Hell on Wheels (Faetal Attraction #1)

Applause

The remaining days before the cosmic event have been so tense that even Javi has snapped a couple of times. Reb and I weren’t able to glean more information about the mysterious visitors, nor did the Council have anything useful to share about the enormous criminal empire gathering in our city. It’s almost like everyone has gone into duck and cover mode just in case something blows up.

Not. Comforting. At. All.

Sighing, I take a fortifying sip of the Faetini Javi mixed a pitcher to help me calm down while I get ready. The guys are all in their own rooms doing what little dudes have to do to be fancy. This is my time to myself to work through my mixed emotions about all the people I’ll likely see at this damn thing. Honestly, I need it; they distract me in wonderful and terrible ways, and I need my brain to function at the moment.

Merra Stuhll and her gang will hold court at their dias, and reading their reaction to my attendance will be crucial. I don’t know if they’re funding Mina and her minions because they want something else from her or they actually have some random beef with Reb and me. Watching them is a priority since I rarely get the chance.

That focus will be split as we need to watch for my ridiculously self-centered ex-bestie, too. She and the Sickos will probably be present and willing to do stupid shit if they have an opportunity. I have no idea why the fuck Mina can’t just move on with her life after she decided I wasn’t good enough to be her friend anymore, but the continued bullshit online and off is straight-up stalking. If I were a lesser person, I’d report her and get a damn restraining order or sue her. Lucky for her, I have no desire to spend my life in court fighting her childish bullshit.

I want her to go away and keep my name—even vaguely—out of her fucking mouth; is that too much to ask?

Fury at the absolute unfairness of this situation rockets through me and I have to breathe deeply to prevent it from getting the best of me. The girl I thought was my closest friend, my sister from another mister, was all an act. When she was done with using me to climb the ladder, she cast me aside like a used tissue, and that’s just reality. It would be hard enough to accept that without her campaigning against me at every turn, but I don’t get a choice in the matter. I have to do whatever it takes to protect myself and my family, both physically and virtually, so if it needs to get more serious about my end, it will.

This party will give me an idea on whether I’ll have to take further steps, I suppose. I’d rather not pursue this through the Council and the legal teams they have to adjudicate shifter disputes; the visitor we have coming to Bay City had that pleasure and look where she is now—trapped in a punishment she probably didn’t earn. Our elders don’t always use simple right and wrong to decide things like this—they weigh in information none of us are privy to that comes from seers and the Fates and all over the supernatural world. Mina could well have mobilized enough powerful people with her waspish rumor-mongering and shitty narcissism to affect my entire career from afar.

That alone makes me want to do things I normally wouldn’t consider.

Closing one eye as I apply the base for my shadow, I think about how much private information she vented to me over the years. Besties often share things they’d never say in public, be it about themselves or others, and Mina was no exception. Her constant insistence that bigger stars were copying her or trying to destroy her should have been a red flag for me, but I ignored it because I really wanted a female friend. Reb and his boys had always been my closest buds and that scared girls away from me when we were younger. They got jealous of the devotion the guys showed, and it cancelled out a lot of friendships before they got going.

Roller derby gave me an outlet for all my aggression about my adoptive parents and my unrequited crushes on the guys. Mina was the first person to really befriend me and we were both small fries in the league. She was the only chick who never tried to hit on the guys or get to them through me, and I was so happy about it that I let a lot of things that should have clued me in shoot past me. I switch eyes as I consider all the bad shit I can see clearly now—her constant gossiping and snarking about others, the purposeful only slightly jabs she was always using against her ‘haters’ online, and the way I had to tiptoe around all her ‘moods’ to keep equilibrium. Those were indicators of the reality I see now, and I let this happen.

She was always going to turn on me someday, especially if I eclipsed her and didn’t need her as much.

“This probably started when I got made captain,” I mutter as I rifle around for the wide brush I need to do the base color for my look. “She got overlooked and suddenly, I wasn’t a threat; I was competition.”

I pick a color that will complement the colors in the dress I was sent, humming under my breath as I pack in the shadow, then blend it outward. I can’t help but review shit in my head that I wanted to let go of, and it makes me irritable enough to toss back the rest of my drink and pour another. It makes me so ashamed that I allowed someone so broken and hateful into my life. Because of Graciela, I’ve always been very suspicious of the people I let in, even the ones who are friends with bennies. But Mina got right past the defenses, and now she’s even found others I missed, like Winnie. I’m a goddamned failure at protecting myself, so how can I expect to successfully keep my men or my future charge safe?

The voice in my head is soft, but I know exactly who it is. ~Kierra Orenda, stop this immediately. ~

~Stay out of my brain, Reb. This is my time and you know it. ~

His chuckle is fond, but he doesn’t withdraw as asked. ~I would if you weren’t beating yourself up over something that could happen to anyone. You are not above humanity. ~

~We’re Fae, Reb—Unseelie at that. We should be able to taste the lies. ~

~You weren’t using your powers on your friends, Rogue. And you shouldn’t be. ~

I hate that his point is valid, and he’s simply pointing out that I’m as fallible as anyone else. It’s true, but that doesn’t mean I want to hear it. Accepting the situation I was thrown into without being able to get real closure is hard as fuck, and I’m grasping at straws by blaming myself. The truth is that I did nothing wrong and couldn’t have predicted her betrayal and subsequent abuse. I was as human as every other dumb ass on the planet despite my phenomenal cosmic powers—which sucks ass to admit.

~Leaving now, little sis. Be kinder to yourself or I’ll tell the others. ~

Giving him a mental middle finger, I have to stop myself from rolling my eyes and fucking up the makeup I’m working on. The guys said I have to go super glamazon and while I could use magic for this, it’s much more satisfying when I do it myself. Plus, it gave me an excuse to stay in my room alone while I get ready.

Thank fuck none of them were here when I went on my self-pity jaunt a moment ago. Reb witnessing it was bad enough. I need them to see the strong Rogue to get through this bullshit evening. If they think I’m too vulnerable, they’ll hover too closely and it will discredit me. Besides all the other enemies and randos, Luca and Lola will be there with their minions. This is a snake pit full of poisonous vipers; I have to project a certain image. The last thing I need is more people coming after me.

Looking in the mirror, I blow out a long breath.

Get your shit together, Rogue, or they’re going to eat you alive.

I take one last look at my glittering Unseelie style makeup, and wild, half pinned up curls. There’s room for a small decoration—something Angelo made certain I knew I’d be expected to wear—and I’m tucked into lingerie and shapewear that usually I’d never bother with. Everything from a push-up bra to garters and a corset to keep the softer bits of my body in so tightly that I’ve had to adjust my breathing to make certain I don’t make myself pass out. I hate this kind of shit, but I’m not na?ve enough to think the crooked glitterati at this damn party won’t judge me from head to toe. My mid-size body is just fine with me and my guys, but this isn’t our show.

Sometimes, you have to take one for the team, and this is one of those times.

“Stupid ridiculous body standards are for the fucking birds,” I grumble as I adjust the boning again. “Whoever invented this garbage should be set on fire, drawn and quartered, then shot to pieces. It’s uncomfortable and dangerous, especially if I have to get in a damn fight.”

No one is here to agree with me, so I stomp over to the dress hanging on the outside of my closet. It’s gorgeous and clearly bespoke, but I have no desire to wear it. We ran every magical and chemical test Angelo and Damon could think of to make sure it’s not some sort of trap, then Reb and I had one of our Guardian friends with the ‘gift’ check it out, too. Unfortunately for me, it’s not a booby trap, just a booby… display.

I snort to myself as I pull the zipper down and untie the faux corset ribbons on the back one by one. Truthfully, I can either have someone shred me out or magic myself out if I need to shed all this weight. I’d prefer not to get in a scrap dressed in a corset, garters, thigh highs, and tiny undies, but I sure as fuck will if I have to. People can fuck right off if they expect me to play a wilting flower just because I’m dressed like one.

Stepping into my outfit for the evening, I carefully tug it up my body until the built-in sparkling boy shorts slip over my muscled thighs. The huge tulle skirt drapes down in ombre ruffles from the sides of my hips and around my back to trail behind me. It’s an odd combination of old world and modern style, with the fluffy princess in the back and the tough girl shorts in the front, plus the bustier top. I giggle when it occurs to me that it’s designed with the dress equivalent of a mullet. That helps me survive getting the top over the boned lingerie so I can settle my girls into it. I won’t be able to close the back myself, but luckily, I have plenty of guys who will be eager to help.

I hold the top up so I can walk over to my full-length mirror, twisting a little to see how the various shades of blues, purples, and pinks look when I turn on the full body Fae marks. Tilting my head, I grin a little. I look hot, which helps me quell my anger and nervousness a bit. If I could wear the wings, it’s be even better, but unlike most of my ilk, mine are not good as accessories unless I’m trying to kill people.

C’est la vie.

“Wheels, you almost ready in there?”

Archie is the only one brave enough to knock, but I’m sure they’re all out there, looking breathtakingly sexy in their various tuxes that Guillermo completely rocked. He stays quiet for a minute and I continue looking at myself in the mirror, trying to mentally prepare for the onslaught of my men after the quiet. When I’m ready, I finally respond.

“As ready as I’ll ever be, but I’m going to need help to get laced into this thing.”

“At your service, babe,” the lion says as he opens the door and strides in. “I can help with shoes, too.”

My jaw drops as I look at him in the perfectly tailored tux in shades of teal, magenta, peach, and pale green that brings out his eyes, his tan, and his blond hair like a gust of spring.

Oh, I’m in deep fucking trouble tonight.—and I don’t mean the room full of enemies.