Chapter 37 #2
“What? You’re alive? How? What? Erin! Erin, I love you so much.
I had to come here, as I couldn’t live without you.
” I sigh as he blubbers. I don’t think Jeff will want to kill me anymore, so I unfreeze him.
His arms snake around the dryad and he clutches her to his chest, raining her with snot and tears as he cries.
I catch Erin’s mortified look. I wince.
While trying to push him off, Erin tells Jeff about how I saved her and her tree. Jeff tells her about finding her missing and then being unable to find the rest of the dryads.
And then he talks about meeting an elf who offered him a chance for revenge, which he couldn’t pass up.
To give them privacy, now that I’ve got what I need, I move them to a new build cabin in the woods, close to Erin’s tree.
I make sure that Jeff cannot go wandering about, confining him to the cabin.
After all, he hired a bunch of mercenaries and led them to my realm to kill me.
I’m not a horrible person and they need privacy to sort stuff out.
So, I will give him an hour and then stuff him in a portal.
Then the human police can deal with him.
I flick my magic over the two injured mercenaries, rapidly healing them.
As shifters, they’d be able to heal themselves completely if I let them shift, but there is no way I am unfreezing them to allow that.
Hands on my hips, I check out the mercenaries.
Well, the ones that are facing in my direction.
You can tell a lot about somebody’s character from their eyes.
One guy in particular makes nervous shivers run down my spine as his black eyes glare at me with uncontrolled hatred.
He has the whole ‘rough leader’ vibe going on.
Perhaps he might be the best person to have a little chat with.
Like I did with Jeff, I unfreeze his mouth and ask him a question. “Who do you work for?” He continues to glare at me. “Do you know what? Like you, I have had such a horrid day.” I sigh and shake my head. “Today has been nothing but drama. All I want to do is have a nice bath and go to sleep.
“I could sleep for a week. I am sure you’re the same, Green Power Ranger, what with getting set up, being treated like bait, and then getting your arse kicked.
I bet you want to go home, get out of your little rubber outfit, and have a beer and relax.
” The rough mercenary's left eye twitches. “Please don’t make me kill you,” I whisper.
When I look back at this conversation, I’d like to think it was the soft appeal in my voice that made the green Power Ranger answer me.
But I know him opening his mouth is probably more than likely because of the growly hellhound at my back.
The world I live in is sadly patriarchal to its core, and no matter the power I have, I will always be viewed as a mere woman. Not that I care.
“I work for Rattan and Sons.” Bingo.
“Perfect, thank you. Have you got their phone number?” I pull my phone out of my pocket. With an incredulous tone, green rattles off a number, which I promptly dial. The phone rings. “What’s your boss’s name?”
“Henderson,” he growls.
“Thank you.”
As the phone rings, I give the steely-eyed hellhound behind me a chin lift in appreciation. I see what you did there, handsome.
The phone connects, and a bored sounding receptionist rattles the company’s name, with a not-so-pleasant “How may I help you?” added at the end. I guess it is getting late.
“Good evening, please may I speak to a Mr Henderson?”
“Mr Henderson is not available at the moment.”
“I think he would really like to speak to me.”
“Mr Henderson has finished for the day.”
“Oh, okay. I just thought he’d want to know where his missing team was.
I’m sure nine lives are easy to throw away, what with mercenaries being so abundant and easy to come by.
I understand they must be such pesky employees, and not worth Mr Henderson’s precious time.
” I pause and stare at green as I listen to the woman gasp and splutter.
“I will transfer you now. Please hold.” Music plays in the background and I put the phone on speaker and tap my foot to the beat.
“Who is this and what do you want?” comes a gruff voice.
“Mr Henderson?” He grunts an affirmative. “My name is Tuesday Larson, and you must have been informed I have nine of your men in my possession.”
“Are they alive?”
“Yes, and healthy.”
“What game are you playing? What do you want?”
“I’m not playing a game, Mr Henderson. I will give your men back to you out of the goodness of my heart, but I need something from you first.”
“What do you want?” he snarls.
“Mr Henderson, let me be clear on this. Their lives are on the line. All I ask for their safe return is for you to give me a promise, a single promise that for as long as you live, for as long as your firm exists, you will never accept a contract for my realm or a member of the Larson coven. Oh, and I’d like to add my boyfriend to that list. Owen—he’s the hellhound.
We are on your ‘do not touch’ list, do you understand?
If you don’t have such a list, you make one tonight.
In exchange, I will return your men to you unharmed. ”
“So, I make a promise and you return my men? Is that it? Just like that?” He laughs. “And you said you weren’t playing any games, Miss Larson.”
“If you make this promise to me, Mr Henderson, let’s just say I have the power to enforce it.”
“Yes, yes. I am sure you do. Okay, we have a deal, for whatever it’s worth,” he finishes with a grumble and a disbelieving scoff.
“Perfect. Oh, and as a punishment and safeguard, every person linked to your company, including their families, they have a lifelong ban from The Sanctuary realm. If they try to enter, they will be refused admittance and if they somehow get inside under false pretences, I will kill them. Is that understood?”
Whoa, I am sounding very bloodthirsty this evening.
“Okay. Whatever. Who cares?”
“I have your word?”
“Yes.” I feel the realm’s magic pulse, and I watch as filaments of the magic shoot out like arrows and disappear into the mercenaries’ chests. Oh, now that is handy. A magical tag, just so I can keep track of them. “What the fuck was that?” Mr Henderson yelps.
I open a portal behind the mercenaries and shove them through. As soon as I hear the thuds over the phone, I release the frozen spell holding them captive and snap the portal closed. Owen moves away from behind me with a relieved sigh.
“Nice speaking with you, Mr Henderson. Have a pleasant evening.” If that didn’t scare the shit out of them, I don’t know what will.
“Oh, Miss Larson, don’t go just yet. Don’t you want to know who let my guys into your realm?” Oh, I do. There I go again, forgetting the important questions. “As you have returned my men safe and sound, I can afford to give you some free information.”
“Call me pleasantly intrigued.”
“Your rat—pardon my pun—the wolf with access to the magic shop and your fixed portal, was your sister’s boyfriend, Andrew.”