ivy granger 05 - hounds bite

  “Kind of hard to learn a lesson when you’re dead,” I muttered.

  “The cat is foolish, but perhaps you are right,” Ceff said. “We do need him to survive the night. We need the help of every ally in the coming battle.”

  “You do realize I can hear you, don’t you, fish for brains?” Torn asked.

  But he was still mesmerized by the mermaid’s body. He had no idea how perilously close her shark-like jaws were to his jugular. He froze only when fishy smelling saliva slid onto his skin.

  “Cellestrania, my dear,” Ceff said, his tone the same one might use when reprimanding a naughty child. “Do not eat our allies.”

  Vibrant green eyes locked on Ceff’s face, but her mouth remained inches away from Torn’s neck. Burbling voices whispered up and down the street, and I had the curious notion that the other water fae were placing bets.

  My money was on the mermaid.

  Saliva continued to pour from her too-wide mouth, but that wasn’t all it did. The mermaid was water fae, therefore having power over all liquids. I barely repressed a shudder as a strand of saliva slid along Torn’s neck and traveled down his chest and beneath the leather vest he wore. He closed his eyes, and groaned.

  I wasn’t sure if that groan was due to horror or desire, and I was pretty sure I didn’t want to know.

  “A little help here?” he asked.

  I wrinkled my nose, and nodded to Ceff. I’d seen enough.

  “Come on, call her off,” I said. “We need to get back to the industrial park and give Master Janus a status update.”

  “Come, Cellestrania,” Ceff said. “Do not make me ask thrice.”

  Something shifted behind the mermaid’s eyes, something that made my bowels turn to icy liquid, but whatever evil lurked inside her soul, it was now under control. Cellestrania giggled, immediately transforming into an image of harmless beauty.

  Torn moved so fast, he was a blur that even my eyes couldn’t track. One moment he was inches from the mermaid’s ample bosom, and the next he was at my side. He shrugged, and I sighed.

  “Come on,” I said. “I have a feeling we’re in for a long night.”

  I loped forward, Ceff and Torn keeping stride, an entire army of water fae at our back. They remained quiet, each lost in thought. Torn was probably dreaming up a way to turn his run-in with the mermaid into a sexy story, but I knew that Ceff, like me, was strategizing about how best to allocate our new troops. Neither one of us was keen on tossing lives away.

  A howl broke the silence, setting my teeth on edge.

  “You know, Princess,” Torn said with a wink, an eager gleam in his eye. “I do hope you’re right.”

  I wasn’t sure if he was eager for a bloody battle, or a rematch with the deadly mermaid. Once again, I really didn’t want to know. What I did know was that we had very little time left to convince Master Janus of our plans for facing the Wild Hunt.

  The sun slid lower in the sky, and I swallowed hard. I’d lost too much time rescuing the kids from Kaye. Their welfare had kept my mind busy, but now there were no more distractions. I had to face the fact that Harborsmouth was about to face its most dangerous threat, and I had no idea if we could win.

  Ignoring the pain in my hip, I broke into a run.

  Chapter 37

  Eyes wide, I scanned the area once again. I almost didn’t recognize the industrial park. Master Janus had been busy.

  He’d assembled his troops into two squads of a dozen men and women that fanned out to the north and south of the warehouse he’d allocated as a base of operations, and an additional patrol of two dozen Hunters roamed the perimeter. Some were new recruits, but most were seasoned by combat with rogue fae and vamps. All were well trained.

  Janus strode forward, and nodded at me before coming nose to nose with Ceff. Hunters tensed, weapons bristling, but Janus smiled and gripped Ceff’s forearm in both hands.

  “Well met, Ceffyl Dwr,” he said. The man was practically vibrating with nervous energy, his excitement evident as his words thickened with the brogue of his native Scotland. “I don’t ken how ye’ve done it, but we got every water fae for leagues pouring into the city offering their aid.” He turned to me, eyes twinkling. “This plan of yours might just work after all.”

  “Thanks for the vote of confidence,” I said with a snort. “I didn’t hear you complaining when I brought it up before.”

  “I ken your plan had a yeti’s chance in Hell of succeeding, but it was the best option we had. Thanks to this man, we might make it out of this with our hides intact,” he said, releasing Ceff’s arm, and slapping him on the back.

  I might have giggled at the sheer look of bewilderment on Ceff’s face, if the topic wasn’t such a serious one. Herne wasn’t willing to negotiate, and now we knew that not only was the Wild Hunt’s presence here intentional, it was the first act in a violent war that could decimate the human population, and turn supernatural friends and family against one another.

  Even worse, Mab was pulling at least some of the strings leading us all to war. That didn’t bode well, not at all. The Queen of Air and Darkness wasn’t known for her sanity, or her mercy.

  “You took my advice regarding the merfolk, then?” Ceff asked. “I would hate to waste what good will I’ve earned.”

  Janus and Ceff exchanged a look, but the guildmaster chuckled and slapped Ceff’s back one more time.

  “Don’t you worry yer head now,” he said. “Those brazen lasses won’t be eatin’ any of my men this day, though I appreciate your warnings.”

  I swallowed hard, trying not to think about the lack of restraint of my boyfriend’s mer cousins. I’d seen what a mermaid could do to a healthy man, and it wasn’t pretty. In fact, the mer were just the kind of supernaturals who might side with Mab and the rogue vampires who wished to declare open season on human flesh. Thankfully, most mermaids were easily distracted by shiny things, and Ceff had centuries of treasure to dangle before his allies.

  “Is everything in place?” I asked.

  “Aye,” Janus said. “Is it true we’ll be losing your demon ally this fight?”

  “Yes,” I said. “We can’t let Yue Fei’s rogue vampire faction take over the city. Forneus is the most powerful fire mage we have, and flame is a vampire’s greatest weakness.”

  “I can’t say I’ll miss his company—don’t think I’ll ever be comfortable with a demon in my ranks—but I wish him well,” he said. “I can’t think of a worthier mission. Let us know if Forneus and Benmore need assistance. We’re already spread thin, but with the water fae’s assistance, we’re in better shape than I’d hoped. I’ll risk a few of my best if it keeps the bloodsuckers from our necks.”

  “Thanks, I’ll pass that along,” I said. I figured my friends had gone over the details of our failed attempt to negotiate with Herne, but it didn’t hurt to make sure. Not that I had any good news on that front. “Also, you should know that Herne said Mab is behind the Wild Hunt’s escape from Faerie. I don’t know her connection to Yue Fei, but with Mab, it sounds like she’ll use anyone who will further her goal of inflicting chaos and terror, and gaining power.”

  He grimaced, but nodded sharply.

  “Not welcome information, but good intel all the same,” he said. “You did good out there, lass.”

  I bit my lip, and smoothed a hand down the front of my jacket.

  “You might not think so highly of me, or my efforts, if you knew the full truth, Janus,” I said.

  I’d taken a risk telling him that I was full-blooded fae, but I hadn’t gone so far as to tell him who my faerie mother was. It hadn’t felt necessary at the time, but circumstances had changed.

  “Ivy…” Ceff said.

  “No, he deserves to know,” I said.

  “Whatever you wish to unburden yourself of, I suggest ye be quick about it,” Janus said, eyeing the sky. “We’re running low on daylight.”

  I took a deep breath. It was time to rip off the band-aid. I’d vowed not to live a life of di
shonesty and secrets. Now was the time to live up to that promise.

  “I recently learned something more than just the truth of my fae blood,” I said. I stared at my boots for a second before meeting Janus’ eyes, and I tried not to flinch at the intensity of his gaze. “I learned who my biological mother was. It’s not something I’m proud of, but it’s also not something I chose.”

  “Your mother is the Unseelie queen,” he said.

  I gaped at him.

  “You knew?” I asked.

  I had my suspicions, but I didn’t ken for sure until my men heard some of what Herne was shouting. That’s when it all made sense, as much as faerie politics ever rightly do.”

  “You do not hold it against Ivy?” Ceff asked, hand going to his side where I knew a weapon could be drawn if needed.

  “If we were held for the crimes of our parents, most of my men would be in prison or worse,” he said, shaking his head. “We all have skeletons in our closets. You immortals just tend to accumulate ones with sharper claws, and longer memories.”

  “You have no bloody idea how right you are,” Torn said, stepping from the shadows.

  I don’t know how long Torn had been lurking there, but I figured he’d heard most of what we’d discussed.

  “Ready to chase some hounds?” I asked.

  Torn’s cat-slit eyes widened, and razor-sharp claws slid from his fingertips.

  “I’m always ready to show a bunch of pups who’s boss,” he asked.

  I could imagine the cat sidhe lord chasing a barghest up a tree. He’d do it on principle, if not for the sheer challenge of it. At least someone would be enjoying this fight.

  “Then let’s go wish Forneus luck, and hope this doesn’t blow up in our faces,” I said.

  “It wouldn’t be a proper fight without bloodshed, Princess,” he said.

  “That’s what I’m afraid of,” I said.

  If Forneus and Benmore failed to destroy Yue Fei and his rogue vampires, and my plan to rout the Wild Hunt from the city’s population dense downtown failed, there’d be more bloodshed to come. Perhaps more bloodshed than the world had seen in hundreds of years. The only consolation was that we wouldn’t be around long enough to see the bloodsuckers, and my mother, take over the world.

  Small comfort that.

  Chapter 38

  I’d worried that the night might end with us all on our knees before Herne and his hounds. What I hadn’t prepared myself for was finding Forneus in that position before my best friend.

  “Good, you’re finally here,” he said. “You do know how to keep a man waiting.”

  “And you know how to create a dramatic moment,” I muttered, but a smile tugged at my lips.

  I may never understand what Jinx sees in Forneus, but I couldn’t deny the fact that they were crazy about each other. With all of our lives on the line, emotions were high and the important things were brought into focus. If Forneus wanted to make a declaration of love and commitment on the eve of our potential demise, who was I to argue?

  Jinx looked dumbstruck as Forneus reached for her hand.

  “You’re…you…you didn’t drop something, did you?” she stuttered.

  “No, my dear,” he said. “But I did lose something the day we met. The moment I first saw you, you stole my heart. Though it is already yours, I wish now to give it willingly.”

  Forneus reached inside his jacket, and pulled out a small, crystalline box that seemed to glow from within. If that was a ring, it sure didn’t come from Tiffany’s.

  He opened the box to reveal a ring set with a ruby the size of a robin’s egg.

  “Will you restore the piece of my soul that I lost when I fell?” he asked. “Will you become my wings so I may be lifted up once more?”

  I’d always assumed that Forneus was a mere demon—a self-aggrandizing demon with delusions of grandeur, and enough titles to choke an ogre—but a demon nonetheless. But if his words were more than mere ceremony, then perhaps Forneus had once been more than a demon. It might explain his capacity for love.

  Who would understand love and its loss more keenly than one of The Fallen?

  Jinx sucked in a ragged breath, and started shaking her head. Forneus paled, but clung to Jinx’s hand, waiting for her reply. I held my breath. Was she going to refuse?

  “I didn’t steal your heart, you stole mine,” she said. Her lip quivered, but she pushed on, keeping her eyes locked with Forneus. “I was so afraid you’d try to steal my soul, I didn’t even notice you stealing my heart until I was completely in love with you.”

  “You do love me?” he asked. “A wretched demon? A creature of Hell?”

  “I don’t care what you are, or where you’re from,” she said. “We don’t choose our families, or how we come into this world.”

  I swallowed hard, a lump forming in my throat. Her words were for Forneus, but it was still a relief to hear them from my best friend’s lips.

  “You are not afraid of me stealing your soul?” he asked.

  Forneus slowly stood, and cupped her face with one hand, the fingers of his other hand still entwined with hers. Jinx pressed into his touch, and sighed.

  “If the threat is to set me aflame for all eternity, what’s there to be afraid of?” she asked.

  She moved closer, but he held her from him.

  “Is that a yes?” he asked. “Will you marry me, and grant me this one happiness?”

  “I’ll grant you more than one,” she said with a wink.

  He groaned, but held her in place.

  “Jinx…I must know,” he said. “Please do not make me beg.”

  “I like begging,” she said.

  “You will be the death of me,” he said.

  “Yes,” she said.

  “Yes?” he asked.

  “Yes, I will marry you,” she said. “But I want…”

  He drowned her words in a kiss, swallowing her murmured protest. Her hand fisted on his chest briefly, but quickly spread out and made its way to his waist. I blushed, suddenly wishing a barghest would attack and save me from watching my friends hump each other in the street.

  Torn coughed, and I cleared my throat.

  “Um, congratulations, you guys,” I said.

  “May you both find solace in one another to weather all storms,” Ceff said.

  Forneus and Jinx broke apart, and she smiled as he slipped the ruby ring on her finger.

  “Wow,” she said breathlessly. “That’s some ring.”

  She slowly moved away from Forneus, and ran a hand over her dress, though I noticed her eyes didn’t stray far from his.

  “I wish we could throw you two a party, but celebrations will have to wait,” I said.

  “We’ll celebrate with bloodshed,” Torn said, his claws extending and retracting.

  “And flame,” Forneus said, fire flickering along his fingertips.

  “Show offs,” I said, shaking my head. “Come on. Let’s get ready.”

  With one last heated kiss, Forneus strode away, leaving Jinx licking her lips with a sigh. I sent up a silent prayer, though I’m not sure the sense of praying for a demon. Who would hear that prayer? Lucifer? God? I wasn’t sure, but I wished him success against the rogue vampires.

  Yue Fei was no green initiate. He had centuries of battle experience, and the loyalty of well-trained warriors. Warrior samurai vampires—Oberon save us all.

  “Looks like we might have a double wedding, if we survive the night,” Torn said, pulling me from my dark thoughts.

  He sauntered off as if he hadn’t a care in the world, but I had to wonder if it was apathy or artifice. Torn had lived a long time. Even with his many conquests, it must be lonely to always be a man apart. He’d ruled the cat sidhe for decades, and wandered the world for centuries, but the closest he’d come to love was a tumultuous relationship with a kitsune queen that had ended so badly he refused to speak of it.

  How difficult was it for Torn to see us pairing off, and making plans for our futures?

/>   “What did he mean by double wedding?” Jinx asked.

  I cleared my throat, mouth going dry. I’d faced down monsters. I could give my friend the good news about my engagement to Ceff, right?

  Oberon’s eyes, I’d rather battle Herne with a nail file.

  “Um, about that…” I said, running a hand through my hair.

  “Oh my god,” she said, eyes wide. “Ceff proposed, didn’t he?”

  “Yes,” I said.

  “And you didn’t tell me?” she asked.

  She was trying to sound hurt, but the effect was somewhat diminished by the fact she was bouncing up and down, just like Sparky when he’d snuck into the kitchen and ate an entire bag of coffee beans.

  “I haven’t had a chance,” I said with a one armed shrug.

  “Well?” she asked. “What did you say?”

  “I said yes,” I said.

  I sighed, but couldn’t control the idiotic grin that took over my face.

  “You said yes?” she asked. “Oh my god, Ivy! You said yes. I said yes. We. Are. Getting. Married.”

  “Yes, well, don’t go planning any big parties just yet,” I said.

  “Double wedding,” she mouthed, and I groaned.

  Damn Torn and his meddlesome mouth. If I lived through the night, I’d be subjected to an even more terrifying battle—the battle over wedding plans. Death was beginning to sound better by the minute.

  Chapter 39

  Jinx kept up a never ending banter with mind-numbing wedding plan details, stopping only when we rounded the corner that ended the row of rusting warehouses.

  “Wow,” she gasped, hand going to her mouth.

  Wow, indeed.

  Master Janus and Ceff’s most trusted kelpie lieutenants had been busy putting my plan in place. Hunters were heavily armed, and assembled in small strike units. Alongside them, water fae flowed through the crowd. Their movements were fluid and graceful, but no doubt deadly.