“Sariel,” Aric said, “if you know what this thing is, enlighten us.”
Resting his elbows on his jean-clad knees, the Fae prince addressed the group at large. “First, tell me if this is what attacked your team months ago.”
“Fuck yeah,” Zan replied hoarsely. “There were a dozen of them or more, and the bastards cut through us like a hot knife through butter.”
Micah and Aric—along with Zan and Jax—had almost died in that attack. Rowan shivered.
“One came after me and Mac two weeks ago when we were in town,” Kalen added. “And there were lots of them at the church in Colorado, too.”
Sariel shook his head, sapphire hair falling into haunted eyes. “More than a dozen? Even one shouldn’t be possible, not in this world. These creatures are the Sluagh, and this is what happens when a member of the Seelie court turns to evil. They’re cast out and land in the Fae Underworld, where their former beauty is twisted into this,” he said sadly, gesturing to the deceased Sluagh.
Aric, incredulous, found his voice. “So, if you were to go over to the dark side, you’d become like that thing?”
“Yes. Well, partly.” He sighed, but didn’t explain what he meant by “partly.” “Once the Sluagh are completely transformed, they are little more than drones who exist to cause mayhem. This makes them very popular for members of the born Unseelie court to use as sentinels, or watchdogs, to send out and do their terrible bidding. Spying, kidnapping the Seelie, murder—the list is endless. Once they’re set on a mission, the Sluagh are relentless until the task is accomplished.”
“Or they die trying,” Nick said.
“Eagerly. They’re single-minded, not stupid, and they know no fear, which makes them the perfect tool.”
“You said they shouldn’t be in this world, and yet they seem to be all over the place,” Nick observed. “Explain.”
Sariel pushed to his feet and stepped away from the body. “The barrier, or the ‘hedge’ as we call it, between the Fae realm and yours is inaccessible to the Sluagh. Or has been, until recent months, it would seem. Their presence here means that they were assisted through the barrier, and there’s only one being powerful enough to accomplish that feat.”
“And that would be?” Hammer asked.
“Malik, king of the Unseelie.” Sariel gave a bitter laugh. “My sire.”
“Nick, my God,” Kalen breathed.
There—that weird vibe passed between the two men again. This time a couple of the guys noticed, but before anyone could ask about what had Kalen so upset, Sariel continued.
The Fae prince hung his head, speaking quietly. “Their being in your world means so much, I wish I’d realized sooner that these were the creatures you’d all spoken of. They are the thread that ties everything together.”
“Hang on,” Aric said. “We have one of these in the basement, in Block T. You haven’t seen it?”
“No. I knew of a creature being held, but I wasn’t allowed down there. If I had seen it, I would’ve been able to relate this information to you all sooner.” Sariel paused. “It’s no longer there. I was told it perished while you were gone.”
Nick confirmed this. “That’s right. The creature seemed to have some intelligence, which is why we were holding it. But it wouldn’t communicate or eat, and finally it died.”
Rowan couldn’t find it in herself to be real sorry that it had croaked. The thought of literally having a monster under your bed was a bit too much.
“I’m forming a picture here, and it’s one I don’t like.” Aric stared hard at the Fae, who continued his thoughts on the subject.
“Where the Sluagh are present, so is Malik. Since he’s the only one who could’ve brought them to this world, they’ll do his bidding, and his alone. And as badly as my father might want to destroy me, he wouldn’t bring an army of Sluagh here just for that. He wouldn’t need that much help.”
Nick glanced around at his men. “Then it’s safe to assume Malik was behind the ambush on Alpha Pack more than six months ago, as well as placing them on guard at the old church where we found Micah and Aric and the other prisoners. He even sent this scout, perhaps to find us, if not Sariel. It’s much worse than we thought—Orson Chappell isn’t the head of the project to create a legion of super-shifters. He’s working for Malik or, more likely, is under his control.”
“That would be my guess,” Sariel replied grimly. “And if it’s true, no one on earth is safe.”
“Nick, tell them the rest,” Kalen said quietly, looking away. “They need to know.”
Nick was silent for a moment as the team stared at them. Finally he nodded. “You’re right. We’d have to fill them in sooner or later, so it might as well be now.” He faced the group, his voice low. “The short version of it is, since Mac and Kalen were attacked in town by that Sluagh, Kalen’s been hearing a voice in his head. The being, or whatever, is trying to control him. He’s fighting it, and has been successful so far, but…” He shook his head.
The danger to them all slowly sank in.
Jax pushed a hand through his spiky black hair. “If Malik can gain control of a Sorcerer, he’ll have the ultimate weapon.”
“The two of them together would be nearly unstoppable.” This from Zan, who studied Kalen thoughtfully.
“I can leave,” Kalen offered sadly. “I told Nick the other day I was going, but he talked me out of it.”
“He was right.” Ryon shook his head. “We’re not throwing you to the wolves, pardon the expression. You’re one of us now, and the Pack sticks together.”
“Exactly,” Jax said. The rest echoed his sentiment, and Kalen looked touched.
Rowan also knew that it was safer to keep Kalen here, where he could be watched. Though nobody said so, the others had to know it, too.
“Okay, how do we toast Malik’s ass?” Typical Aric.
“If my sire has a weakness, I don’t know what it is. But I’ll keep searching.”
“We’ll help however we can.” Aric sighed. “Though most of us know shit about the Fae. Maybe some of us can research online?”
Sariel rolled his eyes. “Kira is teaching me to become ‘tech-savvy,’ as you guys call it. Don’t believe everything you read on the Internet. Most of it is garbage.”
“Kalen,” Nick called. “Can you place another ward over the property, one that acts as a cloak, making it appear as though there’s nothing here but forest?”
The Sorcerer shrugged. “Sure, that’s easy. The question is, will it fool Malik and his ghouls?”
“For a while, perhaps,” Sariel mused. “It can’t hurt to try.”
With a nod, Kalen held out his right hand and his staff appeared in his palm. On the top was a glowing ball of light, blue on the edges and white in the center. Rowan recalled that when he performed magic at the church, he’d knelt. This time he remained standing, booted feet shoulder width apart. Head back, he raised the staff and began to chant.
She peered at the sky, not seeing anything unusual. But she felt something like static electricity, the hair on her arms and on her head crackling as though it were being rubbed with an inflated balloon, like she used to do as a kid. Returning her attention to Kalen, she couldn’t help but be awed. To be able to command the elements, bend them to your will to do magic, must be such a rush. And he looked damned cool doing it, too.
“What’re you staring at?” a voice growled softly in her ear.
She turned her head to find herself looking into Aric’s annoyed face. “Just watching him use his magic staff thingy. It’s just as awesome as the first time I saw him do it.” His breath puffed against her neck, making her break out in chill bumps.
“Yeah? Bet his magical staff can’t do what mine can.” His lips turned up and his green gaze lit with mischief.
Her brows rose. “My, you must be feeling better. Is that why you really wanted to go for a walk? So you could ravish me in the woods?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know?”
“Actually, I would.”
“It’s done,” Kalen said, breaking into their exchange. “If the wards fail, we’ll know soon enough. Now for the body.”
