There was a knock on his door. He set down the pad of paper he’d been writing on and ran his fingers through his hair.
“Come in.”
Mason opened the door and crossed, sitting in a large arm chair. “Sherman called. The High Council has arrived. Danika told him about the ceremony tonight for the fallen trackers.”
Neeman nodded.
“The bodies have been prepared and are ready to be laid to rest. The families of the four trackers have arrived. Danika would like to start about ten.”
“I’ll go tell the rest of my men and get everyone prepared.”
Mason waited and stared at the table where Neeman’s wooden box sat.
“Have you heard from her?” he asked.
Neeman licked his lips. “She called a couple of hours ago.”
Mason met his eye. “Is she okay?”
“She seems fine.”
Mason cracked his knuckles.
“Selene knows how to take care of herself,” said Neeman.
Mason snorted. “That’s what I’m afraid of. She always thinks she can handle herself and she doesn’t need anyone’s help.”
“Do you know why she’s here?”
Mason stared at him for a moment. “I know she isn’t telling me why she’s here.”
“So you don’t believe they just let her go?”
“I’ve dealt with the fae in the past. They are meticulous if anything. They never would’ve left her a way to get out without their knowing. Frankly, they shut up all the entrances to the fae plane when they left and so I’m not entirely sure how they opened a portal up to begin with. Probably had to do with me though, I’m sure.”
“Do you think you’re the reason she’s back?”
Mason nodded. “It’s very well possible, which is why I’ve kept my distance.”
“They tortured her. She hides the scars with magick, but I saw them.”
Mason’s expression sagged and a rumble escaped his chest. “The fae aren’t too different from the demons in that regard. They’ll do anything to protect their way of life. I’ve thought about it a lot since she’s been back and I’m surprised her mother took her there. Fae prize purity of their race above all else. Her mother had to have known what would happen to Selene if she took her there.”
“What kind of mother would take her daughter to a place where they wouldn’t accept her but actually want to hurt her?”
“My Aunt Yelena was never one to think much of Selene. She always put herself first.”
Neeman shook his head. That explained a lot. When you grew up with a selfish mother, it stood to reason you’d turn out the same. But Selene wasn’t the same. He’d seen her kindness. She’d let him in and he’d seen behind her superficial wall and she was a passionate woman, strong and utterly amazing,
“So we agree there’s something she’s hiding. The real question is, what are they holding over her? What do they have that’s forcing her to do their bidding?” said Mason.
“Her mother?”
“That’s possible. For as selfish as Yelena was, Selene always relied on her mother for everything.”
“If only she’d tell us, we could protect her.”
“Possibly not,” said Mason. “Fae have powers beyond the security measures that even we have in place.”
“Like what?”
Mason shrugged. “Opening locks. Spells that can be cast on people without even touching them. Influencing people. The elders can even cloak themselves.”
“Cloak?”
“Diminish their appearances to the point they seem to disappear, which is what I supposed Selene did so she could sneak onto Coven House grounds the night the Russians were here. I didn’t mention it before because I didn’t want to freak anyone out,” said Mason.
Neeman’s stomach soured and his brain worked overtime.
“What?”
“The movie theater,” said Neeman. “I left for a few minutes and when I got back Selene was white as milk and her whole demeanor had changed. As if someone had gotten to her. She’s been pushing me away since then.”
Mason steepled his fingers and sat back in his chair. “If she was sent here for a reason it makes sense she wouldn’t have come alone. They would have someone to make sure she fulfilled her duty.”
“Another fae?”
“Undoubtedly. And not just anyone. Someone who could handle her. Someone she’d be afraid of. She’s strong.”
“As strong as you?”
“Not quite. She’s only half demon and half fae. But we do share the same father. I haven’t seen her, Seraphine, in ages. But Seraphine was no kitten when we lived in the demon realm.”
Neeman stared at the table in silence. More than ever, he was worried about Selene being out there with Sherman. Hell, with anyone but him. Not that anything qualified him to take care of her, but for some reason knowing she was out there and possibly a fae was after her…
“You care for her,” said Mason.
Neeman looked up. He couldn’t deny it. His feelings for her were a surprise to even himself.
“I don’t like her being out there with Sherman.”
“Me neither,” said Mason. “But there was no way to say no without him thinking something was up.”
“How do we get her back?”
“I assume she will come home when Sherman leaves.”
Neeman’s heart squeezed. “And if she doesn’t?”
Mason’s brows furrowed. “Let’s cross that bridge when we get to it.”
Neeman nodded.
“You’d be good for her,” said Mason. “She needs a strong hand. Someone who can keep her focused.”
It was weird talking to Mason like this. He and Mason had barely said anything to each other since Mason had mated Danika. Not that they’d been bros before, but they’d at least had a mutual respect.
“I’ve never apologized for what happened with Danika,” Mason continued.
“There’s no need. She’s a big girl. She made her choice.”
“Still. I knew you had feelings for her and I didn’t respect that.”
“Things turned out the way fate designed. I see now that Danika and I were never right for each other. I never gave her what you do.”
“Maybe you could be what Selene needs,” said Mason. “Heaven knows you could give Seraphine a workout if the two of you ever sparred.”
“Maybe.”
Mason chuckled. “Well, I think we’ve done enough touchy-feely stuff for one year.”
“Absolutely.” Neeman stood. Mason followed suit.
“I’ll let you get ready for the ceremony.” Mason headed for the door and stopped. He turned and met Neeman’s gaze. “You haven’t known Selene long, but you should know that I’d be proud to call you brother.”
Neeman’s chest tightened. “You, too.”
Mason left without another word.
Neeman stared at the door for a long time. He needed to get Selene back. Not just for her safety but for his sanity as well.
* * * *
Selene decided to not go overboard this time. She picked out a black dress, a nice pair of slacks and blouse, a pair of jeans and a couple t-shirts, half a dozen pairs of underwear, a pair of pajamas, some sensible pumps and a pair of pantyhose. She then asked for a small suitcase. She was sick of having to leave everything behind because she didn’t have something to keep them in.
She slipped into the black crepe dress, which hugged her curves and ended conservatively below her knee. She wanted to throw on her jeans and t-shirt but she and Sherman were going somewhere important.
Sherman had been nothing but a gentleman to her since she’d arrived. His cultured air and extensive knowledge of art and history made him easy to be with. He was the kind of man her mother would’ve thrown her at and insisted she pursue him for his security. But for all the niceties that Sherman possessed, her heart ached for Neeman.
Even h
er inner demon missed Neeman’s hard body and icy stare.
“Are you about ready?” Sherman entered the room.
“I think so.”
“Here.” He handed over a red velvet box.
She opened the lid with a crack. Inside lay a beautiful emerald necklace and matching earrings.
“I…I can’t accept these.” She snapped the lid shut and held it out to him.
“No. I insist. You’re helping me out of a tight spot and you deserve to have something for it.”
“You’ve already given me clothes, food, an amazing hotel room.”
“And now these. Take them, really. They match your eyes so nicely. Besides, I have one more favor to ask of you.”
“What’s that?”
“I’m having a meeting later tonight and I need you to stay here while I attend.”
“The meeting with Lord Danika?”
He paused. “It is, and you going would be more than a bad idea. The High Council members are even older than I am. They’d figure out what you are in a heartbeat and there is nothing anyone could do to protect you from them.”
A shiver of dread raced like icicles through her veins. The High Council was legendary. In all of her time on the Earth, she’d never seen one, nor did she know anyone who had.
“Why don’t I help you put on your necklace and then we can go.”
“Sure.” Selene turned and lifted her hair. Sherman removed the necklace and placed it around her throat.
His cool fingers lingered on the side of her neck, making her swallow.
“Let me just get these earrings on.” She slipped from his grasp and walked into the bathroom.
* * * *
Selene sat next to Sherman in his executive sedan, her hands clutched in her lap. They pulled behind the long line of limousines, executive cars, and SUV’s.
Sherman’s driver opened the door and helped Selene out. She waited for Sherman, her eyes on the large crowd that had gathered at the gravesite north of the demolished tracker compound.
“Wow,” said Sherman. “It really is destroyed. Such a waste.”
“Be glad you weren’t in there when it started coming down.”
He looked at her. “You were?”
“Caught under a piece of the ceiling in the arena, to be exact.”
His brows furrowed. “How did you get out?”
“Neeman.”
Sherman smirked and nodded.
They walked toward the ceremony, and she hung a step behind to keep up the appearance of being his slave. All eyes were on her and Sherman. For the first time, she didn’t like being the object of people’s attention.
Sherman moved to the front of the crowd and Selene waited in the rear. These weren’t her people.
Danika stood before the gathered crowd, speaking of the bravery of the Tracking Squad. After several minutes, she turned the lectern over to Neeman.
Selene sucked in a breath at the sight of him. She’d not seen him in anything but his tracker outfit, but tonight he wore a dark three-piece suit that hugged his chest and arms and tailored nicely to his waist. He flipped through several notecards, looked up, and scanned the crowd. His gaze landed on her and his shoulders relaxed. She smiled. She couldn’t concentrate on any of his words as their eyes stayed locked on each other.
“He’s doing well.” Lorcan’s voice sent a chill down her limbs.
She refused to turn, continuing to stare at Neeman. “It’s a solemn ceremony, I’m not sure ‘doing well’ is the way to describe what he is doing.”
“True. He isn’t the reason I came anyway. Well, not entirely. The opportunity I spoke of is tonight. There will be a meeting. Maelstrom will be distracted. When he is, grab Danika and bring her to your old apartment, I’ll take it from there.”
“Are you going to hurt her?”
“Not that it is any of your concern, but no. And we won’t hurt Maelstrom either, once you tell him where she’s been taken. Then you and I will bring them back triumphantly and you will sit at my side as my wife.”
Anger bloomed in her stomach and she clenched her fists. “I’m never going back with you.”
“Let me have him,” said her inner demon.
“That’s too bad. I’m sorry to hear that. I really had hoped that we could let bygones be bygones.” He stroked her hair from her neck.
She shrugged his hand off and bit the inside of her cheek to keep from unleashing her disgust on him. “Not bloody likely.”
“Well that is disappointing. Then, think of it this way,” said Lorcan. “You and Neeman will be free.”
“Free to what? Defend against the demons alone?”
“When Mason’s gone, the demons will return to their own plane.”
“How can you be so sure?”
He patted her shoulder. “I can’t. And frankly, I don’t care either way. If they destroy this plane it means nothing to me. I can find more planes to visit. The only thing I care about is keeping my home safe and with Mason under control it will be. You can’t open a rift from this side, you aren’t strong enough.”
An idea shot through her mind like a bullet.
“So, I bring her to the apartment and you’ll go home and shut the rift for good?”
“Yes.”
She turned to face him. His piercing eyes bore into her, but she refused to lose her nerve.
“Do I have your word as High Elder of the fae? If I bring Danika to the apartment, you will leave the Earth realm and ensure no harm will come to us either now, or in the future?”
His eyes narrowed and he tensed. “You think I would give you my word so easily?”
“Fine. Don’t. I’ll tell Mason what you plan to do and he’ll rip a hole in the universe so big that every demon my father has will flood into your precious sanctuary and tear it apart.”
“You wouldn’t dare.”
“Wouldn’t I? You beat me and tortured me. I’ve lost just about everything I am because of you. I have nothing left. So you can either promise me now, or suffer the wrath of my brother and father.”
It was a thin line she walked. If he wanted he could grab her and pull her through a rift before anyone knew what had happened to her. And that was a fate worse than anything. She couldn’t spend another hour tied to that stone altar.
“How dare you threaten me.”
She clasped her hands behind her back in an effort to keep him from seeing her shake. “What will it be?”
As High Elder, his word was law. “Let it be recorded. You have my word.” A wisp of light flew from his mouth and snaked into the sky. A whisper echoed on the wind, carrying his word into the record books.
She nodded and faced forward again, hugging herself. She had to hold it together.
“Do your job well, Selene.” Lorcan’s fingers brushed her cheek. “Your family is counting on you.”
“Not my family.”
He inhaled and then his lips grazed her neck. “Gods above, how I’ve missed you in my bed,” he whispered. He ran his palm down her arm.
Selene swallowed hard and stared straight ahead. “I suggest you remove that hand before I break it,” she said through clenched teeth.
Lorcan chuckled. “Willful as always. I miss that most about having you tied to the altar. Our session always left me so…pent up.”
Selene whipped around, but he was gone. She clamped her lips together refusing to cry. Her blood pumped hard, making her head throb.
“You’re weak. You should have let me kill him.”
“Right, because what we really need is to be hunted by fae and demons.”
She scanned the area, but Lorcan had vanished. Her sights stopped on two identical men standing with a dark-haired, vulture-like man, wearing a long dark coat, behind a cluster of trees, apart from the group.
The Russians she’d overheard at Coven House days before. They’d said they were going to Las Vegas, but they obviously hadn’t. A chill ra
n through her. She glanced at Neeman. She didn’t want to cause a scene, but her gut told her something wasn’t right.
The three men walked away toward the street.
“Follow them,” said her inner demon.
Neeman stopped speaking and stepped down. She was torn. She should tell Neeman about the men, but this wasn’t the place.
He walked to the first coffin with Danika. Together, they threw dirt on top and the first coffin lowered into the earth. A woman followed them, clutching tightly onto a man.
Selene watched the men get farther away. She didn’t want to leave Neeman and she’d accompanied Sherman. She couldn’t just leave.
The men disappeared around the corner of the crumbling compound.
The families gathered in a group to cry, hug, and lend support to each other. Selene turned from the scene and walked toward the compound where the men were getting into their car. She hurried as fast as her heels and tight dress allowed, but she was unable to catch up. The sedan disappeared out of sight.
“I could follow them. I’m fast enough.”
“Shut up.” Her hand rested on the wall of the compound. Memories of being trapped under the falling stone caused her gut to clench. “This is what you did the last time I let you out.”
“I saved your life.”
“You almost got us killed.”
She stared at the spot where the car had been. She might still be able to catch up if she ran now, but doing so would cause even more problems. Lorcan had told her that tonight was the night. She needed to stick close to Danika, not follow the Russians. Whatever they were up to wasn’t her problem.
She ran her fingers over the compound, following the wall around the side to a hole in the cinder blocks.
“Hey!” A strong hand wrapped around her arm. “What are you doing?” Neeman’s icy gaze met hers.
Her body tingled being near him.
“Keep him safe.”
“I wanted to see what was left,” she said.
“The rest of that place could crumble at any minute.” His eyes held concern.
“True.” She hadn’t thought about that. “Your speech was nice.”
He cocked an eyebrow. “Nice?”
“Okay. It was… I don’t know. What you do want me to say? It was nice. You did great. You look amazing in that suit. You really seemed to help those families.”
Rise of the Fae Page 23
