West (A Darkness Series Novel) Read online

  Lars swiveled. “You, Mr. Moseley, are going to retrieve an object for me.” He glided over closer to me.

  “An object?” I leaned back, his proximity too close. His power syphoned off him, condensing around me, pressing down on my chest like air was seeping out of the room. I was not expecting him to ask me to fetch something. Fight, threaten, bully? Yes. But not be a gofer. “What does this have to do with last night or fighting back against your foes?”

  “Everything.” A small smile lit up Lars’s lips, his eyes sparking with greed. “It is no ordinary object.”

  With Lars, nothing was simple or easy. He hadn’t even told me what it was, and I could already feel his request was laced with danger and difficulty.

  “What is this remarkable item?”

  Lars moved to the edge of his desk, settled on the corner of it, and bent slightly toward me.

  “You are one of the few aware of the existence of the Sword of Light.” Lars’s eyes seared into me. “The truth of its existence. The four treasures of Tuatha Dé Danann are not a myth.”

  “Yes.” My gulp was from fear. I did not like the way this conversation had turned. Stripping entire bodies from bones was something I could do, or used to do. Speaking about the most powerful weapons in the world, created by fae and hidden because no one could handle their power? No.

  I knew the four jewels were the Sword of Light, which Kennedy used to kill the last Seelie Queen, the Stone of Fál, the Spear of Lugh, and the Cauldron of Dagda. All were considered mere legends and bedtime stories to scare fae children, but when a map appeared on Ember’s back, leading them to the sword, we realized they were no myths.

  Before the sword was found, there had been buzz about the Stone of Fál also being found, a fae and human possessing it, but then the gossip went silent and nothing had been heard about it in a while. Probably just a tall tale.

  “I want you to find the Spear of Lugh for me.”

  “Wh-what?” I shot out of my seat. “You want me to find one of the most powerfully magical objects in the world for you to possess? Are you mad?”

  “Quite the contrary, Mr. Moseley.” Lars stayed unruffled perched on his desk as I filled the room with my bewilderment. “I have carefully planned this.”

  I ran my hand through my long hair, which flapped back in my face. “No.” I shook my head. “No fucking way.”

  I knew Lars’s nonchalant attitude was only skin deep. He could turn on you in a blink, his demon always bristling right under his skin. But I couldn’t seem to stop myself.

  “I know you already have the sword. What do you need with the spear?” I exclaimed. “No one, including you, needs that kind of power. Plus, how would I even find it? It’s been missing for thousands of years.”

  Lars stood, slipping back around his desk. “Why or what I need the spear for is my business.” His words were clipped. “You only need to get it for me.” His yellow-green eyes grew darker. “Which you will, Mr. Moseley. It is not up for debate.”

  “Oh really?” I folded my arms. “I am not your pet and will not fetch for you. The Dark Dwellers have a partnership; you need us. I won’t be your errand boy.”

  Lars tilted his head, the demon stretching beneath his skin, sharpening his features. I stood my ground, holding his gaze. He could bend me to his will. He had the power to make anyone do anything, but I hoped the relationship he had created with Cole would prevent him from acting.

  “You will.” Lars’s voice held no room for doubt. “However, I am willing to make this beneficial for you as well. A favor for a favor.”

  My gut squeezed. Favors owed and given by the Unseelie were never positive. “And how are you going to sweeten the pot exactly?”

  Lars sat, and his chest puffed out, like a cat that caught a bird. “I will help you with your little…inadequacies, I guess we’ll put it.”

  Air locked in my chest. No. He couldn’t know about my beast. No one did. But the way his eyes glinted with smugness, somehow I knew he did.

  “You have been suffering since the day we brought you from the Light side, have you not? Every day the pain consumes you more?”

  I huffed through my nose, trying to keep any emotion from reaching the surface.

  “I can sense the beast in there wanting to come out, but the pain keeps it back. The difficulty in shifting is no longer in your control.”

  Anger pumped under my skin; he’d spoken my worst fear and weakness out loud.

  “There is not much I do not know or sense.” Lars clasped his hands together. “Now, sit down, Mr. Moseley, and we can discuss our mutually beneficial plan.”

  It took everything I had to walk back to the chair and sit. Stripped of the wall I built around my emotions, energy stirred through my veins.

  “My power and reach are great. If you do this little favor for me, there will be no stone I won’t turn to find a solution to your problem.”

  “What? They don’t have a pill for me take?” I quipped back. “So my beast won’t go limp anymore?” With the beast confined inside, I did feel like a limp asshole. An amused smile hinted on his face. Really? That’s what made the demon smile? My beast’s erectile dysfunction.

  “Do we have a deal?” Lars smirked, knowing there was no other answer I could give but yes. My teeth ground together and I nodded. “Please say it, Mr. Moseley.”

  My nostrils flared. “Yes. We have a deal.”

  Instantly I felt the weight of our bond like a lead jacket. Nothing was worse than an oath hanging on you, especially one put there by the Unseelie King. I couldn’t get out of this. He pretty much had me by the balls.

  “Now, back to the spear.” Lars sat forward, laying his forearms on the desk, and waited till I filled the chair again. He began a moment after I sat. “Growing up, I am sure you heard the tales of Lugh. The Irish deity was a hero and high king of the fae long ago and was well known for his extraordinary talent in battle with a spear. He was gifted the spear, which was said to be made from dark bronze and extremely powerful magic. Little is mentioned of the spear and what happened to it after his death.” Lars took in a deep breath. “I have gone to great lengths to find any trail left to the whereabouts of this treasure.”

  “And let me guess, you found something.” He wouldn’t bring it up unless he discovered a solid enough lead.

  “You are correct.” He nodded. “What I found from several reliable sources was the spear had been stolen and traded many times after being taken from Lugh’s deathbed. The last information I could find said it had been sold to an extremely wealthy man and was on a ship for Asia.” Lars settled back again as he conveyed the story. “The ship did not sail far from the coast of Ireland. Said to be the work of sirens, who might have wanted it for themselves, the ship crashed into the rocks below a cliff and sank, killing everyone on board. The tale states anyone who tried to go after the sunken ship met the same fate as the others. After time, it became more lore than fact, and the treasure stayed buried below.”

  “But it could be folklore. You have no idea if it’s really down there or simply a story told to keep people from knowing where it really is.”

  “That’s why I have you, Mr. Moseley,” Lars replied. “You are going to find out the truth to these rumors.”

  “And get dragged under and killed like the others before me?” I waggled my head. “No, thank you.”

  “You will not be going alone.”

  “What do you mean? Who’s coming with me?” My lids narrowed in on him.

  “Someone who knows quite intimately how to deal with sirens.”

  “Oh, hell no!” My reaction snapped from me. “No fucking way.”

  Lars’s eyebrows hitched up at my response.

  “No. Rez cannot come with me. I can do this on my own.”

  “It is already done. I spoke to Rez earlier this morning.”

  I jumped to my feet, my hands on his desk, leaning over. “Well, tell her to unpack her bags.”

  “This is not going to be a sim
ple exploring mission. Unfortunately, my queries have brought attention back to the spear’s fable. You will not be the only one on this hunt. It will most likely get exceedingly perilous.”

  “Then that’s even more reason for her not to go. She’s too much of a risk. If this is going to be so dangerous, I’d rather not spend it worrying about her.” Letting the Unseelie King’s mistress get hurt or killed would make Christmas dinner especially awkward. Actually, I guess it wouldn’t since I’d be dead.

  “She is hardly defenseless.”

  “Below the water, but that is not where most of the attacks will come from.”

  “And above.” Lars pulled at his cuffs. “She has trained with Alki. She is a decent enough fighter.”

  I huffed. She would only get in the way, nothing else. It was safer without her. I didn’t need to bear the weight of her importance to the King on my back as well.

  “She is going, Mr. Moseley. You will find her help crucial. She will be able to converse with the sirens, find out if they know anything, without drowning or succumbing to the siren song.” He tipped his head around me. “Right, my dear?”

  “Right,” a sultry voice sounded behind me.

  My back stiffened and I slowly stood, glancing over my shoulder. Rez stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame like she had been there for a while. Her long, silky hair hung in damp strips, showing she had recently emerged from the shower or pool. She wore stiletto-heeled black boots, black leather leggings, and a sexy lace-trimmed tank. As usual, her beauty sucked the air out of the room. But the glare she cast on me was brutal. No doubt she heard every word of my steadfast rejection of her tagging along. She pushed away from the wall, glided into the room, and reached my side, keeping her gaze locked on Lars.

  “Though, if Mr. Moseley would like to do this without me, then let him.” There was an edge to her words. “I would love to see how he would deal with sirens. I am sure they would instantly ignore their nature and tell him all their secrets.”

  “Hmmm… Am I sensing sarcasm here?”

  She craned her neck to me, lifted her hand, and patted my arm. “Let me know how it goes for you.”

  “Definitely sarcasm. See, darlin’, you can’t get anything by me.”

  She glowered at me then snapped her head back to Lars. “If the dweller thinks himself so unbelievably charming he can manipulate a bunch of sirens, then who am I to stop him?”

  “There’s not a fae or human I’ve found I couldn’t charm.”

  “Seriously? Your ego is so big you’d rather get killed than admit you need my help?” Fury rattled the edges of her silky voice.

  “I don’t need anyone’s help. I never have,” I growled back. “Especially yours.”

  “You over-inflated, narcissistic—”

  “Enough!” The King rose from his seat, shutting both our mouths with a scowl. “This is not up for discussion. Rez will be going with you. Case closed.” Lars moved around the desk, buttoning his jacket. “You two will leave tonight. I suggest you go and do what you need to be ready and back here by six.” He moved toward the door. “Now, if you excuse me, I have more important issues to attend to than refereeing the two of you bickering like children.” He strode out of the door, leaving Rez and me alone in the room.

  Rez clenched her small hands into fists. Her mouth dipped open to speak, then she shut it, shook her head, and briskly left the room.

  How the hell did my morning turn so bad so fast?

  All I wanted was to sleep in, nurse my hangover, and have a huge greasy breakfast. Now I would be packing to head to Ireland in search of some magical spear with a pain-in-the-ass siren. I rubbed my head, which still throbbed with last night’s bourbon.

  Marguerite’s cooking smelled of huevos rancheros and chorizo and dragged me from the room toward the kitchen.

  My chest twitched with a sudden feeling of doom. Something told me this was the stupidest, most dangerous adventure I had ever embarked on, likely to submerge me in ruin and disaster.

  Let the good times roll.

  With a folder of information on my lap, I sat back as I thumbed through it. There wasn’t much to go on, basically the history of the spear and what little lore existed, a contact sheet of possible leads, the location, and the hotel Rez booked for us, but nothing really substantial. I wasn’t surprised. We were chasing a myth, a fable told to children. I figured it would be similar to finding the Holy Grail to humans.

  Yet eight hours later here I sat on the King’s newly constructed private jet, designed specifically for our magically charged world. We were traveling to the motherland of Celtic fae lore, my parents’ birthplace before fae had to go into hiding from humans.

  I had been there only once, but never to the western side, where we’d be searching from Dingle to the Cliffs of Moher. Not even legend could seem to decide on exactly where the ship carrying the spear sank.

  I leaned back in the buttery leather seat, letting my tired eyes shut for a moment. At the sound of someone stirring across from me, I popped open an eye. Rez stared out the window, then back at her own packet, then shifted again. Her face never showed distress, but I could feel fear bounce off her like a paddle ball against the side of my head.

  “Don’t like to fly?” I lifted the other lid, staring at her.

  “No.” She shook her head. “We sirens don’t like being far from water. I would have preferred to swim there.”

  “You might get your wish if this thing crashes.”

  Her dark eyes snapped to mine with a glare, and I grinned mischievously. She wrinkled her nose in annoyance and turned back to the window.

  Humor was the only thing keeping me from freaking out. Dark Dwellers were earth-based animals. Up here, thousands of feet in the air, I felt trapped in a contraption which probably had the motor of that piece-of-shit scooter Lars had us riding, and farther away from life as I knew it than ever before.

  The plane shook, dropping a little. Rez’s knuckles turned white, her chest fluttering. Magic in the air made for horrible turbulence. Actually, it wasn’t only humor that would keep me sane. I swiveled the chair and headed straight for the built-in bar. Lars was my kind of traveler. Never far from a drink.

  “Want one?” I glanced over my shoulder at Rez, then to the opposite table to the other two passengers. “How about you Beefhead? Ginger-Nuts?” Normally Lars had “people” to serve him on the plane, but clearly it was only for gold card members. Besides Rez and myself, there were the two pilots and two of Lars’s men, who frowned at their nicknames. They were here to see we got to the hotel safely, then they’d disappear. I’d overheard them discussing doing an “errand” for him after they dumped us at our location.

  “No.” The smaller, redheaded guard glowered at me, his thick Irish accent heavy.

  “Really?” I started pouring whiskey into my glass. Top-shelf Irish whiskey. Nice. “Thought you Irish came out drinkin’?”

  “We do. Believe me, dweller, I could drink you under the table without even hitting a buzz,” Ginger-Nuts challenged.

  “Then bring it. I would love to see you try, leprechaun.”

  The huge, beefy man next to him quickly grabbed his shoulder, holding him back. “Garrett, don’t. The King is already mad at us for the last slip-up.”

  “That wasn’t a slip-up, Cadoc. Fairies deserve to be put in their rightful place. It’s about time those arrogant asses understand their status in the new world.”

  “So you’re here as punishment?” I let out a sharp howl. “You piss off Daddy, so he sends you to babysit us. What do you have to do after, go clean up some kelpie’s crap?”

  Garrett’s gaze boiled with fury, but he kept quiet.

  “We are not here to babysit. We have our own mission. But I don’t expect someone as simple as you to understand what I do. There’s no point in explaining it. I’m not sure there are small enough words.”

  “Got it. Brains and brawn.” I pointed to each of them. “He has to come along to tuck you into b
ed at night. I think that is adorable.” Fury rose off them, swirling magic in the air.

  “West, enough.” Rez glanced back at us. “Tuck your testosterone back in your pants.”

  I smirked at the two lackeys and tipped my glass at them before strolling back to my seat across from Rez.

  “Seriously, West. Do you enjoy pissing people off?” she muttered, shaking her head, and flipped through the pages in front of her.

  “It’s part of my charm, sweetheart.”

  She huffed, flattening a page on the table, a map of Ireland. “Here’s where we will be searching, and you need to understand sirens are fluffy bunnies compared to others hunting these lands.”

  “I’m a Dark Dweller, darlin’. I think I can handle it. Remember we were the most feared creatures in the Otherworld.” I took a swig of whiskey.

  “With your bloated ego, I’m surprised you haven’t been killed yet.”

  “There’s a reason my ‘ego’ is swollen.” I winked. “I’m confident because I know how good I am. In fighting too.”

  “Please, I’m feeling nauseated enough.” Her face scrunched. “Wish we could have used the doors to travel.”

  “And be lost in them for the next year?”

  The thin gateways used to slip between worlds had gotten mixed up. After the walls between the worlds fell, the portals were no longer a safe way to travel. Ember was the only one I knew who had learned a pattern to them. Eli still wound up in Japan when he was trying to get to Italy. Some led you on an endless loop, trapping you for days or months. Many humans had gone missing since the crash, probably stumbling into a door and ending up on some remote island or Antarctica, never to be heard from again. Hence, the reason Lars wanted us to use the jet to get to our destination.

  “We’ll be landing in Cork in the evening. We will rest and spend one night in the hotel. The next day we will head to the coast. Our next lodging is in Cahersiveen.”

  “You’re a list girl, aren’t you?”