by Lexi Blake
“You’ll work with him as he is still the Unseelie priest. He’s the Unseelie’s High Priest.” Chima made sure to enunciate the honor she bestowed upon him and looked at Dev expectantly.
“My goddess and I will use our paltry power to aid you in any way possible,” he promised. He got back to his battle plans. “Zoey, Neil, and I will make our way around the edges of the battle to try to get to my mother. Zack and Lee will stay with Daniel.”
“And I will be?” Daniel asked.
“Providing one hell of a diversion,” Dev replied.
Daniel smiled slowly, looking forward to the violence. “I might need to refuel during battle, depending on how long it takes.”
“As long as you don’t drain the warriors, they should survive the experience,” Dev offered. “That’s what Zack and Lee will be there for. They’ll protect you should you be forced to take a lunch break. You should try one of the goblins. I’ve heard their blood is exotic.”
“Never had one before,” Daniel acknowledged.
“Hunter,” Dev called. “You will join us?”
The Hunter nodded his assent. “I’ll be ready should you desire to call upon me and mine.”
Dev’s face turned savage, and I knew he was thinking about the Duke of Ain and his family. “I’ll be calling on you, Hunter. Make sure you are ready to ride. Now, Daniel, if you wouldn’t mind getting that door open for us.”
Running faster than I could track him, Daniel hit the enormous gates and they exploded outward under the force of his arms. The sounds of battle assaulted us.
Dev took my hand and we found ourselves in the middle of a war.
Chapter Thirty-Three
It was my first look at the plain that separated the sitheins.
“It’s daylight.” I started to try to reach for Daniel, but he was already running away from me.
“It’s a magical light, Zoey.” Dev’s eyes moved across the plain, taking in the battle in front of us. “It won’t affect him at all. It’s always daylight on this plain. It’s another defense mechanism.”
I was certain that on a normal day, it was peaceful and beautiful. The grassy plain was flat and almost certainly would be a fertile green had it not become saturated with blood. The sounds of sword hitting sword rang across the field. Even as Dev pulled me along, I turned my head and watched as Declan led Chima and Nim to the back of the Unseelie war machine. There were several tents set up, and I could see what must be the king’s advisors meeting underneath one. I didn’t see anyone I thought could be Angus, but I hoped whoever it was would listen to Chima’s reason. Dev, Neil, and I had the infinitely harder job. We had to do the same thing Chima, Nim, and Declan were doing, but we had to make our way across the entire length of the battlefield to do it and we would be doing it without the aid of eddy winds. It was far too dangerous with all the arrows flying around.
I didn’t like the idea of those arrows rushing toward my vampire. It wouldn’t matter that they weren’t silver tipped. Each one was a little stake flying through the air. He would have to be careful.
“Stay close,” Dev yelled over the clatter. I followed his eyes as he spotted Daniel.
I caught my breath as Daniel ran onto the field and took a mighty leap. He jumped over the back lines of the battle and into the middle of the fray. It only took a second before the bodies started to fly and all attention was on the newcomer. The blood-soaked battlefield brought out Daniel’s beast, and he was on full display. I’d never seen his fangs so long or his claws so sharp. Just the smell of all that blood was enough to put Daniel on the edge of his control. He cut through the lines easily, raining confusion down all around him.
I felt Neil running beside me, his pure white fur a dramatic contrast to the violence around us. We stayed close to the edges of the battle but it encroached. A Seelie sidhe battled a large male goblin. It was apparent they had been fighting for a while, hacking little pieces off of one another, but the sidhe was tiring and the goblin’s strength held up. The goblin wielded a bloody cleaver and brought it down on the sidhe’s arm. I shrank back as the faery’s arm hit the ground.
“Don’t look.” Dev pulled me as far away as he could.
I tried to follow his command, but it was everywhere. Violence and bloodlust filled the world and it made me sick. I wanted to close my eyes and block the sights of people who should work together, cutting each other apart. In the middle of all of it I saw Lee and Zack, their magnificent wolf selves howling even as Daniel became a prime target.
Dev cursed and I found myself on the ground, his big body pressing me into the dirt. He held my head down and forced my torso under his as I heard a horrible sound. It sounded like water rushing violently toward us.
“Don’t move.” Dev whispered the words directly in my ear, and I could hear the worry in his voice. His body tensed as if in anticipation of some horrible pain.
All around me I heard the distinct thuds of arrows hitting the dirt. There were screams of agony as some of the arrows found warm bodies to lodge into. I felt Dev jerk against me and I heard him try to contain his groan of pain.
“Baby,” I said quietly. “Where are you hit?”
“I’m fine. It’s my right arm. Quickly, we don’t have long before they send over another volley.” He rolled off me carefully, protecting his left arm. “Zoey, pull it out or shove it through.”
I wanted to protest that he was crazy if he thought I would do that, but there wasn’t time and he was right. If I could get the arrow out, he would heal quickly and we would move much faster. Neil growled ahead of us, letting me know we had little time.
I studied Dev’s arm briefly. The arrow had lodged in the muscle of his upper arm. With the flat of my right hand, holding his arm with my left, I shoved the arrow until the thick gory head was through. Dev groaned but didn’t move as I managed to snap the shaft and pull both sides out.
Dev was on his feet before the arrow hit the ground. He flexed his hand and then handed me the Sig Sauer. “Sorry, sweetheart, that was my firing hand. Give me a few minutes and I should have the feeling back.”
I didn’t mind having the gun. It made me feel better and I was a damn good shot. Ahead, Neil was attempting to make a path through the warriors. The ones who wouldn’t move I shot. The cold iron bullets were persuasive.
I could see the Seelie back lines now. Miria was dressed in trousers and a practical shirt. She stood high on a platform with a small guard surrounding her. She looked different than the last time I had seen her. Her perceived loss was visible in every inch of her skin. It was as though all the hope and joy had been drained from the Seelie queen and what had been left was a need for vengeance. She would never stop, never call off the battle because she believed her sons were dead and gone and she had nothing left. I had to get to her, had to let her know all was not lost.
Even as I ran toward her, I heard a mighty yell go up in the thick of battle.
Daniel was busy with one of those mid-battle snacks I knew he looked forward to. It was the only time he would ever allow himself off his self-imposed leash. He would never feed from anyone but me or Dev when the feeding was an intimate act, but there was nothing intimate or gentle about this. This was a predator pulling his unwilling victim down and glorying in the kill. This was a lion taking down a gazelle, though I’m sure the goblin would be offended by the metaphor. Luckily, this gazelle was immortal and would live to be pissed off by the experience.
The shout that went up came from a large, white-haired sidhe. It was Padric, his heavy sword coated in blood as he turned toward his queen. His pale eyes were confused as he began to run back toward the encampment.
“I’m sure they were told you and Daniel were dead, too,” Dev yelled in explanation.
Miria saw Padric running toward her and hurried to the end of the platform. She ran down the stairs and met him at the back as he broke through the lines. As I ran toward them, I saw him whisper in her ear. She held on to Padric even as she then tried to get
a good look at Daniel, as though she would not believe it until she saw it for herself. There was no question in my mind what she was asking him. She wanted to know about her sons. Padric shook his head.
They were so closely engaged that neither saw the men creeping up behind them. While Daniel was providing us with a distraction, it was also working for the bad guys. Much of the battle was now focused on the blood-soaked vampire who had been hit more times than any of them could count and still left a trail of bodies in his wake. The weapons makers of the faery world would be stocking up on silver in the near future. Cold iron didn’t mean a damn thing to Danny. I was sure he would tell me it tickled.
Three men worked their way toward the Seelie queen. Even Miria’s guard was distracted.
“Neil,” I screamed, pointing toward the trouble.
He barked and took off. He was far faster than Dev or I could hope to be. He swerved and curved his way through the combatants.
Dev and I had more trouble than Neil. We had to stay on the outskirts of battle, making our way around the bloody fights that seemed to go on everywhere. Dev grasped my hand as we tried to get to his mother.
The assassins held cold iron knives in their hands, and they were smart enough to divide their forces. Two were making their way toward Padric while one was lying in wait. I could see the way the plot would work. The third assassin would wait until Padric was detained with fighting and probably murdering the other two. Then the third could easily slit the queen’s throat and take her heart. It was likely a suicide mission, but the Duke of Ain had proven to have loyal followers.
“Mother!” Dev screamed, trying to warn her, but his voice was a small sound, easily missed amid the cacophony of death around us.
We ran hard, shoving our way past warriors. We were on the Seelie side, and now some of the warriors were beginning to recognize their supposedly dead priest and his also newly risen goddess. It made it easier. They didn’t attempt to fight us as we struggled to get through the throng to make our way to Miria.
Neil had no such trouble. He twisted his way through. Very few people looked down to pay attention to the white dog working his way toward the royal. The moment he got a chance, Neil made a break for the queen. He barked a warning just as Padric was jumped. I watched in horror as both men managed to stick their knives cleanly into Padric’s strong torso.
I tried to get a shot, but I was too short. I would hit the other bodies that were in our way.
Neil howled and stood between the queen and her assassin even as Miria pulled a knife from her belt and tried to help Padric. Neil leapt onto the killer at the queen’s back but now the two who had been taking out the head of the royal guard divided their forces. With Padric bleeding profusely, one of the men started after the queen.
I tried to shove my way through, but I couldn’t find a way out, and now the warriors were starting to notice us. It wouldn’t be long before someone decided to keep things the way they were and make Dev’s previous death into a reality.
“Give me a boost,” I yelled to Dev.
“What?”
I pointed up. “I can’t get a shot off. I need some height.”
Dev leaned down, cupped his hands together, and waited to boost me up. I would have one shot, a mere second to find my balance and my target. I put my right foot in Dev’s hands and he lifted me up and over the fray. Having a husband who tops six foot five is helpful when you need a lift.
I balanced on one foot and concentrated, allowing the world to fall away the way my father had taught me to. Time felt suspended as I blocked out everything else but the feel of the gun in my hand, the trigger a firm pressure against my finger. My vision narrowed to the man about to slit my mother-in-law’s throat. I breathed deeply and let my focus pinpoint his head. In a heartbeat, I pulled the trigger gently and watched as a place right above his left eye exploded.
There were loud shouts and someone screamed to get “the woman.” I was pulled roughly from my perch by strong hands. Yeah, I was apparently the woman in question. The force of being jerked around caused me to lose the gun that would have been helpful given I was being hauled off by an angry mob.
Dev screamed and I saw him fight against hands that held him. He kicked out, but there were too many of them.
It occurred to me as I was pulled in several different directions by vicious hands that perhaps my actions had been misconstrued. It was possible that the Seelie warriors I was currently being carried off by were thinking I was the assassin rather than the queen’s savior. I was pulled down and circled by a group of warriors. The largest of my captors wasn’t waiting on a fair trial. He shoved me to my knees and forced my head back.
It looked like everyone wanted to behead me.
A mighty roar filled my world, drowning out all other sounds. I was shoved forcibly to the ground. My chest and both arms hit the saturated grass as Lee stood over me, growling at the circle of would-be executioners. I managed to see the group that surrounded us take a healthy step back as Daniel landed on the ground in front of me. His clothes dripped blood and his voice was a low growl.
He stared at the men holding Devinshea back.
“If you have any wish to stay alive, you will release him.” Daniel had to work to enunciate around the fangs in his mouth.
“It is an Unseelie trick,” a warrior said. “The princes are dead. This is magic created to fool us.”
“I am no Unseelie trick,” Daniel promised. “Give him to me or I will no longer hold back.”
“Hold back?” I heard someone mutter. If Daniel had been pulling punches, I was pretty sure they didn’t want to see him let loose.
I saw someone shove Dev forward, and he was quickly pulled behind Daniel. He was on his knees as Lee moved to guard our backs and Zack joined him.
“Are you all right?” Dev pulled me close. “I have to get to Mother…”
But even as he said it I heard the sound, the single blare of a great horn from the Seelie side. When we looked up following that blissful noise, I saw Neil in human form, pointing the way to us for the queen. Padric was back on his feet. He held his side but kept up with his queen as she made her way to us.
There was one more sound we needed to hear, and Dev tensed as he held me, waiting for it, praying for it.
It was farther away this time but no less beautiful. The Unseelie side answered and just like that, the battle was done.
Chapter Thirty-Four
“Devinshea.” Miria shouted. Padric walked behind her, his face pale, but he seemed to be healing. The crowd parted for them, giving the queen space to move.
Dev got to his feet as Daniel stood down. They turned to me and each took a hand to help me up. Daniel’s eyes were dark and filled with need as the bloodlust was receding and another lust took its place. I was sure I was his wet dream. I was soft and vulnerable, my heart racing from the adrenaline, and I was covered in blood.
“Zoey,” Daniel groaned my name as he pulled me into his arms. “God, I want you so much.”
This wasn’t the time or place for public sex. It’s sad that I’ve started to think there actually is a time and place for that, but I’d been with Dev for too long. We still had a few issues to work out, so I gave him the next best thing. I put my hand to his mouth, shoving my finger in, and he sucked it, drawing the blood from my skin. He fell to his knees at my side, carefully cleaning each finger as I ran my free hand through his hair, trying to bring him down to earth.
Zack took his place next to Daniel. Lee and Neil, who had changed back to his animal form, rested at my side. The wolves preferred to stay in their strongest form until they were absolutely sure the danger had passed.
“Oh, thank the goddess,” Miria proclaimed, allowing her tears to flow freely. She hugged her son close. “I was told you were dead. Your brother?”
“Is well, Mother,” Declan announced, pushing his way through the crowd. “Surely you couldn’t believe I would allow myself to be murdered.”
Miria
held her arms open for her eldest son. I don’t think she noticed how Dev pulled back from his brother.
“As you can see, Miria, your boys are alive and well,” a booming voice with a thick Scottish accent said. “I didn’t have them brought to my palace and executed as your so-called intelligence suggested.”
I followed Miria’s eyes and caught my first sight of the Unseelie King. Angus dominated the scene. He was at least six foot seven with a broad muscular build. He was dressed savagely in animal skins and leather boots, likely all of which he’d killed himself. His face was covered in scars from previous battles and like his ancestor, Balor of the Evil Eye, there was a place on his forehead that was covered by a patch. His third eye. It was said that if Angus wanted to, he could kill a man with a single glance from that eye.
I couldn’t look at the man and not think “yargh, me mateys.”
“I can see that,” Miria allowed. She frowned as she looked around at the crowd. It seemed to be finally sinking in that she had a traitor in her midst. She glanced back at Padric. “Have the Duke of Ain brought to me, by force if necessary.”
“I will, my queen,” Padric promised. He flicked his hand and five warriors followed him.
“I was so worried,” Miria said to her eldest son. “I knew you were going to the Unseelie homeland to save your brother’s goddess. I was told Angus had caught you and executed all of you.”
“Nothing so dramatic, Mother,” Declan explained, looking nonchalant. “It was simple. Zoey had been taken prisoner by the Unseelie traitor, Con. I was forced to rescue her and Angus’s daughter Chima, who turns out to be my bride.”
“What?” Miria’s eyes widened as she took in the king’s daughter.
Declan shrugged. “I might have been having a secret affair with the Unseelie princess. That affair might have produced a lovely, strong boy. I would not have named him Sean, but I suppose since the boy is used to it we shall have to keep the name.”
