Blood Moon_A novel of the Paramortals

by Livia Quinn

  "So, Maxim's heir has decided to take revenge."

  Conor didn't move; he seethed before the warlock who'd nearly destroyed his people, his eyes glowing a brilliant red to match the power within him.

  "You know what I have here, don't you?" Styx propped the necklace up on his thumb so it faced Conor. Tempe saw the eye glow red briefly and then Cinder materialized next to Conor.

  Styx' eyes narrowed, then he laughed, "Good, all the Flambés have arrived, Maxim. Isn't this just wicked? We need only one more to complete our family reunion."

  Cinder's sword leapt into her hand, but Conor halted her movements without a word and River curled one of his hands around hers. Then Dutch's voice reverberated through the halls and up the dumbwaiter. "Where is that murdering, traitorous piece of excrement?"

  Styx looked positively giddy with the prospect that he would soon have all his targets right there in front of him, all the chess pieces in play and only one thing left to do for a check mate.

  Dread coursed through River as he watched Styx' mouth form his name. Soon, his master would command him to destroy them all and River would be helpless but to comply. Styx stared into his eyes and said, "River..." Cinder's strong hand gripped his forearm.

  Styx whirled on him but River didn't move. "River. Kill your sister and her mate. Now!"

  Chapter 34

  Look into my eye. . .

  River's eyes fluctuated, darkened briefly, then started spinning brightly once again as relief coursed through him. "I don't think so."

  Styx' eyes bulged. "You can't." He shook the necklace as if the eye needed waking and taunted Conor. "Your father was relentless, you know. They almost won the battle, but he was easy to capture once I had your mother." The eye went red once again.

  Conor's eyes flared and the tattooed wings on his shoulders fluttered up. This time it was Cinder who stayed his hand behind his billowing kilt.

  Styx opened his mouth to speak again but then his eyes widened in surprise. His lips were moving but no words escaped.

  Then Conor heard the lyrics of a song from a far off place. From the others' expressions, he knew he was the only one who could hear the words and the tune, from his favorite rock group of this generation. His father's deep baritone resonated in his head. He'd apparently kept up with Conor's activities during his confinement for he was using Conor's love of popular music to communicate with him.

  Conor stood completely immobile as he concentrated and heard, "You're my future, the blood in my veins, let the fire fly. Look into my eye, C..o..n..o..r this is my kingdom come. C..o..n..o..r look into my eye."

  He did. Styx was still frozen in place. At first Conor felt only the pull of energy from Maxim's eye into his, then the power merged with his blood and raged through him like a wrathful avenging angel. This was what they'd been waiting for.

  Dutch's silver smoke filled the room and then he was standing face to face with Styx. "I won't make the same mistake I did before, demon," he said staring into Styx' wide eyes.

  A bright light gushed from the dumbwaiter saturating the room and momentarily blinded those unprepared, then a jagged crystalline creature circled Styx' feet, tightening like a fiery lasso around his body. When it reached his chest, he came out of his trance. While he struggled to free his arms from the blazing ropes Maxim's eye pulsed faster as Dutch intoned, "Do remei, delige K'lant eReif jo leizcha.

  Conor joined in, as did another voice from the outside the cell, Jack's father, the men's voices echoing down the halls. "Aquitua. Do remei delige k'lant, eReif jo liezcha. Liez!"

  Styx screamed and clawed at the necklace, which was melting into his chest. The head of the fiery rope changed into the shape of a slender bird, her eyes like those of a predator protecting her nest—Jack's mother.

  The black amulet dropped from Styx' neck and his nails dug into his skin. "Stop. Give me another chance," he screamed. "River, I release you!" He said, as if that would convince them, but Cinder's touch and their combined magic had already freed him.

  Dutch leaned close to Styx and ordered one last time, "Liez!"

  Burn.

  As flames took hold of his half-brother's body, River said, "Burn, brother, burn."

  Cinder's brilliant purple flame enveloped Styx, freezing the flesh from the bones.

  Then Conor spoke. "By the authority of Aevyn of the clan Flambé we hereby extinguish your essence and any trace of your existence with the fae flame of judgment. Know you, demon of the dark lord, that Maxim's heir, Conor de Sept Flambé, has exacted retribution for your crimes."

  The shell within the phoenix' arms turned to embers and when she uncurled her glimmering feathers from him, ash floated down, each particle making soft thuds as they fossilized, then disappeared.

  The cell door opened once the spell was dead. Conor knelt beside the charred amulet. Cinder followed with a gasp as the golden eye opened and then closed. "Father..." Cinder cried.

  Conor reached for her hand. "Wait, beag laoch, he hasnae long."

  Maxim's eye blazed open, the pupil wavering. His large reptilian eye blinked again slowly and this time there was sentience. Conor, Cinder…so… proud of you. It looked beyond Conor to the Pomeroys and the Langs.

  A family affair… the voice in Conor's head whispered and he felt his father smile. Give our love to our children. The voice was weaker now.

  "We will miss you, Father, but tis good we got to... be wit you once agin," Conor said, unembarrassed as tears trailed down his cheeks.

  Yes. Maxim's voice trailed off as the eye drifted shut. Loucasta is calling me…

  Cinder stared into the eye through her tears, "And mother..." Maxim's eye opened one last time as Dutch and the Langs came to stand beside Conor and Cinder, resting their hands on their shoulders. The group chanted, "Duen a'ni atuk, lapo e jahluu".

  Conor closed his eyes understanding their meaning in the Paramortals language. We strive, one mind, one heart, one sword for our children. He looked down at the amulet cradled gently in his hand as his father's eye clouded and went dark.

  Chapter 35

  Offspring don't always get it, except in hindsight.

  Mr. Lang detached the chain from Jack's neck and helped him off the floor. His mother hovered over him until she confirmed for herself that despite all the blood, he was healing, now that the garrote was gone.

  "I'm okay, Mom." He hugged her and accepted his father's embrace. He cast a glance past his father looking for Tempe and saw her speaking to Dutch. "It was pretty exciting watching you in action, Mom." He leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. "Excuse me for a second? I need to see Tempe."

  "Of course you do, honey. But why don't you change your shirt first?" She patted his cheek, which made him smile. "You go ahead, we'll be going soon."

  She started to turn away but Jack stopped her. "Mom, I asked Tempe to marry me."

  Her face lit up. "Jack, that's wonderful. She glanced at Jack's father and winked. "I knew you'd be perfect for each other when Phoebe suggested we bring you home."

  Home. As revelations went, that was a doozy. "So, my coming to Destiny was all a setup?" As Jack accepted a t-shirt from Ryan and pulled it on, he thought back to what convinced him to run for sheriff. His mother had told him oh so casually that Destiny was a nice safe little town, and they were looking for a new sheriff. She'd planted the seed, never mind that Destiny hadn't turned out to be so safe. Or normal. Maybe there was such a thing as fate. He leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. "I owe you, Mom."

  Her hair shimmered when she smiled. "Just remember, honey, mothers always know best. Offspring don't always get it, except in hindsight."

  He grinned and shook his head as she walked over to the admiral and River. River's body language implied a complete recovery of his personality. He was relaxed and laughing at something Jack's father said. Then Jack's mother joined them and River leaned down and hugged her in response to something she said. Jack wondered if he would ever forget the shock of discovering his parents in the
backyard of their home, just another dragon and phoenix, hanging out at the barbeque.

  Tempe didn't remember the last time she'd felt so relaxed and secure, with her father's huge biceps around her shoulders and her cheek against his heart, which beat like a nuclear steam engine. "I love you, PaPa."

  Dutch set her away from him and smiled. His hair flew around his head in disarray. When he spoke, his booming voice left no secrets. "Do you remember when I told you I'd come…"

  "When I needed you most." Tempe sighed. "I'm sorry I doubted you."

  His frown made deep furrows on his forehead. "No, daughter. I'm sorry we had to keep you in the dark, but Aevyn told us what was to come, and we did the best we could to make sure you were all safe. If it hadn't been for the Super Blood Moon, which allowed us to pool our Qis with Maxim's, we might still be dealing with the. . .ramifications."

  "It was hard, not knowing why you and mother left us." When he opened his mouth, she said, "I understand now. It's just that I worry about…" She bit her lip, afraid to voice her concern.

  "What, Tempest? We're safe now. You can ask me anything."

  She sighed. "You know I'm pregnant, right?" He grinned widely and the teal irises danced. "Okay, well, I assumed you knew, but will I... will Jack and I have to..."

  His smile faded. "It's difficult to say, baby. Your decision will be made when you see how our grandchild turns out." He grinned again. "It could be verrrra entertaining, to quote Conor."

  "Maybe for you!" she said then turned when Jack appeared at their side.

  "Dutch." Jack nodded. "That was cutting it pretty close, wasn't it?"

  "All went according to plan," Dutch answered, pragmatic as usual. "It took everyone in the family to defeat the dark magic melded to Maxim's energy." Dutch's bushy brow rose. "I understand there's to be a wedding."

  Jack's eyes glowed as he picked up Tempe's hand and raised it to his lips. "Tomorrow night." He grinned and said, sota voce... "When the veil is thinnest between the worlds..." He winked at Tempe, "Why not? You know, the more the merrier."

  Tempe burst out laughing. "I'm sorry, do I know you?"

  Jack grabbed her and swung her around. "I love you, Tempest Pomeroy. Let's go find Jordie and tell her the news."

  Montana walked in and Conor hurried over to her. Cinder glanced around for River. The jail was getting crowded. Finally, she spotted River outside the cell near the stairwell, leaning against the stonewall. The heat in his glittering gaze made her shiver. Then his lips turned up in a grin.

  She pretended to play hard to get, sauntering over as if she intended to use the stairs. "Oh, River. I didn't see you."

  He ignored that, reaching for her and laughing. Everyone turned as his laughter reverberated through the concrete cell, the ringing sound of joyous abandon. He heard Tempe cry, "He's back, Papa. River's back."

  But once he had Cinder in his arms, he wasn't sure what to do with her. He wanted another chance to see if there was anything to the mate bond Conor told him about. But she was only here to fulfill her mission, and it was over.

  River's smile faded as he absently sifted his fingers through her hair. "Where will you go?"

  She leaned back and frowned up at him. "What do you mean, go? My family will soon be here, and as Conor would say, "Methinks, I am not done here. You and I have unfinished business." Her violet irises snapped into reptilian slits.

  He wound a long strand of red gold hair around his finger and tugged her closer. "Something Conor said about the reasons a Djinn binding could be broken has been... bothering me."

  Her delicate auburn brows lifted. "Bothering you?"

  He smiled crookedly. "Yes, we should talk about it. If a beautiful dragonfae were to desire a guided tour of the lake, we could start there. I know where to hail a red-carpet taxi."

  "I planned on giving you a ride," she said, but before she could finish a luxurious red carpet swooped in and hovered just above the ground, its fringy edges fluttering as it undulated on the wind currents.

  Her horrified look surprised him. "But… there are no rails, no tail or handhold..."

  River grinned. "Tell me you're not afraid of flying."

  She'd insisted on riding as a dragon in case the ride was too bumpy and she needed to use her wings, which necessitated a much larger rug.

  His laughter rang over the lake as he watched her sitting so primly in the middle of the carpet, gripping the edges with her claws. If it had been merely fabric she would have ripped it to shreds within seconds. She looked beautiful in the moonlight with her head aimed into the wind and scales shimmering with light—when she wasn't screaming that is. He told her she was being silly, teased her by skimming just above the surface at lightning speed then soaring up toward the moon until she squeaked with distress.

  He chuckled. "What is your problem? I've seen your brother do barrel rolls and—"

  "Drakos, don't you dare, or I will scrape you off of this flimsy rug with my teeth." Her irate glare told him she was serious and he put their ride into a smooth coast.

  "Take it easy. You know your problem, don't you? You're a control freak." The shapely muscle above her eye rose in haughty acceptance. He said, "I know—dragon, duh."

  There was a hint of a smile when she said, "Why don't we ditch this rug and go to your place?"

  River nearly fell off his own ride and she grabbed his shoulders for balance when their conveyance tilted. "Ow! Watch the claws."

  There was a long pause while she waited for his response. When he remained quiet she leaned down and nudged his shoulder with her nose. "River?" His hair looked more like spun gold in the moonlight, and his eyes were brilliant verdigris, the pupils spinning fire back at her. "What's going on with your eyes?"

  His lip curled up in a self-deprecating smile. "I don't know what you're talking about. But… look, my amphora is uh, out of order."

  Cinder perked up, tilting her head quizzically. "What's wrong with it? I thought you had to have it to rejuvenate or whatever."

  "It's an asset, a port in the storm, usually, and sometimes a holding place for my Qi like it was when I was incapacitated. But I've been enthralled by Styx ever since Paige used that spelled poison on me, so it's been no use to me. And I didn't want him to use it against me."

  "Where is it?" She watched River's expression turn tense and he looked back toward Destiny.

  "It's in an old abandoned camp, the cabin where Paige held me. I don't remember it, but Jack said when he found me there, he thought I was dead."

  She rubbed her snout along his steely biceps, wanting to soothe. Then she smiled mischievously and his eyes narrowed, "What are you up to?"

  She shifted leaving a shower of red sparkles, wrapped her arms around him and, fluttering her long red lashes, said, "River, I really wish you'd take me to your amphora."

  He groaned and in the next blink he was standing in the middle of a gravel road staring at the abandoned, broken down remains of Paige's cabin. Weeds and kudzu had taken over the porch and grown through the walls.

  Chapter 36

  Tell me where you've seen a bigger bed.

  Cinder scanned both sides of the brush lined road, looking for the "camp" that held his amphora. He took her shoulders and faced her in the opposite direction. Through the growth of weeds, she saw a burned-out wall and a rusted metal roof. He pointed to some rattle-trap steps.

  "I think I'd rather jump," she said, and did, landing on the rickety porch in front of a rotten door that hung by one rusty hinge. She turned back, frowning. "Are you coming?"

  He grabbed her wrist, "Stop. Can't you feel it?" Her brows scrunched together and she shook her head.

  His eyes darkened. "It hasn't been cleansed."

  She waved a hand in dismissal. "That's why we're here." She turned toward the opening. He looked back toward the road as she waved him to follow her. Had he thought her brash and arrogant before? But no, she was entering a place that held heinous memories for River and even though he wanted to turn around and—
face it—poof out of there, she was fearless. He shook his head and jumped onto the porch.

  Inside the main room the evidence remained of Tempe's path through the wall and across the floor. "Your sister did this?" Cinder's voice held admiration. "Wow."

  "She saved my life." When she glanced over at him, he explained. "I was almost dead when they got me away from Paige. She gave me some Tempestaerie mouth-to-mouth with fire breath."

  "Get outta here. I should have known she'd have fire at her command being half Tempestaerie and half Djinn." She turned on her booted heel spotting the amphora on the floor. "There it is." Her eyes lit up when she saw it. "Oh, River, it's beautiful."

  "It's just a djinni bottle." He shrugged, frowning down at the amphora. "But Tempe had to have the best." He still stood in the doorway, as if he were powerless to cross the threshold.

  Her serious eyes admonished gently. "River, you must face the lingering dark spirit here so we can cleanse it." She held out her hand. He crossed the floor and clasped it in his like a lifeline. She bent to pick up the amphora and saw that the gems set in the midnight blue porcelain resembled stars in a night sky. "She was right to get this for you."

  He watched as she casually lifted the lid off his amphora. His nerves jangled in anticipation, but nothing happened. Were there really leftover remnants of the spell he'd been under or was it just in his mind? A growl sounded from inside the bottle and Cinder grinned. "There you are," she said. Her eyes flared then her lips parted and a bright hot orchid flame shot from her mouth, straight into the opening of the vase.

  She held tight with her hand while something bumped against the inside walls. The vase twisted in her grip for a few seconds, then, went still. "Hah." She wiped her perfect red lips and handed the amphora to River. "Nothing can withstand my fae flame."