Shadow Queen (6 page)

              “First of all, brother, I didn’t know you had a long lost connection with this bitch too.  Second of all, you knew she was after me and didn’t tell me.   You both have all kinds of wrong up in your male heads that seem to think you are keeping me safe, but rather proved the opposite when you didn’t warn me of her existence.  Might have helped a little when she was shoving a knife across my throat.”

              “Don’t be a fool, Stace.  We had it covered.” Szar leaned his chair back.

              “Like hell you did,” I slammed the table and stood making Szar have to catch and balance to avoid falling backwards.  I’ve had it just about up to here with my brother and boyfriend’s secrets. 

              A little too delighted at my anger, Cord said with a pleased tone, "That's called putting him in his place.  Sibling love at it's best."

              “Stace, you don’t know what you’re talking about.” Szar positioned across from me in a standoff.

              Calum’s crushing hold on my hand came from the left.  Cas gently tugged my hand from the right and started to attempt soothing me with small circles on the inside of my palm.  I yanked each hand back and snapped at them both.  “You two stop it.  I don’t believe this.”

              “You’re overreacting.  She’s way more powerful than you think.  We can’t just ignore her.”

              “You’re taking up for her brother? How could you?”  So I was starting to sound like an inconsiderate child who had her toys taken, but he was so wrong in this.

              Cas barred his teeth, “She intends to destroy you in front of me, cut your head off, and laugh in my face.”             

              A gasp from several was heard. 

              “She isn’t appealing in any way if by which you mean to make me angry.  She is a vile, disgusting creature that I am forced to call part of my own but I vowed when I took the position I would protect all.  Don’t think I won’t kill her ass the second she comes near you Anastacia.  She’d never survive. But stop making this into something else.  It’s making you crazy about something that’s unfounded in the first place.”

              All waited for my return.  Saying it to me and yet to everyone else also definitely put it into perspective.

              “Then who gets to kill her?” I asked without a single thought as to what I was saying.

              The whole room busted into a laughing fit as I now stood toe to toe with Cas staring up at his clearly turned Vampire face and an inch from fangs.  Guess he didn’t scare me so much.

              “Sis, if I had the guts, I’d YouTube this so fast your head would spin off for the bitch and make her celebrate.   You aren’t even afraid of my man Cas here, making me have no qualms with letting you go head to head with Nara.  She’d never stand a chance.”

              “My and her lucky day.”  Me, I wasn’t so sure about that assessment.  I remember the choking and pain of her strength.  She wasn’t weak by any means.

              Cas and I were still face to face but his face was adjusted back to normal after a few blinks and my hands grabbing both of his.  No one else should get his kiss.  His sultry looks.  His touch.  His sadness even.  I should be the only one who gets to see his fears. His worries. That's how it is for me with him. 

             
As it is for me
and will
remain
so
.

              Cord walked around the table and stood before us, “There are ways to get this anger out.  I have that spare bedroom in the back.”

              His smile was terrible.

              I hissed like a stupid cat and backed away from all of them.  Cord didn’t waste time setting me off.  Sometimes I hated my quick temper and sometimes...I didn’t.

              “Or I could be of assistance,” Cord offered with a sly grin.

              “Ask Nara.  She’s apparently available,” I shot at him.

              “Not really into Vamp’s.  They bite too hard.”

              I couldn’t help it.  I shouldn’t have said it.  I just couldn’t help making myself feel better.   “Oh, I know how hard a Vampire bites.  Not for all of us, I guess.”  I slid my grin up to Cord’s astonishment.  He wasn’t used to my comebacks when they caught him off guard.  I loved it.

             
Kissa.  You’re on dangerous ground.

              “And you’re not,” I shot my head behind me at him noting to all the recollection of our connection.

              “Perhaps we should move on to what will be the means of obtaining the Godslayer.  Call me blueballs and hand me my nuts, but this conversation will get us nowhere but the bedroom.  And since I’m seeing no one I’m remotely interested in inviting to accommodate those needs, I would like to turn the table.  Sister of mine, let’s just bring you back down to sweet and totally unaware.  I don’t care for all this talk.”

              “You’re the one who did this?”  I was referring to the conversation change, but he read it wrong.

              “Hardly.  I’d have you never married or anything of the sort.  You’re only tag hit is that it’s Thorn.  He’s the only one I’d ever trust with my sister.”

              Wow!  “Um...thanks.”  I didn’t know what else to say.

              Throats cleared again.  Szar semi blushed and said, “Can we move on?  This days-of-our-lives crap is giving me hives.”

              “They have creams for that,” Cord offered.

              “Shove off, asshole."

              “Okay. 
Okay
.  I’m under control now. The Godslayer," I screamed.  Calum stood like he might strike.

  “Don’t be an idiot,” Szar told Calum.  From one idiot to another was my thought.

“Says the idiot in training,” Calum came back with.

I’m surrounded by boys.  I needed girl time.

              All sat again and resumed at my proclamation.  We were all a bit in the weird category.  I guess that’s why they accepted my strange mood swings.  Of course, they were only brought on by the thought of losing Cas.  They always were.  Not just the losing part, but the idea of failing him in the process.  Loving someone, I’d decided, was harder than not.  It could crush your spirit and spit you out to live helplessly with your own inner demons for a very long time.

              The mother expected us to work in one accord.  Possible one moment and not the next.

              The sword was described by Liam only because he was the only one who’d seen it.  In his spying efforts, he’d seen Borgon swinging it about and disgruntled to let anyone else hold it.  It was about three feet long, iridescent silver, and gold lettering on the sides of it.  Liam couldn’t see the hilt well, but said there were little carvings on it.  Seemed easy to recognize nonetheless.

              We ended up standing around outside looking more like a hangout session at a bonfire than a battle ready takedown.  I was speculating on what to do next and arguing with Szar of the semantics of why Vampires can fly and no one else can. 

              “If we were meant to fly, we would have gills and feathers!”

              “Gills, really?”  My brother isn’t dumb, just stupid at relaying information worth being said.

              “Yeah, birds must have gills because every time I look up their—

              Cas joined us.

              “Hey there Thorn, show me your gills.” 

              That’s my brother. 

              The look Cas gave was confusion and worry, but his mind pictured a blur.  The second my mind started picturing parts of Cas still unknown to me was the same heartbeat of a second his inventive eyes narrowed and shot me an image of myself right back.  I gasped right on cue letting Szar now invent his own interpretation of our mutual images.

              “Uh, guys.  I am still in the G rated part of the conversation, but I can clearly SEE that I am now an afterthought and should exit before—oh, never mind.”

              He walked away still talking about flying and finishing whatever it was he never said.  Cas redirected my thoughts to where they should be, but we didn’t join the others for a good five minutes.  It was a good thing the enemy didn’t strike in that moment.

              Either we’d been duped or they were watching us close.  Both were dangerous outcomes.  After over twenty hours cooped up in Cord’s mini cabin castle of sorts, we were all restless and ready for anything.  Four times already we’d decided to call it quits and managed to change our minds worried the second we left, Borgon would show.  After another ten hours after that and all of us tired and grumped out, we officially bailed out.  When no “scouts” seem to have returned while we were there, we decided it best to be on guard at a moment’s notice.  I made Cord promise me he’d decamp with us and all of his people with the exception of a few to guard and keep watch.  If Borgon was after me, he’d probably leave the empty camp alone.  They finally agreed with my repeated assessment that the whole thing was to draw me there in the first place.  Why he didn’t attack I reasoned as simply strategy.  He wanted to see if I’d come.  I was determined now that Borgon wanted to catch me off guard, not at the ready.  With that insight, I knew I had to watch my back all seconds of the day. 

              That’s kind of hard during sleep, but we do what we have to do. That also meant Cas would refuse to sleep.  I knew it before the night started.  I tried my hardest to stay awake, but lately I was just too dang tired.

              There was one word for Cas—valiant.  He was my knight in shining armor without the normally needed armor.  He didn’t need protection for himself in his eyes.  And he didn’t need armor like a human.    I would forever be awed by his will to guard me, protect me.  I get that he’s hovering over me like a hawk.  It was all good.

              So when we broke from the talk session about Borgon and
Lee
and
Nara
at the warehouse the next day, he practically laid his body across the back of me as he walked me to the back wall when everyone else went out the front door.

              I didn’t give him time to say anything.

              “Look, I’m sorry if I keep acting like an idiot about her, but I just don’t like the idea of her near you. 
You
claim,
she
claims,
they
claim she’s here for me, but it’s you I’m worried about.  I don’t want her near you.”  I leaned on the post beam.  He followed the gesture on the one three feet away from me and for the first time, didn’t get up in my face and make me all swimmy headed with his enticing looks.  He was doing enough of that from afar. 

              “So you believe me finally.”

              I viewed his distance as a way of watching my reaction now.  He was trying to read my nonverbal cues. 

              “I always did, Cas.  It’s not you I fear.”

              “She’s nothing, Anastacia.  And she knows it.”  His body drew in like it was being nailed to the ground.  As if he was forcing himself to stay where he was.  Still far.  I didn't get this Cas. 

              “Needless to say, I don’t want her near you.”

              “You made that clear enough.” 

              Cas didn’t drive it home this time with a needy kiss or a holding me kind of thing like he normally did so it forced me to ask the begging question.  “Are you okay?”

              “If you are,” he answered still stationed in the same spot.

              This was unnerving me. 

             
Cas, you’re scaring me.

              How is that, Kissa.
  His body was still motionless.

             
You’re calm.
  I didn’t want to state the obvious.

             
And you define that as a bad thing?

              If it is to be judged by your usual reactions, then yes.

              What would you prefer?
  He unfolded his arms and took an inched step forward.  The kind of step I'd seen him make watching Calum or Cord attempt to attack him and he attacked first.  Calculated.  Intentionally aggressive. Not enough anyone watching would notice though.

              To anyone else, we appear in a silent standoff, but in reality we are both being defiant in our own rights with inner monologues about to pressure pop both our tops. I squeezed my hands together, digging my nails in deeper.

             
I just know how you work.  And calm was never a definition associated with you in respect to your reactions with me.  Quite the opposite.

              Another step.  My hands were behind my back, bracing myself to the wall for his impact.

             
So you would have me totally in your snare like you so easily do?  Undoing me like you can?

              It is not my intention.

              His eyes flashed a darker shade. 
Of course.

              Not even realizing he’d made it over to me, I turned my head upward to keep eye contact still unaware of his intentions.  He’d muddled my assumptions and had me unable to predict what came next.  I hate to admit it, but I
liked
it.  If he could feel the way my heart pulses when he did these things to me, my guess is, it would explain that he enjoys the thrill too.  He seems to like the chase in the kitchen, why not elsewhere?

              Just when I thought he might kiss me, or strangle me one, the door barged open. 

              “If you two can finish up, we’d like to have a sit down about what to do next.  Cord’s guards will need relieving at some point and information from Liam would be helpful also since he's barreling up the drive.”

              Mere inches away, Cas let out a heated breath purposefully close to my mouth.  I know this because he had to duck his head to reach mine.  This small reminder told me that this wasn’t over and it would continue later on.

              Not a second later, Liam bounded into the capaciously sized warehouse room repeating the same message twice.  It echoed each time letting us react with a spin to several directions like the attack was there too.

              “They have the place surrounded.  We have to go now.  Cord’s guard won’t last,” Liam actually panted.  I’d not seen him even sweat.  “It’s at least fifty against five.”

              Szar spazed out with, “Takes major balls to attack a more than half empty camp.  What’s the agenda?”  He started for the wall, loading more weapons.

              “Nothing yet,” Liam said.

              “SO what did happen?” I asked.

              “They just showed up.  And unfortunately, they saw me leave.”

              “Great!” Cas said waving a hand through his hair.  His next word rhymed with duck and rarely left his lips.  I wanted to comment with something towards his usual "watch your language", but I was already on his punishment list.  Not that I ever tried very hard to get off.

              “And we were gone,” I started twisting through possibilities getting on topic.

              Szar answered with, “Gone.”

              “Finished.”

              “Fini.”

              “Done.”

              “Cest la ve.”

              Aaa!  “Okay already guys.”

              They all laughed at my expense, except Cord.  Great.  I was among morons.

              “Anyway, funny business aside, he’s trying to rattle us.  We can’t let Cord’s people get hurt because of us.”

              “Damn right we’re not.  I’ll go ahead.”

              “NO!” I shouted.  Cord stopped dead and glared at me with a mirthy look.

              “When I told Thorn I’d join this boy band and one smartass boobfest, I never offered up to following orders, Priss.  So let’s try that again.  I am going to take care of my boys.”

              Rather than show the fear I really felt from his dead on statement, I closed the distance and placed a hand on his arm willingly.  His eyes speedballed the action following it there.

              “Is that wise, Princess?”

              Maybe not.  “I have no wish to see you dead, Cord.  I protect what I care for.”

              Maybe not the best aim, but it did the job.  His eyes softened. His body relaxed and then stiffened in a different way I wasn’t ignorant of in the guy’s response department.

              When his eyes shifted right to where I felt Cas beside me, I knew he was weighing his decision on how to respond.

             
Cas, let me do this.

              When his body inched away and left a good yard or two of distance, Cord followed Cas’ departure and then brought his eyes back to me. 

              “What would you have me do?” he very carefully asked.

              I took back my hand and instinctually starting feeling for my knives.  Thinking of the coming battle and little time we might have, I needed to double up my tasks.  “I think we are better together.  I know our strengths and we work well as a team when we all fall in line.  Borgon is expecting this and if you go in alone, I risk losing you.  He will weaken us in any way possible.  If Liam is right about the numbers, we need all of your guards and then some.  There’s no telling what’s flanking the sides or what is waiting in the wings.”

              Cord nodded and stepped aside to collect his own weapons.  He didn’t respond or give me any indication he was compliant or angrier by my comment, but he wasn’t running out the door either.

              I felt Calum’s sting on my bare shoulder where I’d poorly chosen to wear a tank top today.  We both shot back from each other and stared. 

              “Heck if that hurts babe, but man does it feel good,” his drunken look wasn’t making Cas happy.  Jealousy shot out in full force.

              Rather than nurse the hurt or aid the idea of it, I shook off my own feeling of
only
pain and told him to get his weapons. 

              “I just wanted to say I that I didn’t know you had so much military in you," Calum watched Cas cross the room and return to us.

              “It happens when you’re the daughter of a Valkyrie lord who constantly surrounds his own with guards outside her door, trains the female servants in martial arts who host her, and trains her in combat sparring since she was eight.”

              Calum swallowed this down before saying, “At least I know where you stand G.I. Jane.  I just hadn’t seen this side of you this far...militant.”

              “Consider yourself informed.  If I’d known then what he was preparing me for, I’d have never stepped in the ring.”

              That got all of their attention.  It was the fervent truth.  I didn’t want to wage war on anyone.

              “Let’s give the watchdogs a little assistance,” Calum slapped his bow across his back and armed himself with knives and other weapons I saw disappearing in places I shouldn’t be looking at.

              Cord’s voice went to a strange high pitch as he cursed Calum for his comment.  It really did sound like a dull whistling tune you'd expect to hear when calling a dog.

              Szar’s unfailing humor rang in, “Um, the dog on watch heard that one,man.
”
 
With my puzzled looked he added, “Built in dog whistle.”

              I burst with laughter.  That was a good one.

              Cord wasn’t taking it that way, but who cared about him and his arrogant butt ways anyway, right?

              We headed out all following each other.  The ride was silent being that we’d been through this several times.  I went over in my head the various means with which our “marked” likenesses have acquired. 

              If the dirty deeds went down today I had Calum’s buzzing electric current we could zap with.  Cord could heal, but only himself and I it seemed so far.  Cas and I could communicate as well as predict each other’s moves.  In sync as I called it.  And more so with my blood in his system.  That left Szar, who undoubtedly could fight through anything with weapons and words alike.  Sometimes I thought his sarcasm won him more fights than his weapon’s skills.

              Without a doubt, the place was surrounded.  Like cockroaches, Elves came from every direction and though they were not heavily armed, there were many of them.  Their swords looked ancient, their teeth, not so much.  Sharp and ready to bite.    While I’d not been bit previously, and would probably heal quickly enough, I didn’t exactly want to be privy to the sensation.  I gave myself an inner shudder just picturing the Vampire Elves at the shack.

              As was the standard entry for each camp, the six hundred feet of drive led up to the cabin we'd just spent over a day habitating.  Partitioned wooden columns framed the welcome committee. It stationed the Were symbol like all factions held.  It was displayed openly and at first appearance, looked as the alphabet letter, W.  But, in fact, was a double set of V's like the Roman numeral for five.  I laughed when Calum asked if the W meant Werewolf.