Page 58 of Bitten By Desire

Come with me, I thought, raising him from the bed. I was so excited I’d done it I nearly dropped him. But I refocused and willed the door to the between space open. It appeared at the foot of the bed, and I sighed with relief. If I’d had to float him through the house, who knows what Hazel would have thought or tried to do to stop it.

I sent him through before me, still horizontal, and followed him into the between.

“Incubus dimension?” I requested, unsure what that would officially be.

The universe understood my needs and opened a new, deep red door, the color of a beautiful rose.

Please let this work, I thought, sending him through the archway.

I was about to follow, to make sure it was right, when a hand on my shoulder stopped me. I spun to find Pythia smiling at me.

“Not a safe place for humans, even in spirit form.”

I looked back at the door, worried about what I’d done to Binx.

“He’s home now. He’ll be okay,” she assured me.

All the tension in my neck and shoulders released as her words sunk in. I trusted her in spite of her random appearances. She was always right when she did bother to intervene.

“Are you coming with me?” I asked, looking to the pink doorway.

“No. You will be fine on your own.”

I reminded myself yet again that she was always right as I glided through.

Chapter 20

The Fairy Queen

I manifested in the forest with lavender fields outside the cave. I knew the way now, and I rushed through to the queen’s throne room, barely sparing a glance at the glowing mushrooms and plants along the way. When I found her, seated on her throne, looking for all the world like she was bored out of her mind, the rage and hurt I still felt over Mama’s murder spouted to the surface.

Ultimately, it wasn’t the changeling’s fault. They were more like a murder weapon than the brain behind it. Not that I didn’t plan to catch them too. No, it was this being’s fault that my mother was dead. It was her greed that ripped apart my family and sent me into a spiral of guilt. Guilt that I suddenly realized I no longer felt. I’d been through the fight of my life that night, had nearly lost my own life, my freedom, and my love. And avoiding that niggling feeling of impending doom didn’t mean I didn’t love her or wouldn’t have defended her to my dying breath.

You can’t save everyone, someone had once told me. No. But I could try while I had the chance and stop blaming myself when I failed.

The queen shifted in her throne and waved a hand in the air. Not one, but four balls of iridescent light floated up before her. Inside, I could make out the forms of people, and one I knew had to be Em as I’d seen her imprisoned like this before.

How dare she keep a child like that? The disgust and anger I felt toward her tripled in that moment as she made the balls spin around in a dance, moving between and around each other like a juggler was playing with them.

I had to free them. It was time to bring Em home. Icy fingers of fear slithered down my spine when I acknowledged what I hadn’t yet in all these months. Had Em witnessed my mother’s violent murder? It stood to reason that she had if the changeling had taken her in my place. I pressed my eyes closed and pushed the thought away. She might not have been the psychic the queen wanted, but she’d be valuable enough to at least keep alive.

It was me the queen hunted for her collection and her service. She’d never stop chasing me until she accomplished that. Maybe it was time to confront her and find out exactly how powerful I was, especially enhanced by the device of her own people.

I waved my own hand, and the balls stopped their dance and drifted across the room to land softly on the mossy ground, hopefully out of harm’s way. The twig creature’s hollow eyes widened slightly as she watched her toys disobey her. Her hands gripped the quartz armrests of her chair as they settled into place. Then she relaxed back into the seat and morphed into the beautiful woman with long flowing hair I’d first been introduced to.

“We both know what you are inside,” I said, willing myself visible.

She tilted her head, smiling. “All that work and you came to me. How delightful.”

“You didn’t do any of the work. You just manipulated others into killing, kidnapping, and dying for you.”

She tittered softly. “Ruling is its own work, my sweet. You will see when you are by my side.”

“I won’t be by your side. But I am taking Em and whoever else you have in there back with me.” I glided forward to the center of the cavern.

Standing, the queen raised her head, her crystalline crown glinting in the fairy light that filled the space. “I think I shall have a collar made for you to match my tiara.” She gestured to her throne, and a long, glittering chain appeared with a spiked crystal collar at the end of it.

“I’m not your pet.”

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