"I am not Dark Fae! You bastard, you fucking bastard. Don't you dare try to make me think otherwise. I am Light Fae and I always will be!" Kael took my punches and fire until he vanished from beneath me, only to reappear behind me. He wrapped his arm around my waist and forced his will upon mine. Coolness flowed through me, halting the fire and forcing my mind to calm. I sagged against him and he carefully put me into a sitting position on the ground. It was his turn to be furious. He knelt in front of me, rage in his eyes.2
"Do you suggest that I, a Prince of the Fae, would lie to you about such matters? Lest you have forgotten, I did not choose to be born of the Dark Fae, Kimae! I did not choose to be my father's son, heir to the throne. I would not lie to you!" His anger lashed through me, tinged with the pleasure of his power. I would have been reaching for him if I had not been so subdued. The pleasure rocked through me, demanding I do something, anything to get him to come to me. It was too much! He placed that barrier around his power once more and I just lay there gasping, feeling empty for a moment before I returned to myself. Kael was still over me, anger simmering in his bright Fae eyes.3
I thought back so long ago, sifting through my memories to the looks the others of the Queen's closest had always given me. I had thought them to be ones of jealousy, but as I brought their faces to mind, I recognized them to be ones of contempt and hate. Memories surfaced rapidly, little strange happenings that I had dismissed without a thought. Everything I remembered suggested that what Kael said about myself being Dark Fae to be true. Any mortal part of me had never shown itself as far as I could tell.4
I gulped. "I still don't believe you, Kael, but I am definitley going to find out if you are telling the truth." Kael helped me stand and kept my hands in his larger ones.5
"I am sorry for my burst of emotion, my sweet. I am imprisoned on a path I do not truly wish to follow. I can do nothing." He looked away, and the pain in his eyes made me reach a hand out to him. I had not felt this way towards any male in a hundred years, there was only a blur of faces that were beginning to fade from memory. Kael flicked his eyes to me as I caressed the line of his jaw with my hand. He raised his hand to cup mine and I shivered at the contact. That desire for him raced back and I stared helplessly into his eyes, scared yet eager as my feelings for him made themselves known. I was attracted to him, and he intrigued me. The thing that sealed the deal for me was the fact that he had never taken advantage of me, not once, even when I had come to him by the Eiffel Tower, fully ready to hurt him until he told my everything.6
He brought me to him. His muscled body clenched as he gently hugged me, bringing his face to mine so our noses touched.7
"I have not felt this way before, my sweet Kimae. I do not understand it." Kael gently smiled at me I suddenly stood on my tiptoes and claimed his soft lips as mine. He returned the kiss with such fervor that I realized what he said was true. He really did feel something for me. I felt around him with my power and I found that he had locked his power away tightly. All we were feeling were our natural responses to one another. I moaned at the exquisite feeling of him against me, his lips on mine, trailing down my neck. My phone interrupted us.8
We broke off the kiss and he pressed his forehead against mine, his breath fanning my face.9
"You should get that, my sweet. I do believe it is Jack." He stepped from me so I could extract my phone from one of the pockets of my leather jacket. It was indeed my handler.10
"Hello?" I asked, trying to sound together. My lips tingled from our kiss and I immediately felt out of sorts. I'd never acted this way, and it made me a tad uncomfortable.11
"Yeah, Kimae? The Queen wants you to go and get something for her. It's some sort of book. She said it was being kept in the library." Jack said, all business.12
"The library? Of course, a book would be in a library," I snorted. Kael smiled and came close to me, putting an arm around my waist. I stifled a very uncharacteristic giggle. Horrified at my almost-slip, I listened to what Jack was saying.13
"...in a library, I know it sounds like a "duh" factor, but the book is really important. There is a detailed description about a certain artifact that the Queen is looking for. She says that this is an urgent matter, and that several powerful Dark Fae are on their way now to retrieve it. I suggest you hurry."14
"What does it...," I began, but the silence on the other end of the phone told me that Jack had already hung up.15
16
* * *
17I crouched across the street from the library, raking the street with my sharp gaze. I could not sense any of the Dark Fae, but I knew they would be there soon. The library was still open, and the lone librarian gave me a curious look when I walked in. I was wearing another leather get-up, and I knew she had to be wondering who I was. I was in such a hurry to get here that i forgot to even consider the idea that the Dark Fae would search her mind for anyone that could have taken the book if I managed to get it before they did. Shrugging it off as a lost cause, I readied my power an began my search of the library. I could feel residual imprinting from other Fae that had come there, but nothing that resembled a pulse that the book would give off. I assumed it would give off some sort of an aura that I could sense. Such a book certainly would. The book was Fae in origin, after all. 18
When the pulse hit me, I staggered a few feet, ending with me holding myself up against a wall. The book appeared to be in the basement. Right underneath where I stood. I looked around and saw the door marked "BASEMENT: Employees Only." Ignoring the warning, I unlocked the door with a little push of power and crept down the stairs, my Fae eyes allowing me to see in the darkness. 19
That book is pretty powerful stuff. It nearly knocked me across the room with its energy signature alone! The basement was curiously empty, and I realized that I was seeing through the glamor that had been placed over the room. I concentrated and it flickered to life in front of me. Books in boxes lined the room. I let it go away and I saw the chest that stood alone in the back of the room. I walked over to it, the pulse coming from what could only be the book making my head reel. I went to open it when I felt the Dark Fae arrive. The librarian screamed then went silent.20
"Shit!" I muttered, quickly grabbing the book, which seemed to be wrapped in some sort of material, from the chest and running for the stairs. I had to get out of the basement before they figured out the book and I were down there. I would be trapped. I could feel them scouring the library and I tried to shield myself and the book, but I didn't know how well I did. The book gave off energy like a neon sign gave off light. I cracked open the basement door and sensed the Dark Fae turn towards me. Yup. My shielding had done nothing.21
The creatures, more animal than person, snarled and began running in my direction. I called fire into being and circled it around me just as the first of the creatures came into view. I ran for the doors, knowing that I would not last against all of them. Eight powerful Dark Fae against little 'ol me. Hardly a fair fight, even though I was a skilled fighter and all. The creatures converged upon me about twenty feet from the library entrance. They slammed into me and pounded against my shield of fire, trying to get to me. I snarled back and whipped fire around me, willing it to burn, to kill. Two of them caught on fire and rolled around, trying to put the flames out. The others were much stronger and were able to reach through the fire. 22
I took a punch to the face that made me spin around, my head spinning. Hands tugged at the book and I snapped a kick to the creature's midsection, making it stumble back. I held to book in one hand and unsheathed one of the blades from my back. I twirled and sliced and stabbed at the creatures while simultaneously trying to make my fire stronger against them. The book began to grow hot in my hands, and it became harder to hold on to it. 23
"What the hell?!" I ground out as I took a swipe in the stomach. The creature's talons cut through my clothes and left bloody gashes that bled profusely. My exclamation was aimed towards the book. It writhed in my grip, becoming smaller. I had just been wishing it would shrink. I threw my awe aside and grimly put it into one of my pockets. Grinning evilly, I unsheathed the twin to the blade I had in my hand and really started to fight. The creatures just wouldn't die! 24
I felt more of them approaching the library. 25
I cursed vehemently and tried to run for the door, throwing all the power I had at the ugly beasts. The book shuddered in my pocket and my fire exploded in force. It took all I had to keep the flames from eating at anything but the Dark Fae. They staggered back and fell to the floor, smoldering. They weren't dead, but they were down, finally. I sprinted for the doors and made it out as the rest of the Dark Fae appeared at the end of the street. I leaped onto my bike and sped off, my helmet clattering to the pavement. 26
My vision began to blur as I rode, and it became harder and harder for me to breathe. My wounds burned and seemed to rip further of their own accord. The creatures had dipped their talons in poison! The creatures still pursued me, I could tell, and I knew that I would not last much longer. Already I could feel the poison working its way through my system. My body slowly numbed and I tumbled from my bike, hitting the ground hard. I cried out weakly as I slammed into the wall of a building. I felt and heard things crack as I slid to the ground. Slumping on the ground, I watched blood, my blood, seep across the ground. My body numbed until I could hardly feel anything, where the blinding pain was just a dull murmur in my mind. 27
The book pulsed violently in my pocket, a continuous movement that sent out strong energy. It was directing it to...something. At that moment, it was hard to concentrate on anything. My mind then just slipped gratefully into the dark void where pain simply drifted away.
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