A/N: You all are probably wondering where our valkyrie is. Don't worry...she returns in the next chapter, which btw is a LONG one.
And has some valkubus-y moments.
Whoops...I didn't say too much, did I? ;)
"'Come into my parlor,' said the spider to the fly," the Morrigan growled as the succubus entered her office.
"Aw, Evony. You're not still holding a grudge, are you?" Bo crossed her arms in front of her chest. "You found the keys. Eventually. And you even somehow got your hands on my old phone so there's no visible proof I can use to torment you with, now is there?"
"And now here you are in my office without anyone around to protect you, you poor, poor dear."
Bo smiled. Watching the dark fae leader get her knickers in a twist over her was especially rewarding, though she'd never admit such a thing aloud.
"Look, Evony. We can do this song and dance if you want where you make threats against me and I laugh in your face, but I'm pressed for time and I actually do have a serious proposition for you if you're interested."
The Morrigan's interest was piqued but she was wary given her last interlude with the succubus. "This doesn't involve handcuffs and a black lace nightie, does it?"
Bo stifled a grin. It wouldn't do to openly mock the women. "No. No nighties. Just a question...and an offer."
Evony sat back in her chair. "I'm listening."
The succubus reached in her jacket pocket and pulled out her cell phone, which she handed over to the Morrigan, who eyed the device suspiciously. "It's a new phone and I didn't have any other copies. I promise," Bo grinned.
The Morrigan swiped the phone from her hand and looked and was visibly flummoxed by what she saw. Bo watched carefully, hoping to see if she could catch Evony express any unguarded emotions before her walls went up and was surprised that she ended up with a veritable treasure trove of expressions from the dark fae's face. "So, what's your offer?" Evony countered emotionlessly as she laid the phone back on her desk. But it was too late for that and both of the women knew it.
Bo reached for the phone and tucked it back into her pocket. "I need information on who that woman is and what happened to her and I know you have all the details I'm interested in."
To her credit, Evony didn't dispute Bo's claim. "And in exchange for such information?"
Bo smiled. She had her. "A future favor of your choosing. A debt that I will owe you with the caveat that it not include any scenario where I could end up harming or killing someone directly or indirectly by my actions, or betraying the trust of anyone I care about."
"A future favor. I'm already owed one by your little pet, you know."
"Yes, I know. And now you will have two, along with my word that I'll do whatever you want, no questions asked, as long as you agree to the terms I just laid out." The succubus took a deep breath as she dove in. "I swear, on my blood honor."
Evony stalled for time but it was already apparent she was interested in Bo's offer. A promise from the succubitch? A debt held over her head like this was worth allowing her to live just to see what kind of trouble she could stir up for her. "Alright. We have an agreement. I swear, on my blood honor."
Bo sat down and made herself comfortable and waited for the Morrigan to speak.
"It was about thirty years or so ago. I received notification that a valkyrie had been located and was paid, very handsomely I might add, to make this valkyrie disappear."
"Why?" Bo interjected.
"Why what?"
"Why bother with this woman? This valkyrie? Who hired you to eliminate her?"
"That is not part of the deal, succubus. It doesn't matter who paid for the hit. As for why, did you not hear me before? I was paid a shit ton of money to do it. That's reason enough for me."
Bo huffed in disapproval but didn't say anything else. "Continue."
"I considered subcontracting the job out to another but I changed my mind at the last minute. This was too important to be left in the hands of others. She was, after all, the last valkyrie on earth. So I went for her. She had apparently been on the run and in hiding for centuries. But you know, the odd thing was she didn't seem too surprised to see me. It was almost like she expected it."
A few moments of silence passed as Evony relived her experience.
"And then what happened?" Bo prodded.
"And then, I killed her. It wasn't personal succubus, it was business; so don't look at me with those disapproving eyes of yours."
Bo struggled with her emotions and with the cold, dispassionate way the Morrigan relayed how she took the life of an innocent fae, the last of her kind, just because she was paid to do so.
"What else can you tell me about her?"
"Not a whole lot. It wasn't like we spent any kind of time together or anything. I knew her for all of 30 seconds before she met her true death."
"Her true death?" the succubus repeated.
"God you really are a baby fae, aren't you? Valkyries live multiple lifetimes and at the end of each, they die and are reborn. They repeat the process over and over until eventually they meet their true death and are no longer able to walk the earth."
"And how do you know it was her final death when you killed her? Her true death?"
The Morrigan smiled and Bo felt a shiver of fear travel up her spine. It wasn't a pleasant expression. "Let's just say a girl has a way of knowing those kinds of things and leave it at that."
Bo decided to let it go. Perhaps there were some things she didn't really need to know after all. She stood and prepared herself to leave Evony's office and thought about the long, hot bath she'd have to take to wash the stench of this experience off of her.
"So do I get to ask what you're doing with a dead woman's face on your phone?" the Morrigan's voice interrupted her thoughts.
Bo smiled humorlessly. "Sorry, Evony, no can do. I'll stand by and wait for your call."
"I'll be counting the seconds until we meet again, succubus," the Morrigan cajoled, but Bo was too heavy hearted to take the bait.
An urgent thought crossed her mind. "Oh, wait. One more thing before I leave. What was her name?"
"That one's easy. I never forget a name, especially if it belongs to someone who's brain I melted."
Bo grit her teeth and waited, knowing the Morrigan enjoyed drawing things out.
Evony grinned victoriously, knowing she had gotten under the succubitch's skin once more. "The name of this valkyrie...was Tamsin."
A few minutes later, Bo was in the elevator and on her way out of the building. It occurred to her belatedly that she may have just inadvertently put the valkyrie's life in danger.
Back in the Morrigan's office, an impromptu meeting continued. "You have all the details you need. I don't care what you have to do or who you have to kill. I want this woman dead before the end of the day," Evony ordered.
The five men in the room smiled viciously, while streams of red trailed down their faces from their recently doused caps.