Fire and Bone (Otherborn #1)(95)

Faelan walks behind us, silent, as Aelia talks my ear off about how the house was brought here from France and had been owned by an English duke or something.

The bouncer on the left opens the door as the one on the right touches his earpiece and says, “Princess Sage has arrived,” like he’s Secret Service. I want to laugh, it’s so cheesy. Are they going to give me a code name next, like the Albatross?

But the laughter dies in my throat as we walk inside. The soaring ceiling is vaulted three floors above us; I can see people milling about on the landing of the next floor. A wide staircase winds up and splits in two directions. The only light is coming from thousands of candles along the floor, lined up to create a pathway. Huge tapestries hang on the gray stone walls. They’re woven in bright colors, images of peaceful pastoral scenes, bloody battles, and entwined lovers.

Aelia walks ahead, but I pause, my eyes catching a tapestry with a woman resting in a forest. She’s sitting beside a river, and a smaller figure that looks like a water faerie is perched on a rock, weaving yellow flowers into the woman’s curly auburn hair.

“She’s so lovely,” I say to Faelan, who stands beside me.

“That’s your sister, Queen Lily.”

My stomach flutters. My sister . . . I look closer, studying her features, the high cheekbones, the large golden eyes, how her hand rests delicately on her cheek. “She looks peaceful.” That’s not how I recall her feeling in any of my dreams, but maybe there was a time when she was.

“It’s from a story,” Faelan says, “‘The River Queen,’ about a young woman who fell in love with a water wysp only to have it kill her, drowning her in her own tears. It’s silly, really. And an insult to Queen Lily’s legacy to be pictured in it.” He sounds sad.

I turn to him, about to ask him if he’s going to be all right, but his features shift to anger as he spots someone over my shoulder and a voice comes from behind me.

“Welcome, my love.”

A chill works up my spine.

Kieran.

He moves to stand in front of me, his gaze scraping over me in a way that has heat climbing my neck and cheeks. “I’m breathless,” he says. “You are a sight.” And without turning to look at Faelan, he directs his next words to him. “She’s going to be the death of us both, isn’t she, bastard? This one is true fire in the flesh. It’s too bad you’ll never taste her.”

My pulse skips at his insinuation.

“Fuck right off, prick,” Faelan growls.

Kieran just laughs softly. Deadly. “Poor castoff. You have certainly gotten yourself in trouble this time, haven’t you? You’re completely taken.”

Faelan steps up to loom over him.

They size each other up, and the more Kieran stares at Faelan, the harder his features become.

I wave a hand between them. “Hey, I’m right here.”

Kieran turns to me, and I step back at the stone in his eyes. “He apparently feels something more for you than a simple protector bond. Does he have reason to?”

“What?” I ask, trying to play dumb. “What do you mean?”

“His spirit is tuned to yours,” Kieran says as he looks me over. “And yours to his.”

I release a nervous laugh, crossing my arms over my chest. I’m pretty sure it will be really bad if he thinks there’s something between Faelan and me. So I lie. “The guy can’t stand me. And I’m not exactly a fan of his either. He’s a huge downer.” I shrug. “He thinks I’m gonna go bonkers and become some kind of killer.”

Kieran glances at Faelan, who’s frowning at me, his jaw working.

“But you know, it’s a party, so . . .” I wave my hand aimlessly at the crowd upstairs. “Have fun measuring dicks, boys.” I step back, then I turn and say over my shoulder, trying to sound unaffected, “I’m off to find the bar.” As I walk away, I focus on breathing, praying it’s not obvious that every inch of me is shaking.



I wander aimlessly through the crowd for a while and am relieved when no one seems to know or care who I am. I get a few second glances from a group of men around a smoky pool table, but I walk past them and head into a long hall where the milling people thin out. The shadows grow and the light dims as I work my way along. The people I see are either making out or talking on their phones, not paying attention to me.

I was supposed to be getting to know this place, this world, but here I am hiding like my old self. Maybe I’m not ready for this. After that moment downstairs, I realize I’ve got no clue how to keep from falling into a trap—and everything’s a trap.

I find a door at the far end and knock, going halfway in when there’s no answer. It takes me a second to realize I’m not alone in the room; the sound of rustling makes me freeze. It’s too dark to see, though.

“Hello?” I say, backing out. Could Kieran have made it past me when I wasn’t looking?

I put my hand on the handle and push the door open more.

Light from the hall casts into the room, falling on something on the far side, in the corner.

A bird.

I spot the light switch and flick it. A dim glow comes from a chandelier above.

It’s a black bird. A raven, perched on a stack of books.

I step into the room again and study the creature. As I look around, I realize I’m in a library.