CHAPTER 12

They hadn’t been in battle, weren’t directly engaged in a war, and yet here they were again trudging to Sir Rodney’s castle with the bloody and the wounded. Sasha was so disgusted she could spit. Shogun was passed out and being carried by Hunter and a Fae archer; the arrow wouldn’t kill him, but Amy’s panicked attempts to stop the bleeding might. Yet, who could have blamed the poor woman?

All of it had happened within the blink of an eye, when taut nerves and full-moon rapid reflexes had kicked in. Shogun got shot, broke the arrow off. Aghast, Amy covered the gushing wound with hands already bloodied from her previous kill. Now Sasha’s future brother and sister-in-law had to spend the night in a sidhe dungeon waiting on blood tests and surgeons. Plus Sasha and Hunter needed to get hosed down, too. Both of them were splattered with Shogun’s blood, and the short carry to the gates of the sidhe had left them drenched in it.

Sir Rodney met them at the gates with Garth and Queen Cerridwen. “Are you injured beyond Shogun?” Sir Rodney called out, rushing in closer.

“No,” Hunter shouted back, “but my grandfather must hurry! This man is in pain and going into shock. He knows the medicine of the wolf packs to deal with silver burn.”

“We’ve got a silver-shock antidote here,” Garth said, running alongside Shogun’s body as his men accepted it from Hunter. “Once we became allies, we retooled our infirmary.”

“Good looking out,” Hunter said, falling back. “But his fiancée also needs a bath.   and quarantine in comfortable environs, even if it must be behind silver bars for a few hours.”

“Just until Silver Hawk gets here with Doc’s results,” Sasha said in a reassuring tone. “It’s a precaution for him now more than ever.”

Sasha waited until Amy nodded and then rushed away to catch up with Shogun while Garth’s men transferred him to a livery. Before Sasha crossed into the magick density there was something basic that had to be done. She had to communicate with her team.

Placing the cell call to her squad and the NAS, Sasha punched in the connection with bloodied fingers. The moment the call connected, she relayed everything to Doc in one long run-on sentence.

“We’re on it,” Doc replied quickly. “We’re sending Silver Hawk back your way with not only his medicine bag but some serum.”

“How bad is it, Doc?” Hunter said, speaking into the phone over Sasha’s shoulder.

“I won’t know for a coupla hours.” Doc let out a harried breath. “Step outside that magick citadel and call me back—I’ll have word then, all right?”

“You and the team lay low,” she said. “Be careful. I love you.”

Sasha looked up at Sir Rodney. “Sometimes this is just faster than a Fae missive, no offense.”

“None taken.”

She hated this and could tell Hunter did, too. Seeing both Amy and Shogun behind bars in separate cells wore on every fiber of Sasha’s being. But to the Fae’s credit, they’d transformed each cell into a modified bedchamber, replete with a privacy screen. At least Shogun wasn’t in agony anymore—at least not from the wound in his shoulder, which had been patched up and was beginning to heal. But there was no measuring the personal agony he was experiencing as he sat, freshly bathed, over a nearly raw steak and sullenly ate so that his body could regenerate. He and Amy couldn’t even touch fingers through the bars because the bars were silver coated and they were Weres.

Clean clothes and a bath hadn’t made Sasha feel clean or much better. The entire business of separating Amy and Shogun sucked.

“We’ll be back,” Sasha said as gently as possible. “The moment Silver Hawk comes and Doc gives us word, this confinement will be over.”

Shogun nodded but didn’t look up as she went to Amy’s cell and clasped the bars.

“It’s all so unfair,” Amy said in a fragile voice, and then wiped at two big tears that rolled down her freshly soaped cheeks. “Why can’t we Weres touch silver? Why can’t I come to the bars and clasp them like you.   or go in and out of the shadows so that I can be with my fiancé? Why does the moon make us lose all self-control, but you are a wolf, too, like my Shogun, and are able to keep your human much closer? I don’t understand what they think will happen! Why are we caged? The Fae shot him and he was no threat. Why would they do that?”

“Because they were aiming for you, and I would take a hundred arrows that one should never mark you.”

Amy bit her lip and pressed her hands against the wall that separated them and for a few moments Shogun just closed his eyes and breathed in her scent.

“You bathed in lavender,” he murmured.

“Yes.   they said it was calming.” Amy’s voice became a soft purr. “But knowing you will be all right is what helped.”

“In a few hours it will be midnight.   and the pull you feel now is only a fraction of the power within that gets released at the apex of the eve. If we are infected, there will be no control.” Shogun looked up from his plate and stared at Hunter. “I will answer your other questions for you, sweet Amy. Visit with me in voice, since we cannot touch. It will give us something to focus on, something to keep us close to our human side while we endure this torture. My brother and his mate cannot even fathom how we feel..   They are Shadow Wolves; we are Werewolves. There is a difference.”

Shogun left Hunter’s gaze and began to slowly cut his steak. It was the most dignified dismissal Sasha had ever witnessed. The alpha clan leader of the Southeast Asian Werewolf Federation had spoken. Sasha pulled away from the bars feeling the sting of Shogun’s words. She could tell by Hunter’s lowered gaze that he did, too. But what else was there to do?

They turned and left the dungeons, escorted back to the main castle’s war room by three burly palace guards. Nine more hung back, keeping their gazes lowered. Guilt stained their faces as they moved to lock the outer dungeon doors and then take up their watch posts.

But the question that haunted Sasha was how could they find out who called the Erinyes? Was that what was stalking the wolf leadership? The bizarre thing was, however, something had cruised them and simply spied on them without harming them. That wasn’t like any demon attack she’d ever heard of. Most times when a demon happened upon you it was going in for the possession or the kill. Whatever this was seemed like it was just curious or gathering data. No matter what its purpose, the whole thing was unnerving.

With no immediate leads at their disposal, the only person to cross-examine would be the queen. Sasha released a soft sigh as she and Hunter entered the war room. The last thing she felt like dealing with was another pissed-off lover.

“How is he?” Sir Rodney said, pouring a stein of ale all around. He stood as Sasha approached the table, and took a seat with Hunter after she did. “This is all such a nasty business.”

“My brother is probably going to be all right physically,” Hunter said, and then rubbed the nape of his neck. “If he is not infected and the girl is not infected, he will be a happy man. If not, I might as well go down there and put a silver bullet between his eyes. He will never be the same again if Amy Chen has to be put down.”

“I don’t understand this thing that has happened,” Queen Cerridwen said quickly. “Lady Jung Suk was a demon—she made a pact with that traitor from my court, Kiagehul, to become invisible and to be able to possess that poor girl. Therefore, when she was summarily executed, everything of her should have gone away.” Queen Cerridwen stood and paced and then set her cold blue gaze on Garth. “If you cannot redress that butchered spell, then I will have my top advisors leave the safety of their haven to come help our strong allies.”

“Now milady is usurping your advisors with her own?” Garth said, narrowing his gaze. “ ’Tis a dangerous thing indeed, milord.”

“ ’Tis a dangerous thing to speak so rashly before my queen, Garth. Do not forget your place.” Sir Rodney took a slow sip of his ale and stared at Garth over the lip of his stein.

Garth simply nodded and stood back from the table. But the brief volley of angry words gave Sasha the in to the conversation she’d dreaded.

“If there was a breach in loyalty.   treason, then could it be possible that someone in your court who has not been routed out yet might be interested in your demise?” Sasha leaned forward, studying the queen’s intense composure. “No blame against you, but they did plot an overthrow before. The last time it was Sir Rodney’s. Could it be that someone from the Unseelie Court is trying to implicate you in Vampire attacks to cause a costly war.   then they could double back and strike their own deal with the Vampires—selling you and Sir Rodney out, now that you’re allies?”

“Completely Machiavellian and completely possible, were it not for the fact that Rodney and I have swept our courts with the most insidious round of spells we could muster. Truth spells and oath sealers that would wither a liar right before our very eyes. All of our most trusted advisors were subjected to this. Our inner circles are squeaky clean.” Queen Cerridwen lifted her porcelain chin and drew up her fragile features. “That is the first thing I thought, too. I like how you think.”

Sasha released a quiet breath of relief. The last thing she wanted to do at the moment was offend Sir Rodney’s latest lady love. This day and night had already been eventful enough.

“Even Kiagehul’s kith and kin have been interrogated and bewitched,” Sir Rodney said, lifting his stein. “The Fae are ruthless when betrayed, as well ye know. This time we left no stone unturned.”

“No offense, but the Vampires are equally ruthless when violated,” Hunter said evenly. “I hope that you have barricaded your establishments for the onslaught due tomorrow night.”

A sly half smile appeared on Sir Rodney’s face and he shared a glance with Queen Cerridwen. “On the morrow, my wolf friend, the Vampires will wish they had never beheaded a single Fae. Our establishments are bespelled, readied for the attacks. We have imported the best magick slingers from the old country—London, the Bonnie Isles, Wales, and my beloved Scotland. They have sent their executioners from Romania and Transylvania and the old Czech Republic, and so forth. They tipped their hand with the gargoyle onslaught. Our advisors have scryed into the cauldron pools to learn of this, using the skin of one of their captured beasts. They will rue the day they have come to tangle with the House of Shannon of Inverness!”

“Okay.  ” Sasha said carefully. “But there’s also a human population in the center of New Orleans where the French Quarter is—where a lot of your establishments are and where the Vampire blood clubs are located.”

“We are aware of this problem, but sometimes in war there are sacrifices,” Queen Cerridwen said. “We have done our best to use methods that will minimize human casualties..   Our forces are poised to strike and then draw the fight into the bayou, but we cannot guarantee that there will be no loss of human life.”

Sasha rubbed her palms down her face and leaned on the round table on her elbows. “I understand, and given the circumstances, if it were the wolf federations under attack, we would have to employ the same methods. But this thing with the Erinyes is sticking in my craw.”

“And mine,” Hunter said, suddenly standing and beginning to pace. “What was it that came to spy on me, Sasha, Shogun, and Amy, but didn’t attack?” He turned suddenly, searching all the faces in the room. “The Erinyes are demons, yes? They are Furies; rage is what propels them. So why would they just come as invisible beings and stare at us?”

“That’s what we can’t figure out,” Sasha added. “It’s as though whoever raised these things said, ‘Go check on the wolves in the area, but don’t attack yet.’ We’re being monitored in a very weird way.”

“Erinyes redress the fury of the dead. If you are not being attacked, then whoever raised those entities must not have seen the wolves as culpable of whatever crime or offense they feel had been committed.” Garth looked at Sir Rodney. “Which would certainly rule out the theory we’d been working on that Kiagehul somehow left a backdoor spell that would avenge him upon his death, so that those that had wronged him would be beset by Erinyes. The wolves were the ones that hunted him down and dragged him to court. The wolves helped us collect the implements to break his nasty spells on the House of Shannon.”

“Right. That’s why none of this makes sense.” Sasha sat back in her chair and took a sip of her ale. “We’ve been wracking our brains on this, trying to figure it out from every possible angle. The Vampires have any number of groups that could be pissed off at them. But there’s only a few that can actually raise demons, have a human soul, and deal with the element of cold like the Fae..   I mean, no dark coven is a match for your Fae sweeps, and I doubt one would try to go against them, no matter what the Vampires promised.”

Hunter looked up at the moon. “My grandfather should be near by now, and Doc should have an answer.” He glanced back at Sasha. “Perhaps once he has communed with my brother, we can go into the shadow lands with him and walk near the demon doors for answers?”

Both Shogun and Amy looked up in unison as the dungeon doors opened. This time no guards came in with Hunter and Sasha, only Silver Hawk wearing his ceremonial garb.

“What is the meaning of this?” Shogun said in a quiet, lethal tone, standing slowly, his eyes filled with rage. “You have come to murder us in our cells with a shaman as witness! Will that make you both sleep better at night?”

“You promised!” Amy shouted, and then rushed the bars, forgetting about the silver and burning her hands. “At least open the cells and let us die together!”

“No one will die,” Hunter said, presenting the keys. “We came to beg your pardon and ask your forgiveness that precautions had to be met. My grandfather came in ceremonial robes to marry you here and now if you want, so that, Shogun, your one request—to not dishonor Amy—could be met. We owed you that.   and if you would still like, we will also stand with you at your more formal ceremony.”

Amy held out her hands, trembling as Silver Hawk first opened her door and then placed a balm from his medicine bag on her palms.

“Child,” he said in his ancient, wise voice. “A beautiful bride in a gossamer gown must be able to touch the face of her beloved without pain. Trust me and allow me to heal you.”

Hunter opened Shogun’s door and was met with a warm hug.

“Thank you, Brother..   Forgive my harsh words.”

“No apology required. If I thought you were going to kill my mate, my reaction would have been no less.”

“You know the Fae,” Sasha said with a warm smile. “They have wronged you with an errant arrow and have rolled out the red carpet to try to make things right. There’s a suite for you upstairs filled with the best of everything. Be happy.”

Shogun left Hunter’s side and went to Sasha but looked over his shoulder. “May I?”

Hunter nodded. “Yes.   because you are settled.”

“I am settled,” Shogun said, and then drew Sasha into an embrace. “Thank you, sister.”

She nodded and released him, glad that the butterflies had gone, glad that there was no twinge of what-if in his eyes or her gut, even under the full moon. Their eyes met and he gave her a brief nod that contained a wistful sadness merged with understanding as he left her side and found Amy in her cell. Patiently waiting until Silver Hawk had removed his hands from Amy’s injured palms Shogun went to her and then drew her into his arms.

Their kiss was slow and questioning, building in ardor as Shogun’s fingers threaded through Amy’s silken river of onyx hair. Silver Hawk lowered his gaze and stepped away. Two Fae guards opened the dungeon door as Hunter, Sasha, and his grandfather moved toward it, blocking the eager guards from entering.

“They are prepared for the ceremony upstairs,” a guard said brightly. “Glad that all is well. So, we stand at the ready to escort the bride and groom to a much cozier stay. Our Fae hospitality is legendary.”

“That it is,” Sasha said with a smile, walking past the guards without looking back.

“But what of the ceremony and the feast?” The second guard glanced back at the slowly closing door.

Hunter and Silver Hawk shared a look as the outer dungeon door slammed shut. He landed a thick hand on the confused man’s shoulder. “Maybe in the morning. I’m sure Sir Rodney will definitely understand.”