by Brenda Trim
“Alright, you two, let’s simmer it down in here. Mmmm, the pheromones you guys are throwing off are intoxicating. Can we get back to the matter at hand and begin planning our counter attack, please?” Santiago’s full lips twitched as he held back his smirk.
Orlando slapped Santiago on the back. “Let’s move this discussion to the war room. The danger to Elsie must be eliminated.”
She wanted to be a part of this discussion and started walking out of the medical clinic with Zander. “I’ve been in the same danger for several months. Why is it worse now?”
Orlando followed closely behind them as he answered her. “El, honey, the demons have seen you, and you said there were kids there who can identify you. Kadir and that Sidhe bastard will now have no problem finding you. Not to mention, they saw Zander protecting you. They will assume you mean something to him and use you as leverage to obtain the amulet. We need to develop a plan to protect you.”
She was fuming. She glared at him over her shoulder. “I’m no wilting flower who needs to be locked away and protected. I can help.”
“El, you may have some skill with a blade which I admit is hot as hell, but you can do nothing against the demon. You’re just a little female, after all,” Orlando teased. She sensed his worry for her safety as strongly as Zander’s.
“And, that’s like me saying you’re just a pussy cat,” she countered.
“You know you love my house cat. Rubbing all over me, making me purr.” He laughed and ruffled her hair. She reached out and smacked him on the shoulder.
“I swear you are still a stripling. Can you stay focused on the matter at hand?” Gerrick said as he rolled his eyes at their exchange.
Elsie smiled at the surly warrior. “You were a stripper?” she asked Orlando. “Is that what he means?”
Zander laughed and responded, “Nay, lass, he was no’ a stripper. A stripling is what we call a supernatural who hasna reached sexual maturity. At age twenty-five, we all go through, what you mortals call, puberty. At maturity, we are able to engage in sex and we come into our preternatural abilities.”
He nudged her in the direction of the stairs. “Few will also develop their own unique powers. Breslin is the only one in the history of the realm to receive her powers before maturation and as a result of gaining her powers so young had many problems. You know we’re immortal. We doona physically age after we transition from a stripling.”
She began climbing the stairs, more overwhelmed with this new information. “I swear you guys need a handbook, for the newly-initiated into your world. You could call it Tehrex Realm for Dummies,” she joked.
“This is a lot to absorb, and right now, the most important thing is that we keep you safe. I canna concentrate if I think you are in danger. Lass, that means that you must remain here with me at Zeum. Besides, it will be a much shorter commute for your new job, as well.” She gaped at the man’s audacity.
“Whoa buddy, wait a minute. I can’t live here. We aren’t in a relationship and even if we were I wouldn’t be moving in with you so soon. And, I’ve told you a hundred times that I don’t take orders from you, Mr. Bossy Pants.” She was going to strangle her inner-sex-fiend as she started packing a suitcase. Shaking her head to deny her body’s desire, she continued, “You all have done so much for me. I’m already indebted to you up to my eyeballs and I refuse to be a charity case any longer.”
He stopped her at the foot of the main stairs. She easily read the expression on his face and hadn’t meant to insult him. She was trying to thank him and say she was going to take care of herself now.
“You havena been a charity case. What I have done has all been because I could do nothing less. For me there is no other choice. I need to take care of you and ensure your safety.” He caught and held her gaze laying bare all his emotions. She wanted to blink or look away, but was unable. “And, Breslin needs your help with Elsie’s Hope. We have an office downtown, but she hasna been able to meet any applicants before sundown. We need someone with your degree in Psychology to help these clients.”
His fingers sifted through her long, brown tresses. “We canna keep you safe at your apartment any longer. Kadir has enlisted the help of the Fae, which makes securing you in that wee apartment verra dangerous for everyone, especially your neighbors. If the demon decides to attack, he will think nothing of harming innocent humans. Of course, you can have your own suite of rooms upstairs…if you’d like.”
She closed her eyes and slapped duct tape across her inner-sex-fiend’s mouth before she shouted they’d be sharing his bed. Moving into this mansion was a bad idea. Her vampire drove her insane and pushed every button she had. Yet, she wanted him more than she would ever admit. And, it wasn’t simply a desire for his body. Emotions battled and churned in her gut whenever she was near him. If she lived in close quarters with Zander the guilt, grief, anger, lust and fear would be constant and tiring.
“Chiquita, Zander is right. You have to stay here.” Santiago’s softly spoken words brought her eyes open. “We can move your furniture into your rooms upstairs. In fact, I think it can all fit into the closet. I know you don’t want to put anyone else in danger. That’s why you do what you do with Mack and SOVA. You may be scared right now, but you know this is right.”
She peeked around Zander’s large, muscular bicep and narrowed her eyes at Santiago. He knew she would never knowingly place others in danger and was manipulating her with that fact. But, she was astonished that they accepted her for who she was, without judgment or recrimination. That didn’t mean it didn’t chafe that they were ganging up on her.
“You are a bunch of overbearing men. I am not completely helpless. As Santi pointed out I have fought these creatures nightly for over a year. I get your point that my neighbors would be in danger.” She hated the dilemma this posed for her. “If I did stay here a couple of days, and I’m not saying that I’m going to, I would leave my furniture in my apartment. The move wouldn’t be permanent and I have no desire to bring my stuff here only to turn right around and move it back.”
“A ghra, you are staying more than a couple days. End of discussion. You doona fully comprehend the danger.”
She stared at Zander with incredulity. She had been attacked and her husband brutally murdered. She understood the danger better than most. Her reply was suddenly cut off when he hefted her over his shoulder. Her stomach hit the wall of muscles as he pounded up the stairs with her.
“What the hell? Put me down! Damn it, Zander, you can’t treat me like this. I am not staying,” she huffed and hit his back. Her fists hit steel. Nausea struck as her stomach banged his shoulder, jostling the margaritas she had consumed earlier. Ugh. It would serve him right if she threw up all over him.
“You’re staying, a ghra.” He took the stairs two at a time and adjusted her every time she slipped, continuing on with his steady pace. And, he wasn’t out of breath in the least, despite the fact that he had fought an epic battle and had a large wound across his back. He was in better shape than she realized. Strength like his was unreal to her. His body may be sigh-worthy but she refused to be treated like a child.
“Stop it, put me down! Listen to me.” He ignored her and made his way down the halls. “You are such a caveman!” she screeched, as she was briefly airborne before her backside hit a mattress and bounced.
“You will stay here. I’ll be back later,” he declared, turning and leaving before locking the door behind him.
“You will regret this, your Highness!” she screamed at the wood door. She was fuming. How dare he? She’d never been treated in such a high-handed manner. He needed to join the twenty-first century. Women were not weak-minded possessions in need of direction and protection. He had another thing coming if he thought this would work with her.
And, how are you going to protect yourself from demons? Her rational mind chimed in. That thing had fangs the size of swords, you need him.
She sighed, he was right. She knew she couldn’t take the de
mon. That thing would take her life, easy as swatting a fly. Deflated, she sat heavily on the bed. She wasn’t going to ignore the danger, but, was it too much to ask that he discuss this issue with her rather than order her around?
Stupid, sexy, Neanderthal vampire.
CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE
Three bottles of Jameson’s Rarest were sitting in front of Bhric when Zander walked into the war room. It took a larger quantity of alcohol to intoxicate supernaturals and apparently Bhric was working toward oblivion. Zander debated having a drink himself. He had probably ruined his chance at claiming his mate, but no way in hell was he allowing Elsie to go back to her apartment. It was too fucking dangerous.
“Brathair, what are you doing here? You need your rest,” Zander barked.
“Och, it hurts like hell, but I need to be here. We have to find that bastard. He almost got your mate,” Bhric slurred, raising his bottle to the group. “Besides, Jameson here is helping to take the pain away.” His brother tilted the bottle back and finished it off.
Zander didn’t have time to lecture his brother. He glanced around the room and noted Orlando pacing restlessly. The movements drove Zander’s own anger and anxiety higher.
“We need to find the lair so we can get rid of the infestation. That bastard got too close to the only Fated Mate that we know of in the realm. How did that happen?” Orlando asked.
“More important,” Kill said, “when did you plan on telling the council that the mating curse has been lifted? I can’t believe you kept such important information from us,” Killian said, peering up from a laptop.
Zander pushed aside the guilt he felt. It was huge life-altering news that every member of the realm deserved to know, but he selfishly hadn’t wanted to expose his mate until after he claimed her. He worried the realm would not react well to a human queen, especially since she may never accept him.
“Och, the whole situation has been a mess from day one. Learning of her existence has been fraught with heartache and trouble.”
“It couldn’t have all been heartache. You managed to get her into bed and discover what she is to you,” Kill pointed out.
“It hasna happened like that at all. I discovered who she was after sharing an intimate dream with her. The encounter wasna real. I’ve never felt my mate. No’ one aspect of our mating has followed how we’ve been told. I havena been able to feed or ingest any blood but hers for over eighteen months, despite the fact that the mating hasna been completed, and the mating compulsion is riding me hard. Oh, and my mate runs around at night with another female killing skirm. Dealing with all of this, it never crossed my mind to tell anyone outside these walls.”
“That is an important issue to discuss, but right now we need to focus on the new demon and his ally. What were you able to discover about them on the database?” Santiago questioned as he sat back in his chair with his hands folded across his stomach. It appeared as if Santiago’s minor injuries from the battle had already healed. That was good. They needed to be ready to go on the offensive.
Killian’s fingers flew across the keyboard so fast human eyes wouldn’t be able to track the movements. “You’re right. We will discuss it with the entire council. The Fae that assisted Kadir is called Aquiel. He has been connected to Azazel, which isn’t all that surprising given his penchant for attractive males.”
“He has been associated with Azazel for some time. Aquiel doesn’t spend much time in Faerie and is not listed as a member of the royal family. I updated the database on Kadir and what little we know about him, indicating his association to the Fae,” Killian shared.
Queen Zanahia was aware of her subjects and kept close tabs on them. The involvement of the Fae complicated matters. Their magic was more powerful than the average sorcerer. Not to mention, the queen had knowledge of old magic, spells, and prophecies, something the realm lost track of when the Mystik Grimoire disappeared from the Miakoda family vault four hundred years ago. The leather-bound volume held magical properties few understood, and contained the realm’s compilation of spells and prophecies passed from the Goddess to her oracles.
Orlando ran his hands restlessly through his hair making it stick out all over his head. The male was as agitated as he’d ever seen. “Do the Fae have enough power to shield Kadir’s lair? That would be a major complication in finding him. We need to change tactics for our patrols. Follow skirm back to the lair, rather than killing them. Kadir is aware of Elsie’s importance to Zander and no doubt will target her. We could use that to our advantage, stake out her apartment.”
“Not a bad idea. The problem I see is that they won’t go back to the lair if we follow them. They can sense us, like we can them. We stand a chance if we use our animal forms to track them. They can’t detect our animals,” Santiago offered as he stroked his goatee and leaned his chair against the wall.
Kyran walked to the large map of Seattle and looked it over. Zander noticed how his brother favored his right side. They may have been injured and forced to retreat, but they suffered no losses and that was a win in his book.
“This new archdemon has shaken things up for sure. I canna imagine that he would be in most of these neighborhoods,” Kyran hypothesized. “Too suburban. We need to concentrate on more urban areas with abandoned warehouses. Downtown, Belltown, Pioneer Square, Denny Triangle or the area around the Seattle Center.”
Zander clapped his brother on the back. “Good thinking, brathair. Starting now, we focus our patrols on the areas Kyran mentioned. And, we go with Santiago’s idea and use your animals. Rhys and Gerrick each head up a team and take one of them with you. Bhric and Breslin will remain here and protect Elsie. Orlando and I are taking a trip to Fremont to see Elvis and gain an audience with Queen Zanahia.
“Nikko, you need to fly Cailyn back to San Francisco,” Zander ordered. His little spitfire of a mate won’t like that he was sending her sister home, but she’d be safer there. The demons were concentrating in Seattle right now. “Have the San Francisco Dark Warriors keep track of and protect her sister. From a distance, of course. The rest of you head to Confetti and follow any trails. Everyone must be on their highest alert, doona take risks until you are fully healed.”
“Does Elsie know you are having her sister returned home? She doesn’t take orders well, you may want to talk to her first,” Orlando suggested.
Zander glared at the warrior. “I’ve touched her mind and Elsie wants her sister home where she will be safely away from this shite. I assure you, the least of her anger will be aboot my high-handedness with regards to her sister. You walk a fine line, Orlando. Doona ever question me, especially aboot my mate! Now, get off your fucking arses and get to work,” he snapped.
*****
Elsie heard his thunderous approach before the knock sounded at the door. It was surprisingly gentle when it came compared to the force of his steps. Why was he knocking? It wasn’t like she could open the locked door for him. She was still upset about his behavior and refused to respond. Of course, that didn’t stop the king. The door opened and he entered with his typical arrogance. Too bad she found that sexy as well.
“A ghra,” he intoned.
Were there brackets of tension around his eyes? He carried the weight of an entire species on his shoulders, and hated that she cared about his obvious stress and worry.
“You don’t get to call me that,” she hissed and felt bad at the hurt that flashed in his eyes. Well too bad, she wasn’t going to be controlled. She had to put her foot down about his controlling behavior now. “You can’t order me around. I won’t be told what to do, Zander. We need to talk about things before you go around issuing orders.”
His countenance softened and he approached her. “I won’t apologize, a ghra, your safety is the most important thing. I lose all rational thought when I think of you in danger or being hurt. It nearly killed me when I failed to protect you before. You will remain in this house. I must ensure you are protected.” He let her see all of his conflicting emotio
ns. She knew he wasn’t trying to be a controlling bastard, this truly was killing him. The crack in the hard shell around her heart widened and let him in a bit more.
Yes, that adorable vampire was a Neanderthal, ordering her around. She had never taken orders particularly well. And she had never found a domineering personality sexy in a man before him. Irresistible or not, he would need to learn that a little please would go a long way.
She didn’t want to place anyone in danger. Not these new friends of hers, or her neighbors. Plus, she had to admit that the thought of living in this remarkable home, having her dream job, and cooking in that kitchen was more than tempting. Knowing he cared so much deflated her indignant anger. He wasn’t human and didn’t think like she did and she needed to remember that.
She smirked and tilted her head, gazing at him. “The best way to get what you want from a human,” she placed her hands on her hips, “especially, a woman, is to ask nicely. You know…say please. Since you behaved appallingly and locked me inside this room alone I’ve had time to think things over. First, I’d love to take the job. We can negotiate my salary later. And second, I will only move in here on conditions.” She paused and looked him square in the eye. The connection between them took her breath away, causing warmth to flood her chest and surround her black hole.
“One, I will pay you rent, and two, I will be moving out when it’s safe again. And, before you ask, yes, I will give up my apartment. I can’t imagine I’ll be able to afford it, and a room here. As hard as it is to give up the home I shared with Dalton, I did hate the bugs. Now, I need to check on Cailyn, and then I desperately need rest. There is only so much my wee, mortal brain can handle, and this has been a verra full day,” she winked at him.
He let out a breath and grabbed her by the waist, picking her up off the floor. “Are you making fun of the way I talk again, a ghra?”