Serve

by Laura Wylde

  He may have gotten a little carried away with the leprechaun brew. Our crew had been drinking it with him for years. Todd treated me like an adult, even when I was a kid fresh out of the academy, and one of the first things he did to my cocky self-esteem was introduce me to leprechaun brew. I remembered my first time as I watched Daniel Richards’ men grow silent and look around them with a sense of wonder. A napkin was accidentally brushed from the table and fluttered to the floor. Jamie’s eyes followed it. “Did you see how slowly that napkin fell?” He asked. He sat back and stared at one of the glowing, orange globes attached to the ceiling for lighting. “That was astonishing.”

  Tanya was fascinated with her hands. “My fingers are growing,” she announced with wonder. “They must be ten inches long.”

  Lenny scraped back his chair and leaned toward me. “I’ll bet I can control my shape-shifting to just shift my hands into talons. That would be cool, wouldn’t it?”

  “I think you shouldn’t try that here,” I advised. Murray’s was a liberal place that allowed magic for games and entertainment, providing no spell-casting or evil incantations were involved. Elves, dwarves, even occasional, fleeting Druids frequented the pub, as did other shape shifters, but there was one unspoken agreement. Nobody shapeshifted in public. Understandably, the Murrays simply didn’t want that type of scandal. Lenny’s eyes wavered between my sane advice and his fascination with his experiment. “Did you get to have a talk with M’Rith?” I asked, to distract him.

  He came to sudden attention. “I did. She admits Silena drowned the two fishermen, but they had kidnapped her. They were going to take her away from her home in the sea. It was self-defense.”

  It was pretty much as I had suspected. The mer people aren’t aggressive. I was frankly surprised that two had volunteered to stand guard at the underwater cave entrance. I was even more surprised to hear Tara claim one of the trolls had met its watery death at the hands of two mermen. “I’ll write it up as accidental death,” I told him. “The boat hit a submerged sand bar, capsizing it when they tried to break free. A strong undercurrent of water pulled them in, and they drowned.”

  “Thanks, bro,” he said as though I was doing him a personal favor, but hey! It’s hard enough on any healthy male’s appreciation for beauty to go after a delinquent siren. Who in their right mind wants to arrest a mermaid?

  Now that the initial impact of the leprechaun brew had worn off, the true ambience of the drink was taking effect. Leprechaun brew makes you feel like you’re running through a meadow. No matter what music is playing around you, the sound you hear in your head is a gay fiddle that makes your feet want to dance. You are happy. Everyone you see is happy. It’s a vacation from all the weight you carry around your shoulders, a reprieve from responsibilities.

  Richards’ team looked like they could use it. They were still tight as a wound-up music box when they joined us at the pub, which is probably why the brew hit them like a ton of bricks. Clean-up is a gruesome business, one I hadn’t thought about much, but now appreciated. It must make them feel like reapers themselves, to wade through so much carnage.

  Although everyone else was enjoying the sensation of unburdened friendship, Daniel remained a little suspicious.He hadn’t gotten over his experience with the woodland fairies, but Todd swore what the fairy had given him was a spell. This was nothing more than a little euphoria. “It wears off,” he said. “Euphoria always does, but you should enjoy it while it’s here. It keeps the wings toned.”

  The Daniels’ team remained with us a couple hours, then confessed they were ready to call it a night. Considering how cozy they were with their companion, I can only venture to guess what kind of night they called it.

  We were feeling a bit cozy, ourselves. Murder and mayhem seemed far behind us. The leprechaun brew had eased the memory, bringing our lives back into perspective. Thaddeus played with his glass, turning it in a napkin with a damp ring in the middle. “You’ve been a good team member,” he told Tara. “You’ve helped me out a lot. I’m not just talking about the troll rescue. I never really faced the terror I felt during the wars. Stuffed it down and tried to pretend it didn’t exist, but it kept coming back to haunt me. You helped me put my past behind me and draw on it for what I learned from it, not what I feared from it. I’m ready to live in the present now, without fear.”

  He picked up his glass, clinking it against Tara’s and started to drink when Adonis also raised his glass. “You helped me out as well,” he told her. “Your boldness forced me to overcome my fear of losing someone I had sworn I would protect. It wasn’t truly a fear of water. It was of losing her in the water. I didn’t lose you.” He chuckled disparagingly. “You saved yourself.”

  “What did happen with the other?” She asked softly.

  My antenna went up. None of us had ever heard the full story, only abbreviated snatches. We were silent enough to hear the scratching of Adonis’ fingernails picking at the table as he contemplated what he would say. “About a hundred years ago, I was helping to clean out an ogre clan that had set up residence in Jersey City. We found them at the shipping port, occupying some cargo containers and a small office building. The ogres didn’t come alone. They brought with them a cockatrice, which is a sort of dragon, but a very ugly one. It has a serpent body, a bird-like head, and wings.”

  Todd gave a low whistle. “Ai, mate. That’s a venomous creature. It can kill a human with a stare.”

  “It can, as a final resort. It uses a lot of energy and doesn’t work well on shapeshifters, so it’s not practical on a battlefield. It also breathes venom, but phoenixes can withstand their poisons for short periods of time.”

  The nervous scratching became a light drumming. Todd motioned for Adonis’ glass to be refilled. He gave a quick gulp from his refreshed glass. “When we moved into position, we didn’t know about the cockatrice. The ogres had kidnapped three women and were holding them in one of the cargo containers. Antonia was among them. She was a social worker. I met her when she first started making inquiries about her two friends who disappeared during their work rounds. I told her then to stay home. We would take care of it. She didn’t listen. She went into the neighborhood where they were last seen, and they got her. The ogres got her.”

  “But you located her,” Tara said encouragingly. “You did, didn’t you?”

  “We found the ogres. We battled with them. We surrounded them and began putting them down like dogs. Somebody, I don’t know who, opened the cargo container while we were still fighting. Around seven girls came stumbling out. They came out, blinking in the sunlight, the ocean glittering just beyond. That’s when it happened. The cockatrice was in the office. It swooped out screeching and cackling. It grasped Antonia in its talons and flew out toward the ocean.”

  His mouth turned down and his eyes turned inward as he remembered that fatal day. His lips barely moved as he talked. “I followed it, gaining on it slowly. I almost had it within my grasp, when it did the unthinkable. It dropped her into the ocean. We were about three miles out from land, in rough water. I plunged as deeply as I dared, trying to catch her, but she dropped too low, too fast. I was completely submerged and all I could see was her dark shadow far below me. The cold currents had pulled her in. I could not go any deeper without drowning. When I came up for air, the cockatrice was gone. I failed Antonia. We did not investigate thoroughly enough, and I failed her.”

  She placed her hand over his. “You couldn’t have known. Even with today’s technology, you get surprises. We’re never really prepared for the unexpected.”

  “And sometimes the unexpected can be a wonderful thing, don’t ye think?” Asked Todd jovially. “Look how it all turned out. You never expected Tara to be a troll killing machine, but by my grandmother’s hearth in old Ireland, she has the fighting spirit of a Viking. Are ye sure you don’t have a spot of elven blood, kitten?”

  A kitten with claws, but she was all cuddly tonight. “I could have Henry give me a DNA test,” she sug
gested. “Isn’t it true that elves are delinquent toward their human offspring?”

  “Well, insomuch as they don’t claim them,” Todd answered, scratching his head awkwardly. “They are dedicated in other respects.”

  “Hmm,” Tara’s fingers walked across the table and tickled Todd under the chin. “I had a long talk with Tanya. She told me a lot about elves, leprechauns and fairies. It’s rather a complex society.”

  “Ai, it is, but do understand. We all have a liking for humans. A very fond liking for humans. But elves raising humans… it was forbidden centuries ago when elves began switching their ugly babies for beautiful human ones. You know, it created quite an uproar and even leprechauns were blamed, so the gate-keepers ruled; elves were no longer allowed to raise human babies.”

  She giggled. “Tanya told me that as well. Who knows? I just finished a mission with a squad of eight shape-shifting police officers fighting a colony of trolls with knives. How can having a little elf blood be any stranger?”

  We were all starting to feel light-headed. “I think,” she said, standing up, which immediately caused the rest of us to stumble to our feet. “It’s time for us to go home. Your home. Not my home. I’m not going to my home right away.”

  She wobbled and I put one arm around her as the most stable of the company. Adonis had really been hitting the cups, and Thaddeus wasn’t far behind him. I imagine it would take an entire brewery to get Todd drunk, so he propped her up on the other side. We left the pub, arm in arm, propping each other up, singing, “You’re drunk, you’re drunk, you silly old fool”, and Todd providing the heel tapping kick.

  We piled into the first bedroom we came to, which was mine, which was way cool. I have a leather covered, round bed, with a head- board that curves half- way around it and supports numerous pillows, controlled led lighting in multiple colors, overhead flat screen; the works. Not that anyone noticed, other than the shape, which made it very easy for five people to roll around on it at once.

  We were like children at first, laughing, joking, hugging each other. Tara began unbuttoning my shirt, so I helped her out of her top. Adonis kissed her neck, his hand reaching down until he had unsnapped her bra, liberating her completely from the waist up. I kissed each one of those lovely breasts, then moved over to the edge of the bed so I could take off my shoes. I felt her unsnap my belt, but when I turned around, Thaddeus was circling her from behind and pulling her back into the center of the action. She writhed until she was on top, then straddled Thaddeus while she faced Adonis, her exploratory little hands running over each muscle of his six-pack.

  It was a sight just to watch her. You could see how much she cared for all of us. She poured it out with every inch of her body. She touched and received. When I felt her touch, I was a part of her. I felt what she felt. I pushed down my pants and crawled back across the bed, nuzzling against her back and cupping one of her firm buttocks as I slid toward the headboard.

  I didn’t want to interrupt the bonding between Tara, Thaddeus and Adonis, just be a part of it. I clicked through my lighting controls, darkening the room,leaving only a ruddy glow around the bed. It was my technique for adding ambience. Maybe not as effective as Todd’s, who was also watching instead of actively participating, and occasionally sprinkling golden dust. As Thaddeus and Adonis came to a climax, our own desires began to swell.

  “Come here, kitten,” invited Todd, patting the space between us. She obliged, snuggling against his hairy chest. I faced her and traced the flaring curve of her hip to the soft underside of her knee, the tingling sensation racing up from my fingers into my head.

  “I want to ask you something,” I said. I was still barely touching her. Todd had wrapped one arm around her to hold her breast, but had not yet explored her more intimately, either.

  “Is this going to be embarrassing?” She asked tentatively.

  “I hope not.” I lifted her chin and kissed those pouty lips. “Did Tanya invite you to visit Bunny?”

  “Yes, she did,” Tara giggled. Todd groaned, and pulled her in a little closer, his hand traveling slowly down her waist.

  I was getting a bit turned on myself. From what Lenny said, Bunny was a knock-out. Three gorgeous dames all hanging out together. “Is it true they go up on the roof-top and drink pina coladas together?”

  “Margaritas. In bikinis,” she answered matter-of-factly. “They go on the roof-top to sunbathe and drink Margaritas in bikinis.”

  I looked at Todd, my eyes wide. “That’s hot,” I said.

  He agreed. “That’s hot.”

  We couldn’t resist her charms any longer. Elven, she must be somewhere in that brazen little heart of hers. She was giving, but we wanted to give more. We adored her. We held up her arms, kissing from the wrists, to her sweet, bursting breasts. We took her gently, pouring our love into her, searching for every pleasure zone.

  It was luxurious to spend this time together without worries, without pressing engagements. We made love until we were spent. We dozed, curled around each other on my round bed. Adonis was the first one up in the morning and brought us all coffee. Balancing his cup carefully, he sat next to Tara. “I hear congratulations are in order,” he said.

  She tucked a sheet up over her and glanced around for her clothes. “Oh? Did the press conference go over well?”

  “Check your phone.”

  Since I already knew what it was about, I pretended disinterest while I checked on my own messages. There wasn’t anything more entertaining than an address Henry sent for a website devoted to the buying and selling of griffin eggs. The text he had sent with it was, “better have a talk with Ready Freddy.”

  I resent the message to Adonis, with a carbon copy to Lenny. Griffin egg selling was illegal, but not at the top of our list of priorities. If Freddy was somehow involved, Lenny would find him out.

  I pocketed my phone and waited for Tara to finish talking into hers. She was pacing back and forth, the sheet trailing behind her, the freckles on her back like golden exclamations of rebellion sprouting beneath her spiked hair. When she set her phone down, her face was flushed. “I’m going to have my own office!” She said breathlessly. I am to head investigations into VSA files – Very Suspicious Activities. I will be allowed to hand-pick my team. I will be the NYPD Special Unit liaison.”

  “You can lays it on me any day,” whistled Todd jovially.

  The look on Thaddeus’ face was like that of a young boy being given a ticket for the circus. “You’re staying? They’re not sending you back to Montana?”

  She was already beginning to dress, not quite hurriedly, but efficiently, with purpose. “No,” she said. She kissed him lightly on the lips as she reached behind him to locate her blouse. “I thought for a while there they were going to send me packing, but it all turned out. Someone put in a good word for me.”

  Adonis took both her hands. “I can’t think of anyone better for filling the position. There were probably a lot of good words put in for you.”

  She was back in denim and an oversized field jacket. It looked right on her, a spunky little woman who could shoot the tail off a rattlesnake. “You’ve got my phone number,” I said.

  “You’ve got my street address,” she answered. “There are some things you can’t do online.”

  “It looks like you’ll get the chance to interfere with more of our cases,” joked Adonis.

  Todd snorted. “I hope she interferes with all our cases!”

  She laughed and held her arms wide to include us all in a hug. “I’m going to be looking you up with every suspicious activity that comes my way.”

  I felt wistful when she left. I think the others did, too. Tara had filled our apartments with her presence, which had never seemed empty or lonely before, but did now. I somewhat envied the relationship between Daniel’s team and Tanya. Tanya lived with her mates. She was a team member, helping with the investigations, but she didn’t battle on the front lines. She wasn’t a warrior like Tara.

  Tara
needed her space. Her equality rested on the need to prove to herself her capacity for living independently. I saw that from the beginning. It’s what I loved about her. Soft as a kitten, fierce as a tiger. She would be interfering a lot. She would make sure of that, now that she handled mythological red flag alerts, and she knew all our sources. The little minx always found a way to get on top. That’s also what I loved about her. I think she probably does have a little elven blood.

  Serve (The Phoenix Night Shift Book II)

  What was once believed to be a myth is now one of New York City’s worst nightmares.

  Missing children.

  Cannibalism.

  Unidentified beings.

  There’s more to the story and it’s my responsibility to get to the bottom of it all.

  The only problem is that everyone has secrets, including the 4 Phoenix Shifters that I’m teamed up with.

  Captain Adonis : Leader of the pack. Hardhead. Even harder body. He’s trying to shield me from the NYPD’s best-kept secret.

  Lieutenant Thaddeus Faustus : Romanian immigrant. Oldest of the group. A victim of PTSD and can be a bit unpredictable. But he’s strong and reliable.

  Officer Todd Murray : New York native. Irish stock. Joker of the group. Always making light out of bad situations. Amazing smile.

  Officer Adrian Beak : Millenial. Youngest of the four. Always glued to his phone. Ballsy. Opinionated yet rational.

  Even though these four can be hot-headed at times, their passion to protect is undeniable.

  And the truth is that I need them…

  In maybe more ways than one…