by Lexi Blake
“Not on your life, darlin’,” Lee growled. He stood in front of Dev and Daniel. “I’ll check it out. She isn’t going anywhere until I make sure it’s safe. Neil, wait with Zoey. Don’t let her go in until I get back.”
Daniel waited but his eyes were on the wolf as he walked by. “Why do they call me the king if everyone tells me what to do?” He nodded at Zack, who was eagerly waiting his go-ahead to follow his brother. “Go on then.”
Zack ran to catch up.
“It’s perfectly safe.” Nim shook her head as though she didn’t understand the fuss.
“Lee takes his job very seriously,” Dev explained. “He really won’t believe you until he’s checked out the place for himself. Say, there aren’t any cool traps that might kill him in there, are there?”
“Dev!” I said, batting his arm because he sounded like that would be a good thing.
“Well, my goddess, he is very bossy,” Dev replied. “He thinks he’s ultimate authority when it comes to you.”
“You’re jealous,” I said, shocked. “You’re jealous of Lee?”
Daniel shrugged. “I told you he was ridiculously possessive. And we’re pretty much jealous of anyone who looks at you. I sometimes don’t like how much time you spend with Neil.”
Neil laughed heartily. “That’s ridiculous. The two of you spend more time together than you do with Z. What do you want her to do, sit somewhere and wait for the two of you to get home and pay attention to her?”
“Yes,” Dev replied, not sounding at all ashamed.
“Preferably she would wait naked,” Daniel added.
“Nice.” Dev’s hand came out for a low-five.
I rolled my eyes, thankful Lee was already on his way back. “Don’t expect that little fantasy to happen anytime soon.”
Dev hugged me from behind and pulled me into his chest. He bent down and dropped a little kiss on my cheek before whispering in my ear. “I’ll settle for barefoot and pregnant. Goddess, you’re going to be so fucking gorgeous pregnant. You’ll be so round and lovely. Daniel and I will have to take very good care of our sweet wife.”
Daniel pulled me out of Dev’s arms and kissed me himself. “He’s insane. He really thinks pregnancy will make you all soft and sweet. I know better, baby. I’m getting out of your way for those nine months. I’m going to hunker down and try to survive.”
I punched Daniel in the arm. I was sure he didn’t even feel it but it seemed like the thing to do. “Jerk,” I said affectionately.
I had to give the edge to Danny on this one, though. I doubted having two babies kick me from the inside, gaining fifty pounds, and having to go to the bathroom constantly was going to turn me into a sweet little woman.
Lee looked a bit disturbed as he walked back out. “I think it’s fine. We’re definitely alone but…”
Zack shook his head as he followed his brother. “That wizard dude looks gross, man. Damn, dude be old, if you know what I’m saying. I don’t think he’ll be trying to get your goodies anymore, Nim.”
Nim smiled briefly. “It should be amusing to see how the wizard handles today’s…youth.”
I was allowed to walk through the double doors and inside the castle. It looked as though the building had been sleeping for a thousand years. There was almost no light coming through the walls. Though they appeared crystal-like from the outside, they kept the light out from the inside. Nim walked around, throwing open windows and revealing the high, arched ceilings and magnificent stonework on the floor. There was very little in the way of furniture but books were piled high in shelves and stacked on the floor. There was a thick coat of dust over everything. When the light hit the great room, I could see that plants had tried to make their way in but the lack of light made them sad-looking creatures.
“This just won’t do.” Dev shook his head as he walked around. He placed his palm to the side of what looked like a stone wall. In an instant, we were surrounded with life. Vines popped out and flowers bloomed, and great sprigs of holly and ivy were everywhere.
“Beautiful,” Nim said with wonder, looking around at the roses suddenly blooming around all the doorways. The burst of color and life changed the gloomy building into a faery castle.
“Show off,” Daniel complained under his breath, but I caught the wink he sent Dev’s way.
“I sense the wizard.” Stewart’s eyes closed, rapture plain on his face. “He’s close.”
Nim walked to the back of the great room. She had found a torch and lit it. “He’s in the room below. Come now, Daniel, Stewart. The rest of you may make yourself at home. I don’t know how long this will take.”
“Like I’m staying here.” I moved toward the staircase that went down into the darkness. The wizard Merlin was sleeping in the floor below, and Daniel was about to wake him. I wasn’t hanging out upstairs, pruning roses. I turned and waited for Daniel. I wasn’t going to be left behind, but I knew the protocol. I was testing Daniel as it was. I certainly wasn’t going to go anywhere without him.
Dev was right behind me. “I’m with my goddess. I have no intentions of allowing Daniel to have all of the fun.”
“It could be dangerous, Your Highness,” Nim pointed out to Daniel.
He shook his head. “I got no scene control, Nim. They’ll just follow us anyway, and Z will probably find a way to make a dangerous situation into something truly insane.”
“Well, at least the wolves can…” Nim began.
Lee elbowed his way past them, followed by Neil, who wasn’t letting anyone leave him behind. Zack frowned and hung back. He watched Lee’s and Neil’s heads disappear down the spiral staircase and looked completely pitiful. Nim rolled her violet eyes and gave up the fight, following Neil down the dark stairs.
Daniel sighed. “Come on then, Zack. I’m not going to punish you for being the good one. I won’t leave you up here all by yourself.”
Zack scampered down the stairs like an eager puppy.
“You know you would miss all of us,” I teased Daniel as he began down the stairs.
“No one ever lets me miss them,” Daniel complained, but I could hear his affection. He loved his little crew even when we annoyed the hell out of him. Dev and I followed.
Nim and Lee were busy lighting torches as we entered the dungeons of the crystal castle. Down in the dungeon, even the air was heavy. There was a feeling of deep gloom in every aspect of my surroundings. It was a large room, but it somehow managed to feel cramped. I could hear the sound of rushing water. When there was enough light, I saw a large fountain in the back of the room. Upon really studying it, I found it was more like a small waterfall, and a man could probably stand beneath it and shower.
“He’s not happy,” Nim said under her breath.
“No, he is not,” Stewart concurred.
“How do the two of you know?” Neil walked to where Stewart stood looking down.
I joined him and caught my breath at the sight of the desiccated body in a glass coffin. The wizard lay there, still dressed in his deep purple robes. The garment seemed to be made of velvet, but the wizard had shrunk inside his clothes. They were obviously made for a much larger man. They hung off the corpse-like wizard, sliding from his shoulders like they wanted to escape the confines of the coffin.
I had to agree with Neil. The wizard looked like he would never feel anything again. His face was a thin sheet of papery skin over bones, his eyes sunk deep into his skull. In the low light of the dungeon, he was an ashen gray color.
“This isn’t the way I left this room.” There was a scowl on Nim’s face as she glanced around. “I left it in good shape. His own anger has made it so gloomy. Devinshea, could you please?”
My fertility god flicked his wrists negligently, and I heard a slithering sound. Rose vines from upstairs wound their way down. They snaked around the staircase and formed lovely patterns across the walls.
Nim took a deep breath as the place lost its musty scent. “Much more cheerful.”
All at o
nce the roses withered and died on the vine. Dev’s eyes widened as he took in the scene. Flowers never died around Dev.
Nim walked up to the coffin and slapped it with the flat of her hand. “That was rude, Myrddin. He’s only trying to help. Leave those roses alone this time or I swear to the goddess, I will let you rot in here.”
Dev touched the vines and they came back to life. This time they stayed that way.
Daniel walked over to inspect the coffin. His eyes showed no emotion as he peered down at the wizard. Almost as though compelled to, Daniel reached down and touched the top of the glass. I took a startled step back as Merlin’s hand shot up as though magnetically attracted to Daniel’s.
“He knows you,” Stewart said with a satisfied smile.
“I’ve put it off long enough,” Nim confessed. “He’s ready. Daniel, if you’ll help me get this lid off.”
With very little effort, Daniel lifted the lid and set it against the wall. He pulled Excalibur from its sheath and handed it to the Lady of the Lake, who motioned Stewart forward. There was such reverence in his blue eyes I thought he might weep.
He held his hand over the wizard’s mouth and allowed Nim to use the sword to draw a thin stream of blood from his forearm. The blood dripped onto the wizard’s mouth, but he didn’t move.
Nim frowned, staring down for a moment before trying again. She drew more of the demon’s blood down onto the wizard’s mouth.
“That should have worked,” she said, frustration evident in her voice.
Daniel watched the proceedings with great curiosity. “You said the wizard required something of both the Heaven and the Hell plane to rouse him.”
She nodded shortly. “Yes, given the circumstances of his birth, both are necessary.”
“But Excalibur is just a tool here,” Daniel mused. “It isn’t something he can taste. You offer him blood from the demon but nothing so sweet from the angelic side. I would hold out for something better if I was him.”
Nim thought about that for a moment. “I would need an angel for what you suggest, Daniel. I don’t think I’m going to find an angel from the Heaven plane to help me wake Merlin Satanspawn.”
Daniel chuckled. “No, I doubt you would, but then Stewart over there isn’t exactly in his purest form. His blood is mixed in this form. If that would work then I don’t see why a pure angel is required. I’m a vampire, Nim. Trust me. I know what Heaven tastes like.”
Daniel took my arm and offered it to Nim. I sighed and prepared for the small pain of the sword across my flesh. It made sense that I be the one offering my blood. A companion was part angel. It was why we tasted so damn good. Nim squeezed my arm gently and let a fine line trickle down. It mixed with the demon’s offering on the wizard’s lips.
Slowly, so slowly, the slightest bit of a gray tongue peeked out and the blood disappeared into his mouth.
The wizard’s eyes flew open and I felt Daniel’s arms pulling me back. He shoved me toward Dev so he could lean forward once more. Devinshea’s arms held me close, but we were both trying to take a look at the wizard.
His rheumy eyes stared up and around until they zeroed in on Daniel. He held a single hand up.
“I need the waters, Your Highness.” The request came out croaked and harsh.
“The fountain at the back of the room,” Nim clarified. “It will restore him, but you’ll have to get him there. He can’t walk.”
Daniel reached down and gingerly picked up the wizard’s decayed body. It would weigh nothing in his hands, but he was very careful with him. He made sure he tucked the matchstick arms inside for fear they would dangle and potentially fall off. The last thing we needed was a one-armed wizard. Walking slowly, Daniel made his way to the fountain. Lee carried over an extra torch, illuminating the back of the dungeon.
“Shall I hold you under the water, teacher?” There was a certain kindness to Daniel’s voice I didn’t hear often when he spoke to strangers.
“Just set me down, child,” came the cracked reply. “I’ll do the rest. I’ve waited a very long time for you.”
Daniel lowered the wizard’s fragile body into the water, leaning over to make sure he didn’t go under. I watched the scene, wondering when Daniel had last treated anyone but me or Dev with such care. The torches were all lit now, and I could see the wizard’s face contort as he felt the water on his body. He lay in the small pool for a moment before finding the strength to get to his knees. Daniel rushed forward to lend him a hand, and Myrddin managed to get to his feet. I held my breath, hoping the man didn’t just fall apart.
“I’m fine now, Daniel,” Myrddin said, though no one had told him Daniel’s name. “Help me under the falls and then step back.”
Daniel helped him back under the fountain and then something weird happened. It was like the water washed away the age. Slowly but surely as the wizard stood under the falling water he became younger, stood taller. He loosened his robes and they fell away as his flesh became young and firm. He transformed from a desiccated corpse into a muscular man. I turned to look at Nim, but she didn’t seem surprised at all. She walked over to the small dresser near the coffin and pulled out a rich, velvet robe.
When I glanced back, I had to admit Myrddin Emrys was pretty damn hot. He had dark wavy hair that he pushed back behind his ears. It reached the nape of his neck. His eyes were dark—from my vantage they appeared almost black—and his face was lovely but hard, as though carved from granite. The body was rock hard, too.
“Wow,” Neil whispered beside me.
“Double wow,” I said because I’d just gotten a good look at his package. A large hand came over my eyes. “Dev!”
“Like you would allow me to stand around and ogle naked women,” he whispered in my ear. “Nim, would you hand him that robe, please? Our queen is getting an eyeful.”
I heard Daniel’s laugh but when Dev finally let me look again, the wizard had stepped out of the fountain. He was robed, and the rich red color of the velvet did wonderful things for his now-perfect skin.
Myrddin’s black eyes took in the room, stopping briefly on each person as he made assessments with a single look. He stopped when he reached Nim, his face contorting. “Bitch goddess.”
“Nice to see you again, Myrddin,” she said. “It’s been a while.”
He shook his head. “At least a thousand years. You tricked me.”
“I had a job to do,” Nim replied softly. “You always knew that.”
“I loved you,” he said, but it was harsh and bitter—an old regret.
Nim simply sighed. “I doubt that. It doesn’t matter anymore, magician. The King of the Sword has risen and you are needed again.”
Myrddin’s smile seemed genuine as he turned to face Daniel. He bowed from the waist in an old gesture of respect. “Daniel Donovan. You’re a very interesting king. Nimue, he isn’t human.”
“He’s a vampire,” Nim replied.
Myrddin’s eyes widened. “No. Show me.”
Daniel allowed his fangs to pop out. He growled a little as he let Myrddin look his fill.
Myrddin clapped his hands together. “A vampire. How interesting. I don’t suppose I need to teach this one how to fight.”
“No,” Nim said with a little laugh. “He could teach you a thing or two, Myrddin. He’s a death machine.”
“Yes, I can see that now. He’s older than the last one.”
“Times have changed, Great One,” Stewart said. “In this time, the king is considered to be young. He’s only twenty-eight in human years, and he only turned eight years ago.”
Myrddin smiled, showing white, even teeth. “Come forward, little demon.”
Stewart ran forward eagerly. “It’s my greatest pleasure to meet you.”
With one hand, Myrddin patted the demon’s head as though he were a harmless pet. “You’re going to be troublesome, aren’t you?”
“Yes, I promise,” Stewart agreed. “I’ll bring great chaos.”
“Well, I trust you to
play your part.” Myrddin turned back to Daniel. “I’ll need a full briefing on this time and culture and the political climate. I suspect you do not have your crown as of yet.”
“I’m working on it,” Daniel replied.
Myrddin nodded shortly and turned his eyes to me. “Hello, bright one.”
So he could see my shine. “Hello.”
“You’re his queen?”
“Yep.”
He glanced back at Daniel. “She’s quite beautiful. She must attract every vampire she meets.”
“You have no idea,” Daniel said with a sigh.
Myrddin glanced around the room. “These men are your knights?”
“Two of them are bodyguards.” Daniel gestured to Lee and Neil. “They protect the queen. Her glow causes her no small amount of vampire attention. I’ve found the werewolves can be very persuasive in keeping unwanted men from my wife.”
“Werewolves, interesting choice,” the wizard said, studying Lee, who glared right back at him. Myrddin shook his head and turned toward Zack. “And this one?”
“That’s my servant, Zachary Owens.” Daniel introduced the wolf. “He’s blood oathed to me and beyond reproach.”
Myrddin seemed to like that idea. “Yes, that was an excellent idea. I’m beginning to see the definite advantage to your vampire state, Daniel. But tell me, who is the dark one? He looks Fae to me.”
“I’m Devinshea Quinn,” Dev said with a friendly smile. “You have a good eye. I’m the High Priest of the Unseelie.”
“And who are you in regards to the king?” Myrddin said in a voice that told me he couldn’t give a crap about a Fae priest.
“I’m Daniel’s partner,” Dev replied.
“Think of him as Daniel’s advisor,” Nim said, seeking a reference to make the wizard understand the relationship. “Of all the men, he’s closest to the king.”
“I thought so. He has that look about him,” Myrddin said, his voice hard. His gaze stole past me and I knew I was about to get accused of something. “My first piece of advice to you, Daniel, is to execute the faery immediately. He will say he is your beloved friend and advisor, but it’s all a ruse. He’s fucking the queen behind your back. I can see the lust between them even as they stand there. Kill him now before he ruins everything because he can’t keep his cock in his pants. The queen will just have to get over it.”
