Harlin felt the magic tighten around his body. His throat started to close up even as he stood there. Not struggling with the magic, which he could have vanquished immediately, he stared at the other man as his lack of breathing started to make his eyes water. Then it was gone.
“Christ, you’re a hard ass. Sit down, please, and I’ll explain to you what I need. By the way, you’re going to have to teach me how to just stand there and not give a shit if you die or not. That’s a wonderful trick.” Harlin told him he didn’t care if he died or not. “So you’ve told me. But I know better. Anyway, this woman showed up at my parents’ house. They were told that they’re in trouble. Before you ask me how I knew about this, I was hiding in the bushes beside the door when not only did the woman just appear there, but she also turned into a fucking huge buzzard.”
Everything in him seemed to cease working. His mind wouldn’t work, so his breathing and his heartbeat seemed to pause too. The queen’s birds. Harlin knew enough about them to know they were real and that they were dangerous as fuck too. It wasn’t until the pain on his face that he realized he’d blanked out for a few moments. Harlin sat down hard on the seat he’d been in before.
“I take it you know who this woman might be? Dad was going on about some kind of birds of prey that belonged to some queen when he was living around that area. I didn’t really believe him until today. Christ, it was fucking huge, Harlin.” He asked if he knew her name. “She said it was Demi or something like that. I was just too shocked to remember it after she just up and changed like she did. Do you know her?”
“I’ve heard of her and the others. But no, I don’t know them. There are supposed to be six of them, all birds of prey. Larger than life.” Sorrel told him that’s what his father had said too. “To be honest with you, Sorrel, if these people are after you, I’d just turn myself into them. They’re not to be fucked with.”
“I’m not going to do that. Let my parents deal with them. They’re forever afraid of shit that has nothing to do with me.” Sorrel laughed. “They’re going to be in for a big surprise when they find out about the deal I have going. I’ve done it all in their names.”
Harlin nodded when he thought it was appropriate and grunted when Sorrel seemed to need a verbal answer. Instead of listening, he thought of his buddy Grant and how to get in touch with him. It had been years since he’d contacted the older man, but now he thought he had to. When Sorrel stood up, he did as well, not remembering a word that had been said.
“Okay, so I’ll see you at dinner. We’ll meet up at my house. All right?” Nodding, he thought of the deal going down tonight and wondered if he should ask about it. However, Sorrel brought it up when he was thinking of a way to work it into the conversation. “The deal we have going is going to hit at midnight at the dockside. You and I will be there, but we’re not going to be getting our hands dirty with it. I’m not going to prison when life outside of it is so profitable. Get it?”
“Yes.” He laughed, but he could hear the strain of it in his ears. “I’ll see you later. I have some things I’m working on, but I’ll be there on time. Will you be?”
“Yes. I said I’d not be late with you again. Get off my back, will you? I had a very good buzz going about this woman I had, and you’re crapping on it. Just chill.” He’d have to tell his boss that they’d have one more body to add to the count they already had. “I might even get me another piece before you get there. Hey, I know, we can share one. That’ll be a blast.”
“We’ll see.”
He wouldn’t. Even if he had to cut his own dick off. There was no way he was going to have any kind of fun with a woman that Sorrel had cut to pieces, then fucked with whatever was close enough to do it with.
Shivering, he made his way out into the sunshine and was startled to see Grant leaning against his car. Ignoring him as best he could, Harlin saw Sorrel off before he went to get into his car. Grant got in the passenger side without saying a word to him. When he put out his hand, there were three trackers in it, and he just stared at him before Grant finally laughed and told him where he’d found them.
“They were on your car. All three of them were hidden in the same place as if whoever put them there was afraid one of them wouldn’t work. I don’t know. How the hell are you, buddy?” Harlin asked him how he knew he was going to talk to him later. “I’ve got a bit more magic than I did before. Besides that, we have someone watching over Sorrel and his family. When they started to do a check on the man with him, I saw it was you and decided to come see you. You do know he’s on the list of beings that need to be killed, right?”
“I’m working with the Feds on this. I hate it, to be honest with you. But it’s a good job. That little extra you gave me when we were in college has made me a good asset to them. I can see things differently than a person could. Their inner self, I guess you could call it.” As he explained to his friend what it was he could do, Grant gave him directions to a place he was staying until this thing with Sorrel was finished. “Why are you involved? If you don’t mind me asking.”
“My wife—” Harlin nearly pulled off the road to find out if what he’d said was true. “Yes, I’m married. She’s amazing and one of the birds I told you about. Piper is a Phoenix. She’s the most beautiful creature you’ve ever seen, Harlin. I can’t wait for you to meet her. I’m here with one of her sisters.”
“The vulture.” He asked him how he knew that. “Sorrel was hiding in the bushes at his parents’ home when she showed up and showed herself. I guess it scared his mother so badly that she fainted. How much do you know about Sorrel and his family?”
“He’s not someone to fuck with if you’re not at least able to heal yourself. How long have you been on this case?” He told him. “Then you’re probably going to be able to help us with what we need more than anyone. Right now, we’re not interested in Sorrel. However, after I tell the others, they might well be. But the parents we have a lot on. They nearly killed the king of my kind with iron.”
“Iron kills you over a period of time, right?” He told him it did. They pulled up in front of a very nondescript home that looked too small for the two of them to turn around in if they were inside together. “I’m assuming that looks aren’t exactly how they appear.”
Grant was still laughing as he made his way to the front door. When he opened it, standing aside for him to join him, Harlin got out of the car. This was going to be epic. Grant had the smallest apartment on campus. Yet as soon as he let you cross over the threshold with a simple word, you could see that he was living in luxury that Harlin had never seen before.
When he stepped into the house, he was taken aback at the sheer size of the place. Not only was there a huge kitchen, but there was a living room that he could see in his own home—if and when he could afford to ever get one. Still, Harlin didn’t think it would be nearly as lovely as this one, as this sort of look would cost money.
“This is my wife, Piper.” He shook hands with the woman and could see that she was indeed one of the most beautiful women he’d ever seen. “This is my sister-in-law Remi. She’s cooking us dinner. So don’t be surprised if you have to— What’s wrong?”
For a few moments, Harlin couldn’t move. Not just his body, but his mind once again ceased up. Looking at the woman, all he could think about was she was far more beautiful than Piper was and that she had a magic about her that made him see she hated being stared at. Dragging his eyes from her was difficult, but he did it. He heard her let go of her breath when he did.
“Remi? What is it?” She said he was her mate. “Really? That’s wonderful. You couldn’t be getting a better guy than—”
“Grant, hush before you get yourself killed.” Harlin looked at him, then at Remi. They were staring at each other as if they were looking for flaws. So far as he could see, Harlin didn’t find a single thing wrong with the gorgeous woman. “Come on, big guy. Let’s leave the two
of them alone for a little while. I don’t know what’s going to happen here, but I have a feeling we don’t want to be witness to it.”
While he had no idea what Piper meant by that, he was glad for the time alone with Remi. When she turned her back to him to work with the stove, he moved to the other side of the table where she was working and leaned against the counter. Just far enough away that she couldn’t hurt him if she was upset about this.
“I’m not. Upset, I mean.” He asked her why she was reading his mind instead of talking to him. “I’m not sure of a great many things right now if you want the truth. Not that I could lie to you, but I don’t.”
“You’re one of the queen’s birds. Grant told me all about you when I was recovering in the hospital. I was there for a month, so he told me a great many stories. You’re the vulture.” She nodded, then asked him what had happened to him. “Grant was forever working with the community on projects like gardens and such. One afternoon I went with him to hang out. We shared a couple of classes, and that was how I knew him. Some man came with a shotgun that afternoon and started firing at whoever was in his sights. He thought his wife was there growing a garden instead of home taking care of him. Grant killed him and saved my life.”
“He could have healed you fully, did he tell you that?” He told her he had but couldn’t because of the press. “I understand that. So he gave a little of himself to you so that you’d not die. I guess I should thank him. I don’t know what to do with you. That didn’t come out right.”
“I understand. I don’t know what to do about you either. I have a job, one that I don’t like but could be dangerous to you should someone I’m working with decide you’d be prime bait to use against me.” She told him she’d be able to get out of whatever they had her in. “Good to know. Are you going to look at me at any time? I’d love to see your eyes. Your face, too, if you’d just turn this way a little.”
She looked at him, and he saw tears in her eyes. Pulling her into his arms, he was glad that she came willingly. However, he didn’t think either of them expected the surge of power that rolled over both of them with such force it blew out all the windows in the room they were in, as well as shattering anything else made of glass. Then Harlin simply passed out.
~*~
Piper couldn’t help but giggle every time she thought of the damage done to the kitchen. Well, all of the house had been rocked, but the kitchen where they’d been had suffered the most damage. Right now, the couple was out in the yard talking. Piper would love to know what was being said between the two of them. Christ, they were epic.
“You shouldn’t find this so funny. Not that I blame you, but they’re just as new to this as you and I were.” Piper let Grant hold her as she told him what she’d been thinking. “I would as well, but I think they need to work this out on their own. What I do find amazing is that not only did Harlin get a mark on his arm, but his entire right side must be covered in sigils. Other than Joel, the rest of us weren’t marked.”
“I think that has to do with the fact that Joel wasn’t human at the beginning. Even Bryson had a little magic before he met Blaze. But he was wholly human.” Piper looked at the couple in the yard. “It could and more than likely does have to do with however much blood you gave him. Perhaps there is a greater purpose to him coming to this family at this time. To think that, I thought the hardest to be mated would be Remi. And there she is, holding hands with her mate and laughing. She isn’t upset at all.”
“No. She seems to be having fun. I didn’t see her smiling nearly as much as the rest of you do. Even Esme smiles and laughs a great deal, even without a mate.” She looked at her as Grant continued. “I think her hair is brighter too. Like it’s no longer just silver, but it’s a sharp silver that would and could cut into you.”
“She’s glowing.” Grant asked her what she meant. “I guess it would be called falling in love, and it’s making her magic shine through. I know she has a great deal of magic—a lot of it she’s kept hidden. For instance, I had no idea that she could teleport herself from one point to the other until she did it today. Also, you might have noticed this as well, she can fly without being her bird. That is something none of us can do.”
“I thought I’d just been thinking it had been a trick to the eyes. Do you suppose Harlin is going to be all right?” She turned and asked him what he meant. “He’s working with the Feds to get Sorrel arrested. He’s heinous, from what Harlin’s got in his head. When he does kill, he makes the suffering worse than anyone Harlin has ever seen. I’ve seen worse, I hate to admit, but it was done during the war with the kings and queens. Sorrel seems to be mimicking their way of killing with more violence.”
“Harlin will be an immortal now, so that will help him should it come to that. But you’re right. We’re going to have to talk to him about a few things that are going on.” Nodding, she made her way to the office they’d put in their home so that they’d be able to work on projects while working on this for Basil.
Grant stopped her by saying her name. “I’m worried about him, to be honest with you. He’s had a very difficult life up until now. I don’t want him hurt anymore.”
“Do you think it will come to that?” He said he was sure of it. “Then we’ll have to make sure he isn’t. Does he have family around that we should be aware of? Siblings or parents?”
“Just a grandmother in a nursing home. She is afflicted with dementia and no longer knows him, so he doesn’t visit while working. He is afraid that if Sorrel wanted to prove something, she’d be his prime target. I’m assuming, now that I’ve thought of it, that Sorrel can’t read his mind. While I was waiting on him at the diner, he didn’t seem to have a clue what Harlin was thinking about him.” Piper asked him if he wanted to send someone to the nursing home. “I don’t know, but I would feel better about it should it come to Sorrel finding out. She’s elderly with poor hearing and, as I said, dementia. However, you know as well as I do that matters little when it comes to protecting what is yours.”
“I do know that.” She sat down at the computer and started looking for someone to put in the nursing home that Mrs. Tayler, Harlin’s grandmother, was in. “I know a doctor that works there that can keep an eye on her for us. He’s been there for some time, so it won’t be a problem for him to look in on her.”
After setting that up, she reached out to the others to let them know what was going on. Duncan asked if they should all come there. She told him that she’d wait. Just in the event that too many of them would overwhelm the couple, and they needed to think about their job at hand.
The castle has been cleaned up for the two of you. Staff has been hired as well. I’ll take care of anything that comes up while you’re there. Also, Mom left a message for Harlin. I’m not sure what it means, but perhaps he will. Did you know he is part fae? Piper told him what Grant had done for him. No. It’s more than that. He’s actually about half fae. His mom, I guess, was a fae and faerie mix. There isn’t much of a difference, but it’s their magic that he would notice, I guess. I’ve put out the word for someone to locate someone that might have knowledge of her. Or better yet, her lineage. Other than the note for him, there is little I know at the moment.
Do you think we should tell him? Duncan said it would help if he remembered anything that might help them find out who he might be related to. Do you think that’s important? I mean, knowing his relatives? Oh, Harlin told Grant his grandmother is in a nursing home. I’m going to go there and check it out. If his mother was either fae or faerie, then she would be the one that had passed it down to Harlin, right?
Usually, but with the things going on, I’d not say for certain. They both laughed. All right. You go and talk to the grandmother, and I’ll take care of what I can on this side. Also, you should know that Basil is getting stronger by the minute, it seems. Just yesterday, I saw him out in the yard with the faeries and helping with the crops. We’re goin
g to have a good amount of food this year for families, I’m happy to say. And the herb garden just beyond the castle is enormous. The drying shed has been busy day and night since you left.
The others filled her in on things that were going on at home too. The gardens they were putting in for the kids that wanted to fulfill a requirement for college money were working out well. There were others that were assisting with the teachers for the end of year work as well, grading papers and such. Things were going much better than she’d thought they would be with so many projects in the works.
“I’ve invited Harlin to dinner, but he said he has to meet Sorrel for a pickup. The police are going to be there along with the Feds to make sure Sorrel doesn’t slip away. I have a feeling, as does Harlin, that Sorrel won’t show, and they’ll have to start all over in trying to find the man. But in the meantime, Harlin will be arrested with the others, then somehow escape if what we think will happen does.” Piper asked if Harlin knew he was an immortal now. “Yes. I guess he and Remi have been talking about all the things he will get. The fact that he won’t die has taken a great deal of pressure off him. He’s been paying for his grandmother’s care since she got ill.”
“We’ll take care of that for him. I’m going to head over and see what I can get from her. Would you mind staying here to keep an eye on things for me? I’m expecting two deliveries from the printer. Hopefully, they were able to correct their mistakes and not make any more while at it. I have to tell you, Miley and Tracy have been saving me a lot of embarrassment when it comes to putting out a flyer for shows. I owe them both so much.” Grant said he’d doubt they’d see it that way. “They don’t. They think that because I’m their aunt, they somehow owe me. I’m going to nip that in the bud, too, when we get back.”
As she flew to the nursing home, two things occurred to her. First of all, was that the nursing home was a shitty one. From her perspective, she could see that the roof was nearly caving in, and the yard looked as if it had only been half-assed mowed in a good long time. The second thing was, the people sitting out in the rain had no one with them and were soaked through. She was going to take care of that.
Remington: Queen’s Birds of Prey: Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance Page 5