Chapter Thirty
Chapter
Thirty
Liadan
“That makes me sick.” The vampire watches the couple
as they make their way down the road toward the ramshackle cottage.
I take in his measure. He seems thin compared to a sidhe,
but I know that the vampire’s lankiness probably hides a wealth of strength.
We stand at the far edge of my property, hidden in a copse
of trees. The tangled branches give us a place to watch the road and not be
noticed. Not that we need it. Cian and his human whore aren’t capable of seeing
anything but each other.
“Well, it doesn’t do anything for me, either,” I reply. I
try not to roll my eyes.
I’m honestly surprised at the depth of animosity I feel for
the human. I hate the way the red-haired girl hugs her body to Cian’s. I loathe
him for smiling down and teasing her as lovers do. It’s obvious they’re finally
sleeping together, and that fact chafes.
“You told me she was at odds with the brothers.” Kinsey
Palgrave frowns, the expression marring his handsome face.
I shrug. I’m not sure why it matters. “I told you she wasn’t
sleeping with Beckett. He brought her home and left the very next day for your
home plane. He didn’t even spend that single night with her. He preferred to
sleep in the barn. She wasn’t pleasing to him.”
Beck never thought to sleep in the barn when he was seeing
me. Then again, he never actually spent the night. He used me and then walked
back to his own cottage. I’m being forced to admit that my charms didn’t work
on either brother the way I thought they would. I was so sure this form would
work, but something went wrong.
“Well, Cian Finn doesn’t seem to have the same problem.”
Palgrave’s eyes darken as he continues to watch them. “He’s obviously fucking
the consort.”
“I don’t understand why you care,” I admit, studying the
young vampire. He’s a royal, like the twins’ cousin, Dante. Unlike that
imbecile they’re related to, however, this vampire is serious. He’s hungry for
a mate and angry the consort was taken from him. He doesn’t believe the
competition was fair.
Dante told the whole tale at the tavern the same night
Beckett brought his bondmate home. I heard the name Kinsey Palgrave as one of
the competitors Beck brutally defeated. So I contacted him. Kinsey was easy to
persuade to my side. He bought the story of how desperately the human wants to
leave this barbaric place. Now he’s faltering. I need to bring him back into
the fold. I need to convince him to kidnap or kill the human.
“Do you honestly believe she can be happy here?” I ask. “She
is used to a world with technology. She might enjoy sleeping with Cian, but
living here? She’s not used to the hardships. Beckett is still gone from this
plane. His twin is vulnerable. All of his power is in his intellect. It will be
easy for you to take the consort from him.”
The vampire turns to me, his fangs out. They popped out the
minute he saw that idiot human walking up the road. He has some form of visual
aid device. I don’t care to look through it. The vampires rely too much on
their technology.
“It might be easy to take the consort,” Palgrave agrees.
“The trouble will be in keeping her. I came here because I believed she would
go willingly with me. She doesn’t look unhappy. I could kidnap her, but what’s
to stop her from running the first chance she gets?”
“You would.” I’m beginning to wonder if anyone has a brain.
“Tie her up, for all I care. You would get the consort and your revenge. Beck
will fade if he loses her.”
It’s the vampire’s turn to sound disbelieving. “More likely
he will simply go insane and attempt to track me. This is wrong. I only came
because I thought the consort needed saving. I’m not about to get involved in
carting off a screaming consort, and I’m certainly not about to hurt one. You
know what they say, be kind to consorts or you will never find one yourself.”
I nearly scream in frustration. My plan is falling apart
because of an old vampire proverb? The royals have rules about handling
consorts, but I didn’t expect them to be vigorously upheld during a time when
there are so few to be had.
The vampire turns away from the sight of the couple kissing.
“Besides, it’s a good thing in the long run. If the Finns can take back Tír na
nòg, our access to consorts will return. It is obvious that you are angry at
the brothers. Did they break off relations with you? You have to be realistic,
miss. They were always going to marry a bondmate. I have to be realistic, too.”
Palgrave pulls his hood up as he makes to leave. “I came because I want a
consort, and she’s lovely. She isn’t available, so the best I can do is make
some money off the situation. I don’t think anyone knows the Finns have bonded
yet. I’m sure that Beck went to the Vampire plane to make a deal with his
relatives. I might have time to buy up some Dellacorp stock before the price
goes sky high. I’ll make a bundle and look like a genius in the trades.”
The vampire looks pleased with himself as he turns to go. He
came alone, and now I’m grateful for that fact. It’s easier to deal with a
single vampire than a couple. The last thing I want is him telling his tale to
all and sundry. The minute he mentions my name, the brothers will be after me.
I pull the silver knife from my sleeve. I say a quick spell
to make my aim true and then plunge the knife into the vampire’s back. I’m far
stronger than I look. The form I present makes me look frail and weak, but my
true body is solid. The vampire jerks once, and then he falls apart as his
heart is torn asunder by the silver.
I shiver as I look down at my previously pristine clothing.
I really shouldn’t have worn my second-best dress. Killing vampires is a filthy
business. They tend to explode when their hearts rip apart. I’m covered in
blood.
Though if I move quickly enough, I might be able to preserve
some of it. Vampire blood is powerful. Perhaps the day isn’t a complete waste.
The sound of laughter filters across the pond. I have to
find a way to get that bitch alone. I must get her off this plane and make it
look like she walked away. If the brothers think she was taken, they’ll move
mountains to find her. If they think she’s been killed, it could get ugly. I
don’t like to think about what they will do to me. I have no plans to martyr
myself.
As I make the long walk toward my cottage, an idea comes to
me.
No. The day isn’t wasted at all.