Iron (The Warding Book 1)

by Robin L. Cole

  He walked towards me and I was struck dumb by that loping, feline grace of his once again. I had meant every word I said about his prowess. My brain still compared him to a panther, all lean muscle and savage grace. Maybe all fae men had the inborn ability to make a girl get poetic. Either way, it bothered me less when my thoughts went all lyrical over him than over Kaine. Go figure.

  He reached out and I took his hand with my good one, feeling its callouses against my palm. He hauled me to my feet like I weighed nothing at all. I managed not to stumble into him, though his chest was only inches from mine. I was a good head shorter than him and had to tilt back to see his face. Up close, I could see the stubble along his jaw and how long his eyelashes were, framing those eerie pale blue eyes as they searched my face.

  He let go of my hand and I backed up a few steps. He broke into a slow smile. I liked it when he smiled, which so far had been a rare occasion. He looked much younger; much more human. “I don’t like games, Caitlin. If there is something you want to ask me, just to do it. I may choose not to answer, but I will never lie to you.”

  My face warmed. He was always saying my name when he spoke to me. It made me feel weird. Unwilling to be put off, I stood my ground. “Who are you?”

  He bowed. “Gannon Aonghus, firstborn son of Éamonn and Murine; Guardian of Kaine.”

  His answer challenged me to cross a boundary I knew better than to step over. Instead, I crossed my own arms—careful not to jar my injured wrist too much—and considered my options. After a moment I asked, “Why are you Kaine’s Guardian?”

  “He is my brother.”

  My brows shot up. “Really?”

  His smile turned sly. The twinkle in his eyes mocking me ever so slightly. They lent a little bit of humanity to those icy cool orbs, so I was willing to forgive it—this time. “We are not brothers by blood,” he said. “We were born within days of one another and our families had a long-standing friendship. I was chosen be his Guardian and my twin sister was chosen to be his bride.”

  Ah-ha, a betrothal! Further proof that he was—

  “Wait, Kaine is married?” The last word came out as a squeal. My jaw dropped. I’m sure my eyes widened to comical proportions, because he let out a long, loud laugh. Flustered, I slapped his arm, though that only earned me a stinging palm. “Stop that! This isn’t funny.”

  He ignored my weak punch but he did swallow the last of his laughter. Some of his former seriousness had hardened his face; his eyes narrowed ever so slightly as he teased, “I am sure my sister would love to see such a reaction. Sorry to ruin your amorous fancies.”

  “Hey, I didn’t have those fantasies on purpose, thank you very much!” My face felt hot enough to fry an egg. Why had I just said that? I could feel the incredulous stare I was getting. I groaned, covering my face with my hand. “Okay, fine. Maybe there was an impure thought or two here and there—but I didn’t want to be having them! That’s completely unlike me, I swear.”

  He chuckled. “Don’t take it too personally. There’s succubus blood in his family line. He has that effect on most women.” I peeked at him from between my fingers, my expression confused enough that he generously elaborated, “Succubi control the powers of seduction. Their Gift tends to…leak out in their aura, even when they aren’t using it.”

  “Thanks. That makes me feel both better and worse.” I scrubbed at my face with my hands and then straightened my sweat-spotted t-shirt, like that made me look more respectable. “You know, since fae Gifts aren’t supposed to work on me at all.”

  He grinned. “That’s the problem. He’s not ‘using’ it on you.”

  I blew out a hard, frustrated breath. “See, this is what I don’t get. What good is this Warding? Some things work on me, some don’t. Seana swears I’ll be Super Woman one day, but I just have to grow into it. What are the freaking rules here?”

  “Seana is right. Every Gift needs to grow to full strength. When yours does you will be incredibly powerful, in your own right. You will be impervious to any fae Gift that needs to impress itself on your will to work.”

  I glared at him. “Yeah, that right there? Not at all helpful, since it doesn’t make a lick of sense to me.”

  He sighed and held his hands up. “Gifts work in two ways.” One hand jiggled. “Some Gifts need to be used on another person to have an effect. Let’s call those mental Gifts. Healing, seduction, reading thoughts, enchantment, manipulating emotions—Gifts like those need to affect another person, in their mind, to have power. Right now, while your Warding is new, there are workarounds that let some of those Gifts reach you, but in time you will become immune to them.” He wiggled the other hand. “On the other hand, there are physical Gifts—such as my speed or, say, a Fury’s strength. Those Gifts affect the one who is Gifted and are not something you will ever be able to rebuff, unless you somehow match that physical power.”

  Huh. Put that way, it made a whole lot more sense. I said as much and earned another chuckle. He said, “As for Kaine, I assure you he isn’t trying to impress his will upon you. His Gifts are naturally very strong—stronger than most, really. That residual energy just happens to be amplifying your thoughts and feelings.”

  “I don’t have any such feelings, buddy!”

  “Hate to break it to you, but yeah—you do. If those urges weren’t there already, however small, he likely wouldn’t affect you so strongly, or perhaps even at all.”

  Good goddamn, did my face feel red. Radioactive, solar flare strength, beet red. “Well, isn’t that just great. So, now that we’ve figured out my starved libido is the problem here, I think it’s time for me to go get this wrist looked at. And then maybe, I don’t know, find a nice, dark corner somewhere to go die in.”

  I bowed to him, though god only knows why, and grabbed my purse from the table by the door.

  “Caitlin.”

  A shiver shot up my spine. I looked back over my shoulder. In the ten seconds it had taken me to gather my things, he had folded up the remaining mat and returned it to the wall His footsteps were so quiet that I had never even heard him move. He had his back to me again, framed in the dying light of the setting sun. “You did well today. I think you’ve got defense down. On Wednesday, we’ll start on offense.”

  “Awesome.” I broke out in a silly grin and ducked my head to hide my joy as I skipped down the stairs. I didn’t know what was making me more giddy—my success or his approval. Both were firsts and felt pretty damn great.

  ~*~

  Lucky for me, the sprain to my wrist was minimal. One quick infusion of Seana’s special (i.e. gross) herbal brew and a short nap later, I was patched up, wrapped up, and left with only a trace of tenderness. She had promised I would be as good as new in a day or two when I asked how soon I could get back to training, but her disapproving stare reminded me that she still wasn’t keen on my current curriculum. I didn’t know if she was opposed to our gender getting down and dirty in the training ring, or if she had a distaste for all fighting in general, but it wasn’t an issue I was going to broach with her. We got along well otherwise and that was some awkwardness I didn’t need.

  There was no way in hell I was going grocery shopping or cooking after such a long, tiring day. I had changed back into normal clothing before leaving the fae house so, while I wasn’t going to find myself a hot date, I at least felt presentable enough to have a quick, quiet dinner. A few blocks from my apartment sat a little dive with a killer bar pie, and that sounded like heaven to my empty stomach. The atmosphere of the place was a bit on the shabby side, being more bar than restaurant, but I could overlook that in favor of a thin, crispy crust, greasy pepperoni, and plenty of gooey cheese. Paired with a frosty beer, it was my idea of carb pig-out heaven.

  I requested a table in the back corner of the side dining room, giving myself a bit of privacy as I chowed down. The waitress was nice enough to check on me from time to time, talking me into a second beer, but for the most part she left me alone. That was fine by me. I w
as still feeling pretty grimy under my quickly applied social veneer and, honestly, in the age of smartphones, who feels alone at dinner anyhow? I kept myself amused with Pinterest until I was on my final slice and the last inch or so of my second beverage.

  The guilt I normally felt for inhaling all that greasy goodness was hovering just around the corner, so I picked the toppings off that last piece (because that somehow made it better) and looked around for the waitress. She was nowhere to be seen. I sighed. That always seemed to be the way of things at that place, a downside of its catering more to inebriated regulars than infrequent diners. Once you decided you were ready for the check, all the servers were mysteriously sucked into a black hole. I sat up straighter and combed my eyes through the throng that had built up by the busy bar, hoping to spot her.

  Instead, I found a heart attack.

  On the edge of the crowd loomed an all-too familiar behemoth. He wore the same shabby, black trench coat that he had on the night he attacked me, with the same stringy mane of black hair trailing down his back. As I watched, he slowly scanned the room with those piggy little eyes. My heart jacked up to warp speed. I felt lightheaded. Holy fuck. Was he actually there looking for me? It certainly seemed like he was looking for someone.

  A small circle of space had cleared on either side of him. His glamour might have made him look acceptably human, but there was no hiding that foul aura of his. The people around him might not have known why he made them so uneasy (aside from his incredible stench, of course), but I was willing to bet dollars to donuts that everyone nearby could feel the wrongness of him. Scratch that; all but one, it seemed. A man, who seemed to be of normal height and build from my vantage point, had stepped up to the troll, his back facing me. Goliath stooped down to listen when the man leaned in.

  Great. My nightmare had a friend.

  I slid down in my seat and grabbed my phone. My hands were shaking so bad it took me three tries to unlock the home screen and another two to open my contacts. I stabbed at the screen, trying to get it to dial as fast as possible. Each ring on the other end made my heart stop, and I whined softly to myself, “Come on, come on, come on! Answer dammit!”

  Mairi sounded distracted, the murmur of voices in the background nearly drowning her out when she finally picked up. “Hey, Cat. What’s up?”

  I almost sobbed with relief. “He’s here! Goliath is fucking here and I think he’s looking for me!”

  “Wait, wait—slow down! Who’s where?”

  “I stopped for dinner at the Peddler. That place I took you for burgers the other day, the one a few blocks from my apartment?”

  “Yeah, I remem—”

  I talked over her. “He’s here, Mai! Goliath is here!”

  “Wait—who?”

  “The fucking troll!” I hissed. “I don’t know how he found me but he did. I think he’s got someone with him too. They’re at the bar, between me and the door. I don’t think I can get past them without…” The weight of my words hit me. Dinner turned to a churning whirlpool in my stomach. “Fuck! What if they follow me home?”

  “Wait; wait. Calm down.” Her voice turned into a mumble. It sounded like she had pulled the phone away from her face and was talking to someone else. I couldn’t make out what she said, but it felt like an eternity before her voice was strong in my ear again. “Is the place busy?”

  The dining room I was in was only half full, but the area surrounding the bar was packed. There was a football game on all the TVs and the night-time drinking crowd had filtered in. “Yeah, busy enough I guess.”

  “Good. Don’t move. You’re safer there. I don’t think he’ll cause a scene with that many witnesses.”

  “That’s not exactly comforting, Mai.” I could barely swallow. My throat felt like it was packed with tomato sauce flavored cement.

  “Just hang tight. We’re on our way. We’ll be there as fast as we can. Promise.”

  I put the phone down on the table and gripped its edge. I squeezed my eyes closed and took a deep, shaky breath. I could do this. She was right. There was safety in numbers. I could stay tucked away in my quiet little corner until the cavalry arrived. I wasn’t sure exactly what the plan would be once they did, really; but I couldn’t dwell on that.

  “Anything else I can get you tonight?”

  I jumped, startling the waitress nearly as much as she had startled me. I forced out a shrill laugh. “Sorry! I was daydreaming for a minute there. I think I, uh, saved a little room for dessert after all. What do you have?”

  She rattled down their list of desserts, each one sounding more unappetizing than the last in my present state. I finally settled on some rice pudding, figuring I could force a spoonful or two down while I waited for my rescue. I felt like a rat, trapped in a corner, knowing the cat was prowling out there, only feet away.

  Why hadn’t I sat in the main room on the other side of the bar? That room was usually packed with families and their squealing brats, true—but it also had a clear shot at the door. Of course, it was possible that I might never have noticed Goliath’s ugly mug in the first place had I sat there. I pondered that for a moment and couldn’t decide if that would have been better or worse, him getting so close without my ever having realized it.

  The waitress dropped off my bowl of pudding along with my check for whenever I was ready; no rush. I pushed it around with my spoon, unable to take even the tiniest bite. I kept looking at my phone, refreshing the screen when it threatened to go dark, counting each second. I wondered where they were. I should have asked them where they were coming from. Was traffic holding them up? The long moments and useless thoughts drew on until I couldn’t take it anymore. I pushed myself up and sneaked a peak back over the wall into the bar area—and immediately wished I hadn’t. Goliath was closer; just a few feet away from the low wall that separated us. He still appeared to be looking through the crowd; searching. I shrank down, cursing softly under my breath.

  “See something you like over there, sugar?”

  My head whipped around. A man stood at the edge of my table. I had never met him before and nothing struck me as being particularly fae about him, but I knew he had to be Goliath’s friend. He looked out of place. He had good ol’ Southern boy written all over him from his worn jeans and gaudy Lone Star State belt buckle to his button down plaid shirt. He looked to be in his mid-thirties, attractive enough with his close cropped blond hair and former high-school jock build. It was his eyes that made me go cold. There was no life in those eyes. They were two flat, hazel marbles; like the cold gaze of a dead fish. The fear must have shown on my face, because his smile stretched into a leer. He leaned casually against the wall like we were old friends chatting. In all actuality, he had just neatly trapped me in my seat.

  “Back off, buddy,” I snapped. “Who the hell do you think you are?”

  “That ain’t important, sugar.” He kept his voice low, so the couple at the nearby table wouldn’t be disturbed. I wanted to scream for help, but something in those dead-fish eyes told me that would be a very bad idea. “What is important is that you had a little run in with a friend of mine a few weeks back. Big fella. A little hard on the eyes. Not from around these parts, if you know what I’m sayin’?” He pointed up, across my table. I followed the line of his arm.

  Goliath was less than a foot away, on the other side of the wall, watching me through the glass divider. Our eyes met and his maw split into a toothy grin that turned my bowels to water. I couldn’t look away. I croaked, “What do you want?”

  “Well, last time you had a few friends break up the party just as my friend there was getting to know you,” he drawled. “And he was so broken-hearted, he just had to find you again and tell you how gosh-darn pretty he thinks you are.”

  I flashed hot and cold, torn between anger, fear, and embarrassment. I felt like I was spinning. The room was starting to feel oppressively warm. It took every bit of willpower I had to turn away from the troll but I fixed his buddy with my best “back th
e fuck up” stare. “I’ve got news for you, asshole. You think you’re funny? You’re not. You’re the furthest fucking thing from it. So why don’t you and ugly over there piss off. Find someone else to harass.”

  The faux friendliness drained away, his leer becoming a silent snarl. “I don’t think you should go calling strangers names, Warder.”

  Fuck. Me.

  My chest tightened so much that I could barely take a breath. All my thoughts were scrambled, sent tumbling by a tidal wave of fear. All this time I had held on to the hope that Mairi had been right; that Goliath hadn’t marked me for what I was that night. I had hoped that my secret was safe. Each day that had passed without us finding him—without him finding me—it had gotten easier to tell myself that lie. As usual, I was wrong.

  It took me a few seconds too long to recover and pull myself together. My retort rang hollow, even to my own ears. “And just what the hell is that supposed to mean?”

  He laughed. “Awww, sugar, you’re a terrible liar.”

  I wanted to slap that smug expression off of good ol’ Texas Pete’s face. I gripped the edge of the table so hard my healing wrist twinged in protest. I considered leaping over the table and making a run for it, but even if I managed to get out of the restaurant after causing such a scene, that would only leave me even more screwed. I couldn’t run home and hide, when they could so easily follow me. The realization that I was trapped and helpless made me want to throw up. Where the hell was my back-up?

  While I was wrapped up in the hell of my mind, my new friend helped himself to my dessert. Around a mouthful of it, he said, “You may think those new friends of yours can protect you, but you’re wrong darling. Me and my buddy over there found you once. Took us some time, true; but we can do it again now, easy as pie. A girl with skills like yours should have known better than to go showing off like that, calling in her fancy back-up and whatnot.”

  I couldn’t look at him. I could feel Goliath on the other side of the wall, slavering at me like a starving dog just begging to be let off its leash. Every muscle in my body ached; tight and ready to shake to pieces the moment I let go. I felt my eyes sting, desperate to water. Voice cracking, I asked one last time, “What do you want from me?”