by Jen Katemi
“I want to find my siblings. Warn them, if I can.”
My brows lift. “All of them?”
That’s potentially a big damn job.
“Well, I don’t know exactly how many there are, but I guess Renna can advise us about that. At the very least, I’d like to meet Aleah to start with, and perhaps the SUDAP officer, Maewen, even though, to be honest, she seems quite fierce and scares me a little. I want to warn them about the queen. That bitch is crazy, Tarrien, and I think she was serious about the threat to drain them all. Will you...will you help me?”
“Of course. You’re stuck with me now, whether you like it or not, you know.”
She rubs her eyes as if exhausted, but her mouth lifts in another grin, and when she drops her hands and looks at me, I read so much in the depths of her beautiful green gaze. The promise of tomorrow—of a future filled with love—is there for my taking, if I’m game enough. Am I game enough? I have always prided myself on my brave, emotionless warrior heart, until I met Indie and realized my heart had hardly ever been in use at all.
“Maybe it’s the other way round,” she teases. “Maybe you’re now stuck with me. And Lola.”
“Good. I like Lola.”
“Just as well.”
The comment reminds me of something I should have told her earlier. “Um, so, Lola is here.”
“What do you mean here? In Faerie?”
“Yep. And luckily, she survived the transfer between realms.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” She punches me in the arm. “How could you risk her life like that? I told you not to—”
“I didn’t.”
“Oh. Well, who did?”
“Your mother. She showed up while you were still unconscious, with your cat under her arm.”
She flops back onto the pillows and rolls her eyes. “Of course, she did.”
“As much as Renna annoys me,” I admit, “I think she was trying to do something kind for you. So, please, don’t blame her too much.”
Indie sighs. “I won’t. As long as Lola’s okay.” She sits up again. “She is okay, right? Where is she?”
I nod. “She’s fine. I settled her with a fancy fish dinner in my kitchen. She was very relaxed, to be honest, and had a gentle purr going when I left her.”
“Okay, that’s good.”
She seems suddenly a little lost, and I reach out and take her hands in mine.
“You—and Lola, of course—never have to be alone again, if you don’t want to be, Indie. I will be by your side, forever, if you wish it. I will even leave Faerie and live permanently in the human realm, if that’s where you prefer to live.”
“But your job as a winter warrior...”
A chuckle escapes me. “It’s not a job. It’s who I am. I was born a winter warrior and that will never change, no matter where I live. The thing is, I don’t want to be apart from you, Indie. When I first met you, I was afraid. Afraid of emotion. Afraid that if I let you in to my heart, I would turn out like my father and destroy lives. Ruin my family and our reputation even further. But then I did get to know you, and somehow you crept in here anyway...”
I tap my chest, over my heart. “I finally learnt what it is to care for someone. To care for you. It is not anything to be afraid of. On the contrary. What happened to my father is down to who he is, not the fact that he happened to fall in love.”
Indie nods slowly. “We all make moral choices, and that is definitely down to who we are as people. Love is separate to that, and for those of us lucky enough to find love, we still have moral decisions to make. Believe me when I say you are nothing like your father, Tarrien.”
My breath catches in my throat and it is a moment before I can speak. “I hope not. I want to be, well, the best I can be. Not the worst. Like him.”
She wriggles one hand out of mine and raises it to cup my cheek. “You are the best version of you, Tarrien. As corny as that sounds. And I am beginning to care for you quite a lot. Quite intensely, in fact.”
Warmth rushes through me at her words. “You care for me, too?”
“Of course, I do. And, being completely honest here, I know what it’s like to be afraid of commitment.”
Her fingertips on my jawline are almost hypnotic. I hope she keeps that up for a while.
“I’ve always been alone,” she continues. “Even when I was young and being bandied about from one foster home to another. Especially when I left the foster system early, and joined the chorus in the theater group. I was only sixteen. Oh, I have friends. Good friends like Dreya, and my best friend Sienna, who died at the hands of an abomination—though I didn’t know that at the time. I am not alone anymore, not really. And yet, I have steered away from love and relationships, because I was always afraid that if I opened up my heart, no one would...stay.”
Renna. My mouth tightens. That woman has so much to answer for, when it comes to her children. How many other hybrids are out there, afraid to love because their mother birthed them and ran off without a second thought?
“I will never leave you.” I chuck her under the chin, lifting her face to mine. I hope she can read the sincerity in my gaze, because I have never been more serious about anything. “When I couldn’t sense you, Indie, and thought I’d lost you...”
I fold her into my embrace. She sighs and relaxes against me and I wonder at the perfect connection.
“I still don’t understand exactly what she wants with banshee hybrid blood,” Indie says, her voice slightly muffled against my chest.
“The queen? I assume it is something to do with wanting to be reinstated at Court,” I say. “Which will never happen while King Tryppton holds the throne. And given what has happened since her exile... what she and my...”
I stop and cough to clear the sudden lump in my throat. It’s still hard to verbalize my father’s role in so much devastation over so many years. How many innocent people have those abominations killed? Abominations that he created in his warped quest for the queen’s love.
“What she and my father have done,” I continue at last, “the only outcome for them both will be execution. No matter who holds the throne, and no matter how long she waits to enact her evil plan.”
Indie reaches out and threads her fingers through mine. “I am sorry, Tarrien. I wish it had not been your father.”
My laughter is brief. “As do I!” Suddenly my senses are on alert. Fae are approaching my suite. “Um, I suggest you get dressed quickly, Indie. We are about to have visitors. Including a royal one, if I’m not mistaken.”
“What?” She scrambles out of bed so fast she stumbles. I slide out from under the covers more gracefully and catch her elbow to stop her falling. “Is it...”
Looking at her wild eyes, I realize what she must be thinking. “No, no. It’s all good. It’s not Rhiannon. She cannot return here to Faerie, my love. Not without the permission of the king. You are safe, I promise you.”
“Then who—”
“Prince Rhodri, I believe. King Tryppton’s signature is slightly different to the one approaching.” I pause, and then add for clarification, “Rhodri is Rhiannon’s son.”
“Her son?”
“He’s a good man. We grew up together at Court. He supports his father’s position in the parental rift, believe me.”
She rushes around the room, searching in vain for something suitable to wear, but suddenly stops. “How on earth do you know he’s about to visit?”
“Well, we’re not on earth, as such, but let’s put that aside.”
She gapes at me, and I have to bite my cheek to stop from laughing. I had no idea that teasing someone could be so much fun. I wave my hand to draw some modern human clothing into the room and clutch my hands around the bundle.
“Royalty has a particular essence when moving through Faerie. It helps their subjects—such as myself—know when to expect a visit from their leaders.” I raise my face and sample the air. “And because I have been indebted to your mother for so long
, I am familiar with her unique essence, too. Better make haste, Indie. The prince is being accompanied by your mother. Rhodri and Renna will be here momentarily.”
“My mother? Oh, fuck,” she says. “I mean... oh, God. Fuck.”
She notices the bundle of clothes in my hand at that point. “Are they for me?”
When I hand them over, she holds them up and her eyes widen. Jeans, a white tee-shirt, and the low-heeled boots I saw in her wardrobe when I was last at her apartment.
“What is the matter?”
“You said...royalty. Will these be okay? And, um, underwear?”
“Calm down, Indie. Rhodri is very casual, for a fae royal. And to be honest, I rather like you just as you are. Very...enticing.”
Her gaze drops to my cock, which has hardened ever so slightly at the beautiful view of her nakedness. Will I ever be sated in this woman’s company? I doubt it. The thought gives me a burst of pleasure that is as unexpected as it is welcome.
“I do believe I guessed correctly in relation to sizing. I am good at that.”
“Hmm.” Her lips tighten but her eyes are laughing at me. “Just for that, forget the underwear. You can imagine my body, rubbing against the jeans fabric. You’ll probably see my nipples harden beneath the tee-shirt material, too, as I imagine your fingers, your lips, and your tongue teasing me into a state of full arousal.”
My breath hitches in my throat and my body responds far more quickly than it should, given our recent activity in my bed. My cock rises and the heat in my groin becomes heavy and intense.
“Well,” she says. “Let’s get dressed, shall we? Your prince, and my mother, will be here soon. Momentarily, I think you said?”
Heat flares in my cheeks. “Minx!”
We both rush to cover our nakedness, and we are only just clothed in time when a loud knock sounds at the door to my suite.
It opens before I can answer it, and Prince Rhodri strides into the room with Renna close behind on his heels. Thank the winter gods we are out of that bed, and fully clothed.
“Tarrien, I need you to...oh. I didn’t realize you had...company.”
Prince Rhodri stares at Indie with undisguised interest. Jealousy rears up in my chest and without thinking, I pull Indie into my side and rest my arm across her shoulders.
Mine.
One of Rhodri’s brows rises up, and then he seems to do a double-take, looking from Indie to Renna and back again.
“And you’re Renna’s daughter, I presume?” The prince clicks his heels together and bows slightly. He should look ridiculous, but instead, the action conveys elegance and grace. Indie seems impressed. I will have to practise that move, when I am on my own.
“One of them,” she answers, and his lips quirk.
“Your Royal Highness,” I say, nodding respectfully.
Indie glances up at me, and then back at the prince, before mimicking my respectful nod. She has probably never before met any fae royalty, given her life in the human realm. Rhiannon doesn’t count. She may have been royalty, once, but she gave up the right to call herself that, when she acted so heinously and was banished.
Renna stares at us both, open-mouthed. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen her speechless, and I enjoy the unusual spectacle for a few seconds before I return her stare with a narrow-eyed one of my own.
I dare you to make a snide comment about Indie and me.
She remains silent and eventually shuts her mouth. Her gaze turns speculative rather than annoyed, and my guard lowers a touch. I hadn’t realized I was so nervous about her response, until we were standing face to face like this.
I return my attention to the prince. He is similar in height and build to myself, though perhaps a touch taller. His eyes are a bright blue color, far warmer in tone than his mother’s. In looks, he favors his father, dark-haired rather than blonde like Rhiannon. His hair is usually tied back like mine, but today it is dishevelled, falling loose down over his shoulders.
“You’re the one they kidnapped?” He directs the question to Indie, and she nods.
“Yes. Um. Sir. My name is Indigo.” She flashes a glance at her mother, who smiles with what seems to be genuine liking for her daughter.
I really do not understand Lady Renna at all.
“She never gave up her real name,” Renna says to the prince. “I am very proud of her.”
I feel rather than see Indie’s surprised start.
“Thank you, Mother,” she says, and then adds, “I believe I also owe you thanks for locating me in the Badlands. Without your help...” She shudders briefly, and I tighten my hold.
Renna looks smug. “I know. Without my help you would be dead, and I would likely be singing in the deaths of many others. I did well, didn’t I?”
I roll my eyes. There’s the Renna I know.
Indie stifles a snort as the prince advances closer to us.
“Indigo, your bravery in not giving up your true name is noted and appreciated. Without it, we would all be in a whole world of trouble.” He scowls. “Thanks mostly to my mother.”
“You know?” I study Rhodri carefully, wondering if he feels the same as I do about Father. Betrayed. Full of disbelief and anger that has nowhere to go.
Rhodri’s fists clench at his sides. Yep, that’s exactly how I feel. Every time I consider my father’s actions in this matter, I want to punch the nearest wall.
“Most certainly, Tarrien. Your father and my mother...” He runs his hands through his hair, messing up the locks even further. “Gods, how did it come to this, man?”
He strides over to the chairs near the fireplace and flops down onto one of them. The rest of us trail over to stand nearby.
“We have to stop them,” he says. “And we have to do it before more people die.”
“Agreed, Your Highness,” I say.
“Oh, quit that. We played together as children, Tarrien. You know you can call me Rhodri.”
“Thank you, Rhodri.” I incline my head. “And you’re correct. We do need to stop them, before they cause more death and destruction. Renna, we were already planning to seek you out, so it is fortunate you accompanied Rhodri. Indie, why don’t you...”
I don’t want to speak for her. I suspect she would not like that.
“Mother, I would like your assistance to locate as many of my siblings as I can,” she says. “I want to warn them of the danger posed by the qu... I mean...” She swallows the word, obviously trying not to give offense.
“You mean, by the queen.” Rhodri sits forward, rubbing his face. “It is fine to say it. I am not a delicate flower and it is the truth, after all.”
“Well, yes,” Indie says. “By the queen. Or rather, ex-queen.”
Renna taps her chin. “I can certainly give you the details of your siblings, Indigo. I may not be the most maternal of creatures, but I do keep track of you all in my own way.”
“How many are there, Mother?” Indie asks, curiosity lacing her tone.
“Not counting the one in here,” she pats her belly and Indie cringes a little, “there are sixteen of you out there in the human realm.”
“Sixteen!” Indie shares a glance with me, rolling her eyes, and I bite the inside of my cheek to avoid laughter. It does not seem like the appropriate time.
“I have an idea.” I turn to Indie. “I haven’t run this past you, yet.”
She smiles and nods, as if to show that she is comfortable with anything I say. I want to hug her for the trust she is placing in me.
Instead, I pull the plastic and linen-wrapped medallion from an inside pocket of my shirt. “I grabbed this off one of the dead weres in the Badlands. I think these medallion necklaces might be how my father is piloting the loups. I know Indie’s sister Maewen—”
“Oh, little Maewen! I haven’t seen her for such a long time,” Renna says. “How is she doing?”
My brows come together as I glare at Renna. “She’s doing very well indeed, no thanks to you. She’s a police inspector in the S
upernatural Division of the Australian Federal Police. SUDAP, the organization is called, in the human realm. She’s one of their top investigators, actually. With quite a relentless reputation.”
Renna smiles just like a proud parent might.
I swallow back a derogatory retort and instead, keep my voice neutral. “She’s been following up leads in relation to the abominations, and has been studying one of these medallions in their lab back in Melbourne. I thought I would take this to her, and perhaps we can pool information with the humans on this.”
“Oh, no, that sounds dangerous for my children. I don’t think—” Renna begins, but Rhodri cuts across her.
“I think that is an excellent idea. And I will accompany you, Tarrien.”
“You, Your High...I mean, Rhodri? That will not be necessary. Indie and I can—”
“Indie and her mother can start contacting their hybrid family members, while you and I attend this...Maewen...in Melbourne.” Something in the prince’s voice says this is not negotiable. His next words confirm it. “So. It is decided. By royal decree, no less. We shall leave for the human realm in one hour, Tarrien. Be ready, my friend. We have work to do. People to find.”
Before I can respond, his face turns murderous and he adds, “And parents to kill.”
The End
I HOPE YOU ENJOYED this second instalment in the Blood Fae Chronicles. Read the conclusion to this paranormal romance trilogy in Banshee Power, featuring Maewen and Prince Rhodri’s story. Here’s a sneak peek...
Sneak peek – Banshee Power
Maewen
I’ve been staring at this damn enchanted medallion for so long, my eyes are getting blurry. The vamp police sergeant, Luc Durand, handed it over after the attack in Hatton Grove, and I’ve been studying it in my spare moments, trying to figure out how to unlock its secrets.
Definitely infused with necromancer magic. Our calibration meter—the only one of its kind in the world designed to identify magic trace—has ascertained that much. Beyond that little snippet, the medallion has frustratingly managed to keep its own mysteries undiscovered.
The design, though, matches what we found on the bracelet of a dead necromancer last week. The guy was discovered in a back alley in the city’s north, dead seemingly of a heart attack. The only reason my team was called in was because someone noticed the purple trace swirling around the bracelet. Eventually the piece of jewelry found its way here to the lab, and our trusty calibration meter ascertained it held the same trace as the medallion.