by Неизвестный
Dane snorted. "Your name is Nixona Lissësúl. You are the only daughter of King Ahlstrom Lissësúl of Dorthon. Your mother, the queen, passed away on the day of your birth. You have no other siblings. How am I doing so far?"
"You forget the thorns in that ivy-covered castle," Nix said.
"Thorns? You call having your every whim catered to thorns? I think not, Princess."
Nix jumped to her feet, planting her hands on the table as she stared holes into Dane. "You may be the legendary Danic Jrogen, but you know nothing of my world. My people are almost nonexistent. The children are dying of hunger, the old people of disease. The young disappear daily. Our numbers are dwindling at an alarming rate."
Nix took a deep breath, trying to rein in the anger that coursed through her body. "My father's chief advisor swears he has the answers to save our people, but he's part of the problem. My father just doesn't see it. Instead, he hands me over to Vasile as a prize to ensure his throne."
Nix pointed her finger at Dane, noting the shocked expression on his face. "You know nothing of my life, so do not think to get on your high horse and preach to me about the evils of the world. I am well acquainted with these evils. They live in my ivy-covered castle."
Dane bowed his head. "My apologies, Princess, it seems I have spent more time among the humans than I thought. My manners are sorely lacking."
Nix wanted to agree, but that would have been petty. Instead, she took the diplomatic route. "My apologies as well, Danic Jrogen. I forget as well that not everyone has been raised as I have. I imagine to an outsider my life would seem ideal. I can assure you, it is not."
"You said your young people are disappearing?" Dane asked. "You mean they leave your world for the human world?"
Nix sat back down, the comfort of Boone's arms surrounding her once again. "I do not know exactly, but over the last few years, those reaching their maturity have begun disappearing at an alarming rate. I've tried to point this out to my father, but he will not listen. No one will listen. They all assume I am making trouble because I do not wish to wed with Vasile."
Nix patted Boone's arm when she heard him growl. "Do not worry so, my mate. Now that I have you and Cort, wedding Vasile will not be expected. Even my father must bow to the bond between mates."
"As long as this Vasile understands that you belong to us," Boone snarled as he buried his face in Nix's long hair.
"Tell me of this Vasile, Nix," Dane requested. "Has he been your father's advisor long? He is Other, I assume."
"I believe so, but with Vasile, you never know. He is an evil man, I can tell you that. He makes my skin crawl every time he looks at me. There have been rumors that he is involved in the dark arts, but—"
"The dark arts?" Cort asked.
"My people believe there is magic in everything around us, light magic and dark magic. Light magic is love and giving and kindness. Dark magic is evil, death. Those that delve into dark magic delve into the dark arts. In my world, the dark arts are forbidden. They only bring death and destruction."
"And you believe this man is involved in these dark arts?" Boone asked.
"He's involved in something," Nix replied. She waved her hand through the air. "It's nothing I can prove, mind you, but it just seems to me that none of our young people disappeared until he came around and gained power through my father."
"Do you think your father is involved?" Dane asked.
"I think my father is oblivious."
"This is all well and good," Cort said, "but I'm more interested in knowing how those men at the research facility got their hands on you, Nix."
Nix glanced over at Cort, confused by the question. "Research facility? They took me to a research facility?"
"The building where the men took you?" Cort supplied. "How did you get there?"
"Two men waited for me outside of the motel you took me to," Nix said. "They took me back into the room we rented and held me there until a third man arrived. That's when they took me to that—what did you call it, Cort? A research facility?"
Cort nodded. "We were there doing surveillance on the place when you arrived."
"I'm not stupid. I just don't understand why they would be taking me there. What are they researching in that place?"
"Others," Dane said simply. He did not look happy when Nix glanced over at him. His eyebrows were drawn together in a frown, the corners of his lips turned down.
"They are researching Others?" Nix asked. "Why?"
"We do not know at this point," Dane said.
Nix jumped and stared over at Cort when his hands slammed down on the table. "Okay," he snapped, "I want to know who we is, and I want to know now. I've just about had it with all this cloak-and-dagger shit, Dane."
Dane sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose before dropping his hands to the table. "Do you remember me telling you that I spent the last few years building a network to help out others of our kind?"
Boone and Cort nodded. Nix leaned forward as curiosity ate her up. Danic Jrogen really was a legend, a myth among her people. To see him in person, hear him explain his history was fascinating to her.
"Part of that networking is protecting our kind from the human element, those that want to harness our abilities for their own greedy purposes. We believe this research facility is just such a place."
"Harness our abilities? What abilities?" Cort asked.
"Imagine if you learned that vampires were real and that they did have eternal life," Dane said. "They couldn't die, healed instantly, and had more power than nearly any man on Earth. They could see in the dark, fly through the air, and disappear in a puff of smoke. Now, imagine that power in the hands of someone that wanted to rule the world."
"Shit!" Cort exclaimed.
Silence reigned in the room as everyone took in the implications of Dane's words. Powers such as these in the wrong hands could tip the balance of power for the entire world. It would be devastating.
"They're not real, are they?" Boone asked after a moment.
"No, vampires are not real." Dane chuckled and rubbed his chin. "At least, as far as we know. But you can see the potential problem here. While vampires may not exist, there are those of us that do have certain abilities. If those abilities could be harnessed…" Dane's voice trailed off. He didn't have to finish his words. The implication was enough.
"And you believe that is what they are doing at this research facility?" Nix asked.
"We know someone is capturing Others and experimenting on them. We do not know who," Dane said. "We've been able to follow their trail to the research facility and believe someone inside that organization is behind it."
"That's why you had us watching the place," Cort said.
Dane nodded.
"That would also explain why they had Nix," Cort added.
"But it doesn't explain how they even knew who Nix is," Boone said. "Someone had to say something, point her out. We didn't even know we were going to that motel until we went there. Either we're being followed or—"
"Or Nix is," Dane finished for Boone as he glanced over at Nix. "Who knew you were coming here, Princess?"
Nix rolled her eyes. "Would you please stop calling me that? You do not mean it in its proper manner."
"You are a Princess, are you not?"
"If you mean that my father is King and the leader of my people, then yes, I am a Princess. If you mean it as a spoiled rotten little bitch living in an ivy-covered castle, then no."
Dane smirked. Nix smiled herself as she realized she enjoyed sparring with the blond man. It was not something she experienced much at home as most people bowed to her royal status. It was a refreshing change.
"I do not know who knew I was coming here," Nix said, answering Dane's question. "I certainly didn't tell anyone. They would have tried to stop me."
"Why?" Boone asked, his arms tightening around Nix.
Nix patted the arm wrapped around her waist. She could feel Boone's unease as if it were her own. "I was to
be wedded to Vasile. Everyone knew it. It would not be proper for me to leave home to fornicate with anyone that was not my intended."
"Which explains why you were in the bar trying to pick someone up," Cort growled.
Nix shrugged. "I wanted one night to have someone of my own choosing, not someone chosen by my father." Nix shuddered. "Besides the fact that I fully believe that Vasile is evil, it all seemed so cold, so sterile. I just wanted one night filled with warmth."
Nix purred when Boone nuzzled her neck. She felt Cort's hand stroking her arm, shivers of delight riding over her skin. "Did we give you enough warmth, baby?" Boone whispered against her ear.
"It will never be enough," Nix murmured back as she let her head drop back, baring her throat. She shuddered when Boone's lips moved along her tingling skin. "I'll always need the both of you to keep me warm."
"Let's get back to the issue at hand here, folks," Dane said, breaking in to the tender moment between Nix and her mates. She glared at him. "We need to find out what is going on inside that facility."
"I thought you just wanted us to watch the place," Cort said.
"That was before they took Nix. If they are following you or Nix, then we have a problem. It could also mean that they have more Others. I think we need to get inside that facility and find out what's really going on."
Cort nodded. Boone nodded. Nix didn't. She didn't like the direction this conversation was headed. Whoever took her knew she was Other. That made them dangerous. Now that Cort and Boone's genetic anomaly had been triggered, it put them in danger as well.
Nix didn't know how this was done. She'd never tried to investigate anything. But the thought of Cort and Boone going back to that research facility scared the crap out of her. Her gut screamed at her that they were in grave danger.
"Isn't there some other way that we can find this out?" Nix asked. "Maybe stake the research facility out again or something? Do Boone and Cort really need to go inside?"
"Watching the outside of the building isn't going to gain us any information," Dane said. "We really need to get inside and find out exactly what they are doing inside that building. It could mean the lives of all of us."
Nix knew when she was beaten. She could see it in the determined looks of the faces around her. No matter what she said or how hard she protested, Cort and Boone were going to break into the research facility to gather information.
"Let me go with you."
Dane burst out laughing. That didn't bother Nix so much considering how he saw her, but the amused chuckles from Cort and Boone hurt. She felt like they might reach over and pat her on the head at any moment.
"I'm not joking," Nix insisted. "Let me go with you. I can help."
"Princess, this isn't a shopping trip to the mall," Dane said. "This is a reconnaissance mission."
Nix bristled. She tried to keep her temper under control and speak diplomatically as she had been taught and not scream and yell as she really wanted to do. "I am fully aware that this is a dangerous mission. I still think I can help."
"Nix, we're not choosing nail polish here," Dane said. "Cort and Boone will be breaking into a top-level security facility. There will be men with guns, big guns. It's not a place for princesses to be."
Nix waited for Cort or Boone to defend her. Surely they would. They might not know much about her, but to let someone speak to her in such a manner was just not acceptable. When they said nothing, she glanced at both of them, shocked to see them trying to hide amused grins from her.
"I see," she finally said. And she did. Cort and Boone thought she was as frivolous as Dane did. They would never take her seriously. Nix climbed off of Boone's lap and stood. "I'll just let you get to your plans then."
Nix held her head high as she walked from the room. She didn't hurry as she wanted to but kept a regular pace out of the room. She was a Princess. It wouldn't do for anyone to know that inside she cried like a baby.
She was able to keep her composure until returning to their bedroom. Closing the door behind her, she looked at the bed they had shared, remembering the hours spent there making love. Making love, she scoffed, fucking, more like it. They didn't love her. Boone and Cort didn't even respect her! She lay down on the bed, curling into a ball, and wept.
Nix wept for her lot in life, the way her father ignored her, used her as a possession to keep his power. She wept for the way her mates treated her, like some toy they could have sex with and not the partner she should be. They treated her like a silly child, not even trying to get to know her. They listened to Dane, assuming his opinion of her was correct.
Dane had never even met her before. She thought she had gotten the point across that his assumptions were wrong. It seemed mere words would change no one's opinion of her. Nix tried her best always in life, living up to the expectations her father put on her, living at court put on her, even her mates put on her. She was so tired of it all!
No more! Nix thought as she wiped the last of her tears of hurt away. She would no longer tolerate people treating her this way. She was no longer going to turn the other cheek while people used and abused her for their own purposes. It ended today! If being diplomatic and trying to rise above the bait of people's words didn't work, as her life now clearly showed her, she would find another way.
Nix paced around the room. She deserved the respect of her position. She was a Princess, damn it! She came from the most powerful bloodline of the faye, but if that wouldn't bring her respect, she would do it the way any man would. She would fight back with strength and hand them their asses!
She had been working with her powers in secret since she was a child, knowing her father didn't approve of a Princess to train in such ways. Her father loved her somewhere in his misguided head, but his treatment of her didn't show it. She was a mere possession to be used the way he saw fit. It was time to show, by any means necessary, that she alone possessed herself and anyone she allowed in her life or to be her mate was given a gift, one that would be respected.
Cort and Boone were about to find out what it meant to be mated, and to be mated to someone as powerful as a faye. If they couldn't handle it, too damn bad. This mating worked for all of them, or it didn't work. And she was determined to make it work. She didn't have a choice.
Chapter 7
"That might not have been our smartest move," Boone said as he watched Nix walk out of the room and down the hallway.
"What do you mean?" Cort asked.
"I think we just hurt Nix's feelings," Boone said.
"She'll get over it," Dane said. "A recon mission is no place for a girl, especially a Princess. She could be seriously injured."
Boone rubbed his fingers along the rim of the coffee cup in his hand. "I agree, but we might have handled that a little better."
"The little Princess will survive." Dane snickered. "It'll be good for her to be knocked down a level or two."
"Dane, just stop it, okay?" Cort snapped.
"Stop what?"
"What is wrong with you? You don't even know her. I've never thought you were a judgmental prick," Boone added.
"Plus, she's our mate," Cort threw in. "You think it's okay to say this shit about her, especially when we're sitting right here?"
"You're right, and I'm sorry," Dane said, shaking his head. "I just know her kind—"
"You sound like those humans who don't see the person behind the Other, but only see the Other," Boone said, about to continue when he noticed Nix by the fridge.
"Don't mind me, boys. I didn't mean to interrupt your all-important planning," Nix said. "I just wanted to get something to drink."
Boone went to say something, but couldn't speak when Nix disappeared, then reappeared across the room. She opened the cabinet that held the glasses and took one out. Nix poured her soda into it. Before any of them could speak, she was gone again.
"Did I just see that?" Boone asked, his voice shaking.
"It seems the Princess has a few parlor tricks up her sle
eve," Dane answered.
Boone ignored Dane's comments and went to go find Nix to talk to her. He realized the other two men were right behind him. He spotted her in the rec room, lounging on a sofa reading a book.
"Mind filling us in on what just happened?" Boone asked, approaching her slowly.
"Filling you in?" Nix replied, her eyes never leaving what she was reading.
"Why didn't you tell us you could do that?" Cort asked, moving to stand next to Boone.
"Well, you didn't really give me much of a chance, did you? You men just assumed whatever you wanted about me," she replied.
"Considering Boone and Cort had to rescue you from the men that had you, what did you expect us to think?" Dane asked, taunting her. "If you had any powers, why wouldn't you have used them then?"
Nix put down her book, stood, and waved her hand. Boone watched in amazement as Dane went flying across the room and slammed into the wall, seeming immobile.
"I've had enough of your disrespect," Nix said, walking toward him. "I was in mating heat, in more pain then you can possibly imagine, growing weaker and weaker by the second. I'm still not back to my full strength, but I am a member of Other royalty."
Nix stepped closer until she was nearly nose to nose with the Dane, except he was being held immobile against the wall. "And while you seem incapable of respecting that, I will no longer listen to your snide comments, or your looks of disdain, and the way you treat me like a simple, shallow female. You might want to remember, Dane, that while Boone and Cort are your subordinates, I am not. And while I was willing to forgive you up to a point because you were away from our lands for so long, you should remember you are actually one of my subjects."
"Nix, enough, I think you've made your point," Cort said.
Boone watched as Nix gave another flick of her hand and Cort froze midstep, midsentence.
"I'll deal with the two of you privately," she replied, keeping her attention solely on Dane. "Have I made myself perfectly clear, Dane?"
"Yes, I think you have, Nix," Dane answered, still pressed against the wall, a foot off the ground.