by Piper Rayne
“You can lower your arms, princess. Your men are safe.” He looks back at the murderer. “This is not part of the plan. Put away your weapons.” Everyone—except the shooter—complies. “Gunner.”
The murder’s name is Gunner. I save his name for my report, assuming I get out of here alive.
Gunner stares at me with equal parts lust and rage. I can’t be left alone with that man. So, I will my mind to imprint the offenders’ faces in my memory. Crimes against the gifted incites an endless list of criminal offenses against the species, the tribe, the governing kingdom, and the Dakes Empire.
To impose deadly force on a princess demands one sentence—death.
Then the stranger’s words reclaim my attention. He said something about a plan.
What plan? To ambush us. What do they want? What part did he not factor in? The deaths of Dillian and Wren?
I stare through the dark night, trying to make sense of this situation. Then my mother’s face crosses my mind. They wanted my mother. But why? And what will they do with us?
Will they kill us too?
My mind races, taking full advantage of the silent standoff between Gunner and the man with enough authority to halt the killings. He’s more massive than the others, with jet black hair. His dark eyes lack depth. It’s like I’m staring into a vacant hole.
Watching my mother all my life has its advantages. Beings with the most authority don’t need crowns to show it. There’s an aura of power, mother tells me, that comes from within and from the scene in front of me. The man with the long black hair and cold eyes has dominance over the others.
I scan the other men. Are they fairies like Gunner? Yep.
They outnumber the unknown man. But nothing about his posture shows he’s backing down. For that, I’m thankful. But it doesn’t solve my issue.
How can we get out of this?
I keep my eyes trained on the men. Specks cloud my vision. I’ve never used this much power and for this long, and I have no clue how long I can hold out. This is where paying attention in class would have served me. The expressions on their faces lead me to believe they’re talking without words. Maybe it’s time I do the same.
Colt.
Yes, princess.
I exhale, relieved.
We have to get out of here. If I—
I wouldn’t do that if I was you.
I break my gaze, looking over at Gunner. But the voice isn’t his.
One of them can read my thoughts.
It’s the loner. One side of his full lips tips up. Not quite a smile, but not a grimace.
Fuck!
He faces me, and for a second I think he might laugh. Then I clear my mind.
“Drop the orb, princess,” he says. If death had an audible sound, it would sound like his gruff voice.
Cold.
Distant.
Demanding.
The constant flow of energy has my head hazy. I want to challenge him, but the survival of my guards demands I try to repair this situation. I know I can’t trust my own abilities to do it. Hence the whole trout scenario at the range.
When I get back to the kingdom, and I will, I’ll practice day and night to perfect my control of my powers. But for now, my men come first. These deadly fairies shot down my men, as if they do this every day. They killed innocent men without warning, without a second thought.
I won’t provoke them, and I won’t drop my hands until Gunner lowers his gun.
“Do I have your word?” I ask.
“I’ll give it, but I’m not sure it’ll do you any good.” The loner’s smile transforms his face.
“Why? Are you not an honorable man?” I ask.
“Xander’s a mercenary,” Gunner adds. “His only loyalty is to the almighty dollar.”
I stare at the man called Xander, who doesn’t refute the statement. What is he? He has the same pale skin as the others, but he’s not a fae.
Human, maybe?
There are many tribes with human resting forms and the power to shift into other beings. He could be a dragon, vampire, werewolf. He could be the Creator himself. I don’t care as long as he lets us go.
“There’s nothing here for you, Xander.” I use his name, hoping to lower his stance against us. “I don’t have any money. Neither do my men. How about you take your men, and I’ll take mine, and we’ll render this situation handled?”
“I wish I could, princess.”
I don’t believe his claim for a second. We’re too far from the lake to make a run for it, and if I take one of them out, they’ll kill the other men. I only have one option left.
“Fine. Take me.”
“Princess, you—”
“Silence.”
Colt and Adan obey.
“Xander, I’ll go with you if you release my men.” I drop my hands, feeling lightheaded. “Do we have a deal?”
3
A mermaid with glasses. How in the fuck does a mermaid where glasses under water? She thrusts her small hand in my direction, but the princess doesn’t realize this game is much bigger than her.
I waited against the tree further up the mountain. The moment Princess Talia emerged from the water, the air shifted with her beautiful brown skin that appears airbrushed. She’s perfect, from her fearless eyes to her tight-set jaw with a cascade of ebony curls hanging down her back.
You have specific instructions, Xander. This is my crew. My job.
The Dark One also said he wants her alive. I remind Gunner.
“And she is, for now.” Gunner says and the men laugh, all with wild thoughts bouncing around in their heads about the state of the princess beneath her flowing skirt.
The fabric of her dress clings to her curves, falling to the ground. I can see the magic holding the illusion together and a flinch of static scrambles before righting itself.
Gunner steps closer to Talia, and she resumes her previous stance. The orb pulses blue with flicks of gold. I’ve never seen a gifted shift the frequency of their power—the two-tone color is a sure indicator of either her royal status or the genetic makeup of her parents. Maybe she’s like me, a hybrid keeper that was blessed to inherit the power of both parents.
I’ve met mermaids on my journeys. I’ve never heard a single story that ended well for men—of any species. The color of her almond-shaped eyes changes to a sapphire blue. I don’t like Gunner, but he’s the most level-headed of his troop. And we need her alive to complete the assignment. I sigh at his ignorance, but we don’t have all night for them to mess around.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” I warn him.
Gunner smiles. “But you’re not me.”
“Suit yourself.” I step back. The last thing I need is taking a shot meant for that asshole.
I’m not here to save the princess from her fate.
Gunner and his kind cause havoc for the sake of fucking with the Elders. My days of interfering with the affairs of the Dakes Kingdom ended years ago.
They don’t mess with me. I don’t mess with them.
I run my ranch in Montana minding my own business until the Elders locked up my father. Unlike the American justice system, there is no infrastructure for the gifted to challenge the ruling of the Dakes Elders.
Dad and I rarely agree. His willingness to support the very system that imprisons him highlights how different we are. I refuse to blindly pledge allegiance to an ancient patriarchal structure. Allegiance without appropriate oversight sounds cruel and dangerous—for humans and the gifted.
But on this, however, we stand united: We are wild centaurs.
We ran wild for years as mercenaries for hire. No job was too small if the price was right. That was until he mated with a centauride. A beauty from Texas and he joined a herd. I told him it would lead to this.
The Dakes eventually found him and sentenced him to life.
Life confined in a cell without freedom to run the land, or love on a beautiful woman. Life unable to determine your own fate is death t
o our kind.
My father won’t rot away in that hell they call a reformatory. It will be over my dead body. He’ll be released and free to run his pastures again. As soon as I complete this contract.
The Dark One sent his representative Kaden to my doorstep with a guaranteed million-dollar payday and the release of my father from the Dakes Reformatory once Gunner and his troop gain a meeting with the Elders.
The plan was to abduct the queen and await the arrival of the Walker. But either the merman lied, or the princess caught a bad break.
I retake my position against the tree with the princess in sight. She doesn’t stand a chance in hell of making it out of this situation alive because she doesn’t hold enough authority to force the Elders to comply with Gunner’s demands.
He must kill her, toss her body, and wait for another opportunity. That’s what I’d do if I found myself in this predicament. However, waiting screws us all. I cross my arms over my chest. That the area is clear on a night like tonight is a coincidence or another part of this plan.
Life for the Dakes, on earth, is changing as the multiverse vibrates with a restless aura like a mare in labor.
It’s coming.
Gunner and his kind are only the beginning of the issues plaguing the Dakes Empire. However, I stay out of political shit. That isn’t my thing. Getting paid is.
There’s a war on the horizon. I don’t know when. I don’t know where. But when the shit hits the fan, I’ll retreat to my ranch—off-the-grid—until the victor is declared. That was my plan until I learned about my pops locked in a cage. Knowing it partly my fault means I can’t ignore his plight.
Gunner continues to taunt Talia. I scan the heads of the troops, finding the usual anxious energy, tasteless sexual taunts, and one wondering what we’ll have for dinner. I shake my head, focusing on Gunner. His thoughts catalog the fullness of her breast, the length of her skirt, and a promise of having his fill of her once he takes her back to the hotel.
I can’t blame him. Every heart except the mermen races faster in her presence. Mermaids have a nature aura bordering on an aphrodisiac that’s hard to resist. The closer he gets to her, the more he’ll find himself caught in an inescapable danger that only leads to death.
We’re bound to encounter humans here. Let’s take this back to the hotel. Ask your questions there, I suggest, without the others knowing.
“We’ll leave when I’m ready to leave.” He mumbles taking another step closer to the smiling princess.
Kaden paid the twenty-five percent deposit by wire transfer Wednesday and two days later I’m in Oregon. My instructions were to keep cool and call when I feel the mission skews from the goal. He didn’t specify why my presence is necessary. But I have a feeling they’ll need my shield to keep this princess from killing them all.
That faeus lean towards short-range mischief could ruin any long-range plans for gaining an unsolicited audience with the Elders. But that’s not my concern. I lift my shield, blocking out the increase of her vibration.
I relax in my impenetrable space, free from the interference of their barbaric thoughts and her alluring powers reaching for my phone. It’s time Kaden chimes in and tells us if we should throw her back in the lake. Regardless, my deposit is nonrefundable.
The princess is on her own.
I search my phone for the number until Gunner’s laugh penetrates my resolve to fall back. He instructs the troop to handcuff them. His command echoes loud and I drop my shield. Suddenly, waves of obscenities roll through the troop. Each with his personal plans and I don’t like the sound of it.
That mischievous fae hold a consensus is a testament of the princess’ fate.
Their voices ping pong with vile words and crueler imagines all with the Talia in mind. They voice no such words while handcuffing the useless guards by gunpoint. Then they move in a synchronize motion surrounding Talia.
“Princess, you’re a feisty one.” Gunner runs a finger down the length of her cheek. The glow in her eyes waiver and the image of her human form scrambles again.
I don’t have time to examine it because the sight of Gunner touching Talia lights a fire in my gut. Every muscle in my body hardens with rage.
“You have no right.” She rolls back her shoulders, staring Gunner straight in the eyes. Then a deadly smile spreads across her face, stealing my breath. “They’ll toss your body to the depths of ocean.”
“They’d have to find me first.” He grabs handfuls of her dress, yanking it up.
I aim at his head. “What the fuck are you doing?”
“Stay out of this Xan—”
Talia stumps on his foot. Gunner backhands her and in a blur of light she thrusts her knee so far up his balls we all cringe.
Gunner hollers, falls to the ground with his dick cupped in his hands. “You fucking bitch. Tie her up!”
The men surround her as Talia kicks and claws. Then Troy wraps his hands around her throat.
“No one touches her… but me.” I thunder and the earth beneath our feet trembles.
I have no right. Like the others, however, I feel drawn to protect her. There has to be a way to get an audience with the Elders and keep her safe. But first I have to neutralize this situation.
I remove my other pistol. One aimed at Gunner. The other aimed at Troy.
“Last warning. Get your fucking hands off of her.”
Troy tightens his hold, lifting her body from the ground to the point that I feel the essence of her soul leaving.
Pop.
They both tumble to the ground, Troy’s dead and Talia’s coughing, gasping for air.
The men stare between me and Gunner. They all have express threats against my life, but we’ll all die on this hill tonight if any of them lay a hand on me.
I walk over, lowering to the ground beside their leader. I scan the troop.
“Fuck with me.” Everyone halts, staring up at me. Then I rest the barrel of my gun against Gunner’s temple. “I’m not one of your men. Now reign them in or I’ll kill them all.”
“Now!” Talia runs for the lake.
Pop.
Pop.
I shoot at her feet until she spins back with her hands lifted.
“Xander…”
The sound of her saying my name captures my tongue. “Princess, don’t make me shoot you.”
“You’d save me only to shoot me yourself?” Her chest rises and falls, gasping for air. “How chivalrous.”
“It’s best you remember I’m not a gentleman. You’re a paycheck. Walk, princess, or I’ll kill you too.” I motion to the SUV.
Her delicate jaw clamps in defiance.
“I’ll kill you in front of your men.” Her eyes regard them for a second. I shake my head, standing up. She’s more concerned about their wellbeing than her own. Then I face the troop. “Handle the dead bodies and meet me back at the hotel.”
“These are my men,” Gunner says.
“She’s a fucking mermaid. She can sing and drop…” I stop myself glancing over at the princess.
I stay away from mermaid because the tales told about them are true. They kill men with their sweet songs until darkness consumes the souls of their prey. Fairytales chronicle ships sucked to the depths of the sea, sailors dragged to the pits of hell. But I can’t stop staring at her.
Damn, the Creator was having a good day when He made her.
Talia must not know the power of her voice or the power of her beauty.
“And drop what, Xander?” Gunner asks, yanking me back from my thoughts.
He staggers to his feet. No doubt she crushed his balls like walnuts. The lethal glare he has on Talia tells me this isn’t over. Then a streak of blue zaps near my feet. I transport across the space until I hover over Talia.
Chest to chest, nothing but air between us. I’m almost a foot taller than her.
“You should aim to kill, princess.”
She nibbles on her bottom lip, and I hear I did.
Me or him?<
br />
Her alluring eyes round. Either.
I thought she was beautiful from the top of the mountain. I knew she was gorgeous standing a yard away. Now, I realize she’s perfection.
Curious eyes.
Kissable lips.
Womanly curves.
Princess, your glasses don’t have lenses. I slide my weapons back in my hostler, holding back my laughter. But I can’t stop the smile from tugging at the corners of my mouth.
“It’s a stylistic choice,” she whispers.
The heat of her intent gaze and the thoughts rippling through her mind concerning my broad chest, dark eyes, and imposing posture. Then the whisper of a prayer…
Please don’t kill us. Her plea chisels at the block of ice in my chest.
This isn’t about you. I’m trying not to drown in her eyes.
“I’ll comply, do whatever you want. We’ve lost enough souls for a lifetime. Please Xander, no more.”
“You’ll do as I say?”
Talia hesitates, never looking away. The more she contemplates the lack of choices, the more an invisible bond seals our fate.
“Yes,” she nods and sways.
A compulsion unlike anything I’ve experience floods me with the need to see if her skin is as soft as it appears. Like Gunner, I run a finger down her cheek, cupping her face in my hands. Thankful she doesn’t pull away but the spacey look in her eyes concern me.
How do you feel?
I’m fine. Her long lashes brush the tops of her cheeks. Then she stands taller for a second, then her eyes roll back. I fall to a knee, and she drops in my arms.
Her skin burns my flesh and I gather Talia to my chest.
“Gunner, let’s go.”
4
I transfer Talia to the SUV, resting her head on my leg. The late hour makes it hard to see her face as Gunner speeds through the seaside town to the luxury suite he leased near the Saxe Pier.
The lights from the Ferris wheel hold my attention and I block out the panicked state of the others.
We don’t have the queen, and if the princess dies before we complete this mission, we’re all fucked. Her breathing is faint.
Princess… Talia… Hold on…
