Castle of Illusions (Wicked Kingdoms Book 4) Read online

  Hours later, before any god is awake, in the dead of night, we all crouch low, watching for any signs of movement around the entrance to the compound. If you could really call that. They’d built it into the side of a mountain, so it actually looked like a cave.

  “Mic check.” I whisper the words and wait for the click and confirmation from each of my team members.

  “Here.” Both Axel and Eryn reply.

  “On your left, Ev.” Doyle says.

  “Loud and clear.” Kirin states.

  “Good. Everyone here? Or are we still waiting on Gwyn and his men?” I shift position, a little out of shape after months of being unable to do anything other than waddle around and bitch about how much my back hurt.

  “Just arrived. Coming up on your six.” Liam answers.

  “Ah, welcome to the party gents. If you’ll follow me, I’ll lead you into the cave of horrors.”

  “Quit your yapping and let’s take down those two guards out front.” Gwyn snaps in annoyance at our antics.

  I’d forgotten he was old school. Less talk, more action and smashing skulls together.

  “And in three… two… one.”

  We all move forward as a unit after both guards drop to the ground with a thump after Doyle and Kirin sneak up behind them and nail them in the back of their heads with rocks.

  “Well that was easier than expected.” Kirin grins, his white teeth the only thing visible on his face in the darkness.

  “I will hit you in the head with that same rock if you don’t focus, soldier.” Gwyn issues the order, and Kirin’s shoulders go back as he straightens and ditches his smile.

  “Let’s roll.” I kneel at the door, picking the lock even though I could have had Amren do it, I didn’t want to chance that magic would set off any silent alarms. As Dagan had said, we’ve only got the advantage so long as we’re quiet and swift. In the same token, I was being just this side of cautious as Eryn had suggested.

  I push the door open, staying low to avoid anyone throwing a punch, but there’s no one there to greet us. Just an empty rock hallway with torches lighting the way.

  “Stay sharp.” I whisper, and move forward, Dare right at my back as we clear each alcove and room on our way to what was supposed to be the main hub of the hideout.

  “All clear.” Doyle tells us, and we enter the well-lit area at the end of the tunnel. Two other hallways leading away frame the giant circular room full of bookcases.

  “Check ‘em out.” I command, standing guard and checking out the ceiling and floorboards for any hidden tricks or ploys.

  Two clears ring through my earpiece and I roll my head on my shoulders, easing some of the tension that had been resting there until I knew we were alone.

  “Any sign of the hostages?” I ask as I look through the paperwork on one of the desks.

  “Yeah, we’ve got them. Untying them and we’ll get them out of here.” Gwyn replies.

  “Thanks guys. I think we’ll be all good, but if you don’t mind leaving a few men to keep an eye on the entrances, Gwyn it would be much appreciated.”

  “Consider it done, Ever. We’ll see you back at base.” He and his men file usher the women and children out of the cave, hushing them and telling the children to remain quite for just a little bit longer.

  Later, I’ll grieve for the loss of innocence each of those children will now face. The demons they’ll battle as they grow up. But for now, I’ve got about a thousand books to pour through, documents piled up to my waist and even more shit stored in locked cabinets on the walls.

  “Look through everything. Collect what’s important, take stock of all of the books.” I point to the left. “Eryn, take pictures of all of them. Of the whole room. I don’t want to miss or forget a detail.”

  We’ve got one shot to cut them off at the knees. This has been the only break we’ve had in our dealings with the Order. And I’m not going to waste it.

  “Kirin, get into these cabinets, take pictures first, and then let’s make a list of what’s here.”

  “On it, Ev.” He jumps to the task, roping Axel into the task.

  “Amren, can you tell if there are any magical items in that case that could be either used to our advantage or hurt us?”

  “Of course, my dear.” He waves Brodie over from his place holding up the wall. “Brodie, make yourself useful. Check each of these ones with Axel while I assist Kirin.” He grumbles but he does as his father asks moving through each item and clearing them.

  I sort through the documents, looking for anything useful with Dare and his brothers.

  “Do you see this?” I hold up an old blueprint of the Goblin castle, large circles of red ink on what I’m assuming are hidden doors. “There a ton of fucking places we didn’t even know about.”

  Terror worms its way into my chest until my breathing speeds up and I wonder if my children are safe. They could be under attack right now, and we wouldn’t know it.

  “Ever, what is it?” Dare asks, placing a hand on my upper back. “I can feel your panic.”

  “I just see all these possible ways to break through our defenses and I had a moment of wondering if Raley and Ronan are okay. Like if they’re under attack right now. What if the Order made it easy to get here? Why has practically no one been here on the two instances we’ve been here? First Nicnivin’s guards, and now us. And only two men were outside.” The words leave me in a rush of breath and I inhale deeply.

  “Breathe in and out, mo grá. Our children are fine. You know that someone would have alerted us.” He rubs soothing circles over my back and I try to calm myself.

  “You’re right. And Gwyn is there. He’ll protect them if need be.”

  I’m being silly. Irrational even in my fears. Although I don’t think I’ll ever grow out of or face these ones. Being a mother isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s for the warriors, the women with skin so tough it’s like leather. Up until this point, I’d thought I was one of them, but I’m quickly coming to realize, I’m a baby myself when it comes to this shit.

  And I’m sure that along the way, I’ll stumble and I’ll fall, but I’ll pull myself back up by my bootstraps and shake it off. Because there aren’t any other options when it comes to keeping me and mine safe.

  I push a stack of papers aside, frustrated that they’ve got even the slightest advantage over us. “You guys making progress?” I ask the room in general to get an update.

  “Yeah, we’re almost done with the cabinets, Ev.” Axel replies.

  “Excellent. I want to wrap this up as quickly as possible but we need to be thorough.” We might not get another chance to go behind enemy lines.

  “Ev, look at this.” Doyle whispers the words, and I rush to his side, not liking his tone.

  “What is it?”

  “A note from Queen Mab to someone named Arthur.”

  “Who the fuck is Arthur?” I ask, confused.

  “Someone important by the looks of this letter.” He hands it to me, and I scan it quickly.

  “Holy fuck.” I read it again, this time slower to make sure I’m not misinterpreting anything.

  “Yeah, fuck is a good word for it.”

  “That bitch. She was in this to help them get to us.”

  Dare reads over my shoulder and then growls low, the rumble moving through me as his front presses into my back. “I will strangle her. Damn the consequences.”

  “No, we can’t react rashly here. We have to figure out how deep her illusion goes. If she was pulling the wool over our eyes, we need to know why. What’s in it for her? Why make a blood oath that was binding only to break it? That’s risky as fuck.”

  “Do you think she kidnapped Puck and tortured him to get information for the Order? I mean they want information about you. And your weaknesses. So it makes sense. Two birds, one stone and all that.” Kirin asks.

  I shake my head. “I’m not sure. It’s a possibility. One that we didn’t see.” She’d played us like a fine-tuned fiddle. “Sh
e distracted us with the threats of the Sluagh and the Wild Hunt. We were so focused on that, that we ignored the other scenarios.”

  “So what do we do now?” Doyle asks.

  “Now, we take everything we can get our hands on.” I look to Dagan and Eryn. “Are you two good to stay behind here and organize everything while we bring stuff back and get more men? I’ll make sure Gwyn’s guards stay and watch your ass.”

  Eryn glances at Dagan but nods. “Yeah, of course. Whatever you need us to do.”

  “Great.” I fill up a bag with as many papers on the same desk as the one that Doyle had found the letter from Mab, and the others do the same. “Guys grab what you can carry but make sure it doesn’t hinder you too much as we head back.”

  We all fall silent as we work quickly but efficiently and my mind races a million miles an hour. Who else could be in this to double cross us? Could we really trust any of them? It’s not like I can lock up every ruler of each Fae kingdom and court into he dungeons of the Goblin Kingdom. Pandemonium would ensue through all of Faerie, and I’d be the one responsible.

  It’s not like we don’t have enough shit to deal with now that the Order is hunting us down for sport. But now the infighting has begun, and those who are ambitious enough will make a grab for power every time they get a chance.

  Ten minutes later we head out, taking everything we can move swiftly with. I try to refocus my attention on the forest floor in front of me so I don’t face plant into a tree but my effort is half-assed. We head through the fairy mound, landing in the Goblin Kingdom moments later and a thought occurs to me.

  “Dare, where exactly did we just go? Like where is that cave located?”

  “In the middle of the forest. Nicnivin gave us the coordinates, remember?” He looks at me like I’ve lost my mind and I shake my head.

  “No, I mean which Kingdom was that in?”

  Understanding dawns on his face and he curses. “Son of a bitch! That was the Winter Court.”

  “That scheming, deceitful, cunt.” I stomp towards the entry into the castle, furious that we hadn’t realized the connection sooner. If I wasn’t so distracted with everything else going on, I’d probably have put it together.

  “What are you thinking, Ev?” Doyle asks as he keeps up with my quick pace.

  “I’m thinking someone better summon that twat here, and soon, or she’s not going to like it when I knock on her door.”

  Chapter 16

  When the Queen of the Winter Court appears three days later, I’ve had plenty of time to think about what exactly I’m going to say to her.

  It rhymes with duck and two.

  Mab breezes into the main hall, faltering in her pace when she sees each of us lined up, all neat and orderly like, fury written across our faces as clearly as her signature on the letter I’m gripping in my fist.

  “Ever, I hope you’ve called me here to tell me you’re going to fulfill the favor that you owe me per our blood oath.”

  I smile, a real one. Because if anything, I’m amused at this point that she would think that under any circumstances I’m going to do anything other than chop her perfectly polished head from her dainty shoulders.

  “Mab, I wish I could say that it’s nice to see you, but quite honestly, I’d rather chew on nails.”

  “Rusty ones.” Kirin adds, bumping his shoulder with Axel.

  “Then why am I here?” Mab asks, stopping ten feet from me.

  I hold up the letter between two fingers so she can see it. “Recognize this?”

  She narrows her eyes. “I do not. What is it?”

  I lower it to my side. “That’s okay. I think I have something else you might recognize.” I wave my hand and Axel, Dagan, Dax, Doyle, and Eryn step forward, pulling the brown bags full of goodies from the Orders hideout from behind their backs.

  “You think I’d recognize some brown sacks?” Mab asks, her brow raised.

  “Oh no, not those silly old things.” I nod my head, giving them the go-ahead. “Dump ‘em, guys.”

  As one, they tip the sacks over, and every artifact from that cave clangs on the floor in a tumble of metal and stone.

  Mab eyes the items rolling towards her and her nostrils flare. “Where did you get these items?” She points at one of the larger pieces. “That was in my personal study.”

  I plant my hands on my hips. “Don’t play dumb with us, Mab. You know where we got them.”

  She takes a step forward and raises her voice. “Yes, from my study! How dare you enter my Kingdom let alone my personal rooms without my express permission.”

  “Funny you should mention things that go against personal boundaries.” I hold up the note again. “You see this? This is a letter, from you, to Arthur of the Order of Íonachta. Give it up, Mab. You’re caught. Red-fucking-handed.”

  “That isn’t my signature. Someone is framing me.” She’s so mad, spittle flies from her mouth and I grimace.

  “Yeah, and I’m the Queen of all of Faerie.” I snort at her denial. “You swore a blood oath under false pretenses, having no intention of seeing it through. And then tried to use it against me to kill me with the Wild Hunt.”

  “This is ludicrous.” She turns to each of my family members standing next to me with a beseeching look. “You can’t possibly believe this.”

  I shake my head and tsk. “You know, we had a nice little chat with Stryker the other day.”

  Mab’s face goes from beat red to as pale as a ghost in two seconds flat.

  “He seemed pretty annoyed that you’d involve the Wild Hunt in politics.”

  She shakes her head but I continue speaking, stepping towards her, intimidating her.

  “I wonder what he’ll have to say when I tell him about how you used the most sacred oath any Fae can make, for not only political maneuvers, but for an attempted assassination.”

  “You can’t possibly understand why I did what I did, you foolish girl.” She sneers the words, finally dropping the guise of innocence.

  “Murder for hire… it’s a dirty business, Mab.” I tap my chin, pausing for dramatic effect more for my own amusement than anything else. “And quite frankly, you’re clearly not able to plan well enough to even see it through.”

  “I’m done with this conversation. You think you can touch me, Ever? Go ahead and try it.” Mab glares at us, pointing her finger down the line. “You have no idea what I’m capable of and if you think you’re prepared for this war, you’re woefully underestimating the Order and their power.”

  I shrug. “You know what I do know, Mab?”

  She doesn’t answer, instead backing away from us like we’d actually chase after her here. I’m not about to get my hands dirty taking care of this bitch.

  “I know that you can run, but you can’t hide. And after this, not even your own Kingdom will have you. And all for what?” I laugh mirthlessly. “For power? For greed? For what?”

  “You wouldn’t understand.” She shakes her head.

  “You’re right. I wouldn’t understand because I’d never sell out those I’m responsible for, let alone trade them like I would a cow at a farmers market.”

  Her audacity astounds me even though I know that it probably shouldn’t. I should expect the worst from people at this point. Truly, I should, but despite my best efforts, it’s the one flaw I can’t overcome.

  “So, we wish you well, Mab. You’re free to leave. But just remember, I’m not the only one coming for you. And I can do to you will look like a picnic compared to what everyone else will do to you once they find out. And trust me, they will find out.”

  “This isn’t over, Ever McElva. You and your mongrels haven’t seen the last of me. A war is coming, and blood will be shed.”

  I lean forward, my hands still on my hips. “Yeah, but it won’t be ours.”

  After Mab’s threats and her posturing, I’d spent much needed time with my family, cuddling my twins, and thanking every god and goddess above for bringing me together with each and ever
y one of them.

  We’ve not had an easy road to where we are now, but I can’t say that I’d change much of it. It’s made us each stronger. We laugh longer, love harder, and grab life by the balls every chance we get.

  I lean back against my mate, smiling as my best friends entertain my children, and make idiots out of themselves as they try to outdo each other making silly faces.

  Arela sits with Brodie, talking quietly, and you can feel the happiness pouring off of her in waves.

  Kirin and Axel are arguing over who carried more shit from the caves, and Eryn is reading a book in the corner, glancing at Dagan every once and a while before blushing and turning away, pretending that she hadn’t been drooling over him.

  Dax and Kiara are comparing knives, finally getting along for once without yelling at each other and I breathe a sigh of relief.

  I’m not sure what’s coming for me and mine. Hell I’m not even sure what tomorrow will bring, or the next few hours, but I know that we’ll handle it. Together, with Dare, I know I can overcome any obstacle thrown at me. And if I fall while I try, he’ll help me get up, dust myself off, and destroy it with me.

  War means loss, but I don’t intend for any of the losses to be on our side. I’m not quite sure my heart could handle it although I’m sure every person in this room, sharing my happiness would disagree.

  For now, we’re safe, we’ve got the advantage, and even though the road is going to be full of dips and turns, we’ll navigate it together.

  Because we don’t have any more room for prisoners in the dungeon, and quite frankly, so long as we can control the fires they set, we’ll survive the flames.

  Continue on for an exclusive sneak preview of Girl, Bitten!

  The Draugur

  Long before Vlad the Impaler, there was Vasile Draugur.

  Descendant of a warlord emperor, Vasile was a force never before witnessed in history. But for all his strength and power, his people fell into dissolution as famine, disease, and war spread through their land. Desperate and desirous to prove himself, Vasile sought the help of the Servants of Hekate, the right hand to the queen of the underworld.