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“Ugh… Why?” I wipe at it with my sleeve and take a step back, meeting her yellow eyes. “Be safe out there and remember to meet me here every Tuesday. I’ll be next to the barrier to check on you.”
“Deal. Hug the blonde man for me.”
I snort, remembering how she used to use Finn as a toy. She’d snatch him up out of nowhere and toss him around until she had her fill. The poor dude won’t go near her now, dire circumstances aside. It’s why she never stayed with me when we trained. She couldn’t keep her teeth off him. Finn put his fear on the back burner last night and came to not only help, but he checked the inside of her mouth. That’s a huge step for him.
“I’ll send him your warmest regards.”
Luri spins on her hind legs and launches forward, bounding toward the barrier. Her head tucks low against her chest as she charges through it, but it doesn’t so much as bow. She just slips through.
Cocking my head, I start toward it. Last year, I slammed my fists against that glossy surface, and the impact made colored streaks spike across the dome. It’s what drew Luri to me in the first place. And the sound… It was like a gong had been rung. Except, right now, neither of those things happened.
“Something isn’t right,” I say, stepping quicker through the waist-high wheat.
“What do you mean?” Kai asks, jogging through the grass to catch up.
“You didn’t see that?”
“See what?”
“The barrier. It didn’t even flinch as she went through. Last year, when we did, colors scattered out across the surface. It flexed, showing the strain. Just now, it did neither.” Reaching the barrier, I place my hands against where the surface should be.
I should be able to feel its magic. It used to thrum through me, echo through every nerve. Now, it’s barely a tingle and my hands easily slip through without much of any resistance. The beat of my heart skitters off, building into a panic as I let my hands sink through to the other side. My eyes grow wide, and I swallow hard. “It’s like it doesn’t exist. Like it’s a mirage. There’s not even enough magic here to siphon.”
“What?” Kai says, stopping behind me and placing his hand next to mine. “What the…” Taking a leap of faith, I step forward, slipping through it. “Alice! Why would you–” he doesn’t finish the line before I cross back through with a crease forming between my brows.
“It’s a projection,” I breath. “How long do you think it’s been down?”
“I told you I didn’t hurt those people.”Luri peers at me through the tree line.“Something else must’ve gotten out.”
20
Alice
“How could the barrier be dropped? It’s impossible… Unless my brother is alive somehow. But he’d have to know how to, and it’s not information my father shares lightly. For obvious reasons…” Kai trails off as he tests it for the hundredth time.
As much as I enjoy his confused, vulnerable look, this shit show needs to get on the road. We can’t stand here forever so he can get handsy with the barrier. We have things to do and people to see.
“Still, it is possible.” I place my hand on his arm, stopping him from touching the projection again.
“Possible, but not likely. My father spellbound him again before shoving him inside. Sure, he was immortal, but he had no real way of protecting himself. Anything could’ve gotten to him. Not to mention that was hundreds of years ago. Why wait until now?”
“What about the High King? You’re related to him.”
Kai shakes his head. “It’s not my blood that erected the bubble. Whoever took it down had to be related to my father.”
“Well, all spells have loopholes, even blood magic. Maybe he found a way around it.” I tug at his arm, nudging him away. “Regardless, we need to get back to the castle. We need to tell your father before the High King discovers it—if he hasn’t already.”
“I’ll look around. If I find anything concerning, I’ll let you know,” Luri says, shaking her head and trotting off into the woods.
“Luri didn’t hurt those people. They were alive when she left—mostly. If something already crossed through and slaughtered that village, then we have no idea what else is lurking. We need to warn the people.”
Kai traps his bottom lip, dragging his teeth across it as he takes my hand. Light drowns out everything around us until we’re standing on the steps of Hell Hold. The obsidian stone rises as far as the eye can see, filled with arched windows and laced with gargoyle statues in the nooks and crannies. A brilliant green moss peeks from the cracks between the layers of stone. It’s certainly a beauty, and unlike anything I’ve seen.
Dropping my hand, Kai steps away as if he wants as much distance as possible between us. Since when did he start shying away from touching me in public? Twenty-four hours ago, he went to war on my pussy in front of a whole village worth of fairy folk, and now he doesn’t want to be seen holding my hand? I look him up and down, but before I can ask, he vanishes without a word.
“Asshole,” I breathe. “You were supposed to take me with you. You always take me—” The words dry up in my throat. He left me here.Alone…
For the first time in… I don’t even know how long. He’s left me alone outside this castle. Allotted me my freedom. I could run if I wanted to. Parade through town if I feel so moved and he wouldn’t be around to stop me. At least not immediately.
