Vampire Girl 2: Midnight Star (17 page)

The entire time, Baron stays by my side and searches for Yami. As we sit in my Stonehill room, the fireplace crackling, he whines and sniffs at my hair, as if the dragon is hiding there. I pat his head. "I know, boy. I know."

It seems being away from Yami is tearing us both apart. Perhaps Varis will know where my dragon went. What if he returned to High Castle but couldn't find me? What if he returned to the Crystal Palace and waits for me alone? The thoughts and questions twirl around in my mind until I can't think straight.

I'm grateful for the distraction when someone knocks on my door. "Come in."

Fen enters, and my heart does a little flip. It's so strange, how just the sight of him makes my body sigh with happiness, even in midst of war and fear.

I try not to think about how we can't be together.

How my destiny and his are entirely opposite.

How he wants war when I want peace.

How he has no desire to be king, and I must be queen of this kingdom and that of the Fae.

Instead, I take a deep breath and smile and pat the rug next to me, and he sits, his long body folding into the space as he presses against my side.

I inhale his scent and enjoy the heat of his skin against my arm.

I stay in this one moment, where we are together and there is no blood or fighting or death. There is only us and a fire and a wolf and our feelings.

But these moments are made of dreams, and one must always wake.

"I cannot stay long," Fen says. "I must ready my troops for war. We march tomorrow at daybreak."

I lay my head on his shoulder, staring into the dancing flames. "Please don't fight. Please don't go to war against the Fae."

He kisses the top of my head. "I am sorry, Arianna. But the Council has decided, and I agree with that decision. The Druids nearly killed my brother, and he might die yet. They must pay for what they have done. They will not stop until we are destroyed, don't you see that?"

"It's not that black and white," I say. "Violence will only create more violence."

Fen shakes his head, and I raise mine, looking into his blue eyes.

"They killed Daison," he says. "Why do you care so much about peace with them? About their kind? I know you have their blood, but what does that mean? They kidnapped you. They killed the ones you love. They are not your people."

I open my mouth, prepared to tell him that not all Fae are as he imagines. That they have goodness in them. Love. Kindness. That they are hurting and scared. That their world was destroyed and they are angry and they want their people freed. That not all Druids want war.

Agony grips me.

I fall from my chair, grabbing my throat. But still I do not give up. I need him to know, to understand. So I keep trying, through the pain, through the choking, until blood dribbles out of my mouth and I am coughing it up.

Fen catches me as my body convulses. "What it is, Arianna? What's happening?"

Baron whines and licks my face.

I try to tell him, and the pain worsens. My lungs burn. And so, finally, I stop trying.

The symptoms abate, leaving me exhausted and covered in sweat.

Fen's worried face flashes into something darker, more sinister, as the truth dawns. "Who?" he growls. "Who made you sign another contract?"

Chapter 13

KARASI

Asher

"I'm glad you at least think I'm sexy."

—Asher

Everything has turned
to a bloody mess and I, of course, must find a way to fix it before my plans go to rot.

Naturally that means sneaking back to Akaviri and trying to negotiate a truce. Now, how to keep my brother from waging war, that's a whole other beastly matter I'll have to sort out later.

But when I see Fen storming toward me, face-hardened by rage, I know I'll not escape the Realms unscathed by past sins.

His fist makes contact with my face, and I stumble back, rubbing my jaw. Why is he so much stronger than all of us, I wonder, not for the first time. "That will leave a mark, brother," I say. We stand in a cold, stone hall, the windows dark, the blue torches running low. The wolf is not here, fortunately. "But you needn't be so dramatic. It was just a friendly kiss. Nothing happened. You've captured her heart well and good."

Fen's eyes widen and his fist clenches again. "You
kissed her?"

Well, hell. "I thought that's what this was about. No?"

"
Now
it is," Fen says, swinging again. At least he gave my other cheek a swing. Matching bruises and all. The symmetry is a nice touch.

"If this wasn't about the kiss, then what?"

"You made Ari sign another contract!"

"Right. That. How did you know?" I rub my jaw and stretch it out.

"She tried to tell me and it nearly killed her. I figured the rest out myself."

Strong girl, that one. Pity I can't muster up a good lust for her. We'd make a splendid couple, and fabulous rulers of this backward kingdom. But alas, she wasn't wrong in accusing me of pining for another. She wasn't entirely right, but she wasn't wrong.

Fen grabs my collar and lifts me in the air.

"Hang on now, you'll muss the clothing." I try to stay nonchalant, but the Prince of War is out for blood. My blood. It's hard not to take that seriously.

"I will kill you, Asher. What have you done to her and why?"

I've never seen Fen this angry. He raises a fist.

"It was our father!" I finally say.

That freezes him, and he drops me back to my feet. I use the pause to dust the wrinkles out of my lapel.

His eyes go wide. "Our father? But how? He's dead."

"He's not dead," I say. "He survived the poison. But he knew that what he wanted, what he planned, would never work the way things were, so he joined with the Fae and became allies, faking his own death in the process."

"He's been helping the Fae this whole time?" Fen steps back.

I nod. "He orchestrated the kidnapping of Arianna, organized the attack on you. I rescued her, but she had already signed a contract to not reveal his plans." A small lie, that.

"Why? Why didn't you tell me the truth, Asher? I trusted you."

I snort. "You trusted me? Really? Is that why you poisoned our father and then feigned shock when he died? Is that why you held a mock investigation into his death when you knew all along the one responsible?"

"You knew?"

I nod. "I saw you that night, leaving his room. I waited for you to tell me the truth, but you said nothing. So… why didn't I tell you? Because he was our father, and you hurt him. I saw how the thought of his death pained you, and I wanted you to feel that pain a little longer."

Fen clenches his jaw and fist simultaneously, his eyes burning with rage, and then all the anger seems to deflate. "It was never meant to kill him. That poison, it was only to subdue him while I tried to figure out his plans before he brought ruin to our kingdom."

"Don't you see brother?" I look at Fen, the brother I've always loved more than the others. The one I trusted most until recently. "It's you who will bring ruin to our kingdom, if you persist in this war."

He says nothing.

I turn and walk away, leaving Fen alone to stew in his pain.

I don't have time to coddle the Prince of War.

When I'm sure I'm not being followed, I make my way through the snow-covered woods, running to save time, until I come upon the cave with the Waystone.

It's been activated with Fae blood, as per request, and I make fast time to the other side of the world, where Varis, Madrid and Durk wait in the dilapidated Crystal Palace. Lucian is there as well. Seems he returned from whatever business he had.

They sit around the dining table, drinking and talking when I arrive. I fill them in on what happened, and they frown.

"Then war has come," Varis says, his shoulders heavy. "We must consider siding with the Fae. If the Druids lose this battle, the Fae will never recover. It will mean the end of our kind."

My jaw hardens. "And if the princes lose, then
our
race will never recover!"

My father stands and slaps the table with his hand. "There is still a way to ensure peace."

How is it, again, that Lucian is now this force for peace? After so many years of bitter war, slavery and selfishness? Oh right, he never told me why.

He's still a gigantic ass.

"Maybe peace is a myth," I say. "A child's fantasy." I point at my father. "The Druids nearly killed your son. He's dying back in the Seven Realms as we sit here speaking of truce. How will my brothers ever forgive the Fae?"

Varis stands and paces the room. He raises a hand to his neck. Ah, a gesture I recognize. He is particularly stressed. His muscles bulge from pent up tension. "I will not support the demons in destroying the Fae," the Druid says. "I must protect my people above—"

"Above all!" I say, my voice too loud. "I have heard all this before. You speak of joining our two people, but always you side with your own."

Varis steps close and lays a hand on my arm, but I brush him off. Anger boils in me. I will not have this happen again. I will not be betrayed again.

Before I say or do something incredibly stupid, I push open the door and escape into the halls. I find a large balcony overlooking the mountains. The night breeze cools my hot face. I stare at the full moon and a sky full of stars. It's breathtaking, but not enough to distract me.

I know he's there before I feel his hand on my shoulder. "Asher… "

I turn on Varis. "No. I have something to say. Something I've kept inside me for centuries. And you will listen."

Varis, wisely, does not argue.

And the words suddenly get stuck in my throat. Standing here, in the moonlight, with him so real, so alive, so close. It's easy to forget the pain. The betrayal. But I won't. I can't. "How could you? How could you betray me all those years ago? Betray all of us? Our people? We had a plan. We would speak to my father and the Fae Queen. We would tell them our people could live in peace. That it could happen, because… " Emotion floods me, and I take Varis' hand, caressing it in mine. "Because it happened to us. We were going to show them our people could live together. Could love each other. Because we loved each other."

I turn away from him, dropping his hand, a tear threatening to escape my eye. "Was I wrong?"

"No," the Druid says softly. "You were not wrong, Asher."

I look up again, and see his eyes glistening in the moonlight. "Then why?" I ask. "Why were we attacked by your people when the meeting began? Why did you lead my family into a trap? My sister died that day, because of you."

His beautiful face contorts with grief. "Asher, I couldn't stop the High Queen. She learned of us, of our plans. She set the trap."

"Why didn't you warn me, Varis? Why did you let my sister die?" It has been years since I thought of Maya, since I let myself remember the girl who brought so much joy to a family full of men.

Varis looks away, ashamed. "I thought the Queen's plan would work, and… our plan? Of our people living together peacefully? I… didn't believe it then. Not truly. But… " He turns to face me again, his eyes earnest. "But I believe it now. I was wrong then. When I saw what happened to Maya, when I saw the hurt and betrayal in your eyes, I knew I had made a terrible mistake. I knew you'd never forgive me."

"Will you fight tomorrow? Against my family?" I ask him.

Varis doesn't avert his eyes this time. "Yes, but not to kill. I will fight to contain the war until the demons surrender. Then, I will end the battle. No lives will be sacrificed unnecessarily."

I nod. It's more than I could have hoped for, though not what I want. "I will do the same then. But we will be on different sides."

I turn to leave, but Varis reaches for my hand and pulls me toward him. He touches my face gently. "No matter what happens tomorrow, Asher, you are, and always will be, my Karasi. Spirit of my heart."

Chapter 14

THE CHOICE

"This world cares nothing for me."

—Arianna Spero

Fire is everywhere
. Filling my sight, lapping at my skin like hungry demons, burning my nostrils. Smoke clouds my vision, and I trip over a body. I'm scared to look down, because I know what I will see. What I always see.

Daison. He is stuck under the burning logs. He is dying. I pull and tug, but I can't save him. I can never save him.

His face morphs and now he is Ace, his chest caving in from talon scratches, his skin pale from blood loss, his body charred. I rip open my wrist and dribble blood into his mouth, but he does not awaken.

As I stare down in horror, his features change, and I am holding Fen. Fen, who is dying. Who is burned. I cut open my other wrist. I bleed and bleed but I can never save him.

I can never save any of them, no matter how much blood I give.

***

My heart hammers in my chest, and I wake with a start, gasping in the cool, clean night air. I check my wrists. They are not slashed open. One is still bandaged, but it is healing. I am not dying.

But Daison is dead.

Ace might die.

And Fen.

Fen must live.

The wind shifts in my room, and I notice a silhouette in my window. A person. I slip out of bed and reach for Spero, holding my sword tightly in my hand as I walk over to the figure lurking in the dark.

"Metsi." I recognize her from the presenting, though I haven't seen her since. Her dark skins glows under the moonlight, and her serpent coils around her right wrist, placated for now. "Have you come to kill me in my sleep?"

"My brother, Oren, told me what you did, summoning the Midnight Star." Her voice is lilting, soft, Irish-sounding in its cadence, carrying on the wind.

My heart leaps. Does she know if Yami is okay?

"It is not too late," she says. "You can still side with your people. Fight with us, Princess. Fight with us and help us save the Fae."