Venom And Vice

29

Her lips parted. “You put a f*****g tracking device on me without my permission?” She jabbed a manicured finger into my chest, accenting her words. I stepped forward, forcing her to take a reluctant retreat back. “I did, and it stays right where I put it.” “Had you taken the time to ask, you would have learned that I don’t have a problem with the functionality, Casek. It’s the way you went about it that pisses me off.” f**k, she was irresistible when she was mad. I couldn’t help but imagine her naked, all that energy channeled into riding my c**k. She’d be magnificent. The next thing I knew, my lips were devouring hers. I clasped my hand at the nape of her neck, my c**k growing impossibly hard at the feel of my mark warming her skin. The Fae rune had linked our energies together. If she had access to her magic, she would have known that the spell worked both ways. It limited either of us from feeding from anyone else and allowed us to sense one another to a degree. Mated couples sometimes exchanged marks as a show of unity, like human wedding bands. Liam had been wise not to share that tidbit. Then I really would have had reason to tear him apart. I kissed Ashley until the taste of her was seared on my tongue. Until the beast inside me no longer rattled his cage with mindless need. When I pulled away, we were spared any awkward uncertainty by the menacing rumble of a growl beside us. Knight stepped close, his head tucked low, and a bestial warning reverberated deep in his chest. I was battle ready in an instant. Maneuvering Ashley behind me, I looked in the direction Knight was growling. Across the road, a shop door opened, and Durin, the queen’s lackey stepped out. He stared at us smugly and meandered with intentional nonchalance across the street toward us. “We weren’t informed you were in town, Durin.” My voice and words were a subtle warning. We didn’t like to cross the queen, but I wasn’t going to cower either. The bald man with hollowed cheeks flashed a twisted grin and casually stepped forward. “The queen has no obligation to inform you of her business.” No, but it was a mutual courtesy both the Hunt and the Crown had observed for centuries. “And what sort of business has you following us around?” “Majesty is simply curious about this one,” he said, gesturing toward Ashley. “We’d like to know more about her powers, considering where her abilities come from. I don’t have to follow her around if she’d prefer to visit with the queen instead.” He lifted his head and spoke to Ashley. “Her Majesty would like to make sure you’re aware of all your options. If you were at the palace, you would be treated like royalty—no need for constant bodyguards or threats from the Unseelie.” Ashley’s delicate hand gripped my arm with the force of a python subduing its next meal. She was terrified of being taken by Durin. While I wasn’t sure if she had seen him before, she had to know that Durin was the name of the man who had kidnapped Rebecca and taken her to Faery. At the very least, she knew the man before her posed a real threat. When I glanced her way, she gave away none of that fear, and instead, she shot a fierce look of challenge to the man who stood over a foot taller than herself. I cut my eyes back to Durin. “I don’t think the lady wants to take you up on that offer.” I began to step menacingly closer to him, leaving Ashley where she stood with Knight. “This is our city, and I’m giving you this one opportunity to get the f**k out. I catch you following her again, and there are no more warnings—you understand?” The last words were spoken inches from his face. I hated that I had to look up at him, but he was a freaking behemoth. He sneered back at me, enjoying his size advantage. “You think you can threaten me? I represent the queen.” Faster than the man could follow, I slammed an iron cuff around his wrist, preventing him from tracing, grabbed his pinky finger and swung him around, bending back the finger and his arm in a way that forced him to his knees. I then leaned close to speak directly into his ear. “You may have power back at the palace, but around here, you’re nothing. I’m not telling you again. You come near her, and I will f*****g gut you.” I let the words soak in nice and deep before releasing the clasp on the iron cuff. The tool was a human thug’s equivalent of brass knuckles. I never left home without it. The second he was able, Durin traced out of sight. “I remember seeing him at the palace,” Ashley said in a hushed voice. “When Merlin convinced the queen to leave me alone.” Her cornflower eyes roamed the area for signs of the man. “She agreed to let you stay on Earth, not necessarily to leave you alone.” I rubbed a hand over my head. “f**k. This complicates things.” Guin wasn’t exactly a woman of her word. And to top it off, I had no doubt she would be well informed of our upcoming induction ceremony. “That’s it. I’m staying here.” “What do you mean?” “The ceremony. I can’t leave you here unprotected.” I pulled out my phone, trying to figure out what the hell I was going to do. “I thought it was important you were all there.” “It is, but keeping you alive is important, too.” “What happens if you don’t go?” I looked up to clear blue innocence staring back at me. “A spell is performed when the Erlking is crowned. It bonds him to all of us so that he can connect with us telepathically—a more basic form of Becca’s dream walking. If I’m not present, he can conduct a similar rite later in the same way new members are brought into the fold.”