Under Twilight: an Urban Fantasy Novel (Fearless Destiny Book 3) Read online

  I parked my butt on the edge of my bed, picked up an apple from the bowl of fruit on the side table and took a huge bite. Chewing gave me a moment to think. Irina was a pragmatist. She was looking at the issue as if it were a problem and weighing up the chances of success, which was why she was a good soldier, but this wasn’t a conversation to decide whether this mission would happen. That had already been decided.

  “Should I regret bringing you in on this, Irina?”

  She opened and closed her mouth a couple of times, and then pressed her lips together and shook her head.

  “Because we’re going, whether you come with us or not. So what is it going to be? In or out?”

  “In of course.” She huffed. “Baal will not be pleased.”

  “Who said anything about telling Baal?”

  He eyes widened. “You intend to go without informing him?”

  “Informing him? Since when did he become my keeper? Last I checked, I was queen. I make my own decisions.” The words tasted ashy in my mouth, but I swallowed them and stared steadily at her.

  She pressed her lips together. “A wise queen heeds the advice of her counsel.”

  “By counsel, you mean you?”

  She nodded her head. “At present, yes. Baal left me here to help you navigate the complexities of palace life. I admit I wasn’t expecting this turn of events, but I would be remiss in my duties if I neglected to tell you that this is suicide.”

  A frisson of unease skittered up my spine and doubt settled in the pit of my stomach, but one glance at Erebus, and his determined face was enough to melt the anxiety.

  “Okay, now we’re agreed on going, let’s get to the planning part of things.” I smiled at Irina, “A plan that minimises the risk of suicide.”

  Irina snorted.

  “There must be a way to get in and get the dark djinn out without being detected. Some magic or spell something that could cloak us? We’ll also need something to neutralise the effects of the vine holding the djinn in stasis.”

  Irina frowned. “I supposed we could cook something up.” Her eyes lit up. “This could be just what father needs. A quandary to solve that would benefit the realm and not harm it.”

  “So, you’ll speak to him?”

  “Yes.”

  “How long would it take to cook something up?”

  “I don’t know. But if I leave now I can be there by nightfall. I’ll send word of progress, but it could take days to come up with something.”

  “Not good enough. We need to leave tomorrow night.”

  “Why the rush?” she asked.

  “The coronation is in two days’ time. I intend to use the opportunity to reveal the truth of our predicament and rally the realm to prepare to defend itself against Orin’s impending attack. If the dark djinn are free by then, free and at our side, it’d be a huge morale booster.”

  “It will show them that we can achieve amazing things,” Erebus said.

  I nodded. “It’s a confidence boost they’re going to need, because Orin has some serious power on his side. The Hunt and goodness knows how many modified denizens at his command.”

  Irina paced. “Even if I wanted to get a solution to you by tomorrow night, the journey to my father and back would take a day in itself.”

  Fargol stretched and stood. “Fargol take Irina. We go now. We come back tonight.”

  Irina looked from me to Fargol.

  I nodded. “Do it.”

  She walked toward the balcony.

  “And Irina?”

  She glanced over her shoulder.

  “Baal really doesn’t need to know. He has enough on his plate right now.”

  Dark conflict flashed in her eyes, but then she sighed and inclined her head. “As you wish, your majesty.”

  Ah clever, using my status to quell her loyalty to Baal—after all, allegiance to the sovereign trumped allegiance to your lord, right?

  At least I hoped it did.

  Fargol rose up into the air, Irina clasped in his epic hands.

  And suddenly I was acutely aware that Erebus and I were alone in my bedchamber. He walked out onto the balcony, as if sensing the same thing and wanting to put some distance between us, or maybe it was just me projecting my feelings onto him.

  “Do you love him?” Erebus asked.

  My heart did a weird flip, partly at the mention of Baal and partly at the smooth rumble of Erebus’s voice. “Yes.”

  “He makes you happy?”

  A smile tugged at my lips. “Yes, he does.”

  Erebus turned to face me, his skin gleaming in the sunlight and his silver eyes squinted against the brightness. “If that ever changes …”

  What was he saying?

  He stepped into the room blocking out the sunlight, his huge frame dwarfing mine. My lungs tightened and my breath stalled as that familiar concoction of yearning and fear squirmed to life inside me. Adrenaline flooded my system.

  His chest was rising and falling rapidly too, and his hands were fists at his side to prevent himself from what? From touching me?

  No. I didn’t want to know what he wanted. Why did I remember those calloused fingers on my skin? Fuck, this adrenaline needed to go somewhere.

  I took a step back. “We should train.”

  He nodded. “Yes. We may have to fight our way out.”

  Never mind the fact we’d just decimated hundreds of creatures in the pit. Training it was. Turning on my heel, I led the way out of my chambers. Now where the fuck was the training room in this place?

  3

  Like silk and steel. He was a wonder to watch. I moved on autopilot, blocking, parrying ducking. His frown turned to a grin of pride as I held my own against him for the first time in forever.

  “You’ve improved,” he said.

  “It’s the new leg.” I spun and jabbed.

  “No,” He jumped back to avoid my strike. “It’s you. There is a new confidence.”

  We sparred for half an hour using wooden swords and he didn’t hit me once. Finally, he stepped back and dropped the sword. He held up his hands and beckoned me forward.

  “Let’s see how good your hand to hand is.”

  Hand to hand? Against the monolith? It had been a while since I’d done any hand to hand. Quelling the frisson of apprehension, I dropped my training sword and fell into a defensive position.

  “When faced with an opponent much larger than you,” Erebus said. “The key is to hit then evade. Do not allow your larger stronger opponent to get a grip on you.”

  Ten minutes of evasion and I was failing. I hadn’t managed to get even one hit in, and then I slipped up, ducking too late to avoid a grab. He had me yanked up and pressed against his chest before I realised what was happening. I squirmed, desperate to free myself, my back rubbing up against his leather-bound torso. He flipped me around, lifted me up, and slammed me against the mats before covering me with his body, pinning me down.

  “Fuck. Fine you made your point.” I stared up at the ceiling, blinking to clear the dots in my vision.

  His face appeared above me, feral and concerned. “Did I hurt you?”

  “You just slammed me into the mat, what do you think?”

  His inner thighs were pressed up against my outer thighs, his hands pinning my wrists to the mat above my head. A wave of déjà vu washed over me. We’d done this before at the fortress. He’d been a mentor to me then, luring me out of the darkness of my disability. We stared at each other now, just as we had back then, breaths erratic. His silver gaze trailed across my face, dropping to linger on my lips, and there was that visceral tug. Back then I’d have given anything for him to press those lips to mine. But I wasn’t that woman anymore. I twisted and bucked, taking him by surprise.

  He released me and sat back on his haunches, his expression guarded.

  No more hand to hand. “I should go do queen stuff.”

  He rose to his feet. “I must check in with the others.”

  “You’re going back to
Evernight?”

  He smiled wryly. “No. I don’t need to return to communicate with them.”

  “One of these days you’re gonna have to explain that dynamic to me.”

  “Maybe.”

  Leaving him standing in the middle of the room, I headed back to my quarters for a cool bath.

  ***

  The dining room was humming with the conversation of the nobles that had remained at the palace. Djinn servers kept plates filled and goblets topped up with wine. Colourful fabrics were almost an assault on my vision. Usually the hues would lift my spirits, but not today. Today my head was a mess of thoughts and the turmoil clouded the revelry.

  From my position at the table on the raised platform above it all, I struggled to put the errant thoughts aside and focus on what Davin was telling me. He’d pointed out who everyone was—educating me in Baal’s absence. It was comforting and interesting, but my mind kept drifting to other, more personal, matters.

  I loved Baal, but I was about to go on a mission without telling him. He was in my heart, rooted deep and comfortable. His smile, his laughter, his wicked sense of humour and that look in his eyes just before he kissed me. My pulse kicked up at the memory. So what the fuck was this shit with Erebus? Why was I feeling this way?

  Davin poured me some more wine. “You look troubled.”

  “It’s nothing.” I picked at the sleeve of my crimson and gold tunic. It was either this or one of the overly corseted affairs most of the ladies were wearing. There was already way too much bosom on display without me adding mine to the equation.

  His gaze grew intense. “If it troubles you then it is something. May I hazard a guess as to your quandary?”

  I sat back, lips twitching; this should be good. “Sure. Go ahead. Hazard your guess.”

  “You’re confused about your feelings toward Erebus.”

  Well fuck me sideways. “How the heck?”

  He shrugged. “I have exceptional perception skills.”

  I gulped my wine. “It doesn’t mean anything.”

  Davin smiled. “We are complicated creatures, your majesty, and our hearts and minds aren’t always in accordance with each other, sometimes out bodies take the reins.”

  “Look, please call me Kenna when we’re not doing the formal audience stuff. And what are you trying to say? That I have no control over my sexual urges?”

  “Of course not. I’m saying it is possible to want two people at the same time.”

  “Urgh, No. Not for me it isn’t. I love Baal.”

  “Yes I believe you do.”

  “It’s just, when I’m with Erebus there’s this excitement, this heat, the kind you usually only experience when you’re fighting for your life.”

  “And this exhilarates you?”

  “Yes.”

  Davin smiled. “You are Ibris’s spawn, a warrior at heart just like your sister Dante. Erebus and Dante were the best of friends. They fought side by side. They trained together, they were inseparable. And then she fell in love with Baal.”

  Well this was news. “How do you know this?”

  “It’s no secret in our realm. Dante and Erebus were a magnificent pair. On the battlefield they were a force to be reckoned with. And there were even rumours that they shared a tent on more than one occasion.

  “Shared a tent?”

  Davin’s brows flicked up.

  “Oh.” They were fucking. My neck heated at the thought.

  He sipped his wine. “They were never officially an item. And Dante’s betrothal to Baal was not forced. They were said to be very much in love.” He shrugged. “There is a difference between physical attraction and love, although sometimes one can be mistaken for the other.”

  Yeah, there was definitely an attraction between Erebus and me. But my heart belonged elsewhere. I picked up my fork and jabbed a slice of chicken. What I felt for Baal went deeper than anything I’d felt for anyone before. But Erebus would always have a special place in my heart. I’d been broken when he’d found me, and he’d put me back together. He’d saved me, trained me, and my heart had dared to feel again. But yes, he’d almost broken me with his betrayal, a betrayal I understood now that I had the mantle of monarch on my shoulders.

  “Sometimes love and wants and needs just aren’t enough. Sometimes the bigger picture is more important.”

  Davin smiled wryly. “Yes, Kenna. Sometimes it is.” His gaze took on a far-off edge.

  “So what is your quandary?” I locked gazes with him and he blinked, breaking eye contact.

  “Now that is a tale for another day.” He smiled amiably. “One far from now when our kingdom is safe.”

  “Bah! Spoilsport.”

  He chuckled. “Come, we should mingle with your guests. Let them get to know the queen they will be crowning in two days.”

  “Am I going to have to wear it?”

  “What?”

  “The crown? Like all the time?”

  He laughed. “No, Kenna. You won’t.”

  “Good. It looks heavy.”

  Eyes twinkling, he held out his hand and led me onto the floor to meet my public. Time to smile and be gracious, when all I really wanted to do was slap an everlight sword in my hand and head out to kill shit. Being a queen was going to take some serious getting used to. Let’s hope Baal was having more luck in convincing the Lindrealm government of the threat we were facing.

  4

  BRETT

  A monster stared back at him from the mirror, and the urge to smash the silver surface to smithereens was almost overwhelming. But this face would be the key to convincing the government that they needed to act now, and they needed to act fast.

  Orin wasn’t playing games, and if Lindrealm was going to survive they’d need to get serious about defensive tactics. Fighting the threat off wasn’t even an option. Humanity was sorely outnumbered.

  Brett paced the small bathroom, made even smaller due to his increased body mass since his otherworld transformation. Baal had asked him to remain hidden until it was time. They’d entered Baal’s office through a mirror portal hidden in a coat closet. And from there Baal had smuggled Brett into the washroom across the hall. The meeting was being held on the top floor of the embassy—the building where all the important decisions were made. Where bills were approved or rejected and where people’s lives were changed for better or worse.

  He was the pièce de résistance, the cherry on the fucking cake.

  And yeah, it made his blood boil and his brain seethe, or was that just how it was gonna be from now on? Was aggression a part of his new DNA?

  A rap on the door was followed by Baal’s strained face. “Are you ready?”

  Brett pulled up his hood. “Yeah,” his voice was gravel and glass. “Let’s get this over with.”

  “They’ve gone over the main itinerary for the meeting,” Baal said. “I filled them in on some recent developments, namely Kenna’s stay in Evernight and the existence of the hoard. It’s about time they knew what was out there, what Erebus has been protecting them from and why they’ve had to pay the tithe. They need to understand that the djinn are not the enemy.”

  “And how did they take it?”

  “If not for the hoard attack a few weeks back they’d probably have discounted my account.”

  Why was it that humans played ostrich so easily? Burying their heads in the sand to avoid harsh truths even when the truth slapped them in the face repeatedly? Humans … Was he even human any longer?

  Down a corridor they strode, into a lift, way too small to contain them both without physical contact. But Baal didn’t flinch or look away. He held Brett’s gaze and smiled.

  “Once this is over, I’m sure Kenna would love to see you,” he said. “She misses you. And being queen will be a huge adjustment. Having a familiar face about would be soothing.”

  “This face is far from familiar.”

  Baal sighed. “I doubt Kenna sees anything but her best friend when she looks at you.”

&
nbsp; If he had any tears, his eyes would have welled up at that. If only he could see what Kenna saw; instead all he saw was an unyielding diamond body and clear glass eyes. All he could think was there was barely any human left in him.

  The lift pinged open on a darkly furnished floor dotted with faux potted plants. The double doors ahead were wide open, and two guards in uniform stood to either side. Brett recognised them as Fearless from central base. Were they using Fearless as security guards now? Didn’t they appreciate what they were up against out on the streets? No, probably not. Too busy hiding up here in their cushy meeting room with coffee and sheaves of paper to sign. Fucking decision makers who’d never had to go up against a denizen in their lives. Never lost a loved one to the tithe. Fuckers.

  The room was taken up by a horseshoe table, and several men sat around it debating whatever Baal had left them mulling over.

  “But we have over fifty new recruits,” a guy with salt and pepper hair said.

  “Fifty disabled recruits,” his heavy-jowled companion reminded him.

  “Dammit, if Miss Carter can do the job then—”

  “Miss Carter is an exceptional case. And now we know why. Thanks to the chief of the Fearless Programme.” The jowly guy inclined his head in Baal’s direction.

  Baal had revealed Kenna’s identity? It looked like shit was getting real then. Brett raised his gloved hand to pull back his hood, but Baal gently tapped his arm in warning. Not yet.

  A surge of annoyance bordering on rage climbed up his throat. Pin it down Brett, keep a cool head.

  “Gentlemen,” Baal said. “Apologies for the adjournment, but I’m ready to continue.” He was immaculate in his suit, gems winking at his ears and on his fingers, but that’s not what the room saw. To them Baal was an elderly guy with silver hair and a pot belly. Brett knew that persona because he’d met Baal in his avatar many times. The glamour clung to him now, visible to Brett as an amber haze. Why not reveal his true form to them? But then if he did, he may risk losing his foothold on the Fearless, risk losing their confidence. For them to know he was a djinn, that he’d lived among them, deceived them, would be counterproductive right now. The goal was to foster trust. Which was why it was imperative to keep a cool head.