by Erin R Flynn
He glanced around and nodded. “Right because you can’t just take everything back to new, as there have been updates since. You have to use the more complicated spell then.”
“Do we have to be there for you to channel us?” Sangria asked.
“No, but I figured you’d like to see it done. I could do it that way. Just use whoever came to each station.” I shrugged, and she nodded. Keegan called a bunch of his people while Helen ordered a bunch of food from the trucks so it was waiting for when they came back.
He decided on the red line that started in two different places in Brooklyn, merged and continued through Manhattan before splitting again and ending in two different areas of the Bronx. Yeah, we were just doing one line. That was a lot of ground to cover and magic to use.
I brought Hunt with me to the first station, closing my eyes and feeling the energy of my surroundings. I let out a breath and weaved the spell over every surface to clean, disinfect, and get all the layers of everything up. Including any paint, gum, and repairing places that were carved or etched. Opening my eyes, I saw it working from the far corner and move its way closer to us like water.
Then it went past and kept going until that station was completely cleaned from one exit to another. I smiled as I went to the wall in the middle and posted a magical banner that would disappear in a few days. I added bags of bespelled sponges that would clean the negative energy around it and then eat some of the pollution in the air if someone tossed it up. I added flyers on how they worked.
I almost burst out laughing when I saw David and his people looking like they’d been hit with a subway. I sent them back to refuel and went for Hunt.
“‘We get the job done,’” Hunt read from the banner. “‘Love, the Enchantress and supernatural elders.’” He glanced at me. “It’s a bit confrontational. It implies the humans couldn’t.”
I frowned. “Well, they couldn’t, but that’s not what I meant. It’s got the company information on it. Our cleaning service does.”
“Yes, but you made it political signing it personally with the elders,” he clarified.
I sighed, changing it so the first part was gone. The point was for people to know who did it, not potentially start more shit. He nodded, and I took his hand, popping us to the next station.
Five stations in, James and his people—including Theo—stood there waiting. I was shocked to see the hurt and pain coming from Theo. On instinct I went to ask him what was going on, but Hunt moved like he wanted to show something to me but really to cut me off.
“The elder hasn’t hurt him,” he breathed in my ear. “It’s grief. He got piss drunk all of yesterday and last night. He’s grieving losing you.”
I shocked him when I nodded but still went to Theo. “Do you want me to take the memories away?”
He gave me a sad smile. “No, I would never erase you like that. I will always value what we shared more than that.” He leaned in and kissed my cheek. “Just as you congratulated me when I found my cheetah, I want nothing but happiness for you.”
“I’m sorry,” I said, not knowing what else to offer. I didn’t want Theo to hurt. He was a good man, a good Alpha, and it bothered me to see him upset.
“I’m not,” he promised.
I let it go when I saw relief in his aura as well. I nodded and headed back to my task. As much as he might have loved me—and to what extent I didn’t know—he was relieved he never had to deal with what it meant to truly stand at my side. Even if he missed me or what we had, he would choose that pain over the hardships of being with me for real.
At the last second, I turned to James instead of cleaning the station. I got in his face and then made him kneel before me. “Enough of this petty shit. Use Theo or his family or his pride like that again and I will cut off all the cheetahs.”
His eyes filled with shock. “You love him that much?”
“No, I just can’t stand to be party to one more of us becoming twisted and jaded. Enough, James. It’s been over nine hundred fucking years. Enough. You mated, and I moved on. Enough. We have real fucking problems to deal with. Get it together because I fear you are going feral, and as much as we will never be friends, I have always respected you as an elder and thought you a wise choice.”
I waited until he nodded to let him up, giving Theo a look that I expected him to tell me if anyone used him again. He smiled, and I knew we were on the same page.
Good, because all of this crap and crazy distracted us from the real problems we had, the world had, and they were many. Too many to ignore or be distracted for.
“Banner,” Hunt reminded me when I finished. I thanked him with a kiss and added the banner and bags of sponges. He was staring behind me, and I looked as well, seeing all the cheetahs on the ground groaning in pain.
“Did you all really think magic was so easy and had no true cost?” I drawled, seeing the disbelief on their auras.
Well, at least this was educational for a lot of everyone, as the humans present saw what was going on as well.
Keegan met me at a station at the halfway point, and we changed the plan to do the #1 red line as opposed to all three since we didn’t have enough people helping to space them out for all three. I waved it off, but Hunt convinced me there was no reason to go overboard when I was still reeling from what else had happened and I was supposed to be relaxing.
“Fine, I won’t do anything bad to you if you’re going to help like that,” Keegan muttered about Hunt before popping away.
“They are so damn loyal to you,” Hunt chuckled, shaking his head. “I get it now being around you more and totally in love with you, but yeah, you have to get how that comes across as a cult to the outside.”
I opened my mouth and then closed it, seriously considering it. I shook my head. “I’ve never been under sway or seen a cult really. I’ve only seen people blindly follow out of fear, and they were always desperate for a chance to get away.” I held up my hand to stop whatever response since we had people around. “I see auras, Hunt. I can literally see the bullshit from a mile away.”
“The rest of us aren’t so lucky,” he said sadly, accepting my answer.
The media got word of what we were doing and were at the last several stations, flocking me when I appeared. When I finished and they’d gotten their prime footage of the magic working, they started shouting questions at me.
“Did you injure those people, Ms. Devil? Is that how magic works?” one of them shouted.
I swallowed a scathing remark and put on my most pleasant smile. “Not in the way you’re thinking of it. Using magic takes energy. I did not injure them, but the elders who graciously offered to help me do this have never felt it before. It’s a bit of a ride that we learn to endure since we’re young. You have to picture someone who’s never run before feeling what running a marathon feels like all in one instant. It’s jarring.”
“One just fainted,” someone argued.
“Athletes do that too,” Hunt replied easily as I hurried over to the wolf in Michael’s party.
“She gave a lot of blood helping the vampires yesterday,” I muttered after I checked her. “Flag one of my people and have a healer examine her. It was too much that she’s not used to.”
I sent them back before Michael could say anything or try and take credit somehow, as he was all about being the hero. I quickly left up the banner and sponges, the media about tripping over themselves and anyone in the way to get them.
I grabbed Hunt’s hand and got us out of there while they were distracted. I did the last few stations and was thrilled when I brought us back to The Resort and found everyone eating their fill.
“It’s all over the news already,” Helen informed me as she made several TVs appear with New York broadcasts. “And Chicago is already saying shit that our subways are just as dirty and you live there.”
“Good,” I purred, making my phone appear. I called in to one of the bigger morning shows who said they were trying to get a quote fro
m me. After a bit of getting transferred around—since apparently a lot of people had been calling in saying they were me—the hosts were told they had me live.
“Hello, thank you for joining us, Ms. Devil,” one of the anchors greeted.
“My pleasure. Sorry to interrupt your broadcast, but I was told you wanted me to comment on what I and other supe elders did just a bit ago.”
“So it was you?” he checked. “A lot of sources are saying it’s them and have been calling in.”
“It was me with the help of a few dozen other elders and their people who loaned me the energy to get it done,” I confirmed. “We had a tribunal to convene for and thought we might tackle something together before we enjoy our weekend and have a bit of fun.”
“Well, New York thanks you,” he chuckled. “Are you doing all subway lines?”
“I’m the Enchantress, not a goddess,” I snickered. “Maybe over time, but it takes a lot of energy to handle so much. We planned to do all of the red lines, but there are quite a few stations, and we thought it better not to overdo it. Honestly, we just wanted to show a bit of appreciation to New York after they’ve been so lovely the past few weeks.”
“Are you referring to the interviews and articles saying if Chicago is unhappy you and your coven are there, NYC would love to have you?” the other anchor asked, her eyes full of hope from what I could see from the TV now that I was inside and it was muted so the call didn’t echo.
“Yes, I thought that wonderful for people to say and appreciate how often my coven helps people. I think Chicago has become a bit spoiled and some are being ungrateful,” I told them. “I know it’s been in our papers so I’m not sharing confidential information, but the last murder had a toy wand and some dead frogs, and officers were completely serious as they laid the blame at my feet.
“I know the people of Chicago to be better than that, and it upset my coven that we were back to the days of any animal death to be blamed on enchanters. Here we’re doing a study with the University of Chicago to try and clean up Lake Michigan and see if there’s some way magic can help, and people are blaming murders on us because the killer left dead frogs at the scene.”
“Some are saying you’re cashing in on problems of climate change and lining your pockets when you could do it for free,” she replied.
“Oh, so solar panels are free? I must have missed that when I bought them for many of my properties and stores,” I said, my tone amused. “Nothing in life is free, darling. Magic has a cost whether it be the energy I’m using, to what I could be doing instead, to the protection we have to pay for at our coven because too many hate us or try to abduct us. It is not free for me.
“I’m currently paying a lot for all the food needed to recharge all the elders and supes who helped me today. I not only used all the energy and cleaned all those stations without charging the city, but now I’m paying for the sustenance required to make that happen. I do a lot that I never take a penny for, but money does make the world go around, and I have a lot of people to protect and take care of.”
“In other words, you’ll start working for free when everyone else does?” she asked, smirking at the camera like there was no way she’d give up her paycheck anytime soon.
“Yes, well said. We do the best we can. I will say that one thing I have learned over my many years is if you give away your wares, people don’t find much value to it. The spell on the sponges not only takes ingredients—one of which is rather costly—but a lot of energy to make. My time is just as valuable as anyone else’s. I pay my taxes on the money made, and the amount I pay has made people actually faint.
“But I believe in the system and the good it can do, so I pay my fair share. I could be cheaty and run this company or that through a country that wouldn’t require so much in taxes, or find this loophole that others do. I can’t stand those who use the system like that. I might make a lot of money, but I’m also one of the few companies that pays a good living wage to her employees and much higher than minimum wage.”
“We could use more of that in New York,” she hinted.
“Well, it may come to that one day, but for now, I have faith in Chicago and fully believe we will push past this rough patch. I hate to cut this call short, but I do need to refuel. I hope New York enjoys their clean stations, and hopefully we can do it again or maybe the cars next. I know several suggested we clean all the NYPD squad cars after the chief of police said he’d love to have me show up at crime scenes and help.”
“I’m sure they would be thrilled for the help. Thank you for your time and for joining us, Ms. Devil,” he said.
I thanked them again and hung up, glad when Helen gave me a wide grin so I knew I’d done well. I moved around and took off collars while I ate donut after donut. Once that was done, I sat down to a full spread Hunt had gotten for us.
“Jerome healed me,” he murmured as he moved his hand over my leg. “You wanted to play with the young bear, right?”
“Or Brax just showed up with a whole group of angels,” I muttered, seeing them appear on the terrace. “You missed that fun yesterday.” I gave him a smirk. “You were too busy boinking some bitches.”
“For the record, one was horrible, and none were even close to as good as being with you,” he assured me.
“Good dog,” I chuckled before digging in to my piles of pancakes that were seriously first-rate. I was on my second plate when Brax joined us with a frown. “Good morning.”
“I apologize for the party crashers, but when the others were talking about how much fun they had, a new group decided they wanted to take a day off too.”
I shrugged. “There’s more than enough for everyone. I can’t say a huge pool party in Arizona is the same as a deserted island, but we have fun.” I licked the syrup off my fork nice and slow, noting the way he watched me intently. “I still have a private cabana in the corner and could use someone to rub stuff on me.”
“Lotion?” he asked.
“That too.” I cut into more pancakes as others chuckled at my antics.
People seemed to want to head to the pool, and I offered a bonus to the food trucks if they stayed a bit longer and moved them to the patio off the huge pool. I used my power and changed into a strapless wrap one piece that covered next to nothing. I modeled it for Hunt and then changed him into tiny swim shorts.
“Pet, would you get me some sort of iced coffee and a few more breakfast burritos?” I asked him. I gave him a kiss in thanks and then saw Cameron walking over with a huge tray of shots.
“Yes, we’re starting early,” she said before I could even ask.
“Shot?” a deep voice asked me. I glanced over my shoulder to find the bear waiter staring intently at me. He smiled when I nodded, picking one for me.
I took it down and smirked at him. “Put that tongue stud to use and kiss me where I said you would.”
His eyes went wide. “Now? Here?”
“Or were you all talk?” I taunted, giving him an expectant look.
He wasn’t. He dropped to his knees right there and ate me for breakfast. He pulled away after my first orgasm, giving me a hesitant look. Then he slowly stood when I didn’t say anything, simply staring at him. It was then maybe he realized he was a tiny fish trying to swim with sharks, as he obviously wanted some sort of encouragement or affection in return.
Instead I asked his name.
He blinked at me. “Ardan.”
“Mm, a nice Irish bear, huh?” I purred, sticking my fingers in his shorts and pulling him closer while checking what he was packing. “Are you full, Ardan?”
“No, Enchantress,” he whimpered, moving his arms around me. “I’m still starved.”
“Then you should visit the food trucks,” I chuckled when he was about to kiss me. “I didn’t even scream from the orgasm. Apparently you need some coffee or something to get up to the level you promised.”
His eyes flared with pride and a bit of hurt. I almost felt bad for bullying the guy, bu
t then I remembered he was a willing plant from his elder, and I lost that feeling quickly. “I was nervous to do that around so many. I can do much, much better.”
I shrugged. “We’ll see.” I turned away and thanked Hunt for my coffee and the shot he offered me. “Kiss your bite, pet.”
“Which one?” Cameron drawled. “You’re covered in them.”
I smirked at her. “You’re shocked I play rough? I let him fuck some bitches so I could punish him later. Yeah, I let my pet bite me all over, and now it’s my turn to play.”
“Knowing you, that means he has to not blow from a line of blow jobs and if he does, they get a chance to sit with you and whisper in your ear all day and you get to punish him more.”
I blinked at her and then laughed, almost dropping my drink. “Cameron, you are so, so evil sometimes. Yes, I think that’s a very fun game we’ve not played.”
She shrugged. “You’ve never had a pet before. I have, and it’s a fun game to play.”
“Want to play, pet?” I asked Hunt.
He gave me a worried look. “Do you really want me to play? I only want to do it if you’ll enjoy it. For real this time.”
I thought about it while eating my burritos. “I won’t be happy if you blow, but yes, I think it’s exactly what you deserve to suffer through.”
He leaned in and kissed me gently. “I can prove I only want you every fucking day as long as it doesn’t upset you.” He cleared his throat and glanced at Brax. “And I don’t miss other fun. It’s not enjoyable if you’re not playing.”
“I’ll watch the whole time,” I promised. I winked at Cameron. “Spread the word. Any who want that he agrees can suck him, and if they can finish him, they can join us at my cabana today.”
“You are so much fucking fun,” Brax chuckled, shaking his head.
I shrugged, taking in the array of shocked faces and auras his siblings had. We went over to my cabana, and he slathered lotion on me while stealing kisses.
Bacchus improved on Cameron’s idea and actually had Helen make a pole appear near the bar and restrained Hunt to it. I was kind and made an umbrella appear so he didn’t fry, as it might not be summer, but it was still Arizona.