Clash of the Otherworlds: Book 1, After the Fall (27 page)

"Jayne, you're so beautiful," he said between kissing my mouth and neck.  "Let me do this for you."

"No sex," I said, not even sure I meant it.

"No sex," he assured me.  "Just look in my eyes and open your mouth."

I did as he instructed and instantly felt the connection settle between us.  Something inside of me was coming out - something that felt heavy and sad, alien and dark.  I pressed into Spike's body, yearning for the lightness of spirit he was causing in me.  His arms tightened their hold, and I could feel every inch of him against my body.  My heart soared with the heady rush it brought.

I heard a throat being cleared in the distance, and the feeling of Spike's incubus passion began to fade in response.  Scrum was asserting himself, just as things were getting interesting.

Dammit. 
I whimpered a little, gripping onto Spike's shoulders, begging him without words to stay and never stop.

But he ignored my pleas and kissed me once softly on the lips, closing my jaw for me with the pressure of his mouth and a gentle hand at my chin.

"We're done," he said softly, hugging me once hard before withdrawing.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"I think I'd better go now.  But you're going to be okay, Jayne.  I promise."  He left the bed before I could protest again.  

I threw the covers down to yell at him for leaving, but the only one left in the room with me was Scrum.  "What the hell?  Where did he go?"

Scrum shrugged.  "He flew out of here in a blur."

I sat up, breathing in and out a few times.  I felt lighter.  Not as depressed.  The nap that had sounded like such a good idea before, now seemed like a horrendous waste of time.

"Looks like it worked," said Scrum.

"What worked?"

"The healing.  Whatever he did to you.  I'm not sure what it's called, actually."

I put my hand on my chest, no longer feeling a heaviness there.  "Wow, you're right.  I do feel a lot better."  I threw the covers all the way off my feet and got out of bed.  "Come on, Scrum."

"Where are we going?"

"To go see Tony."

"Shouldn't we wait for Tim?"

"Nope.  We'll leave him a message."

Scrum frowned in confusion but followed me out of my room.

"Baby Beeeee!" I yelled out towards the garden.

"I'm in here," said a grumpy voice from the pixie bedroom.

"Well, come over here, I need to talk to you," I said from the hallway door.

"I'm not allowed."

I walked over to the pixie table and peered down into his little house.  Willy was sitting cross-legged on his parents' bed, rolling a little yellow tennis-ball-looking thing on the covers in front of him.

"What's the matter, Willy?"

He didn't look up at me; he just kept rolling the ball.  "Momma says I'm in a time
out
and I'm nodallowed to fly at
all
today.  I'm
grounded."

"Oh, man.  That sucks, Baby Bee.  I'm sorry."  I play-frowned at him to show him how bad I felt.  I could imagine how much it must suck to be a hyperactive pixie and not be allowed to fly.

"Momma says I have a potty-mouth and if I say
what the fuck
again she's gonna wash my mouth out with ladybug pee."

My eyes bugged out a little at that, wondering if it might actually qualify as some kind of pixie child abuse.  "Damn, Baby Bee, your momma's not messing around."

"My momma is
mean
.  I want a
new
momma."  He looked up all of sudden, a smile breaking out across his face.  "Hey! 
You
can be my new momma!  That's a good idea, right?"

I panicked.  "Uhhh, no, that's a terrible idea!"

His face screwed up and a tear slid down his fat little cheek.  "It is?" he asked pitifully.

"Yeah, but that's because you're so
awesome!"

"I am?" he asked, now looking confused.

"Yeah, of course!  See awesome baby pixies need to be with mean mommas.  That's the rule."

"Who said?" he demanded.

"Uhhh, this guy named Ben.  He's the boss of stuff like that, and he said only the awesome baby pixies get mean mommas.  He's kind of a jerk but we have to do what he says."

"Maybe I can
not
be so awesome and then you can be my momma, though.  How 'bout that idea?"

"No, you're Tim's boy.  So that makes you awesome by birth.  You're stuck with it.  But the good news is that you'll be the best flyer and the best spinner and the best of all the things."

"Even pollen eating?"

"Yeah.  Pollen eating, booger eating, the works."

Willy sighed heavily.  "Okay.  Bye, Jayne."  He waved half-heartedly and slouched down again, rolling his ball.

"Willy, will you do me a favor?  It's very, very important.  It would be like spider nakie stuff."

"Okay!" he said brightly, jumping up on the bed and bouncing a few times.

"Careful!  No flying!"

"I'm noooot!" he yelled.  "I'm just jumping!"

"Tell your papa that I'm in Tony's room, okay?"

"Okay!  And then what?"

"And then ... uh ... tell him it's top secret spy stuff.  And to bring his best weapons."

"Okay!  I'll tell him, Jayne.  Spider nakies to the rescuuuuuee!"  He started stripping his clothes off and throwing them onto the top of the table.

I stepped back a few paces and then ran to the door before he could recruit me into the game.

"What did he say?" asked Scrum, coming up next to me in the hall.

"He's going to strip off all his clothes and then tell Tim where we are.

"Why is he taking off his clothes?"

"Apparently baby pixies like that shit, I don't know."  I hurried down the hallway, now anxious to talk to Tony not only about all the angels and demons but about that awesome incubus stuff.  I wondered if it was the same for him and the twins.

I reached his door and knocked, pushing it open when I heard a voice inside.  It swung open, and I froze in mid-stride, halfway in and halfway out.  "Uhhhhh ... sorry.  I didn't realized I was interrupting."

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

TONY SMILED LAZILY FROM THE bed.  "Come on in, Jayne.  You're not interrupting anything."  Felicia lay curled up next to him.  Theresa was nowhere in sight.

I frowned.  "Are you sure?  Because I kind of feel like I'm intruding on something private."

Scrum peered over my shoulder.  "Hey, guys!  What's up?"

"Hey, Scrum," said Tony, waving his arm.  "Come on in.  We're just hanging out."

I slowly stepped the rest of the way in, staring at Felicia.  She just lay there acting like nothing weird was going on.  After a few seconds it got to me.  

I put my hands on my hips, trying rein in my irritation at her but not having a lot of luck.  My toe started tapping rapidly on the floor.  "So what's the deal, Felicia?  I think maybe you're overstaying your welcome in here."

She smiled serenely.  "I don't think I am.  Am I, Tony?"  She turned her head to look at him, and he smiled back down at her, mirroring the expression on her face.  They looked like lovers.

"No, not at all. You can stay as long as you like."

I whipped around to face Scrum, dropping my arms stiffly to my sides and halting the toe-tapping.  "Are you okay with this?  Shouldn't she be getting a daemon bear hug or something?"

He shrugged.  "She's not taking him down.  They're just ... cuddling.  He's not in any danger, Jayne."

"Humph," I said, looking back at them.  I didn't know what to think now. 
Are they dating?  In love?  Is he mesmerized?  Am I upset he looks so happy? 
I shook my head once to clear it.   Nothing was making sense anymore.  "Well.  I don't know what to say, I guess."  I just could not get over the sight of my best friend in bed with this soul-sucking, super-model cheerleader and looking so comfortable and happy.  It just wasn't like Tony at all.  He should have been stammering and turning red and nearly puking on himself with nervousness.

Scrum leaned in and whispered in my ear.  "I think they ... you know ... did it."

I whacked Scrum in the arm.  "Ya think?!" I nearly screeched at him.

He frowned, rubbing his shoulder.  "Ow."

The door opened and Finn and Becky came in, laughing at something they'd been talking about out in the hallway.  

Finn stopped short upon seeing Tony and his girlfriend.  "Whoops.  Dang me.  Didn't know ya'll were havin' a private party in here.  I'll just be outside when yer ready."  Becky was in his way, so he stopped in the middle of his exit, doing a shuffle to try and get around her.  

Becky craned her neck to see past him.  "Hey, guys!  Whatcha doin' over there?  Cuddle time?  Awww, look!  They're so sweet together!"

Finn put his hands on her upper arms, pushing her back out of the doorway.  "Come on, water girl.  We ain't supposed to be interruptin' the lovebird session."

"Jayne's here," she protested.  "I want to stay too."  She disappeared and reappeared on the other side of the room.

Finn fell forward when the object he was pushing against suddenly wasn't there anymore.  "Dang it, Becky!  We agreed!  No more disappearin' in my presence unless I say it's okay!"

I raised an eyebrow at that.  "Finn's in charge of you now?"

Becky snorted.  "As if.  He's just bitter."

"Hey!  You'd be bitter too if the love of your life took you on a ride through hell and back with zero warnin'!"

Becky disappeared and reappeared at Finn's side, wrapping her arms around his neck.  "Did you just say I'm the love of your life?"  She kissed him loudly on the cheek.

"No."  He looked confused.

"I'm pretty sure you did," she said, grinning like a fool.

"Slip o' the tongue.  Didn't mean nothin'."

She slapped his face lightly and let him go.  "Too late.  You're my love-slave now.  Come on in and cop a squat.  The meeting is gonna start soon."

Spike and Theresa came from the hallway and squeezed into the doorway without hesitating.

"Hey, guys," said Theresa, going over to the bed and sitting at the bottom by her sister's feet.  "Hey, Handsome," she said, smiling and grabbing Tony's toes, shaking them gently.

"Hey," he said, grinning back at her.  

I could tell by the dazed look on his face that his wiener and his brain were still in succubus la-la land.  I shook my head with disgust. 
Guys are so damn easy
.  I glanced over at Spike, but he was looking at the ground.  I stared at him for a while, but he wouldn't look up.  I couldn't tell if it were deliberate or not, but a sound at the door interrupted my thoughts and I forgot to worry about it anymore.

Aidan was the next one in.  "What's up, everyone?"  He nodded around the room at the mumbled responses he got, a serious expression on his face.  When his eyes lighted on me he winked, still not smiling.  I wondered if my friends knew him, but none of them looked confused about seeing him here, so I said nothing.  

The door opened again and Jared stepped in.  Aidan moved over so he was farther into the room, making space at the entrance.

"Jared!" squealed Becky.  She ran over, pushing through the bigger bodies to get to the daemon, giving him a big hug when she finally reached his side.

I walked over and held my hand out.  "Hey, Jared.  Nice to see you again.  It's been, like, forever."  He was the daemon who'd pulled me into this whole crazy life, tricking me into thinking he was a homeless teen in Miami, giving Tony and me a place to stay before luring us into taking the changeling test.  I'd hated him for a while over that until I was finally ready to admit he'd done me a huge favor.  Even now, after all this mess I'd gotten into, I was still grateful for it.

He pushed my offered hand aside and pulled me into a strong hug.  Display of affection was a rare thing for Jared; I'd never seen him even touch another fae.  So I was stiff with surprise at first, but then I couldn't deny the warmth of friendship and support that he was offering.  I melted into him just a little and enjoyed the kindness he was sharing with me.

"Good to see you, Mother.  I've missed you."  He pulled away and stared into my eyes.  "Looks like you've bitten off more than a mouthful this time, haven't you?"

I smiled ruefully.  "Yeah.  You could say that."

He rubbed my arms a couple times before dropping his hands.  "Nothing to worry about.  We'll just come up with a game plan and execute.  Just like we always do."

"I wish it were that simple," I said, taking a step away.  He was such a magnetic personality, it felt wrong to hog him all to myself.  I put the distance between us so the others could share his presence.

Jared looked around.  "Is everyone here?"

"No.  We're missing Tim.  And the other two.  Did anyone go get them?" I asked.

"Go get who?" asked Aidan.

"Tim did," said Scrum.  "He said to wait for him and he'd be back with your two meadow visitors.  They might be the troops he was talking about, I don't know.  It was a little hard to understand him."

"Who went with Tim?  He can't open the doors himself," I said.

"Gregale," answered Scrum.  "At least, that's who he told me he planned to use."

No sooner had the words left Scrum's mouth than the door opened and I heard, "Have no fear, Tim is here!"

I was shoved to the side by Jared, right before he jumped on Garrett as he walked in the door.  

Gregale fell back out of the doorway and into the hallway with a gasp, inadvertently taking Shayla with him.  The door shut behind them.

"Vampire!" warned Jared, wrestling him to the ground.  I caught the shocked look on Garrett's face before it disappeared under Jared's arms.

The door opened again and Gregale and Shayla stepped through.  Shayla had her weapon drawn and was looking for someone to stab with it.

"Stop!" I yelled.  "He's with us!"

Jared held him in a headlock, keeping Garrett's head pointed at the ground.  He looked up at me, his face beet-red from the exertion.  "What?!"

"Let him go, I said!  He's with us!  I asked him to come in here, along with the angel you see standing there behind you with a dragon fang pointed at your head."