Shadow Underground: A Romantic Urban Fantasy Murder Mystery (The Shadow Series Book 3)

by Candice Bundy

  Chapter 26

  Becka had expected to walk across the portal’s threshold into the swanky Shadow-Dweller den she’d visited the last time. Instead, she emerged into a dim, whitewashed, and windowless room. The portal behind her closed with a slight whooshing sound, the passage leaving her with a budding headache.

  Mimir and a pair of her human bruisers blocked the doorway and her view of what lay beyond, but Becka assumed it was the sole exit. There was a narrow bed against the wall where an immobile Quinn had been unceremoniously dumped.

  “Quinn!” Becka rushed to his side, her throat tight with fear. His neck felt warm, if a little clammy. Feeling the rise and fall of his chest under her fingers, Becka exhaled with relief.

  “He’s alive, at least for now,” Mimir said. “His future looks much improved since you’ve joined us.”

  Becka stood, facing off across the room at Mimir. If she reached Mimir, could she null all of her stolen powers? How long would the process take? Even if that worked, and Becka somehow figured out how to get around those goons of Mimir’s, how many more Shadow-Dwellers and other guards were out there? One? A dozen? More?

  Help is coming. Perhaps not as fast as they would with trackers, but the enforcers are on stakeouts right now, hopefully at this very location. It’s just a matter of time.

  Becka had to stall as long as she could.

  “Take her jacket and search her,” Mimir ordered her guards.

  Becka took off her jacket and handed it over, but one of them still insisted on patting her down. He removed the gloves tucked into her pants pocket, and confiscated the set of treatment darts Quinn had given her.

  “That’s right, I’m here. Although I’m not sure coerced is equivalent with willingly?”

  “I’m not here to quibble semantics with you.”

  “Fine.” Becka shrugged. “What do you want from me, Mimir?”

  A slow smile spread across Mimir’s face. “So many things, dear Becka. But foremost, your blood.”

  “Becka, you can’t,” Quinn mumbled behind her.

  Neither reacted to Quinn’s plea.

  “I don’t get it, Mimir. I’m here. Why not just take it?”

  Mimir arched a brow at her and cocked her head a little to the side. “You mean, why not just tie you up, open up a vein or two, and have at it?”

  “Uh, yeah?”

  “A Null’s blood cannot be taken by force. It must be given freely, otherwise the receiver’s powers could be diminished.”

  Lucky me. “How do you know?”

  Mimir frowned at her like she was daft. “Prophecy, of course.”

  Becka was curious despite her conviction that Shadow-Dweller prophecies were a load of bunk. “But I’m the first Null. How do you know they’re correct?”

  “You are a bit of a lone wolf, yet sacred texts go on and on about you and your gift. Some of it’s contradictory too, but we have time for those reveals later. You’ll just have to trust me.”

  “That’s going to happen, well, never.” She would never trust Mimir to be anything but deceitful.

  Mimir waved away her words. “You’ll be excited to hear I’ve organized a celebratory gathering tonight in your honor. Every Shadow-Dweller in the city will be attending.”

  “That’s not my idea of a good time, Mimir. Let’s see if I have this right? You’re not drinking my blood now, so you can drink it later with your friends?”

  Mimir smirked and then took a moment to smooth out the fabric of her pantsuit. “I’m going to give you until tonight to ponder your choices. And… we’re also waiting for the Flower Moon to reach zenith, as it is fortuitous for our rites. I’m confident you’ll reach the right conclusions, especially when you consider the continued welfare of your friends.” She turned and moved to the door. “If you need anything, ask your guards. Please remember, they aren’t magical, and neither is this door, so don’t get delusions that your gift will be of any use. Ta-ta for now.”

  Mimir exited the room, her guards closing and locking the door on their way out.

  When she turned around, Quinn was sitting upright on the bed, his typically bronzed skin pale. They’d taken everything but his pants, and she assumed his pockets had been emptied of anything useful as well. Becka slumped down beside him on the bed and checked his forehead with the back of her hand.

  “You feel normal and your color is better.”

  “I’m pretty fond of breathing,” Quinn replied, his voice a little hoarse.

  Becka leaned into him, craving the comfort of his touch. “I’m pretty fond of you not being blue. Were you lucid for the entire conversation?”

  “Yes.” Quinn wrapped his arms around her, pulling her tight. “As much as I love being next to you, I wish you hadn't stepped through that portal.”

  “Mimir would have escalated and killed at least one of you if I hadn’t, and I couldn’t live with that. I left a note at the house,” she whispered, just in case anyone was listening.

  He nodded. “Hopefully Hamish and Saige will find it in time to make a difference.”

  Becka chewed on her lip. “How much time do you figure we have?”

  “It was what, 2:30 when we got to your townhome? Mimir said she had a gathering planned for tonight, which I assume will be late. So, a few hours?”

  “Plenty of time for me to drive myself crazy worrying about everyone.”

  He hooked a finger under her chin, gently turning her face so he could look her in the eyes. “She’s aiming to wear you down, but you can’t let her.” Becka frowned, and Quinn did a quick shake of his head, his expression resolute. “You can’t, no matter the cost.”

  “The enforcers will find us—”

  “You can’t count on that. I need you to prepare yourself for the worst, Becka. Whatever happens tonight, you can’t give Mimir your gift.”

  Emotions gripped her throat, making it difficult to speak. “I won’t just stand by and let her kill you. Or Lydia. Even that spiteful Hanna. I will not let that happen.”

  Quinn ran his hand down her hair, tucking it behind her ear. “You don’t have control over her, only over how you respond. Mimir appears afraid to force you, due to both her fear over your ability to Null her powers and her adoration of Shadow-Dweller prophetic lore. You have to leverage that.”

  Becka took a deep breath, shuddering as she blew it out slowly. Tears welled in her eyes. She couldn’t keep talking about just letting her friends die. She could never let Quinn die.

  “We know Shadow-Dwellers consume the blood of other fae, thus gaining their powers. From her variety of magical abilities, Mimir’s been doing this for a while. But what could Nulling help her with, that she can’t already do? What magic can’t be done without it?” Becka asked.

  “I’d guess she just wants a complete set?” he joked, and Becka elbowed him in the ribs. “But seriously, your Null power is singular. Perhaps she just wants there to be nothing she won’t be able to do?”

  “Even then, fae powers aren’t limitless,” she said.

  “Tell me what you’ve learned about the history of fae, whether at the institute or at House Rowan.”

  “Let’s see. The ancient fae, the originals, had legendary powers. Their children, the early fae-touched hybrids, could perform amazing feats. Mimir is old. How old, and how long she’s been collecting fae powers, we can’t know. There are what, eighteen houses now?” He nodded. “In the mythology surrounding the Ancients, there were some early children of the ancient fae who were killed before they even reached maturity, out of fear for what powers might emerge, or after their initial presentation, which wasn’t always graceful. There was one house lost in the Great War. Our powers are split between the innate, additive, and transformative classes.”

  “Except yours, which the testers haven’t classified yet.”

  “Correct, so far. My powers appear to not have an effect on innate gifts. The theory from the testers so far is that, because innate gifts function only within the individual, they are
somehow insulated from my power. Those additive and transformative gifts are susceptible to my Nulling.”

  “Are you aware of any myths with a power such as yours? Or similar to it?”

  “I’ve been wracking my mind, but I can’t recall one. Unless there’s something hidden in a history book I have yet to look at?”

  “That doesn’t help us today, but maybe that’s not where the answer lies. Mimir wants power, sure, but her true goal is to return fae to the heights of their power.”

  “Right? We’re slowly fading as a species in part because she and the other Shadow-Dwellers continue to kill fae.” Becka sighed, grateful for Quinn’s ability to be a sounding board. “You know what, Mimir called me the Liberator. Somehow, my power must be able to reverse the dwindling effects of time, but I have no idea how when all I can do is destroy powers.”

  “Perhaps you should be glad you can’t understand how she thinks,” he said, his smile halfhearted.

  Becka shrugged. “I need to come up with a way to stop this madness, even if I don’t understand all the particulars. There must be something I’m missing about my abilities. Something fundamental.”

  “Maybe. I think you already know all you need to know to hold her at bay. Simply refuse her.”

  There was a resigned sorrow in his gaze that cut Becka to the bone. “No, no, Quinn. I will not let her kill you.”

  “She’s proven her determination. If she is able, with the aid of your power, to raise the fae up and regain some of our prior glory, then I have to assume that humanity would suffer as a consequence. Whatever the specifics, these are plans she’s convinced she can only enact with the addition of your gift.”

  Ugh, that hit her right in the feels. “You’re saying if I save my friends now, it might mean more death because I enabled Mimir?”

  “I can guarantee you it will. Mimir’s drive to return fae-touched to power would be purchased with a river of human blood. Assuming the humans don’t eradicate us when they realize what the Shadow-Dwellers have planned. If Mimir starts a war, it will be named the Final War.”

  Not even an hour had passed and Becka’s nerves were already frayed. How could she hope to withstand Mimir and her minions later? Tears that had been threatening to fall broke free, falling down her cheeks.

  “Come here,” Quinn said, his voice thick with emotion as he pulled her against him.

  Becka wound her arms around him as he lay back onto the small bed, her body nestling up against Quinn’s. His cedarwood scent washed over her, and his warmth steadied her nerves. Quinn planted a lingering kiss on her forehead as he ran his fingers down her back, stirring her emotions in an entirely different direction. Becka nuzzled her nose against his neck, hearing the steady cadence of his heartbeat against her ear. She looked up at him, recognizing the need in his gaze mirrored in her heart.

  They’d lain like this so many times before. But this was not like any of those times. This might be the last time.

  “What do you think our chances are?”

  Quinn turned toward her so they lay side by side, cupped her cheek in his hand, and wiped her tears away with this thumb. “I wouldn’t count us out yet. I’ll fight until my last breath, and I’m counting on you to do the same.”

  Her lip trembled. “I’ll do my best.”

  “No matter how many years are seemingly ahead of us, life is an ephemeral and often fickle creature. We’re given no promises. No guarantees. We can plan. We can have goals. But we have just this moment. Only this moment.”

  The passion in his words kindled the fire within Becka. He was right. There might be no tomorrow. This afternoon might be the last moments they spent alone together. She dug her fingers into his back, pulling him toward her, and capturing his lips in a heated kiss.

  Quinn responded with unbridled restraint, pulling her roughly against his body, his hands exploring her curves. Where before he’d always let her set the pace and moved with caution, there was an edge of almost desperate hunger to his touch now.

  Becka ran her hand up his abdomen, luxuriating in the feel of his skin. But she paused, anxiety prickling at her mind. “Quinn, I want you, but I don’t know that I can protect you from my power.”

  “I’ve told you, I don’t think you can harm me. But, even if you did, it’d be worth it to finally have you as my own, if only for today.”

  Becka believed him, but it was still difficult to accept his answer. Most fae held their magical abilities as central to their identity, yet she also knew Quinn had long ago forged his own path in the world beyond his ability to sense truth from falsehoods. She’d been cautiously waiting, hoping to figure out if intimacy would equal a risk to Quinn, but there was no way to know for sure and no one to ask.

  The only answer lay in experience.

  Quinn rolled back towards her, his face hovering just above her own. “I love you, Becka Rowan.”

  His words sent a shockwave of emotion rolling over her. She smirked at the formality of his tone and then forced a serious expression and mimicked his tone back to him. “I love you too, Quinn Oak.”

  “I’m glad we have that settled. So, if not now, when?” He ran his fingers down the curve of her ribs to her hip as his thumb brushed along her stomach.

  “It’s now,” she panted, reaching her arms up around him, pulling him down to her. “Definitely now. But wait, should we worry about birth control?”

  “You use birth control? That’s almost forbidden for a fae.”

  Fae were resistant to human sexually transmitted diseases, but there was still the real, if remote, potential of conceiving. Between their dwindling numbers and the difficulty conceiving, few used measures to prevent it.

  She shrugged. “I never wanted to give House Rowan a child to raise without me, so I’ve used it.”

  He nodded. “Assuming we live through all of this, and assuming we conceived, I’d welcome the child.”

  “As would I,” she replied, suddenly breathless.

  Her lips found his and Becka lost herself in the contact as she ground her body against him. She’d been so cautious with him for so long because of her gifts, but now that she’d taken the risk, Becka felt like she might starve without his touch.

  No doubt sensing her emotionally demanding state, Quinn didn’t hesitate, pulling first her shirt off, and then working on the zipper of her pants. He stood and worked her black pants and panties off her and then took a moment to gaze at her. Despite the intensity of his gaze as he drank her in, Becka didn’t feel self-conscious at all. When he unbuttoned his pants and slid them off, his eyes never left hers.

  Quinn returned to their narrow bed, his mouth exploring her exposed flesh, traveling down her neck, lingering on her breasts and nipples. When he settled between her thighs and nuzzled her cleft with his mouth, Becka let out a gasp of expectation.

  “Open yourself to me,” he whispered, his lips brushing a kiss against her thigh. “You’ve held me at a distance for so long, Becka, but I need you to open your heart to me now.”

  His plea washed over her like a tsunami, and Becka felt the wall of her distance crumble in response. Quinn’s presence filled her even as his tongue penetrated her. Lost in a sea of emotion, Becka rode a wave of pleasure where she wasn’t sure where Quinn ended, and she began.

  Quinn worked his way back up, kissing and nibbling her body along the journey. She had the sense he wanted to memorize her every curve and every sensitive spot, as if he might not have the opportunity again.

  Becka shook off that dark thought as he settled between her legs, but a desperate edge to their energy remained. She tried not to think of what might happen in a few hours, but the intrusive thoughts would not relent.

  He seemed to sense her distress, and hesitated, entwining his fingers with hers. “Is this too much?”

  “You’re not too much, I just can’t keep thoughts of what will happen later out of my head.”

  There was a sadness in his eyes, but the corner of his mouth curled up slightly as he br
ought his lips to hers. “Then may I make a suggestion?” he whispered, rocking his hips against hers, his rigid cock teasing against her folds.

  “I’ll take all the distraction therapy you’ve got,” Becka replied, moving her hips to welcome him into her.

  “Then it’s good I’ve got that in spades,” Quinn growled as he thrust deep into her, obliterating all thought of the world beyond them.

  Although Becka had had other lovers, she’d never experienced this level of emotional, mental, and physical symmetry with anyone before. But then, she’d never been in love before Quinn.

  The onslaught of Quinn’s sheer enthusiasm postponed her reverie. Looking up into his eyes, Becka couldn’t recall why she’d waited so long to be with Quinn. When their frenetic, breathless pace reached its peak, Becka dug her nails into the flesh of his shoulders, wishing to lose herself in the ecstasy of the moment.

  Becka never wanted it to end, but after a couple of rounds, she was sweaty and exhausted, her mind blissfully fuzzy on endorphins. She curled up against Quinn, laying her cheek to his chest, allowing his steady, strong heartbeat to soothe her.

  She was afraid to ask, but felt she had to. “Do your powers feel intact?” she whispered.

  “They’re fine. I told you not to worry.”

  Becka huffed out a sigh. “That’s such a relief.” Despite his assurances, she felt off, but she couldn’t quite put a finger on how.

  Quinn pulled a blanket which had gotten bunched up in the corner across the bed, covering them both. Becka drifted, trying not to think of what might happen in a few hours’ time.

  Sometime later, Becka spooned against Quinn, running her fingers across his strong, steady hands. The heady bliss of their lovemaking was fading all too quickly. She peeked out over the blanket at the reality awaiting them.

  “For a moment there, I’d thought we were transported somewhere that didn’t suck.”

  Quinn kissed her shoulder, the stubble on his chin tickling her. “Not all sucking is bad.”

  A graphic image filled her mind of Quinn’s mouth intimately on her, heating Becka’s cheeks. “I meant this place sucks, but I like where your head's at.” Becka cast her gaze over her shoulder at him. “I guess that’s it,” she said with an enormous sigh.