Dwyn and Celeste: Chapter 20 Sidhe Returns

Celeste woke up the next morning feeling rested, but rather distressed from her adventure the night before. She marveled at how the immortals seemed to take it all in stride, but then again, of course they’d seen it all before, she reasoned with herself. Yet, this threat seemed different somehow.

The part of her that had fought fae fearlessly still second guessed herself when she thought about having to go out and about in the city to the museum. What if The Collector was there? And who was he anyway?

Grateful that Dwyn and Alexander weren’t watching her every move like they had done the day before, she hastily got dressed and prepared to leave David’s condo. Afterall, he did say she wasn’t a prisoner more than once, hadn’t he, she reasoned.

But while she left without being stopped, she felt the full weight of the situation weigh on her shoulders. Standing just beside the elevator doors, she leaned against the wall, and squared her shoulders. It was either get over this irrational fear by facing it head on or be made a prisoner in her own mind.  Glancing about, she was glad to see that Linda’s desk was occupied by a temp, and therefore there was no one about who would stop her.

Slowly, she began putting one foot in front of her at a time, picking up her pace, forcing herself to think about the work that needed to be done. She reached out for the door and just as her hand caught the handle, it was grabbed from the other side with such a thrust that she was pulled forward and out onto the busy sidewalk. A man brushed by her, jump, her heart thudding in her throat. But he kept going onward, just one of many New Yorkers about their own business of running their part of the world. Scolding herself for being too jumpy, she realized Dwyn had taken her phone and Alexander had taken her purse, so she would have to walk all the way.

Taking another deep breath, she walked steadily, preparing for the long walk to the other side of Central Park.

Along the way, seeing all the young professionals so excited and determined about their own lives unfolding at breakneck paces, she wondered if her life was going nowhere, after being derailed by the seductiveness of the fae and vaimpír worlds. She wondered how she would be able to continue to climb the ladder in her own profession with knowing how the world was so riddled by immortals who seemed to occupy any occupation that caught their attention for a momentary span of decades.

Feeling the tears of frustration well up in her eyes at herself and how easily she’d allowed herself to be detoured in in life, she battled the cold breeze as it picked up. She thought about everything. From the moment Dwyn had met her in the forest to the time he literally invaded her laboratory where he effortlessly and literally swept her off her feet and tied her up, leading her towards adventures she’d never thought could possibly be real. She’d enjoyed it for sure. But what was her life going to accomplish if she kept finding herself in danger because she hung out with immortal beings? Sighing she brushed her eyes with the back of her hand and looked up to realize she was utterly, utterly lost.

Standing in the middle of Central Park, she slowly turned around, confusion adding to the stress that she had till now tried to keep pent up. At that moment jogging pedestrians knocked her to her knees where she landed in a mud puddle. This was not the kind of day she thought she’d have after a wedding, if that was a real wedding, she mused. She began to pick herself up, but got knocked down again by an obnoxious kid on a skateboard who whizzed by.

That did it.

Celeste just gave in and began crying right there. What kind of life was she carving out for herself?

“Hey now. None of that.”, a teasing, yet kind, voice spoke behind her.

Celeste spun around to see Dwyn sitting up in a tree, his legs dangling down, looking at her, ivy seeming to grow out of his hair and every inch of him wilder than the city itself.

Celeste exhaled in shock, “What are you doing here?”

Dwyn smiled, jumping down from the tree, his body becoming more solid and his clothing morphing into a suit before her eyes. He squatted down beside her, his eyes full of amusement, “Did you really think I’d let you go about the big bad city all by yourself after last night, mo ghrá?”

Celeste didn’t know what to think, “Have you been following me since I left?”

He smirked, “Worse. I’ve been an invasive, nosey rogue shamelessly listening to your every thought.”, he tapped her forehead playfully.

“Make that two of us.”, Celeste jerked her head up to see the man sitting across from them on a bench lower his newspaper to reveal Alexander’s unmistakable grin. He stood up and came to the other side of her, “Making mud pies are we?”

Celeste seriously debated making a mudpie right then and there and throwing it at him. Glancing at his expensive suit, she decided that wouldn’t be the best idea, so glared instead.

Alexander just chuckled and sat down right next to her in the mud, taking his finger and dipping it in to draw a heart across his shirt with her initials in it, making her laugh despite her annoyance at being stalked by her lovers.

“Mo cailín amaideach”, he grinned at her unabashedly flirtatious, “You are unequivocally mine now. I’m afraid to tell you that your days of leaving alone unstalked by me or one of my loyal friends are long gone. That will not change as I won’t be allowing your heart to wander away. It has only one place to go besides mine, and that is in my brother’s, Dwyn’s. Understand?”

Celeste nodded, her heart happy, but still faking a smile as thoughts of how she was going to juggle all this with her career ambitions continued to cast a shadow over her mind.

Alexander’s eyes narrowed momentarily as he looked down at her and shook his head, “We have some things we need to discuss. Dwyn and I were planning on doing so with you, but then you sneaked out while we were enjoying the view from Saint Patrick’s. We might not have noticed if you hadn’t jumped a mile high when that mortal bumped into you.”,  he smiled, but this time his eyes didn’t look amused. Sending her a rare serious look, he spoke earnestly, “I’ve lived quite a bit longer than you, angel. So please believe I know the score when it comes to keeping those I love alive and free from harm.”

Celeste nodded respectfully, then offering both men a small smile, tried to regain her dignity, “I get it. Now, I gotta get going…”her mind still thinking that life was taking her on a fastrack to nowhere when it came to her career and how the heck could they promise to keep her safe? Yeah right…

Dwyn’s hand lifted her chin to face him, “I don’t think you get it. You are safe. And yes,” he smirked at her, “So is your career. The only thing that is holding you back in this moment is your perspective, mo ghrá. Fae and vaimpír are fiercely protective of who they love. Now multiply those abilities and passions to consider our ancient age and the fact that as kings the adjectives possessive and protective are kind of required.”, he winked at her.

“Okaaay. Got it, guys. Got it. You can be on your way now.”, Celeste put on her best fake smile and happy voice, praying that by a miracle she would somehow fool them.

“And just what are you going to do after we go, mo ghrá?”, Dwyn asked in a teasing voice.

“I’m going to just contemplate. Think. Yep. I’m going to sit and think right here.”, she nodded, keeping a stiff upper lip, her forced dignity at odds with the mud covering her.

Alexander laughed, “Here? In the mud? Oh, I don’t think that will do, mo cailín amaideach. A queen must have some dignity about her. And if you are going to play in the mud, you must embrace the experience with a lot more zeal than you are showing right now.”

Celeste sighed with exasperation, “I am zealed out, okay? I was just kidnapped last night, after being in a duel vaimpír-fae wedding of some kind after being blitzed by your friend David’s erratic - yes it was delightful, but it was erratic – behavior from dancing on top of a cathedral to the top of a commode….so please forgive me if I’m a bit zealed out and worried about my safety, my sanity, and my career. This…”, she gestured with her mud covered hands at the two of them, “Was nothing I was prepared for. And now, I’m stuck, stuck in the mud of the most self-doubt I’ve had in my adult life.”

Dwyn and Alexander let her have her tirade, struggling to restrain themselves from smiling when she referred to her adult life, so short compared to their own of thousands of years.

“Are you done?”, Alexander asked, raising his brows.

Celeste was about to let him have it, when he tickled her sides, making her all the more enraged for being forced to giggle when she was frustrated, “Good. So now, you are going to listen to what we have to say about all of this, mo cailín amaideach.”, he teased.

Celeste glared over at his gorgeous face. Damn. What did he have to look so resplendent even covered in mud?

Reading her mind, Alexander laughed and pointed first to her nose, leaving a dab of mud there, then poking her playfully in the stomach, making her laugh as his fingered wiggled about her bellybutton while he began to sing in conspiratorial tone…

“Don't let me hear you say life's 
 taking you nowhere, angel…”

then in a blink, he was standing up and offering her his hand, while Dwyn offered his own to her other side as he sang the next part,

“Come get up my baby
 Look at that sky, life's begun
 Nights are warm and the days are young
 Come get up my baby…”

Celeste grudgingly got up, momentarily embarrassed by their singing in the park, but figuring she was already covered in mud, so she was going to get looks anyway, shrugged. The two devils just smirked at her and offered her their elbows, signing the next line and forcing her to walk in a rhythm between them…

“There's my baby lost that's all
 Once I'm begging 
 you save her little soul
 Golden years, gold, 
 Come get up my baby…”

Then Dwyn waved a hand, making the mud on both her and Alexander disappear as he let go of her elbow and came up behind her, tickling her sides and armpits as he sang into her ear,

 “Last night they loved you,
 opening doors
 and pulling some strings, angel
 Come get up my baby
 In walked luck and you looked in time
 Never look back, walk tall, 
 act fine
 Come get up my baby…”

Giving into the giggles of each teasing stroke, Celeste wiggled helplessly kept in place by Alexander, slowly realizing Dwyn wasn’t talking about being down in the mud. He was singing about her being down in the dumps. Alexander tapped her nose again and gestured at the wide world, then pulled her into the kind of double handed spin children do, forcing Celeste to look up at the sky as he kept her going around and around…

“ I'll stick with you baby for a thousand years
 Nothing's gonna touch you in these golden years, gold
 Golden years, gold 
 Come get up my baby…”

Alexander spun them into the deeper tree clad area of the park accurately known as the Ramble, and seeing no one was around, levitated them up into a tree, where he steadied her with Dwyn doing the same on the other side. Dwyn squeezed her close and kissed her for a long heart stopping moment, then smiling gestured to the view of cars below…

“ Some of these days, and it won't be long
 Gonna drive back down 
 where you once belonged
 In the back of a dream car 
 twenty foot long…”

Then , the two rascals each attacked Celeste’s ribs on either side, making her break down into a laughing fit as they serenaded her together,

 “Don't cry my sweet,
 don't break my heart
 Doing all right,
 but you gotta get smart
 Wish upon, wish upon, day upon day, I believe oh lord
 I believe all the way
 Come get up my baby…”

Celeste’s heart finally seemed to come to life, ignited by their playful reassurance and their unwavering belief in her ability to achieve her dreams….somewhere inside her that light began to glow and beat away the doubt and fear that had begun to fester there. Delighted, the two kings’ eyes lit up in turn, recognizing the spirit they had fallen for come to life behind her eyes. Together, they sang while still tickling her more voraciously by the moment, even as they tossed her off the limb and caught her beneath the tree…

“There's my baby lost that's all
 Once I'm begging 
 you save her little soul
 Golden years, gold, 
 Come get up my baby…”

Once she landed, they both pushed her against its trunk and sang directly while staring intensely into her eyes,

“Don't let me hear you say life's 
 taking you nowhere, 
 angel…”

Then, pulling her along with them, they stole her shoes and tossed them between each other, making her try in vein to intercept them, laughing at the absurdity of it all while never realizing that she was being led to the museum the whole way, even as they sang…

“Come get up my baby
 Run for the shadows, run for the shadows
 Run for the shadows in these golden years…”

Once at the museum, the two disappeared, from her sight, making her shake her head in amusement at how she’d been led to work. Then, just as she was resigning herself to going to work without shoes, she felt two fingers tap her shoulders on either side and spinning, found herself in the office, looking at the desk where Alexander and  Dwyn sat, each holding out a shoe to her. But when she reached to grab them, they took her hands instead and pulled her between them where they sang into her ears, their arms holding her close and making her feel more secure than she had ever felt before….

“I'll stick with you baby for a thousand years
 Nothing's gonna touch you in these golden years, gold
 Golden years…”

Celeste relaxed into their arms and allowed herself to just trust the feeling without questioning any of it, listening to their songs….

“I'll stick with you baby for a thousand years
 Nothing's gonna touch you in these golden years, gold
 Golden years….”

When they finished, Alexander asked, “Now are we clear?”

Celeste couldn’t help but to glow up at both of them, “Yehehes!”

“Good.”, Dwyn replied, his smile turning into something all too devious, “Then we will go about entertaining you with much more preferred methods the rest of the day.”

Unknown to Celeste, she hadn’t just disappeared. In her place, exactly where she’d been standing, Cyryn appeared, looking exactly like her. Behind her, Loki and Ceann pretended to hide in the shadows, Loki’s abilities creating the illusion that they were Alexander and Dwyn.

Cyryn-as-Celeste shook her head in bewilderment and called out, “Okay, now. Very funny, guys. You can give me my shoes back, now.”

Then, pretending not to know where her conspirators were peering from, she sighed and tromped off back towards the park, muttering to herself under her breath, “Just great. I can’t go to work like this.”

Loki emerged looking every inch like Dwyn, bending his own mischief filled smile into a perfect imitation of his friend’s, whispering, “She’ll be safer in the park than if she goes to work. We can let her have some privacy for a while. At least until she reaches the other side.”

Ceann-as-Alexander stayed in the shadows, answering with a playful tone, licking a fang as Alexander often did, “Alright then. Let’s wait at the other corner so we can surprise her.”

With that, the two disappeared from human sight.

After a few moments, the gardner looked up from where he had been trimming the bushes, and removing his sunglasses, looked after the figure he took for Celeste walking away. Smiling with self-satisfaction, he spoke into his watch, “She is headed back towards the Ramble. We should collect her before she reaches that point.” Then, picking up his tools, he turned his jacket inside out so that it looked like a limo drivers, peeled off a thin layer of fabric that had covered his pants, pulled out a change of shoes from the  bag with the cuttings and switched them for the mud covered ones he’d been wearing – all in the blink of an eye. Then, swinging his bag on his shoulder, he walked towards a nearby parked car where he opened the trunk, placed the bag inside and came around to the side, opening the side door. Offering a small half bow to the passenger, he gave his commands, and the passenger emerged, his long white hair loose this time down to his waist, his sharp, ice cold blue eyes taking in the details of the world around him, and already in character, waved his hand dismissively at the driver. The driver reached into the car after him and pulled out a gorgeous, highly detailed staff with a platinum handle holding a ruby in its center. Handing it to the passenger, he closed the door after him.

The passenger would have made an impressive image in any time and place, but this time, his stark white skin seemed even more dramatic with his black sunglasses and dark black coat with its cut from another century. Yet, in New York, he passed for another one of the local enigmas and other than more than a few admiring glances, the locals thought nothing of him as he walked, only slightly faster than the rest of those in the park. 

Once his servant was out of sight, The Collector, keeping in his role, settled into the front seat of the car, pretending to rest, relaxing into his thoughts…

A squeal went up near him, followed by another, nearly making him hit his head on the roof of the car, as two young women embraced excitedly nearby!

“Samantha! I can’t believe you actually made it happen!”, Linda was hugging a tall redhead excitedly, jumping up and down!

“Shush!”, Taquin responded hurriedly, “Not so loud! I have colleagues taking their lunch around here! No one is supposed to know it’s here.”, she pulled her friend next to her and began leading them to the museum, “No one, understood? It’s the only one in existence, so we gotta keep this quiet.”

Linda looked up, her eyes dancing with excitement, “I knooow. I’m sorry, okay? It’s just that my professors at the university all say such a thing is impossible….”

“Shhh!”,Taquin spun around, her back so close to The Collector’s car window he could have touched her, “That’s because it IS an impossibility. This thing will change what we understand about quantum physics. It simply shouldn’t be. And that means you need to keep quiet or I’m going to just end this whole peep show right here right now.”

Linda bit her lip and made a pleading gesture with her hands, “Oh, please! Look, I know I can’t say anything about it now, but my dissertation is on advocating for why there should be a new area of study blending quantum physics with archeology. I know I can’t ever hint at referencing this discovery. But if I can get a peek, I can at least perform tests on my own algorithms to see how close I am to making something really stick.”

When Taquin folded her arms against her chest and looked away muttering, “This all seems like such a mistake…”, Linda responded by changing tactics, “Now look here, Samantha. You and I both want this mystery solved in our lifetime. And if that thing is half of what we think it is, you are going to need my theories to get to the heart of it. You help me know and the methodologies my work will postulate will yield all the more accurate results for you and your team when you can openly study it. You might not like it, but you need me as much as I need you on this.”

Taquin gave Linda a resigned look, and sighing, answered, “Fine. Come on then. Let’s make this quick. Quiet and quick.”

Linda nodded, giving her a conquering grin.

“Oh shut up.” , Taquin responded, then laughing the two walked towards the museum.

The Collector found his curiosity positively titillated. This sounded like something he didn’t want to lose. Frustrated with his predicament, he pounded the wheel in front of him.

Unseen by him, Loki sat beside him, whispering into his subconscious, “You know you want this. Whatever it is. It’s a one of kind. Something that could change the way the world perceives itself. Imagine, having the power of the world waking up to a new knowledge, or keeping it asleep in ignorance. Imagine living and sleeping and dining knowing you alone hold the power over illumination or ignorance over all of them. Imagine walking into a restaurant, or boarding a train or plane and looking around with the knowledge you hold power over their even conceiving that they are missing a truth. Can you really, let such an opportunity pass you by?”

The Collector hit the steering wheel with both hands again, “No!” answering his subconscious.

Loki grinned a dangerous smile, whispering, “Tick tock tick tock, the opportunity to collect this power is passing you byyyy….”

The Collector jumped out of the car and opened the back of the trunk, changing his jacket with another in it once again. This time for one that looked like a museum security guard’s. Then, closing it, began walking quickly towards the museums front doors, Loki all the while, egging him on, walking backwards in perfect step, “You gotta have this one. It should be yours. It was always meant to be. Something this special wouldn’t be rightfully appreciated by anyone else.”

As they entered the building seemingly just in time to see the girls round a corner, Ceann, looking every bit as himself, but clothed in a lab coat, smiling from a dark corner deep in the museum vaults, waiting for what he hoped would be a nice snack to pass the time… After all, it wasn’t every day that a vaimpír got to have a snack delivered…

Loki appeared behind Celeste, smiling devilishly before giving her office chair a quick twirl, making her yelp with surprise.

Chuckling, Alexander and Dwyn exchanged knowing glances with him. Dwyn smirked, “And to what mischief do we owe this visitation to, my brother?”

Loki widened his eyes and shot Celeste an overtly flirtatious look, wiggling his brows as he leaned down and stage-whispered next to her ear, “Oh nothing. I’m not up to anything other than handling some takeout and delivery orders.”

“What are you, a pizza man?”, Celeste shook her head at the Norse deity.

Loki just turned her chair so she was facing him directly and began walking his fingers up her leg and thigh, his eyes daring her not to laugh as he answered, “Oh, I’m in the mood for something far sweeter today.”, smirking when she couldn’t hold the giggles in a minute longer and fell to trying unsuccessfully to push his teasing fingers away.

Loki’s eyes lit up and he cocked his head to the side, his smile growing more devilish still, his eyes never leaving hers even as he addressed her lovers, “It just occurred to me that you have never been the subject of a duel…”

Celeste protested between her growing laughter, straining to keep the noise down with her fingers covering her trembling lips that betrayed her with squeals, “Ohohohohoho! Bu-but I hahahahahave! There’s nohohoho neeheeheeheeheed to demonstrate….”

Loki’s eyes grew wide in mock “aha!” as he added his other hand to the bottom of one of her feet, using his magic to keep it immobile, drawing tiny circles along its soft arch and up underneath her toes, “A demonstration you say? Well, I think that’s a swell idea!”, then turning to Alexander and Dwyn, he blinked several times, conveying mock innocence, “What do you gentlemen think?”

Celeste was now losing it, barely able to keep one hand over her mouth while tears were running down her cheeks, her body straining to pull away, but unable to move one inch.

Alexander and Dwyn couldn’t resist.

In a flash they were beside her, Dwyn, tantalizing from behind, drawing tiny strokes, mirroring Loki’s excruciating circles, underneath her armpits while Alexander crouched down and did the same along her sides.

“You have a choice, mo ghrá,” Dwyn whispered in a deeply seductive voice next to her ear, “Either you endure a duel here where you will most certainly embarrass yourself once it gets too much to bear and wind up squealing so loudly the other office workers run in to see you seemingly a sprawling laughing mess all by yourself, or else we can whisk you away to play where you will discover how easily all of us have taken it on you thus far. What shall it be?”

The thought of being the center of such a humiliating moment insured Celeste didn’t have to think twice, but Alexander added to the tension by counting, emphasizing each count with an equal number of wiggles in her belly button, making her squeal louder each time, “One second, two seconds, threeeee…” he winked at her, using his abilities to increase the sensations, making her gasp.

“Yeeheheheheeees…”, Celeste replied breathless, “I’ll do the duel! Pleeheeheeheehees! Just nahahahahahat here!”

Sharing a cocky smile between each other, Dwyn and Alexander stood up, smirking down at Celeste. Dwyn singing teasingly, “Oh, but this will be quite fun, mo ghrá!”

Alexander shot her his own wicked grin, “We’ll give Loki a head start. Besides, that way he’ll warm you up for us!”

Celeste looked up at both of them, her eyes growing, “Wha-?”

But before she could even finish the word, Loki stood, pulling her into his arms, then winking at the boys, took a step towards the glass window and disappeared with Celeste in his arms.

Alexander’s and Dwyn’s smiles  grew from playful into something far more sinister as they turned around, Alexander leaning against the desk while pouring three glasses of wine. Dwyn sat down, accepting one of the glasses, taking a sip before setting it beside him and steepling his fingers.

Right on time, Linda and Taquin walked in, Taquin immediately stepping to the side of the door while Linda kept walking past the desk where with a slight wave of his hand, Dwyn sent her safely back to David’s.

Taquin kept speaking as if Linda was there and Dwyn answered in a perfect simulation of her voice, “You won’t regret this. I’m going to be invaluable to your work. You’re really just investing in making your own work successful by bringing me here, and you know it…”

In seconds, the outline of a man appeared behind the door’s frosted glass window, and The Collector stepped in, tiptoeing with a gun in his hand, silencer on the end, ready to do whatever it took to take whatever might be so rare from the two women.

Mister Everest Conway the third, what a splendid delight!”, Dwyn sung out in his own voice, reading the man’s name from his mind in greeting with his hand extended, offering the crystal goblet of expensive wine to the unsuspecting visitor, “I’m so glad you could join us. Please, enjoy this with my compliments, as we have much business to discuss.”

The Collector nearly dropped his gun, but kept his shock hidden inside, wisely putting the pistol into his pocket and sauntering up to the two handsome men smiling as if he’d expected them all along and was fully prepared to handle whatever they might do, “You might have simply asked.”, he responded with a cocky look while taking the glass and sipping.

“Yes, but then you’d have missed out on the rare,” Alexander gestured to Dwyn, then to himself, “And unusual.” shooting the man a full on fanged smile.

The Collector took an instinctive step back, but forced himself to sit down and put his feet up unapologetically on the desk, gesturing to Alexander, “Actually, you’re not that unusual. By my calculations, the earth’s population could actually handle at least a million of you. Add to that the basic rules of biological systems and mankind’s own battles with wards and disease couldn’t account for keeping our population from killing this planet if there weren’t even more of you culling the herds as it were.”

Alexander’s smile grew more sinister still, “I’m so glad we see eye to eye. But then you understand that a human does not usually converse with its chicken before frying it.”

The Collector’s eyes wavered for just a moment before turning to Dwyn, “You on the other hand, are quite the rare breed. I have catalogued countless stories and even amassed copies of William Wordsworth’s own accounts along with Percy Shelly’s and others. There may be many of you, but you are quite hard to find.”

Dwyn smiled back, “That’s because the only mortals I consort with are either blithely unware of my existence as their muse, a lover or someone I have killed.”, he held his glass up as if in a toast, “The later comprises quite a number, who like yourself, threaten the fabric of the natural order.”

Alexander leaned over and the two kings clinked glasses, the sound immediately followed by a blinding white light that left The Collector blinking. Once his eyesight returned, he had to rub his eyes to admit what he was seeing. Dwyn and Alexander appeared in their full form, their heights no longer confined to human proportions, towering at 7feet, their clothing seeming from another era and world altogether, their every detail breathtaking with a glowing light. The Collector dropped his glass, spilling the wine over his pants and stared, slack jawed in awe.

“Now, we will kill you.”, Dwyn smiled, relaxing back in his own chair while adjusting his crown, “That’s a given. But there is no need to be boorish about it. That’s why we decided to give you this little peek into our true forms. That’s a rare experience indeed.”, he added winking like a car salesman, then standing, came around the desk and leaned on the side opposite of Alexander.

Alexander smiled, leering down at the mortal who seemed to have grown tinier by the minute, “Who is he?”

The Collector’s eyes grew huge, “Oh you mean my assistant? He’s part of my collection. He – he doesn’t remember who he is you see. I’ve given him iron supplements in his meals without his awareness for years. Only I know how to undo it.”, he sat up straighter and attempted to look bravely back at Alexander.

“Is that so?”, Alexander smirked, then stood up, uninterested, “When did you acquire him?”

“I got him fifteen years ago.”, The Collector brushed off imaginary lint from his jacket, smiling with over exaggerated confidence, “It really wasn’t that hard to do. I just had to find the mortal he loved, kidnap her, and wait for him to come to her aid. I injected her with the first dosage of iron, then waited for him take a sip and inevitably fall comatose only to wake up, having forgotten who and where he was.”, he shot an unapologetic look at Dwyn, “Of course kings like you understand how it’s necessary to be merciless when I pursuit of what one wants.”

“Yes, of course.”, Dwyn replied, “On that we can agree.”

Realizing the insinuation, The Collector began bargaining for his life, “If I tell you how to undo the damage, will you two not kill me?”

Dwyn looked directly into the squirming man’s eyes, “Yes, I promise neither of us will kill you if you tell us how to undo the damage.”

The Collector’s eyes looked up at Alexander, “Okay, but he has to promise too. He’s the one with the fangs.”

Alexander leaned down and bit the air right above the man’s neck, making him nearly pee in his pants, then grinning answered, “I promise I won’t kill you if you tell us how to undo the damage.”

The Collector nodded quickly, “Alright. Fine then. You have to drain him for fifteen days, then feed him, then drain him for another fifteen. I read about it in an ancient Irish manuscript. Some monks did it a long time ago to some of the Tuatha de Danann. When I saw him, I recognized him by the description. You have to wait until I am no longer nearby though, as he will be furious. He will remember everything he was made to do while kept in this state.”, his fingers drummed nervously against the wooden armrests while his shaking legs gave away how nervous he was at the mere idea.

“Alright then”, Dwyn smiled, offering his glass in a salute, “You had better get a move on if you want to have time to get back to your place before he comes to his senses. Taquin will show you out.”, he pretended to dismiss the man utterly, even turning his back on him, making both himself and David seem to slowly fade till they were almost invisible…

“Wait!”, The Collector lept out of his chair, one hand reached out in a platitude of desperation, “You have to help me get back to my home. I can’t travel there without his help.”

“Well now, that is inconvenient for you.”, Dwyn smiled as he and Alexander became visible once again, “And if I arrange for you to get back there and leave this room alive, will you promise to respect that Celeste is ours and not try to acquire her again?”

“Yes! Yes!”, the man, now seemingly tinier than ever, begged.

The kings looked down at the disgusting excuse for a sentient being before them, wondering how many lives the creature had ruined in his short life.

“Very well,”, Alexander waved The Collector away, Taquin will lead you there.”

The Collector turned to see the gorgeous redhead he’d followed standing beside the door, deadly alluring, “Come. Follow me.”, she shot him a smile and turned, confident that he would be on her heels the whole way.

Dwyn and Alexander turned to stare at the desk until gradually what appeared as a miniature aura borealis appeared between them, a foot off the top, slowly forming into what looked like pawns on some sort of game board.

Dwyn moved a white pawn forward and knocked over a black piece, watching it dissolve into nothingness.

The Collector meanwhile followed the beautiful redhead down, down, down into the depths of the museum, where Ceann waited greedily.

Taquin smiled and gestured to a large mirror, waving a hand so that it revealed The Collector’s home on the other side, “You will have to pass through the mirror.”, she stated as friendly as an airline stewardess, “But there is a toll that must be paid first by the one who will take you there.”

Ceann stepped out from behind the mirror and shot the man a fanged smile.

“Bu-but your kings said they wouldn’t kill me!”, he protested.

Taquin smile grew wider, “And they won’t. This is Ceann. He would have killed you if you hadn’t made that bargain. As it is, he will merely drain you till the point you are quite weak.”

“Bu-but they said you’d get me to my home!”

Taquin caressed his face like a lover with a gloved hand, then pushed him back, hard, into Ceann’s arms, “And I am. Pay the toll and this very rare siren/vaimpír half-breed will take you to the other side.”

Wincing, The Collector obligingly offered his neck and Ceann greedily accepted….

Alexander watched the action through the game board, and nodding with approval, moved another white piece, making a second black pawn disappear, melting into the wavering light.

Exhausted from the draining, The Collector could barely stand, and then only with Ceann’s help. Ceann, whispered words in his ancient tongue, then carried the man through the mirror, depositing him on the other side, a mirror in a hallway of his own home, then stepping back to the other side, stood beside Taquin, waiting.

The Collector looked up, dazed, and then turning realized he needed their help to get his precious collection back as he’d left his helicopter in the city and the whole homestead had a veil over it so no outsiders would ever find it. Pushing up from the floor he shouted back at them, “Wait! I need you to get me back! No one will find me here!”

Taquin smiled, “We kept our promise. You are alive and back at your home. But don’t worry. You assistant will be there to find you in thirty days time.”

Realizing what this meant, The Collector began to panic, “He’ll remember everything then! He’ll kill me! You can’t let this happen!”

Ceann smiled politely at the little man and bowed, “That is really none of our concern. Our kings send their compliments.”

The Collector ran at the mirror, probably another priceless object he’d ruined, if not killed, lives for, and banged with his fists against the glass, “Wait! Wait! You can’t leave me here like this! I-I’ll starve!”

Taquin shook her head, still smiling, “Oh we definitely wouldn’t let that happen. You’ll find your cupboards and fridge all fully stocked. We want you to be as healthy as possible for when your assistant returns.”

The two began to fade, while The Collector continued screaming and cussing at the glass.

Dwyn and Alexander both reached down to the last standing black pawn, this one in the shape of a chess board’s king, and in unison, flicked it once with their fingers, watching it dissolve into the swirling light and the light disappear after that.

Then, meeting each other’s eyes, their own light gradually dimmed until they looked human, their heights shrinking back down to that of tall mortals and their clothing morphing back into suits.

Alexander held up what now looked like a normal white chess queen, “Let’s go get our queen.”

Dwyn held up a white king chess piece, “And let’s go get your father.”

Cyryn baited the Sidhe she remembered from her days as a newborn siren. She could scarcely recognize him. Then, his eyes had been filled with mirth, his smile, while just as dangerous, was far more likely to steal a kiss than a drink and his hands far more likely to tickle a maiden into madness than to kill a human. He’d been an early lover for her once, teaching her the hidden secrets of making love so sweet it flamed the heart and turned a climax into greater desires still. His skill had been legendary, and his wit just as renowned. But now, he was like an automaton. She had to concentrate to keep from shivering, knowing that to do so would only bait his predatory instinct.

Her task was to sedate, drain, fill, drain and sedate again. They’d recognized it from the days of old and The Collector’s admission only confirmed their memories. But her task didn’t end there. She was supposed to help him remember joy, remember mischief, remember pleasure, remember laughter, and all the things that went with them, before allowing him to return to the mortal world.

She felt his hand reach out and grasp her arm, and right on cue she used her magick to bring him into her kingdom. The Sidhe paused, surprised, but not afraid, “I know this place.”

Then, turning towards her spoke his words, commanding, “Lift it.”

Obliging, Cyryn lifted her spell, revealing her true form.

The Sidhe smirked, “I know you, and that pleases me for some reason.”, he took a few steps towards her, making her step back unconsciously, “I want to drink you. I want to play with you. It’s like it’s a dance I have memory of, just out of reach. What…what is this enchantment?”, he raised his hands to his head and shook it.

Cyryn smiled sadly, “Well, at least that’s a greater start than I expected, my Lord. There are many who will be happy to see you are still alive. But first, we have to help you remember who you are and it will take thirty days to do it.”

The Sidhe looked up at her, his eyes twinkling with a hint of the mischief she remembered, “Then that’s thirty days you can’t hold me responsible for acting out of line.”

Her heart racing in a way it hadn’t in thousands of years, the siren queen suddenly recalled what it was like to be an unexperienced maiden.

His lips curled into a smirk, “I affect you. We have had some history, you and I. I don’t recall it, but I can see it in every nuance, every reaction of your body. I think I’d like to remember…”, he shocked her by suddenly being behind her and running his fingers down her arms, making her shudder, then turning the shivers into giggles.

Just as fast, Cyryn darted away and stood several feet in front of him, holding her hand out, “Let’s take our time here, Sire.”

He shook his head, befuddled, “Lord? Sire? I’m afraid you are mistaken. I’m a servant. Of a mortal, no less.”, he shrugged, embarrassed.

Cyryn just shook her head in turn as her sirens began rising out of the waters and walking up onto the land around him, “You are the father of a king. The father of a king is a king.”

He eyed the gorgeous women on either side of him, “And you are all here to help me remember?”

“As you wish, Sire”, one of the female sirens he’d eyed came and offered her neck to him.

“Oh, but where is the fun in that?”, he smirked down at her, “Let’s put a bit of the chase in it now, Love!”, and proceeded to tickle her sides voraciously, making the siren’s knees buckle under her.

His hands moved faster than any immortal Cyryn had known. His kind was the first kind, after all. All fae were descended from them.

“Cyryn!”, the siren girl was calling out to her frantically, obviously unused to the intensity of the attack.

But the siren queen just chuckled, “Sorry dear. But this is just what the doctor ordered. And you’re his first dosage of medicine, I’m afraid.”

Not stopping, the Sidhe looked straight into her eyes, licking his lips that were turned into a smirk, “Of course, we will save the best for last.”