Page 28 of Last Ride of the Umbra Fae

I quickly uncrossed my legs and leaned forward, ignoring the phantom pain pulsing up my arm. “I’m not starting any bullshit. What happens if I don’t take it?”

“Shadow, you will be in so much pain by the end of it, you won’t even survive long enough to find out.” Pa loomed closer with a warning that sent a shiver down my spine.

Rein in your shitis what his look said.

I knew what he meant.

“Why do you guys get to decide what she puts in her mouth?” Ryder chimed in as he kept Raven in his line of sight. Taking the bait, Raven’s eyes darkened, rolling his head from side to side and straightening his shoulders. The grin on Ryder’s face displayed enough satisfaction to last him a lifetime.

“If you two idiots want to sword fight with your cocks, take that shit outside.” Pa’s shadows spread out, curling and seeping into the room.

Ryder withdrew, holding his hands out in surrender. “Alright, End’s Wrath, but you need to keep a tighter leash on that bird of yours. His feathers are too easily ruffled.”

“He ain’t my bird, boy. He’s Vessa’s.”

I slouched in my chair, bringing a hand to my forehead, soothing out the sudden pain they all invoked in me. Everyone in this room wanted to dig each other’s graves.

“It’s obvious the man who makes these tonics is working for the humans now. Why let him breathe? He doesn’t deserve to hone and share a gift so ancient with those who aren’t fae. He is going against every word spoken by the elders of Blightstone Hollow and the true meaning of our Eternal.” I felt like I was preaching for a second. It made my skin crawl, but the humans had taken too much from us.

“Ryder is going to sneak us in, we will meet with the maker of these tonics, and then we’re out.”

As soon as Pa started shuffling his cards, I knew this conversation was over. He silently set up a new game of solitaire, and I felt my stomach clinch; the realization hit me so hard in the chest that my eyes burned. A sense of foreboding hung in the air.

Pa could keep his plans all he wanted, but by the end of it, we all had minds of our own. I could leave that city in ruins and walk away knowing I’d sleep just fine, leaving every human and Elemental Fae to burn to ash.

He would not dare stand in my way.

“We ride at dawn,” Pa said.

And that was that. I glanced over my shoulder to find Ryder already gone. Silence hung in the air, but there was a constant darkness looming over me, and I knew it was his.

I knew by the time I saw Pa tomorrow, that sweet apple pie would have washed away any anger and frustration he had because of me. It didn’t stop my thoughts from whirling—his words remained echoing in the back of my mind, telling me to stick to the plan. Words had a way of creating monsters just as quickly as grief.

20

Vessa

There was no way in hell I could have slept after that. I went back to my room, slipped on the sleeve that hid my scars, put on my gloves, secured my hat, and threw on my holster before I slipped out the door to have a drink downstairs.

As the bubbles churned in the fancy wine glass, I realized I was going to need a whole lot more. I waved down one of the two boys behind the bar, who looked like they could be brothers. The oldest one came over this time. He was maybe around fifteen, if I was taking a wild guess.

“Whatever is left in that bottle of wine, I’ll take it all.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said in haste, sounding like a little perfectly-trained fae. This place was molding him to grow up too fast.

“That will be five nara coins, please.” He held out his hand with a bright smile that didn’t quite look right.

I leaned in. “Do you ever get a cut of what you sell, kid?” I asked casually.

“Pardon?”

I huffed out a laugh. His manners were too cute. “You know, selling all this booze and wine, do you earn a keep from it?”

His eyebrows rose in shock as he looked from side to side. I hadn’t known asking questions was a sin. He immediately shook his head.

“Here,” I said, giving him five pieces of nara coins and another small pouch just for him, enough to bring him happiness for weeks. “This pouch is special,” I whispered, drawing his attention back toward me.

“You mean, special like you?” The boy’s professionalism melted away as he leaned in to take a closer look at my face. He closely examined my sparkling freckles beneath the brim of my hat. He gasped, eyes widening as if he saw something else. “You’re fae, just like I was, but there’s something different about you,” he observed, studying me as if he might see it if he squinted hard enough.

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