by A. B Lee
“Yeah.”
“Well, you have to apologise.” Bree became brighter.
“Like that’s going to make his nuts feel better,” I scoffed back.
“But it’s the thought that counts,” Bree offered and I snorted a chuckle.
“Seriously? The thought that counts. Bree, honey, I don’t think that applies to a knee in the groin,” I informed her.
“Well, a little goes a long way,” she shrugged.
“Yes, my little knee went a long way to causing him untold suffering- again,” I announced with a shake of my own head at what I’d done.
“So, apologise, I’m sure he’ll forgive you,” Bree gave me an impish smile.
“I’m sure he wants to strangle me right about now,” I offered back.
“Possibly,” Bree shrugged and I raised an eyebrow at her, “ok, probably, but that’s soooo, not the point.”
“Of course it is.” I looked at her as if she’d lost her mind. Which, was debateable even on her best day.
“Maybe it is,” she shrugged again, “but the fact remains- he’s your mate, and he’ll forgive you anything.”
“Within reason,” I offered back.
“Well, sure. I mean if you went and massacred his whole family- that would be a deal breaker, but this? A knee?”
“In his groin- again,” I pushed the point and she winced.
“You really do have anger issues,” Bree sounded a little deflated.
“Mate issues,” I grumbled back.
“So, get a new perspective,” Bree cheered. And she was back, giving it her happy face, her jolly mood, and her go-get-em attitude. “That kiss had to have done something, apart from make your wings glow.”
“They’re glowing!” I turned to look over my shoulder as I spread my wings out wide. “Wow! Would you look at that!”
“Can’t not. It’s like those flashy signs in the human towns, that throb off and on, and mesmerise you until you fly head first right into a window,” she grumbled, “I hate those things.”
“Me too, and car headlights, and gathering tree lights… and…”
“Oh no, Jazz,” Bree scowled at me. “Do you think that means you’re getting closer to losing your wings?”
Her words hit me hard. I hadn’t thought of that.
“I don’t…” I shook my head and considered it. Now that push was coming really close to shove- I didn’t know if I wanted to lose my wings, lose my family and friends, my identity…
We both turned to look at each other, “Fairy Godmother!” we exclaimed together.
My queen would know what was going on with me and my wings. Bree and I set off together across the land towards our community.
CHAPTER TEN
~
SETH
I had to give my mate her dues- she was a fighter, and she had a damn good aim. Twice in as many days- felled by her knee. It was getting to be a habit, and I berated myself for not seeing it coming, and yet- my mind had been on other matters.
I hobbled back towards my pack brothers, each step feeling like an ice pick to my groin, each pull and tug on my muscles making it so much worse. Normally, I would have waited longer to heal, let my body do what it did best and make me whole, ready for the fight again, but I needed to be back at Jazz’s tree in case she showed up again.
I wasn’t giving up on her, on us. She’d kissed me right back and I held onto that glimmer of hope that I could woo her. I had too- it sounded like both of our lives depended on it in one way or the other.
“Again?” Robert didn’t hold back with the laughter as he spotted my ills.
“I like to think of it as confirmation that she cares enough to take the time to damage me,” I growled out.
“But look where she gets you every time, brother, does that not tell you something?” Robert chuckled harder.
“Leave the man alone, Rob. He’s pride is damaged enough right now,” Finlay growled.
I wanted to thank him and hit him square on the jaw with my fist all in one go. I guess I was conflicted as much as my mate seemed to be.
She’d damned well responded to my touch and that was all that I cared about.
I would woo her. She was mine and I wasn’t giving up without a fight, no matter how many times she wanted to hurt me, and in whatever form that would take.
“But, Fin, it’s just too good an opportunity to pass up,” Robert grinned.
“Try,” I growled back.
“Did you learn anything more, aside from the fact that your mate has a temper?” Finlay grinned and I groaned inwardly. I thought it had been too good to be true that he wouldn’t enjoy my mating misery.
“Not really.”
“He was too busy holding his…” Robert was cut off by Finlay’s warning growl.
“Enough!” I growled alongside my alpha. “Just wait until it’s your turn, Rob.”
I had to hope that his mating went as smoothly as mine.
“Not bloody likely,” he growled and sombrely shook his head on his neck.
“We’ll see,” I cautioned him to bite his tongue. Fate had a way of intervening to show who was boss. I’d not long said the same thing about mating, now look where I was.
“Yes, we will,” Robert grunted.
“So, we wait for Jacob to get back to us,” the alpha declared. “Hopefully before the vampires go to war on the Fae.”
“Do you think he’ll find out anything?” I asked.
“It’s Jacob, he has his ear to the ground…”
“And his backside in the air,” Robert grinned until Finlay gave him a stone cold glare. Then his smile dropped and he cleared his throat.
“If there’s news to be had, he’ll find it,” Finlay assured me.
The trouble was I didn’t want the damn vampire to find out anything, purely because I didn’t want anything to be found.
If the vampires were going to attack the Faerie realm then that meant my pack would fight, and if they fought there would be losses on all sides. That knowledge had kept me awake last night just as much as thinking about my mate had.
I would be the one responsible for dragging my pack to war. War was never an easy thing to deal with- the aftermath was always the worst. Counting the dead- taking responsibility for the loss…
I hated that this was on my shoulders.
“Are you sure that you want to involve the pack in this?” I asked Finlay and he frowned at my words.
“She is pack,” he offered back.
“Yes, but, Fin, the losses…”
“Are what happen when we defend our own. It’s a part of our lives, and we have gotten away with it pretty well over the years,” he reminded me that the pack had never really been threatened by outsiders.
“All the more reason-”
“Seth, easy brother. Let’s just wait and find out what Jacob can uncover first,” he was trying to belay my fears, but they wouldn’t be silenced that easily.
I was too centred on counting the losses before they happened. Ever the pessimist.
“There’s still over a day left before the realm is revealed,” Robert reminded me. That didn’t help, it seemed like minutes. “Still enough time for your mate to knee you in the balls a few more times.”
I groaned inwardly and growled outwardly.
I’d had it. My last nerve had just been stomped upon and I went for him; launching myself across the way and taking him down under my weight as I got in a few good punches before he decided to fight back.
I heard the alpha mutter something but I couldn’t be sure what it was. I was too eager to get rid of some of my pent up energy by pounding Robert with my fists.
Two evenly matched betas going at it like wild men. And yet neither one of us would take it a step too far and unleash our beasts.
My groin was the least of my worries now as I fought hard and took the punches that my friend delivered.
“You fight like your mate,” Robert growled out, egging me on, baiting me, and so I delivered a knee to his groin
and heard him roar with the pain.
“I do now,” I growled back as I rolled away from the man and turned to see his red face, his bulging eyes, and his hands cupping his pride.
I tossed my head back on my neck and let rip with the sound of laughter that came from deep within my belly.
I felt a hell of a lot better.
“When you two are done acting like pups,” Finlay groaned as he stalked towards Robert and looked down on him.
“I-” was all that Robert could managed to push out of his lips.
“You asked for that,” Finlay shook his head in disbelief and stalked off. “Give him a minute and help him up,” he growled back over his shoulder as I lay back on the ground, not even trying to make my laughter subside.
I turned to look at Robert and his eyes stared back, accusing me of betrayal against the whole of male-kind. “I- will- kill-” Robert pushed out, slowly.
“You’re hands are kind of tied up at the moment,” I chuckled at his misery.
It was only fair; he’d done it to me.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
~
JAZZ
“My Queen, a moment?” Bree called at the sight of Mirahbel gracefully fluttering towards her home. Not a castle, she was way too classy for something like that. She lived as the rest of us did- only her home was the very last of our little village community.
I had noted that my wings had stopped throbbing colour and light a little while ago, and I had toyed with the idea of not bothering the queen with such trivial matters, and yet- I did so want to know how long I had left as a Faerie.
Mirahbel turned her gaze upon us and smiled serenely- something that she did so well, and the reason that I could never be queen. I don’t think a grimace or a glare would go down well with the populous every time they disturbed me.
“Hello, ladies, and how may I help you today?” she asked. Yep, I definitely couldn’t be queen.
“It’s about Jazz’s wings,” Bree whispered back and I was grateful that she hadn’t announced it to the world.
“Oh?” Mirahbel eyed them for a moment and I felt more than self-conscious. If ever there had been a time when I wished I could have snapped them away as I could when I was human, it was now.
“They glowed and throbbed with colour,” Bree’s voice was even quieter, even I had to lean in to hear what she was saying.
The queen took a long moment to consider it. There was a small tug at the corners of her lips, and then she half cleared her throat as if she was trying not to chuckle.
“Was she- around her mate at the time?” The queen might have asked the question of Bree, but she was definitely looking right into my eyes.
I felt the heat in my cheeks at the memory that her question invoked.
“I’ll say,” Bree bit off an excited giggle and my eyes snapped towards her. She withered slightly under my gaze.
“I thought so. That’s natural.” The queen assured me.
“Natural?” Bree pushed it and I wanted to elbow her right in the ribs.
“When she gets- emotional- excited- s-t-i-m-u-l-a-t-e-d…”
I got the message. Boy, did I? I wanted that snowy capped mountain again, or the rock to crawl under.
“But…” Bree started again and this time I did elbow her in the ribs, knocking her sideways, and groaning as she rebounded off the wall.
“Whoops!” I gave Bree my best death glare and her eyes went wide.
“Have you thought anymore about your decision, Jasmine?” the queen asked and snapped my attention back towards her.
I realised that I was still giving out my death glare when she pulled her head back on her neck and regarded me with the same kind of look I would have gotten had I grown another head.
I snapped it off. I cleared my throat. I tried to compose myself.
“N- Yes,” I’d also forgotten for a moment what we were talking about, but it came back to me in a flash.
“Any progress?” She asked.
“Not so as you’d notice,” I lied. Not about making up my mind, but about other things. Mirahbel didn’t need to be burdened with…
“They kissed,” Bree exclaimed and I elbowed her right back into that wall again. Mirahbel was gracious enough to place her hand in front of her lips before she grinned and chuckled.
“Thanks for the running commentary, Bree,” I hissed at her.
For one long moment Bree looked at me as if I’d just grown fangs and claws, and then she pulled herself up to her small height and gave me a dazzling smile of mischief.
“You’re entirely welcome,” she offered to me and then turned her attention towards our queen, “and she kissed him right back, enjoyed it,” Bree finished on a flare of turning her eyes to me and winking.
I groaned inwardly and growled outwardly.
“Oh look, she’s even got the growl down,” Bree announced and I snapped it off.
“Remember my anger issues,” I warned her and she clamped her lips together and just looked to the sky for the longest time. She was silent though, and that was the main thing.
“I’m glad to hear that you’re at least trying to get along with your mate,” Mirahbel said and I snorted my contempt for that.
“I have news about the solstice and the wolves, my Queen,” I informed her. If we were sharing then I might as well spill my guts. A slight frown touched her forehead.
“Then we should speak inside,” she turned on her heels and I followed her. Bree followed me.
Ushering us inside of her house, I was always struck by how bright and shiny everything was. Of course, she was the queen and she should have the best of everything that our human wishers had to offer, but it was just so sparkly that I never really knew where to look first.
“Nettle tea?” she offered and I shook my head. Bree pulled a face, she hated nettle tea with a vengeance. “Please, sit.”
The comfy little bags full of fresh grass, straw, and lavender always made me sigh as I sunk into them. That scent of lavender soothed my brow.
“So, what news have we?” Mirahbel asked.
“The pack have said that they want to fight alongside us against the vampires,” she couldn’t have looked more shocked if I’d just reached out and slapped her around the face.
“They- have?” she seemed at a loss, but I could see her mind was speeding on ahead of her.
“That’s good news!” Bree exclaimed and the queen was jogged out of her surprise.
“It is,” she was still thinking.
“There’s a vampire named Jacob who is a friend to the pack and he is gathering information on any vampires that might be planning to attack us,” I informed her, again she looked stunned.
“I- I’m…”
“Seth, my- mate,” I ground out on a frown. “Has said that they will fight with us no matter if I mate with him or not, something about me being a part of their pack anyway,” I brushed that aside with my hand. In truth, I had other thing on my mind when Seth and I were speaking about it to remember every little thing.
“That’s very welcome news, Jazz,” Mirahbel was finally back to herself again as she stared back at me.
“You’ll want to meet the alpha, won’t you?” Bree asked, all bright eyed and bushy… winged.
“Of course,” Mirahbel nodded.
I groaned inwardly. Wonderful. That meant I would have to see my mate again and sooner rather than later.
“And Jazz can visit with Seth,” Bree sniggered at my face as it dropped.
“I’d like to meet Seth,” Mirahbel gave me a small, encouraging smile, and I wanted to groan, but I didn’t.
With my queen in attendance I had to remember one simple rule- No drop kicking him in the groin, it was unbecoming a Faerie.
~
~
~
I felt both proud and a little jealous as Mirahbel, Bree, and I flew towards the three shifters. My eyes were on my mate and I had to wonder how he would react to the sight of my queen, so beautiful, so serene
and graceful appearing before him- that was where the jealousy kicked in- given a thousand lifetimes, I could never match my queen on any of her attributes.
When we placed our feet against the earth and our Faerie form slipped away to reveal our human one, three sets of eyes latched onto us, and I watched Seth take all three of us in, but his eyes latched onto mine and he didn’t take them away again as he grinned… dimples and all.
I guess I might have been forgiven for the knee thing- but I wouldn’t hold my breath on it.
“Finlay, alpha to your pack- this is Mirahbel, queen to our people,” I announced and thought I’d done a fine job too.
“Queen,” the alpha nodded in respect. Mirahbel nodded back.
“Alpha, I understand that you are thinking of helping us with our vampire problem,” that was a nice way of putting it. I would have just blurted everything out- probably along the lines of growing fur and eating bloodsucking leeches- another reason I could never be queen.
“With your blessing,” he lied and I could see it in his eyes.
“He’s lying,” I did blurt that out.
Mirahbel held up her hand as the alpha growled in annoyance.
“I know, I can feel it in the air too,” Mirahbel informed me, “but, it’s not what you think, Jazz, settle down.”
Finlay looked decidedly guilty and I had to wonder why. It was wonderful that my queen knew what was going on, I just wished someone would let me in on it.
“You’re right. I lied. Forgive me?” Finlay took a long step towards us and that got my back up. Now that I knew he’d lied I was more than ready to zap his backside all the way back to pack lands.
“Forgiven,” Mirahbel said and my jaw dropped.
“Err…” I was more than confused. This whole queen thing was way beyond me.
I was about to zap him and be on my way.
CHAPTER TWELVE
~
“I lied about needing your queen’s blessing, Jazz,” Finlay explained.
“With or without it, the alpha plans to fight with us,” Mirahbel added and I relaxed slightly. A jolt of guilt shot through me, once more. Still, better than what I was planning to do to the alpha- boy would I have regretted that.