The Glittering Halo

by Liddie Cain

  “Go with me tonight. We will take Conall. He can bring you back in the morning.”

  “Okay. But can we go talk to Mac first?”

  “Quickly. Yes.”

  I slipped out of his arms and walked back over to Mom, Joletta and Darby. “Felix will have to go, so I need to go.”

  “I’m going to stay here and help them get through the pageant,” Darby replied.

  I nodded. Joletta looked like she was over her shock, but she still appeared miserable. On impulse, I stepped over and gave her a quick hug. She squeezed me tight.

  “Want me to send Hugh?” I asked.

  “Yes, please,” she said firmly.

  Pulling away, I smiled at her. “Okay. I’m going there first to talk to Mac and I will let him know.”

  I turned to Mom, and we gave each other quick pecks on the cheek before I walked back to Felix. Conall was standing there with him and held his arm out for me to loop mine through as he escorted me. It was something he often did, and I found it charming. Right now, it was a comfort in the middle of the uncertainty. I slid my arm through his, feeling the warm and solid brace of the muscles in his arm holding me against his side. Felix walked ahead of us, purposely since he knew I would watch him, and I let them lead the way out to my car.

  The thing about dating powerful, immortal, and intriguing men is that they don’t drive. Conall typically traveled between this realm and Fairy by ways of an enchanted fae roving candle. Felix had the ability to shift through space and transport himself. He could even reach the Gloaming Court in Fairy. It had been forged through a meshing of power between me, an Unseelie Sidhe named Barden and a Seelie Princess named Aurnia. My addition to this new court opened up the Fairy world to the immortals of Heaven and Hell. But here in the human world, I provided the transportation and slid into the driver’s seat.

  “This will have to be fast, baby,” Felix said as I pulled out of the school parking lot.

  “Did you already tell Mac?”

  “Yes, he and Jason are waiting for us.”

  “Are we going back to the Gloaming Court?” Conall asked from the backseat.

  I glanced at Felix for an answer. “Yes,” he replied. “I should be in Fairy were Devina believes me to be.”

  “I will make the Gloaming King aware of our plans.”

  “Thank you,” Felix replied as he reached over and laid his hand on my thigh. The skirt was high enough that he caressed my bare skin and sent shivers up my spine. I could see him smile out of the corner of my eye. I became very aware of both of them. Their large auras filled the small interior of that car and made me feel wrapped up between them. Yet, the events of the last few minutes crept through that comforting feeling.

  “What would have happened to Emma?”

  “It did sound like it was a vampire if they could tell where they bent the metal of the door. Wasn’t one from this dominion,” Felix said thoughtfully.

  “Well it isn’t one of ours.”

  “No. Even Ryan. He keeps to himself but he is blood oathed to Mac and wouldn’t be able to do it without him knowing.”

  “Maeve’s bespelling of Meredith, unfortunately, keeps the archdemoness from warding the dominion correctly. Her mind is locked onto thoughts of Maeve,” Conall said.

  Felix and I were both silent, our thoughts similar, knowing what it had been like to lose him into Maeve’s power boosted abilities. I dropped my hand off of the steering wheel to cover his where it still sat on my thigh. He turned his hand to take mine, swallowing my much smaller hand in his.

  We pulled up to our house, the one that Mac was given to serve as the district magistrate. It was almost 2 miles out of the city limits and sat in the middle of several wooded acres. The main house was a modern style with clean lines and large windows. In the back was a pool area, covered with a glass enclosure that connected to the guest house on the other side of the pool. The guest house was the same style of the main house. The entry into the first floor was made of 3 large retractable French doors which basically opened up the entire pool facing side of the house. There were only public areas on the first floor. All the bedrooms used for blood donations or permanent living spaces for the district vampires were on the second and third floor.

  Sylvia and Rose lived in the main house with me, Mac and Jason. Felix spent most of his time with us, but he officially lived in Atlanta. Lear, Ryan and Hugh lived in the guest house. Two of the neighboring districts used our blood donation program for their vampires, so there was always a steady flow of vampires coming and going out of the guest house. I had gotten to where I knew some of their faces, so I knew that the slender vampire that stood out front and watched us arrive was Song.

  She was tall and athletic, with long and glossy black hair that was unbound and hanging in an ebony wave down her back. Her blue eyes were a surprise, since she was Chinese, and I had seen the second look people often gave her. Although I didn’t know her well, Felix had mentioned her as being the magistrate for the district to the west of ours. When he got out of the car, she was in front of him in a blink.

  “Shit, Felix. Get out of here before the Imperium realizes you’re around.”

  “I’m about to. Just bringing Roz to see Mac before we go.”

  “Well go invisible in case one of their scouts is already around.”

  “Just go ahead and go,” I said to them. “Conall can stay and we can meet you later.”

  Song watched me as I spoke, then gave a firm nod of approval. “That’ll work. Poof, Felix. Go.”

  He bowed in her direction with amusement showing on his face before he blinked out of sight with a theatrical flourish of green smoke. It was something he had done on the day we met to make me laugh. I broke out into a soft giggle which made Song lift her eyebrows at me. Then she gave a roll of her eyes and shook her head. “Lovesick.”

  “Very much,” I agreed, my voice still laced with laughter.

  Song gave Conall a considering look as he walked around the car to my side, then glanced at me again. “Getting out of here before the Imperium shows.” She lingered as if she were thinking of saying something else.

  “Let Felix know if you need anything,” I said.

  “I won’t,” she replied as she took a big pink scrunchy out of her back pocket and pulled her hair into a low bun. It didn’t quite go with the dark wash jeans and black low cut tank she had on, a feminine touch on the hard edged persona she exuded. But I found myself suddenly wanting to know more about Song as she walked over to a blue and white motorcycle, one of the sport bikes, and pulled a helmet on. She didn’t need the helmet for safety, but most vampires would wear them to avoid being pulled over. The bike came loudly to life as Conall swept his hand over my back to get me moving again. I headed up to the front door with him, but gave one last glance over my shoulder to watch Song speed down the driveway, thinking that she was an interesting one.

  The house was quiet as we walked in. Conall seemed to know that Mac was waiting in his office and led me straight there. He opened the door and waited for me to go in before him. Mac stood in front of his desk. The smile that swept his pale features was just for me. His dirty blond hair had enough length on it to lay in a hint of soft curls. He had captured my heart when we were in high school and he still held it just as firmly now. His green gaze held all that love as he looked at me. He wasn’t as tall as Conall or Felix, his body a little more slender, but defined. I hurried across the room and stepped into his familiar embrace. His arms wrapped me up tight and his mouth found mine, pulling me against his cool body and soft lips. When we came up for air, he stroked my cheek and murmured, “Hello, Dove.” It had been his pet name for me since we had first found each other as teens.

  “My turn.” Jason spoke from behind Mac. I smiled, stepping out of Mac’s arms and looking at Jason. He stood there being his usual tall, dark and gorgeous self. Charismatic smile, closely clipped afro textured hair that was precisely lined around his handsome face, and love radiating off of him. Wi
th two steps, I was swept up against his chest and kissing him. He lifted me off of my feet and held me against him as he returned that kiss with some heat.

  When he sat me on my feet again, Mac wrapped his arms around both of his from behind me. “So you are going to go stay with Felix tonight?”

  “Yes,” I replied.

  “Probably a good idea,” Jason said.

  “Both me and Jason would like to have time to see what Imperium officers arrive,” Mac added.

  “Oh, do you think it’s dangerous?”

  “No,” Mac said thoughtfully, “They are very dedicated to human and vampire relations. But there are a few that might think you could be useful to them with the side effects of your blood, and I would just rather not have the argument if I can avoid it.

  Jason kissed my forehead. “I agree. And I already packed you an overnight bag when Felix mentioned it to Mac.” He was the only one of my men I would have trusted to do it. Jason paid better attention to details than Mac or Felix did. He knew what clothes I would pick. A large part of his way of showing love was taking care of me. I kissed his lips again to show how much I appreciated it.

  “Thank you, baby. So basically, the two of you are here to shoo me out the door.”

  “I love you, but yes,” Mac replied.

  I looked over at Conall. He was watching with amused spring green eyes, but he had kept back to give me and my lovers space. When I made eye contact with him, he left the doorway and walked to me. “I guess we are going.”

  The three men exchanged greetings in a friendly way. Conall even reached out and gripped Mac’s shoulder for a moment. I gripped Jason’s hand firmly, watching as it drew his gaze to me with an affectionate smile. Part of me didn’t want to be away from them tonight, but I didn’t know how long it would be until Felix would be able to be around this house again. So after giving a kiss goodbye to both Mac and Jason, I was stepping over beside Conall and the office roving candle.

  It wasn’t my favorite way to travel. The smoke thickened, billowing up from the candle by Conall’s magic and swirling around us until I could no longer see Mac or Jason. You never felt smothered by the smoke. I could breathe normally until the moment that I became disconnected from my body. There was no sense of touch or space around me. It was just me and my own mind. Awareness came back to me in stages. My feet on the floor, Conall’s presence at my side. Then light pierced through the dark and the smoke and shadows drained away to reveal the library of the Gloaming Court, my home in Fairy.

  Kenna, a Seelie Sidhe noble and now the Gloaming Court social secretary, was there to greet us. Her husband Fergus was the head of the guards. Her happy lavender gaze took us in as she beamed a smile.

  “Welcome, Unseelie King. And so good to see you again, Roz!”

  I stepped forward and clasped her hand. “How have you been, Kenna?”

  She waved for us to follow her out of the library as she responded, “Very well! The court has been steadily growing. King Drest has added many members of the Trows. A family of Merrows have even joined us.”

  “Merrows?”

  “Mermaids! They are our mermaids. Called here by your sea.” She said sea as we stepped into the main hall of the court and swept her hand out to gesture the view in front of us. The Gloaming Court had shaped itself after my own wishes, and I had always been partial to the beach. A large dry cave made up the main hall where the banquet tables, seating areas and thrones were. There was a large opening behind the thrones that looked out over the after sunset beach and where the horizon disappeared into the great ocean. An enchanted image of the twilight horizon floated above the thrones, standing out against the darkened sky outside. In the Unseelie Court, a large moon with a starlit sky floated above Conall’s throne. Both of these enchanted court insignias moved as if they were real and were approximately six feet across.

  At that moment, the great hall also held my angel parents. Azrael, my father, rushed forward with my mother Hanna. I stepped away from Conall to hug them both. Felix stood with his own angel parents, Eziel and Ariel. After I had greeted my parents I walked over to give him hugs. They were residing in the Gloaming Court until we were ready to make a move on Devina. Uncle Raguel had helped us free him, then returned to heaven to try to gather support.

  “How long are you staying?” My mother asked.

  “Only tonight,” I replied.

  “Well, we will take what we can get. I hope you can come back for a longer stay soon.”

  “I will. Felix and I have already been talking about it.”

  She smiled and snuggled underneath my father’s arm. When she moved to the side, Drest caught my attention. King of the Gloaming Court and the Trows, Drest had grown up as an orphan among the Trows that were the guardians of the prison which kept my angel parents and Felix’s dad. He had become their friend, speaking to them often when he was on and off guard duty. They had spoke of me so much that when we finally met, he had felt like he already knew me. Fairy had even made me his consort even though we were strangers. He was a quiet one with dark hair and blue eyes that missed nothing.

  Felix took my hand and jerked my attention off of the Gloaming King. He spoke softly, “I have explained before you arrived that you were coming to spend some time alone with me tonight. Shall we head up to your room?”

  “Yes,” I replied a little breathlessly.

  He started to lead me away, then paused and looked at Drest. “We would ask a few moments of your time, King Drest.”

  I squeezed his hand and said, “What are you doing?”

  He winked at me before saying, “And Conall. Can we have a meeting about the situation with my dominion?”

  “Certainly,” Conall responded quickly. I widened my eyes at Felix, but my heart was racing as the four of us left the main hall behind.

  “What are you doing?” I asked Felix through the connection his mark gave me into his mind.

  “You’ve been asking me for a three-way. Why not a four-way?” He responded, catching my gaze and wiggling his eyebrows at me.

  “But I’ve never been with Conall or Drest.”

  “Details.”

  I shot him a narrowed look, to which he just chuckled and continued, “You don’t have to do anything you aren’t comfortable with, my love. But I know you’re excited.”

  I was. But I was also beyond nervous as the four of us walked into my bedroom. I stood in the middle of the room with my arms crossed in front of my chest, not knowing who to look at or what to do with my hands. Felix sprawled onto the bed, completely comfortable. Conall walked in and looked amused, as usual. Drest hesitated in the doorway when he picked up on my unease.

  “Is something wrong?” He asked.

  “No. Roz is just embarrassed,” Felix answered.

  “Why are you embarrassed?” Drest asked.

  “Because, my fellow King of Fairy,” Conall responded, “Felix invited us here to join them in the bed.”

  Drest froze. I blushed.

  “Truly?” Drest asked, his robin’s egg blue eyes cutting into mine.

  “Yes,” I answered, my face burning.

  Felix looked at Conall, then nodded toward me. The Unseelie King looked at me, his spring green gaze growing heated. My heart started racing and my stomach tightened as he stalked across the floor of my room to stand there in front of me. He paused, giving me plenty of time to tell him no or back away. I did neither.

  His hands came up to cup my face. I stole a look to Felix. He wore a pleasant smile, but I could see from the look in his dark eyes that he was enjoying watching us. Conall slid his thumb across my mouth, which jerked my attention back to him. He bent down and kissed me. It began softly. We had barely moved beyond a sweet closed mouth kiss before now and he didn’t rush it. I sighed into the sweet caress and his mouth began to explore mine more thoroughly. He slid his hand back into my hair, then molded his body against mine as the kiss grew more intense. This man had been there for me so many times in the time that I had k
nown him. I had been drawn to him, fantasizing about what it could be like. My embarrassment melted away into arousal and my hands started exploring his body. Those big shoulders were such a turn on and I caressed my fingers across them before running both hands down the front of his chest.

  He broke his kiss to straighten and pull his shirt over his head. His skin was pale, almost as pale as his snow white hair, but his chest was hairless and wide with bulky muscles. I kissed my way across the swell of his pecs, digging my fingers into his back. He watched me, stroking his fingers through my hair. Felix moved off of the bed and came up behind me, unzipping my dress in the back. I shrugged it off of my shoulders and let it slip down my body to pool at my feet.

  The three men all paused to look at me, their gazes hungry. I should have been embarrassed again, but all I felt was turned on and powerful.

  “Even more lovely than I imagined,” Conall said.

  Felix swept my hair away from the side of my neck and dropped his face down to skim his mouth against that sensitive skin, making me shiver. “I’ll never get enough of you,” he said against my ear. I pressed back into him, feeling his hardness through his jeans against the small of my back, and reached back to rub the length of him through his clothes as he unsnapped my strapless bra and let it fall to the floor with my dress. Conall’s hands were on my breasts almost immediately. He knelt in front of me, tall enough that even on his knees he could take my breast into his mouth. I gasped as he sucked firmly down on my nipple, gripping his hair with my free hand. And then Drest was in front of me.

  We had never kissed or touched. Conall had kissed me more than once before tonight, but Drest had only expressed interest without touching. Now here he was, watching me with his inhumanly blue eyes and handsome square jaw, while an archdemon kissed the side of my neck and the Unseelie King sucked on my nipple. He showed how comfortable he was with the men in my life as he placed his hand on Conall’s shoulder and leaned his body into the other man’s, bringing our faces together. Seeing them touch made me tighten with desire, so the first time that Drest and I kissed was a little aggressive on my part. I didn’t have a free hand to grab him, but he responded to my eagerness and kissed back just as fiercely as I kissed him. Conall sucked down on my nipple harder, flicking his tongue across that sensitive tip more firmly, and I moaned in pleasure into Drest’s mouth.