Chapter Eight
Calyx
M y hands clasp in front of me as I wait for Cohen to make his appearance.
My night was going fine, but it took a turn toward strange. After more than a millennium of life in some form, I’ve seen nearly everything there is to see. Nothing holds that exciting zing anymore. Not when I’ve done everything there is to do.
In all honesty, I’m fairly sure there’s nothing for my kind after this existence. I’m too much of a coward to find out, and in some centuries, that’s all that’s kept me hanging on to the boring monotony of life.
Well, that and the thought of leaving my friends unprotected.
Cohen appears from nothing, and to my delight, he has the pretty fae wrapped up in his arms.
A slow smile crosses my face as he holds her to his chest with a hand on her ass and the other on her lower back.
I always knew he could do it if given the chance. I’ve never seen him woo a woman, but he’s got that sheltered, gentle energy that ladies can’t help but be attracted to.
Cohen is always a gentleman. I can’t wait to experience the joy of watching him court a woman. Is that still what the kids are calling it these days?
Anyway, I think he and Rogue will make a fine couple. If she’s my mate, she’ll have to accept my thrall as part of our bonding.
Speaking of the lovely fae, she’s looking a bit green.
I step forward, intending to help if she’s about to be sick. My magic is jarring for those who aren’t expecting it.
Her bright gray eyes meet mine, and my magic pulses with a yearning I’ve never experienced. It aches to cradle her in its touch, which is bizarre but not unwelcome. It’s as enamored as I am, which makes me practically giddy.
“I had a feeling that if I called for you, you’d bring a lovely surprise,” I say to Cohen.
The pretty fae’s head swivels, and she’s just as stunning as she was in the bar earlier. All I intended to do was to watch over Lorcan. He’s been playing a bit of a dangerous game with the council’s lackeys, but I stumbled upon something so much more interesting.
Someone, if you want to be exact.
“My apologies. I prefer to offer a warning before portaling, but our circumstances didn’t allow for that this time,” I say to hopefully break the ice. “The three of us need to have a chat, and I had to be sure the two of you weren’t followed.”
“Where are we?” Rogue asks, blinking repeatedly. “What happened?”
Her eyes sparkle in the low moonlight, and I lick my lips.
Gods, she is gorgeous.
“You arrived safely, and the three of us are overdue for a conversation,” I say, clapping and rubbing my hands together.
“Come along. The sithen will offer more comfort than being out here in the elements.” I gesture toward the newly formed home and head off before they can pepper me with questions I don’t have answers for.
“I’ve never been here, either, so I have no idea,” Cohen whispers from behind me as I lead my guests inside the mansion.
Okay, it’s currently a baby manor, but with time and nurturing, it will grow.
It’s a bit like a garden.
It only needs a little love and attention to blossom to its full capacity.
“What the hell was that?” Rogue croaks.
I spin around, my head tilting. “What do you mean?”
“I stepped over the threshold, and it zapped me.” The pretty fae points, rolling her bright gray eyes. “I’ve never felt anything like that. It was almost like the shock you get?—”
“That would be the house welcoming you.” I gesture over my shoulder to the living room. “Why don’t we have a seat?”
“Yeah, of course, that makes perfect sense. It was the house welcoming me with a couple hundred volts of electricity.” Rogue scoffs.
I grin, shaking my head.
Of course she’s feisty.
The universe would offer me no less in a mate.
Turning around, I shuffle into the living room and glance at the furniture and wall hangings.
When I entered earlier, it was bare.
It changed to accommodate my preferences, but I’m interested to see what happens now that the lady of the house is present.
I take a seat on the leather club chair, and Cohen and Rogue settle on the leather couch. My ass barely has a chance to attempt to form a groove before the chair melts from under me.
Luckily my magic comes to my aid, preventing me from landing against the wooden flooring.
The entire ambiance of the room changes as the house morphs to adjust to Rogue’s preferences.
Gone is the dark-brown leather furniture that suited my tastes. In its place is a lovely charcoal-gray fabric sectional with a lounger on each end. Apparently my chair interfered with her design choices.
Using my magic, I guide myself to the new matching club chair and settle against the plush, oversized cushion.
“What just happened?” Rogue glances between Cohen and me with a look of utter confusion plastered to her face.
Cohen isn’t in any better shape. His mouth opens and closes a bit like a fish out of water.
I chuckle. “That would be the sithen adjusting to account for your preferences.”
“The sithen?” Rogue repeats the word like she’s never heard it before.
“Yes,” I agree, nodding. “A fairy mound? Occasionally they’ve been known to transform into dwellings, such as the one we find ourselves in at the moment.”
“This is a fairy mound?” Cohen asks, tilting his head as he appraises the room. He loves anything unique or unknown, and I’m sure it will spark a hyperfixation as he learns all there is to be known about sithens.
“This is a physical manifestation of the energy that connects the human and the fae realm,” I clarify. “A portal, of sorts. Others might call it a way station, but only the keeper of the mound can determine who is or isn’t worthy of passing through the veil.”
“And that’s you?” my sweet fae asks. The wrinkling of her pert nose might indicate she’s having a hard time believing anything would deem me to be an accurate judge of character.
“I’m afraid not, princess.” I smirk, nodding toward her. “My ancestors may have roots in Faere, but my connection to it has worn so thin…” My head shakes. “No, the house doesn’t view me as its protector.”
“I’m so confused,” Rogue says, falling back against the couch cushions. “I’m just here to find out why the paranormal council wants you brought in.”
I chuckle as Cohen reaches over, offering her thigh a gentle pat. See, he’s got a natural charm without even trying. It’s in his nature to comfort those around him, and I believe he’ll be a decent buffer between Rogue and me until she can grow comfortable with me.
“It could be a wide variety of reasons,” I say to get myself back on track. “I’ve been called upon over the centuries to fix any number of the council’s mistakes.”
Although that is slightly misleading.
I have a feeling I know what the issue is, but I do have a flare for dramatics. Revealing pieces of the puzzle as we go will keep up her interest. If I play my cards right, it will also give me a little extra time to woo my mate.
“That wasn’t the feeling I got when I was assigned your case,” the fae princess says, giving me a pointed look.
“Yes, well, something very dear to me was stolen during our voyage to America,” I say, in turn looking at Cohen. He knows what was taken and how valuable it is.
In the wrong hands, my phylactery can wreak havoc. It only imparts a sliver of my magic on whoever physically controls the jar, but even that is enough to cause turmoil. Not to mention the whole if someone kills me, I resurrect nearby my phylactery thing.
As my body reforms, it’s the most vulnerable I ever am.
If someone were to destroy my phylactery and my new vessel before my consciousness reanimated the body, I’d be cooked.
Essentially, I would cease to exist.
Or perhaps even more terrifying a thought, I could be a spectre. Forced to roam the human realm with no physical form. No, none of that sounds appealing in the least.
Especially when the universe has finally decided to grace me with a gift in the form of my other half.
“I heard the men who were following us call you a lich.” Rogue licks her pretty pink lips, and my cock takes notice. “That’s one species I’m completely unfamiliar with.”
Cohen chokes on his own spit.
A dangerous smile crosses my face. “Is that right?”
“Are you going to impart some details on your species?” the fae asks with a huff.
“Or should I do a quick internet search? I know a reaper I could call.” She grins right back, and it’s an equally cutting smile.
“He’s ancient. Wraith has a wealth of information about every kind of supernatural there is. ”
“Name dropping knowing a reaper.” I can’t help the chuckle that escapes my lips. “Do I frighten you, princess?”
“I would like to know why you keep calling me that,” she grinds out, ignoring my question.
Ahh, that would be because my vision of her in the bar was very enlightening.
It deemed it necessary to show me her full lineage, all the way back to her roots in Faere.
I know all about how Rogue’s mother was supposed to rule Faere, only the throne passed to her younger sister.
Rogue’s father is a prince who ruled over Spring Court for a time before handing things off to his younger brother.
Leaning forward in my chair, I stretch an arm out and extend my tattooed hand. “If you interlock your fingers with mine, I’ll be happy to show you what I saw during our vision at the bar.”
“You have the power to recall visions?” Rogue asks, untangling her crossed arms. “I still don’t understand how you saw me. I was there several hours after you—” Her words cut off as I push our palms together, weaving my fingers between hers.