Authors: Maureen Willett
Malia looked away from him, confused by the emotions running through her. Hunter was so many things she had not seen at first. He had a dark side he kept hidden, but he was tender, sweet and a bit naïve, too.
“I don’t believe you’ve never cared for anyone. Archer said you’re more his father than his real father. I wondered about that at the time, but now it makes sense. You were already an adult when he was born. Don’t tell me you’ve lived your life in a cold-hearted, selfish way if you cared for a child.”
Hunter took a deep breath. “I did love Archer as if he were my own son, but then he grew up, and my stepmother taught him to hate me for what I am—a half-breed.”
“But you are your father’s heir. Right?”
“No, that’s just a game Father plays to mess with Archer’s mind to make him try harder for his inheritance. Father has no intention of ever making me anything more than I am to him right now: a killing machine. I’ve listened to his thoughts and know what his plans are for me. I’d try to sweeten it a bit for you, but I can’t. For all of Archer’s faults, he doesn’t have the stomach for the kinds of tasks demanded of me, and he is Father’s legitimate heir.” Hunter’s voice took on a cold edge.
“So your father literally kept you locked away?” Malia asked with furrowed brows. “I thought that was some sort of euphemism for him being overprotective.”
“I was still a virgin when I met you because I was never allowed the indulgence of love, mostly because I wasn’t really considered a human being, and not knowing love made me much more cold-blooded. Besides, most human women I met thought I was dirty, less than human. They liked to look at me, but nothing else. The only person I did care for was a little boy who was neglected by both his parents until he grew up and became useful. And then Archer was taught to hate me for having sparkling blood.”
Malia put her hand on his when she saw the flash of pain across his face, but Hunter pulled away.
“He doesn’t hate you. I’ve seen the way Archer looks at you. He admires you.”
A waiter appeared and opened a bottle of expensive champagne and poured them both a glass, and then discreetly disappeared.
“I’m sorry for all the pain you’ve had in your life; all the prejudice you’ve experienced. And I’ll never believe you’re a cold-blooded killer. Not any more, anyway,” Malia said with a shake of her head. She wanted to take Hunter in her arms and bring his crooked smile back to his perfect face, but she knew there was more he wanted to say.
“You’re right. You’ve handicapped me, and made me want to be a decent person, not an assassin. That night in the hills of L.A. I could have destroyed everything in my path, but I was so worried that you might be hurt, I almost got us both killed.” Hunter sat still for a moment. “When I saw that woman holding a knife to your throat, I knew I’d do anything to keep you safe, even let them take me back.”
“Which means you have a good heart and soul,” Malia said, leaning closer to him to make her point.
Hunter shook his head. “One act does not make my soul pure and worthy to be bound to yours. I have to redeem myself completely, cleanse my soul of its sins, or I’ll bring you down with me.” He looked into her eyes. “I hope you understand that. Malia,” he started, but then his voice broke, so he had to clear his throat. “I love you with all my being, and always will, no matter what happens, no matter what you choose to do with your life, whether or not you live it by my side. If you do choose to stay, I want you to do it for the right reasons, and knowing who, and what, I really am.”
“If I choose to stay? I didn’t know I had a choice.”
“Actually, you do. There is a way to unbind our souls and free you to do as you please, but it comes with a price.” He put his hand in his pocket and drew out a small velvet bag, and from that he pulled out the clear, pink diamond ring set in shiny rose gold.
Her eyes widened in wonder at the most dazzling piece of jewelry she had ever seen. It wasn’t so much the size of the diamond, but the unusual color and clarity. It almost looked like there was an image of a goddess in the center point of the square stone. “Wow,” she said as her hand went to her mouth. “When I said I wanted a big rock, I never dreamed it would be like this.”
Hunter’s expression became more serious. “This isn’t a marriage proposal.”
“Oh.” Malia looked at the beautiful ring with disappointment.
Hunter took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “This is a magical ring that has been handed down through generations of the Oberon family, and now I’m loaning it to you to wear while I try to become a man worthy of you, the son my mother believed me to be, and the powerful faery I’m destined to be. While you wear it, you will no longer be bound to me—at least not physically. You may come and go as you please, or leave me all together. It will be your choice.”
Malia looked at him, waiting for more.
“But I hope you will choose to stay by my side, beautiful girl.”
“I don’t want to leave you, not ever. I love you.” As the words came out, Malia realized it was the first time she had said them to him.
Hunter sucked in his breath and looked down at the ring. “I want your love and lifelong loyalty, but not because I have stolen it from you. So here is my gift to you.” He held out the ring to her. “This ring grants whoever wears it the powers of a faery, but only as long as it stays on your finger. If you take it off you become human again.”
“You mean I’ll be like you if I wear it?”
“More than me. I’m only half faery. You’ll have powers and sensations beyond anything you can possibly imagine. That’s the benefit.” His voice held a warning.
“So what’s the downside?”
“Faeries don’t have souls. You will be immortal and free to live as you wish without worrying about consequences,” he said, looking deep into her eyes. “And I will have total possession of our soul, both halves, so you will have to trust with me your half of our soul. Only when I have redeemed my half will our soul be complete, and only then will I be worthy of you. By wearing the ring, you will be safe and free—free from death, free from growing old, and free from sharing a blackened, and most likely damned, soul.”
“Do we have to live apart if I take the ring?”
Hunter took her hand and touched his lips to it, sending shivers down her spine. “No, but it will change you, maybe even change the way you feel about me. I need you to trust me to do the right thing for both of us, and right now that means you let me take control of our soul so I can set things right. And you can have freedom, if that’s what you want, and explore the nature of magic wherever that may take you. It’s a heady thing having the power of the universe at your fingertips, being ageless and immortal. It’s not something most humans can handle properly, but I believe you will.”
“And how will you redeem yourself? By fulfilling the legacy of the last faery prince?”
Hunter took another deep breath. “That is a path I’m considering. But it would mean fighting against my father, and I’m not prepared for that yet.”
Malia looked away from him and the ring and closed her eyes, not able to imagine life without Hunter. Even if she wore the ring, she would stay by his side, help him become the person he wanted to be.
“It is your choice, my love, but I urge you to take the ring so I won’t have to worry about you while I try to make something of my life that is good and just. And no matter what happens after you put it on, you will be my only love.”
She met Hunter’s luminous eyes and held her breath for a moment, knowing she would do anything for him. Then Malia took the ring from him and put it on her finger.
“Bravo, my dear,” Andrew said with a strong clap of his hands. “You’ve done it! You’ve actually stolen her soul.”
Hunter didn’t meet his cousin’s eyes and tried to ignore him, but it was difficult because Andrew blocked his way down the narrow hallway in the hotel. Hunter was surprised to see Andrew awake at such an early hour of the day, since he usually slept until at least noon. The smell of coffee and uneaten eggs from other hotel rooms made Hunter’s stomach growl. He had left Malia half-asleep with a kiss to her forehead, saying he needed some fresh air. What he really wanted was solitude and time to think about how to flee. Running away from what he had done to her kept intruding into his thoughts. He could easily go back to his father now, and be accepted into the Blackthorne clan once again. It was tempting.
“So how does it feel to steal your enemy’s soul?” Andrew seemed determined to follow him, as Hunter walked toward the elevator. “You were supposed to kill her, but at least you got her soul.”
“That’s not what this is about,” Hunter said as he turned to face Andrew. “I love her and am protecting her soul.”
Andrew threw his head back with laughter. “That’s a good one.”
Hunter rolled his eyes in frustration and pushed the button for the down elevator, hoping it would come soon. “Stop pestering me and go do something useful. Fix your makeup. Your eyeliner is smeared.”
“Let’s see,” Andrew said with a mock serious look. “You came to this world to steal the soul of the granddaughter and sole heir of your father’s arch enemy so the Trenton lineage would die with her, and now you have it. I’d say that’s a bit of good work, wouldn’t you? Mission accomplished, and all that.”
Hunter crossed his arms and turned his back on Andrew.
Andrew continued, “So she gets some token faery magic to use when she wants, but does she know it’s insignificant in comparison to the power you have just gained by claiming a complete soul all your own? There have been other half-breed faeries with half a soul, but there has never been a faery with a complete human soul to call his own. How extraordinary! You shall truly have the power to rule faeries and humans; no one can question that now.”
“Stop it Andrew,” Hunter warned through clenched teeth. “That’s not why I did it.”
“No, maybe not,” Andrew agreed as he walked a circle around Hunter, scrutinizing him from head to toe. “But you did manage to get Malia to hand over her soul to you, which is what you’ve wanted all along. That whole matching-scars-over-the-heart thing was just a trick, a spell you cast, and we both know it. But stealing it from her didn’t give you the power you desired, so you had to get her to willingly give it to you instead. Poor Malia doesn’t realize she just handed her most prized possession over to a prankster—an accomplished actor, really. Humans are so careless with their souls. They don’t realize what an important thing they are.” He stopped circling and let out a heavy sigh. “Was it necessary to make her one of us in the process, though?”
Hunter locked his eyes onto Andrew, feeling his blood boil. “It was the only way I could have her soul and keep her alive at the same time.”
Andrew laughed again and continued to circle around Hunter. “And why would that matter? You got what you wanted from her, in many ways over, I’m sure. Why not let her die?”
“I’m warning you,” Hunter said as rage threatened to overtake him.
“Does she know she’ll die if she ever takes off that ring? I know your desires enough to know you’re not about to give her back that soul you so covet. It gives you the power you crave, the power over humans and faeries. And she won’t survive without the ring if she has no soul.”
Hunter lunged at Andrew with a force that surprised him, and he flew through the air with movements too fast and lucid for the older faerie to defend against. His powers were increasing by the hour. Hunter connected with Andrew and threw him in the air until he landed with a thud against the wall, where Hunter held him by the throat. It was as if Hunter had the energy of light and speed in every muscle as he moved. He had to keep himself from crushing his cousin’s neck with a snap.
“Don’t ever speak to me again of letting any harm come to Malia. Do you understand me? If you want to remain at my side, you will do everything you can to protect her, no matter what it takes.” The heat of his words filled his own ears, so Hunter was sure they rang loudly in Andrew’s head. “And you will never talk to Malia about what I’ve taken from her. Do you understand?”
Andrew swallowed hard and then smiled. “How delicious you are now that you’ve reached your full potential.”
Hunter yanked his hands away from Andrew and took a step back.
“The question is,” Andrew said with his head cocked to one side as he floated a few inches above the ground. “Will you take that power back to your father, as you promised him, or fulfill the legacy your mother left you? A difficult choice to be sure.”
“Not really,” Hunter said as he turned to walk back down the hall to his room, no longer wanting escape. He glimpsed a satisfied smile on Andrew’s face as he turned away.
“It must be difficult wanting to be a good man and not quite achieving it because the faery inside you gets in the way—the selfish trickster. And make no mistake, you are truly a magnificent faery, my cousin,” Andrew called after him.
Hunter stopped at the door to the room he shared with Malia and rested his forehead on it, hearing her heartbeat on the other side. It was too rapid for slumber; she was probably awake and walking around. He closed his eyes, hating Andrew for intruding on a quiet morning, wanting to forget his cousin’s words. They were more accurate than he cared to admit.
He opened the door to find Malia searching through the suitcase. She glanced his way when she heard the door shut. “That was quick,” she said with a smile. “Have you seen my hairbrush? I can’t seem to find it.”
“It’s on the dresser,” he said with a nod toward that part of the room.
Malia went to the dresser and started to brush her shiny golden hair, and sparkles flew around the room as she moved.
“How are you feeling this morning?” he asked, not sure he wanted to hear the answer.
“Incredible! You were right. I’m feeling sensations I’ve never felt before. My whole body feels electric, and everything I touch brings a new experience. It’s like I’m suddenly alive, really alive for the first time. I feel lighter, too.” Her face lit up as she spoke, and her eyes glowed like sparkling jade. “I look different, don’t you think?”