CHAPTER 1

Nika

I eyed the street sign, then stole a quick glance over my shoulder. Nothing but empty street painted in eerie luminescence and wet from the rain met my gaze. Even if I knew they hadn't followed, I still wasn't convinced my escape had gone undetected.

The familiar sensation of electricity on my skin hit before whispers of pink mist fled my hand and disappeared in all directions. After a second, I breathed a sigh of relief. My high-heeled boots clacked over cement as I made my way to the inconspicuous run-down pub.

The dense musky scent of too many dudes in one place saturated by their own special workforce aroma met my nose as soon as I entered, and I did what I could to keep my face from expressing the disgust I felt.

Panning the space, I looked for the man described to me by one of the only people in this world I trusted. When his silver hair and much-too-large size caught my attention, I headed straight for the back corner of the pub where he sat, arm out, leg crossed lazily over his knee, and a bourbon on the rocks twirling in his hand with half the table covered in empty bottles.

His startling gold eyes found mine, and the way his lips lifted and his body tensed made me unnaturally hesitant. I wasn't innocent or ignorant. I knew the licentious look of lust. But I wasn't one to shy away from a challenge, so I took my seat and covertly grabbed hold of the dagger I kept in my jacket.

"Silas, I gather?" I offered his playboy appearance a small, scornful glance.

That seemed to tickle the silent killer plenty.

The silver-haired giant scoffed lightly, letting his eyes wander to where I gripped the dagger under my jacket. "Ready to cut my throat out already, love? At least let a bloke finish his drink first."

Huffing, I released the blade and showed my hands in an act of good faith. "I trust Lev, not you. I have every reason to be on guard, and you know it."

The polyester padding that the Dark Fae mercenary sat on creaked and groaned as he chuckled and sat up straighter. "Oh, aye. Lev wouldn't let me hear the end of it. Seeing how he sought out my services—which don't come cheap, mind you—I can only guess the long list of enemies I've made myself by agreeing to get you where you need to go."

Silas grinned then pulled a few quid out of his leather jacket after flagging down one of the waitresses. I watched the woman all but fall over herself to be the first to the table, ahead of her clearly unhappy coworkers. The blonde barbie doll, wearing nothing but shorts and a tank top, bent over and made sure good ol' Silas was given the full, exclusive menu. You know, the one where they went off somewhere and banged one out.

Rolling my eyes, I interrupted, "Whiskey, straight up."

As if I'd outright called her a tramp, the woman's glaring gaze swept over me, and then her smile returned the second her eyes found Silas again. "Anything for you, darling?"

Licking his lips and probably giving the desperate woman a heart attack, Silas slid the money across the table and shook his head. "No, love. Just whatever the lady wants is my pleasure, yeah?"

This is going to be a long two weeks.

But I had to trust Lev. He had better connections and was friends with a crazy assortment of incredibly talented Fae-types. And my magic was chaotic at best. I'd only mastered a few things. Not to mention, being the daughter of the Dark Fae who nearly wiped out the Council before escaping into oblivion meant my enemies were everywhere, and come morning when they found me gone, they would do whatever necessary to recover me.

I was the Scorned.

The Marked.

The Foretold.

The moment my father betrayed our kind, I was treated like the scum of the earth. Hell, I was treated that way my entire life. As my luck would have it, after being intensely questioned about my father's whereabouts, one of our Dark Fae boot-lickers proclaimed that one day I'd be the downfall of the Dark Fae Council; that I'd finish what my father started.

How utterly convenient that is.

But I didn't have any idea for what reason my father did it. What I did know was that the night before he attacked the Council, my father gave me a book protected by his magic. Inside it was a single address. So, I had to believe that the truth waited for me at the place he told me to go.

"Nika," Silas called out, and I jerked my eyes over to him. "It's time to go."

I swiped the glass of whiskey and swallowed its contents in one gulp. When I looked up at Silas again, his lips were lifted, and the gold of his eyes beamed in amusement.

"I think we'll get along quite nicely."

I ignored him and got to my feet. Already irritated, I motioned for the oversized brute to lead the way. With a sly grin, Silas got to his feet, instantly towering over me with his six-foot-five-inch frame. Then the oversized brute strolled right out of the pub.

The hired killer led me down a dark pathway out to an equally drenched-in-darkness parking lot, our joined steps echoing off brick walls the entire way. I noticed the motorcycle parked by its lonely self, and my stomach dropped when I realized it was the only thing parked in plain sight. It wasn't that I cared what mode of transportation we chose, but a bike would mean becoming physically intimate with a man I didn't know—and that wasn't my idea of a great start to the evening.

The only contact I had with most men was in a fight, and after my father's betrayal, I was cuffed and beaten by the very same men who I'd trained with since childhood. It wasn't my first time being tortured, but it was the first time they hadn't worried about who might see it happening. So, I didn't have a great opinion of men or really Dark Fae in general outside of my father and Lev—the only person who came to my rescue when I was dubbed the scourge of our society and branded a traitor.

Looking down at my hand, which was gloved to help control some of the chaotic, emotion-responsive power I wielded, I knew the bruises of my last interrogation were still glaring to the eye.

My captors wouldn't heal any of my wounds, and Lev failed to give me a healing potion before he single-handedly orchestrated my escape. So, my body was covered in open wounds, barely-healed cuts, and deep black-and-blue bruises. I didn't want to show how much it hurt to move, so the idea of leaning and bracing on a motorcycle didn't appeal at the moment.

"Coming, love?" Silas called out, throwing a leg over the bike and brushing back his shiny silver hair. "I'll let you wear the helmet, yeah? I look better without it."

It was hard not to roll my eyes, but I got onto the bike and took the proffered helmet. Then after some hesitation, I wrapped my arms around Silas's waist and noticed how his body constricted and the muscles concealed under his jacket seemed to react to my touch.

"A woman of few words, aye? Can't say I'm surprised, but it's definitely new for me. Women tend to whip their tongues and bat their eyelashes around me."

I sighed to myself, woefully missing the gentle, modest actions of my dear friend, Lev.

Lev was beautiful, calm, and never said a bad word about anyone—unless they deserved every sour word. He wasn't hateful or deceitful like we were raised to be. His heart was kind, and it was one of the reasons I clung to him. He and I both rebelled against the pure Dark ways. We wanted a new world where Light and Dark were admired for their differences, not forced to kill over them.

Lev was biologically born female. Even though his mother never truly accepted him—which was the entire reason Lev and I became fast friends—to me, he'd always be the most wonderful man I knew next to my father. If anything, the son of the most powerful Dark Fae in our society was the center of all male and female attention. They adored him, but he ignored all of it. Or at least he never said a word about it to me.

Lev had been a dear friend since before I could remember, but his mother headed the Dark Fae Council and practiced the old traditional ways. Which meant that my father, someone who openly rebelled against them, and his mother never got along. So, our friendship was in no small way forbidden.

My father hadn't killed his mother, but by the way Lev's face twisted in on itself, it hadn't been from a lack of trying. But even then, Lev stood by my side. The longer I was their prisoner, the longer Lev was forced to lie and hide. And if anyone deserved to be free, it was Lev. So, I refused to let him come with me. Instead, we hired the mercenary, Silas, to help me get to the address transcribed in the book my father gave me.

Now, if I had to describe Silas's demeanor, it'd be closer to tipsy troll than master killer. The oaf of a man didn't seem at all bothered that I was a Dark Fae escapee or the daughter of someone who'd nearly wiped out the Council. Or that I might be the reason he was hunted down by the best of the Dark for his affiliation with me.

But from what Lev told me about the silver-haired mercenary, he wasn't one for politics. Neither side of the coin, you could say. Morally grey and for sale. Silas went where the money was, and Lev promised that as long as the price was right, his loyalty was bought and paid for. As someone who was always treated like the black stain on the Dark Fae Society alongside my very powerful father, who many feared and didn't dare go against, I could respect someone who stood by their own code of ethics.

Silas fixed his position on the bike before turning his head slightly with a smirk hanging on his lips. "It's going to be a long, bumpy road, little bird. Keep an eye out. I'm already sensing unrest in the city, and I bet the money-hungry dogs will be out looking for you."

I absently tightened my hold on him, and Silas caressed my hand in a way that nearly sent me clamoring off the bike. But the mercenary was quicker and took strong hold of my arms, effectively binding them to his waist. With a happy little laugh, the oaf revved the massive mechanical monster, kicked off, and we were immediately careening to flee down the same alley we walked only a moment ago.

The power of the storm hit my body with brutal force, and the pain that overtook me nearly caused me to cry out. Silas veered and took another side street, evading cars and pedestrians alike. I barely managed to lean in time, fighting another urge to moan. The Dark Fae navigated the world like he had it all mapped out perfectly in his head, and if not for the immense pain overtaking my body, I might've spared a minute to be impressed.

Silas's eyes were narrowed on everything around us, taking in every inch and on the outlook for any enemy that may try to get the jump on us. I was thankful for his vigilance because all I could focus on was the violent throb of my injuries. It took all my strength not to react to them every time the pain struck.

When Silas finally cleared the city, he turned his head, face wet with rain, and pressed a finger to his throat. His voice boomed in my ears, clear despite the thunderous storm, and it was the first time I saw his magic—a beautiful cerulean that curled around his finger like a thin smoke snake. I didn't want to admit how gorgeous the sparkling light was, but it was hard to miss. It wasn't a color I'd ever seen on one of us before.

Most of our kind's magic was dark and thick, often missed in the dead of night. Very few sparkled like Silas's did. No, if I was honest, his magic was closer to Light than it was Dark, and it made me wonder if the mercenary was truly a Dark Fae at all.

"You're injured," he stated abruptly with a narrow gaze.

I startled. "What—"

"Come now, love. You may be used to pompous little shites pretending to be good at their jobs, but I'm a proper mercenary, yeah? I could smell the blood on you the second you walked into that pub. Sure, you could've passed it off at first as someone else's since I don't know the scent of yours yet, but there's a smell of fresh blood, and your body reacts every time you feel any amount of pain. I'd have to be a daft arse to miss those blatant signs."

I really hated how good at his job Silas was. He may argue that I was around nothing but pompous shites, but I was a hard read even for seasoned Fae. I'd been told so by Lev, my father, and anyone willing to admit the truth.

Eyeing the brute, I hummed. "I guess Lev's faith in you is founded, not that I have much choice in the matter."

Silas seemed to beam with my sarcastic comment, and I instantly regretted giving him any reason to. "We're nearly at our safe point—my own personal spot, and one I rarely let anyone use, mind you. But seeing how you're practically worth a year's salary, I'll take you there and tend to your wounds free of charge."

"How chivalrous," I quipped, monotone, and the oversized troll snickered happily to himself.

At least one of us is having a good time.

I straightened my spine but immediately regretted it. I kept the pain from my face and pressed a finger to my throat, thankful I could at least do that much with my chaotic power. "No need. It's not worth wasting the time to do it, so keep on for as long as you can, mercenary. The Dark Fae Council will not rest, so neither should we."

Silas grunted, his silver hair whipping around his head in a crazy dance. Then, smirking, he pressed a finger to his throat again and offered me a sneaky glance over his shoulder. "You might be used to calling the shots, princess, but I decide when, where, and how we get you to where you want to go. You're a liability as you are now, love. No two ways about it. Squawk all you want, but we'll do what I say when I say it." As if to emphasize his point, Silas grabbed my arms tighter and sped up on the roadway.

Any other time, I'd argue my point until there wasn't a breath left in my body. I'd undergone torture and beatings to give the Dark Fae my father's location, and they never got it out of me. Sure, they knew I was keeping secrets, but without any way of knowing what those secrets pertained to, they were at the mercy of my information.

They tried potions first, but thanks to my father, I'd built an immunity to most. My body counteracted many of the active agents in them, and without explicit knowledge of my physiology, it wouldn't work. In order to bypass my immunity, it would require time. Weeks. Months, even. Which was the only reason I was still alive.

Then it was torture. Magical, at first. Offensive magic of all sorts was used to loosen my lips and weaken my will—a test of my mind's barriers. Like my father, I was a naturally defensive fighter. I could easily expel their efforts, and without any way to temper my power effectively, they were left with but one choice.

Physical torture.

Typically, I could heal or stave off some of the pain with potions Lev taught me to make. Except, I didn't have access to any of them. So, day after day, without pause or relief, I was tortured under every means available to them. Oh, they kept me relatively whole so none of my limbs or fingers were severed, none of my greater parts severely injured, but they did enough to make me silently wish for death.

When Lev came to help me escape, I begged him for freedom from this life. I'd never seen him so shocked and distraught. It was the weakest moment of my life, and I was grateful Lev refused to hear any of it.

Perhaps that was why they foretold I'd finish what my father started—because I sincerely wished to. I'd never felt so much hatred for anyone as I did the Dark Fae Council.

Unintentionally, I tightened my hold on Silas. If he noticed, he didn't show it. The mercenary merely took another road and then skillfully drove between trees, taking us completely off the beaten path.