Deceiver's Bond: Book Two of A Clairvoyant's Complicated Life (48 page)

I frowned, fighting the stir of desire that threatened to muddle my thoughts, and considered it.

“I guess it depends on what you want from me—what you want from
this
,” I replied, tilting my head slightly as I considered him. “I have no claim on you. We’ve known each other two and a half days. You’re under no obligation to tell me
anything
. But if you want this to be more than just a fling—if you want things to work between us—then it means opening up and learning to trust one another.” I ran my hand up his arm and then peered into his eyes. “We’re still getting to know each other. That level of trust comes with time. So … yes. For now, I can let it be enough.”

He studied me before issuing the barest of nods. When he pulled me into his embrace, I went willingly.

Later that night, I drifted to sleep curled in Kieran’s arms. And, even though his dark secret gnawed at me, I felt completely protected and more content than I’d felt in weeks.

So complacent, in fact, that I forgot about Paimon.

I stood on the historic lodge’s cement patio, perched on the rim of Crater Lake’s roughly six mile in diameter caldera, and stared down at the deep blue water.

Apparently, Paimon wasn’t interested in breathtaking sights. The demon brooded at my side, completely ignoring the view in favor of scowling at me.

It leaned back against the patio’s railing, wearing the most handsome floor-length robe I’d ever laid eyes on. Cut to perfection, the vestment’s supple fabric shimmered with the creature’s movements like silvery-blue water flowing over time-smoothed rocks. The elaborate garment clung to its human form, emphasizing its broad shoulders and trim waist. Its dark-blonde hair reflected gold highlights in the afternoon sun, and, for a split-second, I thought it wore a crown.

The demon’s sensual mouth pursed to form an unforgiving line as it glared at me. “My mate, how many times must I save you before you begin to heed my warnings?”

“For the last time, I am not your mate.”

Paimon rolled its eyes toward the sky and sneered, “And I suppose Maeve’s lapdog—
the Deceiver
—is a better candidate?”

It leaned forward to pin me with its stern scowl. “He seeks to control your power for the benefit of the King. The power I risked everything to give you. And, now, he resorts to glamour. Yet you still consider
me
the enemy. Why?”

“You’re a demon.”
Duh.

“If you had strengthened our bond, you would know I am no such thing.”

I choked out a laugh. “Give me a break. I watched the Circle Murderer summon you from the demon realm, and then you tore him to shreds. You bound me with a blood pact to attain my soul and nearly succeeded in taking me to Hell. Clearly, you must be an angel,” I said, lacing that last bit with a truckload of sarcasm.

“No. I am a sidhe. But until now, my past had been lost to me.”

“Right,” I said, drawing it out like Dr. Evil. “It just gets better and better, doesn’t it?”

The muscles of the demon’s jaw twitched as it ground its teeth. It hadn’t yet clenched its hands into fists, but I figured it was just a matter of time unless I eased up on the snark.

It faced me head-on. “Let me ask you something important. And do consider your answer carefully before speaking.” It narrowed its eyes and gave me a pointed stare. “I have spoken of many things during our time together. Taking into account all that I’ve said—have I lied to you,
even once
?”

I didn’t need to consider my answer because it was something I’d been puzzling over for a while. “No,” I admitted.

“And many of these truths sounded preposterous at the time, but you later confirmed their veracity. Did you not?”

I sighed. “Yes.”

“My true name. Say it.”

In spite of knowing there was no harm in uttering it inside a dream, I whispered, “Tíereachán.”

“Yes. I am the Amhaín’s son. Thanks to your touch and your blood, I have remembered a great many things.”

For a moment, I simply blinked. “Let me get this straight. Not only are you a sidhe, but you’re a sidhe
prince
?”

Tíereachán returned my look of incredulity with a raised eyebrow.

I slapped my palm to my forehead and massaged. “Has it occurred to you that I’d have an easier time believing this shit if you told me things that aren’t completely ludicrous?”

I didn’t wait for its or, rather,
his
answer. With no grace whatsoever, I stomped to the nearest patio table and snapped, “Fine. Since,
for the moment
, I’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt …” I jerked my index finger at the nearest chair and commanded, “Sit your butt down and spill.”

He eyed me with an amused yet covetous stare and glided to the table. I scowled at him, annoyed that his expression affected me in ways I absolutely did not want to consider. While he smoothly settled into the chair across from me, my traitorous libido noticed that he looked arrestingly masculine, despite wearing what was essentially a long dress. Before I started to drool, I mentally slapped myself upside the head.

“Start at the beginning,” I said. “If you’re a sidhe, what’s the story? How’d you become a demon?”

He shifted in his seat to extend his long legs diagonally under the table, crossing his ankles. “Has my dear cousin made any mention of the rift that occurred between our people?”

I puzzled over ‘dear cousin’ for a second before realizing he meant Kieran. “Yes, but not much beyond the basic reason for it. The King wants to see the end of the human race. The Amhaín doesn’t.”

He gave me an arch look before explaining, “That is not the sole reason. Perhaps he neglected to mention that his
king
held me hostage for nearly a millennium?”

Tíereachán nodded at my frown. “As our world’s last adept, my mother might have inherited the crown. Fearing she would usurp him, Uncle Faonaín had me abducted after my grandfather’s death. He wanted to keep my mother under his thumb, to force her cooperation. For years, the strategy worked. She provided him with access to Earth’s magic, maintained all of his portals … until I managed to escape.” He leaned forward. “Does she still live?”

“I … I think so. Kieran has always spoken of her in the present tense, at least.”

He nodded curtly, but I didn’t miss the relief that visited his expression. He leaned back in his chair. “I’ve deviated from answering your question. You wished to know how I became what I am now. In short, I was played for a fool.” He snorted and shook his head. “Kieran isn’t the only one to fall for Maeve’s persuasions, but his disgrace virtually guaranteed his survival. Ironic, when you think about it.”

Disgrace?

He evaluated me. “Ah. He’s hidden it from you. The Deceiver is up to his old tricks, I see. Alas, as much as the truth might serve my interests, this is not my secret to tell.”

Part of me was dying to press him for details, but I realized, even if he told me about Kieran’s dark past, I’d end up doubting his explanation. Besides, it wouldn’t be fair to Kieran. He should be the one to tell me.

Tíereachán drew out a long sigh. “Where was I? Ah, yes, Maeve. Shortly after one of our bloodiest engagements—Kieran will know it as the Battle of Athainne—Maeve sent word to me that she longed to find a way to negotiate a truce. We were all suffering. Both of our siblings had perished in that battle, and my father, along with Kieran’s brother, had been killed early in the war. Many of us wished for an end to the hostilities, but after so many deaths, the divide proved too great. Even the Oracle could do nothing to sway either side.

“I agreed to meet my cousin, naively believing the younger generation could accomplish what the Oracle could not. I thought I was clever, insisting upon a neutral location on Earth, each of us accompanied by a dozen of our own security forces. But when my regiment and I arrived at the designated meeting location, we found the mangled remains of Maeve’s contingent and, in the center of the carnage, Maeve, stripped bare, covered in blood, in the midst of being raped by the archdemon Azazel.”

He waved his hand. “I will spare you the grisly details of the ensuing battle. Suffice it to say, Azazel slaughtered everyone until, save Maeve, I was the only one left alive. I would have fought the demon to my last breath had it not offered me a deal. It would release Maeve and allow her to return to the Otherworld unharmed if I pledged myself to its service for all eternity.

“Maeve, of course, staged a most convincing protest. She crawled toward us, whining how our world couldn’t do without me, that the demon should take her instead. Imagine my surprise, when, just after the blood of our covenant had been consumed, Azazel congratulated Maeve for a job well done.”

He laughed bitterly. “After a century of being tortured by the memories of Maeve’s treachery, Azazel took mercy upon me, agreeing to purge them from my consciousness. It told me they would remain hidden until I encountered the one who would see me for what I am, not what I appear to be, the one who would walk between worlds, who possesses the power to change everything. And, in return for revealing your identity, my master assured me retribution with the promise of Maeve’s utter destruction.”

I launched out of my seat and tried to scurry backward, but my feet tangled with the legs of the heavy iron chair, foiling my escape. I stumbled and would have fallen if Tíereachán hadn’t whipped to his feet to catch me.

“Calm down, woman. If I’d wanted to betray you, I’d have done it by now.” After he’d steadied me, he grasped my shoulders and peered directly into my eyes. “Azazel didn’t account for how your blood would affect me. I could no more sacrifice you to my master as I could my own mother.”

He skated his palms down the outside of my arms. “However, it won’t be long before Azazel sets its carefully orchestrated plans into motion. It knows you will play a pivotal role in how the future unfolds. Lire, you must go to my mother. The Amhaín is the only one who can train you. You do not yet understand your true power. Do not allow Maeve to take advantage of that weakness.”

“My true power?” I frowned. “If you mean sidestepping, I did that earlier today.”

Tíereachán’s fingers tightened around each of my biceps and his scrutiny narrowed to surgical precision. “How did you learn to do this?”

“I don’t know. I was scared shitless. Kieran and I were trapped and a demon was almost on us.” I frowned and made to pull away. “Ow. Do you mind? This might be a dream but that hurts.”

“Sorry.” Chagrined, he released me and rubbed my arms. “Please, continue.”

I glared at him testily, but told him about how the djinn had first taken Michael and me to the strange dimension. “Getting there felt a lot like navigating the Between.” I shrugged. “So, I tried to repeat it when Kieran and I were trapped and it worked.”

Tíereachán’s brows twitched upward. “Yes. The Between. I’d almost forgotten. How is it, even when I left you there, you knew how to return to your body?”

“I, uh …” I blinked for a moment as the connection with the djinn finally dawned on me. “The djinn had taken me through the Between a day or two before when they showed me their world. Again, it was a feeling I remembered. And, after touching your essence, I had some of your memories. I pieced it together from there.”

He frowned. “Interesting. It seems these djinn have gone out of their way to acquaint you with your latent abilities. Perhaps they aren’t as neutral as most have come to believe.”

I shrugged. “No clue about other djinn, but Maya and Tanu are obligated to act in my best interest. They’re bound to me by compact. Actually, they’re bound to all the residents in my building.”

“I see,” he said, studying me.

No doubt he wondered why I was so skittish about strengthening our tie when I was already bound to two extremely powerful alien beings. I didn’t have it in me to continue underlining the fact that he was an untrustworthy demon. Especially since he lately seemed less like a demon and more like … an associate? An acquaintance? Okay, a sexier-than-hell, slightly scary friend. Sort of like being friends with a mafia enforcer, or maybe a high ranking Hell’s Angel. Not that I’d had any experience with knowing bad boys of that caliber, but romance novels seemed to be full of them. I’d never really gotten it before—the whole bad-boy-hero thing. But … hmm. Maybe I was starting to see the appeal …

Moving on!

I licked my lips and tried not to fidget. “So … if I decided it was something I wanted, how would I visit your mother, uh, the Amhaín?”

He gave me an approving nod. “It won’t be easy, but you can go where others cannot. After I disappeared, my mother destroyed all of Faonaín’s primary gateways, leaving only the smaller portals intact to allow his people access to Earth’s stream. It was this threat—the threat that she’d destroy even those—that finally forced the King’s hand and brought about the truce. Afterward, she sealed off her territory from the Otherworld. Since you can sidestep, you will be able to get across her boundary.”

“Access to Earth’s stream? What does that mean?”

He appeared surprised by my question. “The gateways aren’t simply a means to travel to and from Earth. They’re magical conduits. Even if they aren’t large enough to allow for physical navigation, they provide access to Earth’s vast supply of magic. Without them, survival in the Otherworld would be infinitely more difficult.”