My eyes met with the identical sapphire blue of the man standing before me, "Excuse me?"

"You're not asleep, or hallucinating, or dreaming. I may be, but you? No, you certainly are not," the unfamiliar voice said.

"No, you called me little sis?" I asked and stood to get a better look at this new man.

"Yes, you are that," he answered.

"You're... Malakar?" I questioned and stepped away from the couch, giving myself space to breathe- or maybe to escape. I am not sure yet.

"Indubitably so," he answered.

"She has been through a lot today Mal," Stryker started, but Malakar held up a hand to silence him.

"I've been through a lot the past many years, friend. She is a big girl. She can handle meeting her own brother," he retorted.

"It's certainly not the weirdest part of my day," I attempt to joke and stepped towards the balcony, "I need some air."

Malakar and Stryker followed me to the balcony doors. I open the french doors wide and step outside. The two men take up posts on either side of the opening and allow me a bit of space to breathe. I lean against the railing and let out a long sigh.

"So. Does this make you a prince?" I ask Malakar.

"No. Only female Fae are royalty by blood rites. I am unmarried; I cannot be royalty," Malakar explained.

"Oh," I said simply.

"Indeed," said Stryker.

"They keep saying you're unstable. Am I safe with you here?" I asked Malakar but looked to Stryker for an answer.

"You are safe with me, Banphrionsa," Stryker answered for him.

"I asked my brother," I snipped even though that confirmation from Stryker was exactly what I had been looking for in the moment.

"You can believe whatever you choose to believe, Lil K. I'm not what these animals think of me. I should hope you've been raised capable of making your own judgments," Malakar said.

There was a long moment of silence before I let out a large huff of air. I turned to face the men behind me and stood up straight and tall. I tried my best to look confident and authoritative.

"For your fucking information: I all but raised myself. I wasn't raised by someone. I didnt have a family to teach me. My judgements are the only ones I have ever trusted. Take me to the library, we have research to do. I've got to understand me before I can be bothered to make any judgments of someone else," I said.

"Mal is not welcome on the wolves' packland. He will have to remain here in my room so that no one sees him. He has risked himself by comming here," Stryker told me as he eyes his friend with an air of concern.

"Oh. Is there somewhere safer?" I asked.

"Cottage?" Malakar asked and glanced from me to Stryker.

"Yes," Stryker nodded, and Malakar disappeared in a poof of smoke, right before my eyes.

"How?" I gasped.

"High Fae," Stryker laughed and offered me his arm. I took it.

Stryker led me downstairs and through a long corridor to the west. We went down a dimly lit, winding set of stairs at the end. After what felt like five hundred steps, I finally saw a brightly lit room ahead. We stepped off the stairs and onto a landing where a door stood slightly ajar. Light poured from the room within. I blinked trying to adjust to the sudden assault on my eyes as Stryker led the way inside.

"Welcome to the Archival Valorant Library, Lord Stryker. Erm, and guest," a tall woman with long, dull, grey hair said giving me a distasteful look.

"Kasia," I said, returning the sentiment.

"Very well. Lord Stryker how may we be of service today?" She ignored me.

"You will address my guests with respect, first and foremost," Stryker growled, "Secondly, you may see us to the section of ancient texts that contain information about Adoh."

The older woman glared at me but then bowed her head and began walking. Stryker led me along behind her. I couldn't help but stare in awe at the stacks and stacks of books surrounding me. This level of the library alone must take up an entire city block, and I saw a set of stairs leading to another level. This is a place I could spend a whole lot of my time.

I held tightly to Stryker's arm as we walked because I was too busy admiring my surroundings to pay attention to where I was walking. When we suddenly stopped, I nearly stumbled into our guide, but Stryker's sure and steady hands caught me. I felt my face blush as I murmured soft thanks to him. Our eyes met for a, just slightly too long, moment. The grey-haired croon of a woman cleared her throat, drawing our attention back to her, but I felt Stryker's stare linger on me even after I had looked away.

"The information you are seeking may be found in this section on rows four, seven, and nine. There is a ladder at the end of the shelves should you need any of the books on seven or nine. Are you in need of any further assistance, Lord Stryker?" She said and waited for a response.

Stryker diverted his attention to the woman who had led us here and finally turned to face her, "No. That will be all, Agnes. You are dismissed."

The woman bowed her head and scurried quickly away, back toward the entrance of the library. I entered the stack of books that she had indicated and began reading the spines. They all appeared to be written in another language or some sort of old script that I could not decipher. I sighed and shook my head before looking over to Stryker, who had joined me in the stack. His face was concentrated, and his eyes scanned the shelves. I saw it the moment he found what he was seeking. A brilliant shine lit his eyes.

"How do you understand all of this? You must be very educated to be able to read ancient script and foreign language," I asked.

"Gaeilge is my native tongue, Banphrionsa. I can read and speak it fluently. Your language is only slightly different when you get to the root of things," he explained as he began pulling the ladder down the stack.

"And the script?" I asked, trying to keep up a conversation rather than stand around uselessly.

"My age does show with that one, I suppose," Stryker laughed as he began to climb the ladder.

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

At his height, it only took a moment for him to reach the book on the seventh shelf he had been eyeing. Once Stryker had returned to the floor he led me to a small table behind the stacks and laid the book upon it. Dust floated up from the pages making me cringe. Apparently, Agnes is not the best librarian. I blew the rest of the dust from the cover, revealing surprisingly shiny gold lettering.

Of course, I couldn't read it. I had to rely on Stryker's translation of the information. Luckily, the guy had literally just willingly sworn his life to me earlier. So, I have no known reason to doubt his intentions on this matter. I sat down, and he opened the book. He read the table of contents, flipped to page one thirty-eight, and began translating the text aloud for me.

"The return of the crowned princess shall be the beacon of hope. Our long dormant civilization shall be revitalized. The... hold on this word is unclear... The Cogadhmóralty shall come to pass and the death of a king will lead our people into the light once more. Cogadhmóralty? Let me think... cogadh mór? The great war? No that can't be what they are talking about. Didn't the war happen already?" Stryker said.

"The war on the mainland? They called that the great war in some recent texts... but others... the older ones, called it the cleansing," I told him, remembering history lessons from the primitive amount of schooling that Eliza had provided me.

"The cleansing?" Stryker asked and flipped a few pages in the book.

"Ah, here... an glantachán," he said and read a few lines to himself before looking over at me.

Stryker was wide-eyed and seemed startled by what he had just read. He closed the book and abruptly stood. I followed him back into the stacks. He put the book away and grabbed another one off of row nine. When he again descended from the ladder, he tucked the book under his left arm and grabbed my hand. I was suddenly being pulled along toward the entrance of the library.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

Stryker did not answer but instead quickened his pace. Agnes called after us in protest as we exited the library with the book. Stryker shut the door behind us, and I suddenly found myself blind and standing on the landing next to the dimly lit stairs. I pulled my hand from Stryker's grip and stopped moving. I felt the air move as I assumed he turned to face me and I waited for my eyes to adjust.

"We have to go, right now. You're not safe here in the packhouse surrounded by these mongrels. We need to get you to the cottage so that Malakar and I can protect you. We have to go NOW, Kasia," Stryker's voice sounded both worried and demanding, all at once.

He was giving me an order, that was clear. He was also worried about me; that part felt a little weird. I've never had anyone actually worry about me without it being because of some agenda. I've spent most of my life in danger. I suppose that's why his sense of urgency fell on deaf ears.

"Tell me what's going on. This place is the fucking safest one I've stayed in, in years, comparatively. I do not understand why you are so gods damned insistent on dragging me away from here? Why do you think I am more unsafe here than anywhere else I could be? There's literally a crazy-ass vampire with a bounty on my head out there in the real world. What if I don't fucking want to leave this place?" I snapped.

My objections were useless. Stryker, who was clearly done with my questions, grabbed my throat and shoved me into the door behind us in a singular swift movement. Our eyes locked, and our noses brushed gently against one another as I let out a small umph at the impact. For a moment, there was total silence in the darkness around us. I could hear my pulse beating in my throat under his fingertips. As I opened my mouth to ask what the hell he was doing, I instead found it covered by his. Is this really a good time to be kissing in the hall? No, but I leaned into it and kissed him back anyway. He tasted sweet as I let my tongue explore his mouth. For just a moment I let myself get lost in the fantasy of kissing a beautiful Fair Folk outside an ancient library and the world fell away around us. Well, that was some turn of events.

When Stryker pulled away from the kiss, his eyes were darkened, and his breathing slightly heavier. He slowly ran his hand from my throat down my collarbone and then moved to rest his forearm on the wall beside my head. He leaned in next to my ear, and the warmth of his breath sent chills across my body.

"Shut that gorgeous mouth of yours and listen to me. Right now. I don't want to have to make you, but I will, Kasia. My duty is to protect you, fight for you, and see to your wellbeing at all times," Stryker said in an authoritative growl that made my knees go weak.

Well, that stirred things in me that I didn't even know existed. I nodded, and Stryker took a step back. He grabbed my hand and led me back onto the stairs. My heart was still racing as I followed him obediently. I'm not entirely sure what just happened or what's going on, but I do know that I desperately want to find out, or at least to maybe get him to do that again somehow.

It took me a few moments to clear my head from the fog of post-hot-Fair-Folk-kiss. When I did, I realized Stryker was taking us down the stairs and further into darkness rather than back up the way we had come. I blinked trying to adjust my eyes more and gain some sort of grip on our location, but at this point, we are so far underground that even the candles lining the stairs seemed to be losing their battle with the darkness. I gripped Stryker's hand more tightly, and he slowed the pace a bit.

"These are the catacombs under the packlands. There's a tunnle system at the bottom of the stairs. Very few know of its existance, and only I know the safe path out into the forrest," Stryker told me quietly as we reached the bottom of the stairs.

My legs are starting to feel like jello. That had to have been nearly three thousand stairs we just rapidly declined. The change in air pressure is making me dizzy, but my lack of cardio training certainty did not help the matter. Man, I should start going to the gym. I am never going to be able to keep up with this dude. My thoughts became fuzzy and knowing that feeling, I braced myself against Stryker's arm just as my body gave way to unconsciousness. I apparently have got to start eating more often now that I have this Fae thing going on.

"Kasia? Are you okay? Can you hear me?" Stryker's voice was calm and soothing as it pulled me back into consciousness.

"I'm here," I said dumbly.

"Good girl. It appears you've been drugged. Did Lorién or Lisana offer you food that they did not also eat?" Stryker asked in a quiet yet somehow deadly-sounding voice.

"Lorién had food brought to me twice. I saw my dinner being delivered. I was out of the room when they brought breakfast, though. Lisana drugged me before I got brought here too," I said, realizing how groggy my head felt.

"Noted," Stryker said and tightened his grip on me.

Only then did I realize that I was being carried. Stryker's grip had been so soft that my body had not registered that we were even moving. Now, his fingers pressed firmly into my thigh and forearm as he carried me bridal style out of the dark tunnels. Moonlight lit his face as I looked up at him. How long had we been in there? How far had he carried me?

A ghostly giggle against the stark contrast of the silent night around us startled me. If Stryker hadn't had a firm grip, I would have fallen onto my ass when I jumped in surprise. The giggle gave way to laughter for only a moment before a low growl from Stryker silenced them.

"Geneva, enough," he said with a frightening finality.

The rest of the walk was silent. Stryker made no motion to set me down, so I took the opportunity to rest my head against his chest. He was warm and smelled good. I glanced up and saw a smile grace his stunning features. It was almost hard to believe that someone so beautiful had me pinned to a wall by my throat not too long ago. It was harder to believe how much I enjoyed it.

The faint glow of lantern lights drew my attention. I turned my head to see a beautifully rustic log cabin before me. As I wiggled to get a better look, Stryker gently lowered me to my feet. I stood on uneasy legs. Stryker offered his arm, which I took to maintain my balance.

"Let's get you inside, Banphrionsa," he said, leading me onto the porch.

Malakar met us at the door and immediately scooped me into his arms. He looked at my face and then at Stryker before he let out a frustrated huff. Malakar carried me into the cabin and placed me on a soft velvet sofa. Before I realized he had even moved away, he was back with a glass of water.

"Drink this, Sis," he said.

I took the glass and emptied it far faster than I had intended. Malakar instantly took it to refil. I could vaguely hear him in the kitchen speaking to Stryker.

"Lorién drugged her breakfast, I think," Stryker said quietly.

"I'll rip his impudent hands from his body for this. He probably expected to have her passed out in his bed chamber right about now," Malakar sounded very angry.

"I'll take care of it, Mal," Stryker said calmly.

"You better hurry then, before I handle it myself," Malakar growled.

I did my very best to appear that I had not been eavesdropping when Malakar returned with the second glass of water. He smiled at me as he placed it in my hands. This time I drank more slowly. I was feeling less groggy but I couldn't remember much past Stryker reading to me in the library. My head was splitting with pain, and I rubbed my temples.

"You've been given Ladorium, it would appear. Its a very slow release compound. Your gifts may be hard to access for a few days. You'll also probably have that headache until morning. Get some rest, we will chat tomorrow," Malakar told me and then disappeared into a puff of smoke as he had done before.

Stryker entered the room from what I assumed was the kitchen. He approached slowly and offered his hand to me. I took his hand and stood, but my legs didn't hold, and I found myself stumbling into his arms instead. He placed his hands on my shoulders and steadied me.

"My lady, please allow me to escort you to your room," he offered.

I nodded and attempted to take a step but nearly collapsed. I didn't feel this bad last time. Whoever spiked my food must have upped the dose because the effects are much worse now.

"Careful there, Banphrionsa," Stryker said softly.

"Sorry," I muttered as I focused and finally found my feet.

Stryker led me upstairs. He allowed me to lean a fair amount of my weight against him as we walked, which I was thankful for. Once we reached the landing we took a left down the hall. Stryker stopped in front of a beautiful but modest pine wood door and opened it for me. I allowed him to lead me over to the bed. Once I was settled into a seated position, and he was satisfied that I wouldn't fall off the edge, he turned to leave.

"What is Ladorium?" I asked, searching for a reason for him to stay.

Stryker paused for a moment before he turned back to face me and spoke, "It's the equivalent of a slow release minor tranqualizer. I think humans call it... a date rape drug? Your father saw Lorién slip it into your food this morning but failed to mention that until Mal and I were discussing the situation in the kitchen," he explained with an annoyed bite to his tone.

I blinked and covered my mouth with my hand. Perhaps Lorién is the unstable one. What on earth was he going to do? I do not even want to know. My stomach turned at the thought. I was in real danger with that man, and I did not realize it at all. A cool fear settled into me thinking about the situation I'd gotten myself into. I almost started to believe that he wanted to protect me from his sister. Clearly, that was not the case.

"Stryker?" I said, looking up at him.

"Yes, Banphrionsa?" He tilted his head with the question.

"Can we talk about what happened... outside the library?," I asked wanting to draw out the interaction so that I wasn't left all alone.

Although I wasn't sure why I felt any safer with a man in my room, something in my gut said that Stryker was safe. I had no primal fear of him and I didn't hear any deceit in his words the way I had with Lorién. I met his eyes as I waited for his response. He seemed to be thinking rather hard about my request.

"As you wish," Stryker said finally.

"Why did you kiss me?" I asked blatantly.

"I had to make you shut up and listen to me. It got your attention, which was the intention," he said in an indifferent tone.

"Oh... So it was just to get my attention? Great. I didn't want you to have the wrong idea about me," I responded just as indifferently so that my disappointment did not show and I looked around the room trying to think of another question to keep him here longer.

"Of course, Banphrionsa. I wouldn't dare to think of you in any way other than as my future queen. I apologize if I gave the wrong impression of my intentions. Listen, I'll sleep there so that I can guard you tonight," Stryker said and indicated the chaise lounge near the window.

It was almost as if he had read my mind about not wanting to be alone. I nodded quickly, not daring to push my luck on having company. I feel very vulnerable and having him nearby feels safer. I studied him for a small moment and then climbed under the covers on the plush pillowtop bed. I rested my head on the goose-down pillow and tried to get comfortable. Stryker setteled onto the chaise quietly. The room was so quiet that only our breathing could be heard. It seemed even the tree frogs and crickets had taken the night off.

"Stryker? You did say gorgeous, though," I yawned and finally started to drift into a natural sleep. Only a quiet chuckle came in answer.