“Did he now? Where does he want you to meet him? I may just show up myself and show him how ‘incompetent’ I truly am.”
She gave him the information.
“You have to protect me,” she stated. “You don’t know how angry he can get.”
Gradius laughed. “He’s nothing to me. I’ll break him in pieces with a snap of my fingers.”
She was silent.
“After I destroy him, stay with me.”
She was caught off guard. “What?”
“You’ve been invaluable. You’ve been the only one here I can trust to do the job. Join me.”
She thought about it. She wanted desperately to get out from Mordechai’s cruel thumb. She wanted revenge on a son who left and never looked back. Morganna wanted him to suffer, like she’d been forced to do when someone she loved betrayed her heart.
He’d bailed on her, leaving her to be Mordechai’s target when he was unhappy.
He’d taken the position as guardian when she raised him to be primus.
He’d mated with a human—a lowly man who couldn’t possibly be a good choice, since he was a cop.
Jacques had shown her only other child that this behavior was acceptable, and the pattern was repeating.
He had to pay.
They all had to pay.
“I’ll do it.”
He smiled into the phone. “We’ll have a beautiful relationship.”
And they would.
He only needed to get her to accept that he was going to keep Jolie as his concubine and uterus.
Oh, and Katya.
She had to die.
He had to work it all out in his head.
“Tell me where he wants to meet. I need to prepare.”
She wanted to weep at what she was about to do, but she had her bases covered. Gradius would protect her, she’d still have riches, and he valued her mind—not just her body.
She told him everything.
It was done.
She’d just betrayed her mate, and her son.
Again…
∞ Chapter Forty-One ∞
Dusk
He pulled from death, and she was there. Alexzandre found her sleeping beside him. It was an amazing feeling knowing that she was going to stay with him.
As he touched the medallion she’d given him, he wanted to cover her in jewels, fine things, and everything that would make her happy.
He’d found his mate.
“I am happy,” she mumbled. “Minus the part that you’re making me think and I’m not quite awake.”
He laughed. She’d been in his mind. With her, it was so easy. Kiera didn’t hesitate. She reached for him.
“I love you,” he said, kissing her softly on the parted lips. He could find himself doing this every waking for the next million years, and it would always bring him this joy.
“Good. Do it.”
He grinned.
Kiera stretched and rolled into his body, cuddling against him. She’d moved away from him at night, simply because he’d gotten chilly. Now he was warming up.
“Morning.”
“Morning, my little witch.”
She ran her fingers over his chest. “What are we going to do after you, Jacques, and Flynn finish this?”
He held his breath.
This was his worry.
“I’m staying here with them.”
“Oh.”
He could feel the hurt.
“Unless you want to go back to Cork. If you do, I’ll go. I don’t want to lose you, Kiera.”
“I have a shop there.”
“And it’s not fair of me to ask you to stay. I know. Only I can’t leave yet. I feel like my path is still here. I can’t explain it.”
She sat up.
“I have a way.”
He watched her from the pillows. “What?”
“Can you call Vanth? I don’t know if she’ll hear me or not.”
He did as she asked.
The demon popped into the room. “Yes?”
“Do you have access to tarot cards?”
She grinned. “My father has a very old set. He took them from a witch he killed in battle. Do you need them?”
She didn’t like the idea that a witch was slaughtered, but she was learning that Flynn was an enigma. If he killed, it was likely for a reason.
“Yes.”
Vanth made them appear.
When they popped into Kiera’s hands, she gasped. “Are these made of flesh?” she asked.
“Yes. The witch was killing people and using their skin to make her own cards. We killed her, and we kept the cards. I think they were a souvenir, but they were kinda cool. If you lick them…”
“No, thank you.”
Alex laughed. “Thank you, Vanth. We’ll take good care of them.”
She popped out of the room.
“Flynn doesn’t scare me, but she does. I feel like she’s always checking me out as a meal.”
He patted her hand. “She is.”
That made her laugh. “Thanks. Anyway, here’s the cards. I say that we let them tell us the path. We allow them to reveal what it is we must do. Together.”
He sat up.
He would allow her to do it. “What do you need me to do?” Alex asked.
“Shuffle them, and then I’ll shuffle them too. Our energy will combine, and we’ll see what they say.”
He took the cards, and they were blank. “Didn’t Vanth say some witch had made these into tarot? There’s nothing on them.”
She didn’t understand it.
Maybe they had magick.
He shuffled, all the while thinking about her, their future, and the things that would come.
She followed suit.
As she began flipping them over, the ink appeared.
She gasped. “Jaysus!”
He was just as shocked. There was some pretty strong magick in those cards. He didn’t doubt that Flynn had them locked away for a reason.
“What do they say?”
She finished the card lay, and then glanced up. “This isn’t going to be over today. We’re staying.”
He touched her cheek. “We can go.”
Kiera shook her head. “We can’t. Gradius will be here today as will his army. You’ve got one hell of a battle coming, Alex, and I’m afraid.”
He pulled her into his arms. “My little witch, have faith in us. Jacques and I were guardians. Flynn is a demon.”
She flipped the next card over.
“Then I have some work to do. They’re coming with Voodoo, magick, and everything. If I don’t help, Flynn isn’t going to survive. Gradius knows something is up. Before Flynn killed all the Tueur at the rental, they got word back to him. Gradius knows he’s special, and he’s covering his bases.”
That worried him.
“We have to find him.”
“I have work to do.”
They jumped out of bed and quickly pulled on their clothes. Kiera was going to make sure the deck was stacked in Flynn’s favor.
This battle was going to be ugly.
And long.
* * * H a r c o u r t e * * *
They found him in his office. Flynn was sitting behind his desk, staring at a wall of paintings. When they entered, he turned in his chair.
Only it wasn’t Flynn.
The eyes gave him away as did the rustle of feathers. When he stood, greeting them, he seemed…bigger.
“Hello. Do you need me?” he asked. They looked harried and rushed.
Alexzandre told him what they had found as Kiera placed the tarot cards on the desk. He stared down at them as he listened.
“I see someone has given you the cards that once belonged to Sgathaich. She was a very bad witch. I had to end her many years ago.”
“Vanth let me use them. I’m sorry if I wasn’t supposed to, but I wanted to see what our path was.”
She pushed them toward him.
Flynn studied the woman. “So, you saw what’s coming, Ki
era.”
“Yes.”
“Can you give us the edge?”
“Yes, if you can get me what I need before you go out. I’ll need Jolie’s help, since I’ll need to stay in a circle the entire time.”
He was sure she’d help.
“What do you need?” he asked, snapping his fingers.
Vanth appeared.
She rattled off a list. Vanth listened, memorizing everything for her master.
“Get it to a room, give her what she needs, and make it fast. We head out soon.”
“It won’t stop him, but it will block the Voodoo and black magick he’s preparing.”
“I only need that. With the three of us, we’ll have the upper hand. He doesn’t know we know he’s coming.”
She went to follow Vanth from the room.
“Wait.”
She stopped.
“Here.” He handed her the cards.
“Wait! What are you doing?”
Rinnon patted her hand as he covered the tarot with her warm palm. “I gathered these from a wicked witch. They should belong to one I trust. They’ve never worked for me or anyone who touched them. They were meant to be yours. This is my repayment for your help. They are yours.”
She didn’t know what to say. Sgathaich was legend. To have something of hers was insane. “Are you sure?”
“Yes. Go use them for good, not evil, or I have to take them back.”
She tucked them against her body. “Thank you, Flynn.”
His eyes changed. They were blue again.
“My other half says you’re welcome.”
“I’ll go prepare the pouches.”
“Then I’ll go wake my mates. It’s getting close to time. We have a mission. Death wants Gradius’s head, and I will deliver.”
When they left, Flynn reached inside himself to find the demon within.
“You better protect my body, Rinnon. I’m partial to it.”
There was laughter.
Then…
‘As am I.’
* * * H a r c o u r t e * * *
When Jolie woke, it was to her mates staring down at her. Flynn was there, and he was kissing her wrist, elbow, and now her neck.
“This is the best way to wake up,” she purred.
When she rolled toward him, she found herself perched over his hips.
His fully clothed hips.
That was off.
Normally, they’d roll around and mate when they woke, but it looked like Flynn wasn’t in the mood.
“Oh, I’m very in the mood, but when I go into battle, it’s better not to be satiated with the deliciousness of my woman’s body.”
She touched his face.
It was Rinnon.
There were Flynn’s blue eyes, his smile, but he wasn’t the one doing the talking.
“Where’s my Flynn?”
“Today, I’m using his body. He’s here, he’s just letting me do what I need to do.”
He told them about the tarot cards and everything Alex and Kiera had told him.
Jolie was nervous.
“I want to talk to him.”
“Your brother?”
“NO! My Flynn.”
She was scared shitless, and so was Jacques. They were worried about what was coming.
“Please?” Jacques asked.
Rinnon closed his eyes, and when he opened them, they were still blue, but the face was relaxed, and calm.
“You needed me?” Flynn asked.
Jolie kissed him. She pulled him to her mouth and took what she needed. His arms wrapped around her, and she felt calm.
He was still there.
‘I always will be, my love. He’s the warrior. I was leaving this to him today. I’ll never leave, baby.’
She needed to hear that.
‘Promise me you’ll come back to me. Promise me that you won’t die, Flynn. I can’t do this without you.’
‘If I know you’re safe, I can fight without worries. We’re going to have a huge battle today. I can feel it. That’s why I’m staying where he can do what he does best. Rinnon has this. I need you to trust him. Trust me.’
She broke the kiss. “Don’t you die.”
“Again, technically, I can’t.”
“You know what I mean.”
He did.
Jacques stroked his hand down her bare back. “We’ll be fine.”
She kissed him next.
‘You come back to me, Jacques. Promise!’
He gave her what she needed.
‘I have faith in him. Rinnon will have this. We’ll all be back.’
She didn’t want to think about losing one of them. How would she go on? How would she survive?
Jacques broke the kiss. “He’s right about the sex. When we get back, I’ll be expecting some welcome home debauchery.”
She laughed.
She needed that.
“That’s something Flynn would say.”
“Yeah, he’s stealing all my lines.”
Jolie hugged them both to her body. “I love you both, and Rinnon too. I trust him. I trust all three of you to handle this. Keep each other safe, and remember that we have little lives to raise. They need their daddies.”
How could they forget?
They cuddled and fed. They each took turns feasting on Rinnon, and then each other. They were stronger as a unit.
They were stronger as a couple.
When they were finished, they lay satiated from the feedings.
“I should dress and help Kiera,” she offered.
Flynn grinned.
He snapped his fingers, and she was dressed. Jolie was wearing some gown that looked like something from medieval times.
“Flynn!”
“What? This is what I think of when I come back from a battle. Don’t you, Jacques?”
The other man grinned. “She dressed like this once, and I used to have fun getting her out of it.”
“You are not ravaging the damsel in the mountain cave.”
He grinned. “Let’s vote.”
Jolie lost.
Of course she did.
“If it makes you feel any better, Kiera is dressed the same. Right now, she keeps trying to get changed, and it won’t go away.”
Jolie laughed.
That did make her feel better. She wasn’t the only one dealing with stubborn men.
“Alex?”
“He loves it.”
Jolie kissed them before climbing out of bed. “One day, Flynn, Rinnon, and Jacques, you’re going to pay for this. I don’t know how or when, but I’m going to kick all of your asses.”
She headed out.
They didn’t doubt it.
Not at all…
* * * H a r c o u r t e * * *
Two Hours Later
Dark
They stood in the main living space of Rinnon’s lair. They were ready for battle. Jacques and Alexzandre were in full leather, and they were carrying more silver than ever before.
They both knew this was going to be a huge fight. As guardians, they’d gone into many battles, mostly for their primus, but this time, for a demon.
It was going to be like nothing they’d ever experienced before. As they stood there, Flynn strolled into the room with Jolie on his arm.
He was like the king of the manor.
He was more than the primus, and they all knew it. He was becoming the force to reckon with in their family.
As he kissed his mate, he faced his other mate. “Are you ready, my brother?”
He was.
Flynn approached him and kissed him. Everyone watched as they clung to each other, uncaring what anyone thought.
“Wow! That’s hot,” Kiera stated, giggling.
Jolie laughed. “Yeah, I know. I should have forced the mating this morning. I was an idiot.”
Alex laughed. “Warriors don’t roll around on the day of battle. It’s tradition to wait until they come home.”
“Yeah,
about this dress,” Kiera stated, staring down at it. “Why the hell won’t it go away.”
That made Flynn laugh. He broke the kiss. “Jolie is to blame.”
“FLYNN!”
He grinned.
“We’re ready, Kiera. What do you have for us?”
She lifted the box from the table. “In here I have some mojo bags, some herbs, and something I like to call ‘Vampyre repellant’.
All the vampyres looked at her.
“What? I’m a witch. We have our thing, and you have yours.”
Jolie helped her hand out the bags. “These go on your person. They’ll offer you protection from any spells that Gradius has pulled out of his bag of tricks. He’s old. Older than I am, and I’m sure he didn’t get to be the head of the Tueur because he was playing fair.”
They agreed. She placed a mojo bag around all of their necks. When she touched Flynn, his body felt different. There was the telltale trace of Rinnon’s armor. She could feel the cool touch when she ran her fingers down his shirt.
His eyes were blue, but it was him. She had to believe that he’d bring Flynn’s body back with him.
If not, this was going to suck.
He touched her cheek. ‘I will, my mate, my lover, and my wife.’
She had to trust him.
Kiera went next. “These are little pouches of the vampyre repellant. It will hurt if you hit them with it. I normally don’t wrap the herbs, but I couldn’t figure out a way for you to carry them without them hurting you. Throw it as hard as you can, and they will pop open.”
She handed them each a bunch, and they placed them where no one would see them, tucked into the top of their leather pants.
Kiera then grabbed some sage and lit it. “This will protect you. It’s the smoke of my ancestors. It’s the most powerful herb to a witch. You’ll go blessed, protected, and fortified. I’ll also be in a circle chanting and scrying. I’ll see the battle, and Jolie will be reassured.”
They loved that part.
Their mate was going to be safe.
“The homestead,” he asked.
“It’s protected. Vanth has left herbs all around it, and no one will get in.” She didn’t add the ‘if you don’t come back’ part. She’d read the cards, and it was going to be brutal.
Dangerous Sacrifice (The Harcourte Vampyre Society Book 6) Page 50