by Lexi Blake
“It’s going to be all right, Z,” Danny said, and I heard the smile in his voice. “If it gets too cold, I’ll slit Lee open like a tauntaun and slide you inside for warmth.”
“Dweeb,” I shot back. Only my husband would be making Star Wars references at a time like this.
He laughed as the wolves caught up. We started the rest of the climb together.
* * * *
I clung to Danny’s neck as he dug his claws into the rock face. He tried once to swing his leg over the cave’s ridge but couldn’t quite make it. After we had gone as far as Danny could safely fly us, he’d put me on his back and made quick work of the climb. The claws he could pop out of his hands helped enormously. He’d clawed and scratched his way to the top. I was sure my weight on his back held him up, but he convinced me it was the easiest way to get this done. So I held on for dear life, my arms around his neck and legs hooked around his waist.
I felt a warm presence underneath me, and Lee pushed his back against Daniel’s legs. Wordlessly communicating, the vampire and the wolf got on the same page. Daniel stepped as lightly as possible on Lee’s back and managed to swing us up over the final hurdle. We landed in a heap and had to scramble to get up. Daniel leaned over the rock face and helped pull the wolves.
“God, he’s heavier than he looks,” Danny groaned as he hauled Lee over the ridge. “And he looks heavy.” Neil he only had to use one hand on. The wolves stayed in their furry bodies as we entered the cave, padding cautiously across the cave floor.
My hands shook as we moved carefully. I let my eyes adjust to the dark of the cave before carefully pulling out the small flashlight I’d placed in my pocket. It was a penlight, illuminating only a few feet ahead of me.
“Keep that down, Z.” Danny shielded his eyes when the small light hit them. He didn’t need anything so technological as a flashlight to see in the dark. “My eyes already adjusted and I’m sure the wolves’ have, too.”
I held the light down, shining where I was walking because my eyes wouldn’t adjust to being able to see in this blackness. It wasn’t always easy being the only pitiful human in the group. I took inventory of the cave, careful to keep my light away from preternatural eyes.
From what I could see, the cave was large, though the ceiling seemed to taper down after roughly a hundred feet. I bet we would find what we were looking for in the back of this cave. I found my footing much firmer as we hit rock. The ground was even this far into the cave, and I caught a glimpse of something metallic shining. It was just a shimmer, but that was all I needed. Bingo. X marks the spot and all that. I tripped slightly and fell to my side, hitting something kind of soft and…furry.
“Danny.” I spoke slowly, not moving at all because whatever I had hit was breathing in and out.
“Z, what the fuck are you doing? Get up. We have work to do.” Daniel moved close, reaching out to me.
I scrambled up and away from the now shifting body.
“Shit,” Danny said as an enormous eye opened. Even in the dark I could tell it was red and angry. It glowed like a stoplight.
The leprechauns had neglected to mention their enormous guard.
Chapter Twenty-Three
All of the trolls I’ve ever met personally are the type who could almost pass for human. They tend to be of Scandinavian descent. They’re not the only trolls to come from the north countries. There are a small number of trolls who used to rule Norway and Sweden before the humans hunted them down and they passed into legend.
I fell into one of those legendary frost giants, and when he sat up, the mountain moved.
“Holy shit,” Daniel yelled as the frost giant stood up.
The giant had to be at least twelve feet tall and he weighed what an eighteen wheeler would. Daniel looked like a leprechaun next to him. Lee growled and Neil moved in beside him, the hair on his back standing at rigid attention.
Daniel reached into his pocket and pulled out his handgun. I was wondering what he was going to do with it besides annoy the enormous frost giant. The bullets would be like mosquitoes to the giant. “Move your ass, Z. Get what we need so we can get out of here.”
I stepped back from the gigantic shadow against the cave wall. My penlight could only help me see bits and pieces of the enormous creature. He had white, mangy fur that looked like it could use a good conditioner and a blow out. As I moved the light up, I caught a glimpse of razor-sharp teeth. The giant took way better care of his choppers than the ogre had. They looked like his pride and joy. It was easy to see why the leprechauns had felt their treasure was safe here. Even if a thief could find their hiding place, they would have to deal with the frost giant—who did not like having his nap disturbed.
“What are you going to do?” I asked Daniel as the frost giant regarded us carefully with his red eyes.
“Distract him,” Daniel said with more confidence than I would have had.
“How?”
“I don’t know. I’m probably about to do a nice impression of a toothpick. Could you hurry up this heist?” Danny held the gun in his right hand and aimed it at the frost giant, who was still curious about the odd creatures who had invaded his home. He reached down and plucked Daniel up, hauling him into the air.
“Now would be a good time!” my husband yelled as he fired off three quick rounds.
The frost giant’s howl shook the world. Seriously, I think it moved my liver around.
I picked up the pace and started to the back of the cave. “I would aim for the eyes if I were you.” I shouted my helpful advice over my shoulder.
Daniel shot off four quick rounds. The giant roared again. Exactly as I knew would happen, the bullets just stung him and pissed him off because Danny hadn’t hit him in the eye. The whole cave shook with the force of the giant’s rage, and I had to clasp my hands over my ears because the sound was so loud. The echo after it did nothing to assuage the assault on my hearing.
I couldn’t see more than snatches of the fight. I heard something hit the ground with a low huff.
“Did you hear the stuff about the eyes?” I shouted my question as I caught a glimpse of Daniel rolling away from the giant’s attempt to squash him like a bug. I heard Lee’s growl and briefly saw Neil nipping at the giant’s heels. The cave shook as the giant’s fist narrowly missed its target.
“I heard you,” Daniel yelled irritably. “Woman, I am working here. Give me a break.”
I rolled my eyes. Men never listen to good advice. They have to make all the mistakes on their own because they just know better. “Fine, but don’t say I didn’t warn you. I tried all this stuff with the ogre. The only thing that worked was cold iron straight through the eye, into the old brainpan, and this guy is way bigger than the ogre. So shoot him in the damn eye.”
“Did I ask for your advice?” Daniel screamed.
There was a volley of gunfire and another gut-shaking roar. I jumped back as a bullet whizzed past me. I turned to my husband.
“Nice, Danny,” I said with some irritation of my own because I warned him about the dangers of bullets on large faery creature’s bones when I told him how I killed the ogre. “Ricochet. Do you listen? I told you that could happen.”
“This is why I don’t drive anywhere with you, baby.” Daniel growled through the darkness. I could hear he was on the run. “I don’t know how Dev handles it with you constantly giving him instructions. Speed up, slow down. Why are you taking the scenic route? It’s annoying, Zoey. It makes me want to pull out my hair.”
There was a loud thud and then the giant roared.
“Dev is a gentleman,” I continued once it got quiet enough to talk again. That last roar had made me drop the flashlight and it had gone out. I got on my knees and felt around for it. What Dev was really good at, I admitted to myself and myself alone, was tuning me out. When we drove somewhere together, his conversation consisted of saying “uh huh” and “yes, dear” a lot.
“Neil,” Daniel screamed. “Go with her! Get the freaking jo
b done. If you don’t, she’s just gonna stand there and bitch at me because I’m not working fast enough for her.”
I frowned in the darkness. Put like that, I did seem kind of controlling. I had to admit I was harder on Danny in these situations than I would have been with Dev and that wasn’t exactly fair. Danny deserved praise, too. Right?
“I think you’re doing a wonderful job, baby.” I used my best cheerleader voice. I found the flashlight and now Danny crawled up the creature’s torso and was trying to punch him in his probably sensitive nose. “Just like a shark,” I commented, letting my appreciation for his technique show through. “Very clever.”
Daniel groaned as he was tossed off and Neil was there growling at me, looking thoroughly annoyed. He used his nose to push me forward.
“Fine.” I knew why he was mad. He wanted in on the kill, and he’d never tasted frost giant before. “I was only trying to help.”
Neil and I made our way through the cold darkness. The cave’s ceiling eventually sloped down and I had to stoop as I got closer and closer to the back. I moved the flashlight around, searching for the glint of metal I’d seen before, but I couldn’t quite remember exactly which direction it had come from.
Neil scented the air and then put his nose firmly to the ground. He looked up at me and yipped shortly. It was an order. He had the scent he wanted. I trained my flashlight on his white tail and followed. When I heard his happy bark, I knew he’d found what he was looking for.
Even in the gloom of the cave, I could see the gleam of gold. Wherever my light hit, the color washed across the walls, glittering in the darkness. The leprechauns had been right to be worried. This was some cache of treasure.
“God, Z, it’s like a pirate treasure.” Neil was suddenly a naked man. He still didn’t seem to mind the cold. He reached down and picked up a handful of gold coins and let them drip from his fingers. “We’d never have to work again.”
“No, we wouldn’t,” I commented with amusement. He was forgetting a few truths about the leprechauns. “We would never have to work again because we would meet with some nasty accident before we could ever spend it.”
Neil pouted up at me. “That sucks. If we’re smart enough to steal it we should be able to spend it.”
“Doesn’t work that way, buddy, at least not in Faery. Those leprechauns will be in here soon making sure I didn’t take anything we didn’t agree on. If they find a single coin missing, they’ll be after us.” I looked at the chest in the middle of all that glorious gold. I ran my hands over it. It was solidly built and there was a heavy chain around it. I felt the well-made lock holding the chains together. It whispered to me, like all locks do. It begged me to wiggle it and play with it and pick it open.
“I want my own money, Z.” Neil looked forlornly at the wealth around him. “I’m not married to Dev. He shouldn’t have to give me an allowance. I would rather he just let me pick his pocket. At least I would feel like I was working for it.”
I heard another volley of shots as I pulled my lockpicks out of my pocket. Daniel was obviously having a good time with the frost giant. “You are working for it. He’s paying you to be my bodyguard. It isn’t an allowance. It’s your salary.”
“Lee is your bodyguard,” Neil said with a sigh. “I’m just your playmate. I don’t even cook anymore. Albert kicked me out of his kitchens. I just hang around the house and go shopping with you.”
“And take arrows in the ass to save my life.” I rubbed my hands together vigorously to get some feeling in them. I needed my hands warm and working to feel the give and take that came with raking the lock and holding the pins in place. Lockpicking is a delicate business and requires a deft touch that one doesn’t normally get from frozen hands. “The minute we get back, I’ll look around for a job. I’ll make it small time so it can be just you and me.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.” I was sure my dad could come up with something. He was retired for the most part, but he still had good connections. I wondered though if Chad wouldn’t have something to say about his boyfriend’s criminal activities. Neil and Chad might not be married but Chad was incredibly possessive. I held the lock in my hand and started to gently glide the pick in.
Neil looked up from his perusal of the gold and gave a startled laugh. “Seriously?” he asked, looking at the picks in my hands. He reached down and pulled the chains apart with little effort on his part. He tossed them aside and opened the chest.
I frowned. “You have no appreciation for a soft touch.”
Arctic blue eyes rolled. “You have no appreciation for speed, honey. That frost giant out there is about to have himself a Daniel sandwich. We need to pick up the pace.”
“Fine.” I agreed with him even though I doubted Daniel would ever let himself be made into a sandwich in a nonsexual way. There was a whole lot of roaring, and not all of it came from the frost giant. Daniel was doing some yelling of his own. He was obviously getting impatient. I sat down beside the treasure. Neil and I sifted through the contents of the chest. This was where the leprechauns kept the good shit. It was full of jewelry and gold and silver housewares, and what looked to be the deeds to land and houses. It had been stuffed with anything a gambler could use to pay off his debts.
“Wow,” Neil said in a reverent tone. He held up an unmounted stone.
“That’s the Blood Stone,” I said with no small amount of awe. It was beautiful in a freaky way. I shone the light directly on it and the reflection filled the cavern. It made everything look like it was bathed in rich, sweet blood.
“Creepy.” Neil handed the stone to me, shivering just a little.
I shoved the stone in my pocket and we both stood up, leaving the rest of the treasure regretfully on the floor. I heard a single gunshot and then a triumphant laugh.
“Take that, fucker!” Daniel’s yell echoed through the cavern.
I looked at Neil with pursed lips. “What do you want to bet he just shot that frost giant straight through the eye after he tried everything else?”
Neil held his hands out. “I try to stay out of your marital arguments.”
“No, you don’t.” I made my way back out to the front of the cave. Neil followed after me. He was naked, so I knew there was no chance he’d palmed that sapphire I’d seen him looking at. I wasn’t concerned about the stealing—that came naturally—but those little leprechauns really would come after us.
It was easier to see in the big part of the cave. The moonlight made everything glow in a silvery shine. I could see Daniel trying to push the now-dead frost giant off Lee’s wolf body. With a great grunt he managed the task, and when he turned I noted his shirt was covered in blood. I wouldn’t be able to tell if it was his or the giant’s since he healed so quickly.
“You just had to try everything else, didn’t you?” I shook my head as I studied them. There was a neat little hole in the giant’s eye. “You couldn’t just take my word for it.”
Lee changed and groaned as he tried to get up. “God, Donovan, is she always this way? How the hell did you work with her?”
My husband grimaced as he looked down at Lee, trying to ascertain the extent of his injuries. “You want to know something, Lee? She’s been this way since we were eight freaking years old. She used to tell me how to play Monopoly. She’d roll her eyes anytime I made a wrong move. I think your pelvis is broken.”
“You broke my wolf?” I asked, shocked.
“He’ll heal,” Daniel shot back.
“Not like this I won’t.” Lee groaned. “Somebody’s got to reset it.” I started to open my mouth to offer my services. “Anybody but Zoey.”
Neil ran forward. He got in behind Lee and maneuvered his arms under Lee’s armpits. Daniel took his feet. They nodded at each other and Daniel realigned the bones. Lee proved he knew lots of cuss words.
“Better?” Daniel asked.
“If you can call it that.” Lee laid back on the cavern floor. “It’s going to be an hour or two
before I can move.” He turned his head to me. “Did you get it?”
I pulled out the stone and tossed it into Danny’s waiting hand. He held it up and the moonlight hit it. My little flashlight hadn’t done the stone justice. Now we were all covered in its bloody beauty.
“This is mine,” Daniel said with a possessive sigh. “This belongs to me.”
I walked up and put my hand on his back. His arm went around me out of habit. “According to the information Marini gave me, it has something to do with the last king.”
“What does it do?” Neil asked.
We were all damn certain it did something. It was a powerful object. I could tell that just by touching it.
I shook my head as Daniel watched it, mesmerized by the glow. “I’m not sure but I think I know who to ask. Marcus gave it to the queen. I think he was smuggling it out the best way he knew how.”
“Marcus has some explaining to do,” Daniel commented, his attention still on the Blood Stone.
“Daniel, we’re going to have to give that stone to Marini.” It was the plain truth of our situation.
He pocketed the stone. “Like hell we do, Z.”
“Daniel, he could kill you.”
“We don’t have any proof of that,” my husband replied, a stubborn look on his face.
I put my hands on my hips. “Oh, and that X-ray of something shoved surgically into your heart proves nothing, huh?”
He shrugged a little. “It proves Marini can bluff, baby. Just because he has some box he carries around doesn’t mean it works, and I’m not turning that stone over to him because it doesn’t belong to him.”
“No, it belongs to me.” This was my job. I’d done all the background for it. I would be damned if I let Danny decide to change our entire plan because he liked the stone. “I’m the one who found it.”
“Yeah, you could have run this job by yourself…”
