MacLean ran a hand through his hair in agitation.
I wanted them to be uncomfortable. But I’d also thought a lot about what had happened to me there, and I had questions only they could answer. “I need to hear the whole story. From both of you. You knew my father asked all of the hunters to meet. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Here we go…” Teryl mumbled and dropped his head into his hands.
I gave him a sharp look. “What does that mean?”
He peeked at me from between his fingers. “I didn’t know anything about the meeting, so can I be excused before it gets even more uncomfortable? Watching soap operas is less painful.”
I flashed an evil smile. “If I wasn’t afraid of killing you, I’d use the shock ward on you. It’s like a built-in Taser. Maybe I could try and at least make you pee your pants. That would be uncomfortable.”
MacLean laughed and Jax’s mouth twitched. Teryl held up his hands in mock surrender. “Okay, sorry. I’ll stay and be miserable.”
“Until you learn how to work the wards, I suggest you not make empty threats,” a slightly accented voice said from behind me.
I jumped out of my chair and whirled around. A man leaned idly against the kitchen wall a few feet away, arms crossed. Dark jeans and a white T-shirt molded to his body. Built like a warrior and taller than MacLean, he screamed danger. My muscles tensed. Was this my father’s doing? Another damn hunter after me?
I glared at Teryl. “Did you let him in?”
Teryl shook his head slowly. His face looked serious.
I swiveled my head back to stare at the intruder. The man didn’t move, just stared back with the bluest eyes I’d ever seen. I couldn’t stop staring at them. They could only be described as otherworldly, with a strange blue swirl around the iris. Even so, they reminded me of someone…
“Who the hell are you?” I asked.
His smile stretched his face in a manner that made it obvious he didn’t do it often. “Hello, Elleodora. You have your mother’s eyes.”
I tilted my head. Oh, my…
“So do you,” I said, my voice thin.
MacLean stepped forward. “Elion, why are you here?” He sounded surprised but not worried.
I turned to MacLean in what seemed like slow motion. “You know him?”
The man pushed away from the wall and walked toward me with slow, deliberate steps. He had the sort of loose-limbed gait that told me he’d had years to become comfortable in his skin. Too comfortable. “My association with MacLean has nothing to do with you.” He gently took my arm and nodded at MacLean. “I’ll return her shortly.”
All of a sudden, the kitchen disappeared in a sickening lurch. For a moment, the ground under my feet disappeared. I couldn’t tell which way was up. Seconds, possibly minutes, later, I hit solid ground.
Disoriented, I swayed on my feet. I wondered dimly how I managed to stay standing as vertigo made my knees wobble and my stomach protest. I squeezed my eyes shut. Fear flickered at the edge of my awareness. Hopefully, I’d simply passed out. The emotions of returning to my father’s house must have gotten the better of me, I passed out on the kitchen floor of the guesthouse, and when I opened my eyes Teryl would make fun of me. That was my version of normal.
I inhaled, squared my shoulders, and carefully opened one eye. I released my breath in a loud exhale. The man, Elion, stood directly in front of me, wearing an amused expression, just shy of a smile, on his sharp features. “Welcome.”
I opened the other eye. “That sucked.”
His blue, swirly irises seemed to grin. “Next time, I’ll warn you.”
I glared and tugged on my shirt to straighten it. “A warning this time would have been appreciated. Who are you?”
He folded his arms in the same casual stance he’d had in the kitchen. “I’m Elion.”
I waited. The seconds ticked by and he offered nothing else. I exhaled loudly. “Yeah, I heard MacLean say your name. That’s not what I meant.” And he knew it.
“I’m your uncle. You’re at my home. I can shift energy enough to move you here. And you’re here because I have to train you before you embarrass me.” He sounded like he was reading off stocks from the morning’s newspaper. No inflection, no emotion.
I opened my mouth to retort, and then his words sunk in. Just when I thought I had a handle on things, life stepped in to show me how wrong I was. “My uncle,” I repeated carefully.
Elion turned away. “Follow me.” He didn’t wait to see if I did; his long legs merely ate up the ground and I had to practically run to keep up.
“Wait! What are you talking about? My uncle?” My breath came in short pants. We were outside in a…garden? Yard? Tropical jungle? I wasn’t sure, but it was green, lush, and dense. It might even be a backyard of one of Jedren’s neighbors. I lost sight of him for a moment, but then rounded a bush and could see his feet. “Would you just wait a second?”
He stopped abruptly, the first sharp move he’d made. “Yes, your uncle. Your mother was my sister. I don’t have time to map out a family tree for you. It would take days, and the information has no relevance to you.”
I reeled back at the bite in his tone. “I didn’t know my mother had any living relatives. You literally pop into my kitchen, kidnap me, and now you’re mad? I was in the middle of an important conversation! Your timing sucks.” I sighed. “Besides, I think you owe me more than that. An explanation would be a great place to start.”
His gaze fixed pointedly on my hands. I looked down at the flames engulfing my fingers and slapped them against my thighs a few times.
“You need to learn control. You need training.” Irritation laced his slight accent. I couldn’t place it, but his words were distinct and crisp. Like an upper-crust aristocrat. Or maybe that was my irritation talking. Too bad he was right. “That’s one point I’m not going to argue,” I muttered, extinguishing the last flame from my index finger.
“Elleodora—”
“Elle,” I interrupted, meeting his gaze straight on. “My name is Elle.”
He tilted his head and considered me. I had a feeling I wasn’t getting a favorable review. “You do a great disservice to your paternal grandmother. She was always favored by the gods. She possessed a grace and wisdom not seen in many of the lines today. It’s a shame she’s gone.”
I shrugged. While growing up, my father had told me frequently what a disgrace I was to my grandmother’s memory. I never knew her, so I couldn’t say if that was true or not.
I folded my arms across my chest, mimicking Elion’s earlier stance. “As far as family reunions go, this stinks. Can we talk about something else? Because right now, you sound just like my father, and you’re acting just like my father, and I—” My words were cut off when his hand wrapped around my throat. I tried to draw in a breath, but couldn’t.
He leaned in close, blue eyes swirling with fury. “Do not compare me to that pile of filth.” His breath scraped across my skin, leaving it raw. I knew, without a doubt, I did not want to see this man lose control, let alone be on the receiving end of it.
I lifted a shaky hand and touched the skin along my throat, barely resisting the urge to rub at the ache. I stared at him, feeling the first real flicker of fear. “What do you want?”
Elion took a step back, once again relaxed. “I want you to kill Jedren. And I’m going to train you how to do it. Now that you’re living with him, you’re in the perfect position to do it.”
“You’re my new trainer?”
He shook his head slowly. “No, Jedren and Luke will use one of their hunters to train you in hand-to-hand combat. It will be a waste of time. What you need is someone to train you to use your abilities. That’s the only way you’ll kill him.”
Chapter Three
“You want to train me how to kill my father?” I bit back my stunned laughter. “Where in the hell have you been my whole life?”
He didn’t answer, which really set me off.
“You’ve kid
napped me, insulted me, and choked me. I don’t need another relative like Jedren in my life. You know, he beat me, too. Before and after he killed Mom.” Rather, he’d had me beaten by Luke, though it was all the same to me.
I knew I shouldn’t bait this new uncle. I still felt the bite of fear that his hand on my neck had caused, but a cold rage quickly overwhelmed it. “You hate my father? Yeah, join the club. We should make T-shirts. But you’ll have to wait for your membership number because there are so many people in front of you.” I shook with the force of my rage. Fists clenched, heart pounding, I glared at him.
“You mock me?” His anger matched mine. Bright blue eyes snapped with fury. “Your mother was my sister. My only sister. He took her from us. When she got pregnant with you, they exiled her. I hadn’t seen her for almost thirty years before—” He stopped and took a deep breath, visibly trying to calm down. “You are not to blame for her death.”
“I know that. But if what you said is true, you kicked her out.” I sucked in a sharp breath, trying not to choke on my words. “For years it was Mom and me. That’s it. And I’m the one who found her dead. I’m the one who buried her.”
My stomach pitched as sorrow and anger burned through me. I’d only just learned this week that my mom was a demigod. Yet, my father had somehow managed to kill her. To learn now that she’d had family who could have stepped in…that she could still be alive today…
I wanted to get out of here. Wherever here was.
Elion’s face settled into impassive lines as he studied me. He folded his arms, but the casual pose didn’t fool me. I could see the emotions roiling in the depths of his eyes. Anger, frustration, disappointment, and others I couldn’t name.
“What are you?” I asked.
“Don’t you mean who am I?”
“No. I said what I meant. Are you demigod? Light elf? Hybrid?”
“Watch yourself, girl.” Irritation rippled across his features. A small spark of power gave me an unpleasant jolt.
“Girl? I guess that means you’re not going to answer me. Your prerogative. Just take me home. I want nothing to do with you.” I turned away, sick at heart. He was no different than my father.
“I’m nothing like your father.”
I froze, shoulders hunched. Did he just…?
“Read your mind? Yes. Sit. We’ll talk.” It wasn’t a request. He thrust a patio chair at me. It teetered for a moment before settling in an upright position.
I spared it a quick glance before looking back at him. “No.” I didn’t have time to blink before he was in my face.
“Open your ears and your mind before I lose my temper,” he barked. “I will help you as your powers grow. I will have you trained. You will kill the bastard who fathered you. Simple enough?”
My body jerked and, unwillingly, I moved to sit in the chair. I’ve experienced the effects of my father’s form of mind control. He’s honed it enough to be dangerous. Elion used so little effort to force me to obey, I was terrified. The power rolling off of him made the air around us feel heavy. He held up his hands in a harmless gesture. “I didn’t bring you here to argue. I want to help.”
“Oh please,” I scoffed, glaring at him. Invisible ropes held me firmly in place. Looked like the gods had far more power than a shadow elf king.
Elion’s eyes turned glacial, and I swear the ground shook a little. “You have no reason not to trust me, and it’s tiresome. Luna?” he called out.
Luna? I strained to look around, wary.
“Yes?” The voice came from behind me, but I couldn’t turn. Spine stiff, I waited in silence, wondering if I should start seriously panicking.
Elion smiled over my shoulder, though it was only the tiniest movement in his lips. “I have a project for you.”
“Now I’m a project?” I asked.
“Quiet,” he snapped, and my mouth shut, voice gone. Shit. He continued to watch whoever stood behind me. “Elleodora is my niece. She needs training.” He flicked a glance at me as I struggled in earnest against the invisible bonds. “Significant training.”
“Let’s see what we have here.” A petite woman sporting a shock of short, dark-red hair moved into view. Her bright, teal-green eyes stared at me intently. She wore slim-fitting cigarette pants with a big belt that accentuated her tiny waist. A tight sweater, the same startling shade as her eyes, hugged her curves. She had the kind of body men drooled over, and the retro fashion highlighted it to her advantage. The huge, wicked blade strapped to her thigh gave her a definite edge. Scary and sexy. An interesting combo.
Though I couldn’t stand, I estimated her to be only a few inches over five feet. In heels. Her energy jumped and quaked like small bursts of static electricity. I could almost hear snaps and pops.
“Elion,” she said, “you’re not giving me much to work with here.”
I reeled back mentally at her blunt words, making muffled noises of protest.
They stared at me much like scientists would stare at a petri dish crawling with bacteria, until Elion spoke. “She’s Emmaline’s daughter. I ask this of you as a favor to her.”
Luna exhaled noisily. “I know who she is. But that was low, and you know it. Why?” She turned to him and arched one dark red brow. “Why does she need training? Better yet, why can’t you do it, Uncle Elion?” The last was said with heavy sarcasm.
“Jedren,” Elion spat out the name. I tried not to flinch as a flare of energy hit my skin. “You know I can’t touch my sister’s mate. Our contract forbids it.”
Forbidden? A feeling of unease slithered up my spine. Anytime you put the words contract and Jedren together, a nasty outcome typically followed.
“Ah.” She sighed and turned back to me. “Let her loose. I want to see what she’s made of.”
I stood quickly the second I felt the invisible bonds loosen. “Made of? What do you expect me to—” Her blade pressed firmly against my throat before I finished my sentence, and I stared at her in utter shock. I don’t think she really wanted to hurt me, but I had no idea what she was doing.
“Don’t speak,” she whispered, leaning close to my ear. The skin on my scalp tingled as her energy sparked. “Just listen. I will train you as a favor to your mother, and for the pleasure of watching you kill Jedren. If you fail me, I’ll make your life miserable. Understood?”
I waited for her to remove the blade before I spoke. “No, I don’t understand any of this. I don’t care who you are or what your motivation is—I don’t want you to train me. I’ll kill him on my own. Now I need to get back to the guesthouse.”
She bent at the waist, her laughter rolling over me in waves. Maybe that was her energy? I took a step back to be safe. She was as crazy as she was gorgeous; it seemed to be a shared trait in this world.
“Okay, while she has a breakdown, why don’t you just send me back to my kitchen?” I asked Elion, keeping a wary eye trained on the redhead. She was like a leprechaun on crack.
Her laughter stopped abruptly, and she stood up straight. “You really think you can kill him? Like this?” She waved at me, her face rife with disapproval.
I folded my arms across my chest, taking a defensive posture. I wasn’t that inept. I’d managed to stop hunters of Luke’s and Maura’s caliber last week without training. It hadn’t been easy, but I’d done it.
To Elion, Luna said, “I’ll take her on. You’ll owe me, because she’s a bigger problem than she’s worth, but I’ll do it.” Elion smiled, like they shared a great joke. Luna continued. “Not long ago, you said you were bored. Elleodora should keep you busy for some time.”
“Elle,” I growled. “My name is Elle.” Flames lit up my palms as I tried to get ahold of my temper.
Luna looked on with sudden interest. “Well, well,” she purred. “Elion didn’t mention this. You’re coming into your powers? Your birthday must be soon, hmm?”
“Five days.” I don’t know why I responded. I didn’t want to encourage either of them.
“Five days?�
� Luna exploded, turning on Elion. “You want me to train her in five days? Are you out of your mind? She has no clue about the magic she can wield. Five days isn’t nearly enough time to teach her.”
Elion shrugged his shoulders. “If you’re not up for the task, I suppose I can do it.” A strange look passed between them.
I watched as he sidled closer to us. The longer I looked at him, the more I saw his similarities to my mother and me. Not only in his eyes, but in his nose and his expressions. Elion’s posture had relaxed back into a casual stance, but his eyes still whirled with repressed emotion. I couldn’t quite read him, but maybe that was a good thing. He’d gone from hot to cold so fast I couldn’t keep up. He towered over Luna.
She picked idly at her nails, pretending to ignore him.
When it became apparent Luna wasn’t going to say anything, Elion sighed. “We don’t have time for this. Luna, train her. You lost that bet. Don’t be upset.”
“Upset? Don’t be a dumbass.” She jabbed a finger at him. “You’re a fucking cheater. We made a deal—first one to find the fae stone wins. You enlisted the help of a damn faery, which is cheating!”
He winked at me, and then turned to Luna with a smile as wide as the Cheshire Cat. “You didn’t specify I couldn’t.”
She made a rude sound of disgust. “You son of a—”
“No name-calling, dear,” Elion said, crossing his arms. “I think Elle is tired of our argument. Train her for Emmaline.”
Magnetic, gorgeous, or not, they both had a few screws loose. Maybe more than a few, judging by their behavior. Watching them was worse than a tennis match, back and forth but with no sense to it. I had to get home. If Jedren noticed I was gone, he could kill the guys before I returned and—
“He won’t,” Elion interrupted my racing thoughts. “He has no idea you’re gone.”
“How do you know? Send me back. Please,” I added. “Let me see for myself.”
Luna eyed me speculatively. “Are you sure she’s the one? She doesn’t have Emmaline’s energy.”
Without hesitation, Elion replied, “No, she doesn’t.” He smiled at my outraged expression. “Not yet. When you’re done with her, she will.”
Stone Cold Revenge (Set In Stone, Book Two) Page 4
