“It’s dead. You don’t happen to have the kind of magic that will power this thing back on, do you?” I asked, braiding her hair so it’d stay out of her face. I didn’t have anything to tie it off with, so the loose braid would have to do for now.
She made a sound of frustration, “Ugh, no I don’t. You wouldn’t want to help me find my friends, would you? I tend to do an Irish Goodbye when I’ve had too much to drink. They—” she hiccupped “—likely have already called a rideshare home.”
“Well, you’re certainly in no state to drive. Can you get yourself home by any other means?” I asked. I didn’t know the protocol for finding aPaxleader in an alley with two very dead bodies sitting next to her. Would she get in trouble with thePax?Did I need to report this?
“I don’t—” Hiccup “—have teleportation magic either,” she responded, a grimace crossing her face.
“Neither do I. I’ll tell you what. I’m new to the area. I can either call you a rideshare to get home if you are comfortable telling me where you live, or you can come crash on my couch and sleep this off. For now, are you feeling well enough to get out of the alley?” I asked her.
She nodded, and I grabbed her by the waist to help her up off the ground. Her body molded against mine, as if she were meant to fit against me perfectly.What is this obsession I have with her?She had solid muscle underneath, yet she was so soft and pliant in my arms. My powers spiked again due to my ravaging hunger, but I forced them into a box. It was inappropriate timing, and she was nowhere near sober enough to knowwho she was speaking with. She was not even sober enough to make introductions.
“This is my apartment building. Where are you parked?” I asked her.
“In the lot here,” she replied.
“Well, the good news is that you don’t have to get behind the wheel tonight. Would you like me to call you a rideshare?” I started walking toward the front of the building, Adaela stumbling along at my side. I held on to her so she wouldn’t fall.
“I don’t think a rideshare would be able to enter The Sanctuary, and I’m not sober enough to stumble back to my house from a safe spot where they could drop me off,” she said.
I wasn’t sure what The Sanctuary was, but I assumed that was where she called home. “Well, let’s get you back to my couch. I am still moving into my place, but you are welcome,” I said as we made our way toward the entrance to my building. “Do you mind if I pick you up? It might make the trip to my apartment a little faster, so we can get some sustenance in you.”
She laughed, then gave the universal sign for uppies, moving her fingers rapidly against her palms. I smiled in amusement. Her face held an innocence that melted my heart, but considering she just killed two men in the alleyway, I knew better. I kicked off my heels and magicked them away into the pocket realm, then opened the door to the building. I picked Adaela up, and she wrapped her arms around my neck. I suppressed a shiver, pretending like this was any other normal day as I began walking her back to my apartment.
I took two steps into the building before Adaela promptly passed out in my arms. As I got Adaela and myself into my apartment, I gently toed the door closed and reset my wards. I couldn’t help but rock her gently in my arms a bit as I walked her toward my couch. She nuzzled her face into my neck, exhaling a deep breath. I froze a beat, heart racing at the miracle in my arms. I intended to let her sleep this off while I figured out who the two dead men in the alley were, but I wasn’t quite ready to let her go just yet. When she relaxed, I sat down on the couch and slowly pried her arms from around my neck, then laid her down next to me, tucking her into the fuzzy blanket from the back of the couch.
Sighing, I stood up quietly and tried not to wake her. It was still pretty early in the evening, only about 9:30 p.m., so I snuck off to the kitchen, grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge, and laid it next to the couch for Adaela when she woke up. I wished I had some elixir for the hangover she would likely have tomorrow, but alas, I had nothing from the move.
I walked into the office that wasn’t quite set up yet and fired up my laptop. Since I wasn’t great with tech, I reached out to someone in the Goddess Faction who was. I fired off a text to see if she’d be able to help me.
Me:
Hi Medb. Do you have a minute? I might need your expertise.
Medb:
Anything for you, my dear. What chu got?
Me:
I need the cam footage from the alleyway in my new apartment complex from the last hour and a half.
Medb:
On it. Are you settling in okay?
Me:
Yes. It’s an adjustment but I’m learning quickly.
I sat back in my chair and waited to hear back from her. She was one of the first demons I made friends with when I was cast away to Hell from the Garden. While Medb eventually was granted Goddess status, her time in Hell with me was substantial. We were on the same side of the coin, always protecting women in Hell when we could from the demons who would rather use them as non-consenting playthings. Our early years of creation, while different, had been similar, as we were forced into subservience to men we abhorred.
Medb:
Got it. I’m sending over the file now.
Vada, this is serious. I need you to make sure this doesn’t get out.
I’m sending this on a secure server.
