Guardian of the Hills

The Shakedown

Skeeter's dad came home around the time I was getting ready to leave. I was going to the casino to talk to the goblin Gryh. They were shady as hell, but I had no choice. I needed information, and he was the only lead I had.

"Please be careful," she said to me as I climbed out the window.

"I will do my best," I said and kissed her.

The day had been amazing. As I flew back to the city, I thought about everything the two of us had done. I still wasn't sure about the bonding or the lack of it. I didn't think it would be as easy as a condom causing the bond to not occur, but maybe I was wrong.

I changed my thoughts to the missing girl, Jessie. If she had accidently came across the portal, then she might be in my world. She might have even been captured by the Unseelie, and if that was the case, she was more than likely dead.

I arrived at the casino and noticed instantly that I was being watched very closely by what I was absolutely sure were Unseelie. I decided to go and play some slots next to where the entrance was leading to the back office. I needed to get a feel for whatever it was I was about to walk into.

An hour passed by, and I was losing my ass off on the machine. I was about to move when two very big men walked by and opened the door and went in. They were clearly humans and huge. Both of them were wearing suits and ear pieces, and they looked like some type of major security. I decided this was not going to be a solo recon after all. I had planned to go in and shake down the sleezy goblin, and get what info I could from him, but it was clear that he was very well protected and I didn't want to cause a scene in front of all the humans playing in the casino. I started for the front door when I was approached by two more overly sized gentlemen also of the human species.

"Come with me, sir," said one of them as he grabbed my arm.

"Hey, guys. I was just leaving."

"Our boss wants to talk to you," said the other one.

"Is he thinking about giving me all that money I just lost back?" I asked. His grip on my arm deepened. They led me back to the direction I had just come from and through the doors. We went into the office, and there sitting behind a very large desk was Gryh.

"Have a seat, your highness," he said with a wicked smile. His beedy black eyes bored into me. He had black hair on his head, and it was slicked back across his pointy ears. His skin was crusty looking, and his teeth looked like he was diseased.

"You know who I am? I asked him.

"Do you really think that a Seelie Fae prince can walk into my casino, and I don't know about it?" he asked, still holding his grin.

"Well, it's a nice casino if I do say so myself."

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I just came to play a few games," I countered.

"Bullshit," he said. "There is no way you're here Earthside for just the hell of it. No royal escort or announcement, and you're alone. I'm going to give you one chance to tell me exactly why you are here, or you may not ever see the fae realm again."

"Fine. Tell me what you know about the missing girls."

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said.

"Oh, I think you do, and I'm not alone. Perhaps I'm just a diversion from the ones doing the real boot work. Either way, you need to tell me now what your involvement is in their disappearance."

He sat back in his large wing back chair and folded his hands. He was contemplating what I had just said. I countered his stance, and it looked for a minute that we were going to stare each other into oblivion. He sat forward finally and snapped his finger at the two security guards. They immediately came over to me, grabbed me, and pulled me from the chair. He got up and walked around the desk and got right in my face.

"You have no idea what you're dealing with," and punched me hard in the gut.

It was a hard blow and knocked the wind from me. He bent down over me and whispered into my ear.

"You're barking up the wrong tree. We're all in danger," he said and then pulled me up by the hair of my head and stared at me again.

"Take him out the back door, boys. Show him what type of hospitality his kind gets coming snooping about." He turned and walked away, and the two big guys man handled me all the way to the back door and into the back alley. I was a skilled fighter. I considered myself elite, but they were well trained themselves. The first one punched me hard in the jaw. I swung back at him and landed a blow to his nose, which I heard crunch, and I knew had broken at once. He turned, and blood ran down his face, and he spat. He turned back to me and punched me again, before I could recant the other one grabbed me from behind and held me. The broken nose guy hit me again and again. I was fighting with all my might. I broke loose and it was an all-out battle of swing, hit, swing,miss, kick, hit, bleed, swing again. Finally, after fighting the brutes for as long as I could stand, I turned down the alley and ran. As soon as I rounded the corner, I took flight. I was in pain and bleeding, but I was alive. I needed to find out exactly what he had meant by we were all in trouble. There was something odd about the situation.

I got back to Skeeters, and I came in a little hot and almost hit the tree in the front yard. I needed to get situated so I could use magic and heal myself. I came through the window and fell with an audible thud. Skeeter flicked on the light immediately and saw me on the floor. My wings were still unfurled and drooping around me.

"Oh, my God," she said as she ran over to me. I barely had the strength to get up off the floor.

"What happened?" she asked as she got me to the bed. I realized then how bad my vision was. I just shook my head at her as I couldn't find the words to tell her just yet what had happened. She ran to her bathroom and got a wet cloth and some bandages. It hurt to breathe. I had some broken ribs for sure.

"I'm guessing taking you to a hospital is out of the question," she said.

"I just need to rest," I said sleepily.

"No way," she said. "You probably have a concussion. She wiped my face carefully and I could see there was a good bit of blood on the cloth.

"Who did this to you?" she asked.

"Humans," I said with a chuckle that I immediately regretted. Sharp pains rocked through my rib cage.

"Humans?" She stopped rubbing and looked at me incredulously. I grabbed her hands and brought them to my lips, and kissed them. It stung. It was only then that I realized my lips were split as well. I left blood trails on her hands.

"I need a cold bath," I said to her. She looked so pitiful looking up at me. She nodded and went to run it. I started taking off my clothes and realized my shirt was completely soaked in blood. My ribs and stomach were covered in black and blue splotches. I went straight into the tub and got in. The cold water was a shock, but it was exactly what I needed. When the tub was filled, she turned off the water.

"Do you have a candle?" I asked her. She got up from beside me and went and got one with a lighter. She lit it and sat it down on the side of the tub. "Turn off the lights," I said to her as I wrapped my wings around my freezing body. She did as she was told.

"Listen to me," I said. "I'm about to try to use some heavy-duty magic on myself. Stay silent and don't freak out, ok?" She nodded to me, and I sunk down into the water as far as I could. I stopped just at my chin. I started the encantation.

"Fuil agus bruth cnámh is géag, lig dom mé féin a leigheas laistigh. Deisigh an flesh agus craiceann briste. Slán liom anois istigh agus amuigh. Déan mé ar fad gan amhras." I repeated it again and again, chanting it as soflty as I could. I could feel the spell start to work as I began to feel warmer. I didn't dare break my concentration. I hoped Skeeter wasn't freeking out silently beside me.