by Folsom, Tina
“Not a chance,” Hamish said. “We’ll be right outside this door. We’ll escort you.” He motioned to Grayson. “Grayson, out, now.”
Both men left the room and closed the door behind them.
“And hurry up,” Hamish yelled through the closed door. “Or we’ll help you get dressed.”
“Shut up, Hamish!” Enya yelled back.
Zoltan let out a breath. “I have the feeling Hamish isn’t convinced that I’m on your side.”
Enya shrugged and jumped out of bed. “He’ll change his tune once we can show him how you’ve changed.” She walked to her closet and opened it, then took out a clean pair of jeans and a long-sleeved shirt. “You’d better get dressed, so we can change his mind before the whole gang comes down on us like a ton of bricks.”
She started pulling on her clothes, and saw from the corner of her eye how Zoltan looked down at his cock, which was still rock hard.
“Uhm, yeah, about that,” she said, and pointed to his erection. “It won’t come down as long as your skin shimmers golden.”
“And how long will I shimmer?”
“A few hours.”
“You’re kidding, right?”
She smirked for the first time since they’d gotten interrupted. “Nope. It’s the virta that’s still running through you. It makes sure a man can satisfy his mate.”
Zoltan’s chin dropped. “I never heard you complain before that I couldn’t satisfy you.”
“And I haven’t had anything to complain about. But unfortunately, I can’t turn this off. Every time I give you my virta, you’ll get hard.”
Zoltan pulled on his pants and shoved his massive appendage into it, before zipping up. “So you’re saying this won’t be the last time you’ll give me your virta?”
She fastened the buttons of her shirt and continued watching him get dressed. “No. And if everything goes well, then you’ll give me yours, and I’ll shimmer golden.”
“And what’ll do that to you?” he asked, grinning and approaching.
“It’ll give me an orgasm every time you touch me.”
He pulled her into his arms. “I think I like this.”
“Good.” She kissed him quickly, then wound herself out of his arms, not wanting to succumb to the temptation of making use of his erection. “Now let’s see what else besides the brown eyes our child’s virta has done. That can’t have been the entire transformation.”
“Maybe we’ll have to do it a few more times.”
Enya rolled her eyes. “As much as I would like to do that, I’m not gonna risk it until I’ve spoken to Wes and Charles about this. You almost died in my arms. What if the next time kills you?”
“What if it doesn’t?”
She ignored the question. “Let’s test what else you can do, whether you’ve gotten any of the Stealth Guardian powers and what demon attributes you might have lost.”
“How do you wanna do that?”
Enya pointed to the wall that separated the bedroom from the bathroom. “Walk through that wall.”
Zoltan raised an eyebrow. “And how am I supposed to do that?”
“Just think it. See yourself walking through that wall, and it will happen.”
He hesitated, then slowly walked toward the wall. Before reaching it, he turned his head to her. “You sure?”
“Just try it.”
He took another step and bumped his head against the wall. He jerked back and held his hand to his forehead. “Ouch!”
Enya hid her disappointment. “Maybe it’ll take a little while. How about you try to make yourself invisible?”
“Let me guess: I think it, and it will happen?”
She smiled. “See, you’re catching on.”
He grimaced. “Yeah, right.”
Suddenly, he disappeared before her eyes. Her heart skipped a beat, and excitement charged through her veins. It was working! Their baby’s virta was turning him back into a Stealth Guardian. She was choking up, and tears welled up in her eyes.
“I’m sorry, babe. I’m sorry it’s not working. Maybe we got it all wrong.”
She felt Zoltan’s hands on her upper arms, pulling her to him.
Amidst the tears, she shook her head. “That’s not why I’m crying. Zoltan, you’re invisible. You did it.”
“What?” The moment he spoke, he appeared before her, a confused look on his face. “But I still saw myself.”
“A Stealth Guardian always sees himself, even if he’s invisible to all others.”
“But then how will I know that I’m invisible?”
“You’ll sense it. Don’t worry, you’ll be able to distinguish between being visible and being invisible.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“Let’s go.” She motioned to the door. “I think Hamish will get impatient. And Grayson is just looking for a reason to get his fangs into a demon.”
“I’ll punch his lights out if he even tries,” Zoltan said.
Enya took a deep breath and walked to the door. She opened it and saw Hamish and Grayson waiting for them. The moment Zoltan walked into the corridor, they ran their eyes over him.
“I hope you didn’t give him a weapon,” Hamish said.
“I’m unarmed,” Zoltan said tightly, and looked at the dagger in Hamish’s hand. “So ease up. I’m not here to harm anybody.”
“That’s yet to be seen,” Hamish said.
Enya walked ahead. “I’ll see you in the great room once you two are done comparing the size of your dicks.” She smiled to herself, because she knew exactly who would win that competition at the moment. And she knew that Hamish was aware of that fact.
She heard Hamish grumble as the three men followed her.
“Zoltan, you should teach your mate some respect,” Hamish said.
To her surprise, Zoltan laughed. “Waste of time. This woman will never be tamed. And that’s just how I like her.”
“I stand corrected,” Hamish replied. “You didn’t manipulate her. She manipulated you. Man, you’re totally pussy-whipped, and you’re not even aware of it.”
Enya suppressed a chuckle. Hamish was in the bag. And the others would fall like dominoes.
29
By the time the remaining Stealth Guardians had assembled in the great room, Zoltan had figured out who was who. He’d encountered most of them before, not only when they’d captured him, but also during the various battles they’d fought. There were two vampires among them—Grayson, the jerk who hadn’t been able to keep his eyes off Enya’s half-naked body, and Ryder, equally young, but somewhat calmer and politer than his vampire friend.
Except for Hamish, the Stealth Guardians gave Zoltan hostile looks. And one other thing was noticeable: none of the women were here. Perhaps they’d been locked away for fear that Zoltan might do them harm. Well, he had no such plans, but it would take some effort to convince these warriors of it.
Enya had given them the short version of who he really was, not just Zoltan, the Great One, but Angus, Cinead’s son. She’d also explained to them that their bonding had changed him. But the guardians didn’t look convinced.
“Brown eyes don’t mean he’s a Stealth Guardian now,” Logan said. “I mean, look at him: he has no aura.”
“But he can make himself invisible,” Enya protested, and motioned to Zoltan. “Show them.”
Zoltan concentrated, willing himself to become invisible. But the guys still stared at him, looking directly into his eyes, which meant they could still see him. It had worked earlier. So why wasn’t it working now?
“Relax, Zoltan,” Enya said. “Just wish that nobody could see you, not even I.”
He looked into her eyes and saw that she believed in him. He wasn’t going to disappoint her.
“Fuck!” Manus said.
The others let out similar curses and gasps.
“Show yourself, Zoltan!” Pearce ordered him.
Zoltan felt an odd sense of security inside. Was that how his body was telling h
im that he was using his powers of invisibility? He ordered his body to become visible again, and by the looks the guys gave him, it worked. They could see him again.
Enya smiled. “See? He’s got our powers. He’s not a demon anymore.”
“Okay,” Logan said slowly. “Let’s assume you’re right. Let’s assume he’s really changed—does that mean all his demon attributes are gone?”
Enya hesitated.
“So, they’re not all gone,” Logan said. “Well, maybe we should check.” He motioned to Manus, and both approached Zoltan, while Aiden stepped to Zoltan’s side as if to prevent him from escaping. “If you’re really one of ours now, I’m sure you won’t mind a little cut, will you?”
Logan drew his dagger, and instinctively Zoltan wanted to shrink back, but he forced himself not to move.
“Fine.” He stretched out his arm. If his eyes had changed color, for certain his blood would have too.
Logan made a thin cut across the top of Zoltan’s forearm. Instantly, green blood dripped from the wound. Logan and Manus gasped. Zoltan’s heart sank. Had he hoped for too much? Would he remain in this state of limbo?
“Still a demon,” Logan announced, and held up the bloodstained dagger.
“That means nothing!” Enya said. “He’s still transforming. Just like his powers are still ramping up, it will take some time to turn him fully.”
Zoltan glanced at Enya. He knew she was lying; she didn’t know why he hadn’t transformed fully. She was only guessing to appease her brethren.
“You can’t know that,” Logan said. He pointed to Zoltan. “He’s the first demon who’s going through this so-called transformation. This could just as easily be the effects of your virta. The fact that he’s still got demon blood just shows us that it’s only temporary.”
Enya braced her hands at her hips and glared at Logan. “Well, you can’t know that either. It’s not just my virta. It’s like Wes and Charles said: the life force of Zoltan’s unborn child has transformed him.”
Logan tilted his head. “His unborn child? What the fuck are you talking about?”
When Enya didn’t immediately answer, and Grayson and Hamish exchanged a knowing look, Zoltan stepped in. “Enya is pregnant. By me.”
Outraged gasps filled the room.
Grayson held up his hand. “He’s speaking the truth. I can hear the baby’s heartbeat.” He was standing only a few paces away from Enya. “Ryder?”
Ryder, the other vampire hybrid, approached and looked at Enya, who nodded. He stopped in front of her but didn’t touch her. A moment later, he turned around to the assembled and nodded. “Yep, I can hear it too.”
Manus sighed and shook his head. “I’m not even gonna ask how that could have happened in the first place. Let’s just deal with that issue later.” He nodded at Logan. “I’m with Logan. We don’t know whether this is temporary and whether Zoltan will just change back in a few hours. We have to be certain.”
Zoltan ran a hand through his hair, frustrated. “There’s no way to be certain. Hell, when it first happened, I thought I was dying. Maybe I was. Maybe a part of my demon self died.” He glanced at Enya. “It’s true: nobody here knows what’ll happen. Hell, I only have one Stealth Guardian power so far. I have no idea if I’ll ever be able to walk through a wall, or if I’ll develop an aura. How is anybody here supposed to know? This is new for all of us. We’re all just guessing.”
The men didn’t contradict him.
“All I know is that I feel different. And I know I won’t hurt any of you.”
“That’s what you say now,” Pearce said. “But we can’t just take your word for it.”
“Let’s talk to Wes and Charles. Maybe they can help,” Enya suggested anxiously. When nobody said a word, she added, “It can’t hurt to just ask them.”
Pearce looked at his colleagues, then nodded. “Fine. I’m gonna get them on the speaker.” He reached for a tablet on the sideboard, pulled up an app, and selected a number. It rang loud enough for everybody in the room to hear.
“Hey, what’s going on?”
“Yeah, Wes, it’s Pearce. We’ve got some questions for you and Charles. Let me just patch him in.”
“Oh, Charles is right here with me. We’re in the lab.”
“Hey, Pearce.”
“Hey, Charles. Okay, then. I’m here with the whole gang.”
A collective “hey” went through the room. Then Pearce nodded to Enya.
“So, Wes, Charles, it’s about the gypsy story you found. I figured out what it means,” Enya said, leaning over the tablet.
“Were we right?” Wes asked.
“Basically, yeah. Though it wasn’t the life or the heartbeat—it was the life force, the virta.”
“Huh?” Wes said.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Charles asked. “If the demon feels the virta of his child, he gets transformed? But that can’t happen, Enya. I mean, the child of a demon wouldn’t have virta.”
“It would,” Enya said, then cleared her throat. “It does. But that’s beside the point. There’s something else.”
“Okay, shoot,” Wes said.
“Is it possible that the transformation is only partial or that it takes a while to be fully complete?” Enya asked.
“Funny you should ask,” Charles said. “Wes and I dug a little deeper after you left, and there was more to the story.”
“Like what?” Enya asked, and locked eyes with Zoltan.
“Apparently a demon’s soul is a split soul.”
Several of the guys in the room said, “What?”
“Well, let me explain that,” Charles continued. “When a person turns demon, his soul is split into multiple parts and scattered. So, when a demon is redeemed, it makes sense that not all parts of his soul come back at the same time. In that story, there’s a reference about a night and a day, or something like that. Wes?”
“Yeah,” Wes said, “it was something like a full cycle of the sun. Which makes me believe it can take up to twenty-four hours before the entire soul is restored.”
Zoltan felt the tightness of his chest ease and took a breath. So there was a chance that soon he’d transform fully. There was hope.
“Thanks, Wes. Thanks, Charles,” Enya said.
“Anytime,” both replied.
“Bye, guys,” Pearce said, then disconnected the call.
“See,” Enya said triumphantly, and looked at Logan and Manus. “It’ll just take time.”
The five men exchanged contemplative looks.
Logan finally spoke. “So if that’s correct, and we’re gonna give it the benefit of doubt, that leaves one thing.”
Zoltan watched Logan’s expression. It was clear that even once he fully turned Stealth Guardian, he still had an uphill struggle to get accepted.
“Spit it out, Logan,” Enya said tightly.
“Zoltan committed unspeakable atrocities against humans and against us. That can’t just be wiped away. And even if we might believe that he’ll be good from now on, that doesn’t mean the council will believe it, or forgive what he’s done when he was a demon.” Logan turned to look directly at Zoltan. “You threatened our mates.”
“You had Nancy Britton killed. She was Kim’s mother,” Manus said. “She’s still grieving for her.”
Aiden cleared his throat. “Leila had to go into hiding because of you. You almost dragged her into the Underworld with you.”
Zoltan lifted his hands. “I know what I’ve done. And I know what I’m not responsible for.” He motioned to Manus. “I never gave the order to have Kim’s mother murdered. When I found out about it, I killed the demon responsible for it. I know that doesn’t bring Nancy Britton back, but rest assured that the killer paid for it. And Hamish already knows that I never overdosed Tessa. There’s a traitor who wants my throne, and he’s responsible for Tessa’s overdose.” He looked at Hamish.
Hamish nodded. “I believe him. Enya had photos of various demons, and Tessa identified on
e of them. It wasn’t Zoltan.”
Zoltan nodded to the Stealth Guardian. “I don’t expect any of you to just forgive and forget as if none of this ever happened. I’m willing to earn your forgiveness and that of your people.”
“How?” Aiden asked.
Zoltan took a breath. He didn’t know when he’d made the decision. But he knew it was the right one, the only one that would keep Enya and his unborn child safe. “By helping you destroy the entire Underworld and making sure the demons will never rise again.”
30
For a few seconds, silence filled the large room. None of the assembled talked; nobody even breathed. If Zoltan had the sensitive hearing of a vampire, he would’ve heard his child’s heartbeat. Wide-eyed, they stared at him. Myriad facial expressions showing mixed emotions prepared him for an onslaught of questions. It was evident that disbelief was the predominant emotion in the room.
Even Enya seemed surprised. However, she didn’t mirror her brethren’s feelings. Instead, love and gratitude shone from her eyes that were now covered with a wet sheen.
Finally, Aiden cleared his throat. “Are you serious?”
Zoltan nodded.
“And why would you do that?” Logan asked. “Why destroy your own kingdom and kill your subjects? What’s your motivation?”
Manus grunted. “Yeah, same question here. Plus another one: why should we believe you?”
Zoltan let his gaze wander over the men, contemplating where to start. He knew he had to win them over, because he needed their help for this endeavor. Without help, his plan was dead in the water.
“I know you still have doubts about me. I don’t blame you. Hell, I’d have doubts if I were in your shoes. And all I can say to dispel them is this: I love Enya, and I love my unborn child. To make sure they’re safe, I will do anything. And if you love your women the same way, then you know that I’m not lying. You risked everything to save them, your very lives.” He pointed to Logan. “You even invaded the Underworld for the woman you love, not knowing if you would ever make it out alive. That’s the kind of love I’m talking about when I tell you that I love Enya.”