Bo felt her phone vibrate. "Damn it, no." she whispered internally.
Lauren cleared her throat and tried to pull back. "You should get that."
"No. Lauren. Whatever it is, it can truly wait." Bo gently strengthened her grip on the doctor. She closed her eyes and inhaled the woman's scent. Lauren didn't want to dance but Bo insisted on it. Now that the music was over. Now that the floor has cleared. It was just the two of them. The two of them. That rings so true to everything that Bo is trying to do. Make Lauren see that there are only the two of them that matters. Not the Fae. Not the world. Nothing else matters. The blonde was soft and warm in her arms as she had been so many times in Bo's bed. But this isn't about sex. It's not about falling into each other's arms or beds. It is about finding them again.
Lauren has every right to be upset about Bo leaving her on that side of the road. She had every right to move on from Bo. She had every right to inject herself to forget all about them. When Bo didn't remember anyone her heart never stopped what it's doing right now. Loving and yearning for the woman standing so close it should've made the small audience watching them think they are one.
"Ladies, your food is ready." A soft voice called just inches away from them.
"Right. You haven't eaten yet." Bo smiled and finally backed away from Lauren but not before glancing in the woman's eyes.
"This looks delicious." Lauren smiled as she looked at the waitress. "Thank you."
Bo didn't care what her food looked like or what was on her plate. Her main course sat just inches away from her. She soaked in everything about the woman. Her scent, again. Her smile. Her mannerisms. All Lauren. "Are you going to eat or keep staring?." Lauren asked. "I am. I am". Bo smiled and picked up her fork.
Elders meeting.
"I don't know who dropped the wolf off but they need to come get him or we can put him down. He's clumsy and reeks." A man held his nose.
"The Morrigan dropped him here. She must want him alive, for something." Another one chimed in.
"Take him to the Dal and drop him at that door. He'd be ripe for any Fae to take on."
"Yes. Yes. Get him out of here. But don't take him to the Morrigan. That's another mess we don't need. The succubus is out there. The young and the restless one. Let them be as well."
The Dal
Trick sighed when he heard feet and those same feet dropped Dyson on the ground. "What happened?."
"He was just outside your door. You may want to get better security." Two men laughed and walked to order drinks.
Trick picked up his phone, rolled his eyes and hung up. He can't call Lauren. She's no longer servicing fae patients. She might actually let this patient die. "It's Trick. I need a doctor sent to the Dal Riata." He spoke into his phone. He tried pouring water on Dyson and that didn't wake him up. If Evony did this, there's no telling what's in his system.
"What the fae happened?." Kenzi asked.
"I don't know. He was dropped at the doors and was brought inside. They told me the Morrigan is responsible. Who knows if that is true or not. But true or not, you two need to keep your distance. Stay out of the streets. At least until something has been resolved with Bo and Lauren." Trick took a seat and waited. He could use his blood but he doesn't need Dyson having his blood. It couldn't only make things worse, it would destroy the colony being in a wolf.
"Damn it. It's like I'm grounded." Kenzi slapped the pool table.
"There's plenty that you can do here, Kenzi. Read a book. Watch tv. Play pool. Stay out of my lair." Trick stood and went to look Dyson over again. There has to be a mark where he was injected. He put on gloves and searched.
"We need one doctor but that doctor would likely kick his ass or kill him." Kenzi stood over Trick watching the scene in front of her.
"Did he tell you where he was going or what he was up to?." Trick stood and pulled the gloves off.
"Dyson only has a one track mind and that track leads to Bo and Lauren. Not even the strip club enticed him. I don't know where he went but someone didn't like seeing him there." Kenzi shook her head. She couldn't help Dyson if the blood king can't. "It has to suck to be mated to someone you can't have for the rest of your existence. When I'm gone, he'll still want Bo."
"He should have never mated with her until she herself agreed to it. That's why he was single when she met him. His last mate died and no other woman had agreed to be his mate. He slept around more than anyone in the Fae world." Trick took his seat again and tapped his finger on the table. What could the Morrigan have given him that won't kill him.
"That is not bad!." Crystal laughed as she and Bruce walked in. "That bastard, again!." She screamed.
"Easy, Crystal." Bruce stepped in front of her.
"What do you know about this, Bruce?." Trick looked across the room.
"He was stalking Bo and Lauren. The Morrigan had him sedated. That's all I will tell you. Crystal? After you." Bruce bowed as the blonde walked to the back of the bar and found a booth. Kenzi watched the whole scene and squinted at them. "That's who Lauren loved."
"Kenzi!." Trick sighed and stood up.
"What? She did. That's what the whole story is about. Lauren injected herself, forgot about Bo, and fell in love with another woman." Kenzi put her hands on her hips and watched Bruce and Crystal. "I wish I could rap, she'd probably make me millions."
"Not interested." Crystal looked at Kenzi and went back to looking over Bruce's latest song. "Let me get with my people. We'll come up with a beat and get back to you. Now, how about something to eat." Crystal looked over to Trick and he hurried over. "What can I get you?." He smiled.
"The world has gone mad. Bo is chasing Lauren. Dyson is chasing Bo. Bruce is chasing a musical career. Me? I'm chasing nothing." Kenzi rested her head on her hand as she sat on a barstool.
The Morrigan's office.
"Was he dropped off?." The Morrigan asked.
"He was." A guard answered.
"Lauren and Crystal?." The Morrigan asked.
"Lauren is with Bo and Crystal is with Bruce." The guard replied.
"Aife?." The Morrigan looked up.
"I don't know where she is Morrigan." The guard bowed his head.
"Fool! Find her!." The Morrigan gestured with her hands.
Aife
The old succubus sat at a table taking sips of her drink. She set the glass down and looked around. Either they don't know her or fear her. She smiled at both ideas. Good. Both are good. This is the part of Bo that Hades wanted. An unfeeling, not giving a fuck about anything succubus. But Aife screwed his plans by giving her up. The Queen often spoke about family and heirs. She would be proud of the young Succubus. While they can't love anyone but their mates, Bo can love anyone that she wants to. It showed by giving Lauren the last of her grandmother's life essence. So, technically Isabeau lives on because of Lauren. Taking a deep breath, she smiled and picked her glass back up. "She must be protected at all costs. Her life must be protected at all costs." She could cry if she knew how to. "Let's get busy on that." She tapped the table and stood to leave.
Bo and Lauren.
"Ahhhh. Now that was good." Bo smiled as she wiped her mouth with a napkin. Lauren sat across from her drinking her wine. She had long finished eating but Bo kept ordering something else. "Bo."
"I know. I know I have made this longer than it should have been. But I wanted to spend as much time with you as I could away from everything that is normal to us. Where we sleep has become the norm. I'm just tired, Lauren. I am tired of us not being where we were. We were happy. I thought. Then you weren't happy and things really went to shit afterwards." Bo threw the napkin violently.
"Bo, I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I am not going fast enough for you. But I have to be careful. We still don't know what's going on with me." The doctor stood and moved away from the table. "I wasn't happy. Everything was happening so fast. Trick sprung your Dawning stuff on us. I worked hard to try and help you. You went in and came out. You saved him. Tamsin told me about your kiss. Taft showed up at my door threatening my freedom. The humans can't learn about the Fae. They would be in danger. I had to leave with him. It was no different than committing to the Light Fae. I had to save lives. Human lives. Mine and Nadia's. Tell me a Fae besides you that wouldn't hesitate to kill a human if they learn about your existence? My life was never about me. It has never been about me after I figured out what a doctor is. What I am. A helper. I had gone back to that life with Crystal. Even before I injected myself to forget you. I had lived among humans and there weren't Fae eyes on me. That was as normal a life as I have ever known. You can't help what you are. You can't help who you are. I can help who I surround myself with. Dyson, Kenzi and Trick are nice enough when they want something from me. You come with all of them. It's who you are. Kenzi's your human until she dies. Dyson's your mate until he does. He will. His mouth or actions will get him killed. Trick will live on either way. He's too powerful not to. Me? My lifespan is no different than that of Kenzi's. But she's not my best friend. Just a human like me."
Bo had stood watching the doctor talk. She never knew Lauren held all that in. The Fae took five years of her life but being a doctor took more. One thing about this wonderful woman is she loves being a doctor and a helper. "You need a vacation." Bo sighed. "One away from me, too."
"I do need a vacation." Lauren half laughed. A vacation. What the hell is that to a scientist?
"Ahh but you didn't say from me. Ok, Lauren. We can take a vacation. Pack up some bags and just go. Forever how long you like, we can go." Bo stepped closer to the woman.
"Bo, a vacation means leaving chaos for a while or getting away from something and then going back to what you went to get away from." Lauren picked up her glass and took a sip.
"Then what irritates you, besides me?." Bo asked.
"You don't irritate me, Bo. I don't even know who you really are. But that's the point of all of this right? To get to know each other again? You want a quick solution and as a scientist, we look at all variables." Lauren turned back to the woman. Bo had the face and eyes of a little girl. But she can't get caught up in that. Adult Bo would eventually surface.
"I'm not patient but you treat patients and have to be patient with them." Bo laughed at her statement but turned serious again. "I can wait, Lauren. I can wait for you."
"We can date. I can't promise more than that Bo. We are bound to run into one of them or all of them at some point. Something will need to be solved within the Fae world. They will look to you. You will look to me and I will look elsewhere. I am no longer their doctor on call. I even changed my number." Lauren took her seat again.
"Lauren, nobody is expecting anything out of you. They are not. The Elders are still alive. There is nothing coming for you. Nothing you need to hide from. There's no gf to curse." Bo spoke softly just inches away from the woman.
"I didn't say they were. I just know how they think. Crystal is still around. I must think of her too. For as shitty as they treated me, she's likely to get ten times worse outside of Dark Fae protection." Lauren looked at Bo and knew what was coming.
"You love her, don't you?." Bo asked.
"The same way you love, Dyson, yes. But my reasoning is friend only. Not someone to sleep with when you get upset with me." Lauren replied honestly.
"Wow. We really do need to date." Bo sank into a chair. This is not Lauren. This is a stronger Lauren. The Fae fucked her over so badly that she doesn't much trust the one sitting in front of her.
Lauren leaned forward. "Bo that wasn't meant to hurt you but you asked the question. I gave you my honest answer."
"So, do you want to order dessert?." Bo asked.
"I had forgotten they have a dessert bar." Lauren smiled and stood. She can't fault Bo for being edgy. It is to be expected. Just like her being edgy around the succubus. The women stood in unison and went to look the dessert table over.
The Dal
"There damn well better be a good reason that we were all summoned here." The Morrigan looked around the room.
"I didn't call any of you. I have my own problems." Trick looked up and around.
"Well, somebody did. Who was it? Time is money!." The Morrigan screamed.
"I called you all here. For one reason and one reason only." Aife stepped into the room.
"Who has a bomb strapped to their body? Find them, quickly!." The Morrigan screamed.
"There is no bomb. But what I've come to say comes with a bombshell." Aife stepped deeper into the room.
"What is it? Get on with it!." A voice screamed from the back.
The succubus was in his face in a matter of seconds. "I haven't fed recently. Are you ready to die? If not, shut your damn mouth."
"Aife, please." Trick pleaded.
"Lauren. I'm here for Lauren Lewis." Aife turned around to the crowd.
"The Light's CME? We didn't need to be brought here for that!." Another voice screamed.
"You should find this interesting." Aife held up a note.
"What is that?." The Morrigan asked.
"A request. Signed and dated by the Blood King." Aife smiled.
"What have you done?." Trick whispered.
"Just a little insurance policy." Aife smiled.
"Get to the point!." The Morrigan rolled her eyes.
"If Lauren accepts it, I am going to claim her." Aife spoke. Angry voices and gasps erupted around the room.
"The Blood King's daughter protecting a human? What is this, Fitzpatrick?." A woman stepped forward.
"Silence!." Aife screamed. "I only threw the stick and you idiots fetched it. I am not going to claim her. I only wanted to see how you would react and I have my answer. So, I will say this. Lauren isn't to be claimed or sought after by the Light or the Dark, but she is to be respected by all Fae. If that request isn't followed, I will bring more than bombs to your shitty shacks and stank boxing gyms." Aife turned to Dyson. He looked lost and confused. "Do explain it to your dog when he's not stoned out of his mind." With that, Aife was gone.
"What did she just do?." Kenzi asked.
"She did what Bo didn't do with you, she put fear into the Fae." The Morrigan laughed. She ran out to try and catch up with Aife. "Wait."
"What is it Evony?." Aife rolled her eyes.
"I have my own human that I have an exclusive partnership with. A stipulation is that I watch Lauren. Are you saying that's done too?." The Morrigan asked.
"I know all about Crystal. You can keep that agreement but know this, Evony. I am not fucking around about this." Aife's eyes were deep ocean blue.
"What happened? What's in it for you? Could it be how Bo brought her back to life?." The Morrigan asked. "Because if it is, you have my full support. I loved the Queen too. She didn't mix words or was shy about busting balls."
"Even if that were true, I wouldn't tell you." Aife walked off and kept walking.
The Morrigan listened to the loud protests still going on inside the Dal. She watched Aife walking down the dark alley. Not an alley cat would fuck with that woman. "Morrigan?." A male voice called.
"Find Lauren and bring her to me." The Morrigan ordered.
"And that crazy succubus?." The man asked.
"You can bring Bo, too." The Morrigan smiled. This is going to be fun.
The hours had ticked away and as expected, Bo was not happy that their night, more importantly, Lauren's night had been disturbed. "This better be good, Evony." She snapped as they were led into the Morrigan's office.
"While you were away Aife summoned every Fae and Elder in the colony to the Dal Riata. Once everyone was assembled, she declared that Lauren can't be claimed or sought after by any Fae. I have a better proposition, if Lauren is interested."
"Get on with it!." Bo snapped.
"What's the proposition?." Lauren was curious.
"Lauren wants and deserves respect among the Fae. Aife has offered her standing protection. Protection more dangerous than killing someone. I have a better idea. Should you accept it, Lauren. You will be Morrigan by midnight." Evony handed Lauren a thick stack of papers.
TBC