A few days later, Kenzi was sitting at the bar of the Dal, idly swirling her straw in her drink as she propped her head up with her hand. Staring at the beverage, she sighed heavily and pouted to herself. Bo had only been home to grab a quick change of clothes over the past few days, barely stopping to talk to the Russian as she tore through the house. Even if she had been around to talk to, Kenzi had nothing to say about why she had suddenly started to avoid the Dal and seeing everyone.
Luckily, there had been no cases that had come in, making Kenzi's avoidance of her fae family easier. She knew she could talk to Lauren, but with Bo never far away she was scared that the Succubus would get suspicious if she made a move to talk to the doctor privately. She and Lauren hadn't always seen eye to eye, and private conversations between the two were few and far between unless they were working together or all gathered at the pub.
"Would you like to talk about it?" Trick's voice interrupted the brunette's thoughts.
Kenzi looked up to see Trick standing in front of her, his eyes gentle and a smile on his lips. "There's nothing to talk about, Trickster."
Trick leaned forward on the bar so that he was eye level with Kenzi. "You haven't been in here with everyone else the past few nights and now you're sitting here alone in the middle of the day. Something is bothering you, and I just want you to know that I'm here if you need someone to talk to." He placed a comforting hand over hers and gave a gentle squeeze.
Kenzi sat up and pulled the straw out of her drink, chewing on the end of it as she considered Trick's offer. "I've just needed a break from the craziness. It's been a wild month or so."
Trick chuckled. "That it has."
"Dyson, what makes you think that Hale is going to be honest with us?" Tamsin's voice floated to Kenzi's ears, making the Russian stiffen in shock.
"He's my best friend, Tamsin." Dyson retorted, noticing Kenzi at the bar as they walked further into the Dal. "K-Star!" He added cheerfully, walking up to the human and pulling her into a hug. "We've missed you the past couple nights."
Kenzi half-heartedly returned the hug, abstaining from looking at the blonde at all costs. "What are you doing here?"
"Meeting with Hale about the cover up of our last case." Dyson sighed. "We're trying to figure out why it went as far as it did."
"Good luck." Kenzi nodded and tossed back the rest of her drink. Hopping off the stool, she smiled at Trick. "Thanks, Trick." Keeping her head down as she began to walk away, she refused to look at anything but the floor as she tried to get out of the Valkyrie's vicinity.
"Come play pool tonight." Dyson called after her.
"Maybe." Kenzi threw over her shoulder as she practically ran out of the door.
Dyson turned to Trick with raised brows. "Is she okay?"
Tamsin took a deep breath, trying to quell the feelings of guilt at seeing Kenzi's defeated demeanor. "Can we gossip later? We have a meeting." She spat, walking to the back of the bar where Hale's office was.
"She's been a joy to be around the past few days, let me tell you." Dyson rolled his eyes and followed his partner.
Trick looked between the doorway where Kenzi had made her hasty escape and back to where Tamsin and Dyson had disappeared, his forehead creasing as he wondered what was going on. Tamsin and Kenzi were normally friendly, and he had been witness to how close their friendship had become by observing them when they were at the Dal. What he had just experienced was definitely not normal for the two women, and the fact that they didn't even acknowledge each other did not go unnoticed by the Blood King.
"Hale, there are six families that are still looking for answers." Dyson ran a hand through his hair and warily appraised his best friend. "What are we supposed to tell them?"
"Why don't we tell them that their kids got torn apart and eaten by the Bogeyman? Surprise! The stories you tell your unsuspecting children are actually true. And oh yeah, by the way, there's a whole other species that have so far been hidden from the general public." Tamsin slammed her hands on the desk and leveled Hale with a deadly glare. "You guys fucked this up, so you guys need to fix this."
"What do you mean by 'you guys'?" Hale stood up and mimicked Tamsin's stance as he tried to control his frustration. "If you're trying to blame this on the Light, you should know that it was a joint decision between myself and the Morrigan. So why don't you take your anger out on her."
Tamsin's eyes flashed at the mention of the Morrigan before she pushed off of the table and began to pace. Dyson watched his partner for a moment before sighing. Turning to Hale, he leaned back in his chair. "So why the cover up? It doesn't make sense. Why weren't we given a heads up? We could have gotten him earlier had we known."
"The Morrigan said she had it covered." Hale sighed and scratched his head. "I thought that she's been through similar experiences and would take care of it." He winced at how lame that sounded out loud.
Tamsin rounded on Hale and clenched her fists at her sides. "Let me give you a little piece of advice. Anything that comes out of Evony's mouth is bull shit. Everything is a game to her. You can't believe anything that she says."
As the words left her mouth, Tamsin froze where she was and her eyes went wide. Ice ran through her veins as her own words registered in her mind. She had been so afraid of Kenzi getting hurt that she hadn't even stopped to consider what game the Morrigan was trying to play.
"Shit." Tamsin groaned to herself and turned to leave the make-shift office.
"Tamsin!" Dyson stood up. "Where the hell are you going?"
"This is your territory, Wolf. I have things I need to take care of." Tamsin threw out over her shoulder as left the men alone.
"God damn, I cannot handle the crazy that chick is made up of." Hale frowned. "I think it's time that I talk about getting you a new partner."
Dyson cocked his head to the side as he stared at the door. "No. Let's see how this plays out. Something is going on."
"Well from what I've seen from Tamsin so far, whatever is going on is not going to be good." Hale shook his head.
"You don't want to do that. You want to let me in there." Tamsin's voice could be heard through the door before it flew open, the Valkyrie storming in as she stepped over the unconscious guard at the door as the shadows dissipated from her face. "You have one minute to tell me the game you're playing before I tear you limb from limb." She hissed as she walked up to the large desk and slammed her hands down.
"Tamsin, darling." Evony smiled, not at all phased by the blonde's outburst. "It's always such a pleasure to see you."
"Fuck you, Evony." Tamsin sneered. "Whatever it is you're trying to play, I'm done. I won't be your pawn."
"You're not done until I say you're done." Evony snapped and stood up, walking around the desk to face the detective. "It seems that you've forgotten your place, Tamsin. Don't make this any harder on yourself."
"What are you going to do? Kill me?" Tamsin scoffed. "I dare you. I'll come back and make sure that no one will be able to identify your remains." She took a step forward so that she could get directly in Evony's face.
"I'm not going to kill you." Evony rolled her eyes. "It would take the fun out of killing the Happy Sunshine Gang if you weren't around to see it."
"Stay away from them." Tamsin yelled, feeling something inside of her twist at the thought of any of the group dying because Evony was trying to make a point.
Evony arched a brow as a smirk appeared. "I tell you what…" She brought her hand to Tamsin's face and caressed her cheek. "Wake up the Dark fae in a coma and I won't start killing off your new friends one by one and make you watch as I do it."
Tamsin slapped Evony's hand away. "Even if I wake him up, what makes you think that it'll do any good once he's dead? Because that is exactly what will happen if I do this."
"As long as he incriminates the Succubitch, I don't care." Evony walked back around her desk and sat down. "I want him woken up and the Succubus brought in by midnight or one of your friends will be dead before morning." Picking up a nail file, she began to file her nails. After a moment, she looked up and frowned. "That was a dismissal."
"I won't let you get away with this." Tamsin promised.
"Oh honey, I think I already have." Evony grinned.
Tamsin clenched her jaw and made it to the door before Evony's voice called out to her.
"By the way, I'm surprised you actually ended it with the human." Evony said, amusement dancing in her words.
"Why is that?" Tamsin couldn't help but ask, her curiosity getting the best of her.
"It's going to make killing her so much more thrilling knowing how much you actually care about her. For being a couple of centuries old, you really have no idea how feelings actually work, do you?" She laughed menacingly.
"Kenz! Are you home?" Bo yelled as she entered the shack that evening, immediately going to the fridge for a bottle of water.
"I think the better question is why you are home. Need another overnight bag?" Kenzi asked from the couch, her nose buried in a magazine.
"Get dressed." Bo demanded, and walked to the back of the couch, yanking the magazine out of Kenzi's hands. "We're getting drinks."
"Bo." Kenzi whined and tried to reach for the magazine. "I don't want to go out."
"What is up with you? You haven't come out with us the past few nights." Bo tossed the magazine over her shoulder and out of Kenzi's reach. "I miss my bestie."
"I've been home. You know, the place that we both live. If you missed me so much you could have just stayed here." Kenzi narrowed her eyes at her roommate. "I'm not in the mood to go out."
"Since when." Bo scoffed. "Come on. Dyson has been complaining that he doesn't have enough competition at pool."
"So not my problem." Kenzi muttered and made a grab for the remote.
Bo hopped over the back of the couch and straddled the younger girl, throwing the remote aside. "Are you going to tell me what's going on with you, or am I going to have to tickle it out of you." She held her hands over Kenzi's sides and wiggled her fingers.
"Why do you care?" Kenzi groaned. "Everyone else will be there. Why do you care if I am?"
"Umm… Because you're my best friend and I know something is bothering you?" Bo shifted so that she was sitting at Kenzi's feet. "Come on, Kenz. What's going on?"
"Nothing is going on." Kenzi crossed her arms over her chest and avoided making eye contact with Bo.
"That's bull shit." Bo countered.
Kenzi sighed heavily and frowned at the Succubus. "If I come out for drinks will you drop it?"
Bo grinned and nodded her head vigorously. "Swear." She held her hand out, pinky extended in a pinky promise.
Kenzi wrapped her own pinky around Bo's. "For a grown woman you sure do act like a child."
Bo laughed and stood up, pulling Kenzi with her. "Shut up."
Once the duo reached the Dal, Bo practically skipped to the door while Kenzi dragged her feet behind her. Stopping as Bo threw the door open, she mentally prepared herself for seeing the blonde she knew was probably on the other side. She wasn't ready to try to go through the trouble of staying away from Tamsin all night, and she was unsure of how the interaction would be between the two once the group was together. All Kenzi knew is that she wanted to punch the Valkyrie in the face, but she really didn't want to answer the questions from everyone that doing that would surely cause.
Taking a deep breath, Kenzi followed Bo in and made a bee-line for the bar, not even looking around as she flagged Trick down. "Trickster, I need about five shots lined up in front of me."
Trick pulled a bottle out from the well and set it in front of her with a glass. "Seems like that's the theme for tonight." He motioned with his head towards the pool tables.
Kenzi turned around to see what he was looking at and noticed that Tamsin was drinking vodka straight out of a bottle. Growling under her breath, she grabbed her own bottle and sat down as she poured a generous amount into the glass and threw it back. Coughing as it slid down her throat, she sent Trick a smile. "You the man, T-Dawg."
Trick rolled his eyes with a chuckle as he went to serve another customer. Kenzi sat by herself for a while until Bo came up behind her and wrapped her arm around the smaller girl's waist. "When I said we were going out for drinks, I did not mean you sit at the bar by yourself while everyone else hung out."
Kenzi leaned back into Bo and glanced at the table to see Tamsin starting at them. As soon as their eyes made contact, Kenzi saw something flash in the blonde's green eyes before she looked away and focused back on the pool game. Kenzi watched her rigid posture and clenched jaw and couldn't help the anger that flowed through her at the sight. Tamsin had no right to seem upset. It was her fault that all of this had happened, and Kenzi was suddenly more pissed that she had let it affect her so much when the Valkyrie had made it abundantly clear that she didn't care about her.
Kenzi broke out of Bo's embrace and turned around to put her hands on Bo's shoulders. "I hope you're ready to get wasted." She smirked.
"Let's do this." Bo's face broke out into a wide grin as they made their way to the pool tables.
"Alright, dog breath. I heard you've been missing out on some competition." Kenzi announced as she ran her fingers along the edge of the pool table, lifting her bottle to her lips and taking a swig.
"That I have." Dyson winked at the goth and leaned against the table. "You know anyone who's up for the challenge?"
Kenzi grabbed one of the balls from the table and tossed it in the air, catching it with a grin. "Rack 'em, Wolfy."
Dyson threw his head back and laughed as he walked around to give her a hug. "Same as always? You and Tamsin against me and Hale?"
Kenzi arched a brow and made it a point to look directly at Tamsin. "I think it's time to switch it up. How about me and Hale against you and Tamsin?"
Hale adjusted his fedora and gave Dyson a cocky smirk. "Which we all know means that you're going to lose."
Bo and Lauren sat huddled at the table, talking in hushed tones and giggling to themselves. When Bo leaned in to kiss Lauren playfully, Tamsin threw her pool cue down.
"We need shots." The blonde announced as she walked away from the group.
"If she's always so chipper being around us, why doesn't she just go to a Dark bar?" Bo wondered after being startled from the noise of the stick hitting the ground.
"That's a damn good question." Hale muttered under his breath. "But if she's going to keep buying shots, I don't care how bitchy she is."
"You know, for the acting Ash you sure do drink a lot." Kenzi joked. "I thought you turned down my marriage proposal once because of my drinking. If you're on the same level now, you want to reconsider?"
Hale laughed and threw his arm around Kenzi, pulling her close and placing a loud kiss on the side of her head. "Come on, Lil Mama, we all know that you're way too cool for me."
Kenzi placed a hand on her heart. "Ever the sweet talker." She fanned herself before laughing and shoving Hale away from her. "Now make sure we win this game or you'll meet the pointy end of my boot."
"You've been hanging around Tamsin too long." Dyson chimed in. "Threatening physical violence over a game of pool?"
Kenzi's smile dropped and her lips formed into a straight line. "Are we playing or what? Where the fuck is your partner? Or would we be so lucky that she decided to leave?"
"You're not that lucky, sweetheart." Tamsin sneered in Kenzi's ear as she passed by, setting a tray of shots down. "Come and get one before I take them all."
Bo and Lauren hopped up from the table to grab a shot glass as everyone else reached for one. They all laughed as they clinked the glasses together before taking their shots.
"To the Happy Sunshine Gang." Tamsin mumbled to herself before taking the shot, refraining from the group cheers.
"Do you notice something off about the way Kenzi is acting?" Bo asked Lauren later in the evening, her eyes never leaving the Russian.
Lauren had been asking herself the same thing as she watched how Kenzi and Tamsin seemed to avoid each other and the downright bitchy comments they had been throwing back and forth all night. While the two normally had a consistent playful battle of snark between them, it had never been outright hateful like it had been throughout their pool game.
"Did your store-bought hair dye kill any remaining brain cells you managed to keep over the years?" Kenzi snapped as Tamsin brushed past her, rubbing her shoulder where Tamsin had rammed into her as she walked past.
"Did you rob Marylin Manson's wardrobe, or was there just a sale going on at Hot Topic that you couldn't pass up?" Tamsin fired back, rolling her eyes at the goth as she tugged at an arm warmer.
Kenzi's knuckles turned white as she gripped her pool cue and debated whether or not to hit Tamsin upside the head with it. "Dammit, Dyson. Are you going to take your shot or not? Some of us have a limited life span, and I'd rather not waste mine waiting for this game to end." She griped at the shifter who was trying to decide where to line up his shot.
"She seems a little agitated." Lauren finally responded as Dyson hastily took his shot.
"She's been that way the past few days. Not to mention she's been avoiding all of us. It's not like her." Bo frowned and watched Kenzi put too much force in her own shot, missing her target and swearing in Russian as she smacked the side of the table.
Lauren watched as Tamsin smirked at Kenzi and lined up to take her shot. Kenzi stared daggers at the Valkyrie behind her back, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. When Tamsin made her shot and won the game for her and Dyson, Kenzi threw her pool cue onto the table and walked to the bar. Tamsin's eyes never left the goth as she walked away, making Lauren curious as to what was going on.
"I can try to talk to her." Lauren turned her attention to Bo, giving her a chaste kiss before starting to stand.
Bo put her hand on Lauren's arm, making her sit back down. "She won't even talk to me. Maybe I shouldn't have dragged her out tonight."
"I'm sure she'll be fine." Lauren gave Bo a reassuring smile and giving her another kiss, planning a way to get Kenzi alone to talk to her.
"Hey there. You come here often?" A voice asked in Kenzi's ear, making her whip around.
As she opened her mouth to tell the person off, her jaw dropped as she took in the gorgeous man standing before her. Taking in the man's clean cut appearance, messy hair that had probably taken ages to style that way, and a half-smile on perfect lips, Kenzi's eyes widened and she snapped her mouth shut.
"Hi." Kenzi squeaked, blushing at the high pitch to her voice. Clearing her throat, she tried to keep her voice steady. "You know that's the oldest line in the book, right?"
"As a matter of fact, I do know that. I should, seeing as how I'm the one who wrote that book." He gave a dazzling smile of perfect teeth before holding his hand out. "I'm Ian."
Kenzi couldn't help but return the smile as she took Ian's hand. "Kenzi. I haven't seen you around here before." She tilted her head as she studied him.
"I'm new to town. I heard about the Dal from a friend, so I figured I would stop in and see it for myself." Ian turned to signal Trick. "May I buy you a drink?"
"If you insist." Kenzi said playfully and twirled her hair.
Tamsin sat at the table with the rest of the group but heard nothing of their conversation as she watched Kenzi and the random stranger at the bar with intensity. She had never seen the man before, but she knew right away that he was fae. Dark fae. A tremor ran through her as she remembered the Morrigan's threat from earlier that day, and she knew right away that this man was not being friendly with the human on his own accord.
Knowing how badly she had handled the situation with Kenzi, for once in her many lives Tamsin had no idea how to proceed. Not wanting to get the rest of the group involved and having to explain her reasoning, Tamsin considered her options. Glancing at her watch, she saw that she only had two hours to complete the mission Evony had given her. She hadn't woken up the fae in a coma, nor was she going to bring Bo in. She didn't want to play into the Morrigan's hands again, and Tamsin knew that Evony wouldn't actually kill one of them. Not yet, at least.
What she would do is send a message, and the message was in the form of an attractive man trying to get close to the one person Tamsin cared about. Watching how Kenzi said something to the man and put a lingering hand on his arm before she walked to the bathroom, anger exploded inside of her when the man turned to directly stare at her. His smile grew as he saw Tamsin staring back, and he winked before laughing to himself.
Kenzi hummed to herself as she exited the bathroom stall to wash her hands, excited about the prospect of getting her mind off of Tamsin by getting to know Ian. She knew that had she not been hurt by the blonde she probably would have laughed Ian's advances off and joked about it with Bo, but her self-esteem had been knocked down a few pegs and she wanted to feel good about herself again.
Letting out a yelp of surprise as the bathroom door flew open and crashed into the wall, Kenzi spun around to see Tamsin standing in the doorway, her chest heaving and eyes wild. Tamsin made sure that they were alone before she shut the door and locked it, walking up to Kenzi and grabbing her arms.
"You need to stay away from that guy at the bar." Tamsin said seriously, frantically looking into Kenzi's eyes.
Kenzi broke free from the blonde's grip and shoved her back hard. "And you need to stay the hell away from me." She scoffed, trying to walk past her.
Tamsin grabbed Kenzi again and pushed her into the wall. "Kenzi-"
"Let go of me before I scream." Kenzi threatened, trying to get away.
"I know that you don't owe me anything, but-"
Kenzi kicked the Valkyrie's shin and squirmed when Tamsin gripped her tighter. "You're right, I don't." Kenzi spit in Tamsin's face. "Whatever you have to say, I don't want to hear it."
Tamsin closed the distance between them and kissed Kenzi hard. Kenzi fought against her and Tamsin only pulled back when the Russian bit down on her lip hard enough to draw blood. Dropping her hands from Kenzi, she stepped back in shock at her own actions.
Kenzi wiped her mouth with her sleeve, glaring at Tamsin. "Have you not taken enough from me?" She screamed. "What do you want, Tamsin? What else could you possibly want from me?"
Tamsin brought her fingers up to her lips and stared at the blood that she had wiped away. "I'm sorry." She whispered. Tears in her eyes, she looked at Kenzi. "Kenzi, I am so sorry."
"Stay away from me, Tamsin." Kenzi repeated, sinking back against the wall as the fight left her. "Just… stay away from me." She was surprised by the tears that had gathered in Tamsin's eyes, not knowing how to respond. Seeing the moisture in the Valkyrie's eyes threw her for a loop, knowing that Tamsin would never voluntarily allow someone to see what she considered a weakness.
"Please listen to me. You need to stay away from that guy." Tamsin begged.
"Give me one good reason why I should do anything that you tell me to do." Kenzi demanded, her anger rising again.
"Kenzi..." Tamsin trailed off, scared of the consequences if Kenzi were to know what was really going on. She knew the power the Morrigan had, and if Kenzi knew what was actually going on she was terrified to think the extent that Evony would go to punish her; she had a feeling that it would involve a lot of pain for everyone, especially Kenzi.
Kenzi laughed humorlessly at the Dark fae's hesitance. "Fuck off." Kenzi pushed off of the wall and walked to the door.
"It's too dangerous!" Tamsin yelled after her as she heard the door unlock. "Just trust me."
Kenzi paused and sadly looked back at the distressed Valkyrie. "Why would I ever trust you after what you did to me?" She asked softly before shaking her head and leaving the bathroom.
Tamsin closed her eyes and realized how badly she had screwed things up with the younger human, only making it worse after what had transpired moments before.
"Kenz, I think we're going to head out." Bo said a little later as she and Lauren walked up to Kenzi and Ian. "You want a ride?"
Kenzi glanced at Ian and he nodded with a smile. "Actually, I think I'm going to hang out here for a while."
Bo arched a brow and turned to Ian. Sticking her hand out, she smiled. "I'm Bo."
"Ian." The man nodded and shook Bo's hand. "I'll make sure Kenzi gets home safely."
Lauren frowned as she looked at Kenzi, noticing how the Russian wouldn't look at her. "I haven't seen you around here before." She turned her attention back to Ian. "Are you new to the territory?"
Ian nodded. "I am."
Lauren tilted her head. "You're Dark fae." She stated.
"You would be correct. Again." Ian laughed.
Bo looked between Ian and Kenzi and frowned. "Kenz, why don't you come home. We haven't had a girl's night in a while."
"And whose fault is that." Kenzi snapped before taking a deep breath. "Bo, I'll call you tomorrow."
"Ladies, I promise that I'll take good care of her." Ian held a hand up as Bo opened her mouth.
"I bet you will." Tamsin snarled as she appeared behind Ian, spinning him around and landing a solid punch to his jaw.
"Tamsin!" Bo yelled in surprise as the man fell off the stool and Tamsin straddled him on the ground, continuously punching him as he held his arms up to block her attacks. "Dyson! A little help!" The Succubus called out and tried to pull Tamsin off of the man.
Trick heard the commotion before he saw it and once he realized what was going on ran over to the scuffle. "Bar's closed! Everyone out!" He bellowed, the patrons immediately following his orders.
"Tamsin! What the fuck are you doing?" Kenzi screamed as she tried to pry the blonde off of Ian. Seeing the Valkyrie's features starting to sink in and darken, she knew things were about to get a whole lot worse. "Dyson!" She turned around to yell at the shifter.
Dyson ran over and tried to grab Tamsin around the waist to lift her off of the man, but she turned around and tilted her head, her face in full skeleton form. Dyson howled as he tried to shake the effects of doubt off but fell back onto the floor when he couldn't fight Tamsin's power. Leaning against the legs of a barstool, he put his head in his hands as the doubt and fear ran through him.
"Hale!" Lauren yelped, trying to pull Kenzi back before Tamsin could turn her powers on her. Kenzi had tried to shove Tamsin away again after Dyson couldn't.
Tamsin suddenly let out a painful cry as Hale began to whistle directly at her. Falling off of Ian and curling up on the floor, she held her hands to her ears as she felt the painful ringing in her head that Hale's Siren whistle had caused.
Kenzi scrambled out of Lauren's arms and dropped down next to Ian, cradling his head in her lap. Wincing at the bloody mess his face had become, she brushed some of his hair back. "Are you okay?"
Bo immediately went to Tamsin and grabbed her by her bun, pulling her to her feet. "What the fuck is your problem?" She asked, pushing her to sit on a stool.
Tamsin shook her head to attempt to get rid of the residual effects of the whistle and turned to glare at Ian. "You need to get him out of here." She said through clenched teeth.
"I think you're the one who needs to leave." Trick said firmly, his eyes dark with anger as he stared Tamsin down.
"Trick, you don't understand." Tamsin said, her voice suddenly pleading.
"I understand that you need to get out of my bar." Trick took a step closer to the blonde. "The next time you pull a stunt like this, I'll make sure that you never step foot in this territory again."
Tamsin looked between everyone in the group to see them all looking back with disgust. "Trick, I need to talk to you. Please." If there was anyone that she could trust with what was going on, she knew right then that it would be Trick.
"Get out of my bar." Trick spat and turned his back to her.
Tamsin choked back bile as she realized that no one would be able to help her after her actions caused them to distrust her even more, knowing that they had never trusted her to being with. She had just solidified the fact that no one would believe her if she were to tell them what was really happening.
Tamsin stood from her stool at the same time Bo and Kenzi had gotten Ian to his feet, and she was surprised when the man stumbled into her.
"Evony says you lose." Ian whispered as he fell into Tamsin, making sure that no one else would overhear him as he crashed a barstool against the bar.
Tamsin stared at the man in horror as he pulled back and subtly winked before playing it off to the other's that he was dizzy. Tamsin stood rooted to her spot as everyone fussed over the other Dark fae, unable to move with the paralyzing fear his words has caused.
"Tamsin." Hale said firmly as he moved to stand in front of her. "You need to leave."
"Hale…" Tamsin started but looked at the serious look on the Siren's face. Her words dying in her throat, she nodded once and started to walk to the exit. Looking back to see Lauren inspecting the man's wounds, she saw Kenzi glance up with hatred in her eyes before she finally left the bar.
"Are you okay?" Kenzi watched as Tamsin left, turning her attention back to Ian. Bringing a gentle hand to Ian's split lip, she winced when she realized how much damage Tamsin had caused before they stopped the attack.
"Is she a friend of yours?" Ian wondered and accepted the ice pack Trick handed him out of the first aid kit.
"If by friend you mean Dyson's partner that is a pain in all of our asses…" Kenzi muttered.
Lauren, taken by surprise at Kenzi's words, accidentally pressed harder than she meant to on Ian's cheekbone. "Sorry." She cringed when he hissed in pain. "Sorry. You have a zygoma fracture from what I can tell. You should go get checked by Dr. Arnold for further evaluation."
"You're the Light fae doctor, aren't you?" Ian asked Lauren, leaning back against the back of the barstool.
"I am." Lauren confirmed.
"Kenzi, I think I'm going to take the doctor's advice and go get checked out. Maybe another night?" Ian smiled apologetically at the brunette.
"You know where to find me." Kenzi smiled back. "Excuse me." She said to everyone as she walked to the bathroom, her emotions getting the best of her after the rollercoaster they had been through that night.
"Ian, would you mind following me and signing in before you head out?" Trick requested and came to stand in front of the Dark fae.
"Signing in?" Ian visibly gulped and looked at everyone around him.
"It's just to keep track of all of the visitors that have stopped in." Trick assured him.
"Oh. Right." Ian nervously twitched in his seat. "Would you mind if I use the restroom first?"
"Of course." Trick nodded and watched as the man walked to the back.
"Can anyone explain to me what the hell just happened?" Bo asked when Ian was out of earshot, dropping into the nearest barstool.
"I have no idea." Dyson answered. "I've never seen Tamsin lose control like that without being provoked." He rubbed his temple. "Damn, her power is intense."
"Are you okay?" Lauren asked in concern as she went to look at his eyes. "Your pupils keep dilating."
"Come on man, let me take you home." Hale clapped a hand on the shifter's shoulder. "You'll feel better once you sleep it off."
"I'm going to go check on Kenzi." Bo announced.
"Wait, let me." Lauren kissed Bo on the cheek. "Maybe she'll talk to me."
Bo nodded and squeezed Lauren's hand. "Maybe."
As Lauren went to check on Kenzi, Hale got Dyson up and helped him out of the bar, leaving Trick and Bo alone.
"That was interesting." Trick shook his head and reached for a bottle, pouring a shot for himself and Bo. "It's been a while since a fight has broken out here."
Bo chuckled as she took her shot, staring at the bathroom doors. "This just proved my point that I don't like Kenzi being such good friends with Tamsin. The bitch is unstable."
"Valkyrie's only use their powers of doubt when they feel threatened. It's instinctual to incapacitate the threat. Something must have happened to make Tamsin feel threatened by Ian." Trick frowned. "Speaking of, he's been in the restroom for a long time."
Bo jumped off of the barstool and made her way to the men's room, knocking on the door. "Ian, are you okay?" When she received no answer, she looked at Trick with suspicion. "Ian, I'm coming in!" She tried the handle and when she found it locked she rolled her eyes. "Sorry in advance, Trick."
"For what?" Trick wondered as he walked up, grimacing when Bo kicked the door in. "Oh. That."
Bo entered the men's room and frowned. "He's not here, Trick."
"Kenzi?" Lauren asked softly as she walked into the restroom, seeing one of the stall doors shut. "Kenzi, it's just me."
The door opened and Kenzi stepped out, her mascara running down her cheeks and she sniffled. "Hey, Doc." She tried to smile.
"What's going on?" Lauren wondered, leaning against the wall as she watched Kenzi go to the sink to splash water on her face.
"I don't really want to talk about it." Kenzi shook her head and reached for a paper towel, drying her face off. "Can we please just go home?"
Lauren frowned. "What happened between you and Tamsin?"
Kenzi threw the paper towel away with enough force to make the trash can clatter. "I don't want to talk about it, Lauren."
"If you don't want to talk to me, at least talk to Bo. She's worried about you. I'm worried about you." Lauren put a hand on Kenzi's shoulder.
"Tamsin broke it off with me." Kenzi sighed, knowing that neither Lauren nor Bo would drop it until they got answers.
"What? Why?" Lauren went wide-eyed.
"Because apparently all she wanted was sex, and once she got that she had no other reason to stick around." Kenzi's eyes filled with tears again. "Now can we please leave?"
"Kenzi, from what I saw tonight, Tamsin cares about you. It's apparent in the way she looks at you. And she beat the shit out of a guy trying to talk to you. It doesn't make any sense that she only wanted sex." Lauren mused, trying to think back to their interactions throughout the night.
"It makes perfect sense. Everyone has been right from the beginning. I should have never trusted her. She didn't get any information she wanted on Bo, she got to fuck me, and then she realized that her use for me was done. It's pretty simple, actually, when you put the pieces together." Kenzi angrily wiped away her tears.
Lauren wrapped her arms around the younger woman and pulled her into a hug. "Come on, let's go home." She wasn't going to push Kenzi into talking further, realizing that there was nothing more to say when Kenzi's theory made sense.
Ian dropped out of the bathroom window and landed silently on his feet, smirking at how easy it was to sneak away from the group of Light fae and their humans. Standing up tall, he brushed off his sleeve and turned to walk away, only to be met with a fist in his face.
"Did you really think I would let you go that easily?" Tamsin smirked. "I don't think so."
"The Morrigan is going to have fun with you, Valkyrie." Ian matched her smirk. "But not until I'm done with you."
Tamsin rolled her eyes and cracked her knuckles. "Bored now." She sighed before taking another swing at the man.
Ian laughed as he caught her fist, crushing it in his hand. "Do you really think you're going to win against me? The only reason you're not dead is because I had to let Kenzi see how insane you are."
"You leave her out of this." Tamsin's face darkened. "You're going to go back to the Morrigan and tell her that this is over." She tilted her head and pushed Ian back. "You're going to tell her that, and then you're going to disappear."
Ian clenched his jaw as he tried to fight off Tamsin's power. "You're going to regret this." He grunted through the pain in his head.
Tamsin moved her hand to his throat, squeezing hard. "I really doubt that." She smiled wickedly.
Suddenly dropping and unconscious Ian to the ground and finding herself unable to move, Tamsin gasped when her hand moved on its own accord to her own throat. Feeling her fingers start to slowly squeeze, she began to panic.
"Tamsin, Tamsin, Tamsin…" A tongue clucked behind her. "You seem to be in a world of trouble, don't you, love."
Tamsin gasped for air as her hand fell from her throat and she regained control of her body. Whirling around, she narrowed her eyes at the shadows surrounding the alley "What the fuck do you want?"
"It's quite simple." Vex appeared under the building's lights. "I want to help you bring down the Morrigan."
I am speechless at the amazing reviews of the last chapter. Thank you guys. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. Each and every review is so special to me, and I thank you for taking the time to leave them. I will say that all of your reviews made me smile, laugh, feel bad, and get more motivated to write all rolled into one. I feel bad that I never have enough time to respond to each of you personally (my schedule seems to get more insane each week), but know that I cherish every one of you. : )