by J A S Bennet
“Tea is horrid. I can’t drink this and I need caffeine. Like bad.” Jenny tried another sip just to be sure, but spit it back out into the cup. There was no hope for this nastiness. It was not going to do the job.
“Yeah, I’m not drinking that shit, I’m fully prepared to walk to the pub for my caffeine fix. I will not go without. I just wanted to check in here to see if they had gotten a coffee maker yet, but I guess not. How many times are they going to fly our coffee in before they figure out we need a means to make our own? Amazon must not deliver to these parts. I’m heading out now, want to come along?”
“Yes!” Jenny was absolutely ready to chance running into Tadhg again so soon. “I mean, yes, I would. Thank you.”
A high-pitched, squeaky voice reminded, “Cream?”
Jenny enjoyed the look on Ava’s face at hearing the disembodied voice. “Coming right up,” she said, as she dumped out her tea concoction and grabbed a new cup. Pouring a healthy serving of cream in it, she took it over by the oven. Ava just watched in confusion as the cup floated through the air and the cream disappeared.
“I’m even more tired than I thought. What the fuck is happening? I’m having hallucinations or premature hot flashes or something aren’t I? Though as far as things that can be premature go, hot flashes aren’t the worst. Tell me what this thing is, Jenny, before I lose my shit in the kitchen.”
Jenny smiled a knowing smile. “It’s a friend of Sheridan’s, he likes cream.”
Ava looked over at where the voice came from. “Well that explains a lot. Another woodling, just what we needed.” Ava shrugged and was out the door before Grog reappeared and moved to the sink to wash up the two dirty cups. He was a helpful little guy, if not the weirdest thing Jenny had ever seen.
As soon as Sheridan opened her eyes, she wanted to jump out her door into the forest and check on all the trees. Lightning wasn’t the same kind of enemy as the Darkness was, but it could start a fire inside of a tree that appears unharmed from the outside. This was going to be a long and tiring day, not to mention the potential for intense grief she could be feeling hours from now depending on if they suffered any complete losses.
She attempted to roll over and was stopped, by another body in her bed. She gasped. The memory of what they’d done was clear as a bell, but she didn’t remember discussing Deaglan spending the night?
“Good morning, Agra.” He put his hands behind his head and looked so very delicious. A woman could get used to waking up to that. It was a good thing Sheridan wasn’t much of a breakfast person, because she was tempted to eat him up.
She wanted to kiss him good morning, but dragon breath was not appealing. She decided to start by pulling down the sheet a little and kissing his belly while running her hand down his thigh.
“Honey, if you start that, we will be here all day.” He smiled down at her.
She smiled back and rested her cheek on his warm chest, then wrapped her arms around him. Deciding she better get a little distance, because she really wanted to stay in this bed with him, she quickly hopped out of bed in nothing but her underwear. After all, she had her forest to check on. She turned toward him unabashed and told him they really needed to get going.
She disappeared into her bathroom. Deaglan kept his eyes on her until she shut the door. He let out a sound that was a cross between a groan and a moan of pain. Her ass was just as enticing as the other parts he got to see last night. His regular hard-on just turned to something more painful. He, in theory, agreed, but his body and heart were fighting his mind.
Sheridan burst from the bathroom before he could convince his body to go along with his brain. She was dressed, except for shoes, and her hair hadn’t been touched. It still had that sexy bedhead look. Her face had him jumping out of bed though.
“Ava needs help. She’s in the woods. We have to go. Now.” She sounded calm but determined, and he knew to listen. She walked to her terrace door and looked back at him. She just gazed at him for a moment. He felt vulnerable and exposed to her. “I will meet you there.” Her wings emerged and as he watched her take flight his heart did a little flip. He didn’t even have time to think to ask where he was supposed to be going.
22
Aftermath
The devastation caused by the storm was immense. Cian’s walk from the pub to the castle with coffee and a warm Diet Mountain Dew was filled with views of strewn limbs and damaged trunks. His favorite sight to see was Ava, wearing another suit and hiking boots, walking through the carnage toward him with Jenny. He saw her a long while before she noticed him, so he could observe her without her knowing he was there. His eyes went over every inch of her body. He didn’t allow himself to look at her too much, even though his whole body urged him to. Every lean muscle of hers called out to him in ways he didn’t even understand. It was best to stop where his mind was taking him before he embarrassed himself completely and had to adjust himself.
Her long, sure strides brought her closer and closer to him and his body was reacting to the possibility of touching her again. One of his favorite memories was lifting her drunk ass over his shoulder, carrying her up the stairs, and depositing her safely in the chopper. The feel of her in his arms was right, he knew that was true. Ava rolled her eyes, no doubt at something Jenny was saying. Despite it being super annoying to watch, he smiled at her personality. The smile is what made her notice him.
His private observation of her was over. He watched as her face assumed a scowl; she was obviously preparing for another verbal spar with him. Without saying a word, he lifted up the caddy he was carrying her coffees in and bent slightly at the waist. Her scowl broke for a split second, and he saw she was grateful.
She stopped in place. Jenny nearly ran up her back from behind. Slowly, he straightened up and stepped one foot in front of the other until she was within reach. He smirked. Jenny grabbed her coffee and was off again. Cian turned back to Ava. “Were you coming to visit me?”
“Nope, just coming to get my coffees. As much as it pains me to say,” she replied with a long drawn out sigh, taking the coffees he offered her and began to chug it down. He knew she was appreciative of the morning caffeine, she was just cranky until it kicked in. “Thank you.”
“Ah, see? Your manners have improved since ye arrived.”
Ava glared at him over the edge of her first coffee cup, knowing it would in no way be as effective as a Sheridan look would be.
“Thank you, Cian.” Jenny held her coffee, but didn’t drink it. He vaguely remembered how she usually adds sugar and creamer to it, making it more of a candy than a beverage, in his opinion. He would stick to tea. “How are things at the pub? The woods look like an EF five went through.”
“EF five? Is that a curse word? A location on a map?” Cian didn’t appreciate how Ava was laughing at him.
“It’s the most damaging level of tornado.” Jenny clarified. “There are a lot of tornadoes in Iowa. We saw a huge uprooted tree out there.”
Cian flinched at that. That was not good. The winds must have been stronger here than at the pub. “No, no funnel clouds were reported. There was a tree limb that fell on our roof. It would have done some damage to the helicopter if it had been up there, but otherwise, everything is fine there. The damage to these trees and the rising death toll of woodland beasts is concerning.”
“Death toll? Sheridan is going to shit a brick.” Ava was turned around heading back to the castle. Cian could have handed off the other bottle he was supposed to deliver, but he followed her instead. She didn’t seem to like it. Waving him off, she said, “Get lost. We’ve got it from here. We don’t need you bringing up the rear.”
He chuckled at her comment. He could’ve thought of several ways of addressing what she just said, none of them good. He decided to stay with the safest option. “I’m just doing my duty.”
“Well, I don’t need your protection.” Ava had turned around to confront him face to face, but she wasn’t good at walking in those hiking boots.
With his hands on his hips, he watched her trip over a fallen limb. He was fast and could have caught her, but he didn’t.
He stood still and watched her attempt to recover. She probably could have done it if she would have let go of her coffee, but her priorities were different than his. Holding her coffee up, she went down and then cried out while grasping her ankle with her free hand.
“What the actual fuck? I can fight in high heels, but I can’t walk in boots? Couldn’t you have caught me, Cian?” Her angry look paralyzed him for a minute.
“Are you okay, Ava?” Jenny grabbed Ava’s coffee, so she could use both hands to get back to her feet.
Realizing she wouldn’t ask for his help, even though she clearly needed it, Cian walked past her. “You specifically told me you didn’t need my help. I was respecting your wishes. Besides, I have a delivery to make to the castle. I’m not following you, we are just heading in the same direction.”
After he was out of earshot, Ava got to her feet and tried limping along. Then she took her coffee from Jenny and leaned on her shoulder, attempting to hop her way home on one leg.
She thought about calling out to Cian for help, but the thought of giving him the satisfaction of her needing him for anything was too discouraging. After a particularly bad hop sent pain shooting up her leg, she almost reconsidered. Fortunately, Sheridan arrived at that moment, landing gracefully beside her, or she would have had to ask Cian for help after all. Ava pushed away from Jenny and leaned against a tree to rest her ankle.
“What did you do?” Sheridan’s tone was accusatory as she looked Ava up and down. Her eyes caught on the boots. “You know the thing about hiking boots is you have to use the laces.”
“Whoops.” Ava did not want to be told her pain was her own damn fault. “Well, none of my heels have laces, I’m used to slipping my feet in and off I go. Tying shoes is stupid. Who does that?”
“I came because I heard your scream. There are so many injuries and damaged beings I passed to come save you. The only difference is they aren’t responsible for their current condition.” Sheridan bent down and placed her hands on Ava’s ankle. She could feel the swelling there, but then she felt the healing heat leave her fingers like it had with the fawn and Ava sighed in relief. “Now, lace the damn boots up like a normal person and get ready to be by my side all day. We’ve got work to do.”
“Yes, Mom.” Having uttered those words, Ava looked up to see which Sheridan look she had earned. Indeed, it was a new one she’d not received before. If there was a whole set, she didn’t want to miss out on any. But she had just healed her sprained ankle without asking. Ava managed to mumble, “I mean thanks and whatever.”
“I will help! I’m looking forward to seeing more of you in action, Sheridan. You’re amazing.” Jenny didn’t seem to be negatively affected by lack of coffee, at all.
While Sheridan was dealing with Ava’s injury. Deaglan had arrived. He and Cian were discussing the state of the woods. Neither of them brought up their personal lives, particularly the fact they were both fucked. Deaglan, perhaps literally as of last night, as far as Cian knew. He didn’t seem to have that after-sex glow. In fact, he looked a little green. Something had happened. He knew that. Maybe Deaglan had actually fallen in love. May the gods help him.
“Sheridan flew past a lot of damage to get here quickly. I don’t know how she will handle it when she realizes all the loss. I’ve got to keep my eye on her.” Deaglan lowered his voice. “Are you seeing what I’m seeing?”
“Do you mean about how some trees have been blown over and lost limbs, but others have been intentionally damaged?” Cian nodded as he spoke. They both knew that the Darkness had used the storm as cover to increase the catastrophe.
They both watched in awe as Sheridan healed Ava’s ankle. Shawn had done that as often as necessary, but it never got less fascinating to see firsthand. It’s good Sheridan had a handle on that skill, because there would be many uses for it today.
Cian walked over to Sheridan and handed her the bottle he was delivering to her. “Thank you for your service.”
Sheridan nodded as she took her Dew from him. “Thank you for the caffeine.” It was weird he was thanking her; these skills had changed her life and the responsibility weighed heavy on her to use them for good. But she didn’t see it as a choice that she needed to be thanked for. “What’s the best way to survey the damage? There is a lot of ground to cover and I feel like I’m being pulled in several different directions at once.”
Deaglan stepped beside her. “Shawn usually followed the path of the storm. His reasoning was to heal things in the order they were hurt, unless he felt a catastrophic injury needed priority. So if you aren’t sure where to start, let’s go back to where the woods meet the sea and begin there.”
Sheridan started to follow him and then changed her mind when she saw her falcon friend. He swooped down, bopping her on the head before landing near her. She closed her eyes as she began to stroke his head feathers. The vision he shared was of a raccoon family trapped beneath a fallen trunk, then a new vision of something else that was injured and on and on until she opened her eyes, unable to take anymore.
“Take me to the raccoons,” she spoke to the falcon and then followed his lead. This was going to be a long and exhausting day.
She tried to take note during their journey of what trees she could come back and save. All throughout the forest, feathers, fur, and limbs were strewn about. It was as if a strategic bombing had taken place. She arrived to where the raccoons were trapped. With the help of the guardians, they were able to lift the tree from the family and save them. Again and again they saved animals and Sheridan tried to heal all their wounds. Sometimes it was too late or too much. Each death took a piece of her heart.
Ava and Jenny stayed close. They could only help when instructed, but it felt like they were somehow stronger together. They watched her as she walked up to a tree with tears in her eyes, tears she didn’t let fall. She placed her hands on the injured trunk and spoke to it in a whisper. Her focus was on that one tree. This one she could save. The bark healed and she did it again. Then again and again. Nary a tear fell.
They had reached the end of the destructive path when Sheridan stopped suddenly and went off the path. Everyone, including Deaglan, paused but followed. This time at a larger distance. Her footsteps slowed. It was as though she was forcing herself to move forward. A large oak, which had been pulled apart from its roots, was dropped twenty yards from where it had lived its life.
Sheridan kept walking. She couldn’t save this one. They all knew that. She looked back over her shoulder at her new friends, appearing more broken than anyone could comprehend. She had made it all day, but now a tear was sliding down her face. “I need a minute,” she mumbled with a sob in her throat.
Deaglan watched as she dropped to her knees and gathered something in her lap. Her body was shaking with sobs. She let out the most gut-wrenching scream he had ever heard in his life. His heart stopped beating and he went to her.
In her lap, he saw the small broken body of the fawn she had saved during that first trip to the woods. He glanced up and saw its mother grieving a few yards away. This poor creature hadn’t just died. It had been murdered. The tree had been a weapon. The Darkness had used the great oak to destroy this baby deer. It was targeted because what had killed it knew this death would break Sheridan.
She continued sobbing with an unending intensity, stroking the dead fawn’s face. “I’m so sorry.” Repeating it over and over. Her heart broke. It was an innocent baby and something evil had decided to crush it and take its sweet life. Deaglan kneeled beside her as Ava and Jenny came up and stood behind her. Jenny reached out and put her hand on Sheridan’s shoulder. She could feel the grief as soon as she touched her. Jenny wanted to keep her hand on Sheridan but couldn’t. The realization of that intimate bond shocked her into taking a step back.
“Sheridan, we need to go. Its mother needs to grieve, as well.”
That was the only way Deaglan knew to get her to agree to go home. She tried to stand, but her legs wouldn’t hold her up. She was spent both physically and emotionally. Deaglan quickly scooped her up and held her to his chest. He was trying to take some of her pain, but she held it too close for him to touch it.
He carried her to her room and straight to the bathroom. She was practically immobile. He sat her on the closed commode. She hadn’t spoken, but had stopped crying. A look of shocked exhaustion had taken over her entire being.
He started the water for a hot bath. He found some oils in her cabinet and chose the lavender for its relaxation and soothing properties. While the water ran, he went to the kitchen and got a bottle of wine with two glasses. He needed a drink as well.
When he returned, he shut off the water and prepared her for the bath. She didn’t speak until she was completely naked in front of him. “Thank you.” was all she said. She did give him a weak smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes. He ached to take the pain from her. The best he could do was to get her clean and hopefully to bed for sleep. He had no intentions other than to love her and ease her mind a bit.
She walked to the tub and sank into it. Her eyes welled with tears again, but they didn’t fall. This woman was the strongest woman he had ever met. He placed a kiss on the top of her head before undressing himself and climbing in behind her. They shared a bottle of wine in the tub together. He held her to him and they washed one another. Slow and sweet. Intimate and innocent.
He would stay again tonight. She didn’t need to ask. He snuggled into bed with her and made sure nothing else harmed her body or soul the rest of the night.
That was his plan. Guilt hit him in the gut. She didn’t realize what could happen between them and what that would mean for both of their futures. They were on the brink of love—he had already fallen, but he didn’t know how she felt. It was all happening so fast. He knew the consequences of their actions and she didn’t. He needed to tell her. Right now.