Stuck With You

Part 13

“Put it on your necklace,” he said, but when she wasn’t moving fast enough, he reached towards her neck. The only problem was that someone stopped his hand before he could touch her.  Antonio glared at Aidirian.  “I am not going to hurt her.”

Aidirian shrugged as if he didn’t have a care in the world, but still didn’t let go of Antonio’s hand.  “Why don’t you let me help her?”

She could see the red flash in the man’s eyes, but he just smiled at Aidirian and pulled his hand away.  “By all means, do what you must.”

“I will,” Aidirian said before turning towards her.  Motioning for her to turn, he pulled her hair off her back with one hand.  She felt the necklace unsnap from her neck and her hair drop back.  Turning back towards him, she held the ring out.  A smile crossed his face as he shook his head.  “You have to do it. It’s your protection.”

“Oh,” she mumbled, slipping the ring neck to Daryn’s pendant.  The two clinked together.  As she watched, they melded against one another, forming one pendant.  Looking up at Daryn, she didn’t keep the confusion off her face.

“Shit,” he mumbled, reaching out and touching the pendant.  When he hissed, she glanced down at his hand to find a burn mark on his hand.  As she watched, the skin formed over the burn and a pink scar took its place. 

Grabbing his hand, she tugged it closer to her face.  Why wasn’t the pendant shape scar in his palm disappearing?  “Daryn,” she started.

“I know, love,” he said in a calming voice, meaning he had detected the panic in her voice.  “You want me to explain?”

She knew the question was just to make sure she didn’t freak out on him, and that fact made her smile.  His face relaxed as he sat back in the limo.  Just as he did, the vehicle came to a stop.  Leaning to his right, he hit a button.  “Drive around the block a couple minutes until I say.”

“Yes, sir,” a deep voice replied before the limo started back up.

Turning towards her, Daryn smiled.  “Now, it’s quite simple.  The talismans, if you wish to call them, have decided that they want you to keep them.”

“So,” Antonio continued, “they molded together, made the metal dangerous for both of our kind to touch.”

“You mean, your,” she pointed at Antonio, “ring was dangerous to Daryn, and you couldn’t touch his pendant.”

“Not unless we want to get burned,” he said with a shrug.

She looked at Aidirian, wondering if he knew exactly what they were talking about.  When he sent her a small smile, she knew he understood.  Reaching out, he cupped the pendant in his hand.  “They make them that way so another cannot steal their protection.  Each species has a metal that is dangerous to others. They make most, but they are still there.  When Daryn made his necklace, he made sure his kind were the only ones who could touch it.”

“How are you holding it?” she asked, ready to snatch it from his hands if the thing even hinted that it was going to burn him.

He turned amused eyes to the other two men in the car, who just shrugged.  “Catching Jinn may be a little easy, but keeping them long enough to test their different metals on us is the problem.”

“Why don’t they just take your bottles?”

Daryn let out a chuckle.  “The thing is, finding their bottles are harder than you think.  You were just lucky enough to fall right onto one.”

Nodding, she motioned down to her necklace.  “This, what is this though?”

“An accident?” Antonio guessed.  “I’ve never seen it happen before.”

“So,” she mumbled, dangling her bracelet to bring their attention there.  “What would happen if I did this?”

“No!” Daryn yelled, but it was too late.  There was nothing where her bracelet once was, but her necklace had extra jewels, more gold.  “She’s going to be angry,” Daryn mumbled.

Antonio shook his head.  “I guess she isn’t getting that back.”

Aidirian threw his arm over her shoulder and pulled her flush against his side.  “Which is good for Celeste.  Tanya can be angry, but she can’t do anything to harm her.  It’s for the best.”

“You knew that would happen,” Daryn accused with a glare in Aidirian’s direction.

The Jinni shrugged.  “I’m looking after her; I don’t care how that affects the two of you.”

“This is nice,” Antonio cut in, “you two bonding, but I have to tell you something about Tanya that will change the game a little.”

Daryn held a hand up.  Pressing the button again, he began talking to his driver.  “Park soon.”

“Yes, sir,” the voice repeated before Daryn pulled his finger off the button.

Turning towards them, he motioned for Antonio to continue.  “She’s pregnant,” Antonio told them.

“This affects us how?” Aidirian asked, curiosity clear in his voice.

Celeste immediately understood though.  “That means, those of the Fae who believe in this stupid prophecy are going to come after me.”

“Yep,” Antonio said, “which makes our promise to keep you safe harder than we thought it would be.”

Aidirian’s arm tightened on her.  Glancing up at him, she noticed the amused expression on his face.  “You really know how to pick your enemies.”  He chuckled as he shook his head.  “Nephilim and Fae, who would have thought I would be fighting against both just because of one little angel.”

“I’m not little,” she huffed.

“Of course not,” he mumbled, “and I have a feeling you aren’t going to like just how big you become with the supernaturals.”