Chapter Four
Somewhere in Ireland…
“They failed to find Breda.”
The other five members looked at her as she returned to the circle. She met each of their gazes, waiting for a response.
It was Dark 1, the only male, who spoke first. “Where did the soldiers lose her?”
“A pub in Dublin called the Sly Stag,” she answered.
Light 3 nodded her head. “I know of that establishment. Were the soldiers discreet?”
She shook her head.
Dark 2 twisted her lips, her irritation plain. “That’s a pity.”
Dark 3 asked, “How did the soldiers lose her? They knew she was there.”
“She had help,” Light 2 answered before she could.
Dark 1 frowned, his bushy, black and silver brows snapping together. “That can’t be.”
“It was only a matter of time before the Reapers discovered that we knew of them,” Light 2 replied.
Light 3 shrugged. “Maybe it’s better the Reapers know.”
“We’ve lost the advantage of a surprise attack,” Dark 2 stated.
Dark 3 rolled her eyes. “We lost that when Borgar and Hemming never returned from Dorcha’s meetings at Moorehall searching for Reapers. I said then that Reapers killed them. None of you believed me.”
She raised her hand to silence them when they spoke at once. “We Six exist because we have solidarity on our side. Tens of thousands of Fae are out there waiting to become one of us. We have hundreds already here, learning what we are. We’re altering perceptions and beliefs. It doesn’t matter how powerful the Reapers are. They won’t be able to stand against what we’re building. What we’ve already built. Nor will they be able to withstand our combined power that grows with every meeting our followers have.”
“We’ve not tested our power against anything more than a few Fae,” Dark 1 said.
She smiled, not at all ruffled by the unease moving through the others. “You’re worried we won’t be able to defeat the Reapers. I know we will. You’re worried what will happen when Death comes for us. I’m not. I know nothing in the universe can go up against us. There’s a reason the Light and Dark never joined forces. Death is responsible for that. So are the Reapers. They knew if we ever put aside our differences, we would learn what our combined magic could do.”
“I, for one, am ready for it,” Dark 3 said. “I’m tired of having to do whatever the Dragon Kings say. There are more than enough mortals on this realm to feed every Dark for several years.”
Light 2 rolled her eyes. “And once the humans are gone?”
“We fight the Kings and take over, of course,” Dark 2 said.
She smiled. “Or we remove the Kings beforehand. The rule of the Light only being able to sleep with a mortal once is absurd. Who cares if they’re never able to have a fulfilling relationship with one of their kind after sampling the pleasures of a Fae? It isn’t our fault we’re beautiful and can give pleasure unlike any other creature. We shouldn’t be penalized for what was naturally given to us.”
Dark 1 caught her gaze. “All of this is well and good, but that doesn’t solve the matter of Breda. If she’s with the Reapers, she can tell them our secrets.”
“Do you honestly think the Reapers will believe her?” Light 3 asked with a laugh.
She clasped her hands before her. “No one who has tried to leave us has been successful. If Breda believes the Reapers can keep her safe, she’s going to learn the hard way how wrong she is. We know magic now that can penetrate through a Reaper’s veil to reveal them.”
“We don’t know how to find them, though,” Light 2 said.
She bowed her head in acknowledgement. “Then we work harder to ensure that we can. Until then, the soldiers know to search for Breda and the Reapers. Get the word out to all Fae, give them Breda’s description. Someone will see her. Make sure to get let it be known that we’re also looking for Breda’s accomplices.”
“So, we’ll get a description of a Reaper or two.” Dark 2 grinned. “Brilliant.”
Breda held Torin’s gaze, fear and panic running through her. He looked as if he could see right through her soul—to her secret.
Her heart thumped wildly, and her palms were damp. But she didn’t look away. She couldn’t. Her secret was the only thing keeping her alive. She couldn’t let it be known. Ever.
Torin sighed. It wasn’t a resounding sigh, but a we’ll-return-to-this-later sound. She wasn’t looking forward to that discussion. This one had been difficult enough. Hopefully, she had done enough to make him believe that she wasn’t hiding anything. But, on the off chance she hadn’t, she needed to think of a way to dissuade him.
If she couldn’t, then things would get hairy, really quick.
“Where are the meetings?” Torin asked.
Thankful for a change in the conversation, Breda shook her head. “We arrive at a designated spot, and the soldiers take us. I have no idea of the actual location.”
“Did you see anything that you could pick out? Something in the landscape?”
“We were inside a building.”
“Could you see outside the windows to anything like water or a port?”
She shook her head again. “There were no windows. The first time I was brought to the meeting, I thought we were underground. The room was dark except for six lights pointed toward a stage in the middle. We were seated in stadium seats that encircled the stage. The Six appeared and stood in the light, facing each other in a circle, talking as if we weren’t there.”
“That place could be anywhere in the realm,” Torin said with a frown.
“Since they went to great lengths to ensure that none of us knew where we were, I think that’s the point.”
Torin gave her a flat look. “Did you see each of the Six enough to describe them?”
“Absolutely. You think that will be enough?”
He didn’t answer, which told her that he wasn’t ready to share the goings-on of Reaper life with her. Not that she could blame him. If she weren’t running for her life from the soldiers, she wouldn’t be telling him the things she was now. She had always been private about her life. It felt odd and intrusive to have someone asking such specific questions.
It took her a moment to realize he hadn’t posed another query. That’s when she realized that he was staring at her. His intense look made her nervous. On the one hand, he was gorgeous, and his attention was flattering.
On the other, he was only looking because she had something he wanted.
“What?” she finally asked.
Torin twisted his lips. “How many have tried to leave the Others?”
“I don’t know. Sometimes, the soldiers bring them back to show what happens to those who betray the organization, but I know that sometimes they don’t.”
“How do you know?”
Breda shoved her hair to the other side of her head and ran her palm against the shaved sections. “I stood near a woman my first couple of months attending the meetings. We struck up a conversation once. After that, we stood beside each other each time. She was Light Fae, and it was obvious that she had been completely taken in by the Others. She said a few things that made me think she regretted her decision. By that point, I’d realized that if they wanted you to join, you either did it or they killed you. There wasn’t a third option. I told her that, but she said she couldn’t, in good conscience, remain. The next meeting, she wasn’t there. She’s never been back.”