Wicked Whispers (31 page)

“Bain figured that if we had someone acceptable to trade for Elizabeth, the Sluagh Sidhe might take her replacement and leave without a fight.” Murmur decided to keep Sparkle out of this. She and Ganymede had just made up. The cat didn’t need to know she’d kept this from him.

Ganymede speared him with an unblinking stare.
“Who?”

“Asima has agreed to take Elizabeth’s place.” Murmur waited for the explosion.

“You’re freaking kidding me.”
Ganymede’s response was an outraged hiss.
“The faeries aren’t idiots. They’ll recognize what she is as soon as they see her. And they’ll know that if she doesn’t manage to tear strips off them, Bast will do the job. Angry goddesses are a bitch. All I wanted was a friendly little skirmish, not a war with the faeries and a pissed off goddess.”
He batted at the back of Sparkle’s seat.
“Have any candy in the glove compartment, cupcake? This crap is upsetting me.”

“Nope.” Sparkle didn’t take her eyes off the road. “All I have is a pack of antacid tablets. Will that help?”

Murmur could feel his own temper stirring as Ganymede chewed the tablets. The music in his mind featured violins that sounded a whole lot like screeching cats. He wanted to reach into his head and tear the damn strings from them.

“This can work. Asima will be in human form. She’ll play the part. She only has to fool them until Elizabeth is safe. Once the trade is made, the Sidhe will honor it. They’re big on that kind of thing. Sure, they’ll be furious, because they have to release her, but we can deal with that later. If it makes them go away, I’ll promise them a favor.” Not something Murmur wanted to do, but the fae valued a favor owed even more than demons did.

Ganymede snorted.
“What did you have to give her? Did she make you promise to go to operas, ballets, and other freaking ‘cultural events’ with her for the next thousand years?”

Murmur’s music was sounding a little violent. He tried to dial it back. “I talked to Asima. She doesn’t want anything in return. She’s lonely. She wants friends. I think we should give her the benefit of the doubt. People can change.”

Ganymede’s mumbled curses said he thought the whole idea sucked.

“I think it’s a great idea.” Sparkle almost hummed with happiness. “Maybe Asima will enjoy the company of the Sidhe. They share contempt for everyone that isn’t as superior as they are. She’ll fit right in.”

“I think we all owe Asima big time.” Ivy dared Sparkle or Ganymede to argue her point.

No one spoke up, so Ivy continued. “I want Kellen somewhere safe when the faery host arrives.”

“That would be in the castle with us.”
Ganymede sounded definite.
“They’re close now. Even if you took Kellen away and hid him somewhere else, their hunters would still be able to track him.”

No one seemed to want to comment on that, so silence settled over them for a few minutes. But Ganymede couldn’t maintain the quiet for long.

“So, are you two going back to the Underworld? You’ll be able to live the high life now.”
Ganymede thought about that for a moment.
“Or as high as you can get there. From what I saw in Klepoth’s illusion, you’ll have to do some major landscaping, build a big house, pipe in water for a waterfall and pond, stuff like that. But it’s doable.”

“No.” Klepoth’s voice was weak, but he seemed sure of his answer. “I never want to see the Underworld again.” He looked at Murmur. “Can we make that happen?”

Murmur didn’t want to discuss his future now, in front of all of them. He wasn’t going back, but he had to make certain no one would ever threaten his music, his freedom, or the safety of anyone he cared for.

Cared for.
He was finally ready to admit how human many of his emotions had become. Surprisingly, he cared for quite a few people. But he
loved
Ivy. She’d said she loved him in his mind, but he had to hear it out loud, hear that she’d meant it and wasn’t just trying to spur him to greater effort against the Master.

Naamah was his key. “We’ll work on it.” He refused to say any more.

Ganymede’s amber eyes gleamed with avid curiosity, but he didn’t press Murmur to elaborate. Smart cat.

For the rest of the drive, Murmur’s mind churned with all he had to deal with. He had to make love with Ivy again. He had to come up with a plan that would allow him to stay on the mortal plane. He had to make love with Ivy again. He had to get ready for the arrival of the Sluagh Sidhe. He had to make love with Ivy again.

But as Sparkle parked the car and he climbed out, he knew he’d forgotten something. What the hell was it? He thought about it as he helped Klepoth into the castle. After getting the other demon settled in his room, he still hadn’t remembered.

Murmur was about to leave Klepoth when he thought of something. He paused with his hand on the doorknob. “I owe you for closing that big-ass crater the Master created. You saved me.”

Klepoth looked puzzled. “I didn’t do that. I was busy staying alive.” He grinned. “I’d say you have a faery godmother out there, but I know how you feel about faeries right now.”

Wow, that was strange. Murmur closed the door and stood thinking for a moment. If not Klepoth, then who? Not Sparkle. She would’ve enjoyed bragging about how she’d plucked him from the jaws of death. Literally. Ivy didn’t have that kind of power. Who else knew about the battle?

Then it hit him. It could only be one person. Murmur smiled. He’d thank his secret savior later.

As he walked back to the great hall in search of Ivy, Murmur returned to wracking his brain over the something important he’d forgotten. She wasn’t there, but Asima was.

“I hope you haven’t forgotten. You’ll be accompanying me to the chamber music performance tomorrow night.”

Well, crap. He’d been happier not remembering.

“Ivy will be coming. She owes me a favor as well.”

Okay, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad after all.

“Braeden will be my date.”
Asima’s feline eyes turned sly.
“He does
not
owe me a favor.”

What did that mean? No, he didn’t want to know. “Ganymede just broke the news. The Sluagh Sidhe will be here in two nights.” A cat’s face didn’t show emotions, so he couldn’t tell what her reaction was. “I’ll meet you in the lobby. What time?”

“Seven.”
She started to pad away, but turned for one last comment.
“You have excellent taste in clothes, so I’ll trust you to dress well.”

Murmur watched her leave. He thought about going to Ivy’s room. They had a lot to discuss.
No, not tonight.
It was late, and she’d be tired. Besides, he had to secure his future first. He also had to compose the exact words and music to convince her to… to what? He was almost afraid to even think the words.

Holgarth and Zane stood next to the great hall door leading out to the courtyard. It looked as though they were arguing. Murmur felt some of his tension drain away. At least Ivy wasn’t with Zane.

He didn’t want to interrupt their fight, but he had to talk to Holgarth. And it had to be now, because he didn’t know how long he could stay on his feet. He hadn’t said anything, but his ex-master had tagged him a few times. Nothing that a good night’s rest wouldn’t cure, but he was hurting at the moment.

Murmur stopped in front of them. “Hate to interrupt a family discussion, but I need to talk to you, Holgarth.”

Zane made a frustrated sound. “That’s okay. I was leaving. I’m wasting my time here anyway.” He looked at Murmur. “Maybe you can make him see reason. The castle needs more security. The gargoyles won’t stop the Sluagh Sidhe. And Sparkle is overconfident. She thinks we’ll be able to turn back the faeries. I’ve done my research. We have powerful supernaturals on our side, but the faeries have power
and
numbers. They’ll be coming by the thousands.” He cast his father one last impatient glance. “Good luck with that.” Then he walked away.

“Thousands?” Wow. Murmur might not like Zane, but he respected his opinion.

Holgarth shrugged. “Perhaps. But many of those will be captured mortals. Zane is young and excitable. The castle will be fine.”

Yeah, well, Murmur felt a little excitable too. The fae could simply overwhelm the castle with sheer numbers.

“You wanted something?” Holgarth was back to his pompous, lovable self. “My time is valuable. Oh, and congratulations on your big win. I assume you’ll be returning to the demon realm?” His expression said that he’d help Murmur pack.

“For a short time. But first I need you to write up a contract for me.”

Holgarth narrowed his eyes. “Sparkle has retained me to take care of her legal work. I don’t freelance.”

Murmur spun a soft melody promising Holgarth all kinds of good karma and surrounded the wizard with it. Holgarth frowned, but didn’t seem to realize what was happening.

“I realize your job managing the fantasies and the general running of the park is a huge workload.”
Don’t lay it on too thick.
“But you also have a law degree. I’ll pay you well for this contract.”

Holgarth raised one brow. “And this contract would be for what?”

Murmur took a deep breath. “A secure future.”

The wizard studied him for moments that seemed to last forever. Then he nodded. “We’ll work out the details tomorrow.”

Relief flooded Murmur. “Great. How much do you want—?”

Holgarth waved away Murmur’s question. “You’ve helped save the castle and those in it several times. Consider this payment for services rendered.” He started to turn away. “Oh, and you didn’t need that rather insipid music to convince me. If you ever again feel the urge to ply me with music, try Metallica.”

Metallica? Really? Who would’ve thought? Murmur smiled as he headed for his room and hopefully a peaceful night’s sleep. And if he was lucky, the only thing that would interrupt it would be dreams of Ivy.

Ivy sat next to Murmur and listened to the small group of musicians. Asima and Braeden sat on Murmur’s other side. The setting was beautiful: a large, airy room that ran almost the entire length of the huge beach house. A solid wall of glass faced the Gulf. The room’s lights had been dimmed, and the outside spotlights showed waves rolling onto the beach. It gave the whole event an intimate feel.

But Ivy wasn’t listening to the music. Her mind was busy untangling her impressions of the evening so far.

Ivy glanced across the men at Asima. Yes, she still had that unearthly beauty going on. The messenger of Bast was petite with long, shining white-blond hair and large, wickedly tilted eyes the same shade of blue as her Siamese alter ego. Her full lips tempted while her delicate features suggested fragility and vulnerability. Ivy thought that Asima was as fragile as a brick wall. Okay, so maybe that was a little jealousy showing.

Ivy decided that she was at least wearing a sexier outfit than Asima’s. Her loaner dress from Sparkle was short, glittery, and swirly. It dipped in all the right places. Asima’s dress could only be described as black and tasteful. It looked as though it cost a fortune, but Ivy liked Sparkle’s sense of style better.

Braeden didn’t seem to care what Asima was wearing. He spent more time staring at her face than at the musicians. Hard to believe, but it seemed as though the dark faery really cared for Asima.

Then Ivy forgot about the other two as she cast a sideways glance at Murmur. The expected breathless sensation hit her. He wore a suit tonight and made it look sexy and elegant. When he turned to meet her gaze, he smiled. And that smile was like a shot of emotional adrenaline. She wanted to reach out and touch him. Everywhere.

The day had been torture. He hadn’t made any attempt to see her, and she wondered if her declaration of love had horrified his demonic soul. But it had taken only a few questions to find out that he’d closeted himself with Holgarth for the day. She was curious, but she wouldn’t waste precious time with him on questions.

He leaned toward her. “We’ll talk. Tonight. In your room.” He shifted his body so that his thigh pressed against hers.

She absorbed the contact, even though too many layers of clothes separated them. His whisper was rife with hints about all the other things they’d do tonight. Ivy wanted to yell at the musicians to play faster, damn it. But he seemed to be enjoying the music, so she subsided.

A short time later, she heard him humming softly under his breath, something with lots of energy, a tune that
lived
. She wanted to tap her foot in time to it.

Suddenly, his music filled the room, intertwining with what the musicians were playing. It enhanced their melodies, made them richer, and dipped them in bright, warm colors.

The audience came alive. They leaned forward and tapped their fingers on the arms of their chairs. The musicians smiled and played harder.

A disembodied voice gave words to the music, and no one seemed to think that was strange. People in the audience sang along. Ivy winced when she heard Asima join in. No matter how beautiful she was in human form, she still sang like a cat, all high-pitched, screechy notes.

Suddenly, it was over. The audience applauded loudly and left talking about how they were going to pass the word to friends about how great this had been.

As they rose to leave, Murmur clasped Ivy’s hand. She leaned into him. “Anyone who comes to another one of their concerts will be disappointed.”

Murmur grinned down at her. “No, they won’t. While I was creating the melody, I slipped it into the musicians’ minds. They’ll be able to play it again.” He shrugged. “Not as brilliantly as I played it, but it’ll satisfy the masses.” He winked at her as he helped her with her jacket.

Ivy couldn’t remember having seen him this happy, and she hugged the hope that she was at least a little responsible for it. Once outside, she glanced around. Asima and Braeden were right behind them, but the rest of the audience had somehow disappeared.

She frowned. Something about the silent emptiness struck her as creepy. She tightened her hold on Murmur’s hand and walked faster. The demon battle had made her jumpy. She would have to get over it.