The Banshee's Revenge (The Banshee's Embrace Trilogy) (8 page)

"Are you going to try to kill me?"

Arwan frowned.

"Why would you think that?"

"Because almost every supernatural being I've met in the last few months has tried to do just that. I guess I have a target on my back."

"One that you put there." Arwan grabbed her hand and gently pressed a kiss to it. "I would prefer to do other things."

The suggestiveness in his eyes made her skin feel flushed. Desire rippled through her. It had been so long since she'd had any tender contact, so long since she and Toby had last spent a night together. She missed the passion she'd experienced in his embrace and her body craved the touch of compassion.

As if reading her mind, Arwan inched closer. He tilted her chin up towards his and placed a kiss on her lips that further fanned the small flames of need licking her body.

Go on. Take his advances. Give yourself to him
. Death's voice was as loud as ever in her head.
You know you want him. They say that Arwan is not only a powerful god, but a magnificent lover
.

Her arms came up slowly, finding their way around the muscular god. He stroked her hair, soothing and tantalizing her all at once. His masculine scent comforted Jacqueline, and she allowed him to deepen the kiss, to lay her back on the ground, and slowly undress her.

That's it. Let him have his way
.

Death's whispered words flickered through her mind, a candle waving in and out of her conscious thoughts. It felt so good to relax, to enjoy the sensations running through her, to revel in all things Arwan was doing to her.

Forget about Toby and your unborn child.

Death's suggestion was the like pouring cold water on her, bringing her back to reality.

"No!" She pushed Arwan away and struggled to pull her robes back around her. "I don't want you!"

The words pulled her immediately out of the dream.

Jacqueline gasped for air, frantic as she looked around and tried to remember where she was. Gone were the green cliffs of
Ireland
. Instead, she was lying in her own bedroom in her old house, having sought solace there the night before. Already the feelings of warmth from the dream were fading, replaced by a bitter coldness in her heart.

Her thoughts came back to the same thing they always did when she woke up.

Toby. 

No god of the underworld could ever replace him in her heart--what was left of it--or her bed.

And there was the baby. She'd only recently become aware of the flicker of life inside her. At first, she hadn't believed it--hadn't wanted to--but as time passed, there was no denying its presence.

It grew stronger with every soul she took.

Jacqueline wasn't sure what to make of that just yet. Besides, there was still work to be done, wizards to punish, and Gwydion to hunt down, torture, and kill.

The last thing she needed was a baby.

*****

"Well?"

Gwydion rubbed his gnarled hands together in anticipation of what Arwan would reveal. Asking the god for a favor had been a risk, but then they were sort of old friends. Even if they'd ended up in different spectrums of life, it didn't change the fact that once upon a time they had been like brothers.

"She is feisty," Arwan said, getting up from his throne. Around them were dozens of servants--all female, all in the skimpiest of clothing, all beautiful--who jumped to attention as he arose. He ignored them and paced the room, a thoughtful expression on his face. "You didn’t tell me she would be such a challenge."

"I had no idea she would pose one for you," Gwydion lied smoothly. "I assumed she was incapable of resisting a god."

"No one can resist me." Arwan stopped in front of one of his servants and stroked her breast. The girl moaned and her body shivered with passion as if to prove his words. "She awoke before I could finish with her."

"Ah, of course," Gwydion nodded. "I knew it must be something like that. What did you find out?"

"Her exhaustion bleeds from her." Arwan paced again. "She is tired of balancing two worlds in her head and Death is still alive inside her."

"How do you know?"

"I could hear it speak to her, urging her to succumb to me. Irish Death knows it's only chance of returning to any kind of existence is to find a way for Jacqueline to die or to take over her soul. I think she's losing that battle." Arwan stopped pacing and stared at Gwydion. "You have been unable to kill her."

"We had one encounter and I considered it a more strategic move to leave before things got out of control. She had many allies surrounding her." Gwydion recalled the last time he'd met Jacqueline on the field of battle. He'd felt fear for the first time in a long while. "I wanted more time to assess her true powers."

"You ran away." Arwan smiled. "Don't try to deny it. You were never good at bravery. Wielding power, creating spells to crush your enemy--yes, you exceed in that area. But standing your ground and fighting fair are not your style."

"Can
you
kill her?" asked Gwydion. Though Arwan's words infuriated Gwydion, he knew it best to show none of that to the god. "That's the real question."

"Of course, I can."

"Then why didn't you?"

"Because you failed to mention how lovely she is." But Gwydion sensed Arwan was not being completely honest. He'd seen something in the dream, something that worried at him. "It seems a shame to kill without allowing me the pleasure of tasting her essence."

"You say that about all women." Gwydion rolled his eyes in disgust. "For a god, you have a great deal of trouble keeping your cock in your pants."

"All gods have trouble ignoring a pretty face." Arwan's good natured smile, turned sly. "As do some goddesses."

Gwydion ignored the comment, though it pricked at his pride in more ways than one.

"Again, I ask you, are you going to help me and kill the banshee?"

Arwan grew thoughtful.

"I suppose I could, but I encountered an unforeseen complication. I don't relish killing the baby."

Gwydion's eye narrowed.

"Baby?" he asked. "What are you talking about?"

"Your banshee is with child. I heard Death taunting her about it."

"Well, well," Gwydion muttered. "This is a surprise indeed."

"Do you still want me to kill her?"

"Not yet!" Gwydion's eyes narrowed with glee. "Let me think about this new problem."

Arwan sat down in his throne, snapping his fingers at one of his servants who obediently came over to him. He placed her on his lap and stroked her skin as he watched Gwydion. The wizard ignored the god, used to seeing his constant need for sexual gratification.

A magical child.

Another one.

Gwydion pondered all the possibilities, the implications. A product of magical parents himself, he was aware this could open the supernatural world up to a whole new breed of powerful beings. After centuries of spreading lies and tall tales about never crossing bloodlines in an effort to remain the most powerful creature on the earthly plain, Gwydion worried about this baby. Yes, there had been times when offspring like Gabe Williams were created due to a god or goddesses interference several generations before, but Gwydion had always been able to dispose of those children and their parents before word got out.

Gabe had been hidden from him until it was too late.

But this new baby, this new thing…

Would it be more powerful than him?

Possibly. It would require some research. He'd have to go to the one source who could tell him about everything--the woman he loathed more than any other creature.

His mother.

Toby stood outside of Jacqueline's house.

He'd spent most of the evening before getting in touch with the few connections he had in
Ireland
trying to find out if the stories were true, if people in the O'Grady clan were dying and coming back to life.

It sounded as though for once Gwydion had been telling the truth.

There had been several strange occurrences of people who died and then miraculously came back. Only they weren't quite themselves. Over a period of hours, their mental capacity fled, leaving them as helpless as infants.

Worried, he'd sought out Gabe's help, but he was nowhere to be found. Toby had a sneaking suspicion Gabe was off with Angela somewhere. However, it didn't take that long to perform a memory spell which led Toby to believe more things were taking place than just spells. Things that he felt could only lead to heartache.

And that was something he knew about.

As he looked up at the windows of Jacqueline's home, he wondered if he dared allow himself the hope she might be inside. He'd awoken this morning with the strangest desire to visit the place. Though he'd checked the house several times in the past hoping to find Jacqueline, he'd never found evidence of her before. Yet, this morning, there was a little voice in his head urging him to try again.

Since his chat with Morrigan the evening before, he'd done nothing but think about Jacqueline and the child growing inside her.

What was it?

God, help him for thinking like that, but he couldn't quite see the baby as a cute, cuddly infant. The mix of her genes with his--with a dash of Death thrown in--how could anything good be created in that way?

And how did Jacqueline feel about it? Though it had been months since they'd talked, the vision he'd seen of her last night as she tortured Foster worried at him--not just because of its brutality, but because she had lacked emotion.

He followed the walkway to the front door and using magic, opened it.

To his surprise, the warm scent of lavender drifted to him.

Toby entered quietly and listened to the house. All was silent, except for a faint rustling sound coming from the second floor. With a defensive spell at the ready, he crept up the stairs. The door to her bedroom was open, and he searched his memory, trying to recall if it had always been that way. All the other doors along the hallway were shut tight.

A soft, sighing sound slipped from the open room and he dared to look inside.

Jacqueline sat on the bed, her back to him as Toby entered the room. For a moment, he could only stare, unsure what to do. His heart ordered him to go to her and take her in his arms. However, his head advised him to hold back a moment, to let her know he was there, to think about what he should say.

"I know you're there." She lifted her head, but didn't turn to meet his eye. "I knew you'd find me eventually."

"I looked everywhere. Even here."

"I've gotten good at hiding."

"What's different now?"

"I’m so tired, Toby." She lowered her head. "I can't keep doing this."

"Then don't." Unable to stop himself, he went around to her side of the bed. He managed to hide his shock at her appearance--though the paleness of skin, the blood shot eyes, and the long blonde hair with just a touch of gray in it deeply disturbed him. There was still something beautiful about her, something that attracted him and heated his blood. "Let me help you, Jacqueline."

Wordless, she stared at him.

"I've missed you," she whispered. "I was there last night when you spoke to me. I just didn't have the courage to show myself."

The words relieved him. She still cared. But he fought the urge to touch her. He knew that once he did, it would be even harder to resist taking her in his arms and kissing her. Toby couldn't keep the gruffness from his voice as he battled against his desires.

"I've missed you, too," Toby admitted. "More than I can say."

"I have to tell you something."

"I already know." Toby took a chance and grabbed her hand. Keeping a small distance between them, he sat beside her on the bed. "You're pregnant."

"Yes." Her eyes implored him to understand and tugged at his heart strings. "I'm sorry."

"There's nothing to apologize to me for."

"Oh, but there is. I think we both know that." Jacqueline closed her eyes tightly. "I've killed a lot of wizards. The ones that hurt you back at
Antrim
Castle
and the ones I know were plotting against me."

"You should never have swallowed Death."

"You asked her to kill me." Jacqueline's voice raised and she looked at him defiantly. "I had to defend myself."

"Jacqueline, that isn't exactly true. Death allowed you to hear only part of the conversation. I didn't think there was any way out of the deal you made with her. I asked that if she had to kill you that it be quick. No suffering," Toby explained, watching the expressions flit across her face, praying that she would understand. "You were too upset to listen to me after
Antrim
Castle
fell, too bent on revenge. I loved you, Jacqueline. Still do."

She looked away, but he thought her eyes grew watery.