Chapter 4
It didn’t occur to me to check the bus over for things the non-Fae in our group should be wary of, and I can’t decide if that was a mistake or not.
My lips curve up as our girl lolls on the bed, giggling and dropping more vulnerable honesty bombs than she ever would sober.
Missing this would have been criminal, so I’m leaning towards my negligence being the smartest fuck-up I’ve made in a long time.
She was bottling up her feelings about leaving Fluffy and definitely clamping down on her jealousy of my people.
I’d rather she knock the teeth out of a groupie with zero fucks given than put it in a box.
I can fix any problems she causes and if not, the vampire can compel them to forget.
Seeing her let loose is fucking beautiful, and I want every ounce of that fire.
“Lass, Tier’s right. You look positively edible when you don’t hide everything under the bristly exterior.” I lean in, pressing my forehead to hers. “The sparkle in your eyes right now is almost as bright as your glittery trail when your magic fritzes.”
Fi snorts, socking my shoulder lightly. “That shit is all your fault, buddy. One freaking trip to this place with you and suddenly I’m dropping craft herpes everywhere I go. I feel like a fucking cheerleader.”
Pulling back, I laugh at the various expressions on the others’ faces when she says that. “Oh, lass. I don’t think you should have put that image in everyone’s heads.”
Her eyes narrow as she looks at each of us suspiciously. “No way. All of you? What the hell? That’s nothing like me. I’m offended.”
Khol clears his throat and gives her a slightly fangy grin. “Haven’t you ever seen Bring It On, Sassy? I think you’d make a perfect bad girl in a skirt.”
That makes my brain fritz for a half second and I think I’m not the only one.
Fiadh sits up, moving to her knees as she puts her hands on her hips and frowns. “I don’t think any of you have done anything worthy of me putting on some stupid uniform and spraying glitter everywhere. You’ll have to try harder.”
Even the bloodsucker laughs at her pissy, drunken pout, but Khol reaches into his pocket and pulls out her tiny companion. He arches a brow at her, looking smug. “Not even when I got you Fidget?”
Her eyes widen and she scrambles over to take the tiny creature in her palm, cooing softly before she looks up. “Okay. Maybe Khol does.”
That son of a bitch.
“You’re a filthy cheater, Bedia,” Tiernan growls, and I chuckle as his poofy snow leopard tail flicks in agitation. He’s been way more in touch with his animal since they bonded and I fucking love seeing him not be embarrassed to half-shift in public. “How can we compete with a baby familiar?”
Dezi’s eyes flash red as he watches Fiadh pet the little guy. “I believe I can and will, gentleman. The phrase is… ‘game on,’ yes?”
Glaring at the ancient, I fill the air with the scent of summer flowers and spring rain. “You’re going down, old man.”
“For the love of…” Tiernan sighs as he reaches over to take the small pet from our girl.
“Look what you started, Princess. Rev, stop fucking with the vampire and magic up a habitat for this little guy in here? I honestly forgot to pack a damn thing for the pet because he’s always either with our girl or the snake. ”
“Oooh, do that!” Fi claps her hands with a silly grin. “I like when you do magic. But it doesn’t count for the… challenge.” Her words are interrupted by a cute little hiccup and I laugh as she frowns. “Also, more of that Fae stuff is definitely needed for the entire trip. It’s bubbly.”
It‘s not the only thing that’s bubbly, but I’m absolutely getting more.
Our girl was buzzed for another hour before she fell asleep, so Tiernan headed to the galley to whip something up for us.
He’s not a perfect cook, but he can make serviceable meals when needed.
Dezi pointed out that stopping while Fi was still loopy would probably result in deaths we don’t need to explain.
The smug bastard was right, so the snake and I stayed with our chatty mate while he helped supervise the food.
Fuck, I hope he packed… rations.
“Did any of us ask how the old man was going to—”
Khol snorts. “Eat? No. But he’s older than dirt, man. I assumed he’s used to planning.”
“That plan better not be any of us… at least, not yet,” I mutter as Fi snores. “I’m not averse at some point, but I’d prefer to be motivated by something more than survival.”
The sound of a throat clearing reveals Dezi standing in the doorway, looking amused. “So nice of you to be concerned for my welfare, Prince. However, I have placed supplies in your refrigerator that will last until our first stop for refueling.”
I blink at him. “How do you know when we’ll stop?”
“I have been to your lands many times over the centuries. Speaking of which, I am not that much older than you, no? Fae royals stop aging when they are named as successor or crowned, if I remember correctly. Your father did not receive his call until he was older because his father did not name the heir in their youth.”
“Oooh. The fangman knows your history, bro. You can’t pull one over on him,” Khol says with a grin. “But does he know mine?”
“I am aware of your position within your uncle’s organization.
But my sources also tell me you and your twin are not on board with all of his…
projects. I believe you intend to change much when Krystos finally sheds his final skin.
” The vampire crosses his arms over his chest, looking smug as he lounges.
“Running a club such as mine makes me privy to information even a gang leader and a Prince may not come across.”
“I suppose you’re more useful than you seem,” I admit as I run my fingers over Fi’s hair gently. “Your connections might help us locate the kind of scum who hire assassins, eventually.”
Dezi pinches the bridge of his nose. “You do not understand, young Prince. Many supes of various species and financial situations hire killers to resolve their problems. Sifting through the glut of whispers and rumors is the first trial. I have… relatives on that task. Once we separate out the petty grievances and lies, then we will be able to follow stronger leads.”
Tiernan comes in, wiping his hands on a towel as he looks at the newest member of our group. “What relatives? Can these people be trusted not to dime our girl out?”
A fangy grin precedes Dezi’s reply. “They will or they will find themselves cast out of their eternal family on this continent. That will prove very rough for them, and it will be impossible to find honorable houses to accept them as pledges.”
“Oh. You have your fledglings doing your dirty work,” I say, musing about the efficacy of it. “I assume you’ve chosen specific newbies who have an aptitude for this work?”
“Yes. Louie has a fondness for nerdy types, which helps me keep the business end of our enterprises throughout the region running smoothly without either of us having to travel often. I prefer to stay in Briarvale in recent centuries.”
A soft yawn distracts us and Fiadh opens her eyes, squinting until I flick my fingers at the shades on the window to block the light. “Why is that?”
Her voice is rough from sleep, and the grumpy expression on her face is absolutely adorable. I will not tell her that, though, because otherwise she’ll throw an elbow. “Lass, are you a wee bit hungover, perhaps?”
“Shut. Up,” she growls as she flops back on the bed with a moan. “That stuff is amazing, but lethal. You need to label shit better, pretty boy.”
I frown in confusion. “Better than Bubbly Bliss Fae Liqueur, three hundred percent proof Fae infused alcohol?”
Khol laughs softly, wiggling from his spot on the other side of the bed to press into her side. “You must have overlooked the label in your frustration, Sassy. No shame in it. I’m a bit blind when I’m pissed off, too. Sometimes, I forget to stop when they’re not moving anymore.”
Dezi rolls his eyes and mutters something in the vamp language that I don’t quite catch.
I assume it’s about children, or maybe simply about basilisks, but we probably don’t need it translated.
He walks over, crouching in front of the bed to look at Fiadh closely.
His eyes lock with hers and they’re silent for a moment before a slow smile creeps across his face. “Is that better, witchling?”
“Holy shit…”
What the fuck did he just do? And why the hell do none of us have any idea what this jackass has in his arsenal?
“Do you feel better?” Tier asks curiously.
Our girl nods slowly, licking her lips. “I do, actually. I feel… pretty good.”
“What did you do, blood sucker?” Khol asks, his fingers trail up and down Fi’s side. A forked tongue flicks out, tasting the air before he smirks. “And be honest. Between Sassy and I, we’ll know if you lie.”
The vampire heaves a sigh, rolling his eyes before he answers. “Just a small compulsion. It helped her forget the hangover while her body continues to recover. Most people would call it cheating, but I believe it’s using the tools at hand.”
“That’s something we need to keep in mind for later. No way we make it through this entire tour without Sassy breaking her knuckles on some asshole face at least once,” the basilisk says with a chuckle. “And I am partial to mixing it up myself.”
A timer goes off, and Tiernan claps his hands. “The lasagne is ready. Ruby helped me with the recipe, so I’m not taking credit if it’s fucking terrible. But there’s plenty and we should dig in. I don’t know about you, but I’m fucking famished.”
“Shifters eat like fucking zoo animals,” Fiadh grumbles as she pushes to a sitting position. “I have no idea how you guys put it away and still look like you do. It’s totally fucking unfair.”
Khol arches a brow, shrugging unrepentantly. “High metabolism, Sassy. Your sis has the same deal now. We need the energy to get through all the bone-breaking shifts and shit. It’s not all hearts and roses.”
Her lips drop into a frown, and surprisingly, she leans in to kiss his jaw. “I know. Fer told me about how badly it hurts at first and how long it takes to get that to a low, quick hum. I deal with pain pretty well, but I can’t imagine that being your life all the time.”
The gesture makes Tiernan beam with pride, and he walks over, scooping her into his arms as she squeals. “Good girl, Knuckles.”
Dezi arches a brow as my oldest friend carries our girl to the dining area while she kicks and fights. “Why does that make her good and why is she fighting him carrying her? It’s only being a good mate in shifter culture.”
I grin as I clap a hand on his shoulder.
“That’s because the lass has a hard time expressing emotions out loud—including empathy—and she’s also stubborn as fuck about feeling like she’s being girly.
So when we do the caveman shit our bond demands, she has a hissy fit. You’ll get used to it, old man.”
“I have the most dreadful sense that I will have to get used to a great deal of weird fucking behavior from you lot.” He shakes his head as Tiernan grunts, signaling that he’s put her down and she’s socked him in the gut. “This might be the least logical group of people I’ve ever encountered.”
Khol does a barrel roll and leaps off the bed with a smirk.
“Does that mean you won’t help me convince our girl to hang a vial of a special weapon off that choker you gave her?
Because I don’t have a damn clue how to approach it, but between both of our fangs and a smidge of the rocker’s magic dust, she’d have an extra layer of protection until her magic is more stable. ”
My mouth drops open. “I’ll be damned. The dealer has a good idea—unsurprisingly, it’s about a lethal drug.”
The basilisk shrugs. “We all have our skill set, Prince. Mine is learned alongside my twin and soaked in blood, but it’s useful. Sassy can help us mix the potion, but it could save her life.”
I hate when the biggest asshole in the room is right, but here we are.
“I’ll help you,” Dezi says with a sharp nod. “And I’ll… give up what you need. Privately, of course.”
“A vampire being secretive about their venom—how shocking,” I mutter as we all head to the dining area to join Tiernan and Fiadh. “I would never have expected that.”
The look he gives me is scathing, but it makes me grin in satisfaction.
Take that, old man.