"So I heard you finally know about the Fae."
Aubrey nearly dropped her tray of food as Gabby came and stood in front of her while she was making her way towards her table.
"How do you-"
"Know?" She asked finishing the sentence for her,"I suppose it slipped from Michael's mind to mention that I'm a Demi-Fae too."
Aubrey's mouth dropped, the way she said it so casually, was this school just filled with Demi Fae? She thought they were supposed to be rare.
"So you're starting training today?" She asked as they settled down on Aubrey's favourite table at the back of the cafeteria.
Aubrey was still getting looks from everyone after all she still was the new girl but she didn't mind anymore. There were things that were far more important going around in her head.
"Yeah." Aubrey replied. She wasn't all that surprised, Gabby always had the same kind of air about her as Declan and Michael did, the inhumanely perfect features and the way they held themselves above everyone else almost effortlessly.
It made Aubrey start to wonder how in the hell she fit with them. She wasn't particularly striking and her grace was moderate at best. All she had was looks that scraped slightly above the average and the voices in her head.
"Training isn't that bad, you know?" Gabrielle started,"The theory of it all is pathetic but combat is amazing."
"I'm not sure how good I'm going to be with a sword." Aubrey said,"And I don't even know what powers I have."
"Nobody is good with a sword." Gabby said and then paused,"Except maybe Declan. It's scary how good he is. As for your powers don't worry, you'll get it eventually. It took me a while to get a hang of it."
"What is your-"
Before Aubrey could complete the sentence Gabrielle's hand shot up and there was a small flame dancing on the palm of her hand.
She quickly closed her fist and the small flame went out and she looked around if anyone had noticed but no one even cared.
"Fire." She said thoughtfully, "But I'm not very good at controlling it. I can make small flames at best."
"Well something is better than nothing." Aubrey said,"My powers lie in having dumb dreams and screechy voices inside my head."
"Well you're supposed to see the future so I don't know what you're complaining about."
Aubrey stared gape mouthed at her,"I'm supposed to be doing what?"
The entire idea was so ridiculous it was laughable and yet...
"So Michael hasn't told you his theory?" Gabby asked casually.
Aubrey gave her a look that said, what do you think?
"Okay." She said,"The angels are divided into two groups, The Cardinals and the Elementals. There are four elemental angels, Sarafine is Earth, Raphael is Water, Auzariel is Air and Gabrielle is Fire."
Aubrey raised an eyebrow at the last name but she motioned for Gabby to continue.
"Then there are the three cardinal angels." Gabby said,"You already know about Michael, he was second in order and he was the General in a way. He led the angels to war but he was always second in command."
"The first angel." Gabby's voice dropped into a low whisper and Aubrey had to lean forward to hear her,"There is quite literally nothing we know. We don't know whether it was a female or a male, just that their power was unmatched and unlike any of the others.The first angel was the one on the throne."
Aubrey stilled.
Her grandma had told her this story, or something close to it.
For a second she contemplated to tell Gabby about the version of the story she'd heard but her aunt's warning rung clearly in her head.
Don't tell them about your grandmother.
That's what her aunt had said.
Why?
"People suspect that the Unseelie Queen has the powers of the first angel." Her voice drops,"She can drive people insane, she can raise the dead and it's said that one touch of her bare skin and people drop dead."
Well,Aubrey mused,If things really got bad with the voices in her head she'd still always be saner than the Unseelie Queen. Nice to know.
"-then there is the last cardinal." Gabby continued,"Not a lot is known about her. But what we do know is that she was behind everything. She could see the future, she had visions of them and in the end it was she who wrote the Book of Videl, who foresaw the prophecy."
"And you think that's me?" Aubrey asked,"I'm her Diviner."
Gabrielle shrugged,"It's Michael's theory but it's a pretty good one. It explains a lot of things like how you foresaw your parents accident for starters."
Aubrey stilled.
Her parents accident. It would explain how she'd practically lived through the entire accident only to find herself awake two hours earlier before it all happened. It would certainly explain how she'd seen the girl fall from the glass floor in the Seelie palace.
"It would seem likely that the third cardinal angel wouldn't follow the normal rule of Diviners and Originals." Gabby said,"Which could explain why the Fae have never come across anyone with her powers except you."
Seeing the future.... Could it explain all the visions she'd having of people who were not there?
But her mother....
She was dead. There was no future in that.
"If that's true." Aubrey asked,"Then why haven't I seen anything yet? Why are they just random voices and dreams?"
"I don't know. Like I said it's a theory. It's unconfirmed." Gabby shrugged,"It's exactly why we need the Book of Videl. Because if you are really her Diviner we can finally decode the book."
"Decode?" Aubrey asked.
"The Book is written in the language of ancients. The ones the angels used. That's why even during the short years the Seelie Fae possessed the book, not a lot of knowledge could be gained from it."
Aubrey would have opened her mouth to ask a billion other questions when Casey slipped into the seat beside her.
For a second she expected Casey to also drop a hey I'm a demi fae bomb but instead she just groaned.
"We have gym after this in the grounds." She says,"And it's nearly forty degrees outside."
Gabby laughed,"Have fun becoming a popsicle. Where are the others?"
At first Aubrey thought she was talking about Michael and Declan, Aubrey had been searching for Declan the entire day to find some answers.
She'd even tried to contact him through the weird mind telepathy thing but when she got no response she just felt silly.
But then Aubrey realised Gabby was talking about her small group of friends that she'd introduced to her on the first day.
Casey shrugged,"I'm not sure, probably fighting with the lunch lady as to why there is no non fat yogurt available. I swear to god this place is a nightmare for people who want a figure."
Aubrey laughed at that and both Gabby and Casey gave her questioning looks. It was a relief to hear something so ordinary and inconsequential after such a long time.
All her talks lately had been about mythical creatures.
It was weird though, how easily Gabby could switch from talking about queens and angels to gym and lunch ladies.
"Sorry." Aubrey said still trying to hide her smile at Casey's incredibly serious expression.
"I was wondering when I was going to catch up with all of you." It was Michael who took the seat next to her,setting his tray beside hers.
She found herself looking over at his tray surprised to find a bowl of spagetthi and meat sauce next to it with a soda.
What had she expected? Roasted squirells and crunchy leaves?
Probably not, but after finding out about the Fae she'd started viewing the most ordinary things in a different way.
"Casey." Michael regarded politely, "Gabrielle, Aubrey."
Aubrey gave a small nod. She wasn't sure how this changed their dynamics but Aubrey didn't trust Michael.
For some reason the blind attraction she'd felt on the first day had completely vanished replaced by suspicion.
She had agreed to train, that much was true but majority of the decision was influenced by Declan's presence.
She felt like everybody was lying about something and nobody really knew what was going on...
Except Declan.
Declan was the one who had the answers that she needed.
But he was lying to the Fae and he'd warned her against them.
Why?
The bell rang painfully loud and jerked Aubrey from her thoughts of a certain gold eyed boy to focus on Michael.
He was looking at her curiously as Casey and Gabby were deep in conversation about some random thing.
She remembered what Michael had told her after they had finally descended from the clouds.
The first and foremost rule of the Fae was to keep their existence a secret. Not a word to a mortal or for that matter anybody.
Aubrey didn't find that rule particularly surprising but she did wonder what the consequences would be.
She uneasily remembered the cold eyes of the King and decided that it wouldn't be very pleasant.
According to Michael Fae rarely mingled with mortals because they couldn't stay in the mortal world for too long. It was the lack of magic and the technology that interfe-
THE QUEEN!
THE QUEEN IS HERE!
BOW BEFORE THE QUEEN
THE QUEEN SHALL COMMAND HER SUBJECTS.
The voices were so loud that Aubrey screamed covering her ears crumpling next to the table. It was as if someone had taken a hammer against her brain and hit it.
THE QUEEN SHALL RISE
THE HEIR SHALL PERISH
THE QUEEN SHALL COMMAND
"SHUT UP!" Aubrey screeched but they didn't stop.
DEATH AWAKENS
FIRE SHALL MEET EARTH
THE HOST, THE HEIR, THEY ALL SHALL BOW TO THE QUEEN
And then suddenly they suddenly stopped.
Aubrey just lay there curled up on the cafeteria floor trying to get her head to stop pounding. The voice had never been that loud.
"I suppose I should say sorry for that." A voice mused,"But unfortunately in order for me to talk to you I had to give a pretty sharp push."
Aubrey's head immediately shot up to fall on a lady in front of her. She stood in a blood red cloak with its hood up that shrouded her face in a mask of darkness which Aubrey couldn't see past.
But that wasn't even the most surprising thing. It was where the lady stood or more accurately where Aubrey currently was.
Moments ago Aubrey had been in a high school cafeteria and now she was standing in a ballroom.
Well at least Aubrey guessed it was a ballroom. It's ceiling was intricately decorated with gold and silver and it's walls were made of pure turquoise. Gems decorated the wall opposite Aubrey and large diamonds were inlaid in it to form the silhouette of a creature that resembled like a half lion and a half fish.
"Where am I?" Aubrey asked turning towards the lady.
"Still in the stinky noisy cafeteria." She said from below her cloak,"Well at least your body is still there.Your mind though, I've pulled your consciousness into mine. I always tend to make the locations interesting."
"What?" Aubrey asked still trying to grasp what had just happened.
The lady laughed. The laugh chilled Aubrey to the bone. There was nothing normal or friendly about it. It was cruel high and sharp.
"This even I've got to admit was a brilliant move on my part." She said spreading her arms as if inviting Aubrey closer,"Look around and tell me what you see."
"Send me back. I don't want to be here." Aubrey started.
"Oh Aubrielle haven't you heard that when someone starts playing a game it's rude not to comply?"
"I don't know who you are lady." Aubrey said,"And at this point I don't even care. Get out of my head or get me out of your head or-"
An invisible force slammed into Aubrey making her fall back on the floor, hard. Her elbow hit the floor first and the skin immediately broke splattering red on the floor.
"Aah." Red cloak said,"You're bleeding all over the floor."
Aubrey hadn't taken a look at the floor before but since the pyscho lady had decided to make her go close and personal to the floor she had no choice but to look around.
At first Aubrey couldn't make out what it was but slowly she started to recognise the outlines.
Angel.
A mosaic of a massive angel covered the entire floor of the ballroom.
Aubrey had strategically landed on the hilt of the sword that the angel held in his hand. She'd cut her elbow against the cold floor and was currently bleeding all over the diamond buried in its hilt.
"It's not the first time you bleed on this floor." Red cloak said,"And neither will it be your last. But then again that was a lot more than a scrape."
Aubrey did not want to know what that meant.
"Why have you brought me here?" Aubrey asked.
"It's an extremely effective way to talk without other people prying in on conversations." The lady replied.
"Who are you?" Aubrey asked,"Why do you want to talk to me?"
"I've not come to give you answers that you have to find out for yourself." She said,"But I have come to help you."
"Yeah." Aubrey said looking at her injured elbow,"Totally feels like it. After all dragging me somewhere unknown and being threatened by a psychotic lady in a red cloak whose face I can't see, just screams help."
"Like I said it's a dangerous game is being played you don't need to know my intentions just accept my help and move on."
"How did you get me here?" Aubrey asked.
"I've been watching you for a while now Aubrielle and in that time I've managed to establish a mental link. " She continued,"So that I can pull you into my mind. While doing so I had to lower your defences which is why I turned up the voices so loud."
"You send those voices in my head?" Aubrey asked blinking.
"Yes." She said,"After all the best lies are the ones told by the person who believes them to be true."
"Those voices you hear." Red cloak continued,"Is just the fraction I let you hear Aubrey."
This lady, this mysterious figure in red controlled the voices in Aubrey's head. She sent the voices in Aubrey's head.
How?
Why?
"But you're not the same person who spoke to me in my mind during my confrontation with the king." Aubrey said,"Y-You don't sound like her."
Aubrey could have sworn that the lady smiled underneath her cloak.
"No I'm not." She said,"You're going to realise that there are a lot of different players in this game. Each with their own motive. Their own agenda."
"The one who spoke to you is your greatest ally as well as your greatest enemy. It's all up to you and your decisions in the future which will decide whether she'll stand by you or against you."
"Who is she? Who are you?"
"Unfortunately Aubrielle, some answers are not as easily revealed as others." She said,"But I digress. We have plenty of time to talk about this later."
"I need ans-"
An invisible force called Aubrey's mouth shut.
"Aah much better." Red cloak said,"I'm not fond of chatterboxes and your just filled with questions I am not going to answer."
"Handy talent isnt it?" Red cloak said gesturing to Aubrey's magically shut mouth,"Unforutantely these talents are only limited when we are inside my head. I'm the master of my mind. I can do anything here. Stop time, raise the dead. Anything at all. Seems a pity we ever have to leave huh?"
And she called Aubrey the chatterbox. Seriously.
"I digress." Red cloak said.
Aubrey fought the urge to roll her eyes and say, well no shit.
"They believe you can see the future." The lady said,"Don't they?"
Aubrey didn't respond because she was to taken aback by the question.
"Aubrielle dear, nod." Red cloak said,"Don't make me do this for you too."
Aubrey cautiously nodded.
"So that's exactly what you're going to do." Red cloak continued,"See the future."
"When you come to, tell them that you saw wolves attacking the school." She said,"Tell them that they use a fire that burns black and destroys everything in its path. Then you go find him."
"Why?" Aubrey demanded,"Why should I lie?"
"Isn't that what you've been doing all along? Lying to them? You don't trust them either because you see the Fae for what they are. Fake, dangerous and manipulative. You can sense that it's best to lie to them.
That much was true.
Aubrey did not trust the Fae.
But it's not like she was going to trust the lady in the red cloak anytime soon.
"Why him?" Aubrey asked,"Why find Declan?"
Although the lady hadn't said his name Aubrey had no doubt that she meant Declan.
"Because you can't help but trust him. It's fundamental flaw with the two of you. I prick one the other bleeds." The lady cocked her head to side as Aubrey tried to understand what she meant.
"I suppose not yet though." Red cloak said,"It's far to early in this timeline for either one of you to realize just how unfortunately bound the two of you are. But you'll find out soon enough. He's the only one who can save you from what's coming."
"What's coming-"
"And as for trusting me." Red cloak interrupted,"Don't. No one would enjoy watching you turn into a doggie treat for a hungry werewolf more than me."
The red lady turned towards the grand wooden doors of the ballroom before turning back for a moment.
"And one last thing Aubrey." The lady said,"What do you have that they don't?"
Aubrey froze. The last words her mother had said to her before the accident. Those exact same words.
"Who are y-"
And then the world did a violently three sixty degree turn once again knocking Aubrey off her feet.
______
When Aubrey came to she was lying on the cafeteria floor surrounded by Michael, Casey and Gabby all looking down at her concerned.
"She's awake." Gabby said and turned towards Casey,"Go get her some water won't you?"
Casey nodded and bounded away while Michael and Gabby helped Aubrey up to her feet.
Surprisingly no one was really paying attention to her despite her entire fainting spell.
"Manipulated the Veil." Michael said,"I knew there was something was wrong the minute you clutched your head and started screaming. You were out for almost a minute."
Gabby nodded,"Yeah. Did you see or hear anything?"
What do you have they don't.
Her mothers last words.
Why had red cloak said it?
Her moth-
No it couldn't be.
Aubrey was quiet for some time, contemplating whether to do as the lady in the red cloak had actually told her to.
She didn't trust the pyscho lady especially considering that she was behind the voices Aubrey heard in her head.
But if she was right, fire and wolves didn't sound like a threat that would be smart to ignore.
She could just tell them a lady in red and everything.
But the lady had been right. Aubrey did not trust the Seelie Fae. In fact she didn't trust the Fae in general. After all she wasn't going to get comfy with Unseelie ones any time soon either considering that they had been the ones to send Throne after her to kill her.
Aubrey didn't know why but there was something fundamentally ingrained in her that told her that the Fae were not to be trusted.
She had no doubt that King Oryen's use for her would last as long as she could prove herself. He didn't care about her just the fact that she could be used as a weapon.
But Aubrey was seriously starting to doubt her abilities. She couldn't see the future. The voices in her head were not hers but it happened because someone had planted them in her head.
So what was she?
Powerful like the Seelie believed?
Dangerous like the Unseelie believed?
Or was she simply a pawn in a game who was being manipulated according to whims and fancies of the lady in red.
She knew she couldn't trust the lady in red, Aubrey didn't even know who she was.
She couldn't be her mother. Just couldn't. Even though she had uttered the last words her mother had said to her there was no way it was possible.
For starters her mother was dead.
Definitely dead.
Aubrey would have recognised her voice or something.
No, she was not her mother. But she was sure that the lady had used those words to purposely taunt her.
Definitely not trustworthy.
Could she trust Michael and Gabby?
She should.
But she didn't.
But she wasn't going to be a pawn either. Not in the Fae kings game and neither in the game the lady in red was playing.
"I-I saw something." Aubrey said carefully,"The school was on fire. There was something odd about the it because was the fired burned black in color."
Gabby and Michael shared a look.
"Nytfire." Gabby muttered and when Aubrey gave her look she clarified,"Demonic fire that is incredibly hard to create and almost impossible to stop."
"There is more. There were wolves." Aubrey said,"And there was this lady in a red cloak with a hood over her face."
Confusion lined both their faces and Aubrey's heart sunk. They didn't know who the lady was but it had been worth a shot.
"Okay. This is what we are going to have to do." Michael seemed calm and command rang through his voice,"Gabby and I are going to deal with this fire, Aubrey get out with the mortals and wait with them. If this turns as ugly as you expect it be, we can't risk you staying here with no training."
"What about the wolves?" Gabby asked,"No doubt they are werewolves sent by the Unseelie Queen after Aubrey."
"Wait." Aubrey asked,"Could this lady in red be the Unseelie Queen?"
Both Gabby and Michael froze.
"I-It can't." Gabby didn't seem sure,"Red is not her color, she always wears dark blue. Doesn't she?"
"Just because she changed the color of the cloak she uses to hide herself in does not make her someone else." Michael said,"But then again just because the lady wears a hood and a cloak it doesn't make her the Unseelie Queen either. Besides she's is hardly the type to get her hands dirty. She wouldn't come for this."
"Wouldn't she?" Gabby glances at Aubrey,"If Aubrey's vision is right that means that this will be the second attack the Queen has plotted against her."
"First of all we don't even know if Aubrey's vision is true. It can-"
And that was when the fire alarms started blaring throwing the entire cafeteria into chaos.
Michael cursed.
"Great." Gabby said,"We've got about a hundred panicked mortals, demonic fire and a pack of werewolves who are going to come here by the order of the Unseelie pyscho who might also be here. Am I missing something?"
"I think that was very well put." Aubrey prompted,"You managed to cover all the points."
"Aubrey get out now." Michael grabbed her hand and pulled her up,"The scent of the mortals will confuse the wolves. Go now."
Aubrey didn't hesitate.
Maybe it was Michaels firm and commanding tone or maybe because she finally understood the consequences but in a moment Aubrey was up on her feet joining the panicked crowd of students as the fled out of the cafeteria.
Aubrey was sweeped into the crowd and didn't even have the chance to turn to look at Gabby and Michael as she was pushed out of the cafeteria and towards the main school doors.
And then Aubrey heard the howl.
The fear of the crowd doubled and if possible everybody became even more frantic. Before Aubrey knew it she was shoved out into the parking lot everyone running in different directions.
For a second Aubrey was lost and so dazed that she couldn't understand what was happening.
Wolves.
Fire.
It was all really happening.
And then suddenly someone was there beside her tugging on her arm.
It was Casey.
Ordinary human Casey.
"Come on." Casey urged,"We have to go. Where are Gabby and Michael?"
Aubrey looked at her dazed.
"They are still in the-"
Then an explosion rocked the earth.
The force of it was enough to throw Aubrey and Casey off their feet onto the hard gravel as shrapnel rained down on them.
No.
No.
The explosion, Aubrey thought as she hastily got up to see the school in flames, Gabby and Michael were still inside. Were they dead?
No, that's impossible, Aubrey tried to convince herself, They are Demi Fae, they will be fine.
And as if to prove her point a cold chill spread through the air for just a moment before disappearing.
They are alright, Aubrey thought firmly, And if Gabby's suspicion was right the wolves, the fire was all because of me. I have to get out of here maybe then they'll leave too.
Another howl filled the air and Aubrey shivered.
Wolves. The wolves were getting closer.
She had to get out of here now.
"Casey." Aubrey shouted as she tried to look through the dark smoke that had surrounded her,"Where are you?"
"Here!" Casey's response was faint but Aubrey quickly located her on the ground cradling her right leg in her arms.
"What's wrong?" Aubrey bent down quickly. Casey was covered with soot and scrapes but her leg, the way it was twisted didn't leave any doubt in the fact that it was definitely broken.
"I can't walk." Casey cried helplessly.
Another howl.
"You have to." Aubrey said adjusting herself underneath Casey's shoulder and tugging her up,"We have to get out of here."
"But I-"
Another howl.
Maybe it was fear or something else entirely but Casey was immediately standing, leaning heavily on Aubrey.
Though the smoke was heavy Aubrey could make out that there weren't any mortals around anymore.
How would they get out?
She could barely see two feet ahead with the smoke, let alone find a way to get the both of them out of here.
Declan.
Find Declan.
That's what the lady in the red cloak had said hadn't she?
Aubrey desperately closed her eyes and pictured Declan in her head.
Casey stumbled again nearly knocking the both of them to the ground breaking Aubrey's concentration.
Another howl.
There was no way they would be able to get out with Casey's leg like that.
Casey's leg had to heal.
It had to heal.
It had to-
And then there was a flash of heat so sudden that Aubrey almost missed it. It was a spark that lit within her just as quickly as it disappeared.
And then the exhaustion that hit Aubrey out of nowhere was so great that she almost sunk to the ground.
Her legs were not working, her eyesight was blurry and she was having trouble breathing.
She could faintly feel Casey tugging on her hand as if the roles had reversed and it was Casey who was supporting both their weights now.
And she was.
How? Her leg-
Aubrey's vision went black for a second and she sunk to the ground, crashing into gravel.
What was wrong with her? She couldn't even stand up anymore.
"Aubrey!" Casey's voice was distant but frantic,"Are you alr- Declan!"
"Casey, get out of here."The voice was soft but it was undoubtedly him.
"But-"
"Forget that you saw Aubrey and I and go home." He said,"Now."
Aubrey heard footsteps hurrying away.
Casey could walk.
Casey's leg was fine.
Aubrey had healed her.
Could this be my power? Aubrey thought, I can heal people?
"Yes." Declan murmured bending down next to her,"You can heal people. But in order to heal that leg of hers you transferred far too much of your energy not knowing the extent of your powers, you stupid girl. You could have killed yourself over a sprained ankle."
"Well I'd probably have to get in line considering the number of people who want to kill me." Aubrey muttered.
Declan chuckled,"Come on Cupcake." He said gently grabbing her shoulders and helping her up,"We have to get out of here-"
And that's when it happened.
Declan moved so fast, one moment he was beside her and the next he was in front of her, his hands outstretched.
The wolf that had leaped straight for Aubrey froze in midair and all of a sudden it was shoved back into the nearest tree by an invisible force.
Not powerful, what a joke. Declan was more powerful than any of them.
There was only one wolf as far as Aubrey could see but considering the size and the vicious set of claws and teeth that the wolf had on him she couldn't quite use the word only.
"Stay behind." Declan muttered to Aubrey before stretching his hand upwards and saying"Levadé, I summon thee."
There was a bright flash of light and when it faded Declan was holding a sword. A silver sword.
The silver sword that Throne had come after her with.
The one that had made even made King Oryen shrink when Aubrey had mentioned it.
But unlike last time when Thorne had it, the sword had simply been a stick with a sharp end. There was absolutely nothing out of the ordinary about it, but in Declan's hand the sword had transformed.
It was at least half a metre longer and the silver gleamed wickedly in the dim light. The sword radiated power that was unspeakably ancient and absolutely deadly in Declan's hand.
The sword belonged to Declan and there was no doubt that Declan knew exactly how to use it.
The wolf hesitated too regarding the sword in Declan's hand with caution. The wolf may have been the size of a monster truck and it looked like something out of a nightmare, with it's jet black fur, red eyes and long canines that were bared but against that sword, it was nothing.
And looking at the wolf, Aubrey knew that it too understood the power of the sword and its owner.
So the wolf retreated slightly and let out a long bone chilling howl.
Declan didn't hesitate for a moment and with a deadly arc of his sword the wolf was dead.
Declan's sword dripped with the blood and Aubrey couldn't help but glance at his feet where the wolf lay with its head lolled to a side, its eyes wide open and lifeless.
And then just like the body, the blood and anything at all hinting at the wolves existence, just vanished.
Aubrey turned to the side and puked her guts out.
"I know. You'll get used to it." Declan said hauling her up to her feet,"We have to go though. The wolf warned his friends, they should be-"
And then just like they were surrounded. If Aubrey had thought that the one lone wolf had been terrifying she was wrong. Now there were at least a dozen of them some of them even bigger than the one Declan had just killed.
"-just arriving." Declan completed and then sighed looking at the wolves as if they were simply some form of minor annoyance and said, "Werewolf blood is a awfully hard to clean up."
Aubrey wanted to throttle Declan right about then, considering their situation it was hardly the time to make comments that would anger the bloodthirsty wolves even more.
The wolves though, were in no hurry to attack. They were scanning the both of them at their leisure.
After all both of them were trapped. With the help of the thick smoke the wolves had surrounded them from both sides cutting of any chance of escape.
Aubrey knew that chances of survival were slim but looking at Declan she wasn't too sure that all hope was lost.
Declan didn't look worried, not one bit. In fact he simply looked bored.
"Is this the point where I say the words Take me to your leader?" He drawls.
Despite everything Aubrey had to make a conscience effort not to laugh at that.
The wolves growled clearly not finding Declan's sense of humor amusing.
"Err Declan." Aubrey interjected,"I know you are perfectly capable of handling a wolf but considering the fact there are around twenty of them don't you think the best solution would be to not provoke them?"
"They are not going to attack." Declan said confidently extending a hand to help Aubrey up. She gratefully took it.
She was still trying to get used to the electric current that seemed to pass through her every time Declan touched her but it still managed to take her rather by surprise.
Declan on the other hand seemed rather unaffected and hauled her up to her feet. Despite being wobbly she felt far better than when she was cowering behind Declan on the ground.
Aubrey was a lot of things. Crazy, short tempered, stubborn but she was not a coward.
"They seem to be waiting for someone." He said,"Their Alpha maybe, their leader. Wolves are fiercely and loyally bound to the alpha. Without his command they won't touch us."
"The alpha isn't here yet?" Aubrey's asked.
"You'll recognise an alpha when you see one."
And she did.
Because at that precise moment the sea of wolves parted to reveal a wolf the size of a small house.
The wolf paused for a moment, about ten yards away it's deadly eyes scanning Aubrey.
Declan tensed slightly, his expression still bored, but his stance slightly taller, his grip on his sword slightly tighter.
And the world stood still for that moment.
Although Declan hadn't used his time whimey powers nobody dared to move. The wind had stilled too as if holding its breath in anticipation.
"Attacking a human school, especially with Demi-Fae in it, is a declaration of war." Declan mused breaking the silence,"Do you have a death wish?"
Aubrey must have blinked because suddenly in place of where the large wolf had been standing, a man stood proudly.
A lose black cloak clung to him and his eyes, dark and malicious didn't seem to miss a thing.
"Give us he girl." He reasoned his eyes on Aubrey,"We'll leave."
Declan hesitated.
Aubrey didn't want to admit it but no matter how uber powerful Declan was, giving her up was the better option.
His hesitation though was was a pleasant surprise she'd have expected him to a offer her up as bait the second the offer came up.
Guess she was going to a visit the Unseelie Queen sooner than she thought.
"Okay." Declan said simply,"You can have her."
The alpha blinked in surprise despite himself. No way had he expected it to be this easy. To be honest Aubrey was slightly hurt, but only slightly, since there was no other option.
"You can have the girl." Declan continued,"But at the risk of sounding awfully melodramatic you're going to have to go through me first."
The Alpha's hardened. Anybody remotely sane would have hid in a corner with that expression, running away for their life.
Aubrey retreated slightly behind Declan, not completely, just away little bit. After all she wasn't a total nutcase.
But Declan on the other hand was.
He stood his ground with that same expression of his that said that he feared nothing and no one.
"But you can't kill me before her can you?" Declan continued,"Because your specific instructions are; kill her and make him watch, Gerailia is really going all out this time."
This time the alpha reeled back unable to hide his shock.
Declan smirked taking one step ahead, "So typical of her. She thinks she's playing some grand game when all she's really doing is hiding behind that rather unfashionable red cloak of hers."
Red cloak.
Declan knew her?
What did her call her?
Gerailia.
"You know her?" The alpha asked.
Declan smiled. It wasn't a friendly one, not by a long shot. In fact it was malicious, cruel and bone chilling.
And this time it was the alpha who stepped back a little.
Suddenly Aubrey wasn't sure who she was afraid of more.
"She's using you." Declan said,"Using you to provoke me."
"And who exactly are you except for a measly Seelie Prince with no power?" The alpha sneered,"Why would that witch want to provoke you?"
No power?
No power?
Really?
Aubrey wanted to laugh.
This dude must be high on something quite fancy, She mused.
Declan without the sword was menacing enough but with that silver sword in his hand Declan looked close to unbeatable.
"Why would she want to provoke you?" The alpha repeated, doubt finally settling into his voice.
"Because she hates me." Declan said,"Obviously. Why else would she have sent you to torture Aubrielle here and make me watch?"
Aubrey stumbled backward trying to swallow the gravity of Declan's words. She would have probably tripped over a rock and fallen flat on her butt but Declan caught her wrist right on time.
He didn't turn to look at her but his hand firmly kept in her place as if to say, Don't move.
And then it happened.
That static almost electric feeling that came every time Declan touched her.
But this time it was a thousand times magnified.
Declan must have felt it too because he turned to face her, shock and confusion lining his face.
"Wha-" Aubrey started
"Attack!" The alpha commanded, Declan's hold on on them weakened.
It happened so fast that Aubrey barely had time to comprehend it.
One moment Declan was standing absolutely still and the next moment he'd slammed his sword into the ground.
A shock wave ran through the Earth and the ground beneath them gave away.
Falling.
Falling.
Aubrey was falling blindly in the darkness, the only thing that told her that she wasn't dead yet was Declan's grip on her wrist.
The electricity that ran though that ran hand was almost getting painful now.
And then suddenly it all stopped. The electricity, the falling.
Had her heart stopped too?
Aubrey looked up too scan what the after life looked like.
And it looked awfully like the ballroom which the red cloaked lady had talked to her in.
In fact it was that ballroom.
The same turquoise walls, the same weird lion fish emblem and the angel mosaic on the floor.
Everything was uncannily similar.
Only this time it was filled with people. Lots and lots of people.
It seemed something out of a historical movie, the ladies in fancy gowns and the men in old fashioned suits.
A few had turned to look at them, but the rest were still merrily in their own world.
Declan was next to her looking at her with a kind of awe and confusion she couldn't quite place.It was as if he couldn't quite believe that she was was there, next to him and his hand was still tightly wrapped around hers as if he'd forgotten about it being there.
"Where are we?" She asked tugging on his hand so as to break him out from his reverie.
Declan blinked before letting go of her hand.
He sighed,"The better question is when are we."