"Thank you for holding," Es says. "Some twat-weasel thought he could stiff us the cost of his meal and harass the staff, all in one glorious hour. He's now on the Wall of Shame. Who's this?"
"Es, it's Ari. I'm in Portland—"
"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!" Her pitch rises in decibels that threaten to blow my eardrums. "Ari. Where are you? How are you? Where have you been? I've been so worried about you. You've been gone longer than normal."
That's true, I realize. My time in the dungeon was extensive. It felt like a lifetime. "I have a lot to tell you, but first I need you and Pete to pack a bag and let your jobs know you had an emergency come up. I'm sending a car for you."
There's a pause, where all I hear is her breathing. Finally she speaks. "Ari, what the hell is going on?"
"I’ll tell you everything when you get here. I just need you to trust me. I'm in danger, and you might be too. Because of me."
"Everything? You'll tell me every goddamn thing? No secrets? No lies? No half truths or evasions like last time?"
I suck in a breath, make eye contact with Fen, who nods, and answer her. "Yes. Everything. Just be ready."
Sly has already sent a driver to the address I gave him when I hang up the phone and hand it back to him.
"Thank you, Sly. I appreciate this."
"You're more than welcome. I look forward to discovering what kind of favor I can extract from one as talented and lovely as you," Sly says.
Fen growls under his breath, and for a moment I wonder what I've gotten myself into, but I can't worry about that now. The most important thing is that my friends will be safe.
"They should be here within the hour," Sly says. "Do they know about… them?" he asks, with a raised eyebrow at the princes.
"In a manner of speaking," I say. "But I'll need to explain a few things." Like… how I signed a demon contract and live with vampires and am half Fae and have to pick one of the princes to marry… and how they are now in danger from a vampire prince because of me. Yes, there will be a lot of explaining to do.
"In the meantime, let us get to the crux of the matter, shall we?" Sly asks, looking at each of us. "As much as I adore your visits, you are making the other guests nervous."
Fen stands and pours himself a drink. "Are you kicking us out, Sly?"
Sly holds a hand to his chest in mock shock. "I would never dream of it, but we must discuss how to fix your situation at home. Sooner rather than later."
I remember my fight with Oren. How I wasn’t fully myself. Somehow, my powers had taken over, and I had defeated an ancient Druid. "If I get more training, if I learn to control the powers within me, that could give us an advantage in a fight against Levi," I say.
Fen frowns at me. "This isn't your fight."
"Are you serious right now?" I ask him. "Of course it's my fight. It might be more my fight than anyone else's, all things considered. I may not have asked for it, or known what I was getting into when I signed that contract, but the fact is, my blood woke up powers in your world that are leading to a war, and I can help."
"She's not wrong, brother," Dean says. "We need her."
Sly stands and walks to the door. "You do need her, that is true. And I have someone else you'll need." He opens the door to a familiar face.
I jump up and run to the man standing there and throw my arms around him. "Varis, what are you doing here?"
The Druid pats my back awkwardly and then lets me go. He whispers into my ear. "I had to flee Avakiri after taking a stand against Oren." Then he speaks louder to the rest of the room. "Most of the free Fae have rallied behind Metsi. I am no longer welcome amongst my kind."
Dean stands and reaches for a sword that's not there. "You're not welcome amongst our kind either."
"Stop it," I tell him, and I glare at Fen before he can argue. "Varis is my friend. He's the Air Druid. He was kind to me, and he helped us in the last battle. We need him." I turn back to Varis, and Baron approaches the Druid and pushes his head against him. Wow. Didn’t expect that to happen. By the look on everyone’s faces, they didn’t either.
Varis pets the wolf gently as Fen watches with a frown.
"Are you all right?" I ask the Duird. "Have you healed?"
He smiles. "Yes. I'm well." He glances over at Fen and then back at me. "I see things have changed since I last saw you."
"Yes, it appears they have. Varis, this is Fen, Prince of War… and the Earth Druid, as it happens." I reach for Fen's hand and pull him over. "Fen, this is my teacher, Varis."