Dark Deceiver

by Pamela Palmer

  She felt bad for him, remembering her own reaction when Larsen had called four months ago with her fear that the Dupont Circle rapist wasn’t human. Autumn hadn’t believed that until the evidence had mounted so high there was no denying it. And she’d wanted to believe.

  As a girl, she’d lived for anything having to do with fantasy or science fiction. As a student, she’d studied history, folklore and legend, fascinated by the uncanny number of eyewitness accounts reported of other-worldly encounters. The creatures in those legends were called many things: fairies, elves, brownies, wee folk. They were creatures capable of tremendous magic and mischief. She was still marveling that those tales had been based in truth, that other-worldly creatures really had existed in this world…and existed again.

  She was just very, very glad that the man who’d turned her world upside down in the past couple of hours wasn’t one of them.

  Feeling left out, Autumn wandered to the waist-high wall that ringed the roof, and looked out over the lights of the city. In the distance, the Washington Monument stood in a brilliant embrace of light, erect and solid against a changing reality. Behind her, Kade’s rich voice filled the night air as he told the others about the dream that had left him with little more than impressions and the certainty he had to find Larsen.

  He was human, not Esri, which meant he’d had no ulterior motive to pretend attraction to her. A pleasurable excitement filled her as her mind skipped ahead to dates, a boyfriend. Maybe even a lover.

  Of course, the others were bound to draw him into their world, into their war. And the way things were going with the Esri, that would probably take up all his time. If only she could help. But she could do little but sit on the sidelines with her computer and watch.

  She turned and leaned back against the damp stone, her gaze going back to the man who suddenly and totally consumed her thoughts.

  “What can you do, Kade?” Charlie asked. “Other than your dreams? Any other odd gifts that might be of help against the Esri?”

  Kade looked at him like a man being interrogated in an unknown language, uncertain how to respond.

  Jack lightly backhanded Charlie’s shoulder. “You can’t ask him like that, Rand.” He turned to Kade. “Look, whatever you’ve been living with is tough. Believe me, I know. For years I had voices in my head I couldn’t understand, voices I thought were madness. It turns out they were the voices of my Sitheen ancestors. My own little advisory committee. The oldest on the committee, a half human, half Esri by the name of Malcolm was the one who told me you were Sitheen.”

  Kade’s eyes narrowed. “How could he know?”

  “Hell if I know. I ask questions and they give me answers. When they feel like it. They’re not much into explanations.”

  As the damp breeze chilled her skin, Autumn sighed. She was kidding herself to think she could ever be part of this group. Being at their meetings didn’t make her one of them. She didn’t have any gifts or super powers. Nothing special at all except a knack for research.

  Maybe that knack could be enough. If she could find those stones, she could help them. She could matter. A little.

  Kade looked up and met her gaze across the heads of the others, his expression in the lantern light still tense and wary. But as their gazes met across the roof’s small light, something happened. Her pulse began to leap and race, her heart lifting on the night breeze. She felt a power in his gaze that called to her, reaching for her even as it burrowed deep in her heart. A power that sent warmth cascading through her chilled body.

  He watched her, clung to her, as if she were the only solid thing in his suddenly shifting universe.

  He needed her. The certainty filled her, wrapping around her like a soft caress.

  But for how long? She was his temporary anchor in a new and unsettling world. Once he felt comfortable with the others and found his place, he’d be fine. He wouldn’t need her any longer.

  Even if she still needed him.

  Chapter 5

  “Do you forgive me?” Autumn asked, her eyes wide and earnest.

  She’d pulled him aside as the group filed through the door leading back into the building, giving them a moment alone. Now she stood before him on the dark roof, beneath the blanket of endless sky, her beauty pulling at him in ways he couldn’t fathom.

  “They had to make sure you weren’t Esri,” she said.

  “There’s nothing to forgive.” He reached out and tugged a strand of fiery hair that had escaped her braid. He let his fingers trail down her jaw, drawing an odd feeling of strength from the contact. Not a power in the natural sense, but a balance. A grounding. A firm hold in the chaos.

  And he felt as though he was in the very eye of the chaos. The humans thought him one of them, but that could change in the blink of an eye. He must be on guard every moment, weigh every word, every action, lest he give himself away.

  If that happened, if he was found out and battle ensued, he must find a way to protect Autumn. She must not be harmed.

  As he stroked her cheek, her gaze searched his, her eyes soft and a little sad. She smiled and leaned forward to place a gentle kiss on his cheek. A kiss without heat or passion, but soft with an affection that had him brushing his thumb over her own cheek in return.

  “I won’t doubt you again,” she said softly.

  He felt the stab from the sharp edge of his own betrayal. She believed in him, yet he was the very thing she feared.

  “Are you two coming?” Larsen poked her head around the door. “We’re holding the elevator.”

  Autumn threw him a charmingly embarrassed little smile as she turned to follow Larsen.

  He followed the women down the stairs. As they piled into the elevator, Kaderil once more felt that odd sensation of electricity, that promise of magic, and realized Jack was right behind him. He’d never felt quite that sensation from another, and it had him baffled. What kind of power did Jack possess? Was he aware of it? More importantly, what might it mean later, when the time came to kill the man? And he would kill him, all of them but Autumn. He must, even though the prospect had seemed easier before he’d met them and felt their welcome.

  They clustered around Charlie as he unlocked the door to the apartment. Kaderil glanced at Autumn and found her watching him in return.

  Larsen laughed and he realized she’d been watching them. “So, how long have you two known one another?”

  Autumn grinned at the woman, color filling her cheeks. “Shut up, Larsen.”

  Charlie opened the door and they all filed in. Kaderil followed Autumn. Two women were already in the apartment, awaiting their arrival. An older woman in a bright red dress sat nestled on a large chair. Beneath her gray puff of hair, silver crescent moons dangled from her earlobes. Beside her chair stood a petite young woman in jeans and a sweatshirt that read Washington Redskins. Beneath her extremely short cap of dark hair, violet eyes stared at him.

  “He wasn’t Esri, then,” the elderly woman said, drawing Kaderil’s fractured attention and eyeing him with a friendly smile. “Welcome, dear. I’m Myrtle. Jack’s aunt.” With a pat on the younger woman’s arm, she said, “And this is my new friend and companion. Aren’t you, Tarrys dear?”

  The tension that had begun to ease from his muscles rushed back with a vengeance.

  Tarrys. The name of the second of Baleris’s slaves, the one who’d failed to return to Esria. He’d assumed she’d been ended along with her master, but this woman could be her. She was the size of a Marceil and though she had hair, hers was far shorter than most females wore theirs. She was almost certainly the Marceil. It never occurred to him she’d been taken captive by the humans and remained with them still. He should have considered it, although it was unlikely she’d recognize him. His and Baleris’s paths had never crossed. Then again, she was clearly staring at him. If she’d ever seen him, she’d remember.

  “Myrtle’s a gifted healer,” Charlie told him. “And Tarrys is…” He turned to meet Jack’s gaze before turning
back to Kaderil. “She’s not Esri, but she’s not human, either. She’s an escaped slave from their world with the deadliest aim with a bow and arrow I’ve ever seen. It’s a good thing she’s on our side.”

  Braced for her accusation, Kaderil watched the slave. His mind leaped from one alternative to the next, sorting through the same options he had on the roof. If she accused him of being Esri, what would he do? Attack? Or deny her claims and hope neither she nor the Sitheen had any way to prove him wrong? If only he had the power of a true Esri, he might be able to control her and keep her from giving him away.

  “This is Kade Smith,” Charlie said. “I haven’t decided whether to start calling him Kareem or Hulk.” Charlie made a sound deep in his throat. “You two are staring at each other as though you know one another. Did I miss something?”

  The Marceil gasped, her wide-eyed expression turning stricken. “Forgive me. I’ve never seen a man so tall.”

  She didn’t recognize him.

  Autumn’s arm eased through his, making him jerk. “Tarrys isn’t dangerous, Kade. She’s very humanlike. Much more so than the Esri.”

  With a start, he realized he was staring with the Punisher’s glower. Sweet Esria, he was going to give himself away. He tore his gaze from the small slave, struggling for control as his heart thudded beneath his ribs.

  “I’m…sorry.” He licked his lips, willing his pulse to calm down as he struggled for a likely, human explanation. His gaze eased back to the slave. “I’ve never met someone who wasn’t…human,” he lied.

  “I should have warned you,” Jack said. “But Tarrys is such a sweet little thing, we already consider her one of us. Look at it this way, Kade. If you can handle everything we’re throwing at you tonight, you can probably handle anything.”

  Myrtle rose. “Tarrys, dear, will you help me get the refreshments?”

  As Jack followed the two women into the kitchen, Harrison and Charlie each grabbed a pair of dining chairs and set them in front of the sofa to form a loose circle.

  “Are you doing okay?” Autumn asked beside him.

  Her voice pulled him back from the cliff, easing the tension that was eating him alive.

  “Yes. Do I seem a little…” What was the word? “…edgy?”

  Her musical laughter wrapped around him, pleasing his ears even as it settled his leaping mind.

  “Edgy doesn’t begin to describe it. But you’re not going ballistic and you haven’t run away in fear, so I’d say you’re doing a lot better than most people would under the circumstances.”

  “Good.” Apparently his reaction was within the range of normal for a human. Never in his long life had he felt so uncertain of himself. The role of Punisher he knew all too well. The role of nice human, not at all. And he could not afford mistakes.

  “How many of them are Sitheen?” he asked Autumn. The more he knew about his enemy, the better. He wanted no more surprises.

  “All but Tarrys.”

  “And you.”

  He heard her sigh, heard the unhappiness in the sound. “Yes. And me.”

  “How did you get involved in this?” He wished she weren’t. It was too dangerous, especially for one without any of the gifts of the Sitheen.

  “I went to college with Larsen. When they started realizing Baleris wasn’t your run-of-the-mill bad guy, Larsen called me to see what I could dig up in the way of folklore and superstitions that might help them. I’m the one who figured out holly might work against enchantment.” She pulled back her sleeve to show him her bracelet. The bracelet she didn’t realize she’d already lost to him once today. “Right now I’m trying to help them find the other Esri stones.”

  On the drive here, Autumn had told him what the humans had learned about the seven stones. They had the draggon stone, and knew its purpose well enough. But they knew little about the others.

  “Have you had any success?”

  She wrinkled her nose, making her freckles dance in the lamplight. “No. I keep hoping something will turn up, but so far nothing has.”

  He saw the unhappiness in her eyes and was sorry for it. Sorry for her. He knew what it felt like to be on the outside.

  “They’re lucky to have your help.”

  She gave a soft, humorless snort and rolled those gray eyes.

  Jack carried in a tray laden with cups, set it on the coffee table then came over to join them.

  “Kade, I need to ask you some questions, if you don’t mind. Where you live, work, those kinds of things. Don’t take it personally. We have to check out anyone we bring into this group.”

  Kaderil nodded. “I understand.” As Jack went through his list of questions, Kaderil recited the detailed background Ustanis had put together for him with the help of an enchanted human.

  Apparently satisfied, Jack smiled. “Good enough.”

  “Have a seat, everyone,” Charlie said.

  Larsen patted the seat beside her. “Come on, Autumn.”

  Autumn looked at him with soft eyes before she slipped her arm from his and joined Larsen on the sofa.

  Kaderil sat on one of the dining chairs, as did the two brothers, Harrison and Charlie. Jack sat beside Larsen, sliding his arm around her shoulders. A look passed between them, filled with more raw caring than he’d ever seen between two people. It was not unheard of for Esri to mate for life, though such devotion was unusual. He’d not expected to see such strong ties develop between creatures whose existence could be measured in a few short score of years. He had to wonder why they bothered.

  But then his gaze slid to Autumn and she smiled at him in a way that did funny things to his insides, and he thought he understood. They developed ties with one another because they couldn’t help it. Perhaps it was just one of the many weaknesses of being human. A weakness, he was all too afraid he shared.

  Myrtle and the slave joined them, each carrying a serving plate.

  “Oatmeal cookies and spiced cider,” Myrtle announced.

  “Spiced?” Larsen asked with a knowing look. “Or spiked?”

  “Spiced, dear.” But the older human pulled a small green bottle out of her apron pocket with a grin and set it on the table. “A shot of whiskey for those who want it.”

  “Bring me up to speed,” Charlie said, grabbing one of the cookies off the plate Tarrys held for him. The small Marceil’s gaze softened as she gazed at the man, but Charlie appeared not to notice. “Kade and I both need to know what’s been going on.”

  Myrtle handed Kaderil a cup of the warm drink. “Whiskey?”

  “No. Thank you.”

  She shook her head, a gleam in her eye. “You’re as bad as my nephew. Or as good, I suppose.”

  “They’re just leaving more for us,” Charlie said, waving her over. “Let’s have some of the good stuff, Auntie M.”

  As Myrtle served the drinks, Jack filled them in. “Four Esri came through the gate two weeks ago during a downpour. Larsen and I were guarding the portal, and Autumn came along to help keep watch since neither of you Rands were in town. I went after the first one who came through, but the bastard ran faster than any human I’ve ever seen. There was no way to catch him. The other three came through a minute later and scattered.”

  “Three more?” Charlie looked confused. “I thought there were three in total.”

  Jack nodded. “Autumn caught one, learned that they’re here for the stones, emphasis on the plural, and sent him back through the gate.”

  “He was just a kid,” Autumn said, defensively.

  Kaderil looked at her thoughtfully, with a new understanding of that night’s events. He’d been the first through the gate. With his greater speed, the intent was for him to draw off any Sitheen who might be present. Zander’s intent was likely to see him captured, but it hadn’t worked out that way. When he’d first entered the human realm, the attack of water had briefly unnerved him until he’d realized it was falling from the sky and not coming from the humans. He’d easily outrun his pursuer, then waited for Zander and th
e others to catch up with him.

  When they did, they’d been one short. Ustanis had turned around in time to see his son going back through the gate and had feared the boy a coward. But it seemed the youth had been captured by a kind-hearted woman and given a chance to live. How much courage it must have taken for her to attempt to capture an Esri, knowing what she did. His admiration for her rose another notch.

  “Did he say how many stones?” Charlie asked.

  Autumn shook her head, looking chagrined. “No. I’ve been searching for any hint of them, but so far I haven’t found anything.”

  “So we’ve got three Esri loose in the city looking for stones that are probably dangerous. And we can’t keep them from finding those stones since we don’t know the first thing about them, not even how many there are.”

  Autumn winced, clearly blaming herself for letting the boy go. “Right.”

  Kaderil shifted the subject away from Autumn and onto a subject that suited his needs more. “But you have one of the stones? The key?”

  Jack nodded. “The draggon stone.”

  “I wish to see it.”

  Jack looked at him for a moment before answering. “Nothing personal, Kade, but the whereabouts of that stone is on a need-to-know basis only. These bastards are powerful and clever. We can’t take any chances.”

  “I understand.” He hadn’t expected them to trust him so quickly, but Jack’s answer was not what he wanted to hear. What would constitute this “need to know,” and how could he get it within the short time he had left?

  “We have no way of knowing whether they’ve found any of the other stones. But we know they’ve been busy. The murder rate in the Dupont Circle area has skyrocketed since they got here. The reports are all over the news.”

  Charlie shook his head and reached for the whiskey bottle. “I haven’t seen any news. Do you think they’re finding that many Sitheen?”

  “No.” Jack pulled his arm from around Larsen and leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees. “About ten o’clock this morning, we had another incident. Apparently, a man killed everyone aboard a Metro bus except the driver and one small boy whose mother had hidden him beneath the seat. From the kid’s description, it appears the man walked down the bus aisle, touching people, making them scream and then die. People were running for the back of the bus, yelling for the driver to stop the bus, but he ignored them. He just kept driving. The driver didn’t remember a thing.”