by Lori King
Inside the room they entered, Jenna waved at a couple who reminded him of pixies.
“This is Dane and Kandi. They helped to prepare you a meal and a suite for the evening. If you are going to be here longer, then they have also volunteered to help make sure you are both comfortable,” Jenna said.
The male came forward with a short crystal glass and held it out to Creed, while the female had a taller glass for Raina.
Jenna took them both when Creed didn’t. “Thank you, Kandi.” She gave him a mock growl. He pulled Raina in with him. “You too, Dane.”
“Sorry, Kandi and Dane. I forgot my manners.” Creed winked at them both, taking the glasses from Jenna.
Dane’s petite wife did a little curtsy, making him shake his head. Little Kandi would probably have a heart attack if she knew the Devil’s son, and a half vampire, half wolf shifter were standing in front of her.
Once the couple left, he sat, taking Raina with him. “Time for you to feed, Eros.” Holding up the tall glass with the fresh lifesblood. “I can help you, or you can do it yourself. Either way, you need this; your hunger pains me.”
Raina licked her lips. “Thank you.” With hands not quite steady, she took the cup and drank her fill.
He took a sip, his own hunger pushed back until he was sure she was satisfied. The fact that he’d put another’s needs first was a new thing for him. He glanced across the room and caught Jenna staring. In that moment, he realized she knew more than she was telling.
“Are you finished?” He asked when Raina sat back with a sigh.
“Yes. Now what?”
His body had an answer, but he was sure she was not up for that just yet. “Now, you need rest and we need to figure out just what the hell is going on.”
“I need to contact my family or you will have an army falling down upon your home.” Truth rang out in her quiet words.
Jenna crossed her arms. “I’m afraid that won’t be possible. You see, only the Fey can contact here, and only the Fey can make contact out. I can be a go between if you want, and if you trust me.”
Something flashed in the other woman’s eyes, belying her easy words,.
“I’m afraid the wards will keep you from mentally contacting others and vice versa as well, Jenna. However, I should be able to reach out to my mother.” Creed kept his eyes locked onto her pulse for any sign she was being dishonest.
“How do you reach your mother? A cellular device?” Jenna stared between him and Raina.
Raina laughed. Those gorgeous multifaceted eyes rolled before she gave a smile he’d love to see every day for eternity. “Of course we have cell phones. Well, I did until some snake thing took me away.”
A snap of his fingers and a new phone was in his palm. “Here, this is yours. Whatever your old number was, just think it, and it will be.”
“Wow, you’re powerful.” She smiled.
“Oh, I love that phone. I have the same model. But, it still won’t work here.”
“Jenna, make it so.”
Creed turned to see a dark-haired beauty saunter into the room
“Talia, what did I say about staying out of this?”
The woman named Talia shrugged. “Yeah, well, you were torturing the poor girl, who looks like she needs a hug from a motherly figure. Hence, I am here.”
Before he knew what the other woman was going to do, she bent and hugged his mate. “All is well, child. Call your mama, and let her know you are safe and the big bad Fey Queen has her bitch pants in a twist, because her twin mates are assholes.”
“Talia, Damian and Lucas are not assholes. They are just…male,” Jenna cried.
Raina jumped up. “Did you just say Damian and Lucas? As in Damian and Lucas Cordell?”
Talia moved next to Raina. “Now, Jenna, you know them boys are randy, so if they slept with this sweet thing, it’s not her fault.”
Creed growled. He felt his horns grow and his skin stretch. A sure sign he was not in control, while his Chosen started laughing like a loon. And to make matters worse, the Fey queen looked ready to do real damage.
“Oh, my gawd. This is awesome, except the part about me and you know... I have never. I mean, ewwww. They are my brothers.” Raina made some gagging noises. “Seriously, I just threw up in my mouth. That’s why you smell like them. You’re their mate? Where are they?” Raina looked around.
Talia fell into a chair, her laughter grating on his last nerve.
“So you’re their baby sister? I thought her name was Alecia?” Jenna sat next to Talia and smacked the other woman in the arm as she continued to giggle.
“I go by Raina. Fate must have decided to send us here since we are connected. Where are my brothers?” She asked again.
Jenna took a deep breath. “You may call your parents now.”
“I’m really nervous. What do I say to them?” Raina looked at him then Jenna.
Creed shrugged, figuring he had no experience to offer in such situations. The fact he had a past with the elder Cordells was something he needed to address. He looked at his Chosen and wondered how he should handle it…her. His mind raced with worry at how she’d react to the knowledge that he’d known her mother long before she’d been created.
“That’s what I thought. I must warn you both…I’m sort of considered the baby, and as such, my family is a little overprotective.” Chewing on her lower lip, Raina dialed a number.
“Alecia Raina Cordell, where the hell are you, girl?” a booming voice yelled through the line.
She winced. “Now, Daddy, don’t freak out, but I was sort of dragged into Hell.”
Creed’s eyes widened as he felt power trying to break through his wards.
“Let me speak with your father, Eros.” Creed held out his hand.
Damikan Cordell’s low growl could be heard through the phone. A lesser man would have pissed himself.
Raina shook her head. “I don’t think that is a good idea, Creed.”
“Who is with you?” Her father spat the word.
He didn’t let the Vampire King’s words shake him. He’d faced worse beings and lived to tell the tale. Now, he waited for his Chosen to hand the phone over.
“Be nice. Both of you,” she admonished before placing the slim rose gold device into his large palm.
“I’m always nice.” He brushed a kiss across her lips, the action making her gasp.
“Hello, Damikan. How are you and your lovely wife, Luna?” The ache he’d felt every time he’d thought he’d never have a mate of his own was no longer there. He glanced down at the beautiful creature before him, and realized for the first time what the Fates must have had in store for him. The reality of his situation had him chuckling into the phone.
“Listen, you bastard. If you touch one hair on her head, I will kill you slowly. I will make you wish for death, but not allow you that, until I alone deem it is time.” The words were spoken in a low, menacing voice. If Creed had been there, he was sure Damikan would have reduced him to ash.
Realizing he didn’t want the conversation to be overheard, he put a shield around himself. “I would never do anything to harm my Chosen. Your daughter is the light to my dark. Without her, I would sooner die than continue on.” He shook his head, trying to figure out a way to make Raina’s father understand. “If I open myself to you, I am allowing you the opportunity to kill me. I don’t do this lightly, but to show you my true feelings. I know you remember me, as I you. Had I not saved your mate’s life all those years ago, she’d not have lived to birth my true Chosen. Loneliness is a cold beast that makes a man hard. She brought sunshine into my dark life. Now, fate has brought me and Raina together. Had I not been there at the time I was, Luna would have been killed before you’d met her, hence keeping her from creating the being meant for me. I guess fate has a fucked up sense of humor.” Creed glanced over to see the trio of women staring at him.
“You are right. I do not trust you. How do I know it is not a trap?” Damikan was wise to question
everything he said.
“Because your daughter is in my care. If I wanted to hurt her, would I have allowed her to call you? Wouldn’t I have just killed her, or sent little pieces of her body to you? That would have been more effective.” A father’s love for his child was nothing to mess with, especially for a vampire. Their offspring were few and far between. Only because Damikan bonded with a shifter had he produced not one, but three children. His oldest were twin boys Damian and Lucas. Adversaries that Creed admired.
Damikan sighed. “My mate says to allow you to show us. She is linked to me.”
A grin tugged at his lips. Luna had a way of making the huge Vampire King bow down to her wishes. “Tell Luna I said hello, and I am sorry for the grief I have caused.”
“All is forgiven. It has been hundreds of years. I don’t carry grudges. Not like some people,” Luna teased.
He could easily see her looking at her mate, the love would be apparent, and was happy to admit there were no ill feelings. “This, I am glad to hear. Now, are you both ready to see inside my mind? I must warn you, I have had many adventures over the course of the past few centuries.” The need to warn them seemed prudent.
Damikan laughed. “Believe me, there is nothing you can show me that I haven’t seen, or done.”
Yeah, everyone thought they were worldly, until they were faced with things they hadn’t been challenged with. “Don’t say I didn’t caution you. Try to focus on the present instead of the past. It’ll be less stressful for you, old man.” Creed couldn’t help the taunt. He allowed his shields to come down, knowing they’d see what they chose. The good, the bad, and the ugly.
“I can see why you thought my mate was yours.” Damikan broke into his thoughts.
“How is she? How did she get into Hell and why?” Luna’s voice shook on the last word.
“There is more, I just don’t know if you are ready for it. Suffice to say, your daughter will be well taken care of.” Creed brought the wall down for Raina and the others to hear the last of his conversation.
“Eros, your parents are reassured of your well-being. However, if they have need to speak with you, they can.” At least he hoped they were. There was nothing but silence from Damikan since he’d shown them his memories, other than acknowledgment of understanding. The Vampire King would have to understand, at least as a man, what it was like when one found his other half. He met the electric blue stare of his mate and felt her tapping at his mind. Of course, a father would have a hard time accepting his baby girl growing up and all that would entail. He handed the phone to Raina and watched as she paced and spoke to her parents.
His mind sought Raina’s as well. Her perfect porcelain skin and piercing blue eyes were such a contrast between his much darker ones. He knew she was one of the few who could walk in the sun, thanks to her mother being a shifter. It was a closely-guarded secret that the Cordells had worked hard to preserve, and one he had never in all his years ever thought to betray. Now, he was grateful his own Chosen could enjoy such things.
“My father would like to speak with you again.” Raina held the phone out.
Creed rose with the grace of the predator he was. “This is Creed. How may I be of service to you?”
Damikan snorted. “So formal. You can start by explaining how you came to be in Hell.” Even though he’d appeared the debonair man all those centuries ago, he still hadn’t shown his true self. A fact he should have realized meant Luna wasn’t meant for him.
“That is easy. It is where I grew up, and the home of my…shall we say, father, for lack of better terms. Although I will say there is no love between the two of us.”
Raina raised her head to the ceiling. Creed was being purposefully obtuse. To him, Damikan was not his king.
Creed waited for the inevitable explosion, but he was not one to cower to anyone, least of all his Chosen’s father. Start as you mean to go on has always been his motto, and the last way he meant to go on was licking the boots of a man who was probably younger than he. Oh, that didn’t mean he wouldn’t respect the man as the father of his woman, but he wouldn’t allow the man to talk down to him. Hell, his own father ruled the entire underworld with an iron-spiked fist, and Creed didn’t shake in fear when the bastard brought the hammer down on him. Repeatedly. Even if that meant he would have to regrow limbs lost. Not even if it took him years to heal. Nope, he was a stubborn bastard that way, in more ways than one.
“I don’t think I like your tone, boy,” Damikan said in a menacing tone.
He made sure the other being could see the image he projected. “I got your boy, boy,” Creed said without heat.
Raina gasped. “Creed, that is my father. You can’t talk to him that way.” She jumped up, reaching for the phone he easily held out of her reach.
“He started it.” On her next jump, Creed grabbed her around the waist and held her against him.
“And what are you, a two-year-old?” She tried for the phone again.
He looked to Jenna for help, but the woman seemed more amused at the display than anything. “I do not remember being two. Two hundred, maybe. Two thousand, most assuredly.”
The sound of the couple on the other end of the phone gasping had him stilling.
“Exactly how old are you?” Damikan asked in a measured voice.
“Do you really want to know? Be very sure before you answer, for once you have this knowledge, you can never…well actually, I can take it away. Although it is painful, I’m told.” Creed tossed the phone to Jenna as Raina’s squirming was demanding more of his attention. “Deal with that. I don’t need the phone to talk to them.”
Jenna caught the phone in her hand and pressed a button. “Hello again.”
“Is the man you are standing near able to hear us?” Damikan asked.
“Tell him the answer is yes.” Creed walked over to a chair and settled down with Raina in his lap. She looked tired.
“Let me have that phone back, please,” Raina pleaded
“Raina, honey, are you safe?” Luna’s voice came over the speaker loud and clear, holding a note of fear Creed had never heard his own mother display.
“Luna, I can assure you, your daughter has never been safer than she is right this instant. Whatever took her was able to do so under the nose of you and your family. I’m not accusing; I’m just stating a fact. Until the threat is stabilized or eliminated, the best place for her is with Creed.”
“What is this Creed to her?” Damikan asked the million dollar question.
“She is his Chosen, I believe that is the term he uses. You would call it in your world a Heart’s Love. No matter the name, she is his other half that much is true. Fate has decided for them, and for better or worse, we will work together to keep her safe.”
“Daddy, my wolf recognized him from the very beginning.” She looked at him.
“I want my baby girl home. Why don’t you bring her here where we can protect her with my Elite soldiers?” The demanding King was back.
Creed shook his head, a chuckle escaped. “Sir, I believe we are where my father can’t reach us; other than Heaven, there are not many places he doesn’t have access. I can block all our paths from my father, but if his minions come to you, they will be able to extract information from anyone in your household. And before you say you are too strong, remember you are dealing with the ruler of the Underworld. If you’d been here, he could get that info, and possibly send someone here.”
He let his words sink in and waited. Raina’s eyes widened. When she didn’t immediately jump up and demand he let her go, his heart resumed its usual beat.
“Jenna, explain to him what my Elite and I are capable of. Yes, she may have been taken from my home, but that was a mistake that will never be repeated. I foolishly thought nobody would dare trespass. Believe me, I’ve corrected that oversight,” he growled, every bit as fiercely as any wolf.
“Be that as it may, I won’t allow her safety to be tested. You don’t know him like I do. He won
’t stop, unless I stop him.” Creed wrapped his arms around Raina. The thought of her back in the waiting room outside his father’s court sent a cold chill down his spine. Never!
“Mom, tell your husband that he needs to accept his baby girl is grown.” Raina rolled her eyes. “Listen, I’m tired and really want to rest. I’ll call you both in twenty-four hours. Every twenty-four hours, okay?” She looked to him for confirmation.
He nodded, and watched as Jenna gave her assent as well. At least they were on the same page.
“If you don’t call me every twenty-four hours on the dot, I will track you down, and there will be Hell on Earth to pay. Do you hear me, Creed and Jenna of the Fey?” Damikan threatened.
Creed smiled, while Jenna didn’t look the least bit fazed.
“And, Jenna. I do believe there are two very anxious young men looking for you. The last time I saw you we had taken you back to my home.” Censure clear in the words had Jenna turning away from them.
“I apologize for disappearing on you and your wife, but I needed my realm to heal properly.”
“Don’t let him upset you, dear. However, have you tried reaching out to Damien or Lucas?” Luna asked.
Jenna and Talia stood. “I need to rest. I am not at a hundred percent still.” With a regal nod, she folded her hands.
“Got it, old man. Now, off to bed with you folks.” Creed waited till Raina said her goodbyes, then disconnected the call, making sure there was no link back to them.
“Now what?” Raina asked.
Jenna took a deep breath. “Now, we rest.”
Jenna and Talia both stood, the two women looking exact opposites: Talia tall and dark, while Jenna was petite and blonde. He smelled wolf and fey mixed with Talia’s blood, while Jenna’s was the purest of white light he’d ever experienced. Jenna reminded him of his mother.
The Fey glanced over her shoulder, a knowing smirk on her lips. “Come, I’ll show you to your rooms.”
“Rooms? Don’t you mean our room?” Raina gripped Creed’s hand tighter.
Creed’s blood heated. “You sure, Eros?”
She nodded. “I’m not saying I’m ready to make love, I just don’t want to be alone in a strange place.”
