Broken Promises (The Brianna Lane Series) (23 page)

Biting gently on his earlobe, I told him not to keep me waiting and continued on my journey. I’d almost made it as far as the third stack before I heard him slam his studies closed and his chair slide back. He’d taken the bait.

It wouldn’t be long before he caught up, and I didn’t want him having the advantage of making the first move. I picked up my pace as I wound my way through the different shelves until I finally reached the place I intended to seduce him. My heart raced—my mouth watering as it anticipated the taste that was uniquely Quinn. The mere thought of him set my temperature rising, my need building as I waited for him to arrive.

Listening closely to my surroundings, I couldn’t hear any approaching footsteps or the sound of anyone breathing. I stifled a giggle, completely delighted that he’d turned the tables on me, making this into a game of hide and seek. I fully intended on being the one who found him first, so I carefully stalked through each aisle, making as little noise as possible.

I ended my search bewildered because somehow he’d eluded me. I’d gone to some of our favorite hideaways and he was still nowhere to be found. I began retracing my steps.

Disappointed, I hoped he was ready to leave soon because if he wasn’t, I was going to drag him out myself. I wouldn’t stop until we reached my apartment where I’d have my way with him.

I never heard him coming. Abruptly I was pulled back into a hard chest and carried backward. To stop me from squealing in surprise, Quinn placed his hand over my mouth, keeping it there as a safeguard.

Unable to control myself, I squirmed against him and tried to connect my body with his as many times as I could. My tongue flicked over his palm and I moaned at the salty taste of his skin.

Quinn suddenly cursed, tightening his grip before twirling me around and crushing his mouth onto mine. The force of his kiss bruised my lips, but it released the fire burning inside me. With equal intensity, I pushed him backward, slamming him into the shelf.

It was my turn to attack and I relished the sensation of dipping into his mouth, devouring his taste as his own tongue tangled with mine. Not willing to waste another second, I grabbed the bottom of his shirt and roughly pulled it away from his jeans—the need to touch him all consuming. My hands slid underneath the material and my fingers tingled from the energy the contact created. I let my hands roam across his chest, pausing only when I felt his nipples harden.

I tugged on them, unable to resist. Quinn growled low in his throat as he reached for my face, wanting to pull me closer. I melted against him, letting him take over as he deepened our kiss and plunged his hands deep into my hair.

His fingers clenched as he grabbed handfuls and rhythmically began tugging on it as his own desire grew. I lowered my hands to his jeans, toying with the button. Lifting me off the floor, he wrapped my legs around his waist and with a few short steps, pressed me up against the wall.

Grinding his hips into me, Quinn continued his assault on my mouth. I felt like I was drowning in him, and when he sucked on my lower lip, grazing his teeth before nipping, I knew we needed to stop. I wanted more, my body ready to explode, and he must’ve sensed it as well because we reluctantly broke away, resting our foreheads together. Slowly we made our way back to his desk and grabbed his belongings. We held each other’s hands, laughing softly as we headed home to finish what we’d started.

The intensity of that night left me panting a little, remembering the passion that followed afterward. I was grateful no one was around to see my blush, and once I was under control again, I noticed the pushcart filled with books needing to be returned to their shelves.

Browsing through them, a few stood out. Someone else had been researching supernatural creatures and I removed the titles referring to the Fae. My education was sorely lacking—my knowledge coming from the romance novels I read. There was no sign of Liam and Lacey, so placing them on a nearby counter, I began flicking through them. Information was a weapon and it was time I was armed.

Making sure I could still see my surroundings, I started reading.

Chapter Twenty Four

I picked up the volume at the top of the pile and began reading. Judging from the title, The Fae Among Us, the author believed they had comprehensive knowledge about these “otherworldly visitors” so I crossed my fingers and began flicking through the pages. My hope was something would jump out with a huge arrow that said, “Here I am. I’m the answer.”

Halfway through, I came across a chapter that talked about what the creatures looked like. I’d only ever seen the two and assumed that they were a good representation of all their species.

I couldn’t help but laugh at some of the pictures. One believed the mysterious Fae were little bitty flying creatures that left a stream of glitter as they flew through the air. Other pictures were pretty, and I could almost see the appeal in wanting these beings to exist. They seemed so graceful and elegant, with flowing sheer clothing in different shades of color. I let out a wistful sigh. My problems wouldn’t be so difficult if this was the problem we all faced.

My skin prickled with revulsion at the next drawings—going from the cute to the incredibly hideous. These depictions were the things found in nightmares as picture after picture showed vicious, deformed monsters full of sharp teeth and gnarled claws.

Their flesh varied in mottled hues and the author had been thorough in describing every kind of skin affliction. One creature had large, angry looking boils that oozed with a thick sludge like pus, while another appeared so scaly—resembling mini crevices.

I turned to the next page to see what else the author included and found more repulsive pictures. Pausing from my study, I stared at the last drawings I’d looked at. These weren’t even close to being accurate, making me question the rest of the information. I’d seen the General—he was nothing like this and I closed the book, discarding the author’s imagination.

My phone vibrated in my pocket as I reached for the next volume. Caving to temptation, I looked at the caller ID and my heart raced at the sight of Quinn’s name. My thumb moved to answer the call, but I paused at the last minute and ended the call instead. There’d be plenty of time for that later.

Opening Myths and Legends from the Otherworld, I smiled at the cover of a devilishly handsome male presenting an ethereal air of sophistication. I looked for the first picture and was rewarded with an image that closely resembled the two Fae I had seen more.

It was easy to see how my mother could have fallen for my father. The etchings showed beings that looked incredibly elegant, but had a soft kind of masculinity that just oozed seduction. Everything about them was beautiful, their skin flawless and features refined. Their bodies seemed designed to hold power, standing with a surety that reflected their sense of superiority. Long legs and arms were defined with lean cords of muscles—everything about them signified strength.

If I thought the men were appealing, the Fae women were beyond exquisite. Much like the men with their flawless skin and features, the women had such a graceful appearance it wouldn’t have surprised me to learn they floated when they walked. There was a fascinating allure about them, convincing me humans wouldn’t stand a chance if they ever gained the attention of these creatures. Fae were everything seductive and enticing. Even through the book pages, their appeal beckoned me.

My phone vibrated again, interrupting my reading. I didn’t need to see who it was, my heart already knew, and I ignored it.

Recognizing this was closer to the description I was familiar with, I returned to the table of contents and looked through the chapter headings. A quick glance around showed everything was still quiet and no sign of the others. I opened it to the history section.

According to the author, the Fae were a supernatural race that dated back centuries before man. They weren’t too clear on where they came from or where they were now, giving various possibilities like fairy mounds and something called a rath. I skimmed through the rest of the chapter because my grandmother mentioned to me they lived in another world that was separated from ours by a veil.

After reading through a series of quotes by earlier scholars, I closed the volume with a sigh. So far I’d already known most of what I’d read. I glanced at the computers and wished there was time to surf the Internet.

My phone buzzed against my leg again, making me jump.  Annoyed, I pulled it out—there were two text messages from Quinn.

Found a good hiding spot yet, Bri? I don’t know why you’re putting off the inevitable. I’ll find you. I always do. And, still ignoring me babe? That’s ok, it’ll just make our reunion all the more better.

Deleting the messages, I placed my phone onto the counter and picked up the next book. I couldn’t help but chuckle at the irony of the title—The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Mythical Creatures. Flipping straight to the back, I scanned the index for Fae references and my heart began racing. Turning to page 169, I found what I was looking for—Fae: Their Strengths and Weaknesses.

Just one look told me not to jump the gun and get my hopes up too much. It seemed the Fae had quite a lot of strengths and only a few weaknesses and it didn’t go into depth about what they were either. It started by sharing the way they used their strengths was directly influenced by how they chose to spend their existence. There was a reference for an earlier chapter and I did the one thing I vowed I never would—I dog eared the page so I could turn back.

Described as having an angelic appearance, it was believed in some scholarly circles the Fae possessed demonic-like natures because of the malice they were renowned for displaying. The General’s words bounced around in my head, how he considered humans as vermin, and I shivered thinking about the cruel sneer on his face as he looked over the violence in the street. Based on him alone, demonic wasn’t too much of a stretch to believe.

Doubt niggled at my insides though as I thought about my father. He’d shown kindness and a deep love toward my mother. Even my grandmother had mentioned that not all Fae were evil characters, and that it was those who sought power that were the most dangerous.

Continuing on to the next paragraph, I found my answers—the Fae could be separated into two groups according to their morals and intents. Placed in Courts, those who were well known for their benevolence towards others were part of the Seelie Court and throughout time, evidence of their influence and help had been recorded. Although they could also show a much harsher side to their character, they were nowhere close to the malevolent nature of the Unseelie Court.

The Unseelie Court thrived on creating chaos amongst humans—enacting their lack of morals through consistent assaults on others. They took pride in being offended and through that, felt justified inflicting all kinds of evil deeds. The author did include there were some Unseelie known for good works, but if given a choice would undoubtedly follow their cruel tendencies. Both courts were as different as night and day—governed by their own Queens.

Nodding in agreement, this made a lot more sense than some of the nonsense I’d just read. Based solely on the two Fae I was familiar with, this information felt right and I used it as the foundation to start building my plans on. The General was obviously from the Unseelie Court, but the thought that there was another kind of Fae sparked an idea—the possibility of meeting with the Seelie Queen and asking for her assistance. I would need to ask my grandmother.

The author had said humans were rarely admitted into either Court, but there had been incidences where the favor was bestowed. I made a separate note to find out how to garner an invitation. I was still completely baffled knowing there was this whole different world out there filled with mythical creatures but it was worth a try. Suddenly it hit me I was thinking about meeting these creatures as if it was an everyday occurrence—like this was all normal.

Shifting my stance, I flipped the pages back to where I’d marked. Still a little shell-shocked at how much my life had changed, I refocused. My time was limited.

I took a closer look at the strengths and weaknesses. Straight away I could see the Fae had the power to deceive. Using glamour, a Fae could stand right in front of you and you’d never know because they were able to disguise themselves. It gave them an advantage because you would never see the attack coming until too late. I wondered why the General chose to reveal his true self and not something else. Arrogance, I realized—he didn’t see us as a threat that warranted him to use stealth.

The Fae also had great healing powers and were able to cure almost any injury or sickness. The author even made the startling claim there’d been reports of the dead brought back through their extraordinary abilities. Hopelessness washed over me at the thought. No matter what we did, the Fae seemed to have an endless source of strength because they could be revitalized so quickly. We didn’t have such skills. A scene filled my mind—a blood bath where humans were horribly destroyed. It may be positive for Fae, but it spelled disaster for humans.

I scanned through the other strengths listed. Immortality, the ability to sift through time, the gift of sight, and the list went on and on. The more I read, the more discouraged I grew—to the point where it felt like the weight of the world was pressing down on me. All I wanted to do was save Quinn, and I was slowly watching that hope slip through my fingers.

The Fae had the incredible talent of controlling the mind, will, and heart of others using a variety of charms. This I’d already seen firsthand and it chilled me remembering just how easy it had taken over people. It had struck so speedily and without warning, dominating them within moments. It had been near impossible to fight and difficult to watch.

Weaknesses were introduced next and the list was almost nonexistent. There were only two documented things that hurt the Fae. Iron was the major one, the text explaining it served as a way of draining the Fae’s powers. The author added a heavy emphasis and warning to the paragraph about combining other methods. Although iron was a sure fire way of hurting the Fae, he believed the creatures would be prepared for such an attack. It made sense because even in nature, beasts evolved according to the dangers and threats in their surroundings—survival of the fittest demanding it.