Deception (Facets of Feyrie Book 3), page 14
There are no words because none need to be said, no pointless comforts or false promises… just his presence and the knowledge it will always be there for me. Nuzzling my snotty face into his shirt I sigh and take a deep breath of Phobe’s unique scent. This beautiful monster is all mine. Smiling in a super sneaky way, I blow my nose on his shirt and slip out of his grasp.
“Iza, that is disgusting.” He’s standing now and holding his shirt out from his skin with a look of dismay on his face.
“You’ve had worse on you.” I grab the shifter and sling him over my shoulders.
“You two are the weirdest fucking couple I’ve ever seen.” Adriem comments from the stairs. I shrug, yeah that’s us, and it’s something I’m perfectly okay with.
P hobe
THE SHIFTER IS PROVING USELESS. He has no important information at all—except the location of where they are holding Jameson. To Iza this is useful, but not me. I am tired of seeing her hurt over the vain, selfish creature. He does not deserve to have someone care enough to go through this for him. I will say, if he survives this he better treat her accordingly or I will rip out his guts and use them to decorate her bedroom. Her feelings of guilt about him be damned.
Leaning down, I put my face in front of the shifter who keeps giving Iza death looks. He has unrequited feelings for the vampire, who was merely using him for her gains. The thoughts she had about him were not nice ones. She related him much to a dog, that sat on her command.
“Be a good puppy and tell me who your master is, or I will take that small manhood of yours and feed it to you,” I say softly, letting my eyes show him that I mean what I say.
“You’re going to kill me no matter what I say.”
“True enough, but,” I smile, and my face continues to stretch, and it keeps growing until I can see the shine of my white teeth reflected in his eyes. “The way you die is still in question.” When his pupils expand from the pinpricks my teeth turned them into, he has come to his decision.
“He calls himself the Light, and everyone is afraid of him. I can’t understand why because when he’s in the Guides body, the man wears lacey shirts with these fancy collars from like the fucking eighteen hundred—” He pauses in his rants and looks askew at my teeth that are still on display.
Clearing his throat, he continues, “All I know is that Kael, that dude that she killed,” he nods his head towards Iza, who is leaning against the wall next to the bathroom door. “was terrified of him, they all are.” He sneers and says, “and all he wants is to catch that bitch who killed Shar.” He turns his hate-filled gaze towards Iza.
“Does he know anything else?” she asks me instead of him.
“No, that is the extent of his knowledge,” I say. His thoughts are only full of dreams of torturing Iza in revenge.
“You going to eat him?” I nod. Turning, she leaves the room, and after a few seconds, Adriem follows her.
“Hey! What does she mean to eat me?” Now those vengeful thoughts have turned to macabre images of people eating people. I smile more broadly. The first shadow touching his leg makes him jump. Clamping my hand over his mouth I push his head against the chair and slowly start to enjoy my meal. It is not that he is satisfying in any way other than the more primal one. Instead of him being able to hurt Iza, I get to hurt him.
The moisture of his tears against the hand that is muffling his screams is a bonus. This stupid creature thought he was going to survive to fight another day, to live long enough to kill everyone close to Iza before raping and then killing her.
All he is doing now is pointlessly begging.
AN HOUR later Iza is still gone, but she is not far away. She is one room over, arguing with Ruthie about feminine products to help with the girl’s moodiness. I cannot help but be a bit amused by the conversation. Ruthie insists that she is not menstruating and Iza argues that only menstruating women act like bitches. Ruthie acts offended, and then Iza laughs at her and offers to give her chocolate.
Turning on the TV, I decide to give the women privacy in their conversation, when it turns to talk of maxi pads and tampons, which Iza still calls tampoons. Although, now I think she does it purely for reactions from others. The hurried steps that follow the slamming of the door, followed by the knocking on my door, makes me shake my head. I open it, and a red-faced Michael slips past me and sits on the bed with a huff.
“I’m sorry Phobe, but I can’t handle that anymore.” I shut the door and sit in the chair next to the TV.
“Breaking news, our media affiliates are informing us that some type of energy barriers are popping up all over the world and cutting off communications and contact with towns and small cities. So far only the United States, England, and Russia have reported these strange barriers and are sending the military in to investigate. We have a reporter at one of the sites currently but are unable to get in contact with him or any of his crew. The military is refusing to allow anyone to go near the barriers and ask that we remain calm until they can determine their cause.”
The forward force is here, which means there are scouts already working in conjunction with the first wave of invaders. The energy barriers will be hiding their base camps and the portals needed for them to bring more through. They have been spotted in major cities, and the sightings are now being taken seriously because people are disappearing by the dozens.
Food for the scouts, prisoners for information… it could be many things.
Before Iza came along, I was their forward scout, and that gives me insight into what they will do next. The base camps are typically followed by the second wave which is the elemental warrior mages. Usually metal, earth, and fire workers. Given that this world is mostly water they will probably throw some of them in as well. I would. After them will come the weather ones. They are brutal when they invade. It is why they are so successful at it.
These human weapons, no matter how large or how many missiles it can shoot, stand no chance against a mage that can break down the components of your missile into dust with a wave of their hand. The only ones who can stop this are in the Sidhe and this hotel.
Iza has already decided to help the humans, and with her help, they might stand a chance because she and I are a package deal and I love eating mages.
“Those schoth people are coming through, aren’t they?” Michael asks quietly.
“Yes, unless we stop them,” I answer, watching the emotions chase themselves across his face.
“Can you stop them?” I can tell by looking at him that he wants me to say yes, but that would be a lie.
“Maybe.” I choose to tell the truth.
“Are you as badass as Iza thinks you are?” His face flushes, but he holds my gaze steadily.
“Yes. You could be as well. The schoth fear your people.”
“Why?”
I remember then that he was orphaned young and was probably not taught much about his true abilities. “Your kind eat Magiks, that is why you go for the brains of your prey, it houses their power there. You’re also immune to most types of it, and only the strongest schoth can stop you before you get to them.”
“Seriously?”
“Seriously.”
“Then how did they kill so many?”
“It was not they that killed most of them.” And I leave it at that. “You have spent so long trying to fit in with the vampires that you think yourself limited by their weaknesses. You are not, but you are not infallible either. You must learn, and then you will be able to use the arsenal you were born with.”
“Can you teach me?” I consider him a moment. He will never equal Iza in skill or abilities, but he can be equal to one of the Nightmares in strength. He would be a valuable asset to Iza in the coming times.
“Yes, but you will not like the way I teach.”
“I don’t like a lot of things that I have to do, that doesn’t stop me from doing them.” He is sincere in his desire to learn, no matter the method. Yes, a good part of it is loyalty to Iza and belief in their cause, another part is his desire to protect Ruthie because he loves her. Something that frustrates him because Ruthie is always in doubt of it.
“We will start after Iza finds the imp and returns to the Sidhe.” He smiles in excitement and then turns back to the news. Michael is smart for his age. He knows the schoth are coming, he also knows that we will help fight them to keep this world as it is. He is braver than most males I have met, and I have met thousands. Iza chose well in this boy.
The door opens, and a frustrated Iza strolls in, the small frown between her eyes and the clenching of her jaw indicates that she lost her disagreement with Ruthie. I am not sure how one can argue about menstruation, it seems like an argument for argument’s sake.
“She threw my chocolate gift at me. I’m at a loss, how else can I make her less bitchy, when she refuses to accept that chocolate is the magical food,” she muses, shaking her head as she plops down on the bed next to Michael.
“She’s bitchy about everything. Lately, nothing I do is right anymore,” he mutters.
“She keeps telling me it’s a girl thing, and I’m a girl and don’t understand all of it so don’t feel bad, Michael. The Google God says this mood should only last for seven to ten years and then she’ll be our smiling Ruthie again.” She reassures him and pats his shoulder. Not understanding that she is not truly reassuring. Seven to ten years to Michael is infinite.
It is then that she fastens her eyes on the TV and sees the news. Her reaction is not one of surprise. Iza understands the schoth in some ways better than even I do. Her cell phone chimes and distractedly she looks at it.
The minute her thoughts turn dark she gets my full attention. Through her, I can see the text message.
I’m guessing you disposed of my messengers. I shall then make the offer myself. Your life for your mage’s and everyone else in your Sidhe. It is the only way he and your other flock shall survive any of this.
He provides an address and time for her to meet him. The address is here in this town we are currently in, Melborn, and the time is an hour from now. Iza, forever dangerously impulsive, made up her mind the minute she read the message. Her life for all of theirs. To her, it is a simple choice with no in-depth thought required.
The fool believes that they will keep their promises.
“Michael, go,” I order. Without questioning anything, he is up and out of the room in seconds. The resounding sound of the door shutting pulls Iza’s eyes to mine.
“It’s the right thing to do, Phobe. One life for all of theirs.” It. Is. Not.
“Are you stupid? These people are not honorable. Why are you even considering such a thing?”
“For some reason, this man wants me dead,” she pauses and shifts mental gears, “he’s killing them one at a time anyhow. At least this way I can earn them a little more time.”
“To what? Hide and run like scared rabbits?”
“To live, Phobe. We’re all living on borrowed time, something everyone knows. At least this way they can have a little more.” She has genuinely made up her stupid, bleeding-heart and mind. I cannot have this. She cannot do this.
I will not allow her to do this. I cross the room in two strides and grab her shoulders and pull her up to me. Holding her face even with mine I shake her a little.
“This miserable world… all of these miserable worlds are better with you in them. Someone like Jameson or one of your special children might make ripples, but you are a tsunami, Iza. You matter more than any of them, you are needed—” I shake her again. “They need you. I need you!” My voice tapers off, and I realize that I was yelling. Grabbing my composure, I release her and cross the room away from her, more to stop me from yelling again. The fact that I did pisses me off.
Iza is standing there with a stupid smile on her face and her eyes sparkling in humor. How is this situation amusing to her? As she watches me that smile grows and a laugh parts her lips.
“You like me,” she teases, running at me and jumping into my arms. I hesitate, unsure of why her amusement exists. To stop the wondering, I dive into her thoughts.
The little twit is happy I care enough to yell at her. Shaking my head in wonder at how her mind works, I bury my face in her neck and breathe in the smell of her. If only I could take this moment and extend it forever, to always have her like this—happy and in my arms.
Fuck, she has made me into a sentimental monster.
“We’re still going to meet them,” she whispers against my skin.
“You are not—”
“No, I won’t trade myself… but we’re still going,” she insists.
I never once doubted she would, but I do wish she would learn to lie better.
I za
WE SHOW up late because being on time seems too desperate. I’m not at that stage yet, a finger getting cut off isn’t a big deal. Well, to Jameson it might be, but I can think of worse things they could’ve sent me. Especially the one thing that got him into this mess, to begin with. On second thought, maybe him losing that will teach him a lesson about thinking with something other than his dick. We can hope this whole experience taught him something—with Jameson you never know.
He’s a bit on the delicate side. We’ll be lucky if he’s mentally stable after this mess. I wasn’t, I’m still not, not really, but I do what I can.
I feel Phobe’s eyes on me, so I walk into the door first. This way if anyone nabs me he can nab them, or eat them, whichever works for him. I’m only half-surprised when no one tries to. Instead, there is a gathering of people at the center of the large, mostly empty room.
Jameson is not here.
The Guide, who is staring at me rather angrily, is. On either side of him are mages, schoth mages, each of them powerful enough that I feel the hum of that awful Light Magiks from here. Those two combined can kick my ass, I know it with absolute surety.
The Guide is a different story, there are so much Magiks entwined with his that isn’t his it’s a bit confusing. Someone with a lot of power is helping this fucker, someone who can and probably will kick my ass… if not kill me. Internally I shake myself. I won’t waver. I promised Phobe I wouldn’t trade myself, I’ll stick with my word, but it’s so hard not to be the martyr my guilt tells me to be.
Common sense won out, too. They won’t keep their promise, they won’t leave the other Feyrie alone. Not unless I’m in the way to be the world’s biggest pain in the ass to them. This thought makes me smile, and that smile is what they see first.
The Guide frowns harder and the mages with him tense.
“Are you here to trade yourself?” Rolling my eyes at his question, I stop a few feet away and cross my arms.
“Na, I figured I’d still stop by though. Have a bit of a staring contest and see whose balls are bigger.” Watching the emotions chase themselves across his face as I talk is quite enjoyable. For someone with so much power, he’s a bit of an idiot. Speaking of idiots. “So, what happened to my dear uncle? Is he out parking the car?”
“He died on the floor like a dog, as your mother died. Like you’ll die!” Spittle forms little white peaks at the corners of his mouth as he yells at me. This only makes the entire thing more fun.
“That’s a better death than he deserved. It’s a shame my Dad wasn’t able to do it though, but I imagine that he’s having a bit of fun with him right now. Just like he’ll have with you one day.” He goes to step forward but freezes as he walked into a wall. With a shake of his head, he steps back, and I know then that someone stopped him.
The smell of the Magiks is similar to those affecting Rido and Val. A sickly-sweet smell that reminds me of decaying meat. The hair on my arms stands up as the Magiks inside of me rebel because of the presence of the other. It’s Light Magiks but not at the same time—it’s more and different but just similar enough that its source is hidden away by the present mages. Curious, very curious. Watching the Light Magiks make small movements across the skin of the Guide, to and fro like the waves of the tide, makes me doubt it’s him. The Magiks are doing that because it’s being forced to stay on him, which means the majority of the power he possesses isn’t his. The Magiks you’re born with, lash or swirl around you and are solidly anchored to your soul.
He’s weaker on his own than I realized, if I can find a way to strip him of the Magiks that aren’t his, he’d make an easier target. I’d be able to get my fucking hands on him and beat the smirk right off his face. The owner of that Magiks is the real threat, the boss—the one who made Kael afraid. I know just looking at this little bit he’s laid on the Guide that I can’t beat him, though.
He’s like Phobe but stronger. I don’t think any of us can beat him, at least… not fairly.
‘If you eat him, how big of a jumpstart does that give your battery?’
‘Bigger than the two mages with him.’ I go to step forward, but his finger in my belt loop stops me. ‘I cannot get to him, Iza. He’s… protected from me.’ The menace is practically dripping off his words. Phobe isn’t happy at all about this, but he’s chewing on it, and eventually, he will have an answer. He’s creepy good like that.
It still sucks, because a plan later doesn’t help me save Jameson now. Why does everything have to be so complicated? It’s easier when I can kill them and move on, or Phobe can eat them, and then we move on.
Pain flashes through my head and the room seems to darken as black spots fill my vision. To keep myself upright I take a step back and as subtly as I can, lean against Phobe. Lightheaded, and feeling suddenly nauseous, it’s the only way to give into the tilting sensation without actually falling over. That might ruin my tough girl image, falling on my face.
‘This is not the time for your jokes. Your weakness is still evident no matter how much you try to convince yourself otherwise.’
‘Well, nothing can be done about it.’
‘You could simply return to the Sidhe and fix it entirely.’ How dare he make sense right now. I need him to be angry and ready to take the whole world on.
