Alec gasped, and tickled her again making Maeve break out into high-pitched giggles mid lecture.
Breandan’s eyes slitted as he focused on what flowed between the two young demons. “No,” he said as if the word was an order to stop the affection growing between them that would be instantly followed.
He took a step forward and I dug my heels in to jerk him to a halt. “Uh, too late,” I replied dryly and caught his hand with both of mine before he could pull away. “We’re not the only ones stuck on each other.”
I was delighted for them both. No doubt, Maeve was the mysterious forbidden love Alec had been referring to. It was easy to see that the Claiming was upon them both and disrupting that would be wrong.
Breandan caught my gaze and his own warmed, caressed my face even as his thumb rubbed the inside of my palm.
Stomping boots broke our moment of peace as Conall darted up to us to stand a few paces away. His gaze roamed over me in concern, mouth pulled down into a scowl. He was covered in patches of gore, and long wisps of dark hair from his ponytail trailed down his face and neck.
I assured him wordlessly that I was okay, and touched the back of his hand gently, an apology evident in my eyes for scaring him so deeply.
Pale faced and exhausted, Ana hung limply over his shoulder like a sack of grain. “Can I get down now?” she squeaked.
Breaking eye contact with me, he set her down carefully, and the first thing she did was stick her tongue out at him then me. She dusted herself off and crossed her arms over her chest, still looking hot, bothered, and embarrassed.
Before I could apologize, Lex stumbled into sight. Her chalk white skin was splattered with crimson from chin to waist and she held Ro up. One of his arms was flung over her shoulder, and he looked like he’d been to hell and back. A deep gash over his eye seeped, and his shoulder looked dislocated by the funny angle he held his arm. With each step, he grunted in pain and gritted his teeth.
She set him down on a chunk of wall that had survived some of the blast, and he winced, eyes closing in pain. She shot me a bloodied smile over her shoulder then made Ro comfortable. When he was relatively settled she yanked on his arm and pushed his body back. There was a loud crunch and Ro howled in pain. Lex rolled back onto her heels as he cursed at her then settled down to cross her legs. She placed her chin in her upturned palm as he jumped up and down cursing all manner of gods and creation.
Safe. All of my friends were safe and well. My eyes closed briefly and I sent up a small prayer of thanks. The gods had to be listening for us to have come through this relatively unscathed. We had removed a dangerous threat and were alive to fight another day. Yes, my prayers had been answered. The shifter twins were free and back with their father like I had, ah, planned, and we could get back hunting Devlin. This time the weight of an entire Pride behind us. First, I had a few loose ends to clean up.
I jerked my chin toward the far corner of the courtyard. “What shall we do with them?” I asked Breandan.
The dust covered Disciples had rallied together and cowered in a far corner. A few unconscious, or worse for wear Clerics had been dragged into their midst, and were being shook or slapped awake. Squinting, I was relieved to see Samuel in their midst, seeing to his comrades wounds. The Disciples were torn between staring at Breandan, me, and the rubble that used to be their home.
I felt guilty all over again. Had the Temple been destroyed a few days ago and I was still clueless like them I would have been devastated, frightened. My confusion no doubt would have turned to anger at the demons that had done it. How scared they must all be. The Priests and younger Disciples had been long evacuated by the order of Cleric Tu, so the deaths would only be those who had fought my friends, and been unlucky enough to be gouged in the wrong place with a claw or blade. I did ask them to go easy, but Conall, Breandan, and Maeve had not heard my speech, and had released a whole world of pain upon them.
The Disciples watched me as if I was going to chomp their head off at any moment. I sighed. Was it worth trying to talk to them as an equal? Maybe if I explained what was going on they would understand. They must have felt the hex settle then lift off them.
Breandan’s eyes had clouded with confusion and concern. “Rae-love...”
“Are you going to murder us now demon,” a pissed voice called across the space. Zoe sat up rubbing her head and glared at me as if all her troubles were my solely fault.
And it wasn’t fair.
I’d been through hell to protect the Disciples, her included.
By gods, I stomped my foot, and shrieked at her, “Okay, so I gave you a black eye. Yes, my fairy and vampire had destroyed half of Bayou. Sure, I flattened Sanctuary,” I paused. “Okay fine the entire Temple, but really, everything is not entirely my fault. Technically I saved your ungrateful ass,” I held up two fingers, “twice!”
Zoe’s heavily freckled face looked anxious, but her eyes sparked with anger. Lex had dropped her hold on Ro, and the look she shot Zoe had the girl’s complexion jumping from pink with anger to pale with fear.
The look of hunger on Lex’s face had me drawing in a deep breath.
“No,” I said and drew myself up tall, daring anybody to defy me. “Lex, we’re letting them go.”
“They wouldn’t have left us alive,” Ro wheezed.
“It doesn’t matter. They shouldn’t have been out here in the first place.” My eyes roamed the Temple grounds. “Gods, what were the Priests thinking allowing Cleric Tu to bring them here.” I pushed my hair out of my eyes, and my tail thumped the floor once in finality. “We’re sending them away.”
Lex scowled at them, at me, but nodded then crouched down beside Ro, licking her lips. I shivered, nauseated. I was still having a hard time accepting her new bloodthirsty nature, and it was upsetting she could not extend sympathy for the Disciples. She used to be one. I sighed. I had done this to her, and did I truly know all the ways her transformation had affected her?
Breandan clasped my chin and made me look at him. It looked like he was the only one brave enough to challenge me. I knew all the arguments he could use. All the logic and battle strategy that said leaving enemies trained to hate us alive and well was reckless, risky. That it would cause more trouble later, and I would regret it in the end.
All these arguments, logical as they were, did not detract from the fact killing them would be barbaric, something we needed to change.
As a human, I had been shunned and mocked, never blending in or being part of the ‘in’ crowd. Yet, I had been taken in and raised by these people. Living as a human shaped who I was, how I saw the world and it always would. There was so much good in them, and holding onto thoughts of how Lex used to be, Samuel’s kindness, and the Priest that had secured my future when I was a baby, I strengthened my resolve. I would protect them as my own.
I stared Breandan down until he nodded his acceptance.
Taking my hand, he turned to face them. “You may go,” he bellowed, his voice amplified by magic into a melodious boom. “Remember the kindness you have been shown today.” He motioned to me. “If not for her you would be dead.”
“Or eaten,” Lex mumbled under her breath.
The Disciples did not need another word to be spoken. Blubbering between themselves, they scrambled up, and stumbled away in a tight knit group, jumping, and shrieking at every shadow. Zoe held her head high and kept her back straight, moving with decisive slow steps. And she was not the only one. The truly hard and strong of them simply glared over their shoulders and calmly walked away. From those calm few would come the next hatemonger, but that was a worry for another day, and one I knew I could handle. The key to dealing with the humans was getting to the Priests. I knew they were simply full of fear and confused. I had to reach them somehow and make them hear me.
“We cannot stay here too long, Rae. They will come back to fight,” Ro said.
I rubbed my head. “I know you all think I’m making a mistake letting them leave, but we’re n
ot the bloodthirsty demons they think us to be.” Lex snickered and there was a honking laugh from Ro. I bit my lip to stop my answering smile; their inappropriate humor was infectious. “If we act like heartless creatures it will vindicate the lies of the true monsters like Cleric Tu.”
“Well said. Once we have the grimoire everything will change for the better,” Conall said firmly. “We use the spell, dispose of Devlin and put you and Lochlann in your rightful places. The rest will follow.”
“I don’t know, Conall,” Maeve said in her high chime. Alec smiled down on her and her flush of pleasure had a purple stain blooming across her cheeks. “After what we’ve seen here do we still think using witchcraft is the right way to do this? At first I agreed wholeheartedly, but now … after seeing Rae struggling to deal with such darkness … no … I’m not so sure using the witches’ grimoire is the right way.”
I almost missed the meaning of what had been said, so focused had I been on the backs of the retreating Disciples. Samuel glanced over his shoulder at me, dipped his head then he was gone.
“Uh, wait,” I butt in and frowned as I ran Maeve’s words around in my head again. “The witches’ grimoire ... you mean the book was written by witches?”
The fairies fell silent.
Papa Obe had made me think more on the significance of the spell book since he explained the Vodoun had helped keep it from witches, but I hadn’t realized why the witches wanted it so badly now. I kept looking at the grimoire as Lochlann’s way of taking the High Lordship from Devlin whilst keeping within the rules of fairykind, essentially, a book of fairy magics, but that was not the case. The book had a bigger role to play, especially if the witches had written it. It made the magics it contained dark. It explained why the witches were interested in finding me, and why their attention had fallen on the Temple. They wanted their book back, and I had the key, the amulets.
The look Conall gave me was apologetic and almost ashamed. I narrowed my eyes, looked at each of their faces slowly. Maeve looked discomfited, resolute, but ashamed. As always, the only one in the dark and having revelations was me.
After a full minute of silence, I found my voice, and I yanked my hand from Breandan’s to move away from him. “You have got to be out of your minds? You were going to try and depose Devlin from the throne by using witchcraft?” Conall winced at the power of my voice. Good. Cause I was pissed. “Why was I not told this?”
“We didn’t want to frighten you,” Breandan explained. “You only knew witchcraft to be an evil practice.”
“That’s because it is,” I said furiously. “They feed off darkness and you want to use it to bring down the fairy High Lord?”
“The Vodoun use black magic, Rae.” Breandan pointed to Lex, who started guiltily. “You stood in the way of natural order to save your friend. You called on the Loa and used the dark arts to bring her back. Were your intentions not good and noble?”
I shook my head. “You’re twisting everything. What I did wasn’t an accident, but it wasn’t exactly intentional either. I reacted in a moment of grief.”
Breandan glowered at me. “Our actions were intentional and carefully planned as what was considered best for the fairy people. You saw what Devlin was doing to us.”
“One wrong does not cancel out the other,” I said firmly. “Ana told me Devlin could be removed by a spell in the grimoire, but I didn’t understand the implications of what she was saying.” I looked at him pointedly. “You once told me Devlin could be removed by majority vote. I foolishly assumed the two were tied.”
He was already shaking his head. “The people won’t vote against him. They are too frightened, and the vote cannot be cast without him present. He has been a lord for over seven centuries Rae, and High Lord for two of them. Even if they fear him, they respect him. They won’t vote against him.”
“So I’m clear your family,” I spun to Conall to include him in my damnation, “and mine decided to lead a revolt against a rightfully appointed sovereign who is still in power because the people respect him even if they fear him?” They all looked away from me and I had my answer. I was beleaguered with anger. This was not what I had been led to believe was happening. “You lied to me.”
“No,” Breandan and Conall said as one.
I made an impatient movement with my hand. “Fine, but you twisted everything to make it seem like Devlin was this evil tyrant who needed dragging down lest he ruin the whole world.”
Devlin’s words came back to me; “Don’t you see, Rae? The rebels are still part of my Tribe and they will be until the day I no longer rule … they may not agree with me and encourage Lochlann’s tantrum and defy me for a while, but so be it … Breandan overstepped his place … turned his back on tradition thousands of years old … Don’t be foolish, you have a chance to save many of our kind … Our ancestors’ legacy flows strongly through your veins, and you could help bring us back together …We are fairy and bound to keep our oath by magics … take your rightful place in my Tribe we can put an end to this feud.”
All the blood drained from my head and I swayed. Breandan stepped forward to help me, but I staggered back. If he touched me he would overwhelm me, and make it too hard to think. Make it hard to see past the web of half-truth’s they had told to manipulate me.
“He wanted the same things you did. He wanted me to help him bring the race back together. He told me himself, and we fairies cannot lie. He practically begged me to help and I didn’t listen because you all had me convinced that he was evil.”
Breandan cut the air with a bold swipe of his palm as if to erase the words and the feeling of distrust swelling between us. “You have seen what he has done. Do not make the mistake of seeing our actions as immoral. He is poison.”
Balling up my fists, I shook them at him. “Being evil and being a hard-assed leader are two different bloody things. What I’m beginning to understand is Lochlann decided he knew what was best for the fairy race and fractured it.” I turned to Conall. “You told me our family had to fix the mess we made, but all we’ve done is make it worse.”
Conall shook his head violently, ponytail flicking from side to side, his face anguished. “This must be done. He was making things unbearable. He became suspicious of everything and everyone.”
“Clearly he had reason to be,” I seethed.
“He withdrew from the other demons instead of using his influence to guide them into a new era,” Conall objected. “He was killing us.”
Even now, their words sounded reasonable, and could be nothing but truth, but I now knew it was only one side of the story.
I put my hands over my ears. “Stop it. Stop talking.”
Breandan did touch me this time. He yanked my hands down and kept his long fingers wrapped round my wrists. “We had to result to base measure to remove a base threat. What we did walked the line between what is right and what is wrong, but we never crossed it. It was my purpose to give my body to protect the people. I am covered with symbols and incantations of power that have been gathered for millennia and passed down from one chosen fairy to another. They help me see, guide my actions. I swear to you that we were doing what was right.”
I wanted to push him away from me, and that was my intention when my hand slapped against his bare chest, but the moment I touched him I felt so grounded my growing rage flowed from my body and was replaced with an eerie calm. Almost reverently, I traced the marks that flowed down his torso. He shuddered and turned his back to me as I glided the pads of my fingers over his skin, around his pinions, swirling and twisting with the ink drawn onto his skin in bold and frightfully sinister curves. I had wondered why some seemed evil to me and now I had my answer. Breandan was covered in tattoos that represented the light and the dark. My fairy-boy was a mix of both and I had thought him so virtuous and good. I flushed. Some of the things he had done were not virtuous indeed, and most of them concerned me.
I sucked in a breath, knowing the moment I let him go the clarity would fad
e, and everything would become a confused scribble across the canvass of my understanding. It would be an unholy muddle and I did not know if I possessed the wisdom to see past it.
I stepped back and let my hands slide from his skin, immediately mourning the loss of connection. Breandan flexed his back and slanted a look over his shoulder before turning to face me fully. Pining me to the spot with the intensity of his stare he reached out to pull me into him. My eyes darted to Conall who stood off to the side, looking stressed and guilty, but too distracted to say anything about how Breandan held me. His warm hand on my cheek had my gaze returning to his.
“Forgive me,” he said humbly and bowed his head. “I should have shown more faith in you. I only wanted to do what was best.”
I cupped one of my hands behind the nape of his neck, and let the other clasp the waist of his trousers to tug his body flush to mine. His eyes burned with silver flames and he swallowed loudly. For once, he did not seem worried about anybody else nearby. He was single-minded. Focused. This I could tell from the impression he sent down the bond – a glowing, golden light that represented me in his consciousness. All his attention was on me and it was an intense, breathtaking thing.
Of course, I would forgive him, but other people would have to work harder for my forgiveness. I sensed there was another key to this mess.
“Ana,” I called and jerked my head at her. “Get over here.”
She hesitated, blue eyes suspiciously moist as she shuffled forward.
My wings jack-knifed out, fluttering in irritation. They were bigger than before. When they had first appeared they were much smaller, cute even. Now I could feel the velvety bottoms brush the middle of my thighs, and the tips climbed so high they were out of my line of sight.
Still, Ana dragged her small feet.
I hissed, “Now.”
Breandan brushed his lips across my temple. “Be nice.” He kissed me again and stepped back.
Demon Day Page 26
