All of the evidence of what he’d disclosed earlier pointed to him telling her the truth. Then again, all the evidence said Cyrus had been telling the truth as well, and look where that had gotten her. Ristan had brought her back here and left her so quickly that she’d assumed something was wrong, and without him being here to explain himself, her imagination took flight.
Her search of the room had yielded an eclectic assortment of books on the wide shelves, some of which had diagrams that she wasn’t sure were really physically possible, and a Never Mind the Bollocks Sex Pistols shirt under the bed that still carried his earthy scent. The black pine dresser in the room was void of any clothing or any other personal items, so she drew the shirt over her head to provide some sort of modesty. She continued the search for information— or a way out—for some time, continually knocking on flooring and the walls to check for hollow spots that might lead to a hidden passageway. The Guild was riddled with them, why not here? She could get lucky, find an escape route, and be gone before he even noticed she was missing.
After several hours of exhausting every possibility she could think of to escape, she eyed the bed warily and crawled into it, as she considered her wanton and uncharacteristic behavior with him earlier and the blatant rejection he’d given her. After all of the cautionary tales she’d read as she’d compiled archive after archive about the Fae, she would have thought that she wouldn’t have been drawn to a creature like him, not as much as she was anyway. She should be able to resist his charm and raw, sexual appeal. He hadn’t even pumped up his Fae powers; this was something she was aware of on a visceral level after that one awful experience in the dungeon. He could have easily taken away any choice from her at any time he wanted. He may have manipulated their encounters, but, for the most part, he allowed her to make the choice, which went against what the Guild taught.
She’d done this to herself; the desire to have him had been overpowering, and she knew she could easily use the excuse of ‘traumatic situation’, but it was really on her at the end of the day. He hadn’t even messed with her mind, as she knew he could have.
The Guild taught them about how the Fae could manipulate their minds, and take away free will, or make your body respond even if you didn’t want it to. They were powerful beings of sex, which she knew. So why was she responding to him in ways that were so unnerving and so unlike her?
She’d never had vivid sexual dreams before she’d met ‘Justin.’ Since the first moment she’d seen him, everything about him had drawn her in. She’d stopped thinking with her brain and had started allowing her hormones to lead her around. He wasn’t her happily ever after; shit, he wasn’t even Human. He was half-Demon, half-Fae, and all wrong for her. He would end this thing between them the moment she gave him the information he needed, and she would do good to remember that. She pulled the covers up to her chin and closed her eyes, exhausted at all of the different directions her mind was roaming to.
*~*~*
Ristan paced Ryder’s office as he considered just what the fuck had happened earlier. It hadn’t felt like Danu, but that didn’t make him feel any better. At least if it had been her, he’d have known who it was. She would always eventually reveal herself to him. It was part of the mind games she liked to play with him. Whoever it was hadn’t done that. Instead, they’d disappeared after watching him with Olivia, and it bothered him. Partly because he had no fucking clue who it had been.
It wasn’t Fae, of that he was sure, but what the hell was it? Why had it been there? It was his special place that he’d gone to ever since he’d discovered it by accident when he first learned that he could open portals, and now it was violated as far as he was concerned. He wasn’t sure if it was the violation of his favorite place that pissed him off or was it the timing of the intrusion as she’d been sexy as fuck with her innocent seduction.
Fuck, she’d been sexy! A bit clumsy with inexperience, and still, he’d been about to explode from just the anticipation of her sensual assault. Normally that shit didn’t send him off the deep end, but she did.
“You keep wearing a hole in my floor like that, and you’ll need to fix it,” Ryder pointed out as he entered the large study he used as an office.
“You know that place I found the first time I opened a portal?” he asked. Ryder was the only one who he’d ever told about it, in case he had a need for Ristan and couldn’t reach him. The telepathic link to his brothers while he was inside that realm was like getting cell phone reception in the middle of the mountains.
“Yes, the one just off of Flora?” Ryder asked as he took his seat and sighed heavily as a frown wrinkled his forehead. “What about it?”
“You know how I told you that I didn’t believe anyone else goes there, that every time I go; it’s only been me in that place for as far as my senses will reach?”
“Yes,” Ryder replied, his eyes finally resting on Ristan’s.
“I took her there,” he said.
“Who?” Ryder asked, his eyes narrowing slightly, the gold starting to sparkle with mirth. “Olivia?” he questioned.
“Who else? I don’t exactly have an entire ward of hostages,” Ristan growled. “Anyway,” he continued. “Turns out, I wasn’t alone with her,” he said in a deep, irritated tone.
“Someone else was there?” Ryder countered. “Who was there? Another Fae, perhaps?”
“I don’t know!” Ristan snapped.
“Ristan,” Ryder warned, as he shook his head.
“Sorry, I didn’t catch the face. I only know it was a male. It wore a cloak like what we use for the Elite Guard, yet it had a somewhat different design. The way it moved, though, it was strange. I’ve never seen anything like it. It was watching us, and I could feel it pulsing with so much power when I approached it, Ryder. It was almost similar to Danu’s—or yours, when you let that shit leak—and I only felt curiosity coming from the creature, not malice or danger. I didn’t need to even touch it to feel it.”
“And you’re sure the creature wasn’t Fae?”
“I’m sure,” Ristan replied as he finally took his seat. “It means I’m wrong about that place, and if there is a breach there, I wonder if that might be one of the places the Mages are gaining access through.”
“We’ve always known that Faery had a few natural portals; Lucian and others of his kind have used them on occasion. Angels have also passed through them into our world, but only those who are fallen. Like Elijah.”
“You think it could be one of his people?” Ristan asked as he considered it.
“No,” Ryder squashed it quickly, “but I do think our newly discovered half-brother should be watched. He’s half-Angel, albeit a fallen one; he’s been asking quite a few questions about you and the girl that you brought in with you from the Guild.”
“Why the fuck would he be asking about her?” Ristan demanded. It was one thing for him to ask about Ristan; he was half-Demon in the company of High Fae, which would be an oddity in itself to any outsiders, but Olivia?
“I have our brothers watching him. It could just be curiosity to see how we respond to traitors,” Ryder said. “He was present the night we brought you both back, and he would have seen her then. Back to the hooded figure: You think it could be a Mage?”
“No,” Ristan said softly as he pulled his mind from why Elijah would want to know about his woman. His woman? What the fuck? Why had that even popped into his head? He didn’t have one woman, he had many and often. He stood up abruptly and turned to the door, his mind in an uproar at his sudden anger at himself.
He was growing attached to the little Witch, and that wasn’t an option. Shit, he’d let her control their play while some sick, twisted fuck watched it! Wait, he’d watched a lot of fucking in his days, so maybe…Nope, he was sick and twisted too.
“Ristan,” Ryder called as he opened the door to leave.
&n
bsp; “It wasn’t Mages; there was no hostility, only curiosity—and something else I can’t pinpoint.”
“Good,” Ryder said as he stood to his full height and stretched. “Zahruk said the party plans are in full gear, and that you managed to stop by and get things set up for them. Are you planning on attending as well? Synthia would miss you and worry if you aren’t there, and as you know, she has enough to worry about.”
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” he said softly. “Besides, it’s a family thing.”
“That it is,” Ryder replied with a boyish smirk on his face, which made Ristan breathe easier.
“I’ll be there with bells on if it makes Synthia smile,” he said in reply. He, of course, would need to figure out what to do with his little captive; the idea of that much time away from her was worrying, but it wouldn’t be right for him to be a no-show after helping put the plan to lift Synthia’s spirits in motion. He’d also used a very old, very powerful spell to hide his and Olivia’s signature trails leading to his home. It wouldn’t work to completely hide her from Danu, but it would make it harder to find. He just hoped Danu was too busy with her own concerns, like a wayward, estranged husband, to take too much interest his captive—for the time being.
*~*~*
The Witch in question was fast asleep when Ristan returned. Her hair was mussed and framed her face, which told him she’d tossed and turned as she finally passed out. He’d brought her to his place in the mountains, rather than back to his quarters at Ryder’s mansion outside of Spokane, because if she did manage to escape, she couldn’t get very far. From this room, she’d only assume she was back in the Pacific Northwest, when, in fact she was deep inside Olympic National Park.
He’d created this safe haven long ago, and no one knew of this place except for a select few of his brothers, because it was his. He loved being able to watch the wildlife that was thick in this part of Washington, which often reminded him how similar the Human and the Fae worlds could be at times.
With a simple flick of his hand, he turned on The Eagles’ Hotel California, ensuring it was playing low enough that it wouldn’t wake the sleeping beauty currently wrapped in a Sex Pistols T-shirt that he must have missed, and who looked too good in it at the moment.
He took a seat on the small sofa, noting that everything in the room was messed with since she’d probably spent most of the afternoon looking for an exit. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes, expelling a deep breath that he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.
He didn’t think he’d fallen asleep, and he was pretty sure he wasn’t in a vision. His sight cleared to reveal Olivia still asleep in the room behind him and before him was a nightmarish place that he never wanted to see again. An imposing being, or man, that was about Ristan’s same height, with shoulder length black hair that was only a bit shorter than his own, was sitting on a throne, one that was composed of living souls. His eyes were alight with laughter, as he watched Ristan process the place he’d brought him to.
“What the fuck, Lucian?” Ristan finally asked after he’d seen enough.
Humans who must have sold their souls to him were chained together and moaning as pain overtook them. Some were bleeding from what looked like welts, but Ristan knew enough about Lucian to know he didn’t get off on the pain of others. Lucifer did.
“Why the fuck did you bring me here, of all places?” he asked as Lucian just watched him closely.
“Vlad said you needed me. Was he wrong?” Lucian asked.
“I thought I did, but I have it under control,” Ristan lied as he continued to watch the souls behind Lucian. Perhaps asking Vlad to bring Lucian into his problems with Danu wasn’t the best idea.
“You’re a curious one; you resist feeding from souls the way your brethren do, but why? You’re born to devour them, as I am not. I partake in it freely, and you restrain yourself. Does the Demon within scare you?”
“I’m half-Fae; I prefer to fuck for food,” Ristan said calmly, unwilling to show any weakness to Lucian. He knew more than he should about Ristan, but he didn’t know everything. No one did. That was the way he preferred it to stay.
“You shouldn’t hold back what you truly are,” he said as his eyes appraised Olivia. “Her soul on the black market would command a very high price,” he mused, ignoring Ristan’s growl as it sounded. “I could resolve your Goddess issues by taking her off your hands. Problem solved and you wouldn’t even owe me,” he offered as though he was doing Ristan some kind of favor.
“That’s not an option,” Ristan snapped. “She’s mine.”
“You could always join me, and leave your brothers, who smother the potential you have. If you did, she’d be forced to leave you alone, or pay a very steep price,” he countered.
“Never,” Ristan snorted at his suggestion. “I would never leave Ryder’s side.”
“That’s a pity,” he said as he turned his midnight eyes on Ristan and smiled coldly. “Especially with the Guild calling for blood—any blood, really,” he continued. “Fanatical fucks. They wouldn’t know a snake if they had one crawling up their asses.”
“But you would,” Ristan said with narrowed eyes. “You’ve got something going on; what’s your plan?” he asked.
“I have my own Demons, in a manner of speaking, to fight,” Lucian said with no emotion on his face. “Women are fickle creatures. Are they not?”
Ristan shook his head at Lucian’s sudden switch of topics. “That’s a given,” he replied easily as his eyes raked over Olivia’s sleeping form. “I didn’t think you would come here just to talk about women,” he added.
“No, I expect you didn’t, but that’s why I am here. You think I’m not aware of what you need? I believe you are looking for a safe location to contain your mother, and another for your little sexual hunger games with this one, no?” he said with a bored look.
“Yes,” Ristan replied, “I could use some help getting my mother to a safe place, where she can’t cause trouble. This one I just need for a bit.”
“Perhaps when you’ve finished with this one, you’ll find my offer more agreeable,” Lucian proposed, and smirked as Ristan’s face flushed with anger. “I need a certain box found; my informant tells me it’s currently buried under the rubble in the catacombs of what used to be the Spokane Guild. The Guild itself is warded against my kind of Demon, as you know. Not yours, though, which is curious, no? I need that box, and I need it to be sealed when it’s delivered to me,” he continued.
“Is that so?” he asked. “What’s inside the box?”
“Pandora,” Lucian said with a wicked glint in his eyes.
“You expect me to hand you a box with that answer?” Ristan asked.
“I do,” Lucian stated. “I expect no questions asked, so please don’t bother asking,” he remarked as he looked up and smiled coldly at Ristan.
“One question, Lucian, give me that much.”
“One, but you need not ask it. I will not use it to harm any Human. It’s a gift for a woman, a very fickle one.”
“You said it was Pandora’s Box, so either she isn’t going to like it, or she’s as evil as you are.”
“Evil? Who says I’m evil, Demon? My kind starts out as Humans before we end up as Demons. I didn’t choose to become what I am; someone else sent me to hell. Like I said: Women are fickle creatures at best. No, this one deserves everything she gets,” he said as an afterthought. He looked as if he was miles away as he said it, and Ristan felt uneasy and a little sorry for whoever had made this man their enemy.
“I’m sure she will get what is coming to her if you’re driving the karma bus,” he mused.
“She will, but not before I enjoy her company a bit. I also need the archives I was promised by Vlad,” he announced as he stood up, dismissing Olivia. He turned and looked at Ristan, his eyes were a
dark enough blue to be mistaken for black. “Back to your feeding habits. I can make arrangements at any of my clubs.”
“Thanks, but no thanks. I have them under control.”
“Sure you do,” Lucian said with a tight-lipped smile. “You sure you won’t let me take this one off your hands, remove temptation and all,” Lucian said, and Ristan narrowed his eyes sharply, and his curiosity was aroused as to why he continued to offer for Olivia.
“She’s mine. End of discussion,” he warned, and watched as Lucian lifted a dark eyebrow and then shrugged.
“She’s trouble, that one,” he said giving Ristan his full attention. “I will see what I can arrange for you. In exchange, there is something else I’m looking for. She is a librarian of the Guild, yes?” he waited long enough for Ristan to nod before he continued. “I have it on good information that the Guild has some archives that pertain to a Coven in Salem; one of three powerful covens that existed around the late 1600s. One of the Covens became the Salem Guild. The second one was destroyed in an unfortunate fashion. Then there was a third that disappeared without a trace. Until recently, no one had any idea they might still exist. I need every scrap of information about the third Coven that the Guild has. You do understand that this is time sensitive and I need to have many pieces in place by Samhain. I require this information in my hands well before Beltane.”
“Why the hell would you care about a missing group of Witches?” Ristan asked as he watched Lucian’s jaw twitch with being questioned and defied at every turn. The guy was leaking raw, electrical current from his pores. He could probably light up the entire state of Washington with his power if he chose to. Ryder had it too, but where Ryder’s was from his beast, Lucian’s was a mystery that might be better left alone. The guy wasn’t what he seemed, that much Ristan could tell.