Pretty in Orange

by J B Trepagnier

  I knew how Serafina got roped into this plot now. It was how Eiltan found all the Dark Fae elementals he framed. He had warlocks on his payroll all over the country. They were all doctors, and most were ignorant of what he was doing.

  Serafina got sick shortly before she was arrested. She had no energy and wanted to sleep all the time. Her doctor was another elemental and ordered blood tests to see if she was anemic. They sent her blood to a lab where a warlock lab tech, whose palm was being greased by the Fae, did a trick with the blood only a Fae could have taught them to determine if the blood had Light or Dark Fae in it.

  If they were Dark, someone was running background checks. All the elementals had almost the same story Serafina did. They had no family that would fight for them. They didn’t have the money for a talented defense lawyer and had to take what they were given. With all the women, their court-appointed defense lawyer had been given a lot of money to make sure they went down. They had bribed the judge to send them to Scorchwood instead of giving them a fine or a brief sentence in a topside prison.

  It was this entire network of people involved, and it was scaring me. There were supernaturals of all races and humans involved in this plot. How did we know there weren’t demons involved too? This was too complicated for Eiltan to be doing this alone. He had always been lazy with his schoolwork and more of a playboy than a prince.

  But who was driving Eiltan? Even if the Sunshadow line had been problematic sometimes, they always had honor, and they had always been about keeping things between the Fae. It was the entire reason they seized the throne and closed the portal. I couldn’t see them bribing people they thought were lower than them to experiment on elementals they wanted to be left behind when they closed the portal. Fae begged and even tried bribery to bring their halfling children to the Fae realm when they were ordered home, and the Sunshadows and their entire court didn’t want them in their domain.

  So, why now and why this plot? The elementals now were so far removed from the Fae except for Serafina. What did they want with them now, after all this time? And why couldn’t they just talk to them and ask permission for whatever it was? Serafina wouldn’t have gone along with it, but maybe another elemental would. And some elementals would have agreed to try for a hybrid baby for the right price. If they were bribing people, why not bribe a willing elemental?

  I did at least find one wonderful thing out, but I didn’t know what to do about it. The other elementals that were framed were alive. Rathmore and Eiltan at least cared a little about their subjects. Rathmore had in his notes that all of them were excellent test subjects, but they were not in the right test environment.

  Rathmore had in his notes he thought Jasmine hadn’t succeeded because they had forced the process, and it wasn’t happening naturally. They had moved all the other elementals to safe houses with a handpicked supernatural who was romancing them and trying to convince them they were a guard and broke them out of Scorchwood. They weren’t sure if it would work because their male test subject was faking it like Jasmine was.

  Serafina was their wildcard. They hoped to keep her ignorant of the tests. Skoll had long been picked as a wolf test subject, and that was why all the elementals kept ending up in his cell.

  It was disgusting. Rathmore was so excited in his notes when Serafina responded to Skoll, and she took up with Roman and Amduscias. They’d long picked Amduscias as he was their only demon option, and they had chosen Roman until he tried to escape. Rathmore was so angry that his test subject nearly got away, he had detailed notes about how he tortured Roman for days with a blade and a particular song until Rathmore had calmed down a little.

  It wasn’t Eiltan that decided Roman should be tortured and turned into a killing machine. It wasn’t the Fae that decided all the male subjects they had picked for Jasmine should die when they didn’t succeed. That was all Rathmore. Rathmore had Roman kill Jasmine’s lovers because he wanted her focused. He didn’t want feelings involved. Rathmore didn’t want Jasmine refusing another one of his choices because she had gotten attached to a previous lover.

  This entire plot just made me want to bathe in a hot spring while burning sage to clear the air. I was Light Fae before I died, and Light Fae believed the dreadful things you did in life would be revisited upon you tenfold, either in life or in death. The Dark Fae didn’t believe in that. They believed in evidence and science. I knew my truth, and I knew whoever was really behind this plot would pay in some epic way.

  If fate had really chosen my Ena to do that and given her a wolf, a Vampire, a demon, all of Hell, and a Fae guardian, then I had to do my duty and find out all the facts so I could help her.

  I would have to go back to the Fae realm.

  Chapter 26

  Serafina

  A

  lozan was trying so hard to make me feel at home. After Doctor Bogthon was done with me and went off to see the others, she started grilling me about my favorite foods and preferred style of dress. It made me feel weird that someone was so worried about that because I did all that myself for so long. It seemed to mean a lot to her, so I just spilled all my favorites, even if it seemed like a stupid thing to eat in a castle in Hell. Could you even get cotton candy flavored jelly beans down here?

  Alozan didn’t stop there. Charley came out to the sitting room after she had her exam and Alozan disappeared. She came back with two elementals holding babies and a witch.

  “I thought I should make some introductions. This is Briar, an earth elemental and her son, Alastair. The water elemental is Azura, and her daughter’s name is Winter. The witch is October. October has been down here for a long time. Briar and Azura are fairly new.”

  Charley stared at October. “No babies for you?”

  October just laughed. “My children are all grown. I met my husband, Bolvon, during the Inquisition. He saved me from being burned alive and brought me here for my safety. He claimed me, and I’ve been here ever since. I love it. There are other witches and warlocks here. We are free to form covens or do solo magic as long as we do no harm. Sometimes, Bael or the other kings ask us to get involved if someone is acting up and they need us. We are happy to help.”

  Charley just scowled.

  “You know I’m an escaped convict, right? I used necromancy and brought my father back from the dead. He killed people. I have a life sentence for everyone who died.”

  October just shrugged.

  “They sentenced me to burn at the stake for cursing a holy man. He ended up dying. We all make mistakes when we are young. A lot of talented witches were burned alive then for doing nothing but being. Everyone makes mistakes, Charley. Based on what I’ve heard about Scorchwood, you’ve paid for them, and you helped when needed.”

  “You have covens here?”

  “Yes! And we would love you to join. If you could break a controlling spell then Hell needs you here, and we want you with us. The demons want everyone to think they are evil and cause mayhem. Some witches think they are summoning demons to do their bidding. The demons always come and cause trouble because it’s fun for them, but they are also gathering intel. Sometimes the covens here help break spells, and then the witches and warlocks are punished if it’s warranted.”

  Charley smiled shyly.

  “That would be great.”

  “We heard someone is framing elementals still,” Briar said.

  “Still?” I asked.

  “Aguron brought me down here and claimed me when I was framed for murder. Someone called the police and said there was a body buried in my backyard. They tried to say I buried them alive with my earth element, but I was standing there as they were digging up my backyard. That body was buried with a shovel. I’d been dating Aguron for a while. We just thought the other elementals were mad I was with a demon and were framing me, but it sounds like it was more than that. Azura was framed for murder too. We both just assumed some narrow-minded elementals didn’t agree with us taking up with demons.”

  “Are you the
only elementals here?”

  Briar just laughed.

  “Not at all. We’re just the only ones who were framed like you, and we only got here a few decades ago. Most of the other elementals here are much older than us. I guess it’s just a thing with us to be drawn to demons.”

  I just laughed. “Apparently, wolves and Vampires too.”

  Azura just cocked an eyebrow at me.

  “Wolves and Vampires don’t just accept us unless fate is involved. It’s different for them.”

  I held out my hand to her like I was introducing myself.

  “Hello. I’m Serafina Blackman, fate’s little bitch.”

  I was still using the last name the nuns gave me. I had no idea if it was my mother’s name or they just gave it to me, but I would be damned if I claimed the title Sunshadow after everything my father did to me.

  “Interesting,” Briar said. “And a little kinky.”

  “They were framing us for children like yours. Protect them because if someone finds out they are down here, they will want their hands on them.”

  Azura frowned. “Why would they try to get us in Scorchwood for a hybrid baby if we were already dating demons and it would have happened naturally when the time was right?”

  Fergus had tried to explain a lot of what was on the hard drive, and a lot of it made little sense. I now knew how I was framed and how I was chosen, but not the point of this entire experiment.

  “They were handpicking the fathers. They were doing lineage spells on blood. They might have wanted you with Amduscias because they had already tested his blood. They might have wanted you with a demon, just not the demons you were in love with. Or they thought you would be open to mixing and wanted you with a shifter, Vampire, or warlock.”

  “That is so gross,” Briar said, shuddering. “What about the other elementals in Scorchwood?”

  “One nasty one was working with Magnus Rathmore. She stole my blood for him, and she was trying to seduce the men he picked for her. She would have given him the baby for her freedom. She had a gang that ended up there because they were criminals. From what I understand, they only want the descendants of Dark Fae, and they are all Light Fae.”

  “We know little about our Fae heritage except family stories. Most of them sound like fairy tales. They mention nothing about Light Fae or Dark Fae. I thought everyone was just Fae,” Briar said.

  “You can trust them, my Ena. Tell them about the Fae. They share your story, and they might give us something that helps. It’s safe to show them me as well. I can feel from them they are both honorable women with no ill intentions.”

  “I just learned I’m the result of a tryst a Dark Fae prince had when he came through the portal on business. It’s him that is doing all this, but we don’t know if the other Fae are involved. From what I’ve been told, the Light Fae are healers and teachers. They believe in magic and karma. Dark Fae are like hard scientists. They only believe in what they can prove.”

  “You met your father while you were in Scorchwood?”

  “No. I have an impossible secret. Something he doesn’t know about that helped me escape. I trust all of you with this. In the Fae realm, certain Fae have Fae spirits that come to them and guide them and protect them. They are called guardians. Halflings and elementals have never had one before. Mine is named Fergus, and he appears as a fire dragon. He can go places I can’t. He was instrumental in helping us break out, and he was the one who killed Rathmore.”

  “Did he make it hurt after all Rathmore’s crimes?”

  “He flew down his throat and then made him explode.”

  Briar and Azura looked totally shocked, and I realized my new friends were not the kind of people I could talk murder and arson with. I had to talk about totally normal things. What did normal girls talk about, anyway? I didn’t grow up normally. We talked about finding food and shelter and ripped on rich people when I lived on the street.

  Babies. Normal people loved to talk about their children, right? Even I could admit their children were fucking adorable and weren’t sitting there shrieking and giving me a headache.

  “Your kids are adorable. Do they take after both parents?”

  Briar and Azura’s eyes lit up now that I’d steered the conversation to kids. Note to self—when shit got awkward, just bring up kids, and the conversation would unfuck itself.

  “Oh, Hell is full of hybrid babies. Something you should know about the residents here. Some demons are born, and there are entire tribes of those kinds of demons. Some demons, like Hell royalty, were spat from the very fires of Hell, and they are the only one of their kind. Your Amduscias is unique, as that was how he was born.

  “The fire children are unique. When they meet their love and decide to have a baby, their children are also one of a kind. They don’t have the same powers as their father. They are unique. Azura and I didn’t take up with Hell royalty. My husband is a smoke demon, and Azura’s husband is a trickster demon.”

  “I’m not sure what that is.”

  Azura just laughed. “My husband is a shapeshifter. He can change into anything. My son has elemental powers, but he also enjoys changing into characters from his cartoons. Smoke demons can travel anywhere through smoke. Briar can’t burn anything in the house while her child is still young because they don’t want their child getting lost slipping into the smoke.”

  “So, if I have a child with Amduscias, he or she will have fire and could end up with any demonic power? I’ve seen his demonic form. It was pretty badass.”

  Briar just smiled. “You just want a baby unicorn. Admit it.”

  “Doesn’t everyone want a baby unicorn?” I laughed. “He kept his demonic form and powers this enormous secret in Scorchwood, and then he whips out this massive unicorn to break us out.”

  Azura just gave me a gentle smile. “Don’t be mad at him for keeping secrets. It’s a rule. Hell secrets can only be revealed in Hell. We didn’t know either until we got here.”

  “Quick question since you both have children. I have a magical leaf strapped to my arm. Was this some play a joke on the newbie thing, or does it really work?”

  “Oh, quite. The water demons are excellent at fertility magic, but when one mixed with a tree demon, they discovered quite wonderful properties about their parts that are discarded when they choose to be trees.”

  “The remedies down here differ from what you are used to, but they are much more advanced. You might think a leaf is primitive, but you’ll be singing a different tune once you have your first period. It’ll be short, light, you won’t eat the entire house, you won’t snap at everyone, and you’ll get no cramps.”

  “Well, I’m glad I signed up for the magical leaf then.”

  “I’m glad you’re here, Serafina. I hope this mess with your father gets sorted soon. We need to leave now. We have a playdate with some other children in Hell.”

  “Want to come to meet my coven, Charley?” October asked.

  “Yeah, I do.”

  Doctor Bogthon was spending more time with the guys than he had with Charley and me. I knew why. They had been there much longer than we had. It was time to go back to an argument I was having with Fergus.

  “We need to wait on going to the Fae realm, Fergus. What if the other guardians sense what is happening between us and do something bad to you?”

  “It’s my duty to protect you with my life, Ena. It’s not the guardians that would punish me for loving you. It’s the living Fae, and they can only do that if I have flesh to kill.”

  “Still, let’s do what we can with what we know. I want to free those other elementals first. Right now, they are being manipulated into having babies. They are being tricked into falling in love. We already know they couldn’t handle Scorchwood. What do you think will happen if they get pregnant, find out it was all a ruse, and they take away their babies?”

  “I know you are right, my Ena, but Rathmore’s hard drive didn’t list addresses of where they were being held. Just note
s from the men manipulating them on their progress.”

  “We need to let Bael know what is on that hard drive. He might be able to help.”

  “Talk to Amduscias when he’s done. He can get an audience with the kings of Hell to see what we can do about those elementals. They might not be welcome in Hell. There’s no demon to vouch for them, and they might not want to stay here anyway.”

  “Even if they can’t or won’t stay in Hell, they need to get as far away from my father as possible. Maybe we can find them a place to hide while we try to expose this plot and clear your name.”

  “And what about you, my Ena? What are you going to do when your name is cleared?”

  “I want to stay here. Everyone is so nice and nonjudgmental. It feels like we could make a home here. I just hope Roman and Skoll feel the same. Do you want to stay here, Fergus?”

  “My home is where you are, my Ena. I’m sure Skoll and Roman feel the same way. And you’re right. This is a wonderful place to make a home.”

  Chapter 27

  Serafina

  T

  he guys all seemed cranky as they spilled out of their exams with Doctor Bogthon. He wanted Roman to feed on Amduscias and me more, and he wanted Skoll to eat more red meat. He also gave them supplements like he gave me, and it just seemed to make them cranky they had to take a pill every day.

  “Everyone knows fresh air cures you,” Roman said.

  “No, it doesn’t. Leeches and herbs do,” Skoll said.

  I pulled them both over to the sofa so we could snuggle.

  “No one uses leeches anymore, but fresh air and herbs still work. Those supplements are herbs in pill form. Skoll, are you going to tell me you don’t want more red meat after what we ate in Scorchwood? And Roman, you really don’t want to bite Amduscias and I more after this morning?”