CHAPTER 25

Nika

Silas didn't seem sorryas Lev stared at the two of us, saying nothing for nearly ten minutes. The shameless mercenary had us dressed seconds after Lev's voice floated over from the couch, and since then, we'd been in an awkward stand-off with my only friend.

At first, I couldn't think of anything other than beating down the oversized brute who promised this wouldn't happen. Lev watched me lay the man out like the asshole he was with a little smirk on his face, but now the green-eyed Fae was oddly quiet for someone who never seemed to stop talking.

Finally, Lev spoke, accusatory eyes aimed at Silas. "When I asked you to keep her safe, I thought it was sort of an unspoken rule not to—"

I cleared my throat, glaring. "You don't have to spell it out. Also, I'm an adult in case you've forgotten. I make my own choices, with or without your approval."

I instantly regretted my snark because it showed on Lev's face how much I'd wounded him with my straightforward comment.

He was worried about me. He didn't want me caught up in something worse than what I was already dealing with. From an outsider's perspective, Silas was bad news. He had an apathetic, devil-may-care air to him. He acted like a player who broke hearts for a living. Worse, the brazen asshole was a contract killer who didn't care who his target or client was. Anyone would be wary to let their friend get entangled with a person like that.

If I were Lev, I'd be worried, too.

But after getting to know Silas, that initial depiction—at least when it came to me—was the farthest thing from the truth. I didn't question Silas's feelings for me. It might go against everything he used to be, but Silas, as far as I was concerned, had only ever been entirely himself and honest. Even as obnoxious as that could be at times.

Never thought I'd be introducing my sex friend? Lover?—I smiled to myself—my Marked to Lev someday. Definitely not when I can't be sure if I'll get another tomorrow.

Silas grunted a little, throwing me a little sassy glance, smug about whatever victory he thought he'd claimed. Clearly, he was aiming for another beating. One I was all too happy to give if he said something stupid. And based purely on the fact that the man couldn't filter out anything he said to save his life, that beating was an inevitability.

"Now that the cat's out of the bag..." the smirking mercenary started, spreading his powerful legs and dropping his elbows down on top of his knees. His piercing gold eyes were suddenly aimed at Lev. "She's mine. Hands off. No more cute looks and touches. You might be the adorable wanker who's kept her happy and safe all these years, but that's my job now, mate. I'll take it from here. Only Silas can give her what she needs now."

I rolled my eyes, beyond annoyance when Silas went and talked about himself in third person.

This self-important asshat...

Lev's mouth dropped open, and I sighed so loud it got a little chuckle out of Silas. "Is he joking right now, Niks?"

"Oh, if only," I grumbled under my breath.

I could already feel the headache starting. I wanted to hide and pretend none of this had happened. I didn't think I'd have to explain things so soon, and I still had a lot of questions about—I don't know—actual world-ending matters. Things that deserved all my energy, not this bullshit.

I searched for the words to explain how it all happened, but all I could think of were excuses. Excuses for why I'd thrown myself at him; for why I couldn't seem to say no or why I couldn't imagine my life without him anymore. But I didn't want to hurt either one by uttering some half-baked answer, so I hesitated, uncomfortable enough that it likely showed on my face.

"Nika, what's—" Lev started to ask.

"This is on me," Silas inserted to both of our surprise, shouldering the blame. "I took advantage of the situation. I offered her a distraction she couldn't refuse. I'd say sorry, but we all know I'm not. We'll just leave it at that. Nika has a world of trouble coming down on her, so let's not add to it by splitting hairs over this bloody rubbish."

I side-eyed the oversharing jerk sitting next to me.

It was clever that Silas said his piece, laid claim to whoever and whatever he wanted, took all the blame, then ended it before anyone else could say a thing. Tactfully handled.

But then again, that was Silas. He knew what the situation called for, and he'd gone out of his way to spare me the humiliation of it. The gorgeous brute might pretend he had a beast brain—that he didn't care about anything or anyone and did whatever he wanted—but I'd picked up on the underhanded chivalry in every word and action. Silas pretended to be the rake when really he was the gentleman.

More surprising was how Lev seemed to respond positively to Silas's bullshit non-answer. "I guess you're right." My friend's eyes slid over to mine before he pulled out a sketch pad from his pack and a few pencils. "It's none of my business what you do, Niks." I swallowed, sensing the note of resignation to his tone. "But you're right, we have bigger things to worry about. I passed out, but I really shouldn't have. We need to go back before we lose our chance."

"Go back?" Pivoting my train of thought, I looked down as Lev got to work drawing a box with embellishments carved into it.

Silas's expression darkened, and he leaned over. "Is that...?"

"Yes, it's where they've trapped the souls of every Soul Collector who's ever existed," Lev answered, never looking up from the image he sketched, bringing said box to life with every stroke. "The Box of Black Souls. It's impossible to open, but..." Finally, Lev's moss-green eyes lifted, and for some reason, I couldn't breathe. "For a Soul Collector, it poses no obstacle. She's been convinced you're coming for it; that you're going to use it to end the world. The powers locked in this box, well..."

"Could bring the world to its knees," Silas murmured, the usual good humor absent from his expression. The silver-haired Fae cradled his jaw, thinking. "And you're sure that old sea witch has this in her possession? I thought this box was buried somewhere with the rest of the Dark Fae Society's secrets."

Lev continued to shade and add more detail to the box, his gorgeous art bringing depth and beauty to something so terrifyingly dark. When I finally looked up again, something flickered in Lev's eyes that made me uncomfortable.

Fear.

"It's being guarded by a world of magic and enchantments, but yes. She has it. I don't know if she's always had it or just brought it back to guard it, but I couldn't take it without risking them finding me before I could get this information to you."

Silas shook his head, growling low in his throat. "No, you did good, lad. Something like this is best left to the professionals."

Lev's eyebrow quirked. "You mean you?"

The mercenary's arrogant smile was back, and I couldn't help but be grateful to see it. "Aye. You're a lucky bastard you made friends with one of very few who could handle that kind of high-level task. I have plenty of ways to deconstruct and blow apart any magic they have keeping others out. She'll have it booby-trapped to the bloody ears. Guarded by her best, too. Though, those unfortunate wankers couldn't beat me if they used all the blood magic in the world. So, aye, it's better I'm with you to make sure we can get to it."

Arrogant asshole around Lev? Interesting.

I hid my smile when Silas's eyes tracked over to me, trying to catch me looking, but I'd flicked my gaze over to Lev to keep the brute in his place. "Every Soul Collector, you say?"

Silas reverted instantly to pouty baby out of my peripheral, and I'd never had to work so hard not to smile. I'd never admit it to him, but I couldn't be sad for a second around the man. When I tried, he always found a way to make me giggle or glare—because there wasn't much of an in-between with the brute.

Lev stiffened, and I caught his hand freeze over the box. "Yes, every Soul Collector...including your grandmother. If you can just get to her, she might...she could help. It's a long shot. I'm not sure if you can learn how to control your power in time, but I have a list of things you can try. It was written in the books they kept on each Soul Collector. We won't know until we try."

"Wait, my grandmother? But she's—" I started.

Lev quickly interrupted me, shaking his head. "They made her seem like a villain, but from what I've read, she wasn't. She helped a lot of people, Nika. They were afraid of her power. No..." He lifted his head and swept a hand through his messy blue locks. "They wanted to control it—to control her—and when they couldn't, they killed her and locked her soul in this box."

We all looked down at the newly finished drawing.

"It's dark magic, this box. The darkest I've ever sensed, and that was through a thick barrier of magic. I don't know how they got it or who managed to make it, but it's covered in the stench of the After. I can't explain it well, but the souls trapped in there are forever living in torment."

Weight landed in my stomach, and acid crept into my throat.

They sent my grandmother there because they couldn't control her? Was that where they planned to send me? When I lifted my gaze, Lev's expression told me I'd guessed right. Yuma was going to kill me then trap me in the Box of Black Souls. It was by pure luck that she hadn't already.

So why had my father left? What made him flee without me? I searched my mind for him, but I couldn't hear his voice. I couldn't ask him why he left and why he didn't take me with him. Would things have gone differently if he had?

I didn't want to feel it, but betrayal coated my throat.

Silas touched my hand, and I was dragged out of my head. His gentle eyes and soft smile calmed my racing pulse. "They'll have to kill me if they want to lock you in that box, love. I'm not an easy one to kill, believe me. Many have tried and failed. I'll burn every single bastard to ash who dares to try. Do you trust me?"

Lev watched us, but I could only look at Silas. "Yes, I trust you."

"That's a good girl," he murmured, eyes dropping to my mouth.

My own eyes narrowed, and I glared at the overly forward bastard. "But try not to forget it'll be me who saves our asses in the end. I'm powerful too, you jerk."

"Oh, I'll never forget it, love." Silas's mouth twitched, and his eyes flicked up in that sexy way of his before falling back to my mouth, which was an obvious, if not glaring sign that he wanted to kiss me. Grumbling under his breath, the mercenary looked at Lev, then I heard him mutter "Bugger it!" and Silas bent forward and kissed me so fiercely it took me a second to react appropriately.

By landing a punishing blow on his stomach.

"Lilith's tit, that smarts!" the oversized brute said through bouts of coughs. "Okay, I deserved that, I did. But you really need to stop looking so damn cute all the time, princess. It's becoming a real problem for me."

Out of nowhere, Lev barked a laugh. There were tears in his eyes as my dearest friend curled over his stomach and giggled harder than he had in a very long time. "Okay, okay. You win, you obnoxious bastard. But if you ever hurt her, I'll make you wish you'd never been born."

Silas, smug again with his arms crossed over his door-wide chest, eyed my friend with his mouth slanted. "If I hurt her, I'll do it myself, lad. You have my solemn vow. Because I already don't deserve her. Hurt her like that, and I'll write my own name in silver."

"Write it in silver?" Lev asked before I could.

The mercenary's eyes went from gold to silver, the air around him so ominous it put the two of us on edge. "Oh, aye. If I ever write your name in silver, there's nowhere you can run or hide. You'll die by my hand. The last thing you'll see is silver as you take your last dying breath."

An all-demon smile appeared on Silas's face as he tapped the side of one eye, emphasizing his point. Sensation crawled over my skin. The switch from the Silas who couldn't seem to be bothered by anything or anyone, who made light fun and jokes, to the one who brutally killed and destroyed his enemies happened in a single heartbeat.

"And you better hope it's somewhere heavenly and not the Devil's paradise your soul goes to because when I get there, I'll do it again and again and again..."

Lev seemed uncomfortable with this side of Silas, but I'd seen it enough times not to be surprised. "Noted," my friend finally muttered, getting up. He grabbed a notepad from his pack. "I'm glad you're on our side. You're pretty scary when your eyes do that silver thing."

Even I couldn't help but laugh when Silas cackled and the ominous air receded.

While the mercenary lived in the glory of horrifying my shifty-eyed friend, Lev came to sit next to me and handed over a few notes he'd taken at some point along the way. "All of this is encoded in our special language. Don't want this getting into the wrong hands. But these are some ways to try to control your power. You're...well, you can do much more than collecting."

I didn't know how to tell him I knew all of that already.

"You can use their powers, but Nika...you can help them find their afterlife. That's what your grandmother did. She didn't collect souls to use them. She collected souls to save them. It was the entire reason they killed her. She wouldn't use them the way the others had. Eventually, the others became dark. The use of other Fae powers stains and corrupts your soul, so keep that in mind. It's why, eventually, they'd be put in that box—the minute the head of the Dark Fae Council started to lose control over them."

I dropped my eyes to the notebook, then caught Lev's pressing gaze when he cleared his throat.

"Niks, they used Soul Collectors as weapons. Your grandmother was the first to break the chain. If it weren't for your father, they would've controlled you sooner is my guess. It's why they needed your parents...gone." Lev took my hands in his, emotion in the luminosity of his green eyes. A world of agony fell on my chest when I realized that my parents were likely killed because of me. "It's my belief that they kept you alive and your power locked away all these years because one day..."

I breathed, grief hitting my throat. "They wanted to use me."

Lev nodded, unable to look at me. "I don't know why your father killed who he could and left, but he knew something. From what I've read, your mother was a clairvoyant. I think she saw something. Everything I found in their text is speculation based on what my mother thought she knew. But the only people who knew the truth were..."

"My mother and father," I finished.

If only I could find a way to reach my father, I could ask what my mother saw and why he left.

A hand touched my back in comfort before Silas stood and looked out the nearby window. "I don't know what your mother saw or what Bane knew, but I do know what Rilas wants now," the giant Fae mumbled to himself, and both our heads turned to look at him. Lev wasn't familiar with the name, but I needed the mercenary to confirm what I already knew. "He's after that bloody box. I'm sure of it. And if he gets it, there's nothing we can do to stop him with the powerful souls locked in it."

Lev glanced at me, confused. "Who's Rilas?"

I peered down at the instructions.

We couldn't waste time. We had to go back. We had to get the Box of Black Souls. If we didn't, we couldn't win.

Then I caught sight of something on the page I flipped to. I read through what was written quickly. Relief washed over me as I closed my eyes, leaving Lev's question unanswered. I did as it instructed, finding that solid but warm feeling inside. Soon, warmth flooded my body and head. Just as quickly, their presence came rushing back in.

"Holy fuck! I missed the sound of your voice!" I heard a familiar voice cry out in my head. "Did you miss us? This guy would never admit it, but when he couldn't reach you, he thought the worst and was an absolute mess."

"Shut it, wolf."

Ryker. Salvator. Tometi. They were all there, their presence much louder than before and their voices crystal clear. I never thought I'd miss them the way I had, but I'd grown fond of the three despite the circumstances.

I sighed out loud and both men looked over. Smiling to myself, I looked at Silas. "I can hear them again."

Lev stayed forever confused. I felt terrible for not explaining, but my elation was overwhelming. I'd likely ramble and make very little sense if I tried to explain everything right now.

Silas offered me his usual smirk and shrug. "Can't say I'm chuffed to hear it, but what about Bane? He's the one we want to talk to."

Lev's mouth dropped open. "Your dad? What does he mean, Niks?"

I wanted to answer Lev, but the thought that maybe I could draw my father out was all I could focus on. I searched my head for him, calling out over and over until I felt his presence ease closer, his warmth and kindness a soothing balm I missed so much it brought tears to my eyes.

"Hey there, darling girl. I'm so sorry we're meeting like this, but I just want you to know how proud of you I am...and I promise, I didn't abandon you. I'll explain everything. Here...with your mother."

"My mother...?"