Chapter 35

AURORA

I was flipping through the pages of the book in my hands, scanning each one. It was getting late, but I couldn’t stop. Not after what had happened earlier that day.

Guilt gnawed at me as I sat there, but it was mixed with a heavy dose of worry. I knew that Rayne and I might have ended up sleeping together anyway, but what had happened didn’t feel like us. It felt like something was pushing us, and we were almost powerless to resist. The only thing that brought me back to reality was my determination not to let him finish inside me.

I’d been mulling it over ever since we’d separated and I’d taken my shower. The more I thought about it, the more it bothered me. There had to be a link between this and what had happened to me before and after I’d passed out. I was sure it was connected to the strange dreams I’d been having about the woman in gold. Could she be the Golden Queen that Jekia had warned us about when Rin and I had returned there?

The only way to find out was to do as much research as I could.

So, I’d come to the library and started scanning the spines of the many books on the towering shelves. I was looking for anything I could find on the Golden Queen and magic stones. I didn’t have solid proof yet, but I had a strong suspicion that the stone in my throat was a big part of this.

But it didn’t make sense. The elves had always been friendly to Rin. Why would they betray him? Did they even know they had?

I’d finally found three books that discussed magic and different items used for it. I pulled those and took them over to one of the reading nooks to keep them there while I continued my search. I eventually found a few more books that specifically talked about elves and Faeries. I thought they might be a good starting point for any information about the Golden Queen and her powers. I also found a book detailing different spells, so I grabbed that too, hoping it might have something that could explain what was happening to Rayne.

After settling into the nook, I turned on the small light on the wall near me and dove into my research. I was currently on the fifth book, and while I was learning new things about the creatures on this side, particularly elves and Faeries, I wasn’t finding anything useful. There were no references to the Golden Queen.

I closed the book with a frown, letting out a tired sigh. I still had several more to go, but I was starting to feel like this was a wild goose chase. There was nothing about any spells that could control others remotely like I suspected had happened to Rayne and me. Some mentioned magic stones being used, but none talked about them being placed within someone’s body to do it.

I looked at the books still sitting beside me, wondering if I should call it quits for now. I wanted so badly to talk to someone about all of this, but the fear of retaliation was still there. I didn’t know what would happen, but it felt like it could be terrible.

In other words, I was on my own for now.

After a few minutes of gathering my thoughts, I picked up the next book, which discussed magic spells and stones. I wasn’t expecting to find much given my luck so far, but I had to try at least a little more.

I didn’t hear the library door open, or the footsteps coming towards me.

“Aurora?”

The sudden voice made me jump, and I dropped my book in my lap. I looked up to see Rin standing near me, looking just as surprised by my reaction.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“I’m fine. You just startled me. I didn’t hear you come in,” I admitted, trying to slow my racing heart.

“Sorry about that. I didn’t mean to sneak up on you, but I got worried when I couldn’t find you and Mother said you hadn’t come to dinner with her and Selenia. It’s almost ten at night. What are you doing in here?” Rin asked.

I had to fight to hide the guilt that welled up inside me, and I had to think fast about how to answer his question.

“Just doing some research. I had some things on my mind, so I came in here to look for answers in these books,” I explained.

Rin glanced at a few of the books I had sitting beside me. “You were researching elves and Faeries?”

“Yeah. I knew that you and your father were going back to the elf village to ask about my stone, so I thought I’d learn more about them too. I don’t know much in general and I haven’t really had a chance to ask anyone.”

“That makes sense,” Rin conceded.

“How did the meeting go? Did you find out anything about whether this stone might be causing my problems?” I asked.

“Not really,” Rin admitted. He sat on the nook, leaning against the opposite wall from me. “It was all pretty strange when we got there. Kaleem was still there, but he and the other elves were really worried about Fai. They said they hadn’t seen her in a few days, and they’d been searching for her.”

“Fai’s missing?”

A sinking feeling washed over me. Fai had been there when Kaleem had given me this stone to help me speak. Could she be involved in all of this?

“It seems like it, but it’s bothering us too, especially me. Call it intuition, but I told Father that something hasn’t felt right for a while now, and her disappearance confirms it for me. Whatever’s going on, she’s involved,” Rin said.

“But how? Jekia thought all of this had to do with the Golden Queen, and she’s a Faerie who’s supposed to be sealed. Fai is an Elf, right? Why would she have anything to do with that? Do you think she might’ve been controlled too?” I asked.

Rin straightened up. “I can’t say for sure, and neither can he, but the possibility is there. The truth is, Fai isn’t an Elf. She’s a stray Faerie.”

“A stray Faerie?” I echoed.

“I don’t know all the details about her, but Kaleem once told me that he found Fai alone in the forest when they were kids. Her wings had been ripped off, and she said her Faerie sect had been attacked and wiped out. Kaleem’s family took pity on her, so they took her in, and the two of them ended up getting married when they grew up. Fai’s never wavered from that story, but it seems too coincidental that she’d vanish just as strange things started happening,” Rin explained.

I looked down, my hand instinctively going to my throat as I absorbed this. Fai was a Faerie who was found alone and claimed her family had been killed. If that was all a lie, then she might have been in cahoots with the Golden Queen this whole time.

“You’re onto something, Rin. Something’s been off for a while, and I think it’s only getting worse,” I said quietly.

“What do you mean? Did something happen today?” Rin asked, leaning in closer to me.

I couldn’t tell him everything, but I wanted him to know my fears about us being manipulated.

“Not exactly today, but I noticed something strange the day I woke up after passing out. When Rayne and I were alone, he was asking me about what happened, and my neck suddenly got really hot. I swear his eyes lit up, and he didn’t seem like himself before he abruptly left. He’s mostly been acting normal since then, but it scared me because it felt like something was trying to control him, and it even felt like it wanted to control me,” I explained.

Rin’s eyes widened at my words, and I braced myself for him to be angry that I hadn’t told him sooner. But he wasn’t. He just looked even more worried.

“I knew something was wrong,” he admitted, looking out the window with his ears flattened. “I know Rayne better than anyone, and I could tell he wasn’t acting like himself that night. Something was really bothering him that he felt he couldn’t talk about, even with me. It must be connected to this.”

“Maybe he can’t talk about it. I don’t think I can either,” I admitted.

“Why? Is something threatening you to keep quiet?” Rin pressed.

“I don’t know,” I lied.

Rin took my hand as I looked away, giving it a squeeze. “Come on, Amore,” he urged me. “Whatever this is, whatever you need to tell me, I’ll listen and try to help you. I want to help Rayne too. We can’t just ignore this and pretend nothing’s happening.”

“But I…”

I stopped as a voice suddenly echoed in my head. It was a commanding female voice.

“~This one will now further it~.”

That strange warmth radiated from the stone in my throat, enveloping my entire body in an instant. I stared into Rin’s eyes, seeing them light up just like Rayne’s had two weeks ago. The back of my mind was screaming to make this stop, but I felt powerless. It was like I could barely comprehend what was happening, let alone resist.

Everything faded within a few seconds, and my body felt normal again as we sat there. Rin sat up a bit more, rubbing his forehead.

“I understand, and maybe I shouldn’t push this right now. Besides, my main concern right now should be outdoing my brother with you,” he said.

“What?” I whispered.

“I’m not dumb enough to not know what he’s been up to,” Rin continued. “Those archery lessons he offered were a convenient way to get close to you, and I’m sure he did his best to try to sway you from me this afternoon. But it doesn’t matter. Only I’m allowed to release myself inside of you.”

“How did you…”

Then I remembered the ring I was wearing. It had Rin’s foxfire in the stone.

“Now you get it. There’s nothing you do that I can’t figure out. But it doesn’t matter. As I said, I know I can top him,” Rin said.

“Rin?!” I exclaimed as he suddenly stood up and hoisted me over his shoulder. “What are you doing?!”

He quickly carried me to our room, locked the door, and dropped me on the bed, pinning me to the mattress. His golden eyes didn’t look like the fox I’d come to know. They looked more like a predator sizing up its prey.

“What else would I be doing? I’m making sure he doesn’t outdo me.” I shivered as Rin licked my throat, “Everything about you gets me so hot that I can barely control myself.”

I screamed in fear as he tore open my dress with his claws, exposing my body. I didn’t know what to do as I tried to struggle against him. He’d never acted like this before, and I was terrified he was about to do something awful to me.

Rin wore a smug smile as he ran his claws from my right breast down to my pelvis, tracing where my birth control was embedded.

“Why don’t I rip this out of you? It wouldn’t hurt you much, and I could easily create my kits in your womb tonight. That would ensure that he can never truly have you.”

Sharp, unbearable pain hit me as he dug his claws into my abdomen, making me scream and my mind spin in terror and agony. No way! He couldn’t do this to me! He wouldn’t…!

I found a strength within me that I didn’t know existed. Fear gave way to anger, and before I knew it, I had slapped him hard across his face and kicked him in the stomach. I scrambled back on the bed, free from his grip, and shielded myself with my arms.

“Back off! I swear, Rin, I’ll leave you for good if you don’t stop!” I shouted at him.

My voice wavered, the lump in my throat felt like a knife, but I stood my ground. I wouldn’t let him do this to me. Not just for my sake, but for his too. This wasn’t Rin. I was certain his mind was being manipulated.

Rin was a foot away from the bed, clutching his stomach where I’d kicked him. He winced, then quickly grabbed his head. The lump in my throat pulsed again, and then something seemed to let go. Rin groaned, holding his head as if in excruciating pain.

But I didn’t stick around to see if he was back to himself. I darted off the bed, sprinted to the door, unlocked it, and dashed into the hallway. I didn’t know where I was headed. All I knew was that I needed to get away from him.

I’d just rounded a second corner when someone appeared in front of me, blocking my path. For a moment, I panicked, thinking Rin had caught up to me and was still under some sort of spell. But I managed to calm myself enough to see through my tear-blurred vision that it wasn’t him. It was their father, Jekia.

“J-Jekia…,” I stuttered, then broke down into sobs.

“It’s okay. You’re safe,” he said softly, holding me close.

I trembled in his arms, struggling to speak. My throat ached as I tried, but I managed to get some words out.