by Theda Vallee
I willed myself to relax and gave him a weary smile. “I’m exhausted. It’s been a long evening. Can’t this wait until tomorrow?”
“Be there in thirty minutes. If I have to come looking for you, you’ll regret it,” he said with a grimace.
Great, he’d graduated to making threats in the open now. The way his jaw twitched when he looked at us, I had a feeling he would explode like Mount Vesuvius once he got us alone. My anxiety levels jumped up another notch. He would grill us about where we’d been. There was no telling what he’d do if he didn’t believe us. At least I’d have Brady and Vee there if he reverted to an insane caveman again.
I followed Brady to his SUV. Vee trailed behind making small clucking sounds. If she was unnerved, I had no idea how I was supposed to keep my composure. We were so screwed.
Brady tapped his fingers against the steering wheel as we headed out of the parking lot. “All right, my little chickadees, I can feel your angst sucking the air out of the car. Everyone needs to relax. Luc will blow off some steam, and then everything will be fine. I promise.”
“You don’t understand how angry he was when he showed up at my house,” I said, shaking my head in disagreement. “He grabbed me and shook me. My family had to jump in to stop him.”
“What do you mean he shook you? I’ve known Luc most of my life. He’s a grumpy asshole, but he’s not abusive.”
“I mean he fucking dug his hands into my upper arms so hard that I have bruises. After that, he shook me like a fucking rag doll. I’m not exaggerating here. I’m afraid of him right now.”
Vee’s hand reached between the seats and rested on my shoulder. She sent waves of comfort rippling through me. “Etta is not conflating this. He attacked her. That does not bode well. The pressure from his father and other council members will not benefit us.”
Despite the soothing touch of Vee, a fresh wave of fear washed over me. How did we contend with a wrathful Luc while keeping our secret? How the hell was I going to pretend to be his dedicated girlfriend when the sight of him made my stomach turn?
“Look, I’m not going to defend him putting his hands on you, but he’s taken care of me for years. Being a gay fae doesn’t exactly open doors for you in our world. The Osservatori doesn’t have an anti-discrimination policy. He has gone out of his way to stop anyone who ever started shit with me. I’m on his team because he wanted me. No other team would take me. Before Easton joined us, he sat him down and told him he wouldn’t tolerate any of that homophobic shit the Fae are infamous for. Whatever happened between you tonight, I think you need to give him some leeway. It’s not like him,” Brady said, turning towards me as we came to a red light. “I know it’s asking a lot, but I owe him the benefit of the doubt, even if he’s being a cock.”
I closed my eyes and slowly counted to ten. If I didn’t, we might never repair our friendship. “Brady, I love you, but something is really wrong with Luc. Never, under any circumstances, is what he did okay. If we weren’t already knee-deep in a shit storm, I’d dump his ass and take my chances with another team. You can’t defend his actions because that’s condoning it. Friend or not, he has no right to fucking touch me like that.”
“Etta, you can’t ask me to choose sides,” Brady whispered.
“I’m not asking you to choose sides,” I said, slamming my hand against the glove box. “I’m telling you to be strong enough to call out shit when it’s wrong. You’ve spent your whole life fighting to be who you are. Well, guess what? So am I. I’m trying to live through this, and an abusive boyfriend who is my boss won’t help my chances. If the people who can help me turn a blind eye, I won’t survive this.”
“We both know that you’re prone to being a bit overdramatic and self-absorbed. I get it. He was a little handsy. That doesn’t mean everyone’s out to get you.”
“Fuck you, Brady. I know my flaws. Yes, I get stuck in my head and make everything about me. It’s kind of hard not to when the whole fucking world seems out to get you!” I yelled at him, my voice trembling with anger and hurt. “Why is it okay to betray your best friend for the queens but not for me?”
“I will not let harm come to you, Etta,” Vee said, leaning forward to look at me. Her face was a mask of ferocity as she reached for my hand. “Whatever happens. Whatever the consequence, I will protect you as you’ve protected others.”
Tears welled up in my eyes as I looked at the water sprite. Her quiet courage hid so much. She was an afterthought for me half the time. How had I missed the loyal and kind friend that she was? “Same. I will never let anyone hurt you if it’s in my power to stop it. You’re my honorary sister.”
A broad grin spread across her lips, exposing razor-sharp teeth. A few months ago, I’d been terrified every time she smiled. Her ability to make me spew out my internal thoughts made me hesitant to get close to her. Now I just saw the beautiful blue sprite who was one of the first friends I’d ever had outside my family.
Brady stayed silent, his eyes straight ahead as we pulled into the driveway of the beach house. As pissed as I was, my heart ached for him. Luc had been his best friend for a long time. It isn’t easy when someone you trust turns into a total twat bucket. It chips away at your faith in people, and you never get that piece back. You just learn to live without it.
“Sit down,” Luc demanded as we entered the sunken living room. “Do you three want to tell me why I couldn’t find you today?”
I shoved the nervous energy down to keep my leg from bouncing. We had to show a unified front—no chips in our armor. “You found me sleeping in my room. I think it’s obvious that I was napping like I said.”
Luc paced back and forth in front of us, his muscles flexing under his jeans with each step. He reminded me of a predator pacing back and forth in its cage. You were always uncomfortably aware that it would kill you without a second thought if there weren’t glass between you.
“I told you I was hooking up with a guy I met. It’s bad timing, but I mean, I do it all the time,” Brady said, shrugging his shoulders like he didn’t have a care in the world.
“All the time?” I asked, turning to look at him. He was always disappearing.
He laughed at me without a hint of embarrassment. “I’m fae. We’re a very horny bunch.”
“You two think this is a fucking joke?” Luc shouted. He stopped his pacing and stood staring at us, the rage pulsing from him in violent waves. “Vee, do your job. I want the truth.”
My stomach dropped to the floor. If Vee opened her magic on us, there’d be nothing we could do. I’d built up an immunity to her presence, but I’d be powerless if she opened up the floodgates.
“That is against the rules. I am only legally allowed to use my full powers in a controlled environment and–”
“I don’t give a shit, Vellamo! I’m the leader of this team, and you will do it now,” Luc said, cutting Vee off.
Vee calmly folded her hands on her lap. She sat on the edge of the couch next to me with her back straight. Lifting her chin, she leveled her fathomless eyes on Luc and said, “You cannot force me to break protocol.”
Luc lunged at her, his hand wrapping around her arm. I could see magic pulsing out of him as he used it to lift Vee effortlessly from the couch.
Without thinking, I jumped up, letting my magic surge through my body. Stella was ready to fight without being asked. She’d felt the influx of adrenaline and knew what that meant. It was great progress for us, but now was probably not the time to celebrate.
“Let go of her,” I demanded letting a spark of electricity dance on my hand. I wanted him to see I meant business.
“Or what? You’ll zap me? Do you realize how close you are to being deemed a liability? Let loose on me, and they’ll put you down like a dog,” Luc said.
The vehemence in his voice shocked me. He’d always been moody, but he’d seemed to genuinely love and care for all of us. Something wasn’t right.
“Put her down. I don’t want to hurt you,” I said
as steadily as possible. My legs were shaking, but my voice was firm.
To my surprise, he dropped her, laughing as she stumbled away from him. “Is that what you wanted?”
“Thank you. Now please, sit down. We can relax and talk about this. No one here has done anything wrong,” I said, keeping my magic ready just in case.
His hand arched through the air, landing across my cheek in reply. The impact sent my head careening to the left with a snap. I floundered as the blow almost knocked me off of my feet. With a great deal of effort, I kept my balance and moved out of his reach before he could do it again. Gingerly I prodded my cheek, wincing as my fingers touched the swelling that had already started. The tang of blood spread across my tongue, oozing out of a cut on my lip.
I stared at him as a million little moments ran through my mind. Had everything been leading to this? Was there some sign I’d missed? Every interaction we’d ever had replayed as I tried to understand how he could hit me. He loved me, right?
Stella flailed inside me, working to drive our magic into a frenzy. She wasn’t confused. I was heartbroken by his behavior, but she was steeped in fury. If I let her loose, there’d be no way to control the intent. She’d light this place up like an exploding firework factory.
Luc’s anger contorted his usually handsome features as he stepped towards me. I wheeled backward, desperate to keep him from connecting. Under my breath, I mumbled the name of every pasta I could remember. When I was in grade school, it was a trick I used to keep from peeing my pants when my second-grade teacher wouldn’t let me use the bathroom. My panicked brain was hoping it would be enough to keep me from magic bombing his ass.
Before he could reach me, vines snaked around his body, encircling him. They entangled his feet running up his torso. The spikey plant wound up until it was pinning his arms against his body.
“Really, Brady? You’re binding me? You’ll have to let me loose, eventually,” Luc growled.
Vee walked up to him and held her hand out, sealing his eyes and mouth shut. “There. Now we can think without listening to him rant.”
“Let me see your face,” Brady said.
I stood still as he turned my face to get a better look. He closed his eyes, taking a deep, pained breath. Wrapping his arms around me, he pulled me tight, holding onto me with trembling arms. “I’m sorry I defended him earlier. I never thought he’d be capable of this. I thought you were exaggerating. I didn’t want to believe it,” Brady said releasing me.
“Vee? Are you okay?” I asked over his shoulder.
“Yes, I am all right. Something is not sitting well with me, though. This is not normal behavior,” Vee said her hands on her hips as she chewed her lip in thought.
She was right. While he and I had problems getting along, it was because he was controlling. He was used to being the boss and didn’t know how to shut that off when we were alone. That didn’t work for me, but it was a far cry from physical abuse.
“Maybe we should have Nerina come over and see if she can find any traces of a spell on him,” I said.
Stella didn’t like that answer. She wanted to fry him to a crisp.
I get it. He hit us. You want revenge, but something isn’t right. Besides, we can’t go around incinerating everyone who hurts us. We allow everyone due process. We aren’t murderers. Calm your magical tits!
“Etta, why are your lips moving like you’re talking to yourself?” Brady asked. “He hit you hard. Do you need to sit down?”
I shook my head, smiling at him. “No. I was talking to Stella. She’s feeling a wee bit ragey right now.”
Brady nodded. “Call over your little sister. Let’s pray there’s a spell on him. If there isn’t, we’re all going to need to get used to life on the run before he gets loose.”
Chapter Fifteen
“Oh, my God. Did you kill him?” Nerina asked as she stepped into the living room. “What happened to your face?”
“If she didn’t kill him and he did that, I’m about to skin him alive right fucking now,” Gia said, striding across the room with a murderous look in her eye.
Brady blocked her path before she could reach Luc. “All right, Xena, calm down. Yes, he did that, but we think he might be cursed. We need Nerina to look. While we can all agree he’s an ass, he’s never shown violent tendencies.”
Nerina dropped her bag on the couch and began rifling through it. She pulled out the box she kept all of her tools in and set it on the table. “I need basil. I was out. Do you think there’s some in the kitchen?”
“You guys are Italian. How do you run out of basil?” Brady asked, chuckling under his breath.
“That’s not funny,” I said, sticking my tongue out at him. “Yes, there’s basil. I’ll get it.”
I ran up the stairs from the sunken living room and headed over to the walk-in pantry. Calling it a pantry was an understatement. It was huge for a room dedicated to just holding food. Shelves lined the walls holding every type of household staple imaginable. Luc had groceries delivered every week, so the shelves were full no matter how much he used. I’d smuggled toilet paper out a few times when I’d been too lazy to stop at the store on the way home. Okay, and maybe a few packages of Oreos made their way back with me, too. It’s not like anyone noticed the missing food.
The spice shelf was towards the back, which was inherently stupid. When you were in the middle of cooking, no one had time to run to the end of the room to get the seasonings. Luc was a firm believer in gathering all the ingredients before he started cooking, but he was a control freak. The rest of the world, or at least the world as I knew it, liked to wing it in the kitchen. What was the point of cooking if you couldn’t shake up the flavors a little?
I stood in front of the shelf, trying to find the basil. There were so many spices on the shelf it was impossible to find anything. I bet Luc hadn’t even used half of these.
“Those are spices. Does that clear up the confusion?” a voice whispered in my ear.
I spun around, letting out a pathetic squeak of terror. Kazimir stood behind me with a shit-eating grin on his face.
“Etta? Is everything okay?” Gia called out.
“Yup, thought I saw a mouse. It was just a shadow,” I answered her. “What the hell are you doing here? It’s not safe for you to be skulking around this house.”
“I’m here to protect my investment. I felt your fear and pain,” he said, his eyes narrowing as he noticed my face. “Who did this? I hope you left them dead.”
I looked away, not wanting to admit that I hadn’t done a damn thing. Shame burned in the back of my throat. Instead of fighting back, I’d stood there teary-eyed, unable to move, even when he seemed like he was coming back to hit me again. Logically, I knew I had to keep Stella from exacting her revenge, but I was still ashamed of myself for letting it happen.
“What do you mean you felt my fear and pain?” I asked, trying to change the subject.
“I’d rather talk about the bruising on your face.”
I stared at him, trying to form the words. How do you tell someone ‘my boyfriend lost his shit and hit me?’ Biting the inside of my cheek, I shook my head, not able to say it out loud.
Softly, he brushed a curl from my forehead before tilting my chin up. “Let me heal you. We can’t have you walking around like that.”
His fingers delicately brushed along the bruised curve of my cheek. As he traced a path down to my jawline, warmth trailed his fingers. Gently, he ran his thumb across my lip, reminding me of the kiss we’d shared not more than a few hours ago. A kiss that had still haunted my lips.
“There. That’s much better. Now, who do I need to smite for this transgression?”
“Luc did it. We’re not sure what’s going on with him, but he attacked Vee and me.”
The façade of cocky arrogance slipped for a moment, replaced with rage. A shudder ran through his body as if he was working to control his anger. Quickly, the mask fell back into place, accompanied by a bright smi
le. “That pompous bratling has needed a comeuppance for years. It would be my pleasure to be the one to deliver it.”
“We handled it. He’s wrapped up in vines in the living room. I’m getting some herbs, so my sister can see if there are any traces of a curse on him,” I said
“I can help with that. I am the son of Morgan Le Fay. I can see magic in all its forms. It will take me but a moment to see if he’s bespelled.”
He was the bastard son of Morgan Le Fay and the Unseelie King? That was a hell of a combination. No wonder he oozed sex and snobbery. If he could see a curse by sight, it would be quicker and more accurate than anything we could do.
“He can still hear what’s happening, so we need to do this on the down-low. We also need to keep my sister from getting her feelings hurt. She’s proud of her spell work, but the quicker we can find out the better.”
“Subterfuge is my specialty, little hellcat,” he said with a slight bow.
“You’re kind of extra aren’t you?” I asked with a smirk.
He stumbled back from me, placing his hand over his heart, his face contorting into a look of outrage and pain. “Why does the lady insist on wounding me so?”
With a wink, he vanished, leaving me alone in the pantry. He was extra, but there was something slightly endearing about it. My eyes finally spied the basil, I grabbed it from the shelf, turning around just as Kazimir popped back into the room. “Oh, goodie, it wasn’t a mortal blow to your ego. Now let’s figure out how to you get out there to see if Luc is cursed.”
“It’s done,” he said with a sly grin. “The good news is, he didn’t see me. The bad news is the filth you’re dating is covered in spells. Some of them are protection spells, but there are a few nasty dark ones floating around him. Unfortunately, with that many layers I could not determine exactly what they were, but suffice to say, he is thoroughly tainted.”
