Blood Before Sunrise (37 page)

My muscles rebelled against my brain’s own commands as I fought to move. Snowflakes remained suspended in midair, and the still silence became almost palpable. Two worlds teetered on the brink of collision, and I couldn’t help but wonder what was happening on the other side, in the mortal realm.

But in the midst of impending chaos, of death, retribution, and sorrow, I did the one thing that seemed utterly impossible.

I let go.

I swept my mind clean so it became a blank canvas. I focused my gaze on the hovering snowflakes until I lost sight of everything in a blur of hazy white. The fear funneled out of my body, the desperate need to think my way out of this clusterfuck became a nonexistent thing. For the first time since coming to this place, I absorbed and appreciated the calm, the absence of time that never left me in the mortal realm. And in the freedom from everything that weighed me down, a feeling blossomed in my chest—something warm and welcome that fed my soul.

Tyler.

I felt him as if he were standing right next to me, circling me in his strong embrace. I was a world away; yet his love gave me strength. Our connection could never be broken, and from a million or more miles away I
knew
Tyler was the only thing holding me up. Fuck Faolán. Fuck his power, his control, his bullshit Enphigmalé magic. He’d had my blood, but so had Tyler. And Tyler had my heart.

The world came rushing back into focus. Moira still lay unconscious near the outer ring of stones. Brakae rested, unmoving, at Faolán’s feet. The snow, wind, grass, and branches waited patiently to do a madman’s bidding. A ripple of color like the aurora borealis shone against the darkening sky, the mortal realm pushing at the cusp of the Faerie Ring. My jaw loosened on its hinges, my
muscles released their tension, and my heart swelled with the love that had always been there. I should have trusted Ty. I should have let him in. I
should
have allowed him to be the equal partner I knew he could be. Because Faolán was right; there was nothing more powerful than love.

Chapter 30

I
n one fluid movement, I set my body in motion, throwing every ounce of muscle I had into Faolán’s midsection. I’d deal with getting a weapon later. Right now, I had to get him the hell away from the hourglass before he mended the damned thing and sent the natural order to hell.

He wasn’t hard to surprise; his arrogance would have never allowed for the possibility that I had the strength to resist his influence. My fist flew, and I clocked him a good one before he found the presence of mind to throw me off. I may have been physically strong—stronger than a mortal man—but Faolán’s strength had me beat two to one. I wasn’t one to cower from a fight, though, no matter the odds.

I could feel him poking around in my brain, sending invisible feelers to shut me down.
Not gonna happen, asshole. You’re done controlling me
. I didn’t need to fortify my mental barriers against him any longer; I’d found my power, and that was something Faolán couldn’t undo.

“Not so tough anymore, are you, Faolán?” Sticky situations like this required more than the normal amount of cocky bravado. Granted, I wasn’t his zombie-puppet anymore, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t kick my ass the old-fashioned way. I brought my elbow down hard, square on his sternum. “You made a
huge
mistake when you decided to bring Tyler into this. You don’t fuck with anyone I care about.”

Faolán laughed, fueling my rage. Spitting blood as he chortled, the bastard just couldn’t let go of the crazy.
I hit him again and again, expending all the energy I could spare in an attempt to at least knock him unconscious. Fists flying, elbows jabbing, and knees digging in, I worked Faolán
over
, and he took it all with a sick smile plastered on his face, apparently reveling in the pain.

My first misstep was thinking I had the upper hand. My second was failing to consider that he hadn’t tried to hit me back—not once. And he’d already proven he didn’t mind slapping me around. As the dagger flashed, it seemed to come out of thin air, sinking through the ragged black fabric of my shirt to add yet another hole to the one Brakae had already made. Funny that was what I’d noticed first—that he’d trashed my shirt. As the blade punctured my flesh, it took a moment for the pain to register. But when it did—
holy fucking shit!
—did it burn. Maybe it was because I’d been under his mind-numbing influence before that I hadn’t felt the pain to such a degree. Now, as Faolán twisted the dagger’s blade in my flesh, I had the distinct impression he wanted me to feel it a hundredfold.

“I should have killed you sooner,” he seethed, heaving me off his body. “But not to worry, Darian, I’ll remedy that shortly.”

The hell you will
. Jesus, had it really come down to him and me in the end? Brakae was wounded, maybe even dying. And Moira, well, I’d fucked that up royally. Every other creature in this backward place had gone into hiding, it seemed, and so the fate of both worlds rested on a one-on-one fight to the death. Winner takes all. “I’m not so easy to kill, Faolán,” I said through the burning pain. “Don’t get your hopes up.”

“Spoken like a true Guardian,” he drawled before licking blood from his swollen lip.

An invisible force of energy blanketed me, drawing me toward darkness. It wasn’t going to work. Faolán had controlled me for the last time, but the fact that he was trying gave me hope. Controlling me meant putting me at a disadvantage. If he needed me incapacitated, he obviously
didn’t think he could take me without the upper hand. A grim smile curved my mouth.
I had him
.

“Where’s my katana?” I asked, because, well, for one I was curious. And two, I knew it would throw his focus. I needed to buy myself a couple of minutes to allow my flesh to at least
begin
to heal. “I’m taking my ring back too.”

Faolán’s brow rose in an elegant arch. “I think I’ll hand-deliver your head to your Jinn. Wrapped in a bright red bow. Knowing he couldn’t protect you will probably send him straight into madness.”

My stomach curled in on itself. “Oh, he’ll get a gift all right.” Christ, this could go on forever. “But I think it’ll be your head, not mine.”

Posturing is just part of battle. Elk paw at the earth and thrash their massive racks of antlers; birds display and puff their feathers; canines circle one another, hackles raised and lips curled. We upright animals, we talk shit. Faolán’s threats were meant to make me cower and reconsider an attack. “I’m going to kill you, Faolán.”

“You’ve said as much. A few times. And yet I still live.”

I eased back a step, crouched in a defensive position. The big talk would last only so long; one of us would have to make a move soon. Snow stuck to my hair as I moved, as if walking through cobwebs, and I wanted nothing more than to see the white flakes drift to the ground as they should. Faolán’s eyes narrowed as he tracked my movement like a cat about to pounce. He palmed his dagger, rotating it in his hand as if the movement soothed him.

I tensed.

Faolán sidestepped, one foot over the other, circling me and turning his back on Brakae. A flutter of movement from her body caught my attention, but I refused to break eye contact. I stared at the center of his face, right at his nose. I wanted it to seem that I was looking right through him, as if he mattered as much to me as the snowflakes hovering around my head.

He smiled.

Chills chased a wave of adrenaline as I waited for him to make his move. Better to be on the defensive, ready for a head-on assault. He was armed and I wasn’t. Charging him wasn’t in my best interest. Brakae stirred again, her movements more lively this time. I watched her in my peripheral vision, unwilling to rat her out with a sideways glance. Faolán continued to circle, making me nervous. With just a few more steps, Brakae would come into his line of sight, and he’d know she was regaining consciousness. Damn it. I had no choice. I had to protect her….

Weaponless, defenseless, I did what I’d planned
not
to do. Faolán saw it in my eyes, and his own flashed silver as he dug his feet into the snow-covered earth and braced himself for the attack. There wasn’t enough space between us for me to pick up any kind of momentum, but I led with my feet, letting the thick soles of my boots take the first slice of Faolán’s blade.

The sonofabitch was fast, bringing the dagger up and stabbing down before I had a chance to stand. The blade nicked my thigh, and I rolled away before he could put his weight behind the action and stab through to the muscle. My legs scissored, and I caught him in the groin. He fell to his knees, his face a snarling mask of rage.

“When I’m through with you, I’m going to describe your death to your lover in detail.” Really? I’d thought we were through bullshitting. “I don’t think just your head will do. I’m going to cut you into tiny pieces and present each little bit to him on a silver platter.”

I didn’t dignify him with a response. It was what he wanted after all. And what I wanted was to keep him nice and occupied—away from the hourglass and away from Brakae. With a quick roll, I was off my back and leapt to my feet. First thing I was going to do was break his jaw so he’d shut the fuck up.

Faolán parried the blow, striking with the dagger. The blade swept down my forearm, my heavy sleeve tearing open, no longer there to add extra protection. Shit. I was
going to be plated up like sushi if this kept up. I jumped back, the dagger missing my jugular by inches. I blew out a heavy breath of relief that clouded the air, mingling with the suspended flakes of snow.

Faolán had been bred for battle, a true beast of war and a goddess’s strong arm. He was a warrior right to the marrow of his bones. He fought like one too. Ruthless, with a savage instinct. Raif hadn’t been able to keep the advantage in a fight with him, and I was suffering. Blood oozed from my many wounds, and my head swam as my vision darkened at the periphery. I fought to hold on to consciousness. My arms and legs felt like lead weights dangling from my body and, damn it, I was
tired
.

Blow after blow, kicks and stabs, slicing into my skin over and again, Faolán made it apparent he had no intention of losing. I stumbled, then wiped the blood from my forehead to keep it from running into my eyes. He was playing with me now, like a cat with an injured mouse.
Tyler,
I thought, kicking out with my leg and hitting nothing but air,
I wish you were here. I need you
.

I caught Faolán’s foot as it rocketed toward my head, but I didn’t have much strength left, and as I tried to twist it and break his knee, he pushed against me and threw me off balance. As I landed on my back, the breath left my lungs in a jarring whoosh, and I couldn’t draw new air to replace what I’d lost. Chest aching and eyes bulging, I was desperate for a deep breath. Faolán capitalized on my distress and brought his heel down on the center of my stomach. “Bastard!” I wheezed.

I hated this place—hated it with every fiber of my being. I was weakened, nearly impotent in this fucking Faerie Realm. I wanted to go home. I wanted to throw my hands up and just—

“Surrender.” Faolán finished my thought, kneeling so he could stare into my bashed and bloodied face. “You can’t stop what’s going to happen. So don’t try. I’ll kill you quick. I owe you that much for the part you’ve played. Just lie there and be still, and I’ll put an end to your suffering.”

My mind must’ve been addled, because I thought about closing my eyes, nice and compliant, as I waited for Faolán to deliver the sweet, blissful oblivion he promised. But, as always, Fate had other plans for me. I wasn’t thinking when I let my eyes wander to the spot where Brakae had been lying unconscious—the spot that was now unoccupied.

Faolán spun on the balls of his feet, rising to his full height. Brakae stood before him, the long dagger I’d discarded held aloft in her shaking hand. Bruises marred her beautiful face, blood dried and crusted on her robes. So much for true love.

I rolled onto my hands and knees and dragged in ragged gulps of breath. My lungs burned, and I wanted to throw up. But I didn’t have time.
Get your shit together
. I sniffed, pulling dripping blood back up into my nose and choked as the coppery taste blazed a trail down my throat.
Come on, Darian, get with the fucking program
.

“What are you going to do, my love?” Faolán’s voice was tender, concerned, as if the SOB hadn’t beaten and sliced her up earlier. “Would you kill me?”

“Y-yes.” Brakae’s voice quavered, her eyes brimming over with tears that spilled down her cheeks. “If you don’t stop, I will have no choice but to kill you.”

I pushed myself back up to my knees and took a moment to stabilize before standing. Brakae had Faolán’s undivided attention, her sapphire blue eyes glistening with a steady stream of tears. Her jaw trembled as she fought to keep it raised in a defiant set. But she was struggling; I could see the almost-imperceptible breakdown of her resolve. She’d loved him. Hell, she might’ve loved him still. I knew better than anyone what that felt like. I’d taken Azriel’s life, and despite everything he’d done to me, I’d held him close to my heart.

Faolán inched closer to Brakae. Her eyes darted from side to side, frantic like a trapped animal, and she flinched as he brought his hand up toward her face. “Don’t touch me.” She raised the dagger as a warning.

“If you feel nothing for me”—Faolán edged closer to
Brakae and I tensed—“then do what you must.” He made a show of bearing his chest to her and lifted the tip of her blade with his fingertip, positioning it over his heart. “Your new Guardian couldn’t protect you. It was
her
fault you were hurt. I never wanted harm to come to you. If you don’t believe me, take my life.”

The heavy dagger vibrated under Brakae’s trembling hand. She couldn’t kill him. Not the man she’d loved. She was Raif’s daughter, a warrior’s blood coursed through her veins, but she was no killer. If she had been, she wouldn’t have needed a Guardian to help protect the natural order.