Midnight Wolf (Shifters Unbound #11)(83)
“But Fae have recruited Shifters,” Angus reminded her. “Stupid Shifters who want to be Battle Beasts again. And I’m willing to bet the Fae have other kinds of lackeys who can touch iron. I understand the dark Fae can use it just fine. How well could we trust them? What’s to say they aren’t murdering assholes as well, but Reid happens to be a nice guy?”
“Dokk alfar are daisies in the sunshine compared to the hoch alfar.” Ben spat the last words, as though the syllables choked him. “But you have a point—we can’t trust that not one dark Fae would see the benefit of having a pile of automatic weapons land on their doorstep and prevent Reid from destroying them.”
“We’ll keep Reid on standby,” Angus said. “Thinking about Reid gave me another idea. When I was inside Faerie with Jaycee, we met a Fae who was pretty powerful. Lady Aisling—some kind of superpowered Fae. She did things that scared the shit out of me, but she might be able to destroy these things. She said she came into the human world often and that iron didn’t bother her as much as it bothers the rest of the high Fae. I don’t know if her power would work here, but it might be worth a shot to ask her.” He stopped as he noticed Ben staring at him. The man’s dark eyes were wide, his face ashen. “What’s wrong with you?” Angus growled.
“The woman you call Lady Aisling is one of the Tuil Erdannan.” Ben spoke the words carefully, as though fearing dire consequences if he mispronounced them. “Ancient beings, amazingly strong ones, who don’t give a shit about the problems of humans, Shifters, high Fae, dark Fae, goblins, or any other living, breathing creature. I’m pretty sure giving her access to a stash of weapons is the worst idea of all.”
“I met her,” Angus said without worry. “I was in her house. She didn’t strike me as the type to be excited by human tools of destruction. When Jaycee told her that Fae were recruiting Shifters to fight for them again, it annoyed her but didn’t alarm her. She helped us mainly because she liked Jaycee. Maybe if Jaycee asks, she’ll do it for her.”
“Or crook her little finger and wipe us all off the map,” Ben said, the fear in his voice clear. “You don’t mess with the Tuil Erdannan, Angus.”
Tamsin sat up. “She sounds intriguing. Can I meet her?”
“Not joking, Tamsin,” Ben said. “The Tuil Erdannan are seriously badass, and you don’t want to mess with them. Even asking one the time of day can get you killed if he or she is feeling peevish.”
“Definitely want to meet her then,” Tamsin said. “If she liked Jaycee, maybe we should ask Jaycee’s opinion.”
“Agreed,” Angus said. “Ben, can you contact Jaycee? I don’t want to risk using my phone.”
Ben looked from Angus to Tamsin and shook his head, as though washing his hands of this decision. “Sure, I can ask. I’m going to keep warning you that this is the most dangerous route to take, and maybe you’ll listen after a while. Though I won’t be able to say I told you so if I’m right, because we’ll all be a melted pile of goo. What do you think, Tiger? You’re usually a good judge of character . . . Tiger? What’s up?”
Tiger had gone rigid, his gaze fixed on the parking lot. Without answering Ben, he slipped out the door and vaulted over the balcony, straight down to the lot below.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Angus was out the door, but before he reached the stairs, Tiger came back up them with a struggling, hissing Feline. The man was in his human form, but his pupils were slitted with rage, his hands sprouting claws.
Tiger dragged him inside the room, threw the Feline to the floor, and put his foot on him. The Feline squirmed, but it was clear he would not throw off Tiger anytime soon.
Tamsin had bounced off the bed as soon as Tiger came through the door. “Dion!”
Angus snarled, but he’d had the feeling that was who Tiger had captured. “The Shifter who killed the two Bureau agents?”
Dion hissed again, sounding like a leaky tire. Felines. “You should be thanking me,” he snapped, his voice guttural. “They were dirtbags, hunting down Shifters.”
Tamsin came to stand over him, her face flushed, her hands shaking. “They were people. With families. We’re not murderers. Not only that, but you risked bringing the wrath of Shifter Bureau down on all Shifters. Fortunately, they’re only after one suspect for the killings. Me.”
“So?” Dion’s claws receded, and his eyes became human. They were green, his hair lanky and brown. “You took off. You were out of it—what the hell are you doing back here? I was riding by and swore I caught your scent.” He took a loud sniff. “It’s distinctive. Who are these assholes?”
Angus stepped between the Shifter on the floor and Tamsin. “This asshole is her mate.”
The Feline opened his mouth to snarl, and then worry crept into his eyes and he shut it again. He’d know that under Shifter law Angus could kill him for putting Tamsin under threat. Killing Dion would break human law, of course, but no humans stood in this room.
Dion switched his gaze to Ben. “What is that? Stinks of Fae.”
Ben heaved an aggrieved sigh. “I get so tired of this shit.” He tapped his chest. “Not Fae. If you want to know what kind of being I am and what I can do, here you go.”