Wild Game (Codex Blair Book 4)

by Izzy Shows

  "Where is the Fae?" Shawn asked as he followed me.

  "Well, we took care of the big baddy that was hunting him, and now—get this—he is going to throw a party. In my honor. How weird is that?"

  He stopped to think about it, then smirked and shrugged his shoulders. "I don't think it's that weird. It's about time someone threw a party for you."

  I growled and threw a pillow at him, which he easily dodged. "I don't like parties."

  "Well, you had better be on your best behavior. Wouldn't want to upset them," he said.

  "You have no idea," I said, huffing under my breath. "OK. Check this out," I said, gesturing at my arm.

  He lifted it gingerly, and I tried to hide my wince of pain. He frowned, inspecting it for a long moment. "It's definitely broken. Hold on, I have a sling in my bag." He bent to the bag he had placed not he ground and pulled out a sling which he placed on the couch. "I'm going to set your arm. This is going to hurt, and you're going to need to not hit me. OK?"

  I thought about growling at him again, but decided against it. "Fine."

  With both his hands, he snapped my bones back into place—and it hurt like a fucking bitch. I nearly fainted it hurt so much. I looked at Shawn through the tears pricking my eyes. I wanted to slug him in the face, but he'd already asked me not to hit him and I had agreed to that. Like an idiot. I shouldn't have agreed.

  "I really want to hit you," I said.

  "I know. But you're a good girl," he said, smirking.

  And so, I hit him.

  "Hey!"

  "You deserved that one. I made no promises about not hitting you for being an arsehole."

  "All right, I can accept that," he said. "It would be better if we could get a cast on this, I'm not sure how badly you broke it, but I know you won't go to a hospital. Let's get this into the sling and I'll take a look at your ribs." I let him help me into the sling, though it hurt to move my arm even that much.

  "You know I can't go to a hospital, Shawn. I could break things, people could die," I said.

  "I know. I'm not arguing with you. But you're going to need to be very careful with that arm. Keep it as still as possible, don't lie on it when you sleep, for about a month or two."

  "A month or two?" My eyes bulged. "I can't be incapacitated for a month or two, Shawn."

  "You don't exactly have a choice..."

  I groaned, falling back against the couch, and letting my head smack against the back. "Fuck me."

  "I think we're going to need a hold on that too," he said, smirking.

  I debated hitting him again. "Shut up," I said.

  He tapped the inside of one of my thighs until I spread my legs, and he knelt between them. He lifted my shirt slightly, wincing at the sight of the bruising that had already begun.

  "Oh yeah, I definitely think you broke something," he said, placing his fingers at the top of my rib cage and working his way down.

  I smacked him when he got to the fourth rib.

  "That one!" He laughed, rubbing his jaw. "OK. Broken rib. Unfortunately, there's nothing we can do for that other than let it heal."

  "Nothing? Nothing at all?"

  "Do you want to get pneumonia? I could wrap it."

  I glared at him. "No, I don't want pneumonia."

  "Good. I don't want you to have pneumonia. All in all, I think you're going to be OK. I'll come back tomorrow and bring some painkillers for you. You can't drink on them, so you're going to have to give up that vice for a while."

  "Whoa, hold on," I said, holding up a hand. "You mean to tell me that I can't have sex, and I also can't drink? You're killing me, Shawn."

  He grinned. "Well...some things can be worked around." His eyes sparkled, a promise inside of them.

  40

  I woke the next morning fifty different ways of sore, mostly my ribcage was killing me, but my arm didn't want to be ignored either. The next month was going to be hell, I could already tell that. I didn't know how I was going to survive it, but then I reminded myself that I had made it through the months after Tyburn. I could get through anything.

  I crawled out of bed and looked at my dresser for a long moment. I should get dressed, I knew that, but I didn't want to. It had been a pain getting into my night shirt last night, I didn't want to go through that again just yet. Maybe later.

  Barefoot, I padded out of my bedroom and into the kitchen, grabbing a pop tart out of a cabinet. I fixed myself a cup of tea and carried it into the kitchen, with the pop tart package gripped between my teeth. I was going to have to relearn how to do a lot of things, but at least it was my left arm that was broken and not my right. I still stood a chance in battle this way.

  It took me a minute or two to open the pop tart package, I had to resort to using my teeth, once I sat on the couch. I sighed.

  "I hate this," I said, glaring down at the coffee table.

  "At least you is alive," Fred said, coming out of the hallway.

  "Oh, there you are," I said. "I was meaning to ask you some things." Gods, I was starting to talk like him now.

  "What cans I be helpings with?"

  "Well, I'm going to a Fae party, and you said it would be incredibly rude to decline the invitation, so I'm thinking there are probably a lot of rules and customs that I need to be aware of." I took a sip of my tea and placed the cup back on the table, lifting the pop tart and taking a bite out of it. One of these days I was going to learn how to cook myself a real breakfast, but that day was not today. Or rather, that day wouldn't be for a while, because I figured you would need both of your hands to really cook, and I didn't want to hurt myself. Maybe someone with more skill than me could cook with just one hand, but since I didn't know the first thing about it...it sounded dangerous.

  Fred walked over to the chair closest to the couch and climbed into it. I raised an eyebrow—he usually didn't sit on the furniture up here. I had always thought he was afraid to, what with the way he said 'Miss' and 'Mistress' all the time, the way he'd referred to Aidan as 'Master.' It had all seemed as though he didn't think he was worthy of the comforts that were up here, and I hadn't wanted to push it too far.

  But I was glad to see that he was starting to push out of that comfort zone. I wanted him to think of himself as an equal to me, because that was how I saw him. I never wanted him to think that he was less than me, not in any way.

  "There is things that you should be knowings, Miss Blair," he said, nodding his head. "But I is thinking that one day is not enough times."

  "Well, we don't even have one day," I said, correcting him. "Kailan is going to be here any moment. He said he would be here at sunrise, and I'm really glad that was an exaggeration, because there was no way I was going to be ready at sunrise."

  Fred nodded his head. "Tch." He made the sound, clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth. "I tells you what I cans then. You should be gettings dressed."

  I glared at him and scoffed down the rest of my pop tart, swallowing a large mouthful of tea with it. Getting up, I gestured with my right hand for him to follow me, and we made our way into my room.

  "The Fae are tricksy," he said. "Theys say one things and means another, but theys is good peoples. Most of the time. Sometimes they is intentionally doing bad things, but they is not always knowing that is bad. They likes to play pranks, is in their nature. Is very important to watch what they says, because they cannot tell lies. If you is confused about a thing, ask three times. They must answer after three times, and as directly as possible."

  I nodded, a tricky thing to do while I was pulling my shirt off with one hand and trying not to dislocate my shoulder at the same time.

  "Got it. Pay attention to what they say, all that fun stuff."

  "Normally, is required to be bringing a gift with you, but you is not needing one."

  "Why not?"

  "Because you has defeated the Utakar. Is gift enough. This is thank you for what you has done, is their gift to you."

  I shuddered at the thought of it being
a thank you. "I think I've had enough thank yous for this year," I said, and I meant it. I didn't understand gratitude, for the most part. Yes, it made sense on a logical level, but not for me. Gratitude for the things I did? I didn't expect that. I didn't particularly want it, either. It was one of the benefits of being the unnamed savior for the magical community. My name didn't get out to the Order, but I also didn't have to deal with people coming up to me and thanking me for doing this thing or the other thing.

  Or being blamed for things. Because that was the other side of the gratitude coin—people expected things of you. Omniscience. They wanted you to know every horrible thing that was happening and somehow put a stop to it. All the lives I hadn't saved? Yeah, I'd have people beating down my door to scream at me if they knew what I was trying to do. No, I was happy to be the unknown person.

  "What in hell should I wear to this sort of thing?" I had finally moved to my dresser, clad only in my underwear, and was glaring down at what I had. A bunch of shirts and pants, that was my entire collection of clothing. "I'm going to stick out like a sore thumb."

  Fred frowned. "I is wishing we had more times, because yes is true, you should be wearings something else."

  I groaned and pulled out the only thing I could—a long sleeve black shirt. It was one of the few garments I had that wasn't shredded, burned, torn, what have you. It would have to do for this, there was nothing else to be done about it.

  I dressed as quickly as I could—it may have taken me a half hour—and went back to the living room to finish my tea.

  "So, is there anything else I should be aware of?"

  Fred had followed me back out to the living room and was sitting beside me with a thoughtful look on his face. "You has to compliment them on theys beauty. I know is sounding like an awkward thing to a human, but is very rude to ignore the beauty of the Fae."

  "I didn't do that for Kailan, and he didn't seem put off by it."

  "That's trues...but Kailan was coming to the human world, and Kailan...oh, Kailan is Wylde. The whole groups is Wylde. Hm. I am more familiars with the rules of the Courts, lady, I am not sure what particular customs they will has. But I knows one thing, that is actually very strange for Kailan."

  "What's that?" I perked up, tilting my head to the side.

  "The Fae, particularly the Sidhe—the nobility—is very protective of females. You is the givers of life, and it is getting harder and harders for thems to have babies."

  "Maybe Kailan isn't nobility," I said, shrugging. "Why is that going to matter, though?"

  "Because they may not likes what you is doing. Some of thems may try to talk you out of it. And you needs to be careful of what you is sayings to them. It doesn't matter if you say, 'I swears it,' your word is your bond."

  I swallowed, thinking about that. I tended to say things at random, some things that I didn't mean, or that I would realise later I shouldn’t have said. I was going to have to be particularly careful around the Fae.

  "Are you sure there will be any Sidhe there? You said they're Wylde Fae, which means they aren't a part of the courts. It would stand to reason there's no such thing as nobility."

  "Sidhe is a birthright, lady. Is not a thing that can be set aside like allegiances is, no matter how hards that is to do. There will be Sidhe, but there will also be others. I would be recommendings that you avoid the Sidhe as much as you cans, because they is the trickiest of all the Fae."

  I nodded. "OK, that makes sense. You don't get to be nobility without being a good politician, right? Well, I guess you do if you're born into it."

  Fred shook his head. "Birthright yes, I saids that, but is not the only way to be Sidhe. Is just the only way a Wylde would be Sidhe."

  "Well, maybe the Wylde Sidhe won't be as tricky as their parents. If they grew up in the Wylde, that is. I guess if they're the ones who left the Courts, then they would be."

  Fred looked at me, narrowing his eyes. "Another thing."

  "Yes?"

  "Is related to the way they look at womens. Theys is maybe wanting you to stay. You is a big hero, Kailan saids so, and so you is being very important. But you is also a lady, and they is wanting more and more womens. Theys is maybe trying to tricks you into staying with them. You is needings to be very careful, lady. Is good they want to throw you a party, but is also dangerous. Stay on your toesies."

  Well, that was no good at all. "I won't be staying," I said. "Have no fear of that."

  "I is not thinking that is going to be your idea," he said, looking down at the floor.

  I reached out and lifted his chin. "What do I always say, Fred?"

  "That you is always comings back."

  I nodded. "I will always come back to you."

  41

  The knock came at my door a moment later. Fred and I shared one more look before I got off the couch, wincing at the pain in my side, and walked over to the door.

  Kailan stood on the other side, resplendent in formal clothing that looked...not quite medieval, not quite renaissance, but definitely not from this time period. I couldn't help but smile at it, and at the stunned expression on his face.

  He laughed a moment later, that same musical sound that had enchanted me the first time I had heard it. I was now realizing that I was about to go to a place surrounded by Fae as enchanting as him, and Fred's warnings rang clear in my head—I was going to need to be very careful on this trip.

  "That...is not appropriate wear, Blair," he said, still grinning.

  "Well, it's about all I had," I said, rolling my eyes. "Not a whole lot to be done about it."

  "Perhaps for you, but this simply will not do. You will scandalise every Fae present, and I have gathered quite a large crowd for you."

  I swallowed. "Please tell me you're joking."

  "Have no fear, Herne will not be present. He is too important for such a thing, and has too much on his plate. But many Sidhe will be present, as well as us lesser Fae."

  So, he wasn't a Sidhe then. That explained why he had no problem with me being in combat. "What am I going to do about it?" I said, shrugging.

  "You? You will do nothing. Leave it all to me," he said, stepping forward and placing a hand on my right shoulder, careful not to touch my broken arm. I felt a warmth rush over me, strange because we were standing outside and it was bitter cold out. I closed my eyes, allowing the pleasant feeling to fill me and transport me to another world of happiness for the brief moment that I had it.

  Then I opened my eyes and looked down at myself. A beautiful gown was in the place of my previous clothing, with a plunging neckline and two slits coming up to mid-thigh. It was a beautiful mixture of purples, blues, and grey, and when I moved it seemed to sparkle in the light. Thankfully, though, he had left me with sensible shoes—boots with very good arch support, though they were gorgeous as well.

  "You cannot see your hair, but I have touched that up as well," he said, beaming at me. "You look like a Queen. I did not expect that."

  I arched an eyebrow. "What did you do to my hair? And you're the one who put me in this gown, how did you not know how I would look?"

  "Your hair—I curled it, and I thought to put flowers in it, but—" He paused to peer more closely at my hair. "They appear to be snowflakes. Hm. Must be the winter in the air, and my magic works differently in this world than my own. I am not yet used to it, and I am glad to say that I no longer need to acclimate to it. And there's your explanation for your gown, I had no way of knowing what it would truly look like. It was mere thought that brought it to existence, but it mirrored the beauty of your soul."

  I blushed, looking down at the ground. "Thank you."

  His fingers touched my chin, pulled my head up to meet his eyes. "You are not accustomed to compliments, Blair, but I warn you that you should accept them much more willingly where we are going. Compliments are the norm, and if you hesitate...it might look like a slight."

  I nodded, swallowing a lump in my throat. "Of course. I'm not the best politician, but I
will try to represent humanity to the best of my ability."

  Too bad my ability wasn't going to be very good.

  He smiled, though. "I have no doubt that you will stun them," he said. "Come." He offered me his arm. I stared at it for a moment before I realised what he was doing, and wrapped my arm around his.

  "You know we're just going to my car, right? You don't need to lead me there," I said.

  "I would not be a gentleman if I did not. I know you have never attended a formal event, Blair, it was clear in the way you responded to my invitation. But that is not going to stop me from treating you with the respect that your station deserves, and that the situation calls for."

  "Station? I don't have a station?" I got into the car, suddenly glad for the slits in the dress that he had given me—though they did nothing to protect from the cold winter air—for they enabled me to reach the pedals with ease that a full skirt might not have allowed. I waited until he was in the car before I drove off.

  "Of course you do," he said, and his tone sounded like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "You are a protector of your people, and you have protected a Fae now. You are very respected amongst the Wylde Fae now, Blair, and you will be treated very well."

  "I would almost rather they didn't know who I was," I said.

  "You cannot mean that!"

  "Of course, I can. I'd rather everyone in the world not know a whole lot about me. It makes it easier to do what I do, to get through the day. If everyone knew about me, if everyone revered me, the way you make it seem, then I wouldn't be able to get anything done."

  "But...You do not wish to be loved?"

  I shrugged. "I think it's overrated."

  The rest of the car ride passed in silence, Kailan seeming to need time to mull over what I had said to him. It didn't take us long to reach the woods that would lead us to the bridge, and we got out of the car in the same silence that we had arrived in.

  "I hope I don't mess up this dress going through the woods," I said. "Maybe you should have left me in my regular clothes until we got here."

  He laughed. "Your dress will be fine. It is Fae cloth, it is created to live in harmony with nature."