“Um, Tyler, you know Jason is not here, right? He went to the kitchen with Dom and Jim,” Joel braved pointing out. Ty laughed.
“Yeah, I know. We’ve discovered a telepathic connection between us lately. Jason says it did not come from him, and I’m pretty sure it’s not my doing, either, so we bet on Toby’s mysterious paranormal origins. Anyway, Toby is still at work, and Jack had to stay for some teachers’ meetings, but Doug popped in with a pack matter, so we invited him to the party. You don’t mind, do you?”
Tim shook his head negative, but before he could answer, there was a knock on the front door. Ty rolled his eyes in exasperation.
“I swear, we should just install a revolving door in here!” he exclaimed and went to open it. “What?” he asked the intruding person rudely. Tim’s eyes followed the shifter involuntarily, and he stiffened. He couldn’t believe his eyes. Was that really a ghost from his past arriving to crash his mating party? A question filled with disbelief escaped him before he could think about it, and he took a step forward, dragging Joel behind him, until they stood in front of Tyler and another man.
“Leanar? What in the name of all heavens are you doing here?”
Chapter Fifteen
“Tim’s voice was shocked as he addressed the newcomer. The man grabbed Tim’s wrist and pulled at it. He looked panicked but determined.
“You need to run, Tim. They’re coming here. They’re gonna kill everyone in here. When I learned you were with the pack, I couldn’t let them hurt you, I just couldn’t!” The man spoke in a very quick, almost manic manner. He shook Tim’s wrist, making Joel take a step forward from behind Tim, and repeated, “You need to get away, now!” Jim chose this moment to come to the hallway.
“What the hell!” The small and usually peaceful pixie suddenly looked thunderous. “Tim, what is this scumbag doing here?”
“That’s what I’m trying to find out,” Tim stated calmly. “Leanar, why don’t you come in and explain the situation to me, hmm?”
“No, no!” The man grew even more panicked. “They’re almost here. I only managed to gain a few minutes on them by opening two portals in a row. They’ll be here any second, you need to run!”
“Well, this is getting interesting,” Ty drawled from where he stood in an open doorway.
“So it is,” Jason confirmed in a dead voice.
“Who the hell is this?” Dominic asked. It looked like everyone was slowly filtering into the hallway, and Tim sighed. He opened his mouth to answer but Jim preceded him.
“This is Tim’s old lover who dumped him when his family learned about their relationship. Apparently, his family didn’t think a pixie was good enough for one of them.” Jim scowled and looked ready to punch the intruder.
“Yeah, well, it was a long time ago.” Tim sighed. “Doesn’t matter anymore. What matters is the whole ‘they’re coming to kill everyone here’ speech, don’t you think?”
“Mmm,” Ty mumbled. “Sure sounded ominous enough!” He grinned.
“Tim, you’re not listening! They’ll kill you if you don’t escape!” The man was intent on this one thing.
“And why would it bother you? You dumped me like a hot potato when your family learned about us. It shouldn’t matter to you what happens to me.”
“Timmy, I love you. I never stopped. I had to leave you or something horrible could have happened!”
“Worse than breaking my brother’s heart into million pieces?” Jim stormed over and swore right into the man’s face. “Fuck you, Leanar!”
“Calm down, Cricket.” Tim shook his head. “It doesn’t matter anymore,” he repeated.
“Yeah, Tim is right. It doesn’t matter. He’s got me now.” Joel stepped closer and embraced his pixie from behind. Tim jerked his hand, pulling his wrist from Leanar’s grip. The man staggered.
“I’m sorry, Tim, I tried,” he whispered then tumbled to his knees.
“What the hell?” Jim exclaimed. Tim had a sudden moment of clarity.
“Shit! He said he opened two portals in a row! He’s not powerful enough to do it without risking his life!”
“It would serve him right!” Jim was unyielding.
“Wow, I have never seen you so bloodthirsty before, babe,” Dominic said with a heat in his eyes.
“Um, sorry to break your little Dr. Phil session,” Tyler said, “but if the guy risked his life then he’s probably telling the truth, and somebody is coming to kill us all. It would be nice to have more details, and we can’t do it if the scumbag dies.”
“Wow, the tiger being a voice of reason, that’s a first,” Dominic said in mock surprise.
“Ah-ha! I’ll have you know I’m very reasonable. I just choose not to show it. It’s much more fun to be unpredictable.” He showed off his suddenly sharp teeth.
“Show off!” Dominic grumbled. Some strong shifters could change only parts of their body, but they had to be able to shift fully first to do so. As Dominic’s first shift hadn’t happened yet, he could only watch Ty’s show in envy.
“Anyway”—Tyler turned to Jason—”babe, could you?” He waved at Leanar, who lay on the floor, struggling to breathe and clutching his midsection.
“I do not know what is wrong with him. If I am to fix him, I need to know the reason first,” Jason said in a mechanical voice.
“Opening a portal takes a considerable amount of power,” Tim explained, looking at the fallen man in worry. “Jim and I had to do it together. The more powerful the fey, the more times in a row they can open a portal without waiting to replenish their reserves. Stronger fey have stronger inner light. When a fey uses magic, for example, for opening a portal, they draw magic from their core—the inner light. Drawing too much can cause the inner light to be extinguished, thus allowing the fey to die. We cannot live without our inner light. It is the spark that gives us life, our consciousness, if you will.” Tim looked at Jason and finished. “Leanar isn’t strong enough to use his power to open two portals in a row. His light is dying, and so is he.”
“Leanar’s light is fully recovered,” Jason simply said, and a sudden gasp on the floor turned everyone’s attention to the man lying there.
“Now”—Tyler grinned his sharp-toothed grin as he crouched next to the startled fey—”since you’re not dying anymore, how about you tell us everything you know?” He lifted his hand and looked at it, turning it this way and that. Suddenly, some very sharp tiger claws grew from his fingertips, and Tyler flexed them, looking at the fey, who swallowed visibly. “So, who did you say was trying to kill us all, again?”
* * * *
They gathered in the living room. Leanar sat in the middle of a sofa between a cheery-looking Tyler and Doug, who was scowling at the fey, making him shiver. Dominic, with Jim on his lap, sat across from them, as well as Tim and Joel, who perched on the arm of the sofa. Jason stood to the side, unmoving, like a statue.
“Now, tell us everything you know.”
“Okay.” Leanar swallowed loudly and started talking rapidly. “My family is a very old one, and we’re quite prominent in the fey world. What I didn’t know is that they are also very prejudiced. I had had no idea how deep it went until my parents discovered I had been seeing Tim. They threatened to disown me and hurt Tim if I didn’t stopped seeing him. I wouldn’t have believed they could do it until I learned they had friends in the castle and among the royal guards. So I broke up with Tim, so that nothing happened to him.
“After that, my father forced me to get more involved in their many businesses. Most of them are completely legal, but then I learned of those that weren’t. There was someone, a person whom my parents feared and respected more than they respect the king himself. I learned that this fey lived in the human world and was doing business with my father from there. I had no idea what the business was about, but I suspected it was nothing good. I was right.
“One day, my father decided to send me to the human world to conduct some business deal. What I learned horrified me. They
were kidnapping humans, selling them to the highest bidder, often prominent paranormals. I knew it was wrong, but I couldn’t do anything about it. Besides, they were humans.”
“And what is that supposed to mean?” Joel’s voice was dangerous, and Leanar looked at him with huge eyes. He opened his mouth to answer, but Tim waved it away.
“Leanar doesn’t have the best opinion of humans, but it is quite normal among fey. We’re a pretty arrogant species,” Tim said. “Now, back to your story.” He nodded to Leanar.
“Right, so, I had to go along with it. In the last few years, my father had me get more and more involved in this shady side of business, so I was spending more and more time in the human world. All this time, I never met the person my family fears. However, lately rumours started spreading about pixies disappearing. The Royal Family decided to start an investigation, and my father was worried they would discover his side business. That’s why he sent me here to make sure there was nothing tying us to these disappearances. I learned that some fey in the organisation had gotten greedy and decided to start kidnapping and selling pixies. That was the first time I learned they were not only kidnapping and selling humans, but paranormals as well.” Leanar took a deep breath and released it slowly.
“I was in a warehouse, making sure my family was safe from being ever connected to this mess, when I heard a conversation. Two guards were talking. They said that the bosses’ boss learned about someone poking their nose in the wrong places, that the bosses’ boss discovered they lived here”—Leanar pointed at the floor—”and a team have been assembled to eliminate the threat. Apparently, the bosses’ boss, whom nobody knew, made sure to gather the strongest team possible.
“Then they said that they didn’t know why the bosses’ boss bothered. Apparently, there were only humans and pixies in the house, even if the pixies were from the Royal family.” Leanar looked Tim straight in the eyes. “I knew they had to be talking about you. I couldn’t let anything happen to you. I did all of this to protect you, Timmy. I couldn’t let all these horrible years in the family business go to waste if these people killed you. I had to warn you.”
Just then, the sound of vehicles approaching could be heard. Tim sighed. “I guess they’re here. What’s the plan?”
Everyone looked at Jason. The man was quiet for a moment, then spoke.
“I do not want them knowing about me or Tim. For them, we’re just a regular human and pixie. It’s an advantage. We do not want to tip our hand too quickly.” He paused. “We’ll see who they’ve sent, and decide on the course of action.”
Everyone nodded then Tim frowned.
“I can feel a strong magic in the air. We could use some magical help. If I am to remain anonymous, then I can’t use my new power. Jim and I aren’t very powerful as regular pixies.”
“Mmm.” Jason seemed deep in thought. “Can you summon some people here, or should I?”
“Erm, I think I might be able to summon fey, not sure if it’ll work on other species.”
“Very well. Get you brother here,” Jason ordered. Tim nodded and closed his eyes to concentrate. He focused on his brother’s light, his life’s essence, and called it to himself. When he opened his eyes, a confused-looking Toren stood before him.
“Timmy? I don’t understand,” he said.
“We’ll explain it later. Right now, we’re under attack and could use your help,” Tim stated. Toren nodded, serious in an instant.
“Of course, whatever you need.” He was suddenly looking like the seasoned warrior he was. Tim turned to look at Jason, who nodded in appreciation. His eyes lost some of the cold, dispassionate look, and the demigod spoke with power-infused words.
“Morton is right here, with us, now.” Just like that, in an instant the witch was standing in a previously empty space.
“Alpha? What’s going on?” the young witch asked, confused.
“We’re under attack, Morton. Remember those skills we talked about when you arrived? We could use some of them now.” Morton’s eyes grew huge, and he swallowed nervously but nodded nonetheless.
“Very well,” Jason said. “Is everyone ready?”
All those present nodded, and Jason said, a little spark of excitement entering his eyes, “We’ve got an unknown number of people, most probably paranormals, attacking us. Tim sensed some strong magic, so we will need Toren to diffuse it. Morton, you will take care of any attackers whom Toren might miss.” Both Morton and Toren nodded. Jason turned to the twins and their mates.
“What are your strengths?” he asked.
“Well, remember that bit about our training?” Tim asked, suddenly grinning. “We are pretty vicious when we want to be. Nobody ever expects us to fight as well as we do. They think we’re harmless.”
“I see…” Jason nodded. “Very well. Let’s go and welcome our guests, shall we?” Jason turned to leave, but Doug cleared his throat, stopping him. Jason looked at the big demon in question.
“What about him, Alpha?” The big man tipped his thumb at Leanar, who sat on the sofa gaping at them all with his mouth hanging open.
“Oh.” Jason waved his hand. “He can wait here for us.” As soon as he finished the sentence, the fey was out cold and tied with thick ropes.
“Wow!” Jim breathed. “That’s so cool!”
“Thanks.” Jason smiled at the awed expression on the pixie’s face. “Now”—the demigod grew serious as they moved to the hallway—”I do not want any unnecessary killing. Subdue them if you can. However, if it comes to you or them…” He hung his voice, and everyone nodded in understanding.
“Oh, nice,” Tyler said excitedly. “Can I eat them?” He grinned and rubbed his hands together in glee.
“No, you can’t,” Jason answered calmly.
“Oh, you’re no fun!” The tiger pouted.
“I don’t want Toby complaining about you bringing dead stuff to our door again.”
“Hey, that’s not fair! I told you, it was the neighbourhood cat, not me!”
“Neighbourhood cat brought a deer to our doorstep?” Jason lifted his eyebrows. “Your story doesn’t sound any more plausible now than it did when you first told it.”
“It was a very sneaky cat?” Tyler’s voice rose in question and Jason snorted. “Well, okay, but at least we had a nice venison dinner, didn’t we?”
“No eating the attackers, Ty!” Jason warned, and the tiger lifted his hands in the air in a gesture of surrender.
“Fine, okay, whatever!” Then he pouted and added under his breath, “Sourpuss.”
“I thought you were the pussycat in our relationship.” Jason laughed, proving he had an excellent hearing. “Okay, people, let’s do it.” He stopped with a hand on the door handle “Oh, one more thing.” He added power to his words and said, “I can now speak to you all in your minds, both collectively and separately.” Once he finished, he opened the door, everyone filing out after him.
There were three vehicles in the driveway, with at least twelve men exiting them. Jason stepped to the front with everyone else spreading into a line behind him. Douglass watched the newcomers closely, then spoke lowly, but loud enough that everyone on Jason’s side could hear him.
“I can sense three fey, five shifters of some kind, a witch, and three vampires.” Jason gave a minute nod of acknowledgement. Toren added his own observations.
“The fey are of regular power level, not much of a challenge separately, but can do some damage if they combine their magic.”
“This witch…he’s not a nice one,” Morton spoke softly from where he stood next to Jim. “I can feel the darkness of his magic.”
“Can you deal with him?” Jason didn’t turn, asking the question. Morton’s face grew stern and his voice was steady when he answered, as if some kind of change went within him.
“Yes, Alpha.”
“Great. What else?” Jason directed the question at no one in particular.
“There’s two wolves and three hyenas in there.” Tyle
r almost bounced from excitement. He looked like an exuberant kitten ready to play with a new toy. “Can I play with them?” He turned a pleading face at Jason, and the man rolled his eyes, but shrugged.
“Fine, but no eating them.”
“Nah, dogs taste nasty.” Ty grimaced as if remembering the awful taste.
“I don’t want to know.” Jason lifted his hands in the air. The men were coming closer now, and everybody tensed in anticipation.
The leader of the newcomers spoke loudly. From Morton’s almost-invisible reaction, Joel judged it was the witch.
“Well, looky here, boys, we got ourselves some fairy ass to kick!” He had to be talking about Dominic embracing his mate and Joel doing the same. A gay slur, huh? Original!
“Last time I checked, it was impolite to use this word, both to describe gay people as well as fey-kind. Am I wrong, Prince Toren?” Jason asked without turning, his gaze peeled to the approaching men. The approaching fey trio hesitated when they heard Toren’s name, but did not stop completely.
“You are absolutely right, Alpha. We fey find it pretty insulting.”
“Alpha?” The witch’s laugh could rival the hyenas’. “Since when do little humans become Alphas?”
Jason didn’t blink or react in any way. He spoke calmly. “I’ll give you one warning. You are invading on my territory. I was informed by my advisor that I am within my rights to kill each and every one of you. I might reconsider it if you turn around and go away peacefully.” Jason’s voice was quiet, but it held unmistakable authority. Some of the intruders faltered. The witch didn’t seem to sense the danger, though, as he kept coming closer.
“I’ll tell you what, human. I’ll gut each and every one of your fucking friends. How about that?” He snarled, showing off crooked teeth.
“Hay, Jay-Jay?” Ty asked in an excited voice. “Can I play with them now, please?” The whiny voice and eager expression looked weird on a big man like Ty, but Joel wasn’t going to judge. The tiger was one odd cookie. Jason turned his eyes heavenward, sighing, but nodded.
Credo Quia Absurdum Page 17
