Facets of Feyrie Box Set, page 67
part #1 of Facets of Feyrie Series
‘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 is 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’s an actual 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.
Sighing deeply, I mentally 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. With the invasion coming, one they will see firsthand what they’re up against—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 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’s 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 strings of shiny 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 girl. Her hair is blonde and slightly curly, even tucked under the bright green, knit hat she’s wearing. She smiles up at me, showing that 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 that gives you presents is here?”
“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 slightly 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 tall for a human elf. I grab 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 don’t 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 dumb.
I look down at Santa, who is looking up at me with terror filled human eyes, 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 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 actually 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 still the acrid smell of fear. “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 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 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’re 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 is 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 so that 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. It’s her favorite restaurant’s logo 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 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 says that this is typical behavior for a human teenage girl, and even though she isn’t entirely 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 isn’t one I understand, but I do accept its existence.
It could also be her trauma was so significant that this is how she copes.
“Stop beating yourself up over the strange behavior of the girl. It’s the bane of humans, their children, at this age. They’ve had thousands of years, and they still don’t understand themselves.”
“The change seems so sudden, though. Do you think she’s the one possessed?” I hate asking the question, but it needs to be asked.
“No, there are no signs of possession… I saw her when the attack initially happened, and it wasn’t her.” He shoulder bumps me, his version of a quick hug. “The grateful child you rescued was just a facet of her character, Iza. Everyone has traits that are undesirable.”
“Oh, really? What are mine?” He opens his mouth to respond, in the honest, forthright way he has when Adriem coughs loudly.
“That’s a trap man, don’t fall in it!” he warns him.
I smile, I can’t help myself. Phobe’s mouth shuts, and he gives me a dirty look. I savor this moment, and carefully store this memory away. Seeing such emotion from him is rare and unique.
This is one of my ways of coping, by holding onto the good memories with the tenacity of a Kraken. They feed the spark inside of me and keep me going. They help me keep smiling. They’re what makes me keep living with joy in my heart. Phobe gives me a deep look and then turns to kiss my lips softly. He’s gone before it registers in my fuddled brain, but the warmth of his mouth still lingers.
Another memory to tuck away.
A sudden yawn spurns me into action. “I don’t see anything else useful, let’s go—I’m tired.” I’m still always tired, even with the ring on. I don’t like telling anyone. If I tell Adriem, he’ll fuss at me. If I tell Phobe, he’ll find ways to cockblock me all the time from doing shit.
He’s the only one who can, and he knows it.
On the way back to the hotel, I manage to fall asleep with my face plastered against the window. When the door opens, and strong arms catch me, I keep my eyes closed and let him lift me against that chest I love so much. He grunts in amusement, fully aware that I’m awake, but still carries me.
Tossing me on the bed is unexpected, but I giggle as I bounce across it. That doesn’t stop me from kicking my shoes off and snuggling into the pillow. I’m still tired. He slides in behind me and wraps his arm around me and shoves the other under me. Pulling me against him, he buries his face in my hair and sighs.
“Rest, Iza. I will always watch over you,” he whispers. Safe, comfortable, and so tired my eyes burn, I give in and let sleep claim me once again.
Chapter Eighteen
To this day, the fact that I like to watch her sleep still surprises me. Her mouth is normally hanging wide open, like in the car, but this time she’s sleeping peacefully. The sleep of an exhausted person. Iza thinks she’s sneaky enough to hide the fact that she’s still sick, even wearing the ring. Something needs to be done about it. Either she needs to return to the Sidhe, or we have to find another way.
Self-consciously I pat the small velvet covered box in my pocket. The annoying ringtone of her phone spurs me to grab it before she wakes. She needs to rest and recharge and get as healthy as possible. I look at the screen and the ‘unknown number’ displayed on it. Sliding the circle to green, I put the phone to my ear.
Michael screaming is the first thing I hear. The annoying voice of the Guide comes over the line. “Good, you answered. It took me taking half his fingernails to make him scream. As you know, I have a collar that will make your dear Iza mortal. Once she’s mortal, I’ll kill her, slowly. But if you trade yourself to me, I’ll let these brats go and leave your woman alive. Meet me on the docks at the lake to make the exchange. You for them.” The line goes dead.
I almost squeeze the phone into a ball of metal but refuse to give in to that small loss of control. Pausing only long enough to take the sim card out, I then get the satisfaction of it bending and breaking in my hand. Tossing it away, I climb to my feet and go to Adriem’s room. He opens the door on the first knock.
I hand him the sim card, “Iza needs a new phone, I broke the other one. Let her sleep and get her lots of food when she wakes up.” He nods, and I turn and walk back to our room.
Kneeling on the floor next to her, I caress her face. She’ll trade herself for those two kids. There’s not a single doubt in my mind. She loves them like they’re her children. The idea of them being hurt because of her is something she cannot live with for long. Losing them will bring forth all that pain she has stashed in the back of her mind. It will snuff out the life inside of her, the life that makes me smile—the life that gave me life. It will end the sound of her laughter that still has the power to make me happy. Take that light out of her eyes that makes me want to do anything in the world to please her. I’ve seen those eyes with no light in them before. It’s not something I can do again.
Iza is the only thing that makes life bearable, she’s the key to me feeling like I’m alive, and whole. She’s what makes everything—anything worthwhile. I refuse to exist without her. I refuse to allow them to take her from this world. Leaning forward, I kiss her mouth, ignoring the burning of my eyes and the wetness that trails down my cheek to drip onto her face. I put everything I feel for her, every single fucking thing, into that kiss.
Standing, I open the box and place it on the pillow next to her face. The opal flickers in the light, looking much like her eyes do when I’m inside of her. A wedding was something I was planning on giving her. Such a simple thing for all the pleasure it would bring her, as it would also give me another solid tie to her.
Selfishly, I can’t give her up—to anything.
With one long, last look at her, I turn away, my form twisting and changing into a replica of the woman lying on the bed.
* * *
Life’s goal all along was to put me in this position. I should have seen it sooner. Instead of mentally flagellating myself, I look for evidence of him. The lake is small, which makes it easier to find the van that sticks out in the fresh snow. The stark white color with the blacked-out windows makes it look suspicious without trying to. The muffled curses and shouting from the inside of it, don’t discount that.
