by Heather Long
CHAPTER 14
“A friend is one who has the same enemies as you have.” - Abraham Lincoln
FIN
F iona shimmied out of Fin’s arms, the glow on her skin undiminished, despite the ferocious expression she wore. Maddox already had the door blockaded, and Rogue stood by the windows. Dragging himself up, Fin caught the pants Rogue threw at him, even as Maddox tugged his own shirt over Fiona’s glowing skin.
“Can you dim it, little sváss?” Rogue asked her as he tucked up behind her. Outside, another crash sounded and there was a boom of familiar laughter. Fin had only met Wyman briefly, very briefly, when he’d still been human.
The old bastard had drunk him under a table and then poured him back into his chamber at the end of the night, leaving Fin to wake with the worst hangover he’d experienced in his whole life. At the time, he’d truly thought he would die.
Then the bastard did it again the following night.
Good times.
The radiant luminescence from Fiona gradually faded until she was just her normal radiant self, right down to her sharp eyes, swollen lips, and flushed face. Fuck, he did not want company. He just wanted to drag her back into the bed and spend the next several hours figuring out all the ways they could make her scream. One thing he’d already noticed—she responded differently to different stimuli. It wasn’t just their desire and lust she needed. No, she needed them.
Loving her had been inevitable. He’d loved her long before he’d put his own eyes on her, when she’d been nothing more than an ephemeral dream. The woman had been so much more. Alfred had been correct when he said she was much better than the idea of her. From her stubborn denials to her reckless behavior to her ruthless defense, she was absolutely perfect for them.
Besotted didn’t begin to cover his feelings.
Dwarfed by Maddox’s shirt, she glanced around the room as though searching. Her leggings just peeked out from the end of the bed, a dark spot of fabric against the paler color of the comforter. Tugging them out, Fin held them up, and her smile spread.
Another crash sounded from beyond, this time accompanied by the shattering of glass. Rogue sighed. They were being quite unkind about his secret hideaway. Fin would make it up to him later. Maybe he and Maddox could swing some repairs.
When Fiona caught her leggings, he tugged her forward into his arms. “Let them go beat up Wyman and we’ll stay here,” he suggested as he cradled her close.
To his enormous pleasure, she wrapped her arms around his neck and nuzzled his chin before he kissed her. But the sharpest little sting at the end of her scraping her teeth over his lower lip had him sighing. No, they could not coddle her no matter how much they wanted to, and as if summoned by the very thought, her mind opened to him as she smiled up at him.
I’ll let you all hit him first. The dream she’d just experienced filtered through Fin, and his eyes narrowed. Wyman had that ability.
We’ll hold him for you, love. He promised. Then you can beat him silly if you wish.
Her smile redoubled in force, and it knocked all the air from his lungs. Yes, besotted just didn’t cover it. Catching her pants, he went to one knee and pressed a kiss to her abdomen before he held the leggings so she could step into them.
“Suck up,” Maddox grumbled with as much humor as he did disgust. Probably annoyed Fin had thought of it first.
“Stick with me, brother,” Fin advised him. “I know how to treat our lady.”
Rogue snorted and cuffed Fin lightly on the back of the head as he tugged her leggings up over her hips. She smelled of them, but also of herself—alluring and devastating to his senses. He wanted just a few hundred years to learn everything she enjoyed.
Maddox slid a ring onto her finger and a necklace around her throat. The gems barely held a candle to her brilliance, but she scoffed as she curled her bare toes. “I’m hardly wearing the right clothes for these.”
“They’re yours,” he reminded her, all gruff and stern. It was killing the dragon to not lock her away. Every part of him just wanted her safe and as far from any potential harm as possible. Definitely not adding Wyman to the Christmas card list once Maddox found out about the dream raid.
Another crash, this time more wooden with splintering, and Fin sighed. “Does he ever visit without making a mess?”
In one voice, Rogue and Maddox said, “No.”
“I don’t like him,” Fiona announced when Fin stood and offered her his arm. She chuckled, then threaded her arm through his and pressed a kiss to his bare bicep. He wasn’t the only one who hadn’t bothered with a shirt. He rather doubted Alfred had even remembered the pants before he’d rushed out there.
Maddox stalked ahead of them, and Rogue closed in behind.
“See, we’re the most precious among them,” he murmured in her ear, and her laughter eddied over him like a caress.
“And it has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that you can spirit me away at a moment’s notice.” The dry tone delighted him.
“Absolutely not. Though, if you’re saying you want to run away with me, I’m all in. Where would you like to go? New Zealand? Madagascar? India? Belgium? Norway?”
“Maybe later,” she teased and pinched him. “No one is leaving anyone right now.”
The rigid muscles in Maddox’s back eased. Yes, Fin’s lady knew exactly what to say to settle the dragon. The man had a tight control over his more primal side, but it was a near thing and they all knew it. Recognized it, even before he’d stolen away with her.
It hadn’t changed any of their reactions. Alfred’s fury had been a wild storm, and Fin hadn’t ever seen him that angry. Rogue’s reaction had been far more silent and guarded, but there’d been no mistaking the cold rage flowing through him. Tracing them to Maddox’s vault had only taken them a little time, but Fin decided against taking them directly in while they’d both been in a state. To his surprise, Alfred had agreed with him and sent him ahead to secure Fiona.
Now they had another interloper to deal with. It was time to eliminate all possible threats, then the dragon could settle in and so could Rogue and Alfred. Once they all quieted, Fin and Fiona could go back to having fun before the child arrived. Oh, and when he or she did…
Outside the bedroom, they found an enormous hole where the front window had been, and the door was completely off its hinges and lying half down the steps on the porch. Outside, Alfred and Wyman were laughing and both men were bloodied, though Wyman looked like he’d gone back to some native Viking roots with his wild long mane and beard. Well, if Vikings turned into bikers.
“Hellion,” Alfred called as they arrived. “I have someone I want to introduce you to.”
“We’ve met,” she said in the iciest tone Fin had ever heard from her. He glanced down at their love with surprise, but she’d already unhooked her arm from his and started around Maddox as she stalked toward Wyman.
He pushed to his feet as Alfred shot him a look. Ah, so he hadn’t confessed his little trespass, had he?
“Ah, don’t get snooty on me now, hot stuff. You were a fine, fiery little minx, all teeth and claws in defense of your men.” That jovial tone was very much him and probably going to get him killed. Fin debated how much he cared and then thought hard on the near month-long hangover the old bastard had left him with.
No, he couldn’t say he’d mind too much if they all delivered a few blows to him. Both men had signs of blood on them, but neither was openly bleeding. Wyman had a hell of a black eye though, so Alfred’s welcome had definitely been the bruising kind.
“Wyman,” Alfred warned, and the other man held up his hands, laughing. Not an ounce of shame or remorse there.
“The prophecy about this one has been around a long time, Al, you and I both know that. More, rumors about her are racing around the world with a hurricane force gale. I wanted to see what the fuss was about. No surprise you’ve already claimed her.”
“She claimed me,” he told him in such a stiff tone, even
as Rogue moved ahead with Maddox to bracket her. They hadn’t stopped her from approaching, but when Alfred held out his hand, Fin had to hold his breath. Yes, a great deal had changed since they’d broken her out of the prison, and her love and affection for them was without question.
He believed she trusted them, but Alfred needed her to show that trust and choice right now. Not that Fin should have worried. She padded past the guys to slide her hand into his, and Alfred drew her right to him. One thing Fin had always loved about Alfred—he’d never had an ounce of shame. Rogue actually had a pair of pants for him in hand, but Alfred kept his right arm free as he slid his left around Fiona.
“I saw that. She wasn’t letting me get anywhere near you either.” Wyman sounded altogether too smug.
“Stay out of her head,” Maddox growled.
Seemingly without care, Wyman laughed. “Leash yourself, Goldie, or I’ll do it for you.”
Fiona started forward, but Alfred dragged her back. He mouthed something, but the syllable was too low for Fin to hear. Probably wait or trust me or something. Or maybe just give it a minute. With Alfred, it could be anything. But she didn’t try to rip his balls off, so whatever it was, she seemed willing to listen for the moment.
“Wyman,” Rogue said. “Don’t start fights. You and Alfred enjoy tormenting each other, but our lady is not here for your pleasure or entertainment.”
The wild card of the Six shot him a sly look, then grinned. “Good thing she’s already entertained me, then, right?”
“Do you truly want to die today?” Alfred asked, his voice deceptively calm. The dark fire he’d been sporting reappeared, dancing over his flesh, as did a pair of wings, both seemingly composed of the same fire. Nothing moved in their little clearing, save for some birds in the distance utterly unperturbed by the drama unfolding below.
The beauty of nature, it held no interest in their short-term issues. For nature was always there, something Fin had taken a great deal of solace in over the intervening centuries. Now though? Even their nature had changed. There was a peace inside of him he’d not felt since realizing someone had poisoned him. A peace within himself and with the world around him.
All traces of humor fell from Wyman’s expression as he stared at Alfred and Fiona. Maddox shifted his weight. It was imperceptible, but Rogue had already moved. He now stood on the other side of Wyman, slightly closer to Alfred and Fiona. They were caging him in, and Fin tested the air for magic.
No spells gathered around the wild card, but still, he’d be wary regardless. Nothing was allowed to touch Fiona. Alfred’s arm around her was as protective as it was possessive. He had his palm flat over her abdomen, and without a doubt, he’d fold over to take any hit coming their way.
“You know she hardly needs your protection,” Wyman said slowly as he stared at Alfred. “She handled my ‘approach’ just fine.”
“You shouldn’t have approached her in the first place,” Alfred told him a clipped tone that brokered no arguments.
“Brother, the day I don’t look after our interests is the day you spread my ashes in the wind. I hear about you shacking up with some demoness—no offense, little miss. You’re hot and I can see the appeal, but a succubus is a succubus is a—”
He never finished the next part of the statement. Alfred went from holding her to knocking Wyman clean off his feet and back several yards until he crashed through the trees, felling several of them along the way.
Rogue sighed as Alfred stalked after his ‘brother.’
“I’ll fix them as much as I can,” Fin assured Rogue. They were damaging his lovely little island getaway. The sad truth was they were pretty hard on any area when they fought. They’d wiped out whole cities before, leveled civilizations. It was why Alfred worked to keep the peace.
Only, he wasn’t so interested in that right now.
None of them were.
Fiona started after them, but Rogue intercepted, even as Maddox shifted his weight forward, but Fin held out a hand. “Give them a minute. Wyman’s here for a reason, and I don’t think he came to hurt us.”
Oh, that earned a baleful look from Fiona. “He threw a tree at me.”
“A dream tree,” Fin soothed, though he glanced to where Alfred and Wyman had disappeared. “Though, he really shouldn’t abuse you or the trees.”
Her snort made him smile, and he snuck a look at her. Exasperation and humor filled her eyes, a brief flash, before anger glittered in them again.
Beautiful, Wyman is a bit of a bastard, but I don’t think he means any real harm.
“You don’t think?” she asked in that deliciously husky voice of hers. With her hair mussed and her lips swollen, all he could think about for a split second was spreading her out in a sunny patch and reacquainting himself with her sweet cunt.
“Fin likes to see the good in people,” Maddox grumbled.
“I do,” Fin agreed. “It’s good practice for how much time we spend together.” The little dig landed and the dragon growled at Fin, but he also laughed too. Fiona’s smile reappeared, and some of the tension gathering around her eyes eased.
Over the next fifteen long minutes, Rogue had to persuade Fiona twice to stay. Maddox finally stalked inside and returned with a mug of hot coffee. Fin wasn’t sure she was supposed to have that. There were rules about pregnancy. Or so he’d heard on some show he’d been watching at one point. He might have to brush up on that.
But from the way she cradled the mug in her palms, he’d die before he let someone take it from her. “Bacon?” he offered. It wouldn’t take him long to go and arrange a meal.
Everything about her brightened at the offer. “I’m starving.”
“Then I’ll…”
Of course, that was exactly when Alfred and Wyman returned. Both were bloodied again and the dark fire on Alfred had vanished, but Wyman had ditched his jacket and pulled his wild mane up. It was hard to miss the scent of singed hair.
“Of course you’d wear a man bun,” Fiona said with such disgust, Fin made a note to never do that.
“Aye,” Wyman agreed. “I am. And on that note, little miss, your lordship here has decried that unless I’m willing to pledge myself, I’m not allowed to stay around you.”
Maddox folded his arms, a slow smirk forming.
“Nothing personal against the rest of them, or even to Alfred himself, but give me one good reason why I should pledge to you?”
Alfred’s gaze went skyward, ’cause no, Wyman couldn’t make it simple.
Rogue’s expressionless face betrayed nothing, but Fin suspected he wasn’t as put off as he behaved. No, like the rest of them, he was just protective and Fiona wasn’t happy at the moment. The narrow-eyed look she favored Wyman with didn’t promise that would change any time soon.
You don’t like a lot of people, do you?
While she didn’t look at Fin, he knew he had her attention. A part of him wanted the closeness to keep Wyman from sneaking behind her defenses again, though he suspected the being needed a weak mind or true sleep to accomplish such a task.
Fiona was not weak minded.
Most people treat me like I’m a succubus.
He almost smiled at her.
My love, you treated you like a succubus.
That earned him a glare but without any real venom. Not anymore.
No, he agreed readily enough. Not anymore.
Do you trust him?
Did he?
“Are you two quite finished discussing me?” Wyman asked, almost bored. Alfred didn’t slug him, though Maddox might. Rogue tossed pants to Alfred, who pulled them on while they awaited Fiona’s verdict.
“No,” she told him acerbically. “We’re not. Be quiet.”
Wyman’s eyebrows climbed, but he surprised Fin by doing as she asked.
I don’t mistrust him. Just never drink with him. I swear his leg is hollow.
A faint smile curved her lips as she met Fin’s gaze, and her whole countenance brightened as her skin glowe
d.
Dammit.
The smile dropped off and so did the glow, but it was too late.
“I’ll be damned,” Wyman said slowly, then pivoted away from her to face Alfred. “No wonder they tried to take her out.”
“No one is touching her, Wyman. I meant what I said, pledge to her or go. If you try to stay without offering her your bond—”
“I am not bonding with him,” an incensed Fiona interrupted, offended as hell, and Fin couldn’t help it. He laughed. Not that he would share her with Wyman. Ever.
Nor would Alfred or Rogue or Maddox.
But they’d just sealed their own bonds, so of course she’d…
“He does not mean bond to him, little sváss,” Rogue assured her with a dark look at Fin. “He means for Wyman to swear his allegiance to you, to die in your place and to die should anything happen to you, to pledge his loyalty and to kneel before you as a queen.”
“Oh.” She wrinkled her nose as if the idea was distasteful. “I thought the Seven were equals.”
Wyman gave a careless shrug. “That’s always been their mistake, little miss, but we fell because we followed and we survived because we followed and we flourished because we followed.” He cut a look at Alfred. “She’s your queen?”
“She is.”
“What the hell,” Wyman declared. “You only live once. I’ll offer you my pledge,” he told Fiona and started to bend his knee, but she stopped him with a scoff of sound.
“Never said I wanted it,” she informed him, then tossed back her coffee. “But you could begin to negotiate this pledge by fixing Rogue’s lovely cottage and then Fin’s trees and maybe apologizing for scaring me to death by making me think they’d died.”
And it had been going so well…
Maddox struck. Because…Maddox.
Fin groaned, but Alfred didn’t seem bothered at all, nor did Rogue. Fiona looked pleased, and he really couldn’t fault her. The dragon had flung Wyman away to crash into more trees that Fin would have to heal.