"So, what's the plan now?" Scarlette turned to me, still chewing the last of her meal as if we weren't on the brink of a kingdom-wide disaster.
"We need a lead. Someone who can get us into the Light Fairy Kingdom." I said, dusting off my hands.
"And who would that be?" She raised an eyebrow.
I smirked. "Ah, this is usually the part where we practice patience. Some of us need it more than others."
Scarlette rolled her eyes, but before she could fire back, I scooped up a handful of sand and tossed it into the fire, snuffing it out.
Then, as if the universe had impeccable timing, a streak of golden light darted through the trees ahead.
"Would that be a lead?" Scarlette asked, pointing at the glowing figure weaving through Devran's forest.
A Light Fairy. Bingo.
"Run after her!" I barked, already grabbing Scarlette's wrist and pulling her along.
"Wait!" She dug her heels in, yanking back.
I turned in irritation just as she dashed to scoop up the emerald.
That careless girl.
As we ran, the sky finally darkened, and I felt the surge of power ripple through me. Shadows stretched and twisted, drawn into my being like moths to flame.
"At last," I murmured, savoring the rush.
Then I saw it—a vampire pinning down the Light Fairy.
"Light Fairy in duress. Now that's the perfect lead," I grinned.
The vampire turned, his eyes locking onto us. He hesitated, gaze shifting from the injured fairy to Scarlette. His stance changed. Interest flared.
I saw it. That instinct, that hunger.
He was about to dart toward her.
Not on my watch. She's mine.
I lunged, ramming into him before he could take a step, shoving him deep into the bushes.
Scarlette barely spared me a glance, already kneeling beside the Light Fairy.
Meanwhile, I had my own business to handle. My diet is… selective. Not skewers, but villains? They make for a fine feast.
The vampire staggered to his feet, his confusion shifting to fury.
"Show yourself!" he snarled.
They're all the same.
Like clockwork, I let the darkness seep out, my silhouette vanishing into the thick fog. My eyes, piercing grey, cut through the gloom.
He barely had time to scream before I grabbed him, my fingers digging into his skull. The dark mist poured from his mouth, swirling into me.
"Go get your own Love Fairy."
His body withered, crumbling like dead leaves. I tossed the husk aside.
Now, that was delicious.
I made my way back to Scarlette.
There she was, standing still, red mist curling from her hands.
Healing magic? The one she claimed to have used on King Baltimore before?
A crimson orb floated between her palms, bright yellow mist swirling around it in intricate, twisting patterns.
"What is she doing?" I muttered, narrowing my eyes. It was not healing magic.
I stepped closer. "Scarlette."
At the sound of my voice, she snapped to attention, quickly hiding the orb behind her back.
Oh, wonderful. Another secret.
Must I keep watch over her every second of the day?
"Are you healing the Light Fairy?" I asked.
"Yes." Her answer came too fast, too stiff. The orb behind her hands pulsed, flickering between red and gold.
Then, she tried to change the subject. "The vampire?"
I exhaled, irritated but playing along. "Gone."
She nodded absently, still clutching the orb.
I tilted my head. "You do know I can see it, right?"
Scarlette froze for half a second before her expression smoothed over. "What? No, it's just the Baltimorean Emerald. You know, the one I was holding on to?"
Oh, that was bad. That was a terrible lie.
In my short time with her, I'd realized Scarlette was many things—sharp, powerful, chaotic—but a good liar? Not one of them.
I stared at her flatly. She stared back, unwavering.
Then, just as I was about to speak, the Light Fairy stirred with a sharp gasp, her eyes fluttering open.
Perfect timing.
As the Light Fairy slowly came to, her eyes widened in horror. She curled into a ball, hiding behind her knees.
"D-Don't hurt me," she whimpered, her gaze locking onto Scarlette.
Wait a minute… she's scared of Scarlette? What did Scarlette do to her?
"You're a Dark Fairy, aren't you? I want no trouble," the Light Fairy struggled to stand, hands raised in surrender.
Oh, I had to milk this.
And honestly… now that I looked at Scarlette, I could see it. The crimson hair streaked with purple, the sharpness in her gaze—her entire presence screamed deviant. Not exactly the delicate charm of a Love Fairy. No wonder she looked like one of my kind.
"Yes, she is a Dark Fairy, and I healed you. I'm a Love Fairy," I said smoothly, flashing what I hoped was a convincing smile.
Oh, it was the perfect plan. Now no one would use my weakness against me. Light magic may be my weakness, but how could anyone ever think of using it on me if I am just your Love Fairy next door? Brilliant.
Scarlette shot me a death glare. If looks could kill—well, let's just say I'd be needing some actual healing.
"We Love Fairies and Light Fairies have to look out for each other," I added, placing a reassuring hand over my heart for dramatic effect.
That should seal the deal. Right back at you, Scarlette.
"What are you doing?" she asked, her voice a mix of annoyance and disbelief, her expression barely twitching.
"Well, I'm just a smiling, charming Love Fairy," I replied, grinning wider.
Oh my gods—how do they do this smiling thing? My face was already cramping.
The Light Fairy gave us a suspicious look. Then, after a pause, she sighed and sat up.
"The two of you are one of those, aren't you?"
I blinked. One of what? I glanced at Scarlette, searching for an answer, but her expression was as blank as mine.
"Why do you judge us too?" I asked, injecting just the right amount of irritation into my tone. At least, I hoped it sounded right.
Scarlette looked at me, almost impressed. I was the better liar, I could already tell.
"No, I don't judge progressive couples," the Light Fairy said, shaking her head. "No wonder you look slightly like a Dark Fairy too. It's because you're with her."
...Excuse me?
Everything about her logic was flawed. First of all, what was she even talking about? Second, slightly? I look only slightly like a Dark Fairy? What utter nonsense.
None of this made sense, but I had to keep up the act.
"No, we are not—" Scarlette started, but I quickly clamped a hand over her mouth.
She was not going to ruin this for me.
I forced a friendly smile to the Light Fairy. "She's just shy." And I shot a glare at Scarlette, causing her to take a step back.
"But you see," I continued, lowering my voice to something softer, almost melancholic. "We were abandoned by our factions. Our union is unnatural. They called us an abomination. Now… we're just a couple looking for refuge."
I sighed dramatically, letting the weight of our tragic love story settle.
Scarlette looked at me, horrified.
Did this confirm that I was that good of a liar?
Yes. Yes, it did.
"So, you will help us?" Scarlette asked, her voice trailing off.
"Yes, the Light Fairy Kingdom welcomes all progressive couples. You'll be safe," the Light Fairy said, adding, "Besides, I owe you guys my life."
Oh, silly Light Fairies—so self-righteous, so deluded, and so gullible.
"Thank you so much for your kindness," I replied smoothly.
Scarlette rolled her eyes, clearly unimpressed.
"Were you both running too?" the Light Fairy asked. "I saw an army of Love Fairies killing a Dark Fairy. It was very heated. Hence, I ran, only to be hunted by a vampire."
She kept yammering on, but I couldn't help but appreciate the information. Yes, Devran is definitely dead.
"Yes, they were against our romance," I added, feigning a sad tone. "Her Dark Fairy friend tried standing up for us, but it's tragic he didn't make it."
Scarlette walked off, clearly done with my shenanigans, but I hadn't even scratched the surface.
Then the Light Fairy grabbed my arm. "The vampire?"
"Oh, she killed the vampire," I replied, keeping up my pretense. "It tried hunting me, too."
The Light Fairy believed every word. Not very bright, but hey, who's complaining?
"Oh, it's useful to have a Dark Fairy around, indeed," the Light Fairy commented.
I smiled, but it still hurt.
"Let me lead the way to the Light Fairy Kingdom. You both can spend the night at my place," she offered, walking ahead of us.
Great, it worked just like that. So anyway, I just need to keep my fake Love Fairy act and then we can go in seamlessly. Also, did the Light Fairy just give us space because she wanted to give us privacy?
Then, I noticed Scarlette's eyes light up, and she turned to me.
"Is it really happening?" she asked, disbelief in her voice.
"You betcha. That's what Love Fairies do," I replied, forcing enthusiasm into my tone.
Disgusting. But Scarlette laughed. Was I actually funny?
Then it hit me—her magic earlier. I hadn't forgotten about it.
"What spell were you casting earlier?" I asked, narrowing my eyes as I studied her.
"What spell?" she replied, her gaze sliding away from mine.
Yep. Suspicious.
"The red orb with the yellow mist swirling around it. You took her heart, didn't you?" I glared at Scarlette, knowing full well it was the same trick she'd used on Devran.
"No," she replied quickly, almost too quickly. "Wouldn't work anyway."
I wasn't about to fall for the first lie a Love Fairy tried to sell. Especially not from her—she was the worst liar in history. "As if," I muttered under my breath, unimpressed.
"I couldn't hurt a Dark Fairy with a chaos-driven spell. No obsession or lovesick magic would work, so I had to get creative and control him instead. That's why I needed a bit of your dark magic too. Perfect, since it was literally oozing out of you when Devran was strangling you," she explained, her voice smooth. "That's why I could grab Devran's heart. But Light Fairies are a different story."
Crap. So there was more to her magic than I thought.
"What exactly did you do?" I asked again, inching closer, now fully invested in this little game she was playing.
Her magic swirled around her again, and she smirked, holding out her palm. A glowing ball of red and yellow pulsed in her hand, shimmering with power. She quickly tucked it away before I could react, clinging to my arm like she owned it.
"Are you two alright back there?" The Light Fairy called over her shoulder, her voice annoyingly upbeat.
Scarlette feigned a smile as she locked arms with me, leaning against my shoulder in that maddening way of hers.
The Light Fairy giggled to herself, still keeping her distance in front of us, then turned back to face the road.
I shrugged Scarlette off, but something about it bothered me. Why did my heart race when she touched me? Was her magic messing with me too? Did I even like it?
"Relax, Veravos," Scarlette said with a playful grin. "Light Fairies are easy to navigate. They owe you once you've saved them. I didn't do anything."
"And the orb?" I pressed, not letting her off the hook so easily.
"You don't need to worry about it," she said, tapping my nose lightly with her finger.
"Boop," she added with a wink.
That flirt. I wasn't going to let her get under my skin, but damn, if it wasn't working.
"So handsome," she purred, her eyes locking with mine, her voice so sweet it was almost sickening.
I could feel my cheeks heating up. Why was my face so warm all of a sudden? What was she doing to me?
She twirled a lock of my dark, curly hair between her fingers, her touch soft but demanding.
"Stop that," I grumbled, though I couldn't deny the way my heart skipped a beat. "I'm not your toy."
"But I'm bored, and it's such a long walk…" she said with a teasing smile, her voice full of mischief.
Of all the people I could be stuck with, it had to be this playful, maddening Love Fairy.
Scarlette must have caught the thought in my expression because she sighed, her tone flat.
"Like I said, dark magic and love magic fused together can create control," she mused, her gaze distant, as if unraveling a thought. "My love magic alone wasn't enough to pull out a heart. And it certainly isn't enough for what I might need to do next."
A prickle of unease crawled up my spine. "And what exactly is next?" I asked, keeping my voice even.
"Not control, not bondage—" she tilted her head, a slow grin forming, "—but blind love and loyalty." Her eyes gleamed with something dangerous, something knowing. "Now, when you combine Light magic and Love magic? That's when things get interesting." She twirled a strand of hair between her fingers. "Imagine it. Seeing past every red flag in the name of love."
My breath hitched. "You can do that?"
Scarlette's grin widened. "Careful," she murmured, her voice almost a purr. "I might use it on you."
A cold knot twisted in my stomach. The very thought of Scarlette toying with my emotions, bending my will to hers, sent a shiver through me. No way was I letting that happen.
She laughed, light and amused, then turned away—sauntering toward the Light Fairy with that effortless, infuriating sway of hers.
As she walked off, I couldn't help but feel a mix of wariness and something else I didn't want to admit. No way. She wasn't getting into my head. Not this time.