The Seeker's Revenge

by Isadora Brown

  “Alice?” he asked. “What’re you doing here?”

  “I need to ask you a huge favor, Shane,” I said, looking up at him with big eyes. “I need you to run another test.” He looked like he was going to say no. I could tell by the way he dropped his eyes to the floor and shifted his weight in his feet. Before he could, I wanted to jump in. I needed him to understand. “On me.”

  He locked eyes with me once again. There were questions there, but I could also see he wasn’t going to push.

  “Look,” I said. I stood on tiptoes in order to try and see over his shoulder. I didn’t want to get Shane in trouble, especially if he had a boss or someone looking over his shoulder. At the same time, I didn’t want to talk so openly outside. I doubted anyone was here, listening in on our conversation, but I never knew, and I had to be careful. “Can I come inside? I promise I’ll tell you, I just can’t do it out here.”

  Shane tilted his head to the side before finally nodding. I practically threw myself into his arms because of how grateful I was. He stepped aside so I could walk in, and the second I was, he closed the door and locked it behind me.

  The office was dim, though I noticed a light on through the crack underneath the door that led to the lab where tests were conducted.

  “Alice,” he said slowly. “What’s going on?”

  I took a breath. I needed to tell him. If he was going to help me, potentially risking his job even more than he already had, he deserved an explanation.

  “Last year, I was at a party,” I said. The words came easier than I expected them to. I still fiddled with my fingers, taking them, pulling at them, but my nerves didn’t prevent me from telling him what happened. “At that party, someone used DreamMagic on me. At least, I believe they did. And they...they took advantage of me in that situation. I never...I never went to anyone because I didn’t have any idea who would do something like that to me. I had no evidence. I didn’t have anything that would be useful in figuring out who did it. In fact, I wasn’t sure I could prove something happened in the first place.” My voice cracked on the last word and I took in a breath. I risked a glance up at him. His face was stoic, difficult to read, but his arms were crossed over his chest and I knew he was listening. That meant a lot unto itself, that I knew he was at least still interested in what I had to say. “Anyway, I thought that maybe if you took my blood - or whatever it is you do - you could, I don’t know, run it and see if anything pops up?”

  He shifted from where he was standing. “Okay,” he said.

  Okay?

  Okay? Just like that?

  I wasn’t sure why I felt...off about this. Probably because I was on the brink of getting the results I wanted - maybe.

  But there was this small voice in my head, this voice that wondered what would happen if nothing came back? Was I a liar? Was I remembering wrong?

  Don’t worry about it until you have to, a voice pointed out in my head.

  “Come...come on back.” He waved at me as he turned and led me into a small room where a comfortable exam chair was placed. “Take a seat.”

  I did just that, setting my purse on the counter and removing my jacket. The room was naturally cool, so my newly exposed skin popped with goosebumps. I stared up at the ceiling, waiting for Shane to return with whatever he needed to return with. Probably needles and a couple of vials.

  When he came back, he organized the two vials he had and marked an X on both labels. I was glad to see he didn’t use my real name, though I knew he wouldn’t have risked it. My hands started to moisten; I never liked needles but I could deal with them just as long as I didn’t have to watch it pierce my skin.

  After he finished, he took a seat on a round, backless chair and wheeled over to me.

  “I just wanted to say,” I said, trying to focus on anything except the way he wrapped an elastic band around my upper arm. “Um, thank you for this. For helping me. I really appreciate it. I know it’s a risk. I know you don’t have to. So, um, thanks.”

  “Sure.” He took a pair of rubber gloves and slid them on before tearing open a small package containing cloth drenched with peroxide. He took it and wiped it over my vein - the one that seemed to be bulging out from my skin thanks to the tourniquet. “Crim talks about you all the time.”

  The words surprised me and I was forced to look at him rather than my arm - which was probably a good thing because he was getting the vial and attaching it to the tube where my blood would soon be flowing.

  “She-she does?”

  I almost balked at the fact that I seemed to be intent on immersing myself in compliments. This wasn’t like me. But it made me feel good knowing that Crim liked me because I genuinely liked her. I was lucky I got to call her a friend.

  Shane nodded once, his eyes on his task rather than on my face. “She really respects you,” he said. “So, of course I’m going to help you. Plus, you saved her life. I owe you for that.”

  “You don’t owe me,” I said. At that moment, there was pressure in my arm and I felt the needle break the skin. I cleared my throat, forcing my eyes to stay on him rather than on the needle in my arm or the blood flowing into the vial. “I, uh...she was the first person in a long time that I considered a friend. It took me a while to come around, but I’m glad that she waited for me. Lucky. She’s a good person.”

  “I know,” he said. He expertly switched vials while the needle was still in my arm.

  “Please don’t tell her about this,” I said quickly.

  This time, Shane did look up at me. His face was blank, almost passive, but it was clear there was a question in his dark eyes.

  “I won’t,” he said. “It’s not my place. But…” He let his voice trail off, a light wrinkle marring his forehead. He slid the needle out of my arm and carefully placed it on the tray next to him while simultaneously holding a cotton ball over the place on my arm the needle had been in. “But you might want to consider talking to someone about this. It’s not something so easily quieted by pushing it down inside of you.”

  “I know,” I said, nodding once. He wrapped gauze around the cotton ball, keeping it in place. When he finished, he tied it so it wouldn’t come off unless I pulled it off myself. “I have. I mean, I am talking to someone about it.”

  Shane gave me another pointed look before making sure the second vial was secured. “The Imp?” he asked.

  I swallowed, placing my hands in my lap. The truth was, I didn’t want to talk about this to anyone. The fact that I was even here was a big deal.

  “Look, like I said, this isn’t my business, and if you trust him, it’s your life,” he said. “Just...just be careful. What I am...I tend to hear things. And I know he’s not all he claims to be.”

  I furrowed my brow. “He helped save Crim,” I reminded him.

  “No.” His eyes snapped up to me. “You did. You risked everything for her. He helped because of you. There’s a difference.” He cleared his throat. “I’m not sure what you guys are planning. I know he’s sent me some things to test just like you have. But if it will help in any way, I’m glad to do it. Crim would want me to.”

  I tried not to let surprise flicker across my face at the mention of Rumple having Shane run some tests. I wasn’t aware he was doing that. I didn’t know why he would do that either.

  “I’ll run the tests now,” he said. “It might take an hour or two to get some results. I know that’s still pretty early. Do you want me to call you or wait until day?”

  “Call me the second you get the results,” I told him seriously. “I’ll be up.”

  He nodded and walked me out. I got into my car, ignoring the tingling in my arm. Instead of driving back to Peter’s place, I pulled out my phone and looked up the address to Geoffrey’s office. I was pretty sure he was still there, and I hoped he could get me some answers. If he was at the party for work, I doubted he was drunk or distracted. Maybe he had seen someone or something suspicious.

  It was a long shot.

  I knew it
was a long shot.

  But I felt like I still had to try.

  Once I had the directions, I began to drive towards the place. It was close to the Styx, but it wasn’t actually within the boundary, so the neighborhood was relatively decent.

  When I got there, the office was dark. No one seemed to be around.

  But…

  But I tried the door.

  Unlocked.

  I hesitated.

  I knew I should wait. I should get permission to enter. And I actually needed to talk to Geoffrey.

  But maybe...maybe I could look through files. Maybe he had pictures from the night.

  Maybe I didn’t actually need Geoffrey at all.

  I beelined for his desk, flipping on my cell phone flashlight. I opened a drawer and proceeded to go through his files. He had no organizational skills and I had to flip open every single folder in order to figure out if it was what I was looking for.

  I wasn’t sure how long I was here for. I just knew that I had been too distracted to realize Geoffrey Hunter approached his office.

  Up until he asked: “And what the fuck do you think you’re doing in my office going through some very private files, missy?”

  22

  My head snapped up from the desk, and I froze. There was no way for me to explain this, no way for me to think of some sort of excuse as to why I was at his desk, in his office.

  “I…”

  “Alice Winter, right?” He closed the door to his office and, without taking his eyes off of me, clicked the lock into place.

  I swallowed.

  I didn’t like being trapped inside. I didn’t like feeling like I was some sort of caged animal. My heart pounded against my chest, but it was slow. A warning.

  I glanced at the door, just over Geoffrey’s shoulder. Maybe there was some way I could break through it using my magic. It might be a long shot, but it was worth trying. I wiggled my fingers at my side as subtlety as I could. I didn’t want to draw any unnecessary attention to myself.

  The familiar feeling of sparks dancing on my fingertips caused some of the tension to ease out of my body. Just knowing I was protected, knowing I had a way to defend myself, was enough. I could also call Rumple, but I wasn’t sure if he would even be able to leave, and I didn’t want to call him and get no response. That would gut me.

  Geoffrey knew I had magic. I used it on him when I saw him with Belle. He knew what I could do. I wasn’t sure if he actually said anything about it or not, if anybody else had that same piece of knowledge. If he had worked for Sabrina for years, I wouldn’t be surprised if she knew.

  Maybe Geoffrey was the witness Detective Harrelson said he had, the one he insisted saw me do magic in the first place. Maybe Harrelson didn’t care what he had done to cause me to use my magic because he only cared about the fact that I was using magic in the first place.

  And now I was here. Now, I needed his help.

  I wanted to throw up.

  “Well?” he asked. His eyes swept over my body.

  Well - no.

  I narrowed my gaze. There was something off about him. Something that was difficult to make out.

  The second he flipped the lights on, my mouth dropped open.

  Geoffrey didn’t have eyes.

  At least, not anymore. Instead, they were simply sockets, screaming red, like someone had taken a spoon or some sort of utensil and just scraped the eyes out. There was still crusted blood on the corner of his lips.

  This wasn’t what he looked like a week ago. Someone had to have done that to him, I just didn’t know who.

  Rumple?

  Possibly.

  Beast?

  More likely. Although, if it were Beast, I would have expected Beast to just kill him and be done with it. I didn’t think he cared one way or the other about suffering if he got to snuff the life out of the person responsible for kidnapping and assaulting Belle.

  How did he know it was me, then?

  “I’m assuming you’re staring at my handsome face,” he said. His voice was still smooth, still charming. There was an arrogance to it I expected and heard.

  “What happened to you?” I asked before I could stop myself. I knew it was a rude question. Then again, I didn’t know the proper etiquette of how to talk to a terrible person. Did I feel sympathy for him? I wasn’t sure, though I also didn’t know if I thought he deserved...this.

  “Oh, you don’t know?” His tone seemed arrogant, despite what happened to his face.

  It boggled my mind that anyone could be happy or jovial when he looked like that. And not because it married his looks, which, honestly, it didn’t all that much. It was more that I was sure whatever had happened to him had been painful. And the fact that he could somehow retain his personality, himself, after having gone through that, was commendable. Even though I couldn’t believe Geoffrey and commendable could ever be used in the same sentence together.

  “Pan did this,” Geoffrey stated.

  My brows furrowed. I was tempted to sit down but I knew that would be some sort of violation. Granted, I was going through Geoffrey’s desk, so the violation was already taking place, but still.

  “Pan did that to you?” I asked.

  It was difficult for me to imagine prim and proper Pan doing something as terrible as that. Granted, I could see him doing something vicious. I could see him inflicting pain. But doing that? I wasn’t sure about that. Then again, there was no reason for Geoffrey to lie. At least, none that I could find.

  “Isn’t that what I just said?” he asked. I didn’t know how it was possible, but those empty eye sockets seemed fixed on me, like he could still see me even though he didn’t have any eyes. “Jesus Christ, yes, Pan did that to me. And unfortunately, knowing he’s an heir to the Fae realm - even if he’s only the spare of the family - prevents me from actually doing something to him.” He began to walk towards the desk, still with all the confidence in the world. He must have done this a lot in the past week to the point where he was used to it by now. “Did you know the Fae have weaknesses just like all of us?”

  I blinked. That seemed like a random question. Instead of answering, I carefully moved around the chair. I felt vulnerable being seated even if he couldn’t see me. I just needed to feel like I could defend myself just in case it came to that. Geoffrey was someone I couldn’t predict, and if I couldn’t predict him, then I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I needed to be prepared. Just in case.

  “Um, sure,” I said. I refused to tell him that Rumple had already told me that.

  “You know you’re a weakness, don’t you?” he continued. “You know Rumple looks at you as the only thing that makes him weak.”

  “And how does that have anything to do with what happened to you?” I asked, gesturing at his face before I realized he couldn’t actually see me do it. “How does that explain why Pan did what he did?”

  “Oh, it doesn’t,” he said. “I’m just trying to explain why I’ll be killing you in the next few moments.”

  My heart skipped a beat. “I’m sorry?” I said.

  “You already know about Mary Stone,” he said. “You know I was the one who used the DreamMagic to stun her so Sabrina Charming could finish her off. You don’t have to pretend. Sabrina called me to let me know your father arrested her and The Imp wasn’t doing anything about it. Which means the deal they all made has been forfeited.”

  “How?” I demanded to know. “Rumple couldn’t tell me anything. Hell, Russell Charming couldn’t say anything. They were all bound by magic.”

  “Yes, but magic can’t prevent you from acting unless DreamMagic is used,” Geoffrey said. “And Sabrina didn’t think to do that. She thought as long as no one opened their mouths, she could do whatever the fuck she wanted.” He shook his head. “She’s a stupid bitch, but she pays.” He shifted, gesturing with his hands. “So, let’s say you’re Sabrina. The magic that ties people to you only occurs when someone says something. So, if The Imp told you: Sabrina Charming kil
led Mary Stone, the magic would react. If your father arrests her for the murder of Mary Stone, he’s not really telling anyone. He’s acting. Am I...am I making sense to you?”

  It was so strange, having this conversation with Geoffrey. It was almost like we were friends. Which made no sense, because being friends with Geoffrey made me want to puke.

  “Were you, um...were you there the night of Stephen Charming’s party?” I asked, swallowing. I wasn’t sure if maybe he saw something suspicious. I doubted he would want to help me, not after what I did to him, but since he was in a good mood, I thought maybe I could try my hand at figuring it out.

  “Which one?” Geoffrey asked. He moved with confidence to the two chairs placed in front of his desk.

  That was a fair question.

  “August thirteenth,” I said. I straightened, afraid to touch anything from behind the desk. I had already gone through enough. The last thing I needed was him being upset that I was rifling through his desk while he was answering my questions. Plus, I didn’t like to take advantage of a blind man while he was present, even if that blind man was Geoffrey. “The night...the one that occurred the same night of Anna’s murder.”

  “Are you...are you suggesting I killed Anna Skaarsgard?” His fingers gripped the back of the chair, though they weren’t holding onto the old wood tight. He didn’t seem...mad about the question.

  In fact, I wasn’t asking that, though maybe he knew who did kill Anna, especially if Sabrina sent him to follow her around after discovering another one of her husband’s affairs.

  Except, how would he know? He was at the party. And unless he left the party when he realized Anna wasn’t there, he wouldn’t know who actually killed her.

  “No,” I said. “Actually...actually, I was wondering if you noticed anyone there who might have been off. Like, I don’t know, anyone that caught your eye, something that didn’t sit right with you.”