Hard to Handle--A Beauty and Beast Novel

by Christine Warren

  “Those numbers only apply if you ignore that the three or four are Demons of the Darkness, and that they likely have thousands, if not tens of thousands, of nocturni servants to do their bidding.” Ash scowled. “Ten of us against an army of ten thousand led by the greatest evil this world has ever known sounds a little less pleasant, does it not?”

  The American rolled her eyes and leaned far forward in her chair to pat Drum on the knee. “Don’t listen to her, Drum. These Guardians could teach night classes on worst-case scenarios. They need us around to keep them from depressing themselves into blubbering masses of immortal angst.”

  Dag rumbled a growl that sounded more like a habitual response than a legitimate complaint. Ash, however, gave serious thought to ripping the woman’s arm from its socket and beating her over the head with it. Oh, she was grateful that the Warden had responded so quickly and personally to Maeve and Meara’s e-mail, but if the American touched Drum one more time, Ash could not be held responsible for her actions.

  Her hands curled into fists until Drum took one in his and tugged her closer against his side. She settled for cuddling against him and sending the other woman a hostile glance.

  Kylie just grinned. “So, I guess the big question here is whether or not anyone has any clue what this new stuff happening in Ireland means.”

  Her Guardian, who had been prowling restlessly around the perimeter of the flat, returned to the sitting area and lifted Kylie out of her chair. He took the seat and arranged her in his lap. The Warden didn’t react, telling Ash this was something of a habit for these two.

  “We should hear the story again,” Dag rumbled. “From the beginning, in case we missed something.”

  Ash appreciated her brother’s urge to be thorough even as she felt Drum heave a sigh. She placed a hand on her lover’s thigh. “I’ll do it.”

  And so she took everyone through it again, step-by-step, relating each event from the moment she woke on the abbey grounds to the instant when Kylie and Dag stepped inside the Skin and Bones. She even included the first vision Maeve had seen, though it had struck the girl before Ash’s summoning. The only things she left out were a couple of kisses and some wild monkey sex. Some things should simply remain private.

  When she finished, both of their visitors appeared thoughtful. “It sounds as if the nocturni who attacked you here several nights ago confirmed that four of the Seven have indeed been freed,” Dag said, his harsh features pulled into a frown. “That is grave news.”

  “Provided he’s telling the truth,” Kylie said, pursing her lips. “Yeah, I know I play devil’s advocate a lot, but guys who sign up with an organization that calls itself the Order of Eternal Darkness, and that has a mission statement about ending the world through unleashing unspeakable evil … Well, they’re not the most trustworthy nuts in the rugelach.”

  Ash shrugged. “You speak the truth, but I am unsure if we can afford not to imagine the worst.”

  Kylie winked at Drum, but included Ash in her smile. “See what I mean, Drum? Pessimists, every single one of them. I’m thinking of nominating them all for honorary Jewishness.”

  Dag tightened his arms around her until his Warden squeaked. “No war has ever been lost by an army who faced its opponent while overly prepared.”

  “It would help if we knew exactly what to prepare for.” Drum sighed. “My sister’s visions have been disturbing, but not what I’d call clear. Still, I can’t shake the feeling that these earthquakes we’ve had are important. They’re just too unusual. One, I could have written off, but not a handful. And not after having the ground near home open up and swallow me. I’ve never heard of any natural cave in that area. That place we fell into shouldn’t even exist.”

  “Well,” Kylie said as she jumped to her feet. “That sounds like a good place to start. Tomorrow we can all head out that way, and you two can show us these ruins and this cave that shouldn’t be there. In the meantime, Dag and I will go back to our hotel. I need to get on video chat with the others and let them know that you guys are the real deal. They’ll kill me if I keep them in suspense.”

  Ash felt a little bit as if she’d fallen under the wheel of an oncoming steamroller. She had seen one of the machines in a film Drum had persuaded her to watch, and she imagined this was how it would feel. She just hadn’t expected that the vehicle would have such an air of energetic intelligence about it. Kylie Kramer had proven to be a fascinating human.

  Drum climbed to his feet as well and tugged Ash along with them. “I can call you a taxi, if you’d like.”

  “Ooh, that would be awesome. I guess it’s a little late to be standing outside, hoping one happens to drive by.”

  “Especially with nocturni on the loose,” Dag growled down at his mate.

  Kylie reached up—way up—to lay a hand on the Guardian’s cheek. “You worry too much, zeisele.”

  “Impossible.”

  Ash did not recognize the pet name the American had used for her Guardian, nor the language to which it belonged (it resembled German, yet was not), but Ash recognized the tenderness in the tone and the gesture. Drum had already turned away with his mobile phone to order the cab, so he missed the sweet interaction, for which Ash was grateful. She could see that Dag had found his woman of power, the true mate who would eventually free him from returning to his stony prison. When the war had been won, provided they survived, Dag and the other mated couples would be allowed to live out their mortal lives together. The legend of the first Guardians proclaimed it so.

  But Ash was different. She was not male, and so the legend could not apply to her. She could not help but think that she would once again be trapped in granite until the next threat from the Darkness emerged. The thought caused an odd sensation behind her breastbone. It felt as if a thick chain had fastened itself too tightly around her heart, both squeezing the muscle and weighing heavily upon it. Had she been human, she might have labeled it grief.

  Drum stepped forward, slipping his mobile into the pocket of his jeans. As soon as his hand was free he wrapped his right arm around Ash. It still aggravated his wound to do much with his left side, so she had been careful to avoid it.

  “Cab will meet you downstairs in front,” he said, interrupting the quiet moment between the other couple. “Let me grab my keys, walk you out.”

  “Thank you,” Kylie said. She snuggled against Dag’s side, and he tucked her beneath his arm like a tiny treasure. “And thank your sister for us. I’m really, really glad she decided to send that e-mail.”

  “So am I,” Ash admitted.

  Drum rolled his eyes. “Trust me, if we’re going out to Clondrohitty tomorrow, I’m sure you’ll get the chance to thank her yourself. Maeve couldn’t keep her nose out of this business if we cut it off and hid it from her.”

  Kylie wrinkled her nose. “Ew, thanks for that image there, Mr. Keats. That’s sure going to help me sleep.”

  “You will sleep like the dead,” Dag said with no hint of concern. “You always do, though you will wake in the morning as ill-tempered as you always are.”

  They followed Drum to the door of the flat and then down the stairs into the darkened pub. Ash went along so that Drum would not be making the return trip alone, as short as it might be. At least, that was what she told herself.

  “Oh, speaking of the morning, I wanted to ask you guys something really important,” Kylie said just as Drum unlocked the entry door to let them outside where the taxi waited beside the curb.

  “What’s that, then?”

  She smiled up at them. “Do you know of anywhere in Dublin where a girl can get a decent bagel?”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Being the tallest person among his own close acquaintances, Drum had neglected to pay much attention to the notion of passenger comfort when shopping for a new car. He had been too busy considering such matters as fuel economy, environmental impact, and ease of maneuvering through Dublin’s sometimes narrow streets. Of course, at the time, he had never expect
ed to be driving one unremarkably small woman and two full-sized Guardians along the lanes toward his native village. He considered it fortunate that everyone maintained their human shape and that his newest visitors appeared to have no trouble with the idea of cuddling in the backseat during the trip.

  This time his hands remained relaxed on the steering wheel except for the fact that he held two of them crossed in hopes of warding off a repeat of what had happened last time. So far, he had spotted no one who might recognize his vehicle and report back to his mother, but he continued to keep his eyes peeled. They were still a few miles from the village, but better safe than shanghaied.

  Once they actually made it to the ruin, the jig would be up. Not only would they have to park near the road where any number of people could spot the car, but someone was certain to see them tromping through the fields toward the tower. Drum would be obligated to stop home before returning to the city, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t delay the inevitable for as long as humanly possible.

  He could hear Dag and Kylie talking softly behind him, but it was Ash’s voice that caught his attention. She had been very quiet last night and all of this morning. He wished he could have asked her what she was thinking.

  “Do you think we’ll find your sister waiting for us inside the ruins?”

  The question took him by surprise for a moment. Then he snorted. “I’d not lay money against it.”

  If she had a response, she sucked it back down behind a sharp gasp of surprise. The car jerked hard to the left, and Drum cursed as he tried to correct their path from its new trajectory toward a large elm tree at the side of the road.

  “What was that?” Kylie shouted. “Did you blow out a tire?”

  “No,” Drum said, clenching his teeth and wrestling the car to a stop in a clear section of road away from the elm tree and any other overhanging objects. “It’s another quake.”

  He felt no need to elaborate, especially once the car sat stationary and yet the earth continued to move for another thirty or forty seconds. It seemed a lot longer than that. Everyone could feel it, and they all knew that it signified nothing positive.

  No one spoke until the rumbles finally went quiet. Then, Kylie asked in a tone much more serious than he had heard up till now, “Have they all been like that?”

  “That one was the longest, and the hardest, too. We can expect some aftershocks now.”

  He opened the driver’s door and stepped out into an eerie silence. No birds sang, no insects whirred, no tractor engines sputtered and growled. It felt as if the world itself were in shock, unable to comprehend what had just happened. For a long moment, everything remained in a sort of suspended animation, nothing moving or sounding except for the rustles and thumps of his passengers exiting the car. The closing of the last door acted like a kind of starter’s pistol, sending life racing back into the unnatural void.

  Drum heard the sound of distant shouting from the nearest house and turned on instinct to rush to help. He didn’t get far before a strong hand closed over his shoulder and the second lifted to point out several figures already running to offer aid. He had a lot farther to go and would never reach the problem before they did. Then the pointing hand swung around to indicate a place where he might prove even more useful.

  In the distance, the ruined tower rose above the surrounding area thanks entirely to the small hill on which it stood. The remaining walls had collapsed under the strain of the moving earth, falling in on themselves and most likely covering up the opening to the cavern the Guardians and Wardens had come here to explore.

  “Dammit,” he heard Dag mutter. “Now we must adjust our plans.”

  Ash threw a look at the other Guardian. “That is clear. And the first adjustment will be to ensure that Drum’s family has not been injured by this earthquake. We must go to them at once.”

  “Of course,” Kylie said. “Is it very far?”

  Drum was already sliding back behind the wheel. “Three minutes. Get in.” He gunned the engine and threw the car into gear almost before the passenger doors had closed.

  He steered the car down the narrow, winding lane at speeds that bypassed reckless and headed straight on to ludicrous. He saw Ash clutch at the overhead strap with one hand and braced the other against the dash to help stabilize her in the turns. No one bothered asking him to slow down or be careful, but he heard grunts and cursing come from the backseat whenever the forces of gravity sent his passengers sliding hard into the sides of the vehicle. He ignored them all and simply focused on reaching his mother’s house.

  When he got there and skidded to a halt in the gravel drive, he found his mother and youngest sister standing together in the front garden, well away from the old house. They had their arms wrapped around each other, and Drum yanked up on the parking brake and left the engine running as he flung himself out of the car. He cleared the low, white fence in a single leap and dragged them both into a frantic embrace. No one spoke, but he could hear Maeve crying quietly while his mother made soothing sounds. He squeezed his eyes shut and mumbled a prayer of thanks.

  Nothing penetrated his circle of relief for several minutes, not the slamming of car doors or the crunching of footsteps on gravel. It wasn’t until Ash pressed a hand into the center of his back that he opened his eyes and blinked at the misty sunshine.

  “Was anyone hurt?” she asked, her voice containing all the calm composure that he had lost. “Maeve? Mrs. Drummond?”

  Drum felt another stab of panic. “Where’s Meara?”

  His mother patted his arm where it crossed over her collarbone. “She caught the train back to Cork yesterday morning. She is at her flat, safe and sound. It was just Maeve and me here when the shakes started.”

  He sighed, the sound heavy with relief.

  “And I told you already to call me Maddie, young lady,” his mother continued. She pulled back from his embrace to frown at Ash. “Now tell me why you’re back out here so soon, and why you couldn’t be bothered to pick up a telephone to tell your own mother that you were coming.”

  The Guardian looked shocked, then bemused, whether by Maddie Drummond’s informality or because someone had referred to her as “young lady,” Drum couldn’t tell, and his mother was waiting for him to answer her question. He turned his attention back to the older woman (and potentially greater threat).

  “Ah, right,” he said, looking up to spot Kylie and Dag hovering near the garden gate. “We, ah, we found some folks to help us with our little problem, so we brought them to have a look at the tower ruins.”

  Maeve pulled herself together and stepped back, using the end of her sleeve to dry her eyes. “Little problem?” she repeated, incredulous. “You call the coming of the end of the world a, quote, little problem? Jayus, Michael! What would you call having your throat slit? A little shaving nick?”

  “Maeve! Language!”

  The young woman winced. “Sorry, Ma.” Her gaze drifted to the strangers standing apart from the others. She did a double take, her jaw dropping. “Oh, my G—uh, my word,” she quickly corrected herself. “You’re Kylie Kramer!”

  The dark-haired woman by the gate grinned and lifted her hand in an abbreviated wave. “I’d better be, because this is her boyfriend, Dag Steinman, and I hear she’s crazy jealous.”

  Maeve laughed. “Hello, then. I am Maeve Drummond, Michael’s sister, and this is our mother, Madelaine.” She gestured toward the woman beside her.

  Maddie offered the couple a somehow formal nod of acknowledgment. “Guardian, Warden. You’re both very welcome here. Please come into my home and let me offer you refreshment. I could do with a cup of tea myself right now.”

  Ash saw the American’s eyebrows twitch, but she offered no other sign of surprise at being recognized as a member of the Guild. She smiled with real warmth and hooked her hand in her mate’s elbow to tug him forward. “I hear Irish tea is in a class by itself,” she said. “That sounds lovely, Mrs. Drummond. Thank you.”

  “Call m
e Maddie, dear. You’re here to help my son and his Guardian. That entitles you to a few special privileges.” Maddie waved a dismissive hand, and stepped toward her front door.

  Ash felt an instant of surprise before she realized the woman was treating Kylie and Dag as honored guests. She made as if to follow, but Drum stepped forward to block his mother’s path.

  “Ma, you can’t go inside,” he said. “The earthquake could have damaged the structure of the house. It could still come down on our heads.”

  As if in response, a small aftershock vibrated through the earth beneath their feet. Maddie frowned and waited out the tremor with her hands braced on her hips. “Michael, I am not going to allow anything to drive me from my own home. I’m going inside. Now, move out of my way.”

  Ash could see Drum struggling with the choice between disobeying his mother and allowing her to put herself in danger. Neither would make him happy, but he managed to offer a compromise.

  “I understand,” he said. “Just let me take a look around first and make certain it’s safe. It’ll only take a few minutes, Ma. I promise. Please?”

  Maddie pursed her lips and stared at her son for moment. Then she crossed her arms over her chest and offered a reluctant nod. “All right, but make it quick, boyo.”

  Ash spotted his sigh of relief as Drum turned to open the front door. Before he could step inside, Dag stepped up behind him. “I will help,” the burly Guardian said.

  The men entered the house while the others waited impatiently in the front garden. Clouds had thickened to block out the sun, and the air grew heavier as mist threatened. Maeve shivered, and Ash shrugged out of her jacket to drape it across the girl’s shoulders.

  “Here,” she murmured. “Just understand I will want to have it back at another time.”

  Maeve slipped her arms into the sleeves with a grateful smile and chuckled. “Got it. Thanks, Ash. But are you certain you won’t be needing it yourself?”

  Ash shook her head. She didn’t feel the cold. She had worn the jacket as a sort of camouflage to make her better blend in with humans.