Risky Business

by J B Trepagnier

  “My priority was getting her out of there. We both know she would not leave until they were dead. It would have been quicker to channel our fire and kill them than it would have been to talk her into leaving. If we had stayed there any longer trying to get her to leave, we might have found out they had weapons that could have killed us both. Would you like your face to look like mine because you portalled her home without her consent? She beat the shit out of Zepar and me for doing that.”

  “You both had it coming,” I pouted, sitting down.

  I knew everything he said was right, but I also felt so fucking helpless right now. I should have been in there with her. Since I had a flesh and blood body now, I couldn’t see things through her eyes anymore. I couldn’t visit her dreams unless I was asleep, and I was way too keyed up to sleep right now. I wanted to punch something, and Eiltan was right there looking very punchable.

  I knew I should have been blaming that fucking coven. They were the ones who framed her and experimented on her. One of them pulled the trigger and shot her. They were all burned to a crisp, and I couldn’t kill them a second time, so I was blaming Eiltan. I knew it wasn’t rational, and I’d eventually have to apologize to him, but I couldn’t help what I was feeling right now. I was her guardian! She wasn’t supposed to be getting shot when she was with me.

  I was about to just start breaking things in the room when Doctor Bogthon finally came out. We all jumped to our feet and crowded around him. The first words out of his mouth better be that she was just fine and resting. Everyone else felt the same way as I did. I was just the only one throwing a tantrum like a baby Fae.

  “The bullet didn’t hit anything major, and it was a clean wound. I was able to get it out, and I’ve got her on an IV to help with the iron poisoning. There’s a water demon sitting with her healing the wound now.”

  “Can we see her?” we all said at once.

  Doctor Bogthon must deal with a lot of eager men who were willing to kill someone if their mate got hurt because he knew just how to deal with us.

  “I’d let you in there right now, even though she is sleeping, but water demons need peace and quiet to heal. You’re all quite agitated right now and for a good reason. If you leave her alone with Serafina for another hour, when she wakes up, the wound will be healed, and she’ll only have a slight amount of soreness. Can you do that for me?”

  I could put a lid on my rage and stop acting like a teenager for an hour if it meant she wouldn’t hurt when she woke up.

  But only an hour. After an hour, I was kicking that door down.

  Chapter 43

  Skoll

  M

  y wolf and I were going just as crazy as Fergus was acting, but if I didn’t sit here and concentrate on my breathing, I would shift and kill someone. I didn’t blame Eiltan like he was doing. I think Fergus knew deep down doing what Eiltan did was the only way she would leave. If there were armed witches and warlocks in that window with a gun like Finn’s, if anyone had opened a portal and tried to throw her through it to make her leave, she could have gotten hit again, or more of us could have gotten shot. Someone could have died. Someone other than those fucking witches and warlocks.

  I spent hundreds of years in Scorchwood with no outside stimulation, but that hour in the waiting room while the water demon healed her felt way longer than my years in jail. I was trying so hard not to wolf out in the middle of this waiting room.

  There was so much I didn’t understand. Fergus and Eiltan were talking about iron poisoning and IVs. I had no idea what any of that meant. I didn’t understand the world around me anymore, and it was hitting me so hard right now because I couldn’t understand what was being done to treat my mate.

  I suppose all I really needed to know was that she would be okay, and, in an hour, it would be like no one shot her, but still, when was anything going to make sense? Why did they even make guns like the one Finn carried, and if iron weakness was such a Fae secret, how did the witches and warlocks know about it to get iron bullets made?

  I liked Doctor Bogthon. I liked him when he gave me an exam because he answered all my stupid questions, and the treatments he recommended were strengthening me. I trusted him to help Serafina, and he did. I just needed to see her with my own two eyes and touch her.

  Doctor Bogthon came out as soon as our hour was up.

  “You can go in now. She’s awake. I will need to ask her a few questions. Please let me finish, and then you can talk to her.”

  We all scrambled to our feet and went running. She was sitting up in bed like she was waiting for us. They had changed her clothing, and she was wearing some strange shift. Her arm was wrapped in some device like it was still injured.

  “I thought you said she was healed?” I growled. “Why does she have that thing on her arm?”

  “It’s just a sling. She will have a limited range of motion for a few days. Do you mind?”

  Serafina didn’t let him talk either.

  “What the fuck just happened? I woke up, and a woman was standing over me, and my arm was cold. And why the fuck do I have to pee so badly?”

  “Water demons have healing power. She was healing your wound. You’ll have to keep that sling on for a few days, but your pain should be minimal. You’ll have to stay here and finish the chelation treatment for iron poisoning. One of the side effects is frequent urination. How are you feeling right now? Any pain or nausea? How is your stomach?”

  “I’m pissed off. One of those witches fucking shot me, and I can only kill someone once.”

  “Yes, aside from being angry, how do you feel physically? Any pain?”

  “No, the water demon took care of that. Can I thank her later? Aside from being pissed and having to pee, I’m just fine. When can I go home?”

  “You got shot with an iron bullet, Serafina. You can’t go home right away. You aren’t Superwoman.”

  “No, I’m Elemental Batwoman,” she pouted.

  “I’m sorry?” he said.

  “Nothing. Can I pee?”

  We all jumped up to help her, but my wolf had finally calmed down. She was back to being prickly and sassy, just the way I liked her. She didn’t seem like she was in pain either. I could feel it through our mate bond now that she was awake. Her shoulder was a dull ache like mine was sometimes after an intense workout.

  I still needed to touch her. My wolf needed to scent her and make sure she wasn’t sick. I didn’t know the first thing about iron poisoning or what the fuck chelation therapy was, but I trusted my nose, and it would tell me if she was sick.

  She wasn’t limping when she came out of the bathroom, but she had a demon, a Fae, and a Vampire fussing over her. I gave her space because I knew she hated it when people made a big deal over her. She was still getting used to letting people take care of her.

  I pounced as soon as she got back into bed. She was giggling as I sniffed her from head to toe. She grabbed me when I got to her head and gave me a passionate kiss.

  “What does your wolf say? Do I stink?”

  I nuzzled her neck.

  “You smell delicious. Whatever Doctor Bogthon did to you, you don’t smell as sick as you did after you got shot.”

  “I agree,” Roman said, taking her other hand.

  “You should never have been shot under my watch, my Ena,” Fergus said.

  “Stop that, Fergus. How were we to know the witches had guns? Aside from Finn, most witches and warlocks don’t use them.”

  “Still, I should have been prepared for anything.”

  “Don’t do that, Fergus. I was the one that stuck my head out from behind the tree to start the fire. This isn’t your fault. Besides, once this IV finishes, I’ll be good as new. Right, doctor?”

  “She’s right. And look on the bright side. It will please Bael to know those witches are dead. He sent a message earlier. He demanded top treatment for Serafina. The only reason he hasn’t come was that he knew she would pull through, and he’s given Warden Skinner another round
of torture to see if she’s withholding any information.”

  “She fears me. Could I get out of here sooner if I could get more information out of her? I can’t kill her coven a second time, but I wouldn’t mind taking out on her the fact that those assholes shot me.”

  “No!” we all yelled at the same time.

  She could have her funsies on Warden Skinner after she completed her treatment.

  Chapter 44

  Serafina

  S

  o, we stopped a hostile takeover of Hell, and some witches fucking shot me. Bael was being a total spoilsport and wouldn’t let me anywhere near Warden Skinner. He thought I would maim her to the point she got dead. Honestly, I probably would, so I let it drop.

  I’d done my treatment and peed a lot. I was released from the hospital, and now it was time to go to the Fae realm with my father. I was stressing about it. Ior had started bringing the treatments back and spreading the word that I helped to do it. Eiltan said people wanted to meet me, but I had my doubts.

  “What are they going to say when we get there, and they see what I did to your face? You’re a prince for fuck’s sake!”

  Eiltan just laughed.

  “They’ll say you’re a true Sunshadow, my dear. Now, are you ready?”

  I so wasn’t. We were supposed to go after breakfast, and I so wasn’t ready for this shit. I didn’t know much about the Fae, but everything I’d learned so far was that they all wanted me dead. They wanted Fergus dead too.

  “How do you know they won’t kill Fergus or me?”

  “Because my father has already started changing the laws. It’s now illegal to kill a guardian for loving their charge. He’s still working on opening the portal. You can help with that, Serafina. We need you.”

  I sighed. I needed to put on my big girl panties and do this. Once this was over, I was taking a bubble bath with Skoll and playing with my men.

  “Okay, let’s do this.”

  Fergus wrapped his arms around my waist.

  “The Fae are friendly people, my Ena.”

  “If they aren’t, I’ll just go full demon and gore them with my horn,” Amduscias said.

  “Yeah, I’ll rip their fucking heads off,” Roman said.

  I held up my hand.

  “How about we not kill anyone in the Fae realm just yet?”

  My father didn’t have me open the portal since I hadn’t been to the Fae realm yet, but I’d been practicing opening portals all over the place now that he’d taught me. I was sure I was getting annoying with it. I was portalling from upstairs to downstairs, but it was just so fucking cool I could do that.

  We all let Eiltan go in first, and I was shocked when I stepped through. If anyone cared enough about me topside to have thrown me a surprise party, that’s basically what I just walked into—a big, fairy surprise party.

  I stepped into this vast ballroom that looked like some set in a fantasy movie, and Fae were standing all over the place. The crowd broke, and I could see a huge carpet leading up to a dais. Holy shit, Ior was sitting on a huge silver throne. Eiltan took my hand and led me up the rug. There was a chair up there for all my mates and me too.

  I was trying not to turn purple as all these Fae lords and ladies started clapping on my way up. With my luck, I would trip and faceplant right in the middle of this fancy gold carpet and embarrass myself. I wasn’t even dressed right for this. All the Fae were dressed in silver and light blue. I was in a black corset and a long purple skirt. My men were all in black too. They looked sexy as fuck, but we all looked like we came straight from Hell.

  Ior stood when he saw me and gave me this little bow.

  “Princess Serafina Sunshadow!” he yelled, introducing me.

  Okay, we hadn’t talked about that. We hadn’t talked about me taking their last name, and they knew I didn’t want to be a princess. I would not make a scene, but we would have to talk later. Ior introduced all my men, then indicated we should sit. He started pacing in front of his throne.

  “My granddaughter and her mates are responsible for helping bring a remedy to our people. I think that means it’s high time we change how we look at halflings. She’s more than proven herself resourceful and brave. She captured Zepar single handedly, and she helped stop a revolution in Hell. That’s more than some Fae can say they have done in their lifetime, and she’s quite young.

  “So, I say to you, why are we keeping the door to the Fae realm closed? Why are we not mixing with other supernaturals? Fate has chosen to mate her with a wolf, a Vampire, a demon, and her guardian loves her too. We Fae don’t deny ourselves love when it comes to other Fae. How do we know we can’t have the same happiness she has outside of our realm?”

  I closed my eyes. I was waiting for screams of judgment. I was waiting for someone to start yelling to kill both me and Fergus. I opened my eye a crack when it didn’t happen. No, they started clapping and hooting. These snooty Fae were acting like Americans at a football game at the idea. Well, I’ll be totally fucked. Ior addressed the crowd again when they started to die down.

  “Serafina doesn’t want to take the throne—”

  They actually started booing. Did they seriously want me as their queen? Serafina, the street urchin, as the queen of the Fae? I’d give it a week before they were screaming for my head. I was bound to fuck up and kill the wrong person. Besides, I was a psycho, and you never wanted a psychopath running a country. History had taught us that much.

  “Now, now,” Ior said. “She doesn’t want to be queen, but she has agreed to be the ambassador for any halflings born topside. Eiltan will be taking over as king as soon as things are running smoothly, and there’s someone he’d like to introduce you to. Eiltan?”

  Eiltan held out his hand, and a beautiful Fae woman came out. Seriously, she was so pretty she made every other Fae in the room pale in comparison, and there were a lot of lovely people here.

  “I believe you all know Teafa. I’ve been in love with her for years, and she’s agreed to be my wife. We will start working on the next heir to the Fae throne as soon as we are wed. I hope Serafina will guide her little brothers and sisters.”

  When did he do this? When did he have time to propose, and why didn’t he tell me? And little brothers and sisters? Sign me the fuck up. I’d always wanted siblings. It sounded like I would be making a lot more trips to the Fae realm than I thought. I would have a family—with a dad, a stepmom, and brothers and sisters. I couldn’t even imagine that. Would she love me like she did her own children?

  Teafa turned and gave me a kind smile.

  “I hope you’ll stick around and give me more time to get to know you.”

  Oh, my god, was I about to cry? Right in front of all these fairies? I sniffled and tried to control myself. Fergus grabbed one hand, and Amduscias grabbed the other. Get it under control, Serafina. Don’t cry in front of the Fae.

  “I’d like that,” I said once I was sure I would not start ugly crying in front of all these people.

  “I have a few more announcements,” Ior said. “Serafina has also discovered some unsettling developments with our business venture Scorchwood Supernatural Penitentiary. A coven has been diverting funds and experimenting on patients. They were even framing our elemental offspring hoping to steal magic.

  “I’m happy to report we’ve overturned the charges on all the elementals that were framed. They have all returned to their lives topside. We have a team reviewing the sentence of every prisoner in Scorchwood at the moment. Some prisoners who have been there a long time have been given cruel and unusual punishments with some things that have come to light.

  “We have a team reviewing sentences now. The men you see sitting on stage right now have been granted a pardon. They have paid for their crimes, and they are now free to come and go as they please. This is also being done for every inmate in Scorchwood. More dangerous prisoners have been moved to the maximum-security prison Silverhold Detention Center for the Magically Delinquent, and some have been mo
ved to other facilities while we review their sentences.

  “The board is still deciding if we will close Scorchwood or use the funds recovered from Warden Skinner to do the necessary upgrades. These upgrades will take years as they should have been done gradually over decades.

  “The demons have allowed us to keep the prison there as long as demons staff it if it reopens. There will be a demon warden, and the guards should be a mix of demons and other supernaturals. I agree with this. If there had been more oversight, this never would have happened, and I take full responsibility for that. If we are going to have business ventures in other realms, we need to include the inhabitants and have our people on staff. Now, let us celebrate!”

  The crowd went wild, but I needed a minute to process. Were we all free now? My guys were free too. We could go anywhere. There were still parts of Hell I wanted to explore, and my father wanted to show us the Fae realm. There were also plenty of places topside that I wanted to see. This was all open to me now. Amazing.

  This music started playing, and I’d never heard music like that before. My preference was Norwegian death metal, but there was something eerie about the violins, cellos, and flutes playing with the drums and electric guitars. I liked it. Could I buy Fae music CDs here? I didn’t even know what kind of currency they used in the Fae realm. I knew I didn’t have any, but maybe my father would spot me some to buy some music.

  Amduscias and Fergus pulled me to my feet.

  “Dance with us.”

  I rarely danced, but I was digging the vibe from this music. I ended up dancing with all of them. Amduscias and Fergus danced like knights out of an old movie. They spun me all over the floor, and Fergus even dipped me. There was something hugely erotic about getting dipped by a massive blond Fae to this music. I would have to attack him later.

  Skoll just grabbed my waist and swayed with me. I rested my head on his chest and listened to his heartbeat. This was nice. I could do this again. Roman danced like a total maniac. He reminded me of some college kid strung out on LSD head banging at a rave. The Fae on the dance floor gave him a considerable berth, but I was laughing and having a blast the entire time.