Turning, she saw that tiny flit of butterfly wings and a ghostly figure approaching.
In the human world a doppelganger would look like whomever it was they were trying to destroy, but in Faerie they looked like the spirits they were. They were tricksters and they looked terrifying, with empty eyes, a gaunt face and hair that seemed to constantly be floating in water.
Their flesh was rotting off and they had no lips or teeth, only a gaping hole.
They were moving quickly, the doppelganger's feet hovering only an inch above the grass.
Stepping past the Queen and the ring of growling dogs and angry boars, she approached the duo and the fairy was gone, leaving her alone with the ghostly figure.
"Did she fill you in?" she asked Bron. He nodded, looking down at her with empty eyes. "Will you help?" she asked and again he nodded.
He lifted a hand and touched her cheek, the colour of him changing to a pale cream as he began to shift, and then she was looking at herself.
She looked absolutely terrible, pale and sickly with limp hair and faded blue eyes. She had lost much of her appearance when she had lost her magic, odd with round ears and a spattering of freckles from their time in the sun.
Her lips were pale and she had a set of large black ears atop her head, fluffy and alert.
She hated the sight of herself. The doppelganger only smiled and even his smile that was her smile looked tired.
"Shall we?" he asked in her voice and she jerked back.
She had never heard herself talking and the sound of her voice was nothing like the one she heard.
It was a low purr, but higher than what she heard in her head, making her realise why so many had been drawn to it. Even as a non-siren it was a voice that drew attention.
She sighed and shook her head, stepping forward and so did he. She was judging herself, her movements far too sensual for her liking and her lips were dry and cracked as they met.
She felt sorry for Jaia when he had kissed her, having to deal with that.
The magic hit her like a breeze and she shivered, glad for there being no physical change, finding nothing much had gone on in her head either.
It was odd how some did not affect her at all, and she had to wonder if there were changes she couldn't see.
When he drew back from her, he grinned and she was irritated at her own smile, white and perfect yet it formed creases around her eyes that made her feel terribly old.
"Thank you," she said gently and he nodded once, the colour of him beginning to drain to leave him that sickly green, terrible sight once more.
He drifted away and she chewed on her lip, watching him go and turned at a touch on her shoulder to find Barron had joined her.
"Phoenix," she said, and he squeezed her shoulder.
Catching Daemon's eye, she lifted her brows in question as she accepted Barron's hand up onto his back. Daemon nodded and his eyes went back to the Queen, who he then pulled into a deep kiss, his hands around her and tugging at her dress demandingly.
The Queen laughed and there was a general sigh of frustration from the group.
Barron set off at a gallop and she clung to his back, unable to help but enjoy the speed as her hair whipped around her.
He was massively powerful and he ate up the distance as though he was flying and she had to wonder if he was tapping into some magic to speed up their journey because they were slowing before she knew it.
Sliding off his back, she looked around in confusion at the small clearing and oddly, there was a tiny hut in the middle of it that looked like it had been burnt more than once.
She looked up at Barron and he motioned for her to go ahead and she sighed.
Approaching the blackened door, she didn't get time to knock before it was pulled open and she blinked, the man looking at her was angry.
He was entirely naked, muscular with a set of magnificent black wings and crimson hair. His eyes were a bright yellow but his iris was a deep blue instead of black, giving him an odd but incredible look.
He looked her over once and then growled and his hand shot out, grabbing the front of the jacket and pulling her inside.
The room was weirdly empty, having nothing but a metal bed, a metal desk with a metal chair and a metal pot for cooking.
Turning to him, she was surprised to see she was almost the same height as him, making her feel less weird around the tall monsters she lived around.
"What do you want, woman?" he demanded, irritable. "I don't have time for your games."
She had no idea what games she was supposed to be playing, but she studied his hard face for a moment and his eyes narrowed.
"Speak!" he yelled and she jumped, not expecting him to yell at her.
"I need a small amount of magic," she said and he went still, staring at her in confusion.
"What?" he demanded.
"Phoenix magic, I need it," she said slowly and he stalked forward a few steps, her cheeks flushing at his nudity.
"What for?" he seemed to calm down somewhat when he realised she wasn't here for whatever he suspected her to be there for.
"Have you been following the rumours of the Court?" she asked and he shook his head. "Well, I am going through Faerie and the human world in search of magic from specific creatures in order to turn my own magic back on. I'm the heir to Winter, and a Creator. I need my magic back."
He was indignant, staring at her as though she were insane and she had to admit, it really sounded insane.
"You can't be both," he countered, sliding another step forward and she took one backwards.
"It's never been known that you can be both," she said and he frowned, considering that. "I'm also death, but I try not to lead with that."
He barked a laugh and she found the wall at her back with her next step and he closed the distance to her, pressing her against the wall with one arm against the wall beside her.
He took in a deep breath and frowned at the scent of her.
"What are you?" he demanded and she flushed.
"Well, I'm a lot of things, demon, vampire, God, faun, chimera, basilisk…" she trailed off as he was indignant and he stared into her eyes.
She felt his intrusion into her mind and she immediately recoiled, his hands finding her shoulders and holding her in place.
She hated the feeling of his hot mind inside hers and she retaliated, bringing her knee up between his legs.
He grunted but when she made to slide out from under his arm, he gripped her hair and she gasped as he forced her forward over the metal table.
"Stop fighting girl. I wouldn't have to hurt you if you stayed still," he grunted.
"Let me go!" she cried, fear washing through her at her position. The coat did nothing to protect her from him and she was very aware of his nudity.
"Calm down, I'm not going to abuse you," he said soothingly and she calmed slightly, allowing him to pull her up and turn her around.
With movements so fast she couldn't see them, she found herself sitting on the table and he was between her knees, holding her hair with one hand, her jaw with the other.
"Look at me," he ordered and she met his eyes, feeling that invasion again.
She shuddered as she heat of him sank down through her protections and into the depths of her, exploring in a way that was a million times worse than if he had simply assaulted her.
"Stop…" she whimpered, pressing against his chest but he refused to let her go and she felt him brushing against the wolf, the dragon and all parts of herself before he withdrew and she felt suddenly nauseous.
He let go of her and she bent forward, holding her stomach in an effort to keep from vomiting on his bare feet.
"Interesting creature you are," he said slowly, thoughtful. "I'll make a deal with you. You give me the next generation and I'll give you magic."
She sat up suddenly and she stared at him, horrified.
"You said you weren't going to abuse me," she demanded, immediately thinking of her odds of getting to the door.
"A phoenix does not procreate like that. Sex is for pleasure, not breeding," his eyes went to her thighs and she immediately tugged the coat down, glaring at him.
"All I require is a drop of blood" he said.
"That's it?" she demanded. "No tricks?"
He nodded once and she bit her lip.
"Magic first," she bargained, and he laughed.