“Roxx,” Cy and Killian said in unison.
“Roxx,” she repeated, nodding.
Roxx shook his head.
“Hell to-the-mofo no! It’s impossible. No, it’s beyond impossible, it’s suicide. Hell, if I survive that, there’s a good chance that Kuma will eat me when she’s released anyway. I don’t have a death wish.”
Kuma was the Ancient Marid, the counterpart to Balraka. It was said that Kuma could snap freeze whole continents. Apparently, the Sahara Desert had been a beautiful grasslands until one of the local tribes had insulted her in some way, and she’d drawn every ounce of moisture out of the ground, causing it to become a desert wasteland that ensured the extinction of that tribe and many others. You didn’t piss off Kuma.
“You wouldn’t be going alone. I’d be there, as well as Lorcan and his best guards.”
“Very comforting. You want me to break into a Sidhe filled with enemy Fae, and steal a weapon that is hanging above the bed of the Seelie King.”
Azar had learned that Sidhe was the official term for the Faery mounds that housed the Fae in Europe. The fact that Roxx had already known that led her to believe that this wasn’t the first time he’d considered breaking and entering into the Fae strongholds.
“Think what a challenge it would be. You would be the only Djinn in our history to do such a thing and succeed.” If all else fails, appeal to their vanity, that was her motto.
Roxx thumped his head down on the conference table, upsetting a stack of scout reports.
“Fine. If I’m going to die, I may as well go out with a bang. When do we do this daring raid?”
Azar clapped him on the back. “Tonight.”
He shot back up and stared at her incredulously.
“Tonight? It takes months to plan a decent heist.” He looked at his watch. “Not thirteen hours. How are we even going to get to Ireland in that time?”
“Two words. Private. Jet. I’ll fill you in on the rest on the way.”
Roxx gave a sigh and she hustled him out of the room. They were set to take off in forty-five minutes. There was a lot to be done, and little time to do it in.
Chapter 16
Lorcan and six of his elite guard met them at the airport in Dublin. It was thirty minutes past the witching hour, but Dublin was still alive. They travelled by rented SUV, packed to the brim with soldiers so much so that some of them were piled into the cargo space. They drove an hour out of the city limits, to what seemed to be the middle of a field with a large rock in the center.
“Ok, tell the plan to me again,” Lorcan said from the passenger seat. He couldn’t drive, so Roxx was in the driver’s seat and she was smooshed between Enya and a Fae soldier who she hadn’t known but smelled like pine needles. She now knew his name was Hemlock, and he enjoyed this new internet thing, especially cat videos. Azar had found him incredibly endearing. She kind of wanted to keep him, but she was at capacity. She thought Bast might go insane if she tried to add anyone else to their happy little harem.
“We go into the Faery circle together. I will change into the traditional slave garb, Hemlock and Enya will change into the Seelie uniform. Roxx will just try and be as invisible as possible. Once in the Unseelie sidhe, Roxx, Hemlock, Enya and I will head to the portal that will send us through to the Seelie sidhe. We will be inconspicuous, covering Roxx’s back as much as possible. I will pretend to be a slave, and Enya and Hemlock will be soldiers. If we are separated, we are to try and find our way back to the portal, then out of the portal and back to the standing stones. If one of us is captured, the rest are to get out with the great weapon if possible. If we can’t get the weapon without getting caught, we are to head back to the portal and we’ll try again with a different plan. Did I forget anything?”
“Keep your head down and avoid Finlay. He knows what you look like, and he will not hesitate to execute you on the spot. Why did I agree to bring you on a dangerous mission again?”
“Because it was my idea and I made you?” Azar asked, which was probably true. She’d put her foot down, and used her Council sway to invite herself along. She would never ask her people to put themselves in danger that she was unwilling to undertake herself. Or something like that. That’s how her speech went anyway.
Nodding, Lorcan opened the car door and climbed out of the SUV. Walking to a tree with a hole in it, Lorcan reached in and pulled out a package. In it were several uniforms, of both the Seelie and Unseelie fashion. The Seelie uniform was white with a deep red cross down the side. The Unseelie uniform was black, with a gold dragon running across the breast. It was actually quite beautiful.
He handed her the slave outfit. It was a gossamer dress, finer than silk, in a champagne color that belted beneath her breasts with a thick gold cord.
“You need to be completely naked under that dress. Slaves are there for the pleasure of the Seelie Court. They will know you are an imposter straight away if they see you in human underwear.”
Azar screwed up her nose but put on the dress anyway.
It was like wearing cotton candy. It was so soft it felt like it would dissolve in the rain. And it left nothing, and she meant nothing, to the imagination. The deep pink of her nipples was clearly visible beneath the sheer fabric. It gathered at the front, pleating down the center, so that she had a little modesty. She had no doubt that every curve of her ass was visible though.
She wasn’t allowed shoes, so she tiptoed carefully around the front of the car. Hemlock let out a low whistle between his teeth, and Lorcan scowled.
Enya elbowed him in the ribs. “I’m pretty sure there’s a rule about ogling demigods, so roll your tongue back in.” Hemlock, bless his little heart, flushed as bright red as Enya’s hair.
“Let’s go.” He gave Enya and Hemlock each a hard look. “Do not forget who Azar is. Her life is more important that your own.”
They both nodded, and began to silently creep toward the center stone of the ancient circle. Azar felt extremely uncomfortable with Lorcan’s parting comment, but she wasn’t in a position to veto him. He was their commander, their Prince, and his word was gospel. She just had to hope that it never came to that. They all stood around the center stone, and Lorcan laid his hand upon a slight indent in the middle.
Then the world fell away.
She squeezed her eyes shut. The sensation reminded her of an amusement park ride she’d been on once. It spun around so fast, that you were pasted to the sides and the floor moved away, so eventually you were pinned to the wall, your insides compressing, your head spinning, and nausea rising in your throat. It was like that, but a thousand times worse.
When she opened her eyes, she was in a cavern. The walls were lined with flecks of gold, so the light that poured from the portal made it look as if the cavern was alive with thousands of tiny fireflies.
“Wow.” She looked over at Roxx, who was green around the gills and looking as if he was going to chuck. “Hold it together! We still have another one to go.”
He took several deep breaths, and nodded. A long dark hallway led off to the left. This is where they would part ways with Lorcan and his group.
Lorcan planned on walking right into the throne room, plucking the axe right from the wall and walking back out. She had doubts about his plan, but he seemed pretty certain it could be done. Azar was tempted to let them keep Zindagi, after all, a few less Ghul in the world wouldn’t be a bad thing, right? Alas, it was needed if they were to build a good defense against the Fae/Goblin army. Maybe she’d accidentally poke Lila with it later.
Lorcan’s group stood guard around the portal, waiting for them to pass through into the Seelie sidhe.
Azar gave into temptation and hugged Lorcan. “Be careful, okay? We need you.”
Lorcan patted her back. “Likewise. In fact, we need you more. So take extra care, and run if you are threatened.”
He didn’t have to tell her twice; running was what she did best.
Hemlock passed through the portal first, and
she followed close behind. Next came Roxx and Enya brought up the rear.
Azar prepared herself for the sucking, twisting sensation, but this time it was like walking through a waterfall. She could feel the barrier like a heavy curtain, but it was easily brushed aside.
The portal room on the Seelie side was just as magnificent as the Unseelie. It was much the same set up, but instead of gold, the walls were littered with blood red rubies. Roxx’s eyes went as wide as saucers. There was a king’s ransom in rubies just in this room alone. They glittered, rough and uncut, from every crevice, large teardrops of blood leaching from the stone walls.
Roxx blinked slowly as he took in the room, dazed. Azar pinched him on the arm.
“Focus. We are here for one thing only,” she whispered
He nodded. “Yasmin would love this though,” he whispered back, and he was probably right. His twin did have an affinity for precious stones.
Hemlock signaled that it was all clear, and then Roxx did something she didn’t think was possible for a Djinn. He disappeared into the shadows between one glance and the next.
“Holy shit. Roxx, are you still here?”
“Shh. I’ll be around. I’ll make my way to the King’s bedroom. If it’s empty, I’ll get in and out and meet you guys back in the hallway. If not, I’ll need a distraction,” he said, a disembodied voice from the darkness.
Her heart thundered in her ears. She followed along behind Enya and Hemlock with forced ease. She wanted to look attentive but unobtrusive.
Hemlock and Enya were talking in low tones that even she couldn’t understand, their heads together as if they were in serious conversation. It was a way for them to partly shield their faces and Azar, who was a step behind them, without seeming too conspicuous.
They walked past several servants, who paid little attention to them as they scurried off to wherever they were headed. She held her breath as they passed some nobles, one giving her a long look that stilled way too long on her breasts.
The Fae noble didn’t say anything, and continued walking, having drunk in his fill of her near naked body. What an asshole.
A group of Seelie soldiers entered the hall ahead of them, and blood began to rush in her ears. Fuck. They would definitely know that they weren’t Seelie. Enya had her distinctive red hair under a helmet, but that would do little good if they got a good look at everyone’s faces.
Before she could freak out, her two Fae surprised the hell out of her. They turned and pushed Azar up against a wall inside an alcove. Hemlock wedged himself between her thighs his face in her neck, and Enya held her face, her lips a mere whisper from Azar’s, her head tilted. They all held their breath, as the group stilled, said something in Gaelic, chuckled and continued on.
“My apologies,” Enya whispered, so close that the small puffs of her speech spread over Azar’s mouth. It was extremely odd talking to someone this close.
“Worse things have happened to me than being up close and personal with two attractive Fae,” she gave their worried faces a lopsided grin. “Plus it worked. All clear this way”
Hemlock looked down the hall his way. “All clear this way.” He looked down at her. He was quite tall for a Fae, maybe six and a half feet or so. “I’m sorry that I’m not sorry. It has been awhile since I have been that close to a beautiful woman. And even longer since I’ve been pressed between two. I enjoyed every second.”
Azar flushed and Enya rolled her eyes. “Let’s go before you say something even stupider.”
They continued down the halls and after what seemed like a hundred left hand turns, they stopped outside a set of jewel encrusted double doors. The doors were etched ash, a pictograph of the Fae conquering something big and ugly with only one eye. Precious gems made the eyes of the epic heroes, as well as the stars in a glittering night sky. The largest moonstone she’d ever seen was the moon. It was a beautiful piece of art.
The door was slightly ajar, and she peeked in. A tall blond Fae stood naked in the room, a woman dressed like Azar on her knees giving him a blowjob.
She saw a flash of Roxx’s face from the back of the room. He needed a distraction.
“I’m going in. If shit goes pear-shaped, save me, okay?” Before they could protest, she snuck into the room.
She just stood there, staring at the naked Fae man. He wasn’t Finlay, of that she was certain, but he was definitely powerful. She could feel the magic radiate off him in the same way that it poured off Lorcan. He had long, long ash blond hair to his waist, and an eight pack. His arms were bulging muscles where they held the slave girl’s hair. He looked like the love child of Conan the Barbarian and Fabio. But better looking than both.
But what really struck Azar was his look of wretched sadness as he gazed down at the girl's head with stunning seafoam green eyes. His face was contorted into lines of pain and loneliness. She’d never had a blowjob, but she was pretty sure that you weren’t meant to feel sad during one.
She looked at a beautiful vase sitting on a pedestal. She reached out and knocked it over, and it fell to the floor with a crash.
The man’s head shot up, and a mask of cruelty slid into place; all vulnerability completely chased away.
“Whoops.”
“Stupid animal,” he growled. “What have you done?”
Any pity she may have had for the man vanished with that one growled sentence.
“Uh, I was looking for Fin- His Royal Highness.”
He pushed away the slave girl who was still happily slobbering over the man's penis like it was an everlasting gobstopper. She sat in a heap on the floor, staring up at him adoringly. Azar realized that the girl was a human.
“You are quite insolent for a slave.” He strutted over to her, his naked body a symphony of hard edges and his manhood jutted out like a tree limb. He was completely unfazed by his nudity. “Why do you search for the King?”
Azar caught the brief blur of movement behind the man on the bed, and fought really hard not to look at Roxx.
“Umm, he requested that I come and, er, pleasure him.” She could have slapped her own forehead at the stupidity of the comment, but attempted to keep her face neutral.
“Well, I too am a Royal. You may pleasure me instead.” He was so confident that she would drop to her knees, it made her want to kick him in his avocados.
“No thanks, I’ll wait.” The man looked shocked.
“Excuse me?” His disbelief was comical.
“I said no thank you, your Highness.”
He grabbed her face in his oversized hands and stroked a cheek with a forefinger. “I’m sure you meant yes.”
She really didn’t like being manhandled, but she gritted her back teeth. “I meant what I said.”
The man took a large step back. “You are not in love with me?”
Now it was her turn to look shocked. “Excuse me?” Then it hit her. “Wait, you aren’t Cian, the Golden Prince of the Unseelie Fae, are you?”
He was still staring, his face contorting into different pouty looks. He looked like a teen Prom Queen duck facing for the cameras. “Yes, I am. Look at me now? In love with me yet?”
“Still no. What are you doing over here on the Seelie side of the tracks?”
“Enjoying some of the finer things in life. After all, there is a war coming, and that will be all work, work, work.” He grabbed her face again and kissed her hard on the lips. It wasn’t a bad kiss, the guy obviously had a lot of practice.
“Now? Are you consumed with love and desire?”
She shook her head, resisting the urge to wipe her mouth with the back of her hand. “Sorry, still nothing. But I give you a ten out of ten for technique.”
He put both hands on his hips and cocked his head to the side. “You seem to be immune to my glamor. I have never met anyone immune to my glamor. Even the most powerful Kings and Queens of the Fae are susceptible.” He rubbed a finger along his jawline. “I don’t know whether to keep you or kill you. This is quite an unusual occur
rence.”
She took a long, slow look down his body, then back up towards his face. He definitely had a pretty look about him, but Azar liked her men a little rougher around the edges. He had the same lithe beauty of Lorcan, but without Lorcan’s aura of confident command.
“Unfortunately, neither of those options work for me.” An odd, deafening clanging noise resounded through the room, and she knew it was time to leave.
She edged back toward the door.
“Unfortunately for you, I fear the alarms have made my choice for me. I just knew that you didn’t belong here. Finlay would never keep anyone so spirited in his harem. You are far too old, and far too female for the Usurper King’s tastes.”
Cian’s lip curled in disgust, and Azar didn’t want to know who Finlay’s type was, or what he did with them, that disgusted even an Unseelie Prince. But she was definitely going to kill the evil bastard as soon as possible, just on principle.
Cian edged toward her, casting out a hand as if web would shoot out of his palms like Spiderman. Again, nothing happened.
“Huh.” She doubted the Fae prince had ever had to participate in hand to hand combat, but she wasn’t willing to test his skills right now.
Thankfully, Hemlock and Enya burst through the door in a whirl of weapons. Enya whacked Cian over the head with something that looked like a jade pestle. Cian went down hard, whacking the back of his head on the marble floor.
“Hurry, he won't stay down for long,” Hemlock said from the door, keeping watch.
Enya just stared down at the prone form of Cian, and fell to her knees. At first, she thought the Fae woman was injured, but then she realized that she was entranced in Cian’s love juju or whatever it was. Hooking her hand under the other woman’s arms, she pulled her up and away, dragging her out of the room, Hemlock in front.
As soon as they were out of Cian’s presence, Enya snapped out of it.
Two Seelie guards came around the corner, and Enya let out a yell of anger before swinging her sword like a baseball bat into one of the guard’s faces, knocking him out cold.
The Azar Omnibus: The Complete Azar Trilogy (The Azar Trilogy Book 0) Page 61