by Kimbra Swain
“Wait!” Remy exclaimed running up to me. “Please, Grace, you have to know that I didn’t want this to happen. I wanted to tell you. I wanted…”
He stopped mid-sentence realizing he wasn’t swaying me.
“I told you, Remy,” Jeremiah said with a slap to Remy’s shoulder. “Tough luck, Ol’ Chap.”
“Fuck you, Jeremiah,” Remy growled. “I love you, Grace.”
“Let’s go,” I said.
The colors of the world faded around us, and when they cleared again, I stood in the judgment hall of the Sanhedrin. Their leader, Caiaphus, stood in his white robe surrounded by his brethren. Jeremiah stood next to me.
“For once, keep your mouth shut and let me handle this,” Jeremiah muttered.
“If you want to live, listen to him,” Caiaphus said.
The witch didn’t really scare me, but in this room, I was like a cat in a room full of rocking chairs. I could get my tail broke in an instant.
“Bloody hell.”
14
REMY
“Well, that was unfortunate,” Phoebe said. “Did you really think that Oberon’s daughter would be forgiving?”
“It didn’t matter,” I muttered, then slumped down on my couch. “You won. Now go away.”
“Why? So you can drink yourself into a stupor again? Remington, my dear husband, why must you do this to yourself? Wouldn’t it be so much easier to just consummate our marriage?” she asked.
“No, Phoebe. I’ll live like this or die like it. It doesn’t matter now,” I groaned. “Just go away.”
She sauntered across the room, taking a seat next to me. She ran her cold hand up my thigh stopping right before she got to my crotch. I dared her to keep going. She would see very quickly that I wouldn’t even be able to get hard for her. No matter what she did.
“I don’t get it. Am I not pretty?” she whined.
“You are beautiful, but your heart is black. My people can see the heart,” I said.
“Oh, really, and I suppose the fairy queen had a golden heart?” she scoffed.
“No, her heart was cold as ice,” I replied.
“She would have never loved you,” she said.
“Probably not, but she has the capacity to love,” I said.
Phoebe sighed, “Yes, she has loved before and it got her banished from the Otherworld. Scorned by her family. Hunted by the Sanhedrin. Love is death, and if she finds it again, it will kill her. I can’t wait.”
“I’ll do everything in my power to stop you,” I growled.
“What? You gonna throw stardust at me?” she giggled.
“I’m putting the ward up in five seconds. Five…”
“Remy…”
“Four…”
“Please, let’s talk about this. It’s hell for me, too,” she protested.
“Three…”
“Well, fuck. Come on, Lisette. You have a demon to summon,” she said.
“Yes, ma’am,” she replied.
“Two…”
They walked out the door followed by her men.
“One…”
I didn’t bother putting up the ward. It didn’t matter anymore. Nothing mattered except finding a way to get back into Grace’s life.
Just as I convinced myself to get up, two hulking men followed by a man I never though I’d ever see walked into my living room. I knew exactly who he was.
“You shouldn’t leave your door open, Remington Blake,” Tennyson Schuyler said.
He wore a bespoke suit with shiny black shoes. Tattoos covered his hands and stretched up his neck just above his starched white collar. His dark eyes pierced through me.
“Mr. Schuyler, to what do I owe the honor of your presence?” I asked. He was a Boss. Capital B. His holdings covered the South, the East Coast, and the old country. His dealings with the First People had always been generous. Despite his line of work, he handled business in an honorable way. I knew better than to cross him. I stood up to offer my hand to him.
Reaching across to shake mine, he smiled. “I have a job offer for you,” he said.
“I’m not in your line of work,” I replied.
Tennyson sat down on the seat across from me, nodding to the couch.
“Could I get you a drink?” I asked.
“No, thank you. I couldn’t help but notice your recent company,” he said.
“The witch is my wife,” I groaned.
“That’s too bad,” he said. Sounded like he meant it. “I was referring to the fairy queen.”
“Grace,” I said.
“Hmm. Yes, Gloriana,” he said. “I know her father.”
“Who doesn’t?” I replied too quickly.
“I know him very well,” he added.
I had no idea what ties that a mob boss would have to the King of the Otherworld, but I supposed in many ways they were close to being the same kind of person.
“I see. Are you here to ask about her? She isn’t coming back. The Sanhedrin are moving her to Shady Grove,” I said.
“Interesting,” he purred, stroking the large gold watch on his wrist. “A vacancy just appeared in the state prosecutors office. I think you would be an excellent choice for the job.”
“I’m a resident of Louisiana,” I said.
He waved his hand. “Something easily remedied.” He motioned to one of his goons who walked across the room and laid an envelop next to me.
Opening the brass tab, I pulled out paperwork that apparently I signed that showed me to be a resident of the state of Alabama, and this house was my current address.
“I’d heard you were good,” I said.
“I am,” he said, pulling on his lapel. “It will keep you close to her, and I promise if something arises that will allow you to help her, I’ll make sure you get your chance.”
“I’ll do it.” I didn’t hesitate. I knew that my path would cross Grace’s again, and I would make this up to her even if she didn’t forgive me.
He smiled, then said, “I have one other request.”
“Alright,” I replied. In for a penny, in for a pound.
“Your friend Niles Babineau has many businesses. Correct?”
“He does,” I confirmed.
“He finds people,” he said.
“Fairies,” I replied. “He can find the ones that cannot be found.”
“I’m looking for a grindylow by the name of Jenny,” he said seriously.
“I would think a man with your influence could find whomever you wanted.”
“I can. Unless that person knows as much about my organization as I do,” he sighed.
“A grindy knows your operation?” I asked.
“It is a private matter,” he retorted sternly.
“I will call Babineau,” I replied.
“Very well. I appreciate your time, Mr. Blake,” he said, offering his hand again as he stood.
I mimicked his move, and shook his hand again. “My friends call me Remy,” I said.
“It remains to be seen if we are going to be friends, Mr. Blake,” he said.
“Um, okay,” I replied. “Mr. Schuyler.”
“We will see our way out. Put up your wards, Mr. Blake,” he instructed.
“Yes, Sir,” I replied. It occurred to me that I might be working for the mob now, but I didn’t dare ask. One of his men shut the door behind them as they left. I gave the command, and the wards popped back up in place.
I hurried to my office to make the necessary calls to end my law practice in Louisiana and my cases here as well. Just a few small steps that I needed to make in order to get back in Grace’s favor.
“I’ll do better this time, Gracie. I swear,” I muttered.
15
GRACE
I’d stood in this room once before when they had presented me with my contract. The first time scared me. This time I was just ask scared, but desperately wanted this little meeting to be over.
“Jeremiah, you took responsibility over Grace’s case. It seems t
hat there has been more than one magical disturbance over the past twenty-four hours,” Caiaphas said.
“Yes, there has been. However, Grace only protected herself as needed. She had the opportunity to strike out, but she did not in a way that would harm anyone permanently,” Jeremiah explained. I grunted, and he growled at me.
“So you say. It remains to be seen what will happen to Remington Blake. He is a respected member of the bar in this state as well as in Louisiana. He has many powerful friends. He also made an alliance this evening that was unexpected. But I know for a fact that he will not give up on making his way back to Miss Bryant,” the headman said.
Jeremiah sighed. “I have a home prepared for Grace in Shady Grove. She has agreed to move there immediately.”
Caiaphas’ bushy eyebrows shifted on his face to surprise. “She agreed?”
“She did,” Jeremiah said.
“I did,” I affirmed.
“Interesting,” he said. “So, it is time.”
“It is,” Jeremiah said.
“Very well. Make the move now,” Caiaphas instructed.
“Come with me, Grace,” Jeremiah said, holding his hand out to me. The world swirled around us once again. This time we reappeared in a new trailer. “Welcome to Shady Grove.”
“Is this mine?” I asked, eyeing the shiny new trailer.
“It is,” he smiled. “Do you like it?”
I held up my finger, then ran to the bedroom. I opened the door to the bathroom and stared at the bathtub. Jeremiah moved in behind me.
“Best I could do on short notice,” he said.
“Better than a shower,” I replied with a smile.
“I thought you would like it. Look, Grace, the same rules apply here as they did in the other trailer,” he said.
“I know, but you don’t have to worry. I’m done with men totally,” I replied.
He smiled, then sat down on the bed in the bedroom. It was a queen sized bed with a soft comforter. I plopped down next to him with a giggle.
“You don’t have to hide it from me.”
“Hide what?” I asked.
“This thing with Remy hurt you,” he said.
“No, it reminded me of who I am. I loved once. I’ll never love again. I’m not even sure why I tried,” I sighed. “As long as I get laid occasionally, I’ll survive.”
“Occasionally?”
“With your approval, of course,” I groaned.
“Of course. You will like it here. When you get ready, go down to the diner and introduce yourself to Betty. She works the counter and her husband, Luther, cooks. They are good people,” he said as he got up to walk back into the main room. “Everything you need is already here. Do you want anything from the old trailer?”
“No,” I replied. “I don’t want anything there.”
Walking out the front door, I heard him stop outside. I stepped out on to a small wooden deck with a lawn chair to my right. In the driveway, my black pick-up truck sat waiting on me.
“Except the truck,” he smiled.
“Except the truck,” I agreed.
A commotion across the street drew our attention.
“I tol’ you it would get stuck!” one of the men said.
“Help me, Tater,” the other man yelled.
They wore overalls with no shirts and no shoes. If the one called Tater was an inch taller, he would be round. The other was lanky, and he had a clear container stuck on his head.
On closer inspection, the label on the can said cheese balls. “What the hell?” I muttered
“Cletus and Tater,” Jeremiah grumbled. “They are good guys. But they are idiots.”
“I see,” I replied, as I watched in amazement.
Cletus laid down on the ground while Tater put his feet on his shoulders and grabbed the can pulling up while pushing downward with his legs.
“Ow! That hurts!” Cletus wailed.
“It’s not comin’ off,” Tater grunted as he pulled harder.
“Yer gonna rip my ears off!” Cletus yelled.
“Don’t matter. You can’t hear a damn thing anyway,” Tater replied.
I giggled at the nonsense. Jeremiah shook his head.
“I suppose I could help them,” Jeremiah said.
“With magic?” I asked.
“Yeah, they will never know,” Jeremiah said. With a wave of his hand, the container popped off Cletus’ head, sending Tater flying backward and tumbling across the ground.
I died laughing.
“Good job, Tater,” Cletus said, jumping up to help the other man. It was only then that he noticed us across the street. “Well, I’ll be damned. There’s Jeremiah.”
“I don’t see, Jeremiah,” Tater responded. “I do see a mighty fine wo-man.” Emphasis on the “wo.”
“Hello, Cletus and Tater. This is your new neighbor, Grace,” Jeremiah said introducing me.
Cletus spit on his hands, then rubbed them on his pants. An orange hue spread from his fingertips to his pants. He offered the hand to me. I barely grabbed his fingers and shook.
“Nice to meet ya, Grace. Welcome to the trailer park,” he grinned. I wasn’t sure how many teeth he was missing, but it was enough to whistle Dixie without moving his lips.
“You’re pretty,” Tater said staring up at me.
“Hi, Tater,” I said. He blushed, then took a couple steps back.
He took his ball cap off his head, revealing a mostly bald head. “Howdy, ma’am. If you need anything, you just call on Cletus and me. We know everyone around these parts.”
“That’s very nice of you,” I responded.
I heard a baby crying from their trailer.
“Oh, my. That’s Winnie. I’ve got to go feed her,” Cletus said, then ran back to his trailer.
“How did he get that thing stuck on his head?” I asked.
“He loves those cheese balls. He says the best part is the cheese stuck to the sides of the bottle. He decided to stick his head in to lick it off and it got stuck. Sounds stupid now that I think about it,” Tater said.
I laughed. “You two are going to blow something up one day,” Jeremiah said.
“That sounds like fun,” Tater said, as he ran off to the trailer.
“Which one of them has a baby?” I asked. Some humans shouldn’t procreate. My first impressions of those two was that they were included in that group.
“Neither. The baby belongs to the woman that lives with them. She’s a working girl,” Jeremiah said.
“Working girl?” I asked.
“She’s a prostitute,” he replied. “She has a good heart, but her addictions drive her need for male companionship and the money that comes with it.”
“What about the baby?” I asked.
“What about it? Don’t tell me that you care about a baby,” he scoffed.
“Maybe I do,” I replied.
Jeremiah made a strange face and shook his head. “Grace, this is your last chance. No magic. No human men.”
“Whatever,” I brushed him off. I was already making plans to run. I just had to figure out how they were watching me. It wouldn’t take long. When I turned back to look at him, he was gone.
I stood in front of my new trailer with a smile, but a heaviness in my heart. I wondered if Remy had made it out of the situation with his wife in one piece. He deserved whatever he got, but it didn’t mean that somewhere along the way I’d given him a piece of my heart. Never again.
16
GRACE
For the first time in a long time, I slept deeply. The low thrum of Jeremiah’s wards on the trailer lulled me to sleep. Only to be awakened by someone pounding on my door. I felt like I was in a repeating episode of some time travel show on television.
“I swear to all that is good in this world, if that is Remington Blake, I’m going to jerk a knot in his tail,” I muttered.
Opening the door, I found a haggard young woman holding a bundle of blankets.
“Um, hi,” she said.
“I know it’s late,” she stuttered, looking over her shoulder at a car idling in front of her house. “But I need some help.”
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Well, I have a friend here, and we have a business meeting. My daughter is just a baby. She’s asleep. See?” She moved the top blanket to the side to reveal a brown haired little baby.
“Yea?” I knew what was coming. At least she had the decency to get the kid out of the house while she conducted her business.
“Could you watch her for about an hour?” she asked.
“Only an hour?” I asked back. Quick one.
“Um, yea. She’s a good baby,” she said looking down at the sleeping child. For all the hard times this young woman had seen, I saw a light in her eye when she looked at the child.
“Okay, I’ll do it,” I replied, taking the bundle from her.
“Thank you so much. I saw you with Mr. Jeremiah. He’s a nice man, so I know you must be a good person,” she said trying to convince herself that she was doing the right thing by handing her child off to a complete stranger.
“What’s her name?” I asked, looking down at the baby.
“Wynonna. I’m Bethany, by the way. Sorry, I should have introduced myself, Grace. Cletus and Tater told me your name,” she said. “I call her Winnie.”
“Winnie,” I replied, staring at the beautiful child. My heart thumped for a different reason. This human baby deserved all the best. The things her mother couldn’t possibly give her.
“Okay. So, see you in a little while,” she said. She leaned over to kiss the baby on the cheek, then ran back across the road.
I managed to shut the door without waking the child. I didn’t bother to turn the lights on in the trailer. Instead, I made my way to the recliner. Leaning back with the baby in my arms, I felt something stir inside of me. A power I didn’t know and had never felt. Protecting a human was a very fairy thing to do, but it would bind your heart to something fallible and mortal. Guaranteed heartbreak.
“Story of my life,” I whispered.
Winnie’s lips crinkled and made a sucking noise. I sure hoped she wasn’t hungry, because I didn’t have anything to give her. She continued to smack her lips. She was definitely hungry. I wondered what kind of life she would have considering her mother’s profession.