by Dawn Ibanez
Gus was silent as Rhiannon turned and walked away from them. She turned to Tati and saw the queen quietly crying. “You two were friends.”
“Best of friends.”
“What happened between you? What does she have to forgive you for?” Gus had a feeling she knew, but she wanted to be certain.
Tati wiped her cheeks and sighed. “I ordered her memories of your father erased from her memory. I lied to her and said you and your sister were also dead.” Tati looked directly into Gus’s eyes. “When my guards dragged my general into the throne room, I passed the sentence that destroyed her life.”
“When you finally returned those memories, she hated you,” Gus supplied.
Tati nodded. She walked a few paces down the path and held her hand out to Gus. “Come on. You need to understand exactly what you face with Lilliana.”
Gus took Tati’s hand and gasped. In the blink of an eye, they were no longer at the base of the cliff. They now stood in an elaborately crafted room. The soft lighting bounced off the metal vines and petals of the throne in the center of a raised dais. “You really are the queen, huh?”
Tati nodded as the side of her mouth lifted. “It’s not as comfortable as it looks,” she said. “And the crown is even worse. To this day I don’t know what my mother was thinking.”
“Why don’t you just change things then?” Gus asked. When Tati looked at her, she shrugged. “What? You’re the queen. You can make the rules, right?”
“What good is a queen with no subjects?” Tati asked.
Gus closed her mouth and frowned as she moved around the large throne room. “That was the real reason why Rhiannon had to come back, isn’t it?” she asked. “You wanted to change something, and your people didn’t take kindly to it.”
Tati went to the dais and sat on one of the steps. “That was a factor. But as they say, it was also just the tip of the iceberg.”
“Was that Lilliana woman part of it?”
Tati laughed darkly. “Lilliana has always been a problem of another nature entirely.”
“And you want me to what? Bring her back here? Lock her away with Elijah? Bring you her head on a pike?”
Tati rubbed the back of her neck. “No one is safe with her loose. She has gone after humans and any children resulting in their mating with Fae.”
Gus frowned as she sat on the step next to Tati. “I want full disclosure on this. Lilliana is another noble around here?”
“She’s my cousin. If anything were to happen to me, since I have no children, she would be next in line for the throne.”
Gus snorted. “You may want to fix that,” she said lowly.
Tati laughed. “I’m still young. Only two thousand years old. I have some time yet.” She glanced at Gus before laughing even harder. “Don’t tell me you didn’t realize that Fae are nearly immortal. My parents were nearly ten thousand before they… left.”
Gus chose to ignore that statement. There would be time to ask later. Right now she needed to stay on track. “What was Lilliana’s original transgression?”
“She loved someone she shouldn’t have.” Tati leaned her arms on her knees. “We, the Seelie Fae, have been at war with the Unseelie for centuries. Lilliana had the unfortunate luck of falling in love with one of the Princes of the Unseelie court. They had a love affair that lasted decades. Until my uncle found out about it. He imprisoned the prince and brought them both to court.” Tati lowered her head. “I had only been queen for a short time. I didn’t know what I could do to save her. The other nobles were looking at me for guidance, and I had been compared to my mother constantly. I asked what their punishment should be. The majority wanted Lilliana banished, and her lover executed. I had it done.” Tati stood and walked up the dais to the throne. Her eyes remained locked on it as she continued with her story. “I found out later that Lilliana ran to her lover’s people. She was pregnant and since he was a prince, if she carried a boy, he would be a prince as well. The Unseelie are not like us. At least, that’s what I want to think.” Tati looked at Gus. “They carved the child out of her to find out. It wasn’t a boy. And they kept her captive for years.”
Gus stood and moved away from the dais. “Did she kill the women in Whitechapel? Elijah’s mother and the rest?”
“Once she got away from the Unseelie, she hid on the human plane. She started seeing Fae interacting with humans and vampires, and she couldn’t handle it. The women she killed were mostly prostitutes, and society didn’t miss them.”
Gus turned to her. “A little boy saw his mother’s body after she was done with her. And for your information, sex work is honest work. You don’t have to like it, but sometimes you have to use every weapon in your arsenal to survive.”
Tati nodded. “My apologies. I didn’t mean to insult you.”
Gus went to an elaborately wood carved unicorn. She would ignore the apology. Gus knew hiring out her skills to be an enforcer for an arms dealer or for a killing a target for someone was a form of selling her soul. She traced the line of the unicorn’s mane. “You caught her, brought her back here, and what? She escaped?”
“She had help. And her timing has to mean something.”
Gus turned to Tati and folded her arms over her chest. “The escape had to happen a while ago. There were too many people in her little cult for this to be a fly by night operation.”
“You noticed that too?” Tati asked. She leaned on one side of the throne and kept her eyes focused on Gus.
The look in the queen’s eyes was a familiar one. Gus smirked and leaned against the heavy unicorn statue. “I am not going to bow to you,” she said.
Tati stood and left the dais. She walked to Gus and stood in front of her. “Your mother is my most trusted general. She was once my mother’s most trusted Sanguis. Would you like her former position?”
Gus’s eyebrow arched. “What does that entail? Spell it out.”
Tati smiled. “It’s a fancy name for a Fae bounty hunter. A highly ranked one.” Tati snapped her fingers together. “Think of them as Glaive captains. I would be the one you report to, but otherwise, you would have free reign to do as you wish.”
Gus watched the queen as she went on. Two thoughts bounced around her head. “What about Mel?”
Tati pressed her lips together and inhaled. She nodded. “Mel would make a great Sanguis. I haven’t seen anyone with her level of skill with a gun. I would love to see her on an archery field. But would you want her to come here and see your mother?”
Gus frowned as she rubbed her forehead. That was a bad idea. “What about my relationship with Elijah? If you banished Lilliana for her affair with an Unseelie prince, what will you do to a Sanguis that is also the consort to a Chevalier?”
“That was one of the things that has changed since she was banished.” Tati reached out and took a dove carving from the wall. She held it up to Gus and smiled. “I revoked the ban on relations between Seelie and Unseelie. I even worked up a loophole in the curse the Unseelie King put on vampires. The one that turns them into gargoyles.”
Tati ran her hands over the wooden carving and smiled. Gus’s eyes widened when the dove came to life and flew off. “If Fae blood is given out of love, the curse will slow. Fae and vampires will be able to live their lives together without worry of the vampires turning to stone come daybreak. They’ll never be human again, but they have a chance to be happy.”
That explained why Elijah was able to stay up. Gus moved away from Tati and chewed on her lower lip. She didn’t want to make a rash decision, but at the same time, she knew she wouldn’t be happy living in the gentle kingdom Beyond the Veil. It had been just her and Mel for so long, Gus didn’t know if she could handle commanding anyone. She stopped when she thought about Gabriel and the others at Sector Central that wanted her to teach them all how to fight.
Gus sighed as she looked at the ceiling. There was a mosaic that depicted a beautiful woman with flowing red hair and a man shrouded in darkness. “Your mother?”
she asked.
Tati went back to the throne and sat. “Both of my parents, actually. Queen Mab and King Oberon. Also known as the Unseelie King and his Consort.”
Gus turned to look at her. “What?”
Tati’s smile was sad. “Let’s just say, you aren’t the only one with family issues.” She waved her hand and a glass of wine appeared in it. “What do you say? Will you become a Warrior of Blood?”
Gus looked at her hands. She still hadn’t gotten used to seeing them with no scars. A sigh escaped her. This was her chance to make sure the tragedy she and Mel suffered didn’t happen again. “You said my mother served under yours. Does that mean I would have to be totally devoted to you or something?”
Tati shook her head. “When the Sanguis were formed, it was to honor the royal bloodline, not a specific person. You would be fighting for my honor and in my name. But if I sent you to chase someone that, I don’t know, ate babies, then you could tell me to go twist in the wind. Or something to that effect.”
Gus tried not to smile. “Am I your only Sanguis?”
“No. There are some here, and nearly a dozen Sanguis out in the human plane. A complete dozen if I count Mel.”
“Don’t.”
Tati frowned. “Shouldn’t she make that decision?”
“Eventually. But you should know, I am warm and fuzzy towards Rhiannon compared to how Mel will react.” Gus rubbed her face. “How long do I have to stay here before I can go back after Lilliana?”
Tati smiled. “If we work on controlling your magic, I can get you back before sunrise.”
Gus frowned as a thought came to her. “How long have I been here?”
“Not even a week.”
Gus rubbed her face again. There was no telling what madness Lilliana had unleashed on the North Sector while she was gone. She looked at Tati. “Fine. I’ll be your Sanguis. Now show me how to use this magic.”
Chapter 20
Dominic walked into Elijah’s home office. When he saw the Chevalier calmly looking through a report, he snarled. “Where is she?” he asked.
Elijah put the tablet on the desk and leaned back to look at frowning gargoyle. “She is supposed to be under your protection.” He folded his hands and mirrored Dominic’s expression. “What transgression has Mel committed?”
Dominic’s eye twitched. “It is for she and I to discuss.”
Elijah stood and came around to the other side of the desk. “Sorry, my Liege. It doesn’t work that way. Her older sister is my consort. She is supposed to be under my protection.”
The gargoyle’s ground his teeth. “Esmeralda shot me while I was asleep.” He then reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out a pair of pictures. “And she had the gall to leave this on my window.”
Elijah took the pictures and bit the inside of his lip. The pictures in his hand were of Dominic, in his stone form. The gargoyle was covered in bright pink paint. “Where did she get the paintballs?” Elijah asked curiously.
Dominic snatched the pictures back. “From your training grounds!” He paced around the office his heavy strides shook the bookshelves on the walls. “I spoke with your trainees that man the weapons room. They all said how sweet she was. She just asked to borrow a training gun because she wanted to win a wager.”
“What was the wager?”
“The hell if I know!” Dominic roared. His wings flared out and knocked into a chair. He closed his eyes and took a slow breath. “That is what I wish to discuss with her.”
Elijah shook his head. “With all due respect, I think I should be the one to talk with her. You’re likely to anger her even further, and she’ll go for live rounds.”
Onyx eyes glittered. “She wouldn’t dare.”
“The Vega sisters would dare a lot.” Elijah motioned back to the tablet. “You see what they were able to acquire. They did that out of fear and desperation. Do you want to imagine what they are capable of when looking for cold revenge?”
Dominic growled and turned his back to Elijah. He paced around the room again. “Your consort was full of piss and vinegar and revenge. Look at what happened to her.”
Elijah’s lip curled. “The Ripper’s cult is still pretty quiet. There is really no reason for you to stay. Maybe you can take a trip to the West. I hear Hayden is having a grand time with the ocean boarder.”
“Hayden is fine where she is. Nothing will get through if she doesn’t allow it. The West will not fall.” Dominic went to the window and looked out across the property. “Before I came here, I went to the glaciers. It was peaceful. And lonely.”
Elijah leaned against his desk. “Do you want to continue your rule from there? Or do you want to retire?”
“I want to return. But as you see, I don’t have the kind of people skills needed to function in this world.”
He was right. Dominic had been a man forged on battlefields. There would be no way he would be content during times of peace. “You could create a team of ambassadors. They could show you what to do and how to maneuver in the world.”
Dominic shook his head. “I will not be seen with some handler. Nor will I become a recluse like Lady Victoria.” He paced around the room. “I don’t know what I need, but I know it is not that.”
A knock on the door made both vampire and gargoyle turn. The expression Mel wore changed from warm to cold in an instant. She turned to Elijah and pulled her shoulders back defiantly. “I wanted to let you know that I have the final count of the stashes. It looks like only three were missing. I can get you a list of most of the contents, but there was one that only Gus dealt with. That stash was her baby.”
Elijah nodded. “Can I assume it was full of blades and minimum guns?”
Mel shook her head. “Blades and a few high-grade explosives, knowing her.”
Dominic scoffed. “You two make it seem like you were going off to war,” he mocked. “Why would you feel the need to have so many weapons scattered through my territory? We have done nothing to you.”
She kept her eyes focused on Elijah. “Have you told him?” she asked.
Elijah didn’t need clarification. He shook his head. “No judgement has been passed down that would need his condemnation. And it isn’t my story to tell. It wouldn’t have been Gideon’s either.”
Mel nodded and turned to Dominic. “We were fighting and running from your kind. When we were children, we were kidnapped. Our father was murdered. Gus was thrown into fighting pits. I was a glorified maid unless some human town acted out. Then we were his assassins.”
Elijah watched the pair in front of them. Mel’s voice was steady and detached even though tears filled her eyes. Dominic was still as he listened to every word. He asked questions when he needed to, and Mel answered them simply. Elijah sat behind his desk and saw the folder with the Whitechapel murders in it.
When Mel and Dominic fell silent, Elijah looked up at the pair. She lowered her head and wiped the tears from her eyes. Dominic turned to him. “You knew of this?”
“As citizens of your territory, we failed their entire family. Given the way our world works, I see nothing wrong with keeping both Vega sisters under our protection.” Elijah went to Mel’s side. “Are you okay?” he asked quietly.
She took a breath and pushed her hair away from her face. “I need some air. I won’t leave the grounds.” Without a glance to Dominic, she turned and walked out of the office.
Elijah looked at the gargoyle he followed faithfully. “These women have been through hell since childhood. They need therapy, not accusations.”
Dominic growled low in his throat and turned his back to Elijah. “And what do you intend to do with them? Keep both sisters are cherished pets? Make sure they are comfortable and kept happy in a world of bliss and magic and fucking unicorns?”
“Are you suggesting that I have them killed for trying to survive?” Elijah countered. He didn’t flinch from the gargoyle’s gaze. “I can’t keep them hidden and sheltered. That would kill them both.”
&nbs
p; “What are you going to do?” Dominic asked.
“You’ve met them.” Elijah shook his head and his own condescending laugh escaped him. “Augustina will do as she pleases as long as it will not bring harsh light on my house. Mel is a storm all her own. She will honor my laws, but again, she will do as she pleases. Or as I ask.”
“And you would put your women on the front line? You would make them targets?”
Elijah gestured to Dominic’s shirt pocket. “Do you really think someone that could do that is scared to be a target? You are a gargoyle, and she shot you. Some would put her to death for that infraction.” He shook his head and went to the window. “And Augustina’s primary concern is Mel’s safety. If you go after the younger, the elder will follow at a near psychotic pace.”
“And you will unleash them on the world?”
Elijah shook his head. “I will have neither in my Glaive or my Guardsman. They will live free. If they want to assist in an official capacity, such as now, arrangements can be made. Otherwise, they are mine to protect. Not to keep as dogs of war.”
Dominic flexed his wings before cloaking his body again. “Anyone else would.”
A dark smile crossed Elijah’s face. “I will be the first to admit, I don’t know a lot about the Vega sisters. But something tells me, if you chain them, they will have a vicious bite. Since I choose not to risk it, I will treat them as they deserve.”
“And you truly mean this?”
Elijah’s eyes locked with Dominic’s. “Do you really need me to answer that?”
Dominic shook his head and paced around the room. “If she shoots me again, I’m dropping her in a lake. Your protection be damned.”
Elijah didn’t say anything as Dominic left his office. He knew he would have to keep an eye on whatever this was between his liege and his ward. Elijah rubbed the bridge of his nose as he tried not to think about Augustina’s reaction to a gargoyle taking an interest in her sister. Especially someone of Dominic’s age and stature.
His cellphone rang on his desk, bringing him out of his own thoughts. Elijah looked at Monica’s number and frowned. He hadn’t expected to hear from her yet. “Have you found something?” he asked.