Confessions of a Dangerous Fae (The Supernatural Spy Files Book 1) Page 12

  “It has become quite apparent,” Lugh began with his hands tucked behind his back, “that the plot now involves more than just the return of Nemain. The fae behind this now wish me dead, too.”

  A chill swept down my spine at the matter-of-fact tone of his voice, like he hadn’t just been stabbed repeatedly in the streets a few days ago.

  “Filthy murderers,” the hobgoblin spat. “I will wring their necks!”

  I glanced at the tiny little creature, surprised. Hobgoblins were not known for displaying such intense loyalty, particularly toward fae. They liked to keep to themselves. Saoirse had been right. Lugh had opened the gates for the outcasts of the supernatural world, and they loved him for it.

  Well, some of them. The others wanted him dead.

  I raised my hand, and every eye in the room turned my way. “Yeah, hi. I’m a little late coming into this whole thing. Do we know anything about who they are? Anything that would help identify them?”

  “They have sorcerer connections,” Lugh said. “That’s how they were able to collect the Sapphire.”

  “They’re also growing in number,” Saoirse added. “There were ten in the close, but only a few several months ago. That means they’re meeting somewhere inside the castle without eyes or ears noticing, getting new recruits.”

  A deep frown dragged down the corners of Lugh’s lips. “I reckon they’re using part of the castle that rarely gets foot traffic.”

  “The old residential buildings, the ones that got destroyed during the witch trials,” Warin said in a gruff voice.

  We all turned toward the warrior who rarely spoke.

  “They’re on the western side of the castle, away from everything else. And it’s nowhere near the front gates, so we don’t watch it during our patrols. No one would really notice if fae were coming and going from there, at least not in the middle of the night.”

  Lugh gave Warin a grave nod. “That settles it then. Tonight, we will patrol the western buildings. We’ll find the fae behind this attack. And we will deal with them.”

  Despite his morbid words, Lugh seemed to be in pretty good spirits when night fell. Maybe because he finally had something of a lead on the culprits. I had to admit the location made sense. If the traitors were going to recruit more Wraiths to their cause, the best place to meet in secret would be these buildings.

  Our crew took to the cobblestone streets. Night had fully fallen, and thick clouds obscured the inky sky, smudging a full moon that hung low behind the city buildings. An icy wind knifed through the castle, and frost crunched beneath our boots. Even though we only planned to monitor the current situation, we’d all come prepared just in case we had to act. I had my sword back—the one Clark had gifted me. And Lugh had an imposing spear strapped to his back, silver tip jutting up toward the shadowy sky.

  The old residential buildings were two imposing structures that formed a square, backing up against the western defences and the garden I’d cleared with Imogen. At one point in time, they would have been an impressive sight, but the windows were blacked out and soot crept up the stone sides. In the center of the courtyard sat another statue—or it had once upon a time. Now, it was nothing more than a blackened husk in the shape of a man.

  Our group split up. Saoirse happily went with the hobgoblin, for reasons I couldn’t fathom, while the twins went together. That left me with Lugh as my only option, and I wasn’t entirely sure how I felt about teaming up with him for the night.

  Things between us were strained, and that was partially my fault. I’d stormed out on him, shouting and waving my arms. That said, I would only take part of the blame. He’d been the one who had been messing with me the moment I’d stepped through those gates.

  We all split up to check the various wings of the buildings, and I soon found myself alone with Lugh in the darkness. We didn’t want to use any light, in case the traitors were nearby. They could come and go at any moment if they were using these buildings as their base of operation.

  The halls still held the stench of smoke, even after all these years. As we cleared room after room, all I could think about were the fae who had once called this place home. How had they felt when their world burned down around them? Had they been captured by those in charge of the witch trials? Or had they retaliated?

  Once we’d explored every room inside our designated wing, we found a room on the very top floor that gave a wide view of the courtyard below. The room was dark and empty, but it had barely been touched by the fire. We eased down onto the floor beside the window and waited for the traitors to show.

  Lugh was silent beside me, but I was all too aware of his presence. It was almost impossible to focus on anything else. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the outline of his profile. The sharp, chiseled jaw, the long nose, and the hair that curled perfectly across his forehead. My fingers itched to reach out and brush it out of his eyes, but I bit my tongue instead.

  After what felt like hours of tense silence, Lugh shifted from one knee to the other. “I didn’t think you would stay.”

  “Yeah, well.” I cleared my throat. “I had to help with the whole cauldron thing.”

  “Order from your Queen?” he asked, doing little to hide the sneer in his voice.

  I cut my eyes his way. “No, actually. Whatever you think about Clark probably isn’t true. She gave me a choice. I decided to stay.”

  For a moment, he said nothing. Only silence hung between us, heavy and dark and suffocating.

  “And it’s just for the cauldron then,” he finally continued, voice low. “Not for anything else?”

  My heart skipped a beat. What was he even asking? Surely he couldn’t wonder if I decided to stay because of him, right? Sure, there were rumours flying everywhere that we were in the middle of some kind of thing, and Saoirse couldn’t stop looking at us with a knowing smirk on her face, but none of that meant anything.

  We were practically enemies.

  “Moira?” He twisted to face me, eyebrows furrowed. “You didn’t answer my question.”

  “Oh.” Heat flushed my cheeks. Luckily, we were in the shadows, and he couldn’t see. “What other reason would I have for staying?”

  “Right,” he grunted, and turned back toward the window.

  With a frustrated sigh, I opened up my mouth to snap at him some more—it was becoming one of my favourite past-times—but a glowing blue orb rolled through the open door, distracting me from what I’d been about to say.

  I frowned and pointed. “What’s that?”

  Lugh twisted to face it and cursed. “That’s Sapphire. We need to leg it.”

  Without further ado, Lugh wrapped his arms around me and lifted me into the air. I let out a sharp cry, more alarmed by his bulging muscles than the blue smoke bomb about to obliterate our minds.

  Clinging on tight, I peered down at the Sapphire as he hastened across the room. The glow brightened in a flash, and then a pffffft released the smoke. It surrounded us within an instant, dousing the entire room in a beautiful sapphire haze.

  It only took about five seconds for the effects to hit me. One moment, I was annoyed, uneasy, and curious about the glowing orb. The next, I felt drowsy and kind of elated to be held in Lugh’s arms.

  They were such strong arms. I never wanted them to let go of me.

  Lugh stopped rushing through the room, thank the Morrigan. All the motion was making me dizzy. I just wanted to stop and stare at the floating cloud. And his face.

  He had a very nice face.

  I wet my lips as he set me down, my feet finding the floor beneath us. Blinking up at him, I couldn’t help but fixate my gaze on his chiseled jaw, those lips that pursed with irritation every time I went near him, and those eyes. They were as black as the darkest night.

  Such nice eyes.

  “Moira,” he said in a low growl. “Stop looking at me like that. We’ve been hit by a heavy dose of Sapphire. Everything you’re thinking, everything you’re feeling, it isn’t real.”
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br />   A slight frown pulled down my lips. He was partly right. We had been hit by the Sapphire, and it was specifically meant to make someone pliable, enhancing their libido. It would explain why I wanted nothing more than to curl my body around his.

  Nice face, nice eyes. And very nice body.

  But he was also partly wrong. What I felt wasn’t a lie, made up by some deep dark magic. I felt something for him, and it was very real.

  A warning bell clanged in my head, and an ancient prophecy roared to life. One I couldn’t forget. One that meant I could never, ever meet my mate.

  I snorted and swayed on my feet. Silly little prophecy. Lugh wasn’t my mate. He was the King of the Court of Wraiths. Whoever the unlucky bastard was who happened to be my mate, I hadn’t met him yet. Hopefully, I wouldn’t for years.

  In the meantime, what was wrong with having a little fun with this sexy-as-sin male? Practically purring, I rubbed my hands against his rock hard chest and leaned into him.

  He shuddered in response, and he wrapped his arms around my back. Tipping back my head, I peered up at him. Desire and danger swirled in his dark eyes, lighting magic up along my skin. His power curled through me, beckoning me closer.

  “Do you want this?” he asked thickly.

  “Mm hmm,” I murmured, closing my eyes.

  His lips crashed into mine as he kissed me with a fierce intensity that took my breath away. Gasping, I pushed up onto my toes and wound my arms around his neck. His hands slid down my back and skittered beneath my shirt, and he splayed his warm fingers against the small of my back.

  Reaching up, I slid my fingers into his curly strands and clung on tight, pulling his mouth harder against mine. He groaned against me. The sound of his pleasure drove me wild. I didn’t know what it was about him, but suddenly I couldn’t get enough.

  The kiss was great and all, but I wanted more.

  I slipped my hands down his side, curled my fingers around his black cotton shirt, and then yanked it over his head.

  Pulling back, he grinned down at me. He swayed a little, too. Or was that me? “Well, then. Someone sure does know what she wants.”

  “I’ve never been more sure about anything in my life.” I heard the words coming out of my mouth almost as though they were coming from someone else. It was as if a deep dark part of me had sprang to life, quashing down any and all caution. Logic had no place in my mind, not anymore. I wrapped my legs around Lugh’s hips and pulled him down to the floor on top of me.

  He growled and ran his hot mouth along my neck. Shivers raced through me, causing me to arch my back. My hands found his chest. I ran my fingers along the ridges of his washboard abs, his perfectly-sculpted pecs. His skin was smooth and hot and flickering with a magic that shot new waves of desire through my core.

  I had not been lying when I’d said I was certain I wanted him. What was this Sapphire stuff? Some sort of truth potion? I knew it enhanced libido, but it was more than that. It was as if all my fears were suddenly gone. All that was left was the truth of what I really wanted deep down inside.

  I slid my hands down his chest and fumbled with the button on his jeans. For a moment, Lugh froze, his breath puffing in front of me. And then slowly, almost excruciatingly, he reached down and wrapped his hands around my wrists. Wetting my lips, I flicked my gaze to watch his next movement. He pulled my arms over my head and pinned them to the ground.

  Arching over me, he stared down into my eyes, his own flashing with the same need churning through me. His pupils were heavily dilated; his cheeks were flushed with a deep crimson. He looked high. Hell, I probably did, too.

  “What are you doing?” I whispered. “Kiss me.”

  And so he did. His lips pressed against mine, softer this time. His mouth speared mine, his tongue diving against my own. Moaning, I melted against him, wanting nothing more than to feel his lips on my body for as long as I could.

  A little voice whispered in the back of my head, but I blocked it out. There was something I was forgetting. Something we were supposed to be doing. But whatever. I didn’t care about that. All I cared about was Lugh.

  My core ached from desire, and I arched my back to grind against his hips.

  With a gasping breath, he pulled back and shook his head. For a moment, his eyes cleared, as if he’d shaken the Sapphire right out of his mind. “We need to stop.”

  “No,” I murmured, reaching out for him. I, on the other hand, couldn’t shake the Sapphire, and I didn’t care one bit. Not when Lugh’s body was pressed so tightly against mine.

  He leaned down, growled, and nipped my ear. “I don’t want it to be like this, drugged out of our minds. When I finally have you as mine, I want to be one-hundred percent in charge of what I’m doing. And I want you to know I mean it when I say I’ve never wanted anyone more.”

  He stood and grabbed his shirt from the floor. That was when we heard the scream.

  14

  The scream jolted me out of my Sapphire reverie. In a split second, I was on my feet and racing down the hallway behind Lugh. He tore out of the building and into the square where the twins were circling the area, swords raised high in the air.

  “What happened?” he barked, his spear in his hands, even though I’d never seen him reach for it.

  Warin spun on his feet, eyes flashing this way and that. “We heard a scream. Sounded like Saoirse. I don’t know how they got by us.”

  Lugh swore. I knew what he was thinking. I was thinking it, too. If we hadn’t been so distracted by our...ahem, activities, then we would have been on the lookout. We would have likely seen the attacker lurking around.

  Distracted...

  Frowning, I glanced up at Lugh. He met my eyes, his expression grim.

  Of course. That Sapphire hadn’t just appeared out of thin air, after all. It had been meant as a distraction, a way to keep us from peering out the window. We’d been tricked, and we’d fallen for it.

  “You two search that way.” Lugh jerked his head in the direction of the western defences and the cliff wall that plunged down toward the city. “Moira, you’re with me. We need to find Saoirse. Now.”

  Just as I started to jog across the courtyard, the hobgoblin stumbled out of the shadows, blood dripping down his side. He fell to his knees, yellow-green eyes wide as he gasped for air.

  With a shout, Lugh launched toward him. He skidded to a stop by his side and scooped the little creature up into his arms. His ears flicked back, and his oversized feet flopped as if the life had gone right out of him. My mouth went dry as I watched Lugh run out of the courtyard. Blood dripped onto the cobblestones with every step he took.

  “Where are you going?” I jogged to keep up.

  “I have to get him to the healers.” Lugh tossed the words over his shoulder. “He can’t heal like we can. Search for Saoirse.”

  Dread crept through me as I watched Lugh disappear around the side of the building, heading in the direction of the healing ward. I spun to glance behind me. The twins had already disappeared, searching their end of the courtyard for Saoirse.

  It was just me out here. All alone to face the enemy. Judging from the wound in the hobgoblin’s side, they were very much armed.

  The Sapphire still churned through my bloodstream, chasing away most of the doubts and fears flaring in my mind. Gritting my teeth, I unsheathed my sword and stalked toward the spot the hobgoblin had appeared. The ground level of the building I approached was lined with several thick archways that led to the blackened underside.

  With my back pressed up against the side of one of the archways, I peered into the depths, half-expecting a Sluagh to jump out and chomp me on the leg. In the distance, a clock chimed, startling me to the point I thought I might keel over from fright.

  Why the hell was I so shaken up? I was Moira Talmhach, warrior and badass fae. I could do this thing.

  It’s just...it was really, really bloody dark beneath this building.

  And so I did what every muppet in a horror film doe
s. I inched into the darkness and called out, “Saoirse?”

  Something slammed into the back of my head, and my sword was yanked out of my hands. Stumbling forward, I winced at the pain radiating through my skull. I whirled toward my attacker, fisted hands held at the ready, but I could see nothing more than the ripple of shadows in the night.

  I’d been pushed deep beneath the building, and I couldn’t see a damn thing.

  A deep laugh echoed around me. “How does it feel getting hit by a metal sign?”

  Ice slipped down my spine, and I jogged to the left, hoping I could confuse the attackers with where I’d gone. I had no idea how many of them there were. If it was the same as the attackers in Barrie’s Close, it would be at least ten. Which meant I was sorely outnumbered. Without a sword, without backup, and without even a damn sign.

  And they had all of those things.

  “Not too tough now, eh?” another voice said, this one female. Was this the leader I’d seen fight Lugh? Maybe. Her voice sounded distantly familiar, like I’d heard it before.

  I pressed my lips together, refusing to say a word. That would give away my location, and if I had any hope of getting out of this thing alive, I’d have to run.

  An irritated sigh filled the silence. “Fine. We’ll use our hearing then. We’ll be able to hear you breathing.”

  Stilling my breath, I focused my own enhanced senses on my vision, letting the darkness fade into grey. I still couldn’t see very well. Everything was a dusty, smudged painting, obscured by the extreme lack of light. But there were smudged forms shifting through the smog. It was enough to give me an idea of where they were.

  And there, the looming shape of several ancient archways.

  But while I’d been focusing on my sight, at least one of them had been sharpening their sense of sound. The second I moved, they would know exactly where I was. I had to act fast, but there was one last thing I had to do before I ran.

  I took a very quiet sniff. Scents flooded my nose, battling each other for dominance. There was the stench of char that overpowered almost everything else, left behind from the fires that had plagued this castle during the witch trials. Beneath that, there was the unmistakable scent of lavender, along with oak moss, bloody iron, and crackling dead leaves.