Story of Sebastian, Chapter 11
(and it's another long one)
Sebastian checked them into the motel using the same ruse as before, brother and sister visiting distant relations. The woman at the desk had been very accommodating, giving them separate rooms that connected through a doorway. He’d immediately taken the connecting doors off their hinges and stashed them in his room. No sense in leaving her an opportunity to bolt. Surprisely, Sorcha had only laughed at the maneuver.
He’d left their departure date open-ended and paid in cash for a full week. He doubted they would stay that long, but Sebastian wasn’t worried about the money. He’d discovered he could pull money out of thin air if it was needed. Yet another cool angel power he’d learned about while training with the redhead.
Now came the tricky part. He needed to do reconnaissance, but he couldn’t risk taking her along or leaving her behind. Sebastian was stuck and not sure how to proceed. He needed to learn if Dubhan was still being held in the same dungeon or if he’d been moved. Sebastian prayed the sadistic fucker holding Dubhan was still holed up in the same place. If he wasn’t, well Sebastian would run out of time trying to track him down.
Thankfully, Sorcha solved the problem the second morning. She looked much improved from their little boat ride, even if she had sworn off boats for all eternity. After the kindness of the Captain, she’d slept the last day and a half of the trip away in their cabin. Blissfully unaware of her discomforts that last day, she’d yet to thank him for it and Sebastian wasn’t expecting gratitude any time soon.
“I’m bored,” Sorcha muttered, uncurling from the bed and hurling a book across the room. “Can we go look around?”
“Seriously?”
“Why not? The lady said there are great ruins just up the street. Maybe we could check those out?” She asked it all nonchalantly.
He knew it was as close to begging as she would get and it did solve his problem. Sorcha had no idea what was inside the ruins up the street, or at least what Sebastian hoped was still in the ruins. He was also hoping if he got close he could just call for Dubhan the way he did Sorcha and his new gifts would let him know if he was there or not.
Sebastian grabbed a big trench he’d bought on the ship. “I think you’ve earned a field trip. Especially since you look recovered.”
He quickly ducked the pillow that flew his way. Sebastian had used her sickness as a cover for keeping her inside the first day. Truth was, his brain had been busy planning and wasn’t up to the added task of watching her. Now she’d set the perfect plan in motion.
Sorcha was excited as she threw on her coat and hat. Ireland still had moody weather and the humidity did hilarious things to that red hair of hers. She’d taken to hiding it with a hat the second they’d climbed off the ship. Worked for him since it helped hide her identity. Again, Sebastian felt the slightest nudge of guilt.
He watched as she danced around from flower to flower, smelling each of the abundant wild blooms. Now she looked like the Fae he sensed her to be. If it wouldn’t have cost him his head, he might have asked how a Fae got mixed up with the Tuatha he knew Dubhan to be. Sebastian kept quiet as they neared the top of the hill. It was slow going with Sorcha enjoying the scenery, but he didn’t want to appear too eager.
He crested the hill with Sorcha close behind. Sebastian tucked his hands in his pockets and just waited. His plan was really just to follow her lead in this. He couldn’t make her suspicious of his reason for being here. Honestly, he was afraid if he told her the ruins where her ‘first mission’, she run off into them. Usually not a bad plan, but he’d learned his lesson with this bad ass. This time he would have a definite plan of attack first and surprise on his side. And, Sebastian seriously doubted she’d like the plan he was coming up with. Sorcha didn’t strike him as the type that liked to play bait.
First things first, he needed to find out if Dubhan was still there.
“WOW! That’s amazing,” Sorcha uttered, taking in the view of the ruined old castle.
“It’s really more of a fort, but those served as castles for the Irish…”
“Who cares! It’s incredible.”
Sebastian motioned with his hand. “Go ahead, but don’t go into it. The crumbling thing is dangerous. Mind the ropes around it.”
“Yeah, yeah. I’ll be careful, Daaad. What are you going to do?”
Hell, what was he going to do? Sebastian smiled. “I’ll check in with the bosses.”
She nodded and took off at a full run. He knew she was armed according to his own instruction, but he still felt a chill at his intention. Really Sebastian’s intentions were two-fold. Get Sorcha off his back so he could concentrate on Dubhan and get Mr. Bad Guy’s attention. Hopefully the bastard was home, because if he was a magical, pretty fairy dancing around his parameter was sure to get his attention.
Sebastian didn’t want to leave her out there too long. He broke his attention away from her and began to concentrate. He wasn’t sure it would work and, if it didn’t, plan B wasn’t going to help much.
There. He felt the tingle announcing the presence of who he was looking for. Dubhan was still inside, but the signal (if he could call it that) was weak at best. They’d have to act fast. Sebastian didn’t know the true name of the person holding him hostage, so that trick wouldn’t work. He had to open the rest of his senses. He skimmed over Sorcha’s playful presence, Dubhan’s fading one, and found what he was after. Oh yeah, the sadistic asshole was still in residence and he was zeroing in on Sorcha. Part A accomplished.
He whistled loudly to call Sorcha back to him. Again, she surprised him by coming immediately and he wondered if she’d sensed the danger stalking her from the ruins. Sebastian had stayed hidden in the trees, using an angel technigue he’d learned training. He could become invisible and wasn’t that just a treat.
“Where the hell did you go?” Sorcha whispered.
Sebastian reappeared and chuckled as she jumped.
“You HAVE to teach me that trick!” she ordered and turned to start down the hill. “I take it you got instructions?”
He peered over his shoulder and his eyes narrowed. “I sure did.” His voice turned cold, “I hope you’re ready to fight.”
Sebastian jumped as the fist hit his arm. “Of course I’m ready to fight! I kicked your ass last time!”
He groaned. She’d thought he’d been talking to her. “I know you’re ready to fight. I was talking to the guy we’re going after.”
“Oh… is he here?”
He shook his head. Sometimes, she showed moments of the carefree girl she probably used to be. Sebastian bit back a quick feeling of leaving Dubhan to rot. She’d done nothing but bitch about the guy since he’d met her and Sebastian had learned it was better not to interrupt. Of course, only he knew how much Dubhan had suffered for it. Not like he could clue her in to that, it’d end their relationship in seconds. Sometimes, he had to remind himself why he was rescuing Dubhan though and, one day, he’d punch the guy over it.
“He’s holed up in the ruins. We’ll come back tonight.”
“YES!”
Sebastian laughed outright as Sorcha did somersaults and flips down the hill. He really should worry about her bloodlust, but it was so damned appealing right now. Mindful of her audience, he went invisible again and floated down the hill next to her. Yeah, so this angel couldn’t fly without his wings, but floating and gliding along weren’t so bad.
Sorcha stared into the fireplace, causing the flames to rise and fall. Sebastian considered it like a nervous twitch even if it was annoying in the extreme. Little flicker, raging inferno, little flicker… ugh, enough to make a guy jump out the window. He’d filled her in on his little plan and, while not completely opposed, she wasn’t very happy with him. The wound closing over his stomach was proof enough of that, her curses had just been the icing.
“You could have told me the plan BEFORE you decided. I don’t like playing bait and not knowing it.” Her quiet voice carried over to him.
He rubbed the now healed spot. “I gathered, but really it was just an on the spot idea.”
Her head turned, her eyes burning a hole in him. “You still could have taken five seconds to fill me in.”
Well, he had no comeback to that one. He couldn’t tell her that he wouldn’t risk Dubhan’s life on her saying no. Sebastian wasn’t willing to risk saying anything that mentioned the man’s name.
“Who exactly are we rescuing?”
Bloody hell, could she read his thoughts? She definitely kept him on his toes. “A powerful Warrior is all I know. And I’ll do the rescue, you’re job is the distraction.”
“Bait.”
“Distraction,” he growled.
Her eyes narrowed and Sebastian swallowed the growl, too late though. “You’re Tuatha.”
“Was Tuatha I guess, but I never knew my parents.”
“The growl gives it away.” She stood to check her weapons. “Don’t like the thought of me being bait?”
She was actually teasing him about it? Sebastian wanted to strangle her and change his plan. “Of course not. The guy is dangerous, but it’s the only option we have of getting in. Unfortunately, he knows me.”
“How?”
He winced in response.
“Another can’t tell me bit, huh?” She shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. I’ll take him out, you get the guy, and everyone is happy.”
“And what do you do after?”
“I wait for you here,” she answered in a monotone.
“Um, Sorcha, I have been assigned to you and I can find you anywhere. If you even think of running off…”
“You can find me?” She punched the headboard. “And when were you going to share that?”
“I just did. It wasn’t important before.”
“And just what kind of danger am I in exactly?”
Sebastian shook his head. “I don’t know, but Gods I wish I did.”
And he meant it. He suddenly could understand why Dubhan loved this woman so much that he’d give her up. It sure as shit didn’t explain why Dubhan would give her up, but it gave him some understanding into his only friend. Damned if Sebastian would fail him by letting Sorcha get hurt. It would be the only payback he could give Dubhan and maybe one day, Dubhan would be willing to help him.
“Sun’s almost down,” Sorcha interrupted, dropping the curtain and starting to arm up.
“You don’t have to do this…”
“I think you’ve guaranteed that I do.”
The guilt in his stomach grew a little larger and Sebastian itched to do something differently. He couldn’t though, this was a dead end road he was on and his only choice was to keep following it. He would just do his best to make sure she didn’t go down with him.
Sorcha looked over her shoulder to where she knew Sebastian waited. He was invisible again, but she knew where he was. He could tell by the way her eyes latched on to him. She shook her head once as a sign and headed over the grass. She was making as much noise as possible. He’d left it up to her what ploy she would use to lure out their target. She’d gone with something she understood all too well, the role of jilted lover. Her loud curses were enough to raise the hair on his arms, but he stayed put.
Sebastian’s role was too make sure the sorcerer was lured out and away from Dubhan. Then, he’d make sure Sorcha could handle her own, stepping in only if she needed him. Finally, he’d go in and grab Dubhan. He’d deliver him to that special bubble he’d only visited twice before. Sebastian would find someone to nurse him back to health and then hightail it back to Sorcha’s side. If he was gone too long from her, Paul might get the wrong idea.
The long term goal was to find a way to thwart Paul while still keeping him believing that Sebastian was a subservient slave. A role that chilled him to the bone, the necessary evil in the plan meant that he would have to continue putting Sorcha in harm’s way and pray he could find a way to insure she killed him before he could kill her. Maybe he’d get lucky and Paul would give away his master plan.
Sebastian shifted as a cloaked figure made its way across the dark grass towards Sorcha. She’d collapsed on the ground in a fit of fake tears, still calling out random curses. Her knack for them was astounding; she was like the Webster’s Dictionary of bad words. Some he’d even have to ask the meaning of later. He focused his attention on the new stranger. The power signal told him it was their target, but he had no way to warn Sorcha. He didn’t want to risk venturing close and tipping off the bad guy. He wasn’t sure if he was entirely invisible to the senses as well as the naked eye.
“A cloak? Seriously, this guy is so cliché,” he muttered and waited.
He noticed Sorcha’s head tip slightly. She’d felt the guy approaching, that was a good sign. Sebastian began to move closer to the ruins, keeping Sorcha in his sights as he did so. He watched the man stop a ways back and call to her. Sorcha acted startled and questioned the guy. Playing weary would buy him more time and be more believable than falling into the guy’s arms, but Sebastian still didn’t like it. The approach felt too real.
When he was halfway between the two places he wanted to be, he stopped and waited. The man approached Sorcha and gallantly offered his cloak, causing Sebastian’s eyes to narrow. He was willing to bet the cloak was spelled. Thankfully, Sorcha must have realized the same and declined the offer. She had climbed to her feet and was trying to make an escape.
Of course the man was trying to lure her back, the tug of war of the sexes believable even to Sebastian. He knew from the file on Mr. Badass that he would be loving every minute. Sorcha played up to the role and he had to force himself to remain still.
She was playing it up too much and Sebastian wondered if she was really in trouble or doubting the plan. Just as he was about to step in, she made her move and walked forward. He could almost sense the asshole’s triumph from here. If only he knew…