by Maribel Fox
Or maybe he’s worried for other reasons. Who knows what ‘reporting to Heaven’ means in their weird code language.
Raj curses under his breath, and we all look to him for explanation.
I’ve never seen him looking quite as dangerous as he does now. His dark eyes have a kind of permanent eyeliner that works really well with his dark complexion and thick lashes, but right now, it’s making him look menacing. There’s something unsettling about how his whole face changes; it makes me shiver, my arm hairs standing on end.
“He’s gone for backup,” Raj says.
“What?” asks Seamus, beating me to it.
Raj’s jaw clenches tight. “Angel-boy was far too interested in that sword. You think it’s a coincidence that he’s gone back now that none of us are able to retrieve it? I’ll bet anything he’s coming back with enough backup to take it by force.”
“You’re wrong, man,” Kush says, sitting up fully. “Micah’s not gonna take something that’s not his. That’s a freaking commandment, man.”
Raj scoffs, rolling his eyes. “Because Heaven always plays by their own rules, isn’t that right, Kushiel? They’ve certainly never betrayed you.” He arches his brow with a cruel smirk curling his lips.
Kush glares at him, his cool surfer-dude vibe disappearing, replaced with a look of pure menace.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about devil, and I advise you tread carefully.”
“Or what? You’ll smack me with your wings? Oh… wait…” I don’t get the significance of what he’s saying, but Raj’s twisted smile is enough to know that it’s a low-blow. Kush’s stunned silence and burning intensity confirm how outrageous it was.
“Face it, buddy, Heaven plays dirty, and your pal Micah is still one of them. You can make excuses for him all you want, but he’s not going to do the same for you. If I were you, I’d be hoping I never see him again. The next time he might decide to take you in so they can finish what they started.”
Kush’s jaw drops, and I swear the whole room gets quieter. Like his anger is enough to suck the sound out of the air. After a long minute, a minute where I’m holding my breath, half waiting for the entire room to explode, Kush stands and looks at Seamus, not Raj.
“Let me know if you find anything useful, yeah?”
Seamus nods. “Aye, I will.”
Kush starts to leave, face set in stone. As he walks past me, his eyes soften a bit. “See you later, Ava,” he says with a wink that makes my heart flutter.
Once he’s gone, I blow out the breath I’ve been holding forever.
“Did ye have to be such an arse?” Seamus says, making Raj chuckle softly, attention back to his book.
“Can I be faulted for the Celestial’s thin skin?” he says, smirking to himself.
“When you’re bein’ a prick about it, ye can be,” Seamus replies. “He’s not an ally to lose.”
Raj scoffs. “He’s not going anywhere. I’m only having a bit of fun with him.”
“Kush didn’t seem like he was having fun,” I say, inserting myself in the conversation. “I don’t really get you guys’ whole dynamic, but I think the ‘just playing around’ defense stops working when someone’s actually upset. And Kush seems like kind of a hard guy to upset, so you can’t say it was an accident.”
“She’s got you,” Seamus says with a resounding full-belly laugh. “Got ye good, she has.”
“Anyway, I just wanted to tell you guys that Micah was gone. I’m still not going to be a part of…” I wave my hand around the stacks of books they’ve pulled off the shelves. “…any of this. Have fun.”
I don’t wait for either of them to respond because I don’t trust myself to keep moving. Even when Alistair gives me raised eyebrows on my way out, I don’t stop. I don’t even slow down. I look straight ahead like I’ve got somewhere important to be.
The only place I’m headed is to my bathtub for a long, hot soak. After all the nonsense that’s been going on here the past couple days — weeks, months? Things have been so off for so long — a soak is just what I need. Oooh! And I can finally use that apple cider bath bomb Rue got me at the local farmer’s market. I’ve been saving it for a special occasion and feeling this sorry for myself seems like a good enough excuse.
I sneak through the lobby, hearing Ian and Rue in the bar working on his homework. Yeah, I’m shirking my responsibilities a little, but it takes a village, right? And I’m sure Rue would understand. But talking to her about it right at this moment would involve… well, talking to her. And talking is beyond me at this point. I’m so over talking.
This has been an emotional roller coaster and I’m still so keyed up. I still feel like there’s part of me that’s perched on the top of the first big drop waiting and waiting.
Hopefully the bath will relieve the tension. Help me focus on something other than what these guys look like naked, what their lips would feel like on my body, their hands stripping me…
I run the water hot, steam filling the tiny bathroom that I don’t share with anyone else. I toss the bath bomb in and it fizzes and spins, painting the water red and gold and green, the colors of autumn. With the steam added, it really smells like someone’s got hot apple cider on the stove, and I’m more than happy to dunk my whole body in the delicious-smelling water.
Instantly some of the worries melt away. The smell fills my lungs and erases so much else, my muscles start to relax, and I just melt into the old claw-foot bathtub.
Thank you, Cannon Beach Soap Company, I think, remembering the label I just tossed in the trash. You just never know when you’re going to find your new hero. Whoever invented this bath bomb is mine.
I might just stay here forever.
16
Kush
“Fuck,” I hiss as my toe connects with a rock, and pain shoots up my shin. My fault for kicking the damn thing. I thought it was smaller than it is. It’s mostly lodged under the sandy soil and didn’t go skittering off satisfyingly like the last dozen rocks I’ve kicked across the beach.
I kick it again, barely a tap of my foot this time, sighing.
I know better than to let that asshole get to me, man. Raj can’t help picking at people, needling them till they snap. But I’m better than that shit.
Or I was.
I’m out of practice like mad. If I’m gonna keep hanging around these guys, I need to do better. Be better.
That makes me laugh. It’s been a long ass time since I gave a shit about being better at all. I gave that up when I decided to come live on Earth full-time.
Decided isn’t so much the word to be accurate. I didn’t volunteer to give up my wings so much as I was voluntold. It was the only choice I had. The only way to protect Micah. Seamus. Hell, maybe even me. I don’t know who among us — if any — would still be alive if I hadn’t done what I did.
Still sucks when the Devil rubs salt in the wound though.
That’s what Devils do. Can’t blame him. That’s like being mad at the sun for shining or the clouds for raining. Just silly.
Being near the water calms me down more than anything else. Everyone else seems to like to run off to the woods, but that’s not for me. There’s nothing calming about the freaking woods. There’s no sky, everything’s too close, too tight. It makes me feel like I’m trapped.
The ocean is where it’s at. Wide open spaces as far as the eye can see. The sky is a stormy gray today, the water below dark navy blue.
“You were supposed to have sunken treasure, man,” I mutter at the bay. Not that it’s going to respond. Bummed as I am about missing the waves back in Cali for nothing… Well, it hasn’t really been for nothing, has it?
There might not be sunken treasure, but there’s something. There’s Ava, for one thing. That tasty slice of walking sin. She tries to act all innocent and offended when I press her buttons, but there’s no denying the flush that comes to her chest, the glaze in her eyes. I see how she licks her lips, eyes flicking down my body. She thinks sh
e’s subtle, but she’s not. Not even a little.
She’s curious, but she’s stopping herself from giving in fully. Ava’s a complicated chick, but she’s coming around. There’s no way she’s going to be able to keep denying herself when temptation is always around the corner.
I wanna situate myself around as many of those corners as I can, but I gotta get my head on straight. I can’t be smooth with Ava when I’m steaming from Raj.
The ocean walk along the bay winds through the tiny town of Lupine Bay, taking me through tree-lined paths alongside a road that’s dotted with shops on either side. It’s your normal little town that’s forgotten. Half the places are permanently closed, the other half seem to have seen better days. I noticed that Ava’s place could use some TLC, but it kinda seems like all of Lupine Bay could.
Just like Ava’s place, though, the town’s charming and cute despite its need for some love and attention. I can see why Ava’s mother built a hotel up here. It’s lovely and quaint, quiet and relaxing. Seems like it could use a PR guy though. As I’m strolling through the town, I’m looking up the local businesses on my phone, and half these places don’t have a website of any kind. Of the ones that do have websites, half of those are using Facebook as a website.
I groan to myself. No wonder people don’t know about this place. No one’s putting the word out.
Ava’s got a cute listing for her B&B though. That I checked on a while ago. She could use some better pictures. None of her pictures really capture the beauty of the outdoors around here. She’s underselling her place’s best feature.
That’s her business, though. I’m not so sure she wants me meddling with it. With her maybe, but not her business.
I’m walking past yet another closed-up shop when something catches my eye. A lot of these shops have wild flowers growing, blackberry vines climbing the walls, but this vine is…
Well, I’m not sure it’s from Earth.
The flowers have three layers — an under layer soft and white, spread out like a daisy, a middle layer of thin, needle-like petals, red and blue like fireworks, and in the center, there’s a curl of orange and yellow, like the center of a rose. I get closer to make sure, but yeah, I’m pretty fucking certain this isn’t a flower that’s supposed to exist here.
Wonderful.
I don’t really know what I’m looking at, but I know someone that probably will. There’s a whole vine of these flowers, so I don’t feel bad plucking one of them to take with me.
I go back to the B&B without thinking. Even though I left Seamus and Raj at the vampire’s place, when I’m looking for Seamus, I go to a bar.
Luckily, habit and experience win out this time. Seamus is at the bar with a pitcher of beer in front of him. He looks my way as I come in, but I’m clearly not who he was hoping I’d be. Can’t say I blame him. I might be pretty, but Ava’s much prettier.
“Look at this,” I say, dropping the flower on the bar in front of him.
Seamus stills, every muscle in his body frozen except for his eyes narrowing at the flower. His feet drop down to the floor, and he pushes the barstool back, standing up fully.
“Where’dya find this?” he says, his voice deadly serious. I’ve never heard him so serious. Never seen him so focused.
“Dude, what the hell is it?” His reaction freaks me out. I already knew this thing didn’t belong here, but I didn’t think it was this big of a deal. Him looking at it the way he is makes me think it’s bringing the next Armageddon or something.
“These haven’t been seen in a thousand years. Now show me where the bloody hell you found it,” he says, practically trembling. But why? Fear? Excitement? Something else?
What the hell does this mean?
“Yeah, of course, but you gonna tell me what’s going on?”
Seamus forgets all about his drink as I lead him out and back towards town.
“Not sure,” he says, glowering ahead like a soldier heading into battle.
“You got anything more for me than that, dude? You’re kinda freaking me out.”
He looks at me, face twisting into a thoughtful expression as he scratches at the ginger scruff on his cheek.
“It’s from Underhill, that flower is. The Fae lands.”
“What’s it doing here?”
Seamus nods. “Aye, that’s the question, innit?”
“Here,” I say, gesturing at the wall with the vine.
Seamus frowns, scratching his chin again.
“You wanna take a picture of it?” I ask. He seems to be looking at it from every angle, trying to memorize everything about it. Not sure what it’s gonna tell him, but a picture should do a better job than his memory anyway.
He looks confused, so I pull out my phone and wave it at him.
“What is that?” he asks, scowling at the thing.
Right. I always forget how medieval he can be. He summoned me here via a freaking wax-sealed letter. I shouldn’t be surprised in the least.
“It’s a phone, ever heard of one?”
Seamus scowls at me. “I know what a phone is. Ring up a mate for a bit of change—”
“You sound so old right now, dude. Pay phones don’t even exist anymore.”
His frown shifts from indignant to confused. “Ye don’t pay for them?”
“Oh, you do… Just not in change. Anyway, look—” I pull up the camera app and point it at the flower, tap the screen and show him.
“Easy as pie.”
Seamus looks dubious. “Not like any pie I’ve seen.”
I sigh, rolling my eyes. He really is a grumpy old man sometimes. So set in his ways. Guess that’s what happens when you live enough centuries. I dunno. I don’t think I’m like that, but ever since I came down here to stay, I’ve made it a point to really live among the humans and get to know them.
Seamus likes to pretend they’re not there as much as he can. He’s always been a loner — mostly by necessity — but I can’t really wrap my head around rejecting technology. It makes life so much easier.
“I’ll take the pictures, don’t worry. I just spent a grand on this phone anyway. I don’t want your withdrawal shakes to make you drop it.”
“A grand?” he asks, eyes wide.
I shrug, taking a few more pictures.
“Think I prefer being old if it means I can ring me pals for change rather than a fecking grand. Lunatic.”
“Not sure how it matters at all, considering you don’t have any pals to call,” I lob back.
“I’ve got your sorry arse, don’t I?”
“And you had to trick me to get me here.” I laugh, but Seamus isn’t laughing with me. He’s looking past me, squinting, so I follow his gaze.
Then I’m following him, because without a word he’s walking off toward whatever it is.
“Can ye take more than one picture with your pocket phone?”
We’re looking up at another strange plant, this one hanging from the eaves of another building. It almost looks like bunches of grapes, only smaller, and gold.
“I can take as many as you want.”
“Get to it, then.”
For hours, we trek around the town, finding more evidence of magic, of Fae presence. I take hundreds of photos — more than I need to, because the camera on my new phone is just that good — and Seamus collects a handful of samples. I don’t know what the plan is, what all this even means really.
My knowledge of the Fae comes strictly from my dealings with Seamus — and even that was more than Heaven ever wanted me to have. I don’t know what there being plants from Underhill all over town can mean. Seeing Seamus this serious is worrying enough without knowing though.
Whether he’s going to clue me in or not is yet to be seen. Fae are typically pretty freaking mysterious about their world and traditions. For good reason. Pretty much everyone else has been trying to wipe them out of existence for as long as I can remember. How Seamus has managed to stay alive as long as he has is a mystery. I’d say it’s a
miracle, but I know Heaven’s not rooting for him.
It’s probably good Micah’s already gone back to report. Someone in Heaven’s bound to know what this means, and I’ve got a feeling we really don’t want them to know. The sword’s bad enough. Raj touched a nerve there, but he’s not wrong. I wouldn’t put it past the ERS to send a brute squad in, to rip the whole damn stump out of the ground if they have to.
I don’t wanna think about what Micah’s telling them. I already feel guilty enough for not having the guts to tell him the truth about what happened with me. Maybe if I had come clean, I could have gotten him to feed some lines to the higher-ups to buy us some time. I didn’t think that far ahead though, and now he’s gone and none of us know how long we have until he comes back.
Or if he’s coming alone.
“That should be enough, you think?” Seamus says after we collect our eighth — ninth? — sample.
“I don’t know what for, so yes. Absolutely enough.”
Seamus rolls his eyes. “Anyone ever tell you you’re a smartarse?”
“Better than a dumbass,” I answer with a grin.
He scoffs and shakes his head, smiling to himself as we start moving again. This time toward the B&B.
“What’re you going to do with all this?”
“Show it to Ava, o’course.”
“Of course,” I mutter. Maybe he’s got some plan I don’t understand, but I’m not sure what showing Ava a bunch of Fae flowers is going to achieve.
Oh well, whatever. Probably some weird Fae secret I wouldn’t understand. No point trying. Just gotta go with the flow.
17
Ava
“Ava?” Seamus calls as the front door of the B&B opens. The way he says my name, it always sounds like ‘Aver.’ It annoyed me at first, but now I like it.
