Jacob gently took the Princess's arm and led her several steps away from the bickering pair.
"I am Jacob, the Demon King's Enforcer. I apologize for taking you over without warning, but you were both in jeopardy."
"I believe you," she assured him, reaching to take his offered hand. "I am Syreena, the Queen's Counselor and sister."
Jacob watched as she looked back to check on her sister.
"Is it me, or are we about as useful as a holes in an umbrella at the moment?" she asked, the gray eyebrow raising above the brown one slightly.
"Are you suggesting we abandon your Queen and my Captain to their fates?" Jacob smiled slightly. "That would be incredibly bad form."
"I know," she laughed, "but you have not had to live at court with her these past few days."
"Trust me, he has not been much better."
They exchanged one last look before changing into dust and falcon, both flying off unnoticed by their companions.
"I am not the stubborn one here," Siena insisted, irritation snapping in her golden eyes. "If you would have stayed away from me, none of this would have happened!"
"I would really like to know how you figure that," Elijah demanded.
"If you hadn't bullied me around earlier-"
"Bullied?" he interrupted. "I have done nothing more than try and convince you of how stupid it is to torture yourself by resisting the inevitable. I am trying to protect you from-"
"I never asked for your protection, and I swear by the Goddess this very minute that I never will!"
"Too late!" he reminded her with a mean look of satisfaction. "Better be careful what you swear to or you will pay the price at your reckoning."
"And what, go to hell where all the Demons live? I think I'm already there, thank you very much for your concern."
She turned to move away from him, wanting nothing more than to run into the forest and as far from him as she could get. This time she anticipated his reach for her hair and ducked him smoothly, a cry of triumph on her lips as she jumped back and laughed at him. She changed so fast from human to Werecat that Elijah barely had time to blink.
This was something else completely different, Elijah realized, taking a wise step back as he stared down oval pupils, bared claws, and a tail that twitched with challenge. She had just made herself three times as strong as she already was, enhancing every feline instinct she already had.
This was not a form he wanted to do battle with.
He didn't want to do battle with any of her forms. He was tired of fighting her, of trying to make her understand what she refused to understand. So he ignored her challenge and, with a resigned sigh, turned his back on her and walked away several steps. He changed form about five yards away from her, disappearing into the approaching dawn.
Siena was surprised by his retreat, automatically reverting to her human form in her confusion. She looked around, feeling the lightening of the forest keenly. She put off trying to figure out what the Demon was up to this time, transformed into the cougar, and began to travel quickly toward home.
At top speed, she should make it back to her castle only an hour after daybreak.
She didn't even take notice of the cloud cover that seemed to follow her the entire distance.
"No doubt they now know you are not lying dead on the forest floor," Noah noted. "And that their trap has been discovered."
Noah waited for a response, but when it didn't come he looked up from the scroll he was trying meticulously to decipher. Elijah was leaning against his desk with his back to him, arms folded tightly over his chest, legs crossed at the ankles. But in spite of the relaxed positioning of the warrior's body, it was clear he was wrapped up tightly in tense thoughts and emotions.
"Elijah?"
The Captain looked around at the King with a raised brow of surprise.
"I am sorry, did you say something?"
"I said it is only one more night until Samhain. Have you had any progress with Siena?"
"No. She is just as obstinate as ever." Elijah gave him a grim smile of sarcasm. "However, she has learned a unique use for our developing telepathy. Do you know how many derogatory names there are in the Lycanthrope language?"
"No, but I have a feeling you do."
"Oh, yes," Elijah forced a smile and attitude of sarcastic delight, "and the hits just keep on coming."
"Look at the bright side. You will know their language before long at this rate."
"Yes, but I don't believe it is going to be a vocabulary that will endear me to the biased populace any more than I already am."
"Good point," Noah agreed. "Why will you not ask Gideon to talk to her?"
"After what happened last time? Don't you think the developing war with the lawless mortals is enough?"
"Elijah, I find it hard to believe Siena is that irrational. She has always proven to be a woman of uncommon wisdom and remarkable clarity of purpose."
"She is," the warrior agreed. "And her wisdom and clarity of purpose are directed full bore against me. As she delights in telling me," he reached to tap his forehead in indication, "there is a large variety of farm animals she'd rather make her King."
Noah winced, carefully pushing back the humor of that remark so as not to bruise the warrior any more than he already was. Siena was shrewd indeed. She was going after Elijah's most vulnerable spot-his ego. But there was a decided lack of wisdom in her abuse. It would only make things harder on her the next night. As it was, Noah could see the strain Elijah was under as that time closed in on him. Siena had no idea the remarkable restraint he was forcing on himself. She had no clue about how hard he was trying to protect her from himself, no matter how bratty her behavior.
Tomorrow all of that would be a moot point. If only she would use their connection to search Elijah's true intentions toward her, perhaps she would look on him a little more kindly. To the King who had known the warrior all of his life, Elijah was on his way to being completely in love with the spitfire Queen. In fact, the temper that so vexed him was no doubt a large part of his attraction to her. Elijah was warrior, through and through, and nothing suited him better than a challenge. A battle to be won. A victory hard earned.
However, Elijah would consider the occurrences bound to happen during Samhain brutally bad form and beneath his sense of honor.
Siena had no idea what that would do to him.
"I thought you were drilling the warriors this evening."
"I am," Elijah agreed, pushing away from the desk. "I wanted to bring you up to speed on what happened last night. You were sleeping by the time I got back."
"Well, keep everyone moving and prepared. Make sure all your warriors understand the importance of no one venturing out on his own." Noah paused a moment, turning to look into the fire across the hall. "And report any more disappearances to me as soon as possible."
Elijah nodded, understanding quite well what he meant. Ruth's knowledge of Demon power names was taking its toll. One by one, they were being Summoned into the black-magic pentagrams. Ruth was an Elder who had fostered many Demons over the centuries. She had been a popular choice for Siddah. Now every parent who had trusted her with their child's power name was in mourning and felt the agony of terror for the lives of their children. Ruth was feeding their names to the vile necromancers, and they were being Summoned one by one to do their bidding. There was no stopping it. No protecting them from it.
The only Demon to ever escape the fate of the pentagram had been Legna, and that had been a fluke of pure luck. All these others would already be mindless monsters that, eventually, Bella and Jacob would have to find and destroy before they could cause harm. Over the past months Jacob had been doing little else besides trying to track down the pitiful creatures and their captors. Now that Isabella was almost entirely well, she would finally be able to help him carry that burden. It was her Destiny to do so.
"Pairing up will also lighten Jacob's usual Samhain responsibilities," Elijah said. "Less chance of rogue attempts of seduction of humans and others if we monitor one another."
Noah could tell that Elijah could only wish something so easy would help him resist the mating instinct that would overwhelm him on Samhain. Demons misdirecting their mating instincts to humans on Samhain was one thing, and Jacob's duty was to stop that because it could be stopped. Elijah was Imprinted, and nothing would be able to stop it for him. Nothing outside of death.
The warrior dissolved into the air a few moments later and Noah watched the eddy of the breeze he had become as it drove past the fireplace and out an open window.
A moment later, Gideon's astral form solidified across from Noah.
"Is there anything you can do for him?" the King asked.
"No. Elijah is not the one being unreasonable. The fault lies with Siena."
"I know that. But I cannot blame her either. She does not understand our ways, other than what she learned from you, and this is a lot different than growing up knowing what is expected in a situation like this."
"But she is resisting even the traditions she did grow up with," Gideon informed him seriously. "The lore of the necklace she wears is very clear. The minute Elijah removed it, she became his. I do not think Elijah even knows about this. I have not told him myself because I see no need to cause him further pain. To know she would rather defy her own traditions then take him to mate would be tremendously painful."
"There has to be something we can do."
"There is. We can let the Hallowed moon of Samhain come and let nature take her course with them both. Nature did not make these compulsions come upon us for no reason. It is quite a clever trick, if you think about it."
"To force a rape? That is how Siena will perceive it. Had you not won over Legna in time, would it not be the same?"
"Perhaps. Perhaps not. Legna would have understood that I would have had no choice. She herself would have been thusly compelled. I do not believe it will be any different for Siena. It is no different for Bella or Corrine or any of the other Druids. If it crosses those species, the compulsion will very likely cross this one as well. I have seen Siena lately. She is pale and clearly yearning for what she is trying to resist."