by E Gregory
Ethan seemed to think about this for a minute. Then he spoke, his voice resolved. “I don’t like this. But you’re probably right.” He sighed. “We need to know what they’re up to and the easiest way to do that is to just go and see for ourselves.”
Niki was nodding with Brianna poked her head out and gestured at both of them. “Come on, everyone’s waiting.”
Ethan told her they were coming and Niki went to stand, but Ethan reached out and grabbed his arm, gently holding him back. Niki turned to look at him, surprised. “No matter what happens, no matter what we see or do, Niki you have my respect as an integral part of this pack, and you have my protection.”
“I know, Ethan. But thank you for saying so.” Niki smiled at him and Ethan flashed a rare smile back. Then he let go of Niki and they both headed back inside.
As was usual, the living room was teaming with pack members. Jessica had a pile of books and notes with her because she was brilliant, but also because she worked fast. Elaine was in Michael’s lap because they were gross. Harper was sitting at Tony’s feet while he toyed with her short hair because they too were pretty gross with their love. Affection like that was a werewolf thing, Niki had learned. They were highly tactile creatures.
Liam had taken a seat by the fireplace for a change flanked by Ethan’s sisters who sat on the fireplace ledge. Oliver and Ryan sat on either side of Michael unconsciously protecting both of his sides. Niki took one of the remaining open plush chairs and Ethan stood to address them all.
“I assume you’ve all heard about our invitation at this point?” Ethan asked. He got nods all around so he continued. “I brought you all here so we could decide how to deal with this offensive invitation, but I’ve had something of a change of heart. Someone pointed out to me that we’re here to protect the people of this town and in order to do that I believe we have to go to this club and see for ourselves just what is going on.” Ethan announced.
Immediately there was an uproar. The only person that didn’t seem to be saying anything aside from Niki was Jessica. She appeared deep in thought, but then she was opening one of her books and clearing her throat so that everyone would quiet down and listen to her. Ethan called her upfront and he took her seat.
“I have to agree. The thing is, the Fae have a history of luring humans to their realm and then keeping them forever. If that’s what’s happening, we need to know. On top of that, if we offend them without just cause, there will be trouble and I don’t know if we’re up to facing them down yet. We need more information, we need to know what type of Fae we’re dealing with, we need an idea of what types of magic they have. We can’t get all of this information from books, we need to see them in their element.” Jessica explained to them all. Niki was so grateful to her because he couldn’t have put it any better.
“So we need a plan. I’m not taking Niki in there without a solid plan.” Ethan spoke up to say. Niki was grateful for him too.
“I like the idea of you having backup,” Michael spoke up to say.
“What if we had a team on the outside, in case you need them?” Oliver offered.
“Yes,” Michael said. “I want on that team. It can be me, Elaine, Oliver, and Ryan waiting in case you need us.”
“And maybe laying the groundwork for a spell, in case that’s needed.” Niki offered. “Something like a getaway spell in case we need to get out of there quickly.”
“I like that, yes.” Ethan agreed.
“I think you need a team on the inside too,” Brianna said. “In case things get particularly ugly. You should have a second way out of there in case the first way isn’t an option.”
“I think you have the right idea. So that’s three teams. For the inside group let’s have my betas; Brianna, Cara, Harper, Tony, and Liam.” He suggested.
“Let’s leave Liam out of it,” Liam spoke up to say. “Besides, you need someone at your home base in case all of this is some kind of ruse to lure you away from home.”
“Why would they care about our house? If it’s a trap--” Ethan started but Liam cut him off.
“If it’s a trap then you’ll want someone who can get you out of it. That’ll be me. I’m staying behind.” Liam said with certainty.
“Fine, you stay behind, but I’ll expect you to hold up your end of the bargain if we all get into trouble,” Ethan told him in no uncertain terms. “So we have Michael, Elaine, Oliver, and Ryan outside. And Brianna, Cara, Harper, and Tony inside. And if nothing goes wrong I expect all of you to get out of there without being seen. We can’t risk you getting caught.”
“I will wait here with Liam,” Jessica said. “We’ll be your home base team.” She offered.
Niki was going to protest, but then he remembered that Jessica could take care of herself, even against Liam. And besides, he wasn’t likely to risk trying to harm her in any way because he’d be bringing two alphas down on him. Still, Niki didn’t like it, but he kept his mouth shut. Ethan agreed and Liam just grinned his creepy I Got My Way grin.
“What else?” Ethan prodded the group.
“We’ll need you and Niki to brush up on your fairy lore. We don’t want you becoming enslaved by them accidentally. Or at all in fact. Powerful Fae are especially dangerous to humans and can bedazzle them without even trying.” Jessica said.
“I can vouch for that,” Niki said.
Ethan whipped his head around to pin him down with a stare.
“It’s just, the leader of the Fae--” He started.
“Enrieta, the invitation says her name is Lady Enrieta Morningwillow of the Keshalyi.” Ethan supplied.
“Fine, Lady Enrieta bedazzled me, I guess you could say, and I couldn’t even really see her. She was just a figure in a cloak.” Niki told them.
“You’ll need some kind of protection going in among them then,” Jessica said firmly. “Though they’ll probably be able to sense your magic so you need something that can fly under the radar, like a stone or amulet.”
“Agreed,” Niki said.
“And you’ll have to brush up on what it means to be a sub.” Ethan supplied quietly. “It’s not in your nature to be submissive.”
Michael laughed and Oliver covered his mouth. Liam grinned, but Niki didn’t think it was at all funny.
“Jess, you’ll help me with that, right?” He asked.
She nodded. “I will. We’ll be sure you can pass as Ethan’s submissive, don’t worry.”
“So we have a plan. I want team two, that’s you, Michael, to work with Niki to find a spell that will allow us to get out quickly and safely if needed. Team three, that’s you, Brianna. I want you to scope out the house and see if you can find any alternative ways in and out. Be sure to stay hidden while you do this. One slip up could bring the Fae’s wrath down on us and that’s the last thing we need right now.” Ethan told them. “Finally, team four, Jessica, that's you, I need Fae lore research, and for Niki to be prepped to be my sub.”
Hearing Ethan say ‘my sub’ like that gave Niki the chills. It was going to be so hard to play this part without Ethan knowing every little emotion that Niki felt for him.
After everyone agreed to the parts they were playing, the meeting broke up. Jessica snared Elaine to help with the research and they took off first. Cara and Brianna headed upstairs to talk and Oliver and Ryan left with Michael. Tony and Harper were heading out with Niki when Harper leaned over and whispered to Niki, “How are you going to keep that lust of yours under wraps when Ethan is dressed all in leather?” She was out the door before Niki could react.
So they knew? Of course, they did. Even though they were made wolves, he couldn’t keep a lid on his feelings all the time. He did wonder how long they’d known.
He walked out to his car in something of a stupor. Of course, he was put out with Harper for the jab, but she wasn’t exactly wrong. He hadn’t thought of the fact that he and Ethan would be in costumes of some sort and that Ethan would likely be clad in leather to play his werewolf, Dom. That idea al
one was enough to make Niki’s pants just a little too tight. He hurried to close himself in his car and then took off before he could think of any more embarrassing images.
At home, Niki sat with his laptop and searched for information on the Keshalyi. They were supposedly from Transylvania. It made Niki wonder how they had a claim on the land here in Rush Creek. It didn’t make much sense, but then none of this did. After reading about the Keshalyi for only a moment, he cracked his knuckles and took a deep breath and searched Dominant/submissive interactions.
Or course there was porn and while he was curious he knew he wasn’t going to go through with it if he watched porn. This was a mission and he needed to keep it professional, no matter where they were going or what they were doing. After a while, he dug up a blog by a real Dom who had a male sub. It was fascinating stuff, really. Niki only had the barest idea about BDSM which was mostly comprised of spankings and leather and handcuffs. In truth, it was about a lot more. A whole lot more. Sir, as he referred to himself in the blog, wrote that it was all about the sub in fact. About fantasy fulfillment and meeting the sub’s needs. Not just during a scene, but afterward as well. Making sure that the sub was taken care of gave the Dom a deep satisfaction.
There was also information on kinks that Niki skimmed through. He had to do searches for a few terms that he didn’t know and by the end of it, he had a healthy respect for the lifestyle. He didn’t think he could do it twenty-four hours a day, but there was something to the idea of trusting someone, say, Ethan, to take him to a place of total peace and freedom. If he could submit, which he wasn’t sure he could. Actually, all things being equal, Niki thought he could almost better imagine it the other way around. Him as the Dom and Ethan his beloved sub. Taking Ethan apart so that all his cares, all of that responsibility he carried around all the time was lifted from his shoulders. It was very appealing that way.
Niki eventually resurfaced and leaned back in his chair, causing it to almost fall back. He pushed his glasses back up his nose and sighed. He was in, this whole thing was basically his idea, but it was going to be hard to keep a professional distance. He would do his best, though, for the town. For the packs. For Ethan.
Chapter Seven
The next day Niki woke to a knock on his door. He rolled over and looked at the clock and found it was only seven in the morning. He groaned, pulled up the blanket to his chin, and called out, “Come in!”
He’d been expecting his dad, but instead, it was Jessica with an armload of books, what was hopefully coffee, and her laptop bag. He sputtered and tried to pull the blanket up even further, but Jessica just rolled her eyes at him.
“Please, I’ve seen you more naked than that.” She said primly as she dumped her books and bag onto his desk. Then she sat down, obviously not at all bothered by the idea of him in just his pajama pants.
“Yes, but we were little and that was a pool party.” He reminded her.
“Oh, I mean when you got hurt last year and we had to stitch up your hip.” She told him as she crossed one leg over the other.
“Great. I blocked that from my memory.” He said with a huff as he sat up letting the blanket fall to his waist.
“Look, as much as I like this witty back and forth we have going on here, we have our work cut out for us, so drink your coffee and get dressed.” She held out one of the cups to him and he took it gratefully.
“Wait, is dad still here?” He asked.
“Nope.” She said.
“How’d you get in?” He wanted to know.
“Key.” She said. Then she dug in her bag and held it up.
Niki gave up. He had no idea when she’d had a key to his house made, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to know. “Fine.” He said.
She gestured with her coffee at him and he took a drink. It was cooled just enough that he didn’t burn his tongue and it was sweetened to the point of being almost syrupy, just the way he liked it.
“Thanks for this,” Niki said, lifting his cup at her.
“I know you’re not a morning person, but I just didn’t think we could waste any time.” She explained.
He nodded. She was right. Two days was hardly enough time to pull off their plan. They probably could do better with a week or two, but they had no choice. The invite was for Saturday and this was Thursday. It made his stomach churn with nervousness.
Thankfully Jessica was ready to lead, all he had to do was follow along. She laid out her books and pulled out her laptop, turning it on.
“Did you do any research last night?” She asked.
“Yeah, I did.” He told her.
“I knew you would. So tell me what you learned about the Keshalyi.” She commanded.
Niki pursed his lips and reached for his glasses. He put them on and everything came into better focus. “Not much. I admit I was a bit distracted last night.” He said.
“I figured as much,” Jessica said with a laugh. He gave her a dirty look, but she just waved him off. “It’s okay, I did my research and I found an interesting story. So the Keshalyi are from Transylvania, but they are scattered now and for the most part in hiding. All because of the Locolico, a race of underground demons. Their king forced the benevolent Queen of the Keshalyi, Ana, to marry him. Their marriage spawned several horrific creatures as children and eventually, she was able to procure a divorce, but the Keshalyi are cursed to this day. It is said that if any of them reaches the age of nine hundred and ninety-nine they must marry a Locolico.
The Queen is now in exile, but in general, the Keshalyi are known as kind and gentle beings that aid in fertility and healing. They have been known to grant wishes, though I’d be really careful about that. Not all Fae have a human’s best interest at heart.”
Niki listened to all of this with interest. He couldn’t imagine what it would be like to be such good beings forced to wed demons. Granted not all demons were awful, but the implication here was that these were the bad kind of demons. He would need to add them to his research as well.
“That’s a sad story, but it’s good to know they aren’t known for being violent or evil,” Niki said.
“Still, I think it’s wise to use the normal Fae precautions when visiting Lady Enrieta.” She said, opening one of her books and running her finger down the page.
“No eating or drinking anything offered by fairies. Do not cross into any circles. Do not go anywhere with a fairy alone. Do not say please or thank you because this implies the Fae are doing you a favor. If they are doing you a favor then you will owe them. Even so, you must be polite, or else you may offend the Fae and then they will become your enemy. Keep all your possessions with you at all times. Do not go wandering through her house alone. And lastly do not dance with the fairies.” Jessica listed.
There were a few rules that Niki knew from fairy tales, but a few were completely new to him and he was glad he had Jessica preparing him for his visit to Lady Enrieta’s home.
“I’m going to need a copy of those, so I can memorize them,” Niki said with a sigh. It was a lot of information to take in, and he knew his life basically depended on him remembering it all.
“Done.” She said as she passed a piece of paper to him. He opened it to find the list of rules.
“Thank you, oh my god,” Niki said.
Jessica smiled at him, pleased. “Now, you did your own research on BDSM, yes?” Jessica asked.
Niki could feel his cheeks heating up. “Yeah.” He told her.
“Okay, good. Then we’ll need to get you something to wear. Get dressed and meet me downstairs. We can grab a bite to eat and then head to Portland to an adult store I found there that should have exactly what we’re looking for. Ethan assures me he has his clothes covered.” She said.
Niki felt his mouth drop open in surprise, so he closed it and nodded. Then Jessica gathered her things and left him to get dressed. He did not need to think about what Ethan meant by that, so he threw back his covers and padded over to his closet.
In an
attempt to not look like an out of place overgrown teenager when walking into an adult store, he dressed in his nicer jeans and a button-down. Then he tried to tame his curls and he brushed his teeth. Once ready he headed out to the living room where Jessica was sitting tapping her foot.
“You look like an overgrown teenager in that getup.” She told him.
Niki threw up his hands and turned to go change but Jessica stopped him. “Come on, there’s no time to worry about it now.”
He sighed but he took her at her word and followed her out to her car. Jessica drove a much newer car than he did so he was definitely okay with her driving. Besides that, she seemed to know where they were going and he had no idea.
They ate at the diner then got going. On the way to Portland, Jessica subjected him to some of her own ideas about what the club might be like and what he might be required to do in order to fit in. He quietly blushed through the whole thing.
“You’re going to have to work on that.” She said, wagging her finger at his cheeks as they pulled in to Passion Play, the BDSM store.
Niki took a deep breath and blew it out. “I know. I know,” he said.
Walking inside, Niki was carded, but Jessica wasn’t, so yeah he still looked like a kid. He wasn’t very happy to have it confirmed like that. Then he was inside, though, and his head went reeling. Everywhere he looked there was something he didn’t recognize. It felt a little like being in a foreign place and not knowing the language. Jessica, however, seemed totally at peace with it, so he followed her to the side of the store with the clothes and watched her as she began digging through the racks.
“Uh, Jess? What exactly are we looking for here? What am I going to be wearing?” Niki asked.
Jessica smiled sweetly at him but kept digging. “I’ll know it when I see it.” She said.
“Okay,” Niki said slowly. He turned to look at the row of boots on the wall and then when that proved to be too intimidating he tried to look through the clothes with Jessica. There were all sorts of things to look at. Leather vests, pants, skirts. Pirate looking shirts that a part of him secretly wanted to see Ethan in, and full-body latex suits. There was lingerie which made him blush some more and costumes of every sort, more than Niki had ever seen at a Halloween store and all of them the sexy version type. Then finally Jessica stepped back and spoke.