Ashes of Raging Water Page 9

  Dylan paced, hands gesturing away his agitation. “You just tell me you’re dead, and now you’re telling me you didn’t take time to explain because you had to go back and try to get yourself killed again.”

  “It’s...my job.”

  “Quit.”

  “I can’t quit being what I was created to be.”

  “Have you ever tried?” Dylan asked.

  “No, but it’s not like that. I only appear human.”

  His expression soured. “You’re not human?”

  “I am, sort of, I shape shift, okay. I told you this.”

  “You told me you became a phoenix, not that you were a...a bird changed into a human.”

  I closed the distance, looking up into his face from a much lower perspective. “Dylan, please, I’m still me. I still love you.”

  “Damn, you’re short.”

  I cast my eyes to the floor. “I knew you’d hate that my legs are shorter.”

  “I hate that you died. I hate your job.”

  “We can’t change what I am.”

  He frowned. “Is it a work visa kind of thing? Must you do the job to stay in this world?”

  “Not exactly.”

  Dylan took my hands and drew me close. “Marry me.”

  What?!

  So many emotions shot through me, I felt as if I were caught in a riptide and a whirlpool all at once.

  “If we get married, you become a citizen, you quit risking your life and we can live happily ever after,” Dylan said.

  “It doesn’t work like that. For one thing, you’re going to age and die. I’ll look like this long after you’re rotting in a grave.”

  “Unless you do something stupid to get yourself killed again.”

  I bristled. “I didn’t do anything stupid, just couldn’t beat that many grendlings alone.”

  “Why didn’t you call for help? Didn’t you say there are four more of you?”

  “There was no time.”

  “So, you what, saved a school bus full of children?” Dylan asked.

  “Animal shelter.”

  He pushed me away. “An animal shelter? You died for a bunch of strays?”

  “They’re God’s creations too. Besides, it’s my job to stop incursions.”

  “So what, some little gremlin vampire wants to snack on an alley cat, you’re just going to throw your life away?”

  “Animals are living, breathing, feeling creatures. They have every right—”

  “To be food.”

  “Dylan!”

  “That’s what God created them for, to be part of the food chain.”

  I opened my mouth to argue, but hesitated. Technically he had a point.

  That’s not a good enough reason to let him win this argument.

  “God created them to be companions. They’re the ultimate innocents, created to be part of our families.”

  “No, we did that.”

  “So, you’re happy if I die saving children, but not kittens?”

  “I’m not happy with you dying at all!”

  “I don’t do it very often. We’ve dated almost four years with only one death,” I said.

  “Great, every four years I can look forward to a new president and your job killing you. Why won’t you even try to quit? How many times can you come back, anyway?”

  “I can’t quit. My body can be reborn an infinite number of times as long as there is enough essence in my nest.”

  “How many rebirths does your nest hold?” Dylan asked.

  “Right now, one more...I think.”

  “You think? Are you going to stick close to home until your nest is full?”

  I shook my head. “Can’t. Filling the nest will take too long.”

  “Aren’t there any faster ways?”

  “Yes, there are faster ways but they hurt.”

  “Death versus pain,” Dylan rolled his eyes up as if her were thinking. “I’m going to go with pain.”

  “You are going to go with pain? It’s me that has to chop off limbs.”

  “You’re exaggerating.”

  “No, I’m not.”

  “Can’t you take vacation or something?”

  “You don’t understand. I can’t just hide. I need to find out who attacked the shelter.”

  Dylan threw up his hands. “It’s just a bunch of animals!”

  “No!” My temper rose. “It’s more than just the animals. So many animal thefts are bound to draw notice. People could discover the Sidhe are behind these incursions.”

  “So?”

  “Your kind can’t be allowed to know the faeries exist.”

  “What is that supposed to mean?”

  “Look, everybody has some darkness in their nature, negative feelings about a failed relationship or a lost promotion—even the best people.”

  “Of course, but I still don’t see a problem.”

  “The Sidhe could give them anything they wanted, grant any wish no matter how petty or cruel—actually, from the faerie perspective the more petty and cruel the better.”

  “I don’t think you’re giving humanity enough credit.”

  I raised my brows. “You want some death row serial killer to know he could trade away his soul—whatever little he has left—for supernatural strength enough to escape and go on a bloody rampage?”

  Dylan opened his mouth to object, but the wheels spun behind his eyes. He closed his mouth, wrinkles appearing on his brows until finally he spoke. “It’s the Groundhog Day thing, no consequences.”

  “Oh, Dylan, honey. There’d be consequences. The whole world would be at risk if humans learned such powers were possible.”

  He stared into the middle distance a long time. His eyes flicked to me, sad and resigned. “You can’t quit?”

  I kissed him.

  There was no magic to the kiss in and of itself, but as had often happened with Dylan, a simple soft kiss eased our tempers, quickly transforming anger into passion.

  We just fit.

  Our kissing migrated to the couch. His hands shifted down my body, exploring out of habit despite the new territory. A thought pulled me out of the kiss.

  “Before we started arguing, you smirked,” I said. “Why?”

  “Thinking how cute you were, and, well,” Dylan fidgeted.

  “What?”

  A sheepish grin spread beneath mischievous eyes. “That dating you means I get to sleep with other people without ever cheating.”

  I punched him in the stomach. He laughed, sweeping me up into his arms in an embrace that filled me with warm waves of happiness.

  “So?” I gave him my most seductive smile. “Interested in exploring all the new me?”

  A sly smile played across his lips. “Virgin territory as it were?”

  “I love you.” I smirked. “But you’re such a dork.”

  Quayla

  When I woke, I yearned to curl back up in the lingering warmth of sleep. My skin still tingled in the scent and afterglow of our union. It’d been a long night, but my new body was too new to wear down after only a day. Mortals preferred more sleep than my kind required, though I stayed abed longer whenever I could cuddle with Dylan.

  I stretched.

  My whole body still hummed from fresh exploration. My arm slid beneath the satin top sheet toward the mortal man that still wanted me. My hand slipped from beneath overlapped folds into a cold dent left in the old mattress by Dylan’s absence. I indulged a small pout.

  He’s gone.

  I rolled over.

  Beside the alarm clock, Dylan had sandwiched a new phone between a charging pad and a blue gift bow. Warmth flooded me. Even mad at me, Dylan had listened and taken a special trip to see to my needs. The clock disagreed with my new phone over a few minutes, but both placed Dylan at work.

  Dylan’s going to be exhausted. I should have someone deliver some of that coffee he loves.

  A thought sent my tongue along my lips in a gentle caress.

  Maybe I should deliver i
t myself.

  I stretched again, my motion kicking the sheet the rest of the way off. A sharp stab sent pain into my lower back where an old bedspring made a hobby of ambushing me at random. I shifted onto Dylan’s side and stretched again. I cooed, luxuriating in my muscles’ warm, after-pleasure glow.

  Maybe I should explore marrying out of the Shield.

  A giggle escaped me.

  Maybe no one’s tried and there’s a loophole I can exploit.

  I sobered.

  Do I really want to give up everything I was created for? Everything I am? I love him, but is that love stronger than what I feel for the rest of Creation? Can I abandon all of humanity for one man who’ll be dead before I know it?

  Nature drew me from conflicted thoughts and cooling sheets. Exiting the bathroom, my eyes fell on new pants and shirts stacked atop my bureau and a reusable Walmart shopping bag. A platinum thermos canted on top of the clothes.

  I am so spoiled.

  I hurried to the still-warm thermos. Cracking the top filled the room with spicy Chai aroma. I hugged the tea to my skin, relishing scent and warmth and ideas for showing my gratitude.

  A nasal tone intruded. “Can I nestle between your breasts, too?”

  I whipped my head to one side. My gaze flitted over the room, coming to rest on a pixyish faerie, lying in missionary position atop some Disney Princess Barbie on a high bookshelf.

  “That’s disgusting, Grynnberry, in fact you’re disgusting.”

  “Just copying you and your boy toy. Talk about make-up sex, wowsers.”

  “Why are you here?”

  Grynnberry hovered off the Barbie in a blur of wings, stopping to push her spread legs back together and smooth her dress. “Maybe later, darling.”

  A growl undercut the one word. “Grynn?”

  “She’s a toadstool cap too tall for me, but hey,” he smirked. “Any skirt for an itch, even a wafer, right?”

  “You better talk fast, you little ingrate. You walked me into an ambush.”

  Grynnberry landed on my new clothes, licking lips as his eyes devoured me. He pressed a hand to his chest. “Moi? I never walked you into anything. I told you an Arch would open. It did, didn’t it?”

  “Yes, to the Wyld Wastes, not one of the Courts.”

  Grynnberry smoothed his long dark hair around his antennae. “Whoops. Everyone makes mistakes, but the tip was good.”

  “This was supposed to be my chance for a win no one else could lay claim to, but instead the,” I made air quotes, “‘valuable’ informant I’m not allowed to have set me up for my biggest failure since being allowed back out in the city on my own. I died, Grynn.”

  “Hey, I came over last night to ensure you were reborn okay.”

  A flush edged into my cheeks. “Last night? When last night?”

  “Early enough to watch that wafer propose—as if any one of us would ever consider giving up our lives for what they have.” Grynnberry smiled. “Well, I might give up a few things for what he had last night. You’re quite the minx for a little birdie.”

  “You little pervert.”

  “Hey, now. I sprinkled a little dust your way...right before you really started screaming, if you know what I mean.” Grynnberry waggled his antennae. “You owe me.”

  I narrowed my eyes, a grin’s shadow nudging my lips. “Not sure I agree, but for the sake of argument, what do you think I owe you?”

  A lecherous smile filled his face, tiny sharp teeth out grinning a shark. “A nestle between those soft new breasts.”

  “Okay.”

  Grynnberry blinked. “Okay?”

  I shrugged. “Well, if you’re giving me time to think about it.”

  Grynnberry rocketed across the intervening distance, arms wide and grin wider. His flight left a contrail of sparkling dust colored like a summer sunset. The nymph expanded to human size, grabbed my ass and pushed his face between my breasts, giggling at a girlishly high pitch.

  Lust slammed into me like a freight train. My every nerve lit up, and the scent of sex in the room redoubled.

  My voice came out breathy. “Grynn?”

  He grinned mischievously up into my face.

  I blew in his face.

  “Oh, you bitc—” Grynnberry’s eyes rolled back into his head. He shrank back to pixie size, falling backward away from me like a tiny, suicidal action figure.

  I caught him in cupped hands and walked him into the kitchen. It took me a moment to dig under the sink before I came up with a wide-mouthed cider jug I’d prepared in advance. I slid Grynn inside, gentle with his wings and closed it with a perforated metal cap.

  I set the captured nymph on the counter and fetched Dylan’s favorite coffee from the freezer. I set some to brewing in the coffee maker and headed for a nice, hot shower. Dylan’s gift included a pair of blue jeans with flowers embroidered on the pocket and a soft t-shirt in my very favorite shade of teal. I slid the shirt on. The fabric’s caress sent a tingle through my bare nipples then along my spine. They tightened in response to the pleasure and their excitement pushed against my top enough to show their arousal.

  Probably what he had in mind.

  I donned a clean pair of my drunk-shopping panties and slid into the jeans.

  Bit tight, but at least I can close them.

  Back in the kitchen, I found coffee and Grynn steaming. Threats, insults and jeers escaped the glass jug in a tinny ring. I transferred the Chai into my favorite mug and rinsed the thermos to carry Dylan his coffee.

  I sat in front of Grynn’s jar and sipped Chai. A malicious grin played across my face. I feigned sudden distress. “Oh, no, Dylan forgot to add sweetener.”

  I withdrew a honey bear from a cabinet.

  “Heartless, traitorous, wafer-licking sadist!” Grynnberry jumped up and down in the jar until dust came nearly to his ankles. “I’m going to curse you and your Dylan with never-ending orgasms if you don’t let me out right this moment.”

  I smirked. “Thanks?”

  “You won’t thank me when every touch, every shift of cloth sends your body through muscle wrenching pleasure. Every. Single. One.”

  I halted, examining my inadvertent nymph shaker.

  Hmm, an endless supply of nymph sex enhancer...oh, I can just hear Vitae now. Using a Sidhe informant is bad enough, but if he caught on to me imprisoning the little monster for my own purposes, his head would explode. Besides, caging anything is wrong.

  I popped the bear’s top, swirling golden honey into my Chai. A web-fine string drizzled across my finger as I closed the bear. Bringing the honey to my lips, I sucked it from my finger with exaggerated pleasure.

  “You win, you win, stop the torture all right?” Grynn folded his arms. “Hey, I still got to second base.”

  I sipped my tea.

  Damn, too much honey.

  “I said you win.”

  “You did.”

  “So let me out.”

  I smiled. “Why?”

  “You can’t hold me in here.”

  I tapped a finger to my lips. “I seem to recall that if you find a pixie trespassing and capture them—”

  “That only applies to mortals and actual pixies,” Grynn said.

  I sipped my tea.

  “All right, I’ll give you something good.”

  “Like last time?” I asked.

  “No, something not even I’m supposed to know,” Grynn said.

  “Go ahead.”

  “Let me out first.”

  I laughed.

  “I swear on my best feature.”

  “Your silence?” I set down my Chai.

  Should I trust him?

  “Don’t make me regret this.” I reached for the cap. “Hold on.”

  I tilted the jug onto its side and removed the cap. Grynn squeezed out the top, his wings overlapped tight against his body. I watched, waiting for him to bolt. His muscles tensed to fly, but he relaxed. He expanded to full size, glamour dressing him in a tidy business suit as his wings vanis
hed. He hopped onto one of my kitchen island’s bar stools. “I was at a meeting with His Majesty Prince Vusolaryn and his knights.”

  “You said you weren’t supposed to know this.”

  “I didn’t say I was invited. Vusolaryn’s meetings have some seriously good eats. If you sneak in after, you miss the good stuff.”

  “Fine,” I sighed. “Go on.”

  “The Courts are majorly out of balance, Summer’s winning and the Wyldfae are exploiting Winter’s need to make their own gains.”

  “No. The Wyldfae wouldn’t dare. They keep low when Seelie and Unseelie go at it. Besides, the Courts play their tug-of-war, but it stays close by its very nature.”

  Grynn shook his head. “Something’s changed. Vusolaryn said there were whispers of the Unseelie doing something big.”

  “What?”

  He shrugged.

  “I need more than that.”

  “Sorry, they caught me. I had to leave.”

  “What did he say about the Wyldfae?” My stomach flip-flopped. “Wait, if you weren’t supposed to hear, and they caught you, are they hunting you?”

  “Nah, they’re so arrogant they assume they caught me on my first attempt.” He gestured dismissively. A lewd grin filled his face. “They caught me coming back in for my fourth haul.”

  “What if you’re wrong?” I asked. “What if you’re not safe?”

  He glanced at the jug. “Could we arrange cable and an easy chair?”

  10: Chasing Her Tail

  Caelum

  Caelum gestured across the dais to a middle-aged man leaning back in his chair. “...once again on behalf of Mister Heffernan and Circlestone, I want to thank all of our donors and volunteers for making this research project possible. Thanks to you, medical miracles are on the horizon.”

  The hall filled with applause. Caelum took an instant to soak it in with a rakish grin. He inclined his head to the audience and stepped away from the podium. He took his seat at the foot of the raised table and sipped the incredible Scotch served only to those seated with the CEO.

  Smooth, oaky flavor burned its way down his throat.

  “Mister Kite?”

  Caelum smiled at the CEO’s dazzling assistant.

  She tucked away a wayward lock of hair so black it was almost blue, exposing more of her ivory skin. “Mister Heffernan would like a word.”