This didn’t take long, since we knew so little. They’d possibly taken Seth and/or Peder, and Ian may or may not be there somewhere. We had an assumed location, about a mile up the road at what used to be a plantation house.
One of the guys stepped forward. He was the biggest, darkest, and fiercest looking banshee I’d ever seen. He was over six feet tall and had to be two hundred and fifty pounds of solid muscle. His bald head glistened in the moonlight as he walked over to me and spoke in a deep booming voice.
“I used to run with these guys. If they’re here, they must have recently moved back. We checked this location a few months ago and there was no sign of them. Anyway, I know the layout of the place. It’s simple, but there’s a basement in the old storage house where they hold their captives. If they took Ian, that’s where he’ll be.”
“Okay…” I motioned for him to say his name.
“Frey, but everyone calls me Slash.”
I nodded, not sure I wanted to know how he got the nickname, but I imagined it had something to do with the katana slung across his back.
“Okay, Slash. Thanks for the info. You should take the lead, since you know the layout.”
He nodded, the motion bringing my attention to the piercing in his left eyebrow.
“Great, let’s head out. We’ll go on foot. We have a better chance of taking them by surprise that way.”
When we had our gear, we let Slash lead the way to the hideout. It took longer than I’d have liked, but we didn’t want to run at top speed. To do so used power, and other banshees easily detected that power. Turned out not to matter. As we neared the house Slash held out a hand to stop us.
“They know we are here. They sense you.” He looked right at me.
“Crap.” I too could hear the banshees and found that Slash wasn’t wrong.
I looked at my uncle and he gave me an encouraging smile.
“We will get them out, my pip, and they will not touch you. I will make sure of it.”
“Ms. Quinn, Someone’s coming.” Slash slid his sword out of its scabbard.
I focused on the sounds around us and heard the soft footsteps through the overgrown, weed-infested field to our right. I recognized the banshee’s aura.
“That’s Peder. And call me Kadi.”
I moved to Peder. He was alone.
“What happened?”
“Seth was taken when we split up to cover more ground. There was nothing I could do. If I had made my presence known they’d have gotten me, and I wouldn’t be here to help rescue them.”
The world spun. I took a deep breath before I spoke. I wanted to scream, but that wouldn’t get us anywhere but caught. I had to stay calm so I could think straight.
“Okay, Slash here knows where Ian will be if he is here. I assume Seth will be there too.”
“I agree. I need to speak to you for a sec, alone.” Peder took my arm and guided me away from the others before I could even answer him.
“What is it?”
“I know you’re a fierce fighter. Ian speaks highly of your abilities, and if Ian thinks you’re a great fighter you must be, but…” He hesitated.
“But I am still half mortal and innately weaker.”
“Right, but there is something I can do that may temporarily enhance your strength, and make you more like us.”
This intrigued me. “Okay, what is it?”
“I can give you some of my essence. It may hurt like hell, but it should allow you to take on some of my strength.”
“Yes.”
“Yes? You agree just like that?”
“Yep. If it’ll help me kick major banshee ass and get Ian and Seth out of there alive, I will do it.”
“You know, darlin’, I just might fall in love with you yet.”
I laughed at that. “We can start our love affair later. We have some ass to kick first.”
“My, my, I do like the way you think.” He winked at me before turning serious once again. “Fair warning, I have to kiss you for the draft to work. Hold on to me because once we start it will either feel like I set you on fire or fabulous. I can’t be sure which. But if it is pain you feel, just make sure you keep holding on. It won’t last. I promise. Ready?”
I nodded.
How bad was this going to hurt? I held onto his forearms because they were the smallest part of him.
“Open your mouth a little.”
And say ahh. I let my eyes flutter closed as his faced lowered toward mine.
His lips met mine. The kiss was gentle, even pleasant. I relaxed into it. Suddenly, a searing pain traveled from the point of our contact to the tips of my toes. He’d described the feeling all wrong. I wished it felt as though I were on fire. This felt like my flesh tearing away at the same time my bones were being ripped out one by one. I was dying, there was no way anyone could endure this much pain and stay alive. The pain intensified for a few seconds, and then it disappeared like it had never happened.
Peder released his hold on me and I stumbled back a few steps. Once I could see straight, everything was clearer, crisper. My senses were on overload. I could hear, see, and smell everything. I reached out and ran my hand over Peder’s shirt front. It heightened even my sense of touch.
“Kadi?” Peder said with amusement. I looked up to realize I was caressing his chest.
“So soft.” The body under the shirt was anything but soft making the sensation even more fascinating. “This is fucking amazing! It’s… I don’t know. Euphoric? Yeah, that’s it. It’s euphoric! Is this how you feel all the time?”
He chuckled. “No. I suspect that’s a side effect from your fairy blood, or maybe your mortal blood. Maybe it’s both.” He shrugged. “Sharing power is only something we do with another banshee. One we are… intimate with.”
“You put someone you care about through that much pain?” It was shocking, but I understood. The pain didn’t last too long and then it felt so good you forgot about the pain.
“Well, no. It’s something we do while making love. We sort of draft from each other. It magnifies the pleasure. I’ve never done it with someone who isn’t a banshee. I’ve never actually heard of anyone doing it with a non-banshee. Though I do apologize. It seems with you it was akin to feeding. I should have taken control of you to prevent the pain.”
“I’d rather have the pain than have you take control of me. Ready to get our guys back?”
“Definitely.”
We walked over to the others and Bryce grabbed me by the shoulders and studied my face.
“Your eyes. Banshee eyes. What have you done?”
I shrugged.
I assumed he meant that my pupils had constricted, meaning the power worked by making me a pseudo-banshee.
Since the gang knew we were coming, we decided to just storm the castle, so-to-say. Slash walked to the front door of the old storage house they were using as their hideout. He swung it open and called out, “Honey, I’m home!”
Chapter Six
Had they not swarmed us upon entering, I’d have laughed at Slash’s greeting to his old gang. My new strength and speed helped to amplify my fighting skills. I was able to respond quickly to an attack from my right.