Chapter 6
New Attention
Six weeks later …
I don’t know why I’m so disappointed not to see the biker tonight. In the last month or so since he’s been coming in, he’s never spoken to me, but I look forward to catching a glimpse of him.
Gah, all that thick red hair and that body. I might be tiny, but I love a big, strong, tall man. He checks off all the boxes. Too bad I’m too shy to make a move.
“Get a grip, Taylor,” I mumble to myself.
That man isn’t thinking about me. He probably has a ton of women back at his clubhouse who satisfy his needs. I’d become a club bunny just to be one of them.
I groan at my thoughts and rub my temples. I haven’t been able to focus on the paper I’m writing since realizing Big Red hasn’t come in tonight.
Big Red … I snort to myself. I can’t help wondering what his real name is. I bet it’s something strong, like Slash or Demon.
I chuckle to myself and shake my head. I’ve been reading too many biker romances. Once again, I try to focus on the words before me.
I glance at the time on my laptop. I need to head home soon. I’ve been trying to wait a little longer to see if Big Red will show up tonight. The sight of him alone has been brightening my nights since the first time he came in.
“Hey there.”
I look up from my laptop into a pair of green eyes. It’s not my biker, but he’s handsome as well. I guess my short king phase is over. At four-eleven, most guys who hit on me aren’t much taller than I am.
Not that Big Red has hit on me and this guy has only said hello. I frown at my thoughts. He gives me a big smile and holds his hand out toward me.
“I’m Ferg. I would love to know the name of such a gorgeous woman.”
I smile and take his hand. “Taylor.”
Again, I wonder what my biker’s name is. Throttle or Ax, maybe. I’m sure it’s something that rolls off the tongue.
Speaking of tongues. Big Red is so tall and broad I would like to bounce on him while sucking his tongue into my mouth. I squeeze my thighs as my thoughts try to carry me away.
Hell, I’m a virgin, not a saint. I have fantasies and desires. Since Big Red started coming here, I’ve been imagining it’s him on the other side of those flames.
Each night in my dreams, I’m naked on my knees, waiting for him. My cheeks heat as those thoughts come unbidden. I wonder where he is tonight?
“Nice to meet you. Do you mind if I take a seat?”
Ugh, why can’t Big Red be this bold? Probably because I’m not his type. I look down into my lap. I’ve been trying my best to dress nicer when I come in. The jeans I’ve been wearing have been so tight they leave seam marks on my legs when I get home to take them off.
Yet he’s never approached me. I sigh and begin to put my things away. I think it’s time I go home.
I need a shower and some sleep. Maybe then I can focus on something other than a big, sexy biker who’s not even interested in me. Like I would be able to talk to him if he were.
“Actually, I was about to leave,” I say shyly, proving my thoughts right.
I’m not even that into this guy and I want to curl into myself instead of talking. I’ve always dreamed my person would be someone I could hide in or they would have the ability to bring me safely out of my shell.
“Oh,” Ferg says and pouts. “Maybe some other time.”
“Maybe,” I reply.
I sigh. Maybe I should give this guy a chance. It’s not like I stand a chance with that biker. I’m a thirty-year-old nursing student and a virgin on top of that.
Okay, twenty-nine, but I’ll be thirty soon. It’s not like I’m going to have a lot of options these days. To this day, I can remember the social worker who drilled it in my head to save it—Mrs. Perkins.
I will forever remember her name and face. She had been my one constant. She probably didn’t mean for me to hold out for this long.
“I’ve seen you here before. Maybe I can treat you to dinner next time.”
I shrug. “I have plans tomorrow night, I won’t be here for long. Maybe the night after. I still have this paper to finish, so I’ll be here,” I say.
“It’s a date. I’m looking forward to it.”
“Okay.” I smile and give a small wave as I turn to leave.
I step out of the diner and an eerie feeling comes over me. I look around the empty street. The diner is in the factory district. Probably not the best place to be around alone this time of night.
Big Red usually leaves the same time I do. I’ve noticed him sitting on his bike while looking down at his phone. He doesn’t take off until I’m in my car and have started it.
I guess that’s where my hope has stemmed from. I thought maybe he wanted to make sure I was safe or something. And here we have reason one hundred and one why I should stop reading romance novels.
I move quickly to my car in the small parking lot. Tossing my bag inside, I hop in and lock the doors behind me. Starting the engine, I take a glance back at the diner.
Ferg is nice looking, but I can’t help wondering what happened to my fiery biker. I’ve begun to look forward to his intoxicating presence. I shove down the feeling and pull off.
“Maybe seeing me on a date will get him to make a move.”
A tiny smile comes to my lips. I would love to watch that big man become all possessive over me. Gah, why can’t I have an interesting life?
Ferg
“Did you find the girl?” The bishop asks as soon as I enter his office.
No other greeting. Always straight to the point. We are his soldiers, nothing more.
“I think so.”
“You think so?” he replies dryly.
“How are we to know which one she is? The locator spell has been leading us in four different directions. I didn’t sense a child.”
“Did I ask you to try to sense a child? I gave you a spelled charm. You were to bring me the one the charm led you to. Where is she?”
“I wasn’t sure she was the one.”
The bishop stands and flips his desk over. “Why is it so hard to follow directions? I led you straight to her. Did the charm not respond as you approached her?”
“It did.”
“Get out of my sight. Clearly, you couldn’t handle this on your own. You will take the others with you and bring her back to me.”
“But the charms have led us in four different directions. How are we to know which is right?”
“We follow them all. Stop thinking, Ferg. It’s not what you’ve been blessed to do.”
I tighten my lips but say no more. There is something awry here. The prophecy speaks of the son. We need to find the one with the child. Three other women shouldn’t come to harm.
“Ferg?”
“Yes, Bishop.”
“I do hope for your sake that you at least masked your scent. I don’t need anyone finding out that you’ve been to see her before you can capture her. If she is the one, I will not be forgiving. Do you understand?”
“Yes, I understand,” I say tightly.
The Bishop
I stand with my hands on my hips, staring at the mess I made in my rage. I’m so close to my goal. My master will have his freedom.
This is the first time there has been no interference while hunting Tanr?’s unnatural mutts. Somehow, Tanr? has managed to throttle our moves without breaking the accords and freeing my master from his cage. This should not be, but you can’t trust the gods.
They have caused this mess. Tanr? has been helping those abominations, yet nothing has been done to undo the atrocities of his past sins. It’s as if the accords mean nothing.
And still, my master, the one god who sees reason and what’s right, remains a prisoner. The balance remains flawed as long as those mutations of my kind exist.
“I will not fail. Nor will I rest until you are free, my lord,” I sigh.
Suddenly, the things I tossed over right themselves. My lips twitch slightly. Maybe this one can give me answers before I lose the last of my patience.
“Good evening, Azar. What do you have for me, my dear?”
“Hello, Bishop. I’ve come with good news. I’ve found you a pawn. All our work has paid off. I’m mobilizing our fire army and now we have a way to take the fire wielder down when you are ready,” Azar purrs.
I turn to look the fire fairy in her eyes. To be so beautiful and so powerful is a gift. A gift she’s been blessed with for as long as I have known her. Azar is not tainted, and her gift isn’t stolen.
This I admire her for. I am the reason she’s become feared and shunned. The fire fairies have no idea of the blessing that lives among them.
It doesn’t matter. When the balance is restored, so shall be her reputation. All will be reestablished with my lord.
“Are you sure we can trust this pawn?”
“She is motivated. I will be able to guide her to fulfill all our needs. How is the weapon coming along? Are the others holding up their parts?”
I move swiftly before she has time to notice or react. Azar may be powerful, but she’s still no match for me. Grasping her throat, I look into her eyes. She looks back at me in shock.
“The charm you gave me split into four. It leads us in four different directions. Not to the one. Why is this?”
I release my grasp enough for her to speak. I need answers. I’m much too close for anyone to get in the way. Not even Azar is safe from my wrath.
Anyone who fails me will be punished. No exceptions. She and I both know this to be true.
“The charm was designed to find your desire. At the time, it had been the mates of the ones we sought—not the child. We knew my magic would never be able to find them, but you asked for their mates.
“The charm split to do its job. Clearly, we will not find their mates all in one place. Find them all and we will find the child and the weakness that will give us the victory needed to free our lord.
“I have done my part. I continue to do my part, do I not?”
I release her and take a step back. I tug at my cuffs and smooth a hand down my robe. It has been easy to hide within the church. All secrets are hidden and passed through the religions.
The sacrifices needed to complete our mission are not called into question, as it looks as though we are only holding up traditions. Traditions that have been long misunderstood and taken out of context.
I give a smile and go to take my seat behind my desk once again. “Tell me more about this offering you bring,” I say to Azar.
“It is … she’s a fire fairy.”
Something in the way she says this catches my attention. I straighten and lock eyes with her. I know this woman too well for her to think she’s going to hide something from me.
“Are you going to tell me what I’ve asked to know? Or will I have to pull it from you myself?”
“It is Seraphina.”
I stand up quickly and bang my hand on the desk. Rage rolls through me. Azar isn’t stupid, but this would suggest otherwise.
“Why would you involve her?”
“She has been living within the inner circle. She has been close to the fire wielder. With time, I believe she can lead us right to him.”
“You are placing her in unnecessary danger. If she learns who you truly are, if anyone learns of this before we free our lord … I don’t want to think about it.
“All we have done will have been for nothing. How is she not in the fire kingdom? That’s where you left them. What has happened and why am I just learning of this?”
“I didn’t know of the changes until she appeared on my doorstep. Living in exile makes getting information from within the kingdom walls much harder. My kind no longer trusts me.
“The fire king remains angry with me. I do not know what has happened between him and my sister to have caused?—”
“Enough,” I bellow. “You are the one being who should never fail me. Yet, you’ve allowed this to happen. I’ve overlooked your inability to find those filthy bastards of Tanr?’s. I figured that was his doing. However, this … this you should have handled with care,” I seethe.
“You are wrong. I did what you told me to do and left her alone. You cannot ask me to stay away and then expect me to know every nuance of her existence.”
“Well, you should have known that she has gotten involved with the enemy. Maybe then you would have found them a long time ago.”
“Again, you are wrong. We might have known where to find them, but you would not have been ready to take them down. Or have you forgotten we still need the weapons to succeed?”
“Go, I have had enough.”
She turns to leave, but I have a few final words before she disappears. “It is your responsibility to make sure Seraphina doesn’t come to any harm. If she is harmed, so shall you be.”
With that, she vanishes without another word. I pinch the bridge of my nose. I didn’t even get a chance to relieve some of this tension. I’m surrounded by incompetence. No wonder my lord is still imprisoned.
“There isn’t a prayer to spare the lot of them,” I grumble and flop back down into my chair.