Playing with Darkness: Book 3.5 (Sensor Series)

by Susan Illene

  We followed a dirt path up to his house and knocked on the door. A young elf girl answered it. She had light green skin, twinkling eyes, and pointed ears. Her hair was cut to shoulder length and was bright white. There was a time when I wouldn’t have been able to see past her odd fae features, but now I found her adorable.

  “Can I help you?” she asked, looking up at us from her four-foot height. Elves could grow rather tall, but she was only seven years old.

  “We need to speak with your grandfather,” Nienna said.

  “Okay, wait here.” She slammed the door on us.

  No matter the race, some things were always the same with kids.

  I could sense the girl running through the house toward Garvan. While we waited, I took a look around. Kerbasi hadn’t joined us on the porch and was instead poking at flowers and plants in the front garden. When one of them almost chomped his finger off, he jumped back.

  “What manner of infernal plant is this?” he asked.

  “A Venus Fly Trap, though I think that one is a bit more aggressive than the ones I’ve seen before,” I answered him.

  The fact that the plant popped up on my senses—though only at close range—told me a lot. They usually didn’t do that, but this one was sentient with hints of magic surrounding it. I could feel its hunger. The way it sniffed the air and stretched toward Kerbasi made me shudder. That just wasn’t right.

  One of the reasons angels didn’t like the fae was because they tampered with the natural order of things. The peace between them was always tenuous. As the reactions to Kerbasi proved, the fae were well aware things could come crashing down at any time. The supernatural war from a few centuries ago was still fresh in many people’s minds.

  He studied the plant closer. “What does it eat?”

  There wasn’t much plant life in Purgatory and no animals that I’d seen. Ever since the archangel Remiel had brought the guardian to me, I’d had to deal with his constant deluge of questions about all things fauna and flora. Usually I had a smart phone to look things up, but they didn’t work in Feidlimid—not that we were near a cell tower anyway.

  “Based on its size…really big bugs or maybe even mice.” I shrugged.

  Horticulture was definitely not my thing. Eventually I was going to have to teach him about the internet and Google so he could find the answers to his million questions on his own. Sometimes it was like having a five-year-old child around.

  The front door opened and we all turned our attention to it. A man with hair as white as the little girl stepped out. With the exception of a few lines on his forehead, he looked good for his age. He wore a pair of buckskin breaches, a button-up shirt, and cowboy boots.

  Garvan came straight for me as soon as he saw Sable. Without so much as a word, he took the cat from my arms. I had to make myself let her go. For not being much of an animal lover, I’d grown to care about Sable and had a hard time trusting her with a stranger—even if he had been her trainer.

  He walked into the house, but paused to look back at us. “Well, don’t just stand there. Follow me.”

  Even Kerbasi stopped messing with the plants to come inside. I’d kind of hoped he’d stay out there and get his finger eaten off.

  Garvan led us through the entry hall, past a large cozy-looking living room, and toward the back of the house. The whole place made me think I’d left the fae city and entered a western movie—except this guy raised shape-shifter cats instead of cattle. I even saw a collection of cowboy hats hanging on one of the walls.

  The room he took us to was clean and sterile, contrasting with the rugged interior I’d seen along the way. A large bay window took up most of the back wall and allowed plenty of sunshine inside. He placed Sable on a metal examining table and began to look her over. I sensed the power coming from him as he poked and prodded at her body. She mewled in protest when he pressed on her stomach.

  Garvan’s brows wrinkled. “She’s been poisoned. What have you been feeding her?”

  My gut clenched. I’d hoped the druid at the gate had been wrong.

  “Well, uh.” I shifted from foot to foot. “I feed her raw meat every day, but sometimes she catches things on her own outside or eats whatever we’re having for our own meals.”

  “Such as…” he prompted.

  I cleared my throat. “Eggs, bacon, lasagna, cheeseburgers, French fries, pizza—she seems to eat anything.”

  His green complexion flushed to red. “Did you not read the manual? I am quite sure we provided it when Lucas of Pistiros purchased the animal.”

  “Your manual reads like Apple terms and conditions. No one can make sense of all your guidelines, much less finish them without falling asleep.” When I’d first opened it up, I’d had to wonder if they worked for the tech giant. It would have explained a lot.

  He took an angry step toward me. “I should have never agreed to let one of my cats go to you without meeting you first. It would have been clear you’re too incompetent to care for such a precious breed properly.”

  A flash of light appeared at the corner of the room. Lucas appeared and he didn’t look any happier than the elf, who was two steps away from throttling me.

  Chapter Three

  “Sensor, what are you doing here?” he asked, putting himself between Garvan and me. “You should not have left Fairbanks without contacting me first.”

  “Oh, good,” Kerbasi said from near the doorway. “It was starting to get boring around here.”

  Nienna hushed the guardian.

  “I need your permission to leave town?” Any happiness I might have felt at seeing Lucas after more than a week evaporated. “You’ve got some nerve saying that to me, nephilim.”

  “How many times do I have to tell you it’s not safe for you to travel on your own?” he asked, towering over me.

  “Clearly, my presence doesn’t count.” Kerbasi’s droll voice reached over to us.

  “As if you’d do anything to protect her,” Lucas said, turning on the guardian.

  A fight between those two was the last thing we needed.

  “Oh, no you don’t.” I grabbed Lucas’ arm and pulled him back.

  “This is between me and you.” I glared up at him. “I’m not mortal anymore and I don’t need help protecting myself. If you think I’m going to sit around Fairbanks twiddling my thumbs like a good little girl while you’re off searching for your brother, you’re wrong.”

  “That’s exactly what you should be doing.” Sparks practically flew from his golden eyes.

  “If you have so little confidence in my ability to defend myself, then maybe you should have picked a different woman. No one on this earth knows me better than you do. Don’t pretend you weren’t completely aware of how things would be with me when we got into this relationship.”

  He ran a hand through his blond hair—it was still longer than normal from his time in Purgatory. “I will give you that much, sensor, but I expected you to have enough sense to avoid a place where you were nearly killed.”

  “The man who attacked me didn’t come close to killing me—and he isn’t even here anymore.” I crossed my arms.

  “I wouldn’t let anything happen to her,” Nienna spoke up.

  “The same way you did last time?” Lucas swung his head in her direction.

  She flinched and looked away.

  “Don’t you dare put that on her.” I smacked his chest. “It’s my job to protect myself and I did just fine for the year you were gone.”

  Garvan’s voice rose up from the examining table. “If you two could stop arguing for a moment, I do believe I’ve determined the cause of your cat’s ailment.”

  Everyone turned their attention toward the elf. I felt guilty that I’d forgotten about Sable after Lucas showed up, but at least Garvan hadn’t.

  “What is it?” I asked, stepping closer.

  “It appears there’s a large quantity of chocolate in her digestive system. It’s steadily poisoning her.”

  “How did t
hat…” I stopped and looked at Kerbasi. “The cookies.”

  He nodded. “She took several of them while you were out of the kitchen.”

  “There was cocoa in them,” I said, cringing when the elf glared at me. “How was I supposed to know it was bad for her?”

  “Melena, how could you not have known that? Chocolate is poisonous for all cats—including shape-shifters!” Nienna shook her head.

  Lucas put a hand on my shoulder and glowered at everyone. “Melena has an allergy to cats and this is the first one she could be around. There was no reason for her to have known about chocolate. We’ll consider this a lesson learned.”

  Even with being immortal now, I still had the allergy—to everyone’s surprise. It was only because Sable was a shape-shifter that I could handle being around her. She didn’t produce dander like most other breeds did.

  “But I cannot allow this woman to take the animal back if she cannot care for it properly,” Garvan argued.

  Lucas stalked up to him and grabbed him by the throat. “You will heal Sable immediately and return her to Melena. Anything less and I will rip your head off. Do you understand?”

  The elf quaked in fear, but he managed a slight nod.

  “Good. Now get started,” Lucas commanded, shoving him away.

  “I…I need space to work,” Garvan said hesitantly.

  “Very well, everyone go out into the hallway.” He jerked his head toward the door. “I will remain here to ensure he needs no further encouragement.”

  I gave Lucas a light kiss on the cheek before following Nienna and Kerbasi out. Even in the hall, I could still use my senses to monitor the elf as he poured his healing magic into Sable. The method he was using to force the chocolate out of her system was less than pleasant. I felt more than a little guilty at the pain flowing from the cat as he ministered to her.

  A half hour later Lucas came out with Sable. She was nearly unconscious and hanging from his arms like a ragdoll.

  He gently handed her over to me. “She will need to rest for the next few hours, but the elf assures me she will make a full recovery.”

  I used the hand closest to her head to rub her. She let out a small noise, but kept her eyes closed. The magical energy used to push the chocolate out had taken a toll on her body. I’d seen Lucas’ brother heal enough people to know that wasn’t unusual. It still made me feel bad for not realizing there were foods she shouldn’t eat. Guess I’d have to take a closer look at that shifter manual after all.

  “Can we take her back to your house before heading to the palace?” I asked. “I promised to give the elders their device back.”

  “Of course.” Lucas nodded.

  Our group headed outside. It occurred to me that I hadn’t paid the elf anything for his services, but I figured Lucas had arranged something. Probably just as well since I’d forgotten that I might need to exchange my U.S. dollars for fae city currency.

  I looked over at Nienna. “You don’t really have to stay with me now that Lucas is here, do you?”

  The druid turned her head so I could see her face from underneath her hood. “Until I’m told otherwise…yes.”

  “I could tell you otherwise,” Lucas’ voice rose up from behind us.

  A flash of fear crossed Nienna’s eyes before she looked away. She was strong and well-trained, but no match for the nephilim.

  “Don’t worry about him,” I reassured her. “I’m fine with you staying if you have nothing more important to do.”

  Her shoulders relaxed. “I’m due for gate duty in ten minutes but provided there’s no possibility of my head getting ripped off, I’d rather keep playing guard for you.”

  “She doesn’t need a guard while I’m with her,” Lucas said, coming to walk on the other side of Nienna.

  I gave him a patient look. “She’s my friend. I don’t need you terrorizing away what few I have.”

  “If that is what you wish.” He walked ahead of us.

  The squawks of ducks and geese had me looking back. Kerbasi had stopped at the same pen we’d passed before and was causing a similar disturbance as then.

  “Put those wings away before I start shooting them,” I warned him.

  He gave me a disgruntled look and snapped his wings together before hiding them. We waited for him to catch up. I felt the magic as he repaired the holes in his shirt once again. By the time he reached us, you couldn’t tell there had been any damage.

  When we got to the street circling the palace, we followed it around to Lucas’ house. I’d discovered the last time I’d visited Feidlimid that he maintained one there. Like most of the homes in that part of the city, its walls were decorated with stucco. His were light blue. Some had beautiful gardens surrounding them, but his only had bushes at the front. I supposed Lucas and his brother hadn’t cared to beautify it any more than that.

  “How long have you had this place?” I asked as we stepped into the foyer.

  He led me toward the living room and motioned for me to put Sable on the couch.

  “Almost two centuries, though the fae insisted we renovate it a few decades ago. Their construction methods were more primitive when they first settled here.”

  It was pathetic that I was in a relationship with him, had known him for nine years, and still knew little about him. Of course, we’d been enemies for much of that time and as soon as we’d resolved our differences he’d been locked away in Purgatory. In the two weeks since he’d been out we’d had little time together.

  “How many other houses do you have? I wouldn’t have even known about this one if not for coming here last time.”

  He pulled me into his arms. “I have as many as I need.”

  I narrowed my eyes. Lucas hated talking about himself for reasons I never understood.

  “That doesn’t answer my question.”

  He leaned down and kissed me before I could make my case any further. Having him close was a luxury I couldn’t pass up. I wrapped my arms around him and pressed my body close to his. Lucas was hard in all the right places. Someday I was going to get him alone long enough to explore him at length. We needed more bonding time together.

  I forgot all about the world around me until I heard footsteps coming from behind.

  “I do believe there are bedrooms upstairs where you may conduct your filthy behavior in private,” Kerbasi announced.

  Lucas grabbed my ass and squeezed while still kissing me as if he had all the time in the world. The guardian started to make gagging noises. I couldn’t concentrate on the kiss anymore and pulled away. Lucas leaned his forehead against mine and growled.

  “I’m going to kill him,” he said in a low tone. “And it’s going to be slow and painful.”

  I lifted my gaze to meet his. “First you have to figure out how.”

  “I’m working on it,” he said, squeezing me once more before letting go.

  “I heard that,” Kerbasi stated.

  The guardian had settled onto a chair at the far side of the room and now scowled at us. If anyone could make sitting on an amply cushioned seat look uncomfortable, it would be Kerbasi. His back was ramrod straight and he had his hands settled on his knees. I needed to give him lessons on slouching—provided that I could pull the stick of righteous indignation out of his ass.

  Nienna still stood in the foyer, observing us through the doorway. I couldn’t read the expression on her face, but her emotions held mild curiosity. This was the first time she’d seen Lucas and I together. She’d implied the last time I’d been in Feidlimid that many people in the supernatural world found our relationship shocking—and that there were some women who would be envious of me. I really didn’t care what anyone else thought.

  “Should we make our way to the palace?” she asked.

  “Yeah.” I sighed. “Let’s get it over with.”

  I pointed a finger at Kerbasi. “You stay here and don’t get into any trouble.”

  We weren’t going past the half-mile range so it wasn’t necessa
ry to take him with me. I also figured the fae elders would appreciate it if I didn’t have him in tow. Kerbasi would find some way to screw up my meeting with them.

  The guardian kept his face blank. “I do not get into trouble—as you say. You have nothing to concern yourself about.”

  I wished that were true.

  “Don’t mess with my cat, either.” I gave him a pointed look.

  “I have no interest in that feline oddity whatsoever.”

  It was what he did have an interest in that worried me.

  Chapter Four

  As soon as we entered the palace cool air hit us, making for a stark contrast to the afternoon heat—the fae sure did like to warm things up within the dome during the summer. Nienna led the way up a set of spiral stairs to the second floor. We traveled down a short hallway until we reached a closed oak door.

  Nienna held up a hand. “If you two would wait here, I’ll check to see if they are ready for you.”

  She slipped past the door, shutting it behind her. I leaned against the stone wall and stared at one of the flickering torches nearby. The whole palace had poor lighting since the fae refused to use modern technology. There was a definite medieval quality to the decor.

  “Do not worry, sensor,” Lucas said, coming over to stand next to me. “They won’t keep us out here long.”

  He was right. Nienna popped back out a few minutes later and let us know they were waiting for us. We left her in the hallway and went inside. The council room was round with a long table situated at the back. Three fae elders sat behind it—a fairy, an elf, and a pixie. I recognized them from my previous visit.

  As soon as they saw Lucas, they rose to their feet. Respect and admiration reflected in their eyes. He’d been key to ending the supernatural war several centuries ago. That had gone a long way to boosting his reputation and keeping him in their high esteem. They barely glanced at me.

  Ireth, the elf elder, came around the table and took Lucas’ hands in hers. “It is so good to see you again, Lucas of Pistiros. We’d hoped you might pay us a visit and return our missing device.”