Smoke in Moonlight (Celtic Elementals Book 1) (20 page)

"Ye well know I've always thought of yeas a son
,
Áedán
Ruadhraige
O’Neill
. Nothing
has yet changed tha', but if ye do this thing, it'll fair break my heart."

Lacey didn't stop to consider why Moiré was suddenly championing her, after the way the older woman had acted earlier. She wriggled free of Aidan's lax fingers and pushed past Daire into the cabin. She returned in seconds with Ronan's scabbard in her arms. Again, Aidan moved to bar her way, turning his back on Moiré. "Nae, ye'll not take Lugh's sword, too!"

Lacey was the only one not open-mouthed in shock when she shoved him, so hard and unexpectedly, he stumbled and almost fell to his knees.              

Aidan recovered with a vamp's preternatural speed, his fangs bared—

Only to find a sword tip at his throat and Lacey's blue-green eyes blazing at him from behind it.

"Help me or not, Aidan O'Neill. But you
will
get the hell out of my way!"

Lacey crept up to the mountain, shivering at the unearthly humped shape it possessed in the dark, like a hunched over demon. She could almost imagine it breathing. Oh well, the real demons would show up soon enough. Hopefully.

Aidan had said he would be close, but she was having a hard time believing anybody just now. Especially a vampire that had just tried to kill her. Seeing Lugh’s sword in her hands had changed Aidan’s perspective, sure. But if their plan, flimsy and concocted in minutes under extreme pressure, fell through—

Well, that didn't bear thinking of.

A Changeling burst out from the bushes in front of her, cackling madly in the high-pitched tone that made her skin break out in gooseflesh. She stumbled back and was caught from behind by another one. It wrapped its’ arm around her waist as she let out an unfeigned scream of shock.

She'd known they would find her—the plan had counted on it—but the touch of that cold rubbery skin undid her. The stench of rotten roses and dead meat filled her mouth and she closed it abruptly.

The Changeling in front poked her with a hideous smile on its’ face, as if anxious to make her scream again. When Lacey refused to make another sound, he pouted in a terrible mimicry of a child’s disappointment. This one had the form of a beefy man with thick, tattooed biceps and what had to have been a surprisingly sweet face originally. Now it had been misshapen....warped into something vile. Something
other
.

Lacey bit back her fear and lifted her chin. The Changeling holding her squealed something before tossing her to the beefy one.

He tucked her under one tattooed arm and stomped off through the grass to a light flickering up ahead. There were few trees here and long shadows stretched behind Lacey and her captor as they approached the light. Lacey heard screams as they entered a torch-lit tunnel. Lacey had never heard someone being tortured, but she knew beyond all doubt she was hearing it now.

She stiffened and the Changeling babbled gleefully. Lacey wanted badly to kick the foul thing, but that would probably only make it squeal in more delight.

The tunnel seemed to twist on for dizzying ages, but finally it widened. Into a huge, cavernous room filled with blazing torches...and
things.

Monstrous, unspeakable things. Lacey covered her mouth with both hands in horror as the Changeling set her down, wrapping its’ fingers around the back of her neck.

These were the creatures that filled children's nightmares, hulking giants with dozens of eyes and far too many...or too few limbs. Slimy red and mottled grey skin abounded and teeth like daggers, needles—or cleavers glinted in all directions. Brimstone filled the air with its pungent odor and Lacey felt faint. If this wasn't hell, it was damn sure in the general neighborhood.

Her knees wobbled. Giggling, the Changeling walked her forward.

She realized as they moved through the room that there weren't really a
lot
of the grotesque giants, only a handful. There were at least five times as many Changelings. The giants were just so terrifying huge their presence demanded all of one’s attention. A shrill whistling sound reached her ears and another awful scream rent the air, so piercing Lacey thought her ears would bleed with the sound of it. The Changeling holding her wasn't the only one amused, the cavern shook with the sounds of evil mirth.

Lacey looked up and this time she would have retched, if she'd actually eaten anything since breakfast. As it was, bile filled her mouth.

Aine was chained to a wall, being whipped mercilessly by the worst of the walking monstrosities.

She had no reason to care for the manipulating goddess, but the sight was one that would have appalled a far harder heart than her own. Blood flew through the air. She could see Aillen standing close by, in the human form she recognized, and his face was rapturous, flecked with bright red drops of his sister's blood.

He grabbed the whip from the beast, lifting it to his mouth to run his tongue down the leather obscenely.

And that's when he saw Lacey.

A stunned smile split his face, those pale eyes glittering in the light of a hundred torches. "Well, well, sister mine, it looks like you are spared. It seems your replacement has arrived after all."

Lacey's knees did buckle at that. The Changeling lifted her by her neck, shaking her like an excited dog with a toy as he approached Aillen and set her down at his master's feet. Aillen patted him absently on the head...before kicking him brutally aside. The Changeling cowered off, whining pitifully.

Aillen's grin widened as Lacey forced herself to her feet, looking right into those horrible pale eyes. "Sweet, sweet sister, you were right after all. But you didn't tell me she was so brave."

"I didn't think she was, honestly." Aine was leaning against the wall, only a few steps from where she'd been chained. Her face was pale as her brother's eyes and something in her hollow tone made Lacey stiffen. "But I knew she would come to hell itself to save Ronan.
Willing
sacrifice, Aillen. She had to come of her own free will. Ye never listen to me." She paused ever so slightly. "Was she carrying anything on her?"

Aillen went oddly still, his face blanked out for perhaps a second as if he were listening to something no one else could hear.

"Guard says no, why the hell would you ask that?"

Aine shrugged and something flickered in her glance at Lacey, before she turned to her brother. "I thought she might try and bring a weapon."

Aillen laughed and the sound boomed through the cavern. "She did. It's right here." He seized Lacey's wrist in one of those foul hands and with the other he extended a sharp, yellowed nail. He watched Lacey's eyes as he drove it into her wrist. She pressed her lips together at the keen burst of pain. Maybe she wouldn't be able to keep it up, but Lacey couldn't bear to give this loathsome thing an iota of pleasure for free. Like his minions, she knew Aillen would savor her agony. Just as Aine had warned her he would.

Aine. Lacey kept her eyes on Aillen, but could just see Aine in her peripheral vision. There was another wild card in their insane plan. They didn't know what she would do and Aidan adamantly refused to consider that she'd be any help whatsoever.

"N'ver count on the gods, Lacey." The vampire had warned her. "Donna even count on me...or Ronan. Count only on yerself." She only hoped that this time she could.

Aillen seemed to relish her small defiance. An interested look crossed his face.  Perhaps she should have cried out after all.

He gave her that slimy smile again before lifting his blood-stained fingers to his nose, inhaling deeply. "Chain her,
Orthannach
. I want to see what she's really made of." He began to lick his fingers one by one.

Sound and light rushed past her as the nightmare with the whip spun her around face first into the wall, lifting her arms above her head in its misshapen claws. Dimly, as if down a long tunnel she heard Aine's voice, shrill with frustration—and maybe a touch of real fear?

"You'll kill her, ye fool! A mortal will nae stand one lash from that beast."

There was a click as the heavy manacle bit into her wrists. Lacey hoped that Aine was wrong. She had to survive…just a bit longer anyway.

"She's already come.
Willingly
. Why wait?" Aillen sounded almost bored. "I want to draw the wolf with the sounds of his woman's screams, I want to see him cower..."             

"No' bloody likely." Lacey tried to turn toward the rumbling growl of Ronan's voice, she twisted the chains until they bit deeply into her wrists. He shouldn't be here yet! Surely not yet. Aidan was supposed to intercept him, tell him what they had planned. Aidan had been confident he could get to Ronan before he entered Knockdoon's caverns.

Had the vampire been wrong?

Lacey could read nothing from the hard slice of profile she could see. Ronan was stalking through the crowds of demons, his head high. Those terrible, babbling cackles stilled as he passed. He was naked, as she'd last seen him and the torchlight danced over his muscled body.

Lacey's throat tightened at the sight of him. He looked magnificent. This man that she loved.

She wished she had told him so, but at least he would know by the end of the night.

One way or the other.

Ronan didn't look a bit afraid, though there was something in his face as he drew nearer, something awfully final in the half-glance he chanced her way. Their eyes caught and held.

It was less than a second, but it was enough to say all that could be said. Lacey turned away and pressed a smile into the bloody stone. Even as tears fell and smoked against the hot surface.

"Ah, see, here. Another comes so
willingly!
I'm beginning to think I misjudged you, sister dear. I may just have to reward your loyalty. What an odd thought." Aillen turned from Aine and faced Ronan with a huge saw-toothed grin. "Welcome to my party, it’s so good of you to show up. Seeing as you're the guest of honor and all." Shrieks and cackles again filled the air, finally making the stone walls ring like a chorus of demented bells.

Aillen lifted his hand and the awful noise ceased instantly. "Hmmm, decisions, decisions. Who to kill first?"

"I'm here, Aillen. Ye donna need her to kill me now." Ronan was making the effort, but Lacey could tell he didn't believe his words would have any effect on Aillen. And they didn't. Except to make the demon smile that monstrous smile.

"Need her? Ah, but I do. See, she sacrifices herself, for you. Breaking my lovely sister's curse and then--you become human,
completely and totally human
. I want that, Ronan. I really want that before I let you die. Such an enchanting web my sister wove, however accidentally. Will you beg for your woman's life?"

Ronan's face could have been carved of granite. "No. Ye will no' spare her nae matter what I do."

Aillen sighed. "Well…you might change your mind when you hear her screaming.
Orthannach
!" Lacey could feel the excitement bubbling through the demon crowd as she pressed her lips so tightly together they ached. That horrible whistling sound rang through the air and her whole body tensed for inevitable agony...but nothing happened.

Except a collective gasp from dozens of misshapen throats. Lacey wrenched herself around again and saw a huge wolf standing above her, the tail of the whip in his teeth as he coiled his body and yanked his sleek, dark head around.

The demon
Orthannach
lost his balance and toppled to the stone floor with an almighty crash.

When Lacey's eyes flicked back to Ronan, he was gone, gray smoke drifting in the air where he had stood. Her chains had been pulled straight out of the wall, their heavy weight pulling her arms down to the cave floor.

Aillen cursed and before anyone else could blink, he reached out an arm and yanked Lacey to him. He jerked her hair back with one hand and raked his filthy, sharpened nails over her throat in one vicious slash.

Lacey felt the gush of blood as it poured over her collarbone.

It was so warm…almost hot.

The world started to tilt ever so slowly as vertigo swept through her. Strangely, there was no pain. None at all. Aillen let her slump to the ground, stepping away as she crumpled.

Lacey heard an agonized howl that filled the whole cavern, the vibrations unmatched by any of the cacophony before. It rose and rose until Lacey felt her hair standing on end where she lay and Aillen clamped his hands over his ears. But he was smiling.

A huge victorious smile as Ronan's body shimmered into being before him—his
human
body. Lacey’s gasp bubbled in her ruined throat, agony finally snaking its’ way inside her. It couldn’t end like this, it couldn’t all be for
nothing!

There was a shout from somewhere in the midst of the crowd. Lacey had no strength turn her head anymore, but she recognized Aidan's voice.

She smiled. The vampire had come through.

"Aye, Ronan! Goddamn it…get off me, ye soulless, fucking bastards! Ronan, catch!"

Aidan's aim was true, but Ronan didn't catch the sword his friend had thrown. He was staring down at her instead, his expression blank, his gray eyes locked on hers.

The scabbard thumped to the floor at his feet. Lacey saw the dust rise from the stone. She tried to open her mouth, to tell him not to lose this chance, that it was going to be okay…but her eyes closed instead. So heavy…so very, very sleepy.

She could still hear, even though it sounded as someone was turning the volume notch by notch. She finally heard what she needed to hear before everything faded out—the sharp hum of the sword singing through the air, followed by a hollow thump.

Lacey sighed, if only in her mind. Ronan was safe. His family was safe. Nothing else mattered now. She could let go. She’d been brave, for once she’d been strong enough. But it was time….

And the blackness swept her away.

"Bite her. Change her! I donna care what she is, as long as she comes
back!
Whatever it is ye do, do it! Damme, Aidan! I'm begging ye."