by Erin R Flynn
“What?” Iolas growled, the other light fairies immediately on guard.
“It’s fine,” I promised. “I handled it. I’ll continue to handle him as needed.” I winced when I felt magic ramp up. “Enough!” I turned so I could face them all. “Enough already! All this shit has to end. You were locked away for twenty fucking years because of this fighting. We cannot continue this way and survive!”
“I agree,” Neldor said. “Which is why we are to—”
“Fight on behalf of our people,” I cut in, nodding when he gave me a pissed look. “Agree now. No more of this light versus dark shit. We are all fairies and we are in deep shit. You know this. If there are problems, we can fucking come to blows as the royals or whatever, but we’re not doing this anymore. No more wars!”
“Champion warfare is a way of fairies, but can only be fought between the queens or heirs,” Iolas explained.
I nodded. “There is no dark fairy heir. I get that. I’ll limit my power level. We can dampen me to whatever level or something. I won’t use what I can feel from him or no magic and we’ll just fight. I don’t care. No more wars or fighting between people. We will take the burden.”
“That is ridiculous to even consider when we’re—”
“We are not betrothed,” I snapped. “I already told them the truth.” I stormed over to him and shoved him, much to the shock of everyone there. “And you owe me this given you were going to use my being drained after unfreezing Cluym to take control of the situation and announce I’d already agreed to it by royal fucking vow!” I ignored the gasps behind me and kept his gaze, not hiding my hate for him.
He ground his jaw. “Clearly, you’re more powerful than the fairy rune to block telepathy.”
“Yeah, I am, and you’re an asshole. It still wouldn’t have worked. I wasn’t kidding Neldor. I would rather die than be sold to you, and I would kill you rather than allow you trap me into mating you and you just take over while I do what you need me to with Faerie. Your hand is not going up my ass to puppet me. I’ve fought that all my life and you, of all people, will not win.
“But this is about more than you and me. This about the survival of all our people. This is about the survival of our world, Neldor. So promise me it now with witnesses. I could be unfair and make you do it. I’m more powerful than you. I’m willing to do it and level the playing field so no one else gets hurt. No more fighting and losing fairies. Isn’t that what you want, or is it truly all about you getting power?”
Rage filled his eyes. He didn’t like his honor poked.
Then he should stop doing things that made people question it.
“Only if you end your entanglement with the vampire.”
“No. You don’t dictate to me. I’m offering you something fair here we should do for our people, and you’re being selfish. You’re not the heir and you have no leg to stand on to demand extra. You’re lucky I don’t kick your ass all over the fucking place and toss you out after what you wanted to pull today. So agree because it’s the right thing, or you’re really going to push me too far.”
“Fine,” he bit out. “We have an agreement. I swear to champion warfare between the two of us as long as you reserve your excess power. It will be how any conflicts or issues are handled between light and dark fairies for the foreseeable future until the time we both agree a change is needed.”
I glanced over at Dean White, thinking those terms were specific and ones I didn’t understand. She gave a swift nod. So at least they were the right ones.
“I swear the same,” I agreed, extending my hand to him. He clasped my forearm and magic flared between us in a quick flash.
Okay then. So that was a thing.
I stared at my hand a minute after I let go of him, but then shook my head. We had more important things to handle. “We need a plan.”
“The plan is simple. We—” Neldor started.
“Cool, you’re more than welcome to leave here and form whatever plan with whomever you unfreeze,” I taunted, raising an eyebrow at him when several people smirked. “Stop trying to take over, asshole, and maybe I’ll start listening to you for anything. You’ve been here for weeks only.”
“That makes you one of the last people to logically decide how to get others acclimated when you are not acclimated yet yourself,” Craftsman drawled. “Your input could be valuable if we could trust it—trust you—but that’s your fault we don’t.”
Claudia cut in before Neldor blasted us. “While you were hesitant to think of this future because it would make the pressure already crushing you worse, we were not.” She gestured to herself and Geiger. “We have a plan. We’re going to need to tweak it but honestly, I wonder if Faerie knew and that is why you unlocked a captain and three lieutenants of the Light Guardians.”
I gasped as her meaning sunk in. “Real help.”
“Yes, real help.”
“I take offense—” Neldor bitched.
She ignored him and went on, flooring all the fairies there. “Light Guardians are—to put it in terms you would understand—royal guards. It’s more, and I certainly shouldn’t explain it to you or your culture, but I know you well enough to know how to put it in your frame of reference. They are leaders who people listen to.”
“That’s awesome. What else?” I pushed as I sat back down and kept eating.
“You bought two hotels that were up for auction,” she continued. “We can’t stash them at the estates you inherited. They’re watched too much and enemies circle them.” I knew that, so clearly she was explaining for the others. “And you need to require each fairy to do what you are now at the havens.”
I froze with my burger halfway to my mouth. Smiling at her. “You are so worth every dollar of your billable hours and then some, Claudia. That’s genius.”
She shot me a wink. “We’ve already started with some ideas and people who’ve offered to help. I suggest we call a meeting of those you’ve trusted with this secret and outline the plan. They can see where any problems might be and assist. You need help, and this isn’t the part you should handle. You will beat yourself up constantly if you’re not unfreezing others, and you cannot keep going at the pace you have been.”
I swallowed loudly as I felt lots of heavy, agreeing gazes on me. “No, I can’t. I know that. I can delegate and accept help. I have. There’s just been so much bad that it all couldn’t wait.”
“We know, Tamsin,” she whispered. “You’ve pulled miracles out left and right. It’s what you do. What your people do. You just have support now. They facilitate clearing the darkness in Faerie with Prince Neldor and handle all you have been alone while you keep up appearances and unfreeze more support.”
I bobbed my head as I let that sink in, more than willing to have people tag in. “I think then, the next ones to unfreeze are whatever the counters to the Light Guardians are. We need people who everyday fairies will listen to.” I gestured with my head towards Neldor. “But won’t immediately take over.”
“You’re going to unfreeze dark fairies next? Truly?” Neldor asked, not hiding his shock at all.
I blinked at him, my heart hurting for some reason at what I saw in his eyes. “I know you hold no respect for me and think me a complete disappointment, but I am not a bad person. I might not be like any of you because I didn’t grow up like you, but I’m still fair. Of course I’m going to unfreeze dark fairies too.”
“Yes, of course, but I assumed once all the light fairies were done—”
“You need to start listening to her,” Lucca bit out. “She has said several times that you are all fairies, and she doesn’t give a fuck who is light or dark. She has not done one cruel thing where you should assume that of her.”
I didn’t wait for Neldor’s response, wanting to get a jump on this. “Make the call and let’s see who we can get, even if it’s just for a drink after dinner or whatever. For now, Cluym can speak on behalf of the dark fairies and have input on how we set this up.”
&n
bsp; “I agree,” Dean White said but then frowned, reaching in her pocket and pulling out her phone. “Collins needs to speak with you and from the tone of this message, it’s important.”
Great, just fucking great.
10
“Thank you for seeing me,” Dean Collins greeted as he came through the portal in the garage.
“I don’t have much time as there’s a meeting starting soon that you’ll be invited to depending on how this one goes,” I informed him as I led him into the house. “What did you need me for?”
“You asked me for answers months ago and I have them now.”
That was interesting. If they were the ones I wanted, the only ones I could think of I had asked from him, I’d given him that task almost a year ago. He was only giving me answers now?
“I can smell the distrust pouring off of you and I deserve it,” he grumbled. “But it took time to do this right and quietly. I also didn’t want to come every time I crossed off a name or lead.”
“That’s fair.” I gestured at the table for him to sit and then slid onto a chair… The other fairies sitting around me. Even Neldor was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. I’d warned them about my past with Collins and wanted them to see firsthand how bad things truly were for us.
Which was why they were all wearing telepathy runes.
“Pr-Prince Neldor?” he stuttered. “Damnit. Now I will never get a chance at any of the estates if she has backup. I’ll never have her blood again for sure. Though more of them might be the only way I survive when the council learns I lied to them.”
He was such a wonderful person, I just wanted to dropkick him off that mountain Neldor had taken me to.
We let Collins and his thoughts race, something he seemed to understand, wincing and clearing his throat. “So you’ve clearly gotten into Faerie and found others.”
“What did you need, Collins?” I asked. “Would you like something to drink? Not me ever again, but tea perhaps?”
He went pale as all of us stared at him with our disgust. “I’m fine, thank you.” He cleared his throat again and pulled out a book from his coat. He put it on the table and slid it over to me. “I am of the firm belief that mental illness runs in Mason’s family and the ramblings in there are of a madman.”
I caught the journal, understanding it was Mason’s grandfather’s journal Mason had learned so much from. I tapped my fingers on it. “Your proof?”
“Mostly that there is no proof that anything he writes in there is accurate.” He held up his hand to hold off my rebuttal. “Yes, the potion you were drugged with was real. It almost killed you. I talked with both Edelman and Salzman, and we think that is probably what happened to the fairy written about in that journal. From the writings, the deceased Mr. Rodriguez states the fairy was of no mentionable birth.
“However, she was powerful and hundreds of years old and that was what he thought caught his heart and bear. It’s a lot of insanity wrapped around snippets of truth. I showed Edelman what I found and he agrees that Mr. Rodriguez killed the fairy and lost his mind from there. There is no proof he had any children with anyone other than his mate. And only one. Before that all happened.”
“Did he lose his mate?” Iolas asked.
“Yes, from the records I found, she died giving birth to Mason’s father.”
“If they were fated mates or even just their bears bonded, that would explain a bear losing his mind if she died,” Iolas told me.
“Yes, but the family possibly has mental issues in their bloodline as Mason is proof of,” Collins added. “I checked the names in the book of the supposed children and there is no record. He doesn’t list the names of who he sold them to, but he writes enough that there were glaring hints and… None of them had random, unexplained adoptions or sudden mates.
“I poured over family trees and matings, and there simply is not a single shred of evidence to any of it. If I found one among the dozens he claims, I would have continued and kept going but… He was unhinged. There is truly nothing there. Edelman agrees.” He pulled out a USB drive from his coat and slid it over as well. “That is all of my research, even scanned documents from archives.”
“Which makes you very nervous to give her,” Iolas muttered. “Why?”
“You aren’t supposed to have access to them or copy them,” I answered, raising an eyebrow when Collins winced. “Why?”
“I owe you for what I did. I did not think you were as injured and traumatized as you were. It was selfish and—I am a rat bastard. I have never said otherwise. But even I have lines, Ms. Vale, and practically emotionally raping a student is well over them. I hope once you look this over, you see I am willing to make amends.”
“Because he needs your help,” Neldor surmised.
“Wait, let’s finish this first,” I muttered. “How did you get access to this stuff if you can’t normally?”
Collins sighed. “I can. I’m a dean at Artemis. I have access to a lot because of that and for research. Copying and giving any of it to you with how many councils are gunning for you is what makes me so nervous. There are several family trees of elite vampires on that drive. If my council finds out I gave copies of them to you… Artemis will have one less dean.”
I bobbed my head and then sighed. “You are a rat bastard, Collins, but you’ve kept your word with me. I’ll keep mine with you. And yes, this goes a long way to clearing the debt you have with me. You knew White could have done more and better for me, that you weren’t my only option that night. You’re a sneaky man and took advantage of the situation.
“I can’t even fault you that. What was so egregious to me was I tried to get you to drink from my wrist and you demanded my neck. That is your crime with me. It was obvious I couldn’t handle that and you pushed me, knowing my friends were in danger and I would do it to protect them.
He let out a long sigh. “I’m not sure I had enough depth of thought that night after you agreed to let me drink from you.”
I blinked at him. “My blood affected you.”
He gave a swift nod and suddenly found my backyard interesting. “It took me weeks to accept the bagged blood again. You have supercharged blood and are too powerful for a vampire to drink from.”
I sat with that a few moments. “Is Neldor right? Do you need my help?”
He didn’t answer at first, unbuttoning his jacket, but not taking it off as if saying he understood he could be thrown out at any moment. “I would like to work together and see if it can’t be mutually beneficial.”
“Meaning you don’t want to be indebted to me, but it wouldn’t cost me anything to use you since it would help you when you’re in a bad spot,” I clarified.
He shook his head. “People really don’t give you enough credit for how smart you are.”
“No, they don’t, and for all your faults, that is never something you’ve ever done.”
He gave me a tired smile. “My mate is much smarter than I am. Women are normally smarter than men. I don’t need to be convinced of that. I’m simply a greedy bastard who wants to give her more than a dean of a college—even Artemis—could ever dream.”
“Keep playing straight with me and I can make that happen.” I nodded I was serious. “You won’t ever be my favorite person, Collins, but you have kept your word with me and that carries a lot of weight. I also know you treasure your mate and treat her like a queen. That does as well. You now know I have help and the tide is turning. I need more time. Lay it out for us and let’s get this done.”
He let out a slow breath. “Okay.”
It was exactly what I expected when I realized he wanted something. The council had sent word they wanted him to start digging into me and get them something about me they could use. Their plans with Blake Ward had blown up. The warlock elders were fucking things up all over and while people were outraged over Ainsworth, they were going to take another shot at me.
Because the new rumor was I’d lost the prot
ection of the Rothchild clan, given my best friend had dumped me.
I wasn’t sure part of that rumor wasn’t wrong.
“I need some answers before I can formulate a full plan,” I admitted. “First, can your mate be pulled from view like we did Craftsman’s mom?”
“It depends on how long,” he hedged. “She works with humans, but she could take a medical or unpaid leave, yes. She has the years and seniority at the company.” He winced. “She loves that job though.”
“We could make sure she kept it or found another of the same she would love,” Iolas muttered, studying me closely.
I nodded I heard him, ignoring his gaze. “Then is there something we can do as fairies that locks up secrets as effectively as the magical tats my security and friends have?”
“Which the councils can sense and cause all kinds of problems,” Collins worried.
“Yes, but it’s…” Iolas trailed off, giving a sigh and rubbing his hand over his face. “We would lock him from being able to discuss it.”
“That doesn’t help a telepathy rune,” I worried.
“It does,” another light fairy promised. “It cuts it out, sort of how radio would have dead air instead of curse words. It would be the same in his mind and he couldn’t speak on it, so it would never register as a lie.”
“It’s how we keep young fairies from discussing secrets they shouldn’t,” Neldor muttered. “And we will be taking that knowledge from you, Collins. You know more than any of us are comfortable with.”
Collins snorted. “I wish I hadn’t been there that night for the meeting and ever learned of you, Ms. Vale.”
“Oh, I think that still a better outcome than you not being there that night and becoming a patsy for your council,” I challenged. His thoughts told me that was fair and he was grateful I hadn’t hung him out to dry. “We’ll help, but give me a few days to figure out how is the best way to use this to our advantage. There is something else I want that will actually help you stay safer.”