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Bile built up in my stomach as I glanced around the lab. The moment I stepped onto the campus, I knew we were in the right spot. I hadn’t known what to look for or what I was going to find. Never finding out would have been more of a blessing.
This should not be, Berry said, finally breaking the silence he had kept up with all day.
The lab we came across was bubbling with activity. My skin prickled as my chest felt heavy. It was like someone was stomping on my chest, twisting their heel while doing it. I had stayed far away from the sciences during my education, so I had no real idea what I was looking at. It felt like I walked into a mad scientist’s lab with all the tubes, beakers, and bubbling substances that I was too afraid to approach.
“I don’t like this,” Judah seethed, rubbing at his chest.
“You feel it too, right?” I asked.
The guys glanced at me, confused. They were immune to the heavy pressure from all the magic gathering and being used in here.
“Yes.” Judah shuddered. “It feels wrong. Changed somehow.”
“What exactly am I looking at?” I asked.
We stayed together, moving further into the large lab. Humming filled the space from the fume hoods. The hoods lined the wall, all of them occupied with the same set up of tubes, flasks, and silvery liquid bubbling underneath. None of us were well acquainted with a science lab, but helped each other piece together everything we were looking at.
“I swear, I accounted for everyone. He does not belong to this university,” Judah said, leaning over and taking in a breath. Snapping back, he sneezed, nose twitching in agitation.
“He’s crafty,” I said and reached out toward the setup. I felt resistance before reaching the hood. My fingers tingled, almost growing numb. I snapped my hand back and hissed. “Warded.”
“Here.” Judah pointed at etchings in the hood, old fae symbols meant to keep anyone who hadn’t been blooded to the ward out. It’d take too much magic to break it.
I contemplated the worth of doing it anyway so I could get a sample. The exhaustion I felt told me I probably didn’t have it in me to even succeed. The longer I was up and moving, the less energy I had. The other problem was, the moment I did so, he’d know, and he’d go into hiding. He couldn’t know we found this place, at least not yet, not until we understood.
“Science was never my strong suit,” Jason said. “But I’m pretty sure he’s cooking something up that we probably won’t like.”
I frowned, trying to get a better look of the final product. It was very similar to the goo I had found in the alley. Slowly, it clicked together.
“This is the stuff,” I said. “It’s what is making the fae go crazy.”
“You don’t know that,” Foster said. “Could be something else.”
“Faerie magic is way too potent in here.” I pointed to the tube of thick bubbling substance. “And that means that has to be very potent.”
“I just don’t understand where he’s getting all the faerie magic to work with,” Judah said. “It should be impossible to just reach across realms and scoop up faerie magic to bring back over. Portals aren’t easy either.”
“Faerie is aware of all portals made,” I said. “She would not allow someone to steal it, not like this.”
“So those weak spots and that tear,” Foster said.
“Yes. And after the initial times, he’s probably streamlined the process using this stuff. It would explain why the substance has been found at the scene.”
“And how the fae are getting it.” I groaned. This was such a mess. What the fuck was Laikynn messing with?
“What are you doing here?” A young female voice spoke from behind.
We all turned, ready for battle. The woman, barely an adult, stepped back, her face paling as she glanced at each of us, her glasses slipping down her face. She pushed them up and squared her shoulders.
“You aren’t allowed in here. If Dr. Hennessy catches you, you’ll be in trouble.”
I pasted on a smile and pushed through all the guys, each of them having jumped in front of me to protect me. Berry stayed at my side, silent but alert.
The woman’s gaze dipped down to him, and she scowled.
“No pets allowed in here!”
Smoothing out my tone and adding in a little magic. “I apologize,” I said. “We were only doing a little tour. I’m interested in the sciences, so we ended up here.”
Slowly the woman fell into a daze. Her features softened. She was rather cute, and I was sure the boys were throwing themselves at her. I hoped she wasn’t too lost in her studies to have some fun.
I refocused before I started thinking about those moments I had missed out on.
“We will be out of your hair shortly. I am curious though. What kind of experiments are these?” I waved to the setups.
The woman blinked, confusion twisting into her features. “We aren’t currently doing any active experiments. What are you talking about?” She glanced around, overlooking all the bubbling setups in the hoods. I shared a glance with the guys.
“What does Dr. Hennessy usually research?”
“Developing new medication to smooth out the process of chemotherapy.” She frowned and shook her head. “You guys need to leave.”
I pasted on a smile and stepped forward. “You are a kind woman for answering my questions.”
“Of course. You should set up a meeting with Dr. Hennessy. He will be able to clear up any confusions that you have. If you don’t mind, I need to get to class. I will be locking up after you leave.” She made sure her threat was understood. She wasn’t going to leave us here alone.
We filed out of the room, and sure enough, she pulled out a key and locked the door.
Berry snorted. Cute. Like a door can stop us.
I rested my hand on his head. He was right, a locked door wouldn’t stop us. But those barriers did.
Noticing that the student was waiting for us to leave, I walked away, the others following close behind. Once we were out of earshot, the questions came.
“Why didn’t we try to get more information out of her?” Jason asked.
“You heard her,” Judah said. “She said there are no active experiments currently going on.”
“That’s bullshit, it was right in front of her.”
“Laikynn,” I growled out. That got their attention. “Compulsion. He’s making her, and most likely everyone else who would step into that lab, believe that there is nothing going on in there. They won’t see the setups or notice anything weird. I bet he could work right in front of them and they wouldn’t notice. It’s a strong compulsion. Dangerous.”
Berry growled next to me. Dangerous.
“Yes, dangerous. He’s most likely damaged their mind,” I whispered.
“You can’t be serious,” Waylon said.
“I am.”
Waylon grabbed my arm and pulled me to a stop. “Is there a way to help them? Break the compulsion?”
Carefully removing my arm from his tight grasp, I shook my head. “It will only hurt them more if we force it. They could suffer severe brain damage from it, or worse case, kill them. Compulsion plays with the mind, something that should not happen to the degree that Laikynn did with that student. It’s one thing to make someone briefly believe an appearance or to get them to walk away. It’s another to make them believe that nothing is happening in that lab. It’s a very active compulsion, always adapting to whatever situation is going on. That’s a dangerous compulsion. One that even I won’t touch.”
Waylon’s jaw tightened, fists clenched at his side. He was always a righteous man, unable to turn his head away when something bad was happening. This was going to eat at him. Foster was used to these kinds of injustices. Jason didn’t feel it as deeply. Foster, though. He got it. He really did.
“Come on.” I sighed and led them back to the parking lot.
Once we were by our vehicles, I tossed a privacy barrier up so we could talk freely. My magic responded sluggishly, not wanting to do as I wanted as quickly as I needed. Judah noticed and frowned. I clenched my teeth and finally, the barrier formed.
What the hell was going on with me?
Judah felt it and nodded at me. “I’ll have some men around to keep an eye on him. The moment he steps onto the campus, you’ll know.”
“Keep them discreet. Laikynn is a smart man. The moment he knows something is up, he’ll disappear.”
“They’re good.”
“All right. I need to reach out to that professor. Maybe he can figure out how all of that is possible.” I waved my hand toward the campus. “I also need to talk to Alder. Crap. I don’t want to go back to the hotel and then to Alder.”
“Why would you need to go back to the hotel?” Jason asked. “We can just head right to Alder.”
“I need to send an email to the professor.”
“Use your phone.”
I frowned and pulled out my phone. “No. I’m not sending him a message. An email.”
Jason smiled, but the humor wasn’t there. Everyone was too shaken about what we had just seen and learned. “Josie, smartphones are smart for a reason. They are more than capable of sending an email now.”
My mouth popped open. “Really?”
He nodded and grabbed my phone. Not needing to ask for my passcode, he was able to open it.
“Hey! How do you know my passcode?”
“Really? I doubt it’s changed over the last ten years. It’s still your student ID.” Jason focused on my phone and I let him do his magic.
“Why are we going to see Alder?” Foster asked.
“Maybe he’ll have some input to give us about what’s going on,” I said.
“Here. Done.” Jason handed the phone back to me. “Type in what you want, his email address, and hit send.”
“That easy?”
Jason chuckled as he pulled me into his side. “That easy.”
I did as he said and the email was sent. All I could do was wait. Jason said once I got a reply, my phone would give me a notification. That way I didn’t have to keep checking my email waiting for him. That was pretty nifty. It used to be that you had to buy very specific phones to be able to send emails, and I never bothered to splurge on something like that. To think all phones practically had that feature now. Just another reminder on how much time had passed.
Judah stuck behind to remain on campus and get his people out there. The rest of us headed to the park to talk with Alder. The guys still hadn’t met him yet, and I wasn’t sure what Alder would think of the three of them.
It was going to be fun. Their experience with fae had been us who looked too much like human or hid behind strong glamour. Alder was ancient, gone through too much. He didn’t follow the norm, and I wasn’t going to force him, though I knew I should. Alder was good at not being seen, he was so... childish, that it was hard to berate him.
We were coming up to the spot when I stopped.
“Are we there?” Jason asked, looking around.
Shaking my head, I said, “Almost.”
“What’s wrong?” Foster asked.
“A short talk before we move forward. Alder is fae.”
“We know,” Jason interrupted.
My glare had him shutting up. I cleared my throat. “He does not hide himself as anything other than himself. Do not fear him. If anything, he will probably fear you. He’s big, his form intimidating, but he’d no more hurt you than a newborn baby will.”
“What is he?” Foster asked.
“He’s Alder.”
“That tells us nothing.”
I sighed. “That is hard to explain. He is literally an alder tree. Alder trees are deep within the fae mythology. He’s elemental, strongest in earth and fire, but deeply connected to water and air. Because of those connections, he is the most in tune with everything that happens. He’s ancient, and uses the water as his network to gather a lot of information.”
“An alder tree,” whispered Jason, trying to wrap around what I was telling him.
“Think tree and human mashed together.”
“Uh, alder trees are fucking tall. You said he’s big. How big?”
I looked at Jason and raised an eyebrow. “Did I not say he is a tree?”
Jason swore underneath his breath, face paling. Hopefully, he understood.
“Right. Let’s go then. It’s early still, but he should be around.” I cast out my senses once again, making sure we were completely alone before moving to the old bridge.
“I thought it was only trolls who lived under bridges,” Foster said, eyeing it.
“They do, and I suggest you never approach one. They’ll just eat you. Alder lives where he is most comfortable. I don’t know why he is in the city rather than in a forest, but he is. Respect him. Do not mock him. And be patient.”
All three of them nodded before I carefully picked my way down to the water. The ground was muddy, and the guys slipped as they tried to follow. I could have made it easier for them with a little magic, but then it wouldn’t have been as fun. The look on Foster’s face said he knew exactly what I could have done and why I didn’t.
I smiled sweetly, trying to act innocent.
He snorted and shook his head, almost making me giggle.
Jason scowled at his pants. There was a dark stain all along his legs. It was better than being on his ass at least.
“Alder,” I said softly.
Nothing happened.
I waited patiently while Jason and Waylon shuffled on their feet nervously. I glanced at Foster. His body was rigid, on alert, as he scanned our surroundings for danger. The soldier in him was coming out.
A shadow in the water darkened and against the laws of human physics, Alder came out. Water did not slosh off of him like expected. The water didn’t even ripple. He simply appeared, rising above all of us.
“Fuck,” Jason whispered, and I sent him a glare. He pressed his lips together, trying to do his best to not react despite the way his skin paled and his body had gone rigid. Every instinct in him was screaming to run away from the creature before him.
“Friend Josie, you return to me.” Alder’s voice was still deep and rumbling.
I smiled. “I do.” I cut a glance at the other two. Foster was Foster, hiding his thoughts and emotions. Waylon tried to be the same, but it was clear he was struggling. Not as bad as Jason at least.
“You bring human friends.”
“They are important to me and are helping me.”
“Friend Josie’s friends?”
“Yes.”
Alder was quiet for a bit. He was as still as the rest of the trees around us before finally speaking. “Humans your friends. Humans not mine.” Something similar to bitterness slipped into his voice. The tone screamed for me to move with caution.
“If they harm you, I will punish them.” My threat was heavy in the air, the magic wrapping around me.
I could feel all three of their stares on me. I refused to look away from Alder, needing him to see how sincere I was.
“That is acceptable.” That was as much of a thank you I was going to get from him. I nodded my head in acceptance.
“I found Laikynn.”
“But you have not brought him back.”
I didn’t bother asking how he knew that.
“I will.”
“I know. But first, come.” He moved back, deeper into the water.
I frowned. “I was not planning on going swimming.”
“I must cleanse you, Friend Josie. Before it is too late.”
Something heavy washed over me, too ominous and unexpected. “What do you mean?”
“You are cursed. I will not let that stand. Come. We will get rid of it.”
“Wait?” Foster moved forward before I had a chance to take a step. His arm came out in front of me to keep me behind him.”
“What will you do? What is wrong with her?”
Alder didn’t say anything for a long uncomfortable moment. I read him well enough to tell that he did not like the guys. Or any humans really.
“The rogue takes from her what does not belong to him. She will fade if this continues. I will stop that, human.” The ground rumbled from his words, feeling the wrath that he emanated. “I will protect Friend Josie.”
Foster’s arm dropped in shock, and I used that moment to move around him and to the water. Alder backed off and moved deeper into the river.
“Laikynn is taking my magic,” I said, needing clarification.
“He is.” Alder motioned me closer. The cold water was to my knees, feet sinking into the mud, my shoes making it harder to move. “There is enough.”
I froze and waited to see what Alder would do. If it meant that this exhaustion disappeared, then I’d do it. I wasn’t going to let Laikynn win.
A low humming came from Alder, growing deeper and rumbly the longer he continued. I had to wonder if he breathed while doing it. It was one long drawn out mournful sound that hit deep in the heart
The water responded to his song, swirling around my legs. There was a pulse of magic as it began to glow, growing in intensity the deeper Alder’s voice went. It rose in a stream of magic around my entire body.
“Shit,” someone muttered.
The water wrapped around me, pressing against my body, its coolness seeping into my skin, chilling me. The magic in the water entered me, clung on to the taint, and severed it, breaking the spell that had been so well hidden inside of me. There was a punch, a feeling of something snapping. Then the flood came. My magic rose, and I took in a huge breath, realizing that I hadn’t taken a full one since Laikynn spelled me.
“Josie?” Jason asked.
I tilted my head up and laughed, the elation needing to be released. I didn’t realize how cut off I had felt until I had it back again.
“Are you okay?” Foster asked.
“I’m good. I’m really good.” I grinned big. “Alder, you are amazing.”
“You are Friend,” he replied, as if that explained it all. To him, it probably did.
I was about to ask him more questions when rustling and mumbling caught our attention. “There he is,” a low raspy voice said. “Bring him and we will be given all we want.”
“Show yourselves.” I whipped my magic out and uncloaked the fae. Five of them stood there, all gaunt, clearly going through withdrawals. They looked desperate. And every single one of them were looking at Alder.
Shit.
“Berry,” I whispered. He growled, his fur ruffling. “Get them.”
With pleasure. I am hungry.
He grew into his battle form, eyes glowing, black fur standing on end. His magic rippled through the air, dangerous blades against the skin. A deep growl rumbled from him before he bounded forwarded toward the fae. I should have felt bad, but the threat was clear.
They wanted Alder. I wasn’t going to let them touch someone so pure and innocent.
One of my guys swore, but I was too busy preparing for battle to look over. This had become exponentially dangerous, and if I made a wrong mood, not only Alder would be hurt, but so would my guys.
I reached down to my bracelet and activated one of my charms, already stored with a ton of magic. It responded to me instantly, the power zapping through my fingers, down my arm and through my chest, its warmth wrapping around me like a cozy blanket.
Berry slammed into two of them, taking them down in a moment. By the time he was finished with them, they weren’t getting back up. Two charged toward me, eyes still on Alder, their magic gathering for an attack.
“Back off.” I knelt down and touched the ground, allowing my magic to flow through the life that existed in it. It was reluctant, not happy to be controlled by Faerie magic, but I was too powerful, and it relented, giving in to my demands. Normally, I’d try to be gentle with a move like this, but I didn’t have time to coax Nature’s magic. Action needed to happen now.
The ground rumbled as the roots rose, creating a barrier. The fae released an attack that hit the barrier and deflected, instead, veering off to the side.
It happened too quickly, in a way I did not expect. My heart froze as I watched the attack head straight for Jason. Foster saw it, eyes widening and reacted, grabbing him and trying to tug him away, but it wasn’t going to happen fast enough. They were going to get hit.
My small barrier shattered as I tried to divert my magic to protect them. “No!”
It wasn’t going to make it in time. I wasn’t going to.
There was a deep humming sound before the ground itself rose between the attack and my guys. It reached up almost as tall as the guys. The attack hit it and the dirt absorbed it, dust flurrying into the air. Once it was clear they weren’t under imminent danger, the wall went back to the ground.
“They are Friend Joslyn’s. They will not be harmed.” Alder rasped out at my back. “I am not built to fight. I am built to protect. They will not come to harm as you do what needs to be done.” There was something in his voice, dark and sinister. Not so innocent.
“Then I will make this fast,” I said, focusing back on our attackers. They were as dumbfounded as I had been. I recovered quicker than they did, already sprinting at them. By the time they realized it wasn’t going to be as easy as they hoped, I was on the two of them.
I swung my leg and connected with the tallest’s head. It snapped back as he flew on his back. Landing, I moved into my next move, pivoting and driving my fist in the second fae’s gut.
He grunted, doubling over. I brought my elbow down hard on his back, using every ounce of my anger and strength to take him out. He went down hard. There was the sound of a click, all too closely resembling a gun.
I whipped my attention to the final man. He was big and burly, a long gun up to his face, scope at the end of it.
“Shit.” I swore again, sprinting to him.
Berry was still grappling with the other two. They were stubborn to go down. Or Berry was messing with them. Either way, he was too distracted with them to notice.
I snapped out my magic, sending it the fae’s way to delay him until I could reach him. The air around him shimmered as my attack crumbled into nothing. A barrier.
He fired.
A buzzing noise drone through the air and the bullet’s heat brushed against my cheek as it passed by me. Alder grunted.
I refused to look behind me as I reached the barrier. Unwilling to let it slow me down, I had gathered my magic together and the moment I touched it, it exploded outward, shattering the barrier.
The man’s eyes widened in terror as I loomed over him. I snarled, grabbed him by his throat, and slammed him down, his gun falling uselessly to the ground. He scratched at my arm, trying to get me to let go, but I had experience on my side. He wasn’t moving. I may have been smaller and weaker than a male, but my magic made up for it.
“Still,” I demanded. The compulsion had him frozen, only his eyes shaking as he stared at me as his panic and terror settled deep into his body. I eased up on my magic and he took in a deep breath. “Why are you after Alder?”
“He wants him. If we get him for him, we get more. I want more.”
I frowned, gripping his shoulders tightly, my nails digging into his shoulders. He didn’t acknowledge the pain even as I drew blood. That was how lost he was in his need for the Faerie high.
“Why? Why does he want him.” Laikynn. Of fucking course.
“Ancient.” The fae licked his lips, hunger darkening his eyes. “So much ancient magic.”
“It’d be enough,” I whispered and reeled back. I glanced at Alder. He was holding his side, a green goo seeping through, but he seemed fine. Magic was flittering around him, telling me he was healing himself. Taking in a deep breath, I tasted the magic, felt a heavy cloak of it across my tongue and flinched. It was heady. Potent. Ancient. Layered. I dug through those layers.
It wasn’t that Alder was born with a lot of power. His kind didn’t get that powerful. My senses told me he wasn’t, at least not the scale I was used to using. I never thought about age though. His age made him more powerful. Every year, ever decade, adding another layer of magic to what he already had.
Like the rings of a stump.
Alder was very good at hiding how his power got stronger, only using enough magic so that his smaller rings, the younger magic was what he showed. I glanced at the green goo. His healing magic was forcing him to show his hand, briefly, but enough to let me know.
Alder tilted his head to the side. “Friend Joslyn?”
There was a tone to his voice, a dangerous one. He knew I was figuring it out, and he was waiting for me to make my move. I could feel it in the way his magic turned sharper and his massive frame stiffened.
If I went toe-to-toe with Alder, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to win.
I turned back to the fae underneath me. “That doesn’t matter. You nor Laikynn get to have him. Ever.” I reached down, gripped his head, and twisted. The snap of his neck was satisfying, the sound loud in my ears.
I stood up slowly, my body feeling heavy. Berry was at my side, licking my hand. Two bodies were torn to pieces off to the side, where he had been fighting them.
“Josie?” Foster asked.
“Call Judah. We need to relocate Alder.”
“No,” Alder said. “I will not be run from my home. Not again.”
Softening my expression, I said, “Temporarily. To keep you safe. Judah cares for you. He will make sure you are comfortable and safe. Once the situation with Laikynn is taken care of, you will be able to return.”
“Promise me in the way of the fae.”
I didn’t hesitate. “I, Joslyn Naevana, promise that once Laikynn is no longer a danger to you, you will be able to return to your home here. Magic be witness.” The magic coated over me, and I shivered as the promise settled deep into me. Alder didn’t react, but I knew it had settled over him too. I could feel it between us.
I softened my voice. “Friend Judah will take good care of you. I can feel that he will. He respects you.”
If Alder was an ancient, there was no telling how long he had lived and what he had gone through. I never pushed to ask why he was here in a park in the middle of a city, but it felt like his choices had become very limited for whatever reason.
“Very well.” He finally relented and focused back on himself.
“Are you well?” I asked.
“Yes.”
I left him at that, going to the men to check on them.
“What the fuck?” was Jason’s first words to me once I got close enough.
“Everyone is unhurt?” I asked.
“Yes, we’re fine,” Foster said. His gaze dropped down my body. “You?”
My smile felt a bit wobbly. “I will be fine. No injuries. Some bruising, but it’ll heal soon.”
“What the fuck was that?” Jason asked. “What is going on? Why did that wall appear before us?”
Jason kept going on like that, barely giving me time to answer. He only shut up when Judah showed up with his fae, but only after Foster shoved his elbow into his gut.
Judah introduced each of the fae to Alder, one by one, until Alder met and approved of each one. I doubted they were elevated to Friend status, but at least he wasn’t hostile toward them. Judah said something that had Alder rumbling with laughter. With that, I knew it was going to be okay. Judah would take care of him.
Judah must have sensed my thoughts because he looked over at me and nodded. It said everything I wanted to hear. That he’d handle Alder and he’d keep him safe.
“Come on,” I said. “Let’s head back to the hotel. I need a shower.”
I want a bath too, Berry said.
“Only if you promise not to get me all wet,” I said.
No promises.
I sighed. Berry was going to make it as difficult as possible to clean his fur out of all the blood and bits he managed to get matted into it. If he didn’t have a compulsion around him, no doubt people would be running from him screaming, and men with guns would show up thinking he was rabid and needed to be put down.
I kept my mouth shut. Otherwise, he may release the compulsion just to see the reactions.
