Runaway Fae
By
A. J. Cove

  

 (copyright by A.J. Cove, February 2009

 Cover Art by Alex DeShanks, February 2009

 ISBN 978-60394-278-2

 New Concepts Publishing

 Lake Park, GA 31636

 www.newconceptspublishing.com

  

 This is a work of fiction. All characters, events, and places are of the author’s imagination and not to be confused with fact. Any resemblance to living persons or events is merely coincidence.

  

  

  

  

  

 Chapter One

  

 “If you have a problem with what I’m doing, Liam, that’s just too bad. I’m an adult and can make my own decisions.” Shauna glared up at her long time friend, annoyed that he had decided to block her opening into the human world. “I just thought you’d be supportive.”

 Liam ran a finger down her cheek, staring into her eyes. She trembled and pulled away and he sighed. “Shauna, you are a princess, a Faerie princess. You cannot leave Faeland without an armed escort. No matter how old you are, that’s still true.”

 She frowned, wanting more than anything to throw a childish tantrum right about then. “Like I need you to remind me of that, Liam? I’m reminded of who I am every freaking day when I have to sit in court with my parents, ruling over stupid, boring problems that these stupid boring people have.”

 With a growl, he grasped her by both arms and held her against his chest. She forced herself not to pay attention to her nipples skimming against his hard chest. This was her friend, and because they had both developed over the last twenty-five years, into adult Fae, lately, she had trouble remembering that.

 She had wrestled with Liam in the grass down by the lake, sparred with him in the school yard when the instructor wasn’t watching. Now, she couldn’t seem to take her eyes away from his body, all muscles and hardness in so many right places. She bit her lip thinking of it. But she didn’t want anything to change between them. Liam didn’t see it that way. So, she was leaving sooner than later.

 He glared down at her and then his gaze dropped to her mouth. He had caught the movement of her biting her lip, and seemed mesmerized by it. Shauna squirmed against him to get free. It had the opposite effect. “Shauna, you and I ....”

 “No.” She shook her head. “We’re friends, Liam. We’ll always be friends. But right now, I have to leave.”

 “Why?” She heard the hurt in his voice. It was no secret to her that Liam was content with living his entire life in Faeland. Even when he had been offered the position of retriever, he turned it down because it would mean leaving Faeland too often. She couldn’t respect that. “Why can’t you just stay, Shauna?”

 “I’m sorry.”

 He kissed her then, rough and hard. Shauna allowed it because she would miss him with all her heart. And because he tasted so good. The tip of his tongue parted her lips, while she curled into his firm hold. The erection he sported was stiff against her stomach, making her want to stroke it, to feel it inside her. She was dizzy with his kisses and took a long time to remember her vow. Friends and only friends. Nothing more.

 She pulled away from him when his mouth trailed to her neck. “Let me go, Liam. Please let me go.” She cupped his face in her hands. “You know how unhappy I’ve been here, how this simple life just isn’t for me. I want excitement and adventure. If I thought you wanted it too, I would say come with me.”

 The shock of her words was clear on Liam’s handsome face. He paced some feet away in the brush. He rubbed at his neck as he appeared to be listening to the sounds of night around them. She had chosen a perfect time, midnight when all the Fae were at the Festival of Magic. No one would notice them missing. Hopefully.

 “It just seems wrong to let you go without telling someone. You are a princess ....”

 “Don’t start that again. And I know you won’t betray me, Liam. Please, you can’t betray me.” She rushed to his side, looking up at him to gauge his unspoken decision. “Once, you said you would do anything for me.”

 “I was drunk ... and off duty.” He had the grace to laugh. “I said some things that shouldn’t have been said.”

 Shauna ran a hand down the front of his uniform, feeling his muscles tense. She wasn’t above seducing him to get what she wanted. Liam’s growing feelings for her were obvious to everyone who watched him stare at her whenever they were in the same room. He could be stronger, she thought. Wilder, more dangerous. She had never told him that.

 “You said you love me,” she began. “So that wasn’t true? It was just the drink talking?”

 “Shauna.”

 “Tell me, Liam,” she demanded, already realizing her plan of seduction would not work. She was still a tomboy at heart. “Explain to me why you lied to me about how you feel. Tell me you say one thing and mean another.”

 He grabbed for her again, but she moved out of reach.

 “Loving you means caring for you. Making sure you’re okay.”

 “You’re not my guard! I left them in the town hall, partying like everyone else. Getting drunk, and saying what they don’t mean to some other unsuspecting virgin.”

 Liam’s features darkened. She had gone too far. Backing up a step, she tripped over something on the ground. When she would have fallen, he caught her. Then, with a wave of his hand, easily executing his magic, he closed the portal she had opened earlier. “Your guards may not be doing their job, but I am. I am still a royal guard, despite not being assigned to you. It’s my duty to watch over the king’s family. Period. Now, I am taking you back to the party. Or if you prefer, I can escort you home.”

 She fell into step beside him with no choice since he still had a firm hold on her arm. “Always safe,” she muttered.

 “Excuse me?”

 She spoke louder, “I said, you’re always playing it safe. I’m sure that will make a nice common Fae very happy some day. After all, you’d be shooting too high for your station to pursue me.”

 Shauna knew she was hurting him more with her words, but she was bitterly disappointed. For months, she had planned and plotted to go. All that time, she had hoped he would give in and go with her. Instead, Liam had blocked her escape. Right then, she hated him.

 Liam walked stiff and proud at her side. “You’ve made how you feel very clear to me, Princess. The carefree children we were are in the past, as you’ve said. And apparently, so is our friendship.”

 Tears welled in her eyes. I’m sorry. She would have to start all over again to find a way of escape, and this time, if Liam had no reason to keep an eye on her, she might succeed.

 * * * *

 Shauna stepped stiffly up to the palace door and nodded regally to Liam, something she never did to anyone. It had the desired effect of making him back off. He gave a small bow but waited until she opened the door. When had he become such a stick in the mud, she wondered? Years ago, he had gone skinny-dipping with her in the lake at five in the morning. It was freezing cold and drizzling. They were so stupid, but they had had fun.

 Now, as she paused on the step with her hand on the knob to go inside, she noticed the moonlight shimmering in his midnight hair as it curled about his handsome face and pointed ears. It was true, with his build, those smoky grey eyes and that considerate disposition, some woman would consider herself lucky to have him. But not her. It couldn’t be her. Not because she was above him being a princess. She hated herself for saying that to him. But because she craved adventure and Liam craved security. They would never meld well together, would be at each other’s throats before a year was out, just like they were now.

 “Goodnight, Liam,” she whispered.

 “Goodnight, Princess.”

 It hurt. She turned to go when an explosion lit up the night sky. Both of them spun toward the orange ball curling up from the town hall. When Shauna would have run back down the path leading there, Liam stopped her. “No, you go inside where it’s safe. I’ll send a guard to protect you.”

 She shook her arm free. “No, I’m not staying here while my family’s down there. Something is going on, and I intend to find out what.” She started off again, but this time Liam lifted her off her feet. As hard as she struggled against him, it was pointless. Shoving open the palace door, Liam called out to her family’s long time caretaker, “Ultan!” The old faerie shuffled into the hall. “Make sure she stays. For good measure, I’m putting a spell on all exits so she can’t come out before someone releases it.”

 Shauna stood in the lobby of her home fuming and worried. The explosions continued, and now as she watched Liam cast the spell and run down the trail, she saw that the fire was laced with red and black around the edges. Every Faerie knew what that meant. Evil. Something evil was attacking their village, and as far as she knew, it had never happened before.

 A check of all the windows and doors of her home indicated that Liam had kept his word. Each time she shoved against the doors or windows, they held. None opened more than an inch before an unseen force slammed them closed again. She tried magic of her own, as she had been trained right along side Liam as he developed over the years.

 When a warm glow started in her hand, she pointed toward the door. “Oscail láithreach bonn!”

 The door shook against its hinges, but didn’t give. She tried again with the same results. Then after trying for two hours, the door suddenly gave. It blew off the hinges and slid out across the bushes that lined the grounds around her home. Shauna darted out of the opening and ran full speed toward the town hall.

 The explosions had stopped a half-hour before, but she heard screams still as she neared the area where the Festival was held. She gasped in shock and terror as she witnessed her countrymen fighting the dark magic cast by tall slender creatures with skin as black as the night sky. The hollow ting of swords clashing and dull thud of one entering flesh, made her stomach turn.

 Shauna’s thoughts were of her family, her mother and father and older brother. They must be safe. She couldn’t imagine why the guards hadn’t escorted them back to the castle as she had been left. And though Liam had promised to send a guard to her, none had ever arrived. Fear drove her forward, to search the area for those she loved.

 The hall was destroyed. Only rubble remained where the old hall had stood for over three hundred years. Tears sprung to Shauna’s eyes as she stumbled over the debris. When she fell, she cut her hand on a discarded sword, and she picked it up. It hung too heavy, but she gripped it in two hands while searching.

 “Help me, please!” It was her mother, somewhere in the trees beyond the scene of destruction. Shauna ran carefully to avoid turning her ankle. When she burst through the trees to a small clearing, it was to find her mother being attacked by one of the dark creatures.

 Without thought, Shauna charged, holding the sword out in front of her. When the point pierced its back skin and it screamed on the night air, Shauna spewed the contents of her stomach. She dropped the thing dead at her mother’s feet.

 Shauna wiped her mouth on her once beautiful ball gown, now stained with soot and dirt, torn from sharp items snagging it. She tumbled into her mother’s arms. “Mother, what happened? What’s going on? Where is Father and my brother?”

 “Shh, baby. Calm down first.” Her mother told her to calm down, but she felt the woman trembling. Her mother had always been the strong one, standing up to anything, including her husband. She didn’t like to experience the situation that could bring her mother to her knees.

 “Mother, where is our family? Where is Liam ... or ... the other guards?” Shauna was terrified of hearing the words that she knew her mother would say.

 “They are dead.” Her voice quivered. “First the guards, then your father and brother. Those monsters came from portals all around the hall. I don’t even know how they could open so many at once and then for us not to know ahead of time. Our magic was no match.”

 Shauna sobbed against her mother’s chest. “Mother, you saw my father and brother die. What about Liam? Please tell me you aren’t sure, that maybe he can be around here somewhere.”

 Her mother shook her head. “I’m sorry, Shauna. I know how much you loved him, even if you denied it. Everyone else saw love growing between the two of you. Your father and I discussed it, him being a guard and you a princess. It would not have been proper for you to marry him.” Her voice broke. “But your father would have given you anything.”

 Shauna cried out, “No, Mother. It-I-I broke off our friendship just tonight. I said things that I didn’t mean to him. I was cruel. And now, he’s gone and I can’t make it better.”

 Her mother tightened her hold, as they sat under the waning moon, with smoke and ash in the air. The screams lessened, the clang of swords died away, and the black creatures slid out through portals as the sun rose in the sky over the weeping Faerie village.

  

  

  

  

 Chapter Two

  

  
 Shauna sat at her mother’s side in court. She no longer had to make decisions over the predictable problems of the Faeries, and neither did her single remaining parent. While she and her mother were still royalty because of their birth, her second cousin, Shamus, was now king. Impossibly, her life was even more boring. It had been three years since her father, brother and Liam had been killed, and she was still filled with unrest.

She leaned toward her mother. “Mother, I’m going to step out a minute.”

 “Shauna, this is your duty.”

 “I have to use the facilities.” She didn’t, but any excuse to get free of this mediocrity would do. “I’ll be back soon.”

 Her mother nodded, and Shauna slipped from the room. Passing the nearest bathroom, she continued down the stairs, around a few corners and out through the front door. As if on cue, a guard fell into step behind her. Her heart was heavy knowing it would never be Liam again, who had frequently switched duties with another guard so that he could escort her. Guilt still wracked her when she thought of how she had treated him the last time she saw him.

 Shauna strolled down to the lake and along a short pier leading out over the water. She glanced back at the guard who stood a discreet distance away. Sitting down on the edge to remove her shoes, she remembered all the times she and Liam had splashed in the water here as children and then as young adult Fae.

 A time that stuck out in her mind was when she had first started growing breasts. Liam had grown too, she noticed—way too often. On one of their last skinny dip sessions, when she was ninety-eight years old, her friend hadn’t been able to take his eyes off her. “Liam, what are you looking at?”

 His face reddened and he dropped his gaze to the water’s surface. “Nothing. You just look different, that’s all.”

 She had thought he meant different bad, not different good, so she had run to the water and jumped in to hide her changing body. “I can’t help it,” she snapped when she came up to the surface, to cover her insecurity. “And you changed too.”

 How could she have not noticed the long thick rod extending from his body? It made her pant with longings she had not had before. More and more she began to notice how Liam’s shoulders had widened and his chest had transformed from the scrawny look of an adolescent to the chiseled muscle of a man. And when they accidentally brushed against each other in passing, she had felt him grow hard, saw how his eyes dropped to her developing breasts too often. It had been time to end their innocent dips naked in the lake.

 Now, as she dipped her feet into the cool water, her heart ached as strong as it did on that fateful night three years ago, when the creatures that she now knew were the Darklings had attacked their village. The vicious and evil creatures had hated the Faeries for centuries, despised their way of life and the respect they commanded in most other realms. It had been pure and simple jealousy, she thought bitterly.

 “And with all that we lost, how can I leave my mother. It would break her heart,” she whispered to the rippling surface below her. Yet, she did want to leave. She knew it was selfish and wrong, cruel even with the anniversary of the killings coming up soon. But more and more she found it hard to beat down the unrest in her soul. She needed to be free of the trappings of her gilded life. “How many princesses have wished to be ordinary?” she sighed.

 With full resolve to grin and bear it and even to consider courting the Fae her mother had recently begun pushing her toward, Shauna stood, slipped on her shoes and turned to go back to the castle. At least court would be almost over. Only another hour and a half to go before the doors were closed.

 * * * *

 Dejavu. She stood in the doorway of another portal into the human world, in the same wooded location as before with Liam. Shauna glanced back toward the newly built hall, with guards at the ready all around the perimeter and weeping Fae on the inside. They weren’t celebrating now, but mourning the loss of so many loved ones.

 Shauna had spent her time there, crying over her father and brother, but especially Liam. She had sat at the shrine in the center of the room, pleading with Liam to forgive her, while knowing he never would. And when the time was right, she slipped away into the night to keep her appointment with her destiny.

 She had slaved for hours over the letter she left on her mother’s pillow, begging for forgiveness for leaving. She would return in a few years maybe, when the novelty of the human world wore off or she became homesick. But she didn’t expect to feel a need to return, with memories of her lost friend all around her in Faeland.

 With one last look back toward the hall, though she couldn’t see the building from where she stood hidden in the trees, she stepped through the portal. As she did, she thought she heard running and yelling behind her to stop. It was too late; she was through and the portal was closing.

 She stepped into darkness, earth beneath her feet. At least she thought it was earth. The ground moved and wiggled, making Shauna lose her balance. Whatever was beneath her in the dark, reared up to toss her off itself, and she went hurtling forward and down. A scream was wrenched from her throat before her breath was cut off by freezing, cold water. She sunk beneath the murky depths, feeling something tugging at her ankles to drag her lower. Using magic, she flung bolts of light at the thing, shocking it until it let go. When she was free, she swam to the surface shivering and coughing.

 The moon had been hidden behind clouds and now it shone dimly in the night. Shauna glanced around her. Water and more water. She couldn’t even locate the thing she had landed on after she came through the portal, but suspected that it was what had grabbed her ankles.

 She swam forward a short distance, waiting for her eyes to adjust more to the darkness. It had never been this dark in Faeland. Even at midnight, there was some light. Was this how the humans lived? It seemed depressing, and she began to wonder if it was a mistake to come.

 “Perhaps I just landed in a bad area,” she mused.

 Still, there was nothing to see. Where was the land? As she tread water, considering casting an illumination spell to shed more light on the area, a noise behind her caught her attention. She spun around to find a large ship bearing down on her. Waving her arms in the air, she began to yell out. “Help. Please help me.”

 When she spotted someone leaning over the side of the ship, a grin spread across her face. Praising the person’s perfect aim, she grabbed onto the floating device he threw down directly in front of her. She was hauled up to the deck, and slipped on the wet wooden surface as she brushed hair from her eyes. “Thank you. Thank you so much,” she muttered as she rung out her hair and tried to get her dress from clinging to her legs. Stupid of her not to have worn something better suited for travel. A laugh bubbled in her throat until she looked up to greet her rescuers.

 Creatures. Shauna screamed and very nearly threw herself back over the side of the ship, but one of them grabbed her arm to hold her in place. She looked ahead and behind the ship as far as she could see, but still there was nothing in the darkness.

 With trepidation, she examined the silent crew who were all staring at her. She remembered them, the tall slender beings with black skin. The Darklings. Large eyes, pointed ears. Here they were in various stages of dress. Some were naked; others were fully clothed or wore only a shirt or pants. None wore shoes.

 As she examined them, one created a ball of black and red fire in his hand, and he tossed it up and down, a tactic to scare her, she supposed. It was working big time. She pressed her body back against the side of the ship, wincing as the wooden side bit into her back. Her heart pounding, her throat dry, she chewed her bottom lip in anticipation of one or all of them attacking her to end her life.

 One of the Darklings, an older one she guessed by the deeper carvings in its leathery face, approached. “Look what we have here.” Its voice grated, like fingers on a chalkboard, pitched high and unexpected. “A pretty young Fae, lost in the darkness. And here we are, just in time to save her before she’s eaten by the creature that lives in the deep.”

 She frowned. Who was it calling creature? It needed to look in the mirror.

 “Such naughty thoughts,” another voice said, deeper, sexier.

 Shauna glanced up to where she heard the male voice, and gasped in shock. It couldn’t be. He was dead. Confusion and hurt warred inside her. Tears blurred her eyes and she tried to blink them away. They fell unbidden onto her cheeks, and she wiped them hoping he wouldn’t notice.

 The man she mourned, the one she lived in guilt over how she had rejected his love stepped down a grouping of four stairs to cross the deck and stand before her. His thumb came up and he wiped the last traces of her tears from her face. She shrunk from his touch, sensing the evil inside him.

 Liam was different. Most noticeable was the fact that his skin, once so pale as all the Faeries had, was now deep blue. His smoky grey eyes, which she had loved, were almost black. A jagged scar ran from beneath his right eye down across his cheek to his chin. It made him appear dangerous, terrifying. “Liam. How can you be alive? I was told ....”

 “I know what you were told, Shauna.” He leaned forward to kiss her lips. She tried to turn away, but he captured her chin to force it up. When his mouth closed over hers, Shauna fought not to enjoy his touch or the tip of his tongue teasing her lips. After a moment, he drew back. “It was easier to allow everyone to think that I died.” He shrugged.

 Understanding dawned. “Y-You were involved in the attack. That’s why you never sent a guard for me. You arranged with these beasts to kill my family!” She flew at him, ready to claw at his marred face, to give him a matching scar on his left cheek. He easily caught her and lifted her off her feet. Shauna fought against him, kicking as hard as she could.

 The creatures laughed when she got in a good hit to his shins, and Liam growled. He flipped her around so that she was facing away from him and bound her arms to her sides with one of his. Struggling against him did nothing. She couldn’t remember Liam ever being this strong.

 During the times that they wrestled in the grass as children, she would always win because Liam wasn’t strong then. He was little more than a scrawny Fae, with long skinny arms and legs. She had often told him he looked like a little wet bird when he emerged from the lake. And every time she beat him, pinning him to the ground, he’d turn red, he was so mad. Her father, the king, had told her, “Shauna, don’t be so cruel to Liam. He’s little now, but I see him growing into a powerful Fae one day. And I also suspect, he’s going to make you pay for all the times you bested him.” Her father had chuckled then, touching a fingertip to one temple, telling her to remember. “Mark my words, Shauna.”

 Now held in Liam’s iron grip flattened against the length of his body—a body that was doing sensual things to her own—Shauna knew this was the start of his payback. Liam marched silently with her in hand across the deck to a wooden crate positioned next to the stairs he had descended earlier. He sat down, flipping her face down on his lap and placing one hand on her rear. She knew immediately what he planned.

 “Liam! You are not going to spank me.” The high and mighty command in her voice was unintended.

 A flick of his eyebrow as he grinned down at her told her her tone hadn’t been lost on him. She was nobody special in this realm, and on this ship, cutting through the darkness at a fast clip, Liam might as well be king.

 “Is that a command, Shauna?” he chuckled, the black eyes gone cold. “Do you remember the times you beat me at wrestling when we were children?”

 She twisted her head away from him to stare down at the floor. “No.”

 He laughed again. “No? Let me remind you.” He leaned down close to her ear, while stroking her rear. She gasped, tensing her muscles and trying not to let him get to her. He knew what he was doing. “You called me wet little bird. How inferior I was to you in every way.”

 She broke down, “I’m so sorry, Liam. I shouldn’t have said those cruel words to you before the attack. It was mean and I didn’t intend to destroy our friendship.”

 Before she spoke, he had been nuzzling her hair, breathing deep. Now, she felt him go stiff, the muscles of his legs tense. “Didn’t mean it? Of course you did, Shauna. You may not have meant to say it, but you felt it. You were the princess, I was your guard. Or rather one of your family’s guards. Indulging you as a child was fine, but we both knew your father would have cut it off soon enough to find you an eligible mate.”

 “That’s not true. In fact, mother told me recently that they all knew you loved me and I—well, she said my father would have given you to me if I wanted you.”

 Her words did not soothe his anger. If anything, she had made it worse. “ Giveme to you? You spoiled little—” He brought his hand down hard on her behind to shouts of glee from the creatures.

 Shauna cried out only once and then ground her teeth together. He would not get the satisfaction. Tears streamed down her cheeks with each stinging blow. When he finished, he shouted out a command in some language that Shauna didn’t recognize. She heard feet scurrying about and a door opening and closing.

 Liam repositioned her so that she sat on his lap. He lifted her chin and gasped when he saw her tears, as if he didn’t know he was hurting me , she thought bitterly.

 “Shauna,” he whispered.

 She tried turning away, but again he used his strength against her. When he kissed her, she wanted to hate his touch, to hate him, but her mouth and her body craved him. He tucked her closer to his chest, touched a hand to her head and a small shock made her head jerk backwards. Before she knew what was happening, her world darkened and she slid into unconsciousness.

  

  

  

  

 Chapter Three

  

 Liam stood at the side of the bed watching Shauna sleep. She was still so beautiful, her chestnut hair worn wavy and long, accenting her wide green eyes. He hated himself for making her cry, hated the evil that lurked inside him. He had wanted to humiliate her and spanking in front of the Darklings seemed the best way to accomplish that. He had succeeded. Seeing her cry had nearly killed him.

 Liam had accused her of being spoiled and that was true, but in truth, he too had given her whatever she wanted. It was hard not to when she stirred his senses just entering any room he occupied.

 When he had come to live in the dark world with the Darklings, all he could think about was Shauna. She haunted his dreams on a daily basis. He had resolved to forget her, to live in this perpetual darkness for eternity, but when Darcy informed him that she had set in motion her plans, he had no choice but to bring Shauna here. It was the only way he knew to protect her. The question was, would she believe the truth when he told her, or the lie his blue skin told.

 He moved to sit beside her, reaching up to brush away a strand of hair on her forehead. Her long sooty lashes fluttered against her cheeks, making him want to kiss each eye and her nose and her lovely mouth. He grew hard thinking that way, wondering if she had been intimate with another Fae. Jealousy rose in his heart. Had he shared her bed even once, it would have made the last three years less of a living hell.

 “Shauna, wake up, baby.” He leaned close, brushing her lips with a kiss anyway. Before he could draw back, her eyes flew open and a stinging blow struck his chin. His head snapped to the side and he winced. Leave it to the tomboy princess to direct a punch at his head instead of slap. “Feel better now?” he demanded as he worked his aching jaw.

 She sat up. “Not yet, but I will. As soon as I get out of here and back home.”

 “I thought you were headed to the human world.” His gaze deliberately mocked her.

 “I was until I stepped into this nightmare. Did you have something to do with that too?” She gave him a look that said she still believed he had attacked and killed her family. It was time he shared the truth.

 He reached a hand out to her to help her up. She ignored it and slid to the edge of the bed, before moving to a chair positioned against the wall. He sighed. She wasn’t going to make any of this easy.

 “Shauna, I did not kill your family. I did not have anything at all to do with it.”

 She rolled her eyes, “Yet, you are alive instead of dead.”

 “So my crime is being alive instead of dead?”

 “You know what I mean.” She pointed a finger at his chest. “Your skin is dark blue. I don’t know much, but I know no Faerie’s skin looks like that unless they’ve been tainted with evil. The Darklings used to be Fae. They embraced evil and slowly turned black with the sin of their ways. For you to look like you do, I don’t have to guess that there is evil in you. I feel it every time you ki ... touch me.”

 He grinned, knowing she had been about to say kiss. It was gratifying to know she was affected by him, but not too pleasing that she sensed the evil lurking inside. There was nothing to be done about the darkness in his soul; he could only control it, not use the magic and hope that would keep him from turning completely black. The Darklings were depraved, evil creatures that thrived on hurting others. It had been trying to his sanity to live among them.

 “What you say is true, Shauna. There is evil inside me, but I can’t help that. Given a choice at the time, I would have elected to die rather than live this way.”

 She looked at him, startled. “What do you mean?”

 He recounted to her the events on the night of the attack.

 He had cast the spell that would lock Shauna inside the castle and hurried back to the town hall. It had been a shock to find the area crawling with Darklings. Many Fae were already dead as the Darklings outnumbered them five to one. Liam drew his sword and leapt into the fray, all the while keeping an eye out for a guard he could send back to the castle to protect Shauna. Oddly, none were in view at the time, except those that lay dead.

 Fighting his way into the hall, he glanced around at the carnage. Blood stained the walls, the floors, and the tables with their once pristine white tablecloths. Dead bodies of Darklings and Fae lay about the floor. Spotting the prince fallen, with a Darkling poised to kill him, Liam leapt over a chair, threw aside a table and made it in time to drive his own sword in the creature’s back. The thing squealed in pain, and Liam caught it before it fell on the prince. He tossed its lifeless body away and knelt at the prince’s side.

 “Your Highness, where is the king and queen? Where are the guards?”

 He nodded is head across to his father, not five feet away, the glassy-eyed stare indicating death. “The guards are all dead. They were struck first. My father’s dead. He told my mother to run. Please, help her, Liam, and my sister. Where is my sister?”

 Liam noticed the blood spurting from the prince’s side and on the floor beneath him. If he didn’t get a healing Fae soon, he would die. “Shauna is safe. Come, we’ll find the queen together.”

 The prince shook his head, resisting. “No, I’ll only slow you down. Please, you must go after my mother, she—” His eyes widened in shock at something behind Liam. When Liam swung around, it was too late. A sword, held by Shamus, next in line to the Faeland throne, drove deep inside him. It cut through him as easily as slicing hot rolls, coming out of his back. The pain was unbearable. Liam felt himself losing consciousness, but fought to stay alert so that he could help the prince. But even as he mentally commanded his body to move, it would not. He had to watch in a state of blurred unreality as Shamus drove his sword again and again into the young prince, until he was dead.

 Liam’s eyes were closing, but he forced them open as Shamus strode toward him, a wicked grin of triumph spread across his face. “Why?” Liam thought he said aloud, though it could have been formed in his mind. He was so weak and in such pain.

 Shamus didn’t seem to hear. “Well, my friend. You are the last guard, and I’ve just killed the prince. What a great day ... for me.”

 Liam didn’t remember anything after that until waking up in a room full of darkness, a darkness that was beyond anything he had ever seen. The air fairly vibrated with evil. It choked him, made his insides burn. He gasped, surprise suffusing him. He was alive? But how?

 “So, you’re finally awake, Fae. Good.” A voice above him spoke to him, a musical sound, haunting music. “I thought I might have to give you more of my magic. I’m not sure you would want to wake up if that were necessary.” She laughed at her own levity.

 Liam tried sitting up, but found he was still too weak. She came around him then and pushed him back down against the bed he occupied. His eyes widened in shock and fear at the black creature before him. Her skin was black, her eyes and even her nails. But despite that, somehow she was beautiful. She wore a crimson dress with white ruffles around the collar and the wrists. Her straight dark hair was caught up in a bun at the back of her head, making Liam question the old-fashioned style of dress. Her figure was slender, dainty, and as evil as he knew she was, she was wholly feminine. The attraction he felt capturing a glimpse of her cleavage as she bent over him to check his forehead for fever, disgusted him.

 “What did you do to me?” he demanded.

 She smiled. “I saved your life.”

 “You should have let me die.”

 “Tsk, tsk. Is that anyway to thank your savior?” She stood and gathered a bloody cloth from a side table, wringing it in black water. “Now, you need your rest. We can talk about how much you owe me later.”

 Liam glanced about the room. Either he was getting used to the darkness or something was wrong. There was no light in the room, no window, yet he could see the furniture clearly. It was as old-fashioned as the clothes the Darkling witch wore, heavy and scuffed with years of use.

 The woman left the room and Liam stared up at the ceiling, wanting her to come back and explain to him what was happening. He wanted to know if the queen was safe, more importantly if Shauna was okay. His heart ached to see her, to make it right with her after they had parted on such horrible terms. They had argued before, but this time it had such finality. He didn’t mean what he said. He could no more walk away from her than leave his own body.

 As he thought on these things, rage grew inside him, out of proportion and unnecessary. He had been angry before, but this was different. If felt ... evil. His eyes searched the room, wild and fearful. And then he lifted his arms, his fingers curved and stiffened. He shot bolts of magic from his hands against the walls, the ceiling, and the door. Plaster, wood and cement exploded beneath the onslaught of black and red fire.

 “No!” Liam pounded his fists against the bed. He could not be a Darkling. His magic could not be evil magic. With despair welling inside, he looked at his hands. The skin was darkening. Where it had been almost translucent in its paleness, it was growing more and more blue. “Please, no.”

 The door blew open and the woman stood there serene, a small smile on her face. “Naughty Fae,” she cooed. “Or maybe I should not call you Fae anymore.” She laughed at that.

 “I am not a Darkling!”

 “Not yet.” She moved into the room and sat an overturned chair over to sit in. “You will become a Darkling if you continue to access the dark magic that is now a part of you. In order for me to save you, I had to use my magic. It bonded quite nicely with your own magic. Just as you demonstrated here,” she waved a hand about the destroyed room, “you can easily come over to our side of things with the wave of a hand.”

 Liam closed his eyes, lying back against the pillow beneath his head. “Why? Why did you do this? So many Fae were killed. I was just another guard.”

 The woman moved to sit on the bed beside him. She ran a slender hand along the side of his face. Again, he felt the attraction, hating it. He turned his face to the wall, then pushed her hand away. She grunted at his rejection. “It’s simple. I want Shamus, the man that is now King of the Faeries. You will help me get him, one way or another.”

 “And if I refuse?”

 “What else are you going to do, Fae? Go back to Faeland and tell them how Shamus was working in league with the Darklings to take the leaders of Faeland down, just so he could take the throne?” She sneered at him. “Have you checked your skin? You would be more likely to be their suspect. And the more the hatred and the anger build in you, the darker you will become. So what’s it going to be, Fae?”

 Liam had seen no way while he was still so ill to turn down the Darkling witch. He would bide his time, and figure out what to do when he was well. “Okay, fine. But my name is Liam. What’s yours?”

 She rested a hand on his shaft and it grew hard. “My name is Darcy.”

 * * * *

 Shauna rubbed her forehead as she watched Liam share the last of his story. It seemed impossible. She didn’t know whether to believe him, especially since her cousin had been nothing but good to her and her mother after the death of her father and brother. And just like he said, his skin was evidence against him. Liam was not the man she used to know. Anger was stark in his eyes; evil radiated from his being.

 “How can I believe you?” She indicated his clothing. “I mean look at you. You used to wear the official uniform of the royal guards. Now black leather? What am I supposed to think, Liam?”

 He frowned, crossing to stand in front of her and capture her in his arms. She willed her body to shut away the emotions swirling inside. Liam bent his head toward her ear, nibbling lightly at the lobe. She trembled despite her efforts to remain immune to him.

 “You’re supposed to trust me, Shauna. You of all people. Darcy was right in that I couldn’t go back. Add to that the fact that my Faerie magic fought with the dark magic like it was a disease raging inside me. At first it seemed the two had bonded, and then all hell broke loose.”

 She pushed him away, “All hell is right. I feel the anger and hatred in you. I’ve never felt that before, not even in my cousin Shamus, whom you say orchestrated all of this. We all know that if a Faerie commits evil, he or she will eventually begin to take on the characteristics of their sin. So why is Shamus as pale as any other Fae? Answer me that?”

 His hands dropped to his sides. “I don’t know.”

 “And who is this Darcy? What does she want with my cousin?” And are you two lovers? She couldn’t bring herself to ask that last question, fearing to know the truth.

 “You will know soon enough. We are sailing to her home.”

 Chapter Four

  

 Shauna stepped out of the Captain’s cabin into the narrow walkway that led to the upper deck. When she stepped out into the open air, she was surprised to see it was still night. Glancing again at her watch, she was sure she had been below deck for hours. It should be going on seven in the morning, yet no sun rose in the East.

 Darklings scampered around her, their black-eyed stare scared her, and forced herself not to shrink away. From her experience so far it looked like the creatures delighted in scaring others. She’d be a prime candidate if they knew how much she still wanted to cry out in terror. Looking over the side of the wooden rail, she stared down at the black water, hating that she had been in what looked like an oil spill out of control.

 Dim lights lined the walls, fizzing black magic around them. She suspected that the lights were for her benefit. The Darklings and Liam had no trouble seeing in the pitch black. As she watched the East, with time slipping by, it dawned on her that this world of evil was cloaked in complete darkness. No sun would rise. Ever. Liam confirmed her fear when he strolled up beside her.

 “It never comes up.” He followed her line of vision. “For weeks, maybe months, I hoped and prayed that it would, just once to feel its warmth, but it never came up. There is only night in this world. And with the darkness in me, I could adjust to it, to see in even the darkest space.”

 How do you stand it?she wondered. Had she a choice, she would never have come here in the first place.

 “I couldn’t stand it at first, and as I said before, I wouldn’t have come had I been given the choice.” He shrugged, his attention seemingly on the horizon, a horizon she couldn’t see.

 All Shauna’s thoughts stilled. She gripped the rail with nerveless fingers. “You-You’ve read my mind. I didn’t say any of that out loud. And if I remember correctly, you did the same thing when I first arrived.”

 He looked ashamed. Had he been lighter, she might have thought he would be blushing. “I’m sorry. It happens when I least expect it. Believe me, it’s not intentional. I wouldn’t do it otherwise.”

 “How come I don’t believe you?”

 “Why wouldn’t you?” Liam turned and took her in his arms. “Shauna, I’ve missed you.”

 She sighed against his chest, knowing he was her enemy but powerless to pull away. “Don’t change the subject.”

 He drew back to watch her face for a few minutes. She wondered if he was reading her mind again, knowing how weak she was to him. Or if he could pick up that she was so afraid of all of this, this world, the creatures ... of him. If he did, he didn’t admit it. “Each time I access this power within me, the dark side, it grows, threatening to take me over. And when I would deliberately lock it deep within me, never to allow it out, it’s as if it has a mind of its own. Or maybe I have two minds.”

 She shivered, though no wind blew. “What do you mean?”

 “I mean, when I don’t intend to use the dark magic, it comes unbidden. It executes spells. Like when I read your mind. I had no conscious thought to do it. And there have been other occurrences, more serious.”

 Liam had begun stroking her hair down her back, sending shivers of awareness over her body. She wanted to get lost in his touch, to close her eyes and pretend they were both back home and her best friend was still just that. She didn’t want to know about his life here in the dark world if it meant he was not who he had been then. But she liked to think she was as strong a woman as her mother, facing any challenge. She would not believe she was the spoiled princess Liam said she was before he left.

 “What other things have happened? Tell me about your life here.”

 Instead of answering, Liam bent to kiss her, grazing his teeth across her bottom lip. When his tongue swiped the tender area, she parted her lips to let him in. She had insisted they remain only friends, but from the first time he kissed her, she was lost, wanting all of his body. She wanted his hands roaming her hot skin, to feel him inside her.

 The kiss deepened and Shauna slid her arms up around his neck to tangle in his hair. As she tilted back her head to enjoy his exploration of her neck, an odd tingling started at her feet, worked its way up her body until she felt like she was floating.

 Liam’s hands were at her waist, but she felt him spreading her legs as his mouth moved down to cover her bare nipple. Alarm bells rang in her head. She looked up to find she was hanging from coiled ropes of black magic. Her legs were indeed spread with Liam pressed between them, and she was completely naked. Darklings stood around them, taking in the entertainment of she and Liam making love on the deck.

 Shauna screamed, struggling against Liam. She snapped her fingers and was fully clothed again. She held up a hand to hold him away from her. “Is this your way now, Liam, seducing a woman, undressing her with your magic?”

 “Shauna, I’m sorry. It was the black magic taking over again. Please believe me.”

 “It just seems convenient to claim that you have no control.”

 He scowled. Shauna backed away at the sight of the black in his iris and pupils leaking into the whites of his eyes. It was as if he was in the grips of something evil. Is he trying to scare me? Her heart hammered in her chest, and she glanced around to see the other Darklings with similar looks of hate in their eyes. “Liam!” she yelled, not knowing why. “Liam!”

 The black receded. He turned to give a clipped order to the Darklings. They scattered. He swung back to face her again. “Go to my cabin and stay there until I come for you.”

 Shauna wasn’t up to arguing the point. She spun on her heel and fled. When she reached the cabin, she flung open the door, darted inside and slammed it closed. With trembling fingers, she fumbled with the lock. Yet, something told her should Liam want to get in, he could with not much effort. Okay, I believe him , she whispered. The evil in Liam was just barely contained. When he came for her, she would convince him to let her go.

 She stood pressed against the door, breathing hard. Her breath came in short bursts, causing her throat to ache. When she was calmer, she whispered into the darkness. “Light.”

 A dim beam lit the center of the room. She felt the shadows pressing against it, ebbing her strength. Now might be the time to test her ability to open a portal to another world. Anything was better than this. She closed her eyes and concentrated, even though it was hard to get focused.

 Lifting her hand toward the light, she uttered the words to open a portal to the human world. A heavy drain on her spirit sent her to her knees, but the door opened slowly. Through the opening, she saw streets and cars, blessed sunlight. When she sagged in relief, the door began to fluctuate. She couldn’t hold it long enough to take a step forward. With mental effort, she redoubled her efforts.

 A hand closed over hers. An arm waved and the portal closed. Liam grabbed her from behind, pulling her to him. “Do not use your magic again.”

 Shauna struggled against him, hitting at his hand tucked against her stomach. “Let me go, Liam. Here we are again and you’re interfering with my life. You have no right.”

 He lifted her off her feet, marched across to his bed and tossed her on top of it. Shauna swung around to face him, preparing to cast the worst spell she could think of at the man that she now considered her full-fledged enemy. She paused at seeing the black eyes again.

 “Dammit, Shauna, I have used my magic more in the last day with you here than in the last three years. It will stop!” He advanced on her and she cringed. Liam put out a hand and a force pushed her back against the bed. She couldn’t move or speak. “A Fae using magic in the dark world is like holding out a lollipop to a hungry child. Every Darkling will flock to you, to eat you alive.

 “Eat?” She hated that her voice quavered.

 “To kill you.”

 A tremor started in her feet and worked its way up her body. She was so tired of being afraid. She wanted the security Liam had always longed for in Faeland. But after what happened three years ago, that safety didn’t really exist. “I don’t know what you mean.”

 He released the power he held over her to keep her in place, then strode to a desk to sit down. Pulling open a drawer, he rifled through papers until he came to a small journal. Shauna watched as he cradled the book close to him a few moments, and then touched a finger to the clasp. A spell was released.

 Liam flipped open the book and thumbed through the pages. Curiosity at what was written burned in Shauna’s mind. Finally, he stopped on a page. “Ah here is something.” He glanced up; she noted the receding of the black.

 “First night I felt I’d gained some semblance of control over my magic. I reveled in the control. It gave me hope that I would be able to leave, when I was strong enough to maintain a portal.”

 She gasped and he nodded, acknowledging her surprise that he too had had trouble with the strength of Faerie magic here. Until the attack on Faeland, the same had been true of her world for Darklings. Darklings had as much chance as the Fae in other lands using their powers, and vice versa. Only in their home worlds were their powers at their strongest.

 Liam continued, “With dark magic in me, I grew stronger each day, able to wield the power to open a portal here at will. But as you may have noticed, Darklings like to instigate negative emotions. They pick at you until you exhibit what you have worked to control. In short, they wanted me to lose control, to use the blackness in my soul so that it would grow and I would become like them.”

 Shauna was almost afraid to find out the results, but it seemed to help for Liam to share, to confess his sins as it were. On one hand, she was repulsed at what he had become. On another, she was ashamed to admit to herself that his new aggressive masculinity turned her on, as she had never been before. As he ran a hand across his thigh while he studied his book, she couldn’t help imaging what it would feel like to have him lying between her legs. What had happened on deck had been shocking, but her body had nearly sung with the pleasure his tongue caused as he teased her bare nipple.

 At her thoughts, Liam looked up at her. His eyes darkened, but she didn’t think it was from anger. He had read her mind. She looked away, embarrassed.

 “Say the word,” he whispered.

 She pretended not to hear.

 He shrugged. “Darcy brought a group of Darklings to the town square, similar to the Faeland town hall area. Not quite as festive.” He grimaced. “She proceeded to describe to me what these Darklings did, how they had slaughtered innocent Fae and other creatures. I tried to keep myself from hearing her words because I felt the anger and hatred building in me. The way my eyes go black when the magic is accessed, I’m sure you’ve seen it. I felt it happen. My sight actually blurs with a red lens. But I don’t need to see anything. My senses are heightened. The magic is in control of me.”

 He fell silent. He ran a trembling hand through his hair, and Shauna crossed the space between them to hold him. He lifted her onto his lap and hugged her tight.

 “Shauna,” he cried out into her hair. “Baby, I killed them all. Without touching them. Without a sword. I didn’t even utter a spell. The magic lifted them in the air and ripped their bodies apart. Their blackened blood was everywhere. And the others not involved cheered. They loved it.”

 She stroked his face. “It’s okay, Liam. They were evil Darklings. Who knows how many lives you saved just by ending theirs.”

 He shook his head. “Don’t you understand? I had no control. If I get angry enough, without a conscious thought, I will kill anyone. Darkling or human ... or Fae.”

  

  

  

  

  

 Chapter Five

  

 She’s beautiful. Shauna’s heart sank having never in her wildest dreams imagined that a Darkling could be anything but hideous. But Darcy, the healing witch who had saved Liam’s life, wasn’t hideous by a long shot. While Shauna watched, the woman sauntered up to Liam, when he exited his ship. She wrapped her black arms around his neck, pressed a too curvy figure against him and kissed him on the lips.

 Shauna spun on her heel to walk away, but was stopped by giggling Darklings behind her. She raised a spark in her hand and shot a stinging blow to one of them. It flew backward, slid along the pier and rolled into the water. When it swam up sputtering, an indescribable beast came up over it and snapped huge jaws over the Darkling.

 After watching helplessly while their comrade was eaten alive, the other Darklings turned back to Shauna, each baring sharpened teeth and growling at her. She slapped a hand over her mouth, and shaking her head, backed away.

 But the world of darkness was almost all water. Land, if it could be called that, was a series of platforms atop the black water. Shauna mistook her position on the platform and when she stepped back, teetered on the edge. She lost her footing, falling backward as if in slow motion toward the water. In the same instant, she heard the beast coming up to mete out justice to her unwittingly slaughtering a Darkling a moment before.

 When she cried out, Liam was suddenly before her. His hands were at his sides, but she felt the force of his hold. Her body dropped into it, the beast unable to break the surface of the water. Slowly, she was brought back upright to be settled in front of Liam. She watched in awe as Liam turned his head to focus on the Darklings that had mocked her. The three creatures rose from the platform and moved over the water.

 Shauna ran forward and grabbed Liam’s arm. “Liam, stop!”

 He looked down at her while the creatures hung in the air squirming and prayed in their language. “You can’t want me to save their lives, Shauna.”

 She shook her head, but held on to him. “Each time you kill, your soul will get darker. The Fae don’t murder, Liam.”

 “They were going to attack you.”

 “And you saved me. Please, Liam.”

 The hovering Darklings moved back to the platform and landed on their feet, before they scampered away like scared rabbits. Liam lifted Shauna’s chin, staring down into her eyes. “You save me.”

 “I ....”

 “You save me from myself, Shauna.”

 She thought she saw wetness in his eyes, but in the next instant, he turned away and strode toward Darcy. The woman cast Shauna a dark look and linked her arm through Liam’s as the two continued along the platform to a house beyond.

 “Where’s a hot Fae male when you need him,” she grumbled.

 Darcy’s house was old, rundown. It was obvious it had been a glamorous mansion many years ago, but now it was shabby. If the Darklings had so much power, why did they live in squalor, she wondered.

 Darcy sidled up to her. “I suggest you don’t judge by appearances.”

 Shauna’s eyes widened, “You can read my mind?”

 “It’s written on your face, innocent Fae.” She leaned down, being several inches taller than Shauna. “Know what else is written on that inexperienced face of yours?” Her voice turned from sweet and alluring to as grating as the creature Shauna first saw on the ship when she arrived. The woman would probably nag her husband with that same nasty tone of voice that would drive him to murder , she thought. Probably would serve Liam right, if he is stupid enough to marry her .

 “Not interested,” Shauna told her. She glanced around for Liam, not seeing him.

 “You love him,” the Darkling accused. “I don’t mind, but for now he’s mine. Remember that.”

 Anger rose in Shauna. She sneered at the woman. “Be serious. Who would want you?”

 It must have hit a cord with the creature. Her eyes narrowed and she raised a hand as if she would slap Shauna. Liam appeared and held her hand back. “Darcy, if you hurt her, I won’t help you.”

 Darcy backed off. She spun on her heel, calling over her shoulder. “Your room is at the top of the stairs, first door on the right. I’m not showing you there. Don’t feel at all welcome to stay.”

 “Wow, great hostess,” Shauna laughed. “Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.”

 “This is not a game, Shauna.” Liam pulled her into his arms. She struggled to free herself, but he held on. “She will just as soon kill you as look at you. And if you push her far enough, even my threat will not stop her. She will simply find another plan of action.”

 “Just what is her plan, Liam? And what does it have to do with you?” Shauna warned herself not to ask him her next question, but her mouth wouldn’t stop. Her jangled emotions, having dealt with all she had been through in the last twenty-four hours, were on overdrive. “Are you two having an affair?”

 He pulled her tighter, nearly crushing the wind out of her. She gasped, and he lifted her chin. “You want to know if she’s satisfying my sexual needs?” He grinned. “Maybe you would like to offer yourself instead?”

 “Sometimes, you’re as cruel as they are.”

 “My relationship with Darcy is exactly what it needs to be. Nothing more.”

 She stared up at him. “What does that mean?”

 Liam dropped his hands to his sides and turned to stride the way that Darcy had disappeared. “You remember where your room is.”

 Shauna held her back stiff and headed up to her room. She forced open the stiff wooden door, probably swollen from the dampness in the air, and surveyed the same barren furnishings she’d seen downstairs. Worn and outdated. She was fast developing her conclusions about the Darklings.

 After searching her room, Shauna considered trying again to open a portal. She peeked out into the hall, but no Darklings were about. Her room didn’t have a window, as apparently Darklings didn’t have a need to enjoy the view. Of course, there was no view other than a world of putrid water.

 She sat on her new lumpy bed and closed her eyes to concentrate on focusing her power. When she felt she was in a peaceful frame of mind, she extended both hands before her and formed the words that would open the portal. Just when she was going to utter them aloud, something occurred to her. The Darklings had attacked the Fae, apparently led by Darcy, as Shauna hadn’t heard or seen a king here. Darcy wanted Shamus, but for what? A lover? To kill? And why would Liam agree to help her if it was true that he didn’t have anything initially to do with the attack?

 He had told her that he brought Shauna to the dark world to protect her, but from whom? Darcy? Shamus? Liam was full of secrets he didn’t want to share, but she was determined to find out what was going on. If she was the only one who could save her people from another attack, then she would step into the role gladly.

 “But how do I find out what’s going on?” she asked the empty room. Shamus . She needed somehow to convince him to tell her what he and Darcy were up to, to let her in on it, until she could sabotage the entire plan.

 * * * *

 Dinner in the dark world was enough to turn the most cast iron stomach. While Shauna watched Liam swallow questionable food, she sat quietly trying both to keep from vomiting and to glean useful information. The most difficult part was that Darcy was determined to set her off. The woman found it necessary to rub a breast against Liam’s arm every few moments as she bent to share some tidbit of news with him.

 Shauna found herself wanting just once to wield Liam’s power. She would cut the bitch’s head off and feed it to the beast in the ocean. Finally, Shauna couldn’t stand it anymore. She stood. “I’m going to my room.”

 Liam shoved Darcy away. “Shauna wait. Finish your dinner. Darcy enough!”

 Shauna rolled her eyes. “Finish that? It’s disgusting. It looks like sludge.”

 He stood, pulled her gently to his side. “I’m sorry. I’m so used to it, I wasn’t thinking. I can conjure you something edible. Would you like fresh vegetables?”

 “No thank you. I have no appetite.” She avoided looking at Darcy when she said it. She didn’t want to give the woman the satisfaction, but somehow she figured Darcy had wanted her to leave the table. It was just as well. She wasn’t up for games.

 She pulled from Liam’s embrace. “Goodnight.”

 When she reached her room, Shauna slipped beneath the covers of her bed fully dressed. She clicked off the little light she was allowed and lay in darkness to bide her time.

 Hours ticked by at a snail’s pace. She listened to the shuffling feet of the Darklings as they passed her bedroom door. A few stopped outside and hissed as if they smelled her and were drawn to her. She clenched the knife at her side, which she has slipped from the dinner table when Liam was engrossed in Darcy’s conversation. She sighed, hating the ache in her heart. Did he love Darcy now? With effort, she pushed the thoughts from her mind.

 Shauna knew when Liam stopped outside her bedroom. She almost felt him lean against it, heard him twist the knob. Before the door opened fully, she turned her head toward the wall, and willed her breathing to slow.

 Liam’s steps gave a low tap as he crossed from the door to her bedside. She felt him standing over her, watching, wondered what he was thinking as he looked at her. The dark magic had changed his skin. Had it also changed his desires, his dreams? Did he still long for the calm assurance of living in Faeland, or did he like eating sludge and living in darkness?

 Shauna missed talking to him, discussing all that was on their minds, their outlooks. She wanted to ask him what he felt now, if it was more than the dark emotions reflected in his eyes almost every time she looked at him. She could only imagine the war that must constantly be going on inside him. Despite how he hurt her with his actions and his words since she arrived, she knew she loved him still. Nothing could kill that emotion. But seeing him with the Darkling witch made her wonder if he was now better off with her. Suddenly, Shauna was too tame for this dark lord.

 Liam sat on the side of the bed, put his hand on her head and stroked her hair. “I know you’re awake, Shauna. I know all the questions that run through your mind and how you feel about me.”

 Tears wet her face. Thoughts were private; it was unfair of him to invade that private place. She felt naked before him. And yet, she noticed he didn’t admit to loving her in return. If only she could travel back in time and made sure all of this had never happened, that she had never turned her back on Liam or her family.

 He sighed, “Just know that I want to give in to what I feel for you. My body aches to have you right now, but I can’t. Not yet. And I can’t explain to you all that’s happening. It’s a choice I made to keep you safe.” He stood, his hand falling to his side. “It will all be behind us soon, baby. And then you and I will talk about everything, together again. For now, please trust me.”

 When he was gone, she breathed a sigh of relief. For a few moments, she gave in to self-pity and cried. He didn’t love her; his words were those of a close friend. He and she would talk about everything as they did when they were best friends. “Silly me, for rejecting him when I had the chance.”

 She threw back the covers and sat up. Wiping the tears from her face with one hand, she tucked the knife into her pants pocket with the other. While she did love Liam with all her heart, wanted desperately to take his words to heart, to trust him, she needed to do what was best for her. And Liam was greatly ruled by the darkness inside him. Shauna couldn’t take a chance. At some point, he could be completely taken over. Then where would she be? Stuck in this world of darkness forever. No thanks. She would handle the situation her way, and that meant finding out just what Ms. Darcy and Liam were up to.

  

  

  

  

 Chapter Six

  

 The house creaked at every step Shauna took. She inched along at a pace so slow, it would be morning, or was it night, before she had learned anything. Coming to a corner of the upper level, she paused at a sound around the bend. Pressing her back against the wall, she listened.

 “Gdreth jru,” a Darkling spoke.

 Another answered in the same strange language. Shauna rolled her eyes in the darkness. How was she going to learn anything if she didn’t speak their language? Before she could decide what to do, the creatures spoke again. This time in English.

 “Mmm, smell that?” the first one said.

 A giggle, “Yes, smells like sweet Fae. I’m hungry. You?”

 “Yes.”

 Too late Shauna remembered Liam’s warning. The Darklings were attracted to Fae. She didn’t think he truly meant the beasts wanted to eat her, and she hadn’t used her magic for light, which is what made it so hard to advance.

 She turned on her heel and hightailed it as quietly as possible the way she came. Squeals of delight from the two Darklings followed. The sound of their black toenails scraping against the floor as they followed sent chills down her back. Shauna picked up the pace, forgoing quiet. When she made it to her bedroom door, a feat only obtained by dragging her hand along the wall and counting each door, she turned in and slammed the door. The Darklings, a step behind, began scratching at the panel, growling. She knew immediately that they were under orders not to harm her, which meant they were behaving like mischievous imps who wanted to scare her. It was time to turn the tables.

 She crossed the room to her side table and turned up the light, then returned to the door. Squaring her shoulders, she slipped the knife from her pocket and gripped it in her fist. She held a hand on the doorknob, took a deep breath and wrenched the door wide. The two Darklings fell in on the floor. With a move born of desperation, Shauna bent, picked one up by its ear and quickly wrapped her arm about its neck. Not so easy considering it was taller. She managed, pressing the knife into its side.

 “Who wants to play?” she demanded, eyes flashing on the other Darkling. It cringed, holding up its hands and beginning to snivel.

 “Don’t,” it whined. “He’s my brother.”

 “Funny, I don’t care. Just like you didn’t care when you killed my brother.”

 “It wasn’t us. It wasn’t us. I swear.”

 She pressed the knife harder. The Darkling under her arm was crying, not able to form two words. Where was their boldness now, she wondered. The evil drive that brought them into her world to fight against the Fae. Normally, they hid in their holes she had learned from studying up on them only after the attack. They thrived on evil pranks, and only attacked and killed when they were sure of the advantage. At least that was the case with these creatures, the lower order.

 Shauna glanced down, noting the black blood seeping from a nick in the thing’s skin. Suddenly, she wanted to drive in the knife and end its life. The feeling overwhelmed her. She gasped and looked up at the other Darkling. The pleading expression had turned darker.

 Its voice was hypnotic. “Do it. You know you want to. Kill him now.”

 “W-What? But you said he’s your brother.” Confusion clouded Shauna’s mind. She reasoned it out. This Darkling was an enemy, pure evil. It would not be evil of her to kill it. There were so many of them. She shook her head, trying to be sure. “It’s self-defense. It’s war.”

 “Of course it is.” The Darkling in her hold grabbed her hand to force her to stab itself.

 Shauna screamed, “I don’t understand!”

 More black blood ran down the Darkling’s side, her hand and dripped onto the floor.

 And then in a puff of black smoke, the Darklings were gone. The knife clattered to the floor, her fingers gone numb. Shauna looked up to find Liam standing in the doorway. She would have run to him for comfort, to force him to explain to her what just happened, but he stepped back, and the door closed of its own accord. On trembling legs, she crossed to the knob and twisted it. The door was locked.

 Panicked, Shauna shot energy through her palm as she turned the knob. It refused to give. She stepped back and uttered the same words she had the night Liam had locked her in the castle. The door didn’t so much as wiggle this time. There was no reaction at all. Suddenly, her light went out and she was plunged into darkness. She felt her way to the side table to twist the switch that would illuminate the room again. Nothing happened.

 Finally, she gave up and slid down to the floor. On her hands and knees, she felt around for the knife. Feeling the cold metal beneath her fingers, she picked it up and slipped it back into her pocket. She didn’t care what Liam was up to. She wasn’t taking it lying down any more. It was obvious he was in league with the Darklings, even if he didn’t want them to hurt her. Maybe it was in honor of their past friendship. Either way, his generosity could run out at any time, and she’d be in worse trouble. It was time for her to take action, no matter how small or difficult.

 She crawled over to the door and pressed an ear to the panel. No sounds came from the hall, so she replaced her head with her hands. “Wkrot Phr,” she whispered. Her hands began to heat up slowly. She knew from experience that in Faeland, the heat would have burned the wood in an instant without harming her. Now, the wood only smoldered, the sparks giving only minimal light. She uttered the words with more command again and again. The fire grew and the wood burned.

 Shauna remembered the night she had worked so diligently to escape the castle, to override Liam’s spell. It had taken hours, but she’d done it. There was no reason to think that somehow she couldn’t fight against the dark force against Faerie magic in this world, if they were able to execute their own in her world. She wouldn’t give up.

 When her arm muscle ached and her back had a crick in it because of sitting in the same position for hours, her hands finally felt through the burned out door panels. It was just a matter of forcing the remainder of the middle out so that the whole was wide enough to crawl through.

 Once in the hall, she snapped weary fingers to create a night light-like glow on her thumb tip. She used it’s illumination to guide herself down the hall again. And when she came near to the place where she had first met the two Darklings, she closed a hand over her thumb as she tiptoed past. Yet, there was no sign of them.

 Finding her way to the stairs, she hurried down them and headed in the direction she had seen Liam and Darcy disappear when she had first come to the house. She hoped that it was merely the direction of a study or library, rather than Darcy’s bedroom or something. “Let it go, Shauna,” she told herself quietly, on a note of despair. “He’s not your friend, and he certainly won’t be your lover.”

 Voices behind a door stopped her on her way down a hall. She extinguished the thumb light and listened at the door. They were speaking English. She listened closer, recognizing Darcy and Liam’s voices.

 “Darcy, you can’t just go over there barrels drawn. You have to do this the right way.” That was Liam.

 “My way is the right way, Liam. And I’m tired of waiting for you. For three years you’ve battled sickness from the mixture of magic. But now you’re well. Our plan can go forward. Now I have indulged you to let you bring that Fae princess to my world, but that is all I will indulge.”

 Shauna slapped a hand over her mouth, her eyes wide. “Our plan?” So her concern was well placed. Liam was working in league with the Darklings. She bit down on her bottom lip to keep from crying. This was no time to be weak. She needed to gather all the information she could get on their plans. Then some way, some how, she would open a portal to Faeland to warn the other Fae.

 Liam continued, “You will indulge? And what will you do, Darcy? You and I know that you can’t produce more than a spark lately.”

 Shauna looked down to see a play of light beneath the door. Something inside the room exploded. Something else smashed, she guessed, against a wall. If she understood Liam correctly, Darcy had run out of magic. But how was that possible? And if it was true, then why was he cooperating with the Darklings, if not for his own dark desires?

 She pivoted on her heel and felt her way back along the hall the way she came. Out of view of the room, she illuminated her thumb again and glanced around the room she occupied. It was the entryway; the front door was to her left.

 Shauna crossed to the door and felt for the locks before wrenching open the door. Outside on the platform, the wood creaked beneath her feet. Suddenly, remembering how narrow the platforms could be in places, she realized how hard it would be to navigate down to Liam’s ship with just a thumb light. She stood for several minutes indecisive, until she heard Liam and Darcy’s voices coming closer.

 She reached back, closed the door and dropped to her hands and knees. Crawling as quickly as safety would allow, she moved along the platform, feeling ahead and in an arc as a blind person uses a cane to gauge his next step. The shush of the water at her side as she moved set her pulse to racing. A creature in the water was following along, hoping she made a mistake and went over the side.

 When Shauna thought she could not take another second of the darkness all around, a bright light and an explosion of magic lit up the night sky. After so long in the dark, the light hurt Shauna’s eyes. Cries of pain sounded all around her. It was only then that she realized the Darklings had been gathering around her on the outside of her ring of light. Now they cowered at the light, some, the ones that wore clothes, drew swords and held them at the ready.

 Shauna’s attention returned to the bright sky. She held up a hand to shade against the light. Through a doorway twenty feet above the surface of the water came Faeries with wings. “Faeries!” She squealed and stood to her feet almost jumping for joy.

 They came in swarms, the great military-looking Faeries dressed in armor and carrying swords. The Fae rarely flew. It was considered showy. Faeries naturally folded wings into their backs and with time from lack of use, the wispy appendages tended to shrink. Shauna figured some magic had revived the Faerie’s wings knowing they would invade a world made mostly of water.

 She ran out along the pier, stumbling and catching her balance repeatedly. Never had such pale skin looked so beautiful. Tall Fae with muscled bodies set down ahead of her, expressions of determination on their faces. The cling of swords striking with Darkling swords permeated the air. Still Shauna ran.

 “Shauna stop!”

 Shauna looked back to see Liam standing in the door. She spun away and ran faster toward the Fae landing on the platform. One particular Fae was close. She was out of breath when she reached him. “Thank goodness you’re here. I was so desperate to get out of—”

 The Fae’s sword came down in front of Shauna, the point inches from her throat. “Princess Shauna, you are under arrest for crimes against the Fae government, specifically for allying yourself with known Fae enemies such as the Darklings. You will come with me.”

 She gasped, “That’s not true. What are you talking about? I’ve been held here against my will!”

 The man wouldn’t listen. He cast a spell that had Shauna’s wrists in blue-green cuffs before she knew what he was about. Wresting to free herself, she spotted her cousin over the shoulder of the man in front of her.

 “Shamus, please help me. This is ridiculous.”

 The new Faerie king strolled with confidence up the pier. Shauna was sure her own confidence in his innocence of Liam’s charges were unjustified seeing the man’s clear white skin. Shamus strode up to her and touched her cheek with a fingertip. “Little cousin.”

 Shauna sagged toward him in relief. He would straighten all of this out.

 “Kill her. There’s no need for a trial. We’ve seen what these creatures are capable of. Kill them all.”

  

  

  

  

  

 Chapter Seven

  

 Shauna stood frozen in shock that her cousin had ordered her death, the man who had sat laughing and teasing with her father at the dinner table. That this was the same man who had held her and her mother when they cried at the memorial for her father and brother. This couldn’t be true, yet even as she stood there, even then her mind wouldn’t let her believe it. There must be some mistake.

 The sword was raised above her head, readying for the blow that would kill her. For the life of Shauna, no counter-spell would come to mind. Nothing would free her of the cuffs and her legs and feet weren’t working. Then she was in a vortex of space and time, lasting only a second or two, and she felt Liam’s arm wrap around her. She looked back to find he had transported her to the doorway where he still stood.

 “Shauna, I must get you to safety.”

 “No, I have to try to convince my cousin that ....”

 He growled, shaking her. “There is no convincing you can do. What I told you is true. Shamus killed your family, and if you stay he will kill you too because you know the truth. Face it,” he snapped. “You are branded a traitor.”

 She shook her head, “No.”

 “Yes!”

 Shauna would have gone on arguing with him had a cry of joy not interrupted. She turned in time to see Darcy running down to meet Shamus. “My darling. I knew you would come back.”

 Shauna gasped, “My darling?”

 Liam didn’t answer. He continued to watch the scene before them. Fae and Darklings fought around them. This time, and she didn’t understand the reversal as had also been the case three years ago, the Fae were stronger than the Darklings, even in their own world. The Darklings were being slaughtered. It was not natural, the level of magic the Fae were demonstrating in the dark world, just as it had not been natural that Darklings had been so powerful in Faeland three years ago. Something was out of balance.

 Darcy’s cry again caused Shauna’s attention to return to her. She grabbed Liam’s arm, barely aware that she dug her nails in his flesh, so shocked and afraid was she. Shamus had just plunged a sword into Darcy’s chest. A howl of agony and pain such as she had never heard went up in the dark world. From the lowest beast to the highest ranked Darkling, they joined in screaming their pain at Darcy being killed.

 Liam didn’t wait for explanations or repercussions. He grasped Shauna around her waist, waved an arm and a portal opened. Roughly, he dragged Shauna through. The hustle and bustle around them, people coming and going at the end of the alley they came through to, let her know that after so many years of waiting, Shauna was finally in the human world.

 * * * *

 Shauna sat in a corner of the hotel room she had been able to secure for herself and Liam. Unable to show himself out in the opening, he had hid in an alley around the corner from the seedy motel where they had found shelter. She tapped the arm of the chair, her thoughts whirling over what they had just been through.

 “I don’t understand what’s happening, Liam.” She ran a hand across her face, exhausted since she hadn’t slept. “You told me Darcy wanted to get Shamus, but you didn’t say what for. It never occurred to me that they had been lovers and if so, where did that leave you?”

 Liam was pacing the floor like a caged bear. He had already drawn the curtains closed, flicked off the light, sending the room into shadows and he still shaded his eyes with his hand. “This is not the time to discuss this, Shauna. My head is beginning to pound with all the light.”

 She blinked, “But with all you’ve done, it looks like night. And the sun is only beaming on the backside of the shades.”

 “I said it’s not dark enough!” he snapped.

 Shauna backed off. His eyes had gone dark. Antagonizing Liam in that state was a mistake. And then she remembered her mother. She jumped to her feet. “My mother! I have to go back to Faeland to be sure she’s safe.” Shauna threw open a portal and took a step toward it. She paced through air alone, and whirled to face Liam, her resolve not to bother him, crumbling. “You open that portal up now. I’m not sitting here while my mother is in danger. Maybe your girlfriend is dead, but as far as I know my mother is alive. I’m going to get her.”

 Liam marched over to her, and she backed up until she thumped against the door leading to the hall. Still he came closer, so that his body trapped hers with not a quarter of an inch separating them. “Let me explain something to you so that you get it through your emotionally clouded mind.”

 She gasped at his cruelty, while fighting against a desire to run her hands along his body. Thoughts of stroking his rear came to mind. She shook her head to focus on his words, for even his harshness with her—the danger she saw in his eyes—drew her to him.

 “When you use your magic, magical creatures can track you. The human world is much bigger than either Faeland or the Dark World. We could get lost here and they would never find us.”

 Shauna smirked, “Like you wouldn’t stick out like a sore thumb with that blue skin of yours.”

 He continued as if she hadn’t spoken. ”But should you go back to Faeland, and share what you know with your mother, then she too would be in danger from your cousin. Think about it, he never harmed you while you were in Faeland. Because as far as he was concerned, you and your mother were two harmless female Fae—princess and former queen, sure—but nothing more. No threat whatsoever.”

 Shauna pushed at Liam’s rock solid chest. He didn’t budge. “You don’t have to be so blunt about it. Now that I’m out of that dark place, the strength of my magic is back. I can defend myself just fine. And when I go back to Faeland, it will be even stronger. I will fight to bring down my cousin.”

 Liam threw back his head and laughed dramatically, annoying Shauna enough to want to smack him across his damn blue face. He became serious and gave her a challenging look. “You could try,” he whispered.

 “You’re still using your powers.”

 He sighed, then moved away from her to sit on the bed. “You’re right. I have to spend time trying to control it. If I use my magic, we can still be traced. If I control it, deaden it, you and I can live a peaceful life together, with none the wiser.”

 Shauna stared at him in disbelief. “You can’t be serious, Liam. We can’t just move on as if none of this happened. I’m still worried about my mother. I’m worried about the rest of the Fae under the rule of my cousin, and I want to go home.”

 He gave a dry chuckle. “That’s a switch. You spent years plotting to leave Faeland, with plans never to return. Now you can’t wait to get back.”

 “And I can’t believe you would run away from this fight. I thought you were different. It looks like you’re the same old Liam—wanting nothing to stir your peaceful, boring life. I’ll pass, thanks. If I have to go to Faeland alone, then I will. You can stay here and see if the humans will accept a blue Faerie or Darkling or whatever you are.”

 Shauna crossed the floor to the bathroom and slammed the door shut. As soon as she turned the lock, she saw the dark magic at the edges of the bathroom. Knowing immediately what it was, she tried conjuring a portal. Nothing happened. She tried something simple like lighting the tip of her thumb. Even that didn’t work. The bastard told her not to use her magic, but yet he can cast a spell to keep her from using hers. And the scariest part of that was that Liam’s powers had never been absolute. No Faerie’s had.

 Was this the result of being what she suspected he was now—half Faerie, half Darkling? And would he eventually have to choose a side, whether that was good or bad? Every time she pushed him, and he became angry, only dark magic surfaced. Where was all the good magic in him? Surely it was still there, considering he had rescued her from being killed. But the dark was the most obvious. She could not overlook the fact that Liam had intended to attack Faeland with Darcy at his side. Yet, he didn’t even look hurt over losing his Darkling lover. She wanted him to tell her something, anything, but he simply made all of the decisions, not giving her a chance to offer input. It was frustrating, and the moment she figured out how to overcome his magic, she would. She would run her life her way. She’d return to Faeland and expose her cousin for what he was. The question was, if he was evil, why did he still look like a Fae?

 * * * *

 Liam stood outside the bathroom, hating to shut Shauna out but knowing it was in her best interest. If she knew the full extent of his struggle, she would not want anything to do with him. Somehow, he had to learn to control his magic, to bury it for both their well-beings and for all that came into contact with him. If he let loose the amount of hatred that constantly stormed inside him, he feared he’d kill everything in its path. The power was too great for one person to bear.

 He still didn’t have all the answers, such as how Shamus had led the Darklings to such victory over Fae in Faeland, and then just as successfully led the Fae to victory over the Darklings in their own world. The balance of magic didn’t work that way. Every magical creature had home field advantage in his or her own world. So what had made Shamus so all-powerful? And how could he appear just as he chose to be without letting on to the darkness in his soul?

 Liam vowed to find out the answer to these questions, as well as, bring that Fae to an end for the pain he had caused, especially to Shauna. But first things first. His main priority must be to see her safe, to master his power so that he could take her to a safe place. And to do that, he had to make Shauna trust him. Yet, how could he do that when he was constantly trying to overcome his internal demons? It was a circle, with no beginning and ending, and felt hopeless.

 An idea occurred to him, and he knocked on the bathroom door. Give Shauna a reason to trust him. “Shauna, I want to talk to you.”

 “Oh, now you want to talk?” she called angrily through the door.

 “Yes, please come out.”

 She stubbornly made him wait another five minutes before the bathroom door opened. He had counted to ten several times, took several deep breaths and even thought of fields of flowers. Anything to holster his ire.

 Finally, she slipped from the bathroom with her arms folded beneath her breasts. Liam was hit unexpectedly with a desire to touch her. His gaze was riveted to her nipples, clearly defined through her thin top. And when he lost sight of them as she moved across the floor to the chair in the corner, he watched the sway of her hips instead.

 Liam was aware that he could bring her to him and undress her with merely a thought, but he resisted. He closed his eyes to blot out the sight of her lush figure, but that only conjured naughtier visions of her spread for him, naked and waiting.

  
 “Well? I’m waiting.”

He cleared his throat. “Yes, uh, I wanted to talk to you about my relationship with Darcy.” Liam saw Shauna’s pale skin redden, the hurt in her eyes plain. He hated himself for letting her go so long thinking the worse. “As you experienced, dealing with Darcy, she was a true Darkling, thriving on the misery of others. She sensed that my thoughts were full of you when I came to her. And even though she craved Shamus, she wanted to dominate me as well.”

 Shauna wrung her hands and sat forward. “Maybe I don’t want to hear this.”

 “Be quiet and listen,” he commanded, then hated himself for his harshness. Would he ever get his old personality back? He rushed on. “Darcy wanted me to want her. And I did, or rather the darkness that is attracted to its likeness in others was attracted to her.”

 When Shauna looked like she was about to ask another question, he pinned her with a glare, and she sat quietly again.

 “She teased me ... in ways I prefer not to say. But, I did not have sexual relations with Darcy. For most of the time I was there, I was severely ill. It looked like I was going to die. I fought against the darkness at every turn, which made things much worse for me. When I was well, I told Darcy I was going to bring you to me to keep you safe before we invaded Faeland.”

 “I don’t understand why you would attack Faeland, or were you pretending? Was the darkness getting the better of you when you aligned yourself with her plan?” Her questions irritated him, but he made himself calm her fears.

 “I had to let her think I cared for nothing of Faeland except to get you. Since she was obsessed with Shamus, she understood that desire. It was what made her respect my wish not to take her as a lover. But it didn’t stop her from hurting you with a pretense that we were. I’m sorry for that. And I didn’t tell you sooner because—”

 “Because you wanted me to suffer for how I made you suffer when I rejected you in Faeland.”

 He didn’t bother denying it.

 She sighed and stood to cross to the window. Her hand went out to pull back the curtain, but she stopped, obviously remembering his pain. At least the sun was setting. The pain in his head was easing somewhat.

 Shauna faced him. “I have so many more questions, but I can see you don’t have the patience for it. You’re so different now. Where do we go from here?”

 Liam ran a hand over the back of his neck, trying to release some of the tension. That was a very good question, considering they could not continue to pick pockets of unsuspecting humans, as they had done to gather enough money for the hotel room. Well, he could, but Shauna had felt guilty about it. They needed more permanent arrangements, and a location for him to learn to control his magic. A place that would also be secluded enough for him not to stick out with his appearance. All that should be easy enough , he thought glumly.

  

  

  

  

  

 Chapter Eight

  

 Tugging the hat perched on his head down lower and lifting the collar of his trench coat, Liam questioned for the hundredth time if he didn’t stick out more dressed as he was. But he had to get money so that he and Shauna could eat and get transportation out of town. They had used their magic way too much here, and it was better to keep moving until they could both live below radar of the Fae.

 He strolled along the shadows, keeping an eye out for any hints of magical activity. For the most part, all the humans ignored him, absorbed as they were in their own problems. He had visited this world only a few times in the past, and each time he longed for home. The human world was noisy, with cars, planes, trains and any number of yelling people at any given time. He preferred the peace and quiet of his home world. Was that so bad? Shauna had never respected his preference.

 Always, he had wondered if in some alternate destiny they could be man and wife, would they actually suit. And here they were now with a chance at, if not permanently, at least for the time being, a marriage of sorts. However, it would only last as long as it took him to master his power, though he didn’t tell Shauna that. He would not abandon his people to Shamus. At least, he told himself that. But every time he used the dark magic, his compassion, his love for them lessened. Oddly, the only thing that remained constant was his feelings for Shauna. He had told her she saved him, and he believed that was true. She helped him to hold on to his Faehood.

 If they could make it work now, with him so unstable in his emotions—one minute angry, the next murderous—maybe they could make it as a permanent couple. That he had to convince Shauna to accept the new him, was still a problem. He would give it his all to control himself so that her trust would grow and she could move past her fear of him.

 Liam was feeling much more comfortable now that the sun had gone down. His light sensitivity was common among the Darklings. He wished for total darkness with no light at all, but beggars couldn’t be choosy. At the crossing of an alley, he paused hearing the muffled scream of a woman. Curious, he snuck into the narrow entryway, gagging at the stench of piss. Beneath a broken streetlight, deep in the shadows, though he could see as clearly as day, was a man struggling with an older woman. Liam knew the woman was being mugged, but he had no feeling of alarm or need to help her.

 When he would have turned away to continue his search for a convenient person to do exactly what the mugger was doing, he stopped. This was a defenseless old woman, and his former self would have been concerned. He realized the effect that the evil inside was having and decided to use this as his first test in deliberately fighting against what felt natural.

 Liam lifted his hand toward the man, thought better of it and walked over. He grabbed the mugger by the collar and slung him against a wall. Unaware of how rough he was being, he pummeled the man until the old woman grabbed his arm, begging him to stop. Liam blinked, coming out of his single-minded attack. He turned, saw the old woman’s purse on the ground and picked it up. She held out her hand with a tremble of “thanks” on her lips. Liam tucked the purse in his trench coat, and pivoted to head back up the alley.

 He was nearly back at the motel when it occurred to him that he had behaved worse than the mugger had. The evil had greater control than he realized, that even when he didn’t use his magic, he behaved like a Darkling. If he returned to the room holding an elderly woman’s purse, Shauna would be all over him. With a sigh, he turned back. When he found the old woman speaking with a policeman and the would-be mugger on a stretcher, Liam tossed the purse out toward them before, cloaking himself in the shadows so that he was invisible to the humans.

 A paramedic strode by and Liam reached out a hand, allowed it to materialize and lifted the man’s wallet. He flipped it open, found just enough cash for he and Shauna to get to their next stop as well as eat, and tossed the wallet to the ground.

 He trudged back along the street toward the motel where Shauna was waiting. Tonight had not been a victory. While he had deliberately stood against evil, he had created it also by what he had done to the mugger. It was beginning to look like he would never overcome. Possibly the best thing for him to do was to secure Shauna in a safe place and then go away. At least then he couldn’t hurt her any more than he had.

 As he strode, he became aware of someone following him. His heightened senses didn’t so much as hear a sound, but felt someone nearby. He stopped, turned and without a thought stretched out his arm. Pulled from the shadows of invisibility, the Darkling flew through the air as if it was magnetic and he was a giant magnet.

 Liam pulled the creature toward him, with fingers wrapped around its throat. “Why are you following me?”

 “Master, please. Don’t kill me,” it sniveled.

 “Don’t call me master. What do you want?”

 “I was voted to find you, master. Now that Darcy is dead, we don’t have a leader. We need to know if we should retaliate on the Fae attack. Shamus has betrayed us, and we can’t let that go.”

 Liam sneered. “And why should I be your new leader? I’m not a Darkling.”

 “Be serious, master. What should we do?”

 Liam shook it, finding satisfaction in its disorientation. “I said, I am not your master. I am not a Darkling. You need to fight it out amongst yourselves, because I’m not leading you!” He paused, thinking. “How did you find me?”

 It shrugged, as if it were a matter of common sense. “I tracked your magic signature, of course.”

 Damn!If it was as easy for this simpleton to track him, it must be of little effort for the Fae to do so. He needed to get back to the motel. He tossed away the creature and turned on his heel to hurry back.

 The Darkling called out behind him, “Master, I smell the sweet scent of Fae. They’re cooooommmming!” Its laugh was mocking. So much for him being its new leader. The respect was sorely lacking. Liam considered turning back and ending its life, but he had to get to Shauna before her cousin did.

 “Forget it,” he growled. With Shauna in his mind, he moved into a vortex and a second later, he appeared in the room with her. He got the shock of his life. Shauna was fresh from a shower, and did she ever look good enough to eat.

 Shauna looked up at him and screamed, clutching the towel wrapped around her incredibly sexy body. “Liam, you scared me! I thought we weren’t using magic. You’ll get us caught.”

 His gaze didn’t waver beyond the swell of her creamy breasts peaking out above the towel or the long legs bared beneath it. He tilted his head in wonder and the towel was snatched from her fingers to land against the far wall.

 “Liam!”

 When he didn’t respond, she lifted her chin, gave him a sassy grin and put her hands down to her sides. Liam took in the full naked length of the woman he’d been wanting in his bed for years. He closed the gap between them to place a hand on one of her breasts. With the pad of his thumb, he plucked at one taut nipple, feeling himself go hard. They would taste good in his mouth, he guessed. But the memory of what the Darkling had said came flooding back to dash cold water on his desires.

 He stepped back and waved a hand so that she was fully dressed. “We must go now, Shauna. The Fae are near.”

 She gasped but didn’t argue. The little they had to their names was gathered and soon they were out on the road again, neither knowing their next destination.

 * * * *

 Shauna flopped on the bed and kicked off her shoes. “I can’t believe we found Joe. I mean, in all the places we could have stopped, to come to his diner. What are the odds?”

 Liam frowned. Shauna already knew her protector was jealous. And just because Joe happened to be one of the hottest men she’d ever seen—well, apart from Liam, of course. Still, somehow she enjoyed getting a little of her own back when Joe had immediately begun flirting with her. She didn’t flirt back though. There was no sense in setting Liam off.

 He grunted, “Who ever heard of a Fae named Joe?”

 She giggled, feeling relief for the first time in days. Hitchhiking, hiking across paved and unpaved roads, meeting all types of people. Some kind, some not. She had begun to see just what a privileged life a princess led. The human world was not all it had been trumped up to be in her bedtime stories as a child.

 “He’s lying low, grumpy. Just like we are. Whatever crime he committed to run away from Faeland means he can’t use his magic any more than we can.”

 Liam sat at a desk rummaging through the backpack he had picked up in their recent travels. “That’s another thing. What crime did he commit, and why doesn’t he tell us?”

 Shauna yawned, standing to head for the shower. “Same reason we didn’t tell him why we’re running. Be happy for once, Liam. Joe owns that diner and he bought our lie that you are an elf. We now have jobs to support ourselves.”

 “What’s fortunate is that Joe is too much of an idiot to know that elves are no more blue than Fae are.”

 Shauna rolled her eyes and continued into the bathroom. As she stepped beneath the soothing jet of warm water, she couldn’t help but be reminded of the time in their first motel when Liam had used his powers to remove her towel. She had never been so turned on in her life, and had they not had to flee that city, she would have given herself freely to him. Now, she hesitated, had done so every night since then when he looked at her with the suggestion in his eyes.

 Liam was not the only one questioning their future together, as she was sure he was doing. As they had stood on the side of the road, waiting for anyone who was brave enough to pick up a hooded man of six foot-five inches and a woman, Liam had practiced what he said and was pushing down his evil magic with little to no success. He believed there was still some Fae magic inside him. With his dark skin and the red and black twined magic she had viewed from the day she first saw him alive after believing him dead, she had to doubt of its existence. Liam’s spells were always with dark magic. His eyes were always black, and he frequently looked angry, like he was battling losing control twenty-four hours a day. How could she believe they could have a future together?

 Once she had insisted only on friendship with him, and now she ached for so much more. How she loved him, wanted desperately to give her virginity to him. A princess—especially a Fae princess—always kept herself for her husband. If Liam was not destined to be her husband, then what did she have? A life of loneliness or perhaps an affair or a few. If she was no longer going to live the life of a Fae, why keep the traditions?

 “Then again,” she wondered aloud as she soaped her flat belly, “if I am going to take a lover, why not let it be Liam.” Or is that wise? Ugh! She was frustrated with her indecisiveness, but couldn’t force herself to settle on a decision.

 “Maybe I can help you decide.”

 She screamed and touched a hand to her head in fear. Someone was speaking in her mind. And then she realized she had heard Liam’s voice. Leaving the water running, she stepped out of the shower covered in soap and grabbed a robe. Barely finished knotting it, she stomped back out to the room. Liam sat on the side of the bed looking guilty.

 “What the hell do you think you’re doing, Liam?” she demanded, hands on her hips and water dripping into her eyes.

 He held up his hands as the black was seeping out of his eyes. The evidence was clear that he had been using his power. “I’m sorry, Shauna. I heard the shower and was imagining you in there, wondering what you were thinking. Before I knew it, I was inside your head. I was as shocked as you are that I was able to actually speak inside your head and that you heard me.”

 “You’re going to blow our cover! I don’t want to move again.” She was surprised by a small sob and covered her mouth.

 Liam crossed to pull her into his arms. “Baby, I’m so sorry.”

 She lay her head against his shoulder, never in her imaginings of leaving Faeland did she think she would miss it so much, or her people, especially her mother. Every day, she longed to open a portal to step through even if it was just a moment to let her know she was okay.

 “You can’t do that,” Liam whispered.

 “Stop, Liam. Please.”

 He sighed, and it sounded like despair. “The harder I try to suppress it, the more powerful it gets. I was never able to speak in another’s mind. And there are other things I can do.”

 “Like what?”

 “I don’t want to think of it now. Let’s just pretend for a minute that everything is normal, that I’m not losing myself to darkness, and that you know what you truly want.”

 “Easier said than done.” She slid her hands up to hook behind his neck, while Liam unknotted her robe. She allowed him to pull her naked body against his hard length. “Not yet, Liam.”

 “You’re killing me, Shauna.”

 “I’m sorry. Soon, I promise. Soon.”

  

  

  

  

  

 Chapter Nine

  

 Liam in the kitchen grilling burgers was a sight to behold. It was also not conducive to controlling his magic. Each time he burned himself, he used his mind to thump the stove or toss a pot against the wall. Shauna was also finding it difficult to juggle waiting tables and rushing to the kitchen to calm her companion. She figured Joe was beginning to question the wisdom of hiring the two of them.

 “Liam, you have got to calm down and stop using your magic. You’re going to bring the Fae down on us,” Shauna scolded, hand on an apron-covered hip.

 The black in Liam’s eyes did not lessen. “Tell that to this stove. I was not trained to cook, Shauna, and I’m tired of being burned.”

 She moved to his side and took one large hand in her own. She kissed the roughened skin of his palm, feeling the tremor that rocked his body. “Try harder. For me?”

 He nodded, but his gaze had moved to the gap in her uniform, which revealed her cleavage. Shauna, in the mood to tease him, ran a hand along the collar of the dress, her head tilted to the side. His eyes were black onyxes when he pulled her up against him. Shauna gasped at the hardness pressed between her legs as Liam molded her against him. Her feet hung in the air, but not for long. She wrapped her legs around his waist, craving so much more. She knew she shouldn’t tease him, but Liam angry, and with eyes like his was so hot.

 His mouth came down on hers and they kissed slowly, tenderly, each drinking in the passion of the other. Feeling bold, Shauna pulled back and began kissing along Liam’s face until she reached his ear. She ran the tip of her tongue along the pointed edge, sending quivers of delight through her own body and feeling Liam’s reaction.

 “Shauna. Baby ....”

 “I know.” She looked up at him, stroking his cheek. “I want you so much, I could strip naked right here. But then you knew that didn’t you?”

 “I’m not reading your mind, if that’s what you mean.” She saw that the tension had ebbed from his brow, neck and shoulders. At least rubbing against each other and kissing had calmed him. But this couldn’t be a habit or she’d lose her mind. Liam’s eyebrow raised in suggestion. “So, wanna go back to our cheesy motel room?”

 She giggled, but before she could answer Joe barged in. “Are you two working or having sex on my stove?”

 Shauna dropped her legs from Liam’s waist and tried to get down. He held her in place. “We’re making love, and you’re interrupting us.”

 The two men began arguing back and forth. Shauna had no idea why Joe put up with Liam since obviously neither of them could stand the other. She dropped to her feet and ducked beneath the men to head out to the restaurant. As she poured a customer’s refill of coffee with one hand and wiped the counter off with another, the jingle of the bell above the door caught her attention.

 A man so tall he had to turn his head to miss hitting it on the doorjamb and so broad-shouldered he needed to twist sideways to enter, stepped inside the diner and scanned the patrons. Shauna sniffed the air. The unmistakable scent of a goblin permeated her breathing space, and nervousness crept down her back. She knew there was no danger the goblin was working with the Fae in tracking her and Liam, but what could he want? Goblins were money-hungry. The expression “he would sell his own mother for a nickel” had started with them and crossed over to other peoples in various worlds.

 She swung away to place the coffeepot back on its burner, and spotted a pair of thick glasses on the shelf beneath the counter. She slipped them on. If an inter-dimensional alert had gone out for the capture of Liam and herself, along with a reward, she wouldn’t put it past the goblin to try to collect. Better that he not recognize her. As an added measure, she pretended to scratch her head, but instead tugged a few more locks of hair down over her face. She had pinned it up as required for the job, but allowed it to hang loose to cover the tops of her ears.

 When Shauna was sure she was properly covered, she turned back to face the door. The goblin was inches from her nose. She prayed the other saying was true. Goblins’ sense of smell was almost nil. He wouldn’t pick up on a Faerie’s sweet scent.

 “May I help you, sir?” she asked with a dismal half-smile.

 The goblin grunted, “No, you may not! Where’s Joe?”

 Shauna rolled her eyes, wanting nothing more than to fry this creature where he stood with a bolt of lightening. He had better be glad she was in hiding because if there was one creature the Fae hated other than the Darklings, it was goblins. Where the Fae were generous and giving creatures, caring for nature and the world around them, the goblin would just as soon smash a flower or a child under its great smelly feet.

 The goblin was in disguise, appearing like a human. Their skin was naturally a sickly green with large eyes and saggy skin. Since it didn’t use magic to disguise his features, she assumed it wasn’t in hiding, but it was up to no good, something to do with money, she didn’t doubt.

 Joe stepped up behind her, lightly touching her arms. “I’ll take care of it, Shauna. Thanks.” Unless she was mistaken, Joe had looked terrified as he headed in the back to his office and shut the door. If he was about to betray her and Liam, she wanted to know about it. She followed, tiptoeing to the door to listen.

 Pressing her ear up to the door produced nothing except a dull whirring sound. She remembered Joe kept a fan in his office because the stove could get very hot and heat up the entire back of the diner. While she considered boosting her hearing to catch the goblin and Joe’s conversation, a football behind her alerted her to the fact that she wasn’t alone. Before she could turn around, a hand clamped down over her mouth.

 Shauna uttered a muffled scream and kicked back at her attacker. She produced a ball of fire in one hand and prepared to hurl it at the guy’s head. That is, until Liam laughed in her ear. The fire dissipated, she stopped struggling and when his hold loosened, whirled in his arms. “You jerk.” Then she gasped. “You laughed!”

 He shrugged, “People laugh.”

 Shauna wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her head against his chest. “Not you. You are always angry.”

 “I’m thinking it’s the smooching with you, baby. Don’t you want to keep improving my mood?”

 She rolled her eyes and smacked his hand. “Be serious. This is not the time, Liam.” She lowered her voice. “There’s a goblin in there with Joe.”

 He glanced at the closed door. “Are you sure?”

 “Positive.”

 When Liam looked like he was going to intensify his own hearing, she shook her head and tugged on him. “Liam, you’ve been using your magic enough lately. It’s no wonder we haven’t been found.”

 As if on cue, she and Liam smelled the sweet scent of a Fae at the same time. He came from the kitchen, sword raised. Liam shoved Shauna behind him but she didn’t stay. She glanced around looking for a weapon. If she didn’t get something in Liam’s hands to fight with quickly, he would use his magic and likely pull down more Fae on their heads. A recently open portal left a trail.

 Boxes of canned goods littered the hall leading to Joe’s office, along with tablecloths, a large bag of rice and a broom. For a moment, she wondered if Liam should toss the rice, but thought better of it. If it broke, they’d have to explain, and it was better to end this fight quickly. She snatched up the broom to press into Liam’s hands. “Don’t use your magic, Liam.”

 He nodded.

 The broom soon snapped in half with the powerful blows of the sword the Fae swung with skill. Liam used the two pieces as nunchucks with no chain between them. More than once Shauna caught the smack of the wood against the Faerie’s skin and his cry of pain, while she watched his feet for an opportunity to trip him. Her chance came, and she shoved out a lighter box behind the Fae. He tumbled backward, cracking his head against the hard floor, immediately unconscious.

 Over her shoulder, she heard Joe and the goblin’s voice. “Quick, let’s get him out of here.” She grabbed the Fae’s arms and lifted them above his head. “I’m not sure what we should do with him, Liam. We can’t risk opening a portal.”

 Her muscled companion brushed aside her hands and hoisted the Fae over his shoulder like a lightweight sack. “I’ll take care of him. You keep an eye on Joe and the goblin.” He pinned her with a commanding stare. “Don’t you do anything until I get back. Nothing.”

 Shauna gave no response as Liam headed out the back door. Worry ate at her when she began to realize that Liam very often forgot to suppress Darkling urges. He might actually be out there killing the Fae. She took one glance back at Joe’s door as it was opening, and then darted out the back door, closing it behind her.

 Outside, the air was humid and thick. The sun had gone down, and she felt it difficult to push through a feeling of doom and despair. Shaking her head of the ridiculous feeling, Shauna stumbled forward, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the dimmed light. A weed overgrown path led around to the side of the building where a narrow opening led to a shed Joe had told them housed more supplies. She headed that way because she noticed a pad lock on the fence to the right, the only other direction Liam could go.

 “Liam?” she called softly.

 No answer. She stood at the door to the shack, praying Liam wasn’t inside killing the Fae. If he turned more to the dark side, the man she knew and loved could eventually be lost forever. The shack was not very big, yet with the shadows and the moon hidden behind clouds, she couldn’t see in. “Liam?”

 Suddenly, his eyes glowed in the darkness. Red light etched the black orbs, permeated with such an evil that she felt it inside her, in her mind and smelled it in the air. Shauna backed away. Tears filled her eyes. And then through her haze of tears and fear, she saw a flashlight hanging on a hook just inside the doorjamb. She found the courage to grab it and shine the light on Liam. He ducked and cried out at the brightness, but the evil in the air lessened.

 “Shauna.”

 “Liam, please don’t kill him,” she begged.

 At first he didn’t answer or come out of the corner he was in. “He came to.”

 “H-he attacked you?”

 She watched, her heart breaking, as he buried his head in his hands and sank to the ground where she now saw the Fae bleeding, his own sword in his chest. The flashlight clattered to the ground when she lost strength. She was crying in earnest now, sobbing on the quiet night air.

 “Shauna, I am lost.”

 She should have gone to him, to comfort him and tell him everything would be okay. But the problem was, she didn’t think it would. Though she didn’t want to admit it to herself, Liam was a Darkling. How could she align herself with her people’s enemy, with a man who she had heard planning an attack on her people. Yes, she knew now her cousin was as evil as they came, but through no fault of his own, so was Liam. The only thought that ran through her mind at that moment was to run.

 Shauna stumbled away from the shed and back toward the door leading into the diner. Once inside, she quickly untied her apron, scribbled a hasty note to Joe that she was thankful for all he had done, but she had to move on. She peeked out the kitchen to the front of the diner and saw that Joe was occupied with a customer, his back to her. She headed for the front door at almost a run, not looking to the left or right.

 Outside, in the cool air again, she jogged toward the highway. Maybe once out on the roadside, someone would pick her up. When she was a mile or two away, she would risk opening a portal back to Faeland. If she could concentrate, she could open it into her mother’s bedroom with none the wiser if they weren’t keeping tabs. She could gather her mother and they could disappear. They would not be the first Fae to live in a land other than their home. They wouldn’t be the last.

  

  

  

  

  

 Chapter Ten

  

 Shauna’s feet ached, her stomach grumbled since she hadn’t eaten anything and surprisingly, no car or truck had stopped to pick her up. She could understand had she been with Liam. His size had frightened off many when they had been hitchhiking just days ago.

 She sighed. “Don’t think of him anymore. He’s out of your life. Forever.”

 Soon a car came along and began to slow. Shauna offered her friendliest smile and waved. The woman in the driver’s seat smiled back and began rolling down her window. Then, glancing past Shauna’s shoulder, a look of horror came into her eyes, and her tires squealed as she drove away.

 “What is going on?” Shauna screamed.

 “Poor little princess,” a voice said behind her.

 Shaun whirled around but saw nothing behind her. She glanced up and down the road. Then the scent of the goblin came to her. Fear dried her mouth. It couldn’t be. He couldn’t know who she was.

 With a trembling hand, Shauna reached out and yanked the goblin from the bent shadows, making him visible. He was no longer disguised as a human was, but in his full ugly glory—saggy-skinned eyes and all.

 It laughed, “Good joke on you, huh, princess?”

 She wasn’t aware the goblin had a sense of humor and told him so.

 “Ah, but I am happy thinking of the money I will get for capturing the Faeland princess whose loving cousin, the king, has been searching all over for her.” Before he even finished speaking, he cuffed her. Shauna wiggled her fingers but the cuff didn’t release. She searched her mind for an appropriate spell, but the goblin touched a thick, disgusting finger to her forehead and darkness clouded in on her vision, as he faded from view.

 * * * *

 Liam returned to the motel room he and Shauna shared and found the room empty. He had assumed she had been so upset over his actions that she’d taken the rest of the night off. Joe had not told him any different. He had considered invading the man’s mind to find out what he had been meeting with the goblin about but figured his abilities had caused enough troubles.

 Now, understanding that she had left him, he slumped down on the bed. She was better off without him. After all, it was he who brought her to the dark world and told her the truth of what had happened to her family. She had been safe where she was for the time being. He could have ... what? Mastered his power? No. That didn’t look possible. As he had told Shauna, every time he attempted control, the dark magic took it back and made him do something he regretted. He felt cursed. And as such, the princess was better off without him. Safer.

 Liam packed his bag and straightened the room with a heavy heart. He walked down to the office to check out and turn in his key, then headed toward the highway. Though his stomach growled since he’d missed dinner, he couldn’t think of eating. He wondered when he would ever get his appetite back.

 When he passed the diner, heading south, he kept going. There was really no need to inform Joe of his plans to cut out on him. They had not liked each other, Liam recognizing immediately that Joe was attracted to Shauna. It had taken her slender hand on his sleeve to keep him from losing control and killing the chef too.

 “I’ve become a murderer,” he mumbled. “Just remember, she’s better off without you.”

 When he was about one hundred feet past the Joe’s diner, he heard running steps behind him. He stood, feeling the darkness rise within. He spun around, at the ready for the attack. It was Joe.

 He was out of breath. “Hey, I know you’re leaving and all, but I wondered if you could do me a favor.” The man looked nervous. Shauna had mentioned him looking jumpy earlier when the goblin came. “I know we haven’t seen eye-to-eye, but I was hoping you could help me with a problem I have. Please.”

 Liam sneered, “Haven’t you heard? I’m bad news. I kill without remorse.”

 Joe looked surprised but nodded. “All the better. I’m willing to pay you to kill someone for me. Any way you see fit.”

 Liam pivoted and continued on his walk. Joe shuffled along beside him. Suddenly, because he needed something, the man was all humility. What happened to the Fae that had tried to seduce Shauna right from under his nose? He felt himself growing angry thinking of it, and tried to remember that someone small time like Joe wasn’t worth it.

 But the man wouldn’t be put off, “If you help me, I will tell you where to find Shauna.”

 Liam frowned, “Doesn’t matter. We have decided to go our separate ways.”

 “That is assuming she was safe.”

 An unseen force lifted Joe from his feet and slammed him against a dumpster not far from where they stood. Liam felt the same tingling ache at the edges of his eyes, which he had felt when he killed the Fae earlier. If Joe didn’t tell him what he wanted to know or if he didn’t like the information, he would be fighting not to rip the man to shreds. He dragged in deep breaths, told himself silently to calm down, but every time he looked at Joe, Shauna’s frightened face came to mind.

 The invisible hold on Joe’s throat tightened.

 “Where is she?”

 Joe gave a strangled sound while clawing at his neck. Liam was not inclined to ease the pressure. He pressed harder. Life preservation caused Joe to use his own powers. He hurled a ball of fire at Liam, which was quickly absorbed into him, no ill effects.

 “Where is Shauna? You have one second,” Liam told him.

 Joe formed another ball of fire. This time it flared with the head of the goblin. Joe had traded Shauna for whatever would get him out of trouble with the goblin. Liam considered killing the man and then thought of something better. He waved an arm to open a portal to the dark world. Darcy’s house hove into view, with Darklings strolling along the platforms. With precision, Liam hurled Joe’s body into the opening, to land at the creatures’ feet. When they began to growl and bare sharp pointed teeth, Liam said, “Problem solved,” and closed the opening.

 He raised a hand again to open another portal, then stopped. It occurred to him that possibly the goblin had not taken Shauna to Faeland to trade her. Not right away. Goblins were braggers. It was likely the creature had taken the princess to his own world to gloat before his brothers. The problem with that was that Liam had no idea what the coordinates of the goblin world were. He had never had a reason to visit until now. “Dammit.” Kneading the tense muscles of his neck while he thought, he considered his next move. Who would know? A minute later, he growled in annoyance. Waving a hand again, he opened the way into the dark world and stepped through.

 Immediately, the dull ache that was constant in his eyes eased. The darkness was so soothing, so perfect, he hated himself more. Joe was not on the platform in front of Darcy’s house. Liam glanced up and down the street, but no Darklings were in sight either. When he heard a cry of terror from inside the house, he took off at a run, throwing open the door.

 It looked like hundreds, though probably much less, Darklings crowded the interior, concentrated on the corner beside the stairs. Liam had no time to waste. He flicked the black creatures aside, using more force than he intended. Some flew through the air, hitting the wall, and he tried to reign in his force. When he reached Joe, the man was in the fetal position, very nearly sucking his thumb. His face was wet with tears, and Liam supposed he was experiencing his worst nightmare. For the first time, just a hint of compassion sparked to life inside. Mentally, he grasped it, prepared to nurture whatever positive feelings emerged from him.

 Plucking Joe from the fray, he turned on his heel and strode back to the door. Once they were outside, Liam confronted him. “Open a portal to the goblin world.”

 Joe wiped his face and crossed his arms. “Not until you help me out.”

 “I can toss you back to the Darklings,” he warned.

 “You need me.”

 Liam wanted to rip his throat out and feed it to the beast in the water, but refrained. Joe was right. He did need him. He had no idea of the location of any other magical creature that just might know how to open a portal to the goblin world. He had no choice.

 “Fine. Where to?”

 Joe grinned. He held out a hand for Liam to shake but got nothing in return. Soon he dropped the arm to his side again. “Back to my office at the diner first. Then to my apartment. Thank you so much, Liam. You won’t regret this.”

 Liam opened the way and stepped out with Joe in tow as he marched at a clipped pace back to the diner. “I already regret it. Now let’s go. We have no time to waste.”

 Worry over Shauna’s safety clouded Liam’s mind as Joe trashed his office searching for what he didn’t know. When he retrieved a pink square of paper from beneath his desk, held up by a sliver of tape, Liam frowned, but said nothing. If the man took too long, he would kill him and take his chances. Something in his eyes must have relayed the message to Joe for he hightailed it over to a picture on the wall and yanked it down to reveal a safe.

 “So that was the combination? You don’t know it by heart by now? Or at least where you keep the paper with the code on it?”

 Joe grinned, “Something you don’t know is that I was once cursed too, by a wicked witch who found me cheating on her. Was my girl.” He shrugged. “Never get involved with a witch. Big no-no.” He swirled the knob and then set it to zero before working out the code. “Anyway, she cursed me with a crappy memory.”

 Liam folded his arms, leaning against the unkempt desk. “You’ve got to be kidding.”

 “Nope, I can’t remember crap. A year ago, I stole a certain object off a goblin who had the misfortune of visiting my diner, who had stolen the thing off a lady he described as being beautiful, but evil to the core. A black-skinned woman.”

 Liam stiffened, thinking there couldn’t be two such women. He said nothing. Joe opened the safe to draw out another paper, and Liam sighed in frustration. “Is that it?”

 “Soon, I promise. But I have to get that jewel back to the goblin. I don’t know who ratted me out, but I can’t do anything with it anyway. I had it appraised. Worthless. I figure he can have the thing back. My only problem is, I don’t know where it is.”

 “What!” Liam stormed over to Joe and lifted him by the collar, shaking him in anger and disgust. “I don’t have time for this, you fool.”

 “Wait, here me out, please,” the loser begged. “I know where it is, sort of.” He tapped his head. “See this sheet is the coordinates for the world I hid it on.” He looked guilty. “A year ago, I had no need to hide my magic; I just like living in the human world. Much more to steal. Anyway, the witch had said to me that everything that happened was inside my head locked away. As soon as I experience anything I long to hold on to, I forget it. But I didn’t forget your ability.”

 Liam sneered, “What ability is that?”

 “The ability to read minds. If you could dig into my mind, you could find that memory of where I hid the jewel. Then we can take it back to the goblin and trade it for Shauna.”

 “How did you know about that?”

 Joe shrugged, “I make it my business to learn what valuables everyone has.”

 Conveniently, Liam read Joe’s mind at that point. He hissed, reading that the man had bugged he and Shauna’s room. That was how he knew who they were, why he was so willing to give them jobs, without much of a fuss.

 But his mind-reading idea made sense. Maybe. If the jewel was impressive enough looking, the goblin might desire it more than he desired to deal with trading Shauna, especially if a bug were planted in his mind that the Faerie king might screw him over or even kill him for having the gall to hold the princess for ransom. It might work. But how did he probe a mind? He had never tried before. And how could he concentrate enough when all he could think of was what the goblins were doing to Shauna?

  

  

  

  

  

 Chapter Eleven

  

 “If I do this, I could fry your brain in the process.”

 Joe squeaked, “What?”

 Liam wasn’t sure he just wanted to scare Joe. The darkness was unpredictable. He wouldn’t be surprised if Joe’s mind was barely useful for forming two words, let alone running his body after the probe. Something told him he shouldn’t do it, for Joe’s sake—another light in his dark tunnel—but he would do anything to help Shauna. If this was what it took, so be it.

 The two of them faced each other, Liam’s eyes locked on Joe’s. He pictured the inside of Joe’s mind for a long while, but nothing happened. He tried closing his eyes, with one hand resting on Joe’s head. Still nothing. Maybe if he was angry enough, he could access the power. That didn’t work either. Frustrated, Liam stood from the chair he occupied and tossed it across the room. He tore at his hair, Shauna’s sweet face filling his thoughts. How could he focus when he was so worried?

 “Tell me!” He demanded. “Tell me how to get there and I will beat the goblin to a pulp. He’ll never harass anyone again!” He slammed a fist on the edge of Joe’s desk, pain ripping his gut. He loved her. There was no denying it. She was everything to him, his life. The air he breathed. If anything happened to Shauna ....

 Liam spun on his heel, extending a hand out toward Joe. The man’s body flew backward against the wall and he rose from his feet, almost touching the ceiling. Liam felt the itch in his eyes. He knew the power was growing inside, taking over. He didn’t care.

 Joe grabbed his head, screaming. “Stop, stop! It hurts!”

 Liam didn’t let up. Suddenly, he saw into the man’s mind as if it was a maze. There were passageways to the left, right and straight ahead. He knew somewhere at the back or maybe in the middle was what he sought. But instead of sensing his way as a rat would in a maze, he burst through the barriers, charging forward until he saw the glow. Joe’s memories.

 Vaguely, he was aware of the man screaming, but he didn’t let up. His prize was nearly in hand. And then the information slid up like a notebook on a pedestal in Joe’s mind. Liam scoured the pages, noting hundreds of memories that Joe had lost. The book was tethered to a chain that led into darkness. He wondered if he could destroy the chain so that the man could be free once and for all.

 Before he tried his idea, he scanned the page with the information on the whereabouts of the jewel. The page included a drawing, and Liam gasped with shock. He had seen that particular gem before. The Faerie’s Stone. It was purported to hold great power. What had Darcy been doing with it? He didn’t know, but it was for sure, he wasn’t allowing the goblin to gain possession of it.

 Noting the world where the gem was hidden, Liam concentrated on the chain. The thick steel link, which he trained his vision on became hot and red, smoke curling in to the air. Briefly, he wondered if Joe felt the heat. In another few moments, the link snapped. Liam moved back, left the book on the stand, assuming Joe would now be able to pull the book to the forefront of his mind whenever he chose. And with a mental release, Liam was back in Joe’s office. Joe was slumped unconscious on the floor.

 With little emotion clouding his mind, Liam bent over the restaurateur and checked his pulse. He seemed fine. “You can sleep it off, while I retrieve what rightfully belongs to the Fae,” he whispered. “And rescue my princess.”

 * * * *

 Liam crouched in the trees spying on the group of goblins around a campfire. Goblins enjoyed the outdoors and only took to living in houses, or rather grassy shacks, when weather was severe. Female goblins, ugly faces with freakishly thick noses and eyes as saggy as their counterparts, danced around the fire as others played music. It was obviously a celebration. A celebration of the goblin that visited the diner’s lucky find—the Fae princess. He would soon relieve the creature of his treasure, and keep the one he had already retrieved, the Faerie Stone.

 He inched around the outside parameter of the sight trying to spot Shauna. So far, there were only goblins and one other strange creature that was held captive. And then he spotted the same beast practically dragging her from the side into the middle. Her head was bowed, and rage filled him when he realized she was crying. The itch started in his eyes, and this time he didn’t fight it.

 * * * *

 Shauna kept her head down, allowing her hair to flow into her face, so that it appeared that she was crying. She was almost free from the cuffs. One more spell and the hold would shatter. Then she would set a whirlwind in this camp that the goblins would never forget. The mud-colored ring had just snapped when something caught the attention of the goblins. The music stopped. Shauna swung around in time to see Liam stomping toward the camp. She couldn’t help the leap of joy in her heart at seeing him. Sure, she had run away from him, but her love was still strong, still wouldn’t let her go. She’d missed him.

 But something was wrong. She knew immediately in seeing that same phenomenon she’d witnessed in the shed outside of Joe’s restaurant. Liam was at the most powerful she’d seen him—and his most deadly.

 Before she could produce the whirlwind she had planned, Liam snuffed the fire, plunging the group into darkness. Shauna crawled around on her hands and knees trying to get out of the midst of the fray. Soon goblins were howling in fear and pain. She heard the slap of their bodies and they crashed into each other, and could only guess at what Liam was doing. But before he could kill them all, she moved as quickly as possible to try to snap him out of it. That was a big task considering she couldn’t see a hand in front of her face. Yet, she knew from experience that Liam could see as if it was daylight.

 “Liam,” she called through the darkness. “Liam, stop. Please. Don’t kill them.”

 “Yes, please don’t kill me,” a goblin whined. A second later and he was crying out.

 Something warm and sticky splashed against her cheek, making her cringe, imagining it was blood. In desperation, she stood and hurried forward, hoping it was toward Liam. Her fingers brushed against a contoured chest and from his masculine scent—so unlike the goblin’s—she knew it was Liam.

 Shauna tugged on his arm. “Liam, snap out of it. I’m here. Please don’t kill them. Liam!”

 He couldn’t hear her. She could feel the hatred, the evil as if seeping from his pores. But for the first time, she sensed something else too. Fae! Shauna moved in front of him to press herself close to him. She stood on tiptoe to put her lips next to his ear. “Liam, I love you. Come back to me.”

 The words of love tumbled from her lips again and again. And just when it seemed he would never stop until his enemies lay dead, he flinched. His arms moved to pull her tighter against his chest. Shauna lay her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes. When the air was sweeter, the sounds of weeping goblins receded, she knew Liam had instantly taken them to another world. But she didn’t move from his hold or open her eyes.

 Her arms crept up around his neck. “I’ll never run away from you again. You needed me, and I wasn’t there,” she whispered.

 “You’re here now.”

 Liam’s mouth closed over hers, but a moment later he pulled back. Shame clouded his eyes when he wiped blood from her face. “I’m sorry, Shauna. I should see that you’re safe and get as far away from you and everybody else.”

 She shook her head. “No, we tried separating. Now let’s try truly being together.”

 “What do you mean?”

 Hearing water in the close distance, through a copse of trees, she led him by the hand. “I think it’s time for us to go back to the old ways.” She smiled, stopping by the water’s edge and beginning to unbutton her blouse.

 His eyes darkened, but this time with desire and not anger. “You’re not suggesting ...?”

 “No.” She laughed. “Not exactly. I am going to go skinny dipping in this water, and you can watch me if you like.” Her face became troubled. “But what happened just now can’t be ignored. We have to deal with it. After I wash this stuff off me.”

 Liam dropped his head. His brows lowered and his forehead creased. “That’s exactly why I feel I should just leave. And I—” His words caught, then trailed away when she stood completely naked in front of him.

 She took his hand and kissed his palm. “Liam, for the first time since this happened to you, I sensed Fae in you. I know it’s there now. I just know it. And it’s getting stronger. We will learn together how to conquer the evil in you.”

 He tilted his head to the side, his black eyes almost caressing her bare skin, lingering on her taut nipples. Shauna trembled, wondering if conversation would truly be possible at this point. On impulse, she turned and headed into the water. When the cool liquid covered her skin, she began to scrub away the evidence of what just happened. At least she could be thankful that all was in darkness, except for the fact that her mind filled in the blanks with not too comfortable images. But there was strong hope inside her now. Not only had she helped Liam come out of his trance of darkness, she had also sensed good deep inside. Now, all they needed to do was help it to emerge. And she would give her life to be sure it did.

 She dove beneath the clear blue-green water and swam a short way away from the shore. When she stopped to tread water, Liam’s arms came around her. A gasp escaped her lips when she felt his erect shaft press lightly against her back. Tingles of sexual arousal coursed over her, heating her skin despite the coolness of the water. She twisted in his arms, put her hands on his shoulders and lifted herself high enough to wrap her legs around his waist. Immediately, his shaft pierced her moist center and Shauna growled with need.

 Liam grinned but pulled back so he wouldn’t enter her. “Slow down, princess. I need to ask you a couple questions.”

 She tossed him a saucy look, eyes narrowed, lips pouting. Shauna almost burst out laughing at what was not her normal behavior. It was just that wanting Liam was doing things to her thought processes. All she could think about was having him fill her over and over. It came of finally accepting that they belonged together, and that friends was not a part of the equation.

 “What questions?”

 He hesitated. “Like what you were doing while I was gone, namely were you intimate with any other Fae?”

 Shauna considered teasing him, letting him think she’d had a string of relationships, but in truth, there had been no one. Her guilt at losing him had made her turn into herself. And frankly, a Fae princess was taught to keep herself until she was married. Not that she had intentions of following that dictum. Not with Liam’s stiff length pressing against her cookie.

 She dropped her gaze to his bare chest, enjoying the exploration her fingertips were making over the hard plains. The cool water had also stiffened his nipples, and she played with them, making him gasp. Sexual power over a Fae as gifted as Liam. She could get used to that. “No, I have not. I’m still a dreaded virgin. Will you hold it against me?”

 “Never.” Liam wrapped an arm about her waist and turned to head back to shore.

 “Where are you going?”

 “To shore. When I make love to you, it will be where you are most comfortable during your first time.”

 She warmed even more to his gentle treatment. After their recent experiences, it had seemed impossible for him to treat her with kid gloves. Thinking of his spanking her when she first saw him again, and what had happened earlier, she trembled. Liam lay her on a patch of grass and stroked her face.

 “Don’t be afraid, Shauna. I won’t hurt you. I promise.”

 A smile spread across her face, a look of invitation in her eyes. “Then what are you waiting for, lover? I’ve got an itch and you’re the one to scratch it for me.”

 Chapter Twelve

  

 Liam placed himself down between Shauna’s legs, almost licking his lips at her sexy sweet body, ripe and ready for him. Already he felt the desire and dark magic stirring together inside him. Should not do this? If he hurt Shauna, he would never forgive himself. But she was so beautiful. He slid a hand along her thigh, marveling in the softness and thrilling at her tremor. There was no denying she wanted him.

 “Shauna, there’s nothing I want more than to feast between your thighs.” He paused to run his tongue over his lips again. “But if I hurt you ....”

 “You won’t, baby. Take me, Liam.” She reached out to him.

 Liam hesitated a moment longer, then he couldn’t resist her anymore. The hand resting on her inner thigh slid higher, the heat growing the closer he came to her hot center. With intense effort to control himself, he teased her wet opening, easing a finger in and out. When Shauna moaned, bucking against his finger, he gave her another, slow and easy.

 Liam slid back and followed his finger work with his tongue, tasting Shauna’s sweet juices. He pushed his tongue deeper inside her, sucking her button until she whined. After waiting for years for her, he couldn’t get enough. Liam slid his hands beneath her buttocks to lift her closer to his hungry mouth. He devoured for long minutes, and when he felt her thighs vibrate and her body twitch, he knew she was about to climax for him.

 The delicious reward flowed into his mouth, and Liam greedily licked up every drop. Shauna cried out his name, grasping his hair as she came in his mouth. When the tidal wave of sensation subsided, Liam was ready for much more. He positioned his thick erection at her opening, then pressed into the slick hot walls. He grunted as pleasure he’d never known washed down over him. Her tunnel was so tight, he found it difficult to get all of himself inside, but he fought for control.

 “Don’t be afraid baby.” He leaned back, watching her face and stroking her flat belly as he buried himself inside. “Shauna, I love you.”

 “Liam ....” Her whisper was a cry of pain. Liam nearly died when he saw the tear slip down her cheek. He lay forward, cuddling her, kissing her trembling mouth and stroking her hair.

 “I’ll stop,” he begged.

 She shook her head. “Don’t. Love me, Liam.”

 “I do, so much.”

 He lay flat against her, his cheek to hers and lifted one of her thighs higher, stroking her soft backside. Slowly, he eased in and out of her hot tunnel until it became easier. And when it did, Shauna’s cry of pain became a moan of delight. Encouraged by her relaxed muscles, Liam stroked harder, faster. He gasped for breath, as the sensations rolled over him, making him want to release right then, inside her. She was so sweet, so perfect. He couldn’t get enough.

 With a hand slammed down on the grass beside her head, he leaned up and away from her body again, lifting both her thighs in the process, to hook his hands behind her knees. Jerking upward on her thighs, so that her rear left the ground, Liam pounded deeper. The slap of his groin against her ass drove him wild. He felt the darkness increase, but was powerless to stop it.

 Two hands at Shauna’s waist, Liam reared back and at the same time lifted her up on his lap without slipping out of her. He lifted her up and brought her down roughly. Her hair blew about her head in the sudden increase in wind around them. She tangled fingers in her hair, screaming out her pleasure, begging him not to stop.

 Never!He’d never stop until he came. Until he filled her with all the pent up lust that had built in him over the years of wanting her, needing her. She was finally his, and he’d take all she had to give and more.

 Shauna writhed and came hard against his shaft, but still he didn’t find his release. He needed more. Feeling the itch around his eyes, he slipped himself out of her and flipped her around so that her back was to him. With eager fingers, he pushed two inside her wetness and trailed her delicious cream back to her ass.

 “Liam, what are you doing?” she gasped.

 “Taking what belongs to me,” he growled.

 She turned frightened eyes back to him, and he paused for a second, but then he saw the fear turn to lust. Shauna might be afraid of what he was about to do, but she wanted it almost as much. He grinned, then slapped one ass cheek hard. She cried out, and he slapped it again. She was panting, whimpering and her juices were flowing again.

 Liam placed the tip of his swollen rod against her rear opening and shoved against the narrow hole. Mentally, he pleaded with her that it wouldn’t be too much that he needed it so desperately, not realizing he was actually speaking inside her mind.

 “Yes,” she gasped out. “It’s good, Liam. It’s not too much. Faster, baby.”

 Encouraged, he grasped each hip before ramming deep inside her. The tight fit, Shauna calling out his name, sent him over the top. He exploded, emptying himself—his hot seed and his heart inside Shauna.

 Afterward, he lay behind her, cuddling her close to him in his arms. Liam never wanted to let Shauna go again. He would follow her from world to world to be near the woman he loved with everything inside him.

 When Shauna trembled with a chill, Liam waved a hand over them and a comforter appeared. He tugged the soft material up and tucked it beneath her chin. “I’ve been thinking,” he began.

 “About how sore I’ll be in the morning?” She chuckled.

 He smiled, teased her earlobe with the tip of his tongue and whispered. “I can’t say I’m sorry about that.”

 She slapped his hand.

 “No, I felt something different. I mean I’ve been trying for what seems like forever to gain control, to somehow dredge up the latent Fae magic that I hoped was still in me. But tonight, and during our lovemaking, I know it was there, tempering the darkness. Does that make any sense?”

 She nodded, then covered her mouth briefly with a yawn. “Yes, I think they are both a part of you now. And maybe they’ll continue to push against each other.” Shauna twisted to her back to look at him. “You’ll never be completely good or completely bad.”

 “Interesting.”

 “What I don’t get is, how you even got this way.” She chewed her lip. “You said Darcy healed you, but even that wouldn’t cause her magic to become a part of you. I don’t get it.”

 Liam considered whether to share all he knew. If they were going to make a life together, whether it was short-lived or long, in Faeland or some foreign world, they needed to trust each other. He would make the effort.

 “I learned that Darcy had in her possession a gem, The Faerie’s Stone. Have you heard of it?”

 She nodded, suppressing another yawn. “Yes, I have. Who hasn’t? The Faerie Stone was thought to be a myth, but it was said to hold great power, mag—”

 “Magic-stealing power,” he finished for her. He watched her eyes widen. “Exactly. For whatever reason, Darcy allowed the stone to take her dark magic and transfer it into me. And what I’m also coming to suspect is that Shamus had the same thing happen to him.”

 Shauna thought about it, “Yes, I remember hearing you tell her she could barely produce a spark of magic. Why would she give you all her magic?”

 “Not all of it. Half.”

 She gasped. “And the other half?”

 “To Shamus.”

 * * * *

 Shauna tossed and turned in her sleep. She was aware of Liam’s arm resting heavy over her middle, but still she felt trapped, as if caught in a steel net. And someone was coming for her, to kill her. She peered through the holes in the net and saw her mother. Shauna pleaded, “Mother, help me. Please.” Her mother looked back over her shoulder, but there was nothing to see. All around them was blurred. Nothing could be distinguished, no room, no furnishings. Nothing. As the evil force came closer, Shauna screamed and fought harder. The next instant she sat up, gasping for air and soaked in sweat.

 She glanced down at Liam, still sleeping peacefully. Easing out from under his hold and slipping from the comforter, Shauna stood to stroll down to the water’s edge. This world was a haven of nature, trees and grass, a clear lake and birds gracing a clear sky. The daylight, though not bright from the sun had, darkened only slightly. She could still see everything, and there was no darkness.

 A check on her lover over her shoulder found him still sleeping. Shauna sank down in the thick grass, marveling that it wasn’t wet so near the water. She searched for a pebble to skip, but found none. When something did disturb the still surface, she turned back to have a look.

 Out in the middle of the water, the surface stirred. Ripples flowed from a disturbance in the center of a widening circle. The air in that location grew thick and foggy. Shauna’s heart beat faster and she took a step backward. This wasn’t a portal opening. It was something else entirely.

 A woman appeared, with white light around her. At first Shauna couldn’t make out her features, but then the light receded to reveal her mother. Her chestnut hair, cut in a short bob was flattened on one side as if she’d been laying on it. Dark circles lined the underside of her eyes. A twinge of guilt turned in Shauna’s stomach, knowing she had caused her mother worry. That woman had always been a force, and had never appeared in public in a less than perfect condition.

 Shauna splashed down into the water, hurrying toward her mother. “Mother, I’m sorry. I’ve missed you. Please don’t worry about me. I’ll be back soon.” Her words tumbled over each other as tears wet her lashes and spilled down her cheeks. “How did you find me?”

 Her mother held up trembling hands, glancing back over her shoulder. “Shauna, listen. He’s coming.”

 She gasped, “Who’s coming?” Like she didn’t know?

 “Shamus, baby.” She sniffled. “A Fae can track only with a magic signature. A mother Fae can track with the connection she has with her child. I shouldn’t know about what Shamus has done. I think if he suspected I knew he would kill me too. He has the Fae fooled, Shauna. They think that you have turned bad, to follow behind Liam. He has shown them how Liam has changed, his skin.”

 “Mother, please don’t believe that. Yes, Liam has changed, but he’s not all dark and it wasn’t his fault. Shamus left him for dead.”

 “I believe you.” Her mother glanced back again. “I have to go. But please, Shauna, stay away from Faeland. Just live your life, my darling. The only thing important to me is that you are safe. I have lost everything else.”

 “Mother—” Before she could argue, the vision faded. A snap of a twig behind her turned out to be a Fae with his sword positioned over Liam’s heart, ready to plunge it into the man she loved. Shauna screamed raising both hands out in front of her. She produced the whirlwind she had intended earlier, the Fae tumbled onto his side, then rolled head over heels several feet away. Liam sprang up with electricity crackling around him. Shauna leapt backward, landing in the water when the shockwaves nearly engulfed her. By the time she came up for air, shaking her hair out of her face, Liam was tossing the Fae warrior back into a portal.

 Her lover marched down to the water and lifted her out, holding her tenderly against his chest. “Are you okay?”

 She nodded, shivering. “I’m fine. I almost didn’t see him. Boy, when you sleep, you sleep hard.”

 He frowned, probably feeling guilty that he hadn’t been alert. “I was inside myself.”

 “What?”

 “It’s a long story, but I was able to propel myself inside Joe’s mind to unlock his memories. I was using the same technique to see if I could access more of my Fae magic.”

 Her eyes widened, impressed with his progress. “And did you do it?”

 “I believe I have.” For the first time in a long time, he gave her the easy grin he had often displayed when they were younger. “It was amazing. And I will tell you about it only after we’re safe. As beautiful and easy on my eyes as this world is, we must leave it to find a safer place. But I believe that soon I will have complete control over my powers. Soon I will be able to return to Faeland and free our people.”

 “You mean we , don’t you?” She cast him a dark look.

 Liam caught her around the waist. “Uh, we can discuss that later, too.”

  

  

  

  

  

 Chapter Thirteen

  

 Shauna leaned back between Liam’s legs against his chest, munching on her fresh raw vegetables. She cast an eye on her tiny garden at the side of their small shack. Four months they had been on this beautiful world, with its diminutive inhabitants. Kind people that had accepted them with open arms, never once asking embarrassing questions about who she and Liam were or about his blue skin. And while she daily worried about her mother’s safety, somehow she knew inside herself that the former queen of Faeland was alive and well. At least once a month, she had the dream she’d had the night her mother visited her, but without the net and without the feeling of impending doom. Shauna was sure her mother had connected with her dreams, and Liam had agreed with her.

 “Liam?”

 Her husband—for they’d been married by the Elvin king—stroked her hair back from her ears to kiss the tips. “Yes, my wife?”

 She trembled with delight at the word. “I have something important to tell you.”

 “What’s that?”

 There was no guessing at his reaction. Though things had been calm for awhile now—no sightings of the Fae whatsoever in the time they’d been in the Elvin world—they were still in danger. This wasn’t the time, but she hadn’t planned it. She swallowed hard. “Liam, I’m pregnant.”

 Her husband nearly dumped her off the porch swing they occupied, but he caught her in time, staring at her face and then her belly, back and forth. “I ... You’re pregnant?”

 “Yes, please don’t be upset, but I’m so happy about this I don’t know what to do. With all the terrible things that have been happening to us, it seems like the perfect gift to our marriage and if you don’t like it, I think my heart will shatter.”

 He laughed, something he did more now. “Well since you put it like that ... I am very excited about this news, Shauna.” He rested a hand on her stomach. “This motivates me to work harder to control my magic. I am just grateful that the elves live under a sort of covering that shields them from the outside magical worlds. This is the perfect place for us to live. Keeping my magic low key has also been a help.”

 Shauna stroked his cheek. “I have noticed that your skin has lightened, which makes me wonder—”

 “If this is what happened with Shamus?” he finished. He nodded, “I have wondered about that myself. If Shamus gained control of his dark and light magic enough to make his skin white again, then it explains why he has lived among the Fae with no one suspecting.”

 Shauna snapped her fingers. “Yes, he spent an extended period off-world, saying it was a training program. No one had any reason to doubt him or question his actions. He could have been doing what you are doing now, learning to control his magic. Liam, do you realize that you and Shamus are the most powerful Fae in existence?”

 Liam nodded, a grim expression on his face. “Yes, I have considered that too. It seems like you and I are often on the same page.” He gave her a wink and a squeeze. “When I return to Faeland to face him, it won’t be a welcome home party. Shamus is playing for keeps. He will pull out all the stops. Not only must I manage control, but I must grow too. I don’t know at what level he has brought his abilities to, but I must do all I can to bring mine up higher as well.”

 Shauna sat forward. “I wish you would stop saying ‘I’ as if you’re the only one going back. I know I am the former king’s daughter and as such I was guarded at all times, but I was also trained to be a warrior. I can hold my own.”

 “Hmm, and where would you leave our son?” He crossed his arms, lips compressed.

 “Who said anything about the baby being a boy?”

 “I want a son.”

 She laughed, “And that means you get one because you act like a five-year old? I might want a girl. Anyway, one of the Elvin women can baby sit while we fight for our people.”

 “No.”

 Shauna wanted to rail at him, to tell him he wasn’t ruler over her, but she had been keeping mum when she didn’t agree with Liam. It was imperative that he focus and her nagging wouldn’t help matters. Liam’s anger out of control was a horrific thing to see and she didn’t want to experience it ever again. Keeping the peace was more conducive to peace of mind.

 She rose from the chair, entered the shack and glanced around at the small space. In a few months, when the baby was born, what had been livable despite its cramped size, would become unsuitable. The elves were small, so the cabins seemed huge to them. Liam must have descended from giants, she thought with his size. Learning to sleep in a narrow bed with him had been an exercise in patience and tolerance of discomfort. Eventually, they had made a bed of two mattresses dragged out under the stars. The weather in the Elvin world was always perfect, so it hadn’t been a problem. Now, washing dishes without magic—that was a whole other kettle of fish.

 She ran a hand down over her belly, so far still flat. Liam had been right about many things in the time that he had his power. She was fairly confident that he would be right this time too when it came to the sex of their baby. As she set to cleaning their home and washing up the few dirty dishes, she wished, not for the first time, that they had family nearby. But her mother and Shamus was all she had left and Liam, who had been an only child of an only child, had lost his parents years ago. Fae lived a long time, many centuries, but accidents, especially when it came to magic or spells, were not uncommon.

 “Shauna, come outside. I want to show you something.”

 This was another of Liam’s progresses. He entered her mind with little effort now, and from what she could see, it was never an accident. She would need to lecture him again about invading her privacy. Grunting in annoyance, she tossed the dish towel on the counter and headed outside. There stood Liam with a tiny wooden bassinet, carved with love with Celtic symbols. She recognized some, spells to protect the baby occupying it. Her heart rose to her throat, and tears stung her eyes.

 “Liam, it’s beautiful. Where did you get it? And so fast?” she gasped.

 He grinned, already looking like the proud daddy. Where had the man of dangerous sex appeal gone? She laughed silently. He was still sexy, and she wanted him as much as she did on that peaceful world they first made love, months ago. But for the first time, this domestic life appealed to her. Having a home, a husband, a baby on the way, was all she needed right now. Adventure could wait.

 Still, Shauna worried over her mother living in Faeland. How long before Shamus found out that her mother contacted her on a regular basis, could pinpoint her location? He would use that knowledge to force the queen to tell him where Shauna was living. Then her cousin would be on them before Liam was ready. Every day she watched him, knowing he was close, seeing new abilities spring up, but could he match the power of Shamus.

 Shauna remembered how Shamus had found a way to revive Faerie wings. She saw for herself the increased power in all the Fae in the dark world. That shouldn’t have been possible. And when she thought back on it, something told her that that increased ability was not actually the Fae under his command, but Shamus’ power. At no time, did she see Liam exhibit anything close to matching it. And still his skin held a blue tinge. It was all very frustrating, but at least they were together and happy. That was the important thing.

 * * * *

 Shauna felt the first kick inside her womb. It was the middle of the night, and as usual, she and Liam were sleeping under the stars in a deliciously warm breeze. She ran a hand over her swollen belly, and twisted to shake Liam awake. “Liam, the baby just kicked. Wake up, darling. You can’t miss this.”

 He never budged. Shauna rolled her eyes, remembering that Liam often slipped inside himself, mentally at night when they slept. When he was in that state, he was virtually catatonic. He had even gone so far as to command she not move from his side until he woke. She promptly ignored it, and struggled to her feet. Now might be a great time to try contacting her mother. If the connection between mother and daughter could work from one direction, surely it did in reverse. Shauna rubbed her kicking baby again, cooing softly to him as she waddled around to the front of the cabin to sit on the porch swing. She couldn’t wait to share the news with her mother. For four months, she debated telling her mother about herself, Liam and the baby. Her mother believed in her innocence, but Shauna just wasn’t sure what she felt about Liam. It had been the coward’s way out in keeping the secret, but now she was ready, even eager.

 A breathing technique, taught to her by the leader of the elves, was what she used to calm her mind and body, so that she could focus in on her mother. Never before had Shauna exhibited any ability to speak in others’ minds or attempted to. The simplest way seemed to bring to mind all the scene she’d experienced when her mother appeared in her dreams, then on the lake.

 The mist swirled in her internal vision, and then cleared away slowly. Shauna wasn’t aware of any smells or feelings, nothing that indicated it wasn’t her imagination. Then she saw her mother standing by a wood-framed window that stretched from floor to ceiling. Alongside was a bookcase filled with books. It too stretched from floor to ceiling. Sadness engulfed her as she recalled how her father had loved reading. Many lazy afternoons were spent with her curled up on his lap while he read to her from his favorite tales. “My favorites too, Father,” she whispered.

 Startled, her mother turned around. Her eyes widened. “Shauna.”

 Shauna gasped, “You can hear me, mother? And see me?”

 Her mother nodded then her happy gaze dropped down to Shauna’s belly. The joy on her face was heartening. “You have something to tell me, darling.”

 “Yes, I’m pregnant, Mother. Liam and I are going to have a son. The sex of the baby was confirmed just a couple days ago. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before now.” She worried her bottom lip. “And you should know that Liam and I are married. I couldn’t be happier right now, except if you and I were reunited.”

 Her mother began to cry, breaking Shauna’s heart. She moved closer, wishing their connection now was more than just a picture of each other in their minds. “Don’t cry, Mother. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.”

 She shook her head. “It’s not that, Shauna.” Her mother hesitated, hopelessness in her bearing. “He’s here, my darling. He knows where you are now.”

 Shauna sat staunch upright on the porch swing, the vision of her mother fading. As the layout of her surroundings came into focus, she became aware that a squadron of Faeries surrounded the woods around their home. Before she could cry out to Liam, praying that he was alert again, a fine film of something floated down over her. The pink glittery threads were crisscross in pattern, like a net.

  

  

  

  

  

 Chapter Fourteen

  

 The fight between Shauna and the Fae was short-lived. She struggled against the net thrown over her, but there was some ingrained magic in the threads. They paralyzed her, sending little shocks into her fingertips each time she pressed against the net. Lest she cause harm to her infant, she stopped struggling. But as soon as they let her out, whether it was here on the Elvin world or in Faeland, she would toss every fireball she could produce at their heads. And she wouldn’t hold back because they were her countrymen. The fools shouldn’t have trusted Shamus so blindly. A real warrior knew that.

 A burlesque Fae that Shauna didn’t recognize, though he wore the official uniform of the royal guards, took her arm and fairly dragged her down the hall of her childhood home, to the court room. Amid shouts of “let her die for her treachery” and other less lenient punishments being suggested in the great hall, Shauna was led to the foot of the throne her father had occupied for centuries.

 From her frequent attendance here, she had seen guilty Fae bowing their heads in shame, or even feigned humility when facing the king’s wrath for their actions. All were prepared to throw themselves on his mercy. In contrast, Shauna held her head high, her shoulders back. She clenched her teeth together to keep from spitting at the hypocrites who claimed to be so forgiving, so honest. All of them had followed behind Shamus when he killed the royal family. Now they stood with him as if he was righteous and she was nothing more than a dirty Darkling.

 Shamus sat on the throne, perched as a god, with all authority. She figured he had been too good to come out after her and Liam himself. He had gotten his lackeys to do it. Her hate-filled gaze raked over his form, encased in long flowing robes of silk, a high crown and a staff with a ball at the top that looked like one of the crystal balls she’d seen in a shop on the Elvin world. Behind Shamus extended long, wide wings, stretched dramatically across the throne. Shauna admitted, if only to herself, he looked larger than life. His sudden chuckle at that thought made her wonder if he was reading her mind. A flicker of an eyebrow told her that her suspicion was right.

 Shamus, with his tight blond curls and his sparkling blue eyes, had been the stuff of young Fae women’s dreams. And even as he smiled and charmed, having a ready joke on his lips at all times to entertain, she had never witnessed him favoring any of the women. One could imagine that even as a young Fae, he had been single-minded in his ambitions. Lull everyone into believing he was not the evil troll he was.

 “Evil troll, cousin?” Shamus grinned, displaying perfectly even white teeth that matched his perfect pale skin. How could he do it and not change? Shamus winked then waved an arm. “Everyone out.”

 Amid protests, the townspeople and guards filed out of the room. When the last person exited, a guard pulled the doors closed behind him. Shamus gave a brief intense look at the door, and Shauna heard it lock. Show off!

 He turned back to her, still standing in the middle of the aisle. “So little cousin, you wanted to know my secret?”

 She had told herself not to plead for his mercy, but she had to think of her baby. “Shamus, don’t do this. As you can see, I have a little one on the way. Liam is the father. We—”

 “Spare me, Shauna. There was no love lost between you and me growing up. Your father let mine die by the same hands that he allowed Liam’s parents to die. I’ve waited a long time to get a bit of my own back, and I’m not letting it go because little Shauna’s having a bastard.”

 She frowned, fighting to control her anger. “He’s not a bastard. Liam and I are married.”

 “How quaint.”

 Shauna refused to be goaded by the evil man. She crossed her arms beneath her breasts and waited for him to enlighten her on his activities. One thing for sure, she did not feel sorry for him. Liam had lost his parents also and he didn’t plot against the king. Her cousin may have been inclined to evil naturally. If it wasn’t insulting to his parentage, she would have suspected a mix of Darkling in his bloodline. When she saw the anger light in his eyes, she knew he had read her thoughts again. Served him right.

 It took awhile for Shamus to speak. He appeared as Liam had been in the early days of his new power, struggling with self-control. Finally he laughed, “You were wondering about my staff earlier, Shauna. Do you know what I keep inside of the ball? Come closer to see.”

 Shauna didn’t want to be any nearer to him, but her feet moved of their own accord. He wanted to show off his ability to her once again. Always the child, looking for attention. She stepped carefully up to the platform, mindful of her weight being off balance. When she peered in to the clear globe at the top of her cousin’s staff, she wished she could have resisted his pull, as her stomach turned.

 The head of Darcy, his Darkling lover, was somehow encased inside, though she couldn’t imagine how it fit. “What did you do, Shamus? Why?”

 “For the power of course. Imagine my surprise when I went back to the dark world to find my dear Darcy, the woman I loved had been cheating on me with Liam. In fact, she had given half her powers to him as she’d done with me.”

 Shauna railed at him, “Darcy did not have an affair with Liam! You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

 He laughed, a cool and grating sound not unlike that Darkling she’d first met when she was transported into the dark world. “Poor naive, Shauna. Why would she give him half her powers as she had done me? I know why or rather how I got her to do it for me. Women. They’re all the same. Stupid. They will give you their life if you tell them what they want to hear.”

 Shauna’s palms itched to slap him, but she thought he might hit back. She wasn’t in a position to fight him—yet.

 Shamus stood and paced a few steps away from her. He paused and fluttered his wings, glancing back at her. “Nice huh?”

 “What did you do to revive Faerie wings, Shamus? I mean other than sell your soul, that is.”

 “That’s a good one. You should realize that I am a very powerful man now, Shauna. And you would do well not to cross me.” He slapped his forehead as he strolled back toward her. “Oh, too late, you are on my bad side. Or would that be my badder side?”

 She would have answered, but he continued.

 “Just by being his daughter. You are on my badder side, Shauna. But don’t worry, I’m not going to kill you. Not now anyway. I’m going to have a little fun.”

 That pronouncement didn’t sound good at all. “What do you mean, have fun? What do you intend to do?”

 “You’ll see. If I revealed all of my plans right away, it wouldn’t be half as enjoyable.”

 Shamus had no need to call a guard, at least not audibly. The doors unlocked without him even looking this time, and a guard opened the door. Nosey Faeries, eager to see what punishment Shamus would dole out, filed into the room and took seats, sat on the floor and lined the walls. Guards stood at attention, their uniforms gleaming, a symbol of their authoritative status.

 Slowly, Shauna became aware of gasps of shock all around the room. She looked back at Shamus, but he sat serenely on his throne. When she met the horrified gazes of her countrymen, most turned away, fear stark in their eyes. Feeling a weight of heaviness inside, she glanced down at her hands, her arms, and her sandaled feet peeking out from her long dress. “No,” she cried out weakly. It wasn’t possible.

 Her skin was the same deep shade of blue as her husband’s had been that day she saw him the first time after three years on his ship. She shook her head, as tears spilled down her cheeks. It wasn’t true. She hadn’t sided with darkness. She couldn’t be evil, transforming into a Darkling. Could she?

 She wanted to demand an explanation from Shamus, to know what in the world was happening to her, but her lips trembled too much to speak. Anticipating her thoughts, Shamus spoke to the crowd.

 “I am as shocked as you are, my people. I wanted to give my cousin the benefit of the doubt, and that’s why I requested everyone to leave while I spoke to her, to plead with her to change her ways.”

 Requested? “That’s a lie!” Shauna screamed.

 More gasps rippled over the company.

 Her cousin was able to produce moisture on his long sooty lashes. It set off his blue eyes perfectly. “As I pleaded with her, she declared to me that she had married an evil Darkling. I ask you, what am I to do? She and her mother are all the family I have left?”

 The grumbles in the room rose on a crescendo of outrage. All wanted Shauna killed immediately, without trial. She reached beside her to a chair, leaning heavily on it as she sank down, her legs no longer able to hold her weight. A fist in her mouth to ward off crying out for mercy, she searched their faces for just one who would have compassion. Anger and hatred stared back at her from every corner.

 When the din increased, Shamus held up his palms face down. The noise level decreased immediately. “You all know what a kind-hearted and gracious king I am. I cannot bring myself to kill my sweet cousin. It is my belief that she is insane.” He paused for dramatic effect. His cold gaze froze on Shauna’s face as she tried to imagine where he was going with this. As if somehow making her skin appear blue was not enough. It was a parlor trick, nothing more.

 The evil king caught her eye again, pronouncing in deliberately slow words, to be sure that there were no misunderstandings, “She was pregnant, but lost the baby some time ago. Now, she refuses the use of a healing Fae so that she can carry around her dead baby.”

 It was as if someone had dunked her head into a bowl of water, so that her ears were immersed, and her perception of sound was muffled. She saw the sad expressions on the Fae’s faces, the pity in their eyes. She even smiled to let them know it was okay, her baby was not dead. She had felt her little bundle kick just hours ago. Shauna looked down at her protruding stomach and caressed it with both hands. Mentally, she willed her son to kick again, just as a reassurance, but nothing happened.

 Always, she had felt a connection with her child, just as her mother had indicated existed between them. While she hadn’t yet been able to communicate with him in any understandable way, she knew he was there, alive and well. That is, until now. “No.” The soft-spoken word was wrenched from her throat. Shauna jiggled her belly, bent over it as far as she could go, listening, craving his answering movement. There was nothing.

 She sobbed uncontrollably, screaming for someone to help her, for a healing Fae to come. Shauna surged to her feet, stumbled from one blurred face to the next, but no one cared. In anguish and confusion, she ran down the aisle to the doors. As she neared, the guards opened the doors so that she kept going, heading toward her mother’s sitting room.

 Bursting into her mother’s private room, she yelled. “Mother, help me. Please help me.” Her mother had practiced healing as a hobby. She was not a healing Fae, but she did know some of the old techniques. Shauna prayed she could help. “Mother!”

 The former queen rounded the corner of her bathroom door with a pleasant smile on her face. Shauna paused at the vacant look in her eyes, but rushed into her mother’s arms still crying.

 “Darling, what’s wrong?” Her mother stroked her back gently.

 “The baby. Mother, I can’t feel the baby. He’s not kicking. And the connection I had is broken.”

 The former queen leaned back away from Shauna, capturing her face between her hands. “Oh Shauna, you’re not pregnant, darling. You always said you didn’t want children.”

 Shauna cried out, “Mother, look at my stomach. I’m pregnant!”

 Her mother shook her head, “No baby. You’re not.”

  

  

  

  

  

 Chapter Fifteen

  

 Liam came to himself and yawned, feeling refreshed and in more control of himself than he ever did before. He felt powerful. The feeling was heady. He rolled over to encircle his wife with his arms, only to find her gone. Anger at her for disobeying his command surged through him. He stood.

 “Shauna?”

 “She’s gone, Liam,” the Elvin king told him. “We tried for hours to wake you. The Fae have taken Shauna back to Faeland.”

 Liam’s heart leapt to his throat. For hours? In a second the portal to Faeland was open. Liam stepped through to the hall. He headed down toward Shauna’s mother’s rooms. Surprisingly, he met no one on the way. Bursting through the doors, hoping no one was indisposed he searched the room, which turned out to be empty.

 Anxiety swelled in Liam’s chest as he headed back toward the court room. Voices beyond the doors were raised, though he couldn’t tell if it was in anger or excitement. He broke into a run a few feet from the door, then putting out his arms to grasp the knobs, the doors bent inward before ripping from their hinges.

 All voices stopped as he stepped through the opening, searching for his wife. At the far end of the room, on a platform sat Shamus. His calm expression denoted that he expected Liam to show at any time. Liam would deal with him soon enough. Shauna’s safety was most important.

 “Where is she?” he demanded.

 The Fae stood still, staring at him as if he had two heads.

 He raised a hand, releasing a whirlwind from his palm. It blew a path through the line of Fae.

 “I said, where the hell is my wife?”

 The fallen Fae stood and moved to the side, and the rest of them stepped out of the way. Shauna was curled in a corner crying. Liam ran to her side and pulled her close. He lifted her chin and kissed her, but she pulled away. “No, no, I’m not a Darkling. I’m not.”

 Liam stared down into her eyes and felt his heart shatter. Shauna’s mind was gone. He doubted she knew he was there. He looked for her mother, to find her on the platform next to Shamus, an evil smile plastered on her face. Rage grew inside him as he realized what had happened here. Two people greedy for power had driven his wife crazy, and the Fae had stood by and let it happen.

 The itch began in Liam’s eyes. He glanced down at his skin. Even as he watched it darken to a shade deeper than it had ever been, lightening gathered all along the ceiling, catching in the giant chandelier and reflecting off the shingles. Lights popped in every sconce until the room was plunged into darkness. Several Fae guards approached him, but his anger was high. Before the men could lay a hand on him or throw a spell, each of them were flung through the air until they crashed over chairs, rolled across the floor or hit the wall opposite Liam’s position.

 Glancing at the lightening on the ceiling again, Liam directed it toward the two leaders on the throne. Shauna’s mother threw herself behind the chairs, which immediately caught on fire. Shamus deflected with no effort.

 “Liam, welcome home,” Shamus called with sarcasm heavy in his voice. “A little peeved at something, my friend?”

 Shamus’ teasing only set Liam off more. “Shamus, you will die today for what you did to my wife.”

 “Can we say dramatic?” Shamus laughed, as he stood and approached Liam. “Let’s talk, my friend.”

 “I am not your friend.”

 “What do you want, Liam? I let Shauna live, didn’t I? Sure, I made her lose her mind, but I had to get something out of the chase you two gave me all over the place. Who would have thought that you would be hiding in the Elvin world? Guess I should have pushed harder through their magic.”

 “Shut up,” Liam growled. “You were always self-absorbed, Shamus, and you still are.” Liam held up both hands, fingers curved up toward the ceiling. “And what I want, is for you to die.”

 Liam sucked the lightening down from the ceiling into his fingers. The pain and energy he felt from the impact was a rush, but not long-lasting. He directed it straight into Shamus’ body. Twenty thousand volts lifted Shamus off his feet and slammed him down on the floor. He blinked in shock and coughed up blood. Satisfaction infused Liam, but it was short-lived.

 Shamus grinned with blood coated teeth. “What do you see, Liam?”

 It was a simple question, easily answered. Liam glanced up at the throne, then down at Shamus, lying on the floor. He froze. His gaze returned to the throne, and there sat Shauna. He ran across to her. “Baby, are you okay?”

 She laughed, shoving away his hand. “It worked, cousin. We got him. I told you I could trick him into coming back. Now just get rid of him, so I never have to look at his blue face again. You’re a Darkling, Liam. And Darklings are not welcome in Faeland.”

 Liam blinked and shook his head. “No, Shauna. You ... You ....”

 “I what, Liam? Love you? Don’t be silly. Why would I love a Darkling? You’re a Darkling. Go back to the dark world where you belong.”

 The words washed over him, ripping into his heart and his mind. He shook his head to clear it, but nothing would shake loose the barbs his wife had shot into him with her words. Their experiences together, the times she helped him to come out of the trance of evil that engulfed him. How could he believe it was all an act, that she didn’t truly love him. Yet staring into the cold green eyes that watched him was daunting.

 Liam backed away, almost stumbling into the portal that Shamus had opened behind him. He glanced back to see the Darklings jumping excitedly at the sight of him. Maybe he did belong with them. They were the only ones who wanted him. If he didn’t have Shauna .... “No, I don’t believe this. Shauna, I know you love me, and I’m going to prove it.”

 Before anyone had a chance to react, Liam marched up to the platform, grasped his wife around her waist and disappeared through another portal. They were in the human world. Shauna struggled against him, but Liam held on tight. He herded her toward Joe’s diner, though she pulled back. “Let me go now, Liam!”

 “Shauna, please. I love you, and you love me. Just go with me inside the restaurant. I know it will help you.” He gathered her against his chest and smiled down at her. “Remember the kitchen stove where I kept burning myself trying to cook?” He chuckled, but her expression remained belligerent. “Shauna ....”

 “I don’t know why you’re insisting on dragging me around. I told you, it was a ruse to capture you. But I’m soft-hearted by nature. I pleaded with Shamus to have mercy on you. He promised to send you to the dark world to live from now on. It’s the least he could do.”

 “Those arrogant words sound just like Shamus,” he growled while shaking some sense into his wife. “Why don’t you tell me what you think and feel?”

 She broke from his hold and ran away from him. Liam caught up to her easily, pinning her arms to her sides. “Stop fighting me. This is a lie. I know it is. Damn it, Shauna, snap out of it. I love you.”

 “Go to hell!” she screamed.

 This couldn’t be happening. It couldn’t be. Their time together had to be real, not a trap to capture him. Shauna had to love him or ... He was lost without her. It was Shauna’s love, her devotion to him that kept him struggling to gain control. If she didn’t believe in him, what was he fighting for? What was there to protect? Nothing. He had no family, no friends. All the Fae had turned their backs. And yet, had he had Shauna alone, none of that would have mattered. But here she was denying their love.

 How many years? How many had he spent watching her, loving her when he knew she wanted only friendship. It was much sooner than she knew, even before that time at the lake the last time they’d gone skinny dipping as kids. He had loved her years before then, but it was there that he first loved her as a woman. Shauna’s beautiful body had set him on fire. And when she’d dove into the water to cover that sweet figure, he’d blasted himself with a freezing cold wind to cool his aching hard-on as it twitched to be inside her.

 Now, in the last few weeks, he had begun to hope that there could be happiness with the woman he’d been pining over for what seemed like a century, and she was telling him it all meant nothing? “No! I won’t believe that, Shauna. I can’t believe that!”

 Liam tightened his grip on Shauna and waved his arm again. This time the portal opened to the eleven world. The porch swing where they had spent many warm days holding each other came into view. Shauna could not fail to remember their love here, or the rose garden outside the Elvin king’s home where he had married them.

 As they entered the world, Shamus headed them off. “Stop this, Liam. Accept your lot in life. We all have our roles to play.”

 Like a lost child, Shauna held her arms out to Shamus, but Liam wouldn’t let her go. “No.”

 Shamus sighed, “I see you’re determined to be stubborn. I have no choice.” Liam wondered what he meant. He threw up his defenses, steadied himself to attack Shamus again as he had done in the court room. The man had been hurt. That meant he was vulnerable. Liam would bring him down and figure out later what they had done to his wife.

 But even while he laid out his plan mentally, something changed inside him. He felt an inexplicable increase in hatred and anger. He felt resentful of the Fae who were the cause of all his troubles. He was repulsed even by the creamy-skinned woman in his arms, though he didn’t remember her name. He released her and looked down at her rounded belly, annoyed that she would think he would want her when she was carrying another man’s bastard. For an instant, as he stood looking at her, he saw a spark of recognition in her eyes, some memory that was immediately lost again. It could have nothing to do with him, though. Her name didn’t come to his mind.

 Liam took another step back away from them. The smell of this world was too sweet, too pure. There was way too much light for his liking. The dark world was better; it was home. If he never saw a Fae ever again, it would be too soon.

 He opened a portal behind him, saw the Darklings dancing with delight. Had he a heart that felt, he would enjoy their welcome. As it was, he might allow them to live another night. Maybe the next night, if they didn’t please him, he would throw them all to the beasts in the ocean.

  

  

  

  

  

 Chapter Sixteen

  

 “He left you, you know. When you lost his child, he left you.” Shauna’s mother’s expression and tone of voice was set as if she had been speaking of nothing weightier than the warm breeze that stirred her roses as she watered them. Shauna stood on swollen ankles and feet, holding a basket of clippings. She had insisted on helping. Her mind didn’t focus on anything for more than a fleeting second. Working in the garden helped.

 “I’m not a Darkling,” she whispered, though she didn’t believe it anymore, “and my baby is not dead.” She didn’t believe that either. She spoke the words from habit. Truth was, she didn’t remember what was real and what was in her broken mind. If what her mother spoke was true, then her husband had abandoned her when she needed him most. She had thought he would come for her, but he never did.

 Her baby had not kicked in the weeks she had been back in Faeland. And truly it didn’t matter any more. She had nothing, not even her mind. Thoughts were random during the day, but at night .... She began to long for the night, for it to last forever. A person could hide from the brightness of the sun, could be lost in the shadows. Just the night before, she had almost felt like a sane person, could just about put together a dream that didn’t involve her running away from something that meant to kill her.

 During meals was the worse time. She had to sit across from her mother and alongside Shamus. He asked about her day, and she could never remember anything meaningful to tell him. Oddly, that always pleased him. The look of amusement might be at her expense, but she could never quite grasp the meaning of it.

 “I think that you should visit the village today, Shauna,” he had told her over breakfast.

 “I’m not sure of the way.” Her words were whispered. She stared down at her belly, stroking it, wishing for something she couldn’t remember.

 “Put both hands on the table,” he commanded.

 Shauna clenched her fists beneath the table cloth. She fought against the clouds in her mind. A man in shadows stood at the edge, but she couldn’t make him out. The mist thickened, engulfed her mentally. She choked as if it were real, gasping for breath. Shamus laughed at her and stood to leave the room.

 “The village is only down the road,” he told her, and then he was gone.

 That afternoon, when she couldn’t put off Shamus’s suggestion, no command, any longer, she set off to walk to the village. It had been easy to stand with Mother in the garden on plump legs and feet, but strolling under the sun down a dirt road was difficult. She wanted to lie down, to forget in sleep. Maybe if she did, she would see the man again, see his face more clearly.

 She wanted to obey her cousin, but the way was too difficult. Spotting a narrow path to her left, she followed it. The shade was better through the path in the trees. And when she came through them to an inviting lake, it seemed familiar, but the memory slipped away. A wide yawn made her cheeks ache and her eyes water. He couldn’t spite her for the smallest of rests. A grassy patch under an old oak was just the spot. Shauna eased her awkward figure to the ground and laid her head on her arm. Sleep came quickly.

 * * * *

 Liam leaned an arm back over his chair, watching the two Darklings he’d dubbed Fric and Frac, shuffle into his study. They walked hunched over like they were ashamed of their height, and blew out their bellies to make themselves appear heavier. They were good for tormenting only.

 “What do you want?” he grumbled at their interruption of his pity party. “I’ve told you repeatedly, I’m not interested in being your leader.”

 Fric and Frac groveled, scraping the floor with their foreheads, greasy black hair tumbling over into their eyes. He hated the way they looked, and hated more that he resembled them more each day. The only difference was that he retained his physique. The joy of that was nauseating to say the least.

 “Hey, boss. Mur and I –”

 “Fric.”

 “Boss?”

 Liam sat forward, annoyance in his bearing. He pointed to the Darkling who first spoke. “You are Fric and your brother is Frac.”

 “But boss ....”

 A shock of lightening had the Darkling howling and jumping with hands cupping his rear. “Yes, yes. Fric. Fric!”

 Liam laughed. “Go on before I lose my patience again.”

 “Boss, we figure you’ve been sulking around here all day, every day because you’re lonely. So we have just what you need.” He pounded his brother in the chest and pointed toward the door. “Get her. Boss, you had a thing with Darcy. This is her sister.”

 “What?” Liam jumped to his feet. “Get out of my house.”

 “Aw, what’s wrong, sugar?”

 Liam turned to see a sexy Darkling female standing in the doorway. He cocked a brow in surprise at the fact that—one, she looked almost exactly like Darcy, and two, she was completely naked. Her coal black skin glistened even without light to reflect off its surface.

 The pouty-lipped, large-breasted creature sauntered over to him, brushing her lush figure against him. “I bet I can help you.” She brushed her fingers across his shaft, causing it to grow hard just as Darcy had enjoyed doing. She had been a tease, but Liam suspected this one was game.

 “Not interested.” He shoved her away and walked out the door. Fric and Frac fell into step behind him. Liam shut their chatter out of his mind. And instead, a beautiful pale Fae floated before his consciousness. How he still wanted her, craved her touch. The scent of honey in her hair was still in his nose. The softness of her skin was etched on his memory. Just once more. If he could have her once more.

 He didn’t know what her name was or even what the distinct features of her face were. But she visited his dreams in bed and came to his mind as he walked along the platforms. That first night back here, his rage had been so high, he’d thrown the Faerie’s Stone into the ocean and watched it sink with satisfaction. Now, no one would enjoy its power, least of all the power-hungry Fae.

 Fric and Frac’s toenails, clicking on the boards, distracted him. He rounded on them. “Get out of my sight now, or I will toss you in the ocean.”

 They were gone in twin puffs of thick smoke.

 That was another problem he had, anger. Or was it grumpiness. Darklings were normally angry, hateful. They thrived on arguments, causing contention wherever they went. But they at least tolerated one another—on the whole. Liam was in a constant state of discontent. He hated the Fae, but he loved ... No, that couldn’t be right. This was the worst part of all of it. He couldn’t remember if he did love, and if so what or who. It might be the Fae in his dreams, but surely that was impossible. He would never. He was a Darkling.

 The confusion swirled so much in his mind that he couldn’t see straight. It wasn’t until someone grabbed hold of his arm, that he realized he had been heading straight toward the edge of the platform. Glancing down, he saw one of the creatures of the deep waiting, looking hungry. Even it was angry for being deprived of its meal.

 Arms wrapped around his waist. Liam felt a breast thrust against his back. “Come back to the house, Liam. I’ll make you feel better.”

 He shook her off. “I told you I don’t want you.” He shoveled his hands through his hair. “Why do you all keep following me? Do I have a magnet up my ass?” He heard the titters in the shadows, but ignored them, as he waited for her to answer.

 “You are our leader now. What else are we supposed to do? Darklings don’t exactly work, you know. We just sit around waiting for the master to take us somewhere. Maybe cause a prank.” She grinned. “Or we have bedroom fun.”

 Liam rolled his eyes. “What’s your name?”

 “Lucy.”

 He frowned. “Well Lucy, you’re not going to be my queen, so you should just go back to your own house. And put some clothes on.”

 She shook her head. “I can’t. I was living with a lover who brought his other girlfriend in to live with him when I bragged that I was going to belong to you. Now I have nowhere to live.”

 Rather than answer, Liam swung back along the way he came, back to Darcy’s house. He hadn’t been able to wrap his mind around the fact that it was now his. The Darklings had been saving it for him. Not one of them came forward to fight for it, which was their normal practice. He should have been impressed with their loyalty, but he wasn’t. Each day in this awful place left him drained, unhappy and uncaring. It was sucking the life out of him. Or sucking out all the good.

 He felt the darkness closing in on him. Not as a person grew claustrophobic with the walls caving in. This was a tangible, seeable thing. Shadows gathered around him, darker spots in the darkness of their world. The air was heavier, more oppressive inside the house than it had been before. He knew without anyone telling him that all that was Fae was seeping from his very soul. And there was nothing he could do about it.

 When he arrived home, he heard Lucy’s step behind him. He walked inside, having never shut the door earlier and stopped just at the jam. “You can sleep in a guest room. Don’t touch me, don’t talk to me, and don’t show yourself to me.”

 Liam didn’t wait for her to respond. He headed up the stairs and down along the hall to the room with the panels missing from the lower half of the door. It looked like they were burned out, but he didn’t bother asking the Darklings what had happened. This room had appealed to him when he arrived, and it was the one he used instead of the master suite. He saw no reason to change his habit. Ever.

 * * * *

 Shauna stood outside the cabin on the Elvin world, watching smoke curl up into the sky from the cozy chimney. The porch swing rocked slightly with no breeze as if someone had just risen and gone into the house. She liked when she dreamed clearly like this. Her thoughts were also clear, if only for this time. She could hide in this dream world and never wake up.

 Instead of stepping up the stairs to enter the cabin, she walked around to the back. There on the ground was a mattress, with a comforter rumpled on it. She had the urge to straighten it and bent to the task. His scent, masculine and woodsy floated on the air just before he stepped from the trees just ahead of her. Shauna gasped. Always before, he had been cloaked in an evil mist, hidden from her view.

 Now she saw him in all his glory. He was tall, very tall and muscular. He wore no shirt, so that she could clearly see the rigid plains of his chest and abdomen, a sight that had her panting with desire. No mean feat considering he was blue. Shauna didn’t think she’d ever seen him before, but there was something familiar about him. He exuded danger, and she felt fearful as he strode toward her.

 “Who are you?” she questioned, with only a hint of her nervousness obvious in her voice.

 He stopped in front of her, making her feel very small, but extremely feminine. The stranger ran a rough palm along her cheek, fingers across her lips and then boldly slid his hand down between her legs to give her a squeeze. “Does it matter?”

 She shook her head. “No.”

  

  

  

  

  

 Chapter Seventeen

  

 Shauna’s body was on fire. She couldn’t believe the arrogance of the stranger, to touch her as he was. Yet, when he lowered his lips to touch hers lightly, she wanted him to do exactly what he wanted with her body. But when she splayed her fingers over his broad chest, feeling the rapid beat of his heart, what she wanted more was to fulfill her desires with his body.

 She kissed him back, stretching up on her toes to take it all, to feast on his hot mouth. When she had stuck her tongue in and out of his mouth, nibbled at his bottom lip, and followed her own path down to the rock hard erection in his pants, it felt like a fire had set them both ablaze.

 “You taste so good, so familiar.” She traced the lines of his ripped stomach muscles, watching with satisfaction when he trembled. “Are you sure you won’t tell me who you are?”

 Eyes like chips of coal studied her. “If I told you that I am the king of the Darklings, would you run from me? Would you deny me the pleasure of your body?”

 “Could I run away from what keeps me alive?” Shauna didn’t wait for his answer. His sharp intake of breath was enough for her to take hold his pants and slowly undo the buttons down the front of them. She allowed her fingertips to graze his shaft, to tease it with a little pinch. Finally, she had his pants undone enough to slid them over his hips and down around his ankles. Her hands followed the curve of his buttocks, luxuriated in the steel of his thighs, before finding their way back to the prize.

 “What are you doing to me?” he gasped, his head going back as he closed his eyes.

 Shauna slid down to her knees, a slow seductive smile spreading across her face. She took the stiff rod between her hands, deliciously excited by its incredible length and thickness. Her mouth watered in anticipation. “I’m taking what I want. You don’t mind do you, my king?”

 He gasped at her seductive words. And encouraged, Shauna guided him to her lips, so that the head of his shaft rested against her mouth. Her tongue darted out to tease the head, and she twirled it all about the circumference.

 The stranger growled, “Shauna ....”

 She was shaken. “You know my name?”

 “Is that it?” He reached for her head, pulling her toward him again. “Again, does it matter? I need you to do that again, and more.”

 “You’re cruel.”

 “Just who is teasing whom here, Shauna?”

 It warmed her to hear him say her name. The deep timber of his voice sent shivers over her skin. How she could love this man. But that wouldn’t happen. She didn’t know him. The best thing for her was to enjoy every inch of him. Shauna raked his thighs with her fingernails, pay back for his cruelty. Her hands slid around to his buttocks and she held him in place while she plunged his erection into her mouth.

 She sucked him in as deep as she could, enjoying the scent of him, the flavor. She couldn’t get enough. She let him slide out of her mouth and rest against her nose, while she licked and teased the underside of his sensitive flesh.

 “Liam,” he groaned. “That’s my name. Shauna take me in your mouth again, baby.”

 With a hand wrapped as tight as she could manage around his girth, she took him into her mouth again, stroking him up and down. Liam tangled his fingers in her hair, pulling her harder against him. She felt his balls rise, knew he was ready. She craved the salty, tansy flavor that would soon burst on her tongue.

 Liam exploded into her mouth. Shauna drank hungrily at him, not allowing any of his juices to escape her greedy mouth. And when she had sucked him dry, he lifted her in his arms with care, to carry her to the mattress she had been straightening earlier.

 With birds chirping around them, a breeze stirring the leaves and the sun mercifully hiding behind the shade of the trees, Liam positioned himself at her side and began removing her clothing. When she was naked, he paused to stare down at her.

 “You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.” He ran a finger down over first one nipple and then the other. “Tell me that you belong to me,” he demanded.

 Shauna considered not telling him anything of the sort, but when he lifted one of her thighs to stroke her rear, a flash of spanking went through her mind. She didn’t ever remember being spanked, by him or anyone else, but it seemed real. It wasn’t such a bad thing to tell him what he wanted to hear, she laughed silently. Especially if he continued to play with her breasts and if he lay between her legs. It seemed forever since she’d been intimate with a man.

 “I belong to you,” she told him.

 He grinned. “Good.

 “And you belong to me.” She grinned and pointed. “Especially that big piece of meat there. I want all I can get.”

 Liam laughed. “You’re a bold thing, aren’t you?”

 Shauna ignored the question and slid her hand down between her legs. She was wet. One of her fingers slipped easily between her soft folds, lost in her moist center. She groaned at the sensation of giving herself pleasure. Noticing the excitement in his eyes while he watched her, she dipped her fingers deeper, so that they were coated with her cream.

 “Do you like that?”

 His black eyes flashed. “You know I do.” He caught her hand and pulled it from her before he licked her juices from her fingers. Shauna moaned.

 Liam leaned down so that his mouth touched her ear. His warm breath made her tremble beneath him. “Shauna,” he whispered. “Open you legs for me.”

 At that point, she didn’t care if it was a command, if he was trying to rule her or being cruel. She needed it as much as he did. Her legs almost sprang apart from their own accord, and Liam caught her behind her knees. He raised her legs high before plunging roughly inside her. She cried out at the sting but soon was lost in the tumultuous heat that scorched them both.

 Could she get him deep enough? She tried, grabbing onto his ass and nearly pleading with her lover to never stop driving into her moist center. It craved him, wanted him forever. Shauna wrapped her legs around his waist. She tugged as his hair, fed at his mouth. An instant later, he exploded inside her, filling her so completely.

 Shauna fell back against the mattress, with Liam cuddling tight against her, holding himself inside her. They panted together, each trying to catch their breath. Shauna felt him twitch inside her. Her eyes widened when she realized he was hardening again for another round. Excitement took her not nearly as fast as he drove in and out of her slick tunnel. Forever , she thought. Just do it forever.

 Tears stung her eyes, “Liam, I love you so much.”

 “I love you, baby.”

 Shauna woke with a start. The sun was lowering in the sky. She had slept too long. As she struggled to her feet, she tried to recall her dreams, but all remained in shadow. She tried remembering what she’d eaten for breakfast that morning or anything that should have been simple. Nothing. “Back to reality,” she whimpered, trying not to sob.

 Before she could take a step, a pain rippled over her stomach, causing her to double over. When it passed, she moved again with the same results. Shauna felt a sort of release between her legs and then water splashed down her legs, soaking her shoes and the ground around her. Shauna stared at it. Her baby? That was impossible wasn’t it? The pain hit her again and then again.

 She hightailed it back out to the road, relieved more than she could cry out when she saw one of the farming Fae tooling his wagon along the road she had been on earlier. He was headed away from her home, but she flagged him down anyway.

 “Please. Please help me,” she begged.

 When she bent in pain again, the elderly man jumped down from his wagon with the energy of twenty year old. He tucked an arm beneath hers and then tapped the tip of his nose. Shauna and the farmer were instantly in one of the healing rooms in the palace. A healing Fae rushed over, took charge and sent the farmer on his way before Shauna could thank him.

 Tears spilled down her cheeks. “I don’t understand what’s happening. My cousin ....”

 “Shh,” the Fae told her efficiently. “There’s work to be done.”

 Several hours later, Shauna stared down at her living, breathing infant son. He was the sweetest baby in the worlds, she declared softly to him, every few minutes. He offered a bubbly smile as if he knew what she was saying, and Shauna tucked him closer to her before slipping into a peaceful sleep.

 * * * *

 Shauna watched Lorcan in awe. Her little man was intelligent and perfect. He was only a few days old, but she suspected that he was special, apart from her own bias as his proud mama. Her heart ached remembering that Shamus was talking of getting rid of the baby because he said he was an abomination. Shauna wasn’t sure why her cousin felt that way, but she would die before she let anything happen to Lorcan.

 “I don’t know what we’ll do, little one. If I could just get my mind right, I could leave here. I can’t even remember how to use my magic.” Tears filled her eyes at the thought of not being able to protect her son from harm. “I wish I knew what I don’t remember!” she cried in anguish.

 Feeling that a visit to the gardens was perfect for lightening her mood, Shauna scooped up her little boy and carried him down the stairs and out the front door. No guard had ever stopped her or even accompanied her. They either all knew she was too out of her mind to go far, or they didn’t care. She hoped it wasn’t the latter.

 Instead of visiting her mother’s garden, Shauna found her feet returning to the spot not far from the lake. She didn’t know the significance, but an odd feeling came over her as she walked. Had she not known better, she would have believed her son wanted her to take them somewhere where no other Fae were around, and they wouldn’t be disturbed.

 “Well, I understand,” she whispered to him. “They all look at you funny. I know they didn’t believe you were there alive in me. And I hardly dare believe it either, but here you are, and I just hope I am not just dreaming you up.”

 Finally, at their destination, Shauna sat down cross-legged on the patch of grass where she had napped. She cradled her son on her lap, while stroking his soft black hair. As she arranged his coverlet more comfortably about him, her gaze fell on his birthmark, a black patch of skin like a band about his left arm. All other areas of his skin were as pale as any Fae’s. Even his walnut-colored hair and green eyes were those of the Fae. Shauna couldn’t be happier.

 “So, little man,” she cooed to him. “What are we out here for?” Shauna tickled her little darling under the chin, making him wiggle. He offered one tiny hand to her, and Shauna reached for it, then froze. Her eyes widened at the ever increasing spark on the tip of her baby’s finger. “Magic? So young?”

 She moved to touch his finger tip with her own and got the shock of her life. A volt of intense power, though not painful, raced through her body and released tingles in her hair. Shauna muffled a tiny screech of surprise so she wouldn’t scare Lorcan. She lifted him up to her shoulder, rocking him gently.

 “What did you do to me, Lorcan?” she smiled, standing. “I see we’re going to have to teach you very quickly to control yourself, young man. Wait ‘til I tell Daddy ....” She stopped. Tell Daddy?

 Shauna spun this way and that, taking in her surroundings. How could she possibly have forgotten who she was, who Liam was and the times they’d shared in this spot growing up? She checked her mental capacity, humorously running through figures. There was no more confusion at all. Shifting Lorcan to one arm, she tested her magic. With a snap of her fingers, Lorcan’s rattle appeared in her hand. She whooped with joy.

 “My son, you healed mama. Darling, do you even understand what you did for me?”

 And then she knew what had happened, how Shamus must have addled her mind with his power. If he had been tricking her, lying about her baby being dead and her being a Darkling, he must have also been lying about Liam abandoning her. And her mother! She needed to get back to the palace right away. As soon as she found some way to help restore her mother’s mind, she was going to look for her husband. She only prayed that he was safe.

  

  

  

  

  

 Chapter Eighteen

  

 Tears wet Shauna’s cheeks as she stood over her mother while the older woman slept. She had been trying for days, even attempting to coax her son to use his magic to hear his grandmother. Not even a spark. Shauna could only hope that when she reached the dark world and spoke with Liam, he could help her mother’s mind. The woman still didn’t realize that Shauna had had her baby.

 “Mother, look. This is Lorcan, your grandson.” She held the baby in front of her mother while she gathered her tools for the garden work. “He healed me, and I believe he can heal you too. Mother, are you listening?”

 The former queen looked up with a forgiving smile. “Oh, darling. You don’t have a baby. When will you learn?”

 “Mother, he’s right here. Look.”

 “Shh, Shauna. You know Shamus doesn’t like emotional women. Now, let’s get to work. The roses have been looking a bit neglected lately.”

 Sorrow filled Shauna’s heart thinking about how lost her mother seemed to be now that Shamus had cursed her mind. But she had to believe that just like her, her mother could be healed. And if Shamus had learned to use such a powerful weapon against the Fae, then it stood to reason Liam could learn too. They had both been given Darcy’s power. They had both been powerful Fae in their own right before then. And that’s why she had every intension of stealing out of Faeland to go to Liam.

 Now, she stood ready to slip away in the night while most of the Fae were sleeping. She needed to move quickly because as soon as the portal opened, a cry would go up about the dark world being opened to Faeland. Shauna couldn’t afford to allow her mother to struggle against leaving. She would give them away.

 She stroked her mother’s forehead gently. “Sleep, Mother. Sleep.”

 Shauna moved to the crib holding her son and lifted him into her arms. She tucked a bag packed with his things over her other shoulder and turned toward her mother. With a hand on her mother’s arm and the other clutching her baby against her chest, Shauna whispered the words that would open the portal.

 A brilliant flash lit the room before becoming muted in deep black and red. The room in one location seemed to ripple as it would seem to be in a heat wave. Then the air bent in upon itself as the portal opened. Shauna prayed it would be at or near Darcy’s. If nothing else, on a platform would be nice. Her last mistake could not be repeated with Lorcan in her arms and her mother unconscious.

 Someone was smiling down on her. The opening seemed to be inside a room somewhere, only illuminated by the table lamp on her mother’s bureau. Before she could step through to lay her baby in a safe place, the alarm went up. Shauna knew she had only seconds. The Fae would determine the location of the open portal and transport to her mother’s room. As she had originally planned, Shauna needed to transport her little family into the dark world, only possible because the portal was open. Still, if she lost power when appearing there, one or all of them could be injured.

 Nuzzling the soft cheek on her right shoulder, she whispered, “I know you can’t understand me, darling, but if you can help Mommy do this, it would be such a big help.”

 Shauna clutched her mother’s arm, closed her eyes and whispered the spell. She felt her body melt and move through dimensions in the blink of an eye. The rematerializing in the physical worlds was so rough, she stumbled to her knees while her mother rolled a little ways across the floor. Shauna winced. “That may hurt in the morning, Mother.”

 Remembering the portal, she waved a hand. Maybe, just maybe the Fae didn’t locate it in time and wouldn’t be down on them in the next few minutes. But they had made it over safely, and though she had felt no helping magic, she liked to believe her son tossed in his power too.

 The room they occupied was plunged into darkness when the portal closed. Shauna snapped her fingers to light a flare on her fingertip. Glancing about, she found that they were in a living room, but it didn’t appear to be Darcy’s house. That could be a long way from where she’d come through. It also meant that she would have no choice but to wake her mother, so that she wouldn’t have to figure out some way to carry her. At least her mother was so deeply under Shamus’ spell that she too could not use her magic, as Shauna couldn’t before her son made her well. Her mother would stubbornly though pleasantly complain, but they would make it.

 The couch was covered in throw pillows, which Shauna tossed most of them on the floor. She saved only enough to surround Lorcan to protect him while she looked outside. When she was confident he was safe, she hauled her mother over to the couch and positioned her there too. She’d wake her only after she scoped the lay of the area they were in.

 Before opening the door, Shauna listened through the aged wood. She became aware of scraping on the other side and low growls. Too late, she remembered Liam’s warning. A Fae’s magic drew Darklings like flies to honey.

 “Oh no. What are we going to do now? If I open this door, they’ll attack. If I don’t, they may break in. And who knows who this house belongs to.”

 She paced the floor, wringing her hands. When she heard the innocent gurgling of Lorcan, she turned toward him to find that light shown from his skin like he was a little mini-sun. She hurried to his side.

 “Oh Lorcan, you’re saving us again, aren’t you darling. How can you know?” She peeled back the covers to kiss his cheek. “Why do I get the feeling you’re doing all this to meet your daddy? Ah well, let’s get out of here.”

 There would be no scoping out where they were. Shauna would just need to rely on instinct to find Liam at Darcy’s house. Hopefully, like Faeland, the dark world was not very big. Even if she went in the wrong direction, she wouldn’t get too far off course. Taking chances at this point were necessary.

 She swung to face her mother, whose head was lolling to the side with drool slipping from the side of her mouth. Shauna tapped her mother’s right temple. “Mother, wake. Time to wake up now.”

 Slowly, the former queen’s green eyes opened with that faraway look that hurt Shauna’s heart so much. She gathered her baby and the bag up, and then grasped her mother’s hand, gently tugging her to her feet.

 “Come on, Mother.”

 Relief washing over her when her mother was still too groggy to protest or question where they were. She simply followed like a small child.

 Just as Shauna thought, the road to Darcy’s house was not long. It helped tremendously that Lorcan’s light burned the eyes of the Darklings so that they scattered like frightened does, into the shadows. The entire trip was uneventful, and Lorcan’s light did not dim until they were drawing up to Darcy’s front door.

 That’s when nerves played havoc with Shauna’s stomach. What if whatever Shamus had done to her was done to her husband, and Lorcan couldn’t free him? What if Liam had turned too bad, with no way back? The possibility nearly had her fleeing back to Faeland. Anything was better than living among the Darklings, and at least in Faeland she had a chance to simply live.

 “No,” she whispered, dredging up the courage to knock on the door. It was better to know for sure if there was no hope for her husband rather than run away. He may need her, and she would be there for him no matter what.

 She knocked for several minutes with no answer. Only when her knuckles were getting raw from pounding at the heavy wood did she decide to try the knob. It opened. Shauna rolled her eyes in disgust, but moved inside.

 “What place is this?” her mother asked. She glanced around the large drafty foyer with a look of dread in her eyes.

 “Never mind, Mother. Come to the living room.” Shauna led the way. “I need to trust you to watch over the baby while I’m gone mother. I believe he has an automatic self-protection magic, but he’s still too young.”

 “Oh Shauna,” was all she said.

 Hurriedly, she made up a place on the couch similar to the one she had made for Lorcan at the other house. This time, when she placed him in the middle of the cushions, she conjured all her power and strength to produce a protective shield about Lorcan and her mother.

 Shauna glanced back at her mother and son for a moment as she headed back out to the foyer. There was not much time. Quickly, she searched the first floor without finding anyone. Next, she checked on her two loved ones, and when she found them safe, she headed to the stairs leading to the second floor.

 It had never occurred to her that Liam could be out. Where did a Darkling go in this drab world? Even during her time being held captive there, she had not seen much productivity. As she ascended the stairs, she figured if Liam was not in, she had no choice but to wait for him. They would barricade all the windows and doors some kind of way and be alert to any Darkling who tried to transport into the interior. She would use her magic only minimally as not to draw the hideous creatures to them. It was all she could think of at the moment.

 Voices were coming from the room at the end of the hall, the one she remembered was her bedroom. As she inched along, dread came over her. The memory of the two Darklings that had chased her came to mind, and she looked back repeatedly over her shoulder. The closer she came to the room, she was able to distinguish that there were two people speaking, a man and a woman. A woman? Her stomach knotted.

 Shauna drew even with the open door and couldn’t move any further. She stared in shock and horror at the curvy Darkling woman who was draped naked on the bed, with Liam, naked down to his waist, poised over her. With her voice sounding like it was coming from inside a bubble, Shauna cried, “no,” and fled.

 She heard Liam say “who the hell” but she kept going. Before she could reach the end of the hall, he appeared in front of her, and she crashed headlong into his hard body. The delicious feel of him, along with the scent she’d missed, made her even angrier. When his hands came up to hold her in place, she fought against him.

 “Get your hands off me, you cheating son of a bitch!”

 “What’s your problem, Fae? And what are you doing in my house?” he demanded.

 Shauna’s eyes narrowed. She fought not to cry. Liam, the man she had given all of herself to didn’t even remember her and the love they shared. It seemed impossible. And though she had told herself this was a possibility, the preparation didn’t lessen the rip in her chest, like she was bleeding internally. Somehow, she would have to help him to remember her.

 “I came here to introduce you to your son.”

 He frowned. “What are you talking about? I don’t have any children and certainly not by a Faerie.” He leaned back away from her and crossed his arms, obviously satisfied that he had put her in her place.

 Behind Shauna the female Darkling strode out of the bedroom calling for Liam. Before Shauna could formulate a plan to free herself of her husband’s hold, a scream rang out through the darkness.

  

  

  

  

  

 Chapter Nineteen

  

 “Lorcan!”

 Shauna tore from Liam’s arms and bolted down the stairs, taking them two at a time. From the thump behind her, she knew he was close behind. She didn’t look back. Dread rose in her throat, nearly cutting off her breath. If the Darklings had hurt her baby, she would rip them apart with her bare hands, no magic necessary.

 The two of them tumbled into the living room in time to see the heads of the two Darklings Shauna had been harassed by before, sticking through a broken window. Shauna’s mother had pulled up her knees to her chest to hug them, and was screaming in fear.

 “Fric and Frac!” Liam yelled.

 “Hey boss.” They grinned like fools, proud of themselves, Shauna guessed.

 She pumped her fist, willing the glow on the tip of one finger to increase so she could zap them into oblivion. Nothing happened, but Liam did it for her. The twin Darklings scurried away screeching. Shauna dove to the couch and lifted a fretting Lorcan into her arms. She nuzzled his face, cooing softly to him to calm him. “It’s okay, darling. Grandma’s okay.” She glanced up at her mother and reached out to stroke her arm. “Mother, they’re gone.”

 “What is this place, Shauna?” Her mother had stopped yelling but still trembled. Shauna turned to Liam. He ran a hand through his thick black hair, making her want to do the same, to touch any part of his hot body. How she missed him. But she remembered he was with another and frowned.

 “Who are you?” Liam asked again. Shauna stood slowly and brought Lorcan around the couch to show him. The baby wiggled in her arms, seeming to know he was about to meet his daddy.

 Shauna held her breath and father and son studied each other. She saw the look of disbelief in Liam’s eyes. The big, muscular half-Darkling looked afraid. Lorcan waved an arm wildly in the air, and she gasped when Liam allowed the tiny fingers to wrap around his thumb. Hope simmered in her heart that her baby would demonstrate his power again. Tears filled her eyes as she couldn’t bare the pressure, the fear. Not for another second could she hold back her sobs, and she cried into the soft blanket held near her chin.

 “Don’t.” Liam whispered. “Please don’t. I don’t know what’s hurt you, and I don’t know why, but I feel drawn to you. I feel like I know you. I can’t even imagine why you’re breaking my heart crying. Just please stop.”

 He pulled her into his arms, careful not to squish the baby. Shauna stared up at her husband, seeing that he still didn’t recognize her—at least not in his mind. But maybe his heart did. His mouth came down on hers, and she pressed tight against him, savoring the taste of his mouth. With effort, she pulled back. “That Darkling you were with ....”

 “I don’t want her. I want you,” he muttered. It seemed impossible. Maybe the evil in him was making him tease her, to let her down later. But the lust and, dare she hope, love in his eyes looked so real. “Who?”

 “I am your wife, and this is your son. I know you don’t remember, Liam, but we need you so much. Especially Lorcan. That’s his name. He needs his father.”

 Liam hesitated then tentatively took his son from Shauna’s arms. He pushed back the blanket covering him, and his eyes widened. “His arm ....”

 She nodded, “He was born with that dark spot. Liam, my cousin had me under a spell where I felt like I had lost my mind. And he told me that our baby was dead. It was all a lie, an illusion. But the most amazing thing of all is that Lorcan used magic to heal me.”

 “That’s impossible!”

 A laugh bubbled up from her throat as she watched him gently bounce the baby in his arms, as if he was an old pro. “A baby this age cannot produce magic. It comes to him over a few years.”

 “Well our son did! And he can heal you and my mother too. I just know it.” She glanced worriedly at her mother. “What I don’t know is how to help him to find it again.”

 Liam would have answered, but an explosion of light outside caught their attention. Her husband winced and shielded his eyes against the light, as did the female Darkling who had just entered the room. Shauna hated being reminded of her existence, and her husband still hadn’t explained himself on that subject. Now wasn’t the time. Something was happening outside, and she feared the Fae had discovered them gone.

 Liam handed the baby back to Shauna and headed for the door. The female Darkling, Shauna and her mother stumbled on in his footsteps. Outside, the entire night sky seemed to be exploding with light. Darklings were cowering and crying with pain everywhere. Shauna feared for Liam, squeezing through the others. She watched in awe as a sort of lens slid into place over his eyes. They were like tinted sunglasses only organic in nature.

 She gaped, “When did you learn to do that?”

 “Just now. Get inside!”

 Ignoring him, she continued to look around. No Fae were in sight, yet still light invaded the dark world. There was not even a portal open, and none could be sensed. If this was Shamus’ doing, he was more powerful than anyone had imagined. He’d evolved into something she feared Liam could not overcome.

 Lorcan squirmed in her arms, maybe sensing something was wrong. Shauna considered taking him back inside, but dismissed the idea. She was not leaving her son alone again in this world, no matter what.

 The area around them went quiet. The Darklings had stopped crying. The constantly rippling ocean water had gone still. Liam’s ship stopped rocking with the increased wind and choppy waves. Now it sat dead in the water like everything else around them. She couldn’t help thinking it was the calm before the storm. Shauna turned to Liam. “Darling, your only hope—our only hope—is to remember. Everything. Shamus had taken over your mind and my mother's. If you don’t remember I suspect he will kill us all.”

 Her husband stared out at the water and at his ship. A puzzled look came into his eyes, but he said nothing. Shauna glanced up at the light sky again. The light was spreading. In another situation, it might have been a good thing for light to be shed on the evil there, but its portent was too frightening.

 “Liam!” Shauna shouted. She grasped his arm with one free hand, shaking him as best she could. “Remember!”

 At first she thought he was drawing a blank, that is until he spun to face her slowly. “I spanked you on that ship.”

 “Yes! Darling, keep trying”

 “I brought you here.”

 She nodded, but Liam put a hand up to his head, wincing in pain.

 “I’m sorry, but I can’t remember anymore. It hurts too much to try. It feels like a knife being jabbed in my skull.”

 “That’s Shamus’ handiwork. That was the case with me when I tried to gather the scattered thoughts he’d slung all over my mind. I cannot believe he is my family, and that I thought he was a good and kind king, perfect for replacing my father. I just want the Fae and Faeland back the way it used to be.”

 Liam looked doubtful. “Even if this cousin you speak of is stopped from his evil—and really I can’t fully spite him for being evil, except when it comes to you and this baby—I doubt that your people will go back to the way they were. There have been many lives lost, many hurt.”

 This was a side to Liam she hadn’t seen. She wondered when he had obtained this calm balance of good and evil. He was kind to her and their son, even prepared to protect her though he didn’t remember her, while at the same time discussing going to war with the Fae as if he enjoyed the prospect. That was a Darkling trait if she ever heard one. The Faeries were peace-loving people. But Liam was showing an ability to know the difference and choosing to operate in goodness. If he could remember, Shamus would not stand a chance.

 Liam turned toward her and reached a hand out to stroke her face. “What is it about you?” He leaned in and pressed a feather kiss against her lips. Then to her shock, he bent to kiss the baby, but he drew back at a shock. “Whoa, he’s a strange one.”

 Before Shauna could comment, Liam was strolling away. She moved to follow, but the female Darkling stopped her. “You’ll only get in the way. Let my king do what he needs to do to stop the nasty Faeries.”

 Shauna’s eyebrow flew toward her hairline at the Darkling’s gall. Pointedly, she eyeballed the black hand on her sleeve. The female snatched the hand away, offering her a sassy look instead. Shauna ignored it.

 “Trust that if I were not holding my son, I could rip you apart,” she stated through gritted teeth.

 “You would try anyway.”

 “Touch him again and I will kill you.”

 The Darkling waved a hand through the air. “Pish posh. While he is our leader, Liam is a bore. I offered him everything. He took nothing. One would think he was impotent.”

 Shauna clicked her tongue, joy flooding her heart. “I happen to know he is far from it.”

 She looked back out along the platform, but Liam was out of sight. Soon she heard a splash and terror gripped her heart. No Fae were present still, but where was her husband?

 * * * *

 Right then, there was nothing Liam wanted more than to turn around and take his beautiful wife into his arms and tell her over and over again just how much he adored her with every fiber in his body. He hated realizing what she must have felt being separated from him for so long and then to come looking for him only to find him ready to have sex with a Darkling woman.

 He had dreamt of Shauna every night and thought of her every waking hour, though he couldn’t remember who it was he’d seen and made love to him in fantasies. But as time went on, he was losing hope that anything could take away the lonely hopelessness he felt. It had only been a few minutes before that he decided that maybe sleeping with Lucy, he could wipe out the torturous thoughts of the mysterious Fae. Had Shauna come a few minutes later, he would have killed himself.

 Now, he had hope that he could convince her that he did not sleep with either Darcy or Lucy and if he could find that Faerie’s Stone inside the ocean water without being eaten, he had a plan to strip Shamus of his power once and for all.

 His precious son had given him more than a shock when he kissed him. Liam had felt the restoration of his memory, his sanity. But he had also experienced something else. Liam suspected that Lorcan, despite his young age and inexperience, had released in him that last element—something that might have taken Shamus years to master—that would help him to gain complete mastery over his power, to access recesses buried inside him. It had felt like a key turning in a lock. Like his mental book at the back of his mind had been unchained. Now he could flip through its pages and pull tricks that he could only dream of before. He felt ready to face Shamus. But the first step was the Stone.

 Standing at the edge of the platform, he saw the beast swimming back and forth nearby. It waited for its meal. “Not tonight, creature.”

 Stripping of the rest of his clothing, Liam dove into the black depths to search out his people’s only salvation. Thoughts of Shauna and Lorcan gave him strength and determination, guiding the way deeper and deeper into a watery pit.

  

  

  

  

  

 Chapter Twenty

  

 In the murky distance below him, Liam spotted the Faerie’s Stone. Its smooth pink surface was half hidden by the black sands on the bottom. He was grateful that the area around the platforms was no more than fifteen to twenty feet deep. As he neared the gem, something moving in his peripheral vision caught his eye. He stopped swimming and looked around. Nothing. When he started forward against, the creature came from nowhere, jagged teeth aimed at his head. Liam flipped backward and kicked the beast away. It circled around and came at him again, but Liam zapped it with a bolt of magic that left it little more than singed sushi. He hurriedly swam on before his air ran out. Magical creatures could hold their breath under water for extended periods, but not forever.

 Finally retrieving the stone, he turned to head back to the surface but was stopped with a sharp pain in his head. He closed his eyes against the pain and grabbed his head. A voice cut across his thoughts.

 “It’s hopeless. Do you really think Shauna will accept a Darkling for a husband? Look at you, you’re even darker than you were before. You tried being good. It didn’t work. Give up.”

 Even as the words were spoken, he felt a gradual sensation of hopelessness descend on him. It was like someone had poured warm honey over his head, hard to resist giving in to, but not inviting at all. Liam shook his head, struggling to clear it. He was running out of air. He redoubled his efforts to get to the surface but was getting nowhere. Inexplicably, he was sinking. The soft sand on the bottom closed over his feet. Still he sunk lower.

 Liam fought, clawing at the water above him with nothing to hang onto. He flung down a bolt of magic at the sand, willing it to release him. Nothing was working. With his lungs burning, the pain of losing his family so soon after finding them tormented him. At that moment, he looked up to the platform far above and saw Shauna standing there with Lorcan in her arms. He believed he could hear her in his mind.

 “Come back to us, darling. Please. We need you.”

 Just as quickly, the other voice, the one that wanted him dead spoke again. “You’re going to die, and she’ll be left a widow, your son, fatherless.” He now knew the voice was Shamus. With his level of control over the dark magic in him, how could Liam fight him?

 “Liam! Come back to us now!”Shauna screamed.

 The itch began in Liam’s eyes. He felt the dark magic level increase, but this time was different. He had control he had not experienced before. The magic expanded. A wave of it extended from his body down below the sand and freeing him. It increased his capacity to hold his breath, but it wasn’t needed as he came up out of the water like a phoenix rising from the ashes. Liam was shocked to feel his wings unfurl and grow from his back. The shimmering black wings carried him into the air a foot above the water, and he moved swiftly to land in front of his wife and son.

 Shauna zipped into his outstretched arms. “Liam, if I lost you ....”

 “I know, baby.” He tipped up her chin to run the pad of his thumb over her trembling lips. His body craved her. They had been separated too long, and when this was over, he had plans to strip his wife naked and enjoy her sweet charms.

 Shauna nuzzled closer, tracing the line of one of his wings with excitement in her eyes. “You have wings.”

 A tremor went through Liam. He gently moved her hand to her side, kissed her lips and then kissed his son. “Keep that for me later, Shauna. I have to take care of your cousin.”

 Her eyes widened. “Liam, I’m not sure about this. He’s grown so strong.”

 “Don’t worry. You get back to the house and wait for me there.” He snapped his fingers and Fric and Frac appeared. “You two take care of my family. If you fail me, I will kill you. Is that clear?” The twin Darklings nodded, fear in their eyes.

 Shauna threw herself into his arms once again before leaving with the Darklings. Liam knew Shauna. She would not have gone easily if she wasn’t concerned about the baby being safe. He just hoped he could indeed handle their enemy, but his plan had to work. Everyone’s safety—in Faeland and in the Dark World—depended on his success.

 * * * *

 The wait was excruciating, especially hard when Shauna had to answer her mother’s endless questions. No matter how many times she tried to encourage her son to heal his grandmother, the baby seemed not to understand. No shock of power transferred from him to Shauna’s mother when she guided the baby’s hand to her mother’s face. The former queen remained as unaware of the epic battle taking place outside Darcy’s house as she was of the existence of Lorcan. And through it all, Shauna felt if she had to wait another second to know what was happening between her husband and cousin in the clouds above, she’d die.

 “Mother, sleep!” she finally commanded. Her mother’s chin dropped to her chin. Shauna turned to examine the two Darklings who had previously tormented her. She couldn’t imagine why Liam had sent them with her, how he could trust them. “You stay away from us. Over there in the corner.”

 “We don’t have to listen to you,” one of them countered.

 Shauna smirked, “See this baby? He’s young but he is your king’s son.” She pulled back the blanket to show her baby’s birthmark. The Darklings pretended not to be staring at it in curiosity. “He has a special blend of magic.”

 “Whatever.” The Darkling was impertinent, but nervous, she knew.

 Turning back to the baby, Shauna said, “Lorcan, if they try anything, kill them.”

 She heard gasps of fear from the two now cowering in the corner on the opposite side of the room, but ignored them. Shauna was interested in one thing, how her husband was faring.

 Outside the window, lights flashed, lightning crackled and clouds of thick black smoke expanded over the house. Shauna couldn’t make out Shamus or Liam. The only thing she could distinguish were streaks of black and white flitting against each other and away, only to follow the same pattern. She imagined it was Liam and Shamus, but couldn’t be sure which was which. Did white represent Shamus because he had maintained his Fae look, yet was evil? Did the black represent Liam having skin so much darker since she’d seen him last? She wished she knew and could settle her worried mind. But nothing would help until this madness was at an end, until every mind that had been clouded by Shamus’ trickery was restored. That time couldn’t come fast enough.

 Suddenly, the black streak was knocked down into the water by the white streak. Soon after Shauna had her answer to which was which when Shamus touched down, fluttering his wings, in front of Shauna’s house. When the door blew open without him touching it, Shauna backed away.

 “You know why I’m here, don’t you, Shauna?” Shamus asked.

 “Apparently, I know nothing about you, Shamus. I thought you were good, were for the people of Faeland and not against them. So how would I presume to know what you’re doing here?”

 He gave a cold laugh, “Oh didn’t I say? I’ve come to kill you all. But first your son. Then your mother, then you. Lastly, if he hasn’t drowned yet, I’ll go pull Liam from the ocean and put him out of his misery too.”

 Shauna ran to her baby and picked him up to hold against her chest. “What’s your problem, Shamus? Why do you hate us so much? We’ve never done anything against you.”

 Shamus glided across the room, making Shauna want to hurl on him. His over-dramatization was grating. The man acted like he was putting on a show for an audience. She had no interest in being his catalyst to entertain himself. For it was sure everyone else tolerated his arrogance and lack of conscience.

 She drew away when her cousin reached for the baby, but before she had moved Lorcan out of reach, Shamus drew back his hand crying out in pain. Shauna glanced down at her son, but there was nothing different about him. She had detected no flash of lightening. Again, foolishly, Shamus put a hand on Lorcan’s blanket, his fingers tightening around the soft material.

 This time, Shauna saw the repel, a brightness to Lorcan’s pale skin, like someone flashing a picture. Shamus drew back a steaming hand and fist. “You’re doing that!” he accused. “You will pay!”

 The door crashed against the wall. Liam stood in the jam soaking wet, his black hair plastered against his forehead. Shauna had been impressed with his wings, but now they lay flat against his back. “Shamus, get—away—from—my—family.”

 Shamus, a look of confidence on his face, swung to face Liam. He moved so fast toward her husband that to Shauna it looked like he had transported to that position. Shamus raised his hand, power crackling at each fingertip to strike down Liam.”

 “Liam, look out!” Shauna called out unnecessarily.

 Before Shamus could attack, Liam uttered quick words in the Celtic tongue. Shamus gasped. “What are you doing? That’s the spell for—” He stared in disbelief, and Shauna moved to a location where she could see everything more clearly.

 Liam had uttered the spell to activate the Faerie’s Stone, the gem he now held in the palm of his hand. He held it up toward Shamus, and a solid beam shot out to Shamus’ head. Her cousin was instantly paralyzed, while from what Shauna could tell, every drop of his magic was drained from him.

 “Shamus, for your crimes against Faeland and in defense of my country as one of its royal guards,” Liam announced, “I am officially relieving you of your powers. You will no longer practice magic. Yet, I will allow you to live in spite of all that you have done.”

 When Shamus could move his mouth again, he frowned. “Don’t do me any favors, Liam. Without my abilities, I am nothing.”

 Shauna could not bring herself to feel sorry for Shamus. Why should she? There was not a drop of compassion inside her for him. Still none when he decided his loss of power meant he would throw himself to the creatures in the ocean, which had gathered with the drops of blood Liam and Shamus had been dripping as they battled in the air. His body was torn to pieces within seconds.

 It was finally over.

  

  

  

  

  

 Epilogue

  

 Shauna tucked three-year old Lorcan in his bed, and planted a gentle kiss on his forehead. Her heart swelled with pride at having such a talented son. The young king was loved by all of his people, who were in awe along with his parents that he was such a powerful little Fae.

 Liam stepped up behind her and encircled Shauna in his arms. “Are you wondering what he’ll become when he is a man?” her husband whispered.

 She nodded, “Yes. If as an infant, he healed you and me, has demonstrated such gifts as a toddler, I can’t imagine what the future holds.”

 “I can.”

 Shauna’s eyes widened, and she twisted to stare up at her husband. “How can you know? Have you developed your power to a new level also?”

 He chuckled, “No, but I predict a sibling for Lorcan within the next year.”

 She rolled her eyes.

 “In fact, I’m predicting it’s time to make that sibling right now.” Liam lifted her into his arms and carried her to the ready bubble bath that they had prepared to take together after she put their son to bed. He stood her in the middle of a plush rug at the side of the tub and began stripping her of her clothing, piece by piece. Shauna trembled as his fingertips brushed against her skin. Heat rose between her legs as she anticipated her husband placing himself down there soon enough.

 When she was naked, Liam assisted her into the bath and then snapped himself naked to follow. He could have done the same with her clothing, but something told her Liam enjoyed stripping off her clothes.

 As he lifted a leg over the edge of the tub, Shauna licked her lips hungrily at the sight of his long, thick erection. She reached a wet soapy hand out to it and stroked the head until it too was slick and sudsy.

 “Darling, let me get settled or you will have me coming before I’m ready,” he told her.

 “Well hurry up. It’s been hours since we’ve made love.”

 Liam laughed, “You’ve not let me out of your sight for more than a second in the last three years, woman. I’m not going anywhere. I promise you that.” He settled beneath the water, his legs encircling her hips with her back to him.

 Shauna leaned into his embrace and closed her eyes while Liam poured palms full of warm water over her breasts. Her nipples grew hard, just as she knew he intended. “Mmm, that’s feels so good, Liam.”

 He snaked his tongue around the lobe of her ear, his warm breath teasing her sensitive skin. “That’s the idea.”

 She nuzzled closer to his chest, reveling in his touch. “Well then keep doing that and more.”

 “I had better hurry too before your mother walks in on us again. Sometimes, I wonder if we should have left her daffy to get some peace. You’d think she was the only woman in the universe with a grandchild.”

 Shauna slapped his hand. “Liam, that’s mean. You know Mother is making up for not realizing Lorcan existed. She understands it was Shamus’ spell, but she still feels guilty, as do all the other Fae for what they put us through.”

 She smoothed the annoyed look from his brow and his mouth, kissing him. Liam held on to stick his tongue in her mouth. For long minutes, the only sound in the bathroom was the gentle lap of the water and their soft moans of need.

 Liam lifted Shauna and turned her so that she sat on his lap facing him. He stroked her nipples with his thumbs, and she arched her back toward him for more. How she wanted him inside her. She didn’t think she would wait another second. Reaching below the water, she took his shaft in her hands to stroke him slowly.

 “Shauna, baby, you’re driving me crazy. I think it’s time to make good on my promise.”

 “What promise is that?”

 He grinned as he lifted her hips higher. “The one I made to my son, that I would personally make sure his mommy produced a sibling for him to play with.”

 “Liam!”

 Her protest had been fleeting, turned into a gasp of white hot pleasure when he slipped into her wetness all the way to the hilt. Shauna screamed as her husband lifted her up and down on his long rod. She couldn’t get enough as she ground into him, grasping his shoulders and demanding he go faster.

 Shauna saw the darkness rise in her husband, a power he had no trouble now controlling. But she welcomed it, knowing the experience would be rougher, hotter with his dark side. “Yes,” she whispered as she felt her climax begin, “take me my Darkling. As deep as you can.”

 She felt his seed shoot out of him into her tunnel, lighting up her entire body. His mouth closed over one of her nipples, sucking hard enough to ache and good enough to have her whimpering. Shauna rode wild, panting and bucking against Liam. Then too soon she screamed again when her climax ripped through her soul and body. She clung to Liam’s chest shaking from head to toe.

 “Don’t worry, darling,” he told her with shimmering black eyes, “we have all night long, and longer if I hold back the day.”

 Shauna’s eyes widened with delight as she leaned in for his kiss. Well, he did promise their son after all.

  

 The End




About this Title


 This eBook was created using ReaderWorks™Publisher, produced by OverDrive, Inc.


 For more information on ReaderWorks, visit us on the Web at "www.readerworks.com"