Chapter Twenty-Three

 

“So Myrddin knocked up a human at a music festival. I knew he and Nim planned to explore the world, but I thought they would go to museums or something. They were out in the world for ten years. How many little wizards did he manage to make?” The next day Dev still seemed to be mulling over everything we’d learned. He was in his seat on the new plane and we’d been in the air for an hour or so. When I looked out the window all I could see was ice and tundra far below.

Danny had spent the rest of the previous night with Sasha, the academics, and the Nimhead, as I had taken to calling her. She’d vowed revenge, but she was a head. What was she going to do?

Dev had stayed behind with me. He’d held me while I cried again and let me sleep against his chest. I’d somehow gotten through the night.

I was certain Myrddin had caused lots of problems during those years he and Nim had walked the planes before he’d returned to fuck up our lives. “I suspect going to a music festival was one of his less nefarious adventures.”

“It’s more than a music festival. It’s also a place where you can not bathe for like a week and everyone’s so high they don’t care. Lots of wolves attend those things. So many smells.” Neil sat back down in the comfy chair next to me. Naturally he’d found the snacks and had a whole tray in front of him. “Have I mentioned how much I adore private planes? I’m so happy I have my wealth and privilege back.”

Apparently the last twelve years had sucked because Neil had to take public transportation.

They’d sucked for a lot of reasons.

I missed my dad, but that deep mourning had to wait because I had a job to do. I was doing it sometime today. I intended to be back in Frelsi with the book and Gladys before tomorrow evening.

“I went to a music festival on a faery plane once. I don’t think it was a music festival as much as an orgy where they had musicians playing.” My son sat across the aisle from me.

“Lee, I need you to seriously think about what you say around me.” I did not want to know what my precious son had been doing all these years. There are some things that a mother should never know.

“I was just going to say I understand how it could have happened.” Lee wore all black, and his backpack was filled with the things we would need for the job we were about to do, including the Mantle of Arthur. “Dean seemed pretty freaked out by the idea of being conceived at a giant sex party. Apparently the Vampire plane is actually pretty staid when it comes to sex. Or rather they value their privacy when it comes to their companions. Consorts. That was what he called them. He was pretty freaked out that his mom would have had a three-way with Myrddin and Nim. I tried to ease his mind by telling him you and Papa regularly perform in front of a crowd.”

“That is a sacred fertility ritual,” Dev said with a frown. “Although I will admit I can be a bit of an exhibitionist.”

“Devinshea.” And there were things our son didn’t need to know.

Lee snorted and tried to cover up his laughter. “Anyway, I was glad to have a job for him to do while we’re gone. He doesn’t need to think about that for too long. Also, I think it’s good for his mom that he doesn’t have a way to call her on the Vampire plane because he would be asking some questions. Awkward questions.”

Dean, Rhys, and Shy would be working on a project while we were gone. They would be taking Nim to Lagarfljót Lake in eastern Iceland. It was deep and cold, and according to legend was home to a big-ass serpent that Nim assured me would keep her company over the weeks as her body regenerated.

“We can’t be certain Dean is the child of Myrddin.” Danny was always the logical one. He had to look at all sides of a situation.

I personally knew that the answer that would fuck us over the most was always the correct one. The universe liked to screw with us.

Dev and Danny sat directly across from Neil and me. The jet Dev had purchased was a twelve seater and boasted a kitchen, bathroom, and small bedroom. Dev called it basic comfort and promised a better one when he could find the time to shop.

It was just the five of us and a pilot who’d passed Sasha’s tests. We were running a tight crew this time. We needed to be able to move very quickly once Lee and I finished the job. We wanted to be on our way back to Frelsi before Myrddin realized what we’d done. I had high hopes that he would simply think the wards had finally failed and wouldn’t realize his book had been in the apartment at all.

Though there was a part of me that longed for confrontation.

My hand went to the amulet that lay against my chest. I wished there was some way to get that sucker around Myrddin’s neck and then walk away. “Nim seemed pretty sure.”

“It was a long time ago,” Danny pointed out. “I was unaware Myrddin had ever produced a child.”

“Well, he’s way better at keeping secrets than you are.” It wasn’t fair, but I was still pissed about how much they’d talked to Myrddin. And done dumbass things like giving him the combo to our safe. I’d customized that sucker myself, and Dev had handed over the keys to the kingdom. “I think Nim’s right. I’ve always wondered why he would make it a point to put Lee in a situation where he died, but he sent Dean’s mother off plane when he could easily have done the same. He could have ensured Dean was never born in the first place. I don’t think it’s his soft heart about kiddos that did it.”

“They don’t look much alike.” Danny’s whole body was tense, and nothing I said seemed to ease his anxiety.

“We can’t be certain we’ve ever seen his true form.” Lee looked more serious now. “I mean he’s like Nim in that way. He doesn’t look as old as he is. We have to think he might have looked different at one point. Or we might consider that Dean is an aspect of Myrddin. DNA isn’t always a through line. We know Myrddin’s DNA includes at the very least incubus demon. The legend has always been that he was the product of a virtuous woman and an incubus. However, we can’t possibly know if that virtuous woman didn’t have, say, companion blood or a hint of Fae. Dean looks a little Fae to me.”

When Lee wanted to show his smarty-pants side, he could bring it. Dean’s hair alone made me think Fae. Faeries—sidhe especially—sometimes came in extreme colors. Raven dark, like Devinshea and our twins. I’d seen some with hair the color of the purest snow as well, with crystal eyes to match. Like Dean’s. 

If that was true then Dean, like Myrddin himself, was a child of all three of the inner planes. His DNA came from Heaven, Hell, and he was conceived here on the Earth plane.

Rather like my Lee. Lee should have been like his brother—the genetic product of a companion and a Fae. Both are closer to celestial beings. Being conceived and born on the Earth plane centered him here.

But Danny’s vampire DNA had taken root in his body. Lee was truly a child of all three planes.

“Not all children are carbon copies of their parents. I think I’m right about this. I saw the shock in his eyes when he caught sight of Dean at the café.” Myrddin had been genuinely taken aback. “And I think Liv recognized Dean’s magic. She said something about it being familiar.”

“It would also explain why he was able to clear the curse Myrddin placed on Zack when no other witch could.” Dev sipped one of the martinis he’d made for us. Naturally the plane came with a full bar.

We were set to land in Dallas two hours before Danny and Dev’s meeting with Myrddin at Klyde Warren Park. It would be daylight out so we could be sure Myrddin wasn’t bringing vampires with him. On our side it would only be Danny and Dev and the shifter guards we’d been allowed. I had to pray Danny could handle everything.

He had express orders to fly he and Dev away if anything started to go wrong.

The park wasn’t far from Ether. Or whatever they were calling it these days. The Coven house, I assumed. I have to admit that the idea someone else was living in the home Dev had built for us rankled. Would I ever feel safe there again? This was the place where I’d given birth to our children, and I worried even if we got it back, it would feel wrong to me.

“Dean told me he dreams about Myrddin,” Lee revealed. “And a woman. I think he might be dreaming about Mia. I don’t know. He says she’s blonde. I don’t know how I feel about him dreaming of her. I get the feeling these are not merely friendly dreams.”

“You don’t know it’s Mia. Lee, you have to be careful.” Danny leaned toward our son. “I know you’re hoping you’ll open that door and Mia will be standing there waiting for you, but that’s not the likeliest outcome.”

“You think she’s dead,” Lee said softly.

Danny nodded. “I think that’s a definite possibility. I think she died or she’s gone. If she’s on another plane, we’ll likely never see her again, or she could have aged or not, given how time works on the plane she’s been on.”

“If she’s much younger, then it’s good I’m a vampire.” Lee’s gaze was steady on his father, as though challenging him to continue. “I mean if a two-thousand-year-old was good enough for Evan, then me waiting for Mia to grow up shouldn’t be a problem.”

“And if she’s much older?” Danny never shied away from a challenge. I could have told him he wasn’t going to win this one, but he wouldn’t have listened to me anyway. “If she’s in her eighties?”

“If Mia’s alive, I’ll spend her last days taking care of her. But at least we would have had those days,” Lee said with determination.

“Believe me, I understand where you’re coming from, son. I just don’t see this ending happily for you, and I can’t tell you how that makes me ache.” Danny knew how Lee would feel if he lost Mia, how Lee already felt. Danny was worried we were giving Lee false hope.

“We’ll see.” Lee sat back, a stubborn look on his face.

My son was still processing everything he’d lost in the last few days. His grandfather. His faith in me. I had to find a way to get that back. He was saying all the right things, smiling when he needed to, but I could tell he was pulling away from all of us. He was going someplace deep inside where nothing could touch him.

“I thought Dean was having dreams about you.” I wanted to reach him so badly.

“He is. He’s had them for a long time. Or so he says. You know I won’t touch him, right? I’ll flirt all day long, but I’m not starting some kind of relationship with him.” Lee took a drag off the beer he’d found in the kitchen.

I liked Dean. I thought he could potentially be a good influence on Lee. “I don’t see why not. You know we would never judge you for who you choose to love.”

A chuckle came from his mouth, though there wasn’t humor in it. “I choose to love no one. I don’t want that. If I can’t have her, I’ll be alone.”

Danny and Dev exchanged a look that made me think they’d game-planned this particular conversation. Danny turned back to Lee. “You’re going to have to be with someone when you transition, and you’ll absolutely need someone afterward. I understand the impulse. I didn’t want to have anything to do with another woman after I turned, and I couldn’t be with your mother. But we’re in the middle of a war, and you’re going to need a companion. I’ve already got Henri and Hugo working on it. There are a few out there who are living in a protected state but are willing to meet with a vampire to see if it could work. Until we pair you up, you’ll have to feed from the women or men in Frelsi. It will be infinitely easier once we find you a companion.”

“Until you pair me up?” A brow had risen on Lee’s face. “You’re going to put together an arranged marriage for me, Dad?”

“No, he’s not.” I had heard nothing of this and would have put the kibosh on it if I had. Which was very likely why they hadn’t mentioned it to me.

“He did for Evan,” Lee pointed out.

“I never arranged anything for Evan.” Danny sat up straighter. “There was a prophecy concerning Marcus, and Evan fit. I merely wasn’t going to stand in the way if it happened.”

“Well, the good news is there’s not a prophecy about my sex life, so you can stay out of it,” Lee shot back.

Danny’s jaw went tight. “I’m trying to make this easy on you. Your transition will take a while, and a new vampire is weak for years. Decades, sometimes. According to Sasha the vampire world has taken a step back when it comes to how it treats younger vampires. They’re constantly challenged, and as my son, you have to know they’ll come for you. You’ll likely have to fight from time to time, and in a young, weaker state, that could go poorly,” Danny explained. “You can fix that by taking a companion. You have to know how vulnerable you’re going to be. You’ll have to sleep during the day, and older vampires will be far more powerful than you are. Myrddin has a few on his side. A companion will help level the playing field.”

“Lee, Dad is only trying to look out for you.” Dev weighed in, and I wondered how long they’d been thinking about this dumbass plan. “You need to be strong for the fight. And we don’t have clubs anymore. At least not where we are. If you start frequenting the clubs that are left, that could be dangerous, too.”

Vampire clubs were located in most major cities. They were a place where a vampire could find sanctuary and a meal for the night. A bloody B&B, so to speak. I wasn’t aware how they worked since Myrddin had taken over. “Is Myrddin in control of the network?”

“He’s in control of pretty much everything in the supernatural world,” Danny confirmed. “He doesn’t personally control the vampire clubs that are left, but he almost certainly has spies. I would prefer we keep Lee’s transition a secret for as long as possible.”

“Lee’s not getting married so he can have the wife equivalent of a power bar.” I wasn’t about to let them bully our son so they would be more comfortable. I wouldn’t let them do it to Lee any more than I would allow them to force Evan and Fen apart for the sake of politics. Rhys would select his own goddess, and the Seelie Fae could go to hell.

“Really, Mother? I would have expected you to be on their side.”

Yeah, I bet he did. “I know you’re upset with me because I had a perfectly reasonable freak-out over losing twelve years with my kids. And I get to be shocked by your sexual escapades because a week ago you thought girls were icky and you played with action figures. I know you’re being all self-righteous—you get that from Dad, too—and think I’m looking down on you or I’m disappointed that you turned into a reckless manwhore who drinks too much. You were always going to turn into that. It’s in your DNA. Judgment works two ways, my son. You wanted me to walk in and immediately accept every loss I’d been handed. Guess what? As the humans would say, I’m only human, and I have feelings, too. So no, I am not going to sell you to some companion you don’t even know so your dads can feel better. Also, I suspect they’re thinking you’ll be a better fighter on companion blood. Your dads aren’t all huggy when it comes to things like this. They’re ruthless, and while they love you, if they can solve three problems with one companion, they’ll do it.”

“Zoey, he’s not in love with anyone,” Danny pointed out.

“Yes, he is. He’s in love with Mia, and until we’re one hundred percent sure he won’t see her again, he can’t even think about taking a companion. And when he does, it will be his choice.” I was putting my foot down.

“I’m not trying to…” Dev began and stopped at the stare I gave him.

“All right. Lee’s choice.” Danny knew when I couldn’t be moved.

Lee finally looked at me, his expression softening. “Thanks, Mom.”

It was time to lay everything out for my son. I had made my decision. “Also, I’m informing you now that I will no longer be pursuing a separate timeline. I’ll look for Sarah from this timeline and this plane. So you should get used to seeing me, and you should understand that I’ll likely disappoint you again.”

Lee reached out and his hand found mine, his lips turning up in a half grin. “I doubt you could ever truly disappoint me, Momma. I’m glad to have you back. And perhaps someday I’ll let Dad parade a host of lovely companions by me, but I need some time. I’ll make you a deal. Dad can find someone to help me through the turn. Not a companion. I don’t want a permanent relationship, and I definitely don’t want to deal with the addiction. Female. Male. It doesn’t matter.”

He was talking casually, but I heard the pain behind the words. “Sweetie, why not Dean? I think he would be okay with feeding your needs.”

“He won’t do it because he feels for Dean.” Neil had put down his fork. He’d managed to finish the whole tray of food while we were having our family drama. “He’s not ready for that kind of a relationship, and he doesn’t want to hurt Dean.”

“Uncle Neil shoots and scores.” Lee sighed. “I’m not ready. I do feel something for him, but it’s not right. Something inside me says it’s not time.”

I squeezed his hand. “Okay. We’ll find someone.”

“Hey, if I wait a couple of months, maybe Nim’ll get her body back,” Lee said with smirk.

I shuddered and released his hand.

Lee stood, chuckling. “I’m going to grab another beer and then I’ll take a nice nap. I hear these fold down.”

“There’s a small bedroom,” Neil said.

Lee shook his head. “Nah. Dad hasn’t fed, so I think they’ll be using that. See, I do know you, Mom, and I personally think it’s gross. Uncle Neil, do you need another sandwich? You seem to have gone through the three you just made.”

Neil nodded. “I can totally eat.”

Lee gave him a thumbs-up. “Then we can feast while pretending my parents aren’t doing freaky stuff.”

“You have summed up much of my life with your mom,” Neil agreed. “I’ll come with you. I think I saw some cookies.”

Danny stopped Lee. “I’m only trying to watch out for you.”

Lee nodded slowly. “And I’m your son, and you should understand no one’s going to force me into a marriage. Give me time. Hell, I’m not even sure of when I’m going to transition. I might put it off for a couple of weeks and see how I feel. Rhys convinced me I’m going too fast. I get that from my other dad.”

Dev shook his head. “You get that from your mother. And you can transition when you want.”

“As long as we can control it,” Danny said. “That’s why I need you to be careful. You’ve never seen what can happen when a vampire turns. It’s violent, and the vampire can’t control himself. It’s why it’s incredibly important that I oversee your turn.”

“I’m not going to do anything reckless on this mission, if that’s what you’re asking,” Lee said. “I promise, we’re going to get in and get out as quickly as possible. If Mom tries to go for her shoes, I’ll carry her out.”

“I don’t see that I have much use for them in Frelsi,” I countered. Although I had a gorgeous pair of Gucci booties I’d never been able to wear.

“I’ll buy you more shoes, my goddess,” Dev promised. “And Lee, we’re just worried about you. Your mother isn’t the only one who’s having problems with this change. It doesn’t mean we don’t love you. It’s the opposite.”

“I’ve been thinking about this and I suspect I should give you the same amount of time it took for me to get over losing you,” Lee said softly.

“How long was that?” I asked.

“Twelve years one month and three days. Pretty much until the moment I saw you walk into Ether again. And like all things we pray for, it wasn’t entirely what I expected and yet it’s everything I needed. I’m not happy you’re back. That would be a silly thing to say. We’re…complete in a way we haven’t been since we were kids. So let’s take all this as growing pains and move on,” Lee said. “But try to work faster than we did. I’d like to get back to happy family dinners. Oh, speaking of, I need to plan my good-bye to solid food tour.”

“I can help you with that, nephew of mine,” Neil promised as they walked off toward the kitchen at the front of the plane.

I looked to my husbands. “Seriously? You were going to set him up?”

Dev frowned my way. “I was going to be subtle about it.”

Danny simply sighed. “It wasn’t a firm plan. And we’re not going to hold a stake to his heart. The truth is he will do much better if he has a companion. I’ll worry about him less if he’s better protected.”

“Have you thought about the fact that Evan and I can donate?” I was absolutely certain my daughter would have no problem giving a little blood to keep her brother strong.

“I don’t think Lee will be as reasonable about that as you think, though it’s not a terrible plan,” Danny agreed. “It would solve some problems, though I worry your blood is… It’s high-octane fuel versus low-grade unleaded. I would bet Evan’s is, too. It could be an all new level of addiction and put him off other companions. And then we’re back to the whole Oedipal complex thing.”

“That’s a human problem.” Dev shook that worry off. “Lee was raised in the supernatural world. He never expected his mother to age. He’s perfectly disturbed by the fact that his parents still have sex. So let’s have sex and disturb our son.”

Dev was on his feet, his hand in mine, and he gently started leading me toward the back of the plane.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Neil might be used to freaky stuff happening right next door, but Lee was…apparently Lee was usually the one freaky things were happening to.

“I do need to feed.” Danny crowded me from behind. “And you know you work better when you’re loose. Harry always told us…”

Grief hit me fresh and hard, but it was okay because I was with them. Maybe we did need to spend this time together. I turned and Danny’s face had fallen. I reached up and cupped his cheeks. “He taught us to always stretch before a job, to go in as relaxed as possible. There would be time to worry after a job was over, especially if anxiety got us put in jail.”

My dad had been full of helpful advice for the teenaged thief.

I was so glad he’d gotten to spend time with my kids. That had been a blessing. I’d been gone, but my kids had their grandfather. They hadn’t been alone.

And they would never be. I would make sure of it.

Danny leaned over and brushed his lips against mine. His hands found my hips and he kissed me, his emotions flowing. I wasn’t alone either. I hadn’t been for a long time, but every now and then I needed a reminder. I needed to know that no matter what happened, we would be together.

Dev kissed the back of my neck and his hands found my breasts, even as he began to maneuver us toward the bedroom. “Come with me, my loves. I think you’ll like this new space I made for us. When our vampire doesn’t want to do things old school, we can fly anywhere we like.”

This was what Dev did best. He made us all comfortable. He made a home for us. Wherever we were.

I should never have doubted that I could make a home here. I had everything I needed.

I had my family.

Dev led us to the small bedroom and closed us in. “I need a few hours with you before I spend the rest of my day in complete terror.”

“I’ll be okay. I promise there’s nothing to worry about on my end.” But I knew he would. I would worry about them being with Myrddin. I worried about Myrddin finding a way to influence them again, to take a piece of them away from me.

Danny pulled his shirt over his head, his eyes going dark sapphire. “Oh, we’ll worry the whole time. I’m pretty sure I won’t breathe until we’re safely back in Frelsi. All of us.”

He was worried about Lee, but I happened to know Lee was a damn good partner. I sighed as Dev cupped my breasts. We’d held each other the night before, but in our grief we’d only wept and slept in each other’s arms. We’d needed this, too. We needed the reminder that we were alive and together.

Danny stood in front of me, looming over me. “I’m glad you decided to stay here with us.”

He wasn’t making fun of me, though now that I’d had some perspective put on it, I knew it had been a crazy plan in the first place. “We’ll be all right. All of us.”

He nodded and his fingers sank into my hair. “All of us.”

“Well, Harriet might not. She might hate us for calling her Harri,” Dev pointed out.

Danny groaned, but there was the sexiest smile on his face as he reached behind me and caught Dev’s head with one big hand. “You are incorrigible.”

I moved out of the way and watched them kiss. I loved watching them, loved how masculine they were pressed against each other. There would come a time in this pregnancy when I would be uncomfortable having the kind of athletic sex they craved, but I would be happy to watch them fuck.

Danny’s fangs were out, and he grazed them over Dev’s lower lip, nipping hard enough to draw blood. A low groan went through my vampire, and I watched my faery prince shudder.

I stepped in behind Dev since he hadn’t managed to get out of his slacks yet, and that was a damn shame. Both of my men were stunning, and I wanted to see them in all their glory. I unbuckled his belt and undid the button, lowering the zipper around that monstrosity of a cock. It was a gorgeous monster and I let my hand curl around it. He was hard and ready to go, though I have to admit Devinshea usually is. His cock was warm and solid in my hand. I stroked him from base to tip, my hand lubricated by the arousal I found there.

“Yes, my goddess. That’s what I need. Daniel, do your worst. You didn’t feed at all yesterday. Take us both.” Dev let his head fall to the side.

I saw Danny’s fangs flash right before they sank into Dev’s flesh.

His cock swelled in my hand and I stroked him, loving how hot the room had gone. I’d been promised the room had been properly warded so the pilot wouldn’t go all lust crazy midair. He was a member of the Order, a human organization created long ago by the Heavenly prophet Jacob to counter Myrddin’s threat. They were actively working against him now, and thankfully they had pilots who were above suspicion and who knew how to secure a cockpit against secondhand lust.

Dev’s whole body shuddered, and I felt him come in my hand.

We were lucky Dev prepared for everything and there were extra clothes for all of us, because he was going to need new slacks.

On a normal man, this would mean he would be down for the count for at least a couple of minutes, but not my sex god. His cock was already swelling in my palm, letting me know he could take care of me, too.

Danny let go of Dev’s vein, his tongue coming out to lick at those fangs of his. Every inch of my skin lit up at the sight of it. Danny was never hotter than when he let his inner beast out. Those sapphire orbs of his found mine, and I could feel his magic pull at me. He didn’t need to pull me in to make me want to feed him. He did it because he knew exactly how good it made me feel. When Danny’s magic pulled at me, I was surrounded by his love, his desire and adoration. Combined with Dev’s lust magic, it was a heady concoction.

Dev let himself fall to the bed, clearing the way for Danny to get to me. He pulled my shirt off and made quick work of my bra. “You’re going to be careful today.”

I kicked off my shoes and Danny dragged my pants down, tossing them and my undies aside. No matter how many times I was naked with them, I always sighed like this was how we should be. “I promise. I’ll have Lee with me. I won’t do anything that could endanger him.”

Well, endanger him any more than what we were already doing. I couldn’t say walking into the enemy’s stronghold to steal the most valuable thing in the world to a man who wanted to kill us was a particularly good mother/son activity.

“I love you,” Danny said as he kissed me again. Our tongues tangled and his big hands maneuvered me to the bed. “Wear that like armor.”

“I love you.” He was going into danger, too. He had to face the man who’d held him in thrall for years. “When you want to kill him, remember that I love you and you can’t. Unless you can do it where the humans can’t see, and then, baby, go for it.”

His lips kicked up in the sexiest grin. “I’ll remember that.”

He maneuvered me to the bed where Dev had shucked his slacks and now sat naked with his back against the wall. His cock was already hard again, and he held out a hand to me. I went to him, allowed him to turn me so I was lying against him, his erection against my back.

Danny’s fangs were still out, so it was easy to discern he wasn’t going for my neck. Dev’s legs tangled with mine, holding them open for our vampire. Danny dispersed with the rest of his clothes and then climbed onto the bed, lowering himself down so his mouth hovered over my pussy.

Dev’s hands cupped my breasts, and I could feel his lips on my neck. “I’m so glad you decided to stay here with us, my goddess.”

“Like I would have left you behind.” I barely managed to get the words out because my whole being was focused on their hands and mouths on my body.

“I wouldn’t let you. We’re together forever. No matter what some evil wizard tries to do to us.” Danny lowered his head down and then I wasn’t thinking anymore. I was feeling. I was floating.

Danny’s tongue worked me over, laving my pussy with affection as Dev played with my breasts, tugging gently at my nipples.

It wasn’t long before my eyes rolled back and I couldn’t stop the orgasm. That was the moment Daniel sank his fangs into my thigh and that orgasm went supersonic. I was flying far higher than any plane could take me.

I was barely starting to come down when Danny released the vein and brought his big body up. With flawless accuracy he thrust inside my pussy and I sighed at the feeling. I wrapped my legs around him and let him take me where only these two men had ever taken me before.

 

* * * *

 

Hours later, I stood at the entrance to the tunnel under Ether and marveled at what Neil had managed to do.

“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me about this.” He wasn’t a good liar. In fact, he was a terrible one. He could keep a secret if he absolutely had to—like life and death had to. But Neil liked to talk. “This had to take months of planning and work.”

“Oh, I had Chad put a whammy on me. Also, Sarah took care of most of the planning. She’s very organized, and she does not mind yelling at contractors. God, I hope the lights still work.” He fumbled around and suddenly a thin trail of lights illuminated the gloom.

“What kind of whammy?” Lee looked around the space we found ourselves in.

We’d only left Dev and Danny a few moments before. The park they were meeting Myrddin in wasn’t far from the Council building. A group of shifters had agreed to provide security. This was the North Texas Pride, and they’d always been close to the royals. Danny was talking to the leader on the way to the meet.

Neil had led us to a building on Pearl Street a couple of blocks from Ether. The entrance to the tunnel was on the lowest level of the parking garage. The door was in the stairwell, behind the stairs. It was hard to tell there was a door there at all, but Neil had found it.

Neil stood back to allow us in. “When I need to do something that I do not want to do—like keep a secret from your mom—Chad kind of digs around in my brain and plants a suggestion that my metabolism will die if I do that thing. No more werewolf physique. All I have to do is make one wrong move and I’ve got the gut I truly deserve.”

Naturally that’s where he would go. “How did you build it? Is it magic?”

“It doesn’t feel that way. It looks like it’s solid.” Lee stepped inside and then put a hand to his stomach. “Well, except for that. Wow. That ward is rough. I’m not sure I can get through. Not without vomiting. Aunt Sarah was serious about keeping other people out.”

“Here, sweetie.” I reached into my backpack and pulled out the charm Lily had made. “Lily was one of the people who could get through. She helped Sarah on the project. This should make the ward think you’re her.”

I placed the small charm in his hand, and his whole body seemed to relax. “Thank the goddess. That’s better. So that’s what any human would feel if they tried to walk through? That was some powerful dread. I’m going to be honest. If I didn’t know what I know, I would have walked away and never come back.”

That’s what a really good ward could do to a person.

“You should see what happens to a witch who isn’t allowed through,” Neil said. “I’m sorry it affects you. Sarah was slowly working on the wards when she could. I guess she hadn’t gotten to the kids yet. And it’s a physical tunnel. Chad worked his magic on a construction crew.”

“Danny is Chad’s vampire master. How did he keep this from him?” I was sure it was one of the reasons Myrddin hadn’t wanted to let Danny go through the painting. Danny’s blood could influence any vampire or werewolf who took it.

Neil chuckled. “Oh, Chad will tell Daniel anything he thinks the king needs to know. He genuinely thought this was in his master’s best interest, so he kept it from him. Chad is pragmatic when it comes to his servitude. It’s the difference between a vampire and a wolf. After all those years, Zack would have told Danny no matter what. Which is why he was left out of this project. I always thought we should have made it prettier though. It’s got a very latter-day mine vibe about it.”

The walls looked solid, though the whole thing was way too confining. Lee could barely walk without hunching over, and his shoulders nearly brushed the sides. “So this will take us all the way to the basement under Ether?”

“Yes. From there you’ll need to sneak up the back stairwell. Sorry, Z. I’m afraid you can’t use the elevator,” Neil announced with a frown. “They wouldn’t be able to see you, but they would see the doors opening and closing, and that might attract attention. They’ll be less likely to see the stairwell doors open and close.”

It looked like I was getting a workout in. “All right. We should get going. I won’t be able to call you. Believe it or not, cell service doesn’t work under the cloak. Are you meeting the fake me?”

The lions were giving us a lioness who didn’t mind wearing a Zoey glamour and shopping with my bestie in case the witches were on the lookout.

Neil glanced down at his watch. “Yep. She should be up in the lobby right now. The human security company who works for Dev’s legitimate businesses is providing us with an escort so things look good.”

“You put the tunnel under our human security team’s building?” I asked, shocked at his audacity.

Neil shrugged. “They’re willing to do some pretty crazy stuff for their clients, and Neiman Marcus is a block over. I thought it would be a good shortcut for us when it was done. Freaking Myrddin screws up everything. I thought I would have a shortcut to designer wear. Instead, I’ve got a shortcut to an Icelandic bookstore that smells like patchouli and smoked fish. Call me when you’re out.”

“It could be an hour or two,” Lee said. “We’re going to be careful about this. I promised the dads I wouldn’t get Mom murdered.”

It was good they all had faith in my skills. “You know I pulled off the first part of this job about two weeks ago in my time. And my partner was eleven, so I think we’ll be okay.”

“You better be, Z. I’ll meet you back here in a couple of hours. If something goes wrong, I’ll text you, though I know you won’t get it until you get back to the tunnel,” Neil promised. “Be careful when you come out. Our intelligence puts all of Dev’s old playthings in the basement. Myrddin doesn’t like human weapons, so he shoved the whole armory there and hasn’t looked at it since.”

Lee’s eye lit with excitement. “Oh, I will be stealing some fun shit on my way out then.”

Neil nodded and then closed the door behind us, and I was left alone with my son. Rhys had offered to come along, but I’d wanted to keep the group as tight as I could. So I’d convinced him Shy needed him. She was still working through losing Harry.

The last time I’d seen them, Rhys had been holding her hand, so it looked like my dad’s plan was working.

Rhys was safe in Iceland. Evan had promised me she was securely in the primal nest.

I just had to make sure this son of mine survived.

“You have a gun. Two, I believe, and I don’t want to know how many knives you have on you.” I had a pistol on me and my kit. I probably wouldn’t need it because I also had a key to Sarah’s apartment.

“I have four knives. And yeah, we’ve got plenty of guns, but C-4’s been hard to come by,” my son admitted as he started down the tunnel. “And I think we left a metric shit ton here. I would get brownie points with Sasha if I brought him back some.”

I followed behind him. It wasn’t that I minded if Lee wanted to steal a little something extra, but I wanted this to go as easy as it could. “That C-4’s been down here for years. How do we know it’s even good?”

“We know because Sasha taught us whole lessons on weapons and how to use them. C-4’s a stable explosive. It’s easy to transport, and with the right amount you can take down a whole building easy-peasy. Papa always bought the good stuff. If there’s C-4 in the basement, it’s still good. I promise I’ll only take some if we’re not busting ass to get out of there.”

My son’s education wasn’t what I’d planned, but it seemed like Sasha and Trent had done their best to prepare them for the world they lived in rather than the one I’d wanted for them. But then I’d probably been naïve about that in the first place. “Papa had some P-90s delivered a couple of weeks…well, twelve years ago. He hadn’t had a chance to use them yet. I’ll grab one or two of those if I can. I didn’t ask you earlier, but how do you think Dean is handling the whole I have to kill my dad thing?”

One big shoulder shrugged. “He told me JT Malone is his dad. Did you know there’s a JT Malone here on the Earth plane? He’s like a billionaire oil guy. I showed Dean a picture of him on the Internet. He said that dude looked exactly like his dad, but on the Vampire plane he’s married to Dean’s mom and here it’s some woman named Nina. I feel bad because according to what we were able to look up, they still don’t know what happened to Dean’s mom. Though apparently there are a couple of true crime podcasts about her.”

“They can’t ever know.” I wished I could send the poor man a letter explaining that the woman he’d known as Dana Johnson was happily married to a vampire version of himself on another plane of existence. Her family had to wonder what happened to her. They would never know she’d had a son and he was here to save them all.

“It makes you wonder how many of those people who vanished off the face of the earth actually vanished off the face of the Earth plane,” Lee mused. “That would be an interesting true crime series. Anyway, I think it shook him, but he doesn’t consider Myrddin to be his father in any real sense of the word. I’ll keep an eye on him. And hey, when I turn, I’ll be able to keep two eyes on him.”

My son was ever the sarcastic one. He’d come by it honestly. “Did anyone deal with the Fae who took your eye?”

He kept walking. “It doesn’t matter. I’m not looking for revenge. In some ways they were simply doing their jobs. I injured them enough that I was able to do mine and get Rhys out of there. That’s what mattered. Also I’m going to be honest again, Momma. Ogres pretty much all look alike to me, so it would be hard for me to be sure I was getting revenge on the right one. Evan tells me that’s speciest of me, but I thought that even before I lost my eye to one of them. Don’t get me wrong. I know maybe somewhere out there is a happy, nonviolent ogre commune, but I haven’t found it yet. Every last one of those fuckers I’ve met have tried to eat me.”

“I’m proud of you for saving your brother,” I said quietly.

“Well, you taught us to watch out for each other,” he replied. “Rhys and Evan and Fen have all saved me at one point. I know it was rough, but some of it was good. I think all childhoods are like that. I know most kids don’t have to fight demons and ogres, but they all have bad shit happen. They have bullies and losses and anxiety. All children have to learn to survive in the real world.”

His real world was a dangerous one, but then it always had been. “I’m so glad you had each other.”

“And I’m glad you had Dad and Grandad when you were growing up. I’m going to miss that old man, but I think Rhys and Shy have a shot now. I can give him hell about the romantic crap.”

“Don’t you dare. You let them find their way.” I used my best mom voice on him. I could be worse than any ogre.

“I’m joking. You have to let us give each other shit,” he said and then fell silent. “How did Kelsey handle Marcus staying behind? I didn’t get much of a chance to talk to her before she left.”

I had wondered if he felt like she’d left him again just as she’d gotten back. “She wasn’t trying to ignore you. She needed to see Trent.”

“I know that. She asked me to go with her.”

Now it was my turn to be silent. I hadn’t realized she’d asked him. I understood why Evan had gone. Fenrir needed to get to know his mom again and he needed Evan. But it felt wrong to try to take Lee, too.

“Don’t go all jealous on me. I chose to stay with you. I worry about her though. She and Marcus were close for a lot of years, and well, I worry about her because Gray’s different since he started descending. I don’t know how she’ll handle it.”

We kept hiking along, and I could faintly hear the hum of the road above us. “Different how?”

“Darker.” Lee’s voice softened as though he knew we were getting closer to our destination. “He started his descents because he wanted to know what was happening on the Hell plane, and for a few years he was open about it. In the last couple, he’s started missing meetings with Trent. We know he’s alive and walking the plane, but I think it’s been at least eighteen months since Trent’s seen him.”

Kelsey was pregnant with Gray’s baby. What was regularly visiting Hell doing to Grayson Sloane? He was a half demon, and being forced to live on the Hell plane had been something that Gray had feared all his life. “Does Trent have any way to contact him?”

“He has a cell phone when he’s on the Earth plane, but I don’t think he and Trent have talked much lately. I know it’s hurt Trent, though he tries not to show it. It’s been a hard twelve years on that wolf. I worry about how Kelsey’s going to handle it,” Lee replied and then stopped. “There’s the entrance. I’m going to put the cloak on and do recon. I want you to stay here until I make sure the room’s clear.”

It was right there on the tip of my tongue to tell him that he was the son and I was the mom and I would go in, but the truth of the matter was Lee had more experience at this than I did. He was a soldier. He might have some skills when it came to thievery, but over the course of this war, he’d become a soldier and I had to honor that. “All right. Be careful.”

I didn’t want to send him in there. I’d been calm to this point, but as Lee put the cloak on and disappeared in front of me, it hit me that we were walking into the place where I’d lost him before. This was the last place I’d seen him as a child. I’d pulled the covers up around him and promised I would see him in the morning. I’d smoothed back his hair and told him good night.

And then I’d disappeared.

The hood came off and my son looked at me. “Momma, it’s going to be all right. I promise.”

“You’re a floating head. That is never all right.” I reached up and ruffled his hair the way I used to when he was a kid. “I’m sorry. I’m always going to worry about you. Now let’s get this done. I want to get back to your dads. The less time we take the less they have to spend with Myrddin.”

“Got it. Be back in a flash,” Lee promised.

He flipped the hood down and disappeared. I watched as the door opened and then closed again.

There was a pit in my stomach that told me this was a bad idea. A very bad idea.

I took a deep breath and thought seriously about calling the whole thing off. This was why my father never worked with family. He worked with other professionals, and while he might have enjoyed their company, he’d had no real feelings for the people on his crew. Emotion is a dangerous thing to a thief.

I wanted to follow that instinct and take Lee back to Frelsi where he would be safe.

And what if Sarah’s wards fell? I would be handing Myrddin the keys to a kingdom that would suddenly be filled with demons. If they were allowed on the Earth plane, everything changed. A war unlike anything we’d ever seen would break out with humans on one side and demons on the other, and I wasn’t sure they wouldn’t view most of my family as demons. Humans aren’t known for being able to discern who the real enemy is. They would come for all supernaturals. Myrddin was simply thinking he could enslave the humans, could overcome them with his skill and the Hell plane’s armies.

He was underestimating the humans. They would put up a fight, and their sheer numbers would give them the advantage.

I didn’t want to fight at all. I wanted us to live in harmony, even if that meant we kept our world a secret.

The door opened again. “We’re good. And there’s so much C-4. What was Papa planning?”

“You know your dads like to be prepared.” I stepped through the door and into the basement. “He probably had a coupon or something.”

It was dark but Lee had his flashlight out, giving us some illumination. “Are we sure there’s not a guard on the door?”

“Not according to our spies,” Lee replied quietly. “According to the message Christine got out an hour ago, the building is very quiet today. There are only forty witches who live here full time. Some of them went with Liv on a top secret mission. She wasn’t sure where, but it means we shouldn’t have to worry about too many being around today. The basement is locked, but the witches don’t seem to care about what’s down here. Like I said, they don’t use human weapons at all. I’m surprised he hasn’t sold any of this. That’s what I would have done if I wasn’t going to use them.”

“I suspect Myrddin isn’t as comfortable dealing with the human world as you are.” I looked around the space I found myself in. Lee was right. There was a lot of C-4. “You know the bag of holding can carry all of this and we won’t even feel the weight.”

It wasn’t even stealing since Dev had paid for it. I wished Sarah had left the bag in my closet because I could have shoved a good deal of my clothes in there. And my shoes.

“Awesome. Let’s get moving because I think I saw a flamethrower. Sasha thought buying one was a bad idea,” Lee admitted. “Probably because of the whole peripheral vision thing. All right. The staircase is to our left, and then we’ve got a long haul up.”

The thought did not make me happy. “No one can hear me whine, right? Because I need you to understand that I don’t get a ton of cardio in.”

Although I had run for my life several times when we’d been on the outer planes.

“I’ll be able to.” Lee frowned my way. “The cloak might keep in sound, but I will be in there with you.”

“You know your namesake would have given me a piggyback ride.” He would have, and then he would have taken the stairs in a dead run and I would have barely noticed the floors flying by.

“My namesake was a werewolf with super speed,” Lee shot back. “As has been pointed out numerous times, I’m human right now. You’re walking.”

And he was true to his word. He made me walk up all those stairs. I think it was his revenge. It was odd to be back here. It had only been a few weeks, but I could feel that time had moved in this place. I couldn’t even see anything with the exception of the stairs, but the building had a heavy feeling to it that it hadn’t before.

There was a part of me that wanted to walk the halls, to see what he’d done with Dev’s baby. Dev had bought this building long ago, and much of our lives together had played out here. The first night we’d met, he’d brought me to Ether and shown me a whole new world. It had been in his office upstairs that he and Danny and I had first made our bargain—a pretend relationship that had become the center of our lives. All three of our children had been born here, and we’d intended this to always be their home.

We’d brought the supernatural world together right here in this building, and Myrddin had taken it from us, had twisted it. This place had become infested with all the wrongs he’d done, and I hated that.

“You okay?” Lee asked as we reached the nineteenth floor.

This stairwell only went to nineteen. The penthouse had another escape that didn’t connect to the other floors. It was part of Dev’s security. He’d worked so hard to protect us, and it had still failed.

“I’m good.” My legs had held up pretty well. Vampire blood gave a girl a nice boost. “But we need to be very careful from here on out.”

We hadn’t seen anyone in the stairwell. It had been eerily quiet the whole time. But we were about to go into what should be an occupied floor. According to Sasha’s intelligence, Olivia Carey lived on this level along with a couple of other witches. Liv might have gone on some mysterious mission, but her neighbors could be around.

It was harder to fit two adults under the cloak than it had been me and a kid. We would have to move cautiously, but first we had to get through the door.

I was in front of Lee. His bigger body draped the cloak over me and he could still see, though “seeing” in the cloak was an odd thing. It was like looking at the world through a filter. Everything seemed muffled and slightly distorted. I opened the door as slowly as I could, not wanting to make a sound.

That was the moment I realized we weren’t even close to being alone.