by J. C. Diem
“Thanks, detectives,” she said in genuine gratitude. “That should help me recover a bit faster.”
“I would say it was my pleasure, but I would be lying,” Gomez grumbled. She put a hand on the small puncture wounds on her throat to find they were already closing.
Nat snorted out a laugh and they left her to heal.
Chapter Twenty-Four
~~~ Violet’s World ~~~
AFTER EONS OF BANISHMENT on an unpopulated world, Nifirial reveled in his freedom to use his magic against much weaker foes. While he’d had nothing but time to practice his dark arts, it wasn’t at all satisfying to use them against insignificant animals. Two days and nights of hunting humans had proven that they were far more exciting to torment.
Closing in on a beautiful blond girl with terrified blue eyes, he could sense her purity. Her mother and father had already been captured and she was now alone and vulnerable. He’d used his glamor to change his appearance so she couldn’t see his translucent skin, sharp teeth and pointed ears. All she saw was a handsome young man who she believed was here to save her. The pretense added to his thrill.
“Are you a police officer?” she asked in a breathy voice. Instinct told her he wasn’t and she began to back away. Hitting her bed, she lost her balance and sat down.
“No, I am not a police officer,” he replied in her language. Even using this primitive tongue, his voice was musical. She swayed towards him, unconsciously drawn to him even though she sensed he was dangerous. He held a silver collar in his hand, but he didn’t intend to use it on her just yet. Enslavement would come after he’d had his fun with her.
Coming to a stop in front of her, he put a finger beneath her chin and tilted her head back. She cringed away from the slick feel of his skin, but he caught her chin in his hand and held her firmly. “You are very beautiful, child. Tell me, have you ever lain with a man?” He already knew the answer, but it amused him to force her to admit that she was a virgin.
Her nose wrinkled in disgust at the idea. “I’m only fifteen,” she said and pulled away. “Of course I haven’t been with anyone!” Looking past him, she saw her mother and father standing in the hallway. Their faces were utterly blank and they made no move to come to her rescue. Something was terribly wrong with them. “What did you do to my parents?” she asked. Tears welled up and spilled down her cheeks, somehow enhancing her beauty.
“I have enslaved them with magic,” he said and allowed his glamor to drain away. Her color fled when she saw his pointed teeth and she began to scream. Laughing in delight, he tore her clothing away and bore her down onto the bed.
When he was done with her, he slipped the collar around her neck. Her sobs blessedly cut off and the pain and terror faded from her face. “Clean yourself up and get dressed,” he ordered her coldly. He’d enjoyed that immensely, but the night was still young. There were plenty more equally attractive young men and women for him to defile. The Grimgorg hadn’t stipulated that their captives were to remain unmolested. He would pass his used goods on to them and keep only the most beautiful specimens for himself. Laughing quietly, he used his magic to clean himself, then pulled his clothes on. Female virgins were messy creatures, he’d found.
Shamans parading as warriors stared at him mistrustfully as he left the house with his captives in tow and sauntered along behind them. They’d waited impatiently for him to be done with his business rather than moving on to the next house. He had the feeling they didn’t want to become separated and risk becoming the next victim to disappear. He’d heard the whispers of warning they’d given each other not to be alone with any of the faeries. The fools were unaware that he could beguile any of them at any time. It was child’s play for him to separate one from the pack and drain them of their magic.
Curbing his need to steal their essence, he knew better than to prey on his own unit. Instead, he slipped away as they invaded the next dwelling. Catching a lone Grimgorg shaman, he bedazzled the alien and drew him into a building that had already been stripped of its inhabitants. In short order, he sucked the creature dry and let the hollow husk drop to the carpet. With a snap of his fingers, it ignited into flames and burned to ash within seconds. It wouldn’t do to leave any evidence of his misdeeds behind.
Several hours later, he was drunk on power. He’d sampled several different young men and women, but none of them had truly satisfied his needs. Catching sight of Loki, lust stirred within him again. After consuming the essence of four shamans, he felt strong enough to be able to overpower anyone. Not even a so-called demi god would be able to resist him now.
Abandoning his hunchbacked allies, he drifted into the shadows and followed the Asgardian as he headed towards the building he’d chosen for accommodation. Faeries didn’t need to eat or sleep as often as most species. Nifirial had yet to bother seeking rest. For all his power and magic, Loki required frequent refreshment and sleep. Right now, he was weary and vulnerable. There would be no better time for Nifirial to strike.
Sensing someone following him, Loki’s back stiffened. His shield would keep any projectiles from killing him, but he suspected it wasn’t a human who was creeping through the shadows after him. His instincts were screaming that he was in danger. The fae were the only ones who raised his hackles like that.
He’d done his best to avoid Nifirial and his kin during the past couple of days. He’d seen them sneaking off to consume the magic of their allies far too often. Rho hadn’t said anything yet, but he was growing worried. If they did nothing, the faeries could become too powerful to be controlled. He had no idea what the repercussions would be if they attempted to put a stop to the deaths of the shamans.
Quickening his pace, Loki entered the apartment building and strode over to the elevator. His hand rested on his sword as he rode to the top floor. He relaxed slightly when the door opened to an empty corridor. When he locked the doors to the apartment with magic, he finally let out the breath he’d unconsciously been holding. Ice slid down his spine when Nifirial stepped out of the shadows.
“What a lovely place you have chosen for yourself,” the fae lord mused out loud. Moving with more grace than usual, he turned in a circle and examined the room. “The décor is not what I would have chosen, but it is probably the height of fashion for humans.”
Forcing out a smile, Loki withdrew his magic from the door. There was no point keeping it in place since his inner sanctum had already been infiltrated. It made him wonder if his spell had ever been enough to keep the faeries out. He suspected it hadn’t. “To what do I owe the honor of this visit?” he asked, striving to keep his tone light.
Nifirial watched his prey as Loki strode over to a cabinet that stood next to a fireplace. He picked up a clear bottle and poured amber liquid into a glass. He wrinkled his nose when the Asgardian offered it to him. “No thank you,” he said in distaste. “I do not drink poison.”
Chuckling, Loki made no move to take a seat on the couch. He leaned against the wall next to the fireplace. “You didn’t answer my question,” he said and took a sip of whisky.
Eyeing the much taller man, Nifirial smiled flirtatiously. “Can I not simply enjoy the company of my ally?”
“Certainly,” Loki said, knowing he had to tread carefully, or risk the faerie’s wrath. “But I am feeling rather tired. Perhaps we could enjoy each other’s company another time.” He smiled charmingly, but his ally’s eyes narrowed in anger at being rejected.
Crossing the room in an instant, Nifirial stared up into the beautiful blue eyes of his soon-to-be conquest. “I wish to enjoy your company now,” he said petulantly. “I want to enjoy every inch of you. I will have you beneath me, writhing in pleasure.” Or pain, he added silently. Either of the sensations would give him the enjoyment he craved.
Loki was caught in the snare of dark fae magic as Nifirial’s eyes darkened to a gray that was nearly black. His irises began to spin and he felt himself beginning to cave in. Some part of him wanted to obey and to strip naked and offer
himself to his ally. His mind cried out in abhorrence at the thought of being beneath someone else’s control. His hand groped for purchase and encountered the iron poker used to push logs back into the fireplace. Dimly remembering something he’d read in Odin’s forbidden books, he bent and grabbed hold of it. His mind cleared fractionally as soon as he touched the iron.
Nifirial snarled in frustration when he felt his grip on Loki’s mind slipping. He bore down even harder with his magic. His irises spun faster as he used every ounce of strength he had to bend the demi god to his will. “You will be mine,” he hissed.
A stubborn streak that had been his undoing on far too many occasions came to Loki’s rescue this time. Wrapping his hand firmly around the poker, he brought it up to his chest. The faery lord flinched back and lost his focus. Using the tool as a shield, Loki forced the dark magic out of his mind until his head was clear again. “While I am flattered by your interest in me, I am afraid that I prefer women in my bed,” he said diplomatically even though he’d just come close to having his will being taken over completely. “If I ever change my mind, you will be the first to know,” he added.
Nifirial had drained too much of his energy in his beguilement spell to try to force the issue now. Taking a step back from the painful burn of being so close to iron, he inclined his head regally, hiding his rage. “As you wish,” he said. His tone implied that it was Loki’s loss that he’d turned down such a golden opportunity. “I will leave you to get your rest.” With that, he stepped into the shadows and disappeared.
Shaken by the encounter, Loki drained the whisky in one gulp and poured another. The iron poker was still clutched to his chest. He wasn’t sure if he was ever going to let it go.
Sinking onto the couch, he locked the door with magic again despite how flimsy a deterrent it had turned out to be. “I think I may have made a grave mistake forging an alliance with the faeries,” he said to himself. Admitting it out loud brought his sense of helplessness crashing back. He was dismayed to discover he felt like a fragile damsel being hunted by a man who was intent on bedding her against her will.
He’d managed to hold the fae lord off for now, but he knew Nifirial would eventually consume enough magic to overpower his mental defenses. “What have I gotten myself into?” he groaned and drank down the second glass of alcohol. There had to be a way to save himself from being used like a cheap whore, but he couldn’t for the life of him think of a way to avoid it.
Chapter Twenty-Five
~~~ Violet’s World ~~~
TO VIOLET’S DISCOMFORT, she was forced to use a tactic she’d thought she would never have to resort to again to learn more about their new foes. At Sophia’s suggestion, they headed to a library to do research on faeries. She’d queried all of the libraries in the city to discover which one would be the best for them to visit. Fortunately, the building they were visiting was different to the one Violet had once used as a cover to meet with her ex-boyfriend. Libraries brought back too many unpleasant memories, but the research was necessary. The internet was a wealth of information, but this particular library had several ancient books on the fae that they hoped might prove to be useful.
Sitting at a table in a remote corner of the building, a dozen books about faeries, folklore and fae mythology were spread out around them. Violet glanced up to see Nat’s eyes were glazing over from reading a book that was written in a foreign language. As the only one in their group who could understand all languages, she was dealing with the ones that weren’t written in English. Fresh blood had helped her to begin to recover faster, but she had to use her vampire mojo to make people ignore her. She still looked burned, but at least her hair was growing back at a rapid rate.
Lexi was studiously working her way through a thick tome that explained the possible origins of the fae. From her clenched jaw, it wasn’t an enjoyable read. With her first-hand experience with faeries, she had the best insight into how they worked.
Nathan, Sam, Leo and Brie were also reading intently. Sam was frowning and stopped every now and then to jot down notes. While there was no evidence that faeries existed in their dimension, they might at least be able to glean some information that could be useful. Violet wondered if these stories had come from beings who had travelled here from other realities. Maybe they’d wanted to warn people about the dangers of these creatures by creating the legends in the first place.
After several hours, they finished up and conferred. Nathan spoke first. “I have not learned anything new about the fae that Lexi has not already told us.”
“These books are useless,” Brie said with a scowl and pushed the one she’d just finished reading away.
“Not completely,” Leo argued. “I learned that it is a very bad idea to deny the fae something that they really want.”
“What do you mean?” Violet asked. She hadn’t learned much herself.
“If a faery becomes fixated on something, they will do whatever is necessary to obtain it,” he explained in a disturbed expression. “In the example I read, a female faery became enamored with a human male. She tried to lure him to her realm to become her consort, but he resisted her. He loved his family too much to fall for her glamor. No matter what she did, she could not entice him to leave his wife and children. In the end, she burned his house down while he and his family were asleep. If she could not have him, then no one could.”
“Sounds about right,” Lexi agreed. “I’m not sure how that will help us, but we’ll keep it in mind.”
No one else had managed to find anything useful, so Nathan teleported them back to the store. Elijah and Reynolds were sitting at the table when they arrived. Sophia was in the kitchen, making tea. “I was just about to update Elijah and Sophia,” the detective said wearily. He hadn’t gotten much sleep since Fate’s three warriors had appeared to give them the bad news about the coming invasion. Now the aliens were here and they were just as bad as they’d anticipated.
“What news do you have?” Sophia asked as she entered carrying a tray of beverages. Elijah poured tea for anyone who wanted one. Lexi shook her head, opting to wait for Reynolds to finish so she could make herself a coffee.
“Our Captain held a meeting an hour ago and advised us that the Army tried to infiltrate the dome,” Reynolds reported. “They failed miserably.” He rubbed a hand over his face and his stubble made a slightly raspy noise. He needed a shave.
“Surprise, surprise,” Nat said in a completely unsurprised tone.
“Their missiles exploded on impact and their artillery couldn’t break through it,” he went on. “I warned them about what would happen if they tried to dig beneath it, but they ignored me.”
“I take it the Grimgorg turned up and put an end to their excavation?” Violet predicted.
“Yeah,” the detective confirmed. “A bunch of the hunchbacked green monsters created a hole in the dome and unleashed fireballs and other spells on the soldiers. They killed them all in less than a minute. Some of them erected magic shields to protect their group from bullets. The aliens didn’t suffer a single casualty.”
“The faeries didn’t help them?” Lexi asked.
Reynolds shook his head. “According to the footage, the little green aliens were the only ones who appeared.” There had been no survivors to report on the attack. A few of the soldiers had been fitted with cameras to record their attempt to infiltrate the magical shield.
“How are we going to get inside the dome if we can’t teleport or dig our way in and Lexi can’t use the zombie highway?” Nat asked. They had no allies to call on and no way to confront their enemies. Their chances of winning this war were looking dire.
“We’ll find a way,” Violet replied, but she was beginning to worry. They’d looked into using the sewers, but they didn’t extend past the dome. Sneaking in through the sewage pipes wasn’t going to be an option this time. Her version of Loki had been smart to target a small city rather than a large one. It wouldn’t take his allies long to collar the populat
ion. Then they could move on to the next place and repeat the act. While the previous enemies they’d fought hadn’t used their human captives as soldiers, it was always a possibility. She doubted the Army would want to fight the people they were supposed to be saving.
“Fate has never let us down before,” Sophia reminded them. “No matter how bleak things seem to be, she always gives us a way to succeed.”
“Fate isn’t the only one involved,” Nat said. “Chaos is also part of this battle. Maybe it’s more powerful in this dimension. Fate might not be able to help us as much as usual.”
It was a prospect none of them had considered and they didn’t want to contemplate it now.
“Don’t lose your faith,” Elijah warned them. “Sometimes, simple belief makes all the difference between success and failure.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
~~~ Violet’s World ~~~
LOKI’S SLEEP WAS RESTLESS when he finally succumbed to weariness. His dreams were dark and disturbing and featured Nifirial. The fae lord stalked him from the shadows, watching him with dark gray irises that turned in slow circles. He’d almost fallen beneath the creature’s spell once, which meant it could happen again.
When he woke, he took a shower, then made himself a meal. He sat at a table on the balcony and watched the humans being rounded up. His appetite almost fled when he spied Nifirial’s silver hair in the crowd. Sensing he was being watched, the faery lord turned and tilted his head back. Loki retreated inside before his eyes could come to rest on him.
He was infuriated that he’d been reduced to hiding from his ally. Cowering in solitude was beneath him, so he left his empty dishes in the sink and strode to the door. The faeries were becoming too much of a problem. It was time for him to have a private conversation with King Rho.
