Aric curled his lips back, revealing fangs.
“No,” Firo said, holding up his hands. “That wasn’t our doing. I’m not privy to the details but vampires are part of the Night Court. It would have come from them.”
“But Helios was the one who was here,” Zyacus’s hands sparked with blue fire.
“I know with certainty the scepter was stolen from Summer. You’d have to ask Helios how he knew where to find it, but I can assure you we have no reason to attack you. There’s enough conflict in faerie.”
This nightmare only seemed to get worse. We could risk fighting the rituals ourselves and perhaps have our loved ones stolen away and forgotten, or I could join the Summer Court with a vow to kill the Winter King. The thought made me sick. Somehow I, still a student trying to hone her skills, was supposed to kill the Winter King, the most powerful Fae in all the realms.
Chapter 25
I kept pacing back and forth while Firo and Dain waited for my response. “So will you come with us to faerie?” they’d asked.
“No, she’s not going,” Zyacus growled.
“No way!” Taz bellowed.
Aric shook his head. “Absolutely not.”
Good pixie when did they all speak and make decisions for me? I didn’t know what to say. This all happened so fast. “I need time to think about this.” My visions had never been wrong but I had to at least try something.
Firo nodded. “You have until tomorrow at midnight, when we will have Helios, the Summer Prince, here to make a deal.”
“I need three days.”
“Fine.”
I said nothing as I turned and walked toward the academy. With a hand over my belly, hoping some warm healing magic would calm me, I trudged ahead not slowing for the others.
Zyacus spelled next to me and fell into step. “Visteal, you cannot be seriously thinking about taking this deal. Let us fight the Fae when they come. We can beat them.”
“You heard Nimblewatt. Not to mention my vision. They can take control of our minds somehow. Only other Fae know how to stop that.” I walked even faster now. I felt like running, running until I couldn’t think of anything but the pain burning my lungs and legs. “And we experienced what Astraoth did when we saw him outside the academy walls. He controlled four of us like puppets.”
“But we could try kirune against them. It could take away their magic.”
“And us using kirune weapons would take away our magic in the process. That’s assuming we don’t lose our will power and minds to them.”
“We take their magic and their glamour mind control power should go too. And we train without magic regularly. I’m willing to risk that fight,” Zyacus said, “I won’t risk losing you.”
“I’m not so sure I’m willing to risk our people when I can do something.”
Zyacus pulled me to a stop and gripped my arms lightly. “Please don’t do this. Please. We’ll find a way.”
I wrapped my arms around him, squeezing hard. “Like I said, I need to think.”
“Then think while we lay out and watch the stars. I need to tell you what it’s like as a wolf.”
I wanted to but I was so antsy I could barely hold still. “I need to run. I have so much pent up energy.”
He nodded as if he knew the feeling. “Around the perimeter?”
“Race you,” I said and bolted by Taz and Aric who looked confused but didn’t follow.
∞∞∞
We ran around the entire academy grounds, about five miles until I finally collapsed into a soft field of grass. I laid looking up at the stars, my chest rising and falling rapidly. The pain of running had briefly taken my mind off everything. I didn’t think, didn’t feel, but as I caught my breath and the aching in my legs wore off I was bombarded with the choice I had to make.
Zyacus rolled next to me, resting his head against mine. “You’re fast for a girl.”
“Hush up,” I said, smacking his chest with the back of my hand. “How about I’m just fast.”
“You’re fast, Princess,” he amended. The both of us were quiet for a moment. A warm breeze brought the smell of wildflowers. Night bugs chirped, filling the silence. “If you go, I’m going with you.”
I was both relieved and worried. Taking him to faerie was unknown and I knew without doubt, dangerous, but to have him with me would make it bearable. “They only want me. You don’t need to risk your life.”
With a tsk, he grabbed my hand and interlocked our fingers. “What better reason could I ever have to risk my life than for you?”
Turning my head we locked eyes. “I’m scared,” I whispered.
“Me too,” he said. “Scared of losing you.”
I curled into him, resting my head on his chest. We spent the night making wishes on falling stars. Talking about what it would be like to go live on the beach and soak up the sun and drink out of coconuts while tropical pixies fanned us with palm tree branches and fed us fruit.
He told me changing into a wolf was the most bizarre and yet amazing thing he’s ever experienced. All his senses were heightened; he could see further, hear better, move faster, and his drive to protect me grew to a level he couldn’t control.
“It was almost a raging jealousy. I didn’t want any of them near you. Not even Taz or Aric.”
“Taz wondered if you wanted to eat him,” I said and giggled. “I can’t believe you’re part wolf.”
“I’m still trying to process it myself,” Zyacus murmured.
After a moment I asked, “They said it was a bloodline trait. Which side of your family do you suppose? And will there be others, do you think?”
“If I had to guess, my mother’s. I also don’t see why I’d be the only one.”
I sat up and looked him in the face. “Do you think this means you’ll have a prolonged life? That
