Lords of the Were (19 page)

“Then the High Priestess is alive?” This pained question came from the were coyote who’d brought her in.

“She’s alive,” Tim confirmed.

“But unwell,” Duncan added, staring at the man who’d spoken. “It will be some time before she is fully healed.” Mark Beauchamps was a young alpha who’d taken control of his pack early. The former alpha had been shot by human hunters who took exception to his natural right to howl at the moon. Tim didn’t know the

man well, but he was fast earning his respect by taking responsibility for his actions, as he did again now. Mark walked right up to the fey warrior—still clad in full armor, which was a rather intimidating sight—

and knelt before him, surprising them all.

“It was my fault.” Mark’s strong voice rang with remorse and anger, as well as bucketfuls of regret. “I let her go into the grocery store alone, though I watched from the street without her knowledge.” Rafe moved to Mark’s side, but the knight stopped him from speaking with a raised hand.

“Rise, sir, and tell me the entire tale.” Clearly shaken, Mark rose and took a seat on the couch. All the other alphas were arrayed around him in the large room, the fey warrior still flanked by Tim and Rafe in case he made any sudden moves. Tim didn’t quite trust the fey knight yet, regardless of what he’d done for Betina.

Trust took time. And Betina was his acknowledged kin. His feelings toward her might not extend to her chosen allies, and Tim and Rafe had a responsibility to protect their people. If Mark were truly at fault, he would be dealt with. But by his fellow alphas. Not by this strange fey warrior.

“Sandy and I were with Betina all morning,” the alpha coyote began.

“We usually do the morning shift since Betina likes to go shopping with Sandy. But every once in a while Betina asks us to fall back and let her shop alone, and we usually let her, though we watch from the street unbeknownst to her.”

“But you knew the threat had increased since the attack on Allie,” Rafe’s voice was tough with the shaken man.

“I knew it, but Betina’s like an aunt to us. She wanted her privacy and I figured she’d be safe enough in a busy, public place. Sandy was covering the exit and had the car ready to follow Betina’s once she hit the street. I watched the front door from across the street. We had every

angle covered but one—the back parking lot. She was out of our sight for five minutes at most.”

“Five minutes was all the time he needed,” the knight commented harshly.

Mark hung his head, dragging his hands through his hair. “I know.

Like I said, it was my decision. My fault.” The tall fey warrior moved forward, but Tim signaled his brother to hang back and see what the knight would do. Silence reigned for a long moment as the fey warrior looked down on the clearly distraught man. At length, the warrior sighed.

“I know my cousin well and I know how convincing she can be. Half-fey, she’s not above using a touch of the Glamour to get her way, and I’m not surprised you gave in to her request. If you are to blame, I must also share part of this blame, for it was to visit me Underhill that she wished to be alone.”

Mark looked up sharply at the fey warrior, his troubled eyes wide and lit with confusion. Tim saw the look of remorse cross the warrior’s face before he took a seat on the sturdy coffee table and leaned his mail-clad elbows on his knees.

“She was only in the store for about ten minutes,” Mark said quietly.

“She didn’t leave it.”

“Yes, she did,” the warrior responded. “Time works differently Underhill. Cousin Betina actually spent several hours visiting with me before retreating back whence she’d come.”

“How is that possible?” Mark looked totally confounded.

Rafe stepped forward. “You’re saying our Betina’s half-fey? Like you are?”

The warrior nodded and Tim could guess what had happened.

“We never knew she was half-fey. Betina kept that a secret even from us. Can I assume that flash of light when you appeared at her bedside is

the way you—or she—would travel from one dimension to another?” Again the knight nodded. “Then her watchers would most definitely notice it, unless she did it in just the right place, away from their eyes and unable to be scented.”

“The rest room. The grocery store has a one-seater,” Ryan supplied helpfully from across the room.

“With a good sturdy lock on the door,” someone else piped in.

“So it’s a safe bet that our Betina ducked into the rest room, poofed out to another dimension, had tea with you,” Rafe nodded toward the knight, “then poofed back into the rest room a few moments later, with none the wiser—especially not her were guardians.”

“Who knew she had it in her?” Rocky asked with a chuckling growl.

“Does she do this often?” Rafe asked.

Duncan nodded once more. “We’re closer than most Underhill because we’re both half-human and therefore not well accepted. She misses her family there, and though she’s chosen this path of exile, she visits me every once in a while. She and my father were very close in the old days and I think she feels some responsibility for me even now.”

“Okay, so let’s go through this step by step. But first…” Tim looked to Rocky, the de facto leader when the twins were busy elsewhere, based sheerly on his size and standing with all were. No one messed with a were bear. Especially a three hundred pound grizzly. “You sent a group of trackers out already, right?”

“Yeah, for all the good it will do us. That mage has tricks we’ve never seen before. He can mask his scent and practically doesn’t leave a trail at all, for as loud and clumsy as you say he was in the woods.”

“He masks his passage magically,” Duncan said quickly. “I may be of some help there. I have the flavor of his power now after seeing what he did to my cousin. I’d like to see the area where the attack took place. I

don’t expect he’s still nearby, but I may garner a clue that could lead us to him elsewhere.”

“Good idea, but you can’t walk around town dressed as you are.” Rafe chuckled as the knight looked down at his armor. With a flash of his magic, the armor disappeared to be replaced by jeans and a white button-down shirt much like the one Tim wore.

“Holy shit,” Rocky swore, breaking the silence. Such a casual display of fey magic was not something one saw every day.

Duncan laughed as he looked at the stunned faces around the room.

“One use of the Glamour.” He shrugged. “Will this do?” Tim nodded. “Suits me. Just don’t do anything like that in public.

Humans aren’t used to magic and we like to keep a low profile.” Duncan nodded though an amused sparkle lit his strangely colored eyes. “I have been in your world before you know. My mother raised me here, though it’s been some time since I was last able to come through.”

“Why’s that?” Rafe asked.

“Queen Mab trapped me Underhill. She quarreled with my father and banished me to a small corner of her realm. I could receive visitors, but I couldn’t leave—until your young priestess called me with her power. Her call was stronger than the enchantment that held me, with the Lady’s power behind it.”

“Shit!” Rafe eyed the knight. “You mean Allie managed a prison break?”

Duncan laughed outright. “I’m not a criminal. More like a political exile, if you must have a comparison. I’m just as glad to be here in this realm. I never much liked Underhill, but my father is there and I used to go visit him. Mab didn’t like that because I’m half-human and she blew the slightest disagreement into a huge to-do, banishing me to the Isle of Nevermore.” He just laughed at the suspicious looks all the other men were giving him. “Don’t worry. Cousin Betina will tell you I’m no villain

when she wakes. In the meantime,” his face grew serious, “we must find her attacker and bring justice to him.”

“Well, we agree on that at least.”

“Do you have a horse I could borrow?”

A few of the men laughed, but Rafe slapped the knight on the back.

“We’ve got something even better than horses to get where we’re going.

Just how long has it been since you’ve visited our world?” Duncan appeared to think on that. “Several hundred years have passed here, I would think.”

Tim realized this man had probably missed the industrial revolution completely. He still expected to get around on horseback and was even now looking around at the modern furnishings with questions in his startlingly purple eyes.

“You’re in for some big surprises then, Duncan.” Tim led the way to the door. Duncan followed with Rafe right behind him. They’d have to watch over this stranger in a strange land for their own protection—and his.

For one thing, Tim didn’t think Betina wouldn’t take kindly to her allies letting harm come to her cousin. There was also the secrecy of their existence. If this rogue knight from the faerie realm started letting loose with magic in front of regular mortals, it would be hard to quell the uproar and continue to hide in plain sight among them.

Even though a good percentage of the people who lived in the area were were folk, there were still quite a few humans who liked to live close to nature, and tourists coming through all the time on the way to the national park. Someone would have to watch over Duncan until he learned the lay of the land and what was, and was not, acceptable behavior for a magic user in the mortal realm.

As predicted, Duncan was duly impressed with the monstrous black beast Tim called a “truck” as they sped downhill to the small town where Betina had been attacked. As they approached the town, the knight craned his neck to see the odd things all around him.

Rafe pulled into the parking lot and parked near the edge so they could all get a good look at the entire area. Duncan immediately sensed the wrongness in the air when he stepped out of the truck. The scent of dark magic lingered, as did the echoes of horror.

Duncan moved forward unerringly to the spot where Betina had been assaulted. A glance at the young were coyote who had accompanied them in the extended cab of the truck confirmed his suspicions. The were folk were smart enough to leave him be while he surveyed the area on both a physical and magical level.

Duncan bent to pick up a small stick—seeming of no importance to human or even were—but to a mage, it was the key link in a complex spell of warding. It was what had hidden Betina’s attacker from even her sharp senses, until the villain was ready to spring. Worse, it was brand of magic he knew well. It reeked of fey power.

“The world has changed greatly in the time I’ve been Underhill, but one thing remains the same.” The were folk gathered round Duncan as he stared off into the distance, anger building in him at this discovery.

“And what’s that?” Rafe asked.

“Treachery.” Sneering, Duncan snapped the twig in his hand and the small array of leaves and acorns on the ground were consumed in a flash of fire from which the were fell back. “That charm was of fey design. No mortal mage should have this knowledge. It is too dangerous.”

“Then one of your kind is in league with the Venifucus.” Tim spoke the name Duncan dreaded to hear.

“Venifucus? Are you sure?”

The alphas nodded. “We believe the mage who attacked Allie, and now Betina, is Venifucus. He claimed to be Altor Custodis according to Dante, but his actions prove otherwise.”

“Who is this Dante?”

“A vampire,” Tim answered. “He helped the mage attack Allie at first, then when he realized he’d been used, he fought against the mage with us. His name is Dante d’Angleterre.”

“I knew him.” Duncan recalled the bloodletter he’d known briefly. “He was a good man when I knew him.”

“I believe he still is. He proved himself a man of honor when he helped drive the mage away.” Tim’s voice rang with surety.

Duncan nodded. “He will be of help in this hunt. I fear the enemy has many advantages over your kind this time, but having attacked my cousin, I am now obligated to bring justice to this villain. I will help you, if you’ll accept my aid.”

Rafe smiled grimly. “Right now I think we need all the help we can get.”

Betina was awake when the men returned from their tracking. The trail, as expected, petered out just beyond the parking lot and even Duncan’s magical senses could not detect where the mage had gone.

Rafe used the ride back to fill Duncan in on the facts they knew so far.

He went into detail about the attack on Allie and what little they knew about their prey, the mage Patrick Vabian.

Duncan was angry, Rafe could see easily enough, and upset by the idea that one of his fey brethren could be aiding the Venifucus. Rafe took it as a good sign, knowing that if their enemies were using such powerful magics, they’d need the same kinds of skills in their fight against them.

When they reached the homestead, Rocky and the rest of the alphas who’d remained behind greeted them. A veritable army of were guarded

every approach to the house and the woods for miles around. No one would get past them all. No one would harm the precious priestesses inside the house ever again. Not if they had anything to say about it.

When the three men entered the guest room, Betina was sitting up in the large bed, still pale, but her color was a little better. Allie was seated in a chair at her bedside.

“Duncan,” Betina said softly, “it’s good to see you in this realm. I see you’ve met my friends and allies.”

Duncan moved to sit on the side of the bed, taking Betina’s hands in his. “You chose your allies well, dear cousin.” Allie was seated near him and he reached out for one of her hands. “I owe you a great debt, priestess, for freeing me from my exile.”

“Betina filled me in on where you were. I’m glad you were freed, but I can’t really take any credit for it. I called on the Lady and Betina’s kin.

You were what She sent me.” Allie blushed a bit as she explained.

“Nevertheless,” Duncan was polite, but it seemed he would not be denied, “it was your call that summoned me, your power and that of the Lady you serve which freed me. If you have need of anything from me, it is yours.” The knight brought Allie’s hand to his lips and sealed his promise with a kiss.

Tim growled low in his throat and Rafe felt the same possessiveness over their mate, but he also suspected the fey knight was a man of honor and meant nothing but respect by the gesture. Still it rankled, and Rafe couldn’t help but move next to Allie’s chair, lifting her hand from the knight’s and tucking it close to his side. It was a clear statement of ownership and though Allie blushed at the possessive stance, Duncan nodded politely and turned back to his cousin.