Tynan
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"She must be dead by now," Esha huffed, sick of walking the corridors in search of the missing Seelie half-breed.

"I can still feel her through the mark. She's here somewhere." Tynan stared at the blank wall before him. The stone wall of the dead end in the old, disused human servant wing of the castle; a relic of an era when the Fae ruled as gods over the mange that infested the earth. "Show me what is beyond this wall," Tynan ordered the faerie mound. Like every other time for the last five weeks, the living castle of the Unseelie Fae ignored his order. He'd even tried saying please when Esha wasn't with him once.

"Perhaps the faerie mound took her to the Seelie court." Esha was bored and wanted to forget about the Seelie half-breed.

"Why on earth would the mound grant passage to a half-breed Seelie baring my mark?" The idea frustrated Tynan; his patience was barely holding by a tether. "She should never have even escaped the banquet."

"But she did. So why is it so hard to believe that a Seelie half-breed who could resist the spell on the food and escape the confines of the room, could escape the mound and you?" Taking a deep breath, Tynan turned his black eyes to meet Esha's ruby orbs. Esha backed up a step when a silver light flashed in the darkness. "Look, wherever she is, it's been five weeks. I doubt she's going to show up tonight. Can we please get over to the club already?"

Glaring at the stone wall one last time, Tynan turned to consider the corridor. "Tomorrow morning, I want all the rooms in the human wing searched. Perhaps one of them created a hide, and my present found it." He didn't wait for a response. Turning on his heel, Tynan strode the corridor, his anger marching ahead of him. When they turned into the central passage, those making their way to the nightclub felt the dark prince's annoyance and quickly moved out of his way.

"What's up his arse tonight?" Brie's voice murmured behind Tynan's right shoulder.

"The missing half-breed," Esha hissed.

"Still can't locate her?" The answer wasn't audible, but his connection to Esha allowed Tynan to perceive the shake of his friend's head.

When the Sidhe war brought the Unseelie into the bloody battlefields over two centuries ago, Esha and Tynan bonded as brothers, pledging to protect each other before they waded into the last battle. As the sun rose, Tynan stood victorious over the Sun King, but he'd never have made it without Esha beside him. Their bond formed, and their loyalty to one another had never wavered.

"My prince," Brie called. "You can't walk into that club with your current mood. All the humans would run from you without knowing why, and then my fun for the night would be taken. You know how I get when I have to go without."

Tynan's feet stopped, eyes narrowing on the door ahead. Slowly, he turned to aim his anger at the beautiful Unseelie before him. Like most of the Sluagh, Brie wore Steampunk fashion, but Brie was their queen of style.

Tonight, she wore a top hat; her brown hair wrapped up in an intricate form beneath. An eye patch covered one of her beautiful lava eyes. A short gold velvet skirt with pale gold silk frill trims hung from her hips, the decorated suspender stockings she wore exposed where they clipped at mid-thigh. Her brown leather double-breasted mid-drift coat adorned with brass buttons and chains. The neckline of her outfit guiding the eyes to the tribal design adorning her bare white chest, the mounds of her breasts barely encased in the brown leather.

Brie flinched as the prince's silver gaze scanned her body. "I'd be more than happy to provide you with a night's worth of fun, Brie." Tynan stepped towards her. Brie bit her lip, a tiny tip of fang showing. When he stepped into her, Brie backed into the wall behind her. "You should feel honoured to have your prince's interest. Does your loyalty not extend to providing me with what I need?"

Cringing at the thought, Brie turned her face away in shame. "My body was not made to service the goddess's chosen one. I will serve in every other way my prince desires."

"Except in serving my desires?"

"No, Prince Tynan. I cannot."

Tynan's height and strength loomed over her, his body keeping her pinned to the wall without touching her, while he watched as she avoided meeting his eyes. She was beautiful in the Sluagh way. Tynan wanted to rip her jacket open and grab her bare breasts, biting her nipples till she begged him to lift her skirt and drive into her. He wanted to punish her for not wanting him.

Watching her eyes take in his body against hers, Tynan caught the scent of her excitement. Brie was turned on, she wanted him, but she wasn't willing to find out if the rumors of his curse were true. It angered Tynan anew, and her fear thrilled him.

Lowering his mouth to her ear, the sound of his arousal filled the air around them. Her eyes widened at the faint rattle, the vibrations of Tynan's desire pressing against her thigh. "Tell me again how my mood affects your pleasure, Brie, and I'll use this mood to take my pleasure from your flesh, blood, and screams."

"Yes, Prince Tynan. I apologize," Brie muttered to her shoulder.

Stepping back, Tynan strode purposefully for the club doors. Now he was hungry, and while one of his kind would be preferred to sate his desire, the prince would never force a woman to service him like that.

Occasionally, over the years, a new Sluagh would brave the rumours and take Tynan to her bed. The experience was always enough to reinforce the stories of his curse for another decade or more. For that reason, like his kin who used humans for food and pleasure, Tynan sort human flesh to satisfy his physical needs, because no woman of the Unseelie would sacrifice their fun in favor of anyone else, even their prince. In the Unseelie, pleasure came before duty.

At the door to the club, Tynan stopped, took a deep breath and yanked the door open. The truth was, over the last five weeks, it didn't matter who he picked up to use for his needs. When Tynan came close to release, he would close his eyes and imagine turquoise eyes in a pale face surrounded by dark hair. The Seelie eyes of Messina Doe haunted Tynan's dreams and called his lust to burn hotter than it ever had before. He needed to find her, have her, see those eyes and pale skin beneath him. Once he'd had her, Tynan could get back to how things were before he saw her five weeks ago. Once he'd felt her coldness, heard her screams, and seen the fear in her eyes of his curse, she'd stop haunting him.

"Prince Tynan," Amp greeted as he slipped into the booth Tynan occupied. Peering at the Unseelie Sidhe as he slid into the seat opposite him, Tynan wondered quietly to himself why the captain of the Lunar guard would seek him out purposely.

"Amp," Tynan acknowledged and returned his eyes to his prey for the evening. She was dancing and flirting excessively, her dress barely covering her long pale legs.

"My king asked me to give you a message, but he wants me to extract a promise and a debt from you before he gives you this gift."

Lifting a brow, Tynan signaled Esha and pointed to the girl. Once his friend was standing talking to her, Tynan gave Amp his full attention. Esha would keep the others from stealing his prey until he was ready to dine. "And what would the king know that he feels valuable enough to compel me to give him a promise?"

Amp held the typical Unseelie Sidhe coloring. Dark hair, pale skin, dark blue eyes. He was fit, and one of the best fighters amongst the Sidhe. Tynan admired him as a man and captain, but he was still Sidhe first and foremost. Dark or light, they'd cost the Sluagh their future when the Sidhe dragged them into their war with the sun god. King Mabon still hadn't paid his debt to Tynan for saving his crown.

"The King knows where to find your missing birthday present." Amp's lips twitched when Tynan sat a little straighter. "Before I can tell you where to find her, you must give me your word the girl will not suffer permanent harm. Anything you do to her for fun or punishment must be mendable and leave no physical scar of impairment. In return, the king will only charge you two decades of debt for the information."

Leaning back a little, Tynan studied Amp. "Is this a joke?"

"I assure you; the offer is real." Amp picked up his drink and took a mouthful, wrinkling his nose in distaste.

Tynan considered him. The drink was one he'd ingested many times without issue. Amp was calm, doing his job. He hated it. There was something about this deal he found unpalatable. "Why would the king demand the safety of a human half-breed sun child and still hand her over?" Mabon liked to keep a Seelie beauty for his pleasure. His last had been Nora Bayne. Her death had angered Tynan into a decade of rage.

"You have your mark on her. She is yours, but to claim the missing girl, the king wants two decades of his five-hundred-year debt erased, and a promise of safety and protection for the girl." Amp took another unhappy drink. "A bodyguard will be provided to ensure you don't lose control and harm her accidentally."

Taking a mouthful of his drink, Tynan relayed the deal Mabon was offering to Esha to get his take on this. He had a good interaction with the Lunar guard. 'I have no idea, Ty. This sort of request is not something I've ever experienced in my centuries of life. This girl must have something the king wants if he wants her safe.' Esha's thoughts were similar to the Prince's.

"Tell me, Amp. How does your King know where to find my present?"

"He saw her, and observed the mark on her wrist," Amp gritted his teeth. He sat forward. "I'm not going to lie. I don't agree with her being handed over to you, Prince Tynan. She is one of our kind. Half-breed or not, it is Sidhe blood in her veins and Sidhe are not the playthings for the Sluagh."

His no-nonsense attitude is why Tynan liked Amp. The captain was honest and cared for his people as the prince cared for the Sluagh. Amp would make a good king when Mabon finally died. Of course, Tynan planned to kill him the moment that happened and seize the king's crown for his head. Still, he was never one to deny admiration for his foes. Tynan yawned as if bored. "It is Seelie blood in her veins. She's barely worth protecting, unless that Seelie blood can buy favors from the sun court?"

Amp's jaw clicked shut. Tynan sat back again. So, the king wanted this girl for leverage. That meant he knew who her sire was and he determined it from a short encounter with her. Her kin must be high in the Seelie court, perhaps the Solaris guard captain, or one of the lords. Now Tynan needed the girl to determine her heritage and use that card before Mabon could. Drawing the conversation out, Tynan took another mouthful of his drink. When he finished, Tynan slid the glass away and stood buttoning his jacket.

"I accept the terms of trade; on condition the bodyguard is one of my choosing." Having a Lunar guard at his residence wasn't going to happen. There were others who the king would entrust to care for a valuable piece of treasure.

"We won't trust a Sluagh."

It made Tynan smirk. "A red cap. The proudest of all the Unseelie. Pride is a good candidate."

Amp inhaled, his eyes studying the swirling amber liquid in his glass. "Pride is a good soldier and a loyal man. I agree, he is a good choice. I will agree on behalf of Mabon."

"Then I agree to the terms. Where is my present?" It took everything Tynan had to hold in his anticipation. He could feel his fingers itching to touch her pale flesh.

Amp swallowed the rest of his drink in one hit. "The king found her leaving the kitchen on Friday afternoon. She is dressed as a Sidhe woman and can pass as one. The king thought her one of ours and planned to take her back to his room for a taste, till he saw her eyes. When he saw your mark, he let her be."

"So, she still wanders free?"

"She walks the mound as if she was born here," Amp confirmed. "If you watch the kitchen, you'll find the present you seek." Standing, Amp met the Prince's black eyes evenly. "No permanent harm, and try not to drive her insane. Mabon has plans for her when you finish playing with her."

"Pride will ensure her safety," Tynan assured, skipping around a direct promise of not hurting the girl. She'd made him wait a month to open his present. Tynan was going to make her scream for him. First, since he would need to hunt her down still, he'd take the pretty pale human girl in her place for tonight. Turning away from Amp, Tynan moved towards his prey. 'Esha, my present likes to visit the kitchen in disguise as an Unseelie Sidhe. Disguise yourself and follow her to her hiding place. Then, bring her to me.'

I hope you enjoyed the preview of Of Shadow and Light. You can read the rest on Radish, or purchase it from online retailers. 

xoxo

Eb