“You’re calling me baby now?” I covered his hands with mine. “Darrel Knight, are you always going to make it this hard for me to stay mad at you?”
He leaned over the door and kissed me, gently pressing his soft, warm lips to mine. “If I possibly can. But make no mistake, Scarlet, I want to have this date just as much as you do. And think about what I said. Gretel could take over some of your chores around this place. Sounds like she’d be grateful for the work.”
“I can handle it. I’ll talk to Marie about the rent break, but seriously, I can handle the complex and the investigation and everything.” Running my fingers over his whiskery cheeks, I whispered, “See you when I get back.”
Unfortunately, it was going to be a very different kind of night now that Lance was back, but I was determined to grab some precious moments alone with this amazing man. Time with Darrel was the gold at the end of my rainbow—and by rainbow, I meant treacherous swamp of shit.
Chapter Three
Scarlet
The Eureka police only monitored human crimes and crimes against humans, and though humans only made up forty percent of the population, the officers clearly had their job cut out for them. At just past five, both the main lot and overflow lot were filled. We had to park across the street near the grocery store and make our way through the vagrants and drunks who gathered at entrances to each lot holding up signs. A woman who didn’t look much older than me lifted a piece of cardboard that read, “The end is near, I need a beer.”
Wind buffeted us, and we hurried onto the metal ramp leading to the police station. Jane and I stayed near the center of the platform as it swayed in the gale, only taking quick peeks at the gaping chasm cutting through the three-lane road below. It was one fissure out of hundreds that webbed through Eureka. When my parents were small children, a decade of storms and natural disasters fractured the world as they knew it. It killed billions of humans and brought supernaturals out of hiding. The city of Eureka had been pulverized with relentless massive earthquakes that remade the urban landscape into a series of giant disjointed steps.
As we crested the ramp, the clouds parted to reveal the moon with a ring around it. Under the glaring lights outside the police station stood a figure I would recognize anywhere.
“Mack,” I called, quickening my pace through the parked cars. I heard the clicking of Jane’s heels not too far behind.
Mack lifted his head, his bright aquamarine gaze seeming to shine out of his tired face. He sighed, ran a hand over the top of his head, and jogged to meet me halfway across the parking lot. “Scar, I’ve been waiting out here for an hour. Why aren’t you answering your phone?”
“I didn’t have it until about ten minutes ago, and since then it’s been blowing up nonstop. I ended up just putting it on silent so I could concentrate on driving here.”
Mack wrapped me in his arms. Everything about him was familiar—the feel of him, the minty scent of him, even the cadence of his breathing. We’d been best friends for almost half our lives now. And now we were something else. Something more than just friends but not quite defined.
He pulled back just a little, staring down with worry in his gaze. “My mother is here looking for you. I’ve never seen her so angry in my life.”
I groaned and buried my head in Mack’s chest, wanting to burrow into his arms and not have to deal with this disaster.
“Part of her anger might be my fault, but I’ll tell you about that later,” Mack said. “Right now, we need to focus on this. All we’ve been told is that twenty-two fae are dead, the only survivor was a werewolf from your pack, and that the werewolf was arrested.”
I felt a sinking sensation at his words and swore under my breath. “What were the cops thinking telling her that?”
Behind me, someone cleared their throat.
Jane had surfaced from her phone. Her cool brown eyes darted between Mack and me. Her disapproval was nearly palpable. “With your permission,” she said in a clipped voice, “I’ll head in and pave our way with the police, Alpha.”
It wasn’t the first time that my close relationship with Mack caused someone to give me the stink eye. Fae and werewolves were supposed to be enemies. It was downloaded into our blood or some shit. Obviously, Mack and I were genetic anomalies because, alongside my dysfunctional family, he was the person I loved most in this world.
“Are you okay? Did you know the fae at the party?” I asked the moment Jane was gone.
He shook his head. “No. How about you? Are you okay?”
“Yeah, just thrown off guard. The werewolf they have in there is Zane.”
“Zane?” Mack sounded as dumbfounded as I felt. He was the founding member of the “Zane’s a dick” club, but obviously even he didn’t see my cheating ex as a killer.
“The one and only,” I said. “Also, this sounds so trivial in light of circumstances, but I wanted to make a better first impression on your mother. We don’t need anyone else working against our… friendship.”
Mack cupped my chin and lifted it until I looked into his beautiful eyes. “Scar, she’s been working against us from the moment we met. There is nothing that woman can do or say that could affect this.”
That woman was Titania, queen of the Spring fae, werewolf enemy number one. The news that she was already aware of me and actively working against me was far from a relief. Though I’d be deluded to think she could possibly not be aware of me by now. Mack and I had made an oath at the beginning of our friendship. To keep us both safe, we’d remain in the dark about the werewolf and fae parts of each other’s lives.
Yet over the years my family came to know Mack so well they pretty much considered him family. I just never imagined his mother knew about me, too.
“I should probably get in there,” I said.
“Scar.” Mack winced. “There’s no way that just your lawyer can deal with this part? What if you returned in the morning to talk to Zane?”
That was way too tempting an idea. I was probably already subconsciously stalling going in to meet Mack’s mother. Butterflies had nothing on the creatures taking flight in my stomach. I sighed. “No, let’s go. My pack needs me to get my shit together, so that’s what I’m going to do.”
“Or... I could just throw you over my shoulder and run. That way, you’re off the hook. You can just blame me.”
He was dead serious, but I walked around him. My heart felt like it was thumping in my throat as I threw open the glass door to the police station.
Growing up, my mother frequently tried to explain to my sister Zeezee that the world didn't revolve around her. To date, it was a concept that never fully sunk in. But upon seeing the Queen of the Spring Court sitting in a metal waiting-room chair in the police station, I was pretty sure no one ever explained to Queen Titania that she wasn't the center of the world. They wouldn't have to. From the way everyone oriented their positioning, she clearly was the center of their existences.
Four Fae men and one fae woman surrounded her. They were some of the most flawless people I'd ever seen. The first man had hair the color of flame, another had long silky ebony lengths, the third’s hair fell in perfect cinnamon curls, and the fourth had hair as white as the center of a flame. Their faces were sculpted to near perfection.
Mack leaned in until his lips brushed against my ear. “That’s her honor guard. They’re a bit jumpy, so don’t get any closer."
Mack stayed by my side, making it clear who he sided with. I didn’t know if that was a good thing or not. He continued speaking. "They're prince warriors from the Summer, Spring, Autumn, and Winter Kingdoms. If she dies, they all die."
Obviously sensing the tension, several people in the waiting room rushed for the door. And as the queen stood, nearly everyone else followed, stampeding for the exit like the building was on fire.
Giving the crowd a wide berth, I made it halfway to where Jane waited at the counter before Titania stood. Her dress was a gray semi-transparent gauzy material that flowed arou
nd her, as if in a breeze, but I didn't feel a draft. The queen’s dress made her look a little like an undersea creature. Light cinnamon-brown hair curled around her heart-shaped face. Her skin positively glimmered, as if she'd slathered glitter powder all over herself. She looked no older than Mack, but there was something entirely “other” about her.
"We have let you enjoy your little kingdom,” she said, her voice soft but commanding. “We have tolerated your contempt and violence for decades. And now, you have broken every treaty we’ve ever made. Twenty-two fae died at your hands—artists and lovers, not warriors.” Her words echoed around the space, surrounding me and roping me in. Was she somehow beguiling me?
I took a step back as anger rose in my chest. “Did you get some information that I didn’t? From what I was told, my werewolf survived a massacre and was arrested for something the cops haven’t made known yet.”
“Our werewolf was detained but hasn’t been charged yet,” Jane clarified.
I gestured to Jane. “There you go, your highness. You do know what they say about assumptions, don’t you? Why don’t we push this conversation until after we actually know what’s going on?”
The woman fae with the queen cleared her throat, loudly, drawing our attention. “Mother, even if the werewolves are guilty—which we don’t know they are—revenge is not the answer.” The girl stepped forward, looking between Mack and me with big blue eyes. She had blonde hair piled above a gorgeous face.
It was a little strange that I hadn’t noticed this fae above the others, as she was the only one I’d seen before. Everyone had seen Princess Mab. She was the most famous fae in North America, even more famous than the kings and queens of Summer, Spring and Autumn. She was the star of the controversial and annoyingly popular reality show My Fairytale Life. The only episode I’d ever had the misfortune of watching was one where Mab performed “slut-erventions” on her friends, showing up to their houses and throwing away everything that she considered “slutty.”
Maybe it was just her television personality, but even just seeing Princess Mab put my teeth on edge.
“Mother, look at those two,” Mab gestured toward Mack and me. “They’re like Romeo and Juliet.”
“Mab! Mack! Go wait in the car.” Queen Titania snapped her fingers twice, and what looked like wind blasted the reality TV star, sending her hair tumbling out of a careful updo. Mab squeaked and hurried for the door while the four guards watched the family drama, stone-faced.
Mack stayed right where he was.
Titania whirled on me, pointing into my face. “Bring me this wolf or each life lost will be avenged on one of your own.”
My wolf came roaring to the forefront, shining through my eyes, forcing my shift. Pain radiated through my hands, as claws lengthened from the tips of my fingers. The shushing of swords being drawn from scabbards sounded everywhere around us, but my wolf urged me forward. She thought we could get through before they killed us.
My words came out a guttural growl. “Don’t be so hasty to declare a war that will destroy us both. I have allies, too.”
Mack stepped in front of me, breaking my stare down with his mother. He had turned his back to the fae warriors, his wide body completely blocking me from their view.
Immediately upon seeing the fae my wolf and I love, our anger cooled.
He stared down at me like I was the only one in the room, as if it didn’t matter that he was physically blocking his best friend from assassinating his mother. My fingers tingled as my nails retreated into smooth skin.
Mack’s arms wrapped around me, and I burrowed close against him and whispered, “I love you.”
“If you are so sure of this wolf’s innocence, tell the police officer to announce why they were detained,” Queen Titania demanded. This time, her voice didn’t have the trippy feel. Bitch had tried to hypnotize me.
Drawing back, Mack gave me an intent look and an infinitesimal shake of his head.
I returned the look, hopefully communicating that I wasn’t planning on following his mother’s demands. The first rule of the playground—never give in to a bully.
“I’m guessing we’re not still on for a movie Friday night,” Mack said to me like this were just any other day and our idle plans appeared to be doomed.
“Unfortunately, my schedule looks to be extraordinarily full and still filling. I miss the days when hanging out just meant heading home to our apartment.”
He didn’t respond to that, but a small smile twitched at the corners of his lips.
Reaching forward, I took Mack’s hand and squeezed. “Maybe not a movie, but we should touch base as soon as possible.”
“I’ll be by first thing tomorrow morning.” He leaned in and lowered his voice. “I might need to stay near her, though. If this delays too long, she’ll start a war for her pride’s sake alone.”
As if to prove her son’s point, the queen called out, “You have one minute to demand that police officer announce what your wolf is being detained for, or I will consider you as not cooperating with my investigation in this incident. That will not play in your favor. We are on the brink of war, and I have your forces outnumbered tenfold.”
Turning, I managed to keep my wolf in check as I crossed to a twenty-something-year-old police officer standing behind the partition. His eyelids were wide, and his face had a greenish hue. Grabbing my wallet from my jacket pocket, I held up my driver’s license. "Scarlet Riley, alpha of the Six Rivers pack."
Beside me, Jane stepped up and raised her head from her phone, looking entirely unfazed by all that had just gone down around her. "I can confirm that, and I've already shown you ample documentation. I don't see any reason why we should be delayed any further in meeting with the Six Rivers pack member whom you are holding.” She raised her voice and added, “And have not formally charged with a crime."
The young man swallowed hard, tugged on his collar, and then nodded. He threw his thumb toward the interior of the station. "Come with me. I’ll take you to the sheriff."
Chapter Four
Mack
Of all the days to tell my mother that I wasn’t going to follow through with my arranged marriage, I just had to pick today.
I watched Scarlet walk away, her strawberry blonde hair falling down her back. I watched until she made it past the partitions. For just a moment, she glanced back at me, her green eyes meeting mine before she turned the corner.
“I could kill you right here, Macklin Banrigh, and no one would lift a hand to stop me.”
Sighing, I looked over my shoulder.
Titania stood in the center of the waiting room. The long strips of halogen lights above gave her pale complexion a greenish tinge. It was her own law that we fae never showed our magic in front of non-fae, but her dark blonde hair and silvery dress undulated around her in an unnatural breeze. She probably couldn’t help it. I had never in my life seen my mother so angry as when I’d told her that I wasn’t going to become the official consort of Queen Siofra, the queen of Autumn.
I’d been telling her this exact thing since I was eighteen and the marriage pack was made. Hell, I’d even run away to Queen Siofra’s territory for two years with Scarlet and openly declared my intentions to break the engagement to Queen Siofra herself. The message never took.
For whatever reason, today when my mother called me in to attend her while she was enjoying a late tea, the message had finally penetrated.
Maybe today she’d seen a conviction in my eyes that she’d never seen before. I wasn’t marrying Queen Siofra. If I had any choice in the matter, I wasn’t going to marry anyone.
I opened my arms, holding my hands in a gesture halfway between offering my mother a hug and telling her to do her worst.
From the corner of my eye, I saw an officer duck behind his desk, but my mother’s four fae guards looked mildly bored. The officer probably saw the prince of winter, who everyone simply called Winter, pulling out a glowing blue saber. He ran a sharpening stone over the edg
e.
My mother’s hair writhed around her head like Medusa’s snakes. “I only want Summer to accompany me home,” she said as she turned for the door. “Winter, Autumn, Spring, Macklin—the rest of you will find your own way, but I’ll expect you within the hour.”
Nice. The queen was mad at me, so she was taking it out on her guards. If they sprinted at full speed, they’d get to the Spring Court Palace in about six hours and fifteen minutes. The only other way into her territory was through a fae portal. So, the queen was basically telling them they should go around knocking on doors, asking to be let into random fae homes.
The princes nodded to her demands. They didn’t have much of a choice.
“Hey, Mother,” I said with an exaggerated wink. “Spring’s name is actually Naveen. You named him after you birthed him, or so the story goes.” I didn’t actually know Winter’s or Autumn’s names, as everyone was required to call them by their court, as if they were no longer fae but consumed entirely by the role they played for my mother.
Summer’s name I knew, but only because he was also my half-brother, a fact that provided an extra cringe every time I caught my mother staring too long at the Summer prince. Forever rejected by my father for being the conniving, self-serving narcissist she was, my mother was looking for the next best thing—his son, Marius, Prince of Summer. She wouldn’t dare cross the line, not with Oberon’s cherished son, but every time I caught her looking at my half-brother, vomit threatened to surge up my throat.
Marius took the long route out of the room, clapping me on the shoulder as he passed and giving me a warm smile. The queen waited by the door until Marius pulled it open and ushered her out, moving close to her side, his hand over the hilt of his sword.
“She does that so Summer will have to guard her with his body,” Naveen said, his eyes lighting with humor. “Material for her filthy dreams.”
Filthy Fae: A Dirty Alphas Novel (Heartland Forest Book 2) Page 3
