“Eira,” he replies softly. “I’m glad you’re fine.”
“As I said, physically I am fine. Would you care to tell me how Heather came into possession of a fae? Elijah’s ex-fiancée, if I’m correct,” Eira adds.
“Yes.” My confirmation is met with a tight nod.
“Elijah warned me that if I saw you again, I was to call him immediately, not engage.”
“Again?”
“You were here one night. Do you not recall?”
Thumping music, blood. “Not well enough to know what happened.”
“She brought you here, and I called Elijah to warn him of the trouble you were going to get yourself into should you keep teasing the clientele as you were.”
“Teasing the—” I trail off, bile rising in my throat. “No, she didn’t.”
“She tried. I assure you she did not have sex here that night. Though I can’t promise what happened after you left.”
Shoving the new anger down, I step toward her, my heart pounding. “Did you call him? Did you let Elijah know I’m back?”
“Not yet. But I know where he is.”
Hope floods me, nearly knocking me to my knees. “He’s alive?” I choke out, and Eira nods. Now that I can actually breathe again, I suck in a deep breath and nod. Eira’s gaze travels from me to the broken bodies in the room. Then her eyes meet mine again.
“The bitch who did this is going to die.” Her voice is layered, threatening, giving me a glimpse of the powerful being beneath the façade.
“Yes,” I agree without hesitation. “She has a hell of a lot to pay for.”
“Why did she attack?”
Eira doesn’t immediately reply, her focus still on the dead behind me. A tear slips down her cheek before she swallows hard. “She is looking for witches. Her power is waning, I could feel it even as she killed my people.”
“I wondered if she would retain any of her power or if it would stay behind in Rainey.” Fearghas shakes his head. “I am so sorry that I was wrong in my assumption that it would.”
“I am too,” she agrees sadly before her gaze flickers to mine. “Elijah told me about what happened. You should know that losing you nearly killed him.”
“I feel the same.”
“You are different now than before,” she says, tilting her head to the side as she studies me. “Though I imagine that’s because you were possessed even when we first met.”
“Ever since Salem,” I confirm, though I would suppose she doesn’t know when that was.
“You say she is looking for witches,” Fearghas asks. “Does she not realize she will not be able to take in their power without a void?”
“I don’t know,” Eira replies. “But she is angry and willing to tear apart the supernatural world to get what she wants. I worry she will find a way to gain that power. As it stands now, she’d found a way to draw from a witch who was with her. They worked together.”
“Stella,” I snap.
“Yes.”
“I can’t fucking wait to put her down,” I growl.
“You and me both,” Eira says. “I can take you to Elijah,” she offers.
“No.”
At my quick reply, she arches a perfectly shaped eyebrow. “You do not wish to see him?”
“Not yet. But can you take him a message for me?”
“I will. But only if you tell me why you don’t wish to go to him.”
Swallowing hard, I nod in agreement. Maybe if I tell her, she can relay the message to him. Let him know that it’s not his fault and that I’m so fucking sorry for everything that’s happened since I opened that damned box.
“You are worried he will be angry with you,” Eira says before I can speak.
“Heather hurt a lot of people, including Elijah, while she was me. I need to prove to him—to everyone—that I am no longer her. That I’m not weak.”
“I understand more than most the drive to surpass others’ expectations of you. The need to not feel like a victim.” She spits the last word out, and I’m faced with the mental image of a broken Eira trapped in a cell, naked, alone, abused. Elijah rescued her, and while our violations were different, if there’s anyone who can understand my need to prove myself strong and capable, it’s the siren.
“I can see him when this is over. When Heather is dead and gone and no longer a risk to those I love. I just can’t stomach it if he hates me.”
“What Heather did—it wasn’t your fault, and he knows that. You forget, Elijah has been alive a long time, Rainey, and even your precious love has skeletons in his closet. The difference is that they are his own. I assure you, nothing that has been done will undo the way he feels for you.”
The lump in my throat burns with tears I’m fighting against. I can’t lose it now, not yet. “I appreciate you saying that.” After a brief pause, I repeat my question, “Will you deliver a message for me?”
“I will. What will you have me say?”
The words all but die in my throat. I would give damn near anything to see him right now. To feel his arms around me, but I can’t. Because going to him will mean bringing him further into this shitstorm we’ve found ourselves in.
And I’ve already lost so fucking much.
If I can manage to get to Heather before she brings too many factions together, I stand a chance at kicking her ass myself. So, that’s what I will do.
“Tell him that I am fine, that Aoife sacrificed herself to free me.” I swallow hard, the words venom. “Tell him that Heather is my responsibility. That I was a capable hunter before, and I will handle her. Ask him to stay put and wait for me even if it’s hard for him to do.” I choke on that last sentence. I always hated watching movies where someone tries to be heroic and go off on their own suicide mission.
In fact, Delaney and I mocked those movies every time we watched them. Yet, here I am, doing the same thing.
The difference is that this is real life, and the chances of Elijah riding in to save the day right before Heather strikes me down are slim to none. I just have to make sure I take the bitch with me.
“And tell him I love him.”
She smiles sadly and nods. “I will do as you wish, but if you truly don’t want him to find you, I would recommend being somewhere he won’t know to look. Because he will scour the world for you, Rainey Astor. The man you love is a warrior, and he will die before he sits on the side.”
“I know. I just need a head start.”
She nods and turns to leave.
“Eira?”
“Yes?”
“I will make her pay for this.”
Her eyes shimmer with power. “I’m counting on it.”
The door shuts softly behind her, and Fearghas turns to me. “You cannot do this alone,” he snaps. “Or did you not hear what the king said to you? We need everyone, Rainey.”
I glare up at him. “I was a damn good hunter before all of this happened.”
“A damn good hunter who nearly died multiple times.”
“How the—”
He rolls his eyes. “It’s not like word doesn’t travel fast through our world, Rainey. The vampire has been your strength since you two met. You can’t turn your back on him now.”
“I’m not. But I need to prepare, need to see exactly what we’re up against before I bring him into it. It’s far too risky. And if I can get to her before she manages to raise an army—”
“Your attempt to spew flawed logic at me is futile. Going up against her alone is suicide,” he interrupts.
“Are you planning on helping me or not? Because if you aren’t, then get the fuck out of my face.”
I know he’s right. He knows he’s right. And still, I can’t bring myself to face Elijah, at least, not yet. He can kick my ass for not coming to him right away once this is done. Because at least he’ll be alive to do it.
“I will help you.” Fearghas glares down at me, begrudgingly offering me his hand. “Where do you wish to go?”
“I nee
d weapons.” After rattling off the address to my sister’s gym, I take Fearghas’s hand and leave the dead behind me.
For now.
14
Elijah
Early morning sun shines down upon me, and yet I still can’t feel anything but the chill. Without Rainey, nothing fucking matters. And now that we’ve lost the surprise—I don’t see how we’ll be able to get her back.
Especially given my current condition.
So, in case anyone is wondering, yes, I am still drowning in my own misery.
“We have company,” Jack announces behind me.
“Who?” I ask, spinning quickly. I don’t know why I’m surprised we’ve got more to deal with. Seems fate loves to shit on us any chance it gets.
“Not sure. I can sense them, they just arrived outside.” He holds up a blade, hilt toward me, offering it, and I take it.
Without my vampire strength or my ability to conceal myself, I’ll have to get more used to using a weapon.
Leaving my coffee on the porch railing, I head inside and toward the front door. I arrive just as the doorbell rings. Jack conceals himself in the corner of the windowless entry, and I grip the door handle. With a nod at him, I pull it open and instantly relax. “Eira.”
“Hello, Elijah.”
“What are you doing here?” Stepping to the side, I make room for her to come inside, flanked with both of the bouncers from her club. As soon as they’re inside, I shut the door and gesture to Jack. “Jack Keller, this is Eira Byrne. Eira, this is Jack Keller.”
“A hunter?”
I nod.
“Nice to meet you,” Jack greets.
“You as well.” Eira tips her head and turns to me. “Heather destroyed my club,” she says, and a fresh wave of anger sucker punches me.
“She did what?”
“She came in, looking for witches, and used her magic to force everyone inside to kill each other.”
“Fucking-a.” Jack pinches the bridge of his nose. “We have got to put this bitch down. Now.”
“I’m so sorry,” I say, reaching forward to take Eira’s petite hand in mine. She worked her ass off to build that club, to stay beneath the council’s radar as she fought to maintain the control that was ripped from her for so many years.
The thought of her suffering anymore—it makes me sick.
“She came in and killed them all,” Eira chokes out. “Everyone who worked for me, all my patrons who were there, dining early this morning—” she trails off and shuts her eyes as a tear slips down her cheek. “Somehow, Heather turned them against each other. Lovers tore each other apart, friends ripped out each other’s throats. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“Fuck,” I growl. “I swear she’ll pay, Eira.” I know my words don’t do much up against the memory of what she left behind, but they’re all I have right now.
Eira nods appreciatively. “There’s more. But I would like to sit down if that’s okay. I could use a drink.”
“Absolutely.”
“What do you want?” Jack asks.
“Whiskey. Neat,” she replies as she follows me down the hall and into the den. I guide her over to the couch, grateful that for the time being, it’s just Jack and me in the house. Bronywyn, Agatha, and Jane are off at Agatha’s, searching for a magical route we can take, and Tarnley’s at the blood bar, keeping his ear to the ground. Paloma is at work, and the pack is off, seeing if they can rally more shifters to our cause.
I can’t say the quiet has been great for my racing thoughts, but it feels like we are all doing something—anything to bring Rainey home.
“Here.” Jack hands her a glass of whiskey and then stands in the corner. Both Barin and Berk move to the right of her while I take a seat on her left.
“Thank you.” She drinks deeply, downing all the liquid and turning to me. “I have a message for you.”
Her tone has warning bells going off in my head, each one louder than the last. “From who?”
“Rainey.”
I’m unable to move, breathe, do anything productive as I await the rest of her words. Is it possible that Heather freed Rainey long enough to give Eira a message?
“She wishes me to tell you that she is fine, that Aoife sacrificed herself to free her from Heather’s hold.” Eira fingers the top of the glass.
“Wait a fucking minute—Rainey is free?” Jack asks from the corner.
Eira nods. “She came to see me at the club.” Her gaze shifts from Jack to me. “She was looking for you.”
I jump to my feet, ready to take on the whole fucking world to find her. A million questions run through my mind, each battling for center stage. Rainey is free? Aoife sacrificed herself? But I only voice one. “Where is she?”
“There is more,” Eira says, and I still again. “Rainey wanted me to tell you that Heather is her responsibility. That she was a capable hunter before you met, and she wishes for you to stay put while she finds a way to handle the situation.”
“Fuck that!” Jack roars from his corner while I try to make sense of the message.
Why the hell wouldn’t she come to me?
Why would she want to do this alone?
“Elijah,” Eira’s soft voice pulls me from my tailspin, and I look down to see her standing before me, her hand on my arm. “She wants me to tell you that she loves you. She wants you safe, and with everything Heather has already taken from her—”
“This is bullshit,” I growl. “How could she do this to me? How could she fucking do this?!” I roar and spin, slamming my fist into the wall. Wood paneling gives out, crunching beneath the force of my anger. It’s all I can do to not keep going and put a massive hole in the side of Tarnley’s house.
He’d be pissed, but I’d sure as fuck feel better.
“What do you expect her to do?” Eira asks. Her tone is more curious than condescending, so I let it go and turn back to her.
“I sure as hell wouldn’t expect her to sit out.”
Eira arches an eyebrow and crosses her arms. “No? You wouldn’t at least try to fight her war for her?”
I don’t answer because, deep down, I know that Eira is right. I may be pissed the fuck off that Rainey thinks she can sideline me, but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t do exactly the same damn thing if given the opportunity.
“Rainey wants to prove to everyone who has been hurt that she is not the victim. She wants to bring you all peace, retribution. You cannot fault her for that. Even if you do not understand her actions.”
The room falls into uncomfortable silence as Eira takes a seat again. We all stare at the floor, rehashing the horrors over the last few weeks.
To say shit hit the fan would be a massive understatement. Every time we turn around, Heather has beaten us. She managed to possess Rainey with no one even realizing it.
She slaughtered witches, killed two important people in Rainey’s life, and managed to decimate what I once was.
I can see Rainey’s reasoning even if I don’t believe in the actions.
“She can’t do this alone,” Jack says, breaking the silence. “There’s no way Rainey can stand against Heather.”
“Especially not with—” I trail off and glance at Eira. “You said Aoife sacrificed herself? What do you mean by that?”
“Heather no longer possesses Rainey because she is currently using Aoife.”
“Motherfucker,” I growl. I can’t hide the pain at the knowledge that Aoife is gone. I may have not loved her in the way I once did, but the feelings had been real at one point. While I grieved her death once before, this feels different.
She saved me.
Saved the woman I love.
And for that, I owe her everything.
“Who’s Aoife?” Jack asks.
“A fae,” I reply.
Jack pales. “Heather is riding shotgun in a fucking fae? There’s no fucking way we can compete with that!”
Panic surges through my body, making my stomach churn. Rainey is about
to go toe to toe with a fae. Not even the most powerful witch can do that.
“Why the hell would Aoife give herself over? Even to save Rainey, that was a stupid move.”
“Because Aoife is no ordinary fae,” Agatha says as she enters the room, Delaney’s crow perched atop her shoulder.
“What the hell does that mean?” Jack’s gaze darkens when she steps inside, his anger for the old woman who faked her own death and abandoned her granddaughters nearly matching mine.
“Aoife was not a born fae,” I tell him. “She was a human who promised her hand in marriage to a fae prince in return for power.”
“But she’s still a fae.”
“Yes, but she does not possess the full magic of one,” Agatha interjects. “This was clearly all part of a well thought-out plan. Isn’t that right, Delaney?” she asks, and the bird drops her head.
“A well thought-out plan?” I nearly growl the words. “Rainey has apparently decided on going up against Heather herself. Is it your sole goal in life to have her killed? Is that what this entire fucking plan is?”
“Then I suggest you find her before she does,” Agatha says softly. “Rainey always did have a hot head on her shoulders.”
Jack lunges for her, but before he can close in, he slams into an invisible barrier. The murderous promise on his face is one that I know I wear as well.
But I’ve been around a lot longer than him, so I know how beneficial a burst of anger can be when allowed to simmer.
It gives you time to plan.
And if Agatha keeps dropping shit like this on our plate, I’m going to realize we don’t have a need for the old woman.
As it stands now, I’m waiting for Rainey to make that decision.
“I’ve told you to stop underestimating me,” Agatha warns. “I am here to ensure Rainey’s safety. You two asshats keep ignoring the truth about her, and you’re going to get the lot of us killed.”
“Rainey is not alone,” Eira offers, and we all turn to her.
“What do you mean she’s not alone?”
“She has a born fae with her. Fearghas will keep her safe.”
“Who the fuck is Fearhgas?” I demand. Jealousy is the least of my problems if Rainey is running with a born fae. Those feathery bastards are known to be cunning and untrustworthy. He’s more than likely to leave her to die in order to save himself.
Blood Cure: A Paranormal Vampire Romance (Vampire Huntress Chronicles Book 3) Page 9