by Julia Milla
“Caitlin?” he bellowed. “Ye shoodn’t have …”
“Yeah, well that makes two of us. Guess we’ll deal with that later. What the hell is that thing?” She knew Kyran wanted to say more, felt the apology on the tip of his tongue, but wasn’t ready to hear it so she’d powered on, letting him know she meant business. Thankfully, her mate took the hint.
“Ah don’t knoow. Bit it's locked in a containment unit o' some kind.”
It was then she realized that the being’s thoughts had been transferred to her by the connection she shared with her dragon. It only stood to reason that Kyran must have touched the box holding the spirit and through their bond, reached out to her. The banshee blood running through both Caitlin and her Guardsman’s veins was like catnip to the dreadful being. It liked the darkness within both of them and wanted not only their blood, but their very souls.
“Kyran, you have to get away from that thing. I don’t know what it is but it’s bad, really bad.”
“Ah knoow, Ah kin feel it. Kayne’s juist walked in 'n' he kin feel it tae. Looks lik' Eve haes plans fur it, which means noothin’ guid kin come o' it.”
“No, it’s not and you need to get away from it. It likes your…”
Caitlin never got to finish her thought as Kyran’s roar of pain blast through their link and the last thing she heard before their connection severed was, “Go back, Caitlin. Is brae liom tú. Please, go hoome…”
Chapter Thirteen
Kyran had no idea what was happening. One minute he had been talking to Caitlin, pissed that she was on her way to him but more overjoyed that he would get to see her, hopefully make her understand why he’d left without her and most importantly, beg for her forgiveness, and in the next moment, he and Kayne were thrown across the room, their brains scrambled and their pride more than a little hurt.
“What the hell was that?” Kayne groaned, getting to his feet and giving Kyran a hand up.
“Ah doonae know, bit whitevur it is, th' beastie doesn’t lik' ye. It nearly murdurred me trying tae blast th' scales aff yer hide.”
“And here I thought I was loved and adored by all,” the demigod scoffed.
Inspecting the angry scorch marks emanating from the stainless-steel box like tentacles of an octopus reaching for its prey, Kyran pointed with a nod. “Yeah, looks lik' whatever’s in thare wants tae hug you…tae death.”
“I see that. What do you…”
“Kyran! Kyran, damn you, answer me. What happened? Are you okay?” Caitlin’s shouting in his mind drowned out what Kayne was saying and the panic in her voice nearly broke the black dragon’s heart. Once again he was doing the one thing he never wanted to do… cause his beautiful mate pain.
“Ah’m here, Caitlin, Ah’m here,” he cooed, trying to calm her as well as himself. “'Twas noothing. Juist, Kayne makin’ friends wi' th' wee beastie.”
He added a chuckle but quickly stopped when his mate growled, “Well, tell him to stop. I could feel the vibrations of the explosion all the way out here. If anyone has earned the right to kill you, it’s me.”
Fear mixed with anger flowed through their mating bond, assuring Kyran that his little banshee was not only coming to exact her revenge upon the woman responsible for the deaths of her family, but also on him. It was nothing he didn’t deserve and would gladly accept without a fight once they were back at her home, far from all harm and Caitlin was safe. Then her words truly sank in, making the black dragon immediately ask, “Whair are ye?”
It was Rory instead of Caitlin who answered with, “Less than half a mile from the marking on the map you left at Cait’s.”
Looking at Kayne, who was now also part of the conversation, Kyran shook his head and groaned out loud, “Ye left th' map?”
“Yeah, well, I…”
Not waiting for Kayne’s excuse, Kyran switched back to mind speak so all could hear and said, “Ne'er mynd. If Caitlin 'n' Rory felt that tremor, then Eve 'n' her army will fur sure be 'ere soon. We better git movin`.”
“Hang on, cowboy, that’s what I was coming to tell you. From what I could see, Eve isn’t here right now and her troops are hurting. They’re bedded down in one of those underground mineshafts licking their wounds. It’s time to get those hostages out and close the hunters in.”
“Ah’m nae goin awa till Eve’s dead,” Kyran said at precisely the same moment as Caitlin. Any other time the black dragon would’ve laughed at the way the demigod threw up his hands in surrender and said, “Okay, okay, calm down, folks.”
But in this case, all Kyran could think about was ridding the world of the last living O’Baoill, making sure his mate’s family was avenged and she was safe. He was just about to explain when Kayne added, “I wasn’t suggesting we leave the bitch alive, just that we get those poor souls she’s been torturing to safety and make it so she has no back up, capisce?”
“Makes sense, right guys?” Rory chimed in, obviously trying to keep the peace just as his father would’ve done. Kyran let out the breath he’d been holding and felt Caitlin relax a bit too.
Nodding, he apologized, “Soory, It’s juist that…”
“No need to explain,” Kayne cut him off. “Let’s go meet your mate and the kid and get those shifters to safety. Whatcha say?”
“Soonds lik’ a plan,” the black dragon answered and then to his mate he said only so she could hear, “We’ll bee thare in a minoote, mo ghrá. I love ye.”
“And I love you, Kyran, but that doesn’t excuse what you did. After this is over, we have a lot to talk about.”
“Aye, love, aye,” was all he could say as he followed Kayne out of the building and they raced to meet Rory and Caitlin.
It took less than an hour, using their enhanced speed, for Kyran and Kayne to reach the others and lead them back to the abandoned town and into the derelict warehouse where the malevolent spirit, as Caitlin kept calling it, was housed. She’d explained her visions and the conclusions she’d drawn from them along the way, then promptly insisted on being taken to see the containment unit.
Not wanting to argue after all he’d put her through but still needing her to know he did not approve, Kyran cautioned, “Ah’ll take ye, bit ye hae tae promise tae stay back. If yoou need tae feel it, Ah’ll touch it. Ye kin git a' th' information yoou’'ll need thro' me.”
Nodding with a frown on her lips and her brow furrowed, Caitlin let him thread his fingers through hers and walk her ever so slowly closer to the containment unit. Sweat rolled down Kyran’s back the closer he took his mate to the evil being. There was no way he was going to let his banshee be hurt, not again and not on his watch.
Stopping a good ten to twelve feet away, he warned, “This is far enough. Can you see anything?”
“Let me see what I can do,” she mumbled, already deep in thought.
Caitlin’s grip on his hand tightened as the fingers of her free hand reached toward the silver box. He could feel her letting her banshee magic reach for the entity. Saw with his mind’s eye how in such a short time his mate had become a master at using his sight as her own. Had they been anywhere but in the middle of Eve O’Baoill’s base camp preparing for battle, Kyran would have taken a moment to puff his chest out and brag a little bit about how great his mate was, but that would have to wait.
Letting go of the tight grip he kept on the banshee magic he’d inherited from his mother, Kyran let it combine with Caitlin’s and together, they attempted to lure the malevolent spirit out of hiding just enough to see what exactly it was and try to find a weakness they could exploit. Slowly, as if waking from a long, deep sleep, thin black tendrils of what felt like pure evil began to slither and slide their way toward the feelers the couple was putting out for it.
The black dragon could feel the evil being’s desire to consume and feed. It had been left in the dark for way too long. It was hungry and would stop at nothing to have what it wanted. Kyran felt it straining against its restraints and pulled Caitlin to his side. The containment unit’s con
straints were holding, but the Guardsman could feel the intensity of the being’s need, its hunger…its rage. He had no doubt the entity already had plans for a jailbreak.
Picking Caitlin up, he walked backward until they were with the others just inside the door. Setting his mate’s feet on the floor, the black dragon was shocked when Caitlin turned to him, her blind eyes wide, and in a hushed tone said, “He’s come for us. Could you feel that? He needs you and me, and others like us…other banshees, other beings of darkness.”
Not sure what she had seen that he hadn’t, Kyran asked, “That wee beastie is 'ere fur th' banshees?”
Slowly nodding, her eyes still wide and her grip on his hand like steel, she answered, “Yes, banshees, harpies, sirens, hellhounds, gargoyles, and…” She took a deep breath and slowly let it out, “vampires. He wants the harbingers of death along with the large shifters. There’s something about the combination of their magic that he needs to survive, to grow…to conquer.”
If possible, her grip on his hand tightened. Kyran saw the lines of stress around her eyes and mouth deepen. Her voice took on a haunted tone as she went on, “Werewolves, gorillas, werecats…” She swallowed nervously then added, “Dragons…he really wants dragon fire.”
“Well, son of a bitch,” Kayne spat. “No wonder he tried to eat me in one bite. I taste like dragon with a side of hellhound.”
The demigod chuckled but Kyran had known his old friend long enough to know that Kayne was anything but amused. Then Caitlin added, “I think you’re right, Kayne, and I also think he wanted to try to tap into Lugh’s magic through you.”
The black dragon could hear the wheels turning in his mate’s magnificent mind and stood in awe of her mental prowess as she continued. “The being is intelligent, powerful, and driven toward one goal…devouring all in its path then converting what it had consumed into more of itself. From what I could see in its mind, it is aware and is using Eve for its own malicious intent unbeknownst to her.”
Caitlin’s lips curled into an evil grin. “Which, if it didn’t threaten all living beings and the world we live in, would be funny. I would like to see Eve outwitted by her own plan, but I’m afraid we don’t have the time for that. We need to get the prisoners she’s holding to safety, blow up that thing,” she pointed toward the containment unit, “and put an end to Eve O’Baoill and all her followers once and for all.”
Kyran could feel his mate’s conviction; knew there was no way she was going to stand down or be put on the sidelines. No, his mate had proven she was not taking no for an answer and it was up to him to let her do what she wanted while keeping her safe in the process. Before he could respond, Caitlin was again speaking. “If my internal clock is right, we only have a few more hours of darkness. If we’re gonna get those prisoners out of the hole Eve has them in, then we’d better get cracking.”
“How did she…” Kayne’s words trailed off as Kyran replied, “Doon’t ask. Juist wait til ye hae a mate o’ yur oown. A' wull become clear.”
“I’m not…”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Rory laughed. “Whatever you say, big guy. I remember thinking the same way. Now, look at me.”
“All right boys,” Caitlin interrupted, “less talk, more action.”
“She’s bossy,” Kayne chuckled. “I really like her.”
“Soo ye'v said. Ah daresay it’ll be twoo against yoone froom noow oon,” Kyran groaned as they left the cover of the warehouse and headed toward Eve’s prisoners.
Chapter Fourteen
It never ceased to amaze Caitlin how fast the Guardsmen worked. Although magical herself, the banshee knew she could never be as quick and as agile as they were. Sitting and waiting as they brought the last of Eve’s prisoners to the valley, she used Kyran’s eyes along with her gypsy magic to assess their conditions. Although they hadn’t been with O’Baoill and her team for long, the ten shifters, one siren and two gargoyles, had been through the painful experience of having their magic syphoned many times without the benefit of time to rest and proper nourishment, not to mention being underground without the benefits of sunlight and nature to renew their magic. Even the hellhound and alpha wolf were emaciated, dehydrated, and hardly able to hold their heads up at first.
Thankfully, there was a stream running through the valley, so as soon as Caitlin did the best she could with the first aid supplies Rory had liberated from the hunters’ stores, the poor dears were able to get a drink, wash off the dirt and dust, and get some rest. All too soon, the conversation between the Guardsmen turned to how they were going to handle the injured hunters Eve had left behind and ultimately what was the best way to exterminate the Queen Bitch herself.
Caitlin was shocked when the biggest male among the refugees, as she’d begun to think of those the dragons saved from Eve’s torture, the one with long, matted auburn hair she knew to be a werewolf and the shorter, stockier man with coal black curls made their way toward Kyran and his friends. With his hand extended, the wolf who was seven feet tall if he was an inch with wide shoulders, a thin waist, and gruff voice, said, “Name’s Marrok, Gaelach Lán Pack Alpha and this is Flint.” The wolf motioned toward the hellhound. “From what I can tell, you’re about to take that bitch, Eve O’Baoill, down and we want in.”
The Alpha’s accent was a lot like Kyran’s only not as thick and a lot easier to understand. He and her mate shared more than the need for vengeance and their kinship was immediate as Kyran took the man’s hand, looked him in the eye, and said, “If ye think you’re up fur th' fight, we’d love tae hae ye wi' us,” then looking to Flint, he added, “both of ye.”
Nodding, the hellhound, who stood a bit shorter than Kyran and had fire burning in his eyes, rumbled, “I’m in.” His voice enticed visions of a crackling fire, making Caitlin wonder if that was one of his talents. “That she-demon is a special brand of crazy and what she did to those girls,” Flint looked toward the siren and the gargoyles, a look of sympathy mixed with a fair amount of rage making the flames in his amber eyes jump to life, “well, let’s just say I’d like to peel the skin from her body just to hear her scream.”
Caitlin laid her hand over Bronwyn’s, letting peace and hope flow from her heart to the siren’s, before doing the same to Pearl and Crystal, the gargoyles. The banshee had no idea what the women had gone through and refused to pry. She simply wanted them to know she was there for them, no matter what.
“Then wur understand oone anither. Oor goal is tae end Eve O’Baoill 'n' if th' hunters fall aloong th' wey, then wur a' th' better fur it.”
The gruffness in Kyran’s voice combined with the adrenalin-fueled anger running through both man and dragon, pulled Caitlin from her spot on the ground with the other refugees who were unable to join the fight to her mate’s side. Speaking through their unique link, she put aside her anger and cautioned, “I want Eve dead as much as you do, but I will not let you sacrifice yourself. You make me madder than I ever thought I could get but dammit, I love you and…” She paused as the tears she refused to shed clogged her throat. Pushing through her fear, the banshee continued, “I’m not sure if I can live without you, but I damn sure don’t want to try. Don’t do this if you can’t promise that you’re coming back to me.”
She saw the smile on his face and the love in his eyes as her dragon wrapped his arms around her and laid his lips to hers. “Ah wid ne'er dae anythin' that wid tak' me froom ye. Ah love ye, Caitlin, lik' noo man haes ever loved a wooman. Ah'm sorry Ah left wi'oot ye. Mair sorry than Ah kin say that Ah lied tae ye, 'n' Ah wull spend e’vry day o' oor eternity th'gither making ye th' happiest wee banshee in th' world.”
His words faded to a whisper in the back of her mind as their kiss became an all-encompassing testament to the power of a true love destined by the Universe. All Caitlin’s anger, hurt, and doubt about her dragon simply evaporated as once again her heart and soul were reunited with the one who completed them as no other ever could. They had their differences and there would be bumps in the road,
but she truly believed if they stood together, there was nothing they couldn’t accomplish.
All too soon the sound of men’s chuckles had her pulling away as Kyran growled, “Groow up, ye’ heathens.”
“Heathens, is it?” Kayne laughed out loud. “Yeah, I guess that fits the bill.” He clapped Rory on the back and nodded to Marrok and Flint then back to Kyran. “But in all seriousness, we need to get ready. Something tells me Eve isn’t gonna stay gone forever and we don’t want to be caught unaware.”
“I really wish we’d brought Lenn with us. This is a helluva time to be without our mad bomber,” Rory commented.
“Bombs? Did someone say bombs?” Flint asked, the grin on his face full of mischief and the fire in his eyes dancing to their own beat. “Cause if it’s explosions you need, I might have just the thing.”
Caitlin stood in awe, again thankful for her connection with Kyran so she could witness the magic happening mere feet from where they stood. Closing his eyes, Flint held out his hands, whispered something in Latin she didn’t understand, and from one heartbeat to the next, balls of fire appeared in the palms of his hands. Opening his eyes, his grin turned into a full-blown smile as he chuckled. “Who needs bombs? You point and I’ll throw.”
“Hot damn!” Rory clapped Flint on the back. “You’re damned handy to have around.” Then to Kayne, “Why can’t you do that? Weren’t you a hellhound for like a century or something?” The youngest O’Reilly brother snickered, recalling their perilous trip to hell and the demigod’s rescue.
“Yuck it up there, kiddo. I have talents way beyond fireballs. Although, in this case, Flint, you are my hero.” Kayne’s smile was genuine and Caitlin could hear the comradery the men from different worlds already shared.
Nodding, the hellhound asked, “You were a hellhound? Now, that’s a story I’d like to hear.”
“Let’s kill Eve then the beer is on me and we can swap all the stories you want.” Kayne grinned.