Noir

ETON-Book 2 of The Steel Brothers

*Book of Blood*

JERRICHA

I'd never known my birth parents.

Growing up, the whispers of the faeries had painted a picture of a world beyond the veil, a place where I didn't belong. Their world was a dance of colors and magic, where every creature had a spark of the divine. I, on the other hand, was the

odd one out, a mortal in a sea of immortals. The Fae had taken me in out of pity or perhaps curiosity, raising me as one of their own, but I could never shake the feeling that I was a puzzle piece from another box.

The Steel Agency was where the human and fae worlds collided, where the whispers of the Fae met the steel-cold reality of humanity. It was a place for those with unique abilities to find their place, to put their talents to use. It wasn't glamorous, but it was necessary. I walked through the heavy oak doors of the agency, the weight of my destiny heavy in my chest. The scent of old books and incense mixed with the metallic tang of weapons and the faint smell of magic. It was the scent of purpose.

The Steel brothers, Noir, Eton and Thorin, the agency's founders, had one eye on me from the moment I'd walked in. They had seen something in me, something that had gone beyond the whispers of my unknown heritage. They saw potential, raw and untapped. They saw a future huntress of evil, someone who could bring balance to the precarious line between the two worlds. Their eyes had held a promise, one that I eagerly accepted.

Training was grueling, pushing my body and mind to their limits. The Fae had taught me the elegance of magic, the subtle art of bending the world to my will. The Steel Agency taught me the brutality of combat, the stark reality of fighting the darkness that lurked in the shadows. I learned to blend the two, my magic a silent dance within the chaos of battle.

It was my eighteenth birthday that changed everything. It was the day the whispers had grown louder. The day I discovered that I wasn't just a mortal girl with a touch of magic. I was something more, something powerful. It was the day I became a weapon, a beacon of hope in a world that desperately needed one.

As the candles on my cake flickered and went out, I'd felt a surge of power. It was as if a dam had broken, and my true abilities came rushing forth. The air around me crackled with energy, and the room grew eerily silent. The faeries stared, their expressions a mix of shock and awe. It was the moment of truth, the moment I realized that I had inherited more than just my unique abilities. I had the potential to bring justice to those who had been wronged.

With every job, every hunt, I'd felt the whispers guiding me. The Fae had raised me, but the brothers had given me a purpose. I was a huntress for the Steel Agency, and it was my duty to help protect the innocent and bring the wicked to justice.

My first assignment had come with a heavy dose of gravity. A rogue fae, one who had turned his back on his kind, had been wreaking havoc in the human world. His actions were a slap in the face to the delicate balance strived to be maintained. Eton Steel had called me into his office, his expression stern. "Jerricha," he'd murmured, sliding a manila envelope across the desk, "it's time for you to prove yourself."

The envelope had contained a single page with a name and an address. The name was unfamiliar, but the address had sent a shiver down my spine. It was a place I had visited in my dreams, a place that felt like home. The whispers had grown to a crescendo as I'd taken the job, and for the first time, I'd known that this was more than just a hunt. It was personal.

The journey to the address had led me through the bustling streets of the city, where the smells of exhaust and fresh bread had mingled with the faint scent of magic. I'd become a creature of two worlds, and it had been time for me to embrace my destiny. The whispers had grown quieter as I'd approached, the anticipation of what was to come hanging in the air like the promise of rain.

When I'd reached the door, it was like stepping into a memory. The whispers grew even quieter, as if they had known I was about to uncover something significant. I'd taken a deep breath, the anticipation in the air so thick it was almost tangible. The door had creaked open, revealing a dimly lit room filled with dusty artifacts and ancient tomes. It was a place that reeked of forgotten history and the kind of magic that hadn't been seen in centuries.

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In the center of the room had stood a figure, his back to me. He was tall, broad-shouldered, with dark hair that had fallen in loose waves down his back. As he'd turned, I'd recognized the sharp features, the piercing eyes. My heart had dropped. I'd known instantly he'd been the rogue fae I had been sent to capture, but in my youth, he'd also been my best friend. I hadn't known him as the monster he'd obviously become.

For a moment, we had just stared at each other, the weight of our past friendship hanging in the air. Then, without a word, he'd raised his hand, and the room had erupted in a maelstrom of energy. Magic had clashed with magic as we'd circled each other, our abilities spiraling in a dance of power and anger. The whispers had grown louder, a cacophony of voices urging me on, telling me to do what had to be done. But as the battle had raged, I'd been unable but to feel a twinge of doubt, wondering if he'd truly been evil, or had maybe just lost his way?

The fight had been intense, a blur of steel and fae magic. He'd been fast, his movements fluid and graceful, a stark contrast to my own more human style of combat. The room had become a wreckage of overturned shelves and shattered glass, the air thick with the smell of ozone and the metallic scent of blood. Yet amidst the chaos, I'd felt a strange calm, a focus that I had never known before. It was as if my body and mind had finally aligned with the whispers that had guided me for so long.

As we'd clashed, I'd caught a glimpse of the pain in his eyes, a flicker of the person I had once known. It was a brief moment, but it had been enough to make me hesitate. That was all he'd needed. With a roar, he'd sent a blast of dark energy hurtling towards me. I'd had no time to react, no time to defend myself. But as the world slowed around me, I'd seen the path of the spell, the twisted pathways of its power. And for the first time, I hadn't just dodged it. I'd bent it to my will. Energy had surged through me, filling me with a power that had been both exhilarating and terrifying. The whispers had grown silent, their guidance replaced by a thunderous roar that seemed to come from deep within my soul. As the spell had dissipated, the room had become still, the only sound the ragged breathing of two combatants. He'd stared at me in disbelief, the recognition of what I had done dawning in his eyes. I had not just survived; I had turned his own magic against him. And in that moment, I'd known that I had truly become a huntress of the Steel Agency, a force to be reckoned with.