Page 43 of Against the Veil (Endangered Fae #3)

“Sorry, Sarge.” Jasper ducked his head and managed a rueful smile. “Werewolf scent isn’t real comfy for me, either.”

“Still getting used to the whole thing myself.” Zack motioned to him, then held his hands out, palm up. “C’mere. Hands on top of mine.”

Jasper complied, obviously puzzled.

“Push down. Hard as you can. Attaboy. No pain? No twinges? Good job. Arms over your head. Okay, down and twist from the waist. Perfect. Nothing?”

“Nope. Right as rain.” Jasper smiled up at him, too damned sincere for words.

His instincts yelled at him that Nate was right. Jasper was a gentle, honest soul. Zack leaned back against the counter, arms crossed over his chest. “Okay, here’s the deal. Our man Nate says you want to help. Great. Perfect. But first I need to know what you think we’re doing here?”

“Um, stopping the bad guys?”

“Maybe a couple. But, no, we can’t think of it that way. This is a rescue mission.”

Jasper nodded enthusiastically. “To rescue your boyfr—Prince Lugh.”

“Hell, yeah. But also to rescue Diego Sandoval and everyone with him. You need to understand that, or you stay the hell here.”

“Yes, sir.” The boy chewed a thumbnail. “I get it. I mean, Nate told me what happened to Mr. S. Damn shame, if you ask me. And Theo…”

“Yes? Theo?”

“Theo thinks he’s Batman or some junk. But he’s…he’s…not bad .”

“Exactly. You got it. Rescue and retrieval. That’s what we’re aiming for.” Zack pointed a finger at Jasper’s chest. “I’m counting on you to get us where we need to go once we’re in and to give me some intel. And to stay out of the way if things get nasty. Still in?”

Jasper’s blue eyes were wide enough to serve as fae bathing pools but he said softly, “You bet I am.”

The vamp from Houston proceeded to tell him there were twelve people left at the asylum, thirteen if one counted Lugh, that the kids all had sleeping space set up in the old common room except for Theo and Lila, who needed to get away from other people sometimes.

Diego had one of the old doctor’s consultation offices up on the third floor as his room and headquarters.

Jasper drew a crude map as he explained, apologizing for his lack of drafting ability.

He’d been a waiter in his former life, studying to be a pastry chef, not a civil engineer.

“Any odd magical abilities we haven’t seen yet?”

“Guess y’all have seen Magnus, huh?”

“Yeah. Him. And telekinetic girl.”

“Tele—pardon?”

“Moves stuff with her mind. Big stuff.”

“Oh, Emily.”

Zack cringed. Bad enough his adversaries were so young, but now he had names for a good portion of them. Rescue and retrieval, Morrison, just like you told the kid. “Right. Besides those two.”

Jasper lifted one shoulder in a half-shrug. “Mostly, it’s stuff like that. Moving things. Breaking things. Though Callie can only move water and Auden talks to plants.”

“Talks. To plants.” Zack’s voice came out flat and dry in his confusion.

“Guess I should say they listen to him. Lots of folks talk to plants. But Auden gets them to do stuff.”

“Huh. Definitely a new one.” Not one of the ones we have to worry about, though, since we’ll be indoors.

Zack planted his fists on the table and pushed himself up.

“Thanks, Jasper. Let me process all this while you go get some rest, and I do mean rest. Don’t even think about tiring Nate out, either, hear me? ”

“Yes, sir.” Jasper ducked his head, pale skin gaining just a hint of pink.

“Like him, huh?”

Peeking up from under his fall of red hair, Jasper spoke softly, his tone hinting at too much experience mixed painfully with optimism.

“Yeah. I…I know some of it’s a rescuer thing.

I’m not stupid. He stopped to dig me out of the rubble with his own hands, carried me out in his arms. Stayed by me to make sure I wasn’t scared.

So, sure. He’s my hero.” His head came up a fraction more. “But I like him ’cause he’s Nate, too.”

“Not judging, kiddo. Just be nice to each other, okay?”

The sweet smile came back full wattage. “Yes, sir.”

When Jasper had wandered out, Zack sipped his coffee, staring out of the window at the garden’s central fountain. Nice kid. Too damn nice for all this. All those kids downstairs are.

Most likely, some of Diego’s other minions were good kids, too. What the hell were they going to do about all of them once it was over?

“So and so.” Finn bounced on the balls of his feet, a barely contained, tightly wrapped bundle of anxious energy. “Is Balor coming? Do we wait until full dark? Should we all be armed? How will they know where to make the door? They’ve never been there, how will they know?”

“Deep breaths, bud.” Zack gave him a quick, one-armed squeeze and steered him out into the garden where everyone had begun to gather.

“I can’t answer a damn thing if you keep spouting a hundred questions.

No, Balor stays here to help Danu shield the island.

The last thing we want is to allow Diego easy access across the Veil right now.

No, I don’t think we need the dark. No, don’t you even think about talking Marcus into lending you a gun.

Hell, no. And last—I have an idea about that. ”

“Zack…”

“Yeah?”

“I think I’m about to be very sick.”

He gave Finn a gentle shove toward thick evergreen shrubs. “Then go puke your heart out, hon. You’ll feel better after.”

The young coven huddled near the fountain, talking in low, urgent tones. Kara’s frown threatened thunder and lightning. Will looked positively miserable.

“What’s all this?”

Will opened his mouth to answer, then shook his head on a hard swallow. Brandon tucked him under one large arm and spoke for him. “Sorry, Sarge. Will’s all upset.”

“I can see that.”

“We thought we could find a picture of Heersford if we looked hard enough. Something to focus on to get the door to open in the right spot. We were so sure we could find it since we knew the county and the location. Figured there had to be a shot somewhere online, some photographer who thought it was a cool pic.”

“Nothing, huh?”

“Not one freaking thing.” A muscle in Brandon’s jaw twitched. “We can’t do this, Sarge. Will can’t do it. Not if he doesn’t know where the hell we’re aiming for.”

“I think it’ll be okay.”

“How?” Will forced out in a tortured whisper.

“Look at me, kiddo. You, too, Minky. Do you think you can include me in your circle? Use what’s happening in my mind to guide you?”

Minky blinked up at him, dark eyes owl-round, a habit he’d realized meant she was processing hard. “I think…maybe. But you’ve never been there either.”

Zack shot her a grin. “No, I haven’t. But I’ve got a man on the inside and a direct connection.”

Nate grabbed his arm. “You talked to the prince? You can talk to him, mind to mind?”

“I can. It’s something we had on a spotty, on and off basis before, but after my little life-changing encounter, it’s been getting steadier and more reliable. He couldn’t reach me before last night because of a steel collar. Apparently, Theo thought he wasn’t looking so good and took it off.”

“Not realizing the prince would call home,” Kara said on a sharp laugh.

“How did he sound?” Nate asked, his brow furrowed.

“Honestly? Tired. Exhausted and sick. But still himself.” Zack reeled his emotions back in fast. This wasn’t the time to dwell on how bad off Lugh might be.

“Will, if I contact him and you all are connected to me, do you think we can get there then? Lugh and I have done it, me guiding him to where I am.”

“I…don’t know. None of us have ever connected mind to mind before.”

“Willing to try? ’Cause I have this weird intuition that if any of you can do it, Minky can.”

“Me?”

“Pooka blood. All the fae keep saying it. It’s one of the things Finn’s best at, long-distance comm links.”

Brandon shrugged. “Great. I mean, what the hell have we got to lose?”

That diminutive, pixie-like face turned up to scowl at her large friend. “Bran…”

“Not being a jerk.” He held up both hands defensively. “Honest. They all say you’re different, so it could work, right?”

Minky looked away first, still blinking. “I guess we should try it then, huh?”

“It’s not so difficult,” Finn whispered in her ear, certainly for her ears only but Zack couldn’t help overhearing.

Finn put a hand on her shoulder. It shouldn’t have been possible, but her eyes grew even wider. He turned her to face him and he winked at her when she giggled. “There, you see? Only slightly harder than swimming downstream.”

“You heard him?” Zack asked. “In your head?”

She shot Finn a shy smile. “Yeah. I did.”

“And what was so funny?”

Finn pursed his lips, positively prim. “That, my dear sergeant, is between my granddaughter and me.”

“Pardon me, your pookaness. So you think it’ll work?”

“I will guide Minky. She will bespeak William. Have a bit of faith in me.”

Zack patted his shoulder, glad that Finn’s nerves were settling down to business. “Ever since you rose from the dead, I’ve had nothing but faith in you.”

“You were dead?” Minky asked in a hushed voice.

“Declared dead.” Finn shrugged. “One of the many reasons I mistrust human doctors.”

The back door to the embassy opened and Faolchú wandered out with his arm slung around Nathair’s shoulders, looking altogether too pleased with himself. The breeze carried a definite hint of sex to Zack’s oversensitive nose. Guess everyone has their own way of dealing with nerves.

With the troops beginning to gather, Zack went to Faolchú to consult while the coven decided on the best placement of all the principles needed for door construction.

Jasper wandered out in dark glasses and a wide-brimmed hat someone must have found for him.

Morrigan was suddenly just…there. Kevin and Marcus came around the side of the embassy, probably just off the ferry ride from their apartment on the mainland.

His suggestion that he take another pair of security staff since Kevin had been roughed up more than once during this little disaster had been met with grim stares.