Pickup Styx (Easy Bake Coven)

by Liz Schulte

  Sy nodded. “Selene is smart. She’ll figure out why he’s there.”

  “By that time it will be too late. She’ll be stuck with him.”

  Sy gave a helpless gesture. “We have to trust she’s strong enough.”

  He was right, but it was hard to leave this up to fate. If only there were a way to control it, to manipulate the outcome.

  “Which is why we should focus on the problems we can deal with,” Sebastian said. “There has been another killing. A water nymph this time.”

  I suppressed a sigh. “Southbend again?”

  “Yes.”

  If it wasn’t one thing, it was another. “Okay, here’s what we’re going to do. Sy, keep digging into Corbin. I don’t want to send Selene into a trap. Sebastian, go to Southbend and see what you can find out about the attacks. I will meet with Adan and try to track my father.”

  “Couldn’t we use the coven for that?” Sebastian asked.

  I nodded. “We can ask them for help after tomorrow.” Tomorrow. God, that was close. A matter of hours. “That’s all.” I waved dismissively as I walked out.

  Selene and I weren’t spending our last day apart.

  I stood on the same street corner as I had what seemed like years ago and watched Selene eating with her friends at a restaurant. She laughed, and from the distance, it was as if nothing had changed, like she was still the clueless human with hardly any worries. It amazed me how easily she could push everything else aside and just be in the moment. I wished I could give her that security again, but once more, her path was the opposite of mine. Sebastian’s comment about our love story being a short one rang in my thoughts.

  Selene looked up suddenly, as if she could feel me, and our eyes met. She smiled again, but this time it was different. It was meant only for me and it made my heart squeeze. How many times would I have to let her go before she came back to stay for good? A moment later, her eyebrows pulled together and she stood up. She jogged across the street, watching for cars this time.

  “What’s happened? What are you doing here? Is everything okay?”

  I touched her silky cheek. “I just wanted to be with you.”

  She leaned into my hand. “I was thinking the same thing just a few minutes ago, but … ” She trailed off and glanced back to her friends. “I still haven’t told them.”

  Selene loved her human coven. They were important to her in a way I could never grasp. “I should go?”

  A half smile lit her face as she shook her head. “You should join us.” She led the way back across the street, and they had already added another chair to the table.

  “I thought it was just going to be us,” Jessica said and then glanced at me, “No offense.”

  “None taken.” I sat back, drink in hand, to watch their puzzling friendship. They were honest with each other—sometimes painfully so. They called each other names, but no one got upset, and they laughed about the most inane sentences. Fae couldn’t have been more different. Being fae was like a constant game. Sometimes you had allies and sometimes you didn’t. We had to weigh everything we said because it would be remembered and used at the most inopportune time even by our closest friends. Over the years, I had honed my strategies and always focused forward. Selene was the first person to take me by surprise. I hadn’t expected her treachery, but more disturbing than that was the fact that I’d missed Sebastian’s. Part of me was envious of Selene’s friendships.

  “So how are you, Cheney?” Devin asked with a kind smile, bringing me into the conversation.

  “I am well. How have you been?”

  “The nightmares are gone.” She flashed a wide smile. “Everything is getting back to normal.”

  Katrina snorted, but Selene smiled sympathetically at Devin. If the mention of Devin’s ordeal at the hands of Selene’s former lover bothered her, she didn’t show it.

  “What’s going on? Why did you want to meet with us?” Leslie asked. “Cheney looks about as happy as a cat being taken to the vet, and Katrina has yet to utter two words, which we all know isn’t natural. Spill.”

  All eyes went to Selene. “You’re right. I did ask you here for a reason—”

  “You’re pregnant,” Devin burst out with undisguised glee.

  “No.” Selene laughed.

  “Are you sure?”

  Selene covered her eyes with her hand, still chuckling. “A baby is literally the last thing I need.”

  “Devin, let her talk,” Jessica said.

  Katrina pushed the food around on her plate, not nearly as amused by all of this. “Selene is going to Hell,” she said, and everyone else laughed harder.

  I utterly failed to see the humor.

  “Okay.” Jessica rolled her eyes. “Someone is PMSing. Don’t you think that’s a tad dramatic? Are you crying?”

  The laughter stopped short, and Katrina wiped the corner of her eyes with a napkin. “Tell them.”

  “She’s not wrong,” Selene said, staring at her friends. No one said anything. “But just for twelve hours—hopefully.”

  We all could have lived without the “hopefully” part.

  “Are you going with her?” Leslie asked. I shook my head.

  “You came to say goodbye,” Devin said.

  Mixed emotions flooded Selene’s face as she clenched her jaw and plucked at the tablecloth. “Just in case,” she barely whispered.

  “Can’t you stop this?” Jessica looked at me.

  “I wish I could.”

  “Obviously we’re going with you,” Devin said, and everyone else, except Katrina, nodded as if it wasn’t even up for debate. “What do we have to do there?”

  Selene bit her lower lip. “You can’t come. You’re alive.”

  Leslie frowned. “So are you.”

  “Only for a few more hours, but I have a way back, so don’t worry about me. Just take care of each other.”

  “Why are you letting this happen?” Jessica pierced me, accusations in her eyes.

  “None of this is Cheney’s fault,” Selene snapped. “This is what I have to do to pay for the spells I got to break the curse.”

  “And you knew about this and didn’t tell us?” she asked Katrina.

  Katrina nodded. “I was busy trying to help Selene find a way in and back out.” She frowned at Jessica. “It’s not my fault you decided not to live at the castle.”

  “Dude, text me. These are things I actually want to know about.” She looked back at Selene. “Tell us your plan.”

  Selene went through her plan, and it didn’t sound any better this time around. My stomach tightened. I was going to be the first fae to ever get an ulcer. I would name it Selene. Selene told them what part she needed them to play in this and they all agreed. When they were out of questions, everyone sat back in their chairs and looked at each other.

  Katrina blew out a long breath. “Well, at least you’ll get a tan.”

  Jessica laughed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “She might actually burn.”

  “Not me. I never burn,” Selene joined in, smiling again.

  “If you come back with a t-shirt that says ‘I went to hell and all I got was this stupid t-shirt,’ I will officially disown you,” Leslie said.

  “It’d be a cold day in Hell before Selene wore that shirt,” Devin quipped.

  Humans.

  After a few more minutes of relaxed conversation, Selene and I made our excuses to which they were all understanding and headed for a less populated area.

  “Are we going home?” she asked.

  I pulled her to me. “Not just yet.”

  I transported us, for old time’s sake, to where her yoga studio had been. It was still boarded shut. She tilted her head at me. I moved her to the exact spot. “You were here.”

  It took her a second, but then she bit her lip and closed her eyes. “We both know this wasn’t the beginning.”

  “It was start of us being honest with one another. It is the place where our relationship beat all odds and ros
e from the ashes.”

  Her eyes misted and she lifted her finger. “And you were there.”

  I moved to where she pointed. “I couldn’t believe you were standing in front of me again.”

  A faint smile touched her lips. “I had no idea who you were.”

  I wrapped my arms around her. “All I wanted to do was touch you. Hold you in my arms again.”

  We transported again and were standing outside her car in the driveway of her house. “This is where you kissed me for the first time.”

  Her laughter rang out. “That poor cop.”

  I kissed her with the same passion and urgency I’d felt that day, pressing her back against the car. She cradled my face. “I didn’t understand my feelings, but they were so consuming.”

  I leaned my forehead against hers for just a moment. Then I took her hand and led her inside. She was already in the exact spot I wanted her in when I shut the door. Anticipation glinted in her eyes. “Have you ever been kissed until you couldn’t catch your breath? Possessed until there was no other thought in your head? Set aflame with no more than a gaze upon you?” she asked, quoting what I had said to her.

  I looked at her with all the emotion I felt: lust, admiration, protectiveness, and above all else, love.

  “Would you like to experience those things?” she whispered before she threw herself at me. Our lips crushed against each other’s, as if we could fuse and never have to part. She undid my shirt with lightning quick hands and her dress was on the floor in one ragged breath. I pressed her against the wall, pinned her hands above her head with one of my hands, and then ran the fingers of my free hand down her side, softer than a feather. I stared into her amber eyes, seeing acceptance and, at long last, love behind them. I wanted her now, but I kissed her instead—deep, carnal, claiming what was mine. She tasted warm and sweet. I released her arms and squeezed her tighter to me, kissing her deeper still. I felt intoxicated by her. I always had. If I lived two thousand years, I would never think clearly when it came to her. Her name was a beacon of joy in my mind.

  Her teeth grazed my earlobe. “Cheney, I need you. Now.”

  It was all I needed to hear. One firm tug and her panties fell to floor. She wrapped her legs around me and I thrust forward. Moving slow and easy, savoring each sensation, until she begged, demanded and clawed at me for more. I massaged my tongue against the tip of her ear. She whimpered and shook with need. I moved faster inside of her, my tongue matching the rhythm against her ear. She raked her fingernails against my shoulder, but the pain only spurred me on. All of me was drenched in Selene until finally her body clenched around me, taking us both over the edge. We clung to each other as she lowered her feet back to the floor. She leaned her head back for a moment with a small, satisfied smile.

  “Now what?” she asked.

  My lips grazed her jaw. “We’re just getting started.”

  The hour to leave came faster than I would’ve dreamed possible. The coven and Sebastian met Corbin in the same clearing I had reclaimed my elf half while Cheney sneaked Frost into the castle. We decided to keep my body at home in our bedroom so he could keep an eye on Frost.

  I dressed in black cargo pants, a black tank top, and a black zip-up sweatshirt with the map Cheney found folded into my pocket. Grandma’s necklace was cold around my neck. I still wasn’t positive I should trust her, but in the end my heart won out over my head. Frost wore her customary black gloves. She went over the rules again. I couldn’t be judged or I would be stuck, I only had twelve hours or I would stay forever, and I shouldn’t eat or drink anything if I ever wanted to come home again. I was beginning to sense a theme.

  “You will wake up in the Asphodel Meadow.”

  “Like the flower?”

  She rolled her eyes. “I’ve told you. I don’t know. I haven’t been there. I only know what it’s called. Remember to mark the place you wake up. That’s the exact spot you need to return to in no more than twelve hours. I’ll know when you’re there again and will bring you back. Do you understand?”

  I nodded.

  She handed me two rough-edged coins that looked hand forged.

  “What are these for?”

  “If you want to see Charon, Charon will expect his toll. Put them in your mouth and don’t lose them.”

  “Why my mouth?”

  “To make sure they go with you.”

  I nodded again, my stomach in my throat.

  “Lie back when you’re ready.” She leaned against the wall and crossed her arms over her chest.

  Cheney and I looked at each other. “I will come back,” I told him. “And when I do, I will make up for all the trouble I’ve caused.”

  He kissed my hand. “I wouldn’t trade all that trouble for anything in the world. I love you exactly as you are. Just come back to me, princess.”

  “I love you too.” The words got stuck in my throat and tears spilled over the edges of my eyelids. I would make it back. I had to. I lay back before I lost my nerve completely. This wasn’t goodbye.

  “You should leave,” she told Cheney.

  He gave her a withering look. “I am not going anywhere.”

  She didn’t flinch. “I’ve done this before. Dying isn’t pleasant, and loved ones tend to overreact and make stupid mistakes, like touching me. I don’t want two dead bodies.”

  He folded his hands behind his back and backed against the wall but didn’t leave. If I hadn’t been so nervous, I would’ve been moved by the gesture. I put a coin in each cheek, held the necklace from my grandma on my tongue just in case, and then closed my eyes and gripped the bedspread.

  “Twelve hours,” Frost repeated and fastened something over my wrist. Fear kept my eyes squeezed tight. I didn’t want to see death coming. A moment later, her hands, cold as dry ice, latched on to my arm. I held still until I couldn’t take the cold spreading like ice in my veins. I tried to pull away as my arm went numb, but her grip was too tight. I tugged harder to no avail. The cold reached my chest. My heart felt like it had been struck by lightning. My body clenched and contorted beneath her touch. The necklace choked me. Pain blinded me to all else until my vision fell blissfully black. I had the sensation of floating in nothingness. I waited to feel something, anything, but that never happened.

  I opened one eye then the other. I was surrounded by thick-stalked, star-shaped flowers that had veins of red running through the centers of each white petal. I wiggled my fingers then my toes. Everything was apparently working, so I stood. I was surrounded by people of every age, ethnicity, and personal style, all moving in the same direction, as if dazed. A tugging sensation at my core snared my attention. I looked down and saw I was moving forward too. Just like them.

  No, no, I can’t! I hadn’t marked where I’d woken up. I would never find it again. The field went on for miles and everything looked exactly the same. I tried to use my telekinetic ability to get back to my spot where the flowers I’d crushed were already beginning to right themselves, but nothing happened. I fought to go in the opposite direction of the pull. Little by little, I inched backward, but if I lost concentration for even a moment, I lost ground. Grabbing the flowers, I managed to turn my body back the way I’d come. Then I used their heavy stalks like rope, pulling my bodyweight with my arms to aid my legs. Finally I reached the edge of where I’d been. I looked for a way to mark it. I yanked at the flowers, trying to rip them up, but they were rooted too deeply. I plucked the heads off, but they instantly grew back. The pull at my core was growing stronger by the second. I couldn’t hold out for much longer.

  I clenched flowers in each hand and silently cast a spell to turn them into beacons of light. When I let go, the blooms were a bold purple, not glowing at all, but that was okay. I could find the purple in a sea of white. I drifted away from them, watching to make sure they didn’t change back. When the flowers were out of sight, a new thought struck me. How was I going to find Corbin here? I looked around, trying to figure out where I was and where I was going. Th
ere was a clearing ahead, filled with people barely creeping forward. When my feet finally touched the ground, I was on an old wooden deck so jammed with people that there wasn’t a spare centimeter to move.

  The realization that I was never going to find Corbin sank in, quickly followed by despair. I was on my own. How was I ever going to make it through without help? I stepped back toward the field, but the platform was like a vacuum sucking me in.

  “You’re just going to wear yourself out,” a voice said, and two hands gripped my waist and pulled me back into the crowd.

  I turned to see a well-built human man with a vaguely bored expression on his face.

  “You’re new, huh?” he asked.

  “Yeah.” He wore khaki pants, a red t-shirt, and a rock-climbing belt. “Did you fall?” I asked, not really sure what people in the Underworld were supposed to talk about while waiting in line.

  He glanced down. “No. House fire. I was asleep.”

  I frowned. Who slept in rock-climbing gear?

  “You don’t show up in what you were wearing. You show up in what you were most yourself in.” He gave me a pointed look. “Did you die in that?”

  I looked at myself and sure enough, my strategically planned outfit was missing. “Crap.” I closed my eyes. “I wish someone told me that.” I was in a short, tan dress with a gold lace overlay and heels. Practical. My hand went to my chest. At least I still had the necklace and watch, but where were the coins? I patted down my sides and hips, but they were gone, and so was the map. “Shit.”

  He laughed. “You’re dead. There’s no coming back from it. Whatever’s bothering you really isn’t as important as you think.”

  There was no point arguing with the well-meaning guy, so I changed the subject. I would worry about the map and the coins once I knew I needed them. I glanced at my watch. “What’s at the front of the line?”

  He curled his lip. “Judgment. I wouldn’t be in a hurry to get up there if I were you.”

  “Do I have a choice? Don’t we have to go through?”

  “I let the eager people go in front of me.” He winked. “I figure the longer I’m out here, not in there, the better.”