“It’s—forget it.Or get Peter to explain it to you.Peter is great at explaining things.”Theo looked back down, hoping against hope that Peter would just appear there at the mention of his name, but of course he didn’t.“Can we hurry, please?”
“Yes.This way.”
Cloudtree led him away from the stairs on the first floor.A deep red runner lay in the center of the hallway here, decently clean though somewhat scuffed.Cloudtree stopped at a room at the end of the hallway and carefully opened the door.
“I thought we could use the pokers.”He went straight to the fireplace, while Theo stopped, only for a heartbeat.
This room was a child’s.It had fallen completely into disuse.On the left, the shelves were empty but for three dolls, two fallen over and the last sitting up there in the leftmost corner.Books were strewn around, but many remained in the bookcase next to the doll shelf.A wardrobe was half-open, and clothing far too small for Cloudtree had yellowed on the hangers.
“This was your room?”
Cloudtree rattled the pokers to the right of the fireplace.“Yes.Until my stepbrothers came in and told me I was to tend the kitchen from now on.They played with my things, but we really had different tastes.”He looked at the dolls.“They broke most of the things I loved, but they largely ignored the books.That was lucky.”
Theo pressed his lips together before he said, with feeling, “Fuckers.”He shoved the hammer into his bag and went forward and took the poker out of Cloudtree’s hand.It had a better weight than the hammer and gave him range.There was also the pointy end to it.“Come on.Let’s find them and put these where the sun don’t shine.”
Cloudtree hurriedly picked a poker of his own.“Where the sun—is that a human riddle?Am I supposed to solve it?”He gasped as they headed for the stairs at almost a run.“Is this a friendship ritual?”
“Not for most people, but who am I to yuck your yum, poker or otherwise?”
“I…do not understand.”
“Well, I don’t like your stepbrother or your stepfather.They acted badly toward you, so now I feel inspired to act badly back.”
Cloudtree hummed.“Retribution.It’s an old habit of the Fae.I wasn’t aware it was the same in the human realm.And on another’s behalf, that’s… I do not even know what that is.”
Theo carefully swung the poker at one of the paintings.It dropped.
“It’s probably unwise.Which is why we should also prioritize finding Peter and the others and asking them to help us with the retribution.”
Peter is probably going to be mad when he hears I was ready to hit a Fae with a poker.And I’ll take a Peter who’s mad instead of one who’s hurt any day of the week.
Chapter 24
Withcarefulfingers,Peterworked the muzzle off Michael, who sucked in a gulp of air.
“Corvin…”
“I’m here, I’m here.”
Sweet Corvin abandoned his attempt to get Michael’s arms free in favor of running fingers over his beloved’s face and pressing a careful kiss to his lips.Peter left them to it, moving around Michael to cut the rope off him with his sword, taking care not to nick skin that was scraped and chafed raw already from Michael’s attempts to get free.
“Peter,” Michael said.
“Right here.”With a deft movement, Peter cut the rope, then went to unravel it.Carl-Conrad booped him in the shoulder to point out the rope around the knees.“Yes, one moment.”
“There are Fae here,” Michael went on.“Two of them.”
Corvin hushed him.“They got the fucker.”
“Yes, we got both of them.”Peter undid the rope at Michael’s knees by hand rather than using the sword.“And we should leave now.There’s no need to stick around.”
Corvin looked up, his face half in shadow.“Seconded.I don’t even want to know what they were planning to do with us.They just came after us, you know?”
Michael huffed.“They realized I’m a siren.It’s my fault.I should’ve made you stay at the library.”
Corvin hushed him again.“It’s fucking not, and I said I was coming.”He sniffled.“This is too much like the resort.”
“No zombies though,” Peter said, finally getting Michael’s knees free.“And no water.I’m glad for that.Now, let’s get you back up on your feet, Michael.”
