16. Barroom Brawl

CLOVER

“Kushy tushy?”

Is he here for me?

He looks different. His pupils have become narrow slits, and the iris is glowing red. He looks crazed. It’s only been a few hours, right? What happened? Despite his manic expression, his suit is crisp, clean, and perfect. He has changed clothes since I saw him last. Now he’s wearing an all-black suit with a red tie that matches his crimson eyes. Eyes that find me instantly. My heart feels like it’s stuck in my throat.

I step forward, but then remember his cold words on the phone. I will lock her up if I have to. I shuffle closer to Fitz, unsure of what to do. Aldrich’s hand finds the small of my back and rubs, a soothing comfort to the rising turmoil I feel in my gut.

“You traitorous thieves,” Kushim declares, glaring at Fitz and all the other bikers as he steps closer.

Each of his footsteps echoes loudly in the tense and silent room. The guys in the room shuffle a bit, their muscles tensing for a fight even as they give each other confused glances.

“Return what’s mine,” he demands, eyes flashing.

Mike speaks up. “Hold on there. I think there’s been some confusion. We have no intention of taking anything from you outside of what we’re owed for the trade.”

He moves slowly towards us, his eyes focused solely on me. “You should have thought about that before you touched her.” He moves before anyone can react, blurring behind Fitz and lifting me up into the air. He cradles me princess-style and starts walking towards the door. I hear a clash behind me, then Fitz lets out an angry bellow.

Once my brain catches up to me, I smack at Kushims shoulder. “Hey! Kidnapping is not very nice!” I try to turn my head to see the commotion behind me, but I just see a poof of white and did something neigh? Is there a horse in the bar?

Kushim doesn’t pause as he continues walking to the door. “I agree, sweetness, and I promise I’ll never let anyone kidnap you again.”

“What?” I am—oh… right.

“I just about destroyed my new casino when I couldn’t find you. I am so glad you’re all right,” he says, squishing me a bit more to his chest.

“Kushy, I wasn’t kidnapped,” I say, looking up at him.

He stops moving at that and looks down at me. Various emotions cross over his face, but the one that stays is hurt. And my tummy sours at that look.

“There was a note that said sorry, I don’t want to be kidnapped , with your signature. I scoured the city for you once I found it.”

I place my hand on his cheek. “Yes, I wrote it.”

My poor Kushy looks so confused as he says, “Why?”

“‘Cause I didn’t want to be rude after the amazing sex, but I don’t want to be locked up.”

His brows furrow, then understanding dawns on his face. “Sweetness, I didn’t mean it like that.”

Someone I can’t see because of Kushim’s chest yells, “I told you she left on her own, Boss. Is that a fucking Uni—Ooof!”

Something thuds, then a large something else flies by us in my peripheral. Kushim swirls us sideways to avoid it. A moment later, a Bang! echoes through the bar like something has smacked into a wall.

He focuses my attention back on him by squeezing me tighter. I push at him, and he slowly places me down, still holding my hands.

“You said you didn’t believe me.”

“No sweetness, I know you truly believe what you say.”

“Then why won’t you help me?”

“I will help you. I think you might just need a different kind of help.” He’s looking at me like I’ve stabbed him, and I feel like ice is forming over my heart.

“Hurts,” I say, pulling my hands free and stepping back as I shake my head. “I don’t want that. You not believing me hurts, but I know it’s a big ask, so it’s okay; you don’t have to come. I’m happy with the time we got to have together.” I shift from foot to foot. I can’t bear to look at him. I think I’ll cry if he says goodbye.

“No, sweetness. I?—”

Aldrich is suddenly in between us, his arms wrapping around me. “You don’t need the selfish demon bastard. You have me, remember?”

A very naked Fitz grabs my arm and shuffles me and Aldrich behind him.

“Let her go.”Kushim’s voice sounds icy.

I don’t want them to fight.

“Fuck you,” is all Fitz says before he is suddenly charging Kushim.

“Fuck him up, Fitz!” Mip shouts from somewhere in the room.

Kushim dodges casually, then narrows his eyes at my Fitzy. Something very, very bad is about to happen if I don’t intervene. I don’t want either of my guys to get hurt.

I try to pull free of Aldrich but just end up stumbling both of us between Kushim and Fitz.

“Step aside, sweetness, this is between us,” Kushim tells me.

“Get the fuck away from my mate!” Fitz yells.

“Your mate? She is mine,” Kushim bellows.

He catches Fitz’s swinging fist, then throws out one of his own; the impact of the two of them sends out a small blast that has Aldrich and me stumbling backward.

Aldrich twists us so I land atop him as we crash into a stool. It crumbles and splinters on the floor. He holds me for a moment before looking at the chair in surprise. “I think I broke that.”

“Yes, you did. Are you okay?”

“More than okay, love,” he says with a smile that looks like someone just gave him free pumpkin spice lattes. Does he like breaking chairs as much as I do lattes?

He helps me to my feet, then bends over and grabs a part of the splintered chair leg and throws it like a javelin at Kushy. I gasp, fear roiling in my gut. But before the wood can reach Kushim, it fades to gray, then darker before it disintegrates to dust. I blink a few times, unsure of what I just saw.

Kushim looks wide-eyed at me. Aldrich uses the surprise to launch a bunch of cheesy fries off the bar at his head. This one lands, and Kushim looks down at his now stained suit, then proceeds to glare around the room.

“Who has telekinesis? Stop hiding, you coward.”

More food flies at Kushim, but this time he’s ready. It all ages rapidly, becoming nothing before it can touch him.

Mip gives a whoop as Aldrich runs around the room laughing maniacally as he chucks tables, chairs, food, liquor, someone’s panties, anything and everything he can find. Poor Kushim is getting angrier by the minute. He glares at Fitzy and the few remaining club members who didn’t run out when the guys started fighting.

Suddenly, an all-out brawl ensues. Aldrich, Kushim, and Fitzroy are all throwing punches, items, and objects. Mip is now on Lenny’s shoulder, hollering directions at Aldrich and Fitzroy.

Some of the men in the club are fighting the curly-haired dude Kushy came with, and some are even fighting with each other.

My heart rate spikes as the worry begins to become an ache in my bones that turns to a hum under my skin. The world gets a bit wobbly, and I panic. My magic. It’s my magic. No, no, no. Stop, bad magic, bad magic. It just hums and crackles through the air.

A swirling circle suddenly starts expanding in the center of the room. And a black foggy goo starts creeping out.

A poor biker man gets pushed towards it by the Mike guy, and in seconds he goes pale, like the life gets drained from him. His cheeks sink in, and his eyes go hollow.

He gets out a wheezy, “Help.”

Surreal horror fills me as I watch helplessly. I did this. Me.

His hand reaches toward the others.

One of the bikers yells, “Rubble!”

Then he’s gone, engulfed in more black fog.

I hear three echoing fearful yells of, “Clover!” but I’m too busy trying to undo whatever I did.

“I’m so sorry! Oh my god! Bad magic, bad magic. Close, please! Oh no.” I seem to only be making it wider.

A shadowy, long-fingered hand grasps the edge of the portal. Its ominous, glowing hollow mouth forms a terrifying grin aimed right in my direction, as if it can sense me.

“No! No! What do I do?!”

I try to rein in the magic, but it’s like trying to untangle a whole ball of yarn. You can see one end, but the other is lost in the massive swirl of threads. The more I tug on it, the more tangled up it gets, expanding out and making that other end impossible to find.

Aldrich reaches me first. His comforting hand clasps my waist and pulls me into his chest.

“Breathe. You can do this,” he whispers in my ear.

And I try. Sweat forms on my brow, and shivers wrack my body as the magic just continues to grow.

“I’m sorry,” I cry out.

The world rapidly shifts between this one and the other one.

Kushim’s firm hand grabs my left shoulder, and Fitzroy grabs my right hand, both attempting to shuffle me away from the portal of doom I just accidentally brought into the world during a bar fight.

The moment their skin touches mine, the magic thread shimmers in my mind, and I yank. It pulls taut, and the portal snaps shut. An unnatural, eerie wail echoes through the room. And everyone shuffles back from a black goo that seems to seep into the floor.

“Well, that was horrible,” I say.

After a pause, a few chuckles break out, and Aldrich releases a heavy breath of relief. “I am glad you are all right, sunshine.” He lets me go and kisses my cheek.

Kushim looks at the goo quizzically, then back at me. “A witch who can make portals to other realms.” He seems to say it more to himself than to me. Then he frowns. “Are you all right?”

Fitz checks me from head to toe, then kisses me before turning back towards Kushim. “Where were we?” He shakes out his hands, then cracks his knuckles.

“No, I’m done fighting with you, pony boy. I’ve lost my ire,” Kushim says calmly.

Fitz cracks his neck at that statement, and his nostrils flare.

Kushim looks at me nervously. “I am so sorry, Clover. I never should have questioned you. I just… I’ve been alive a very, very long time. And sometimes I forget that I don’t know everything. You might have to remind me over the years.”

“You made that sound like you’re staying with me.”

“Of course I am. Even if you said no before, I would have stayed around you, sweetness.Even if you tried to push me away, I don’t think I could have gone. I am quite certain I have completely fallen for you.” He tucks a lock of hair behind my ear. “I put my business at risk when I found you gone. I’m starting to worry I’d be a hazard to my employees’ wellbeing if I’m away from you for too long.”

“I am coming as well.” Fitz grunts, edging Kushim, who rolls his eyes, aside. My men seem very bossy, it’s cute. “I just need to tell Mike. I’m taking two weeks off, anyway, ‘cause my bike’s busted up.”

“I am right here. And that’s fine. Just help me with the paperwork before you go. Tank can handle your shit,” Mike grumbles as he tears off his shirt and holds it to a cut on his upper arm. He looks down at the floor that is currently changing colors around where the goo is. “Hey, before you three lovebirds leave, can you do the disintegrate thingy on the goo?” Mike asks Kushim.

“That power doesn’t work on things with a soul. As I can’t age a soul to nothingness… Well, I can… but it’s a timeless existence. The soul continues on even after the body is gone. And that thing is, or was, once part of a soul,” Kushim informs him. “But you have someone who can probably deal with that, don’t you?” He looks at Lenny, lifting a brow.

Lenny huffs. “Just get out of my bar. Leave the lad. He can clean up,” Lenny says, nodding at the curly-haired guy currently lying on a table.

“Don’t worry ‘bout me, Boss. Imma just rest a bit,” the man says, waving an arm weakly in the air.

Kushim nods. “Give him the bill after you’re finished. My assistant will make sure the damages are covered.”

Lenny jerks his head, and he and Mike start ordering people to clean up.

“Just wait till I show you guys Suisy. You are gonna love her!” I tell them.

“The demon rides on the roof,” Mip says, teleporting to my shoulder.

“So I didn’t imagine you talking to a doll,” Kushim says, quirking his eyebrow at me. “I just thought your delusions were rubbing off on me when I heard it speak.”

“We could just tie him to the bumper and drag him behind us.” Mip crosses his little arms and glares at the demon.

“I vote we do that,” Aldrich says, and Mip teleports back to the Fae's shoulder.

“Can the doll fly?” Fitz asks.

“No, the doll cannot fly. The doll is sitting on his current favorite of Clover’s mates,” Mip says. “Although, you’re in the running for top spot, corny boy.”

“Hey!” Aldrich says, and I smile. A girl could get used to this.