Army Of The Winter Court (Skeleton Key) Read online

  “No, I grew up in a place much colder than this. I’ll be okay,” he assured her.

  They walked out onto the open deck and a frigid breeze hit her, making her instantly grateful that he’d given her his jacket. She stepped up to the edge and looked over the railing. The lights from the glass garden below glowed brightly, creating a wonderland of color.

  Looking from the corner of her eye, she studied Ian. Perfect posture and completely unfazed by the temperature, he stood with his hands in the pockets of his slacks, his black tie fluttering in the wind against his white button up shirt. Embarrassment caused her to look away when he turned to meet her gaze with a sly grin.

  Looking up at the thin sliver of the crescent moon, she said, “I bet this view is even more amazing when there’s a full moon.”

  “I suppose it might be. But with the new moon—that’s when you can see all the stars. The light of the full moon dims the sky so much that it hides them.”

  She’d never thought of it that way, but he made her want to appreciate the different phases in ways she never considered before.

  “I suppose all phases of the moon can be equally beautiful.”

  The night felt unreal to her and she was glad she’d said yes to a date with this stranger. Evvie leaned into his side as he slipped an arm around her shoulder.

  “Thank you for giving me a chance and for coming up here with me,” He said as he brought a red rose around, presenting it to her.

  Pulling away, she took the flower.

  “Thank you,” she said breathlessly and held it to her nose, inhaling deeply as she looked into his eyes to see an expression she couldn’t read crossing his features.

  “The pleasure is all mine,” he said. His hand came up to brush a stray lock of her dark brown hair behind her ear. Ian leaned forward and even in the chilly night she could feel the heat rising to her cheeks. He moved closer, bringing his face nearer and nearer. She could almost feel his lips against hers as her eyelids slid shut.

  “Sir, your table is ready now,” a waiter said from behind her.

  Disappointment welled up inside her. They were just inches away and now the moment was ruined.

  .:。·*இ*·.:。·*இ*·。:.·*இ*·。:.

  They rode the elevator to the bottom of the tower in silence. Evvie held the rose in one hand and subconsciously caressed the petals with her fingers, watching the city grow to once again dominate the skyline.

  “May I walk you home?” he asked as they stepped out of the building and moved out toward the glowing glass sculptures.

  “No, I’ll just take a cab. I don’t want to trouble you.”

  “It’s no trouble,” he insisted, the slightest hint of strain in his voice. “At least let me wait with you until you get a cab.”

  She nodded, pulling out her cell phone and making a call.

  “I had a really great time tonight,” she said as they waited.

  “I did too,” he said and shifted closer. He lowered his face and raised her hand, brushing his lips over her knuckles. “I hope you will call me soon. I would like to see you again.”

  “Yeah, I—I’d like that too,” she said trying not to swoon over a kiss on the hand.

  Since when do I almost swoon?

  The cab pulled up next to the sidewalk and honked its horn impatiently.

  “My ride is here,” Evvie said, finding it difficult to pull her gaze from his.

  “I hope you don’t wait too long to call. Procrastination has a way of hurting.”

  What an odd thing to say… She thought and looked over her shoulder as she reached the car. He was already gone. Opening the door to the cab she slid in. Then it hit her—he’d never given her his number.

  How would she call him?

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Evvie

  “Mmmm,” Evvie groaned and rolled over, pulling the covers over her head to block out the harsh light of the morning sun.

  “What's wrong?” Silvia’s voice asked from the doorway.

  “Tired,” she mumbled, snuggling deeper into her blankets.

  “Tired? You’ve been asleep for sixteen hours.” Her friend pulled the covers back and placed a cool hand on her forehead. “You do feel a little warm. You might be getting sick.”

  Evvie squinted up at the blonde sitting on the edge of her bed, a frown pulling at her mouth.

  “No, I’m fine… I’m just tired.” Her hand reached out and pulled the blanket up to shield her eyes. “It’s just really bright out.”

  “Bright? It’s almost five.”

  “Five?” Evvie rolled onto her back, carefully peeking one eye out from beneath the blanket to examine her friends face. It had to be a joke. “Why did you let me sleep so late?”

  “I thought you needed the sleep.” Silvia’s eyes widened, “Oh, your eyes! Your pupils are huge, and you don’t look good… I think you should go see a doctor.” She stood up and walked to the door. “I’ve got to run to work, but think about it. You don’t look like you’re doing so well.”

  No way. I’m not setting foot in a hospital unless I'm dying and unconscious. She shuddered.

  “I’ll think about it,” she agreed half-heartedly.

  Crossing her arms, Silvia raised an eyebrow and said, “I know you’re lying. But… I wouldn’t suggest it unless it seemed like you were really bad. I know how you feel about doctors and hospitals.”

  Taking a deep breath, Evvie forced her eyes to open. The bright light pushed tears to the surface, stinging and blurring her vision. She lifting herself up to sitting.

  “I’ll be fine, I promise. I’ve just been staying up too late studying.” Meeting Silvia’s eyes, she projected the best ‘please believe me’ smile she could muster.

  With narrowed eyes, Silvia dropped her arms to her side and sighed.

  “Okay, fine, but if you get worse I’ll call your mom.” Then she strode out of the room waving, a mischievous smile plastered on her face.

  “You wouldn’t dare!” Evvie shouted after her.

  “You bet I would.” Came the reply, followed by not-so-silent laughter.

  “Ugh,” Evvie plopped back down and lay, glaring at the beige ceiling.

  Why am I so tired?

  She racked her brain, trying to remember anything that could account for this complete exhaustion. Closing her eyes, she scanned her body from head to toe, trying to pin point the source of the strange feeling. No aches or pains, just exhaustion.

  Slowly, she raised herself up to sitting again, dropped her feet over the edge of the bed and slid them into her pink bunny slippers.

  Her legs protested, lacking their normal strength.

  I feel so weak.

  She ambled over to the small shared bathroom and turned the sink faucet on. Reaching over to the shower she pulled the curtain closed, blocking out the stream of light coming through the small, frosted window. She bent over the sink, splashing cool water over her face.

  As her hand fumbled blindly for the hand towel, she bumped the light switch, squeezing her eyes shut to evade the sudden, blinding assault. She swatted at the wall until she hit the switch again, turning it off. Rubbing her face dry, she glanced in the mirror to examine her reflection.

  Her mouth dropped open at the sight. Dark circles had formed, leaving bags under her eyes and her skin looking sickly pale. It looked like she hadn’t slept in a week. Leaning forward, she examined her eyes. Her pupils were large, their blackness nearly swallowing the emerald sea of her irises. She stuck out her tongue and examined her throat.

  Tongue? Normal.

  Tonsils? Normal.

  Evvie massaged her neck, feeling for her lymph nodes—also normal. It had to be the late nights studying and the long hours at work finally starting to take their toll on her.

  Maybe a walk would help.

  She opened the old metal medicine cabinet and pulled out her toothbrush.

  After going through her morning routine, Evvie pulled her hair back into a messy bun and walked back in
to her room to dress, pulling on a black oversized sweater and dark worn jeans.

  Pulling on her Red Sox baseball hat, she paused, thinking of last night’s date.

  The rose, it’s probably wilted by now.

  She’d forgotten to put it in water. Reaching over to her dresser, she felt around for the flower.

  Gone.

  Silvia wouldn’t have moved it, but…

  Evvie pulled her hand back.

  A key sat where she thought she’d left the rose.

  “Where did this come from?” Carefully, she picked it up and examined it. It was a typical skeleton key, the kind that always came to mind as a child. Turning it over in her hand, the quickly-dimming sunlight reflected off the surface.

  It was made of a thick glass and had a skeleton head on the grip with two ‘teeth’ to unlock a door. It was large, taking up most of her palm, about four inches long, and heavy.

  A small piece of paper on the floor caught her attention. Bending down, she picked it up. The parchment crinkled as she unfolded it.

  Use the key to unlock the truth.

  Her eyebrows pulled together.

  “Truth? What truth? What does that mean?” she muttered out loud.

  Letting out a deep yawn she placed the key back on the dresser and stuffed the note into the pocket of her jeans. This was a riddle that required coffee, and lots of it.

  Evvie grabbed her purse from the hook on the wall and headed out, locking the apartment door behind her. It wasn’t far to the nearest cafe and the walk would help wake her up.

  Stepping out into the cool early evening air, she inhaled deeply. The chill helped refresh her, attempting to bring clarity to the muddiness of her thoughts. With a leisurely stride she went left and walked down the sidewalk to her favorite place.

  Turning the corner, she paused as the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, sending a chill down her spine. Evvie looked around. Only a few people were out, and those who were had their jackets pulled tight against the breeze, rushing to their destinations.

  A movement from the corner of her eye caught her attention. She whipped her head around to look, but it was just a woman on her porch, shaking out a rug.

  “You’re being silly, Evvie.” She let the feeling roll off her and continued onward. Watching the same people move about their lives, whom she’d seen regularly for the last four years felt foreign now, as if she was seeing it for the first time through new eyes.

  Warmth from the cafe hit her face as she opened the glass door and walked in. It wrapped itself around her like a thick heavy blanket, weighing her down. The fog that had clouded her mind since she had awoken intensified. Evvie inhaled two deep breaths and used all the energy she could muster to focus.

  Dropping her chin, she walked to the end of the line, surprised by the number of people at this time of day.

  A prickling on the back of her neck made her instantly uncomfortable as the feeling of being watched returned. A shiver ran through her, leaving her body shaking from something other than the cold autumn air. She glanced around, rubbing her hands over her arms, calming her nerves.

  The barista cleared her throat, bringing Evvie’s attention back to her. The girl wore a bored expression, as if she couldn’t be bothered to smile.

  “Oh, I’m sorry… I’ll take a large, iced, caramel mocha, please.” Evvie gave the girl a pathetic smile as she handed over her card.

  Taking the receipt handed back to her, she moved over to the far counter to wait. As she looked around she noticed that most of the tables inside were taken as night was beginning to fall, but she knew the patio would be mostly empty.

  Picking up her coffee, she made her way past the groups of quietly chatting customers and out to the fenced in area at the back of the store. A yellow glow from the lights strung across the awning bathed the area in a dingy hue.

  As she stood, the nagging feeling played over and over as she sipped on her iced coffee. Unfinished dreams danced in the shadows of her memory, teasing her with the strange feelings they left behind and yet lacking the knowledge of what had happened.

  She couldn’t shake the lingering emotions they had left behind and, like an unfinished thought, it pulled at her, begging her to remember—to remember something, to remember anything. It left her feeling incomplete… like she was missing something vital to her.

  Drumming her fingers on the table she stirred her drink with the straw.

  Evvie pulled the note from her pocket and unfolded it, flattening the paper on the metal table in front of her. Rereading the words over and over she tried to make sense of them, but couldn’t.

  Nothing came to mind as thoughts about the kiss that never happened pushed away everything to do with the mysterious message. She couldn’t focus on it; she could only think of the way Ian’s lips felt as they grazed the back of her hand.

  Folding the note, she shoved it back in her pocket, lifting her drink to her lips.

  Empty.

  Evvie sighed in disappointment. The caffeine had done nothing to help the fog filling her head.

  She rose from the cold metal chair and tossed her empty cup in the trash as she started her walk home.

  .:。·*இ*·.:。·*இ*·。:.·*இ*·。:.

  Aurelian

  “So did you do it?” Lilith’s honeyed voice asked.

  Aurelian turned from the view of the black lands and faced his sister. “If by ‘do it’ you mean get her to accept, then yes.”

  “Then why the sour face? You’re one step closer to the crown. I would think that would be enough cause for at least half a smile,” she said, sidling up to him and sitting down on the ledge of the wide arched window.

  “It would have been better if I could have just convinced her to choose me there and been done with it,” he snapped.

  “You did claim her,” she clapped her hands excitedly. “I never thought I’d live to see the day with you claimed anyone.”

  “Yes, Lil, I am aware of that little fact. You also know the reason I claimed her was because it’s the only way to get the throne.”

  “Just don’t forget, she must claim you in return, before our big brother claims her,” Lilith sing-songed.

  He glowered out of the open window, one hand gripping the stone frame. His fingers dug into the cold blackened stone, threatening to crack the polished surface.

  “Nolan’s involvement will only slow the process.”

  “That is the point Auri—this is a competition.” She rolled her eyes while swinging her feet, her heels tapping the wall with an annoying thump thump, that made his teeth clench.

  If she pointed out the obvious to him one more time, he would wrap his hands around her delicate little throat and…

  “You tricked her, didn’t you?” Lilith exclaimed, interrupting his thoughts. “Did you lie to her? You know that’s against the rules.”

  “I didn’t lie. I just left out a few details.”

  A smirk formed on her face.

  “Leave it up to you to find a way around the rules.”

  “I have only done what was necessary to ensure that I have an advantage over Nolan. Don’t worry, I’m still playing by the rules, even if they are ridiculous. We don’t have time to waste on explaining things to her. There is only a little over a month left before the Winter Equinox.”

  “I hope you aren’t underestimating her. Besides, what will Nolan think when he finds out you’ve already found her?”

  “Nolan is more devious than I am, I wouldn’t worry too much about him. Though, the longer he stays in the dark about this, the better.” Aurelian glared at her. “If I find out that you’ve spoken one word to him about this, I will rip your throat out, little sister.”

  Lilith hopped down from the ledge, unfazed by his threat. Perhaps he had threatened her too often without following through, that it no longer meant anything to her. Yet, whether or not she believed him in this instance, he would carry it out if she didn’t keep her mouth shut.

  “Don�
��t worry about me, I’m just observing. I don’t plan on helping either of you.”

  Lilith was up to something, but he didn’t know what. Wasn’t she always up to something?

  His eyes traveled up to the blackened sky and to the smallest sliver of light shining from the crescent moon. Tomorrow would be the new moon; tomorrow Evvie would be ready. She would come to this realm, even if he had to drag her here and the game could officially begin. She would be his, or he would kill her to keep his brother from assuming power over the Unseelie court.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Evvie

  Her shoes crunched on the blackened gravel and a light layer of frost covered the ground. Evvie lifted her face to the blackened sky. Dark, foreboding clouds covered the wide expanse, hiding the stars.

  Spinning around, she scanned the area, a long gravel road stretched before her as well as behind and nothing but trees lay on either side. Her breath curled out before her in a smoky plume.

  “Evvie…” a distant voice called her, carrying her name through the still air.

  “Who’s there?” she called.

  Silence greeted her.

  With slow movements, she turned in a circle. Behind, the gravel path stretched out farther than the eye could see.

  “Evvie…” the voice called again.

  “Who—” Her eyes snapped open. She glanced around, trying to see through the dark. The sound of her rapid breathing echoed loudly in her ears.

  Fear paralyzed her.

  After a long moment, the racing beat of her heart calmed. Moving her fingers she gripped the soft cotton sheet in her hands—she was home, in her bed.

  It had been a dream.

  Evvie reached out to turn the bedside lamp on and recoiled. Muscles stiff and aching, she sucked in a sharp breath. Carefully, she reached out again and fumbled for the switch, her hand brushing against the wooden surface of the nightstand bumping a cold metal object. It made a soft clunk as it hit the carpeted floor.