Thwarting Cheaters (Artemis University Book 5)

by Erin R Flynn

  I mean, fairies had catching bad guys down to an art. There was one rune for the chair they would sit on, a different one for the door they walked through, another for their restraints, and so on. All of them worked together to throw the suspect into a series of illusions to want to confess everything and in detail, going over more than people could even know to ask questions for.

  After I was done, I made a charm with the fairy rune of the interrogator and explained it to the Rothchilds who would handle this part. “Whoever brings the person in has to wear the charm, lock them in, and ask the questions. All magic and fairy runes are tied together and that charm if it’s not me. And this is not to be ever talked about or journaled. That was made clear.”

  “We know how to keep secrets,” Mr. Rothchild promised me, the other nodding. “This is too powerful for most to know it’s even possible. Many would abuse it.”

  “Which is exactly what Ganter Evans warns of and why it’s a rule non-fairies never find out about it,” I told him. “I’m trusting you because your Mel’s family and I hope other fairies will forgive me since I’m alone.”

  “They would and I would hope if any clan they had to pick with this secret, they would trust ours,” Mrs. Rothchild told me gently.

  That helped. I hated to go against what I knew were fairy rules but desperate times and all of that.

  What choice did I really have? I couldn’t do it all on my own and this was some serious shit we were in. I was in and all fairies if this was what they came back to if I could figure out what happened to them.

  When. When I figured out what happened to them. When.

  But I sort of figured the vamps watching the Spain house were taken there and we found out all their dirty secrets to bury them with. It was more effective than even Marisol’s hacking so we could bury a lot of baddies that way.

  My heart bled for their rights and the unfairness of due process when they were so fucking dirty, I felt the need to shower from having simply been around them. No, really, I cried a lot.

  Not. One. Tear.

  So, the weekend before finals I finally got to check out the house in Spain in more than pictures. Liluth came with since all the hobgoblins from Artemis were going to be working for me over the summer. There weren’t many classes taught and certainly no need for full cafeteria service so they were happy to take a job with me instead of their normal extra summer work.

  Mel, Claudia, Izzy, and I met up with an array of the Higgins clan who were starting the renovations as soon as they could. We’d booked them for right after finals but it looked like their current job might end a few days early so we might as well meet and get them marching orders so they could start as they wanted.

  Somehow Katrina, Mrs. Rothchild, and a few of Mel’s cousins came with as well but I wasn’t going to complain about more help when this wasn’t my thing.

  Everyone got started but I was lost in the novel left in the kitchen just as there had been at the other estates. This was the only asset Elvin Mills had and was the least wealthy fairy of the twenty estates who were confirmed deceased with no heirs.

  “Tams?” Mel whispered as she moved her hand to my shoulder.

  I sniffled loudly, realizing I was crying and quickly wiped my eyes. “They were all such good people. And they’re all just gone. And for what? A fucking war between light and dark fairies? All of this pain for that?” I shook my head when she tried to comfort me.

  “We don’t know what it was all about or—” Mrs. Rothchild muttered.

  “‘I have not much hope we will survive or be of much help in this war as I and my family are simple grape growers and wine makers but if our lives protect our queen or a noble warrior who might save her, we give them willingly and without regret. To any cousin who survives and inherits, please, accept all we have freely and with love.

  “‘We ask not much but hope to offer you a life that will provide for you and your family for generations to come. In this book I have outlined our secrets for our award-winning wine and many labels enjoyed through Faerie and this world. I struggled with this decision but in the end, decided if we are to move onto be the with gods, the joy our family wine brings should not go with us.

  “‘Please carry on the tradition for us, Cousin, or find a family who will. It has been in our clan for so many, many years it would be a travesty if a part of our culture was to fall away. Even if you cannot find fairies knowledgeable in wines, there are fair folk who can help a young fairy couple who wish to make this their lives and build their family here as we did for generations.

  “‘That is what I wish if my family doesn’t return. That is all I wish and I apologize for asking too much of you, but I beg if any of us survive this war, you grant me this wish so my clan may find peace with the gods. Many of us might not make it back but our traditions and ways must live on and I believe our family wine and vineyard is one worth preserving. Thank you, Cousin. May the gods bless you.’”

  There was a lot more but that was the part that had me cry without even realizing it.

  “Whose house is this?” Katrina asked when no one seemed to know what to say.

  “Elvin Mills,” I answered, wiping my eyes again and sniffling.

  Her eyes went bug wide. “This is Mills Néctar de Espíritu? This is their secret vineyard?”

  “Spirt nectar?” I asked, knowing enough Spanish to catch that.

  Katrina nodded. “It was a long-running joke with the light fairies that they were considered spirits in several cultures, I believe Spain was one of them, or what the beliefs were here when they settled here long before this was called Spain. They didn’t sell to humans as it’s a blend of human grapes and fae fruit but many have tried to recreate the ratios and techniques but failed.”

  “It’s fairy magic,” I answered without even having to look at the recipes. I didn’t hide the duh in my voice.

  “Yes, of course it is, but that doesn’t stop people from trying,” she threw right back.

  Fair enough.

  Marc Higgins came into the kitchen with his crew and glanced around, realizing they’d walked into something and wisely pretended he’d seen nothing… Which was one of the things I adored about that family and the people who worked for them most. They didn’t see or hear anything, didn’t want to know, wouldn’t gossip about any of it, and simply wanted good-paying jobs without bullshit.

  Amen. Amen, my friends.

  “So, I know this place has been in stasis for like ten years at least but nothing’s been updated for over thirty or forty,” he told me. “I’m going to recommend a lot more invasive renovations than we have before.”

  “Invasive? Like plumbing and electricity?” I asked, glancing between him and Mel.

  “Yeah, exactly that,” he confirmed. “You told me the stasis spell eventually catches up to the present and you’re going to have a lot of degrade on pipes, forty-year old pipes they don’t use anymore. Plus, none of the breakers will be able to handle the electronics any of us use now besides one a room or—”

  “Mr. Higgins, I trust you so do what you need to and don’t make my ears bleed with details. Is that where you start before we even come here for break? We can delay if we need to or whatever. I mean, we have portals so however this is easiest for you guys.”

  He threw back his head and laughed. “This is why your jobs are the best jobs, kid. Normally that’s not how it goes, you get that, right?”

  “Normal is boring and I’m not a bitch all of the time,” I teased. I glanced around the kitchen. “I like the vibe of the place though. I mean, it’s a real, historic Spanish villa and vineyard for a huge family and its own resort. I want to update to now, but I don’t think we make it modern like we did my house.”

  “I agree,” Mel admitted. “I was walking around and I like the chill, cozy vibe that invites afternoon siestas with the big windows and breeze and margaritas on the patio with huge family-style dinners. The tones of the paints are really nice that complement the wood and
the woodwork is fantastic. Maybe some sanding and resealing, fixing boards if needed but this place is a culture of its own.”

  I smiled at the journal left by Elvin Mills for me and nodded. “Yeah, it is. That culture and history should be preserved for sure. We update it and appreciate it.” I knew without a doubt I would protect it and do what Elvin wanted after I figured out what happened to all fairies. I would find a nice young fairy couple who wanted to carry on the Mills family heritage and keep that part of our history alive.

  “That’s actually perfect because this place is a lot bigger than we thought it was going to be,” Marc worried. “And we’re booked solid this summer. Thanks to you and Ms. Calloway, but yeah, we’ve got work coming out of our ears and now Liluth informed me we’re going to have another job for a new hobgoblin sanctuary.”

  I nodded, knowing we were stretching them thin. “I’m fine with this being a filler job, really I am. We’re going to be here all summer. As long as you get the main areas updated and safe, we can add rooms later with piping and wiring or whatever. There’s twenty-eight bedrooms and we won’t need them all.”

  “Plus, Tamsin has graciously allowed our clan to enjoy the property on our off times this summer so she’ll have a lot of manual labor help,” Mrs. Rothchild added. “If you can get supplies here with your discounts and leave them in the rooms, we don’t know all your tricks but we certainly can help paint.”

  “I’d rather you guys help feed me and I do know the tricks and have the magic to make it happen,” I admitted. “I’m sure there’s lots of other help we could use adding another sanctuary or getting the vineyard cleaned up. So, I will definitely take manual labor help but yeah, let’s be smart about it.” I met her eyes and hope she didn’t see the insult. I wanted her to understand I knew I was going to be on lockdown most times.

  Whereas her clan could move about more freely and shop and do all that stuff. Or guard us when we were going to eat out… We weren’t sure where yet, but London was off the table and I was going to be glamoured anyways. My point being I would accept help, of course.

  “Fair enough.” She winked that she understood where my head was. Nice.

  I signed a very large deposit check to get them started on all the electrical and plumbing supplies they would need before taking a full tour of the place. It was really amazing and seriously huge so I understood the high price of renovations even if the Higgins were fair and magic was involved instead of tearing out walls.

  Katrina froze after opening a door and then came back for me, taking my hand and pulling me over to the door. She pointed to a massive wine barrel on display at the front of a gigantic wine cellar. “That one barrel is worth more than the check you just signed.”

  “Oh my,” I whispered as I moved closer and saw it was branded with the vintage and year before I was born. So, it was the last year they made wine before going back to Faerie. Yeah, if it was the best supe wine made with fae fruits it would definitely be worth a fortune.

  And so would this gigantic wine cellar. It was a large part of the whole basement, maybe an eighty by forty-foot room and floor to ceiling shelves on three of the walls. The two long ones of course, and also dozens of shelves lined in aisles in the room.

  I glanced over at Mrs. Rothchild. “Does someone in your family know enough about electricity that they could wire this one room?”

  “Yes, most certainly a few.”

  “Good. No need to involve the Higgins clan in anything dangerous.” I waved everyone to exit the room and closed the one door behind us, focusing on it.

  “Allow me,” Katrina offered, understanding what I was thinking. She muttered under her breath as she wrote a rune on her hand and then waved it in front of the door.

  And then the door vanished. It looked as if it had never been there and one full, smooth wall.

  “Thanks, I think that’s best.”

  “I agree, but I’ll be buying a bottle of something in there,” she warned me.

  “I think you can be invited when I open several of them when I celebrate finding out what happened to my people since you’ve helped. How’s that?”

  She gave me a warm, brilliant smile. “Yes. Yes, I would much prefer that, thank you. I look very forward to that day.”

  So did I. So did fucking I.

  Gods I hoped it wasn’t too much longer.

  24

  I blinked and I was flying through the rest of finals. I aced the open book ones, done with the intro classes. I aced my physical training again. I even aced my geometry final and as much as I’d like to pat myself on making math my bitch it was all because of my magic. I studied but really, my magic was the star.

  I knew that and so did Professor Richardson but he also knew I put in the work so he gave me the grade. It took us a year to get to where we were but when it was over, I extended my hand and the man accepted. We may never like each other but I was pretty sure we at least respected each other and that was fantastic progress from where we’d started.

  If only everyone could find middle ground like that the world would be a much, much better place.

  Darby and Lucca had tried several times to intercept me after I’d blocked their numbers and clearly wasn’t going to even bother with their messages. Hudson respected my wishes but he watched me every second he was remotely near me like a predator seconds from pouncing.

  And Craftsman? He was busy. He was working. I heard it over and over again that he was completely lost in some project or another and besides classes and finals no one could pull him out of work.

  Well I wasn’t going to this time. He’d avoided me since March and it was now May. Besides that quick chat where he said he needed time to think. Now he could think all he wanted, think forever, and let his thoughts keep him warm at night because I wasn’t going to.

  Mel said to give him one last chance and see if he pulled it together after the semester and came home to settle things like he should. I found myself agreeing because I thought I owed him at least that much… But I didn’t have faith he’d show.

  Wasn’t that sad?

  I didn’t want to think about any of it. I wanted to have fun and be a normal college kid—even if I was a supe one—and enjoy my end of the year party to celebrate. I packed up with Izzy and we turned in our keys, excited for the summer and thrilled we’d finished.

  We couldn’t even hold in our excitement Thursday night and started with the decorations we’d already ordered after Zack picked up food since the house was pretty bare. Ray had been dying that he had to go back to the house early to receive all the deliveries including the three pigs I’d ordered to smoke and gobs more food we were cooking out.

  Hey, we were supes and it was a weekend party. There could never be too much food, right?

  Friday morning I woke up and went for a run on the property and felt lighter than I had in a while. The fae dogs ran with me and it was peaceful, just us, no eyes of campus or worrying what the next drama would be, simply… Being. Living. They ate fruit that fell from the trees and I collected a bunch of it for breakfast for everyone and it was so, so nice.

  Who wouldn’t want to live like that?

  Until I reached the kitchen and pain hit my chest as I thought of Craftsman standing at the stove making us breakfast. And Darby asking me if I wanted coffee, forgetting that I didn’t drink it when he was sleepy, but always asking to make sure I was covered because he cared.

  I swallowed down my feeling and instead poured myself some juice, washed some fruit, and snagged some defrosting muffins before sitting out by the pool. I would be fine. This was for the best and I needed to get my priorities in line. I had to worry about Faerie and my people not men who would hurt me.

  I smiled at Chief when he put his head on my lap, feeling my sadness. “I’m okay. I’ll be okay. It was the right decision. This is best. Mrs. Diaz is right. I’m powerful and young and I should sample everything I want. There’s probably lots better out there that would be…” I shook my hea
d. I didn’t actually know how to finish that answer and I was justifying myself to my damn dog.

  Even if it was a fae dog that was too much for me.

  I finished my breakfast and went for a swim before everyone started getting up. I heard the bell at the gate and smiled, knowing it was Marshall and Sean. I went outside the front and used my magic to make a front door in the barrier so they could come in before buzzing them through.

  “You know, most kids sleep in at least the first week or so, Tams,” Sean teased me after parking his bike.

  I shrugged. “I’ll work on it. We crashed early but I enjoyed my first morning free from Artemis. Isn’t that all that matters.”

  “Yes, yes it is,” Marshall agreed. “And thanks for the summer gig. We appreciate it.”

  I nodded as I headed back inside. The school didn’t need all of them over the summer and normally it was the youngest of the pack who got the summer furlough but since I offered several of them jobs, they didn’t have to do it that way this year. “Yeah, I wanted to talk to you about that.”

  “Oh?” Sean asked as he closed the door behind him. “Anything good?”

  “Yeah, she wants you to find pup replacements from your packs or packs you train and give you guys that know about her permanent positions guarding her estates and working for her,” Ray said as he came into the kitchen. It looked like he’d been downstairs hitting the gym and was going to have breakfast before probably taking a run around the property.

  “Or I was thinking about asking Alpha Geoff,” I admitted. “He has people who want jobs but not politics. Edelman protects the guards pretty well to stay neutral and Glen would chill if he got some younger pups.” I shrugged when they all shot me disbelieving looks. “Let’s be honest that part of his shit is you guys are getting stronger and aren’t young Betas anymore. You could take his job.”

  “That’s fair,” Marshall agreed. “I’d like to run this by Edelman and see what he says since he brought us in. He might have some packs in mind. I think if we’re honest about our concerns like you said and it’s about keeping peace, not starting trouble, that it’s even best for Artemis, that he’ll agree.”