Rise of the Fae (14 page)

* * * *

Neeman, William and several other house guards and trackers stood behind Danika’s and Mason’s chairs in the nighttime atrium of Coven House. In front of them stood an entourage of a dozen Russian Vampires, not one among them a vampyr. The two men in front were Danika’s second cousins, twins by the names of Alexi and Eliander. The males had to be close to a hundred. The cousins had spent the last ten minutes trying to break the ice with Danika. It wasn’t working.

“I see no reason for you to be here, is explanation enough,” said Danika.

“Cousin, we come as an offering of solidarity. We only want to help strengthen you and your position in the States. In light of recent events in your area, we worry for you.”

“And what events would those be?” Danika asked.

“Why, the threats to you by Lord Garon and by the abundance of humans who need tending to.”

“So you have no problems with Mason as my mate then?” Her voice held surprise.

“Not at all, cousin,” said Eliander. “We are more than happy to have a male such as Mason standing at your side. Demons have ever been a noble race, worthy of our respect and alliance.”

“I see.” Danika tapped her nails on her chair arm. “Let’s stop beating around the bush. What do you want?”

Danika’s patience was wearing thin, it was obvious to everyone who knew her. Neeman wondered how much longer she would go on with the farce of listening to them before throwing them out.

The brothers looked at each other.

“I don’t understand,” said Alexi. “We’re here to help.”

“Really?” said Danika. “Well, where were you when my parents were murdered? Why didn’t you come to help me then? And when my life was almost taken a year ago by my minion, why did you not come?”

“Because you had Chase,” said Alexi. “But when we heard you’d been attacked by him as well, we knew we could no longer sit still.”

Danika continued to tap her nails. She was letting them stew, but he knew her better than most. She was trying to figure out what their angle was.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I cannot agree.”

“But cousin—”

She held up her hand. “Please stop calling me that. I do not know you. You are no more family to me than the three kings are.”

The twins sniffed in unison.

“Then maybe we should take our request to join you to the three kings,” said Eliander.

“From what I understand, you already have.” Danika stood. “Do not try to intimidate me. I don’t intimidate. And with that, I think this meeting is adjourned.”

Mason rose from his seat and took Danika’s arm in his.

Anger burned in the twins’ eyes. Neeman reached for his gun as he waited for them to make a move.

After a tense moment, Eliander smiled. “Lord Danika, we’d like to continue in Chicago and to call on you again. In a less formal setting perhaps? To have dinner?”

Danika inclined her head. “I give you leave to stay in Chicago for the next thirty days. In that time, having dinner would be acceptable. If you have any other questions or concerns, feel free to call upon William.”

Danika looked back at William and he moved to her side. “Please see our guests out.”

William nodded. “Yes, m’lord.” He walked to the group. “If you will follow me.” The Russians bowed as a group to Danika and then followed William. He led them from the room.

After they’d shut the outer door she turned and met Neeman’s eye. “I don’t like it.”

“Me neither,” he said. “Do you believe they genuinely want to help?”

“No.” She shook her head. “I think they’re more trouble to deal with.”

“I think this is going to get uglier before it gets better.” Mason stepped closer to Danika.

“We’re here for you. Whatever you need,” said Neeman.

Danika gave him a tight smile and nodded. “I’m counting on it.”

Selene ran back to the front of the house. The Russian visitors stormed out and headed for the cars.

“Stupid girl. She has no idea who she’s dealing with.”

“It’s Chase’s fault for trying to kill her. If he’d kept his wits about him, none of this would have happened.”

“We never should have taken him in.”

“It doesn’t matter. We’ll just have to give her some incentive to want our help.” The Vampire pulled out a phone. “Time to set things in motion.”

A pit formed in Selene’s stomach.

The cars pulled away and a ripple raced through her. She looked down.
Damn
. Her spell was fading. Stupid Earth plane. If there were more magic here this wouldn’t be a problem. She had to get to the compound. If Neeman found her here... If
Mason
found her here… They would never trust her. Running down the driveway, she slipped out the gate behind the sedans.

She ran down the beautifully manicured street toward the compound. The houses in the area were nicely cared for, but none of them were half as nice as Coven House. Ironic but not surprising that the nicest area of Chicago was full of people, where lower areas were boarded up and dying off.

Half a mile down the road, a shiny black motorcycle caught her eye and she slowed her pace. A smile crept over her face.

“Perfect.”

She rushed to the bike and tipped it off its kickstand. She snorted when she saw the keys dangling from the ignition. The world really had changed.

“Their loss.”

Placing her hand on the handlebar, she became completely visible again.

Time to go.

The bike roared to life and she sped away.

* * * *

Selene pulled the bike into the warehouse and hid it in a dark corner behind some supplies. She yanked the keys from the ignition and ran for the elevator; there was no telling when Neeman would return. She needed to make sure she was in her room when he arrived.

Her heart sank. Not that he’d come check on her. After what she’d done, she wouldn’t blame him if he never spoke to her again.

“Who cares?”
Her inner voice chimed in for the first time in hours.

“I do.” Her words surprised even her. She did care. She cared what he thought and how he felt about her, though she had no clue why. He wasn’t her husband. Hell, he wasn’t even her boyfriend. He was her captor, warden, and babysitter.

As she plopped down on her bed, the words rang false in her ears. She was lying to herself.

“
If that’s how you really feel about him, why did you come back? Why didn’t you just take off on that motorcycle and keep on riding till you found humans?”

She grabbed her pillow, threw it over her face, and screamed.

Her inner voice laughed.
“That’s what I thought.”

“Shut up! You aren’t supposed to be talking to me.” How was her inner voice talking to her?

She rolled over and stared at the wall. There was no way she had feelings for Neeman.

A rumbling sound from above made Selene look up. The ceiling shook and in the corner the standing lamp crashed to the floor.

What the hell?

The elevator rang in the hallway. She darted to her door and grabbed the knob as a hissing sound sent a shiver up her spine. Selene swallowed, closed her eyes, and breathed deep. She knew that sound. A million years could pass and she would still know the sound of every monster out there.

Despite the magick Selene had invoked to keep her at bay, her demon half broke from her cage and screamed like a banshee.

They’d been too late.

When Neeman had picked up Rex and brought him back, Rex had sent a signal. And now the demons had found her.

Selene covered her ears with her hands and a wave of nausea hit her. A fine sheen of sweat blossomed on her skin as her inner beast clawed at her to be let loose.

Outside the door, shouts and gunfire bounced down the hallway, muffled by the closed door.

“Do something. Go out and fight.”

“I can’t,” she cried.

“Then let me out.”

“No!”

More gunfire rang out and a roar shook the walls. She needed to get out of here. Where was Neeman? Her phone! She needed her phone.

She rushed about the room throwing new clothes and shoes everywhere. She grabbed one of the new bags and slung it over her shoulder. Then she stuffed a pair of underwear in it, and a hairbrush and found the phone under a pile of clothing.

“What’s wrong with you? Demons in the hallway and you’re looking to comb your hair?”

“Shut up! I have to think!”

“
Fight. It’s the only way
.”

No! She should stay hidden and wait for Neeman to come. She swiped the phone to turn it on. She found Neeman’s number and dialed it. The phone beeped and turned off.

What?

She tried again, and again it beeped and turned off. She hit the phone on her hand.

“Why won’t you work?”

A terrible shrieking bell went off in the hallway and suddenly water poured down on her.

“Great, just what I needed. A shower.”

The lights flickered and went out. A set of dim backup lights turned on. The acrid smell of smoke drifted under the door. She glanced around the room. Everything was soaked.

Panic settled in her chest. She couldn’t just sit here and let the whole place burn down around her while she drowned.

She grabbed the door handle and pulled the door wide. A billow of smoke entered
the room making her cough. Down the hall, near the elevator, the walls and ceiling were alight. Three
trackers were engaged in a battle with two demons. The giant human-looking demons with eyes like pitch and black ooze dripping from their lips slashed and spit at the Vampires. Everywhere their spit landed, the floor melted away. Ash demons.

“Kill them.”

She didn’t want to get involved, she wanted to make a run for it. But there was nowhere to go. One of the Vampires fell to the ground, a sizzling hole through his chest. They were all going to die if she didn’t do something.

Selene took a deep breath, dropped her bag, and slipped off her flats. She ran toward the demons and was three rooms down when a massive shape jumped in her path and shoved her backward. She flew through the air and landed in a heap, sliding on the wet ground back to where she’d started.

The air whooshed out of her lungs as her head hit the cement with a thwack. Lights exploded into her vision and she blinked rapidly trying to clear the stars. This was no time to get caught blind. She wiped water droplets from her face and pushed her hair back.

“Ah, there you are, Princess. We’ve been looking for you.” An incendiary demon smiled and strode toward her, the water glistening on his blackened skin.

She sucked in huge gulps of air trying to get the tightness in her chest to dissipate. Not fully able to see, she leaned on the wall and got to her feet. Her head pounded and a trickle of blood skimmed down her temple to her cheek.

“Let me out!”

The demon advanced, his massive frame taking up the entire hallway. She needed to act fast.

She cradled her arm and massaged her shoulder, her vision clearing. “Please. Just go. Leave me be.”

He laughed and continued to advance. “You should savor this moment, Princess, because it shall be the last time you feel no pain in a long while. You ran away from your father and he is not very happy about it.” The ancient language slithered from his mouth.

She widened her eyes and backed away. “Please, don’t hurt me.”

He grabbed her by her right arm and she cried out.

He snorted. “Stop mewling like a newborn babe. You are the daughter of a god. It disrespects his honor for you to act so low.”

Selene straightened and centered her energy, dropping the facade. “And what about now?”

She thrust her hand forward and called upon her inner demon. Her baser self roared to life. Selene’s nails lengthened to the size of pencils. She slammed her hand inside the demon’s chest cavity and grasped his oversized heart. He gasped and stumbled backward. Selene held fast as he fell away. His eyes widened and blood poured from his mouth. His claws dug deep into the drywall, ripping it away as he hit the ground.

She jumped on top of him, his heart still in her fist. “You tell my father I’ll see him soon enough.”

The demon coughed once and then his eyes dimmed. She threw the heart on the floor and ran for the elevator. She bounded over the body of the dead Vampire and made for the first ash demon.

“
Oblittero.
” She slid into the demon and her hand connected with the demon’s chest before he could make a move. A pulse of heat travelled down her arm and out her palm. A hole singed his chest and his skin lit up from within.

The second demon swung at her but she ducked. He missed and hit the overhead light, showering the florescent glass bulbs down on everyone.

She whirled in a circle, and then slammed him in the center of his chest. “
Eradico
.”

“Run!” she yelled.

She sprang at the two stunned Vampires and grabbed them by their shirts, pulling them behind her. She scooped up her flats and bag as she passed.

The Vampires followed her as a high whistle permeated the air. They needed to get out of the hall.

“In here,” she yelled and ducked into a room. The Vampires followed. She slammed the door shut just as a blast shook the entire compound. The door rattled with force and she leaned on it, keeping it closed.

The ceiling cracked and plaster fell in giant chunks.

“We need to get out of here,” yelled one of the Vampires.

“The whole place is going to come down,” said the other.

Selene nodded. If they stayed here, they died.

She looked around. She was in Neeman’s room.

One of the trackers flung the door open. “Let’s get to the elevator.” He disappeared into the hall.

Selene went to follow them and stopped. She looked at Neeman’s closet and opened it. Inside sat his wooden box. She knelt and pulled it from the closet.

She set her hand on top of the box.
“Minor.”

The box shook and shrunk to the size of a small jewelry box. She grabbed it and shoved it in her purse with her shoes.

The trackers ran back in. “The elevator’s gone.”

She rushed to the door. The fire had spread down the hall and was quickly approaching. A siren sounded in the hall. A red light flashed overhead.