Rise of the Fae (17 page)

She limped toward Coven House’s back door. Jonas ran up to her and she stopped. He put her arm over his shoulder and wrapped his arm around her waist, helping her in the house. The sight made Neeman want to tear Jonas limb from limb.

He cursed under his breath. He wasn’t the jealous type. How had this happened? He still wasn’t sure. All he knew was that he had to find out.

Selene limped into the kitchen of Coven House with her arm over Jonas’s shoulder. The human servants and other human survivors stared at her as she passed.

Jonas deposited her on a couch in a small den next to the kitchen.

“There ya go. Can I get you anything?”

More magick? “I think I’d like to sit for a moment.”

She went to run her fingers through her hair to flatten it, but they were caked in dried black blood. Instead, she opened her bag and pulled out her brush, yanking it through her hair.

Her body drooped with fatigue. Soreness settled into her muscles and she knew that the next day would be even worse unless she could perform a healing spell.

He nodded. “It’s been a hell of a night. I’ve never seen anything like those guys before.”

“Yeah, well, I’ve seen a lot of them. I was raised with them when I was younger.” A clump of dirt fell from her hair and plopped onto her lap. She brushed it to the floor.

“Really? How did you survive?”

“I was the daughter of the Lord of Destruction. They didn’t dare bug me. Not with my father and Mason looking after me. That changed though, when we ran here.”

Neeman came through the door and scanned the room. His eyes landed on her and she turned away. The trackers milled in the kitchen and other humans piled in from the barracks as well. Everyone had heard the explosion and they were looking for answers.

“So where are we going to stay now?” she asked Jonas.

He looked around. “I don’t know. There’s a lot of people here now.”

She smiled and touched his arm. “Well, when we get where we’re going, maybe you can help me hobble to my bed.”

His eyes glittered and he revealed his fangs.

She swallowed. She hadn’t meant it like that.

“You should come with me.” Neeman pulled her to her feet.

She winced as his fingers dug into a cut on her wrist. Her magick was depleted. She needed to rest. He slid a strong arm around her waist and helped her into the front hall away from the others.

“I told you not to talk to my trackers,” he grumbled.

Couldn’t she do anything right? “I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. It wasn’t an invitation.”

His eyebrows raised. “Wasn’t it?”

She threw his arm from her waist and wobbled on one leg. “I don’t go around sleeping with just anyone.”

He crossed his arms over his chest and cocked his head to the side.

“Okay, I don’t anymore. And just for the record, I was always very discerning when I picked a guy.”

He shook his head. William jogged down the stairs toward them.

“You two should go up. It’s going to get crazy down here in a few minutes when the rest of the coven members come back for the morning. Danika will see you in her sitting room.”

Neeman nodded. “Is Doc around?”

“Of course, are you injured?”

Neeman pointed to Selene. “Her ankle is hurting.”

Selene’s jaw dropped at his tone.

William looked between her and Neeman. “I apologize, of course you are hurt. You’re covered in scrapes and bruises. I’ll send him right up.”

Neeman nodded and William left to the kitchen.

“Come on.” Neeman leaned in, but she pushed him away.

“I’m not going anywhere with you. I’m done.”

He looked at her as if she was crazy. “What are you talking about?”

“You.” She punched him in the chest. “I’m sick of you. Your bad attitude. You act like I’m such a pain in your ass. Such a burden. Fine. I’ll do you a favor. I’m no longer your responsibility. I can take care of myself.” She limped toward the front door, hoping she wasn’t leaving a trail of dirt in her wake.

“Selene, stop.”

She continued to the door. She’d never been treated so badly in her life and didn’t have to put up with this.

“Seraphine.”

Neeman’s voice made her stop with her hand on the door. He stood so close to her that his cool breath fell on her exposed shoulder. He’d never used her real name.

“I’m sorry.”

She turned and gave him her best ‘get lost’ glare.

He shoved his hands in his pockets and shifted from foot to foot. “Look, I’m not good with this stuff.”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “What stuff?”

“You. Females. Relationships.”

“Is that what we’re having now? A relationship?”

“Not like that,” he said. “I’m... I’m not good with people in general. I don’t do personal.” His eyes were pained and sincere. What did she say? She’d never done relationships either.

“Selene, where are you going?” Mason called down the stairs. He walked toward her and Neeman backed up a pace. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing. I was just leaning here because I heard folks will be coming home soon and I figured I’d be considerate and open the door for them. Oh and because my foot’s broken.”

“Broken?” He looked around. “Where’s Doc?”

“I sent William for him.”

“Come on,” said Mason. “Let’s get you a room so you can clean up and rest.” He moved to help her.

“I’ll take her,” said Neeman. “Better that we don’t get more people speculating about the two of you.”

“Good point.”

Neeman scooped her into his arms and carried her up the stairs.

She tried not to like the feel of security she got from his embrace, his strong, hard muscles moving around her body, cocooning her from harm. He’d said he wasn’t good at relationships, but what was their relationship?

“Up there.” Mason pointed to a set of stairs up to the third floor.

“Mason.” Neeman’s voice was a warning. “You do know whose room that is—”

“I’ll work it out,” he said without turning around.

They headed up a narrow staircase and down a small hallway to a large wooden door.

Mason took a key from the top of the door jamb. The door creaked as it opened to reveal a dark, musty room. They walked into a sitting room and Neeman set her on a couch.

Mason looked around and rubbed his neck with his hand. “I’ll make sure Doc gets up here. I’ll tell Danika that it’ll be a few minutes before we can meet and have food sent up. When you’re feeling up to it, come down and we’ll talk.”

Neeman nodded. Mason handed him the key and turned to leave.

“Mason?” she called.

He turned.

“Are you okay?”

He shook his head. “No. Not at all.”

The stricken look on his face hit her in the gut. Whatever was going on between him and Danika, it wasn’t good.

Mason left and closed the door. Neeman set the key on a glass top coffee table and glanced around. A stiff sofa sat facing a dead fireplace. The baby blue velvet sofa was flanked by two matching plush chairs. Bookshelves stood along one wall and the opposite wall held French doors that led to a bedroom.

She took off her purse and tossed it next to the key. “Whose room is this?”

Neeman looked at her, clenching and unclenching his fists. “It used to belong to a traitor.”

“A traitor?”

“Danika’s uncle Chase tried to kill her.”

Something pricked in her memory, but she couldn’t figure out what it was through her haze of pain.

“So tell me.” Neeman took a seat in an overstuffed chair. “Why did you do it?”

“Do what?”

“Kill that demon, Rex.”

She swallowed hard and looked at her hands. She picked at the black stains under her nails, flicking the dried blood to the floor.

In light of what had happened, killing him to keep her whereabouts from her father was as dumb as if she’d sent up a beacon announcing herself.

She looked over his shoulder to the door, remembering every sensation, every thought as she’d pressed her hands into Rex’s skin.

“Mason told you that he’s my brother.”

“I don’t understand how that’s possible because his mother was killed when he was young.”

“His mother Pia and my mother Yelena were half sisters. Pia’s father, my grandfather, was fae and her mother was demon. They didn’t marry and Pia’s mother abandoned her. Her father lied to save his reputation and told everyone that Pia was half human not half demon. He married my grandmother, and they had Yelena, my mother.”

“So they had different mothers but the same father?”

“Yes. Our mothers both have fae in them. But the fae only see those who have pure fae blood as worthy.” Memories of being tied to the stone altar had her pressing her fingertips into her temples.

“Are you okay?”

She waved him off. “Yes. So, anyway, Mason’s mom learned the truth about herself and ran away to find her demon birth mother. My mother followed her to the demon world. But once my mother got there she was seduced by Mason’s father, my father, just as Mason’s mother had been. So Mason is three-quarters demon and the heir to our father’s throne. My mother was full fae, so I am only half demon, half fae.” She paused to make sure he understood what she’d said.

“So, you and Mason are sibling cousins.”

She smiled. “Basically.”

He continued to process the information.

“Pia disappeared from the demon world. My mother had me open a rift so we could come here to find Pia and Mason, but it was too late. Pia had already been killed. We followed Mason’s trail for years before finding him.”

“So why did you kill Rex?”

She sucked in a breath. “Like Mason, I too have an inner beast. She isn’t as strong as his, but she is deadly. Her name is Seraphine. When we got here, my mother caged her with a magick amulet. My fae side is strong and I was able to bind her in the fae realm, but it’s hard here. So many things set her off. The sights, sounds, smells. I’d forgotten about that. How strong she is. How hard it is to keep her under control without the amulet.”

“What about where you were before?”

“When my mother took me to the fae world after the outbreak, the fae elders didn’t want us. They said my mother had been spoiled. They said I was
‘Diabolus Enim Hypocritæ’
. The devil’s spawn. She was desperate to stay. She let the High Elder have me. When I rejected him, he kept me for months testing me. Torturing me. He said it was to ensure that I could keep my demon half locked away.”

“But you had the amulet.”

She caught his gaze. “Like I said, that was his excuse.”

“They hurt you.” His voice held a hard edge.

She swallowed. “Here she’s stronger and I weaker. My mother taught me about chi and how to use it, harness it, before she made me the amulet. I haven’t had to worry about Seraphine in so long...”

“Stop talking about me like I didn’t just save your life.”

“The amulet my mother made me didn’t make it through the portal.” She was silent for a minute. “Last night my skull was pounding and then I heard her, in my head. I woke up and I had absorbed too much energy at the club. I needed to release the magick or I risked her becoming too strong and taking over again.”

“So that’s why your eyes turn purple.” Neeman said.

She massaged her temples with her fingers.

“Her eyes are purple, yes. I went to see Rex. I was only going to hurt him. I needed to release my magick to weaken her. But he started talking and telling me all the things he’d done to those vamp women. Even then, I walked away, until he threatened to tell my father where Mason and I were. He said they already knew we were here. That if I was here, Mason had to be here.” She stared off, unable to look at Neeman anymore. “I lost it.” Tears leaked from her eyes. “But it was all for naught anyway. He’d already told the others where I was.”

“How could he? He was in the compound.”

She swiped at her cheeks with the hem of her shirt in an effort to not get any demon blood on her face.

“Demons of the same race have a connection. It gets weaker the farther apart they are, but they do have one. It’s used for hunting purposes mostly. But if he concentrated hard enough and long enough, he could send them a signal.”

“Is that what you did with Mason?”

She glanced at him. “How did you know?”

“After the meeting, he was in pain and told us to get to the compound right before the explosion.”

Fatigue overcame her. She nodded and then yawned.

“I think I’ll close my eyes till the doctor gets here.”

“Maybe we should prop that foot up.” He stood and crossed to her.

“Mmmhmmm.” She closed her eyes and drifted off.

* * * *

Neeman closed the door and met Doc in the hall. “She’s sleeping.”

“I heard the girl may have a broken foot.”

“She does, but she’s resting at the moment so it can wait.”

Doc shook his head and stomped back down the stair muttering about respect and listening and why did he bother.

The old Vampire made Neeman smile. Doc had patched him up more times than he cared to remember.

Neeman continued down the stairs and headed across the landing toward Danika’s sitting room. The shouts that drifted through the crack in the door made him shy away.

“You should have told me, Mason. You should’ve been honest with me about the demon sighting,” yelled Danika.

“I told you. I wanted to make sure first. I didn’t want to worry you with everything—”

“Not you too, Mason. I can take the male chauvinistic crap from the Vampires in my society, but not you. I need you on my side. I couldn’t bear it if you didn’t believe in me as well.”

The voices lowered.

“You know that’s not what I mean. I believe in you more than anything. I just know that you have a lot on your plate right now and I wanted to help.”

“I do have a lot going on, but I’m a coven lord. I always have a lot on my plate. It’s my life. The way I want it.”

“Okay. Okay,” Mason’s voice softened. “I’m sorry. I just don’t like people trying to push you around and Chase is still out there and I know the stress you’ve been under.”

The talking stopped for a moment and then Mason said, “Come here. Let me help you feel better.”