Army Of The Winter Court (Skeleton Key) (13 page)

Feeling restless, Evvie stood and paced the room.

Aurelian wanted her blood! It was more than a little creepy. Was it a process similar to giving blood, just the occasional vial here and here? Or was it a ‘drain every last drop and toss her away like yesterday’s junk mail’ process?

It seemed like the more gruesome of the options for sure. She didn’t want to think Aurelian was capable of killing her, but she couldn’t come to any other conclusion.

Nolan had made it clear he wanted her heart. In the brief moments she’d spent with him, he was intimidating and perhaps a little clingy, but he had been more upfront about what her decision would cost her. A lifetime, or her life.
 

A nagging feeling in the back of her mind whispered to her, telling her to choose Aurelian, but she knew that was insane. To give up her life because she knew him better than his competition was absurd. Her brain knew that the wise choice was to pick the option that would allow her to live.
 

Or was it? Was it better to live a lifetime belonging to someone she didn’t even know, if she could stand to be near or was it better to die? Looks would only get him so far. She needed more than that.

What girl wouldn’t want two insanely hot guys fighting over her?
 

The only problem with this situation was the end result.

The real question she knew that she needed to answer was if it would be better to die or to live the remainder of her life as a possession to a man she had known for five minutes. For all she knew, Nolan was sweet and kind… or a monster. If that was the case, she needed to decide if that was worth the risk.

A lifetime beyond anything you could imagine.

His words echoed back to her. It was a promise that sounded both wonderful and terrifying and had the ability to imply endless joy or pain. Knowing which one it was, with her lack of information, was proving to be a bigger puzzle than she anticipated and one that had many important pieces missing.

Throwing her hands up in the air in frustration, she plopped down on one of the dark couches and propped her feet on the coffee table. A small tray of fruit was displayed on a silver platter, with what looked like berries the size of apples in an assortment of colors. Things she had never seen before.

Evvie plucked a large pink fruit with the texture of a blackberry off the tray and inhaled. It smelled sweet and fragrant. Lifting the plump berry to her lips, she paused as the faint hint of bitterness reached her nose, then set it back down. She should be starving, but her appetite had vanished. There was too much anger flowing through her veins for her to stomach food.

Did they think she should be flattered… did they care what she thought or felt about them fighting over her? Maybe if all they wanted was her affection, and she knew without a doubt that they were good, decent men, then it might have been an easy decision.

At this point, all she could do was speculate. Aurelian called them Unseelie fae and said they were dark. Did that make them evil or just winter fae? He had called this place the Winter Court. Perhaps it just meant they belonged to the season.

Regardless, it was insulting to be used against her will like this. Was being picked because of something she had no control over better than being picked at random like some messed up lottery?

Sneering at the food, Evvie felt the need to lash out in some way. They were using her. Not that they came out and said it like that, but when the pretty words were stripped away and only the meaning was left—that’s all there was. Using her to further their selfish goals of who gets to play King of the Mountain.

Anger burned its way through her like wildfire. Aurelian and Nolan were using her. They had trapped her in this impossible situation when they should have asked and been straight forward with her. She was being used and it sucked.

It hurt. An ache grew in her heart like a shard of ice, stabbing at her but refusing to melt.

She scanned the room.

Nothing…

Annoyed, she picked up one of the pillows next to her and lobbed it at the wall. It hit with a dull thump and fell to the ground.

Hardly satisfying.

The shining glass key that brought her into this world gleamed up at her from the coffee table.

I’m not playing this game anymore. They can find someone else who would be happy to sacrifice themselves for their quest for power, but it's not going to be me.

It didn’t matter what they wanted. So far, what she’d wanted hadn’t made a difference, so pretending to care that anything they wanted mattered was a joke.

Evvie picked up the skeleton key and held it in her hand. The cold black glass felt heavy in her palm. A calm washed over her at the weight of it.

I’m done.

Standing, she looked around until her gaze stopped on the black door across the room. It seemed fitting to leave this crazy place the same way she’d come in—the bathroom.

Evvie marched with determination to the door and lifted the key to the lock, inserting it.

Hesitation kept her hand frozen in place and unable to turn it. Aurelian had said not to use the key… but he never said
why
.

It made sense that it was just another half-truth designed to keep her here without force.

Annoyed at ever having listened to him at all, she turned the key. A dark energy emanated from it, casting an eerie glow before it faded. Moving her hand to the door handle, she turned it and watched in horror as the key faded before her eyes.

“No, no, no, no, no!” she cried.

Desperately she clutched at the vanishing key, as the glow surrounding it turned into a black crystalline dust that slipped through her and onto the floor. Evvie fell to her knees, grasping at the pile of powder as her breath came in short, shallow bursts, leaving her gasping for air.

It can’t be… it can’t…
her mind grew numb as her limbs began to shake with rage and panic.

Her only escape… was gone… all she had now was a pile of glittering dust.

Why didn’t he say anything? Why didn’t he tell me? He had to know…

Once again the knowledge that Aurelian had withheld information that he knew she needed infuriated her. She scooped up as much of the powder as she could, holding it tightly in her fist.

Pushing herself up from the floor, she stormed out the main door and into the hall. Nolan was approaching her from the opposite direction, but she didn’t have time for him. Evvie didn’t know which way to go, so she turned toward Nolan with hurried steps.

She was on a mission. Find Aurelian and make him answer for the crap he pulled. She would get him to send her home even if it killed her. She wasn’t going to get out of this alive if she stayed. There was nothing left to lose.

“Evvie?” Nolan asked as she brushed past him.

“Not now,” she snapped. Her fists clutched at her side as she stormed down the hallway and past him without so much as slowing her pace.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Aurelian

“Aurelian!” she yelled. Her voice strained with anger, bounced off the walls of the corridor.

The urge to run to her pulled at him, though staying away was the best course—both for his chances to overtake his brother and to avoid her rage. With effort, he turned his back to the sound of her voice and leaned his shoulder against the black wall, facing the waterfall and allowing enough of the roar of its cascade to enter the entryway to block her calls from his ears.

The louder her voice grew, the more of the thunderous crashing of the water he allowed to penetrate the space, as he weakened the barrier that kept the sound out. Aurelian stepped forward and further into the shadows, as he closed his eyes trying to ignore her.

“Auri!” Evvie’s voice sounded directly behind him.

Slowly, he turned to face her, keeping his features impassive.

“Evvie, what are you doing?”

“I'm looking for
you
,” she bit out. Her body was tensed with a slight tremble and her were fists clenched at her sides.

“Is something wrong?” he asked, heart pounding against his chest.

It infuriated him that his heart beat faster at the knowledge she wanted to seek him out, but every moment he had with her was another moment Nolan would insist on having as well.

Evvie’s mouth dropped open, as if she’d expected him to know. Lifting her hand, she slowly uncurled her fingers as black glittering dust slipped from her open palm, falling onto the ground between them.

Aurelian narrowed his eyes and swallowed the lump that formed in his throat. A hollow feeling developed in the pit of his stomach as he managed to form words.
 

“What did you do?” he asked slowly.

“I’m not doing this anymore.”

“Tell me what happened.”

A long silence passed as he held her gaze until she dropped her own to the floor. Standing perfectly still, he begged her silently to tell him what she’d done and, though he feared the worst, he still held the hope that it was something unimportant.

“I tried to leave—” she spoke so quietly her voice was almost drowned out by the now gentle rush of water.

“You used the key?”

“Yes—”

“What were you thinking? I told you not to,” he snapped, his voice sharp with frustration. She had ruined everything in one stupid move… and she would end up blaming him for it.

“What was
I
thinking?” she asked incredulously. “I thought that I didn’t want to be used. I’m not a sacrificial lamb to be used in your search for power.”

“I told you not to use it.”

“You also said you would protect me, but you’re the biggest danger to me here. I’m here to die, or what... be a prisoner for the rest of my life?”

“That’s not—”

“Send me back now. I’m not going to be part of this game. I’m not a chess piece. You can’t force me to stay here any longer.”

“I can’t.”

“Can’t what? Force me to stay here or you can’t send me back?”

Aurelian paused and took a slow breath before answering quietly,
 

“I can’t send you back now.”

“Then when?”

“Never...” He hated giving her the one answer he knew would crush any hope she had.

“Why not? You brought me here, and you can send me back.” Her voice caught, straining and hoarse from the volume. She wasn’t listening.

“That’s not how it works!” he yelled back, effectively silencing her.

She glared up at him, her body inches from his now as she’d moved closer in her anger. With a slow, measured tone that failed to hide any of her emotions she spoke. “Tell me why, right now, Aurelian, or I
will
make my decision and you
will
regret it.”

Fuming, he ground his teeth to keep from lashing out with words he knew would only push her toward his brother. The fire flashing in her eyes told him that she meant every word of her threat. Evvie was mad enough to make her decision blindly.

“Fine,” he said between clenched teeth. “I will tell you.”

Her mouth formed a small ‘o’ as she took a step back. Aurelian watched her back up until she was against the wall, her delicate fingers grasping at the cold obsidian stone.

He paced in front of her, the weight of those bright green eyes watching him intently, expecting words she wanted to hear but also words he couldn’t give her.

“Do you remember when you began to feel sick?”

“Yes,” she said uncertainly.

“Tell me,” he commanded, stalling as his mind raced to find a way that would keep her calm.

“It was after our date, I woke up the next day tired and then I developed a fever,” she spoke in a suspicious tone.

“The night of our date I gave you a flower, and when we parted I kissed your hand.”

“What does that have to do with me being sick… or not being able to leave?”

He stopped, pacing, and stood in front of her, meeting her gaze with his icy-blue stare.
 

“When you accepted that rose—and the kiss—you allowed me to begin to claim you—”

“Excuse me, what was that?” she interrupted, pushing away from the wall.

“Please, Evvie, let me fin—”

“No, no… you need to back up. What do you mean you claimed me? How could I allow you to… I was being nice… I didn’t know… why didn’t you tell me?” Her voice rose in pitch with each word.

“It was the only way.”

“No, Aurelian, it wasn’t. You could have
told
me what you wanted.” Her face fell as she wrapped her arms around herself. “You didn’t have to take everything from me…” she trailed off.

“The claim changed your blood, it called to your fae lineage. It is what allowed you to come here.” He stopped and waited for her to react but she stood frozen in one spot, head bowed.

“Are you kidding me? Why do I even bother?” Evvie mumbled under her breath.

Not daring to breathe, Aurelian stepped forward and tilted her chin so he could look into her eyes.
 

“I’m being serious.”

“I know you are, that’s what bothers me.” She stepped back. “You tricked me into accepting your stupid flower to ‘claim’ me like I’m some kind of object. Did it ever occur to you to just ask me for my help?” She dropped her arms to her sides and looked up at him. All the sadness had melted away, replaced by anger.

He blinked a few time before answering, “No. I am an Unseelie Prince… you are Seelie—you would never have agreed.”

“Maybe not, but I might have.” She rubbed her forehead. “You never gave me a chance to decide to help. You just forced me into this. You withhold information from me, but how do you expect me to make a decision without knowing the consequences of my choice?”

“I always planned to tell you what you needed to know in time. I needed you well first. I tried not to overwhelm you.”

“That’s kind of impossible in this situation.”

“The claim made you ill; I wanted you stronger—”

“
You
made me sick?”

“It was not my aim to do so. I wanted you here sooner than you were. The claim, once made, is a force that pulls two fae together, your prolonged absence from this realm—from me—is what caused you to become sick.”