by Brenda Trim
“You both need to be prepared that they may not have the answers you want. The Fae are fickle fucks and not likely to help. But we won’t give up. We will all search every corner of the realm for a way to lift the spell,” he promised, sitting on the bed next to Elsie.
“I’m so sorry, Cai. This is all my fault. You would be safe at home if it wasn’t for me,” Elsie whispered.
Before Cailyn could respond, Orlando interjected. “You can’t blame yourself. As you have learned, no one is safe from the ravages of this war,” Orlando replied solemnly. Cailyn knew Elsie better than to think his words placated her.
Another knock echoed throughout the room. “Hey Chiquita, Cai, you both look beat. Is my partner bugging you again?” Santiago asked entering the room with grim purpose. The lines set into his face told her something was up. She said a silent prayer that Jace and Zander were okay. She didn’t know if she could take any more bad news right now. He and Orlando were homicide detectives with Seattle Police Department, as well as Dark Warriors, and she hated how she hoped it was a human issue on his mind.
“What’s going on? Have you heard from Zander or Jace?” Elsie asked sitting up.
“I haven’t heard anything from them. Here, I brought you one of those energy drinks that you love. I figured you could use a pick me up. O, I need to talk to you about a call I got from the Lieutenant.” The obvious tension in Santiago’s voice had Cailyn chomping at the bit as to what he had to say.
Something was up and she wanted to hear what it was, but she didn’t have the relationship that her sister did with these formidable warriors. Cailyn was still intimidated by their presence, especially these two. Orlando was a feline shifter and she had seen him shift into a rather large snow leopard during the battle outside Confetti. Santiago was a canine shifter and she watched him become a huge wolf. Seeing them become wild animals coupled with the archdemon, Kadir, who looked like an incarnation of the devil, made for some of her most frightening moments.
“Be right back—”
Her sister’s terse response cut Orlando off. “You cannot waltz in here sounding all serious and keep me in the dark, Santi. You guys can have this conversation right here. I’m the queen and I won’t be left out of anything.”
“It’s not that we want to leave you out, Chiquita. This is official police business and there is no need to worry you over things unnecessarily.”
“If this has to do with the Tehrex Realm, then it is my business.” Cailyn’s chest swelled with pride in her baby sister. She had come into her own, standing up to such fierce warriors.
Orlando chuckled, “She schooled you, bro. Is this about more skirm attacks on women?”
“Yes and there’s been another one,” Santiago relayed somberly looking at Elsie, “and the latest victim was a member of SOVA.”
Elsie’s gasp echoed loudly in the room. Clearly this was distressing for her sister, even if Cailyn had no idea what they were talking about. “What? Oh my God. What was her name? Was it Mack?” What was Elsie talking about?
“Who is Mack, and what is this SOVA?” Cailyn interjected, she’d never heard of them.
“Mack is the leader of a group called Survivors of Vampire Attacks, or SOVA, for short. They hunt vampires, or what they think are vampires, but are really skirm. Who was this victim, Santi?”
“The victim didn’t have any ID on her. All I can tell you is that she had dark hair, was five-foot-six-inches tall and was wearing a leather SOVA jacket,” Santiago said.
“Was her hair black? And short? Did she have sleeves of tattoos?” Her sister’s frantic questions had Cailyn’s adrenaline pumping.
“No her hair was dark brown and she had no ink,” Santi responded.
“Thank God, it wasn’t Mackendra. Ellen had dark brown hair, but I’ve been out of touch for a while. O, you mentioned there being more attacks on women. Has there been an increase lately, then? What are the victim profiles?” Cailyn was shocked at how her sister took control and delved right into this issue with confidence. Like a Queen.
“There has been a marked increase of female victims and missing women since your abduction, El. They are from various walks of life and do not fit any one profile. There have been blondes, brunettes, and red heads and they have been anywhere from the poor to the filthy rich. There is no clear pattern to the attacks which is frustrating, because we don’t know which areas to target,” Orlando explained.
Prickles ran down Cailyn’s spine as she realized that she and Jessie had also been victims when they were attacked and nearly killed. The scum who did this to them had plenty of time to snap their necks before they had been rescued, but didn’t. Her gut turned when she considered that the demon and Fae had something more planned for her and Jessie. She was thankful that Zander had taken the precaution to have his Dark Warriors following her, and that they made it to them in time.
“The Lieutenant is up in arms about this latest victim, thinking there is a crazy vigilante group trying to reap justice for the victims of the ‘Twikills.’ You were a part of them, Elsie, and there is no one better to help us tell Mackendra that they need to stop what they are doing. They take too much risk with their lives and now the Lieutenant wants their heads. None of us want anything to happen to your friends,” Santiago added. What was he talking about? Her sister hadn’t mentioned being part of the vigilante group. What he was suggesting was crazy.
“What is he talking about El? Were you a part of that group?” Cailyn watched her sister squirm and fidget. Apparently, she wasn’t the only one who’d kept secrets.
“Yes I joined after Dalton was killed,” Elsie said turning back to Santiago. “Mackendra isn’t going to like that at all, Santi. I can call her and setup a meeting, but she isn’t going to close up shop. She feels as if hunting vampires is her calling. Her pain runs deep…” Elsie’s voice trailed off and the room descended into silence.
“What is it, El?” Orlando asked, crossing to her side.
“I’m getting flashes of numerous women, both human and realm. They are locked up and filthy. Some of them are naked and covered in blood. I can’t see their faces clearly, but they are being tortured by the demons,” Elsie moaned, grabbing her head. Hearing voices was bad enough, but having the images in her head that Elsie had just described would give her nightmares for weeks.
Cailyn inched her fingers across the blanket and tried to squeeze her sister’s leg, offering reassurance as Elsie continued. “I don’t know where they are, but I can sense that they are important to the realm. Is there anyway the demons would be able to detect if these females were mates? I know the markings don’t appear until after sex with your Fated Mate, but is there another way?”
“Goddess. Hearing the demons are kidnapping females and keeping them captive is just about the worst news we could get. To answer your question, I have no idea if there is a way the demons could identify Fated Mates. Zander and Jace need to return. We need to have a meeting,” Santiago said, cursing soundly.
At the mention of Jace, Cailyn thought back to the day she first saw him. A wild fire had lit and burned unchecked throughout her body from the moment he had walked into her sister’s small apartment. It had burned so hot that she had been unable to douse it. Her attraction to the sorcerer was atomic, and caused her heart ache.
She was torn between reconciling with John and pursuing Jace. She loved her life in San Francisco, her job, and John. Anything with Jace meant giving all of it up. It would be worth it, an insidious part of her whispered.
She pictured his lips and how she wanted to kiss him and explore his body. His lean, muscular frame ignited arousal so intense she longed to be taken by him. Their lovemaking would be so hot she imagined it would burn her to cinders.
With that thought, uncertainty plagued her. Was she pretty or funny enough for him? She had seen that woman he had been with at the club. She had been the opposite of Cailyn, tall and skinny with a perfect body. Cailyn carried an extra ten pounds, which only added to
her insecurity. Sometimes she hated being a woman as doubts played through her mind.
*****
The second Jace entered the compound, sultry tendrils of cinnamon danced into his nose. Cailyn was aroused. For some insane reason he hoped she was thinking of him. His cock jerked eagerly at that notion. He placed a hand over his churning stomach and closed his eyes, breathing deeply. Goddess, he wanted that female, had never wanted one more in his entire life. The intensity of his desire had him once again questioning if she could be his Fated Mate. Like before, he dismissed the notion. The Goddess was infinitely smarter than that.
He shook his head and placed one shaky foot in front of the other as he ascended the stairs behind Zander who was taking them two at a time, clearly eager to reach Elsie. In moments, Zander burst through the door to Cailyn’s suite of rooms and the King’s expression lost the hard bitter edges and softened.
“Lady E, your mate has returned,” Zander growled and grabbed her up into his arms.
Jace met Orlando’s awkward stare while Zander thoroughly kissed his mate. “Get a room,” Orlando said, and Jace didn’t miss the bitter undertone. Was the warrior as jealous of what they had as Jace? None of them had ever contemplated having a mate until Elsie. Now Jace wondered how many of them longed for it like he did. His gaze slid to Cailyn and he noticed that the circles under her eyes were darker, and her skin was paler. An invisible magnetic pull had him crossing the room to Cailyn’s side.
“Good idea. Let’s go,” Zander responded with his lips still pressed to Elsie’s.
The Queen playfully slapped his arm. “Later. First, tell me what you learned.” Elsie responded.
“The Queen didn’t tell us anything really. She hinted that the antidote is in New Orleans and we need to travel there immediately,” Zander said as he stroked a finger across Elsie’s cheek. The love between the newly mated pair was tangible. Jace envied the King his fortune.
“Why can’t one of you give her blood to heal her? You guys brought me back from the brink of death with your blood,” Elsie pointed out.
Words tumbled past Jace’s lips before he could stop them. “No one will be giving Cailyn blood but me and even that isn’t going to happen, because blood will not solve our problem. This is magically induced and the spell needs to be reversed.” He took a deep breath to regain control of his emotions, not sure what had come over him. He didn’t have time to evaluate it at the moment. “We need an appropriate agent to break the binding of the magic to your sister, and blood isn’t that agent.”
“Okay, so we have no easy solution. You mentioned New Orleans. What is there that can help me?” Cailyn asked weakly. Jace reached down and grabbed Cailyn’s hand, hating how cold her skin was. She was definitely getting worse. Panic surged through him, setting off a new urgency.
“Orlando, call everyone back. Patrols can wait. We have to strategize and plan a trip. I want you guys on the road ASAP,” Zander ordered, ignoring Cailyn’s question.
“Wait just a minute. What do you mean you guys? Aren’t you going too?” Elsie asked, leveling the mighty vampire king with a glare.
“Nay, a ghra, I will remain here with you and Cailyn. Jace and two others will go,” Zander replied, trying to bring his mate back into his arms. She pushed his arms away.
“No. Zander, I need you to go. I won’t be able to stand it if I don’t have the peace of mind knowing someone who cares as much as I do is on this mission. I know that you won’t let me leave this compound, especially, with women being targeted by skirm. I hate the thought of you being in danger, but I can’t be selfish. Cailyn needs this,” Elsie said, her gaze remaining on Zander.
“You all can stand around and argue all day, but I’m going. I don’t care who goes with me, but I’m leaving soon,” he declared, keeping his gaze locked on Cailyn’s. Her eyes flared with surprise when his fingers stroked her hair. The silky stands wrapped around his fingers, keeping him close. He cradled the back of her head with his palm. “You will get better. No one will fight harder to get the antidote than I,” he promised, shocked to realize how deeply he meant every word he said.
“I trust you, but you have to be safe and come back to me,” Cailyn whispered.
Her trust melted something in him. No one had ever looked at him the way Cailyn did. Something was happening between them, and the connection he’d felt between them intensified. Before he knew what he was doing, he leaned down and touched his lips to hers. Sparks flew where their flesh met, and his breath was stolen from his chest. He pulled away and saw that Cailyn was just as affected. He wished no one had witnessed the intimacy of the moment, it belonged to them alone. He’d never had a more intimate moment with a female, and it had nothing to do with sex.
CHAPTER SIX
Watching the clock until nightfall so they could leave for New Orleans was going to kill Jace. He needed to be retrieving the cure for Cailyn, but instead he was in the war room arguing with Kyran about Jessie turning into something unknown, not skirm but no longer human either. His fists balled at his sides, and fury raced through his veins. Jace was going to punch the shit out of Kyran. The bastard had been out with his whores when they had needed him, and now he wanted to change the decisions that their group had already made without him.
Jessie had fangs and craved blood, but still had her appetite for food. It was unclear if she would eventually subsist solely on blood like all skirm. The biggest relief for Jace was that she wasn’t a mindless drone, and didn’t appear to be driven by the archdemon who turned her. Her bite wound had turned blue rather than the typical black, and her blood had remained red instead of black. Most astonishingly, her brainwaves were enhanced beyond what anyone expected. Jace and the scientists were excited to learn more about what she was becoming, but Kyran kept arguing the issue of destroying the poor girl.
Jace stalked from the war room as his patience hit its limit. Lost in thought, he paused on the marble floor in the entry. The front doors loomed in front of him, with their intricate Celtic symbols. They were his favorite feature in the entire mansion he had called home for over a century. He identified heavily with his mother’s Native American heritage, but the door always brought him closer to his father, and this part of his heritage.
He, along with Zander and the other Dark Warriors, had built the home piece by piece. It had been Zander’s sister, Breslin, who had the idea that the entrance to the home they shared be a symbol of the heritage they all shared, uniting them despite their differences. The massive twelve foot doors had taken many weeks to carve, and contained the blood of each warrior. Jace and Gerrick had used that collective blood to cast powerful shielding and glamour spells over the building and surrounding property, ultimately providing the realm’s strongest protection.
As he continued his search for Evzen, thoughts of protection had him wondering if there was a way to keep all realm females safe. It had been a blow to hear that the archdemons were targeting females, and the thought that they had a way of detecting whether or not they were Fated Mates was frightening. The very idea was appalling.
Jace entered the library and saw Gerrick and Evzen deep in conversation. Seeing Gerrick made him realize that the rising tensions and tempers in the house made the surliest warrior of the compound seem the least unpleasant at the moment. Gerrick had always worn his bitterness as openly as the scar marring his handsome face, but since the accident the night before, he was the only of them who had managed to shove his negativity aside. He was focused and ready to help. Jace had learned recently that the loss of Gerrick’s Fated Mate drove him to ensure no one suffered like he had. He appreciated having the formidable warrior at his back.
Jace clapped Gerrick on the shoulder as he crossed the room to Evzen. “Sir,” Jace bowed his head in deference to Evzen, “you wanted to see me before we leave?”
Evzen tipped his head in acknowledgment. “Yes. Have a seat,” he said gesturing to the nearby leather sofas. He sat next to Gerrick, and contemplated his cousin and their
roles in the realm.
Jace had been in line to become Guild Master until he had been abducted by Angelica. During his captivity, the Great War claimed Jace’s parents, and so the position fell to the next person in their family line - Evzen. Initially, after his rescue, he had been angry over all that Lady Angelica had taken from him. Now, he was glad that Evzen held that role, as he had become one of the most powerful sorcerers the realm had ever known.
Jace’s churning thoughts turned to the matter at hand as he scanned the shelves, looking for a book that may help. There was everything from the history of the Valkyrie, to books of witchcraft spells and incantations, to ledgers documenting various demons encountered during the course of the war.
“I wanted to provide you with all the information I have about Ms. Laveau,” Evzen said as he sat across from him. “Marie is a cunning, dangerous, and enigmatic female. And paranoid, with good reason of course. As the Voodoo Queen, she has many enemies. It is said that she has obtained various tomes containing spells and potions for many different species, and that is how she is able to develop and sell her tinctures. No one, especially the Fae, is happy that she has learned how to counter their enchantments. Needless to say, she uses everything at her disposal to hide and protect herself. The God Kalfu is capricious, and you can guarantee that, as her father, he has added to her arsenal. You must also know that you won’t be able to approach her without going through one of her Mambos. They are her gatekeepers, so to speak. Rumor has it that she lives deep in the swamps, but no one knows for sure. Wherever she lives will be glamoured, and protected with various layers of magic and creatures.”
Just an average day in the life of a Dark Warrior, Jace thought wryly. He had known Marie was powerful, but not that she was the daughter of a God. “Magic we can deal with, but what kind of creatures are we talking about?”
“Don’t be so sure about your abilities against her spells. While she doesn’t use black magic, she does combine light and dark forces, and that combination is sure to challenge you. You and Gerrick will need to pool your energy and use every resource at your disposal.”