rogue shifter 07 - cut off (20 page)

"That is my greatest wish." That, along with taking the crown so I can restore Faerie to health.

"Charles will protect us from Naberia." She clapped her hands like a schoolgirl.

"Yes, my queen."

Thankfully, Fionna dissolved out of the room. I sank into my favorite chair by the window, exhausted by the effort to control her mind. I summoned a servant and asked for wine, then rested my head against the backrest and closed my eyes.

Jacqueline came to me, her graceful body moving closer with each silent step. When she reached my chair, she offered me her hand, the magical binding mark having disappeared from her flesh.

"Kiss me, lord." she whispered.

I pulled her down into my lap and she melted against me the way I'd always imagined, our heartbeats quickening. She tasted of honey wine and strawberries, I conjured fangs, feeling my eyes prickle with gold. Taking blood was usually an intimate act between mates, one I'd dreamed of sharing with Jacqueline. She smiled then tilted her head so I would have full access to her blood.

But when I took in the first draw, I knew that something was wrong. The female in my lap was not Jacqueline, but the new mongrel that I'd ordered to service me, She cried out when I ripped into her throat, this time in anger. She would do. For now.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

The blood dripping from the hand where my index finger used to reside created the only cadence in the room, one more regular in its rhythm than I'd have preferred. Because I'd lost quite a lot of blood, I'd stopped breathing to conserve energy. This also meant I wasn't moaning or cursing out loud, although there was plenty of that going on in my mind. The steady drip was a constant companion, the need to feed exacerbated greatly by the blood loss.

I was fortunate that Fionna hadn't shown up to feed on my flesh. The siblings must have decided that my blood and flesh was off limits, at least if they ever wanted to see my son, so I was spared that degradation. When I'd seen Fionna's fangs, I couldn't help but remember William and what he'd endured when she'd ended his life as a vampire.

If I survived my time at court and was able to feed normally, the finger would eventually re-grow. How the gruesome gift would be delivered concerned me. because it would be sent directly to Jackie and not to Caelen. Kennet and Fionna would try to shock her into bringing Charlie, but they didn't know her as I did. My mate would dig in her heels and do what she thought was best no matter what the consequences. I was certain that Caelen must have given her a hard time over her plan to send Charlie to the DR. Liam and Farrell must have supported her. Aedus, perhaps not.

Denied immediate gratification, Fionna had enlisted Kennet to take violent action, his specialty no doubt. If it doesn't work to bring Charlie, as it won't, she might decide to attack Jackie directly.

Was my love safe in the DR with Isaiah, or was she home and unprotected? I didn't for a moment believe she'd be in Faerie, since she was smart enough to know that Faerie, even Cascade, was the heart of Fionna's power.

Still hanging from silver chains that burned through my skin, I allowed myself a few minutes, well, maybe more than a few minutes, to visualize how I'd get my revenge on the queen and her brother. After imagining multiple satisfying scenarios, I closed my eyes and tried to rest, ignoring the pain and calling up a memory.

"
Have to
?"
Charlie asked.

We were in the woods, Charlie in his cheetah form for only the second time since he'd first shifted three days ago. Hunting was something essential for a shifter to learn, and Charlie was no exception to that rule. You never knew when staying in cheetah form, possibly to hide from an enemy, would be necessary for your survival. This was a lesson I'd learned as a teen and now I was passing it on.

"Yes. Important," I answered. As cheetahs, our ability to speak mind-to-mind was greatly reduced, yet still manageable.

Jackie had sent the two of us off on our own, hinting that we needed some father/son bonding time. She and I had been working long hours on a case, so I was feeling like I'd neglected him over the last couple of weeks. This was a perfect opportunity to reconnect.

Plus Jackie and Charlie had been butting heads, so I figured she could use some alone time.

We followed a raccoon for awhile, but I could tell Charlie's heart wasn't really in it. I growled with impatience when he let it escape.

"Movies instead?" he asked.

"No." I answered.

Swiveling his spotted body to the north, his nostrils flared. "What's that?"

"Elk. Too big." I growled again when he ignored me and ran off. His legs were just as long as mine so he was fast. Fortunately, I'd learned a handy skill as a vampire that I could also employ as a cheetah. I appeared ten feet in front of him and he screeched to a halt. The elk had heard us and was long gone.

"Dad." He growled as he turned away, angry and frustrated.

I didn't get angry. A growl was a warning sound, kind of like a "you'd better watch yourself, buddy", but it wasn't disrespectful. He was an animal and growls were a normal way of communicating.

"No elk. Smaller first."

He sat, then stretched out on the ground, resting his head on his front paws. "Tired."

Was I this stubborn as a teen? He must have inherited it from Jackie.

I huffed out a quick breath. By refusing to budge, he was testing limits. There were two ways to play this. Get angry and force him, or wait until he got hungry, which for a teen male was every sixteen minutes. I stretched out beside him and closed my eyes. "We can wait."

"We go home."

"After."

"Dad..."

"Shhh. Listen." This time the growl hadn't come from either of us, but overhead, so we twisted our necks to look up at the same time. Perched on a branch was a cougar—a real one—who'd probably been tracking that same elk. It was a female, but still quite a bit larger and heavier than we were.

"Stand slowly." Charlie didn't hesitate, scooting slightly behind me since he knew I had a much better chance at getting us out of this potentially dangerous situation.

She leapt down, then gave us a curious sniff, backing up a few paces when we didn't smell quite like anything she'd encountered before. Her tail flicked in agitation, and I wondered if she had young nearby. That could put us in deep trouble.

The current situation became secondary when all three sets of feline ears took in the click of a rifle being primed to fire. I sent to Charlie, "Behind the rock," and he obeyed instantly getting himself out of harm's way. Meanwhile, I flashed to where I'd caught a glimpse of a hunter's camouflage suit, pushing the human down and standing on his chest. The gun flew out of his hands but fortunately didn't go off. However the man started to scream.

I transitioned to my normal form, watching his eyes widen as I let my fangs extend. "What the fuck? Don't kill me." he pleaded.

"Cougars are protected in California, asshole."

"I was hunting an elk, but when I saw the cheetah, I was gonna shoot it instead. No one will believe it unless I bring back the body."

"Wrong answer." I was so furious I almost bit him, not to kill him or even drink from him, but just to teach him a lesson. However, when I saw his terrified expression, my common sense kicked in. "Are you alone?" He nodded, panting in fright. "Where are you parked?" He told me. I flashed him back to his car and then glamoured him into taking a nap in his SUV and forgetting the whole experience.

When I flashed back, the cougar had returned to her branch and Charlie was still behind the rock. Seeing that the danger had passed, she hopped down like before and yawned, cool as a cucumber, displaying her enormous teeth. With a soft growl, maybe in thanks or maybe just to warn us not to follow, she flicked her tail and took off in the direction the elk had fled.

"Movie?" I asked.

"I pick." he answered.

Later when Jackie asked how he'd done, we laughed and confessed that all he'd managed to slay was an enormous tub of buttered popcorn and a 20 ounce soda. Still, it had turned into a good afternoon for Charlie and me, the two of us making fun of the latest horror flick and then, on the ride home, planning another trip to the mountains, this time with Jackie and maybe Jay along. Charlie's friend Jay was a grizzly bear, and had been hunting in animal form for over two years.

The three of us joked about our unsuccessful hunt late into the evening, all of us hoping that the sleek female cougar had found her elk and that the hunter had forgotten about his adventure and gotten home safely. An ambush by a cheetah and then a naked vampire in the redwood forests of Northern California could traumatize even the strongest of human souls.

Something tickled my ear, setting me to shaking my head and breathing again. I smelled demi-fey, then worried that I might have scared the poor creature into flying away.

"Garrett. It's Aymis." His volume was pitched low, careful not to be discovered. He flew in front of my face but remained far enough away to stay safe in case I'd already gone mad and tried to bite him. Smart pixie.

"Aymis. Is Jackie safe? And Charlie?"

He looked terribly relieved that I was lucid. "They are well. She is coming to bring you home, along with Lord Caelen, Lord Aedus, Farrell, and the sisters. She orders you to stay strong."

"No." I hissed. "She can't risk herself. Kennet intends to make her his."

"I will tell her, but she will do as she pleases. This is the way of all females."

I growled, and his eyes widened, then seeing the blood on the floor he took a good look at my restraints. "My magic can release you." Before I could tell him that he should get himself out of danger, my arms were free and I was collapsing on the bloody floor in a heap. But oh, it felt so good to be able to move my arms and rub my aching shoulders.

I croaked out a thank you and then curled into a fetal position, the spasms caused by blood deprivation having grown much worse. I thought about licking up some of my own, but couldn't bring myself to do it.

"Garrett. Drink." He stood by my head with his wrist under my nose, already bleeding.

"No." I closed my eyes and turned away. It didn't really help with the pain.

"You need strength. My blood is potent. I ask with great humility that you attempt not to kill me. I make this offer to honor Jacqueline who honored me with her blood last night, but also out of respect for you and your son. You have treated me with kindness and respect for the sixteen years I have lived in your world."

I was desperate and he was right. I needed strength to face what was to come. "I'll be careful." After four tiny sips my body healed instantly, the ragged knife wound on my hand sealing up along with the silver burns on my wrist. I licked my lips then grunted in surprise. "I taste Jackie's blood mixed with yours."

"It is powerful and the flavor is most unique."

"Why don't you take a few sips of mine. I've healed."

"I thank you, but no. I have work to do. Fionna does not know I am here, so she does not block my magic. I will release as many of my people from their cages as I can. There are several small colonies of demi-fey living freely in the nearby forest. I will speak to the leaders to ask if they may be sheltered there."

"If not, there's Cascade, or Liam would probably make room for a colony in the woods behind his home. I could ask him for you."

"Lord Liam is most generous. If he would agree, I believe some might choose to serve him."

"You've lived in court. Do you know Elle?" I asked.

"Yes."

"Will you look for her? Tell her I haven't forgotten. I intend to take her with me. She's been treated very badly."

"Yes. I will find her and give her your message."

"Thank you, Aymis." He bowed and left. I rested while I could.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

Keara was injured. According to Liam, a slaugh had attacked her as she patrolled the Cascade border. I shuddered, having seen a slaugh close up in the Demon Realm. Terrifying is the word that comes to mind first.

Brina met me at the ceremonial field, my usual place of entry when I traveled to the friendlier Faerie. She grasped my shoulder, her normally calm demeanor replaced by anxiety for her sister. "Her arm was severed and her healing is slowed. We think there could have been a poison laced with iron on their claws. Will you look?"

I nodded and we were instantly in a small room created to facilitate healing. Keara was stripped of her clothing, a sheet covering her body, only her right shoulder and what was left of her arm exposed. I kept my facial features frozen, unwilling to let her see how worried I was.

"Jacqueline." She greeted me with a soft croak. Her father, who'd been wiping her brow with a cool cloth, nodded formally and then lowered his body into a chair on the other side of the bed.

"I see you've given yourself a new challenge." I teased the female warrior.

"I am perfectly able to fight with my left," she scowled.

"I would expect nothing else." I began to examine the wound. It had stopped bleeding, and had been cleaned thoroughly by Liam, but nothing seemed to be repairing itself. Her heartbeat was normal and her breathing strong, so I gathered that she wasn't in any immediate danger.

I asked Liam, "Can you tell me what should be happening here?"

"The edges of the bone should smooth out as new bone grows. The skin regenerates, then is filled in by the new bone, muscle, tendons, veins, arteries, and nerves. It should progress section by section until her fingers and nails are in place. It should take around a week, if all is proceeding normally.