by Amy Sumida
I didn't give the stairs a second glance. I had a feeling that Jimmy wasn't up there at all. That creak had been too obvious and too well-timed. I padded silently into a side room and made my way through spindly furniture constructed of metal and silk. The decor was nearly steampunk—to go with the house, I suppose—but there wasn't any steam fueling this home. It was magicpunk.
I mentally chuckled at my thoughts as I stepped through a blindingly white kitchen and into a dining room. Damn, I hate that white kitchen trend; it just seems like a really bad idea to me. But the idea, bad or not, had made it down to the Fairy Underground—or maybe it had made its way up from there. Wow, that's a little bit of a mind fuck. Anyway, the magicpunk theme continued in the dining room, with metal and wood furnishings laden with lace. In the center of the room was a long table with curving legs and a lace tablecloth. There was a vase of dead roses set on it and an equally dead woman seated at it; at least, she was supposed to be dead.
I froze in my tracks. The woman was pale—they call it “moonlight” skin in Unseelie—with long, crimson hair, and acid green eyes full of venom and madness. Her face was rounded like a young girl's and soft, but there was no softness within her. I knew that for a fact.
Queen Rue's heart had been hardened by ice and not even love had been able to defrost it.
“Hello, Seren,” my aunt—my dead aunt—purred with insane glee. “How have you been?”
“Rue?” I whispered in horror. “What the fuck are you doing here?”
“I'm here to kill you, of course.”
“No; you're the one who's dead.”
“As if that's ever stopped me before.” She laughed maniacally as she stood.
I tried to move back, but my feet were frozen to the floor. That's when I knew it wasn't a dream or even a nightmare. Rue's mór magic was an ability to freeze, and one of her favorite tricks was literally freezing people in their tracks. My Uncle Uisdean's crazy wife had returned from the dead... again.
Why won't evil stay dead?
“Oh, look at your sweet, shocked face,” Rue murmured with false kindness. “You're so scared. Why would the great Seren Firethorn be scared of me?”
“I'm not scared of you,” I lied.
“Is it because I killed your father?” Rue asked; her kindness easily shifting to cruelty. “Even Anu couldn't bring him back.”
“And yet you are here,” I ground out. “How is that possible?”
“Hatred,” she whispered as she drew closer. “Vengeance. They are powerful things. I'm back for you, Seren. To kill the woman who took my husband and my life... for the second time.”
That made me pause. I didn't kill Rue; Anu had killed her. My mind started racing. Everything else she'd said had been accurate; the death of my human father, the way she had come back to life twice, even my part in Uisdean's death. But not her. I hadn't been able to kill Rue. In fact, I had watched as she killed everyone I loved before she tried to kill me.
And that was why I was afraid of her. Even dead, Rue was my worst fear. She was the nightmare that haunted me beyond the grave. The enemy I hadn't been able to defeat without the help of a god.
My hand shot out, and I grabbed Rue around her delicate throat. Her evil eyes went wide, and her slim hands circled my wrist. But she wasn't fast enough. I pulled her close and sprinkled lavender dust from my fingertips into her eyes. Within a moment, her expression went blank and her hands fell away. Rue was star-crossed.
“Hello, Jimmy,” I purred in an imitation of Rue's voice. “You might as well drop the charade now. I know who you are.”
Rue's face shifted into a nebulous haze, and when it reformed, I was holding the much thicker throat of a swarthy man. An errant lock of ebony hair fell across Jimmy's wide forehead, and I brushed it away tenderly before releasing him. He had the body of a runner; lean muscles and long legs. But Jimmy wasn't going to be running this time.
“Take a seat.” I waved to the dining set.
I was joining him at the table when the Elite came rushing in. They looked from me to Jimmy in shock.
“I found Jimmy,” I said to Desmond casually. “Thanks for making sure I wasn't in any danger.”
Yeah, it was a kinda shitty thing for me to say, and it had been touch and go there for awhile with Jimmy/Rue, but I couldn't help myself. That's what Desmond got for trying to cut me out of the chase completely.
“Son of a barghest!” Desmond cursed. “How the fuck did you catch a brag?”
“And what did you do to him?” Sanna cocked her head at Jimmy. “Hey, Jimmy, you all right?”
Jimmy didn't even glance at her.
“He's star-crossed,” Ro announced as he smiled at me. “I never thought I'd get to see a star-crossed fairy.”
“Only my father and I can do it,” I confirmed the unspoken question.
“It's a fearsome power, Queen Seren,” Ro said sincerely. “One appropriate for catching a brag... if you can make it past your fears.”
“Thank you, Ro.” I didn't comment on that second unspoken question. “Now, let's see what Jimmy has to say.”
I turned to the brag.
“Maybe we should get the kings here first.” Desmond stopped me. “They should hear this too.”
I'd had just about enough of Desmond's lip and of overbearing men in general.
“Sit down, Desmond!” I snapped.
The cu-sidhe took a seat at the table, and the rest of the Elite followed suit.
“Thank you,” I said sweetly before turning back to Jimmy. “Now, Jimmy, I just need a few answers before I let you go.”
“You're going to let him go?” Desmond nearly shouted.
I stared him down. “Question me again, Desmond, and you'll find out exactly how I earned my numerous titles—and why they are not meaningless, even down here.”
“Sorry, Your Majesty,” Desmond muttered.
“If we take too long, my husband—the dragon one—will no doubt find us and kill you for attacking me,” I said to Jimmy casually. There was no reaction from him, but I knew he was listening, and quaking in his bones. “I don't want you dead, even after that dirty trick you pulled on me. I want there to be peace in the Underground like there is in Fairy. I believe that's why Danu sent me to King Daxon. She wants me to save her misguided children, not hurt them.”
The Elite shifted back in their seats and looked at each other in surprise.
“But Danu also wants the Fey to learn to live with her brother's children: the Humans,” I went on. “And selling magic to humans will hurt them. The Fey are the guardians of magic, and that is a huge responsibility. We have to watch out for each other, and for this world that the humans have shared with us. We should be helping them and guiding them, not sending them faster to their graves.”
I stopped and took his hand.
“I could use your help, Jimmy,” I said soberly. “I need everyone's help, but especially fairies like you; fairies with power. I refuse to destroy you simply because you're strong and have opposed me, and I hope that I'm right in giving you a second chance. Danu and I are trusting you. So, you can relax; I'm not going to kill you. But I do need you to tell me who hired you to sell magic to the humans.”
“Sileas Tachd,” Jimmy said immediately and tonelessly.
The Elite sucked in angry breaths.
“You know this Sheila Tack; I take it?” I asked them.
“Shoo-lee-ah Tahh-k,” Ro pronounced the Gaelic name slowly for me. “The Tachd is a strangling mór.”
Not that I wasn't familiar with Gaelic; Jimmy just had a weird accent.
“Lovely.” I grimaced. “You know, Tiernan's mother has a sweet mór; the Silverlight. It changes anything harmful into a benign silver glow. Why don't more fairies have mórs like that?”
“Because our mórs are meant to protect us,” Ro explained. “And it's hard to protect without causing harm.”
“Fair enough,” I conceded. “So, tell me about this Sileas. You guys seem a little spooked by the
name.”
“She owns No Dice; a gambling den in the Underground,” Desmond said as he gave the rest of the Elite a heavy look.
“No Dice?” I asked. “That's cute. So, she owns a gambling den and has an ability to choke people. I fail to see why she incited gasping from the likes of King Daxon's Elite.”
They all looked uncomfortable.
“Spill,” I growled.
“Sileas Trachd was once King Daxon's lover,” Jimmy said without emotion.
Desmond cursed.
“Huh,” I said.
“Huh? That's it?” Desmond asked in surprise.
“Well, that's gonna suck for Dax.” I thought more about it. “I hope we don't end up killing her. Oh, dang it! I hate it when I have to hurt a boyfriend's ex. They weren't married, were they?”
Desmond shook his head as he gaped at me.
“Good,” I huffed. “I had to banish Tiernan's ex-wife recently. That wasn't fun; let me tell you. Well, maybe a little fun, but don't tell anyone I said that.”
“This is not how I expected her to react,” Ro said with fascination.
“Women aren't always jealous idiots,” Sanna huffed.
“You thought that I was going to be jealous over an ex-lover of Daxon's?” I asked Ro with wide eyes.
“Well.” Desmond cleared his throat. “King Daxon is a catch.”
I gave Desmond even wider eyes.
“What I meant to say is that most women would get jealous over him,” Desmond stammered.
“Desmond, do you have a man-crush on Daxon?” I asked sweetly.
The rest of the Elite laughed their asses off.
“You so do!” Ro pointed a finger at Desmond. “You follow him around like a—”
“Don't you say it, Rodaidh!” Desmond snarled.
Ro pressed his lips together, but still managed to smirk.
“I'm his second-in-command,” Desmond protested.
The Elite all stared at Desmond with gleeful expressions.
“Gods damn it all!” Desmond snapped. “It's not like that. It's just that most of the women who Daxon dates are prone to jealousy.”
“Look, little puppy.” Yeah, I said it, and I lowered my voice to a deadly level to do so.
The Elite went quiet.
“I am not most women,” I continued. “I don't get jealous because my men don't cheat on me. If one does, he ceases to be my man, and then there's not a problem. Got it?”
“Got it,” Desmond said soberly.
“You are my hero,” Sanna whispered reverently.
“Now, where in the Underground is this No Dice?” I asked again.
“I'll show you,” Desmond said. “But we're texting Daxon first.”
“You mean your boyfriend?” Ro teased.
“Say it again, Ro,” Desmond growled. “I fucking dare you.”
Ro didn't exactly run out of the room, but he didn't linger either.
Chapter Six
“All right, Jimmy,” I said as I pulled back the star-crossing magic. “It's time for you to go.”
Jimmy came gasping back to himself, falling forward into a deep bend. He slowly sat up, his eyes wide and set on my own.
“You meant it?” He whispered. “You're letting me go?”
“I did, and I am,” I said as I searched his gaze. “You have a choice now, Jimmy. You can use this opportunity to make a run for it and start all over again; killing or selling magic or whatever else you do to make a living. Or you could help me bring peace to our people. Try out some good deeds for a change.”
“Peace?” Desmond huffed. “He's an assassin, Your Majesty.”
“And I was an extinguisher.”
I kept my eyes on Jimmy, watching as he scowled at Desmond, and then he turned to me with hope.
“You think that I could help Danu?” Jimmy whispered.
“I think you're exactly who she needs,” I said firmly.
“Me?” The brag asked.
“You know this community, don't you?” I countered.
“Every building and all that's between them,” Jimmy said proudly.
“You know how hard it can be to make a new life here,” I went on, “and what desperation can drive a fairy to do after they get here.”
“That I know better than most, Your Majesty,” he said softly.
“I want to change that, Jimmy,” I said. “I'm trying to change Fairy so that our people won't have to leave. But if they do, I want them to have somewhere to go that doesn't make them desperate. I want them to be safe and have the ability to make a new life for themselves here.”
“And how will you do that?” Jimmy asked.
“With help from people like you,” I said. “I've been looking into purchasing a building above ground to serve as a Welcoming Center for fairies who are new to HR. There will be people to help them find work and somewhere to live, as well as be there to answer questions and lead them through life among the humans. But I think there needs to be companion hubs in the Underground, where fairies can go if they need help immediately, and I want someone like you—someone who knows the good and the bad of this place—to help other fairies navigate it all.”
“Who are you?” Jimmy whispered in awe.
“I'm Seren, daughter of Danu. Will you help me, Brother?” I asked sincerely.
Jimmy the Brag, ex-assassin and magic dealer, started to cry.
Chapter Seven
Jimmy left with my cell number, after giving me a promise to call me after he had found a good location for our first Underground Outreach Center. The Elite watched him go with dazed expressions.
“Did she just change a killer-for-hire into a social worker?” Ro asked Matvei.
“Da, I think she did,” Matvei replied with wonder.
“Well, the proof is in the fairy pudding,” I said. “We'll see if he actually goes through with it.”
“He couldn't have faked those reactions,” Desmond said pensively. “If nothing else, you've changed that man for today, and that alone is miraculous. I shall never doubt your abilities again, Your Majesty.”
“Thank you, Desmond,” I whispered.
“What has Desmond done to inspire such sweet gratitude?” Daxon asked as he strode into the house with Raza.
“It's not what I've done,” Desmond said—his expression still a little overwhelmed. “It's what she's done; I was merely complimenting her on it.”
“And what has my wife done now?” Raza said with a proud smile.
I loved that he assumed it was something good.
“Changed a criminal into a saint,” Desmond said, and then chuckled. “I think I owe you an apology, Queen Seren. I told Daxon that no woman was worth the trouble you're putting him through. I have never been so wrong.”
“What the fuck happened here?” Daxon's eyes went wide as his gaze went to each member of the Elite before settling on me. “Seren, how did you earn the adoration of my Elite within an hour?”
“We found the brag,” I said. “I changed his perspective, and—hopefully—he'll be helping me to open our first Fairy Outreach Center in the Underground.”
“Fairy Out... you did what?” Daxon gaped at me.
Raza just started to laugh; loud and hard.
“I told you that I was going to help our people, Daxon.” I scowled at him. “Did you think I was lying? Blowing smoke up your ass?”
“No... especially to the later. I just thought it would take longer,” Dax huffed. “And I didn't expect you to start recruiting our suspects.”
“Speaking of suspects,” Desmond went serious, casting looks at the Elite before continuing. “Her Majesty star-crossed Jimmy and got him to tell us who hired him.”
“And?” Daxon slid an annoyed glance at Raza. “Will you please stop laughing, King Raza?”
Raza's laughter simmered down to a chuckle as he pulled me into an embrace.
“You are more woman than most men can handle,” Raza said to me. “And I thank Danu for it every day, mo shíorghrá.
Anything less would leave me unsatisfied.”
“I love you too, hot stuff,” I whispered.
“It's Sileas,” Desmond said to Dax, while Raza and I cuddled.
“I'm sorry, what?” Daxon had been distracted by Raza and me; it can be a little shocking to see a dragon-djinn snuggle.
Dax looked back to Desmond with lifted brows.
“I said; it's Sileas. She's the one who hired Jimmy,” Desmond repeated.
“Sileas?” Daxon scoffed. “No way. She's happy with her gambling house. Why would she branch out into selling magic? And who would she get to make the spells? No; she's far too busy for such an enterprise.”
“Jimmy was star-crossed, Boss,” Desmond reminded Daxon. “There's no way that he was lying.”
“But Sileas...” Daxon frowned.
Okay, so I wasn't jealous before, but now it was starting to look as if... “Do you have feelings for her?” I asked Daxon in surprise.
The Elite strode out of the house as if they suddenly remembered they had someplace else they needed to be.
“No.” Daxon grimaced at the exodus of his Elite Guard. “I just know her, and this isn't something I'd ever expect from her.”
“Sure,” Raza said casually. “You know her. I take it this means that you once knew her intimately?”
“Yes,” I answered with Daxon.
Daxon lifted a brow at me. “Desmond told you?”
“He did,” I confirmed. “It wasn't an issue until you started defending her.”
“I'm not defending her,” Dax growled.
“I think I need to let the two of you work this out alone,” Raza declared as he let me go.
I looked at him in surprise.
“Anything I say now will be held against me later by one of you.” Raza shrugged. “I'd rather not be blamed for having an opinion.”
King Raza left the building.
“Humph.” Daxon grimaced. “Smart man.”