Rowan appeared on Cuan's front lawn, wiped the blood from her nose and headed straight down the cobblestone walkway that lead to the door. And there he was. Cuan stood tall in the frame of the open door, blocking out much of the light from inside with his statuesque form.
"You look..." he paused taking in her new look, "a little different Rowan. Lore world is a tough cross to bare. Is it not?"
Damn his sultry bedroom eyes and collected demeanor! She hated that she was still attracted to him, "Get bent demon. Where is he?" After having almost killed her and then allowing her parents to eavesdrop on their conversation she had no patience for this man. No matter how much she enjoyed kissing him! Simply put, he was an asshole, but a damn good looking one.
"Underground dungeon, steel cage, cuffs...he's pretty much in the worst place you could imagine."
"I think I can imagine worse." Her eyes narrowed.
"Oh, Rowan, that hurts." He smiled at her.
"Just take me to him." Rowan didn't care for his sarcasm and she certainly didn't feel like engaging in a verbal dance with Cuan right now.
"You ready then?" He watched her closely trying to get a read on her, but she'd been working on her poker face, because he got nothin' from her. He'd heard through the lore grapevine that she'd been with Declan, and that'd harden anybody. Fucker could be a cruel, inhumane bastard.
She nodded but said nothing keeping her eyes on him. She'd learned her lesson: listen closely, observe carefully, and trust no one.
"How close do you have to be to read his mind?" Cuan had no idea how it worked for her, but he knew a few things about mind reading. The powerful ones could reportedly pilfer through a mind from miles away, but he'd never met anyone who could. Understanding her abilities would help him understand her powers, and how they could be of use to their side.
"Look, I'm running twenty questions today. Got it?" She walked passed him into the house, never even turning to look at him. He wasn't the big kid on the block anymore. She'd fucked a man who was far more dangerous than Cuan, and he was coming for her like a runaway train, so she had bigger issues than him tonight. She continued forward, walking swiftly. Time was of the essence.
"Just wondering if you needed to be in his cell. Bad day, huh?" Cuan noticed it right away. Her voice and intonation were severe, to the point, and quite frankly she was being pointedly snarky. "In here..." he pointed to a door at the end of the hall.
When he pushed the door open, she saw a narrow, winding staircase that descended into a dark abyss. "The pit of despair." She actually laughed as she said it. She couldn't help it. The staircase reminded her of that movie, 'The Princess Bride', when they'd hauled Wesley into the pit of despair, chained him to a torture table and proceeded to suck years away from his life.
"What?" Cuan heard her, but had no idea what she was talking about or what the hell could possibly be funny about this place.
"Not a comedy lover, huh?" That explained a lot really. Rowan found her petulant mood worsening as she continued downward. She was claustrophobic. Being underground was absolutely torturous for her both mentally and physically.
When she sensed him, she knew exactly how dangerous he was. She'd decided Declan was the most powerful man she'd ever met and probably would meet, so he was the "ten" on her new BAM scale (bad ass men). She started comparing how everyone's power felt to her on a one to ten scale. If Declan was a ten, Munroe was about an eight.
He was already gauging himself for the interrogation which meant he sensed her, too. Little did he know that it didn't matter what he did, she wanted information, and she didn't need his cooperation to get it. All she had to do was invoke the right emotion to trigger the memories, which would create a picture in his mind for her to see.
"Got a visitor here for Munroe." Cuan chuckled at that. He didn't know what she thought she was gonna be able to do that he hadn't already. He'd worked this fucker over for days and got next to nothing.
Either way, Munroe couldn't touch her, because he was tied up with restraints that had been magically reinforced by Olian himself, so why not let her have a run at him? At the very least, watching her would be entertaining.
The sinister laugh that echoed off the walls of the stone cell wasn't what she'd expected a pixie to sound like. She needed to reign her mind in, so she consciously focused on putting her game face on and took two deep breaths before rounding the corner into his cell.
Cuan stopped before letting her in, "Keep your hands to yourself. We all know about your little weakness." He winked at her.
"No offense, but nothing in here compares to Declan, so you can rest assured I'm not interested." She pushed past him.
Well, that hurt more than he thought it probably should. Cuan watched her walk right by him completely unfazed. She'd definitely changed, grown colder, more closed off, less lighthearted than she was before.
Looking at Munroe she felt nothing, no fear. He was heavily guarded which could have been part of why she felt secure. Four of Cuan's men were surrounding Munroe.
Silently sizing him up, she considered her attack. She knew immediately that Munroe couldn't hold a candle to Declan, not physically or mentally. She hoped she never met a man who could, because how scary would he be?
"Who are you?" Munroe thought she was beautiful and while she appeared innocent, he knew better. Innocence didn't get you into this shit hole.
Rowan said nothing as she circled him while inhaling his scent, blood and sweat. Images from his mind flooded hers without even exerting any energy. He'd been tortured here. She continued to circle him. Toying with his mind.
"What are you doing?" Now, he could feel her probing his mind, "That won't work on me pretty lady, but there's something you can do since you're here. Been a while for me." His guttural laugh reverberated off the concrete walls.
His smile was pure evil, "And your wife? I wonder what she would say about your offer, Munroe?" Rowan smiled at him as though she were considering his offer. Her body language was teasing him while her mind was probing, waiting for his information to flood her vision.
That shut him up. His head lowered and a snarl ripped from his throat as he snapped at her with his razor sharp teeth.
"Temper, temper. You started this, remember?" Rowan walked around him like she was on stage. Her legs moving slowly, intermittently brushing against each other. She inched closer to him so she could run her fingertips over his shoulders.
Cuan stood to the side and watched her work. It was blatantly obvious that she had matured and grown stronger while she was away. Must be a quick study. She wasn't gone long, or Declan was one hell of a teacher? He could feel her power like electricity in the air, and if he could feel it, Munroe could, too. She'd only said a few words, but the effect she had on this evil pixie was beyond anything he'd expected.
Rowan approached him from the front slowly while reaching into the far recesses of his mind. "I'm going to tell you what I want Munroe, and I suggest you listen closely because I won't ask twice, and I am bereft of the time it would take to torture you. Doesn't appear to work anyway." She turned and winked at Cuan. "I know you know how to find Dermid. Where is he?"
"What the fuck are you?" He'd seen a lot of shit in his lifetime but nothing like her. He knew she was demon, but she was in his head like a sorceress, only something was off. The kind of power rolling off her came with age and experience. But, if she was an older lore he would know her. So who the fuck was she?
She kept her cool like she'd seen Declan do in his office. It was honestly the most terrifying thing she'd ever seen. "I'm the woman asking the questions, and if you don't start answering, I'll be the woman who rips Comyn's beating heart from her chest."
Things had changed. Her voice sounded different, harder. Cuan had to admit her poker face had gotten better, but he knew she'd never do it. Things were gonna fall through when Munroe called her bluff, and he would. Munroe stared at her, his dark eyes trying to read her.
"My patience is nil, so I suggest you start talking- fairy boy." Rowan saw her in his head. Comyn was all he could focus on. She'd hit a nerve.
He said nothing as his eyes hardened and he focused in on Rowan. He let his eyes go pitch black, and then lunged at her.
With a quick flick of her wrist she hit him with a ray of light that sent him sliding back into the wall, hard enough to clean his clock.
Cuan started to move closer but when he saw the speed in which she reacted he stopped. Besides he knew there was nothing Munroe could do against the reinforced cuffs. Of course, if anything happened to Rowan, Tearlach would have his head on a platter.
"That's right, focus on me, and believe me. My next stop will be your home in the mountains where she's hiding. Watch so you understand just how fast I can make this happen." Rowan sifted like the wind, and when she stopped, she was straddling his muscular thigh. "So, do you have answers, or am I making a quick trip? I promise I'll be thorough."
"Dermid came to us. He wanted Vertigen's protection. Declan was after him. Wait a second, you're Rowan." He took a moment to analyze her, "No wonder they want you."
She didn't give a shit who wanted her for what right now. "Where?" Rowan sensed the information coming. She grabbed his neck from behind , slowly crushing his trachea.
"He's running. We know he tried to have you killed. Vertigen wants to offer him up to you. We want you." Munroe knew there was no sense playing games. She could read his mind to some degree anyway.
"Early Christmas present then?" She looked over her shoulder at Cuan and winked. "Let's just be sure we have it all out on the table." She didn't know if it would help. She could only see things if they were closely associated with intense emotion, but it was worth a try.
"Hold still now," Placing her hands on the sides of his head she probed, focusing in on his mind. She saw an all too familiar face, Anlaf's!
"I don't think you should be touching him Rowan. We both know you don't exactly have a good track record with powerful men." Cuan stepped closer.
She didn't even turn, but she sensed Cuan moving in on her, and she couldn't have that, "Well, I don't give a flying fuck what you think, so back up, Cuan."
Munroe couldn't help but laugh, "Keeps you on a short leash...huh demon?"
Cuan growled but kept his distance.
She stared into Munroe's eyes probing deeper. Her words were but a whisper in his ear, inaudible to everyone else in the room. "How do you know Anlaf?" Curiosity grew within her. This was the next target on her list, may as well be efficient. No sense in making this trip twice.
Cuan watched as she stared fiercely into Munroe's eyes. Something was happening, blood started dripping from her nose. He couldn't figure out what she was doing, but whatever it was, her body was paying the price.
Munroe's answers came in a flood, Declan's image was at the forefront of his mind . Another face, older, sickly skin...Vertigen? They were in a race to find her?
Munroe spotted her tell right away..the subtle disgust on her face when Declan came into view gave her away. Rowan didn't want to be Declan's bride? He'd found her tipping point. "You belong to Declan you know that, right?" He laughed at her now. "Vertigen was working with Dermid, but he was using him as bait to lure you in, too. You ran to Declan. Didn't you? Stupid little girl."
Her happenstance with the wolves had probably saved her life. Had she not gone to the wolf compound she never would have gone after Lileas, who was with Declan. She would have went straight for Dermid, and possibly run right into Vertigen or worse been killed by Dermid.
At that point, she hadn't learned anything about her powers really, so Dermid's plan to kill her off was considerably more dangerous than Declan's plan to find her. Because as things turned out, Declan believed her to be his bride, so he wouldn't kill her. While Declan probably wouldn't physically hurt her himself, he hadn't done the best job of protecting her, either. And he was going to wipe her memory of what she'd seen which was the kind of control over her that was totally unacceptable. She was far stronger now with some very painful lore life lessons under her belt.
She didn't want to ask him anything specific about Dermid out loud because Cuan would tell the lycans and they would follow up, putting them in imminent danger. She searched his mind for places Dermid or Anlaf could be found, but if he knew, there was no emotion tied to it right now, so she couldn't pick up on it. If she wanted the info, she was gonna have to ask him a question that would get his emotions going, get him thinking about his time with them.
She'd go in the back door, "Ever cheat on Comyn? You seem like the type." She leaned in from behind pressing her breasts into his upper back before she whispered seductively into his ear, "I bet you wanted to." She waited for a response.
Cuan's eyes widened at her provocative and forward contact. WTF was she doing?
"You can't see that can you. Wonder why that is?" He laughed as he thought about the women he'd seen at The Ropin' Pen, a country bar in Austin. Watching Dermid smoke his cigars while he shmoozed all those women had made Munroe consider the idea of cheating on Comyn as well, but in the end he couldn't do it, and that made him a little envious of Dermid. He could betray Lileas so easily.
If Dermid was running, he wouldn't go to a public place like the Ropin' Pen. But, wherever he was, he would need his cigar in hand. The man had an addiction, and he wouldn't be able to live without them for long. That was good enough for her, she decided if she could see the name of the cigar shop somewhere in Munroe's mind it would expedite her search, and she was nothing if not efficient.
"I see more than you think..." She whispered in his ear for both effect and secrecy, "Austin..." Rowan smiled down at him. "I promise you won't like the speed and efficiency of my response if I don't start getting some information I can use." She fisted his long black hair in her palm, yanking it back until his neck was pulled taut. Her nails elongated- she had every intention of hurting him if she didn't get what she wanted. Sliding her nail down his cheekbone she laughed at the thought.
Everyone watched as her nail punctured his skin, blood oozing from each new wound she inflicted. Cuan's jaw clenched as he stood in disbelief. What had happened to her?
Her nails were sharp as razors and Munroe was tired of being stuck like a pig, "I told you everything I know." He sucked in a breath as her nail punctured the soft skin above his clavicle.
Munroe wasn't lying, she knew he didn't have any information on Anlaf. "I know you did. That's why I'm going to let her live." She took a few steps back so they weren't touching. She didn't want to inadvertently take him with her when she left.
"What did he tell you?" Cuan watched her backing away from him.
She didn't owe Cuan a fucking thing, "As if..." she sifted the hell out of that underground cell. It was torture for her to be there and she couldn't even stomach the thought of taking the time to climb the stairs.
Before he could even get the words out, she was gone. He knew she was up to something and his only point of contact was Kester.
As soon as Kester picked up, he told him what had happened. "Munroe talked. Couldn't hear him though. He told her something, or she read something in his mind. Anyway, she was outta here like lightning. Is she with you?"
Kester pondered, "Don't know, but she's the only person to date who can sift in and out of our compound, so we'll have a look around the house. I'll call you if we find her. We can't do much more than that."
"That's concerning Kester." Cuan knew what that meant. If she could get in, who else could? The lycan compound was vulnerable now.
"I'm calling Olian. We paid good money for that spell." Kester's mind was going a mile a minute.
"She's gonna get herself killed, Kester. We have to put somebody on her. She may be powerful, but she's also cocky, naive and really inexperienced." Cuan let out a deep breath. "That's a dangerous cocktail my friend."
"Let me call Olian. I have some questions about Rowan. She's special Cuan. Didn't you feel it?"
"She's different. I sensed demon, you?"
"Demon, yes, but there's something we're missing. The doc said she's fully transitioned and physically that may be so, but her powers are still very young. I don't think she's even scraped the surface of what she'll be able to do in the very near future."
"What happened to her Kester? Everything about her was different." Cuan had to ask even though he knew Kester probably wouldn't divulge anything.
"She spent some time with Declan. I'll talk with you soon." Knowing that was all that needed to be said Kester hung up the phone and headed out of his office to round up his men.
Kester found Tearlach first. He watched him from an elevated position on the balcony that overlooked the main entranceway. Tearlach was obviously imagining the worst case scenario while pacing in front of the door.
"Tearlach, she just left Cuan's." Kester hated seeing one of his wolves so keyed up. It put everybody on edge.
"Then, where is she? She should've come straight back here, Kester. That was the plan." Tearlach stopped pacing long enough to look Kester in the eyes. He ran his hands through his long hair. Anxious wasn't the word to describe how he felt.
Kester recognized this look, a wolf crazed with worry. "We don't know. She took information from Munroe, and she didn't share it with Cuan, so nobody knows."
"She's up to something. I'm going to her room, see if I can find anything. Call me if you hear anything." He headed up the stairs four at a time, he couldn't get there fast enough.
He did knock, but when no one answered he kicked the door in. Tearlach tore her room apart looking for anything that might give him a clue about her whereabouts, but there was nothing.
He paced back and forth across her room waiting for her. Being in her room with her things and her smell, it was almost more than he could bear. His body was in sensory overload when he felt her.