Still holding her hand, he got on his phone and contacted one of his favorite troll contractors and explained the situation.
Hank spoke the words Malik wanted to hear. “That fucking asshole is at it again. Okay, give me the coordinates and Mastyr, I will have both my teams at this residence within the hour.”
When he delivered the basic realm map coordinates, Hank said, “Wait a minute, you’re at Willow’s property. Are you telling me that bastard wrecked Willow’s home?”
Malik frowned. He knew that Willow kept a spell over her property. If a fae had done this, then she had tremendous power to have broken through the charm. “Not Axton. Someone aligned with him, though, and very powerful. I’m thinking one of the fae who sell on the black market.”
“Well, fuck! I did the original work on that complex.” A string of curses followed that made Malik smile.
Hank let him know about when he would arrive, then hung up.
Malik squeezed Willow’s hand. “Hank is coming.”
“Hank, the contractor?” Tears filled her eyes and the next moment, she was hugging him hard and pathing, Thank you, thank you, thank you.
“Hey, it’s what I do.”
She laughed at that, then lifted her face to him. “I mean it. Thank you. This was the worst ending to a long, difficult night and you’ve made it better, almost tolerable.” She then pulled away from him and looked around. Every wall had been damaged. “Hank will be furious.”
“Yeah, he already is. I don’t suppose you have beer in the house, do you?”
“Oh, what a good idea.”
She started to cross the kitchen area, but again he held her back. “Let me go first, just in case.”
He moved quickly into the kitchen and tested the support branch, but it held. He moved inside and opened the fridge. Sitting there, lined up in perfect waiting order, were several cold bottles of brew.
He smiled. He loved this woman.
He loved this woman.
He’d meant it only as a flippant response to Willow keeping beer in her fridge, but the words kept sinking deeper and deeper. And as he turned toward her, with her green silk dress still unmolested by recent events, his heart stopped all over again.
Was this love he felt or the beginning of love?
And had she always been this beautiful with her creamy skin and thick wavy auburn hair, her hazel eyes and softly arched brows? Or was it her blood rose gift that made his heart swell, then squeeze up tight?
Right now, he didn’t care. He let his gaze rest on her and savor what the Goddess had made so incredibly well. As he twisted the caps off and tossed them in a nearby wastebasket, he handed a beer to her.
She made no apologies as she drank deep.
He joined her.
Fucking Society that acted however it wanted to act. Somehow, if it was the last thing he did, he’d run it to ground. Maybe all that had happened in the past twenty-four hours had occurred to show him one simple thing: that Axton had the support of a fae powerful enough to destroy Willow’s shield. And if Malik hadn’t been there, the charm would have won the day.
What would have happened to the wraiths then?
And who was this fae that seemed to be in league with Axton? He knew that the black market was alive and well and that there were several very powerful, hidden fae in his realm that supplied charms for a price. But this one had to have Guild level powers.
The thought ran through his head that maybe Margetta the Ancient Fae, the one that had created the Invictus, might be involved. Yet he couldn’t imagine Axton aligning himself with someone who was part wraith. And if she was involved, why wasn’t his land filled with her army of wraith-pairs? For both those reasons, he tended to think Axton had made an alliance with a black market fae.
For now, at least, with dawn creeping closer, he could let it all go. Axton, as a vampire, wouldn’t be active during the day.
He ran his hand over his night-old beard. He had one more call to make. He reached his housekeeper and gave her a list of things he needed, including something to sleep in and a fresh uniform for the next night. At the last minute, he requested jeans and a tee, since he’d be up for a while before he actually went to work at full-dark.
When he hung up, Willow touched his arm. “I’m glad you’re staying here.”
“I wouldn’t be at ease anywhere else.”
She glanced around, then drew a deep, bracing breath. “I want to see the rest of my complex.”
“Okay, but let me lead the way.”
“Happily.”
Malik half expected to see the rope bridges sliced up so that Willow wouldn’t be able to easily reach her different houses. Instead, it looked like the worst of the damage was in the main house and for that he was grateful.
But someone had gone through and ransacked each room, hunting for things, maybe, as Willow had suggested earlier, to use in spells against her.
“Let me know if you see anything missing.”
“My brush,” she said, moving into her bathroom. “My brush is gone and it has my hair in it.”
Malik frowned. “As I recall, some of my hair was in there, too.”
“That’s not good. A lot can be done with hair in the creating of spells with an evil taint.”
Malik saw the drawn look to her cheeks, and he crossed to her. “Listen, you’re exhausted, and now isn’t the time to try to deal with any of this.”
“You’re right.”
“How about we head to your meditation porch and finish our beers? Once Hank and his team arrive, I’ll have them go to work on the bedroom first, then we can both retire. The only problem is all the noise.”
When she crossed the rope bridge to her meditation treehouse, she glanced at him and smiled. “Do you know that is one thing I can take care of? I don’t do a lot of spell casting but working as I do, especially when I really need to sleep, sometimes the day-birds keep me awake. So, I devised my own noise-shield.”
“Perfect.”
Willow sat down in one of two chairs on a small porch that overlooked the forest.
He sat down beside her and for a long time, neither spoke. He finished his beer, then fetched two more for them. She took her second one readily, and once more he took up his place beside her and swigged.
The night sky studded with stars could be seen through the forest canopy, although with his vampire vision he saw everything as in a glow. Realm night-birds fought for the best nesting sites and kept up a mad chatter.
When he finally heard Hank calling to him, he told Willow to stay put while he headed to the primary house. The troll, bless him, had brought two very large crews, one for clean-up, the other for repair.
Of course, Hank let a few more ‘fucks’ and ‘Goddess be-damneds’ fly before he finally set his repair crew to work.
Malik waited on the front porch of the main house for the delivery of his clothes and once those arrived, he brought them back to the meditation treehouse.
“Hank said the work in the bedroom would be done in half an hour.” He settled the clothes-bag by the doorway, then took up his chair once more.
“I’m so grateful, because I’m dead tired. Of course, the buzz from the beer is forcing my eyelids to sink when they might not otherwise.” She sipped again, afterward shifting toward him slightly. “Should we just jump in and complete the blood rose bond? I mean, we’re in the middle of rough seas, so do we risk way too much by holding back?”
He was so surprised by the question that for a long moment all he could do was stare at her. For himself, bonding was out of the question. He’d avoided any kind of relationship because his Vampire Guard battled both the dreaded Invictus wraith-pairs and The Society. He needed to stay centered on his duties.
But he was curious about her reasoning. “Do you want to bond with me?”
“No, of course not. Wait. That sounded bad. I really like you Malik and the sex is amazing, but I have a job to do that requires every ounce of my strength.”
/> “But it would appear I can help with that.”
She chuckled softly. “Are you planning on attaching yourself to my hip, because if you’re not physically touching me, I don’t see how this could actually work.”
“Well, I know one thing for sure; I’m not making a decision like that tonight.”
She laughed again, a sound that dug deep between his ribs. He even liked the way she laughed.
As he continued swigging his beer, he thought about Axton’s latest attack and a jolt of anxiety went through him. Axton had almost pierced the colony’s protective shield and what if he’d gotten through? He had no idea whether Axton knew he was after an entire colony or just a few families, but if he’d penetrated the entrance, he would have discovered the truth.
What a public relations’ nightmare the colony’s existence would have become for Malik. A thousand complaints would have flown to the Sidhe Council, demanding his removal.
And there was one more element he needed to remember. Axton had his own Guard. He’d kept it well-concealed all these years, but Malik knew of its existence; he just didn’t know how big it was or how far Axton would be willing to go to get at the wraiths.
He decided then and there he needed reinforcements.
“I’m thinking of calling Zane in to help.”
“Mastyr of Swanicott Realm?”
“Yes, I think I’m going to need additional support over the next couple of nights. I don’t like the way any of this is shaping up, and I don’t want to be caught flat-footed if Axton should decide to bring in his not-so-secret Guard force that is loyal to him.” At least fifty Guardsmen, aligning with Axton, had left the Vampire Guard when Malik became Mastyr of Ashleaf. And Malik had no reason to believe that the numbers hadn’t grown over the past two centuries.
“Sounds like a plan.” She’d spoken quietly, and as she leaned back in her chair, he could see that her eyes were almost shut.
He slid his phone from his leathers and made the realm-to-realm call.
“Malik, how the fuck are you doing?” Zane had one of the deepest voices of all the mastyrs.
“I’ve been battling an upstart asshole who wants to kill a bunch of innocent people. How are you?”
Zane chuckled. “Up to my ass, as usual. So, what’s going on, because you sound like nine kinds of gremlin shit, my friend.”
Malik smiled. Zane had always been able to make him laugh. He was about to relay the details, when Willow rose to her feet, gesturing to the doorway behind him. He turned and saw that Hank was smiling and jerking his head toward the bedroom treehouse. It looked like all was ready.
He nodded to them both, and Willow left with Hank, talking quietly to him.
Malik turned his attention back to Zane and for the next several minutes he told his fellow mastyr about the goings on in his realm, including the whole blood rose thing. The only detail he held back was the existence of an entire colony of wraiths and instead used Willow’s ploy about protecting a few hidden families on her land.
“The thing is, I don’t know what fae is helping Axton out, but her power level is pretty high. I’m thinking one of the black market fae. So, what I need is for this entire area on Willow’s property to be reinforced at full-dark, near the entrance to where the families live.”
“How about me and fifty of my best Guardsmen head your way?”
A wave of relief rolled through Malik’s chest. He hadn’t realized how tense he’d been. “That would be perfect. I’ll get back to you just after full-dark to give you the details and location. Just do whatever you can to stay away from Willow. I almost killed Axton for talking to her.”
“Got it, but damn that must have felt good, taking that bastard on.”
“Used my fangs and took a couple of chunks out of his fucking arms.”
Zane laughed. “I would have paid to watch.”
Malik fell quiet.
“What?” That bass voice rolled through the connection.
“I’ve never been out of control like that before.”
When Zane spoke, his voice sounded hushed. “Is it like what they all say? A drive like none other?”
“Yep.”
“Well, shit.”
“You said it.”
“So you wish it hadn’t come?” Zane asked.
Malik was all set to answer, but when he thought of what it had been like, just a few minutes ago, sharing a beer with Willow, well, the words got stuck in his throat. “It’s just very unexpected and surprising. I’m still adjusting.”
“Do you think you’ll bond with her?”
“I don’t know. Early days yet.”
Malik grew tense all over again, however, at the thought of Zane anywhere near Willow over the next couple of nights. But he’d already made the call and now he’d just have to figure out how to keep the two of them apart.
“You can use the training center and rotate your men through my treehouse rec room.”
Zane sighed. “That lounge of yours; I remember it well. And it overlooks a bathing pool.”
Yeah, the men liked looking.
Though the horizon was still pitch black, a warning sensation, like a clanging bell deep in his skull, told Malik that dawn approached.
“I’m headed to bed now. Talk to you tomorrow.”
“Later.”
After picking up his clothes bag, he made quick tracks across the rope bridge to the upper treehouse. He really needed a shower.
The room looked as tidy as ever; he owed Hank one.
But as he crossed the threshold and watched Willow climb into bed, he realized he’d been assuming he’d be joining her. Yet the last thing he wanted to do was to put any kind of pressure on her. “Where would you like me to sleep?” he asked, his heart pounding in his chest. He really wanted to be with her right now.
She smiled sleepily, pulling the covers up to her chin. “Here, of course.” She patted the space next to her. “I’m too distressed to have you farther away than an elbow-nudge.”
He smiled. “Okay, then. I’ll shower up.”
He laid the bag over the chair across from the bed. Though he usually slept in the nude, he’d planned on wearing PJ bottoms for Willow’s sake. They might have hooked up a couple of times, but he didn’t want her to think he had expectations.
He took his time showering so that by the time he got into bed, she was asleep.
Once under a light quilt, and the shades drawn against even the smallest ray of sunlight, Malik lay on his pillow stunned that he was here.
In her sleep, Willow tossed her hand in his direction but after making contact, she moved close so that she was stretched out beside him. He lifted his arm, and the next thing he knew, she nestled her head in the dip of his shoulder. He held her close and once again his heart seemed to light on fire with his growing affection for the woman.
Yeah, he was honest enough with himself to know that he could get used to this, to having her in his life. He just couldn’t figure out how the pieces could all fit together.
His chest felt tight yet full at the same time, and his veins flowed with something very warm.
~ ~ ~
Willow awoke slowly on her stomach, feeling slightly drugged. The hour was late and it wouldn’t be long until full-dark, which meant she’d slept over eleven hours. Unbelievable.
But then the prior night had been one of the roughest of her life.
Malik lay on his side facing her, his brows drawn together, as though even in his sleep he worried about Ashleaf Realm.
She could relate. She’d had a few unnerving dreams about wraith children dying.
She turned and stretched out on her back, giving her body and brain time to catch up. She blinked several times, trying to clear away the lethargy.
She recalled now that she’d awakened more than once in Malik’s arms and his presence in her bed had done more to ease her than she wanted to admit.
Glancing at him again, she realized she could get used to having a big male bod
y in her bed. Desire rose suddenly. The need to be kissed and held by him, to make love with him, swept through her. She almost reached for him with the intention of waking him up, but she held back.
He needed his sleep as much as she did and her instincts told her that tonight might be even more difficult than the previous night. The fae acting behind Axton was working fast on his behalf. Who knew what the pair would throw at them as the evening marched on.
More than once, she wondered if Margetta might be the fae, the one who’d created the Invictus. Her bid to take over the Nine Realms wasn’t over and her army was always looking for wraiths to subvert. What if she’d discovered the existence of the Ashleaf Colony and wanted the pure-bloods for her army of vile wraith-pairs?
When her brain finally cleared and her thoughts made sense, she rose quietly, showered, and dressed for the night in jeans and a purple, tank top. After all that she’d been through, she didn’t really want to be in a gown or even in her favorite long skirt.
She padded barefoot across the rope bridge toward the main treehouse. The waning sunlight bothered her a little and would definitely blister Malik given his extreme vampire sensitivity to the sun. But her faeness wasn’t quite as affected and the short distance made it tolerable.
Right now, however, she wished she had a spell that could counteract the effect for Malik’s sake.
When she reached her living room, she almost wept with relief. Her home looked perfectly restored and a bowl of fresh fruit sat on the counter with a note propped up beside it.
She opened the folded paper, and her eyes blurred with tears. Hank basically said that a couple of minor things needed to be taken care of, but otherwise her home was good to go.
Her spell had blocked all the noise, and by the looks of the repairs, Hank’s crew would have made a serious racket for hours on end.
She slid the bowl across the counter and started working on a wonderfully ripe pineapple. A nice fruit salad would be exactly what was needed. Perhaps some eggs. Maybe a frittata.
And coffee. Definitely, coffee.
She spent the next half hour pulling ingredients together, including cutting thick slices off a slab of bacon. She set the table for two.