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“Then we are stuck here,” Royce said sadly.
“Why is that? Why would you think that, when all we have to do is kill the Fallen Druid—who, given all the atrocities he committed against his own kind, should be killed? The Druid I once knew is no longer.” Chance spat out the words harshly.
“Well, we—Trevor and I—can no more kill the Fallen Druid than the queen could. We are Seelie Fae, and we have a Treaty with Man. We must not kill humans—even when they turn into monsters, ” Royce said solemnly.
“Must ye not? Well, that is all well and dandy,” said Chance, his handsome face breaking out with a smile and his blue eyes alive with dark humor. “But I … I am not a Fae, and I have no directive that forbids me from killing—anyone!”
~ Eight ~
“CHANCE,” TREVOR OBJECTED. “You understand that Red and I can’t be a part of this. He is here because we can’t break the Treaty …”
“Ye don’t mean to suggest that I am in any way governed by Fae rules?” Chance looked at him incredulously.
“No … but you understand we cannot—”
“Yer queen wouldn’t have stuck him here with monsters that could kill him if she wanted him to stay alive,” Chance returned sharply.
“No, but—” Trev tried to explain himself.
“Speak for yourself in this, Trev,” Royce said, interrupting him. “I can’t actually kill the Fallen Druid, for I won’t break the Treaty, but …” She smiled saucily. “I sure as hell will have your back, Chancemont LeBlanc!”
Chance grinned broadly and pulled a lock of her hair. “Aye, but whether the queen wants him dead or alive doesn’t really matter to me—I’m not a Fae, but a Milesian. And I think he needs to die and we need to get out of …” He moved his hands about as though giving confirmation of where they were. “This hell …”
And then right on cue, the Fallen Druid materialized just outside his front door as though he had been choosing the moment to make his appearance, Royce thought as she gazed in his direction. Just what did he have planned for them?
The Fallen Druid was once again in human form (though just barely). He was still a distance away, but they saw him sneer and heard his low, ugly gurgle before he addressed them. “You will die out here … and I will feed on your carcasses.”
He turned and went into his fortress without opening the door. He simply melded with the stone and vanished. It felt and looked all wrong.
“Well then, I doona know what other uglies are out here, but we had best not find out. Time to face the ugly within, eh?” Chance said to Trevor. “Are ye with me, lad?”
Trevor was torn, but he nodded his head. “Yes, come what may, I’ll not turn my back on you, Chancemont LeBlanc. We are in this together.”
Royce felt warmth for her old friend infuse her heart. Finally, he was learning to think outside the rigidness of Fae rules.
Long, fast, hard strides marked Chance’s movements as he stalked towards the windowless building.
Royce ran to catch up to him. She reached out to stall him, holding his arm. “Chance … wait …”
He looked down at her and touched her face as though she were the only woman in the world. She knew better, but she basked in the feeling a moment. She wasn’t sure why she had stopped him, she wasn’t sure what she wanted to say, and it was as though he knew, absolutely knew. He said softly to her, “Coom th
en, ye and Trev can have m’back—but, lass, I’ll no have ye charging this bastard like ye did that beast. Understood?”
“But, Chance, the Fallen Druid is so much more than what he appears. He morphs into this … this huge monster, and who knows what he can do when he is like that.”
“Doona care. I know what I can do,” Chance said, going forward again.
“Wait!” Royce shouted desperately and realized she was experiencing some very real terror, and it wasn’t for herself—at least not directly. It was for Chance. She couldn’t bear the thought that he might get hurt. He could be killed in this awful realm where they were as mortal as humans—and why this should so distress her wasn’t something she had time to figure out just then. She only knew she needed to protect him.
He touched her face with a tenderness that made her want to throw her arms around him and not let him go. His voice was soft and reassuring. “Doona fratch yerself over this, m’sweet lass. I must do what needs getting done.”
She saw there would be no stopping him. She nodded and whispered, “So must I. ’Tis why I am forever in trouble with my queen.”
He released a quick laugh and hugged her tightly a moment before he started off once again. Royce rushed to fall into step beside him.
Trevor flanked his left, his own face drawn in grim lines, his hand tightly fisted around the hilt of his Death Weapon. It was obvious to Royce that her friend had made up his mind to break the rules and fight the Fallen Druid to the death right at Chance’s side.
They got to the bleak-looking façade of the building and stood staunchly at the front door.
