"You should have allowed me to have him, mo bhanrigh meadhan oidhche," Branuel Or De A'lanuel says grimly as we leave the station.
"Should have allowed you to have whom?" I ask, genuinely confused.
"The rude human sheep who asked to be added to our Goddess blessed link."
I blink, shocked. "You mean Wilson?"
"Yes, yes, I believe that is the name you called him. Although if I remember correctly he has wanted you to call him by his Christian name, Anthony. And he called...calls you Nor...a pet name, an endearment. I detest it. I detest him. You should have allowed me to have him." I watch as literal flames seem to appear in his eyes and I hold up my hand.
"Whoaaaa there, calm down. Seriously, calm the fuck down. You're going to get hauled back into the station, and this time in cuffs if you continue with that shit. Wilson is totally harmless. Slimy, sure, annoying, stubborn and a god-awful flirt, yeah, but harmless. Branuel, I mean it, calm down right now."
"If you would allow me but a piece of him—"
"—Absolutely not! You do not get a piece of Wilson because he flirted, and may I say, badly, with me."
"That was flirting?" Terrenel asks dubiously.
"That's Wilson's way of flirting," I sigh, "Listen, again, Wilson is totally harmless, AND in this case he was actually really helpful. Now we have a genuine lead, a goddamn good one too." I push a strand of wayward hair back over my shoulder. "I wish Garrett was here with us. I wish I didn't have to leave him stuck with all that damned paperwork. I feel like such a bitch doing so."
He offered, my amour. Do not feel badly.
Can't help it, Chamuel. Did you see how much paperwork there was? Usually we split it evenly. This is the first time I've left him with the bulk of it.
But Goodson knows that you are out doing what you do best. He realizes that you are needed out here. That what you are doing is what you need to be doing.
I guess. I still feel kinda shitty about leaving him with all of it.
Do not. He does not feel badly, only you do.
You don't think he feels like I dumped a shit load of crap on him and then dumped him at the station too.
No, I didn't feel that intention or thought from him.
Oh, that's right, you can do that. You can pick that stuff up. So you know that Garrett isn't like, totally pissed at me.
Chamuel laughs, and then speaks to my mind again, No, beloved, Goodson isn't totally pissed at you. And he genuinely is happy that he has helped, and that he continues to help by doing what he is doing. By doing that paperwork as you call it, he allows you the ability to have the time to hunt the killers. In addition he got you that list.
"I truly hate when you mindspeak, High Heavenly Host." Branuel says, with what almost looks like a pout on his face. Chamuel says nothing so Branuel adds, "It is incredibly rude. You leave us all in the dark." Again, Chamuel remains silent.
"I guess it is a little rude, Branuel Or De A'lanuel," I say softly, and four sets of eyes turn to me shocked. It seems I've been having a lot of epiphanies lately...they've been making me say please, and thank you, I'm sorry, and now, admitting to things that just a little while ago I would have died before admitting to. "It is a little rude when Chamuel and I speak mind-to-mind, and for that I am sorry, I apologize, however, we are not going to stop...we can't. It is now just 'normal' for us. We speak to each other's minds as easily as we speak out loud, and I couldn't stop even if I wanted to, which I don't. You are just going to have to adjust, and deal with it, I guess."
Walker laughs. "That just sooooo...you, baby girl. Doing something that takes us aback, surprising the shit outta us, only to turn around and be just so you."
"That doesn't even make any sense, Walker," I say, rolling my eyes.
"Sure it does." Walker jerks his thumb toward the rest of the guys, "They get it, don't you guys get it." At their collective nods I groan.
"You're corrupting them, Walker."
Walker laughs harder. "Hate to say this baby girl, but I didn't have to do a lot in that regard."
"Oh, just be quiet, Walker Sergei Romanoff."
"Whatever you say, Annora Gun Samhail Park," Walker salutes me and then winks. He's totally incorrigible.
"Listen, we need to hit this trail before it goes cold." I stare at my guys, "Well...come on." When they don't move I shake my head and sigh, "Okay...what's wrong, why aren't you moving."
"The metal monster holds no appeal to us, mo bhanrigh meadhan oidhche," Branuel Or De A'lanuel says
"Metal monster?" I think a moment and then burst out laughing, "Are you talking about my car? Oh my gah seriously, Branuel. You cannot be afraid of my car."
"It is unnatural," Branuel Or De A'lanuel says.
"So is wanting to torture someone for flirting with me," I snipe back. "Now get into the damn car."
"This place is worse than the last," Terrenel says, making a moue of distaste.
I nod, and step over a pile of broken needles. "Yeah well, Skitter doesn't exactly hang out at the Ritz, you know."
"Tell me again why we go after this Skitter?" Branuel asks, unlike Terrenel Tir Oben he doesn't seem distressed or overly concerned by the filth and debris surrounding him.
"Well...Wilson made it clear it was Skitter and Junket in that alley. I honestly think it'll be easier to shake-down Skitter. And, well, Skitter is the user not the pusher, and it'll be easier to get to him than to Junket. So I thought we should start with him. Garrett and I picked him up a few times back in the day, when we were on the beat, so I know his old haunts."
"He's dead?" Branuel asks surprised.
I frown. "Why would you ask that?" I say, "No he's not dead."
"You said, he haunts these places...thus implying that he' s dead."
I roll my eyes, "Always so literal. No, that phrase just means that I know where he usually hangs out to get his drugs, okay?" Now it's Branuel's turn to frown deeply.
"Drugs. These human drugs are very bad things. They poison ones body and mind."
I nod again, "I agree, okay, careful here, the entrance way is very narrow." I all but crawl through a very narrow entryway. I'm actually not sure if my guys are going to be able to get through. I spot the flickering candle immediately and know I've got something. I don't wait to see if I've got back-up (probably stupid of me) but I'm just in a fucking hurry. I get to the corner and sure enough there is Skitter just about to shoot up. I grab him by his arm and yank him up. His thin body is easily hauled up, and he flaps in my arms like a rag doll suddenly becoming dead weight. I drop him and kneel next to him.
"Skitter! Skitter!" I shake him, and slap him a few times. Just how much had he used already? "Skitter get up you motherfucker."
"Pigs...you're all...all...pigs..." Skitter's eyes roll round and round before finally settling on me. He lets out a shout and bustles back on his butt. "Get away from me!"
"Come on Skitter, don't be that way," I say, lowering my voice, and soothing it as well. "I just need some information." Some information, and to lock your dirty, murdering ass up, too. "Come on, I just need this information, Skitter."
"I don't know nothin'," Skitter says and then snarls at me. "An, an, I a'int telling you nothin, neither. When...when...when he's done he's gonna help me, he's gonna help me, he promised. An..an...an...then I be stronger, I be, better, I be more powerful than you, than anyone. An...an...I take no shit from nobody. I be invincible! Just you wait, an see."
I grab the needle and juice and shake my head. "Hate to break it to you, Skitter, but that isn't happening. Your murdering asshole new bestie, he's left you hanging high and dry. You're on your own. It would be better if you just tell me what I want to know."
"I don't know nothin' I don't know nothin," he keep repeating.
"Now you see, I just don't believe you."
"Gimme...gimme my...my..." Skitter reaches for his drugs and I shake my head.
"No. You're not getting this, Skitter. All you're getting is a nice, cold, cell."
Skitter's eyes go wild. "NO!" He screams, "NO, NO, NO! He promised. He promised me! Give it to me. I need it. I need it for now."
"Skitter, Skitter, Skitter..." I sigh. "You're in a world of trouble." Now that I'm next to him I can see his trace signature and there is no doubt in my mind that this is G'harna's accomplice. Junket was a pusher and would be going down for that girls murder in the alley, but he wasn't going down for these murders. "You need to tell me about the Fairy, Skitter. Tell me about the Fairy."
"No, no, I don't know nothin'. Gimme my stuff!"
I get into his face and narrow my eyes. "Listen you asshole. Your sick asshole Fairy accomplice has left you hanging. You're going to go down for all of it if you don't tell me what I need to know."
"I didn't do nothin' wrong. I didn't do nothin' wrong."
I grab him by the collar of his dirty T-Shirt and pull him forward. "I want to know where he is, do you understand, Skitter? Where is the Fairy. Where is he camped out. Tell me, and maybe I can help you out a little." There wasn't much I could do for him, frankly there wasn't much I WANTED to do for him. He'd helped G'harna murder innocents, he was going down one way or the other.
A hard look enters Skitter's eyes and a nasty smile curls his lips. "I ain't tellin' you nothin' pig."
"Oh mo bhanrigh meadhan oidhch, this one...may I have this one," Branuel's voice slithers through the dark like a slippery snake. When had he gotten here?
I turn to look over my shoulder and see a large hole where the small entry-way had been. "Your handiwork?" I ask him.
Branuel laughs a dark laugh. "I wish I could take credit for the feat, but no, it was the High Heavenly Host who blasted through that small enclosure. We are all most put out with you, mo bhanrigh meadhan oidhch. You went in without us."
"I know. I wan't exactly thinking clearly." I say, sighing. "Listen, we need to finish this conversation later, I'm sorta in the middle of something right now."
"Yes, I realize that." Branuel says, his eyes glow, they literally seem to glow in the dim light of the room. "And I said, you should let me have him, mo bhanrigh meadhan oidhch."
I cock my head to one side. And look from Branuel to Skitter, whose eyes have gone wide with shock and clearly with fear. "Did you hear him, Skitter?" A small smile crosses my face, and I know that it's not a nice smile. "He wants you. And you know what...I'm sorta inclined to give you to him. Let me introduce you two. This is Branuel Or De A'lanuel, he is the Dark Fae King," I watch as Skitter's eyes get even bigger and I continue, "He's also G'harna's uncle." I see the flash of understanding and knowing in Skitter's eyes, and press on. "Yup, this here is your bestie's big bad uncle. You think that your friend is powerful, and evil...well let me tell you something...he's got nothing, absolutely nothing on his uncle."
"Why thank you mo bhanrigh meadhan oidhch." Branuel says.
I tip my head, and turn back to Skitter. "Anything you think you've seen, you think you know...it'll be blown out of the fucking water by what The Dark Fae King is capable of, do you understand me, Skitter? You're about to face your worst nightmare if you don't tell me what I want to know."
"I....I...I don't know nothin' I told you...Nora...I...don't—"
I'm suddenly watching red raining down my hands, I hear Skitter's high pitched scream, and I turn my shocked eyes to Branuel who is now holding a bloody dagger.
"You will never speak to her with such familiarity again, filth. Now...it seems that you wish to play with me. Let us play then."
"Was that really necessary?" I ask Branuel.
Branuel cocks his head to one side and sticks a bloody finger into his mouth and then makes a moue of distaste. "His blood is tainted, and thusly taste so. I dislike it. And yes, it was necessary. Did you not get the information that you needed?"
I nod. I'd already made a call to Garrett and he was on the way to provide "clean-up." "I did. But seriously, was all of that shit really necessary? You couldn't have gotten the information without cutting off his hand?"
Branuel shrugs. "Perhaps...but this way was so much more satisfying. And you are too gentle...too tame in your nature, too forgiving, mo bhanrigh meadhan oidhch. Why you had your War Lak put the appendage on ice, I'll never know."
"I do," Walker says, striding up to us. "Annora darling does what she needs to do to get the job done, if extreme violence is necessary, then she'll do that too, but she doesn't enjoy it the way you do, Big Baddie."
"I do not like this Big Baddie name, stop."
"Annora baby calls you Big Baddie."
"I'm not entirely certain I like it when she calls me it, either. But it is much more acceptable for her to call me it, than for you to."
"Why" Walker asks. And I can see Branuel struggle as he tries to come up with an explanation.
I roll my eyes, "It's fine, Branuel, Walker is just 'playing' with you. He absolutely understands where you're coming from. He's just being annoying."
"Never annoying, baby girl...awesome and charming."
Now it's my turn to laugh. "Ooohhhh, you're always awesome and charming, are you?"
Walker nods. "Why, yes. Now, are we headed to Skitter's flop house, or what?"
I nod and Branuel gulps and pales. "Does that mean we need to enter the metal monster again?" Considering this was coming from a man who had just chopped someone's hand off, I found it vastly amusing.
"Yup, it's the metal monster time. Get in."