“Club Nexus?” I asked. “In Harborsmouth? Never heard of it.” Which was weird since I knew the city well and I’d never heard Jinx, who had a fondness for nightclubs, mention a club by that name either.
“Yes, Club Nexus is in Harborsmouth, but it’s not surprising that you haven’t heard of it,” she said. “It is a very secretive club. It is glamoured against prying eyes and only allows entry to a small number of humans. And until recently, you were more human than fae.”
“So, this Club Nexus is a fae meeting place?” I asked.
“Yes and no,” she said. “Nexus is not exclusive to the fae folk. It is a meeting place for all magical creatures. All of those who wish to see and be seen. Nexus is a place of power and so it draws those with power.”
“Are you saying this place is some kind of black hole for supernaturals?” I asked.
Kaye nodded.
“There are forces in this world which act upon us, pulling and pushing,” she said.
“Like gravity?” I asked.
“Yes, like gravity or your black hole,” she said. “These forces hold sway over all things, but there are some which have more influence over magic than the mundane. Ley lines are such a force. These lines of power run over this world, like a grid, and where these lines intersect great or terrible things may happen. And so there have always been those of us who try to protect these places of power, to maintain a balance.”
“And Club Nexus is a place of power?” I asked.
“All of Harborsmouth is such a place, a rare convergence of great power, where three ley lines intersect,” she said. “Club Nexus is a crossroads, sitting on the very point at which the lines meet.”
“Drawing every magical race to it, like pixies to salt,” I said.
Details clicked into place. Things I’d never been able to understand, until now. Like why Harborsmouth attracted so many fae, both Seelie and Unseelie, and why the vamps had made this a settlement so many years ago.
“Yes,” she said, lips lifting in a grin. “Like pixies to salt.”
I had a lot to think about, and questions raced through my head, but now was not the time. I had to focus on the problems at hand.
“How do I get inside?” I asked. “Will I even be able to find this place?”
“Your second sight should cut through the glamour the fae folk use to keep curious humans away, and I can give you a map of its location,” she said. “For most humans and lesser fae entry to Nexus is by invitation only, but if you are truly the daughter of Will-o’-the-Wisp, king of the wisps, then you may enter at will. But make certain that entering Club Nexus is worth risking your anonymity. Until now, your true identity has been known to very few. Entering Nexus will change everything. By using your birthright to gain entrance, you formally announce your existence to the fae community.”
Crap. I rubbed the back of my neck, leather gloves cool against hot skin.
“Like a coming out party?” I asked. I tried to make the comment sound light and humorous, but it came out in a choked squeak.
“Precisely,” she said. “You will lose what remaining anonymity you have. Your royal status will be known to all local fae. With that status comes grave danger and responsibility.”
“Peachy,” I said.
I let out a long sigh. The storybooks had it wrong. Being a faerie princess was not what it was cracked up to be.
“Think it over before making a decision,” she said. “You have gone this long without the knowledge of your father’s whereabouts. A few more days will not hurt.”
Yeah, a few more days wouldn’t hurt, so long as I didn’t start glowing around humans. Then I wouldn’t have to worry about finding my father, or the perils of becoming a princess. I’d be dead.
“Right, thanks,” I said. “I’ll sleep on it.”
I took a step toward the door and swayed. I put a hand to my forehead and took a shaky breath. I was burning up, the heat evident even through my glove. The joys of keeping covered up, even while inside a warm kitchen. I pulled back my sleeve to examine my skin, but, thank Oberon, it wasn’t glowing. Nothing a cold shower and good night’s sleep wouldn’t fix.
“Oh, and Ivy,” she said. I sighed. I’d nearly made it out of the kitchen. “Be wary of Melusine. The former kelpie queen is dangerous. But if you must face her, keep in mind that her serpent half is capable of regeneration.”
Regeneration? Good to know.
“Cut off her tail and it grows back again?” I asked.
“Yes,” she said.
If anyone knew how to take down a lamia, it was Kaye. Not only did she have the largest library on magical creatures, she’d also been an accomplished Hunter. I filed the information away for later.
“Thanks for the tip,” I said.
“Safe travels, dear,” she said.
“Safe travels,” I said.
Chapter 7
I decided to take the long way home, organizing my thoughts as I walked. I was a girl in need of a shower and a bed, but I’d never get any sleep with my mind racing. It was best to sort through the storm of facts and questions.
I’d learned a lot from Kaye, but I still had unanswered questions. Other than my guess that she sought revenge, I had no idea what Melusine was doing in Harborsmouth. That was something I needed to find out, preferably before she made her next move. I also needed to warn her ex-husband that she was in town.
Ceff wasn’t going to be happy. Melusine had murdered his infant child and tricked him into the execution of his eldest son, leaving Ceff, and his kingdom, with no heir to the throne. Those were his most painful memories and by warning Ceff of Melusine’s return, I’d be casting him into the darkness of those times. Melusine was hurting Ceff with her very presence here.
My hands rubbed at the knives hidden beneath my jacket. I wanted to make her pay for what she’d done to Ceff. I’d lived through those memories myself when I’d touched his bridle. I knew how the death of his sons had nearly destroyed him.
I shook my head and pulled my hands from my knives. I wouldn’t lose myself to revenge, not like Melusine. Melusine was selfish and evil. I was nothing like her. But if she tried to harm the ones I cared about, I’d be happy to try out some of the moves Jenna had been drilling into me.
I continued to walk, boots nearly silent on bricks and cobbles. My fae heritage may be a liability, especially if I didn’t learn to create a glamour, but I was beginning to discover a few beneficial talents. My second sight and psychometry had emerged during childhood, but my improved night vision, increased agility, and ability to move silently were new. What other changes did my fae blood have in store?
My thoughts turned to my father. I had few memories of my him, due to a spell he’d cast over my mind before he left us. According to Kaye, it was a powerful spell. It had caused me to forget my own father, but now memories were breaking through—and so were my powers. Had he meant to keep my wisp abilities safely hidden away until I was an adult? What had he thought would happen when the spell broke? Who would teach me to use and control my new abilities?
Would he come for me? That thought scared me most of all. Since my memories emerged, I’d held onto the hate I felt for my father. He’d abandoned me and my mother and left me ignorant and defenseless. Now I had to find him because he had the information I needed to survive, but I didn’t expect a happy family reunion. A piece of me wished for my father to rush in to save the day with a story of how his leaving was to protect my mother and me from some form of evil, but that was a child’s wish, foolish and naive. It was more likely that the wisp king had grown tired of his mortal wife and child. He’d probably ditched us for someone shiny and new. It was best not to get my hopes up.
