Chapter 6

Six

EMORY

Why anyone would want to ride in a car is beyond me. I’m sure Pixie enjoyed my trauma, but thankfully, she’s remained quiet so far.

That’s about to change.

We made it to my apartment in one piece. Before we even reached the door, Aldric was there. I’m not sure who told him about us being here, but it makes things easier for me. I’d tried to resist the urge to touch him and see if he was, in fact, another one of my mates, but I couldn’t. Even still feeling sick from the effects of touching Carver wasn’t enough to stop me. I need to know.

Three mates .

Plus, Zephyr is four, which means I have one more than my sister.

They follow me up to my apartment in silence. When I push open my door, Aldric grumbles something about it not being locked, but I ignore him. I’m not worried about anything here, not to mention every damn key on the ring the old man gave me looks the same.

Once we’re inside, I don’t waste any time. I’d thought about how to break the news to them on the drive here. Even through my panic, I couldn’t stop obsessing about it. This is it. I’m not sure there’s a right way, though. I’m about to challenge everything they’ve ever known about the world, so I might as well go big.

Digging into my bag, I pull out the jar that holds Pix and set it on the counter. Three sets of eyes follow my every move, and I watch the shock and confusion play over their faces as Pixie lets out a high-pitched squeal of delight.

“All three of them, Em?” she asks, jumping up and down before pressing her face to the jar to try to get a better look.

“Yeah, all three, Pix,” I say with a nod, reaching over to unscrew the lid, making good on my promise to her. I’d wanted to let her out for a while now. I felt terrible keeping her trapped, but I needed her. As much as I wanted this friendship I thought we’d been building to be real, I couldn’t be sure. I couldn’t risk it.

Pix takes off around the room the second the lid’s removed. She does a lap around them before coming over to ruffle through my hair, only to take off again toward the guys.

“What the fuck is that?!” Carver shouts, dropping low as Pix gets close, swatting at her when she gets too close. Thankfully, she’s able to avoid his flailing arms with ease.

Here goes nothing.

“Where I’m from, life is divided between two courts. There are the Seelie and the Unseelie. The Seelie are known for their beauty, grace, and love of life's lighter, happier parts. Sunshine, rainbows, unicorns, all that shit.”

Pix slows a bit, making herself easier to see as she continues to fly around examining them, me, and the room itself, and guilt sinks in my stomach like a stone.

“The Unseelie are the opposite. They find the shadows comforting and are regarded as dark and dangerous. They are no less beautiful, but it’s not the same beauty. Bloodshed is just a part of life, and the chaos is soothing,” I tell them, feeling the truth of my words deep in my bones.

“I am both Seelie and Unseelie.”

I push on despite their looks of confusion, trying not to lose my nerve.

“About a millennium ago, the two courts were at war. Neither was particularly fond of the other before that, but it escalated. Where attacks between the kingdoms used to be skilled assassins or trickery in the form of games and bets, this was literal war.”

I pause for a moment to give them a second for it to sink in. All eyes are on me, and their reactions to my words are very different. Aldric looks at me like he’s worried I might have hit my head or just be downright crazy. Silas seems intrigued, but I kind of expected that from him; he loves knowledge and soaks it up like a sponge. And Carver… Well, he seems more worried about Pixie as she continues to float around the room than listening to a word I’m saying.

“I’m not sure how it started, none of our histories say, and anyone who was alive then is hush-hush about it all.” Carver’s mouth pops open, and I glare at him. I’d hardly even begun to explain, and he’s already not listening. He matches my glare with one of his own, and I see the battle waging in his eyes. His need to argue with me wars with his need for answers. Answers he knows he might not get if he should interrupt me.

Eventually, he concedes. His mouth snaps closed as he rolls his eyes so hard I think he saw his brain; if he had one, that is. His nostrils flare as he lets out a huff of annoyance but otherwise remains silent.

“The war lasted for a few hundred years, with neither side making any real headway. For every battle the Seelie won, the Unseelie would win the next. They might be opposite courts, but their powers are pretty well matched. Around the five-hundred-year mark, though, things started to change. The realm itself was falling into disarray. Never in the history of the courts has the other worked to destroy the other. Yes, there was fighting between the two, but not like that. That’s not how things work. The day cannot be without the night, just as the opposite is true. The two courts might not agree on many things, but they’re balanced together.”

Pixie finally stops flying around, coming to land on my shoulder and tangling herself in my hair with a laugh, and I take comfort in her presence before pressing on.

“The war threw that careful balance into chaos. Lands produced less food, and the night lasted longer than the day in the Seelie Court and vice versa in the Unseelie.”

I watch as Aldric moves around the living room before dropping onto the couch. Carver and Silas follow him, and I take that as a sign to continue.

“It wasn’t until about a few years later that true chaos began, though, as both courts began to realize it wasn’t just the land. No longer was just the vegetation producing less; it was everything, everyone, until the day came when new life ceased. For one hundred or so years, not another creature was born. Not an elf, pixie, goblin, troll, unicorn, or centaur. Nothing.”

Taking a deep breath, I let it out in a rush with my words.

“Long story short, the courts had to come together, or the realm would have died. My sister, Ivy, and I are the first heirs to be born of both courts and in the joining of the courts, Ironcrest Academy was born.” I pause for a moment to see if they're even listening, and I’m pleasantly surprised to find they are.

Well, mostly. Carver leans forward, looking at the small table in front of the couch, and cocking his head to the side. It takes me a second to realize what he’s looking at, but his confusion makes sense when I spot the mirror—one of the few other things I’d brought with me.

Shit!

Explanation forgotten, I lunge for the table, scooping the mirror up, and try to keep my panic at bay. Just because he’s reaching out like this doesn’t mean something’s wrong, right… Right?

“Zeph?” I call his name as the ripples work across the mirror, making it appear more like a liquid than a solid.

“What the fuck is happening?” Carver asks from over my shoulder, but I ignore him. I can explain in a minute. Right now, I need to see Zeph and figure out what he wants before I work myself into a damn panic.

“Emory?” Zephyr’s voice comes through a little choppy. I still have my glamour on, so I can’t push as much magic into the connection as I usually would. It probably only takes a second or two, but it feels like an eternity before he comes into focus. I search his face, looking for some hint that he’s hurt or in trouble, but come up empty. He looks just like he did when I left, and I sag in relief.

“Don’t look so worried, my lady. Someone might think you care about me,” he says with a chuckle. His cocky grin makes me wish I could reach through the glass and smack him, or maybe hug him.

“Not funny, asshole!” I snap, but can’t stop the smile that pulls at my lips, seeing him in one piece and joking. That’s a good sign. “I thought something was wrong.”

“Nah, it’s been a minute since we’ve talked, and I wanted to check-in. Plus, I missed your pretty face.” His brows dip as he looks at me, his eyes roaming my face. “Getting pretty good at the glamour, I see,” he says with a nod, and while he sounds proud, I get the feeling he doesn’t actually like it.

Not that I blame him; I’m not exactly fond of it either.

“I still hate it. Stupid thing is suffocating,” I say with a huff, and he throws his head back, laughing out loud.

I'm glad someone can enjoy my suffering. He might be good with glamours, but he never has to use them like this.

“Good to know you’re the same no matter what realm you’re in, Em,” he says, shaking his head and getting back to business. “So, how goes the hunt? Any luck?”

Instead of answering him, I turn to look at the guys who sit watching me have a conversation with someone through a mirror. Where they have phones and computers for this kind of thing while we have magic.

Leaning back, I turn the mirror to let them see Zephyr and for him to see them. I guess this is as good a way as any for them to see the truth for themselves.

“Three?” Zeph asks, and just like Pix, I can hear his excitement even if I can’t see him.

Carver leans forward from his spot on the couch, wide-eyed, as he takes in Zephyr’s features, while Aldric leans to look behind the mirror as if this might be some kind of trick. Silas remains where he is, but I swear I can hear his mind as he works to try to make sense of all of this.

“Yeah, hopefully,” I sigh because, as exciting as the number might sound, there’s no guarantee they will come back with me. They don’t owe me a thing, and I can’t even promise their safety.

It doesn’t sound like a great time if you ask me, and if I were them I’m not sure I would agree.

I’d hoped that being mated would help, but even that seems strangely broken. It’s not like it was with Zeph, and I’m not sure if it’s because we're in the mortal realm or something else, but it’s not helping the way I’d hoped.

Last resort it is.

Closing my eyes, I let my glamour melt away.

When I open my eyes again, I find Silas’ gaze first. His eyes widen as they dart between my now bright pink eyes and the points of my ears that poke out from my hair.

He hasn’t even seen my fangs yet, let alone my magic.

“No fucking way,” Aldric says, his eyes looking from Zephyr to me, no doubt seeing the similarities between us. It’s easy to brush off his existence as a trick when he’s not here, but me, well, I’m right here in front of them.

“I knew I wasn’t crazy!” Carver shouts, hopping to his feet and pointing a finger at my face. “Your eyes were pink after you touched me in the library.”

His words aren’t a question, but I answer him regardless.

“Yes, they were. Testing the bond requires skin-to-skin contact, which I can’t do with my glamour in place,” I explain, rolling my eyes, still annoyed with the whole stupid process.

“What does any of this have to do with us? Why show us? What bond?” Aldric asks.

“You, all three of you, are what we call fated. In my realm, we’re gifted our partners.” Carver pulls a face at my words, and I’m not sure if it’s at the thought of some unknown deciding his fate or that it would land him with me. Either way, I can’t help but laugh.

“I’m not so fond of the idea myself. But at Ironcrest, we train, learn to control our gifts, and live amongst our enemies. It’s all very beautiful on paper.”

“I’m assuming there's more to it than that, though?” Aldric asks, ignoring mine and Carver’s bickering, hearing what I’m not saying.

“A lot more, but you guys don’t really have time to go into all of that right now,” Zephyr says, pulling their attention back to him in the mirror. I see their hesitation about having a conversation with him like this.

It would be funny if our lives weren't on the line.

“We can give you the whole damn history of the realm later if you want it. All you need to know right now is, without you, Emory is as good as dead.”

“Zeph!” I shout, turning the mirror back to me so I can glare at him.

“You can be upset with me later. We're running out of time right now, and you know it. We need them. It’s that simple, and with every passing hour, we're more likely to be found out…” he trails off, his eyes darting around his room as if he’s looking for a threat that isn’t there. I see the worry in his eyes, but I know it’s not for himself. It never is. “I can’t stand the idea of her sinking her claws into you again, Emory.”

It’s not often he says my name. He prefers the stupid nicknames that drive me nuts or could get him killed, and even when he isn’t using those, he tends to just go with Em.

“Wait, what do you mean ‘running out of time’ and who is going to sink their claws into you?” Silas asks, sounding horrified.

I cringe at the idea of explaining my stepmother to them, at the very idea of talking about what life has been like growing up with her. Without thought, I reach up, rubbing my hand over the scar on my arm, a permanent reminder.

“Again, it’s a long story. You're either in or out, boys, and let me tell you, you definitely want to be in,” Zeph says, wiggling his brows suggestively, and I can feel the heat as it creeps up my face.

By the realm, he did not just say that!

“We’ll have to think about it. This isn’t something we can just decide,” Aldric says, clearing his throat, ever the diplomat.

I can’t bring myself to look at him after what Zeph said, and a quick glance at Silas has me looking to the floor when I find his cheeks red as well.

Awesome. I expect them to come with me and leave everything they know behind, yet I can’t even stand to look at them…I’m sure that’s reassuring.

“When are you going back to your… realm?” Carver asks, seeming unsure if he’s used the proper word.

It’s a simple question, but there’s none of the heat I’m used to when he talks to me, and when I look up, I find his face a blank mask. He doesn’t seem embarrassed the same way I am, but he also doesn’t seem like the same asshole I’m used to.

It’s the most genuine he’s ever been with me, and it takes me a second to realize he’s talking to me because of it.

“Ugh, well, as soon as you tell me,” I say, looking around the room and realizing that by this time tomorrow, I could be gone, with or without them.

“If you decide to come with me, we can leave as soon as you're ready,” I trail off, looking down at Zeph in the mirror. I can see he doesn’t want me to give them another option. If he had his way, he would have me drag them back, kicking and screaming. But I would never do that, and he knows it.

“If not, well, I don’t really have any reason to stay.”

“What about school?” Silas asks, and Aldric nods in agreement.

“I only registered because the bond brought me to the school. As far as education goes, I’ve got everything I would need in my realm, minus finishing the Academy, but that’s more specialized, not so textbook.” I shrug, unsure exactly how to explain, considering I’ve never been there myself. When I’d asked my father about it in the past, he simply said I would learn how to rule the Unseelie Court.

Not super helpful.

“I know this is a lot, not only to ask but for you to understand in general. But I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t necessary.” Zephyr growls at my words, but I ignore him for the moment. “I need you if I want to have any hopes of our kingdom surviving…of us surviving…” I trail off, unsure what else to say. There’s so much, but none of it feels right to say until they have made their decision.

I could tell them about the bond and the way it reacted, but I’m not sure why it’s doing that and it seems wrong to give them more to worry about.

“Give us until the morning, and we’ll let you know,” Aldric says, snapping me from my thoughts. He pushes up from the couch and heads to the door. Carver looks like he has more he wants to say, but instead remains quiet, following Aldric out without another word, leaving me, Silas, and Zeph in the mirror.

“I’m sorry,” I mumble, unsure what else to say but feeling like I need to say something.

“Don’t be sorry. It’s not your fault. You didn’t do this. It was done to you, the same as us. You're just the messenger,” Silas says, offering me a smile that lights his face up.

He’s so fucking sweet that my heart squeezes just looking at him.

“Thanks,” I say with a sigh, letting his words really wash over me. They're true, but I can’t help feeling bad knowing they have lives, dreams, and futures here that I’ve come to tear apart.

With a nod, Silas stands and heads toward the door. “I’ll talk to them,” he says before he walks out, closing the door behind them.

I sit in silence for so long that I forget Zeph is still here until he talks. “They’d be stupid to turn down a chance with you, my queen,” he says, and I almost drop the damn mirror.

“They have lives, Zeph. They don’t owe me shit.” I shake my head, unable to picture this going my way.

I should have never come.

“No, they don’t. But I do. With or without them, we’ll figure this out. I promise.”

SILAS

Yesterday was a lot.

I’d never been interested in most people, preferring to stick to myself and my books, with the exception of my brothers.

Emory changed that. I’m not sure what it was about her. It could be so many things. She’s beautiful, smart, doesn’t take Carver’s shit, doesn’t have heart eyes for Aldric, but most importantly, I feel like she sees me.

My brothers have always been the ones people see, and I was fine with that, preferred it even.

Until her.

When Emory said she needed us, I wanted to tell her without a doubt that I would be there for her. It wasn’t even a question for me, but I could see my brothers' hesitation.

Neither of them knows her like I do. Most of their interactions end in a fight. Aldric loves to pick on her in class, always calling on her as if she might, for once, not have the answer, and Carver loves to say anything he can to get a rise out of her. I’m not sure what it is with those two, but they fight like cats and dogs, and I get the feeling they enjoy it.

It’s strange, but it works for them.

I’ve never believed in fate before, but if I did, I could see how we all might fit together. Somehow, she seems to fit well with each of us despite our differences. I never would have thought that possible, yet here she is, proving me wrong.

“How much farther?” Aldric asks as we continue to follow her. We haven’t been walking long; we only left the city limits a few minutes ago, but I can see his annoyance as if it’s a tangible thing following him around.

“Just inside the woods,” Emory calls back with a smile, unfazed by Aldric’s grumpy mood. She’d been nothing but smiles since we showed up this morning and agreed to go with her.

I chuckle when his lips pull down in a frown as she all but skips down the path. We’d packed light, unsure what we would need other than a few changes of clothes. Emory assured us that anything we might need would be provided and that our tech wouldn’t work in the fae realm. Despite that, I know we all brought our phones and anything else we might want. She hadn’t stopped us, but I almost wished she had. This bag might not be big, but it feels as if it’s getting heavier with every step I take.

“Do you want me to take it?” Emory asks, popping up beside me out of nowhere and startling me. I trip over my feet at her sudden appearance, but manage to right myself before I face plant.

“Smooth,” I hear Carver say under his breath, but I ignore him.

“No, I-I’m fine,” I stammer out, annoyed that even after weeks of talking to her and supposedly being her mate, I can’t manage a simple sentence without tripping over my words.

“Okay, well, the good news is we're almost there,” she says, turning and once again leading the way toward the entrance to the forest.

“And the bad news?” Aldric asks, unable to help himself.

“The walk from the veil to the Unseelie Court is easily triple this.”

“Of fucking course it is,” Carver grumbles, and I hear Emory’s chuckle even though she’s once again a few feet ahead of us.

It doesn’t make sense. She’s half our damn size, but she doesn’t seem even the slightest bit winded. I know I’m not exactly athletic, but Aldric and Carver work out regularly, and even they seem a little winded.

Maybe it has something to do with her not being human?

It’s a strange thought, especially seeing her right now. She looks just like she has since I met her, and while she’s beautiful, she doesn’t seem all that abnormal. But I remember what she looked like yesterday. How bright her eyes were, the way her ears stuck out through her hair, and the point of her teeth that was much more than just the typical canine.

It should have been frightening, but it wasn’t. In fact, it only made her more beautiful, if not a tad bit frightening, to think others like her could be hidden in plain sight with everyone else.

True to her words, once inside the trees, we only have to walk for a few minutes. Stopping in front of one of the larger trees, Emory disappears behind it. Aldric and Carver seem hesitant still, but after a second, they’re moving again, and I follow. It had been touch and go for a few last night when we discussed going or staying.

In the end, I’d told them I was going with or without them. I’m not sure if they would have decided to go otherwise; they didn’t seem like they could make up their minds. But they're here now, and that’s all that matters.

Circling around the tree, we find Emory standing at the base, looking at a little red door.

”I told you she was nuts,” Carver growls, crossing his arms and glaring at Aldric.

Emory’s face falls, and I elbow him in the ribs.

“What the fuck, man?” Carver grumbles, turning to me with wide eyes. I’m not usually one for violence or stepping in and saying something, but he deserved it, and judging by the way he rolls his eyes, he knows it.

“Ready?” Emory asks, looking around at each of us. When her gaze meets mine, she smiles and mouths a thank you, and I feel the tips of my ears as they heat from her attention.

“Lead the way,” Aldric says, and that’s all the encouragement Emory needs.

We all watch as she drops her magic, a glamour–I believe she called it–until she once again stands before us in her true form. It’s just as amazing as the first time, and I watch in fascination as she once again talks to the little flying Pixie.

When it opens its mouth, a high-pitched ringing sounds in my ears, but Emory seems to understand it. At first, I’d thought it was just me, but the guys said they couldn’t make out what it said either.

“You can’t come. If my stepmother finds you…” Emory trails off, but she doesn’t need to say more. The look in her eyes tells me it would be bad, and judging by how quiet the Pixie is now, she knows it, too.

I watch as the tiny creature flies up, booping her on the nose before flying off, disappearing into the trees before I turn back to Emory. Her eyes are full of sadness, glued to the place where the pixie disappeared.

She didn’t want to leave her, it’s clear on her face, but she didn’t want her to get hurt either.

With a deep breath, Emory turns back to us and reaches her hand out…

To me?

Why in the world would she pick me?

“I don’t bite,” she says with a smile, wiggling her outstretched fingers. “Well, not unless you want me to.” She barks a laugh, and I swear the sunlight glistens off her fangs, but instead of feeling fear the way I probably should, I’m filled with a need to touch her. I want to follow her, wherever she might take me, consequences be damned, and if she bites me… Well, I might just be okay with that, too.

Reaching out, I take her hand and she laces her fingers with my own before instructing me to grab Aldric’s and for him to take Carvers. With all of us connected, she reaches out, opening the tiny door, and my jaw almost hits the forest floor.

Before our eyes, the door grows, going from hardly over three inches to being tall enough for even Aldric to fit—and he’s six feet tall.

“Maybe we’re all nuts,” Aldric murmurs to Carver. Emory’s laugh rings out around the otherwise quiet forest a second before she walks through the door, pulling us behind her into the swirling light a moment before everything goes black.

My eyes take a second to adjust, and my stomach rolls. I hear my brothers as they groan about the same things. Blinking slowly, I watch the world fall back into place around me.

We stand in a forest that’s much the same as the one we just left, but not.

I’m not sure how to explain it, but I know it’s different; it feels different… I feel different.

“Pixie!” Emory shouts, and I turn to my left, where she stands, dropping her hand, when I realize I’m still holding it.

“Surprise! I couldn’t just leave you to face her Majesty The Bitch alone!” Pixie says as she flies around our heads and…

It talks?!

“What the fuck is going on?” Carver asks, leaning forward to brace his hands on his knees, looking a bit green.

“Welcome to the Fae Realm!” Emory says with a smile, holding her arms wide, gesturing to the forest around us.

‘ RUN!’

The word vibrates around my head loud and clear as if shouted, but not aloud. I’m not sure who said it, but I know I wasn’t the only one who heard it. Carver’s face is pinched as he snaps upright and Aldric looks around as if trying to find the person the voice belongs to, but there’s nobody here.

Emory’s reaction lets me know all that I need to though, something’s wrong.

The smile that had just lit up her face is gone, and her eyes are hard with determination as she runs through possibilities. Her mind works so fast that I swear I can see the ideas as they pass through.

“Go, run.” Emory turns, pointing behind her. “That way. Go now!” she barks, not giving us a chance to ask questions. We do as she says, taking off in the direction she pointed.

What else are we to do? Honestly, we don’t know where we are, what’s coming or anything else. The only thing we know for sure is that Emory brought us here, and right now, we have to trust that she knows what she’s talking about.

It doesn’t take long before I realize she isn’t following. Turning on the spot, I stop, and my brothers do the same.

I open my mouth to ask where she is, but an ear-piercing scream cuts through the otherwise peaceful forest sounds before I can.

Emory…