Darkness and Light

  “I could call the nonsense you spout propaganda too,” Ben responded, calmly.

  Finn, my redneck green elf friend, never one to keep his opinion a secret for long, spoke up, “As far as I’m concerned, you could start with explainin’ why you shot Chase in the back with a poisoned arrow last month, aimin’ for Jayne.”

  Ben raised his eyebrow sardonically at Finn. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  I laughed bitterly. “Oh, wow, this is a surprise. Ben’s going to use denial as his big strategy to convince you to go with him, Tony.” I looked at my friends. “Someone please tell me why we are wasting our time here.”

  “Jayne,” Ben said forcefully, “I was not responsible for whatever happened to you or Chase; but believe me, I will find out who is and take care of it.”

  “Well, forgive me if that doesn’t make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.” Well, not much anyway. Wait a minute ... what? I gave myself a mental shake. Shit. Stop looking at him like that. He is the enemy. This was ridiculous – I couldn’t even trust myself around this guy. We needed to get the hell out of here. He was worse than Spike on the sexy scale. I glanced over at my incubus friend in time to catch his knowing smile and glimmering red eyes. Friggin’ Spike was detecting my amped up feelings again. Dammit. I glanced over at Tony and he was giving me a funny look now too. Double dammit. I forgot he could feel my vibes. Pretty soon everyone at the table was going to be all hot and bothered if I didn’t get a grip on myself.

  “Ben, let’s just get down to the bottom line here. I’m taking Tony back to the Green Forest with us. You can’t have him, plain and simple. You’ll just have to figure out your whole world domination scheme without including him as part of your army.”

  Ben smirked. “World domination? That’s hardly my agenda.” He turned to address Tony. “Tony, you know me. Am I the world domination type?” He didn’t wait for answer. “No, I’m not. Now, do I believe that I have something to offer the world? Yes. I have ideas – good ideas – that would benefit all of us. And when I say ‘all of us’, I mean both fae and human alike.”

  Tony’s eyes widened at that but he remained silent, studying us and listening carefully to the conversation.

  “At least he’s admittin’ there’s fae in the world now. I call that a step in the right direction,” said Finn.

  I couldn’t resist adding, “Told you he was a liar.”

  Ben sighed. “I never lied to Tony. I just didn’t tell him facts that weren’t relevant to our relationship.”

  “Ha! That’s a joke. You have a reason for coming to our school and befriending Tony, out of everyone you could have. And don’t try to say it’s because you really love West Palm, either.”

  Ben shrugged. “Tony is an extraordinary person. You of all people should know that.”

  “I do know that. Better than you do; because I don’t want anything from Tony, other than his friendship, unlike you.”

  “You seem to have me all figured out, Jayne. So tell me – what exactly do I want Tony for?”

  He had me stumped with that one. The fact was, I really didn’t know what he wanted Tony for. I had to wing it if I was going to get out of this whole thing and get back home.

  “Tony’s special. He somehow fits into your plan for killing all the humans and taking over the world.”

  Ben started laughing. And not just a little. A lot.

  “What? Killing humans is funny?” He was so pissing me off right now, acting all callous.

  He calmed down enough to speak. “No, it’s not funny at all. What is funny is your characterization of my grand scheme. You don’t seriously believe that stuff do you?” He looked at our faces, seeing nothing but hard stares in return. “Really? You guys think that?”

  I raised my eyebrow at him, saying nothing. If he was going to deny it, he had a lot of convincing to do. An arrow in the back was pretty hard evidence that his kind had little sense of fair play.

  “You see, this is the problem with believing rumors and letting history dictate our future,” said Ben, now clearly frustrated. “I have no intention of killing off all the humans and I don’t know where you got that information. Why would I do that? More than half of our fae population needs humans for one reason or another.”

  I looked at Tony. “Yeah, orcs eat humans. They’re Dark Fae.”

  “Listen, there are plenty of Light Fae who eat humans too. And orcs are not technically Dark Fae anymore since they live in the Underworld – but that’s not the point. The point is that no one wants to kill off humans. Our plan is really quite simple. The Dark Fae want to assert their place in society. No more skulking around in the dark, hiding who we are.” He looked at each one of us, advocating passionately for his plan. “Together, we could all take a stand and demand our fair share. Why should we live as monsters and outcasts? We are who we are. Our natures are from nature, so why should we continue to be demonized by humans?” He gripped the edge of the table and leaned in towards us. “We shouldn’t. And that’s where we’re coming from. We want all the fae on board, Light and Dark, so we can engage the world leaders and make the integration happen.”

  “Exactly,” said Jared. “So you want to announce to the humans that the fae are here to stay and oh, by the way, don’t be afraid, but we are going to eat some of you.” Jared shook his head. “Yeah ... that’ll work.”

  I was with Jared. I couldn’t believe this guy’s arrogance. He really thought that just because he’d come up with a plan, it was a good one and everyone was just going to follow along.

  Ben shrugged. “I’m not saying it’ll be easy or accomplished without bloodshed; but it can be done. And it will.” His last sentence was said with such intensity, I felt a trickle of fear up my spine. I was hoping he wasn’t going to ignite again. I wasn’t ready for a showdown in the middle of the diner and I’d already almost lost one friend to his fire today.

  “There aren’t enough of you Dark Fae to take a stand against humans,” said Jared.

  “That’s why we need you Light Fae to join us.” He smiled as if he were our new best friend.

  That’s when I started laughing. I looked around at my friends as I tried to keep my guffaws to a minimum level, worried about attracting too much attention from the few late-night diners nearby; my friends were smiling at my amusement, even Chase. Ben, however, wasn’t. The more I laughed, the more pissed he became.

  “What is so funny?” he asked through gritted teeth.

  “Oh, nothing. Just that you think the Light Fae are going to join you in your little invasion.”

  “They will join us.”

  I got serious quickly. “Like hell we will.”

  “Those who are not with us are against us.”

  “Sounds like a threat,” said Spike, his eyes smoldering dark red with tendrils of black mixed in.

  “Take it however you want. It is what it is.”

  I pushed my chair out, standing up and taking my shoebox with Tim in it under my arm, resting it on my hip. “I’ve heard enough. No point in wasting any more of our time.” I looked at Ben pointedly and held up the box a little. “Thanks to you, I have a friend in need of medical attention. Already a fae casualty in your little war against the humans.”

  Ben stood angrily, bumping the table and jingling the ice in our water glasses. “I have no war with the humans; only those who refuse to see reason and get with the program.”

  “Your program,” I said angrily.

  “Yes.”

  “Screw that and screw you too, Ben.”

  Ben looked at Tony. “Tony, I really wish you would reconsider and come with me.”

  Tony stood slowly. “I know, Ben, but I’m sorry. I need to go with Jayne. I really wish you had told me some of this before.”

  “Would you have believed me?”

  Tony thought about it for a second. “No, probably not. But you could have tried.”

  “That’s exactly the point I’ve been trying to make here, Tony ... ev
eryone.” He looked around the table, beseeching all of us. “If I had told Tony the truth, would he have been my friend? No. He would have thought I was nuts and refused to hang out with me. All of us fae have to go through life pretending to be something we’re not. We have to move from place to place over the years so people won’t notice we aren’t aging as fast as they are. We cannot make friends with non-fae for fear they will find out our secret and turn us in to the cops or mental hospitals – or worse. All I want is to be able to live as a fae, out in the open.”

  “All you want is something you can never have,” said Jared, disgusted. “Let’s go, guys.”

  He started to walk out, Finn and Spike right behind him.

  I handed Tim’s box to Chase. “Go ahead. I’ll be right there.”

  Chase leaned in to whisper in my ear, “I’m not crazy about leaving you here with him.”

  I squeezed his arm and nodded, letting him know I’d be fine. “Go.” I turned to Tony. “Tony, I’ll meet you outside, ‘kay?”

  Tony looked worriedly from me to Ben. “Don’t do anything stupid, Jayne.”

  I shoved him gently. “Shut up. I never do stupid stuff. Well, almost never. I’ll be there in a minute, just go.”

  Tony left us, looking back once on his way out. I knew exactly what he was thinking, but I had no intention of launching a green power bomb at Ben’s stupid head, much as I might have wanted to.

  Ben and I stared at each other for a few seconds. Now that everyone was gone and it was just the two of us, the chemistry there was undeniable. This was the first time we had ever been alone together. I had intended to lay down the law with him and tell him in no uncertain terms that Tony was off limits forever. But all of that went right out of my head when he looked at me.

  He slowly walked from behind his chair and came to stand in front of me. I looked up to meet his eyes. He was taller than me by several inches. His dark hair was in striking contrast to his green eyes. My god, he was gorgeous, in a seriously dangerous sort of way. He made your typical bad boy look like a saint. He probably had every single girl at our high school drooling all over him.

  Well, not me. I might be fully aware of how good he looked, but that didn’t mean I was going to start acting all girly stupid around him.

  “You wanted a private word?” he said, amused.

  “Why is that so funny?”

  “It’s not. It’s just that I was waiting for the threats to start, but all I’m seeing now is a little fae girl, sweating.”

  I frowned, reaching up to wipe the perspiration off my upper lip. “It’s hot in here.”

  He smiled. “If you say so.”

  “Listen, I’m not interested in whatever little fae games you’re trying to play with me right now. You can lay off the glamouring or mesmerizing or whatever else you call that shit you’re doing.”

  He held up his hands in a gesture of innocence. “I’m not doing anything. Whatever you have going on right now is all you.”

  “Pfft. Right. Whatever. I just wanted to tell you that Tony is with me. Like, forever. You need to stay away from him and tell your Dark Fae friends to stay away from him too; if anything happens to him, I’m coming after you ... and only after blowing up everyone you care about.”

  Ben looked at me with a touch of anger on his face. “That’s a pretty big threat for such a young and inexperienced fae girl like you. I’m not so sure you can back it up.”

  I put every ounce of outrage I felt over the idea of something happening to Tony and put it in my eyes, so Ben wouldn’t doubt my sincerity for a second. “Trust me, Ben, I can. Whatever it takes. If something happens to Tony, I will bring you down and take you out, even if it means taking myself out in the process.”

  Ben moved closer – so close I could smell him. Dammit, he even smelled good.

  “And who protects the big, bad Jayne Blackthorn?”

  I cleared my suddenly constricted throat. “That’s Jayne Sparks to you, asshole. And I don’t need protection.”

  Ben leaned down a little, looking directly into my eyes. “I think you do.”

  “Fuck you, Ben.” I said, pushing him away, hard. When my hands touched his chest I felt the heat going into them and up my arms. I wondered briefly how he went through this human world all the time not setting things or people on fire.

  Ben smiled, looking down at the spot on his chest where I had touched him. “I’m letting you leave with your friends and Tony to show my good intentions. I was serious when I said before that I’d like to have you with me too, Jayne. Together, you and me, we could be unstoppable.” He looked down at me, flames burning in his eyes.

  I looked at him like he was nuts. “Keep dreaming, fire boy. I’m not interested.”

  “Something about you tells me otherwise. I can sense a heat coming from you, even though you have a remarkably cool touch with those hands of yours.”

  “Yeah, well that giant head you have precariously balanced on your shoulders is plenty powerful enough to cool me down, believe me.” I turned and walked away with my back straight and my head up, tossing my hair and yelling over my shoulder, “Stay out of my forest, asshole!”

  I caught the look on his face before I turned back. He was smiling bitterly, his eyes narrowed at my retreating form.

  Chapter 3

  I strode out of the diner and walked up to Chase, taking the box with Tim inside from his hands.

  “Ready?” asked Jared, searching my face. “Everything okay with Ben?”

  “Yep. I told him to leave us the hell alone. Let’s go.”

  Jared pulled out his phone to call for a taxi.

  Spike sidled up and nudged me. “Things got a little hot in there, eh?”

  “Shut up.” I grinned, refusing to rise to his bait but unable to stay totally stern about it.

  Spike smiled. “You know, incubi are really good at helping people ... work off their energy.”

  “Oh, yeah?” I asked, not bothered by the suggestive look on his face, even though his timing wasn’t exactly the best. He never quit. Sometimes it was annoying, but tonight, for some reason, it gave me sense of security. After feeling the chemistry flying between Ben and me, the relaxed sexiness of Spike seemed like a much easier thing to manage.

  “Yeah. You should let me show you what I’ve learned.” He wiggled his eyebrows up and down at me. “I’ve heard I’m pretty good.”

  I frowned at him with my eyes but my mouth stayed in a semi-grin. “Ew, Spike. No bragging about your sex life. That’s just gross.”

  “I’m not talking about sex – although, I’ve had no complaints there either. I’m talking about what I do as an incubus. My ... special talents. I think you could use them right now.”

  “Right now, right now?” I asked, curious about what he meant. Was it something he could do while we were walking? I was confused.

  He laughed. “No, not right this second. But when we get back to the hotel ... ”

  I slapped him lightly on the arm. “Thanks, but I have roommates and too much on my mind. Maybe when we get back to the forest you can ... uh ... show me your stuff.”

  Spike smiled, rubbing his hands together. “Oh goody.” He looked at me. “It’s a date. I promise, you won’t be disappointed.”

  I laughed to myself. I loved his enthusiasm. He was never discouraged and no matter how many times I rejected his overtures, he always came back making more of them. There was something to be said for undying affection.

  I walked over to Tony. “So, are you completely freaked out, or what?”

  He smiled gently. “I am pretty freaked out. But I’ll survive.”

  I put my arm around his waist. “I’m so friggin’ glad you’re here with me, Tones. I was lost without you.”

  He put his arm over my shoulders. “Me too. It was a lot ... quieter without you here.”

  “That must’ve sucked.”

  “Yep. Sure did.” Tony looked over my head at the guys who were standing a few feet away, near where the tax
i would soon be. “So, what’s next?”

  “Well, we have a couple hotel rooms downtown. I think we’re going to stay there for the rest of the night, what’s left of it anyway, and then get on the plane tomorrow.”

  “Did you already buy tickets?”

  “No, we don’t need to. It’s a private jet.”

  Tony nodded slowly. “Nice.”

  “Yeah. You’ve been on it before. You just forgot.”

  “That’s just so weird for me to believe.”

  “Yeah, I know. I’m sorry about that. Maybe when you see some of the stuff, your memory will come back.”

  “I don’t know. Even after seeing that little guy fly around, I didn’t remember anything.”

  “Yeah, but you remembered Spike’s teeth. And you’d never met Tim before, so there’s no reason why he would trigger any memories.”

  “Why was that? About the teeth, I mean? That’s kinda weird, isn’t it? ... that I’d forgot all that other stuff but remember his teeth?”

  I didn’t really want to talk about this, but Tony remembering stuff was a good sign, and I wanted to encourage it. “Yeah, well, see I ... uh ... was ... am ... a little obsessed with Spike’s smile and his teeth. And what with you vibing me all the time and knowing sometimes what I’m feeling or thinking about, well, you were kind of exposed to a lot of me staring at him, thinking about him ... you get the picture.”

  Tony was nodding. “I guess that makes sense. I was still vibing you, you know. When you were gone.”

  “Oh yeah? Like what did you feel?”

  “Various things. Anger a lot at first. Then surprise and happiness. The last few weeks I got a lot of happy vibes. Also feelings like you were proud – of yourself, I mean.” He looked at me intently. “I know you’re happy there. That’s one reason I was willing to give this a shot. It has to be something special to have helped you get over ... that stuff that was going on at your house and to make you feel good again.”

  Just then the taxi pulled up, saving me from that embarrassing conversation.

  “Come on, let’s go to the hotel.”