by Amy Sumida
The witches nodded grimly, and we filed out the door. I let Killian take lead, holding his mother's hand, and I took up the rear to help the stragglers. I wanted to make sure Killian and Elara got out first. But as I was scanning the area, I felt Killian settle back beside me.
“We don't have the space for all of them,” Killian whispered and pointed towards the parking area. “We're going to have to steal one of those vans.”
“Alright,” I agreed. “I assume you know how to hot wire a vehicle?”
“What? You can't just magic it into working, Twilight?”
“Shut up and go save your mommy, Skeletor,” I rolled my eyes. “I'll take these four,” I nodded to the three men closest to me, “and head to our car. Meet us at the airport.”
“You got it, Vampire Princess,” Killian winked at me and headed off.
“Alright, this way,” I led my group to the side fence I'd scaled earlier.
Just as we were about to start climbing, I heard an engine start. There were some shouts as Killian drove his stolen van straight towards the front gates. Then there were even more shouts as my group was spotted.
“Go, go, go,” I waved them over the fence as I turned to face the oncoming humans.
With a swift wave of my hand, I sent a wall of burning thorns up behind us. It wouldn't stop any bullets, but it would hinder their sight and prevent them from closing in on us.
To my surprise, it did more than that. It confused the struck humans so much, they ended up just standing there, gaping at the fire. A fairy-struck human could only function under commands, and they obviously hadn't been told what to do when faced with burning vines.
I was still smirking when we reached the car.
“Thank you,” one of the men said to me as we sped away. “I don't know who you are, lady, but you're my new favorite person.”
“I'm Extinguisher Seren Sloane,” I said and swallowed hard. It was one last tribute to the man who had once been my father. An acknowledgment of what he'd made me, what he'd wanted me to be.
Chapter Fifteen
I returned the rental, then met Killian and his ragtag group of witches at the terminal. When I walked up with my group of four, there was some kind of argument breaking out. Killian gave me a grim look and shook his head.
“My son just saved your ungrateful life,” Elara was saying to another female witch.
“I'm grateful,” the witch hissed, definitely a Biter, “but that doesn't change the fact that he's a monster. A mutant who should never have been birthed.”
“Whoa,” I stepped up. “What the hell?”
“Stay out of this, Extinguisher,” the vampire witch snapped at me.
“It's Ambassador to you,” I growled and the woman froze.
“What?” she turned wide, blue eyes my way.
“My name is Ambassador Seren Sloane Firethorn of Twilight,” I leveled my star-spoked eyes on her, and her gaze went from those silver stars to the purple ombré stripe in my hair.
“Princess Seren?” she squeaked.
“See?” I looked back at Killian, who was watching our exchange avidly, and waved my fingers towards the Biter witch, “this is the correct response.”
“Yeah, I get it. You're a big heap ambassador-extinguisher-princess combo thing,” Killian grinned. “Go on with your bad self.”
I rolled my eyes back to the Biter.
“Wanna explain why you just called my friend, and your savior, a monster?” I returned my look to the woman.
“They're blasphemers,” she pointed at Elara and another petite blonde woman beside her. “Outcasts!”
“We are not outcasts,” the blonde woman growled. “My parents chose to leave their tribes. We are casters.”
“They breed with other tribes and create freaks,” the woman went on, sending a nasty look towards the blonde, “just like her.”
“I'm sorry, vampire,” I angled my face into hers. “Did you just call someone a freak? Isn't that a little pot versus kettle?”
Killian choked back a laugh.
“My apologies for my wife, Princess,” a man slid his arm around the woman's waist. “It's a religious issue for us, you understand?”
“Religion again,” I let out a long breath “I've spoken with the Goddess you worship. The one who can't even hear your prayers because you live in her brother's world.” The witches went quiet and eased closer to me, eager to hear about Danu, even Elara and her blonde friend went still. The Goddess was a big deal to witches. “And let me tell you something, Biters. Danu loves mixing it up. My whole kingdom is peopled by fairies who are a blend of seelie and unseelie. The twilight fey are just like these...” I glanced to the blonde for help.
“Casters,” she supplied the word for me. “We call ourselves casters.”
“Nice play on words,” I nodded.
“It was meant to be accurate and a slap in the face,” Killian smirked.
“As long as it's not a woman's face, though. Right?” I smirked back.
“I might make an exception for her,” Killian chuckled and eyed the Bite witch.
“The Goddess would never approve of such mutations,” the Biter woman hissed again.
“Damn it, woman,” I growled. “What do you think you are? You are the product of over a thousand years of mutations. Your magic stems from the Fey, but it isn't just fairy magic anymore. Evolution has diluted it and twisted it into something new. Didn't you get the memo? Welcome to the circus, we're all freaks here.”
She just gaped at me. As did the passing humans.
“Practicing for a play,” I waved towards the gawkers. “Sorry 'bout that. Actors, right? We're all crazy.”
They moved along, relieved to find a sane explanation for our insanity.
“Look,” I laid a hand on the woman's shoulder, and she flinched. “Take it easy. We've all had a long day, but you're safe now. I'm going to buy you all tickets home, wherever your home may be, and then you can try and put this behind you.”
“Thank you, Princess,” the woman's husband said.
“Don't thank me,” I pulled out Keir's American Express card, “thank King Keir of Twilight.”
Chapter Sixteen
The blonde caster woman was named Julie. She was a mix like Killian, but her mix was Beckoning and Bite. Talk about a deadly duo. I was surprised a few humans were able to snatch her. But then the ladies told us how they were taken. The humans had snuck up behind them and injected them with some kind of drug. They'd blacked out and awakened chained.
The witches had no idea what Uisdean and Rue were up to. All they knew was that Rue killed the witches and turned everyone else into the walking dead. Julie said she'd heard Rue muttering something about mutants under her breath. That Rue had sounded an awful lot like the crazy Biter woman (whose name was actually Anna). They assumed the witch killings were hate crimes, but I didn't think it was that simple.
It turned out that all the witches were from Alaska. Uisdean and Rue must have just gathered them up as they passed through town. I just couldn't figure out the why of it yet. It was one thing to kill people attacking you, but they had gone out of their way to collect people to murder... and then they hadn't even bothered to kill them right away. They were saving witches to slaughter later, like a squirrel gathering nuts for winter. There had to be a reason for it. A reason for taking witches in particular and spacing out their kills. I was betting it had something to do with Dagda's club.
These witches had been kept chained in a separate room while Rue amused herself with the group sent in by the Coven. So they didn't see any of the action Killian and I had. And even if they had, they'd probably be just as confused as I was. None of it made any sense. What was going on in my Aunt's undead brain?
I'd have to ponder serial witch slaughters later. For the moment, I focused on getting the witches to safety. I bought us all tickets for the next flight to Alaska, and guarded them like Cerebus at the Gates of the Underworld, as we waited for our plane. It wasn't til
l we were settled on board, that Killian brought up the subject of Uisdean and Rue again.
We were sitting with his mother and Julie. I had grabbed the window seat. My dad had paid for the seats so I figured I should get first dibs. Killian took the one beside me, and the caster women sat across the aisle from us.
“Tell me about the club,” Killian whispered to me.
“It's a fairy artifact,” I shrugged. “A weapon,” I looked out the window as we took off, my thoughts returning to Ewan.
I was leaving him there, literally leaving him to rot, and it was tearing me apart. Was Ewan aware of what was happening to him? Was his soul trapped in that decaying flesh? Sweet Goddess, the horror of it was compounding the more I thought on it. Beckoners couldn't reanimate a body with a soul still clinging to it. But Rue's magic reanimated the dead immediately. Was it because the frostbite forced the soul out? Or did the frostbite freeze the soul too? If the soul was frozen in place during death, there was a chance that it had remained behind, even after Rue had claimed the body. Maybe her magic had nothing to do with reanimation. It was just another type of freezing. If Ewan was still in there...
“We're coming back for them,” Killian grabbed my arm and angled his face into mine, despite the thrust of take off. “Don't you doubt that for one second, Twilight. I'm not leaving your side until we put your father to rest. That's a promise.”
“You don't have to do that,” I gave him a little smile. “Take your mother home and be with your family. I have people who will help me.”
“Yeah you do. You have me. You helped me save my mom and now I'm going to help you save your dad,” Killian growled and sat back in his seat. “And that's fucking final.”
“Killian Blair!” his mother chided. “That language is not fit for your current company.”
Killian's face flushed and I bit my lip to keep from laughing.
“Sorry, Mom,” he muttered.
“There are ladies present, and one of them is a princess,” Elara hissed at him, “Show some respect. And, sweetheart,” she leaned forward to peer around Killian. “What happened to your father?”
“It's a long story,” I sighed.
“I got you, Twilight,” Killian slipped his hand over mine and gave me a quick squeeze before turning to his mother and whispering all the sordid details to her.
Well, not all of them. Killian didn't know all of the details. But he knew enough to satisfy his mother's curiosity. Enough to save me from having to speak it all over again, while I mourned Ewan. I stared at Killian as he spoke, watching the way his face softened as he looked at his mother. Now that she was safe, Killian's whole body seemed to have relaxed. He had gone from a soldier to a son. A beloved son.
Elara stared at her boy like he was Christ come down from Heaven. Killian was obviously her entire world, as she was his. That had been Ewan and me once. Maybe we didn't share their extreme affection for each other, but Ewan and I had been family. Ewan's mother was still alive, but she was a frigid councilwoman and wasn't a big part of our lives. Really, it was just the two of us.
“Oh dang it,” I whispered.
“See, now that's an acceptable exclamation,” Elara said to her son.
“What's wrong?” Killian ignored her.
“I have to tell my grandmother about Ewan,” I shook my head. “Who am I kidding? That woman was never family to me. I have to inform Councilwoman Sloane that her son is dead... undead. She'll blame me of course.”
“Now, Princess Seren,” Elara tsked. “No one can blame you for what's happened. You're as much of a victim as I was in this.”
“Seren is hardly a victim, Mom,” Killian chuckled. “She's pretty hardcore for a princess.”
“Thanks,” I slid him a sideways smile.
“We make a great team, Twilight,” he nudged me with his massive shoulder.
Honestly, it was a good thing I'd splurged on First Class for the four of us (there was no way I was paying for the racist Biter bitch to ride up here), or Killian would have been supremely uncomfortable. That body wasn't built for coach.
“Yeah, we did good,” I agreed. “We saved who we could. But now I'll have to face the music with my birth father, and possibly with the Councils and the Coven too. Then we'll have to assemble an army to take care of Uisdean and Rue. A few units aren't going to do the trick.”
“You won't be facing them alone. I'll be with you,” Killian reminded me.
“No, you won't.”
“Try and stop me, Twilight,” he smiled wickedly, as if the thought of sparring with me was tantalizing.
“Fine. Have it your way, Skeletor,” I shook my head. “But you're going to regret it.”
“I have a feeling I'll regret it more if I let you go,” he said.
I looked at him in surprise.
“Without me,” Killian amended. “If I let you go back there without me.”
“Killian,” I whispered, getting ready to deliver the I-have-a-boyfriend talk.
“Yeah, yeah, I know,” he grinned broader. “You got a lord hunter and a king chasing after you. What the hell would you want with a mutant witch?”
“You're as much a mutant as I am,” I rolled my eyes.
“I guess I am,” Killian lifted a brow. “And maybe that's what you need. Someone more like you and less like them.”
Chapter Seventeen
Raza was waiting for me at the Juneau Airport.
He was glamoured under a human mask. His normally true-black skin had changed to tawny bronze, his sharp dragon features softened into an acceptable human range of rugged handsomeness, and his golden dragon eyes toned down to topaz with regular round pupils. Raza's shoulder-length, black hair, with its two crimson stripes, cut in a style as sharp as his features usually were, was the same as ever. So was his massive, linebacker body. But the ebony dragons wings were gone, completely hidden, as were the talons which tipped his fingers.
Raza was dressed in a human suit, tailored expensively, and topped off with a pair of sleek sunglasses. His arms were crossed over his chest disapprovingly, and his expression was that of a man barely containing his rage. How had I known his eyes were glamoured if he'd had sunglasses on? Because Raza removed those shades when he saw me, slipping them into his chest pocket before narrowing his furious stare on me.
Then he saw Killian. More specifically, he saw Killian's hand resting companionably on my shoulder.
Raza's topaz eyes flashed dangerously, his dragon-self flaring beneath his glamour. He strode to our little group as I hurried forward to intercept him. I wanted to distance the witches from this unavoidable altercation before it became catastrophic. But Killian, the stubborn bastard, kept pace with me. I had to stop and give him a shove backwards for him to get the message.
He didn't. Killian just followed me more slowly... unbeknownst to me. So I stepped up to Raza, thinking we had a measure of privacy, when Killian was actually moving up right behind me. He did say he wasn't leaving my side till we got my father back. I just hadn't realized he'd meant that literally.
“What are you doing here?” I decided to go on the offense with Raza.
“What am I-” Raza started indignantly, but then cut himself off and set his furious gaze over my shoulder.
I looked behind me and huffed, “Killian, do you mind?”
“Which one is this?” Killian asked instead of answering or backing away.
“Killian!” I snapped.
“Just tell me which of the two he is,” Killian kept his gaze leveled on Raza. “Is this the boyfriend?” his fists clenched at his sides until his knuckles cracked.
“I am King Raza Tnyn of Unseelie,” Raza leaned in aggressively towards Killian. “Who the fuck are you?”
Whoa. Raza said a bad word. Things had just got real.
“I'm Killian Blair,” Killian set his stare just as aggressively on Raza, though he relaxed his hands. “Seren's new partner.”
“Partner?” Raza eyes flashed back to me.
“K
illian, why don't you go find everyone a cab home?” I growled at him. “Before I have to kick your ass in front of an entire airport full of people.”
“Yeah, alright,” Killian's expression suddenly shifted into a smile. “I got you, Twilight.”
He turned and headed back to the gawking group of witches behind him.
“I assure you, Mr. Blair,” Raza called after him. “You do not have her.”
“Maybe not yet,” Killian called back.
Raza started to go after him, eyes glowing past his glamour.
“Annoying, isn't it?” I pushed Raza back. “When someone insists there will be a relationship which you don't want to happen.”
“But you do want our relationship to happen, Seren,” Raza angled himself closer to me, intimately close. I could feel the heat radiating off his body, and the anger. I wasn't sure if he wanted to kiss me or strangle me. “We both know how much you want it.”
“Raza, not the time,” I shook my head.
“No, it's not,” he agreed and stepped back, cracking his neck and stretching his shoulders. “Now is the time for you to explain why you left Twilight against your father's direct orders, and pursued Uisdean across the blasted United States!”
“I went from Alaska to Montana,” I huffed. “That's hardly across the USA, blasted or otherwise. And I don't have to explain myself to you, King Raza.”
“You're in my territory,” Raza growled. “You do have to explain yourself.”
“No, baby,” I smirked and shook a finger at him, “you're in my world now. Earth is human domain, no matter what kingdom it's connected to in Fairy. I don't have to tell you shit.”
“Damn you, Seren!” Raza shouted, then took a deep breath when he noticed how much attention we were garnering. A fight at the airport gets noticed quickly. “Davy informed me of your arrival, so I scried your father. King Keir told me what you'd done. He was on the verge of sending knights after you, but I promised him that I'd find you myself, and protect you until I returned you to Twilight.”
