Broken Kei (The Broken Ones Book 4) Read online

  Do you think Hale could help? About such things, she used mind-speech with the boys, even if Baelan wasn't in the room. The Elf had good hearing and was so silent she often didn't even notice if he was near.

  No, Garen replied softly. He's too young.

  She'd asked if Garen could go into Kei's mind and gotten a long drawn out explanation of why he wouldn't. Or couldn't. He'd never been in Kei's mind before. He didn't even know for certain if the Fey had such a place. Were did, Elves did. Most humans didn't. Since Fey weren't telepathic, it was quite possible they didn't either. Like the odd human, it was possible for them to create a mental barrier, but Garen wasn't certain what he would find, or not. It would be too easy for him to become lost. Even if Kei did have a special place in his mind, the Were wasn't sure what state it would be in. A broken mind could be a dangerous place.

  When she'd pressed and sensed Garen's panic, she dropped the matter. It had been inconsiderate of her to even ask, considering he'd already lost a part of himself. When young, the Were lost his connection to his human form and spent more than a century as a wolf.

  What about Silas or Raythe? She wasn't sure how old the Were twins who worked for Roan were.

  I don't know. He paused. Dealing with their alpha, should something happen, would be an issue.

  She nodded absently. The last thing they needed was further reason to have the Were angry with them. They were lucky enough the Were king hadn't come for them over the winter after learning she made them a pack. Suppressing a shudder, she pushed those thoughts away. Her nightmares of the Were king chasing her down and killing her were bad enough. Reality could be so much worse and was something she just didn't have the strength to deal with now.

  They sat in silence for a while before Garen raised his head and looked to the hall.

  Baelan walked in, carrying a fresh pitcher of water.

  Have you considered the Elf?

  Her lip curled in contempt as she watched him walk across the room to put the pitcher on the side table. I don't trust him.

  The Elf stopped abruptly, head lowering as his shoulders curved in. Long, slender fingers clasped the pitcher tightly but still she saw them tremble. He didn't look at her, just remained frozen as she glared at him.

  Calm your anger. It does no good now, Garen muttered.

  Her emotions tumbled about. Turning her attention back to Kei, she took a deep breath. Garen was right. Now wasn't the time to get angry again about having the Elf here. It didn't matter how she felt about him. There wasn't a thing she could do about it.

  No matter what she did, he constantly hovered around her. Even sending him out on errands didn't give her a lot of alone time. He always returned quickly whenever she sent him off to the market. She'd even sent him with Bo to get furniture for his own room, the empty one next to hers. They hadn't been gone long. He never used the room either. Stupid Elf.

  Elaina turned and rested a hand on Bo's shoulder. "I need to get to the tavern."

  Aro glanced at the window, noting it was close to noon.

  "Can you…" Elaina paused. "Could you help today, for a while? Father wasn't feeling well last night."

  Bo looked over to her and Aro nodded. Go. I'll be here. Spend some time with her. You need a break.

  So do you, pup. He turned back to Elaina. "Of course."

  Garen jumped off the bed as they rose. I need to go outside. I'll be back soon.

  Bo paused at the door. "Do you need anything?"

  She shook her head. All she needed was for Kei to wake up, but he couldn't give her that.

  "I'll bring over something for dinner later."

  She forced a smile as they all left. The silence of the room weighed down on her. Strong. She must stay strong. I'm here, Kei. Please, wake up.

  Closing her eyes, she squeezed his hand and once again tried to reach him through their Fey bond. She pushed and pulled, held him tightly, begged. Like every other time, only the numbness met her actions. How long did he have left?

  A rising sense of desperation washed over her. Her options had run out. Kei wouldn't live much longer like this.

  "Come here," she said softly. Soft, quick steps crossed the room and opening her eyes, she looked up at Baelan.

  "How may I serve you?"

  Did he say such things on purpose? She scowled in response. His head tipped slightly to the side and he frowned.

  The gesture reminded her so much of Prince. A sudden pain clenched her chest and she quickly looked away. Rot, she still missed him so much.

  Clearing her throat, she ignored the Elf and brought her thoughts back to where they should be. Prince was gone. Kei was here, and he needed her.

  It took a moment before she could speak. She didn't want to ask Baelan for his help. Trust wasn't the only issue. She worried something could go wrong. She'd never forgive herself if something happened to Kei.

  Shifting, she sat up to kneel beside her Fey, keeping her eyes on his face. Baelan waited patiently at the end of the bed.

  "He's not waking up," she finally said, still not looking at the Elf. She pulled Kei's hand into her lap and held on tightly. "I can't…I don't know…." She shook her head and pressed her lips together tightly for a moment, fighting to stay calm.

  "What would you like me to do?" When she didn't answer right away, he continued softly, "I don't know how to heal others. Or a broken mind."

  "Can you see if he's in there?" She turned her head to look up at him. "If there's anything of him at all?"

  His gray gaze regarded her for a moment before he nodded and walked around the bed to sit in one of the empty chairs. Placing his hand over Kei's, he closed his eyes.

  Aro held her breath.

  "There are no surface thoughts," he said after a moment.

  She knew that, though wasn't going to share that information. "Can you try looking further?"

  A faint frown crossed his face. "He has a mental shield up, though it is weak."

  She caught the surprise in his tone and unconsciously leaned forward as hope rose within her. "Is that good?"

  "Most humans and Fey don't have them. If he was lost to you, I would not expect it to be there. I will try to–"

  Kei's eyes snapped open.

  She briefly saw them glowing a violent red before he screamed and shot upright.

  "No!"

  The hand she held jerked up, catching her hard under the chin. As she began to tip to the side the hand swung about with unnatural speed, striking her so hard across the face the force sent her right off the bed. Something crashed, and she heard Baelan's shocked curse.

  "Kei!" Scrambling to her feet, she sprang back to the bed. Only moments had passed, yet already he'd fallen back down. As she quickly crawled toward him she watched claws recede from his twitching hands. He stared up at the ceiling, eyes wide and the fury already fading. Before she could say a word, the light was gone and his lids slowly closed.

  "Kei!" Once again kneeling beside him, she took his face in her hands. He was there. She hadn't lost him yet. A slightly hysterical laugh escaped her until she choked. Blood filled her mouth. Perhaps she bit her tongue? She didn't care.

  "Arowyn."

  The strangled whisper caused her to turn. Baelan sprawled up against the wall, legs tangled over the fallen chair. His wide eyes locked on the Fey. He'd never seen a Fey in a fury before.

  "You must have startled him." She paused. "Perhaps he thought you were Damon."

  He blinked twice and then looked at her. All color drained from his suddenly stricken face. With the grace only an Elf could have, he untangled himself from the fallen chair and sprang to his feet. Before she could say a word, he grabbed a handful of cloths from the side of the bed and flung himself across Kei to slap them to the side of her face.

  It wasn't until then the burning pain registered.

  Panicked gray eyes searched her face as she just stared at him in surprise. It took her a moment to figure out Kei must have struck her with his claws. Lowering her eyes
, she blanched seeing blood spattered across her arms and the bed sheets. From the amount of it, she had more than a little scratch.

  "You're fine, my lovely. You're fine," Baelan said quickly, pressing harder against the cloth.

  A disbelieving smile twisted her lips at his concern and she winced as the movement brought a sharp sting of pain to her cheek. She swallowed blood and tried not to gag.

  Baelan inhaled a sharp breath, his brows drawing together. He leaned closer, his forehead close to hers as he pulled the cloth back. Jerking back, he pushed the cloth back swiftly.

  "It's not healing. Why isn't it healing?" His eyes found hers and she almost laughed at the rising panic within them.

  "Is it that bad?" She didn't want to waste the very little bit of fury she had remaining. Once it was gone….

  His eyes widened. "It looks like he tore half your face off," he snapped brusquely. A frown crossed his lips. "Doesn't it hurt?"

  She snorted. The pain was there, but it was nothing compared to the pain of being beaten by Elves and the healing that followed, or being nearly gutted by one of the Vor.

  The Elf caught her thoughts, his gaze dropped, and he shook his head slightly. "You need to heal," he said softly. "You're losing a lot of blood."

  "Fine." Closing her eyes, she easily slipped within herself and then deeper. Losing all sense of self didn't leave her as disorientated as it once did. It only took a moment to find the two wounds across her face.

  One cut followed along her jawline. It wasn't too deep, but she quickly gathered her power and stopped the bleeding before looking to the one above it. It slashed from cheekbone to lips, parallel to the other. It took longer to stop this deeper gash from bleeding. In one spot it cut right through her cheek, which explained the blood in her mouth.

  With the bleeding stopped, she concentrated on slowly mending her flesh. Working slowly used less power and caused less pain.

  She felt the cloth pull away and heard a deep relieved sigh. Keeping her eyes closed, she continued to heal. As her power waned, she hesitated on using it all.

  Fingers gently grasped her chin as Baelan moved her head to the side to get a better look. "Almost done," he whispered.

  Deciding there was no point in saving the little that remained, she completed the healing on the top wound, pushing a little more in so not even a scar remained. She focused on the cut on her jaw. The skin mended and her brows drew together in concentration as she tried to find and pull forth every bit of power within her to complete the healing.

  A trickle of soft light burned within for a moment and the healing completed. Shock filled her as she jerked her head out of Baelan's grasp. What was…

  She swiftly locked down all her thoughts and emotions. Opening her eyes, she relaxed to see the Elf only studying her face.

  "Well done."

  Lowering her gaze, she struggled not to panic. She'd pulled power from Baelan. From an Elf.

  She wasn't supposed to be able to do that.

  If the Elves found out she could… A shiver ran through her body and she closed her eyes, trying to remain calm and keep breathing.

  Cloth moved across her face and she started, her eyes opening quickly.

  Baelan gave her a faint, beautiful smile. "Let's get you cleaned up."

  Nothing in his expression led her to believe he noticed her little bit of thievery. Pushing her thoughts far into her mind, she just nodded. Nothing happened. Nothing happened. Act normal.

  Turning her attention to Kei as she slipped off the bed, a sudden smile formed on her lips. "He's still there," she said faintly. Hope blossomed within her.

  "Yes, he is." Baelan grabbed a few more cloths and wiped his hands. "If you'd like to go down and bathe," he said, his voice suddenly quieter, "I'll change the sheets." He shifted from one foot to the other and dropped his head.

  She didn't know what bothered him now. Understanding the Elf seemed an impossible task. Glancing down, she grimaced at the blood covering her. She didn't want to leave Kei, but she was overdue for a wash. Heading downstairs, she quickly gave up trying to figure the Elf out and closed herself into the bath room. Setting the water running into the tub, she stripped off her clothes, almost giddy as she thought about Kei. She hadn't lost him yet. Somehow, she'd figure out how to bring him back.

  As the tub filled she contacted Bo and Garen, giving them a shortened version of what happened. They were just as excited. Garen didn't resist throwing in an "I told you so" either.

  Once settled into the warm water, her thoughts turned again to the power she'd unintentionally stolen. A small spark remained within her and she marveled at the difference between it and the power she took from the Fey.

  When she pulled fury from them, she somehow was able to separate raw power from the actual fury. It was a rough, bright light within her. The fury itself was a wild seething mass of black and red. It gave the Fey the power to grow claws and fangs, as well as giving them extra speed and strength. For a long time, she let it seep away until Roan informed her power was power. The fury had a specific purpose for the Fey, but she could still use it for whatever purpose she required, such as healing. She didn't understand how it worked, only that it did.

  The power she'd taken from Baelan intrigued her. It reminded her more of raw power than fury, but with a softer feel. If there'd been more within her she would have attempted to see if she could pull it apart as well.

  Shaking her head, she quickly discarded any other thoughts. If the Elves discovered she could take their power, she wouldn't live long. She had to make sure she never did it again. Grimacing, she finished washing her hair and cursed herself for having too much curiosity. Wondering if she could take power from the Were, or even the Dragos, would certainly get her killed. She had enough enemies as it was.

  After getting out of the tub and pulling the stopper, she frowned. She forgot to bring clean clothes down. After drying off, she jumped as a knock came at the door.

  "I have clothes."

  Her brows rose in surprise as she quickly tucked the towel around herself. "Just set them inside." The door creaked open a bit, a pile was shoved through the crack, and then the door closed again. Perhaps Baelan could be useful after all.

  "Thank you," she called, though wasn't sure if he remained outside or not. He'd likely frown at her for being polite to him, but she didn't care. Her family raised her to have good manners. She wasn't about to stop because the stupid Elf thought treating a servant with respect was wrong.

  ∞ ∞ ∞

  Aro paced her bedroom, every few moments her eyes going to Kei. Baelan had cleaned up her blood and changed the sheets while she bathed. He was gone now, though whether he was cleaning or burning the sheets she didn't know or care. She had time to herself without his hovering.

  Her thoughts spun once again, going over what happened with Kei, trying to decide if she should have Baelan attempt it again.

  Chewing her lower lip, she worried over her lack of power. If he went into a fury again she didn't know what would happen. She'd seen him in his fury multiple times before, but he had some semblance of control then. Deep in her soul she always knew he'd never hurt her. He didn't seem to have that now. She understood why; his fear and pain overtook everything else. Eventually she'd get through to him, but….

  Grimacing, she shook her head. Learning to heal was something new. She'd gone most of her life not having the gift. How had she come to depend on it so quickly? It didn't matter, she would be extra careful. Getting Kei back was the most important thing.

  "Arowyn?"

  Her feet stopped moving and a weary sigh escaped her before she could stop it. Turning, she saw Baelan behind her, holding her brush.

  "I can brush my own hair," she snapped. His mouth opened, but before he could speak she continued, "I don't care if my hair is in knots. Kei is more important than that."

  "Of course," he answered quietly, his gaze dropping to the floor. Turning swiftly, he returned the brush to her dresser. "Is there
anything else I–"

  "No." Sometimes she just wanted to strangle him. She hated, hated, being waited on.

  Pacing once more, she tried to re-gather her thoughts. Should she try to tie Kei down? That would likely make things worse. Not knowing everything Damon had done to him didn't help. She didn't know what might trigger his fury.

  Finally, she stopped and turned, her eyes seeking the Elf. She found him standing against the wall by the door, head bowed, his silvery hair once again hiding his face. Her brows drew together in confusion. For some reason his hands clenched and unclenched over and over at his sides. She cleared her throat.

  His head shot up, pale eyes immediately latching onto her face.

  "I'd like to try that again with Kei. I want to try to keep him with us longer, so I can let him know he's here and not still with Damon."

  His head tipped to the side as he frowned. "He was conscious when we retrieved him."

  "I know, but I can't otherwise explain why he reacted like he did. He's…lost. Perhaps he doesn't remember. Maybe he thought it was a dream? I don't know."

  "May I suggest we don't stand as close this time?"

  A slight smile quirked her lips. "Sounds good to me. Do you have to touch him?"

  He shook his head. "I'm not going into his mind, just pushing beyond his shields. Do you plan to subdue him? Or would you like me to?"

  Hesitating, she turned to Kei. If the Elf knew she could no longer heal, he'd probably try to send her out of the house. "I'll–" Her answer died abruptly, Roan's words suddenly echoing in her head. You need to think, Arowyn. "Rot," she muttered.

  Baelan remained silent as she stared at Kei for a long time. Being impulsive wasn't going to help her. She needed to think about others, even Baelan. Not telling him could have disastrous consequences. It still galled her to share with him though.

  "I have no power left," she finally said abruptly. "I used the last to heal my face."

  When he remained silent, she turned back to face him. He regarded her with a curious look on his face, which she didn't understand at all. She needed a rotting book on how to understand the stupid Elf.