Shadowborn (4 page)

I shook my head, realizing Andrew had provided the ‘necessary measure’ Gallagher had been evasive about. “The sounds … everyone was shouting. You all turned into …” What did they turn into? Every explanation I formed in my head sounded more ludicrous than the last.

“What did we become?” Andrew asked.

Demons? Creatures from the deep? Yeah, psycho!
“Uh … something else.”

“Search deeper, Lila.” Gallagher stroked his thumb over my knuckles the way he did during our meditation sessions. “Remember our training. You must be conscious of all thought now.”

Prickles drew my gaze to a family of spiders wandering toward a pale-as-death hand.

Cold. So cold here. Freezing.
A spark of recognition slapped me in the face.

I recognized that hand. My hand. No,
his
hand.

The frantic voice wasn’t my own, but it had filled my thoughts, draping me in fear.

A box. We were in a box.

We are in a box.
I am.

The voice is.
“Oh, Goddess!” A wheeze burst from my lips as I collapsed the rest of the way to the floor in a shaking fit. “It’s not my fear. It’s h-his.” My feet kicked out with the urge to run, but the two fae held me in place.

“Parthalan has risen,” I choked out. “He’s Sluagh.”

Andrew growled and slammed his palm against the floor. “So those undead fuckers did bury his body in the Cargun bone yard.”

“He cannot reach you here, Lila,” Gallagher said. “Remember the Goddess granted you command of the feathered abominations.”

Yes, I command them
.

Deep inhalations calmed me somewhat, but the underlying truth prickled my spine. “You don’t understand. I get the feeling he doesn’t remember anything, and he’s petrified and—and he’s still
in
the ground.” A frantic brush of my arms didn’t erase the sensation of spider legs on them. “I can feel everything he does.”

Gallagher shared a wary glance with Andrew. “This does pose a bit of a quandary.”

My mental whirlwind halted. Gritting my teeth, my eyes swept to lock onto my royal aide. “A quandary? A fucking quandary, Gallagher?” I jammed my fingers into my hair, fighting to think past the pounding of my heart. “Goddess, help me. The link is active again. If I couldn’t destroy it before, I won’t be able to now.” I knew I kept his power within me, but to be tethered to him again … it was intolerable. “What do I do now?”

Gallagher placed his hand on my face, forcing me to look at him. “Concentrate with me now. You can shut him out. Once you’re back in your own head, we’ll finish this meeting and discuss our options.”

I huffed in an effort not to hyperventilate. “I don’t want any of them to know about this yet.” Gripping his wrists in my fingers, I added, “Please.” I couldn’t take Liam looking at me with disdain, knowing just how damaged I’d become.

Blind eyes bored into me. “Your thoughts dwell on your double standard, Lila, even if you do not realize it. You accuse Liam of lying to you, yet you keep something of grave importance from him. Please, reconsider.” Appearing quite satisfied with himself, Gallagher returned my glare with a grin.

After ten minutes of hard meditation, I managed to push the darkness and terror down and slammed the lid to contain it. It continued to rattle and threaten to burst open, but by sheer will I kept it shut.

“Perhaps you should allow Donovan and me to smooth things over with the humans, and then we can discuss our goals,” Gallagher said.

I nodded and walked toward the lobby alone and without protest. I’d never be a good politician. No point in pretending.

A moment passed before Liam and Nix burst out the door, each searching the space until they found me sitting in one of the white chairs in the corner.

“What the hell happened in there?” Liam bounded to me, yanked me up and into his arms. “You were there, and then you disappeared.”

“Andrew must have paused time.” Nix’s haunted eyes fixed on me, darted with hatred to Liam, and came back to me. “I’ll give you two a moment.” He returned to the briefing room door.

“Does Nix know something I don’t?” The muscles in Liam’s arms flexed as he held me.

Gallagher was right. I needed to tell Liam. “I—I have to tell you something.”

He pushed me out to arm’s length and cradled my face in his palms. “I’m here.” The same tenderness that had drawn me in the first time I’d stood that close to him caught me again, sucked me into his aura of protection and made me want to spill my every thought.

It took a moment for my courage to make it from my brain to my mouth. “The bond didn’t break.”

Brow furrowed, he uttered an awkward chuckle. “Of course it did. You destroyed it.”

Spewing grunts of frustration, I steeled myself for his rejection. “I’m not talking about ours.”

Realization bloomed behind his eyes. “Oh.” He staggered back, his hand groping as if he needed something to hold on to. “Fuck.” A shudder ripped through him. He kicked one of the chairs. It crashed against the glass wall, but it didn’t break.

“And that’s not all.”

Liam cleared his throat, glaring at the floor with hands on his hips. “He’s risen.”

“Yeah, but I don’t think he remembers anything. I feel his energy inside me all the time since the night you threw him from the tower, but his terror ate me alive in there. Gallagher knew because he can read my mind, and Nix figured out something was wrong within days of my arrival in Dun Bray and weaseled it out of Gallagher.” My hands worried together, writhing like the snakes in my stomach. “I’m such a hypocrite, getting mad at you for keeping things from me. But … I was afraid you wouldn’t …”

His face snapped toward me. “What? That I wouldn’t want you anymore?” In two long strides, he came to me. “Dammit, Lila. I thought you knew me better than that.”

He leaned closer and tangled his fingers into my hair, his breath coming faster with a slight hitch. My Light answered his touch to flare a golden orb around us.

Head tilted, his body pulled mine to him until molded to his form. His mouth hovered teasingly close to mine. “I love you, Lila Gray. Nothing will ever change that.” Closer. “Ever.” His lips brushed mine and turned my body into a live wire, crackling with his energy.

“We’re ready for you now, Li,” Nix said, disdain clear in his tone.

Liam flinched, jerking me closer. “Li?”

I dropped my face down against his chest. “Yeah. We need to go.”

“We say that far too often to one another.” He kissed the top of my head and let his fingers slide down my bare arms. “We’ll talk after.” His hand rested on my shoulder as his frown deepened. “Wait … why don’t you just destroy the bond like you did with ours?”

“I’ve tried. Every time, I end up turning into a bloodthirsty lunatic on the hunt for pain and sex.” I shuddered. “The last time … I would have killed Gallagher if Nix hadn’t been there.”

“Shit.” Liam slid his arm around my shoulders and pulled me closer to him. If I hadn’t been so rattled, I would have shoved him away before someone could see, but his touch drove back my unease.

As we passed by Nix—a satisfied smirk on his face—Liam shot him a death glare. “Great timing as always,” Liam said.

Nix rocked up onto his toes, back to heels. “I do my best.”

Liam and I sat down at the table where everyone else waited for us. Donovan offered a tiny smile that I returned. I assumed Gallagher had told him everything.

The two humans stared at Liam and me.

“Are we ready to move on?” I asked when the silence stretched on.

“So … you’re really a queen?” James cocked a half grin at me.

Here we go.
“Yes, I’m really a queen. Shocked the hell out of me when I found out, too.”

“And he’s the king, so does that make him your—”

“No,” I said as Liam said, “Yes.”

Eyes narrowed at him, I said, “Liam is king of the Unseelie Court, and I’m queen of the Seelie.”

James nodded, still grinning at me.

Liam’s hand smashed down on the table. “She’s off limits!”

“Stop it!” I growled at him.

“May I suggest we turn our attention back to the Shadowborn threat?” Gallagher shot me a glance and tapped his temple, a warning for me to manage my temper better. Easier in concept than in reality. A cool head made for better control of my dark predator. I began to understand their point about the correlation between my loss of control and Liam’s nearness.

“The Regent of the owls might be able to help us,” Liam said. “I know they’re allies with the Canadian elves, and they can be our eyes from above.” Liam had gained a rare Unseelie gift of transformation after the Goddess had bonded us.

“Faeries, and now elves and owls?” Bethany snorted, looking at her fellow Mountie. “They’re joking, right?”

“That’s my animal form.” Liam’s stare held malice, his tone fractious. “Would you like to see it?”

“With all due respect, M’Lord, now would not be a good time.” Gallagher’s gaze shifted to Liam. “If you please, go, seek out the Regent at once. Ask if he would kindly arrange a meeting for us with one of the tribal elders of the dark elves. They see all and know all, in the human realm as well as their own. If anyone knows how to proceed, they will.”

Liam glanced at me, his beautiful lips pulling down at the corners. “But—”

“Go.” I urged him with my eyes to understand I didn’t blame him for cancelling our date yet again. “There will be other times.”

“Yeah, we say that to one another too much, too.” A nod and he went for the door.

I watched him go, my hands aching to explore beneath his suit jacket.

“James and I will be present at this meeting.” Bethany tented her fingers in front of her small chest.

“No you won’t,” I said. “Not that I’ve met any elves but dealing with non-humans can sometimes be hazardous to one’s health.”

Gallagher and Donovan muttered their agreement.

“How do we know you’re not going to screw us over?” Bethany asked. “Maybe you’ll form an alliance with them next, join with these so-called Shadow-people to wipe us out if you’re so afraid we’re going to destroy your precious earth.” Her tone rose with annoyance.

“Typical human ignorance.” Andrew huffed and folded his arms over his chest.

“Get out Andrew.” I stood and glared at him, posing in his best thug stance by the door. He flashed a condescending smile, but made no move to leave.

I closed my eyes and summoned my Light. My glamour would fall, but I didn’t care. After searching the room for Andrew’s mind, I forced my will through the floor and into him. “Leave this room now you ignorant dick, or I will see you forever banned from Dun Bray.”

If Sidhes didn’t return to their hidden city within the faerie mounds at least every couple of years, their Light would fade and they would age like normal mortals. The fae viewed that fate as worse than the human concept of hell.

The scowl on his face confirmed my success. He stared daggers at the humans as he strutted toward the door.

James opened his mouth, stretched up in a bewildered grin, but I held up my hand.

“All of you shut up and listen. We’ll deal with the Shadowborn, and you will continue what you’ve been doing all year, locking down your cities until we get this under control. I’m not sure why the Feds aren’t here, but you need to warn the States in case these things go south looking for souls.” I surveyed Gallagher and my father to catch their nods of agreement. “Gallagher and I will visit some of the victims to see if we can find out anything from them. We’ll talk to the selkies to find out about their former assassins.” I looked around the table until I had met all of their eyes. “Is that clear enough?”

“Yes ma’am,” James said with a smirk, his eyes holding the same gloss I’d seen on him the last time he’d stared at my natural appearance.

“Fine,” Bethany said. “I’ll go along with it, but I don’t have to like it. Who gave you the authority over us, anyway?”

“I did.” I went for the door. “Like it or loathe it, I really don’t care. You don’t have a choice in the matter if you want our help.” With that, I shoved the door open with my foot—not exactly a graceful maneuver while wearing a dress—and went back to the portal with Nix on my heels.

Andrew waited there for us, gaze cast down. “Why do you defend them? They’re what’s wrong with this world, not us.”

Adrenaline poured through my limbs, turning them into quivering, beating sticks. Huffing, I grabbed Andrew by the throat and squeezed, shoving my face near his. “Curb the attitude, guard, or I’ll curb it for you right before I smash your—”

Nix yanked me backwards and spun me to face him. “Look at your skin.”

A chill spread through me as I held my hand up in front of my face. Instead of my golden glow, my Light shone a deep blue. Parthalan’s energy. The barrier that contained our link wavered. “Oh, no.”

“I’ll get you home. We’ll figure this out, you and I.”

“No. Gallagher and I have to get to Toronto. I need to see this for myself.” I bit my lip, rocking as I pushed against the desire that had risen, not for Liam, but for Andrew’s pain. Once calm, I took off for the portal.

Nix fell into step beside me. “I’m going with you.”

Fuming,
I ignored him and quickened my steps.

Why is this happening to me, mother?

4

While I waited for Gallagher outside Seven Gates, Nix hummed the tune from my mother’s music box.

The sound of his voice and the haunting lullaby made me shift my feet and shake out my hands.

“You need a release.” Nix coughed into his hand, something he often did to hide a snicker from me.

I stopped. “What do you mean?”

“We’re sexual beings, Li. You’re completely wound up because you’re holding out for that royal pain in the ass to wake up and realize you’re too good for him.” Nix grinned, a pink hue climbing his cheeks. “I’m not saying it has to be me, but find someone to burn off some energy with tonight.”

“No.” My hair shifted back and forth with my head shake. “I won’t, and don’t bring it up again.”

“Would you please stop thinking like a human? We are not a monogamous race. I’ve told you this. It’s not a betrayal to share that part of yourself with someone.”