts.
“Why are you and Cassius so intent on coddling her? She will likely face much bigger trials in her lifetime. She already has. And only I will have cared enough to prepare her for such.” “What are you talking about?” “All in due time, Sorin. All in due time,”
Nuri pulled back, a drop of his blood on her chin. “Why are you so willing to let me feed on you?” “It serves my own purposes,” he replied, a slow smile coming across his face as she bent to taste more. She froze at his implications. “How do you think I am able to refuse your alluring trances so easily?” She stared at him in shock. “Didn’t anyone teach you that should you drink Fae blood, the one you drink from not only becomes immune to your wiles, but you also cannot harm them until their blood has left your system? Which takes several days, by the way.”
Sorin held her close, their eyes staying locked on each other, and they danced to their own song, not caring that anyone else was in the room. “You are an excellent performer,” he whispered, bringing his mouth right next to her ear, after a third song began. Scarlett huffed a low laugh, then crooned back, “I’d say the same to you but that desire shining in your eyes is anything but an act.”
“Cassius has always been the calm to my storm,” Scarlett answered simply.
Twice he’d tried to explain. Twice she had silenced him. He would indeed need to return to the Fae lands soon, and if he could not figure out what she was before he left, he intended to ask her to come with him. Whether or not she would agree, he didn’t know, but after dancing with her tonight, tasting her lips on his again, he knew he could not leave her behind in this realm.
“Fae believe in the Fates and the gods and believe that there is one soul that they are destined to be with, have been joined with since the beginning of time. It is believed their souls recognize each other, if they are lucky enough to find each other in this vast world and during their own lifetime.”
“It is said that if they are truly each other’s, their souls are connected. It is a much deeper connection than marriage, far more powerful. Their magic can intermingle, making them incredibly valuable to their Courts. They become second only to blood royalty. There is a bond that cannot be broken, a bridge between souls. I cannot explain it adequately, but they must accept the bond by proving it.”
“The two are Marked to see if the connection settles into place and to initiate the Trials. There are five parts to it, and each piece must be fulfilled in a test of sorts. Each pair is different and so each trial is specific to them. The Marking is a powerful enchantment that calls from soul to soul. It is a literal offering of a piece of themselves to one another. If they have truly found each other, the Mark brands itself permanently to their skin, and the bond becomes unbreakable.”
“I hope you find her someday, Sorin.” When he didn’t reply, she added, “Until you do, we can be alone together.”
“I don’t know. I think it was healed in the dream.” “What?” “In my dream that night. There was someone in my dream that healed it.” “Who? How?” Sorin asked, his eyes widened slightly as they met hers. There was a glimmer of panic or fear in them.
“You know what this is, don’t you?” “No. Not yet, but I have a few ideas,”
“You took him there.” “I don’t know why,” she whispered. “I think you do,” he said, leaning forward and pressing a light kiss to her hair. “You’re still my favorite,” she said, stroking his cheek with her thumb. “Always.” A faint smile played on his lips. “Maybe not always.”
“You know what’s happening to her, don’t you? You know what this is.” “I don’t know,” Sorin replied. Then with a sigh, “Maybe.”
“How old is she?” Sorin asked quietly. “What?” “Scarlett. How old is she?” “She’s nineteen. Why?” Sorin closed his eyes. Eliné had left nearly twenty years ago, in the middle of the night without a word to anyone. A lost Fae child in the mortal lands who possessed both fire and water magic. Coincidences weren’t a thing when magic was involved. “What was her mother’s name?” “Eliné,” Cassius answered. “Eliné Monrhoe.” Scarlett had refused to tell him, not that he’d pushed very hard, thinking it didn’t matter. Eliné’s husband had been killed in the war. She had no one to conceive a child with.
Why hadn’t they killed her? Fae were not allowed to enter, let alone live in the human lands. If they were discovered, they were immediately hunted down and killed on site if caught.
“Lord Tyndell knows?” Sorin asked, his voice a whisper. “If she is not human, yes, he knows…and he knows that you are not mortal as well,”
Scarlett cried out again, her hands going to her head, covering her ears. “Make it stop,” she panted. Sorin jolted to his knees in front of her. Her eyes were not their usual icy blue, but gold with smoke swirling in them, and she didn’t seem to see him. She seemed to look right through him. “Cassius!” she cried. “I need Cassius. He can make it stop.”
I am all you have, Love. Let me help you.” He tugged at her hands. “Let go, Scarlett. Let go.” He gently pried her fingers from her hair. She was shaking, and he sent a flood of warmth through her skin. “Breathe, Love. Take a breath.”
“You have no idea the people who want her,” Cassius murmured quietly. “Want her dead, you mean?” “No, Sorin, very few of them want her dead.”
“Sorin?” “Yes, Love. I’m here.” “You made it stop,” she breathed. She held his gaze, relief and focus sharpening in her eyes. “I’m glad I could help,” he replied with a tight smile. “You made it stop,” she murmured again. She reached a hand up and tentatively touched his lips. Frost coated her fingertips, and the cold against his skin sent a chill down his spine. A half grin kicked up on his mouth, and he huffed a breath onto them, breathing out his magic. The frost melted instantly.
Without thinking, Sorin pressed a kiss to the top of her head. As soon as he realized what he’d done, his eyes darted to Cassius. “There are so many people who want her,” he said, his brown eyes holding his gaze. Sorin clenched his jaw. “I am not one of them.”
Scarlett’s eyes were no longer golden, nor were they icy blue. They were silver and glowing. Something like smoke swirled in them, and tendrils of the same seemed to be slowly coiling around her.
That coiling smoke struck out at him, and he threw up a shield of fire around himself. The smoke leapt back from his flame. Not smoke, he realized. Shadows. That was intriguing.
Almost instantly, her eyes shifted to icy blue, the smoke and shadows disappearing.
“Was Eliné her mother?” Sorin asked. “Did you know Eliné?” she countered. “Cassius said her mother’s name was Eliné Monrhoe. I knew Queen Eliné Semiria,” Sorin replied. “Were they one and the same?” “Her mother or the woman who bore those names?”
“You have a Mark? You made a bargain with someone?” Nuri met his stare. She reached up and pulled back the neck of her tunic revealing a Mark inked upon the back of her shoulder. Three horizontal dark lines were indeed inked upon her skin. A Mark of secrecy that would only lift when the secret was revealed by the one who held it.
“I know she is Fae and insanely powerful. She has gifts of both Anala and Anahita. The only others who have more than one gift are the Fae Queens. Queen Eliné disappeared from the Black Halls and our lands twenty years ago. Scarlett is nineteen. I know that Lord Tyndell knows she is Fae.”
“You do know that your kind are not welcome here, don’t you?” “I know that mortals fear the Fae, yes.” Nuri smirked. “That’s cute. Fear the Fae. Mortals loathe the Fae, General. Every suffering, every evil, every bad thing that happens is because of the Fae.” Sorin clenched his jaw at the implication. “My sisters and I were trained extensively on how to catch, torture, and kill Fae.
“Her tonic,” Sorin said, changing the subject. “It drugs her.” “Yes, in a way. Our tonics do more than that though,” Nuri answered. “You take a tonic as well?”
“He had me start drinking a tonic, and it’s like—” he paused, clearly unsure how to explain it. “The tonic gives me some sort of power? He gave me these books to study. They’re similar to spells or something. He told me to figure out how to protect the kingdom from outside forces.
“There is no tonic or elixir that can give you powers,” Sorin said thoughtfully. “If there were, rulers would be creating them everywhere. That is one gift that was never granted to anyone. It would upset the balance. Magic is always a give and take.” Cassius was quiet for a long moment, then said, “You think I am not human?” “If you possess the raw power to create wards, I know you are not mortal,” Sorin replied. “Do you think I am Fae?” “It is possible, I suppose, that you may have some Fae blood, but I cannot say for sure without seeing your powers. Wards are spellwork. That is not specific
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“It is part of her gifts,” Sorin answered. “One of her Fae gifts is flames. I think the tonic she takes somehow suppresses her magic. When she does not have her usual nightly one, her magic starts to come to the surface. Because she has never been taught how to control it, it is like it explodes from her. The stronger tonic she takes drugs her and instantly quiets the magic again, but at a cost. It is the give and take I told you about. She goes into such a deep sleep because her magic is still coursing through her veins. It wants out, but she is asleep so she cannot wield it. With fire magic,
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“Yes, but I am pretty sure her gifts exceed my own.”
“Dear Nuri here has developed quite the taste for Fae blood since I let her feed on me to heal after darling Scarlett pinned her down with a dagger through the arm.”
“Hungry, Nuri?” He began to roll up his sleeve, and her eyes watched every movement. She began to tremble when he held out his wrist to her. “He does not believe us, you know?” Nuri dragged her eyes up to his. “I am going to rip out your throat.” “Not today you’re not,” Sorin said, his tone icy. “Or tomorrow. Or the day after that.” He sliced his forearm open with the dagger he’d been holding and slid the Semiria ring from his finger so he wouldn’t immediately begin healing. “Eat, Nuri,” he said, “before you faint from trying to restrain.”
Nuri walked slowly over to them. Her eyes were glazed as her fangs slid from their sheaths. With one last murderous look at Sorin, she sank them into his arm and drank. He felt her relax with each drink.
“But…sunlight?” Cassius asked. “I’m never directly in it,” Nuri said,
“Shifters,” Cassius ground out from between gritted teeth. “What are Shifters?” “Beings that can change their form. Most only have one other form — a mountain cat or a wolf or a bird of some sort or some other type of animal. There are a few though who possess raw shape-shifting powers. They can make themselves look like you or me or any animal they choose. They can become as small as a fly or make themselves look like a king. They were incredibly valuable to the Courts and Avonleya,” Sorin said.
The Shifters were loyal to the Courts, and when Avonleya lost, their allies and armies were punished. They were allowed to live but were isolated.”
“Witches are self-explanatory, I’m guessing?” Sorin nodded. “They are incredibly powerful. Masters of apothecary and healing and spellwork. The Witch Kingdoms are also where I suspect your bloodline is from.” Cassius’s head snapped up. “You think I am a Witch?” “No. I think your mother is a Witch. I do not know what you are yet.” “Why not a Witch?” “A Witch can only be female. You clearly are not,” Sorin answered with a shrug.
The Witches are very violent. Males in their realm are lesser beings. Male children are often killed, especially if they exhibit signs of powers. If I am correct, your mother attempted to save you by sending you here, far from the Witch Kingdoms.”
“Blood magic I suppose. That is what brought me here in the first place.” The words snagged in Scarlett’s memory. Blood magic. Dracon, the assassin who had murdered her mother, claimed such a thing as well.
“A Daughter of the Night, an apothecary’s daughter and a daughter of fire and water and more it seems,” he mused. “I was warned there were guardians in this city. I did not believe their claims.” “You have five seconds to tell me what the hell you are talking about, or I will start removing fingers,” Scarlett said with icy calm. She let more and more of the darkness out of its cage within her soul, the man’s eyes fixed on her. “Too bad my brother has already laid claim to you. I can see why,” he said, and Scarlett could see the lust lingering in his gaze. This man was a lunatic.
“Who is taking our children and for what purpose?” “To restore my king’s throne,” he answered with a sneer. “Who is your king?” Scarlett demanded. “Who is yours?” the man replied with a smile through the pain.
“What sweet darkness dwells in you, Princess. I can see why he claimed you. I can see what calls to him. Shadows always return to the darkness.”
“You don’t have to agree with me. I’m just telling you what everyone else sees. I may be your favorite, but if he’s in the room, your eyes go to him first, then they seek me out. When you’re not looking, he’s constantly watching you, assessing for threats. And the two of you dancing the other night? Whether there was wine involved or not, I swear you both glowed in an odd way. It was as if there was no else in the room. It’s been there since the first time you two faced off in the training galley. He’s able to reach you when no one else can. I see it. Nuri sees it. Everyone sees it. What it
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“You are fierce and strong and a survivor. You need no one, Scarlett Monrhoe, but wouldn’t it be nice to have someone there with you so you can rest and take a breath, even if only for a minute?”
