Chapter 20 Vada
Ididn’t even think, I just jumped. While Samael and Adaela were incapacitating the person behind the attempted abduction, someone needed to figure out who was strong enough to open a portal before it closed and we lost our lead again.
That fucking portal opened up on the Demon Faction’s floor right in front of the elevator.
It couldn’t be a coincidence. I didn’t believe in coincidences.
I unfortunately realized just how fucked I was when I didn’t notice Vindicta on my person. I’d left my blade in my office at the Pax and not in the pocket realm because I feared I’d use it while interrogating Daji. I was unarmed.
I started to get my bearings quickly as I heard an, “oh fuck” behind me.
I needed to do something quick, so I turned around with a high kick, knocking the being flat out.
They wouldn’t stay down for long, so I searched the vicinity to figure out if there were any other threats.
So far, it appeared to only be this one being.
I assumed this was the individual who opened the portal. I bent down to take a closer look.
They appeared to be very young, maybe still an adolescent.
Their long, hay-colored hair had two ears peeking through it that almost resembled cow ears.
Their face was elongated like a cow’s but still had human-like features—a minotaur, which was concerning.
I quickly registered that I was in Underhill, and I cursed under my breath.
This was the last place I expected to see myself again.
In the distance, I spotted a large castle upon a hill, glittering gold and onyx.
As the portal started closing due to me knocking this minotaur out, Adaela barreled through it.
She landed much more gracefully than I had, and her eyes were haunted, like she was living out her worst nightmare in real time.
I couldn’t figure out why she would be terrified.
We hadn’t known each other long enough for that.
“I’m okay, sweet girl. I’m fine,” I said to her as she spotted me.
“Oh, thank the gods,” she whooshed out, breathing heavily and holding her chest. “Why the fuck would you jump through a portal without backup? You could have died!” Adaela yelled at me. I deserved it, but it was cute seeing her tiny self yelling.
“I knew this might be our only chance to figure out what the fuck was going on, so I took it. Do you know where we are?” I asked her, stepping closer to her.
She cursed under her breath. We were in a large field of bright green grass almost as far as the eye could see.
We were near what might’ve been the Dark Wood.
The forest behind us was thick with old trees, and we were inconspicuous where we currently stood.
We were only a few weeks out from Beltane, so the trees were beginning to fill out with dark green leaves around us.
We were either in Spring or Summer, though the Dark Wood encompassed the entirety of the realm.
“We’re definitely in Underhill. Motherfucker,” Adaela spat, pulling at her wild hair as she paced.
“Is this the Seelie or Unseelie part of the realm? I don’t recognize where we are, but I do see the castle in the distance. It doesn’t look like we’re in an occupied area,” I asked.
“We’re in the Seelie lands technically, specifically the Summer Court.
What you see over in the distance is the Autumn Court.
That’s my father’s castle that I haven’t seen in almost a century.
Never thought I’d see that monstrosity again,” Adaela muttered under her breath, shock making her skin paler than usual.
“What do you want to do?” I pointed toward the minotaur, who was beginning to stir.
Adaela’s shadows wrapped around the boy, keeping him in place.
She asked me to help move him further into the woods while we formulated a plan.
Even as a youngster, the minotaur was awkward to carry and heavy as dead weight.
We got him into the denser part of the forest and hid under a large ash tree.
As the minotaur came to, he began to struggle until he saw Adaela, his eyes wide with fear. He started spluttering.
“I-I’m so s-s-sorry, your highness. I-I was t-told that y-you wouldn’t b-be there,” he nervously got out.
“And why exactly did you think it would be okay to send someone to the Pax, minotaur? What is your name?” Adaela asked, standing over the creature.
“M-my name is Galdrane, y-your highness. I w-was told that s-someone from the Pax was wanted for questioning and that i-if I d-d-idn’t open the portal, my s-s-sister would be married off to the k-king’s s-s-second.”
Adaela looked at the boy quizzically. “Which second? Last I’d realized, I killed dear old dad’s second.”
His faced scrunched up in confusion. “You d-didn’t know? He rebuilt his army once y-you left.”
“Well, fuck. That’s news to me. I’ve been gone a while. It sounds like father decided to try and replace me. Good riddance there. I left for a reason. Where is my father?” she asked Galdrane.
“He’s at the c-c-castle. Please d-don’t tell him I failed. M-my sister d-d-doesn’t need t-to be married to that m-monster.”
Adaela’s posture morphed from tense anger to compassion in the span of a breath. She put a hand on his shoulder but didn’t release her shadows.
“Vada, I think it’s time we introduce you to my father.
We’ve got some family drama to take care of.
What better way to do so than to figure out what the fuck he’s been up to all these years.
I’m sorry in advance that this is how you must meet him,” Adaela said to me, and I stood a little taller, noting that Adaela was going to do everything she could for the boy.
I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her toward me. I laid a kiss on the top of her head and breathed in her petrichor scent, thankful she was okay.
“If they’re trying to take one of my own, I would have been here anyway to figure out why they were trying to steal one of my Demons.
I probably have more experience in court right now than you’ve had in a while, so I’m okay with playing the games, exhausting as they may be.
We need to make sure that Underhill is okay with me being here first, and then we need a game plan.
Maybe we should see if Baba Yaga will see us before we meet with your dad,” I said, hugging her close.
“Oh, I’m sorry, of course. Please do what you need to do. Let’s make sure everyone is taken care of first,” she said, snuggling into my side. I loved that she was so open with her affection with me.
“What are you going to d-do with m-me?” Galdrane asked.
“You’re going to sit your happy ass here taking a fat, death-magic-induced nap until we can figure out if you’re lying or not,” she retorted, then proceeded to do just that.
I could tell his heart was still beating, but he was in a sort of stasis.
Adaela murmured a few things I couldn’t quite hear, but it sounded as if she was asking Underhill to keep the minotaur safe from harm.
I sat down near a tree and touched the ground. “Underhill, I am so sorry I don’t come bearing any gifts. I was pulled here without knowing I was coming. Your heir is in danger, though, and I am here to protect her. I will protect her with my life if need be. Will you allow me entrance?”
It often took Underhill a while to either accept or deny us, so I urged Adaela to crawl into my lap.
I stroked her unruly hair absentmindedly while we waited.
I had a wicked thought and slowly began running my hands up Adaela’s leg.
The fact that I could scent her arousal hit me like a truck.
I gave her plenty of time to tell me no, but she had need, anticipation, and desperation in her eyes.
“Sweet girl, are you needy?” I asked her playfully, moving my hand up to cup her breast.
She turned and straddled my lap, taking my lips with hers. I started pulling at her shirt, desperate to feel her skin against mine once more. I quickly removed her bra as well, a silk and lace number that I couldn’t get enough of. “Gods, you’re fucking stunning,” I panted.
Cupping her breast, I took her nipple into my mouth.
I swirled my tongue around the bud as she arched her back toward me, letting out a low groan.
I ran my nails lightly down her sides, making her shiver.
I needed to know what made her tick, and I wondered if we had the time, or if this needed to be a quickie.
Considering I could go for hours or days with her, I decided to take the quick route for now.
I stood up with Adaela in my arms. She yelped in surprise, then laughed, desperation and need written all over her face.
“Sweet girl, I need to taste you. I’ve been dying to since I met you.
I don’t think you understand how hard it was to keep myself from touching you the night we first met.
I need you, but we’re not in the best place to be doing this.
It’s going to be hard and fast. Are you okay with that?
” I asked her, almost panting with the need to touch her.
“Baby, I know we haven’t talked about it yet, but I prefer it hard, fast, and dangerous. I like a little degradation mixed in with praise. I live for the fear,” she replied, desperation and need coating her husky voice.
“Mm, a dirty little slut, then?” She shivered, and I chuckled menacingly, “We’re going to have a lot of fun when we have more time to talk about sceneing.
But I think I need you to be a good girl for me and ride my face today.
Can you do that?” I bit her nipple hard, not giving her any warning, and she purred.