Immortal Blood (8 page)

Lothar was second in command of the Immortal warriors, but it wasn’t like Cree to leave in the middle of the rise in
Dark Fae activity in the Human World. Bain had told Izzy that there weren’t many Fae in her world and six months ago, that would have been the truth, but there were more and more reports coming in from Hawk’s Eye Security.

They had been expecting Zander’s return
. Every hundred years or so he made his way to the human realm, feeding off the luck of successful woman.

It was Zanders’ MO.
He had a thing about well-to-do and hard-working women. Bain had heard him say their luck was sweeter, stronger, and longer lasting. Bain hated the delicate balance of peace they held with the Dark. It was understood that luck-eating leprechauns would feed from humans. It wasn’t right, but it was how it worked. Bain and his brothers were only allowed to interfere if a Fae went so far as to detrimentally harm a human. Most luck eaters didn’t over indulge on one specimen. He growled lightly to himself—Izzy was no one’s specimen.

The blond-streaked mahogany hair belonging to Lothar greeted Bain as he entered Cree’s office. Whatever Lothar was studying, it kept him from lifting his head to greet his brothers.

Bain cleared his throat; he wanted to get this over with so he could get back to Izzy. She had a curious
mind, and he wasn’t sure how far that would lead her from her room. There was nothing that would hurt her here, but there was plenty to frighten her.

“Always the impatient one
. Glad to have you home, Bain.”

Bain smirked
. “Nice to see you too. What’s going on?”

Lothar sat in Cree’s big
, oversized leather desk chair. For being in a medieval castle, the office was very modern to human standards.

A large
, glass-topped desk sat in front of big, picture-style windows, and bookshelves covered the far wall and held thousands of tomes; chronicling Fae history. There were a few novels for pleasure on one shelf. Cree liked to read human classics. A massive fireplace took up most of the opposite wall, where five chairs sat as a seating area angled towards Cree’s desk.

“How is Miss Moreno adjusting to her loss of luck?”

“She’s become quite accident prone.” Bain lifted the corner of his lips, thoughts of her earlier healing flashing in his mind. Oh, how he had nearly taken advantage there.

Lothar pinched his brows together
. “Why do I feel pleasure at that, brother?”

Damn empath.

Bain waved him off. “Don’t worry about it.”

“So she’s given you a reason to stretch your abilities?” Lothar asked.

Bain nodded. Yes, she had. “So what’s going on?”

Kale and Uriah came in
then, arguing about something, pushing and joking around.

“You’re late
,” Lothar told his two younger brothers with a smile.

“You do far
too good of a Cree impression,
Lothar,
” Kale drawled.

“And you almost do a good impression of an adult Kale
,” Lothar quipped.

Kale rolled his eyes and flopped into the seat next to Bain.

Uriah gave a nod in Bain’s direction, and Bain returned the greeting.

“Ok
ay, since we’re all here, let’s get started. Rowan has contacted Darion about Zander. Turns out the Dark Fae leader isn’t overly concerned about a few humans, but Zander hasn’t passed back into the human realm long enough for us to catch up with him, so we can’t get to him without Darion’s help.”

Bain groaned
; that was not what he was hoping to hear.

Lothar gave him a sympathetic nod
. “Rowan isn’t ready to let us go into Darion’s territory and take Zander by force
yet.
But Zander isn’t our only issue. I’m not sure how, but the Dark are flooding the Human World. I have a few reports of what sound like Fae attacks there.”

“Where are Ro and Cree?” Bain ask suspiciously
. This new information enforced his feelings that Cree and Ro should not have gone anywhere.

“They’ve gone to Lark
. They left before I got the reports from the Human World.”

Lark was a border village
. They had problems with the Dark over the years in this particular village. Bain didn’t like Rowan going there, but with Cree at her side, she’d be fine.

“What’s happening in Lark?” Bain asked.

“The same old issues. Rowan went to enforce the magic at the border. They’ve had some petty thefts and fighting mainly. There was an uproar with one family; it seems their daughter disappeared with a brownie, but it looks like the two have been meeting secretly for a while now.”

“Did the
brownie influence her?” Uriah asked.

Brownie’s were
trouble-making Fae. They were good at twisting things and influencing others, but they were mostly harmless.

“No
, she’s a brownie as well. She knows all the tricks. She apparently loves him and wishes to leave the Light for the Dark—that’s my impression anyway—so she can be with him.”

“That’s not good
,” Kale grunted. “We can’t be losing our people to the Dark. That’s why we pick sides; that’s why were aligned.” There was heat in Kale’s voice, a reprimand born of something deeply embedded in him. For all his give-a-shit bravado and attitude, the alignment of the Fae was something he stood forcefully behind. Bain knew it was built of pain and betrayal, something he wondered if Kale would ever get over.

“True
,” Lothar agreed, “but this is one young individual. I’m not worried about the Light jumping ship. What I am worried about is all the Fae activity in the Human World.”

Lothar looked to Uriah
. “I want you and Kale to do a sweep of downtown Los Angeles. There have been reports of what sounds like vampire activity.”

Bain sighed
, and Uriah smiled wide. “Isabelle would get a kick out of that. How long did it take for you to convince her you weren’t a vampire?”

Bain threw a decorative pillow at
Uriah; Cree’s office hadn’t escaped his sister’s touch.

“Ha
,” Kale bellowed. “She called you a vampire?” His brown eyes were sparkling.

“I’m surprised you didn’t already know
… and no, she asked
if
we were vampires.”

“Did you tell her
vampires are real?” Kale wiped at his eye. He loved Bain’s reaction when he was called or even associated with vamps.

Granted all vamps to this day had aligned themselves with the
Dark, but they were Fae and he really wasn’t sure where Bain’s hatred for the bloodsuckers had come from. But he enjoyed the fire that sparked in Bain’s personality when any conversation turned to the vamps. Of course, Kale loved anything that had to do with fire.

“No
,” Bain grunted. “She was freaked out enough.”

“I can’t believe you didn’t lull her with your
boyish good looks.
What happened?” Kale mocked.

Bain gave him the one
-finger salute. “Have fun patrolling, brothers.”

“Before you go
, Bain, Rowan and Cree will be back tomorrow afternoon to meet with Isabelle, and Meriah will be here in a couple hours for your feeding.”

Bain raised a brow
. “I’m good for a least another week.”

“I asked her to come early
. You’ve been in the Human World longer than usual and even you admitted you’ve been doing a lot of healing.”

Bain nodded
. “Fine.”

Izzy lay flat on her back, hugged in the soft material of the large bed that took center stage in the room Kale and Bain had left her in.

Her instincts to stay put had warred with her overwhelming curiosity; she wanted to explore the castle.

She’d spent the last half hour longingly gazing out her window. It was a beautiful piece of arched glass with a stunning pink, green, yellow, and blue stained glass, turning the arch into a separate piece of stunning artwork—a Celtic sun shining against a blue sky with a single blooming pink rose. Below the piece of artwork stood a large window that looked out onto the gardens, a large, rolling grassy area, a few small homes, and beyond that was another curtain wall to the fortress. It was a small, well-guarded village of sorts.

Izzy watched the people below
. They were so very normal. A few small children played in a field, while couples walked hand and hand, and others carried goods towards the center of the castle’s fortress. She had watched them while she waited for Bain’s return.

Garcia had grumbled until she let him loose in the room
. He had made his way to the windowsill to stare out at the sights with her, his tail twitching. She had eventually given in and opened the door that led to a small balcony off her room. Garcia had found his way down to the ground and went bouncing off in the grass. He’d stopped a few feet away from the building, not straying too far.

She met the
sweet, older man named Darnell. He was short and a little stout with rosy cheeks, grey hair, and a very sweet disposition. He had brought her some refreshments and then insisted on unpacking for her. She smiled and worked alongside of him, until he’d bid her good-bye to see to arrangements for the evening’s dinner.

Now she lay on the
bed, twiddling her thumbs, staring at the exquisite ceiling over her bed. It was a large skylight that let the dimming light of late afternoon into her room. The sun was fading, and the deep orange and pink of the setting sun bathed her room in a magical light. She couldn’t wait to see the stars tonight as she lay in her bed in this magical world.

“Am I interrupting?”

Izzy lifted her head to the deep bass of Bain’s voice. He stood with his hip pressed against the doorframe and his muscled arms crossed over his chest, with a twinkle of mischief in his violet eyes.

“I’d say it’s polite to knock, you never know what I could be doing in here, but this is your home.”

Bain smirked at her. “What could you possibly be doing that you would need to hide from me?”

Izzy narrowed her eyes and sighed
. “I could have been changing or something.”

Bain
chuckled, a deep, sensual noise that wrapped around her. “Ah, that would have been my good fortune.”

Izzy shook her head and sat up
. “Is everything ok with your brothers?”

Bain nodded
. “Everything’s good. Uriah and Kale are headed to Los Angeles; there’s been some Fae activity there that they need to check out. I was also informed that Cree and Rowan are headed back this way, but have a bit of a journey ahead of them.”

“Ok
, so that leaves… Lothar, right?” Bain nodded and smiled; she’d remembered his brothers’ names. “Do I get to meet him?”

Bain’s smile
widened. “You sure do, at dinner, so get changed and we’ll head that way.”

Izzy looked down at her attire
. Her jeans were a good pair, dark and form fitting, and her top was simple, but looked good.

“Um, what should I wear?”

Bain did a quick check over her body. A lot less as far as he was concerned, but that would be for only his eyes.

“Check your closet
. I’m sure Darnell put a dress in there for you”

She had seen a swath of deep
champagne-colored fabric. The color kind of reminded her of Bain’s hair, a rich, complex color. Izzy pulled the dress from the closet and raised a brow at him.
Were they going to a ball?

“Seriously?” she asked.

Was this going to be like a bad movie where he played a joke on her, and she ended up completely over dressed for the evening?

Bain cocked a brow at her
. “I think it will do nicely.”

“What kind of dinner are we going to?” she asked as she held the dress up against her body
. It was beautiful. A little renaissance in style, drop-waist corseted front, long and elegant as the silk material dropped to the floor. The real difference from a true renaissance dress was its lack of sleeves. It was lovely with light, soft beading along the bust.

“A dinner at the castle of the Light Fae leader
,” he said almost sarcastically.

She glared at him
. She hadn’t thought about it like that. She was well versed in human etiquette, but not Fae. A small flutter in her stomach had her suddenly feeling nauseous.

“I don’t think so
. I’m not that hungry.”

Bain scoffed
. “Izzy, come on. I’ve seen the way you eat. You have an impressive appetite.”

“Hey!” she snapped
, insulted.

Bain laughed
. “It’s not an insult”

Not at all
… Bain’s gaze slid over her. Her body was perfect with its feminine curves; it was soft and supple. Perfect breast, a thin waist, and curved hips created a flawless, elegant hourglass.

“Besides
, its tradition for those staying at the castle to come together for dinner. Think of it like your family’s Sunday night dinners.”

Izzy rested a hand on her hip. “How many people come to your
family dinners, Bain?”

“I believe there are around twenty others joining us tonight.”

“Twenty? Are any of them human?”

She knew the answer, but hope had her asking anyway.

Bain winked at her. “Just one.”

“
Bain.
” She sounded whiny, even to her own ears.

What was wrong with her? She wasn’t a nervous person. Where had the strong, independent woman gone? Oh
, right, she was in completely uncharted territory. She trust Bain to no end at this point, but that didn’t mean she could trust everyone she met here. Just like she couldn’t trust everyone from her own world. However, they didn’t have magic they could use against her.

“
Izzy…
” He mocked her tone playfully. “None of these people are going to bite, not you anyway.” He smirked. “We’re going to have dinner. You’ll get to meet Lothar and a few others who reside here. The dress is just a formality. Even I don’t get to wear jeans to Rowan’s dinners.”

Bain held a hand up
. He saw Izzy preparing to argue. “Yes, I realize Rowan isn’t here, but this is just tradition. You’ll get used to it.”

Izzy’s brows furrowed
…
She’d get used to it
? How long did Bain plan to keep her here?

Bain sighed
. “You’re not a prisoner here, Izzy. I will take you back whenever you want. All I ask is that you stay and meet with Rowan so she can help you.”

How did he seem to always know what she was thinking?

“How do you keep doing that?”

“Doing what?”
he asked.

“Twice
, in just this conversation, you’ve seemed to know what I was thinking or what I was about to say. How do you keep doing that?”

Bain tapped the side of his nose “Your scent gives you away, especially when you’re about to argue.”

“Oh, okay… but wait, how can Rowan help me?”

“She’s part
leprechaun
,
” he said seriously.

“Wait
… what? So are you part leprechaun?”

“No
.” Bain smiled. “Fae genetics work differently than humans. Our great grandfather carried leprechaun blood, and it’s active in Rowan’s blood, though it’s not luck-eater blood. Mine is all healer and Immortal Fae.”

“What kind of
leprechaun is she?”

“Our grandfather carried the blood of a Talanton Leprechaun
.”

Izzy stared at him expectantly.

“It a sub-species of leprechaun that promotes and helps to balance the good and bad luck each of us carries.”

“Got it
.” She smiled. “So does that mean if you have children, they could have the leprechaun gene?”

Bain nodded.

“So, what exactly is Rowan going to do for me?”

“She can’t give you back your luck, but she can help balance what you have left. Just being in the Middle
World should help a little. Have you had any mishaps since we got here?”

Come to think of it
… No, she’d been fine since they’d arrived. She shook her head.

“Good, that’s a start. Now change for dinner, please. I’ll be right next door getting ready if you need me.”

“Fine, I’ll get dressed up, but I want that tour after dinner.”

“You got
it, sweetheart.”

Izzy smiled and turned to head into the bathroom. She liked it when he called her sweetheart, even though it had started out as a smug pet name. She liked to think of it as endearing now.