Deep Into the Abyss (Darkest Faerie Tale Series Book 2) (7 page)

“What the fuck has gotten into you?”

“You,” she said with venom, “You, for one, got into me.”

His muscles tensed. “Is that what this is about, why you lost it out there?”

She snickered, an evil little laugh. “What happened today has absolutely nothing to do with you and I or anything remotely close to you sticking your dick inside of me, so don’t flatter yourself.” Mya sat up on the bed and turned to face him. Her green eyes still weren’t sparkling with life, but rather covered in a dark menace. “Hear the absoluteness in my words when I say, you are the furthest thing in my mind right now.”

Cole’s nostrils flared with each deep inhalation he took and he crossed his arms over his chest. “Is it Liam you want, then? I’ll get right on it for you.”

“Thank you.” She stood up from the bed and smoothed her dress down her tight, little body.

He took a step closer to her, breathing in her honeysuckled scent. “I am only trying to help you.”

“Yes, like when you strapped on the condom and helped me at the cabin? I’m very aware of what accompanies your assistance and I’m politely declining.”

He ran a hand through his hair, glancing down at the floor. “Mya, what happened between us—”

“What happened between you and I was never meant to be.” Mya cut him off. She threw his words back at him as if they were daggers. “Now, if you’ll excuse me I have training I need to finish.” She stepped around him and padded out of the bedroom, leaving him and his cock stiff as a board.

Shit, he needed to get a grip and find something to occupy his time before he utterly fucking lost it and went on a rampage. He never should have touched her. The worst part of Mya was him and he wouldn’t corrupt her any longer with his perverse needs.

She deserved someone better than him.

CHAPTER FOUR

R
elief washed over Mya as her lesson with Liam ended hours after the sun set. The day hadn’t gone as planned. When she learned the truth about the people she thought she belonged to—that they wanted her destroyed from birth—pain speared her inside out. Everything she’d ever known in her life merely a mirage, only smoke and mirrors.

Coming from a society that prided themselves on virtue and honesty—well, it broke her heart. Nothing in her life was real. She had no constant. No one to turn to. With her parents gone, her house burned down—courtesy of a friend she trusted, and the wicked bitches of Michaela’s crew—who used to be “friends”— now stalking after Mya like the Salem witch trials, she was in her own private hell.

Why? Because two people, on opposing sides, fell in love and created a child from those worth emotions. Love gave way to hate.

Then to top everything off, Cole came to her rescue when she broke down and called her
sweetheart
. Reminding her of how he cut her off and detached himself from her. He just placed her back in her bed—by herself, disintegrating what little pieces of her heart she had left.

Two choices loomed before her. Curl up and be weak, letting the heartache consume her, or buck up and take the control back. What would a queen do? She would be strong. She would seal off her heart, steel her emotions and stop being everyone’s little puppet. A queen would not take shit from anyone…she would stand her ground. Independent. Powerful.

Liam interrupted her musings, saying, “You did very well today. Now, you know how to calm the energy and masses of people around you, but more importantly, you learned how to harness the power inside of you better.”

“Thanks.” As they walked back into the house she mustered her confidence and said, “I’m going to check out the compound tonight. I’ve been cooped up inside for so long and isolated, it’s time I take a break. I’m going stir crazy.” She needed time out. Interaction with people.

He pursed his lips to the side while contemplating her request. “I guess a few hours out won’t hurt. The compound is guarded by our army, but I would like for you to take a cell phone with you, so you can call me in case you need anything. With such a large bounty on your head, you’re still a target for the Seelies. Use your magick if you have to.” Liam didn’t even put up a fight.

Astonished he acquiesced so easily, she held her head a little higher as she went up to her room. She changed into jean skirt, a blouse and pulled her cowboy boots on. The black boots were her favorite, with a blue embroidered cross on the front and swirls around the sides. Cole may be an ass, but he’d bought her some awesome clothes.

No. She couldn’t dwell on what might be between them, the connection needed to be severed. The way he handled her earlier was a reality slap to the face and constantly thinking of him destroyed her each time. They weren’t together. They weren’t even a couple. If she was going to be queen, she needed to put on her big panties and woman up.

Instead of seeing Cole as a possibility, she must start viewing him as a conquest. Then, she could take joy in knowing that she got what she wanted from him—a few epic orgasms—and move on. From here forward, she didn’t care what he did anymore.

Veni, vidi, vici. I came, I saw, I conquered…in more ways than one.
Changing her perception of the situation gave her the power and tonight, she started anew. Cole no longer had control over her emotions, heart or mind.

She snickered to herself, repeating her new mantra and pulled her hair up into a ponytail before applying some gloss. Finally, she’d be able to meet some of the other members of the Unseelie Court. These were her mother’s people and they wanted her to be their sovereign ruler. They had faith in her. Unlike the Seelies, they accepted her for who she was as a hybrid and she needed a place to belong after the truths she learned. Plus, she might get a chance to meet some of the single men. Step one in her new plan to erase Cole from her constant thoughts.

Mya went downstairs and Liam stopped her before she left. “Here’s a cell phone. I programmed my number in there for you. Don’t worry about money, should you want to purchase anything. Tell them who you are and everything will be comp’d. I’ve already sent word out.”

“What?” she asked half laughing, taking the cell from Liam. A gal might get used to this special treatment. “Anything I want?”

“Anything.” He nodded. “However, I will remind you, you are not to call Nicole or any of the Seelies. Understood? I’m placing a great deal of trust in you.”

Always looking after her wellbeing, Liam was starting to grow on her. She wanted to salute him and say, ‘Aye, aye, captain,’ but she refrained. “Understood. Thank you, Liam, for everything.”

Before Liam could change his mind, Mya high-tailed it out of the front door trudged across the lawn until she found a place to slip through the bushes on the edge of the property. Her mouth gaped as she stood on the sidewalk. It was like a little town. There were streets—well, one that seemed to go in a square around the mansion. But across the avenue were shops mixed with a few two story flats appearing to be apartment buildings. How in the world had they pulled this compound off and gotten all the permits they needed to build this place? She’d never seen anything like it. Her feet came to a screeching halt.

A bar? They had a freaking bar in this place? She squealed with delight, bounding across the street. Damn, she could totally use a drink…or more.

When she pushed the glass door open, a little jingling noise above sounded from a bell. The place was a real honky-tonk you’d find in Texas with wooden floors and a jukebox spinning the newest version of country/rap songs. Tables were spread about the room. People laughed and carried on, but she strolled straight to the bar and sat on a stool.

The bartender strolled up to her while wiping off a glass. “Well, well, well. What do we have here?” A sleeve of tattoos wrapped around his right arm all the way to his knuckles and the way his black shirt hugged his muscles was downright sinful. With an olive colored complexion, he was a sexy midnight dream—tall and well-built. And well, he gave the mythical Greek gods a run for their money when he brilliantly smiled at her, those plump and luscious lips suggesting wicked things.

Dumbstruck, she couldn’t open up her mouth.

“You must be the infamous Mya we’ve all heard about.”

Aos sí
were naturally beautiful people, but he was erotically attractive…and making her mouth water. Heat flooded her cheeks and she tried not to trip over her own tongue.
Keep it cool.
“Infamous? Now, who’s been telling stories?”

His rich chocolate eyes sparkled with amusement and he opened his arms up in the air. “You kidding me, right? You’re the talk of the town.” He put the glass down on the bar top and leaned his tattooed elbow on the counter, closer to her. “And now, I certainly see why the Elders kept you hidden.”

So hitting on her!

Even though she and Cole weren’t together, she still felt a flush of betrayal and didn’t know how to respond to hottie bartender.
Just order a beer. Be nonchalant
. “Can I get a Shiner?” she asked trying to steer away from the flirtations.

Bartender tapped the counter. “Anything for you, sweetness.”

When he turned to the fridge behind him, she glanced around the place, taking in more of the scene and people, watching them laugh, talk—until her gaze landed on the dartboards near the pool tables. Cole leaned against a pub table looking sexy as hell in his jeans and white t-shirt, drinking his beer—watching a blonde woman…a scantily clad blonde woman…pull three darts out of the board.

A twisting pang speared Mya’s chest and stabbed down to her gut. She swallowed as the
hood rat
strode back to Cole, shaking her hips in a dramatic flair, giggling.

Cole reached an arm out. And grabbed that
hood rat
, laughing with her! The poison of his disloyalty sliced Mya wide open.

“Sweetheart,” Cole mouthed and then pulled hood rat right into him—up against his body.

Spots of red clouded Mya’s vision as fire erupted under her flesh, boiling the blood in her veins. She gripped onto the edge of the counter for support, right as Cole leaned into the woman’s face. He said something into hood rat’s ear. All of the oxygen was sucked out of the room. Mya couldn’t breathe as her pulse thrummed to a dangerous pace.

Hood rat laughed louder. She placed a hand on Cole’s chest, right over his pecs, her fingertips digging in his skin.

He swayed with her to the side, keeping her into him tight. Then he nuzzled her ear. With his lips! His hand slid down from
hood rat’s
waist, over her hips, to her ass. Cole squeezed, nudging hood rat’s barely there skirt—up.

The horror of the scene unfolding punched Mya in the solar plexus. Treachery carved into her soul and ripped her to thousands of tiny pieces.
That motherf—

“Here’s your beer sweetness.”

Mya whipped her head back around, her heart slamming in her chest, meeting deep brown eyes. Bartender. Right. Beer. Drink. She cleared her throat, though she couldn’t stop the heaving breaths. “Thank you.” She chugged the Shiner, not daring a glance back to the dartboards.

“No problem. Did you need anything else?” He smiled at her, a genuine one.

It calmed her—only a tiny bit.
Talk
. She needed a distraction or she would march right up to Cole and smack the shit out of him. Suddenly flirting with the bartender didn’t feel like betrayal whatsoever, in fact it seemed like an invigorating idea! Yes. Cole wrote her off. He said nothing would
ever
become of them and made things blatantly clear by avoiding her for a week. Now, seeing him all over the tramp sealed the deal. Had he been with
hood rat
this entire time? Mya swallowed the bile rising in her throat. She needed to get back at Cole.

Mya looked up at the gorgeous man before her and licked her lips, morphing her rage into desire.
Seduction
. “So, does the local bartender have a name?”

“Yes, she does. It’s Darcy.”

“Your name is Darcy?” She scrunched her forehead. It wasn’t unusual for a man to occasionally have a more feminine name. Mya knew a Dana and a Kelly who were men.

He laughed lightly and leaned down on the bar in front of her. “No. Her name’s Darcy. The local bartender. I only fill in for her occasionally.” Bartender cocked one of his brows. “But, I guess it’s a lucky thing I had to come help her out tonight.”

The way he looked at her sent shivers down her spine—the delectable ones, like jumping out of a cold pool into a hot tub, shivers. She scooted closer to him, catching a whiff of his delicious citrusy scent, until their faces were only inches apart. “So, you’re not the local bartender. What do you do then?”

“I’m a commander in the Unseelie army, my name’s Drake.”

A commander?
She took a swig of her beer. She would be with the commander’s in phase three and he would be the one responsible for teaching her combat. They’d be up close, body to body, touching, hot and sweaty even. Another drink and she finished the bottle. Mya’s lips hiked to the side. “So commander, it looks like you and I will be training with each other soon.”

“You won’t hear any arguments about the assignment from me. Except…I
really
don’t want to share you with three other men.” He winked at her playfully. “I can’t wait to teach you a few of my moves.”

Heat flushed her chest. “I’m pretty sure I’d like to see what you’ve got.”

“Well, we don’t have to wait until phase three if you want to start training sooner. I can show you some of my…maneuvers and variations, before I get off.”

Hell on fire!
Warmth flooded her core. A desire to forget Cole and move on ran rampant. She needed to pick up the pieces he left shattered behind, because he certainly wasn’t in any hurry to. Maybe the liquid rush gave her courage, or the residual anger, but she placed her hand on Drake’s forearm and squeezed. “I’d like to come when you get off.”

A low growl of approval radiated from Drake’s chest. “Sweetness, I’m pretty sure you just wrapped me around your beautiful finger. I’ll shut the bar down for you right now.”

“The only thing you’ll be shutting down is this conversation.” Cole’s deep and raspy voice was unmistakable.

Jolts of fear froze Mya like a deer in headlights. Her gaze locked on the commander.

Drake warned, “Delgleish, you better watch your tone around the lady.”

Plunging down a roller coaster of emotions, her stomach dropped, her heart practically jumping up into her throat. She couldn’t bear to turn around and face Cole. Her hand was still on Drake’s arm!

“This conversation is over,” Cole said and grabbed Mya’s bicep, pulling her rigid body off the seat.

Drake swung over the bar top in one lithe movement. He stood toe to toe with Cole. Alpha stand-off, face to face, they bowed their chests up to each other. “Tell me again. I don’t think I heard you quite clearly.”

“You are finished talking to her.” Cole raised his chin.

Mya had to stop them. They couldn’t go at it over her. This was ridiculous. When she put her hands on each of their shoulders to separate them, hood rat raced up and grabbed Cole’s forearm on the other side.