Dark Promise by Annika West

26

Whispers broke out through the crowds.

“Is that a human?”

“No, halfling. Look at her mark! She bears the mark!”

“This is a disgrace.”

“Is she wearing pajamas?”

“What does sup mean?”

Adair held up a hand. “We know the difficulty of bearing children at this time. If they are born healthy, the chances of inheriting strong powers and a mark are very, very low. This is not a personal shame, but a collective one. We as a people are failing our children because of the close-minded stubbornness that keeps our world cut off from the rest. Balance is vital to magic’s stability, and our balance has been upended for far, far too long. Will we stop when it’s too late? How much suffering is suffering enough? Do halflings deserve to bear the weight of their mothers and fathers? Must they be punished for their very existence?”

I’ll give it to ol’ gramps. He knew how to snag a crowd. Even the grumpy ones had a thoughtful expression.

“We know the whispers. The ones telling us that our seclusion cuts off the potency of our world and our magic. You are here because you, too, suspect this is the truth. I offer this one woman as my proof.”

He placed a hand on me.

Hux, even without seeing the motion, tensed like he knew Adair was touching me.

Dumb dragon.

“This young woman is half Earthling witch, half faery. She bears my mark and carries two of my powers. Among my children of recent years, she is my only one to do so.”

The emotions roiled in the crowd again.

I was too embarrassed to notice who looked like what. I stared longingly at the food table and wondered if there would be any more of those fluffy croissants left.

Someone from the crowd shouted, “You broke fae law, my Lord!”

“I did,” Adair agreed calmly. “I broke the law, and I will not stand down because of it. I will not accept punishment or persecution, and I understand the ramifications of my actions. However, what kind of leader would I be if I did not act upon my conscience for my people? How could I defend myself if I knowingly allowed our magic to die? And so, I allowed my illegal offspring to live as a testament of proof, and as show of my dedication to you and our world. Aster is the key that will unlock the remedy to the poison infecting us. Killing us. Sending our children to the soil before they have taken their first breath. Robbing our kin of the legacy and magic they would otherwise inherit.”

There were a few people crying in the crowd. What the hell? Who thought this was a good time to cry?

Hux suddenly turned and grabbed my hand, pulling me down the steps. He sent a threatening glance over my head, probably to Adair, before bustling me out of the spotlight.

He led me into the gardens once more.

“Hey! If you’re planning on having sex in this maze, think again. I will not be inviting any amount of soil into my underwear, no matter how good you are.”

“Quiet,” he rumbled. “I need to get you somewhere safe.”

“What?”

“My brother might be a worthless, lying piece of shit, but he seems to care about you. He mentioned that I might need to be on hand to sweep you away to a safer place. That I’d know when.”

“Why was it then?” I winced as he pulled me along, yanking my shoulder.

“My hearing, Aster. The anger rising in the crowd. You might have incredible magic, but you are still mortal. You can be easily killed, and that is unacceptable to me.”

“What a nice declaration of love,” I grumbled.

“Who said anything about love?”

I stiffened at the chilly tone. “I just did. In my backhanded, snarky comment. I thought you said your hearing was extra special, so pay attention, dickwad. By the way, couldn’t you have just told me to shift dimensions?”

I wasn’t about to admit that his irritated, dismissive tone felt like being stabbed in the chest with broken ceramic.

Nope. I was made of stronger stuff than that. Like carbohydrates and bitterness.

We paused beside a fountain shaped as a mermaid. I was breathing heavily.

Even in the shadows, his glare was obvious.

Everywhere was a place an enemy could leap out and stab me with an inconvenient trident or throw a well-aimed console table at my legs.

“This is a place of magic that is unknown to me. If we were back home, I’d say that was a good idea. But have you considered that some people might be able to follow you into the energetic realm?”

Oh shit.

Adair had been able to, that was for sure. And he’d been able to touch me. Reasonably, that could mean that whoever could follow me into that realm could also stab me with an inconvenient trident.

I dropped my head back and groaned, “Why can’t I be the only special one?”

Hux guided me forward. “Escape now, whine later.”

Hux returned me to my room and locked me inside after making me promise I wouldn’t shift dimensions.

Because I was a reasonable person, I agreed.

Also, he bribed me with chocolate and pushed an entire tray of it into the room.

After thirty minutes, he knocked, and without waiting for my approval, let himself in.

Fucking ancients.

I’d already devoured the tray.

Pointing to the door, I declared, “Out!”

He took off his jacket and tossed it over the chair. Like this was his damn room or something.

He loosened his tie.

When had he gotten a suit? Now that I thought on it, he’d been naked when he’d arrived. Was this man just made of magic?

I ignored the way my lower abdomen twisted and heated at the sight of him rolling up his sleeves.

Forearm muscles… so pretty.

“Adair is coming. So is Willow.” He sat on the bed beside me, eyes faraway.

Don’t ask him what he’s thinking. Don’t talk to him. Don’t even look at him.

“So, you’re going to help, right?”

Fucking dammit, why did I always have to talk?

“No.” He stared straight forward, stoic and unemotional.

“We’ll see,” I said.

“Adair just placed you at the forefront of a battle I doubt you expected to fight. I am taking you home and placing you under protection the moment this meeting is over. I cannot believe that the moment you leave my sight, you involve yourself in an interplanetary war.”

I picked up the shitty, plain candle on the nightstand and chucked it at him.

His hand flashed out and caught it easily. Again, he didn’t even look at me.

“I will run from you,” I promised.

This time, Hux’s wide, stormy eyes found me. “What did you say?”

I shivered at his dangerous tone but pressed on. “You keep on lashing these chains and restraints over me, trying to tie me in place. Either imprison me for real and ruin whatever this is permanently, or give the fuck up. Stop pretending like you’re doing this because you care. You’re doing this because you’re scared.”

“Of course I’m scared.”

I’m not sure why, but I didn’t expect him to say that.

He must have seen the surprise in my expression, because he grimaced. “You really think I’m not terrified? Of losing you? Of you dying?”

“You’re an idiot,” I informed him.

He was about to reply when the door opened, and Adair streamed in.

The Lord of the Winter Court was on his heel.