Fairy Tales (Queer Magick Book 2)

by L. C. Davis

  Tell me, Herschel, what kind of angel demands to be paid for salvation in blood?

  I frowned, looking up at Lucas. “Herschel sacrificed one of his own descendants?”

  Lucas nodded to Allen and Cam. They hesitated only a moment before leaving the room. The Alpha leaned forward, his huge hands planted on the desk. “One drop of Stillwater blood to keep Adam from turning the river red with it. I suppose in Herschel’s eyes, the distant blood of a relative he would never meet seemed like a reasonable price to pay. His family had been hunted to the brink of extinction, chased across the ocean and nearly wiped out by starvation, cholera, and the wilderness itself. He saw Adam as a savior.”

  “But you don’t,” I murmured. “It’s not a price you’re willing to pay.”

  Lucas’ face fell in frustration and he looked away from me, moving to the window. The moon was full over the garden and I could see his fingers twitching every so often at his side, as if putting off the shift for so long was hurting him. The wolf was straining to break through his skin. “If it was me, I would have paid that price in an instant. Then you came along. Nick got wrapped up in it all, and I realized the truth.”

  “You think Nick is the sacrifice?” I asked, trying to sound casual when panic was causing bile to rise in my throat. All this time, I’d thought Locke only wanted to use him for the ritual, not as a fucking lamb for the slaughter.

  Lucas said nothing, but his gaze said everything. “That’s not a price I’m willing to pay.”

  I watched him closely, frowning. “You love him.”

  “He’s my nephew, and he’s pack. I love everyone in my pack.”

  “But it’s different with him. It’s not the way you love Cam or Allen, Nick means more to you. Like he’s…” It slipped into place like the information had been there all along and had just broken off somehow. “Nick is your son.”

  I could feel Lucas’ agitation, but he kept it in check and said nothing. Daniel was watching us both, his eyes wide with confusion.

  “He doesn’t know, does he? Is that how Locke got you to cooperate? He blackmailed you?”

  “Yes,” Lucas said, his voice jagged.

  “Why?” I asked, unable to come up with the answer no matter how hard I tried.

  “When Carla and I had been married for several years, we found out she couldn’t have children,” he said quietly. “Every pack needs an Alpha to continue its line, and when it became clear that none of my siblings’ children were Alphas…”

  “You fucked your brother’s wife,” I said with a choked laugh.

  A low growl erupted from the Alpha’s chest. “It wasn’t planned, it just happened. Roger hadn’t given Tiffany a child after ten years of trying, and we made a mistake, but it gave us Nick.”

  “And you kept it from him all these years,” I said bitterly. “And that woman has the gall to judge him? Or is that why she’s such a shitty mother in the first place? Because his very existence is a constant reminder of how she betrayed her dead husband?”

  “You know nothing,” Lucas snarled. “You have no right to judge me. I kept this secret to protect Nick, thinking if no one knew he was my son, I’d have a better chance of hiding him from Adam, but you. You brought that demon to our door.”

  “Then we’ve both failed him,” I murmured. “Tonight, I’m going to be the one who puts things right. On my end, at least.”

  “Why?” he demanded. “Why do you even care?”

  “Because Nick deserves better, and somewhere along the way, I got attached,” I said softly, looking to Daniel. He shook his head, his eyes pleading with me. Pleading on Nick’s behalf, even now. Even though he was about to get a second chance at the life and happiness he deserved, the life I’d taken away from him, he was willing to turn it all down because he knew Nick would want him to. “Being what I am, it’s easy to forget what sacrifice really means until you see someone who’s willing to sacrifice for love rather than their own gain. Daniel reminded me of that. For once, I’m going to be the person I want to be, someone who sacrifices for the people he loves. I’m tired of people being hurt, of people dying because of me.” I turned back to Lucas. “Will you help me do that? Will you help me fix the mistake Herschel made all those years ago, so we can both protect the people we love?”

  Lucas held my gaze for long enough that it became painful to look into those golden depths. He finally nodded. “How are you going to do it?”

  “I’m going to summon Michael,” I said, struggling to believe the words even as I spoke them. “I’ve done it before once, but I was stopped. Locke will try to stop me again, and so will Nick. I need you to make sure they don’t succeed.”

  Daniel cried out in protest, struggling to get to his feet. I hadn’t wanted to do this, but I didn’t see any other option. I walked across the room and tilted his chin towards me, giving him what I hoped was a reassuring smile. “You’re going to be fine. I know I don’t need to say this, but take care of Nick, okay?”

  I let the enchantment fade from his lips and the moment they opened, he cried, “Don’t do this, Holden! You know he wouldn’t want this!”

  I held his face in my hands and leaned in to kiss his forehead. “Sometimes he says your name in his sleep.” Hearing those words did more to shut him up than the enchantment had. “He loves you, but he’s scared of what that means. Be patient with him like you always are. From now on, I’m going to be his Dennis, and if you love him the way I know you do, you’ll let that happen. It’ll be a lot easier if he hates me.”

  “Holden, please, we’ll find another way. Michael will kill you.”

  “I know,” I murmured. “Nervorum resolutiones somnum.”

  All the fight left Daniel in an instant and I caught him, propping him against the wall. I rose to my feet and turned back to Lucas. “I probably should have mentioned this earlier, but protecting him is part of the deal.”

  Lucas frowned. “We don’t tell humans our secrets.”

  “Human or not, there’s no one in this world or any other who cares more about keeping Nick safe than Daniel,” I said firmly. “Everything Nick feels for me because he imprinted is what Daniel feels for him. There are vampires who’ll be coming here soon. The Andersons. Have them compel Daniel to forget if you don’t trust him, but I can tell you from experience that he’d be a good ally to have on your side.”

  Lucas seemed to be considering my words, at least. “I don’t know what I’m going to do, but I can assure you that Daniel won’t be harmed. How do I know Locke won’t retaliate when he realizes what you’ve done?”

  I smiled. “Trust me, once Michael shows up, Locke isn’t going to want to be anywhere near this place.”

  “Adam has a ward up around the town. What makes you think Michael can get through it?”

  “He can’t. Not unless he’s summoned.” I glanced up at the moon. “We should hurry.”

  Lucas nodded, pulling off his tie as he pushed open the balcony doors. “Give me five minutes before you go into the forest. The pack will see to it that you aren’t disturbed.”

  “Thank you,” I said, looking away as Lucas began to disrobe. The otherworldly snarling was enough to draw my attention to the fact that he had shifted. I turned in time to glimpse a massive beast even larger than Nick’s Alpha form crouched on the balcony, his steel gray fur gleaming silver in the moonlight. His golden eyes met mine and my heart stopped for a second, but he gave me a nod of acknowledgment before leaping off the balcony.

  Then, I waited. Once I was sure Lucas had had enough time to tell the other wolves of his plan and get Nick to somewhere he couldn’t disturb us, I rushed down the fire escape and out into the garden. I could feel eyes on me as I slipped into the forest, but this time, no wolves emerged. Every now and then, I’d hear a rustling that reminded me of how closely I was being stalked, but none of them made any attempt to attack or disturb me as I made my way deeper into the forest. My pulse was pounding in my ears, but the sound of the rushing river soon drowned it o
ut.

  I was close. I caught sight of the patch of untouched wildflowers and smiled, stopping to pick one. There would be no need to disturb them now that Locke wouldn’t have a Whore to build his house for.

  I had already fallen so far from grace on so many occasions, but that trip to my knees in the middle of the grass felt like my longest descent yet. I still wasn’t entirely sure how I’d summoned Michael the first time, but if keeping me away from him was a full-time job for Locke, surely getting his attention wouldn’t be that hard. I knelt and folded my hands since that was the only way I knew how to contact a member of the heavenly host, and it was a matter of habit by that point, even though it had been more than a decade since I’d last prayed. I struggled to remember the words that had come so easily that night, the words it felt like my tongue had been shaped to utter. Locke had strongly discouraged my interest in the preces exorcismi after the incident. I figured he was worried I’d summon angels in my sleep, which had been a valid concern back then. I’d never imagined I would find myself wanting to talk to one, let alone the Archangel Michael.

  I knew the wolves were watching me, waiting for a show, and I didn’t want to give Locke or Nick any more time to intervene, so I decided to just start with a prayer. Remiel had said they were always listening, so they could at least meet me halfway. I closed my eyes and took a deep, shuddering breath.

  “Dear, um, angels,” I began. Not off to a convincing start. “It’s been awhile since I’ve done this, so forgive me if I f-- if I screw it up, but I’d really appreciate it if someone up there could patch me through to Michael.” His name caught in my throat and I opened one eye, but there was no sign of him. No ethereal light shining through the trees, no trembling of the earth in response to his celestial glory.

  “Or, you know, one of the other big names,” I offered, shutting my eyes tighter. “Raphael, Gabriel...Not really sure if Uriel is canon, the charismatics don’t really invite a lot of speculation about you guys, but I’m willing to talk to anyone with the authority to cut a deal.”

  “You’re about two seconds away from adding blasphemy to the ever-growing list of sins you’ve committed, but do go on.” The thick Southern accent was instantly familiar even if the tenor of his voice was a bit smoother than it had been when he was possessing Chuck’s body. I jumped to my feet and turned around to face Remiel, who had traded in an ashen corpse for a vessel that was most definitely still alive, if the healthy flush of his tanned skin was any indication. He appeared as a handsome man with shaggy brown hair, a black leather cowboy hat that obscured his brown eyes, glimmering with amusement, and a tall, muscular build. He was wearing a red plaid shirt and a pair of plain blue jeans over bright red cowboy boots with spurs that clicked as he sauntered toward me and I took an instinctive step back. It was almost hilarious how much he looked like a stock photo on a flea market country album. “That’s the funniest prayer I’ve heard in a good long while,” he drawled.

  “Glad I could amuse you,” I said, swallowing the golf ball-sized lump in my throat. “I was hoping for Michael or another archangel.”

  His face fell, clearly insulted. “Sorry to disappoint, but Michael’s busy. And for the record, I am an archangel. One of seven.”

  “Michael’s busy?” I echoed. Now I was the one who was insulted. “He’s been hunting me all this time and he can’t even be bothered to take my calls?”

  “Just so happens, someone unleashed the demon Lilith on the world for the first time in a few thousand years,” he said, his voice taking on a hard tone. “You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, now, would you?”

  I gulped. “Do you still remember what you told me at the gala?”

  “Course I do,” he snorted. “I don’t know how you got back here, but I exist at every point in time.”

  “Great. Then you can make a deal with me, right?”

  He watched me, frowning. “Where’s Locke?”

  “He doesn’t have anything to do with this, I’m acting on my own.”

  “You mean he doesn’t know you went back in time?”

  “No.”

  Remiel’s eyes widened. “Now that’s an interesting turn of events,” he mused.

  “Daniel is still alive. I technically haven’t made a contract with Locke yet,” I began. “That means there’s still time.”

  Remiel glanced at his watch. “Not much.”

  “Enough for me to turn myself in.”

  “What’s the catch?” he asked, cocking his head. “What do you want?”

  “I want a do-over,” I admitted. “I want Daniel and Nick to be left alone and live out the rest of their lives having nothing to do with me or Locke. I want to turn myself in so no one can use Ezekiel’s soul against me. That’s possible, isn’t it?”

  He hesitated. “More or less, but just because you went back in time doesn’t mean Michael’s gonna let you off. You still made the choice you made, even if you haven’t made it yet. You’re still guilty of eternal sin, which is about ten steps above mortal sin. You have any idea how bad that is?”

  I didn’t, but he was painting a pretty decent picture. “I don’t care what happens to me. If I go willingly now before I made the choice to contract with Locke, there’s no need for the apocalypse to happen now, right? Michael could just keep me somewhere safe until the original time?”

  “I don’t see why not.” He arched an eyebrow. “But you get that you’re not checkin’ yourself into celebrity rehab, right? You’ll be punished. No trial, just Michael as your judge, jury and eventual executioner.”

  “But everyone else will live. If I do this, it’s only on the guarantee that you protect this town and everyone in it from Locke, from Adam, from Lucifer.”

  “Adam?” Curiosity lit his eyes. “Haven’t heard that name in a while.”

  “Will you do it?” I pressed.

  “You seem to be under the impression that you’re talking to a demon. I don’t make deals.”

  “You do if you want me,” I said firmly. “Something tells me you could use a good day, since you’re the one who let a zombie slip through his fingers and all.”

  Remiel watched me for a long moment. I expected him to bite back at me but instead, he shook his head with a casual laugh. “You’re just full of surprises, aren’t ya, Holden? Alright, I’ll take your deal. Stillwater and all the little monsters inside of it will be under my personal protection as long as you come quietly.”

  “How do I know you’ll keep your promise?”

  Irritation flickered on his features. “Like I said, I’m no demon. I don’t do contracts.”

  “Well, an angel’s word doesn’t mean a whole lot to me,” I admitted.

  Remiel shrugged. “You’re welcome to stick around and wait for Michael. But something tells me we’re not surrounded by a dozen wolves because they’re just curious.”

  I hesitated. “Just give me something. Some proof that you actually have the authority.”

  He sighed. “You drive a hard bargain, kid, but tell you what? I’m in a generous mood and I feel an itty bitty bit bad about what I did to you at the gala, so how about I let you see your brother? Would that be enough proof of my intentions?”

  “Yes,” I said, trying to hide the desperation in my voice. “It...it would.”

  Remiel reached out to me and I flinched. He passed his hand over my eyes without touching me and when I looked up, Ezekiel was standing next to him. It took me a moment to process what I was seeing and when I took a lurching step toward him, I nearly collapsed. “Zeke…?”

  “Jed?” He blinked at me in confusion, his eyes glazed like he’d just been woken from a deep sleep. He looked around the forest and frowned. “Where are we? And why are you so old?”

  I couldn’t help the strangled laugh that escaped my throat. I reached for him and to my amazement, he stayed solid in my embrace. “Zeke,” I breathed, taking his face in my hands as I looked down at him, running my hands through his messy bedhead. “It’s you. It’s r
eally you?”

  He yawned. “‘Course it’s me. Why are you acting so weird?”

  I shook my head, not even knowing how to begin to reply. Not knowing what was safe for him to know. “Are you okay?” I asked softly. “Where are you?”

  His eyes lit up, as if he’d suddenly remembered something. “Bayou Land!”

  “Bayou Land?” I echoed in smiling disbelief. It was a shitty little theme park that had been closed down years before I ran away, but Ezekiel had been obsessed with it ever since one of our father’s deacons had taken us with the church group to protest the theme park’s inclusive hiring policies. We’d even managed to sneak away from the protest for long enough to go on a ride.

  “Yeah, it’s huge!” he cried. “There are no lines, either! It’s awesome. It got kind of boring after a while, but the nice lady who takes care of me sent me some friends, so now we go on rides together. You should come with us!” he looked me over, frowning. “Hana will have to make you a kid again, though. You won’t fit on the fun rides like this.”

  “Hana?” I asked, trying to mask my concern.

  “She says her name’s Hanael, but that’s lame, so we just call her Hana,” he explained. “She’s like a mom, only she’s really nice and she gives me whatever I want! Well...everything except you. She said you can’t come there,” he said sadly.

  I swallowed hard. “No, I can’t, but it sounds like a wonderful place.” I smiled, trying not to cry. “You sound happy.”

  His face lit up again. “I am! It’s the best. Hana’s not like the angel dad used to talk to, Holden. None of them are.”

  “The angel…” I trailed off as I felt a strange push from the back of my mind and a shrill ringing picked up in my ears. It was the same feeling I’d had when Nick had compelled me, like I’d crossed over some invisible threshold and something or someone was trying to push me back.