Quicksilver (Fae & Alchemy, #1)

by Callie Hart

Everlayne bowed and touched her head to them as she hurried by. Ren grumbled, giving them a cursory nod. Kingfisher stuck out a hand and flipped all seven of them off as he stormed by. Everlayne cried out, horrified, but Kingfisher only rolled his eyes, continuing whatever it was he’d been saying.

⚜️🎠🍯>>🏛️

“All right, Oshellith. Layne isn't going to let this go until you've been given the cliff notes, so listen close. I'm about to furnish you with the only information you really need to know.

🫠🫦🤤 ⚜️>>🦋

You have the distinct pleasure of being the only living human in all of Yvelia. You are not safe here.” He bared his teeth, flashing long, sharp canines that lengthened right before my eyes. “There was a time when this place teemed with your kind—” “Fisher, stop.” Ren tried to grab him by the shoulder, but the warrior in black jerked away and kept coming. “Our ancestors were cursed millennia ago. As a result, we ended up with these,” he said, gesturing to his canines. “We used them to drink your kind dry. We drained you by the million before the blood curse was lifted. This was long before our time, of course, but the Fae line still bears the marks of its past. We might not need blood to maintain our immortality anymore, but by the gods, do we still have the teeth for it. Our dirty little secret. Our awful, horrible shame—”

⚜️>🦋>>📜🧚🏼‍♂️

“Should we, uh...knock?” An arrogant smile curled up at the corner of his mouth. “Sure,” he said, as if this was a charming suggestion made by a single-brain-celled idiot. A second later, he slammed the sole of his boot against the wood, and then the door was on the ground in pieces. “Knock knock.” He stepped to one side, holding his hand out in a mockery of manners, gesturing for me to go ahead of him. “I don't think anyone's home.” “I'm not going first. What if it's warded by, I don't know...by magic, or something?” Kingfisher waggled his fingers, his eyes going wide. “Oh no, not magic!” “Ass.” “Coward,” he volleyed back. “I knew it wasn't warded.” “How?” “Because I'm magic.” “What about you is magic?” “Everything,” he said, entering the room. “My looks. My sword skills. My personality—” “Your personality is trash.”

🫠🫦🤤 ⚜️😏👹😈💅🦋🙄

Kingfisher remained focused on his breakfast. He didn't say a word when Everlayne approached and stood next to him at the head of the table. He just growled. “And you wonder why Belikon calls you a dog,” she said. That got Kingfisher's attention. Slowly, his head raised, the silver flashing brightly in his right eye as he turned a baleful gaze on the female. “I don't wonder. I know why he calls me that.” “It's because of his deep loyalty to the crown,” Renfis said, biting back a smile.

🫠🫦🤤 🍯😠🎠😏⚜️👹😈

He snapped his teeth at his sister. “It's because I bite.”

🫠🫦🤤 ⚜️👹😈

There had once been three branches of Alchemists—Fae who sought to discover the path to immortality, Fae who sought to create and invent by transmuting various metals and ores, and lastly, Fae who sought to cure illness and disease.

📜🧚🏼‍♂️✨

“I was born at the very beginning of the tenth age. I’ve been alive for one thousand four hundred and eighty-six years.”

📜🍯

“One thousand seven hundred and thirty-three,”

📜⚜️

Canines bared, he leaned in so close that barely an inch separated the tips of our noses. And he snarled, “Hell.”

🫠🫦🤤 ⚜️👿>>🦋

“Fuck—you—” “There you go again. Hungry, needy little bitch in heat, begging to be fucked...” he taunted.

🫠🫦🤤 ⚜️👿>>🦋

Annorath mor!

🪙>>🦋

Kingfisher kicking in my bedroom door, me thrown over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and wailing like a banshee. Nor had she expected his ultra-foul temper, his split bottom lip, or the thin line of blood trickling down his chin. She'd squawked when he'd thrown me unceremoniously down onto my bed and snarled, “Bad human,” at me.

🫠🫦🤤 ⚜️👿>>🦋

My mother was married to a Southern lord before she married my father. She had Fisher with her first husband. When Fisher was ten, the king sent his father on a mission to Zilvaren. He never returned. That’s when the gateways were stilled. The king said that Finran, Fisher’s father, was responsible for the quicksilver stilling and declared him a traitor to the Fae—” “Wait. Kingfisher said that Madra was responsible for stilling the quicksilver.” Everlayne’s expression became troubled. “And that might be true. Fisher has certainly never believed his father was responsible. But without any proof to the contrary, Belikon announced that Finran was to blame. Less than a year later, Belikon announced his engagement to my mother. By all accounts, she was surprised, given that she'd never even met the king, but Belikon made it clear that marrying him was the only way for her to prove that she wasn’t a traitor to the crown, too. Plus, Finran had been very wealthy, and Belikon needed money to pay for the conflict breaking out with Sanasroth. Belikon informed my mother via royal herald that she was to report to the Winter Palace, and she was to bring all of her assets and money with her. Rusarius still talks of how furious the king was when she arrived with Kingfisher in tow.”

📜⚜️🍯🪾>>🏯🗽 🦞- Finran 🦚- Edina

“Admittedly, I do enjoy when a female kneels for me, but in this particular case...”

🫠🫦🤤 ⚜️🫦😏👹>>🦋

He looked down at himself, his mouth twisting into a cold smile when he caught me looking at his upgraded armor. “You like it?” he purred. “I figured some extra protection was in order this morning since you're now given to hurling yourself at me like some kind of rabid feline.” “Cats scratch,” I said flatly. “I came this close to knocking you on your ass.” “In your fucking dreams, human.” He kicked the door closed, strode into the bedroom,

🤤🫦🫠 ⚜️🦋

went to all three of the tall windows in the room, ripping the curtains closed at each as he went. I got up and followed after him, drawing the curtains open again. “What are you doing?” “I'm hungover,” he announced. “The sun is trying to crack my skull open, which is making me very unfriendly. But please. Feel free to open the curtains.” How did you even kill a Fae warrior? Did you need a special weapon? Could they be poisoned? I made a mental note to ask Rusarius—the old librarian was bound to know. Scowling deeply, I went back and revisited the windows, drawing the curtains closed again. “I meant, what are you doing here? In my room?” “I'm not allowed to eat in the library, apparently. And, unlike Layne, I don't have my own assigned wing of the court. After seeing how nice your rooms were yesterday, I figured I'd come and eat breakfast here. Don't worry. I brought you some cheese.” He picked up one of the small plates that he'd balanced on his overflowing board and planted a massive wedge of hard cheese down on it. In fairness, it looked like good cheese, but the way he shoved the plate at me across the table made my blood boil. The prick started eating like his life depended on it. “Rusarius said no cooked food in the library. All of this is cold. Take it and go and bother him.” Kingfisher paid me no heed. “Fisher!” He winced, hunkering down into his seat. “Today has rules, human.” He started counting them off on his hand, a finger for each. “Do not shout. Do not throw...

⚜️🦋

Kingfisher's gaze snapped up, singling in on mine. “Careful, human. We Fae have an excellent sense of smell. You'd be amazed what we can scent floating on the air.”

🫠🫦🤤 ⚜️🫦👹>>🦋

He set down the piece of bread and meat he was holding and sat back in his chair very slowly. His expression was suddenly serious, his eyes alert, his voice low and smooth as velvet. “You're making it worse.”

🫠🫦🤤 ⚜️🫦👹😮‍💨>>🦋

Kingfisher's eyes narrowed, still boring into me. “I was going to get it seen to after this, but now I've decided against it.” “Hah. Right.” I ripped a piece of cheese from the block he'd slapped on the plate for me and shoved it into my mouth. “Yes. Just now, actually. I'm going to keep it as a souvenir.” “A reminder of the time a weak human girl landed a hit on you and drew blood? You want your friends knowing about that?” Fuck, this cheese had the consistency of glue. I kept chewing, but my mouth was so dry that it was turning into a thick paste. “I like being surprised,” Fisher said, spinning his fork over in his hand. “I'm also a fan of aggressive foreplay. It'll be a fun reminder.”

🫠🫦🤤 ⚜️🦋

Kingfisher leaned forward, his tongue running over his teeth again. He smiled suggestively as he said, “Swallow.”

🫠🫦🤤 ⚜️🫦👹😏

“And—and why does it smell like a brothel in here? If you're going to spend the night out whoring and drinking, the least you could do is wash the smell of sex off you before showing up for breakfast.” Kingfisher looked like he was about to explode with laughter. The monstrous bastard was enjoying this.

⚜️🦋🍯

Sanasrothian pool, located at the center of their rival court's council halls.

📜⛩️🪙

The Gilarien, the Fae in the mountains to the east,

🎍

kept their pool in a hall perched upon the highest peak of their domain.

📜🎍🪙

the Lìssians, the sea...

🐚

was located deep in a...

📜🐚🪙

I jerked when he snapped his fingers in front of my face. “You could at least say hello before you start eye-fucking me.”

🫠🫦🤤 ⚜️👹😏💅>>🦋

“I wasn't eye-fucking you. I was trying to see through all of this...steam.” I wafted my hand for effect, but the air was clear, there was no steam, and Kingfisher did not look impressed.

🦋⚜️

Oath Bound Fae.

📝

“There you go again, lying your little heart out. You like my sweat, don't you, human?”

🫠🫦🤤 ⚜️👹😏💅>>🦋

“It's Saeris. My name. Call me that or nothing at all.” He cast an amused look over his shoulder, his lips parted a fraction, exposing the briefest glimpse of teeth. “Nothing at all? I like the sound of that. Come here and look at this, Nothing At All.” I suppose I walked right into that one. Sighing, I went to see what he was pointing at inside the crucible. “There are these other words, too. Please and thank you? I haven't heard you use either yet, but I'm sure they're a part of your vocabulary—” “They're not,” he said brightly.

🦋⚜️

“What am I looking at?” “Bone,” Fisher said. “Human?” He shook his head. “I didn't have any. Though, if you were willing to contribute—” “Stop.” Fisher stood up straight, half-closing one eye as he studied me. “Are your kind supposed to nap in the afternoons? You're really grumpy. I'm the one with the hangover, y'know.” “What did you even do last night?” “Wouldn't you like to know.” “Actually, forget it. I've changed my mind. I don't want to know.”

🫦 ⚜️🦋

“I'm not happy about it, no. But if it means that we ca—OH! Holy gods!” We weren’t alone. My hand closed around a pair of tongs. I clutched them like a dagger, leaping forward, adopting a defensive stance. My pulse hammered in my fingers and my toes and everywhere else it possibly could. In an instant, I was ready to fight, but Kingfisher moved quicker than me. He became a blur of black smoke. Cold wind ripped at my hair, and then he was gone. He rematerialized on the other side of the workshop, murder in his eyes, that lethal black sword gripped in both hands, dripping smoke. “What is that?” I stabbed my finger at the hideous thing crouching next to the hearth. It hissed at me, baring its teeth, showing the whites of its eyes. Kingfisher took one look at the creature and straightened out of his defensive stand, cursing in a language I didn't understand. “What’s wrong with you? It's a fox! Gods, I thought you were about to get your face torn off.” “Fox? What's a fox?” Kingfisher muttered darkly under his breath as he went and stood over the strange animal.

⚜️🦋

“Just so you know,” the warrior growled, “transporting like that when you have a headache is the worst.” He brought the blade swinging down. “NO! STOP! What are you doing?” He drew the weapon to one side just in the nick of time. “Graceless fucking gods, human! Stop fucking yelling!”

⚜️🦋

“It's going to bite you,” Kingfisher said. “No, it won't. It—” It bit me.

⚜️🦋🦊

Kingfisher set the tip of his sword against the stone at his feet and casually leaned his weight against it, watching the scene play out with no obvious feeling one way or another. “They carry all kinds of diseases. Lung rot,” he said. “A flakey skin thing, too? Some kind of fungal infection, I think.” “Ow! It's almost down to the bone, Fisher. Help me!” Kingfisher pushed away from the sword, standing up straight. He looked up at the rafters overhead, squinting. “This...is a learning experience, I think. There are always consequences to our actions. Your new furry bracelet is a consequence of human weakness. Wear it with pride.”

🦋⚜️🦊

“Let go, let go, leggo, leggo, leggo,” I pleaded. “Please let go. I don't want to have to hurt you. I'm sorry we ruined your home. I promise we'll build you an even better one.” “Don't make promises on my behalf,” Kingfisher interjected. “I think it would make a great hat.” I growled at Kingfisher. The fox growled, too. As if we'd found some common ground, the little fox slowly relaxed its grip on my forearm, its jaws shaking as if it were going against its better nature by releasing me. I stood, pressing my hand against the puncture marks in my skin, attempting to stem the flow of blood. The fox shot Kingfisher a wary look and darted under my skirts, hiding beneath the folds of the shifting fabric. “Oh, look,” Kingfisher observed. “Finally. A use for all of that ridiculous material. Such a pretty little doll in her pretty little dress, aren’t you.” “Hey! I don't want to wear this,” I snapped, plucking at the dress. “What was I wearing when you found me?” “A whole lot of blood.” Fisher pondered. Frowned. “Wait. I seem to recall that your intestines might have been a part of your ensemble.” “Pants and a shirt,” I said dryly. “And a pair of boots with really good soles. Do you have any idea what those boots cost me?” “Let me guess. Your virginity.” “Fuck you, Fisher.” “Sure.” He smirked. “But I'm afraid I don't have any new boots to trade you for your time.” I lunged for him, ready to kill him, and gasped when I felt the brush of fur against my calves and remembered the litt...

⚜️🦋🦊

“If you want it, come here and touch it,” he rumbled.

🫠🫦🤤 ⚜️👹😏🫦>>🦋

He grabbed a stool from beneath the workbench and sat down on it, positioning himself so that he was facing me. So little space between us now. He spread his legs, the hard, interested light in his eyes daring me to step between them so that I could close the gap.

🫠🫦🤤 ⚜️🦋

He took the pendant, lifting it, placing the metal between his teeth, holding it out of the way as he moved my hand to the center of his chest. “Feel that?” he asked, his bottom lip pressing against the pendant as he spoke with it still clamped between his teeth. The tips of his canines also pressed into the swell of his bottom lip. I couldn't tear my eyes away from them. “Dum. Dum. Dum.” Kingfisher tapped the back of my hand in time with the rhythm of his heart.

🫠🫦🤤 ⚜️🦋

He still had hold of my wrist. He did not let go. He allowed the pendant to drop from between his teeth, the corner of his mouth kicking up as he tugged me closer to him. His other hand moved from my chest, sliding down, around my waist, settling in the small of my back. His thighs drew together, pinning me by the hips between them.

🫠🫦🤤 ⚜️🫦🦋

“I don't hate your kind. I'm just disappointed by how breakable you are. If I held you down and fucked you the way I'm imagining fucking you right now, I doubt that you’d survive it.”

🫠🫦🤤 ⚜️👹😏🫦🤤😈>>🦋

“You can pull away at any time. Looks to me like you're choosing to stay. It also looks like you're having to stop yourself from touching me. You want to touch me the way I'm touching you, don't you? To feel the weight of me beneath your palms. The heat of me...” He angled his head a fraction, something wicked dancing in his eyes. “Just to see what would happen.” “You're wrong.” He shook his head. “I'm not.” “Yes! You are!” He gave me a reproachful look. “Are you going to make me say it?”

🫠🫦🤤 ⚜️👹😏💅😈🫦>>🦋

He grazed the bridge of his nose along the line of my jaw, the contact so light, up toward the shell of my ear. “That your body is betraying you in other ways. That I can smell you, Little Osha, and I'm thinking about drinking the sweet nectar you're making for me straight from the fucking cup.”

🫠🫦🤤 ⚜️👹😏💅😈🫦>>🦋

“Aren't you curious? Don't you want to know what I taste like?”

🫠🫦🤤 ⚜️👹😏💅😈🫦>>🦋

“If you try to punch me again, I'll tie your hands behind your fucking back,” he promised. He was still smirking, but he meant it.

🫠🫦🤤 ⚜️👹😏💅😈🫦>>🦋

Kingfisher's head rocked back, a low, rumbling groan issuing from his throat. I nipped and tugged at his bottom lip, sighing into his mouth, and the huge male went utterly still beneath me. “Careful,” he panted. “I swore I'd be still while you kissed me. At no point did I promise to exercise restraint if you climbed up into my lap and started grinding yourself against my cock.”

🫠🫦🤤 ⚜️👹😈🫦😮‍💨>>🦋

Fisher laughed quietly as he rose from the stool and collected his shirt from the bench. Shaking it out, he slid it onto his arms, but didn't lift it over his head. Not yet. He stood there, eyes drilling into me, a reckless, beautiful grin strewn across his face. “I didn't say I minded. But for next time, that's where the line is. You want to cross it, I'll happily join you on the other side. Just don't say I didn't warn you.”

🫠🫦🤤 ⚜️👹😏💅😈🫦>>🦋

Fisher grinned so hard that a small dimple appeared,