Blood Beyond Darkness

by Brown, Stacey Marie

  Thara stood devotedly by his side. She would never give up on him either. He might never see her the way she wanted, but she remained loyal and would always be there for him. I hoped one day he would notice her as a beautiful, strong woman, not merely a faithful soldier.

  I pulled my leather jacket around me tighter, the wind blowing my hair around my face. The chill crept into my bones.

  “Ember?” A crackled voice came from my hip. “You there?”

  I unclipped my walkie-talkie and brought it to my mouth. “Hey, Cole. What’s up?”

  “Actually, I was only checking in. Hadn’t heard from you in a while. I planned to send Cooper to track you down soon.”

  A soft smile came to my lips. Cole had become a lot more “parental” since the war. Losing so many members of his family in combat made him hold on tighter to the ones he still had. Funny, I had grown up till I was six with only one parent. Now I had too many to count. Cole and Lars were sometimes worse than my mother and father combined.

  “Is hunting for me actually what you should be assigning your Second to do?” I teased. “Think you guys have more important things to take care of.”

  “He requested it, especially if you were naked.”

  They were still the same bad biker boys, the same Riders of Darkness, but they worked with Lars now, exporting and importing items for the King. They were insanely busy. Lars was trying to get the world back on its feet—or onto new feet—starting with Seattle. Since the barrier had come down, things were a lot different, especially with testing new technology and structures able to withstand both Earth and Otherworld elements. The RODs were in demand more than they could handle. Cooper was now the Second and doing an exceptional job of it.

  A laugh propelled out of my chest. “Tell him if he can actually find me, I’ll get naked.”

  “Challenge accepted!” I heard Cooper holler from the background.

  “Think I’ll be getting in on that bet as well, darlin'. West’s voice spoke behind Cooper’s. West had healed on the outside, yet I heard he still had violent nightmares. It would take time, but I hoped he would eventually be all right.

  I shook my head, giggling harder. I missed them all so much. Even Gabby. After the horrific losses in our family, she and I came to an understanding. Dare I say, we even liked each other, though neither one of us would admit it out loud. She was someone who grew on you, got under your skin like a burr. Irritated like one, too. Still, I loved her. She was my sister for better or worse. I asked her once if anything happened with her and Alki, and she told me to mind my own business. Okay, it was more like “fuck off.” Anyway, I got the gist.

  I still didn’t know for sure what was going on between them, but it seemed awfully peculiar when Gabby left on a job for Lars, Alki went with them, acting as a liaison. I also noticed when Alki disappeared, doing his Demon thing, Gabby departed on some “personal” outing. It gave me warm fuzzies they found each other in the middle of such sadness.

  “We miss ya, darlin',” West spoke into the walkie-talkie. My heart ached hearing their voices. I needed to see them soon and to visit my mom and dad and my Demon family. My mouth constantly watered at the thought of Marguerite’s cooking.

  I will take one more assignment and head back there for a bit. I said the same thing to myself every time they called. I never did. It was difficult. The ranch felt different. Quiet. I had avoided going back for months.

  Lorcan and Dax hadn’t returned to the ranch to live but didn’t disappear like I thought. Cooper told me Lorcan visited Cole at least twice a week. A lot of tension remained between them, but the brother-pull was stronger. My feelings for Lorcan were mixed. He fought by our side, and an odd truce formed between us. It had been a while since I wished for his death, but it didn’t make us best buddies. He was another complex person who somehow worked his way into my life.

  Samantha’s death did not create any satisfaction. It did not bring Ian back. The only thing making me happy was I didn’t have to worry about her coming after me. Ever again.

  The loss of Josh was also hard to think about. At least I learned the truth before he died, and he knew he was loved. The sorrow of his demise was another matter I pushed deep down, locking the pain away for another day.

  The losses didn’t end there. We also lost Koke and Maya. I had never been close to either, but their deaths still affected us—more vacancies, less family, at the dinner table. Nic lost an eye in the war, but he assured me the whole pirate-thing worked even better for him. He would never change, and there was something comforting in that. He was in heaven in the new realm. When the world falls apart people need more ways to escape, and they don’t want to be alone. Nic was booked solid with lonely, scared women and men from sundown to sunup.

  Rez was even busier with Lars’ new affairs, managing and keeping everything running like a well-oiled machine. Lars could never do without her or Marguerite, at least professionally.

  Lars was now sole proprietor of the Sword of Nuada, the Sword of Light, like I had sworn. He told me he put it somewhere safe, where no one could find it. Although he never promised, he said I should not fear for Kennedy. He would never use it on her or to control her. I did love the man, but I’ve learned never to completely trust a Demon.

  The walkie-talkie crackled again, bringing my attention to the present. “Mark has been working nonstop in Owen’s lab. He’s fascinated by the Otherworld plants and their healing properties. He wants to see if he can create a tea or medicine to help people.”

  “Oh, jeez, do we have another Dr. Frankenstein on our hands?”

  Since the worlds were now meshed, Ryan and Mark were free. Lily and Mark settled back in Olympia on a piece of property which abutted the Dark Dweller’s ranch. Mark grew to respect Cole, and they became close friends. Mom would never be totally comfortable around the Dark Dwellers, but they were becoming used to each other’s presence. Mom treated them like family members you only tolerate because they’re family. They probably felt the same about her fox skulk which visited from Canada frequently.

  Mom and I talked on the walkie-talkie almost every other day. We would never be what we were before, but we also weren’t the same people. I had been a twelve-year-old human girl when she left. Now I was a powerful Dae who could live thousands of years. We were getting to know each other anew and redefining our relationship. Aisling was my biological mother, but Lily was my true mom. I would never forget what each one sacrificed to let me live. My moms were remarkable women.

  There was not one moment I doubted Aisling had come to me the day in the castle. Deep down, I somehow knew she would never come to me again, but she had been there for me when I needed her the most. I felt honored to be her daughter. She remained with me: in my personality, my looks, and even my tattoo.

  Ryan and Castien also moved to a cabin on my parent’s property. Ryan grew closer to Mark, and I think Ryan felt better knowing he was only a few steps away. For reasons of his own, Ryan never visited his family. He asked me to be sure they were all right, but he did not want to see them. I discovered they now lived in Texas near his father’s sister. I think being back with them meant Ryan would have to be the same boy who had disappeared. He thought his father would reject him again because he was even more one of “them”—a true fairy. He also would have to acknowledge the painful truth that Ian was truly dead. Ryan never talked about him and shut me down when I brought him up. Ryan’s pain remained too deep and raw when it came to his cousin. Ryan was secure in knowing his parents were safe, and he was happy in the life he chose. My parents became his parents.

  My gaze drifted around the vista in front of me. Ryan had always wanted to come to San Francisco, but it was no longer the city he had imagined. I grew up not too far away, in Monterey, another place Aneira destroyed. London and New York didn’t have a chance to recover before the full magic hit. With Lars’ and Kennedy’s help, Seattle now occupied the seat as the hub-city in the U.S.

  Standing there watching
the water, loneliness enfolded me. I shivered and wrapped my arms around myself. Cole spoke, bringing me out of my thoughts. “Yeah. Well, not many humans have taken the magic well. So many are dying or losing their minds. He wants to find a cure.”

  “He worked in forestry. He’s not a doctor.”

  “You tell him. He’s as stubborn as his daughter.” Cole chuckled and then cleared his throat. “He asked if I had talked to you today. Are you going to come home soon? He misses you.”

  I bit down on my lip, hesitating before I replied. “Soon. I promise.”

  Cole sighed. I could hear the frustration in his voice. Cole, Mark, and my mom had been trying to get me back there for months. Lars even tried “the Unseelie King demands your presence.” It didn’t work. Each time I answered the same. Soon. I promise. I hadn’t. “Okay. Be safe. We all miss you.”

  “You, too.” I clicked off the walkie-talkie, getting my words out fast before emotion cracked them into little pieces. This time I might actually keep my promise. Still, my job took precedence.

  Aneira was gone, but she still managed to get her wish. The worlds were one and everything was in havoc. Most humans were not accepting the Fae, and many were trying to kill them. Most Fae still believed humans were beneath them and felt they should either be eradicated or used as slaves. Narrow mindedness was definitely not solely a human quality. It was interesting how many people who hadn’t wanted a person to be in government because of his skin color, religion, or gender decided those things no longer mattered. Many bigoted people united with their old adversaries. The discrimination was no longer between humans but between the Human and Fae races. There was a strong Us versus Them mentality on both sides. It would take a long time for the world to find any sense of normalcy—if it ever did.

  The ocean crashed against the rocks below. I took in a deep breath, feeling the magic trickle down my throat. A small popping sound came from behind.

  “Fuck!” a voice exclaimed, layered with two other tiny voices.

  “I told you!”

  “Like he would listen to reason, Calvin.”

  I kept my focus straight ahead, a faint smile curving my lips. “Get lost again?”

  A grunt entered my ear as arms encircled my waist.

  “You could actually listen to the pixies, you know? They seem to understand the new door system.”

  “Thank you, my lady.” Simmons zipped around to face me. My heart still faltered when I recalled Simmons crushed into the stone beneath Aneira’s heavy foot. His nose healed but would be permanently crooked. His wings had been torn from his body and damaged beyond repair. His new mechanical wings hummed quietly behind him. The delicate, beautiful wings were goblin-made and extremely cool. He still struggled with landing, which had nothing to do with his new wings.

  “He’s actually more bullheaded than you, girlie.” Cal flew to my shoulder.

  My smile widened. “Don’t I know it.”

  Eli snorted, his chin coming down on my other shoulder. “You are all full of shit. Those stupid things have no rhyme or reason to them.”

  “Because you are too ornery to see the pattern ... or listen to anyone else.”

  Familiar hands grabbed my waist and whipped me around. Cal went sailing off, mumbling something under his breath. My boys, even though they liked each other, would never acknowledge it. We had become a strange dysfunctional family. And I loved it.

  “This coming from the authority of listening and obeying others?” Eli’s eyebrows arched.

  I lifted my hand and traced the new scar cutting through his skin. The law of the Dark Dwellers: if one were to become Second while the Second still lived, there must be a fight for power. Cooper didn’t have to kill Eli, but he had to win fair and square for the authority of a Second to be transferred. Eli fought, but I could tell he held back. He would purposely step into a hit instead of away. It had been brutal to watch.

  But I could take anything after almost losing him again. Getting his ass purposely kicked was nothing compared to seeing his corpse on the castle’s floor. The moment Aneira died, so had her magic, breaking all curses she put on me. It also meant the one linked to Eli through me. When I went to his side, after Kennedy decapitated her, I heard his heart beating. It thudded slowly and was almost nonexistent, but enough for me to pour everything I had of my life source into him. The powers Aneira stole were fully charged and ready to be let out. They gave all they could to bring Eli back.

  And his response after filling him with everything I had? “What did I tell you, Brycin, about how I wanna go out?” he whispered hoarsely.

  I leaned into him with a grin dancing on my lips. “Think we would be venturing into Necrophilia territory.”

  “You like it kinky.”

  “I also like them with a little more fight in ‘em.”

  “Good thing.” His lips devoured mine.

  After his “death” there had been no question we would ever be separated. Where one of us went, the other followed. We sometimes had to “divide and conquer” for a job, but we tried not to go more than a couple of days without seeing each other. The Dark Dweller in me hated when my “partner” was too far away. So much togetherness was something new for me to deal with. I’d always been extremely independent, still am, but when we hit more than four days, a physical pain twitched my muscles and skin, forcing me to go find him. The connection had been quietly there for a while, but the moment he came back to life, and we looked at each other, every cell in us laid claim to the other. In Dark Dweller terms, we had officially claimed “mate” on the other. I still hated the word, my independent streak being too strong. Eli was the only one in the world who could have so much of me.

  The ranch unsettled him, too. I was having a hard time going back, but Eli avoided it at all costs. One day he would have to reconcile with the empty spots Owen and Jared left. But till then, like me, he focused on the work.

  We were now bounty hunters. Our mission was to keep the problems of the new world as controlled as possible, to keep human and Fae rebels from inciting a revolution.

  With the world so topsy-turvy, I needed to be there for Kennedy in any way I could. It felt as if my destiny linked itself to helping the Queen and thankfully not being one. I wanted to help create our new world and be in the middle of it all. Hands on and getting dirty. The person who could sympathize and protect both humans and Fae. My fate had always been about bringing the different worlds and people together. Now the work was on a much larger scale. I was always supposed to lead and protect but not by being the Seelie Queen.

  We were more like sheriffs in the new Wild West. We needed to gain some kind of order in a crazy world by enforcing laws. Eli and I were the ones to bring in anyone not wanting to follow these new regulations. Believe me. The irony of us being the ones to bring in rebels was not lost on either of us.

  When Eli wanted to leave the RODs, Lars suggested Eli and me would be good bounty hunters, pursuing the Fae and humans who were killing each other or trying to start a revolt. We had tracked down many who were using the destruction to their advantage, both Fae and human. Right now, Faes seemed to be our main bread and butter. We had caught over ninety outlaws in four months. Sadly, the total didn’t even create a dent in how many were out there. The number was infinite. And our biggest threats, the Strighoul, were like the mafia. We knew they were there, but we couldn’t get to them. They moved in large packs and used the powers of the Fae they consumed to gain more power and slaves to work for them. We would eventually go after them, but right now we hunted the smaller groups before they got out of control.

  My hands dropped to Eli’s jaw, his facial hair bristling under my fingertips. “So did you get the new assignment from Kennedy?” I asked.

  He focused entirely on my mouth as he nodded. “A lich.”

  “A what?”

  He shook his head and grinned. “I forget how little you still know. A lich. It’s basically a scary looking skeleton thing with the power to raise the dead
.”

  “Like a necromancer?”

  “Kind of. Unlike a necromancer, a lich is ‘dead’ already and can only work at night. Our new target is trying to form a little gang for himself by utilizing some of his dead buddies from the graveyard. Then he’s having them attack humans.” He moved closer, his attention still on my lips.

  “Where?” I breathed in, leaning into him.

  “Portugal.”

  I quickly estimated the time difference in my head. “It’s several hours before their night.”

  “Plenty of time.” He picked me up, and my legs wrapped around his waist. “And look. No one’s around.”

  “We are here.” Simmons’ artificial wings buzzed near my ear.

  “Do you hear anything?” Eli grinned, his lips moving against mine.

  “Buzzing from a flying fan?” I smiled.

  “Oh, nice.” Simmons threw up his hands, which only made Eli and me chuckle. “What did Sir West call them, Cal? Nerfos?

  “Nym-com-poops.” Cal overlapped his arms with a huff.

  I exhaled choppily, trying not to laugh. “The word is nymphos.”

  “And, Barbies, if you don’t leave soon, you are going to see an example of what that means. And another preview of my bare ass.” Eli nuzzled into my ear.

  “Noooo! The trauma I had to endure last time.” Cal hid his face in the crook of his elbow.

  “If you guys head to Portugal first and stake out the lich, I will guarantee our tub will be filled with juniper juice.” My eyes never left Eli’s as I spoke.

  “Auf wiedersehen!” Cal waved, already heading for the pocket of magic. “Come on, Simmons.”

  “That’s German,” I called out over Eli’s shoulder.

  “Then, au revoir!” Cal saluted me before disappearing through the door.

  “That’s ...” I sighed. “French.”

  “I will be sure he gets to the right country, my lady.” Simmons gave me a quick bow and headed after Cal.

  “Thank you, Simmons.”