She's No Faerie Princess (38 page)

She knew Walker wasn't any happier having her get inthe elevator than Rafe or Graham would have been iftheir mates had done it, and it wasn't even the way he

stomped in behind her that gave it away. His glare made his opinion pretty plain. When they got home, she was going to get a lecture. She just knew it.

Taking small, shallow breaths through her mouth, Fionafixed her gaze on the elevator keypad, watching thenumbers of the floors ding by. When the doors slid openon number 17, she hurried out and tripped over her ownfeet. The apartment building hallway didn't look anythinglike she remembered.

Maybe that was because of the doors that had been tornoff their hinges and thrown to the ground. Or maybe itwas the streaks of blood on the walls or the sickly sweetsmell of death in the air, as opposed to the rich scents ofwood and furniture polish and fresh flowers she recalledfrom their last visit. Whatever it was, she didn't like thechange.

Walker grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed herback into the elevator. "We're too fucking late! They'vealready killed Dionnu and every other living thing on thisfloor! We need to get back to the club and call inreinforcements. This is going to take more than thepack." He pressed his cell phone into her numb hand. "Fiona, get back downstairs and tell Tess and Missy whathappened. Tell them to get more patrols out
 
now
. We'llsee if we can contain anything that's still here, but I'mbetting they're already long gone." When she just lookedup at him in confusion, he nudged her again. "Go!"

"Oh, but why would she leave when she only just arrived,

Mr. Walker?"

They all turned at the sound of the voice. Poised in theopen doorway of his apartment, Dionnu watched them

with an eerie beatific smile on his handsome face. Around his neck, on a heavy gold chain, he wore a finely made amulet, adorned with the largest, most brilliant black opal Fiona had ever seen. He didn't seem to notice that it, as well as his face and hands and expensive silk suit, was splotched with blood and gore. Or maybe he just didn't care.

"As you can see, I'm very much alive," the king

continued. "I'm not so vulnerable to the machinations of a few power-hungry demons as you might have suspected. But please, come in. Let me show you what I've done with the place."

He beckoned them forward and Fiona felt herself recoil. Itwasn't so much the bloodshed that disturbed her. It wasthe glint in his eyes, cold and hard and reptilian, filled witha mad sort of knowledge, or a knowing sort of madness. Walker stepped in front of her, protecting her from thatgaze, and she blinked, swallowing hard against a swell offear.

"If it's anything like we can see out here," she said, finding her voice, struggling for a casual tone, "then you might want to consider hiring a new decorator."

Her uncle chuckled. "Oh no. Decorators can leave aroom so cold. So impersonal. I definitely wanted to givethis apartment my personal touch. Come in. I insist."

Still smiling, Dionnu turned and disappeared back insidethe apartment.

"There is no way here or in hell that I'm letting my mate go inside that apartment," Walker said, his hands clenching so tightly that Fiona saw his knuckles turn

white.

Graham snorted. "I hope to hell not. He might as wellhave used the blood to paint the word 'trap' over thedoor."

"It doesn't matter," Fiona said, catching one of Walker's fists in her hands. "You saw the amulet. We all did. He still has it, and we need to get it back."

For the first time, Fiona saw Rule hesitate. "I think Walkermay be right, Princess," the demon said. "If your unclecaused all of these deaths, then all of that magic hasbeen absorbed by the amulet. He'll be high on the power,and far more than merely dangerous. I think you shouldobey your mate and go back to the car to call for help."

Before Fiona could repeat her refusal, she felt a surge ofmagic buffet her, shaking the air around her like a sonicboom. When she looked up, all the interior walls on thisfloor of the building had disappeared, and her unclesmiled at her from what had once been the living room ofhis apartment. The expression reminded her of one thespider might wear as it waited for its prey to step into itssticky web.

"You seemed reluctant to cross my threshold," he said, his voice beautiful and terrifying. "So I thought I would break down a few barriers. Come; I know all your friends. Bring them with you. The more the merrier."

He laughed, and the sound sent shudders through Fiona. Blinking, horrified, she looked around the vast open area. There were bodies everywhere. Everywhere she turned,she saw death, sprawled on floors, stretched overfurniture, battered and broken and bloodied. She could

hear the men around her cursing under their breath. Her

stomach heaved, and a hot rush of fury filled her.

"You are a monster," she hissed, her eyes narrowed and accusing. "Why did they all have to die? Weren't the deaths you'd already caused enough? Humans mean nothing to you! The one you really want dead is Mab, so why haven't you gone after her? Or are you afraid she'll kick your ass, the way she's been doing for centuries?"

Dionnu's eyes flashed and Walker growled, movingprotectively closer to Fiona.

"And here I always considered you a clever girl," the king said, moving slowly closer. "It seems I gave you too much credit, Niece, if you haven't yet figured out my plan."

"Oh, I know all about your plans. Your stolen amulet and your seal on the Faerie gate and the fiendish army you plan to march back into Faerie. An army that would just as soon kill you as march to your war drums." She sneered, refusing to give him the slightest indication that she ever believed his schemes might work. "But I'm looking around, and I don't see anything that looks like an army." She glanced pointedly at the empty space between them. "All I see is a pathetic excuse for a king and the folk who are going to stop him."

Dionnu threw back his head and laughed uproariously. "Oh, you foolish child," he said, his expression gloating. "You may be monumentally stupid, but you do amuseme. Perhaps I'll keep you in iron chains for a fewthousand years before I let you die. Do you really thinkthat you and your puppy dogs, your kitty, and your onepathetic swordsman can do anything to stop me?"

He stepped even closer, ignoring the Lupines'threatening snarls and the hiss of Rule's blade slidingfrom its sheath.

"Like I said, Uncle, you're only one man. Your army isn't

here."

His lips curved, as thin and sinuous as a snake. "I havean army at my fingertips. I have just
 
feasted
, foolish girl. The power of each and every soul I've tasted is withinthis amulet. With it, I can summon an army the likes ofwhich have never been seen, not even during the last Wars." He chuckled, a brittle, malevolent sound. "I can'twait to see the looks on the faces of the Seelie Courtwhen they see my army of fiends and realize what theirlong-heralded peace treaty has wrought."

"You won't be allowed to summon that army," Rule said. His voice was firm and level and brooked no disagreement.

Dionnu turned on him with a sneer. "You think you canstop me? You, a girl, and a few mongrels?"

"These mongrels have claws," Rafe hissed, muscles rippling as he began to call his change. Beside him, Graham echoed the sentiment with a low, threatening growl.

"I have no fear of you," Dionnu dismissed, "or of your blade, warrior. It cannot harm me. No Fae can be slain with silver."

Rule's mouth curved in a grim, humorless smile. "Myblade is steel, not silver. With iron enough to spill yourblood."

Without a word or a betraying twitch, Rule lungedforward. His sword tip pointed straight at the Fae king'sthroat, but it never made contact. With a furious shout, Dionnu lifted a hand and sent a ball of sickly green lightbarreling toward the demon's chest. It hit him with theforce of a train, knocking him off balance and deflectingthe blow meant for Dionnu's jugular. The momentum ofthe blast sent Rule flying backward a good fifteen feetbefore he crashed into someone's bookcase in the nextapartment. He thudded to the floor.

Smiling, Dionnu turned back to Fiona. "You see how littlepower your friends have to hurt me? Don't waste my timewith further, futile attempts."

"I see it less as a waste of time, Uncle, and more as an

investment in the future."

"What future? I'm very afraid to have to tell you, my dear Fiona, that you have no future." He chuckled. "Do you think I am unaware of the attempts my fiends have made to free themselves from my control? Don't be silly. Of course I knew. I expected it. Why do you think I hexed the gate to seal itself if anyone attempted to enter from Faerie? Without high Fae blood, they could never have mustered the power to break the hold of the amulet."

Fiona's lip curled. "You might want to work on that hex ofyours, then. As you can see, I got through."

Dionnu waved his hand dismissively. "A minorinconvenience. True, I was a tad upset when you firstappeared on my doorstop, but I soon realized yourpresence could be the greatest boon I could hope for. After all, if the power of the death of a high Fae couldbreak the bonds of the amulet, just think what the power

of that death, channeled
 
through
 
the amulet, could accomplish." He stared at her, his eyes gleaming. "My dear niece, spilling your blood will make me indestructible. No one will be able to harm me. Not the fiends, not the Fae, not even your lovely aunt. Now come." He held out his hand. "I can at least make it quick for you."

He didn't make it anything. He didn't even have time tomake a sound before Walker was on him, shifting inmidflight, howling in outrage. Graham followed a splitsecond later, fangs reaching for the throat with savageinstinct. But the power flowing through Dionnu was toostrong. His arm came up to protect his vulnerable throat,and Graham's teeth sank deep into the flesh of Dionnu'sforearm, tearing at muscle and tendon.

Dionnu screamed, high and outraged. Walker checkedhis attack and twisted to the side, trying to come aroundon the king's vulnerable flank, but the Fae raised hisother arm, sending a spell blasting into Walker's side.

The Lupine yelped, a sharp, pained sound, and fell to hisside, panting heavily. Cursing and bleeding, Dionnuaimed a second blast at Graham and sent the second Lupine sprawling. The king struggled to his feet andsavagely kicked the alpha's heaving side.

"Mongrel beasts!" Dionnu spit, cradling his injured arm to his chest. "I'll have their skins for a carpet. Just as soon as I've finished with you."

Stretching out his good hand, Dionnu reached for Fionaand found himself grasping air. Rafael had launchedhimself at her side and sent her staggering out of reach. Outraged, the king screamed and turned to blast the

Felix, but the nimble werejaguar had already dartedaway. Spitting curses, Dionnu grasped the amulet aroundhis neck and chanted a few words. Suddenly he blinkedout of view, reappearing a heartbeat later beside hisniece's blinking form. He grabbed her by the arm andrepeated the chant just as Walker pushed himself to hisfeet and launched a renewed attack.

Both Dionnu and Fiona disappeared a split second beforethe werewolf made impact, this time materializing acrossthe floor in what had once been a spare, empty room.

Fiona looked around, confused, until her gaze fell to thefloor. Her heart skipped a beat and her blood seemed tofreeze in her veins.

On the polished wooden floorboards, painted in blood,she saw a large, perfectly round circle. In the center andat the sides in each of the cardinal directions, sigils hadbeen painted. She recognized them as slight variationson the ones the fiends had been using to try to break thehold of the amulet. Lying atop the glyph at the center ofthe circle, Fiona spotted a dark, glistening dagger thecolor of coal with a long handle of dark, carved wood. Acold iron blade, she realized, with a wooden handle toallow her uncle to wield it without injury.

Iron was the only metal that could kill the Fae. Their ownweapons and tools were made of silver, gold, andbronze. When she saw the iron blade, she felt a surge ofpanic and began to struggle against her uncle's punishinggrip.

"Don't fight me!" he shouted, dragging her toward the sacrificial circle. "I can still make your death a very painful event, girl! Remember that."

Fiona had no doubt he would do that anyway. Frantic,she looked around her. Both Rule and Walker werepushing themselves to their feet, looking dazed and alittle unsteady. She had no idea if either of them couldreach her in time. Graham lay on the floor, unmoving butstill breathing. Either her uncle's kick had damagedsomething serious or the magical blast had paralyzed thealpha. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Rafeapproaching from the opposite side. She had to keepherself out of the magical circle until one of them reachedher.

Her fingers curled into claws, and she raked at heruncle's injured arm, hoping to weaken his grip with theother. He swore and yanked her hard, but he didn't let go. She was fighting like a banshee now, screaming andsquirming and kicking, intent only on getting away, onstaying out of that circle and away from that iron blade. She wasn't prepared to die. Not that any Fae ever was,but she had other things to do. She had a mate! She hadto learn how to live with him and how to deal with the

mortal-versus-immortal thing and how to teach him to stop trying to tell her what to do every time he opened his mouth. She couldn't die.