Deceptions fall, p.23
Deception's Fall, page 23
part #6 of Call of the Elements Series
Be right there as soon as I find my partner.
I emptied my glass, then went to find Mal.
The meeting room was already full when we arrived a few minutes later. A representative from each magical family took a place at the large table, except the elves. Was this the beginning of their Arcane Conclave?
Mal and I stepped away from the door and leaned against the wall. I didn’t need a seat, especially with the bruises on my ass from Mal’s horse.
“Welcome,” Lodron said, meeting my eyes for a second before giving his attention to Maldrius. “You’re just in time. Will the Arcanists be able to close the portals?”
“Vethiar believes they can,” Mal replied. “But they can only do one at a time. I suspect they may be exhausted after the first one, so we should decide which one takes precedence.”
“That’s unfortunate,” Ronquil said from his seat next to Lodron.
“We should also consider the distance to the nearest ley lines,” Mal added. “The Elvin kingdom’s location was chosen because of the intersecting lines beneath it. I believe the lines beneath the Highland Kingdom are stronger than the ones in the Woodlands.”
“Should we rethink our strategy?” Kellen asked. “Maybe have a smaller force in the Forest just to contain the enemy. If we focus the rest of our forces on the palace, we might be able to overcome Stephan’s existing soldiers and get to the portal before too many reinforcements arrive.”
I noticed Matt and Victor sitting on his left, and Ekon and Yera sat on his right. My ex-partner had everyone’s attention for the moment.
“Possibly,” Lodron replied. “We can’t close the portal in the Highland Palace until we reach it.” His calculating gaze stayed with Maldrius. “We’re going with the assumption that Stephan will have a vampire army, but what if he sends the vampires to the Forest to fight the trees? What if the last attack was just a test to see what the trees were capable of? I think he’s been testing us all along, except for attacking Braden’s vampires. He needed them out of the way.”
I hadn’t considered that theory, but it made sense. After the dark fae had eliminated most of Braden’s vampires, they’d tested the barrier around the island. The assault on the pride of lions could’ve been to see how strong the shifters were, or to test the Dionadair’s strength. It wasn’t unrealistic to think Neònach would sacrifice a few of her Saighdear to find out how much the Forest of Tears could take.
“It would make sense,” I said. “Stephan knows all about the Forest. He also knows the restricted attendance policy. I bet it was a test. But did we pass or fail?”
“We left no survivors,” Ronquil answered. “So Stephan knows we killed the creatures he sent, even if he doesn’t know how.” He glanced at Lodron. “I think you’re right. He’ll send the vampires with their new magic to burn down the Forest, leaving the perfect opening to our world.”
A shiver ran down my spine. No matter what else they’d become, the trees were still fae. We couldn’t let the Forest burn.
Mal glanced at me, raising an eyebrow. I nodded. He could tell them about Zane. “We’ve recruited a dragon who is thirsty for vampire blood,” he said.
Silence fell across the room as all eyes shifted to me and Mal.
“A dragon?” Yera asked. Ekon, the male troll from our last meeting, had the same surprised look as everyone else. “Can you trust it?”
A malicious grin spread across Mal’s face. “AJ has made sure of it.”
My face flushed, and I kicked him. “The dragon will be our ally during the fight against Neònach’s forces,” I explained. “We shouldn’t expect more than that, though. He’s an ass.”
“We’ll have to consider the best way to use him, then.” Ronquil gave me a look that said we’d talk about it later. He surveyed the table for a moment, then continued. “Make sure your people know he’s on our side.”
“And the Justices?” Victor asked.
“We’ll discuss the Dionadair roles among ourselves,” Ronquil replied, shooting a glare at Victor. “Once the armies are divided, we can fill in the weak points.”
“And our timetable?” Ekon questioned. Several others mumbled their agreement with the question.
“Can everyone have their armies ready in two days?” Lodron asked. “We’ll be moving your soldiers through the realms, so travel time isn’t necessary except to get to a centralized location.”
Another round of mumbled affirmations filled the room. Despite the fae’s initial arrogance, this group was making progress.
“There are enough shifters to split among the two battlefields,” Victor said. “When I sent out the call to the other Alphas, I didn’t expect the response I received.”
“How many are you talking about?” Lodron asked.
“Fifteen thousand,” Victor replied.
“Holy shit,” I gasped.
Victor chuckled. “If the humans knew how many of us lived among them, there would be chaos. Compared to Earth’s total human population, it’s a very small percentage, though.” His expression became somber again. “They’re convening with their local mages and will be ready by your deadline.”
“Thank you, Victor,” Lodron said. He looked both sincere and a bit surprised. Their first meeting hadn’t been all that pleasant.
“The mages cannot offer the same numbers,” Kellen said. “But our portals are open to any who need them in order to facilitate travel.”
“We may take your offer,” Ekon said, “especially for our people in Australia and within the western mountain ranges of China.”
“I’ll send word for them to expect you,” Kellen confirmed.
“We’ll be collecting several troops of goblins along the way,” Ekon added. “The Goblin King offered his best marksmen, and I thought it unwise to decline. My generals will ensure they’re on their best behavior.”
“Understood,” Kellen said, barely suppressing a frown.
I watched in silent wonder as they discussed details about the centralized pick up points. I’d only been in the magical community for less than a year, but I’d never heard of them getting together like this. Our original alliance when we fought Jack hadn’t been anything close to this coordinated response. Kellen never mentioned allowing the trolls to use the portal in his palace. Did trolls even live in the US?
My mind instantly ran toward the enormity of what we discussed. Were we going overboard? With fifteen thousand shifters, added to the trolls, goblins, elves, mages, witches and whoever else joined the party, we’d have a pretty powerful army. It seemed almost excessive to me. Could that many people even fit into the Highland Palace?
Someone in the room had to be really convincing to get this level of cooperation. Or was it because the Dionadair now included a little bit of everyone?
“If you have concerns or delays for any reason, get in touch with Coral immediately,” Lodron said, bringing me back from my wandering thoughts.
“We meet again tomorrow?” Ekon asked.
“Yes,” Lodron replied.
The troll nodded, then gripped Yera’s arm. They disappeared a second later, and I assumed Yera took him home. The others started leaving as well.
Mal’s fingers grazed my elbow, and I looked up at him. “Will you be at the tower tonight?” he asked quietly.
“I have no idea,” I replied. “What’s up?”
“I’m going to meet with my king,” he stated, tossing a glance at Lodron, who frowned at him. “If he has questions, where can I find you?”
“Ask your elementals to track me down,” I said. “I won’t be that hard to find.”
He nodded and disappeared, leaving me, Ronquil, and Lodron alone. The two men looked at me expectantly, so I pulled out the chair in front of me and sat down. I cringed as my tender butt cheeks met the hard surface.
“Fire away, boys.”
Ronquil laughed and took a seat. Lodron circled the table and sat down next to me.
“Tell me about the dragon,” the captain said.
“Like I said earlier, he’s an ass,” I said immediately. “But we made a deal. He’ll help us fight Neònach’s army.”
He turned his chair to face me and leaned forward. “What kind of deal?”
Lodron knew all about my oath with Braden. I couldn’t fault him for being wary.
I turned my chair and bumped my knees against his. “I promised not to command him again, at least as long as we’re allies.” My eyes met his, and my little beast stirred. She really wanted him.
“You commanded a dragon?” Lodron asked, his eyes widening.
“I tried to tell him it was a really bad idea, but like all men, he’s really stubborn,” I explained, earning a frown from Lodron. “He wanted me to prove I could. So I did, which pissed him off. We had a small disagreement, but we worked it out.” I shrugged like it was no big deal.
Lodron leaned back in his chair and pulled his fingers through his hair. I could tell he wanted to say all kinds of stuff, but he kept his thoughts to himself.
“What about the Arcanists?” Ronquil asked from his spot at the end of the table. “Do you think they can do it?”
“I only met one of them, Vethiar,” I replied, looking at him over Lodron’s shoulder. “She seemed pretty confident after she got past her fear of the Forest.”
I wasn’t going to mention the drama between the elves. Or maybe I should, at least to Lodron—in private. I didn’t want him finding out about my claim on Mal from anyone but me.
“How did the Forest react to her?” Ronquil asked.
“They instinctively became aggressive as soon as we arrived, but I reminded them of our agreement. The elf felt the Forest’s oppressiveness right away, though,” I replied.
Ronquil nodded. Anyone who’d been to the Forest experienced the trees’ anger at being imprisoned. It amazed me that they even agreed to protect the realm.
“You can speak to them?” Lodron whispered.
I turned back to him, placing a hand on his knee. He had never been to the Forest and had no idea what I was talking about. “It’s hard to explain. Their voices are in my head. It’s a lot of voices, not just one. I can’t even single out which trees are talking. They speak as one, not as individuals.”
He nodded, but I could tell he wasn’t really listening. “Will you take me there?”
I wished he hadn’t asked because he was going to hate my answer.
“I can’t,” I whispered. “They want me to release them from their prison. If I bring you or Luria or Dylan or Gabby or any of the others who are free to live their lives, how do you think the trees will react?”
He picked up my hand and laced his fingers through mine, rubbing his thumb over the back of my hand. We sat like that for several minutes while he sorted his thoughts. I knew better than to interrupt. He was smart enough to figure it out.
“That means you’ll be fighting without me at your side,” he finally said. “We decided it would be best to have you in the Forest of Tears to make sure the trees didn’t attack our allies.”
I hadn’t even considered where I’d be fighting. The thought of not having him at my back was a little unnerving, but instinct told me that he couldn’t be there. None of the fae with darkness could be near the Forest. The trees tolerated me because they had to. Because I was royalty. And I suspected their current cooperation only came because they thought I’d free them. What would they do when they found out I couldn’t? I shivered and pushed the thought away.
“Just make sure you don’t die in the palace,” I said. “I have a promise to keep.”
Lodron smiled and pulled my fingers to his lips, kissing them softly. “Yes, dear.”
I smiled.
“Do I need to leave?” Ronquil asked.
My face flushed, but Lodron just laughed.
“No,” Lodron replied. “I apologize. We need to stay on task. AJ and I can finish this conversation later.” He released my hand and turned his chair back to the table and back to business. “She makes a good point, though,” he continued. “I hadn’t thought about the Forest’s reaction to my team. All of us will need to be at the palace.”
“What about Dylan?” Ronquil asked, glancing between us.
Dylan’s new elementals didn’t eliminate his darkness, just like mine didn’t.
“Let’s not take chances,” I replied. “I’d hate to find out the hard way.”
Ronquil nodded and pushed back his chair. “Let me know if you think of anything else. And AJ, we’re having a meeting at the tower tonight to discuss our plans. Be there for dinner.” He winked at me and left the room.
I blushed again. Fricking Ron.
“What was that about?” Lodron asked, rising to his feet.
“The boss giving me the afternoon off,” I replied, cringing as heat rose to the tips of my ears.
“Is that so?” Lodron grabbed my arm and pulled me to my feet. “Then let’s not waste the opportunity given to us by your generous boss.”
My world lurched and the meeting room disappeared, replaced by Lodron’s bedroom.
“A little presumptuous, aren’t you?” I asked, pretending to be offended.
My beast hammered against my chest and mind, forcing me to notice her raging desire. I could almost see her shaking a finger at me, warning me not to deny her.
“Did I read your signals wrong?” he asked, unbuttoning his shirt.
I watched his fingers deftly taking care of the first barrier between us.
“AJ?” His shirt fell open, but he didn’t take it off. He lifted my chin with one finger, and I let out a shaky breath. “Tell me what’s going through your mind,” he said, his dark eyes searching my face.
“I…” My fingers begged to explore the bare skin along the ridges of his stomach. “I’m scared.”
His eyes fell to my lips. It didn’t take a genius to know what he wanted. My beast threatened me with violence if I didn’t give in to her needs. I grimaced and pushed her away.
“I won’t break your heart,” he promised. “I’m very much afraid you’ll break mine, but I won’t let it stop me from loving you.”
In two sentences, he countered my first argument. I was afraid to love him, afraid to let my heart make that choice, and terrified to lose his love. The battle looming over us made it even more real. But he already knew that and still had the courage to tell me he loved me.
“What if you don’t make it back from the palace alive?” I asked, my voice cracking with the thought. “The pain of losing you…I can’t do it again.”
“Will you feel any different about me two days from now?” he asked. “Will you suddenly hate me just before the battle, making your pain irrelevant?”
“Don’t be stupid.” I slapped his stomach. A low growl rumbled through his chest, doing crazy things to my insides.
“If something happens to you, I will likely lose myself to my darkness, which terrifies me,” he said. “But it won’t stop what I feel. Not today. Not next week or even next year. I’ve tried to deny it since the first day I met you.” His arms slid around me, pulling me closer. “I don’t want to wait for you any longer, especially when I see the way you react to me.”
Well shit. I leaned into him and ran my fingers up his chest. His muscles quivered beneath my touch. I didn’t want to keep fighting my fear and denying this man who clearly cared for me. Who I clearly cared for in return. But I wasn’t ready to commit my heart to him, and no matter what my little beast thought, I couldn’t just use him for sex.
“I’m not ready,” I whispered. “I’m sorry.”
I should’ve taken a step back and put some space between us, but my feet refused to move. My fingers refused to relinquish the contact with his skin. I forced myself to look up and meet his dark eyes. It almost killed me. He’d bared his soul to me, and what did I do? I gave him a half-ass excuse for rejecting him.
But it was the truth. I wasn’t ready.
Lodron’s finger trailed my jaw. “Tell me what you’re thinking,” he said.
I sighed. He deserved an honest answer. “My little beast is going to kill me if I don’t give her what she wants, and I can’t deny I want you. But I also can’t set aside my insecurity. It’s only been a few weeks since I lost Braden, and only a few months since my entire world was flipped on its head.” I tapped on his chest before stepping back. “I don’t want to rush what I feel growing between us. Your friendship is one of the best things that’s ever happened to me. Most of the emotional progress I’ve made in the last few weeks is because of you. I don’t want to do anything to risk losing it.”
Lodron stood in front of me, completely motionless as I searched his face. His dark eyes never left mine, and he didn’t try to hide his disappointment. His frown faded with a drawn-out breath.
“I understand,” he finally said. “I know rushing you will only push you away, which is the last thing I want. I need your friendship just as much as you seem to need mine.” The mischievous smirk I loved to see on his face resurfaced. “But don’t think I won’t steal kisses from you or force you into my bed at night so I can sleep.”
I grinned and stepped back into his space. “Yes, dear.”
He wrapped his fingers around the back of my neck and threaded them into my hair, pulling me closer. “I’m cashing in on that threat now.”
I eliminated the tiny amount of space left between us. “Not if I beat you to it.”
I know I just totally contradicted myself, because ‘friends’ don’t kiss each other the way he was kissing me now. But I couldn’t let the conversation end without giving my little beast something. Right? Yep, it was all her fault. I wasn’t enjoying any part of his mouth pressing against mine or his tongue doing crazy things. Liar!
My god, did this man know how to kiss. Instead of finding reasons to back away, my fingers trailed up his chest, around his neck, and tangled themselves in his thick, dark hair. He responded without hesitation, sliding one hand down my back and pressing me against him. My entire body flushed with heat, and I nearly forgot all the reasons I wanted to take it slow.
Dusha picked that moment to remind me. Lodron and I both snarled when the elemental’s blinding light filled the room. Dusha didn’t give me a chance to vent my frustration.
