Burned by Darkness - Alexandra Ivy Page 0,44
portals. My father said that I inherited the gift from my mother.”
Abruptly distracted, the tiny demon wrinkled his snout. “Ah oui, your father.”
Tayla swallowed a sigh. She was accustomed to that tone of aversion whenever anyone spoke of Odel.
“How did you meet?”
Levet gave a lift of his hands. “I went in search of him.”
“Why?”
“It was the only way I could think to save you from the dragon.”
“Oh.” Tayla’s throat tightened as tears filled her eyes. For as long as she could remember, she’d been expected to be the adult. She protected her father from the endless collectors who showed up on their doorstep, and ensured he made it to his bed when he’d indulged in too much nectar. No one had ever thought that she might need to be rescued. “That’s so sweet.”
“Sacrebleu.” Levet rubbed his stunted horn, his tail twitching around his feet. “You are not going to cry, are you?”
She sniffed, battling back the tears. “It’s just…no one has ever wanted to save me before.”
Reaching out, Levet gently patted her hand. “I did not do a very bang-bang job, did I?”
Tayla’s lips twitched. Only Levet could make her laugh in the middle of a dark, dank dungeon that reeked of troll.
“Bang-up?” she corrected.
“Oui.” Levet heaved a small sigh. “I had intended to bring Odel to the dragon in exchange for you, but I barely had time to locate him in a London pub when a strange fairy appeared along with a troll.”
Tayla gave her friend a pat on the head in gratitude before turning her thoughts to her father’s latest disaster.
It was rare for a fey to be working with a troll. The two species hated each other.
“Did they say why they wanted my father?” she inquired.
Levet muttered something that sounded like a French cuss word.
“Non, but it is not difficult to guess.”
Tayla wrinkled her nose. There was only one reason anyone would actually go out of their way to find her father.
“He owes them money, doesn’t he?” she demanded with a sigh.
Levet’s wings fluttered, his hands pressing against her legs. Almost as if he was trying to herd her toward the open cell door.
“No doubt he does, but that is not the reason they brought him to this isolated castle.”
She allowed herself to be pushed out of the cell. “Then why?”
“It is a trap, ma belle. That is the only reasonable explanation.” The ugly little face was tense with an increasing concern. “You have to get out of here.”
He was right.
It was too great a coincidence to have trolls hunting her and then for her father to be snatched by one. It had to be connected.
Still, she’d come to the castle with a purpose.
“Not without you,” she muttered, reaching down to grab Levet’s arm. “Or my father.”
“Tayla.” Levet scurried to keep up, his tail sticking straight out behind him. “Wait.”
She shook her head, turning down a narrow tunnel as she sniffed the air for her father’s scent.
“We need to hurry,” she muttered.
Levet tugged at her hand. “Stop.”
She grudgingly came to a halt to study her companion with blatant impatience.
The tunnel was grimy, dark, and the walls were slick with mold. Not to mention the fact that her presence was going to be noticed any second.
Now didn’t seem a good time to stand around and chat.
“Why?”
Levet’s wings drooped. “Your father.”
Tayla sucked in a sharp breath. “He isn’t hurt, is he?”
“Non.” The wings drooped even lower. “He is the sort who always manages to walk away from a disaster unscathed.”
“I suppose he does,” Tayla agreed. Odel made sure he survived. No matter what the cost. “So what’s wrong?”
Levet hesitated before heaving a noisy sigh. “I do not believe your father is worth risking your life.”
“Oh.” Tayla bit her lip. She knew Levet was genuinely concerned for her. Which was really quite wonderful. But she’d spent her entire life taking care of Odel. She couldn’t just walk away when she knew he was in trouble. “He’s my father.”
“Such a pity,” Levet muttered.
Tayla grimaced, once again pulling Levet down the tunnel. There was no way for her to explain why she felt the need to protect her father.
Probably because there was no excuse for family.
They just…were.
Desperate to find her father and get the heck out of the nasty dungeons, Tayla rounded a corner, only to discover the path was blocked by a seven-foot male with a square face and blond hair buzzed close to his skull.
Wearing a T-shirt and jeans, he might have been a human, but Tayla could smell the