Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter
Twenty-Five
Liadan
I watch as that idiot Cian runs from the barn toward
the cottage. He’s naked, and there’s no doubt he is a man on a mission. Earlier
I’d seen the human walk toward the cottage. I have no idea why they spent the
night in the barn, but it looks like they’re moving their lovefest inside.
I hate to admit it, but he’s a lovely man. It’s merely the
luck of his birth. He looks exactly like his better half. If Cian Finn was
anything like his brother, my job would have been infinitely easier. I could
have seduced Cian and put a blade through his heart. I have one I made
especially for him. It’s cold iron and easy for my small hands to use. I cursed
the blade myself and tested it on that moron I was forced to call husband for
years. A husband was required to get me into the village. It took a long while
to find the right plane, and once I was here, I needed to get close to the
princes. My husband came in handy. When he accidently discovered my true
nature, I tested my weapon. It proved thoroughly effective. Life as a widow has
given me the freedom I need.
I don’t dare try to use the knife on Beck. His instincts are
too well-honed when it comes to battle. His hands are quick, and he can disarm
me in an instant. He’s the warrior. There is no doubt about it. I shiver
slightly when I think about all the times I was forced to smile and welcome him
to my bed. He’s a predator. Even though he asks politely, I can feel what he
wants, and it disgusts me.
I’ve often thought about the fact that the brothers are
protected on many levels by their odd nature. Beck is protected by his fighting
ability, but Cian has some strong defenses against me as well. He seems to
sense something is wrong whenever I’m close. Once I caught Cian watching me as
though trying to figure out what I am. At first, I worried Cian might give me
away, but he never called me out. By the time I began my relationship with
Beck, Cian had started his descent into madness and likely hadn’t trusted
himself enough to accuse me.
He didn’t join his brother in my bed. I was glad that Beck
hadn’t figured out I attempted to seduce Cian first. I still hated him with a
vengeance for turning me down.
Even without direct access to the intellectual half of the
king, I almost managed it. My magic is strong. Though Cian was protected at
night—by Beck when he was around and that nosy little brownie when Beck was
not—I managed to enter his dreams as a mist. It’s a particular talent of mine.
My sisters have always been jealous of the ability. I simply poured my will
into a spell and wrap it in the mist that always surrounds the pond. It finds
its way to Cian. It whispers to him. It brings out all his fears.
In the end, it was simple. Cian is weak. He chose to fade
rather than live in a world where he has no hope of bonding. He’d been close to
complete chaos. I was mere days away from convincing the idiot to kill himself
once and for all, and then Beckett Finn would have been easy prey. Beck would
have quickly dissolved into a death machine, and there would be no choice but
to put the king out of his misery.
But of course, nothing is easy. That human bitch shows up
and I’m back at square one.
I stand in the far field watching the cottage, trying to
come up with a way to deal with the new problem I have. The queen—I
can’t believe those idiots are calling the human queen—presents a uniquely
troublesome problem.
If the legend is correct, there’s a possibility the twins’
power might be greatly increased by bonding with a strong mind. While I doubt
the human is a truly strong mate, I don’t want to take the chance. Beck is
powerful enough as he is, and the thought of Cian with a Green Man’s abilities
scares me. If word gets back to Tír na nòg that the twins are alive and have
ascended into their power, another civil war will follow. I have to stop that
because I’m not at all sure my side will win.
I feel a warmth at my heels, pulling me from my reflections.
“Hello, Ain,” I say with more affection for my black cat
than I’ve ever felt for another being. I lean over, and the cat gracefully
leaps into my arms. The cat does more for me than any other being has. She’s my
sweet and vicious familiar.
“There she is,” I say, pointing out our enemy. The queen
walks out of the cottage with a dumb smile on her face, holding Cian’s hand as
they move toward the barn.
It would be simple if I could kill the bitch, but I’m
certain that yesterday Cian destroyed that plan as well. According to the
gossip I heard at the party the night before, Cian fully bonded with the human.
If I kill her, the human will be able to send the image to her husband.
It’s too risky. I can’t change forms again, and I don’t
intend to be revealed as the hag I am when a lynch mob comes.
I watch the outcast king teach his second-rate mate how to
milk a cow. I’ve played a very careful game. It would be stupid to risk it now.
The game has changed with the insertion of the human. What I need is a new
plan.
I smile as I think about all the vampires Beck fought in the
arena for the right to mate with that ridiculous human. He probably made them
all angry. It’s the one decent move Torin managed on his own. Limiting the
vampires’ access to consorts made them more amenable to certain negotiations.
There are still vampire families loyal to the outcast king, but others are much
more reasonable. Perhaps it’s time get in touch with one or two.
“I didn’t mean yes that way, Ci!” The human’s squeal carries
across the field as she playfully avoids Cian’s hands.
Cian will be sad when the human is dead or gone. I don’t
care which. The vampires would probably rather take the girl. They have their
uses for one with her unique talents. With Beck off the plane, I might find
some vampires desperate or arrogant enough to think they can kidnap a consort.
Or some might be looking for revenge and kill the bitch.
Either way will lead to Cian’s fading and Beckett’s death.
Once they’re gone, Torin can reopen Tír na nòg, and I’ll march back into the
homeland a conquering hero. I’ll take my place beside my sisters as the king’s
counselor. Our status will be assured.
I turn toward home, my familiar nestled firmly in my arms. I
can hear the newlywed couple playing. Let them have fun now. Theirs will be a
short marriage if I have anything to say about it.