Fallen Fae Read online

  Not with Elrine counting on me.

  I clenched my jaw, trying to focus. There was only one true weapon against the sluagh:

  Hope.

  I imagined Elrine, freed from prison as I’d once been. I imagined the king’s broken body, buried under the earth. And most of all, I thought of the prize I’d claim tonight.

  The little pixie. My greatest pawn in this war.

  Agrona’s mouth twisted in distaste, as if the banquet she saw before her had been suddenly spoiled by a bad cook.

  I pulled her hands from my chest. “Not tonight, Lady. But I will return with a greater prize than myself.”

  Agrona narrowed her eyes. “Oh?”

  “Before the year is through, I will bring you the king. And his sorrow will fill your heart for years to come.”

  A smile curled her lips; she stepped back, and relief flooded me. I climbed onto Oberon and rode for the portal to London.

  3

  In the winding streets of London, I forced all thoughts of Elrine from my mind. I needed to stay focused tonight, until the time was right to free her.

  I sniffed the air, scenting my prey. I could smell the pixie—Cassandra—already. Her fear made my heart thunder in my chest like a war drum. She smelled of a soft mixture of clover and thyme that reminded me of overgrown fields from long ago, but underneath that was the sharp human scent of fear. Her terror stirred something in me, and a dark smile curled my lips.

  I took a step around the corner of the misty alley—the very place where the ancient prophetess told me I’d find her. When my gaze landed on her, I understood exactly what had her so panicked: two gutter fae had closed in on her.

  One of them gripped her body, putting his filthy hands all over her. I couldn’t quite explain why—I had no loyalty to this woman—but part of me wanted to rip his lungs right out of his body.

  But I stopped myself from intervening just yet. This little pixie had apparently already injured both the fae males. I could see from here that she’d broken the nose of the filthy cur who held her, and the other was limping.

  If she was as important to my cause as I thought, I had to see what else she could do.

  Cassandra struggled against her attacker, then dropped her head, slamming the back of her skull into the fae’s already-broken nose. The sound of crunching bone drew a smile from me, and the gutter fae dropped to the ground, screaming like a panicked child.

  Impressive, Cassandra, I thought.

  A small smile twitched at the corners of her mouth. She was enjoying her momentary victory.

  But her fight wasn’t over yet. The other gutter fae punched her in the stomach, and she folded, losing her balance, falling to the ground. My muscles tensed, and I got ready to snap his neck.

  Cassandra stumbled back to the wall, and now I could see the fear in her eyes, hear her frantic breathing. The other one kicked her in the side of the head, and she crumpled against the wall.

  White hot rage burned through my veins. Would she make it out of this on her own, or should I step in now?

  As I took another step, my breath caught in my throat. She was smaller than I’d expected, her eyes dazed. How hard had these vermin hit her?

  I watched as she struggled to stand, but she faltered, falling back to the ground. Her gray skirt hiked up her thighs; pale blonde hair tumbled over her muddied white sweater.

  One of the fae hissed and spat, and she rolled aside, quicker than I would have expected. The spit hit the cobblestones, bubbling and smoking.

  Something about her vulnerability was sparking a dormant part of my brain, and I found myself wondering what her lips would feel like on mine.

  A low growl escaped my throat. What in the gods’ names was wrong with me?

  I clenched my fists, forcing myself to focus. One of the gutter fae approached with a knife, and I didn’t want him any closer. I lunged for him, grabbing him by the shoulders, and flung him like a rag doll. With a dark thrill, I listened to his body smack against the pavement. With any luck, I’d broken several of his bones.

  Cassandra looked up at me, her large blue eyes framed by dark lashes, and my pulse began to race. She was already drawing me in with her pixie wiles.

  And, Danu save me, it was working. I was lost.

  But before I could fall completely under her spell, one of the gutter fae came charging for us.

  Swine.

  I whirled and punched him in the jaw, reveling in the crack of bone. The two miscreants shot me panicked glares, then slipped off into the shadows.

  Cassandra rose, taking a few steps in their direction. Was she actually going to chase them?

  Frisky one, isn’t she?

  I grabbed her arm—a profoundly stupid move.

  Her pupils dilated, and her breath sped up. She was scared, but a flush was spreading on her pale chest. I could feel her body responding to mine.

  Entranced, I stared at her, shocked at the delicacy of her wrist, feeling her skin warm. Visions flooded my mind … namely, visions of her perfect little body naked beneath mine.

  And that was precisely why pixies were dangerous. I was quickly losing control of the situation. Based on what the Callach had told me, I’d come here to earn her trust—not to let her seduce me. From everything I’d read about Cassandra’s history, she had no idea that she was a pixie at all. The woman thought she was completely human--and perhaps that made her even more dangerous.

  If my racing heart and the visions whirling in my mind were anything to go by, she was the most powerful pixie I’d ever encountered. I felt inexorably drawn to her, as if a cord pulled my body to hers.

  Hardly aware of what I was doing, I cupped her neck. My eyes slid down her curves, taking in her delicate neck, the swell of her breasts under her sweater. Normally, I wasn’t drawn to women this small—I could have broken her in a heartbeat—but with the way she was looking at me, her chest heaving, I could think of nothing else but spinning her around, lifting up her skirt, and ripping off her undergarments.

  I used every ounce of restraint in my body not to do exactly that.

  My gaze rose to her lips, and when she licked them I nearly groaned. I could feel my restraint slipping. If I wasn’t careful, I’d unveil before her—showing her my true form, letting the real beast come out. I growled, fighting the urge.

  Given her history, it would be a deliciously ironic victory to claim her right now, in a filthy alley—but it was too much of a dangerous game. I had to remember what she was: a terror leech.

  Someone who would happily slaughter me if I ever let down my guard.

  And here she was, trying to lure me into her spell…

  I leaned in and whispered, “Stop what you’re doing.”

  “What I’m doing?” she whispered, feigning innocence.

  I had the strongest urge to claim her, to possesses her completely. My fingers slid into her hair, gently tugging her head back. Her breasts brushed against my chest, and I nearly lost my mind. I could imagine what I’d feel if I slid my fingers up between her thighs…

  My pulse raced out of control, and I could hear the sound of her heart pounding, too.

  “I know your game,” I breathed. And yet, even as I spoke, I felt my knee nudging her legs open.

  “What are you talking about?” she asked.

  I tugged her hair back further, exposing her throat. As if under a spell, I brushed my teeth over her milky white skin.

  A small moan escaped her lips.

  At the sound, my hand flew out, grabbing her possessively. My thumb traced the hollow of her hips.

  “You don’t even know what you are, do you?” I growled. She had no idea she was part fae at all. “And yet, you can’t help yourself.”

  Suddenly, her mood shifted, her body tensing. The air around us cooled.

  “Get away from me,” she demanded. “I don’t want you to touch me.”

  My chest tightened, and I let go of her. What in Danu’s name had I been thinking? That wasn’t at all how i
t was supposed to go.

  Disgusted with myself, I glared at her and marshaled what little control I had left. “You don’t have to ask me twice.”

  “I don’t know what just happened. I have a head injury.”

  A head injury. Of course. Nothing to do with the fact that cruelty flows through your veins.

  I backed away from her. “You don’t know what you are, and yet I’d be willing to bet you feed off fear.”

  Recognition—and horror—flickered in her eyes.

  Inwardly, I cursed myself. I was supposed to save her, to get her to trust me. Instead, I’d nearly ripped her clothes off in the alley. Instead of trustworthiness, I was conveying a mixture of lust and rage.

  She twisted her mouth. “Right. Well, thanks for your help. Perhaps you have another alley to haunt.”

  “You’ve been injured,” I said, trying to mask my anger. I glanced at her strange belongings—a sort of cloth wheelbarrow. “I can help you with your wheelbarrow if you need me.”

  She looked horrified. “My wheelbarrow? You mean my suitcase?”

  “Suitcase,” I repeated, trying to sound casual. “Do you require assistance with your suitcase?”

  “I’ll be fine, thanks.” But as she said the words, her knees seemed to give way, and she faltered.

  I caught her by the wrist before she fell, and a jolt of pure energy coursed through her body into mine. For just a moment, euphoria washed over me.

  She pulled her arm away, shooting me a death stare. “Like I said, I’m fine.”

  As I watched her walk away, I considered returning to Trinovantum, and glamouring Avelina as best I could to look like Cassandra. Avelina would be a willing partner. I was sure of that much.

  I cursed myself under my breath. Stupid even to consider it. If I was going to win this war against the king, I needed to keep my wits about me. And I’d nearly lost my mind for this pixie. It hadn’t gone as planned at all. I’d needed her to trust me, and yet she hated me, utterly and completely.

  Of course, if she was clever enough not to trust me, perhaps she was smarter than I’d anticipated.

  I turned, walking into London’s shadows. Truthfully, I was the last person she should trust.

  4

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  This short story is the beginning of Cassandra and Roan’s story. In the upcoming trilogy, the story will be told from Cassandra’s perspective.

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