Feargus

  Crew Placement

  With me ? Adeline, Sebastian, Derek, Della

  Man-cave ? Rhian, Strauss, Zack

  The estate ? Alexander

  The Gander ? Quinn

  On the road ? Everyone else

  All right, mates. As you know, it wouldn’t be long now before the crew and I headed to Leberecht to reunite the Adler family. But there were still a few things that needed to happen beforehand, and an idea to perfect along the way. But this time, I wouldn’t be enacting this idea on my own—this particular idea called for friends, and the four fine folks sitting around in silky robes would be the ones.

  “An ambitious undertaking,” Sebastian said. “But I promise you, Feargus Finlay, if I'm imprisoned again in that awful place, there will be a reckoning, and it won’t be Florea’s.”

  I grinned and squeezed Addie around the middle when she laughed. We’d traded seats since the last chapter, with Adeline sitting in my lap in the big chair, and Derek now between Della and Sebastian on the couch. While Della seemed energized, Derek just looked worried.

  “I’d love to see the research you stole,” Della said.

  “And I can’t wait to show you,” Adeline replied. “We’ll plan to look things over together soon, yes?”

  Della nodded, and Adeline smiled.

  “You know, maybe Della should go with Alexander instead,” Derek suggested.

  The trouble was, we couldn’t use Alexander because he might be recognized in Verena, and we couldn’t send Della alone because she wouldn’t be able to defend herself if things went sideways. I reminded them gently.

  “Derek,” Della intercepted, taking one of his hands in both of hers. “You have to start trusting yourself eventually. We’ve been lucky all these years, but doesn’t it concern you that if our household were threatened, I couldn’t act, and you’d be afraid of acting?”

  “All the time,” Derek answered. “I’d say it’s never been worth the risk to find out, but I’d be lying." Derek looked in my direction then. "For example, I thought about it—a lot, actually—when everything happened between you and me. I thought about getting into a fight, or finding some bad man to take out—you know, vigilante style. All to see if it would make me into a murderer again, or if I’d be free to love all of you, Gus. You and your life.”

  I suddenly felt like a sip of Hocks or a cracker, but I couldn’t get to either with Addie on my lap. Across the way, Sebastian swooned, shaking his head in my direction as if to say, “How could you have let this one go?” and if I could have replied, I’d have said, “I don’t know.”

  But the truth is, mates, anything other than letting him go seemed selfish.

  Adeline gave me a kiss on the cheek, cuddling in closer while I held her tighter.

  Della shook her head. “I tried so hard to convince him that those days were behind him, that he was stronger now, and that whatever happened, we’d handle it together.”

  That was news to me.

  “Look, I think you both underestimate how seductive you are,” I said.

  “Well, that is our specialty,” Della agreed.

  “Right, so most likely everything will go smoothly. But Derek, there’s always the chance things don’t go to plan. If you don’t feel ready to improvise within your parameters, we’ll think of something else.”

  Derek opened his mouth to reply, but he was interrupted by Sebastian.

  “Attack me,” he said. “If you really want to know once and for all—to test the measure of your mettle—then attack me. I’ll heal.”

  Della peered around Derek toward Sebastian, and Derek side-eyed Della.

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  “It could work,” she said.

  Derek shook his head. “No way.”

  “Well, I’m all for personal growth,” Adeline began, “but we won’t have much time to pull this stunt before we’re forced to contend with our primary objective. It may be best if we come up with another plan while we can.”

  True—the clock was ticking, mates, and the crew would be returning to the base to find Zack’s invitation. I wasn’t worried about them leaving without us—they wouldn’t know how to get to the underground without Sebastian’s help, and the invitation should specify wanting him there. But Zack was most likely on his last nerve fretting about the reunion, and I reckoned getting it over with sooner than later would be doing him a massive favour. Also, the plan we were hoping to pull off would have to wait until after the brothers’ reunion, but we probably wouldn’t have time for another planning session.

  Not to mention, the kids would be home in a couple hours.

  “Derek,” Della said, “nothing will be worth the risk until you decide you want to take the risk. So, are you going to attack this beautiful legend or not?

  All eyes were on Derek who ran a hand over his braids.

  “Okay, okay—fine. Fine. But if I—”

  “We’re all here for you, mate,” I said.

  With Derek’s decision made, the two lads cleared some space in the sitting room by moving the couch and stowing the rug out of the way. Della joined me and Addie, sitting on the armrest of the chair. Before us, Sebastian and Derek stood face to face in their silky robes.

  “Go on, then. Punch me,” Sebastian said.

  Derek breathed a few preparatory breaths in and out before nodding. “Yeah, punch you—okay.” He formed his fist and considered it quietly. “It’s been a while.”

  “Make it a clean right hook.” Sebastian performed a feeble example against the air.

  We three on the chair looked to each other, all of us suppressing a chuckle. Sebastian was many things, but a passable fighter clearly wasn’t one of them.

  Derek flexed his fist, looked to Della who blew him an encouraging kiss, and then he wound up for the attack. Following the launch, the audience winced along with the squishy thud when the punch connected with the side of Sebastian’s face. In return, Sebastian stretched his jaw, the corner of his lip bleeding profusely. But within seconds, the wound began closing, though the blood was still wet and bright red against his skin.

  “On second thought,” he said, “perhaps we should have asked Alexander for help in this leg of the race. At least he would have enjoyed it.”

  We all laughed, including Derek—even if it was a bit stilted.

  “How are you feeling, love?” Della asked.

  “…I don’t know.”

  “Lay it on me again, then,” Sebastian insisted with a wink. “Don’t pretend as if I don’t know you’re capable of a prolific pounding.”

  Derek chuckled nervously. “Okay, okay—one prolific pounding incoming.”

  He wound up for another punch, but just as he was about to land it, he clobbered Sebastian instead. And that’s when he started wailing on him. One after the other, after the other. The blood gushed out of Sebastian’s nose and mouth, spraying haphazardly with every strike, speckling the white marble floor.

  The three of us on the chair held our breaths.

  From what I gathered, Sebastian had a fair few tricks up his sleeve, and if he needed to get away, I had full faith he could. Those air blades were no joke, mates. He’d also be perfectly capable of putting Derek to sleep. But he didn’t fight back, and he didn’t put Derek to sleep, and finally, Derek climbed off Sebastian and looked in our direction, his hand bloody and shaking.

  “How do you feel now, Mister Trager?” Adeline asked.

  “…I don’t know,” he answered.

  “Wait,” I said, giving Addie’s bum a gentle pinch so she’d hop down. When she did, I walked over to the lads. “We’re missing a key component.”

  “And I’m lucky I’m not missing a tooth,” Sebastian lamented.

  Which, again, made me chuckle, but actually, brought to mind another question: what happened to Anima teeth if they were lost? I wasn’t even sure if a Senec’s teeth were capable of regrowing. I stored that one way in the bank for later. For now, I grabbed Derek by the lapel of his robe and pulled him in for a kiss. It was a good one, too—long, and urgent. I missed kissing him so much. But that wasn’t the reason why I did it. Remember: Derek’s compulsion involved murdering his partners while under arousal, and I knew what got him going.

  When we were finished, I looked to him questioningly. “Now do you want to kill me?”

  Altogether stunned, Derek shook his head. “No.”

  I clocked Adeline from the corner of my eye, her cheeks flaming red and her mouth agape. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think she were mad. But I knew better, and Addie was the perfect lass for me for more than a few good reasons. “Do you reckon we need to shag to be sure?”

  “Well, I wouldn’t mind.” Derek moistened his lips and looked around. Sebastian was picking himself off the ground, and Della and Addie were still watching on expectantly. “But no,” Derek decided. “I don’t… I don’t feel the way I did back then. I don’t think.”

  Della rushed over to her husband while I stepped around to check on Sebastian.

  “Are you all right, mate?” I asked.

  “As fine as one can feel while filthy, Feargus Finlay.”

  “Mister Vonsinfonie, would you like me to prepare you a sudsy bath and read you a smutty story?” Adeline asked.

  “I would like nothing more, Adeline Blanchett,” Sebastian answered. “But only if your boyfriend joins you, and only if you do the voices.”

  The man drove a hard bargain.

  But aye, we did the voices.