“It’s usually ordered to seduce a target,” Rick said. “What you saw there was an incubus between forms. The demon will head to places where he can feed off sexual energy, and as he does, he’ll be able to form himself into whoever he’s licked.”
My stomach dropped. “Whoever he’s licked?”
Rick scratched his bushy white beard, studying my face. “He got you, didn’t he? I’m sorry, man. That means it could turn into you. Do you have a partner or admirer? The incubus will choose to look like someone close to the target, someone they’ll want to have sex with. Did the demon seem more like he was trying to hurt you or to touch you?”
Motherfucker.
My whole body shook. “It was messing with my girlfriend. I came to defend her, and it licked my face before exploding.” The thought of that thing getting anywhere near Scarlet sent terror surging through me. “Do you think he’s after my mate?”
“If your mate is the alpha of Six Rivers, it’s more than likely. These things are usually political.”
“And what happens if the incubus seduces his target?” I asked.
“A devastating feeding that could lead to her death or enslavement.” Rick held the card out toward me again. “You’ll need this. Nancy is, well, she’s something else, but you’ll be in good hands with her. I’ll do what I can on my end and be sure to reach out to this new alpha next Tuesday. Monday is a Union holiday, and it sounds like you guys will have your hands full.”
My phone vibrated in my pocket, and I willed my wolf back. Breathing deeply, in and out, I pulled my fangs and claws into my skin. The phone went to voicemail, and I reached for the business card. When I looked at the cardboard, all I saw was the name Necro-Nancy and a local phone number scrawled in a messy hand.
“Tell her this has to do with the union necromancer. Nancy will help. And next time you come in, just head to the office on your right and ask for Rick.” He patted his belly. “I’ll walk you to your bike. You ever thought about weather resistant tires?”
“I don’t trust magic.” I started to follow the man, but my phone rang again. Thanking Rick for his help, I sent him ahead while I took the call. Seeing that it was Lance, I cut the shit and answered with, “We have a major fucking problem.”
“We have a bigger one. I can guarantee you that.” My brother’s tone was cold as a freezer full of corpses, the kind of tone he used when he was thinking of filling that freezer to the brim with our enemies. “Jane and I were waylaid by Queen Titania’s crew at the crime scene. Apparently, Aaron and Scarlet decided to sneak into the Hawthorn property while Mack made a scene to cover them. This all became clear when a stampede of fae ran to the front of the house, grabbed Mack, accused him of being Scarlet’s accomplice, and the whole group disappeared through the floor in the kitchen.”
I swore quietly, my chest thudding. “Did you follow?”
“We couldn’t. Whatever portal they had, it’s closed now. And we’re in the crime scene, which has been scrubbed clean, sanded down, and repainted. There’s not a fucking clue as to where they’ve taken her!” Lance roared the last words so loud that my ear rang for a moment afterward.
“Fuck,” I said, my head spinning with all this fae garbage on top of the incubus news.
Lance’s voice quieted to a hoarse whisper. “She’s gone. Aaron and Mack are gone, too. The queen has thousands of scattered properties through the north coast and inland…”
“We’ll find them,” I said, the certainty in my own voice not betraying the churning in my stomach or the hammering in my brain. “We will find them.”
Chapter Fourteen
Scarlet
The fae held silver blades to our throats as they led us through the giant doorway in the tree and into what could only be called a country-style palace. The pleasant rapport that Aaron had developed with the guards had clearly ended, and more than once, Aaron hissed in pain as their blades touched his skin.
My blood boiled, my wolf riding me hard. An image flooded my brain. Aaron lay dead on the floor, a knife protruding from his chest, and I crouched over him, my hand wrapped around the handle. I missed a step, stumbling, and pain seared through my shoulder as the injured fae’s silver sword pressed against my skin.
“Keep up,” he demanded.
Aaron reached for me but drew back as the other two fae pressed their silver blades against his neck.
I didn’t stumble again. As I’d suspected, the tree was attached to a portal into a much bigger space. The fae soldiers led us up sweeping stairways and past windows with views of endless pine forest. They deposited us in a room and backed out, pulling the door closed behind them.
The moment we were inside, I spun to inspect Aaron’s neck where angry silver lines bubbled around his collarbone.
“I knew Queen Titania was a sadistic bitch, but this takes the cake,” Aaron growled as his fingers traced over my skin around where I probably had marks. “She’s going to hunt us like fucking deer.”
“I’m so sorry, Aaron,” I whispered, taking his face in my hands. “This is my fault. You told me to turn back, and I should have listened to you. I’m such an idiot.”
He cupped my cheeks. “Scarlet, I’m here with you because I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. This is her fault and only her fault, okay?”
That might be what he was saying, but I knew better. I leaned against him and admitted something that had been weighing on me a while now. “I’m not doing right by you, Aaron.”
“Now that’s just silly.” He laid his forehead against mine. We backed into the wall, and my arms went around his shoulders. “You’ve done nothing but do right by me, baby.”
A hot tear splashed onto my cheek. “No, I’m not. I’m being an asshole to you. With Darrel, it was easy to fall into a relationship because he was ready. With Lance, it’s impossible because he’s not even close to ready.” I cupped Aaron’s cheek. “You’re ready, and you keep doing such incredible things for me, and I’ve been having sex with you all the time but pushing you away emotionally. It’s fucked. Now, I’ve led you to your death because I fucking disregarded your opinions when you told me that we had to retreat.”
“Scarlet.” Aaron growled low in his throat, and when I met his citrine eyes, they were glowing. “It’s okay to go at different paces with us. You don’t owe me full commitment now or ever, okay? I’ve told you from the very beginning, you and I need to work out our dominance issues because we’re about the same in dominance, so we have more to work out. I’ve always been okay with the fact that I’m falling for you before you’re open to falling for me.” Leaning down, he kissed me. “I would take being here with you over where Darrel and Lance are right now any day of the week. We’re going to escape this together. All right?”
When I nodded, he leaned in closer to kiss me again, and I smashed my lips against his. He met me with equal ferocity, scooping me up and pushing me into the wall. I plunged my tongue into his mouth as his cock hardened between us. The image my wolf pushed at me kept flashing in my mind, and I needed proof, physical proof that I hadn’t killed my mate.
Breaking away to come up for air, I whispered onto his lips, “When that fae put his silver blade to your throat, I thought we were going to die, Aaron. I thought I killed you. I don’t want to lose you—ever.”
“You’re not going to.” He pulled away as his hands slid under my ass. “We need a shower before I fuck you. And then we’re going to fuck. I don’t care if Queen Titania herself is listening in. I need to be inside you.”
“Fuck her,” I whispered as I tightened my legs around him.
We found a bathroom with a large sunken tub and a shower that imitated rain. Aaron and I scrubbed each other off with quick, furious motions, and then he pinned me against the tile wall. His hand slid between my legs, opening my lips, finding me drenched for him. His finger slid into me easily.
“I need to be inside you, Scarlet,” he said, his voice husky and thick against my throat. “I need to be deep inside you
.”
I closed my eyes, dropping my head back and opening my knees for him. My hands clenched on his shoulders, my nails digging into his skin. He let out a low growl and pulsed his hips against mine. I needed to know he was whole and real in the most carnal way possible.
My eyes snapped open, and we locked gazes. “I need you inside me, Aaron,” I said, gripping his shoulders tighter.
He pushed a second finger into me, his citrine eyes glowing as they held mine. He curled his fingers, pumping them back and forth and sending shocks of pleasure through my core. “I’m going to fuck you hard and fast.”
“Yes,” I moaned, hooking my leg around his.
His hand pulled away, but before I could protest the loss, his hard cock drove into me, filling me. Aaron gripped my hips, pushed me against the wall with his weight and pumped into me. Every furious thrust sent pleasure crashing through my core and spiraling out into my entire body. All I could do was grip his shoulders and hang on. Each time he thrust deep inside of me, it was a declaration. We were alive, and we were going to survive this.
I arched back against the tile wall and cried out as pleasure erupted through my body and my core clenched around Aaron, pulsing up and down his cock. He groaned long and loud against my neck, his warm seed filling me.
We clutched each other, breathing hard, neither of us wanting to return to the predicament I had landed us in. But knowing that time was running out, we toweled off and changed into our wolf forms. We’d already searched every inch of the area for escape routes, finding none. We trotted around, letting our wolves explore the scents around us.
It smelled like flowers and fae, wood, clean bedding, and not much else. The rest of the room looked like something out of one of those fancy lodges tourists used when they wanted a taste of rustic life without the struggle of living that lifestyle. There was a wooden table with twisted legs that resembled tree branches, and a little package of stationary laid out with several fancy pens. The ensuite bathroom had an assortment of shaped soaps and unopened expensive-as-fuck shampoo and conditioner. We found no exits except the front doors and no surveillance equipment. Well, at least not the usual electronic kind. What magical fae shit the queen had, I didn’t know.
Hours later I leaned against Aaron in human form, out of firing range of the front door but in a good place if we needed to attack. It was a comfortable, large room with cedar siding on the walls and a high ceiling with exposed beams. A huge canopy bed sat in the middle, draped in lacy curtains and creamy bedding. “I guess we could sew clothing out of that shit.”
“I’m good at sewing,” Aaron said, and I could hear the smile in his voice.
The fae had left us no clothing, meaning that if there were magical fae cameras in here, they were getting a full frontal along with our little sex show. I didn’t regret it. I had needed Aaron in that moment, and if we were dying tomorrow night, I could really give a fuck what these fae saw of me making love to my boyfriend. I was used to being naked in semi-public places, but when Aaron wrapped one of his arms around my breasts and the other over my hips, curling his hand around my mound, I didn’t complain. It was a possessive move that I didn’t mind one bit.
What Aaron had said about our wolves being of equal dominance was rolling over and over in my mind, making a whole lot of sense.
“Wanna say fuck them and go for round two?” Aaron asked, nuzzling into my neck.
“I do, but only after we escape,” I said, examining the silver door and frame. “Do you think this is the fae version of jail, or are we in the queen’s guest room?”
“Who knows. It’s fancy as fuck. Definitely better than a dragon shifter cell,” Aaron said.
I let out a surprised laugh. “How did you land yourself in a dragon’s jail?”
“Let’s just say that there were several dragon shifter women I wanted to impress and leave it at that. I had a couple wild nights in my youth,” Aaron said with a chuckle that rumbled into my back.
“Right,” I said. “More like ten years, if the memes are to be believed.”
Aaron kissed the side of my neck. “To be perfectly honest, Scarlet, I was getting tired of it even before I met you.”
His words warmed me from the inside out, and I leaned back against his chest for a while, letting my mind wander. “What do you think they were doing with all that salt?” I asked as I attempted to remember every detail of that cleaning party. “If the queen is telling the truth about her curse, and she didn’t orchestrate the massacre to frame my pack… Not that I believe her for a second, but say she’s telling the truth. Why would she order her fae to cover everything with salt before she bleaches and repaints it?”
“It has disinfecting properties,” Aaron said. “Just about every corner of the world has stories about how salt wards off evil. Humans have used it for millennia.”
“I’ve heard it wards off evil spirits,” I said. “But if Titania and her servants know there are evil spirits involved in the deaths, why would they still blame Zane for killing everyone at the party? If the queen knows he’s innocent, and she’s still calling for war, that breaks the terms of her curse.”
“Unless the curse is bullshit,” Aaron mused.
“Mack believes it, and after meeting the queen, I whole-heartedly trust that the only reason she hasn’t tried to take Heartland before this mess was that she was restrained magically. I’m guessing she’s found some kind of magical loophole, and the salt is important somehow.”
“I hate to say this, but I couldn’t care less about whether the queen or Zane is guilty right now,” Aaron said with a sigh. “I just want to get us out of here.”
The door opened, and Aaron and I were in motion. We broke apart and stood with our bodies ready for a fight.
The entry stood ajar, but no one walked through.
“Don’t attack,” a female voice called. “I come in peace.” There was a nervous giggle in her words. Princess Mab peeked into the room before entering, holding a shimmering gown and a suit by their hangers. The flaxen beauty scanned the room and jolted to a stop when she saw Aaron and I standing near the wall, our muscles readied for lunging. She brandished the clothing like shields “Don’t kill me! This is what the queen wishes you to wear while you’re hunted tonight.”
“What an honor,” I growled. “Give me one reason we shouldn’t kill you.”
“Because I’m the messenger, meaning I’m the fae my mother wants you to kill. Hasn’t Mack explained how our mother works to you?” She walked to the sprawling bed, laying out the garments before taking a seat and crossing her legs primly. “First, let me apologize for the dress my mother sent for you, Scarlet. That woman wouldn’t know classy if it walked up and bit her in the overworked vagina. This dress looks like something a high-class hooker would wear. Not my choice.”
“Damn. I wanted to be executed looking like a reality TV star,” I dead-panned. “Shit, my night’s ruined.”
“Don’t hate, Scarlet. I totally ship you and my brother, and my mother is an awful person who wouldn’t know true love—”
“If it bit her in the vagina?” I supplied.
“All right.” Mab stood. “You’re obviously not a fan of mine. I came here to offer my help, but it doesn’t sound like you want to hear it.”
I was very much a non-fan of Mab and everything she stood for. But shit. Aaron and I were about to be killed, and any ally was better than no ally at all. Well, I hoped that was the case. Shooting a look at Aaron, I gave a slight nod to where Mab was heading for the door.
Aaron lifted his chin. “Mab, I’d like to hear it.”
As if she was waiting for the slightest show of concession, Mab spun, her light blue floral dress swirling around her body. “Aaron Knight.” She touched her chest and grinned. “We actually met at a couple parties when my show took a road trip through your territory.”
From her tone, the princess clearly didn’t have any problem with having a past connection to a notorious playboy like Aaron. It didn�
�t surprise me in the least. Pretty much everything about that horrendous episode I watched of My Fairytale Life had pissed me off, but what got to me the most was that Mab didn’t do any interventions on her male friends. Mab didn’t force shirts onto them or throw away their tight jeans. She’d even said, “boys will be boys,” at one point.
Not that I held Aaron’s past against him, either, but I did believe that if you were going to go judging people, everyone should be judged by the same ruler.
“I could never in my life forget having your show visit Sac-town.” Aaron did his best to smile, and if I didn’t know him, I’d probably believe that he was genuine. From the way he looked at her, there was no doubt in my mind that Mab was not among his long list of past lovers.
“Wow, you are both very naked.” She shaded her eyes, as if blocking out Aaron, and turned her attention back to me. “Scarlet, my mother is convinced that you are responsible for the massacre.”
“Me? I was at work.”
Mab waved her free hand through the air. “She learned the identity of the werewolf and your connection to him. The queen thinks that you sent Dr. Zane Reed to kill all those fae. She wants you dead. I know you hate me, Scarlet, but we have more in common than you think. My mother has been trying to kill me for years.”
I put a hand on my hip and gave her a skeptical look. “You?”
She held up her hands, showing neat, no-nonsense nails. “Yes, and when I say years, I’m talking centuries. It’s the main reason I created a reality television empire. She can’t kill me when everyone in the country knows who I am. She’d love it if you killed me. Hence sending me to be your messenger.”
For the first time ever, I saw something genuine in the woman’s eyes. I saw desperation. And she was right about one thing. It very much reminded me of what I felt inside. It didn’t make me like Mab, but I relaxed my defensive position.
“All right, how exactly are we going to help each other?” I asked.
“You know my sweet little baby brother, Mack? My mother arranged a marriage between him and a thousand-year-old fae queen.”
Filthy Fae: A Dirty Alphas Novel (Heartland Forest Book 2) Page 11
