“Do you honestly believe she is happy here?” Liadan asked. “She is used to a world with technology. She might enjoy sleeping with Cian, but living here? She is not used to the hardships. Beckett is still gone from this plane. His twin is vulnerable. All of his power is in his intellect. It will be easy for you to take the consort from him.”
The vampire turned to Liadan, his fangs out. They had popped out the minute he saw that idiot human walking up the road. He had some form of visual aid device. Liadan didn’t care to look through it. The vampires relied too much on their technology.
“It might be easy to take the consort,” Palgrave agreed. “The trouble will be in keeping her. I came here because I believed she would go willingly with me. She doesn’t look unhappy. I could kidnap her, but what’s to stop her from running the first chance she gets?”
“You would.” She was beginning to wonder if anyone had a brain. “Tie her up, for all I care. You would get the consort and your revenge. Beck will fade if he loses her.”
It was the vampire’s turn to sound disbelieving. “More likely he will simply go insane and attempt to track me. This is wrong. I only came because I thought the consort needed saving. I’m not about to get involved in carting off a screaming consort, and I’m certainly not about to hurt one. You know what they say, be kind to consorts or you will never find one yourself.”
Liadan nearly screamed in frustration. Her plan was falling apart because of an old vampire proverb? The royals had rules about handling consorts, but she hadn’t expected them to be vigorously upheld during a time when there were so few to be had.
The vampire looked very disappointed as he turned away from the sight of the couple kissing. “Besides, it’s a good thing in the long run. If the Finns can take back Tir na nÒg, our access to consorts will return. It is obvious that you are angry at the brothers. Did they break off relations with you? You have to be realistic, Miss. They were always going to marry a bondmate. I have to be realistic, too.” Palgrave pulled his hood up as he made to leave. “I came because I want a consort, and she is lovely. She isn’t available, so the best I can do is make some money off the situation. I don’t think anyone knows the Finns have bonded yet. I’m sure that Beck went to the Vampire plane to make a deal with his relatives. I might have time to buy up some Dellacorp stock before the price goes sky high. I’ll make a bundle and look like a genius in the trades.”
The vampire looked very pleased with himself as he turned to go. He had come alone, and now Liadan was grateful for that fact. It was easier to deal with a single vampire than a couple. The last thing she wanted was him telling his tale to all and sundry. The minute he mentioned her name, the brothers would be after her.
She pulled the silver knife from her sleeve. She said a quick spell to make her aim true and then plunged the knife into the vampire’s back. She was much stronger than she looked. The form she presented made her look frail and weak, but her true body was solid. The vampire’s body jerked once, and then he fell apart as his heart was torn asunder by the silver.
Liadan shivered as she looked at her previously pristine clothing. She wished she hadn’t worn her second-best dress. Killing vampires was a filthy business. They tended to explode when their hearts ripped apart. She was covered in blood.
If she moved quickly enough, she might be able to preserve some of it. Vampire blood was very powerful. Perhaps the day wasn’t a complete waste.
The sound of laughter filtered across the pond. She had to find a way to get that bitch alone. She had to get her off this plane and make it look like she had walked away. If the brothers thought she was taken, they would move mountains to find her. If they thought she had been killed, it could get ugly. Liadan didn’t like to think about what they would do to her. She had no plans to martyr herself.
As she made the long walk toward her cottage, an idea came to her.
Beck walked out of the caves and handed his sword to Colin Dellacourt. The heat of the desert scorched everything it touched. Beck was filthy and covered in blood and he didn’t like to think what else, but the job was over.
Colin took the King’s sword and reverently wiped it clean. He motioned to the employees walking around camp. A young vampire walked up to answer the sidhe’s call.
“His Highness is finished,” Colin said. “Take the telemetry unit and gather the data we need.”
The young vampire looked to the mouth of the cave with anxiety. “He’s sure?”
Colin’s brown eyes narrowed. Beck hid his smile as the former farmer scared the shit out of a young executive with just a look. “Are you questioning His Highness?”
The young executive shook his head. “Not at all, Mr. Dellacourt. I’ll get you those readings immediately.”
Colin stared at the small group of Dellacorp employees as they scrambled to do his bidding. Beck pulled his filthy shirt over his head and reached for his robe. He needed a shower. The vampires had set up the camp with all the luxuries their technology had to offer. One of those luxuries was the portable shower that cleaned with something called sound waves.
Beck preferred a good soak, but that wasn’t available out here in the desert. He thought about the gift he’d approved before he left for the Bad Lands, as they called this place. Susan had been insistent on getting Beck a wedding gift. It was probably being delivered this very day. Beck couldn’t wait to lie in the soaking tub with Meg in front of him. He would hold her as they soaked in the hot water and talked about their days. He would tell her about the work he’d done in the fields, and she would talk about…
“What do you and Susan talk about?” Beck heard himself asking. He hadn’t meant to. It just popped out. He wouldn’t take it back, though. He was curious about the consort’s relationship with his cousin.
Colin sat down beside him and pulled out a bottle of whiskey. He was quickly handed two glasses by an assistant who always seemed to anticipate the Fae’s needs. Beck gratefully took the glass and tipped it back. He would be damn sore tomorrow.
Colin thoughtfully sipped at his well-aged whiskey. “We talk about everything, Your Highness. Mostly, it’s business, of course. She is the CEO of one of the most powerful corporations in the States. It helps that I have a fairly decent head for business.”
He did. It had surprised him when Colin announced he was accompanying his king on this job. Susan had nodded and told him to send detailed reports. She hadn’t been his CEO when they parted, however. She had been his wife. She’d asked Colin three times if he remembered everything and checked his bag. She had kissed him goodbye and made him promise to call.
“I also have a very thick skin,” Colin said cheerfully. “That helps a lot when your wife is also your boss. Damn woman can flay a man alive with that tongue of hers. I screwed up the quarterly reports a few months back, and she took a chunk out of my hide right there in the boardroom.”
“She yelled at you?” Beck was surprised that his cousin would yell at a consort. Vampires were supposed to be as gentle with their consorts as the Fae were with bondmates.
“Yelled, screamed, threatened me with all manner of humiliation,” Colin explained with a smile on his face. “That woman of mine is a righteous bitch when she wants to be. It’s all right, though. I took my fair share out of her pretty ass later that night, if you know what I mean.”
Beck thought he did. He had spent a lot of time thinking about Colin and Susan while he was working in the caves. Colin didn’t seem to want the type of life he’d expected a consort to require. He seemed to like to work, and he was tough. His wife didn’t treat him like he would break, but she still loved him. “You were rough with her?”