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The bar had been packed tonight and Beth’s hair was dirty. She climbed her rickety porch stairs and noted that despite it being somewhere around four in the morning, the lights in her decrepit victorian were still on. Most of her roommates, if not all of them, must still be awake. Any hope she had been harboring of there being enough hot water left for a shower disintegrated.
The porch light flickered as she dug for her key, shivering in her sweat-drenched tank top and holey skinny jeans. She’d been so ready to leave that she must have left her sweater at the bar. Not surprising, since it had been furnace-hot in there with all the sweaty out-of-towners sliding against each other like tightly packed sardines. Whatever. The day-shifters were known for their sticky fingers, literally in some cases, but Rose would make sure no one took it. Having your aunt as your boss had its benefits.
Beth jimmied the stubborn stained-glass door open and was immediately bombarded by Trina, a slender tree nymph with softly curling green hair that fell to her ass. Beth had always coveted that hair.
Tonight, Trina’s face was pinched with frustration.
“You have to help me,” she said, her voice soft and soothing even in her agitated state. Beth had always thought it sounded like wind whispering through leaves.
Beth loved coming home. The house was old enough that there weren’t overhead fixtures so instead of floor lamps they had decked each room out in christmas lights. Their soft glow along with the faint smell of marijuana and sweet Fae wine always gave Beth a warm rush when stepping through the door. She closed her eyes and took a few deep breathes in an attempt to shake off the viciously long night she’d had before giving her attention to her roommate.
“What’s up, Tri?” she asked.
“Benji revealed that he has feelings for me.” The Nymph’s hands fluttered nervously against the dark brown dress that she wore so well it looked like it had been made for her. It probably had been.
Beth stared at her for a moment, processing, then sighed. Benji had been in love with Trina from the moment she’d swayed through their front door. If he had admitted his feelings for her tonight it meant that he was more high than usual. He would need Beth’s support, especially if Trina was taking it like this. So much for even a cold shower.
“I’m sorry?” Beth asked tentatively to try and coax more of a detailed reaction out of the nervous nymph before her.
“Oh no! He’s very sweet. He’s just a … you know.” Trina had the nerve to blush a little bit, though it only made her caramel skin more attractive.
“I know,” Beth said. Benji was a fire elemental.
Fire and Tree didn’t really mesh, which killed any romantic prospects between them. Not to mention that Benji spent the majority of his time burning and inhaling a rolled up dried plant. Beth had never asked Trina if she found that personally offensive or not. For all she knew Benji could be smoking Tri’s cousin. But the nymph had never brought it up so neither had they.
“Just don’t worry about it tonight,” said Beth. “I’ll go talk to him. You just relax.”
Trina tilted her head to the side for a moment, her perfect lips tight with worry. Finally, she nodded and the tension in her shoulders seemed to recede. Beth had always envied how easily Trina could de-stress.
“If you need me, I’ll be in my tree,” she said. Her wind-through-the-leaves voice sounded serene as she turned and sashayed toward the back of the house and her room.
One of the perks of having such an old, ramshackle house was that it accommodated all of the Fae that lived there, in one way or another. Trina’s room, for instance, literally had a tree growing into it. The oak behemoth had been there before she moved in, having grown through cracks in the siding years before they’d bought the place. Her presence had made it more voluptuous though, healthy in a way that Beth and Benji hadn’t known it wasn’t.
Beth made her way up the stairs. Green lights wrapped around the bannisters, giving the hall an eerie glow.
Benji’s door was cracked but the smoke was so thick that she could barely see inside. She pushed the door open gently without a knock and wasn’t surprised to find him sitting on his bed with his back against the wall. Soft ska music played from an almost-closed laptop. He had an x-box controller in his hands.
The room was bathed in a more organic glow than the rest of the house. Benji, being a fire elemental, preferred candles to the christmas lights and it showed. He had maybe fifty thick white candles placed around the room. A few even danced in holders hung from the ceiling.
Beth dropped her bag by the door and joined him on the bed, scooting the laptop aside. She sat shoulder-to-shoulder with him against the wall. He paused the final fantasy game he was playing and set aside the controller, letting out a pitiful sigh as he dropped his head against her.
Benji had been her best friend since they were both children. Along with his cousin, Delphine, they had been inseparable. When Beth had run away from home he’d come with her. They’d lived in her aunt’s attic together for a while until they had found this place. How they had gained so many roommates since then remained a mystery to her. Delphine had stayed, and she felt her absence like a lost limb sometimes.
“You heard?” he asked.
His obnoxious, inch-long black spikes threatened to pierce her skin when she tried to lean her head against his sympathetically.
“I heard,” said Beth, taking his hand instead and giving it a squeeze. “It’s going to be okay.”
“Don’t bullshit me, Bethica,” he said, using the nickname that only he had rights to. “Even if she felt the same way there’s no guarantee I wouldn’t burn her alive the moment I lost control.”
“You’ve never burned me alive,” Beth pointed out. She tried to sound soothing but was probably coming off as exhausted and raspy.
“You’re slightly less flammable. And I mean lose control in a sex kind of way.”
Beth wrinkled her nose. “Ew. But yeah, I get your point.”
“Your voice is gone, babycakes. Rough night at the office?”
She thought back to the grabby, insistent customers who’d had her having to yell over them to be heard all throughout the evening.
“Oh god,” she affirmed. “Not even locals. Some wedding tomorrow or something. It was wall to wall.”
He stroked her hand sympathetically. “I bet Rose is sleeping on a bed of money tonight.”
“I know I will be,” Beth said, managing a small grin. “Say what you want about Dark Fae, but they sure know how to tip.”
“Good. At least our heritage doesn’t stiff you in all aspects of your life.”
“Ouch. Way to kick me while I’m spent, my little Bento-box.” Beth yawned. “I need to bathe. I feel like I have other people’s sweat all over me.”
“I have bad news and then good news.”
“In that order?”
“Yes.”
“Mm. Lay it on me.” She yawned again, deciding to risk death by gelled spikes as she fully leaned her head against his. The spikes yielded, thank god.
“Since you insist on a homeless Fae halfway house --”
“That’s not what this is!” she cut him off.
He chuckled. “Yes, it is. Don’t even lie, Bethica. Anyway, all of the hot water is most definitely gone right now.”
Beth pouted. “It’s not a halfway house. It’s just a haven. They all pay rent, damnit.”
“I know, I know.”
“So that’s the bad news,” she mumbled.
“Yes.”
“Please tell me the good news is what I think it is.”
“It is.”
She sat up, grinning widely as she scooted toward the edge of the bed. “Thank you, thank you, thank you! Best. Friend. Ever.”
Benji laughed and followed her. “But you definitely owe me.”
“C’moooooon,” she urged, leading him to the large bathroom that lived at the end of the hall.
The bathroom was arguably her favorite room in the house. It had a big New England style circular window that bathed everything in moonlight at night and sunlight during the day. They rarely had to bother with electrical lights at all. Beth’s favorite part, however, was the giant, claw-foot bathtub that occupied half the room.
She turned on the faucet, beginning to fill the tub with cold water as she stripped off her tank top.
Benji closed the door and with a wave of his hand lit the candles they kept stashed around. God, she loved bath time. One would think she was a water nymph or even an elemental with how much she loved to soak in the tub. Unfortunately, that could be neither confirmed or denied. The jury on her paternity was still out.
She pulled a bottle of jasmine bath salts from the top shelf of a deep built-in and liberally sprinkled it over the water. As soon as the tub was full Benji grinned at her and rubbed his hands together. He laid them flat on the surface and in only a moment the water was steaming slightly. It had taken them many attempts over the years to perfect this routine and get the water just right. She liked a hot bath, but also preferred not to sear off her skin.
The process took a lot out of Benji, too, so they only did it on special occasions. Like tonight, when every one of her muscles was staging an individual protest.
Beth beamed and dropped in a bath bomb, watching giddily as it fizzed and bubbled happily. She undressed and was in the water in the next second, sinking back with a moan.
Benji snorted from his perch on the closed toilet lid. Somehow, he had a joint in his mouth, already lit. He passed it to her once she was settled and she took it gratefully, trying to block out the echo of drink orders and general customer bitchery that spun round in her mind.
Ten minutes later Beth was as relaxed as relaxed gets. Well, maybe one massage short of full relaxation, but she was pretty damn close.
A tap on the door brought in Sian and Liam, a set of twins who’d been living with them for almost a year now. Beth wasn’t exactly sure on the extent of their Fae powers, and it was rude to ask really, so she hadn’t bothered with it. So far, they had done less damage to the house than Benji, so she labeled it a non-issue. Besides, neither of them ever seemed to be in a bad mood.
Tonight, they were smiling an identical, soft smile. Sian’s long platinum hair was plaited in a braid and thrown over her shoulder. Both had electric blue eyes that seemed to see right through you.
“Mind if we join?” Liam asked, sliding down to the floor across from Benji.
Sian sat beside him. Neither thought twice about Beth being in the bath, naked beneath the bubbles. There were too many people living in this house to worry about boundaries like that. Beth wasn’t really self-conscious anyway.
She passed Sian the joint.
“So you told Trina,” said Liam, fixing his startling eyes on Benji.
Benji wilted slightly.
“And she reacted badly,” Sian said.
Both of them stated instead of asked, Beth noted. The twins were always factual and unembellished. It was always both at once amusing and unsettling.
“Her eyes got really big and she slowly backed out of the room,” Benji said miserably.
“Come now, she said you were sweet when I talked to her downstairs.” Beth tried to sound reassuring. Unfortunately, the smoking hadn’t helped to soothe her raw throat and she came off sounding like a bullfrog.
“Sweet is code for just friends,” said Liam.
There was an awkward pause while Beth could almost physically see that thought sinking into Benji’s psyche. She sighed.
“So the Knight is getting married tomorrow,” Sian said brightly, changing the subject.
Beth choked on her inhale. “The Knight? Like the Dark Queen’s Knight? Ronan Mac Nevin?”
Beth had never met or even seen the guy, but the tales of his stoicism and attractiveness were legendary.
Sian nodded.
“That must have been the crowd at the bar tonight,” said Beth, running blunt fingernails through her wet hair.
She hadn’t noticed anyone who was as devastatingly gorgeous as everyone claimed the Knight to be. And she would certainly remember if she had.
“Isn’t he the Queen’s lover?” she asked. “Like, I thought that was his job.”
“It is one of his duties, yes. To keep her satisfied. But if the Queen decides that he should wed, then he weds,” Liam said. “His will his hers, not his own.”
“Why would she decide he should wed if he’s her lover?” Benji asked, mirroring Beth’s confusion.
“There are many reasons. Political alliances, powers gained, etcetera,” Sian supplied.
“Powers gained?” Beth asked.
“The Knight’s allegiance is entirely the Queen’s. If he weds and his wife’s allegiance is his, then it is the Queen’s as well. She might find it advantageous if he marries someone whose power is useful to her,” Liam answered.
“What about political alliances? Why would the queen need to ally with anyone? Isn’t the Unseelie Court at peace right now?” asked Benji.
Sian laughed. “The Unseelie Court is always at war with somebody or another. That is simply the way of things. But you’re right, there aren’t any alliances right now that would benefit her.”
“The power using is much more likely,” said Liam.
Beth shivered, despite the mostly-warm water. “Who’s the unlucky lady?”
Sian shook her head. “No one knows. It is a mystery. It will be revealed tomorrow just before the ceremony.”
Beth settled further into the water. “With any luck the reception won’t be at the bar.”
“I can’t imagine the Queen outsourcing an event like that. The Dark Court invariably throws an impressive party,” said Liam, amusement twinkling in his periwinkle eyes.
As always, these two knew a surprising amount about their Dark monarch and Beth once again found herself wondering if they hadn’t been a part of the Court at one point or another. Most of her roommates were outcasted children of the Dark. She herself had grown up on the outskirts of Court life, exclusively keeping company with Benji and Delphine. While having lived in the Palace she knew very little about the politics. Her mother had not bothered to include her in many events.
The twins spoke with an authority that suggested they’d been in much deeper than she, and with a reverence where the Queen was concerned that Beth was sure she didn’t deserve. She knew enough to fear the woman greatly and stay the hell out of her way.
When Beth didn’t respond, lost in her own internal reverie, Benji responded for her. “Ah, good then. Less work for you at the bar. Water getting cold?”
Beth’s exhaustion was catching up to her, and she realized she’d managed to doze off for a moment.
“Mm,” she responded drowsily.
Benji laughed and stood, grabbing a big towel and holding it open for her. “Out. You’re gross and wrinkly.”
Sian and Liam stood in tandem and moved toward the door as Beth found herself stepping out of the bath and falling against her best friend’s fluffy embrace. She let him hold her for a moment before pulling away with the towel and wrapping it around herself. She tucked one corner in to keep the rest up. She grabbed her hairbrush and started in on the loose mass of wet curls that fell to her shoulder blades.
Benji reached around her to pull the drain on the tub.
“Goodnight, Elizabeth. We hope tomorrow is more enjoyable for you than today,” Liam said, his eyes traveling over her, assessing.
Sian didn’t have to nod her agreement for them to know she shared her brother’s sentiment. It had always seemed that their will was entwined. They stepped out and the door clicked shut behind them.
“Sometimes those two are creepy,” Benji said, voicing what Beth had been thinking as he lit up yet another joint and passed it to her.
She waved it away. “He wasn’t at the bar earlier.”
“Who? Mr. Knightie Pants?”
She choked on air. “I’m sure it would be your head if any of the Court heard you say that.”
“Probably,” he agreed. He sat back down on the toilet lid while she worked the brush haphazardly through her tangles. “How do you know he wasn’t there? You’ve never seen him.”
“Yeah but like, he’s supposed to be some breathtakingly gorgeous dude, right?”
“Mhmm.”
“I would remember seeing one of those.”
He laughed. “I guess that makes sense.”
There was a pause as he took a huge sounding pull and held it, then let it out, shaping his mouth around the smoke. It took the form of a little figure swimming through the air until it dispersed, making Beth giggle.
Benji looked at her. “You need a man, Bethica. Speaking of men.”
“I don’t have time for men,” said Beth, and it was true.
Beth was working her ass off to try and save enough for college. She wanted to go into library science. On top of tending bar every night for her aunt Rose she took whatever odd job came her way. She had enough roommates that the mortgage on the house, which was in her and Benji’s names, was bearable. She walked everywhere or took the bus, saving the expense of a car, and she rarely went out. Her schedule didn’t leave much time for dating.
“You sound like you’re thirty instead of nineteen. Nineteen-year-olds have time for men.”
“I’ll have time later.”
Fae aged at a much slower pace than humans. Sure, she wouldn’t stay this young and beautiful forever, but it would be for a good long while still.
“Besides,” she added, “you know how I feel about all that.”
“Uh huh. You a strong independent woman who ain’t need no man,” he said in his sassiest voice.
Beth was surprised he hadn’t snapped to help punctuate. She laughed and set the brush aside.
Benji followed her down the hall and up the stairs to her room. She had taken the attic room because of the skylight, which she loved dearly. It eliminated the need for most other forms of lighting. A few strings of lights decked the walls just in case, but she hardly used them. Benji waved his hand and the ten or so candles stashed around the room came to life.
Beth dropped her towel and pulled on a pale grey Beatles t-shirt that was equal parts old and oversized. Her lacy grey panties matched, though it was unintentional. A knock came at the door as she pulled her hair up into a loose bun and caged it there with a clip.
“Who is it?” Benji called in his best girl’s voice, which was not very feminine at all.
“I have cookies!” Sebastian announced. “And wine!”
Damn. There was no turning him away with offers like that.
Sebastian was a little older than them, but like the rest of the Fae, he didn’t look it. His red-gold dreads came down just past his gaged ears and his bright green eyes were alight with an energy that Beth couldn’t comprehend at this hour.
He entered and deposited the wine beside where she’d slumped onto the bed then delivered the cookies to Benji, who had set up camp on the bay window bench. Sebastian certainly knew his audience. Then, like an alcoholic magician he produced three wine glasses from the inner pockets of his coat and handed one to each of them.
“I heard both of you had a rough night,” he said, dropping down to sit beside Beth.
She had never bothered with a bed frame, so her large mattresses simply rested on the hardwood floor. She didn’t mind though. A frame had seemed like a needless expense.
He poured the wine and she nearly moaned at just the smell.
Sebastian brewed and bottled his own wine in their basement, and it was Fae wine, so it was even better. Stronger and sweeter; honey and magic.
Beth took a long drink and sighed happily, still riding the high from her relaxing bath. This was why she loved her house and coming home. Every piece of the little family she’d built, even Trina, was worth coming home to. The only thing that would make it better was Delphine, but that was an ache best left buried.
Unfortunately, the wine only aided the total exhaustion threatening to overtake her. She leaned back against the wall as soon as she finished her glass and began to doze, her legs crossed in front of her. Distantly she could hear the low murmur of Benji and Sebastian’s voices. After a while she couldn’t even hear that as her mind drifted off into a warm, hazy darkness.