Surrender (11 page)

“I can’t go to Ireland. I mean, I can, but I don’t want to. Why can’t I express mail it to my parents or something? Or you can take it, I mean, don’t you live in Italy? You can stop by and give it to Mom,” Wendy couldn’t stop babbling. “Oh, shit, wait a minute. Are you saying I’m a fairy?” The last word came out as a shriek.

She sank into the chair, suddenly exhausted. “Why didn’t my parents say anything?”

“Yes, you are Fae. I’m afraid it’s your parents’ responsibility to explain your ancestry to you and why they hid the knowledge from you.”

“No, I don’t accept this,” Wendy jumped up, stalked to him and grabbed the locket from his hand. She automatically draped it over her head, allowing it to hang between her breasts.

“I’m going home, to my apartment here in Atlanta. This is all a long, awful nightmare. Demons, Protectors, and now fairies. What the hell?”

Julian remained still, only a slight tick on the side of his face telling her that he held back some sort of reaction. He looked up at the ceiling and then back to her. Her eyes widened—he was going to strike her down with a lightning bolt or something. She wanted to run, but her feet refused to budge. She let out a yelp when his hand wrapped around her upper arm.

“It’s all true. You know it is.”

The sound of a primitive growl made goose bumps crawl all over her flesh. Her eyes went wider, looking up at Julian, only then realizing he was looking toward the door.

Kieran was in the doorframe. He strained against Roderick and Cyn, who were having a hard time holding him back. Julian raised his hands to show that he no longer touched her.

“Come in, gentlemen,” he said calmly, then locked gazes with Kieran. “Stand down, Scot. Retract your fangs before I lose my temper.”

Wendy’s eyes flew to Kieran, locking on his elongated incisors. He was willing to fight Julian to protect her. She went to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. His large body vibrated in restrained fury.

Finally, everyone tore their eyes from them and sat, finding the same seats as before. Kieran walked to the loveseat, holding Wendy against him, his eyes never leaving Julian’s.

Julian’s lips thinned with suppressed emotion. Wendy could not figure out if he was mad, exasperated, or annoyed. It was hard to tell.

“That is the Key of Peace, which has been in the care of the Fae for centuries. It seems Miss O’Sullivan has unknowingly been the keeper.”

The Protectors’ eyes locked on her, curiosity evident in each of their gazes.

Julian continued. “The key and its keeper must be kept away from the demons. I am not sure which demon is a keeper, but one of them holds the Key of War. Each key was given to a different race of people to keep, people that will never trust each other enough to share them. Because with each key comes a lot of responsibility and a great deal of power. Gwendolyn must go to Ireland and learn how to protect the key. It is imperative.”

Roderick spoke up. “The festival of Dionysus ends in two days. Until then, none of us can leave. We must remain here to fight the influx of demon activity in the city.”

Cyn agreed. “The demons seem to be too preoccupied with the availability of humans who are perversely affected by the God of Mischief to concentrate on looking for the key. But I have no doubt they will begin the search again in earnest once this week passes. They are obviously aware that you have the key,” he said, motioning to Wendy.

“For now, return with Kieran. Both he and Jake will keep you safe,” Julian told Wendy. Then, he spoke to Kieran. “What happened between the two of you changes nothing. You are still bound.”

What the hell does that mean?

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

The sun was setting as the Protectors dispersed, all except for Kieran. He remained in the library with Julian. Kieran stood and waited for Julian to speak. What came next caught him by surprise.

The Roman’s gaze first fell on him, then to a far wall. A force picked Kieran up and slammed him against the wall so hard that he penetrated the plaster. The force then wrapped around his chest and neck so tight that he fought to breathe. He kicked the wall, trying to dislodge himself, but the invisible steel grip trapped his legs, pinning them against the wall. Gagging and on the brink of blacking out, he glared at Julian, who’s gaze flickered to the floor. Immediately, he collapsed onto it, coughing and struggling not to pass out.

Finally able to focus, he saw Julian’s boot right next to his face. The Roman crouched down and peered at him, his face blank.

“The Fae, they are like nectar to us, impossible to resist. Did you not notice that even the usually unflappable Fallon has a hard time keeping his eyes from her? Since Cynden and Roderick are mated, they subconsciously give her a wide berth. Fae are addictive, their blood like pure honey. Taste it if you wish, you’ll see.

“It’s nothing more than that, Kieran. It’s not love.”

“Is that why even you had to touch her?” Kieran asked him, finally able to push up to a sitting position. “I’ve never known you to touch a woman.”

Julian moved away. “Get your fill, enjoy your time with her but know that she will move to Ireland, and by the next full moon, you will be mated to someone else.”

The Roman strode from the room, not looking back.

# # #

The hum of the motorcycles, like the sound of thousands of angry bees, echoed from between the buildings as the Protectors raced toward Centennial Park. Kieran stayed a few yards behind Fallon, leaning into the corner when they took a sharp turn.

It proved a chore to ensure that his mind remained in the moment; the happenings of the afternoon kept popping up in his mind. After Julian walked out, he’d found Wendy in the kitchen with Hector, her worried eyes slamming to him when he entered. After assuring her all was fine, he’d convinced her to wait for him there.

She would remain at Fallon’s until dawn, at which time he planned to pick her up and head back to his house.

That it would anger Julian didn’t matter much to him right now. What else could the Roman do to him?

Actually, quite a bit, but he didn’t dwell on it.

They parked behind the CNN Center and took their time walking toward the park, keeping a discreet distance from the groups of people walking in the same direction. The rhythmic beat of calypso music wafted through the air, the sound urging them forward.

Kieran knew their music. It was Nomed, a well-known band that played to sell-out crowds at Inferno. Of course, humans, handing over the hefty cost for a ticket, weren’t aware that the band members where all demons. As far as he knew, the members of Nomed never harmed anyone; on the contrary, they were a friendly lot.

But tonight was different. The sound of their music seemed altered. It was harder—the notes pulsed with malevolent energy.

The Festival of Dionysus was coming to an end. In two days, the god would return to wherever he resided, and all of his enchantments of madness and debauchery would leave with him.

Two more days and Wendy would also be gone.

Fallon came to an abrupt stop when they neared the edge of the park and studied the crowd. He signaled with his hand and held up two fingers. Kieran looked in the direction of Fallon’s signal and saw two high-levels. They held a woman between them; while moving in time to the music, the woman was oblivious and too lost in the moment to notice that one demon fed from her wrist, while the other fed from her throat.

The Protectors moved in with precise, well-practiced efficiency. They stabbed each demon through the heart. No one in the deranged crowd paid any heed when the demons fell and evaporated.

Kieran caught the woman, who swayed from lack of blood. Her paleness contrasted starkly against the purple bruises of the demon bites. She blinked, attempting to focus on his face and shoved away from him.

“Hey, what did you do? Where are my friends?” she asked, her eyes wide as she scanned for the demons.

“It’s not safe, you should go home,” Kieran began.

“Get away from me,” she interrupted, eyeing him with mistrust before turning and stumbling away.

Fallon watched her go, eyebrows raised. “I guess we’ll be saving her again later.”

Kieran didn’t reply, his attention caught by another scene. A low-level demon leaned against a pole while feeding from a woman’s throat. The woman clung to his hair, holding him in place and grinding into him.

Meanwhile, the music seemed to get louder, the drum beats harder, wave after wave of diabolical notes streaming through the air.

Kieran’s gaze returned to the woman. She was pale—the demon was taking too much blood. Pulling his short sword out from the sheath, Kieran held it at his side and stalked toward the couple.

His fangs deeply impaled in the woman’s throat, the demon didn’t notice when he closed in for the kill. Weapon in hand, Kieran approached only to stop in mid-strike when a hand fell on the demon’s shoulder.

The Brit leaned into the demon’s ear. “Enough.”

The demon’s eyes flew open, and he immediately released the woman’s throat his concerned gaze sweeping over her. They were a couple. The entranced woman protested by pulling him down and firmly attached herself to his mouth, kissing him vigorously.

Fallon brushed past Kieran into the crowd but not before spearing him with a warning glare.

He should have known better. It was best to save any killings for the higher-levels who meant to kill their victims.

Before he could give the matter further thought, claws of repulsion gripped at his gut. Kieran froze and began to hone in on the culprit. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught blurry movement.

A Warrior demon.

The demon streaked through the crowd with ease; even in their euphoric state, both humans and lower-levels seemed to sense the destroyer among them and shifted out of his way. The Warrior moved with a mechanical gait, as he searched the crowd. No doubt, he sought out Protectors.

Here I am.

No sooner did the thought leave his mind than the Warrior turned and locked gazes with him. A sneer of his upper lip was his greeting as the demon unsheathed two daggers and held them close to his sides. Kieran palmed his own short sword against his thigh and waited.

Behind the Warrior, people cheered as the water fountains spurted to life, the water and colorful lights swaying in sync with the music. Neither Kieran nor the demon budged an inch. Both gauged each other for a couple of beats; then, as if on command, they sprinted toward each other.

The surrounding revelry muted the sounds of their weapons’ clashing. Kieran shoved the demon back and, at the same time, kicked his feet from under him. The demon fell hard, his reddened eyes focused on Kieran’s sword the whole time. The Warrior rolled and managed to shift just as Kieran’s sword would have punctured his heart.

Back on his feet, the demon crossed his daggers able to block Kieran’s next strike. Their strength evenly matched, the fighters held fast, their weapons and eyes locked while the muscles of their arms trembled as neither gave ground. Kieran growled and managed to draw enough strength to shove his opponent away. With the gain of momentum, he swung his sword, but the demon blocked it, and the strike resonated down Kieran’s right side. The Warrior was proving to be a worthy opponent.

With his free hand, Kieran pulled and threw a dagger, nicking the Warrior’s side. The demon’s yowl blended in with the crowd’s noise. His eyes widened in shock, and then he flashed away, vanishing into the crowd.

“Shit,” Kieran growled. Every time a Protector got close to beating a Warrior, they turned tail and ran. Although he knew it was fruitless, he scanned the crowd for the demon.

He caught sight of Fallon turning a corner onto a side street and away from the crowd. It went against strategy for a Protector to leave the area without warning the other. Maybe Fallon was following the Warrior? Kieran took off at a jog after his partner.

A blonde came out of nowhere and grabbed him around the waist. Taken by surprise, Kieran stumbled but managed to keep both of them from toppling to the ground. She tilted her flushed face up to him, a wide smile curved her lips. “Come with me. I want to be with you tonight.” The woman attempted to pull his face downward. When her attempts were unsuccessful, she began to kiss his neck.

She was affected by the music, by the enchantment. Kieran peeled her arms from around his neck and cupped her chin, turning her face up to his. He looked into her eyes. “You want to go home and sleep. Stay there for two days. Now, go.”

“Oh,” the woman sputtered, stepping away from him. After giving him an anxious once-over, she scurried away from the park.

Recalling his planned destination, he raced in the direction he’d seen Fallon go and almost collided with his partner.

Fallon’s eyes widened. “If you were coming to my rescue, I am thrilled beyond words.”

“Did you see anything?” Kieran asked, ignoring his sarcastic comment.

Fallon didn’t meet his eyes and shook his head. “Nothing I couldn’t handle,” he replied.

His partner was lying. Something had happened. During times like these, Kieran hated that he couldn’t read minds as easily as Fallon.

“Oh, for chrissakes.” Fallon rolled his eyes, looking over Kieran’s shoulder. Kieran followed his partner’s gaze.

Down the street on the sidewalk, two lower-level demons snarled and fought, rolling over each other while Gia, a succubus, stood by and watched.

Gia tapped her foot. Her eyes followed the dueling demons with a satisfied curve on her lips. When she noticed the Protectors, the beautiful female gave them a little wave while her heated gaze roamed over Fallon from head to toe.

She strolled over to them and pointedly glared at Kieran. No doubt the succubus mistook him for his brother, who’d try to kill her a few days earlier. Cyn told them his sword missed her neck by mere centimeters. She swung away from Kieran to speak to Fallon, and her long blonde hair slapped him across his face.

Gia projected sexual pheromones at the Brit. Kieran took the precaution of stepping back and holding his breath. In full predator mode, the succubus circled Fallon, one hand tracing around his waist. “Hello, handsome,” she purred. “Want to come home with me?”

The sultry perfume of her love spell wove around them. Kieran let out a breath. The succubus’s siren call didn’t seem to affect him.
Strange.

Unfortunately, Fallon did not have as easy a time. He shifted uncomfortably, his nostrils flaring while he tried to conceal his aroused state.

As tempting as it was to let Fallon endure the succubus’ effect, Kieran finally took pity on the man, who seemed unable to move. He grabbed Gia by the arm and pulled her across the street. He looked back to see that Fallon was watching them with a mixture of relief and want.

The low-levels were no longer fighting. One limped away while the other waited, not approaching them.

Kieran released Gia’s arm and planted himself between her and Fallon. “Go away, demon. There are plenty of desperate males available to you.”

Her gaze lingered on his crotch. Noticing that he wasn’t affected, she frowned. “What do you care? He is strong. I won’t hurt him,” she growled, shooting daggers at him with her eyes.

“You won’t hurt anyone if I cut your fool head off this time,” he replied, letting her continue to think he was Cyn.

Gia stiffened. After a longing glance at Fallon, she stalked away back toward the park, the low-level on her heels.

The clank of metal against metal sounded.

Time to fight again. The Protectors raced toward the sound.