Ghost Light (25 page)

I reached down and clasped his hand in my gloved one.  I may not have a lot of dating experience, make that none, but I did know that I didn’t want to build a relationship on secrets and deceit.  Ceff was asking for honesty, and giving me a way out if the time came that I no longer wanted him.

“I promise,” I said.  I raised an eyebrow and smiled.  “But I don’t plan on getting sick of you any time soon.”

With Ceff being water fae and me being land fae, we barely saw each other.  Ceff had an ocean kingdom to run and I had cases to solve and a proclivity for trouble.  We both had busy lives independent from one another.  The suggestion that I’d become sick of him seemed almost comical.

“Immortality is a long time,” he said.

I nodded.  I knew what I needed to do, what I should have done months ago.  I just hoped that my body could take the strain.

I pulled my hand away from Ceff’s and peeled off the leather glove.  I took a deep breath and lifted my chin to meet his curious gaze.  His eyes were a green so dark they were nearly black and without his glamour the green covered his entire eye, obliterating the human white.  I could lose myself in those eyes.

“No secrets,” I said.

I reached out with my bare hand and brushed my fingers along Ceff’s face to cup his cheek.  He pulled back, wrinkling his brow.

“Are you certain?” he asked.

“Yes,” I said.

Ceff pressed his face into my palm and I gasped.  I saw the execution of his heir, the murder of his infant son, and his torture at the hands of the
each uisge
.  His pain was palpable, bringing tears to sting my eyes and roll down my cheeks, but the visions lacked the hold they once had on my mind.  I was no stranger to Ceff’s memories; they were the same terrifying visions I’d received from handling Ceff’s bridle.  I had experienced these memories before and lived.

I would survive again.

I rode the visions, each coming faster as my mind recognized the memories and pushed the events away.  But the last two visions were new.  It takes strong emotion to create a vision and these had both been formed in my presence.

Something fluttered in my chest, but I held on.  I wasn’t sure if I’d like seeing myself through Ceff’s eyes, but we had agreed—no secrets.

The first vision was from the night of the winter solstice.  It was the first and last time we’d touched.  The simple act of holding each other on my lumpy couch had filled Ceff’s immortal heart with a love greater than anything he’d ever felt before.  That scared me, just a bit.  It also made me smile.  The fact that that night had made such an impression told me that what I was doing now was right.  I owed it to Ceff and myself.

I’d lived too long behind the walls I’d built to protect my heart.  Hiding behind those walls had served me well, but I’d learned a lot about my life recently—my childhood, my parents, my abilities—and I was no longer satisfied to play it safe.  Letting Ceff in was one step toward becoming the person I wanted to be.

To hell with the risk.

The final vision followed on the heels of our night of romance.  Pain and fear slammed into me and I gasped for air.  My mind recoiled from the assault, but I held on tight.

Through Ceff’s eyes, I saw Melusine threatening the children…and me.  Melusine’s presence brought the painful memories of his sons’ deaths to the surface, but Ceff gripped his trident and sprung forward.  He wouldn’t remain chained by the past.  If Melusine could not be stopped peaceably, he’d do what needed to be done.

Ceff drew Melusine away from me and the circle of children, but as he tired their fight returned to where I fought The Piper.  Ceff looked at me and his heart filled with love and a fierce protective devotion.  He gripped his trident and lunged for a killing blow.

Melusine danced away and swung her tail at his feet.  Our fight became a blur of blood and weapons, but I’d learned an important truth.  Ceff had been ready and willing to kill Melusine to protect me—just as I had been forced to kill the lamia to save him.

A weight lifted from my shoulders and I blinked rapidly as my vision cleared.  I was back in my bed and Ceff’s arms were around me.  My hand still rested on his face as he stretched out along my side, body pressed against me.  Ceff watched my face intently and I blushed.

“You’re back,” he said.  I nodded.  “And we are still touching.”

Blood rushed to my face, cheeks burning.  If I blushed any harder, I’d probably pass out.  Ceff rubbed a finger in circles just below my ear and I forgot all about embarrassment.  The heat from my face had shifted lower, much lower.

Though I was still at risk of passing out.

Ceff smiled and I bit my lip.  His face was mere inches away and I had no idea what to do.  Being inexperienced sucked.

His fingers trailed down my neck to a bruise at my collarbone.  I gasped as Ceff leaned in and pressed his lips against the purple skin.

“Does this hurt?” he asked, lifting his eyes to my own.

Ceff stared at me through tousled hair and I struggled to catch my breath.  I shook my head and Ceff returned his lips to my collarbone.  His kisses were cool and soothing against my heated skin.

Ceff moved lower, leaving my skin tingling as he followed a trail of cuts and bruises along one shoulder and down my arm.  When he reached my injured wrist, he blew a kiss along the bandage and lifted my arm.  Ceff’s body slid alongside my own moving upward as he raised my arm above my head.  He set my wrist gently on a pile of pillows and held it there, fingers gliding down my arm to wrap around my uninjured bicep.

He leaned in and brushed his lips along my jaw.  I turned my face toward his, but he grazed my lips with the barest hint of a kiss and smiled.

“Patience,” he said.

It was easy for the sexy immortal in my bed to suggest patience—not so easy for me.  I pressed my chest against Ceff and gripped his neck with my free hand, pulling him closer.  I felt like I would go supernova.  My lips parted and I panted as Ceff pulled away.  I stared at his swollen lips, so near but unreachable, and my skin began to glow.

Ceff kissed my chin and slid down my chest, leaving a trail of kisses to my waistline.  I was surprised the thin tank top between us didn’t burst into flame.  Ceff slid a finger under the thin cotton, teasing my skin with his touch.  He smiled up at me and quirked an eyebrow in question while holding the edge of my shirt in his hand.

I’d promised to be honest with Ceff and tell him what I was feeling, but at the moment I was at a loss for words.  I nodded and slid my fingers through his hair to once again grip the back of his neck.  I tried to pull him to me, wanting to feel skin on skin.

No more gloves.  No more weapons.  No more walls—just me and Ceff.

Ceff moved his face to my stomach and I gasped.  His lips caressed my skin in widening circles.  He was careful not to press against the wound at my side, though right this minute I didn’t care about the pain.

I’d waited so long for this moment.  Feared it like a bogeyman stalking the shadows.  But the fear was gone and all I wanted was to be closer to Ceff.  I lifted my hips and moaned.

“Are you sure?” he asked.

Ceff’s voice was husky and his eyes were glowing bright green as he studied my face.  We’d agreed to be honest about our feelings and right now, I was an open book.

“Yes, I’ve never been so sure of anything in my life,” I said.

I reached for Ceff with glowing fingers, drawing his body to my own.  This time he didn’t pull away.

*****

Later that night, much later if the slant of light coming through my bedroom window was any indication, I rested my head on Ceff’s chest.  He stroked my cheek and I closed my eyes.  Shockwaves still rolled through me at his touch.

“Tired?” he asked.

“No,” I said, surprised.

I had been dead to the world when Ceff carried me up to my room, but now I was bursting with energy.  My skin continued to glow, giving off waves of heat.  I looked down and shifted the sheet half draped across my body.  I wasn’t tired, but the wound at my side had started to bleed through the gauze.  I was supposed to be resting, not doing mattress gymnastics.  When Kaye said to spend the week in bed, I’m pretty sure this wasn’t what she meant.

I sighed.  I needed to change the dressing if I wanted to avoid infection.

 “I’m not tired, but I do need a shower,” I said.

Ceff lifted his hand and a string of water from a glass on the nightstand rose in a spiral ribbon to dance between his fingers.

“Would you like company?” he asked.

“Do pixies lick salt from your skin?” I asked.

Ceff lifted me into his arms and nuzzled my neck.

“Mmm, maybe I’m part pixie,” he said.

Ceff carried me to the bathroom and kicked the door shut.

Chapter 28

S
team rolled out into the loft as I opened the bathroom door.  My superheated skin and Ceff’s water magic had filled the tiny room with steam so thick I couldn’t see.  Not that sight was a necessary sense for what we’d been up to.

I stepped out into the apartment and blinked at my roommate leaning against the kitchen counter.  It must have been later than I thought if Jinx was out of bed.  Ceff and I were still holding hands, not yet ready to break the connection of our touch.  I was pretty sure that if we let go, I’d have to suffer through the visions when we touched again.

Jinx looked between us and shook her head.  I was wrapped in an old robe that showed too much leg and Ceff wore a towel low on his hips.  Jinx had dark circles around her eyes and held a mug of coffee to her lips.

“I want my prudish roommate back,” she said.  “She was much quieter and didn’t hog the shower.”

“Sorry,” I said.

We walked over to the breakfast nook and each perched on a stool facing Jinx.  When she slid two mugs of coffee across the counter, I shifted my bare foot toward Ceff’s, twining our legs together at the ankle.  There were a lot more ways to remain touching than just holding hands.

I flashed my friend a goofy grin and breathed in the scent of fresh coffee.  My grin faltered when Jinx turned her face and I realized the dark circles weren’t entirely from lack of sleep.  A large, purpling bruise rose along Jinx’s cheekbone.

That bruise hadn’t been there yesterday, which meant it wasn’t from the cemetery battle.  Jinx was clumsy and no stranger to bruises, but the bruise on her face looked suspiciously like the imprint of someone’s fist.  I cracked my knuckles and stared at Jinx.

“Are you alright?” I asked.  “What happened to your face?”

“This?” she asked.  “It’s nothing.  You should see the other guy.”

“A man did this to you?” Ceff asked.

His voice was low and threatened violence.  I could feel the anger vibrate through his body where we touched.  I clenched my jaw and reached for knives that weren’t there.  Ceff and I were in agreement.  If someone did this to Jinx, they were going to pay.

Jinx shrugged.

“I went to see Hans last night while you two were trying to bring the building down,” she said.  “Big mistake.”

Oh crap.  I’d forgotten to tell Jinx about Hans’ temper tantrum the night the clurichaun got her drunk.  So much had happened since then that the call had totally slipped my mind, but that was no excuse.

“I am so sorry,” I said.  “I mentioned you’d been drinking with a clurichaun.  I didn’t know he was anti-fae.”

“It’s alright,” she said.  “I didn’t know either.  I mean, I knew he was a Hunter.  But I didn’t realize he was such a racist douche.  When I said I’d just helped to save thirty-three fae kids, he smacked me in the face.”

“I’ll kill him,” I said.

I broke contact with Ceff, launched myself from the barstool, and ran toward my room.  This was no time for cuddling.  I needed my knives.  I looked down at the robe and bare legs and added clothes to the list.  Ceff, moving fae fast, was pulling on jeans and grabbing his trident.

Hans was going to pay.

“No, wait,” Jinx said.

She stood in the doorway and shook her head.

“I took care of it,” she said.  “Plus, if you two, a pure-blooded fae and a half-blood, go attacking Hans, he’ll have the entire Hunter’s Guild on your ass.  He’s not worth it.”

I paused while strapping a throwing knife to my forearm.

“How did you take care of it?” I asked.  “Did you shoot him with your crossbow?”

After what Hans had done to my friend’s face, I wouldn’t settle for anything less than painful impalement.

“Nope, stabbed him with a hair stick,” she said.  Jinx grinned.  “I didn’t have the crossbow with me, didn’t think I’d need it on a date with a Hunter.  I’m rethinking that for the future.”

With Jinx’s taste in men, that was probably a good idea.  Maybe we could find a crossbow dressed up with sequins.  Jinx was all about the accessories.

“I hope you also broke up with the guy,” I said.

“Hell yeah,” she said.  “I like bad boys, not batterers.”

Jinx had stabbed Hans with a hair stick.  It may not have been one of my knives, but Jinx had shown the guy she wasn’t a pushover.  I grinned showing teeth.

“If he comes near you again, call me,” I said.

“And me,” Ceff said.

“Like I said, Hans would only be getting his way if my two faerie friends attacked him,” she said.  “I’m not getting either of you in trouble with the Hunter’s Guild.”

“Then call Jenna,” I said.  “In fact, don’t wait.  Call her now and tell her how Hans attacked an unarmed human.”

Jinx smiled and grabbed her phone.

“Technically, I wasn’t unarmed,” she said.  “Those hair sticks did a number on his neck.  Totally ruined one of his tats.”

“If you weren’t carrying a blade or bow, you were unarmed,” I said.  “Hair accessories don’t count.  Call Jenna.  Maybe you can keep the guy from beating another girl.  The Hunter’s Guild has rules and I’m pretty sure Hans just broke a few of them.”

Jinx pulled up Jenna’s number and sauntered into her room.

“Do you think she’ll be alright?” Ceff asked.

“Yes, nothing a little revenge won’t cure,” I said.  “Jenna will set things straight.  And if that guy ever comes sniffing around here, he’ll come face to face with my blades.”