by Ibanez, Dawn
The store’s clerk covered the tray of what looked like jewelry. “I have a few in the back. But I don’t know how well they’ll work for you.”
The young man nodded before the old man turned and went to the back. He then turned fully to Siobhan. She held back an appreciative smile when she saw a maroon colored tee shirt stretched over his chest. “Are you looking for anything specific?” he asked conversationally.
She shook her head. “No, I’m just wandering,” she said with a smile. “I’m a bit of a tourist.” When he nodded, she took a step closer and faltered. Magic was rolling off of him. “I’m Siobhan.”
He offered her a weak smile. “Jimmy.”
When he turned his attention away from her, Siobhan’s eyes narrowed. This had to be Madison’s brother. She turned and looked at the case of jewelry he was standing over. “Are you looking for something for your girlfriend?” she asked.
He glanced at her. “No. I’m looking for something for my sister.” He stood straighter when the old man came back holding a black pouch.
She stepped back and moved closer to a display of small trinkets. Nestled against the wall was what looked to be a small dream-catcher. Siobhan inhaled when she realized exactly what it was. Resolve filled her as she looked at the piece of art from her home. She would help open the Gates of Hell here, then she would return back to her home in the Highlands and make them sorry for ever casting her out.
“This should work,” Jimmy said lowly.
Siobhan looked at him and spied the ruby earring and the diamond and ruby encrusted ring he wore. Her eyes narrowed as she thought of him going after Madison. She couldn’t allow anyone to stop her plans. Not this late in the game.
Siobhan leaned back against the display and looked at both Jimmy and the old man. “Maybe you should think about picking out something for your daughter instead,” she suggested. She took in the way Jimmy’s back went rigid and smiled at him. “Dori is a wonderful little girl. You should be proud of her.” She straightened and kept her gaze on Jimmy. “Any other child would be a crying mess. Dori cried over her mother, but now she’s fully cooperating with us.”
Jimmy looked as if he wanted to rip her throat out. “What do you want with her?” he asked. When her lavender eyes rolled, he balled his hands into fists. “She’s nothing to you.”
“She’s an Oracle from two very powerful families,” Siobhan answered. Her tone was one she normally used for children and idiots. “We’re trying to open the Gates of Hell. What do you think we want with her? The adorable little thing is a fountain of information.”
“If you’ve done anything to hurt her,” Jimmy’s threat trailed off when Siobhan waved her hand and sent him flying over the display case.
Siobhan looked at him with irritated eyes. “Do I look like I would harm a child?” she shouted. When he started to fight his way to his feet, she jumped across the room to attack him. A growl escaped her when he quickly grabbed her arm and rolled. Her breath escaped her when he slammed her into the stone wall, causing some of the hanging decorations for fall.
The ring on Jimmy’s finger pulsed with life. Before she could react, Siobhan’s throat was held in a vice grip. She glanced down as much as she could and saw that his entire arm was encased in diamond. “A Jewel Witch,” she said as she slowly relaxed her body. “That explains it.”
“Explains what?” Jimmy growled.
Siobhan held up her arm and showed Jimmy her wrist. His face paled when he saw the small bracelet he had given Dori for her last birthday. Before he could grab at it, she made a swiping motion with her fingers. A gust of wind whipped out and cut Jimmy across his eyebrow. Siobhan was on her feet in moments. Before either could move, an arrow cut across her cheek.
The old man stood stoic as she screamed. With hard eyes, he crafted another emerald arrow and took aim at her.
Siobhan disappeared and reappeared behind him. She wrapped her arms around him in an embrace and leaned close to his ear. “Why did you have to do that?” she asked in a whisper. When his only response was to swallow, she looked at Jimmy as he picked himself up off of the floor. “You should have stayed out of it,” she growled before reaching up and ghosting her fingers across his neck.
Jimmy stood horrified as she stepped away from the old man. “You didn’t have to do that,” Jimmy said as his expression hardened again. He growled when she only rolled her eyes and wiped at the blood on her cheek.
“He didn’t have to interfere,” she countered. They both stayed still and gazed at each other. “We’re not looking to hurt her,” Siobhan said after a long moment.
“I can’t believe that,” Jimmy said as two throwing knives formed in each hand. “Not until I have her back and safe.”
Siobhan looked at him curiously for a moment. She then shook her head. “Then we’re at an impasse.” When he threw his weapons at her, she jumped aside, barely dodging them.
Jimmy covered his eyes as a whirlwind came to life in the shop. He frowned when he heard the soft chimes of Wyldlands in the air. A scream erupted from his throat as the air started to cut at him.
Siobhan lowered her eyes as she teleported to a nearby rooftop. She folded her arms over her chest and watched as the building that housed the antique store crumbled in on itself. Her eyes were troubled as she looked at the knife sticking out of her arm. With a frown, she pulled the blade out of her arm and quickly healed herself. She had to keep her mind focused. She had come too far for someone like Jimmy Maxwell to stop her now.
Siobhan teleported back to the penthouse and blinked when she saw Madison talking quietly with her husband. “I believe I just eliminated another threat to our plans,” she announced. Before she could continue, Dori came out of her room carrying a small tray of dishes. A frown crossed her face. The child was now an orphan. Siobhan walked over to Dori and took the bracelet Madison had given her off. “Swear to me, you won’t use this against us.”
Dori looked into the woman’s eyes for a long moment. She knew what the Fae Princess was thinking, but Dori also knew she was wrong. “I swear, I won’t hurt you,” Dori said quietly. When Siobhan put the bracelet on her wrist, she nodded and moved away.
Madison sat carefully watching the pair. While she knew there was something going on, she decided to let it go for now. “We’re going to need something referred to as the Sacred Horn,” she said darkly. “That will open the doors.”
Siobhan frowned as she sat at the table with Madison. “Do we know where it is?” she asked.
“Ashton is looking into it.” Madison leaned back in her chair and looked at Troy. “What?”
He shook his head. “Ashton isn’t doing shit for you,” he said simply. When her eyebrow arched, he shrugged. “Think about it. He thought he was top dog and then you come along. Not only do you knock him off his perch, but now you’re taking over the entire operation. It wouldn’t surprise me if he’s on his way to see your mother right now.”
Madison’s eyes flashed red. “He would never be that stupid,” she hissed. “I would kill him.”
“Not if they could get to you first.” Troy stood and went over to the minibar. “I’ll see what I can find out about this horn. I don’t want you dealing with him any more than you absolutely have to.”
She looked at him as she leaned back in her chair. “And what if I want to deal with him?” she asked in a challenge.
Before she could straighten in her chair, Troy was in her face growling. “I will personally eviscerate him,” he answered.
Siobhan smiled as she watched them. Troy Davenport was a man she could come to adore. Especially if he took out that annoying Ashton. “Since you have this under control, I’m going to take my little girl shopping,” Siobhan announced. She paused at her wording before looking at Madison. “Dori,” she corrected herself. Just as Madison opened her mouth, Siobhan turned and left. She would care for the child, but she couldn’t let it go any further than that.
At least not until after she had her own fathe
r in a casket.
Chapter 10
Lily was quiet as she walked with Barry down the hospital hall. Her mind was tired and currently running in circles. Most of the journals she and Barry went through that morning were more like handwritten textbooks. None of them contained any information on the pending Armageddon.
Now that they were taking a break from their research, Lily found another problem looking at her. The last time she and Eric spoke, she had been drunk, and then her brother attacked him. She paused as she reached the door to the hospital room. While months have passed since the attack, for Eric it could still be as fresh as yesterday.
Barry looked at her with concern in his eyes. “Lily?” he questioned. When she started to shake her head, he gently squeezed her hand. “It’s alright,” he said with a forced smile.
She promised to not sleep with one of his brothers, and yet when everything was said and done, she did exactly that. “He’s going to hate me,” she whispered. Lily’s eyes were quickly filling with tears as she thought of all of the reasons for Eric’s animosity. “I can’t go in there.” She pulled her shaking hands away from Barry as it became harder for her to breathe.
Strong hands held onto her shoulders. “Lilavanti, look at me,” Barry said softly. When her jade colored eyes locked onto his, he gave her a shaky smile. “Eric isn’t going to hate you. If anything, he’s going to be pissy with me.” Barry pressed a kiss to her forehead when she started to shake her head in protest. “Trust me on this. I’m used to him.” He pulled her into a hug. Barry couldn’t help but smile when her hands slowly returned his embrace. “Let’s save our first fight for something big,” he said into her hair. “Like which movie to go and see, or which tastes better, a $60 burger or one from TJ Thorne’s place.”
She closed her eyes as she turned her face to the side of his neck and inhaled. It was easy to see why Barry never lacked bed partners. Since his declaration of their relationship, he had been nothing but attentive and caring. “Dinner there tonight?” she asked.
“I was going to have it delivered to the hotel,” he confessed. “I have an in with the owner.” He smiled when she started to laugh. “There’s my girl,” he whispered before pressing a kiss to her lips. “Let’s go and see what Eric’s up to.”
Lily was quiet as she let Barry lead her into the room. She could only swallow when she was caught up in the assessing gaze of her former boss. “Hi, Eric,” she greeted nervously. “It would be pretty redundant to ask how you’re feeling, wouldn’t it.”
Eric Maxwell forced a smile on his face as he looked at Lily. “I’m feeling good,” he said with a nod. “All of my tests are coming back and saying that everything is fine.” He could only frown as tears started to fill her eyes. “I never blamed you, Lilavanti,” he said softly. Eric held his hand out to her, and smiled when she rushed to his side. “Sloane caught me up on everything.” His eyes darted from her to Barry. “I know you haven’t been having an easy time. I have no intentions of making your life any more difficult.”
“Why?” Lily asked in a whisper. “After everything that’s happened, why would you still....”
“Because of Madison,” Eric said simply. When she inhaled, he shrugged. “She grew up thinking that she was alone. That it was just her and the Solomons against the world. You didn’t even have that much. Only Mathias and that isn’t right. Especially when we were becoming friends. I’m not going to turn my back on you just because of your family.”
A sob escaped Lily before she could stop it. With a hand covering her mouth, she moved away from both Eric and Barry. At their concerned expressions, she shook her head. “I just... I need a minute,” she said before nearly running from the room.
“I’ll go get her,” Barry said.
“Why her Barry?” Eric asked from his bed. When his brother turned and looked at him, he shook his head. “The one time I seriously wanted you to back off, you still went behind my back.”
Barry slowly inhaled and ran a frustrated hand over his hair. “You know E, I don’t want to go here with you. Not when you’re in a hospital bed and Lily’s this upset.” He shook his head and slowly backed to the door. “All you need to know is that I care about her. And whatever problems you, Sloane, or anyone else has with this can kiss my black ass. I have to get my girl.”
* * * * *
Lily quickly found herself down in the hospital’s chapel. She took a shaky breath as she saw the young priest she had often found there. “Father Daniel,” she acknowledged.
Daniel looked at her with kind brown eyes. “Lily, I didn’t expect to see you here. I heard your friend woke up.” When she started to nod, he frowned. The tear streaks on her face did not tell a happy story. “Is everything okay?”
A false smile crossed her face. The priest had always given her a kind ear, even when she confessed about what she really was. It wouldn’t be fair to start lying to him. “No,” she said trying to sum up her current world.
He quickly went to one of the boxes of tissues he kept stashed all around the chapel and took it to her. As she wiped her eyes, he guided her to the front pew. “Would you like to talk about it?” he asked as they sat.
She blew out a breath and tried to think of a good place to begin. Her eyes looked at the large stained glass window and leaned back in her seat. “The End of Days is coming,” she told him. “And according to one of the many prophesies about it, I’m supposed to be one of the Four Horsemen.” When he looked at her, she shrugged. “I’m supposed to be Famine.” When he slowly started to nod, she stood and started to pace. “And if we put aside that little tidbit, I still have to deal with the fact that my brother nearly killed a man I think of as one of my best friends. Oh, and I think I’m falling for said best friend’s brother, who is... was... as big of a whore as I am.”
Daniel stood and stopped her pacing. His eyes were serious as he looked into hers. “You’re not a whore if it’s survival,” he said clearly. When she blinked at him, he shook his head. “You said that you don’t enjoy what you have to do to survive. That isn’t being a whore.” He watched as she lowered her head and wiped at her eyes again. “Does this young man know what you are?” he asked softly.
Lily nodded. “And so far he’s been fine about it. I told him about some of my own insecurities, and he’s been perfect about everything.”
“Alright,” Daniel said slowly. “Does his past bother you?” he asked. When she froze, he shrugged a single shoulder. “Then this is something you need to talk about with him. If he’s as perfect as you say, he’ll be understanding about your situation.” As she went to sit back down, he saw a black man quietly make his way into the chapel. “Can I help you, Sir?”
Lily turned and offered Barry a weak smile. “It’s okay, Father, that’s him.”
Barry looked at the priest that was standing almost protectively between him and his girlfriend. He was used to seeing old men as members of the cloth. Here was a man that barely looked old enough to drink. “Barry Maxwell,” Barry said holding out his hand. “I was just coming to check on Lily.”
“Father Daniel Tennant,” Daniel replied shaking Barry’s hand. He then looked at Lily. “Our girl is a little stressed,” he said calmly.
“There’s a lot going on,” Barry agreed. He moved around Daniel and knelt in front of Lily. “You okay, Baby?” he asked. “You just ran out.”
She gently touched the side of his face and nodded. “We’ll talk later,” she whispered. Lily could only blink when Barry nodded and pressed a kiss into the palm of her hand. Green eyes looked up and saw that Daniel stood silent watching them. She cleared her throat and smiled at her friend. “Father?”
“You mentioned something about the Four Horsemen,” Daniel said moving to sit next to Lily. “You both know that I would be more than happy to help you in any way I can.”
Lily smiled. “Thank you Father,” she said before squeezing Barry’s hand gently. “But we’ll get it all figured out.”
Daniel frowned a
s he looked at the pair. “You don’t have to protect me, Lily,” he said lowly. When she blinked at him, a rueful smile crossed his face. “I know there’s more than one way to view what’s coming.” When Barry slowly pulled Lily away from him, Daniel shook his head. “I don’t want either of you to be frightened, but there is something you should have.”
Barry stood and pulled Lily behind him. With all of the madness going on, he didn’t want to take any chances with Lily being hurt. He frowned as Daniel walked over to a small door and opened it. “What could you possibly have?” he asked darkly.
“There’s a lot of history that you’re diving into. And over the years, I’ve learned a lot about history.” He went into his small office and came back with a small box. “This is something that I was told to give to you.”
Lily bit into her lip as she looked at the small box. “Told by who?” she asked.
Daniel looked at her and gave her a sad smile. “That’s a story for a completely different day,” he answered placing the box on the pew. “Just know that a friend gave it to me for you.” As he stepped back, he didn’t know if he was annoyed or impressed by Barry’s refusal of the box. The man stood as still as a stone. He slowly inhaled through his nose and allowed a harsh breath to leave him. “If you really need to know that much, fine. It was given to me by Michaela Crow, nearly 200 years ago,” he said with a thick Scottish accent.
Barry’s eyes narrowed as he looked at Daniel. The man had been speaking to them without any trace of an accent. Now the chapel was being flooded with power. Barry drew his gun and aimed at the man Lily thought was a friend. “You’re Fae?” he asked.
Daniel nodded. “Just take your box and go. She said everything would be explained in there.”
Lily moved to pick up the box, only to cover her mouth to fight back a wave of nausea. She turned to Daniel and frowned. “What’s in there?”