On hearing the name Hester, Cym realized he had somehow managed to recreate the effect he’d experienced with Fourteen when he’d stumbled into the memory of Fourteen’s past. Cym had been able to affect his surroundings there, so perhaps he could do the same here. He watched as his grandmother lowered her hands slightly, intrigued by the creature before her.

“What do you want, nightmare?”

“I want what all of my kind wants when they get to the Real, a chance to feed and grow strong without interference from the Guard.” The creature spat out the word Guard like an epithet. “I desire to do more than live on the edges of society, feeding only when I am so hungry that the danger of being unmade is worth the risk. I want away from this world. It tempts me with its bounty but denies me the ability to slake my hunger.”

“You want to go to the Demon Realm.” Hester circled the nightmare thoughtfully, the red fire from her hands leaving trails in her wake. “What’s stopping you?”

“It isn’t difficult to get there, it’s true, but I want more than to be a pawn or a snack for one of the lords there. When I enter the Demon Realm, I want to go there in style. I refuse to claw my way up, like the sniveling demonlings all nightmares become when they arrive. When I go there, I will go there to rule.”

“Draining me won’t get you the power you’re looking for, nightmare. And even if it did, you wouldn’t survive the encounter. I didn’t get this far to die by the likes of you.” The energy around Hester’s hands blazed brighter.

The creature gave off the impression it was smiling, and Cym’s guts felt like they were filled with worms. “Don’t waste your power, my dear. You mistake my intentions. I want a partner, one ruthless enough to destroy half of her family to get what she wants. One with a desire for power equal to my own and willing to do anything to get it.”

The power in Hester’s hands dimmed as she took in the nightmare’s words, showing only small lines of energy crackling around her knuckles. “Partner.” It was a whisper on her lips.

“Why settle for ruling one family when you could be the queen of an entire realm—one even the Guard fears to enter?” The disgusting shadow closed the distance between them, reaching out a fuzzy tendril, pale and rotting, to caress Hester’s face.

A wall of red fire sprang up between them before it could touch her. “How do I know this isn’t a trap? You could be lying to get me to let my shield down so you can possess me.”

The creature’s voice lost its harshness and became smooth and seductive. “Your essence isn’t what I want from you, my dear. If you are half the creature I believe you to be, killing you would be a waste. I want you to be my queen. With your help, I could rule the Demon Realm.” It reached out a tendril again in offering.

Hester’s eyes were half closed, and her breathing became ragged. The wall of fire vanished, and her hand came up slowly, reaching out inch by inch until it brushed the edge of the tendril. The sound she made caused Cym to blush.

“Yessssss…” the nightmare hissed. It wrapped around Hester’s hand and crawled up her arm, burrowing into her skin.

Cym couldn’t watch this; he couldn’t let this happen. Logically he knew it already had happened, and any actions he took here weren’t likely to affect the present, but he couldn’t just stand there, so he leaped forward and sunk his hands into the nightmare.

His hands felt like they had been plunged into nitroglycerin. The cold sank into him so quickly he lost all feeling in his hands and his heart began to slow. Brutal, unforgiving brightness flowed through him, racing through his veins and invading every inch of his body. His thoughts became vague and indistinct.

Where was he? What was he doing? He could feel no connection to his physical form, so there was nothing to anchor his mind as it spiraled into white nothingness.

Cymbeline, you naughty fox, I can’t wait to play with him once I’m you.

Oh no she fucking would not. Cym would tear Hester into a million pieces before she laid a hand on his soldier.

Pink fire blossomed at the center of his fading consciousness, dragging his mind back together. As he solidified, he felt the fire permeate his entire being, racing to the edges of his mind, giving it a shield between him and the never-ending white void he’d nearly succumbed to.

He became aware of his body again and saw he was still latched onto Hester, feeding pink fire into the twisted creature the woman had become. Hester wailed and pulled, trying to break free, but Cym clung to her, energized by the strength pouring through his body.

It continued for what felt like three eternities—long enough for Cym to decide over and over again that he’d had enough and needed to let go. Then he remembered what would happen to Fourteen if he did, and continued to hang on like his world depended on it.

His body protested loudly, informing him it was done with how he’d been treating it. The initial boost he’d received had long faded, and he was finding it difficult to ignore his dislocated shoulder, the many and varied lacerations he’d picked up in the past two days, and the fact that he was losing blood much faster than he was comfortable with.

He dug deep trying to find some hidden reservoir of strength to hold on and was reminded of the story of Tam Lin, of the bravery of Janet as she clung to her lover even when he turned into a fiery brand in order to win him away from the fairy queen.

He could do it. He could be Janet, or at least channel Janet and hold on, despite the damage Hester was doing to him as she flailed around trying to break free. Though Janet got a hot guy at the end of her troubles, and all Cym would get would be… what?

What was Cym expecting to happen with Fourteen?

His vision was dull and sparkly at the edges, and he was barely clinging to consciousness when the woman in his arms let out an unearthly howl and collapsed. Cym was barely aware of the billowing white smoke that rose from Hester and raced away through the open door.

Dizzily, he released the motionless body in front of him and flopped over onto his side. He panted and twitched as his body struggled to come to terms with what had happened. He felt empty and terribly, heartbreakingly alone inside, and he wanted nothing more than to give up, go to sleep, and hopefully never wake again.

The sound of metal hitting bone forced Cym from his lethargy, and he raised his head to see that Fourteen had gotten his hands free and was holding off two mercenaries with a pipe, nimbly dancing around the bodies of the other two. The vicious smile on Fourteen’s face made Cym laugh wearily. It looked as though Cym had gravely underestimated his soldier.

“Cymbeline.” His brother Sterling’s voice chased Cym’s laughter away.

With the speed of a sloth, Cym sat up as much as he could and noticed one of his legs was still trapped in the hole he’d tried to make earlier. “Please, don’t. Please… just go, okay? We only want to leave. Fourteen won’t hurt you if you leave right now.” His eyes pleading, Cym reached up a shaky hand as if to hold off the violence he already anticipated.

“What the hell was that thing inside of Mother?” Visibly shaken, Sterling stepped closer, but he stopped when a bucket of paint thinner sailed past his face, clipping his nose as it went. Sterling jerked his head back and clutched his bleeding nose in shock.

They both whipped their heads to look at Fourteen, who gave Sterling a narrow look that clearly said, That’s close enough. Cym’s brother’s face grew pale, and he took a step back, rubbing his nose. Fourteen nodded sharply and stabbed one of the mercenaries in the back with a well-thrown screwdriver.

Sterling took three more steps backward but persisted with his questioning even though he had the appearance of someone who was about to throw up and pass out from fear. Whether it was from witnessing a monster coming out of his mother’s body, or fear of Fourteen was even odds. “Tell me what’s happening! Please.” He shot a nervous look at Fourteen, and his hands began to shake.

Yeah, it was definitely Fourteen who had Sterling close to shitting himself. Good. That’s what he got for being such a raging crap bag earlier.

Grudgingly, Cym related what Hester had told him, examining his brother for any sign of disbelief. When he had finished, Sterling looked decidedly green around the edges.

“You didn’t know then?” Cym held his breath, aching for it to be true.

“I knew there was something wrong. But not this! How could I have guessed something like this? Gods, Cymbeline, I thought… I thought it was you making everything so awful. I’m sorry.” Sterling’s voice dropped to a whisper. “Any time something shady happened, Mother said it was your influence that was the cause. She claimed you were twisting people’s hearts and making them into monsters because you thought it was fun.”

Stricken, Cym looked down at his hands, intently studying the contrast between the mangled one and the relatively uninjured one. “Was that why you didn’t visit me again?”

“She wouldn’t let me. The only time I managed to get in, I had to sneak to do it. She caught me after I left.” He shuddered in remembrance. “I was punished so badly I never tried again… I’m so sorry.” Sterling’s voice had become so faint Cym had to strain to hear it from across the room.

“Hey, it’s okay.” He itched to hold his little brother and make it all better like he had when they were young. “You were just a kid. There wasn’t anything you could have done. If you’d tried, Hester probably would have let her monster eat you.”

Sterling’s eyes darted toward Fourteen before inching forward. “When I heard you’d escaped, I was so ashamed. I should have done more than just send you a crappy letter. I should have gone with you, but I was scared.”

“Of me?” Cym tried not to feel hurt, but it didn’t do him any good. That his baby brother could be afraid of him, yet still take so much blame on his shoulders for his sake? His heart twisted. “Wait, you sent the letter?”

“I wasn’t sure if you would get it, but when I heard Mother and Aunt Stella talking about getting rid of you, I panicked. I had to do something.”

“You thought I was the reason bad things were happening in our family, and you still wanted to help me. Oh Ster…” The dull roar of heartache that had been his constant companion since he had been forced to flee for his life stuttered. Sterling didn’t want him dead.

“Of course I did. I love you, Sunny.”

Tears burned in the corners of Cym’s eyes. The rest of his family might be clamoring for his blood, but his brother still loved him. It was a start.

“If you two are done bonding, maybe you could see if your brother could do something about your mother there.” Fourteen walked over to Cym’s crate and nudged the body beside it with a toe. Behind him, his half of the garage had been completely destroyed, while Cym’s side had remained relatively untouched. Cym wondered if Fourteen had purposefully kept the fighting contained to his side for Cym’s safety.

“That is not our mother,” Cym said, trying not to swoon over the idea of Fourteen being so sweet even after Cym had ditched him so cruelly. “That thing hasn’t been our mother for a long time. But you’re right, we need to do something about her. I don’t know what she’s going to be like when she wakes up—if she wakes up—but tying her up might not be enough.”

“He’s right. Mother—or whatever is in there—is strong enough to cast spells without using her hands.” Sterling frowned, thinking. “Actually, I might be able to do something, but I’ll need you to move her away from Cymbeline.” He aimed a half smile at Cym in apology.

Fourteen leaned down and took hold of one of the woman’s arms, but he paused. “Are you sure you trust him?”