“Day.” There was something about the way she said it. He looked at her and her eyes were that pale blue color that made her seem luminescent. She held onto his hand and squeezed it.
My mate, he thought simply. He didn’t think before he was kissing her again. She threw her arms around his neck and he fell back against the pillar. He wrapped his arms around her waist and lost himself in the kiss, the sweet, reassuring taste of her that sent pleasant little shocks through his body.
“Day,” Cara whispered. The way she whispered in his ear made his cock jump and he gasped a little and moved to mouth at her throat, basking in the soft sounds she made when he tongue-kissed her neck and nibbled at her ear. “Oh…”
“Don’t run away,” he whispered.
“I won’t.”
Her gown was annoyingly secure, he thought. It was keeping him from her as they explored each others mouths, their embrace becoming increasingly heated. Her breath was hot in his ear as his lips slid from her throat to her collarbone to the swell of her breast…
A sound like the crack of thunder coming from the ballroom startled them and they jumped apart, breathless and confused.
“What the hell?” Cara muttered.
Dayen had a bad feeling. In fact, a jolt of ice cold terror made him shiver but he tried not to betray himself as Cara jumped ahead of him and ran back toward the ballroom.
“Cara, wait!” Day shouted, now suddenly alert. He ran with her, a terrible and vague fright nipping at his heels.
The small voice in his head that still sounded like a boy and which had only been able to scream when his parents had been killed and which had never gone away, was whispering in his head.
He’s back.
9
Cara
Cara was dimly aware of Dayen just behind her as she lifted her skirts and ran back to the ballroom where another great rumble like thunder sounded. People were screaming. Cara had a strong urge to tell Dayen to stay behind or better yet, go back to his rooms where he would be much safer. But she already knew he wouldn’t and worse, she’d waste valuable moments arguing when she could be finding out exactly what the danger was.
They really should have planned for this, she thought. But she held her arm out to block his way at last as they skidded into the room where guests were fleeing past them outside or out another door in the corridors of the castle while others simply stood back, eyes wide with shock.
Cara followed their gaze and it took her a moment to actually see what they were all looking at. In fact, she felt it before she saw it. She could feel her interdimensional powers perking up inside her; it was something like the air standing up on the back of your neck but deep inside where her potential ability to manipulate the fabric between worlds lay. All fae had that, it was what made them able to teleport, except hers was far more acute and sensitive and she gasped when she saw the line of blue light hovering in the air and opening, revealing a hole to another realm.
“It’s him,” Dayen said behind her. He sounded far too calm, so calm that it gave him a flat affect. As if he were in shock.
“Who?”
“Gallios.”
She glanced back to look at him and his expression was blank too, but he grabbed her arm and backed up, attempting to pull her away from the danger, and stumbling into a table behind him. It was startling to see him so freaked out when he was usually so effortlessly knowing and light on his feet.
“Who’s Gallios?” Cara asked. She thought she heard Dayen say something but the hole was opening again and ringed by a large bright blue light. She wasn’t scared, she found. Her training had taught her too well to control her reactions to fear. She breathed deep and managed to compartmentalize her responses.
But she was damn curious as a very large fae, so large he must have been more closely related to demons than most, pushed his way through the light that hovered in the middle of the ballroom.
“No, no, no,” Dayen said behind her. He was pulling on her and she resisted easily. “Cara-”
“Gallios,” she muttered. She couldn’t get a good idea of his face. She could only see that he was definitely fae, even as big as he was. She could see his long straight hair and his overly large, pointed ears that curled a little and stretched up, the tips rising beyond the top of his head.
He had come from within that light; a portal of some kind. If he’d needed one to travel between dimensions, Cara quickly reasoned, he must have been trapped there. Otherwise, he should have been able to easily teleport just as all fae did.
Gallios stepped closer to them and a chill ran down Cara’s spine as he spoke.
“Here to finish the job,” he said simply.
“No!” Dayen shouted and jumped in front of her just as Gallios raised his hand. He did not appear to be armed and Cara was confused for a moment, but then the portal’s light was beaming through him and shooting out of his finger that he was pointing straight at Dayen who, like an imbecile, had jumped to protect her.
“Son of a bitch,” Cara muttered, and with inhuman speed she grabbed Dayen by the back of his collar and shoved him aside with such force that he went slamming into the wall. She was just in time as the beam of light shot out straight at her and before she could dodge it, it struck her.
Pain – white and hot and all encompassing – filled her and she screamed, trembling and falling to the floor.
Before she lost consciousness, she saw Gallios roar, enraged that he’d missed his target. Apparently he’d only had the power for one strike and the portal’s light swallowed him and he was gone.
There was the threat, she thought, even as she heard herself screaming bloody murder, feeling as if her entire body was being continuously shocked all at once.
Gallios. She would have known about him if she’d had the nerve to push Dayen harder to talk about his parents. She could have prepared for him. That was a mistake.
And now it had killed her.
10
Dayen
There were several minutes when Day thought to himself: He’s done it again.
Gallios disappeared in a flash of light so quickly, Day thought perhaps he had imagined everything. It would just figure that after having refused to deal with the death of his parents, he would eventually drive himself crazy enough to hallucinate the return of their murderer.
But it had been no delusion. Because everyone had reared back or fled the ballroom and Cara was lying on the floor.
He was so sure she was dead. His stomach turned and he dropped to his knees.
“Cara, Cara,” he whispered, taking her hand. “No, please…”
She was his mate. He was as sure of it as he had ever been about anything. Now she was dead. He had just watched his entire future destroyed in front of his eyes (again), someone he loved simply snuffed out. He had never even told her...
“Cara.” He wept and he didn’t care how it looked as people began to trickle back into the room. The roar of the conversation as they discussed what had just happened made his head hurt but it was all a wordless ruckus in his ears as he held Cara’s hand. She was so still and it was already making him angry. She should have been frowning or rolling her eyes or telling him he was being stupid.
“She’s alive.” Pendry, one of the royal family’s sorcerers knelt down beside them. He took Cara’s other hand, feeling her wrist, and then leaned down to listen to her chest. “Yes, she’s breathing. It’s rather thready. I must get her upstairs…”
Dayen composed himself and snapped into action upon hearing the words: She’s alive. He picked up Cara in his arms and she was light as air to him as he followed Pendry back through the ballroom, ignoring his uncle who was making noises about someone else taking Cara to be cared for while the prince was taken to safety.
“He’s gone,” Dayen snapped, marching down the corridor, the sharp snap of his boots echoing as bystanders watched him carrying his self-sacrificing lady away. “I’m safe.”
The castle had its own healing rooms
and they were up a narrow spiral staircase. It seemed too long a walk and Dayen’s brows furrowed, his eyes still sore from having wept, as he gazed at Cara’s pale face. She was so unnaturally still. She still looked dead to him and it was making his heart turn over. It felt uncomfortable in his chest.
“Dayen,” Cade was saying. Dayen hadn’t even realized Cade was still behind him. He didn’t stop and only muttered a cursory response. “Dayen!”
“What?” He snapped over his shoulder. At the top of the stairs, he jogged to keep up with Pendry, now disappearing into a room. Dayen wasn’t sure he’d ever even been to this part of the castle before. Fae never got sick and rarely were there injuries unless the realm was at war. He swept in and lay Cara down on the stone table Pendry nodded at.
“What do you need?” Cade asked crisply. He clasped his hands in front of him and Dayen blinked at his uncle for a moment, baffled. “I have one of our other sorcerers on the ballroom. He’s going to trace wherever Gallios came from, or try to. We’ll find out everything we can. All the guests are being escorted out.”
“Good,” Dayen muttered. “I’m staying with Cara. I trust you can handle things-”
“Of course.” Of course he could. He always did. “You care for her very much, don’t you?”
“Yes,” Dayen said. “She’s my mate.” He looked up at Cade who appeared shocked. That was something. It was very difficult to surprise Cade. “You said it should be easy? You met Mai at a ball and that was it. You knew. Well, I know. This is the girl. She’s it. I’m positive.”
“She’s very brave,” Cade said, quickly moving out of the way as Pendry rushed forward with a mortar and pestle and several little bottles of herbs.
“Of course, she is,” Day affirmed, stepping back to let the sorcerer go about his business saving Cara.
“I don’t know what that killing strike was,” Pendry said, as he ground up his herbs in the mortar. “But it was definitely meant to kill you from what I saw.”
“I agree,” Dayen uttered under his breath.
“Yet you jumped in front of Cara,” Cade pointed out. “She’s meant to protect you.”
“I’d do it again,” Dayen contended fiercely.
“My point being,” Pendry told him, “if it didn’t kill her, she must be exceptionally strong. Or perhaps somehow immune to the sort of power Gallios was using.” He’d made a paste and now he drew Xs along Cara’s chest above the neckline of her gown and along her throat.
“They were interdimensional powers,” Cade said, crossing his arms. “They must have been. He was taking power from the portal that brought him here. I’m sure the sorcerers will confirm it.”
“Why would he need a portal?” Dayen asked wearily, his eyes never leaving Cara. She was breathing easier now, her chest visibly rising and falling. Pendry held her wrist, whispering a spell and nodding with satisfaction at Dayen at whatever he’d just discovered. “Why wouldn’t he just teleport?’
“He was exiled to a nether realm,” Cade answered. “You ought to know that. He was locked into a dimension where he would not be able to escape after…”
“Yes,” Dayen mumbled.
After he killed my parents.
“So he must have figured out how to open a portal and escape,” Dayen said. “He just wasn’t able to teleport.”
“Day…” Cara was waking up, babbling as she stirred.
“Cara,” Dayen whispered, grasping her hand in his. He looked to Pendry.
“I think she’ll be alright. She should rest tomorrow to be sure.” Pendry was wiping the paste off on a rag. He smiled assuredly down at his patient. “You can take her back to her rooms. Just send someone to fetch me if there’s a problem. She’s quite strong. She just got knocked out really.”
“Can I just have a minute please before I take her down?” Dayen asked.
“Of course.” Cade nudged Pendry and the two made themselves scarce.
“Day,” Cara murmured, blinking up at him. “What… ?” She looked confused and muddled and all at once she gasped, her memory apparently coming back to her. Her eyes went wide, turning from gray to pink, and her grip on him tightened. “That man! Gallios!”
Dayen winced but he cleared his throat, attempting to appear unaffected. “He’s gone. He basically showed up to kill me but you had to get in the way like the brave fool you are.” She smiled and he couldn’t hide his naked adoration. He reached down to caress her cheek and smooth down her hair. “My warrior fae…”
Cara leaned into the touch but just as quickly frowned up at Dayen. “You tried to get in the way,” she croaked. “He would’ve killed you. Stupid. I’m supposed to protect you. Fates said so.”
Dayen shrugged. “We can argue about that later.”
“Dayen…” She chuckled then, as if amused yet infuriated.
He slid his hands beneath her, sweeping her up in his arms again. “Come, my love. Let me take you back to your room.”
“Can I go to your room?” She sighed, leaning her head on his chest. “Your room…”
“Of course,” Dayen told her. He kissed her forehead as they made their way out of the healing room and back down the stairs. “Whatever you wish.”
By the time he had carried her all the way back to their quarters, Cara was much more alert and seemingly embarrassed. “Oh… You don’t have to take me to your bed…”
“Too late,” Dayen said simply. He kicked open his door and carried her across the plush carpeting to his massive bed covered by a silk burgundy canopy. When he laid her down, she bounced a little and braced herself on her elbows, staring at Dayen as he removed her shoes.
“Did you… Did you call me your love?” Cara asked cautiously.
Dayen carefully placed her shoes on the floor and then sat on the bed next to her. The time for hiding his feelings and pretending he wasn’t in love was long over now. He didn’t think he’d be able to hide his passion for Cara, even if he wanted to. Her eyes were now that pale blue he liked so much, regarding him steadily.
“I did, my love,” Dayen said. Her cheeks reddened attractively at that and he chuckled. “She blushes.”
“I did not,” Cara said.
“You did,” he whispered, and leaned down to kiss her. Cara kissed back and gripped his shoulders, pulling him closer. He felt overcome and nuzzled her nose before pulling away again. “Careful, sweets. You need to rest.”
Cara was chewing on her lip. She looked so shy, her hair disheveled and undone and splayed around her on the silk pillows. “I don’t want to rest. Besides, I have to find out what this asshole’s going to do next. It’s my mission and he could hurt you-”
“You will,” he promised. He picked her hand up and laid soft little kisses along her knuckles. “You will. But it’s late now. Just try to rest for now. We’ll know more tomorrow.”
“Will you sleep here with me then?” Cara said, as if it were a dare.
Dayen raised an eyebrow and kicked off his shoes. He took off his perfectly-tailored jacket and and reached beneath Cara on the bed to pull back the blankets before climbing in and tucking them both in underneath the plush covers, so soft and thick it was like sleeping in clouds. He spooned up behind Cara and kissed the nape of her neck and she hummed happily, snuggling up against him.
This was how it was meant to be, Dayen thought to himself as the two of them fell asleep.
In the morning, it was as if nothing had happened to Cara at all. She woke before Dayen who stirred when she kissed the tip of his nose and clamored out of bed.
“Where are you going?” he grumbled, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. It was early yet, he noted, frowning as the amber light of the sunrise streamed through an opening in his drapes. It’s practically still night.”
“I’m cleaning up!” Cara said brightly. He sighed, leaning on his hands and looking her up and down. She was still wearing her gown, though it was wrinkled and rumpled now. The paste that Pendry had applied was smeared along her chest and it had likely gotten all
over his sheets, not that he cared much. He’d have a maid clean them.
She looks adorable, he thought.
“Come back when you’ve gotten ready,” he said. “We’ll breakfast together.”
He wanted to eat alone with her in his room. He had a desperate and passionate sense of wanting to be with her now that he knew for certain where they stood. He had almost lost her. He wouldn’t lose her again…
“I was going to work out first,” she said. “And it’s too early for breakfast.”
He rolled his eyes, smirking. “Alright, well…get cleaned up and then we’ll teleport to the city. We can jog in the park and get one of your stupid lattes or cold brews or chai things.”
She lit up at that. “Yeah? Alright!”
His heart leapt a little in his chest. It was the inverse of how he’d felt seeing her in danger just the night before. He had wanted to take her to Central Park, to watch the people go by and hold her hand and stagger with sore feet to get a coffee afterwards. He was glad she liked the idea too.
An hour later they were jogging along a stone path, dodging other early morning joggers as they made their way. They had been going at it for twenty minutes and Dayen was about to suggest they pause and take a break. He was not nearly so driven to work out as much as hang out with Cara who, he thought, looked sexy as hell in her leggings and crop top that she was wearing as they ran side by side. But Cara stopped first, catching her breath and nudging him.
“Let’s sit a minute?” Cara suggested. They stretched and sat on a bench to catch their breath and Cara leaned against him. He smiled to himself and wrapped an arm around her. “It’s time,” she said.
He knew what she meant. He didn’t like it, but she was right. It was long past time for him to tell her about his parents.
“No one knows where in the realm Gallios came from,” Dayen said. He sat back, staring straight ahead at the fountain and the way the light hit the water and the rustle of the leaves. There were places in the fae realm so beautiful, he had always thought humans might faint upon the sight of them, but he had always preferred Central Park; the oasis in the middle of a sprawling, grimy, fascinating and too-human metropolis. There was no place like that among the fae. “He must be half-demon. Or anyhow, he has much more demon in him than most fae. He made himself known...abruptly. He massacred an entire village. There was nothing complicated about his motives. He just wanted the realm for himself at any cost. My parents sent men to hunt him down and he always dodged them…”
Royal Fae Bodyguard (Brunswick Academy for Gifted Girls Book 1) Page 9
