Clash of the Otherworlds: Book 3, Portal Guardians (24 page)

He nodded once more.

"Try not to hurt me," I said, gritting my teeth together tightly.

He bent over and curved his fingers around the handle.
 
"Close your eyes," he said softly.

I followed his orders but had zero time to consider their uncharacteristically soft tone before the blinding, scorching pain from the blade moving out of my body sent me back into the land of the barely living.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

I WOKE UP IN MY room, lying in the center of my bed, covered to the neck in my soft comforter.
 
Tim, Abby, and Willy were asleep in a little pile on the pillow to the right of me.
 
I turned my head to watch them, a spot in my heart melting at the picture of family love they created.

Tim was snoring on his back, as usual, his arm and shoulder cradling the head of his wife who was snuggled up to his side.
 
Willy was cuddled up in between them, also on his back, also snoring, his broken wings, arms, and legs thrown out in all directions to cover his parents.
 
I wasn't sure how Abby managed to stay asleep with all that racket, but she sure did look content.
 
Even when Tim's body shook with a choking and snorting seizure, she didn't move or alter her breathing pattern.

I felt a warmth on my left, and turned to figure out its source.
 
Spike was asleep on my other side, his face in repose, his eyes closed, giving me the perfect opportunity to study him up close without him knowing.
 
His dark hair was in its usual state of disarray, and his dark lashes lying against his skin showed off how thick they were.
 
Why do guys always get the gorgeous lashes?
 
I thought of my own sparse ones and the possible state of my hair and face and hoped he wasn't going to wake up before I could get out of there and shower.

As if he'd read my mind, his eyes opened and he caught me staring at him before I could look away.

"Good morning, gorgeous," he said, flashing me his amazing smile.

"I see your eyesight hasn't improved with the ingestion of demon blood."

He grimaced.
 
"Don't remind me.
 
That chick was nasty."

I smiled.
 
"You didn't think she was super sexy with her leather and black wings and stuff?"

"Welllll, I'm not saying she's ugly or anything, but I'll take a girl in a hoodie and jeans without any wings, any day of the week."

I shook my head, turning to look at the ceiling.
 
"Sad."

He reached out and put his hand on my cheek, forcing me to look at him again.
 
"Not sad.
 
Just in love."

Tears came to my eyes, and I had no idea why.

He moved his fingers from my cheek to wipe the moisture away.
 
"Why does that make you cry?
 
Should I apologize?"

I shook my head, not trusting myself to speak.
 
I'd probably start bawling and wake all the pixies up.

"Are they happy tears?
 
Maybe?
 
Possibly?"

I nodded, more tears coming out at the idea that it was the truth.
 
I really was happy that he loved me, and for the first time, it didn't feel like a burden or a hassle.
 
Maybe it was seeing my roommates all wrapped up, vulnerable, in that love nest or whatever.
 
Maybe it was getting skewered by a demon.
 
I wasn't sure, but something was telling me that love like this didn't come along all that often - I sure hadn't seen much of it in my lifetime - and I shouldn't just walk away from a gift that precious.
 
Apparently, being stabbed had made me all gooey or maudlin or whatever.

Spike leaned in for a soft kiss on my lips, the warmth and promise it carried making me tingle.
 
But he pulled back almost as soon as he'd made contact.
 
"You have a lot of healing to do, so I'm not going to bother you.
 
But when you're all done, you and I are going to the forest together so I can finally show you something."

"What?" I whispered.

"What I do," he whispered back.

"I can't wait."
 
And I meant it.
 
I grinned at him, trying not to wince at the pain that came from my shoulder as I tried to roll on my side.

"Don't move," he said, sliding out of bed and scrubbing his hair.
 
"I'm going to find someone to help you."

"Don't go," I said, pitifully.
 
I felt like this thing between us was maybe just a fantasy, and I wasn't ready for it to end yet.

"I'm not going anywhere.
 
I gotta make sure you don't change your mind and start mooning over that angel guy."

I frowned.
 
"What angel guy?"

"Beau.
 
The one who pulled the sword out of you and carried you around like some kind of babydoll."

He left the room in a flash, one second he was there and the next just gone.
 
I looked back at the ceiling thinking about what he'd said.
 
I had no feelings for Beau, other than the total admiration for his beauty and of course the little jolt his sexiness sent into me when he just stood there studying me.
 
I'd already learned well enough that loving an angel was a waste of time and energy.
 
We lived in different realms, and well, that was a little too long distance for me.
 
I needed someone who could hold me in his arms, kiss me when I needed it, and tell me I didn't suck.
 
Beau was not that man.
 
Chase was not that man.
 
But Spike?
 
He
was
that man.
 
And he did it so well, I could hardly hope for anything better.
 
I smiled, thinking about all the bullcrap I'd been through to finally find my prince oh-so-charming.

"Well, there she is!" said a delighted Becky, popping into my room and appearing next to my bed without any notice.
 
"And even with some color in your cheeks too!"
 
She clapped her hands excitedly.

I frowned at her.
 
"Don't be so happy.
 
I still have a giant hole in my shoulder."

She pulled the covers down off me.
 
"No you don't, silly.
 
You're almost totally healed."

I looked down at my wound, for the first time brave enough to check out the damage.
 
I expected to see bloody gauze or at least a seeping wound that was probably festering with demon germs, but my shoulder wasn't covered with anything medical.
 
I reached up with my opposite hand and pushed the open neck of my tunic aside to see that the skin was almost totally back to normal. There was just a darker red patch in a small spot where there should have been something totally nasty and huge.

"What the ... ?"

"Fae blood.
 
Fast healing.
 
Remember?"
 
She was smiling again.
 
"Come on. I'm here to help you take a shower and get ready."

"Get ready for what?" I asked, sitting up and wincing at the ache that came from my former wound.

"For the meeting," she said, acting busy in my drawers taking things out; but she was opening the same ones over and over.

"What meeting, Becky?
 
And don't try and lie about it because you can't."

She turned around.
 
"I can so lie if I want.
 
I'm a good liar."

"No, you're not," I said, sitting up and swinging my legs out of bed.
 
"You suck at it, in fact."

She crossed her arms.
 
"I've lied.
 
You don't know."

"You might have lied, but I'm sure you didn't do it well.
 
You're probably the only one you fooled."

"Ha!"

I looked over at her, confused why she was getting in such a snit over it.
 
"Why do you want to be good at lying?
 
It's a compliment to your character that you can't do it, you dope."

She lifted her chin.
 
"Lying is a skill necessary in the art of espionage."

I laughed.
 
"Yeah.
 
Right.
 
So the fact that you're part of the super spy fae network, globe trotting to thwart the plans of the evil empire is not in jeopardy because I've sussed you out since you're such a good liar."

She disappeared and reappeared in front of me, hands on hips.
 
"
Who
told you?
 
Tell me right now, so I can turn them in!"

She was seriously fuming, leaving me at a total loss.
 
"Becky?
 
Have you been drinking the buggane martini in Ben's room?"

She frowned at me.
 
"What?
 
No.
 
Why would you ask me that?"

"Because, you're acting drunk.
 
Now help me get to the bathroom before I pee the bed and send those pixies floating away."

"Ew."
 
She looked over at them as she put her arm around my back, helping me to the bathroom.
 
"Awww, they're so cute, aren't they?"

"Yep.
 
Adorable.
 
Except for the snoring and farting parts."

Becky screwed up her nose.
 
"Poor Abby."

"Shoot.
 
Abby's the worst of all three of 'em," I said, laughing.

I heard Tim giggle too and then Abby yell, "Hey!
 
I heard that!"

I sighed in happiness.
 
I loved my roomies, and my dorky water sprite friend.
 
I'd been stabbed with a kickass sword and lived to tell about it.
 
I felt like I could rule the world right now and not mess it up.

"So what's this meeting about?" I asked from my seat on the toilet.

Becky stood in front of my mirror, tweaking her hair.
 
"The general upheaval you've caused by hijacking the guardian seekers and bringing an angel of death back with you."

She said it with such a straight face that I wasn't sure if she was joking or not.
 
"Say what?"

Becky looked at me in the reflection of the mirror.
 
"You heard me.
 
You're being called in for a major scolding."
 
She went back to her hair.
 
"But don't worry about it.
 
Jared's got your back.
 
So does Ben.
 
It's all just for show."

"What do you mean?" I asked, finishing up my business and getting out of my clothes so I could take a shower.

Becky went over and sat on the toilet, pushing up her cuticles as she talked.
 
"Do you really need me to explain this to you?
 
You left the realm without the council's permission, you took a
baby
with you and an innocent incubus who really should have known better, you got Tony's and Finn's faces burned off, and you somehow got Maggie all irate and over here raising cain with anyone who will listen to her.
 
The doo-doo is so deep right now, you're going to need waders to get out of it."

I stood there with my mouth half open and the shampoo bubbling on my head.
 
"Are you friggin kidding me?
 
I'm going down for all that?
 
Most of that's not even me!"

"Oh, yeah ... and I forgot to mention ... Céline's disappeared, so you're taking the fall for that, too."

I sputtered in the water, squinching my eyes closed when the shampoo invaded them and started burning.
 
I quickly rinsed my head and face, talking the whole time.
 
"Céline's gone?
 
That's just great.
 
You can blame Maggie for that one, not me.
 
Those two are in some serious crap together, you would not believe. Samantha was supposed to tell you all that.
 
Didn't she?
 
And besides, that baby pixie snuck in my bag, and he was charmed to sleep by Sam.
 
How was I supposed to know he was there?
 
And Spike is his own guy.
 
I didn't make him come.
 
And as for your stupid boyfriend's face, that's all on him.
 
I told him to stop walking towards the dragon, but he didn't listen to me.
 
The punk had it coming."

"Tell it to the jury," said Becky, shrugging.
 
"I have to go get ready."
 
She started walking towards the door.

"Get ready for what?"

"For your hearing.
 
See you soon."
 
And then she was gone.

I stood there in the water, freaking out about my near future.
 
I was going on trial for shit that wasn't even my fault.
 
What about all the good things I did?
 
What about getting that dragon on board?
 
Aren't I going to get any credit for that?
 
So maybe it was Ben who had to actually do the deal, but I was the one who'd negotiated it.
 
The negotiator should get some credit.
 
At least, that was what I kept telling myself as I got dressed and towel-dried my hair.

The pixies had left me to my own devices in my room, and by the time Spike showed back up to take me to this hearing thing or whatever, I had worked myself into a real panic.

"Come on, babe, let's get outta here."

"Where are we going?
 
The Underworld?
 
Because I'm totally ready for the trip.
 
Let's go."
 
I rushed over to my bed and pulled out the new backpack that I'd seen stored under there next to my mimicker boxes.
 
I'd lost track of my old one in the Overworld somewhere, so I was happy to see Netter was so on the ball and got me a replacement.
 
I went to my dresser with it, planning to fill it up, when Spike stopped me, his hand on my arm.