I shake my head and cross my arms, leaning back in the stool. “I lost my mum and uncle when I was eight and had to go alone to a new world. Well, not alone as I had my monkey sidekick, but it was hard. Mossy couldn’t speak English, and no humans would help me. I was just another supernatural orphan who they didn’t want anything to do with. I was alone.”
“I was mad at you because I thought you’d take Sebastian from me,” she whispers, a little catch to her voice. “Mother wants me dead, and my brother is all I have.”
“I would never take him from you,” I tell her, reaching over and covering her little hand with mine. “If anything, you just gain a sister with me. I will be here, even if you don’t like me.”
“You’re not that bad.” She wiggles her nose, but there is a big smile there. “Plus, you need me, or the spirits will kill you.”
“Death threats and cookies. This has been an interesting night,” I reply with a smile. This kid is just like I was when I was her age. Messed up and scared of letting anyone get close. Tough luck for her as I’m not going anywhere.
“I’m going back to bed. Night, Eira,” I say, sliding off my stool.
“I won’t forget, by the way. The spirits told me I should say that to you.”
“Forget what?” I ask.
“I don’t know. They just said that and nothing more,” she replies with a shrug. “Thanks for the cookies.”
I watch the strange little girl that reminds me so much of myself until I walk away, feeling like the spirits are watching me ever so much closer now.
And the thought does nothing but creep me out more.
Chapter 19
“I never expected to see you back here, Ingrid,” the Seelie king, although a younger version of him, coldly states in a room I’ve not seen before. It’s a bedroom with a massive balcony overlooking the Otherworld. Even being in a memory, the place is so beautiful and real.
And so is my mother.
I can’t stop staring at her, wishing I could run across the room and pull her into my arms, to tell her who I am and how I miss her so much. My mother has black trousers and a white top on, a white cloak falling around her shoulders. Her red hair is pulled back in braids, in a style I never saw her do with her hair before.
In fact, I’ve never seen her wear colours like this.
“I need your help, and I don’t know who else to turn to,” she says, her voice nothing short of desperate.
Einar sharply turns towards her and storms over, grabbing her chin with his hand, but she disappears into smoke, reappearing nearby. Einar laughs a cold laugh. “You want my help but won’t come to me in person. Hiding with magic like a coward.”
“We both know if I came here, you would lock me up or kill me.”
“I never want you dead, but you do need to learn your lesson. You are meant to be my wife!” he growls out, pulling the crown from his head and throwing it on the floor between them. “My mate! This castle, this damn crown, it is all nothing without you by side.”
“Find your soulmate, as it isn’t me,” she replies, her voice cracking.
“What do you want, Ingrid?” he asks, turning away from her and looking back out at the Otherworld. “What made you desperate enough to turn to me for help?”
“I’m pregnant, and the reaper queen killed my mate. Killed the family,” she whispers, her voice catching on a sob. “Now I’m back here, and you are hunting Unseelie, making it impossible for me to live. Stop hunting them for the reaper queen.”
“That I will not do until you are back at my side and my queen,” he coldly responds. “Make your choice, and do not come back to ask for help. Every day you avoid your place at my side, the more I will kill.”
“If...” She stumbles back on her feet. “If I come back to you, will you protect my baby?”
He turns his gaze back to her. “Never. That bastard will be sent away.”
Her eyes search the room for a second, and she pauses on me, a small smile tilting up her lips. Can she see me? I step forward, but she is already disappearing into smoke. “Then you will never have me, Einar.”
Einar starts roaring out her name as he throws fire around the room, smashing and burning everything nearby in his anger.
The not-so-much-a-memory version of Einar’s hot breath blows against my ear. “See, you ruined everything.”
I jolt awake, gasping for air and clutching the bed sheets tightly under my hands. The door to my bedroom opens, and Ryker walks in, a cup of coffee in his hands in my favourite blue mug.
“I—” he starts and stops when he sees me. “Was that fucker king in your dreams again?”
“He showed me another memory,” I admit, sitting up on the bed as Ryker kisses me before handing me the coffee. I take a burning sip, waking myself up. “Thanks.”
“I shouldn’t have left to make you coffee without waking you up,” Ryker says, and I shake my head.
“No, he can find me when he wants,” I say, wanting to make sure he doesn’t blame himself for the Seelie king’s actions. “He is powerful, and I don’t know how to ward him off.”
“Maybe we should ask the elves for guidance,” Ryker suggests, pulling his shirt off, and I stare blankly at his perfectly chiselled chest, forgetting what he just said. Ryker chuckles as he pulls on a new black shirt, taking away my new view. “The elves might help us find a way to defeat him.”
“Maybe,” I reply.
“Are you coming to training today?” he asks as I sip more coffee. I sigh and nod my head.
“Yup,” I reply before drinking the rest of my coffee. Ryker heads out to leave me to grab clothes and have a quick shower before getting dressed. I come out to find Mossy sitting on Ryker’s shoulder, talking to him.
“So you don’t like dog treats?” Mossy asks.
“No...because I’m not a damn dog,” he replies.
“If it looks like a monkey, smells like a monkey, it’s a monkey,” Mossy replies. “That’s all I’m saying.”
I chuckle as I walk past them and grab a waffle off the plates of food Sword has left out. “What’s your plan for today, Mossy?”
“More messing with the castle guards. This time, I’m going to set the alarms off in the bathrooms, and once they go in there, I will lock all the doors. It will be hilarious.” Mossy snickers to himself, and my lips twitch. I shouldn’t encourage this behaviour, but... “It will be more fun when they realize how much horse poo I’m leaving in the toilets for them to be stuck with.”
“How are you transporting the poo?” Ryker asks, rubbing his chin.
“I have my ways, dog boy,” Mossy replies, jumping off his shoulder and onto the tree in the middle of the room before climbing his way up it. I eat my waffle as we go to the elevator and head down.
“Poppy and Toth have gone ahead,” Ryker tells me. I told Ryker and Seb about everything the next day when I refused to do anything but drink and pass out in Seb’s rooms. Wallowing and eating my body weight in cookies did help.
“I don’t know why you think I’d care,” I dryly respond. Ryker simply kisses the side of my head and doesn’t say a word.