Pleased, she continued, "There. Now, as I was saying, it was my decision and order to...apprehend the girl and the Ares."
Brianna waved a hand towards her son, who then presented Alyss' messengers bag and pulled out a small black figurine for all to see.
The Obsidian Ares, Jess presumed, was no bigger than her size six and a half shoe. So, that's what all the fuss is about, she thought.
"And what, may I ask, do you have planned with the Daeghtus, Brianna?" Though he used her name, it still sounded like a title, and he wasn't fooling the woman either.
One eyebrow raised, she answered, "I plan to give it to you, Fomorian King."
King?! Jess couldn't help the punishing jab she gave his lower back. He completely ignored it, but that was fine by her, they'd talk about it later.
Brianna folded her hands in front of her gracefully. No one else moved. Jess kept her head in the odd angle with the majority of the room still in view.
"I have a proposition for you and Manahan's heir," she met Jess' shock-rounded eyes. Fallon shifted his wing to block her, but Jess side stepped minutely to keep her eyes on Brianna.
"I'm listening," Fallon interjected.
"What's going on?" Alyss interrupted. "I want to know what you're talking about if you're holding us hostage."
"Alyss, it's fine," Jess said calmly, taking a full step to the side, away from Fallon. "Everything is going to be okay. Just let them talk, I'll explain it all later." She didn't sound very convincing, she guessed, with her shaky voice.
"No, Jess. I want to know now. Who are these bastards? What-What are they?" Alyss' own voice didn't sound very sure either.
"Quiet," Brianna commanded, growing impatient.
"Just who do you think you are, lady?" Twisting her arm in a elementary maneuver she learned Freshman year during a self-defense class, she broke the man's hold and advanced upon the silver haired wisp of a woman. Before she could lay a finger on her though, Brianna threw a hand out, palm facing Alyss.
Jess watched as her sister froze for a second and, when the queen flicked her hand to the side, as if swatting a fly away, saw her collapse on the spot like a rag doll dropping to the concrete floor. Chaos ensued from it.
"No!" Jess screamed, starting to run to her before she was jerked back by a meaty hand on her shoulder. A sound similar to the low growl she heard Fallon make earlier in the underground hallway, reverberated in the small chamber, bouncing off the walls, sending chills through Jess before the weight disappeared and the man who dared to touch her flew against the brick wall, head snapping back with a sickening thud before he slid down to slump against it, dazed.
Fallon snatched her arm, dragging her behind him again, wings flared out at half mast, offering added protection. Roshea stood to his side, having advanced from the rear, battle ready.
"Stop!" Brianna's commanding voice froze everyone in place. Breath hitching, Jess pressed her forehead to Fallon's back, feeling it warm even more at the contact and how the cotton absorbed the sweat that started to bead on her skin.
"Domminai, stand down," the man, Domminai, just now standing from his momentary stupor against the wall nodded as he rubbed his head. Jess hoped he had an egg size bump for the bruises she was sure would show up on her shoulder from his brutal grip.
"Well, well, Fallon. I guess you do have more at stake in this, don't you?" Brianna's mocking words made Fallon still for a second as she looked him over from head to toe.
Looking up, Jess could see his cheek was illuminated with the same blue tattoo she'd seen in the dark just a couple hours ago, he looked fearsome and beautiful all at once. The palms of his hands, which were held at his sides, opened and closed into fists, glowing with their own markings as well.
"Let's get on with it, Brianna," he ground from clenched teeth.
"Very well, as you wish," she acquiesced. "I want an alliance."
"Alliance?" Jess could hear he was a little taken back by her words, his wings inching down slightly. "There is no war between us, Brianna," Fallon said calmly.
She smiled at him as if he were a child, "Not with the Fomorians," she said, then looked around him to spot Jess. "With the Seelie."
"What are you proposing, Brianna?" Fallon tucked in his wings and moved to the side a little, allowing Jess to be a part of the conversation.
"We give you the Daeghtus, in return for a promise of an alliance and a joining of our courts in the future. My people are tired of living only in the shadows. They want to return home.”
"What did you do to my sister?” Jess interrupted, looking worryingly to Alyss' still prone body.
"She sleeps, nothing more." The smile changed to that of comforting, one that reached her eyes and adding truth to her words.
Not believing her, Jess glanced at Fallon, who nodded in assurance.
"Okay. So, let me get this straight. You want your kingdom to reunite with the Seelie?" Jess wasn’t entirely sure she understood who this Seelie were.
"Correct, child."
Jess' brows furrowed a little. "Look, I realize you're probably much older than me, and you look really great for your age too, but please, for the sake of your kingdom and my sanity, don't call me a child. It rubs me the wrong way." Jess rubbed her temples as she spoke.
Brianna's lips twitched, as if holding back another smile, before tipping her head to the younger woman in understanding.
Jess dropped her hand and looked to Fallon, met his edged gaze before sweeping to Roshea and turning back to her sister, still crumbled on the ground beside Cormac, who stood close by, glancing down to her now and then.
"What say you, Princess Jessandra?" Brianna's soft musical voice broke the momentary silence.
Looking at her, Jess took a deep breath before replying. "I say we all take a day. I need a day. This is all too new to me, I hardly understand what's going on." She noted everyone was now staring at her.
"Let Alyss go," Jess said shakily, fearing her request would be denied.
Brianna's brow rose at Jess' shocking words, already shaking her head.
"Let her go," Jess rushed on. "Keep the Daeghtus, and give me a day to think and learn." Brianna looked to be giving her words genuine thought.
"I need time to learn, before I can give you an answer." Brianna smiled again when Jess finished.
"Fallon, I trust you will teach her in a fair manner?" Brianna asked him.
"I assure you, Brianna, that I will give a complete unbiased history lesson to Princess Jessandra." Fallon bowed his head graciously to her.
"Then I agree to your terms, Princess Jessandra." she said.
"Thank you," Jess wasn’t sure what to do so she gave a quick and extremely awkward curtsey.
"Cormac, darling. Please waken our guest," she directed.
The man standing over Alyss quickly knelt down beside her and brushed her temple with his fingertips. Just like that, her eyes fluttered open. Not giving her much time to adjust and find her bearings, he hauled her up by her waist, turning her to face Jess.
"Go, Princess," he whispered to her, his breath fanning her cheek, making her shiver slightly, before nudging her forward.
"Alyss!" Jess called to her through the fog. Her mind clearing, she rushed to grasp her sister's outstretched hands before being embraced.
"Go. You have your day," Brianna said.
Dismissed, the three followed the one Fallon had thrown after touching Jess, back upstairs and outside of the mansion.
"Jess, who are these people?" Alyss whispered once they reached fresh air again.
"Shh...We'll discuss it in the car," Jess hushed her.
Fallon nodded to the two males who waited perched on the outer walls, resembling gargoyles, their wings threateningly arched back at the ready.
Fin and Keegan dropped down in front of him, their heavy weight crunching the drive-way's gravel rock beneath their boots. Fallon spoke with them for a moment, giving direction to make security rounds of the Nead before resting and meeting again on t
he next eve. Roshea had been opening the door for Alyss and ushering her inside when Fallon pulled Jessandra aside.
"Fly with me." It was as much a statement as it was a question. Jess looked to Alyss who seemed less wide eyed and more sturdy now.
"Just a second," Jess said, turning to hug Alyss in the car. "You're safe with them," she assured her. "I have to go with him, but I will see you soon."
Alyss’ hand snapped out and her hand gripped her sister’s arm, staying her. "Where are they taking me?" Alyss asked, peering at Roshea's eyes in the rear-view mirror.
Looking at the same set of eyes, Jess looked back to her younger sister with a small smile. "Home." She watched Alyss frown. "Their home." Not waiting for a response, Jess dropped a kiss on her forehead, soothed the death grip to release her, straightened and shut the door before returning to Fallon.
Chapter Seven
"So, how does this work?" She gestured to his wings, not sure how to proceed. "I don't really remember much past the whole terrified part when we did it the last time."
Smiling widely, Fallon just reached down to scoop her up under the knees, bracing her shoulders with the other arm behind her, lifting her high against his chest. He juggled her a little to adjust her weight to a more comfortable fit. Enjoying the feel of her in his arms again.
"Just hang on, princess," he said, just as he shot himself straight up into the crisp night air.
She never worried so much about her weight as she did in his arms, as he soared over buildings and through low, chilly cloud covers. She could feel the mist from the fog layers wet her cheeks. The shiver it caused to course through her was mostly for the dramatic contrast between the coolness of it and his natural heat that surrounded her. The steady swoosh, swoosh, swoosh, surrounded them, a steady beat from his powerful wings. Even a few hundred feet above the ground, Jess had a niggling desire to caress them. If she had a death wish, she could reach out and touch them then, but she didn’t. She rather enjoyed living. Especially since she wasn’t currently spazzing out over the whole heights thing. Jess wasn’t naive enough to think that she was getting over her fear. No, inside, she knew that it wasn’t her terror that was abating, but that she trusted Fallon.
Reminding herself of why she was up there in the first place, and not riding in the car with her sister, she tore her focus away from the way his wings cut through the fog of a low cloud, her clothes growing a little damp as minuscule water droplets caught them when they did. A small shiver ran through her, causing her to curl even farther into his warmth. "Your body temp is so much warmer than mine." She observed, touching a finger to his neck, where his blood pulsed.
Fallon sucked air through suddenly clenched teeth, arms tightening.
Watching him carefully, Jess removed her hand, saw him relax and close his eyes briefly before returning his concentration on the sky ahead. After a few seconds, she returned her fingers to his neck, resting there as she observed him tensing up, even his wings jerked in their graceful gliding. After a moment, another tattoo started to surface. Waves and curves twisting into one another and spreading towards the back of his neck.
"Jessandra," Fallon ground out, as if in pain.
"Yeah?" Jess replied distractedly, her eyes glued to the markings seeming to come alive around her fingers.
"That," Fallon sucked in a breath. "Is very distracting."
"Hm?" Completely lost to the rest of the world, she tested the skin on his other cheek, where she had seen the marks in the darkened corner earlier. As it had before, it too lit up.
A growl rumbled from him before he released a sort of snarl, his breath warming her cheek and drawing her attention to his sharp canines, reminding her how different they were.
"Why is it taboo for your people to touch the opposite sex?" She asked absentmindedly.
His gaze snapped down to hers and held as he seemed to consider how to answer. After a moment, he looked away and down to the buildings below before quickly descending. Landing was jarring as he dropped on the high riser's rooftop. She stumbled for a second but quickly regained her balance just as he snatched her hands in each of his.
"We do not touch," he whispered harshly, his voice hoarse as he backed her into the wall of an electrical room that sat atop the building. "Because, dear Jessandra," he went on, pressing his body flush to hers, letting her feel every inch of his hard, angular body. "These," he put her hands to his cheeks, "are for your mate's eyes only."
His skin burned as it glowed and danced under her palms. Brilliant blue burst from under her hands, angled and curved to meet and meld with one another under his chin. He tilted his head back, taking in a deep breath.
"Wait." She stilled. "Mate?" Her hands, frozen now, dropped down like limp noodles when he released them. What the hell did that mean?
"I was going to wait. Give you time to adjust and learn about us," Fallon looked down before finishing. "To woo you."
"Woo me?" Again, she watched the marks fade, frowning as they did.
Fallon grasped for a better word. "Court you."
"I know what woo means, Fallon," Jess grumbled at him. This was it. She had for sure fallen into her own Twilight Zone. She could feel her heart rate pick up as she tried to process what he was saying.
"It's not something we choose. Gods know we wouldn't be enslaved to the Seelie King if we could control the mating bond. Once found, it's nearly impossible to separate them." He had backed away to sit on the small outer wall around the roof.
"And you—" Jess started and choked a little on a suddenly dry throat. Swallowing, she started again. "And you think I'm yours?"
"The markings and heat are proof," Fallon's gaze rested on the rough roof floor purposefully not looking at her. She struggled not to notice his unease at the discussion. He was obviously just as blindsided by this as she was.
"So, you're not usually so warm?" Jess asked.
She saw his lips tick fractionally before he looked up to her finally. "No, I'm not."
It was her turn to look out at the weaning darkness towards the hewing of the breaking dawn. "It's amazing," she whispered. He knew she wasn't just referring to the nearing sunrise. "My life has changed completely overnight," she went on, whispering. "It will never be the same."
"No," he agreed. "It won't, Princess." Using her title helped drive that new reality home for her.
With a definitive nod, she walked to stand in front of him still sitting on the wall with wings hanging over the edge. "I think it's time we started my history lesson." Her voice was steadier with an underlining determination. He nodded back to her, understanding that the previous topic had been put away, at least temporarily. When he stood, and reached to lift her again, she stepped back.
"But first." She took a deep breath before reaching out to take his hand in hers, watching as it's markings surfaced so she could trace it with the fingertips of her other hand. "Answer one more thing." He locked eyes with her.
"Are these for me?"
His eyes flashed blue when he hissed, "Yes."
She let it be for now, giving her time to process it all. They were out of time as it was, the darkness waning, their only cover when they flew. He whisked her back into the air. After another forty-five minutes or so of flying, he came to the columned building that held the caverns main entrance, dropping through a massive hole in the center of its roof, just before the sun broke the shadows apart.
"Cool," she awed. Two entrances built specifically to Formorian standards. "What is this place called?"
"The Barr." He looked around at the people who must have cut it close like them, chatting with one another about their evening. When he looked down at her, he wore a pleased smile. "It means 'the top'. As this is the top entrance to our home." A pair of male guards tipped their heads to him as they passed, reminding her of what she'd already learned that night. The man - male Fomorian - in front of me, is their king. Interesting.
Since she'd arrived, he hadn't once demanded any one to bow to him, nor w
atch what they said to him. Even when Illium hadn't been able to keep Alyss from being abducted, Fallon never once made the male to feel as if he were inferior. Though, the male did already have a fair amount of self-imposed guilt that Fallon was unable to alleviate.
"Let us get some coffee before we head to my rooms," Fallon said as they reached the bottom of the swirling staircase.
"Coffee? You drink coffee?" Jess was slightly shocked to hear they drank something so human.
Laughing at her incredulous question, he looked at her as he led them to a small stand, one of the only remaining left open this late in the day. The stand was run by an older looking woman who had any and every type of warm beverage available.
Gesturing to the steaming cups, Fallon silently asked if she wanted one for herself. She nodded. He didn’t have to ask. Coffee is life. As he conversed with the woman, Jess looked for cream and sugar to add, finding none, she prepared herself for bitter black coffee.
"Hot," he warned, handing her an insulated paper cup with plastic cover and turned to walk down the main aisle of the marketplace. Tarps and sheets covered most of the other stands, closed for the day.
As they walked, Jess a step of two behind him, she took a moment to admire his…assets. It wasn’t just his enticingly tight butt, encased in the dark jean he wore, but the whole package. The inky black wings that protruded from his back, below the shoulders, we magnificent. Thoughts on every dragon art and movie she’d ever seen came to mind when she looked at them. They weren’t anything like the feathery angelic wings that Michaelangelo had painted. No, his, and every other Fomorian’s she’d seen so far, were exact opposites. The webbed like skin pulled taut between tiny bones, that opened and closed like Davinci’s flying machine when they fanned out. They looked like…Dante’s Satan. Though the revelation was a bit daunting, she didn’t think it odd in the least that she found them sexy as hell. The desire to touch them was still there. She wasn’t sure it would ever go away. He led her past the majority of the places Kaer had showed her just a few hours ago, including the media room and library. They walked down a small hall that Kaer had neglected to include in his tour. More residences, Jess had assumed at the time. Fallon opened the only door at the end and waited for her to enter first.
Descending Into Darkness Page 6
