by Erin R Flynn
We had fun. We needed more fun.
So, of course people had to fuck it up for us.
Darby and I had left through the faculty portal—always careful of McGrath, who stalked it for the chance to see the runes needed to get to my house—but returned through the portal in the student union. I could take the power and immediately wipe where we came from without anyone knowing, so it was safe and didn’t risk us walking into something.
Plus, a student manned the booth there and teachers were around the other one. I didn’t trust all of them, and they could read magic enough that it could be a problem.
I learned from my mistakes as much as I could.
Others—apparently—did not. Or, more aptly, the mistakes of others.
Magic was thrown at us the moment we stepped out of the student union and hit the barrier I always kept up around me now. I sighed and glanced at the idiot who had tried it. I did a double take when I heard his thoughts, already having my telepathy on, talking to Darby in his mind since we were plotting.
“A full ride to Artemis for your whole family and a cushy job with your council after graduation if you can figure out what I am, huh?” I taunted the guy. “That’s quiet the deal the fox elders are offering. They think they can wheel and deal with that knowledge and get a leg up since they’re one of the smallest shifter groups?”
He glanced from his hands to me. “How can a sophomore unknown stand up to a master’s student? What kind of charm are you using for that barrier?”
I snorted. “Yeah, I’m so going to tell you, idiot. And it’s not a charm, but my magic.” I shook my head when he tried to argue. “I’ve fended off council aides, dumbass. Keep up. You don’t think anyone’s tried this shit? We’ve been here and people have done this. This was my whole last year, and no one found out.”
“And a lot of us are tired of it,” Natalie said firmly as she stepped out from the now gathered crowd. “We were all ready to move past this bullshit and learn what we should. Instead, all of you assholes are ruining what should be a nice program to stop the class division. Screw what the elites see it as. That’s what this program could be. Instead, you’re all focused on Tamsin and what you might get.”
“Hope it was worth your shot to take classes here,” a dragon I didn’t know said as he stepped up too. “Because enough of us witnessed it as you also did it so publicly.”
The guy sneered at him. “Of course I did. She’s always guarded and—”
“Yeah, because of assholes like you,” I drawled.
“It ends!” Hudson roared from my right, and I doubted I was the only one who about jumped out of their skin. He was a very large man who sounded really scary if he wanted to. He moved forward and stared down the guy and group of exchange students behind him. “It ends, and not just with you getting kicked out of the program.”
The guy stupidly mocked him. “You have no rule here, Prince.”
“She has the protection of my family and all the dragon royals and leading families,” Hudson announced loudly. “A few stupid pranks weren’t something to get pissed about, but an upperclassman just openly used a magical attack because he has his council’s backing; he’s their pawn. So let me be clear for the next idiot who will try for her.
“They will not save you from our wrath. It’s not even about Tamsin, but our word as dragons giving our protection. We will not allow any doubt in the strength of those promises. The next student—exchange or otherwise—who tries anything underhanded with her—in class or outside of it—will deal with us. Your councils know this as they were warned.”
“It’s why they’re offering you the brass ring,” I told the students, appreciating the backup, but not wanting Hudson to speak for me. “You’re expendable. You fail and get eaten by my guards or stomped to shit by dragons, and it’s no skin off of them. They’ll disavow you or anything you tried.” I snorted when I saw his disbelief. “What do you think happened to the other exchange students who got booted?”
“They got booted because their councils didn’t back them up,” Natalie about purred, smirking when other people looked shocked. “Wake up, people! Our councils don’t care about us. They care about power and what they can get. Those councils denied everything and blamed the students as making it all up so they didn’t have any issues about crossing lines. They will do the same to you. We are all pawns to them.”
My eyes went wide as I heard in her mind that her council had tried to drag her in, but Geiger had interjected and told them that if they tried to drag a student off this campus without a valid reason and to another closed door meeting over his dead body. That man was seriously done with all the corruption and bullshit.
Good. More people should be. Enough!
“And the dragons aren’t the only ones on her side,” a female I sort of recognized said. “She got rid of Koch, who rooted all through our minds and fucked with our shields. She’s helped us see the corruption and protect ourselves.”
Office hours! She was one of the first to truly come to my mental shielding office hours asking for real help, even when she was done with the class. Rock on.
“So this ends,” Hudson declared. “If you came for the exchange program to get to her—leave. She is off the table, and you will piss us all off and incur the wrath of dragons. And before you give me some bullshit about student code of conduct, you’re breaking it going after a student, and dragon protections are exempt from those rules. That gives me free reign to eat all your asses. My dragon would love it.”
Oh, I just bet River would. He had to be having a horrible time with all this crazy.
Security showed up and took the guy away, and finally, finally it seemed people were realizing the shit was real, and everyone was done with the crap.
For now at least. My luck was never good enough that it would last too long.
One could only hope?
24
I felt like I blinked and another few weeks went by. I was glad, because things were calming down and classes were going well, but I was so, so ready for midterms and break. Even a week… I simply needed a break. At least from Artemis. I wouldn’t get one from this world, but I would take what I could get.
There would be a ton to do over break, but mostly sneaky hidden stuff, which I much preferred anyways.
I had just sat down with my tray in the cafeteria at dinner when several large men who looked out of place walked in. I bit back sigh. All the students packed in the place, and I didn’t even need to guess who they were there for.
Zack and Ray seemed to understand that as well because I felt them reach me before the strangers.
And someone must have alerted Edelman because a temp portal opened right as the group stopped in front of me.
“Tamsin Vale, you need to come with us,” their leader instructed. “We have questions you are required to answer, as you’ve been implicated in a theft from the home of a hawk councilman.” He glanced around as if making it clear that all the people there was why he wasn’t telling me a name.
Funny, because I was damn sure all those people being there was why they were doing this to me now.
“Well, this is a new ploy,” I purred, making no move to obey, smirking at them even. “What did I supposedly steal from an unnamed councilman I’m sure I’ve never met, as I’ve never met a hawk elder?”
The guy’s eyes flared with anger at my snark and dismissive attitude, but there was something more. My telepathy instantly told me he didn’t want to be there either.
And this whole thing was bullshit in his eyes. Glad we both thought that.
“We weren’t given a list of the items you are accused of stealing, but there is valid reason to believe it’s you,” he answered.
The cafeteria went eerily quiet.
Ray was the first to break the silence. “You came here to seriously drag her off to be interrogated for a theft when you don’t even know what was stolen? Did I just hear that crazy right?”
The guy shot R
ay a less than friendly look. “The councilman is withholding that information at the moment and—”
“Then he can’t even file a report,” Zack cut in, a snarl in his tone. “We have laws and rules, just like the humans. You cannot report a theft to open a valid investigation without actionable evidence, including a damn list of what was taken.”
“Yes, I know this, Captain.”
“Captain?” I purred deeper, glancing at my guard.
He nodded, but kept his focus on the supe police. “I was with the supe police for over twenty years, retiring at captain when there were some changes made.”
“Meaning we couldn’t take the corruption after the fairies went back, and no one would stand up and keep groups in check,” Ray grumbled. “There were many reasons Geiger hired us to protect you.”
The guy glanced between them and then at me. “So it’s really true that this is all Geiger’s move to stab at the vast corruption, and he’s using her to do it? No one would ever show that side to him or was stupid enough to mess with him, so he needed someone they would. He’s taking up the banner of the work his mate did?”
Oh boy, things must have gotten bad if he was pushing that narrative or trying to take heat off of me. The problem was he was putting it onto himself and I wasn’t a fan of that.
“Who’s saying that?” I asked.
The guy raised an eyebrow at me. “He was called to answer to the dragon council last week. They finally got tired of him blocking you and all the pressure from every group that they make him stop and hand you over. He refused and said this was his fight, as it was a fight that needed to be fought and won.”
“The dragon council is a sham. They have the least power of any council, and no respectable dragon will work as their guard, so they have no one to back their barking,” Zack stated, more for me so I wasn’t worried.
I appreciated that because it was damn hard to keep it all straight.
But right then, we had a situation, so I focused. “So you think you can drag me off to wherever—not identifying yourselves—about stealing something from someone and no specifics, and… I’ll just go?”
He narrowed his eyes at me. “Yes, when the police tell you to come in and answer questions, you come in and answer questions.”
I snorted. “Not for bullshit like this. If you had anything valid, I would absolutely work with you guys, and I have. But this is crap.” I held up my hand to hold him off. “When did this happen? Do you have a date or time so I can prove where I was?”
He ground his jaw. “Sometime last week.”
“You’re fucking kidding, right?” Zack snapped. “You weren’t even given a date and time, and you’re acting on it? This is bullshit. Have some integrity.”
Edelman moved and opened another temp portal, his phone in hand, so he must have called or been talking to someone. Sure enough, Geiger came through with Claudia, both looking ready to throw down.
“The reason the councilman won’t tell you what or when is because his hobgoblins were liberated,” Geiger announced loudly. “He will not officially document them as things, but sent you to try and trap my client into admitting she’s involved so he can recover his possessions. He wants them back before the hobgoblins file grievances against him, but he is too late as my office is already taking their statements.”
“And?” a policeman behind the leader asked.
“He beat them. Regularly,” Geiger spat, steam about coming out of the large dragon’s ears. “Kicked them, mostly. He treated fair folk like that, and he doesn’t want it common knowledge. He made it clear that the grievances will be filed in the garbage like the others, but there is no statute of limitations like in human laws, and they will pay their bill one day when the—”
“They aren’t ever coming back, Geiger,” that lead cop said gently, giving Geiger a look of pity.
“They are,” he argued, Zack, Ray, Mel, the hobgoblins in the cafeteria, and I all echoing him, but he continued. “My mate is coming back. I have always said that. I would know if he was gone for good. So would they.” He gestured to my two Alpha wolf guards. “Until they do, we will fight the corruption and have hit our limit on this madness. Fair folk are not slaves!”
I felt a pulse of power and swallowed down when I realized Geiger had a lot more juice than I’d thought. Nice.
“For the record, the fact you’d come here in the middle of dinner to humiliate me, but won’t even say his name to protect him, makes me not feel bad for you for one second that you’re stuck in the middle of this,” I said to the lead cop. “You’re just as guilty as they are.”
He shook his head. “I was ordered to come now, in public, as there was less of a chance you would fight us and risk injuring my people. It wasn’t to embarrass you at all, and I hate that I’m in the middle of this.”
I changed my answer when I heard in his mind that he didn’t fight the order because he thought doing it publicly would draw out people who could fight for me… And it had. Fine, he got a pass with me, as it was a tough position, and he did do a lot of good for supes. I nodded I knew what he’d been up to, and relief filled his eyes.
“I’m still not coming with you. The hobgoblins are not things and cannot be stolen. If you have viable proof of things being stolen from a man who will put his name on the record, along with a date and time that’s not a week, I will gladly answer your questions as I’m innocent. I have a lot of money, Officer, and I don’t need to steal. The rest is bullshit and they are using you, and the police, to do bad.”
“And as her attorney, I’m forbidding this questioning,” Geiger interjected. “You don’t have enough for an arrest warrant, which is why you want to bring her in for questioning only. However, they were going to use that and the magic dampeners you have at headquarters. We intercepted the call the hawk elder made as to where and how soon she would be locked down for the taking.”
I bit back all the curse words. That meant either the vampires or warlock elders, as we were listening in and surveilling them. There were mob families and seriously fucked up gangsters that had more morals and reasonable lines than these assholes.
“I will need a copy of that to give to my boss,” the guy hedged.
“Already sent, as the head of the police is clean, but we both know many in between you are not,” Geiger grumbled. “I promise when you go back, the order to bring her in for questioning will already be rescinded. You were being used.”
The guy gave us both a look like he more than knew that already. We got shallow nods, and then the group left as fast as they had arrived, not wanting to draw it out or more attention.
Yeah, must be nice to have that option.
“So, it’s your fight and I’m the pawn you’re using to rile them all up into pulling back the curtain on their corruption?” I asked Geiger under my breath.
He gave me a soft smile. “It will give you a month or two of diversion with the focus on me.”
I nodded. “Then forgive me for what I’m about to do.” I didn’t hesitate, throwing up a barrier so we were blocked from everyone and jumping over the table. I grabbed his arm and marked him with a deep fairy rune only I could take off, or would fade if I died.
He groaned in pain but then looked at me with wide eyes. “What did you just do?”
“I gave you an emergency exit,” I explained. “If the shit ever hits the fan, activate that rune with your blood, and the fae dogs will come through a temp portal and save you. They will get you out, no matter what.”
“I’ve never heard of such a rune,” he whispered, looking almost terrified at how powerful I was.
Yeah, I was too, as I shouldn’t have had the juice for it yet, even if I was born of a noble line.
I shrugged. “You didn’t get all the secrets of both sides, or all of them ever, as we’re not supposed to give them. Just don’t wait until you can’t activate it. Promise me.”
“I promise,” he swore, reaching out and cupping my cheek. “If nothing else,
I can’t add to the worry already on your young shoulders, and you’ll doubt yourself if you think we could all be harmed fighting with you.”
Damn right I would, but wouldn’t any decent person?
“Take today as a win.” He chuckled which surprised. “And take down the barrier before everyone freaks out.”
Oh, right. I pulled back my magic and went back to my seat.
“What did you do now?” Zack demanded.
“Are we telling each other everything now, Captain?” I teased as I hurried to tuck into my meal before it got any less fresh. I focused on Edelman. “Thanks for calling in the big guns.”
He dipped his head. “As much as everyone says I favor you and go too far for you, this is what I would do for any student.”
“You just don’t normally have to, as they have parents or living relatives to step up,” I finished for him, nodding when he did. “Still, I appreciate it.”
After dinner, something I had ordered arrived and I swung by White’s office, seeing she’d skipped another meal to avoid people. The rumors about her, and what her lover had done, were a joke. The council had done it to embarrass her when they couldn’t get to her, to smear her reputation as a witch, because women were nothing compared to men to them.
Unfortunately, that was true in too many species.
I didn’t even bother knocking, walking right in and putting up a barrier and magically locking the door. I was glad to see the hobgoblins had brought her a tray of food at least and to see she’d eaten from the empty plates sitting there.
“Hey, Cousin, wanna hear about some fun with the supe police you just missed?” I set down the box of expensive liquors on her desk. “To help your broken heart.”
“Thank you, Cousin,” she whispered, touching the box with a smile. She looked put through the wringer and totally wiped.
“You’ll get through this, Anya.”
She bobbed her head. “I’m losing faith we’ll win this fight. I’m sorry, but I am, and you’d probably hear that in my thoughts right now as my shields are a mess.”