Dream Five, Chapter Twenty-Five

(Anything in asterisks is meant to be italicized.)

Miraculously, my pregnancy continued to remain a secret. The humans who betrayed their kind by abducting men and women for the old god Balor to feed on were just the beginning in my mind. Good people like my parents and others who were helping them restore Dublin had survived the walls falling. Some with help like Mom and Dad, some all on their own. If good people survived, I had no doubt bad ones did, too.

Things were getting better, but there still weren't many jobs. Ryodan had taken over the city when the Book forced me into the White Mansion with Dani, Barrons, Fade, Cruce, and the Unseelie Princess the Book and I had dragged in there with us. We were gone for a little over a month and returned to find Ryodan had taken charge of the city.

After Barrons and I disappeared to hide from the Fae so I could learn how to wield the powers of the True Magic without being under constant threat of death, Ryodan told Dani he and the rest of the Nine weren't going to be around for a while. The rest of the Nine remained in the wind, but Ryodan insisted Barrons lock him in the cage where Barrons used to keep his son. He had placed his own brand on Dani and knew he'd end up killing every guy she had slept with until she finally called him. He was gone for about two years.

Then Dani had disappeared in battle shortly after one of the old gods tricked her into wishing him back in an effort to steal the Fae-killing Sword of Light. She killed the old god Balor with a deadly blast of space lightning, knowing if she used the birthing powers of a Hunter one more time, she'd be taken away from her city, from those she loved, and from Ryodan. Perhaps for forever.

Ryodan had received a cryptic message on a meteorite over three thousand years before he saw Dani for the first time. It said, "I'M OKAY, I'M—" Once he saw what was happening to Dani, having already figured out the message was from her, he thought the rest of it said she was happy or where she belonged. It was supposed to say she was coming home.

She was gone for four months.

So was he.

He was still in Dublin but he didn't leave his room in Chester's. He didn't eat, he didn't fuck, he didn't do anything because he thought he had lost her for good. Lor and Fade and Kasteo kept Chester's up and running, but everyone could feel something big was coming, could feel it in the air. People were getting nervous and scared. Barrons and I hadn't been seen in over two years, my bookstore and his garage for almost as long because I had elevated them and turned them invisible to protect them and us.

Then that ominous feeling went away because Barrons killed Cruce after he took me and I got the Fae under control. The walls weren't back up and what was left of the old gods were going to need to be rounded up. They still wanted revenge against the Fae for almost wiping them out and I was a human—a member of the race they once protected who had been tricked into betraying them—and the Seelie Queen. Two reasons for them to hate me and want me dead.

But things were calming down. Except Ryodan would be gone for months with Dani and Shazam/Y'rill after he became the Unseelie King and Barrons doesn't have the patience to rule the world. Neither do the rest of them, but the Nine never really viewed humanity as their responsibility, anyway. Yes, they had protected them over the past few years, but immortals prefer to be in the shadows and to remain anonymous. They only emerge during the rarest of necessary circumstances so the world doesn't know they're immortal, that they even exist. I was different.

Everyone knew MacKayla Lane-O'Connor was the Seelie Queen and everyone in Dublin knew not to mess with the Nine.

Or so we thought.

I've been on edge for years at this point. Anytime things seemed to calm down, I learned to brace myself. It was a Sunday so Barrons Books & Baubles was closed. Barrons had been gone for the afternoon so he could eat and do whatever else he needed to do, and Korrie and I had taken the Viper to go visit the abbey and check in on Kat's progress on learning how to be my midwife. I was thirty-four weeks pregnant and nearly crashed my beloved Viper when I saw it.

Ryodan had written in his newspaper to spread the word that all the Unseelie who had destroyed the world as we knew it were dead and gone for those we had gotten off world before I sang the Song and hadn't witnessed it. Then the spiderwebs started showing up everywhere and the air had intensified as if nature itself was bracing for war. We had tried to spread the word after Cruce was killed that everything was really okay, that the Fae were no longer a threat, but knowing and understanding are two different things.

"Mac! Mac, are you okay? Are you hurt?" Korrie had leapt out of the car and ran to my side, pulling open the door.

"We're okay," I assured her. She helped me out and I looked to see the Viper had come within inches of crashing into a street lamp. Then I turned and looked up at my beloved bookstore and pulled out my phone.

"Who are you calling?" she asked as she held onto my arm. If Korrie was going to stay in Dublin, I realized I was going to need the *sidhe*-seer Enyo to teach her how to fight because I certainly wasn't in any shape to teach her or defend us.

"Dammit, Barrons," I said when it didn't go through. That's when I tried Ryodan who of course didn't answer.

"Shit," I whispered as I drew my spear. I tried Christian next. He could at least get Korrie to safety while I searched for more backup.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" I hissed when it went to voicemail. The fourth call went through.

"Lor, how fast can you get someone to my bookstore?"

"Pretty fast. Why? Can't you handle it? Must be bad if you're calling for help." His tone was casual and I imagined him sitting at Ryodan's desk with his feet up and his hands behind his head.

"I usually would handle it myself because you know I usually can, but I'm not usually thirty-four weeks pregnant, now am I?" I hissed into the phone. The Amulet was still on me and working, but I didn't want anyone who might be lingering or lurking to hear my secret. "I've got Korrie with me, Barrons and Ryodan and Christian aren't answering, and I need backup."

I was trying hard not to panic but it was feeling like Halloween all over again.

"Lor, someone attacked my bookstore. I don't know if they're still here and if I use too much power I could pass out and fall and—"

"I'm on my way. Do you still have IYD programmed?" His voice had changed. It was low and soft; dangerous. Ryodan was still If You Can't Reach Me in my phone from when Barrons had first put it in, but with him being going so much we had turned to Lor.

"Of course."

"Keep it ready." He ended the call.

"Korrie, get back in the car." Neither of us could look away. "Now, Korrie." She looked at me and my spear before heeding my directions. I drove the Viper back into the garage.

"Mac, what are you doing? Where are you going?" she said after I took a deep breath and got out of the car. The garage had remained untouched, which was a relief. I loved Barrons's car collection and he'd be livid if someone had broken in here.

"Do you trust me?" I asked her as I peered down into the interior.

She slowly nodded yes.

"Then I need you to do exactly as I say. I'm locking you in the garage. Stay here, stay hidden. I'll come get you when it's safe."

"No, Mac, it's too dangerous!"

"Which is why I need you to stay here." She could see the calm resolution in my eyes, the determination. My voice was soft and without emotion. It frightened her a little, I think. My home had been threatened and attacked, as had the safety of Korrie, myself, and my unborn child so my monster was taking over. Korrie hadn't seen her before.

"Why can't I come with you?"

"I have one last line of defense but it only protects me. If I use it and you're near me, I can't guarantee it won't kill you. Even if it doesn't, there are consequences for seeing such things that I'm also not sure I can protect you from. That's why *you have to stay here*. You'll be safe. Stay hidden and stay quiet at all cost. Do you understand?"

She was downright terrified but she slowly nodded again and crawled down onto the floor of the Viper. I didn't want Barrons to be away from me for a few days if I had to press it and Lor had to try and kill him, and I wasn't even sure Lor *could* kill him. I'd seen what dialing that number does and Ryodan and I had killed him in that form once before. The look of betrayal still haunts me. I registered there was a slight chance I could calm him enough in that form that he'd be able to regain himself and transform back, but ultimately decided it wasn't the day to test that theory.

After I shot a quick text to Barrons, I locked her in the garage and waited around front, instructing the Amulet to hide me. My spear was in one hand and my cellphone in the other with my thumb poised over the call button. The sign that hung perpendicular to the building had been torn down. The floodlights were shot out and the windows smashed. The door hung on a hinge, the bell dangling from it. Even the back door had been broken. It felt like time had frozen as I waited and waited with baited breath for backup to arrive. As much as I wanted to storm in there, I had someone else to consider. I really couldn't wait to not be pregnant anymore.

Lor and Fade pulled up in Ryodan's matte black Humvee fifteen minutes after I called.

"Mac, are you okay?" Lor said when he saw me after I told the Amulet to make me visible again.

"I almost crashed the Viper but yeah," I assured him as he put a hand on my shoulder.

He took a closer look at me as Fade inspected the damage. "You're shaking. How are you feeling?"

"I'm pissed," I gritted as I seethed. I'd just noticed the spray paint on the facade. It read "FAE CUNT." The c-word just doesn't do it for me. In fact, it really fucking pisses me off.

Fade tried to bar my way as I began to step over the glass to get inside. "We'll check it out," he said, a semi-automatic in his hands. "Stay here."

"Like hell," I muttered with a snort before I sifted inside.

"Christ, Mac," Lor said as he and Fade appeared and flanked me.

"This is *my* bookstore," I told him as the three of us stepped forward, both of them swinging their guns as we looked around, "and I am not helpless."

"Then take this, honey," Lor said as he pulled out a handgun and offered it to me. I grabbed it and made sure the safety was off with one in the chamber, my spear in my free hand.

When we made it up to the second floor, I inhaled sharply and looked away. Someone had killed all the lemurs. Shot them with large enough bullets that most of them were in pieces. My gag reflex was difficult to suppress.

It took us about ten minutes to clear the bookstore. Then the two of them sped through and swept the residence half of the building in that way they do like Dani. They were done in less than five minutes.

"Where's Korrie?" Lor asked after they assured me the place was clear.

"I locked her in the garage in case I had to summon the beast," I said as I took in the damage. My antique cash register was smashed on the ground, the magazine rack was knocked over, the furniture was either smashed or on its side, books were everywhere, and a couple of free standing shelves were precariously leaning and tilting. "Told her to stay hidden and quiet."

"And she listened?" Lor looked surprised. He knew I wouldn't have.

"Yes, because I told her she'd get killed if she saw my last line of defense."

Lor gave a low whistle. "Dark."

"But affective. I'd better go let her out. Pretty sure I scared her." Lor nodded to Fade as I began walking towards the back and I heard him follow me. She was in shock.

Barrons had finally arrived when Fade and I escorted Korrie in. If she wasn't scared before, feeling the rage flowing off of Barrons and seeing the destruction of our home petrified her. It didn't help me, either. I had to rely on my monster to not feel much. Otherwise, I would have felt the True Magic swirling around inside me, ready to explode. Doing that not only could have set Barrons's beast off, but Lor's and Fade's as well.

I magically righted my favorite Chesterfield and sat her down before I looked at him. His fangs kept sliding in and out, and his eyes were full on crimson, though I saw a muscle twitch in his jaw as they slid back in one more time and the crimson began to fade when he saw Korrie. I dropped the Amulet's illusion and felt the gazes of three predators go to my pregnant belly.

"You okay, sweetie?" I asked Korrie gently. She was nervously eyeing the gun I was still holding and I was afraid she'd break into hysterics.

A holstered spear head strapped to my thigh, my left hand with my wedding ring resting on my stomach, and my right hand holding a handgun must have made me quite a site.

After putting the safety on and handing it back to Lor, I gently tilted her face up to me. "Yeah, you're okay," I told her as I smoothed her hair. "You were very brave today and I'm so proud of you. Think you can keep being brave and go pack a bag?" It took a minute but she nodded slowly. "Do you want some company just in case?" She nodded a little more quickly. "Lor, would you mind going with her?" He looked at Barrons who nodded once.

"Yeah, come on, honey," he said as he smiled and held out a hand to her. She looked at it before she looked at me and didn't take it until I nodded that she'd be safe.

I felt Barrons's gaze raking over me, making sure I was unharmed. Most men would have begun asking questions, but not Barrons. He one time found me butt-ass naked on the bathroom floor, my hands covered in my own blood as I sat in a couple pools of it, with two bullets that I'd just managed to dig out of me, and looking a little deranged. He'd looked me over once to make sure I was in one piece before stripping off his clothes. I was in one piece, conscious, naked, and on the floor. Priorities.

When I met his gaze, he studied my eyes before he nodded once to me. "I sent Kasteo to collect your parents and bring them back to Chester's to be safe."

"Shit," I hissed. "I didn't even think about them." I stood there for a moment before I went over to one of the still-standing bookcases and punched it. Hard. Then again. When I went to punch it a third time, Barrons grabbed my arm.

"Enough," he said softly.

"I'll decide when enough's enough," I snarled as I ripped my arm out of his grip and angrily paced. "This is the *third* fucking time someone's destroyed my bookstore. They shot out the floodlights like on Halloween when the walls fell." *That's why I had to hide in the church.*

A muscle twitched in his jaw.

"This is the *second* time it was done by humans. My own people!" I punched the bookcase again.

"Are you so certain it was humans?"

I shot him a glare. "Did you not see the inscription?"

"Doesn't mean it was humans."

"Well, it wasn't the Fae!" I punched the bookcase again. "Pretty sure they don't even know that word!" The wood had begun to splinter and my knuckles bled before quickly healing when I punched it a fifth time.

"Ms. Lane," he said sharply and softly. "Get a hold of yourself." It had started snowing. I took a deep breath and the snow vanished.

"Korrie and I could have been here," I finally said. "We were supposed to be here with Kat, but she asked us to come to the abbey instead."

He didn't respond. He almost never did to "what ifs." I refused to look at him for a moment.

"Someone killed the lemurs. Shot them in cold blood. Those little cuties never hurt anyone. And if you are even *thinking* about saying anything about your damn rugs, you have seriously misjudged the mood of your audience. Especially after your beast tore one to shreds days after you got on my case about my high heels putting holes in them, even though you *like* me in high heels." Fade snorted. Barrons's smile didn't reach his eyes.

"Mac," he said as he walked over and put his hands on my shoulders, "you need to remain calm." One of his hands slid down my arm to rest atop the hand that I perpetually kept on my stomach.

"I know," I said as I exhaled.

"I'd like you to stay at Chester's until we can track down who did this. No one gets to come after you and get away with it," he murmured. I could feel the quiet, barely controlled rage just beneath the surface. My tongue was suddenly wetting my lips.

*Save some of that fire for me, Jericho.*

*I never run out of fire for you, Mac. *

He bent down and kissed me to keep me from audibly moaning with desire in front of Fade. Lor and Korrie walked in as I managed to smile up at Barrons.

"Lor's going to take you and Korrie back to Chester's. He and Kasteo are going to stay there with you and your parents while Fade and I start searching."

Anyone else would have tried not to smile, but he knew I was throwing up walls around my heart to protect it. Rape leaves scars that run deeper than you could possibly imagine until you've experienced it yourself. It doesn't matter how long ago it was, or that all of my rapists and the one who ordered my rape are dead. There are still days where I'm full of triggers. This hadn't been one until I saw the floodlights had been shot out and the windows all broken.

The site of my bookstore, a bastion of light to the entire city, had gone dark once before and it had been the second worst night of my entire life. The Shades were still here then, and BB&B had been keeping them at bay. I was planning on sheltering in my bookstore when I couldn't get out of the city on Halloween but with it dark, I knew my home would be crawling with the deadly amorphous shadows. That's why I'd had to hole up in the church.

"Mac, it's too dangerous for you to be in a fight right now." *This is one time I* will *restrict your independence if I have to. I will chain you up in Ryodan's dungeon if it comes down to that. Six more weeks and we'll go kill whatever you want. They came after the queen and I am her protector. I am your first and last line of defense.*

*I can fight my own battles!* I flashed angrily at him. The temperature was plummeting again.

*And you will. Soon.*

*But—*

*I protect what's mine. You will not go needlessly endangering yourself or our child. Now is not the time for you to be a wolf, Ms. Lane. Our child and Korrie need a sheepdog.*

I continued seething for a minute, my free hand balled into a fist. He wasn't budging on this. He really would chain me up if he had to. I was only making it harder for him to control himself right now and I couldn't endanger Korrie like that. It took an immense amount of self-control to close my eyes and take some deep breaths as the temperature returned to normal before I quietly said, "Fine."

He inclined his head but didn't look any less relieved. It had been the Guardians the last time. Dublin's Garda had renamed themselves after the walls fell. That time, I had been invisible and someone had outed me and released I was carrying a copy of the *Sinsar Dubh* inside me. They attacked me as I entered the bookstore, which is how I got those two bullets. They even sprayed the inside down with red paint to try and find me, but I got lucky. Inspector Jayne had shown up. He reminded them that I had been the one who had taught them to eat Unseelie so they could defend themselves, that I had been the one to put the Book down when it was still a book, and that I was Jericho Barrons's woman; invading his home and business was one thing, but coming after his woman? *That* was suicide. I'd identified the ringleader of the attackers and knew the others would fall in line once he was gone. I later gave Barrons a full description of him.

"I managed to get a message to Ryodan," he said, addressing Lor, Fade, and I but not taking his eyes off me. "He's on his way back and will meet you at Chester's. Fade and I will see what we can track down. The rest of the Nine, including Ryodan, will stay to protect you both and your parents." *Did you want to pack a bag?*

I thought before I shook my head no. *I can summon whatever I need. It doesn't require much effort now.* He inclined his head again. Fade and Barrons escorted the three of us to the Humvee, Barrons grabbing my arm and kissing me before helping me inside. I grabbed his hand before he could close the door. *Please don't die, Jericho. We both know I could pop any day now.*

The corners of his lips twitched and he squeezed my hand. *If I do, tell Ryodan to sift to me. But don't get accustomed to the idea. It's only because you're this pregnant.*

I managed a smile and told him, *Deal. Just come back soon, okay?* He smiled just a little before he reached up and kissed me again. He and Fade disappeared as we pulled away.