L. BANKS - Cursed To Death

“We will find her and bring her to justice, too,” Shogun said, his voice containing a low, threatening promise. “She was given a lineage allowance-but that was obviously not enough for the twisted and ambitious evil thing she’s become.”

“She, like me, was a hybrid,” Kiagehul said with a satisfied smile, “a being caught between worlds, and she knew what it was to live in shunned duality-it was easy to trick Sir Rodney; he, like Shogun, is arrogant. Who would suspect Kennan MacDougall, the faithful, the overlooked, on errands to do the king’s bidding? I was a step ahead of you at every turn, because, as your investigation progressed, I received full reports and knew how best to hide, and when to increase my magick to turn up the maddening heat. Even Sir Rodney’s top advisors were blind to the malcontent within your own court! It was no different than Shogun’s blindness, thinking he could shun his aunt, thinking there’d be no consequences, sharing nothing but the crumbs from his table with her… She is perfect…”

Kiagehul’s gaze roved over the stunned courtroom before it returned to his queen’s rigid back. “I, alone, would have broken Sir Rodney’s court, as well as the Wolf Federations. My Lady Jung Suk would have had her body restored into whatever nubile young one she chose-perhaps Sasha Trudeau’s… Yes, yes, I would have accomplished that for her, once it was all complete… And I would have been able to support her, since I would have been wealthier than my wildest dreams-Vampires would have owed us, my queen. Had this unfortunate turn of events not occurred, I would have also had revenge on the baron for killing my family member… Dugan.”

Rubbing his hands together with insane glee, Kiagehul turned to the Vampire box, mocking Elder Vlad. “I would have set Baron Geoff Montague up to take the fall-his arrogance also made him blind enough to discount me… What Vampire would think that a small Unseelie, low in the court, would craft such a plan to hang him out to dry? I was almost successful, that counts for something-I still got his lair breached, ha! The she-Shadow still firebombed his Oasis!”

Kiagehul laughed a shrill, mad laugh and stared at the shocked baron. “You think that Vampires are the only ones to carry a grudge? We, the Unseelie, are remarkably known to redress an offense!” Kiagehul wiped his oily face. “What say you, Queen? Do you see my plan, how it could have helped your empire, as well as built one for me? It was all so perfect, had the wolves not been involved. Who knew Sir Rodney, a monarch, would break with Fae secrecy-he is the heretic, the blasphemer of our culture, not me!”

Queen Blatand turned and blew Kiagehul a kiss that immediately formed blades of ice in the air. The second she lowered her hand, the blades took off after him like heat-seeking missiles, severing his head from his shoulders. She looked at her advisors with the coldest blue eyes Sasha had ever seen.

“Sometimes, in the interest of alliances, there are sacrifices.” The queen turned to Elder Vlad and lifted her chin. “All of this jockeying for position was done without my express knowledge or consent, therefore I sacrifice the fool from my court. Outright war is costly.”

“Indeed,” Elder Vlad murmured, instantly sending a black lightning bolt toward a stunned Baron Montague to fry his black heart inside his chest cavity. “A new alliance, Your Majesty, requires that both parties put in equal weight. Consider the Vampire Cartel’s portion… several pounds of worthless, resource-squandering flesh. I am glad that we are of the same accord.”

“Good… We will hunt down this disembodied Snow Leopard together then, to clean up this unfortunate mess.” The queen smiled as the Elder Vampire gave her a gentlemanly nod.

No one moved or spoke for several minutes as the new alliance was clearly forged. Sasha looked at Hunter, then Shogun, her gaze finally locking with Sir Rodney’s. This wasn’t over by a long shot. Sasha shivered, feeling the chill in her bones left in the icy queen’s wake.

If anything, the Unseelie forging a power bloc with the Vampires-and both having lost face as well as key men-was going to mean they could all expect revenge to be served ice cold. That fact was as plain as day and written all over Sir Rodney’s worried face.

“I know,” Hunter murmured and squeezed her hand. “I’m bracing for winter.”

Finally, the gavel came out of hiding and timidly tapped on the bench.

“Court adjourned.”

Clarissa sat up with a gasp and began choking. Hospital staff immediately rushed to help Doc begin removing tubes from her throat while the rest of the team held Bradley up as he sobbed into the folds of her sheets.

“The general wants to have a meeting, ASAP,” Doc said with a smile.

“Yeah, I know… This was really, really bad.”

Sasha sprawled out in a chair in the lounge. The whole team was gathered around, except Bradley and Clarissa. Doc had insisted on them running a battery of tests and another series of CAT scans and MRIs before she could go home; Bradley wasn’t leaving her side for a minute.

But at one in the morning, Sasha was so tired that she could barely lift her head and was glad that Hunter’s quiet, solid presence remained just behind her. All the Shadows were in the room; she didn’t even have to open her eyes to feel them.

“But, since you’re still dark,” Doc said with a sigh, throwing up his hands and smiling. “And since tomorrow is your birthday, as well as the Seelie Fae ball… and under diplomatic circumstances, you really are supposed to take a team deep undercover to be sure all threats are secured…”

“Yes!” Winters whispered, and squeezed his eyes shut.

Sasha opened her eyes and glanced around at the expectant faces in the lounge. “Doc,” she said in a quiet, hopeful voice. “Are you serious?”

“What’s the general going to do, fire me?” Her secret father laughed and shook his head. “Then he’d have to hire me back as a supernatural consultant making ten times what I make now for the Feds… And, anyway, the real meeting isn’t until next week.”

Sasha leaned forward and hugged Doc. “What real meeting?”

“The one on Air Force One. Seems our new Commander-in-Chief is thoroughly fascinated by the concept of anything new-and they’ve even got a defibrillator on board for the general.”

There had been a solemn memorial to bury the slain Phoenixes and a full Fae wake and service for the soldiers that had fallen, and now the Sidhe was simply taking the wakes to the next level by celebrating the lives of those lost by making the Midsummer Night’s Ball an extension of it all.

This time, her suite was muted shades of forest green… And it had one lovely addition: Hunter. She smiled as he stood in front of the armoire on the opposite side of the room, with only a towel casually slung low around his hips, deciding.

“I’ve never worn a tuxedo in my life.” Hunter peered into it and held out the shirt. “C’mon, Sasha… French cuffs?”

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” she said, going over to the other armoire. “Just close the closet door, think about what you want, say it, and then reopen the door.”

“I cannot get used to a bewitched suite,” he said, dragging his fingers through his damp hair.

“Betcha it has some serious advantages… But get dressed,” she said, laughing as he looked at her over his shoulder. “Later, later; it would be too tacky not to go downstairs for a few hours.”

She turned back to the armoire to extract the little black dress she’d brought, and the only thing that was there was the gorgeous ensemble that had been there before. She let out a short huff of annoyance and then opened the white velvet box. But the note it contained made her smile.