Chapter Fourteen

 

He wore all black, from the coat around his muscular body to the loafers on his feet. He was polished and yet menacing.

On the outside Myrddin appeared to be a man in his prime, and I supposed he was. He looked to be around forty in human years, with dark hair and eyes that could change with his intent. Normally they were dark, but from time to time the color would lighten and yet still stay cold. He was attractive, but there was no way to miss the ruthless will that always surrounded the male.

Neil immediately moved in front of me, ready to take whatever the wizard would throw at us. He’d seen what Myrddin had done to Zack and yet he didn’t hesitate.

Myrddin sighed, a long-suffering sound. “Now there, Mr. Roberts. There’s no need for such dramatics. I came for a friendly talk. Do I look like I’m about to rip Her Grace’s throat out?”

“That’s Your Highness to you,” Neil growled back. “She’s the Queen of All Vampire and you will treat her with respect.”

“Vampire is fractured,” Myrddin replied. “As are all of the supernatural tribes. It happened shortly after the queen and king disappeared and left their duties behind. It was up to me to bring them all back together. I’m afraid that while Zoey still holds her Fae titles, the rest of them are gone. Kingdoms are fragile things, Your Grace. They tend to fall apart if the king isn’t around.”

“And whose fault was that?” Neil shot back.

I was tired. And maybe I had some of that recklessness that charged Lee’s every move. If Myrddin was going to kidnap me in broad daylight on a busy street, then he could go for it. There was a café next door and it looked warm and inviting and filled with a bunch of humans. I had to bet Myrddin was still holding the supernatural laws sacred for now, and our number one rule was—don’t scare the humans.

“I need something warm.” And it didn’t hurt that I could smell cookies. I turned my back on Myrddin and walked to the small café.

“Zoey, we should get out of here.” Neil was right behind me.

“And go where?” Myrddin was here, and I didn’t know if I could shake him. I also didn’t know how many guards he had hidden around the city, ready to pounce. If I was about to be taken, the least I could do was grab a snack.

“I don’t know,” Neil huffed. “Someplace that’s not here surrounded by… Huh. I guess you’re right. We’re safer in a crowd. Humans having those pesky cell phones on them all the time helps us out. Ooo, try the chocolate cake of death. It’s super rich. And meringue cookies. You know what? I could eat.”

He always could eat. Neil had that good old werewolf metabolism I envied. I thought briefly about texting Lee or Rhys, but then the danger simply shifted from myself to my boys. I had to hope they would take their time getting their errands finished.

I glanced over and Myrddin was still standing outside, staring in like walking away was the last thing he’d expected me to do. He looked…almost confused. When a young woman opened the door and walked inside, he followed her.

“Zoey, I’m only here to talk to you.” He held his hands up as though showing me he didn’t have a weapon would make me feel better. Myrddin was a weapon. Ancient magic flowed through his veins. “You know there’s an explanation for what happened. I’m going to assume your brain went to all the worst places since you seem to have a terrible impression of me.”

I ordered a pot of tea and let Neil select our treats while I moved to a table at the front of the café. It was by the window and chilly, but it also allowed people walking on the sidewalk in front of the café to see anything the wizard might do. “Are you seriously going to try to play me this way?”

Myrddin sat down across from me. “I know you won’t believe me but losing the king for over a decade was not my intent.”

“Excellent. It was all a mistake. I’d like my crown back now. I’ll let my husband know he can take his, too.”

Myrddin stared at me for a moment. “That won’t happen anytime soon. I’ve been forced to make certain deals in order to survive. Though I did not ever intend to banish Daniel, I’ve made the best of things, and your return could complicate my plans.”

Neil moved in, putting a tray of sweets on the table. “I wish you would stop doing that. I’m supposed to be guarding you. Do not make me choose between this cake and your life.” He sat down beside me. “The tea is on its way.” He gave Myrddin the stink eye. “No wizards allowed. Buy your own cake.”

Myrddin chuckled and sat back, his body leaning away from the table. “I should have known nothing would faze Zoey Donovan-Quinn.”

“Oh, I assure you losing twelve years had an effect.” I pulled my gloves off and set them aside. “Now what are you doing here? I won’t ask how you found me because you would only lie.”

“I’ve always known there was a base somewhere here in Iceland. I assume you have a network of portals,” Myrddin mused. “It’s what I would do, and your ties to the earthly Fae are legendary. I think it’s somewhere up north in the mountains, but it’s well shielded. I almost found it the other day.”

“Yeah, fuck you very much,” Neil said.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t at the coven house when you returned.” Myrddin studied me carefully. “I’d love to know how a painting that should have been on the Hell plane managed to end up in one of the offices. I’ve already had a long talk with the witch who runs that particular office.”

I wasn’t about to tell him about Christine. I hoped whoever we’d screwed over hadn’t been one of our own. “Don’t look at me for information, buddy. I just got here.”

“And yet you’ve already caused much chaos. It will take weeks to get the wards back at full strength. That bomb your spawn set off was quite effective.” Myrddin chuckled. “I should have known it wouldn’t take Daniel long to find his group of loyal friends. That was my true trouble with Daniel. My other charges tended to be lonely and isolated. I should have gotten to this king earlier. I might have been able to save him.”

I’d been Danny’s best friend even when we were children. “You mean you might have been able to control him better than you have.”

“Oh, I controlled Daniel perfectly well. You were the problem, and now I find your children very difficult,” Myrddin admitted. “If I’d been allowed to influence them, they would be living happily in the safety of the coven. Poor…Lee, I believe his name is…he would still be whole. It was a terrible thing the Fae did to the boy. And with a magical weapon so the big Russian couldn’t fix him. That certainly wouldn’t have happened if he’d been in my care.”

“Yes, because you would have taken my human son under your wing. He would have been so safe with you.” The meringue cookies were delicious, and I was starting to have a suspicion that we were safer than I thought. The more I watched Myrddin, the more I thought something was wrong.

Myrddin’s eyes narrowed. “He’s not human though, is he? He’s something more.”

I set the cookie down because it suddenly tasted like ashes in my mouth. I’d only discovered the truth about Lee the day before. “How would you know that?”

“Because Daniel told me, of course.” A sympathetic look hit the wizard’s eyes, and he looked like he knew he was in control again. “You know how close we were. Daniel told me long ago that he had suspicions about Lee, but he couldn’t be sure. Apparently the latency of a vampire is more easy for Daniel to discern after puberty. But I knew he was right. I knew Lee was a special child. I assure you I would have protected Lee until he came of age to make the decision to transition. I would have protected all the children.”

He would have used them. They would have been chess pieces to this man, and if he’d known about the prophecy concerning Lee, he would have killed him immediately.

Daniel had told Myrddin what he hadn’t bothered to tell me. Oh, I’d gotten the whole explanation that he hadn’t been sure and didn’t want to worry me, that he hadn’t wanted to force me to keep the secret from Lee until he was able to process it. I’d heard all of that, but the fact that he’d shared something so private made me angry.

“Zoey, if he didn’t tell you until recently it’s certainly because he was trying to protect you,” Myrddin said in a soothing voice.

He went silent as the server brought our tea. She set cups in front of me and Neil and settled the pretty pot in between us. She ignored the fact that we had a third person at the table.

I poured us two cups with a practiced hand. Because pouring tea and making small talk were things I was supposed to be good at now. They were my “place.” Bitterness rose up like an old snake threatening to strike again. I had to remember that it was the thrall stone that had influenced Danny, and he didn’t have it anymore.

I also needed to remember that Myrddin didn’t know those stones had been discarded on another plane. I needed to save that so Danny and Dev could use it if they ever needed to.

“He tries to protect me from a lot of things I don’t need protection from.” I needed to get off this subject or I could screw things up. And the truth of the matter was I had some questions for the wizard. “Did you mean to get rid of me, too?”

Myrddin sighed. “No. Marcus was my target, and then I realized I could get rid of the Hunter, too. I stand by both decisions. Marcus wasn’t going to be reasonable about our contracts with the demons. And the Hunter was a walking nightmare. She was going to be trouble for everyone, you know. You can’t control her.”

I didn’t need to control Kelsey. I trusted her. If she ever came for us, it would be because we deserved it.

“But after the Hunter went through, I had to leave the painting where it was,” Myrddin continued. “To take it down would have been suspicious. I’ll be honest, I never thought Olivia could spell the pixie the way she did. Even then she was stronger than I believed. Once that was put into place, well, the rest is history. Perhaps it was over before that. Once Devinshea was gone, Daniel would never be persuaded to stop looking for him. I never meant to lose Devinshea. He wasn’t a problem.”

Because he’d been under Myrddin’s spells, too. “Well, you certainly used it all to your advantage. I hear you told the world that Marcus and the academics had turned against us.”

He shrugged slightly. “The academics have a long history of unseating rulers they don’t like. It was a useful tale. There has to be a villain, you know. That’s what I’ve found. Talk of unity for unity’s sake is all good and well, but nothing brings people together like giving them someone to hate, someone to blame all their problems on.”

“Yes, it’s always good to have someone to beat up on,” Neil said, his bitterness obvious because he’d been that punching bag before. “Find someone different and point their way and you can be the hero.”

I glanced around and saw a few people looking at us, but they seemed to focus on me and Neil. Like we were acting odd. There was something we were missing. “And now you plan on handing the plane over to demonkind. I guess you’re going for the prize for ultimate villain, aren’t you?”

Myrddin sighed as though he’d expected better from me. “Am I? I don’t know about that. You seem to think the demons will invade and turn the whole place into another Hell plane.”

“Won’t they?” I asked, though I knew the answer to that question. No matter what they’d told Myrddin—even if they thought they were telling the truth—full-blooded demons ended up going one way. The worst way.

He chuckled in a manner that let me know he thought I was a naïve child. “Of course not. The demons I’m working with seek to enrich the Earth plane, not destroy it. For eternity Earth has been held back by Heaven’s rules and laws and expectations. Earth has been a son of Heaven and never truly allowed to stand on its own. Imagine what it will be like without the influence of a suffocating father standing over it every minute of the day.”

He was insane. I was pretty sure of that now. “So the demons are going to be what? The aggressive asshole big brother we’ve always longed for?”

“No, they’re going to teach humans how to care for themselves, how to enjoy their limited lives. They will teach them to live for today and not weep and cry about tomorrow,” Myrddin explained. “They will teach humans that Heaven’s rules are ridiculous, that it’s all right to be a physical being. Imagine a world where creatures like Mr. Roberts here aren’t treated like lessors because of his sexual preference.”

“I don’t think that was Heaven.” Neil sat back, setting his cup down again. “I think humans can do plenty of damage all on their own. From what I’ve met of celestial creatures they’re pretty cool.”

We’d met several, including Sarah’s husband, Felix. We’d been told that the force at the center of the universe was far more tolerant than humans gave him or her or it credit for. Love, tolerance, kindness, those were the tenants of the angels I’d met. And a couple of them had real potty mouths.

“Really?” Myrddin huffed the question. “And the one who tried to kill the Nex Apparatus a few years ago? Was he…cool?”

Neil shook his head. “Nah, he was an asshole, and he’s probably somewhere here on this plane or another starting over again. See, you took something different than I did from that story. I was actually there and I saw what happened. I saw celestial beings who could wipe us out with a single thought stand and allow one of their own to be subject to Earth’s laws for the simple fact that it was just and right. And when he died—even though he’d betrayed them all—they gave him compassion and allowed him to begin again. That’s the trouble with some immortals. You get this one life and when you screw it up, you don’t start over and try to get it right. You tend to double down. You’re mad at Daddy and want to show him how powerful you are.”

Myrddin’s jaw tightened, and I could easily see that had been a direct hit. “My father was an incubus.”

According to the legends, Myrddin was the product of a sex demon’s seduction of a pious woman. “I believe he’s referring to our spiritual father or mother, depending on your beliefs. But you don’t have any beliefs, do you? Not beyond your own power. Heaven’s done nothing for you, and the Earth plane’s been kind of a bust since your power is always tied to someone else. Why not give Hell a try? The problem is they’ll promise you everything. And it’s all a lie. You’re screaming into the void, wizard. What you want isn’t something Hell can give you. You want power? They’ll give you the illusion of it. You want to be some kind of guru for all of Earth? They’ll hand you the keys to the kingdom and they will take them back whenever they want to. Your best bet is to climb into that crystal coffin of yours to wait for another turn and do better next time because no one is truly immortal and those demons will prove it to you when you fail.”

“I have no intentions of failing, bitch.”

There he was. There was the real Myrddin, the one who lived beneath the courtesy and double-edged words. I always found it interesting that it was only women who could truly rankle this legendary male. “But whatever will you do without your book?”

Neil went still beside me. “Zoey…”

It was my turn to shrug because he already suspected me. Tiptoeing around the subject wouldn’t change his mind. It didn’t mean I couldn’t lie about it. If Lucifer was the father of lies, then Myrddin was at least a first cousin, so he deserved it. “I can tell him, Neil. I can tell him everything. I stole your book, asshole. I had a magical wallet. You know, the kind you can stuff anything into and it fits perfectly. It was a present from my father. You remember him? The one you killed. I had it on me when I fell through your trap. I did not bring the fucker back. I traded it to some witches on another plane. Got a good deal.”

I had done nothing of the sort, but it was worth it to watch his eyes go slightly red, to see his fists clench and know he couldn’t do anything about it. Well, I suspected he couldn’t. If I was wrong, I was probably looking at a good dose of pain.

Neil put a hand on mine. “I think we should go.”

“Why?” I sat back and put my cards on the table. Figuratively, so to speak. “What’s he going to do? Strangle me? Use those noncorporeal hands of his to curse me? He has to be close for that to work, and I suspect he’s back in Dallas using some poor witchling over here to focus his image.”

Neil sniffed the air. “I can smell him.”

“Which only proves how good he is at this. But have you noticed? The server didn’t bring us an extra plate or teacup. Myrddin couldn’t follow us in here until someone held the door open. He’s sitting on the chair, but he hasn’t touched anything. He’s using some sort of spell to give his illusion depth and sensory reality,” I surmised. “But he’s not here. He’s all pretty and dressed up and completely impotent.”

Myrddin’s jaw tightened, and I could practically feel his frustration. “Watch yourself, Your Highness. I won’t always be a thousand miles away.”

No. Hopefully he would be on another plane trying to track down his grimoire. Or at least expending energy and resources to find out if I was lying. “But you are today, so you’ll forgive me if I’m not terrified.”

“There will be no forgiveness from me,” he vowed. “Not unless you convince Daniel to turn himself in now and you get my grimoire and the sword back. Did you have that in your pocket as well?”

“What can I say? I like a buy one get one free deal,” I admitted. “Besides, that sword didn’t belong to you. Of course I took it. That magical wallet was a hell of a gift. My dad’s still fucking with you even after you killed him.”

“Well, next time I see that little medium he’s hiding in, I’ll make sure to eat her soul. They’re sharing right now, so that can be my buy one get one free snack.” He leaned toward me. “Don’t think simply because I’m not physically here that I can’t make your life hell, Your Highness. I know basically where you are. I’ll send demon after demon until I get what I want back. Not even your witch friend will be able to help you. I’ll get my revenge on her, too. She thinks her heart’s blood can keep me out. She’s wrong.”

He’d had my full attention all along, but oh, he definitely had it times a hundred now. “Are you talking about Sarah?”

“You know exactly who I’m talking about, and I’ll cut her heart out when I find her,” he vowed. “You want the real me, Your Highness, you’ll get it. No more playing around with you. I’m going to kill everyone you love, and in the end I’ll still get what I need from you. You’ll bleed for me and I’ll close all the doors to Heaven. You’ll die knowing your line dies with you.”

Sarah might be alive. Or he could be lying to me the same way I’d lied to him. Lee had told us that Olivia had sworn Sarah and her family were dead. But Myrddin was flustered and I might have gotten the truth out of him.

“I’m shaking in my boots.” Like that was the worst I’d ever heard. I’d stood before Lucifer Morningstar and come out of the experience whole and alive. “Now run along, Myrddin. You won’t be getting your hands on my husbands again. And tell whichever woman has been playing around with my things that she should watch her back. Bitch better have my crown.”

I could see the rage in his eyes, feel it across all those miles, and it did nothing but harden my resolve. We sat there for a moment, the anger an ocean between us.

Then there was a knock on the window that startled me out of my stare off.

“Hey, Mom.” Lee was standing right outside the window, a bright smile on his face. He waved at me, seeming to take no notice of Myrddin at all. “Ooo, cookies. Nice.”

“He’s still human.” Myrddin’s lips curved up. “Isn’t that interesting? So human and vulnerable. Not that all your children aren’t vulnerable. I’ll get them all in the…” Myrddin’s voice trailed off and his eyes went wide. “Who is that?”

Dean had walked up and stood beside Lee. Unlike my son, who was making goofy faces, Dean could absolutely see Myrddin. He was staring at the wizard like he knew exactly who he was and how much danger we were all in now that he knew we were back.

“A friend from the outer planes,” I said. “I dropped your book off and picked him up. You know the universe likes a good balance.”

Myrddin stared at Dean for a moment as though trying to memorize his face and then he turned back to me. “So do I. Don’t forget that I’ll make sure you pay for every time you defy me. This could have gone easy for you. You’re the one who made it hard, and everyone will pay for your crimes.” He leaned over and even though I knew he was an illusion, I didn’t like being so close to him. “You think you’re the only one who can create a bit of chaos? I’ve told everyone who’s ever looked for you to come to Iceland. Looks like at least one of them is already here. ’Til we meet again.”

And then he was gone, disappearing like the illusion he’d been.

Lee pushed through the door. “Mom? What’s going on? Dean said he could see some old dude but I couldn’t.”

Technically Myrddin’s like a couple of thousand years old, but Dean couldn’t know that. So Dean thought a forty-year-old hottie was ancient? Youth. It made me feel old. Still, I let it go. “Myrddin’s made his appearance and he’s screwed up my whole day because now I won’t get to see Ingrid and Halle. We need to get back to base as soon as possible.”

We couldn’t stay out in the open. Despite the fact that Myrddin hadn’t physically been here, he could still do damage from halfway around the world.

“That was Myrddin.” Dean stared at the place where Myrddin’s illusion had been. “I’ve dreamed of him.”

“Like you dream about Lee?” I kind of thought those had been…pleasant dreams. Dean had talked a lot about the dreams he’d had about Lee and a woman he’d never met. I hadn’t heard anything about Myrddin.

Dean’s cheeks flushed. “No. Not exactly.”

“I’d like to hear more about these dreams,” Lee said and then he frowned. “Shit. Mom, I need you to make a run for the bookstore.”

I glanced out the window and caught sight of what had my baby boy so upset. His papa was walking down the street. Well, the douchebag version was. Dev’s hair was shorter and he’d left this morning wearing a suit, not the leather pants and long tunic this asshole was.

Declan Quinn.

He was looking up and down the street, and I knew exactly who he was searching for. He wanted his nephew. Well, the one he thought was important. And because it was that kind of day, Rhys chose that moment to round the corner. Rhys and Shy were talking and hadn’t caught sight of Rhys’s uncle, who’d likely come to kidnap him and take him back to Faery and force him to have sex with a whole bunch of gorgeous women he did not want to have sex with.

I was done with evil men for the day, and definitely done with ones who threatened my babies.

“Mom, I’ll distract him,” Lee offered. “Grab Rhys and run for the store.”

It was time for me to show my boys that Momma was home and she could take care of business. It was sweet that they wanted to protect me, but I’d learned a long time ago how to protect myself.

“What are you going to do, Z?” Neil asked around a mouthful of cookie he wasn’t about to leave behind.

“I’m going to explain the situation to my brother-in-law.” I walked to the door and out onto the street, the boys following behind me.

Declan stopped, his eyes widening, and there was no way to mistake his shock. “Zoey? Zoey, is it truly you? I didn’t believe it when they told me you’d returned. I had to come see for myself. Is Devinshea here? Where’s my brother?”

He held his arms open like I was going to walk in for a hug, and hey, maybe we could totally forget about the time he refused to give one son shelter and all those times when he actively tried to kidnap the other.

“Mom, get back.” Rhys had stepped in front of Shy.

I ignored him, smiling at Declan.

“Oh, Zoey, I can’t tell you how happy I am…”

I walked straight up to that asshole and planted a knee in his groin, trying to shove his dick back up into his body. He groaned and fell to the ground because I was still good with a knee.

“Mom!” Rhys shouted. “What are you doing?”

I leaned over my brother-in-law even as he cupped himself and cried a little. “I am back, brother. Remember that. I’m back and I know everything you’ve done while I’ve been gone. You are not welcome here. Go back to Faery and stay away from my sons.”

I stepped over his body and started for the bookstore.

It was time for a change of plans.