The Summer Marked Read online

  His fingers clasped mine as he led me to the dance floor. Already my blood burned beneath my skin where he touched me. If we didn’t turn it down a notch, I might combust. We found a place at the center of the crowd and he pulled me against him. “You need to stay away from Teodor,” he said at last. “He’s bad news.”

  “And you’re not?” I whispered against his neck.

  I heard a low groan escape his lips. “Oh, I’m bad, too, just a different kind of bad. If you were smart, you’d get out of here and as far away from both of us as you can. In fact, I think you should get out of here right now.”

  My heart thudded in my ears, and a pleasant buzzing sensation spread through me. It was getting hard to think. And so easy to feel…

  “What if I’m not smart? What if I want to stay?”

  “Then you’ll pay the consequences.” He gripped me tighter. “Please, Kadie, just trust me and go.”

  Beneath his button-down shirt, my fingers traced over sculpted muscles. Even through the fabric, I could tell he had abs like the guys in magazines my mama didn’t want me looking at. His hands roamed over my hips. I glanced up, meeting pale blue eyes. He leaned closer until his lips crushed mine.

  Etienne tasted of wine, his mouth pleasantly cool. He deepened the kiss, taking my breath away like a crisp December morning. I couldn’t get enough of him. He intoxicated me.

  He pulled back, his eyes staring down at me as if he could devour me with them. The lights continued to pulse and dizziness washed over me. Etienne’s hands moved down my back and he grinded his hips against mine. I gasped.

  Why can’t I get enough of him?

  My vision grew fuzzy; people in front of me blurred. Even the music didn’t sound right, like someone had slowed it down too much. I tried to steady myself.

  Oh God, did he drug me?

  I stumbled, then clasped hold of his shoulders.

  “Are you okay?”

  My eyes narrowed. “What did you do to me?”

  “Nothing. Unless Teodor gave you something.”

  For some reason, I laughed and kept dancing even though warning bells went off.

  Wake up. You need to go.

  But I kept dancing and kissing and touching Etienne.

  C’mon. Stop being an idiot. Say goodbye and get the frick out of here.

  “Kadie, you need to stop now. We have to go,” Etienne said again, this time more urgent. He stopped dancing and attempted to tug me off the dance floor, but my body refused to move.

  Somewhere in the distance, someone screamed. I raised my head and glanced around. Warm droplets splashed against my cheek like rain. I wiped the liquid from my face and glanced down. Oh shit. Crimson. Blood.

  I’ve got to get out of here. Now. Why can’t I move?

  I was seriously fucked up. The lights stopped pulsing and flickered. It was then that I noticed Etienne wasn’t beside me anymore.

  The music faded to frantic voices. People shoved to get to the exits, like they just woke up and realized something horrible was about to happen. Panic shot through me. Where the hell was the door? I spun around, searching for a way out. The lights went out, plunging me into inky blackness.

  A shoulder rammed into me and I staggered back. Terrified shrieks rang out from nearby.

  What direction do I go?

  I was half-tempted to drop to my knees and start crawling, but I was scared I might be trampled.

  “Come on, we must go, before he finds us.” Etienne’s voice sounded in my ear. Strong hands wrapped around my waist, leading me forward. “Hang on to me.”

  I reached in the dark until I clung tight to him. “What’s going on?”

  “Shh…don’t worry, I’ll get you out.”

  “Going somewhere?” Teodor called out beside us.

  “I’m sorry,” Etienne whispered. “I’ll try to keep you safe.”

  What the fuck did that mean?

  A gust of wind ripped at my dress and hair. The smell of rotten food assaulted me, and I gagged as dizziness took hold once more.

  I’m gonna be sick.

  Etienne tugged me onward, and I fought to keep up. At last, we burst through the darkness. Relief washed over me when I noticed the moonlit woods. We’d gotten out. But where the hell were we? This wasn’t outside the club. In fact, I didn’t see the club at all. Damn, was I so fucked up that I didn’t remember leaving?

  “Let’s show Kadie what’s really going on,” Teodor said with a laugh.

  I turned to Etienne and stopped short. Frozen in place, I watched in horror as chunks of his face fell off—it melted away like the wax of a candle.

  Oh God.

  Green, blemished skin covered the once handsome Etienne. Horns curled up from his forehead, reminding me of a ram. His jagged teeth had bits of fleshy pieces stuck inside and I nearly retched, having moments before kissed that mouth. Emerald eyes glowed with amusement. This wasn’t happening. He looked just like one of the goblins I’d seen in Salome’s grandma’s book.

  No. This wasn’t real. It couldn’t be. I had to be dreaming or hallucinating. I pinched my arm and pain shot up to my shoulder. Oh crap. I was awake. But that didn’t mean the drugs they gave me hadn’t screwed with my head.

  “Welcome to the Unseelie Court, Kadie. I hope you enjoy your stay.” Teodor pointed to the freaky creatures stepping from the woods to surround us. Green, blemished skin, horned beings, grotesque things that were half-human and half-monster. Goblins, trolls, red caps—things that should not exist. But there they were, staring at me as if I was an item on the buffet.

  I took a step back and turned to where Teodor had been standing, but now in his place was a creature with a wolf like snout and rows of sharp teeth. No. This wasn’t happening. My body quaked beneath me. I needed to run, but there was nowhere to go. It was too late.

  Etienne was looking at me, and some emotion flashed in his eyes, gone too quickly for me to be sure what it was.

  Beyond them, all I noticed was the ice and snow and blood. The creatures from Salome’s grandma’s books were real. The same monsters Salome had been scared of as a child—the ones I didn’t believe in—were surrounding me. And I was their captive. All because I’d come here for Salome—

  Oh God. Salome.

  “What did you do to my friend?” I said.

  Teodor shook his head and chuckled. “You poor girl. You still think that message actually came from Salome?”

  My heart sank as I realized what he meant. The message. It hadn’t come from Salome. It had come from them.

  Shit. Shit shit shit.

  “That’s why we sent for you,” he said. “You’re going to help us capture her.”

  I reached for my phone, only to find that it wasn’t there. Fuck. How would anyone find me now? I could only hope Salome would realize I was missing.

  The frigid air nipped at my skin and goose bumps broke out across my legs and arms. My stomach knotted as I watched a butt-load of dark creatures pour from the woods like a demonic wave. Some stood tall, with pointed ears and razored teeth, their skin the color of charcoal and eyes red as strawberries. Others were part man and part beast. Twisted horns, blemished skin, claws the size of butcher knives. It was like I stepped onto the set of some effed-up horror flick and I was the first actress to be sacrificed.

  I took several steps backward, but Etienne gripped my arm. His slimy skin made me want to barf.

  Thank God I didn’t sleep with him; I could’ve ended up pregnant with toad children or something.

  “Let. Me. Go.” I jerked my arm in an attempt to free myself. But his fingers never moved. I shifted my attention to the ground, searching for some sort of weapon. Anything I might use to fight my way out of here. But there was only snow and trees and darkness.

  “I will try to protect you,” Etienne said in a hushed voice. “Please, trust me. Don’t cause a scene.”

  Teodor moved closer to us. “We have uses for a girl with prior connections to Summer.”

  “Listen, I do
n’t know anything. Please. Just let me go.” My feet planted firm on the ground.

  Teodor reached for me, his gaze darker. “Etienne, perhaps you should hand the girl over to me. I bet I could make her talk.”

  “No, I found her and I’ll do things my way.”

  “Is that what you’re going to tell the queen?” Teodor’s snout full of teeth gleamed in a deadly smile.

  Holy fuck. Panic stole over me. No way was I going any further with these two. I had to keep it together. I had to get out of here. Wherever here was. I kicked out my leg, nearly catching Teodor in the crotch, but he dodged out of the way. If they were gonna take me, I damn sure wasn’t about to make it easy for them.

  But in one swift movement, Etienne uprooted me and dragged me down the path. “We’ve got a long journey. Someone get her a fur before she freezes to death. She won’t be any use to us dead.”

  A centaur with red swirling paint on his chest trotted up alongside us and dropped a large wolf pelt around my shoulders. The head was still attached, vacant eyes staring at me. For a moment, I expected it to clamp down on my throat with its long teeth.

  Etienne peered down at me again, and I saw a flicker of something again in his eyes. Concern? Regret? But then that flicker disappeared and his mask of resolve returned.

  “Sweet dreams,” he said. He blew his sweet, honey scented breath in my face, and everything went black.

  I came to with a groan, still groggy. Etienne’s shoulder dug into my abdomen, each step he took jarring me. I squeezed my eyes shut and opened them again, hoping this was a dream. But when I opened them once more, I was still being held captive, being carried through the gnarled woodland. My body trembled. How long had I been asleep? The dark sky indicated it was still night. But was it the night of my abduction or had I been a sleep a long time?

  Soon Etienne set me on my feet and I turned to see a mammoth black gate. Withered vines clung to the wicked, long spokes. Knobby, decayed trees stood along the fence line, while thorns stuck every which way, as if to keep intruders out.

  I swallowed hard. The gate screeched open, sounding like thousands of people screaming in pain. My knees nearly buckled and I covered my ears.

  Please make it stop.

  Etienne glanced at me. “You need a stronger stomach if you’re going to survive here.”

  My gaze shifted to the large castle before me. Where the fuck were we? I knew for damn sure that there were no castles in Starlynn Village. Maybe this was like The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and we’d stepped into some other land. Or maybe I really hadn’t woke up. I shook my head, trying to clear the cobwebs. But every time I blinked or closed my eyes, I was still here.

  I stared at the Black spires, which twisted toward the sky like devil horns. Thick, dirty ice caked the bottom stones, while red fluid dripped down the window panes. It looked like blood. I didn’t want to know for sure what it was. Rocks carved like skulls—at least I hope they were rocks—stared down from various balconies and ledges. Only one word described what I saw. Morbid.

  My pulse thundered in my ears as we stepped into the main corridor. Black marble covered nearly every inch of the floor and walls. Monstrous paintings depicting death and sacrifice paraded us into a wide-open throne room. Gnarled trees, acted as pillars, while a ceremonial stone table sat at the center of the room. The rock surface crimson from God only knew what. My legs shook beneath me. And not for the first time, I wondered if I’d live to see tomorrow. I bit my bottom lip, then took several deep breaths. My gaze flitted about the room, until it landed onthe oversized throne made of bones.

  “Don’t tell me you two have been out playing with humans, while I fight Summer.” A female waltzed into the room. White hair hung about her shoulders, framing a too-pale face. Deep blue robes swished at her feet. Red stains decorated the hem as if she’d been clog dancing on dead bodies. But it was her cold, blue eyes that held me in place.

  Etienne bowed. “Of course not, my queen. This girl will help us bring you Salome and all of Summer.”

  “Will she now?”

  Teodor stepped ahead of Etienne. “She has ties to Summer. To both Simeon and Gareth. If you’d like, I could take her to my rooms and get her to talk.”

  A thin smile, if you could call it that, spread across her bluish-purple lips. “Does she now?” She sat on the throne, then glowered at my captor. “Stop using your glamour. I can’t stand to look at you two in that form.”

  Etienne released my arm. A light glowed around him as his previous, hot form fell back into place. His now blue eyes met mine.

  Oh God, this was his true form? But no matter how good looking he was—and no matter what that flicker in his eyes had signified—I now knew he was a monster.

  “That goes for the rest of you. Take your glamour off before you make me sick.” The queen settled back in her chair.

  All around me, creatures turned from freaky horror movie cast look-a-likes to drool-worthy models. Dark hair. Golden hair. Tall. Muscled. The ones that didn’t change back, scurried around grabbing cloaks and cups for the others. Like the uglier ones were the servants.

  “Bring in the wine.” The queen snapped her fingers and two pig-snouted men entered carrying trays with goblets filled with what looked like red champagne. They offered one first to the queen, then turned to wait on the beautiful people. “Bring one to the human.”

  I went still. The last time I’d accepted a drink from a stranger, I’d ended up here. “No. I’m fine. I don’t want any.”

  The queen stood, crumbling her goblet in her hand. Glass and crimson sprayed across the floor. “No one refuses me.”

  Guards moved forward, one on each side. They shoved me to my knees and pinned me in place. Terror washed through me, gripping my gut until I thought I might barf or piss myself. One of my captors caught hold of my hair and pulled my head back, while Teodor forced my mouth open. The queen laughed as they poured the wine down my throat.

  It burned my esophagus, and I caught the faint taste of blood. I gagged as they released me, wiping at my mouth with my arm.

  “Now—why don’t we play a fun game?” Her lips turned up at the corners. “You tell me what you know about Gareth, Simeon, and Summer and I won’t kill you.”

  Fuck. This lady’s insane.

  “I don’t know anything. I mean, I dated Simeon for, like, five seconds. And Gareth went to my school for a few months.”

  “Fae don’t just date humans, there had to be something they wanted,” Teodor said. His eyes narrowed as he stared me down. “We all want something.”

  Etienne met my gaze over his shoulder. He looked uncomfortable, almost like he regretted what was happening.

  My hands trembled, but I fought to stay composed. “Simeon never asked for anything. Hell, he wouldn’t even sleep with me. Trust me, I tried to seduce the man. And like I said, Gareth went to my school and hung out with one of my friends.”

  Something they wanted?

  Shit. We’d gone out a few times, but I barely knew them. I barely…

  Oh God.

  Salome. The first time I’d hung out with Simeon, Gareth had spent the whole time asking me questions about her. They’d used me to get to Salome. Was she here in Faerie now? If Gareth hurt her, I swore I’d kill him. I sucked in a deep breath.

  There’s no way I’m gonna tell them about Salome.

  The last thing I needed was for them to stalk her. Shit. Shit. Shit.

  Fine time to be chivalrous. For once, I should put myself first.

  I wet my lips and glared at Teodor. “Look, I don’t know what they wanted. Like I told you, I met Simeon at a coffee shop and he asked me out. We went out like maybe three times, then he broke up with me for some girl. And since Gareth hung out with him, I never saw either of them after that.”

  “She’s not telling us everything—I can feel it.” The queen pointed at me, her eyes glowing. “Take her to the Red Room until she decides to talk.”

  I leapt to my feet, fists clen
ched at my sides. “What? I told you everything—you can’t keep me here.”

  “Oh, but I can.” She stepped off the dais and glided toward me. When she was in front of me, she ran a lacquered fingernail down my cheek.

  My skin stung, and a droplet slipped down my face. She’d drawn blood.

  With a grin, she licked her finger. “Take her away.”

  “Perhaps, you’d like me to keep her with me instead, Your Highness?” Teodor watched me in a way that made me think of axe murderers and America’s Most Wanted Criminals.

  “No, I found her and I’ll make her talk,” Etienne interjected. He snatched hold of my arm, tugging me from the throne room and down a narrow, dark hall before the queen could change her mind. The only light came from a few scattered candles that flickered along the wall. Everything else lay doused in shadow.

  “You should’ve cooperated.”

  “Fuck off.” I tried to jerk free from him.

  He came to an abrupt stop, pinned me to a nearby wall, and leaned closer. “Do you think I wanted this for you? I told you at the club you should leave, but you didn’t listen. Then to let Teodor overhear you, you left me no choice but to bring you here. If I didn’t grab you, then he would’ve. Trust me, you don’t want to be alone with him. He has a way of making people spill their every secret.”

  His breath was warm against my cheek, the scent of honey and fruit clinging to his skin.

  He’s too close. I can’t think.

  This time I pulled out of his grasp, trying desperately to ignore the pulse thundering in my ears. Confusion swirled inside. How in the hell could I be attracted to him? I didn’t like the pull he had over me. And I needed to find a way to break it before I did something stupid. Besides, I had a lot worse things to worry about. Like all the monsters and demons that lurked in the castle. All of which could kill me in a split second.

  Another wave of fear washed over me. How was any of this possible? How did I not know places like this existed? Maybe Salome’s grandma’s stories really weren’t stories after all. And maybe she was trying to warn us when we were younger.