Black Dalliances (A Blushing Death Novel) (15 page)

I heard the dread, the sorrow, and the understanding in his question. Dean knew all too well what it was like to lose someone.

“She was strong,” Saeran repeated.

“She still may be,” Fergal said.

“Milagra wanted to come with me on an errand into the Outer Realm. It is a dangerous place and I should have heeded Riona’s distress as we parted. She didn’t want me to take her but Milagra was so adamant that she was ready. So ready to be her own woman. Likho took . . . I fell into a trap of Likho’s design. I-I lost her,” he stammered.

“Did you search for her?” I asked, my tone cold.

“I’ve had scouts out every day for more than a century searching for her,” he confessed. His body slumped against his nephew’s strong broad chest.

“The Outer Realm is difficult to maneuver and navigate. The Unseelie magic makes the forests shift of their own volition. The Outer Realm doesn’t succumb to the magic of the Sidhe. It is a cold, barren place, housing some of the darkest creatures Fairie ever created,” Fergal said. “We’ve lost more than a few good scouts to the Outer Realm in search of her, never to be heard from again.”

“That’s where she took Patrick?” Alex snarled.

“Aye,” Fergal answered.

“Then that’s where we go,” I said.

“Dahlia?” Dean questioned with a pleading gaze. He’d go rush off into danger himself but he wanted to spare me this. I didn’t need the empathic connection with Dean like I did Patrick. I could read all of Dean’s desires in the subtle cues on his face, body, and eyes.

“Then that’s where we go,” I repeated just as softly.

He nodded once with resignation and relaxed against the arm of the black velvet sofa.

“When do we leave?” Alex asked, hopping off the edge of the desk.

“Alex,” I whispered. She turned on me and stared up into my face, searching for what I hadn’t said. She examined me for a long tension filled moment before she spoke.

“I won’t be going,” she said with a snarl curling her upper lip as the realization washed over her features.

Confirming her fear, I nodded.

“Someone strong enough to run the colony has to stay behind, in case we don’t come back,” I said.

Alex hopped from the desk and took a large step forward to close the distance between us. Punching her index finger straight into my breast bone, she glared at me.

“Then you better damn well bring him back,” she bit out. Circling around me toward the office door, she added, “I won’t lose any of you.” She left the rest of us in the office to hash out the details.

“We shall be your guide in the Outer Realm,” Fergal said as if pledging his life in service.

“No,” Saeran said. “Only I will accompany them.”

“Uncle. No!” Fergal protested but I saw the defeat already written on his face. You can’t argue with a King, even if you are his nephew.

“Fergal, you must stay behind. You are my only heir. Riona will need you if something happens to me.”

Fergal seemed to think for a moment and resignation settled into him as his muscles relaxed and his shoulders sagged.

“This is my doing. I lost her and I will pay the price to find her. Confer as much to your Aunt Riona. I will bring Milagra home, if I can.”

I knew and understood a vow when I heard it. Fergal nodded to his king and uncle, leaving us alone.

“Kurt,” Dean barked. “Pack provisions for Dahlia and myself for at least two weeks. Include the arctic parkas. We’ll meet you at her house in an hour.”

Kurt left to fulfill his Gaoh’s orders and it was left to Dean, Saeran, and myself to fill the silence.

“What’s Kurt packing?” I asked.

“Water, MRE’s, survival gear,” Dean answered.

I nodded, knowing we’d need as much preparation as we could get. Walking in blind was never my preference but time was wasting and if Saeran had been searching for Milagra for a century or more, I wasn’t willing to risk putting more distance between Patrick and us.

“Saeran,” I said, my voice harsh and rumbling with a threat. “You once said you owed me a debt.”

Saeran had made the declaration after he’d learned I’d helped his brother escape the clutches of Midnight Ash. I’d had to kill him to do it, but he was free nonetheless.

“I won’t jeopardize Patrick or our alliance, if that’s what concerns you?” Saeran mumbled, meeting my gaze.

“Good.” My tone was flat and emotionless.

“We’ll find him,” Dean said, moving up behind me.

For the first time since Patrick had seen us together, Dean put his arms around me in front of someone who wasn’t Pack. His strength and his warmth resonated down to my bones giving me a confidence I hadn’t earned.

“We will,” I agreed as I hugged him tighter against me, needing to believe. If Saeran hadn’t found Milagra for a century, how would we ever find Patrick?

“The Outer Realm is large. It will be easier if we cross over at the identical spot where Milagra crossed the veil. Do you know where that is?” Saeran asked. His eyes had focused on Dean’s arms wrapped around me with a singularity of focus that made me nervous.

What was he plotting, devising that was beyond my reach? A static prickle of wild magic scampered along my arms, making my hair stand on end. She growled through my mind and my top lip curled up in a snarl to echo her anxiety. Saeran met my gaze and set his shoulders in a hard line as he sat back on the sofa attempting to hide the evaluation of Dean and I.

“I know exactly where they crossed over.”

“We will need to move quickly. It will close with the rise of the sun and we may lose her trail.”

“We’ll be ready long before sunrise,” Dean gruffed, noticing Saeran’s evaluating gaze on us too. He stepped back and away from me. Walking to the office door, Dean held it open for me. “We have to get back to the house. You’ll need more layers.”

“You think it’s cold?”

“They wore heavy, fur-lined cloaks,” Dean said as I passed him. “Yeah, it’s cold.”

Fifteen minutes later, all three of us were back at my house, sitting around the kitchen table in silence and drinking tea. Kurt showed up twenty-two minutes after that with Jade in tow and several packs strapped to his back. He dumped them in the middle of the kitchen floor and sorted.

Setting two medium-sized backpacks to the side, he said, “Yours”—He glanced up at Dean—“has most of the water. Hers has mostly MRE’s, tactical equipment. It’s the lighter pack. I have military grade cold weather base layers, several pairs of wool socks, special fleece lined BDU pants in winter camo with pockets for the things Dahlia likes to carry. Gloves, hats, face masks, boots, and then a Gore-Tex coat for each of you. I recommend putting on additional layers. You can always take them off later,” Kurt said, handing me a pile of clothing, then corresponding piles to Dean and Saeran.

“I’m just glad he finally gets to put some of this stuff to use,” Jade said with a snide roll of her eyes. She elbowed Kurt in the ribs with an intimate grin. He didn’t even flinch or react to her blatant tease.

“We’ll wait down here for you as you get dressed,” Kurt said.

I strode out of the kitchen and headed for my room with Dean hot on my heels. We made it all the way up the stairs and behind the closed bedroom door before he spoke.

“Are you sure?” he asked again.

“Yes. Stop asking me that.”

“Okay, then we’re a team.”

I nodded.

“We act together and no arguing in front of Saeran. He’s already watching us too closely,” he said, pacing the room.

“I’ll follow your lead,” I answered, slipping my T-shirt up and over my head. I slid my jeans down over my hips and Dean watched me, hunger plain on his face. His eyes followed the jeans down the length of my body, and he licked his full lips as if I was a meal to be devoured. I couldn’t help but shake my ass just a little, taunting him as I stepped out of the denim.

He growled, the seductive sound reverberating in his chest.

I laughed, kicking the jeans to the hamper.

“Not enough time for what you’re thinking,” I teased.

“Then don’t rub my nose in it,” he grumbled.

“Fine.” I pouted.

“First, no matter what, do
not
eat or drink anything in Faerie that we didn’t bring ourselves. I don’t know that you’ll be able to come back over if you do. I don’t know how human you are anymore.”

“Okay,” I said, slipping the bottoms basic layer, made of polypropylene, up my legs. I could already feel my body heat warming them up, bringing sweat to the surface of my skin.

“Second, I know we talked about waiting but it might be necessary to shift to keep warm. If it’s necessary, don’t hesitate.”

“All right.” I squirmed into the matching long-sleeve shirt, tugging it over my head. With a quick flip of my hand, I freed my hair from the tight fit of the collar. Needing more layers, I grabbed a long-sleeve T-shirt from my drawer, a pair of leggings from another, and layered up.

“Third, time moves more quickly there. We need to be in and out as quickly as possible. We have provisions for two weeks in Faerie but that could be a year here.”

I stopped at that. “What?”

“I just wanted you to be prepared. Kurt is prepared to take over, lead for as long as necessary. So is Alex.”

“How do you know all of this?” I asked, adjusting the long-sleeve cotton T-shirt over my head.

“Kurt’s great-grandmother is an exiled Fae. He knows about Faerie and she likes to talk,” he said, stripping.

“Then why isn’t he going?” I asked as I sat on the edge of the bed and slipped my foot into one wool sock and then the other.

“I won’t make him leave Jade.”

I stepped into the BDU camouflaged pants and shirt then into the boots. Dean knelt before me and tightened the laces, squeezing the boots around my ankle.

“If your feet get wet, change your socks.”

“Do you really think we’ll find him and get out alive?” I asked. Fear had finally set in and made my voice quiver with the ugly emotion. He peered up into my face with a worried expression lighting his olive-green eyes.

“I don’t know.”

Suddenly, I didn’t feel like I had enough on. Not enough clothes, enough weapons, or even enough magic. I needed as many advantages as I could get.

“I need my Gladius,” I grumbled.

“Before you put your coat on, go load up. I’ll be right behind you.”

“Okay.” Standing up from the edge of the bed, I strode down the hall. The pit of my stomach churned with nerves as I climbed the stairs to the attic/armory. The hum of magic from my Gladius vibrated with pleasure before I even reached the top of the stairs. I strapped the scabbard to my back and plucked the sword from the wall. Vibrant and alive, magic coursed up my arm from Gladi. She was happy to see me and my heart eased as I stroke my fingers along her blade. It seemed only fitting I use Milagra’s father’s sword to hunt her down.

I slipped Gladi into her scabbard, beneath my hair and down my back. Standing just a bit straighter as the magic pulsed down my spine, she welcomed me home. I strapped a sheath around my thigh and grabbed a knife from the wall. The shorter blade was made of iron. The boys had evidently stocked up on iron knives while I’d been gone.

I slipped into a shoulder holster and slid a Smith and Wesson M&P40 pistol into it. I snatched a handful of clips filled with iron bullets and stashed them into the cargo pocket of my BDU pants.

I picked up a rear-draw holster and another S&W M&P40, as well as, a few iron knives and sheathes. I grabbed a S&W M&P15OR Rifle and the magazines to match for Dean. Maybe the rifle was overkill but I wasn’t willing to risk it. I slung the rifle over my shoulder, securing it with the strap and went back down to meet Dean.

“You look like Rambo,” Dean teased as I strode down the hall. “I like it.”

I tossed the pistol to him and smiled back. “We need to get moving. Sun-up isn’t far away,” I said. The weight of dawn lifted the heavy press of night, and I knew in my bones we were running out of time. We had an hour and a half, no more before daybreak.

“Ready when you are.”

“Then let’s get Saeran and get going. I can’t sit around here anymore.”

Striding through the grass across Schiller Park, we approached the mushroom circle strapped for war and dressed for a blizzard. I was sweating, both from the layers and my nerves. Fae magic swarmed, ripping across my face like branches in the wind.

“Is everyone ready,” Saeran asked, glancing back at us over his shoulder. “Once the portal is open, it will remain open for only a moment.”

“We’re ready,” I said, fighting the anxiety bubbling in my stomach.

Turning toward the mushrooms, Saeran breathed in deep and let the warm air fill his lungs. Magic swelled, prickling the hair on the back of my neck as the wild magic of the Fae concentrated and focused into a single point.

Starting with a small pinprick of light, I focused on a shimmering ball floating in the air just out of reach. As if in slow motion while the world sped on around us, the point expanded out until I had to shield my eyes from the blinding glare of the portal.

“Now,” Saeran said.

Clasping my hand, Dean jerked me behind him and stepped into the portal. The ground fell away beneath my feet and my stomach leapt into my throat. I clung to Dean for support and prayed he wouldn’t let go. My skin prickled as if the air around me was charged with static electricity, making my hair feel raw and my scalp sore. I held my breath, unsure if I could breathe or not and unwilling to chance it. My eyes burned from the bright light making it impossible to see anything or keep the water from streaming from my eyes.

Just as soon as the bright, static magic of Faerie felt as if it would break me apart, the world went dark again. The bright light was gone, the ground beneath my feet was solid, and the air frigid as I took my first deep breath of Faerie.

“Fuck me running!”

“Shit!” Dean huffed, hunched over with his hands on his knees.