Night Rises

by Amber Lynn

  That was quick. Wait a second, what did he just say? “Care to repeat that?”

  “She needed to know our location and the guesstimation of how close the nearest Faerie mound is. I gave her my best guess and she said she would be here in about ten minutes,” he explains. “There are tons of mounds here in Scotland, so she should be able to find one that is close by.”

  She must have had a ton to talk about if she is now able to just come over for a visit. What in the world did she find in my blood that is lifting her self-imposed ban on venturing to our world?

  “Did she say anything about being able to help with the situation?” Ben asks while he pauses his antics. “I cannot say that I have met a Fae before. They are normal sized people, right?”

  “I didn't really get a yes or no answer on that subject,” Sebastian claims. “I would be inclined to think that since she is coming here, she has an idea. Yes, the Fae are the same height as us. It is the other species of Faerie that don't tend to be as tall.”

  “We have a few species that could compete against the tallest person in your world, but they are hard to find. This forest is beautiful. All the shades of green are breathtaking. I was worried that your talk of progress had destroyed places like this.”

  I turn around to find the Queen and her entourage have already arrived. No way it has been a full ten minutes. She must have run.

  She is decked out in a full-scale ball gown. The thing sticks out a good two feet around her ankles. She most certainly did not dress for roughing it. I see Killian standing close to her and I believe the rest of the visitors are her Knights of the Round Table that helped guide us through Faerie. I couldn't tell you a single one of their names.

  “Holy smokes,” Hilda says jumping out of her newly erected tent. “I am going to have to make sure I give myself better hearing soon. I wasn't aware Addie was coming for a visit.”

  “Don't worry, Darling. It was all very last minute,” Addie says joking with the witch.

  Maybe womance will work as a word to describe their relationship. I know BFF is probably what Phee would use, but it is too juvenile for women of their age. Breast mates might work because face it they both have them and it is kind of funny.

  “So which piece of flesh am I here to inspect. Eeny, meeny, miny, moe,” Addie says pointing her finger around and landing on Solomon. She starts stalking around him and I can only compare it to what I imagine people do when they are buying a horse.

  “Does that help find a way to keep him alive sans ring?” I ask getting creeped out by her perusal. If she starts running her hand up his thighs, I am turning the other way.

  “You would be surprised how much it helps. Are you afraid to travel to a new place that can sometimes be home to strange and unusual creatures?” The question is directed to Solomon.

  “Do I have to turn into one of those strange and unusual creatures?” he asks in return.

  Addie has stopped circling and is standing in front of him. “No.”

  “Then, I see no problem with visiting a new place.” Brave words from a human. I have run into some of those strange creatures and I like to think I am lucky to still be alive.

  “Do you have any aversions to intercourse?” Is she planning on selling him off as a sex slave? I am pretty sure I will never understand this woman's line of questioning.

  “If it is with strange and unusual creatures, possibly, and I prefer female bed partners.”

  “Perfect. I had to get rid of a few concubines that weren't working out anymore and I have an opening I think you would fill nicely.”

  I look to see what Killian thinks about this development, but as usual, since his Queen woke from her coma, he is smiling like a fool. I cannot really throw stones with two mates sharing my bed, but my brain still finds multiple bed partners odd.

  Solomon looks Addie up and down to get a look at what he is signing up for. “I like what I see. There shouldn't be any problems on my end fulfilling your needs. Does that mean you have a way for me to go ringless?”

  He is a guy and she has boobs, so I didn't think there would be any issue on his end with getting down and dirty. Personally, I would have asked a few more questions about what my new home was like.

  “You can take it off now if you want. As soon as you said you approved of my terms I put my plan in place. You see, I have the ability to control time, even outside of my little world. I have made it so the time right up next to your skin no longer advances. That should hold you until we get back to your new home where I can mix you up a potion that will make you a little more hardy and capable of rising to the occasion whenever I need you.”

  So, a little immortality mixed with make Willie happy pills. How that is not the weirdest combination of things I have heard of is shocking.

  Solomon looks down at his ring with unsurety crinkling his face. He slowly takes his other hand and twists the ring off while closing his eyes tight. He doesn't vanish before our eyes. Crap. That means I have to take the ring.

  “Does anyone have a chain I can wear that thing around? I don't want another accessory for my fingers at the moment.” I don't think just putting it in my duffle to deal with later is a smart option.

  Sebastian pulls a thin gold necklace out from under his collar. I haven’t seen it on him before and it is odd that he would wear it when we are planning on getting our hands messy.

  “I wear it for luck. It was my mother's and I didn't think you would be willing to wear it, so I am wearing it for you. My mother was a very lucky woman.” He hands the chain over and Solomon does the same with the ring.

  “If you want, me and Hilda could look the ring over real quick and try to decipher what power it holds,” Adeline suggests and I think that sounds like a great idea.

  The ring warms and glows in my hand briefly as I hand it over. It is never a good thing when stuff like that happens.

  “I think it likes you,” Adeline says while she looks it over. “It isn’t a kind of magic that I am familiar with.”

  “Let me see that thing,” Hilda says snatching it from her. “I am taking it Ben hasn’t ever got a good look at the inside of this thing. If the angels know the back story, I can understand why they have been looking for this.”

  Ben moves in closer, but doesn’t make a move to possess the ring. “Oh. I am glad I didn’t go to her for help. I thought about it a number of times, but help from her always comes with a price.”

  Now, I want to grab the ring back and see what they are looking at. I still don’t want to wear it though.

  “The ring was very limited in its powers when a human wore it. If it were to be worn by someone that happened to have golden wings, you get a whole different story being told. I cannot predict what power it holds, but your mother likes to do strange things to objects. As much as you will hate to hear this, I am guessing this ring was always destined to find you,” Hilda says handing it back to me.

  I wonder how far away the stream is that Sebastian mentioned was around here somewhere. I have a burning desire to just throw the dang ring as far as I can down river. Instead, I do the responsible thing and put the ring on the chain and secure it around my neck. It wouldn’t be good for an unsuspecting human to find it and end up ruining their life by putting it on.

  Problem one solved, time to move on to the next one. One of these days, I hope the problems run out.

  Chapter 19

  Hook, line, and sinker

  “Do you want to explain to us why you and the gang rushed to meet us when we could have sent Solomon over to Faerie for you to do your thing with?” Alex asks.

  “I would love to, but I have to acknowledge the little one sitting in the weird chair over there. The last time I saw her she was hidden behind a bit of flesh. I believe you would be Sophia, right?”

  “That’s right, Sophia Rose deYork-Gentry-Monroe-Slaughter. Thank you for your help in getting my grandfather back from those bad people.”

  It figures she is on board with the long h
yphenated last name. I will keep fighting it, but I am guessing it is one of my many losing battles.

  “I don’t think I have seen a baby look that much like her mother that young. They also don’t tend to be able to talk when they are that size either. You guys are both very special, which leads us to why we are here,” Addie says before giving Sophia a quick wave and turning back to me. “Your blood is a melting pot of at least seven different paranorm species. The angel, werewolf, and vampire overpower the rest to the point where they aren’t apparent on the surface, but I did find Fae and what I believe is dragon blood swirling around. I have no idea what the other two species could be.”

  “We are going to want to try to figure out the missing ingredients. We have someone from this world getting ready to do some testing too and maybe they will have come in contact with the other species. Since she hasn’t ever turned into a dragon, I am going to assume the other types are just for variety,” Sebastian says. I am glad he doesn’t sound worried about the development.

  “There isn’t enough of the other stuff to even bother with. There was just enough Fae that I could use it to develop a serum to allow us to become solid over here. I have to say if you guys feel this heavy all the time, I am sorry to hear it.”

  I will probably never understand how she can do what she does, so I don’t bother even trying to.

  “How long are you planning to stick around?” Sebastian asks. “If you don’t mind, I would feel more comfortable sending Nyx in on a chase the rabbit mission with extra backup.”

  She looks around and sees the tents all up and people sparring to get ready for battle. “We can stay to fight whatever threat you are facing. You helped save my people and if yours are being threatened I will do what I can to assist.”

  I don’t know if now is a good time to ask what happened with her sister, so I ask another question I just thought of.

  “What is the plan for Sophia during the fight? I think we need to figure that out before we go any further.”

  Alex and Sebastian exchange a glance. Sebastian nods and Alex clears his throat. “We don’t expect the fight to happen until tomorrow, even with you going in and waving the red flag. We will sleep here during the day tomorrow and then we are sending Sophia, Solomon, Dante, Will, Hilda, Walt, and twenty of the other forces into town to hide out.”

  Walt in the mix is a little surprising. The only person that would have beat him out for the shock factor would have been Dad. I know they both have a vendetta to see brought to an end.

  I look over to Walt to see how he takes the news and he just smiles and nods at me. “You need the strongest, non-essential, person to make sure the heir to the throne is taken care of in case you all die tomorrow.”

  If looking at it that way makes him feel better, I will let it go, but I am not planning on dying anytime soon. I feel comfortable leaving her in that many capable hands. It is a little worrisome that we have to lose that many troops for babysitting duty. Don’t get me wrong, Sophia is worth it, but that is a lot of people.

  “It sounds like we are facing about two hundred and fifty troops or so. Fifty of the troops Ben mentioned when we touched down should be on our side. We will be shorthanded, but that has never deterred us before. We have the weapons Carl created to defuse some of the problem, but it will still be a no holds barred grudge match, like we have all assumed. They will have some things up their sleeves and I hope we have a few tricks of our own,” Sebastian says.

  They are going to outnumber us and they have a succubus on their side. We have me, who could end up being really dangerous because of the timing of everything. I don't know exactly when I was born, but we are going to be close to whatever magically will happen when I turn twenty-three.

  We also have a reaper demon that claims he will fight for us. I am still surprised that he has stuck around this long. He tends to get bored quickly and takes off to parts unknown to find amusement.

  “I can send a couple of the knights to protect the teeny one as well. A little magic may come in handy,” Adeline suggests.

  “Thank you. I didn't want to impose, but I would like anyone that can be spared protecting my daughter.” Sebastian speaks for me and Alex when he talks. If we could, we would stay behind and make sure no one got to Sophia.

  “Think nothing of it. Is it time to do this red flag waving? Between Hilda and myself, we should be able to pop anyone where we need to be.”

  Ben has that ability as well and I don't enjoy the process. For quickness, the sun is going to be up within a few hours, I suppose I am going to have to deal with the annoying sensations that it causes.

  “Just the girls are being sent in for this mission. I don't know that the games are run at night, but the people that need to see you should be out and about. After Candace verifies that Nyx is here, we should be all set for step two. While you are gone, we will get everything ready here,” Alex says. “There is a worry that they will take the bait too soon and that is why Hilda is going to be with Team Sophia. She can zap her out of here or anywhere they end up if danger comes calling.”

  “Great. Quinn and Ronan will also be able to perform that task if needed. Where are we headed and how close do you want us to get?”

  “I can target you pretty near Candace if that is the goal,” Ben offers.

  “I would shoot for a couple of blocks down the road. You don't want to scar Nyx by letting her drop in while Candace is in the middle of one of her bedtime snacks,” Sebastian says.

  Definitely not my idea of fun. The only one that would get any joy out of one of those snacks is the succubus herself. “Go ahead and zap away. I want to be back here in time to kiss Sophia good night. You aren't hungry or anything, right?”

  She ate on the plane and so far hasn't seemed to need hourly nourishment. I am not sure what we are going to do tomorrow when she could very well be away from me for most of the day.

  “I am good. I might take a little nap, but I will try to wake up before you come home.”

  “If your tiny butt is tired, just go to sleep and don't worry about waking up for me. By the time I get back, I will be ready for bed myself and you don't want to be wide awake all day while everyone else is sleeping.”

  “Are we ready to get this show on the road?” Phee asks grabbing my arm. “I can't believe we are going to teleport. How freaking amazing is that?”

  The girl likes to shop, so there is obviously something wrong with her brain. What she just said proves the point even more.

  “Are you sure you can guide us in without coming along?” I ask Ben wanting to make sure he didn't have plans to do something crazy.

  “You guys just stand close together and I will take care of the rest. You are on your own getting back. I figure you girls will know the way.” We huddle in our small group and I feel a bit of energy surround us. “Buttercup, if she makes a move to end you, do you promise to take her out?”

  “It aggravates me that you even have to ask,” I reply and I feel the world disappear before my eyes.

  It quickly reappears in another clearing. This one has less trees standing and more giant logs lying on the ground.

  “It looks like we are in the caber toss field,” Hilda says. “Anyone sensing any evil presences?”

  I don't see anyone, but I can feel and smell paranorms not far. They are off somewhere to the right of us. It would be nice if we could just walk that way and find a hotel welcoming furry creatures.

  “I say we go that direction,” I say pointing to where I want to go.

  “What are we looking for? A description would be handy in case we split up,” Addie says.

  I start walking before answering. The quicker we get this done, the faster I can get some shut-eye. I think some jet lag is starting to finally kick in.

  “I don't know what any of the Collective forces will for sure look like. The female we are looking for can change appearance, but she prefers to look like a temptress any guy would die to have and a giant road kill smear to
any female.”

  Hilda hurries to run up in front of me. Phee skips along beside me and I suppose Addie has the back covered.

  “This doesn't look like a group of girls out for an evening stroll. Can you act normal?” I don't think that is possible with the eclectic group we have put together, but it is worth a try.

  “You wouldn't fool anyone doing that, river rat,” a voice says and I see Candace step out from behind a tree up ahead. What has it been, a whole ten steps? “Your arrival here set off all of my warning lights. I wish the guys would have come with you. It isn't as fun killing someone when their loved ones aren't around to watch.”

  She starts laughing and I grind my teeth. By now, I am well aware of what makes her tick. If she wants to play, I am game.

  “Aphrodite,” I whisper not caring if anyone hears. “Let's have a little fun.”

  “Sounds wonderful, but first,” she says sweeping her right arm to the side and sending everyone with me flying through the air. “Let's make this just between us. It appears that I don't have long before you come into your full powers. They even let you have one of their little toy swords. How cute. Maybe you can use it to whittle your coffin together.”

  “You will see how cute it is when I drive it through your chest. I hear it stings a little for a demon.” I am not sure she understands the meaning of the word whittle because I don’t think it is something you do with a coffin.

  “It is too bad that you are still just a baby. All the fun is going to be missing from the fight.” She smiles and a sword that looks a lot like mine appears in her hand. “A little small for my liking, but we can try it out.”

  I don't feel like talking anymore, so I start charging at her. Sometimes it is the only approach my body will allow. I think some more calculated moves would work better here, but I am tired of drawing out this fight that should have ended weeks ago.

  “Malairt!” I hear someone shout and I feel the dang world melt away again.

  “Why would you do that?” I ask and turn to face the magical people in the group. We are back in tent city and I am not happy.