Vampires and Sexy Romance (46 page)

Min gasped.  She could feel the sudden reaction the moment her sister laid her lips on the winter queen.  It was as if water had splashed against a red skillet, but a million times stronger.  She heard a scream of agony, so alien and blood curdling she had to cover her ears.  As did every fae in the huge chamber.  The next thing she knew the room exploded with the most brilliant, retina burning light, a light so powerful, that came in such thunderous waves, Min felt it like a scorching wind over her skin.

Min rolled away, for the light was so bright that even closing her eyes wasn’t enough. 
Oh god, Am I going to die anyway?  Is this the price for saving my sister?

If it was, then she would embrace it with open arms.

A moment later the light receded.  There wasn’t a sound, only Min’s labored breathing and her heart pounding in her ears.  She blinked her eyes open.  They hurt, and she had one hell of a head ache, but the sight she saw made her gasp and try to pull herself up from the ground.  Luca was knelt by her side, alive, and no longer frozen like a statue. 

But her arms and legs weren’t cooperating.  They were still weak from the brutal pain she’d withstood at the faerie queens hand.  Luca scooped her up and pulled her to him, and to her feet in the blink of an eye.  She kissed him.  And it felt so right.  He was hers and always would be.

And then she felt a stab of the most horrifying angst. 
Andy…

She whirled around, wishing suddenly she had a sword in her hand, or the Bellini. 

Andy stood all alone before the great ice throne, black dust floated in moats through the still air.  Andy glowed still, and her face was radiant with joy.  Min had never seen her look so happy. 

Of course no one else in that chamber looked happy in the least; the fae who weren’t reaching for silver swords, were moving back from the glowing form of her sister, cowering. 

Andy’s expression slowly changed; the joyousness in her turned into a hard little smile.  She turned from Min and looked around her at the assembled sidhe lords.  And as she did the glow about her intensified, and the fae with their swords drawn backed away quickly.  They held arms and literal shields up to protect their eyes.  And there was a strange smoldering, a pitch black smoke, roiling off of every single faerie in the room.  There were agonized moans, and some dropped to the ground, rolling in on themselves like a ball.

The radiance around Andy rose to a crescendo, and then slowly subsided until she was merely glowing again.  Min had never seen a god or goddess before—at least not one in the glory of their power—but the anger powered glower her little sister was casting down from the throne dais was as close to one as she ever wanted to witness again.  The icy throne at her back shimmered with multiple rainbows and cascading lights like the Aurora borealis.

Andy stalked from the throne, glaring viciously at every sidhe she saw.  They—every single one of them—looked down in submission as she passed them.  Min’s sister had obviously made her point. 
Don’t screw with me.

Andy’s smile returned when she was about a yard away from her sister, as radiant as ever.

“Wow.”  Min mouthed to her.

Andy suddenly froze in place, her eyes going wide, and then filling with a faraway look.  Min could practically see the gears in her head turning, and a gleam flared in her eyes.  Or more precisely, her irises turned to glittering diamonds, imbued with their own light.

She turned and glared once more at the sidhe lords.  They all seemed to shrink under her scrutiny. 

“Your queen’s power is not lost to you.  I’m sure you can feel it in the air.”

A few brave souls nodded in agreement.

“Soon that power will choose one of you as the next ruler of the Unseelie Court.  So let me make this perfectly clear right here and now.”  Andy moved slowly toward the mass of faeries like a predator, and the herd scattered and shifted position in reflexive response.

“I have no plans to ever set foot in Faerie again, or to interfere in the affairs of either courts.”  She stopped in the dead center of the room and looked about her with a ferocious intensity. When she spoke again the power of her voice made the ancient stone of the chamber walls shake and dust and pieces of rubble fell from the vaulted ceiling.  “But if any of you bitches comes anywhere near me and mine again, I’ll come back here and burn every single one of you to a fucking cinder!”

The fae just stood there, frozen in fear, staring at Min’s little sister like she was the devil herself.

Andy cocked her head to the side, a haughty expression making her face look mean as hell.  “I’m sorry, I’m not looking for silent fear here.  What I want right here and now is for all accounted to swear that they will never come near or bother in any way me or mine again.”  She rubbed her hands together and sizzling flashes of light hissed between her touching flesh.

A long moment of silence stretched out.  “Swear it!”  Andy snarled.

The sidhe lords fell into a bowing stance before Andy, and they all said, in a frightened murmur of English and fae, that they so swore it.

Min could feel the thrum of magic as so many powerful beings made a promise.  The energies that washed over the room were intoxicating and rich.  It made her swoon, and made the warm power of Summer that still lay within her stand up and take notice.  She thought she could almost hear the tinkling laughter of the Summer Queen.

That almost sound sobered Min up fast.

That Bitch!

They were so going to have a talk after this all was over…but on second thought, looking at her sister, healthy and whole, and Luca…maybe she would just let it go.  If storming the stronghold of a faerie queen had taught her nothing else, it was that she was egregiously outmatched.

Andy turned to Min and smiled.  “I don’t think any of these guys will cause us anymore trouble.”

Luca snorted.  “You think?”

“Yeah, sister mine.”  Min said as she pulled Andy to her in a fierce embrace.  “You stomped on them real good.”  She laughed.  “I can’t wait to see mom’s face when you tell her what you did.”

Andy’s face suddenly turned serious.  “Where is she?  Is she alright?”

“She’s fine,” Min said, holding onto Andy’s hand.  “She got possessed by the Summer Queen for a minute, opened a gateway here, and has been holding it open from the other side.”

“Oh.”  Andy looked surprised, and then leered at Min.  “I bet she just loved the being possessed part.”

“I imagine it was the highlight of this whole operation for her.”

Min and Andy broke-out in full throated laughter.  Luca looked on with just a hint of an impatient scowl.  “Speaking of the port hole, Katarina said she wouldn’t be able to hold it open forever.  And I doubt anyone will want to go back the way we came.”

Min looked behind her at the anteroom they’d entered through.  It was empty, except for some charred mounds of faerie, and the glowing, empty net of moonlight that the shadow cat had been imprisoned in.

Graysyn had apparently escaped.

She groaned at the thought of crossing over that damn invisible bridge again.  And then the cool, collected voice of the Summer Queen spoke in Min’s head.

If you will forgive, I know a much easier, quicker rout you could take to get back to your world…

Min rolled her eyes and tapped her foot impatiently.

Is there an extra price for this favor?

Min could practically sense the evil bitch smile.

Shall we call this even?  You did me a great service, and now I’m returning that favor.

Not even close to even…But I really don’t want to go over that bridge again.  Fine!  Even.

Min felt a sudden warming in her chest, and then in her head.  Somehow she just knew that if she turned and walked out of the throne room, and down a hall that only opened when you touched the hand of the mermaid frozen in the wall, that at the end of that corridor was a balcony. 

Min opened the silver and glass door that lead out to the balcony, and there, swirling in lurid, living color was a porthole.  The swirling stopped for a moment and showed an image of Katarina sitting in a chair facing the porthole, effort making creases in her face.

“Mom!”  Andy and Min blurted at the same time.  They grabbed each other’s hand, and then Min reached back and took hold of Luca’s hand.  They moved to the porthole and stepped through.

~*~

Just passing back into their own world felt like the weight off the world had fallen off Min’s shoulders.  She sighed and drew in a giant breath. 

Katarina’s eyes shot open, and she laughed one perfect “Ha!” and then flung herself up out of the chair and toward her daughters.  She looked weak, and older than she had when they had left, but that didn’t stop her from getting to her daughters.

“Oh my precious girls…I was so…”  Her voice cracked from strain, and began to sob uncontrollably.  But, to Min’s immense relief, they were sobs of joy.  “I can’t believe you did it.”  She kissed Min on the cheek.  “You brought her back to us.”

“Well,” Min said, pushing back her own tears.  “Your little girl did most of the heavy lifting.  You should have seen her.  Really scary.”

Andy laughed.  “Yeah right!  You should have seen this one storm into the stronghold of the Winter Queen, the fires of hell blazing out of her freaking hands.  It was amazing.”

“But you should have seen yourself—”

“Ladies?” Luca interrupted. “There will be plenty of time to tell the whole tale, but for now I suggest we move this to your house, and to those nifty wards you’ve told me about.”

Min smiled, and was about to pull her vampire into a deep, rhapsodic kiss, when she abruptly realized that there was an object in her hand—the silver fae dagger from the Summer Queen.  She opened her hand and looked down upon it, just as one of the Summer Queen’s huge hounds appeared from under the veil it had been hiding under.

The hound’s eyes glowed a sinister red, and it opened its great, fanged mouth and stared silently at Min.

“R-right,” Min stammered, and very slowly set the dagger into the hounds gapping maw.  And just like that, the beast disappeared behind the veil again.  There were no sounds of it moving across the tiled floor of the diner, but the door to the outside banged open, the bell over it ringing harshly.

Min reached out and kissed her vampire, breathless and exhilarated, and exhausted.  He tasted so very good.  “Let’s go home.”

They talked for hours.  Not much came from Andy’s lips about what happened to her before Min showed up at Winter’s Keep, but what she did talk about came in excited bursts.  She’d been so unbelievably happy to see Min.  She had given up, but just seeing her sister, knowing how much she had to have gone through just to get there—it had ironed her flagging will.  It was the reason why she could have done what she’d done.

“So how did you know…know that you could destroy her like that?” Katarina asked, shaking her head.

“I knew Min needed help…and I remembered the Summer Queen telling me how hard she had worked to make the Winter Queen want to have me.  And she had said that it had worked so well that the Winter Queen had forgotten that I was a being of light.

“Plus the queen couldn’t feed on me until I allowed her to.  That had to mean something.  So I just rolled the dice.”

“It was amazing.”  Min yawned.  She felt happy.  The tension in her shoulders had relaxed away as her vampire held her close.  She wanted nothing more than to fall asleep there and then, in her lover’s arms.

Andy cleared her throat and winked at Katarina.  Their mother didn’t look thrilled to have a vampire in the house, but since he had just helped save both of her daughter’s lives, it seemed she was going to work around it.

“Looks like we could all use a little shut eye.”  She caught Min in the crosshairs of her mighty gaze.  “I think we all need
sleep
.” 

In other words, Min translated, no fooling around.  She nodded her head.  “Yes ma’am.”  There would be plenty of time in the morning to blow her mother’s mind with tales of hot vampire sex.  She led the way upstairs, pulling Luca along.  When they were finally alone in her room, he helped Min undress, kissing her sore flesh at every visible bruise, and before she knew it she was lying in bed, the covers pulled up around her, her vampire naked beside her, pulling her up against him as she fell fast into sleep.

~*~

Andy felt warm and safe in her old room.  Her mother was well again, and it only seemed right that she was back under the same roof as her mother and sister.  But a couple of hours later she was still lying in her old bed, wide awake. 

Why can’t I sleep?

Because this isn’t who you are anymore.

She punched her pillow and scrunched up her eyes.  She was so tired.  Vaporizing a faerie queen really took it out of you.  But she just couldn’t relax completely.  Part of her, a very big part of her, wanted to be home, and this just wasn’t home anymore.

Her little dog looked up with worried doggy eyes from where she lay on the bed beside her.  Andy rumpled his little furry ears, and then pulled herself up out of bed and got dressed again. 

She gathered up Brutus, who was quivering with excitement, and called for a cab.  The taxi company called a couple minutes before the cab would arrive.  Standing all alone, even on a well lit street, made Andy’s nerves stand on end.  She turned and looked down the street to find nothing.  Then she turned the other way and about jumped out of her skin.  Min’s vampire, Luca, was standing there silently, looking across the street.

“This is really stupid of you.”

She scowled at him and then turned to face away from him.  “My cab should be here any minute.  You should go back to Min.”

He shook his head ever so slightly.  “Min would want me here, with you.”

“I can’t sleep, okay?  I thought, since none of the fae would be coming near me for a very long time that it would be safe to go home, to my own bed.”

“I get that.”  The vampire stood unbelievably still for a moment, not breathing, not blinking.  He was like a statue, literally.  “But I can’t let you travel there alone.”

Andy glared at him menacingly.  “I’m not going back in—”

“I’ll ride with you, and make sure you’re safe.”

“Oh,” Andy said, the anger dying from her like a snuffed out candle.  “Ah, thanks.”

The cab pulled up a moment later, and Andy and the vampire got in.  It wasn’t much of a drive, and thankfully the vampire didn’t feel too chatty.  But Andy finally found herself babbling.  About how she understood now why her mother had kept this from her, but that it still kind of pissed her off.  And she was glad that Min had him, but “If you ever hurt her, I-I…I’ll…”

Luca looked at her nonplussed.

“I’ll make what I did to the Winter Queen look like a bad sunburn.  We clear?”

A smirk played on the edges of the vampire’s lips.  “Crystal.”

Andy turned away, shaking her head.  But a smile was pulling at the sides of her mouth.  She liked the vampire.  It was hard not to like someone that had literally risked life and limb to help save you.  You’d be a sorry piece of work if you didn’t.

Finally the cab arrived in front of Andy’s house.  She sighed as she looked up at the huge granite edifice.  There were lights on here and there, but mostly the apartment building was asleep.  It was well after midnight, after all.

Andy pulled her dog closer to her and looked over to the little park where she usually walked her.  It was usually dimly lit, but the moon was full and illuminated everything until it practically sparkled. 

That’s how she saw that Sam was sitting there at the lone picnic table, his big beast of a dog by his side.  Her heart leapt up into her throat, and then she felt a surge of adrenaline.  She wanted to go talk to him in the worst way.  And since he was just sitting there, it seemed that he might be waiting for her too.

“I thought you were going up to your apartment?” the vampire asked.  And then he looked over to where Andy’s eyes were focused.  “Oh, I see.”  And then he gave a little laugh.  Not an unkind sound, just amused.  “Well, he seems safe enough.”

Andy glanced at him, not really knowing if he’d meant that last as a small insult, or whether he meant it.  In truth she didn’t care.  She just wanted to get to her not-so-secret crush.  The dark creatures and monsters of the world would just have to find someone else to hassle for a little while.  She had plans.

She got out of the cab and set Brutus on the ground.  She listened to the cab drive off as she and Brutus walked quickly toward the park.  She must have been walking pretty quietly, because Sam was muttering to himself, and didn’t seem to know she was approaching.

But Shylock noticed, and whined affectionately when he spied her coming. 

Sam turned, the look on his face turning from surprised to happy in a heartbeat.  But she saw that something long and shiny had been in his hand, and now wasn’t.  Just that fast.

He stood and was about to say something, but just didn’t seem able to do so.  It was comical, and endearing, and a couple days ago it might have been disastrous.  If he’d gotten tongue tied, then her nerves would’ve jumbled, and she would’ve been tongue tied too.  Or worse, she might have started babbling.  But instead she smiled and said, “Waiting for me?”

His handsome Anglo Saxon face blushed, and a guilty smile lit up his face.  She loved his smile.  It was boyish yet masculine at the same time.  It didn’t hurt that it belonged to such a great looking man. 

He had broad shoulders, a well muscled body, and straight brown hair long enough to brush his shoulders.  Not to mention his hazel eyes.  They changed with his mood, or what he was looking at.  And as he looked at her they changed from a cool blue to a radiant green.

“Yeah…I missed you last night.  I was home but you weren’t”

Andy didn’t take her eyes from his, just shrugged.  “I had a family thing across town.  Stayed overnight with my mother and sister.”

A relieved look shown on his face, for just a moment, and then he covered it up with a hasty smile.  “Good, I mean, it’s good you get along well with your family.  Family’s important.”

Absently he rubbed his hand over his mouth, obviously thinking over what he was going to say next.  But Andy noticed something peculiar.  A ring, old and gold, and topped off with a ruby and diamond insignia.  She’d seen this emblem before, in books, and had always thought they were either remnants of a forgotten time, or simply fiction. 

But standing across from Sam, the moon shining down upon them, she just knew he wasn’t just some pretender.  The light made him shine just a little more than anything else.  An inner light she had somehow ignored up until then.

Faith.

No, he was the real deal.  An honest to goodness Knight of the Cross.

Andy gasped as this realization hit her brain.  She was a star—or a piece of one—fallen to earth and was now human.  Well, human with a bunch of unknown powers.  And she had a huge crush on her neighbor…and he was a freaking holy Knight of the Cross, a crusader, a fist of God.

“What’s wrong?”  Sam’s expression had turned alarmed.

Andy realized she’d been holding her breath.  She let it out, took another deep breath and smiled, more to herself.

Any other day this might have all been too much for her to handle.  But today, after the couple of days she’d had, it just didn’t seem like that big of a deal.

She walked past Sam and sat down at the picnic table, letting Brutus pounce around on her leash.

“Nothing,” she said.  She decided to let him tell her about his real job in his own time.  She knew that secrets were tricky things, and that they were usually kept for a good reason.  She leaned back against the wood of the table and extended her arm to point at the bench left beside her.

“Want to sit and talk for a bit?”

Sam’s face lit up again, and he quickly sat down beside her.  “So,” he said, “do you come her often?”

Andy laughed.  “All the time.  I like the swings the best.”

***End***

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Not Dead Yet: A Lucy Hart, Deathdealer Novel.  Book Two

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