Dark Alpha's Embrace

by Donna Grant

  Kyran blew out a breath. He’d deal with this later. Right now he had to remove Maiti’s bracelet. He straightened and dropped his arm to his side.

  “You weren’t expecting that name, were you?” she asked him.

  He shrugged. “I should’ve known.”

  “Do you know why they hunt the mortals?” Fintan asked.

  Maiti chuckled wryly. “You’re not getting anything else from me until I’m far from my family.”

  Fintan looked pointedly at the bracelet. “That’s got to come off first.”

  “Good luck with that,” she stated sarcastically.

  Kyran explained, “She’s tried to remove it before. Her father spelled it so no magic could touch it.”

  “Wonderful,” Fintan murmured. He flattened his lips as he shook his head at Kyran. “Do you search out the most difficult tasks? It must be your gift.”

  Kyran didn’t bother to answer Fintan. Instead, he held out his hand, waiting for Maiti to lay her wrist in his palm. Once she did, he wrapped his hands around the silver.

  Magic pulsed into his fingers. Strong magic. Old magic. But still not nearly as powerful as a Reaper’s. Kyran pushed his magic against the bracelet. The magic in the bracelet fought back.

  “We don’t have time for this,” Fintan murmured. He put his hand atop Kyran’s and added his magic to the mix.

  With both of them forcing their Reaper magic against the bracelet, the old Dark power didn’t stand a chance. The binding charm faded away without much of a fight.

  Kyran and Fintan dropped their hands. Maiti’s gaze was on her wrist. She waved her other hand over the bracelet, and with a click, the cuff unlocked.

  She removed it and the ring. Maiti held it for a moment, silently staring at the thing that chained her to her family for thousands of years.

  “I’m free,” she whispered in happiness.

  Her smile began slowly but soon took up her entire face. With a few words, the cuff vanished. Maiti then looked at them. “How did you do that?”

  “Magic,” Fintan replied.

  She rolled her eyes, her smile fading. “Smart-ass.”

  Kyran stepped in before Fintan could say more. “You’re free to go wherever you want.”

  “There’s a Fae doorway on the west side of the palace. Help me get there, and I’ll tell you the family who set the Lightslayers on the mortals.”

  Kyran motioned with his hand for her to start walking. “Agreed.”

  Fintan remained ten steps behind them to make sure no one stopped them. Neither Kyran nor Maiti spoke in the ten minutes it took them to reach the west side of the palace.

  They walked through dozens of rooms where numerous people saw them, and a few even tried to get Maiti’s attention. She never stopped. Their pace was sedate, as if they didn’t have a destination in mind.

  By the time they maneuvered the corridors, dozens of guards, and hundreds of Dark, Maiti was frazzled. They stopped just inside the palace and stared out over a courtyard where a Fae doorway stood unguarded.

  “There it is,” she said.

  Kyran glanced at Fintan to see if he knew where the doorway led. Fintan shrugged and looked down the hallway. “We got you here.”

  Maiti turned and smiled at him. “So you did. Who are you, Kyran?”

  “I already told you. I’m no one.”

  “Perhaps. But I saw your reaction when I mentioned the Lightslayers. You know that family as well.”

  Kyran shrugged.

  She shot him a quick smile. “You kept your word. I’m surprised.”

  “I had something to gain.”

  “You did,” she replied with a nod. “I also get the feeling your word means a lot to you.”

  Fintan turned and whispered urgently, “Hurry up.”

  “You could’ve tricked me. I was desperate,” Maiti said.

  Kyran chose not to respond. “The other name, please.”

  “Who else but my own family?”

  He bowed his head. “Thank you.”

  “I owe you, Kyran.”

  Now this shocked him. “We made a deal. I helped you in exchange for information.”

  “This information was nothing to what you and Fintan did for me.” She stepped out into the courtyard and looked back at Kyran. “If you ever need anything, I’ll be there.”

  Kyran watched her walk to the doorway and step through. He didn’t know how long Fintan stood beside him.

  “We could’ve gotten that information without helping her. She’s a Dark, Kyran.”

  “Maiti reminded me of my sister.”

  There was a beat of silence before Fintan said, “I didn’t know you had a sister.”

  “She hated the life of the Dark.” Kyran turned from the courtyard. “Hated it so much she decided to do something a Dark never does—she was going to the Light.”

  “Oh, fuck,” Fintan murmured.

  Kyran took a deep breath and pulled himself from his memories. “Aye, we had to help Maiti.”

  “So your sister is a Light Fae now?”

  Kyran shook his head. “She’s dead. She never made it to the Light. She was betrayed by her family.”

  Chapter Nine

  River woke, confused as she looked around. Where was she? It took her a full minute to remember everything that happened and why she wasn’t in her flat.

  She sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed, her hands on either side of her. The last thing she remembered was reading one of the books. She must have fallen asleep. That meant that someone carried her to bed.

  Was it Kyran? She hoped it was Kyran.

  That drew her up short. No, she didn’t want it to be Kyran. He was far too dangerous for her mind and body.

  River stood and looked around the chamber. The bed was a simple iron bed. At its base was a bench with three sets of clothes folded neatly. The only other furniture was a table and chair off to the side where a large bowl sat atop the table.

  She walked to it, amazed to find the bowl filled with water. River dipped her finger in it to find out how cold it was, only to discover it was warm. She had to smile, because what else would the water be with Fae around?

  It wasn’t until she began to take off her clothes that she realized she wasn’t the least bit cold. In fact, she was downright cozy.

  River washed herself as best she could. Then she turned to the bench and the clothes. One was a set very similar to what she’d worn most of her life. It was her normal, her safety net.

  The second set was a pair of jeans and a sweater. The third set was a black pair of pants and a shirt that dipped low in the front.

  She shook her head, wondering who picked out the clothes. River wasn’t surprised at all to find the sweater and jeans fit to perfection. She zipped the boots and stood, running her fingers through her hair before putting it in a loose plait.

  Her stomach was growling viciously when she started toward the door. She was steps from reaching it when there was a soft knock.

  “River?” Jordyn’s voice said through the wood.

  River opened the door. Jordyn smiled, then let her gaze wander down. The smile was gone and her face registered surprise when she once more met River’s gaze.

  “Wow.”

  River swallowed past her nervousness. “Did you pick out the clothes?”

  “Yeah. I wanted to give you some choices in case you might want something different.”

  “Thanks.” It had been so long since River had someone do something for her that the gratitude felt weird.

  Jordyn waved away her words. “How about some food?”

  “That sounds great.”

  She followed Jordyn through the tunnel. “How long have you been here?”

  “This place is new,” Jordyn said over her shoulder. “We were set up below Edinburgh Castle, but Bran found us.”

  That didn’t give River confidence in the Reapers. She put a lot of faith in them to keep her safe. As long as she didn’t have a child, she was relatively s
afe, but how long would that last? When would they get tired of waiting and just kill her?

  If she never had a child, her line would die with her. Perhaps that was for the best.

  Then she thought of the books, of how only she could read them. If she didn’t carry on her line, no one would ever be able to read those words again. As much as that saddened her, it was better than knowing her family would continue to be killed over and over in the future.

  River turned with Jordyn and entered another cavern that was set up with a table and an assortment of food. She looked over croissants, sausage, bacon, toast, eggs, cereal, pancakes, different pastries, and fruit.

  “I’m guessing it’s dawn?” River asked.

  Jordyn grinned. “It does become difficult to keep track of time in these caves. I keep a watch so I know. The guys don’t understand. I suppose it’s my human side that likes to know what time it is.”

  “I think I’d be the same way.” River grabbed a croissant and an apple.

  “Coffee?”

  River wrinkled her nose. “I hate the smell of it.”

  “I don’t think I’ve ever heard that before,” Jordyn said with a laugh. “Just tell Baylon what you’d like.”

  River carried the apple as she ate the croissant on the way to the library. They had a lot to do and only a little time to do it.

  She settled back in the chair from the night before and looked at the books spread out on the table. Thirty books with different stories, each in a long-forgotten Fae language, and each with something in the pages that could help them.

  “Do you remember reading anything about the Netherworld?” Baylon asked.

  River looked up to find him at the doorway. “Yes. It’s mentioned at least once in each of the books. Some just speak of it in passing. Something like the way humans would talk about Hell. The way it’s worded, sometimes it seems as if they expected whoever was reading the books to know a lot.”

  “And in others?” Jordyn asked.

  River pointed to the book in dark green leather. “In that one, there’s an entire chapter devoted to it. It speaks about the horrors of the Netherworld. About how all Fae are terrified of that place.”

  Baylon moved into the cavern and picked up the book she spoke of. “Did any make mention of escaping?”

  “No.”

  Jordyn sank into her chair with a sigh. “If you can get into a place, then you can get out.”

  “That was my thought,” River said.

  But Baylon was shaking his head. “The Netherworld is a prison.”

  “People break out of prisons all the time,” River stated.

  Jordyn made a face. “This is getting us nowhere fast. Who made the Netherworld?”

  “No one made it. It just came into being like the rest of the universe,” Baylon explained.

  River finished her croissant and dusted off her hands. “Who decided to make it into a prison?”

  At this, Baylon shrugged. “I don’t know.”

  “Death probably,” Jordyn said.

  River leaned up, grabbed the green leather book, and flipped the pages to look for the chapter on the Netherworld.

  “Do you really remember all that you read?” Baylon asked.

  She glanced up at him. “You’re Fae, and you actually sound surprised at the idea of that.”

  “I am,” he admitted.

  “You shouldn’t be. I don’t recall all of it word for word. Some pieces stuck with me while others didn’t. The Netherworld intrigued me, because you could read the fear each family had of it in the written words.”

  Jordyn tucked one leg under her. “You must remember a lot, because you know what’s in each book.”

  “I couldn’t recite the books front to back, no. You must understand that before I could read, I heard the stories. Once I learned to read, I devoured the books as often as I could.”

  Baylon leaned a hip against the table. “How often was that?”

  “Up until I was thirteen, it was once, maybe twice a year. I used to beg to see Aunt Maureen more. She loved having me there, and my parents adored her. It wasn’t that far to see her, so I never understood why we didn’t visit more. Until she was killed, and I learned the truth. Every time I visited, I put her at risk.”

  Jordyn’s smile was sad as she caught River’s eye. “Apparently your aunt felt the risk was great enough.”

  “It killed her.”

  Baylon stood, his silver gaze direct and unflinching. “The risks she took to teach you would’ve killed her eventually. She lived far longer than any of your other family.”

  “Yes.” That was true. And River would probably live longer than Aunt Maureen.

  Jordyn cleared her throat. “Do you have any kids?”

  “No. And before you ask, I don’t plan to. This ends with me.” River looked from Jordyn to Baylon. “No one else will have to suffer.”

  “You can’t be the only one who wanted this,” Baylon said.

  River looked away. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Kyran and Fintan appear. “My aunt and her two sisters vowed to end it.”

  “But your line continued.” Jordyn frowned. “How?”

  River picked up the apple and turned it in her hand. “Maureen’s youngest sister, Mary, was gang-raped. They took her one night and kept her for a week. By the time Maureen and the family found her, Mary had lost her mind. She had to be committed.”

  “Damn,” Fintan murmured.

  “After my mother was born, Mary somehow got ahold of a razor and slit her wrists. She died before the Dark could kill her.”

  Kyran ran a hand down his face.

  River knew exactly how he felt. It was her family, and yet there were times she could barely take it all in. “My mother was raised by my great-grandmother and Michelle, the middle sister.”

  “Not Maureen?” Jordyn asked.

  River smiled as she thought of her great-aunt. “She was the one to initially take my mother to raise. I don’t know how it was decided or why, but Maureen left the family here in Scotland and moved to Ireland.”

  “Smack in the middle of the Fae,” Baylon said.

  Jordyn made a face. “Not something I’d have done.”

  “But a perfect place to hide. They didn’t look for her there. Between that and hiding her beauty, Maureen was able to watch my mother grow and learn her heritage from her family.”

  Kyran caught her gaze. “When were Michelle and your great-grandmother killed?”

  “The day after my mother’s thirteenth birthday.” River didn’t know what the significance of thirteen was other than puberty. They were too young to survive on their own.

  “Did your mother know the family history?” Jordyn asked.

  River nodded. “Of course.”

  “But she had a child,” Fintan said. “Why would she continue the line?”

  She wistfully thought of her parents. So carefree, so naïve. “My father convinced Mum that if they didn’t speak of it to me, then the Fae would leave us alone. If I wasn’t taught, then how could it be passed on?”

  “But you went to Maureen’s,” Baylon argued.

  “Yes.” River set aside the apple, no longer able to think about eating. “That was Mum’s doing. In her heart, she knew I had to learn. If she couldn’t teach me, then she would make sure Maureen could. She kept it from Dad. He thought Maureen was from my grandfather’s side.”

  Fintan’s white eyes focused on her. “Whatever woman decided not to have children must have been persuaded—or forced—in some way. The same could happen to you.”

  “Why do you think I’ve taken such precautions to stay hidden?” River asked. She stood, the book in hand. “You laughed at my clothes before, but believe it or not, they helped.”

  She watched as Fintan’s gaze slowly ran down her body from the sweater that gently hugged her to the jeans that conformed becomingly against her legs. When he looked back into her eyes, she saw desire in his gaze.

  “It’s not just the clothes
,” Jordyn said. “It’s the hair, the glasses, and the attitude. You were still pretty though few noticed. Dressed are you are now, everyone would be looking.”

  “Aye,” Kyran said.

  River’s gaze slid to him. She wondered what he thought of her change in clothes. If he desired her, he hid it well—unlike Fintan.

  While Fintan said and did whatever he wanted, not caring how it affected others, Kyran was like a caged beast. Waiting for the time he could escape and decimate everything around him.

  Why then was it Kyran she found herself attracted to? Why was it him she wanted to look at her as if he could devour her with one kiss? Why was it him that she yearned to have claim her?

  She looked for him when he wasn’t in the room. She sought him out when he was. How? Why? She managed to stay away from guys after she graduated school in nearly every capacity. Why was this happening now?

  “Oh crap,” Jordyn said. “I left my laptop in our chamber. I need to get it.”

  River didn’t move as both Jordyn and Baylon left. A moment later, Fintan turned on his heel and walked away. Leaving her alone with Kyran.

  He moved around the table and came to stand in front of her. “You’ve suffered a great deal.”

  “My family has suffered.”

  “Aye. Now everything is on your shoulders. It’s a heavy burden, but you carry it well.”

  River turned her head to the side and crossed her arms over her chest. “I don’t want it. Nor will I put this on another’s shoulders. It will end with me.”

  “Aye,” he whispered.

  She looked to find him within inches of her. His red gaze was hooded and focused on her mouth. Her heart skipped a beat when his finger caressed her jaw with the softest of touches.

  “It will end,” he vowed, his red eyes meeting hers. His head lowered slowly, almost as if he wasn’t sure if he should.

  River lifted her face, both eager for the kiss and frightened of where it might lead. Then she looked into his eyes. That’s when she saw it, there in his gaze.

  “You know who’s been killing my family.”

  A mask fell over his face as he took a step back. “I do.”