That was until Frederica patted Syd’s shoulder and Syd flinched, her face paling. Her gaze darted toward the camera, and Sylvia could see the desperation there. Syd wanted out, away from Frederica, and was injured worse than what was visible. “I don’t like this.”
“Neither do I.” Toni stood. “All right. You make the call. Do we go in and take her back, or leave her there?”
“We get her back.” Fuck Frederica and her plans. Sylvia needed to know her friend was safe, and it was obvious she wasn’t. “But what about Nik?”
“Pfft. You let me deal with Nik and his orders.” Toni strode out of the office and reached for her shoulder holster. “In the meantime, let the others know what we found out. I’ll get a hold of Val and come up with an extraction plan.”
“Got it.” Sylvia opened the door. “Thanks, Toni.”
Toni nodded but didn’t respond, too busy dialing her cell phone and waving an absentminded good-bye.
Sylvia returned to her own condo, worried sick for her friend, to find Slade and Magnus curled up together on the couch. They were staring at the door, looking every bit as upset as she felt. “Hi.”
Magnus was the first to reach her, but Slade wasn’t far behind. “You scared the crap out of us.” Slade’s gravelly tone was filled with fear, his arms tightening around her to the point of pain. “You aren’t leaving, right? We can’t risk losing you.”
Magnus kissed her forehead. “If it comes down to it I’ll go looking for Syd, but you aren’t going anywhere.”
Sylvia slumped into their embrace, letting them take her weight, and her worries. “Frederica has her, and she’s banged up. Toni hacked into the security cameras around the building and saw Syd get kidnapped. We need to get her back before someone hurts her.”
Magnus cupped her cheek as Slade rubbed his chin against her hair. “If you really feel that strongly about it let me go after her. I’ll get her home.”
Slade shivered. “No. Send Val. Hell, send fucking Kir. You’re not going either.”
“Slade.” Magnus grabbed them both, holding them to his chest. Slade released her just enough to keep one arm around her and place the other around Magnus, holding them as tightly as he could. All of Slade’s nightmares were there in the way he held them and shook.
Odin might not have broken Slade, but he’d come damn close. It would be decades, if not longer, before Slade was healed.
“I’m not going after Syd, Val and Toni are.” She felt Slade relax and prayed Syd would understand. Sylvia wasn’t a fighter. She’d leave that to the ones who were.
“I’ll only go with someone to back me up, like Morgan.”
It was the best Slade could hope for from Magnus, who was a warrior through and through. Slade sighed, and when he lifted his head from Sylvia’s his expression was resigned. “Fine. But you’ll be taking me with you. I’m a trained battle steed, remember?”
“And no one could catch him, not even Odin.” Sylvia rather liked the idea of Slade watching Magnus’s back.
Now Magnus was the one who sighed. “If we go somewhere I need a battle steed you’re the only one I’d ride.” He began walking them back toward the sofa. “You have a plan?”
“Toni is going to try and figure out how to get her out of there.” Sylvia allowed herself to be seated between Magnus and Slade, the two men still holding on to her as if she was going to slip away from them at any moment. “Val is also looking. I’m supposed to hold down the fort and keep an eye on Syd’s emails and stuff, see if she tries to contact us.”
The two men exchanged a look over her head. “Nik’s not gonna like that.”
Nik can bite me. “It’s up to Toni whether or not she helps, not Nik.”
“Nik has claimed her.” Magnus stroked her hair, tugging softly on the strands. “He’s going to try and stop her.”
Sylvia bit her lip. She had the feeling Toni was more than a match for the Guardian. “I think she can handle herself.”
“If you say so.” Magnus didn’t sound convinced. “But we have more important things to worry about.”
“Like what?” What could be more important than Syd?
Slade tilted his head, his expression thoughtful. “What color should we paint the ceiling?”
Really, he had no business looking so surprised when the pillows went flying. But that night, when her men snuggled her close after Magnus’s blood bound them together, they whispered to each other in the darkness of hopes and fears and family. She was no longer alone. Syd would be saved, Ragnarrok would end Odin’s reign of terror, and Sylvia would finally have the family she’d always dreamed of. It would take time, and hard work, but already they meant more to her than anyone or anything.
They would understand it when she helped Toni hunt for Syd. After all, Syd was family.
“We will.” Slade’s sleepy, raspy tone was so low she thought at first she’d imagined it. “As if we ever thought you’d be able to sit back and wait while your friend was out there alone.”
Sylvia blinked. “Did I say that out loud?”
Slade snickered. “Yup, you did.”
“You won’t do this by yourself.” Magnus’s voice was louder, and far more determined. “You will let us help.”
She sighed happily. “The Three Musketeers, right?”
“Right.” Slade yawned.
Magnus’s response was a simple kiss. “Go to sleep, d’Artagnan. We’ll slay Milady de Winter tomorrow.”
“Goober.” She rolled her eyes.
“Bake her cookies,” Slade muttered. “That will teach her to mess with you.”
She glared over her shoulder at Slade. “Three Musketeers my ass. More like the Three Stooges.”
The two men looked at each other and, with identical grins, echoed, “Nyuk nyuk nyuk.”
“Ugh.” She hid her head under the pillow. A moment later, she peeked out and whispered, “I get to be Moe.”
The only reply she got was a bone-rattling snore.
Epilogue
“Are you sure about this?”
Nik desperately wanted to roll his eyes, but Kye had been through enough recently that he didn’t want the guy to think Nik was mocking him. “Yes, I’m sure. Even if Logan and Kir want to say no I’m positive Travis will say yes.” And while Nik respected the hell out of Kir, it was Travis he still felt fealty toward.
Oh, well. Swearing fealty to Kir wouldn’t be all that big a deal for him. He’d done it for Odin, the bitter taste of defeat still fouling everything. He could swear to Kir for the sake of Antonia.
The thought of the bright, brown-eyed homicide detective made him shiver with need. She didn’t want to acknowledge the pull between them, the instant flare of attraction, but Nik was going to ensure that nothing stood in the way of his claiming her. Even Kir.
“I hoped to have Ryker with us when we arrived, but he’s managed to hide even from me.”
“He’s safe.” Nik could see Jörmungandr, who’d taken the mortal name Ryker Saeter, the instant he thought of him. The World Serpent slept in the deeps, but he’d made tentative forays onto land now that Kir held the Godspear. It was one of the reasons Kye had such a hard time finding him. When the World Serpent was on land, he was invisible to Kye’s senses. “You can sense him now if you try.”
The relief on Kye’s face didn’t surprise him. Kye’s reluctance to hunt Jörmungandr, his desire to keep the Serpent safe, and his need to swear fealty to Kir all led Nik to one inescapable conclusion: the god of the sea had the hots for a snake. He’d have to wait to claim the man, though. Nik knew Ryker Saeter wasn’t quite ready to join his father. Something else needed to happen before the Serpent emerged from the deeps. “Ready?”
Kye blew out a breath and squared his shoulders. “Ready.”
Nik waved his hand and the two of them appeared inside the condominium complex. He would
never say it out loud, but he loved doing that. The look on Logan’s face as he tried to figure out how Nik got through the wards was priceless every single time.
Nik smiled as Jordan opened the door to her condo. “Good evening.”
Her brows rose. “Good evening?” She pushed her glasses up her nose. “What are you doing here?”
He gestured behind him toward his bags and Kye. “We’re moving in.”
Kye waved. “Hi, neighbor.”
“Shit.” Jordan shook her head. “There goes the neighborhood.”
About the Author
Dana Marie Bell wrote her first short story when she was thirteen years old. She’s now a USA Today bestselling author with Samhain Publishing and Carina Press. Dana has lived primarily in the Northeast with a brief stint on the U.S. Virgin Island of St. Croix. She lives with her soul mate and husband Dusty, their two maniacal children, two evil ice cream-stealing cats and a bull terrier that thinks it’s a Pekingese. She’s been heard to describe herself as “vertically challenged” and “a lapsed brunette.” Dana also suffers from ankylosing spondylitis (a progressive inflammatory arthritis that primarily affects the spine), and can be seen walking with a cane or tooling around in her mobility scooter. Her condition was the inspiration for Belle’s hip injury in Steel Beauty.
You can learn more about Dana at:
www.danamariebell.com
danamariebell.blogspot.com
www.facebook.com/pages/Dana-Marie-Bells-Fan-Page/185916691436341
www.twitter/com/danamariebell
Look for these titles by Dana Marie Bell
Now Available:
Halle Pumas
The Wallflower
Sweet Dreams
Cat of a Different Color
Steel Beauty
Only In My Dreams
Halle Shifters
Bear Necessities
Cynful
Bear Naked
The Gray Court
Dare to Believe
Noble Blood
Artistic Vision
The Hob
Siren’s Song
Heart’s Desire
Shadow of the Wolf
Hecate’s Own
The Wizard King
Poconos Pack
Finding Forgiveness
Mr. Red Riding Hoode
True Destiny
Very Much Alive
Eye of the Beholder
Howl for Me
Morgan’s Fate
Not Broken
Coming Soon:
Halle Shifters
Figure of Speech
The Gray Court
Never More
A crescendo of evil could destroy their perfect harmony.
Siren’s Song
© 2014 Dana Marie Bell
The Gray Court, Book 5
Oberon is well and truly lost, with no memory of who he is, where he came from, or where he’s going. One woman makes his palms sweat and his heart race, a woman with turquoise eyes and a beautiful voice. Instinct tells him she’s the only one who can save him.
Cassie knows the truth—he is the High King, her truebond, the one man born to be hers and hers alone. Restoring his memory and keeping him out of the Black Court’s clutches is her mission, though success means losing him. Yet to give the world back its High King, she will make that sacrifice.
As soon as Oberon’s memory comes crashing back through his mind’s closed door, he makes one vow. Though beset by enemies, chased and attacked, he will return to his rightful place with his Queen by his side.
Except when he makes good on his vow, all hell breaks loose. And when Cassie’s life is threatened, the fae world will bow before the High King or pay the price in blood.
Warning: This title contains explicit sex, graphic language, fishy shenanigans and royal naughtiness.
Enjoy the following excerpt for Siren’s Song:
Swimming so far out in the icy waters had chilled him far more than he wanted to admit, but he could barely see the lights of the houses dotting the shores. Here, they ran no risk of being seen. Even the sight of Cassie diving into the sea, skin glistening under the moonlight in that tiny little bathing suit, couldn’t keep him warm.
Cassie dove briefly, and when she came up for air she had dropped her Seeming. The turquoise of her irises had swallowed the white, her pupils wide in the dark night. He felt her tuck something into the waistband of his underwear and realized it must be the bottom half of her bathing suit, something she couldn’t wear with a tail. “We’re not going too deep, but the dark can be frightening for someone who isn’t used to it.”
“And unlike a siren I can’t use sonar to find my way around.”
“Don’t worry. Concentrate on me, and everything will be fine.” She took hold of his arms. “I’ll light up for you, I promise.”
His brows rose. “Excuse me?” That sounded vaguely intriguing, but he doubted she meant it the way it sounded.
Cassie rolled her eyes. “You’ll see.” She smiled reassuringly. “This will sound strange, but don’t bother doing that deep breath thing. I’ll take care of it once we’re under water.” She bit her lip, appearing more nervous about this than he was. “Ready?”
Not even close, but time was running out. Things had gone far too easily for them to remain safe. Oberon needed to be at full strength, his memories intact, before he dealt with Cassie’s issues and the matter of the traitor in his court. “Let’s go.”
With a swish of water, Cassie pulled him under.
And under.
The sensation of floating was pleasant, at least at first. Cassie’s grip on his arms reassured him that he wasn’t alone as the dark waters swirled overhead. The scales on her cheeks, neck, arms and fin began to give off a faint aqua glow, giving just enough light to see the eerie beauty of the woman who dragged him beneath the waves.
But soon the urge to breathe became almost overwhelming, the desire to move, to reach for the air causing him to fight Cassie’s grasp.
When his lungs burned and he thought he might pass out, Cassie did something he hadn’t been expecting.
She kissed him.
Surprised, he opened his mouth, desperate to take a deep breath, even if it meant stealing hers.
Except he didn’t breathe, not in the way he’d expected.
Sharp, searing pain ran down from his armpits almost to his waist. Something fluttered against his skin, tickling him.
The overwhelming urge to gulp in air faded.
Something inside him, some ability he hadn’t realized he had, took notice of what Cassie had done. He’d changed, his body transforming to accept the oxygen in the water. Gills had grown on his sides, close to his lungs, the water flowing over them and feeding the life-giving element straight into his bloodstream while removing the carbon dioxide that would kill him.
Oh. So that was how merfolk breathed. Now that his body understood what to do, he would no longer need Cassie to give him breath. He could transform himself whenever he wished.
What other abilities were lost with my memories? Could he grow wings and fly? Burrow beneath the earth? Turn lead into gold?
He couldn’t wait to find out.
As Cassie started to pull away he reacted on instinct. She wasn’t about to end this kiss before he’d truly begun to enjoy it.
Oberon took hold of her, refusing to allow her to back away. Now that he wasn’t in pain, he was going to savor this. He’d fought his attraction to her, afraid she’d turn out just like Titannia.
She’d proven she wasn’t anything like his faithless ex. Hell, she’d gone bravely into the water, terrified though she’d been, just to help him. He doubted that Titannia would have done the same, even when things had been good between them.
Cassie
jolted under his touch, her lips just a breath away from his own. They gazed at one another, Cassie’s expression shocked, her hands gripping his arms almost to the point of pain. Her fingernails had turned into short, sharp claws, but even in her surprise Cassie didn’t break his skin.
Shock turned to longing as Oberon brushed their lips together. He wrapped his arms tightly around her waist, gliding his hands down her sides toward where her hips should be. The feel of her skin gradually becoming cool, supple scales was surprisingly erotic. When she closed her eyes and relaxed against him, allowing him to take her, to be the one guiding them…
Was there any better sensation than a woman’s surrender? Her trust humbled him when little else did. He’d done nothing to earn this from her, yet she granted him the right to hold her, to protect her. He could sense it in the way she gave herself up to him, the way she wrapped herself around him and let him hold her weight. She let him guide them, the kiss slow and sweet as the desire between them built into a bonfire. Her taste filled his senses, burrowed into him until nothing else mattered. Not memories, not crowns, not even treacherous exes. There was nothing but the warm, willing sea nymph in his arms driving him out of his mind.
When he finally pulled his mouth from hers his only thought was how he could take her, make her his so that nothing could take her from his side.
Cassie licked her lips, her eyes still closed, her arms still wrapped tightly around his neck. They were so close he could see the tiny scales on the bridge of her nose, the way they branched out on her forehead like pearl dust. Her eyes finally opened.
They gazed at one another, and he found himself stunned at the sorrow that slowly drove the need from her expression. Cassie loosed her grip on his neck, carefully pulling free of his hold. He wanted desperately to ask her what was wrong, why she’d pulled away, but he had no breath to speak, no way to tell her the last thing he wanted was to be free from her. She caressed his cheek with a look that was remarkably like a good-bye.
Not Broken: True Destiny, Book 5 Page 15