Darkness & Light (War of the Fae: Book 3) (19 page)

Tim slowly nodded, a tentative smile coming to his lips.
 
“It’s good enough for me.
 
It’s more than I deserve.”

“Tim ... ”

“Okay, okay,” he held up one hand weakly, “no more pity parties.
 
I’m going to sleep.
 
I have two new wings to grow, you know.
 
Not just one.
 
Two wings.
 
Two.”
 
He held up two tiny fingers.

“Oh, shut up.
 
I’m glad she plucked that second wing off.
 
Now maybe you can appreciate what Chase is going through.”

Tim winced.
 
“Low blow, Jayne.
 
Even for you.”

“Oh well.
 
Deal with it.”

I went over and threw back my covers, kicking off my moccasins.
 
I collapsed into the bed, barely pulling the covers up before I started falling asleep.

“Aren’t you going to brush your teeth first?”

“Aren’t you going to shut the hell up before I come over there and shove you in a drawer?”

The only response I heard was one of Tim’s infamous pixie farts ...
 

“Wingless
fucknut
,” I mumbled into my pillow.

...
and
then a tiny giggle.

I awoke the next morning to a knock at my door.
 
I got up and slogged over to open it, finding Spike standing there in the doorway.
 

“Ugh.
 
What do
you
want?” I said, leaving him standing there and going back to my bed, crawling under the quilt and covering my head.

“What kinda way is that to greet your biggest fan?”
 

I heard him step into the room and shut the door behind him.
 

“I missed you yesterday.
 
I came to see what was going on.
 
I could tell you were upset then and you obviously still are now.”
 
Footsteps came towards my bed.
 
“I’ve gotten zero sexy thoughts from you lately and that just isn’t good.
 
Everyone should indulge in a little sexy time each day.
 
It’s good for the soul.”
 

I peeked out from under the covers and saw his eyes beginning to glow a little at the idea, as he sat down on the edge of my bed.

“My morning breath should be a cure for what ails you right now, my friend.
 
So stay back.”
 
I held out my no-go hand in warning.

Spike took it from me and placed it on his lap.
 
He jerked his head towards my dresser, whispering,
“
How’s the little guy?”

“He’s sleeping – and don’t let him hear you call him ‘little’.
 
He pixied the shit out of Chase yesterday, and one fucked up friend is about all I can handle right now.”

“
Whaaaat
?”

“Yeah.
 
I’m not joking.”
 
I sighed heavily, thinking of the big plate of steaming horseshit that was waiting to greet me at the breakfast table of my day.

“How come I always miss out on all the fun?”

I let go of Spike’s hand and pinched his leg.
 
Hard.

“Ouch!
 
What was that for?” He raised his eyebrow at me. “You in the mood to play?”

I couldn’t help but smile.
 
“One of these days I’m going to take you up on your invitation.
 
But not today.”

He leaned in closer.
 
“Why wait?
 
There’s no better time than the present.”
 
The red glow in his eyes got deeper and started to swirl around.

I deliberately closed my eyes.
 
“Back up, or I’ll unleash my dragon breath on you.”

Spike laughed quietly.
 
“As if that would stop me.
 
You just say the word, Jayne, and I could take all your troubles away.”

I opened my eyes.
 
“Can you really?”

Spike smiled sheepishly.
 
“Well, they’d only be temporarily gone – you’d stop thinking about them for a while.
 
But no, they’d still be there when you floated down off cloud nine.”

“Still,” I considered, “it might be worth trying one of these days ... to forget for a little while.”

Spike stood in a flash and pulled off his tunic so he was standing there in just his black pants, his waist to neck to wrist colorful tattoos blazing out in all their glory.

I felt a shiver go through me.
 
He was one beautiful specimen of a bad
boy, that
was for sure.
 
I moaned in frustration.
 
“
Spiiiiike
,
put your shirt back on.
 
I can’t do this right now.
 
I have too much shit to do and not enough time to do it all.”

“I can be quick,” he said, sitting back down on the edge of the bed, taking my hand and putting it on his chest.
 
“It’s better slow, but if you just need a quickie, I can accommodate.”
 
His face was all sexy seriousness now.
 
His eyes were mesmerizing.

“Spike, I ...
”
 
I
felt my denial disintegrating in the whirling madness I saw in those deep red depths.
 
I wanted to drown in it.

Spike lowered his face to mine, drinking me in with his eyes.
 
He was a second from kissing
me, dragon breath and all,
when there was a pounding at the door.

“Hey, Jayne!!
 
It’s me ... Scrum!!
 
I’m
gonna
come in, okay?
 
Don’t get mad at me!”

And then the door flew open.
 
Spike sat up slowly, sighing.

“Who the hell is this?” he asked tiredly, not even looking up.

“Hey, um, incubus guy.
 
Sorry, I don’t know your name.
 
I’m Scrum, and you ... uh ... need to leave.”

Spike raised an eyebrow at him and then looked at me.
 
“Is this guy for real?”

Seeing Scrum’s barrel-shaped body standing in my doorway snapped me out of my sensual fog.
 
“What the hell are you doing here?” I demanded.
 
I felt like someone had just dumped a bucket of cold water on my head.

Scrum looked uncomfortable.
 
“I’m doing my duty.
 
As a daemon.”
 
He looked at Spike.
 
“I’m only going to say it one more time.
 
You have to leave this room, incubus.
 
Now.”

I smiled at the ridiculousness of this whole scene.
 
I’d been two seconds away from engaging in something really
really
hot that was probably a big mistake, only to be saved by the kid who was named after shit that floated at the top of a dirty pond.
 
This ... was my life.

“Thanks, Scum, for your help.
 
But you can go now.”

 
He sighed in frustration.
 
“My name is not
Scum
.
 
It’s
Scrum
.
 
As in the rugby move.
 
And I’m not going anywhere until he does.”
 
He looked at Spike, his eyes narrowing.
 
“You have five seconds to leave voluntarily.
 
Otherwise, uh ... I will forcibly remove you.”

Spike put his tunic back on.
 
“I’d like to see you try.”
 
His eyes were glinting dangerously.

“Spike, please don’t hurt the kid.
 
Just go.
 
I’m done here.
 
I have to get up anyway.”
 
I moved the covers back to get out of bed.
 

Spike put his hand possessively on my bare leg.
 

“Uh, Spike?”
 
I said, noticing that he looked really serious.

“Okay
... ,
”
 
said Scrum, stepping into the room, “if that’s how you want it ... ”

Spike jumped up, ready to attack.
 
But Scrum beat him to it.
 
I knew incubi could move astonishingly fast, but it didn’t seem to faze Scrum at all.
 
One second Spike was next to my bed, the next he was wrapped in a bear hug with Scrum at the door – Scrum being the bear and Spike being the
huggee
.

Spike was spitting mad, thrashing wildly against Scrum’s body lockdown.
 
Scrum held on, his face getting redder and redder by the second with the exertion.
 
He backed slowly out of the room, fighting against Spike’s struggling form.
 
Once he was out in the hallway, he leaned back, squeezing Spike even harder.
 
I heard Spike grunting and saw his face going whiter.
 
It was already pretty pale, being that he was an incubus, but now it looked deathly so.
 

I jumped up from the bed, coming closer to them but staying back just a little.
 
“You’re hurting him!
 
Put him down!” I yelled.

“Not until ... he ... surrenders,” grunted Scrum.

Spike was shaking his head back and forth in denial, growling with what little breath he had left.
 

“Spike, just say ‘uncle’ or whatever!” I yelled, panicking.
 
This Scrum kid wasn’t messing around.

But it was too late.
 
Scrum gave him one more extra squeeze and Spike’s body went limp.
 
Scrum loosened his hold and let Spike drop until he was being held under Scrum’s arm like a giant clutch purse.

I was in shock.
 
“Did you
... ?
 
Is he
... ?
”
 
I walked up closer to them, standing in the doorway now and staring at Spike’s still form.

“He’s not dead, if that’s what you’re worried about.
 
I
outwilled
him.
 
When he wakes up, he’ll be fine.”

“When’s he going to wake up?”

Scrum shrugged the shoulder that wasn’t holding Spike up from the floor.
 
“When he admits I have a stronger will.”

I looked at him like he was nuts.
 
“When the hell is that going to be?”

Scrum shrugged.
 
“Don’t know.
 
Whenever he decides to back down.”

“But he’s unconscious, you idiot!
 
How’s he going to back down
?!
”

“No, he’s not ... not really.
 
Just in suspended animation,
kinda
.
 
Chase told me the incubi here in our compound aren’t that stubborn.
 
He’ll be fine soon, I’m sure.
 
I’ll just go put him in his room so he’ll be comfortable while he fights his inner demons.
 
See you at breakfast.”

With that, he began walking down the hallway, lugging Spike under his arm, Spike’s legs dragging and bumping pitifully across the stones behind them.

Tony’s head was sticking out of his doorway, turning to watch Spike getting hauled by.
 
“What was
that
all about?”

I shook my head.
 
“I’ll tell you at breakfast.
 
Might as well get dressed and go.
 
I’ll be out in ten.”

Five minutes later I heard Tony outside my door; I opened it so he could wait inside while I finished getting ready.
 
I just had to put on a little eyeliner and mascara and then I’d be done.
 
I’d just taken the fastest shower in the West, dressing in my standard white tunic and jeans.
 
I glanced at Tony in my mirror to see that he was wearing the same thing as me.
 
I wondered if he’d noticed yet that we were twins.

“I feel kinda funny in these clothes.”

“Are you vibing
me
again?” I asked accusingly.

“Maybe,” he said, a little defensively.

“Don’t worry about it.
 
Vibing is a fae thing.”

“Well, if you remember correctly, I was doing it before I became fae.”

“Yeah, well, I’ve always said you’re special.”
 
I winked at him in the mirror.

“Do you guys have to be so loud?” grumbled Tim from under his quilt.

“Wake up, sleepy head.
 
Time for breakfast.
 
Gravy train’s leaving.”