Dark Alpha's Embrace (13 page)

A Fae wouldn’t have needed magic. A mortal wouldn’t have been able to handle the dose of magic used. A half-Fae could only take so much before the mortal part of it shut down completely.

“She’ll be fine,” Talin whispered.

Both Talin and Baylon had been saying that for hours, but no one believed it. Even Eoghan looked upon River with worry on one of his many passes.

When River read the last sentence of the thirtieth book, Kyran grabbed it from her and closed it, setting the book on the table with the others. He turned and found River already standing with a smile on her face.

Then her lids fell shut and she crumpled. Kyran easily caught her up in his arms before she hit the floor and strode from the library to her cavern.

Once there, he used magic to pull back the covers and remove her boots before he laid her upon the bed. Kyran pulled the covers up, then he leaned down and kissed her forehead.

When he turned, Eoghan stood in the doorway. Kyran glanced at River’s sleeping form. “I’m worried.”

Eoghan gave a small shake of his head before he walked to River’s side and rested the back of his hand upon her forehead. After a moment, he looked at Kyran and gave a thumbs-up. As if that was supposed to make everything all right.

Kyran followed him out, asking, “What’s that mean?”

Eoghan held up his thumb again and added a nod.

Kyran moved in front of him to block Eoghan. “Are you telling me she’ll be all right?”

In answer, Eoghan gave a single nod.

Kyran let out a breath. “I gave her a lot of magic, but she’s strong.”

Eoghan merely stared at him.

“I know, I know. It’s absurd to fret so. She’s half-Fae. Each holds a different Fae aspect. I’ve seen her fight. She moves like a Fae. But we’ve never given so much magic to a half-Fae before.”

There was no response from Eoghan. He merely slapped Kyran on the shoulder and walked around him.

To take his mind off River, Kyran went looking for Cael and Fintan in the hopes they’d returned, but they weren’t in the caves.

“What is it?” Talin asked when he caught up with him.

Kyran didn’t want to tell Talin what he was going to do, but someone had to know in case things went bad. “I’m going to see my family.”

“What?” Talin shouted in shock. His hand landed on Kyran’s arm, jerking him to a stop. “What the fuck do you mean, you’re going to see your kin?”

“They’re the ones who’ve been hunting River’s family. I’m going to make sure they stop.”

Talin stared at him for a long moment with a mixture of alarm and concern. Then he ran a hand down his face. “You know you can’t see them. It’s one of the rules Death gave us. No contact.”

“I have to do this.”

“Death will kill you. Or throw you in the Netherworld.” Talin blew out a breath. “I know why you want to do this.”

Kyran highly doubted that. “Do you?”

“Aye,” Talin said, his gaze narrowed slightly. “You care for River, probably more than you should. You want to fix things for her, especially since it’s your kin causing her so much pain. But you can’t.”

He looked at Talin more closely. Had the time his friend spent at the Light court wooing a certain Fae affected him?

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Talin said. “It vexes me.”

Kyran ground his teeth together at that word. “Did you fall for the Light Fae Cael wanted you to seduce?”

“How the hell did this come back to me? We’re talking about you.”

“Now we’re talking about you.”

Talin snorted loudly. “I don’t think so. You want to get out of talking about what you shouldn’t be doing by turning this on something you think I’m doing or not doing.”

“I’m not.”

“You’re vexed.”

Kyran wanted to strangle Talin. “I am now. Stop using that word.”

“If you go, I’m going with you.”

Kyran closed his eyes in an effort to remain calm. He knew Talin was looking out for him, but what Kyran had to say to his family wasn’t for anyone else to hear.

When he looked up at Talin, he was in control once more. “Nay.”

“You won’t be able to stop me. Besides, Cael told you to stay here and protect River. What will she think when she wakes and finds you gone?”

“I intend to be back long before then.”

Talin scrunched up his face. “Why? So River can see Death kill you for disobeying one of her rules. She spared Baylon. Do you really want to test her again so soon?”

Damn Talin for making a good point. Kyran didn’t want to die, but he couldn’t stand there and not do something about his family.

“We go using glamour,” Talin said. “You get to confront your family without letting them know it’s you, and I’ll be just another Dark watching your back.”

It wasn’t how Kyran had wanted to do this, but it was the right way to do it. “All right. Be warned though. Don’t trust anything you see or hear from my family.”

“The way your face darkens each time you speak of them already vexes me.”

Kyran let out a growl of frustration. “Say it one more time and I’ll hit you.”

Talin merely laughed in response.

Chapter Sixteen

Cael arrived back at the caves in a foul mood. The Nighttails were as atrocious as he’d expected. And just as Fintan said, they couldn’t get close enough to learn anything.

Until Cael used glamour to get inside.

Within the confines of the Nighttail house, Cael couldn’t wait to get out. Evil fairly bled from the walls. How anyone living with such maliciousness every day could manage not to be as vindictive as the monarch of that family boggled his mind.

Yet the youngest Nighttail daughter had done just that.

Cael stood in the large cavern quietly going over everything in his mind from gaining entrance into the house, to speaking to Nolan, the head of the Nighttail family, to learning the darkest secret of the family.

“How’d you do it?” Fintan asked.

Cael had forgotten he was there. He faced Fintan and smiled. “I told Nolan exactly what he wanted to hear. I led him to believe he was the greatest Dark who ever lived, and that he ran his family exactly as a Dark should.”

“You fed his ego,” Fintan said with a grin.

“Nolan isn’t as tough as he lets everyone believe. Men like him are all the same. They want their egos stroked.”

Fintan flattened his lips. “That’s all it took to get him to divulge family secrets?”

“It took a little more finesse,” Cael said with a grin. “Let’s find the others, and I’ll fill everyone in.”

He turned and Erith was suddenly standing before him. This time her black dress faded to gold from her knees down. It plunged deep at the front, giving him a glimpse of the swells of her breasts—and made his balls tighten in response.

“You need to find Kyran and Talin immediately,” she stated.

Cael frowned at her words. “They’re here.”

“No,” she said. “They went to Kyran’s family.”

Fintan growled, then said, “Fuck. I knew he’d do it.”

Cael pointed to Fintan and said, “Remain here. Don’t leave until I return.”

In a blink, Cael put his Dark glamour back in place and teleported to the Dark side of the Fae realm and the Lightslayer clan. Despite both Kyran and Talin using glamour to disguise themselves, Cael was able to pick them out.

He appeared in front of them as they approached the large mansion that used to be Kyran’s home.

“Fuck,” Kyran mumbled.

Talin jumped back before running into Cael. “I do believe he’s vexed, Kyran.”

“No shit,” Kyran replied.

Cael looked from one to the other. “You know you can’t be here.”

“I have to do this,” Kyran said. “I disguised myself.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

Kyran moved closer until they stood nose to nose. “It does. And you know why. All of that, and then to learn it’s my fucked-up family who has been hunting and killing River’s? I have to do this.”

Cael swallowed and looked away. He understood why Kyran felt such a need. Cael would as well in his place, but that still didn’t change anything.

“None of them will know it’s him,” Talin said. “The whole point of Death wanting us to stay away from our families was so they didn’t know it was us.”

“I know exactly what my rules mean,” Erith said from behind them.

Cael wondered how long she’d been there. She wouldn’t look at him, however. Her gaze was locked on Kyran as she walked around him to stand next to Cael.

“May I plead my case?” Kyran asked.

Death inclined her head.

Kyran looked at the house and grimaced. “I never wanted to see this place again. I never want to see anyone in my family again. After what they did to me, I chose not to be a part of them even before I was killed.”

“Then why come now?” Erith asked.

Cael couldn’t take his gaze off Death. Anyone looking her way would see just another Dark female. But Cael was used to seeing her long, wavy black hair and lavender eyes.

It was disturbing to see her disguised, with the thick stripes of silver in her hair and the red eyes that were focused on Kyran, as if Cael didn’t exist at all.

Why had she sent him if she planned to come herself? Or was this some test? Neither pleased him.

Kyran took a deep breath and met Death’s gaze. “My family has done enough damage. They need to be stopped. I know them. I know when they issue false promises.”

“Now isn’t the time,” Erith said. “Return to the caves. Now.”

With that, she disappeared.

Cael put a hand on Kyran’s arm when he tried to walk around him. “You heard Death.”

“I’m right here,” Kyran argued. “It won’t take me long.”

“Now isn’t the time,” Cael repeated Erith’s words.

Talin grimaced. “Cael, let him do this.”

Cael looked at each of them. “I learned a long time ago to read into Death’s words.
Now
isn’t the time. She didn’t say you couldn’t, Kyran, only not now.”

“All right,” Kyran said, and teleported away.

Talin blew out a breath. “We need to watch him. He’ll confront them.”

“I know,” Cael said.

But Kyran wouldn’t be alone. Cael would be with him.

*   *   *

River woke and simply lay upon the bed unmoving. All thirty books were translated. The Reapers had no more use of her. There was no reason to remain in the caves.

And that made her feel so wretched that tears stung her eyes.

She didn’t want to leave. For once in her life she wasn’t worried about a Dark hunting and killing her. She knew with the Reapers she was safe.

The burden of hiding and pretending had fallen away. She hadn’t realized what a heavy load it was until it was gone. How could she go back to her life before? She couldn’t. She wouldn’t.

Even if Kyran did manage to stop the Dark family from hunting her, she’d never really believe she was free. The moment she let her guard down is when they would strike. Kyran might stop one Dark family, but he couldn’t stop them all.

The only way for River to make sure this ended was to remain as detached as ever. She was never having children, so she didn’t have to worry about the curse falling upon another’s shoulders.

River rolled onto her back. Out of the corner of her eye she saw movement and gasped when she turned her head and spotted a woman so breathtakingly beautiful, there were no words to describe her.

“Hello, River,” she said with a softening of her lips at the corners.

“Hello.”

River gazed into lavender eyes and knew this woman was much more than a Fae. The fact she was in the caves must mean the Reapers allowed her inside.

The woman walked around the foot of the bed and stopped. River spotted an ebony lace and silk gown draped along the woman’s petite form. Her jet black hair matched the gown so perfectly, they blended together.

“Do you know who I am?” she asked.

River shook her head as she sat up to lean against the iron headboard. “No.”

“My name is Erith, though many know me by my other name—Death.”

River’s mouth parted in shock.
This
was Death? This magnificent, tiny individual ruled the Reapers? Then River looked past the beauty and saw the spine of steel, the determination in Erith’s gaze. Yes, this woman was certainly Death, because who else would dare to take on such a role?

“I wasn’t expecting a visit,” River said.

Erith stood elegantly. “I thought it’d be better if you and I spoke alone before the lads knew.”

“All the books are translated.”

She held up a hand to stop River. “I never had a doubt you would translate them. That’s not why I’m here.”

“Oh.” River wondered if this was when Death would send her away. Would she be able to say good-bye to Kyran? She really hoped so.

“Tell me, River, what do you see in your future?”

Future? Was Death joking? River looked for a smile, a hint that Erith wasn’t serious, but there was nothing. “More of what I’ve had.”

“Really? That’s all you see?” Death said with a hint of surprise.

River shrugged. “I’m the last of my family. I’m going to be the one to ensure that the Dark can’t hunt us anymore.”

“That’s an admirable plan, but it’s going to be a little difficult.”

“I’ve made sure of it.”

“Until Kyran.”

For the second time in minutes, River was astonished into silence.

Death walked around the bed and placed her hand on River’s stomach. “Yes, my dear, you’re carrying Kyran’s child.”

River wasn’t sure how to feel. There was excitement at the prospect of having a life growing inside her that was a part of Kyran.

Then she remembered what it was to be born into her family.

“Do you trust Kyran?” Erith asked, removing her hand.

River put her hands protectively over her stomach. “Yes.”

“Then have faith that he’ll take care of the Dark hunting your family.”

“Then I’ll be safe?”

A black brow rose. “I didn’t say that. There’s still Bran, and he’s intelligent enough to figure out what part you play in all of this. He’ll be coming for you.”

“Then I’ll be ready.”

“
We’ll
be ready,” she corrected.

River swallowed. “Are you angry about Kyran and me?”

Death resumed her spot at the foot of the bed. “You know why I put those rules in place, don’t you?”