I frowned. “That sounds like an awful idea … but if they will let you go afterwards, then do it!”
Violet looked even sicker, her face pinched in pain. “I can’t. I mean … I might possibly be able to release it … but I won’t.”
I stepped closer. “Why? Do whatever you have to in order to get out of there, Violet! Do you understand me?” My panic was taking over. She was barely able to stand straight now.
Violet shook her head. “No, Ari. I can’t. The jar flashes with scenes of your life. Your magical essence is in there. The moment I saw, touched, smelled, and felt it … I knew it was yours. Arianna, someone’s been lying to you. Not all is as it seems. Your mother … has lied. I think your father is a fae.”
The shock of her revelation hit me so hard my body was ripped from the dream state and I woke up panting. Kade was immediately alert, his hands tightening on me as he pulled me closer. I blinked a few times as droplets of liquid fell into my eyes; my whole body was covered in a thin sheen of sweat. As I met Kade’s dark gaze, my breathing stuttered. Could Violet be right? Holy shifter gods, what had my mother done?
“Arianna!” The deep tones cut through my disorientation, and I realized Kade had been calling my name for some time. He growled then, before turning to yell for Nikoli.
I dropped my hand onto his chest, which had his eyes right back on me. “What happened? Are you okay?”
I nodded and shook my head at the same time, trying to figure out how to answer. “Violet just appeared to me in my dream. She’s hurt – they’re hurting her.”
Kade’s grip got tighter, before he gentled his hands again. “Did you tell her we’re on our way? Did you tell her to hold on?”
“Yes, I told her.” I wiped my clammy hands on the rough bed coverings. “She was barely listening to me. It took all of her energy to get through to me. She wanted me to know that the Winter Court have a magic-filled glass container there. They took Violet so she could free the energy and transfer it into the dark queen.”
Nikoli was in the doorway now, listening in, his white features looking pinched and stressed. Kade and the magic born remained silent, letting me finish. “I told her to do it, do whatever it took to get out of there, but she said…” I licked my lips, searching for moisture. “She said the energy is mine. She made it seem like it was fae energy. Violet must be the only one who can figure out how to release it or they wouldn’t be asking her.”
Nikoli took a few steps further into the room. “Violet is bonded to you. Not only is she your best friend, she’s also your palace magic born. She knows your energy better than anybody. The same way I am with Kade – we too were childhood friends. This might explain why they needed Violet to control that energy.”
Kade exploded up off the bed, his body huge as the bear tried to force his shift. “How and why in the hell do the fae have your energy, Ari? Actually … how in the hell do you have fae energy to start with?”
I rose to my knees, my hands balled into fists in front of me as I tried not to panic. “I don’t know. Violet’s last words were that she thinks my father was a full Tuatha de Danann. A fae. That someone has stripped me of my powers and bound them to this glass container.”
The room fell silent. Kade’s body was still extra-giant and quivering, but he was keeping his bear contained. Finally Nikoli said: “I’ve cast a cloaking spell. It will last a short time to hide our words. This is not information that should be heard by others. We should be careful in speaking of this from now on.”
Kade strode closer to his friend. “Should we be taking Arianna to the court? They might have taken Violet for this specific reason, but they still wanted Ari for something too. More than once now they’ve tried to pull her into the Otherworld. Now that we know she’s possibly full fae … well, the danger seems too great.”
I growled, low, trying to keep my burst of anger contained. “Standing right here, mate. I can make these decisions for myself.”
Don’t even try to over-protect me right now, I said internally through our bond. Violet’s information changes nothing in our plans. I will still be getting her back, only this time I’ll be getting my powers back too.
Because if some creepy-ass fae had my essence or whatever, locked up in their castle, there was no way in hell I was leaving without it.
I barely slept for the rest of the night. If I was lucky I got two hours in between my multiple freakouts. Poor Violet, she was suffering, and that had my wolf tense and my human side devastated. But I refused to allow either of us to fall apart. There were too many things we needed to deal with.
Like the fact I might be a fae? A full-blown fae? I was still trying to figure out how it was even possible. What the hell was my mother thinking? She said she had chosen my father for breeding purposes, but she failed to mention he was a fae.
My frazzled mind continued to mull over the pieces of my life, trying to figure out how it could be possible. I was thankful when the first light of day hit. Both Kade and I sat up immediately. He had not slept any better than me, but at least for once neither of us were alone in our worries.
It took us only moments to gather our things and set off, with no more than a brief farewell to our small-statured friends. The gnomes spread out in a group, their faces serious as we walked away. I knew most of them thought we would meet our death in the harsh winter lands. I’d been underestimated before though, and I would be doing everything in my control to make sure no one died in the Otherworld.
Heading east, we moved toward the campgrounds where my dominants Monica, Victor, and Blaine were waiting. Finn, who was still with them, had sent me detailed directions through our bond.
My elven sword was strapped in its leather sheath on my hip, and my hiking backpack was stuffed with more furs, what was left of our rations, my small bedroll, and a makeshift tent.