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CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

EVEREST

The only part of being Lilith’s son that I was thankful for was the ability to travel through shadow and smoke. As I rushed back to Sweyn’s side, I was reminded of this. Not that I was going to suddenly change my allegiance or voice my gratitude for this gift. Acknowledging to myself was gift enough. I stepped out of my own shadow and saw the famous neon sign that read ‘ PUBLIC MARKET CENTER’. Sweyn’s evil plan for Seattle was already enacted. The Pike Place Market had admittedly been my idea, but that was part of the game I played. I had to be morally grey in order to win the long game. I had to do bad things to help Heaven win the war.

The market was closed since it was late at night, which meant it was the perfect place for Sweyn to lure witches into so she could turn them. Magic ticklings, as she called them. My turning Braison started the fire for this, but Francelina’s presence in Avolire set her goals aflame. I knew she had her fill of humans for now, she’d turned more than I had been willing to count in New Orleans, and I knew she’d raided other cities closer to Avolire for more that she hadn’t told me about. She thought I didn’t know. She had always been quite foolish in that regard, but by the time she learned that, it would be too late. I longed for that moment.

Braison stumbled out of the market looking red in the face, like he was one second away from snapping. His red and green eyes scanned the street, then landed on me. Braison was the only person who could spot me in my own shadows—aside from my own soulmate, yet she could not see me in the dark, she merely felt me. Braison’s gifts with the Hanged Man Card had made him a friend of the dark, and those innocent looking eyes were far from it. His face smoothed a little when he saw me. He darted across the street and to my side in the blink of an eye.

“Breathe, Braison?—”

“Why here?” He scrubbed his face with his hands. “I know you suggested it but why? Why such a big city?”

“Because your Coven Leaders placed a curfew on their civilians. No one is to be out after sunset. But I do not yet want her realizing this. So I suggested this very populated, major metropolitan city in hopes that she would get distracted by the plethora of humans and therefore let the arcana go.” I glanced around and sighed. “Also, in times like this, arcana are going to be naturally wary of public places.”

“That’s a brutal bet to make, my friend,” he said softly, his eyes closed.

“Story of my entire life, my friend.” I smiled at the ease in which he’d referred to me as my friend. I didn’t have many of those, especially in fellow immortals. I was growing attached to having Braison at my side. It was a dangerous emotion but I wasn’t fighting it. “Let us pray most of your kind are heeding the warnings.”

“They’re not my kind anymore?—”

“Really? Is there not magic in your veins?”

His face fell. He licked his lips and nodded, his gaze locked on his palms. “Yes, but?—”

“The amount of time you’re capable of living does not dictate what you are.” I reached out and squeezed his shoulder, bringing his eyes back to mine. “If you do not believe me, then remind yourself of who my mother is and what I’ve spent my whole life doing.”

A slow smirk pulled at his lips. But then his eyes narrowed on me. “Speaking of, you left . . . You were here and then you left suddenly. Don’t lie to me —and don’t omit either.”

“They’re fine.” I gave him a reassuring smile. “The problem was addressed and handled. Your friends are all safe now. I promise.”

He sighed with relief. “ I can’t take much more of this ,” he whispered.

“ Every hour grows with difficulty, I know .”

As if the universe was laughing in my face, the Unseelie Prince landed across the street. He didn’t look in our direction, my shadows kept us hidden, but I saw him. All of him, especially the bits. I’d had my suspicions over the centuries, but seeing them come to life in front of me sent a stream of panic through my veins. The Prince’s tan skin and yellow cat-eyes were a slap in the face. His hair looked black again, but I knew that was a result of being on Earth and not in Seelie.

“Wait a second . . .” Braison pointed to him, then turned to face me. “That weird armor—that’s the Prince?”

I nodded.

“What happened to him?”

“He consumed resources from Seelie. Drank the water, fed on the plants, consumed blood of the vein—all of which returned him to the genetic state his bloodline awarded him. Come, let us see what he has to say here.” I gestured for him to follow me as I headed across the street. If the Prince was in there, then I needed to witness what was happening. “Where are our friends?”

“Sam and Libby went . . . I don’t even know where. Malik and Pierce are around the corner, standing near the locked bathroom in case they need to be sick.” He shuddered. “I’m not sure where Saber went.”

“Is this all you’ve collected?” The Unseelie Prince shouted, his voice echoing down the empty corridor. “I gave you all that time to work and you’ve wasted it?”

Sweyn’s red eyes narrowed. She snarled and her upper lip curled up to reveal a fang. But then her gaze shot over to me. “ Everest. Where the hell have you been?”

I arched one eyebrow and crossed my arms over my chest. “Mother required my attention and services.”

They wouldn’t dare question Lilith.

The Prince smashed a window next to him with his bare hand. “You are a waste of space. I gave you a window. I told you that window would be short and you needed to act, but what did you do? Please, tell me, Your Majesty, what good wasting that window of distraction did for us?”

Sweyn crossed arms over her chest and held her chin high. “I was waiting to make a bold move?—”

“ FOR WHAT, DEAR SISTER? WHAT WERE YOU WAITING FOR? ” The Prince shouted. “I warned you The Coven would be alerted we’d entered Seelie and they’d react even faster. I warned you. I told you to be prepared!”

“We are clear across the country, Brother dearest?—”

“And the Aether Witch can be here in the flash of a moment?—”

“She’s down?—”

“NOT ANYMORE!” he bellowed.

Braison’s gaze shot to me, and I saw the question in it. I gave a small smile and nodded. He relaxed. I did not like that the Prince was aware Tegan had awoken from her Witch’s Shock.

Sweyn stomped one white stiletto-clad foot and flung one arm out. “The arcana are not ignorant fools like the humans. Perhaps if your group hadn’t been so sloppy and savage in your kidnappings, the arcana wouldn’t have gone into hiding.”

“Your incompetence knows no bounds,” he growled, those yellow cat-like eyes blazing with rage and power. “I did not lose dozens of my men to succeed in my task just for you to fail at all of yours.”

Sweyn growled so loud the walls trembled.

I sighed. As much as I wanted them to kill each other, I knew that wouldn’t solve all my problems. I cleared my throat. “As entertaining as your petty sibling rivalry may be, perhaps we can save the bickering for when the sun rises and we have nothing better to do with our time.”

The Prince cracked his knuckles and glared at Sweyn before turning and stomping toward me, heading straight for the thriving city of Seattle. His black magic was already coiling in his palms. He stopped a few feet away, right at the edge of the closed, empty market and released his magic into the streets like rushing rivers.

“What are you doing?” Sweyn hissed.

“Get your fangs ready, Sister,” he snarled back, pushing more and more magic out of him. “Since that seems to be all you’re good for.”

Braison’s wide eyes met mine, but I did not react. I couldn’t. They could see.

The Prince chanted in the Unseelie tongue with words I did not understand. But I didn’t need the translation to understand what he was doing. I felt Mother’s magic in his words. It seemed she’d taught him a trick, or perhaps he’d siphoned it off someone else at some point.

Within seconds, three adults emerged from nearby buildings. Their eyes were glazed over and distant, but each of them held a wand between their fingers. Magic sparkled from the tips of their wands as they marched toward us like zombies in a bad horror film.

“ Everest,” Braison whispered. He gripped the wall and bent over.

I nodded and gripped his shoulder, forcing him upright. “Braison and I will coordinate our return to Avolire.”

Without another word, I dragged Braison out the backside of the market where the salt water from the ocean beneath us could clear his nausea. Malik and Pierce stumbled out after us, with Shi-Shi hot on their heels. I flexed my fingers and pulled with my own magic. A second later, Sam and Libby leapt through my shadow to stand at my feet.

Sam’s eyes were wide. “Is he . . . is he?—”

“Yes,” Libby said with a growl, balling her hands into fists at her side. “He’s luring witches out. We have to stop him.”

"How? How are we supposed to overpower him ?” Sam breathed, her eyes still wide.

Braison bent over and put his hands on his knees. “Libby, tell me you have an idea.”

“I do. You and Sam come with me.” Libby turned those silver eyes on me. “I know you can’t actively help, but?—”

“I’ll do what I can from here.” I gestured for them to move. “We’ll cover you.”

The three of them took off running.

“Lord Everest . . .” Pierce’s voice trembled. “What are they doing? What do we do?”

“They’re going to try and use their magic to counteract the Prince’s. We are going to cover them.” I turned my back to the skyline of skyscrapers behind me. “Saber, take Pierce and follow them. Be their eyes. Malik and Shi-Shi, go to the edge of the market. I want to know if anyone on Sweyn’s team heads their way. I have to get them transportation out of here now before Sweyn decides she wants to stay the night like she did in New Orleans. We have to get those siblings out of this city.”