Blood and Redemption (Cassandra Myles Witch Series) (12 page)

“What do you want from me?” I wasn’t going to be his little puppet or Mab’s
; it just wasn’t going to happen.

“I need you to at least pretend to obey me. The
unseelie keep their promises, but they always put in conditions. I can keep you safe, but you must cooperate. You must appear to be under my control. If you don’t, then I’m afraid Mab and Conal will be the ones who will get you to comply.”

He finished untying me and then rubbed the feeling back into my arms and legs
. He helped me up off the bed and to the bathroom.

“Do you want a bath or shower?”

“I need a shower.”

“Good
. I don’t want to sleep beside you the way you smell.”

I stood
, waiting for him to leave. “Aren’t you going to wait outside?”

“No
, but I will turn while you undress.”

“I
’ve heard that before. You know what? At this point, I don’t even care. I just want to get clean. Is there any way I can get some food and something to drink?”

“Of course
, dear one. Your wish is my command.”

I
undressed. Killian had his back turned, and I was actually impressed until I realized he was watching me in the mirror. I just rolled my eyes. I was too miserable to be mad, but when I had some food and I felt better, Killian better hope I couldn’t connect with my inner witch.

The hot water felt amazing after that grimy hotel and sleeping in the car. I couldn’t wait to be in bed. I m
ight have spent my share of time out cold, but I was exhausted. Then I froze in mid-wash. Killian would have to go to ground soon. What would I do then? Would they leave me all alone?

My hair was one big tangle. I used extra conditioner. “I’m ready
. Can I have a towel?”

He opened the curtain
. “Here you go, my love.” His eyes had a faint glow and his fangs were down. He took in my whole body, head to toe. I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of turning away. I stepped out of the tub and never lost eye contact.

He was holding one of those bath sheets and it had been warmed. He wrapped it around me and it felt amazing. When you feel wretched
, small comforts feel that much better. Killian brushed back my curls from my face. He leaned in and gave me a very brotherly kiss on my cheek.

“What’s going to happen to me during the day?” I kept the terror out of my voice.

“I asked Dominick to come watch you. He hates you, but he hates the fae more, so he’ll keep you safe.”

I followed him to the kitchen. It was huge and modern. Being the
alpha had its perks. Killian made me canned soup and a cup of tea. I was tired and I noticed on the stove the time read 5:00 a.m. Light was less than two hours away.

“I will have to leave you soon. I’ve made myself a comfy place in the basement. If you try to stake me in the middle of the day
, your only protection from the fae will be gone.”

“Got it.
You are slightly less repulsive than the dark fae.”

“See
, I knew you would come around.” He tried his awe shucks smile, which I returned with an eye roll.

“I need some sleep.”

“Take this first. It’s an iron pill. I took a little too much when I was feeding from you. You were just too delicious.” His grin was back.

Killian pulled the covers down. We both got in. I rolled away from him.

“I really don’t want you to hate me, Cass. I just was pushed to this. It’s hard to explain.”

“What did you think would happen? You’d get me alone and I would sleep with you and help Mab? You can’t be that delusional.”

“No, I guess I hated Quintus so much, I didn’t think it would be that hard to convince you to hate him too.”

“Why do you hate him
, Killian? He never did anything but treat you with respect. He gave you a position that a vampire twice your age would kill for.”

“It’s a long story
, Cass, and I don’t have time right now. I’ll tell you, if you promise to listen. Just not tonight.”

I fell asleep thinking
about Quintus. He was right when he said I had to stop thinking of all these supernatural creatures in human terms. They weren’t human. The question was how did that change anything or, more importantly, help me in anyway. I was in their world, had been for years. I just didn’t clue in. It was time to adjust. If you can’t beat ‘em, join em
.
.

Chapter
Eleven

A fresh, earthy smell brought a smile to my face when I awoke. I didn’t know you could miss a smell. I turned to see Dominick sitting beside the bed. Grief snuck up on me and by the time I saw it coming, it was barreling straight for me and I had no time to move out of the way. It was the ugly cry, red eyes and lots of snot. It felt like Declan was here. Knowing he wasn’t was too much to take. His brother looked at me with extreme discomfort. Men either get mad or panic when a woman cries… they are such boobs.

“I’m sorry when I woke up
. I thought I smelled Declan. It felt so comforting and familiar. I miss him so much. He was my best friend.” He nodded his head, but his face remained neutral. Taking in a big jagged breath, I felt a little better.

“I wasn’t close to my brother. I mated very young and was already raising my children when he left the pack for Vancouver.”

“Oh my God, Dominick, I’m so sorry. You lost your mate and kids. No wonder you hate me.”

“My family died in a car crash a few years ago. Those are
three deaths you can take off your conscience.” He sounded disappointed that he couldn’t blame me for those too.

“Still
, your dad and brother; you must miss them.”

“I miss my whole pack
,” he snarled at me.

It was my turn to nod. I didn’t know what to say. He had lost everyone he ever knew. I didn’t know how he could go on. He had his hate and I hoped at least a tiny bit of hope. If he did, I would have a chance to convince him to help me kill Mab. If Quintus came to rescue me, I knew I could get him to help us get out of this crazy place.

“We were very different; being the eldest son of the pack master came with added responsibilities. I was always being trained. It was my job to take over when my father stepped down. Making sure our line continued was also my duty. So I was groomed to be alpha for as long as I can remember. Marrying young and helping with pack duties while Declan did basically whatever he wanted drove a wedge between us. I resented his carefree life and he hated me for always being the nagging older brother.” Dominick beamed a sweet smile. He clearly felt warmer about the past than he let on.

“I didn’t want the
fae to come into our world. They were locked away for a reason and no matter how charming Prince Na’min was, I didn’t feel right about his plan. I tried to talk my father out of it, but he could see power and wealth coming his way and couldn’t help himself. A pack master’s job is to improve the well-being of the pack. Na’min promised him riches and power. He couldn’t turn that down. The pack was divided, but we aren’t a democracy. Pack leader word is law. Na’min was elated when we heard what you could do. He was positive if anyone could open the fae door, it would be you.

“He wanted to kidnap you right away, but then we found out about the
geis
. So it was decided that someone should go and keep an eye on you and make sure we knew when you got your magic back. Declan was always wanting to visit the cities. He liked being around the humans. He jumped at the chance to go to Vancouver.” He said “humans” like it was a bad word. “I saw it as another carefree Declan adventure; he got to play human and I was left to take care of the pack.”

“I hated that he lied to me, but in the end
, I understood that he started the lie long before we were close. I loved him, Dominick. You can think what you want, but he was my best friend for five years. He loved me too.”

“Well
, it doesn’t matter now, does it? He’s dead along with everyone else I’ve ever loved. So …”

I sighed. What could I say to that?
“Can we go to his cabin? I may still have clothes there. I don’t have anything to wear.”

“Yes, you left rather quickly last time
. You opened the gates of Hell, and then let my people deal with it. There are thousands of those goblin things. They are vile, disgusting creatures, I almost feel sorry for the seelie.”

“I didn’t have a choice. Lucius picked me up and ran, but we were coming back. We were making plans. I want to kill Mab with every fib
er of my being.”

“Well
, I guess Killian ruined that.” He looked so defeated. He hated me, but my heart ached for him. He had lost everything and he was my only connection to Declan. I couldn’t help feeling something for him. It didn’t give him the right to blame me for this whole thing.

“You know I didn’t stroll in here demanding I be allowed to open that fucking door
, right?” He was still glaring at me. I didn’t deserve his contempt. “I was watched and lied to by your brother, under order of your father, and then I was kidnapped and told a whole race would die if I didn’t do it. I’m not blameless, but I’m not taking the whole thing on my shoulders either.”

The look on his face was priceless. I don’t think he knew what to say. His mouth moved like a fish
’s for a while and then he looked away.

“Look
, Quintus is probably trying to find me. If he comes, we can both get out of here.”

“She’
ll kill you and Quintus. She’s too powerful. You’re only here as long as you’re useful. A pack of werewolves is nothing to trifle with. We are very powerful creatures, but she unleashed those goblins on my pack and wiped them out like she was stepping on a bunch of ants. Most of the bodies were unrecognizable. They were just a bunch of mangled meat. How do you expect to defeat that?”

“Everyone can be stopped; we just have to find a way.”

“She’s evil. She took her deviant ways out on her own kind while they were in prison. Now she’s getting revenge on the seelie. She won’t stop there. Now she has a whole new playground and once she figures out the rules, she’ll find a way to fuck with the whole world.”

“Then we’ll stop her before that.”

“Why don’t you do something now? I thought you were some super witch.”

I was feeling a little less sorry for him now. “My magic isn’t reliable; apparently
, I have mental blocks to using it since I opened the fae door.”

“Too bad you didn’t have one before the door was open.”

“I wish I never had magic at all. It seems to cause only trouble.”

“Well
, that doesn’t change what happened.”

“Do you think I don’t know that? Do you think I don’t wish every day that I had decided not
to open that door? It kills me inside that I’m responsible for everything that’s happened. I have nightmares all the time of Declan dying in front of me. I can’t undo it, but I can make that bitch pay. She killed my mate and I’m not going to let her get away with it.”

“
Grrrrr fuck, fuck, fuck me fuck.”

“What?” I would never get used to a growl coming from someone who looked human. It was just too unnatural.

“His wolf claimed you? You mated? Fuck me.”

He started to pace around the room, cursing and waving his fist in the air. He looked insane, one minute cursing a blue streak the next growling like he’d seen a cat. I just waited patiently for him to stop. When he did
, he looked more defeated than angry.

“I would have known before if you weren’t dripping in vampire stench. It means we are pack. It means that whether I like it or not, you are part of my pack and pack law dictates that I have to protect you.” He just kept shaking his head like he could shake the information right out.

“Then if I come up with a way to get us out of here, will you come?”

“Only if Mab is dead before we go.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.” I didn’t feel much better, but there was a glimmer of hope and that was all I could ask for.

Chapter Twelve

I took another shower, not because I was dirty, but because I wanted to clear my head and I needed a break from Dominick’s muttering and cursing. I caught snippets of “how can she be pack” and “fae whore
something
,
something
, rip her apart.” I wasn’t included in the conversation so I figured he wouldn’t mind if I left the room. I had my own internal dialogue going on. If the light fae could be trapped in there, then so could the dark fae, minus one Queen Mab. She was mine to deal with and I wanted to enjoy every second of her death. I came out of the bathroom to find Prince Conal sitting on my bed.

“Where is Dominick?” Fear froze me to the ground. I was alone with Prince Psycho and saw no way out.

“I sent him away. He wouldn’t let me near you, so I told my guards to remove him from your quarters. He was very violent. Screaming and fighting. Don’t worry; I made sure they didn’t kill him.” He smiled like he was proud that he didn’t commit murder. Fuck, this guy was creepy.