Facets of Feyrie Box Set, page 42
part #1 of Facets of Feyrie Series
“You’re choosing to handle the shifters with aggression,” he points out. I frown thinking about it. Perhaps I am indeed.
“I don’t think they’d respect me at all if I turned belly up and tried to ass-kiss them to death. My gut tells me this is the right way.” I look at him through my lashes and say, ‘Would you like some aggression?’ He chuckles at my words and tosses a paintbrush at my head that I barely catch.
Chapter Thirty-One
I’ve gotten into the habit of sneaking out at night, alone. Or mostly alone. I can’t say I’m ever truly alone, but I need room to breathe. I need to think. So, I used every trick I possess to ditch my wannabe guards and Phobe. I can’t feel him out there, so I'm assuming I pulled it off.
Tonight, my mood is morose and, since sleep isn’t happening, I wanted to walk.
My brilliant idea didn’t include an actual destination. After walking around aimlessly for hours, I ended up sitting myself down on a bench in the park. All I accomplish is watching TV on my phone. I put it away and make myself think.
Humans are just as cruel as Schoth.
When I first woke up here on Earth, I assumed that humans were delicate little daisies like the ones I met in prison. Which they are, but that doesn’t stop them from being monsters in their own right. Horrible ones. The TV and the Google God show me everything on them. The atrocities they’ve visited upon each other are as bad as any the Schoth have perpetuated.
Here they have bombs that can wipe out entire countries in minutes without ever raising a sword. All it takes is a button push and boom everyone’s dead. Where is the honor in that? I wouldn’t even do that to the Schoth, and everyone knows how I feel about them.
I slump on the bench. Did I call people to a doomed world? Did I—gods, what the hell am I doing? Why did I start looking at my phone, anyhow?! It made my mood worse.
“They don’t sell drugs here anymore.” The voice pulls me out of my thoughts.
On the bench, across the path from me, sits a man dressed in a fluffy orange coat covered in multiple layers of dirt and other things worse than dirt. His brown hair is a tangled, dirty crown around his head with what looks like clumps of leaves in it. His beard is scraggly and grayed in some places, missing patches of hair in others. But those eyes of his are a liquid sky blue that reminds me of the sky during sunrise. Familiar eyes—but I’m pretty sure I’ve never met him before.
“Drugs? What drugs?” I answer, after staring at him for far too long. I know the literal meaning of the word, but why would I come to the park to get drugs? Humans make no sense. Drugs are used to treat illnesses. I have no illnesses.
“You don’t wanna get high?” High? Frowning I stare at him. What can he—oh, I get it now.
“No, I’m not here for drugs. I came here to look at the stars.”
“So, you’re a hippy?” he says, digging around in the garbage can beside him. He pulls out a food container of some type.
“No. I like the sky. I wasn’t able to see it for a long time.” I don’t know why I share this with him, but there’s no real harm in it. He’s not going to tell anyone; I mean, he’s going to eat an old salad he got out of the garbage can.
“They lock you away in the loony bin, too? I spent five weeks there last year,” he asks.
“Something like that.”
He smiles at me, exposing the fact he is missing several of his teeth, which makes me smile back at him. He doesn’t care about superficial things. What an interesting human.
“What’s so heavy on your mind?” he asks, sniffing his dinner and then he takes a big bite of the goop.
I opt for honesty. “I’m the Shepherd to a Magikal race of creatures from another realm. They came here to grow and build an army to stand up to the Schoth when they come here. I’m not equipped to do this shit, but it’s my supposed destiny, and it sucks balls. Oh, and eventually I’m supposed to die, to piss off some king who kills everyone.” After my speech, I take a drink of the bottled water sitting beside me on the bench.
He stares at me a minute, chewing his browned lettuce, then laughs.
“You sure you’re not here for drugs?”
“If they’d work I’d probably take them. So why do you live out here?”
“Drugs, of course. But I’ve been clean for ten years now. Just can’t climb your way back out sometimes.” He begins to lick the container the salad was in. I know what it’s like to be hungry. I stand up and stretch and walk over to him.
“So, no more drugs? What about booze?” He shakes his head at my questions. I toss a wad of cash at him. “Go get a proper coat and some real food. No reason for you to be cold tonight, right?”
“I’ve learned in my life that people are chosen to do things for a reason; remember that nothing is ever as bad as it seems. People surprise you. I hope you win your war,” he says as he grabs the money and shuffles off.
Yeah, buddy, me, too.
* * *
Waiting on the crosswalk light to turn green to cross the street, I stare at the name of the store lit up in red neon lettering across from me.
Moleville Exterminators.
The name of this town always amuses me. There are a bunch of supernatural creatures living in a town called Moleville. They should change their high school football team to Moleville Monsters. It has a ring to it—versus their current one, the Moleville Diggers. I get the play on words and all, but aren’t sports teams supposed to be intimidating?
Speaking of school, the kids need a teacher to homeschool them. I can’t risk sending them to a real school. In this world, all kids are required to have schooling. The last thing in the world I need is to draw more attention from the—speaking of humans.
The bag getting pulled over my head is only a little bit of a surprise. The smell of garlic coming from the man wielding it kind of gave it away a little early. Oh, this is fantastic! I’m being kidnapped like in the movies! The canvas bag over my head even smells bad.
At the last second, I decide to let them take me without a fight. It’s not too hard of a decision. They enacted this elaborate kidnapping for a reason. Besides the fact that someone closer than Kael or fluff brains betrayed me and knew I snuck out alone.
Unless they don’t know who they have? That’s entirely possible. And it makes things more fun—for me anyhow. I’m never actually alone. The Fiends are my constant companions and very unhappy with my current situation. I grunt as I’m tossed into a vehicle. I hope it’s a white panel van that will add to the experience. I can tell Phobe—uh-oh. A sudden sharp prick of pain in my hip draws a curse word out of me. Did they stick me with a fucking needle?
My lips go numb. Sweating, I push my body to fight the sedative, because I’ve seen enough TV to know that’s what it is. Wow, it has a bit of a bite to it, but their human drugs won’t work on me like they’re supposed to. Distractedly, I feel the vehicle moving, and I allow myself to go limp and feign unconsciousness.
There’s a chance that they snatched me because I’m alone, not because of my title. If it’s because of my title, the mole—can’t get away from that rodent—doesn’t know me on a personal level. If that’s the case, then when I get out of this, they’re going to get to know me extremely well.
Calloused hands lift me roughly, and I’m tossed over a set of hard shoulders. My first instinct is to nail the guy with my knee, but I don’t. Last time I checked, unconscious people don’t knee men in the balls, or face. Yeah, it’d probably hit the face. I have short legs.
Unceremoniously, I’m dropped into a hard chair, and the bag is yanked off my head. Watching through my lashes, I see the cuffs they snap around my wrists. I remain limp, even go so far as to start sliding sideways off the chair. The man behind me mutters a curse and quick dives to catch me, which is hilarious.
Now that the bag is off my head, I can see the men—some shady government agents like in the movies. They’re wearing minor Magiks wards too. I can smell them in the room, as well.
A lot of Feyrie could be contained with them. I’m not most.
Tired of playing possum, I pop my eyes open and sit up, leaning my elbows on the table. I’m connected to it by the handcuffs which are annoying but not a hindrance. Cadey could break them. They all jump back.
Pussies.
“Did you sedate her, Eric?” the big blonde one in front of me asks one of the ones behind me.
“Yes, Greg. I gave her the max dose.”
“Give her another one,” Greg insists. That’s not a good idea.
Greg better be glad I’m curious. They want something either from Feyrie or me in general. I look down at the table and scratch two words into it with a long claw. Fuck you. It suits the moment.
The door opens. Another human man, wearing a cheap, black polyester suit, joins me at the table. Clearing his throat, he rests his elbows on the table and regards me.
Am I supposed to be intimidated?
“Name?” he asks after a glance at the words I scratched into the table. Humans aren’t completely stupid. But they aren’t prepared either. Good.
“I have one, yes,” I answer, staring right back at him.
Lifting my upper lip, I test the air. He’s well-armed. I smell two guns, at least one knife and—I inhale again—an electronic device of some kind that isn’t a phone. A taser I think they call them.
Taking in his whole tough-guy persona, I get the info I can. He has blonde hair with slight graying around the edges, standard military cut. Tan skin, light blue eyes with crow’s feet in the corners, possibly from spending a lot of time outside. Hiding in the jungle, Rambo-style, probably. He’s even somewhat handsome by human standards.
No wedding ring but he smells faintly of sex.
“Get lucky this morning, eh?” Other than the slight widening of his eyes and the speeding up of his pulse in the throbbing vein on his forehead, there are no other reactions. Tilting my head to the side, I say, “I suggest you hurry this along because I’m getting bored, and you won’t like me that way.”
“What do you know about vampires and shifters?” He’s a direct kind of guy but not very informed.
“Nothing, because they aren’t real?”
“We’ll be doing some blood work shortly to determine your exact species,” he continues in that dull, monotone voice of his. Obviously, he doesn’t believe me, not that I care. They won’t be doing their blood work on me.
“Time’s ticking,” I say, feigning a glance at the non-existent watch on my wrist.
“This building is completely secure against your kind. You won’t be leaving.” His voice is serious, sounding almost bored. I snort. This fella thinks he’s a badass.
“I allowed you to bring me here, bud. So are you gonna tell me why you snatched me up?” My glamour is good—I know for a fact it is, they can’t pierce it with their gadgets and such. So yeah, someone either gave them pictures or is following me.
I’m distracted a lot lately. It won’t surprise me to find out I was followed. Taking a glance around, I roll my eyes. This is the perfect setup for dealing with a young vampire, shifter, or a lower Magikally skilled Feyrie. The sedative would work on any of them too. The wards can keep the vampires from using any form of coercion, the shifters from going partially zoo on them, and the Feyrie from doing whatever that particular kind does. Be super interesting to find out what else they know about my kind. Something Magikal, that’s for sure. They don’t have these types of Magiks here—well, the vampires and shifters don’t. A full-blood Feyrie might.
Really good chance they got their info from a Feyrie. The question is, prisoner or traitor?
“We have sufficient experience keeping your kind here.” He says it with such arrogance I kind of want to rip out his tongue. I might before all is said and done. He’s also wrong, but I’m not going to point it out. He shuffles through papers in a manila folder and says, “Our informant tells us that you’re a leader of some kind. Is this a fact?”
A leader, eh? Yeah, they were after me specifically, so there’s no point in playing human anymore. “It sounds like your informant has already answered all of your questions.”
Letting my Magiks peek out a little makes the hair on my arms stand up. There are Feyrie in this building—I can feel them. Barely. I try to look for them on the web, but something is blocking me. Apparently, the warding wherever they’re being kept is a bit better than this room.
Up close and personal I can deal with the wards, but I can’t do anything from here.
Find them. A few of the fiends peel off from the swelling number of them in this room to search. There are so many now that the G-man across from me is looking around him nervously.
Yeah, you should be nervous, blondie.
He clears his throat and returns to his boring tangent. “We’re going to see how big of a threat you are to national security. As of right now, you’re remanded into scientific custody for analysis, and determination of your species and purpose,” he goes on in that robotic voice I’m starting to intensely dislike.
This gets my full attention. This isn’t the first time he’s given that speech. It’s well rehearsed from repetition.
“You mean to cut me open and see what makes me work?” I ask. He nods at my question.
Leaning further onto the table, I move closer to him. “You okay with them cutting up people for scientific study?” I watch his face carefully for his answer.
“Protecting mankind is my only concern.” I laugh, and it startles him. He’s full of crap. I saw the flash of guilt on his face. He’s good at schooling his emotions, but I’m just as good at reading them.
“I can understand wanting to protect your kind, and if you release my kind from your dungeon or whatever you have here, I’m not a threat to you at all.” It’s mostly the truth, so I go with it. My words are met with a stone wall. I can tell by the look on his face that it’s not an option.
Shame.
The force of me standing disconnects the shackles from the table. The links ping loudly off the floor in the sudden stillness of the room. Holding my bound wrists up in front of him, I pull them apart—amused when he ducks to avoid flying metal bits. Jumping to his feet, he draws a gun and aims it at me.
“You honestly think you can shoot me?” I ask, watching him closely, almost hoping he does so I have an excuse to beat the shit out of him. Not that I don’t already have one.
A trickle of sweat winds its way down his face. He’s thinking about it. “They’ll kill you if you leave this room,” he threatens.
“I’ll kill you if I stay in it.”
The sound of running feet draws part of my attention to the door. Reinforcements. My eyes catch the blinking red light of the camera in the upper corner of the room. Is their informant possibly watching? I hope so. I stare straight at it and mouth three words: I’ll find you.
The whispers of the fiends send my temper straight to lost. Before my brain registers my movement, I have the human by his throat against the wall. His gun is now a mangled mess of metal on the floor.
“You have children as prisoners?” I demand with a growl. How dare they! Satisfyingly, fear bleeds into his eyes.
“How can—” He swallows against my grip, the one that isn’t quite tight enough to choke the life out of him yet. “—you possibly know that?”
“Where are they?” I hiss out between clenched teeth.
There’s no patience left in me for a human, or any person who captures and experiments on children. Seeing the refusal in his eyes, I use the one thing against him that even the strongest creatures fear. Their mortality.
“If you don’t tell me, I will kill everyone in this place to get to them, including you. Now choose.” I watch the decision form in his eyes; he believes I’ll do it. Smart of him because I will.
“They’re on level one.” Growling at his answer, I drop him. “You will never get to them.”
“The next time we meet it’ll be on my terms. If you capture any more of mine, you won’t need to run tests. I’ll show you what I am.” I pause then turn back to him, “One day you’ll need my kind to save your stupid asses. Pray that I’m in a giving mood when you come begging.”
With those parting words, I head towards the door. Gripping the handle I give one good yank and rip the door right off its hinges, Uncaring of who it hits, I fling it behind me.
I’m greeted with an entire hallway filled with humans, all fully armed, with their guns aimed at me. My Magiks roar awake.
The humans open fire.
Bullet after bullet slams into me, flinging me around like a limp puppet. The impact of them against my Magiks drives me to my knees. After what feels like an eternity, the gunfire stops, leaving the hallway choked with the smell of sulfur and human sweat. I raise my head to look at them, smiling. As one, the fired bullets fall to the ground.
My Magiks caught them all.
“My turn.” Darkness engulfs the hallways as the fiends let loose. I run forward and dive into the men, slashing out with the daggers that materialize in my hands. Easily, I dodge in and out of the chaos, trying to disable without killing them.
The fiend’s roars have the humans panicking and screaming as they’re pulled into the darkness for several seconds, knocking them unconscious. A trip through the NetherRealm will do that to a human. Honestly, I don’t want to kill any more of them than necessary. A war on two fronts isn’t a good idea right now. I just want to get my people out.
At the other end of the hallway, I stop and look back over my shoulder at the path I took. Most of them are out like a light, but some are awake and moaning in pain. All of them are alive.
Blondie is standing in the doorway of the room I left, eyes wide in surprise. To be a dick, I blow him a kiss and duck into the next hallway at a run.
If I’m correct, I have three floors to get through. My path takes me into a lobby where another group of armed men waits for me. There are three times as many this time. I grit my teeth and run at them because they aren’t getting the chance to fire first this time.
