TJ and Remi took their drinks and guzzled them down, sighing with relief. Looking at the mess on the ground, Remi blushed with shame and apologized.
“Please don’t be embarrassed. It’s a common reaction for those who travel via portal for the first time. You’ll get used to it. My name is Tiernan. I’ll escort you to the master when you are ready. He’s waiting for you in the dining hall. Refreshments have been prepared for you.” They placed their goblets back on the tray and he gestured toward a door.
As they followed Tiernan, two of the guards fell into place behind them. Laoch and Tiger took the lead since they were family and would be the first faces Liam would want to see. Remi and TJ took in their surroundings and kept a wary eye out for anything suspicious.
The home was large but had a light airy feeling to it. Light filtered in through a multitude of stained-glass windows depicting Fae images. Elaborate designs were carved into every wood surface, many of which appeared to be magic runes with a faint glow. Their footsteps were muffled by the many plush rugs scattered about the place. It was somehow grandiose and homey at the same time.
Tiernan led them through an open archway into an enormous dining hall where servants were just finishing laying out a breakfast meal. It was obvious that large gatherings at mealtime was a common practice there. Everyone smiled and nodded in greeting at the strangers and Laoch. Their eyes widened and their smiles brightened when they got a closer look at Tiger. Quiet murmurs passed through the room.
A large, handsome and muscular man resembling Laoch approached them. He looked to be around thirty and had the typical long platinum hair with dark violet eyes. He was drop-dead gorgeous.
Bowing deeply as he stepped before them, he introduced himself. “Greetings and welcome to my home. I am Liam, father to Laoch and uncle to Toro. I know you must be famished so if we can dispense with formalities we can talk while you eat. We don’t stand on ceremony here… most of the time.” He smiled brightly as he neared Tiger, not hesitating to pull Tiger into a bone-crushing embrace.
Unshed tears glittered in his eyes when he pulled back, studying Tiger. “A fine strapping young man,” he declared. “It’s so good to meet you at last nephew. You look so much like your mother. Please, please sit down everyone! Help yourselves to whatever you want. I had human food prepared for you, but there are some Fae dishes as well.” He ushered them over to the long table and pulled up a chair at the head of it. Laoch and Tiger sat on either side of Liam and Remi sat next to Tiger, with TJ next to Laoch.
Tiger introduced Remi as his mate and TJ as his CO. Liam nodded politely and eyed Remi. “We will talk privately later,” he said to Remi. Remi gulped audibly, choking a bit on his food and Laoch smirked at him. He knew Remi was going to get the “Hurt him and you’ll have me to deal with” speech.
They spoke about lighter topics while they ate, saving the subject of Cillian till after they finished breakfast. Liam questioned Laoch about how Tiger’s lessons were going. He laughed heartily at the story of Tiger knocking Remi on his ass a few times. He guessed he wasn’t going to have to worry about Remi hurting Tiger. Remi realized Liam and Laoch had the same twisted sense of humor.
“Tiger cast his first portal this morning,” Laoch stated. “He cast a second almost immediately. It wasn’t large but he managed to keep it open for nearly thirty seconds.” He stared into his father’s eyes and some silent communication seemed to pass between them.
Liam looked startled, then his face lit up as he looked at Tiger. Tiger blushed furiously under his scrutiny. “Well done little Fae. You are indeed Enya’s son.” Laoch grinned at Tiger and winked.
Once the meal was finished, they retired to Liam’s library to discuss the matter of Cillian in a more private setting. Liam agreed to send twenty men to Corvan. They didn’t have a good plan for trying to trap Cillian but having Fae guards close by would certainly make it more difficult for Cillian to get to Laoch and Tiger, not that Laoch wanted Cillian to avoid him.
Cillian would know they were Fae, so there’d be no way to hide them from him, but they could cover their appearance from the humans with their glamour, passing as members of TJ’s Rangers. Liam seemed to take a liking to TJ, and they sat in the library discussing tactics and exchanging war stories while Laoch showed Tiger and Remi around the property.
In the gardens, fairies flitted around them constantly seemingly entranced by Tiger. “They’re curious about you,” Laoch told Tiger as he ducked back from one who got a little too close to his face. “They recognize your Fae blood but they’re not quite sure what you are. They don’t travel so they’ve never seen humans and most certainly not anyone like you. Humans don’t visit the fairie realm… ever.”
“Because there isn’t anyone like you,” Remi said, lifting his hand to his lips and kissing the backs of his fingers. One fairie flew close, observing the romantic gesture, and giggled.
Tiger held out his hand and another particularly brave female landed on his palm. He smiled at her and she shivered, her wings scattering glittering dust on his palm. He laughed and she zoomed into the air, then landed on his shoulder.
“It seems Brynn has taken a liking to you,” Laoch said. “He’s taken Brynn. This one is his mate.” He gestured to Remi. Brynn zoomed over to hover in front of Remi’s face and made an angry chittering sound, then landed back on Tiger’s shoulder.
“You just got the ‘Don’t hurt him or else’ speech,” Laoch informed Remi. Remi laughed at the idea of the tiny fairy threatening him until he remembered she had magic on her side. He bowed deeply to Brynn and swore to always protect Tiger. That seemed to mollify her, and she settled with a smug expression.
Liam’s grounds were extensive and wooded, with meandering streams and flowers everywhere. They were absolutely flabbergasted to see things they’d only heard about as myths. Unicorns, water nymphs, centaurs, pixies. The fairies kept bringing tiny flowers to Tiger as they wandered through the woods. By the time Laoch called a halt to their tour, Tiger had flowers tucked into his hair everywhere.
“It seems the urge to constantly adorn you with flowers and pretty things is a common theme no matter where we are,” Laoch teased Tiger, remembering how the Corvan natives at McNair’s research facility brought flowers and baubles to dress Tiger up.
He hadn’t realized how long they’d been there until he noticed it was starting to get dark out. The fairies glowed in the twilight like fireflies. Coming back to the garden door, Tiger bid Brynn a goodbye. She kissed him on the cheek then hovered in front of him with a sad expression. “We’ll be back,” Tiger promised her. She smiled at that, then zoomed away chittering madly.
They entered the house laughing about her antics. When they returned to the dining hall, TJ took one look at Tiger and doubled over with laughter. He straightened after a bit wiping tears from his eyes. “What the hell happened to you?” he wheezed. “You look like a garden threw up on you.”
Tiger walked over to one of the mirrors on the wall and looked at his reflection. He had a garland woven around the top of his head and individual flowers dotted all throughout his hair, glitter everywhere. He blushed and heaved a big sigh, walking away from the mirror.
Laoch and Remi grinned at him. “You could have warned me,” he groused at Remi.
“But you look so cute,” Remi chuckled, giving Tiger a peck on the cheek.
“I see the fairies have taken a liking to you nephew.” Liam clapped Tiger on the shoulder. “Come meet the members of your extended team.” Leading Tiger over to the huge dining hall table, he introduced the twenty elite guards who would be traveling to Corvan with them. None of them had ever been off planet, or even outside the fairie realm, so they would have to break into smaller groups and create multiple scheduled portals to take everyone through for the first time. Their target location would be the warehouse, so any future travel between Old Earth and Corvan would always be routed through there.
TJ filled them in on the plan he and Liam had come up with. “Th
e warehouse is almost completed. These guys will help finish it up quickly and then use the larger open area as a barracks. So no explosions for now Tiger. We can requisition bunks and uniforms from the fort and buy some civilian clothes for them tomorrow. They’ll scatter around the neighborhood to act as security and canvass the area for Cillian.”
“I’ll fill our team in, so they know what’s going on. They can provide backup and help these guys get acclimated to Corvan. As soon as we get back, I’ll let Noah know we’re on for construction tomorrow and Heath can take care of requisitioning what we need from the supply depot.” He turned to the Fae.
“You can start coming through in the morning. Initially, you’ll all arrive at the warehouse where you’ll be billeted and I’ve given your team leaders the locations for Remi’s and Tony’s houses, where some of you will serve as bodyguards. By the end of the day we’ll have beds in place for your stay. Unfortunately, there’s no kitchen and only one bathroom so we’ll have to do some brainstorming on that front. Maybe we can get a gedunk truck assigned to the area.”
They looked at TJ like he’d grown an extra head. “Gedunk truck? They looked at each other, whispering and shrugging.
He shook his head, sighing. This was going to be a major culture shock for these guys. “A food services truck. They bring food to you already prepared.”
One man raised his hand. TJ looked at him, raising a questioning eyebrow, hands on his hips.
“What’s a truck?” he asked.
TJ opened his mouth to respond, then closed it. He noticed Laoch in the background smirking. He looked like he was ready to bust a gut trying not to laugh out loud. “It’s like a wagon but it runs on an engine instead of horses.”
The hand went up again. Laoch stepped outside and closed the door but TJ could hear laughter receding down the hall.
“Never mind for now! Your Ranger co-leaders will explain everything. There are restaurants and street vendors nearby. We’ll get you guys credit chips to pay for whatever you need. The strain on the shower should be less with construction completed and maybe we can get some portable toilets brought in.”
Tristan, one of the team leaders and their immediate superior officer, stood up. “We’ll make do sir. We are all Fae warriors and we’re used to living under rough conditions. Whatever you can provide will be fine.” He gave a snappy shoulder salute and sat back down.
“Right. Okay then, I think we need to get a move on. It’s getting late and we have things to put in motion as soon as we get back. I’d just like to say thanks to Liam and you all for participating in this mission. I wish you all good luck and God speed. Hoorah!!” he shouted, thrusting his fist in the air. The Fae looked at each other, confused, then shrugged and shouted “Hoorah!!” in unison, pounding their fists on the table.
TJ grinned at them and spun to face Laoch who had quietly returned once he composed himself. “Shall we?”
They strode towards the arched doorway, but Liam grabbed Remi by the elbow. “I’d like a word with you before you leave,” he said pulling Remi through a side door. Remi cast pleading eyes at TJ and Tiger as he was dragged out of the dining hall.
“Well, that was kind of anti-climactic,” TJ said dryly.
Laoch laughed. “Come, we’ll wait outside for them. It won’t take long.”
Remi and Liam ended up back in the library. Liam closed the door, gesturing Remi to a comfortable chair. He sat in the chair facing Remi and studied him briefly. Remi refused to fidget. He’d been through war and fought as a marine. He could handle one tough old uncle… even if he did look younger than himself and had Fae abilities. ‘Gulp… maybe’.
“I’m not going to give you the ‘if you hurt him’ speech. You already know what I can do to you if you mess with my nephew. You’re mated. If anything happens to him, your life is over. You must love him very much to have taken on that fate.”
Remi just nodded, not saying anything yet. He waited to see where Liam was going with this conversation.
“Look out for him. He’ll have many more enemies than just Cillian. He may not even be a target for Cillian but Laoch certainly is, which endangers everyone around him.” He sighed. “The Fae courts are full of intrigue. I know you’re a good man and I heard about the events at McNair’s compound, so I know you are not soft.”
“Keep an eye on Laoch too. I know you two are like fire and ice but be patient with him. He’s hurting but he’s trying to find his way. My son is dying Remington. All he lives for is to kill Cillian and help his cousin. I hope that he can find a way to override the broken mating bond and find something worth living for. It is possible, but most do not survive losing a fated-mate.”
Remi was startled. Neither Tiger nor Laoch had mentioned the fact that Laoch had been mated and lost his mate. He always had his mark covered in front of Remi. Now he felt like a total douche. Laoch was dying and here he was spending his last days helping his own mate.
“I wasn’t aware sir. You have my word that I’ll do whatever I can to help him.” He shook hands with Liam, and they rejoined the others outside.
“In-laws are fun, aren’t they?” Laoch quipped brightly. “When Tiernan was mated he had two fathers-in-law and five brothers and sisters to deal with. That guy sweated blood for weeks.” He chuckled as he remembered Tiernan hiding in his room whenever one of them showed up looking for him. He suspected they knew he was hiding Tiernan, but they didn’t dare accuse him.
He threw his hand out dramatically and cast a large portal which they all dashed through hurriedly.
Upon emerging from the portal, TJ got right on contacting his people. He sat out by the pool nursing a headache and contacted Noah first, telling him to bring in as many men as could be spared in the morning and to pick up the remaining materials needed to finish up the warehouse and get the cooling system running.
“What the fuck Cap? What’s going on? First we do nothing for a whole day and now we need to get it all done in one day?”
TJ wandered into the kitchen where Remi was fixing dinner. Remi looked his way as he grabbed a beer, rolling his eyes and replied, “What part of my orders did you not understand because I’m pretty sure I made myself perfectly clear?” He wandered back out to the pool, still arguing with Noah.
Next, he contacted Heath and told him to requisition bunks, bedding, generic uniforms, folding tables and chairs, and lockers for twenty men and get it all delivered by the end of the day.
“Are you serious Cap? Even if they have all that in stock how are we going to get it all moved in one afternoon?”
“Call the motor pool and have them bring ten of the biggest transports available to the supply depot. If they don’t have what we need, call the civilian rental companies and tell them Captain Styles will cover it. I’ll bring men to help load it and drive the trucks. Get creative! Just do it Heath! Let me know when everything is ready for pickup.”
Once Tiger had picked all the flowers and glitter out of his hair, he and Laoch had gone shopping for coolers, civilian clothes, towels and washcloths, toiletries, and anything else they thought the Fae would need that couldn’t be requisitioned. They got back shortly after Remi had finished up dinner and put it in the warming unit.
Walking through the front door Tiger called out, “Good thing you’re rich Rem ‘cause your account is going to take a big hit this month.” Tiger walked up to Remi and grabbed a fistful of shirt, pulling him down for a kiss just as Jake came downstairs.
“Oh, for crying out loud, I did not need to see that right before dinner!”
“Hush Jake. Go tell TJ dinner’s ready.”
“The store will deliver everything tomorrow morning. Hey Cap! How’d you make out?” Tiger asked as TJ appeared in the doorway.
“I delegated. We’ll see how resourceful Heath and Noah are. This kind of stuff isn’t their forte, but I think they can pull it off. I’ll probably have to juggle a lot of personnel tomorrow to cover everything.”
They all sat down as Remi set the
food on the table.
“By the way, I’m sleeping here tonight,” TJ said.
Remi just looked at him as he jumped up again to grab another beer.
“Of course, you are. We should probably just move your stuff in here. You spend most of your time here anyway.”
Apparently, sarcasm was lost on TJ. “Good idea. I like it.”
Tiger kicked Remi under the table.
“You know,” TJ mumbled around a mouthful of food, “if you want fulltime coverage for Jake you should probably put a couple of those guys up here too.”
“Does that mean I get to stay home from school again?!” Jake was only too happy to comply.
“No. They can just shadow you at school.”
TJ snorted. “Yeah, that won’t make anyone suspicious. Two strange guys following a kid around campus all day.”
“They can use their glamour to blend in,” Laoch said.
Yay. For once Laoch said something that made Remi not want to punch him in the face!
They bickered and tossed ideas around through dinner. When they finally cleaned up and headed to their respective rooms, Laoch was exhausted and ready to sleep. He didn’t remember life with Aidan ever being this hectic. Humans seemed to thrive on chaos.
Just as he was finally dropping off, he heard the squeaking of bedsprings upstairs. He groaned and pulled a pillow over his head. Jake’s room was right next to Remi’s, yet he never complained about the noise. The pillow didn’t help.
“Tigger! Enough prepping! Give me your cock. Oh… god… you’re so big! Ooohh… unh… unh… unh… harder! Yeah! There… that’s the spot. Fuuuuuck… so good baby!”
Laoch’s eyebrows rose in surprise. He would never have taken the marine for the type to let another man take his ass. Finally, he couldn’t take any more. He grabbed a pillow and blanket and headed out to sleep by the pool. The waterfall eventually lulled him to sleep.
Laoch was in the shower at the warehouse. He felt like shit. It’d been a long hard day and his recovery time took longer and longer every day. He reached for the body wash and his hand shook so hard he ended up knocking the bottle off the shelf. Stooping over to pick it up, a wave of dizziness hit him and he nearly toppled. He leaned a hand against the wall and looked down at the mate-mark on his chest which was growing fainter day by day. Dragging his hand over his face in despair, he felt cooler air enter the shower behind him.
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