Sunny: Mona Lisa Blossoming

I shivered. It had to be some sort of glamour or mind control. But for the life of me I couldn't sense it. I whipped my attention back to the four jokers.

"You should go back, Halcyon," I said with clenched teeth.

"When they wish to take us to Mona Louisa?" the High Lord of Hell said smoothly. "How can we decline their kind invitation?"

I hoped to hell Blaec knew what he was doing. In fact, I was betting our lives on it. I sheathed both sword and dagger in a smooth, abrupt motion. "All right, we'll go with you."

Gilford approached with demon chains in his hands. I tensed and the dagger was back in my hand. "No chains," I said.

"You have no choice, bitch," Gilford said with venomous hatred.

I drew the sword. It slid free of its scabbard with the joyful ring of steel. "I have every choice, you stupid fool, or have you not learned that yet."

"We'll kill Gryphon," Demetrius threatened.

"Go ahead. And your Queen will probably kill you for failing to bring us in. Would you like to put that to the test? Would you like to see who prevails? Two against four. How shortsighted of you. If there were but two more of you, it would have almost evened the odds."

"Bitch," Gilford spat at me.

I flashed him a cold smile. "Always."

"You must surrender your weapons if we do not chain you," Demetrius negotiated. "And give us your sworn oath that you shall come with us peacefully."

I hated the idea. But our hands would be free. "Agreed, as long as you keep your hands off of us."

I tossed them my weapons, blades naked, keeping the sheaths buckled at my sides. "Don't worry," I said. "I'll get them back later." The sword and dagger weren't mine, after all, just loaners. Had to make sure I returned them to their rightful owners.

Gilford glared at me, clutching the surrendered weapons in his fists like he wanted to run them through me.

I smiled sweetly at him, knowing he wouldn't dare. "After you," I said. "Or should I say: 'Cowards first. »

"Gently," Blaec cautioned quietly. "No need to tweak their tails further."

"Oh, but it's so fun," I whispered back, eyes glittering. I was furious at Blaec for stubbornly coming with me. Furious at the whole goat-fucking situation. Furious at Gryphon for having waited for me. Furious at him for leaving himself vulnerable. I even knew how it had happened. Gryphon would have sent the other men back home to protect the others, in case Mona Louisa decided to retaliate. Instead, she had somehow tracked Gryphon here and had taken him. But beneath that white, cleansing fury was the sour taste of fear. Gryphon could have been killed instead of captured. Might still be.

A dark minivan was parked at the curb, probably stolen because their damaged cars had to still be back home. Nothing opened. No place to have changed their slashed tires at this time of night.

The warrior who held Gryphon's medallion got behind the wheel.

Demetrius opened the front passenger door. "Prince Halcyon," he said politely.

Blaec slid into the seat without demur, like a welcomed guest instead of a prisoner.

Not a bad seating arrangement, splitting us up, the High Lord in front, me in the middle row. The fourth warrior sat in the third row. Demetrius moved to sit in the far corner of the second row. "Milady."

Reluctantly, I sat next to him. Gilford entered last and shut the door, sandwiching me in between the two of them. But having an angry, armed Gilford sitting beside me was far better than having him sit behind me where I couldn't see him. That I would have protested. Demetrius was smarter than he looked. He hid his dislike and fear of me rather than show it like his bristling friend. It took more deviousness in a person, more smarts, more control to do that.

I breathed easier when we got on the interstate and headed east toward Mississippi. Nothing would have changed had we gone west toward Belle Vista. Yet at the same time, everything would have changed. I'd have sat there, let them take me there. But something inside me would have been died a little knowing that they had taken over my home, conquered my people. And more guilt would have been loaded upon me. East told me that Mona Louisa hadn't made a move on her old territory yet. She was hoping to take out the new Queen first and reclaim her old Queendom. A simple, elegant plan, actually. And she knew me well enough to bait her trap with a lure I could not resist.

So I sat there docilely, surrounded by enemies, and let them take us where we wanted to go. Blaec was my hidden ace. I prayed that he knew what he was doing. I prayed that his strength did not ebb. I prayed that we even reach our destination faster. Time, now, was our ticking enemy. The night was passing quickly and the coming of dawn could destroy us.

Mississippi did not seem much different from its bordering sister, Louisiana. We passed patches of marshy wetlands along the highway, drove past rolling farmlands, and finally pulled into a long drive. The house was a two-storied, pillared affair, but not as grand, not as big as Belle Vista. A lovely old property, but not a mansion. Not something meant to be the opulent residence of a Queen. How being forced to come here must have eaten away at Mona Louisa's pride. The crumbled wall where we had burst free was a lovely eyesore, as were the deep, slashing tire tracks ripping up the immaculate lawn.

Gilford leapt out of his seat as if sitting beside me had burned him. I scooted over and pulled myself out of the van. Blaec and I stood there surrounded by a score of men—a little less than twenty. We'd killed several in our last skirmish. Too bad it hadn't been more. The ones we had injured were healing or already healed.

I glanced at Blaec. His camouflaged appearance still held, and he looked uncannily weak. I prayed that it was mere illusion and not truth. If it was his true state, we were in big trouble. I was good, but not even I could take on seventeen men alone and hope to win.

The group welcoming committee was nice and flattering, and all that, but they weren't who I wanted to see. I unfurled my senses, let them fly free.

Inside. What I sought was inside. A Queen's presence and a second slow heartbeat that I knew as well as my own, the smell of my mate.

We moved as one up the stairs, as if Blaec and I were the core, and the ring of guards the outer steel rim. They kept a respectful barrier of space around us. It might have been because of me. The natural attraction between a Queen and a male, any male, was felt more strongly with close intimate contact. Then again, it might have been who they thought was the Demon Prince, moving free of chains. An unbound demon dead, even weak and injured, was still someone to be greatly feared.

Without direction, I entered the spacious receiving room to the left. Mona Louisa reclined on a plush butter-leather couch, a pleased cat-that's-caught-the-canary look on her smooth porcelain face. Evil was worse, somehow, when it was so beautiful. Gryphon sat beside her, bound in silver chains, his arms behind him and his mouth gagged. She stroked his bare chest unthinkingly, the way one would pet a dog, not caring for the body she stroked, but keenly intent, rather, on my reaction.

I kept my face inscrutable, my reaction blank, even though I raged inside with fury and relief.

Gryphon was injured low in his left side, as if a sword had been thrust through him there. It was almost the exact spot where he'd once rotted from silver poisoning. It was a gut wound that would have killed a human, but Gryphon was already beginning to heal it. The sword hadn't been silver.

Gryphon held obediently still under that insulting, caressing hand. But his eyes were most eloquent. They were frightened and urgent, desperate almost, as if he were trying to convey an important warning to me.