“My name is Amell,” the Dark Fae answers in a deep, mellow voice that has just a hint of gravel to it, making him sound sexy and dangerous at the same time.
Enough, Finley, I scream internally. Quit drooling over the evil Underworlder.
“I am the ruler here,” he continues, arms still crossed over his chest. “You didn’t possibly think you could come through the veil and not be noticed?”
Amell leans slightly over to look past Carrick and lock eyes with me. “Especially bringing a human with you.”
“We had hoped we wouldn’t be noticed,” Maddox quips, giving Amell a wink.
His message is clear. He’s not intimidated in the slightest by a Dark Fae, even if he is the ruler here.
“I assume you are ruler in your queen’s absence,” Carrick says to Amell, and that catches the fae by surprise. Carrick seizes on it. “Yes, we know Kymaris is in the Earth realm.”
“And what do you hope to gain by coming here?” Amell asks defensively, his arms now uncrossing and hanging loosely to his side, where he has a huge sword attached to his hip. He refuses to answer Carrick’s assumption he’s covering for Kymaris while she’s off conquering our realm.
Carrick and Maddox exchange a glance. It’s a hesitation that tells me they can’t quite decide if they want to be upfront or take the Dark Fae out.
They could easily do it between them, but would that bring more?
Do others know we were here already?
Boral instinctively inches closer to me, and the tension emanating from Carrick and Maddox is palpable.
Without much thought to what the consequences might be, I step forward, twisting slightly to move past Boral and push my way in between Carrick and Maddox. The men don’t try to pull me back, but both put their hands near their weapons.
Tipping my head back to look at the Dark Fae, I lift my hands and pull my hoodie back to reveal myself. “I’m here to find my sister, Zora. Perhaps you know where she is?”
Amell’s face goes almost paper white as he takes me in. His eyes move over me, focusing on my eyes for a moment before he reaches out to touch a lock of my hair.
Carrick emits a low growl that stops Amell’s hand from moving any closer, and it falls back down to his side.
“Red,” Amell murmurs in amazement. “Yours is red, and hers is white.”
“You know Zora?” I exclaim with excitement. “Can you take me to her?”
His gaze snaps up to mine, his expression hardening. “I didn’t know she had a sister.”
Shit.
That’s downright accusatory anger I hear from him. He knows Zora, and he would not have expected her to keep this from him.
I remember when I had asked Zora before if she had someone who cared for her or she trusted, and she said she had.
Was this him? Out of all the Dark Fae in the Underworld, could the one who cared for Zora be next in command under Kymaris?
If so, I’m not sure that bodes well for any of us.
Still, we’re here and I’m not leaving without her, so I just go on my hunch. “I’m able to talk to Zora through our bond as identical twins.”
Amell’s jaw locks so hard that I can see a tic in the corner.
“When we last talked, she said she had someone here who cared for her,” I say hesitantly. “That’s you, isn’t it?”
It’s a stretch because that’s not exactly what Zora said. I had asked if someone cared for her, and she said she had someone she trusted.
Amell doesn’t answer but moves his gaze to Carrick and Maddox, flits it over to Boral, and then brings it back to me. “How is it that a human can employ two demi-gods and a Dark Fae to bring her into the Underworld in search of her sister?”
Somehow, I think lying to this creature is not the way to go. But telling him the truth would reveal secrets we’ve held close to the vest so Kymaris would be in the dark.
Ultimately, I go with my gut instinct and pray I’m saying the right thing.
“It’s been prophesied that Kymaris would come to Earth and open the veil. It’s also been prophesied that I’m the key to thwarting it.”
Amell blinks, then barks out an amused, disbelieving laugh. When I hold his stare, the smile slides from his face.
I throw in some tiny lies with partial truths. “I found out about the changeling ceremony and that I had a twin sister here. Somehow, through our bond, we can communicate. We’ve only done it a few times, and Zora has been less than open with me. In fact, she doesn’t seem to want to have anything to do with me.”
“Then why are you here?” he growls impatiently.
“Because she deserves a better life than what she has here,” I say bluntly. “She deserves the beauty of the Earth realm and to be with her family. After all the horrors and abuses she’s endured here over the last twenty-eight years, you’ll agree with me on that if you care for her at all.”
It was the right move. Immediately, Amell’s eyes soften a bit, although his jaw stays locked tight. “I’ll bring you to Zora. It’s her choice whether she wants to see you or not.”
“Would you let her return to the Earth realm with me?” I ask tentatively.
“I’ll respect her wishes,” Amell clips out. But it’s what he doesn’t say that comes across in his tone—he feels he owes her something.
Or perhaps he needs redemption?
I can’t quite put my finger on it, but I’m fascinated that this Dark Fae—clearly royal and second in command to Kymaris—takes our appearance in stride.
Of course, he could be leading us into a trap, but that’s where it comes in handy to have two demi-gods who can decimate someone by blinking their eyes.
We follow Amell into Otaxis. Boral said royals don’t bother to come here, and Dark Fae seem to melt away from the winged fae as he walks the streets. He has a tremendous bearing and commands a respectful sort of fear from those we pass. It makes me wonder exactly what he can do.
I want to know how he has those damn wings.
Sadly, I don’t have the guts to ask those questions.
As we move through the city, some of the Dark Fae look at me with curiosity. Most, though, stare with open hostility while others regard me as if I’m a tasty snack. I don’t bother to put my hood back on since Amell is our escort, but it doesn’t necessarily mean I’m safe. Carrick and Maddox stay close to me on either side, but I’ll occasionally catch a Dark Fae gaping at me in shock. I can only assume they know Zora, and they’re startled by our nearly identical features. Besides the color of our hair, of course.
Up ahead, I recognize the bar where Zora had stopped for an awful drink in my dreams. That’s when I was able to look in the mirror and realize we were twins, but she had snowy white hair in a riot of curls.
I lean into Carrick, nodding toward the bar. “That’s where I first saw Zora. They serve alcohol in there that tastes like antifreeze.”
He mutters back, “Might I suggest you not drink or eat anything offered to you on this trip?”
“Agreed.”
Two blocks down, Amell turns right. It’s then that something hits me.
“No transportation,” I say aloud to no one in particular.
Amell looks over his shoulder at me, eyebrows raised.