rogue shifter 07 - cut off (6 page)

She sighed, an indication that she was growing impatient. "I suggest you send him a mongrel. Let her stay until they form a real connection. Then make your demands."

Tillion, Fionna's latest consort, left his comfortable chair in the corner and barged into our personal space as well as our conversation. "Fionna, kill the vampire now. He is nothing but trouble."

I looked at the idiot in disbelief. "They will know if he dies. Then they will not come."

"How will they know? We will take care of it ourselves in a secret location."

I turned away to pour myself more wine. "Fionna, my queen, this one's stupidity nauseates me. Send him away before I kill him."

Tillion was almost my height, with stringy reddish hair and beady indigo eyes. He was the classic bottom feeder, a parasite that clung to my half-sister like a tick. The extent of his intelligence was evident the minute he grabbed my shoulder to turn me back to face him.

My hand was grasping his throat a heartbeat later, squeezing slowly so I could watch him die at my leisure. I particularly enjoyed when their eyes first widened in fear, then the way their face turned purple.

"Kennet. Let him go."

"You're sure?" My fangs had extended, the violence bringing on my lust for more of the same.

"Yes, brother. Calm yourself." Her gentle touch on my shoulder soothed the beast inside me.

I released him, scowling. Tillion stumbled to the wall, leaning there, panting. Unfortunately, he was one of the few fae Fionna hadn't partially blocked from their magic, otherwise his new bruises would be evident for weeks. I would have enjoyed seeing them there.

Most of the court attendees had taken on a ragged cast from years of not having full access to the lines. Fionna liked to hoard extra power, keeping the court under her spiteful thumb. What she didn't understand was that she now had a court full of potential enemies who could very easily tear her to shreds at the first sign of weakness.

I was recruiting only the strongest, grooming a private army while secretly restoring a portion of their powers. These fae were loyal to me and not their queen.

Tillion's rage was a sword pointed in my direction, and I took note. Although he was far weaker than myself, if one wasn't wary, even an imbecile could kill you with a lucky swipe of his blade. Perhaps I'd do a little checking up on Lord Tillion and find out what he does when he's not kissing the queen's ass. It could be both entertaining and useful.

"Enlighten him, Kennet." She huffed in exasperation as she paced

"The vampire has a lifemate and a nest who will feel the connection shatter if we kill him. Worse, his grandsire and great-grandsire could feel it and seek vengeance. Kostas Appellas, Francois's maker, has been a world power for almost ten thousand years."

"He's only a vampire." The toady croaked.

I pinched the bridge of my nose in frustration."Kostas studies the arcane."

"How do you know this, brother?" Fionna's voice had grown quiet. Never a good sign. She hated it when someone knew more about something than she did.

"Caelen and his sons study the ancient Magicks, so I felt it was necessary to discover who else dabbles in the arts. It is my duty to protect you at all costs." I didn't mention that I was also a practitioner, nor that I had a battalion of spies placed in key locations who reported to me on a regular schedule.

"You are walking a thin wire, Kennet." Tillion was croaking again. I pretended not to hear.

Fionna swayed in the bootlicker's direction. "My love, could you give us some privacy? There are things of a personal nature I must discuss with my brother."

"He's your half-brother. His mother was mad. I don't know why you trust him."

"I am quite familiar with his background." she snapped.

He bowed deeply to his queen. Maybe he wasn't quite as stupid as I thought. Then he pulled her close and kissed her with more passion than I thought possible for a buffoon. He pushed her aside and smirked at me when he'd finished.

All was made clear. Tillion was indeed a feeble-minded cretin. After spending the last twenty years in her bed, did he know nothing of her? As much as Fionna enjoyed the attention she got while holding court, she kept her personal life private. Open displays of emotion made her feel vulnerable and then angry.

This time she held her anger in tight control. Tillion would live another day.

She stared at the door that had just closed behind her lover. "That one is working toward becoming an appetizer for the slaugh." She was only half joking. Her pets enjoyed meals of pure blood seelie flesh more than any other.

"Forgive my impudence, but you can do so much better."

"I know. I've been distracted and he is convenient." She tossed her golden curls around, glancing in the mirror to watch how they tumbled about her lovely shoulders. She was so like her mother, the former queen. Those rounded lips that always made it look like she was pouting, which half the time she was, also came from Aine's line. But the large intelligent eyes were Father's. Too bad she hadn't inherited his genius.

"What are you staring at?" she asked.

"I was thinking how your lips are like you mother's."

"Hmmph. Most males like my lips."

"I understand why."  She smiled, enjoying the compliment. I didn't mention that there was only one set of lips that I'd ever truly enjoyed kissing, and I planned to kiss them again soon.

CHAPTER NINE

I wasn't surprised when the scent of fresh blood blasted against my senses once more. Fionna was doing everything she could to get me to feed and, without access to magic, it was getting tougher to remain stoic.

A gruff male voice spoke over the sound of a whimpering female. "The vampire will drain you, mongrel. Consider yourself fortunate. There are worse ways to die." The guard, tall and slim like most fae males, threw her to the floor, the female grunting in pain as she landed. I was surprised to see that the guard's facial features were distorted, scarred from burns that had never healed. I found it odd that he would choose to remain disfigured, fae magic being powerful enough to heal most superficial injuries almost instantly.

The female groaned, crawling into the far corner then curling her too-thin body into a fetal position. I stood. "Take her back. I won't feed from her. She's ill." The poor girl seemed in bad shape.

"I'll inform Queen Fionna of your decision." He disappeared.

She sobbed, burying her face in her hands. I moved closer as carefully as I could, staying on my hands and knees so I wouldn't frighten her.

I spoke to her in Seelie Fae."I won't hurt you." I'd stopped breathing so I wouldn't scent her blood, but my fangs were already extended and the pain was much worse. Muscle aches added to the pounding headache and stomach cramps. Ten times worse than the flu.

She wiped the wetness from her cheek with a swipe of her palm."I am so hungry. They have not fed me for three days."

"Why do they treat you like this?" Caelen would only torture an enemy, never another fae, unless they were proven a traitor.

"They treat all half-bloods as slaves. The queen blocks our magic."

My gaze was drawn to her leg which was bleeding steadily from a cut made by a blade. I hissed and turned away, forcing control. She sobbed again. Shit. I had to do something.

"Shh." I said, trying to ease her fear. "My blood will heal you." Even without line magic, my blood held healing powers.

"But I sense your great hunger."

"A small amount should be sufficient. You'll be able to sleep."

I bit into my wrist and offered her my blood. She looked at me with suspicion at first, then gave in and drank. A minute later she was fast asleep, her leg wound healed.

I crawled back to the other side of the small room and tried to will myself into resting mode, but of course the pain had worsened. I gave up and lay on my back staring at the ceiling, not able to concentrate enough to conjure up even a memory.

I hoped that Jackie had gathered our allies and wasn't trying to deal with this mess alone. I closed my eyes and felt secure in the knowledge that she'd find a way to keep Charlie safe, no matter what. Her protective instincts were legendary, however I couldn't help but wish that her instinct for self-preservation was just as strong.

CHAPTER TEN

"Enough!" I sat on the bench behind me and groaned. "I can't lift my arms." I ached everywhere. "Give me five minutes." I downed half a flask of water and then hung my head between my knees, my hands in my hair.

"You can't be tired. We've only been working for four of your hours."

"Go away."

He touched my shoulder. "Come and eat."

Isaiah dissolved us into lines that felt unfamiliar, although I'd been traveling in this manner with my parents and the fae since I was small. Those thoughts drifted away when we arrived in a kitchen filled with the most delicious smells.

"Sit there and help yourself." Isaiah pointed toward a chair across from his.

"Sure. Thanks." I followed his orders and sat, loading my plate with food. He did the same.

He smiled as I slathered on a red sauce, then I took a bite. "Whoa!"

"Too hot?" He smirked.

I chewed and swallowed. "It's so good." I added more sauce and took another bite.

Isaiah laughed, a real belly laugh this time. "It is. Your mother wasn't as enthusiastic."

"Well, what do you expect? She likes plain steamed Brussels sprouts." Isaiah handed me a goblet, his grimace matching mine.

"That isn't the green goop, is it?" I peeked, relieved to see that it was a dark shade of red.

"This is wine. The green goop would kill you if you drank it."

"Oh." I took a sniff, then a tentative sip. It was delicious, especially with the spicy food. "At home I'm allowed to have one glass of wine on a special occasion. I guess finding out your dad was kidnapped by the Queen of Faerie and then being carted off to the Demon Realm is special enough."

"I agree." He chuckled.

I took a couple of long swallows. "Where am I sleeping?" I shoveled in more food. This stuff was great.

"I have a room ready."

"I guess it doesn't have wifi, right?"

"Sorry. Here computers are used primarily for bookkeeping and correspondence. I've provided a guitar and books written in English, Seelie Fae, and Rux. We might even have
Robin Hood
."

I laughed. "You remember that, huh?"
Robin Hood
had been my favorite book when I was a kid. I dragged it around with me like some kids do a blanket. I swallowed a forkful of some kind of salty meat. It was probably better not to ask what creature it came from. "Was I really a precocious brat?"

"Not often. But you had your moments. This morning being one of them." I rolled my eyes. Today had been horrible for Mom, but it hadn't been stellar for me either.

"When you finish your meal I'll give you a short tour, explain the rules, and then you can have the rest of the day off. Tomorrow we'll work with your arcane blade."

"I don't need more lessons in how to fight with a knife. Kennet taught me."

Isaiah held out his hand and a dagger appeared. When the elaborate carvings lit up like mine and my mom's, I knew it was also made by the same powerful craftsman. "Your blade has chosen you. Kennet would have kept the blade for himself if it had responded to his magic. These blades are most particular." He spun the magical dagger through his fingers without effort. "Kennet treats it as a status symbol because of its rarity, that's why he gave it to you. Keeping it in the family, so to speak. My mother has one of the three that were gifted to demons, and is searching for the other two. She doesn't know that one of them has found a home with me, nor the other with your mother.

"An arcane blade is unique. When you fight, it becomes part of your body, an extra limb. Give it a drop of your blood and it will spill a thousand quarts of the opposing armies' blood. Give it your focus and your will and it will reward you with the hearts of your enemies. When Jackie used Liam's blade to kill Antoine, she allowed it free reign. She suffered pain, but because of her courage, she triumphed. The blade will always take its pound of flesh, even from its chosen wielder."

"Sounds great." I was so tired I couldn't summon up any real enthusiasm. "So what's there to do around here at night?"

"Train." He grinned when I winced. "Read. Talk. Swim. Drink." He brought the pitcher over to my goblet.

"You're gonna give me another cup of wine?"

"Yes. I'll give you wine until you ask me to stop giving you wine."

"Do you have a hot tub?"

"I could create one."

He was watching me with that "this is a test" gaze. I covered the goblet with my hand. "I think one goblet's enough if I have to train using a magical dagger tomorrow."

"Wise choice, nephew."

"The hot tub..."

"Done. It's next to the pool."

I looked out the window at the shadowed mountains in the distance. "Do you think Mom's found him yet?"

"Give her time. She's a most determined female."

CHAPTER  ELEVEN

I got up at seven, only to find Liam, Aedus and Farrell already in the kitchen drinking coffee. Funny how the fae took to caffeine. Farrell looked exhausted, despite the boost. "Did you sleep at all last night?" I asked.

"A few hours. Sash, Rick and Aaron showed up to play video games for a couple of hours, then I watched a movie." Farrell hadn't wanted to leave me alone while I slept, so they'd gone upstairs to our family room. " I raised an eyebrow in rebuke."Don't worry about me. I can go for weeks without sleep."

"After the meeting, you'll go home and sleep."

"I'm in the bedroom upstairs, remember, Mom?" he teased.

Hands on my hips, I scowled. "Then you'll rest upstairs."

Liam placed his hand on Farrell's shoulder. "Charlie's away, so her mommy compass is spinning in your direction."

Farrell looked amused. "You do realize that I'm over a hundred years old?"

"Hmmph. One hundred going on seventeen."