Hero's Haven

by Rebecca Zanetti

  But every time Promise smiled or ran a hand down Ivar’s arm, the male brightened. What would it be like to have that connection? To feel that closeness?

  Had the ability to love been tortured out of Quade?

  Promise tapped a silver cylinder and turned to point it at the screen, emitting a laser. A blue one. Quade stiffened and bunched his legs to cover Haven, but nothing exploded. Oh. All right. Lasers weren’t only for blowing things up.

  Good to know.

  Haven chuckled, and he cut her a look. Smart-ass. She’d known exactly what was going through his head. His heart warmed. A little.

  “So.” Promise pointed at a bunch of numbers. “There must be something in demon DNA that allows you to teleport on this planet, and a marker in Fae DNA that allows teleportation off this world.”

  “To another dimension?” Haven asked.

  Ivar groaned, and his head dropped.

  Promise smiled. “Ivar?”

  Ivar turned. “We can’t travel to another dimension because we’re three-dimensional beings. So we can only go to three-dimensional places, although it’s possible we travel through other dimensions. We just don’t land in them.” He rolled his eyes and then turned back to his mate.

  “Got it,” Haven said, munching contentedly on another marshmallow.

  Quade didn’t understand what the numbers meant, and right now, he didn’t really care. “The only question I have is whether or not I’ll be able to travel with Haven in her sleep. Or even without her, now.”

  She stopped chewing.

  Promise looked at the board. “I think so. Haven is the only Fae-demoness in existence, as far as we know, so she’s the only one who apparently can travel without her body. It’s a whole new level of science, and I’m just starting to figure it out. But since you’ve mated—and congratulations, by the way—you should gain her abilities.” She pursed her lips. “Especially since you’ve already actually traveled to other places. In the same way there are pathways in the brain, I believe there are pathways through dimensions.”

  Ivar turned to face Quade, his blue eyes dark. “I’ve been thinking as well. What if Quade’s world didn’t completely implode? What if it collided or combined with others much like planets and stars have collided for eons? If Ulric’s world combined with the other world or worlds, there has to be a way to keep him from moving again.”

  Promise nodded. “I believe that’s what you were actually doing all those years in your own world. Ronan described how he moved magnets to change the polarization of his world, and I’m sure you did the same. What you were really doing was keeping portals from opening so that they would not allow Ulric passage.”

  Quade sat up. “Is there a way to shut all portals? For now, anyway?”

  Promise’s eyes gleamed. “I think so?”

  Haven set her spoon down. “The rock, right? It’s the rock I keep landing on. It has to be.”

  Promise’s eyebrows rose. “Smart. Yes, I believe so. You describe the area as rock, trees, weird water, and drop-off cliffs. What if, as Ivar said, these all represent different worlds that have collided? In that case, I think the rock is the piece holding them all together. Blow up that rock, and there will be no connection to our world for Ulric to seek. We think. I mean, that’s the best hypothesis I can offer right now.”

  Quade shook his head. “We’ve never been able to bring weapons when we teleport.” He rubbed his chin. “Though I might be able to break the rock.” He was stronger than ever before after his time in hell.

  Haven grasped his arm. “If you break the rock while we’re on it, you’ll fall. We both will.”

  Ah. She hadn’t completely figured out that he was going to go it alone, and as soon as possible. He captured her hand on his arm, flattening it beneath his. She was strong and healthy, and he planned to keep her that way.

  Quick footsteps sounded down the hallway, and a petite female rushed into the room, bounding right up to Haven. “Hey. I’m Mercy.” The fairy had one blue eye and one green, and her hair was a dark red with streaks. “You’re Haven.” She dragged Haven from the chair and hugged her, hard. Quade released her hand so she didn’t fall.

  They were exactly the same size.

  “You’re short, like me.” Mercy pulled back, keeping Haven’s arms. “I’m so sorry about what they did to you—I never had a clue. But now you’re here, and we’re together. We brought you a bunch of canvases and paints like Quade asked for. You have to help me save those Fae in Brookville. Can you do it?”

  Haven looked shell-shocked. “Um. Yes?”

  “No,” Quade said. “Not without me.”

  * * * *

  The world tilted around Haven and she took a step back, taking a look at Mercy. Another Fae. She wasn’t completely alone, even though she was the only Fae hybrid. Truth be told, they looked a little bit alike. “I think I can get back there tonight when I sleep,” she said, ignoring Quade.

  Heat rolled from him, and she stubbornly kept her attention on Mercy.

  Mercy sniffed the air. “Oh, you’ve mated. Wow. That didn’t take a lot of time.”

  Heat burst into Haven’s face. Her butt and hip still burned from the marking, though she’d looked at it earlier, and it truly was beautiful and wild.

  Mercy laughed and patted her hand. “Don’t worry about it. Most of us mate fast when it’s real.” She looked over her shoulder. “Speaking of which. That’s Logan, my mate.”

  Haven turned and the spit in her mouth dried up. Next to a massive dark-haired male stood Allison, the woman who had acted as her mother for a short time. She looked tiny next to Logan, even in a thick light blue coat and jeans. Her brown hair was streaked with gray and there were many new lines on her makeup-free face. “Hi.”

  Allison hesitated, clasping her wrinkled hands together. “Hi.”

  Quade stood and placed a reassuring hand at the back of Haven’s waist. He leaned in, his breath brushing her ear. “What do you want, sweet Fae? Time alone with her or do you want me to come with you?”

  Haven let out a shuddering breath, warmed by his instant support. Did Allison even know the pastor was dead? “Time alone.” She looked over her shoulder at Ivar. “Is there a bedroom for her?”

  Ivar nodded. “Two doors down from you there’s another room. It’s not fancy.”

  None of this was fancy. “Thank you.” Did Allison even know that these weren’t humans?

  Logan cleared his throat. “First, it’s nice to meet you. Second, I’ve informed Allison about our research facility here, and that it’s government-sanctioned and top-secret. She’s agreed to sign an NDA.”

  Well. Haven nodded. “I understand.” So, no telling the human about immortals. Not a problem. She’d never confided in Allison before, so why start now? She moved toward the woman, pausing next to her. “If you’d come with me?” Without waiting, feeling all eyes on her, she started down the corridor.

  Allison quietly followed along, waiting until they’d reached the door before speaking. “I’m sorry. I’m so scared. You have to help me.”

  Haven tried to keep calm and pushed open the door to find a room with a bed and nothing else. “The bathroom is on the other side of the rock, and if it’s like mine, it’s pretty nice.” She partially turned to face Allison. “They brought you here to meet with me, so I could get some sort of closure. I don’t know if I even want that.”

  Tears filled Allison’s blue eyes. “I’m so sorry. I believed in him. That he had a mission from God, and that he was right about you.” She wiped a tear off her cheek. “You were so different, and it seemed like he was right. I did try to protect you. But not enough.”

  Haven recalled an image of Allison standing up to the pastor and getting hit once when she was younger. “I remember,” she said slowly. “Kind of.” That didn’t mean she forgave Allison, but maybe she should try to do that. Wa
sn’t forgiveness good for the one forgiving? Her temples began to ache. This brush with the past was too much.

  Her body felt different since the mating, and her head was spinning. She wished, more than ever, that she had a relationship with this woman so she could confide in her. But it wasn’t there. Her heart ached.

  Allison leaned in. “Who are these people, really? I saw them fight, and I saw fangs.” Fear shook her voice. “I signed the NDA, but they know I saw. Are they vampires?” She quickly crossed herself.

  Well, shit. Apparently Allison trusted her, because she’d just given a reason why she could never return to her old life. Haven shook her head. “I think maybe the stress of the situation with the pastor got to you.” She finally reached out and patted Allison’s arm. “What happened was traumatic. Thank you for trying to stop the, ah, guy from taking me from your kitchen.” She’d seen Pierce knock out Allison.

  Allison grabbed her hands. “I tried. I really did. I am your mother.” She looked around, her eyes wide. “I feel like these people aren’t just going to let me go back to my life. Am I right?”

  Haven swallowed, emotions fighting within her. She wasn’t sure what to think—about anybody. “I won’t let them hurt you.” It was the least she could do, considering Allison had tried to protect her a couple of times. “Though you need to understand, I don’t consider you my mother. We don’t have a real mother-daughter bond, and it’s not because I was adopted.” She kept her voice gentle, but she needed to say the words. “You abandoned me and let him scare and hurt me. Some of the foster homes I was in weren’t great, and I was on my own at fourteen.”

  Allison’s head dropped. “I know.” She sniffed. “I’m sorry. Maybe we can start over? Be friends?”

  That was asking for a lot. Haven extricated herself. Was this closure? For the first time in so long, she could see a future without running and without fear. Well, maybe there would always be fear in this new world.

  Allison released her. “We weren’t completely wrong, were we?” She stepped into the rock room, looking around. “You’re not human. None of them are.” She turned, her expression more resigned than afraid. “Right?”

  “Why don’t you get settled in? Once you realize that you did not see what you thought you saw, you can go live your life.” Haven wasn’t sure of the rules of this new world, but instinct told her that the existence of the immortals was secret for a reason. She couldn’t imagine Quade killing a human, but what were the options? “Get comfortable, and maybe we’ll talk later.” It had been over a decade since she’d seen Allison, and since then, she’d made her own life.

  Allison nodded. “I would like to know who or what they are.” She tilted her head. “You promised not to let them hurt me. Do you have fangs?”

  “No.” Haven backed away. “I wish.”

  Mercy called down the hallway. “Haven? The queen wants to talk to us.”

  Allison’s eyes widened again. “You all have a queen?”

  Haven turned to go. “Yeah. She’s pretty cool. More like a doctor.” She shut the door and hustled down the hallway, rubbing the bite mark on her neck. Life had gotten way too weird.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Haven reached the computer room, where the farthest monitor was smoking and sputtering. “What happened?”

  Ivar slapped the flames out. “We’re not ready to set up headquarters here yet, and the electricity went off.” He glanced up, a burn healing across his chin. “I tried to hack into a satellite.” He lowered his head and muttered, “I bet Gwen got the rose.”

  Haven paused. “She didn’t! I saw a rerun the other morning. Jennifer got the rose.”

  Ivar frowned. “Seriously? She’s such a wretch. Gwen is the sweet one.”

  “I know, right?” Haven shared a smile with him.

  Ivar slapped the monitor. “I can’t believe I missed it. We keep getting headquarters blown up. It’s such a pain.”

  Quade strode down from the kitchen, a sandwich in his hand. “How did it go with Allison?”

  “Okay.” She wanted to burrow into his side; instead, she straightened her spine and remained in place.

  His eyebrows rose and he crossed to her, hauling her close for a hug. “You don’t have to be brave all the time.” He dropped a kiss on the top of her head.

  Her eyes stung and she batted away emotion, taking a deep breath of him. Mint and male and Quade. She settled for the first time since Allison had walked in. “I’m fine.”

  “I know.” He kissed her again. “Want some of my sandwich?”

  “No, thanks.” She wasn’t hungry. “Where’s Mercy? She called for me.”

  “Here.” Mercy bopped out of the kitchen with Logan on her heels, both holding grape sport drinks. Logan easily took her hand as they neared.

  Quade stiffened and then relaxed. Interesting. Was he getting ideas from all the folks in love around them? Haven could relate. It was hard not to when faced with such happiness. Did he want love such as his brother had found? Or did he think it was impossible after the life he’d led?

  She placed her hand over his heart and rose up to kiss him beneath the jaw.

  Surprise flashed across his hard face, followed by pleasure. He grinned. “What was that for?”

  She faltered and recovered by turning toward Mercy. “You were saying something about the queen?”

  “Yeah.” Mercy looked over at Ivar and the smoldering computer console. “Said to give her a call when we had a chance. Maybe it’s about the missing Fae? She has connections we don’t.”

  “Here.” Ivar grabbed the nearest laptop, typed in several codes, and brought up the queen in her lab on the closest screen.

  Emma looked up from a tablet. “Hello. Where are you?”

  Ivar shook his head. “It’s a secret.”

  Emma’s dark hair was down around her shoulders this time, and her blue eyes were intense. But she wore her customary white lab coat over a T-shirt and jeans. “Whatever. We could find you if we wanted. Well, maybe.”

  Quade snorted. “Right. We stole a helicopter from you.” Then he winced. “Sorry we crashed it.”

  Emma grinned. “Yeah. Dage isn’t happy he let you go with one of his best prototypes and you destroyed it. You might not want to mess with him for a while.”

  Haven pursed her lips. “He let us take the helicopter?”

  Emma rolled her eyes. “Did you really think two Realm soldiers would be that easy to subdue?”

  “Not really,” Quade admitted. “I take it the king wanted to track us and find our headquarters?”

  Emma chuckled. “Yeah, and instead he ended up with a pile of destroyed metal.” She cleared her throat. “His sense of humor is nowhere near as good as mine, just so you know.”

  Haven winced. Dage Kayrs hadn’t seemed like a guy she’d want to piss off. “Tell him we’re sorry?”

  “I’ll do that.” Emma typed something on her tablet. “So, I wanted to talk to the two of you.”

  Haven shared a look with Mercy. Was there something wrong?

  Mercy stepped forward. “What’s happening?”

  Emma typed more and read the screen. “I’ve been conducting tests on your blood, looking for chromosomal abnormalities that would explain your abilities, but nothing so far.” Her brow furrowed. “There has to be something, but it might take me years.”

  Haven relaxed against Quade. “You’re giving us an update.” All right. She could handle that.

  Emma looked up. “Yes, and there’s more. I ran a DNA test with all of the Fae blood I’ve managed to acquire so far—meaning Mercy—and you two share a genetic donor.”

  Haven tilted her head. What? “Wait a minute. What are you saying?”

  Mercy gasped, clapping her hands together. “Really? Are you sure?”

  Emma nodded. “Yep. I don’t know whether it was maternal or pat
ernal, but you definitely share one donor. My guess is maternal, but there’s no way to know for sure.”

  Mercy grabbed Haven’s arms and yanked her free of Quade. “Sisters! We’re sisters.” Joy filled her face and she hugged Haven, jumping up and down. “Can you believe it? I always wanted a sister, and this is so awesome.” She let go, her eyes sparkling.

  Haven swallowed. A sister? A real sister? Emotion overcame her, and her mouth dropped open. She couldn’t move.

  Mercy’s face softened. “Oh, Haven. This is a good thing. I promise.” She leaned in and hugged her again.

  “I know.” Haven hugged her back. She wasn’t alone. She had a sister and now a mate. She looked over at him, and he winked.

  That simple gesture helped calm her better than anything else could have. A wink from a too-serious, dangerous, wild vampire-demon hybrid.

  His sandwich finished, he extricated her from Mercy and drew her back to his side. “You okay? This is a lot.”

  It was a lot. The entire day—it was still just morning—had been overwhelming. Plus, her body felt different after the mating the night before. Her blood felt sluggish and her limbs tired. She cleared her throat. “Emma? I, ah, this is personal, but I was wondering if I should feel so tired after being mated.” She might as well learn to trust her new family now.

  Emma’s lips twitched. “Yes. My research shows that mating takes a toll, temporarily, on the female of the pair right away. Don’t ask me why, because it isn’t fair. Considering you’re a hybrid, I assume you’ll feel better very soon. It’s nothing like going from human to mated, believe me.”

  Quade leaned down. “You’re not feeling well?” Clouds gathered across his expression.

  “I’m well but a little tired,” she admitted. “Thought I’d ask if it was normal.” She looked up at his shadowed jaw. “What about you?”