Intuition: The Premonition Series (45 page)

“Dis is a good surprise,” Brennus counters in a gentle tone, but I doubt that a demon would know anything about a good surprise.

“What is it?” I ask, and I hear Brennus sigh as he pulls the envelope from my hands and opens it for me. There are documents with my name, my real name, on them. They look like bank accounts and deeds and legal papers. I glance at Brennus in confusion, looking for an explanation.

“Ye defeated Keegan,” Brennus says, smiling at me proudly. “Ye get all of his assets. He wasn’t dat wealthy—less den a billion pounds, he made some bad investments dat did na pan out so well for him, but do na fret, I have more den enough for whatever ye want,” he says, handing me back the envelope.

Looking across the table at Alfred, I see something in his eyes— it’s fear.
Finn’s right,
I think as my hands begin to shake again.
Brennus is making me his queen and they will all treat me as one of them
—
a beloved demon.

Numbly, I put the envelope on the table and push it back toward Brennus. Then, I push my chair back from the table and I begin to walk across the hall to the entrance of the cave.

“Whah is wrong,
mo chroí
?
”
Brennus calls to me.

Stopping, I turn toward him. “I can’t take that,” I point to the envelope on the table.

“Why na?” Brennus asks, frowning in confusion. “Ye were livin’ like a peasant in dat little hovel. Ye never have ta live dat way again. Ye will be powerful and if someting even tinks about huntin’ ye, we’ll bring dem down and teach dem da true meanin’ of da word ‘terror,’” he says. I can see the brutality in his eyes. He means every word of what he just said. He will guard me like a treasure for eternity and I will never be free of him.

“I can’t take that envelope because I murdered him—I murdered Keegan. I can’t take his money,” I say in desperation, putting my hand to my stomach and trying to ease the ache of hunger I feel inside of me.

“Ye did na murder him. Ye defended yerself, and ye beat him like a warrior. He died well,” Brennus replies, completely confused by me. “No one can say dat ye’re unworthy ta be one of us, after whah ye did. Ye will be an asset ta da clan,” he adds, and his words chill me.

Will I be good at enticing humans to follow me into the cave, so that I can feed on them until they are corpses, and then feel nothing for them when I toss them on the fire like a funeral pyre? Will I strive hard to be an overachiever as a Gancanagh? Will I begin to love Brennus? Will I forget Reed? NEVER!

I walk away from Brennus, moving toward the entrance of the cave once more. “Where are ye going?” Brennus calls, but I don’t answer him or stop. He is by my side in seconds because I’m not trying to outrun him. I’m just leaving—one way or another.

“I’m leaving,” I say, pulling the straight razor from my boot.

“Da only way ye are leavin’ here is as a Gancanagh,” he says in a soft tone as we continue walking together like we are not in a hurry to reach any particular destination. “Den, we can go wherever ye desire.”

“No, I’m leaving now. You take care,” I say, not looking at him. He sighs heavily, like I’m trying his patience.

“I can na let ye go,
mo chroí
,
”
he says gently as he steps in front of me, making me stop. “Yer moin.” Fear shoots through me because I’m beginning to believe him—
he is breaking me.

“Please,” I beg him. “Please, don’t make me hurt you. I don’t want to hurt you.” I mean it. I don’t want to hurt him and that fact scares me to death because I should really want to hurt him.

A slow smile sweeps over his beautiful lips and face, making the light dance in his brilliant, green eyes that remind me of the sea in a storm. He looks like someone who has just gotten the best news of his life. “’Tis okay…hurt me,” he breathes.

Trying to step around him, he stops me by grabbing my arm. He won’t let go of it. I’ll have to make him let me go if I want to get out of here. Quickly, and without much thought, I slash his arm with the straight razor. Two things happen when I do that. First, Brennus smiles euphorically at me, and second, I am overwhelmed by the scent of his blood seeping out of his arm. My head is spinning and my mouth is watering. It’s taking every ounce of will power that I possess just to keep from pouncing on his arm and feasting on his blood like a rabid dog.

Dropping the razor, I cover my mouth and nose with my hand, trying to block out his aroma as I back away from him. “’Tis okay,” he says in a gentle way, like he is trying to calm a frightened child.

As I shake my head, I look around with wild eyes for a way out, but Faolan, Eion, and Lonan are blocking the exit. They are standing in front of it, watching us intently. I can’t escape, but I have to get away. Turning, I use all of my speed to run back up to Brennus’ room. Slamming the door, I lock it, backing away from it quickly. I run into the bedroom, and then into the bathroom. I go to the far wall and slowly slide down it to the floor.

Pain and panic are warring for supremacy and I feel so bad that all I can do is lie my head down on the cool floor of the bathroom and curl into a ball.
I am the stupidest creature. What made me think that I had more game than an ancient warrior who holds all the cards? Conceit, thy name is Evie.

I don’t open my eyes so I can’t see him, but I can smell him. He thickens the air I breathe, choking me with his scent… his aroma. I shiver. I have to resist. If I’m not strong, then I will be relegated to the same fate as this predator whose sickness infects me even now. But now, I crave him and he knows that; he has been counting on my need to end the gnawing pain. How he would savor my surrender. I’m alive, but how much longer will it take until I beg him not to be?

“Ye are so strong,
mo chroí,”
Brennus says as he creeps nearer to me. I can’t move because I’m afraid that if I do, I’ll try to make him bleed.

He isn’t openly bleeding right now; he must heal more quickly than I do,
I think as he sits down next to me, pulling my head onto his lap. He strokes my hair gently, trying to comfort me.
Pick a side demon.
I try not to relax my guard around him.

His voice is seductive as he says, “I tink ye’re looking at dis da wrong way. Why wouldn’t ye want ta be one of us; ta be protected and cared for by Gancanagh who will always have yer back?” he asks. “We will never look at ye like ye’re scum… like ye do na have a right ta exist.” I almost scoff because he is trying to change my existence to fit what he wants it to be.

I wouldn’t exist anymore… something else will, but it won’t be me,
I think.

He seems to read my thoughts when he says, “Ye will be mostly da same, but ye’ll release yer soul—it hasn’t helped ye at all in dis life— it makes ye a target. Den ye will never be alone again…I will stand by yer side forever and ye will never have ta be afraid,” he promises. And there it is… he found something that I want desperately at this moment.

What would it be like to never be afraid again? To never feel the terror of being hunted down by a predator? Or, to never fear that the predator that hunted me would harm someone I love? I would probably be incapable of true love.

“I’m tryin’ ta help ye. Let me help ye,
mo chroí
,
”
he coos.

“I don’t need your help,” I whisper.

“Ye do na know whah ye need. If I were ta let ye go, how long will ye last out dere alone?” he asks, sounding angry that I would rather risk death than choose his eternity of being undead.

“I don’t know, let’s try it and see,” I reply.

He sighs heavily. “Ye can na stop whah’s coming. Let me bleed for ye,” he says in a gentle tone as he touches his cold lips to my neck. “So strong…so brave…” he murmurs.

“I can’t…” I whimper, and saying the words seems to be increasing my suffering.

“Den, bleed for me,” he says as he pierces my neck again. I don’t lose consciousness this time. I don’t think he takes as much of my blood as he had last time. His goal isn’t to feed on me, but to inject me with more of his venom, so that I will crave him more—and I do. But my blood is doing something to him that I don’t think he expected. He looks drunk…or drugged, much like the human women look after having been touched by the Gancanagh. He looks like the world is turning circles on him as he leans his back against the wall of the bathroom to right himself.

“Ye have ta break soon,
mo chroí.
Da more of yer blood I have, da more I need ye. I would’ve had ye in me bed already, but I’m afraid I will end up killin’ ye before I can change ye if I do,” Brennus says as his eyes slowly open and the darkness of passion shows in his lidded stare.

“Are you sure that is the only reason you haven’t tried? Because, you should really be a little more afraid that I will kill you, if you try it,” I say as anger and something I don’t want to look too closely at shoots through my body.

Brennus’ laughter resonates through the bathroom. “Ye make me want ta live for eternity, jus so dat I can hear whah ye will say next,” he smiles. “I will need eternity because I can na get enough of ye. Yer beauty is agony to me. I will na live wi’out ye… I can na live wi’out ye.”

I would’ve said something else, but I have to grit my teeth as a whimper escapes me. Hunger pains are gripping me hotter and stronger than they had before. I writhe on the floor, trying to curl into a tighter ball to ease the pain. “Dis ends now,” Brennus orders, standing up and picking me up off the floor. Somewhere, in the back of my mind, I’m aware that my suffering is bothering him. The information doesn’t make any sense because everything that I know about him, up until this point, leads me to believe that he hasn’t a care for my suffering.

“Where are we going?” I ask as he moves through the bedroom.

“Da hall. I will have Finn cut me and ’twill be over” he says, pulling me tightly to his chest.

“No… please… I won’t be able to stop…”

“’Tis meant, Genevieve…’tis yer destiny. ’Tis,” he says in a gentle tone as I shake my head in denial.

When we get to the hall, Brennus sits down in his chair at the table with me on his lap. Alfred has been waiting for us. I wonder if he has been listening to everything that we have been saying. He has excellent hearing, but I’m not sure if it would’ve extended all the way up to the bathroom.

Looking at us with glee, Alfred says, “Finally, I’ve been marinating in this cave for weeks now, waiting for you to get her to agree to be a Gancanagh. I have to say, I was afraid that you weren’t going to get her to turn, but I can see that your methods are highly effective.”

“You should’ve let me kill him,” I murmur into Brennus’ neck when he stiffens at Alfred’s words.

“Patience, pet, da night is young and I am planning many birthday gifts for ye,” he whispers in my ear. I hold my breath a little because I have a feeling that one of my Gancanagh birthday gifts will be Alfred’s heart on a stake.

A darkness begins to grow within me.
I want that
—
I want Alfred’s heart on a stake.
Lifting my head off of Brennus’ chest, I look him in the eyes. He must see the darkness in my eyes because he squeezes me tighter, raw desire showing on his face.

I don’t think that Alfred understands what we are saying. He is so manic that he can hardly contain himself. I study the faces of the Gancanagh watching him intently. They look like they, too, are ecstatic by the way their eyes trail him—like he is a rare delicacy they’re going to get the opportunity to taste. I’m starting to see that I have not been the only delusional being in the room. But, Alfred is unaware of any of this and he is also unable to shut up. His need to gloat is something that I remember well from my last encounter with him.

“I have been waiting for this moment, Evie, to tell you something really important,” he says, smiling into my eyes. Pacing back and forth near us, he is rubbing his hands together happily. “I want you to be completely at ease in your new life, so this is sort of a gift to both of you—you and Brennus—for your happiness,” he says in his annoyingly unsubtle way. How I ever believed that he had an ounce of goodness in him, I will never know.

“I can’t wait to hear it,” I say in a raspy tone as a fresh wave of pain breaks over me, making my entire body shiver like I am doused in ice water.

“What is it?” Brennus asks with impatience. He puts his hand on my forehead, trying to comfort me as he searches around the room for Finn.

“Reed won’t be coming after you, Evie. I took care of it,” Alfred says, and then he waits for my reaction.

With my teeth chattering from pain, I stare at him and ask, “What?”

“I let Dominion know where their traitor was and his friend, too—what is his name? Zephyr, is it? They were both arrested,” Alfred says, and I can’t breathe. “You really did betray them both quite well. I swear, I couldn’t have conceived of a better plan,” he says, pausing to grin at me. “They didn’t even leave Crestwood, probably because they were hoping that you would come back to them.”

“You lie!” I whisper, but I know he isn’t lying. I know he is telling me the truth and a pain that is more excruciating than anything the Gancanagh could do to me erupts in my chest. I feel like something has died in me.
I have betrayed them.

I hear nothing else that Alfred says. He continues to speak, but I can’t hear him. My mind is racing…
Are they dead? Would Dominion execute them?