Demon Fall (Resurrection Chronicles Book 9)

by M. J. Haag

  “I hope Emily’s place isn’t too far away,” I said.

  “Do you want me to carry you?”

  “No. Walking will be good for me. It’ll help loosen everything up.”

  Emily answered the door when Tor knocked the second time.

  “Hey, this probably isn’t a good time,” she said, the headphones on her head pushed back so one ear was exposed.

  “Mya sent me to talk to you.”

  “Oh. Um.”

  In the background, I heard a rhythmic sound. Like something being hit.

  “Is everything okay?” I asked.

  “Yeah. It’s just Merdon and Hannah.”

  My eyes went wide.

  “Is he hitting her?”

  Emily snorted.

  “Not the way you’re thinking. You’re welcome to come in, but they’ll get a lot louder before they get quiet.”

  As if they heard her, the thumping noise increased in frequency. There was a sharp female cry then a low rumble.

  “I think Merdon heard we have company,” Emily said, removing her headphones completely. “They should be down in a few minutes. Come on in.”

  Face flushed with understanding what the noise had been, I refused to look at Tor.

  “I’m really sorry for coming over unannounced,” I said as I followed Emily inside.

  “Seriously, don’t even worry about it. Everything is unannounced these days.”

  She had a point.

  “What can I help you with?” She gestured to the couch, and I took a seat.

  “Something needs to be done about Tenacity,” I said bluntly. “The fear and desperation are spreading, and it’s only a matter of time before the situation explodes.”

  “I agree. I’m trying everything to get them to come over to Team Fey’s side, but the people there are extremely stubborn.”

  “Mya and I came up with a plan to help with that. We both feel the stubbornness stems from a small group of people. The extreme fey haters. The ones who will continue to hate the fey no matter what gestures the fey make to amend past mistakes. Matt’s afraid to start removing them one at a time, believing such a move will provoke the ones who remain. After what they did to Adam, I agree. So, we need to identify all the potential troublemakers before Matt can make a move. That’s where you come in.”

  “Me?” She looked completely surprised.

  “Yes. You’ve been the lead for the fey and human integrations. It won’t look suspicious if you start something new over there.”

  “Like what?”

  “A fey-run soup kitchen. Tolerance will provide the supplies and the fey to man the kitchen. The food will be cooked and served all by the fey. At the end of the day, anything that’s left will be taken back here by the fey.”

  Emily’s concern was plain on her face.

  “It’s going to cause trouble.”

  “We want it to lightly stir things up. The people who don’t like the fey won’t show up. Or they will show up and throw attitude about the fey presence. Either way, we’ll have names on our list. But having a fey-run soup kitchen will do more than make a few people angry. It’ll show the rest of the people at Tenacity that the fey have a gentle and compassionate side. That they can do more than kill infected and hellhounds and gather supplies.”

  Emily slowly nodded.

  “I like that. It’s good.”

  “You’re on board, then?”

  “I am. How soon do we want to start this?”

  “Angel’s rounding up the names of some fey volunteers we’ll need to train to cook for large numbers. Mya spoke with Ryan last night so he could plan for bigger supply runs for the next few days to accommodate for this. Drav has a crew out looking for tables. And Matt should be prepping an area where the fey can cook and serve the food. So, a few days from now, maybe?”

  Emily nodded thoughtfully.

  “That sounds good. I’ll let Ryan know that we should plan on five hundred servings of whatever the fey will make each day. I don’t expect we’ll see everyone, especially not that first day. It’s going to take a few days for word to spread through Tenacity. But those we do see will appreciate the opportunity for seconds. That’ll really go a long way to paint the fey in a good light. And I’m guessing we’ll need to continue this for at least a week. Maybe a little more.

  “That’s a lot of soup, even if it’s soup kitchen style. It shouldn’t be too hard to manage. The worst part is going to be the dishes. Yeah, I can coordinate it. No problem. I’m going to need help from someone who knows Tenacity, though.”

  Emily smiled widely as Hannah jogged downstairs just then, her curls bouncing with each step.

  “Hey, June. Sorry about that. I didn’t know you were planning on coming over.”

  Hannah looked completely fine and happy. Tor’s comment still had me worried, though.

  “No, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you and Emily were in the same house.”

  “It’s okay. Merdon said you’re here about the Tenacity assholes. How can I help?”

  “You can help me,” Emily said. “We need to talk to Taylor. I bet Caleb and Connor will help, too.”

  “Help how?” Hannah asked.

  “We’re going to throw the fey and the humans together and note the troublemakers,” Emily said. “We’ll need to recruit the boys and Taylor to take the notes since you and I don’t know everyone.”

  Hannah made a face.

  “That doesn’t sound like a good idea. We call them the Tenacity assholes for a reason.” She looked at me. “They beat the hell out of your man for having the balls to get his own food while they were too chicken shit to do it for themselves.”

  “I know. It won’t be easy on the fey, which Angel is making clear to the volunteers.” I quickly outlined for Hannah how we planned to keep the humans and the fey together while the humans ate. Then I went over the pros and cons of having the soup kitchen.

  “And once Matt has a list of names? Then what? Having an attitude isn’t a reason to die,” Hannah said.

  Emily reached out and took the other woman’s hand in her own. Their shared look said more was behind Hannah’s comment than she was letting on. Something personal.

  “It’s a watchlist,” I said quickly, “not an exile list. Matt won’t act until there’s actual proof of wrongdoing.”

  “How are we going to get the proof?” Hannah asked.

  “Matt will worry about that part later,” I said, unsure how much of that Mya and Matt wanted me to share. “It’ll take us a while to get this part going.”

  They both agreed to help and started to make plans to go to Tenacity right away.

  “I’ll do an inventory on what’s in the supply shed after today’s run and work with Mary on a menu plan,” Emily said. “We’ll keep it simple. Soups and stews will be easiest. Noodles and rice will help everything stretch. While we’re over there recruiting for help, I’ll check in with Matt and see what space he’s prepping. We’ll stop by later to give you an update.”

  “You can let Mya know,” I said, standing with them.

  “I will. But I don’t mind stopping by and letting you know, too.”

  “She likes getting out of the house,” Hannah said with a smile as Merdon descended the stairs. His hair was wet, hanging down his back. He didn’t look at me or Tor. His gaze remained locked on Hannah as he crossed the room and stood beside her.

  He looked angry even as she smiled up at him. I really needed to get their story.

  “Then I won’t mind the visit,” I said agreeably.

  We all left their house together. But, with a wave goodbye, they went their separate way to the wall.

  My legs ached even worse now from the time I’d spent sitting. I tried to walk normally, but it was next to impossible. I was more than ready to agree to Angel’s massage offer, even if it was some random fey petting my feet instead of actually rubbing out the aches. Anything would help. And afterward, I’d go home and take another soak in the tub. Hopefully, Emily
wouldn’t be back with an update until after dinner.

  I glanced at Tor, who’d been silently following me since we left the house this morning, and wondered where he fit into my plans. Was it fair to ask him to show me the way to Angel’s place? Although he said the fey didn’t have much to do to occupy themselves, he had to be bored by now.

  “If you want to go do your own thing for a while, I’m fine finding my own way to Angel’s,” I said, walking beside him.

  “I can show you where Angel lives.”

  “Are you sure? Emily and Hannah are going to Tenacity, where all the single women are. Wouldn’t you rather go with them?”

  He gave me a considering look.

  “Are you nicely telling me to go away?” Shock must have shown on my face because he hurried to add, “It’s okay if you are. I can give you space. Emily says that females sometimes need space to be themselves.”

  “It sounds like Emily is giving you some sensible advice. But that’s not what I was trying to say. I’m feeling guilty that you’re spending all your time following me around. If you want to do something else, I would understand.”

  “I have nothing else to do, and I like following you.”

  I gave him a small smile and decided I needed to talk to Emily on Tor’s behalf. He was everything I’d already told him. Handsome. Sweet. Kind. And I was a mess he had his eyes on simply because I’d been nice. Giving a guy a pillow and making him a meal wasn’t grounds for the type of relationship he wanted. He deserved so much more and needed to see that there were better options than me out there. Hopefully, Emily would be able to hook him up on a dinner date.

  Tor led me to Angel’s house and knocked on the door. Shax answered after a few moments.

  “Hi, Shax. Is Angel up for company?”

  “Yes!” Angel yelled from inside.

  Shax motioned for me to enter, and I quickly obliged. Angel walked toward us from the living room, absently rubbing her belly.

  “I heard you interrupted fun time at Hannah’s,” Angel said with a smirk.

  “How do you hear everything so fast?”

  Her grin widened.

  “The fey know I like hearing what’s happening and trade news for baby feels.”

  “You must get groped a lot.”

  “Yep. The touching I don’t mind. It’s all the feeding that’s starting to get to me. The baby’s taking up too much inside space now to keep feeding me all the time.”

  Shax grunted, his gaze lingering on her belly.

  “Don’t even say it,” she warned. “The baby is not ready to come out yet.”

  “The baby decides when the baby is ready,” he said.

  “Exactly.”

  “I will talk to the baby tonight.”

  She rolled her eyes at me.

  “Gotta love their persistence. What brings you over?” Excitement lit her eyes. “You want a massage, right?”

  “I think so.”

  She clapped her hands together and waved for me to follow her.

  “I set up a room for practice. Shax found a table and everything. Come check it out. Let me know what you think. Shax, babe, see if you can find any willing apprentices, okay?”

  A grunt followed us down the hall.

  “Am I going to regret this?” I asked.

  “Not likely. The fey have amazing hand strength. I’m so excited that someone female has finally volunteered. Ryan and Garrett have been great practice, but it’s just not the same.”

  She opened the door to a nicely made-up room. A chair sat off to one side. A table filled with massage oils and lotions waited under one of the room’s curtained windows. And the table itself took up the center of the room.

  “Now, keep in mind that everything the fey know they learned from me, and I am not a licensed massage therapist. So if anything doesn’t feel good to you, say something. And if something does feel good, definitely say something so they know to keep going. You’re helping them learn what works and doesn’t work.”

  “Okay.”

  “If it’s all right with you, I’d like to be present to help coach whoever gives the massage.”

  “That actually makes me feel more comfortable.”

  “Perfect.” She folded down the top sheet covering the table. “Strip down to your underwear and lie face down. I’ll be right back with your volunteer. They’re probably doing another lottery drawing.”

  “It’s only been thirty seconds.”

  “You’ve seen how fast they move.” She chuckled as she left, closing the door behind her.

  Chapter Fourteen

  I’d had massages before and quickly undressed, placing my neatly folded clothes on the chair. The linens covering the cushioned face-cradle smelled fresh and felt soft against my skin. The old familiarity struck a chord in me, and I took a deep, relaxing breath. I’d always enjoyed massages. And touching, as Tor had pointed out.

  It was crazy how much I missed being touched. When my thoughts drifted to Adam, I quickly pushed them away and focused on the now. I’d get plenty of touching once my lucky fey winner got in here. I really hoped he’d use some of his strength and not spend an hour petting me.

  I frowned, realizing I’d never asked Angel how long the massage would last.

  A light tap sounded on the door.

  “Are you ready?” Angel asked.

  “Yep,” I said loud enough to be heard.

  The door opened.

  “Always wait for the person’s answer before entering. You don’t want to walk in on someone when they’re undressing,” Angel said.

  A fey grunted in response.

  “Do you mind if I put your clothes on the floor so I can sit?” Angel asked.

  “Not at all. How long will the massage be?”

  I heard a rustle as Angel moved my things.

  “As long as you want. Or as long as my bladder will hold.” She gave a sigh at the same time I heard the sound of lotion being dispensed.

  “If it’s cold, use your hands to warm it up a little before smoothing it on her. Usually, the person providing the massage would ask the client if they have any specific areas they want worked on.”

  The fey grunted again but didn’t say anything. I could hear the amusement in Angel’s voice when she spoke next.

  “June, are there any specific areas that you’d like him to focus on today?”

  “Everything hurts equally from head to toe,” I said. “Both Eden and Hannah are brutal with their flips.”

  “Yeah, those two both have a competitive streak. That’s why Shax won’t let me join in again until after the ninja’s born. Eden freaked him out when she pretended like she was going to flip me.”

  As Angel spoke, big warm hands started smoothing lotion over my back, and I struggled not to sigh at how good it felt. The pressure was firm enough that it didn’t feel like petting, and he was going slowly like he was trying to feel the muscle structure under the skin.

  More tension dissolved, and it was a struggle to remember what Angel had said. Hannah and Eden and their wrestling skills. Right.

  “How did they learn to do that?” I asked while the fey continued to work over my back.

  “Merdon taught Hannah as part of her rehab. How’s the pressure?”

  “It could be a little harder,” I said.

  My volunteer grunted and applied more pressure. I almost groaned. This was magic. People were idiots not to line up for a massage. It felt so good I almost forgot that I was going to ask what she meant.

  “Rehab?” I managed.

  “Yeah, Hannah wasn’t in a good place. She blamed herself for her sister’s death and was drinking a lot. Not making many good choices. Hurting the people around her with the way she was acting. I think she’d pretty much given up on living. Merdon helped her see there was still something worth living for.”

  I groaned when the fey suddenly found the knot in my left shoulder.

  “There. That is so good,” I said.

  “Seriously, June, y
ou have no idea how amazing you are for stepping up and volunteering for this.”

  “This isn’t any hardship. I can’t believe more people aren’t volunteering.”

  I almost drooled, so I stopped talking.

  The fey continued to gently work the knot until it released then moved lower, checking for more along the shoulder blade.

  “Trust me, a lot of us females wanted to volunteer, but our better halves threw fits. They don’t mind information sharing but aren’t keen on physically sharing with their brothers. So I’ve directed a few massages for Ghua and Eden and Hannah and Merdon, but that’s it. No actual hands-on practice for the fey who would be going to Tenacity to do this.”

  “Why can’t the committed fey do massages? It might make the human volunteers more comfortable if not all the fey were single,” I said.

  “But that would defeat the purpose.”

  “Would it? The whole point is to make the people living at Tenacity comfortable around the fey. If the message you’re sending always leads back to hooking up with a fey, they’re going to keep resisting.”

  Angel made a disgruntled sound then admitted I might be right.

  “Have Emily start putting the word out that it’s a chaperoned massage with a fey already in a relationship. I bet you’d get a few nibbles.”

  “Okay.”

  The hands slicked over my shoulders one final time and worked their way down again. When he got to my lower back, I let out another groan.

  “Oh, yeah. That’s another good spot.” He rubbed little circles that gradually grew, dipping a little further down into the tucked sheet than I was comfortable with. It still felt amazing, only a bit too personal. Before I could say anything, Angel did.

  “Never below the underwear line unless requested.”

  He grunted, and his fingers immediately retreated.

  “Unless requested?” I asked, wondering what she was teaching them.

  “The fey aren’t timid. If you want a butt rub, they’d be more than willing to accommodate.”

  “Good to know, and not requested today,” I said quickly before the fey mistook that as a “Yes, please.”

  Angel chuckled, and silence lapsed for several long moments as he continued to work on my lower back.