by Amber Flora
Then I thought about Mac, always defending me even if it was from myself. I thought about his tough exterior and how he appeared to have it all together on the outside but was loving and charming on the inside and just wanted to be accepted. He would have died for me and asked for nothing in return.
“You don’t know, do you?” Herrick commented, pulling me from my thoughts.
“It’s complicated,” I huffed, seriously regretting making that bargain.
“Enlighten me. I’m smarter than I look.”
I didn’t even think I could put my thoughts into words. I had yet to sort out my thoughts in my head. How could I articulate them?
“I miss all of them. My best friend Lori, Cody and Mac. They are all an intricate part of my life now.”
I held back the tears that wanted to fall again. I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of actually seeing my pain, it was bad enough he could feel it.
“So there isn’t a particular soul you long for?”
I rubbed my temples, attempting to push back the headache that was forming.
“I don’t expect you to understand, but love can’t be categorized so easily. When I close my eyes, not just one face comes to my mind but all of them. Everyone I care for and desire to see again.”
He nodded as if approving of my answer.
“Why do you care so much about who I long for anyway?”
“Curiosity. I have felt your strong feelings whenever you think about them, but I couldn’t figure out who occupied your thoughts the most. It piqued my interest.”
Nice to know my feelings were nothing more than mere curiosity.
“Are we done here? May I leave now?”
I didn’t want to play twenty questions anymore. I was tired and quite honestly Herrick was diving into parts of mind I didn’t want anyone fishing around in.
“One more thing and then you may go.”
“Go ahead, out with it.”
“I suggest you do not let on that you know my true reason for being here. It would not go well for either of us. As for Grison. Damon intends on dealing with him once he is no longer useful.”
“Damon’s planning on killing him?”
“That is typically how he handles people who have betrayed him.”
I knew Damon was capable of ruthless acts, but I didn’t think he would go as far to kill his friend, the one person who knew his secret. Grison was the only Credo member who knew Damon was an impure, and as far as I was aware the only one besides me who knew he had no intentions of freeing Ser’ie. Did that make Grison more dangerous? Was Damon killing him to protect himself or me?
“I can’t let him do that,” I said, trying to keep my feelings in check.
“You do not wish Grison dead?”
“Oh, I do, but I want to be the one to kill him.”
I snuck downstairs hoping to creep into the kitchen and steal a drink before going to bed. I was exhausted not only from the workout but from my very enlightening conversation with Herrick. When I neared the doorway I heard Damon call out to me from the study. I don’t know why I expected to be able to get through one day without having to see his disturbing face.
“Ashtyn, my dear, could you come here?”
I slowly backed up and headed in his direction. Could he have discovered my conversation with Herrick? Maybe Damon had told Herrick to reveal his secret to me so he could gauge my reaction. I wouldn’t put it past the sly bastard.
As I entered the study I saw Damon sitting behind his desk. Herrick sat opposite. Well this doesn't look good.
“What’s up?” I was relieved to hear my voice didn’t portray my fear.
I saw Herrick smile out of the corner of my eye, which only made me more nervous.
“It has come to my attention that I have been neglecting your needs. I wish to rectify that.”
“Come again?” Now I was seriously confused. Anytime Damon sounded like an actual human being it put me on edge.
“Herrick explained to me that you hinted you were lonely and felt confined.”
I shot a glance to the vibrant before returning my attention to Damon.
“I did huh? Well that's news to me.” Slimy slug, what game was he playing now?
“No need to be shy about it, my dear. This is your home now too. I do not want you to feel like an outsider.”
What was I supposed to say to that? He knew I didn’t want to be there. He could swing it any way he wanted, but the cold hard fact was I was his prisoner, nothing more.
“Does this mean my name’s being added to the lease?”
“Well we would but your credit score is atrocious,” Herrick joked.
I hated his snarky remarks, mostly because they matched my own.
“We will be having a party in your honor. This will not only represent our upcoming union but it will allow you to socialize and perhaps make a few friends.”
My jaw dropped open. Did Herrick drug him? Was Damon high on something?
“You want to have a party? With people other than you and Grison in attendance?”
I heard Herrick snort, but I didn’t turn my head to look at him.
“Well it will be more of a ball but yes, with many people and dancing.”
“Great, sign me up.”
Spending one minute in the presence of company other than Damon would be like Christmas Day.
“Excellent, I will get the details in order. How does next week sound?”
“My schedule is wide open.”
I smiled with an undertone of disdain.
Damon sensed the underlying meaning and smirked.
“That will be all, Ashtyn. Go to bed.”
On cue I nodded and strode out of the room. I was excited and thoroughly confused.
“Do you honestly think this will help?” Damon asked, cutting off the end of his cigar and turning to Herrick.
“She only sees you as a dictator, someone controlling her every move. If you want her to see you in a different light, then a party is just what you need. Ashtyn wants nothing more than to feel safe. Before you took her she surrounded herself with people who would die to protect her. You think she will ever come to love you if all she does is fear you?”
“Having a party makes us vulnerable. We will be advertising our location. Anyone could launch an attack against us.”
Herrick sat back in his chair resting his arms behind his head.
“You have the entire Credo army behind you. If anyone does attack, which isn’t likely, you are more than capable of fending them off. It would be better for you if someone did. When she sees you can protect her it will make her more loyal toward you. If you really want to win her over, invite one of her friends. Not Cody or Mac of course but someone who poses no threat. Let them see she is safe. Make her believe you cared enough to give her an ally. It’s a win-win.”
Damon smiled as he thought about Herrick’s plan. He wanted Ashtyn to care for him, not just because she would have to share her bed with him but because he wanted a partner, someone who would stand by his side no matter what. Who better than the mother of his child?
“I knew there was a reason I liked you.”
Herrick sat up and leaned toward Damon.
“You don’t like anyone, Damon — most of all me. You hate me because you know I could kill you at any moment. I’m the one person your magic doesn’t work on and it drives you crazy. I helped you come up with a plan to win your dear Ashtyn’s affection, now return the favor and give me what I asked for.”
“Very well, but I’m curious as to why you wish to find her. You’re a vibrant. It’s not as though you wish to rekindle some kind of relationship.”
“I have my reasons.”
Chapter 6
Mac lingered at the kitchen counter staring at his breakfast. What was the point of pretending? He didn’t have an appetite. He forced himself to eat just enough to maintain his strength. He thought about Ashtyn and her notorious table manners. They were the one thing about her tha
t was unflattering, which is why he found it so cute. Watching that girl devour a steak was like watching animals attack on the Discovery Channel. He liked that she had a flaw. She was too perfect otherwise, with her porcelain skin, chestnut hair and those beautiful eyes that he constantly caught himself getting lost in. Jaysus, he missed her. It made his heart ache to imagine the conditions in which she living. He just prayed that she didn’t honestly believe that she had been abandoned. Surely she had to know better; even though they only spent a couple of months together he would never give up on her. There wasn’t a chance in hell he would leave her alone with Damon and whatever he had planned for her. He thought about Algon’s new rescue plan. It was simple enough: Conjure enough magic to bring Ashtyn into his dream and gather information to execute her extraction. Except too much could go wrong. What if Algon and Victoria weren’t strong enough to produce that kind of magic? Or worse, what if they made it in but Damon was waiting for them instead of Ashtyn? Then there was the offbeat idea to persuade a man they had never met to switch sides and risk his own life in an attempt to break her out. How could someone have an appetite under the current circumstances? Mac gave up on nourishment and headed for the gym. A punching bag had to be better therapy than stuffing his face.
“What did that punching bag do to you?” a soft playful voice said from behind him.
Mac turned around to see Lori standing by the door. Lori was Ashtyn’s very beautiful and very human friend. Ashtyn hadn’t wanted to tell Lori the truth about her little family secret. She feared Lori might throw her in an insane asylum if she spouted stories about dreamwalkers, wizards and her immortal priestess mother — it was a legitimate fear. Ashtyn and Lori had grown up together. Lori supposedly knew everything there was to know about her, but when Cody and Mac showed up and turned Ashtyn's life upside down she felt it wasn’t the time to reveal that humans weren't alone in the universe. All that changed when Damon kidnapped her. Lori showed up at Mac’s apartment a couple days after his return home ready to string him up if he didn’t tell her where Ashtyn was. He tried to calm her, to give her some crazy story about Ashtyn taking a sabbatical and dropping off the grid for a while, but that only raised more speculations that something bad had happened to her friend. So Mac did the one thing he thought he would never do: He told the truth. It took some convincing and a few slaps to the face, but after a couple hours and a lot of talking she finally came around. He knew Ashtyn would be furious with him for divulging her secret, but Lori had a right to know. She was the closest thing Ashtyn had to a family, if things did take a turn for the worse he wouldn’t let Lori go the rest of her life wondering what happened to her friend.
“Ah, lass, a man never needs a reason to hit something.”
“How very … barbaric of you.”
Mac quit violating the bag and began taking off his gloves.
“Studies show women tend to gravitate to the most dominant male.”
Lori put her finger on her chin, tapping it lightly. “Hmm, I think you might be right. Speaking of Cody ...”
“Ouch, and here I thought there was something between us,” Mac put his hand to his heart as if he were deeply offended.
Lori strode over toward Mac, placing her hands on her hips. He caught himself thinking that if fairies were real Lori would definitely be one of them with her short, bobbed blonde hair; long thin legs; and cute little freckles splattered on her tanned skin.
“I haven’t heard from you in days,” she scolded.
“Sorry, lass, I’m not in the habit of having a woman keep tabs on me.”
He thought Ashtyn was difficult, but Lori had her beat tenfold. The girl was just a human; she had no special abilities. She was susceptible to all of the horrible human afflictions yet she showed no fear. As soon as she learned the truth about Ashtyn, she made it her mission to do anything necessary to save her friend. He really was impressed with the little fairy.
“I couldn’t care less what you do with your free time, Irish. Tell me about my friend.”
“You’re not in the position to be barking demands at me, freckles.”
Lori bent down to where Mac sat to look him in the eyes.
“You do not want to underestimate me, Mac Donagh. If you have any new information I want the details.”
“Lay off, I’m not having the grandest of days and your yammering isn’t helping.”
He didn't know why he was being so hostile toward her. He actually liked Lori. The girl had spunk and she didn’t frighten easily.
“Why, did something happen? Is Ashtyn all right?”
Mac stood up and began pacing the floor. “Aye, we have a plan.”
Why couldn’t she let it go? The last thing he wanted was to give her false hope. He had no idea if their half-baked plan would work. How would Lori handle it if they didn’t succeed? He didn’t want to see the look of pure disappointment on her face when he told her they had failed.
“That’s great news! What is it?”
“We have a small chance of Algon getting a message to Ashtyn. If he manages to speak with her, we have an even slimmer chance of her persuading this Herrick guy to help her escape.”
Mac was surprised when Lori walked over and cupped his face in her hands. They were so small and fragile. He caught himself noticing the softness of her skin. This is why he wasn’t friends with women over the years. They were too much of a distraction. He couldn’t go around letting a woman think he was all warm and fuzzy inside. He had a reputation to uphold.
“Have a little faith. It could work, and if it doesn’t we will come up with another plan. We are not going to give up until she is home safe with her family.”
“Aye, I see those acting classes are helping,” Mac teased.
“Ugh, you're impossible. I don’t know how Ashtyn managed to live in the same house as you.”
“That one’s easy, I have a huge … bed.”
Lori giggled, slapping his shoulder.
“Come on, Irish, I’ll buy you some lunch.”
Mac laughed internally. If Ashtyn could be a fly on the wall, she would never believe that two people as opposite as he and Lori would become friends. Somehow the little fairy had found her way into his small circle of friends. If he could just get her to be quiet once in a while he might actually grow fond of her, although he would never tell her that.
Cody made his way through the streets of Cardician to meet up with Algon. Mac and Ben were supposed to join them later, but he wanted to talk with Algon alone before they showed up. He had some concerns that he didn’t want the rest of the group to know about. Everyone was taking a huge risk trying to get Ashtyn back, and while Cody would give his life to see her safely returned he didn’t want his friends to do the same. They were essentially going in blind. They had no idea what agreement Ashtyn had made to free Mac, and their entire plan rested on the shoulders of an assassin hired by Damon himself. His main fear was this plan could backfire. Herrick could go straight to Damon with their proposition and put all of them in danger. If they were going to go through with this then he needed a contingency plan.
“Hello, Dakota, we weren’t expecting you for another half-hour.” Cody walked in and kissed Victoria on the cheek.
“Apologies. I was wondering if I might have a word with Algon.”
He missed having Victoria around. She was not only a powerful wizard but she was one of the kindest women he had ever met. She was strong-willed, too, like her granddaughter.
Victoria smiled, motioning behind her. “Of course, he’s in the back.”
Cody made his way to the back room of Victoria’s shop. Algon had been hiding out there while they searched for Ashtyn. If the wizard committee got wind of his involvement, all his progress with the revolution would go down the drain.
“Cody, come in. I was just making the final preparations.”
“Good evening, Algon. Do you have a moment to talk?”
“Of course. You seem unhinged, my dear boy. What has you troubled?�
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Cody thought about how much things had changed over the last few months. After years of watching over Ashtyn without her knowledge he finally got the opportunity to know her in person. They shared their hopes and fears with one another. He told her things he had never told another soul, not even Mac. For the first time since his father and sister passed he finally had hope for a brighter future. Then there was Mac, his dearest friend and the man who countless times risked his own life to save Cody. He couldn’t think of one childhood memory that didn’t have Mac in it. He knew how Mac felt about Ashtyn; there was nothing that would stop him from getting to her. He also knew Mac would go to the ends of the Earth if he asked him to. Cody had to protect him. Even if Mac never forgave him, he would make sure his friend survived.
“I don’t want you to have Ashtyn ask the assassin for help.”
Algon raised a brow. “Pardon me, wasn’t this whole thing your idea?”
“Yes, but only because it was the best plan we had at the time, but it’s too risky for everyone. Ashtyn told Mac there was a traitor on the council, but we have no leads as to who it could be. If there is a traitor then Ben won’t get within ten feet of that money without them finding out. Then it’s just a matter of time before they get word to Damon. Even if Herrick agrees to help us how far do you think they will get before Damon catches on? It’s too risky. Everyone would do whatever it takes to rescue Ashtyn, which puts them all in danger.”
Cody wanted to believe the plan would work, that everything would go off without a hitch and Ashtyn would be home in no time, but he had a bad feeling about all of it. How could he sit back and watch everyone risk it all?
“You want me to give up on rescuing my daughter?”
“No, I just don’t want you to have her ask Herrick for help. I want you to let everyone else think the plan hasn’t changed.”