AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Just bang her a few times, and she’ll leave you alone,” Carrick says.
Finley gasps and smacks him on the arm before turning her attention to me. “Don’t you dare bang Deandra.”
I frown at the vehemence in her voice. “Wasn’t planning on it.”
She lasers her eyes onto me. “Good.”
And whoa, wait… does she know something’s going on with me and Zora? Sure, she knew that we’d had sex a few times, back when she was still mortal, but I’ve never said a word since then. The few times I’ve happened to be around Carrick, Finley, and Zora, I pretty much ignore her because I know she doesn’t want anyone to know about us.
Carrick’s head twists left and right, looking between us. “What’s with the serious faces?”
“Nothing,” Finley says. “It’s just… Deandra’s bad news.”
“Yes,” Carrick drawls. “We’re all aware of how you feel about Deandra but let’s not forget she did help us save the world.”
“Doesn’t mean I have to like her,” Finley says sullenly.
Carrick sighs, reaching over to squeeze his wife’s knee. “No, I suppose you don’t.” He then looks at me. “What’s with the dire look?”
“Not dire,” I correct, taking another sip of beer. “More… antsy.”
Carrick and Finley stare at me, waiting. A lot of things are stressing me out. The most immediate—being in Faere these last few days, fending off Deandra’s advances. I didn’t tell her Zora would kill her because I know Zora didn’t really want me to. She wants to keep this thing between us secret.
And then there’s Zora. I’ve missed her like crazy but I’ve refused to use the key to go to her or visit her at her home. She has her stuff to do and as far as I know she’s off campaigning and trading favors with the gods to get them to lift Amell’s punishment.
Then… there’s Lucien.
That’s where I need to start.
“Amell has agreed to help us try to get Lucien back.” Carrick sits up straighter, and Finley claps her hand over her mouth in shock. “He’s not sure he can do anything, but there’s a tome of spells Kymaris created that might have strong enough magic to do it. It’s called the Book of Shadows.”
“Kymaris created the Crimson River,” Finley muses. “She would know if there was a way to rescue a soul from it.”
“Maybe,” I say, taking another long pull from my beer. “Unfortunately, the book has been stolen.”
“Fuck,” Carrick mutters.
I tell them about Amell loaning it to Thalia and that she had it secured in a vault, but that it’s missing.
“What’s Amell going to do?” Finley asks.
I shrug. “Not much he can do being stuck in the Underworld. But Thalia’s got her brother-in-law, Kieran, on the hunt.”
“So until the book is located, we’re right where we started… no chance of getting Lucien back,” Carrick says.
“We’re getting him back.” I sound so assured, both Carrick and Finley frown at me in disbelief. “Think about it. The gods refuse to do it but they didn’t prohibit us from trying. There’s a way to do it, but they want us to figure it out.”
“What about the Blood Stone?” Finley asks. The Blood Stone is a legendary magical jewel with such tremendous power Kymaris was able to use it in a ritual to bring down the veil between the Underworld and the First Dimension. It’s been under lock and key with Carrick since her defeat. “Its powers were amplified by being dipped in the Crimson River. Maybe it’s a key somehow.”
“That’s not a bad thought but we have no idea how to use it,” Carrick says. “So we’re right back to needing the spell book.”
“What’s the deal with the veil tearing between Faere and the Underworld?” Finley asks, changing subjects.
I shake my head. “I’m not sure. It started during an uprising led by a Dark Fae named Jago who wanted to carry out Kymaris’s plan to release all the dark creatures from hell. Amell originally thought it was an alternate route through which they wanted to escape, but he’s not so sure anymore.”
“Why not?” Carrick asks.
“It just feels… diversionary, if that makes sense. The rips are small, barely big enough for one or two to get through at a time. Repair one, and another opens up somewhere else. It’s enough of a worry that Deandra and Amell must have constant vigilance, but it seems… almost petty.”
