“Olivia? Little mouse?” Synthia asked with a wide grin.
“If I didn’t know better, I’d say she’s part Demon,” he growled in response.
“Olivia is sweet. She’s very timid, but still sweet, from what I know of her, anyway. She’s not a spy,” she continued. “Well, maybe…Tell me why you think she is a spy.”
Ristan considered his words and then discarded them. Instead of telling her his suspicions, or rather, speculations, he told her something that was simple and could be easily discarded by her fears. “She has red hair, and she’s always listening, always,” he whispered as his eyes once again dropped to her belly.
“So since she has red hair and pays attention, that makes you believe she’s a spy for the Mages?”
“That’s not all. I just have this gut feeling. I can’t read her. I can’t see her soul and mind.” He kicked himself for it. He couldn’t see her soul, and he couldn’t read her at all, however; he could sense her purity, which normally hinted of virginity. He probably could touch her and read her emotions perfectly, but with the way his body tended to react around her, it was better for him to keep his distance from her. “So far, those I can’t read have turned out to be Mages, as it is a powerful spell to block someone like me. Only you and the Dark Princeling have been exceptions to that rule,” he said as he rolled over and propped himself on his elbows at eye level with her stomach. “You’ve grown a lot this week; have you talked to Eliran about it?” he asked her carefully.
She smiled widely and spoke with a straight face. “Yes; we’ve come to the conclusion that I’ve had my womb invaded by aliens which have now decided to use it to start a colony of clones.”
“Ha-ha,” Ristan snapped as he rolled his eyes and tried to focus on her belly, which continued to wobble with the squirming babies. “I’m serious; you’re as big as a house.”
“Thanks for the confidence booster,” she said with a gentle shake of her head. “You think it’s managed to slip my notice that I have a wide load sticker on my ass?” she asked with an irritated tone. Ristan smiled; it probably wasn’t the brightest idea to call her fat, but it had worked to get her off the discussion of the Mages. “Sorry, it’s kind of a sore subject with me at the moment, Demon.”
Ouch, now he felt like an asshole. She was apologizing to him! He almost snorted, but managed to hold it in.
“Has Eliran seen the genders yet?” Ristan asked, hating that he was missing out on a lot of the pregnancy; but he was doing so in order to keep his promise to her.
“No; they seem to prefer to hide it. Every time we try, it’s the same thing: Either baby will have his or her rear end in the way, or a leg is blocking us, or an entire fetus. I seriously don’t care what they are, though, Demon, as long as they are healthy.”
“And Ryder? How has he been these days?” he asked her, but took her sour look as answer enough. “Don’t give me that look, Flower. Must I remind you that he’s—”
“Fae, and love isn’t something you guys do a lot? No, I get it. Really, I do. The thing is, I wasn’t raised Fae and even if I had been, I’d still want love. Maybe it’s a female thing, but the Blood King and Queen, they have love. Actually, even Kier admitted he loves his wife, so that’s two couples that I know of that don’t follow the norm. Ryder’s turned me into a giant beached whale and lately, he barely sticks around to do more than feed me. He was making an effort before, and now, nothing. I get that’s he’s super busy, but I need him right now, too.”
He smiled serenely as he was given his own words back.
“You do know he’s preparing for war, right?” Ristan said as he placed his palm over her swollen stomach. His eyes lit up with wonder as one of the babes kicked him, and his heart melted. “That one must be female like her mother; she’s got spunk and an attitude behind that kick.”
“Well, at least we already know that I have one boy inside there,” she said with that spark of sassiness she was so fond of—and, honestly, he was too.
“Just because the vision showed you handing Adam a son doesn’t mean they will both be males. After all, I was wrong about who had sired them; I could be wrong about the sex of the child as well.”
Visions could be altered and changed, and he felt an ill foreboding when he thought of the future of the babes she was growing in her womb.
“True, since you didn’t see both of them in the vision,” she continued.
“Don’t go there,” Ristan said softly as he nodded to Zahruk, who had made an impatient noise indicating that he felt her playtime among the lesser Fae was over. “I haven’t seen them die,” he said. His eyes tightened as he watched her, and she continued to do the same, as if she thought he’d give something away. His hand continued to stroke where the babe had yet to stop kicking him, and he was unwilling to stop feeling them, as if he wouldn’t get much time with them again. Something dark was coming, and it left him worried that he’d be unable to stop it.
“You haven’t seen them, though, Demon; at least, not through to their adulthood. You can see Ryder’s future as the King, but you’ve yet to see me or his children in it. I’m just worried that with the war coming, they will be born into a broken world which will be too damaged to accept them.”
“That’s good,” Ristan responded to her with a mischievous smile. “It means you’re thinking like a mother already. Now, back to what’s bothering me,” he said with a roguish wink. “The librarian… How well do you know her?”
It was a duck and dodge thing with Synthia. She was going dark, and quick, which forced Ristan to suck it up and change the subject back to what he’d ducked out of before by changing the subject.
“She’s a mouse. Why, you thinking of fucking the information out of her?” Synthia teased. She wasn’t stupid, though, and he sensed that she’d felt the switch and allowed it.
“I’m pretty sure she wouldn’t know what to do with a cock if it was staring her in the eye. She’s a little too prim and proper for my taste, which, as you know, I like the kinky fuckery.”
“Nice mental picture, Demon; can I go toss my cookies now?” she said, wincing forcefully.
“I’m serious. She’s so far from my type that I’d rather bend a Light Fae over and go to town. Better one of those insufferable pricks than that little wench. At least they’d know what to do with a cock,” Ristan continued, trying to shore up his weak argument.
“Now I need ear bleach! But, on a serious note, I think you’re protesting a little too much. Maybe you have a slight Demon-type crush on the poor little mouse?” she cried with a grin on her full lips. He quailed inwardly at that thought. He couldn’t have a crush; he never crushed on anyone before, and he damn sure wasn’t about to start now.
“She could be in league with the Mages! Who knows anymore? I can’t abide betrayers, and I have had more than enough of them lately,” he growled the last out firmly.
“I doubt it, but anything is possible,” she finally said after she considered it for a moment.
“She’s a fucking she-Demon in pretty pink heels,” he grumbled.
“Oh, here now, Demon, maybe you just want her to play with your Lego parts, and tinker with your big blue balls? Just once,” she said wickedly. Her eyes were alight with unshed laughter as she teased him.
Her words pulled a belly laugh from Ristan, which felt damn good considering what he’d had to deal with lately. “My balls are not blue, and I will even volunteer to show them to you for proof; can’t let you go around thinking my boys are from a toy store and shit.”
“Ristan,” Ryder growled as he materialized behind them, and for a moment, Ristan had to remind himself that it was only Ryder, as his brother now held the same power as their father had. “You have somewhere else you need to be?”
“Not really,” Ristan said absently as he stood up and began working the buttons of his pants
. He loved fucking with his brothers’ minds, and it was easier to hide his problems behind a wall of laughter than it was to deal with it all.
His smile grew as Synthia covered her eyes and squealed with laughter, and Ryder smiled at her reaction as well. She’d worked a miracle and she’d made him love her, even if he didn’t realize it yet.
“Don’t do it!” she cried between giggles.
“You show her, and I will promise to make them blue for real, brother,” Ryder growled.
“She accused my boys of being blue! I only offered to let her inspect them to assure her I suffered no such disorder,” Ristan said between a snort and a laugh as he watched the woman hold her belly through the laughter.
“Enough, children,” Ryder said as his eyes fastened onto his woman’s huge midsection with love. “You’re too exposed out here, and I’d like to feed you, Pet.”
Ristan stared at the space they’d stood in long after they’d sifted out and realized he’d taken too long at home. He needed to get back to Alden soon and finish his research in the archives. He knew he was close to finding the right scrolls, which could hopefully lead them to the rest of the relics.
He watched as Ciara approached him. Her dark hair bounced with each step she took. The little minx was up to something, even he could see that much. It was in the bounce of her walk, and the smile in her eyes.
“Rissy,” she purred.
“What do you want, Minx?” he asked as he continued to watch her and the small fairies that filled the sky, making it glow with their frenetic dancing.
“You like her,” Ciara said, and turned her eyes on him.
“Who?” He played dumb. When dealing with his sister, it was best to play stupid and let her announce what it was that she was digging for.
“Synthia,” she said, and folded her arms across her chest.
“She’s not like most Fae women, and she’s refreshing. You’ll like her once you actually try to. Stop being a spoiled brat, because Ryder is keeping her,” Ristan said softly, reminding Ciara that Ryder was the King, even if it was only a subtle hint.
“I’m not spoiled. I’m simply tired of being hidden away and treated like I don’t exist. Seriously, you guys act like I’m a child, and I’m not. I don’t even know if I’ll like her because I’m not allowed around her. It’s not fair; he released the entire pavilion, and yet I only traded one prison for another.”
“You’ve been given free rein to go wherever you want in the castle,” he said, watching as she rolled her eyes. “Baby steps, Ciara. He’s got a lot on his plate right now.”
“Claire seems to think that Synthia will end up gone soon,” she puffed and watched him.
“I wouldn’t place merit on what that one says about anything. If she says the sky is falling, sister, look for it first before you run.”
Ristan stood up and shook his head. He loved his little sister, but she was hot-headed and as stubborn as any of his hundred and twenty-seven half-brothers. She had been sheltered, and that was because she was the only acknowledged sister they had. He had his suspicions about a few others that were probably other unacknowledged half-sisters, such as the Brownie Malinda, who had followed them to the mansion outside of Spokane. He watched Ciara silently as she moved away from him and started dancing with one of their other brothers.
No men approached her, and for good reason. He’d watched his brothers remove those who approached her, and it hadn’t been done gently. She had successfully made it through Transition, but since then, her feedings had been watched, as well as her activities. She was, after all, the only daughter born to their murderous father. Well, that they knew of.
“Don’t you have somewhere else to be?” Zahruk asked as he returned silently.
“Alden is safe for the night, and I needed to feed,” Ristan answered as he brought his eyes back to his brothers. “Don’t you have pussy to chase? She’s sending you imaginary knives, and I’m pretty sure they’re being aimed at your back…or junk.”
“She isn’t happy with anything I do,” he grumbled, which caused Ristan to smile.
“Have you tried fucking her?” was his sage advice to his older brother.
“That seems to be the issue,” Zahruk grumbled unhappily.
“Really? You tapped that?” Ristan asked trying to conceal the surprise in his voice. Zahruk normally fed from women who didn’t mind being shared, but Darynda didn’t fall into the category. She was far from it, and came from a prominent family.
“She seduced me,” he growled, and made an animalistic noise from deep inside his chest.
“Did she now? How did she manage that?” Ristan teased, enjoying the sight of his brother growling deeply as Ryder had when he’d met Synthia.
“She fell on my cock—how the fuck you think it happened? She caught me hungry and shit happened quickly. The next thing I know, she started talking about a relationship, like I’m that type of asshole,” Zahruk explained, and Ristan struggled to try to keep the smile from his face.
“She fell on your cock, and shit just happened? Hitting the ambrosia too hard there, brother?” he asked, finally losing the battle with the wicked grin that he’d been barely holding back.
“Fucker,” Zahruk said before he sifted out of the Fairy Circle.
“Right back at ya, bro!” Ristan voice was filled with laughter as he said it via the mental path he and his brothers typically spoke on.
Chapter Five
Olivia set the box of files to be archived on the mail counter, her eyes watching the hall and entryway for any sign of Justin. Her mind wandered to Cyrus and his weird obsession with her reports on the visiting Enforcer. As if the man actually wanted to be here, in this place. As far as punishments went, research and pushing papers was as bad as it got for an Enforcer unless you included death.
She had spent most of the morning pulling scrolls and other items that Alden and the Elder from New Orleans had requested for Justin to dig through. She’d written down the contents, and Cyrus had gone through the lots as she’d pulled them.
His cryptic words and calls to a higher-up left her with a bad feeling, but she was only a mere librarian, so who was she to question an Elder?
She typed in some numbers for the archives she was working on and looked up as Kendra appeared at her desk.
“Hey, girl,” she said, her smile genuine; she really liked Kendra.
“Hey, did you get a chance to pull those files?” Kendra asked, her eyes scanning the library.
“I did, but I’m still not sure why you’re even bothering with Demons from the 1600s,” Olivia probed; she may not understand it, but she wanted to.
“Alden said he approved for me to look at them; he said I could make notes of whatever I wanted. Just no pictures and no taking them out of the library,” Kendra supplied, even though it wasn’t an answer to Olivia’s question. She’d blatantly dodged the question. Olivia paused as she considered asking it again, and then decided to let it go since it was obvious Kendra hadn’t wanted to answer it.
She was curious by nature and loved history. No, she was actually obsessed with the history of pretty much everything. She’d spent hours of her childhood; hidden in this library, scouring through books. They took her to worlds she would get lost in, and sometimes she needed it.
Her parents were a mystery to her, for the most part. Her father was unknown, but suspected to be high up in the Salem Guild. Her mother had died giving birth, and there hadn’t been anyone, or any family to take her in. Without family to take her in, Salem had shipped her off to Spokane as soon as they were able to, as it was the only Guild in North America with the ability to care for an orphaned child that had magical talents.
“Here are The History of Demonology, The Unclaimed Witches, and The Dark Witches,” Olivia said, her mind taking note of how thin th
e third book was. All the books had been covered in an inch of dust when Olivia had taken them from the bowels of the catacombs. “You have two hours before I close the doors for the afternoon class, but after that you’re welcome to come back.”
“I won’t need much longer than that; I’m looking for specific events,” Kendra said as she pushed her honey-blonde hair from her face and checked her notes on her phone. She was a pretty girl, the kind the boys would go after and chase for her classic beauty.
Unlike Olivia’s own gaudy red hair and porcelain-pale skin. Her body was slim in a way no sandwich could fix. She would know; she’d eaten enough of them. She’d tried anything to gain some curves; she tried a lot of different techniques, some more than a few times. Her small breasts weren’t even a handful, and unlike Kendra’s, hers didn’t make men turn their heads the way some of the male librarians were currently staring.
She scratched absently at the sprinkling of freckles on her nose. They came back in spring with the first rays of sun, faithfully. She was invisible to the men, which was probably a good thing considering how clumsy she was around them. Justin, God, he made her tongue tie in knots that no magician could magically untie.
She’d never been one to go out partying when the other girls did, and she was a hopeless romantic at heart. She spent her off hours either poring through books from the Guild or rereading her favorite romance novels. It wasn’t something she was proud of, this introvert nature she had, but it was something she dealt with.
She placed Kendra’s items into a bin and watched as the girl walked away, her eyes scanning the library as if she was afraid she’d be jumped. Weird. She was normally really talkative, and Olivia loved the warm vibe Kendra gave off that made her feel more like one of the girls, rather than the shy mouse she normally felt like around the others.