Tenia held up her hands. “I meant no disrespect, Myanin. I just felt it was better if we got out of there before Ludcarab, and Alston for that matter, felt the need to attempt to put you in your place.”
“Attemptbeing the key word,” Myanin said as she lowered her arm, sucked in a deep breath, pictured the dam once again sealed up tight, then let the breath out slowly before adding, “Never feel the need to protect me, fae. And don’t expect any favors from me, either. You’ve thrown in your lot with these people. You get what you deserve.”
The female fae cleared her throat, and Myanin sensed the woman was about to somehow justify herself. Instead, the fae swallowed hard and held out a hand. “Of course,” she said. “But as we’re going to be traveling partners for the foreseeable future, perhaps we should proceed with the mutual respect of warriors.” She held out a hand. “I’m Tenia.”
I can respect that.Myanin stared at the offered hand for a second before nodding and clasping the woman’s forearm. “I’m Myanin.” Tenia wrapped her own hand around the djinn’s forearm.
“Where to first?” Tenia asked, getting straight to business. Apparently the fae wasn’t into idle chit chat. Myanin liked her even more.
“We must make a crucial supply run before our surveillance can begin,” Myanin told her as she shifted from foot to foot. This time it wasn’t the stolen magic in her feeding the internal angst. It was the addiction to her favorite human food. Myanin felt as if she might just claw the eyes out of the next person that walked too close because she just wanted a bite. She wanted that delicious taste melting in her mouth, soothing at least one of her aches. “I need cotton candy, and I need it yesterday.”
Tenia tilted her head to the side and frowned. “Cotton candy?”
“Please, don't tell me you are unaware of the confection,” Myanin said, her voice sounding ridiculously annoyed even to her own ears. “There’s no way you’ve spent time in the human realm and not at least heard of it. And if you’ve never partaken of the melt-in-your-mouth sweetness, then I must ask why the hell you stay here?” Myanin didn’t completely understand what it was about the dessert that held her under its thrall. Yes, it was delicious. Yes, she loved the way it seemed to disintegrate effortlessly in her mouth, leaving her tongue watering for more, but there was something else about it that called to her. Maybe it was the simplicity of it. It wasn’t multiple tastes that the brain had to break down and work through. It was one taste, one goodness, pure in its singularity. Maybe it was the fact that its attraction drew young and old alike. When she’d first come across it and saw those waiting in line to get their own bag, the look of the excitement in the eyes of the children matched that of the older humans as well. It was as if it represented all the things she could no longer see in herself, sweetness, goodness, and purity. Maybe if she ate more of it, she would be able to regain those qualities.
“I’ve been in the human realm quite some time,” the fae said slowly. “Iamaware of the sugary substance. That just wasn’t what I was expecting you to say.”
“I’m full of surprises. Now, please transport me to Venice Beach Boardwalk.”
“I can do that,” Tenia said. “Or we could just go to a grocery store.”
“Is that the marketplace where humans purchase their cellular telephones?” Myanin asked with narrowed eyes as she recalled her first experience in a department store.
“No, it’s a place where humans purchase food,” Tenia explained.
“And this supply of food will include cotton candy?” Myanin knew she probably sounded a bit crazy. Even she could hear the desperation in her voice. But far too much time had passed since she’d last imbibed. There had been an exceedingly unnecessary amount of BS--a term she’d learned from one of the fae warriors--spouted and time wasted when they had needed to focus on more important issues. She needed cotton candy...now.
“Yes, the grocery store should have cotton candy,” Tenia said. “If they don’t, then I will take you to Venice Beach.”
“Very well,” Myanin said and held out her arm. “After I have eaten my fill of the cotton candy, then we shall make our way to the wolves.”
“You sound like the fae who become addicted to the leena flower,” Tenia said, with humor in her voice.
“Does this flower taste like cotton candy?” Myanin narrowed her eyes at Tenia. The more appropriate question was probably “Can it fill the growing emptiness inside of me?” But Myanin wasn’t about to turn her mental analysis of her addiction to the food into a public conversation.
“The leena flower takes the flavor of your favorite food. So, in your case, it probably would taste like cotton candy. But it also gives you a feeling of euphoria. Some fae can ingest it freely and never become addicted. Others are not so lucky. One taste and they cannot live without it.”
“Hmm,” Myanin huffed. She already had enough she couldn’t live without, like guilt. She didn’t need to add another thing. “The candy of cotton gives me all the euphoria I need.”Lies,her voice purred in her mind, but she ignored it. “Lead on, fae.” She held out a hand, which Tenia took and flashed them to a parking lot. Myanin glanced around and saw a square building. No surprise there. The humans continued to show a complete lack of creativity with respect to the shape of their important public structures.
“We better stock up,” Tenia said. “I don’t think daily trips to the grocery store for cotton candy will be the most efficient use of our time.” She removed a small piece of fabric from her pocket, no larger than the palm of her hand, and began to unfold it. In a few seconds, the fabric transformed into a backpack that appeared large enough to carry an arsenal of weapons … or a couple armloads of cotton candy.
“Okay,” Myanin said. “That was impressive.”
Tenia smiled. “I have my perks. But it’s better than that.”
“It’s better than a pack that folds up to the size of a three-inch piece of fabric?”
Tenia nodded. “It has a nifty trick. It holds whatever I tell it to, as much as I tell it to.”
As soon as the implications of the fae’s words hit her, Myanin’s lips turned up in a slow smile. “We’re going to make this store our bitch. And then we’re going to make Venice Beach our second bitch.”
Tenia’s brow dipped. “I’ve heard that phrase before, but I don’t know if you’re using it correctly.”
Myanin shrugged as she headed for the doors of the store. “Don’t care. All you need to know is that we’re about to clean this place out of all the cotton candy it has.” Myanin was grinning like a djinn child who’d just been handed their first weapon. It must have been a scary sight because humans she passed turned quickly away. That was fine with her. She was on a mission, and it ended with sweet pink and blue concoction melting in her mouth. She pitied the person who got in her way.
Chapter 3
“If ever there was a time that I had to seriously reach to channel my inner queen, not that I knew I had an inner queen, it was now.” ~Lilly
