Ben took position in front of me and Derek stepped in line to my right as Victor slipped in behind me. Now that the heat of Derek’s arm was pressed to mine, I was kicking myself for this awkward lineup. Derek and I had had a summer fling two years ago and I broke it off because I just didn’t feel the spark that I thought you should with a mate or life partner. I could tell from the way he looked at me and stepped in line next to me that he wasn’t over it. He was gorgeous and one of my best hand-to-hand fighters, as dominant as they came, but when it wasn’t there it just wasn’t there. You can’t force love, it just happens, right?
I forced myself to focus as we traversed the halls. Ben wouldn’t have taken the lead if he hadn’t memorized the entire layout of the castle. Ben was my smart one and I had no doubt he’d stayed up all night learning at least five different evacuation points in case of an attack. After getting into the empty elevator and using a key, we took a short ride to the top floor. The doors opened to reveal the beautiful rooftop patio.
I had only been here a handful of times for various parties and meetings the Red Queen hosted. The perfectly trimmed tall hedges were designed to provide complete privacy, even if there weren’t many prying eyes at this height. My favorite part was the way the small white string lights reflected on the travertine floors. It was magical, and if I became queen it would all be mine. Although, I wasn’t sure I really needed anything this luxurious – don’t get me wrong, I loved the finer things in life – but at times it all seemed a little excessive. But it was part of the royal life and I didn’t get a choice. The royal residence had stood in this spot for over a century, and would be here for hundreds more.
My guards fanned out, doing a sweep of the deck before allowing me to step fully out into the open. I knew Violet would not be seen until she wanted to. Once my guards came back and told me that no one was here, I instructed them to stay put and stepped out into a more private area, though still where the guys could see me.
Taking a deep breath, I exhaled using the unique whistle code that Violet and I had made up when we were twelve. We had been heavily loaded up with sugar after eating a pint of chocolate ice cream each, and decided we needed a secret call. We still used it today.
Poof. Right before my eyes Violet appeared.
“Jesus, Vi! You scared me.” I’d been expecting it. She was nothing if not a master of the sudden appearance, but my body involuntarily reacted. She grinned, quite pleased that she could still catch me unawares like that. Violet was sadistic at times. She loved scaring me.
Stepping a little closer I couldn’t stop a true smile from ripping across my face. She looked radiant as usual, wearing a purple silk medieval dress. Violet loved the Renaissance times and dressed like she had just left one of their weekend fairs. We stood at almost the same height, although her wild white mane of hair made her seem a tad taller.
For the first time in days I felt at peace. Violet had always soothed the energy inside of me, almost like we were synced somehow. She still hadn’t said anything. Her eyes, the palest of blues, only a shade above white, were staring so hard it was as if she was trying to look through me. Her eyes widened then, and as she lifted a hand toward me it glowed softly in the dusky light. There was an odd expression on her face.
“Ari, your energy has changed … I’ve never seen this much magic on a person before. You’re lit up like a vortex.” Violet was never one for subtlety, and I appreciated it, but she had me worried.
I felt fine after my nap, but there was still some of the mecca moving beneath my skin. Actually, fine was probably a lie. I felt amazing, strong and powerful, like I could actually do magic or something. My energy was all over the place, as high as a kite one minute and the next back in the dirt.
Violet narrowed her eyes on me. “What happened? You need to tell me everything.”
“Firstly, tell me about the one who attacked us in the Bronx. Was she a spelled bear?”
Violet’s eyes darkened, and she stared straight at my forehead, like she could see the honor marks, despite them being washed off yesterday. “Human, Arianna. No matter what way I tested her the end result was human. Not bear. Not wolf. And not magic born. In truth, her energy was very hard for me to find, and if she had been spelled before – during the attack – it was gone by the time I got to her.”
Dammit! Violet had been my best hope to figuring out this entire mystery. Could the bear advisor be right? Could all of this be the fae, and were they actually strong enough to hide from Violet’s brand of magic? Why would the Tuatha de Danann start to interfere on Earth again?
Violet stepped even closer to me and I knew she was waiting for my part of the story. Lowering my voice so no nearby shifter could overhear, I quickly detailed everything that had happened, from the moment I woke to the toll of the bells, to the mecca crystal, and the dream I’d just had. I held no information back, except for the specifics about the fae. That information was still too new and shocking for me to truly comprehend. Plus I felt it was unwise to risk Torine hearing about my disregard of his order. No doubt the council would find a way to disqualify me from the Summit. So for now the fae information would remain secret.
As Violet pondered my story I took in her unique beauty. When we were kids she tried to make her white eyelashes black with mascara, and we even tried putting base makeup on her face to counteract her paleness, but all it did was make her orange. Eventually she accepted her uniqueness, and other than a hint of shimmering eye shadow and pinkish lip gloss, she was all natural: long silky hair so white it looked like a wig, skin the color of porcelain, and arresting crystalline white-blue eyes, so mesmerizing.