by L. A. Banks
Garth nodded. “Perhaps our queen could assist in our international communications needs by helping to get the word to the Werewolves in a non-silver method?”
“Consider it done, Garth.” Queen Cerridwen gave him a respectful return nod from where she sat.
“Thus, I believe a marriage would be prudent tonight, before the missives are launched,” Silver Hawk remarked calmly, and then went back to his plate. “We will need a valid marriage to add additional credibility to our claims.”
“But when the attacks actually happened, my brother and Amy were not yet—”
Silver Hawk waved away Hunter’s statement with his fork. “They were betrothed, with an imminent wedding. This is the element of surprise. The Vampires had no way of knowing how important that young lady or her family is to our collective families.” He looked around the table. “The answer is always in the stillness, in the shadows. Just as you saw the truth in the shadow lands, my son. You saw the Erinyes chase the gargoyles out of the demon realms because they’d been called by the Vampires. And the love of your brother for Amy Chen was in the shadows, a secret that none of the Vampires knew until it is now too late.”
“This indeed gives us leverage,” Queen Cerridwen said, making a tent in front of her mouth with her fingers. “They will rue the day they started this war. and by us entering the charges that involve Amy into the record, the Vampire Council of Old would be well advised not to have all of the Unseelie, all of the Seelie, and both factions of wolves hunting their lairs by day.”
Sasha smiled and gave Queen Cerridwen a wink. “It would truly be a foolish move on their part to persist. But, more importantly, this will hopefully give Amy and her family a little respite from being constantly hunted by Vampires who need to make a deal right with some demons.”
“Yes,” Sir Rodney said, landing a firm hand on Hunter’s shoulder. “Your brother needs to know that his new bride will be protected going forward. That is precisely why I also want to call the bluff of old Vlad by asking that the crone of the UCE court call up the demon Erinyes as witness of his debt to them.. This way, none of us have to call a demon or owe a demon, the crone is certainly used to all of the machinations that go along with that, and I’m sure the Erinyes would be more than willing to share their displeasure with any and all who would listen.”
“Brilliant,” Sasha said through a mouthful of steak. She swallowed it quickly, feeling much improved, and then wiped her mouth on her linen napkin. “But those gargoyles aren’t local. I’d like to tag one of the little bastards with a message to send it running back home to wherever worldwide Vampire headquarters is. How much do you want to bet that Elder Vlad didn’t tell The Most Scary that he literally bombed an Unseelie outpost for no reason?”
“And now has a dragon squadron on his ass,” Hunter said, biting into a huge hunk of his steak.
“We could capture a gargoyle,” Garth said slowly. “And we could tag it with an ice missive.” He stared at Sasha. “That is sheer genius.”
Sasha smiled. “All right, then. we’ve got a wedding to do tonight, an ice missive to get over to old Vlad, a silver Fae missive to enter into the UCE court docs, some kinda message to get to Shogun’s people, courtesy of our queen, and a gargoyle to tag, all before sunrise. Piece of cake.”
“Why the rush?” Amy’s father asked as he stared at his wife.
“You ask too many questions, old man,” she said, fixing the bow tie of his tux. “Look around at all of this expense the U.S. government is paying in this witness protection program—and not a penny to be paid by the father of the bride. Our daughter made herself a good bargain.”
“But you were the one who said that our daughter shouldn’t marry into these people who are strange and dangerous!”
“Shush,” she hissed. “This Shogun is wealthy—we saw that from the wedding gifts he sent, and he is of royalty but chooses to do the honorable work of fighting bad men. Our friends will die of envy.”
“Our friends could die of mobster bullets and so could we.”
Mrs. Chen pinched her husband. “Not another word to ruin this night.”
“Ow!” He shrugged away from her and whispered hotly in her ear, “The fortune-teller said that they should marry on a full moon next month! And why can’t they have a good Chinese monk do the ceremony? Who is this Indian shaman? Does he know our ways? Is he licensed to perform legal ceremonies? This is all very rushed and very strange.”
“Next month, this month, it is a full moon and look at your daughter’s face.” Mrs. Chen dabbed her eyes and turned away from her husband. “Look at her beneath the veil; she is so beautiful.. I have waited all my life for this day. And the groom, so handsome. You be quiet about Silver Hawk. This is the groom’s grandfather and cleric, so he will be good enough for us.”
Sasha gave Hunter the eye and Hunter smiled. The man always looked good in a tux. Wolf hearing had helped her decipher the tense exchange between Mr. and Mrs. Chen, and Sasha knew Hunter had heard the loud whispering, too, even though it had occurred all the way across the large formal dining room. She watched as a huge red paper Dragon came to life with the drumming. Lyrical flutes and Chinese strings blended in as tiny Elves maneuvered the Dragon along the aisle. It had taken every bit of negotiating skill she owned to get the Fae to do some of the ceremony with regular labor, lest they send Amy’s parents into apoplexy.
Clearly the Chens were not ready to witness real magick, so a real red Dragon was out of the question, just like a magically floating chair was. No. Regular palace guards would just have to hoist the petite bride up and carry her to Shogun the old-fashioned way while Hunter waited beside him as his good-luck man.
But Mrs. Chen was right. Her daughter was exquisite in her red silk traditional Chinese wedding gown. The handiwork of Fairies was evident to Sasha, because preparing the hall and getting Amy’s hair twisted up into an elaborate basket weave pattern, replete with Chinese bridal crown, would have taken a normal salon six hours. Fairies were known for their attention to detail, and they’d spared no magick in transforming Amy’s makeup, doing her manicure, bathing her in a sweet oil–infused bath, and dusting her with the most sumptuous of fragrances. They’d literally transformed the hall into a red silk paradise, and the tables behind the ceremony were laden with aromatic traditional Chinese dishes kept piping hot by Fae sleight of hand.
However, the young woman’s glow was authentic and all her own. Through the red mesh veil, tears sparkled in Amy’s gorgeous eyes. Her fragile beauty was breathtaking as her lotus blossom bouquet gently trembled the closer she got to Shogun. Sasha blinked quickly and looked up, fighting the moisture in her eyes. She pressed a palm to her heart for a moment and then allowed her palm to fall away from her deep crimson sheath. No two people deserved love and peace more than Amy and Shogun, and to be chosen as Amy’s good-luck woman was definitely an honor. Sasha just hoped she could live up to the title.
“Are you ready, Brother?” Hunter said quietly, glancing at Shogun. Hunter smiled as Shogun simply nodded but never took his eyes off his approaching bride.
Sasha swallowed hard, wishing that she’d had the forethought to take her engagement ring off the silver chain that held her amulet to slip it onto her finger. She’d never attended a wedding in her life and hadn’t expected to be so affected by this beautiful midnight ceremony under the moon.
With deep reverence she watched the couple come together and then go to Amy’s parents to kneel before them and pour tea as Silver Hawk’s deep rumble of words spilled out blessings upon the couple, blessings upon the ancestors, reminding all in attendance of the need for, and strength of, family. Even Queen Cerridwen moved closer to Sir Rodney as Rupert hugged himself and bit his trembling bottom lip.
Unconsciously Sasha’s hand went to her ring as her gaze slid to Hunter. His steady gaze had never left her, and a silent understanding passed between them. Silver Hawk’s words flowed through her soul, breaking down the last of her barriers, the last of her rese
rvations, until suddenly she wished that Doc had been there, wished that her entire team could have seen this. wished that she had not wasted so much time fighting everything and everyone around her, yet there was still more fighting to do.
But not for this lovely couple, she told herself. Not for her brother. Not for her sister. Not for the honorable Chens.
“You are now husband and wife,” Silver Hawk said. “Let the mate seal never be broken. Shogun, you may lift Amy’s veil and kiss your bride.”
CHAPTER 17
With unsteady hands, Shogun lifted Amy’s veil. But before he could lean down to kiss her, the dungeon doors blew off. Screeching Erinyes nightmares billowed up from the depths of the castle, dropping dead Fae dungeon guards like bloody refuse from high above the ceremony.
“Look away!” Garth shouted. “Lest ye turn to stone.” He spun around and blinded the Chens and then wielding his wand yelled out, “Mirrors!”
Erinyes flew upward and closed their eyes, screaming to avoid their own images. Mrs. Chen fainted into her blind husband’s arms, and he quickly covered her body, huddled against the ground, calling out for his daughter in sheer panic. Wand blasts exploded furniture as Fae castle staff screamed and took cover while palace guards stormed the room.
“Battle stations!” Sir Rodney shouted, leaping over a table and calling a wand into his hand.
Queen Cerridwen materialized a mirrored shield in her fist for Sir Rodney to look at and then tossed it to him. “Fight with this, milord!”
Archers instantly broke through the windows, aiming at the Erinyes who circled above the chandeliers in the vaulted ceiling. Every wolf shed their human form and Amy was now a deadly feline force.
“Return what is ours by right, Cerridwen of Hecate!” one of the Erinyes yelled, and then dove toward Amy, avoiding the queen’s icy wand blast.
But the Erinyes obviously didn’t expect to have to drag a Were Snow Leopard to Hell with a pack of wolves on their heels. The demon chasing Amy reached out and received a brutal rake to her face as Amy gracefully leaped behind an overturned table. Shogun caught the beast’s spaded tail in his massive jaws, flipped her over, and tackled her to the ground just in time for Amy to slash in and disembowel the creature. Hunter jumped up from behind another table and ripped off the wing of another attacker coming in on an assist as Sasha scored the throat of one who made the mistake of looking over her shoulder when Silver Shadow leaped onto her back. Sir Rodney worked in tandem with Garth, blowing Erinyes away from Amy and shielding castle staff.
Both Amy and Shogun flipped out of the way of the first maimed beast’s talons, and before she could get up Queen Cerridwen flash froze the Erinyes in a permafrost tomb.
“I owe you nothing!” Queen Cerridwen yelled. “You made a deal with a member of my court who was executed for treason! I gained nothing from his unsanctioned bargain with you and was none the wiser of the deal he cast!”
“Liar!” another of the Erinyes screeched, going to her dead sister in fury. She stood and pointed toward the queen. “So says the Vampire Vlad! He claims you and he had a deal and you reneged upon him. You killed your own man in open court after he killed his own in an act of loyalty to you!”
“Then let Elder Vlad bring proof of his duplicitous claims!” Queen Cerridwen shouted back, looking into a mirror as Hunter, Sasha, and Silver Hawk—now the wolf Silver Shadow—held a line around the queen, snarling.
“Be gone from my castle, demons!” Sir Rodney shouted. “You dare breach a Fae sidhe on spurious charges, your next attempt will be your last!”
“We had right to follow the trail of the Unseelie whom we bargained with into your dungeon!” the lead she-demon screeched. “We can enter anywhere there has been a bargain made between us and the damned!”
Sir Rodney and Garth gave each other a look.
“But you cannot enter again once barred by the righteous—and Kiagehul was executed by my own hand! I have joined forces with the Seelie!” Queen Cerridwen shielded her sight with her forearm as she lowered her wand toward the she-demon. “Look around, Erinyes. The proof is before your very eyes. The Unseelie and Seelie houses stand united. The wolves stand with us. If I wanted that bargain that was struck by Kiagehul with Vampire Vlad, why am I not in his lair plotting to give you the girl you seek?”
The Erinyes passed uncertain glances between them, their red eyes blazing in the mirrors with unbridled rage.
“You best pray, ice queen, that my sister thaws out in Hell,” the demon crouching above the fallen one hissed.
“Take the virgin and only give her back if this lie bears out as truth, Megaera!” another called out as the leader lifted off holding her frozen sister. “We must give the master his due!”
“There is no virgin in this room,” the one identified as Megaera replied, glaring at the snow leopard. “Our payment is not only late, but the package is damaged. We will seek recompense. Know that, Unseelie!”
Just as quickly as they’d flooded the main dining hall, the Erinyes took flight in a massive dark flock of screeching anger and disappeared down the dungeon steps.
Garth immediately sealed the dungeon door. Fae staff began quickly collecting the dead. The castle became a frantic hotbed of guards and wizards rushing about. Amy transformed into her human body, grabbed up her human gown, and raced over to kneel by her distraught, blind parents. The wolves came back into their human forms and dressed slowly and silently, numbed by fury.
“How the hell did they breach my dungeon?” Sir Rodney bellowed, going over to the now-sealed door and lobbing a punch at it. “Tell me whot in ’eaven’s name must we do to seal the sidhe from demon invasions, man!”
“You held Kiagehul the traitor there,” Queen Cerridwen said in a dangerously low tone. “We were lucky, this time. But the demon spoke the truth—they had barrier rights to come search the location of where the last deal was obviously made. and it was in your dungeon, Rodney.”
“And no one thought to properly seal the dirt floor to a possible demon breach?”
“We didn’t realize he’d had time to spell-cast during his short internment,” Garth said quietly, and bowed his head. “Silver Hawk. if we might avail you of your services to put down a prayer made by a righteous man.”
“Gladly,” Silver Hawk said in a quiet tone. “They will not get through again.”
“My brother was down there with his wife,” Hunter said between his teeth, pacing. “An hour earlier, Shogun would be dead and Amy would be missing.”
“And where are my Griffin Dragons? Where was the aerial support!” Sir Rodney shouted, now walking in an agitated circle.
“Pure stone, sire,” an injured palace guard rasped. “Broken into a thousand pieces in the courtyard where they fell the moment they stared at the beasts through the window. Killed two good men from the falling rubble.”
“Aye,” another guard said in disgust.
Sir Rodney closed his eyes. “On the morrow, the Vampires will know what a breached sanctuary feels like.” He turned to Garth and gave him orders in a low, deadly tone: “Prepare all missives with my queen for immediate delivery. Add this to the list of offenses once you tally the dead and injured. A pox on Vlad Tempesh!”
A whimper from Amy’s mother drew attention to the Chens. Amy looked up with tears streaming down her cheeks. “Is there any way to allow them to sleep and to only remember the beautiful wedding, the feast, and all that was good before it was ruined?”
“Of course, child,” Garth said with tenderness in his gaze. He waved his wand and Amy’s parents slumped. Two guards rushed over and lifted them as Rupert hurried behind them. “When they awaken, they will remember all that was good and having too much wine and rich food.. Should any memories ever invade, they will be thought to be the dreams of the overfed.”
“Thank you,” Amy murmured, and Shogun went to her.
“We’re going to make this right. I promise you.”
“Brother, if you have never heeded my words befor
e, please heed them now—stay with your new wife. If the castle comes under siege again while Sasha and I are gone, you and Silver Hawk must be here.”
Shogun gave Hunter a nod, but Sir Rodney’s eye held a question.
“Surely you’re not going out into the night, now, after such an attack?”
Silver Hawk captured Sir Rodney’s gaze as he stepped forward. “They must. Sasha’s family and Hunter’s pack brothers are on a human military base that is ill prepared for a supernatural onslaught.”
“Get down!” Woods yelled, spraying the windows with an M16.
Glass and wood became a hail of shrapnel. Two Vampires bust into flames as hallowed-earth-packed shells riddled their bodies. Crow Shadow sailed through the second-floor window, tackling a Vampire on the ground, brutally savaging him. Fisher pulled a pin on a grenade and lobbed it out of an adjacent window, creating a diversion so that Crow Shadow could get away unharmed as two more Vamps touched down to assist their comrade.
Base sirens screamed. Pandemonium was in full effect. Clarissa and Winters hunkered down under a lab table as Bradley quickly created a brick-dust circle against possible demon incursion. Doc was pure motion, sealing the doors and vents with holy water and prayers. MPs kicked in the door, poised to burst into the room, but never even got to lodge their complaints. Vampire mercenaries led by Caleb yanked the men off their feet, snapping their necks. But the moment the Vampire tried to enter the room, a blue-white holy water and prayer barrier scorched his leg.
Caleb drew back with a furious howl and fastened his hatred-hardened gaze on Doc Holland. “Smoke them out! I don’t care if you have to burn down the entire base to get to these rats, do it! But I want them alive. An exchange for the girl—Sasha Trudeau’s entire family for one Amy Chen.”