The Lily Harper 8 Book Boxed Set

by HP Mallory

  Druid magic.

  “Thank you, Tallis.” I leaned in and left a quick kiss on his bushy cheek. “It’s good to see you still possess your magic.”

  “Aye, yer welcome, lass.” He opened his mouth to say something but stopped.

  “What is it?” I asked, narrowing my eyes at him.

  “There is ah way tae git rid o’ Persephone once an’ fer all.”

  Then he shook his head as if it were unthinkable. “Boot, nae,’tis too dangerous.”

  “What is it?”

  He shook his head again. “Forgit it, lass,” he said. “Ah regret bringin’ the soobject oop.”

  “If there’s a way to get rid of her, Tallis, you have to tell me what it is,” I insisted.

  He paused for a few heartbeats and then responded, “Donnchadh.”

  “Donnchadh?”

  “Aye, ye would have tae git Alaire tae give ye Donnchadh’s soul.”

  I leaned against the wall, my eyes rolling around as I thought about the implications of his idea. “You mean, I’d have to be possessed by Donnchadh… but for real this time?”

  “Aye.”

  I shook my head and breathed in deeply as I considered it. “Okay, you’re right. That is dangerous. Forget I even asked.”

  “Aye.”

  Even as I spoke and bit my lower lip, I began replaying the possibility over and over again in my head.

  “Is there a chance that Persephone could grow strong enough to take over my soul again?”

  This time, his nod was reluctant. “Ah dinnae know fer certain boot Ah imagine eventually, aye.”

  “But Donnchadh could force her down completely?”

  “Aye, Donnchadh is a far stronger spirit.”

  “Then,” I started to reply but Tallis cut me off with another shake of his head.

  “I know what yer thinkin’, lass, an’ Ah regret ever suggestin’ it in the first place,” he said hoarsely. His tone was so terse, I jumped. “But ye couldnae handle Donnchad in ye, nae like ye did Persephone. Ah’ve spent whole lifetimes tryin’ tae rid mahself o’ him an’—”

  “But could you rid him from me?”

  Tallis’s mouth clamped shut at my question. He didn’t seem even slightly thrilled about that idea. But I could practically see the gears turning in his head as he digested it slowly.

  “’Twould take time, boot aye,” he said slowly. “Ah could wrest him away from ye… boot only because he would willingly come back ta meh.”

  I was afraid that was the endgame to all of this. Tallis finally had Donnchadh, the ancient warrior spirit that possessed his body for two thousand years, taken from him by Alaire’s strange magic. While I knew Tallis’s new humanity was both a blessing and a curse, the thought of Alaire using Donnchadh for his own ulterior ends was more terrifying than the idea of visiting the Fury again.

  “Tallis… I would never ask you to take Donnchadh back, especially now that you’re finally rid of him. We can always find another way.”

  “Nae, Lily,” Tallis murmured, looking up at me and locking his eyes on mine. “If it means the difference ‘atween ye bein’ free or ye bein’ ah slave tae Alaire forever more, Ah would gladly take Donnchadh a thoosand times over… on me new mortal life.”

  I wanted to kiss him right then and there. And I would have too, were it not for the cell door suddenly swinging open and Alaire walking in.

  Tallis stared at Alaire. Alaire stared at Tallis. I stared at Tallis. After a while, Alaire started staring at me. That’s when my lungs stopped working and my heart started pounding.

  Did he hear our conversation? Any of it? All of it? Half of it? Most of it?

  “Hello, my ravaged darling,” Alaire said casually. I must say he was extremely calm for someone who just walked in on his lover covered in blood while sitting exceptionally close to his arch-nemesis and prisoner.

  “H… Hello,” I said softly, my voice sounding foreign even to my own ears.

  “Are you feeling well?” he inquired, maintaining his icy stare on me. “Forgive me, but you look like you must have seen far better days.”

  I breathed out deeply and refused to allow my fear to show despite my chattering teeth and shaking hands.

  “Y…Yes, I’m fine,” I said in as piercing a tone as I could muster. I had to pretend I was Persephone, after all. “Surely even your dullest Watcher could have surmised that much.”

  “What are you doing down here, covered in your own blood?”

  I swallowed hard again. “I had a run-in with a Fury.” I glanced at Tallis. “And I got wounded seriously enough that I needed him to heal me but as I said before and I shall say again, I’m fine.”

  Alaire scoffed as he glared down at me. “And why, pray tell, were you tangling with one of my Furies in the first place?”

  “I would hardly call it ‘tangling’ with her,” I snapped, matching him scoff for scoff. Then I had to do or say something to stop any further questions. “I will admit having another reason for why I was down here with our prisoner,” I added, trying my best to channel Persephone without actually doing it.

  I got to my feet and sauntered towards Alaire, putting on my most seductive face. “You’ve been gone so often and… well, I was feeling a certain urge…” I ran my hand down his chest suggestively. My throat was trying to dislodge the lump of bile that was aching to come out. Touching Alaire made me want to vomit. “You know how I get when I’m left unsatisfied.”

  Alaire smirked, but yet again, his smile didn’t quite meet his eyes. “Well, then, do take some time to get cleaned up, my Queen. I must admit that I have missed you as well; and there is something I wish to discuss with you…”

  He glanced over at Tallis before adding, “Alone.”

  I nodded my head with the haughty, faux dignity I imagined Persephone would have displayed.

  So do I.

  “Before mine age had to its fullness reach’d.”

  - Dante’s Inferno

  TWELVE

  Lily

  Alaire sat across from me at the dinner table and said nothing. Neither did I. From my memories of Persephone’s time with Alaire, they seemed to do that a lot. Unfortunately, I also knew what came after dinner. The thought of having sex with Alaire completely killed my appetite.

  Alaire began rubbing his finger along the rim of his wine glass, and a ghostly tune filled the otherwise silent room. He was staring at me, or rather, he was staring at my chest. The dainty number he picked out to replace the dress that got ruined by the Fury pushed the definition of “clothing” to its absolute limits. Twin strips of fabric ran around my neck and over my breasts, barely covering my nipples, much less, anything else. The rest was an almost nonexistent skirt that barely spanned my lower parts.

  My hair was coiffed in a perfect bun that displayed my neck, and I smelled like lilacs. If the bottle’s promise was true, my lady parts would taste like rosewater when dined upon. Outside, I was the perfect picture of unbridled seduction. Inside, however, I was a perfect storm of nausea, nerves and doubt.

  Of course, I debated wearing the hideous thing. As far as clothes went, it was about as close to “clothing” as Jack The Ripper was to a heart surgeon. But I had to convincingly play the part of an oversexed nymphomaniac. So here I was, dressed like a slut, hating every second of it despite its undeniable necessity.

  “I must say, that dress looks even more stunning on you than I imagined it could,” Alaire said with his ever present smirk. I smiled from behind my wine glass, which seemed to cheer him.

  “Thank you.” I said before taking a long sip.

  “Did you manage to have relations with the prisoner?”

  The sip of wine remained in my throat. I struggled to keep from doing a spit take. I set the glass down and leaned forward, stalling for time while I slowly swallowed the wine down. Images of Alaire’s furious jealousy and what it did to Saxon began to play like a movie behind my eyelids. There was no way in hell I would subject Tallis to the same. “No, we were…
interrupted, as you may recall,” I answered, smiling at him sweetly. “Not that I minded the interruption, of course because you will always be my first choice... Our prisoner is a poor substitute,” I finished, wanting to stroke Alaire’s ego as much as I could so he wouldn’t take his jealousy out on Tallis.

  He chuckled but I wasn’t sure what to make of the sound.

  Meanwhile, all I could think about was time slipping through my fingers and the need to bring up Donnchadh. But how in the hell was I going to do that? From my previous foreign memories, I saw that Persephone was very persistent about acquiring the warrior’s soul for a long time. But, in response, Alaire only did what Alaire did best: deflect, dodge and smirk.

  If I brought it up again, it could open a rift between Alaire and me, causing me to lose the chance to get what I needed. But if I didn’t bring it up…

  Just do it, Lily, I thought in my own voice.

  It was actually good to hear my own voice in my head for a change. Persephone had been somewhat quiet since my illicit meeting with Tallis. I didn’t know why she’d been so silent and frankly, I didn’t care. I was just glad she was. Regardless, my inner voice was right. I needed to bring this up and now.

  “My dear, the time has come to discuss the subject that I mentioned earlier,” Alaire suddenly said, throwing me for a moment or two.

  “Yes? What is it?” I asked, using as smooth a recovery as I could manage.

  “Your immortality,” he answered as he cut a piece of meat from his dinner plate, and his eyes never left my chest. “Or rather, your lack thereof.”

  “Oh?”

  Hmm, this was an interesting turn of events.

  “Yes,” he continued, like we were discussing no more than the weather. “And to address this issue, I am finally going to consent to your request of allowing Donnchadh into your body.”

  My jaw dropped limp. My tongue felt fat in my mouth. Serendipity couldn’t begin to explain the unbelievable gift Fate just dropped into my lap.

  What did that son of a bitch just say?

  Of course, every piece of luck seems to have a downside. Persephone was back.

  Apparently he wants to banish you forever, just like I do. I almost smiled. Of course, I knew banishing Persephone wasn’t Alaire’s sole intention—securing her longevity was. But I had no doubt that Donnchadh would destroy her. He wasn’t known as the sharing type.

  Ah, it was all too perfect for words… Tallis’s lies to my one-time captor were being realized by Alaire’s actions.

  I blinked several times, my natural reaction to the bombshell that Alaire just shared with me.

  “I don’t know what to say, my king,” I croaked. And I really didn’t. “Thank you!”

  “Rather than thanking me, why don’t you show me your true gratitude?”

  Inside, I cringed as. I realized I had to put on a show for him now, lest he change his mind. But Tallis and Bill’s life depended on me figuring out a way to release them and this was the first step in the right direction. So if Alaire wanted me to put on a show for him, a show he would have.

  I stood up, knocking my chair to the floor so I could hurry around the table to Alaire. I gave him a head hug, pressing my boobs right into his face.

  Persephone, probably fully realizing what this all meant for her, began to scream inside my head. I ignored her anger and looked down at Alaire, who just smirked up at me, as per freaking usual.

  “There is a catch, however,” he added with a raised finger.

  I pulled away. Of course there was. Alaire never did anything that didn’t first benefit him. The screaming stopped and my smile faded at his words.

  I leaned against the table with a tiny glare in my eyes. “What is the catch?”

  Alaire picked at his plate and dropped his attention to my breasts. “I am perfectly willing to give you the immortality you seek if you are, in turn, willing to give me something I desire more than anything else.”

  My brow knitted. “And what might that be?”

  “Innocence.” Alaire abruptly stood up, balling his hands into fists as though he were preparing to hit me. Seeing the wild look that entered his eyes, I wondered if he wouldn’t have. “Corruptible, pure innocence,” he all but hissed in my face. “And you, my gracious and wonderfully terrible queen, have lost all of your innocence.”

  “But,” I started until he held up a hand to shush me.

  “Though you no longer possess your innocence, you can provide me with someone who does.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  He pointed at my chest, though I suspected he was aiming for my heart. “Deep down inside you, Lily still lives. I know you hear her, perhaps you even feel her from time to time?”

  I was stone still. How should I answer that? Was this a test? “Yes,” I said finally, using my genuine annoyance with Persephone to flavor my words. “Nagging, feeble sort of girl that she is, she does indeed do all you say. I honestly do not know what you ever could have seen in her.”

  Self-deprecation was an effective and deceptive device. At least I hoped it was.

  Alaire stepped toward me, unclenching his fists to grab my shoulders. “But don’t you see? Her feebleness, her inexperience, her naiveté… all of those were telltale signs. That virgin mind was exactly what I saw in her!”

  Beads of sweat were rolling down his temples by this point. He was so close to my face that I could smell the steak on his breath.

  “Go on,” I said in a whisper.

  “It’s one thing to ravage and tarnish a body,” he stated as he pulled on one of my straps. That released one of my breasts and he cupped and squeezed it. I flushed with embarrassment but forced myself to stand still and let him do what he wanted with me.

  “But to taint a purely innocent soul,” he whispered. “Ahh… that is a pleasure I desire above all others.”

  I fought the urge to slap him but I could only play along. Still, I had an inkling that Persephone would protest… at first anyway.

  I batted my eyelashes and stuck out a pouty lip. “But am I not your queen, Alaire?”

  Alaire smiled as the wildness in his eyes faded. “Until the end of days, my dear. But I am a man of many needs and desires, just as you are a woman who demands the same for herself.” He arched a brow at me. I assumed he was referring to finding me with Tallis earlier.

  “I suppose that’s a fair argument,” I “reluctantly” conceded, stepping away from him to tuck my boob back into the dress. “But how would it work? How would I be able to allow this silly girl to overtake my body?”

  From his shirt pocket, Alaire produced a small vial, the same one the Retrievers used to house their wandering souls. Inside floated an angry red dot of light, which bounced like a mini-rubber ball. It was so bright that I had to look away until Alaire tucked it back into the place where he pulled it from.

  “What is that?” I asked, blinking hard.

  “Who would be the better question, actually.”

  “Very well… who is that?”

  “Donnchadh, naturally” he answered, his feral look returning.

  “Oh,” I said, gulping at what I’d just seen—Donnchadh’s soul was housed in nothing but a glass vial! I was somewhat surprised the angry little, red dot hadn’t shattered the glass of its prison already. “And how does he get inside me?”

  “A very simple procedure, my dear,” Alaire answered with a chuckle as he flexed his hands and popped his fingers against themselves.

  “Even if you put him… ahem… inside me, how will that help you get what you want?” It was a legitimate question. I didn’t see how making Persephone immortal (at least in Alaire’s mind) would allow Alaire to “corrupt” me.

  “Now that is a fantastic question, my lusty wench.” Alaire licked his lips, never losing his trademark smirk. “You have undeniable strength in you, Persephone. Donnchadh would enhance it to a level you cannot begin to fathom. You can use that strength to bring Lily forth to me. Only then can I speak with her, be w
ith her; and do the things that I want to do to her.”

  I was at a loss for words. This was literally everything I wanted right now (minus the gross Alaire part), so why all the hesitation? Something nagged at me and for once, it wasn’t Persephone.

  “I must think about this, Alaire.” I said, pushing myself away from the table. “Granted, this is what I was asking for. But the extra terms attached to it make me uneasy.” I had to remember the part I was playing. “I admit, I do not like the idea of you harboring such interest in another woman.”

  He shrugged. “I am what I am, my dear.”

  “Be that as it may, I still need some time.” I stood up and moved away from the table but Alaire followed me every step of the way.

  “Of course, my dear. Take your time.” The crazed hunger had faded but there was still something unsettling about the way he looked at me. That craving was still visible.

  I opened the door to step into the hallway. Several of Alaire’s Watchers stood outside in rank and file like petitioners lining up in front of a Mafia don’s door.

  “I should mention one last thing, my love,” Alaire said before I could escape. “I’ll be in your chambers in one hour. So take as much of that hour as you need to reach your decision… I’ll be expecting your answer at the end of it.”

  I glanced back and saw he’d regained his normal, stoic composure. With a backhanded wave, he let me know I was dismissed.

  I didn’t say anything or look anywhere once I entered the hall. I just walked straight to my bedroom, unsure if I needed to scream, laugh or cry.

  “And by this path homeward he leads me back.”

  - Dante’s Inferno

  THIRTEEN