Lorehnin: A Novel of the Otherworld

by Johnson, Jenna Elizabeth

  The low growl came again, this time closer than before. I swallowed hard and turned my head against Devlin’s grip. He still held his hand over my mouth, and a good thing too, because I probably would have screamed and drawn the creature right to us. Between the gap made by the back of the dumpster and the wall, I caught a slivered glimpse of it. A set of orange eyes burned from behind a stack of old wooden crates piled up at the back of the alley and two rows of gleaming white teeth stood stark and threatening against the darkness. Whatever it was, only forty feet separated us. I wanted to reach up and yank Devlin’s arms off me so I could bolt, but I had a feeling the creature would have no trouble chasing me down.

  Another growl rolled through the air and then another, these coming from the creek on the other side of the parking lot. Oh crap. I felt the blood drain from my face, and Devlin whispered an Otherworldly curse. The monster closest to us emitted a grumbled answer to its mates and soon the splintering sound of wood joined the melee of disturbing noises. The beast was leaving its nest just as two massive, dark shapes emerged from the tree line ahead. Devlin’s hold on me tightened.

  “Robyn, I need to take care of these faelah and that means I need you to stay right here,” he murmured harshly. “Make yourself as small as possible, but whatever you do, don’t run and don’t make any noise.”

  He waited for me to nod before loosening his grip and removing his hand. Using his other hand, he pressed me against the wall and drew one of his swords. Huh. He was wearing his Otherworldly clothes. He must have been in a hurry to get here. Without so much as a backward glance, Devlin slipped out from beside the dumpster and stalked forward in a crouch, his sword held close to his body. I took his advice and hunched down as close to the ground as I could get without actually sitting on the asphalt. The dark stains and broken glass littering the space around me were potentially as dangerous as the faelah closing in on us.

  Despite my relief at being free from his constricting hold, I felt empty and vulnerable as I watched Devlin approach the two creatures that had emerged from the creek. A small part of me also wondered why I could see these faelah, just as I had seen that horrible saber-toothed cat, but there was time to contemplate that later when my life wasn’t in danger. I wanted so badly to drum my fingers against something, or to run them through my hair, but Devlin had told me not to move. Maybe if I closed my eyes.

  The beast that had been sleeping in the alleyway burst forward, scattering the remains of the old crates in its wake. Devlin turned and cut at it with his sword, leaving a gaping wound in its neck. Yowling in pain, the monster staggered to the side, bumping up against the dumpsters before collapsing in a heap. My heart was in my nose by the time it finally stilled. I cast it a quick glance and then shot my hands to my mouth in horror. A massive wolf’s head, with teeth far larger than normal, tapered down into a hairless body pocked with holes writhing with maggots. A long, rat-like tail still twitched in the aftermath of its demise and its dark paws, resembling elongated human hands and feet, scraped at the ground before finally stilling. Not only did its putrid smell give me an instant headache, but the disturbing image of its grotesque body would be forever burned into my brain.

  I forgot my unease when another yelp interrupted the low growling drifting over from the ongoing fight. Devlin now had his long dagger out and was trying to keep both remaining monsters from sneaking around behind him. The one on the right was limping, but the one on the left kept trying to get at Devlin’s back. The injured creature lunged, distracting Devlin and giving its partner an opening. Without thinking, I lunged at the closest empty beer bottle and grabbed it. The action brought me out of the shadows, but I saw an opportunity and decided to take it. I stood, sucked in a gulp of air, and chucked the bottle as hard as I could.

  “Yes!” I hissed, jumping in the air with glee after the bottle cracked the second faelah between the eyes.

  For a second it fell back, disoriented. Devlin took advantage of the situation and put his full attention into killing the injured beast. He came at it in a torrent of fury, slicing first low and then high, trying to draw the creature into an attack. In the next second, the faelah lunged, and my hands covered my mouth as I released a muffled scream. Fortunately, Devlin had been expecting it. He dodged to the left, bringing himself right up against the beast’s side. He lifted his dagger and with one swift movement, drove the blade deep into the monster’s back. As it screamed in agony, he turned and fell to one knee, holding his sword out in front of him and absorbing the weight of the other faelah. The point of his sword’s blade, stained with what looked like black blood, protruded from the animal’s back.

  I stood entranced, not sure whether to be completely horrified or really impressed. If I was being honest with myself, I’d admit it was a little of both. Wow. Devlin was a hell of a fighter and seeing him in action made me consider swooning on the spot. Thank goodness I wasn’t the type to swoon. I was, however, the type to panic if overwhelmed. And let’s face it, when a routine trash run turned into a scene from a werewolf movie gone wrong, I was permitted to get a little hysterical.

  “Holy crap Devlin, are you okay?!” I wheezed, heading toward him.

  I was doing fine until I almost tripped on my own feet. Ah, the lovely aftermath of an adrenaline rush. But that’s bound to happen when you don’t make use of that adrenaline when it’s pumping through your veins.

  Devlin lunged forward and caught me before I face-planted on the gravel. That would have been a nice little addition to the already crummy evening.

  Devlin pulled me to my feet, the effort causing him to grunt. Fear spiked through me as he staggered a little. Oh no. Had one of those things hurt him?

  “Did you get bitten?” I asked as I used his arm as a crutch.

  “No,” he said shortly.

  I blinked up at him. He looked a little tired but his expression held more irritation than weariness.

  “What’s the matter?”

  “I told you not to move,” he growled. “Do you ever listen to reason?”

  A bubble of laughter escaped and I tried balancing on my feet once more. Yup, I could walk like a big girl again.

  “Rarely,” I answered with dry humor.

  I drew away from Devlin, not because I wanted to; heck, I’d been daydreaming about seeing him again ever since he’d left those several weeks ago. No, I gave myself some room because everything about him was just too intense. I was pretty sure some of my brain cells had died during that fight and my logical side wasn’t quite up to functioning on all levels for the time being. A delirious Robyn meant an impulsive Robyn, and after watching Devlin annihilate those faelah, the only thing that came to mind was an image of me crawling up that toned body and attaching my mouth to his. Yes, definitely a good idea to take a step, or twenty, in the opposite direction.

  Once I felt a safe distance had been reached, I put my hands on my hips and lifted one of my eyebrows at him.

  “If I hadn’t moved, then you might not have gotten your opening,” I pointed out.

  Devlin didn’t answer, he only turned and walked back toward the two dead faelah to retrieve his dagger. He wiped both his blades on the fur of one of the monster’s necks and I wondered if that did any good in cleaning them. Wrinkling my nose, I crossed my arms and turned my head to the side. The faelah that had fallen beside the dumpsters had started to disintegrate, transforming into a pile of ash before my eyes. Letting out a yelp of surprise, I jumped back, only to bump into Devlin. I glanced up at him. His features were no longer as harsh as they had been, but his face was still etched with concern. A heavy hand came to rest on my shoulder, and he let out a deep sigh. Before I could say anything, he took a step back and eyed me curiously.

  I felt suddenly awkward and exposed. Why was he looking at me that way? And then it dawned upon me. Oh, duh. I was dressed as a harvest fairy. Glancing over my shoulder, I noticed one of my wings had been torn. Ah, hell. So much for all that hard work. Releasing a sigh of my own, I stood up s
traight and crossed my arms once again.

  “What?” I demanded. “It was your kind who came up with this holiday in the first place.”

  I sniffed and continued to glare at him. To my great relief, a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth and I almost melted. And who could remain annoyed at someone as gorgeous as Devlin?

  “I’m sorry if I seemed angry with you,” he said. “I wanted the faelah to notice me, not you.”

  Okay, I couldn’t hold that against him. He had just saved my life. For a third time. And as much as I liked being a strong, independent woman, deep down inside, I think every girl gets a little thrill at the idea of being rescued by a handsome stranger.

  In order to bypass the awkward moment that would most definitely arise, I cleared my throat and pointed toward the dumpster. “Why did that creature, that faelah, just turn into dust?”

  Devlin took a few moments to re-sheath his sword and dagger. When he was finished, he turned toward me and said, “The glamour leaves them as soon as they fall. Since they aren’t technically alive, they don’t decompose like most living things.”

  I nodded, then said, “That reminds me, why can I see them now? I mean, before you kill them and remove their glamour. I was never able to see them before, just hear them.”

  Devlin gave a casual shrug. “My guess is because it is so close to Samhain.”

  Of course. That made sense. It even explained why I had seen the giant, mummified cat, too. This was the time of year when these sorts of creatures liked to invade the mortal world. Surely there were some that didn’t bother to hide themselves and someone was bound to notice them. After all, how many creepy legends evolved from events and things witnessed on Halloween night? And so many myths are based on some fraction of the truth. Maybe, since I was now aware of them, I had a knack for spotting them when others might not. Man, some of us got all the luck.

  As silence descended between us, I began to wonder once again why, after all these weeks, Devlin had returned and why he had been lurking around behind the Green Tea Leaf of all places. So I asked him.

  He didn’t answer at first, which made me want to fidget. Eventually, however, he looked me in the eye and said, “I’m sorry about the way I left those weeks ago, Robyn. I should have waited for you to wake up but had I done so my wounds could have grown worse.”

  I dropped my gaze and nudged an old beer bottle with my toe before uttering, “Going by what you said in your note, I never expected to see you again.”

  Devlin let out a small breath. “I meant what I said in that note. I didn’t plan on crossing your path ever again.”

  Why his words should hurt me I couldn’t say. It’s not as if we’d become close friends in the small amount of time I’d spent with him. I lifted my head, only to find Devlin studying me.

  “What I do is dangerous, Robyn. To involve a mortal in any aspect of my job is putting his or her life in danger. I didn’t want your safety compromised.”

  I took a step forward and demanded, “Then why are you here now?”

  Devlin didn’t move an inch. He merely towered over me, his hands placed loosely on his hips and his chin tilted toward his chest so he could regard me. Now that I was so close to him, once again I regretted my movement into his space. You will not back down, Robyn Dunbarre. You will not be intimidated by him.

  “I’ve returned because every time I've crossed into the mortal world following a trail of foul magic, it has led to you.”

  I blinked in surprise and faltered backwards. So much for standing my ground.

  “I’m not a wielder of evil magic and I’m not from the Otherworld,” I said carefully.

  “I know,” Devlin said softly, “but something that shares those two characteristics has its sights set on you.”

  My stomach turned uncomfortably, and my skin flushed, quickly followed by a wave of coldness. I wrapped my arms around my middle and took a steady, deep breath. Why in this world, and the Otherworld for that matter, would something from Eile be looking for me?

  A shadow cut across the washed-out glow of the streetlights, and I flinched.

  “Robyn,” Devlin said, his voice calm and quiet.

  The shadow had been him, moving closer.

  “Is that why those,” I gestured to the ash piles in the distance, “those things–“

  “Faelah,” Devlin interrupted.

  Oh. Right. “Those faelah,” I continued, “were back here? Are you saying they were after me?”

  Devlin didn’t say a word. He didn’t have to. Suddenly, an overwhelming desire to sit down flooded over me.

  “I managed to hunt down most of the faelah that gathered around your apartment. Only one slipped through my grasp when I was required to return to Eile. When I came back here, the only trace I could find of it was a pile of charred ash on the edge of the woods.”

  My brow furrowed for just a second before I realized he was referring to that giant cat that had frightened Jerry and his dog.

  “Oh god,” I groaned, burying my face in my palms. My voice was muffled when I spoke again. “Something tried to attack me one night a few weeks ago, but I managed to get back into my apartment before it got me.”

  I removed my hands and glanced up at Devlin. “I was certain it would kill me, but then something weird happened. It tried to get through the window, but some static electricity zapped it or something. After that it disappeared.”

  Devlin’s expression was guarded, but I could tell he was thinking furiously about what I had said. Before I could ask him any more questions, a low growl drifted up from the creek. My blood froze in an instant and Devlin reacted swiftly. He reached out and took my elbow, leading me back toward the alley.

  “We can discuss this later. Right now you need to get back inside, and I’m going to have to stay nearby for the time being.”

  As much as I really didn’t like knowing that the zombie beasts of Eile were hunting me, I couldn’t help the little light flip in my stomach upon hearing Devlin’s words. Some half-rotten, nightmare-inducing monsters are out to tear your heart from your body, Robyn. Think you can handle it? Piece of cake, I thought. So long as it meant that the hot, Otherworldly warrior got to spend some serious one-on-one time with me. Oh yeah. I’d definitely lost it.

  -Ten-

  Insight

  Kelly looked up from the cash register as the door bells chimed, announcing my return.

  “Hey? Where have you be–”

  She cut herself short the moment she saw Devlin right behind me.

  “Well, hello there,” she said with a smile before transforming it into a smirk for me. “Find yourself a replacement now that Mikael is gone? I can see why taking the trash out took longer than usual.”

  Her words were light and sprinkled with amusement, but I had to cringe. I glanced back at Devlin and his expression was a bemused one. I gritted my teeth.

  Kelly’s eyes traveled from Devlin to me, and her light smile was quickly replaced with a look of concern.

  “What happened to your costume? And one of your wings is ripped!”

  Before I could come up with a plausible excuse, Kelly laughed. “Oh wait, never mind.” She held up her hands. “Maybe I don’t want to know the details.”

  I fought the urge to smack her. Time for some quick thinking. “My wing got caught on a nail in the gate and as I was lamenting over the damage, a stray cat came flying out of the dark, scaring me half to death and making me trip over some junk in the alley. Devlin here,” I gestured toward the six-foot-three hunk behind me, “came to my rescue.”

  Kelly had left the counter behind and was now standing next to me. She gave Devlin a good perusal from head to toe before murmuring, “I’ll say.”

  “Where’s Jonathon?” I asked, eager to change the subject.

  “He left a little early. Since no one was coming into the cafe and since I assumed you’d be back in five minutes and not twenty, I let him go.”

  “Sorry,” I grumbled. Obviously, Kelly thought
I’d been making out with Devlin in that time because the look on her face was awful accusatory. I’m sure if I told her the truth she’d change her attitude. Yup. Instead of looking at me like an evil stepsister who knew all my dirty secrets, she’d be wide-eyed with shock. Unfortunately, she’d also insist on taking me to the hospital to have my head examined.

  “Eh, no worries. As long as this means I can have Mikael now.”

  As I followed her behind the counter, she added under her breath, “Although I must confess, you got the better deal.”

  She inclined her head toward Devlin who had taken up residence in the same spot he had the last time he’d been in the shop. Upon further inspection, I noticed that particular location offered the best view through the door and windows. I couldn’t help but think it had been chosen on purpose. From that particular table, Devlin would know well in advance if anything sinister approached the cafe.

  “So you just met this guy on the street?” Kelly was asking as I helped her close out the cash register.

  “Sort of,” I admitted. “He’s in one of my classes and we talked a few times. He just happened to be walking by tonight.”

  “And you’ve never thought to spend time with him outside of class?”

  I shrugged. “He hadn’t seemed interested before.”

  Kelly gave Devlin a quick glance, then arched one copper brow at me. “Looks like he’s interested now.”

  My mouth threatened to curve up at the corners. No Robyn. You will not let that comment affect you.

  “And I love his costume. Looks totally genuine.”

  Now that I could agree with. I stopped fighting that small smile as I moved over to clean out the coffee maker.