Death Bringer

Chapter Thirteen

“Where’s Morosov?” The moment the spell lifted, Ella started speaking.

“He’s quite safe.” The Fae king looked up from the scroll he was reading. “You will see him presently.”

She was sitting in a chair in what appeared to be an old library. Her backpack had disappeared again. She tried to get up but was unable to move.

“I’m starting to hate this place.”

Just to make a point, she focused down, found the spell and blew it away. Standing up, she stretched and headed toward Vadim’s father. Her ankle felt fine, although her shoulder still throbbed.

“Very clever, Soul Sucker. It seems as if you are developing some magical talents of your own.” He turned toward her. “But there is no point in running away or seeking trouble. Your evidence will be required very shortly.”

“Evidence for what?”

“Death Bringer’s trial for murder.”

“Oh, that.” She frowned. “But what about the sect? Don’t they have priority?”

“Over a trial for the wanton spilling of Royal blood? I don’t think so. They will be content to wait for our verdict.”

“So Morosov will get off, then, and live to fight another day?”

The Fae king smiled. “You are so amusing, my child. Just remember that if you want your mate to live long enough to stand trial, you must behave yourself.”

A bell began to toll and he stood. “The trial will be starting very shortly. Come with me.”

Unfortunately, she couldn’t think of anything to do but follow him. Four Fae guards fell in behind her as they marched along a series of hallways and down the wide stairs. As soon as her feet hit the ground floor, the guards closed around her and she could see nothing but their broad shoulders and armor. They continued to move forward and eventually came into a less crowded space, which smelled of old books, ink and dust.

Above her head there was an ancient hammer-beam ceiling, the beams darkened with smoke. The floor was wooden planks and scratched and dulled with age. It reminded her of photos of the thousand-year-old Westminster Hall in London, where the English parliament used to sit.

“Sit here.”

She did what she was told, aware that Vadim’s life was currently in her hands. Was that what they were hoping? That she’d accidentally lose it and give the court the excuse they needed to execute her mate? Could they execute him?

While she waited, she surveyed the scene. Slightly raised on a platform, a long oak table with five chairs dominated the end of the room. In front of the table was a stand, and on either side of the stand were two smaller tables, just like a regular courtroom. Behind her were several rows of benches, currently unoccupied. She looked around for the Fae king, but there was no sign of him.

“Hey, you.” She nudged the nearest guard. “Is this trial open to the public?”

He looked down at her from his considerable height. “No, Soul Sucker. It is a matter for the blood Royal to determine alone.”

She winked at him. “Thanks, handsome.”

He tried to look stern but failed and had to look away from her. Somewhere trumpets blared. The guard slid a hand under her elbow, bringing her to her feet.

“All rise.”

A door opened to the right of the long table and several figures emerged. Ella recognized Vadim’s grandmother, mother and father, but not the last guy.

“Who’s the dude with the white hair?” she whispered to the long-suffering guard.

“That is a representative from the Dark Court.”

The two males took the seats on the left, and the females sat on the right. The door opened again, and someone Ella unfortunately recognized all too well came out.

“Oh, crap.”

“Did you speak, Soul Sucker?”

“Not to you.” She focused her gaze on the smiling face of the man she knew as Drew Spencer, the head of the SBLE in North America and possibly the rest of the known universe. She hadn’t liked him the first time she met him. He hadn’t really taken to her either.

“Why is Drew Spencer here?” she said loudly.

The Fae king looked over at her. “He is knowledgeable about both our world and the SBLE. Therefore he was acceptable to all present as an impartial judge.”

“I bet you didn’t consult Morosov about that.”

The Fae king ignored her and turned his attention back to Drew Spencer, who waited patiently by the dais.

“You may proceed.”

Spencer bowed, took his place at the center of the table and addressed the four occupants. He wore a long white robe that made him look vaguely clerical and completely judgmental.

“I will call each witness and allow you the opportunity to ask as many questions as you wish. Then, if necessary, we will hear from the defendant. After all the evidence has been presented, I will retire to consider my verdict and then present it to the court.”

The older queen nodded and clasped her hands together in front of her on the table, her head bowed. None of them appeared to have noticed Ella’s presence, although she was certain they were all aware of her. She glanced around the otherwise-deserted courtroom. Was she the only witness?

“Bring in the accused.”

A flash of light and Vadim was there, enclosed in a silver cage of pulsing energy. She attempted to touch the power source with her mind, but it seemed determined to rebuff her. If she needed to get to him, how the hell was she going to get through something she couldn’t analyze and defeat?

She stared at her mate, who was doing his best imitation of a faultless hero going to the guillotine, his face immovable and his mouth stern. Was she going to rescue him? Had that ever been in doubt?

There was a gentle cough beside her, and she turned to see Feehan and Liz sliding into the seats next to hers.

“Guys!” she whispered. “Am I glad to see you!”

“Is that Vadim?” Feehan said in her ear. “He looks...different.”

She couldn’t help snorting. “He certainly is.”

The guard cleared his throat warningly, and Ella stopped talking.

Spencer looked down at the parchment he held in his hand. “Death Bringer, you are accused of the worst crime a subject can commit in Otherworld, the spilling of Royal blood. Your own blood. Do you wish to enter a plea?”

“What’s the point?”

Spencer sighed and looked beyond Vadim at the guard beside Ella.

“Please escort Mr. Feehan to the stand.”

Feehan went forward, smoothing his brown spotted tie over his rounded stomach as he passed Vadim. The Fae king stood up and bowed.

“Mr. Feehan, I understand that you are an employee of the SBLE.”

“That’s correct.”

“I also understand that the accused came to work for you this summer.”

“Yes, he did, but not looking like that.”

“How did he present himself to you?”

“As a member of a Russian SBLE team who was an expert on empaths and serial killers.”

“So he lied to you.”

Feehan shrugged. “Not really.”

“What do you mean?”

“My team is a secretive lot. They’ve had to deal with a lot of prejudice in our world. I don’t blame them if they wish to hide their pasts and their talents.”

For the first time since she’d met him, Ella wanted to give Feehan a big fat kiss.

“When did you begin to suspect that the accused was not being completely honest with you?”

“As I said, he never tried to hide his Otherworld abilities, so he was hardly being dishonest. When they were needed, like when he saved Ella from the Siren, he used them. When I asked him to take on certain tasks in the current investigation, he volunteered the information that he had contacts here in Otherworld who could help us out. So I knew he had powers.”

“But didn’t you begin to suspect he was lying to you?”

Feehan fiddled with his tiepin. “When we saw the first clear image of the killer and he looked just like Vadim, we did get a bit worried, but we cleared that up.”

“You mean he managed to deceive you as to his true purpose?”

Feehan turned to Drew Spencer. “I thought I was here as a character witness for Vadim, not to incriminate him. He isn’t on trial for anything he’s done while in my employ, is he?”

Spencer nodded. “You are correct, Mr. Feehan. I believe your questioner was trying to establish that Death Bringer is untrustworthy in all aspects of his life.”

“Which Mr. Feehan didn’t actually say.” The interruption came from Vadim’s grandmother, who smiled at a blushing Feehan. “In truth, I gather my grandson was an excellent and valued employee of yours.”

“Yes, he was...I mean, he is.” Feehan risked a glance over at Vadim. “Despite him turning into...that.”

“Thank you, Mr. Feehan.”

“You’re welcome.”

Spencer glanced at the other occupants of the table. “Does anyone have any more questions for this witness?”

No one replied, and he inclined his head toward Feehan.

“Thank you for your input. You may leave now.”

He turned sharply on his heel and was escorted out after giving Ella a wink and a thumbs-up.

“Please call Ms. Liz Goddard.”

“Wish me luck!” Liz whispered.

Vadim’s father stood and nodded at Liz.

“Ms. Goddard, you are the Fae-Web liaison in the SBLE special team?”

“Yes, I am.”

And what percentage Fae are you, roughly?”

“About thirty-five percent.”

“Can you tell us about Death Bringer and his suspicious involvement in your last case?”

Liz raised her eyebrows. “That’s hardly an unbiased question, is it? Who are you, exactly?”

“I’m his father.”

“Oh, right.” Liz blushed and looked at Spencer. “Are you okay with me sharing classified SBLE information here?”

“Please go ahead.”

“Whenever I attempted to connect up the evidence for the latest case, Vadim showed up in my Fae-Web. I was uneasy that he seemed so central to the issues and shared those concerns with my team.” She glanced over at Ella. “Well, initially with everyone except Ella. She was firmly on his side, and that’s understandable.”

“Are you suggesting that Soul Sucker was aware of the accused’s actions in this case and was helping him conceal his true motive?”

“That’s stretching it a bit. I knew Ella wasn’t quite being her normal self because of how she felt about Vadim.”

“Did you at any point confront the accused?”

“Sure, but there wasn’t a problem. When I asked him publicly what was going on, he was more than willing to help. He offered to get us any information we needed from his contacts in Otherworld.”

The Fae queen spoke up for the first time. “So, in fact he offered to help you with the investigation, not hinder you?”

Liz turned gratefully toward the queen. “Yes, that’s exactly it.”

“But Ms. Goddard,” the king interrupted. “Are you saying your Fae-Web was wrong? I didn’t believe that was possible.”

“My Fae-Web reached a series of conclusions that are always open to interpretation. Once I was assured that Vadim intended to help us chase down the face stealer, I knew the issues would be resolved.”

“And were they?”

Liz hesitated. “To a certain degree.”

The Fae king bowed. “Your loyalty to your team and its members does you credit, Ms. Goddard, but even you aren’t prepared to lie for him completely. The accused’s offer to help you might have allayed some of your fears, but I bet it brought up a hundred new ones.”

He turned to address Spencer. “Let me recap. In essence Ms. Goddard is saying that despite her desire to believe that ‘Vadim’ meant well, her Fae-Web chose not to trust him, and placed him squarely in the center of the case.”

“She said she believed him. Does that count for nothing?” the Fae queen said quietly. “Fae-Webs can be wrong. And what does this current SBLE case have to do with the charges laid against my son today?”

It was the question that was bothering Ella too. She looked at Vadim, but he appeared lost in a trance, his brow furrowed, his gaze inward. This was one crazy trial process, when the prosecutors could ask loaded questions and the overall judge was a man who’d shown open dislike for Vadim when they last met. What chance did he have for a fair hearing?

“Thank you, Ms. Goddard.”

Liz waved as she passed Ella but didn’t get to stop and chat.

The Fae king continued to stand and stare at his wife. “As to your question, my queen, all will be answered in good time.”

“Yeah, right,” Ella muttered.

“Call Rossa.”

The blond Fae appeared in front of Ella, blew her a hasty kiss and strolled over to the stand, where he bowed to the assembled line of Royal Fae.

This time it was the older Fae queen who started the questioning.

“Rossa, you have been my appointed guardian for my grandson since he left Otherworld.”

“I have.”

“Do you believe he sought this latest conflict with Adam and the sect?”

He considered her. “No, actually, I don’t think he did. In fact, he was absolutely furious about it.”

“And why was that?”

“Because his life had changed. He was mated, and able to live in the world of the humans for as long as he liked.”

“So you don’t believe this was an elaborate plot to return to Otherworld to avenge his wrongs?”

“Not at all. He only came back to stop them getting his mate.” His gaze scanned the table. “You all know that. I told you.”

“Yes, you did, with your usual ability to play both sides.” The king looked across at his mother-in-law. “He was working for me, too.”

“I knew that. He is also in the pay of the Dark Lord.”

The white-haired man nodded. “The dark king likes to keep an eye on his progeny, as well. After the rift developed with his family here, the king was rather disappointed that Death Bringer didn’t bring his outstanding talents straight to him.” He looked over at Vadim. “The offer still stands, my boy.”

“Over my dead body.” The Fae king snapped. “I’ve spent my entire existence keeping him out of your foul realm.”

Spencer held up his hands. “Can we resume? I have a question for Rossa myself, if I may.”

“Of course.” Rossa was all smiles again.

“You believe Death Bringer will do anything necessary to safeguard his mate?”

“Naturally.”

“Would he kill for her?” He glanced down at his notes. “Is it true that he threatened to annihilate his entire family if Adam was allowed to complete his task and steal Ms. Walsh’s face?”

Rossa’s smile disappeared. “Adam went back on our agreement, so technically Death Bringer is in the right if he wishes to claim vengeance. But I don’t see him carrying out his threat yet, do you?”

“That’s because he’s been restrained since he got here.”

“I suspect he’s just allowing you to restrain him until he gets what he wants.”

“Which is?”

“His mate’s safety.”

“Which brings us back to the point of this trial, the deaths of other family members who stood in his way, Nia and Ciaran.” Spencer paused. “So if, as you state, Death Bringer is prepared to execute his entire family to defend his mate, killing off a couple more of them wouldn’t be a big deal to him, would it? Thank you, Rossa.”

Rossa gave Ella a slight apologetic shrug as he walked past, and she glared at him. It was no wonder there hadn’t been anyone pursuing her. Rossa had been spying for everyone. She’d been merrily entertaining her keeper all by herself. She glanced impatiently over at Spencer. Were they going to call her as a witness, or was she just supposed to sit around and watch them annihilate Vadim? It was hardly fair.

“The court calls Adam.”

“What the hell?” Ella blurted out.

She sat up as her least favorite person in the world appeared in front of the judge. A hand clamped down on her shoulder and she glared up at the guard.

“Adam, I believe you have evidence that is relevant to this trial.”

“I do, sir. I am also confident that anything that is revealed within these walls will stay here.”

“As we agreed.” Spencer smiled. “Then please continue. Why were you hunting trophies in the human world?”

“It’s nothing new. We’ve been hunting there for centuries.”

“But why did you involve my grandson?” the old queen asked.

“Because of the nature of the request.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I was required to find three faces.”

“You were specifically requested not to take the face of Death Bringer’s mate.”

“That is what I was originally told, yes.” Adam hesitated. “I must admit, I was surprised at the change in plans. When I met with Death Bringer at the hospital, I realized it had been a mistake after all.”

“You refused to carry out a direct order from Fae royalty. Doesn’t that make you as much a traitor as my grandson?”

“Not when he was the one to retract the demand.”

Vadim looked up for the first time, and Ella evaded her guard and shot to her feet. “That’s ridiculous!” She stared at Spencer. “Why are you even listening to this crap? This idiot stole my face! Make him give it back!”

“Please be quiet, Ms. Walsh. You will have your opportunity to speak later. Adam is not on trial here.” Spencer pointed at her seat. “If you can’t sit down, you will have to leave the courtroom.”

The queen raised her hand. “I will ask the same question, then. Why would my son allow you to steal the face of his mate?”

Adam waited until everyone was quiet again. “Because he wanted an excuse to return to Otherworld and complete his destruction of his own bloodline.”

Spencer stared at Adam. “Why on earth should we believe you?”

“He was using her to get back here.” Adam said patiently. “Doesn’t it make a perfect kind of sense? Look at my face and look at his mate’s. Whom do we resemble?”

“Nia and Ciaran.” The king’s expression darkened. “Are you suggesting that Death Bringer chose those faces deliberately? Isn’t that the decision of the sect?”

“Not in this case.” Adam looked faintly regretful. “We were ‘persuaded’ to help Death Bringer. I assume he intended to make a point.”

“By making us look upon the face of his murdered victims, his sister and his brother?” The Fae king slammed his fist into the table. “Why are we even holding this trial? Isn’t it obvious that we are dealing with a monster who cares for nothing and even taunts us with his pathetic victories?”

Ella’s gaze fell on Vadim, who was watching his father, his expression inscrutable.

He’d killed his sister and brother? She felt as if she’d been punched in the stomach. Something was very wrong here. From his sadness, she’d guessed Vadim was hiding something from her, but not that.

She sat back and tried to make sense of the incredible pile of crap Adam had just spouted. Like hell, they’d allowed Vadim to persuade them to work for him. She’d seen them in action, and they were way too powerful and arrogant to play nice with anyone, especially a rival of Vadim’s magnitude. If the sect liked tidy sets of three, then why hadn’t Ms. Phelps and Brad been made to look like Vadim’s siblings, and not her? If Adam were correct and Vadim was gunning for a third victim, presumably his father, wouldn’t she be wearing his face? He was blond. He would’ve been the perfect third victim for Adam, so how had she ended up getting involved?

Unless... Her gaze traveled from Adam to Vadim, and then back to the Fae king.

Adam was still talking. “I assume that Death Bringer realized he had to allow me to take his mate’s face so that he had an excuse to descend on Otherworld in all his righteous wrath. You would all be afraid of the repercussions of not carrying out his wishes, and he would have a perfect excuse to execute every one of you.”

“By God, he’s right!” shouted the Fae king. He pointed at Vadim. “I want to hear him defend himself against these inarguable truths.”

The silver bars around Vadim thinned until they resembled silken strands of silk. Ella focused all her empath ability on her mate and the cage as the Fae king stalked toward him.

“Do you deny that you murdered both your brother and your sister in cold blood?”

“Aye.”

Vadim sounded far too composed for Ella’s liking.

“You came back to finish what you started, didn’t you? This whole elaborate charade was simply to get yourself back into a position of power. Thank God Adam revealed your perfidy in time.”

“I didn’t set out to kill my siblings.”

“You were seen!” He threw a pile of parchments onto the table. “We have witnesses.”

“I was defending myself!”

“You are the strongest power in Otherworld. Why would you have to defend yourself against those who are weaker than you?”

Vadim’s chest heaved as if he’d sucked in a much-needed breath. “When they are my siblings! They wanted my power, Father. They were prepared to kill me for it. Should I have let them? Should I have let my love for them make me weak?”

“Why not? Perhaps they would’ve used your power more wisely.”

“I have a unique set of gifts. You taught me how to use them. Doesn’t the blame lie with you too?”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” The king picked up a handful of the pages. “All these witnesses saw you raise your hand and murder your brother. He died instantly. Your sister wasn’t so lucky and died raving and out of her mind, grieving for her lost twin.”

A muscle twitched in Vadim’s face, and for the first time Ella got a sense of the immense control he was exerting on himself. With the barriers thinned, could he sense her too?

“As I said, I didn’t intend to kill him. He gave me no choice.”

“So you admit it, then?”

“He died at my hand but only after extreme provocation. His magic was corrupt, Father. He and Nia were—”

The Fae king turned his back on his son and walked over to the high table. “I’ve heard these excuses before. You deliberately took my favorite son away from me out of spite and malice.”

Vadim briefly closed his eyes. “I did what your training taught me. I found a source of evil and destroyed it. That was my function. That was what you ordered me to do. Why should the fact that it was your son make a difference? Are you not able to see his flaws? Should those of Royal blood be above the law?”

Ella saw the answer in the Fae king’s face and held her breath as he slowly turned back to face Vadim.

“You are the only person who considers himself above the law, Death Bringer.”

“Which is why I left Otherworld. Can’t you see that?”

“Leaving death and disaster behind you? You can’t escape your destiny.”

“Why now, Father?”

“What do you mean?”

“Why force a trial now? The deaths happened many years ago, when I was only just coming into awareness of my full powers.”

“Because your foul scheme to come back to Otherworld has to be stopped. You are mated now. You might believe your powers are enhanced by your association with the Soul Sucker.”

Holy cow. She hoped no one took him up on that. Ella met Vadim’s gaze and raised her eyebrows, but he didn’t respond.

“All you’ve done, Father, is exploit my desire to protect my mate. You’ve used her against me to force my return.”

“See how he shifts the blame so easily.” The Fae king shook his head. “Why would I want this monster back? It’s quite extraordinary.”

“If I am supposedly in league with Adam, why hasn’t he given Ella her face back? He had the opportunity when we were both at his castle. Why were we both imprisoned rather than treated as honored and welcomed allies?”

“I have no knowledge of this.”

“But you were there, Father.” Vadim insisted. “Ella has your mark on her.”

Spencer beckoned at the guard. “Bring Ms. Walsh here, will you?”

“He doesn’t need to bring me anywhere. I’m quite capable of walking by myself, you know.” Ella stalked over to the high table and shrugged out of her jacket. She unbuttoned her shirt sufficiently for the Fae to see the glowing wound on her shoulder.

“You did mark her.” The Fae queen glared at her husband. “Remove it immediately.”

“But he’s using it to keep Morosov in line.” Ella ignored the Fae king’s frown. “It’s the only reason my mate allowed himself to be captured.”

“Remove it, Fergal.”

“With respect, dear wife, I’ll remove it when she leaves Otherworld. It isn’t safe to let her wander around by herself.” He glared at Spencer. “Isn’t it time for you to make a decision about this matter? It’s fairly straightforward. Death Bringer admits he killed his brother, and by extension his twin sister. Now you must pass sentence.”

“If I might make a suggestion?”

Adam stepped up beside Ella. She gave him her best death glare.

“Of course,” Spencer said.

“If this court is unable to ascertain the guilt of the accused, there is another way he can be tested.”

“And how is that?”

“In a battle to the death with me.”

Silence greeted his calm statement. Spencer was the first to recover. “I don’t understand.”

“Death Bringer came back to Otherworld not to face his accusers in this court but to fight me for stealing his mate’s face. If you hadn’t interfered, that’s where he would be right now.”

“Are you suggesting your petty conflict with my son is more important than the deaths of his siblings?” the Fae king demanded.

“No, my king. I’m saying that death by combat would be a fitting end for a creature that considers itself the strongest power in Otherworld. Wouldn’t you like to see that, sire? Your son finally overthrown, his power stripped from him and his life ended?”

The king hesitated, his gaze going between Adam and Vadim. “It isn’t my decision. It is up to the court.”

“But would you be willing to consider it?” Adam turned to the others at the table.

“I would enjoy seeing a fight to the death.” Not surprisingly, the Dark Lord’s representative looked suitably excited by the prospect of blood and mayhem. “If the court permits.”

Spencer turned to the two Fae queens, who were quietly conferring. The older woman looked up.

“We have no objection to this fight, as long as it is clear that if Death Bringer wins, all charges against him, including those regarding Nia and Ciaran, are dropped completely.”

“Hold on.” Ella said. “What about what I think? He’s my mate. Don’t I get a say in anything?”

Spencer looked down his nose at her. “I hardly think you have anything of interest to add, Ms. Walsh. This is an Otherworld matter.”

“What about Vadim? He might not want to face Adam.”

“I am more than willing to face him, Soul Sucker.” Vadim’s voice carried clearly across the room to her. “I would only ask that if I lose, your face is returned to you, and you are allowed to leave this world unharmed.”

Adam nodded. “That is agreeable to me.”

“And you speak for the whole sect?”

“I do.”

“Like you think they’ll keep their word.” Ella scowled at the lot of them. “You’re all a bunch of idiots.”

Spencer gathered up his papers. “Then there is no need for any further deliberation on my part. If all parties are content with Death Bringer being held to account in a battle to the death, so am I. This case is adjourned.”

Even while he was speaking, Ella took the opportunity to edge as close to Vadim as she dared.

“Can you hear me?” His cool blue gaze flicked over her. “Do you want me to break you out of there?”

“Why would you want to do that?”

“Because there’s something fishy going on here, and I need to talk it through with you.”

There were sounds of movement behind her, but she didn’t dare look back. “Didn’t you get that bit about our combined powers? I bet we can do anything we want.” She held out her hand. “Are you game?”

“Of course I am, Soul Sucker.”

She focused her thoughts and reached through the thin web of power to take his waiting hand. Shouts echoed behind her, but they meant nothing, because as her power met Vadim’s, they were suddenly and impossibly free.

“That’s ridiculous.”

Vadim paced back and forth in front of his mate, who was regarding him with a somewhat aggrieved expression.

“No, it makes perfect sense. Adam steals my face, you come back in a rage, threatening to wipe out your entire family—either way he wins.”

“You think this was all set up to destroy me?”

“Why else would the sect be so desperate to get hold of you? Think about it. Think about their obsession with patterns!”

“And killing me would be Adam’s ultimate triumph.”

“Yes!”

He considered the spectacular view over the forest. The sun was setting and he sensed their pursuers were not far behind. Ella still bore his father’s mark. They would be easy to track.

“We have to go back.”

“I know.”

He walked over to her and cupped her cheek. “I have to go back, you do not. If you wish, I can help you find your way home.”

“But I’d have this face, and at some point, if Adam is still alive, he’ll come after me to reclaim his prize and end the contest.”

“I will do my best to kill him for you before I succumb.”

She attempted a grin, but it was a pitiful sight. “You’re so freaking noble.”

“No, I simply want you to survive more than life itself.”

She grabbed his wrist. “Do you want me to go?”

“I don’t want you to see me die.”

“That’s hardly an answer.”

“Ella, I want to live out my life with you for all eternity.” She made as if to break free, but he covered her hand with his own. “I need you.” It was so much easier to express himself in his true form, so much simpler when he didn’t have to worry about exposing his dark side. Ella knew all about him now, and she still hadn’t walked away.

“And I don’t want to leave. I can’t do that to you. Whatever happens, we should face this together.”

He let out a slow breath. “In their supreme arrogance, that’s one thing they haven’t thought about, isn’t it? Your power added to mine brings a whole new dimension to their ability to bring me down.”

“I can help you.”

“I know that.” He kissed her hand. “It’s going to be difficult to prove what you suspect.”

“I suppose it doesn’t matter, if you kill them all anyway.”

“But it does. It matters to my family. I’d rather obtain a confession first.”

“Why should you care? None of them have exactly stood up for you, have they?”

“My mother and grandmother have supported me to the best of their ability, but the charges of killing Nia and Ciaran were enough to shake even their faith. They believed I’d become a danger to everyone.” He sighed. “If what you suspect is true, my death will simply enhance the power of the sect.”

“If Adam really has delusions of ruling Otherworld.”

“We can’t allow that to happen.” He glanced over at the hills, where an ominous cloud was forming. “They are coming. Are you sure you want to go through with this?”

“Absolutely. If anyone is going to kick your ass, Morosov, it’s going to be me, not a bunch of crazy old Fae.”

“I love you, Soul Sucker.”

She rolled her eyes at him. “Dude, don’t say that. Wait until the end of the movie. If you start getting all emotional now, it means you’ll never make it.”

“But what if I never have the opportunity to say it again?” He hesitated. “What if they succeed in killing me?”

“They will, if you go in with such a defeatist attitude. What’s wrong with you?” She smacked his upper arm. “You’re the most powerful being in Otherworld! Get a grip!”

Her ability to simultaneously see through his doubts and make him feel like a complete dork made him want to smile. She was maddening, but God help him, he couldn’t imagine a world without her. If only she would say the words to him. He would carry them into battle like a medieval lady’s favor and become invincible.

He stepped away from her and swept an elaborate bow. “As my lady wishes.”

Guards appeared all around the small clearing. Adam materialized and nodded complacently at them both.

“I assume you are ready now, Death Bringer?”

“Damn right, he is.” Ella strolled up to Adam and smiled at him. “There’s something else you should know.”

“And what is that. Soul Sucker?”

Ella flicked a glance over her shoulder at Vadim. “He’s not as smart as he thinks he is, and neither are you.”

Adam’s expression hardened. “I don’t like your tone.”

She laughed, and behind her, Vadim growled a warning. “Having seen what he’s like in this world, do you think I want him back in mine? He’s a fricking psycho.” She blew him a kiss. “I’m sorry, darling, but I really think I’m siding with Adam on this one. You need to be put out of your misery for all our sakes.”

Vadim’s face whitened. He gathered himself and came after her, his roar echoing through the valley as the sun finally set behind the trees. She didn’t move, just watched the guards hold him down and contain him within some kind of magical net.

Adam smirked triumphantly and patted Ella on the shoulder.

“Don’t worry, Soul Sucker. I’ll make sure he never comes near you again.”

“No!” Vadim roared. He fought against his captors, his claws raking at the net, and almost found a way free.

“Stop it, Morosov.” She was standing right over him, her expression bored. “You’ll hurt someone and just prove what an animal you really are.”

He bared his fangs at her and hissed an obscenity in Fae.

She nudged his torso with her booted toe. “You’re way too scary. How could you expect anyone to live with that? I’m sorry, dude, but I have to protect myself.”

Adam ordered Vadim’s removal and turned back to her.

“Are you coming, Soul Sucker?”

She smiled. “I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”