It took nearly an hour to put everything away after we returned to the warehouse. Rachel and Becca were a lot better getting the cabinets organized than I was, which sped up the work, and if Katherine hadn't been napping again I might have cracked a joke about women and kitchens. I had less confidence that Rachel would take it as intended so I chose life instead. Not long after we finished, however, Katherine emerged from her cabin, pronouncing herself refreshed and well rested.
"I think the spell is gone," she said, plucking a grape from an assortment of fresh fruit on the counter. "I've been waking up ready for my next nap, but right now I feel pretty good."
"Don't get ahead of yourself," I cautioned. "Give it the rest of the day like they told you."
"Don't worry, Doc, I'll take it easy, but I've spent plenty of time in bed while you guys have been busy. The least I can do is make dinner."
"Can I help?" Becca asked.
"I won't say no."
After a delightful meal of steak fajitas and a plastic tumbler with a little red wine, a moment I'd been dreading finally arrived. All three girls wanted to wash up and get ready for bed. As big as the warehouse was, there weren't many places that didn't give me a clear view of the open shower, so I retreated to the office, the only place we hadn't yet explored.
The room was unrecognizable compared to the dump it had been just a few days before. Like the bath house, it was finished in wood paneling, and had been further blessed with a hardwood floor. On one side of the room, the Fae had placed a conference table surrounded by matching chairs, with a long credenza behind it. On the other, an Alaskan king sized bed took up most of one wall, with a vast, carved headboard, thick blankets and at least a dozen pillows. Between them was a huge, white, bearskin rug, which felt real but turned out to be made in Taiwan. All it was missing was a hearth.
I threw myself onto the bed and regretted it immediately. Magic had to have been used in its construction because it was supernaturally comfortable, and I had to concentrate to keep from falling asleep. When I forced myself to sit up, I noticed a letter that had been folded in half and taped to the headboard. It had been hand-written in a kind of messy calligraphy, as if the author had spent long hours training to write beautifully, but at some point they stopped caring and only habits remained.
If you find this and you're not Tom, give it to him for me.
Hope you like what we've done with the place. It's as much as we could fit into a day, but we'll come back later to finish the job. Sorry I couldn't take the time to give you a full tour but I'm sure you'll have fun figuring out the rest out on your own. I expect you're hyperventilating over the shower and I wish I could have seen the expression on your face when you noticed. Enjoy the view, and you're welcome.
I also left a little something for you under the bed, just in case you need them.
Finn hadn't signed it, but it couldn't have been anyone but her. I crumpled the page and shoved it into a pocket, hoping I'd been the first to see it. Even if the girls didn't take her words at face value, I was sure Rachel and Katherine would run with them and I'd never be able to clean up without a chorus of innuendo.
The mattress was raised, but rested on a platform that prevented me from scanning the underside all at once so I had to hunt for Finn's little something. Eventually, I discovered a black briefcase lying on its side near the back wall and took it to the table to investigate.
The case wasn't locked, so the hardest part about opening it was wishing I never did. A hot pink penis-shaped dildo sat on top, next to a purple, double-ended version, a pair of handcuffs, and a bundle of soft rope. There were anal beads, a ball gag, some weird, plastic thing that loosely resembled a giant sea slug, and a small selection of medical devices including a speculum and a spiked wheel designed for testing nerve endings.
I stared in shock for a full five minutes before noticing another note taped inside the lid.
I really did leave you a gift. It's in the cupboard behind the table. XOXO
"Dammit, Finn" I groaned under my breath and latched the briefcase shut. I considered trying to diffuse the fallout by letting everyone else in on the joke as quickly as possible, but bringing sex toys into casual conversation, along with a selection of visual aids, would invite more discomfort than playing ignorant and allowing someone else to stumble across them. I bravely put the case back where I found it.
I nearly abandoned the Fae's little treasure hunt, but curiosity was stronger than caution, and I started searching for the next surprise. This time it seemed authentic. A black, enameled chest with patterns etched in gold leaf sat inside the first pair of doors. Beneath the lid was a third note, atop a small, silk cloth.
There are many reasons why you might need these, so try not to have a panic attack when you realize what they're for. That said, give me a call if you need more bedrooms.
I sighed again and shoved the note into my pocket with the others. "What did you do?" I mumbled, then cautiously lifted the silk. Beneath it, arranged on a velvet pillow, were seven more rings similar to those the girls had been given, each uniquely and delicately crafted.
It had been days since I'd been properly clean, so once I was given the all-clear I wasted no time queuing up for my turn. It took a few minutes after the girls vanished into their rooms to figure out the controls. They were automated and built into a touch panel seamlessly integrated into the bathhouse's glass wall, far more science fiction than fantasy. Sliders adjusted the temperature and water flow, and a series of toggles determined which shower heads were active. After some experimenting, I cranked everything as far as it would go to get the full effect. It was like being outdoors in a heavy rain, except the water was warm, and instead of pooling around my feet, it flowed toward a wide drain centered in the stone-tiled floor. I felt pampered. We could have been given a washtub with no cause to complain, and I wondered again why they went to all the effort and expense to install such luxurious accommodations.
More than that, however, I felt exposed, in clear view of every window in the building, and despite a strong desire to wallow beneath the torrent, I finished quickly and dressed. While I sat running a towel through my hair and thinking swimsuits might be a decent compromise, a sudden, small voice made me jump.
"Hey Tom."
I recoiled from the sound until I noticed Amy the hob pulling herself nimbly onto the far side of the bench and let out the breath I'd taken in.
"Uh, hi?"
"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." She sat dangling her legs over the edge of the seat, wearing what looked like denim overalls over a dirty, sleeveless top, and her long, pale-brown hair was plaited into dozens of braids and pulled into a bundle behind her.
Though fully dressed, I felt suddenly self conscious. "How long have you—?"
"When you live on high alert inside peoples' walls you see all sorts of interesting things that weren't meant for your eyes," she teased. "Don't worry though, I wasn't peeking."
Remembering my run-in with Meg, I cleared my throat and tried to be polite. "I didn't expect to see you. I thought everyone had left."
"That spiteful prick Grim left me behind," she muttered, "so I'm your guest until Finn can arrange to have someone pick me up. I just thought you'd like to know who was haunting you."
"Oh. Uh... I can drive you home if you just need a ride."
She shook her head, "That's sweet, but I'd be breaking almost every rule in the book if I led you to the warren. Besides, I need to let it play out. If I show up tonight this drama will drag on for days. Grim thinks this is a punishment, and he'll relax if I let him believe he's won."
"You don't seem very upset."
"I'm not. Most of my kind get freaked out away from their clan, but I lived with a clurichaun for years after Finn rescued me, just me and Callum, so I'm cool with being on my own for a night or two."
"What's a cluri..."
"Like a leprechaun, but with booze instead of gold."
"You're kidding. Beer fairies are a thing?"
She laughed. "Clurichauns can't metabolize nutrients without alcohol. Even their kids know how to brew ale and ferment wine, and the least competent adult would be a master by your standards. When they find a host, they're usually put in charge of the wine cellar."
I bent down again and pulled my laces tight. "You learn anything from him?"
"Of course. Not much else to do in a brewery."
"But you're working on computers now."
She nodded, "Knowing his craft doesn't mean I have the same gifts. I can make decent wines and liquors, but my particular magic, if you can call it that, is building and fixing things, like the rest of my people."
"How do you go from there to working on mainframes?"
"I didn't have anything to tinker with at the brewery except the vats and those almost never break down so I spent most of my time cleaning and that gets old real fast. When the owner of the place threw out an old laptop I swiped it, took it apart, and tried to get it working again. It took a few days, but when I finally managed it something clicked in my brain, and ever since then I've been obsessed with technology."
"Were you happy?"
She cocked her head at me. "As much as I've ever been. I was just a kid when I fell through the Veil, and it took a while to adjust. What's with all the questions?"
"Sorry, I'm just curious. You don't seem very excited about being with Grimble's clan. If you were happy where you grew up, why not go back?"
"Ah," Amy nodded. "I learned to tolerate being alone, but it didn't change my nature, and even Finn knew I'd eventually need a family. Some of the brunaidh are solitary, like Callum and Chloris, but the rest of us have social built into our DNA. We give birth up to a dozen at a time, and family and community are part of who we are, so I can't just run away from a rough situation. Besides, if I ever want to mate, I need to be around my own kind."
"Is that an option? Miss Gold told me Fae can't breed here unless its with a human, and you don't look like you could... well..."
She laughed again. "That's mostly true," she said, "but there are exceptions to almost everything. Goblins lay these disgusting gestation pods, and that seems to get them around the paradox. I think the only reason hobs have had any success is because we're so prolific that there are bound to be a few anomalies, but we still end up with a few hundred stillborn for each live birth."
"That has to be hard."
"It is, but that doesn't stop anyone from trying. You have to remember we're hunted as food in our own world. Every one of us that's still alive is a survivor in one way or another, and we try to celebrate that."
I nodded uncomfortably. That small look into the lives of Amy's people made all my complaints seem distant and small. "You're stuck in the clan then?"
"Unless I find another family that'll take me in, yes. If I go rogue, the next clan I meet will conscript me, but I'd have no status at all, and I'm not interested in..." she stopped suddenly, "sorry, Tom, I don't know why I'm spilling my guts to you."
"Probably my fault," I sighed, "I'm told I make women a little too comfortable."
"Right, your condition."
"Yeah, sorry."
"No big deal," she grinned and stood up, "I'm fine with making a quick friend, it means I'm not really alone. I just wanted to let you know I'm still around. Oh, and I'd be happy to finish that laundry for you while I'm here."
"You don't have to do that."
"Look, I'm not a big fan of cleaning," she said and jumped to the back of the bench where she could look me in the eye. "But this is your place and I'll feel guilty if I'm not being productive. If you want to thank me, leave out some cream, or at least some half and half, and I'll help myself to a bit of that fruit."
"Finn said nuts, too?"
"Hell yeah, Pecans if you have them."
"Walnuts ok?"
"Sold."
"Deal," I smiled at her.
She grinned back, and with a nod of farewell, scaled the bath house in a series of acrobatic leaps before vanishing over the top.
Once dry and fully dressed, I made my way to Katherine's room. Though she seemed well enough and had no excuses for making me stay with her, I enjoyed feeling her warmth next to me and made no argument when she assumed I'd continue to share her bed.
"Was that crystal on your door always orange?" I asked, shutting the door behind me. As answer, she held up her left hand and wiggled her fingers, showing off a band of twisted gold set with fire opals.
"Becca noticed it first," she said. "When we went to bed they were clear like the others, but this morning hers turned purple. Rachel's matches her ring too, and we can only open our own doors."
"That seems noteworthy."
"It's the least weird thing that's happened lately," she said and stood up from the desk where she'd been brushing her hair. "I noticed you didn't have trouble getting in."
"Uh," I glanced at the door then back to Katherine, showing her my own emerald band. "Finn said mine's kind of a master key. I'll knock from now on, or I can ask them to change how it works."
"You don't need to do it for my sake, but if you don't want to walk in on me half naked—"
"Noted." I pulled her toward me and kissed her cheek. "I love you, Katherine, and I'm sorry I'm being so indecisive, but this scares the hell out of me. I'm worried that you're right about the pressure building, but wrong about everything else. I don't know what I'd do if I ended up hurting you."
"I understand," she said sweetly. "We don't have to talk about it tonight if you don't want to, but it's not going away. What about you practicing that other thing? You promised you would."
"I can't pretend there's still a reason not to try."
She attempted a smile, but it turned into another yawn, "No time like the present. If it works, even if you can't control it, I'll get a little thrill and it'll settle me down for the night."
"Unless you end up like Glory."
She laughed, "If that happens I won't be the only one not sleeping."
It took a long kiss and the threat of me spending the night in the office to get her to stop teasing and calm down. We sat side by side and hand in hand on her love seat, and I closed my eyes to shut out distractions.
"Are you ready?" I asked.
She gripped my hand tightly, "Since always."
I took several deep breaths, focusing my attention on Katherine's anima. I could sense Becca and Rachel nearby, but they were faint and translucent, not difficult to distinguish from the girl at my side. I wished for something to flex, some familiar, physical trigger I could use to unbind the knot in the back of my mind, but it wasn't a tangible thing. I licked my lips nervously, focusing on the lights as they opened to me, and felt Katherine tremble slightly in anticipation. I tried to remember what it was like every other time. Intense emotion, a desperate need, except I wanted to reduce the flood to a trickle so there had to be some compromise, a way to slowly give in to that pressure as it built instead of all at—
Power erupted, coursing through the field of stars surrounding me, and I fumbled at it, attempting some measure of control, but there was nothing to hold on to. Her anima brightened in turn, bathing me in arcane brilliance, and the only new thing I managed was retaining my senses through the glare. Bright patterns of sunlight and shadow, and the now-familiar smell of flowers, swirled in an abstract dance of passion and pleasure neither of us could rein in. I felt it buffeting her, and the slight twist in reality as the gates of her will succumbed.
When I opened my eyes, I was alarmed to find her body still twitching as though she'd been electrocuted. Her eyes were rolled back, her mouth agape but soundless, while she trembled through the sensations, relaxing at last into a long, weary sigh.
She congratulated me between breaths, but we both knew it was an epic failure. I hadn't triggered it on purpose and I demonstrated no control. My senses were too blurred, too unable to clearly distinguish between the real world and the one where a person's life was measured in landscapes of sound and color. The knot of power writhed like a wild beast with its own will and a vicious temper, and I was only a witness to its presence, not its master.
When she was able to stand, I helped Katherine to her bed, kissed her until she let me go, and watched her fall asleep like a stone in the afterglow.