5. FIVE

fiveThomas looked like a proud papa, nearly beaming with the force of his pleasure. The crowd was slow to disperse now that the show was over.

Dominick’s gaze shifted to me for an instant. Something other than apathy showing on his face as one side of his mouth kicked up.

Monster wasn’t a term I used lightly, but it felt appropriate. There was a cold, clinical detachment in his expression. That of a predator whose prey had eluded it.

This wasn’t over. Not by a long shot.

A chill snuck up my spine as Dominick mouthed, “I’m looking forward to deepening our acquaintance.”

Then he was gone, vanishing into the crowd.

“I did warn you to be careful,” Liam murmured, joining me.

“I wished I’d listen.”

For once, I was telling the truth.

Dominick was going to be a problem. Whatever plans he had, I was betting after this they featured me—and Connor.

Liam slid an arm around my back, bringing my side flush with his. “Me too, mo chuisle.”

I tilted my head back to stare up at his face. “Thanks for your help with the house situation, by the way.”

The corners of Liam’s mouth twitched upward as he looked down at me with a playful expression. “I thought you were handling things quite well.”

I scowled at him. “I didn’t want this.”

His nod held a fake sympathy. “You could always take me up on my offer.”

I looked away, wanting to avoid the subject, as I had every other time he’d brought it up.

I wasn’t sure why the thought of moving in with him made me so uncomfortable when I was practically living with him anyways, but it did. Since my apartment had burned down a few months ago, I’d split my time between his house and the Gargoyle as I looked for a new place.

“You know why I don’t,” I said awkwardly.

“Ah, yes, your pixies.”

To my relief, he sounded more amused than hurt.

I threaded my fingers through his, knowing I owed him more of an explanation. “That’s not the only reason. You know that, right?”

Vampires were a weird bunch. Their sense of personal space was different than a human’s. For instance, it was considered perfectly normal to live in a big group with other vampires.

I may not have wanted to become the head of a house, but now that I was, I felt I had to live up to my responsibilities.

The pixies weren’t the only ones who needed their own territory. Connor did too. He wasn’t ready to stay full time in the Gargoyle or at Liam’s. He needed his own place. Since he was part of my House, that meant I did too.

Not to say I was ready for full time cohabitation with my vampire boyfriend. I wasn’t. Not yet anyway. Maybe one day.

Liam’s face softened as he brushed his fingers down my temple. “I know. Just promise to visit. I’ll miss having you in my bed.”

I leaned my head into his hand. “Only if you do the same.”

His mouth lowered to mine in a gentle kiss that ended with a nip on my bottom lip. “Try and stop me.”

By the time the party ended, it was already late. Too late to bother driving to the new house. Instead, we made the short trek back to the Gargoyle as the city came awake around us. Traffic began picking up as one by one, the lights in the office buildings turned on.

Like all good vampires less than a century old, I was already tucked into bed by the time the sun truly started its ascent. The moment the first rays touched the sky, I fell unconscious, dead to the world until my nemesis retreated once again.

My dreams that day were chaotic, filled with flashes of blood drenched pools and a darkness that carried the stench of death.

Whispers infiltrated my mind, their meaning indecipherable.

Blood filled my mouth, freezing cold as it slid down my throat. A pit of ice expanded in my stomach, invading my veins. I froze from the inside out.

Shh. It’ll feel better soon.

The voice catapulted me out of the dream, my heart pounding. For several seconds I lay there, disoriented as I took in my surroundings. Gradually, the familiar ceiling of my room came into focus as I became aware of a heavy weight across my legs.

A half-hearted growl of complaint accompanied my attempt to dislodge the object.

I lifted my head to find a black dog curled into the crook of my legs, his chin propped on my hip and his eyes closed.

As if sensing my gaze, one eye cracked open to stare at me from a wrinkle filled face. His snout was wide like a hippopotamus’s and his eyes intelligent. From this position I couldn’t see the tentacles that extended from his jowls, which was probably a good thing.

“When did you get back?” I asked, my voice still raspy with sleep.

Alches came and went on his own schedule. As old as the Fae realm of Noctessa, and once the ruler’s protector, he’d recently adopted me as his new owner. Though I still didn’t know why.

In answer, he closed his eye. Snoring started again a second later.

“You’re ignoring me. That’s just great.”

I wiggled, dislodging him. But not for long. He scooted back into position, this time wrapping a tentacle around my leg to hold me still.

“Rude,” I huffed.

If dogs could look smug, Alches managed it as he snuggled deeper into the crook of my body.

I glared up at the ceiling, wondering how I’d managed to become someone a mythical creature out of Fae legend liked to bully.

A blur shot across the room.

I had no time to react as a pixie landed on the tip of my nose.

Her wings fanned, blocking my view of the room. They were a work of art. Bigger than her body by far, they were an iridescence green that transitioned to yellow near the bottom. Dark green capillaries were threaded throughout so that when she fanned her wings, they looked like leaves rustling in the wind.

Inara propped her hands on her hips and glared. “Where have you been?”

Her eyes were a little too big for her face, bug like. Her skin had a greenish cast. And when she spoke, I caught flashes of teeth that were sharp and pointed.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’ve been here all day.”

Inara evaded my hand as I reached up to brush her off my face. Her wings beat, lifting her backward. She landed on Alches’s head with a scowl.

“That’s the problem,” she snapped. “You’re here. What happened to finding a house for all of us? You were supposed to do that ages ago.”

I didn’t answer, more preoccupied with how she’d landed on Alches’s head.

“You see him?” I asked, feeling confused.

She had to, right? Why else would she have landed on his head?

“What are you talking about?” Inara demanded before following my stare to Alches. “Are you talking about the dog?”

Alches thumped the bed with his tail.

“Yes, I see the dog,” Inara snapped, her expression making it clear she thought I was stalling. “When did you get a dog anyway? Is this what you’ve been doing instead of looking for a house?”

When Inara failed to mention Alches’s tentacles, I realized all she saw was an ordinary black dog. That was a relief. I didn’t know how to explain to my former roommate why I had the guardian of a Fae realm as my new pet.

“Why are you here?” I asked, changing the subject. “I thought you said there was no way in all the hell realms you’d ever step foot inside the Gargoyle.”

Inara puffed up in outrage a second before another pixie flew across the room to land beside her.

Unlike his consort, Lowen’s skin was a burnished copper. His wings were crafted from amethyst and sapphire tones and would have fetched a pretty price on the black market.

He rubbed his wings against his consort’s, calming her. Her frown softened as he looked at me. “It’s good to see you, Aileen.”

“You too.”

Strange as it was to admit, I’d missed the two of them.

“The house, Aileen!” Inara shouted to get my attention. “I can’t take living in these conditions much longer. How hard is it to find something?”

There was a note of hysteria in Inara’s voice that said the unsettled nature of our living conditions was taking a toll on her. She looked a little unhinged in that moment, a second from chucking the first thing she could grab at my head.

“Harder than you think,” I told her.

Inventory was low but demand was up. Finding something that fit our unique needs was difficult.

After what happened with my apartment, I was limited in what I could buy. Suburbs were out of the question. I didn’t want neighbors who might be dragged into our problems.

I needed land—which meant money. I also needed several rooms to accommodate Connor—and now Deborah—and a decent communal living space.

That was the cha-ching of more money.

“I don’t care,” Inara seethed. A second later, her expression shifted to one of suspicion. “Or is it that you like living here? Playing house with your vampire lover while surrounded by all these blood drinkers.”

I leaned against my pillow and smirked at her. “That’s it, Inara. You caught me.”

I could have told her about the house Thomas bestowed on me—but where was the fun in that?

“You—” Inara sputtered, nearly lifting off Alches’s head with the force of her anger.

I let her fume, not feeling the least bit bad.

Lowen bit his lip, hiding his smile.

Inara shot off Alches’s head with a flounce, veering toward the air vent which was conveniently missing its cover.

“Find us a house, you stupid vampire!”

“You’ll have to excuse her,” Lowen said with a sympathetic look. “It’s been difficult returning to a nomadic lifestyle.”

Now I felt a little bad.

With a sigh, I tilted my head toward my nightstand and the deed I’d left there. “Thomas gave me a house. I’m not keeping it, but you can stay there until I figure out what to do with it.”

There was a gasp from the walls.

Inara stuck her head out of the vent to glare at me. “I knew it. I knew you were holding back. You probably planned to move in without even telling us.”

“Did you not hear the part where this is temporary?” I glared back at her. “Someone’s become a drama queen since the last time I saw her.”

Inara bared her pointed teeth at me as she ducked back into the vent.

“Besides, I only found out about it last night,” I grumbled. “If someone hadn’t been so annoying the moment I woke up, I would have mentioned it sooner.”

“Address?” Lowen asked.

I tilted my head toward my night stand. He leaped into the air and glided over to the pile of papers waiting there.

“Do pixies use addresses?” I asked, shifting to find a more comfortable position under Alches’s weight.

He huffed, grumpily lifting his head and dropping it onto the bed.

Finally. Freedom.

The image of Inara and Lowen having to hover in front of street signs to determine which way to go was an amusing one. Or maybe there was a pixie equivalent to Google Maps.

“Of course, we use addresses,” Inara hissed from the vent. “How else would we find our way? We’re pixies. Not illiterate.”

A sharp, stinging pain in my shoulder blade punctuated her words.

I flinched, reaching back to pluck the tiny piece of wood out of my skin.

She’d shot me.

“Inara, what the fuck?”

Already, the pixie-dust the arrow was coated in had resulted in a painful itch spreading around the injury site. My nerve endings felt like they were on fire. The urge to scratch was both painful and maddening.

“That’s what you get!” Inara shouted, her voice fading as she flew away.

“I’m going to kill her,” I snarled, abandoning the idea of not scratching as I contorted, trying to drag my fingernails over the irritated site.

Only, I couldn’t quite reach. She’d shot me in a place that was difficult to get to.

“Try not to scratch,” Lowen urged, landing on my pillow to take a closer look at the wound. “It’ll make things worse and could spread the dust.”

“How am I supposed to not itch?”

It felt like I was going insane. Every second that passed, the urge to peel my skin from my bones grew.

I gave in, wiggling to drag my wound against the sheets in an attempt at relief. The itch deepened into a fire in my veins.

“What about an antidote?” I grunted.

Guilt flashed across Lowen’s face. “Sorry, Aileen. There isn’t one. Not for you.”

I paused in using my bed as a scratching post. “How is that possible?”

He lifted into the air out of reach. “I’ve got to go.”

I gaped at him as he disappeared into the vent, leaving me with an itch I had no way of scratching.

In a fit of anger, I grabbed my pillow and flung it at the wall before dropping my head on the bed. I fought the urge to cry. Pixie dust was the worst.

Alches made a rumbling sound.

“Don’t laugh,” I warned him.

That was the last thing I needed; for a guardian of a Fae realm to find my plight amusing.

“I don’t suppose you have a solution,” I asked as the prickling sensation deepened, edging into real pain.

Alches rose, hopping off the bed. He stretched first his back legs and then his front before he shook his body all over. Finished, he plopped onto his butt and yawned, showing me a row of very sharp teeth and a mass of swarming tentacles.

“Very nice,” I told him, not meaning it. “If you didn’t know, you could have just said.”

Some guardian he was. He couldn’t even do something as simple as this.

I glanced at the book lying on my dresser. Maybe the sentient Fae artifact would have a clue. I’d picked it up from a magical library a while back. Since then, it had been mildly helpful on occasion.

Alches finished yawning, his eyes getting a suspicious gleam.

“No,” I warned with a sinking feeling. “What are you doing?”

His maw opened, tentacles snapping out to wrap around the artifact.

“Stop!” I screamed. “Don’t you dare!”

Too late, as his tentacles dumped the artifact down his throat. Alches belched as I watched him in wordless dismay.

The book was not going to like that.

I threw my covers back and got out of bed to kneel in front of him. “Spit it out. Spit it out right now.”

Panic filled me as Alches evaded my hands.

I didn’t know the long-term effects an artifact would have on a realm guardian that ate it, but I was betting they wouldn’t be good.

“That’s an artifact, you dumb dog.” I took a breath. “I’m going to count to three and you’re going to spit the book out.”

Alches tilted his head, looking adorable with his wide snout and wrinkly face.

“One. Two.”

Alches’s eyes laughed at me.

“Two and a half,” I said through gritted teeth.

Alches rose to four paws, a brief hope filling me before it died a quick death. He padded toward my dresser. The shadows there wrapped around him as he vanished from view.

I slumped on the bed. “Damn it. I should have known that wouldn’t work. Now what do I do?”

I was out of options and it felt like shards of glass were embedded in my skin. Little zings of electric pain zipped down my nerve endings every other second.

This was so annoying.

As a teen I’d had eczema. This felt a little like that. Only about a hundred times worse.

With little idea of what else to do, I stomped toward the bathroom. Maybe water would wash away some of the irritant.

I wouldn’t hold my breath, though. This was pixie dust we were talking about, after all.

Half an hour later, I stepped out of my bedroom, showered and changed into a pair of leggings and an oversized black shirt that I’d found in my closet.

To my surprise, the itchiness had faded to a much more manageable level after my shower. Instead of a ten, it was hovering around a four. Irritating but bearable.

I found Connor waiting for me in the other room.

The living quarters in the mansion were more like mini apartments than bedrooms. Most came with a suite of attached rooms. The higher your status, the bigger and more numerous the rooms.

As Thomas’s yearling, my suite lay somewhere in the middle, complete with living room, bedroom and an en-suite bathroom that was the stuff dreams were made of.

“What are you watching?” I asked, throwing myself onto the couch next to Connor.

To my surprise, a show about house renovation was playing on the TV. We watched for a couple of minutes, until the next commercial break started.

Connor switched the TV off and faced me. “I’m sure you have questions about last night.”

I sure did, but I wasn’t certain I should ask them with that look on his face. The one that said he was bracing for something unpleasant.

Connor was a charming mix of fragile and resilient. In some ways, he was more vulnerable than me. Power wise, he outstripped me in every way; able to punch his fist through another vampire’s chest without even trying.

Physically, he was on par with Liam’s enforcers, but his emotional maturity was somewhat stunted. His time locked in the body of a stag had taken its toll and the trauma of that experience still lingered.

It made me want to treat him with kid gloves. At least when it came to things like this.

“Not if you don’t want to.”

What was important was that I now knew he had a vendetta against Dominick. The why was irrelevant.

“Aren’t you curious?” Connor asked.

“Oh, definitely. I’m dying to know everything.”

I was an inquisitive little mouse, interested in all the gossip.

“Then why?”

“Because it’s your story to tell.”

I knew something about having a story. Pushing wouldn’t help him in the long run. He had to want to tell me on his own. To do otherwise would spit on the trust we’d been building.

The silence lasted long enough that I thought he would choose not to talk. So, it was a surprise when he did.

“I was a fool.”

I made myself comfortable on the couch, waiting patiently for him to continue.

“Dominick visited Niamh’s court about a decade after I fell to her trap,” Connor said softly. “He joined the hunt.”

My hand clenched before I forced my fingers to loosen. “Did he know it was you?”

His chin tilted down the barest bit in assent.

I sucked in a breath and released it slowly. I could guess the rest of this story myself.

“I thought he was there to save me, and he laughed at me instead.”

The pain in his words made the back of my eyes burn. I reached out, pulling him into a hug. “It’s okay. You just have bad taste in men. My sister does too.”

Connor’s shoulders stiffened under my touch as he lifted his head to stare at me. “You’re saying this is a family trait.”

“Weelll,” I dragged out the word.

Connor’s laugh sounded genuine as he cupped my face and tilted it to place a kiss on my forehead. “I’m glad you’re the one who saved me.”

“Don’t let it go to your head—but me too.”

I didn’t struggle as Connor enveloped me in a hug, pressing his cheek on top of my head.

I listened to the beat of his heart, the rhythm much slower than a human’s.

“Does this mean your taste in men is also bad? Does my uncle know?” Connor asked after a moment.

I froze for a moment before bursting out with laughter. “Only time will tell, but let’s not tell him we had this discussion.”

Connor made a wordless sound of agreement, watching as I pushed to standing.

“What do you say we check out this house Thomas got us?” I asked, tilting my head at the door.

Connor pointed at a set of bags in the corner. “I’ve already packed.”

Someone was certainly eager.

“Give me twenty and I’ll be ready,” I told him, heading for the bedroom.

Connor turned the TV show back on. “Take your time.”

“You know we’re not keeping the house, right?” I called over my shoulder.

“We’ll see.”

Not if I could help it.

Deborah was waiting for us at the front door as we descended the stairs, her gaze expectant.

“How long have you been here?” I asked, setting my two suitcases next to her.

I didn’t have much since most of my belongings burned in the apartment fire. What I did have were gifts courtesy of Thomas’s underlings. At his orders, they’d restocked my wardrobe with far more outfits than I’d ever need.

I’d packed only a few basics along with some hygiene products in preparation for this move.

“Since sunset,” Deborah confessed. “I wasn’t sure what time you planned to leave and I didn’t have your number.”

“You could have knocked on my door,” I said.

“I didn’t want to impose.”

She’d get over that. She’d have to if she wanted to stay by my side for any length of time. People in my orbit usually didn’t last long if they continued to stand on ceremony.

“Where’s your luggage?” I asked, scanning the foyer.

“Outside.”

Alrighty, then.

I shouldered my bag and headed for the front door. “Let’s get moving.”

Before Thomas, or anyone else, managed to waylay us.

Connor and Deborah followed me outside and down the short number of steps to the circular driveway.

From the outside, the Gargoyle looked like a three story Gothic mansion built around the turn of the century. Pointed buttresses and dramatic roof lines provided interesting architectural details that made it a staple of the neighborhood.

I was pretty sure the “don’t look here” spells papered around the outside were the only reason they didn’t get a ton of requests to rent the mansion out for marriage ceremonies or other celebrations.

At some point, either during the day or the early evening, someone had moved Gwyneth from the garage and parked her near the front door. A gesture I appreciated as we made our way toward her.

“That’s a lot of luggage,” I said, staring at the three large suitcases sitting next to her trunk.

Embarrassment showed on Deborah’s face as she looked from Gwyneth to her suitcases with the realization that they—and her—were never going to fit in Gwyneth’s non-existent back seat and tiny trunk.

“I didn’t know how long I would be away from the mansion. I wanted to be prepared.”

She’d certainly done that.

Connor stepped forward to salvage the awkward situation as he offered his hand in a gentlemanly gesture that had me staring.

What was he up to? Politeness and Connor were rarely mentioned in the same breath.

“You’ll have to forgive my sister,” Connor said. “Her other companions have warned me that her grumpiness is not a barometer of her true feelings.”

I jerked my head back to give him a “what the fuck” look. Where was this madness coming from?

Deborah moved slowly, placing her hand on his with clear hesitation.

“Her personality is reminiscent of a hedgehog’s.” Connor bowed over her hand before straightening. “You’ll find she is rarely honest.”

“Bullshit,” I snapped.

I might as well not have spoken.

“It will take some adjustment, but I’ve found ignoring what she says in favor of examining her actions a much better method to understanding her,” he continued.

“Says who?” I demanded.

Connor finally graced me with his attention. “Inara. And Lowen.”

“You can’t trust either of them.”

Exhibit A—the rash on my shoulder courtesy of their pixie dust.

“On the contrary, I’ve found their observations to be spot on so far.”

“You—” I started and stopped, resisting the urge to shake my finger at him like he was a naughty school boy.

“See what I mean?” Connor asked with a sidelong look at Deborah.

She didn’t look like she knew how to respond as her gaze flitted between us.

“I’m not like that,” I burst out.

Deborah’s nod held enlightenment. “I do.”

Connor patted her on the shoulder. “Then you’ll fit in with the rest of us just fine.”

The throaty purr of a vehicle prevented the homicide I was about to commit as an SUV pulled up next to Gwyneth.

Nathan stuck his head out the driver’s window. “A little birdie told me a damsel in distress was waiting for her knight in monochromatic black to save her.”

I scowled at him. “Are you the knight in that scenario?”

Nathan winked at me. “No, I’m the dragon who might accidentally devour her.”

From the passenger seat, Anton rolled his eyes. “Sienna is waiting at the house to give you a tour. She asked us to make sure you didn’t lose your way.”

I jerked my head at the car. “Problem solved. Deborah—you and the bags are with them.”

As Deborah dragged her suitcases to the back of the SUV, Nathan smirked at me. “Want to make things interesting?”

I leaned an arm against the side of his vehicle. “I’m listening.”

“A race. From here to the new digs.”

“Rules?”

“First one in the driveway wins.”

I looked from his SUV to Gwyneth. “You’re on.”

Nathan wasn’t going to know what hit him. I was so going to win this. It was no contest really.

“What about the stakes?” Nathan called as I strode toward my car.

“I’m not that dumb.”

“Afraid you’ll lose?”

I paused in the process of opening my door. “Are you trying reverse psychology on me? I expected better of you.”

Nathan folded his arms on the window frame and rested his chin on them. “It’s a simple question, A.”

“Nope, not this time. You’re not suckering me into another bet.”

As confident as I was in winning, I wasn’t stupid enough to underestimate him either. I’d made bets with him before. Some of them sure bets where I shouldn’t have lost. Only I did.

Right now, I was at nine losses and three wins. Maybe I’d put another victory in the win column, but just in case, I didn’t want to get roped in to doing his dirty laundry again.

That shit was nasty. Do you know how hard it is to get orc blood out of silk?

I do. Along with a dozen other substances I was afraid to look closely at. Nathan was not a tidy killer.

Never again.

“Aww, come on. I have a big job coming up and could use a laundress,” Nathan whined.

I slid into the car without deigning to respond to his nonsense.

“Told you she wouldn’t fall for it,” Anton hummed.

My passenger door opened and then slammed shut, Connor joining me as I started Gwyneth.

“You ready for this?” I asked.

Connor flicked me a steady look that made me smile.

“Alright then.”

I stomped on the accelerator. Gwyneth lurched forward while Deborah was still in the process of loading her suitcases into Nathan’s Escalade. He shouted for her to get in the vehicle, but we were already gone. We raced out of the driveway, scraping the low undercarriage of the Jaguar on the asphalt in the process.

“Was that really necessary?” Connor asked, holding onto the car’s grab handle.

“I felt like it.”

My wheels squealed as I turned right onto Fourth Street. The back end of the car started to slide before I got it under control. I concentrated on maintaining my slim lead as I rocketed down the one-way street.

“He should have been expecting that anyway.”

Vampires weren’t big on fair play. Cheating was par for the course. You had to be cut throat and ambitious when it came to Liam’s enforcers, especially. Otherwise, they’d chew you up and spit you out.

It was one of the reasons we got along so well. We were of similar minds.

Signs for the highway had me switching lanes.

The house Thomas had given me was located to the north of Columbus on the outskirts of a small city called Delaware. According to an internet search, the city was founded in 1808 and had a cute little downtown area. It also had the highest medium cost for homes in Columbus and the surrounding areas.

The place I was telling myself would only be a temporary stop until I could find somewhere else was sandwiched between the communities of Powell and Lewis Center. Until last night, I’d never even known the area existed.

Connor glanced in the side mirror as an SUV roared up behind us as we took the on ramp. “Do you remember the last time you made a bet with Nathan?”

Gwyneth surged forward as I floored the accelerator, keeping our small lead.

“What’s your point?”

My advantage didn’t last long as Nathan’s SUV roared, nudging up to our back bumper.

“You lost.”

Nathan’s SUV shot into the next lane to try to overtake us.

“That was last time,” I snarled, concentrating as I swerved to block him. “This is different.”

“Human media cautions about the dangers of gambling addiction,” Connor intoned. “It may be wise to look into a support group.”

“I don’t have an addiction.”

What was it with people and staging interventions for me? First my family. Now Connor.

It was enough to give someone a complex.

We raced north, the highway eventually turning into a two-lane road. Occasional hills dotted the side to my left with steep driveways leading to the houses perched above. On my other side, trees lined the road. A river beyond.

I tightened my grip on the steering wheel as we approached an intersection. Once we reached the other side, there would be no more chances to pass. At least not without risking running my car into the river or the guard rail.

“Is something wrong?” Connor shot me an uncertain look as I took my foot off the accelerator.

Shadows ate the edges of my vision. The same unintelligible whispers from my dream murmured in a relentless flood. I didn’t even notice as Nathan roared up behind us, a behemoth in the dark.

I was too distracted.

“Aileen?” Connor asked in concern.

I caught something running through the trees. A long, thin figure that moved at the same speed as the car. A pair of eyes caught the light at the same time as the voice from the diner spoke into my mind.

Childe.