by Sarah Noffke
Her hand slipped on the edge, and she was quickly tugged under the surface and towed to the bottom.
She clawed through the water, trying anything she could think of to get away. She turned around and pointed her hand at the mermaid, about to send a defensive strike at her. Then, as before, the mermaid released her, floating lifelessly away.
The sonar device had worked again! But it wouldn’t last long, Liv knew.
With her injured legs, she kicked to the surface, grateful when her hands found the edge of the fountain. She hauled herself over the side, sliding down ungracefully and lying in a heap next to the dead woman, exhausted and grateful to still be alive.
Her eyes fluttered shut. She just needed a minute to rest.
Chapter Thirty-One
Something was grabbing her leg. Liv kicked, thinking the mermaid had crawled out of the fountain and was about to devour her and take back her mortal.
“It’s okay,” a familiar voice said, a comforting quality in his tone.
Liv battled with the urge to keep her eyes closed, sleep crashing down on her, and her lids opened to a blurry world. A dark figure crouched in front of her, and he was wrapping her wounds in bandages. At least that was what she was hoping he was doing.
Pushing to a sitting position, Liv forced her eyes to focus. Stefan Ludwig was taking care of the bite and scratches on her leg. Finally feeling the pain after the ordeal, she let out a soft moan.
“Is it bad?” she asked him.
He shook his head, his dark hair falling into his eyes. “No, just surface wounds. It could have been way worse.”
Liv nodded and looked around as Stefan charged to the other side of the fountain, gathering up her stuff. Plato was nowhere in sight, but she couldn’t shake the image of him as a large lion. He had been majestic and beautiful, and he had saved her. If he hadn’t pulled the woman out of the fountain, Liv would have never been able to get her out. And without her? Well, Liv would have stayed in the fountain until it was over. Until she was dead.
Stefan strode back over, looking around as if trying to decide if they were forgetting something.
When had he shown up? Liv would have to find out. The timing had been good, but now she had some explaining to do.
“Quick question. Totally no big deal,” Stefan asked, regarding Liv with a half-smile as he stood in front of her. “Why are you hanging out with a dead girl in the garden?”
Liv brought her chin over to regard the cold, wet corpse. “Because I have the worst friends in the world.”
“Yeah, you do,” he said, shaking his head as he ran his eyes over the mortal’s face. She was even more beautiful out of the water, her eyes closed like she was simply sleeping. Stefan pulled off his cape and threw it over the body. “Need help transporting this? I’m thinking you don’t want to hang out here any longer. Unless you want Adler or Bianca to find you and have to stick around for an interrogation.”
Liv groaned as she stood up, realizing she was dripping wet and shivering from the cold. “That would be great, if you wouldn’t mind.”
“Hey, what are awful friends for?” Stefan pointed to the long bite marks on her arm, the ones he hadn’t dressed yet. “Should I be concerned that you’re going to turn into a demon?”
She laughed darkly, pulling a piece of loose material from her already-ripped shirt. “Nah. Maybe a mermaid, though.”
Stefan heaved the dead girl’s body onto his shoulder. “Mermaid, huh? Wow, I can’t wait to hear this story.”
“It’s totally boring,” Liv said, tying the material around her arm. Then she took the cape that Stefan had put by the side of the fountain, catching the strange ripple on the surface of the water. She could have sworn she’d seen the mermaid’s face staring at her, but when she blinked to clear her vision, there was nothing there—only shadows. She put the devices in her pocket, letting out a heavy sigh.
“A dead mortal and a mermaid. Sounds like a real snooze-fest of a story.” Stefan pointed first at the body of the girl, making her look like a large bushel of potatoes on his shoulder. Then he pointed at Liv, drying her instantly. “Hope you don’t mind that I helped you with that. You look a little weak from your battle or whatever you were doing in the fountain.”
“I decided to take a swim,” she admitted.
“That you did,” he said with a laugh. “Tell me about it as you lead the way. Where do you want me to take the dead girl?”
“To my apartment,” Liv said, limping from her injuries.
“Of course, you do,” Stefan said. “That’s where I keep all my dead bodies too. In my apartment.”
Liv nodded over her shoulder. “So you get it, then.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
At Liv’s direction, Stefan laid the still-sopping-wet girl on the couch in Liv’s apartment, the one that doubled as her fold-out bed.
Note to self: I’m getting a new bed, Liv thought, pulling out her phone to message Rudolf. Now that he’d allowed it, she had access to his phone number through the magical network. Apparently, he had to block it using special magic because of his many stalkers.
Stefan dried himself with the same spell he’d used on Liv before pulling out his own phone.
Liv gave him a cautious look.
“I’m calling Hester,” he said, pressing the phone to his face. “Your bites need to be treated.”
Liv nodded, knowing she could trust the healer. She’d probably laugh, wondering how Liv had gotten bitten by a mermaid and also a lophos. She had some dumb luck, for sure.
A moment later, Stefan ended the call, giving Liv a curious glare.
“What?” she said, limping over to the chair in the corner.
“Go on and tell me your story,” Stefan ordered, crossing his arms over his chest. She’d had trouble keeping up with him on the way over there, not only due to her injuries but also because he moved faster than humanly possible, easily leaving her behind.
“I don’t know who the girl is,” Liv explained, telling him about the ring and the favor.
Stefan clicked his tongue and shook his head when she was done. “Seriously, how do you get yourself into these situations?”
“It’s a gift,” she admitted.
“Or a curse,” he joked as the door burst open.
Rudolf’s face was white as he sprinted into her apartment, and his clothes were disheveled, as if he’d put them on in a hurry.
“Yeah, go ahead and come on in,” Liv stated dryly.
Rudolf stared around, his eyes landing on the mortal lying on Liv’s couch, dripping water on the hardwood floor.
“Dumbo, will you tell me why there is a dead girl lying on my sofa?” Liv asked Rudolf who dove to the floor on his knees, cradling the young woman’s face in his hands.
“Because…” he said, checking her over like he was unaware that her heart wasn’t beating and he wanted to know if she was okay.
Liv glanced at Stefan. “I told you. Worst friends ever.”
“I’m lucky to count myself as one of those people,” Stefan said proudly, giving her a conspiratorial smile.
“Hey. Rudolf,” Liv said, trying to get the fae’s attention. He was busy muttering incoherent things to the dead woman. “I know you’re busy having a conversation with the dead, but I sort of need to know why you had me retrieve this body from the fountain, especially because it nearly killed me.”
Rudolf glanced up like he had just noticed that she was there. “Oh, hey. Can we have some privacy?”
Liv’s eyes darted from side to side. “Ummm…if you haven’t noticed, my apartment only has one room.”
Rudolf shook his head. “That’s fine. You can watch. I’ll wipe your memory when I’m done.”
Liv picked up Bellator, which was conveniently lying on the shelf where she’d left it. Even though she’d been weak moments prior, fire now shot through her veins, making her next movements as fast as Stefan’s. The sword’s point poked Rudolf’s back, and he straightened.
“
Please don’t make me kill you after all this,” Liv said.
He tensed and held up his hands in surrender. Glancing over his shoulder, he nodded. “Okay, fine. But who is that?” He indicated Stefan, who was sitting in the corner.
“Stefan the demon hunter, this is Rudolf, who is the bane of my existence. Rudolf, this is Stefan, the guy who helped me get the dead girl back to my apartment,” Liv explained.
Rudolf waved casually at Stefan. “Pleased to meet you. If you wouldn’t mind not telling anyone about this, that would be greatly appreciated.”
Stefan smiled. “I have my own secrets, so I totally get it. Don’t worry.”
Liv cleared her throat. “So, although this introduction business is awesome and I’m close to starving to death, why don’t you explain to me what this mortal woman was doing at the bottom of the fountain in the House of Seven.”
Bellator’s tip was still pointed in Rudolf’s direction. He sighed.
“Her name is Serena,” Rudolf said, combing her wet hair off her forehead. “On our wedding day, Queen Visa found out about us. I should have known she’d never allow me to be happy. We’d had our fling and she’d thrown me to the side, but she never lets anyone go. Decades later, I found Serena, and we fell madly in love.”
Liv yawned, exhaustion taking over her body. “I’ve heard this story before.”
Rudolf shook his head, knocking her sword away with more force than she expected. She lowered Bellator. “You haven’t heard this story before because its new. I fell in love, I swear it.”
“With an aging mortal?” Liv questioned.
“Yes, because that’s the reason Queen Visa and I didn’t work out,” Rudolf confessed. “I’ve never been like the other fae, only wanting lust and sex. I always longed for the real deal. Romance and true love.”
Liv laughed loudly, earning a shocked look from Stefan.
“Come on!” she said to him. “If you knew Rudolf, you’d get how ridiculous this is. He’s sexually harassed me no fewer than two dozen times. He’s the epitome of chauvinism.”
“That’s because that’s how I’m expected to behave,” Rudolf argued.
Liv gave him a look of disbelief.
“Okay, fine,” he acquiesced. “It’s also sort of fun. That repulsed look you give me in response is totally worth it. But I do have a heart. I’m not like the other fae. I wanted a romance unlike any other, and then I found Serena, and we fell madly in love. And it wasn’t like when other mortals fall for me. She saw me for what I was and loved me, not despite my faults, but because of them. Serena was my one true love.”
“But then she fell into the fountain at the House of Seven?” Liv asked.
Rudolf shook his head. “This was back when other races were allowed in the House of Seven. Queen Visa showed up to our wedding and killed Serena on the spot, then she took her body with her to the House of Seven. They were having a party of sorts. When no one was looking, she submerged her in the fountain, knowing that a mermaid lived there and would protect her forevermore.”
“And you couldn’t get to her?” Stefan asked, echoing Liv’s hesitation.
He shook his head. “I tried, but Queen Visa did something that would ensure I never got close to her again. She ruined the party, creating chaos all over the house, possessing magicians’ children, and making a mockery of the affair. The House kicked all the fae out and closed their doors to us for eternity.”
Liv nodded in understanding. “She knew that if your race was banished, you’d never get to the body again.”
“Yes. It was thankfully preserved, but that would do me no good,” Rudolf explained.
He then pulled the purple stone he’d stolen from Father Time from his pocket. The purple gem caught the light.
“What is that?” Liv asked, prepared to raise Bellator again.
He ran his eyes over the stone appreciatively. “It’s a revival stone. Your mother, at Papa Creola’s orders, stole this from me, along with any other artifacts related to changing time.” Rudolf gave her a look that she could only perceive as earnest. It was strange on his face, but it got her attention. “I know you have reason not to trust me, but you have to understand that I needed your help. I never meant for you to be in danger. I’ll do everything I can from this moment forward to protect you and help you with your mission.”
Liv shook her head. “Oh, no. I don’t want to enter into any more agreements with you, fae.”
Rudolf’s gaze fell to the floor. “This isn’t an agreement, Liv Beaufont, Warrior for the House of Seven.” When he looked up at her, his eyes were brimming with tears. “This is a promise, one I can’t break without losing my life. That’s a law among the fae. I thank you dearly for what you’ve done for me, and in repayment for everything you’ve sacrificed, I will lay down my own life to protect yours, if the need ever arises.”
Liv wasn’t sure if she could believe him. She didn’t know what to say. But she was highly curious about what would happen next. She pointed to the stone. “What are you going to do with that?”
A victorious smile flicked to his face, sparkling in his eyes. “For that, words won’t suffice. You’ll simply have to watch.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
Rudolf closed his eyes, running his thumb over the revival stone and muttering incantations that Liv couldn’t make out. His other hand was wrapped around Serena’s wrist, his fingers resting on her pulse.
Liv knew what he was trying to do because she was good at math and could add two and two together. However, she was already thinking ahead. When this didn’t work, how would she deal with Rudolf? She could see by the look in his eyes that he really believed he was in love with this woman, and he’d gone to great lengths to bring her back. But Liv’s father had been very clear about one thing when teaching her about magic: “It can’t bring back the dead.”
Magic could turn back time, kill, erase events, create riches, and win wars, but it couldn’t undo death. There were certain laws that governed that, and Liv knew they couldn’t be broken. But Rudolf obviously didn’t.
After a full minute of muttering, Rudolf’s eyes snapped open, and a smile sprang to his lips. “It’s done.”
The woman lay exactly as before: unmoving, her skin white as a sheet, her long hair dripping water on the floor.
Liv let out a sigh. “Hey, it’s okay—”
Rudolf held up a hand, stopping her. “Don’t ruin this moment for me, love.”
Liv gave Stefan a tentative look. She wasn’t the one who was going to ruin this for him. Life was going to.
The room fell silent as Rudolf locked his eyes on the woman. The only sound was the water dripping from her hair.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
Liv didn’t know how long they were going to stay like that before the reality set in for Rudolf. She wanted to believe that he really loved this woman, but maybe he was only in love with the idea of her; of having that which he couldn’t. One thing was certain—Queen Visa was a horrible person and should be stopped. She’d been allowed to reign for too long, murdering without consequence. Silently, Liv put that on her agenda for future missions: take down the fae queen.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
Liv’s stomach rumbled. It had been a while since she’d eaten, and fighting the mermaid had taken most of her strength. The thought of the mermaid caused her wounds to ache. She’d need to clean them soon. Hopefully, mermaid bites weren’t poisonous.
Liv was off in thought when Stefan’s rustling brought her back to the present. He leaned forward suddenly, his eyes intently on Rudolf.
Turning back to face him, she noticed that the revival stone had begun to glow, but a moment later it faded. The woman remained still.
As I suspected, there is no bringing back the dead, Liv thought.
To her surprise, the stone faded to black. Rudolf closed his fingers around it, and it crumbled to dust and fell through his fingers to the floor. She was so going to make him clean that mess up and then buy her a new couch
later. Liv clapped down on her insensitivity and silently punished herself for being so rude. Rudolf was going to be devastated when this didn’t work. Liv sighed.
I’ll wait a few weeks before I bring up the couch, and I’ll clean up the dust myself, she thought.
But what were they going to do with the body? she wondered. That was a new one for her. So far she hadn’t had to dispose of bodies, which was a good thing. Stefan would probably have a good idea. Maybe they could use a depour so it wasn’t tracked.
Stefan wrapped his hand around Liv’s arm, tugging on her lightly. She glanced up from the floor, where she’d been regarding the tiny dust pile while absorbed in thought.
To her amazement, color was starting to fill Serena’s face, her cheeks rosy. Her chest rose and fell as if she were breathing.
But that was impossible!
Liv’s eyes darted to Stefan; shock was written on his face too. He started, then put his arm across Liv’s chest and pushed her back to the wall as a protective measure.
He had the same concern as her. If the woman was moving, that meant she was a zombie. That was the only way the dead could move. She’d heard of such things, and knew that this kind of magic was forbidden. It perpetuated itself, spreading evil. She couldn’t believe she’d been a part of this.
Damn, Rudolf was going to get her in serious trouble—not to mention that they were going to have to fight a zombie. Liv gripped Bellator, glancing sideways at Stefan. He nodded minutely, reading the expression in her eyes. Between the two of them, the zombie wouldn’t last long, but it was going to be a hell of a battle, and when it was done, she’d need more than a new couch. The apartment would most likely be destroyed.
Stefan pulled his sword in such a swift movement that Liv didn’t even notice it until he had it all the way out and was ready to strike.