Saeed stretched his neck from side to side and rolled his shoulders to relieve the anxious tension that pulled every muscle in his body taut. Rin truly was an ambitious son of a bitch, using Cerys to secure the servitude of not only a single fae, but every soul that answered to her by default. No doubt Rin had been holding the fae’s marker for the perfect opportunity to collect on her debt. And Saeed was equally sure that Gregor’s appearance in the city was the catalyst.
“If she’s resilient to your magic, how do you propose to pull this off?”
Cerys’s features appeared even more delicate in the dark interior of the car, her body so much more fragile. She twisted her closed fists over the steering wheel and the leather creaked under the pressure. “I said she’s resilient, but not immune. I told you that some souls hold on tighter than others. Breanne’s won’t be a cakewalk to get. I can do it though.”
Such unwavering confidence. Saeed swallowed down a derisive snort. She’d kill herself for Rin and the bastard wouldn’t even realize what he’d lost until she was gone. Saeed wanted to lay down another mandate. To tell her he wouldn’t allow for her to even try. But the only thing he’d accomplish would be to spark Cerys’s stubborn pride. She’d double her efforts to steal the fae’s soul if only to prove to Saeed she could do it. Gods, how would he ever protect her?
“We need a plan.” Saeed hated to go into any situation unprepared. Now that he knew what they were up against, they could form a strategy. Of course, with Saeed’s limited knowledge of the fae he had no idea what to expect. Perhaps all of his worrying was a moot point. It was more likely they’d both die tonight.
“A plan for what?” Cerys opened her door but didn’t get out of the Range Rover. “Breanne knows we’re coming and she knows what we want. This isn’t going to be an ambush.”
“Why didn’t she run?” It was something Saeed wondered about regularly since he’d arrived in Seattle. So many fools making deals with Rin and waiting around eagerly for their punishments.
“No one runs from Rin.” Cerys took a deep breath and got out of the Range Rover. Saeed followed suit and climbed out of the car, rounding the front of the vehicle to meet her. “For Breanne, though, I think it’s ego. She thinks she’s untouchable.”
No one was untouchable. And those with the biggest egos usually went down the hardest. “What will we be up against once we get inside?”
Cerys shrugged and her casual disregard did nothing but spark Saeed’s temper. Did she take nothing seriously? “No more than ten is my guess.”
Ten? Good gods. “I don’t suppose you know anything about them?”
“They’re fae. I know that much for sure. Breanne would never lower herself to keep company with what she considers the lesser supernatural creatures.”
Her elitist attitude likely wouldn’t help or hurt them in this situation. “Any trained fighters among them?”
“Without a doubt,” Cerys said as though it didn’t concern her. “Dollars to donuts half of them will be too afraid to fight. The other half will give it a good go, but I like our odds.”
He found her overconfidence as frustrating as it was attractive. “And quite a bit of confidence in me for having never seen me fight.”
Cerys gave a flick of her wrist as she headed for the back of the Range Rover. “Oh, I figure you’ll help me out with one or two of them. I can handle the rest on my own.”
Gods, her cavalier attitude was insufferable! Saeed’s heart pounded in his chest at the mere thought of her rushing into battle outnumbered. She opened the hatchback and the dome light illuminated the cargo space. They’d brought along a mobile arsenal. She’d certainly come prepared. Cerys wasted no time in outfitting herself. Two Glocks strapped to either hip, daggers at her thighs, and throwing knives shoved into sheaths in her boots. She tucked a short sword behind her back before she turned to Saeed.
“I brought more than enough for both of us. Take whatever you want.”
Saeed was certain the weapons strapped to Cerys’s lithe form weighed more than she did.
“Here.” She shoved a weighted vest at him and he took it from her. “Put this on. Don’t want you vulnerable to any potential stakes, wooden or otherwise.”
“You thought of everything, apparently.” Except an actual plan of attack. He put on the vest before he selected a pair of daggers and a sword from Cerys’s arsenal.
“Grab one of the Rugers too,” she said. “Believe me, they’ll be armed to the teeth.”
Saeed had not been a warrior in a very long time. Not since the Sortiari all but wiped out the vampires. Modern-day warfare held no allure. It took no finesse to aim a gun at your enemy and pull the trigger. He grudgingly took the gun and tucked it into his waistband at the small of his back. He’d use it as a last resort.
“Now what?”
“Now?” Cerys said with a grin. “We go ring the doorbell.”
“I understand that Breanne is expecting us, but you’re not even interested in a surprise attack?” Saeed couldn’t understand Cerys’s tactics. They should be doing anything, no matter how small, to try and gain the upper hand. They were going into this situation at a serious disadvantage. From a tactical standpoint, they were screwed.
“Yeah, that’s really not how I operate. I don’t see any point in pretense.”
Pretense? Saeed thought his eyes might bug right out of his head. “Tactical planning isn’t pretense, Cerys. It’s good sense.”
“Eh.” Gods. Saeed swore Breanne and her small army wouldn’t get a chance to try and kill Cerys. Because he was seriously considering throttling her right now. “What you call planning I call prolonging the inevitable.”
“The inevitable?” Saeed did nothing to mask his incredulous tone. “A little pretense, as you so disdainfully call it, could buy us precious seconds and gain us the advantage.”
Cerys offered an almost consoling pat to Saeed’s shoulder. She closed the hatchback and walked past him, giving him no choice but to follow. “Believe me, Saeed, my presence is shock factor enough. We’ll have the advantage.”
So damned confident. He almost hoped he’d have the opportunity to prove her wrong, but really, if they walked out of this alive it would be a miracle.
Cerys’s demeanor changed the moment she passed Saeed and walked up the long pathway toward the house. She appeared as she had the first time he’d seen her in the Collective. Cold. Calculating. Detached. Focused. So fierce and so gods-damned beautiful she took his breath away. She was the vengeful ghost of his visions, her skin as lustrous as moonlight, her hair a cascade of vibrant flames. If anything happened to her here tonight Saeed would set fire to the world in his quest for vengeance.
The fae’s house was tucked in a wooded area far from the main highway. It was much smaller than Saeed expected, more a modest cabin than a mansion fit for a queen. Quarters might be tight when the fighting began, which would make matters a little more difficult. While Cerys kept her gaze straight ahead, Saeed took careful stock of their surroundings, making note of areas that would aid in their escape and others that would offer perfect cover in the event of an ambush. One of them needed to be concerned about how they’d get out of here. Cerys certainly didn’t seem to care.
Why? Was she that confident of their success? Or rather, did she anticipate complete failure? Nervous energy dumped into Saeed’s bloodstream as he continued to walk and observe their surroundings. The anticipation of battle infused his limbs with adrenaline and awakened his thirst. It was more important now than ever to keep a level head. Cerys’s safety depended on it, and he would not fail her.
“Breanne is the only one we’ll have to worry about,” Cerys remarked as they approached the modest house. “Everyone else will be lesser fae, not half as powerful.”
“How do you know?”
“Rin.” Cerys let out a snort. “Guess he wanted to make sure I wouldn’t be in too far over my head. Breanne’s consort, Fallon, would be a serious problem if he was here tonight. Rin found out he’d gone to Spokane to take care of some business for Breanne and made sure his return home would be delayed.” She gave Saeed a sidelong glance. “Big of him, huh?”
“Very.” Rin’s idea of having Cerys’s back was seriously perverse. He’d take whatever advantage they could get, however. Saeed might have the opportunity to compel at least one or two of the lesser fae before they had the chance to attack. His main objective was to protect Cerys so she had the opportunity to risk her life yet again to give Rin something he wanted.
Hopefully, this would be the last time Cerys would ever be forced to do such a thing.
* * *
If there was an Academy Award for best performance in pretending you have your shit together, Cerys would’ve been holding that little gold statue right now. Overconfident had nothing on her as she marched up the driveway to Breanne’s quaint little cottage in the woods. She couldn’t let Saeed see her sweat. Couldn’t let him think for even a second she doubted tonight’s outcome. On the outside, she was unflappable. Solid as a gods-damn rock. On the inside, she was one step away from losing her shit. Beneath the hard shell of her exterior, Cerys had never felt so fragile.
Breanne’s place really was pretty cute. For a moment, Cerys tried to forget why she was here. Instead, she admired the manicured grounds, the natural architecture, and the absence of city sounds. She allowed herself to wonder what it would be like to live this life. To have a little place of her own. To come and go as she pleased with whom she pleased. She sort of envied Breanne. At least, she envied her freedom. And at the same time Cerys couldn’t help but resent her for her foolish choices that would steal the freedom Cerys so desperately desired.
Breanne would take for granted what Cerys coveted. Maybe she deserved what she was getting tonight.
Before Cerys could breach the front steps, Saeed reached out and grabbed her by the arm. He hauled her against his wide chest and put his mouth to hers in a crushing kiss that sent her blood rushing through her veins and caused her heart to pound against her rib cage. He kissed her with every ounce of the desperation she felt, and her arms went around him as though she had no choice. His fingers dove into her hair as his tongue thrust past her lips to deepen the kiss. The world melted away. Nothing mattered but this moment. His mouth on hers, the heat of his kiss, her own lightheadedness, and the way he awakened her.
If she had it her way, reality would never barge in to interrupt them again.
Their kiss ended far too soon. Saeed pulled away and Cerys tried to steady her careening world, her breath racing in her chest.
“Promise me you’ll be careful in there.” Saeed’s gaze delved into hers, his dark irises rimmed with silver.
When he looked at her like that, so full of heat and longing, she’d promise him anything. “I promise.” She reached out for his hand and pulled it against her chest. Saeed’s brow furrowed, and for a moment Cerys just stared and took in his beauty. “But you have to promise me the same.” If anything happened to him tonight, she would never forgive herself.
Saeed’s full lips spread into a blinding smile. “I promise.”
Two simple words, but they seemed like so much more. As though they’d spoken sacred vows to one another, not simply agreed to be careful in the midst of the coming fight. She’d tried to deny it since the moment they met, but Cerys was tired of fighting it. She wanted Saeed. Wanted him as much as she wanted her freedom. As much as she wanted her soul. She could never tell him, though. She could never give even the slightest hint that he meant anything to her. If Rin found out, he would put an end to Saeed, and Cerys knew she would never recover from the loss.
“Get your game face on, Saeed.” It was time to put her angst on the backburner and get to work. “Ready?”
He gave her hand a squeeze as she let go and took a step back. “I’m ready.”
There was nothing left to say, was there?
Cerys climbed the five steps to the front door and laid her knuckles to the solid planks. She waited several seconds before knocking again, and she sensed Saeed grow tense behind her. It was too early for his nerves to get the better of him. Cerys didn’t expect Breanne to rush to answer the door, given what was about to happen to her. Cerys would give her a couple more seconds to be civil before she made the decision to kick down the door.
“Well, shit.” Cerys brought her right leg up and as she prepared to kick the door down, it swung open wide. Breanne stood on the other side of the threshold, regal and beautiful. Cerys set her foot down and rested her right hand on the pommel of her dagger. “Hello Breanne, time to pay the piper.”
It was no wonder Rin wanted Breanne’s soul. Not only was she powerful and influential, but she was absolutely beautiful. Tall and willowy with silver white hair and frost blue eyes, she looked like a creature straight out of a fairytale. Cerys imagined she’d be even lovelier in a hollow, apathetic state. A beautiful portrait of sorrow that Rin would no doubt admire like a prized work of art. Sadistic bastard.
“Tell Rin he’ll get nothing from me.” Breanne’s voice was pleasant and melodic, yet firm. She might have looked delicate, but Cerys knew better. The metal edge of her dagger scraped against the scabbard as she pulled it free. So far, Breanne held the door open only wide enough for Cerys to see her, keeping the element of surprise on her side. But Cerys had a little something up her sleeve as well. Namely, the hulking vampire currently hiding in the shadows to her left.
“You know how this works,” Cerys replied. “There’s no reneging. You made a deal with Rin and you fell through on your end of the bargain. Now you have to pay up. Rin might have set the price, but you agreed to it, so I suggest we take care of this civilly, so no one gets hurt.”
Breanne’s icy gaze narrowed. “There’s nothing civil about what you’ve come here to do.”
Probably not. Breanne would do what she could to make Cerys lose her nerve. What bothered her the most was that everyone thought she was just like Rin. Cruel. Sadistic. Eager to use her power and lord it over others. No one ever considered the possibility that Cerys acted under duress. That she had no choice but to carry out Rin’s orders because she was simply another one of his slaves.
“I can’t leave without what I’ve come here to fetch,” Cerys said. “You know that.”
Breanne’s answering laughter tinkled like wind chimes. “And you think I’d make it so easy for you to collect?”
“You made your bargain with Rin easily enough.” It bothered Cerys more than it should have that no one ever seemed to want to pay up. As though they were all genuinely shocked Rin would actually ask payment for services rendered. How could anyone possibly expect anything less after entering into a deal with the devil? Cerys found their indignation insulting. Supernatural creatures should’ve known better than anyone that you reap what you sow.
Breanne opened the door a little wider as though in invitation. The open floor plan of her cottage wouldn’t be too tough to negotiate when the fighting began, but it still wasn’t ideal. Upon first glance, Cerys counted at least fifteen bodies inside the living room alone. The odds were stacked more against them than she’d anticipated, damn it.
“If you step past this threshold,” Breanne crooned, “I will consider it an act of aggression.”
Cerys rolled her eyes. Please. She’d known tonight’s retrieval wasn’t going to be easy, but she’d hoped Breanne would’ve been at least marginally cooperative. “I was really hoping we could do this the easy way,” Cerys said with a sigh.
There was no point in talking. Cerys was on a tight schedule and they could sit here and chew the fat all night. In a perfect scenario, she could force her way into the house, corner Breanne, and extract her soul while Saeed ran interference. That wasn’t going to happen, though. The fight would be hard, fast, and chaotic. Outside threats needed to be neutralized before Breanne had a chance to run.
Cerys tucked her right hand behind her back, knowing Saeed watched her. She held up three fingers, two fingers, one … and attacked.
Cerys slashed with her dagger before spinning it in her grip and sliding it back into the scabbard. She traded the weapon for the gun at her side and fired off six quick rounds before she’d even crossed the threshold. The bullets, infused with iron, wouldn’t kill the fae, but rather would act as a sort of tranquilizer, temporarily immobilizing them and getting them out of Cerys’s hair. Her aim was true, and all six went down within seconds of being hit. Breanne stared, wide-eyed, as Cerys blew past her and took out three more fae before hitting the foyer. Cerys chanced a glance backward toward Saeed who also paused in a moment of stunned silence. A smug sense of pride welled within her. She’d told him she’d take out the bulk of Breanne’s forces before Saeed even had a chance to engage. She didn’t have time to bask in her accomplishments, however. She’d had the element of surprise on her side and now that that was gone the fight would only get harder. Thank the gods she had backup. Despite her confidence, Cerys doubted she’d be able to do this on her own.
Three angry fae rushed toward her and Cerys drew a dagger from its sheath at her left hip as she prepared to engage. Hell, even with backup, they might be screwed.