My Angel (Bewitched and Bewildered Book 9)

by Alanea Alder

  Vivi pressed the side button. "Um Marjoram?"

  Moments later, she had a response. "Is it ready?" she asked, with no preamble.

  "Yes, I have six injector guns here ready for distribution."

  "Injector guns? Really? My, aren't we fancy? That should make this entire process, quick and painless. Thank the gods you were called in. I'll be right down."

  "Hey guys, are you heading up to Level Six?"

  Vivi turned around was surprised to see her mate and Meryn coming through the door. "We hadn't planned on it why?"

  Meryn held up a bag. "I need these installed on Level Six. They are bluetooth compliant speakers. I should be able to get them set up using an iPad, but they kinda have to be in place. I figured we would need to make announcements there first."

  Vivi reached for the walkie talkie. "Never mind Marjoram, we're heading up."

  "Okay dear, see you soon."

  Meryn frowned at her. "You didn't use her call sign."

  "That's because I don't know it."

  "Oh. Yeah. I should make a list or something."

  "Come along Tiny, we'll go with you up to Level Six."

  "I know you are but what am I?" Meryn retorted.

  Vivi reached out and ruffled Meryn's hair making it stick up in every direction. "Let's go Frodo."

  "I swear I will glue your eyelids shut. I have practice!" Meryn threatened.

  Etain wrapped an arm around Vivi's waist. "Please do not antagonize the genius." Meryn half turned and stuck her tongue out at her.

  "I can't help it. She's like a bratty kid sister. It's fun."

  Law stayed next to Meryn as they floated up the tunnel.

  "I am not a brat," Meryn protested as they reached Level Six.

  "Whatever Frodo." Vivi grinned when Meryn glared at her through narrow slitted eyes. "I have lash glue, and I'm not afraid to use it."

  "Bring it on. I have needles at my disposal."

  Meryn pursed her lips. "Good point." She turned in the direction of the hospital and groaned. "Not you again."

  The tunnel escort glared at her. "I hope you are happy. I hear vampires are sick now. You and your human ideals have brought us nothing but trouble. It is not enough that you are an embarrassment to your mate, but you have also somehow put our prince under your spell."

  Vivi watched as all the color drained from Meryn's face. "I'm a what?"

  The tunnel escort turned his nose up at her. "You are too stupid to know what a laughingstock you are. Everyone feels sorry for your mate. The once great Unit Commander brought low by a worthless female. He would be better off without you."

  Vivi felt an icy calm spread through her body. Before either her mate or Law could react, she was standing in front of the tunnel escort. He blinked once before she drove the tips of her fingers into his throat.

  "Didn't your mother ever tell you that if you didn't have anything nice to say, to not say anything at all?"

  The escort dropped to his knees gasping. Behind her she heard Law speaking to Etain. "I never even saw her move."

  "Neither did I," Etain admitted, sounding astonished.

  "You...you... feel as I do. I heard you calling her names," the escort choked out the words.

  Vivi stared down at the insignificant man. "My mate adores her. My best friend trusts her, and my squire has been enchanted by her. That makes her like family. I can call her a bratty little hobbit. You can't." She kicked the escort in the face sending him sprawling on his back. She casually walked over and placed her foot on his throat. She smiled when his eyes began to bulge.

  She had never felt so calm in her life. The detachment she felt as his lips began to turn blue was almost liberating. "You would do well to remember to never, ever cross me."

  There was stark terror in the escort's eyes as he tried to nod with her shoe under his chin.

  Warm arms encircled her from behind pulling her against a muscled body. "I think he understands now my love," her mate whispered into her ear.

  His spoken words seemed to sift down over her like a golden mist, chasing away the cold darkness. "Good." She managed to keep her voice even as she removed her foot and watched him scramble on all fours. He crawled to the tunnel and pitched forward out of sight.

  Vivi turned to look at Meryn. She was shocked to see that the small human was somehow diminished. She seemed even smaller than before.

  "Are you okay?" she asked.

  When Meryn looked up, her eyes were without light or personality. "Yes. I am fine." She looked up at Law. "I can show you where to put the speakers."

  Law turned to them as if unsure of what to do. Etain stepped beside Vivi and took her hand. "Help her install the speakers then take her directly downstairs to her squire. We will drop off the injectors and join you later."

  Law nodded, concern still clearly written on his face. "I am yours to command Red Queen, show me where you want me to float your speakers." He followed Meryn when she turned and left without another word.

  Etain looked down at Vivi. "I am worried about her," he sighed. "Ryuu will probably slow roast me over a spit for letting this happen. I assured him that I would keep her safe when we let him know we were coming up here to install those bloody speakers." His eyes searched hers. "Are you well? You didn't seem like yourself for a moment," he asked rubbing his thumb over her lips.

  "I would be lying if I said yes. I don't think I've ever been that mad before in my life. I do care for Meryn, but it was more than that. His words echoed a thousand different men over the years. 'You're just a woman.' 'You're worthless.' 'Give up.' 'You'll never get a man acting like one.'." She swallowed hard. "I think seeing the devastation on her face was just the last straw."

  Etain cleared his throat. "Would it be entirely inappropriate if I told you how incredibly sexy you looked with your foot on his throat like that?"

  Vivi felt the protective ice that had formed during the altercation begin to melt. Her lips twitched as she tried not to smile. "Is that right?"

  He leaned down and began to nibble on the side of her neck. "How about after we drop off the treatment, I escort you down to the Unit Level and show you my home."

  Vivi tilted her head to give him more access to her neck. "You mean where there aren't any squires to interrupt?"

  "Exactly," he breathed into her ear sending shivers down her spine.

  "Lead the way my love," she pointed toward the hospital.

  Etain pulled back and met her eyes. "Love?"

  "I meant it, did you?"

  His golden eyes darkened to a burnt amber color. "Once we are alone, I will show you how much I meant it."

  "Deal."

  She hadn't grown up around mated couples, so she had no idea if the flood of emotions she felt for this warrior were true, but, she found she didn't care. She was going to dig her fingers into the swirling mass of desires and outright need and never, ever let him go.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Vivi made her way to the hospital with her mate at her side. When they walked through the doors, she was shocked to the core by the number of beds occupied. In her mind, she knew the numbers, but before seeing the tiny bodies it had been just that, a number. Never in her life had she ever seen so many paranormals ill. It was as frightening as it was surreal. Sights like this were so common in human hospitals, but never among her own people.

  Marjoram rushed up to her. "The injectors?"

  "Here." Vivi handed her the small box. "Any questions on how to use?"

  Marjoram gave her a grim smile. "Point and shoot."

  Vivi nodded. "You got it."

  The older woman tucked the box under her arm. "You head down. It won't take us long to administer this batch. We'll document any changes and later we'll bring you down new samples, for what they're worth."

  Vivi looked around the room. "Are you sure there's nothing I can do?"

  "There are plenty of doctors and nurses here to take care of our patients. Let's keep you fresh for what you were brought to the city to d
o. I have a feeling this will be a marathon, not a sprint, so relax while you can," Marjoram turned her around to face the door. "Now scoot."

  "Call me if you need anything, or if you have any questions," Vivi called out as she left with Etain.

  "We will," Marjoram promised.

  Vivi was anxious about leaving, but knew there was nothing more she could do. It could be hours before they saw any marked improvement. She allowed Etain to steer her toward the transport tunnel and instead of going down to Level One, he had them stopping halfway. She looked around. "What level is this?"

  "This is the Unit Level. I want to show you my home." He took her hand and together they walked along the stone street.

  They were just passing a large building when a small explosion surprised them both. Vivi's heart was in her throat until she heard male laughter. Seconds later, the twins ran from the building at breakneck speed heading toward the tunnel.

  Etain was smiling as they watched the twins dive down the tunnel heading toward Level One. "They have certainly come out of their shell now that they have Kendrick and Meryn's support."

  Vivi eyed the smoke coming from the large building. "Do you think anyone is hurt?"

  Etain shrugged. "I'm sure any burns or missing limbs will be seen to," he pointed down the road. "Shall we?"

  Missing limbs?

  "Are you normally this cavalier about your fellow unit warriors' injuries or is it because you want to get me to the privacy of your home?" she teased.

  Etain's eyes flicked back to the smoking building. "It's the unit house where some of the most trained witches, fae and vampires in our world like to relax. If something happens there they can't handle, then I'll get concerned."

  "And you want to show off your house."

  "And I want to show off my house."

  They kept walking to the end of the long street. Vivi started laughing when she saw the castle. "Who on earth lives there?"

  "Declan. Though in his defense, I think he was half joking when he requested a castle. Of course, the witches had to show off."

  He stopped in front of what looked like a large tree house.

  "It looks like the house was swallowed by the tree."

  "Most of the fae warriors' houses look something like this. We got together and assisted each other when they were being built. It reminds us of home."

  Vivi started to get excited. She had always wanted to play in a treehouse, but as she was especially susceptible to the sun, Hal had never built one for her. She did, however, have an amazing basement playroom growing up.

  She looked up at him. "Can we go inside?"

  His eyes were dancing as he nodded. "Of course. You're excited aren't you?"

  Vivi walked past him toward the door. "Well, yeah. I've never been inside a tree house before."

  Etain placed a hand on the small of her back and walked with her up the carved wooden stairs. "It's not a tree house."

  Vivi stopped and looked up at him. "It's a house in a tree. Or a tree in a house. It's one of the most perfect examples of a tree house I have ever seen. How can this not be a tree house?"

  Etain frowned. "Tree house sounds like it should be a tiny shed stuck on a branch for children."

  "I am not changing my vernacular because you are insecure about your treehouse." She looked at the door. "Open says me!"

  "It's 'Open Sesame'."

  Vivi sighed. "Do you want to have sex or correct my grammar?"

  Etain reached out and swung the door open. "After you my lady."

  "That's what I thought." She walked in and couldn't stop looking around. "This is amazing!"

  Behind them above the door, a huge stained glass mural cast colorful shadows of a forest scene on the floor. Crystal lanterns were hung from the ceiling to create floating lighting. All of the furniture was done in different wood tones; it was a warm kaleidoscope of walnuts, oak, maple and ebony.

  He took her hand and gently led her up the stairs. "This way."

  Still turning her head about, she followed him. Smiling she ran her hand along the polished wood. It was so well worn that the surface felt like silk. Her mate led her to a door and opened it. "The master suite."

  When she walked in she was struck by how dark it was. There was no natural light nor any form of lighting. "Um, Etain, it's kinda dark in here."

  "One moment." He closed the door, and she heard his sure foot steps walk across the room. She realized that he must have done this hundreds, if not thousands of times to know exactly where to step.

  After a few seconds, she heard a soft click before the room was flooded with light. She stared in amazement. One entire wall had been made into a fireplace. Reflected light danced across the room through crystals flanking the massive fireplace.

  She watched as he walked back over to her, his form outlined by red and gold flames. "Do you like it?"

  Vivi swallowed hard. She felt like she had spent her entire life shivering. Only her mate's warmth had ever provided any relief. She couldn't help the tears that fell onto her cheeks. "I feel like I am in the sun, but it doesn't burn. It's just warm and comforting."

  Etain pulled her into the circle his arms. "I tried to recreate the sun-filled environment of Éire Danu. After leaving, I found that I not only craved the warmth but also the light." He paused. "I wasn't sure if you would like it. Adriel hates it, he says that he feels like it's a beast waiting to consume the room."

  Vivi shook her head. "No, it's not like that at all. It feels like it's stretching out, wanting to erase my darkness and bathe it in light."

  Etain tipped her head back. "What darkness could you possibly have?"

  Vivi moved her face out of his hand, and rested her cheek on his chest. "More than I can bear at times."

  Etain wrapped his arms around her and eased her to the floor. Vivi sighed and sank her hands into the soft floor covering. "This isn't a rug," she said inspecting it closer.

  Etain shook his head. "No, it is a modern blend of cashmere and wool over a layer of memory foam eight inches deep that has been recessed into the floor. It was dreadfully expensive," he said pointing to the vast amount of floor it covered. "But worth it."

  "My shoes!" Vivi pulled her foot up to remove her shoes when Etain laughed.

  "It's been spelled by Micah to stay clean. You don't have to worry."

  He got comfortable on his side and patted the space next to him. "I think you have a story to tell me."

  She scooted over until she was next to him and lay back. "And what makes you think there is a story?"

  He raised a brow but remained silent.

  "Damn Hal and your male bonding." She met his eyes. "What did he tell you?"

  "Nothing."

  "Nothing?"

  He shook his head. "He said that it was your story to tell, and you would share with me when you were ready."

  She closed her eyes. She really didn't want to talk about her family, to do so she felt would bring shadows to his place of light and warmth.

  Her eyes opened when she felt him begin to rub between her eyebrows. "You don't have to tell me anything you do not wish to."

  Vivi took a deep breath. If she couldn't trust her mate, then there would be no one on this earth she could trust. "My father murdered my mother," she said simply. She heard his quick inhale before his arms pulled her close to his body.

  "I am so sorry my love."

  She shrugged. "I didn't really know either of them. This all happened when I was a baby. Hal took over the duties of raising me when I was one."

  "Gods! What happened?"

  "My mother was chosen for my father, they were a good match because of their bloodlines. She never really questioned it, especially after she was able to conceive and have me." She rubbed her nose on his chest. "All that changed when she took a trip to the closest paranormal town. Hal told me that she confessed to him that she had begun to feel restless, as if there was something that she had to do. So she packed me up and told my father she would be visitin
g friends and left the city. After a few days of traveling at night because of me, we arrived at a small wolf-shifter town. There she met her true mate." She looked up. "That's also where she met Hal. Her mate had called him in to interview for a squire position. My mother knew that if we left the city, we would need the extra help."

  "Right before my first birthday my mother returned to the city and packed up her few precious belongings. She left my father a letter explaining everything and left in the middle of the night."

  "My father was furious. He and his family tracked us down to the shifter town and began to kill anyone who stood in his way. He refused to be humiliated by having his mate leave him for a shifter."

  Etain inhaled. "By the gods! You're referring to Armand DuSang. This was what started the skirmish that led to so many people being killed and Magnus taking over the city." He pulled back and stared down at her. "You're a DuSang?" he whispered.

  She sat up scowling. "No. I am Vivian Mercy and before that I was Vivian Bergson. I am not like him."

  Etain sat up quickly. "I didn't say you were, but darling, you are the last of a royal bloodline."

  "Two," she said softly.

  "Two what?"

  "Two royal bloodlines. My mother was the last of her line, DuCoeur. It was why she was chosen to be my father's mate."

  Etain shook his head. "I was in the city when you were born." He smiled at her. "I wish I could have seen you as a baby. But unlike Prince Magnus, no one but royals were able to step foot on Level One." He blinked as understanding filled his eyes. "That's what Hal meant when he said you have a past that could come back to haunt you." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I thought it might have been a past lover here in the city." Vivi snorted. Etain's eyes widened. "You're not a...? I mean you've been with other men right?"

  Vivi put on a vapid expression and clasped her hands in front of her. "Oh no, I am a virgin. All females are hormoneless robots waiting for their one true love before indulging in carnal pleasures." Etain looked at her in shock. She rolled her eyes in an exaggerated manner. "Of course I'm not a virgin! I'm over seven hundred years old. A girl has needs."