Being Alpha

by Aileen Erin

  The queen grinned and I felt like I’d given her the right answer. “Well maneuvered.” She rose slowly, keeping my gaze the whole time.

  I gave her a smile. “So, can Cosette and her friends come out to play?”

  “Are all Cosette’s friends so funny?”

  I didn’t consider myself funny, but I was glad she’d found me amusing. That was far better than considering me a threat. I wasn’t sure how to answer that, so I just shrugged.

  “Your request is granted. I’ll be meeting with the queens to pass along the information. It might be that this period in hiding is short-lived.” She turned to her throne, but stopped suddenly. “Oh, and Eli?”

  “Yes, Helen.”

  “Don’t pop in unannounced again.”

  Eli always seemed casual. He was easy to smile and laugh, but in that instant, the mask fell. He stood tall and started to glow. It wasn’t the same golden glow that Cosette and her mother had. It was silver and pure white. Over the course of a few breaths, I could see his wings. They stretched, reaching at least sixteen feet wide. The feathers were beautiful, pure white tipped with gray. As they appeared, it was as if he grew bigger. More fearsome. More beautiful.

  A staff appeared in his hand as he floated a foot above the ground.

  Now I knew why he didn’t wear shoes.

  He might not be an angel, but he was the closest thing I’d ever seen, and he scared the shit out of me.

  “You best don’t forget where the fey live in the hierarchy.”

  Cosette’s mother raised her hands, palms out as if she was surrendering. “Apologies for the insult. I—”

  He flashed so bright I had to close my eyes, and when I opened them again, he was gone.

  “Mother fucker.” I muttered before I could stop myself. “He was my ride.”

  My cheeks heated as Cosette’s mom started laughing. “I’m sure we can get you where you need to go.”

  Cosette cleared her throat. “Yes. We can. I’m going to show Tessa to my room and grab the others. We’ll be leaving within the hour.”

  “Of course. You’ll keep me updated.”

  Cosette gave her mom an over the top smile. “Don’t I always,” she said, sugar dripping from her tone.

  The queen grinned. “No. As a matter of fact, you don’t.”

  They laughed together and the Queen pressed her forehead against Cosette’s. She said something I couldn’t understand, and then stepped back.

  Cosette jumped down from the stage. “Let’s go,” she muttered as she walked past, and I had to jog to keep up with her.

  The guards parted as we walked through the doorway, leaving only Van to follow us.

  Now that we were away from the queen, I had so many questions. I tried to hold them in, I really did. But it was impossible. “Soooo, you and Eli are related?” I asked as I turned to walk forward again.

  She snorted. “Not really. Archons see things so oddly.”

  He might have been odd, but he was also impressive. “I can see the odd, but he’s freaking hot, and those wings? Where the hell did those come from?”

  She sighed. “Don’t get me started.” She grabbed my arm, stopping for a second. “Be careful when you bargain with him.”

  I winced. That was going to be hard, especially when it was already done.

  “You already did it, didn’t you?”

  “Yes.”

  “You don’t know what you’ve gotten yourself into,” she said.

  And she was right. I didn’t. But I’d been out of my element ever since I got to Texas. It was my new normal, and I’d gotten pretty damned good at winging it. “It’ll be fine.”

  “Or it won’t,” she said.

  “I did what I had to do.” And I was standing by that choice. I wasn’t sure whether I’d come to regret it or not, but right now, I was saving all of our asses the only way I knew how.

  Twenty-Three

  “Almost there,” Cosette said as we turned a corner.

  I was starting to wonder how big the Lunar court was. It was hard to tell exactly how far we’d walked in the Underhill with all the turns we’d taken, but it had to be massive. I hadn’t seen an end to any of the galaxy floored hallways, and we’d been walking for a good fifteen minutes. It wasn’t like we were strolling either. If Cosette had amped the pace up even the tiniest bit, I wouldn’t have been able to keep up without jogging.

  Cosette pushed through a pair of carved wooden doors. These were only a little larger than normal, but just as impressive. The painted carvings showed a field of trees and flowers. The tree limbs were bending in the wind as I watched, and—as I passed through the doorway—I swore I could smell the roses.

  “Welcome to my suite,” Cosette said, motioning me forward.

  The sitting area was filled with a rainbow burst of colors. A girl with red curls and freckles was on sitting on a rich, deep blue velvet couch, wringing her hands. She was wearing a pair of peach silk joggers, white tank top, and a light gray jacket. Beside her in a deep reddish-brown leather armchair was another girl with long, straight hair that was colored like the many shades of autumn leaves. She was wearing a hooded forrest green dress that hit mid-thigh, thick cream knitted socks that peeked out under her tall, brown leather lace-up boots. Both looked so well put together that I was really wishing I’d picked something nicer to wear, but in my defense, one of the Evil Trinity was after me. Fashion really was the last thing on my mind.

  The two fey girls had been chatting, but stopped as soon as we walked in.

  Van walked around to the arm chair on the other side of the couch, kicking his feet onto the coffee table.

  The redhead rose slowly, and I watched her. “How’d it go?”

  “Not as bad as it could’ve gone,” Van said.

  The redhead’s eyes widened, and she glanced at me for a second before focusing back in on Cosette.

  “Don’t listen to Van.” Cosette shot him a look. “We’re good to go.”

  “Finally,” the other girl said. “I’ve had enough of court. Let’s be off, then.”

  I took in the group. Cosette and two more girls made three fey. “Where’s the fourth?”

  “Van,” Cosette said.

  “Really?” He was pretty bad ass, but he never seemed to like being around us. He’d shown up to help in Santa Fe, but as soon as the fighting was over, he was gone. I couldn’t believe that Van was actually going to volunteer to be a part of this new spell. “You sure you’re okay with this?” I asked him.

  “Where Cosette goes, I go. Or at least that’s how it’s supposed to be.”

  She shrugged. “I sneak away every now and then. It’s not a big deal.”

  “To you, maybe not. To the queen…” He rose from his chair. “I guess we should get a move on.”

  I nodded. “That would be great. We don’t have much time.”

  “Less now, I’m sure,” Van said.

  That didn’t sound ominous at all. “What do you mean less time?” We needed all the time we could get. To say that the spell we had to prepare was complicated was a gross understatement.

  “You don’t know?” Cosette asked.

  She was making me nervous. “Know what?”

  “Time is slower here,” Van said.

  “It’s almost nightfall out there,” Cosette said.

  “Nightfall?” This was a disaster. Astaroth could be coming any minute now, and I was here, stuck in the Underhill? “We need to go. Now.”

  The other fey girl stood up. I didn’t know either of their names, and that seemed wrong but I couldn’t wait. We’d do introductions later. For now, we needed to get back to Texas.

  Van held out his hands. Cosette grabbed one and then mine. The fey girl with multi-colored hair grabbed my other hand. The redhead closed the circle. “Don’t let go,” Van said to me, and then everything went dark for a second.

  I blinked and we were in the quad at St. Ailbe’s. My feet were on the ground but my head was spinning so badly it was like I’
d been on a tilt-o-whirl all afternoon.

  My knees gave way and I sat on my ass. Hard. “That was super not fun.” I closed my eyes, and prayed that the world would stop spinning. It felt like forever since I’d had the pancakes, but I was still fighting the urge to hurl them.

  “It might not be the most fun way to get around, but it’s effective,” one of the fey girls said. I didn’t want to open my eyes to figure out which one.

  Tessa! Dastien yelled through the bond.

  I’m fine! Just taking a second to get my bearings. I was going to have to get up, but when I opened my eyes, the world was still wobbly. Traveling with Eli had been disorienting at most, and only because I was suddenly somewhere unknown.

  I felt like my legs were going to give out as I stood. I took a second to harness my chi before brushing off my pants. “How long does the feeling last?”

  “Another minute or so,” Cosette said. “You get used to it after a while. Traveling barely registers for me these days.”

  She was out of her mind if she thought I would ever travel that way with Van ever again, let alone enough times to get used to the feeling of it. That was so not happening.

  “I’m going to have a chat with my friends here and then we’ll meet you inside,” Cosette said as they moved a little farther away from me.

  That was fine. I was going to have to figure out where Dastien was and if we had a car here so I could meet up with him.

  I opened the bond wide, seeing things from his perspective as he came closer. He was running down stairs, leaping down four stairs at a time.

  Wait. I knew those stairs and they weren’t at my house. He was about to hit the door of the classroom building. Why are you at St. Ailbe’s? I asked.

  When you disappeared, I freaked and called Claudia. She said you’d be back in time so we came back here for supplies. They needed more room, too, and Claudia didn’t want to brew in your mom’s kitchen. Something that Samantha said hit home with her. We figured Astaroth was gone, so it was safe enough to be here, at least during daylight. We’ve been working all afternoon on the potions. He didn’t stop running as he came out of the building. In a second, his arms were around me and he was inhaling my scent. Disappearing wasn’t cool.

  That wasn’t my plan. I’d much rather have stayed with him. Even if the Lunar Court’s Underhill was amazing.

  I know. He pulled back. I’m really glad you’re back.

  Me, too. But Cosette’s house is spectacular. We have to see if we can get an invite to visit. I could’ve wandered around the hallways forever.

  Can’t wait to hear all about it later, but you’re going to want to see what we’ve been cooking up in the lab.

  Right. Astaroth. Potions. “Let’s go.” He gripped my hand tightly in his to be sure I wasn’t going to go anywhere and we made our way into the building. At the base of the stairs, a noxious smell hit me. “What is that?”

  He winced. “You don’t want to know.”

  “What are we going to do with it?” I asked.

  “You don’t want to know that either.”

  My stomach churned, and I was suddenly back to hoping I wasn’t going to barf all over myself. “We’re not going to have to drink it, are we?”

  “Not the stinkiest one, no. But it’s going to go on our face, hands, and feet.”

  Blech. That was almost as bad. By the time we reached the labs, I didn’t want to go inside.

  Dastien opened the door to the lab and gave me a little push. “You’ll get used to it.”

  “Nope.” Not a chance of that. It smelled like a butcher’s dumpster after three days in the hot sun, topped with some dog shit, and another smell that I wasn’t about to investigate too closely. I held my hand over my face as we stepped inside. The room was bustling, but I couldn’t get over the smell.

  Chris stepped toward me, holding something in his hand. His nostrils were wide, shoved with cotton balls and something slimy covered his top lip.

  “Don’t even start.” Chris’ rasp was mellowed a bit by the cotton balls.

  I would’ve laughed, except I was jealous. “I need two of those.”

  “What do you think I’ve got for you?” Chris handed me a couple and then a jar of something. I wasted no time shoving cotton balls in my nose. It helped almost not at all. “What’s this?” I asked, turning the jar in my hand. There was no label and it looked like some kind of salve.

  “It’ll help with the smell,” Claudia said from inside the room. “Just rub a little bit under your nose. Trust me.”

  “Done.” I twisted the lid and stuck my finger in the goopy substance. It smelled like lavender and eucalyptus and something else. Rosemary, maybe? I wasn’t sure, but it did the trick. I could still smell the stench in the room faintly, but the salve overpowered most of it.

  Now that I could breathe again, I took in the room. The metaphysics lab was set up just like my old chem room at my normal, human school. Tall tables with metal tops filled the room, each with two stools. Gas lines were hooked up at each table with Bunsen burners so that the werewolves could try their hand at spells, but for the most part, they were all duds. Still, the werewolves thought it was good to practice and to have knowledge about all the various kinds of supernaturals, especially because they might end up fighting any number of creatures.

  Mr. Dawson and Blaze stood around one of the burners with River. Shane and Claudia were saying a spell at another table. Claudia’s braid lifted in the air as they muttered the words softly. The ingredients lifted in the air and swirled in front of them.

  “Whoa.”

  “I know,” Chris said. “It’s been kind of intense.”

  Lucas and Adrian were huddled around another pot.

  That was just about everyone, except… “Where’s Beth?”

  “I’m here,” a soft voice came from behind me. She was coming back from the supply closet with a jar of salt. She looked thinner—her cheeks were a little hollowed—and her once long, dirty-blonde hair was cut in a short, asymmetrical bob. Luciana destroying her coven from the inside had definitely taken its toll on her, but she smiled at me. I was taking that as a really good sign.

  “Thanks for coming.”

  She looked at the floor for a minute before raising her chin. “I’m sorry I couldn’t help at the chapel. I…” Her eyes started to go glossy but she blinked it back. “It’s been tough, but I’m okay. And who knows?” She shrugged. “Maybe it’ll be better for me if I get back into magic. Lord knows staying away isn’t helping me heal.”

  I wasn’t close with Beth at all, but she looked like she needed a hug. So, she was getting one. “I’m glad you’re here,” I said as I wrapped my arms around her. I could feel her shoulder blades sticking out of her back, and made sure to be extra gentle with her. She was so thin, I thought she might break.

  “Me, too,” she said. “Thank you.”

  “No. Thank you.” I gave her one last, gentle squeeze and stepped back. She shuffled quickly over to Shane and Claudia, but I saw her brush away a tear.

  She’s so not okay, I said to Dastien.

  She’ll get better. It’ll take time, though.

  Doesn’t everything? As I looked around the room, there was just one other person that was missing. “Where’s Raphael?”

  “He left,” Shane said.

  “What do you mean he left? Where did he go?” I didn’t like him off on his own right now. I knew he had ties to Astaroth, but that didn’t mean he had to leave.

  “He said he didn’t want to be here when everything went down,” Chris said. “He thought he might be a liability, so he went to go see Samantha.”

  A liability? That was so messed up. There were so many things that we had to fix once tonight was over, but that was going to the top of my list. Raphael was holding himself responsible for Muraco, and if we weren’t careful, we could lose him.

  I walked over to Claudia. “Are you okay?”

  “I have to be I guess, and I’m glad he’s going to see
Samantha. I’m hoping that the spell tonight would break the tie, but I can’t know that for certain. I just wish he’d answer my phone calls.”

  It was always something. “We’ll get through tonight and then try calling him. If the attachment isn’t gone, then Samantha will take care of it. He’ll be okay.” Once this was over, he could go back to his life as a coder. I knew that was what he really wanted—a life without magic and evil witches manipulating him.

  Claudia leaned against me for a second. “He never liked this life. Magic was never his thing, but he stuck around for me.”

  “He did because he loves you, but it’s not your fault. I really do think he’s going to be okay.” Claudia felt a lot of guilt about her brother, and I wished she could let it go. He was a big boy. He could make his own decisions. “So, what’s been going on here?” I motioned to the spell bubbling in front of us.

  “Just be glad you didn’t have to dig up dead bodies,” Chris said.

  That was for sure. “I am beyond glad that I skipped that part.” Even if I did have to deal with a pissed off archon and a little bit of fey drama. “So, where are we with everything?”

  River stepped toward me with a knife. “We need your blood, and then there are a few more steps and then we should be good to go.”

  Oh man. Why did everything always need blood? “Glad I made it here in time.” Footsteps echoed down the hallway. Cosette was bringing the rest of the bunch up. “We’re in here,” I shouted toward the door.

  “What is that horrible stench?” Cosette said as she stepped inside the lab.

  “Do you really want to know?” Claudia asked as Cosette walked inside the room.

  “No. Probably not.”

  Van and the others stepped into the room, and Blaze growled. “You!”

  Van chuckled, and I was pretty sure that was the only time I’d ever seen him happy. “Me!” Van yelled back and then bowed. I glanced back and forth between Van and Blaze before the fey spoke again. “Come on, old man. It’s been a century. You can’t still be mad.”

  “Seventy-eight years.”