by Elle Casey
Tony opened the door to his room and I saw immediately that it was almost exactly like mine. I walked in and went to his dresser. The silver tray on top, the spot where he was supposed to leave tokens for his brownie, was a little different than mine. It was also silver, but it had different scrollwork around the edges. I’d noticed the same thing in Spike’s room the one time I’d been in there.
“When I went into my room for the first time there were clothes in the drawers for me.” I opened his, and sure enough, it was filled with clothes. The tunics were the same color as mine – white, and he had jeans for pants. How cute ... we were going to be twins. “You’ve got stuff in here, but I have a feeling these tunics are going to change.”
Tony came over to look in the drawer with me. “Why? What’s wrong with these ones?”
“They’re white.”
Tony looked at me. “Aaaand that’s a problem because ... I’m messy, maybe?”
“No. Because I think you might be getting dark gray ones instead.”
Tony gave me one of his looks. “Jayne, don’t make me tickle torture you. Just tell me. I’m tired.”
I rolled my eyes. “I met this Dark Fae guy tonight who’s a wrathe.”
“Is that the guy who’s going to fix Chase?”
“Yes, exactly. Or he works with the witches who are doing it. His name is Gustav, or Goose for short. Anyway, he has the same color eyes as you. So it’s not a definite or anything, but there’s a possibility that you’re a wrathe too.”
“What’s a wrathe?”
“I have no friggin’ idea. I do know that they can do stuff in the Gray though, which is ... cool.” Honestly, I didn’t know if it was cool or not, but I wanted to give Tony something positive to think about. And if it was in his race to be a part of the Gray, I’m sure it would be right for him, even if it wasn’t my favorite place. I’d been in the Gray once, when Gregale took me on an astral projection trip to see Tony back in West Palm. I was so focused on getting to Tony, I didn’t pay much attention to it; but I remember it was cold and not a happy place. I also knew that the Gray distorted the way things looked – like it casted a shadow over things that wasn’t necessarily there. When I saw Tony through the Gray, he looked miserable and helpless, furious at me. He was kinda those things when we actually went to go see him in person, but not as amplified as the Gray made it seem.
“How will I find out about all this stuff?”
“During your training. And through talking to other changelings. I swear, most of what I know I learned through gossip or by accident. This ain’t no Hogwarts, if you know what I mean. I’ll talk to Dardennes about it tomorrow. I just have to figure out how to tell him I think you’re a wrathe. We don’t have any here that I’ve seen, so he’ll wonder how I know.”
“You said you could tell by his eyes? This Goose guy? What’s that all about?”
“A lot of the fae here have physical characteristics that match their race. Like Dardennes and Céline, who are both silver elves, have those funky silvery-gray eyes. And when they do their thing, like ride the wind, their eyes go all wonky – swirling around and shit.”
“They ride the wind? And their eyes swirl around?” Tony got a confused look on his face. “That sounds cool and gross at the same time.”
I laughed, “No, their eyes don’t swirl, dope. The color swirls around – like the wind is actually in their irises. But it’s not like their eyeballs go rolling around or anything.” I kept smiling, imagining the dignified Céline with googly eyes. Now that I’d like to see.
“How are you going to mention it to them?”
“I don’t know. Maybe I’ll have Jared do it.”
Tony yawned. “Scrum showed me where the bathrooms for the guys are. Do you think I could take a shower before bed?”
“Sure. I do late showers all the time. There aren’t as many girls around here, so I usually have the place to myself. Your clothes are in the dresser, towels in the bottom drawer. There are soap and shampoo dispensers in the showers. Your toothbrush and toothpaste stuff should be in the little cabinet by your sink.” I pointed to the corner of his room. “Do you need anything else?”
“Just one of these,” he said, holding out his arms for a hug.
I went willingly, pulling him into a super-sized squeeze. “Man, am I glad you’re here.” Tears welled up in my eyes and I let them. They were cleansing the anxiety from my soul. Tony was with me again, and once Chase was all fixed up and Tim had his wings grown back, all would be right with my world.
I could hear the smile in Tony’s voice when he responded. “Me too, Jayne. Thanks for coming back to get me. I know I gave you a hard time, and I wasn’t sure about all this. But I’m happy with my choice and very glad to be here.”
“Ha!” I laughed, into his shoulder, “Like I’d leave you to Ben and his Dark Fae demon friends. I think not.”
Tony pulled away from me. “Jayne, I know you pretty much despise him. And to be honest, his whole ‘man on fire’ thing kinda freaked me out. But I really think if you gave him a chance, you’d like him. He was really nice, and not just to me, either.”
I shook my head. No way was I buying that load of crap. “Whatever, Tones. You always were good at overlooking people’s faults.”
“Like someone who swears all the time?”
“Yeah. Like that, smartass. I might cuss a little, but his faults are more like ‘I’m an evil, fire-breathing demon’ type of faults. Hardly comparable to a well-placed ‘fucker’ or ‘shitforbrains’.”
Tony laughed. “It’s good to know that even though you’re fae now, you’re still the same Jayne underneath.”
I smiled back at him. “That’s right, baby. You’re lookin’ at the new and improved Jayne ... Jayne two-point-oh.” I kissed him on one cheek and then slapped him lightly on the other. “Goodnight. I’ll come get you in the morning. Don’t wander these hallways, other than to go to the bathroom and our rooms or you’ll get lost and I’m not sure how I’d find you.”
He looked at me funny. “It’s just a hallway, Jayne.”
“Yeah. That’s what you think.”
I left his room without giving an explanation, deciding that I’d let him try to show me the dining hall tomorrow – the best way I could think of to illustrate to him how clueless he is.
I went back to my room and walked over to my dresser where Tim was in his little mini-bedroom. He was lying down on his bed, facing away from me.
“Tim, I know you’re not sleeping. Turn over and talk to me.”
He turned over in a huff, wincing with pain at the effect it had on his wing stubs, saying nothing.
“I’m super friggin’ tired and not in the mood for any tantrums, so let me just say this – I’m going to do everything I possibly can to keep them from finding out what you did and shipping you away to a pixie colony, Tim. I really am. But you have to help me. You promised me you wouldn’t pixie anyone, and I put my reputation on the line, vouching for you. If they find out what you did, we’re both busted. Do you get what I’m saying here?”
Tim pouted. “I don’t need you to explain things to me like I’m a wee pixie.”
“Well, apparently you do, since you unleashed your pixie powers on our friend, you idiot. So get over yourself and help me. Tomorrow we’re going to suck some blood out of your lame ass self and then you’re going to help me come up with a plan.”
“I already have one,” he said softly, still refusing to let go of his pout.
“Well, what is it?”
“I’m going to turn myself in.”
“Cut that martyr shit out and stop feeling sorry for yourself.” I walked away from him in frustration. “You know what, Tim?” I whipped around to face him again. “If you weren’t so small and wingless right now, I’d slap your ass silly. There are no pity parties allowed in this room.”
“It’s not a pity party,” he said, weeping softly as he explained, “I went back on my word. My word is very important to me ... and
so are you. I let you down. I don’t even know why you’d still want me around ... ” He choked and then sniffed, wiping his nose with the sleeve of his tunic.
So that was it. Tim was worried I wouldn’t like him anymore. I sighed. “Tim. You know me pretty well by now. And you know I’m not the softest, lovey-doveyist girl in the compound. If you want someone to baby you and give you all kinds of pixie hugs, you’ll have to talk to Becky. Right now I’m beyond tired and I’m super cranky and all I want to do is sleep and wake up to find that this has all been a wicked bad dream. But at the end of it all, you need to know that I want to find you here in this room with me, still my roommate, and still my friend. Now until Chase is better, that’s about all the warm fuzzy stuff you’re going to get from me.”
Tim slowly nodded, a tentative smile coming to his lips. “It’s good enough for me. It’s more than I deserve.”
“Tim ... ”
“Okay, okay,” he held up one hand weakly, “no more pity parties. I’m going to sleep. I have two new wings to grow, you know. Not just one. Two wings. Two.” He held up two tiny fingers.
“Oh, shut up. I’m glad she plucked that second wing off. Now maybe you can appreciate what Chase is going through.”
Tim winced. “Low blow, Jayne. Even for you.”
“Oh well. Deal with it.”
I went over and threw back my covers, kicking off my moccasins. I collapsed into the bed, barely pulling the covers up before I started falling asleep.
“Aren’t you going to brush your teeth first?”
“Aren’t you going to shut the hell up before I come over there and shove you in a drawer?”
The only response I heard was one of Tim’s infamous pixie farts ...
“Wingless fucknut,” I mumbled into my pillow.
... and then a tiny giggle.
Chapter 14
I awoke the next morning to a knock at my door. I got up and slogged over to open it, finding Spike standing there in the doorway.
“Ugh. What do you want?” I said, leaving him standing there and going back to my bed, crawling under the quilt and covering my head.
“What kinda way is that to greet your biggest fan?”
I heard him step into the room and shut the door behind him.
“I missed you yesterday. I came to see what was going on. I could tell you were upset then and you obviously still are now.” Footsteps came towards my bed. “I’ve gotten zero sexy thoughts from you lately and that just isn’t good. Everyone should indulge in a little sexy time each day. It’s good for the soul.”
I peeked out from under the covers and saw his eyes beginning to glow a little at the idea, as he sat down on the edge of my bed.
“My morning breath should be a cure for what ails you right now, my friend. So stay back.” I held out my no-go hand in warning.
Spike took it from me and placed it on his lap. He jerked his head towards my dresser, whispering, “How’s the little guy?”
“He’s sleeping – and don’t let him hear you call him ‘little’. He pixied the shit out of Chase yesterday, and one fucked up friend is about all I can handle right now.”
“Whaaaat?”
“Yeah. I’m not joking.” I sighed heavily, thinking of the big plate of steaming horseshit that was waiting to greet me at the breakfast table of my day.
“How come I always miss out on all the fun?”
I let go of Spike’s hand and pinched his leg. Hard.
“Ouch! What was that for?” He raised his eyebrow at me. “You in the mood to play?”
I couldn’t help but smile. “One of these days I’m going to take you up on your invitation. But not today.”
He leaned in closer. “Why wait? There’s no better time than the present.” The red glow in his eyes got deeper and started to swirl around.
I deliberately closed my eyes. “Back up, or I’ll unleash my dragon breath on you.”
Spike laughed quietly. “As if that would stop me. You just say the word, Jayne, and I could take all your troubles away.”
I opened my eyes. “Can you really?”
Spike smiled sheepishly. “Well, they’d only be temporarily gone – you’d stop thinking about them for a while. But no, they’d still be there when you floated down off cloud nine.”
“Still,” I considered, “it might be worth trying one of these days ... to forget for a little while.”
Spike stood in a flash and pulled off his tunic so he was standing there in just his black pants, his waist to neck to wrist colorful tattoos blazing out in all their glory.
I felt a shiver go through me. He was one beautiful specimen of a bad boy, that was for sure. I moaned in frustration. “Spiiiiike, put your shirt back on. I can’t do this right now. I have too much shit to do and not enough time to do it all.”
“I can be quick,” he said, sitting back down on the edge of the bed, taking my hand and putting it on his chest. “It’s better slow, but if you just need a quickie, I can accommodate.” His face was all sexy seriousness now. His eyes were mesmerizing.
“Spike, I ... ” I felt my denial disintegrating in the whirling madness I saw in those deep red depths. I wanted to drown in it.
Spike lowered his face to mine, drinking me in with his eyes. He was a second from kissing me, dragon breath and all, when there was a pounding at the door.
“Hey, Jayne!! It’s me ... Scrum!! I’m gonna come in, okay? Don’t get mad at me!”
And then the door flew open. Spike sat up slowly, sighing.
“Who the hell is this?” he asked tiredly, not even looking up.
“Hey, um, incubus guy. Sorry, I don’t know your name. I’m Scrum, and you ... uh ... need to leave.”
Spike raised an eyebrow at him and then looked at me. “Is this guy for real?”
Seeing Scrum’s barrel-shaped body standing in my doorway snapped me out of my sensual fog. “What the hell are you doing here?” I demanded. I felt like someone had just dumped a bucket of cold water on my head.
Scrum looked uncomfortable. “I’m doing my duty. As a daemon.” He looked at Spike. “I’m only going to say it one more time. You have to leave this room, incubus. Now.”
I smiled at the ridiculousness of this whole scene. I’d been two seconds away from engaging in something really really hot that was probably a big mistake, only to be saved by the kid who was named after shit that floated at the top of a dirty pond. This ... was my life.
“Thanks, Scum, for your help. But you can go now.”
He sighed in frustration. “My name is not Scum. It’s Scrum. As in the rugby move. And I’m not going anywhere until he does.” He looked at Spike, his eyes narrowing. “You have five seconds to leave voluntarily. Otherwise, uh ... I will forcibly remove you.”
Spike put his tunic back on. “I’d like to see you try.” His eyes were glinting dangerously.
“Spike, please don’t hurt the kid. Just go. I’m done here. I have to get up anyway.” I moved the covers back to get out of bed.
Spike put his hand possessively on my bare leg.
“Uh, Spike?” I said, noticing that he looked really serious.
“Okay ... ,” said Scrum, stepping into the room, “if that’s how you want it ... ”
Spike jumped up, ready to attack. But Scrum beat him to it. I knew incubi could move astonishingly fast, but it didn’t seem to faze Scrum at all. One second Spike was next to my bed, the next he was wrapped in a bear hug with Scrum at the door – Scrum being the bear and Spike being the huggee.
Spike was spitting mad, thrashing wildly against Scrum’s body lockdown. Scrum held on, his face getting redder and redder by the second with the exertion. He backed slowly out of the room, fighting against Spike’s struggling form. Once he was out in the hallway, he leaned back, squeezing Spike even harder. I heard Spike grunting and saw his face going whiter. It was already pretty pale, being that he was an incubus, but now it looked deathly so.
I jumped up from the bed, coming closer to t
hem but staying back just a little. “You’re hurting him! Put him down!” I yelled.
“Not until ... he ... surrenders,” grunted Scrum.
Spike was shaking his head back and forth in denial, growling with what little breath he had left.
“Spike, just say ‘uncle’ or whatever!” I yelled, panicking. This Scrum kid wasn’t messing around.
But it was too late. Scrum gave him one more extra squeeze and Spike’s body went limp. Scrum loosened his hold and let Spike drop until he was being held under Scrum’s arm like a giant clutch purse.
I was in shock. “Did you ... ? Is he ... ?” I walked up closer to them, standing in the doorway now and staring at Spike’s still form.
“He’s not dead, if that’s what you’re worried about. I outwilled him. When he wakes up, he’ll be fine.”
“When’s he going to wake up?”
Scrum shrugged the shoulder that wasn’t holding Spike up from the floor. “When he admits I have a stronger will.”
I looked at him like he was nuts. “When the hell is that going to be?”
Scrum shrugged. “Don’t know. Whenever he decides to back down.”
“But he’s unconscious, you idiot! How’s he going to back down?!”
“No, he’s not ... not really. Just in suspended animation, kinda. Chase told me the incubi here in our compound aren’t that stubborn. He’ll be fine soon, I’m sure. I’ll just go put him in his room so he’ll be comfortable while he fights his inner demons. See you at breakfast.”
With that, he began walking down the hallway, lugging Spike under his arm, Spike’s legs dragging and bumping pitifully across the stones behind them.
Tony’s head was sticking out of his doorway, turning to watch Spike getting hauled by. “What was that all about?”
I shook my head. “I’ll tell you at breakfast. Might as well get dressed and go. I’ll be out in ten.”
Five minutes later I heard Tony outside my door; I opened it so he could wait inside while I finished getting ready. I just had to put on a little eyeliner and mascara and then I’d be done. I’d just taken the fastest shower in the West, dressing in my standard white tunic and jeans. I glanced at Tony in my mirror to see that he was wearing the same thing as me. I wondered if he’d noticed yet that we were twins.