Death Bringer sj-2

by Kate Pearce

  “As I said, it’s getting late.”

  “Then show me your wound.” His tone was impersonal and polite again. It made her want to sink her teeth into his flesh.

  “Be my guest.”

  Ignoring his suggestive intrusion into her mind, she eased out of her jacket and then her rose-covered blouse to reveal the handkerchief that covered her shoulder.

  “Is that one of mine? I can never find any of my handkerchiefs. What the hell do you do with them?”

  “I had to pack it with something, and it’s not as if you have any pocket to put it in here.” She carefully removed the folded cotton.

  Vadim’s breath hissed out. “Ddwu.”

  “What?”

  She awkwardly turned her head to stare down at her shoulder, which appeared to be glowing with a dull red light.

  “That’s not good, is it?”

  “No.”

  “Can you fix it?”

  “It’s difficult. Where did the spell come from?”

  “I’m not quite sure. As I said, I was trying to get into through the main door when someone started shooting spells. One of them rebounded and hit my arm.”

  “Was it one of the guards?”

  “No, it was some guy on a horse.” She hesitated. “I did wonder if it was your father.”

  “That might explain it.” He sat back. “If it was him, I suspect he wasn’t aiming for the door.”

  “Then make it better!”

  “I can stop the pain and slow down the spread of the poison, but I can’t remove it completely.”

  “Back up.” She grabbed his hand. “What poison?”

  “Perhaps that was a bad choice of words. The substance in your arm means that my father can always find you. The spell is like his personal brand.”

  “Why would he want to do that?”

  His smile wasn’t pleasant. “You tell me.”

  She stared right back at him. “I told you. He was very keen for me to take you away from Otherworld.”

  “And what did he promise you in return for that small service?”

  “He offered to get my face back.”

  He took his hand away. “No wonder he wanted to put his mark on you.”

  “You’re such an idiot, Morosov. I didn’t accept his terms. I told him I was quite capable of achieving what I wanted without his help.”

  “And how did he take that?”

  “Not very well, obviously.”

  “And yet you are still alive.”

  “I’m not stupid—I didn’t outright tell him no. I said I wanted to think about it.”

  He shook his head. “Sometimes your gall amazes me, Soul Sucker. There are not many people on the earth who argue with my father and survive.”

  “You did.”

  “And look where it got me.” His faint smile disappeared. “Right back where I started.”

  “That’s not quite true, is it? You’re no longer under his control, and you have me.”

  “I thought you’d disowned me.”

  “I said I needed some space. I didn’t say I was running out on you. I’m still a professional. You’re my SBLE partner.”

  He stared at her for a long moment. “You just can’t say it, can you? You just can’t admit that I mean anything to you at all.” He returned to kneel at her feet. “Let me do what I can for your shoulder.”

  As he worked, she looked down at his bowed head and admired his long silky hair and the curve of his spine. Even if he disagreed, she thought he was beautiful in his true form. She reached out and touched the back of his neck with one finger, stroking the soft down. His folded wings quivered.

  “Ella, stop it...”

  She stroked down his spine and he went still.

  “Are you finished with my shoulder?”

  “Yes.”

  “Can I touch your wings?”

  In answer, he spread his wings wide. He continued to kneel like an angel at prayer as she went to stand behind him. Using both hands, she started where his wings emerged from his shoulders and traced the long line outward. The span was too great for her to encompass by herself. She leaned in close, her hands spread wide and her breasts pressed to his spine. He shuddered.

  “You look so threatening, and yet up close, you’re soft and feathery.” She buried her face in the crook of his neck.

  She slid her hands around his chest and felt the frantic beating of his heart. He might look different, and so did she, but at their core, nothing had changed. They were both outsiders in their worlds. It was a hard truth to swallow, but she still wanted to jump his bones.

  “Stop thinking about sex.”

  “Why?” She found his nipples and used her finger and thumb to shape them.

  “Because you said—”

  She bit his neck. “I said I wanted time to think about our relationship. This is about sex.”

  “Isn’t that my line?”

  She bit harder, and he winced. “Indulge me, Morosov.”

  “And if I don’t want to be used as a sexual convenience?”

  “Then say no. Take your little fluffy pillow and sleeping bag and go over to the other side of the fire. I promise I won’t come after you.”

  Underneath her hands, his massive body tensed. She closed her eyes and nuzzled his throat. “Vadim...”

  “I am your mate.” He sighed, the sound echoing in the quietness of the glen. “I’ll take whatever you have to offer me, Ella. You know that.”

  She closed her eyes against yet another attack of unwanted emotion and wrapped her arms around him. Sex was so much simpler. A meeting of bodies and an exchange of pleasure, a way to show him what she couldn’t say. Didn’t he get that? Or perhaps he did and was allowing her the opportunity to share how she really felt.

  She groaned. God, this caring for someone was so confusing.

  * * *

  Vadim slowly drew his wings in, their tips brushing Ella’s side until she was almost enclosed. She stepped back and he turned around and drew her against his chest. In his true form, kneeling down, they were almost the same height He stroked the side of her cheek, his thumb angled under her jaw, and tried to remember the real face that lay beneath the mask.

  Closing his eyes, he let even that image go and saw her truly, his thoughts marching with hers and their needs entwined. Everything she hadn’t been able to say flowed over him and through him. Why didn’t she have the words? Would she ever admit how she felt out loud?

  “It’s all right,” he murmured, and kissed the side of her mouth.

  “It isn’t. I hate crying and I’m being a wuss.”

  “You’ve had a difficult day.”

  “I sure have. I’ve been bitten by dragons, imprisoned, pursued by trolls, shot at—” He stopped her talking by taking control of the kiss. She continued in his head, “—flown away by winged creatures to magical glades...”

  He skimmed his hands down her sides and rested them on her hips.

  “I frightened you?”

  “Only for a second, until I realized who it was.”

  “I’m glad.”

  She kissed his forehead. “I’m not sure why everyone else is so afraid of you, really. You’re like a big fluffy marshmallow.”

  He slid his hand around the back of her neck, trapping her. “Only with you.”

  She held his gaze. “Is it true that you can kill anything in Otherworld?”

  “Yes.”

  “Even immortal Fae?”

  He nodded. Why did she think he was an outcast?

  “Wow. That’s some responsibility.” She kissed his nose. “Will you sit down?”

  “I am.”

  She smacked his shoulder. “I mean cross-legged.”

  “If you wish, Soul Sucker.”

  She fixed him with her more usual intimidating glare. He didn’t mind it so much now; in fact he’d even begun to miss it.

  “It wasn’t your soul I was thinking of sucking.” Her gaze dropped to his groin and his already erect cock.
“It’s a good job I’m not allergic to feathers, isn’t it?”

  She leaned forward and rubbed her face against his flat stomach, her tongue sneaking out to lick his already-wet shaft. He placed his hands flat on the ground, taking more weight on them as his hips jerked forward to meet the demands of her mouth. He wanted to grab her and pull her down over his aching flesh, but he’d already done that once tonight. It was her turn to dictate and his to endure.

  And she made the most of it, teasing and learning his new body, making him wait and making him beg for her. When she finally shed her clothes and lowered herself over him, he was shaking with need. He wrapped one hand around her hips to hold her close and surged upward, enjoying her every climax along the way until she screamed and came again, dragging him with her in huge pumping waves of need. She collapsed over him and he held her tight. Did it matter that she couldn’t say the words out loud? That she insisted it was just about sex? He knew her on a subliminal level that no other being would ever achieve. He knew everything...

  Was it enough? He wasn’t sure, but he’d do anything to keep her safe. He eased her over onto her side, placing his sleeping bag underneath them both. She grumbled something and clung to him. In truth, if he managed to help her retrieve her face, it might be the last thing he ever did for her.

  A tremor in the shield caught his eye and he sat back up, pushing Ella behind him.

  “What is it?”

  He didn’t bother to answer her, all his attention fixed on the male who was materializing in the glade.

  “Death Bringer.” The Fae king bowed. “I apologize for intruding on such a tender moment, but needs must.”

  Vadim rose to his feet. “What do you want?”

  “Dear me, such hostility. Didn’t your mate tell you about my offer?”

  “She told me she’d met you.”

  “And not the rest?”

  His father strolled closer. He wore a flowing red cloak and low-slung leather pants with a silver belt. His hair touched his shoulders and gleamed like spun flax in the moonlight. Power radiated from him, and Vadim automatically raised his shields. It had taken him years to learn how to keep his father out of his mind. It was a lesson once brutally mastered, never forgotten. Of course Ella ignored his efforts to keep her safe and stood shoulder to shoulder with him. At least she’d put her clothes back on...

  “Soul Sucker, why didn’t you relay my message?”

  “That you want him gone from Otherworld because you’re scared of him? I think he knows that already.”

  His father’s assessing gaze swung around to Ella. Inwardly Vadim groaned. Sometimes his mate’s ability to piss people off was a real liability.

  “You’ve forgotten what I offered you so soon?”

  “I haven’t forgotten anything, because I didn’t agree to anything. You disappeared in a huff before I could make up my mind.”

  “Ella—please, shut up.”

  Something of the urgency in his voice must’ve got through to her, because she paused and looked up at him. “What’s wrong?”

  “I think he’s trying to remind you that I am Fae royalty and that I’m not used to being treated with such disrespect.”

  Ella raised her eyebrows. “What are you going to do? Set Morosov on me? He won’t harm me.”

  Vadim looked at his father’s face and saw it then, a hint of fear quickly masked. He steeled himself as his father’s golden gaze swung back toward him.

  “Death Bringer, all is not as it seems.”

  “In what way, Father?”

  “Your mate has not been telling you the truth.”

  “I doubt that.” He reached out a hand and grasped Ella’s arm, holding her close. As long as they were linked, he no longer thought his father was strong enough to beat them. “Mates cannot lie to each other.”

  “She intends to do you harm.”

  “And you don’t?”

  His father ignored the question, and pointed over at Ella’s backpack.

  “Search her possessions.”

  “Hey, that’s my stuff. There’s nothing in there that could hurt a fly.” Ella lunged for the backpack as the king sent it flying toward them.

  “She lies, Death Bringer.”

  “Ella, let it go, he’s just—”

  She leaped for the backpack separating herself from him, and everything seemed to slow down. His father’s magic swept between them, cutting her off from him and immobilizing her in midair.

  “Don’t you wonder why she wants her backpack so badly?”

  “Let her go, or I will retaliate.”

  “She has my mark on her. Shall I let her die of it?”

  Power sizzled between them, scorching the grass. A void opened in the shield and several Fae guards stepped through.

  “What do you want?”

  His father drew himself up. “Justice?”

  “For what?”

  “For those you killed?”

  “You were my master, I killed where you bade me!”

  “Not at the end.”

  “What are you saying?”

  “I want justice, Death Bringer, for Ciaran and Nia.”

  “No!” Vadim took a hasty step forward, but it was too late. The guards surrounded him.

  “Don’t fight them, and I’ll keep her alive to watch you stand trial.”

  His last sight was of his father standing tall in the clearing, his predatory smiling gaze fixed firmly on an immobile Ella.

  Chapter Thirteen

  “Where’s Morosov?” The moment the spell lifted, Ella started speaking.

  “He’s quite safe.” The Fae king looked up from the scroll he was reading. “You will see him presently.”

  She was sitting in a chair in what appeared to be an old library. Her backpack had disappeared again. She tried to get up but was unable to move.

  “I’m starting to hate this place.”

  Just to make a point, she focused down, found the spell and blew it away. Standing up, she stretched and headed toward Vadim’s father. Her ankle felt fine, although her shoulder still throbbed.

  “Very clever, Soul Sucker. It seems as if you are developing some magical talents of your own.” He turned toward her. “But there is no point in running away or seeking trouble. Your evidence will be required very shortly.”

  “Evidence for what?”

  “Death Bringer’s trial for murder.”

  “Oh, that.” She frowned. “But what about the sect? Don’t they have priority?”

  “Over a trial for the wanton spilling of Royal blood? I don’t think so. They will be content to wait for our verdict.”

  “So Morosov will get off, then, and live to fight another day?”

  The Fae king smiled. “You are so amusing, my child. Just remember that if you want your mate to live long enough to stand trial, you must behave yourself.”

  A bell began to toll and he stood. “The trial will be starting very shortly. Come with me.”

  Unfortunately, she couldn’t think of anything to do but follow him. Four Fae guards fell in behind her as they marched along a series of hallways and down the wide stairs. As soon as her feet hit the ground floor, the guards closed around her and she could see nothing but their broad shoulders and armor. They continued to move forward and eventually came into a less crowded space, which smelled of old books, ink and dust.

  Above her head there was an ancient hammer-beam ceiling, the beams darkened with smoke. The floor was wooden planks and scratched and dulled with age. It reminded her of photos of the thousand-year-old Westminster Hall in London, where the English parliament used to sit.

  “Sit here.”

  She did what she was told, aware that Vadim’s life was currently in her hands. Was that what they were hoping? That she’d accidentally lose it and give the court the excuse they needed to execute her mate? Could they execute him?

  While she waited, she surveyed the scene. Slightly raised on a platform, a long oak table with five chairs dominated the
end of the room. In front of the table was a stand, and on either side of the stand were two smaller tables, just like a regular courtroom. Behind her were several rows of benches, currently unoccupied. She looked around for the Fae king, but there was no sign of him.

  “Hey, you.” She nudged the nearest guard. “Is this trial open to the public?”

  He looked down at her from his considerable height. “No, Soul Sucker. It is a matter for the blood Royal to determine alone.”

  She winked at him. “Thanks, handsome.”

  He tried to look stern but failed and had to look away from her. Somewhere trumpets blared. The guard slid a hand under her elbow, bringing her to her feet.

  “All rise.”

  A door opened to the right of the long table and several figures emerged. Ella recognized Vadim’s grandmother, mother and father, but not the last guy.

  “Who’s the dude with the white hair?” she whispered to the long-suffering guard.

  “That is a representative from the Dark Court.”

  The two males took the seats on the left, and the females sat on the right. The door opened again, and someone Ella unfortunately recognized all too well came out.

  “Oh, crap.”

  “Did you speak, Soul Sucker?”

  “Not to you.” She focused her gaze on the smiling face of the man she knew as Drew Spencer, the head of the SBLE in North America and possibly the rest of the known universe. She hadn’t liked him the first time she met him. He hadn’t really taken to her either.

  “Why is Drew Spencer here?” she said loudly.

  The Fae king looked over at her. “He is knowledgeable about both our world and the SBLE. Therefore he was acceptable to all present as an impartial judge.”

  “I bet you didn’t consult Morosov about that.”

  The Fae king ignored her and turned his attention back to Drew Spencer, who waited patiently by the dais.

  “You may proceed.”

  Spencer bowed, took his place at the center of the table and addressed the four occupants. He wore a long white robe that made him look vaguely clerical and completely judgmental.

  “I will call each witness and allow you the opportunity to ask as many questions as you wish. Then, if necessary, we will hear from the defendant. After all the evidence has been presented, I will retire to consider my verdict and then present it to the court.”