Beyond the Darkness (Dark Court 1) (11 page)

As he made his way to the balcony where the guards said his brother was, it seemed like Eljin was walking to his execution. He knew he’d lost his temper with Conall but he couldn’t help it. He hated everyone treating him like a child. It had been going on his entire life. When he was five, it had been great. Now, not so much.

The large double doors to the balcony were open, sunlight and fresh air filling the hallway. Eljin loved that about the Seelie Court—everything was always so bright and colorful, the beautiful scents of the outside filling the air inside and out.

Seelie Court was a wonderful place to live—happy people, beautiful countryside, plenty of food and goods for all to have. As much as he needed to stay with Zack, he couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. He just had to hope Zack chose to stay because being separated from Zack would be worse than leaving his homeland.

Eljin turned the corner out the double doors, instantly spotting his brother standing by the railing. His shoulders slumped as he rested his hands on the stone railing, a small frown marred his lips. Eljin knew their argument weighed heavily on him.

“Eljin.” Conall spun around, his mouth dropping open for just a moment before he snapped it closed. “I thought you didn’t want to talk to me.”
Eljin shrugged. “Zack grew up in an orphanage with no brothers or sisters, no parents. He told me that what we have is too precious to give up over a simple argument. He sent me out here to talk to you.”
“Your
leannan
sounds like an intelligent man.”
“He is.” An easy smile played at the corners of Eljin’s mouth. “And as you have discovered, he is also very protective of me.”
Conall’s face flushed and he glanced away. “That’s all I wanted for you, Eljin.”
Eljin laughed lightly. “Protective is nice but I was hoping for a little more. Luckily, Zack gives me all that I need.”
Conall turned toward Eljin. His face looked anguished, his eyes clouded and his eyebrows drawn together. “Eljin, I hope you know that I was just trying to look out for you. I know you’re an adult, I swear. It’s just… well, I’m the oldest. I’m supposed to look out for you and the others.”
Eljin quickly stepped forward and gripped Conall’s hand in his. “I understand that, Conall, really I do. And I appreciate it. You’ve always been the best of brothers. But you need to understand that I can make my own decisions. Even if you hadn’t liked Zack, I still would choose to be with him. He’s everything I’ve ever wanted.”
Conall’s stare was weighted as the man looked down at Eljin.
Finally, Conall smiled and patted his arm. “Okay, I’ll defer to your decision.”
“And admit that I’m adult, old enough to make my own choices concerning my life?”
He could hope.
Conall chuckled. “With protest,” he said. “I can’t promise I won’t try to look out for you. You are still my baby brother.”
“I’m also bonded to Zack now. It’s his responsibility to look out for me.” Eljin looped his arm through his brother’s and turned them to look out over the plush green landscape below. “Besides, once you find your
leannan
you’ll be too busy to concern yourself with me and my life.”
“Eljin, do you think my
leannan
could be human?” Conall asked after a moment. His voice sounded low and filled with tension.
“It’s certainly possible, Conall. Mine was.”
“But I never leave the Seelie Court,” Conall protested. “If my
leannan
is human, how will I ever meet him?”
“We could sign you up for one of those human dating services.”
Conall frowned down at him. “Not funny, Eljin.”
“I’m sorry.” Actually, Eljin thought it was rather funny. The thought of his oldest brother signing up for a dating service tickled him. “I’ve asked Zack to stay here in Seelie Court. With his military training and his knowledge of the human world I think he’d be a benefit to us.”
“Will he stay?”
Eljin shrugged. “I don’t know. But if he chooses to leave, I’ll be going with him.”
“Even if it means returning to the human world?”
“Yes. I’m not happy about the prospect but I can’t be separated from him.”
“And you shouldn’t have to be.” Conall patted Eljin’s hand again, then leaned over and planted a small kiss on his forehead. “If he decides to stay he’ll be welcomed with open arms, I promise you. If he decides to go, then we’ll deal with it, okay?”
“Thank you, Conall.”
“No, thank you, Eljin. I was an ass and you had every right to be angry with me. If one of our brothers had pushed my pregnant
leannan
I think I would have killed them. Zack has been very understanding.”
“You didn’t know.”
“I don’t think it would have mattered.” Conall chuckled. “I’m just glad you weren’t hurt. I never would have forgiven myself.”
“We’re fine. I keep trying to tell Zack that I’m not made of spun glass.” Eljin wagged his finger at Conall. “I won’t take it from you too.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And don’t you forget it.”
“I think pregnancy has helped you grow a temper, baby brother. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so fierce.”
Eljin snorted. “Mood swings are a bitch!”

Zack liked the silky pants and knee-length tunic that Eljin had given him. It was like wearing pajamas in the daytime but they were so comfortable, so silky soft against his skin, he couldn’t bring himself to complain.

The tunic had slits on each side up to the hip and the sleeves were wide and came down just past Zack’s elbow. The pants were drawstring and bellowed out at the bottom. Zack really enjoyed the collar, which was v-necked and gave him lots of room to breathe. Add the small brown slip-on sandals and it made it appear as if he was at a summer resort.

Zack knocked softly on the door across from the quarters he shared with Eljin. He hadn’t seen Rocky and Doc since the night before and was concerned about their welfare. He’d been assured they were fine but he needed to see his friends with his own eyes.

He heard a soft reply and opened the door. A look around the room told Zack that it was much like Eljin’s room, sparsely decorated and spacious. He immediately spotted Rocky and Doc on the low mattress sitting on a platform across the room.

A shock of surprise rocked through Zack when he saw Doc wrapped in Rocky’s arms, Doc’s head on Rocky’s chest as he slept. Rocky seemed to be awake but mesmerized by the man in his arms.

Zack chuckled. “Well, I see he’s finally given into his feelings for you.” “What are you talking about?” Rocky asked as he looked over his shoulder at Zack. “Oh, please, like you don’t know. Doc’s been in love with you for years.” “I thought you didn’t know he was gay.”
“I’m talking from experience when I tell you that being gay has absolutely nothing

Rocky looked shocked, his eyebrows shooting up nearly to his hairline. “You let Eljin fuck you.”
Zack grinned even though his face was aflame. “Yeah.”
“How was it?” Rocky looked intrigued, more so than Zack thought a man that professed to be straight would have been.
“Well, just to give you an idea, I passed out from the intensity.”
“No shit?” Rocky laughed.
“No shit.” Zack grinned, not all turned off by the shock in Rocky’s face. He was man enough to admit he liked dick. “You might want to try it one of these days. I can promise you it’s nothing like fucking a woman.”
Zack chuckled to himself a few minutes later when he left Doc sleeping in Rocky’s arms and walked down the hall. Rocky looked at Doc with such curiosity when he left the room that Zack wondered if the two might finally hook up. It would be nice to have more members of his makeshift family find happiness.
“Zack!”
Zack turned to see Gunny hurrying down the hallway toward him holding the hand of a tall, blond Aes Sídhe. Zack stopped walking and waited until he caught up, curious as to the identity of Gunny’s companion. The way Gunny held the man’s hand, Zack figured the blond had to be Roland.
“Gunny,” Zack said as he took in the happy glow on Gunny’s face, “you seem to be doing okay. No worse for wear.”
Gunny’s smile would have lit up the hallway if the sunlight shining through the floor-to-ceiling windows hadn’t already done so.
“This is Roland, my Roland,” Gunny said as he pulled the tall slim man forward.
“Hello, Roland, I’ve heard a lot about you,” Zack said. “I’m glad you and Gunny finally found each other again. I’m just sorry it took so long.”
Roland’s pale face flushed with color as he gazed over at Gunny. “I would have waited forever.”
“I have a son, Zack,” Gunny said quickly. “His name is Monte. Roland named him after me. He says Monte looks just like me except for the blue eyes, which are Roland’s. And he says that—”
“Whoa.” Zack laughed as he held up his hands. “Slow down, Gunny, and take a breath. You’re talking so fast I can barely keep up with you.”
“Sorry, I’m just so excited.” Gunny patted the hand he held in his, his eyes drinking Roland in as if he couldn’t bear to look anywhere else. “So much of my life has changed in the last two days.”
“Believe me, I can understand. Less than a week ago, my life was so boring it was all I could do to get out of bed in the morning. Now, I have Eljin, a child on the way, and possibly a new job. Things just keep getting better.”
“A new job?” Gunny asked.
Zack chuckled. “Yeah, Eljin seems to think I could put my experience in the Marines to good use training the Seelie soldiers. The men who took Eljin were human, which means humans can somehow breach the veil between our worlds. The Seelie soldiers have no experience fighting humans.”
“Actually,” Roland said, speaking for the very first time, “that’s not a half bad idea. I’ve spent enough time between worlds to know that our soldiers do not fight like your soldiers. We’d be at a distinct disadvantage if caught in a battle with the humans.”
“Honey, if Zack and I are going to live here and teach the Seelie soldiers how to fight then you have to stop referring to them as our soldiers and your soldiers. We may be human but your family is our family now.”
Zack reeled as Gunny’s words slammed into him. The breath in his lungs moved up and got caught in his throat. Gunny was right. Zack was confused about what his place in both the human world and the Seelie world would be.
He realized it didn’t matter as long as he had Eljin and their child. They were his family and by extension, the rest of Eljin’s people had become his family too. It was his duty to protect them just as he would Eljin, which meant he’d be staying in the Seelie Court.
“Gunny’s right, Roland, our bonds with you and Eljin mean that your family is our family. We need to stay and help protect your people, our people. There are things Gunny and I know about the human world that you do not, things we can teach you. We’re staying.”
Just saying the words made Zack excited about the future. He needed to find Eljin and tell the man of the decision he’d just made. He was sure it would make Eljin happy knowing he wouldn’t have to leave his family or the only home he’d known.
“I need to go find Eljin. He’s supposed to be out making up with his brother, Conall.”
Roland’s forehead wrinkled. “Conall?”
Zack chuckled. “Yeah, Conall came into our room and started spouting off at the mouth.” Zack waved a hand at the concerned look on Roland’s face. “Oh, he was just trying to get me riled, find out what type of man I was. He wanted to make sure that I could protect Eljin.”
Gunny frowned. “Let me guess, you bought it hook, line and sinker and punched the guy?”
“Yeah, well, I was doing fine until he pushed Eljin and then all bets were off. I wanted to pound him into the ground.”
“Did you?”
“Neither of us came away without a few bruises but it wasn’t long until I figured out Conall’s game. Eljin, on the other hand, was pissed. He ordered Conall out of his room and refused to speak to him. I told Eljin he needed to make up, that family was too precious to give up over something so trivial.”
“Very true, Zack,” Roland said. “I hope Eljin is able to see it as well.”
“He did, even before he went to talk to Conall. He’s just tired of everyone treating him like a child.”
“He is the youngest,” Roland insisted.
“He’s also bonded and carrying a child. I think that makes him an adult.”
“There is more to being an adult than the ability to breed,” Roland said. “He needs to behave as an adult as well.”
Zack nodded. “I understand that but he also needs everyone to give him a chance to prove he’s an adult. I imagine it’s not easy to be the baby of the family but it’s hard to prove he’s an adult if no one gives him the chance.”
“Probably not,” Roland agreed.
“Believe me,” Zack said, his face flushing a little as he remembered the intimate contact he’d had with Eljin earlier, “he’s not a child.”

“Hello,
leannan
, did you check on Doc and Rocky? Are they doing okay?” “That depends on your definition of okay,” Zack said as he walked over to stand
next to Eljin. He wrapped an arm around his waist, leaned down and kissed Eljin’s
forehead. “When I left them, Doc was asleep in Rocky’s arms and Rocky was giving Doc
the eye.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah, Doc’s had a thing for Rocky for years but he never did anything about it
because Rocky is straight, or at least he used to be straight. He might be coming over to
the dark side, as Doc puts it.”
Eljin bumped his hip against Zack’s. “I happen to know from personal experience
that the darker side is a blast. It has to be better than the lighter side.”
“You think so, do you?” Zack asked, nuzzling the side of Eljin’s neck. “You do too.” Eljin giggled and leaned into Zack.
“I might,” Zack replied. “Maybe you should show me again in case I didn’t get it
the first time.”
Eljin’s mouth dropped open at the same moment his body heated up. He
swallowed hard, the hungry look in Zack’s eyes turning him to lust-filled mush in a
matter of seconds. “Okay,” he whispered huskily. He was ready for whatever Zack
wanted.
“Holy shit!” Zack exclaimed. “Would you look at that view?”
Eljin smirked at the astonishment in Zack’s voice, even if disappointed filled him
because Zack’s attention was on something other than him. He knew the view was
fabulous. He’d been looking at it most of his life.
From where they stood they looked out over the city of Falias, the home of the
ruling family. White-stone buildings sat between gardens of every color under the
rainbow. Cobblestoned walkways, statues of marble and fountains with crystal blue
water littered the landscape.
“I told you this was a great place to live.”
“And you’re correct, which is why I think we should stay here.”
Eljin’s heart pounded. He turned in Zack’s arms to look up at him. “Really? We’re
going to stay here at Seelie Court?”
“Well, your family is here and that means my family is here. As you said, your
soldiers need to be trained to fight this new threat from the human world and I have no
strong ties there. It just makes sense for us to stay here.”
“I believe we would only benefit from your experience in the human world, Zack,”
Conall said, reminding Eljin that he still stood there. “We’ve never had a lot of contact
with your world but I fear that is about to end.”
Zack nodded. “From what I understand from Eljin, humans took him from this
world into theirs. I also know that only
Aes Sídhe
can pass through the veil. Either
someone of the
Aes Sídhe
is assisting the humans or they’ve discovered a way to pass
through the veil without one of you. Either way, we have a problem.”
“I agree and I believe we should talk to my fathers about that,” Conall said. He
looked grim, his lips thinned, his eyebrows furrowed. “Something needs to be done. If
we’re no longer safe in our homes we need to know.”
“We also need to find Monte,” Eljin added. “If the same people that had me have
him then he’s in a lot of danger. They want a child of the
Aes Sídhe
. If they get one… ”
Eljin’s voice trailed off. He couldn’t put his worst nightmare into words. The thought of
those horrid scientists turning an innocent child into a mindless killing machine was
more than Eljin wanted to contemplate.
His mood lightened when Zack’s hands cover the mound of his stomach. “I won’t
let them get to our child, Eljin. That’s another reason we will be staying here. You have
a lot of people here to help me keep you safe. I won’t put your life in danger.” “But, Monte—”
“I have to talk with Conall and your fathers, but I think sending Rocky and Doc
back to the human world to find Monte is our best bet. They’re military, they know how
the government thinks and they have a lot of contacts in the human world. If anyone can
find them, they can.” Zack brushed the hair back from Eljin’s face. “Besides, I’m needed
here. I would never consider leaving you at a time like this. My sympathy goes out for
your cousin but you’re more important to me.”
“What about Gunny then?” Eljin asked. “Monte is his son. Shouldn’t he go?” “No, he needs to stay here with Roland and help me prepare your world for the
humans. We all know they’re coming. Besides, whoever is after us knows that we went
to Gunny for help.” Zack snorted. “Hell, they burned his damn house down. But they
don’t know about Doc and Rocky, at least, we can hope they don’t.”
“I agree, Eljin,” Conall said. “The best men for the mission are your two friends.
They know the human world much better than we do. They will have a better chance of
finding Monte than we would.”
“I guess,” Eljin replied. “I just hate to see Doc and Rocky go so soon. I think they
like it here.”
“They’ll be back, hummingbird, and I think they like it here too.”
“There is also the little issue with the Unseelie Court to deal with,” Conall said.
“We’ve been negotiating with them for months for your release, Eljin. They knew they
didn’t have you and they negotiated with us anyway. They have a lot to answer for.” “Personally,” Zack said, “I think the Unseelie Court is up to their eyeballs in Eljin and Monte’s kidnapping. How else could these humans get through the gate but with
someone’s help?”
“That is a possibility and most likely the truth but we can’t accuse the Unseelie
Court of anything until we have concrete proof. As you are a military man yourself, you
must be aware that wars have been started for less.”
Zack’s nod sent a chill down Eljin’s back. He moved closer to him, needing the
man’s reassuring warmth. Zack seemed to read his mind. He wrapped his big, strong
arms around Eljin and pulled him as close to his body as possible.
Eljin immediately relaxed.
“So what are we waiting for then?” Eljin asked as he grabbed Zack’s hand and
started pulling him through the door. “Let’s go talk to our fathers and the security
council. We need to arrange for Doc and Rocky to go back to the human world and then
I want to show you the magical place where you and I will live.”
Zack chuckled. Eljin yelped when a small smack landed on his ass. “And then
maybe you can show me a few other things, hummingbird.”
Eljin glanced over his shoulder, his body once more tingling when he saw the heat
in Zack’s eyes. “I can do that,
leannan
.”