Chapter 16
Ilean against the cool metal of the precinct’s front desk, my arms crossed as I tap a rhythmless beat against the steel.
The frustration is a tangible thing, clawing up my throat, and I swallow it back down.
It’s irrational to think I could’ve stopped the whispers—the secrets that slip through the cracks like water—but I can’t help it.
Security was supposed to have this handled after we left.
Yet here I am, waiting for Fiadh and Khol to be processed because someone couldn’t keep their mouth shut.
Knuckles told us what she’d do if someone gave her shit; I can’t even be mad.
“Tiernan Jinx?” a voice calls, and I turn to see the dryad officer waving me over with a stack of papers. Striding over, I grab the pen he offers impatiently. Signing on the dotted line releases Fiadh and Khol from their temporary captivity, so I do it.
My gaze flicks over the holding area to check for randos with cameras to look for their five minutes of fame as I wait for them to emerge.
Within seconds, my witch mate and her basilisk strut out as if the jail cell was just another VIP room.
Khol’s usual disinterested look is replaced with a victorious smirk as people gape at them.
Both are speckled with remnants of what I assume was once someone’s meal and blood—the mixture is now a badge of honor marking their scuffle.
“Really, Knuckles?” I chide, but there’s no heat in it. I can’t muster up the anger when they both seem so damned pleased with themselves.
“Hey, it worked, didn’t it?” Fi shoots back, the corners of her lips tilting upward. “The next time someone thinks about calling me a groupie, they’ll remember this.”
“Remind me again why we can’t all just get along without throwing punches?” I grumble. “This is a shit ton of paperwork and we’re lucky Rev’s lawyer speaks elvish.”
“Some people can’t hear until you use fists, big kitty,” Khol remarks dryly, his eyes alight with mischief. “So you turn up the volume until your point is made.”
Mother of beasts, save me from these two. Corralling Revelin for all these years has been hard enough.
I shake my head, disbelief mixing with an odd sense of pride.
My family is a wild bunch, but they’re mine, and I haven’t had that for a very long time.
I guide them outside into the bright light of early afternoon, as Fi’s words echo in my mind.
She might be onto something. Maybe it takes a bit of chaos to silence the trolls hiding behind their screens and avatars, spewing nonsense for the thrill.
“Let’s just try to avoid making this a habit, okay?” I say, more to myself than to them.
“Where’s the fun in that?” Fi counters, a spark of her own magic twinkling at her fingertips, a reminder that she’s not just any troublemaker—she’s a force to be reckoned with, on the internet or off.
I sigh, steering them toward the tour bus. “Let’s get back before any other surprises pop up.”
Revelin’s raised voice thunders out of the bus before we even round the corner.
Fiadh bolts up the steps first, a streak of determination that leaves Khol and me hustling in her wake.
I would have counseled her to wait a moment to ensure this isn’t just a loud disagreement, but our witch moved like she was chasing a golden goose.
“Encouraging her to fuck up people who deserve it might have been a mistake,” Khol mutters, rubbing the back of his neck with an uneasy chuckle. “I didn’t expect to run into this many idiots so soon.”
I really need to have the conversation about dumbasses and idol worship sooner rather than later.
Once we get inside, the atmosphere crackles with tension thick enough to claw through.
Revelin is perched on the counter, wings unfurled, the air shimmering with his irritation.
Fiadh stands opposite him, her posture rigid, eyes fixed on Amethyst, who looks annoyingly unaffected by the confrontation.
“Strays should know their place,” Amethyst snipes, her gaze sliding dismissively from Fiadh to land on Khol and me as we step into the fray.
That’s when I see it—the flash of anger across Khol’s face, scales emerging along his skin like a warning. My hand lands firmly on his shoulder, holding him back. “Easy, man,” I say, my voice steady despite the storm brewing around us. “Let’s not escalate this.”
Our basilisk glares at me, muttering about insubordination and teaching disrespectful morons a lesson, but I ignore it. Turning to Amethyst, I keep my tone level. “You’re overstepping your boundaries.”
Her laugh grates against my nerves. “Please, you’re just an overpaid babysitter.”
Fi explodes, her magic surging visibly around her, casting shadows of crimson and obsidian. “Have fun in the unemployment line. I’m sure they’ll find you hilarious,” she seethes, standing her ground.
“Can’t fire me,” Amethyst retorts with a smug tilt of her head. “The King promised me I could oversee this entire tour. Even the Prince cannot break a Fae oath.”
“Maybe not,” Fi counters, her voice low and dangerous, “but I can certainly kick your ass off this bus before the stench of failure makes it uninhabitable.” Dark words in Latin flows from Fi’s lips, her fingers flick in a swift motion, and Amethyst is gone—ejected as if shot down a well-greased slide.
When the fuck did she learn to do that?!!
“Damn,” Khol breathes out, his expression mirroring my shock.
Fi’s cheeks redden, her triumph tinged with embarrassment. “Wasn’t sure that would work,” she admits quietly.
I blink, amazed that she admitted it, much less revealed that she risked looking like a fool in front of someone who would have never let her live it down. “It sure as shit did, babe.”
“Thank you,” Revelin says, stepping down from his makeshift throne to press his forehead gently against hers. Their combined magic swirls around them, creating a spectacle of light that draws a collective gasp from the rest of us.
Fi’s cheeks heat and she pulls away, wrinkling her nose as she distances herself from the soft emotions she just shared.
“Show’s over,” Khol declares after a moment, snagging a bottle from the cupboard and taking a long swig. We sink into the worn cushions of the living area, the previous chaos settling into an uneasy peace.
“Looks like the smear campaign’s taken a hit,” Revelin muses, scrolling through his phone. “Faestagram’s buzz has quieted, and the rest of the apps are dying down as we speak.”
“Good riddance,” I mutter, hoping Dezi returns soon with better news. “I know you watch that shit because of your… job….”
“But you hate it with a fiery passion?” Knuckles grins at me knowingly. “Same, buddy.”
I’m about to respond when the door to the bus swings open with a soft creak, and Dezi strides in, a stormy mix of satisfaction and concern etched across his pale features.
His eyes, usually a calm shade of night, flicker like twin flames, hinting at the layers of information he’s unearthed. As the vampire settles into the dim light of the bus interior, a collective tension wraps around us, eager for his report.
“Spit it out, mosquito,” Khol calls from where he’s lounging.
“Amethyst’s been stirring the pot longer than we thought,” he begins, voice a cool draft in the warm air.
“She’s been badmouthing the witchling since before the tour kicked off.
” He pauses, letting the weight of his words sink in.
“It seems some of the crew took her side—dancers, costumers, roadies... They’ve been spreading rumors like an airborne virus. ”
I feel my jaw clench, my relief mingled with fresh anger.
It’s not the band; it’s the entourage that’s tainted.
I give Dezi a nod of thanks, glad for at least that much clarity.
The Prince would have been much more upset if the people he’s been playing with since secondary school were diming us out for a buck.
At least this is manageable in a way that doesn’t shut down this whole circus.
“Any idea where it started?” Khol’s question slices through the silence, his gaze sharp and probing.
“Traced it back to a gaggle of Fae among the groupies,” Dezi says, wiping imaginary filth from his hands as if he could brush off the distaste of his investigation.
“Two women, one man. Their whispers were the spark that set the wildfire. Unfortunately, I haven’t yet identified which women and man because many of the fans and follower travelers were not at the campsite. ”
“Great, just what we needed—a crazy ass fan who could be stalking me, but is definitely fucking up my private life.,” Revelin mutters, his frustration palpable as his wings shuffle behind him. “Do you think this shit is why Amethyst has lost her marbles?”
“Partly,” Dezi concedes, his lips pressed into a thin line. “But there’s more to her defection, I believe. I saw her storm off before I arrived, and I don’t think she’d risk her career for idle gossip. Whatever has her in a twist is targeted and malicious.”
“Here,” I say, extending a bottle towards him. The crystal-clear liquid sloshes as he takes it, a grateful flicker passing over his face before he takes a swig. “So, what’s our play?”
“Careful steps,” Dezi replies after a moment, locking eyes with Fiadh. “I sent word to Louie. Hopefully, he’ll scrub this morning’s shit from the internet with a techno mage’s help.”
“If not, let them talk,” Fi interjects, her voice fiery despite the weariness in her eyes. “There’s nothing wrong with self-defense.” Her magic still hums around her, echoes of the red and black sparks that had erupted earlier.
“Self-defense is one thing,” Dezi counters, “but we can’t afford another scene. Once might be dismissed, but twice? That will get noticed and there will be questions about why the Prince allows you to continue riding along with him.”
“Then we won’t give them a second chance,” I say firmly. “We stay sharp, and we guard our own. Right now, that’s all we can do.”
“I refuse to let some bucktoothed motherfucker call me rune-slinging Fae humping slut, Tier.” Fi shrugs and dusts her hands off as if showing that she’s done. “I’ll flatten anyone who talks to me that way, regardless of the who the hell they are. It’ll be easier if you all remember that.”
The tension in the air after I say that is like a coil wound too tight, ready to snap.
Around me, every all the guys’ faces are set in snarls, the protective instinct flaring up as they process that truth.
None of them heard the vile words slung at Fi before her fist connected with the troll’s jaw.
Now I know why her eyes were filled with fire and her fist nearly caved the jerk’s face in.
Our girl shrugs as we growl, amusement clear in her features. “Stop being dudes about it,” she says, her voice carrying an edge of finality.
For her, it’s over, done with, and she wants us to move past it.
Rev laughs, shaking his head, and even Khol lets out a chuckle.
We’re all getting used to Fi’s brutal efficiency, but I can’t shake the anger burning in my chest. The idea of someone treating Fi—or any female—like that ignites something primal in me.
I want to track down that troll and make sure he understands respect through a lesson he won’t forget.
Dezi catches the fury simmering in my gaze and winks—a silent promise of camaraderie. “If we get a chance later,” his wink suggests, and I nod, knowing full well if the opportunity arises, we’ll take it.
Fi turns to Dezi, her voice steadier now. “The crap from this morning? Louie scrubbed most of it away, by the way. Rev says it already looks better online. How he can tell, I don’t fucking know.”
“You can always count on Louie to excel when he feels like it,” Dezi murmurs with a pleased smile, the dark cloud of earlier seeming to lift. “What kind of trouble are we brewing for the rest of the day?”
Revelin glances at his watch, a sigh escaping him. “Fitting for me. Can’t be fashionably late to my charity dinner party tonight.” His tone is light, but there’s an undercurrent of stress that doesn’t escape me.
“Tiernan should go with you,” Khol suggests, looking at me. “Just in case.”
“Right,” I agree.
It’s not a bad idea to have backup, especially with how edgy things have been.
“Meanwhile,” Khol continues, “we’ll take our resident bloodsucker here to dig for some clues about the forest legend around town.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Revelin says with a grin. “Just no more bailing anyone out today, okay?” He’s joking, but there’s a plea hidden in his jest.
Fi just offers a noncommittal shrug, her lips twisted into a half-smile. “I’m not making promises on that front.”
No surprise there.