Page 10

“Ambassador?” Extinguisher Gavin Sloane came up to me holding a small device.

“Fuck,” I muttered.

It had been two hours, and the Demon hadn't returned to the vex house or his vampire hunter headquarters. Now, we knew why.

“Yeah, I'm sorry. We swept the area, but we rushed it because you warned of incoming threats. I just did another more thorough pass and found this set into the base of a lamp. It was a good job, would have missed it without my locator.”

“He's been watching us this whole time.” Killian took the tiny camera from the extinguisher. “Probably having a good laugh.”

“Well, now he knows about your psychometry.” I pulled out my scry phone. “King Astaroth of Hell.”

The little slice of enchanted crystal filled with mist. It didn't clear up, even when Star answered, since he used his letaq.

“Yes, Seren?” Star drawled.

“We found a camera,” I said.

Star cursed. “You just now found it?”

“They rushed the search because I told them the Demon might show up. The extinguishers just did another sweep and—”

The thunderous landing of something large, black, and very pissed off came from the backyard, cutting off my words.

Fairies and extinguishers ran for the backdoor as I gaped out the window at a scene straight out of a horror flick. The murderous monster had crouched into the landing, his wings outspread. As he straightened, he pulled them in against his back, their clawed tips glinting in the moonlight. More claws gleamed as his fingers curled and when he lifted his head, his bared fangs also caught the moonlight.

Terror was carved into that face. Primal brow bones created a subtle ridge that swept up to points at his temples and down at the center, becoming the long bridge of his nose. It emphasized the glowing gold eyes that zeroed in on me. As if all of that wasn't chill-inducing enough, his cheekbones were pronounced too—twin blades that slashed up to mimic the ridge of his brow. And the monster's skin was black. As black as a starless night. Which was the perfect time for him to hunt. And with one look, I knew who tonight's prey was. The Unseelie King had come for me.

The only thing keeping me from laleking to safety was the fact that the monster was my husband.

“Fuck,” Killian muttered. “Just . . . fuck.”

“Seren?” Star's voice jolted me out of my trance.

I jerked the scry phone back up and with my stare locked on the Unseelie King, said, “I'm gonna have to call you back.”

“What? Why?”

“Fucking Raza is here,” Kill said. “Gotta go, dude.” He swiped the crystal for me, ending the call. “Babe, you do not want Raza to catch you on the phone with Star.”

“Yeah,” I murmured as I watched Raza get waylaid by the fairy hunters.

Most hunter teams were mixed as far as fey courts went, but in some places where the hunters needed to blend in with the locals, they filled the teams with the fairies of that region. And Thailand was Unseelie territory. Craos-Teine, where Raza and I lived in Unseelie, stood on land that aligned with Papua New Guinea on Earth. That was a bit of a journey from Thailand. Unless you considered the raths. Raza must have taken a rath from Craos-Teine and then one to Earth. Wherever that rath was, I assumed it still wasn't close enough since he had flown the last stretch. Hopefully, Raza had spent most of that flight under a glamour. But I wasn't going to hold my breath. Not with him in a foul mood.

That's what spun through my mind as I watched Lady Malai bow deeply to her king and welcome him to Thailand. Seeing her complete lack of surprise made it all click into place. She had scried Raza.

“She must have overheard us talking about Star,” Kill said.

I finally looked at him. “Ya think?”

“Hey, don't get pissy with me. I told you to scry them. This is all you, babe.” Kill smacked his hands together. “I'm wiping my hands of it.”

I grimaced at him.

“Seren!” Raza growled. Even though he hadn't shouted, it felt as if he had, his voice rolling through the wall to vibrate in my chest.

I looked up to see my Dragon-Djinn husband stalking toward the house. “Shit.”

Then the worst possible thing happened. Star appeared.

I gaped from him to Raza. “Oh, fuck.”

“Seren, what's going on?” Star demanded. “Is everything . . .” He followed my stare to Raza. “Ah, you've scried them.”

“No, my wife did not scry me. Lady Malai of the Wild Hunt did,” Raza declared, confirming my suspicions as he entered the living room. He was so enormous that his presence made the room feel crowded even though it was spacious. Dressed in layers of black leather, head-to-toe, he looked ready for battle, and the crack of his wicked wings closing was like a call to war. That illusion deepened when the fairy hunters fell into formation behind him.

“Bitch move,” I said to Lady Malai.

She met my stare without flinching. “My loyalty is first and foremost to my king.”

“Not when you're hunting.” I pointed at her. “Then it's to the mission. That's the whole fucking point of the Wild Hunt. And I know you made a vow—”

“Seren!” Raza snarled.

“Nope!” I swung my finger to point it in Raza's face.

“Bold move,” Killian murmured. As he backed away.

“Don't fucking come at me like this.” I stepped closer to Raza. “Someone who didn't have all the information, nor the right to pass it on, tattled to you like a fucking child. Then you listened to her and took her words as fact.”

“Because I didn't get any facts from my wife!” He lowered his head.

“I didn't have time to scry you. I'm on a mission and that comes first.”

“ We come first!” Raza swooped in, his wings exploding outward to push Star and Killian even further away. “We always come first, Wife ! That was the agreement when you said you wanted to return to this work. And you seem to have forgotten it.”

“Uh-uh. You don't even know what you're talking about, babe. So don't get up in my face!” I shoved him back. “And don't give me shit over some gossip that you haven't even verified!”

Raza's menacing golden eyes went wide, his whole body did—arms and wings spreading as he stared at me. “Who are you?”

Good question. I took stock, checking the horrified expressions on everyone's faces, especially Killian's, then looked back at Raza. “Yeah. Fair enough. But I could ask you the same question.” I waved at him. “What the fuck, Raza? You couldn't have scried? You had to come flying in like the fucking Creeper from Jeepers Creepers ?”

“Oh, I can totally see that.” Kill nodded. “Is that what he's called? The Creeper?”

“Yeah.” I glanced at Kill.

He started singing the song.

Raza slowly swung his head toward Killian.

The song abruptly ended.

Raza swung his head back to me.

“He has wings,” I said, as if that explained it. Then I waved in the air limply. “Never mind. It was a dramatic entrance. Points for that. But it's also my point. It was unnecessary, and it got my dander up. You've basically made a scene at my work.”

“Seren, I am barely containing my rage,” Raza's voice dropped into a low, I'm-gonna-get-to-murderin'-soon range. “If you don’t start explaining why you failed to scry me after discovering Demons were involved in your mission, I will tear this fucking house apart! ” he ended with a roar.

The only one who didn't jerk away was Star, who only lifted a brow. I have to admit that impressed me. Killian was halfway across the room. But that was only because Kill knew Raza wouldn't hurt me. Not physically.

“Fine!” I snapped, relief flooding me. Raza didn't know about the Anu thing, only the Demon thing. Which made sense. The hunters hadn't been around for Anu's visit, and neither the extinguishers nor vexes were going to gossip with them. Which meant that lady hunter had even less reason to go whispering in my husband's ear. “Come with me.” I took Raza's hand and led him into the corridor, then into a bedroom. We'd put on enough of a performance.

After shutting the door, I turned to confront my husband . . . and got snatched up by the Unseelie King. Raza took my upper arms in his clawed hands and jerked me forward. I thought he was going to snap at me again, but he laid one on me. I stiffened at first, startled by his response. Then I melted. It was impossible to be kissed by Raza and not melt into a gooey puddle of hormones. Djinn were made for seduction, and my husband was the ultimate of Djinns.

Raza's grip gentled when I slid my hands up his solid chest and over his broad shoulders. Those deadly claws, so ready to tear and rend, grazed me through my shirt as he slid his hands from my arms to my back. Then he pulled.

Pressed up against that vast expanse of dragon muscle, I lost all thought but one— I love this man . I sank into that love with the ease of someone who had dove into those waters many, many times. They were warm and familiar. I knew every emotional pebble that lined the bottom of our lake. Every grain of sand upon the shore. We had put them there together, building a love that nothing could evaporate.

Except for maybe me.

I eased out of our kiss, coming back to cold reality as I remembered my other mission—the one involving Star. “I'm sorry I didn't scry you immediately, but we agreed that you guys stayed out of things if the mission involved humans.”

“And then you discovered a Demon was behind it.”

“Which means calling in Star,” I said gently. “I only call you in when it involves fairies . In your case, Unseelie Fey.”

Raza blinked. Frowned. “I don't believe that's . . . shit.”

“Yeah, babe. It may not be how you took it, but that's how I understood it.” Mostly. It was how I was interpreting our agreement now, at least. And I was glad for the wriggle room. “Doesn't it make sense that I wouldn't involve you unless you were needed?”

“But I want to be here,” Raza's voice dropped into a whine, and I knew I'd won.

“I know, babe.” I took his hand. “That's why we had to have that conversation. But it doesn't make sense for the King of Unseelie to come on a mission involving humans and Demons.”

“The Wild Hunt is here.”

“Only because the Coven made a stink and insisted on it. It's an alliance thing. They want the full support of both Councils since it's their people who are being hunted.”

Raza grimaced.

“And I'm still pissed that a Lady of the Wild Hunt would break her vow as a hunter to tattle on me to my husband.”

His grimace deepened. “I see your point. Still, I can't help but be pleased by her loyalty.”

“Sure. It's great for you.” I rolled my eyes. Then I sighed. “But I'm glad you came.”

“You are?” His golden eyes gleamed as I led him to a bed.

“Sit down. I have to tell you something.”

The gleam vanished. “What's happened? Damn it all, Seren! Is there another reason you should have scried me?”

“Yes, but it wasn't urgent. I was going to wait until after the mission. No sense in upsetting all of you early.”

“Just tell me.”

“There was an argument between Kill and Star.”

Raza's eyes narrowed.

“You'd be proud of him. Kill said some badass things on your behalf.”

“Of course, he did. We are brothers of a sort.”

I grimaced at him.

“Go on.”

“You know why they fought. In the end, it was suggested that I contact Anu and ask him to release Star.”

Raza went still. “And did you?”

“Yes.” I took his hand.

“Son of a bitch,” Raza growled. “He refused?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Raza.”

“Why, Seren?!”

“We're supposed to . . . it's a destiny thing.”

Raza stared at me.

I held his stare.

“Destiny?” he finally whispered. “Even though there's already an alliance between Heaven and Hell?”

“Yes.”

“What else could Anu possibly want—” He stopped abruptly. “Oh.”

“Yes.”

“That's ridiculous.”

“What?”

“How would your having his children make any difference from a Demon bearing them?”

“You know how, Raza.”

“No. If Anu needed those children to be special, he could bless them.” He waved a clawed hand. “Or do whatever it is the God does with his children. He doesn't need you to be a broodmare. You've already supplied an heir for Heaven. Now, he wants you to do the same for Hell? This is ridiculous!”

Suddenly, my dedication faltered. Was Raza right? “But he said those children would never be born if I didn't have them.”

“Of course, they wouldn't. Not as your children. But that doesn't mean those souls wouldn't find a way into other bodies.” Raza cocked his head. “Has he gotten you wound up, mo shíorghrá? Anu is known to be a master manipulator.”

“I think you mean Danu.” I leaned back. “She's the one who manipulated us into marrying. Anu is only nudging Star.”

“Nudging?” Raza chuckled. “His nudging is just as bad as his sister's call. That's the reason we're putting up with him.”

Okay, that made me feel even worse. Was I being manipulated by the Gods? Again? If I was, it was turning me into a traitor.

“Mo shíorghrá.” Raza pulled me into his arms. “We come first. Remember that. You know I would tear down the worlds for you.”

“And I would set them on fire for you.”

Yeah, our romance was a little twisted. What can I say? We're weird like that.

“I love you,” he whispered. “You are my everything. Please, don't keep me in the dark again.”

“All right.” I leaned back to look at Raza. “I'll notify you when something changes, even if it doesn't involve Fairies.”

“Thank you. And the Star thing?”

“I don't know, Raza. I don't know what to do. He got me with the babies.”

Raza nodded, knowing me well. “I can see that. How about this? We let things play out and see what happens?”

“That's very vague.”

“I'm not saying you can feel free to follow your instincts with Star. Just that we see how things go.”

“Are we still going to help him?”

“Yes, of course. I'm not a monster.”

I chuckled.

“What?”

“Well, ten minutes ago, I said you looked like one.”

“Yes, you did.” He gave me his I-don't-approve face.

“Sorry, babe. Does it help that I found it sexy?”

His expression shifted instantly into a wicked grin. “Oh, very much.” He glanced at the bed.

“No!” I pointed at him as I stood up. “I still have a mission to finish. And just before you arrived, we found a camera.”

“A camera?” He stood up, his wings rustling as they disappeared. The changes kept going, with Raza shifting into his human guise—tawny skin, topaz eyes, softer features, and general movie star good looks. His large physique stayed mostly the same, shrinking just a fraction.

I scowled at him. “Raza.”

“What?”

“Don't 'what' me. You just shifted. That means you think you're staying.”

“Well, I'm already here, mo shíorghrá.”

I rolled my eyes and walked out.

“What about the camera?” Raza followed. “Seren? Seren, tell me about the camera.”