The Last Warrior (Shifters Unbound #13) - Jennifer Ashley Page 0,86
human world. Kind of ebbs and flows. But there’s a ley line here with a Fae warrior inside it who keeps us posted about what’s going on in Faerie.”
“Is there?” Rhianne asked, just as Darren and Cyril opened their mouths to do the same. “Do you trust him?”
“I wouldn’t say trust exactly, but he’s Sean’s mate’s father. He likes to keep an eye on Andrea and his grandson. He won’t betray her.”
“Would he help against my stepfather?”
“I can ask him, but I wouldn’t count on it. Fionn’s a good fighter, but he is a hoch alfar. He probably wouldn’t risk going against a Tuil Erdannan.”
“Count us in,” Darren said eagerly. “We try not to get into too many fights, so no one figures out what we really are. I’d love to truly let loose on a Fae who needs to learn a lesson.”
“Please, don’t,” Rhianne said. “You’ll get yourselves killed.”
“Nothing better to do.” Cyril shrugged. “You live a thousand or so years in exile, hiding your true nature, and see how bored you get. A good fight to the death is just what we need.”
They were goblins, all right. Ben wanted to break down and cry, and at the same time dance around and laugh. It had been so long since he’d listened to goblins banter—pretending to care nothing for their own safety, itching to fight anything that needed an ass-kicking.
Goblins could glam, and could easily outsmart humans or Fae, or even Shifters, even these two. They acted slightly dimwitted, but Ben saw in their eyes they were anything but. They camouflaged their true nature, as Ben had been doing all his life.
He slid his arm around Rhianne. “We’ll talk about it, love. Why don’t we go back to Liam’s and have a council of war? We’ll have Fionn do some recon inside Faerie, and then we’ll charge in there and save Lady Aisling. Maybe in her gratitude, she’ll shower us with riches. ’Cause I need a new blender.”
The brothers laughed—goblins always ready to have fun. Fight until they died, yes, but have a good time until then. Ben was so happy to hear the familiar bullshit of his own people that he was ready to turn cartwheels.
Rhianne wasn’t convinced. Ben knew that the brothers were aware of the danger, as was he. Even with all of their resources Ivor would be tough to beat. The alternative was to allow Lady Aisling and Rhianne to be at Ivor’s mercy. Ben vowed to do whatever was needed to prevent that.
They walked toward Liam’s house. Ben felt a whisper on the wind he didn’t like, sensed a tingle on his flesh. He glanced around uneasily but heard nothing except the rustle of leaves in the dawn breeze, the voices of cubs playing on the green, and the quiet laughter of the goblin brothers as they followed.
When they reached Liam’s house, Rhianne saw that the porch had filled with Shifters. Liam and his mate, Dylan and Glory, Connor and Tiger-girl, Andrea the half-Fae Shifter, and with her the man who must be Sean Morrissey, the Guardian.
Sean resembled his brother, Liam, so much that Rhianne at first couldn’t tell the two apart. She saw as she studied them that Sean had a different demeanor, somehow both more tense and more relaxed than Liam. The sword that dispatched Shifter souls and rendered their bodies dust was slung over his back.
With him stood another Shifter also carrying a sword. Rhianne couldn’t place him, but Ben jumped when he saw him.
“That’s Pierce Daniels. Guardian of the North Carolina Shiftertown. What’s he doing so far off his patch?”
Pierce had reddish brown hair and watchful eyes. The Shifter in Rhianne identified him as Feline, but she wasn’t certain what breed of cat.
The only Shifter missing was Tiger. Carly was there, lounging on a porch swing next to Connor, holding Seth and keeping an eye on Katriona, who wandered from her mother to Carly and back, pausing to stare quizzically up at Millie, who stood a little apart from the others.
The mystery of the absent Tiger was solved when he barreled around from the back of the house, shifting as he ran. His half-Shifter, half-human beast was gigantic and ferocious.
“Here!” he roared and then sprinted, fully tiger to the rear of the house and the common ground there.
The Shifters glanced at each other in perplexity, then they began pouring off the porch in pursuit.
Ben followed Tiger at a run, Rhianne immediately behind him, the goblin brothers after her.