Legacy: The Niteclif Evolutions, Book 1 (7 page)

“More on that later, okay? I need to process this and figure out the details of the job.” My voice sounded hushed in the elegant atmosphere. I closed my eyes and prayed the fear was my secret, not to be shared with the…dragon. I was back to being worried, my thoughts and emotions ricocheting around at breakneck speeds.

Bahlin sipped his wine and looked at me, his eyes appearing almost black in the dim light. “Let me sum it up for you very handily, Maddy.” He set his glass down and leaned forward, elbows on the table. “There are a few things you’ll have to know, and some we’ll have to figure out together because there’s never been a female Niteclif.”

I started to get indignant at the sexist comment, but he cut me off with a wave of his hand. “There’s no reason to argue—the past is unchangeable. As for your job responsibilities and a few of the perks, your job is to investigate crimes turned over to you by the High Council. The Council is composed of representatives from five supe groups in the Isles—vampires, shapeshifters, which dragons fall under, witches and wizards, faeries and the smaller groups who lack representation in any number.” He paused to see if I’d react to the list of supernatural creatures, but I managed—just barely—to maintain my cool façade. “You will likely, on occasion, encounter unreported crimes and you’ll investigate those as well. You’ll have to live here in London during your tenure though you’ll be paid, and handsomely, to do so. You will meet the High Council tomorrow night, so we’ll have to go shopping to get you some more appropriate clothes, unless you’ve brought something besides jeans?”

I shook my head, mute with fear.
Five supe groups? I hadn’t known about
one
. And how many were not represented in any large number?
Thinking of my college mythology class I felt a little light-headed.
No, you feel like passing the hell out again.

Bahlin ignored the mental charades crossing my facial features. “Not all of the groups get along. In fact, none of us really like each other much. You’ll have to learn some of the political maneuverings that have kept us well enough to keep from killing each other,” he said, apparently attempting supernatural humor. It was too early in our relationship, and the bottle of wine, for me to even crack a smile. He sighed. “There’s more, but I don’t want to have to help you out of shock a second time tonight. I don’t have the energy for it.”

“Don’t stop,” I whispered. “I want to get the basics out of the way.” Sort of. Not really. My stomach was clenched tight, nausea welling just below my surface of attention.

“Fine. You’ll not age—”

“Say again,” I commanded.

“You will not age,” he said very slowly and with emphatic articulation. He arched a single eyebrow, silently challenging me to panic.

I was going to try not to give in to that fear and prove to him I could handle this.

“So I come out of this the same as I go in. Okay. Go—” I had to stop to clear my throat. “Go on. What about the skills you said I’d inherit, or that I may have already inherited?”

“It’s hard to say, Maddy, but I can tell you what I’ve known of the last two Niteclifs. Your logic skills will improve dramatically, getting better with use, and this will sway how you look at everything. You must have balance there to keep yourself sane.” He looked at me to make sure I was listening. I nodded, and he continued. “You will have a certain innate understanding of investigative procedures, as well as a general knowledge of crime scene protocol.”

He paused, and I nodded again. “Okay. Sounds all right so far.”

“You will find it easier to accept the supernatural world while shunning the human world, walking between both existences. You must work diligently to maintain your humanity and your reality. You can’t afford to lose them or you may not find your way out of this dual existence. But you must be equally active in the world of myth and legend and at the same time always remember that you’re not truly one of our world. It can be dangerous to forget that.”

“Wait. Are you threatening me?” I demanded, setting my napkin on the table and making moves to stand.

He laughed, but it was bitter. “No, Maddy. Sit. But that brings up another point. There are consequences for both failure and success.”

I emulated him by arching a brow.

“Fail to succeed and the High Council can order your execution. Succeed and your enemies can order your assassination.”

I started to laugh and then realized he was serious. “Damned either way, huh?”

“Making it out alive will be the truest measure of success you can have.”

I looked down, resettling my napkin in my lap. I didn’t know what to say. It seemed that to say I was a condemned woman would not have conveyed heavily enough the situation. Bahlin mercifully continued, moving my thoughts on to the next point of consideration.

“You’ll have a basic knowledge of fighting skills, and a sort of sixth sense about things, though you’ll always end up backing that intuition with logic. Listen to your gut because, in my experience, it won’t lead you wrong and your head will get there eventually.” He grinned.

My head was spinning and I hadn’t had enough wine to justify the dizziness yet. I intended to rectify that, especially if Bahlin could resolve a hangover as easily as he could a headache. But wine didn’t seem a fast enough solution. Now a tall glass of whisky—that sounded more promising. I waved my hand in a circle indicating he should continue while I contemplated moving the curtain aside to look for our waiter.

“You’ll be in contact with the High Council on a regular basis, which means—”

“That you should have invited me, old chap.” The curtain parted and Tarrek, First Prince of Faerie, stepped through.

Chapter Four

He was even more luscious in person than he had been in my dream. Tarrek wore all black again, and his eyes gleamed an unnatural green in the low light. I realized the color was eating away at the pupil in his eyes as they filled with some sort of light, glowing softly with strong emotion.

Bahlin seemed unimpressed and looked back at me, essentially dismissing Tarrek. “I didn’t know we needed a chaperone for our evening out, Maddy. My most sincere apologies.”

Tarrek’s eyebrows shot halfway up his brow. “Am I interrupting a date?”

“No,” I said at the same time Bahlin said, “Yes.” He glared at me. I glared back.

“We were discussing my role as the potential Niteclif,” I said, assuming that if the guy really was the First Prince of Faerie he would know about my great-granddad.

“Ah, yes. There are some rules you’ll need to know about from the fae side of things.” He slid into the booth next to me, and I shifted so I could see him. He leaned over to kiss my cheek.

Bahlin growled, and Tarrek stared at him, a slight wind coming off of him and stirring the long hair of both men.

“Enough,” I whispered harshly. Neither of them backed down. “E-nough,” I snapped, and both men turned to look at me. I suddenly realized I was trapped up against the wall with two supernatural creatures facing off in front of me. How did I keep managing to get myself stuck in a literal corner around the monsters?

“One thing you need to know is that we are both High Council members,” Tarrek said, turning back to stare at Bahlin. “Neither of us rule, though both of us attempt to lead.”

“That makes no sense,” I said, thinking through the little I knew of their behavior. “Is there not a leader for the Council?”

“Not per se,” Bahlin answered vaguely, returning his gaze to me. “We are supposed to rule the supernatural world as what you would consider a non-partisan governing body. It’s not a successful strategy. It’s one of the reasons there are five of us. There’s never a tied vote on anything. As we rarely agree on anything, some will vote against each other at times just for the sake of doing so. That’s really all you need to know at this point, darling.”

Tarrek looked at me and quirked an eyebrow at the easy endearment. I shrugged. It was just a word.

I thought back to what Bahlin said about my great-granddad—“he became disillusioned with the constant battles, the killings, and he wanted out.” Suddenly it made more sense. I closed my eyes, wondering if the no-aging thing would matter if I got myself killed in the proverbial line of duty. The thought of my own death seriously disturbed me, and I realized that even in my darkest moments over the last few months, I had never been to the point where I was truly ready to die.

“Madeleine?” Tarrek asked. “Are you well?”

“Maddy, Tarrek. I just go by Maddy,” I whispered. He reached out and touched my hair and the same chemistry flared between us that had occurred in my dream. He sucked in air and stroked my head, saying something in an unfamiliar language. For some reason I didn’t feel compelled to pull away from him.

“What did you say?” I asked.

“I said that you are an angel in the mist, a flower’s bloom on a starlit night, a gift from the goddess. I will trust you, my Niteclif.” He slowly removed his hand, and I felt bereft at the loss of his touch. What was wrong with me?

I shifted slightly in my seat, uncomfortable.

Bahlin stared at Tarrek for a moment before speaking. “It’s a bit early to be committing to the woman, don’t you think?” He sounded hostile.

“No. I have touched her and felt her soul. She is an angel with a brilliant mind. I will trust her,” he repeated, and it dawned on me the words might mean more than their face value.

“What does that mean, you’ll trust me?” I asked Tarrek. For some reason he was easier to address than Bahlin.

“It means that I will defer to your word as law. I will accept your rulings to be fair and just.” His eyes blazed at me for a moment, so fast I wasn’t entirely sure I’d seen it.

And then time stood still just as it had at the stones. The hair on my body stood on end, and I gripped the edge of the booth with all my strength. There was no sense of past or present; there was no noise, ambient or otherwise. I felt suspended in motion. With a sigh reminiscent of the stone circle, I felt time begin again. With stunning clarity I recalled the phrase that the stones had whispered following the pause of time—
adael i ddechrau.

“What just happened?” I asked through clenched teeth.

“Glory, Tarrek. Congratulations, my man,” Bahlin hissed. Turning to me, eyes glowing icy blue, Bahlin said, “He’s accepted you as the Niteclif. He’s confirmed your place. It’s begun, Maddy.”

Oh shit. It was done. I hadn’t completely resigned myself to the decision, regardless of the signs and—let’s face it—the money, but apparently I’d been set into office by another’s sworn oath of allegiance. Great.

Tarrek looked confused and then his face went completely blank with understanding. “Maddy, I’m sorry. I had no idea you hadn’t already accepted. I assumed if you were sitting with Bahlin of your own free will, you were discussing the murders.”

“Murders?” I asked weakly.

“For the love of your goddess, Tarrek, shut the hell up,” Bahlin growled.

Tarrek whipped his head toward Bahlin, a snarl on his face. What had been handsome was immediately feral, the threat more than implied. “You do not rule here, dragon. Walk softly along this path lest it open beneath your feet and swallow you whole.” His voice echoed, the candles on the table flared and Bahlin slid down in the seat, crossing his arms on his chest and appearing wholly unmoved.

“Gentlemen,” I said softly, forcing them to turn and look at me instead of each other. “Let’s not do this here. There may come a time and place where it’s appropriate, but the mundanes in this room are pleasantly ignorant as to your dual existences. Let’s keep it that way.” The last was said with steel in my voice. I had no idea I had it in me, the ability to speak like that. Cool. “Now let’s talk murder.”

Bahlin had the kitchen plate my meal and send it up to room 2210, several floors above my original room. He also made arrangements as we passed the front desk to have all of my personal stuff moved up to that room too. I felt a little weird about people packing and unpacking for me, but he assured me it would be fine. He tossed my old room key across the front desk and ordered that a new key be delivered to my new room within the hour. We barely slowed down as we passed the desk, but his orders had staff scrambling to obey.

We were waiting for the elevator car to arrive when I remembered the phrase I’d heard. I turned first to Bahlin then to Tarrek and asked, “What does
adael i ddechrau
mean?” The phrase was fresh enough in my mind that I thought I had the pronunciation pretty close.

Bahlin, who had been watching the descending floor numbers on the elevator’s display, turned to face me. A look of disbelief colored his face. “Where did you hear that, Maddy?”

I looked at Tarrek and found that he was watching me equally as close.

I shrugged. “I know it sounds crazy, but I heard it breathe through the stones the night I made my wish and then I heard it again tonight when Tarrek made his oath and affirmed me.”

Tarrek looked away, apparently uncomfortable.

“Sodding hell,” Bahlin sighed. “It’s truly done then.” He ran his hands through his hair again, and I realized this was something he did when he was frustrated and unsure of himself. “It’s an Old World Welsh phrase that translates literally to ‘let it begin.’” He turned in a tight circle and stepped around me, grabbing Tarrek by his suit lapels and slamming him into the elevator doors with a great thud. “Do you realize what you’ve done to her you damned faerie?”

I grabbed Bahlin’s arm just as Tarrek muttered something below his breath and Bahlin’s hands were literally thrown from Tarrek’s arms. In the rush of what must have been magic, I was flung to the floor, sliding about fifteen feet before coming to a stop.

“Damn it all to hell,” I muttered, trying to get my feet under me to stand up. “I’m already tired of this freaking weird shit.”

Bahlin glanced at his palms.

Tarrek strode to my side. “I’m so sorry, Maddy. I had no idea you’d grab hold of him at that moment.” Distress was evident in his every word. He reached out to help me up.

“Forget it, Tarrek.” I watched Bahlin approaching Tarrek from behind. “In fact, both of you forget it. Now.” I clasped Tarrek’s hand and stood, realizing belatedly that we had a small audience of hotel and restaurant patrons. “Let’s leave this alone, guys. We’ve garnered enough attention, don’t you think?” I was flushed with embarrassment.