Hello there. As always, thank you for reading.

This chapter has more violence than any of the previous ones, I just want to warn in case anyone has a problem with that.

Please enjoy!

I don't own TMI

That little bitch of a warlock, Elijah was hovering over me as I regained consciousness. I had no idea what time or even what day it was. I felt almost as horrible as I did the first time I woke up in captivity. I felt that same magic-overpowering drug in my system again. This time, though, my injuries were faded to the point were I only felt minor aches. And my mind was not as foggy.

Also, I was in a different room and strapped to a cold metal table. There was a weird looking mass of labeled IV drip bags hanging on wheeled stands to my left. Elijah stood between me and the drip bags and was looking pretty smugly at me.

"Are you enjoying yourself, oh high warlock Bane?"

"Not really, no." I said. My voice sounded weak to my own ears. "What the hell is that stuff?"

"Hmm. You mean to tell you don't know." He placed his index finger to his temple and cocked his head in mock-contemplativeness. "Now, how is that possible? I thought you knew it all. How could someone as powerful as yourself be so, so painfully ignorant?"

I sighed inwardly. This scrawny little prick was just dying to get under my skin. I didn't want to get caught up in his games, though. I needed to stay focused so that I could figure a way out of this mess.

I heard footsteps approaching, but I couldn't lift my head well enough to face the source of the sound.

"Elijah." Came the sharp voice of none other than the Queen of the faeries. "I told you to attend to the werewolf. Why have you been bothering the our guest?"

The phrase 'our guest' was really throwing me off. I was sure that not everyone tied up and drugged their guests after kidnapping, roughing up, and also tossing them into stale, mold-infested rooms.

I kept my mouth shut though since I wanted to see how Elijah would respond. He was such a worthless little whiner.

"I only said something because he woke up." He slunk over to the other table in the room. I had to assume Maia was tied to it since I couldn't see it properly.

"You know very well how I deal with insubordination." The faery said in a quiet and dangerous voice.

"Sorry, my lady." Elijah said. He sounded at least a little bit sarcastic as he addressed her as such, but she made no further comment to him.

She turned her attention on me, instead. "Magnus Bane. I am so happy that you are awake. I know you cannot be all that happy with me right now, considering the position you are in, but I think you will see things my way in due time."

That bitch was obviously crazy. Still, I continued to hold my tongue. I could see as clearly as she could that my position was, in fact, not the best one to be in.

"I don't need to tell you about the injustice that the shadowhunters have done to my people. I know you have strange ways and have had rather questionable acquaintances and bedfellows in the past, but I do hope that I can persuade you past that, Magnus.

"I will be direct. I need you on my side. I come to you because you are the best. This smoke business has just been dreadful. I have been having to deal with incompetent allies and those of questionable loyalty. With you, Magnus, I believe I can finally formulate the most effective smokes and get rid of the rift raft."

While she talked, I tried to subtly watch Elijah. He looked murderous when she said I was the best, and when she said that bit about the rift raft at the end. I wondered what she had over him, seeing as how he could overpower her if he really wanted to. But, then again, Elijah was a pretty weak-minded individual and he was lazy; it was probably easier for him to just fall in line.

I finally started to negotiate.

"I've never been one to be comfortable strapped to tables, or to being prodded with. Let me out of these restraints, and then maybe we can talk." I said, trying really hard to sound more confident than I felt.

Her pale blue eyes narrowed slightly at me and I was reminded just how much the faery queen and I did not like each other. I'd never really had a problem with most faeries; I'd partied with them, dated them, even became friends with a few. My issue was solely with the woman staring at me. She was so deceptive, and while I never was one to show all of my cards, I preferred people who were a bit less manipulative.

"You insult my intelligence, Bane. I cannot release until I know that I can trust you."

"Oh, please. You'll never trust me. Just like I, for damn sure, will never trust you."

From as much as I could tell, I was making her angry. That truly wasn't my intention, but the Queen of faery was very hard to please.

"Warlock, you will help me, and I will not have you beaten daily. With your weakened state, I am sure that you could not last very long."

"Do your worst, then. There is no way in hell I would ever stoop as low as to ever help you."

Suddenly my cheek stung. I looked at the faery and saw she was brandishing what looked like a moss covered vine.

"That is but a taste of what you have in store if you try to deny me." She said haughtily.

Damn. That hurt. "You won't win. You didn't, when you sided with Sebastian. You're a smart enough woman, but you don't know everything." I really needed to shut up, but I just couldn't help myself, I guess. Against my better judgement, I smirked up at her. "You must have grown accustomed to wanting the very things that you can't have."

I watched from the corner of my eye as her arm raised again, this time lashing me across my chest. Then another two across my legs. I could feel the vine, with its thorns, digging in to my flesh. I knew she had drawn blood.

"I think you are remembering things incorrectly, Bane." Her breath was short and her voice hard. "Any change of heart yet, or do you need more persuading?"

I didn't respond to that. More than anything, I didn't want to show her any weakness. I knew my voice would probably betray me, so I kept quiet while I tried to get used to the pain.

And it was quite painful. For the next 20 minutes or so, the head faery used her whip-like vine thing to try to goad me into giving up my resolve. She didn't leave much of my body untouched as her whip came down again and again. Each strike she made, seared into the flesh and muscle of my arms, shoulders, chest, stomach, thighs, pelvis, and legs. She was nothing if not thorough in her administrations.

At one point she called Elijah over to have me breathe in more faery smoke and to tighten the straps that held me down. He looked absolutely giddy as he pulled the restraint at my chest so taut that I could barely inhale properly. And I was already pretty breathless, as it was.

More than anything- more than the pain, since this was not the first time that I had been held down and tortured by some sick maniac, unfortunately- I was humiliated. And I was sure that that was what she was aiming for.

Although I hadn't screamed or made much noise beyond a few drawn out groans, my eyes were tearing up. I wouldn't say I was crying, exactly, but she had lashed my face twice. Once, right across the bridge of my nose and the other time right on my mouth. Whether I was crying or not, though, the end result was the same and I knew I looked pathetic.

"Are you tired yet? Or do you want me to continue to work on that face that you pride so much." She said, voice full of arrogance. "Pride can be a man's undoing, Bane. Don't make that mistake."

In my head I was formulating what I wanted to tell her about her pride and her own undoing, when there was a loud commotion coming somewhere from my right.

"What the hell is going on, faery?" Someone spit out.

"Benjamin!" The queen sound shocked and exasperated. "I thought you are your subordinates had other business to attend to at your hotel?"

"I left David in charge, here. Where is he?"

"I do not keep up with your vampires. Surely you know that by now."

"He was supposed to be here and keeping an eye on you. I see you just went along with your plan for the extra warlock. You are not the one in charge here anymore!" The guy shouted.

There was another sound coming from a different direction. From my position I could see a group of faery knights emerge from a doorway. They probably heard the argument and came to help their lady.

There was a brief and silent standoff and then, all at once, a rowdy argument broke out.

I couldn't catch most of the words. I was suddenly more aware of the effect that the smoke was having on me. Again, I was feeling groggy and weak. I had no idea what they had done to Maia, if anything. I just hoped she and I wouldn't get caught in the crossfire if a physical altercation came about.

Suddenly, I felt myself being moved. Someone was roughly undoing the belts that had been holding me down and I was being shoved back into the room I woke up in on my first night there.

I took a few moments to catch my breath, although even the most minor of movements was painful. When I could I leaned over onto my side. I saw Maia slumped over in a corner, unmoving.

"Magnus Bane."

I flinched. The faery queen was in the room with me.

"What are you doing in here?" I asked through blistered and bloodied lips. "You would let them fight while you hide out with the prisoners?" I could here a racket going on outside of the room.

She glared at me for a second. "You are feisty, I will give you that. Maybe a bit too stubborn for my tastes, but I think we will learn to work together."

"I'm still not going to work with you."

"You enjoyed the pain, then." She smiled wickedly. "Fine. That is fine." She turned, as if she was going to leave, then turned back to me again.

"Did you ever stop to consider that I can reach out to a certain shadowhunter at any time of my choosing?"

"What are you talking about?" I had to force my words out. My chest and mouth were feeling so sore and I seriously needed to rest.

"David. He has been fraternizing with what used to be your plaything. That self-righteous shadowhunter called Alec Lightwood."

"Leave Alec out of this you filthy bitch."

She moved in closer to me and pressed her fingers in to a welt on my chest, near my shoulder, causing me to squirm back from her touch.

"You have always been a weak one, Bane. It is no wonder that I cannot stand you. The mighty warlock still has feelings for the silly little Nephilim who trampled all over his heart. And all over his dignity."

She leaned over me and smiled again, looking a trifle unhinged. Her red hair was fuzzy and frazzled and I shuddered at the crazed look in her eye.

"You will join me, Magnus Bane, or the Lightwood boy will be invited in and you will watch me treat him with the same hospitality that I have shown you."

The faery straightened up and before she left she said, "You have a until morning. When you wake, you must tell me your decision. It would be wise if you choose to not disappoint me. Again."

And then she turned and left the room.

A/N

So... the faery queen is a total bitch, right? She was a bitch to write too. It's like, get a name, asshole. I hope I didn't overload you all with all the pronouns I used (she this, she that), but I hated having to call her queen all the time. You knew what I meant, right? And I was gonna just make up a name for her, so I researched names for like 15 minutes, but then I got bored. oh well.

Thanks for reading!