Page 27 of Fae Divided
Although he had no way to verify Cameron’s fate without another risky conversation with Prince Myles, Sarah had let James know at their last rendezvous that Abby had returned to the island—her hair pure white. If Grayson’s subordinate was still alive, Samuel and the Guard had the shifter locked-up.
James’ bad temper communicated itself to the crew, and the return trip was notably silent. Even Simmons was wise enough to keep his mouth shut.
“Strip,” he said when they pulled into the drive and exited the truck. Undressing to his boxer briefs, James left his vile-smelling clothing in a pile on the ground and converted to his wolf. He was running toward the fallow fields surrounding the farmhouse before the others had finished removing their shirts.
The sun was rising when James finally returned, wolf panting with exhaustion. His paws and muscles were sore, haunches muddy. His snout covered in rabbit blood.
He slowed to a trot and froze mid-step, ears pricking at the unfamiliar voice coming from the front yard. Lowering into a crouch, his wolf crept on its belly toward the sound, his primal instincts on high alert. James moved in slow increments, hugging the side of the house until he could see Grayson and an unknown male standing toe to toe on the graveled driveway.
“Is he responsible for Nelson’s disappearance?” the stranger asked. James couldn’t see his face, and though his frame was twice as lean, he stood an incredible half-head taller than Grayson. He wore a tailored gray suit, his platinum hair hanging long and straight to his slender waistline. “You assured me allowing Reed conjugal visits wouldn’t jeopardize my plans. That he wouldn’t use his female to relay information to her brother.”
“If you understood anything about Ferwyn males, you wouldn’t make such an ignorant assumption,” Grayson said with a snarl, his eyes bright yellow. “I guarantee his Ca’anam knows nothing about the Athair. Nothing about Cameron.”
“And yet, your acting beta is gone…and so is my prized possession.” The male leaned forward into Grayson’s space, menace vibrating in every word. “Explain how this happened and why Reed is still a part of Clan Walker? I made it clear he was to be bound to you as quickly as possible.”
“Príoh Walker still holds his bond. I cannot break it. No other Alpha can.” Grayson scrubbed hard at the back of his neck, shoulders uncharacteristically hunched.
The wind shifted. A sweet, flowery scent and something James could only describe asunearthlywafted on the slight morning breeze. Who was this…creature? What was his race?
“When is the next scheduled meeting with his mate?”
Grayson paced in front of the taller male in apparent agitation, pulling at the dark hair on his scalp with both hands while muttering, “We don’t hurt females. We never hurt females.”
“You will do as your master orders.”
Grayson surged forward as though breaking free from invisible chains and shouted, “I will not hurt a female!”
The stranger’s right hand lifted in a stop motion, magic radiating like a mirage of heat from his palm. Grayson hit his knees, clutching at his nape and scratching at the skin with converted claws. The cloying smell James now identified as lilacs thickened the air, raising his wolf’s hackles.
The male circled behind the fallen Alpha, revealing for the first time delicately pointed ears and a countenance too beautiful for Earth’s realm. He was Elven.
Eyes the color of fine silver glittered like stars in an ageless visage, words heavy with power tumbling from lips so pale they were almost blue. He settled his long, elegant fingers on the crown of Grayson’s head, and an eerie white light filtered up through the bloodied hair on his neck. The distorted, glowing lines half the size of a standard dog tag.
“You will obey me.”
“Yes, master.”
Athair. Father. Master.The incredible rumors of a pureblood Sídhe leading the rebels were true.
The Fae Lord released Grayson and pushed up the sleeve of his suit coat. He undid the button of his dress shirt and folded it back, shoving his bared wrist underneath the shifter’s nose. “Drink.”
Grayson’s canines elongated, and he bit into the Fae’s vein, sucking greedily. James’ stomach turned as he watched the shifter’s throat work, his chin dripping blood.
What the ever-loving hell?
Dádhe blood was used to temper the hunger and manage the base nature of the younger, weaker members of their House. A single drop ingested by a human during a feeding turned what was ultimately a painful encounter into a desirable one; evolution’s way of keeping a vampire’s food supply willing and plentiful. A Dádhe’s essence could also, to a lesser degree, influence the Anwyll. But Ferwyn were already magically bound to a pack Alpha and immune to the effects of vampire blood.
“When will Reed see his female again?” The Sídhe withdrew his arm, licked a red smear from his healed skin, and readjusted his sleeves.
“Two days.” Grayson’s tone was flat, his eyes dead and brown.
James prowled closer; every heightened sense attuned to the dangerous Lord. He ignored the dazed Ferwyn kneeling at the Fae’s feet—and the outcasts who responded to their Alpha’s distress and now lay prostrate on the ground after a mere flick of the Sídhe’s wrist.
“Bring her to the farmhouse. I’ll give you further instructions once you have her contained.”
“Yes, milord.”
Bloodwhooshedin James’ ears, his wolf vision going scarlet around the edges with rage, his chest tight. Whether they planned to use Sarah to influence him or her brother Samuel, it didn’t matter. He wouldn’t allow either scenario. No harm would come to his mate while he still breathed.
