Chapter 31 Furyon
Furyon
I rap on the whitewashed wood door, hat in one hand. Someone pushes the ruffled curtain aside, peering out at me before undoing the locks and opening the door.
I incline my head. “Bryony, how are you this fine evening?”
She narrows her eyes at me. “Just dandy, Furyon, but it ain’t like you to show up at our door, so what gives?”
I laugh at her direct nature, where her sister’s got a tiny bit more tact.
Crossing my arms over my chest, I return the harsh look. “I’m here to tell you you’re gonna stop plastering me and Lemon on the front page of The Gossip.”
She shrugs as her sister joins her in the doorway. “Furyon, we ain’t in charge of the news.”
I cut in, “It ain’t news, it’s The Gossip, for gods’ sake.
When you two started up that column, you agreed it was just for fun, and nobody would get hurt.
Well, Lemon’s hurt now, and it’s causing problems between her and her father.
So I’m telling you it’s gotta stop. That ain’t the spirit of what y’all were doing, as I understand it. ”
Bryony’s playful smile falls as she claps a hand over her mouth. “Gods, no, of course not. It’s just a fun way to keep us all connected. We won’t say another word about her. Oh my gosh, my heart hurts to think she’s dealing with nonsense on our account.”
I wave at a row of pies sitting on the kitchen table behind the elderly twins. “A well-timed pie and apology might be in order. Why don’t y’all follow Echo around for a while. She’s been smilin’ a might more lately… Might be some news there to sniff out.”
There’s absolutely not any Echo dating news. I think my bestie might be even pickier than her rancher father, and that is saying something.
Bryony nods once more. “Of course, Furyon. Thanks for letting us know. We’ll go ‘round and grab up the old copies to dispose of them.”
I shake my head. “No need. Damage is done, as her family’s already seen those. Just ignore Lemon insofar as the column is concerned, alright?”
The twins promise me they will. I head for the truck and comm Oz, who picks right up.
“Furyon. Just the man I was about to call. Per your request, I’m letting you know that Lemon’s father’s walking down Main right now. Looks like he might be headed to Glimmer, but I bet you can cut him off at the pass if you hurry.”
I hop in my truck and hightail it from the residential area past the auction house, parking in front of the potions house. I’m in luck. A tall, elegant vampire male with a younger male by his side round the corner, heading for Glimmer’s door.
Exiting the truck, I put myself right in their path, crossing my arms. “You Lemon’s father?”
The male stops and sneers, flaring his nostrils as his wings spring wide and blot out the sun. Behind him the buildings creak and groan angrily, a sure sign they don’t like his fucking attitude.
“Who’s asking?” That comes from the younger male.
The potions house lets out a godsawful warning noise, enough to make him glance warily over his shoulder at her.
I sneer right back at the pair. “I’m guessin’ she takes after her mama. I sure don’t see none of you in her, but sounds like that’s probably a good thing on the account of you two being fucking assholes.”
The older male’s second eyelid flashes over his ruby iris, long nails slipping sharp from his fingertips. He says nothing, though.
I’d almost laugh at these dumbasses and their bluster, but they hurt her.
She’s happy right now, busy at work and making good progress, based on the sentiment in my chest. I channel that happiness into a reminder about just how shitty yesterday was for her.
The older male folds his wings away, clasping both hands at his waist. I suppose he thinks he’s got the upper hand here.
I call my bigger form, muscles ripping and popping as I grow bigger and taller.
The younger male backs away, tripping over the sidewalk and busting his ass in the middle of the street.
The father’s eyes spring wide, but he stands his ground as I tower over him, twice his height and three times his width.
“Who are you?” he asks the simple question.
I smile. “The only thing you need to know is that you hurt her, and that demands retribution. If you cause my woman another second of pain, I will end you without consideration for the fact that you’re technically family.”
He sneers, baring twin fangs at me. “Mighty threat, boy. Do you know who I am? What I could do?”
I laugh. “Do you know who I am, Denton? Eldest son of Farkon Zayle, House Zayle. You might not know me, but I’m certain you’ve heard of my father.”
His mouth drops open. “We… You can’t be him. His eldest son died. Everyone knows that.”
I scoff. “Yet I’m alive and well. Dead to my father, most days, that’s true.
But if you know dark elves, you know, no matter what, we take house loyalty very seriously.
If I call my family right now and tell them we need to end you, he’ll see it done.
” I grin. “It’ll look like an accident. You’re elderly and all, so that won’t surprise nobody. ”
It’s a little bit of a lie. My father wouldn’t lift a finger to help me. But my brother FJ would do it with the family resources.
The vampire zips his mouth tightly shut. “She’s my daughter. I have every right to see her.”
“You can see her on her terms,” I clarify. “And if you say something else shitty to her about any topic at all, you’ll deal with me. Are we clear?”
The brother rushes back over from the street, snapping and snarling at me. Whipping out, I grab him by the throat and toss him down at my feet. Planting a foot on his back, I lean on him until he’s nice and flat, his breath raising little dust swirls from the sidewalk.
I glare at Lemon’s asshat father. “I said, are we clear?”
He doesn’t spare a glance for his son, who starts pleading for me to relieve the pressure of my foot on his far smaller torso.
“Crystal.” That’s all her father says before stepping around me and grabbing Glimmer’s door handle. He yanks on it several times as the potions house shrieks and clatters all her black painted siding in warning.
“How embarrassin’,” I say in a droll, bored tone.
He yanks hard, and the door opens fast, nearly smacking him in the face. He disappears inside without a backward glance.
Across the street from us, the Keeper’s mansion groans and rattles the entire length of her fence.
I lift my foot from Hunter’s back. Sputtering, he jumps to his feet and backs up fast, hitting the side of the building. He spits dust out of his mouth, protective eyelids disappearing as he glares at me.
I smirk and tip my hat at him as I return to my normal size. “Welcome to Pine Gulch, Hunter. Friendliest haven in the West, if I’m honest. See that you grab a welcome book and go through the scavenger hunt. It’s a real hoot.”
He sidles away from me toward the door, not looking around as he fumbles around for the handle. When he disappears inside, I rub at my healing tattoo. If I feel even an ounce of concern from Lemon when they find her at work, I’m gonna start an absolute shit storm.
Confident the situation’s handled, I comm Echo to find out where she’s at.
I’ve got a metric assload of things to do while my woman’s at work.
Now that the ranchers have had a day or two to vaccinate their animals, I need to start making house calls to check in.
Early signs are good that the antihistamines have at least stalled the progression of whatever’s afflicting them.
But I won’t rest easy until we figure out how to stop it once and for all.
Back at the office, my comm disk rings. When my brother FJ’s name hovers over it, Echo rises from her desk and disappears toward the exit, likely guessing I need privacy. She’s been front and center to my family dramatics over the years.
My brother’s hologram rises high from the disk that allows us to communicate between havens. I’m reminded how alike we are when he winks at me the same way I often wink at Lemon and Echo.
“Hey, FJ.”
“I dug into that property developer, Varek.” He crosses his arms. “I’ll send you an email with the details, but he’s in over his head financially.
Bought up all but a few properties, and he’s leveraged to the max with loans coming due pretty soon.
” He shakes his head. “He’s financially stressed, for sure. ”
I sigh and flop back into my chair, pinching the bridge of my nose. Nothing about Varek screams that he’s responsible, and my instinct has almost never been wrong about another monster. But the evidence is startin’ to pile up.
“You’re gonna owe me one for that info,” FJ says with a grin. “And by owe me one, I mean let me come visit you. I don’t even have to tell Father if you don’t want.”
Giving my brother a sideways look, I consider that for a moment.
Maybe it would be nice to see FJ after so many years.
The bad blood from when I split away from the family business was water under the bridge to him a long time ago.
Maybe it’s time I let it all go too. He did help when I needed it.
So, despite my past reservations, I nod.
“That’d be nice, Brother. That would be real nice.”