Page 15 of A Hint of Delirium

“I—I choose the Unseelie Court,” Alec announced loudly.

Shocked gasps rang throughout the throne room and the Queen looked as if she’d been slapped. My father bolted from his seat.

“Alec!” he shouted in pain. I had to stop him from rushing to the altar.

“You … you choose the Unseelie?” the Queen repeated uncertainly.

“You heard him,” the Unseelie King said smugly. “He’s chosenmycourt. Welcome.” He swung his impenetrable gaze to Alec and smirked like he’d just won the lottery.

Alec turned around to face the crowd that was now in an uproar. Our mother was in her seat crying, I was holding on to our father who was ready to throttle Alec, and all I could do was stare at my brother in shock.

“See you on the other side, brother,” he said. A slow grin slipped across his face.

8

ANSEL

PRESENT DAY

“Alec,” I breathed, surprised to see my brother standing outside my door. It’d been a few years since the last time I saw him, and we didn’t leave on friendly terms—I’d tried to kill him.

“Well, aren’t you going to invite me in?” He grinned, and without waiting for me to respond, he pushed inside. Alec scanned my apartment, taking it all in. “I love what you’ve done with the place, brother. So very …human.”

I was rooted in place and for the first time in a long time, I didn’t know what to do. Then there was Vi. If she came out of my room, this would swiftly turn into a whole other problem. Alec delighted in destroying everything around me. The minute he laid eyes on her, she would be his next target.

He wasn’t always this way. Long ago, we were the best of friends, back when he still belonged to the Seelie Court, which was the court into which we’d been born. Upon reaching the age of maturity, each fae was given the opportunity to choose their allegiance, choosing either the Seelie or Unseelie Court. I thought for sure he’d stay with the family and nothing could break our bond. I was wrong.

“What are you doing here, Alec?” I asked, finally finding my voice.

His mismatched eyes gleamed. “I came to visit my little brother, of course.” He strolled around the living room, picking up the trinkets I had on a bookshelf and rolling them along his slender fingers. “I heard you had a run-in with Cael today.”

“News travels fast.”

He smirked. “Indeed it does. He wasn’t too happy to have been thwarted by you. He’s on the warpath.”

“And you’re here to warn me?” I scoffed. “Or are you here to bring him to my doorstep?” My apartment was cloaked, which was why I insisted Vi stay put. It truly was the safest place for her at this moment.

“Nah,” he shook his head, “I’ve known where you lived for years now, Ansel. If I wanted to rat you out, I would have done it long before now. No, I’m here for more important matters.”

I knew why he was there, but he wasn’t going to get his hands on it. I didn’t have it either, but I certainly wasn’t going to help him.

“I don’t have what you want, Alec, so just leave.” I stood stiffly by my apartment door and gestured for him to go.

“So rude, brother.” He prowled closer and stopped right in front of me. “Of course you don’t have what I want. You wouldn’t be here if you did. Which begs the question, what are you doing here? What could possibly be distracting my little brother from fulfilling his duty to the Queen?” he whispered, carefully observing my every move.

I stood still, clenching and unclenching my jaw. He was trying to get a rise out of me, which was something he’d always been able to do quite well. I refused to give it to him. Cael must have told him something; maybe he mentioned Vi in passing. It was why he was standing in my apartment taunting me right now. It had to be. But on the off-chance Caelhadn’tsaid anything, I wouldn’t tell him a single thing.

“Nothing?” he taunted. “Hmm … Ansel, you never were a good liar.”

His hand was suddenly engulfed in flame. He slammed it to my chest, flinging me across the room until my back slammed against the kitchen counter. The rocks and concrete from earlier were still on the floor. I called them to me and they slid across the tile, molding into a shield just in time to block Alec’s fire ball.

“You can’t fight me on your own!” I yelled. Fire balls sizzled against the concrete and then sputtered out.

After several beats of silence, I tentatively peered over my makeshift shield. Unfortunately, that meant I was caught unaware when Alec tackled my mid-section, knocking the wind out of me. He tossed me to the ground, the air leaving again when my back slammed against the floor hard enough to make my head bounce. He landed a few good punches to my face in quick succession before I got my bearings and rolled him over. I scrambled to get the upper hand by grabbing him in a headlock, but my brother was slippery.

“Whatever orwhomeverhas diverted you from the mission, Iwillfind out,” Alec grunted. “And I will take it from you, just like everything else.”

I elbowed him in the face and he released me, giving me the opportunity to stand. He rolled away and stood, panting. We were face-to-face, staring into matching faces of hate.

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