When we pulled up to the house, Alejandro dragged me out, no worry of being seen here. I was glad to stretch my legs, but I was still pressed to Alejandro’s body and the stake hadn’t moved from my chest. Jackie’s car was parked out front. I sighed with relief, that was one in our favor.
Jackie ran out of the house. “Father!” She ran into the waiting arms of Osiris and I nearly forgot that I had a stake pressed into my chest I was so shocked.
“Father?” I whispered.
Jackie pulled away looking giddy. “I wanted to tell you earlier, but I wasn’t supposed to. Knowing we are sisters is amazing!” She jumped up and down clapping her hands. “It makes sense, I could feel a connection to you right away, and I just love you like a sister anyway!”
Now her annoying determination to be my friend made a little more sense. “Osiris set us up? So you were watching me?”
She had the decency to look ashamed. “He only foresaw the meeting; the feelings are real!”
“Enough with the family reunion, where the hell is Falcon?” Alejandro hissed, pushing the stake a little deeper and making me gasp.
“Oh, inside doing some nasty shit. Honestly, I am so glad you guys are here.” Jackie made a disgusted face and turned to walk in, and we followed.
The room was still a mess. Glass everywhere, bloody, and dead fairies on the ground mixed with dead vampires, though they’d mostly turned to dust at this point. Terrance’s body was bloody and mangled, Blade and Calin had really done a job on him. Ripping out chucks of flesh and practically decapitating him. I shivered—vicious little beasts. They were stationed near the broken window now, keeping watch on the scene. Falcon was kneeling over his father’s body, he had cut out his heart and was holding it up, letting the blood drip down into his open mouth. Soon Falcon began to glow as the power that Terrance had held was transferred to him. His hair grew out, quickly reaching well past his waist to pool on the ground around him. I was a little sad to see it, I thought the mohawk deserved a chance but I knew it would make Falcon happy and possibly hate me a little less. When the heart stopped dripping, Falcon set it back inside the body and closed his eyes, moaning in pleasure and licking his lips.
My fangs were out, there was so much blood in the room, I couldn’t help it and I knew Alejandro was affected too. His breathing was rapid, his lower body pressed against me, and I could feel his excitement. “Perhaps I will add you to my list of demands, I’m feeling frisky again,” he whispered in my ear so quiet I don’t think anyone else heard it. I shuddered and he laughed.
Osiris cleared his throat and Falcon slowly opened his eyes, as if noticing us for the first time. He looked from one to the other of our group without a show of care.
“Why have you come?” He demanded. “I must finish the ritual; I must take his body through the veil and face the King.”
“Yeah, before you do that, do you think you could help me out here?” I couldn’t help the impatience. My life was on the line, and my body apparently, and I needed this to end, now!
“I feel fae approaching,” Blade said from his perch by the broken window. Calin nodded agreement.
“They know the prince has perished, you two will be held accountable if you don’t run,” I said quickly, not wanting to see the two annoying gnomes killed.
“I have offered them my protection; they work for me now.” Falcon looked at the two with a half-smile.
“Gnome bodyguards?” I was incredulous.
“What better to protect me from fairies who might want to take me on while they think I am weak. Having just come to power is a dangerous time.”
I knew this was true, but I was shocked at his well thought out plan. He hadn’t struck me as much of a planner or deep thinker. More of a pretty face and trust fund baby.
If another fairy could kill Falcon, and drink his heart’s blood, before he was able to reach the King and finish the ritual, the other fairy would be named prince and ruler of all that had once been Terrance’s. Falcon wouldn’t be as strong as Terrance had been until the King blessed him. After that, he would be almost invincible as far as the rest of the fairies were concerned, basically untouchable as well.
“You owe your sister her inheritance before you leave, and she needs it to save her life.” Alejandro sneered.
“Is that what all this is about?” Falcon waved a hand vaguely at me. “Fine, I don’t need it, Father was just angry at you for existing. I respect your will to live, though I would say you haven’t been thriving. I suggest you make some friends.”
I was so relieved by his words that I ignored his rude remark. I could have smiled if I wasn’t fighting to not move a single muscle. “There, you have it, Alejandro. Now let me go!”
“How do I know you’ll give it to me? I need something more,” Alejandro demanded.
“You greedy asshole!” Sobahn growled. Osiris put a hand to Sobahn’s chest, holding him back.
“You have my word, it is binding.” Osiris said, his voice booming from all directions. “You will have your rule over the plots in England and Egypt, you will have your earthly riches and control of the doorways, but you will never touch my daughter again.” His last words were punctuated with green fire rising off his back, and the room heated to a degree just below incineration.
Alejandro chuckled behind me and stepped back, finally releasing me. I ran to Sobahn who grabbed me and pulled me as far from Alejandro as possible, without actually leaving the room. I wanted to pass out from sheer relief but was quite sick of losing time. I wanted to witness every moment of Alejandro getting out of my life.
“Life is good, love; and long,” Alejandro said darkly. “I hope we do cross paths again. I will expect to see the deeds in my hand within two weeks, or we will have a problem.” Alejandro turned and strode from the room.
I couldn’t believe Osiris had let him go. “Why not kill him now?” I hissed.
“His death deserves to be much worse than this moment, and it will be, I see it.”
I shivered at Osiris’ words, there was truth there. I turned to Falcon. “Thank you.”
“Hey, I owed you. If it wasn’t for you, Father would still be alive, and I would still be a stripper.” He crossed the room and hugged me quickly, then scooped up Terrance’s body and left the house. Blade and Calin following.
I looked at Sobahn who was still standing close, looking angry. “Thanks for helping out.”
“You’re my everything, of course I would save you. Don’t you understand that I would lose my soul if I lost you?” He spoke gruffly and leaned down, capturing my mouth in a kiss. His lips were soft and sweet, questioning at first, without demand until I parted my lips and welcomed him. He deepened the kiss, wanting more, I gave it to him, and he groaned. I leaned into him, letting my hands run up and down his muscled body.
“Shit,” I whispered when he finally pulled away.
“What do you mean by, shit?” He laughed, a little breathless.
“My heart was saved from the sharp stick, but I just may be losing it to you.” I could feel him probing at my heart and soul as I looked into his eyes, and damn-it, I wanted to let him in.
“Babe… I took it the moment you saw me across the hall. You just were too stubborn to admit it.” He leaned down and captured my mouth again.
I didn’t care that there were dead bodies in the room, or my father and my half-sister. I wanted to lose myself in this man. I wrapped my hands into his hair, pressing him closer, trying to meld our bodies completely. If I could have ripped him open and crawled inside, I would have.
Sobahn held me away from him, his eyes blazing with barely controlled passion that mirrored my own. We needed to get somewhere private, now!
Unfortunately, a body was tossed through the already broken window, breaking the spell of our passion. Jackie screamed and even without the head, I knew who it was. “Alejandro!” I gasped, not sad to see his fully dead body on the floor, but shocked that someone had gotten the drop on such a powerful vampire, and worried about who the next victim might be.
Sobahn pushed me behind him at the same instant Osiris stepped in front of Jackie. We all faced the broken window and waited. I could get used to this being protected thing, I had no desire to be put in danger again so soon.
Power preceded her into the room, it was like nothing I’d ever experienced, and I cowered, I couldn’t help myself. I wanted to run from whatever this was. When she floated through the opening, I recognized her right away. This was the woman from the hotel, she’d gone into Alejandro’s room after me. There was something different about her though, and I didn’t doubt she’d been heavily concealing her power before. It was full blast now, and she was pissed.
“Isis,” Osiris hissed. “What reason do you have to intervene with such a lowlife as Alejandro?”
“The bastard tried to double cross me. The deal was her head for the power over my little plot in Egypt. He negotiated with the fairy instead, I can’t have that.” She spoke without inflection, without feeling and I shivered.
“You have no right to demand my child’s head for anything,” Osiris responded calmly.
I looked from one straight face to the other and wanted to scream. They were talking about my life! Why were they so calm? I stood up straight and moved beside Sobahn. He growled at me quietly, but I ignored him. I wasn’t going to be a whimpering female when my life was being negotiated.
“I can demand anything I want. Your bastard children are an insult to me. I had a deal with Prince Terrance, she was to suffer immortally long without love or happiness. You sent him! As if I could just let that go.”
I gasped, I couldn’t help it, this was like watching a soap opera, except it was my life and head on the line. Her eyes slid to me briefly, and I saw nothing there, just deep black pools. She’d sold her soul for some kind of power that even Osiris seemed wary of.
“I never left you, we were never in love, and we had an agreement.” Osiris’ words brought her attention back to him, and I noticed he’d moved closer to her while Jackie was inching backwards, toward the doorway. I hoped she didn’t make a run for it. I don’t think she’d make it far. She was fumbling with something in her pocket, a car key maybe? Did she really expect to get away?
“The agreement was, I would never have to see or hear about your infidelity. You let it become so loud that all were talking about the Princess you’d seduced, and how her husband wanted you dead for it.” Her voice raised slightly, finally showing some emotion.
Osiris inched infinitesimally closer. “It was not my intention. I left her when our union produced a child, as agreed. I never tried to see the child.”
“But you longed for her! For both of them! Did you think I didn’t notice? You didn’t seek out any other, you ignored me and sulked. For years I watched you pine for a stupid fairy princess and child! It was insulting beyond measure.”
“So you had her killed?” Osiris demanded, his eyes flashing briefly.
“I sought out her husband, made sure he understood the infidelity, made sure he felt the scorn of what his wife had done. I introduced him to someone who could solve our problems, Demetrius. The night he killed the woman, I rejoiced, but you weren’t satisfied. I heard you cry out for the child in your sleep, and I knew it would never end, not until she was gone too. But you intervened, you brought her back. However, what she’d become and the way her family rejected her brought me much pleasure. I had to keep it going. She would feel no love from anyone, ever. As long as I knew she suffered, I knew you did as well, and that was enough.” Her smile was pure evil. She had no love in her soul for anyone or anything beyond herself and I wondered if this is what I had been on my way to becoming. Would I have ended up that cold if I had kept on my path?
“You’re insane,” I whispered.
Her blank eyes turned to me again and out of the corner of my eye I saw Osiris move closer to her again. She seemed to be so focused on me, she didn’t notice him move. I wanted more than anything to make her look away, to melt into the background and let Sobahn protect me, but I knew I needed to keep her attention. Jackie was fiddling, she’d pulled something out of her pocket. Osiris lifted a finger at his side signaling her.
Jackie lifted a hand to throw whatever it was she held, but she wasn’t quick enough. Isis turned back and lifted a hand, throwing a fireball across the room and knocking the weapon out of Jackie’s hand lightning fast. Jackie screamed in pain, doubled over, and cradled her singed hand. Osiris leapt at the same time Sobahn exploded into Jackal form and lunged. Isis couldn’t stop them both, she’d obviously expended a fair amount of energy with her fireball. Osiris took her legs out while Sobahn latched onto her neck. Isis fell and they held tight, I expected to see her head roll across the room at any second.
But she laughed, high and hysterical, making everyone freeze. It was one thing to kill an enemy, it was quite another to rip the head off an obviously crazy person. When she settled, she was gasping for air, having laughed herself into a fit of hysterics.
“If you kill me, she’ll die too.”
“I would rather die than let you live!” I proclaimed, pretty sure she was bluffing anyway. She couldn’t kill me if she was dead.
She laughed again. “Not you, Zobeth.”
The silence in the room was complete, no one moved, no one breathed. Her words were heavy and impossible. My mother had died long ago, hadn’t she?