by CY Jones
“Apparently the asshole was working with O’Donnell all along. I did not find out until it was too late, after my sister told me Gabriel had the power to see through lies and glamours. He knew as soon as I introduced him to Remy at the club she wasn’t who I told him she was. Somehow the ass found out we were fishing for an invite to O'Donnell's get together, and just put two and two together. It also didn’t help that O’Donnell sent out a BOLO on both Remy and Rowen with a half a million dollar reward each to whoever turns them in dead or alive. I know supernaturals who will turn their own mothers in for that kind of cash,” Oreo says, solemnly.
“Are you shitting me?” Caleb mutters.
I don’t believe what I’m hearing. Part of the reason behind why Remy and Phantom are so good at killing people is because no one knows what they really look like, or any details about them. Their code names, which are feared and whispered throughout their community, is the only information anyone has on them. They’re ghosts, the boogie man hiding under your bed, and O’Donnell just threw all of it away. This bit of information scares me more than anything. It means that O’Donnell no longer cares to keep the twins alive, and will quite possibly kill Remy now that he has her. I can only hope O’Donnell holds out on doing anything hasty until he can get his greedy hands on Phantom as well.
“O’Donnell threw their identities out just like that?” I retort, throwing my hands up in the air. I know this is a redundant question, but I need clarification.
“Yes. Apparently finding Remy and Row is more important to him than keeping their identity a secret,” Oreo answers dryly.
“Why the fuck are we just hearing about this now? Aren’t you supposed to be the hacking genius?” I question, turning my anger on Phantom.
“Says the wolf who traded his life for my sisters,” he throws back at me.
“Fuck you, dude,” I shout, jumping up out my chair. “I didn’t ask for her to save me. She took the choice from me,” I growl back, getting into his face. My wolf is close to surfacing, and Rowen doesn’t scare, nor does he intimidate me one bit.
“Back down you two. Arguing amongst ourselves isn’t going to bring Remy back to us,” Caleb says rationally, separating the two of us before a fight breaks out.
Caleb is right. It won’t solve anything, but it might make me feel better to kick his ass. I move away from Phantom, and take my seat away from the wolf, giving my anger a chance to simmer down.
“As I was saying before the drama. It was all a setup. I don’t know what was going on in the lesser vamps head, but he had to know he’s waging war by going against the Valentine family.”
“I’m confused. What does your family have to do with any of this?” Conner asks.
He isn’t the only one confused. I want to know the answer to his question myself. What the fuck does Oreo’s snobby family have to do with getting Remy back? They’re like royalty to the supernaturals who stay on this side of the veil. Never the ones to get involved in supernatural affairs, unless it benefits them somehow. The fact his two sisters are here shocks the hell out of me, since they’re rumored to never leave the big ass castle they live in.
“Phantom is my mate, and in being so he and his family have my protection,” Oreo answers, nonchalantly.
“No shit,” I say, shocked. Now this is news. I thought the two were just fucking. I never in a million years would have guessed they are together, together. It’s amazing all the things Phantom has failed to mention, and looking around at all the equally shocked faces, I’m not the only one he’s been keeping secrets from.
“Are you two soul bound mates?” Conner asks Oreo, still in shock over the news.
“No, just mates. I love him, and he loves me. We’ve taken the blood oath, and have bound ourselves together,” Oreo answers, looking over at Phantom with so much love in his chocolate colored eyes, I want to gag.
“Well damn. Why didn’t you tell us?” Caleb questions, turning to Phantom. I can tell he was hurt. It’s written all over his usually stoic face.
“There was so much going on, and we just did it yesterday. I was going to wait until we were all together and safe again, and then this happened,” Phantom explains. “If we failed at killing O’Donnell, my plan was to use this bit of information to bargain our freedom,” Phantom adds breaking the silence from his omission.
“That’s bullshit, and you know it,” I growl, no longer able to keep quiet. “You could have told us you two were in a relationship. This shit didn’t just happen overnight. You’re always keeping vital info to yourself. Maybe if you were more forthcoming, we could have been able to plan accordingly, and Remy will still be here.”
I’m surprised when he doesn’t argue back. In fact, he just stays seated with a look of utter defeat on his face. I wish I could say I feel a tiny bit of remorse for him, but I don’t. Just like when Remy decked him in this very room, he deserved it. His secrets have a way of catching up to him in the worst ways possible. If we knew this beforehand, we could have went to Gabriel directly. I’m sure he had no intention of fucking over the mate of the Valentine family.
“I don’t care about who you’re with, or the details. All I care about is getting my mate back,” Cody growls from his seat. He’s been so quiet I forgot he was even in the room. I feel a stab of pain from the look upon his face. He’s furious. The hurt he’s trying to conceal throbs through our bond like a heartbeat.
“I was getting to that before I was so rudely interrupted,” Oreo sneers.
“Well get to it. My patience is growing short,” Caleb snarls at the incubus, and I have to agree.
“As I was saying,” Oreo continues, “Gabriel is a dead man. He’s gone against me, and by default disrespected my family. A price has been put on his head, all his businesses have been surrendered, his property and anyone who works for him now belong to me. Anyone stupid enough to hide him will also receive the same fate,” he drawls on, dramatically.
“That’s all nice and fucked up for him, but what does all that have to do with getting Remy back?” I question, not giving two fucks I’m interrupting him again.
“Gabe is on the run. He’ll have no choice but to come to me, and trust me, he will,” Oreo answers.
“So that’s the plan? Wait until he comes to you. How long will that take? Gabriel can be on the run for months. Years even. Remy doesn’t have that kind of time,” I yell, frustrated. “If that’s your only solution to the problem then you can leave, and take your sisters with you.” I’m so done with all this political bs. We need to go in hard, and take Remy back. Not wait around for some asshole to turn himself in.
“Just hear me out before you decide,” Oreo pleads, looking at me exasperated.
Reluctantly, I nod my head, and allow him to continue. We’ve already wasted too much time as it is just sitting here.
“Gabriel has nowhere to go. He will come to me, begging for mercy, and once he does, he’s mine. Whatever I want done he will do it, and I plan on using him to get Remy back,” Oreo explains.
“How?” Cody asks before I can. Through the bond, I can feel a small glimmer of hope budding inside him.
“As far as O’Donnell is concerned, Gabriel is a loyal soldier to him now. The whole supernatural world has turned its back on him, and he’s pretty much a dead man walking. He has no where else to go, so why wouldn’t Gabriel be happy to do his bidding? This is an ideal situation for O’Donnell. He’s gained a loyal servant who practically fell into his lap for free. He will never suspect Gabriel is working with us to get Remy back. He’s the perfect mole, and with Hatter and Silas still on the inside helping him, they should be able to get Remy out.”
“Sounds simple enough,” Conner says, rubbing his chin.
“Simple enough. What about Remy?” I yell outraged, jumping up from my seat. “We’re supposed to sit around and do nothing while she’s in the hands of that, that monster?” I ask, incredulous, that their all going along with this ludacris plan.
“Remy will be fine
, wolf. O’Donnell will not touch her for two years time, nor will anyone of you be able to locate her until then, no matter if you look for her today or not. Time is all you have,” Sarafina, the red headed sister speaks up from her seat on the sectional.
“Two years. You have got to be shitting me. How did you come up with that?” I growl at her, suspiciously.
“The same way I knew that you would not listen to my brother, so I came here personally to tell you what I’ve seen,” she answers not making a lick of sense. Apparently crazy runs deep in this family.
“What do you mean by seen?” Cody questions before I do something stupid, like attack the crazy cunt in front of me.
“I’m a mage, and a powerful seer. I get visions from the past and future. I am the one who told DelaCorte years ago his daughter will need Remy’s help to save us when the veil falls. I’ve seen this day just like I’ve seen your reaction to the news. I knew you would not be able to understand time is the only option you have working in your favor. Remy is lost to us now. She will not wake until two years from this day, when her power has reached its peak, and breaks the spell holding her under,” crazy pants answers.
I recall back to when Remy and I were in DelaCorte’s office. Back when Remy was first on the hunt for her brother before finding him here at this house. DelaCorte told Remy that his daughter, Winter, will need her help if we are to survive the aftermath of the veil falling. I thought at the time it was all a bunch of bs, until DelaCorte mentioned a powerful seer was the one who informed him this would happen. Standing here next to crazy pants herself I can feel her power vibrating off her. She’s the real deal, and I knew what she said was true. I just didn’t want to accept it.
“Why two years?” I ask, defeated. "What did O'Donnell do to her?”
“She has been given a poison which is suppressing her powers. O’Donnell is searching for a certain piece of jewelry that does the same thing, as he knows the poison is only a temporary fix, but until he finds it, this is his only option,” Oreo explains.
“And where did O’Donnell find such a poison?” I ask in disbelief.
“He got it from me. I knew he would come to my shop, and what he was looking for. I altered the poison so it wouldn’t harm Remy in any way, or prevent her powers from enhancing.
“Why the fuck would you expect us to trust you after giving O’Donnell such a thing, and it’s funny you didn’t tell your brother about Gabriel until after the fact,” I yell outraged, not holding back how much I don't trust her.
“Things had to play out this way for Remy to endure the painful road she’s on, and be strong enough to survive it so she can save the world,” she answers.
"Whatever, you guys can sit still and listen to this bullshit all you want. You can just do it without me. I’ll be damned if I’m going to be sitting still twiddling my thumbs while Remy is in that monster’s care,” I yell.
“You won’t be sitting still, Hunter. We have plenty of strategizing to do to make sure everything goes as planned. Don’t let your guilt stop you from seeing the bigger picture,” Oreo yells back.
“Fuck you, dude,” I say flipping him off, as I stand up and stomp out the room. Those assholes can sit still all they want. I’m getting the fuck out of here, and looking for my girl.
Three
Two years later
Remy
“Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
how I wonder what you are
Like a diamond in the sky.
Up above the world --.”
“Beautiful,” a voice behind me whispers cutting me off. I turn toward the voice, and my eyes land on my cheeky Fae Prince standing there in all his glory.
“Cody,” I cry, as happy tears form in my eyes. This isn’t real. He can’t be here. Moving forward, he gathers me up into his arms, proving my theory false, and holds me tightly to his body.
“Oh, vixen, I’ve missed you so much,” he whispers in my hair, holding me tighter. Pulling back, I brace his cheeks with both of my hands, and gaze deep into his beautiful azure blue eyes.
“Is it really you?” I ask, tenderly rubbing his cheeks softly with my thumbs.
“Yes, my love, I’m here,” he answers. The love he has for me shines bright in his eyes. Brighter than the stars I was just singing about in that old child’s lullaby.
Looking around I take in our surroundings where my dreams decided to send me tonight. We’re in an open field, filled with colorful wildflowers as far as I can see. It’s a cloudless night, and the stars litter the sky surrounding a bright full moon.
“Where are we?” I ask, turning my attention back over to Cody.
“You tell me, vixen. You’re the one who hijacked me."
“I guess you still have much to teach me, Obi Wan,” I tease. Taking everything in, I laugh out loud for a second, giddy he’s here with me, until reality sets in, and I become serious again. A barrage of memories hit me all at once, and I can feel the atmosphere changing with my mood as I remember.
“How is Hunter?” I ask glumly, as I recall the last time I saw him when I pushed him from the cliff. The look of shock and betrayal that crossed his perfect face as he fell, realizing I chose to save his life at the cost of mine.
“He’s dealing,” Cody answers cryptically, and I raise my brow at him, which prompts him to backtrack. “Truthfully I don’t know, princess. Out of all of us, he took what happened to you the hardest. We had a disagreement about how to get you back, and he left. Now we go a couple of months at a time without hearing from him, and when we do hear from him it’s through updates he leaves with secured channels connected with The Agency, but besides that we haven’t seen him since we lost you.”
“What do you mean by a couple of months? How long have I been gone?” I ask, confused.
“Sweetheart, you’ve been gone two years, seven hours, and twenty seconds so far,” he answers softly, and I almost pass out from the shock.
“Two years,” I repeat, as my voice trembles. “How can that be?” It felt like just yesterday when I was running for my life with Hunter.
“Long story. The abridged version is you were shot with a poison that’s kept you under for this long,” he answers, sadly.
“Ok, well I’m alright now, right? Why else would you be here?” I question.
A frown crosses his beautiful face, and he looks down avoiding my gaze. “No, sweetheart. You’re still in the lion’s lair. We now know where O’Donnell is keeping you, but breaking you out is proving... problematic,” he answers, running his hands through his hair, disheveling it.
Now since I’ve gotten past my shock of him being here, I really look at Cody, taking in every detail. He does seem older. Not growth wise, but by the way he holds himself. He also seems wiser, but I can also see his stress and turmoil has eaten away at him, picking at his carefree nature. This Cody is harder somehow. In any other situation I would think it’s hot, but not now, not knowing that I’ve slept two years of my life away, and I’m still under the care of the devil.
“So what now?” I ask, moving forward. There's not point in crying over spilled milk, or however that fucking saying goes. It’s not like I can get my hands on a time machine, and take my life back.
“We’re working on it, princess. Just know we haven’t given up. We will get you back. You’re not alone anymore,” he whispers, pulling my hand to him, and slipping something onto my wrist.
When I look down, I see a beautiful beaded bracelet made from marble glowing in the moonlight. The groves are a mixture of blues, greens, and teals, and it has a tiny golden crown, dangling from it.
“What is this?” I ask, fingering the bracelet. The cool marble feels nice against my skin, anchoring me and keeping me grounded.
“For when you find it hard to go on. Now when you look down at your wrist you will have hope, and remember that you have people who love you, and a kingdom to return to, princess,” he answers, before kissing me deeply. Moaning, I fall into the kiss never wanting to let go
of my sweet fairy prince.
“I love you,” is the last thing I hear him say before everything fades to black.
Four
Nullify
Remy
I don’t wake on the cold ground of O’Donnell’s dungeon like I first expected, but on a soft bed. When my eyes adjust and my vision clears, I sit up taking in my surroundings. The room I’m held in is not what I was expecting either. It’s posh, and richly decorated in colors of cream, purples and blues. The king size bed I’m currently laying on is covered in with what feels like a thousand thread sheets, and a rich purple comforter. One side of the room is surrounded in floor to ceiling windows, and I can tell wherever we were located we’re in a highrise in the middle of the city somewhere. Walking over to the windows, I peer out at the busy city below. I still don’t have a clue where, but I can tell it’s a heavily populated area judging by all the high rise buildings that surround us. Maybe somewhere in the Americas, like New York or Chicago.
On the other side of the room is a sitting area with a huge flat screen tv mounted on the wall, and a shelving unit full of books. The room also has its own ensuite bathroom that looks just as luxurious. This is definitely not what I was expecting knowing I’m still O’Donnell’s prisoner. Maybe dream Cody was wrong, and I was somehow safe, but if that was true my men would be here with me, and through the bond, I can’t feel Hunter or Cody. Just Maddie and Silas, and that was very faint.
I also could barely feel my wolf, which bothers me more than anything. We were just bonding, and I would hate for her to be ripped away from me again. I hate being in the dark. If what Cody said is true, which he has no reason to lie to me, nor can he with the Fae not being able to do so then, I’ve been out of it for two years. O'Donnell has moved me Gods know where, locked away in this posh suite. I would have thought he would have had me locked away in a dungeon somewhere and threw away the key.