CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
“Humans,” Thomas said grimly. Liam and he exchanged a significant glance before he shook his head.
I glanced at him, not quite understanding.
Liam touched my waist and murmured in my ear. “The Fae can be rather hard on their human companions. They both rejoice in a human’s ability to create, and hate it, jealousy turning their love to darker things.”
“What do you mean?” I asked softly.
“In the country of my birth, they used to tell tales of humans who got caught in a fairy circle, made to dance or play until they dropped dead from exhaustion.”
My gaze went back to the humans playing with frenetic energy. I’d thought they were simply caught up in the moment. After Liam’s words, I had to wonder if there was more to it.
“But they wouldn’t do that here, right?”
We weren’t in Fairy. They wouldn’t be so bold as to kill humans through compulsion here, would they?
Neither Liam nor Thomas looked particularly hopeful.
“Shouldn’t we do something?” I asked.
Liam shook his head. “There’s not much we can do. Tonight belongs to the Fae.”
I didn’t like that answer, and I was tempted to try something. Liam took my hand and drew me after him, tucking me in close as he shadowed Thomas.
We were all dressed similarly, the men in dark pants and leather jackets. It was the most I’d seen them embrace the vampire stereotype. All of them were armed under those jackets. I’d seen more than one enforcer add a few blades to their arsenal, and even a gun or two.
My room in the mansion had evidently come equipped with clothes that fit right in. Pants that had to cost hundreds of dollars, given the nice things they did for my ass, and a jacket with leather soft as butter. It was the real deal and probably cost more than the pants and silk dress shirt under it.
Once upon a time, I’d had a thing for leather jackets in all shapes, sizes and colors, so I knew a thing or two about how much something like this ran. This was nicer than anything I’d ever dreamed of back in those days.
The best thing about the outfit was the lack of high heels. This time, I was in motorcycle boots that were infinitely more comfortable. I don’t care what anybody said, walking in heels was a perishable skill. I’d take the boots over those any day.
Liam prowled next to me. He surveyed the spooks around us, watching for any signs of danger.
His enforcers had spread into the crowd, but the two of us were stuck looking after Thomas for the next hour.
The spooks around us writhed and raged in time to the music, its beat picking them up and carrying them off. I felt the notes humming through my blood. Magic was in the air, potent and powerful and difficult to ignore.
There was an almost wild look in the men’s faces, the magic setting their instincts firing. It seemed the Fae weren’t the only ones affected.
We stood on the edge of the crowd observing, for which I was grateful. Already the magic had raised hairs on the backs of my arms and set my blood pumping. It was like standing on a precipice, the anticipation coursing through your blood, and the knowledge that you were just seconds away from death making you feel more alive than you had any right to be.
“Remind me again why we’re here. What if they try another attack?” I asked through gritted teeth.
“As the master of the region, Thomas has no choice. To not attend would imply insult and make him look weak,” Liam murmured.
“And me?”
“You’re here for appearances. As the master’s yearling, you affect his image. For the same reason he couldn’t miss it, neither can you. I had your witch friend increase the wards against their magic. It should be safe.”
Should, maybe, could. I didn’t have a lot of faith in such words, especially when dealing with the Fae.
A Fae man stumbled into our path. He leered at me as he struggled to focus. “It’s the dancing vampire. Sing for us, pretty vampire.”
I was going to kill Caroline when I next saw her.
“Move along or else you’ll be the one singing,” Liam said, the threat in his voice clear.
The Fae held up his hands. “Alright, jeez. I just wanted to hear her sing again.”
I narrowed my eyes at him as he slid back into the crowd.
There was a choked sound beside me and I swung my glare to Liam as he fought to keep his expression neutral.
“Don’t start,” I warned.
“As my lady wishes,” he said, in an admirably neutral voice.
I stalked forward as he murmured, “Though if she wished to dance, I would not object.”
I stiffened but didn’t turn, not wanting to dignify his ridiculousness with a reaction. After that, the Fae didn’t bother us, content to turn their attention to those there to celebrate.
We were only a third of the way through the gathering when several women stepped into the clearing, surveying the area with cunning eyes. They weren’t Fae—they lacked that sparkling aura and otherworldly beauty. They were human with only the slightest of glimmers around them.
“When you increased the wards, did you think to protect against witch magic as well?” I asked, watching as the gaggle approached.
There were at least five of them, their hair glossy and bouncy. They wore dresses that were short and more suited to a night in a club than a forest. Every one of them had smooth skin and seemed young. It was like watching a swarm of co-eds approach, only their eyes showed they weren’t quite the lambs they appeared. More like deadly tigers waiting in the brush to ambush their prey.
The curse Liam muttered was in a different language. “What are they doing here?”
“Looks like we weren’t the only ones the Fae invited tonight,” I said, watching the women greet one of the twins. Baran, I thought.
They giggled, twiddling their hair as they tittered. The look of superiority on Baran’s face said he was used to this behavior and tolerated it because he had nothing better to do.
“Sarah,” Thomas said, appearing by our sides. He looked almost stricken as he watched the group.
I looked the women over, not spotting the witches’ crone. It should have been easy, given all that nubile young flesh.
But then a woman looked over at us, her smile turning cruel as she caught sight of Thomas. She was obviously the ringleader of the group.
She wasn’t just beautiful in a gold-colored dress, her luxurious hair in soft waves around her face. She was stunning—the type of woman who could walk into a room and command the attention of everyone there. It wasn’t just appearance either, she possessed a charisma that made it hard to look away.
The structure of her face was familiar. I’d seen her before. I squinted at her, mentally adding wrinkles and age spots.
I wasn’t sure, but it could be Sarah, only a few centuries younger. Which was impossible, unless she had discovered the fountain of youth or had access to powerful magic. Maybe magic like the Fae were said to be capable of?
“I guess that answers the question of why they’re working with the Fae,” I murmured, looking over the other women.
I had a feeling Sarah wasn’t the only one who’d benefited from their little alliance.
“Sarah wouldn’t align herself with a dangerous ally like the Fae for such a superficial reason,” Thomas hissed.
I wasn’t convinced. “Are you sure about that? Because it sure seems like it to me.”
As we spoke, Sarah took Baran’s arm and let him lead her into the crowd as she sent a triumphant smile to Thomas.
Neither man responded, watching the women as they followed their crone. More than one gave us a sideways look, flicking their hair like they were a group of mean girls in truth. I was interested to note I was the target of several of those hostile looks.
“Just how bad was your breakup with that woman?” I asked.
A woman scorned was dangerous, but to hold onto a grudge for a few centuries? That was next level stuff.
Niamh glided out from the trees just then, wearing little to disguise what was underneath. The thin scrap of material she wore was nearly see-through, with the torches set up throughout the clearing highlighting her figure beneath, giving those present a glimpse of everything in the cookie jar. In the ballroom the other night she’d been beautiful. Here, surrounded by nature, she was otherworldly.
I could see why humans through the ages have been obsessed with her kind. It would be so easy to get caught in her trap, to think beauty equated with good and righteousness instead of a facade meant to trick and tempt.
It was Liam’s turn to become stiff and unyielding as she glided past. I couldn’t help a spurt of amusement at the entire situation.
I slapped him on the back. “Look, both your and Thomas’ old flames are here. Tonight should be super fun!”
There was a choked sound of amusement from Anton a few feet away. Neither Liam or Thomas seemed to appreciate my humor as they turned serious faces on me.
Thomas shook his head at Liam as if to say “you deal with her,” before moving away.
I gave Liam an innocent look. “Is it something I said?”
His answering frown was long-suffering as he followed Thomas. I lingered behind, checking my phone messages.
A text from Caroline in answer to the one I’d sent earlier that night asking if she’d found anything.
Nothing useful.
I could almost sense her frustration over the phone.
Keep checking, I typed back.
Will do. Let me know if you need me. My car can be used as a getaway vehicle and to run any would-be hunters down. It’s a twofer special, she typed back.
I huffed out a laugh before sliding my phone back into my pocket. I looked over the crowd, surprised to see most of them had thrown off their glamour.
I’d never seen so many Fae in one place. All types, some I recognized, many I did not.
The definition of what was Fae fascinated me. It didn’t seem to matter what species or type of Fae they were as long as a spook fit into their pantheon somewhere. The characteristics of what made someone Fae seemed to be loosely defined.
I spotted harpies in the trees, not a creature I’d ever associated with the Fae, but who knows, maybe they were just here to play. It was the sort of out of control party that seemed to attract them.
Dryads frolicked through the clearing, their leafy hair and bark-like skin distinctive.
“Someone should have told me Wild Hunt was code for a rager,” I muttered, following slowly after Liam.
I’d dropped back a few paces which was why I was in a better position to notice the gnome, Tom, a man who had proven himself an enemy, as he ran through the crowd, deftly avoiding the High Fae present.
I don’t know what made me follow, but I turned on my heel and chased after him. I waited until we’d neared the edge of the crowd, grabbing the back of his jacket and using it to propel him into the trees.
“Hey Tom, fancy meeting you here,” I said.
He tried to jerk out of my hold. He almost succeeded, too. Gnomes were known for their strength, and Tom had the additional benefit of being wily as hell.
I managed to retain my grip, my newfound strength making it possible, where the old me would have failed.
“Let me go, you worthless fanger,” he snapped.
I did just that by shoving him forward. He crashed into a tree and bounced off it before aiming a baleful glare my way.
“Now is that any way to treat the woman who holds your fate in her hands?” I asked, crossing my arms over my chest. “The vampires are still pretty pissed about your interference in their selection. Just imagine what they’d do if I called one of them over here.”
Tom jerked his shirt into place, straightening it before aiming a fierce frown my way.
“Go on, do it. I know you’re just dying to see me torn apart,” he snarled.
“Don’t tempt me.”
The little bastard would deserve it if I did. He’d nearly gotten me killed the last time I saw him, not to mention his actions had resulted in Caroline being turned into a wolf.
It would be so satisfying to turn him over to Thomas. Unfortunately, there were several things preventing me from doing just that.
The first, was that I knew Tom wouldn’t be here unless he had a very good reason. He had several things in common with a cockroach. He liked to scurry around the edges and he had the enviable ability to survive pretty much anything.
The second was that despite what he thought of me, I was not a stone-cold killer. I had no wish to see the vampires exact their revenge on him for something that had turned out in their favor.
Tom’s grumpy face got even grumpier as I made a gesture for him to hurry it up.
A thought occurred to me and I cocked my head. “Is this about Jerry?”
His expression turned defensive. “What if it is?”
“I just didn’t think you had any loyalty in you, is all.”
The gnome had made a habit of being as snappish and difficult as possible the few times I’d seen him. He’d also made no secret how much he disliked vampires in general, and me in particular. Evidently, he blamed me for getting the courier job he felt should have gone to his nephew.
“You don’t know anything about me,” he snapped.
“I could claim the same about me.”
His frown was grudging, as if he might concede that point if he’d been a different, less difficult man. “I don’t have to justify myself to you, but if you had even a little bit of loyalty to Jerry or any of Hermes, you’d let me go.”
I cocked my head. “Is this about the fact that Niamh has enslaved him to her will?”
Shock crossed his face. “How do you know about that?”
I gave a small snort.
He turned suspicious. “She’s got her hooks in you too.”
I couldn’t help the guffaw that escaped.
He didn’t look appeased, his eyes narrowed as he tensed as if in preparation for flight.
My laughter wound down. “No more games. Tell me why you’re here.”
“I’m interested to hear that myself,” Liam said in a silky voice full of threat as he stepped out of the trees.
Tom blanched, the presence of the other vampire doing what all my threats could not. His bravado drained away, leaving behind exhaustion and defeat.
“I was just trying to help Jerry,” he whined.
“How?” I asked.
His shoulders slumped. “It’s the hunt. Who do you think she’s going to use as prey?”
I considered. Maybe I wasn’t the only one who’d received the half mark. That didn’t make me much happier than the thought of me being prey.
“I know you don’t like me much,” he said, misreading my silence. “But Jerry gave you a home. He and the others don’t deserve to be hunted down like animals for their amusement.”
There was a world of loathing when he referred to the High Fae. Hate showed on his face, the type that went right into the very heart of a person. It was the sort of emotion that could rot you from the inside out if you let it, festering and growing until it consumed you and led you down some very dark paths.
“How were you going to do that?” I asked.
He shrugged. “I thought if I knocked him unconscious and carried him away it would remove him from the hunt.”
I stared at the being who stood no higher than my hips. Jerry was even taller than I was. How exactly had Tom planned to knock out a man when he could barely reach above the man’s knee?
My skepticism must have shown on my face because he bristled. “I could do it.”
“Uh huh.” My voice didn’t sound very certain.
“It wouldn’t work,” Liam said crisply. “The hunt would have just eliminated him first before going after the rest of the marked prey.”
“How do you know that?” Tom asked, giving Liam a sideways look.
Liam arched an eyebrow and gave him an unamused smile. “Because I used to run with the hunt.”
Both of us jerked toward Liam, surprise on my face, a sick horror on Tom’s.
He scrambled away from us. I lunged after him and grabbed his pants.
“I’ve heard of him. He’s her vampire lover! The master of the hunt. Everyone knows it.” I dodged a kick he aimed at me as I dragged him back. He snarled at me. “I knew I couldn’t trust you, you damn fanger.”
“Settle down, Tom,” I said through gritted teeth.
He fought harder, thrashing in my grip. His pants came loose and he wriggled out of them, darting away, only a small pair of boxers and his shirt preserving any modesty he might have.
“He sure is fast for such a little guy,” Liam remarked, watching as Tom moved through the trees.
He moved faster than I’d ever seen him, disappearing before either of us could stop him.
“Great, I had more questions for him,” I said, standing.
Liam’s shrug was unconcerned. He didn’t seem to care that the gnome had escaped.
He held a hand out to me. “Come, let’s go.”
“What did he mean when he said you were the lord of the hunt?” I asked.
Liam sighed. “It’s been a long time since I was called that.”
I waited as he stared into the darkened forest, a pensive look on his face.
It was hard enough dating a human man with a mortal lifespan, given all the baggage people tended to accumulate over a few decades. I couldn’t imagine how much more baggage someone with centuries behind them might have.
It made me wonder if I knew Liam at all.
“It’s not a time in my history that I’m proud of,” he said, his words surprising me. Liam had always been reserved, keeping a large part of him a mystery. “For a time in my youth I was known as the lord of the Wild Hunt. One of them anyways.”
“I thought only the Fae could participate in the hunt. How could a vampire become its lord?” I said, watching him.
He shook his head. “Anybody can be called to the hunt, whether it be hunter or prey. It helps to have Fae blood in you, but it isn’t necessary. Fairy magic is strange. It doesn’t always obey rules. It deemed me powerful enough and so I became the hunt’s lord.”
“Why did you leave it?” I asked.
He looked away. “In the hunt, little else matters except the kill. It was a different age and I was a different person. I’m not that person anymore.”
There was a hint of vulnerability in his expression, as if he expected me to reject him because of this. I couldn’t exactly blame him. Until now, our entire relationship had been a matter of him pushing and me running away.
We moved through the trees together, heading back to the clearing and the revelry that was waiting there.
As we prepared to step out into the clearing, I noticed a slight glimmer on the bark of several trees. I looked further, noting that all the trees rimming the clearing had something similar.
I grabbed Liam’s arm. “Wait. I see something.”
He went still, his head lifted as his eyes turned alert. “What is it?”
“There’s something on the trees. Some kind of symbol.”
His arm relaxed. “We warded the clearing to prevent Niamh pulling any of her little tricks again.”
I frowned at him, looking past him to where the Fae gyrated to the music. Pockets of the clearing had descended into an orgy, the occupants coupling with mad abandon.
I blinked as a satyr mounted a dryad. They certainly weren’t shy.
Niamh’s laugh rang out, the sound of tinkling bells lifting above the music. She hung onto Arlan’s arm, her face turned toward his.
This was the woman who had once held a large piece of Liam’s heart. He’d given up his humanity, embraced his baser nature for her. What did it say about me that jealousy still managed to bite at me? A simple thing like her laugh made me want cringe. I doubted I’d ever be able to listen to bells without flinching again.
Her gaze slid our way, turning vindictive and cruel for a split second before smoothing into the same too-beautiful lines.
Oh yes, that she-demon definitely had something planned for the evening.
I glanced around. Thomas had Eric and Makoto with him as he stood in the middle of the clearing, watching Sarah and her witches as they cavorted with the rest of the Fae, some of the women already half-naked as they danced.
I couldn’t read the look on his face. It could have been desire or hatred as he watched his former lover.
Movement in the crowd drew my attention. Nathan headed toward us, cutting through the party goers as if they weren’t even there, stepping over bodies writhing on the ground or knocking people out of his way.
I started to raise my hand to wave, a smile already on my face.
My hand paused midway and the smile fell away.
There was a small shimmer to the air around him, just barely there. It was kind of like staring at asphalt on a hot summer day. A small mirage, barely noticeable or distinguishable from the rest of the party goers.
“Liam, I think we have a problem,” I said as calmly as I could.
He glanced in the direction I was looking, reading the look on my face correctly. “Impossible. He was there when you checked the rest of us for any sign of compulsion. You would have seen then.”
I shook my head, trying to think as I ran through the sequence of events. Nathan had ducked out moments before I examined the rest. I never checked him.
“He wasn’t there.” I said with dawning horror. “He wasn’t in the room when I looked over the enforcers. You’d already sent him ahead to look over the clearing, remember? He wasn’t in the room with you and Eric that first night either.”
Liam cursed and started to intercept Nathan.
I grabbed his arm and dragged him back. “You can’t. If he causes a scene here and Thomas finds out, he might kill him.”
I stood glued in place, not knowing what to do. This was different than last night. Those had been strangers. This was my friend. The person who had helped train me while Liam had been away, someone who made kickass shakes in an effort to help me drink blood.
And he was a ticking time bomb that our enemy planned to use against us.
“We need to get him away from the rest,” I said softly.
Somewhere we could contain him. If we kept him clear of Thomas and any possible triggers, maybe we could keep the compulsion from completing itself.
If we didn’t, he was as good as dead. Thomas had been very clear on the measures he’d take to preserve his position and reputation. Given enough time, we could figure out a way to lift the geas from Nathan and figure out a way to keep him alive, but not if he attacked the master of this territory.
“Wait, Aileen,” Liam said, grabbing my arm and pulling me to a stop.
Nathan’s smile waned as he looked between the two of us, confusion on his face. He knew there was something going on, but not what. Not yet.
I gave him a wooden smile. Nothing wrong here. Just a lover’s tiff. No reason to be alarmed.
He didn’t look any more reassured.
“Take him away from the clearing but be careful,” Liam said. “I’ll find the other enforcers and meet you.”
I nodded and stepped away as Liam walked past me, speaking into the mic attached to his collar.
Nathan glanced between the two of us as I gave him a radiant smile. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing,” I lied.
Nathan’s frown deepened as his eyes narrowed. “You know I can sense lies, right?”
I blinked. I did know that.
I came unstuck and gestured for him to follow me. “Yup, my bad. Habit and all that.”
Nathan didn’t follow me as I’d expected, turning in the direction where Liam had headed.
I darted in front of him. “What are you doing?”
He stepped around me, impatience stamped on his features. “I don’t have time for your neurosis. I need to speak with Liam.”
I stepped in front of him, my eyes wide and my smile as bright as I could muster. “He said he had to speak with one of the enforcers. How about you talk to me for a second? I haven’t seen you in the past few days.”
Nathan gave me a look like he thought I was acting like a crazy person. That was okay. I kind of was.
“I’ve been busy,” he said. He tried to move past me again. We did an awkward two step as I fought to stay in front of him.
“Really? With what?”
There was none of the usual sly humor in his eyes. Now that I got a good look at him, he looked tired and wane.
Impatience crossed his face. “Aileen, I don’t have time for these games. I need to find Liam. If you’re bored, why don’t you run along and pick another fight with Thomas so you can remind yourself of all the reasons you hate vampires?”
I didn’t let myself react to his words, hurtful though they were intended to be. It was just more evidence that Nathan wasn’t quite feeling himself.
I needed to figure out a way to get him out of here without anybody getting hurt. The way he was staring at me, like a man willing to bulldoze any obstacle in his way, made it clear getting him away from the gathering wasn’t going to be as easy as saying ‘follow me.’
“I think I may know where he’s going,” I said, making shit up as I went along.
Nathan scrubbed tiredly at his face, biting out irritably, “Don’t keep me in suspense.”
“If you’ll follow me,” I said turning.
“No, tell me where he’s going and I’ll find him myself,” Nathan snapped.
I blinked at him. I could do that, but then I’d lose control of the situation.
“Don’t be an ass, Nathan. I need to talk to him too,” I said, trying to keep from tipping my hand.
He made an angry sound but followed after me. My shoulders relaxed. That was one problem down, at least.
Niall and Cadell caught my eye as we walked away from the party. They looked questioning. I shook my head at both of them. The last thing I wanted was their interference. Despite the heart to heart last night, I didn’t trust either of them.
They remained in place as I stepped into the trees, breathing a sigh of relief. Nathan’s expression was still irritated, but at least he was listening. That was something at least.
His eyes were bloodshot, his skin the palest I’d ever seen it. For a moment I wondered when the last time he ate was.
He reached up and rubbed his head, not quite hiding a wince.
“Headache?” I asked.
“Vampires don’t get headaches,” he snapped.
Not true. We just usually had a very good reason for getting them, like maybe a compulsion we were fighting against and losing.
I studied him, doubt wiggling its way in. Maybe I was wrong in my assumption that he was under a compulsion. It wasn’t like I’d had a lot of practice with this. I was feeling my way through blind, hoping and praying I got things right.
Part of me hoped I was wrong. I would be so happy if it turned out I’d misinterpreted that small shimmer.
I checked again. It was barely visible now.
I didn’t know what that meant or if it was even important. Once again, I cursed the limited knowledge at my fingertips.
We were far enough from the clearing now, the music from the band faint, a light background buzz. The Fae lights merely a distant memory as the dark pressed in all around us.
“I don’t see Liam,” Nathan complained.
“I’m sure he’s here,” I said over my shoulder. “Somewhere.”
He’d better be, and he’d better have brought back-up. I did not want to take on a pissed-off Nathan by myself. I’d trained with the man; I was intimately acquainted with how good a fighter he was. He’d kicked my ass on a regular basis. Sometimes with one hand literally behind his back. Nothing made you realize how weak you actually were than a grinning vampire who ties his own hand behind his back and then kicks your ass anyway.
I glanced around, searching the shadows. No evidence that anyone but Nathan and I were out here.
“Enough,” Nathan barked, coming to a stop.
I glanced back, my eyes wide, fear jumping into my throat.
He didn’t move toward me, just glanced at the looming trees around us with a deep suspicion in his face. “What is this, Aileen?”
“What do you mean?” I made myself ask, even as I fought the urge to back away. Running would be useless and an admission of guilt. Nathan could outpace me in moments, anyway.
“You’re stalling.” His posture became threatening and he advanced on me, his expression tight. “Why have you lured me here?”
I backed away, the danger I was in suddenly very real. I resisted the impulse to go for one of the blades on me, silver all of them. The Fae had insisted no iron be brought to the celebration, and like the good little hosts we were we’d listened.
“Nathan, I need you to stay calm,” I said, reaching for that calmness myself.
He cocked his head, breathing hard through his nose. “You know, I’m beginning to think that some of the enforcers might be compromised. I didn’t think you’d be the same.”
I went still. “It’s not me that I’m worried about.”
He jerked, his forehead wrinkling, the thought that he might be under a compulsion never having occurred to him. “You’re spouting nonsense.”
I stepped to the side, away from the tree at my back, giving myself room to run if I needed to.
“Am I? Think. Why did you want to see Liam?” I asked, putting a little more distance between us.
Thought flew behind his eyes. “I need to talk to him.”
“About what? Do you even know?” My voice was soft.
He stared into the distance, his expression haunted.
“Nathan, were you ever alone with Niamh?”
He rubbed his forehead again, shaking his head back and forth. “I’m an enforcer. It’s not strange to want to speak to my commander.”
I nodded. He was right. It wasn’t, but the severity of the need, the shaking in his hands when he was denied that opportunity, was.
For a split second, it looked like I’d gotten through to him, that I might have broken through the bonds the compulsion laid on him. He lifted his head, a monster looking out of his eyes—the element that made him Nathan, absent.
His expression turned feral. “He’s not coming, is he?”
He didn’t wait for an answer, his lips drawing back as his fangs dropped down.
I palmed a silver blade, holding it in front of me. “Don’t make me use this.”
“I’m right here, Nathan,” Liam said, stepping out of the trees.
Nathan’s advance halted, his head swinging toward Liam.
The thought that had been niggling at the back of my mind since I first intercepted Nathan crystalized. All this time Nathan had been focused on Liam. Not Thomas. If the geas was driving him to kill Thomas or even Niall, then why was he so focused on finding Liam.
Unless the other two weren’t the targets.
“Liam, wait,” I shouted.
I was too late.
Nathan charged, a roar filling the air as he flew at the other man. I raced after him, my speed no match for his.
Liam looked startled for a brief moment, before he crouched to meet him. The two men clashed, the sound of battle ferocious and violent as they moved almost too fast to see.
Thomas arrived in the next second, Anton and Daniel behind him.
“Sweet Jesu. I didn’t believe it,” Anton said, his voice hushed as he watched the two fight.
All three men were grim-faced and disbelieving as they watched Liam and Nathan tear into each other.
“Help him,” I said.
Daniel waded into the fight, grabbing Nathan from behind and throwing him to the ground. Anton was there in the next second, helping hold Nathan down as Daniel fished out a pair of silver handcuffs from his pocket.
Together, the two of them subdued Nathan, forcing him on his knees, his hands bound behind him.
Nathan looked around, betrayal written on his face as Liam walked over to where Thomas and I stood.
There was blood on his shirt from a bite and several bruises on his face that were already healing. Nathan had a swollen eye and several cuts and bruises in a similar state of healing.
“What are you doing?” Nathan asked.
“Settle down, brother,” Daniel said. “This is for your own good.”
Both Anton and Daniel looked sickened by the whole matter.
Liam touched my hand when he reached me, a silent acknowledgment he was fine.
“Explain this,” Thomas said, his voice quiet.
“Nathan is under a compulsion,” Liam turned and looked at the man who was considered his second. “His actions are not his own.”
“Bullshit,” Nathan said. “I’m fine.”
“Then you just felt the sudden need to rip Liam’s head from his body?” I asked, a bite in my voice.
Nathan looked away, his expression slightly lost. He didn’t try to explain it. He couldn’t, and we all knew it.
Defeat shone in his gaze as he stared down at the ground.
My heart tightened, seeing the dejection in the slump of his shoulders. I couldn’t imagine what he must be going through at the moment, to know that he wasn’t quite in control of his actions, that he might betray his friends for reasons he didn’t know or understand.
“Why go after you?” Thomas asked Liam.
I looked up to find a considering look on Liam’s face. He crossed his arms and looked contemplative.
“None of this makes sense,” I said. “First the attack by the bridge, then the attacks last night. Now this. It doesn’t fit.”
It was like our enemy had split personalities and couldn’t decide on what objective they wanted. It made it difficult to see the big picture, let alone stop it.
“Perhaps that’s the point,” Liam said. “Fae plots tend to be convoluted, at best.”
Thomas shook his head and speared Liam with a look. “It doesn’t matter. You know what you need to do.”
Liam’s nod was slow, grief on his face. He stepped forward, going to a knee in front of Nathan.
For a moment I didn’t understand. Not until I saw an answering pain in both Anton and Daniel’s expression, the resignation on Nathan’s.
“Wait. You can’t,” I asked.
“Aileen, go back to the clearing,” Liam ordered. He’d taken a knee in front of Nathan, placing one hand on the back of the other’s man’s neck.
I stepped toward him. “He’s your friend.”
“That’s why I have to do this.” His voice was a quiet hum. He’d already accepted this as his only course.
“It’s okay, A. It’s for the best this way,” Nathan said, trying to comfort me.
Bullshit. This was not happening. I wasn’t letting it.
“We stopped it in time. There’s no reason to kill him,” I said, looking around at the others.
Thomas was unmoved. He’d retreated behind a mask, watching the events unfold with a closed expression, his bearing as unruffled as ever.
“This is a mercy,” Liam said, his voice raw. “Now leave.”
I refused. There was another way. I just needed to find it.
“Thomas,” Liam said.
Thomas sighed, turning toward me. I dropped my gaze, knowing he’d try to compel me to go back to the clearing. Not this time. Not with Nathan’s life hanging in the balance.
“Don’t do this. We can find another way,” I said, desperate.
I didn’t want to stand over another grave. I didn’t want to have questions about whether I could have made a difference if I’d just been a little faster, a little smarter.
Thomas grabbed my chin, exerting pressure on it as he slowly forced me to face him.
“Liam, I can break it,” I said, resisting. It was like trying to resist gravity—impossible.
My chin lifted and I slammed my eyes closed.
“Wait,” Liam said.
To my surprise, Thomas did. I opened my eyes, slowly, tentatively, not trusting the easy capitulation.
“Let her go,” Liam said.
Thomas and he locked gazes, a wealth of unspoken words exchanged between the two. Thomas turned back to me, studying me as if I was some rare creature.
He released me and stepped away.
I turned to Liam, taking in the other enforcers at a glance. There was hope on Anton’s face, while Daniel looked guarded, not quite trusting. Nathan’s expression was resigned. He’d already given up hope.
“Can you really break the compulsion?” Liam asked.
I jerked my shoulders. “I don’t know, but that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t try.”
The woods were quiet as Liam stared at me. I waited, anticipation drawing my nerves tight as I tried to will him to have faith in me, to take a chance even though every instinct he had told him it was pointless.
“Okay,” he said. “We’ll try.”
Relief made my knees weak. I didn’t think he’d change his mind.
I stepped toward Nathan. Liam stopped me.
“Not here. The magic is rising. The hunt will begin soon,” he said.
“I thought the hunt wasn’t supposed to start until tomorrow,” I said.
Liam’s face turned grim. “It seems we were misled. This area won’t be safe once it starts. We’ll break the compulsion back at the mansion.” To the other two, he said, “Get him up. We’re going back to the car.”
Anton and Daniel lifted Nathan to his feet. He didn’t resist, going with them easily.
Liam, Thomas and I waited until they passed.
“Are you sure about this?” Thomas asked.
Liam looked infinitely weary in that moment. “No, but I don’t have it in me to not let Aileen try.”
Thomas nodded, his face grave.
I couldn’t help but be surprised when he didn’t argue with Liam. I thought he’d insist on Nathan’s death. I’d been prepared for a fight.
“This will leave you with only Makoto and Eric,” Liam warned.
Thomas flapped his hand. “You forget who I am. I’m perfectly capable of protecting myself.”
His gaze caught on me and he studied me with a slight smile. “Besides, if she’s successful, it’ll make for a powerful weapon in my arsenal.”
I glared at him. That wasn’t the point and he knew it.
Thomas chuckled as he followed after the others.