Trial By Fire (Beyond The Veil Book 1)

by Cate Dean

  His demon was in charge.

  “Bran—”

  “Bran is sleeping.” He ducked another deadly strike from Neasa, and glanced at me. “He is still here, Reese Pierpoint.”

  I let out a shaky breath. The demon may be coming out to play, but Bran was alive. I intended to keep all of us that way.

  While he kept Neasa busy, I turned to Torlogh. He had almost made it back to his victim, using the altar stone to pull himself up. I was still shocked that one cut with a silver plated knife had taken him down so fast.

  I limped over to him, my strength fast running out. The injured Fae’s pain sucked at it, like she was using me to help heal herself…

  I halted as I saw the pale gold glow surrounding her wounds. How did I know that? Another question for Mom.

  “Don’t you touch her,” I said. He roared, tossing the knife in his hand at me. It landed in the grass, several feet to my left. “You missed.” Taunting a furious, injured Fae wasn’t the smartest move, but I couldn’t seem to help myself. “Time to give up the dream, Torlogh.”

  “Never!” He used the altar stone to launch himself at me.

  I moved—but not fast enough. He caught the sleeve of my jacket with his talons and we both hit the ground, hard. Those talons sank into my right arm. I screamed, pain roaring through me, and I felt my fingers slip off the knife.

  “Reese—” Bran shouted at me, trying to push Neasa off him. I saw his eyes start to change, and knew he was fighting to regain control. “Jewelry—”

  I didn’t understand why he was talking about my store when we were fighting for our lives—

  My bracelet. Sometimes it’s the small details that mean the most.

  I dragged my left arm up, let out another scream as he dug his talons deeper into my right arm. My strength deserted me, and my left arm collapsed, hitting the grass.

  Heat flared in my right hand—and without warning, my arm flew up, blue-white light outlining my fingers. The ring Claire had given to me pulsed, the Aqua Aura so bright it hurt to look at it.

  “Where—” Torlogh tore his talons out of my arm. Pain exploded through me, so huge I thought I’d pass out. I fought past it, kept my focus on him. “How did you acquire—”

  He screamed a second before the stone flared again—and burst apart.

  Blue-white sparks flew at Torlogh, burning his skin on contact. He screamed, this time in fury, and yanked us away from the whirlwind. When he drove his talons into my right arm again, I knew I didn’t have much time.

  With the last of my strength I hauled my left arm up and slammed my wrist against his neck.

  Torlogh jerked, like he’d been hit with electric shock. I watched his eyes widen, then bulge, terrified they were going to burst out of his head. I yanked my wrist away, but it was too late.

  His talons tore out of my arm as he arched backward, every muscle taut. Bran grabbed my left arm and dragged me into the circle right before Torlogh shattered.

  Yeah—like a piece of glass.

  Bran draped himself over me and the kids, but the shards bounced off an invisible shield, not touching us. Neasa wasn’t so lucky.

  She screamed as pieces of her former master cut her. She was still screaming when she stumbled into the trees.

  “Reese?” Bran pushed himself up, kneeling next to me. “What were you thinking?”

  “I saw you die, Bran,” I whispered. He closed his eyes. “And this time I saw how. I knew, if I got here, I could save you.”

  “You made the monster explode.” Chris’ voice reminded me that I had just decimated Torlogh in front of two very impressionable kids. “That was so cool!”

  “Chris!” Cindy smacked his arm. “It was not cool.” She looked at me. “Are you okay?”

  “I think so.” I couldn’t move my right arm, and it felt like I’d fallen from a three story building. Other than that, I was good. “How about you?”

  She nodded, and glanced over at Bran, her cheeks flushed. Chris practically climbed over her to get to Bran.

  “You were awesome. And you’re bleeding, like, a lot.”

  “Thanks, kid. I feel like I’m bleeding, like, a lot.” They grinned at each other. “I’m going to help you sit, Reese, and I want to take a look at your arm.”

  “Not here.”

  He frowned at me. “I saw—”

  “Let’s get the kids out of here. Wait.” I grabbed his wrist. “Torlogh was torturing a Fae. Over there.” I pointed at the altar stone at the edge of the clearing. The empty altar stone.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes.” I held on to him as he helped me sit, my head threatening to fly off my shoulders. “He was cutting her, with that knife.” I pointed at the long, bloody knife still sitting on the grass. It was the only thing left of Torlogh.

  “Stay here.” He climbed to his feet, found his balance, and limped over to the altar stone, his right hand pressed against his left shoulder. I could tell by his reaction that the blood I had seen was still there, even if its owner wasn’t. He came back, helped Cindy and Chris to their feet, whispering to them and pointing at the still open portal. They both nodded and stood just outside the circle. After he pulled me to my feet, he leaned down to whisper to me. “There was a Fae there. A powerful Fae. If you saved her, Reese, she owes you a life debt.”

  I wasn’t sure I wanted to know what that entailed.

  “Let’s go,” I said. “While we still can.”

  Cindy and Chris helped us across the clearing, not surprised by the glowing portal. Torlogh must have brought them through when they were conscious. Bastard.

  We all walked through the portal together, into my living room.

  Mom jumped up from the kitchen chair and rushed over to us. “Reese, Bran—oh, my dear.” She held out her hand to each of the kids, and they rushed her, wrapping their arms around her waist. She did look like a mom, after all, even if she was the most beautiful mom they would ever meet. “I’ve got you, now. You’re safe.”

  She glanced over at me, and I nodded. Exhaustion and shock were creeping in, threatening to drop me. Bran tightened his arm around my waist.

  “I’m going to call Nick’s captain, let him know the kids are safe. Then I’m taking both of us to get treated.”

  “We can’t go to a hospital. How are we supposed to explain—”

  “I said treated, sweetheart. There’s a local clinic that takes in special cases.”

  Of course there was.

  Mom had Cindy and Chris settled at the kitchen table, and was rummaging through my fridge. “Who wants ice cream?”

  “Me!” They both shouted at once. “Jinx!” Then the argument started.

  “Why don’t we do this,” Mom said. “Let’s call this a special occasion, and you both get the benefit of jinx. Okay?” The kids nodded, and dug into the small tubs of ice cream I always kept in my freezer. “I’ll be right in the living room if you need anything.”

  She walked over to me and gently settled me in the armchair. “Mom—”

  “Hush. I know you’re hurt, Reese. I can feel it.” She touched my right hand, where the only evidence of the Aqua Aura destroying itself was a small, deep cut on my finger, where the ring had been. “It protected you, didn’t it?” The tears in her voice had my own threatening to unleash. “Does it hurt?”

  “I didn’t even notice until just now.”

  Mom gave me a watery smile, “So, no.” She blinked back the tears that glimmered in her eyes. “Let’s see the rest of the damage.”

  I swallowed, and let her ease my shredded jacket off. The thick leather had protected me, lessened the injuries Torlogh inflicted. I’d miss it.

  Bran came back just in time for the unveiling of my arm.

  “Shit.” He muttered the curse under his breath and moved to my side. “Why didn’t you tell me how bad it was?”

  “I didn’t know.” Just looking at my mangled arm made me queasy.

  “We’re going to need a healer, Fiona.”

&
nbsp; Mom stood, taking a deep breath. “I know one. Stay here, and do what you can to clean her arm.”

  He moved the ottoman, and sat so he blocked me from the kids. “The captain is on his way, with the parents. I told him I tracked them to a warehouse, and chased off the kidnappers. You’re out of this, Reese, so you don’t have to be here when they show.”

  “I’m staying.” I wanted to smile when he let out a sigh, but I was afraid it would take what little strength I had left. I reached in my jeans pocket with my left hand, and pulled out his crystal. “I thought you might want this.”

  His eyes widened, and he closed his fingers over it. “Where—”

  “In your office.”

  He nodded. “Torlogh’s Fae, Neasa, relieved me of it, before she hauled me through the portal. Thank you, for keeping it safe.” He leaned in and kissed me, so gently that I knew I must look like I was on the edge of horrible.

  “Is she going to be okay?” Cindy’s tearful voice brought my head up. She was staring at my arm, her lower lip trembling. “You got hurt because of us.”

  “Bran, can you grab a towel? A dark one.” He nodded, understanding what I wanted. I held out my left hand, and Cindy took it, sniffling. Chris joined her, his blue eyes sober as he studied my arm. “I would do it all over again, even knowing this would happen, if it meant you both would be okay.” I blinked, tears stinging my eyes. “This isn’t your fault, so I don’t want you thinking for even one second that it is. Okay?”

  “Okay,” she whispered. She squeezed my hand, and I smiled at her.

  “Chris?”

  “Yeah.” He wiped at his nose, and straightened his shoulders. “It was the exploding monster’s fault.”

  I bit my lip, trying not to laugh. We would have to persuade him before his parents got here that mentioning an exploding monster was not a good idea.

  ~ ~ ~

  Mom showed up in the middle of the tearful reunion, and I stared at who was with her, and obviously unhappy about it.

  Maeve waited impatiently while the parents fussed over Cindy and Chris, thanked us both again for saving their babies, and led the kids out, holding them tightly. Chris rolled his eyes at me over his dad’s shoulder, then waved. Cindy blew me a kiss, blushed after she did the same to Bran, and buried her face in her mom’s shoulder.

  “I think someone has a crush on you,” I muttered, and watched him squirm.

  I didn’t get the chance to enjoy it for long. Maeve stomped over, glaring at us both. “You managed to make a complete mess of it, I see.”

  Mom crossed her arms. “Watch your mouth,” she said. “Your welcome here is temporary, and I can make it unpleasant.”

  Maeve glared at her.

  “Torlogh won’t bother you again, Maeve,” Bran said. “That should be good enough for you.”

  She huffed, and after Mom cleared her throat, bent over to examine my arm. Her anger faded. “This is going to hurt you, my child. I am sorry for it. Come here, Bran. I will heal you first, since I will need your assistance. Fiona, take Reese to the bed. It will be easier for her if she is prone.”

  Mom came over and helped me stand. This time, my knees refused to cooperate. She wrapped her arm around my waist. “Let me do the work, honey. You’ve done enough today.”

  “Mom.” She looked at me, and the concern in her eyes had tears threatening again. “I’m sorry.”

  “Whatever for?” She guided me to the bed, and helped me stretch out, gently resting my arm on the duvet. I’d have to get new bed coverings after this was over. “You saved those beautiful children, and stopped a Fae who wanted to cause harm, not only on the other side of the Veil, but here as well. I couldn’t be more proud of you, Reese.”

  Maeve showed up, Bran behind her, which ended our conversation. I could see the faint scar on his left shoulder, and a second on his left side, under what blood he hadn’t managed to clean off his skin.

  “Lie next to her, Bran, and hold her. Like I said, this is going to hurt you.”

  “Why?” I whispered, watching Bran stretch out next to me. He moved without any sign of pain, so I silently thanked Maeve for that. Someday, I might even thank her out loud.

  “The talons of a Fear Doirche carry poison. Your Fae half has been fighting it, but your human side is not immune to its effects. Hold her, Bran.”

  Maeve laid her hand on my arm.

  Icy pain surged through me. I tried to escape it, and strong arms held me in place.

  “I’m here, Reese.” Bran’s deep voice whispered through the pain. “I’m right here, my heart.”

  Maeve’s power sank deeper into my wounds and I arched off the bed, screaming as the pain tried to drown me.

  Thirty Two

  Bran’s heart froze in his chest at Reese’s agonized scream.

  He held her down, watched Maeve struggle as she healed the deep, ugly wounds. Finally, she sat back, her hands shaking.

  “I have done all I can for her.”

  Fiona gently brushed sweat-soaked hair off Reese’s forehead. Reese was so pale, her breathing so shallow, Bran found himself pacing the rise and fall of her chest.

  “Will she—” Fiona cut herself off, and looked at Maeve. The grief in her eyes drove through Bran’s heart.

  “Live?” Maeve shrugged. “She is alive now. I have purged what I can. The rest of the battle is up to her.”

  He eased Reese to the bed, and left her with Fiona, leading Maeve over to the living room. “Tell me the truth, Maeve.”

  “I have, Bran. Her desire will determine how well she heals, and how much.” She sighed, and looked almost human for one second. “You may share this news with Reese, or not, at your discretion. Part of the disruption in the realm that I mentioned to you before is due to her father. He has escaped the Light Court.”

  Shock drove through him. “He has been on the other side of the Veil all this time?”

  “When we found Fiona, more than twenty years ago, he offered his services in exchange for her freedom. Of course,” she glared at Bran. “The Queen did not know at the time that there was a child.”

  “Do you know where he is?”

  It took a few seconds for Maeve to spit out the answer. “No.”

  Bran silently thanked whatever God could hear him. “Leave him alone. If he shows up, we will deal with him. Nod if you understand.”

  Maeve lifted her chin and glared at him, but she nodded. Bran opened his mouth to tell her she could leave at any time when she disappeared, leaving the scent of her power behind.

  She shouldn’t have been able to do that—not with all the protection he had set up here.

  They were going to have words the next time she crossed his path.

  Bran headed back to the bed, and stopped beside Fiona. She sat on the edge of the bed, next to Reese, tears staining her drawn face.

  “Fiona—”

  “She’s fine, Bran.” Fiona took a shaky breath. “Being alone gave what happened time to sink in.” She looked up at him. “My husband has escaped, hasn’t he?”

  “You heard Maeve?”

  Fiona shook her head. “I can feel him, for the first time since he gave his life to them. Please don’t tell Reese. Let me be the one to give her the news.”

  “As long as you actually tell her.”

  “I will.”

  Bran nodded, and moved to Reese’s other side, taking her left hand. Her skin was cool under his fingers, when she should have been hot with the exertion of healing. He would watch over her, give her his human life force if she needed it.

  Whatever it took to bring her back to him.

  Thirty Three

  I must have passed out, because the next thing I remembered was Bran’s voice, his arms holding me, and Mom’s hand rubbing my wrist. My right wrist. There wasn’t pain, just a blissful numbness, and the ache that told me I had my share of cuts and bruises.

  I opened my eyes.

  “Reese. Oh, thank heaven.” Mom brushed sweat-damp hair off my forehead. “How are
you feeling?”

  “Rough,” I whispered. Actually, I felt like I’d been dragged down ten miles of bad road by a semi, but they didn’t need to know that. “Thirsty.”

  “Hold on.” Mom grabbed a bottle of water off the nightstand, while Bran carefully propped me up enough to take a few sips. “Just nod when you’re done.”

  I nodded, and leaned back against Bran’s shoulder. At some point, he’d gotten dressed.

  “How long was I out?”

  “Three days, sweetheart.” I met Bran’s eyes, and saw the circles under his eyes. “Maeve told us you’d be under for a while, healing. How does your arm feel?”

  I hadn’t even thought of my arm. I was too busy dealing with every other inch of my aching body. “How does it look?” I whispered. Last time I’d seen my arm, it looked like raw ground beef.

  “Much better,” Mom said—a little too enthusiastically. Now I really wanted to see it.

  Bran eased the cashmere wrap off my arm. I recognized it—the soft, pale blue wrap had been sitting on the bench at the end of Mom’s bed since I could remember.

  The soft, warm fabric fell away, and revealed my arm. Instead of the torn up mess I expected, the only evidence that I had been wounded at all were the silvery scars marking the spot where his talons had torn into me.

  “How?” I stared at it. “How is it not—”

  “Hamburger?” Bran smiled down at me. At least, it was supposed to be a smile. I’d never seen one so forced on him before. Something was definitely off. “Maeve is one of the most powerful healers on the other side of the Veil. She owed both of us, for taking care of Torlogh before the Queen got wind of his antics.”

  He carefully replaced the wrap—and my heart skipped. I couldn’t feel it against my skin.

  “Mom—”

  “It’s an effect of the poison, honey.” She took my right hand, and relief nearly crushed me when I felt her grip. “The numbness will fade, eventually. But it will limit your mobility until it does. You also have to be careful, because you won’t feel any new injury you may cause to your arm.”

  “How long is eventually?” Mom refused to meet my eyes. “Mom. How long?”