Dark Alpha's Hunger Read online

  Chapter Four

  Even over the noise of the city, Eoghan heard the violin. As soon as the first strains of the song reached him, everything else faded away. He couldn’t ignore the music any more than he could stop using magic.

  He hadn’t known what drew him to Dublin—until he heard the strings. The closer he got to the pub, the more the music seemed to wrap around him, tugging him near. And holding tightly.

  Eoghan didn’t mind. In fact, he sought out the sound. He needed to know who played the instrument. Was it the pretty woman who’d helped pull him through the portal? Or someone else?

  Remembering Rhi’s words about his eyes, he called forth a pair of sunglasses and put them on before entering the tavern. The place was packed with people as eager as he was to hear more of the music. He shouldered his way through until he found a place near a wall. Normally, this kind of crowd sent him the other direction, but tonight, he didn’t think of leaving.

  As soon as his gaze landed on the woman swaying as she played the violin, he inwardly smiled. Her blue hair wasn’t something he would ever forget. The mix of various shades of blue suited the tempestuous nature he’d glimpsed in her gaze the night before.

  She had her eyes closed, completely lost in the music, moving from one song to another without missing a beat—as if she were performing for the notes, not the people. Slow or fast, it didn’t matter. The woman had serious skill.

  Then again, he expected nothing less from a Halfling.

  He eyed her black jeans encasing long legs and the black lace, long-sleeved shirt that scooped low in the front to reveal just a hint of cleavage. The black, high-heeled boots elongated her legs.

  There was a flash of sparkle through her hair. Eoghan then spotted the mismatched earrings through the strands. One was a crown that hung from rhinestones, and the other a scepter.

  Some might argue that her blue hair and shiny jewelry drew attention, but Eoghan knew the truth. Most only saw her hair or the solid black clothes and looked away in disgust or stared at her tresses, trying to figure out the exact shade. Few ever really noticed her face.

  It was the perfect disguise for a half-Fae wanting to blend in.

  Compared to her bandmates who were eating up the attention of the crowd, the Halfling was almost removed from it all. As if she preferred solitude but endured people in order to share the music that fell as easily from her as breath.

  Eoghan’s lungs seized when she suddenly opened her eyes and locked gazes with him. Even from a distance, he knew those orbs held every shade of brown imaginable from a mix of raw umber and caramel to flakes of dark brown.

  There was the slightest parting of her lips to let him know she recognized him. Now that he knew she was the one who had led him out of the darkness as well as pulled him through the portal, he owed her a great debt—one he feared might never be repaid.

  He intended to cast magic that would alert him if she were ever in danger from humans or the Dark, but especially from Bran. He planned to do it as he followed her home.

  When the band played their last song and walked from the stage, Eoghan made his way to the back of the pub to wait. He knew as soon as the door opened that it was the Halfling before she even stepped out.

  He hadn’t planned to talk to her or even let her know he was near, but then he looked at her face. The next thing he knew, he’d spoken. The words sounded rough and raw, even to his ears.

  Her head swiveled to him, and he walked from the shadows straight to her. The soft curve of her lips when he told her that he was in her debt made his blood heat. It took a moment for him to realize that it was lust that burned through him. It had been a long, long time since he’d felt it.

  Memories from the night before as he’d covered her body with his when the dolmen exploded filled him. He recalled the softness of her body, the warmth of her skin. The smell of mint from her hair. He wanted so badly to touch her that he fisted his hands.

  Death had sent him on a mission. Already, Eoghan wasted valuable time seeking out the Halfling. He needed to cast his magic and leave.

  But she was near enough to touch. By the stars, it had been too many eons since he’d last yearned for the touch of another. If only the Halfling would raise her hand to his cheek or even his shoulder. Anything.

  So long as she put her hand on him.

  “I’m Thea. Thea Keegan,” she said. She raised a brow. “And you are?”

  He parted his lips to answer when something materialized behind her. The Dark smiled at Eoghan. Without hesitation, Eoghan grabbed her against him and spun, bending over her and acting as a shield so the force of the magic landed on his back.

  Blistering pain zapped through him as ball after ball of magic pummeled him. There was no time to fight the Dark, not with Thea. He glanced at her before he teleported both of them away to the roof of a building.

  His knees gave out, pitching him forward. Eoghan caught himself with one hand and struggled to keep from falling on top of her.

  “You can let go,” she said.

  His muscles were locked with pain. It took a couple of tries before his arm finally released her. She moved from beneath him and climbed to her feet. Eoghan dropped his head and used both hands to keep from falling on his face.

  “Dear God,” she murmured from beside him.

  He closed his eyes and let his body heal the wounds. The Fae’s magic ate away at his skin, muscle, and bone like acid. One of the perks of being a Reaper was faster healing, as well as stronger magic than other Fae, but that didn’t make the pain any less excruciating.

  The minutes ticked by without another sound from Thea. She remained beside him, and he could only imagine what was going through her head. Though he was immensely grateful that she wasn’t bombarding him with questions.

  When most of the throbbing diminished to a level where he could breathe easier, Eoghan rocked back onto his haunches and rested his hands on his thighs. Then he opened his eyes and turned his head to her.

  Thea’s face was a mix of panic, alarm, and curiosity as she set her violin case by her feet. Her brown eyes held his as she squared her shoulders. “I believe you were about to tell me your name.”

  No hysterics, no demands, no fear. The more he was around Thea, the more he liked what he saw.

  “Eoghan.”

  “It’s nice to meet you, Eoghan. I don’t suppose after what happened last night and just a moment ago that you’d feel the need to fill me in, would you?”

  He rotated his shoulders, stretching out his newly healed skin before he removed the remnants of his shirt. Then he climbed to his feet and used his magic to replace the garment with another.

  Thea’s eyes briefly widened, but she stood her ground and waited.

  “Why do you color your hair so?” he asked.

  She hesitated only a minute before replying. “I like to do something different.”

  “It’s not to keep other’s eyes off your face?”

  Her brows snapped together. “How . . . ? Why would you ask that?”

  “Those like you either embrace who they are or hide. The hiding seems to be instinctual, I’ve found.”

  “Those like me?” she repeated, her frown deepening. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  Eoghan looked out over the city. He really wished Cael or one of the other Reapers were there to tell her. He was never very good at imparting such news.

  “Eoghan,” she urged.

  His gaze swung back to her. “Why do you dye your hair?”

  This time, she didn’t pause in answering. “Because people look at it and not my face. And before you ask, I don’t know why I don’t want others to look at me.”

  “It’s because you have Fae blood.”

  She swallowed nervously and dropped her arms. “I see. Did I bring us up here?”

  “I did that.” When she stared at him blankly, Eoghan sighed. “You’re getting a crash course in this, and I’m sorry about that. I’m a Light Fae. The man who attacked us
in the alley is Dark Fae. You can spot them because of their red eyes and the silver in their black hair.”

  Thea nodded slowly, her face blank.

  “I had no intention of telling you any of this. I was going to leave, but the Dark showed up.”

  She continued to nod, her face folding into anxious lines.

  “Are you understanding me?”

  “You’re Fae. I’m half-Fae.”

  He lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “Aye. That’s the gist of it.”

  “I need more.”

  Eoghan ran a hand down his face. What she wanted was for him to talk more. After so many millennia of silence, he was finding it difficult.

  “Do you not want to tell me?” she asked.

  He shook his head. “Until you pulled me from the portal stones, I went a very long time without speaking.”

  “Oh.” She shoved a lock of hair from her face. “If it’s too much, then don’t—”

  “The Fae come from another realm, but our civil war destroyed vast parts of it. Most have chosen Earth as their home. Ireland, in particular. The Light Queen takes the north, and the Dark take the south.”

  Thea blinked, her lips forming an O.

  “I’m part of an elite team who is hunting a rather nasty Fae bent on slaughtering Death. Aye, Death is a person,” he said when he saw the question fill her eyes. “Bran has become a nuisance that has to be stopped. He was the one who sent me to that other realm with a beast that was hunting me. I heard your music and followed it right to the doorway the Halflings and Druids built eons ago to go between realms.”

  She blew out a long breath. “I think I need a drink.”

  “It’s the mention of the Druids that got you, isn’t it?” he teased.

  Her look of disbelief faded as she rolled her eyes. “You don’t look like someone who jokes.”

  “I’m not, but you looked like you needed the distraction.”

  She smiled, laughing softly. “I did. Tell me how you know I’m part Fae?”

  “You’ve the look of us. It’s your beauty, but a Fae always recognizes another. Does no one in your family know?”

  Thea hunched her shoulders as she shivered against the cold. “I’m an orphan.”

  “So am I.” He wasn’t sure why he told her that. It was a part of his past that he rarely thought about. “We should get you out of the night air.”

  She looked at his outstretched hand. “You brought us here, right?”

  “I did. And I’m going to take you wherever you want to go.”

  “Really?” she asked with a tantalizing grin. “Anywhere?”

  He nodded. “Anywhere.”

  “I want to see the pyramids of Egypt.”

  Eoghan kept his hand out and waited for her to take it. She studied him as she reached for her violin case. As soon as her palm slid into his, he teleported them to the great pyramid.

  “Bloody hell,” she murmured and stumbled back, nearly dropping her case when she spotted the monuments.

  He steadied her with a hand as her head tilted back to take in the grand structure before her.

  “You really are Fae.”

  It had been a long time since Eoghan was around anyone with so much enthusiasm. He was supposed to be finding the other Reapers, though Death hadn’t told him how to do that. But he couldn’t seem to leave the beautiful, beguiling Thea just yet.

  Her head turned to him. There was a huge smile on her face as her eyes sparkled with excitement. “I’ve always wanted to travel. The pyramids have always fascinated me. Thank you for this.”

  The smile that had begun to form on his face died when he spotted the veiled Fae about two hundred yards away. A quick glance around showed five more.

  It looked as if he didn’t need to find the Reapers. They had found him.

  Chapter Five

  The tightening of Eoghan’s face pulled Thea’s attention from the magnificent pyramid. His gaze was focused on something over her shoulder.

  She let her eyes move around him. The last time he had gotten like that was when they had been attacked. By a Dark Fae.

  Thea couldn’t believe she was standing with an actual Fae. She wouldn’t have believed a word he said if she hadn’t pulled him from the portal stones, teleported to a rooftop, watched the atrocious wound on his back heal, and been transported to Egypt in a blink.

  But the truth was before her. How could she disregard any of it?

  “What is it?” she asked.

  Eoghan’s quicksilver gaze slid to her. “You’re safe.”

  “You say that like you’re about to leave.”

  His hesitation was answer enough.

  She looked up at the cloudless sky with the full moon hanging over them. Lights set up by the government drenched the pyramids and the sand. While she didn’t want to get stranded in Egypt, this might be her only chance to see the structures that had interested her since she was a little girl.

  “I used to pretend I was an ancient Egyptian,” she told him. “My clumsy six-year-old hands did a horrible job mimicking their eye makeup. Years of practice made me an expert. Every Halloween, I dress up as an Egyptian.” She glanced at him. “I’m trying to tell you that I’ll be fine. Just don’t leave me here.”

  A hurt look flashed across his face. “I would never do such a thing.”

  “Well, I don’t really know you, now do I?”

  Eoghan bowed his head. “I won’t be far.”

  “What about the authorities?”

  “They won’t bother you.”

  She glanced at the pyramid with a smile. When her gaze returned to Eoghan, he was gone. Thea shrugged and walked closer to the structure. She switched her violin case to her other hand and pressed her palm against the rock.

  Residual heat from the sun still warmed the stones. She stood before thousands of years of history. The idea that an ancient Egyptian might have stood where she was sent chills down her spine.

  She leaned her head back to look at the very top of the structure. She wanted to climb to the pinnacle and spread her arms wide, taking in the grandeur of the all that the Egyptians had created for others to marvel.

  Thea turned and looked at the back of the Sphinx. There were mysteries yet to be discovered beneath the sand, she was sure of it. But she wouldn’t be the one to find them. While she craved to know all the Egyptians had created, her calling wasn’t to search for that truth.

  Though she wasn’t sure what her calling was. She knew what she loved, and that was enough.

  She slowly turned in a circle, hoping for some sign of Eoghan, but she was the only one there. She felt insignificant next to the massive monuments surrounding her. Some might even feel fearful alone in such a place. But she reveled in it.

  Thea moved back several paces from the pyramid. How could she stand in such a place and not play? She lowered her case to the sand and opened it. Then she took out the violin and rested it on her shoulder.

  She took a deep breath and pulled the bow over the strings, letting her emotions flow through the music and form in her mind as they moved to her hands before filling the air as song.

  It was the most astonishing, breathtaking moment of her life.

  * * *

  There was no running for him. Not that Eoghan would do such a thing. He teleported to the closest Reaper and waited for the others to come to him.

  The six stood in a line before him. Three Dark and three Light, five males and one female. As he looked into each of their faces, their names, betrayals, and deaths filled his mind—a gift from Death, no doubt.

  Knowing how each of them had lived and what made them stand out to Death allowed Eoghan to know them as she did. As it was, two of them would be handfuls. Not that he could blame them after seeing their stories.

  Eoghan’s gaze landed on the tallest of the group. Cathal was a giant, his shoulders wide and his red gaze intense. Cathal had left his black and silver hair long with the top portion gathered at the back of his head. He was battle perso
nified. It was in his bearing and even the way he wore his clothes. Unlike most Fae, he kept his sword strapped to his back.

  Their gazes clashed, Cathal’s lips flattening. Eoghan recognized that despite his rough edges, Cathal would be fiercely loyal.

  Eoghan gaze slid to Rordan. The Light Fae had a cocky air about him. Smug with a smartass response always at the ready, Rordan made as many friends as he did enemies. His pain was carefully concealed behind his silver gaze. He kept his black hair short and had an affinity for knives.

  Next was Bradach. The Light Fae looked as if he should be behind a desk, but Eoghan knew how looks could be deceiving. The way Bradach’s silver gaze continually scanned the area for threats was a dead giveaway.

  Beside Bradach was Dubhan. There was a ferocity to the Dark that Dubhan didn’t attempt to conceal. His red eyes held no quarter, no forgiveness. With his black and silver chin-length hair, he was every inch a Reaper.

  Eoghan moved his eyes to Torin. The Light Fae stood with his arms crossed over his chest, a bored expression on his face, belying the rage that consumed him. It’s what made him an incredible warrior, but because he couldn’t control his fury, it could put others at risk. With his black hair pulled carelessly in a queue at the base of his neck, he stood at the ready for war.

  And last but not least was the lone female of the group. Eoghan looked over the petite Dark Fae. He couldn’t tell how long Aisling’s black and silver hair was because it was put up in a number of braids to keep it out of her face. Her nails were long and painted blood red before being filed into points. She favored a mix of red and black clothes. Her crimson gaze was as sharp as her nails as she returned his stare.

  “How much do you know about me?” he asked them.

  Bradach was the one to reply. “Death told us how you were one of the first Reapers and fought against Bran.”

  “We know you sacrificed yourself for Cael,” Cathal replied.

  Aisling raised a brow. “Since you’re here, I suppose that means you pulled yourself out of whatever place you were sent.”

  At that moment, the first strings of music filled the air. Eoghan drew in a deep breath, feeling a sense of calm descend over him. To his shock, he watched as each of the six Reapers before him seemed to be soothed by the melody, as well.