4 Part 4

Crete smashed his palm against his speakerphone yelling into it. "Get my medic here. Now!" Scooping her into his arms he ignored the shards of broken glass from a picture frame scraping the back of his hands and arms as he rolled her over onto her back and carried her to his overstuffed lounger. Slipping her to the soft fabric he tore off his jacket and covered her nudity. Brushing her hair away from her face he had to peel it away from where the blood had dried against her cheeks and shoulders, He winced seeing the dark bruises under her eyes and swelling along the bridge of her nose. A swollen and cut upper lip along with a scratched up right cheek joined the injuries to her face alone.

Seconds later his door banged open and a middle aged man with dark rimmed glasses rushed in and laid out a black medical bag. Pulling out a small penlight and his stethoscope. Looking up at Crete he waited for approval, receiving a nod, he knelt down and placed the end of his utensil and listened intently for a few seconds before putting it away and pulling back her eyelids shining his light back and forth watching her pupils dilate. Taking a deep breath he gingerly pressed the tip of his fingers along her ribs and lower abdomen before checking her arms and legs for breaks. Pushing up from the floor he placed his instruments back into his bag.

"Milord, I think we are in luck. Other than a couple of cracked ribs and the broken nose and split lip she is perfectly healthy. I believe she is just unconscious due to the pain. I'm going to give her a shot straight into her spine to ease the discomfort when she does awaken. I will need your help to keep her steady so I get the needle in there straight, if you'll just sit her up and bend her forward just slightly then I'll prep the needle."

Leaning over Crete went to one knee and wrapped his arms under her armpits. Pulling her legs off the side he slid them to sit sandwiched between the lounger and his legs. Cupping her head to rest gently against his shoulder and arching her slender back in just the right way. Despite her being unconscious he still rubbed his palm up and down her back soothingly. The doctor re-approached with a 5 inch long needle braced in his hands. Squirting out the air bubbles he prepped the small of her back with an alcohol wipe and stretched her skin taut as he pushed the needle into her spine between her vertebrae. Easing the numbing solution into her spinal fluid he pulled it back out and taped on a cotton swab to stop any bleeding.

"There that should lessen the pain and make it more manageable. Do you want me to call for an aide to help you get her to an apartment or someplace comfortable to wait out her minor coma?"

"Just call Fransica to make up the guest room in my townhouse and have my car ready in five minutes to take us."

The man nodded and started issuing orders into the phone. Wrapping an afghan around her limp body and scooping her up into his arms he hurriedly strolled out of the room. The distance from his door to his car sped by. His personal driver opened the back door of his luxury sedan allowing him to slide his willowy frame into a seat, adjusting her to rest against his chest and shoulder. Sitting back he drummed his finger-tips against her thigh as he counted down the minutes till they arrived. Too many thoughts swirled around his head to concentrate on one. He was going to find out what happened. Someone was going to pay.

Burying his head into her hair he took a deep, slow breath. Her usual scent of cinnamon was overpowered by the coppery scent of her blood and a new mixture that was unfamiliar to him. A growl of possessiveness erupted from him as the sharp bitter smell of another male lingered underneath it all. His best friend and sister was in a coma, hurt and this male had something to do with it.

Why the council wanted her to have gone on that mission he wouldn't understand. They were going to hear about this. That stuffy old dragon in the American seat was way past his prime and too stuck in his ways. Gold's always thought they were on top.

The car pulled up to the curb of his building. Not waiting for his driver, he kicked open his door and walked thru the revolving door, ignoring the strange looks he received he bumped the call button for his private elevator. Slipping in and standing close for the retinal scanner to pick him up and the lift to taxi him to his floor. It opened straight into his townhouse, the pure electrical smell of his home greeted him along with the silence. His maid was paid very well to keep out of the way and everything spotless. He used varying shades of brown to make his home feel warmer and more welcoming. The guest room though swam in the warmest and softest creams and ivories. He kept this room for one woman only despite the fact that she'd never been here. And now the one time that he got her here she had to be unconscious.

You'd think his best friend would have been by at some point. Walking into the attached bathroom he walked into the large open shower and switched on the water, setting it to a steamy warmth. He tossed the afghan out onto the floor and carefully removed his shirt and jacket adding them to the pile. Backing into the warm water he held her and cleaned her off till the water flowed from her body in clear rivulets and the only scent left was his and hers natural warm cinnamon and apple. His pants and shoes were soaked but he waited to kick them off till after he had her dried and laid down comfortably in the middle of the bed surrounded by thick blankets. Leaving her there he went to his room across the hall to change. Making a call to the council headquarters in Inverness, Ireland he apprised them of his situation making it clear he was none too pleased. Ending his call he hung a towel around his shoulders and checked in on his guest. Her breathing seemed even and peaceful. Knowing she was going to be out from a while he went to his kitchen and brewed himself a cup of coffee. Leaning back against his marble countertop he crossed his legs and leaned back on his elbows. He lost himself into thought. A small tick under his eye started up as his anger surfaced.

"Those pompous fools! Why couldn't they send more than one person? Why not someone more trained. Certainly she didn't appear like anyone from Evren. But for fucks sake why use a woman when they have so few of them." Something didn't smell right and it wasn't that rival males scent. Speaking of scents, the warm rich smell of cinnamon reached him.

Twisting around he growled protectively at the comforter clad female standing inside his doorway. Autora looked at him in confusion. She whispered his name with a slight catch in her throat.

"Crete..."

He opened his arms wide with a gentle smile. She crossed over and wrapped herself in his embrace, stifling her cries of hysteria into his chest. He pulled her head in under his chin and held onto her until she stopped shaking. Caressing her hair like a child he brushed it away from her face and swiped away a tear with the pad of his thumb.

"You're safe Tori, I promise. What is it with you woman. I beg you for years to come stay in my guest room and to do it I had to get you unconscious."

He cracked a small smile and tilted up her chin to look at him. She sniffled and smacked his chest weakly.

"Ever the brat aren't you." Closing her eyes she laid her head onto his shoulder blade and breathed deep of that crisp apple smell she had grown up with. He smelled like home. "How am I here brother? Did you come for me? What happened to Fadan and the group of rogues? Did you shut them down? What's...?"

He shushed her with one of his long fingers. "Whoa, whoa little sister. What rogues? And who the hell is Fadan. Is that the name of the slimy bastards whose scent was coated around you?"

"You didn't come for me did you? Then how did I get here?" She pulled back from his arms clearly ignoring his last comment and started pacing, her heart racing as she heard broken Russian words hurriedly whispered into her head. A female's voice she didn't recognize echoed over and over, one word getting louder. Remember. Her loud growl of anger set her skin to ripple, shades of silver and pink arching across her skin. Coming across the room Crete cupped her shoulders and held her in place.

Concern marred his expression. In their time together he had never seen her shift. He knew she was an orphan but just always assumed she was a silver. "Tori, stop and take a deep breath. We will get it figured out. Together. I've already contacted the council and informed them of your return and the shape in which you came back to me."

"I'm the reason I was unconscious. They wouldn't let me go and I shifted. I tried fighting back and they used a bubble which sent my attack back on me knocking me out. While unaware their female fae sent me back after healing most of my self-inflicted wounds. She was a resistance hidden among these groups of rebels. I landed back here somewhere." She looked at him and begged him with her eyes to believe her.

"We don't need to go over everything today. The council is going to convene in 3 days. I want you to rest here until then. I'll have some of your things brought over here from your apartment. And don't even think about telling me no or arguing with me. For once you're too weak to fight me. You can do that later after your better. Come on I know you're starved. Surprised you didn't decimate my food stores already." She rolled her eyes and clutched at the blanket.

"Do you think I can get a shirt or something you perv?" She giggled and shrugged her shoulders emphasizing her indecency. "Oh no just for that you have to stay in the blanket the whole time. It's rather fetching don't you think?" He tilted his head and smirked teasingly.

"Wipe that look off your face before I hit you. Now clothe me and feed me." A wave of deja-vu had her shivering under the blanket. "Tori, are you okay?" He had seen her pause and stood up behind her capturing her in a hug. "Stop thinking about it, about him and relax. You're with me and you know I'll always protect you little sis." She relaxed back into his embrace and nodded, turning her head to kiss his cheek. 'I know you will and thank you. You are truly the best brother ever."

Taking her hand in his he lead her back to his room where he found one of his smaller shirts and tossed it at her, then a pair of gym shorts that wouldn't hang past her knees. "I'll have some of your clothes sent over, or we can go shopping if you want? My treat and I'll take you to this awesome hole in the wall Chinese place I found one day. They have some killer sweet and sour chicken and pork fried rice." A loud grumble followed his words. "I know at least one part of you agrees with that plan." She chuckled and pulled on the clothes. "You always were a good guesser about what I liked."

"Damn straight wench, now let's get going." God it was so easy to fall back into the old days. She missed their constant teasing. Pinching her cheeks he ran around her and called for his car while trying to keep out of her reach. She jumped onto his back as he stopped to press the button for the elevator. He yelped as she scrambled to hold onto his shoulders as her legs wrapped around his hips. Her laughter whispered into his ear. He hefted her up higher and wrapped his forearms under her thighs and carried her piggy back onto the elevator. "Hey darling press the ground floor button with your toes will ya?" She obliged and wiggled her legs just to annoy him. He tickled under her knees in payback. By the time the elevator dinged on the bottom floor they were practically falling over with the force of their laughter. The lobby attendant looked over with a perturbed expression and held a finger to his lips in a shushing manner. They both tried stifling their chuckles which made them snort. It was what Autora needed. The tension and anger fully forgotten as she looked forward to the day. They worked in the same building but hardly ever saw each other. Him being a noble born and her an orphan made all the difference. Despite that his parents took her in she was still considered an outsider. She had to work her way up just to get to where she was now. Seeing how much fun she was having he speared the attendant an icy glare and swung out onto the street as the doorman pulled open the outside door, his car waiting for them. After dropping her unceremoniously into the back seat he pushed her over using his hips and slid in beside her. Pressing his intercom release he ordered his driver quote "To the stores!"

Several hours later, with a full trunk, full stomachs, and a burning credit card later they pulled up outside of Autoras apartment. "You are to stay here in the car while I run up and check your apartment and grab some of your necessities. I'll be right back." She wanted to protest but felt too tired to do anything. The weariness was catching up to her as she waved her hand over her head as she laid sprawled across the backseat, missing the pillow of his lap. He chuckled and patted her head with a small smile. Using the spare key she kept hidden under an overhang he let himself into the Victorian remodeled to be three separate apartments. Something didn't settle right as soon as he walked in the door. It seemed cold. The soft black, white and greys were Tori's favorite. He stalked forward and checked every room. Nothing seeming to be a miss or out of place. He shrugged it off and went into her bathroom gathering a few supplies into a small makeup case. He looked around the apartment once more on his way out, a small black envelope laid on her coffee table. He picked it up and saw her name scrawled on it in silver. It looked like a party invite so he brought it with him wondering if she had seen it yet since it didn't appear to be open.

Locking up behind him he pocketed her spare key just in case someone saw him use it. He would always protect her. Tossing her bag onto the car floor he lifted her sleeping head back into his lap. The car pulled away silently with him running his fingers thru her hair, stroking it in an even rhythm helping her to slip into an even deeper sleep. One untouched by nightmares or Russian voices. For two days she lounged and finally started feeling better. Her dreams not nearly as haunted by green dragons and russian fae. Crete tried multiple times to pick out her clothes and put her into fru-fru dresses. She vehemently refused. Each night she fell asleep with her head on his lap. He would softly play with her hair till she relaxed into unconsciousness.

Muted sunlight and the sound of husky male voices awoke her the following morning. She stretched and noticed the silky fabric that slid across her tummy. Huffing she realized he had turned her into his doll while she was asleep. Always trying to dress her up and show her off. Slipping her feet into some fluffy slippers she insisted upon getting yesterday she pulled on the cami and used the bathroom to brush her teeth and freshen up. He had even brushed her hair and braided it to keep her from getting tangled. Following the dreamy smell of bacon cooking she came upon three large males and one tiny woman. Autora practically dive at the woman in her excitement.

"Matria...Patria...what are you doing here? When did you get in?" She addressed the woman and one of the males adoringly.

"Oh my little angel! It's so good to see you. My you are certainly a sight to behold and so beautiful. You've grown up so much in the five years since we've visited last. I'm so relieved and happy you are alright." Autora's mother hugged her and kissed her face repeatedly. A strong pair of arms pulled her out of her mother's embrace and into a crushing bear hug. A stern voice filled with concern and love brushed warmly across her hair. "Don't you ever scare us like that again little one. Your mother almost shifted just to get here faster."

"Oh shut up, you were the one trying to shove people out of the way or run them over just to drive us here quicker." The little woman smacked her husband on the arm playfully. "I don't care how you got here, I'm just so glad you are." She kissed both of them on the cheek and wrapped them in a family hug. She shrieked when another pair of arms wrapped long arms around them all. Looking over her shoulder she couldn't keep the tears out of her eyes as she mouthed "Thank You" to her brother. He kissed her nose and smiled mouthing "I Love you" back.

Their embrace seemed to last an eternity until a shuffling noise came from behind them. Separating, Crete shifted Tori behind him as the family faced their guest. Tori's head popped over Crete's shoulder and narrowed her eyes. The blondest hair she had ever seen haloed around a tan complexion and dark blue eyes, almost black in their depth. With everything that had happened she was very wary. The sense of danger wafting off this guy even as he just stood there was almost unnerving.

"Please excuse my rudeness. I know how frustrating being away from your family can be. I'll just await you in the living room." The stranger bowed and turned on his heel out of the kitchen leaving them in silence. Tapping Crete's shoulder Tori crossed her arms and tapped her foot, a brow arched in question. With the soft pink of the cami she looked quite adorable in her annoyance.

"Does anyone perhaps want to explain to me why that royal asshole is here?!" Grimacing the other three each looked back and forth at each other. Crete was the first to speak up. "Our guest came to check up on you actually. He didn't want to wait to hear the report from the council." Throwing her hands up in frustration she stomped over to the plate of bacon and tossed in two pieces using chewing as an excuse to keep her harsh words from flying out. The nerve of that pompous ass coming here and demanding her story before she even got to recover fully. Granted thanks to her brother she felt a million times better than she had, but how the hell would he know that. She twisted the edge of her top between her fingers. It wasn't something she could blow off and claim exhaustion. As if that man would care. Her family stood back and allowed her this small moment to come to terms with his presence. This wasn't the only bomb they had to lay in her lap. This time it was her father that spoke up.

"Aye little one we know it is damn inconvenient but it's a necessity that we give him what he wants. The nature of the beast you understand." Autora growled softly at his words. Her mother stepped in and wrapped a small arm around Tori's shoulder and ushered her out of the kitchen. "Come now sweetie. Let's get dressed and I'll fix you a plate. You'll feel better after you eat and are in more comfortable clothes." Knowing arguing got her nowhere she avoided looking into the living room as they passed by. Feeling his stare between her shoulder blades made her want to squirm. She quickened her steps and rushed into her room, leaving her mom outside in the hallway without another word. She chose a simple knit sweater dress in a dark blue and a pair of new crème colored high heel boots to replace her old ones. Throwing her hair up into a low ponytail she refused to dress up farther. A gentle knock brought her from her staring contest with the mirror.

Thinking it was her mother with the plate of food Autora opened the door and turned her back to pick up her dirty clothes to put into her hamper, the back of her dress creeping up slightly. A small choking sound alerted her to something wrong. Turning around she shrieked in surprise and anger. Setting her plate on a small side table Rharonis, their king, cupped Autoras face in his hands. "Don't scream nor be alarmed. I'm not here to hurt you ma cher. Just hear me out before you decide to rampage." Fury swirled in her eyes as she looked at him murderously. Storming out of his reach she flopped down onto a padded chair. Crossing her arms she stared up at him and waited for him to continue. Walking over he knelt down in front of her resting on the balls of his feet as if he needed to back away quickly from her reach.

"I understand you have been in quite the ordeal and are still trying to recuperate. The reason for my visit is in part as I told your family, to hear first-hand what you have found. But that's not all of my reason. I came for you." His eyes rested on Autoras face watching for her reaction. She looked down at him in confusion.

"Me, why me? Look Roni, we grew up hating each other. You were a snotty nosed brat as a child and you took every opportunity to torment me about my heritage. I wasn't very appreciative of you either. Have to admit I wasn't the nicest of children. But I saved the majority of it to avoid you." Chewing at the tips of her fingernails was the only bad habit she had never broken as a child. Just as he had watched her, she now watched him. "We certainly were a pair back then. You had such fire in you and I was so arrogant. Hell I had to be to become what I am right now. Besides, I enjoyed every moment of the chase with you. You are intelligent, brilliant, beautiful, and deadly. I was told to keep back and not encourage and friendship with you." He gently cupped both of her knees and looked up pleadingly. "I was bound by law to keep my distance until the appropriate time approached. A test needed to be conducted first. You passed it ma cher."

Her mouth popped open wide as she fought with what he said. A test. They had put her thru a bloody test. And for what. They couldn't possibly mean for her to be....

"Uh uh...no way. You had to wait...wait to....oh hell you mean to claim me!" Jumping up she growled and pushed him away as she bolted for her door.

"Tori, Stop!" The authority in his voice coupled with magic inherit thru birth forced her body to a halt mid step. She tried to scream but the order kept her from even uttering a peep. "Gods woman why are you so stubborn? Even the mere mention of getting close to someone has your spikes in a knot. You know not all men are alike. Please relax now alright."

Autora slumped forward to the floor as her halted momentum came back into play making her stumble and collapse to her knees. "Shit I'm sorry Tori. I've never used my powers on you before. Here let me help you up." He wrapped his hands around her upper arms and lifted her with no issue, ignoring her growls of protest. Fighting back against him wore out what reserve strength she had left, falling into his chest.

"What gives you the right to come here...and say these things to me?" Grimacing she pushed weakly against his chest. "Go back to your court and leave me alone."

"Dammit Tori. There is no getting out of this. You know the law just as much as I do." He brushed a strand of loose hair from her eyes. "We can discuss this at a later time. You need to rest. I will be staying here to help take care of you until we are ready to go home together." Picking her up under her knees and around her shoulders he laid her across the unmade bed and tucked her in after removing her boots. He kissed the top of her head and brushed his fingertips across her pale cheek.

"Don't worry ma cher you will be happy. I'll make sure of it." He left her as she laid in a daze.