“Right,” Ristan said roughly, his eyes on the little redhead that was looking at him like he’d just saved the fucking world.
“We should get back, Justin,” Alden offered, and Ristan agreed.
He smiled and nodded to the kid, who watched the two men as they emerged from the alley. His young eyes moved from Alden to Ristan and back again. He couldn’t see the Demon who’d just saved his ass, just the Guild Enforcer who returned victorious from killing one monster and chasing the other one off.
“Let’s do this,” Ristan said, confirming his glamour was fully in place. His eyes skimmed the crowd, finding the male Fae with the green-gold eyes. In Ristan’s eyes was a silent warning, which made the Fae turn and run.
This day already fucking sucked, and it was about to get even worse. He followed Alden as he made his way through the gawking bystanders and trailed him up the steps of the Spokane Guild.
Chapter Two
Ristan paced in the library, his eyes taking in the simple things around him. Librarians moved around the library and the maze of catacombs further below this level. Most split their duties and also taught Math, English and History lessons to the younger groups of soon-to-be Guild Enforcers, or wherever they ended up being placed in the Guild’s organizational chart.
The students housed at the Spokane Guild had been sent by their parents from various Guilds around North America to learn all they could about being good little Witches and Warlocks. There was also a pretty impressive setup here for those children with magic that had ended up orphaned or abandoned by their parents. Kids with powers, such as those as Synthia had been brought here, and the Guild had accepted them with no questions asked. The true Dark Fae Heir had been found on the steps to this Guild as a child with no knowledge of who he was, and had also been accepted because of people like Alden, who actually gave a shit about these kids. Of course, Synthia hadn’t been left there; she’d been hidden with Alden’s own sister to protect her from her destiny.
He tried to shake off the battle high left over from the monster in the alley. He missed fighting and was itching to go another few rounds. He could kill easily, and hadn’t really been challenged since Synthia had thought him dead. The only reason those assholes got to him was because he had been more worried about her. He knew she had an important part to play in saving his world, and he was stuck here—babysitting.
“Justin?” Olivia’s sweet tone made him turn, and he narrowed his eyes on her.
She was beautiful, but not his type. She was a little too innocent. Too easy to kill. She was tiny, and by tiny he meant that she didn’t even reach five feet tall, and she was a wisp of a woman. She was thin, but she did have plump breasts that rose perkily beneath her light green sweater, both nipples erect and inviting his eyes to feast on them. Her hair was loose today and flowed enticingly down her back to her hips. It was red, a bright coppery color that drew and held the eye, until you caught sight of her beautiful, vivid dark blue eyes.
He loved that her eyes were an open portal, which seemed to lead him right to her pure, innocent soul. She’d be an easy catch, but it would be just that. Catch and release; it was how he liked to play his cards. It was like a two-step program. He caught them, and when he was finished rocking their world, he simply released them. No harm done.
“Can I help you?” Ristan asked after a moment of openly staring at her since she was doing the same to him. It was only fair. He had adopted a light Cajun drawl in order to keep his Guild disguise in character, and based on the pretty blush currently spreading over her porcelain skin, it was a good choice to go with.
“I can help you,” she said softly, shyly. That shit made his cock twitch—bad news. He stepped back, his eyes never leaving hers.
Olivia watched him, and when he took a giant step away from her, she had to struggle with the urge to sniff herself. She’d showered this morning and had only been outside for a few moments before the child had come barreling up the steps of the Guild for help.
She’d been flabbergasted to find Justin standing with a blade, the creature’s dead body at his feet. She’d never before seen what the Enforcers did on the job. She just read about it in the mission logs and archived the stories. The summaries and reports the Enforcers detailed had never seemed real. They were more like an adventure or an escape from her everyday world, kind of like one of her romance novels. She loved books, and here, in the catacombs and libraries of the Guild, she was surrounded by them.
“I just wanted to thank you, you know, for saving the kid from the Demon and that monster today,” she said as she shot him a small smile and continued. “Also, I pulled some of the books you needed in addition to the confiscated items, and even took notes for you on some of the things the NOLA Guild requested via email this morning.”
“That was nice of you,” Ristan said with a roguish smile. Zahruk was coordinating remotely from a false IP address and running interference when shit got close to Ristan’s cover being blown. Alden had helped set it up, and it was an easy matter for Zahruk to use the portal to the Spokane mansion, log into the computer and send ‘instructions’ to the Spokane Guild from the ‘New Orleans Guild.’
It was all part of the cover, and the Spokane Guild bought the story pretty easily. All of the archives from the Guilds around the country were in the process of being sent to Spokane for safety. The New Orleans Guild had a lot of hairy shit going on down there, so that Guild had been chosen as the most plausible one to send an Enforcer for research on how to solve some of their issues. Ristan feared that Guilds’ troubles had more to do with the Mages—and the knowledge that Faery was in trouble—than any of the Guilds were currently willing to admit. There were Fae that were already jumping ship due to the uncertainty in Faery—as if Ryder would ever allow Faery to go down to something as insidious and evil as the Mages.
They would meet their end, and it would be as brutal as they’d been to the Fae. The evil fucks had loved torturing, and it would only be right for the Fae to return the favor.
“Did anything else come up the line from down South?” he asked as he accepted the box of assorted books and scrolls.
“Just a message that said your punishment has been extended indefinitely,” she replied softly, her voice hesitant to relay what she thought was bad news. “Or at least until you finish what they sent you here to do. I’m sorry they’re making an Enforcer like you suffer in this dusty old library,” she finished.
“It’s not so bad,” Ristan replied as he absently reached up and tucked a stray curl behind her ear. “The scenery is outstanding and breathtakingly beautiful,” he muttered as his fingers grazed her ear. He tried to connect and read her mind, and once again, he couldn’t get a single image or thought.
She blushed and he smiled inwardly. Yeah, his mind went there. And by there…he was imagining her in a schoolgirl outfit. She would have that thick, gorgeous hair in a tight ponytail that he could use to direct her lips with… She’d be decked out in stockings, with nothing blocking his direct route to her sweet flesh… He groaned and shook his head to dispel the image, and crossed his arms over his chest.
He had a fucking hard-on for a librarian… One that reeked of sweetness. She was nothing like the willing, skilled bed partners he normally chased. He went after ones that he knew Danu wouldn’t harm; her strange obsession with him bothered him. Daily.
Danu was one of the most powerful Goddesses and creator of his race; she’d used him since he’d Transitioned, and she’d been there in the room with him, watching as he killed most of his bed partners. Later, he discovered the Fae thought that the strength of his Fae sire would make him immune to his curse, his need to consume souls… It hadn’t been the case. Instead, Danu had been witness to it, and she’d laughed at his horror, saying afterwards that what he’d done was natural.
As if his life hadn’t been fucked up enough? He’d
barely come out of the killing haze of his Transition; when his own father had sliced his wings from his back, and took his tail and horns. He’d taken his identity. He’d wanted to kill him, to take from his father as he had done to Ristan, ever since he was a child. He’d been haunted by vacant eyes, and it was what he’d seen as his father took his Demon markings and scarred him for life. What was supposed to be a time of joy that he’d survived was tainted with the knowledge that he hadn’t thought he deserved to live at the cost his survival came with.
Ryder had saved him and, away from their father’s ever-watchful eye, had been kind, everything Ristan had needed. That’s what created the bond of loyalty between them. Even though it took him months before the flesh of his wounds completely healed, the emotional shit had never gone away, and yet he managed it daily, hiding it behind snarky comments and a whole lot of women.
Fuck, he loved women. Loved to take them to their dark side, and show them just how much fun it was there. Show them things they’d never known they were capable of doing with their minds and bodies. They were made for sin, and he knew just how to get them there. Easily.
A hand on his chest made his eyes lower and brought him back to the task at hand.
“Are you okay?” Olivia’s voice penetrated his mind, dissolving his thoughts to focus on her.
“I was just thinking how lucky that kid was, and how easily that could have taken a turn for the worst. He’s lucky we were out there, otherwise his parents would be picking out a casket.” Unlikely, since the Bás Mall would have hidden the body, and kept the kid alive for a very long time, savoring his pain until nothing but a husk remained.
“He’s very lucky, and I for one am glad you and Alden caught it, but what worries me is the Demon that kid spoke of. He said there were two monsters in that alley, and that the Demon helped him. A genuine Demon; since when do those monsters come here?”
“A lot more than you’d think,” Ristan said as he gave himself a mental shake. A lot more than any of them knew. What with Lucian and his group in close proximity to this place, he was surprised that the Guild hadn’t taken note of it yet. Then again, the Guild spotted and documented a few Soul-Seeking Demons long ago and mistakenly thought that his race was what all Demons looked like. Lucian and his men blended in with the Human population far better than most of Ristan’s people could do, which was probably why the Soul-Seekers rarely left Faery anymore.
“I guess it makes sense why Kendra keeps coming back, asking for more information on Demons, and the early history of the Witches.”
“Kendra?” he asked, his curiosity piqued.
“I think she’s doing some family history searches. She’s not Guild like us, though, she’s from one of the separatist Covens. Alden said she’s not anything to worry about. We get a lot of them coming in lately, people searching for family lines, or things to put in the news. We are getting busier now that the archives from all the Guilds are being housed here. It’s good business for the Guild; shows we’re here for them. They need to see us as their allies, and not in league with the Fae, right?”
Ristan shook his head; the girl could talk the ear off a fairy. That much he was sure of. Funny, considering she hadn’t talked to him very much before today. He smiled and nodded slowly in understanding. He didn’t agree nor disagree with what she’d just spit out. He wouldn’t know what the hell she’d just said next because his eyes had strayed to her cleavage, and his mind had gone back to his earlier fantasy.
Talking was overrated when he needed to feed.
Chapter Three
“You need to be careful with her; she’s a lot smarter than you think she is,” Alden said quietly once Ristan had entered the study carrel they’d been using for research so curious eyes wouldn’t grow too interested in what they were doing. It was a nice workspace with a large conference table in the middle for group studies. A desk sat off to the side, and there was even a little sofa with a small table for smaller group discussions. There was even a small galley kitchen in the back of the carrel so the researchers wouldn’t have to leave if they didn’t want to.
“She’s safe from me, don’t worry, old man. I’m going home to feed and check on other things.”
“I’m not worried about her safety with you. I am concerned that she’s shown very little interest in the men here, unlike the others, who seem more than willing to engage and procreate. Most seem oblivious to her differences, but those who have noticed her lack of interest tend to stay away from her or view her as a little sister. As you know, we encourage them to interact, but Olivia is different than most of the girls here; more shy and intellectual than anything. It’s nice to see that she has taken notice of you,” Alden said as he watched Olivia through the window that looked out to the library.
“You know how I feel about the feeding from Humans, so of course I’d prefer, if you do end up having a dalliance with her, that you not feed from her. Maybe you can help her build a bit of confidence in the process. One thing I am concerned about, though, is that she’s taking notes of everything you’re asking her to pull. That list is being handed off to Cyrus, and he’s been cagey lately. He also asked for one of the lots she pulled for you and took it out of the Guild today. Anything in there we should worry about?”
Ristan considered it and dismissed it easily. “It was most likely the one with the location of one of the relics, but it was the one Synthia and I found in the maze. If he is also looking for relics, we should be worried in that aspect, but not that he would find it.”
Ristan watched Alden as he watched Olivia. “You think she might be in league with them?” he asked, his eyes sliding over her lithe frame as she worked behind the librarian’s main desk.
“I wouldn’t encourage you to fool around with her if I did. She’s a sweet girl, timid little thing. But it’s getting harder to tell what people are like anymore. People I trusted have fled, and with the Seattle Guild demanding that we send most of our Enforcers to them, it leaves me unsettled. If the Fae or Mages attacked this place, we’d be hard-pressed to defend it. I don’t buy the bullshit about it being budget cuts; I’ve seen the accounts firsthand and know for a fact that we’ve got enough gold in the vault here to get hundreds of thousands of dollars for it,” he said as he turned away from the window, dismissing Olivia. “New Orleans is silent. Has Zahruk reported to you on the condition of the Guild there?”
“Just that it’s operational, at least from what our people can see from the outside,” Ristan replied, his eyes still on the redhead, but now with what ifs playing in his head. “They run training exercises on time and patrol the bayou for any Fae who have decided to use the myths surrounding the history of New Orleans for feeding frenzies. I’m not sure what you expect him to report back with since you know we mostly played around here. Vlad’s bar filled most of our needs, and Sidhe Darklands did the rest. The Light Fae are a lot more prominent down there, as they enjoy the heat. But then those twisted fucks also like playing royalty in front of the Humans, more so than they do in Faery. Do you think there is a possibility that the Mages could be manipulating her?” Ristan asked as his eyes finally lost the little redhead as she fluttered out of sight of the main desk, probably into the catacombs.
“I may have helped raise her, but she reports to Cyrus. I’m pretty sure he’s looking into you, as you look into us. I also think he’s the one who has been spreading rumors that I’m on the take. It’s a mess,” Alden admitted, his light blue eyes tired, and his shoulders slumped.
“I can pull us out at any moment. All you got to do, old man, is say, go.”
“I can’t leave those kids, not now. Most have parents who can take them, and protect them, but the rest? The rest of them are just innocent kids who have no one who could give a shit if they die tomorrow, except me. Some are like Adam; just showed up and had no one. Those kids, they make me feel needed, and when you get to my ag
e, it’s good to have at least someone who needs you.”
Ristan grunted his agreement, his eyes taking in the old man with new respect.
“How’s our girl?” Alden asked.
“The tamest dame in the universe,” Ristan replied with a grin on his lips.
“As if; I didn’t raise any tame creatures. I raised a woman who would take no shit, and I know she is giving you guy’s hell.”
“Miserable, but dealing with it. She thinks she’s the size of a house, but she’s beautiful. Seeing her pregnant with the future of Faery is something I never tire of. She’s handling it, and Ryder is dealing with the repercussions of taking the throne. He’s allowing her to do more than any other queen of the Horde has before—even though she hasn’t been officially crowned.
“I suspect that is because he’s testing her. She has a lust for knowledge, and she has one hell of a head on her shoulders. I was given a vision just before they dried up, of her leading beside him, and fixing some of the shit our father had done.”
“Always knew she was special, but never this. I wish my sister could see her; I think she’d be proud of the woman she’s become. Do you believe in fate?” he asked offhandedly.
“Do I believe fate played a part in the death of your sister? No; I think that was the action of a true monster. Do I believe in Synthia’s destiny? One hundred percent,” he said with a knowing smile. “It’s not so much her destiny that scares me, but the unknowns of how we get there. I see what needs to happen, and what could happen. I’ve never been shown the entire way, or what all of the sacrifices are.”
“Do you think Synthia will kill Faolán, and avenge her mother?” he countered.
“Absolutely,” Ristan said without hesitation. “I knew she would from the first time I watched it happen, courtesy of Zahruk’s gift. Even as a child she fought to become strong enough to get the job done and you knew it. It’s why you pushed her harder; because you knew it couldn’t be you, but she could. You pushed her, trained her, and created the perfect killing machine. I have a feeling that Marie must have worried about what would happen when Synthia’s secret came out; that perhaps even you would turn on her. You already suspected it, though, and you used it. So the question isn’t, Do I think she will? It’s, when do I think it will happen? I don’t have that answer, old man. No one does.”