Trees in the Desert (Afterlife Book 8)

by Kaitlyn Meyers

  Conner looked over at Amelia. She looked more upset than he had been at Harper the day before, and he regretted his decision to sleep with her. Now he was paying for the consequences. At least she could've tell her husband the truth, though.

  "Sean," she said. "Sean, you know I'd never lie with a demon of my own choice."

  Conner couldn't believe what he was hearing. He moved forward, meaning to grab Amelia's arm and shake her, but a group of fey moved protectively in front of her. "She's lying," Conner said. "I wouldn't use my powers on a member of the fey. I wouldn't use them on anyone anymore. I'm here to help, damn it!"

  Sean pushed Amelia behind him. "You raped my wife," he said. He turned to the others. "He's a demon. He needs to die for what he's done."

  There was a murmur of agreement from the crowd. Conner let out a low sigh. He thought he could fight his way out if necessary but what would that mean for the alliance between Afterlife and the fey? It wasn't like they could just leave. Not when Joseph had cast the spell keeping them all there.

  "I didn't rape her," he said. "I didn't seduce her. She came onto me."

  "You're a liar," Sean said.

  "She's the liar!"

  "Don't you talk about my wife that way," Sean said. He looked at the fey. "Take him, and kill him!"

  The crowd moved forward as one, and Conner knew he had no choice. He transformed into his incubus form, and backed up, ready for a fight. Before one could break out, Joseph ran up, followed by Marissa, and Sarah. Chloe and Brittney were right on their heels. He didn't know where Alec and Harper were. Sleeping together, probably, he thought ruefully.

  "Lying is a great crime to the fey," Marissa said, her voice still raspy from her throat wound. "Amelia, why are you trying to get this man killed? I can see it in your eyes, child. You took him of your own free will."

  Sean turned to his wife, as the crowd backed away, unsure now of what was going on. "Is that true, Amelia? Why would you cheat on me? I thought we were happy."

  "You're never home," Amelia finally said. "And you don't appreciate me. I wanted some comfort. Besides, look at him. He's handsome, he's young, and he knows how to show a woman some love."

  Conner sighed. "Look, I didn't know she was married. If I did, I wouldn't have slept with her."

  Sean glared at him. Then he glared at Amelia. Then he glared at everyone. Then he stormed back into his home and slammed the door behind him. Amelia hesitated and then followed him.

  "You shouldn't have slept with her," Marissa said. "That is not why you are here. You are here to help and you have caused drama and strife among our people. You cannot stay here."

  "If he's not staying, none of us are," Chloe said.

  "Chloe," Brittney said softly. "They need us."

  "No," Chloe said. "He did nothing wrong. So he slept with someone. Big deal."

  "It is a big deal," Marissa said. "He is not fey. The fey do not have affairs outside of their people. If she had cheated, it is bad enough, but to sleep with someone who is not a fairy is a terrible crime."

  "And what do you think of me and Brittney then?" Chloe demanded. "She's not fey, and guess what? We slept together last night. In my own home."

  "Chloe!" Brittney said, her face flushing.

  Conner flashed Chloe a grin; he couldn't help it. There was a reason he considered her one of his best friends. She would protect her friends no matter what, even if it meant causing trouble for herself.

  Marissa glared at her. "You have not lived among us. You no longer understand the ways of your own people."

  "I understand that you're racist," Chloe said. "I understand that you hold onto beliefs that are no longer relevant or necessary."

  Marissa turned to Conner. "You are no longer welcome here, demon," she repeated. "I will cast a spell that will allow you to leave. You will not come back."

  "Fine," Conner said. He felt his anger growing again. If they didn't want his help, he was fine with that. He didn't feel like being in a place where he was accused of seduction and rape. He'd put that stuff behind him long ago.

  "If he's going, I'm going," Chloe said.

  Sarah put a hand on Chloe's shoulder. "You're not leaving. These are your people, and they need you."

  Brittney nodded her agreement. "She's right, Chloe."

  "Then you stay," Chloe snapped. "I'm going with Conner." She walked over to him and put an arm around his waist. "Let us leave, Marissa."

  Marissa hesitated and then murmured a few words. "You may leave now then," she said.

  Chloe turned to Brittney. "You're coming with me, right? You were the one who said you don't take crap from anyone. You're not going to stand for this, are you?"

  Brittney sighed. "Chloe, they need our help. Without us, they're going to get massacred. We can't just leave. You should stay too."

  "After what they just said? After they're banishing Conner? Come with me, Brittney," Chloe said.

  "I can't," Brittney said. "We made a promise. Harper and I did. We promised we would help, and I can't just leave."

  "So you're choosing them," Chloe said.

  "That's not fair."

  Conner hugged Chloe closer to him. "I appreciate what you're doing, but you don't have to leave. You should stay here and help."

  "No."

  "I mean it, Chloe," Conner said. "I'm not letting you come with me."

  "You don't get that choice," Chloe said. She turned to Brittney again. "Please."

  Brittney shook her head.

  "Fine," Chloe said. "Come on, Conner. Let's blow this joint."

  Conner nodded and the two of them went together to the edge of the forest. They hesitated. "If we leave, we can't come back," Conner said. "You know that, right? Are you sure this is what you want?"

  "Yes," Chloe said.

  "Then come on," Conner said. "Let's go get drunk."

  The two of them stepped out of the forest. Conner turned and tried to step back in, just out of curiosity. He couldn't go back in; there was an invisible barrier, the same one that had kept them in.

  They walked back to Las Vegas, and then went to Afterlife, which had just opened for business. They grabbed a few drinks and sat at one of the tables.

  "Can you believe her?" Chloe said. "Brittney, I mean."

  "She made a promise," Conner said.

  "I don't care," Chloe said. "She should have chosen me over them. They're not even her people. She has no allegiance to them."

  "No," Conner agreed. "But she has a strong moral code, Chloe. You should be proud of her."

  Chloe sighed.

  Conner sighed too. "I really messed up."

  "Are you kidding?" Chloe asked. "I think it's great that you slept with someone else. Means you're finally getting over Harper. That's fantastic. You should be celebrating."

  Conner shook his head. "I'm not over her. I only slept with Amelia because I thought she looked like Harper, and because I was mad at Harper. I still am. Did you know about Phoenix?"

  "What about it?"

  Conner took a drink. "She slept with Alec. After we were together."

  Chloe blinked. "What? Harper did that?"

  Conner nodded.

  "Well, I can see why you're angry then," Chloe said. "Though is it really that much of a surprise?"

  "I suppose not," Conner said. "I just thought that... I don't know. It's Harper. She doesn't seem like the sort that would cheat on someone. I thought if she was going to sleep with Alec, she would at least have the decency to breakup with me first. But I guess that's just wishful thinking."

  "Do you hate her now?" Chloe asked sympathetically.

  "No," Conner said. "I still love her. That's the worst part."

  "Yeah," Chloe said with a sigh. "Brittney chose the fey over me, and I still love her. What a pair we are."

  "You know, we could go sleep together. That would show them," Conner said.

  "You are kidding, right?" Chloe asked.

  Conner rolled his eyes. "Of course I am, Chloe. You're like my sis
ter. Do I seem like someone who would sleep with their sister?"

  Chloe pretended to consider.

  Conner finished his drink and signaled a waiter to bring him another. Chloe finished hers too.

  "What now?" she asked.

  "Now we just wait until they're done," Conner said.

  He hated it, though. He didn't want to wait around for his friends to finish a job he was supposed to be helping with. He felt helpless. He also wanted a chance to confront Alec. Maybe punch him again.

  "How are we supposed to work together?" Chloe asked. "I mean, with Harper and Alec, and that whole mess. I don't want to lose Afterlife, Conner."

  "We're not going to," Conner said. "I mean, I can get over it. I knew what I was getting into when I tried dating Harper. It sucks, but it's not surprising, like you said. I guess I just expected something different. You know, she's not even going to end up with Alec?"

  "What?"

  "Yeah," Conner told her. "She said she talked to a love fairy. He told her that she would end up with someone who could give her a family. So screw her and Alec. Let them have their fun, but they both know it won't work out. In the mean time, we'll do our jobs. Right?"

  "Right."

  Conner chugged his second drink. "Why do you think they're losing their magic anyway?"

  "How would I know?"

  "You're a fairy," Conner pointed out.

  He stared at Chloe. Sometimes it still took him by surprise that she was a member of the fey. The fey weren't supposed to be out and about, and yet here she was. He knew her history, he knew what she'd been through, but he was still surprised sometimes.

  Chloe considered for a little bit. "I have no idea," she finally said. "But maybe we can help from out here. We can research. Unlike the stupid fey, we have the Internet."

  Conner laughed.

  "Let's go back to your apartment," Chloe suggested. "I can sleep on your couch, and we can spend the night trying to figure this out."

  "Fine," Conner said. "Not that they deserve it. And we're picking up some rum on the way. If we're going to research, I'm not doing it sober."

  EIGHTEEN

  Harper's cell phone kept going off the next morning. She tried to ignore it; she wanted more sleep, but it kept ringing. She thought for a moment it couldn't be real... how would she get a phone call in the middle of the forest? She rolled off the couch she was sleeping on, and sighed. She had slept terribly; she couldn't get Conner off her mind. She had a made a mistake telling him about her and Alec. He had gone and done something stupid and gotten himself kicked out of the forest, and Chloe had gone with him.

  It had been guilt that motivated her into finally telling the truth. She couldn't stand keeping her affair a secret any longer. Not when Conner was still harboring feelings for her and hoping they'd get back together someday. He needed to know the truth. Now Alec was angry at her too; he thought she'd made a mistake and he'd wasted no time in telling her so.

  Her phone rang again, she checked the screen and it showed one bar of service.

  "God," she moaned. She looked farther down the screen and saw it was Conner calling. She hesitated and then answered. "Hello? Conner? What's going on?"

  "We've been up all night researching," Conner said with no preamble. "Their magic is fading because they lost their keeper."

  "What?"

  "The fey have a keeper," Conner said. "Someone who keeps them safe from the outside world. I'm not talking about their leader, Marissa. A keeper is someone that nobody knows about, someone who takes on the responsibility of hiding the fey. They can't leave. If they do, the fey lose their magic that keeps them hidden. Their keeper has left. That's the only explanation."

  He was talking fast, and his words were slightly slurred. "Conner, are you drunk?" Harper asked.

  "Chloe and I shared some drinks," Conner said, immediately sounding defensive. "But that's not the point. The point is that the keeper had to have left. I don't know why, and they wouldn't know who it is. They probably don't even know they have a keeper, it's that secret."

  "If it's so secret, then how did you find out about it?" Harper asked.

  "Because we have the Internet," Conner said smugly. "And we researched. There are articles about it. Of course the fairies wouldn't know. They don't believe in technology. They would never have read up about themselves."

  "How sure are you about this?" Harper asked.

  "I'm completely sure," Conner said.

  "Alright," Harper said. "I'll take it to Marissa and Joseph. Thanks Conner."

  "You're welcome."

  "How are you doing?" she asked. She closed her eyes, and prayed that the question hadn't come across as condescending as it might have sounded. Conner said nothing for a little while. She thought he might have hung up. She checked her phone and saw they were still connected. "Conner?"

  "I'm here," he said. "I'm alright, Harper. I've given it a lot of thought, and I forgive you. I don't want to lose our friendship, and I don't want to jeopardize working together at Afterlife. So can we just go back to before?"

  "Yes," Harper said gratefully. "Yes, I'd like that a lot. How's Chloe doing? Brittney feels bad for not leaving with her."

  "She'll be alright," Conner said. "She's finally asleep. She drank enough to kill an army. Of course, she won't have a hangover. Damn her."

  "Have you slept yet?" Harper asked.

  "No," Conner said. "I told you, we've been up all night researching. I'm going to bed now, though. Good night, Harper."

  "Good night, Conner." Harper hung up and went to wake the other members of Afterlife. Once they were all together, she told them what Chloe and Conner had found out. Brittney looked comforted that Chloe hadn't given up all together, but Alec wouldn't even meet Harper's eye.

  "Can we talk?" she asked him.

  "We have work to do," Alec said.

  "Alec."

  "Fine," he said. He turned to Sarah and Brittney. "We'll meet back with Marissa and Joseph in an hour, alright? There's no sense in patrolling since nobody can get in or out, but keep your ears to the ground. See if you hear anything about this keeper."

  Alec and Harper walked away from the other two, keeping a good distance between each other.

  "When are you going to stop being angry with me?" she asked.

  "When are you going to stop doing stupid things?"

  Harper reacted before she could help herself; she reached out and slapped him. The sound was loud in the quiet of the forest. Since he wasn't transformed, and he was weak in the daytime, her slap actually had an affect; it left a hand print on his pale cheek. He stared at her.

  "What I did was not stupid," she said. "It was the right thing to do. What we did? That was the stupid thing. I should never have been with Conner in the first place, and I was only with him because you won't give me a chance."

  "You know why."

  "You told me you would think about it," Harper said. "Conner's going to be fine. I know he's your best friend, but he told me he wants things to go back to normal. So be with me, Alec."

  "No."

  "What?"

  "I thought about it, and I made up my mind," Alec said. "I'm not going to steal the best years of your life, Harper. No, don't look at me like that. You're not going to change my mind. This is my decision."

  Harper felt like she was the one who'd been slapped. She wanted to turn and run but there was nowhere to go and nowhere to hide. She had to face this.

  "You won't change your mind?" she asked.

  "No," Alec said.

  "Then kiss me," Harper said. "Kiss me for the last time, and make it a good one, Alec."

  He took her in his arms, and she slipped an arm around his waist. They stood there for a long moment, looking into each other's eyes. Then Alec slowly lowered his mouth to hers, and their lips met. Harper felt like a bolt of electricity was going through her, and nothing had ever tasted so sweet as his mouth on hers, and nothing had ever felt more right than his arms circling her waist, and... and..
.

  And then it was over, and they broke apart, and Alec stepped away. "I'm sorry, Harper. I want you to know that if there was a way, I would make it work."

  "Don't apologize," Harper said. "But when I move on, and I will, don't hate me, Alec. Because I'm going to love you for the rest of my life."

  NINETEEN

  Alec, Harper, Brittney, and Sarah sat on one couch. Alec was on one side, and Harper on the other. Brittney and Sarah sat between them. Marissa observed them silently, these people who had come to help her and the rest of the fey. She knew she owed them much. She had helped them in the past, but she'd done nothing that warranted what she would now require of them.

  Locking them in had been nothing compared to what she was about to ask. Sarah had asked her the night before why they couldn't leave, and have the fey lock their forest afterward and leave it locked. Marissa had to explain that the fairies needed to be able to leave on occasion so they could get supplies and help those in need.

  The fey avoided people in general, but they were also the keepers of the forest and had a responsibility to help those that couldn't help themselves. Much like the Afterlife team that she now faced.

  She only wished she could have taken back her decision to banish Conner. It had led to Chloe leaving, and she wished now that the two of them were there too. Of course, Chloe was volatile. Perhaps it was best that she was gone.

  "I know of the keeper," Marissa said.

  "You do?" Harper asked, leaning forward. "Why didn't you tell us about this sooner? We could have figured out what to do a lot quicker if we'd known the entire circumstance."

  Marissa sighed. "It is not that simple. I do not know who the keeper is. Nobody does. It is their job to guard our forest and our magic, and they must do so in secret. If someone knew who they were, they could be targeted. That would be bad for all of the fey."

  Joseph reached out and took her hand. She closed her fingers around his, grateful for the touch. She had loved Joseph since the moment she saw him, though she knew his history, and how many times he'd been hurt. That was part of the reason she loved Sarah so much. Not only had she saved her life, but she had saved Joseph more heartbreak. She would do anything to help the woman.