Ice filled AJ from his head to his toes. He stared at Gwylym, not bothering to ask if he was sure. The faerie wouldn’t have come so far if he wasn’t sure. God, he had been such a fool. He’d left Kevin and Nick unprotected because hostages wasn’t Roth’s type of plan. But who knew what Twyla would do. That was a possibility that he should have planned for.
AJ didn’t realize that he’d got to his feet. With a quiet murmur to his friend, AJ moved Gwylym upwards, where his friend flew up and landed in AJ’s hair, settling down to rest. Once the faerie was settled, AJ picked up the scimitars and sheathed them over each shoulder. His moves were short and precise.
“Roth has Kevin and Nick?” Brian whispered. Looking at his partner, AJ realized that Brian had stood as well. His hands were bloody from trying to clean AJ’s side, but they were steady. One convulsively reached toward the claymore at his waist, a sign that the sword was becoming a part of him. Around his other hand, magic pulsed lightly, aching to be set free.
That was something he had to get under control. AJ lifted his eyes to Brian’s and shook his head. “Not yet. Soon, though.” He refused to sugar coat it. On the outside the two men looked hard and frozen, like ice, but it was a defense against the way their minds raged on the inside. In the bond, AJ opened up his love and sorrow, sharing it with Brian and feeling Brian’s in return. They mourned the potential for what could happen.
Could. That one single word was enough to melt the ice inside of AJ. What ‘could’ happen. It might not have happened yet. “Gwylym said he plans to do this, and is sending minions. That means they don’t have them yet. We can still get there in time.” AJ pointed out. The same thought came to Brian, and his eyes started to glow with the fire in him.
As a unit the two spun, racing toward the castle. While running they exchanged thoughts back and forth. ‘We’ll travel lightly. Just enough to get us there, but no more. Kevin will have stuff, and we can access our bank accounts while we’re there to get more.’ Brian thought.
‘Good point. But what we have to wear isn’t anything we can just show up in. How are we going to do this? They think you and I have been in a treatment place for me.’ AJ reminded him.
The two burst through the front entrance of the castle, almost running smack into Howie. He had been opening the door for Isleen. One look at their faces had Howie instantly tensed and on alert. “What’s going on?” he demanded, shifting instinctively to protect Isleen from an unseen threat.
AJ didn’t waste time, but grabbed Howie’s arm and started to yank him up the stairs. “Twyla’s started to possess Roth a little and is having him send someone to get Kevin and Nick.” He explained. Nothing else was needed. Instead of being pulled along, Howie was now running beside them.
He took hold of AJ’s arm, pulling him toward his own room instead. Once inside, Howie raced to the closet and grabbed a pack. He yanked it open, throwing clothes in their direction. One look showed them to be jeans and t-shirts. Next came shoes, thumping on the ground. “I always keep stuff like this, in case we go back to civilization.” Howie said. He was already stripping to change his own clothes.
Gwylym moved from AJ’s head, pausing at his ear to say that he was going to rest before hurrying back to his people, now that the message was delivered. While the others changed, AJ quietly thanked him and let him go.
A basin of water sat on a table. AJ used it to wash off the rest of the blood from where his stomach had finally healed. Then he stripped down and practically flew into the boxers, jeans, shirt, socks, and shoes. It felt strange to him, to be dressed like this.
From the doorway came Flreu’s voice. “Tripha says that he will carry you three close enough to your home that you should get in without problems. With his abilities no one will see or sense your arrival. He will be ready in ten minutes to take you out of here.”
“Thank you, Grandfather.” Brian said softly, embracing him.
“Thank you, Sire.” Howie echoed.
AJ was busy staring into the red-tinged water. He brought a hand up, feeling at his hair. Behind him he could hear Howie and Brian discussing where Tripha would drop them off. That was no concern to AJ. Once they got close enough, he was confident he could use air to lower them practically into Kevin’s front yard and keep them shielded from sight at the same time.
What he was thinking of was what they would say to Kevin and Nick. What were they going to do? “We need to figure out how the hell we’ll play this before we get there.” He spoke up suddenly, cutting them all off. Turning, AJ ran his hand over the hilt of his sword, which was lying on the bed where he had put it while changing. The thought of leaving it behind almost tore him to pieces. “If they’re still safe, and nothing has happened, what are we going to do? We can’t stay there forever to protect them. Too much needs to be done.”
“Are there any who might go and guard them?” Howie asked, looking at all the faces in the room.
Flreu gave a firm nod. “At my word, and for our trulion, every elf out there would lay down their life in protection of your friends.”
“Not just friends.” This time it was Brian’s voice, and the fear in it was enough to pull AJ up out of his thoughts. He looked over and saw the tears standing in Brian’s eyes. “Kevin is my cousin. He’s my family.”
That only served to firm the look in Flreu’s eyes. “If he is family than we are even more so obligated. I will send a fist of elves who are practiced at blending into the mortal world. Where are you going to?”
“Kevin’s been staying in Georgia.” Howie supplied.
“It will take them a week to get there. We will have to sacrifice you all for that time. Once they arrive, you can safely leave them. No harm will come to them while their guards are there.” The last part was spoken in elvish, binding him to his words. AJ looked up sharply, but he couldn’t help the wave of appreciation.
That still didn’t answer AJ’s question. “How are we going, though? I mean, if the guards are experienced at blending, the guys don’t have to know the truth. We can make up some kind of death threat from a fan, and make the elves out to be new bodyguards that are hired. Or we can tell them all the truth and go with it from there.”
“Do you really think they’d believe us?” Howie asked him. “It’s a hell of a mouthful to swallow, Alyck. Would a week even be time to convince them, and then calm them down?”
Brian picked up his own sword, holding the scabbard and hilt and looking at it. “It’s probably easier and safer if they know as little as possible. Much as I dislike the idea of lying to them…if it keeps them safe, I will. We’ll need to pick up some stuff to make it look real. Suitcases and such. Something to hide these in. I don’t feel comfortable being without a weapon of some sort in a place where using my magic isn’t a good idea.” Suddenly his head shot up. “What about our eyes?”
Now that the decision was made, they started to move back toward outside. Five of their ten minutes was already used. Soon, Tripha would be ready for them.
“That’s easy enough, Bri. I’ll show you the little glamour spell for our eyes and ears.” AJ said, taking hold of Brian’s hand. With his other hand he reached up and pulled his hair over his shoulder. In the past few weeks it had continued to grow at an accelerated pace. Flreu said it was because AJ had gained his second ring, and become an adult, pushing the last of the immortal magic out and letting the last part of elvish blood fill his veins. It was trying to finish off its job of fully transforming his body.
Mournfully he looked at it. By now it was almost long enough to sit on. Frequently he kept part of it braided back and out of his face while he worked. But it felt…right, to have it so long. Brian, like most sun elves, actually kept his hair close cropped. It was its usual mop of curls. “I’ll have to cut my hair.” He lamented quietly when they stepped outside.
Brian froze beside him, turning to look at AJ’s hair. “What?”
“I’ll have to cut it. Having it long like this isn’t part of being ‘AJ’. If I’m going to be him for a while, I need to look the part.”
“No.” Brian shook his head. Possessively he brought a hand up, running it through AJ’s hair. They both knew that it was one of Brian’s favorite features, as well as something that he found surprisingly erotic. He loved it when AJ was over him, and his hair fell in waves around them, creating an almost magical cocoon for their love. “You can’t cut it.”
“Bri, I have to. Hiding our eyes and ears is easy, because no one touches them. But my hair, well, all it would take is someone brushing against the spell I put, and they’d be able to feel it even if they couldn’t see it. I have to do it if I’m going to be AJ.” As much as the idea bothered him, AJ knew it was what had to be done. But Brian remained stubborn.
“I said no. You’re not cutting it. If we have to tell them the truth, then so be it.”
From their side Howie snorted in surprise. “You would rather go through the shit of telling them an trying to convince them of what’s happening than sacrifice Alyck’s hair? Are you kidding me?”
Brian shrugged. “He’s not cutting it.” He said, as if it was a foregone conclusion. His eyes moved back over to AJ. “You’re not cutting it.”
Right then, Tripha came forward, saddled and ready for them to go. AJ slung his baldric on, straightening the scabbard at his shoulder. For now, it was the easiest way to carry it, and Brian was right. They didn’t need to be without weapons. He also put on the one he had borrowed from Nifar. “I won’t cut it yet, but we’ll figure out the rest when we get there. There’s no time right now.”
Without another word between themselves, the three men were soon mounted and ready to fly. Howie had given Isleen one last kiss and a few whispered words before he had climbed up. AJ looked around at the crowd that surrounded them.
“I am not leaving you permanently.” He called out to the quiet crowd. All eyes were on them. “There is a danger, and our family has need of us. The King is dispatching troops to follow and offer protection, but until they arrive, we must be there to protect them. They are not a part of our life, nor do they know our ways.
“You all know what your jobs are here. Just because I am gone does not mean they can’t continue. I will return to you as quickly as I can. This I swear to you.”
As the dragon took flight, cheers echoed up after them. AJ wished he could share in their faith.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It only took them a few hours to arrive at the place in Georgia where Kevin lived, and where Nick was currently visiting with him. Tripha dropped them off on the outskirts of the nearby town, hidden by magic and by the trees. He bid them farewell and luck, and told AJ that he would be back in exactly one weeks’ time to pick them up.
Once he was gone, AJ looked down at his hands and then back up, through the trees to the road. “First things first, we need a car or some bags. Something to hide our stuff in.” He turned to look at Howie. “D?” He purposely called him that. Better get back into role.
Grinning wryly, Howie turned and set off toward the road. With fear still eating at them, the wait seemed long to Brian and AJ. They held hands as they stood where Howie had left them, and watched through the trees to the road. In reality, it was only fifteen minutes later that Howie pulled up on the road and honked. He was driving a dark blue ford explorer.
“How did you get this?” Brian asked as he climbed into the backseat. Very carefully he tucked his sword underneath the seats. AJ was adding his two to the pile before he moved up to the passenger’s seat.
“Car lot over there. I still had my checkbook, so I wrote him a check. He was happy enough to make the sale. He recognized me, too, so I think that made it easier.”
The minute the doors shut they were off down the road. It was another fifteen minutes to the other side of town, then ten up the driveway toward Kevin’s. They stopped on the side of the road near the entrance to the driveway. AJ reclined his head against his seat and opened his senses, extending out around them. He could feel both Kevin and Nick up there, but no one else. No one on the property, or in the surrounding woods. Satisfied, he pulled back into himself and sighed. They had made it in time.
“Clear?” Howie asked quietly. AJ nodded.
While Howie started to pull back out, AJ climbed between the seats and into the back with Brian. He placed a finger on Brian’s temples. After making a small weave, he laid it on his lover’s ears and eyes. When he looked, Brian’s ears were normal, and his eyes were back to their regular blue. Then he did the same to himself. “There.” He said, smiling. “We look mostly human.”
Brian grinned. “I like you better the other way.” He teased. There was room for teasing now. Their two friends were up there, still alive, and no one else was around .That meant that they were still safe. It took the sharp edge off of their fear, and as usual, they reacted to that kind of release with humor.
When Howie made the turn into the drive, Brian pushed against AJ’s shoulder. “Turn for a minute.” He told him, pretending to sound firm.
AJ did as he was told and turned his back to Brian. Instantly there were fingers in his hair, lightly coming through it first before gathering it together into a ponytail. From his pocket Brian pulled out a piece of leather that he’d grabbed before they left and he used it to tie AJ’s hair off. “There, at least that’s out of the way for you.”
“It’s still gonna throw them, it being so long an such.” AJ warned when he turned back.
“Oh well. They’ll get over it. There’s a lot more that’s important right now. If your hair is what they focus on, well, that’ll be just weird.”
The car parked then, cutting them off. The three men fell silent. What they were about to do was a big thing. This was going to change the lives of those they cared about. Once they walked through the door, the decision was irrevocable. But what was their alternative? There was none.
Together they climbed from the car. Someone in the house must have heard them, because the front door opened and Kevin and Nick came spilling out, wreathed in smiles. Nick launched himself straight at Brian, who stepped away from AJ to wrap his best friend in a laughing hug. “Shit, Littrell, is it ever good to see you!” Nick practically shouted, pulling back to look at Brian’s face. “Damn if you haven’t got some color. You’re looking good!”
Kevin stepped up then, hugging Howie first before taking Nick’s place with Brian. The cousins embraced, whispering to one another, words that AJ couldn’t hear. He was occupied by Nick’s sudden hug, which was tight and full of love. AJ gripped him back, unable to help his grin.
When Nick pulled back, he grabbed hold of AJ’s ponytail. “What the hell is this?” He teased. “Where’d you get this wig at?”
AJ laughed when he realized that Nick thought the hair was part of a disguise. “Lay off my hair, Carter.” He joked while he stepped forward to hug Kevin as well. The older man was much more observant. When he pulled back, his eyes were full of surprise. “That’s not a wig.”
“Why don’t we move this reunion inside?” Howie suggested, glancing around. His eyes were scanning and his magic was extended, sensing for any others in the area. Nick and Kevin mistook his watchfulness as him looking for press. Nick had hold of Brian’s arm again and practically skipped toward the house. But Kevin’s eyes were locked onto AJ’s face. “Yes. I think there’s a lot to talk about.” The older man said slowly.
‘Well,’ AJ’s thoughts echoed along the bond. ‘Maybe you were right about telling them. Either I’m slipping, or Kevin’s more observant. Would of worked better to keep it from them if you’d let me cut my hair. You owe me for the shit I’m going to get as we tell them everything, though.’
Brian sent back a mental snort that almost had AJ laughing. ‘Tonight, in our room, when you’re wearing nothing but your hair around your body, I promise, I’ll make you glad you didn’t cut it.’ The sensual promise in that had AJ grinning. He ignored the curious look that Kevin gave him, and the warning look from Howie. Hell, maybe the day was going to turn out better than he’d thought!