Agent of Darkness (Dark Fae FBI Book 3)

by C. N. Crawford

  I shook my head. “Soon enough, the king will realize that we’re going for the Stone, now that we’ve escaped,” I said. “If we wait, he might even add more protection to it, or move it to his keep in Trinovantum. We have to do it now. Can your… storm powers work inside?”

  “No. Weather tends to stay outdoors. And I don’t think I can summon another storm so soon after the last one.”

  “Okay.” I took a deep breath, unwilling to let this go. “What if you create a distraction? The guards might leave their post around the Stone.”

  “If the London Stone is really in there, they won’t leave their post.”

  “Okay. So they won’t.” I was determined to make this work. “You create a distraction to avoid anyone coming to their aid, and I jump in, take them out, and get into that room.”

  “Take them out?” Roan repeated, deadpan. “Take out nine guards. I’m starting to worry that your mind was destroyed in that prison.”

  Yes, it was. “Branwen could help me.”

  He arched an eyebrow. “With Branwen controlling your shadow, you can take out nine guards?”

  “Yes. Just as soon as I get control over my dread powers.”

  “Your powers are unstable,” Roan said gently. “They might not work, and leave you to die at the hands of the Arawn Fae. It would take months of training—”

  “I’ve already had months of training. Months with nothing but myself, in total isolation. I faced everything within me. All the walls in my mind are broken. I can do this, now. You’ve seen it happen when we escaped the keep.”

  “For a fae to gain complete control over her powers, she needs to unveil.”

  I hadn’t really managed that yet, but the kernel of a plan took root in my mind, and I started to perceive what Roan wanted me to do. He wanted me to embrace my fae side, once and for all.

  Chapter 33

  I’d asked Roan to meet me at Temple Church, and I showed up a few minutes early. September had begun to cool the air, and I’d worn a long dress that fell to my ankles, and wrapped a thick woolen sweater around myself.

  I had a plan, though I wasn’t entirely convinced it would work. The one time I’d come close to unveiling had been with Roan. I’d been broken, and I’d lost my inhibitions. I’d jumped on him, and bit him in the neck, and the claws and teeth had come right out. Roan wanted me to tune in to the world around me, to let go of my worry and guilt, to shed my self-consciousness. I needed to simply tune in to the natural world around me, to bond with it.

  And when else had I done that before? Not when I was angry, or near death. It had been when I was enjoying myself—drinking the nectar, touching Roan.

  Maybe just a tiny sip of it before Roan arrived would help things along. I just hadn’t told him about it. For some reason, I knew he wouldn’t approve. He’d been kind but distant, unwilling to let me too close to him.

  I had a vague idea of what might happen if I drank the nectar around him.

  I leaned over the fountain, peering at the moonlit water. I stared into the reflection until my mind clicked with it. Then, I linked it to Roan’s dining room, where a crystal decanter stood on the table—the one Nerius had used to draw the penis. It was still there. I reached into the water, plucking out the decanter. I held it to my lips, tasting the delicious sweetness—one sip, two. I forced myself to stop after that. Reluctantly, I shoved the decanter back into the watery reflection.

  As I pulled my hand from the fountain, I felt aware of the water dripping over my skin. My mind flashed with impressions of the stone and brick around me—a Shakespearean play performed in one of the nearby buildings, the bard himself in attendance four hundred years ago; the roses that grew around him then, the white and red signifying the warring armies of kings, their scent intoxicating. Beauty and blood, love and terror.

  And here I prophesy: this brawl today, / Grown to this faction in the Temple Garden, / Shall send between the red rose and the white / A thousand souls to death and deadly night.

  Love and terror. I stroked my fingers through the water, feeling it wash over my skin. I needed to stay in the present, to let the beautiful now engulf me. Moonlight dazzled over the water. I kicked off my shoes, trailing my feet into the fountain’s cool water. I glanced up at the night sky, stunned by the beauty of the starry vault, the gleaming heavenly fires. They called to the flame in my chest. I pulled off my sweater, tossing it to the flagstones by the side of the fountain.

  I noticed another thing I really didn’t need right now: a bra. I reached behind my back, unhooked it, and slipped it out from under my dress, dropping it on the stone. My dress skimmed over my bare breasts.

  From the tree overhead, a jackdaw chirped. I lifted my dress higher, letting the water soak my skin. Splashes from the running water cooled my skin, and brought with it the song of the river gods, the ancient ballads of the Thames. I dipped lower in the fountain, sitting in it completely until I’d submerged myself up to my shoulders. This is where I belonged…

  The sound of footfalls sparked excitement in me, and I turned to see Roan walking across the flagstones, silvered in the moonlight. Pale light washed over the perfect counters of his face, and the sight thrilled me. A god… he looks like a god, one come to bless me with his presence. Ecstasy bubbled in my chest, and I couldn’t form the words to tell him how perfect he was. Here we were, love and terror, come together in the Temple Garden. We belonged together.

  I was overcome by a sudden desperation to see his true form. Slowly, I rose from the fountain, and the chill of the September air rushed over my skin.

  His golden eyes gleamed in the darkness, penetrating me to my very core. His body looked strangely alert. “What are you doing in the fountain?”

  Slowly, my eyes roamed over his perfect body, his inviting black shirt that fit his torso so perfectly. I couldn’t quite remember how to speak, so I simply stepped from the fountain, letting the water drip down my skin, down my cleavage. As I moved closer to him, his eyes dipped to my breasts, peaked from the cool water.

  Loosing a breath, he reached for my waist, then stopped himself, his fingers tightening. A muscle twitched in his jaw, and his body went rigid with tension. “What are you doing?” he asked again, a ragged edge to his voice, a voice that licked up my spine.

  I took a deep breath, close enough now that I could smell him, could feel the warmth radiating from how body. My nerves were sparking on overdrive, all of my senses heightened. Imagine how his body would feel, moving under mine, his hands palming my breasts… terror conquering love, love conquering terror. I licked my lips, and his penetrating gaze caught the movement.

  My body heating, I traced my fingertips over his collarbone. Shuddering, he took a deep breath. His gaze dropped to my breasts again, as if he were losing a battle with himself. I wanted to feel his hands brushing over my nipples, then his mouth. I could pull his clothing off, one piece at a time, to run my tongue over his skin.

  I traced my fingertips lower on his chest, brushing just over the waist of his trousers. I slipped them under the hem of his shirt, feeling his powerful body, and he gasped.

  At last, I remembered how to form a coherent sentence. “I need to learn to unveil,” I said.

  He grabbed my wrist. “What’s going on? How did you get nectar?”

  I didn’t answer. Words weren’t going to work in this situation. I pulled my wrist from his grasp, then cupped his face. Sighing, he closed his eyes, brushing his face against my hand as if he were giving in, just for a moment. Even as he fought against it, a fire ignited between us.

  I edged closer, and one word rang in my skull. Mine. I had the sudden revelation that Roan was mine, and we weren’t going to achieve anything until he understood this.

  I felt my breasts grow heavy, my body seeming to swell. The dress felt too restrictive around me. I wrapped my arms around his neck, letting the strap of my dress fall lower, exposing the top of my breasts to the night air. As he stared into my eyes, I let the strap fall completely o
ff. I stood on my tiptoes, brushing my body against his as I moved up against him. I pulled his face to mine for a kiss, pressing my hips into him. For just a moment, he fought against his desire, his body tense.

  And then, his control slipped. His powerful arms were around me. He kissed me back, the slow brush of his tongue sending my body racing with need. His kiss was pure pleasure and pure devastation, a kiss that shattered me and put me back together again. Beauty and blood, love and terror. My knees went weak, heat pulsing between my legs. How could I get him to touch me where I needed it? I felt my thighs clenching, his powerful arms flexing around me.

  He pulled away from the kiss. Our breath mingled, and he stared into my eyes. “What are you doing, Cassandra?” His deep voice licked up my spine, soft as a caress.

  Don’t let him speak. His mouth needed to be doing something else—licking the fountain water from my skin, kissing my neck, my thighs, my breasts.

  I thought I knew how to silence him. As heat pulsed through my body, I pulled the straps of my dress off my shoulders, letting the entire dress fall to the flagstones. I stood before him in only my tiny, sky-blue lace panties. I slid my fingers into the hem of my panties, threatening to pull them off. For a moment, his jaw slackened, eyes flaring with sunlight. Then, his gaze slowly raked over my body, memorizing every curve. He sucked in a sharp breath, his antlers shimmering on his head, eyes gleaming gold. With a snarl, his canines flashed, claws lengthening.

  That was it. He wouldn’t be talking anymore. I reached under the hem of his shirt, pulling it off him, then stood on my toes again, my breasts brushing against his tattooed torso. I curved my hips into him.

  His hands stroked down my bare body, cupping my ass, and I ground my hips into him. Pulling him closer, I licked his neck, sucking the place where I’d once bitten him.

  He moaned, fingers tightening on my ass.

  I wanted him on the ground. I pulled away from his neck. Gently, I began pushing him to the garden—the one that bloomed with the ghosts of red and white roses. He’d unveiled, and no longer cared about whyever the hell he wasn’t supposed to kiss me. A wicked smile curled his lips, and he backed up into the soil and plants, the smell of the earth enveloping us. I reached for his shoulders, gently nudging him into the ground.

  He looked up at me, his gaze hungry, carnal. I slid into his lap and wrapped my legs around his waist. I glanced at his neck again, and stared at the rhythmic pulse of the vein beneath his skin, the primal rhythm strangely in sync with my heart. The beat drew me in, hypnotizing. As he arched his neck, I let my tongue flick over his skin, sucking and licking, my hips rocking against him until I became more frenzied, desperate for him. He’d hardened completely against me. He tilted his head back further, and I rocked against him.

  I met his gaze, my mouth just inches from his.

  “Cassandra,” he said, his voice a guttural growl, ragged with need.

  At the sound of my name on his lips, a euphoric warmth burned in my ribs, and I brushed my thumb over his full lower lip.

  He gripped my waist, his thumbs tracing circles over the hollows of my hipbones. God, it felt amazing, my world narrowing to those slow, circular strokes, each one heating my body more. I moved in his lap, pressing my hips harder into him.

  He let out a low growl, the sound making my toes curl with pleasure, and his fingers tightened on my hips. His thumbs pressed lower, and my back arched.

  He stroked his fingers down the front of my chest, tracing over my breasts, and an overwhelming wave of pleasure washed over me, pulling me under until I couldn’t remember my name. Visions flashed in my mind, of oaks and sunlight, the soil of the forest.

  The next thing I knew, I was on my back in the dirt, pulling off my sky-blue panties. I needed him now.

  I let my legs fall open, staring up at him with anticipation. Roan’s gaze dipped between my thighs, his body practically vibrating with the effort to restrain himself. He leaned in, his arms on either side of my head. He kissed my throat, teeth grazing my skin. I began to groan beneath him, and I grasped for his belt, frantically unhooking it. I needed him naked, needed this to move faster. And yet he moved glacially slow, his kisses slowly tracing down my body. His mouth was on my breast now, sucking, licking.

  I arched my back, trying to pull him closer, but he held back, taking his time to brush one kiss after another further down my body. His mouth moved lower, over my hipbones, and I threaded my fingers into his hair, desperate for him now. Fragments of words whirled in my mind… touch… fingers… wet…

  At last, he parted my legs, hooking them over his shoulders. Slowly, gently, he kissed the inside of my thighs, his glorious lips on my bare skin. I gripped his hair. I wanted his tongue on me, I wanted…

  He started to kiss me between my legs, his tongue flicking over the apex between my thighs. Soaring with pleasure, I moved against him. My body blazed with fiery heat, and I groaned, hips bucking. When his tongue moved inside me, I cried out, digging my fingers into the earth. With each movement of his tongue my body soared higher, until a powerful climax ripped through me and my thighs clenched around him.

  “Roan,” I whispered. He kissed my thighs again, tasting my skin, his body glowing with pure, golden light. Unspeakable power. I felt limp, trembling.

  And yet, I wasn’t there yet. I still hadn’t unveiled. I needed more of him, needed all of him. I could tell he still held back, keeping some kind of leash on himself.

  Then I knew what I needed to do. I’d dreamed it, long ago when I’d first met him. Dreamed that I was running through the woods, stripping off my clothes. It had been a hunt, and I’d been his prey.

  I turned over, something compelling me onto all fours. Instantly, a growl rumbled over the garden from Roan’s throat. His fingertips slowly stroked down my back, his touch sending hot shivers over my skin. He cupped between my legs, and I moved against his hand.

  “Cassandra,” he groaned.

  I arched my back further, opening my legs, desperate for him. He growled, his legs sliding between my knees, and I bent lower, arms stretching over the garden’s plants. Gripping my hips, he held me in place. Finally, with a feral groan, he plunged into me until he filled me completely. Pleasure gripped my mind. As my body adjusted to him, he moved slowly, and I could think of nothing else but his slow thrust. My fingers dug into the dirt as he began to move faster. Fragments of ideas spun inside my skull like autumn leaves in a storm… fill me… claim… mate… mine… hunt…

  A primal rush flooded my body, and it was no longer my fingernails tearing into the earth—it was my claws, my canines piercing my lower lip. Roan moved faster, one hand on my neck. Then, his mouth replaced his hand, his tongue flicking against my skin. A hint of teeth, a gentle bite as he stroked hard between my legs. I felt myself meld with him, with the earth, until at last, pleasure shattered me into a million pieces. My body tightened around him, and I moaned. Roan growled as he came hard, his mouth on my neck, body glowing against mine. Panting heavily, he pulled me against him, his arms enveloping me.

  He whispered into my ear, “You unveiled.” As I caught my breath, leaning against his bare body, he pushed my damp hair from my face. “And there’s my Cassandra.”

  Slowly, I rose and peered into the reflection of one of the darkened windows. There, I saw myself unveiled, my canines glinting in the moonlight, my hands clawed—and two pointed ears protruding from my pink hair.

  There she was—Cassandra unveiled.

  Chapter 34

  As I sat in the cafe across from Branwen, my pulse raced. I stared into a hand mirror, the reflection displaying the door to the spider’s lair. Now, eleven guards milled in the hallway. Was this added security because they were worried we might try something? Or did the guards just have nothing better to do?

  I looked up from the mirror, meeting Branwen’s gaze. She sat across from me at a formica cafe table, sipping from her mug calmly, completely ignoring me. She wasn’t in the mood to chat with the woman who had spied on
her and accused her of treachery. I couldn’t blame her.

  Still staring at the mirror, I said, for the third time that morning, “I’m sorry, Branwen.”

  Branwen didn’t answer, and silence fell over us again.

  As I sat at the table, nervousness tightened my gut. Roan, Elrine, and Nerius had entered the church more than twenty minutes ago, and I had no idea what was going on. I was about to search for the palace’s entry hall, see if they had attacked, when the first banshee’s wail keened distantly through the air. The hair rose on the back of my neck. The cry was muffled, far away, but instantly recognizable. The attack had started.

  Branwen rose. “It’s time.”

  I stood, my muscles tensed. “Do you have my back?”

  She simply stared at me, eyes dark and cold.

  Okay. Not particularly reassuring, but I’ve got no one else to work with here.

  I looked down at the mirror, trying not to think of the last time I’d gone into a reflection, when Siofra had come after me. I’d have to move quickly.

  I took a deep breath, my mind merging with the reflection, clicking with it. Then, I jumped, and the cold reflection washed over my skin. I leapt through into the palace halls—just in front of the surprised guards in the atrium. Two recovered almost immediately, lunging forward, swords raised.

  I let my mind go blank, searching for the beast within, that focus, the now.

  But I was underground, in a cramped hallway. Cramped like my cell, hemmed in by utter isolation, the place where nothing moves, and nothing happens and my ribs pierce my skin, no no, no no no no—

  The guard closest to me swung his sword. It clashed into something with a loud clang. A stiletto blade.

  My shadow stood in a crouch by me, holding two stilettos. It whirled, and the stiletto sank into the guard’s neck. The second one charged at my shadow, roaring. I shifted down the hallway, running.

  Branwen had bought me the time I needed to get a hold of myself. I whirled, staring at the incoming men, feeling a sudden exhilaration. This was it. I might die here, but if I did, it meant something. And I would die moving.