Retribution (41 page)

“Um… thanks.”

“Are you a bonded child?”

After a moment's hesitation, the witch pushed her shoulders back and confessed. “Yes.”

Layla pointed at Quin, thinking she better leave herself out of it. “This is Quin. He's a bonded child, too.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yes,” Quin confirmed. “That's one reason we're anxious to be rid of Agro.”

“That's a good reason,” the witch conceded, “but it doesn't explain the absence of your auras.”

“No it doesn't, but we won't reveal them. We have other reasons to want Agro out of our lives, and we're not willing to share them. Not because they're immoral or shameful, but because they’d be dangerous in untrustworthy hands. Agro isn't the only enemy out there.”

“That's true, but you must understand our concern.”

“We do,” Quin assured, “and we're sorry we can't relieve you of it. But there have been magicians gathering here for three days, and no harm has come to any of them so far. If we weren't being honest about our objective, don't you think you’d already have cause for alarm? We're not here to harm you. We've provided protection, shelter, food, and the freedom to come and go. Those aren't the actions of enemies looking to hurt you.”

The witch considered this then relaxed. “I see your point.”

“I'm glad you do, because in case you and everyone else can't tell, we're as concerned for our safety as anybody.”

“You say you're a bonded child,” Sloan interjected, bringing Quin's attention around.

“Yes.”

“Where are your parents?”

“Right here,” Quin answered, nodding toward Kemble and Cordelia.

The wizard in blue spoke again. “Are we going to get proof of that? Agro’s known to have bonded children in his troops, but if a bonded couple accompanies you, it would be easier for us to believe you're not under his control. He doesn't use them.”

Quin looked at his parents and shrugged. “We need to move on, and we can't do that until they're satisfied we're not the enemy.” He twitched his fingers, and his parents' bonded lights swirled free, but their auras stayed inside. “Does that satisfy you?” Quin asked, looking back down.

“I doubt anyone here is comfortable with the absence of your auras,” the man in blue countered, “but you’re not imposing a threat, so we won’t threaten you. I only speak for my company, though. I can't answer for the others.”

Quin scanned the rest of the crowd. Many of them shrugged before turning away, but others stayed wary and kept their eyes on the sky. The outspoken man in blue headed for a large tent, and Quin looked at Sloan and his mercenaries, who continued to stare.

“Will we learn the rest of your names?” Sloan asked, sliding a hand down his long black beard.

Quin made the introductions, pointing as he went. When he got to Layla, he kept his gaze trained on the mercenaries, who didn’t react or seem to recognize the name.

“I'm going to assume by the way you're clutching her,” Sloan observed, “that Layla isn't your sister.”

“Obviously,” Quin replied.

Still sweeping his shiny beard through his hand, Sloan looked at Layla. “Are you a bonded child as well?”

“No,” Quin answered.

Sloan’s eyes narrowed as they flipped to Quin. “Let her speak for herself. She has an entrancing voice.”

Quin’s jaw flexed, his fingers curling around Layla’s waist, and she quickly backed him up while laying a hand over his heart. “He tells the truth. I’m not a bonded child.”

Sloan raised an eyebrow. “Is that so?”

“You wanted her answer,” Quin cut in. “Now you have a problem with it?”

“Is she lying?”

Layla shot Sloan an indignant look. “No, and I'm offended by the baseless accusation.”

Guffaws chorused from the crowd, and Quin withheld a curse. His angel’s heavenly voice and visage was giving her away.

“Don't play coy, Layla,” Sloan insisted, scanning her from top to bottom. “You shine with or without an aura, and your body, well, it’s quite...”

“That's enough,” Quin interrupted. “Layla’s status is none of your damn business. And I suggest you refrain from staring at her and speaking to her that way, because as you so rightly assumed, she’s mine. Her exceptional beauty is mine to admire, not yours. And if you don’t have more respect for women than what you’ve shown so far, you don’t belong here.” He paused, sweeping his gaze over the rest of the volunteers. “That goes for everyone else as well. So do we have a problem? Or can we keep peace long enough to form a plan? Agro has over a 150 soldiers and will be ready for battle tomorrow night or the next. Unless we can get our shit together, we might as well leave before he comes and slaughters us all.”

Quin looked down, discretely checking Layla for signs of distress. Her heart had finally returned to a normal pace, but the mention of time sent the organ into another frenzy. She remained outwardly calm, and Quin didn’t want to draw even more attention to the fact that she was extraordinary, so he forced himself to look away.

The news about Agro made most of the volunteers anxious, but Sloan was the epitome of calm, and Quin was more convinced than ever the mercenaries were there for all the wrong reasons. And on a more personal note, he didn't like their leader. “Do we have a problem, Sloan?” he asked, tempted to put all twenty-five of the mercenaries out of commission right there.

Sloan watched Quin and Layla for a long moment while fidgeting with his beard. Then he turned away and headed for his tent. “No problems here.”
 

Quin sighed. Then he descended to the ground while mind searching his dad. ‘
I don't like this
.
It's too risky. Let's get what information we need and get the hell out of here. Don't move away from us for any reason, and keep your eyes on the mercenaries. Pass the word along.
’

Kemble agreed, and Quin connected to Layla's mind. ‘
Are you okay?
’

‘
Yes.
’

‘
How's the heart?
’

‘
I'd say it's definitely working.
’

‘
Not hurting?
’

‘
No.
’

‘
Good. Keep your chest against me so others don't notice.
’

‘
You won't hear me argue with that.
’

He smiled as he kissed her forehead. ‘
Don't shake anyone's hand, and if someone touches you, immediately get them off you. Or tell me and I'll do it, as long as it gets done.
’

‘
Okay.
’

‘
Are you frightened?
’

She smiled and cuddled closer. ‘
No. I have my hero taking care of me.
’
 

‘
Tell me if you do get scared. We'll leave if you need to, and if something concerns you, speak up.
’

‘
Okay.
’

He smiled as he spoke out loud. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

“Ready?”

“Yep.”

They spent almost two hours in the clearing, getting to know a little about their fellow fighters, and while everyone remained leery of each other, there weren’t any confrontations.

The friends and family who'd been aiding in keeping the army fed and sheltered had already compiled a list of exceptional skills, along with the names of those who possessed them, and they'd kept a log of all the twins, bonded children, and bonded couples.

Nine bonded children ranging between the ages of twenty-two and sixty-five were present, and each of them had been pursued by Agro at one time or another. All nine of them had lost their parents to Unforgivables, and six of them continued to spend their lives in hiding or on the run. Also present were three sets of twins and a group of triplets, who spent their time in constant travel to remain free. And there were five bonded couples, who were seeking revenge for their offspring.

Layla found the bonded couples’ situations particularly sad, and learning about them resulted in a struggle to keep her aura concealed and her sobs at bay. Three of the couples had watched the Unforgivables kill their children – a tragedy no parent should face. But it was the other two bonded couples who had Layla fighting tears, because their children were alive. They were alive and under Agro's command. Layla couldn't imagine anything harder than entering a battle knowing your child fought for the opposite side. The mere idea squeezed her heart so hard, physical pain shot through her body, and she soon found herself tucked in Quin’s neck while his mental voice echoed distractions in her head.

Many of the volunteers had their own theories and suggestions for the upcoming battle, so everyone was given the opportunity to express them on paper. They were promised their ideas would be taken into consideration, which was true, and assured everyone would know the plan before the fight took place.

As Quin and Layla prepared to depart, the outspoken wizard in blue emerged from his tent, puffing a pipe while eyeing his secretive hosts. “So we're to remain in the dark about your reasons for concealment.”

“It's irrelevant,” Quin answered. “We want Agro dead. That's all you need to know.”

“Hmm… Well if your vengeance burns half as bright as mine, I look forward to joining you on the battlefield.”

“Likewise,” Quin returned. Then he wrapped Layla in a hug and got the hell out of there.

Chapter 29

Another visit to the glacier was in order, so Quin and Layla flew to Washington after leaving the volunteers’ clearing. They tested a few theories and practiced some new spells. Then they headed home, Layla growing drowsy in Quin’s warm embrace.

She was tempted to suggest a nap when they got home, but when Quin landed on the lawn, he gently pulled her face from his throat and found her eyes, a sparkle in his own. “There are some people here to meet you.”

“Who?” she asked, looking around, and her mouth fell open as her gaze landed on a large group of strangers, all of them staring at her and Quin with shiny eyes and emotional smiles. Layla's cheeks burned as she instinctively retreated to Quin’s neck, shocked and a little frightened. “Who are they?”

“It's okay,” he soothed, running a hand down her hair. “They can be trusted.”

“But who are they?”

Before he could answer, Daleen appeared and laid a hand on Layla's back. “They're your family, darling.”

“And a damn fine sight to see,” Serafin added. Then he grabbed Daleen's hand and flew to the watching magicians.

Kemble and Cordelia dropped right into the middle of the company, and when Caitrin and Morrigan touched down beside Quin, their faces lit up with smiles.

Morrigan giddily danced in place while squeezing Layla’s arm. “There's no reason to hide, sweetie. They already love you.” After letting go, she grabbed Caitrin and flew to the guests, happily squealing along the way.

Layla watched them then furrowed her eyebrows at Quin. “I don't understand. Who are they?”

“The majority of them are your relatives,” he answered. “Mostly blood relatives. About half of them are Serafin's or Daleen's family members, and a few are Morrigan's.”

Layla’s eyes widened as she glanced at the group. “Really?”

“Yes, and some of them are my mom's relatives from Alaska.”

“Oh. I didn't know they were coming.”

“We weren’t sure they’d get here on time. Plus, it was kind of a surprise.”

“I see,” she mumbled, feeling ungrateful, but she couldn't disregard her anxiousness.

“What's wrong, love.”

“I'm nervous, Quin.”

“Ah… Well let's get the meet and greet out of the way so you can relax and enjoy your extended family.”

“Okay,” she agreed, swallowing a lump.
 

But he didn’t walk forward. He just stared at her face, obviously trying to figure out a way to make her feel better. “How about we get a cup of coffee first?”

Her posture perked up then fell again. “You don't have to do that, Quin. I know you don't want me drinking it. Let's go meet everyone.”

“I'm not cutting off your coffee, Layla. I wouldn't dream of it. I asked you to wait, and you did, but now you can have a dose of your second favorite drug.” He summoned an oversized mug of coffee. Then his dimples appeared as he drifted the cup beneath her nose. “I know you want it, my beautiful coffee addict, and I want you to have it.”

She closed her eyes while breathing deep. Then she smirked and took the mug. “You should know better than to tempt an addict. I've proven again and again I can't be trusted with temptation, particularly when the fruit is one of my two favorite flavors.”

He leaned in and nibbled her neck. “I'm a flavor?”

Goosebumps tickled her flesh, and her blush returned. “Stop,” she giggled. “I
just
told you, I can't take the temptation.”

He pulled away, grinning as he found her face. “You're right. That was
really
insensitive of me.”

She laughed then kissed his smiling lips. “Put me down so I can meet my extended family.”

The afternoon of introductions was extremely emotional for Layla, but the majority of the emotions were good, and she always found strength in Quin's arms. She was shocked by how many blood relatives she had, and even after laying eyes on the proof and feeling the tingles run up her arm again and again, she had a hard time believing it. She'd met a few great-grandparents, several aunts and uncles, and many more cousins, most of them bearing a resemblance to either her mom or dad, so she also saw herself in the faces she met.