“What is it with you Druids? Always threatening. All talk and little substance behind it. You should know when you are overpowered and outplayed, dear Queen. I will not be as lenient as Lars. Do you know how many will cheer when I take over? No longer will they have to suffer an incompetent Druid for a leader. The fae will throw fucking parades in my honor. It was logical to have Seelie and Unseelie leaders when the fae were in the Otherworld. But that no longer applies. One world, one ruler.”
“And you think that will be you?” I countered.
“I don’t think,” he stated. “I know.”
His confidence grated at my nerves. Who the hell was this guy and where was Lars? What was going on? I hated not knowing. It gave him the upper hand.
Think, Ken. What do you know?
1. He is powerful. Even over the airways, I could feel it.
2. Lars is gone. The why and where was a mystery.
3. My sister’s alive. Maybe barely.
4. This man has taken over the compound.
5. He calls himself Stavros.
I needed to find out about him. Get him talking.
“You are clearly powerful if you took over Lars’s compound…” I let the last syllables drift a bit, leading him to continue.
“My nephew was weak from the start. He was never the true King. I was. He played house, but I will make sure it is brought back to glory days.”
Nephew? Lars had an uncle? I knew next to nothing about Lars’s personal life. He was the type of man so serious and intense you forgot he’d ever been a child or had a mother and father. He was simply a king. He had told us about his antics with his twin brother, Devlin. They were very mischievous kids, and the reason a cave in Greece collapsed and started a dragon legend.
“Lars is no longer the King, sweet Druid. You will have to deal with me.”
Nerf-herder! Was Lars dead? I knew that was the only way power transferred from one King to another.
“And when I say deal, you or your people will take the brunt of your disloyalty. So, if you are planning to send your troops here, you might rethink that move.”
My heart froze, my entire body going still. I could barely swallow past the thick terror in my throat.
“I was kind enough to let your sister live, but she knows the deal. She obeys me and does what I asked of her.” His playful smugness twisted my stomach. “There is only one ruler. I’m sorry, but you’ve been demoted. This is no longer an equal partnership. You both work for me. I look forward to meeting you in person, Kennedy. If you obey me, I will try to make this transition as easy as possible. But take one step I don’t like, and you will be severely punished,” he taunted. “I will be in contact again soon.”
He hung up, leaving the room in utter silence.
“Lock down the castle. Get Castien. He should be doing his walk around the border,” Torin ordered my guards, Georgia, Sturt, and Rowlands. They dashed from the room in response.
“Contact the dark dwellers, along with Lily, Mark, and Ryan.” I turned to my other guard, Vander. “Until we know what is going on, I want them here.”
Vander bowed, heading for another walkie-talkie on the wall. The dark dwellers might refuse. They didn’t like coming here, even though Queen Aneira, who had tortured them, was dead and the castle was no longer on the Light side. After the barrier between the Otherworld and Earth fell, our worlds meshed together. The dwellers still danced around this place like a bomb was about to go off. Lorcan lived here only because of me but would happily live somewhere else if I ever wanted to quit my job, as he’d said many times.
I stood there, still staring at the walkie-talkie. A million questions banged against each other. Where was Lars? What happened over there? And, most of all, who was Stavros?
I didn’t trust him, but my Druid senses told me he was telling the truth.
Whoever he was, Stavros was the new Unseelie King.
“We can’t get anywhere near the property,” Cyren, a captain of one of my groups stationed closest to Lars, said through the device. It had only been twenty minutes since Stavros’s call and my castle was on full lockdown. “He’s already changed the spell with his own.”
Torin dropped his head forward, his hands splayed on the table. So far all the teams stationed close to Lars’s compound were struggling to get anywhere near it.
“Dammit.” Georgia paced the room. Castien had rolled out a map on the table, outlining the territory our team walked. It was a larger space than Lars’s original property border. Stavros was quick to “change the locks,” making our access difficult.
Lars had granted my top soldiers entry into his compound for emergencies, as I did for his men. It looked as if our admittance had just been rejected.
“Have you seen my sister? Marguerite or Nic?” I asked into the device, running my hand through my hair.
“No, my lady,” the captain responded. “We’ve seen no one from the house. But we will keep searching the perimeter.”
“There might be strighoul hiding out. Watch your backs.” Torin’s voice was tight. The way his shoulders rode up his neck like a jockey near the finish line, I could tell he wanted to be there. Since our return from Ireland, he had been even more obsessed with his job and protecting me. Fae usually didn’t need a lot of sleep, but he appeared ragged and stressed. He was horrified that I could have been killed on his watch by someone right under our nose, by someone he trusted.
Thara. His best friend and my second-in-command betrayed us, giving our whereabouts to Luuk, who opposed my rise to the throne. Luuk, who had been one of Aneira’s favorites, managed half of the European Seelie and hated Druids.
Sadly, Thara did this out of a broken heart, not her dislike for a Druid leading the fae. I had spoken with her since, while she was being kept in the dungeons. She still held her head high, but her shame soiled her like a dark stain. She lost respect for herself, knowing she shamed the position she held and the person she loved. Or used to.
Even if I couldn’t let her out of jail, I had forgiven her. Torin, on the other hand, wouldn’t even go down there. He stood at the door to the dungeon but had yet to make it below. His anger was palpable, but I sensed his sadness, his loss. I don’t think he knew how to function without her by his side. She had been there since they were young and went through training together. He had taken her for granted. Now that she was not with him, he was withdrawn, over-focused, and short-tempered.
We all missed her. She knew Torin so well; she would understand before he did, without a word, what his next move was. My top tier had experienced a few stumbles lately, allowing us all to see how much Thara had done.
My feet moved over the stone, pulling me back to the present. My stomach twisted in knots. Fionna. That was my only thought. I had recently found my sister. I couldn’t lose her.
“Keep searching for her.” I stormed up to the table, staring at the walkie-talkie as though she would pop out of it. I didn’t even want to think about Marguerite or the rest of the people in the house. What would Stavros do to them? Killing them would be too easy. He sounded as if he enjoyed torture, breaking those who opposed him.
“Kennedy!” My name roared through the castle, ice spreading down my spine. I whirled around, feeling my mate’s presence, and my heart sank in my chest. His voice was taut. Frantic.
Shit times a thousand.
The sound of my feet slapped against the floor, my ears pounding with blood. I let my body follow the link to him, his energy rushing over my skin.
My guards tried to run past me to intercept him, but I pushed through them and into my room, my toes sliding over the rug and coming to a halt.
“Oh. Gods. No.” My hand went to my mouth, my heart stopping for a beat.
Lying in Lorcan’s arms was my sister’s limp body, blood dried around her head and nose, bruises and cuts layering her face and hands.
“Fionna!” I screamed, my knees crashing down next to her body.
“She’s alive.” Lorcan trie
d to reassure me, but my hands still moved frantically over her face and body, trying to feel the life pumping through her body.
“Fionna?” I gripped her face, her skin cold and damp, but her heart was strong.
“She wasn’t the only one we found.” Lorcan’s features crunched with anger, nodding back to Dax and Dom, who carried in Marguerite. Both of them were naked like Lorcan from having shifted from beast to human again. “We smelled their blood. They were almost a mile away from the compound.”
A tortured cry gurgled from my lips as they laid Marguerite next to Fionna, her body covered in blood and cuts as well.
“Anyone else? Nic? Goran? What happened to Lars?” I spouted.
Lorcan frowned. “I smelled Nic had been there…but no sign of him.”
I chewed on my lip, pushing away all theories and stared at Fionna.
“Goddammit!” Torin squatted next to me, his fury rising to the group standing around us staring in shock. “Someone get the healer. Fucking do something. I shouldn’t have to tell you this,” he snapped.
Sturt was the first to move and ran out of the room, talking on his device.
I looked at my sister, still cupping her face in my hands. “You’re going to be okay. You are safe now,” I whispered to her, more for me than her. A small groan rumbled in her throat. “Fionna?” I called her name a couple more times, her lids flickering, as though she were trying so hard for consciousness.
“Pip-er…”
“What?” I leaned in closer to her.
“Piper…” She moaned again.
“Who’s Piper, Fi?”
“My daughter,” she mumbled. The statement was an arrow to my chest.
“Daughter?” My mouth dropped. “Fi?” I tapped her face. “What are you talking about?” Daughter? How did I not know I had a niece? Why hadn’t Fionna tell me? Where was she now?
“Fionna!” I shook her harder. A hand clamped on my wrist, causing me to jump. I peered down at my sister’s face, her eyes wide open.
“Get. Ember. Now,” she choked out before her eyes closed, unconsciousness stealing her from us again.
Chapter 3
Ember
Bones crunched, my back rolling over the gravel, grating my skin like cheese. The momentum thrust me up on my knees, and my blade sliced out for my attacker’s legs. A guttural scream peeled at layers of the night air, blood spraying from the troll. The ugly bastard went down screeching like a banshee, singing for death.
Wiping at my brow, the sticky jungle felt the same as another layer of clothing, sweat sliding along my back.
“Brycin,” a deep voice screamed into my head, the dark dweller link bursting to life. I knew that tone as if it were my own, and what it meant. My sword swung along with my body, the tip carving into the gray lumpy form leaping for my back.
Bright eyes met mine, a mix of green and red. Eli’s jet-black beast growled before his scythe-like claws tore through another group of pointy-eared, large-nosed creatures. Greenish goo poured from each body, turning the ground tacky and disgusting.
This was supposed to be a simple mission. A sighting of these normally reclusive creatures had been called in from Rio de Janeiro, South America, which seemed to be the hot zone lately. But on a night of observing, we spotted a whole band of them coming together. More and more showed up each night, increasing our anxiety. Similar to wolves, they resided in small, tight family units, and usually did not get along with other groups of their own kind. They were extremely territorial. Coming together like some war party went against their nature and meant it was time to worry. We hadn’t been planning to kill anyone until we found out what was going on. But shit happens.
Trolls don’t have great eyesight, but they have excellent noses. And in my defense, they attacked first.
“To the left, girly.” Cal zoomed by my head, and I whipped around, parrying as a troll the size of a boulder came stomping for me. Trolls could range from a small bear in size to a minivan.
Its roar echoed off the trees and rocks, its gray eyes set on me.
“Come on, pretty boy.” I winked at it. Trolls took great offense at being called “pretty.” It was comparable to calling a human ugly. They took great pride in being hideous, smelly asses.
“Shut up.” It growled at me, its beefy arm swinging out for me, forcing me to jump back. “You’re smaller than what I ate for dinner. You’re a little prepackaged appetizer.”
His other arm pivoted faster than I was expecting and slammed into my body. My feet tore from the ground, pain vibrating through every bone. I crashed into the dirt, spine first, sliding over rocks, twigs, and bushes until I skidded to a stop.
“Owwww.” I looked up at the canvas of night, the stars winking at me as though they were enjoying the show. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Eli’s beast slashing at the horde circling him. He was lethal, but more than two dozen of them hurled their massive weight at him. A handful could crush his bones. Simmons and Cal were trying to help fight from the sky, but stabbing out the trolls’ eyes only seemed to piss them off more.
Crap on ash bark.
The skies were clear, no sign of a storm, nor were we close to any electricity. I knew what I had to do, but I had to admit summoning that other part of me always made me nervous. I liked it. Too much. One of these days it wouldn’t want to be put away.
The troll’s feet pounded the ground, jogging for me, his arms in the air, ready to smash down on me.
Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes briefly, letting the demon feel the threat, understand the peril my mate was in.
My lids shot open, my vision shifting, sharpening. I knew my eyes had turned black. The sensation of power flooded through each vein, blocking anything other than the impression of control. No fear. No pain. No emotions.
I rolled as the troll’s fist hit the earth and jumped up. My arms opened, my focus solely on the monster. As if an invisible hand picked it up, the huge troll flew into the air, ramming back into the wall of stone with a crack, his body pinned. Every step I took sang his death, my sword vibrating with excitement in my hand.
“Sorry.” My voice sounded robotic. “This packaged snack will give you heartburn.” I drove my blade deep into his heart and twisted. His screams only pumped me with more excitement. His form twitched and bucked against the rock. With a single cry, death claimed the leader.
I smiled.
“Brycin?” A voice called in my head. The sounds of a struggle felt distant, but I could feel the pull of the mating bond. My demon side had become even more protective over Eli. You hurt him, you dealt with the black-eyed monster.
Whipping around, I waved my arms in front of me and a handful of the trolls circling him went flying, sucking more energy from me. The demon was powerful, but it did have limits. Everything had limits and balances, in nature and certainly in magic.
Nature gave me another burst of energy as I sliced into one troll after another, the dark dweller in me snapping and growling with vengeance. Fairy. Demon. Dark Dweller. Most of me enjoyed the kill way too much.
Slice. Stab. Cut.
“Stop, woman. They’re all dead.”
Slice. Stab. Cut. Repeat.
“Brycin. Stop!” A hand clutched my elbow, slightly shaking me. My head snapped up, breaking me out of my trance. Green eyes stared down into mine, bringing me back to earth. My anchor. My heart.
My narrow sight eased, adjusting back to normal. Dozens and dozens of bodies were slumped over the ground, a few still gasping their last breaths, but otherwise it was quiet. Still. All were dead or soon would be.
A heavy sigh escaped my lungs, my shoulders dropping. When the demon took over it was identical to a drug. I could conquer the world. When I came out of it, it probably wasn’t much different from a junkie coming down from a high. I felt sick, twitchy, exhausted, depleted, and restless in my skin.
Hands moved to my face, cupping, tilting it up. Eli’s naked body pressed against mine. “Fuck. That never gets any less hot
.” Eyes twinkling, he thumbed away blood and goo off my face.
“I think there is something seriously wrong with you.”
“I know something’s wrong with me,” he smirked. “I fell in love with you, didn’t I?”
“That in itself should be enough to get you locked up.” I leaned into him, my muscles soft as Play-Doh. His thick-corded body was like heaven. Most days, I wanted to stay naked against him all day.
“I’m not the only one who’s a danger to society.” He leaned in closer, his lips only a breath away from mine, his dick pushing heavily into my hip, throbbing and hot.
A shiver ran down my back, my mouth curving into a mischievous grin. “Maybe we should shackle ourselves away from society for a while.”
Eli rumbled, his mouth brushing mine. “That sounds like an excellent plan.”
Our mouths crashed together, our tongues quickly finding each other, turning our kiss hungry and desperate. Another kink between us—we both got extremely turned on after a fight. The more blood and carnage, the closer it got to death, the hotter the sex.
His hands started tugging at my clothing, wanting no barrier between us, our lips frantic with need.
“Oh. No. I am not going to be subjected to this again.” Cal whizzed by my head. Crap, I totally forgot about them. “Yeah, did you and dickbag dweller forget we were here again?”
“Cal, maybe we should leave my lady and Sir Eli alone.”
“I agree with the motorized Barbie,” Eli grumbled against my mouth, loud enough for the pixies to hear.
“Barbie?” Simmons gasped. The sound of his mechanical wings hit my ears. He lost his real wings in the war when Aneira stomped on them with her heel, shredding them. “I’ll have you know, sir, I am a world-renowned flyer. Not someone to be disrespected.”
“Every. Damn. Time.” I pulled back from Eli, shaking my head. Eli’s grin only widened. He lived to get under the pixies’ skin. Usually it was Simmons who fell for it. Not that the pixies didn’t get Eli back. Their relationship basically thrived off pranks and insults. But I knew they all cared for each other, though none would ever admit it.
Rise From the Embers (Lightness Saga #4) Page 3