I heard the distinct click of my window shutting, and before my mind was even conscious of the action I was up. I ripped the iron short blade from my pillow case leaving a trail of white feathers floating behind. I aimed the blade at the willowy shadow in the corner of the room.
A long collum of moonlight, was all that lit the dark space of my bedroom. I probably should reach for the lamp on my stand, but I wouldn't dare take my gaze off of the figure in the corner.
I wouldn't so much as blink my now watering eyes.
It was a fearful thing when the blink of an eye was all that separated life from death.
The shadow shifted and I caught a glimpse of that all too familiar silvery hair, and midnight black eyes all set in an alabaster complexion. His eyes cut to the blade and the left corner of his lips curled up over his teeth in a sneer. His teeth were milk white and twice as sharp as my blade— one I bought for 9.95 on eBay no less.
"And what exactly do you plan to do with that?" His voice was like the rustling of the trees and the howling of the wind, an altogether chilling sound.
I swallowed hard at his tone, and steeled myself. No weakness.
"What does it look like?" My voice, however, was just short of catching in my throat.
He chuckled, this time saving me the otherworldly timber of his actual voice— how kind of him but after a year I could still recognize it. It was a faint whisper now that threaded in and out of his speech. With an echoing snap of his fingers the lamp on my nightstand shot on.
"You can go ahead and wipe yours eyes now" He neatly folded his leather gloves and stuffed them into the breast pocket of his matching leather jacket.
So thats how he got past the iron gate.
"What are you doing here?"
He stepped forward with a lopsided grin.
"I came to check on an old friend."
I rolled my shoulders and winced at the crack of the stiff joints.
"I have no business with the Fae, and you are not my friend, so what do you want."
The cocky grin he once wore slipped and the feral animal underneath came through. He bared his razor sharp canines, and the glamour that hid his true self shifted. He was all points and razor sharp edges, I could cut myself on his cheek no problem. But I didn't need his glamour to slip to see the creature he really was. To my eye the glamour was only a faint transparency that sat atop something much more sinister. With only a squint of the eye I could see straight through it.
"Watch your tone." He hissed
My jaw snapped shut and I breathed deep to calm myself.
Manners....
"Please, just go I havent done anything." I placed the blade back under my pillow, leaving the handle out. His eyes followed the motion, making a note of my weapon placement.
I'd have to move it later
"Think of this as a check in" He paused. " I preferred you're long brown hair Megan".
He took a step towards the second hand vanity I found at a flee market. He picked up my hair brush, avoiding the distinctly silver jewelry strewn across. Finding a strand he twisted it around his finger, like a keep sake.
Hell, it probably was
"Thank you for the concern, but I could care less what you or he preferred, Felix." He stiffened at the sound of his name, but it was only his first name. There was power in a faeries name, and when you had it in full, you could bend them to your will. It wasn't something that the Fae willingly divulged, but that was the case with most things.
" There is power in a name, Megan and I warn you to not test it again." Felix voice was final, the warning of my death before I could even speak his last name was clear.
" If you wanted me dead you would have done it, so whats this really about?" I ran my hand through the short peicey strands atop my head. I took the long front half in my hand and tied into a small ponytail, the back half was too short to do anything with.
Leaning against the headboard I watched him with moderate curiosity. He perused my tiny room with an almost carefree persona, almost. His eyes never missed a thing, he was aware of every piece of silver and chose the items he touched carefully. He made a show of picking them up analyzing them to the most minute detail.
"The boy you've been speaking with, he asks a lot of questions." He finally turned to me fully, his pitch black eyes boring deep into mine.
Jason...
I sat up bringing my arms around my knees beneath the thin cotton sheet. When he saw that he fully had my attention he continued.
"Questions about where you've been for the past year, He is concerned that you will begin to give answers to these questions."
The emphasis on the He made it very clear who Felix was speaking of, the same He who branded me with the tattoo on the back of my neck. My hand drifted to the back of my neck where the dark rings of their sacred tree rippled out. It was a mark, His mark.
I shook my head free of the haunting images of how I got the tattoo.
"Well if your friend were gone for an entire year, no text, no phone calls, nothing. Then suddenly popped back up without even trying to contact you, I'm sure you'd have questions too."
I sank back against my wooden headboard, and crossed my arms in defiance.
"So tell your King he has nothing to worry about, now kindly GET OUT!" I spat.
Felix fists curled at his sides, the paper white skin strained over the bone, and his expression was colder than ice. Within seconds we were eye to eye, his were vast and unblinking.
"I may not have instructions to harm you, but I am able to harm this boy of yours." My throat was like sandpaper, no matter how hard I swallowed I couldn't quench it.
"I wont kill him, but insanity might be fitting." He hissed. "Are we clear."
He didn't wait for my answer as he backed away towards the window. As he unlatched it, I rose from my bed, forgetting about my white wife beater and floral shorts.
"Don't forget, I still have weapons of my own, and I don't need permission to use them FELIX!"
My voice never wavered but I had to cross my arms to hide the tremble in my hands. To threaten a Faerie was stupid, but to threaten them with their name was borderline insane.
He smirked, while producing his kid leather gloves from his pocket and sliding them on with ease.
"I admire your confidence girl, but what do you think is quicker, your words or my wrath." Without warning the window slammed open and he was gone, leaving nothing but the chilling air behind.
The breath I didn't realized I had been holding rushed from my lungs and I had to grip the wooden bed post to keep from falling. They had threatened Jesse, He wasn't safe. When my trembling legs finally gave out I slid down to the cold wooden floor, the groves pressing into the backs of my thighs. I bit my lip to hold back the sobs but it still racked violently through me.
Jason wasn't safe, no one was safe.
