Page 13 of The Dark Rises
“What the hell is going on?” he bellows when he sees the doctor, rushing over to Solandis. “Are you okay? Is it the baby?”
She places a finger on his lips. “I’m fine. Kind of silly, really. With the blood of a cirein-croin in him or her, we need more than the usual food and nutrients. The doctor is going to create aspecial diet to make sure we get what we need. It’s why I’ve been exceedingly exhausted.”
When Vargas lost his body, he took Kaius’, but just like he didn’t realize he was a chameleon, he didn’t know he was Fisk’s grandson. And Fisk was pure cirein-croin, a legendary sea monster and one of the most badass Water Fae I’ve ever met. Their unborn child carries all this heritage in his blood.
He heaves a sigh of relief. “Good. I hate seeing you so damn tired all the time.” Pulling her closer to him, he kisses her softly. “So, the doctor is sure about the cirein-croin?”
Her lips curve in a tremulous smile. “Looks like this baby is all Fae. Are you okay with that?” Her tone is soft, but I can tell she’s worried he’ll be upset that their child won’t have demon blood in them.
“They’ll have a demon heart,” he assures her.
Arden and I glance at the doctor, and she gives a slight nod. We leave them to the rest of it. Arms around each other, we unanimously turn toward the elevator.
“I need a drink,” Arden says, dropping her head back against the wall. “Join me?”
If I go back to my room, all I’ll do is pace until I hear from Cormal. Plus, maybe Theron will come back with something sooner. I hope so. The thought of Rivan being held somewhere by his father makes my blood boil. After everything he sacrificed for the Fire Fae, and in particular, the Phoenix, he deserves more, especially from his family. And from me.
“I could use a strong drink.”
CHAPTER SIX
CORMAL
Sika, the half selkie, races off the minute I’ve given him the information. It takes a while to track down Ren, a merman and one of my best light Fae spies. Apparently, he’s been helping the Water Fae prepare for war. Once he knows it’s Rivan, he mobilizes his entire family to help search.
I sent word to Tarquin, the hellhound, but he wanted nothing to do with the Phoenix. Can’t say I blame him after what happened between him and Brixton. So, I send out runners to my Fae contacts, both light and dark, to ask if they’ve seen Brixton. It’s better if they don’t know I’m actually searching for Rivan.
The dot on the map moves again. I’ve been watching it disappear and reappear all over the Fae lands for the last hour. Madoc moves quick. It’s quite impressive, but also worrisome, because we know very little about him.
Kavi walks in and folds his arms across his chest. “I don’t like it when you go on a mission alone. At least take one of the other chaos demons with you. In case you need back-up.”
The dot jumps and lands… in the Wilds. I wait for it to move, but when it doesn’t, I flash a grim look at Kavi. “I’ll take Lux with me.”
Very little throws Kavi, but my request for the unstable shadow demon definitely makes him uneasy. He knows better than to argue, though. Grimacing, he waves a hand and Lux appears in my office. Dark as the shadows themselves except for his red eyes, and standing three feet tall, he doesn’t look like a threat.
“He has a job for you. Don’t fuck it up.”
The small demon laughs and swirls his finger across a nearby shadow. “Where are we going?” he asks in an excited, high-pitched voice.
Shaping my own shadow into a noose, I toss it over him and pull him close. “If you don’t do exactly as I say, I’ll throw you in the Flames of Hell. Got it?” The eternal flames cast no shadows, offering only permanent death to his kind.
He gulps and repeats, “Do what you say. Got it.”
“You’ll stay in the shadow of the trees, alerting me to any threat that approaches. That’s it,” I tell him, deliberately using the word alert instead of guard. Off his leash, this small demon can rip the world to shreds using only the shadows around him.
He looks disappointed, but when I tighten the noose, he swears to follow my orders.
“If I’m not back in two hours, come find me,” I order Kavi. “We’re headed to the Wilds.”
Kavi looks ill at the mention of our location, but Lux perks up. “I like the Wilds.”
“You would,” I tell him wryly. “Let’s go.” Using my own shadow network, we travel to the portal, then cross over to the Fae lands. In minutes, we’re standing outside the Wilds.
I check my phone. The dot is still here, which means Madoc hasn’t moved. What in the hell could he want in here? Does he think Brixton would dare enter this sacred wood? Not likely. The Fae who live here are unlike any other. Twisted and dark, they have little allegiance to anything and a penchant for killing. Kind of like Lux.
At the boundary of the woods, old, gnarled trees block the entrance. An innocent barrier that turns deadly if you try to cross without their permission. I stand and wait. Surprisingly, Lux also stands utterly still at my side. Makes me wonder how many times he’s been here.
Twisted branches move, snaking in and out, until the entrance is clear. We have their permission. I step through, Lux right behind me, and when we pass the last root, the branches close, locking us in.
