Crown of Smoke and Blood

by Sadie Jacks

  Gladly, a deeper part of myself said immediately.

  I knocked my libido back down. Unless and until I got some fecking answers, no one was taking anyone anywhere.

  Reaching out a foot, I tapped her leg this time. Put a little muscle into it. She could live with the bruises after nearly roasting me alive in my own front yard. “Woman, wake up.”

  Tavis snorted, deepening his voice. “Yes, woman. I command thee to rise and take thy punishment like a good lass.” He laughed. “She’s bleeding out, mate. Kicking her and talking like ye’ve a stick up yer arse isn’t going to nudge her to the land of the living.”

  “Then you give it a shot, you overgrown arse.”

  He wrinkled his nose. “I either stab her with my sword, or I do nothing.”

  “Fat lot of good you are.”

  The air in the room shifted so suddenly that Tavis and I stilled as we waited for the next shite thing to happen.

  “Wha—”

  “Oh my gosh, will you two just suck each other’s dicks and call it good?” She got to her feet in one smooth motion. She looked around like she had no idea where she was. Twirling a quick circle, she turned back to us, her gaze landed on me. “YOU!” She darted forward. Much faster than she should have been able to move. “You did this to me.”

  Tavis caught her by the waist before she could lay a hand on me. And I was grateful for it. Not grateful enough to suck his cock as she’d suggested, but grateful enough not to clobber him with his own sword.

  “Easy there, lass,” he cooed.

  Her eyes narrowed at me as she went still in his hold. “Let go of me. Now.”

  The hairs on my arms and back of my neck stood on end at her tone. “I think she means it, T,” I said softly.

  Tavis slowly removed his arm from her waist. “Don’t do anything else to him or I’ll shove yer sweet arse back through a portal so fast yer innards will be outtards.”

  Her lips twitched slightly as she nodded. “I’ll do that, Tavis MacDougal.” She turned her head in a manner that reminded me of a scary movie about demon possession. It didn’t spin all the way around, but it was close enough to make my stomach turn sour.

  Tavis fell back a few steps, crossed himself as if he were Catholic. Then he did another fair bit of hand waving and then kissed his fingers. “Mallacht.”

  The woman’s shoulders jerked ever so slightly. “That’s rude.” With a quick flick of her hair, she was facing me once more. “What are you?” She stalked towards me. Her body lowered into a semi-crouch, her arms held out to her sides. Fingers spread wide and stiffened into claws. “I won’t ask another time.”

  She thought to intimidate me? In my own home? I snorted. I would show her what a true predator looked like.

  My fangs elongated as I sank down, mirroring her pose. We began to circle each other in my small foyer. “If you recall, dear lady, I posed the question to you last eve. You’ve yet to respond to the query.”

  Tavis snorted softly off to the side.

  For feck’s sake. Punching myself in the face would be weird, right? Yeah, especially in the middle of a showdown. I sighed. Where the hell was my stuffy father coming from? And why was I using his antiquated phrasing?

  Abruptly, she stood up straight and stopped moving.

  It was amazing. And a bit terrifying, if I were to be honest. The way this woman moved was so far beyond supernatural. I wasn’t quite sure what to make of her. Which left her in a very precarious position.

  “You did ask me that, didn’t you?” She tipped her head to the side. Her curly black hair lay against her golden cheeks in greasy strings.

  Someone needed a bath, I said mentally.

  Me. Me. Me. Pick me! My libido rushed to the front of the class and demanded he be chosen.

  She smirked. “Your inner friend is quite keen.”

  I glared at her. “Stay out of my head.” The very idea that I had to tell anyone that was enough to set the fires of anger bubbling deep inside me. I haven’t been this kind of vulnerable in a very long time.

  “Perhaps if you had better shields, you could keep me out.” She moved in the blink of an eye again.

  I turned to find her leaning against the wall next to the front door. Her chest was heaving slightly. The gold of her cheeks from just moments ago was a little washed out. She rubbed a hand absently over her belly. “By Danu, do you have any snacks? I’d kill for a chocolate.” She looked up at me as if I were her savior.

  Chocolate?

  Chapter 7 – Vari

  I kept my hysterical laughter to myself as I watched Vampy Man’s face squish up in horrified confusion. Yes, I’d just stopped a predator’s dance to ask for some damn candy. Was that a crime?

  But my stomach was literally trying to eat itself, I didn’t know how I got here, the man in front of me was making my girly parts heat like a witch’s cauldron, and I kinda had to pee. A girl had to have her priorities straight. Chocolate was clearly the winner.

  “Well?” I asked when he just continued to stare at me like I was some kind of freak science experiment. Which—kudos to him—I totally was. But he didn’t need to know that yet. A lady was entitled to some mystery.

  Tavis MacDougal—Highlander out of sync with time and the wrong accent—chuckled and shook his head. “He’s not got any sweets, luv. He’s more of a savory kind of guy, if ye catch my drift.” He lowered his gaze to my neck before lifting it to meet my own again.

  “Right. Nightwalker.” My lower lip pouted out. Damn it. I really wanted some human chocolate. “Fine. Do you have any hot dogs?”

  Vampy Man, with his scruffy beard, looked like he was about to pass out from sheer shock alone. Where was the suave guy who wanted me to suck his thumb last night?

  I snorted mentally as I listened to my words again. I didn’t mean that how it sounded. Kinda. But I also kinda did. Oh well.

  “Hot dogs?” Tavis asked. He sounded as if he had something stuck in his throat.

  I nodded, looking at him.

  The darker man snarled low in his throat, pulling my attention back to him. The sound cut off when I looked at him again.

  When he didn’t say anything else, I looked back at the big guy.

  The low growling animal noise started again.

  I lifted my hand to the darker man. “If you can’t do anything more than growl at me, then you can wait until I’ve had a hot dog. Or, hell, anything to eat.”

  I’ve got a wiener you can have. His words drifted through my brain as if they were being shot straight into my mind on high volume.

  Bursting into laughter, I turned back to him. “Really? Sex jokes about hot dogs? Come on. You’ve got to be better than that.” I turned back to Tavis “Isn’t he funnier than that? Please tell me he’s funnier than that.”

  The giant of a man nodded, a huge smile on his face. “He is. When he wants to be.” With a quick flick of his wrist, he pushed his sword into a dimensional pocket. Stuck out his now-free hand. “I’m Ta—”

  “Tavis MacDougal. Yes, I know.” I stuck my hand out to him anyway. Shook it.

  Dark and Vampy leapt forward, his fangs fully descended. His eyes were black with his magic. A hard, animalistic sound vibrated from his chest.

  Tavis shoved me away just as Dark Man would have landed on us both. Dark and Vampy clawed and snapped his jaws at his friend. Wild punches and untrained kicks flew through the small space. It reminded me of some of the Mindless back home. The bodies were simply empty husks that danced under the remains of evil magic.

  Through it all, Tavis merely held his friend back. He didn’t engage or escalate the fighting. He blocked and defended, but that was all.

  Very curious for a man who brandished a sword on first acquaintance. He must have control for days. Hell, weeks.

  Too bad Vampy Man didn’t have that kind of control. But if he did...the thought sent flames licking through my body.

  The men stopped fighting, both turning towards me.

  Dark Man was lowered
into his predatory stalking pose. His movements were once more refined and sexily dangerous. “Mine.”

  I held up both hands. “Damn, greedy. Fine, keep him to yourself. But you could have just said so.” Backing up, I missed a step down and fell into a room.

  Crap. I tried to jump to my feet. Tried to regain my advantage. But my vision was going hazy again. That lurching feeling was back, and my brain was trying to figure out why the horizon kept moving around in darts and jolts.

  Tavis captured Dark and Vampy against his chest. Lifted him off the floor before he could leap at me again. “I suggest ye get yer pretty arse up, lass.”

  I lifted a hand. Or tried to. “I’m working on it.” My hand fell back, slapped me in the face. “Seriously? Now? Again?”

  Beastie just snickered in my head.

  “What’s wrong, luv?” Tavis asked as Dark and Vampy started going bonkers in his hold. “He’s heavy as a house. Why can’t ye get up?” His voice was strained.

  I shook my head, felt my stomach revolt. “He did something to me.” Giving up on the hopes of getting back to my feet, I curled into a ball. Dry heaves wracked my body until it felt like my throat was on fire. I bit my lip to keep from begging. To keep from pleading with these strangers to help me. Even if it meant killing me.

  I sucked in a gasp as another shard of pain slashed through me. Hell’s bells, that was awful. I opened my mouth, the words on the tip of my tongue. Even though they tasted of ash and defeat, I wasn’t going to survive this on my own. “He—”

  Finally, blessedly, that black oblivion came for me once again.

  Chapter 8 – Koehn

  As if the haze that had overtaken my mind evaporated when she collapsed against the floor, everything inside me went quiet and still. I took a deep breath, inhaled the berries and lemon scent of her. I quit struggling. “I’m good. Put me down.”

  Tavis all but dropped me. “How the hell are ye possibly that heavy?” His breath was panting just a bit.

  I shook my head. “Magic.” I moved forward. “What the hell happened?” I put a hand to my head as a wave of nausea and vertigo tipped the world sideways. I grabbed the wall. “Feck.”

  “Too right, boyo. Ye went mad.”

  I shook my head. Everything was fuzzy. The past few minutes were nothing but a blur in my mind. “She did something to me.”

  Tavis moved around, peered down into my face. “That’s what she said about ye.” He narrowed his eyes. “Did ye exchange blood?”

  I shook my head. “No. I gave her some of mine so she wouldn’t bleed out totally. I never got any of hers.” A fragment of a thought wiggled at the edges of my brain. “Did she ask for hot dogs?”

  Tavis chuckled. “That she did. She was right unhappy that ye didn’t have any chocolate.”

  My brow furrowed. “Why would I have chocolate? Or hot dogs, for that matter? Who the hell does she think she is to shove her way into a stranger’s home and demand sustenance?”

  He shrugged. “No idea, but from the way she was weaving there at the end, I’m guessing she passed out from hunger.” He looked back at me, one blonde brow raised high. “And seriously, what the feck is wrong with ye? Yer speaking like yer da before he finally passed. God rest his soul.” He crossed himself again.

  My cheeks heated. “I have no idea. Something else she needs to accoun—explain.” I shot Tavis a sheepish grin. “I swear, it’s like I can hear him in my head, then he pops right out of my mouth. Very disconcerting.”

  “Excuse me, good sirs. Would either of you be willing to pull your heads from your anal orifices and aid the good lady?”

  We both looked down at the woman. She was still passed out.

  “Over here,” the voice said.

  We shifted to the side, saw a wavery specter. Dressed like a dapper fellow from Britain some century ago, he had a walking stick, a monocle on a chain, spats, and a top hat. His hair was a hazy purple and his skin was a glittering ebony.

  This was the weirdest day of my life.

  “Who the feck are ye?” Tavis asked.

  The man scuttled back, a look of horror on his face. “Good sir, please keep a civil tongue in your head. I’m a gentleman.”

  I raised a brow. Thickening my accent, I said, “Aye, Tavis, don’t tell the blighting arse-fecker that he’s invading a personal residence without permission or that he looks like a bleeding fop. That would just be rude. Certainly not the thing to do with the Ton.”

  I crossed my arms and settled into my position in the doorway. And gods above, was I glad not to be in Regency England anymore. Those people were the worst sticks in the mud the gods had ever created. Priggish and stinky. My life during that time had been a veritable hellhole of stifled existence.

  The fussy gentleman sniffed delicately as he raised his nose high in the air. “You’re a beast. A heathen. A cur.”

  I rolled my eyes. “And you’re still invading personal property. What do you know of her, anyway?”

  The man sidestepped the unconscious woman on the floor in my formal dining room. His steps were small and mincing, as if afraid something would stick to his ephemeral form. “Nothing. I was simply trying to get your attention so that you may help her. She is of no consequence to me.”

  I held out a hand. Watched as the prissy man passed right through it. “You’re a ghost.”

  The man shot his cuffs, tapped his walking stick on the floor in a hard triple tap. “And you’re a demon blood sucker. We all have our lots to bear. Now, if you’ll excuse me.” He kept walking. Right through the wall.

  Seriously, what the hell was going on?

  I glared at the woman on my floor. All of this—whatever it was—could be laid at her feet.

  Tavis looked at me. “Have ye ever seen a ghost before?”

  I shook my head. “Never. And why the hell was he in my house? How did he get here? Where did he come from?”

  “You’d do better to ask what she is,” a ragged voice said.

  Once again, we turned. This time the woman was sitting up. Kind of. Her head was hanging limply back. Her neck stretched to the max as her body moved sluggishly into a relaxed position. Or what would have been relaxed had a chaise lounge been under her and she was a starlet from the 1950s cinema.

  She was leaning back, but nothing was supporting her. Not even her arms or elbows. She was just hovering in the air in a semi-reclined position.

  Beside me, Tavis crossed himself again.

  “Excuse me?” I asked. “Who are you?” Walking forward, I wanted to make sure the voice was actually coming from her and not some new spectral hitchhiker.

  “She calls me Beastie. You can call me Roarke.” Her mouth was moving, but the voice didn’t sound like hers at all.

  Reaching out, I cupped a hand behind her head, lifted it. “Roarke?”

  She licked her lips. “Aye. And you must never mention me, for she doesn’t know I can do it. Do you have any sugar water?” Her amber eyes wheeled around in her skull like untethered balloons drifting into the skies.

  Tavis moved off.

  “What’s her name?”

  Roarke smirked. “I’ll not be telling ye that. But she’s a good lass.”

  Remembering his first statement, I asked, “What is she then?”

  Her amber eyes flicked down for a brief second. “A warrior. A queen destined for more than the lot her father gave her.”

  Tavis came back with the water. Put it in front of the woman’s face. “Drink.”

  Her lips pulled up in a smile, but it was as if her puppet mask was slipping. Her features more closely resembled hot melted wax than human skin. “She’s getting ready to wake. Lay her on the floor. Once she comes to, force her to drink all of it. Remember, speak not a word of me.”

  I laid her back down on the floor. And Roarke was right. Within moments, the energy in the room shifted, and she popped back up into a seated position as if someone…or something…had just been using her body as a marionette.

  She jerked
back. “Wow. Personal bubble, Vampy Man.”

  When she lifted a hand to shove me away, I slid the glass of sugar water into it.

  Her amber eyes lit like small suns in her face. The smile that blossomed on her face made my heart pinch. She grabbed the glass, brought it to her mouth, and dumped the whole thing between her lips. I wasn’t even sure she breathed. Or swallowed. She just opened up and poured it in.

  I looked up at Tavis. His green eyes were back to their normal single color, but the look on his face shared his discomfort with the whole thing.

  “Ahh!” She slapped the glass back into my hand. “That was amazing.” Smacked her lips together. “Do you have more?” She looked up at me through her lashes. “And I’m still waiting to hear the verdict on that...hot dog situation.” She ran her pink tongue over her bottom lip.

  Chapter 9 – Vari

  As if my insides were a desert and the water I’d just drunk a torrential rainfall, everything inside me seemed to swell and bloom in appreciation. The ache in my head vanished, the low grade pinching in my belly smoothed out. Even the heat in my core turned down to a single flickering candle.

  Vampy Man was inches from me, but I didn’t want to smash his face in. Or shove it between my legs. So I was going to chalk this whole thing up in the win column.

  He settled on his heels. Stuck his hand out. “I’m tired of not knowing your name. I’m Koehn.”

  My lips quirked. “If I tell you my name, will you give me hot dogs?”

  He rolled his eyes. “No. I don’t have any. But if you can find something to fill the void in your belly, you are welcome to consume it.” The corners of his eyes pinched for a second.

  Tavis chuckled behind him. “Don’t mind the formal language, lass. He’s possessed by his da.”

  I looked back at Koehn. Narrowed my eyes. “Are you truly possessed?”

  He shook his head. “Not that I know of, but we did just have our first ghost sighting, so I guess anything is possible.” He wiggled his fingers. “Please tell me your name.”