A Sliver of Shadow (38 page)

He sniggered. “Guess so. But the brick thing was pretty apt. Things have been falling apart here for a while. Maybe this is the shakeup they need.”

“Yeah. Now all we have to do is see if they’re gonna build houses with them … or chuck one at the Queen’s head.”

“What a charming mouth on you, little whore. Not even here a day and you’re already cozying up to my consort. Plotting to overthrow me, perhaps?” The Queen’s icy, mad-swept voice rushed into the little grove, her dress hanging off her shoulders in ragged pieces. I jerked my feet out of the water, attempting to put as much space between me and the wild-eyed woman as I could. She laughed bitterly when I craned my head past her to look for my father.

“Thomas is somewhat blind when it comes to me, even should I be standing beside him while he passes by in the darkness. Easy enough to escape the watchful eyes of those who don’t truly wish to see.” Her nails raked across her arms, leaving jagged streaks of crimson behind.

I moved to take her hands, forgetting who she was. “You’ll hurt yourself.” Beneath my fingers, her skin was
smooth and ice cold. Something pulsed over me, an electric rush of energy freezing me in place.

“KeyStone,” she hissed. “And she has the Key. Wherever did you get this, little whore? I see my consort has been even more naughty than I thought.” Pinpricks vibrated like thousands of tiny ants. From a distance I could almost get a sense of her mind, her thoughts beating against my mind like a butterfly trapped in a jar.

She was trying to TouchStone me.

…
I plunged into darkness, the weight of years beyond measure pressing upon me like the endless depths of the sea
…
the glittering silver of the CrossRoads filling me to the brim, the magic swirling, pushing against my very skin as though I might burst open with it, spilling my guts like a ripened fruit
…

I gritted my teeth and fought as hard as I could. In the past I’d had to at least allow it on some level, but the Queen’s power was tainted by an insanity I couldn’t comprehend.

“No,” I croaked. “I will
not
do this.”

“What else can I do?” she whispered. “How else can I protect my lands? The daemons will not rest until they have them, but I cannot free the CrossRoads until Moira is safe. She’s only a little girl.” Her maddened gaze focused on me. “Who would stoop to hurting a little girl? Can you help me?”

“I thought that was what I was trying to do.” My knees buckled beneath the strain of holding her back, her power assaulting me a second time.

Phineas bolted upright and nipped the Queen hard in the ankle. She shook her leg like a dog in a trap, sending Phineas sprawling.

“Don’t let her,” he wheezed. “She’ll kill you.”

“Sorta figured that out, thanks.”

Already she was turning toward me, her fingers reaching. No choice for it then. I bum-rushed her ass, landing
hard enough to knock the wind from her. Admittedly not the smartest thing in the world, but I’d take it. She gasped, her eyes rolling into her head as she tried to bite me. “Now what?” I looked over the unicorn.

“Stuff her mouth with something, I don’t know. Gag her?”

“Dude, I get caught doing that …”

“You want to find—” But whatever else he was going to say was lost when the Queen bucked up, raking her nails across my shoulder.

“Fuck it,” I snarled, tearing off a strip of her dress and shoving it into her mouth. She bared her teeth at me, but at least it kept her occupied enough to stop from trying to curse me into oblivion. I attempted to kneel on her shoulders, dimly hearing Phin say he was going for help, and then I was barreled ass over elbows into the ground.

“What the hell are you doing?” My father loomed over me, shaking with rage.

“She tried to TouchStone me,” I sputtered, pulling a cluster of desiccated rose leaves from my mouth.

He went to his lover, gently cradling her head and removing the makeshift gag. Her eyes glazed over as she looked him, her limbs beginning to shudder. “Leave us,” Thomas said harshly, not looking at me.

“But—”

“Leave. Now,” he snapped.

I couldn’t quite bring myself to apologize. The cuts on my shoulder began to sting fiercely. I doubted she was practicing much personal hygiene these days, so I would have to clean that out for sure. Carefully I crept around the prone form of the Queen, Phin trotting at my heels.

I didn’t look back.

The water splashed over my face, washing away the sticky feeling of tears, dirt, and blood.

Bleary, I peered in the mirror, blinking when I saw the leaves in my hair. “I haven’t had nearly enough to drink to look this awesome.” A rough patch at the corner of my mouth confirmed I’d broken a bit of skin when I’d hit the ground, but it didn’t feel too swollen. At least I was back in my own room, though.

“You’re telling me,” Phineas proclaimed from my bed. “What a cluster.”

“Eh, provided the guards don’t come knocking my door down tonight, I’ll settle for crashing.” I yawned, cringing when I used a dampened linen towel to wash over the cuts the Queen’s nails had left behind. “This had better not scar.”

“If it still hurts in the morning I’ll heal it for you. Might lead to some awkward questions, otherwise.”

I yawned again, slipping easily out of the now-completely-destroyed ballet dress. “Whatever. I’m going to throw on a shirt and pass out. Worry about it tomorrow,” I mumbled, stumbling into the wardrobe. No shirts, but I did find what was probably a chemise. It was soft and long and that worked just fine. “Good enough.”

I glanced over at Melanie’s door, grateful she’d been asleep when I poked my head into the room. Unusual for her to turn in so early, but it had been a pretty long day for her too. Couldn’t blame her if she wanted some quiet.

A soft knock at the door jolted me to awareness. Guards?
No. Guards wouldn’t bother knocking
. I hesitated, not sure I wanted company.

“Abby?” Talivar’s muffled voice sounded from the hallway and I relaxed.

“Come in.”

I emerged from the wardrobe, shrugging into the chemise as he strode in, dressed in a more casual set of trousers and shirt. His shorn hair was tousled in a rather alluring fashion, but I couldn’t even come up with the effort of leering at it.

He blinked at me. “What the hell happened to you?”

“You don’t even want to know. Ask me in the morning.” I picked out another leaf from my hair, smiling when our fingers entwined. His other hand tipped my chin up toward him, his lips brushing over mine tenderly.

“Mmm,” I sighed. “That’s the way to end the night. Start the morning? I don’t even know what time it is.”

“Guess I missed out on my chance for a good night kiss, then.” Brystion yawned from the windowsill, rolling a bottle of wine between nimble fingers. His eyes were dark as he watched us, but there was a hint of mischief about his mouth.

Startled, I pulled away from Talivar, though he kept his hand locked on mine. “Uh. Yeah? That is …” I shook my head. Why was I going to apologize? “Never mind. I’m too tired to deal with this now.”

Talivar released me, his gaze flat. “My apologies. I didn’t realize you were expecting someone else.”

I rolled my eyes. “I wasn’t expecting either of you. I certainly didn’t
invite
anyone, if that’s what you’re implying.” Inwardly, I sighed. Maybe this was the part where I went and poured water all down the front of my chemise to distract them with the medieval equivalent of a wet T-shirt contest?

The incubus nodded at my hair. “I thought he was supposed to be guarding you. Maybe you need to find a replacement for the job.”

Talivar snorted. “Like you, perhaps? Wouldn’t that be convenient?”

The pillowy softness of the monstrous four-poster bed beckoned to me. I pointed at both men. “Tell you what, gentlemen, I’m going to excuse myself completely from this conversation. Stay or go, but I’m going to bed. If either of you wake me up, I will shove a pillow so far up your ass
you’ll taste feathers. “I blinked sweetly at their blank stares and extricated myself to crawl beneath the covers.

There was a silence as the two men quietly sized each other up. Phineas jumped off the bed. “Too many dicks on the dance floor,” he muttered, heading for the shelter beneath the mattress. Not that I blamed him.

The sound of heated whispers had me cracking an eye to peer at the elf and the incubus, locked in a dispute that seemed to involve a lot of hand gesturing. Much of it pointing in my direction. I decided I didn’t care. A moment later I heard the cork of the wine bottle being pulled and the clink of glasses. At least it wasn’t being bashed over someone’s head.

“Enjoy your newfound bromance, boys,” I mumbled and drifted off to sleep.

I
shifted my legs to curl into the heat coiled around the curve of my spine, a hand gently rubbing my hip. I exhaled and sank further into the mattress. Outside, a dove cooed mournfully. I supposed it was morning, but I wasn’t willing to open my eyes and verify that yet. Everything was deliciously warm and soft.

Playful fingers stroked my head, twirling the loose strands of my hair, even as a third hand splayed against my belly. Dimly, I realized that was one hand too many. I cracked an eye; the soft light of dawn streamed in through one window to bathe the bed in a soft haze. Frowning, I tried to remember what had happened the night before. I’d gone to bed, right? Right.

Which begged the question of why there were multiple uninvited bodies pressed up against me. I lifted my head and took a long, leisurely look at my bed. Blinked. Shut my eyes and lay back down.

I was on my right side, Brystion spooning me from behind. Talivar lay on his back in front of me, my left leg sprawled somewhat indecently over his hips. That they were both still fully clothed was at least some comfort that
I hadn’t done something foolish. The fact that my chemise seemed to be riding dangerously high on my thigh was not.

“Okay, then. When does the orgy start?”

“Don’t think that was part of the bargain,” Ion whispered in my ear, nuzzling the sensitive spot right behind it. “Maybe you’re dreaming,” he added slyly.

“Mmmph,” I grunted. “While I can’t deny there’s something appealing about being sandwiched between the two of you, if this were a dream you guys would be naked.” Which was true. But on the other hand …

“Shush,” Talivar murmured. “We’ll talk about it later. Go back to sleep. There’s still time yet.”

Time for what? I tucked the covers around me as best I could, the subtle shift of our bodies making room for each other as we readjusted ourselves. I sighed and let consciousness slip away again, safe within my cocoon of sheets and sleep.

When I awoke several hours later, I was alone.

Phineas and I sprawled out on the grass in Moira’s private gardens, looking up at the sky, mostly under the assumption that food would be arriving shortly. Or so Moira had assured us when she found us wandering the hallway outside her door.

Of my would-be suitors there was no sign other than the empty wine bottle on the mantel. I’d found a new dress in the wardrobe, though I suspected it was more of a shift than a proper dress. I’d have given just about anything for some pants, but apparently those were in short supply. For lying around in a garden, it worked.

“And they drank
all
the wine?”

“Yeah,” the unicorn snorted. “One minute they were bitching at each other about which one was going to guard you and then Brystion decided he didn’t want the bottle
of wine to go to waste. Next thing I knew, they were sitting in front of the fireplace swapping stories. Go figure.” He cocked an eye at me slyly. “You probably don’t want to know what the stories were about, though.”

I shuddered. “No, I don’t think so. Odd, though. I thought this was the part where they had a duel over me or something. Fought for my honor. Fairy-tale shit.”

“Fairy tales are overrated. Besides, that would have ruined the illusion when they started making out …”

“They
what
?” A possible variation of that image seared into my brain and refused to leave.

“Oh, yeah,” Phineas yawned. “They couldn’t keep their hands off each other. Surprised it didn’t wake you up. Especially when Talivar dragged out the assless leather chaps and started riding the incubus around like a pony.”

I scowled at him. “I think someone’s been reading too much yaoi.”

“Maybe. But the look on your face is pretty priceless.”

“I thought you couldn’t lie.”

“Lie, no. Exaggerate the hell out of something? Absolutely.”

“Whatever. Let’s just call waking up with them as unexpected and leave it at that.”

Melanie glanced over at us from where she sat cross-legged on a blanket. “I think it’s cute. And refreshing. Better than the usual chest-beating and knuckle dragging thing.” She flopped down beside us. “Wow. Faery grass is wicked soft.”

“I’ll be sure to take pictures for you next time.”

She sniggered. “Is there going to be a next time? You’re a bit more liberal than I thought, Abby. Good for you.”

“Mmmph. Where the hell is breakfast?”

“We could always head down to the main hall,” Melanie suggested, patting her belly.