He knew it would be like this eventually; everyone would have their lives to lead and Afterlife would become second place to that. He didn't like it, though. He wanted everyone there to share his plans with.
Part of him knew he was being selfish. Just because Afterlife was his number-one priority didn't mean it had to be like that for everyone else. He thought about this while he leaned back in his chair and smoked.
"Let's talk about what we know," Sarah said. "All the demons that have left Stanley have a green tattoo on their wrist. That should make hunting them down a lot easier."
"We're not hunting them down," Alec said sharply. "They've left Stanley because they're tired of being treated like servants or hired killers. Most of those that have abandoned her aren't even feeding."
Sarah scowled. "I understand that, Alec. I really do. But if we leave them alone, Stanley is going to come after our families. Beth was threatened by one of her vampires. I don't want anything to happen to her or to Regina. I'm sure Conner would say the same thing about Janice and James."
"Well, at least they can protect themselves somewhat," Harper interjected. "Janice is a powerful witch, even if she doesn't practice very often."
"That's hardly the point," Sarah said.
"Sarah's right," Peter said. "We can't let innocent people get caught in our crossfire."
Sarah shot him a look of approval.
"Still, we don't kill demons that aren't killing or feeding," Alec said. "They have every right to a peaceful life, too. I have an idea, though, Sarah, so calm down and let me explain."
Harper and the others leaned forward.
"We're going to send them to Phoenix," Alec said. "All of those that are against her are in hiding anyway. Going to Phoenix will give them the fresh start they need away from Stanley. And we'll have upheld our end of the bargain by getting rid of them."
Sarah leaned back in surprise. "Now that's an idea."
Alec nodded. He was pleased with his idea. "Now, we're going to have to send someone to Phoenix to coordinate this with Serendipity. I'm thinking of you, Sarah."
"What?"
"You know the team there," Alec said. "It makes perfect sense that you should go and talk to Wren, Samuel, and Heather. Let them know they're going to be getting an influx of demons but that the demons are peaceful. Coordinate with them to make sure they all arrive safely and have somewhere to go."
"Why me?" Sarah asked.
"Brittney and Harper are going to be busy with the police," Alec said. "Conner and I are helping with that, too. You're the natural choice."
"I could take Chloe with me," Sarah mused.
"You could," Alec said.
"Or you could take me," Peter said. "I've never been to Phoenix. It would be fun. We could have a road trip. Listen to music, eat junk food, that sort of thing."
"It's only four hours away," Sarah said. "It's not much of a road trip. Besides, Chloe knows them too and--"
"--Chloe isn't going to get more than ten feet away from Brittney," Harper pointed out. "They're in the middle of planning a wedding."
Alec watched the way Sarah's eyes flickered briefly away from Peter.
She nodded. "Alright, you can go with me, Peter. If you think we're going to eat a bunch of gas station junk though, you're wrong. We'll pack lunches to take with us. Something that'll keep in a cooler. Sandwiches, salads, something like that. Then we won't have to stop on the way."
"You're taking all the fun out of it," Peter said.
Sarah laughed. "Do you want to go or not?"
"Of course I do," Peter said.
Sarah nodded. "We'll leave in two days then. Alec, Harper, will you two keep an eye on Beth while I'm gone?"
"Of course," Harper said. "We're not going to let anything happen to her. If things get flaky with Stanley, we can always send them to the fey for a while. I'm sure Beth wouldn't mind seeing their forests."
"Alright," Sarah said. "Only as a last resort though -- Beth is still studying to be a lawyer and can't afford to miss too many classes."
Alec nodded his agreement. "I'll keep a close eye on her. It wouldn't hurt to be connected to a lawyer anyway. She could help us if things ever get dicey for Afterlife."
"That's not why she's becoming a lawyer," Sarah said. "And I don't want her anymore involved in Afterlife than necessary."
"I'm just saying--"
Sarah shook her head.
Alec rolled his eyes. "Fine. She's your sister, so whatever you say. So you're going to leave the day after tomorrow?"
"Yes," Sarah said. "That should give me enough time to talk to the women I work with, let them know I'm going to be gone for a few days. They need someone to handle their cases while I'm gone. That's going to be interesting to find on such short notice."
"I could do it," Harper said.
Alec looked over at Harper. "You don't have much experience with battered women."
"No, you don't," Sarah agreed.
"But I can protect people," Harper said. "My powers are getting stronger every day. I'll be able to keep them safe, at least. And if something does go wrong, I have contacts at the station. Ryan will do just about anything for us."
Alec looked over at Sarah, expecting her to protest. Instead, she nodded. "You'll be fine, Harper. I'll give you their names and you can stop by and check on them while I'm gone. Just make sure they're doing alright, that they're not contacting their exes, and make sure they have everything they need. Nobody's going to court any time soon that I'm working with, so you don't have to worry about that."
"Great," Harper said.
"I should go start making the calls," Sarah said. "Come on, Peter, come with me."
Peter and Sarah stood and left.
"Everyone's gone," Harper said to Alec.
"Everyone but us," Alec agreed.
"You don't look too happy about that," Harper said. "Don't you want some alone time?"
"It's not that," Alec said. "It's just -- I'm worried that we're all drifting. With Brittney and Chloe getting married, they're going to want to do more things by themselves. Than Conner's off with Janice all the time, and Sarah's got her sister living in town now. I'm worried how things are going to go down if we can't all stay on the same page. We can hardly get everyone in the same room at the same time anymore."
"That's what happens when people grow up," Harper said. "It's hard for me to watch too, Brittney and I used to be inseparable."
"That's the thing," Alec said quietly. "Everyone is growing up and changing. Not me, though, Harper. I'll never grow up. I'm stuck at twenty-nine forever. Everyone else can go start their lives, but Afterlife is my life. My entire being is dedicated to it."
"Not anymore," Harper said. She walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, it's not your entire life anymore," Harper said. "You have me now, Alec. The two of us are together, and that's something more than just Afterlife."
Alec considered this for a moment. He wanted to tell her -- again -- all of the reasons that he doubted their relationship, but she'd heard them all before, and it was getting tiresome to repeat himself. Instead, he took her in his arms, and kissed her.
"You're right, I have you now," he said after the kiss. He tried to resist saying it, but couldn't help himself. "But for how long?"
THIRTEEN
Brittney woke up after a long nap and saw she was alone in the bed. After her and Chloe had christened it, she'd gone off to sleep. She had dreamed exceptionally vivid dreams, but she couldn't remember what they had been about.
She got up and quickly dressed. Chloe must have gone out while she was sleeping. She looked around for a note, but didn't find one. For a moment, this irritated her, but she quickly got over it. There was no need for Chloe to babysit her just because they were in the fey's forest. She was an honorary member of them, after all.
So Brittney walked out of the house and wandered through the streets of the town. She recognized
some of the fey from the battle with Bartholomew, and some of them from when the forest had been under attack because their keeper had left. They all waved at her. She returned the gesture, feeling pleased to be so accepted.
Eventually, she found herself standing outside of Joseph and Marissa's dwelling. Marissa came to the door, and smiled at her.
"Hello, Brittney."
"Hello, Marissa."
"Joseph told me such wonderful news about you," Marissa said. "He told me that you were marrying Chloe."
"That's right," Brittney said. "I asked her if she wanted to, and she said yes!"
"That's magnificent," Marissa said. "We're planning the feast for tonight. You're planning on staying for it, aren't you?"
"Of course not," Brittney said. "We wouldn't miss it."
"Good, because everyone in the village is excited for it," Marissa said. "They've all wanted Chloe to return home ever since she was a child. She's very well loved here. I know -- you two aren't staying here forever but simply by coming to us to tell us of your upcoming nuptials is a very respectable gesture."
Brittney nodded. "Chloe was very insistent. She wanted all the fey to know how happy she is with me. We weren't sure how it would be looked upon--"
"I haven't heard a single word against it," Marissa said. "And trust me, if someone was speaking out against it, they would be quickly reprimanded. Everyone remembers how you volunteered to step in as keeper when ours was missing. You have your own sort of fame here."
Brittney started to respond, but before she could, she saw Chloe running up to the house. She was followed by a fairy that Brittney recognized as Mikael. He had been friends with Chloe when they were children, and had recently reconnected.
Brittney started to greet him, but the look on his face was enough to make her pause. He didn't look happy at all.
"What's wrong?" she asked instead.
Her heart started thumping wildly in her chest. Mikael was a cupid, and perhaps he had seen something about her and Chloe's future...
"It's his son," Chloe said quickly, perhaps reading the expression on Brittney's face. "His son, Caindale, is very sick."
Marissa stepped quickly forward. "Taking him to a healer hasn't done any good?"
Mikael shook his head. He glanced back to Brittney. "I'm sorry to bring such bad news on the day of your engagement feast, but Caindale is just getting sicker. Every time he eats, he ends up throwing it all up. He's bloated and in pain. He's lost so much weight, and he's always tired."
Brittney frowned. "I'm sorry to hear that. How long has he been sick?"
"For a while now," Mikael said. "It started off slowly. He didn't grow, you see. I mean, he grew, but it was in little bits and pieces. He's very small for his age, and now he has these other problems. I'm at a loss. I don't know what to do. The healer said she's never seen anything like it."
"Have you taken him to a doctor?" Brittney asked. Everyone turned toward her, even Chloe, looking surprised. "I know you don't like associating with humans, but--"
"It's not me," Mikael said. "I would happily take him to a doctor, but Anastasia refuses. She says no human doctor can treat one of the fey. It's against the basic nature of our people."
"I was treated by a doctor," Chloe said. "I was caught in a house fire, and almost all of my skin was burned off. The doctors did wonders to help me recover -- aided, of course, by my own abilities -- but still. There's nothing wrong with seeing a human doctor, Mikael."
Mikael shook his head. "Anastasia will hear none of it. She insists he will recover on his own, or that our healer will be able to find an answer. I worry about him, though. He's so frail."
Everyone was silent for a moment, considering Anastasia's views and the sick child.
"What about Sarah?" Brittney asked.
Mikael looked over at her. "What do you mean?"
"Sarah isn't a doctor," Brittney said. "Not a licensed one anyway. But she knows plenty about medicine, and she's not exactly a regular human doctor. She treated Marissa when she was near death. She could help your son."
"What a wonderful idea," Marissa said. "That's what we'll do then, Mikael. You know the entire village cares for Caindale."
"Will Anastasia allow it?" Chloe asked.
"Bring her here," Mikael said. "I'll make sure that my wife knows that it's our only option. Thank you, Brittney. Will you bring her yourself?"
"I'll go for her," Joseph said. "You two should stay here and prepare for the feast."
"We shouldn't have it," Chloe said immediately. "Not with Caindale being so ill. It would be in poor taste."
"No, you should still have it," Mikael said quickly. "Please, don't cancel on account of my family. We're going to be fine, Chloe, especially if your friend can help."
Brittney nodded. She didn't want to cancel the feast either. It would be a much better engagement celebration than the dinner with her family had been, and she felt like both she and Chloe deserved it. Joseph kissed Marissa on the cheek and then headed inside to get ready.
"Come with me," Marissa said to Chloe and Brittney. "Let's go see how the preparations are coming along."
They walked through the village until they'd reached the center of it. There, a dozen tables had been brought out, and even more chairs. Already, people were bringing out foods. The smells made Brittney's mouth water, and she couldn't wait to sit down and eat.
Chloe turned to Mikael. "How is baby Amber faring? She was born small, wasn't she?"
"Yes," Mikael said. "It was a difficult pregnancy but both she and Amber are recovering well."
"I'm glad to hear it," Chloe said.
"I should probably get back to them," Mikael said apologetically.
"Don't worry about it," Brittney said. "We'll come when Sarah gets here, alright?"
"Thank you again," Mikael said. He put his hands in his pockets and walked away.
Brittney and Chloe wandered around, talking to everyone they came in contact with. It was like Marissa said; everyone was happy for them. Soon, though, Joseph appeared with Sarah in tow. They all went to Mikael's house together.
Anastasia was a beautiful woman, but when she opened the door to her home, she looked anything but.
"I'm sorry," she said immediately to Sarah. "I know they brought you to look at my son, but he's going to be fine with fey healers. We don't need a human looking after him."
Brittney glared at her. "She's not just a human. She's a shape-shifter that's had plenty of experience working on supernatural beings. She's the best shot you have of finding out what's wrong with your son. Just let her take a look."
Mikael stepped up beside Anastasia, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Honey, it's not going to hurt anything to let her look at Caindale."
Anastasia looked like she wanted to argue again, but Sarah said, "I'm not going to do anything to him, alright? No surgeries, no medicine, nothing. I'm just going to take a look at him, get his history, and then recommend what I think you should do."
"Fine," Anastasia said. "He's upstairs in his room."
Sarah followed her up.
Brittney and Chloe took seats on Mikael's sofa.
"So, you're a Cupid," Brittney said, looking at Chloe's old best friend.
Mikael smiled, though it looked a little strained. His eyes kept moving to the staircase as he waited for them to return. "Yes, that's right."
"So what do you think of our marriage?"
Mikael looked between the two of them, his attention distracted for a moment. "I once told Chloe that she would be handfasted to a member of the fey. You are an honorary member, so you fit the qualifications. From what I read in your auras, you two will be married and very happy together."
"Thank God," Brittney said, relieved.
"For a time," Mikael said a moment later.
"What?"
"You will be married and happy for a time," Mikael said.
"What does that mean?" Chloe asked.
Mikael shook his head. "I see tragedy in your f
uture. I'm sorry, sweetheart. That's all I can sense."
"That's not enough," Brittney said. "If you're going to doom us from the start, you can at least give us more information than that!"
"I'm not dooming you," Mikael said. "I believe you should get married, and be happy together for as long as you're able."
Brittney thought of a few choice words she wanted to tell Mikael, but she couldn't get them out. She remembered now that fey weren't supposed to lie. In fact, it went against their very laws. She had been the one to ask, and he had only answered with what he saw.
Chloe took her hand. "Brittney, let's not focus on that. We're going to be married, and we're going to be happy, alright?"
"Alright."
They all sat in silence, caught up in their own thoughts for some time. Then Sarah and Anastasia came back downstairs. Mikael immediately stood. "Well?"
Anastasia looked at Sarah. "Can you explain? I didn't understand everything you said."
Sarah nodded. "From what I can tell -- though we won't know for sure without a blood test -- your son is suffering from something called Celiac Disease. It's essentially an allergy to gluten -- wheat products. His immune system can't process it correctly and therefore, it eats away at his stomach and intestinal lining. This could cause all his symptoms -- including his stunted growth. He's losing too many vitamins."
"What's the treatment?" Mikael asked. "What's the prognosis?"
"You have to lead a gluten-free lifestyle," Sarah said. "That's all. Just avoid things with wheat in them, and he'll be fine. I would suggest it for all of you. I think that Anastasia is probably the carrier for the gene, because of the low birth weight of Amber."
"That's it?" Mikael asked.
"Yes," Sarah said. "He's going to be just fine."
Anastasia wiped her eyes. "Thank you, Sarah. I'm sorry I doubted you."
"Yes, thank you," Mikael said. He went forward and hugged Sarah. Then he looked at the others. "We should get to the feast. It should be starting soon."
They all walked down together. Brittney was awestruck at how many people there were who had gathered together to celebrate. There were dozens of different dishes and she ate her heart out. Everything was delicious -- even though she took cooking classes with her mother, she knew she would never be able to cook as good as the fey. Of course, they had plenty of time to practice, living by themselves.
The Zig Zag Scam (Afterlife Book 12) Page 7