Episode Eighty-One

WE ALWAYS HAVE A CHOICE

brAN

Mouse's eyes fly open and she bolts upright. "Are you proposing to me?"

"Yes. Was I not clear enough?"

She huffs and yanks her foot from my grip and folds her legs beneath her. She's still naked and her tits bounce as she gets herself upright. I can still smell my cum leaking out of her, just the way I like her.

"Are you insane?" Her nose wrinkles up in that adorable little angry way I love.

"Marrying you before the prince is not illogical, it's not foolish. So no, not insane."

"Okay, reckless ."

I won't argue that point. It is reckless. But I've never loved anything enough to want to keep it for eternity. At least not anyone beyond my family.

And the thought of losing Mouse causes me physical pain.

I will stand in front of fire or arrow or stake for her.

I will face down an entire fae court to defend what is mine.

I love her. My little mouse.

And I will do whatever it takes to keep her by my side.

"The fae are ridiculously traditional," I explain. "They have to respect a marriage contract, regardless of whether or not they agree with it. It's practically written in their codex."

"Contract? I'm not an acre of land!"

"Mouse," I say.

A car drives past the house, the headlights sweeping through my front window sending a block of sharp light across Mouse. There is frustration pinched between her dark brows.

"No," she says, and then swallows hard. "I want to do this my way."

Panic festers in my chest, but I push it down deep.

I know she doesn't want to marry the fae prince. But her wants will mean nothing if they sweep her into their fold and drag her to the altar before I can stop them.

I don't like variables I cannot control.

"And what is your way, little mouse?" I ask her, keeping my voice even. I can't be angry with her. I can't even be disappointed. I know how badly she wants full agency in her own life.

Even if I fucking hate it.

"We go to Rita, we do the unbinding and see if she can get this collar off my neck." She gives the metal a yank, but it's held fast by some kind of fae magic. "And maybe she can help us gain an edge over the fae. If she can, we can return to the fae realm with a weapon and a plan."

"We should take Baspin too," I add.

Mouse frowns at me, then grabs her clothes, pulling them back on, much to my disappointment. I could stare at her naked body all day long.

"Do you really think we can trust him?" she asks.

"He has followed through on his promises so far."

She stands up and shimmies into her pants. "I don't want to take him to Rita's."

"Fair enough."

"But when we return to the fae realm, maybe it would be good to have someone who's familiar with the place. I'm not sure which side Arion is on. I don't know if I can trust him yet."

"Why is that even a question?" I stand beside her, towering over her and she has to crane her neck to meet my eyes.

"Because he's my brother."

The reveal takes me by surprise. "Really? Did he tell you that?"

"He did." She smooths over her just-fucked hair. "And apparently he was the one who killed our mother."

"Wow. Have to give the prick points for style."

Mouse scowls. "It's disgusting." She thinks for a second. "But it's probably more complicated than I'm giving him credit for. The Summer Queen ordered it and I don't think Arion felt he had a choice."

"We always have a choice."

She nods. "Yeah, I guess you're right." Then, "Speaking of choices. What do you plan to do about the fae guards you killed? That's a huge barrier to our return to the fae realm."

"Witches," I answer. "At least one of them must know a good illusion spell. We can mask several vampires as the guards for as long as we need."

Mouse cocks her head. "I guess that sounds like a good plan."

"What do you mean? It's a brilliant fucking plan."

She rolls her eyes. "Come on. I'm going to stop at my house before we head into town. As beautiful as fae clothing is, it's not the least bit comfortable. I need some leggings if I'm going to save myself."

Twenty minutes later, we're parking outside of Rita's house. It's too late for the coffee shop and what we need her for isn't exactly for public spaces.

I text Damien our plan so he knows where to find me if he needs me. I don't get a reply from him.

At the front door of Rita's bungalow, her husband Francis is the one to greet us. He peers out at me before seeing Mouse by my side and once he does, the line of his shoulders relaxes a bit.

Francis and I have no trouble. He's mortal, easygoing, keeps to himself, but he's extremely intelligent, which means he's immediately, always on guard around me.

For the better part of his adult life, he was a civil engineer for the township south of Midnight. He'd always known about Midnight and the magic but kept his distance until he started seeing Rita. They were married in their late thirties and when Francis moved to Midnight, he became our lead civil engineer.

"I need to see Rita," Mouse says.

"She's been expecting you." Francis's gaze slides from Mouse back to me. "Vampires don't get invitations into our house. I hope you understand."

"I'm not leaving Jessie's side," I tell him. "So if you can make accommodations, I won't be an asshole about it."

Francis lifts his chin once. "Around back then. Rita will meet you in the garden."

"Thank you," Mouse says and then follows the brick pavers around the side of the house and through a gate painted black. The latch clangs loudly when Mouse let's it drop closed behind us.

Rita's garden is hidden behind a six-foot privacy fence. There is a wide range of flowers in bloom and the air is sickly sweet with their scent. In the back corner, water trickles from a fountain installed in a koi pond. String lights make an X above us. With the new moon, the lights fill the night with a golden glow.

"This is beautiful." Mouse makes a full turn.

"Jessie!" Rita calls as she exits the house through a screen door. She comes over, wrapping Jessie in a hug. "I had heard you were kidnapped to the fae realm." She pulls back and puts her hands on either side of Mouse's face. "I'm so glad you're all right."

I snort. "She's not all right. They're trying to force her to marry a fae prince and they've put a collar on her."

Mouse pulls her hair aside and Rita's gaze falls to the metal hanging from her neck.

"I see." Rita frowns. "A Prisoner's Quell?"

"You're familiar?" Mouse asks.

"I am. I removed one from a brownie many years back."

"You think you can remove this one?"

She examines it with a sweep of her fingertips. "This one looks a bit more complex, but I can try."

"Please." Mouse yanks on the metal. "This thing is already chaffing and I can't use my powers with it on."

"And I can't unbind you with it on either." Rita gestures to a circle of Adirondack chairs situated around a stone fire pit. "Sit. I'll get my bag and we'll get to work."

Mouse gets comfortable but I hate Adirondack chairs so I pace with my arms crossed.

"Will you relax?" Mouse says.

"No," I answer.

Beyond Rita's privacy fence, I hear a car pull up. From the sound of the deep tread on the tires and the churn of the engine, it's a Jeep Wrangler.

Damien?

I go to the gate and pull it back to find my brother headed my way with Kelly MacMahon right behind him.