Fairy Prey (4 page)

Damn it, she had to
concentrate on the battle ahead, the revenge for the death of Carrick. Then
there was her cousin. The poor woman was now a widow with a small child. She
took a breath and opened the door. Morrigan made her way down the steps,
keeping a watch for the dark fairy, and headed for the main room. She entered
and stopped mid-step as she spotted a child. That could not possibly be Brook’s
child. “Is that Adara?”

The fairies were
gathered around the table. Each took turns playing with the small plump child.
Adara had only been born a few days ago. She should be tiny and yet Morrigan
was staring at a toddler. She was sitting up, cooing and smiling. “Yes.” Brook
grinned as she glanced at the child.

“How...”

“Is it possible?” Brook
finished her question. “You got me, but that is the child I gave birth to
nearly four days ago. Apparently fairy children grow very quickly and then slow
once they reach maturity.”

Morrigan was too stunned
to comment.

“Which is
what...sixteen, seventeen?” Brook walked over to the group, picked up Adara,
and held her close. “Say hi to your aunty Morrigan.”

Adara waved her little
arms and wiggled her fingers in Morrigan’s direction. Kids were not her strong
suit. She smiled awkwardly and waved back. Adara cooed again, smiling and
bouncing around in her mother’s arms.

“Let me put her to sleep
and we can start this.”

Morrigan nodded, still
stunned by the revelations. Fairy offspring grew faster. They lived longer.
What was next? They have magic cum? Morrigan blushed as she remembered Brook’s
tale of how she met Carrick. They definitely had unique fairy flavor. Bad turn
of thoughts. Cum made her think of cock and that made her think of Whisper.
Damn bastard was always in her head. She frowned, moved to the table, and
plopped into a chair.

****

Morrigan stared down at
it, at him. She tilted her head to the side and could not take her eyes away.
It was a freaking leprechaun. She waited behind Brook as this tiny older man
appeared, complete with beard, green suit, and pointy shoes. It would have been
comical if not for the fact it was real. She was almost afraid to ask what else
was real. Vampires? Werewolves? Ah, hell, if they were real, she was moving
into a castle and never coming out. They had a quick meeting here with the
leader of the leprechauns. This little guy had a wandering eye too. Morrigan
smothered her laugh.

Brook was doing well as
a leader. She was talking to different species on truces and living together in
peace. They had arrived in this grassy clearing only a few minutes ago, and the
conversation went from nervous movements to a calm friendly chat. Apparently,
leprechauns and fairies have been friends for decades, but the recent strife
with the trolls and the fairies’ small number nearly pulled all that apart.
Here was her cousin making this bond strong again. Morrigan was so proud she
could hug Brook but not now.

After she got control of
her amusement from seeing a leprechaun, she went back to scanning the area.
Thame was in the sky. Whisper was somewhere in the forest, and she was beside
Brook. There was a handshake and a smile. The leprechaun gave Brook some sort
of round medallion that looked like gold and then he tap-danced his way back
into the forest. What a strange creature. “All good then?”

“Apparently the trolls
have been trying to take over their lands too. The leprechauns kicked their
asses, and then the trolls decided to go for the fairies.”

“Nasty little fuckers,”
Morrigan commented, her eyes scanning the tree line.

“Now we have them on our
side, and if things get too crazy, they’ll send backup to help us. They’re also
offering to help us rebuild for gold.”

“Good.” Morrigan caught
sight of movement. She held her arm up and blocked Brook’s path. There to her
left. She stared in that direction and heard a deep grumble of a laugh.
Whisper.

“Idiot,” she mumbled
before putting her arm down and looking at the short walk back the kingdom.

“Whisper?”

“The man…fairy is
annoying as...” Whisper swooped down before she could finish. He pinched her
butt and quickly took to the air. Morrigan spun around, pulling her gun free
and aiming. “Fucking piece of...I’m going to shoot him!”

Brook tried to hide her
laugh but failed terribly. “He likes you,” she said, covering her smile. “He’s
usually not so...engaging.”

“He can go right back
into the hole he crawled out of.” Morrigan frowned, put the gun back in the
holster, and returned to the trek home. “And don’t laugh. It just encourages
the freak. Why the hell is he bothering me anyway? You’re queen. Tell him to
fuck off.”

Brook laughed harder.

Morrigan’s frown
deepened. This was harassment, not a late-night comedy show. Thame flew past
them. He scouted their path with precision. She could almost see the kingdom.
The willow tree wasn’t far off, and in a few moments, the dome towers that were
still standing came into view. “So what’s the plan for today?”

Brook sobered and it
bothered Morrigan that most of the time the light in Brook’s eyes was gone. She
wanted to make another joke just so her cousin would laugh again.

“I have Thame and Flance
on forest patrol. I wanted you and Whisper to go to the caves that the trolls
frequented. They’re empty now, or at least, last time we checked. I want you to
blow them up, create a cave in.”

“Block their path to a
safe retreat.” Morrigan thought about this plan then nodded. “That is a damn
fine idea. However, I am not going with him.”

Brook rolled her eyes.
“He’s the best warrior we have!”

“I’d rather do it
alone.” Which was a bad idea but she wasn’t about to admit that aloud. “Or have
Bray come with me.” There, not a stupid plan but still not having to deal with
Whisper. Damn it, she had to stop thinking his name. It sent a shiver down her
spine every time.

“Bray is on baby duty.
Breena gave birth last night.”

“Oh, hey, good for her.”

“Bray will be watching
them, and the others will be patrolling the city. I also have the leprechauns
stopping by to check out the damage, and I’m trying to pull a meeting together
with the banshees.”

Morrigan faltered.
“You’re kidding me?”

“Well, they are
descended from fairies. I know they have a bad rep but maybe it’s just a story.
Did you know there’s a banshee battle goddess named Morrigan?”

“No, I didn’t but,
Brook, they’re supposed to be angry women who kill without remorse.”

“A story!” Brook tilted
her head.

Morrigan rolled her
eyes. “Don’t think I didn’t notice you changed the subject.”

Brook gave her best
innocent look and turned as Thame landed. “Whisper knows where the caves are.
Get it done and get out. If you’re not back by mid-day, I’m sending in a search
party.” Brook placed a hand on Morrigan’s shoulder and squeezed. “Stay safe.”

“I will but I may just
shoot the idiot,” Morrigan muttered. She watched Thame pick up Brook, and they
both flew down toward the kingdom where remains of the big battle still
lingered.

“I do have a name, you
know,” the dark fairy said from the shadows of the forest.

“Yeah, idiot.” Morrigan
frowned, something she seemed to be doing a lot of lately. “How far are the
caves?” There was no way she was letting him fly her there. She didn’t want his
hands anywhere near her body. Not really, but her core clenched at the thought,
and her nipples hardened beneath her shirt. She walked to the forest edge,
keeping her distance from the dark shadows Whisper liked to frequent.

“Several miles,” he said
in his deep voice directly above her.

Morrigan looked up and
watched him land before her. “Five? Ten? Twenty?”

“About ten.” He held out
his hand.

Well,
shit.
She could jog at least two and push herself for five but ten was out of the
question. “If you pinch my ass again, I will shoot you, even if we’re in
mid-air.”

Whisper chuckled, not
opening his lips. He nodded his head in a sort of bow.

Morrigan’s body was
cooing at the idea, but her mind was sending up warning flags.
Walk the damn ten miles!
She reached out
and placed her hand in his. Whisper’s skin was warm against her palm. She
stiffened when he reached around her and gripped her waist firmly. Her body
felt tense, on edge, as if she was on the ledge of a skyscraper with nothing to
prevent her fall but a thin thread of yarn. The ground fell away from her feet.
Whisper’s grasp tightened and his black wings fluttered.

Apparently, not all
fairies flew the same. Whisper was fast. Treetops whizzed by, and the wind was
like a force against her skin. She held on tighter, her mind going from lust to
fear as Whisper wove in and out of trees. They were lowering already, heading
toward the ground, and Morrigan caught sight of the caves. It was a line of
dark entrances. They hugged the cliffs with the waves crashing just beneath.

Whisper brought them
down to the ground, but once she landed, he didn’t pull away. The lust was ever-present.
She tried to imagine bloody battles and taking a bath in mustard. None of the
images hindered the rising fervor. Morrigan pushed him away, and his dark eyes
followed her every movement. She felt his warm breath upon her face and tried
her damnedest to hold the quiver.

“Look at me,” he
ordered, his voice intense and dark.

“I’m too busy watching
our backs,” she muttered but the quip had no heat. Morrigan pushed at his chest
and finally he moved away. She glimpsed at his face. Was that a grin?

“Your back end is
well-watched.” He leaned close, his front pressing into her rear. “I will not
let anything happen to you.”

Morrigan spun on her
heel. “Listen. I am not interested, so these flirty things you’re doing aren’t
working. Back off.” Whisper didn’t respond. He only watched her. His blue hair
was mussed by their trip and a few strands went wild and fell into his eyes.
“Got that?” she added for bravado. Maybe that would set him straight.

Whisper growled before
quickly leaning down and kissing her.

Morrigan protested for
all of two seconds. His lips worked magic. They parted her mouth and his tongue
delved inside. She felt something sharp, pointed, and pulled away before the
kiss could undo her resolve. This time she pulled out her gun. “I am done playing.
One more move, and I’ll tell Brook you were a casualty of our plan.” It was an
empty threat, but he still tilted his head and then stared at the caves.
Without a word, he began walking toward them. Morrigan let out a breath she
hadn’t realized she was holding. What the hell had she felt in his mouth? They
couldn’t possibly be...no, she couldn’t even think it, but what else would
explain it? And why the hell would a fairy have fangs? Morrigan licked her
bottom lip and struggled to follow Whisper along their rocky path.

The wind was warm but
brutal. It pushed her forward with vengeance. She trailed Whisper to the edge
of the cliffs and gazed at the small narrow path that led to the opening.
Beyond that ledge was a long drop and a lots of wild waves. Morrigan swallowed
hard.

Whisper held out his
hand and Morrigan ignored the offering. She traversed the narrow path with her
chin high and her legs steady. She did not need his help. Although she did
glance at him as he pursued her with a frown on his lips. The first cave was,
well, a cave. It was dark despite the daylight and smelled vaguely of stale
water. She wrinkled her nose and eased into the entrance. The floor was sticky
and she placed a hand on the wall to find that surface slippery.
Wonderful.
Morrigan frowned and waited
as Whisper landed beside her.

“The bright sparkles on
the walls...” He indicated with a tilt of his head.

Morrigan leaned closer
to the repugnant wall and saw there were sparkling flecks beneath the dirty
surface. “Is that...”

“We strike each side
with our sword. It will ignite and we fly from the cave while the rocks fall.”

“It’s magnesium?”
Morrigan said as she leaned closer to the wall.

“I do not know the
name.”

It had to be that stuff.
One strike with a blade would ignite it. This should actually work. Morrigan
put her gun in the holster and snapped it shut. She retrieved the knife from
her ankle strap and nodded toward Whisper.

“Strike then quickly
make your way out of the cave. I will then hit the wall and fly out. It will be
enough to explode the entire web of caves,” he explained.

Morrigan nodded,
glancing at the way his black wings seemed to shrink closer to his back in the
confined space. “Will this be far enough in to...” The heel of Morrigan’s shoe
slid. Her knee landed in a pile of foul smelling water, and her hand scraped
along the wall. “Fucking piece of...” There was a sharp splintering noise as
she stopped cursing. Her eyes went wide as she looked at the wall her knife
just struck.

“Go. Now.”

Morrigan went for some
creative cursing as she ran toward the exit. She heard the hiss of Whisper’s
blade along the wall and suddenly he was behind her. His arms wrapped around
her waist. He lifted her off the ground and Morrigan reached back to grab any
part of him she could. They leapt from the cave. The water below them churned
angrily, but it didn’t rise up to meet them. Or rather, Morrigan wasn’t falling
toward it. Whisper held them up, and there was a loud sucking sound before an
echoing pop. Rocks and dirt collapsed from the top of the cave. The entrance
was pummeled by boulders, pounds of dirt, and grass.