[[Warnings still in effect]]

She heard the wonky wheel of Lauren's cage chattering as it approached in the hallway outside. Bo sat up on her knees as they rolled Lauren's cage into the hall. She looked fine, her cage cleaned and she was clothed in fresh scrubs. The Sandman's shoes clicked on the stone as he arrived with a doctor directly after Lauren. They approached the hatch through which they ritualistically prodded her for days on end.

"Dr. Lewis, we brought a doctor in to see how you're healing."

"There's no way in hell I'm letting anyone in your organization examine me," Lauren's voice came, finally.

"Don't be grouchy, Doctor. We only want to make sure that you can handle the strain."

The doctor reached into the hatch and Lauren kicked him away. "You will not touch me."

"I know this must be important to you." He ran his hand along the top of her cage. "This sense of control. Well, it's a false sense of control, Doctor. And soon you will realize we take what we want whether you want us to or not."

Bo banged on her cage. "Don't you touch her!" Her eyes glistened with her fury. She had seen too much and couldn't go on a day longer with this feeling of impotence.

The doctor jumped back.

"Don't mind her." He smiled. "Bo's a bit like a lap Chihuahua - when someone gets close she barks her fool head off but otherwise she just sits there and looks pretty."

"I will kill you!"

The Sandman laughed. "Such a delightful girl, isn't she?"

"Without inspecting the wound, I can't attest to her statement that she is healing."

"You can keep your hands to yourself."

"Am I to take this as you turning down medical care, Dr. Lewis?"

"For you to pretend that you care about my welfare is ridiculous. She's starving and where is her healthcare?"

"I'm not in the practice of feeding hungry succubae."

"And why do you insist on making her watch the surgeries?"

"She is your Weapon. Your fate is hers. And when I tire of her temper tantrums you will watch as we dine on her as well."


The door creaked as they entered Café de Paris, a cacophony of cutlery, water and wine glasses, and the full din of Fae gossip and pageantry greeting them. The Doorman approached Dyson, Tamsin, and Jonesie in a hurry

"This is my dinner rush. Come back later."

"Sorry, Sweeney Todd," Tamsin smiled, flashing her badge. "My friend Jonesie here has had some reports of unsanctioned meat being served in this establishment."

Dyson smiled at the Doorman. The diners began to chatter, dishes fell in the kitchen, and the waiters all stopped their precise and perfectly choreographed movements, grinding the entire restaurant to a halt.

"Would you keep it down," he hushed them and sequestered them by the front door. "You can't just come in here and start breaking my balls…"

"We need to see the kitchen." The Doorman looked between Tamsin and Jonesie. "Now."


Bo was on edge. People were starting to filter into the main hall, many more than usual. A hush fell over the crowd as a procession delivered Lauren's cage to the head of the room, far from Bo's watchful eyes.

"Bo?" Lauren's voice was sleepy; disoriented. What had they done to her? As she awoke the horror of her situation slipped in. "What are you doing? No!"

"Lauren?" Bo got to her knees and tried to see over the crowd that surrounded Lauren's cell. "Lauren!" Bo banged on the seemingly impervious plexi-glass wall of her cage. "Leave her alone!" She shouted, pounding harder on her confinements.

"Bo!" It was the last word she heard before the screaming started. Every hair on her body stood on end and Bo began to hyperventilate. This was not happening.But she couldn't deny the horrible reality when Lauren shrieked in pain again. Every agonizing sound she made, Bo became more enraged. Her breath came in huffing gasps as she threw herself at the side of her own cage. The plexi-glass container creaked. Again, she hurled her body at the opposite side of the cage. It made a groaning sound so she threw herself at the other side again. The screaming was so loud now, but Bo came to the realization that she was screaming, too. Hurling herself back and forth, screaming for the pain Lauren had to endure and for the inability to make it stop. Her cuts and bruises were reignited as her back smacked against the plastic barrier again and again. Bo was creating a masterful rhythm, slamming to and fro, and the cage began to rock. She had finally gotten the cage off-balance and a few more wails and it came crashing to the ground, splintering into pieces. Bo was on her feet in seconds, her eyes glowing. "Get away from her." She advanced on the crowd menacingly.

"Oh, the Weapon has finally decided to join us, ladies and gentlemen. Pay her no mind."

Nonetheless, the crowd parted as Bo approached Lauren's cage. Her eyes roved over the scene. There was a lot of blood but she was still breathing. Her wounds were deep and she was pale and sweaty.

"Get out of my way," Bo said through gritted teeth, her face red from exertion or crying, or both. "Lauren?" She shivered. "We're going to leave now and if you try to follow us you will learn your lesson painfully." She took a step forward, The Sandman put out a hand to block her.

"This is all very touching, but I'm afraid your lover is still on the menu tonight."

"Wrong answer." Bo backhanded The Sandman, who nodded at his personal security detail to intervene. Rather than wait for them to come to her, Bo charged after the men. Brandishing tazers and clubs, they came at her hard but Bo was beyond pain now. Her wounds bled beneath her shirt and not even electrocution or a savage beating would be enough to stop Bo now. She stood above the crumpled bodies of The Sandman's security team and left a trail of blood as she approached again.

"Party's over, boys!" Bo taunted. "The days of you hunting humans like trophy bucks are numbered. I'm shutting your little operation down. This will never happen again."

"Unaligned succubus," he spat. "You think you have any authority here? You're an infant. You might escape with your life, but her? We will never stop hunting. So keep dreaming, child, this is her destiny now."

Bo shoved The Sandman back from Lauren's cage and tried to open it. "Unlock it. Get her out of there."

"You do realize I can stop you whenever I want to."

"I thought this was too easy." She patted him on the cheek. "Whenever you want to show me what you've got, bring it."

"If stories of the succubus that could drain a room are to be believed, this act of yours is unconvincing."

The Ogre King moved towards Lauren's cage. "Let her out," Bo ordered.

"I've had enough of this game," The Sandman said. "It's time for you to go now." He waved a hand and the Ogre charged her.

She threw an elbow, breaking his nose and while he was bent over, groaning, she kicked him with enough force to send him stumbling to the center of the room. Standing up, he ran at her again, but she side stepped his advance and tripped him instead.

Bo dusted off her hands and approached the Ogre King again. "I'm never going to stop protecting her, you may as well do your worst because I can take out these ham-handed Ogres all day long."

"Bo…?" Lauren's voice was weak, her body still.

"I'm here." Bo yanked on the lock. She turned to The Sandman. "Let her out."

"You don't even have a weapon, why should I listen to you?"

"Buddy, I am the weapon."

"Then release her yourself." He folded his arms.

Just then, a hood covered her face from behind. Bo stumbled backwards in the dark.

"Not so powerful now, hey succubus?" He teased.

They were cuffing her and leading her somewhere, Lauren's voice called out for her again and her fear pricked Bo's skin. "Lauren!" She shouted. "Don't you touch her. Don't touch her!" Bo was incensed. She had let them get the better of her and because of that Lauren's life was at risk. They were still close, Bo could still smell Lauren. Now or never. She whipped her neck and threw the hood from her head. Eyes blue, Bo realized why her assailant had paused. They were approaching Lauren's cage again. "No!" Bo shouted.

"Get her out of here!" The Sandman commanded.

Bo's temperature began to rise, her skin crawling with heat and light, she had gone rogue, melting down as her instinct to protect Lauren reached its peak. She stumbled forward. "Lauren?" Her voice was otherworldly, and she was barely clinging to control. When no sound came she looked at the men surrounding the cage, shaking their heads.

"Perhaps this was not the right and true heir, after all." He cocked his head. "She's gone."

"Lauren!" Agony pierced the silence and blind fury crushed Bo's chest. Her eyes ignited and blue fire burned in them. She broke her bonds and her mouth opened, eyes wide as she began to draw the life force out of the room. A steady blue stream of chi fed the succubus, her wounds healing instantly. The weakest bodies began to crumple to the floor but the Sandman stood at the head of the room, head high as his chi disappeared into the ether and finally, after hundreds of years, he collapsed too.

Bo had tasted hundreds of different types of chi but this was unlike anything she had ever come across. Robust and bitter, she tasted iron and ale. Musty and old and when it hit Bo, she had to steady herself. She gasped, holding her sides and straightening as she walked toward Lauren, afraid of what she was going to find.

Her boots echoed against the stone walls as she approached the cage. With slow, methodical steps, she moved toward Lauren. Bo ripped the lock from the cage and knelt in front of the open door. She pushed Lauren's hair away from her face, sweaty and matted and leaned down to kiss her, a trail of red fortifying the doctor as she pulled away.

Lauren gasped and began to cough. Reaching into the cage, Bo pulled her into an embrace and fought the tears that pricked her eyes. "You're okay." She lifted Lauren out of the cage and began to walk toward the door, stepping over dozens of bodies as she went. Bo's bones ached again, she was so weak it was a wonder she could carry Lauren, but she was running on pure adrenaline now. Her wounds reverted, only marginally better than before, but Lauren was alive, her face pressed into Bo's neck as they made a break for freedom.

"Where do you think you're going, Succubus?" A voice came from the darkness by the stairs. Silas stepped from the shadows to block their path to the stairs.


Dyson had slipped away from Jonesie and the Doorman five minutes ago and he'd returned to the only locked door. As he tried the knob again, the Doorman skipped towards him.

"You mustn't go in there."

He swung at the Doorman, who sidestepped the intended sucker punch and Dyson's fist went through the drywall beside him. Dyson was baffled by the Doorman's speed. "Mr. Dyson, I've afforded you every courtesy and you bring your hooligan antics into my restaurant? For shame."

"You're right." Dyson's fist connected with his chin this time and dropped him. "I won't make the same mistake twice." He frisked the Doorman for the keys . A few false positives and he had the door open. A howling gust of wind screamed past him as he opened the door and he hoofed it down the stairs.

"Lauren?" Bo sniffed. "You're gonna be okay." Dyson followed the sound of her voice to the main hall. The room was full of fresh bodies, but he only smelled one type of blood and he knew who it belonged to. He scanned the room for the women. Bo was stumbling toward him, carrying Lauren.

"Bo!" He called out, his voice echoing in the once sacred hall.

"Dyson, look out!" And then he spotted Silas, running full speed towards him.

It was a vicious tackle, taking Dyson out at the knees, followed by a flurry of punches. As Silas stumbled backwards he taunted Dyson. "I was just about to rip out their throats…"

Dyson reared back. "Go now!" He yelled at Bo.

Silas gnashed his teeth and howled, his body morphing into a wolf. He took off running after Bo and Lauren, who had only just made it to the stairs. Silas leapt at the women. A blood curdling yelp filled the atrium. Dyson had changed, too and had timed his jump to intersect Silas'. The wolves hit the stone floor with a thud and began tearing each other apart.

Bo was halfway up the stairs with Lauren, but she looked back for the detective when she heard whimpering. "Dyson?"

From the shadows, Dyson emerged, naked at bloody. "He's dead." He grabbed a table cloth from a tipped table and wrapped it around his waist. "We have to get out of here. When word spreads about this many Fae deaths, we're going to have a serious PR problem."

"I'm through with these assholes," she spat. "Let them come."

"Bo…"

"One thing at a time, Dyson." They climbed the stairs slowly, Bo's fatigue causing her to stumble into the restaurant, where the diners were being treated to the full show.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Jonesie flashed his badge. "It has come to our attention that this restaurant does not conform to safe food handling and sourcing of product and is being shut down for these infractions. I apologize for the inconvenience, but do yourself a favor and go find some clean food to eat." Jonesie nodded at Dyson as he passed through the dining room.

As the restaurant began to empty, Kenzi kicked open the door to the Camaro and ran to open the door for the emerging hostages. "Holy shit! Are you guys all right?"

"A-ok, Kenz." Lauren said, though nowhere near okay.

"Yo D-man, remind me to tease you about your table cloth toga at a more appropriate time."

He smiled and shook his head.

"Keys." Bo put her hand out to Kenzi humorlessly, pained.

"Bo-Bo, why don't you let me and D-man drive you guys home?"

"Kenzi…"

"Bo?"

"I just want to get back to the clubhouse and wash this disgusting ordeal away."

"You can do whatever you need to do in the back seat and I swear, I won't even let Dyson watch in the rearview."

Lauren's hand covered Bo's wrist. "Thank you," she said to Kenzi.

Kenzi smiled at Lauren. "Hey Doc." It was forced, but she was at a loss for words. After all, what did you say to someone who was tortured for a week and survived the ordeal with the quiet demeanor that Lauren still possessed? She'd figure it out on the way home.


Bo's boots clunked along the floorboards like a cowboy's in an empty saloon as she walked to Lauren's side. She sat on the edge of the bed. Her hand pressed against Lauren's forehead before peeking underneath the duvet at the space where a wound formerly marked her flawless skin.

"I'm fine." Lauren smiled at Bo. "Did you sleep?" Lauren could tell that she hadn't.

"I'm fine," she echoed, smiling back at her.

"Did that really happen?"

Bo swallowed. "Yeah, it happened."

Lauren held her head. "I died. I'm sure of it."

"Yes." She nodded, solemnly. "I brought you back."

"How did you get free?"

She shook her head and closed her eyes, drinking in the silence before speaking again. "You move me to do the impossible." Her hand cupped Lauren's cheek as their eyes met.

The top stair creaked. "Ahem." Kenzi cleared her throat from the stairwell. "The, uh, welcome wagon has arrived fair heroines."

Bo sighed. "I said no visitors."

"And I get that, I totally do, but your grandpappy is beating down the door with that Dark Harpy, Evony."

"What do they want?" Bo asked.

"They are probably just checking for pulses, but who could say?" Kenzi shrugged.

Bo looked to Lauren. "You want me to handle this?"

"No, Bo, it's fine. Kenzi, we'll be down in a few minutes."

Kenzi nodded. "Glad you're back, Doc."

"Thanks, Kenz."

She retreated down the stairs noisily and they could hear her bellowing that visiting hours wouldn't be starting for another twenty minutes.

"You're sure you're up for the gruesome twosome?"

Lauren laughed. "As ready as I'll ever be," she said, sitting up.

"I can handle them if you want…"

"It's fine. If I am the Hybrid, I'm going to have to face them eventually."

"How can you say 'if?'" Bo asked.

"Bo, I don't know what happened in that chamber, but when you brought me back with the chi of the Quinary, I felt stronger and smarter than ever. It's like I wasn't the true Hybrid until you gave me their chi."

"They were the missing ingredient in their sick buffet all along. Does that mean there were other hybrids through the years?"

"No telling," Lauren shrugged.

"So why the 'if?'"

"Maybe I'm being humble, maybe it's that I don't know what happened and it all bears further scrutiny. More experiments, more blood tests, et cetera."

"The works, as they say." Bo smiled. "I suppose we should get you ready to meet the masses."

"First things first." Lauren leaned forward towards Bo. "You're weak."

Bo chuckled. "Become the Hybrid and suddenly you're a critic?"

"You're favoring your side, you haven't healed." Lauren lifted the edge of Bo's shirt to reveal a roadmap of bruises over her ribs.

"They'll be time for that later." Bo shrugged her off and took a step backwards, just out of reach. "C'mon," she whispered, offering her a hand out of bed. "Let's get you dressed."


End part 7