He heard a gasp and both he and the nurse looked at the doorway. The door was still closed, and in her invisible form, Addie stood there, mouth agape as she looked at his naked leg and side exposed to the nurse—and Addie now.
The nurse asked Brett, "Did you hear something?"
"No, nothing." He frowned at Addie and wanted to tell her to turn around, but she seemed fascinated with looking him over.
The nurse replaced his bandage with a new one, then pulled his gown back in place and the covers over him. "We'll continue administering antibiotics for a while longer. Have you used the bathroom yet? Had a bowel movement?"
Addie giggled.
The nurse looked again in her direction and frowned.
"Someone outside the room," Brett said, narrowing his eyes at Addie, silently telling her to mind her manners.
She was smiling, but nodded.
"When can I be released?"
"When the doctor says so. You'll see him much later this afternoon. He's in surgery all morning."
Brett couldn't wait that long. "Can I eat soon?"
"Breakfast trays are being delivered now. You don't have any meal restrictions so you can place an order for whatever you'd like for lunch and dinner."
"Thanks."
That's when a knock sounded and the nurse opened the door. "Breakfast. I'll check in with you later. And I'll let the police officer know he has to wait until after you've had your breakfast before he can question you further."
"Thank you," he said. "Oh, what about my clothes?"
"Your boots and underwear are in that cabinet. The police took your pants and shirt. Someone will have to bring you a change of clothes when they release you. But you won't be going anywhere soon."
Then she left and a lady set his meal on a tray for him and then vacated the room, shutting the door behind her.
Bacon, eggs, toast, coffee, and juice.
Addie swiped a piece of bacon.
"Did you find the weapons?" he whispered.
"Yes, in a police vault holding evidence. I can get in and get them, but I didn't want to have to carry them with me until we get you out of here."
"You should have brought them with you, at least," Brett said, exasperated.
"I can't hold onto them always. As soon as I set them down, they'll become visible."
"You heard what the nurse said about my clothes, right?"
"Yes, same place."
"Why didn't you bring them? You could have put them in the closet."
Addie frowned at him. "What if the closet was for the nurse's use? I had no idea what it was used for."
"All right. Then you need to transport me there and we'll grab all the stuff and leave." He hurried to eat what he could, sharing his breakfast with Addie.
"You can't leave until the doctor says. You can't fight for a long time," Addie warned him, sounding worried for him.
"We have to get back to Ena and the others." He climbed out of bed and realized he was showing off his buttocks in the open backed gown when he went to use the bathroom.
When he returned to the room, he saw that Addie was gone. Maybe she had left before he flashed her. He hoped. And he hoped she was getting his clothes!
But then his fae seer friends knocked on the door and walked in, and he knew this wasn't going to be over soon enough.
Chapter 9
Esmeralda was choking on water, the captain's cabin quickly filling up as the monstrous waves slammed into the capsized sailing ship. Someone was banging on the door, trying to get it open, she hoped. And then it broke open, swinging from its hinges as the captain hurried in and grabbed hold of her arm. "The ship is sinking. Come with me."
So she could drown in the violent seas?
"Can you swim?" he asked.
"Yes, but out here in the storm? Are we anywhere near shore?"
The wind and rain whipped around them, tugging at her clothes and his, her hair pushed in one direction then another.
"Come," he said, and before she could ready herself for what he was about to do, he jumped into the briny, foaming sea.
But he didn't let go of her, and finally got his arm around her neck and said, "Lie back and I'll swim us toward the beach."
The waves and splashing were too much for her and she shook her head, and tried to get loose. She coughed up water.
"Okay, okay, hold onto my belt. Don't let go," he yelled over the crashing waves, roaring wind, and rolling thunder.
She did what he commanded, kicking with her feet to help propel them rather than act as a dead weight to him. All she saw were the foaming waves and the dark blue-gray clouds blending with the dark blue-gray sea.
She was still getting a nose full of water from time to time, coughing, and sneezing. She used her free hand to stroke at the water in a further attempt to reach the shore. It was gray and the trees were gray, as if a depressed painter had colored everything gray.
But then she had hope. If the captain and his men were shipwrecked on the mainland, she could escape and seek shelter with the nearest village—with her people.
They swam forever, she thought, her legs and arm cramping, her fingers also, that clung so hard to his belt. Twice, her fingers slipped from his belt, and both times he had grabbed her arm before she was swept away, and pulled her close.
"Don't let go!" he shouted to her over the noise of the storm.
"I didn't do it on purpose!" she shouted back at the impossible griffin fae.
The currents tugged them down the beach as they tried to swim through the breakers that were even worse than the storm itself. She didn't see anyone along the beach. Were they the only survivors? Though she did like the first mate and she hadn't wished the men had drowned, still, it was a better situation for her if they had.
Several times they both got a dunking in the salty sea. Even after he got his footing in the sand, she still couldn't touch the sandy bottom. The strong waves pulled him off his feet again and again. As soon as she felt the sand beneath her toes, the same thing happened to her. One minute she was standing, and the next, her whole body was being carried away by the current while the captain held onto her arm until she could get to her feet again. When they finally managed to reach the shallower part, they hurried up onto the beach and collapsed, the rain and wind still buffeting them.
"I didn't see any of your men," she said.
"They may have already reached the shore or are on their way still." He pulled her close and she frowned at him. "The storm has chilled the air."
Now, if some other fae had said that to her, she would have figured he was interested in something else. With the captain? He needed her healthy and alive so he could return her to his king. So she believed he only wanted to warm her.
"Where exactly are we?"
"I don't have any idea," he said, holding her close, warming her a lot more thoroughly than she thought he could. She had never been this close to a man before, and it was exciting, worrisome, and scandalous.
"You said it was the mainland. The hawk fae kingdom. That you'd been searching for me here."
"The storm blew us way off course."
In disbelief, she stared at him. They had to be on the mainland where the hawk fae lived. They had to be.
"What is the plan?" She really didn't care what his plan was. She had her own plan in mind. Save herself, meet with her brother, and live in his castle with her people.
The captain sat up and looked around the beach. She did also, but saw no sign of his men.
"We find shelter, though we could find danger instead."
For you, she wanted to say, since he was at war with the hawk fae. What if he was lying to her? What if this really was the hawk fae kingdom and he was afraid she would seek refuge and he would be killed, or ransomed.
"I'll put in a good word with the king concerning your bravery and how you rescued me from the sea, and were intent on returning me to my people."
"We are not in your homeland," the captain said, frowning
at her. "I think this is No Man's Land."
"But you could transport us to the hawk fae kingdom."
"No. Here the sands and mountains and earth are filled with iron ore. No one can fae transport here."
"What about walking along the beach until we reach the hawk fae mainland?"
"See those cliffs to the south? And those way off in the distance to the north? They reach into the sea and we'd have to swim around them. We would be dashed against the rocks."
She frowned at him, then looked at the gray forest. "In No Man's Land, what kind of fae live there?"
"None. Wild beasts of prey run in packs."
"Then we have no choice, do we?"
"If we could climb those cliffs? Maybe. But you might not be able to make it. No matter what, you'll need to stick close to me. When we reach the hawk fae lands, I might have to take you up on your offer. If your brother believes you are who you say you are."
She was curious then why he wouldn't go in the opposite direction. "What is the other way?"
"The phantom fae kingdom. You have to pay a toll to cross their lands or your life is forfeit. I have no money, just a sword to help us fight our way through whatever is necessary. All I could offer them is my prisoner."
She huffed. "I'm no longer your prisoner."
He smiled at that. "You are, until I say otherwise. You cannot make it on your own and you were my prisoner before, so nothing has changed between us." He looked out to sea then, but they saw no sign of the other two ships or any men.
She was no longer his prisoner, no matter how he wanted to look at the situation between them.
"I opt to climb the cliffs." Before the captain could respond, she headed for the ones that would lead to the hawk fae mainland.
"You're sure about this?" he asked, hurrying to catch up to her. "At least you wear my breeches and not a gown."
"Yes, I wear them rather well." She glanced back at him and saw him grinning at her.
"Yes, very well."
Frowning at him, she turned and stalked off. No one had ever made her blush like the captain did. Maybe she was still just feverish.
***
Ena saw that the forest was lighter than it should have been. She opened her eyes and at once saw her people sitting around the fire, eating fish soup for breakfast. Except for Lila. Instantly, Ena was suspicious. "Where is Lila? How could have I have slept so long? Answer me!"
Ryker sat up taller. "She left to check on Addie and the human."
"By whose orders?" Which meant by no one's, because no one would have given her such an order.
"She left on her own. She had already prepared the breakfast and left before any of us awoke," Ryker said.
Ena paced across the campsite. "And why did I sleep so long?"
"You would have to ask Lila, mistress." Ryker bowed his head.
Ena wanted to scream. Her people had never disobeyed her to this extent before the human took up residence with them.
"She will give us word as soon as she can," he assured her.
"And you know this how? How good of a fae tracker is she? How much does she know of the human world?
A noise sounded behind her and she transformed into her dragon self and saw the same phantom fae she had given the ring to. She knew this was not a friendly call.
***
His blue eyes round as he observed Brett, Bryan Jessup shoved his hands in his pockets as he stood in Brett's hospital room and he couldn't have been more surprised. "Police said you were here and injured badly. They wanted us to talk to you. Did they… they torture you? I mean, yeah, I guess they had to have if you were nearly dead when you got here."
"Did you tell them about the fae?" Brett asked. "I said I was role-playing and it got out of hand."
"That's a good one," Mark Creston said. "Unfortunately, it's not what we said."
"I know. I was wearing fae clothes when I got here, had fae weapons, and had been cut badly by a couple of swords. So it's all I could say," Brett explained.
"So where have you been?" Bryan asked. "I mean, for a whole week. Have they kept you hostage all this time? Wait, they said you had a sword and some daggers. You fought your way out of the dungeon? How did you get the weapons? How did you get here?"
"I was fighting with a group of fae against another kind. The dragon fae returned me so that I could reach the hospital before I died from my injuries."
Mark and Bryan exchanged looks.
"I know it doesn't make any sense, but some of the fae are not so bad."
"Damn, he's been brainwashed," Mark said, scowling.
"No, it's complicated. Ena, the Goth girl, is a… dragon shifter fae. She saved me from dying at the hands of her king. And she's in a real mess of a situation now. I've been fighting phantom fae, trying to aid her and her small staff of servants. Princess Alicia and Cassie are doing well. But Ena, she needs my help."
Bryan frowned at him. "That's the girl who returned us home?"
"Yes. See? She and Princess Alicia swayed the dark fae queen to have you released. They didn't have to. They know what we've done. They didn't want you harmed. Well, not dead. You can't have expected them to treat you in any other way when you'd taken the princess hostage and planned to kill her."
"Back it up a bit," Bryan said. "My dad is gone. The fae killed him."
"He intended to kill Ena and Alicia. Ena protected herself in the only way she could."
"So you're sticking up for them now? How did she kill my father?" Bryan asked.
Brett hesitated to say, glanced at the door, then looked back at his friends. "She's a dragon shifter fae. As in she's a dragon shifter, who happens to be a dragon fae. I know it's hard to believe, but you guys know me and I have no reason to make any of this up."
"We killed fae," Bryan reminded him.
"The unseelie kind."
"What?" Mark said.
"The bad kind. They had silver glowing eyes, right? All of them? Except for Princess Alicia. Her eyes glowed gold. She's a seelie fae. She's one of the good kind. Not that all of them are good. A lot are not, but we killed the unseelie kind."
"And the seelie kind didn't mind that you killed the unseelie kind?" Bryan asked, his eyes wide.
"No. It's all good." Well, maybe not all good.
Mark and Bryan again exchanged looks. "You're going back?" Bryan asked.
"Yes. As soon as I can. I have to help Ena reach the hawk fae kingdom."
Mark ran his hands through his hair. "I want to come."
"What? Why? You can't come. Ena would have a fit. She already made me a gardener, though she lost her keep recently, and I'm sure she wouldn't want another human to work for her."
Bryan smiled evilly. "I'm coming, too. We'll help her out."
"Why?" After she killed Bryan's stepfather, Brett didn't believe Bryan would do it out of the goodness of his heart.
Bryan smiled fractionally. "I heard you got a priceless sword and daggers to wield."
Ah, the jeweled weapons. "Borrowed. My clothes, everything. I have to pay her back. And if I lose or break any of it, she'll have my head on a platter."
"We're coming with you. Everything's such a mess around here since people kept disappearing. I want to see their world beyond a dank, dark, and smelly dungeon," Bryan said. "I want to see if they're as you say—not dangerous to us."
"Oh, hell, yeah, they're dangerous." Brett motioned to his wound. "I nearly died."
"Then we can fight, help her like you're doing, and then we can prove that we can live in peace among them also," Mark said.
"They are not like us. Their world is not like ours. No cell phones, no computers, Internet, no television, or radios. Some are extremely hostile," Brett warned. He wasn't getting his point across and he was afraid Ena would want to kill him if he took his friends with him.
"We go," Bryan said. "Besides, what if it's like Alicia said—"
"Princess Alicia," Brett said. They might as well get used to calling her by her title if he had to.
"Whatever. But what if she's right and we might… well, we might be some of their kind?" Bryan asked.
Brett nodded. "That's why I wanted to stay there. To learn the truth. Okay, it could mean your deaths. But you'll need to have the right clothes to wear."
"How did you get yours?" Mark asked.
This wasn't going to be easy to explain, but he'd been friends with these boys and protected their backs when they had protected his, so he told them the truth. "Ena bought them for me so that I would fit in. I have to pay her back for them when I earn wages. But where we're going, we don't have any place to shop. It's all fighting. As to the weapons, I borrowed some from her. I didn't realize how much I'd need them. It doesn't mean she has any more to loan to you. So if you're going with us, you'll have to bring your own weapons also."
Brett thought that while Mark and Bryan were trying to get clothes and weapons for the journey, Addie and he could fae transport to the wagon train in the phantom fae kingdom before his friends returned. He didn't want them to be injured or die in the fae world. Or for Ena to be pissed off at him for not telling them no and sticking by his words.
Addie suddenly appeared, though she was invisible to other humans, but he and his friends could see her, being that they were all fae seers. They both gasped and took a step back. She scowled at them and handed Brett his bundled clothes.
"They are a mess, covered in smelly stuff that I'm guessing the police used to extract the blood spatter from your clothes," she whispered to him. "And the policeman is listening right outside the room to everything that is being said."
Everyone looked at the door but Addie.
"Get dressed, and I'll—"
The door swung open. Everyone turned to look and saw the police officer walk in. Before he could observe what Brett had in his hands, Brett slipped his fae clothes under the bedcovers and reclined on his back.
"Still role-playing, gentlemen?" the police officer asked, looking at Mark and Bryan.