“He wouldn’t,” Veruca whispered, still clinging desperately to the view she had of her boss. He was a good man, a generous father figure who had saved her family and given them only the best. He’d allowed her anything she’d asked for, within reason, even supporting her in the many times she’d needed to rescue Finn from himself, despite the fact that Finn was pure trouble and had put her in danger more than once.
All he’d ever asked her was what she’d been comfortable with: taking souls from those who had willingly given them up. Yes, it had involved ending the lives of certain people, but all had known when she introduced herself what she’d been there to take and that they’d agreed to what she asked. Belial couldn’t be this creature, this greedy, power-hungry madman that Ronald believed him to be.
And yet, he’d sent her after a banshee, a creature that could supposedly expand his power with only a wail.
“You’re sure that … that his goal … that…” She wasn’t sure what she was asking or how to phrase her concerns. “I don’t believe the man I know is the same one you’ve described. It’s been centuries. He’s changed. I trust him.”
“We all trusted him, had no reason not to. He seemed a good man. We had only to ignore the swaths of bodies he left in his wake.”
“That’s a tall order. He’s never asked me to do such a thing.”
“He’s never asked you to overlook murder? Never asked you to participate in it yourself?”
Veruca’s jaw worked robotically before she shut it soundlessly.
Ronald stood up taller, seeing he was finally getting through to her. “He was dishonest, claiming to us it was help, that the banshee was culling the worst of humanity, the maddest, the most destructive and dangerous. Children who would grow up to do evil, women who might birth them, men who would start wars and murder each other for power. Little did we know—until it was too late—that he was the most dangerous and destructive of all. Yes, little did we know, until the Morrigan arrived, each of the three with a task, that those we helped slaughter were innocent. I deserve my fate and if you don’t step off the path you’re on, step out from Belial’s shadow, you will deserve the same.”
****
“What’s wrong?” Donald asked as Veruca approached.
She waved him off, not wanting to discuss anything she’d learned before resetting Ronald’s soul and sending Eleanor on her way. She wasn’t even sure she’d be able to talk to Finn about it. For the first time in her life, she felt alone and powerless.
“We’re leaving. I need … to the hotel. We’ll go to the hotel. I need to rest.”
“What’s wrong, what happened?” Donald asked again, as Finn anticipated Veruca’s actions and opened the back door for her, letting her slide in without a word. She reached out as she did, touching his hand and smiling at him, though her heart felt a little cold at the idea that perhaps, just by having welcomed him into her life, she’d put him in more danger than he’d ever presented her.
“Come on, Donny,” Finn said, clapping Donald on the back and steering him toward the driver side of the car. “My girl’s tired, needs a bit of time to herself. You know she’ll talk later, let us know what she needs from us. You got the directions? I can put them in your phone if need be.”
Without waiting for initiation or acceptance of his offer, Finn started grabbing at Donald’s pants, making curious humming sounds. When Donald just lifted both arms, confused and lost, Finn grinned up into his face, waggling his brows.
“I’ll find your mobile eventually, don’t bother yourself helping. Oh, is that it, or are you just happy—”
“Finn,” Donald said, weary of Finn’s actions rather than annoyed or angry.
“Yeah, Donny?”
“My phone’s in the car.”
“You sure?” Finn asked, still groping around. To his credit, he was keeping his hands in approved places, but feeling around nonetheless. Donald didn’t answer, just watched Finn quietly. Despite the situation, the burden of new knowledge she carried, and the fact that Veruca felt oh so tired suddenly, she laughed at the two of them, calling for Finn through the open window.
“Get in the car, darling. Frisk for my phone for a while.”
“Will do, my love,” Finn said, excitedly abandoning the search without hesitation.
****
It had been an exhausting task to convince Donald to go to his own room and not press Veruca for answers, but Finn had managed it. She wasn’t bothered by her friend’s curiosity, understanding that he cared for her deeply and wanted only the best. She was sure his empathy had played a role in his insistence, making him more prone to worry just because he could sense and absorb the awful things she had been feeling.
Was still feeling, she thought, sighing into the steamy air.
Finn was out in the hotel room, keeping himself busy, knowing her well enough that he hadn’t been a fight or an issue to get him to leave her to a hot bath by herself. He’d even offered to help set things up, though he’d been a little overzealous with the bath bombs, leaving the room with the overwhelming scents of jasmine and lavender.
Even in the foggy, candle-lit bathroom, with the hot water and relaxing scents, Veruca couldn’t seem to get the tension to release from the back of her neck. She couldn’t seem to get the thoughts of what Ronald had said out of her head.
Belial had always been kind to her, to others even. She’d met and even Reaped many people who thanked her for giving them what they’d asked for, even when the price was death. Countless children had been born to barren women; husbands had no longer faced the threat of losing their wives to disease. Veruca had been there to Reap a woman who’d been born a boy and who had been able to live her best life because of what Belial’s agents had been able to do for her. He was not an evil man bent on taking out the world and overthrowing the queen of all Fairy.
That could not possibly be true and she refused to believe it.
And yet…
Groaning quietly, she opened her eyes, looking up at the ornately painted ceiling, thinking for a moment that perhaps she should consider doing something similar in her own hotels. How peaceful it would have been to have a bath and stare at a lovely, floral pattern above while soaking away the day’s problems. Well, for someone whose problems could be soaked away.
“Finn,” she called, draping her hand up and over the edge of the tub, waiting for him to peek in, before quirking her fingers and beckoning him close. “Darling, sit with me, would you?”
“O’course, my love. Want me to wash your hair? I’ve got magic fingers,” he said with a wink. She smiled, glad despite her overall mood.
“Perhaps later you can join me in here instead,” she said when he pulled up the bath stool and sat to lean over the edge of the tub. “I want to talk to you first, though.”
“That’s always the way with women. And men. I don’t understand it, quite frankly.”
“Talking?” Veruca asked, going with his bit.
“Ah, not having sex in general. There are so many times when people could be having sex but aren’t. Makes no sense. Like the other morning when you made breakfast? We could have been making love.”
“You mean when I made pancakes right after we’d finished making love?”
“Exactly. Wasted time, that.”
“They were good pancakes.”
“That’s a point,” Finn said, making a face like she’d managed to convince him. Veruca chuckled, petting her hand over his hair gently before broaching the subject she’d been considering for over an hour.
“If I asked you to go somewhere, would you? Somewhere safe? Perhaps with Donald?”
“Is this place not safe?” Finn asked, giving the bathroom the once-over. “Did you read a bad review or something that’s got you worried? Did the floor creak once you filled the tub and you’re worried you’ll fall through to the floor below and startle a family of four? I don’t think they’ll mind, honestly. You look lovely.”
“I mean,” Veruca
said, chuckling. “Without me, for a little while. There might be some things I have to sort out and I’m worried about you.”
“I’ll be fine,” Finn assured her, bringing her palm to his mouth to kiss it gently. “I’ve got you. We’ve both got good Sir Donald. We’re perfectly safe. He’s got a gun and always knows when someone’s about to hit me. It’ll be fine.”
“There’s just … this is different. This is bigger.”
“The banshee?” Finn asked, squinting. “Did you get a lead? You’re worried I’ll get my head screamed off? I can wear ear plugs.”
“Something like that.”
“Well, then, something like that. I’ll wear ear plugs, you’ll wear earmuffs, and Donald can wear some of those fancy noise-cancelling headphones and listen to Cindi Lauper. We’ll all be set, and maybe Donny’ll treat us to some sweet dance moves. It’s settled,” Finn said, his expression going serious. “I’m staying with you.”
“You’re staying with me,” Veruca said, loving his devotion, even as a little current of electric worry for him made its way up her spine. “Even if it’s dangerous?”
“There’s nothing we can’t handle, nothing you can’t handle. But, just to be safe, we should stick close to each other.” Lust quirked his lips as he leaned farther over the edge of the tub, closing in for a kiss. “Right up close, in fact.”
Wanting to settle the worry in her chest, to warm away the nerves in a way that hot water and scented baking soda couldn’t manage, Veruca met Finn’s kiss easily, cupping his face with wet hands. He was eager, matching her actions and keeping his own hands dry, staying out of the tub, giving her a chance to send him away if she wasn’t in the mood to go farther.
Appreciating his concern, his devotion, she wrapped her arms around him, tugging him into the tub above her, knowing it would send water crashing to the tiled floor and soaking through his expensive clothes. There were more important things to worry on, though, and she barely gave it a thought.
She could feel Finn’s smile in his kiss, knew he was pleased she wanted him. Not just because of the physical intimacy that was to follow, but because he loved her. He loved being wanted by anyone, but especially by her, especially since they were so connected.
Needing that connection more than usual, Veruca slid her hands down to the waistband of his sleep pants, shoving at them. Finn shifted easily, Veruca thought to allow her to undress him. Then, his hand was beneath her legs, cupping her gently, his fingers tender and skilled, and she was gasping. Distracted from the work of getting him naked, she moaned, bowing in the water, splashing the walls.
Finn dipped to kiss her wet chest as it peaked above the water, mumbling against her skin. “My love,” he said, as if she were a precious gift. “My Veruca.”
She came quick, the warmth of the water relaxing her muscles, if not her mind, and Finn knew instantly to shift his caresses upward. Running one hand up her body to tease her sensitive nipples, he braced himself on the tub with his other. Before she knew it, her mind fuzzy with pleasure, she felt him grip her close and roll them both so she was atop him.
“I want to see you, to enjoy your lovely face as you ride me,” Finn said, softly.
Veruca opened her eyes to meet his gaze and found him smiling. Overwhelmed, she moaned, taking his mouth in a desperate kiss as she shoved at his pants, freeing his erection. Giving him a few rough strokes, she angled herself, and slipped him inside.
Finn moaned, eagerly thrusting, as she braced herself with one hand and grabbed his wrist with the other. Placing his hands one by one on her breasts, she tipped her head back and let her body go.
Knowing just how to pinch and tug, massage and squeeze, Finn worked at her nipples as she rode him, driving her closer and closer to a second orgasm. The tub had emptied significantly, leaving Veruca’s damp skin chilly, but nothing mattered in that moment except Finn and how good it felt to be with him.
Veruca could tell from the way his hands paused, his body and mind overcome, that he was about to orgasm, and she dropped her head forward, wanting to watch his face as she drove him over. Canting her hips, she moved greedily, feeling her own orgasm crest as he moaned and gave a hard thrust of his hips.
Spent, satisfied, delirious with love and the relief of just not having to think, Veruca bent forward, dropping chest to chest with Finn. Humming happily, still just as brainless as she, Finn wrapped his arms around her and held her close in the cool air.
****
Veruca wasn’t conscious enough to deal with the knocking at the door with any sort of tact and grace. Muttering in obscene Spanish, she grabbed Finn’s sleep shirt off the floor as she passed, pinning it to the front of her naked body. It wouldn’t matter if she was naked once she opened the door, as she was planning on giving the visitor such an earful that they would surely bolt before she’d even enunciated the end of her second sentence.
As she grabbed the doorknob though, her power poked its head out, grasping for the soul outside and letting her know it wouldn’t be that quick or simple.
The girl from the restaurant, the one who’d shown up to let her know that Donald was in danger, stood outside, her expression blank, her hand up as if she was about to knock once more. Without any embarrassment or relief that her assault on the door had gotten its intended response, she dropped her arm and looked directly into Veruca’s eyes.
“Ankyati requests your presence at once.”
“She’ll have to wait,” Veruca said, stepping back and gesturing for the girl to step inside. “I’m not even dressed, and neither is Finn.”
“Neither is Finn what?” Finn mumbled, stepping out into the living room, not having bothered grabbing anything to cover himself. When he caught sight of their visitor, he only yawned, nodded, and turned to head back into the bedroom.
“Ankyati requests your presence at once.”
“I heard you the first time. Does she have a phone or something? Can you tell her to give us thirty damned minutes to clean up and maybe grab some coffee?”
The girl remained still for a moment, her gaze remaining in the same place, even as Veruca shifted her weight, leaving its path empty. Finally, she spoke, her tone still unaffected and flat. “Thirty minutes. I will wait.”
“Great,” Veruca said with a sigh, moving back into the bedroom. Finn already had the shower running and was shaking out fresh towels, placing them nearby so they could clean up together.
“I texted Donald,” he said as he opened the shower door and gestured for her to step in first. She smiled at his thoughtfulness and kissed his cheek, wishing they had more time to properly enjoy the morning.
Finn was a gentleman, not trying for any of his usual hanky-panky as they lathered and rinsed, and Veruca yawned her way through her rushed morning routine. Once they were scrubbed and dried, dressed and decent, Finn peered out into the sitting area.
“She’s just sitting there, staring.”
“She made sort of a whirring sound and then powered down,” Veruca said absently, adjusting her top and hoping Finn had gotten his tie right this time.
“Really?” he asked, intrigued.
Veruca smiled, handing him his socks and shaking her head. “No.” Checking her watch, she sighed. “No time for coffee to brew. Maybe Donald will have already made some and we can get some of his.”
As if on cue, Veruca heard a knock on the door, recognizing the soul there as Donald’s.
“Creepy,” Finn mumbled as they passed Ankyati’s messenger, who was still sitting and staring blankly at the wall.
“But, sadly, typical. Morning,” she said to Donald. It was followed by a breathy, “bless you,” when he handed her one of the cups of coffee he was holding.
“Lots of sugar and soy cream,” Donald said to Finn as he handed over the other. Finn cooed at the cup, sipping it noisily and then beaming.
“You’re a prince—a king, even. What’s better than a king?” Finn mused, screwing up his face with deep thought as he shuffled to the side so
Donald could come in and shut the door behind him. “Pope! His Holiness Donald, I bow to thee.”
“Holiness may be a touch too far,” Donald said, watching Finn bow as if it were an everyday occurrence.
“Bit of a bad boy, are you, Donny? Tell me more.”
“It has been thirty minutes,” the messenger announced, getting to her feet and heading like a robot toward the exit, pausing in front of Donald as if expecting him to move out of politeness or perhaps fear. “We shall be on our way.”
“By all means,” Donald said, stepping aside and opening the door in one action, sweeping his arm toward the open doorway as if the messenger were a princess crossing his path. The girl didn’t thank him or acknowledge his action, stepping into the hallway and then pausing to make sure everyone else was following.
Finn chuckled halfway to the elevator.
Chapter Eleven
The Fairy glade looked much the same, though whatever river creature had previously been masquerading as a stepping stone had moved on. Veruca led Donald and Finn through the foliage, letting the sprites guide her, though she felt she had the lay of the land and could probably have made it on her own.
There were no dancing fae showing off this time, much to Finn’s chagrin, only Ankyati waiting in the clearing at the ring of earthy seats with another tea set steaming gently into the air. She gestured toward her visitors, letting them all know to take a seat, and Veruca noted that she watched Donald do so with a particularly smug smile.
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