Page 10 of Fae Trials

“Fine.” My voice was thick with emotion. Thick with rage and hurt and disappointment. Betrayal was also in the mix, but certainly not heartbreak. I curled my fists and drew them into my belly. “Thanks for the warning. We can take care of ourselves.”

“No.” Sicily rushed to the door, blocking Elijah’s exit. “For three years, I’ve stood by and let you fuck my sister. Now, it’s time for you to do something for her.”

Shame burned through my veins and heated my cheeks. If she continued this rant, Elijah would point out all the things around the room that had come from him. Thanks to Elijah, we could barter with other humans and lesser fae, but the truth hurt. He’d only supplied us with the TV, DVD player, and DVDs because he wanted sex.

Elijah turned to me, his features sagging with resignation. If I never meant anything to him apart from sex, I wasn’t surprised he wanted to leave.

“Sis, let him go,” I said.

“No,” she snapped. “He owes you more than just a warning.”

With a sigh, I stood, walked around Elijah’s broad form, and wrapped my arms around Sicily’s neck. “We’ll work something out.”

Her shoulders shook, and she rested her head against mine. “They’re all the fucking same.”

“Yeah.” I maneuvered Sicily away from the door.

Elijah had never lied to me or implied that we were any more than people who fucked. Neither had he made any promises or uttered any words of love or commitment. But the confirmation of our transactional relationship still hurt like a mule kick to the gut.

With a whispered apology, he eased open the door and stepped out of our lives in a cloud of jasmine scent.

I heaved out a sigh and tried not to focus on the pain of his dismissal. “Let’s get a few things together and head south for Balley Chashtal.” It was the driest, sunniest part of the Isle of Fae and furthest from both the Royal Fae Academy and the Duke of Nevermore’s territory. “If we set off at dawn, no one will see us and tell that vicious faerie where we’ve gone.”

* * *

Sorting out what to take for the journey and what to leave behind took the rest of the day. As much as the television and DVD set had offered us a comfortable living, we had to leave them behind. They were too heavy, and we couldn’t transport the solar panels and batteries. Instead, we packed the DVDs and went to bed early.

As I dropped off to sleep, I planned our route to Balley Chashtal. We’d walk alongside the coast during the day. Even though it would take ten hours, it avoided the Charity district, the dwelling-place of creatures not dark enough to require a curfew.

Hours later, a distant wail broke me out of my sleep.

A jolt of paranoia snapped my eyes open, and my heart jumped to the back of my throat. Our small bedroom was dark. Only the barest trace of moonlight streamed in through our window, illuminating Sicily’s side of the bed.

It was empty.

“Sis?” I swung my legs out of bed, listening for signs that she was using the commode, but the house was silent.

I stepped on a scrap of paper, which hadn’t been there the night before. After picking it up, I took it to the living room and turned on a lamp.

Uni,

Thank you for taking care of us all these years. I realize now that you slept with that loathsome creature to secure a comfortable lifestyle for us, and I repaid you with judgment and snide comments.

Verbal apologies can’t express the depth of my remorse, so I’m going to repay the favor.

If you’re reading this after sunrise and nothing has changed, my plan went horribly wrong. Don’t look for me—I’ll be beyond your reach.

Take everything precious and run.

No matter what, I will always love you,

Sicily

Dread turned my stomach to stone. I re-read the note, wondering what the hell she had done. Had Sicily approached the peacekeepers on my behalf? It was possible. Lots of men valued virginity, but would any of them have the power to smuggle two girls onto their iron boats or their offshore rig?

Shaking my head, I pushed that thought aside. None of the peacekeepers would lower themselves to consort with the humans on the Isle of Fae. They acted as though we were somehow tainted.

What, then?