Chapter 11

Tala freezesin place as he opens the door of his fifth story walk up. For a second his purple eyes skid across all three of our faces, and then he releases a heavy sigh and steps back, swinging his arm out to begrudgingly invite us in.

I thought we were friends.

I shove that message into his face as I walk by. I didn't get his phone number the last time I saw him, so I have to improvise until I can get him added to my phone.

The lavender ropes of his long hair are tied up in a tall bun on his head, and he's wearing a thin, cherry blossom patterned kimono open over soft pink lounge pants. He shuts the door, takes my phone, and reluctantly adds his contact info even though I didn't ask.

"I didn't do anything," he announces, heading to the kitchen in the small studio apartment and pulling down four tall glasses from his cabinet.

"You haven"t done anything since the last time you did something," Bellamy corrects slowly, casually leaning on the back of Tala's navy sofa with his sword in one hand and his gun in the other.

"I haven't done anything to draw attention from the Foxilys. I learned my lesson last time," Tala responds, pulling a pitcher of tea out of the fridge and holding it up to us. "It's sweet like they make in Alabama."

I make gimme hands, and Bellamy nods his assent, putting his gun away but not the sword. Fox says and does nothing, but Tala pours for him too anyway.

"So, what do you want?" he asks after we all have our drinks. He hasn't invited us to sit, but that doesn't stop me from pulling out a chair from his two seater kitchen table. I pat the table across from me, inviting him to sit as well.

How're you doing without your pack?

It's a sore but legitimate subject. Fox and Darcy killed his entire pack, and Luna Wolves are pack-oriented as a species.

Tala reads my message, takes a minute to think about his answer, and then replies. "I'm lonely. Other packs won't have me because I'm the sole survivor of the Humphreys Massacre, and they're suspicious of my loyalties now that I don't have any bonds left. I'm not old enough to create a new pack. I'm not sure I would even if I was. The pack structure didn't work for me when I was in it, but not having the underlying connection to the pack is difficult to adjust to."

That's a lot more vulnerability and honesty than I was expecting, but I'm not going to shame a person for voicing their truths. I reach over and squeeze his hand, holding it for a moment in solidarity.

Fox lets me get away with it for about three seconds before he moves, picks me up out of my seat, and drops down with me in his lap.

That's my possessive lover for you.

I kiss his cheek since I don't want to get too distracted from Tala's needs, but Fox needs to know that his behavior is fully acceptable and not at all a red flag.

Listen, you have your green flags and I have mine. They don't always have to be the same shade. Possessive-obsessive Fox = a big green flag for me; I like it when he shows me how wanted I am. Yes, I know it's probably the result of childhood trauma, but I'm ok with that. I've worked through my issues with a therapist; what's left is just who I'm going to be for now, and I think we can all agree that I'm fabulous as is.

"So I've been staying home, minding my own business while I adjust to being so alone. It's hard, and I'm sad," Tala adds, standing up and grabbing a bottle of peach vodka from the fridge and adding a heavy pour into his sweet tea.

I slide my glass toward him and he tops my tea with a small bit of the liquor as I type out my message.

We should go on an adventure together soon. After you're done grieving your loss.

Tala reads my message on his phone. Fox watched me type it out, but Bellamy tips his wrist to read it on his watch.

"Sure. I'll let you know when I'm ready for it," he says dryly, then he takes a deep breath and looks at Bellamy for the first time. "I shouldn't have taken that contract just to fuck with you. I was flirting with you, and I regret it. If someone else puts a bounty up for you, I'll encourage my contacts not to take it."

Bellamy stares at Tala as his ears turn beet red, and he takes a drink to cover his embarrassment, sipping too aggressively and choking on his drink.

Gah, I hate that for him. He's so bad with flirting. Poor child. I'm going to have to teach him how to flirt back instead of losing his grip.

It takes him a few moments and a second drink before he clears his throat and replies. "Uh, thanks. That will probably save their lives now that my ward is back in place."

A hint of the Luna Wolf who laughed at me when I landed face first in mud and stole two of Fox's kills right out from under him peeks out at Bellamy's reaction. He smirks, but it fades and then disappears altogether, and he gulps down the last of his tea.

I frown because I get it. He's been through a lot, and his life is drastically different than it's been since he was born. It's a burden that he'll have to grow strong enough to carry. He'll eventually get his swagger back. I believe in that. And when he does, I'm going to be here for him. I think he's going to be part of my family eventually. There's a bond between us. It's not ripe yet, but he belongs with us somehow.

"Are you going to tell me why you're here now?" he asks, refilling his glass with mostly peach vodka and a splash of sweet tea.

I shake my head. Just checking up on you.

My gut tells me he's not the person we're looking for, so I send him another question and follow it up with some friendly chit chat. I finish my hard tea, Fox doesn't touch his, and Bellamy drains his glass, then we leave. Tala isn't the next Avatar if my gut is to be trusted, but it was interesting to catch up with him.

It'ssurreal being back in Modesto. Last time we were in this part of California, we literally went on a murder spree. Since then, I've heard from Modestonians(?) that it actually made a lot of sense that Modesto needed a deep clean, but honestly, that still surprises me. It just has this All-American vibe, you know? Maybe that's just an outsider's perspective and things are a bit grimier from the perspective of a resident.

"I honestly thought Gaanbatar killed her," Bellamy drawls as he pushes the doorbell of a mid-sized home with a manicured garden and a porch with hanging flowering plants and a swing.

Hassan makes a disgusted noise. "Gaanbatar decided to wait until Edovard needed that to happen rather than doing so preemptively."

I asked Edovard if I could borrow Hassan to make a few portals for us over the next few days, and because Edovard was very excited that we wanted to spend time with his boyfriend, Hassan agreed to help. Why yes, I did emotionally blackmail him with his love for my son, and if a father can't do that, then what's even the point of being an in-law?

Hmmm. I might have to rethink that philosophy; I wouldn't want Tag doing that to me… buuuut, then again, I could probably do it right back, and as long as everyone knows what's happening then it's probably fine.

Hassan didn't say no, and he definitely knew what I was doing when I went straight to my pupper.

The door opens and a statuesque woman with long red and gold box braids wearing a red pantsuit and a frown opens the door. Her face looks like it was done by a makeup artist, and her nails clack on the door frame as she grabs it to unconsciously block us from entering uninvited.

"May I help you?" Manon Folange asks icily.

Edovard wasn't kidding when he said his sister had no love in her. Even I'm getting that impression, and I can't see auras like he does.

I have a text prepared, and I let RoboRom read it instead of letting her have access to my phone. "I'm Romily Butcher, this is my fiancé, Arlington Fox, and his Acolyte, Bellamy Jones. Our friend is Hassan Su; he's your brother's boyfriend."

Manon grows colder. She's definitely not a part of my family, and she is not the next avatar of anything. I don't even think she'd make a good Avatar of Evil.

She sneers at me, looking at my phone with disgust. "I was told I don't have a brother, and to be honest, it's for the best. I like to surround myself with people of a certain… quality."

Oh, the insinuation that Edovard isn't good enough for her. I don't often hate people on sight, but here we are.

She looks at us like we're dirtying her porch by standing on it. "Why are you here?"

Bellamy, my good and perfect son, steps up, pushes her into the house, and follows her inside, shutting the rest of us out.

I look at Hassan, who frowns before turning away with a nod of approval. Ok, that's not—um…

I turn to Fox, who's on his tiptoes peering into the transom at the top of the door. He doesn't look bothered that Bellamy is inside alone with a woman he thinks doesn't deserve to live. Our son killed a councilor for calling our pupper stupid, and Edovard's sister has done so much worse to him.

I'm pretty sure Bellamy's doing what Gaanbatar decided not to do…

OMIGOD.

I slap Fox's ass to get his attention, and then squeeze it for good measure, since I love this ass.

He turns, dropping to his heels. "Yes."

I love that the answer is yes even if he doesn't know the question. I wasn't projecting, though I guess it's possible that he was paying attention anyway.

Edovard thinks Gaanbatar is part of our family! He could be the next Avatar of Neutrality. Or he might be an Arbiter. I haven't even met him. I totally forgot about him because he's not in my circle. He's in Edovard's!

Fox considers that for a moment, dipping his chin in agreement when he decides I might be right. He and I both look at Hassan, who stares stoically at us.

"We need to go to Gaanbatar next," Fox informs him neutrally.

"You can't have Santanos's assassin," Hassan denies immediately.

I exaggerate a frown at him and send him a text message. Edovard thinks he's part of our family. I'm not taking him away. I'm adding him.

Hassan's not falling for it when Edovard isn't actually here with his big puppy-dog eyes. "Edovard says the minions are part of our family. Gaanbatar is ours, not yours."

He can still be yours. We just need to meet him. He's the next person on the list. That's a lie, but since my voice can't give me away, Hassan doesn't know if it's true or not. Benefits of being mute: along with winning every silent game, my voice can't give me away.

My face is a completely different matter, but I'm a child of the system; lying is a skill I learned young.

Hassan stares at me, face unreadable, and then he clicks his tongue. "Tch."

I win.

What is taking Bellamy so long?

I must think that really loudly because Fox looks through the transom again, and curiosity must get the best of Hassan because he does too.

The door's not locked, but they're respecting Bellamy's choice to deal with Manon alone.

Personally, I probably wouldn't kill her. She can't do anything to Edovard now, and Gaanbatar got back all the things that Edovard wanted from inside this house. There's no reason to end her life now. It's not going to make an example of her, and she hasn't had any contact with Edovard since he joined our family. Bellamy probably just needs a more concrete resolution than I do, and I respect that. It's not really fair of me to judge him when he's a fully trained career assassin. That's who he is, and I chose to love the person he is when I chose to adopt him. In this family we take people as they are without any ulterior motives like trying to change someone to fit into a box that wasn't made for them.

Both Fox and Hassan flinch at the same time.

I don't think I want to know. They're not rushing in there to save Bellamy, so I assume he's fine, and that's all I need.

I wander off the porch, perusing the garden. It's pretty, well kept, and the gate to the back is wide open, so I stroll back there. The back garden is even prettier than the front. Huge trees line the yard on either side, and between them, it's a haven of beauty with a flowering garden that…

Wait a fucking minute. It's September, and yes we haven't officially gotten to fall yet, but it's late summer. This looks like a spring garden. What the hell is going on here?

An insect buzzes by my ear, but I've learned not to slap at things I can't see. Gargoyles look like bats to me when they're not in their stone form, and I don't want to accidentally hit any of them, so I've learned to just ignore the buzzing.

I walk down the grassy path, studying the out of season blooms, surrounded by buzzing insects, except I don't actually see any buzzing insects. There's plenty of buzzing, but I don't see any bees or flies or dragonflies or anything on the flowers themselves. All the buzzing, none of the bugs. What is going on?

I stop in the middle of the garden and turn, looking around in confusion. Buzzing but no bugs. And the things buzzing are definitely flying around my head. I can hear them as they pass.

I take a deep breath and think really loudly to Fox. The garden is in bloom and things are buzzing around my head, but there aren't any insects here.

Less than thirty seconds later, Fox stalks through the back gate into the garden. He stops three paces in and a look of horror creases his brows. Not an exaggerated expression, but the subtle change in his face makes me freeze.

"Don't touch anything. Look at me. Don't look anywhere but at me, Romily. Walk straight back to me. Don't do anything else. Just walk in a straight line back to me."

I've never heard fear in Fox's voice like that. Anger, yes, when Bellamy was taken. Rage when he was standing in front of the council. Fear? Never.

I stare at him, heart pounding in my chest like a jackhammer, and walk toward him. I don't glimpse sideways. I ignore the buzzing around my ears. I'm only a few meters from him, it's a quick walk, but somehow not. Somehow I take a step toward Fox and he doesn't get closer. Somehow I walk for five full minutes, staring at the love of my life, and he never. Gets. Closer.

I'm not stupid. I read extensively. I know the mythology that people base their stories in. Somehow, I've wandered into a fae trap. I know it.

Fox beckons to me. "You can do it. You're getting closer. Keep walking. Just look at me. I'm right here. Believe that, Romily. I'm right. Here."

He's right there. If I could reach out, I would be in his arms in two seconds. He's right there. Right. There—

"Gotcha!" the whispered voice right in my ear startles me, and I smack at it, hitting something away from my ear.

I glimpse Fox's eyes widening just before something hits me from the side, pushing me into the bushes. I stumble off the path and fall face first onto the ground, scrambling back to my feet.

Shit.

The sky's orange red, and not because the sun is setting. The plants around me have changed. They're different, more vibrant and alive, but ominous and moving closer.

I turn in a circle, looking for Fox, but the path that brought me here is closed, and instead of my fiancé, I find a purple elf grinning at me like I'm the most delicious thing they've ever seen.

Fuck.