by Lexi Blake
That was the worst part. Because of the odd hold the wizard had on my husbands, I couldn’t even tell them how afraid I was for Lee. It didn’t escape my notice that Lee was on the Earth plane right now without me or Kelsey to watch over him.
Arwyna had made it to a clearing, and a vast lake came into view.
“He was here, too,” Daniel said. “Do you see the weird platform out there. Those are plants. They don’t naturally form docks like that. Something must have happened. He doesn’t usually leave things like this. Dev allows the plants to go back to their normally scheduled days after he’s done with them.” Daniel inhaled through his nose. “Something is definitely wrong. I can’t smell Dev. I can’t smell much of anything. My senses are dulled here. I don’t like it. I should be able to catch his scent.”
I glanced back and Arwyna was following the path. It was obvious Dev was definitely here. The spell was working, but my pixie friend wasn’t anymore. I watched as her wings drooped and she fell to the grass. She didn’t get back up.
I ran to her, dropping to my knees as I reached down and gently picked her up.
I brought her close to my face. “Hold on, Arwyna. We’ll find Devinshea and Bris might be able to help you.”
Her eyes were obsidian discs, flat and with no expression in them. She stared up at me, but she wasn’t there.
I watched as my sweet friend took her last breath and died.
* * * *
Kelsey
I ran, trying to keep up with Quinn, but I admit that he’s got some long legs. I didn’t know these woods so unleashing my wolf might be a problem. I opened my senses, though, and took in the sights and sounds and scents of this forest.
It teemed with life and most of it was Fae, though I scented a deer herd to my left. They were hiding in the trees. I could smell their fear and wondered if it was me they were afraid of. Or Marcus, perhaps. Marcus had been hunting and he was definitely a predator. There were all kinds of creatures, and some of them I didn’t even know how to classify. The forest was deep around me, and even it seemed to have something of a consciousness. I could feel it. I had to wonder if that was because of Bris. I’d never hung out in a faery forest with the ancient god before. It was a trip.
Dean kept up and I had high hopes that he wouldn’t die when I started his training schedule, which was absolutely going to include a whole lot of cardio. “I don’t see her.”
Quinn stopped at a clearing with a large tree stump. “The trail ends here. I don’t understand.”
He got to one knee and put his hand on the ground.
I glanced around the area and a shiver went over my skin. “They were here. Damn it. What is that?”
Something metallic gleamed in the grass. Dean leaned over and picked it up with a curse. “It’s a sed dart. It’s made on the Vampire plane. It’s used…”
I could take that one. “To sedate people. They used it to arrest Summer. But it shouldn’t have worked on Marcus. Drugs like that don’t work on vampires.”
“They don’t on the Earth plane, Kelsey,” Quinn said with a frown. “But that drug was formulated specifically for vampires, or at least they would make sure it worked on them. I know vampires are different here, but I would bet it worked on Marcus. But even if he’d been sedated, Marcus can still reach out. We should be looking at a couple of mercenaries who either gutted themselves or killed each other at Marcus’s command. Dean said vampires don’t have powers here. Marcus should have been able to deal with them.”
It was what Marcus was good at. Even when his body was sleeping, he could reach out with his mind. I should know because I’d had some awfully good “dreams” that had come from him.
“Not if they had shield implants,” Dean explained. “For the last couple of months, the bio med unit of Lodge InterPlane has been developing implants that shield the brain from outside influences. They’re ready to roll it out. I wouldn’t be surprised if they let their security team try them first.”
Quinn got back to his feet. “The trail ends here. I don’t understand it. It’s obvious they came out here on some kind of vehicle. That’s what that indention in the ground is, but it’s flat. Where are the wheels? We should be able to follow the trail.”
“Because whatever it is flies.” It was the only viable answer. The indention on the ground was big enough for two at least, maybe a third, and there were two of them. Two vehicles could definitely have carried away both Marcus and Summer.
“Hoverbikes.” Dean was pulling out the tablet again, his fingers working to bring up the camera. “They’re fast and super quiet. Summer likely didn’t even hear them coming.”
Or they’d been busy doing other things. Marcus had to be so freaking pissed. “Okay. Where would they take her? How far behind are we?”
Dean cursed and I moved in close to him. “They’ll take her to the Vampire plane. They’re doing it right now. The bikes can go a hundred and twenty an hour easy.”
“Then we need to get to the door to the vampire plane,” Quinn said. “Which way do we go?”
“It won’t matter.” Dean’s shoulders slumped. “They’re already through.”
I took the tablet and watched as a couple of flying motorcycles swept past the door. It was the weirdest-looking thing, as if someone had ripped open the sky and unveiled something else entirely. There was forest on either side, and then I could see metal and lights and lots of smoke. “Is it safe for them? It looks like there’s a fire.”
“It isn’t a fire. It’s smog,” Dean explained. “A lot of the ground is covered with it. It’s why all wealthy vampires live on the upper levels. We have whole communities who never actually touch the surface. I mean never. Birth to death spent above the clouds. That’s where they’ll take her. High above Dallas.”
“That’s Dallas?” It hadn’t looked like any Dallas I knew.
“I don’t care where it is,” Quinn said. “We need to get there and now.”
“It won’t work.” Dean shoved the tablet back into the satchel. “The door closes at sundown and we won’t get there in time. There’s no way to open it. How could I let this happen? I’m going to try to transport. I might be able to get through.”
“Can your father help us out? Is there another me on this plane?” Dev asked. “I can talk to myself, right? We’re going to need money and someone influential to talk to this Taggart. We’re likely going to have to break her out. I’m not leaving my daughter here.”
Dean’s eyes had closed and his forehead broke out in a sweat.
I had to think. No one else was going to think logically. “Or we need backup and that means finding our way home and bringing the king back with us. He’s got power. We can open negotiations. He likes talking. He’s great at taking meetings and shit. You said the Earth plane is hard to get to, well, maybe we can trade some stuff.”
“They seem far more technologically advanced than we are. I highly doubt they need anything we have beyond companions. I assure you my wife won’t allow her people to be used, even to free her own daughter. She will more than likely form an army and try to take her,” Quinn said.
“Damn it, it’s not working,” Dean grumbled. “I can’t clear my mind.”
“Take a deep breath.” If Dean could get to her in time, I would let him go. It sounded like his adoptive father had some power in this world. We could use that. In the meantime, I would find a way to get help. “Stay calm. Panic helps nothing.”
His eyes opened and he shook his head. “I’m not strong enough. I used up all my power getting here. We should start for the village. The door won’t open again until sometime tomorrow morning. It’s usually close to noon. We’ll have to leave in the morning if we want to make it, but we should sleep at the brugh tonight. Erna will have my hide.”
“There has to be a way to get to her now,” Quinn insisted. “Are there eddy winds here?”
I’d heard about eddy winds. It was a sort of whirlwind that plagued some Fae planes. I use the word plague b
ecause they could be dangerous if you didn’t know how to ride one. Quinn was able to find them and use them as transportation, but I’d heard the trip was a rather wild one. My uncle still talked about riding those winds.
Dean shook his head. “Not here. On Tír na nÓg they have a few, and I’ve heard the Unseelie plane has many and they can be as large as a hurricane. But this is a neutral plane. It’s stable, which is why I’m surprised we had a convergence incident here.”
“Is that what you call what happened earlier when I nearly got pulled into a void?” It had been a day.
“Yes,” Dean said. “One of the reasons we’ve stayed here is that nothing tends to happen here unless you piss off the Fae creatures. Erna is worried that an incident happened so close to our home. We really need to go. I don’t want to be out here in the dark. The dead really do walk at night.”
“See, I would consider that a happening. We have two different definitions of the word stable.” I didn’t normally have to deal with zombies.
“I can’t go to some brugh and sleep. My daughter is in danger,” Quinn insisted.
“And she’ll still be in danger tomorrow.” I wasn’t sure what Quinn wanted me to do. “So we should rest and discuss how we’re going to handle the situation. I’m not any happier than you are but she’s with Marcus and you have to know that he’ll do anything to save her. He would die before he would let her come to harm.”
“I don’t know that,” Dean said.
“Well, it’s true,” Dev allowed with a long sigh. “I’m sorry, Kelsey. I know I’m being difficult, but I can’t lose her. And, Dean, Marcus truly would give his life to protect Summer. He’ll do anything he can to ensure her safety. My worry is his mental powers don’t work on Earth plane vampires. If he can’t influence the vampires here, he won’t have much power.”
“Oh, vamps here are totally vulnerable to psychics.” Dean handed the satchel back to me and turned toward the lake. “It’s precisely why Lodge InterPlane is going to make a killing on those shields. We should move if we want to avoid the undead. We need to at least get around the lake if we want to be safe.”
I heard a low, keening cry, a sound of mourning.
Quinn stepped in front of me, the habit of a man used to taking care of the women around him. “What is that?”
I didn’t need protecting. “I don’t know but I’m going to find out. It sounds like whoever it is, she’s back at the lake.”
Quinn went still as the woman continued to cry, though there was an angry timbre to the sound now. “Oh, goddess. Please no.”
Quinn started to run and I chased after him.
Chapter Eighteen
Summer
I woke to sunshine on my face and the sound of water all around me. I was lying on a bed, silk sheets caressing my skin. I was calm and centered. I was happy.
I was dreaming, obviously.
Although I wasn’t sure why I would be dreaming I was in a sexy nightgown. I typically slept in a boring shift, but I found myself wearing an emerald gown made of more silk. I sat up and glanced around the room I found myself in. The bed was a massive four-poster with filmy curtains that had been tied back. The room was sumptuous with a masculine flair. To the right there was a set of double doors standing open and leading out to what appeared to be a balcony.
I eased out of bed and there was a robe waiting for me. It matched the gown and I slid my arms in, tying it at my waist. It was odd to be dreaming and to know I was dreaming.
I caught sight of myself in the mirror over the large dresser across the room. My hair was loose, flowing around my shoulders, and I looked far more beautiful than I considered myself to be. My skin practically glowed.
Perhaps I wasn’t dreaming after all.
“Marcus? Are you here?” This had to be one of Marcus’s powers. He’d taken me to my parents before. He could take me wherever he wanted in his mind.
“I’m on the balcony.”
I touched my neck before turning back to him because something was missing. My charm was gone and there was only smooth skin there. It had been years since I’d seen myself without it. An odd longing went through me as I remembered how good it had felt to use my magic. My magic healed and calmed others. It protected.
It also killed.
I turned and walked to the balcony. “Tell me we’re in some weird space in your head and that I’ve still got my charm on in the real world.”
He was standing at the wrought iron that lined the balcony, looking out over what appeared to be a bay of some kind. I stopped, the sight stunning to my eyes. There was a massive building to my right and a square where people were gathered, but in the distance there was gorgeous water with boats floating and the sun beginning to rise.
“If it’s important to you,” he murmured but did not turn around.
The charm was suddenly back at my throat and for once it didn’t give me comfort. I had forgotten how confining it could be. Still, it was important to me. Not even in a dream could I take it off for fear that I would wake and be unleashed.
“Was it a gift?” he asked. The words were negligent, as though he didn’t truly care about the answer.
“Of sorts,” I replied. “Where are we?”
“This is my home,” he said, glancing back my way. “I live in the townhome we’re in. I’ve owned this building for centuries. We’re in a city on the Earth plane called Venice, in a country known as Italy.”
The vampire knew how to take my breath away. I would give him that. He wore pajama bottoms and a masculine-looking robe that contrasted beautifully with his skin. His raven-dark hair was mussed and all the sexier for it. He had belted the robe at his waist, but his muscular chest peeked from between the sides.
He was simply the most stunning male I’d ever seen and I wanted more than anything to be in his arms because I had the feeling things had gone wrong. Very wrong, if the memories surfacing were true.
Instead I moved to his side and looked out over the plaza. “It’s beautiful. Were you born here?”
“No. I was born in a city called Rome almost two thousand years ago. I left my home city after I became a vampire and settled here eventually. We are not born as vampires on my plane.”
“You live a human life and then turn after death,” I said, remembering a bit of what I learned from my father. “I don’t know this place though. I don’t think there’s an Italy on the Vampire plane. I’ve only been to Dallas. It can be hard to tell. The vampires live high above the ground. At least the wealthy ones do.”
“I’ve spent much time in Dallas on our plane,” he murmured. “I suspect that’s where we’re going to be taken. Our captors talked about getting back there.”
“So that wasn’t a dream either? Someone shot us up with tranquilizer and I was arrested by a man who’s been hunting me for the last couple of years.” I said the words so I could wrap my brain around reality. Taggart ran a security firm, but he was also licensed as a bounty hunter who could cross the planes in pursuit of his prey. I was certain the witches had contacted him after they figured out I was the one who’d taken their book. The joke was on them because I no longer had the sucker, and by the time they got it back, Erna would have the information we needed.
Not that it would be much comfort when Taggart turned me over to the witches and they executed me.
“No, it was not a dream. Though it greatly resembles a nightmare. We are currently on our way to a holding cell,” Marcus confirmed. “According to what my captor has said, we’re still an hour away from their headquarters. They said they won’t call the client until they’ve thoroughly interviewed you and figured out who I am. That should be amusing.”
At least we had some time. “So we’re still knocked out?”
“Yes, and should be for most of the night according to the men who have taken us. They have someone named Jesse preparing sleeping pallets for us. If you would prefer, I can allow you to go back to your own dreams. I wanted to give you the choice. I came
here because it is where I am most comfortable.”
It was his home. “It’s beautiful. I didn’t see much of the Earth plane. Mostly it was a couple of rooms and a parking garage. My mom didn’t think about other places a lot during the time I spent with her.”
“You were able to read her thoughts?”
I nodded. “Yes, when I was first born, I didn’t have much control so I freely invaded everyone’s brains. Why are you so upset?”
He was cold and that was a turnabout.
He shifted and leaned against the railing, staring at me. “I did not protect you. I believe that was part of our bargain, and I’ve already failed. I understand entirely if you want to rethink our agreement.”
“Because you couldn’t fight a vampire who spent years in the military? He’s an excellent tactician and I’m surprised I managed to elude him so far. I will admit in a couple of cases Dean’s relatives helped me with that. I should have known that vamp would get lucky at some point.” I moved into his space because this wasn’t reality, and honestly, if Taggart was going to turn me over, the likelihood of pain and torture and death was pretty damn high. I wanted a few moments of sweetness. “I don’t blame you. I should have been on my guard. I knew he was looking for me. He has been for years. I’m a wanted criminal. You should be upset that I got you involved in this.”
“I should have been able to protect you. You are my companion. I am your master.”
I shook my head. “Nope. We’re not going there. You need to find another word for it. I will accept boyfriend, friend, partner. Fuck buddy is popular where we’re going, but no male is my master, Marcus.”
“It is proper where I come from, though everyone knows who the true master is.”
“I don’t see why we can’t be equal.” I wasn’t getting into a relationship with another man who viewed me as property. Even if I knew the relationship wouldn’t last long.
Marcus seemed to think about it for a moment and then nodded. “All right then. We will forgo titles. I am still the man who promised to protect you and I am still the one who failed.”