Deception (Facets of Feyrie Book 3), page 15
‘You can take your logic and shove it up your ass.’ I say instead of what I’m thinking.
‘I will still take the whole world on for you, Iza. Never doubt that.’
Keeping the stupid smile on my face, I stand on my own, gritting my teeth to fight past the cold sweat I break out in. I can’t let them see how sick I am. I can’t let them see how worried I am. I can’t let Phobe see it either.
I don’t doubt he’ll fight them all for me if he needs to, but at this stage, I’m starting to worry about his survival. If his brother who isn’t his brother is the enemy—I’m pretty sure he is, all the neon arrows point to him and say, “this is the bad guy”—he’s got a distinct advantage over Phobe. He wasn’t imprisoned and kept weak for… well, forever. This entire situation gives me the worst feeling in my gut that I can’t shake no matter what I do.
“Are you ready to trade yourself, girl?”
I turn my full attention to the Guide. “Na. You can keep him. He’s not worth all of this hassle.” As nonchalant as possible I shrug and turn to walk away.
“What about your precious Sidhe?”
Without turning, I say, “well, since you’re not at it and haven’t taken anyone else… I’d hazard a guess that you have no fucking clue where it is. See ya.” I keep walking and am almost to the door when he stops me.
“Are you sure Michael and Ruthie will agree with this decision?” Those words stop me dead. “The girl came along after we clobbered the boy a bit. She’s a timid thing, isn’t she?” His chuckle sends a chill up my spine and pisses me off so much that I almost lose what little bit of composure I have, but I refuse to give him the response he wants. “You have a day or two to think about it before I start cutting pieces off them, too.”
Silent, I walk out and as soon as I’m out of sight, break into a run. Pulling out my cell phone I call Adriem; thankfully he had the sense to add his phone number to my contacts list. He picks up on the third ring.
“Hello, lovely lady—”
“Go to kid’s rooms and check on them.”
“They’re not here. Ruthie said something about them going to the pool downstairs,” he answers. I hang up on him and dial Michael’s phone.
“Now do you believe me, Iza?” The voice of the Guide comes through loud and clear. I hang up on him too.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. He has the kids, that motherfucker has the kids! I run until my legs burn until I’m standing in front of the hotel and see a worried Adriem leaning against the railing at in front of our rooms. I jump up to him and go straight to the kids’ rooms. Both of them look normal. There are no strange smells, no signs of a scuffle. Ruthie’s bed is even made.
I start pacing in the hallway. He must have taken them on the way to the store. I’ll agree to the exchange if he releases them first, that way they have a chance to get going to the Sidhe before he gets his hands on me. Any power I have in this deal is done the minute I give myself over.
“You’re not trading yourself, not even for them, Iza.” Phobe’s voice brings me out of my turbulent thoughts and smacks dab into reality.
The phone rings and I answer it immediately. “Iza, you have to come, or they’ll kill him!” Ruthie’s raised voice silences anything I was going to say. “They beat him up bad, nothing I did helps… he fought them so hard. Iza you have to save us!” she pleads.
Phobe reaches over and takes the phone out of my hands. “How did they capture you?”
For a second she sputters, and blubbers then start crying in earnest again, until finally, she says, “We were going to the pool… they came out of nowhere.”
“Did you fight them?” Phobe asks.
“Of course, she fought them, give me the damn phone,” I demand, holding out my hand. He holds my eyes a moment and then does as bid.
“Ruthie, where are you? Do you know?”
“They said if I tell you they’ll hurt him more. I’m sorry Iza. Just come and save us.” The line goes dead. Angry, I almost smash the phone in my hand but catch myself at the last minute. That was a dumb impulse to have to fight. This is the only way for them to contact me.
Irritated with myself I shove the phone in my pocket and turn to Phobe.
“Why did you ask if she fought?”
“I was curious, is all.” His fiery eyes hold mine a moment then he shifts gears, “I heard the sound of lots of people walking and talking all at once, in the background. Where is a place that this would be?”
“They have a mall a few miles up the road,” Adriem says, coming to join us outside of Michael’s room. “It’s a place that humans like to gather and shop and talk loudly and often. Mom loves that place.” I know what a mall is, I’m half-dragon and malls represent something that is incredibly important to dragons. Shiny things.
“It’s a place I wouldn’t look for them, normally. Who holds hostages at a mall?” I muse out loud and head towards the car we rented. The one I’m not allowed to drive. Instead of saying anything I get in the back seat and wait. I have to admit that they’re smarter than I hoped. Holing up in a place like that is a good demonstration. Right under my fucking nose, under all those human’s noses.
“We’re not that far from there,” Adriem says, as he gets into the car. Phobe remains silent and gets into the back seat beside me. When his hand slides around mine and lightly squeezes I almost cry, almost. Biting my lip hard enough to make it bleed I manage to keep the tears at bay.
Crying will not get them all back. At this point, I’m not even sure it’ll make me feel better either. Right now, I think everything will just make me angrier, and angry me doesn’t like to be patient and do the smart thing. Angry me likes to kill things first and ask questions later.
Keeping my silence while Adriem tries his best to reassure me, I keep my eyes on the traffic as we drive and hold onto Phobe’s hand like the lifeline it is. No one is following us, that I can see, but I wouldn’t put it past them. They have vampires and shifters working for them. Hell, they have someone close to me working for them, or getting possessed by them—whatever the case may be. I still haven’t found out who, and at this point, I’m not even sure I will.
‘We will because it is not the type of secret that can be kept indefinitely.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Eventually, the meat suit starts to decay because the soul it was made for is gone.’ That makes a weird kind of sense. Also strikes me as a way to stop this from happening all the time with creatures who can body hop. Good to know there are a check and balance system. I wish there were one for the asshole doing all of this.
‘There is.’
‘Oh, yeah? What’s that?’
I look over at him as I ask the question, his eyes are flames when he smiles and says, ‘Me.’ Slowly he raises my hand to his mouth and kisses the back of it. ‘No matter what happens, there will always be someone like me to counter him. Always. It is how things work, and nothing can break that except for the being who made us all.’
‘Wait… are you telling me that there is a god?’ Does this mean someone listened to all my silly prayers as a child? That the feeling in my heart that told me there was something greater out there… something more, was right? Instead of answering me, he kisses the back of my hand again and that soft look, I so rarely see, fills his eyes.
The look he only gives to me.
Putting my hand on his lap, still clasped tightly in his, he turns away from me to stare out the window. Well, I won’t be getting any more out of him, but honestly, this right here? Him holding my hand and silently sharing his heart with me? It’s enough, it’s incredible, and it’s all mine.
Deeply sighing, I brace myself when we pull into the massive parking lot for the mall. My eyes narrow on the gobs of humans walking around—laughing and enjoying their shopping day. Today might solve more than one problem. Humans not knowing about the “mythical” creatures running around in their midst seems incredibly unfair in my opinion. With the invasion coming, one they will see before I can even come close to fighting—they need to be aware, and they need to be prepared. I think the best way of doing that is to give them irrefutable proof.
One witness with a camera was a start, let’s go for hundreds.
“Why do I have the feeling that you’re up to something… you have that plotting look on your face,” Adriem states while turning off the car and looking at me over his shoulder. I shrug, he’ll find out soon enough.
‘I wish I could argue with your logic but as fucked up as it is… it is correct.’ Phobe says, climbing out of the car. Since I don’t have anything else to add, I follow suit and trail after Adriem as he walks into the mall. Phobe goes off in his search, while Adriem and I head towards the largest concentration of people in the mall.
The human holiday, Christmas, is a few weeks away and they’ve decorated everything in sight for it. There are bells and ribbons and colored stuff they call tinsel. I love the Christmas trees, lit up with colors exploding all over them. Some of them look like a unicorn vomited on them but they’re still spectacular, and I wanted one. I had planned on having a big Christmas at the Sidhe. Now I won’t have any.
Which makes me want to strangle the Guide even more.
“Hey lady, you can’t cut in line!” The child’s voice pulls my eyes downward. I find myself looking into the very human blue eyes of a little human. Her hair is blonde and slightly curly, even tucked under the bright green knit hat she’s wearing. She smiles up at me, and I discover she’s missing one of her front teeth. How completely adorable.
“What line is this?” And indeed, there is one, that stretches ahead of us for quite a way. A mix of stressed out looking parents and bored children make up the majority of it.
“The line to see Santa. I’m going to sit on his lap and ask him for a new tablet.” She looks so damn pleased about it, too.
“So, the fat man gives you presents?”
“Oh, ya. Anything you want because he’s magical.” Anything I want?
“Sitting on his lap activates the spell?” I knew he came down the chimney to eat your cookies and leave you coal and sometimes socks, but I had no idea he could grant any wish.
“Uh, I guess?” She looks rather bemused, but I don’t have time to explain it.
I pat her head and start moving towards the front of the line because I’m sitting on that fat bastard’s lap. The spell will give me the kids, Jameson and fix all of my problems. I’m careful not to hurt anyone, but I move more than one belligerent parent—fairly so, I’m skipping the line—out of my way. Finally, at the front, I go to walk up the three small stairs that lead to the old fat man sitting on a throne when a man with fake ears wearing green pantyhose puts his hand on my chest to stop me.
“Santa is taking lunch. We’ll be back in half an hour.” I look up at him, he’s rather tall for a human elf and grabbing him by the shoulders lift him out of my way. I aim for the fluffy chair off to the side and hope he falls on it. He didn’t do anything wrong. He’s just in my way.
Locking my gaze onto Santa, I head right towards him. He’s looking at me with a little frown and surprises me when he turns and runs. Seriously, runs. This old man is in good shape for someone who eats cookies every day. With a growl, I tackle him and pin him down.
Rolling him over I say, “Look here fat man, I need to sit on your lap to activate the spell to bring my friends back. Now, get back on that freaking chair so I can!” His eyes are practically bugging out of his head, and his face is all red. “Are you going to have a heart attack?” He shakes his head but he’s now profusely sweating, and it stinks.
“Ma’am, you need to get off Santa right now.” I look up and find myself surrounded by law enforcement. Wait, they don’t have guns… what are those called?
‘They are called security officers, and although they do not have guns, they do have pepper spray and tasers. Both of which you hate.’ Phobe says, from nearby. I look behind the first two guards and see him standing with his arms crossed, looking at me like I did something stupid.
I look down at Santa, who is looking up at me terrified and very human, then back at Phobe. Okay, so… maybe I did something ill-advised.
“You can’t grant real wishes, can you?” He shakes his head so hard his beard wiggles. “Why do you tell your children this then?” He shakes his head again.
“Ma’am, don’t make me ask you again, I will use force.” The same guard warns again. Annoyed, frustrated with the entire situation, I look up at him and roar as loud as I can. The color drains out of his face so fast it looks like a bottle of water emptying. The glamour falls off me, little by little, not all the way but enough to scare the living shit out of them if the smell of fear is any indication.
“You spray me with that awful shit, and I’ll use you to clean the floor where Santa just peed himself, do you understand me, human man?” I straighten and pull Santa to his feet. “Go change your pants and make those kids happy, or we’ll see if you can fly.” After staring at me for two solid seconds and blinking like a startled owl, he takes off running.
“That video was real?” One of the other guards asks, unsure of whether to run or use the taser his hand is resting on.
“Oh, of me killing the vampires? Yeah, that was real. You should throw me a parade or something. That mess of bloodsuckers was killing people left and right. That entire building was full of human corpses.” I’m ranting now, and I don’t care. Looking around me, I see all the cell phones now pointed at me, the looks of fear and wonder mixed on many faces. Doubt on others.
“Look, there are monsters invading this world, watch the news—where the towns and people are disappearing… they’re doing that, and soon they’ll be here. Guard yourself, read your lore. Prepare, I can’t kill them all alone. I’ll need your help.” I can’t seem to stop myself from talking either, so I quit fighting it and go with it.
“Aren’t you a monster?” someone asks.
“Yes, but I won’t eat your children, they give me heartburn.” There are a few snickers but mostly the acrid smell of fear still. “I’d love to tell you that I’m a shining angel with pretty little feathery wings and a halo… but I’m not. All I can tell you is, I’ll fight for you, I’ll die for you if I have to, but I and those like me are all you have to stop the schoth.”
“I told you it was something invading. No one ever listens to me.” Someone else says from the crowd.
“Take your pictures, your video… here, I’ll show you what is fighting for this world. Adriem.” He steps to my side, and just that fast turns into the prehistoric monster he is under that human looking skin.
“Mommy, it’s a dinosaur!” Adriem hears the small voice too. He lowers his great head and snorts on the child who laughs merrily. Then he shrinks back down to his human form.
“What are the schoth?”
“Yeah, are they monsters, too?”
The questions start pouring out, and I mentally shake my head. I think I expected more mayhem than this… staid acceptance. Humans can be very surprising at times.
“The schoth look like your human elves. They’re all pretty and sparkly and will cut you up and eat you with a side dish. Never be fooled, ever. They’ll send in the things that do look like angels. All shiny and golden, so beautiful it hurts to look at them… those are the things you should fear. Not all monsters look like monsters. If you are an innocent, call out for a Feyrie, we will help you.” With that I turn and walk away, leaving the stunned guards staring after me. The flashes of cameras, the murmurs of people as they follow me is satisfying.
“Did you find anything?” I ask.
“No. Nothing… if they were here, they aren’t anymore.” Adriem answers.
“I found where they were… come.” Phobe grabs my hand and steers me towards a hallway that leads to an exit sign. Instead of opening to the outside, it leads into another hallway, that ends in a storage room. In it are two chairs, each with cut ropes on them. I find Ruthie’s phone on the crates next to the chairs.
Looking at the two chairs in the room and knowing by the smells that one held Michael and the other Jameson. “Why did they have the guys tied up, but not her? That’s strange.” I muse. I can only smell Ruthie near where I’m standing.
I flip through her phone and find nothing of interest. Not that I expected to but looking doesn’t hurt anything. The entire thing looks like it’s been erased, no pictures, no texts, except the single phone call to me. That had to have killed her. She was always taking pictures of her and Michael.
Tucking the phone in my pocket I look around at the chairs. There’s no blood, but I can still smell the former occupants, they haven’t been gone long. From the looks of it, they ditched this place as soon as she called us. This was a wasted trip, well, not entirely. Now people can’t deny monsters exist. Now they might stand a chance.
“They gave her food, but none was given to Michael or Jameson,” Phobe says from near where I picked up her phone. I look over at him and see the food wrappers on the floor. He’s not wrong, because it’s her favorite restaurant on the labels. I’d recognize those papers anywhere.
“Bribing her maybe?” Adriem asks, picking up one of the wrappers.
“Ruthie isn’t a fighter. I thought—no, I hoped that she might be, but in all our training sessions she ended up getting mad and whining, instead of fighting back. I love her but she’s more princess than a warrior, that’s for sure. They’re probably using her to control Michael because he’ll do what they say just to keep her safe. Honestly, he’s also the one capable of doing damage out of the three of them,” I answer, pretty sure I’m right. Michael is still learning who and what he is, and a mage isn’t a problem for him—if he accepts what he can do. That’s why they took him out first and are using Ruthie to keep him compliant.
I pegged her as a fighter, in the beginning. It’s something I was wrong about. I never expected her to give up entirely and worry more about her nail polish than her ability to defend herself. The TV and Google God say that this is typical behavior for a human teenage girl, and even though she isn’t fully human, she’s more human than I’ll ever be. Even Alagard said this happens sometimes. He said some people are not meant to do more than look pretty. That mindset is not one I understand, but I do accept its existence.
