Fallen, p.7
Fallen, page 7
part #5 of Ancients of Light Series
The trio she’d pursued served as a flimsy barrier to the new group. One male in the center reeked of authority… and something not entirely Vampire. Maeve’s focus shifted to him and her mood lightened. He would have answers, and it would be worthwhile dissecting him to get them.
Kaitriana had created an invisible cloud of protection around the building, trapping them all inside. Without the ability to shadow beyond the walls, the beasts were at her mercy. Two rushed her. Maeve drove them back against the concrete block wall with a flick of her hand, directing the question to her audience at large. “What are you doing here?”
One male issued an arrogant snort rather than provide an answer. No movement forewarned him… her silent admonition entailed snapping both his femurs, sending him flailing to the ground in agony. Chaos erupted in those surrounding her, except for the large male in the center of it. He remained quiet, but the perspiration dotting his upper lip belied his cool demeanor. He was as panicked as those babbling on either side of him, gaping at their comrade writhing on the floor.
Maeve heard Kat laughing, just a few yards beyond the doorway. The witch popped off some mocking gibe. A brilliant flash followed, illuminating the hallway and spilling into the darkened room. The walls shook with the force of her magical attack. Crazy witch. Those occupying the cold, square room were oblivious. Fixated on Maeve, curiosity and fear ate at them.
This bunch was a motley crew. Evil rotted their souls. Even as humans, she would have been hard pressed to find a reason to spare them. Now, she had none whatsoever. The one who was different from all the others challenged her with a simple derogatory utterance. “Maeve.”
Her brow arched in arrogant challenge as her eyes took on the Ancient veil of black. This male had swarthy skin and chestnut eyes… windows allowing her to peer into his soul and see the Darkness that had lived there long before he’d been gifted with his current hellish existence. Something still quite human existed in him, despite his fanged-appearance. It was a trait others of her breed could not sense and it made her all the more anxious to uncover the Darks’ newest plots.
Exhibiting an abundance of patience, he allowed Maeve to finish her inspection, even holding up a hand to command silence from his followers. Once concluded, her eyes lifted to his only to discover the arrogance oozing from him was tenfold what it had been at her arrival. “And you would be?” Allowing the pair she’d trapped earlier to slide down from the wall, Maeve waited for his answer. When it was slow to come, she offered encouragement. Popping the kneecaps of those she’d just released, Maeve was deaf to the yelps of pain from the duo who’d collapsed to the concrete floor.
The strange creature thought he was her equal. Attitude lurked in his smirk. “Not one who finds it necessary to bow to the Dark Queen.”
Inclining her head, considering his words, Maeve caressed the intricate pattern etched in the hilt of her sword. “I rarely demand that level of deference, but if I commanded it, you would grovel at my feet.” Gideon would want this one. It would be better to lug him back to the Ops center than detach his skull from his spine. Her finger tapped lightly, twice, against the large ruby in the center of the hilt and the two males on either side of him splintered apart. There wasn’t time for them to scream. Blood washed her enemy and Maeve continued. “I don’t like to ask twice. What are you doing here?”
“I’m the keeper of the gates and these are my minions.” His statement held more scorn than was advisable and he waved a hand to encompass all those, living and dead, in the room.
The male was cold, indifferent to the gore now coating him. Maeve considered dismembering him for his insolence. He would still be of value to Gideon if his arms were missing. Traipsing in, a boisterous Kat waylaid those plans. “I thought only I had minions.” Cocking her head and adopting an expression suggesting she was genuinely baffled, her sword pointed to the male with her question. “Who said you could have minions too?”
Rather than engage in the banter, the Vampire spoke to those few remaining with him. “Maeve and the Chosen. Either I am more important than I realized, or this is my lucky day.”
“It is nice to know I am as infamous as our dear Dark Queen, but I am here by accident. No matter that you are an interesting specimen, you are certainly not worthy of a Queen’s notice.” Pacing towards Maeve, Kat cared little for his bruised ego. She glanced over to watch Kylie trail in and then shrugged at the weirdo. Piecing the swirling bits together—Gideon, Grace, the other odd recruits—Kat tossed out a random question, wondering if the stupid leech would take the bait. “Is Gideon or Rhydach starring as Dr. Frankenstein in this drama?”
Maeve’s terse words were for Kylie. “It was a mistake to bring her. Gideon doesn’t need the Realm leadership thinking they have a stake in this.”
Kat ignored the comment, more intent on the other who was talking over the Dark Queen with his heated retort. “I am the future of this war, stronger than either of your pathetic breeds. After I end you, Rhydach will reward me for bringing him the heads of the two females he hates most.”
“Hard to be the future when you’re D.E.A.D., Monsterstein.” Kat didn’t give him time to debate further. His venomous words and the darkness swirling inside him were offensive. Tossing a ball of light his direction, she anticipated his move to avoid it and appeared on his left. The idiot impaled himself on her sword, his eyes going large as the pointy end slide into the front of his throat. Kat topped off his demise with a final insult. “Dead, dead, dead. And FYI, your minions suck.”
Separating his head from his shoulders with a simple twist of her blade, the steel slipped free while his decapitated body collapsed at her feet. Kaitriana was already engaging the pair to her right while calling to the stunned Maeve and Kylie, “A little help if you do not mind…”
Maeve threw the pair with the destroyed knees back against the wall and held them there while waving Kylie forward to attend to them. Stalking over to Kat, she didn’t bother to assist while the female parried thrusts from her two opponents. Instead, her sword rested low in her grip, its point against the floor while her lecture was delivered to the witch’s back, “Damnit, Kaitriana, Gideon needed that one.”
With a shrug, Kat kicked the midsection of one female to drive her back while splitting her attention between Maeve and the other attacker. “He was too dumb to have been given any significant knowledge and you know it. You are pissy because I’m here and now quite aware that you and Sir Gideon are sitting atop humongous piles of crap trying to pretend there’s nothing stinky beneath your pious ass.” Reaching forward to grab her foe’s wrist, Kat allowed blue magic to flow from her fingertips. It raced up the male’s arm, but the vampire did not stop his snarling snap of fangs until he dissipated into ash. “Nasty little varmint.”
Dusting the hand on her pants to rid her palm of the soot, she spun to face Maeve, mindful of the second of the pair scampering towards the door. “I know Grace is a pretty little jewel of mixed-up weirdness, but I did not realize there were more or that Rhydach might have a share of them.”
Maeve had become increasingly involved in Gideon’s operations since her disgraceful exit from the Realm. Her urge to fight had bloomed anew after her battle with Broderick at Mars. Gideon had been more than happy to let her expend her predatory energies by destroying nests and gathering intel. At least she had felt she was somewhat honoring her Father by protecting his creation. She knew a lot though she did not have all the answers about Grace and her kind. The threat in the OuterRealm was very real, but she was in agreement with Gideon on the matter… there was no need for any intervention from Kaitriana and Lorcan. Spinning away, Maeve ignored the dictatorial tone of the bratty Queen and shadowed to the door. Catching the fleeing enemy by her shoulder, she dispatched the female with the slice of her blade and took the exit the other had been trying to reach. “This is none of your business, Kat. Perhaps it is time for you to return home.”
Kat glanced at Kylie before pursuing the Dark Queen. The small vamp was just finishing her own task and smiling brightly, in stark contrast to the wicked black veil over her eyes. Her love of battle was etched in her expression. Having overheard the entire exchange between the pair, Kylie blew out a sigh while sheathing her sword. “You two need to learn to play nice.”
Ignoring the rebuke, Kat stared her down, quite serious. “You know what is going on here?”
“I have a good idea though the details are sketchy.” Kylie examined the gore on her hands, rather than making eye contact with Kat.
Not allowing her friend’s less than forthcoming reply to rankle her, Kat trusted Kylie’s judgment. She also knew the visions would come now since she’d seen this side of things, so she only required one last assurance. “They don’t need our assistance?”
“Not now… not yet.” Kylie’s shock was visible when Kat simply nodded in agreement and turned to follow the path taken by Maeve. Waving her tiny vampy friend along, she called back, in great spirits. “Then I’ll make nice with Queen Vampy. It’s about time for her to come home anyway.”
Leaving Kylie to chew on that disclosure, Kat hurried to catch up with Maeve.
CHAPTER 11
Kaitriana proved her worth and secured her right to see the mission through to completion. Her magic had proved helpful accessing hidden rooms in the building. The barriers cloaking those areas brimmed with powerful Realm magic, suggesting Turloch’s involvement. Since the Dark Witch and the Dark lord were bitter rivals, the question remained as to who was in charge of the operations.
The recovered items provided no insight for Kat regarding the villainous dealings, but Maeve and Kylie seemed satisfied with the stash of computers in modernized lab facilities tucked in the farthest reaches of the basement. Unfortunately, such things were not Kat’s forte. Lorcan adamantly refused every request for a computer, claiming she would inadvertently reveal the Realm to the world via YouTube. Whatever that was.
A simple spell had delivered the items of interest to one of Gideon’s holdings. What remained of the building and its former occupants was slated for destruction. Kaitriana’s usefulness in recovering the tech stash had eased the tension over her tag-along and subsequent killing of the important vampire specimen, allowing her to finish the excursion on good terms with Maeve. Exiting the building, the trio was engaged in a good natured debate about whether the Dark Queen should ignore standard protocol and permit Kaitriana to make it go poof instead of waiting for Gideon’s team to demolish it.
Every alarm along the East coast in the States had already been tripped by the strong magic swirling around the female. Since Kat had reined in her antics and proven useful, Maeve intended to indulge the request. She could soothe Gideon’s wrath later. A simple nod granted permission, with one stipulation. “If you say ‘bibbity bobbity boo’ or some other such foolery, I’m going to make you explode alongside it.”
Both of her companions caught the teasing lilt in Maeve’s threat and Kat tripped over her own feet, so quick in spinning to face the building. Her brow was creased with concentration, determining how she might create a most spectacular obliteration. Kylie’s laughing amusement was mirrored in a small smile from Maeve until the lead warrior sensed the presence of others. Reacting, she stepped alongside Kaitriana, her protective instincts firing, and waved Kylie close while scanning the dark lot stretching around the left side of the building. A second later, Maeve pulled her sword, only to stay the action and lower it when she caught sight of Lorcan. His expression hinted it might have been better if they’d been discovered by Rhydach and his guard. The Realm leader was uber-pissed.
Following the direction of Maeve’s focus, Kylie considered slipping behind the towering form of her friend. The accusation in Sayer’s glare was scorching. Issuing no sound that might have alerted the mini-witch in their company to the presence of her irate mate, Kylie remained motionless and adopted a bored expression. Instead, attempting to convince the thunderous wall of male warriors that she’d been caught doing nothing more than a midnight stroll with her gal-pals.
Rambling on expressively and adding exuberant descriptions to accompany the motions of her hands, Kaitriana took another twelve seconds to notice she was talking to herself. Her gaze tracked Maeve’s and she realized she had not really been carrying on a single-sided discussion. Lorcan and his sour companions had been listening with rapt attention to every single word. She required only a split second to recover and beamed with her scolding while dropping hands to her hips. “Eavesdropping is tactless, boys.”
Her neck was saved from Lorcan’s itchy fingers by the few dozen yards separating her location from his. Raising a brow, Kat broke into a flirtatious smile and spoke with certainty to give Lorcan and his Elite no room to question her defense. “Realm rules don’t apply here and…” She added the last bit with a triumphant lilt. “What happens in the OuterRealm, stays in the OuterRealm.”
An alarmed squeak slipped past her lips when Lorcan appeared in front of her. His expression suggested she might not be breathing much longer. He was so close the heat from his body was encompassing. Scrambling backward two steps, Kat collided with Maeve. She returned quick focus on her mate, accompanied with a good dose of false bravado for the frowning males who had fallen in line behind him. Her breathy voice totally undid her nonchalant greeting, “What’s up?”
Lorcan responded with a ready growl. “Your ass, because when I am done, you are not going to be able to sit for a week.” Trapped as she was between him and Maeve, Kat dared not offer more than a wide-eyed stare. “What the hell were you thinking?”
“That I wouldn’t get caught?” Twitchy fingers. Honesty was not the best policy. Kaitriana didn’t understand the cause for his upset. Seriously. It had been an easy win… the small coven was new and poorly trained. Maeve and Kylie together were a force, so her presence was merely overkill. “Gideon needed assistance, Kylie wanted a birdman, and I was boooooored.”
Nicholas didn’t blunt his insult. “It’s wingman, you Idgit.” He wasn’t close to forgiving Kat for the earlier incident with Gavin.
Kaitriana had made a face before she dutifully returned her gaze to Lorcan. He adopted that now infamous lecturing tone. “You were bored because you’re banished from the fields for instructing your female trainees that it is always acceptable to go for the groin.”
She was as adamant in her defense of the directive now as she had been the night of the almost horrible mishap. “All is fair in war, dear.”
Her flippancy sparked the eruption of his already volatile temper. “They were training with my men! I didn’t think we would ever get Lucas to stand upright again.”
Kat lifted a hand to hide her smile when she heard Kylie choking on her laughter. The scowls from the Elite, particularly Lucas and Marcus, turned deadly. They did not find the same humor in the situation as her friend, but then Kylie had not nearly been gelded. Tucking her sword away, Kat folded her hands before her, adopting what she hoped was a properly contrite expression.
The stone-faced circle of warriors was in agreement with Lorcan. Kaitriana should be more careful. Tonight, she had crossed the line. While they chased around after her on each merry misadventure, they were able to overlook her reckless antics because she was so strong and they were always close enough to protect her. Her latest stunt—coming to the OuterRealm, an area in which they had limited experience and no level of comfort—was unacceptable.
Shaking his head over the daft witch and her ludicrous escapades, Broderick finally turned focus on the one he considered to be the culprit. Maeve was doing her best to pretend he’d never been born. It exacerbated his irritation.
After a second of ignoring Brod’s scrutiny, Maeve flashed a false smile at both Gideon and Lorcan. “I will leave you to it then.” For her two female companions, she was warmer. “Good night.”
Lorcan’s booming voice had stopped Maeve before she shadowed. “I am holding you accountable for this stunt, Maeve. Taking Kaitriana into a war outside the Realm is tantamount to you entering my domain and instigating a battle. I expect answers. From you. Tonight.”
“Gideon needed help. I helped. End of story, Lorcan.” Maeve turned to face him fully. Watching his gaze narrow, hers flickered black. “Kaitriana is a big girl. She came to the OuterRealm of her own accord. I neither invited nor asked for her assistance. You would be wise to remember I am not of the Realm and do not answer to its leader.”
His smile was just as false as the tight one she gave him. Lorcan took a step forward with his delivery. “You will come to the Realm to discuss this matter, or I will drag you from your mansion and return you there in chains.” He watched her hand clench on the hilt of her weapon, daring her to act on the impulse when he leaned close and finished. “And when I am done, I’ll hand you over to Broderick.”
Despite her normally unflappable mien, Maeve hadn’t been able to keep her eyes from widening over the outrageous threat. Lorcan had all but ridden a damned elephant into the room. Her restraint snapped. “Have others ignored your bluster and told you where you can go, Lorcan, or will I have the pleasure of being the first?”
“Sweetheart, you head on back to New York.” Broderick drawled the challenge before Lorcan could rally a response, causing her dark gaze to collide with his. “If you think I haven’t already found the way to your pretty little house, you’re mistaken.”
New York. Damnit. The ramifications of the group of them showing up at her mansion—the loss of her anonymity—those thoughts were more troublesome than any of Lorcan’s threats. Unlike Lorcan, Broderick rarely bluffed. He had always played the game better than any other. Maeve had no way of knowing if he had deduced her location from something Kylie had inadvertently revealed or if he’d really tracked her and spent time surveilling her secret lair. It pushed Maeve over the edge of her restraint. “Screw you both.”
