Looking around, I watched as everyone went on the alert, holding up their own weapons. Afraid someone would do something prematurely, I rushed forward, ignoring the Gearden’s plea to stay back. The moment I broke from the line of our people, he jumped out with me.
“Wait!” I pleaded with the newcomer.
His wide, piercing eyes, of indeterminate color until then but that turned a piercing magenta, pinned me in place, silently warning me not to come any closer.
“We won’t harm you,” I promised, willing him with my eyes to understand my words. I doubt he knew American sign language, which meant we were screwed if he didn’t know English.
Seeing that even if he did understand he wouldn’t believe me, I turned to the rest of the people standing about, looking ready to strike. “Put your weapons down,” I said to the headhunter.
“Are you crazy? We don’t know who this guy is and he just popped in out of nowhere!” he said, keeping his eyes trained on the interloper.
I couldn’t argue his point. I looked back at the other man, considering his appearance and the means of his arrival, realizing then what he was.
“Lower your weapons,” I said firmer this time, not caring to look away this time. “He’s fae.”
I heard the collective gasps and didn’t need to see the wide-eyed expressions weave through both sides. After a few tense heartbeats, they must have put down their guns because he too, lowered his arm, tucking the long dagger into a band around his waist.
The immediate threat gone, he straightened to his full height once again, and my neck strained as I tilted my head back to keep my eyes on his. His eyes, showing caution, darted around to the others, but mostly focused on mine. After a moment or two of calm, I saw that he was ready to communicate, so I opened my hands, palms up, showing him that I posed little threat, in a way he could understand. “Do you speak English?” I asked him slowly.
He seemed to be curious because he tilted his head at me and nodded. Obviously, he was the quiet type but I was relieved that at least we didn’t have a language barrier to worry about. The “how he knew English” would have to wait.
“Good. Good. My name is Maeleigh,” I pressed my hands to my chest. The silence that followed had me doubting that he understood my original question about knowing English. He suddenly replied, but whatever it was he called himself was too complicated for me to catch. When he spoke next, I could barely make out any of the words, only seeing “…who…brought me…”
I could tell by his expression that he’d asked me a question. Turning, I looked back to my people, and seeing Gearden and Selena were the closest, said, “I can’t understand him.” I expected Gearden to step up, like he had many times before, but it was Selena who rushed up. Before she interpreted anything, however, and uncaring about her gossamer dress, she knelt, bowing her head to him. I didn’t see what she said, but I saw the surprised recognition on his face. Ignoring her groveling display, he excitedly reached out to gather her hand and brought it to his lips, eagerly pressing a kiss on it.
“Hello, Selena,” he said, urging her to rise. When she straightened, I saw the smile on both their faces, and the tear that trailed down her cheek. Of course, they must have known one another before the contract was enacted. I saw now – the toll it had taken on her being separated from her people. I wondered if Dom and Tweedledum were old enough to feel the same way, and even felt a little sorry for the way I thought about them, but I couldn’t think about that now. As the two spoke softly to one another, I watched as the others in the room grew impatient.
“Selena,” I whispered, drawing her attention. She smiled at me, acknowledging my warning.
She took in a calming breath, containing her excitement before saying, “This is King Lugh of the Seelie people.” She ignored the shocked expressions I could see out of the corner of my eye.
I eyed Liam, seeing that he was just as surprised as I was. Eyes flicking down to meet mine, he nodded encouragingly. “Go on,” he silently told me. “This is yours.”
Smiling in thanks, showing that his support meant the world to me, I turned to see Dad look at me the same way. When it mattered, the men in my life were still there for me, young and old. I returned my gaze to the king and queen of fae, both from separate sides and yet on the same. “Welcome back,” I told the king.
His eyes had faded back to a dull pink, mesmerizing to say the least, and nodded his thanks. “How do you know English?” I asked. The moment the words left my lips I kicked myself for wasting his time with such a worthless question. But still he answered.
“Because you do,” he supplied, surveying the room and the small sea of people watching on. I’m sure he noted all the different species types and I wondered if he realized that half of them were of faerie descent.
“How long has it been?” he implored, eyes darting between Selena and me.
I started to answer, but the queen beat me to it. “It’s been over three thousand years, Lugh." She reached out to touch his arm in support and he didn’t even flinch at the contact. I wondered how close they had been before his imprisonment.
Just then, a young hunter broke ranks, stumbling through the statues that his comrades had become as they intently watched on, even bumping into his leader’s shoulder. Everyone grew tense and Lugh looked up nervously. All at once, people started shouting, but I could only read the leader’s words. “What are you doing, Frasier?” he called, looking pissed and nervous at the same time.
“They’re evil, Colonel!” The soldier shouted back, holding up his weapon. As confused as he appeared, I was surprised at how steady his hand was. “Killers! All of them!”
It was in that moment that I realized just how poisoned their minds were with the cause they had fought for centuries to defend. All they’d been told was that the faerie were intent on killing humans, not that humans were just as guilty.
Stepping forward, the colonel held up a staying hand towards Frasier. “Now, hold on there, son,” he said placatingly, flicking a nervous look to the three of us. I saw in his face the worry that he may not be able to get through to the young man. I had no idea what the weapon was capable of, though. Obviously Amergin had something to do with its manufacture, which told me it was likely resistant to magic. I just had to hope it wasn’t resistant to mine.
“All the death they’ve caused. Even Mer was a murderer,” Frasier argued, sneering at all of us in turn. The prejudice for anything magical or supernatural was deep seated.
“That’s just…told,” the colonel said, taking another step closer to him. The second he did though, the other man dodged to the side and jerked his finger on the trigger. It was enough. Enough to shoot a blast of red lightning aimed right for the king. Instinctively, I threw my own ball of blue energy but it was just consumed and absorbed in the red. In a nanosecond, while dread settled into my core, the queen jumped to cover Lugh, taking the blast to her sternum, falling back into her old friend. As she crumpled, the colonel tackled Frasier, disarming him while a few other hunters helped subdue him.
I fell to my knees beside Selena as the king rested her head on his knees. Not hesitating, Dad rushed over to kneel on her other side, placing his hands over the wound that was both black and red from burning her flesh. As he murmured indiscernible words, I took her hand and squeezed it tightly. After a few seconds of Dad’s attentions, the wound still remained, and I felt her grip gradually loosen. Her eyes were closed but I felt she was still alive – though, for how much longer, I wasn’t sure. I feared it wasn’t for long. I looked imploringly up at Dad, to see him shake his head. Denial followed by sorrow consumed me as I watched her eyelids flutter open.
“You should not have done that,” Lugh told her telepathically, linking with me as well.
A soft smile lifted her lips. “I couldn’t watch you die. You’ve only just found freedom.”
He nodded, placing his palm over her forehead comfortingly.
She sluggishly moved her eyes up to mine. “No more
killing,” she told me. Though weakly, she squeezed my hand for emphasis. “Not for this. Not for me.”
A shaky sob escaped from my chest but I managed to nod and squeezed back. Quietly, she closed her eyes again and faded away; her body, like Amergin’s, losing its energy and essence to return to the earth.
With the queen’s head still cradled on his lap, the king reached across his now dead friend and gripped my shoulder. “You’re bound to this, Maeleigh,” he told me. Though his word were vague, I knew he meant the promise I’d just made to her. I also knew that I was the only one who could ensure that it happened. With a nod to him, I placed Selena’s hands on her chest and slowly stood up to look at the faces surrounding us.
Frasier now sat up on the floor, hands bound behind his back. Gearden came to stand at my side, wrapping an arm around my shoulders, lending strength and comfort. As he pressed his lips to my temple which was still sporting Danu’s mark, I met as many eyes as I could, making sure they heard me well.
“There will be peace,” I stated definitively. When I’d met everyone’s eyes, I turned back to Lugh’s. Gently, he placed Selena’s head on the floor and rose to his feet and held his hand out to me, in an old-fashioned gesture of escorting me. Pursing my lips, I placed my hand on his forearm, hoping all the history romances I’d read would be somewhat close to correct in this moment, and let him lead us to stand before the colonel.
“In this moment, you represent your people. Is that correct?” Lugh asked aloud, keeping the channel open to my mind.
At first, the colonel could only nod, but seeing the questioning lift of Lugh’s brows, he straightened and said clearly, “Yes, I do.”
“The offer of peace. Do you accept it?” The Seelie king asked.
Looking around at the whole of the room, filled with half-a-dozen different species, I saw the awareness of the importance of this moment settle on the older man’s shoulders. “I accept. We accept.”
With a pleased smile, Lugh put his hand out and the colonel didn’t hesitate to clasp it and give it a firm shake. Together, they dropped their hands.
“We’ll give you time to prepare for our return into your society, just as I need time to prepare my people for reintegration. It has been a very long time.” The colonel nodded, taking in a deep breath and then puffing it out slowly, probably thinking about how the hell he was going to approach the world’s officials about the return of an ancient people who were legendary.
“I’ll help,” I offered, but Lugh turned a thoughtful gaze on me.
“On the contrary. I was hoping you would return with me to Sidhe, my home, and help assist me. They are your people, too.” His offer surprised and scared me. I snapped my head around to find Gearden, seeing that his wolf was already on alert, obviously hearing the king’s words. Before Gearden could snap back a denial, Lugh met his gaze, “As her mate, you’re welcome to come with her.” His words stopped the wolf in his tracks and I watched as he considered.
“Is it what you want?” he asked me. I nodded. I felt a pull to Lugh that I couldn’t explain but something told me it had to do with the fact that he was the closest to me, save the queen. Even considering the idea was scary as shit, I still felt compelled to take him up on his offer and follow him into an unknown world, to learn more about myself.
I was a little surprised myself when I nodded and said, “Yes.” He looked back at his dad, not exactly seeking permission as much as to inform him and we both got a nod of approval from the alpha. He came to stand at my other side, holding my free hand, the other, still resting on the king’s arm.
Regally, Lugh looked to Liam and bowed his head, receiving a similar gesture in return. Then he turned to Thorn and Julie, who stood beside one another, giving them each their own nod of respect before looking back to the colonel. “In a month’s time, I shall return, along with those who wish to return to the surface.” He didn’t wait for the other man to respond before turning us back to the portal that had remained open this entire time, hesitating a couple feet from it. “Ready?” he asked me, jerking me out of my awed stare into the swirling abyss before me.
I swallowed and nodded. I tried not to trip over my feet, which felt heavy as lead, as the three of us stepped through.
The Kill: Book 3 in The Hunt Series Page 18
