TWO
The Happiest Place on Earth
Present day . . .
Lila stood on the balcony of the castle in her cornflower blue ballgown and sparkling tiara, gazing out over the nighttime beauty of her magic kingdom.
As a balmy breeze coaxed light-brown strands from her chignon, the kingdom’s symphony started to play below.
She sighed, reliving her last ball. The scent of roses and candlewax had filled the air as Saetth twirled her around the immaculate ballroom.
Closing her eyes, she collected her skirt with a gloved hand and swayed—
“Step into the magic!” a human announced over the PA system, snatching her from her reverie. “The magic of Walt Disney World!”
Too bad Lila’s life was all make-believe.
She got paid to dress up like this. Her fairy-esque ballgown was polyester and covered with candy smudge prints from the mortal children who touched it with reverence: Are you weally a fairwy pwincess?
I am. I really am. The pointed tips of her ears were expertly hidden beneath her coiffure.
Loreans kept themselves secret—revealing paranormal activity to humans resulted in severe punishments—so a theme park filled with security cameras was an immortal’s worst nightmare. To elude Rune the archer, she’d decided to hide in plain sight, taking a gig as a “face character.”
After each shift, she came to this balcony in Cinderella Castle and pretended her tiara was real.
Fearing discovery by the archer and by mortals, she maintained no friendships or social life. No love life. Outside of work, she would go running—slowing her natural pace—then hole up in her drab apartment to speed-read or complete another online degree.
A young couple below caught her eye. She sighed with longing when they started making out against a wall. The things she’d seen in this park . . .
She’d never had sex—some part of her must still believe she could become queen—but she’d risked fooling around more and more since she’d started transitioning to her full immortality.
As all of her senses heightened to a supernatural degree, so did her lust. Loreans called this stage “overstimulation.” Lila called it “in heat.”
Even from this distance, her enhanced eyesight could spy tiny details. The bite of the woman’s nails into the man’s shoulders, his subtle thrusts against her . . .
Suddenly, the tips of her ears began to twitch. Wariness filled her. Another Lorean neared—
“A fairy princess pretending to be a fairy princess?” a deep voice said from behind her.
Saetth. Stay cool, stay cool. Calm the hell down! “Took you long enough, cousin.” Turning to him, she craned her head up. Lost her breath.
Dressed in full court regalia, he wore a tailored, fawn-colored suit that highlighted his rangy frame. Amusement lit his riveting blue eyes. Golden blond hair tumbled over his forehead just so. His sword scabbard accentuated his royal air, and his crown still sat proudly upon his head.
He was the epitome of masculine perfection.
Fucker. Take away the fact that he’d exiled her and she’d spent more than a decade cursing him . . . I’d do him. Of course, at this point in her development she wasn’t very choosy.
“Calliope, you’ve grown into a vision.” His gaze roamed over her. “What’s this—do your eyes now match?”
“A contact lens.” Her appearance required approval before she was allowed to mingle with park guests. Her mismatched eyes would never make the cut. “Why are you here?” Take me the hell home. All I want is to go home.
“How about a proper greeting for your betrothed?”
Betrothed. Was she truly still in the running for queen? Her heart tripped, but not because of any lingering love for him.
Lila was in love with the idea of having as much control over her own life as possible. Of not constantly looking over her shoulder for the Møriør.
Being a ruler would give her the most safety and control she could ever hope for. “Are you still my betrothed? I wouldn’t know since I haven’t heard a fucking word from you.”
A hint of a grin played on his lips. “Has little Calliope developed an even tarter tongue since she’s been away?”
Tarter? You have no idea, cousin. Her exile had only fueled her temper.
“And yet I wager it will taste so sweet.” He grasped her shoulders and drew her closer. To kiss her?
She’d wondered what this would be like for far too long. Especially of late. Even when she’d kissed other guys, she’d dreamed of Saetth, unable to deny he was probably her ideal match, socially, royally—and sexually.
Had he imprinted on her in some way?
He leaned down. As their lips made contact, fireworks exploded.
The eight-o’clock fireworks show. Not so much with the kiss. She’d experienced more heat making out with the mortal who played Goofy.
Saetth groaned, slanting his mouth, touching his tongue to hers.
That was better, but nothing she’d write home about. Not that I could ever write home, since it’s in a different godsdamned dimension and they don’t make stamps for that.
She broke away and pushed against his chest.
He wasn’t discouraged at all. Releasing her, he murmured, “Sweet as honey.”
So that was the extent of their first kiss? How . . . anticlimactic.
With a smoldering look, he turned and leaned his elbows on the railing to take in the fireworks blazing across the sky.
She’d seen this show so many times that she knew the purple, red, and blue zigzaggy cascades came next.
“Clever to use mortals as your cover from the archer,” he said. “And to masquerade as a fairy princess is the boldest choice you could have made. Why am I not surprised?”
I can’t believe I just kissed Saetth. “Are you here to take me back or not?”
He straightened and faced her. “I am not.”
She bit back a string of insults. How much longer?
“I traveled here with a friend to discuss something with you. Ah, here she is now.”
A stunning black-haired female with golden eyes strolled out onto the balcony. She rocked a scarlet sheath dress. A live bat perched on her shoulder like an accessory.
Was the creature eating a tuft of cotton candy? A package of it jutted from the woman’s messenger bag.
Saetth said, “Calliope, this is Nïx the Ever-Knowing, the Valkyries’ soothsayer.”
Nïx? She was one of the most famous—or infamous, depending on your alliance—immortals alive. “I’ve read about you in my Book of Lore.” Lila’s only connection to the immortal world, the book updated itself with every major battle or power shift. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Though Nïx was a crucial leader in the Vertas alliance, the Valkyrie was also rumored to be crazy. By way of greeting, Nïx said, “Have you ever wanted to dance with the devil in the pale moonlight?”
Huh?
Saetth said, “I think what Nïx means to ask is if you’ve ever wanted to strike back against the Møriør.”
Also known as the Bringers of Doom. “Of course.” Rumor held that those tyrants were journeying from their side of the universe to invade this one. Their archer had already arrived in advance of them.
Since she’d been old enough to understand what a bogeyman was, she’d lived in fear of them all.
Growing in lockstep with her fear was fury, the two emotions seeming entwined. “Not a minute goes by that I don’t think about them. I’ve forfeited so much to remain hidden from their threat.” She pointedly added, “During my exile.”
Saetth arched a blond brow. “I told you that you could return home once you’d made a great personal sacrifice to prove your loyalty. Are you ready to?”
Lila stilled, working to calm her heart rate. She would do anything to live in Sylvan again.
Anything. “Yes, how?”
“Nïx has assured me that victory against the Møriør on a battlefield is impossible, but she’s also provided us a unique opportunity to deal that alliance a blow.”
Nïx drew a dossier from her bag and handed it to Lila.
King Abyssian Infernas, the Devil’s Own. He was the primordial demon of the Møriør alliance. Lila flipped through the pages of the file, skimming a description:
Physically flawless . . . the phrase “handsome as the devil” came about because of comparisons to his notoriously seductive sire . . . aggressively pursued by females . . .
Under the miscellaneous section, she read:
The oldest living demon . . . proficient in all weapons, but has carried the same battle-ax for ten millennia . . . can fell an entire army on his own . . . newly crowned king of Pandemonia, A.K.A. hell.
That fabled realm had always intrigued Lila to a curious degree. “What do you expect from me?” She closed the file. “I’ve never shot a bow or wielded a sword.” Though she didn’t possess fighting skills, she had read widely on the subjects of battle, survival, and weapons.
She could do everything from orchestrating an ambush to constructing a trebuchet—in theory.
“You have three innate advantages that are even more valuable,” Nïx said. “You can read and write his language.” Among many others. They came easily to her. “You developed mental blocks against mind reading when growing up.” For protection at the insidious fey court. “And you are his mate.”
Shock gut-punched Lila. Mate??? She reeled on her feet, latching onto the balcony railing. “No way. There’s no way fate would connect me to one of those monsters.” The thought arose: Maybe my fascination with Pandemonia isn’t so curious. But she quashed it.
“You’re the Devil’s Own’s own,” Nïx said, her eyes glimmering. “You’ll go to hell and use that connection to garner information from him—plans for upcoming battles, details about his alliance, and so on. I’m especially keen to learn about Orion, the Møriør’s leader.”
Go to hell? Reading about and visiting were in no way the same.
Saetth said, “As soon as you’ve uncovered weaknesses, we will extract you.”
Lila’s palm sweated through her opera glove as she gripped the dossier. “You want me to be a spy? This mortal realm is bad enough, but at least I’m not damned.” And mated!
How could fate have screwed her over like this? Lila’s tiara must be on too tight. She’d cut off circulation to her brain or something.
Saetth’s lips thinned. “When I first heard Nïx’s plan, it sounded as if I’d be sending a lamb into the lion’s den. But the demon will be compelled by his instinct to protect and care for you.”
“And also to claim me.” Nausea churned at the thought.
Nïx said, “I’ve assured Saetth that the demon cannot and will not hurt you. Abyssian’s tender feelings for you will make it easy to coax secrets from him.” She tapped her chin with a pink claw. “Of course, you might have to encourage those feelings. . . .”
“Encourage? You want me to seduce a monster, one among a group of them that I’ve hated and feared my entire life? This just gets better and better!”
“You don’t have to go all the way.” Nïx winked. “Just a great deal of the way.”
Aghast, Lila asked Saetth, “You wouldn’t mind another male’s hands all over me? A Møriør touching your future queen?”
He exhaled, as if he found her attitude tiresome. “Perhaps if I were a demon myself. But I’m better than that. I know this is the only logical course, and I’m not ruled by primitive instincts.”
Nïx collected more cotton candy for the bat. “Speaking of instincts, Abyssian might be turning a jot more demonic of late. But with the Accession coming around, who isn’t—am I right? Just be sure to stay feisty with him. He’ll like that.”
Feisty? At times, Lila nearly choked on her rage toward the Møriør.
Saetth said, “If there were any alternative, I would undertake it.”
Nïx’s gaze flashed to him, and Lila could have sworn a spark of . . . animosity lit the Valkyrie’s eyes.
It passed so quickly, Lila thought she’d imagined it. “I just wanted to come home,” she said, though the opportunity to plot against the bogeymen did hold some appeal.
When she thought of the endless nightmares she’d had about them—waking to her own scream, still feeling the fey-slayer’s arrow in her chest—fury surged.
And Saetth shared much of that blame. He’d sent her to the mortal realm with only a few belongings. No ID, no money, no way to contact him.
Early on, she’d rationalized his behavior: My parents did try to kill him.
But lately, she’d decided to call a dick a dick.
“Accomplish this mission,” Saetth said, “and you will come home. As my queen.”
Lila had three pie-in-the-sky dreams: to live safely in Sylvan, to be the queen, and to start a family that would also live in safety. A distant fourth was the hope that she’d fall in love one day.
Saetth could make three of her dreams come true. He was a means to an end.
All she had to do was give up any sappier hopes. As a calculating fey royal, I should have no problem doing that.
“You know we will do well together,” Saetth said. “With your ingenious mind and my ruthlessness, we will be unstoppable. Which means Sylvan will be unstoppable.” Gazing down at her, he said, “We’ll celebrate your success with a wedding. You’ve always wanted your own family. You could welcome our babe before the year is out. We’ll get started on that upon your return.”
“My return.” Like a glass of cold water tossed in her face. “From seducing the oldest demon alive.” Her groping sessions with furries notwithstanding, Lila wasn’t exactly seductress material.
Nïx pouted. “But you don’t have to go all the way.” Then the soothsayer grew abruptly serious, and a lightning bolt fractured the sky in a spectacular display. The crowds below gasped, thinking it was a part of the show. Thunder boomed with such force that the castle shuddered. “I’ve foreseen this future—if you journey to hell, you will save Sylvan from the Møriør. Because of your sacrifice, your people will be protected. For an eternity of eternities.”
Dramatic much?
“I’ve also foreseen that if you don’t journey to hell, the Møriør will declare war on Sylvan—imminently. Just as they leveled my home, they will destroy yours. Then the archer will use his new foothold in the fey realm to uncover more of the royal line.”
Lila didn’t care about any of her cousins; they ran the gamut from scummy to vile. She’d only ever cared about her own survival and maybe Saetth’s. “If the demon knows I’m one of the archer’s specific targets, he could turn me over to his ally despite his . . . matehood with me.” A sentence she’d never thought she’d say. “I might not get a chance to encourage anything.” Don’t vomit.
Nïx shook her head. “With your human accent and ballsy ways, he’ll never suspect you’re a princess of anything—just as long as you don’t let on that you know you’re his mate.”
Sylvan’s destruction versus a throne and a family.
As Lila had struggled to survive over these years, she’d at least had the hope of returning to her beloved kingdom. Would she allow its ruin because she wasn’t ready to sacrifice for her people?
Isn’t sacrifice what queens do? “How would I begin?”
Nïx said, “Go about your regular daily life—it’s an excellent cover. We’ll arrange for the infiltration.”
“How?”
The Valkyrie’s gaze grew unfocused. Seeing the future? “I’ve informed the hell king that his mate is somewhere in the universe, ready for the taking, and provided a description of you. He’s already put out a bounty. When the time comes, I’ll make sure you’re captured and safely delivered to him. Of course, you’ll have no idea when, since the capture must look real.”
This plot sounded more and more dangerous. “If I agreed to this, I’d have to wait until I’m fully immortal.” The females in Lila’s family usually transitioned around twenty-three, so she was long overdue. Until that happened, she was as vulnerable to harm as a mortal. Going toe-to-toe with immortals would be idiotic. “Maybe in a few weeks.”
“Events are building with the Møriør,” Nïx said. “I can’t give you that much time.”
Saetth told Lila, “You’ve been out of the Lore, so you don’t know how bad it’s gotten.”
“I’ve read the Book of Lore, keeping up to date with the Møriør’s major battles.” If those one-sided slaughters could be considered battles.
“What goes on behind the scenes is just as important.” Brows drawn, he said, “The cowardly fey-slayer sprung a sneak attack on me recently. He destroyed the Ancestors’ Sword.”
“Are you shitting me?” Lila’s gaze dropped to the scabbard on Saetth’s hip. Looking more closely, she could see he wore another sword—not the king’s blade. This shocked her as much as everything else she’d learned tonight.
The sword that had beheaded her parents was no more.
The Møriør had struck home yet again. Was Lila going to hide while they continued their assault on the kingdom?
Never.
She faced Nïx. “When would the . . . capture happen?”
“Sooner rather than later.”
Lila’s ears twitched. She narrowed her eyes at the Valkyrie’s blasé expression. “I need to know the duration of my stay in hell and the details of my extraction.”
“You’ll stay until the demon tells you what I want him to, and we’ll extract you as soon as you need us to.”
Lila shook her head. “You have to give me more than that.”
“No.”
“No?”
“Yes.” The soothsayer shrugged, flustering her bat. “Some details are above your feygrade.”
“Feygrade? Did you really just say that?” Do not pop the Valkyrie in the mouth.
Saetth took Lila’s hand, drawing her attention back to him. “You have to trust in Nïx’s plan. She knows what’s best for Sylvan. Cousin, I wouldn’t expect this of you if the alternative weren’t so dire.”
“You expect me to go into a Møriør stronghold.”
“All will be well,” he said. “Remember, a demon cannot hurt his mate.”