Seducing Death

by Cassandra Lawson

  Chapter Fifty-Six

  Kyleigh shivered from the cold and fear. She wasn’t even sure if her plan would work, but she was willing to try. Arawn’s obsession with her had to be enough to get Ian released. The room she stood in was so cold she could see her breath, which was a strange contrast with the huge bed covered in black satin. That was the only furniture in the room. There were various chains, whips, and other assorted implements of torture hanging from the walls. The whole scene was set to maximize her discomfort, but she supposed it was something she’d have to get used to. Arawn would want to torment her.

  “So, you’ve come to me for a favor.” His voice slid across her skin, raising goose bumps. After bringing her to his realm, Arawn had abandoned her in his room for who knew how long. He sauntered into the room and sprawled across the opulent bed, naked and aroused.

  “I want you to free Ian so he can return to his life,” she said, her voice shaking from the cold.

  Arawn laughed. “Foolish girl. What makes you think I’d do a favor for you? Even such a small thing is more than I owe you.”

  “I also want you to release him from the shadows and relinquish any claim on his soul now and in the future. I want your word you will never go near Ian or interfere in his life or the lives of those he loves.”

  “And what do I get in return?” he asked, anticipation obvious in his voice.

  “A night with me,” she said, knowing he’d never accept that deal. One thing she’d learned is to never give the Fae your best offer up front. They always wanted to bargain for more.

  He snorted and was suddenly beside her. “No deal. Do you want to know what I’ll accept in return for your vampire’s safety?”

  “No,” she said, feeling tendrils of magic wrap around her as they held her in place.

  “I want you,” he said, lifting her hair to rub several strands between his thumb and index finger. “Not for a night, until I get bored with you. I want you to sit at my feet like a good little bitch and do everything I tell you to do.”

  “A week,” she countered.

  In the blink of an eye, the bonds were gone. “This is not a negotiation,” he growled, wrapping his hand around one of her wrists, squeezing so tightly she thought the bones might break. It was hard to fight the instinct to struggle.

  Arawn brought Kyleigh’s other hand around in front of her. Cuffs surrounded her wrists, and she started to struggle uselessly against them. Arawn dragged her forward until they were close enough to attach the cuffs to a chain at the foot of the bed.

  “I haven’t agreed yet,” she argued.

  “And you’re running out of time,” he growled. “Oriel will show up eventually. If you haven’t made up your mind by then, he’ll take you away, and your vampire will never be free. Don’t tell me you’ve developed a selfish streak and want to make him miserable.”

  Arawn gently stroked her cheek, a strange contrast from the way he was treating her. “He’s a fool for wanting to be free of you. You’re so lovely and spirited. You’ll never truly break for me, will you?”

  “Everyone has a breaking point,” she said without looking at him.

  He laughed. “So very true, but will I be able to find yours? What’s it going to be? Are you going to agree to my terms to save your vampire?”

  Kyleigh nodded. “Yes, I agree to your terms.”

  Chapter Fifty-Seven

  Transporting to Arawn’s realm with Oriel made Ian nauseous. He didn’t just appear in the room where Kyleigh was as he’d expected. No, it was a slow fading in where he was able to take in his surroundings as he materialized. Surprisingly, Oriel did not materialize with him.

  Helpless rage built inside Ian at the sight of Kyleigh in chains. With her head down, it was impossible to tell if she was really okay, but he doubted it. That bastard, Arawn, was the type who would thrive on torture, emotional and physical.

  “What have you done to her?” Ian demanded.

  Arawn laughed. “Nothing yet. The fun doesn’t start until I’ve met my end of the bargain.”

  “Don’t do this, Kyleigh,” Ian said desperately. There had to be a way to stop her from following through with whatever deal she planned to make.

  She looked at him, and his breath caught in his throat at the love and hopelessness in her eyes. Kyleigh was giving up everything for him. There was no way he deserved her, but he’d never let her go.

  “It’s okay, Ian,” she said with a shaky smile that was obviously hard to maintain. “You’ll be free and safe now. That’s all that matters.”

  “You can’t trust him. You told me yourself that the Fae lie. Maybe he won’t go after me, but what about the people I care about?”

  “The deal is that I won’t harm you or anyone you love,” Arawn said with a sneer.

  “The deal is that Arawn won’t even go near them,” Kyleigh said firmly as she met Ian’s gaze.

  “Yes, I’ll leave everyone the vampire loves alone for all eternity,” Arawn said in a bored tone.

  “You won’t harm anyone I love?” Ian asked carefully.

  “That’s what I said,” Arawn snapped. “Are you hard of hearing?”

  Oriel picked that moment to materialize in the room. “He is bound by his word. Once given, he can only go back on it if Kyleigh refuses to follow through with her end of the agreement.”

  Ian smiled and nodded, refusing to look at Kyleigh. “That seems fair. What now?”

  “I’ll sever the bond between the two of you,” Arawn said. “Then you’ll be free to go and live your life with no interference from me.”

  “And those I love will be free from your interference as well. I want to hear the words so I know the scope of the bargain,” Ian insisted.

  “I swear that I will never again have contact with you or anyone you love. This includes contact from any of my underlings. Are you satisfied?”

  “Yes,” Ian said with a nod. That’s when he felt the magic wrapping around him. It was almost like being torn in two when his bond with Kyleigh was broken. It was hard to resist the urge to scream out in pain.

  Kyleigh was strong, but it was obvious she was also in pain. Tears trickled down her cheeks, making Ian long to comfort her.

  Finally, the pain eased, and Ian was left with a hollow spot.

  “It’s done,” the bastard said with an evil grin. “Now, it’s time to enjoy my reward.”

  “Not so fast,” Ian said with a cocky grin. “Kyleigh, I probably should have said something sooner, but I was too much of a coward. I love you. I want to spend the rest of my days with you.”

  “Liar!” Arawn hissed. “You barely know Kyleigh. This is just a trick to get her out of the bargain.” When he reached out to grip Kyleigh’s hair, sparks shot from her, knocking him to the ground.

  Oriel grinned. “As I said, Arawn is bound by his oath.”

  “You tricked me!” Arawn shouted at Kyleigh. “All along, you planned to trick me. That negates the deal.”

  Kyleigh shook her head, looking stunned. “I had no idea,” she said.

  “She didn’t know,” Oriel said. “If she had, you wouldn’t have been knocked on your ass when you tried to touch her. This is over.”

  “This is far from over,” Arawn hissed before turning toward Ian. “You’ll tire of Kyleigh one day, and she’ll no longer be protected by my promise.”

  Fae or not, Ian was ready to attack when Kyleigh spoke. “Why would you even want me? Is it just that I turned you down? I can’t be the only one who’s ever rejected you. Surely there’ve been others.”

  Arawn raised a condescending eyebrow. “You really think it’s all about my ego?”

  “The thought had crossed my mind on more than one occasion,” Kyleigh said. “What other reason could there be?”

  Arawn’s face flushed. “You, the daughter of a whore, think you’re better than me.”

  “My mother was not a whore,” Kyleigh said as she got to her feet and faced Arawn.

  That’s when Oriel laughed. It w
asn’t the amused chuckle he normally gave, but more of a full-bellied laugh that literally made the walls shake.

  “What’s so funny?” Arawn asked like a petulant child.

  “All of this is because her mother turned you down?” Oriel asked in amazement.

  Kyleigh’s eyes widened. “You were going to destroy people I care about because my mum wouldn’t sleep with you?”

  Under other circumstances, Ian might have been amused by the way Kyleigh sounded both bewildered and enraged. Now, he was thoroughly pissed off himself. This just proved what assholes the Fae really were.

  “They were only humans and vampires,” Arawn said with a nonchalant shrug. “Even though you’re only part Fae, you must see the difference.”

  Kyleigh just stared at Arawn in open-mouthed disbelief, which clearly amused Arawn because he laughed.

  Arawn’s amusement seemed to chase away his rage, and his eyes took on a calculating gleam. Ian wouldn’t say he was backing down, more like considering a new tactic. “What happens if Kyleigh interferes with a soul meant for the shadows again? Surely, I have a right to exact revenge under those circumstances.”

  Oriel gave Arawn’s question some consideration before nodding. “That seems reasonable.”

  Arawn nodded, clearly satisfied that his plans for Kyleigh were merely delayed, but Ian wasn’t at all surprised that he wasn’t finished making threats. “You know this is only delaying things, don’t you?” he asked Kyleigh, ignoring the others in the room. “Your vampire will tire of you, or you’ll steal from me again. Either way, you’ll be mine, and I won’t be nearly as nice after being forced to wait for you.”

  Kyleigh shivered, and Ian pulled her close to his side, knowing he would never allow that to happen.

  “Get them out of my realm,” Arawn said, sounding like a spoiled child who’d just been told he couldn’t have a new toy he wanted.

  Oriel flashed them all to a wooded area that looked familiar. This time, Ian didn’t fade in, he was just there.

  As if reading his confusion, Oriel gave a patient smile. “It’s harder to enter the Fae realms than yours. That’s why there was a delay before.”

  Ian nodded. At least he knew where he was now.

  “Is there a portal to my realm close by?” Kyleigh asked. She hadn’t looked at Ian since Arawn had been zapped onto his ass.

  “This is your realm,” Oriel said.

  “I don’t understand,” Kyleigh said.

  “Didn’t you notice that your powers haven’t worked the last couple of days?” Oriel asked.

  Kyleigh nodded.

  “I released you after that last soul passed,” Oriel explained.

  “Why?” Ian asked. There was no way he was trusting that this was out of the goodness of Oriel’s heart.

  “Call it a favor to Kyleigh’s mother,” Oriel said.

  “Oh God,” Kyleigh said. “Please tell me you aren’t my father.”

  Oriel chuckled. “No, and I have no idea who your father is.”

  “Then how did you know my mother?” she asked.

  “I wouldn’t say I knew her as much as knew of her,” Oriel explained.

  Ian moved closer to Kyleigh, slipping his arms around her. She shivered. “Kyleigh needs rest, so no more games.”

  Oriel actually looked embarrassed. “My apologies. It’s just our way of making it hard for people to derive our meaning. Half-Fae children are usually a problem for us. Well, I suppose it’s not the children who are the problem so much as the mothers.”

  “Let me guess, they expect power,” Ian said.

  “Very good,” Oriel said, as if Ian were a pet who’d just done a new trick. “Part of my responsibility is to make sure there are no problems with the half-Fae and their mothers, so I sent someone to approach Kyleigh’s mother and find her price for never revealing Kyleigh’s Fae heritage.”

  Kyleigh smiled. “Mum would have sent him on his way.”

  “That’s exactly what she did,” Oriel said with a fond smile. “She claimed to want nothing more than for the Fae stay out of your life. That was all she asked for.”

  “Which probably had the opposite effect,” Ian grumbled.

  “Not at first,” Oriel said. “In the beginning, we all waited to see what she’d demand, but she moved far from her home and changed her name. Whether she was hiding from the stigma of being an unwed mother, or trying to hide from us, I don’t know. Sadly, her failure to ask for anything caused quite an interest in you, dear Kyleigh. Arawn watched you from a very young age and only stayed away because we had strict rules forbidding any Fae from contact with you. I had no idea he’d approached your mother until today.”

  “I want all of you to live by the promise to my mum from now on,” Kyleigh said.

  Oriel looked a little sad but quickly masked all emotion. “Understandable. My last gift to you is a Fae’s extended life and strength. Before you argue, remember what a dangerous world this is.”

  “I wasn’t planning to argue,” Kyleigh said.

  “Be happy,” Oriel said just before he disappeared.

  Ian leaned down to kiss the top of her head. “You really amaze me, but don’t ever do anything that stupid and dangerous again, or so help me God, I’ll . . .” His voice trailed off as he tried to come up with something. “Okay, I don’t know what I’ll do. Just don’t scare me like that again.”

  “Don’t worry,” she said and pressed her cheek against his chest. “I have no intention of messing with the Fae again.”

  Ian put one hand under her chin, tilting her face up to his. “I love you so fucking much,” he said and then covered her mouth with his. The kiss was gentle and coaxing, but it still filled him with an urgent need to possess her body.

  “Ian? Kyleigh?” Simon’s voice cut through the haze of their passion. “What the hell are you doing out here?” Two vampire trainees Ian didn’t recognize were with Simon.

  Ian scowled at Simon, but Kyleigh just laughed. “Stop grumbling. We should be glad Simon came along.”

  “Why is that?” Ian asked.

  “I have no idea where we are,” she said.

  Ian looked at Simon. “Okay, so I no longer want to kill you.”

  “Anyone care to tell me what happened?” Simon asked. “Mitchell said you went off to save Kyleigh from the evil Fae, and now you’re here.”

  Ian grinned. “I saved her from the evil Fae. Now, take us home so I can make love to my woman.”

  Simon raised an eyebrow. “Home?”

  “Yes,” Kyleigh said. “I guess I was wrong. We do belong in your settlement.”

  Ian kissed her until she was breathless. “I belong wherever you are,” he murmured.

  Epilogue

  It had been three weeks since Ian had rescued her from Arawn, and every day seemed better than the last. Well, every day except this particular day when Kyleigh couldn’t hold down anything. She hadn’t been sick in centuries and had forgotten how awful a simple human illness could be.

  Luckily, they’d moved into the master bedroom, so the bathroom was close by. Ian’s desire to move her into the room he’d shared with Kate had come as a surprise. Ian really was moving forward.

  As if conjured by her thoughts, Ian walked into the room with a brilliant smile on his face. She eyed the tray of food he was carrying wearily.

  “There is no way am I going to eat any of that,” she grumbled. “Ugh! I feel awful.”

  “Poor baby,” Ian crooned as he sat on the bed beside her. “First, you were so tired you needed a nap every day for the last week. Now, your stomach’s bothering you.”

  “I’m still exhausted,” she said pitifully. “I hope this passes quickly.”

  “It should in a couple of months,” he assured her.

  “Months?” she gasped. “What horrible disease have I caught that I’ll be sick for months?”

  “Not so much a disease,” Ian said with a smirk. “How are your nipples?”

  “Do you seriously want to discuss my nipp
les while I’m this sick?” Kyleigh couldn’t believe he’d asked her that. Sex would be impossible in her current miserable condition.

  “Are they sore?” he asked.

  “Yes,” she snapped, “so you can’t play with them.”

  “Sit up and eat, Kyleigh,” he urged.

  “I can’t. I’m dying.”

  “You’re not dying,” Ian assured her. “You really don’t have any idea what’s going on?” he asked, still grinning.

  “Of course I know what’s going on,” she said. “I’m sick.”

  Ian shook his head. “Not sick, pregnant.” He placed a hand on her belly.

  “No,” she said quickly. “That’s not even possible.” It wasn’t that she didn’t like the idea, but she really couldn’t be pregnant. “We’ve been using protection since I was released by Oriel.” That’s when it hit her. “Only he released me a couple of days before I realized it.”

  Ian nodded, looking more than a little pleased with himself.

  “And you’re happy about this?” she asked tentatively.

  Ian leaned forward and kissed her forehead. “Happier than you can ever imagine. I know we haven’t talked about having kids, but it’s going to be okay.”

  Kyleigh smiled. “Does Mitchell know?”

  “He’s the one who brought it to my attention,” Ian admitted, “and he’s very excited about having a baby brother or sister.”

  That’s when the tears started coming.

  Ian climbed onto the bed and gathered her in his arms. “Why are you crying?”

  “I’m just so happy,” she admitted. “I never dreamed I’d end up like this.”

  “And it’s only the beginning,” he said.

  Author’s Note

  I hope you enjoyed Ian and Kyleigh’s story. When I first introduced Ian in Raven’s Blood, I had no idea he would come this far. At that point, I did not plan to write a story for him. Then I found the perfect woman to help Ian move past his grief and learn to love again.

  I have thoroughly enjoyed creating the world for my Moon virus survivors and have more planned for them. Danny’s story will be released in November 2015, and I am excited about the direction his life is about to take.