Till Demon Do Us Part (Paranormal Wedding Planners Book 6)

by Jones, AE

  “You don’t have to do anything at the moment.” Darcinda sat next to her. “For now, just take a breath and let it go. What if I get Andrew? He can come sit in here with you. Would you like that?”

  “I would.” She brushed the tears off her cheeks. “How can he still want me here?”

  “He loves you. If he’s anything like his uncle, he’s stubborn and loyal. You’re not going to get rid of him anytime soon.”

  Hope bloomed on her face. “How do you know?”

  “Because he’s outside the door pacing, worried about you. He sent me in here to check on you.”

  She nodded, and Darcinda got up and opened the door. “Andrew?”

  He appeared in the doorway in a matter of seconds.

  Selina opened her arms, and he rushed over and crushed her to him.

  Darcinda backed out and shut the door, then walked down the hall into the guest room she’d been using, where she spent a few minutes checking the ingredients in her healer bag. If push came to shove, she didn’t know if she could create a spell powerful enough to keep the demon king out. The spell she used downstairs would slow him down, but she didn’t know for how long.

  Selina’s insistence that her father wouldn’t do this rang in her ears, but she didn’t have another explanation for what happened. Why had he simply left and not attacked them?

  Connor called out to her, and she headed downstairs to find the twins looking out the window.

  “What’s up?”

  “Charlie and Tim are back from the village. Can you let them in?”

  She nodded and opened the door before chanting and beckoning for them to step inside. She closed the door and recited the spell again.

  “What the hell is going on?” Charlie asked.

  They quickly filled Charlie and Tim in on recent events.

  “Where’s Devin?” Tim asked.

  “He’s with the Tribunal working on a plan. He was meeting with them when we called and told them what happened,” Jack said.

  “Don’t know how the plan can be anything but going after the demon king,” Connor said.

  Tim shook his head. “Except, he’s the demon king. It’s not like we can go knock on the castle door and tell him he’s under arrest.”

  “Tim’s right. You can’t underestimate his power,” McHenry said as he strode into the room.

  “Well, we can’t just sit around here doing nothing,” Connor argued.

  Jack held up his hand. “Let’s table this for now. Devin’s calling.” He clicked on the speaker. “Hey, Devin. We’re all here.”

  “What did the Tribunal say?” Charlie asked.

  “I’m at the castle with a team of Tribunal guards. We asked to speak with the king and they’re telling us he isn’t here.”

  “And you believe them?” Connor asked.

  “Not much else to do at this time. We can’t exactly storm the castle. The last thing we need to do is to piss off the demon nation right now.”

  “He knows we’ll go after him. He probably won’t go back to the castle right now,” Jack said.

  “So we need to figure out where he could be hiding,” Charlie said.

  “And do what, exactly? He’s incredibly powerful. Who’s goin’ to face him?” McHenry asked.

  “No one person will face him. That’s why we work as a team,” Devin said. “I’ll be back at the Burrow in the morning. Hopefully we’ll find him before then. If not, we’ll discuss next steps.”

  Darcinda looked around the room at the tense faces. But her heartbeat didn’t pick up speed until she came to McHenry. There was a determination in his expression that scared her. He was planning something. She could feel it down to her faerie bones. And since McHenry wasn’t a team player, whatever he had planned, the team wasn’t going to like it. And neither would she.

  They would have to convince him to listen—who was she kidding? Could this stubborn demon be convinced of anything? If the team couldn’t do it, she would damn well try…or she would bespell his stubborn ass if it came right down to it.

  I’ll get you, my pretty.

  Chapter 11

  McHenry was starting to feel twitchy. And he hated feeling twitchy.

  He hadn’t slept much at all because he kept expecting Roderick to show up again. Devin arrived first thing this morning with a serious expression that had to mean he didn’t have good news.

  Devin suggested they all take a seat at the kitchen table, and Andrew and Jamie sat along with the team. Devin pulled out a chair for Darcinda before standing at the end of the table. McHenry sat as well, even though what he wanted to do was pace.

  “Where’s Selina?” Darcinda asked.

  “Still sleeping. I didn’t want to wake her,” Andrew said.

  “We need to talk through some things,” Devin said, jumping right in.

  “You haven’t found him, have you?” McHenry asked.

  “No. There’s a warrant for his arrest, but he hasn’t been found yet. The Tribunal is informing the other leaders of what happened in the event the king shows up in their territories. Since we don’t know when he’ll be found, we also need to figure out how to protect everyone.”

  “You can’t stay here forever,” McHenry said.

  “I agree,” Devin said. “I think we should put you under protective custody.”

  Hells. “No.”

  “McHenry. We need to put you and your family somewhere safe.”

  “I’m not leavin’.”

  “You’re not making any sense right now,” Charlie said.

  Even if he could explain, they would never understand. His eyes narrowed. “Take Selina, Andrew, and Jamie somewhere safe. I’ll be fine here on my own.”

  “No way,” Andrew said. “I’m not leaving you here by yourself.”

  Jamie crossed his arms. “Me either.”

  McHenry stood from his seat. “You will leave with them if I say so.”

  Andrew stood and leaned toward his uncle. “We aren’t kids anymore. You can’t make us leave. And we sure as hell aren’t leaving you here alone.”

  “Stop!”

  They turned toward Selina, who stood in the doorway, fists clenched at her sides. “Don’t fight because of me.”

  Andrew stepped toward her. “This isn’t your fault.”

  She held up her hand, stopping him. “If I wasn’t here, you would all be safe. I’ll go back to the castle. My father would never hurt me.”

  “Your father isn’t at the castle,” Darcinda said. “They can’t find him right now.”

  “And we have another problem,” Devin said. “When we went to the castle yesterday, we were informed that William Cambridge has declared himself the new demon king.”

  “Damn. He didn’t waste any time. Can he do that?” Charlie asked.

  Connor shrugged. “Who’s going to stop him with the real king missing?”

  Selina’s face lost all its color, and Andrew put his arm around her shoulders.

  “Do you know Cambridge?” Darcinda asked her.

  “He’s the council leader. Dad doesn’t trust him, but he comes from a royal family, so he couldn’t just kick him off the council.”

  “And what do you think of him?” Devin asked.

  She hesitated for a moment. “There’s something not right about him. He scares me. Dad made sure we were never alone together.”

  “Then you’re not safe goin’ home,” McHenry said.

  “It’s not home anyway if Dad’s not there.” Her eyes brimmed with tears. The king had at least one person on his side.

  McHenry crossed his arms. “We can’t stay in this house forever. I’ll go outside, and if he comes for me, then so be it.”

  Darcinda huffed. Actually huffed at him. “What is it with this martyr complex of yours?”

  He turned and scowled at her. His most intimidating glare. She of course didn’t blink an eye. “I’m tryin’ to resolve this. Hidin’ out is not the answer. The king and I need to finish this.”

  Selin
a let out a small cry before running from the room.

  Andrew started to follow, and Darcinda held up her hand. “Let me talk to her.” She glared in McHenry’s direction before heading out of the room.

  What was it about that faerie that tied his stomach in knots?

  * * *

  Darcinda walked to the front of the house, cringing when she saw the front door was open. Apparently Selina didn’t want to stay in the house either. Darcinda headed outside and found the young woman on the porch.

  “Are you okay?”

  Selina shook her head. “I needed some air. It was getting hard to breathe in there.”

  “An overabundance of testosterone can do that.”

  Selina’s mouth quirked up slightly. “You’re right.”

  “They’re worried, and when that happens, overprotectiveness kicks in.”

  “McHenry has every right to protect his family. I don’t know why he hasn’t kicked me out.”

  Because he’s an honorable male. Pigheaded, but honorable. She couldn’t fault him for that. “He’s a good male.”

  Selina’s face crumpled. “So is my father. I don’t understand why he ran, and why Cambridge has taken over. My father isn’t dead. How can he do that?”

  “If the Demon Council wanted to name an interim leader, shouldn’t it be you?”

  “Probably. But I’m not there to speak up and defend my father. I can’t believe they’re already naming a successor. It only happened yesterday, and he hasn’t been tried yet. They’re nothing but a bunch of backstabbers.”

  “Once we find your father, we can deal with all of this.”

  Selina nodded. “He can explain everything.”

  Darcinda looked into her tearstained eyes. “Do you think your father is innocent?”

  “I have to. He’s been nothing but kind to me my whole life. Strict, but kind. He could have handed me off to a nanny, but instead he raised me after my mother died.” She stepped off the porch. “He has never hurt someone like this before.”

  Darcinda followed her into the courtyard, looking around as the hairs on the back of her neck prickled to life. “I think we should stay close to the house.”

  Selina kept walking as if she hadn’t heard. “I’ll go stay with my aunt. Then you don’t need to worry about me.”

  Darcinda ran after her. “Wait, Selina!”

  Electricity surged, and Darcinda’s stomach twisted like the air around them.

  The king appeared in front of them. “Do not touch her, faerie.”

  Selina gasped.

  He held out his hand. “Come on, Selina. We need to go.”

  “Go where? Why are you doing this, Dad? Tell them you didn’t do this.”

  “I don’t have time to explain. We have to go now.”

  Selina shook her head, and Darcinda stepped in front of her just as the demon king raised his hand and chanted something.

  She tried to block the spell, but heat still surged through her quickly before sputtering out. Had she blocked it in time? A roar sounded to her right. McHenry ran full-bore and tackled the demon king to the ground.

  They grappled for a few moments before McHenry punched him in the face and the king fell back, stunned.

  The twins wrenched McHenry off the other male as Charlie and Devin grabbed the king.

  Tim was suddenly in front of her. “Are you okay?”

  Darcinda nodded.

  Tim frowned. “Can you talk?”

  She cleared her throat. “Yeah. I’m fine.” At least she hoped she was, but there were more important things going on right now.

  Andrew pulled Selina into his embrace, tucking her head against his shoulder.

  The king continued to look at his daughter for a drawn-out moment before Jamie ran up with a pair of handcuffs.

  “You’re under arrest,” Devin said.

  “These must be your famous power-dampening cuffs, McHenry. I’m sure you would love to put a pair on me.”

  “You don’t know me,” McHenry growled as Connor and Jack held him back.

  “Nor you, me.” He looked at his daughter. “Selina, you should return to the castle. It will be safer for you there. The guards will protect you.”

  “The Council has put Cambridge in charge,” Selina said.

  The king’s eyes flared.

  McHenry nodded, and the twins let him go. “She’ll be safer here. You have my oath. And I keep my promises.”

  Again with the staredown for a few drawn-out moments before the king nodded.

  McHenry turned to his nephew. “Andrew, take Selina into the house.”

  His nephew nodded before half carrying the sobbing girl inside.

  Connor took the cuffs and walked slowly up to the king, who held out his arms, letting him lock the cuffs on with a definitive clank that seemed to reverberate through the courtyard and forest behind them.

  Devin stood in front of him and read him his rights under the Tribunal, then continued. “Since you would be placed in a vulnerable position if you were held in another supernatural leader’s control, until your verdict, you may choose where you want to be kept and your trial held.”

  The king looked up from the cuffs shackling his wrists. “I think here is as good a place as any.”

  McHenry cursed. “Don’t I have a choice in this?”

  “Unfortunately, no,” Charlie said.

  “Is there a place nearby that can serve as a cell?” Jack asked.

  “There’s a back room in the workshop that we use to lock up precious metals. We can put him there for now.”

  Darcinda watched Jamie lead the twins and the demon king into the workshop.

  “Tim, grab the phone and let’s call the Tribunal to tell them what happened,” Devin said before he and Tim walked toward the house.

  A burly, plaid-covered chest blocked her view.

  “Did he hurt you?” the burly chest asked.

  She looked up into McHenry’s copper eyes. Were they tight from anger…or worry?

  “I’m fine. But you have a cut on your face.”

  “You don’t need to worry about me.”

  “Sure I do. Healer’s prerogative, remember? Let me check.”

  She raised her hands to check him, but he grasped them before she could use her healing senses. “Are you sure you’re okay, lass?”

  His hands enveloped hers, but he held them gently. Her heart sped up.

  “Yes. Now let me help you.”

  He held her hands for a moment longer before he let her go, and she lifted her hands in front of his face.

  She blinked and concentrated. Nothing. Her breath fought for room in her chest. She couldn’t sense anything. What was wrong with her healing senses?

  She tried again, but nothing came to her. Charlie joined them.

  McHenry looked down at her. “You’re takin’ a long time. Are you going to tell me you don’t sense anything but a vast, empty space up there?”

  Charlie chuckled and she dropped her hands and smiled, even though fear tightened around her spinal cord.

  “I wouldn’t do that to you. You’re fine. I think Charlie can clean it up and slap a bandage on you.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” Charlie said. “My medic bag’s inside. Let’s go in.”

  “Are you comin’ with us?” McHenry asked.

  “No. I’m going to stay outside for a bit.”

  For a moment she worried he would argue with her. Instead he nodded and he and Charlie went into the house.

  Darcinda squeezed her hands together before looking down at them. Nothing. She walked over to the workshop.

  Jack stood inside with Jamie, who was pointing out things to him in the shop.

  “Is Connor guarding the king?” Darcinda asked.

  “Yes.”

  “I want to check him to see if he was hurt.”

  Jack shook his head. “Not a good idea.”

  No it wasn’t, but she needed to see him. “I don’t want him to claim he wasn’t treated well. The la
st thing we need is to have him attempt to have his case declared a mistrial.”

  Jack frowned.

  “He’s got the dampening cuffs on, doesn’t he?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then he can’t hurt me.”

  Connor walked in through a back door. “What’s going on?”

  Jack brought him up to speed, and now both twins were frowning at her.

  “Don’t make me pull rank on you. As a healer, I can order you to let me see him.”

  Connor’s frown turned into a smirk. “You wouldn’t.”

  “I don’t think I need to, since you both have enough sense to let me check him over.”

  Jack shook his head before he headed toward the back.

  Whew. It had worked. But now what? It wasn’t like he was going to let her be alone with the king, and even if he stood outside the door, his wolf hearing would pick up everything she said. She wasn’t thinking clearly.

  But she couldn’t tell them something was wrong.

  Because if she said it out loud, that made it real.

  Because she wanted to know what the demon king had done to her. And because being powerless wasn’t an option for a faerie. She needed to keep it together until she spoke to the king.

  “What the hells is goin’ on?” a voice growled behind her.

  Damn. So much for keeping it together. She turned to find McHenry with a white bandage on his temple and a glower on his face.

  “I’m going to check to make sure he’s okay.”

  He stepped toward her. “Why would you go anywhere near him? He just tried to attack you.”

  She sucked in a deep breath and watched his face soften the longer he looked at her.

  “What’s wrong? What aren’t you tellin’ us?”

  She swallowed. Fates. She couldn’t talk to the king now. Not if she didn’t tell them the truth.

  “Lass…”

  Damn the tone of his voice and those copper eyes.

  “I…can’t feel my powers right now. He hit me with some kind of spell—”

  She didn’t finish her sentence, since McHenry just shoved Jack out of the way and wrenched open the door.

  He grabbed the demon king by the shirt and slammed him against the wall.

  “What did you do to her?”