Satyr Play

"If he goes with you, he will have an escort from the Hidden Races Council to ensure his timely return. After all, as he said, he does have a life," Lise-Anne insisted.

Showing uncharacteristic boldness, Michelle moved closer to the group. "His legal standing as a member of an independent race must be agreed upon before he leaves this room. This was the original and primary goal for this meeting, was it not?" The shy woman trembled slightly as she asserted herself.

Queen Mab glared at the Arachnid, but under the scrutiny of the room's occupants, especially Stanley, she begrudgingly nodded. "Agreed."

Michelle pulled a scroll from a tube strapped to her thorax and quickly filled in the date and Stanley's race on the appropriate line, holding the document flat between her front two legs. She looked at Stanley with a hopeful smile and turned the document toward him.

He discovered he felt more relaxed around Michelle, so he moved to her and took the pen from her hand to sign the document. She gave him another smile as she accepted it back.

The Arachnid looked to the Queen, who stiffly moved forward and signed the document, too.

Lise-Anne and Rand added their signatures as witnesses, and Michelle tucked the scroll back into the tube for safekeeping.

"How long will Stanley be in Ireland?" Lise-Anne asked.

"We must gather the most skilled Fae we have to build him a glamor. It will take a week—two at most. I do not give up the lives of my people willingly. We will find a way to do this as safely as possible," the Queen stated with finality.

Stanley was collecting the rest of his dropped clothes into his arms and looked at her with trepidation. He didn't want anyone to die!

"Michelle, Rand. Would you please accompany Stanley on this journey?" Lise-Anne asked. Rand nodded immediately, but Michelle looked a little surprised to be asked. She finally nodded. She handed the scroll to the Security Minister, who tucked it away. The fairy hesitated for just a moment, then looked to Baba Yaga.

"There is still the outstanding question of how you rescued a Satyr from so far in the pas—" Lise-Anne began but stopped abruptly when the witch glared at her with murder in her eyes.

"Baba?" Stanley said cautiously to defuse the situation. The old woman looked him in the eye, took a deep breath then snorted.

"I will not speak of this. Never ask again," the witch said with cold finality.

Queen Mab wasn't finished, however. "His horns!" she sighed with deep satisfaction.

Baba's eyes shot to hers, but she allowed a slight nod to the woman.

The others obviously still had questions but clearly knew it was best not to ask.

Lise-Anne, Clive, and Isaac nodded to the group, bowed to the Queen, activated their glamor disguises, and left with the scroll.

"There is still the matter of the Human interlopers. Well, the live one," Mab said. "The dead will be immolated once we leave the chamber."

Baba went to Camila and knelt down beside the woman. She touched the detective's temple, and a bump and bruise suddenly formed. "He will have a mild concussion. Tell him you found him in the stairwell where he must have slipped and fallen. Tell him you were bringing Stanley to meet his family for the first time, and he went to visit them." She looked to Mr. Duncan. "You! Furry one! Change back and carry this man back to the concourse."

Roy moved forward and lifted the detective gently in his arms.

Seeing this as permission to re-engage their glamor spells, everyone who had one activated it and made their way out of the clearing towards the hallway.

On their way, they noticed the shriveled and dried husk of what might have once been a man. It lay discarded on the floor by the bushes. They shared uneasy glances. Obviously, this was the work of Baba Yaga, as she was the last one in. They scurried past.

Once everyone left the chamber, the shame-faced and groggy guards closed the huge doors.

Queen Mab placed her hand on the door and spoke the words of power. The memory inside the room collapsed in on itself, squeezing tighter and tighter within a bubble of magic until the contents flash ignited. The temperature continued to climb until all matter in the bubble was converted into a ball of plasma. This energy was moved into an adjoining facility where the power trickled back into the building's power grid to reduce their electric bill by the amount the hidden basement levels consumed.

Camila, Marisa, and Sigrid were hesitant to leave Stanley, but Baba pointed them toward the exit, so they knew they likely didn't have much time before the detective woke. They quickly gave Stanley kisses, then rushed away after Mr. Duncan.

Before disappearing around the corner, Marisa looked back and opened her sight to him once more. She saw the bright path was much more present than before. She knew he would have the path of death linked to him until they found a way to break the curse.

Baba swatted Stanley's face to get his attention, and he looked into her eyes. He could read her question there. He just nodded, so she smiled and walked away.

Stanley was left with Queen Mab, her remaining agent, Rand, and Michelle. He looked to the Queen. "How will I get out of the building looking like this?"

"We're going to a private underground parking lot in the adjoining building. Stay close, and I'll shield you within my aura."

He nodded, and she hooked her arm through his. They walked down a corridor leading in the opposite direction the others went.

"I don't have my passport!" Stanley exclaimed.

The Queen smiled indulgently at him. "No need to worry about that. I'll get us there."

He looked at her in surprise, and she smiled gleefully.

"Stanley, we are going to have such a lovely time while you are visiting," the Queen purred.

He glanced at Michelle and Rand, and they gave him reassuring smiles. But they couldn't feel how good the Queen's body felt against his, sense how her perfume was making his head spin, or hear how her breathing was beginning to quicken.

He was in trouble.

Chapter 32

Sandy dragged the squeaking grocery cart behind her, cursing the greedy, sadistic bastards who designed them to fall apart so quickly.

She flashed back to the first conversation she'd had with Stanley, and her mood dipped closer to despair. She fought her grief back and blinked away the impending tears.

It had been a little more than a month since he went to visit family overseas. Marisa had called to let her know he'd be away for a short time.

Then, a week later, the beauty appeared on her doorstep. This time, the message was he wasn't coming back. There'd been an accident—

Sandy sucked back a gasp as her emotions threatened to get loose.

The cart's wheel chose that moment to break loose and roll off into the street to be crushed under the wheels of a bus.

She stood on the sidewalk, frozen by the sheer fucking mean spirit of fate.

She tried one more step, but a grocery cart with just one wheel was more like an anchor. She'd loaded down on food as she wanted to cook for her friends to lift her spirits.

Fuck it!

She kicked the remaining wheel until it broke free. Then she gripped the cart's handle and dragged the metal cage, scraping along the last block to her building. She pulled the bags out of the broken cart at the front door and struggled to maneuver herself and the heavy, awkward bags inside.

"May I lend you a hand?"

Sandy yelped and dropped one of her bags, but a hand shot forward and caught it before it hit the floor.

She remained frozen as the large man collected all the bags from her numb hands. She couldn't help but stare at the stranger with the familiar features.

He was at least six feet tall with broad shoulders, strong arms, and big hands. Long, soft brown hair fell to his shoulders. His tailored shirt showed off his trim waist, and the black pants hinted at powerful legs.

But his face held her eyes, making her unable to look away. So familiar but... different.

"Stanley?" she squeaked quietly.

The man shook his head sadly. "Sorry, no. I'm Henry." His expression wobbled a little. "Stanley... was my brother."

Sandy suddenly realized how ridiculous she sounded. This man... this beautiful, large man couldn't possibly be Stanley. But his brother? Yes, there was definitely a strong family resemblance.

She realized she was standing in the doorway, gaping at the man effortlessly carrying all her grocery bags. "Oh! I'm so sorry! I'm Sandy! I was—"

"A good friend of Stanley's. Yes, he told me. I hope... we can be good friends too," Henry said with a hopeful smile. His voice was similar to Stanley's but deeper.

Sandy's expression opened with a wide smile. She nodded and made her way to the elevators. They entered, and she pressed four.

"Are... are you here to collect his things?" Sandy said with just a little pain in her voice. Henry's face showed sympathetic pain of his own.

"No, I'm moving in. I've been offered Stanley's condo and position with VRL."

"Oh!" Sandy exclaimed with wide eyes. "Are you good with technology too!"

Henry smiled self-consciously and looked away shyly. "VRL thinks so," he said.

Sandy's breath caught in her chest at the gesture. The man shared so much with Stanley! Her heart ached at his loss, but this meeting felt like he was still somehow with her, watching over her.

She opened her door, and he followed her inside to place the groceries on her kitchen counter.

He looked around with a smile. "You have a lovely place!"

She blushed. "Thank you!" She had an idea. "Would you like to join me and my friends for dinner tonight? It's just a casual get-together. They'd love to meet you!"

Henry seemed to think about it for a moment, then he nodded with a smile. "I'd like that."

Sandy smiled widely, then blushed at his obvious look of delight. "Come by at seven?" she asked, looking up at him through her bangs.

"I'll be here," he replied with another smile.

She followed him back to her front door. When he turned to say goodbye, she spontaneously leaned forward and gathered him into a hug.

Henry froze for just a moment then he hugged her, too, with his strong arms.

She swooned just a little at the feel of his big, hard muscles.

Blonde hair swept forward to envelop and caress Henry's head.

Sandy giggled as she pulled back to collect her unruly hair. "I'm so sorry about that! I don't know what gets into my hair sometimes."

"It's no problem," he chuckled. He caught a lock of the shining hair in his fingers and pressed it against his lips with a gentle smile.

Sandy gasped as pleasure cascaded through her body from her scalp to her toes. Her mind flashed back to Stanley's kiss, and the memory warmed her heart.

"Until tonight," he said as he slipped out the door.

Sandy leaned back against her door and hugged herself as she bathed in the afterglow of his kiss.

She suddenly recalled who else, or rather what else, Henry reminded her of!

Grinning madly, she couldn't wait for her friends to meet her new neighbor!