CHAPTER ELEVEN
Bo
"Bo? Bo-Bo, wake up, babe. Drug induced sleepy nap time is over." I groaned, rolling over and covering my head with a pillow. "WAKE UP!" A sharp smack on my back had me lurching up.
"I'm awake! Jesus, can't a girl catch some-shit!" my head gave a sharp throb. I covered my eyes with my hand. "What the hell is wrong with my head?" Kenzi's ruffled my hair and I slapped her arm away.
"Sorry about that," Dyson's voice echoed from the doorway. "You smacked your head when you fell."
"When I fell?" I squinted at him, noting the tea cup in his hand as he made his way to me. "Did I get really drunk last night? I don't remember drinking that much." I was met with silence as I inhaled the smell of lavender, cupping the mug in both hands. I looked at Dyson and Kenzi as they stared at me blankly. "What?"
"Um, Bo..." Kenzi's started, resting her hand on my leg, "What's the last thing you remember from last night?" I furrowed my brows in thought, sipping the tea.
"Lauren and I fooling around and then something happened. She got really upset and she was about to tell me what was wrong when-" my hand flew to my mouth "Lauren! The Morrigan came to take her away! They said she...she murdered someone?"
"She tried to kill someone; she didn't actually do it. It was one of the Dark Fae elder's great grandson. He went after Nadia and Lauren intervened. Would have killed him but Nadia stopped her."
"Where's Lauren now?"
"The big bad bitch took her back to her evil headquarters," my gothic sidekick said, her face sombre. "They took Amelia too."
"What?!"
"The Dark Fae higher ups don't trust having one of their more important healers on Light Fae territory anymore. They're concerned for her safety."
"What about Tanner?" I demanded "He's still sick, right? Amelia needs to treat him, she's his doctor. She's looking after him!"
"Trick is watching him. He's not getting any better or any worse."
I set the tea down and threw the covers off. I vaguely noticed the fact that pushing myself off the bed had me getting more air than I should have had. "What are we waiting here for? Let's go get them back." Dyson stepped in front of me.
"We can't."
"What do you mean, 'we can't'? Come on! Let's storm the trenches, get Lauren back. I need to talk to her."
"Bo," Kenzi's looked at me and something in her eyes made me stop. She patted the bed again. "Sit." She shared a heavy glance with Dyson. "Do you remember what happened after the Morrigan came for Lauren?" I drew a blank.
"No," I said "there's nothing. Why?" again, they shared that look. No one said anything. "Guys," Dread began to push my heart towards my stomach, "What's wrong? What did I do?" I was met with silence. "I swear to God I will beat the answers out of you! Someone tell me what happened!"
"We don't know what happened," Dyson said, crossing his arms over his chest. "Hale and I were...cleaning up and we had just left for disposal a minute before the Morrigan got here. When we came in you were..."
"All Super Saiyan." Ken looked at me. She was teasing, but her voice didn't match her face. She was wary. "Your hair and clothes were all floaty."
"When I came in, Lauren was bound in dwarven chains, standing up. I thought the Morigan was being her saI didn't think much of it until..."
"What?"
"You commanded her to shift, and she obeyed." I blinked.
"What do you mean I 'commanded' her?"
"I mean you told her 'ready yourself' and she started to shift. From the amount of blood and tears, I'd say she didn't want to."
"Blood?" he nodded.
"Her teeth, her fingers, her arms...all of the major physical shift points were tearing. She couldn't have been mentally prepared for it." My stomach churned at the word 'tearing'.
"No...no I could never hurt Lauren. I wouldn't make her do something like that if she didn't want to. Especially if it hurt her as much as you said."
"I tried to stop you and, well," Dyson jerked his head to the side. I looked and my jaw fell open. Why the hell was there a giant hole in my room? "You chucked me through a wall."
"Simba tried too," Kenzi said, scratching her head, "you hit him out of the air like a fly."
"Oh my God," How strong would someone have to be to throw a grown man through a wall and smacked a mature lion-thing out of the air? I looked between them "are you okay?" I turned to Kenzi "is Simba okay?"
"I got out with a sprained wrist and a busted rib."
"Simba got a concussion and a bruised shoulder. He's in my room resting."
"What happened next? With Lauren?"
"I don't know," Kenzi said, "You looked at her and she lost it. She was snarling and struggling against the chains."
"Her spines got tangled in the chain links. They were...torn out as she pull to get free."
"And did she? Get free I mean?"
"No," Dyson sighed "they were dwarven chains. Chains that are both extremely rare and indestructible. She was struggling, but there was no way for her to break free." I closed my eyes and dropped my head.
"So she was just hurting herself for no reason."
"No, she was doing it because you told her to."
"It wasn't me, Dyson!" I snapped at him "I don't remember it, I wouldn't do it, I didn't do it. I'd never intentionally hurt her."
"But the fact is, Bo, words left your lips and Lauren responded. You have a power over her. A power I haven't seen before." I shook my head.
"If I do have this power, I don't want it. I want to see Lauren."
"Honestly, Bo, and I'm not saying this to make you feel like shit, but you don't. Not now at least." I looked at Kenzi as she spoke, her hand clasped over mine. My heart was now comfortably sitting in my stomach. I already felt like shit. I couldn't remember anything and it was driving me insane. I hurt the woman I cared about. Was there a lower level than that?
"How badly was she-" My voice gave out and I squeezed my eyes shut, bowing my head "how hurt was she?"
"Amelia's been keeping in touch. They've got Lauren in the dungeon, a makeshift medical station has been set up for her. They're monitoring her vitals, making sure she's okay. They've kept her sedated; Amelia said Lauren could use as much rest as possible."
"I want to see her," I murmured, sniffling. "I need to see her, even if she doesn't know I'm there."
Dyson sighed and rubbed his neck. "I can talk to Trick, see if he can't use his influence in the Dark Fae to get you in."
"Thank you, Dyson."
+/+\+
Two days passed before Trick got me clearance into the compound, however reluctant he was to help. It wasn't where the Morrigan spent most of her time, but where the elders stayed and the prisoners were kept.
I walked into the compound, greeted quickly by Amelia. The building was very "old victorian" meets "the bat cave".
The shifter looked pissed.
"Hey, sex-on-a-stick," she said, strutting towards me. "I need you to sign in before we go see her." she shoved a clipboard at me and I took it, filling in the date, time, my name, and then signing it.
"What's with the prison routine?" she rubbed her eyes, suddenly looking like she hadn't slept in days.
"A Half is a high profile patient and prisoner. But they don't attract a good kind of attention. I've already had to maul a guard who got a little too cocky when he was supposed to be watching over her."
"Wow," I said, taken aback "a doctor and body guard."
"Warden, actually. But I don't like to play guard dog," she said as we made our way to a stairwell. "Unfortunately, when powerful beings are suddenly in positions of weakness, it inspires the worst in people. They like to abuse their new found superiority. I use my power to keep them in line. Whether they like it or not, I'm their elder and they have to respect that."
"You're an elder?" she huffed a laugh
"Um, no. Not in the political sense."
"I thought Elders were usually, well, elderly." she chuckled.
"Oh sweetie, you've still got so much to learn. Just because a fae looks young, doesn't mean they're not as old as dirt. I'm probably one of the oldest Fae in this compound."
"And you don't want to be an official elder?"
"No. It's a little more complicated than that. In any case, I'm not in a position of power. Usually, that means I shouldn't have any influence."
"But you do?" she laughed again, but it was cold and bitter.
"Honey, when you can turn into a wolf and tear a man's face off before he has a chance to even think about screaming, people learn to listen to the things you say."
We descended the stairs in silence, hearing the growing thunder of prisoners yelling. When we emerged into the hold, I was startled by just how many prisoners there were. Rows upon rows of cells, every one of them holding one fae or another. "Lauren is in the cell at the very end, the solitary cell. I thought it would be better to provide the least contact possible between her and the...others." just as she said that, a rough hand grabbed my wrist and pulled me against the bars of a cell. The slimiest looking Fae I'd ever seen licked his lips.
"Hey, sweet cheeks," he smirked "How's you like to come in here and keep a lonely man company?" before I could say anything, a slender hand grabbed my other arm and pulled me out of his grip. I stumbled into the other cell. Amelia gripped the guy's arm and slammed him against the bars.
"What have I told you about keeping your hands to yourself, slime-ball?" the man whimpered and struggled feebly.
"Hey, pretty lady," a rotten voice purred in my ear as yet another pair of hands grabbed me. Amelia whirled, releasing her victim. She bared her wolf teeth, letting out a chainsaw snarl that silenced the deafening room. Everyone stared at her, fear simmering in their eyes. Her amber eyes glared around.
"Everyone is to keep their hands to themselves or I swear I will tear them from your bodies without a second thought. Understood?" There was a pause before a disjointed murmuring of affirmations filled the air. Amelia grabbed my shirt and pulled me from my captors. I looked at her as she changed back from her wolf face and into the blue eyed beauty I'd become so familiar with. We walked the rest of the way with only the accompaniment of quiet murmurs.
The solitary cell was sealed by an iron door with a small, grate window near the top. The guard outside had his arm in a sling, guaze taped to the side of his neck and wrapped around his hand. "Good morning, Jeremy," she addressed him curtly. He skirted away from her. "How're the wounds?"
"Just fine, Healer, thank you." His voice held the unmistakable edge of fear. This must have been the man Amelia mauled.
"Are you applying the balm I gave you?"
"Yes, Healer."
"Good. If any problems arise, please don't hesitate to find me."
"I won't, Healer, thank you again. I apologize for getting out of line before."
"I'm not the one you should apologize to." She pulled open the heavy door and looked pointedly at the man. "But, should it happen again, you can be sure I won't show the same restraint again." Jeremy stiffened and Amelia turned her cold gaze on me instead. She waved her arm for me to enter. I walked in slowly, wary of the dark that surrounded the room. I was dank and musty, smelling of dust and stale air. It took a second for my eyes to adjust and when they did, I felt like crying.
She was lying on a cot on the far side of the room, her arms chained to the floor. Two other cots were on either side of her to support her wings. Heavy metal clamps had been latched around each of the limbs, threaded through the feathers, weighing them down and linking them to the ground. She was asleep. I walked closer, only when I neared did I see the gauze wraps covering both of her arms entirely, stained a light pink. Tubes and wires wrapped around her arms and snaked under her hospital gown. The heart monitor gave steady beeps. A tube was shoved down her throat, fed through her mouth.
"Oh God," I dropped to my knees by her wing. "Lauren..."
"She's stable. Her wounds are healing, but not as quickly as I'd like." Amelia nudged the closest cot so she could access the unconscious blonde. "They tried to clip her wings, but the hedge trimmers broke and the feathers remained untouched. So they settled for weighing them down instead."
"How bad was she hurt?" I asked, touching the metal clamp on her wing. The cold bit my finger tips.
"Are you sure you want to know, Bo?" She asked, pulling a stethoscope from her coat pocket and plugging it into her ears before sliding her hand under the gown. She paused, listening intently to whatever she was listening to before moving it. She looked at me.
I nodded.
"Yeah. I wanna know what I did."
"Are you positive? I mean, it's probably better that you don't know."
"I need to know. Not knowing is only making it worse." Amelia nodded. She skooted the cot out further.
"Past me a pair of rubber gloves, will you?" She pointed to the box beside the heart monitor. "Get yourself a pair too. This is a two person operation." I did as she asked, pulling the black latex over my hands.
"This won't hurt her, will it?" I asked as I moved into position by her shoulder. Amelia shook her head.
"She's more or less in a drug induced coma right now. She won't feel anything."
"A coma?" I whispered, looking at Lauren's peaceful features, watching the soft rise and fall of her chest.
"She sustained a fair amount of trauma," Amelia said simply, pulling up the tape holding the gauze in place. "Ready?" I gripped the gauze and nodded. Slowly, we lifted, peeling the fabric from the wounds.
I thought I was going to be sick.
It looked like hundreds of screw drivers had been stabbed into her and twisted around. I couldn't imagine what it would have looked like when it happened. What skin I could see was red and angry looking. Some of the holes and gashes oozed a pink mixture of puss and blood. I absently followed Amelia's movements and we folded up the soiled bandage, placing it in a metal bucket.
Amelia handed me an alcohol wipe. She kneeled down by Lauren's wrist and I did the same by her shoulder. I touched the disinfectant to her broken skin, something that should have caused her to cry out or tense at the very least.
Lauren stayed perfectly still.
Perfectly peaceful.
I wiped my nose on my sleeve and the wetness from my cheek. I leaned over her, pressing my lips to her forehead, smoothing my hand over her hair. I stayed like that for a few moments, my forehead against hers, listening to the respiratory pumping air in and out of her lungs.
We spend nearly an hour cleaning the wounds and then rewrapping her arms. I stayed by Lauren, sitting beside her wing on the cot, just watching her. I took her hand in mine, running my thumb over her skin. "She looks so peaceful," I murmured as Amelia lifted the bucket full of used bandages and antiseptic supplies. "I haven't seen her like this before. She always seems worried or angry."
"She was always scared." I looked up at the blonde, her eyes understanding, serene. "When she was still under the Ash's thumb I mean. She was worried that if she spoke up for herself, called attention to herself as being more than just some human doctor, the Ash would hurt her brother or the people she cared about. The only times she defied him was when she was sure she wouldn't get caught, or if she did it wouldn't be anything severe. It was only when you came into her life that she started wearing her ovaries on the outside and kicking all kinds of ass." I looked back at the doctor and couldn't help but smile. "Look, I'm not supposed to leave you unattended, but I can give you a couple minutes if you want."
"Yeah," I said, surprised "thank you." She nodded once.
"I'll take these to be burned and when I come back, we have to leave, okay?" I nodded and turned back to Lauren. The iron door shut behind Amelia, and we were alone.
"Just you and me again, huh?" I whispered to her, playing with her hair. I looked at the bandages, at the relaxed features of her face. "Oh, Lauren," I wiped my cheek "I'm so sorry. Everyone says that I did this to you, but I don't remember any of it. I don't remember hurting you. I would never hurt you. I wouldn't be able to, not if I knew what I was doing." I tucked her hair behind her ear. "I don't know what to do. I want to be with you, but I keep hurting you. What's worse is that you keep coming back and I just hurt you more. I could have killed you this time, had Dyson not stopped me. I just hope you understand that...that I didn't want this to happen. But from now on, I'm going to protect you, okay?" I kissed her forehead. "I'm going to keep you safe."
The door opened and I looked up, completely shocked to see Trick and the Morrigan standing there. "Trick? What are you doing here?"
"You need to come with me. Now." I stared at him
"But why?" I asked, running my fingers along the inside of Lauren's arm. Amelia came in but he didn't seem to notice her.
"The beasts trial is about to begin. I know you..."She narrowed her eyes at me "enjoy playing super skank and 'saving' the precious human. But now it's time to say bye bye blondie." I stood up, feeling a surge of strength pulse through my body.
"You're not touching her again," I growled, fists clenching by my side. "Lauren is not some 'beast'. I won't let you chain her up and haul her out in front of some ancient idiots just so you can condemn her to death anyway." The Morrigan rolled her eyes.
"Oh please. You think just because you went all crazy that you scare me now?" I clenched my teeth.
"She's under my protection now. No one is taking her anywhere while she is like this."
"Well, I guess it's too bad that you're not in charge." a large man entered the room and moved towards the cot. My eyes lit up and I met him toe for toe, baring my teeth at him.
"You touch her and I swear to God I will snap your neck."
"God, you make me sick with all your mushy protectiveness." The Morrigan looked at her nails before smoothing down her skirt. "Take the half and bring her upstairs. Even if she's a vegetable, she has to be at this bullshit hearing."
The guard made another move towards Lauren and I grabbed his arm and threw him back. We glared at each other for a brief moment before he swung for my head. I ducked it and swung for his face. It connected but didn't slow him down. His knee drove into my stomach and I staggered before rushing forwards and swinging my foot into his side. He stumbled into the wall.
Somewhere in the background, I heard beeping but I was too focused on the fight to pay it any mind.
"Bo, stop!" I didn't listen to Amelia's command and instead grabbed the man by the front of his shirt and drove my forehead into his. I pulled my fist back to punch his face in when Amelia grabbed my forearm and twisted it behind my back. "I said stop!" she growled in my ear. A low snarl rumbled from my lips and I threw her off with ease. I turned around to face her.
That's when I noticed three nurses swarming Lauren as her heart monitor beeped faster and faster. "Look at her, Bo," Amelia said, the nurses starting to yell in the back ground.
"Heart rate rising!"
"Temperature spiking!"
"Spirits, not even a half can handle this! Her body will wear out before the drugs do!"
"Look at what you're doing to her, Bo!" The healer grabbed my attention again. My fists clenched by my side. I growled as the body guard moved towards me again. Amelia held her hand up, stopping the footsteps. "Her body is trying to burn off the drugs by raising her body temperature."
"Get her cooled down, damnit! I wont hang for this beast dying on our watch!"
Another nurse came in with a bucket of water and ice. He put it by the bed and the others began soaking some of the spare bed linens and draping them over her body.
"She's reacting to you, Bo, her body is self-destructing because she's reacting to you!" Amelia said, trying to get through to me, quell my anger. I glared at her and then to Lauren. I looked at the heart monitor, the rapid spikes of the green line. "Bo, if you do not calm down, Lauren will boil alive." I stared at the woman on the cot. Her skin was beading with sweat, the machine was beeping so fast it sounded nearly like a flat line. I watched her chest rise and fall with choppy breaths.
"Its not working. Temp is reaching one-oh-six, heart rate is off the charts."
I watched as they injected liquids into her, seeing their frustration grow as nothing seemed to help. I was just so angry still. My heart pounded in my ears, every muscle tensed. I wanted to hurt someone. I wanted to drain someone.
I wanted power.
But from now on I'm going to protect you, okay? My promise drifted like a feather through my rage flooded mind. I'm going to keep you safe.
I looked back at the woman on the cot. "This isn't you, Bo," the shifter murmured "you have to calm down. If you care about Lauren at all, you'll stop this." I held my breath for a moment. I gave Amelia a hesitant glance before walking towards Lauren.
I grabbed one of the nurses by the back of the scrub and threw her backwards, off of Lauren. I stepped over the cot supporting her wing and kneeled down beside the fragile woman, looking at the other nurses, who stared at me like deer in the headlights. I snatched a cold rag from one of their hands and snarled, making them all jump and move back. Then I turned my attention back to my lover. I wiped her forehead, now ignoring the still rapid beeping of the heart monitor.
I took her hand in mine, coldly curious as my fingers slipped into hers. I ran the cold cloth over her sweat slick skin, cooling her and hopefully soothing her body. "It's okay, Lauren," I took a deep breath in attempt to calm down. "We're okay, no one's going to hurt you. I'm not in trouble." I glared pointedly at the guard before turning back to her. I laid my hand over her chest, feeling her heart still pounding. I took another deep breath before kissing her shoulder and leaning my head against her. I closed my eyes and squeezed her hand.
Finally, the anger began to ebb and with it Lauren's pounding pulse until it was even, normal. Her skin cooled and my eyes returned to normal.
"Someone dangerous just came back into town; they're looking for you. We need to get you somewhere safe."
"Who?" Amelia asked, making Trick jump. He turned to face her. "I can handle anyone stupid enough to take a stroll into my little corner of hell. You saw for yourself how I tamed the beast just now and I didn't even have to kick her ass."
"I'm not leaving Lauren." I met Trick's exasperated gaze. "I don't care who's coming, I won't leave her when she so clearly cannot defend herself."
"She won't be coming for Lauren. Chances are she doesn't even know about know about her."
"So it's a she, is it?" Amelia mused "I always did love a good girlfight. Who are we looking at?"
"Yeah," I jumped on Amelia's questions "who is it? Do you know her well?"
"I don't see how that's relevant."
"Well, if you know her, you can tell us what her weaknesses are, what she wants..." I pried, resting my hand on top of Lauren's, linking my digits through hers.
"The point is she's dangerous. I can tell you more later."
"Something you can't say in front of me, Trick?" Amelia asked, narrowing her eyes at the bar keep. He sighed and turned to look at her. "What? You don't trust me? Come on, I've known you for centuries. I'm on your side, here to help and all that."
"Amelia-"
"Trick, please, whoever it is, I can help take them out. It's kind of what I do."
"Yeah," the Morigan muttered "I don't want any weirdos creeping around here either, they make life so drab it's depressing."
"I don't think-"
"Trick," Amelia said, putting a hand on his shoulder, "Tell me who it is." Trick drew in a long breath. He looked up at the blonde, resting his hand over hers.
"Aife."
Amelia laughed. "I don't care what anyone says, Trick, you haven't lost your sense of humour. Seriously, though, whose this big bad fae coming to town?" His gaze remained the same remorseful stare.
"Amelia, it's Aife." She blinked at him a few times "My contacts spotted her as she made her way back into town. I'm sorry, I should have told you-" she pulled her hand from his grasp and took a step back. Even the Morigan's jaw clenched tight and her eyes widened, flicking back between Trick and Amelia.
"She's dead."
"Listen-"
"No," she said, her jaw clenched "you told me she was dead. You told me she died giving birth. You showed me her burial. Aife is dead."
"She's alive." Amelia let out a choked whimper. "Listen to me, she's dangerous. She'll use you emotions against you if you get near her."
"I trusted you," she breathed, her lip trembling, eyes swimming. "I swore myself to you and you lied to me." Trick looked at the floor, eyes squeezed shut. "Do you know how many years I've spent trying to atone for not being there? How many nights I spent awake, praying she would find a way to forgive me for not being with her?" The look on her face was indescribable. I'd only seen it once before, when Lauren showed me the pictures from the manticore attack. It was the same expression I had when Kenzi was holding me on the stairs.
It was a look that made me squeeze Lauren's hand tighter.
"Amelia, everything I kept from you was to protect you."
"You lied to me," she growled at him, coming apart at the seams, "after centuries of my servitude, of my unwavering loyalty, you betrayed me." I swallowed hard, I'd never seen this woman show an ounce of weakness. Of instability.
"You're not seeing this rationally!" Trick tried to reason. "You're letting your feelings cloud your judgment. I kept this from you to protect you! You and your family! Do you remember the last time you and her were together? Remember what she did?"
Amelia's eyes darkened and her jaw set. The Morigan still said nothing, but there was a glint in her eyes verging on murderous. I'd never seen such intense, pure emotion from her, not without some kind of flippant or sarcastic edge to it.
"Besides, you found happiness, I thought..." he sighed "I though I was giving you mercy by letting you believe she was gone."
"Who needs your mercy, huh?" Her elegant frame began to shake. "If I wanted mercy, I would have stayed sided with the light."
"I'm sorry-"
"Fuck you," she snarled, her eyes turning the striking amber that made Trick step back. Her entire body shook, hands clenched by her sides. "Now get the fuck out of this compound or you'll be the one who needs protecting."
"Amelia-"
"You heard her, Frodo," the Morigan finally piped up, arms crossed over her chest. "Beat it. I'm so over being cooperative."
Trick looked at her a moment longer before turning to me, his eyes pools of remorse and regret.
"Come, we have to go."
"But Lauren-"
"She's safe with me, Succubus," Amelia said, eyes still sharp, "just get him out of here before something happens that we'll all regret." I rose to my feet, looking down at the doctor on the cot. I bent down and pressed my lips to hers, ignoring the awkward lump from the air tube. I held her face firmly in my hands as if it were the last time I'd see her.
"I'll come back for you, Lauren. I won't let them hurt you. Just don't get too rowdy while I'm gone, okay?" I breathed in her scent, not oblivious to the fact that it was laced with the sharp bite of antiseptic. I straightened up again, meeting Amelia's eyes, noting the small glimmer of empathy within their depths.
I followed Trick out.
The iron door slammed closed behind us.
Graaah. My brain. It hurts.
Anyway, some of you may not be amused with what's coming, but as I was writing this chapter I started to wonder more about how Amelia is tangled up in Trick's family. I hadn't intended for it at all but it seemed the more I wrote the more tension and history bubbled under the surface. Then I got an idea and I kind of hinted at it in this chapter and my angsty teenage brain is excited about it. So future chapters will probably touch on what happened between Amelia and Trick and Aife because it does tie into Bo a little bit and could have an impact on the future which I didn't think of until now.
I'm not going to write a witty review line because "ain't nobody got time for that."