Page 165 of Once the Skies Fade

Alek led us to the West Peak, which turned out to not be a peak at all, but a series of caverns tucked into the black rock of the canyon, accessed by a near-invisible crevice I never would have noticed had I not watched the man disappear into it. The first room held little more than a small desk, a chair in the center, and a simple cot against one wall.

“Stay here,” Alek commanded. As he turned to leave, Graham grabbed his arm but pulled his hand away quickly when Alek’s stony glare dropped to where he’d dared touch him.

“What am I to do with him?” Graham asked.

Alek dropped his head to the side to survey the fae. “I don’t care what you do, as long as you don’t leave these rooms.”

Something the man said piqued Graham’s interest, and his head whipped around toward the archway in the back wall. He thrust my chains into Alek’s unwilling hands and rushed around the desk. After he had disappeared into the next room, Alek cast a disinterested look my way.

“Why does he want to hurt you so badly?” he asked, sliding his tongue along the edge of his top teeth.

“I didn’t think you cared,” I said with mock endearment.

“I don’t,” he said. “But it’s good to have as much information as possible when fae scum arrive unannounced.”

I nodded at his explanation. “I’m not entirely sure.”

“But if you had to guess?” I shrugged, spinning my ring on my middle finger as I pretended to think, not sure how much information I wanted to share with this stranger. He pursed his lips thoughtfully. “Steal his lover? Seduce the queen? Or…” He leaned in closer and raised an amused brow. “Did you reject his advances?”

A quiet laugh escaped me. “More or less.”

I was about to ask what was in the other room when Alek straightened, turning his gaze back to where Graham had reappeared with a wicked glint in his eyes.

“Can you help me out before you go?” Graham asked, gesturing toward the back room.

I lifted my shackled hands to my chest. “I don’t—” I started, but Graham scowled. Pulling my eyes wide in feigned embarrassed shock, I shoved my hands toward Alek. “Oh, you mean him. Right. Of course. That makes more sense.”

“Do they find you funny back home?” Graham asked, still frowning.

I didn’t get a chance to answer that obviously rhetorical question, because Alek was already leading me across the room, though he didn’t hand me over to Graham like I expected him to.

“No,” Alek said flatly.

Graham scoffed, pivoting around to throw his hand toward the other room. “All I need is help restraining him.”

Alek didn’t move except to say, “You should have thought of that before you brought him here.”

“Fine,” Graham grumbled, snatching the chain out of Alek’s grasp and yanking me forward. “How long do you think it will be?”

“I don’t know,” Alek said, his empty response irking Graham so much I barely contained my laughter.

Rolling his eyes like an irritated adolescent, Graham let a growl escape and dragged me into the other room.

“Good luck,” Alek muttered, and I shot him a curious glance.

“Thought you didn’t care.”

“Still don’t,” he said and turned on his heel, leaving me alone with Graham and whatever was in this back room.

Chapter 75

Calla

Tree roots shifted around Isa’s feet, slowly pulling her into the ground like a snake swallowing its prey. Vines, though, kept her upright, wrapping around her arms from shoulders to hands where they had pierced her palms, their spiked ends wriggling in the air as if inviting me to come free her.

Ice shot through my veins, pulling all the color from my face. Heaving, I nearly doubled over as my stomach lurched, sending bile up into my throat. I fought it back and focused instead on stoking the fiery rage they’d kindled.

Someone was speaking, but I couldn’t hear their words. All I heard was Isa’s thready heartbeat. Her eyelids fluttered, but didn’t open completely. She wasn’t dead. Yet.

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