“I’m trying to change, but you have to understand that I’m used to being in control of every situation. It is difficult for me not to protect you from every threat I see coming at you—nearly impossible,” he says with a humorless laugh. “Everything seems like too great a risk when it comes to you. The thought of you here with him for even one more minute is…excruciating to me. If something happens to you before this is over…” he trails off as his jaw clenches and his wing covers my body protectively.
“I know you have a job to do—a mission, but you are still so new at this and still so breakable,” Reed says, kissing my neck as he snuggles me to him, causing my heartbeat to accelerate and my cheeks to flush. “Really think about what you are doing when it comes to Casimir. He is older than me. He did not get to be that old by taking chances. He is arrogant, though, and you said you believe this is personal for him. Russell explained the meeting that you had with Casimir. He saw it all in your head and I think you are right—you rattled Casimir.”
“I will be nearby from now on. You may feel me here at times. Zee is here too and some of Dominion—Preben, Sorin, and Elan among others. We are taking out the Fallen as they come, but once you spring your trap on Casimir, you should expect retaliation. Do not wait for it. Once your plan is completed, I will come for you and take you from here. The Fallen have many allies that have no loyalties to the Gancanagh, as you have seen,” he says, leaning in and kissing my shoulder where I was magically stabbed. “Brennus has been too focused on you. It has blinded him to what is coming,” Reed says as he strokes my wing hypnotically, making me feel weak for him.
“We have been protecting the Gancanagh. When the magical contract between you and Brennus is severed, that will end. Then, I will bury him so deep, the cries of Sheol will reign above him,” Reed whispers to me.
A chill passes through me like a knife. I should want that—I should want Brennus to suffer, but I don’t. He is in my blood, too, whether I want him there or not and now—now the thought of his suffering makes me suffer, too. There is no choice; I have to be with Reed. He is what I want—what I need, but Brennus is…
“I brought venison blood. It’s under your bed. If you are bitten… if they turn you…” he whispers through clenched teeth, squeezing me almost painfully tight. “Then find me—I will make a good first kill. Dying in your arms sounds like bliss to me,” he says, and my throat tightens painfully, hearing what this is doing to him. He brushes his lips to mine tenderly, before letting me go.
Reed gets up from the bed and gestures towards the small table in my room, saying, “Russell told me you were hungry, so I brought you something to eat.” He seems to waver, looking at me in the bed, his hands ball into fists. I notice for the first time that he has the ring that I gave to him on his finger. He had caught it when I dropped it to him today. “Forty-eight hours, Evie…I love you,” he whispers, and then he is gone in a fraction of a second.
As I sit up in the bed, I want to scream his name so that he will come back and take me with him. This is insane. I’m insane. Revenge is not as important as Reed, I think, resting my forehead on my drawn up knees. But this is more than just revenge. This is destroying Casimir before he destroys anyone else that I love.
I rise from the bed and walk to the table. As I open the carton on it, the aroma of gourmet mac and cheese assails me. A box of Twinkies is lying on the table, too. I set down the mac and cheese and pick up a Twinkie. Unwrapping it, I try not to let tears fall from my eyes as I bite into it.
CHAPTER 21
Plans Within Plans
“I still say me plan has merit—it lulls dem into a sense of complete control, and who could resist her naked body?” Eion asks from across the table, while gesturing towards me with a flick of his hand. “Dey would be fighting each other ta get inta da mirror and through da portal ta her.”
“I’m not opening the compact completely naked, Eion,” I say, rolling my eyes at him. “How am I supposed to fight back naked?”
“I do na know, but ’twould be interesting ta watch,” Eion replies, grinning wolfishly.
“Maybe ye do na have ta be naked…jus da illusion of being naked would do,” Brennus says in a thoughtful tone.
“You guys just want to see me nekkid,” I say suspiciously, watching their faces grin nefariously.
It’s a larger group than I’m used to seeing for a meeting in the Knights Bar. In addition to Brennus, Finn, Declan, Eion, and Faolan, we now have Goban, Lonan, Ninian, Alastar, and Torin sitting with us at the tables we pushed together in the kirk. But, even with the new faces, I’m exceedingly aware that one face is missing among us: Lachlan.
“I still say we should use a clone instead of Genevieve,” Declan says.
“A naked clone?” Eion asks, seeing Declan scowl at him.
“Na a naked clone, jus one of her clones. Dat way, she can be safe somewhere else while we sort out da Sheol Shiners for her,” Declan says, looking from Eion to me and seeing my scowl.
“I’m not useless, Deck. I can do this,” I say angrily. “I want to be there if Casimir comes through.” I want him to know why he’s dying—that it’s personal for me, too.
Declan gives me a wary smile. “Dere is no question dat ye are useful. Ask da Werree and dey will tell ye dat, but I still do na like it. Dese are aingeals we’re talking about, na Werree—auld and ancient aingeals. I’d still be nervous if yer body was made from iron and yer heart of steel,” Declan replies, looking me over as if I am made out of paper. “Dis is na a game, lass. Dese tings are da very embodiment of evil,” he says, shaking his head.
“Thanks, Deck, but I just put on my boots, so I’m not very concerned where I put my foot,” I reply, hearing the fellas try to suppress their laughter. Declan glances upward, like he is looking for guidance from above.
“Ye’re starting ta sound like one of us,” Finn says, shaking his head at me with a wink.
“Da more I tink about Eion’s plan, da more I like it, mo chroí,” Brennus says, bringing us back to the discussion of how to use the compact that Casimir sent to me. “It makes ye appear naïve and vulnerable, two tings dat are almost irresistible ta dem. ’Tis my favorite kind of trap—lust, being caught in a web of desire,” he says in a seductive tone. “Da place is small and intimate, too. ’Twould appeal ta Casimir’s nature…’tis sensual and erotic…” Brennus says, watching my cheeks flush wi’ color as I squirm a little.
I rub my forehead in frustration. “Can’t we just open it in the war room and when they come out, we throw the kitchen sink at them?” I mutter, seeing them all look confused by my comment, because sometimes they are all so literal.
“Whah…Why would we trow a sink at dem when we have charmed automatics and missile launchers?” Ninian asks in confusion. “Faolan, I tought ye said ye showed her da weapons room. Ye said ye taught her how ta break down da armor piercing fifty calibers and rebuild dem. Why is she talking about sinks?” he asks, stabbing his finger at Faolan accusingly.
“FINE!” I say, holding up both my hands so they won’t begin to argue. “We will do it Eion’s way, but it will have to be the ‘illusion of naked’ and we have to do it soon—tonight. I don’t want Casimir to get suspicious as to why I haven’t opened his gift. The sooner the better.” I’m running out of time. Reed said forty-eight hours and several of those hours are already gone.
“’Tis da plan den?” Brennus asks me for verification. I nod, feeling fear beginning to set in now that I have a course of action. I don’t know what makes me more terrified, failing or succeeding. Failing means Casimir survives to hunt my friends and me. Succeeding makes me a true killer. Once I cross the line into the realm of stalking my prey, I can’t go back. I will no longer be hiding. I will be hunting.
“Dere are a few hours of light left. We execute when darkness falls,” Brennus says, scanning our faces. His eyes remain on my face as the others get up from their seats. “Go and feed. We meet in da North Tower when ye are finished,” he says, watching
me as I remain where I’m seated.
“Aren’t you going with them?” I ask, feeling edgy. I rise from my seat and push it back in before heading for the door.
“Na now,” he says, smiling slowly and following me to the door. “Ye need a distraction. Ye are too tense. Ye will have ta relax or Casimir will sense dat dere is someting wrong. Yer body language will tell him all he wants ta know. Ye have ta make him trust dat ye do na know dat he is watching ye when ye open da portal.”
“How am I supposed to do that?” I ask as I turn to look at his face. Grinning at me, Brennus takes my hand in his, bringing it to his lips. I lean against the door to the Knight’s Bar biting my lip. I want to pull my hand back, but it will make him angry.
“I know several ways ta make ye feel very…” he kisses the palm of my hand, “very…” he kisses my wrist, “relaxed.” He says, kissing the sensitive skin at the crook of my elbow.
“Oh,” I breathe, feeling my body reacting to Brennus’ touch. “I had a soccer coach, growing up, who always said it was better to play with an edge,” I whisper. Brennus ignores my comment, pulling me into his arms and kissing me with just a whisper of a touch to my lips.
“Wait,” I murmur breathlessly against his mouth, trying to find a way to stop him from kissing me. “There is one thing that you promised me that you haven’t given me yet…” I pull back from his mouth and see his sexy smile, his eyebrow goes up like he is intrigued.
“Whah have I promised ye dat I have na given ta ye?” he asks, toying with a piece of my hair. I can feel the cool air between his body and mine, touching me like a caress.
“You haven’t shown me how to use the weapon you gave me,” I reply, referring to the axe he gave me in the archive.
He shakes his head and closes his eyes. His smile turns into a small grimace. “Ye want ta fight wi’ me now?” he asks, seeing me nodding my head with a devious smile.
“Yes, I need to break something and you look like a fragile, little flower—you smell like one, too” I add, sniffing the air around him teasingly, trying to find a way to redirect him. “Maybe I should get Finn to show me instead,” I say, raising my eyebrow to mirror his.
I feel energy in the room shift. It should have prepared me for the ring of thorny rose bushes that are magically growing out of the floor, encircling us. Startled, I move nearer to Brennus, hearing him chuckle as his arms go around my waist. “Even flowers can be deadly, mo chroí,” Brennus says, reaching over and plucking a deep red bloom from the foliage. Holding the flower to my cheek, he strokes the pedals over it sensually. “Tell me dat ye love me,” he says, allowing a thorn from the stem to trail threateningly, but not painfully, over my neck as he brings it lower.
“Why?” I ask, feeling restless and cornered, but underneath that, a thrill of danger courses through me like a drug.
“Because I want ta hear ye say it,” he replies, allowing the petals to trail a path over my clavicle. “I need it.”
“You don’t need anything, Brennus. You have proven that to everyone for centuries,” I reply, resisting his will, but there is something inside of me that wants to give in—to give him anything he wants. Everything he wants.
“Say it…” he whispers, leaning near my ear and causing my heart to contract.
“Brennus,” I sigh, trying to sound aloof, but feeling my heartbeat pounding in my chest.
“Why will ye na tell me?” he asks, his mouth inches from mine. “I know dat ye love me. I can feel it when ye look at me now. I can see how yer eyes follow me.”
“Maybe I’m making sure that the scary monster in the room isn’t in a bad mood,” I reply, taking the flower from his hand and touching the petals lightly with my fingertips.
“Ye lie. Why?” he asks, lifting my chin to look in my eyes.
“Go to the South Tower. The wans will line up to tell you how much they love you,” I say, surprised and disconcerted to hear jealousy in my tone.
“’Tis meaningless, Genevieve. Dat is intoxication and lust,” he explains with a darkness growing in his eyes. His thumb traces my jaw, but my jealousy has softened his eyes, making him look satisfied.
“I don’t want to love you,” I whisper honestly, pulling my chin back and looking down, seeing that I have crushed the silky petals in my hand.
“Dat does na change da fact dat ye do,” he replies with a sultry smile.
“How can I possibly describe what I feel for you, Brennus?” I ask, shaking my head and feeling the painful ache inside of me. “This isn’t like the love I have felt before. Whatever it is, it’s painful. If this is love, then I love you the way creatures like us ought to be loved—secretly and unwillingly, within the dark shadow between my heart and my soul.”
“’Tis how it starts, mo chroí. ’Twas like dat for me, in da caves,” Brennus replies, his arms encircling me again. “’Tis da kind of love ye want ta destroy, but it grows inta something much, much more powerful den ye can imagine, if ye let it.”
“I don’t want it to grow,” I reply, looking away from him again. “It will only bring me pain.”
“’Twill only if ye resist it,” he breathes against my cheek. “Let me teach ye about da pleasure within dat pain,” he says, stroking my arms. “Let me hear ye cry out jus for me.”
“Brennus,” I say exasperatedly, “I don’t want pleasure. I want to smash something,” I say, frustrated by the tumult of emotions within me. A shiver passes through me, fearing that I won’t be able to stop him if he wants to follow through with that thought.
“Ye have so much ta learn, ye have no idea,” Brennus groans. “Soon, I will show ye whah I’m saying.”
“Seeing is easier than saying?” I ask ruefully, looking up at him and trying to make light of it all.
“’Tis,” Brennus agrees with a reluctant smile. “I jus have ta keep in mind dat ye are an eternal being, so dere is time for all da tings I want ta teach ye.” I lower my eyes from his, trying not to let him see that he may not be right about that.
“There are some things that she doesn’t need to learn from ya,” Russell says, while strolling right through the rose bushes like a ghost. “Roses?” Russell scoffs. “Don’t ya think that’s a little cliché? She’s more of a Bird of Paradise—somethin’ exotic and unexpected.”
“Russell!” I gasp, feeling my face flush, while wondering how much of our conversation he overheard. I know I’m seeing his clone, but I can smell his clean scent and see his smart-ass smirk that I know is his “game face.” I want to run to him, but I know I can’t do that.
“If you want to teach her somethin’, you should take her to the South Tower. But, I can see why ya wouldn’t want her to learn ‘bout what goes on there, right?” Russell asks Brennus, but his eyes are on me. He is making sure that I’m okay and his concern for me is enough to shake me up a little. “You should see it, Red, it’s like a strip club without the money…oh, and of course, all the women are strung out and bleedin’.”
I feel myself go pale. Why do I keep forgetting that they kill people? I wonder to myself, feeling the line between right and wrong move again and distort.
“Da other. I knew dat I should have killed ye, but I tought maybe ye had more sense dan ye do,” Brennus says, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand, then he shrugs, like it’s of little consequence. “’Tis time I made ye a priority again. I should know better dan ta na follow tru wi’ da killing.”
“And I should’ve known better than to come here without an air freshener, but here we all are, together again,” Russell agrees, looking around at the interior of the Knight’s Bar and the beautiful rosette windows.
Brennus’ arms encircle me again, pulling me into his embrace. Nuzzling my neck, Brennus says to Russell, “Ye are na really here, are ye? If ye were, I doubt ye would be saying much right now and we both know dat. So, ye should tell her whahever ’tis ye came here ta say. We have plans dat do na include ye.”
“I’m here to see you, vampire,” Russell sneers, watching B
rennus’ fingers trace a line up my arm, caressing me and causing a shiver to pass through me at his cool touch. “Yer place in India has been infiltrated by the Fallen. That is where all y’all were headed next, right?” Russell asks rhetorically.
Brennus pauses, his eyebrows drawing together. “Why are ye telling me dis?” he asks, not letting me go, but no longer kissing my neck either.
“’Cuz ya have my girl,” Russell replies with his hands balled in fists while he watches Brennus touch me.
“She’s na yer girl,” Brennus says.
“Naw, she’s not yer girl, stalker,” Russell counters. “Yer a pretender. Ya pretend to be good—to be her family, but yer nothin’ more than a vampire and she needs to wake up and see that.” Turning to me, Russell barks, “Wake up, Red,” making me jump a little at the anger in his tone.
“She is awake. Whah do ye want from her? Ye want her ta kill herself for ye, is dat it?” Brennus counters, his fangs engaging as he lets go of me and walks with stealthy grace around Russell’s clone, looking for a way to hurt him. “She already tried dat, remember? Ye want ta see her die for ye? She can na stay wi’ ye. Ye will get her killed—or worse.”
“Naw, that’s what yer gonna do,” Russell replies. “The Fallen have been all ‘round this place, watchin’ all y’all.”
“Dat is na surprising. So, ye have been killing dem off for us?” Brennus stops circling Russell, coming to stand in front of him. “We’re able ta protect her from dem. We do na need ye ta do it for us.”
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